Heroism
Wind caressed the young hedgehog's fur softly, as he continued to walk through the pathway of trees of central park in Empire City. Lately it had been very quiet, and it bothered him greatly. He lived for adrenaline, and loved to snuff out tyranny – it was his job after all. Strapped onto his back, the scabbard for his sword clanked gently against the buckles on the strap which held to his body. The gentle clanking filled the air, only being snuffed out by the rustling of leaves, and the occasional crunch as he stepped on a fallen leaf.
Blue eyes glanced upwards at the rain clouds rolling through the sky, sighing as the rain began to drip against his snow white fur.
"Fitting," he sighed, and pulled up the hood on his jacket.
Yes, he was Hope the Hedgehog. Infamous hero across the United Federations, though not to the extent as the wonderful Sonic. With another sigh, Hope rounded the corner into the downtown area of the city, noticing very few people moving through the streets because of the weather.
Why did he always get overlooked whenever Sonic was in the picture? Sure, he didn't have any amazing super powers like his ally, but it seemed strange that Sonic claimed to be such an innocent guy, when he hogged all the attention. In fact, he had begun to grow extremely jealous.
"I wish just once I'd get a chance to shine," Hope murmured, anger showing in his voice.
With the last attack by Eggman, he and his friends all leaped to action; per routine. However, as usual, Sonic always seemed to take the spot light and do away with the Doctor with such ease, he made it look like a game! Hope felt entirely insignificant alongside Sonic, and he was beginning to get tired of it.
Then, a vicious explosion bellowed through the streets, as screaming people ensued. Fire rose upwards, trailing after clouds of smoke into the sky. Hope, taking it as a chance to act first, ran through the streets near immediately, as a grin of confidence spread across his muzzle.
"Finally!"
Rounding a corner, and narrowly avoiding a tumbling car, Hope found himself faced with a fleet of Egg Pawns. They marched hollowly across the streets, overturning vehicles and crushing any obstacle in their way. Behind them, a much bulkier mech stomped through the streets, a thin laser occasionally cutting through buildings and the like. Hope swung his sword out just in time to slice apart an airborne car door.
Sparks shot upwards from the swift motion, as the two parts of the door fell to his sides. Hope nodded in satisfaction and quickly ran towards the army of robots. Water splashed upwards from his boots in the puddles, as the rain began to fall harder.
The young warrior yelled out, swinging his sword valiantly. Three Egg Pawn heads rolled across the ground, as explosions followed. Hope quickly turned around just in time to block a jab from a spear. Using his sword to parry the move, he brought his weapon back up, and brought it down through the pawn, cutting it in half.
Several dangerous explosions shot upwards around Hope, catching him off guard, and effectively throwing him backwards and into a parked car. Glass shattered from his impact, causing him to groan in pain. However, his attention was quickly pulled from his collision and towards the larger mech pulling up behind the army of pawns. Its square "mouth" dropped down, revealing a circular cannon. Within the cannon a mass of yellow light had begun to materialize, which was aimed directly at Hope.
A flash of blue filled his vision, as a powerful orb of light collided with the mid section of the mech and knocked it backwards in a burst of blue wind. Standing in front of him defensively, he found Sonic. Fire leaped upwards beside him, as the wind blew through his quills. Hope sighed, and though grateful, he still found a sliver of spite towards the blue hero. Hope jumped away from the wreckage, and trotted up besides his comrade.
"Thanks for holding things together up here, pal," Sonic complimented with a wink. "Mind helping me clean up those pawns, while I take down ugly over there?"
Hope nodded without a word, and watched as Sonic darted into action. His blue eyes trailed after the lightning quick hero, as he mowed through waves of the pawns before finally reaching his target. Hope watched on momentarily, as eruptions of blue energy swallowed up the larger mech's body, chipping away at its armor. Oh how he wished he could be the center of attention like Sonic was. He could only dream of having people chant his name, or call on him the moment the world needed a hero. Yet there he stood; the supporting cast and the back up.
A scream from both a mother and her child broke Hope from his day dreaming. He shot his head towards the source, finding a small group of robots surrounding the helpless citizens. Jumping into action, the snow white hero quickly sliced through one of the attacking pawns, watching it explode as its comrades lunged at him.
The young boy he was defending watched with a dazzled gaze, his eyes glistening with awe. Hope moved elegantly between the pawns, swiping his sword effectively and skillfully. Mechanical limbs slid across the ground with each slice, as flashes of silver were followed with rows of smoke, electricity and flame. One last pawn rushed towards the young hero, its own sword raised for an attack. Hope stood ready, holding his blade like a baseball bat.
In one swift, lightning quick motion, Hope snapped forwards just as the pawn swung its blade. Electricity danced across his blade, as its edge became red from heat. Smoke wrapped around it as it slid through the torso of the mech, causing its lower half to trip and catapult its upper half onto the ground. Hope sighed, and quickly sheathed his sword, turning towards the mother and her child.
"Are you two okay?" he asked calmly. "No one's hurt, right?"
"No, we're safe. Thankyou so much, young man," the middle aged woman smiled. "You're truly an aspiring man."
"That was so cool!" the young boy chirped, gazing at Hope's blade. "Can you do it again?"
Hushing her son, the woman looked at Hope with a appreciative gaze. "You must feel a bit overshadowed with Sonic in the picture," the lady remarked, sympathy lacing her voice. "Let me tell you something, he may be the hero of the media, and have a bunch of fantastic feats under his belt, but that doesn't define a hero. Just as long as you're willing to put your own safety in jeopardy for the likes and safety of others in need, that makes you a true hero. Heroism is about standing up for whats right, no matter the size of what that deed is."
With a warm smile, the mother laid a reassuring hand on the hedgehog's shoulder, and walked away hurriedly with her son.
Hope pondered her words silently, knowing full well Sonic would be finishing up by now. He turned briefly, finding the larger mech tumble to the ground in a fiery heap of scrap metal, with an enraged Doctor Eggman hovering from the wreckage in his transportation pod, cursing as he did so. Sonic stood triumphantly amongst the rubble of his battle, as floods of people came in to congratulate him.
Smiling, Hope walked away, his arms tucked snug behind his neck as he hummed. Rays of warming sunlight slowly began to spread across the city, and he knew that he had done well. Sure, it would be great to have waves of happy people and reporters come at you with smiling faces. But, today, Hope knew that what he did was no less as great as Sonic's doings. The smile from that young boy only proved it, and the child's mother really did have a point. An act of heroism isn't about saving the world, or having a massive amount of people surround you and thank you, but the fact that you're willing to jeopardize your own safety for the sake of others is what a hero truly is.
Hope continued humming. He was a great hero, no matter the greatness of his actions. Just as long as someone found appreciation in them, that was enough for him.
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Authors Note~ A small one shot I've been meaning to post for ForceWalker. It's taken nearly a year, but hey, it's up now! It deals with the reoccurring theme in most of my stories, and that is "heroism". Hope you all enjoyed! Especially you, Force!