Part 7: Follow the White and Black Hedgehog

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Stay close and follow me, for Eggtropolis, can be a very dangerous place for going it alone." Shock warned.

"That's comforting." Sonic stated, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

Once again, Sonic was led through the back alleys, vacant streets, and dead ends that made up Eggtropolis. The hedgehog duo walked for a few minutes in silence.

"At the pace we're going, this is going to take forever!" Sonic complained, "Why do we have to go so slow!"

"I already told you Sonic, we have to be on the lookout for any secret passages! If we go too fast, we'll miss our turn!" Shock explained to the impatient hedgehog.

"What I don't understand, is why we have to take all of these alleyways and secret passages! It seems like you're always trying to keep us out of the open!" Sonic wondered, "What are you hiding?"

"Well, when you're out in the open, you have a good chance of being spotted by the swatbots! If we remain in the shadows, it's a whole lot safer! Besides, I know a secret passageway that leads right to Tails' house. That's what I'm looking for." Shock revealed, as he rapped his knuckles on the side of the brick wall at the end of the alley they were now in.

"Ok. Now how does one go about findin' these secret passage things, anyway?" asked Sonic.

"The trick is to feel around on a brick wall, and repeatedly tap bricks with your knuckles. Listen closely to the sound your knuckles make when you tap certain spots. When you've found a secret passageway, you should hear an echo, signaling that the spot is hollow." Shock demonstrated, still not looking up at Sonic from his crouched position.

"That sounds simple enough. What do ya do next?" Sonic inquired, absentmindedly scratching his ear.

"You feel around for any loose bricks. Once you find one, give a little tug and it should come out, causing some of the bricks to collapse inward, revealing a secret passage." Shock finished explaining, "Aha! I found one!" Shock began pulling at a loose brick, causing a few bricks to fall down around it. The hedgehog finally succeeded, as the brick came loose with a pop. The whole brick wall collapsed, revealing a small doorway just big enough for them to squeeze into. The doorway was awfully dark, and before going inside it, Sonic hesitated.

"Where does it go?" Sonic asked.

"Where all secret passages go, of course, Raging Ocean Rapids!" Shock exclaimed, glowing with excitement.

"R-R-aging O-O-cean R-R-apids!" Sonic stuttered, "You mean there's water there!" The fearless hedgehog's face turned ghostly pale, to put it simply, the mobian was scared out of his wits.

"Yep, you'll need a surfboard. I've only got one, though, so you've got to find one. You'll just have to face your fears. It's either water or swatbots." Shock informed. The white and black hedgehog ran through the door and leaped off the edge of the platform into darkness. The scared hedgehog made his decision and remembered that he had his special shoes. He mentally thanked Tails, before slipping his shoes off his feet, leaving him in his socks. The shoes flew towards each other like north and south on a magnet, wrenching themselves free from Sonic's hands. As soon as they touched each other, the blurs famous red shoes started to rapidly spin in a circle. After a bright flash, there was no sign of the shoes, just a shield with a picture of a sword and two tails intertwined. Sonic walked over to the edge of the platform and stared down into the darkness. Sonic gripped the shield so hard, his knuckles turned white.

"This is it." Sonic thought as he leaped off the platform, gripping the shield even tighter, as he descended into the darkness below.