A/N: I'm really excited about writing this. It's been an ambition of mine to do so for a long time, and now I finally can! This story will probably suit Blaze, Amy and Shadow fans best, but Sonic fans may also enjoy this as well. OK, I'll stop holding you all up...on with the first chapter! Oh and by the way, I'm sharing authorship of this story with Kattheamazing, so hopefully it won't go too wrong.
Free as the wind, that was what they always called him, and how could he disagree? Adrenaline pumping, heart racing and the warm breeze washing through his fur. To him, this was freedom, and it always had been.
The sapphire hedgehog sped over the grassy hills like he always had over the past fifteen years. This had always been his favourite place to run, away from the noisy bustle of Station Square. At least here he wasn't going to knock some bratty kid's ice cream off its cone, and end up having to buy them a new one. In fact, he hardly ran into anyone at all here.
But today was different, as something strangely familiar caught his eye, sun beams streaking off metal. Obviously another one of Eggman's creations, but why out here? Still, his ever-present thirst for thrill drew him towards it, the idea of danger only kindling his excitement.
It looked far away at first, but not more than a second passed before he could see it perfectly. An hideous metal spider, and sitting atop it, the infamous Eggman. He should have attacked it quickly, but instead he screeched to a halt, smirking up at the machine. Enjoying the moment had always been important to him, even if it meant taking a few risks.
"Hey egghead, nice set of wheels you got here! I bet you get all the girls when you ride in this thing. Heck, I'm getting turned on just looking at it!" he smirked.
"I'll have you know, rat, that this doesn't have wheels. But please, make all the jokes you like, enjoy yourself. I would hate to see you die without that cocky grin plastered to your face."
But before the last word had even ended, Sonic was already gone. There was a thunderous clanging sound as the hedgehog rammed the back of the robot in his spinball form, causing it to lurch violently forwards, but not to topple.
"I'm impressed egghead, this thing is actually sturdy." He exclaimed, suddenly in front of the robot again. He readied himself for a second attack, when the machine suddenly burst into flames. "Or not."
This time the hedgehog was genuinely surprised. Eggman had never been the greatest threat known to man, but his robots were never quite that bad. But before realisation had time to dawn on him, a razor sharp claw exploded from the wreckage. Panic hit him hard, scattering his thoughts as he tried to move out of the way. But the claw was faster, and it streaked past him. For a second Sonic thought it had missed, before he noticed that something warm and thick was trickling down his right arm.
Pain quickly followed. Sonic felt his adrenaline drain away, to be replaced by a feeling of nausea. The sound of his own heart, pounding faster than before, seemed to frighten him, almost haunt him. He looked reluctantly down at the wound, and was sickened at the sight of his own blood. There was so much of it, never before had be lost this much.
"I apologise if I surprised you, Sonic. I had no idea that you weren't keen on the idea of your own defeat." Said Eggman from behind the hedgehog, who nearly jumped with shock.
"What makes you think that?" Sonic's statement lacked his usual confidence. He almost sounded doubtful. Eggman immediately picked up on this, making no attempt to restrain his laughter.
"There's really no need to lie- even I, of all people, can see that you're afraid."
"Why would I be afraid of you...?" Sonic asked, even though the question was directed towards himself.
"That's the question though, isn't it? I'd answer it for you, but you'll know it soon enough. Now, I hope you don't mind, but I really must go."
"Leaving so soon Eggman?" Sonic taunted, although he could hardly keep his voice from shaking.
"There's no need to stay. What I came here to do is done." And with this, he turned, and started to walk away, leaving the injured hedgehog to stand there alone. Sonic knew something was wrong, maybe that had been what was frightening him.
Eggman wasn't the same. Nothing was the same. The burning sensation in his arm, the confusing words, the fear that he couldn't shake off. The fear that something terrible was going to happen, something that was out of control this time. All he could do was wait.
A/N: OK, I know that was short, but I wanted to know what people thought about this first chapter before I go rushing into the story. After all, there's no point continuing a story that nobody likes. Constructive criticism is also welcome, it'd be great to know if there's anything we could improve on. The next chapters should be about triple that length, hopefully!
