SONIC FORCE

Written by Master Of Chaos.

Sega Characters (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, etc.) are (c) SEGA.

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C H A P T E R 1 - Return To Angel Island

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It was suddenly very bright. Sonic tried to open his eyes, but his lids were too heavy. He felt weak, but at the same time, he realized that he was no longer in the desert. Where was he?

"Hey Sonic!" shouted a voice.

Sonic opened his eyes at once. He woke up from bed, and looked around. He was inside a small cabin with Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. He felt dizzy, so he laid back down.

"Sonic!" yelled Amy, running up to him. "Oh gosh, you're awake!"

Knuckles and Tails ran over to Amy and Sonic. They were looking worriedly at Sonic.

"What-what happened?" said Sonic weakily.

"We should be asking you that same question," said Tails. "What happened when you were in the desert?"

"Were you attacked?" asked Knuckles.

"Where's that echidna?" said Sonic. "Konole...where's Konole?"

"Konole?" said Amy. "Who's Konole?"

"The echidna!" said Sonic, "Where is he?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Tails in a worried voice. "There's only me, Amy, Knuckles, and you in this cabin. No guy named Konole here."

"No..." said Sonic. "This can't be! Am I dead?"

"No," said Knuckles, slamming his fists together, "but whoever that Konole is, we'll take care of him when we see him. He'll be sorry he ever touched you!"

"Don't," said Sonic, "you can't beat him. He's too strong..."

Sonic tried to get up, but then he felt a sharp pain in his right leg. There were scratches all over his body. What had happened? Had he lost the fight against Konole?

"You need rest," said Tails, "I called a doctor to come in and check on you. You'll be okay, Sonic."

"This isn't good," said Sonic, looking down. "That echidna...I've never seen anything like it. His strength was incredible! He was even faster than I was!"

"Faster than you?" said Amy in amazement. "Who in the world is faster than you, Sonic?"

"So," said Knuckles, "let me get this straight. You were attacked by an echidna named Konole, right?"

"Right," said Sonic. "He was after a Chaos emerald. I told him I didn't have one, but he wouldn't believe me. He was strange, indeed. The strange thing is, though, is that he looked exactly like you, Knuckles!"

"What?" everybody exclaimed.

"He looked like me?" said Knuckles in surprise. "No way! Who was that echidna?"

"Somebody," said Sonic, "who's after the Chaos emerald."

"Is he one of Eggman's robots?" asked Tails.

"No," said Sonic, "he wasn't a robot. He was a real echidna. He was powerful, and I bet ya he's the reason why I'm in this condition. Darn it!"

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, a mysterious hedgehog wearing a black cloak came in to see Sonic. He was holding a large crystal ball in his hand.

"Sonic!" shouted Amy. "The doctor's here!"

The doctor did several tests with Sonic, such as testing his arm and leg movement, his weight and height, and reading strange data on his crystal ball. They did this for about half an hour, and then the doctor finally stopped.

"Listen carefully," said the doctor to Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, "your little friend here is severely injured. His arm movement is fine, and his weight and height also prove that he has been getting enough exercise. Unfortunately, his legs have been damaged pretty badly, and I'm afraid that until further notice, this hedgehog will be unable to run unless if his leg gets better. If he's unlucky, then he will be unable to run for his entire life. Good day to you." Then, the doctor left.

Sonic's heart sank. "No..." he said, pounding his fist on the bed. "This can't be happening! Not being able to run? It's just...not me. I can't stay in bed for all of eternity. I have to run!"

"I'm sorry," said Knuckles, "but you have to listen to the doctor."

"Man," said Amy, "whoever hurt Sonic must be pretty powerful."

"I'll say," said Tails.

"We're sorry," said Knuckles, "if we had known that this would happen, then we would've backed you up. We apologize for not defending you."

"No problem," said Sonic sadly, "it's not your fault."

"Are you okay, Sonic?" asked Amy in a worried voice. "You sure you're not going to, well...like...go crazy?"

Sonic remained silent for quite a while. He would like to think positive, but the thought of not being able to run was horrible. All his life, he was used to running, but now, it was all over. What were he to do if Eggman tried to conquer the world again? How would he be able to save his friends from danger? His days of being a hero have ended, and now, Sonic does nothing but sit and talk to his friends. It just wasn't the same, but he could do nothing about it.

During the next few weeks, Sonic sat in his wheelchair, and stared out the window of the cabin. He saw birds flying in the distance, and leaves falling from the trees. He would've given anything for to be like those birds...to fly free and wild in the sky. It wasn't running, but it was better than sitting.

Never had Sonic felt more bored. Knuckles, Tails, and even Amy were good people to chat with, but still, he wished he could run and have adventures like he used to. He could just imagine what Eggman was doing now...probably plotting a new scheme to conquer the world. Little did he know, that his nemesis was out of shape to stop his plans from succeeding. Sonic felt sick and dizzy from all that thinking.

Then, Sonic's thoughts suddenly revolved around Konole. At that moment, he felt extreme hatred towards that echidna, whoever he was. He swore, that if his legs get better (if they ever will get better), he'll take revenge on Konole, and the rest of the Alternate Space too.

* * * * *

Day after day, month after month, Sonic continued to endure the pain of not being able to run. He stared out the window at the start of every single day. His heart felt lonely and uncomfortable. It was agony knowing that there was an open door waiting for him, and that he was unable to find it. He was trapped...held captivity in a prison with no way out. Knuckles and Tails were outside, watching over the cabin, while Amy was cooking inside the kitchen.

Sonic slept for the sixth time that day. Without anything to do, he had lots of spare time, and so he devoted all this time to sleeping. Surprisingly, he rathered enjoyed taking a nap in the sunlight by the window. It wasn't as refreshing as running in the field, but it was comfortable nevertheless.

One day, Sonic woke up in the morning in his wheelchair. He smelled the scent of burnt toast, but that was probably just from the kitchen. Sonic moved around in his wheelchair for a bit; he had been getting used to that already. Then, he went outside and stared at the trees for a short while.

Knuckles was polishing the Master Emerald, while Tails was constructing a new flying machine in the backyard. Amy was sitting outside on the bench beside Sonic.

"Come on," said Amy to Sonic, "talk already! You've been quiet for like six weeks now!"

Sonic kept silent. Without the ability to run, his mood had been shattered. He had no will to talk to anybody right now.

"Sonic?" said Amy. "Why aren't you talking?"

"Leave me alone," Sonic said finally.

"Fine!" said Amy angrily, and she got up and walked away. Sonic sighed.

Two hours passed. Tails had finished his flying machine, and had brought it inside the tool shed. Knuckles was practicing punching against a boulder, and Amy was taking a walk near the lake. No one seemed to notice that Sonic was missing...

** E N D O F C H A P T E R **