(Takes place in the Sonic Boom Universe. Enjoy!)
"Ah…finally. Time for a good night's rest." The blue hedgehog sighed to himself. It was finally that time of the day again: Time for him to hit the hay. This was going to feel amazing and he could hardly wait.
With a yawn, Sonic slowly closed his eyes. The blue hedgehog squirmed as he tried to get comfortable in his hammock. For some reason though, he felt oddly alert and unable to shut down.
"Ughh…come on, Sonic. Just go to bed." The hedgehog grumbled to himself, tossing and turning. It usually wasn't too hard for him to fall asleep, but he was still pretty wired up from playing video games with knuckles earlier.
"Oh, I know! A late night jog would definitely tire me out!" The hedgehog exclaimed, hopping out of his hammock and zipping out of the house.
The blue hedgehog sped up and down the shore at high speeds for about five seconds before toppling back into his hammock.
"Ahhh…Yup. That'll do it." The hero sighed, beginning to feel more relaxed.
Now he was sure he'd be able to pass out for the night. Sonic curled up comfortably and tried to focus his thoughts on nothing but sleeping. He took a deep breath and focused on the noises around him. The waves crashed on the nearby shore and crickets chirped in the distant forest.
The thought of waves made sonic think about his fear of water. How long had he been afraid of water? Was he afraid of water because he couldn't swim? Or vice versa?
This was truly a burning question that simply had to be addressed.
"Hey, I bet Tails would know the answer!"
The blue hedgehog exclaimed, bouncing out of the hammock once again and zooming to his friend's house.
The hedgehog peeked into his friend's window and spotted the yellow fox in his bedroom. With glee, the blue blur sped over to the front door, creaking it open. He zoomed over to Tails' room and hovered over him.
"Heyyy. Tailsss. Hey bud!" Whispered the hedgehog, beaming down at his young friend.
The yellow fox babbled in his sleep, rolling over to face the opposite direction.
"Tails. Hey, Tailsss!" Sonic tried again, this time a bit louder.
Tails rolled over again, blinking open his eyes with a groan. Once his eyes had adjusted to the world, he looked up at his overly excitable older brother.
"Wh…what…?" The confused fox croaked, clearly having no intentions of conversing right now. "Sonic…? I-is everything okay?"
The blue hedgehog laughed. "Oh yeah bud, everything's fine."
The tired fox looked up at him in bewilderment. "Okay…so what-…?"
"-So like, y'know how I'm terrified of water and stuff? Well, here's a thought: Maybe that's only cuz I can't swim! If I could swim thenwho knows...maybe I'd be completely fine with water! …But also, maybe I still haven't learned to swim because of my fear of water. And if that's the case, when did I develop this deeply rooted fear of water? Do you think I was caught in a storm in the sea at birth? Maybe I was one of the animals on Noah's Ark and-"
"Sonic…it's 3 am…" The fox cub croaked, looking up at his friend with a dazed expression. He rolled back onto his side with an exhausted groan. "Go to sleep."
The blue hedgehog pouted indignantly.
The blue hero zoomed up to Knuckles' house and knocked at the door 10 times. He bounced up and down on the steps with way too much energy for somebody at 3:15 in the morning.
A groggy echidna opened the door. "H-huh?"
"Whaddup Knux!"
The red echidna yawned and stared down at his younger friend.
"Whaddyu want, Sonic?"
"How about we go wrestling or something, y'know? Or ooh! Ooh! Let's play video games at my place! I know you want to!" The hedgehog said in a sing-song tone.
"Actually, I don't." The taller teen replied in a deadpan voice. Bags were under the echidna's eyes. He tried to shut the door, only for his blue friend to quickly grab it.
"W-w-wait! What about a hike?! You love hiking! Oh, I know, we could head up to Angel Island and guard the master emerald! You know how like…people wanna steal it…?"
The older teen rolled his eyes. "Sonic, you and I both know that I've been neglecting that responsibility for long enough that I don't care about it anymore. Anyways, go to bed." The echidna replied tiredly.
"B-but Knuckles w-wait wait!" The hedgehog cried, frenzily attempting to get his older friend to stay, but to no avail. The blue hero grumbled to himself as the front door closed.
Sonic rang the doorbell of his next destination, rocking back and forth on his feet. He shyly tucked his hands behind his back, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.
The front door opened and Sonic was met with the surprised expression of his pink hedgehog friend.
"Sonic?"
"Hey Amy. Funny story, really. So I haven't been able to sleep all night, right? And I wondered why that was! So then I realized, it's cuz I just have so many freakin feelings! Feelings to talk about, and share, and elaborate on! And…"
"-Sonic, as much as I value the truth and honesty of our feelings and freedom of expression, the Sonic I know would only ever show interest in that as an excuse to spend time with me."
"Oh c'mon Ames, I'm bored outta my mind right now! I can't sleep a wink, and I'm pretty sure I completely scared myself out of it by imagining me being honest about my emotions."
The tired pink hedgehog nodded. "Uh huh. Figures."
"Don't you wanna go to the movies or somethin?" The blue hedgehog whined.
"Sonic, the movie theatre isn't even open right now.
"…Ice cream shop?"
"Goodnight, Sonic." Amy said, exhaustedly, closing the door.
The blue hedgehog sighed in defeat.
"Sticks, Sticks!" Cried the blue hedgehog in alarm.
The badger instantly barged through her hideout with her boomerang and landed on the ground in a fighting stance.
The growling, feral badger shot her gaze around their surroundings like a hungry lion seeking its prey.
"Where is it? Where is it?! The badger yelled.
"Up in the sky! A UFO!" The hedgehog exclaimed.
The badger crawled around on all fours, her teeth bared as she kept her eyes on the night sky. "Describe it!"
The blue hedgehog raised a brow, trying to create a believable mental image of a UFO. "Uhh, I dunno, it was like, flat and disk-shaped, with little glowing window holes in it?"
The badger slumped in tired frustration. "Okayyy, I see what's goin on here."
"W…what?"
"Do you take me for a bonehead? Real UFOS are cube shaped. And they would never use windows. Otherwise the light would shine through and they'd be more easily detected! Nice try, Sonic." The badger growled at her older friend.
The blue hedgehog sighed in tired defeat. "Please, Sticks, I can't sleep. It's almost 3:40 and I'm still, like…wide awake."
The badger sent her friend a glare. "Yeah, well you better try harder! That stunt that you pulled is dangerous! What if there really had been aliens? Or gremlins! Or a pack of angry forest spirits, even!"
The hedgehog looked at her awkwardly. "Uh, yup...that woulda been pretty bad."
"Now if you excuse me, I'm going back to my nightly documentary series." The badger hissed, turning back towards her front door.
"Wait, you weren't even sleeping?"
"Goodnight!" The feisty badger spat, closing the door.
The blue hedgehog yawned as he knocked on the metallic door in front of him. He heard some calamity coming from the inside of the house before the door slid open.
The young hero smirked as he was met with the blank expression of Orbot.
"Hey Orbot. What's good?"
The red henchbot didn't look half as surprised as he should have been to see his boss's arch nemesis at the door.
"Oh boss," The robot called in a sing-song tone, "We have a guest."
Heavy footsteps and incoherent mumbling grew louder and louder.
"Ughh…lousy girlscouts come here earlier and earlier every year. Whatever. Gimme a box of- AGGH! Sonic!"
"Sup Egghead." Said the blue hedgehog with a tired grin.
"You-! Eh, well, as long as I get my cookies I don't really care. I'll take a box of caramel delites, two boxes of-…"
"W-what? No, I'm not delivering cookies! I'm here to surrender!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Seriously?! What a rip off, I- Wait what?!"
"Yup! I'm here to surrender, Eggbelly! So what're you waiting for, take me captive!"
The evil genius looked like he could cry. "Is…is this really happening? This…this is the greatest day of my- waaaait. You're bluffing!" The man spat, pointing at the hedgehog.
"What? No! I'm not bluffing. I'm really here to surrender! Oh, also what kind of ice cream do you have? You got mint chip?" Sonic asked, attempting to peek inside.
"You totally are! If you were really going to surrender to me, it would be a much bigger thing! There'd be like, dramatic music in the background and…character angst and…higher quality animation!"
"Hey, not all great defeats have to be dramatic!" Sonic shrugged.
"Well your's does, so scram." The middle aged villain spat dryly.
"Wait! What's that?!" The blue hedgehog suddenly shouted, pointing at the sky.
The man shot his gaze up in said direction. "Where?!"
The blue blur zoomed into the base.
Eggman's scowl met Orbot's knowing look. "You know, Boss. You really have to stop falling for that."
The blue hedgehog was in awe at the vast selection in his nemesis's kitchen as he opened cabinet after cabinet. "Man, look at the options here! Eggman's living like royalty! Well...if said royalty was a failed dictatorship with no actual power, that is."
"Hey Sonic! What's poppin?!" Called a strident voice from across the room. The hedgehog looked over to see Cubot sitting on the couch.
"Sup Cubot. Whatcha watching?"
"This really good new action/adventure mini series! You'd love it!" Squawked the yellow robot in response, reaching into a bowl of popcorn and shoving it against his metallic face, only for it all to fall onto the couch. "Oh yeah…I don't have a mouth." Sighed the henchbot.
"Well I do! And man, I'm hungry. You guys got ice cream?"
"No, but we have popsicles! Doctor Eggman avoids buying ice cream because it reminds him of his childhood trauma."
"Yeesh. Well, we're not opening up that can of worms."
"What are you doing showing that rambunctious rodent around our kitchen?!" Hollered the evil genius, stomping into the room.
"Uh oh…maybe I shouldn't have used the i word." Cubot whispered to Sonic, worriedly. "Now I'm gonna have to call up his therapist again."
"Chillax Eggbreath! Can't a guy grab a snack anymore?" Sonic replied, opening the freezer door. He pulled out a cherry popsicle and paused before closing the freezer again, gaping at its contents. "Woah! Are the ice cubes in this ice cube tray shaped like your face? With the mustache and everything?! How did you do that?"
"Oh please. I can make destructive robots the size of the village bank. An ice cube tray with my face on it is child's pla-Wait a minute, why am I entertaining this? Get out of my freezer, you bothersome brat! Or I'll close you in there and turn you into an ice cube!"
Suddenly, a cryptic but exciting tune played from the nearby TV.
"Alright, the new episode! It's starting!" Cubot cried, thrusting his arms out in excitement. As a result, popcorn flew all over the couch.
"At last!" The mad man squealed, joyfully plopping down onto the couch, all concerns about his archenemy temporarily put aside.
"Uh…what is?" Asked the blue hero with interest, licking the popsicle. He sat cross legged on the kitchen counter like it were a beach chair.
"Uh, Dolos the Trickster God? Duh." Replied the hedgehog's nemesis sarcastically.
"Hey, isn't that the spin off about that God who escaped in the Vigilantes movie finale?" The blue teen exclaimed, bouncing over to the couch and landing beside his archenemy.
"Yep! Not only is it a fascinating series with enticing characters, the whole thing is a brilliant take on the role of a multiverse in our world and what would happen if there were to be drastic changes to our timeline!" The evil genius rambled.
"Cubot and I discussed this concept the other night, actually. We imagined what it would be like if there were an alternative universe where Doctor Eggman really was a fearsome villain and managed to rule over most of the planet by turning all the world's citizens into robots." Orbot explained.
"Or a universe where Sonic and a young princess fall in love and use the power of love tosave the world," Cubot added in enchantment.
"Uhh…I'm not sure I like that one." The blue hero commented, cringing.
"Shush! It'sstarting!" Eggman cried, his eyes glued to the TV. "Sonic, pay close attention! Every detail is crucial."
"Got it..." The blue hedgehog responded through a yawn. "How often do you binge-watch shows at 4 am anyway?"
Eggman looked at him with a mouth full of popcorn. "Eh, only tonight. I just couldn't sleep for some reason. Don't know why."
"Maybe it's Mercury Retrograde!" Cubot cried out.
"Shut it, bolt-brain. Astrology is a fantastical comfort mechanism for people who can't find joy in the real world." Eggman grumbled. Suddenly, the TV flashed and Dolos the Trickster God appeared, prompting the evil genius to squee with joy. "Dolos! My lord and savoir!"
The blue hero murmured sleepily as he woke up to a blinding light. His green eyes flickered as he rolled to face the arm of the couch and tried to get back to sleep.
Suddenly, he was pressed against the couch, and hard. The groggy hedgehog flailed his arms around in alarm, finally managing to push his way out. His wide eyed gaze fell on his sleeping archnemesis, who was rolling around in his sleep. Sonic groaned loudly, waking up the villain. "Wh…what the…what?" Eggman babbled.
"Gee…thanks for nearly crushing me to death, Doctor Bowling Ball." The tired hedgehog muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Tch…me? Speak for yourself, Sonic the Spinball!" The exhausted madman replied. "You curled into a spiky ball in your sleep last night and bounded right into Cubot. Luckily that's more of a 'him'problem, but his broken pieces went all over the place! It was a racket and it woke me up!"
"I did what?" The young hero cried out, scanning the room all over.
"No worries! This kind of thing happens sometimes." Orbot replied gently. Sonic and Eggman looked at the robot, who was standing by the kitchen pushing a wheelbarrow. In the wheelbarrow was Cubot; built with his head on sideways and his arms coming out his head.
"Yeah Sonic! Accidents happen!" The robot reassured the hedgehog. "We wouldn't be human if they didn't."
"You're not human." Eggman snarked. "And you still make mistakes. Where's the logic in that?"
"Gee, I don't know! We'd better ask the guy who made me. He's responsible for all my flaws." Cubot replied.
"…Wow…guess I sorta walked into that one." The madman commented, taken aback.
Sonic yawned and stretched, rolling back onto the couch. "Sorry, Cubot." He said sheepishly, peering over at the yellow henchbot. "Guess I was really restless last night."
The middle aged human yawned from his place on the couch. "You and me both." He grumbled. "That's the last time I'm pulling an all nighter for at least another 10 years."
The blue hedgehog smirked. "Sleep for 6 more hours and try to recover from poor decision-making?"
"Hohoho, great minds." The evil genius chuckled, curling up on the opposite side of the couch.
(6 hours later)
Sonic wandered up to his front porch with a yawn. "Weird how you can sleep for like, more than 10 hours and still be exhausted." The hedgehog complained to himself.
"Sonic!"
The blue hedgehog turned around to see his friends making their way over to him. Not one of them looked the slightest bit tired.
"Oh, uh, hey guys." The blue teen yawned loudly, blinking tears of exhaustion away.
"There you are!" Cried Tails. "We were looking for you!"
"Yeah.…guys, about last night..." Sonic muttered. "I'm sorry...I really shouldn't have woken you all up like that. It was pretty inconsiderate." The hedgehog scratched his back apologetically.
"Hey, it's all good, man." Knuckles reassured his friend, patting his arm. "We'll always care about you, no matter how inconsiderate, cocky, irresponsible and immature you are." The echidna said softly.
"Okay was…was all that really necessary?" Sonic muttered.
"What Knuckles means to say is that yes, even though we didn't appreciate being woken up last night, we accept your apology. Additionally, we all felt bad about you feeling so lonely last night and agreed to make this whole day a Sonic day!" Amy cried.
"Saywhatnow?" Sonic asked, really hoping he misheard.
"Now I can answer all those burning psychological questions you have about yourself!" Tails exclaimed. "I'll admit, even in my sleepy haze, they sounded intriguing!"
"And I'm all set to go on a hiking trip!" Knuckles announced, putting a backpack on. "Maybe we can try checking out the master emerald after all! I probably should make sure no one's stolen it since I did completely and utterly disregard my job of protecting it."
"Yeah…and I shoulda done more to educate you on UFOs last night." Sticks said regretfully. "But luckily I found plenty of links to subreddit pages that present more detailed records on them!"
"And I'd like to take you to the movies." Amy said, smiling. "If that's alright with you, of course!" She added, blushing.
The blue hedgehog stared at his friends for a moment, before slowly crumpling to the ground and falling fast asleep.
The four friends looked at eachother.
"I guess we shoulda seen that coming." Tails whispered.