Chapter 14: Sunset and Sunrise

After their encounter with the guardian of the Master Emerald, Dawn was even more quiet than usual, saddened by the echidna's condemnation of his very existence. Although not quite crying outright, droplets of water were beginning to form in his amethyst irises, and Sonic was starting to get worried.
He tried to find something to take Dawn's mind off their recent encounter, but nothing seemed to work, and when he attempted to hold a conversation with the young hedgehog, he only replied with grunts and a nod, or a shake of his head.

'Damn you Knuckles. You've probably undone days of reassurance with your thirty second outburst...' the cerulean hero seethed inwardly, knowing that it took a thousand positive memories to drown out a single negative one.

Nonetheless, Sonic had determined to try, for Dawn's sake, knowing that the longer the boy dwelled on it, the more painful it would become. Sonic looked over at the obsidian youngster, who sat beside him on a park bench, motionless, his eyes fixated on a dead insect, as if frozen in horror at the death of the insignificant lifeform.

Just as the hero was about to offer some encouragement, Dawn spoke quickly and loudly, surprising him.

"Why does that jerk hate me? I haven't done anything to him!" he said angrily, his violet eyes still continuing their eerie stare.

"Dawn... there are people out there who judge others based off their background rather than their character," Sonic explained slowly, his gaze focused on the broken soul seated next to him.

"I don't know what that means..." the young hedgehog replied more quietly, almost as if he were upset with himself for not understanding something.

The azure rebel now looked up at the sky, as if the words he was looking for were scrawled out on a cloud. He found nothing within the heavens, its mockingly empty blue expanse simply staring back at him.

"There are some people who would hate Nathan, just because his skin is black."

Dawn seemed completely shocked by this, but still did not come out of his emotional state.

"But that's completely ridiculous!" he insisted.

A pained looked came into the hero's emerald eyes, as if he had thought the same thing for a long time. "It's still the truth. Regardless of the fact that Nathan is a leader of men, a strong and capable warrior, and probably smarter than you or me, they would see him as inferior to themselves."

"I can't believe that. Color doesn't affect what kind of person you are," Dawn spat back, as if the very mention of such prejudice tasted sour on his lips.

"I agree. But some people don't judge others based on things like color, or height, or gender," he trailed off, alluding to their recent conversation with the guardian. "Some people, like Knuckles, judge others based on their parentage and heritage."

"Why?" he whimpered.

"Well, part of it is Knuckles' nature. He's the last of his kind, a seclusive and shamanistic race where sons took up their father's mantles and bore their name with pride and strength. In his culture, the father's reputation gets passed down to the son."

Dawn's eyes widened momentarily, and then narrowed the next second, as he realized what Sonic was saying. "He hates me because my father is the King."

"He doesn't even know you. It's not personal," Sonic reminded him. "He expects you to prove that you're not like your father before you can earn his trust."

Dawn sat quietly, and returned his stare to the corpse of the insect. He gazed at it a long time, before finally, he stood to his feet.

"I will prove myself to all of them," he declared. Sonic quirked one eyebrow at him, as if slightly surprised by his reaction.

"You have nothing to prove. Knuckles will see his mistake in time," Sonic assured him, relieved that he had finally succeeded in bringing the young hedgehog out of his grim mood, despite the fact that he hadn't done much other than listen, and explain.

"In the mean time... you wanna see my collection?" the blue hero said absently. Dawn had no idea what he was referring to, and so cocked his head a little to the left, a gesture that sent a sense of deja-vu flooding wildly through Sonic.

"Could you please explain?"

"It's some stuff I've hoarded from before the Regime took over. I thought you might be interested in looking at it," Sonic shrugged.

"Sure." With that, the two of them raced off, the former darkness that had clouded Dawn's world lifted. For now.

* * * * *

Sonic and Dawn arrived back at the blue hedgehog's room, the young boy expectantly waiting what was about to be revealed. Sonic thought silently that perhaps out of all the places on the rebel base, he had spent the least amount of time here, and that in addition, he probably needed to tidy up a bit.

Dawn's mat was still rolled out on the floor, with a more or less empty bookshelf at its foot. Two books worthy of mention were on the shelves though, the first being the hero's copy of that worn book which had seen him through the many years under the Regime's reign: 1984.

While he had been shiftlessly trudging through life, he had hidden this book underneath a loose floorboard, knowing that it's discovery would amount to his death. But now, the seemingly ancient tome lay proudly displayed, it's prophetic vision of a dark future ringing hauntingly true.

Not far away from this first volume sat the unmarked book with a pitch black cover, the mysterious Black Book. Sonic had begun to read it before he was taken prisoner, but had been disgusted with its contents, and been unable to force himself to continue. However, the book had not been checked out in years, so the library was more than happy to let him keep it long term.

In fact, they practically insisted that he leave it in his possession. Now that he knew the book's author, he had mixed feelings about it. While part of him was horrified that he'd discover his friend's dark descent to a monstrous tyrant, the other was hoping that within those crimson pages, there might be some kind of remorse, a lingering hope for a King who had long abandoned his noble intentions.

Of course, he had promised Dawn, and would think about the book later. Sonic opened the closet with a slight smile, retrieving a cardboard box that held his assortment of items. Dawn's curious and intelligent eyes scanned over each and every keepsake as he removed it from the box and laid them out on the bed in no particular order.

Once he was completely done, and the box lay empty, he held the nearest relic in his hands, looking over it in confusion.

"I still can't remember..." he mused quietly. Dawn's eyes widened as he stared at the wooden object cradled in Sonic's hands.

"You don't know what that is?" the young boy declared in surprise, for once knowing more about normal life than his guardian. The cerulean rebel shook his head, and raised one eyebrow slightly.

"I've never used one before, but I think this is called a bat," he took the sporting gear from Sonic, examining it more closely. A memory flashed before Sonic's eyes of more than twenty years ago, when he'd played baseball with some of his friends.

He'd had an advantage because of his great speed, a single hit and he could make it all the way to Home Base before the ball started its downward curve. Eventually, he was asked to be the umpire instead.

"Oh my... I just remembered!" Sonic remarked, as he stared at the baseball bat in appreciation. "I'll have to take you out some time for a game."

Dawn nodded absently, as if he wasn't sure that this was either impressive in the least, or important in the slightest. The young hedgehog picked up another of the precious items, carefully holding it in both hands.

"Sonic, what is this?" he said quietly, looking down at the faded cloth that lay in his arms. The crimson stripes had nearly died completely, and the white had stained with time, almost a yellowish hue.

"I remember... I know that it was a flag, once..." Sonic said, as he strained to remember his country's name.

"Why is it important?" the Regime didn't use flags, because according to them, they ruled the world uncontested. There was no need for flags to claim territory when they owned it all. Dawn couldn't understand the ideal behind a flag.

"It symbolizes something... it represents liberty, and... justice," Sonic explained, his own memories of a time when the flag was used dim. "For all... wait, that's it."

"What?"

"America. That used to be what it was called. The flag represented it."

Dawn still couldn't understand the flag's sacred significance, and gave a polite 'ah', but still looked as if thought that such a thing couldn't be all that important.

Sonic was slightly disappointed by this reaction, but rationalized that Dawn couldn't appreciate something he'd never known. But then again... Julie did say he'd found an appreciation for Ice Cream. I occurred to Sonic that perhaps if he showed Dawn some things with more instant gratification, that he'd be able to understand their significance.

The blue hedgehog pondered what to show to his younger companion, as Dawn returned his gaze quizzically. He glanced out the window, and noticed that the sky was shaded a deep tone of purple. The golden orb that we humans in our immense arrogance and supposed wisdom thought to call "The Sun," was beginning to dip into the great black expanse below the skyline. The burning ball of nuclear fire was the root of all life on the planet; was once worshiped as a god, and the most meaningful and impressive name we could produce for it was the Sun.

An idea came into the hero's mind of something that Dawn would surely appreciate knowing that he had spent almost his whole life in the confines of the Royal Palace.

"Y'know what, I've got something way better to show you. Follow me," he ordered, as he began to walk outside with swift, long strides. Dawn practically had to run to keep up, as Sonic led him away to an emerald hilltop just outside of the massive rebel base.

Dawn took a moment to immerse himself in the beauty of the sunset colors, the sun's final rays casting a wild assortment of hues over the open plain. The sky itself was a deep violet, a shade darker than the prince's own eyes, and the light of the evening sun reflected off his pupils with an almost eerie luminosity. The night colors themselves were awe inspiring, the crimson stains mixing with vivid pinks and yellows, almost making the horizon look as if it were on fire.

The pair sat down among the grass, both amazed beyond words, and content to simply enjoy the show that nature was putting on for them. As the sun crept slowly downward, the incredible colors faded, until the heavens grew dark and finally, the golden orb of light disappeared entirely.

"Dawn, look," Sonic said quietly, as he pointed at the obsidian sky stretched out above them. Like diamonds cast among an empty void, hundreds of stars had already appeared, peeping out amidst the darkness. Even as the silent pair gazed at these, more and more gently appeared, the phenomenon appearing so simple from such a great distance. To even consider the fact that these seemingly miniscule lights were in fact, many times larger than the earth, some incomparably larger than the Sun itself, and that each and every one was sending out its light for millions of light-years, caused Sonic to feel extremely small, as if he were merely an unimportant part of a massive universe.

That some of the older stars were so far away from them, that by the time their light reached the earth, the star was already dead, shattered into dust, and that it would take billions of years after they were gone for their light to die blew his mind. Dawn seemed equally amazed by their tranquil, steady flickering, and gazed up in even greater wonder, never having seen the beautiful flames before.

"What are they?"

Sonic paused, not even quite sure himself exactly what stars were made of, and knowing that Dawn would find an exact explanation confusing. "They're giant orbs of fire, burning trillions of miles away from us. Each and every one is its own sun."

"Whoa. Are there other worlds, surrounding them?"

"Indeed there are. But no-one has ever been to them. They're too far away. We can see them, but never touch them, almost as if they're a mirage, taunting us."

Sonic was obviously caught up once in the romanticism of Space Travel. The Regime of course, launched no space programs beyond the moon, although they had re-established control over Space Colony Ark.

"I wonder what they're like... the other worlds..." Dawn mused, his eyes practically glowing with the thought of exploration. Sonic smiled slightly at his enthusiasm.

"Maybe you'll be the first one to go there. You never know." Dawn nodded excitedly, his amethyst eyes gazing up at the skies in desire and wonder.

"Are these... stars." Dawn said this as if the word were sacred, an entity to be respected, admired, and feared all at the same time.

Sonic thought about how simple this name was as well, but how well it captured the simple beauty of such a complicated wonder.

"Indeed they are." With a tinge of nostalgia, the blue rebel remembered the first time he'd seen the wondrous orbs of light since he had been freed from the Regime's control.

Dawn sighed deeply as he lay back against the grass hill and stared at the canvas sky rolled out above him. Losing himself within its dark depths, he slowly drifted into a deep slumber.

Sonic noticed his steady, peaceful breathing, and realized that he was asleep, picking the young hedgehog up, he carried him back inside. Setting him down in his makeshift bed, he couldn't help but frown.

'I wish that I had more to offer him. If I can't convince him that there's a better world out there than the one he knows... I don't know what I'll do.' Sonic thought with a grimace. 'I won't let that happen. I won't lose him like I did Shadow.'

The blue blur's eyes came to rest upon the onyx tome that sat upon the bookshelf at Dawn's feet, it's nameless cover mocking him with promised answers. It tempted him, screaming at him to just look for a moment, taunting his inner monologue.

Giving in to his desire to uncover some hope for his friend, Sonic reluctantly retrieved the book, turned out all the lights except his bedside lamp, and pulled back the jet black cover, turning the yellowed pages lined in scarlet to where he'd set his bookmark.

-

August 26, 2010

Perhaps I am losing my mind. To think that I could correct all the evils in the world, that all sorrows and hatreds could be extinguished would be labeled by most as madness. After all, it was what I promised. Don't I have the responsibility to stay true to that promise? It is all the fault of these greedy politicians. They don't know the circumstances that the common man must face, and they care nothing for his welfare.

That is why I must be the one. The masses cannot be trusted to act. So long as they have enough to survive, they will be convinced to sit by in lethargy as the Capitalists remain in tyranny over them. Those who hold the power themselves will never relinquish it by their own free will, and so it falls to one individual to decide the fate of the world.

It is ironic. I was designed to save mankind, and then twisted for the purpose of destroying it. Now, I shall shape its destiny. With the destruction of the world's corrupt leadership, I can right every wrong. Finally, there shall be a world worthy of her memory, one that would have spared the innocent life killed in that abominable tragedy.

August 27, 2010

It has begun. The reshaping of the world is at hand, and soon, both my vengeance and my forgiveness will be complete. I will strike with a swiftness that will take those who have gorged themselves with other's blood, and feasted upon the labors of the poor by complete surprise.

For all history, today will be known as the day upon which I killed the governments of twelve different nations, escaping blame for each incident, and allowing the people of those countries to revolt, and form for themselves new government. But this is not enough. If the problem at hand is ever to be rectified, then the entire world must stand united, under one flag.

September 3, 2010

The corrupt officials have now all been taken care of, and already, the world is beginning to unite under one rule. I have come forward to accept the consequences of my crimes, but to my relief, most of the revolutions are heralding me as a hero, and one of their founders. Those who are not have pardoned me, which means that I will be able to witness the fruits of my own labor. September 9, 2010

A council has been called among those nations who are to form the new world order, to discuss what governmental systems to base the new nation upon. This league has received participation from Russia, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Mexico, the United States, Egypt, Spain, and Brazil. Once these main nations are all united as one, I am convinced that the smaller countries will feel the pressure, and join the alliance.

The members of the council have already agreed not to trade outside of the nation that is to be formed, putting economic pressure on independent outsiders to join. I have been invited as a founder of the Great Revolution to oversee the council meetings and make suggestions to the commission.

I never dreamed things would go this smoothly, or that my vision could ever be so close to realization.

September 24, 2010

Dozens more countries have joined. The question has been brought up of what sort of government to use. Obviously, a government that is too weak would be unable to maintain control over such a large area of land, so the council is having to carefully consider the possibilities before making a decision.

It is my opinion that the most effective form to be employed would work as follows: the Union is divided up into territories, which act much like States did in the United States government. Each has some form of self government. However, as is the case in the US government, the laws passed by the Territorial Congress' cannot contradict the Union Constitution.

In order to force the Senators to listen to the people, elections will be held every two years. A Senator could hold office an infinite number of consecutive terms, but if he did anything the people didn't like, they could quickly remove him from office.

Each Territory gets a certain number of representatives based upon its population, which deliberate in the Union Council. The Union Council has authority to amend the Constitution, and has authority over the territories.

By popular vote is elected the Consul, who can check the power of the Council by vetoing bills. The consul also commands the military.

The main difference between the experimental United States Government and my proposed system is the elimination of the Electoral College, and of the American idea of the Senate. The idea that each state should receive equal representation simply for being a state is preposterous.

Other differences would include laws limiting how much money people working certain jobs could make, in order to better balance the financial gap between Senators and CEOs and the common man. My suggestions were submitted today, and the council is looking over them now.

October 3, 2010

Finally, it is finished. The Constitution is complete, the government is set in place, the Senators and Representatives are elected, and things are running smoothly. I never imagined that I'd be in this position however.

Out of gratitude for my instrumentality in the founding of the Union, I was somewhat jokingly nominated for the office of Consul. However, despite my passion for justice, and founding role in the the Union, I feel that there is surely someone else more suited for the duty.

October 20, 2010

By a landslide vote, I was today declared Consul. I'm not sure what to do with my newfound power, but I am determined to use it to fight injustice, and do what I set out to do in the first place... take the first fledgling steps towards a perfect world.

December 11, 2010

I find myself somewhat frustrated with the results I've gotten. There is still so much crime and corruption, as if I have replaced one form of evil with another. Granted things are better than they were among the bickering capitalist governments of the 20th Century, but I still find myself dissatisfied.
I yearn for a greater amount of influence to repair the evil that has penetrated though even my genius design. I will seek the help of the Council, and request more power. I swear one thing however, as soon as the crisis has been resolved, I will lay my power down, forever.

-

Knowing that these were the words of his old friend, almost twenty years ago, Sonic shed a tear. The whole time he had been reading, he had heard the words in his mind in Shadow's voice, almost as if the obsidian hedgehog were communing with him from the dead past.

Sonic knew that this is what he would discover. Shadow had never held some lust for power in the beginning. His corruption had been a slow one, and the Regime was founded with the noblest of intentions. Not able to continue reading any more, Sonic set the book on his night stand, and tried his hardest to find sleep.

But from the unsettling things he had just read, the cerulean hero found that sweet rest was as elusive as the answers he sought, avoiding him long into the morning.

* * * * *

Sonic awoke the next day to find Dawn's bed unoccupied. Worriedly looking around, he began to panic when he couldn't find the young hedgehog anywhere. Just as he was about to leave the house to search for the boy elsewhere, the door opened, and the very prince in question walked in.

The hero's eyes widened slightly, and as he was catching his breath, the leader came through the door behind Dawn.

"Sonic, you've decided to grace us all with your presence in the land of the living," Stevie chuckled, as the hedgehog wiped some of the residual sleep out of his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Dawn couldn't wake you up. The poor boy thought you'd gone into a coma or something," Stevie explained. "He came to get me, and I told him you were just tired, and I took him to get his breakfast."

Sonic quirked an eyebrow, and looked down at Dawn, who nodded in affirmation of the ferret's story.

"Is there any particular reason why you slept in until nine?" the leader asked, a strange twinkle in his eye. "Stayed up late last night doing something... someone..."

Although Dawn didn't understand what they were referring to, Sonic visibly paled at the rebel leader's suggestion. He sputtered for a moment, as if taken aback, before finally formulating an answer.

"Actually... I couldn't get to sleep because I'd just read... a scary book..." he replied honestly.

"Is that so?" Stevie said with a smile. "Did the title of this book happen to be Julie Peterson?"

The prince didn't know the significance of Stevie's mention of the girl, but his ears perked up slightly at the mention of the name, wondering what would be said about her.

"No. As a matter a fact, it was the Black Book."

There was a long silence, as Stevie looked Sonic in the eye, his gaze both scrutinizing and grave. "How far did you read?"
"...Not that far. Why?"

"So you haven't read Chapter 15?" Stevie said in a strangely serious tone, which was enough to cause even Dawn to start slightly.

"Should I have?" Sonic was confused at the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken, and was hungry for some sort of explanation.

"...You won't find it in there. The answer you want isn't there," Stevie finished, his lips pursing slightly. "I've read it cover to cover. You won't be happy with what you find."

"How do you know?" Sonic asked defensively.

"You can't save him. Your friend is gone." There was a tense pause, as Stevie drew a breath. "He's been replaced by the King. Remorseless, merciless, and cruel."

"I don't believe that. Somewhere within him, there is still good."

"But he has so chose to act upon that. If he were, he would lose his power. You will never turn him."

"Aren't you the one who said that just because the struggle is impossible, that does not excuse you from fighting on the right side?" Sonic countered. "I'll never give up so long as there is life in me."

"So there's no way for me to convince you... not to read it."

"No."

Dawn stared first at one, and then at the other, somewhat frightened by their tones of voice, and also confused as to what they were talking about. He'd recognized that they said something that had to do with his father, but he wasn't exactly sure what.
In all likelihood it wasn't something good, although Dawn rationalized that his father didn't deserve to have many good things said about him.

"Very well. I've warned you, and now my part is done," Stevie sighed, a great sadness coming into his features. "Dawn, you don't need to worry about anything. You'll understand in time."

The young hedgehog nodded, although inwardly, he was thinking that this didn't help him much, to tell him that eventually he'd get it. The wizened old ferret departed without another word.

Sonic turned his eyes to the cursed book laying on his night-stand, its pages trimmed in the color of spilt blood. Black and red. Obsidian and crimson. Onyx and scarlet. The colors of death. The same colors that were painted on his friend years ago.

The very same colors that stood beside him, looking up at him in sadness and confusion. Despite the words of his superior, and the knowledge somewhere inside him that Stevie was right, Sonic felt a gnawing curiosity rise up within him, to lay bare the secrets of the King's twisted, sick mind.

Dawn could not hear his inner monologue, and so placed an assuring hand upon Sonic's back, as if to say that everything would be okay. The abandoned, unloved child who'd never experienced the world, or known anything other than a life worse than Hell itself was comforting him, as if he deserved pity.

This sentiment moved Sonic to tears. Burying his head in his hands, he pulled Dawn close to him, reveling in the feel of his quills between his fingers. For a moment, he was back with Shadow years ago, saving the world from destruction again and again.

But those old dreams could never be recovered. He had things to do in the here and now. And Dawn was part of that mission. He would not fail this young soul like he had Shadow. He would die before he would let that happen.

And as teardrops streamed down his cheeks, Sonic finally realized the beauty of the prince's name. The one who drove away darkness in an instant, parting clouds to reveal the warmth of day, always rising every morning, always shining no matter what.

Even when it could not be seen, the sun still shone, faithfully spreading life and giving even though it was never thanked, never given anything in return. No matter how hard you tried, you could never block out its luminance forever, it would persistently shine through any circumstance.

For the first time, Sonic realized that perhaps he had more to learn from Dawn than he had to teach the prince.

Author's Notes: It has come to my attention that some readers have made the assumption that the Minister of Justice Shadow killed in Chapter 1 was Eggman. I made several remarks to support this idea, although I never stated it outright to keep the scientists involvement in the Regime mysterious

Although I did originally intend for this to be Eggman, I have recently discovered that if this were so, it would create a rather troublesome plot hole. Therefore, I am not officially saying that the man Shadow killed was not Eggman. I apologize for any confusion created by this. In my defense, when the first chapter was written, I only intended for the book to be five chapters long, so there wasn't much of a plot for Eggman's death to contradict.

Mind you, you will not understand the significance of this for a long, long, long time, but I can assure you it does affect something. Thank you for your understanding.