/-/-/-/-/-/
Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are © to SEGA and Sonic Team.
/-/-/-/-/-/
How did I get myself into this mess?
The question repeated itself through Sonic's head as sweat began to appear on his face, dripping from the tip of his nose. He had been running for the last hour, which was nothing new for him; what was new was the 'construction' that Emerald Coast had undergone, courtesy of Dr. Eggman.
The boardwalk had been demolished at multiple points, sometimes directly from under his feet, and 'ro-quatic' torpedo-shaped fish had shot out of the water. The doctor had gone all out, making sure that at any point, at least five torpedoes would fire at him at once.
Suddenly, he saw the goal dead ahead. His panic faded, and a confident smirk painted itself onto his face. Just a few hundred more yards, an easy jog for the world's fastest hedgehog.
Then, the ground beneath him rumbled, crumbling directly under him and sending him plummeting. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, since Sonic could easily flip around and land on his feet.
Unfortunately, even he couldn't stand on water. Running was one thing, but when he had lost all forward momentum and was left with only downward, he knew that this was one fall which he would need time to recover from.
The sweat on his face was replaced with cool ocean water, but Sonic could only be grateful for that split second. He struggled not to let out an 'oof' as he landed on the ocean floor, a bit of sand flying up and hovering in the water. He looked around, paying no attention to the salt in his eyes, and immediately began to make his way to the nearest upward slope.
There were none.
He struggled not to scream as his lungs began to beg for air. He glanced upwards at the sunlight shining through the surface, and realizing there was only one alternative. He pushed off of the floor with all his might, his heart racing as he came nearer and nearer.
He loved the feeling of adrenaline, the constant feeling of being in danger. However, when he barely managed to touch the surface with the tip of the nail of his middle finger, the adrenaline vanished, replaced with terror.
He sank back down, his lungs now screaming bloody murder for a breath of fresh air. He struggled to keep his mouth closed, his sight becoming blurry and painful from the salt and lack of oxygen.
Finally, he opened his mouth, water flooding his lungs. This is it, huh? He thought. I honestly thought...it'd end in a bigger bang than this...
Then, the surface broke, and a dark figure swam down, grabbing his wrist, and dragging him to the surface. Sonic could barely remain conscious, but as soon as he felt air against his fur and quills, he coughed, sputtering out water and breathing in the fresh, clean air.
He felt himself land on his back, and he lay there for a few minutes, the adrenaline rushing back. Biggest...rush...EVER...
After a few minutes, he sat up, looking around. "Phew...thank god you're okay!" He looked to his right, where Tails sat, fur dripping, and smiling in relief. "That was pretty close!"
Sonic pushed himself to his feet, shaking himself dry, and Tails copied his actions, his namesakes fluffing about. "Yeah, sure was..." The blue blur tapped the side of his head, clearing some water out of his ears. He grinned at his 'brother'. "Thanks for that, bud!" He held up a fist, and the fox bumped their knuckles together. Sonic shielded his eyes against the sun, looking across the gorge that had been created when he'd fallen.
He turned to his friend, giving him a thumbs-up. "Wanna give me a hand? As soon as this is over, it's chili-dogs. My treat!"
"Yeah!" Tails nodded enthusiastically, taking to the air and grabbing Sonic's hands. The two flew over the hole, landing safely on the other side, before taking off against, directly to the capsule.