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Emerald Hill Zone

Rouge looks silently out at the bright full moon as it slowly rises over the ocean, reflecting bright shimmering moonlight over the sprawling green hills. A winding river runs down into a deep canyon a far distance behind her.

"You're early."

Rouge turns to the side with surprise. "Can't you ever just stand where people can see you, like a normal person?"

The figure stands in the shadows of a tall hill, though, in the scattering moonlight, a few vague details can be made out. His brown boots, gloves, and wide-brimmed hat, his bluish-purple fur, and the single large fang on one side of his face. "Well what would be the fun in that?"

Rouge sighs and shakes her head. "I brought it." She takes something out to show him. It's a strange-looking yet familiar device, sleek and black, but covered with soft, bright blue lights. "One stolen extradimensional piece of…tech, as requested."

The figure holds out a four-fingered hand for it. "Well done. Your contribution is appreciated."

She drops it into his hand. "What exactly does Eggman want this thing for, anyway?"

"Would you believe…that it's actually for a friend? He has a certain…vested interest in objects of extradimensional origin."

"You? A friend? No, actually, I don't believe it."

"I like to keep powerful friends. In fact, I have one who's quite looking forward to seeing you again." He turns the device over in his hand, getting a good look at it. "This will do fine. You can go now."

"Why are you toying with them?"

He looks up from the device after a distracted moment. "Hm?"

"You know where the base is. You could send in an army, or bombers, or…you could kill them all. These pieces of junk I give you, the useless bits of information about what they're doing, what does that get you?"

He somewhat overdramatically raises a hand to his chin, as if in deep consideration. "Huh. Maybe I should do that instead." Rouge's eyes go wide as she gasps. "Ha ha! Ha ha hahaha!" He points a finger straight out at her as he laughs hysterically. "You should see the look on your face!" Rouge's surprise turns to a scowl. Once he finally calms down, he answers properly, "I like to play the long game, my dear. And as long as you continue to hold up your end of the bargain, you can rest assured that I will keep up mine."

"You swear?"

"Cross my heart. Now, run along home." He waves her off with his free hand. "Until next time, dearie."

Rouge closes her eyes for a moment. "…Until next time…Nack, was it?"

He chuckles softly. "Please, my mother called me Nack." For the first time, the Weasel steps into the light, revealing his pointed features, his crooked tail, his glaring blue eyes, and the gun holstered on his belt. He gives a devilish smirk, bearing his sharpened, oversized tooth. "You…can call me Fang."

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project

Season 1, Episode 7

The Bigger They Come

Written by ChaosProjectAuthor

Daily log, June 23rd, 0 A.E. Sonic the Hedgehog reporting.

Spirits have been…a bit higher, since our big win last month. But we haven't gotten anywhere since. Eggman's still nowhere to be found. And now, with an even bigger problem to worry about… I may've gotten Knuckles to promise not to tell anyone, but… If anyone else found out about the mole…there could be a panic. That's the last thing we need today,

Today… Today, of all days… I should be happy today. I should be celebrating. We should be celebrating. Sometimes things just don't happen the way you want them to. I just want…just…I…GRRGH!

… … …

I just hope no one remembers.

… … …

…Where's the button to delete this stupid recording?

—–—

Emerald Canyon - The Rebellion Base

The summer sun shines bright through the partially cloudy sky, down into the great chasm. But there are dark storm clouds looming far off in the distance, and the echoing sound of thunder rolls softly over the green hills. Sweating profusely in the heat, Tails runs frantically down the line of the canyon. He finally stops in front of the large mess tent, panting heavily as he clutches at his knees for support. But after a moment to catch his breath, he pushes the entrance flap aside and calls in, "He'll be here… …any second!"

The voice of Knuckles calls back from inside, "Now!? We're not ready yet! Buy us some more time!"

Tails looks back over his shoulder. A short distance away, a slouching Sonic turns away from the main path, ducking into his own personal tent.

"Uhh…actually, I don't think that should be a problem." He turns and runs back the way he came, stopping at Sonic's tent, the one at the head of the row. After a hesitant moment, he raps gently on the wooden post supporting the front of the tent. "Sonic? Aren't you…coming for lunch?"

After a delayed moment, Sonic's voice quietly responds, "I'm…not hungry. You should go."

Tails puts on a confused face for a few moments. "Can I…come in?"

"Umm…" He can be heard sniffling loudly. "…yeah, sure." Tails makes it inside in time to see Sonic moving his hands away from rubbing his eyes. When he looks up, the redness around the edge of his eyes can be seen quite clearly. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah, uhh…I wanted to tell you that… …you remember that piece of Nocturnus tech I was studying? Well, it…sort of disappeared."

"Disappeared? You mean you lost it?"

"Uh, no, I mean…not exactly, I mean…maybe…" Sonic glares at him silently. "I never actually figured out what it was supposed to do. If it was some kind of teleporter or something, I might've accidentally activated it, and it could be who-knows-where by now."

Sonic closes his eyes and sighs. "I'll keep an eye out for it. Is that it?"

Tails seems to consider for a few moments before continuing. "Sonic? You look…"

"Awful, I know."

"I was going to say…distressed. Are you…were you…?"

Sonic has to think briefly about his response. "I just…haven't been sleeping, that's all."

Tails doesn't quite seem to believe him. "Sonic…maybe you should talk to someone about this. If you don't want to tell me, I'm sure Amy would–"

"Tails!"

Tails recoils back at the ferocity of the shout.

Sonic sighs, and rubs at his eyes again. "Tails…I'm sorry. I just…want to be alone right now. Please, just go."

Tails looks down at the ground. "Sonic…"

"I'll be fine tomorrow, Tails. Just…let me be."

Tails thinks for several more moments. Then he suddenly reaches out to grab Sonic's hand, and starts to pull him up. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

Sonic resists with moderate strength. "Tails, I don't want to see any of the others right now."

"Forget the others! Let's go to the beach, just you and me! It's been waiting right down there for us all this time, let's go, just for a day. It'll make you feel better."

Sonic finally rips his hand away. "Tails, no. Leave me alone."

Sorrow wells up in Tails' eyes. He turns away sharply. "Fine." He storms out without looking back.

Only after he's long gone does Sonic realize what he's done. With a groan, he deliberately bangs his forehead down onto the desk, and leaves it there. "Great. Now I'm a jerk, too."

—–—

"Surprise!" Charmy looks around in confusion, realizing that no one else joined in with his shout. Judging by the balloons strung up around the mess tent, the party poppers held in the hands of the waiting crowd, and the hedgehog head-shaped cake set out on the center table, there can only be a surprise party planned. Tails has walked in alone, his head hanging low.

Knuckles runs up to him with concern. "Tails? What's going on, where's Sonic?"

"He's not coming…"

Knuckles doesn't need to think long to understand what's happened. He puts on a scowl, and moves as if to roll up his sleeves. "Oh, he's coming alright."

A minute later, he pounds hard enough on the supporting post of Sonic's tent to risk breaking it. "Sonic! Get out here!"

"Go away, Knuckles."

"I'm not going anywhere. I don't care how moody you're feeling, you already skipped breakfast this morning, and as your advisor, I can't advise starving yourself. You're coming to the mess tent to eat, even if I have to drag you there and shove it down your throat!"

After several moments of audible shuffling around, Sonic finally appears on the other side of the tent entrance, looking perhaps even worse than he did before. "If you're mad about what I said to Tails, you could've just said so."

"Mad? Who's mad? I'm just looking out for our leader. Now, are you coming, or am I carrying you?"

Sonic silently moves past him, shuffling off towards the mess tent. Knuckles takes a moment to shrug, then follows after him. Above them, the dark storm clouds have rolled in, covering the sun, and the sound of thunder looms close.

Sonic sighs as he reaches the entrance to the large tent, preparing himself for the large company. Then he pushes his way inside.

A chorus of voices shouts, "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Sonic!" The room fills with sound as the party poppers are set off, throwing confetti into the air. Charmy's shout comes a moment delayed after the rest. Chatter in the room increases as Tails approaches Sonic with a hopeful smile.

"We all pitched in and put this together. We even managed to make you a cake."

Sonic looks around at the smiling faces in the room with a mix of conflicting emotions. Tears well up in the corners of his eyes.

Knuckles pats him on the back. "Have a seat. Relax. Stop being a leader for one day. You've earned it."

"Guys…I… I…"

Even Shadow stands by the center table with the slightest smirk, indicating the lit candles atop the cake with a hand. "Well? Don't you have a job to do?"

The look on Sonic's face continues to change. "I…" A fresh tear streams out, dripping down the side of his face. "I can't." He suddenly turns around, rushing out through the exit, shouting, "I can't, I can't!"

Tails reaches after him. "Sonic!"

Shadow steps up in front of him. "I think I might know what this is about. I'll talk to him."

—–—

An intense rainstorm pours down into the canyon, as lightning crackles in the air above. Shadow steps slowly through the muddied grass, towards a large familiar tree in the center of the canyon. Sonic is down on his hands and knees at the base of the tree, his shoes and his gloves covered in splattered mud. If he has any tears left, the pouring rain that drips down his face makes it impossible to tell. Until his shoulders heave in a choked sob. Shadow comes to a stop, leaving some distance between them. He stands there in the storm, saying nothing.

Finally, Sonic speaks of his own will. "I know what you're thinking. 'Stop being so pathetic, Sonic. Suck it up and get back to work.'"

After a moment, Shadow responds simply, "That wasn't what I was thinking."

"…It's not just my Birthday, Shadow. It's his, too." He looks up, reaching high to place his muddy hand on the bark of the tree beneath the simple carving of the Moonstone. "A year ago today. That's when it all started. Just a year. But he didn't make it." He lets his hand and his head fall again. An especially loud bout of thunder booms. "He didn't even make it halfway. Six months. He loved this world, he loved his life, and he only had it for six months." He pounds a fist into the mud, splashing it everywhere. "It isn't fair."

Shadow doesn't try to console him. The water runs down his face just as it does Sonic's. "You're right. It isn't." Slowly, he steps forward until he stands right beside Sonic. "And it doesn't just make you sad. It makes you angry."

"I'm not cut out to be a leader, Shadow. Not like he was. I can't handle it. It's too much." He digs his fingers into the ground. "It should've been me. Not him. He could've done it. He could've won this war. Everything I can do, he could've done better."

"Not everything." Sonic looks up in surprise and confusion. "I know one thing you can do that no one else can ever be better than you at. Not even me." He finally offers a hand down to help Sonic up.

After a moment of hesitation, Sonic takes the hand, and rises back to his feet. Still he keeps his eyes on the ground. "Some good that's done me. Do you know how long it's been since I've just…ran? As fast as I can go, with nothing, no one to hold me back?"

"No."

"Neither do I. It's been longer than I want to remember."

"Then go."

This once again catches Sonic's attention. "What?"

"Go. Run. As far and as fast as you can. Nothing to hold you back."

"But…why?"

"I didn't come here to tell you that everything's alright. I didn't come here to tell you to get back to work. That's not what you need. And whatever it is that you do need, if you can find it by running away from here…then go. Remind yourself who you are. We'll still be here when you get back."

Sonic looks off beyond the tree, where the canyon widens open, flicking some of the mud and rain free from his hands. "Shadow…"

Shadow turns around, and starts the walk back through the lightening rain towards shelter. "Don't look back. Just run."

Sonic takes on just a hint of a smile as he leans down, preparing a running stance. Then he takes off at a sprint. The mud and rain sploshes beneath his quick feet as he weaves between the trees of the forested area beyond the canyon. He vaults over a fallen log, boosting his speed even higher once his feet are back on the ground. The wind rushes past his ears, and the falling raindrops almost seem to blow around him. The Emerald Hills and the clouds above soon fade away in the distance behind him. Still, it isn't fast enough. He speeds up even more, until objects and landscapes fly past him in a mach speed blur. He closes his eyes, feeling the powerful wind as it blasts over his face. And he never looks back.

—–—

Fang sits back in the shadows as usual, though he now has the confidence to cross his feet up on the surface of the table that sits between himself and the Emperor. "I'm a bit busy, Doc. What'd you call me in for this time?"

Eggman doesn't appear to be amused. "Tell me, Nack, how long has it been since I hired you to clean up the Rebellion problem?"

Fang mimes counting on his fingers, though he's noticeably a finger short. "Hmmm… I'd say…almost five months, now. And it's Fang, by the way."

"And, what exactly have you accomplished in that time?"

"Oh, you mean, besides discovering the location of their base, recruiting one of their deadliest enemies to our side, and gaining an ally and potential saboteur from within their own ranks? In that case, I suppose, nothing."

"I'm not paying you to play around with your new friends! I want results! Yet, you continue to disappoint me."

"I'm still testing her loyalty. Once that's done, we can move on to the next phase of the plan. So, unless you have anything else to yell at me about, I should be getting back to work." He stands up, moving to leave.

"I've called you here to inform you that I've put my own plan in motion. One that I expect to see results from far sooner. And if I do…you can consider your employment terminated."

Fang sits back down just as quickly as he stood up. "Hey, hey, let's not be so hasty, hm? Let's negotiate. Let's hear this plan of yours. Perhaps we may even be able to work our plans together, save time for both of us. And I may be able to speed things along a bit, just for you. What do you say, Doc?"

Eggman scowls at him for several moments. Finally, he answers, "Very well. And it's Emperor, by the way."

—–—

The clouds in the sky have nearly cleared, though the few that remain still cover most of the sinking sun, casting a darkened light over the lush green canopy of vegetation beneath the distant mountain range. Sonic runs across the sparse patches of grass that carpet over the ancient yellow and orange tiles of the Aquatic Ruins. But Sonic never sees this, keeping his eyes closed and letting his senses carry him onwards. And somehow, they seem to guide him perfectly, as he moves flawlessly between crumbling pillars and rotting logs, never losing speed, never losing the focus on his own thoughts, as if being led by some greater force.

Suddenly, his expression shifts with curiosity when the sound beneath his feet changes. He finally opens his eyes, to see nothing but open, murky water beneath him. "Whoa!" Thrown off balance for just an instant, he trips and falls flat onto the surface of the water, skidding across for several moments before sinking underneath.

Dazed and confused as he slowly sinks further and further beneath the surface, he does his best to keep his eyes open, and look around for options. He seems to be surrounded on all sides by ruin walls, much of it covered in the same green foliage seen above. He looks down beneath him. No sign of air. He spins his feet in an attempt to swim, but only ends up flailing helplessly lower. A school of small fish swim past his face. He crosses his arms and puts on a scowl as he watches them go by enviously. "Great," he thinks. "So this is how it happens. Sooner than I thought. Drowning in a mud hole in the middle of nowhere, because I never learned to swim. I've always thought it would be more spectacular." He finally hits the bottom, where little light shines through. "I wonder if they'll ever find me… …I hope they don't. At least if I go missing, that's a mystery. A mystery can be inspiring. But this? This is just sad. Sad and alone. He died saving everyone. I couldn't live up to him in life, and I still can't live up to him now." He closes his eyes, and a stream of bubbles leaves his nose in an apparent sigh. "Why'd I even run off in the first place? It was a stupid idea from the beginning. What was I hoping to find out here?" He opens his eyes again. And he finds something curious. A piece of metal a short distance in front of his face reflects a glint of light. He slowly reaches out for it, and wraps his hand around it. He tugs on it. It appears to be attached to an almost invisibly thin line that reaches up as far as the eye can see. And then the line tugs back, yanking him away from the ground and upwards through the water.

Moments later, Sonic flops up onto an old wooden pier, sputtering and gasping for breath on his hands and knees.

"Mr. Sonic? That's a funny way to try to catch fish."

Still dripping wet, Sonic looks up to his savior. "Big?" He blinks a few times, wiping the water away from his eyes. "It…it's really you!" He climbs back to his feet, and claps a hand on the overweight Cat's shoulder excitedly. "Good to see you, buddy! You saved my life! Man, we've been so worried about you. Where you been all this time?"

Big looks up at him curiously. "There's no reason to be worried. I've just been out here fishing. This new spot I found is really pretty."

"Big…don't you know what's happening? Don't you know about the war?"

Big looks back down into the murky water. "I don't know about any war."

Sonic closes his eyes. "It's…a long story. Come with me, I can tell you about it on the way back to camp. Everyone'll be so happy to see you, Cream's been asking about you all the time."

"Oh, I'm not ready to go yet, Mr. Sonic. I'm still fishing." With that, he pulls up the fishing rod he used to save Sonic, and casts it back out into the water.

"Well…umm…" Sonic scratches at his head. "…how long do you think it'll be?"

"Until I'm done fishing."

"Yeah, but, I meant…" He groans. "Nevermind." He crosses his arms, and leans back against one of the tall stone pillars to watch him. He raises an eyebrow as he realizes something. "Hey, Big…where's Froggy? You aren't fishing for him, are you?"

"No, of course not. Froggy just went to go visit his friend, Mr. Norton."

"And…you aren't worried?"

"Nope. Mr. Norton likes to make trouble, but they'll be fine as long as they have each other."

"Oh…okay?" He closes his eyes and shakes his head. After a few moments, he lets out a sigh. His foot starts to tap involuntarily.

"You should come fish with me."

"W-what? Me?"

"I have an extra rod for you." He picks up the spare fishing rod that's been lying beside him.

"Uhh…sure. Why not?" Sonic walks back over from his place, and sits down on the pier beside Big. Big hands him the rod, and he takes it somewhat awkwardly. "So I just…?" He holds it up above his head, and flings it out hard. The hook and line soars out in a high arc over the pool of water, finally snagging onto a leafy bush on the other side. "Heh heh. Whoops." He tugs on the rod to get the line back, but it seems to be quite a struggle. He finally gets it free, and reels in a tangle of torn leaves along with the hook.

While Sonic manually removes the leaves to try again, Big comments, "Focus on the water. The water doesn't rush to you. Don't rush the hook to the water."

Sonic seriously contemplates this for a few moments. "Uhh…okay." He swings the rod again, this time casting the line in a much more gentle arc, that lands right in the center of the pool. "I got it!" The hook slowly sinks down out of sight into the murky water. "So…what now?"

"Now, it's in the hands of the fish. You have to wait for them to see."

"Completely out of your hands? What's the point of that?"

Big blinks a few times as he stares down at the water in thought. Right beneath the surface just in front of them, two different colored fish swim around each other in a gentle circle. "Fishing is like life. You can guide the hook, and you can reel in the fish, but if you try to force it to bite, you'll only scare it away."

Sonic's eyes go wide. "Whoah. That's…really smart."

Big puts on a smile. "Wow…no one's ever told me that before."

Sonic rolls his eyes, muttering, "Gee, I wonder why."

"Me too."

Sonic puts a hand over his mouth, refraining from making another comment, but still chuckling through his nose.

Big continues to watch the water as the two fish separate, swimming off out of sight in opposite directions. "Mr. Sonic…why did you come here?"

Sonic looks down to the water as well. "I…don't know if I can really answer that. I felt like I needed to run. So I ran. And I ended up here. I'm glad I ran into you, but…I still don't know why." Sonic looks up suddenly as a tug comes on his line. "Hey, I think I got something!" He starts to pull back, jerking the fishing pole back and forth as he reels it in.

Big advises, "Don't put too much stress on your line. When you're fishing, your line is your life. If it breaks, your life is over."

Sonic reels the fish in closer and closer, until it can be seen struggling just beneath the surface. With one final tug, he pulls the fish up over the water, leaving it flopping around in the air on the end of the line. Its scales are white, interspersed with a few black speckles. "Got it!"

Big cheers for him, "Woo hoo!"

Sonic puts a hand around the fish, stilling its movements. "So…do I just…throw it back now?"

"You don't have to."

"You mean…?" Sonic's free hand suddenly moves to clutch at his stomach, covering a loud growl. His eyes go wide as he states as if realizing for the first time, "I haven't eaten all day."

Big gives another big smile. "I can help with that."

—–—

Two fish roast on spits over the crackling open fire that throws embers up towards the patches of night sky visible above the canopy. Sonic holds his fully-cooked catch on its own spit in front of him. He looks at the fish's eye for a moment, apparently a bit off put by it. His stomach rumbles loudly. And the amber color of the steaming hot caramelized scales looks quite inviting. Without any further hesitation, he tears off a large bite with his teeth. His face contorts in several different ways as he chews and takes in the flavor. "Hm. Fishy." He swallows loudly. Then he goes in for another bite. "Yeah. Not bad. It's no chili dog, but…not bad."

"Huhuhu." With a smile on his face, Big picks up one of the cooking fish for himself.

Sonic stares down at his half-eaten fish for a moment. "What am I doing here?"

Big takes a moment to swallow his first bite, then answers, "You fell into the water, and then you went fishing with me."

"No, I mean…" He closes his eyes and sighs. "Everyone worked so hard…to do something special for me. On their own time, they put something together just to cheer me up. They made me a cake. How'd they even do that!? We don't have an oven. I didn't even think we had sugar. They did all that for me…and I spat in their faces. I yelled at Tails, and Knuckles, and…then I ran out here to go fishing."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Mr. Sonic."

"What? Of course there is! I'm the leader of the Rebellion, I can't just go running off after losing my temper like that. I have…responsibility. And more than that, they're my friends."

"And you are their friend."

"So what? They owe it to me to let me abandon them because I'm feeling hung up on something that happened in the past?"

"If it's what you're feeling right now, why does it matter that it happened in the past?" Sonic doesn't seem to find an immediate answer. "Whenever I feel unhappy, I go fishing. Whenever I don't know why things are the way they are, I go fishing. And whenever I don't know what else I can do, I go fishing. And everything always turns out okay."

Sonic sits in stunned silence for several moments. "Who are you?"

Big's eyes go wide with confusion and surprise. "Uhh…I'm Big, silly."

"No, I meant–"

"That's okay, Mr. Sonic. I forget names too, sometimes."

Sonic shakes his head and sighs. "Nevermind." He takes one final bite out of his fish, leaving mostly bones behind. After he swallows, he continues, "I think I get it. At least a little bit. These last six months have been…tough. Our camp may be pretty big, but…every day it felt smaller and smaller. More and more like a prison. Closing in on me. I really did spend six months in a war prison, once. And I came out of it like it was nothing. I never really figured out how I managed that. There was barely enough room to stretch my legs, let alone run. But I think…I kept running anyways. In my head. I was always thinking, about how I'd get out, what I'd do once I did, and…just about anything else I could. Because as long as I kept running up there, my problems would never catch up with me. So once I got out, once my feet were keeping up with my head again, everything was fine. And I've been doing the same thing this time. I'm always running, up here in my head. Running through strategies, through intelligence, just to keep pace with the pressures of this crazy war. And it's taken its toll. I was feeling trapped, like I couldn't get away. I felt like I needed to run, with my real feet. But that was never it. Because I'm always running, up here, and it's never enough. Because I'm not trying to run away from my problems anymore. But I keep running as if I am. I'm trying to run ahead of this war, but that isn't the way. The only way to break free was to break that mold I made for myself. What I needed…was to realize that I can stop. Stop running. Take life in the way it is."

"Fishing is like life."

"That's right. It is. Thanks for teaching me that, Big."

"Huhuhu."

"If I can just start fighting this war one day at a time…I can stop running. And I can stop running from my other problems too." He sighs. "That's what he was always trying to teach me. To be aware of the present moment above all else, instead of always rushing ahead. If I'd just listened to what he told me, instead of wishing he were here to tell me more…"

"He would've wanted you to keep doing the best you can, Mr. Sonic."

"Yeah. He would. And from now on, I'm going to do him proud. That's a promise." Sonic's eyes suddenly narrow as he glances at Big suspiciously. "Hey, wait a minute…"

Big is immediately able to answer, "I met Mr. Chaos once. He was really nice. And he didn't know what to do, just like you, Mr. Sonic."

Sonic smiles. "Of course. How could I forget?" He thinks a while longer on that, as he stares into the glow of the slowly dimming fire. "Even he couldn't always know what the future holds. And even when he did, he would always act on the moment anyways. He chose to fight for all the things he cared about. And I'll keep doing the same. But what about you, Big?" Sonic finally rises to his feet, and offers his hand out to Big. "Will you fight for the Rebellion?"

Big smiles. "Okey-dokey. I like helping my friends." He takes Sonic's hand, and nearly pulls him back to the ground with his brute strength as he climbs to his feet.

Another voice declares, "Thy touching display doth warm my mechanical heart." Mounted atop her supercharged Motobug steed, the purple armor-plated Heavy Rider watches from the top of a higher ruin platform. "Thou shalt come with me, or thy end willst be swift. That wouldst be a fitting mercy."

Big stares up at Heavy Rider blankly, and she seems to look back down at him. Sonic takes a few steps forward, crossing his arms as he takes in his opponent. "You must be Heavy Rider. I've heard a lot about you. Like how Vector squashed that bug of yours. I'm surprised it was worth putting back together."

"Shut thy mouth, knave! Thou insultst Jimmy, swiftest steed in all the land!"

"You picked a bad day to mess with me, lady. So let's get two things straight. One, only one person gets away with calling me 'knave', and you aren't him. And two, nothing's faster than Sonic the Hedgehog. So catch me if you can." With a mocking two-fingered salute, he takes off running.

Rider's engine revs loudly as she takes off after him, continuing to ride along the higher path beside him, making small jumps from platform to platform as necessary. Even at high speed, she seems to keep up with him.

Sonic doesn't seem too concerned, calling up as he runs, "Well how do you expect to end me when I'm down here and you're all the way up there?"

"I expect to end thee easily." She swings her massive flail, sending it smashing onto the top of a tall totem pole that rises all the way up from Sonic's level to hers, causing a dart to be spit out of one of the totem pole's faces, straight towards him.

Sonic ducks down and covers his head just in time for the dart to sail just inches over his head, much too close for comfort. But Heavy Rider doesn't relent, striking every totem pole she passes, sending dart after dart at him. Shockingly, Sonic closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. And this time, as he rolls and leaps and dodges using only his senses to guide him, he flawlessly avoids every projectile. He never slips, he never becomes distracted. Finally, he makes a sudden, sharp right turn, calling back, "You'll have to try harder than that!"

Jimmy's wheel skids across the grass as Heavy Rider matches Sonic's turn, driving to leap over the edge of the high platform, and landing hard right on Sonic's tail. She picks up speed as she swings her flail around over her head, trying to strike him directly with it. But Sonic ducks into a roll to slip underneath, then hops up into a solid strike at her side. As she wobbles off balance, he makes another hard right turn, now running back the way he came in a loop around the large pool of water.

Big watches silently as the other two rush past him, beginning the second lap. Heavy Rider swerves away from Sonic to drive up a ramp, launching back up onto the higher platform. She begins the process of knocking darts out of the totem poles once again. As they get farther away, Big shrugs, and walks slowly back over to the wooden pier, where he sits down and picks his fishing pole back up.

As Sonic makes the first turn again, Heavy Rider takes a longer route around, remaining on the higher path. Sonic taunts, "What's the matter? Afraid to come down and face me? Aren't knights supposed to fight with honor?"

"There exists no dishonor in slaying a rat such as thee!" On the next turn, Rider manages to preempt Sonic, driving over the edge with the intent to smash him from above.

Sonic smirks, and skids to a dead stop. Heavy Rider completely overshoots him, landing a fair distance away, and continuing on in a wide, drifting turn that leaves skid marks on the ground, before coming to a stop as well. They stare each other down for several moments. Then Rider revs her engine again. Her Motobug's wheel peels out on the ground, flinging up smoke and grass. And in that moment, a small metal hook latches onto the back of the robotic steed. It finally takes off along the ground, then jerks to a stop a moment later, flinging the Rider off and onto the ground.

With a loud "Hu!" Big swings his fishing pole to the side, pulling the attached Motobug off the ground, and sending it splashing into the pool of water.

Heavy Rider climbs back to her feet, and looks to the rippling water with shock. "Jimmy! Not again!" Without hesitation, she leaps into the water after it.

Sonic runs past them, back up to Big. "Nice shot, buddy. Now let's get out of here before they swim back out."

Big climbs back up to his feet. "Okey-dokey."

—–—

The sun has risen over the Emerald Canyon. Sonic stops to take a deep breath as he reaches the entrance to the large mess tent, preparing himself in a different way. Then he moves inside, and greets with a smile and a wave, "Surprise. I'm back."

"Sonic!" Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow are the only ones who have remained in the room.

"And I brought another friend." Sonic indicates the entrance, where Big comes through behind him.

"Hello."

The other three wave hello, but none of them know him well enough to be too excited. Tails is certainly much more concerned for Sonic. "So…are you…?"

Sonic nods with a smile. "Yeah. I'm doing alright."

Knuckles declares, "Then what're we waiting for!? Let's get this party back on!"

Tails happily adds, "I'll go round up the others!" He runs out of the room.

Shadow looks to Sonic. "What happened to you out there?"

Sonic looks over to Big. "I found exactly what I needed. I learned how to stop running." He suddenly looks over to Knuckles, who is using a lighter to relight the cake's candles. "Hey, wait a minute…" He points to the bottom spike on the shape that represents his head, which appears to be completely absent. "There's a slice missing!"

Shadow immediately answers, "Knuckles couldn't help himself."

Knuckles objects, "I already told you, it wasn't me!"

"We were the only three people in the room, Knuckles. Tails fell asleep, and I was meditating. So I guess it must have been a ghost that snuck past you in the middle of the night, just to steal a slice of Sonic's Birthday cake?"

Sonic is completely unable to contain his sudden outburst of laughter. He doubles over as he laughs, completely overcome by it. Shadow and Knuckles glance at each other in slight confusion. Finally, Knuckles asks, "Uhh…what's so funny?"

Sonic finally manages to calm down, and looks up with a smile. "I could've ran anywhere…stopped anywhere. But I ended up exactly where I needed to be. Almost like there was a spirit guiding me there. Compared to that…him stopping for a slice of cake doesn't sound so crazy."

Shadow cracks a smile. Remembering the last year's party, Knuckles starts to laugh as well. He wipes at the corner of his mouth unconsciously, as if with something to hide.

"Mr. Big!" Cream comes running in through the entrance, and wraps her small arms as far as she can around her large friend.

"Hello, Miss Cream."

The rest of the camp quickly comes filing after her, giving their hellos and their Happy Birthdays. Tails comes in last, confirming, "That's everyone."

Shadow gestures towards the cake once again. "Well then…let's pick things up where we left off. Sonic?"

Sonic walks up to the table, and leans down to put his face up close to the candles. He stares at them for a moment, taking notice for the first time. There are seven of them, all of different colors, arranged in the shape of an Emerald. He looks up to Shadow questioningly. Shadow nods in affirmation. Sonic looks back to the candles with a smile.

Tails comments, "Don't forget to make a wish."

Sonic nods, and closes his eyes. Then he takes a deep breath in, and blows out each of the candles in one breath.

Knuckles immediately pesters, "So what'd you wish for?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Knuckles."

"Can't you? Because if you didn't wish for an end to this war, then I think we need to have a talk."

"That would've been a good choice, wouldn't it? But no. Keep guessing."

As the level of chatter in the room increases, Big watches from the back of the room. He puts on an unusual smile, one that is almost eerily malicious, an odd sight on his face. He speaks with an oddly sophisticated voice, "And so…the curtain rises on a new show."

—–—

"See, Doctor?" Fang leans back, and crosses his legs up on the table once again. "Now, your plan is in, and I can proceed with the next phase of my plan all the sooner."

"This next phase of yours…when exactly does it begin?"

"Well, as soon as possible. Some arrangements must be made first, of course."

"What sort of arrangements?"

"Only one, really. But it must wait for the right moment. We're going to expose our own mole."

To be continued…