***

Sonic closed his eyes as his back rested against Sally's front door. He started to feel a stinging sensation coming from the sides of his head. He lifted his right hand and gently felt the places where he pulled his quills out. Luckily, the ones he took out were small and loose. He looked at his right hand and was surprised to see he was not bleeding. * I promised myself I wouldn't rip them out any more* Sluggishly, the blue hedgehog tilted his head against the door. Along sigh came from is mouth. Then his knees buckled which made him slide down the door front.

Sonic stayed in complete silence for a few minuets sitting on the floor. The hedgehog cracked opened his eye lids. * How did I get into this!!! How. HOW. HOW! Oh yeah… I remember now, 'Sure Sal, no problem, I can handle anything!' AAAAAAHHHH…. These people are driving me nuts. They are worst then two year olds. I know! I should've asked Amy for her hammer so I could knock the hell out of those people…I….I don't know how Sal deals with this shit… Sal where are you?"

Then the hedgehog came to his feet. He noticed the clock on the wall in font of him. It said 6:20. He began to move forward until he reached the Sally's bedroom door. He twisted the door knob and let himself in. He stood still looking around Sally's room. It was a cute color scheme of pinks, purples, and whites against the wooden hut walls. He looked at the pictures of her and her family on the night stand and her plush animals on her bed. Her room was nothing like his room, everything was neat and in its place. For some strange reason this environment helped Sonic feel a little calm.

Then he saw the lavender blanket on Sally's bed. His heart quickly beats. He felt a sudden flushness come over him. He smiled as he moved towards the bed. Sonic sat down and felt the cover with his hands. Soft and slightly worn the blanket felt good to touch. * It was our first …she had this cover on her bed…* Sonic took some time to dwell on this memory. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and yawned. *I'm still tired and I really want to go back to sleep…hum , I…I don't think Sal would mind much. * Without another thought Sonic kicked off his sneakers and dived into Sally's bed. He squiggled around to make himself comfortable. Then he buried his head in Sally's pillows. * They smell like lilacs… Like Sal's hair.* Sonic felt his eyelids become heavy. Soon the hedgehog was asleep.

***

"It's been ten minuets! What is he doing in there!" the mouse shouted.

"Totally incompetent. Never leave a boy to do a man's job." grunted the raccoon.

"Man's job! Remember He's ah replacin' Sally for the week! A gurl!" yelled Bunnie.

"We can't wait here all day for him. We'll fix this village ourselves!" Shouted the thirty-something goat as he raised his fit in the air.

"Hey, just give him a chance, alright! * Sonic come on, show these people what you got!... phalease* Just wait here everyone, ah'm sure he will be out soon." responded Bunnie.

***

Sonic seemed to wake up into nothing. In the haunting darkness he felt no air or ground. Total blackness surrounded him. Then the invigorating smell of the ocean filled his space. A breeze of warm air sweeps by his face almost like a soft hand caressing his cheek. Out of the darkness came a gentle yet excited female voice.

"Sonic, is that you?"

*Wha…what was that?* Sonic questioned.

" Wow it's really you!"

"Who, who said that?"

"Ha I can't believe it—I was right!"

"Right? About what… Who are you?"

"The energy of course! It was you."

"Who the hell are you?!"

"You… don't remember me?"

"No. So do you mind tellin' me your fuckin' name?!"

"A little testy today huh?"

"Screw you."

"Sonic how could you say that! It's me Tikal."

Slowly, a green glow outlined a figure in the darkness. Then from the crest of her head to the last thread of her sandals the darkness peeled away. Sonic stared at her as he floated in front of her. She was the apparition he met a year ago. Forever frozen at sixteen, she was a girl rich in her echidna beauty wrapped in tribal dress. Light orange-auburn fur covered her body, except for her ripe breasts, they were mostly white. Her long dreadlocks would move with graceful ease. Her skirt was marked with tribal diamonds of green, white, and red. The skirt was the only clothing she had on and it barely held onto her hips as it exposed a cute belly button. Around her neck graced a large necklace. It was mostly gold with a large blue heart in the middle.

Quickly, the hedgehog put his thoughts on hold. *What am I thinkin'?! Tikal is dead…I have a girlfriend, and she's very much alive.* Then the law of gravity become active. Sonic landed flat on his back. His body rumbled when he hit the floor. * That was weird.* He noticed that he fell about ten feet and felt no pain. He started to wonder if he had died.

Sonic quickly came to his feet. As he got up he nervously patted down his body. He was trying to tell if he was still made out of organic matter. *I'm all here—am I?*

"Tikal am …am I dead?"

Her eyes froze on him. "Dead? You think you're dead!"

"Well am I?"

She leaned forward as a howling laughter burst from her. Soon she straighten herself up as she spoke through a chuckle, "You can't tell when you are dreaming?!"

"Oh…* Thank goodness*… Wait! If….if…you're here that means Chaos is out—Oh fuck!"

"Hey, hey", Tikal gently touched his cheek, "Clam down I'm still in the emerald. It is just that I can project myself under certain circumstances."

" Ce-rum-stances?"

"Yes, everyone has unique spirit energy. It is like a finger print. But everyone does not have the same amount of energy. If someone has a very high energy I can come to them. I kinda 'rode' your energy signature here." Tikal giggled.

Sonic noticed that her hands were still caressing him. Her voice grew serious. "I wanted to see if you were okay. Your energy was incredible high for you, right now at least."

"High energy? Ah! That must've been from Joe frying my organs a week ago."

"What!!" Her hands flew over her heart as the shock of his words fill her mind.

"Ahh… don't ask"

"But Sonic, why?"

"I don't want to talk about it… it is the least of my concerns right now."

Tikal looked down at her fingers for a moment, then back up at him. "Oh okay then, why are you upset."

"Sal left three days ago. She went to help set up a new fraction of Freedom Fighters in the North Mountains. She said the soonest she would be back would be a week. Meanwhile, I'm messin' things up big time. Everyone is screaming at me… Sonic I need this—Sonic do this, Sonic my hut's on fire! There's so much to do… I don't know where to start. So I told everyone to fuck off."

Tikal gasped, "You what! Oh Sonska cute little giggled you were never good with people."

He looked at her funny for a moment. Tikal stopped giggling because she felt that the hedgehog's silence was unorthodox.

"Tikal you just called me Sonska."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"Oh then just forget it. Now what was your problem again?"

"Was Sonska a real person?"

"Sonska has very little to do with your situation."

"So he is real!"

"Was."

"Who was he?"

"I said he is not important right now." Tikal defiantly stood in front of him while crossing her arms.

"Did I hit a sore spot?... I see what goin' on you don't wanna talk. Why Tikal?"

" Forget it hedgehog. You didn't cough up anything on Joe putting you on a barbeque—So why should I spill?"

"Hey I have my reasons!"

"And I have mine."

" But Tikal," Sonic rested his hands on her shoulders, " I just wanna know." He finished his sentence with the batting of his beautiful green eyes.

"Sonic I..."

"I am ready to hear it! I don't really care to wake up to responsibilities right now."

"No."

"Why?"

"It's personal, okay."

"Since when did a spirit incased in an emerald have a personal life?"

"Ahh…oh..ah"

"Can't answer that can you? Please tell me. * I can't believe I'm using the 'p' word!!!*"

"Sigh Maybe…But first we must solve your problem."

"Shoot."

"Sonska had a similar problem and pretty much handled it the way you did. I told him next time when people are nagging him he should take a breath. Then listen to the request one at a time. Assess which ones he can and cannot do. Last, put them in order of importance."

"Hey that…. That should do it."

"I'm happy to help."

"Great!"

Tikal smiled, "Overall you seem fine, and so I should be going."

" No you don't, you still owe me a story!"

"Fine, I'll be in you dreams tonight."

"Yeah!"

"And you should work on the scenery around here, it is a little dark. There is some imagination between your ears?"

"Ha, real funny."

"Well then have a good morning hedgehog."

"Good morning Tikal"

Sonic's eyes popped opened. He felt a surge of confidence run through him. Armed with Tikal's advice he strapped on his sneakers and left Sally's hut.

***