Oh yucky, four weeks since I've last had inspiration for this story. Then again, two weeks of 9 hour band camp in the blistering sun and the first two week of AP class filled junior year might do that to some people. If not, then I certainly fail XD

By the way, I want to make a special shout-out to SoujaGurl, who did me the great honor of favoriting this story :)

I only own Donna Fairview in this story, which is made solely for non-profit entertainment.


It was much later in the day then they had originally planned earlier that morning, but Sonic and Donna finally made it to the mountain top city that made up Spring Hill Zone. Sonic was still pouting over his impromptu scrub down in the creek, but now they were much less grimy; thanks to Donna's impulsive need to have Purell wherever she went, they smelled like artificial flowers too. Kicking his foot against the red marble street, he couldn't help but grin widely. "Finally, a place I'd actually want to go to!"

"Well, we're here now; let's go kick in some badnik brains!" They both threw their fists into the air then charged into Act 1, meeting their first enemies of the steadily darkening hour: crabs. While Donna kicked and punched her way to free the little bunnies and birds inside, Sonic jumped onto a rotating light to catch a few rings, landing on buzzing bees to soften his fall. He hit a spring and instantly shot up the side of a marble complex in a spiral, Donna simply running upwards with the added speed. "I wish I could do that..."

"Nah, it screws with your balance and stuff." Crawling through a tight space, he let out a whoop as he jumped onto a spring and rocketed between bumpers like those found in the Special Zone, heavily increasing their ring count. Donna, seeing that the rabid ball of blue was having the time of his life, went on ahead through a generous string of rings to meet a series of moving coral and blue platforms. Noticing the pattern, she smiled at her returning best friend, "I guess the rumor you heard about Spring Yard Zone wasn't so true; these puppies seem like the elevators around here."

"Aw man..." They nonchalantly made their way down to a lower level, Sonic humming a tune he heard from a radio playing from one of the various buildings, before speeding down an incline at the bottom. However, a ball of blue soared over their heads, tripping them up in confusion. "The hell...?"

Before they could question their sanities the Sonic clone turned out to be just a rolling badnik with a nice paint job, evidently filled with a rabbit as Sonic crashed into its cranium. Donna, after scoring a few more rings, decided to take the upper root into the red violet skies; pressing a button she and the boy jumped onto a platform and watched the golden clouds grow closer. Ducking below some oddly turning platforms, they jumped onto a block laden with rings and floating over rotating spike balls, before reaching a ring and shield monitor. Sonic let his human friend take the added security-he really didn't want to think about her dress getting ruined. The thought of the girl he'd known since he was four running around in her underclothing all the way up to Robotnik's base was simply too awkward to even comprehend. He took off once more, returning too the odd platforms. They were like stairs in a way, so they stayed on the top blocks to get to the other side. Feeling adventurous, he bypassed the lower path to instead keep jumping on platforms, rings fueling his energy and making his adrenaline rush all the more sweet. He stopped at the strange goal post to let Donna catch up, then let her go on ahead by letting the post launch her over more stair platforms. "But still Donna, there's springs everywhere; twenty bucks that the people who live here use them."

Remembering their conversation a few minutes ago, Donna shrugged, grinning as he used a spring to propel him up the side of the red marble complex, "I guess after we kick Robotnik's butt we'll ask."

They continued to the left, Sonic still grooving to the tune he heard-the eleven year old even had Donna groove with them down a slope; they were too bust laughing to get any kind of steps right. They ended up on a ramp looking up at the level above them, to see a spike-topped enemy blocking their path. "Umm...Donna, I'm pretty sure I can't smash into those..."

"Lemme lead the way, blue boy." Jumping upwards to face the enemy, she idly picked up a few rings, before kicking the metal contraption as far as she could. The thing exploded with a poof and a little pig came jumping out, Donna smirking at Sonic. "And that's how we lowly humans get it done."

"Yes ma'am!" Catching up to the girl, he tapped his foot as he watched the spikes dominate the ramps they needed to cross. In a rare bit of intelligence he guessed that they had enough time to haul ass across the red marble when the spikes were at the 3 o'clock position, so with a fist in the air he charged, Donna running frantically at his side. To be fair they didn't scream that shrilly as they gained a dozen rings for their stunt; in fact, considering the circumstances, they were as calm as calm could get. "If Robuttnik didn't put those things in here, then it's possible that the people here are crazy enough to use springs and bumpers to get around town."

"I'll keep that in mind." Donna watched Sonic abused a generous layout of springs to get more rings, then jumped into the fresh mountain air to a higher level. There, she destroyed a couple crabs while Sonic did the same thing as before, only a few meters to the left. Shaking her head, she admired the purple mountain tops for a split second, before being pulled down to the lower level by a gloved hand. Once Sonic hit a button the camouflaged wall before them opened up, and Sonic span forward in a dash thanks to a nicely placed spring, ending Act 1 with a flourish. Gulping, Donna readied herself, then charged forward with a battle cry into the floating ring. "KIYAAAAAH!"

This time they were prepared (although the dizzy feeling they felt during the spinning whiteness as they warped didn't go away). Both Sonic and Donna fought the barrier emeralds with all that their young bodies could offer, more than once bending over backwards to avoid falling into the flashing GOAL orbs. And because they were slightly less manic than the previous three times, Donna saw a large amount of rings floating in space. She deviated once to pick up an obscene amount of rotating rings, but after nearly failing twice decided to return back.

With a large scream Sonic rebounded off of what looked like peppermints and crashed through to the emerald. The haunting lullaby trilled off with a cheerful note as everything spun around and around, until neither of them could see. When their heads stopped wanting to fall off they were on the red marble streets of Spring Yard Zone once more, a magenta emerald clenched in Sonic's fists. "Woah..."

"Yeah, woah. Got the other one?' Donna pulled out the light gold emerald, while Sonic busied himself with the cyan. Nodding with approval, they put the emerald away, less tired than before thanks to both the emerald and the rings Donna scavenged. "To Act 2, blue boy?"

"Of course!" They waltzed their way to the second part of the Zone, Sonic admiring the skyscrapers rising against the mountain. His father's brother, his Uncle Chuck, lived in a suburb in Spring Yard where he owned a repair shop. Vowing to free his kind yet gruff family member, he caught up to Donna poking her stomach. "Ready to take on some badniks?"

"Only if you are." They entered Act 2, Sonic spiraling forwards thanks to a spring jutting out of the ground. Donna fluttered over to where he dropped out of her sight, watching him catching rings in his cobalt body as he followed the U-shape of the structure below, shooting upwards across a gap. "You're having far too much fun with this...WHEE!" She jumped and ran as fast as she could, mirroring her friend's antics and landing on a crab. She watched him take out a few spike-backed badniks, then pushed herself to go faster; she'd be damned if her heels meant she'd have to play catch-up to his blue behind all night.

Sonic carefully made his way across dips filled with spike balls, Donna scrambling to his side. Keeping with tradition they ascended upwards onto a higher pathway on a platform, passing the moving stairs with ease. Cracking open a few crabs and releasing a few pigs, the duo kicked their way through more spike-shelled snails (as Sonic had dubbed them) before dropping down onto springs, abusing their deliciously addictive powers to raise their ring count. They scaled down a red marble slope, before falling downwards to get caught under bumpers, collecting rings to soothe the painful throbbing of their temples. Donna acquired a shield as Sonic was pummeled mercilessly, the blonde having to bodily move the boy out of the way of more bumpers to land on a platform. "Argh, my head..."

Donna pulled out some asprin from one of her four first-aid kits, Sonic forcibly dry-swallowing them with a grimance. "Sorry Sonic, but I think all the water evaporated back in Marble Zone..."

"Damn you, lava sharks." Sonic shook his head to clear away the stars, then entered a building filled with spike balls, the two making sure not to be flung to a painful ring-loss via the goalpost. They used a spring as an elevator-"A-HA! This is totally elevator material, Donna!-to reach the building's roof, richer a dozen more rings and poorer a dozen sunbeams. Picking up the pace, they made their way across a series of shrinking platforms, Donna nearly falling below at least four times. Crossing stairs to land on another blue and coral platform, they panted for a few moments, before going off again. Falling down a slope, they saw the buildings gets sparser as the end of the Act grew closer, much to Donna's relief and Sonic's disappointment. The boy in question accidentally shot himself upwards, getting trapped in a room full of rings before Donna could show him the way out. "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." After defying the laws of the universe to spin Dr. Robotnik's face off the sign signaling the end of the Act, they gulped. "Ready for round five?"

"For the emeralds!"

They found themselves spinning out of control as usual, blindly tumbling downwards and collecting a gluttonous amount of rings. On a leap of faith they stuck to the right path once meeting a crossroads; when they saw an arrow made of rings, Sonic did a Hail Mary in his head. Following the arrows, Donna had to abuse the R spheres more than once to keep them from backtracking, but they finally reached the emerald chamber, Sonic attacking the diamonds instantly. In an insane act of mercy by whoever created the Special Zones the 'GOAL' spheres were tucked away, an the lullaby repeated itself only twice before the hedgehog broke free and grabbed an emerald-colored emerald.

Sonic closed his eyes with relief, simply lying there for a moment. His battered limbs relaxed with the chaotic energies of the emeralds, most of the pain fading away into a rather pleasant ache. Yawning, he sat up helping a frazzled Donna to her feet. "Your hair has seen better days, my dear."

"Tell me about it." Combing her hair out with her fingers, Donna adjusted the Alice band in her hair, and straightened out her dress. With a mock curtsy to a bowing Sonic, they continued onwards, Donna cracking her knuckles. "That egghead's gonna be here."

Sonic grinned a wild, nearly-feral grin that his companion only saw during moments of extreme anticipation. "Then let's give him a show!"

"Alright!" They whooped then sprinted forwards at a reckless speed, gaining momentum as the red-paved pathway dipped downwards. Numerous bee-bots swooped out of who-knows-where, but they were too slow for the hedgehog and his human sidekick; only a bumper could stop them, as they acknowledged whilst ricocheting across a gap. Getting their first ten rings out of a nifty monitor, they entered a building once more, avoiding spike balls to get to the other side. They stretched comfortably as the blue and coral elevator blocks rose, stepping off before they could be squished into the ceiling. Sonic cracked open a crab while Donna jumped onto a spring, landing on a platform. She pulled her friend up with a nice usage of her impressive arm strength, running ahead to jump on a button. "These things are so much fun to push."

Sonic laughed at her baby-like joy, then pulled her away from the button to the end of the red tiled hallway, staring at the rotating spike balls before them apprehensively. "These move waaaaay slower than the other ones."

"Guess we gotta take it down an octave." Donna laughed as he whined; Sonic had always hated taking things slow. After much fidgeting and pouting they jumped through the adjoining hallway, freed another woodland creature, and landed in an elevator, rising into the rich plum skies. After continuing upwards Donna was launched into the air thanks to a goalpost, shrieking as she fell down three stories in a ring-filled spiral. Sonic guffawed as he tumbled after her, following the curve of the U-shaped structure until he found himself in a secret wall. He grinned widely as he saw the two monitors hidden by the gray-mesh covering the secret wall, before bursting out, powered by both speed and invincibility. Grabbing Donna's little wrist, he plowed recklessly ahead, no longer intimidated by the spike balls. The blonde girl could barely get any words out past her laughter. "I-I thought we...we were g-gonna take it d-down an octave?"

"Screw that!" The two were laucnhed into the air thanks to his momentum, and landed in another spring-filled-with-various-monitor-and-ring pit, getting yet another invincibility run. After seeing the bottomless pit below Sonic decided to cross the floating stair platforms with care, landing on a pathway filled with orange, seemingly breakable blocks. Letting go of Donna's hand, he looked upwards to see Robotnik's hovercraft floating above, the madman grinning insanely. "'Bout time you showed up, Eggman!"

"Really now, is that the greeting I get from you? I'm gonna give you two brats a lesson you won't forget!" Granted, that little monologue of his was impressive in theory, but by the time he destroyed a block with the spike protruding out of the bottom of his craft, Donna had made her mark on the poor machine. And once Sonic joined in on the fun, it was over in seconds. "GAH! I'll get you two!" And with that he sped off into the pansy-colored sky.

"We showed that egghead what's what! Us three, him zilch!" Sonic threw his fist into the air as Donna destroyed the container holding dozens of various little animals. They ran off into Spring Yard Zone, and the two spared a moment to watch the sun set closer and closer to the purple mountains. "You ready to go?"

"Of course." Linking arms the two best friends said farewell to the Zone before moving forwards, getting closer and closer to Dr. Robotnik's base of evil. "You know where we're heading next," he asked as they followed a street heading towards the earth far below.

Donna tapped her bottom lip, before poiting a dainty finger. "If my map skills are correct-and they are indeed the most truly epic of map skills-then we're headed to somewhere called Labyrinth Zone."

"Labyrinth Zone?' Sonic laughed, high fiving his companion. "This'll be a cake walk!"


...and we all laugh at his naivety at one of, if not the most, frustrating levels in Sonic history. HOW WE LAUGH XD