Chapter 10—Run the Race Set Before You
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,--Hebrews 12:1
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.—Acts 20:24
We won't look to the left or to the right
You are the One we fix out eyes upon
For we run the race set before us now
In You we find our great reward
Jesus it's Your Name we proclaim
--The Way, Parachute Band
Thanks to the delay caused by Mephiles' latest attempt to break the three hedgehogs, they did not make it to their destination into late into the afternoon. The first thing Sonic notices, was that he had been severely understating the facts when he called it a 'village.'
The second thing he noticed, was that he'd just entered a medieval version of Westopolis. And, while there were subtle differences—such as horses instead of cars threatening to run you down should you venture into the street and the absence of TV antennas on every rooftop—it was quite similar to Sonic's own Westopolis. The streets even had the same name.
The day they entered, the city was preparing for a tournament of some sort, as banners for the day of 'THE GREAT RACE' was literally strung on anything capable of supporting their weight. Everyone was in a festive mood.
Sonic sort of felt like a weirdo with three heads on his shoulder, however, considering the strange glances the group in general—and he in particular—kept getting and the fact that everyone seemed to be given them a wide berth, whispering to themselves.
"What, do I have something on my face?" he muttered.
Even Mighty seem bewildered at the attention. "While King's citizens are indeed an unusual sight here, they do not normally merit this much attention."
"They seem to recognize you, Sonic," Amy finally concluded. "Have you been here before?"
"I don't think so," Sonic replied, frowning.
But as they continued on their way, the more apparent it seemed that at one time, Sonic must have visited this medieval area, for more and more people seemed to start pointing at him from afar and whisper amongst themselves. Sonic firmly insisted that he had never been to this Westopolis, but the whispers and knowing glances continued until even he was starting to think that maybe he had visited here and just didn't remember.
Fifteen minutes later, Amy developed another theory. "Sonic, look!" she gasped, pointing towards a local cavern. A blue figure was standing in the doorway, with a vain and cocky expression as he sized them up.
Shadow's eyes widened at the figure. "It's you," he gasped.
Sonic the Hedgehog nodded as he stared into the eyes of…well…Sonic the Hedgehog. Or this dimension's version of him, anyway.
The other Sonic looked him up and down with narrowed eyes. Then he smirked. "They say imitation is the highest form of flattery," he quipped.
"You must really like me then," Sonic replied lightheartedly.
The other Sonic's smirk grew slightly wider. "I take it you're here for the big race?"
"We weren't aware that the race was today," Amy replied.
"What race are we talking about?" Sonic asked curiously.
And instantly found himself the center of attention. While normally this was the position he craved, this particular time Sonic was quite uneasy with all the eyes staring at him in shock.
"What, have you been hiding under a rock all your life?" The other Sonic asked.
Sonic had the oddest feeling of de ja vu, but for the life of him he couldn't figure why. He just shrugged, looking a little sheepish.
The other Sonic rolled his eyes. "The race is a large circuit course around the city that—normally—requires a horse and a rider to complete in time. You have to avoid normal city conditions and lap the circuit twice. The winner gets a solid gold trophy. It's also customary for the winner to give a speech on any subject he chooses in front of the entire city."
Sonic's eyes widened, then he grinned, thinking of what an opportunity for delivering his message winning the race would present.
"What do you mean, 'normally'?" Shadow asked, picking up on the one word nobody else had.
The other Sonic smirked again. "Horses aren't mandatory; they're just the only way you slo-mos can make it to the finish line within the time allowed. Me, on the other hand…" He shrugged and attempted to look humble, but failed miserably. "Well, let's just say I'm faster than the average Mobian. Hardly anyone comes to race anymore because they all know that nobody can keep up with me."
"I'll do it," Sonic said suddenly, startling everyone. Their stares equally started him, because he'd not been listening to the conversation after he had learned what the prize was. Figuring he'd better explain himself, he added, "I want to enter the race."
His dimensional twin laughed. "Yeah right! You might look like me, but you're not. Just who are you, anyway?"
"I'm Sonic," the cobalt blue hedgehog replied, striking his all-too-familiar pose. "Sonic the Hedgehog."
The other Sonic's jaw dropped, closed, re-opened, and then repeated the peculiar performance five or six times, making him resemble a fish. Then his quills bristled and he jabbed his finger in Sonic's face. "Look you, this isn't funny."
Shadow, not at all liking the look in this Sonic's eyes or the way he was threatening his friend, instinctively lowered his hand to his sword. But before anything more could happen, a loud whistle sounded, which signified that now was the absolute last chance anyone would have in order to sign up for the race that would take place soon. Normally this whistle was not there; but in recent years since this dimension's Sonic showed up, challengers became fewer and fewer and it became customary to allow potential racers to sign up until literally the last possible moment.
The other Sonic pushed his dimensional twin towards the sign-up sheet. "Go sign in," he ordered, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "First, I'll beat you in the race. Then I'll beat you until you admit that I am the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog."
News travels uncommonly fast around Westopolis, particularly news regarding entrances to the race. It was no secret that, in this dimension at least, Sonic the Hedgehog was a stuck-up jerk and everyone was always eager to see his potential downfall. Of course, the odds that he would ever be beaten in a race was slim to none; but hope springs eternal, when you come right down to it.
Plus, there was an added bonus in the fact that the one and only challenger this year just happened to look exactly like Sonic and stated that Sonic was his name. And to top it all off, the challenger was dressed in King's Armor! It was generally believed that King's Citizens didn't participate in such merriments as racing; so if nothing else, a guy in King's Armor racing was definitely something everyone wanted to see.
So, it was perhaps no surprise to find that the near-deserted seating arena for this race was packed out in a matter of minutes, while those not fortunate enough to get a seat lined up on the sidelines of the race throughout the entire city hoping to at least glimpse some of the action.
Sonic—our Sonic, the other one was off somewhere bragging in a local tavern—was busy at the moment with things otherthan racing in his armor. The hedgehog was ready to sign his name to the sign-up sheet, but it seemed that Mighty doubted the wisdom of his choice.
The armadillo did not approve of Sonic's decision to enter the race. "After what has happened, can you really be so stubborn as to run again? Isn't one scar enough for you, Sonic?"
Sonic frowned. "That wasn't because I was running," he protested. "That happened because I snuck out at night. There's no rule that says I can't run."
Mighty crossed his arms, openly showing his disapproval. "When you ran again, you fell into a trap and you also endangered Amy and Shadow," he added.
"That also wasn't because I was running," Sonic replied. "The same thing would have happened if I had walked into that fog, which I might add, was what you intended for us to do."
Mighty shook his head. "If you insist on this folly, then your downfall is on your own head," he stated, leaving in a huff."
The hedgehogs watched him go, afterwards Amy clutched Sonic's arm worriedly. "What if he's right, Sonic?" she asked.
Sonic grinned at her. "He's not," he said matter-of-factly.
"But Sonic, he has been one of the King's Citizens longer than we have," Shadow pointed out.
Sonic bit his lip. "I know. And I also know that he knows things that we don't, and that normally it'd be a good idea to listen to him, but…" Sonic shook his head. "This time, he's basing his arguments on things he doesn't fully understand, not on the things that the King has made clear. And besides, my Sword and my Belt aren't flashing. They flashed the night I took off when I wasn't supposed to—that's why I took my Armor off. If just running is wrong, don't you think I'd get another warning?"
"Has the King told you what to do?" Amy asked.
Sonic took out his parchment and opened it. "No," he admitted, sighing. "I really would like Him to come right out and tell me yes or no, though. But who knows? Maybe by not causing my Belt and Sword to flash, He is giving me my answer."
Shadow closed his eyes slowly and nodded. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said, turning to leave.
Amy gave Sonic a weak smile and followed Shadow.
Sonic took a deep breath and signed his name to the register. "So do I, Shads," he muttered.
Five minutes later, the two contestants readied themselves at the starting line. Sonic lightly jogged in place to warm up, while his counterpart readied himself into a startup position.
The race official stepped in front of them and quickly explained the rules. They would have to run along a marked off pathway that circled the city, and if they stepped off the path they would be automatically disqualified. They would have to lap the city twice. The first one to cross the finish line the third time would be the winner.
After explaining the rules, the official raised a handkerchief above the ground and yelled, "On your mark…get set…GO!!!"
The instant the final word was out of his mouth, he let go of the handkerchief, and both competitors zoomed off in a flash of blue and a heavy wind. They were both going so fast that they were out of sight before the handkerchief ever even touched the ground.
To say that this dimension's Sonic was surprised that his doppelganger could keep up with him would be an understatement, but he simply narrowed his eyes and went faster. His opponent gave him a disarming smirk and also sped up, so that they were neck to neck. So intent were they on outrunning the other that neither of them even noticed that they had finished the first lap and were halfway-through the last one.
Sonic looked at his white-armor clad doppelganger and angrily veered, trying to hit him and force him off the track. This was illegal; but he did not care. Winning was everything to him; he would not and could not come in second!
The other Sonic saw him, however, and slowed down considerably so that his opponent didn't hit him. This dimension's Sonic was going so fast that he could not stop in time; but he braked anyway and the momentum he had threw him head over heels and he crashed, what's more he left the designated race arena, so he was disqualified.
The 'good' Sonic zoomed across the finish line for an easy victory, while his disqualified opponent watched him, his face clouded with pure hatred.
Sonic breathed a sigh of relief as he crossed the finish line, slowing to a stop while the people cheered. He waved as the practically dragged him to a stage where he would be presenting his victory speech. There was talk about a prize of some sort, but he didn't care about that. This speech was the reason he'd raced, after all.
Sonic took a deep breath and started, "Hi, everyone. I know you're all excited about the race, and I guess it's time for me to make my speech. I want to tell you about my King…"
Mephiles the Dark cringed as he heard Sonic witnessing to the entire city from the podium. This was the sort of thing that Lucifer had been concerned about. But he knew that when one did something in order to obey the King, enemies were bound to be made…
The Dark gave an approving nod as he saw a blue hedgehog staring at the King's citizen's look of pure hatred. He slyly walked up close to him.
"You hate him?" Mephiles asked quietly.
The hedgehog nodded slowly and turned to him. "You're here to recruit again, aren't you Mephiles?"
"Not this time," Mephiles replied. "Unless you want to join up."
He got a rueful smirk at this. "As I've asked you before, what could Lucifer possibly have that interests me?"
"Power," Mephiles said simply. "The power to kill him."
Emerald green eyes lit up evilly. "Now that," he said. "Is an offer."
"So, are you in, Sonic?" Mephiles asked.
"I don't think Sonic is a worthy name for me anymore," the hedgehog replied, crossing his arms. "'Sonic' is standing up on that stage, and I hate his guts. No, I'm not Sonic, Mephiles." The hedgehog gave him an evil chuckle and finished. "My name is Scourge."