The strong winds blew hard, brining causing the heavy snow to cover the land faster; Sonic blinks from his place beside the pillow of grand the archway, simply watching the frozen water building higher and higher from the safely of the crypt he had discovered earlier. It was evening now, the sun was setting behind the dark grey clouds and making the already cold zone even more icy.
Sonic was relaxed not letting the chilly temperature drop bother him, "And this is meant to be summer in this zone?" he comments to himself with a smile, "If they have snowstorms like this during even at this time of the year, I would hate to be caught out in the dead of winter!"
Spinning around Sonic walks through the archway and into a lobby like room, here was too open double stone doors. Deep inside the crypt he had build a small fire using dry wood he found in a storeroom kind room closer to the surface.
As darkest fall the rooms got colder, yet Sonic still never worried over it; the blue furred green eyed speedy hedgehog had been in far worst places than this, during that time his life was on the line. So nothing truly fazed or surprised him much any more.
Walking through the corridors that was filled with cobwebs with their spiders, insects and bugs, dust and dirt, he smiling at the crystal torches that lit up the place. These crystal torches were common in the past, however with new technology things such as these ancient crystals was becoming more and more rare. It almost sadden him.
Moving into a dimly lit room, Sonic sees his fire was going strong. Strolling over to it, he flops down on the rags he gathered together and stares at the flickering flames. Sonic grins into the warmth.
'Best not sleep for the night...' Sonic thinks to himself, knowing from experience it was not the greatest of plans to go to sleep in cold winter nor in a crypt, monsters or robots would be lurking within, 'Haven't seen a robot in a while... wonder what old egghead is up to...?'
Sonic reaches down and lifts a rag over his shoulders, wrapping around his front. Then he gazes into the fire once more.
'I'm twenty-one years old...' Sonic thinks as he keep watch, 'And still fighting strong... however...' he leans back and glances around at the darken room, some crystals were broken making the room only partly lit, the fire caused shadows to move across the walls in an eerily dance, 'Maybe its time I stepped down as a Hero...'
During the last two years more and more heroes were showing up, these was just as strong as the last. Each Zone seemed to have their own chosen Hero which they looked to now; it had even began a job, with ranking between them. They earned their money through how poplar their was, in the way of sales with toys and posters, or showing up to places and parties. Also the hero company that hires them are responsible for any damaged caused by villains; business paid the hero companies for protection and insurance, again making more money out of it.
Sonic sighs loudly, white vapour escapes his mouth and vanishes in the air. The icy room was hurting his lungs, so he wiggles forward more towards the fire.
'Sonic The Hedgehog... is no more...' Sonic thinks calmly, not caring what happens now. He knew that he could no longer be able to run in the open, but he could run freely in SA Zones where they was no eyes to see him.
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"Sega!" An sweet elderly voice calls, "That's enough dear, you can come in for lunch! But don't forget to wash your hands!"
Sonic strengthen himself up, his brown eyes seemed to smile at the old fox. The muddy dark brown hedgehog hums aloud as he slowly made his way over to the wood cottage; he could see warm water in a large tub like bucket, a piece of soap and a dry towel was sitting on a small low table.
Standing before the bucket, Sonic trod on the backs of his boots removing them from his feet. Next he went removing his gloves, not caring that he was now naked to the world. The brown spiky hedgehog extends an arm over, bringing to him the soap, then he begins the task of cleaning himself.
Sonic or Sega as he goes now, had sealed his power using a Chaos Emerald, returning himself to his brown coloured fur, deep brown eyes that was almost black and many many spikes rather than the fused together larger ones. One more thing, his speed. The complete concealment of his power really mean returning fully to his former self.
Moving to grab the towel he catches sight of himself in the rippling waters; it was strange, he could barely remember the things before his gaining his power, but he does recall his fur being brown.
"Sonic, lunch is on the table," The fox Rosa says, being so old she did not care much for the youngest naked before her, as she came from the time when all kinds wore nothing, "Also my granddaughter is coming, she is bring some treats I don't know if you would want to take some home with you?"
"Let me see what treats she has," Sonic replies grinning smoothly at the elder fox, "Then I'll made my chose."
"Wise," Rosa says with a nod, she wanders back into the collage with Sonic at her heels, "It is not much..."
Sonic sees the bread and cheese, along with a glass of water. "It's enough for me, remember I just a normal little hedgehog," Sonic grins flopping down into the seat and began eating the small meal, "I won't need much."
Rosa sighs in relief, she did not much in the way of food but she tried to get at least something for her workers who came to help her. She moves away letting the hedgehog eat in peace.
Sonic grins as he shovels the food in his mouth, enjoying the tasteless food. It was strange, when he was blue he wanted to eat and eat, in fact even after eating a full meal enough to fed a small army he at times still wanted to eat more. Tails once explained that this was because his body burned up more energy or something, and it needed to be replaced or else his body would start eating it's fat reserves and sending him into starvation.
'Mmmm... maybe I should have listened a little more closely to what Tails had to say...' Sonic thought as he gulps down his water, placing the glass down he stands and heads towards the front of the collage.
"Mrs Rosa I'm done!" Sonic informs as he walks into the small lobby, here he found both granddaughter and grandmother, "Oh! Hello again... Kitty!"
"Its Kathy..." The younger fox answers with a heavy sigh, "Thank you again for helping out my grandmother, Sega."
"No worries!" Sonic replies coming further into the lobby heading towards his shoes and gloves. A shock cry caused him to spin round to stare a Kathy, gazing about the area he saw nothing to make her fearful, "What's wrong?"
"You're naked!" Kathy screams out pointing to his feet and hands, she turns away red faced. The older fox laughed loudly at this, Sonic just shook his head and began putting his socks and shoes on, then at last his gloves.
"Don't worry about the treats," Sonic says as he walks towards the front door, "I have to get back to my den by sunset."
"Must be a long track for a hedgehog," Rosa says once she finishes laughing at her granddaughter, "Sorry I can't take you, but I can no longer drive my van."
"No worries!" Sonic says happily as he nods to a still blushing Kathy, then to a smiling Rosa, "See you later, if you need any more help, feel free to call me up."
"Bye Sega, have a safe trip." Rosa says waving him out the door.
Sonic turns, he heads the door shut behind him. Taking a slow walk towards the main path, he grins at the sunny blue skies above. He had been living in this Zone for the last three months, and was doing well.
Lower Green Hill Zone was the place of his birth; it was not how he remembered it, many new building and houses was everywhere, small villages had become villages, villages had become small towns, small towns had become large towns and the large towns had become cities. When he left his Zone to battle Robotnik at the age of only thirteen there had only been one city in his zone. The whole area was one big open green zone, with forests and woodlands every now and again.
While Sonic could not remembered much before waking up when he was about ten years of age and completely blue with sonic speed, there was times images floated through his mind and a sense of familiarity passed over him.
Hiking along the woodlands path he gazes upwards, watching in the way the sunlight passed through the green leafs above of the treetops, only few rays managed to reach the woodland's floor. Sonic could hear the noises of the creatures that lived, hidden somewhere within.
Then another sound made its way to his ears, causing them to twitch. Pausing he turns back slightly, glancing over his shoulder; the old fox's collage was now out of his sight. Facing forward he waits. It did not take long for a tall red metal robot stepped from behind the trees and stared at him with a cold gaze.
"And what can I do for you?" Sonic asks tilting his head while grinning boldly at the thing.
"My master is here in these woods." The robot answers as it steps further out, then starts moving towards him, "He wishes to have you as his guest."
"And what would your master want with a normal weak little hedgehog like me?" Sonic questions never loses his confident grin.
"Because Sonic The Hedgehog," The robot states his true name, which he had not heard someone address him as since he came, "My master has something he wants to give you, as a retirement gift."
"How nice of him..." Sonic drawls out with a sigh, "If I said my name was Sega and not Sonic, would you believe me?"
"Please do not insult my master's intelligence." The red robot asks with that say cold manner, "Come with me and become a guest of my master's."
"Fine..." Sonic says after a moment's thought, "But only because I want to know just how he found me."
"Thank you, my master will be pleased!" The robot slowly took steps forward, almost waiting for an attack from Sonic. It stops in front of the brown hedgehog and went to it's knees so it was almost the same height as him, it's stomach opens revealing a seat for Sonic to sit in.
Sonic stares at it for a moment, he had no reason to trust the mad scientist. However this was the first time Robotnik came seeking him out in this manner.
Walking forward Sonic wandered up a ramp and went inside the metal object, he spins around and takes a chair. The doors or stomach did not shut right away, instead they slowly rose up. Sonic calmed his heart down, he knew full well that he could not fight back like this and unsealing himself would take up a lot of strength he did not have at the moment, since he worked a long hard day at the old fox's home.
Closing his brown eyes Sonic leans back in his seat making himself comfortable; while he was a hero, he had gotten himself captured during the years and found that panicking or worrying over something he could not control did not help. Waiting for a chance no matter what sharp or form it came in, was the best choice.
'Unlike my younger days,' Sonic thinks with a relaxed smile, 'When I would rush into everything and get really impatient over the smallest of things or waits... I always wanted to go fast...' Sonic felt himself drifting off to sleep, his dream was of him running through a dirt path with someone running beside him.
"Sonic The Hedgehog, we have arrived." The robot's voice came closed to his ear, surprisingly soft, it did not wake him with a startle.
Blinking his eyes open, Sonic yawns and tries to stretch out, only to knock his knuckles against the ceiling of where he was. He frowns in confusion for a second, but quickly remembers where he was and who he was going to see.
The stomach opens and Sonic stands, walking down the ramp he glances all around the large area he was in. A fancy and cosy looking tearoom like place, it had two comfortable looking sofa facing each other; a low table was in the sofas centre with teapot and teacups, a tray of cakes and sandwiches was also placed there.
Dr Robotnik sat grinning at him on one of the sofa, he made a small hand gesture for him to stay where he was.
"Sonic, you look like you have taken a mad bath." Robotnik sneers as he slowly gazes at the hedgehog up and down.
"Oh that's nice," Sonic says with a huff folding his arms over his chest, "We haven't seen each other in three months and the first words out of your word are an insult, anyone will think you don't like me or something."
Robotnik snorts at that, he waves a hand towards someone or something behind Sonic causing the hedgehog to glance behind. On looking back a robot appears and baths in what seemed to be gel, it covered his whole body cleaning him better than that soap and water ever could. When the gel departed from his body, leaving him in a little bit of a daze, a beam of chaos power flesh through him and suddenly his brown fur gave way to blue, his dark brown eyes glows to green and his many spikes fused together making much larger ones behind him.
Sonic blinks down at himself, feeling his two hearts slamming against his ribcage, his forty tiny lungs breathing openingly from his tubes that was on his back's spikes and the normally feeling of everything around him so slow and boring.
"Hey! What's the big idea!" Sonic cries out angry, he frowns deeply tapping his right foot hard on the floor, "Why did you chance me back!?"
"Because I need you in this form Sonic," Robotnik says this time he made the gesture for him to sit on the other sofa, "One of my experiments went a little wrong while I was trying to use some of my grandfather's studies."
"...Eggman, you're a roboticist right?" Sonic asks while walking towards the sofa, he took a seat and stared down at the sandwiches, everything there was fit for building up his fats, he could already feel his stomach eating itself, "So why are you playing around with bio science?"
"Silence! Do you have any idea just how many blasted heroes keep showing up?!" Robotnik shouts out, looking annoyed, "All having some new power that is unstopping, and there's also the villains! Don't get me started on their half-baked plans on destroying the world!"
"Most of your plans are half-baked..." Sonic mumbles out, he then smiles and reaches down for some sandwiches and quickly bite into one, he chew a few times and forced it down before going for another bite.
"Anyway, I want you to have that thing... I made it from your DNA anyway," Robotnik snaps out as he leans back in his seat, "Worst mistake ever! And it keeps blowing up every lab I sent it to! Think of it as a retirement gift!"
"A retirement gift...my DNA? Eggman," Sonic says with a sigh, "Just what did you do?"
"I wanted to made a being that passes my grandfather's work," Robotnik explains his voice kept getting louder and louder, Sonic simply ate the food given to him while watching the man through bored eyes, "A being greater than both you and Shadow combined!"
"Oh great..." Sonic sighs out, not looking forward to whatever the mad man had to say, "And so, what did you do?"
"Did you know that Shadow is not 100% male?" Robotnik asks suddenly in a lower voice.
"Please, I'm eating..." Sonic says quickly as he takes a gulp from his tea that a robot had poured out for him.
"Those you made Shadow wanted him to have the best of both worlds." Robotnik went on with a grin, "Hoping that having female hormones would made the prototype most loving and caring towards those it was meant to protect, however we know how that turned out."
"Yeah, but at lest I know why he is moody at times." Sonic said with a snicker, he finished the last of the food that was laid before him.
"That's not all, Shadow has both reproductive systems," Robotnik carries on darkly, "While he was sleeping I removed some of his eggs... or it's eggs, whatever..."
"And me?" Sonic asks dreading what was coming, "You said something about my DNA, so you must have my s...seed...?"
"Ah, yes." Robotnik says in a low voice, he played with his moustache for a moment, "Three years ago when I thought up this plan I need all the things in place, just in case. Do you remember Sonic, that time when you fell into that deep water and went unconscious. You woke up in my base, it was then I removed your...seed. And thus starts the brilliant plan of forming a being far beyond your power, speed and strength."
"You're sick in the head, you know that right?" Sonic asks completely unimpressed by this announcement.
"Shut it Hedgehog!" Robotnik spat out, he nods towards another robot, "The being that was made was a failure, it did contain much of your or Shadow's speed. However another power emerged from it."
Sonic brought his left hand up to his temple, rubbing it there with his index and middle finger, "So you're telling me that; One, Shadow is a he-she and two, I have an clone of some sort that did not inherent my speed."
"More or less." Robotnik says with a nod, he then stands and began walking away waving Sonic to come as he did.
"So what can it do?" Sonic asks with a frown, he jumps up and walks along beside the fat tall man; it was strange, in all the years they had been fighting Sonic never thought that they would have a chat that did not end with them trying to kill each other.
"The little pest have powerful psychokinetic and seems to have Shadow's physical strength," Robotnik tells as he stands still for a moment and waits for a door to open, "It may gain some speed when it grows older, who can say..."
"Grows older? So it's not a clone kind of thing?" Sonic asks as he blinks at the new room, it was nothing like the cosy tearoom they just left, this was more like the Eggman's bases he knew. There was a strange pulsing of pale blue power running through the walls of the long wide corridor.
"More like a hoglet." Robotnik said frowning, "I started from the beginning, hoping to raise it over time. However even at this age it is too much of a handful for me. So I'm giving to you, so you can worry about it."
"..." Sonic frowns not knowing what to say to this, a hoglet? a baby? A child?
They came to the end, large double doors was there. The doors moved slightly, opening ajar then suddenly opening fast. A loud cry reached Sonic's ears, oddly enough it made his hearts break. Hurrying into the metal room, he sees a box with those same pale blue pulses running through it.
Sonic peers over the top and stares at a little white hedgehog, it was crying hard; things was attached to it's body and the pulses was coming from the baby in waves and getting drew into the wires.
Then it gazes upwards, almost like it knew it was being watched. Golden eyes blinked through tears at Sonic; then it just stared.
Sonic did not know how long he stood there staring at the little white hoglet, one thing he knew, he loved it already. Smiling Sonic leans in and reaches down, seeing this the hoglet held up it's tiny arms and allowed itself to be picked up.
Sonic ripped the wires off of his hoglet and lay it on his chest, it snuffled and closed it's eyes falling asleep.
"Well that was interesting," Robotnik says from behind, "It recognizes you as it's father."
Sonic growls as he slowly turns to the large man, who grins at him when he sees how enraged the blue hedgehog was.
"Careful Sonic," Robotnik hums out in a mocking tone, "You're retired remember, if people see you fighting me, they might think they can call upon you again!"
"How dare you do this to my son," Sonic growls out, not really listening to what the human male had to say, "You'll pay for this!"
Robotnik's grin widen.
Seven Emeralds appears encircling Sonic, they began to spin around him at a fast rate and then vanished seemingly inside of him. With a burst of golden light Super Sonic floated there, red eyes there narrowed at the man. The hoglet still slept soundly against the chest while Sonic carefully held him with both hands, keeping him in place.
A shield appeared in front of Robotnik and the grinning man takes a step back, armoured robots jumped down from holes that appeared in the ceiling. They aimed their guns at the powered up hedgehog, these however, stood no chance against him.
With a quick swift movement the robots were gone, broken and melted on the floor. Sonic glances down at his son, the little creature seemed to be only a couple of months old. Red eyes glowed, he made a hole in the wall and flew through it and out into the open skies.
Sonic quickly took in his surrounds, he was high in the sky and was above what looked like a city. On some platforms to one side of the metal castle in the sky, he spots some new heroes fighting against an army of robots and having a hard time.
The air rocked in shock waves as he flew towards them, then came the sound; a sonic boom.
They ducked down as the yellow fiery thing went by them overhead, some screamed. Sonic blow up everything in under a minute and then hovered above them. They stared in awe for a moment, one came forward and was about to say something, when a giant robot appears from behind the metal castle.
For some reason Robotnik designed the thing to roar.
Glancing down at his new son he smiles, wrapping himself in a protective wave of raw power he almost disappears as he rocketed himself to the giant robot. Reappearing on the other side, the robot continues to roar; then he realized a minute after that something was not right and blows out, sending fireballs and pieces of metal in all directions.
Sonic turns in the air, he stares down at the new heroes who were pointing his way. Others he saw, were taking pictures of him with their phone.
"Kids these days..." Sonic says with a sigh, he knew how stupid they was being taking their eyes off of the emery, even if it seemed that there was none left. "Until the fat man rants, its not over."
The castle they stood on shook, causing the new heroes to cry out as they fell on their hands and knees. Sonic blinks dully towards the castle, sure enough the flying castle itself was one big robot. Giant hands, more giant then the robot that he destroyed moments ago, came round and came in for the kill.
Sonic made a move. In a flash he passed through the wrist of the hand before it could reach them, the hand dropped, smacking the sides as it went down and breaking some of the platform the new heroes stood on.
Bring red eyes down, Sonic checked on his little hoglet once more. Golden eyes greets him, staring at him in wonder.
"Well hello son," Sonic says kindly, not really sure what to call him yet, "Sorry if I woke you, go back to sleep, Papa will get rid of the bad guys." As if the hoglet could understand the things said, pale eyelid hid those golden eyes and he rested his head back on Sonic's chest.
The yellow hedgehog hums a slightly, it was like something warm brushed against the edges of his mind.
"And now," Sonic says as he gazes back at the flying robot castle ship thing, "Let's end this."
Yellow flames streams from his body, waves upon waves of power rolled through the skies. Sonic curls his arms around his son, lowering his chin as he darts forward. He pick up speed in a heart beat.
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Sonic leans back into his single sofa, his feet was at on a stool with a pillow under. The fire he build in the fireplace crackle and popped as the wood got eaten up. The little collage he own always grew cold in the evenings, but today it was a little more chillier because of the storm that blew in.
Heavy rain pitter patter against his windows, thunder rumbles overhead and every now and again, lightning would flesh outside causing deep shadows to stretch before it.
Laying on his stomach was his son, the white little hoglet.
"Whitey? Or just White? Maybe Shiro?" Sonic mumbles to himself, those golden eyes watched him carefully from where he laid; the hoglet blinks as he listened to his father, "Silver? Grey? Belyy Blanc? Arian?"
Sonic brings both hands up to the little white creature, tucking his hands carefully under belly he gets a grip; then he raises him up and stares him up and down.
"Golden eyes and a white coat." Sonic says again, he had spoken those words earlier that evening, "Silver sounds better for you. I mean, I run fast and I'm called Sonic and your Mama in black and red and in named Shadow."
"Did you say 'Shadow'?" A dark voice hisses from a corner of the room; Sitting up Sonic brought his feet down quickly and held his son closer.
Sonic's eyes widen as the black and red hedgehog himself stalks further into the room, growling deeply in his throat.
"Yo Shadow! How have you been?" Sonic greets with a bold grin, wanting to laugh out loud at the angry eyes glaring his way.
"Hedgehog," Shadows hisses out coming nearer, "You have five seconds to explain to me what you just meant!"
"It will take longer than five seconds." Sonic drawls out quickly losing interest in him, "Sit down and listen, I can explain all of this."
Surprisingly Shadow comes forward and drops into the other single sofa.
"Also," Shadow says his voice had soften slightly, "Where have you been? The world has been looking for you, everyone was starting to think you was dead."
"Dead? Me?" Sonic snorts loudly, grinning once more, "Will that I can explain too! First, want to hold your son Sliver, Mama?"
Shadow growls darkly at that last part, but held out his arms to take the hoglet. Sonic leans forward, carefully passing over the newly named hoglet to it's mother.
'Weird... Can Shadow also feel this is his son?' Sonic thinks as he watches the normally sour mean spirited hedgehog look down at the tiny creature, 'I felt it right away this was my offspring, so Shadow may feel it too...'
Sonic waits until Shadow had Silver comfortable in his arms, before opening his mouth and explaining all that had happened. Shadow listened to everything Sonic had to say, nodding a few times during the talk.
"I'm going to kill that fat piece of lard," Shadow says through his teeth darkly, chaos power flicker over his body in tune with his rage, "Wait unlit I deal with him!"
"I destroyed most of his toys," Sonic says calmly with a smile, "Doing that is worst than death for that over boil egg, bet he is fuming where he is."
"Whatever." Shadow huffs as he plays with Sliver's tiny fingers, "So...now what?"
"'Now what'?"Sonic asks blinks, not understanding what his frienemy meant.
"You're going to raise Sliver...Alone?" Shadow questions eyeing up the blue hedgehog.
"Well yeah," Sonic says bluntly and clearly amused, "Unless you want to move in with me and help me raise him, you're more than welcome Shadz."
"Mmmmmmmm.." Shadow hums as he thought, making Sonic raise his eyebrows, truly not believing that the other was actully thinking about it, "I'll have to move my stuff in, I don't own much. It my weapons that will be the pain to bring."
Sonic sat there blinking, he wondered if he was dreaming. Shadow wanted to move in with him and raise their son...
"Well... okay," Sonic says leaning back in his seat, staring at mother and son, the pair seemed happy with each other, "We'll do that when the storm in over, which be tomorrow now."
Sonic glances down at the newspaper at he bought that morning, it had his photo on the front with the headlines, ' Is Sonic Back?'. He had over read half, it was filled with many theories of why he had not been around, some were laughable.
"This is going to be an interesting adventure," Sonic comments to Shadow, who gazes his way in question, "Raising a hoglet that is. Wonder if we can handle it?"
"I am sure we can," Shadow answers with a smirk, "I am the Ultimate Lifeform after all."
Sonic grins at this, while shaking his head a little; turning to the flames, he stares into it. When he made his choice to leave his old life behind, becoming a father was the last thing on his mind...
'A great adventure...' Sonic thinks as he turns to watch Shadow and Silver once again.