Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing and I hope this is better formatted now.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Lost Genesis
By: A Quiet Dreamer
Prologue
It was around midway through the afternoon on a warm day in July. A welcome breeze kept the many people of Station Square in relative comfort as they went about their busy schedules. In a large green park located near the city's heart, there was much activity as children of various species, though mostly human, frolicked and played with one another as only children are able- much to the distress of the more worrisome parents. Of course, adults have their own ideas of fun and so, in their own way, many grown ups were having revelries equal to those of the younger park-goers.
At a small wooden table resting beneath the cooling shade of a mighty elm sat two men playing a game of chess. The one nearer to the tree was of average height and build for a human living in the city. His jet-black hair hung straight down around his face and ended about three inches past his shoulders. He was Caucasian, though it was hard to tell from his deeply tanned skin, and had large hazel eyes above a somewhat crooked nose and a smiling mouth that showed a gap between his front teeth. He wore bright summer clothing though he was sitting on a red jacket with SSU adorning the back in bold black letters.
The other man was a few inches taller than the first and had a somewhat portly belly. His red-brown hair was fairly short and looked a little odd because it was combed over on the top to cover a small bald spot. He was a good deal paler than his companion with deep blue eyes, a small pointed nose, and a mouth full of perfectly straight and white teeth that shown in a large, dazzling grin that was framed by an even larger bushy brown mustache. His attire consisted of white, rubber gloves, a red lab coat, and black pants with two white buttons at the top. How he could wear such things in the heat of summer was a very good question for which no one could find an answer.
The former was losing spectacularly! He had no pieces remaining save his king which was in deep trouble indeed. Meanwhile, the latter had all but one pawn still on the board and was at that moment moving his king into a position two squares from his adversary's now-cornered-piece. His eyes lit up as that monstrous grin broadened to an inconceivable size and he declared his victory with a loud "Check mate!" His opponent still smiled as he stood and shook his friend's hand as this conclusion to their game was a foregone one, as had it always been and always would be.
The Doctor is just too good for me, he thought.
"My dear old friend, I must admit I fear the day is quickly approaching where you grow bored of constantly winning against me and so shall you leave in search of more competent challengers.", said the loser.
"Come now, John. I value our friendship more than anything and so will nev-"
Suddenly the air was rent by screaming as a small golden object plummeted out of the sky leaving a trail of energy in its wake. The scared park-goers ran to their loved ones and scattered to the edges of the park as the golden thing fell faster and faster until it crashed into the ground with a deafening boom that launched debris in every direction with the force of a cannon. As the smoke and dust began to settle around the newly formed crater, a flickering golden light could be seen coming from the hole. A few people began to creep toward it very cautiously including the two men who had just been playing chess.
The fatter man was the first to reach the hole. He gaped slightly as the small form within began to move, still flickering back and forth between a bright golden color and a deep blue. As it rose jerkily to its feet, the flashing began to dull down. It raised its small spiny head and showed two bright red eyes that, though clouded by what appeared to be immense pain, shown with an energy unlike anything the young man had ever before seen. The hedgehog flickered once more, from an awesome fiery-eyed golden godlike being to a simple green-eyed blue boy, and toppled over into the hole; unconscious.
Suddenly the world exploded in the young man's head! Colors, images, and ideas thundered past in a confusing blur of madness as time returned to find an old man in a bed awakening from a dream of his younger self. His self and…
"Sonic the Hedgehog!" spat the aged doctor. The name made his blood boil as he recalled all the trouble that spiky blue rodent had caused him. Dr. Ivo Robotnik arose from his bed and walked steadily to a wall that was little more than a huge window as he pondered the strange dream. He stared out of the window, scratching his bald head.
"What is the meaning behind this strange dream? I'm certain that it takes place approximately fifteen years ago, and yet Sonic- who could not be much older than that this year- comes crashing down from out of nowhere looking like hell… It makes no since at all…Why am I even bothered by it, though? After all, dreams are nothing more than sub-conscious manifestations of thoughts that were being conceived prior to being overtaken by unconsciousness. And given my latest brilliant plan to stop that blue bother once and for all, is the subject of my dream all that strange? And yet, something still seems off aboutit… So familiar… Almost as if… Bah! Who cares? My next plan will succeed and Sonic will be completely powerless to stop it!" roared the mad man as he left the room laughing maniacally.
The sun shown down from a clear blue sky; its light illuminating a large grassy plain far below on Earth. This was one of those rare places where "civilization" had not yet encroached on nature's beauty. The only exception was a long, metal track which rested on a bridge that was being suspended roughly twelve feet above the ground by large steel support beams that arose from the ground in pairs every twenty or so feet. The serene quiet of the valley was suddenly disturbed by a rattling sound caused by vibrations along the track that heralded the approach of a train. It was a new bullet train capable of incredible speeds. Incredible for most, that is.
On the thin guard rail on the outside of the suspension bridge ran a small blue hedgehog who was keeping up with the train without any difficulties whatsoever. There was a manic glow coming from his emerald green eyes as he thundered alongside the train; the wind blowing through his quills, keeping him cool in the hot July heat. A movement just above and to the left caught his eye. Looking over he saw a small red squirrel girl waving at him from inside the train.
He smirked, spun around, and started running backwards and waved back. She smiled and stuck a piece of paper to the window. It was a picture of a spiky, blue stick-figure running next to a long silver thing that was probably supposed to be a train on a long white bridge over a large green scribble and under a blue one with a yellow swirl in the middle. Sonic grinned and gave the young girl a thumbs-up to which she smiled more and clapped her little gloved paws.
Turning back around, Sonic saw a hill coming up, and a crazy idea took hold of the cerulean fur ball so, upon judging that the moment was right, he took a flying leap off the rail and curled up into a ball and was sent rolling down the side of the hill. At the foot of the hill, Sonic uncurled, pulled a hand-stand, somersaulted and hit the ground running.
The tall grass hid many large rocks, upheavals, and depressions which could easily have caused Sonic to have a fatal accident, but he didn't think about that. To him, there was no fun without danger and the more the better. He dodged and weaved his way between the obstacles at break neck speeds with no fear, only excitement the likes of which he could only ever feel on challenging runs. His heart began to race even faster as with a widening grin he spied a loop just ahead.
He picked up speed as it came closer and closer. And then he was on it, running upward in defiance of gravity, and then that strange yet exhilarating moment when he hung upside down at the top of the loop and time seemed to stand still. But it passed as soon as it came and Sonic found himself staring at the rapidly approaching ground which he was back on almost before he realized it.
There was an upheaval at the end of the loop that had not been noticed before, but it only made the hyperactive hedgehog happier as experience had taught him he could use it as a ramp if he jumped at the right time which he had gotten down to an art. Sonic flew through the air and felt a rush of pure joy as the wind whipped by him and he thought of the countless other times he had done this and the adventures he had usually been having at the time. Such thoughts led him to reminisce about his friends, whom he had not seen any of in over a month. And with that came the thought that the Mystic Ruins were only a few hours away at a steady pace.
The second his cool red running shoes touched the ground, Sonic was off having made a split-second decision to visit his little brother, Tails. There were dark clouds hanging in the sky on the horizon as Earth's hero raced off without a care. The irony of them would hit him hard later on…