Sonic's The Name! Speed's My Game!
Hi everyone! I'm so sorry to make you wait for a long time, but I had things to do before I could come back here. Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope to get more up soon!
I'm also looking for a second Beta Reader. Please see my profile for more details.
Credit for lines and ideas belongs to dib07 and Ember Rock.
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The human woke up to yet another beautiful and bright, sunny day on South Island. He groaned from being kept up all night by someone else's little pitiful whimpers. Being a parent was much harder than he had anticipated. And his child, a small blue hedgehog, was sitting on the quilt above his large stomach, with a cocked head, waiting for his father to get up while silently pawing on the material.
"Morning, Ogilvie. Did you sleep well?" He asked, with some concern, while stroking the young one's head. The six moon old pup had suffered from nightmares over the last few nights, so the doctor permitted him to sleep in the bed instead of the cot in another room close by.
Said hedgehog responded with the combination of a small bark and a chirping sound. Ogilvie was shy and mostly used his body language to communicate. The scientist couldn't understand him anyway and there was no record of a Mobian speaking in one of the several over lander languages. No one could understand them and very few knew how to write as the scientist had discovered.
He then wondered if his older brother, Colin, encountered the same issues when raising his child, Colin Jr. or known by his nickname, Snively.
The doctor then groaned mentally as he had suddenly remembered that Snively was going to arrive soon for a visit. And he'd have to get ready.
They both had just finished breakfast, and sat in the lounge for a while. Ogilvie crawled around on the floor and played with some blocks as the doctor watched. He noticed that the pup had no difficulty in placing each of the shaped blocks into the appropriate holes that were similar in shape to a certain block. At only six months old, the hedgehog was extremely intelligent. He had tried to teach the hedgehog some language just in case. "Can you say 'Da-da', Ogilvie?" He asked the pup.
The little one looked at his 'father' and tilted his head. The larger human sighed, but then he seemed to see his small mouth start to open, as if trying to speak.
The doorbell suddenly rang. The doctor got up from his chair to answer the door.
"Greetings, Doctor Robotnik. Mind if I come in?" The adult human asked the senior doctor.
"Hello, Snively. Do come in." The scientist gestured politely. He, however, didn't like Snively very much because he had no quality of being a leader in the future and everyone in the family resented him.
The small hedgehog was playing with some toys on a red carpet in the living room. But when he saw the visitor, he was on his fours, spikes bristling and snarled at the stranger that had entered his territory.
The younger human just glared at the pup. "What is this, uncle? Looks nothing like the others in your clinic."
"I'm just taking care of him, Snively. Like I do all my patients," the human declared.
XXX
By the evening, Robotnik, Ogilvie and Snively were having dinner. The two humans were immersed in a conversation.
Ogilvie was eating his mushed up dinner, although he wanted his adoptive father for comfort against the stranger that had intruded into his home, without his permission. He just needed him, but couldn't think how to get his attention. His barks and whines were the common Hedgehog language and he knew that the doctor couldn't understand him. He then decided to open his mouth.
"Da-da…" A small, shy voice said.
The larger human suddenly swung his head towards the hedgehog with both eyebrows raised. "Say that again, Ogilvie."
"Dad-da!" The little animal squeaked loudly.
"Oh my-!" The older man got up and headed over to the pup. "Did you hear that, Snively?!" The doctor asked in an ecstatic and excited tone of voice as he picked up the little animal.
His nephew just sat where he was, expression unchanged, except from surprise. "Um…Sir?" The guest tried to point out.
"He just spoke in our own language! Do you know what this proves? It means that the other experts were wrong! This could change history and the future!" The scientist replied in a triumphant voice as he praised the pup.
"Sir! He didn't speak…he just barked." Snively explained dryly.
"I know what I heard, Snively; he called me Dad!" The older human retorted.
Snively then decided to leave before he caused more trouble and didn't want to end up like his crazy uncle who supposedly understood the Mobian language.
XXX
*6 Months Later*:
"Come on, Ogilvie! Time for a bath!" Robotnik said cheerfully.
"No!" Was the response. The year old blue hedgehog didn't want a bath at all. He wanted to watch T.V. instead and sat down on the large sofa, pulling up his socked feet.
"If you go for a bath now, you'll have just enough time before your show starts." The doctor explained kindly.
"Awww, but Dad, I wanna see it!"
The scientist groaned. He preferred when his son was quiet since there was no backtalk. He was still surprised at the pup's development. He could already walk, had fully teethed, and had learned a menagerie of words. It was like he had trebled in growth and intelligence in comparison to his age.
"No buts! It's time for a bath!" He said sternly.
Said hedgehog whined and ducked under the couch, where his father couldn't reach him.
"Ogilvie," the human said softly, grunting while bending down to the floor. "Are you going to do this every single time? Come on out and I'll give you a cookie," he added while looking underneath. The only thing the doctor could see under the couch were those emerald, green eyes glaring back at him.
The small hedgehog scoffed, "I'm not gonna fall for that again." The voice said under the couch.
"Okay, okay…" His father replied. He then got up and left the room.
The human soon returned with a packet of cookies and showed them to the kit. He then fished one out of the bag. "Alright, Ogilvie, come on out, or will I have to-"
The human didn't finish his sentence. "Huh?" At one second, the delicious biscuit was in his hand and in the next it was gone. He looked under the couch, but then heard munching and crunching behind him.
He gazed back to see the small hedgehog finishing off the stolen cookie. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. How did the small pup get to the other side of the room? He then got out another cookie. "Let's try this again," the human said.
The pup glanced at him, to the cookie in his hand, and back to his 'father' again, eyes focused and concentrating on how to get the snack without getting caught. He then walked forward and then broke into a run. It was very fast; the human didn't even get a chance to blink as the hedgehog ran under him, in between his legs, came back around as the human turned, leapt up as far as his legs could go and got the reward.
"Hey!" The doctor said, shocked at this new discovery. "How did you do that?!" He asked his son.
"I don't know," he stated after he took a bite, "I just wanted it," he added in a muffled voice.
XXX
*Later that evening*:
A thunderstorm had formed outside during the evening. The sky was now pitch black and could've been mistaken for the night. As the doctor got his son ready for bed, a thunderbolt flashed across the sky, filling the pup's bedroom with a bright, white glow for a second. The rumble of thunder almost instantly followed it.
A high-pitched shriek immediately followed the flash and its owner curled into a small blue spiked ball on the bed and shivered. The doctor frowned sympathetically at this, and picked up the ball. He then twisted it around, looking for the tiny opening. "It's just a little lightning, Ogilvie." The human kindly explained.
"I know, but it's scary and I don't like it!" The hedgehog responded. His emerald eyes showing uncertainty and fear through the gap inside his defensive ball.
Another thunderclap resonated. "Ahhh!" The blue ball whimpered and curled up even more tightly in Robotnik's gloved hand and trembled.
The human placed the ball back on the bed and went over to close the window, then united the curtains together and finally turned on a lamp and radio, that now played soft, soothing music, on the nightstand beside the bed. Now the smaller creature couldn't see or hear the storm outside. The room also looked warm and comforting thanks to the lamp's orange glow that illumined the room.
Ogilvie uncurled himself a little and lay down heavily on one side of the bed. His distress at the storm had worn him out even more. His eyelids were starting to connect from exhaustion and sleep was claiming him faster than he thought.
That was until he felt something contact with his soft, sensitive skin. He soon identified it as his father's hand. The pup didn't bother to protest to this as he enjoyed his father's company. He instead permitted himself to be pulled up closer to his father's side, earning himself a few lavish strokes from behind his twitching azure ear, down to the soft fur on his side.
The hedgehog decided to lay limp for a while, relishing in this soothing action as the doctor ran his fingers through his blue fur. The pup soon found himself drifting off, having already forgotten about the raging storm outside and being lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sound of his father's heartbeat nearby.
XXX
As Ogilvie slept, Robotnik mused over how the kit had performed the speed trick earlier that day. He then noticed his small, bare paws sticking out. How did he do it? He thought to himself, while noticing the paws. That was when he had an idea and headed to his lab to investigate his theory.
Perhaps if his extremely sensitive paws were covered, he'd be able to accelerate to an even faster pace.
Once he got to his lab, he set to work on plans and blueprints. He worked through the entire night on his little project.
XXX
A few hours later, his adopted son woke up with the morning sun and went down to find his father. Once the animal had found him, said parent presented the pup with a small present.
It was a pair of shiny red runners that had been adorned with a white strap on them and a gold buckle on each side.
"Do you like them?" The scientist asked curiously.
The hedgehog was awestruck at first, admiring the ruby shoes that displayed his reflection on them. A small squeal of delight was the pup's answer as he ran towards his father in the form of a blue blur and tackled the doctor to the ground. He then glomped the human, nuzzling his cheek while purring contently.
"I love 'em! Thanks, Dad!"
The doctor strapped them onto the hedgehog's paws. He decided to use straps instead of laces because they'd be less difficult to tie. And Ogilvie would be unable to trip over them.
As soon as the pup tried to take his first step, it felt almost impossible to lift his foot off the ground. It was like a magnet was under his shoes, pulling them down when he wanted to go up. He also had trouble coordinating his steps for a few awkward minutes and started to wobble to and fro in the shoes, losing his balance.
"Oooff!" He landed on his rump.
After a few more attempts, he was able to walk around the house without any problems.
The doctor then decided to test a theory of his by allowing his 'adopted son' to run around on a small track, outside the house while wearing the shoes. He had a stopwatch and a robot beside him with a camera. It was a lovely, bright, sunny day, so there was no problem with puddles.
"Okay, Ogilvie…on your marks…get set…go!" His 'father' encouraged him.
And with that, the hedgehog took off. He soon started to enjoy running laps around the house. The cool breeze felt really good and refreshing. Ogilvie then got the urge to go a little faster. The doctor was recording the hedgehog's speed with his robot. So far, it had risen from 30mph to 100mph. At just a year old, he could already outrun a cheetah; the fastest animal in the world. And the speedometer's readings were still increasing. The scientist then mused that perhaps the hedgehog could go even faster when he was older and wondered what his top speed was. Once it hit 250mph, the hedgehog's quills were starting to blend and his legs were starting to blur against the surroundings.
He then turned yet another corner, only to veer off course and into a flower bed. He tripped over an exposed tree root, was sent flying, landed face first and still kept on going due to his momentum, creating a small crater in the dirt. It resembled a meteor trail once it impacted with the planet's surface. Ogilvie Maurice inhaled the scent of fresh upturned soil and the pollen on his body. He then picked himself up, and noticed green, yellow and brown smears on his peach chest and several cuts and scratches on his arms, legs and stomach.
He started to whimper a small bit at the painful stinging sensation. Until he heard gentle footfalls and his ears pricked up.
"Oh my, Ogilvie, that was some slide. Are you hurt?" The larger human stated with concern, pity and sympathy in his soft tone of voice. "You're crying."
"No, I'm not." The blue pup retorted hastily and then quickly rubbed at the obviously visible tears that welled under his shining emerald orbs.
"Hey, now, it's okay to cry." The doctor stated and then lifted him up and gave the pup a quick dusting off with care.
They then headed back home.
XXX
A few days later, after the hedgehog's wounds had healed, and after the scientist decided to purchase a treadmill, they were at it again. The human had intended to practise indoors instead, so no obstacles could interfere. He had already connected various wires to the exercise instrument.
Ogilvie was unsure of what this large metal monstrosity was, until his father told him what it was and what it would do. The pup then climbed onto it and started to test it out. He started off with a walk, moved up to a jog and then accelerated into a run. After a few minutes, he checked the treadmill's speedometer.
"Four hundred and ninety miles per hour!" The doctor stated. "Keep going!" The doctor encouraged his 'son'.
The hedgehog's arms were stretched out behind him and his eyes were focused on his legs as they moved back and forth under his small body in the form of a blur. The human was close by, watching the progress as the speedometer steadily climbed again. He took notes down on a clipboard. When he gazed back up, he noticed the speedometer had just hit six hundred miles per hour. He dropped his pen and clipboard from surprise, barely hearing the clutter sounds as they hit the floor. He then noticed that the pup was frantically gasping for air, his tongue lolling outside of his mouth, sweat was breaking out all over his azure body and dampening his fur. This was too much.
"Maurice, STOP!" The scientist commanded, sternness clearly resonating inside his throat.
Said creature abruptly stopped running, shot backwards in the form of a tumbling blue ball and collapsed on the ground. The human then fetched a glass of water, to which the hedgehog drank greedily from.
"I believe that you have pushed yourself too hard, Ogilvie. Why don't we take a break tomorrow?" The human asked. His son silently nodded, but looked a little disappointed. The doctor decided to cheer him up, while petting his head. "I'm certain that in a few years, you'll become faster and stronger and will one day break the sound barrier and perform your first sonic boom." He said as they left the room and the scientist locked the door behind him.
As Robotnik left, Maurice stood silently beside the locked door, his spiny back against the wall, musing to himself.
Sonic…hmmm…
XXX
Ogilvie Maurice was now nearing two years old. He now loved running on the treadmill. He was now able to handle up to seven hundred miles per hour, before tiring out. He told himself that today, he would break the sound barrier. The determination on his face and burning desire in his emerald eyes was sufficient to convince anyone, even his father.
He jumped onto the treadmill and started his daily run. Within a few minutes, he was up to 700mph and beginning to feel it. His father was watching him intently. Come on, Maurice…you can do it.
As the hedgehog kept on running, he looked at the speedometer gradually rising again to 750mph, but he was exhausted and starting to stagger and lose his balance. As much as the azure pup hated to admit it, he couldn't do it. He felt that if he exerted himself any more, he would pass out. But the hedgehog trusted his father, and he knew that if he said he could go faster, then he could. He started to pant his hardest and his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest from beating too fast.
"Come on, Maurice!" The doctor shouted out in encouragement.
The hedgehog took a deep breath and pushed himself further once more. He hit 760mph, but when it reached 765 miles per hour, everything changed.
The first thing that the hedgehog noticed was that time seemed to slow down as he felt himself run through an almost invisible barrier. The next thing that he heard was a loud, deafening explosion resonating all around him and then, he saw all the glass windows shatter around him into millions of little pieces and the books were flung off the shelves by some invisible force. The hedgehog was so surprised and startled; he forgot to run again and flew backwards off the treadmill and landed on the ground.
"Well done, Ogilvie!" The doctor praised with a huge smile on his face.
"Thanks…dad" The hedgehog replied in between his rapid pants and then remembered something important that he wanted to say. He managed to get up onto his shaky, trembling legs that now felt numb and barely supported him anymore. He leaned against the wall. "Oh… and I've been thinking of… a new name for myself." He replied as he placed his hands on the wall, panting hard and struggling to get the air into his lungs.
"Oh?" The doctor looked surprised and caught unawares. "You don't like your birth name?" He then asked.
"No… not really."
The human smiled. "Well…I honestly think that Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog is a nice name."
The kit shook his head. "Nuh-uh! I want to be called 'Sonic'. It sounds fast and I like it."
"Sonic?"
"After what you said before. That was a sonic boom, right? That's what happens when you go very, very fast! You told me that!" He explained.
"Why…yes. Yes I did! All right then, Maur- er Sonic!" Robotnik kindly announced, although he doubted that the pup's mother would have been so tolerant to the idea. "Why don't you go get a snack and I'll clean up this mess?" He said as he looked around at the now topsy-turvy room.
"Ok!" The hedgehog squeaked and dashed away to the kitchen.
As the pup left, the doctor grabbed a brush and then looked over his shoulder. "I'll be there soon…Sonic."
XXX