No Good Dream for the Hedgehog
There was nothing Sonic the Hedgehog enjoyed doing in this free time than a fast run. The feeling of exhilaration and freedom never ceased to please him; it was his way of relaxing; releasing the burden of being a Freedom Fighter. Sally sometimes said he relied too much on speed, but hey; what's the point of having super speed if you didn't use it?
Sonic raced through Green Hill Zone; through a massive loop, over a collapsing ledge, into a tunnel and out the other end, and then up a cliff face into the air.
"Woohoo!" he whooped, as he came back down.
Then, without warning, a harsh and critical voice he knew too well spoke; as clearly and audibly as if she stood beside him.
"Sonic Hedgehog, where were you when the brains were handed out?"
Sonic almost tripped over his own feet when he heard Sally's voice. He managed to catch himself just in time, and screeched to a halt, his eyes darting everywhere.
"Sal?" he called. "Sally? Where are you?"
There was no reply. Sonic set off again, reaching out with his 'hero sense', trying to find where Sally was. After several minutes, which somehow felt longer, he suddenly spotted Sally in the distance; she was standing alone on the other side of a chasm spanned by a bridge.
Then, suddenly, SWAT bots appeared out of nowhere, and grabbed Sally. A large tube-shaped machine was pushed into view, and Sally was shoved into it, just as Robotnik appeared, leering nastily.
"Hang in there, Sal!" Sonic called. "Here comes the Hedgehog!"
And he took out at top speed. But without warning, the sky darkened instantly and the heavens opened. Sonic was deluged in rain, but he pressed on. Nothing was going to stop him saving Sally.
But then, something caught on his sneaker and he staggered. Sonic looked down.
"Ah, man! Mega-Muck!" Sonic cursed. One of the stickiest substances on Mobius, Mega-Muck was essentially quicksand mixed with mud and crude oil. It was one of the few things that could stop Sonic in his tracks.
Sonic tugged and wrenched at the Mega-Muck, trying to pull his sneakers free. But it was no use.
"I'm coming, Sal!" he groaned desperately. Eventually, there was nothing for it; he had to ditch his sneakers. So his feet suffered friction burns; so what? He had to get to Sally. But even as Sonic leaned forward and pulled his feet out of the sneakers, he looked ahead, and saw to his horror that the Roboticizer was glowing.
"NO!" Sonic howled, and he shot forward again with a boom. Yet somehow, the landscape seemed to stretch before him, and he didn't seem to get any closer. Frantic, Sonic sped up, ignoring the growing sense of searing pain in his feet.
"Sonic, where were you when the brains were handed out?!"
Sally's words rang out again, louder and harsher. Sonic pushed himself even harder. He shot over the bridge, but just as it seemed he'd make it, the SWAT bots opened fire on him. Sonic managed to evade the first few, but then, one hit him in the knee and blasted his lower left leg clean off. Sonic fell forward onto his face, howling in pain and clutching at the smoking stump of his leg.
"I'm still… coming… Sal," he gasped.
"How about she comes to you?" Robotnik taunted. The light in the Roboticizer faded; a SWAT bot stepped aside. Two grey-blue hands grasped the sides, and out stepped-
"No…" Sonic whispered. It couldn't be; not Sally; not his beloved Sally! "No. No! NNNNNOOOOOOO!"
Sonic cried out as he sat bolt upright in bed. For a few moments, he was dazed and confused, and was sure he was again about to see... no… no, it didn't bear thinking of. He took several deep breathes as the remnants of the dream faded from his vision. Why did they have to seem so real?
He looked around, his eyes taking in the hut he shared with Manic, Sonia, Thomas, and Tails. At first, he thought he was the only one awake, but then…
"Sonic, whazzup?"
"Did you have a bad dream?"
Manic and Sonia were both awake; Manic's punk hair and fur looked even messier than usual, and Sonia had her hair in braids.
"Yeah, I guess I did," Sonic admitted quietly, so as not to wake Thomas and Tails, who were still sleeping. "Sorry I woke you, sibs."
"'S alright," Manic muttered. "Want to talk about it?"
"Nah, just… go back to sleep," Sonic advised. "I'm okay."
"If you say so, bro," Sonia remarked, though she continued to look at her brother a little anxiously as she and Manic settled back to sleep.
Sonic slumped back against his pillows, and ran a bare hand over his face as his thoughts drifted back to the nightmare. It wasn't the first he'd had; ever since he'd started his fight against Robotnik, he'd been having bad dreams, generally involving something bad happening to at least one of his friends. At first, he'd just ignored them, but they'd persisted.
Why were his dreams often so troubled? He did so much for Mobius; didn't the Hedgehog deserve a peaceful sleep every night? Was it his cooking? Anything he made himself tasted delicious, even if he did sometimes rush it.
"Maybe some fresh air will do the Hedgehog brain some good," Sonic whispered to himself. So, as quietly as he could, he slipped out of bed and stepped nimbly over Tails and Thomas, who were in sleeping bags on the floor. His brothers and sister didn't need to be bothered by his bad dreams; especially Thomas. That poor boy had enough on his plate. But as Sonic stepped over him, Thomas gave a soft whimper.
Sonic knew he couldn't leave Thomas like that; so he reached down and stroked Thomas' head a few times. Soon, Thomas' whimpers faded, to be replaced by soft mewling sounds as he breathed out.
Satisfied, Sonic pulled on his sneakers and glove, and crept silently and swiftly out of the door. As soon as he was outside, he shot off, starting with what could be described as a very fast jog. Once he was at the border of Knothole, he sped up.
It wasn't even a minute before Sonic reached his favourite spot: a large cliff overlooking Green Hill Zone. The moonlight glistened off the massive loops and the sunflowers
It always pleased Sonic to look out over the beautiful landscape of South Island, his home. No matter what how stressed or unhappy he felt, this view could always make him feel better. It was just one of the many reasons Sonic would always strive to protect South Island from Robotnik.
Protect from Robotnik…
Almost unwillingly, his thoughts dwelled once again on the dream; not only because it had taken place here, but also because it involved a friend that, like the view, brought him peace and was something he'd sworn to protect.
Sonic couldn't imagine his life without Sally Acorn. He'd known her ever since he'd been a toddler, and they'd done so much together. She was his best friend; well, besides Tails, of course. She was smart, kind, gentle, brave, responsible, and a born leader. Sure, she could be quite opinionated and sardonic, and man, could she be so serious! Even when not on missions, she didn't seem too interested in having fun! Could she really not take a load off and relax once in a while?!
Still, Sonic wouldn't have the Princess any other way; especially not…
Sonic cringed at the mere thought. Roboticization always made his blood run cold. His parents; his beloved Uncle Chuck; and Nanny Rosie had all lost their free wills to that dreadful device of Robotnik. The idea of Sally becoming a slave to Robotnik like that was unbearable! Seeing her soft brown fur turned into hard grey metal… her soft blue eyes turned an evil red… He would not let it happen, as long as he lived.
So why did he often dream about it? And if it wasn't her, it was another friend subjected to robotic slavery!
And why did those words echo in his head during such dreams?
'Sonic Hedgehog, where were you when the brains were handed out?!'
Sonic wasn't sure if he wanted to know the meaning of those words.
His ears twitched at the sounds of beating wings, and he looked up to see Longclaw swooping towards him.
"Longclaw?" Sonic remarked in surprise. "What are you doing up?"
"I'm an Owl," Longclaw pointed out, as she landed gently beside her godson. "I frequently go flying at night."
"Oh, right." Sonic turned his gaze back to the moon.
"The real question, what are you doing up and out here?"
"Well," Sonic shrugged, at a feeble attempt of making a jibe, "Hedgehogs are biologically night-dwellers as well."
"Come on, Sonic, I know how cranky you can get without your 8 hours of sleep."
Sonic looked up at Longclaw. He could tell her.
"Okay, okay, I came out there to clear the old Hedgehog brain; just had a mondo nasty nightmare."
"It must have been very nasty if you came out here. What happened in the dream?"
Sonic's eyes squeezed shut for a moment.
"I… I was racing through Green Hill when I heard Sally, and… I was trying to save her from Robuttnik, and… I couldn't…" His voice trailed off.
Longclaw laid a wing on Sonic's shoulders. "Well, I guess it goes without saying that it was just a dream."
"Yeah, I accept that, but that wasn't the first bad dream, Longclaw," Sonic explained. "It wasn't even the twentieth I've had."
Longclaw's eyebrows rose in concern. "You mean you've had dreams like that before now?"
"Ever since I started this hero business. I've not had them every night, thankfully, but they've been happening more and more as time's gone on. And they're always the same: my friends are in danger, and I'm unable to save them in time." He looked up at his foster mother, an almost pleading look in his eye. "Longclaw, why is this happening to me? Why can't a Hedgehog enjoy his beauty sleep?!"
Longclaw let out a slow breath. "Once again, Sonic, I can only give what I think of the matter. But I cannot guarantee how helpful it may be."
"Just tell me," Sonic urged.
Longclaw paused and thought carefully.
"Dreams have been speculated about for a long time," she mused. "No one really knows what they mean, but one theory is that they represent unconscious thoughts, desires or fears. These dreams you've been having, Sonic… they could be the latter. Do you fear losing your friends?"
Usually, Sonic was loathe to admit any kind of fear, but Longclaw was his one true confidant. He felt comfortable telling her.
"Of course, I do," he whispered. "They mean everything to me; especially Sally. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them."
He gazed up at the moon for several moments, while Longclaw stroked his shoulder comfortingly.
"Longclaw… I won't let these dreams come true," he asserted. "I won't let Robotnik turn my friends against me."
Longclaw regarded his words for a minute, and then smiled.
"I know you will, my little heroic pincushion." She patted his back gently. "Come on; back to bed with you now."
"Just… give me a moment to myself," Sonic requested.
"Okay, but don't take too long." Longclaw shambled away.
Gazing back up at the moon, Sonic placed a hand over his heart, and spoke to the night.
"I, Prince Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, swear to use my speed and my power to always protect my friends and family; to ensure they never fall victim to the Roboticizer; and to always be there for them, no matter what. To never fail them…"
For several minutes, Sonic just stood there, letting the words sink in. He was bound by this personal oath he often made when he was alone.
He felt a lot better and much more relaxed. He wanted to run back to Knothole, but all of a sudden, he felt very sleepy, and his eyelids drooped. He felt his legs give way beneath him.
He felt two scaly feet grab him by his shoulders and lift him into the air.
"No way you're sleeping out in the cold," were the last words Sonic registered before he drifted into a (hopefully) better sleep.
