CHAPTER ONE:
The Woe of the Gift
Enter The Trifle
For all the credit I receive, I have to admit that I suck at getting people gifts. You can say that makes me a worse hero, but hey, I just live my own style, you know? If a few things fall through the cracks,then that's alright. Some people get so caught up in the small things of life that they forget how big life really is. Things happen, and that's not a bad thing. At least, not for me. I'm too fast to let small issues get to me. My friends are the ones who really taught me that, honestly.
It's also thanks to my colorful companions that my home is about to become the prettiest place on Mobius! South Island's gonna host what's called The Christmas Festival. I'm not entirely sure what it's all about, but I do know that it's gonna be great. I mean, Tails is the one coordinating it, so it has to be awesome. Unlike that fat scientist, my old pal never has bad ideas! Actually, I believe Knuckles is lending the might of the Master Emerald to help power all the lights and decorations that'll be spread throughout Green Hill, Spring Yard City, and Starlight City! I'm just glad they aren't including the Labyrinth. Egh.
I think everyone's gonna be there. It'll be just like my Generations wide 20th birthday party! Well,except for Shadow. He thinks " such celebrations take away from the pure joys of life. People get so wrapped up in stressing about their holidays that they ignore the true pleasures of just being alive." That's what he told me when I managed to ask him. I mean, I guess he's not wrong, but I'd still say his loner nature is blocking him from having fun. But, I can't do anything about it. If he wants to have his own Christmas, then I can respect that. I used to do the same thing, back during the Classic years.
There is one issue with this festival. There's this one girl who's gonna be there, and well, I wanna give her something special. By the way,it's NOT Amy, so don't even try that! It's someone who doesn't even live on Mobius. She rules over a place called the Sol Dimension. I know that sounds dramatic, but it really does exist. I haven't seen all of it, but I've been there once. That was an interesting time. Made me realize how much I hate boats. Anyway, the queen of that world, Blaze the Cat, is said to arrive at South Island via an interdimensional warp tunnel. I don't really know what that is, but it'll let her get here just before the party starts at midnight of Christmas Eve. That means I have the rest of today to get a present for her.
The only reason I'm stressed about this is, uh, because I have certain feelings for Blaze, and I'm not sure if she reciprocates them. She's very secretive, so it's difficult to tell. If I get her a gift and confess how I feel, then maybe I'll find out. To be honest, I'm more scared of confessing to Blaze than I am of fighting Eggman, though I guess that doesn't say much. Regardless, I have to try, since it's been years,and I'm tired of waiting. If you want something done, you just need to try, so that's what I'll do. Somehow. The only issue still, is what to get her for Christmas?
Actually, I think I have an idea of who to ask for help.
Friendly Help
The sun is still shining brightly in the blue sky as I whizz through the Azure Canyons of Green Hill. At the top of a particularly large incline, I see a simple yellow and grey building. As I approach it at blazing speeds, I see a red and yellow biplane sitting on a runway that jets out from the building's side. The front door swings open and my best pal trots outside. He sees me as I barely manage to stop myself in front of him. " 'Sup, Tails?" I ask.
" Oh hey, Sonic! You kinda scared me, heh."
" Sorry. Sometimes my own speed is enough to trip me up."
" Hehe, it's fine! My own tails do the same to me. What's up?"
" Not much. I was just thinking about what to get Blaze for Christmas."
" Oooh, so you DO love her!"
" Well I mean...Maybe."
" It's obvious you do, Sonic. Even Charmy knows!"
" But he's with the Chaotix. They know everything."
" Well yeah, but still. It's not a bad thing though! I think it's sweet."
" Really? I'm sure it'll backfire."
" Naw, there's no way. You're too cool for that."
" Heh…"
" You know I don't lie!"
" Of course I do! But uh…" I sigh.
" You ok?"
" Yup. It's just, I'm not sure what to get her. I was hoping you could help me out."
" Oh, well sure. Do you know what she likes?"
" Not at all."
" Then how're we supposed to find something appropriate?"
" I dunno. You're the smart guy around here. I just run fast."
" Pft, you do way more than that. But let's see…" Tails whips his, uh, tails back and forth as he ponders an answer.
Just as I'm about to say I'll figure it out on my own, a head pops up around the front of the Tornado. " I got an idea!" Tails and I both look at her in surprise. She's a grey and white lemur with a yellow jumpsuit on. Her large and fluffy tail swishes around in the air behind her. Her tall and purple eyes shine at us with excitement.
" Yo, it's Tangle!" I say. " It's been a while! What's been going on?"
" Eh. Just some monotonous work to help repair the world after Eggman's most recent failure, so the usual." She walks with a spring in her step over to us. " But that's not important. I overheard you talking about getting Blaze a little love gift." I turn red as Tails asks a question.
" Why were you behind my plane?"
" No reason. It's just cool." Tangle says with a wink. " Besides, I'm much more interested in helping Sonic. I owe him, and I think it's just plain neato that he's got a love interest."
" I mean it's not that big of a deal." I say. " I just don't know what to get her."
" And that's alright because I think I have just the thing!"
" Seriously?" I ask. She nods.
" Well, I don't have it WITH me, but I know where we could find it."
" What is it?" Tails asks.
" I dunno what it's called. Do you remember that gem thing that Blaze had on her forehead?"
" Yeah." I say. " Something happen to it?"
" I guess so. I remember seeing that she didn't have it when she left our world. That makes me think it got damaged or lost during our last fights with Eggman."
" Huh. I never noticed." I say.
" But that's something we can work with!" Tails says. " We can buy her a new one!"
" Oh yeah!" I say. " That's a great idea! Thanks, Tangle. Imma go do that right now. Tails, can I borrow your credit card?"
" Again? Sonic, you need a job."
" I'm too hyperactive for one and you know that. Please?"
" But, Sonic, I said last time that-"
" Guys!" Tangle interrupts us. We face her again. " You don't need to use a boring normal gem. I know a gal who can take you to a place where there's lots of naturally made gemstones!"
" Now that sounds right up my alley." I say. " Who is it?"
CHAPTER TWO:
From the Ground to the Mind
The Mysterious Land
As great as running is, I can't ever get over how fantastic it is to stand on the wing of the Tornado. It ain't safe in the slightest, but it's fun as heck to open my arms wide as Tails barrels us through clouds and around the world. I feel like I'm in my super form whenever we do this, it's great. I've been thinking that maybe I should get back into flying on my own, but I dunno. This time I'm not the only one on the wings. To my left is a brown wolf wearing a suit made of pure tech. A transforming Wispon sniper rifle is strapped across her back, and her quiet eyes are scanning the sea below. She may look like a Shadow wanna-be, but she's just shy. I've gotten to know her over the last few months, and she's a great person once she gets out of her shell. " I can't guarantee that Heat Heaven will be active enough to generate the kind of stone you're looking for." She says.
" Don't stress it, Whisper." I say. " You said it's the right time of year for it, so I'm sure we'll be lucky. Besides, you also said you wanted to investigate something in this place, right?"
" Yeah, I did." She goes silent.
" Wouldja wanna tell us? We'd be willing to help."
" Yup!" Tails yells from the cockpit.
" Well, I guess you'll find out anyway." Whisper coughs nervously. " It has to do with a failed experiment that took place where we're going that was shut down a few weeks ago. I got notice that there's still life form activity in the area, and I don't think it's good."
" Weird. Any ideas?" I ask.
" Maybe. I don't wanna say just yet." I'm about to respond when the biplane dips down.
We nosedive through the clouds and into the view of a massive valley of rainbow ruins. Long sloping hills and tall cracking volcanoes tower over an ocean of gleaming stone once carved to look like an ancient city. " Wow." I say after a short whistle. " How come I've never known about this place?"
" That's because we're currently flying over a somewhat recently formed island." Whisper says. " It fully appeared within the last decade."
" That's probably why there were experiments done here." Tails yells. " To make use of whatever new materials they found."
" Huh, well alright." I say. " It certainly looks beautiful. Almost looks like the Hidden Palace. You think Knuckles would be jealous?" I don't get a response. Instead, Whisper demands suddenly that we land now. Tails obeys and we soar for an open patch of land.
The ground rumbles viciously under my feet as I spin off the wing. Tails joins me as I walk with Whisper towards the opposite end of a long street lined with rainbow buildings. Their shiny surfaces reflect our image in a distorted kind of mirage. The only sound to be heard is that of the distant lava rumblings and our footsteps. " What made this place?"
" It couldn't have been anyone living on the surface." Tails said. " If this place really was under water up till recently, then maybe it was a natural phenomenon?"
" No one knows." Whisper said.
" It all adds to why experiments were probably done." Tails says. " I have to come back here someday. There's got to be something cool to research around here."
" I'm sure there is. I for one wanna take a long jog around here." I say. " In fact, can I go do that? I really wanna do some wall running along these uh, walls."
" Wait, please, Sonic." Whisper says. " That doesn't seem right." She points to a black and grey circular device laying on the ground a few feet away from us.
The Rebirthed
It looks like a portal of some kind. In the middle of it swirls a pond of some sorta black liquid. We watch it as it swishes faster and faster, culminating in the formation of a being I never wished to see again. " If this isn't a perfect example of Life playing its tricks, then I'd be very disappointed." The crystal crimson eyes lock onto me immediately. " And as an extension of that joke, here I have the perfect hero to slaughter first. I suppose I should thank you, but you know I'd hate to do so."
" You can talk all you want, Mephiles." I say. " But you aren't about to try anything new. Do you guys know who this is?" I ask my partners. Whisper shakes her head but her eyes are filled with dread. Tails' eyes are drowned in fear.
" I barely remember." Tails says.
" I've only heard the rumors of what happened in Soleanna." Whisper says.
" Ah, what a shame." The demon hedgehog says as it floats towards us. " So it seems the reset really did do nothing. I suppose that's for the better."
" Yeah, it'll be all the better for when I kick your face in again!" I say as I rocket towards him. I attempt to spin dash into his chest, but he grabs me with a psychokinetic hold and tosses me to the side. I go sprawling for a few feet before I can hop back up. " Great. New tricks, huh?" |
" Of course, Blue Blur. A good king never ceases to learn from their mistakes." He raises his hand as two pillars of black goo shoot out from the ground and take hold of my friends. I cry out as they do the same. " It's a wonderful thing to hear the painful cries of your victims. Especially those who so merciless destroyed you in the past." Mephiles' voice rings like daggers in my ears. I cup them as I run forward. Mephiles fires a blast of goo at my face, causing me to barely jump out of the way. As I land, I can see Tails cutting himself free from his pillar. His iron gauntlet blade slashes through the goo like it's air. He frees Whisper as she attempts to shoot Mephiles. The bullet makes impact, but it simply becomes swallowed by his skin.
" You're looking a lot like Chaos right now, Mephi." I say. He doesn't laugh.
" Not even that creature can match my newly found power. I'll have to thank the idiots who decided to rebirth me here, amidst this island rich with energy."
" What, are you saying this place is like the Chaos Emeralds or something?" I say.
" Those jewels are nothing compared to the sheer force of this island. I shall make it my homebase for the seizure to come."
" What seizure?" Tails asks.
" The seizure of the world." Mephiles rises into the air as he says this. He closes his arms around his chest and mumbles something. A purple aura surrounds him, causing the ground to rumble even more than before. He opens his arms once more, staring towards the sky as the clouds part ways. We all prepare ourselves for something to happen.
Then, nothing does happen. Mephiles vanishes along with the portal. " What's going on?" I ask. Tails whips out his Tails Electric and does a quick scan.
" It's not clear, but his presence is still here. Perhaps he did something wrong, but I dunno. There are more life form readings now though."
" So, that means we're fighting more?" I ask.
" It means that!" Whisper points to where a group of black gooey creatures are crawling up from the ground. They look like dilapidated ink monsters as they saunter towards us.
" Oh man… Maybe Mephiles is just testing out what he's capable of." Tails says.
" Heh, well they don't look hard at all." I say. " We can blast right through 'em while we look for a gemstone for Blaze."
" I only fear that that won't be enough." Whisper says. All three of us ready ourselves before charging forward.
The goo monsters put up barely any challenge. Most of them melt with one hit. Some of them manage to be pretty agile and fast, pretty skilled too, but nothing we can't handle. It's more of an annoyance than anything as they keep coming. Even though we're slashing them to pieces, I can't stop thinking about Tails's recent statement. Is there more to this? I suppose there's only one way to find out!
The battling takes us to the largest volcano in the seeable area. Tails says it's currently inactive, so I think of an idea. " Guys! I'm gonna head into the volcano to see if I can find something cool inside!"
" Do you want to die?" Whisper says.
" Course not, but you never know what could be in there! Plus, it's inactive, right?"
" Well, yeah, for now." Tails says. " But it can blow at any time!"
" That's fine. No lava flow can keep up with me!" I say. I smash the head in of a small goo goblin. " I'll be back in a jiffy, I promise! Plus this way you guys can get some more kill points."
" I'm not sure what that means." Whisper says as I zoom up the side of the mountain.
" Just be careful, Sonic…" Tails yells. I show him a thumbs-up. I speed up to the lip of the natural beast and fling myself inside.
Surely there has to be something in here.
CHAPTER THREE:
The Hero in the Ruins
Quickly Forgotten
The fall was fun. The lava at the bottom of the volcano lit up my body as I dropped, making me feel like a kind of angel from heaven. Is that something Knuckles would say? I'd ask him if I wasn't afraid of getting punched for it. Either way, I was sad to see the epic light go as I entered through a metallic door sitting in the wall. It was the first thing I noticed when I landed onto a decently sized rock floating in the warm fluid. It opened easily enough, almost as if someone else had already been here recently.
The inside reveals a whole plethora of stuff I wasn't expecting to see. This place seems like a kind of old lab or something. Dusty green halls lined with messy desks and broken message monitors. Nothing here seems to be new or even working. If the scientists made this, then they moved out fast. I wonder why? It definitely feels creepy. I half expect to run into some kinda amalgamate or something as I dash through the halls. Thankfully, nothing of the sort occurs. The one thing I do find, is yet another surprise.
She stands close to a desk as she studies two different vials. One vial has a blue liquid, and the other has a purple one. She can't seem to decide which to take, so she takes both. She puts them into her small backpack slung across her waist as she turns to leave. This is when she sees me. " Sonic? How are you here?"
" I'd prefer 'how are you doing', thanks. Only joking." I say to Blaze as she frowns even more now.
" I'm serious. I thought no one else knew about this place yet."
" Eh, I mean I didn't before. I was told about it by a friend. I dunno how she knows though. How do you know?"
" Complications on my world. I used a portal to get here early so I could try to find a way to stop Mephiles from being reborn in the Sol Dimension."
" He exists there too?"
" Yeah, a version of him. The scientists there won't listen, so I'll need to shut it down with one of these anti-serums."
" That's definitely an issue if they won't listen to their queen."
" They aren't in my land. I'm only doing everyone a favor."
" Oh, well I know how that is. Do you need any help?"
" If my plan works, then I should be okay. I'm only worried about your planet."
" Eh, you don't need to be. My friends are taking care of the goons outside, and once Mephiles shows his ugly face again we'll flatten him." Blaze doesn't respond as she turns around.
" Very well then. Has the party started?"
" Nope. It'll happen in a few hours still."
" Good. I suppose I can't come with you when you return to South Island?"
" Of course you can. If you know how to get out of here."
" I do. There's an emergency exit door down this hall." She stops. " But why are you here?"
" Oh, uh…" I feel myself go red. " Just looking for something for someone." Blaze's ears droop a bit.
" Alright. And you haven't found it?"
" Not yet. But I will in a second, hold on."
I take this chance to zoom through the lab some more. I noticed how empty Blaze's forehead looks. A few minutes pass by, and I eventually come upon a collection of processed stones tossed about a room. Taking no time to question anything, I yank a red and orange gem from the pile and zoom back to Blaze. I hide it behind my back as she questions me. I dare to not say anything as she becomes a tad frustrated. She eventually gives up and leads me towards the exit.
Once outside, we see that the demonic goons are all taken out. Tails and Whisper see us and run towards us. " Sonic!" Tails says. " Either we got them all or Mephiles decided to hide them for now." They stop in front of us. " Blaze?"
" I've only been here for the past twenty minutes. I'll explain what I was doing later, if that's okay."
" Uh, sure." Tails says. Whisper seems awestruck but she doesn't say anything. Blaze seems weirded out by Whisper's staring, but she also doesn't say anything. Just as things are getting awkward, I announce something.
" So, I got what I was looking for. Can we head back?"
" You aren't worried about Mephiles?" Whisper asks.
" Eh. I mean, what can we do? If he wants to hide then let him. We'll be ready for when he returns. Just like we always are."
" And it's always good to take advantage of the time you have to have fun." Blaze says. " As a leader, I know that well."
" Look at you being a speech maker!" I say. Blaze gives me a death glare.
" Well, I suppose it can't hurt to party while we can." Tails says. " I laid some monitor pikes around this area so we can track it. We'll know if something happens."
" Then I guess it's okay." Whisper says. " Since it seems like everything is gone for now."
" Yup. And with that," I turn to Blaze. " I'll ask if you think you can beat me in a race to the Island?" Blaze studies me for a bit before blushing.
" You're so childish. You know I won't lose easily."
" That's exactly why I'm asking! Tails, you and Whisper take the Tornado. We're gonna head back on foot."
CHAPTER FOUR:
The Party
Celebrations
Blaze won only because I let her and definitely not because I ran onto a different island by accident. I can only imagine what Shadow would say to me right now. Too bad he doesn't care.
The sight of South Island was certainly different when we returned. I know everyone here has supernatural abilities, but it's still incredible how fast they managed to spread flashy lights, glowing candy canes, towering inflatables, and a ton more types of Christmas decorations all over the Green Hills. I took a quick detour through the cities, and they were ready to party as well. I can't describe the feeling this all gives me, but I can say that it allows me to temporarily forget about people like Eggman or Mephiles. They can never take away this.
Once I return to Green Hill Central, where a concession of my friends and some strangers are talking and eating about some tables, I spot Blaze. She's discussing something with Silver, who greets me happily as I approach. We chat about light stuff for a few minutes. Then: " Sonic, do you know where a private spot would be?" Blaze asks.
" Yeah, there're lots of them. This place is crowded, but there are always lonely spots."
" Then could we head to one?"
" Sure, but we should do that after we watch the Sparks."
" The what?"
" It starts with that." I point past her to where a huge tree full of bristling Christmas lights and ornaments is being rolled up on a truck. Tails and I help some others to get the tree off the vehicle and into the center of the Central.
It blazes with life as we all gaze at it. I almost manage to put my arm onto Blaze's neck, when she gasps. Up in the sky, a series of fireworks begin to explode into a series of forms. Some are of me and my friends, and others are of various Christmas items and sayings. They paint the night sky with a beautiful barrage of colors, mesmerizing everyone witnessing the show.
After about a half hour of watching, I tap Blaze on the shoulder. She turns her face towards me. Amazement is strewn all over it. " Can I show you something?" I ask. She nods her head slowly. I swallow as I prepare myself to try my idea. I hastily scoop her up off her feet and dash away from Green Hill Central. She yells out as I run towards Starlight City.
What Can't Be Removed
The more I run, the more entranced Blaze becomes. Just like with Amy, she can't help but to be in awe of the feeling of moving like a bullet. Faster than one, actually. I take her to the top of the largest building I can find. It's a jewelry store. I wall jump my way to its roof and set down a now shaking Blaze. " That was a bit much." She says. " You should've asked me first before you did that!"
" Yeah you're right, I'm sorry. I will next time, I promise."
" We'll see." She walks around the roof, gazing out at the city. " Why here?"
" I dunno. I couldn't think of anywhere else. Is it bad?"
" No, it's rather beautiful. But, what are your intentions?"
" You always sound so serious. You should learn to talk more casually, like me."
" I am a queen."
" I know. And I'm a hedgehog."
" Sonic."
" Ok ok, sorry. I brought you here to give you something."
" Oh?" Blaze watches me carefully as I pull the gemstone from underneath my glove. She gasps heavily as her eyes soak it in.
" That can't be what I think it is."
" Depends on what you're thinking. If you're thinking of a replacement gemstone for your head, then I got good news."
" Sonic… Why?"
" Because I wanted to get you something. I also wanted to do something else."
" May I know what?"
" Of course, but first I'd like you to take this. If you want it." She stares at the glowing item in my hand. Her eyes flash with more colors than what's in the sky.
Blaze slowly retrieves the orange and red gemstone. She smoothly turns it over and over in her palm, seeming to have a series of thoughts all at once. " I can't deny the curiosity I have for why you got me this."
" I'm honestly not sure if I can explain."
" That only increases my intrigue." I'm about to respond when she presses the stone to her forehead, emitting a small outline of fire around it as it makes contact with her skin. She removes her hands to reveal that the stone has been melded to her body.
" Is that safe? Or painful?" I ask.
" It's my own fire, so it cannot hurt me. This way the stone cannot simply fall off like last time. It's meant to be a symbol that's a part of me anyway."
" Oh, well whatever works! It looks pretty on you." Her cheeks turn into a storybook shade of red.
" Sonic, I also got you something for this occasion."
" Oh really? So that backpack has more than one purpose, eh?"
" You could say that." Blaze slowly pulls a green box out of the pack. She holds it out for me. " If they don't fit then I'll gladly get new ones."
" Fit?" I lift the lid to find a pair of sparkling grey and red shoes. They have a futuristic high-tech design to them, with a series of glowing red lines making them shine against my gloves. " Oh wow! These look snazzy!"
" I know you prefer your current footwear, but I figured something new wouldn't hurt." Blaze smirks.
" Heh, well I guess you aren't wrong. I'll have to see if Tails is willing to hide my current shoes while I use these ones." I take a minute or so to put them on. They feel as snug as my fur. " Man, they feel great! Thanks, Blaze! It looks like the fans will have a new design to war over." Blaze lets out a quick laugh. Our eyes connect as a feeling waves through us.
The light show continues in the background as I step closer to Blaze. " You know, there is still one more thing I'd like to give you right now."
" I'm not sure how I'd feel about more gifts."
" That's not exactly it. Or well, kinda."
" Hm?"
" What I mean is, well, this."
" What are-" I force my head forward, pressing my lips against hers. I'm terrified for the first few seconds, but then that feeling subsides as Blaze returns the effort. We stay like that for an amount of time I can't recognize. The world becomes a sea of euphoria as I sink into the action, becoming the happiest I've been in a long time. I'm barely able to stand properly as we pull away.
" Uh, I hope you're not mad at me for that." I say.
" I probably should be, but I'd be lying if I said so."
" Really? I'll take that as an honor, then."
" Heh. You're such a silly hedgehog."
" I'd rather think of myself as a guy who loves adventure. And you." This takes her aback for a moment. She seems stuck between how to react. Things almost get awkward before she lunges into a hug against my breast.
" And I love you, Sonic the Hedgehog." This nearly knocks me over in more than one way, but I don't mind. I hug her back.
" I thought you'd burn me to a crisp instead of doing this."
" I will if you don't quiet yourself and just enjoy this moment."
" Fair enough."
We cuddle each other as the fireworks explode in the nighttime sky. Christmas Day arrives with the joyful shouts of the planet. Mephiles may be out there, but right now, it doesn't matter. We're okay, we're happy. This is something we can't ever lose. It's always in our hearts, forever.