Sonic and the Pink Tress

by TokuBinu

Even if they couldn't see each other, even if he couldn't understand where the pain came from, why it was directed for him...and why he was chosen for her, the power of the confession from beyond space and time compelled him and he heeded her call. Within a few feet of reaching the ring, the intense gravity surrounding the unnatural phenomenon pulled the hedgehog into the portal.

3. Compensation For A Miracle

Disclosure: I do not own anything related to Sonic the Hedgehog or The Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima. All properties belong to their respective owners. This is fan-fiction and should not be treated as part of a canon with any franchise.

Sonic is owned and trademarked by SEGA corporation.

Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima is made by the works of Noboru Yamaguchi, and its Light Novels are published under Media Factory.

Apart from that, I hope you enjoy!

-TokuBinu

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There was a flurry of initial spectacles Sonic beheld with incredulity; he came into contact with a portal, painted as if it were a canvas of bizarre and chaotic clashing of colors, intermingling mindlessly like water. The hedgehog felt encased in a strong sense of vertigo. His conscious mind faltered in this field.

Sonic scrunched his eyes shut, feeling lightheaded as he tried to escape the nauseating sight. What struck him a moment later was the sudden crash of a thunderous boom, and then the vacuum of silence withered away to the humming of life. Sonic's eyes were tightly squeezed together as this fissure of time subsided, passing through as his body held stiff. Sweet floral perfumes danced about his nose like the most potent spices he'd ever smelled, and Sonic rose himself upright, blinking curiously around himself.

When he finally crossed the portal's path, where there was once a haunting silence of industrial trenches beyond the rocking echoes of machinery at work, there was the chirping of crickets in a peaceful stillness; the calming hums of bugs littered the area around him, echoing softly. The winds breezed serenely around him, coursing through his quills as they flapped along with the flowing gusts. As if by a miracle, what laid before Sonic, was a diverse— thriving—ecosystem encompassing all around the golden hedgehog.

Sonic almost shuddered his breath as a wave of relief came and washed over him, soothingly. He breathed fondly, grateful, and very much relieved for the peace and life that encompassed the land.

He did it, right? The ring stopped Robotnik, surely. How else could the hedgehog explain what he saw before himself?

There was a loud and simultaneous empty gasp that escaped into the night just a few feet ahead of him. Sonic furrowed his brow. Was someone there? Sonic raised his hand, and by his command, the cloudy dust that breezed around him swept away by his divine powers, and the flaming hedgehog got his answer as he looked onward, blinking his emerald green eyes.

Standing just a few feet from him was a girl who seemed so... deprived and lifeless. She looked like she was in a great deal of pain just holding herself up, her breaths leaving her in faint sighs between large pauses. The girl sniffed, mouth quivering aghast, and hitched her breath. Her eyes shimmered as she slumped lower to the ground.

Concern streamed into Sonic as he watched the girl tear up and cry silently, her tears freely trailing down her cheeks. The hedgehog's previous relief washed away and left as he hovered a little lower to the earth, the tails of his golden flames lighting up the grass underneath him in a bale of sparkling gold.

What was a girl like her doing alone in the middle of nowhere? Where were her friends, her family? Was she the origin of that call?

Did she bring him here?

Sonic's golden flames expanded outward as the girl reached out to him, her hands going through the fire unharmed as she felt in between the wafts of golden blazes in awe, eyes twinkling in childish wonder. The hedgehog rose his brows in puzzlement as her petite form came into view, illuminated by his radiance. By the time Sonic had a good look at the girl, he quickly found himself both astonished and fascinated by her appearance. For starters, there was an unusually odd color of locks belonging to her. She had pink streams of hair flowing down all the way to her back, swimming along with the calm wind.

Pink hair? How odd.

Her attire was... fashionably distinct, at least compared to what Robotnik would typically wear. The reason was mostly due to her attire's simple black-and-white color scheme along with her massive cloak, the outspoken details to catch his eye.

The hedgehog couldn't fathom the undeniably cherubic human in front of him.

Sadly, the imprinted image of the mad scientist was the only reference Sonic had since the doctor lived among the islands. But even then, Robotnik wasn't the only existing human in his world. He just so happened to encounter the blue blur more often than the hedgehog had the chance to visit people other than the mad scientist.

Those islands weren't exactly hotspots for tourist attractions.

If anything, the mystique and legends that surrounded the islands where Sonic and his friends lived really only attracted explorers, archaeologists, and adrenaline junkies looking for their big break and next high by exploring the islands and their ruins. Due to the dangers and extremities in ruins, people often don't come near these islands' hearts where the hedgehog would reside. It was possible to miss them entirely, or at most, catch glimpses of them.

Maybe this might be his first genuine interaction with another human other than Robotnik?

Before Sonic could delve further with his thoughts, he felt a twinge of dissociation from within. A repulsion came from the chaos emeralds. He quickly checked himself in bewilderment of this strange behavior, noticing the golden aura surrounding him beginning to flicker softly.

That only meant one thing.

The hedgehog sighed as he glanced down at the floor, ensuring that he brought himself down from floating in the air and stood adequately on the ground. Of course, of all times to do it, they decided now was a good time to scatter to the winds; they were threatening to tear out of him. But this reaction was very perplexing to the increasingly dimming cobalt hedgehog. The emeralds never rebelled against his control, and they never cared how long he used their power to become super. Not even when he first unlocked and achieved his golden form had he experienced a rebellion against his will this great. It didn't matter, however. He could no longer remain in his superstate as the emeralds were determined to separate one way or another, with or without his permission.

The chaos emeralds tore themselves from the hedgehog, and a brilliant volley of chaos energy and stars swirled around Sonic in a dazzling display of shifting colors; its beauty was as ethereal and hypnotizing as an aurora borealis. The shine of the sparkling stars around Sonic waned and dropped into the ground, hovering above the grass, glimmering like morning dew. A bright flash ensued, and the power of the emeralds cracked like thunder and lightning. The gems circled the hedgehog momentarily in a brilliant display of dripping colors before they blasted towards the sky.

Trailing underneath the seven emeralds, tails of light from their respective colors spewed from the tips of the powerful jewels as they spun around each other. They flew so far into the night sky; their appearance could've been mistaken as another grand constellation amongst the stars. Eventually, by the time the gems became mere specks of light in the vast space of the heavens, the two that stood underneath the luminous view witnessed a blast followed by another flash breaking out between the chaos emeralds. Immediately after, the gems soared across the land and faded away into the night, like shooting stars.

Both the hedgehog and student watched the chaos emeralds disperse, but the display brought out a different expression from each of them. To Louise, she gazed at the scene with wonder glistening in her shimmering, glassy eyes; to Sonic, he took in the spectacle with horror dawning his face.

Right in the endless dark, not one but two massive moons hugged each other close to the neighboring planet. In such desperate vain hope, Sonic rocked his head faintly with unblinking eyes, desiring to reject the reality that only made itself more evident by the second. One of the floating rocks was as red as blood, and the other one espousing a radiance as blue as him. Sonic could only stare and behold such ceaseless and endless grief. His lips quivered, his eyes wide, trembling, lost; the very air caught in his throat and was strangled for all its worth.

This wasn't home, no; this wasn't his planet at all!

A frown carved itself upon Sonic, his brows gently rising in concern. His sights were soon torn away from the impossible scenery before him as his ears picked up small hiccups coming from the girl.

She was clutching her chest, hardly breathing, looking as if a mere gust of wind could topple her. Curiously enough, as more tears spilled down her cheeks and fell to the earth below, she was smiling, beholden to him; it was small, and her lips were open, but she smiled all the same. Her brows curved inwards in a hopeful reassurance of his presence, and because of her lingering anxiety escaping her, she unfurled her clasped and shaking hands. Sonic sensed a raging storm within the girl, a blessing of the powers of the emeralds: one of hope and curiosity behind the forces of her expression she conveyed to him, but a feeling of perplexion rose within the cobalt hedgehog as he watched her stumble with anxiety bursting in her movements.

The quivering girl took a step forward, wobbling unsteadily for a moment, unsure by the strange sensation in her numb legs, and slowly brought out her hands with the desire to envelop him in a hug. Louise stepped closer to his fading golden flames, wanting to touch the proof of her success that laid before her eyes, but she was utterly void of any strength. Sonic stumbled back in surprise as the girl suddenly fell to her knees. All life drained from her dulling pink eyes, and she crashed into the hedgehog, wrapping her arms around him weakly, her smile as small and as tiring as it was never leaving her lips.

The girl spoke softly, so quietly, Sonic barely heard the last syllable leave her throat before she slumped into him, digging herself further into his grasp. Sonic held onto the girl securely with a fastened grip, out of worry and shock as he kept her from falling onto the rough ground underneath them. His eyes widened considerably, blinking rapidly as he bounced in place and shook her gently, trying to stir movement from her.

She made no response to his efforts. Sonic panicked, and he stood deathly still with bated breath for any signs of life in the girl. He waited a moment for the slight rise in her chest, at least some expansion of her lungs, but he felt not even the slightest inhale of air.

Sonic bared his teeth in a distraught frown, now fully panicking. Her soft skin ever so gradually appeared a little paler than before. She was shivering and broke out in bits of cold sweat. Being as delicate and careful as Sonic possibly could be, he held the girl in his arms and adjusted her position as he kneeled, setting the girl to rest in the clutches of his arms. Sonic swung his free arm underneath the girl and hoisted it at the back of her thighs.

She stirred slightly there, her head resting comfortably in the cuffs of his glove as she unconsciously burrowed deeper in his grasp. Sonic peered down at her hesitantly. He wasn't sure why but he made a smile to reassure her, though it was more for him than anything else. The smile sagged slightly into a grimace as a gust of wind rushed against them. The girl shifted, disturbed by the cold air. He hoped his warmth would be enough to ease her troubled spirits and deteriorating condition until he could find some help. Tearing his worries away for a moment, he looked around himself. They needed to find civilization, the warmth of a fire, or a bed at least. Somewhere soon, fast; for her sake.

Sonic surveyed the landscape; his sight gradually adjusted to the darkness of the night as he looked around between the borders of the plains and forest. The tall grass behind him made for a more comfortable view and run. The forest just ahead was shrouded in the darkness beyond what he could see. He carefully judged his options, but as he made one more glance to the plains, Sonic noticed an enormous silhouette jutting out against the moons' lit night just at a distance. Its resemblance to a structure of some sort was more than likely possible, or so he hoped.

Sonic steeled himself as he got up from his knee and stood up from his spot with a slight grimace. The girl was surprisingly heavy for her size, and his knee felt raw against the sharp rocks he knelt on. Was it a town, a small village, perhaps? Not losing sight of the tall, dark mass in the shadows of the twin moons' light, he adjusted his hold of the girl and turned to the silhouette of the black mass. He glanced at the girl compassionately, and he reassured himself that she'd get help soon, a nice warm bed to sleep in too.

Sonic took a step back, prepping himself for the mighty jog he'll have to undertake with the sleeping girl. He bounced her lightly in his arms, bracing the pinkette for the upcoming journey ahead. Sonic started with a small hop, jumping over a small pit, and gradually found his footing in the meadows' uneven terrain. He upped the speed of his run as the girl continued to get increasingly cold; his form bled and smeared a dark shadowy trail against the night.

Sonic's face flushed, irritated, and anxious as his foot caught itself in a rock jutting from the ground. He stumbled haphazardly as he tried to regain his footing and balance as he continued trekking along the uneven terrain. It was hard to see in the night and even more dangerous with the shivering girl. He continued running, the plains around him beginning to fade away into pockets of the geography around him, gradually sprouting up into a meadow as the grass grew sharper and taller.

Sonic continued in his trek, hopping every once in a while, and placed his feet together occasionally as he zigzagged his hops against the earth, sensing sudden and often deep depressions in the ground. He soon found himself coming face-to-face with a small hill in front of him, and rather than taking a detour around it; Sonic ran faster up the mound of dirt. He held Louise securely, burrowing as much of the girl as he could in his soft fur. The hedgehog pushed his feet out and hugged them together, like a rabbit, crouching and leaping over the small hill, drawing closer to his destination.

Crossing the apex of the hill, Sonic cushioned Louise's head within the cuffs of his glove. Instinctively he brought a foot out and tucked in his other, picking up speed as he slid down the sharp decline. Once he neared the end of the slope, he braced his knee his and dragged his front foot against the floor harshly, picking up dust as the sudden force against his momentum pulled the hedgehog up to his feet again like a seesaw. Sonic glanced at the sleeping girl, ensuring that she was safe before he picked up his pace. Sonic hummed softly and a little worriedly against the chilly night in an attempt to calm the sleeping girl's nerves at the speed he went.

The mass was much closer now, and he could faintly see concrete details of its shape as he came closer. He sincerely hoped there'd be welcoming arms for the girl; otherwise, the situation could become dire. Sonic thinned his lips and softly shook his head.

Don't think about it.

Finally, as he came to the building, the twin moons revealed a massive wall surrounding the tall spire in the center of it. A bead of sweat fell down the hedgehog worriedly. He hoped it housed people inside. It would really put the hedgehog in a pinch if he put all of his eggs into an abandoned building. Sonic searched around for the building entrance, left or right. Which way, which way? The girl continued shivering in his touch, and she felt colder than a tabletop. Sonic grimaced. There wasn't enough time for her!

Instead, the cobalt hedgehog raced with all his might further into the walls of the building, his legs straining furiously as he prepped to make a large bound over the walls. Sonic jumped with one foot, gaining air as he fell back down, and immediately followed it up with another jump with his other foot, increasing his height as he blurred closer to the academy building walls. He repeated this motion several more times, gradually increasing his distance compared to the building's walls. Falling from another jump, Sonic took in a deep breath, sucking up as much air as his lungs could carry, and as before, he hugged his feet together.

Dropping to the earth, his shoes dragging against the grassy floor, he locked his legs and silently roared as he launched themselves high up to the sky, surpassing the height of the academy's walls.

As they came falling down the other side of the wall, a blank expression dotted Sonic's face, sweating nervously as he realized how far the fall would be. The hedgehog was too preoccupied with getting them both across the wall as fast as possible he forgot the harm that would come across the girl. Humans, he knew with his experience with Robotnik's Egg-Mobile, were incredibly fragile, and such a hard knockback from a fall like this could seriously injure the girl. Sonic tried weighing his options with what little time he had as they sped closer to the ground.

If he landed on his feet, there was an extreme risk of breaking her neck or snapping her spine from the sudden force applied against them from the fall, but if he slid on the ground, she could hit her head and get a severe concussion, or she might fall into a coma, or worse! Sonic grimaced, his teeth baring in a worried frown as he shut his eyes tight. In the last seconds, before they crashed into the ground, he tucked the girl in his arms as tightly as he could before he rolled into the shape of a ball.

Immediately, Sonic gasped as his back crashed into the floor and the weight of the girl flattened his chest. Sonic wheezed so desperately his voice cheeped like a squeaky toy. The pair of souls tumbled violently in the dark as Sonic smacked viciously against the grass repeatedly on his back. His yells were caught up in each tussle against the hard but smooth grass, yet with every turn, he made sure that only he would take the repercussive bounces against the floor.

Sonic finally unfurled himself as he sat against the earth, his rear dragging across the ground. He hissed at the burning pain, but gradually, the pair would at last slow down. Still, the end of the run wasn't without its bumps on the road. The pair came to an abrupt stop as the back of Sonic's body slammed into a wall.

His vision was obscured in thick red streaming down one of his eyes, and not only that, the weight of the girl roughly shoved his own against the wall. He groaned in pain, ow... head felt like a jackhammer had drilled it; his ears were ringing, and his vision slipped out of focus and swirled about seemingly everywhere in a nauseating attempt to correct his depth of perception.

Sonic shut his eyes tight as he tried to ignore the irritating list of pains sprouting out like weeds. After a moment, when he was sure his mind cleared up enough for him to pay attention to his surroundings, Sonic opened his eyes to see his sight still adjusting, although much further than when he crashed into the wall. Sonic still saw a murky red in his sights, and his head felt wet, but he ignored the worrisome problems as he checked up on the girl in his arms. She appeared to be okay; there were no outside signs of discomfort or pain as he studied her for a moment.

Sonic laid her on the grass perpendicular to him and held her head up with his gloved hands before turning her head to the side, ensuring she doesn't suffocate from her saliva. He leaned and placed his ear over her chest, waiting for any expansion or compression that came from her lungs. A moment later, he heard the faint beating of her heart, and her chest rose immediately as he removed his ear.

Sonic released a sigh of relief with a short scattered laugh. She was alive, that was good. Sonic blinked and turned around, noticing a faint light and the crackling of a fire in the distance. He relaxed his form as he connected a few dots in his head. A burning and maintained fire meant there were people, and more importantly, that meant help for the girl.

Sonic grunted as he stood up once more, cradling the girl in his arms carefully as he trudged towards the building entrance. He staggered in his steps and scrunched up his eye as his vision continued to deepen in the color of red, rushing silently until he came upon a set of two doors. The doorway was four times his size, albeit due to his small size, though he couldn't help but feel somewhat intimidated by the wooden work. Still, the girl needed to be tended to, so he walked up the few steps to the entrance and rapped against the wooden frame of the doors with one of his hands, rapidly knocking loud enough for anyone inside to hear.

Sonic stood back, waiting anxiously for who might appear at the doorways. Surely they'd understand how vital it is to get the girl a bed and be tended to by professionals as soon as possible. It neared a minute when Sonic reached out again to knock at the door. He squirmed, irritated, and worried as the girl's state seemed to worsen. There had to be people inside; they just had to be.

Sonic waited for someone, anyone to respond as he stood back because otherwise, he was seriously considering breaking down the doors to get the girl in, safe and secure from the elements outside. Sonic squinted, now wholly blinded by the red pooling in his one eye. He winced with a pained smile when suddenly the doors creaked, and a person poked their head out.

Finally, sanctuary!

The person was a dainty and slightly tired maid. Her hair was dark brown, though it appeared jet black in the night, its sheen glittering a deep violet like a raven's feathers, and scattered around her face seemed to be faint freckles in her cheeks. If Louise had been conscious by this point, she would've realized it was the same girl whom she ordered from earlier.

"H-hello, who goes there? Please state your—!" The girl gasped as her eyes soon landed on the pair; the sight before her was dreadful and saddening. There, standing just a few feet away down the steps from the maid, was a noble in the arms of a strange creature.

She looked deathly tired, and her sunken eyelids appeared a crest. The poor girl was very still and looked sickly even, with all the dirt, multitudes of scratches, and cold sweat dripping down her skin as she rested in the grasp of the blue hedgehog.

Sonic himself didn't look so good; his fur was mottled, dirtied, and scratched up from the fights aboard the Death Egg. He couldn't see it, but there was a nasty wound on his head from his battle with the doctor, and it was bleeding quite excessively; the blood trailed down his head and pooled around one of his eyes.

The girl glanced down, faintly hearing the drips of liquid crashing against the floor rhythmically, and saw a developing puddle of blood.

The maid brought her hands to her mouth in shock of the scene before her, yawping in horror. Sonic heard something drop and spill onto the floor. He shamefully looked away downcast, sullen. The unfortunate and unsuspecting girl that came to their rescue looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

"Oh, heavens! W-what happened to her?!" The maid trembled as she spoke, her eyes trailing wildly around the duo, trying to make sense of the scene. The poor and shocked girl rocked her head madly, reprimanding herself for breaking conduct with student nobility. Still, the despairing girl clutched her chest, her hands hugging each other tightly, shakily. "Quickly, quickly come inside, come in!" The maid urged as she pulled back the large door wide enough for Sonic to walk in. By the urgency of the girl's tone, the hedgehog jumped inside, startling the already frazzled girl with his brisk pace and speed.

Sonic faced the maid, who just about slammed the door behind her as she made her way to the hedgehog. Sonic glanced aside and noticed the source of the loud clanging noises. The maid was carrying a sheet of cloth filled with pots and pans, dirty with food stains. She was likely going to bring them to the washing room to clean up.

Sonic sighed, upset for interrupting her otherwise calm nightly routine with something perilous. The girl tugged at Sonic's arm with worried desperation in her eyes. "Follow me! This way!" Sonic had no room to consider her words as she ran ahead of him, struggling to run down the halls from the weight of the two.

Some students still walking along the central tower's hallways yelped in surprise as the group barreled down the halls, and pockets of students further down looked curiously and with anticipation, whispering to one another. Others still only watch with bated breath, their concern for the girl in the clutches of the creature's arms.

"Is that Louise's... familiar?"

"What happened to Louise?"

"That... thing looks beat up."

"Louise doesn't look so well..."

The maid ignored how incredibly fast the hedgehog was becoming as he quickly overcame her own speed and was pulling her with him.

The trio skidded to a halt as they entered a break in the path. The maid pointed at a spot, and the hedgehog quickly made short work of the long hallways.

They did this a few more times till the maid stopped and dragged her feet on the floor. "Stop! The nursery ward is here!" Sonic stopped to look back at the girl, his expression puzzled and blank. The maid looked at him worriedly as she hauled them back a few rooms.

The two were in a struggling battle of walking hastily versus downright running before she stopped at the door with a marking on it. She just about threw the door open as they arrived at the nursery. Upon entering the room, Sonic noticed a group chatting and laughing nonchalantly with one another, most sitting on the stools by their workbench and cleaning out some instruments.

"So, you're telling me one of the returning kid's got a dragon?" One of the guys asked with wide unbelieving eyes; a few chuckled, amused at his reaction. "Like an actual—Woah!" The previous and uneventful conversation the group participated in froze, quieting down as they immediately turned to the door spotting the trio startled by their presence. Landing their eyes on the three, they calmed down in solemn and worrisome silence as they quickly laid their eyes on the girl in the clutches of Sonic's arms.

"Ah, Brimir..!" One of the men in cloaks sighed, soft-hearted at the odd group intruding into the room. Immediately their eyes study every detail, every scratch, and hidden illnesses in the girl's state. Some eyed the creature's messy wounds apprehensively before the group stood up from their spots and put aside their everyday chores.

Swiftly, the previous tone of good cheers drowned in a well of professionalism as they walk to the hedgehog and guide him to one of their spare beds for sickly patients. One of the cloaked persons glanced down to the floor, noticing a faint dripping, and saw blood from the creature staining the floor. They sighed, a bit exasperated.

"You there, maid girl! Get us some bandages, a bucket, and a mop. They're in the other room in the closet, the bandages on the cupboard. We'll need some assistance for the girl's familiar, and our station needs to be spotless!" Sonic looked between them, the emotionally insecure maid, and Louise before the maid nodded carefully and scampered off into another room, disappearing in the mass of bodies inside the nursery; as Sonic came up to the bed, the people urged him towards it.

As he carefully came to the side of the mattress, he loosened his hold on the pale girl and set her up to lay as comfortably as she could in the stiff-looking bed. Still, as her head was cushioned softly and comfortably in the bed's pillow, she held onto him with a weak but determined grip. Her face was flushed, and she groaned, softly displeased at the change in rest. She was relentless in her sleep as she held on passionately by the cuff of a glove. Sonic tried smiling for the determined girl, but it was weary, empathetic.

He looked up and thought for a moment before a clang of metal dropped beside Sonic. He glanced down to find that strange ring, leaning onto his golden buckles as it rocked side-to-side by his shoe.

Sonic looked between Louise and the ring before picking it up, staring at it for a moment before he tucked it under her hand, shifting her thin and dainty fingers to grasp it. Louise's fingers brushed against the surface of the ring, and the girl felt around it, its texture and touch in her palms. A moment later, her brows raised, pleased as a small grateful smile painted her lips, and Louise retreated her gift to herself, hugging it close to her heart.

The maid returning swiftly with her supplies in hand peered at the duo, standing beside Sonic as she glanced between the two. Her brows curved upwards timidly with a strained but awed grin.

That was so incredibly adorable!

The cloaked group pushed Sonic aside as they immediately went to work on Louise, and Sonic, a little startled by their brash move, found himself suddenly without anything to do but to stand alone.

The girl was in safe hands with these guys; he did his duty as a good guy.

Still, with nothing to do, he found himself a little anxious. Where are the lab coats? The sterile white walls and a map of the human body? Everything around him seemed old-timey and ancient. Were these guys some kind of monks, then?

Sonic's emotions were running wild again the more he pondered, but he caught himself lingering in the worse and stopped thinking. The hedgehog took a deep breath to recompose himself, reprimanding his wandering mind.

Sonic leaned over to catch a glimpse of Louise. A wand was brought out in the group, and they waved it around a moment before casting it atop Louise's chest. Sparkles flew from the wand as it enveloped the girl, and they waited for a moment.

Sonic, unable to find a spot to view Louise, had his attention caught on the window sill, the streams of faint light by the moons illuminated the room, and again he could see those moons at the corner of it. Sonic found himself lost in the light of the moons, and a sense of sadness swelled in his heart, torn bitterly by the injustice wrought against him, the world he knew.

Why was he spared? Why was he given another chance at life while everyone and everything he knew perished from his own incompetence?

He mucked around in his turmoil.

The crowd of monks in front of Sonic quietly chatted, "Dehydration... exhaustion... a cold, no doubt from the chilly wind. Her body seems to be working under less than ideal willpower levels, apparently. Must've been like this the whole day." The figure who cast the spell noted as the girl's condition clarified to them.

One turned to look at them, "How should we proceed with this?" They asked, glancing down blankly at the girl.

The figure brought a hand up to their chin as they pondered. A few moments passed when they spoke again. "We'll simply give her some time to rest; some warm soup should do the job and take care of the hard part when she wakes up. Otherwise, shut the window sill tight and prevent any drafts from catching her. For her injuries and any possible attacks by malevolent spirits, we should commence with a cleansing spell."

The others nodded, thankful that her illness was not as severe at first glance. They stood back a few feet and brought out their own wands, reciting some words and flicking the sticks around before they brought the tips of their wands together as a twinkling light sparkled at the center.

A ball, formed without any definitive shape, spawned from their wands before water could clearly be seen hovering right in front of them. Targeting the girl's chest, the ball of water spilled onto her chest, and to the astonishment of Sonic, it traveled along her body, coating all her limbs and fingers in a thin cast of flowing and yet controlled body of water. It should have spilled onto the bed, but it remained attached to the girl.

It climbed and rose on her head; the whole of the girl was encased in this strange body of water. Sonic looked worriedly at the scene, wanting to bring a hand out to her. Wouldn't she drown?

Sonic's worries were answered as the bubble suddenly retreated into Louise, the water merely draining into her skin like she was some kind of sponge. Sonic gaped at the scene, staring amazed as the bubble disappeared into the girl without a fuss, and as her skin was in contact with the air again, her pale skin already started regaining its color.

Louise breathed deeply. Her cheeks were flushed and rosy pink, and her skin appeared so smooth without a hint of scratches or bruises. She looked well, alive, and her stunning beauty caught frozen in time. All the thinnest grass blades that stuck onto the girl washed aside and were collected into a little pile. Sonic never saw healing done so incredibly fast and in such a strange way in all his life. Imagine how useful they could be where he was from... life or death operations and surgeries could be done within minutes!

He couldn't ponder the possibilities for too long as a hand fumblingly tapped at his shoulder. Sonic turned to find a water mage telling him something, pointing at the other free bed behind Sonic. "You, uh... should sit there. We need to apply the cleansing spell on you, too, since it seems like you need it more. Ha..." The monk looking guy chuckled awkwardly in his attempt at dark humor; his eyes pointed at the dribbling blood on Sonic's head.

Sonic merely stared back at him, brow raised and head leaning aside.

Uh, come again?

Sonic wasn't sure if he had something in his ears or if he was clouded in his thoughts because nothing the guy just spoke was intelligible or comprehensible to the hedgehog in the slightest. The monk merely gestured behind Sonic, and he turned to notice the bed behind him.

Oh, right.

Sonic came upon the bed and turned around, jumping onto the edge of its sheets; it recoiled underneath his weight.

The group of monks, or whatever they were, came up to the hedgehog and repeated the process from earlier, their wands pointing together as a ball of water met with Sonic's chest and crept up his body. Sonic rose his head up slightly, concerned, coughing slightly as the bubbly water crept up to his head and enveloped him entirely like a watery cocoon. The hedgehog held his breath and closed his eyes as securely as he could, waiting. He didn't have to wait long as he felt lighter and the air on his skin a moment later as the bubbly water washed away into the folds of his skin, leaving behind only a thin coat of water above his skin and fur.

He looked around himself, astonished as he glazed his eyes around his fur, feeling a slight bit of dampness in his fingertips as he patted around his body. If one thing is for sure, he'd likely never get tired of the bubble doing its magic on people.

And to his amazement, almost all his physical wounds disappeared: where there were bruises, there was none. Where there were scratches, none dotted his skin. Where there were soot, metal, and dirt covering him, it all washed away and what remained was his prickly quills shining delightfully and in a healthy deep shade of blue.

Sonic hesitantly opened his other eye to find it cleaned of the thick red stream of blood obscuring his vision, and Sonic blinked rapidly as his sight adjusted to the wet sensation of water on his skin and the darkness of the room. The hedgehog watched their eyes, studying him blankly. The awkward silent exchange was cut off as one of the mages suddenly spoke up, "Maid girl! We're going to need your help to bandage up the... familiar, I think."

The maid from earlier stopped mopping the floor where Sonic's spills were seeping into the wooden floors and looked up from her work, her eyes wide with surprise as she was suddenly called out. She went to the group only to stop as she abruptly realized she was still holding onto her mop, in the middle of cleaning the floors.

She recomposed herself briskly, putting back the mop in its bucket before sliding it aside against the entrance doorway, straightening her blouse and brushing the dust off her apron; the girl performed her service and conduct to the best of her abilities, nodding quickly. "Ye-! Yes... sir."

The monk merely blinked and the rest stepped out of the way of the maid, going back to check up on Louise as she came upon the hedgehog, suddenly grabbing a small container seemingly out of thin air right when she stood in front of Sonic. He moved his limbs, testing them out to see if any lingering pain remained in them after the little shower. He was both humbly impressed and amazed that it was not the case. In fact, he felt excellent, better than ever, actually! If only just a little tense in his arms and legs.

Sonic went to grasp his head, itching to feel the wound that may or may not have disappeared after the magical miracle, but the attendant before him held him still, interlocking her fingers with his. Sonic's eyes widened, startled by this bold move as his black charcoal eyes met her own onyx eyes.

Somehow being so up-close to the maid, Sonic couldn't help but become mesmerized by her wear. He took into detail the intricate and frivolous apparel she presented herself thus far.

The soft black dress opening freely below her waist, her dainty appearance accentuated by the plume silky texture of her shoulder balls, the white fluttering pattern of her apron held together by a spiff and lengthy bow, and a wide yet petite three-quilled headpiece. All of it put together created such a well-made image of a maiden ready to work.

But even with that well-made image, the hedgehog was hit with a whiplash of culture shock. These people flaunted each other as if it were regular everyday clothing.

Maybe... maybe he was getting too comfortable and too used to seeing Eggman in his red jacket and black one-piece jumpsuit... Sonic shuddered and nearly gagged at the thought as his mind wandered to questionable places.

Still, Sonic was reeling from his expectations of humans. He hadn't considered that other people might've dressed differently elsewhere. Though, curiously enough, the maid girl's clothing differed quite significantly to the group in the nursery. Perhaps those clothes were some signifier to allocate roles to certain people, pertaining to a hierarchy of sorts?

Sonic glanced back up again to the maid, who simply smiled back albeit strained as she gently guided their hands to rest by his sides. The maid lowered herself to be more at level with Sonic and pulled at a container beside her, opening its lock and revealing a case and stacks of herbs. Inside were bandaging and what appeared to be gauze or some proto version of it, Sonic assumed.

The maid looked at Sonic with a strained and empathetic smile as she spoke, bringing up a wet rag to her lap as she began rubbing it at Sonic's wound delicately. Sonic grimaced a little. While the touch was gentle and caring, the spot was susceptible and painful to bear. He dug his fingers into the sheets as he toughened himself up for the pain. The maid smiled encouragingly.

She stared elsewhere momentarily, facing the girl being tended to with a sheepish gaze. "So, she's the infamous Mistress Valliere?" The girl blinked suddenly and rapidly as Sonic came into view, her mumbling stupor broken. The girl shook her head shamefully, mentally reprimanding herself for getting caught up in the rumor mill.

"It seems like Mistress Vallière finally summoned you—her familiar, I mean. Haha..." The maid felt a little part of her shrink anxiously as the creature made no effort to respond, just staring at her, inquisitive. "...What I mean is it's become a bit of a..." She glanced at the water monks, timidly. They were busy looking over the girl, so they wouldn't hear if she spoke softly. She turned back to Sonic, resuming her cleaning. "...long-running jest, between nobles I hear. To see if she could get one for a while now, you know? Oh, they'll be in such surprise come tomorrow, haha! You wouldn't believe it." Still, he seemed unfazed by her small talk, though his curiosity seemed piqued if nothing else as he mindlessly nodded along, lost.

A cute groan escaped the throat of the sleeping girl, causing Sonic to lean over and watch Louise laying on the bed next to his, seemingly ignoring the maid. She pouted, saddened and simultaneously fascinated by its behavior. It seemed it did not wish to converse or listen to her even as she addressed the creature, and it actively went on its way to ignore her; how impolite.

She continued cleaning up what remained of his wounds. It shouldn't be more than a few minutes till she cleared up the most concerning part now. The wait, however short, was agonizing for the girl.

'Ah, I have to say something, but what should I say? What could I say? This silence is maddening! I'm too chatty for my own good.' The maid realized dejectedly.

Rumors and the next big scandal in the institute were the highlights of the maidens tending to their domestic duties. By the end of their assigned directives for the day, they always came together and excitedly gossiped something scandalous they overheard from the students or the biggest rumor someone spread. They latched onto these wild fantasies like treasures, one of the few things they could be entertained with from how absurd they regularly were. It was amusing to imagine as real.

Miss Vallière was oft the subject of many the previous year in the academy.

As a direct result of this, the maids she found were often quite chatty. If you could strike up a conversation, their tongue would roll endlessly till they eventually would need a drink to hydrate. In her short time here, the girl was also gradually picking up these bad habits.

Before entering the halls for the first time, she was as clueless and wide-eyed as the familiar before her; a quiet and lost country girl. Now, she knew just about every corner of the academy, and these days she was as obscenely chatty as her mentors; and a wild tongue meant trouble coming your way if you couldn't temper with it.

Still, it wasn't all bad. She argued the best treats with meetings and socialization to the rest of the academy's servants were getting to know another and their character, their history. A feeling of connection, belonging in their tight-knit rambunctious community of souls from all across Halkeginina was much appreciated for newcomers, and Siesta, especially. Even if most of their backgrounds, their stories, oft overlapped with another, they felt a sense of homeliness.

They were dirt poor; the oldest and or healthiest of their siblings, the only ones who could provide for their families as their mothers and fathers aged till their hands were brittle, and without many options for a way to feed lots of mouths back home. 'Ah, shoot. My mind's wandering again, silly me.'

Blinking away her thoughts, the maid stopped momentarily to check up on the familiar's wounds, and she noticed the spot clearing up a bit. Just a few more strokes and his injuries would be cleaned up and ready for some bandages.

A bout of clarity came upon the girl. She'd never been this close to a familiar before, tending to their wounds and all. Once she was done, she likely wouldn't have another opportunity to interact with one so intimately again... many things were going on in her mind as she wracked for anything meaningful to discuss with it. Oh, but there was so little time now, and she hadn't even given her name to it!

'Oooh, Yeah! Yeah, let's start with that. Ha, the girls will never believe me when I tell them a familiar knows my name.' The maid leaned back a bit, taking in Sonic's form as much she could when she spoke up again.

"My name's Siesta. It's a cute name, isn't it? At least, I think so anyway. Ma an' Pa gave it to me. Said it was 'cause as a little babe, I liked to sleep all day long; never made a fuss, so they say." Siesta asked, hoping the familiar would take the hint to acknowledge her.

Sonic didn't even budge; a solemn look cast his features as he continued monitoring the sleeping girl. Siesta sighed, a little irritated that the familiar continued to ignore her. Surely he'd understand to at least comment on her name if nothing else.

Then a spark of brilliance came to the girl, why not ask the familiar his name? She'd always wondered if nobles give names to their familiars or if their familiars have one before. Siesta grinned with a wicked glint in her eye, and she grasped Sonic's hand, lifting it up. Sonic shook out of his stupor as he felt something brush against his glove.

The hedgehog turned to the maid in front of him with a lingering curiosity. Siesta thumbed around his hand, gazing at it in awe as she felt his knuckles before she turned to him. "So, how about you? What's your name?" She leaned her head aside, cheekily with a big grin. Sonic glanced at her, the words coming out of her mouth sounding like a garbled mess to his ears.

What was she saying?

Sonic's eyes widened, sitting there for a moment when it hit him all at once. The unintelligible words, the strange inflections in their voices... It wasn't that they spoke in some strange foreign accent; they spoke an entirely different language to his! He should've known; he was in a different world. They don't abide by some rather universal language. The words and cultures develop independently from his own, he reasoned.

On top of being transported to some new world somehow far from Robotnik's clutches even with the Super Time Stones, along with no idea where he was, be it on an island or a country or a freaking continent, he was stranded on land that doesn't even speak his language. How was he supposed to go anywhere?

And the chaos emeralds? Even with his speed, it could take years working on nothing but pure will looking under every nook and cranny for just one of those rocks! He needed answers, a map, and a way to get back home. Most importantly, the solutions to his troubles rested squarely on a little girl. Sonic chuckled, utterly stupefied from his increasingly bleak situation.

Good grief, what a wretched hand he'd been given!

Sonic's thoughts were interrupted as a hand waved, intruding his vision. Sonic blinked and turned to the girl blankly as she leaned back, satisfied she got his attention, but visually appeared irritated.

"Name, naamme... You know what a name is right? They're titles an' words you acknowledge and respond to. Can you understand me? You can speak... can't you? Oh, I hope I wasn't wasting time bothering you." Siesta talked bitterly, sullen as she pondered if she presumed incorrectly that the familiar could understand her, let alone actually speak.

After a few more strokes of his fuzzy hairs and quills, Siesta suddenly found it much harder to brush the rag against Sonic's fur, and she looked to find Sonic's wound cleaned up of all blood pouring out, in place of a swollen bump where his wound was.

"Oh! Sorry, my blabbermouth got me carried away... I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Siesta tried consoling the creature as Sonic suddenly hissed at the soaring feeling of rashes and burns on his head.

He went to grip the place and origin of his pain and try satiating the bitter stinging in his head, but the girl quickly stopped him, her hands grabbing onto his cuffs. "No, no! Don't do that. You'll only make it worse!" Siesta lightly reprimanded, finding it surprisingly difficult to hold him down. Through a thin veil of pained tears, Sonic looked at Siesta's own regretful but stern eyes and nodded, calming down enough for her to bring his hands back onto his lap. 'Wow, he's tough!'

The monks behind Siesta turn at a glance to her and the familiar, curious of the noise before they turned back to Louise making last-minute checkups on her condition. Siesta grimaced as she could feel the eyes of the mages peering down at her, clearly irritated. Siesta huffed and scolded herself; her wandering mind and blabbermouth tendencies nearly got her in trouble. She leaned back slightly, staring at the cleaned-up wound with an unsure gaze. Siesta's eyes lightened up a moment later, and she rummaged around the container once more.

Sonic watched with curiosity as the maid sifted through the objects inside before she chirped happily, pulling out a roll of bandages and what appeared to be a bottle of some ointment. The maid applied a dash of it in her palms and grafted it to where Sonic's bloody mark was.

Sonic grimaced a little, as while the touch was gentle and caring, the spot was still susceptible and painful to bear. The girl wasted no time applying the cream on Sonic's head as immediately after she went to work on Sonic's wound, she held a needle between her lips as she brought up the bandages around Sonic's neck. Methodically and gingerly, she wrapped the first roundabout with sweeping exaggerated movements until the bandages hooked themselves to Sonic's fur and tightened securely around him.

The bandages scratched at his neck when she made one more roll until she was finally done. He really wanted to scratch everything beneath the cloth, even if it'll do nothing. Siesta entered his sights, and with a pained lamented smile, she tugged as delicately and fiercely as her hands could manage with force behind her last pull. Sonic almost yelped painfully, instead opting to pant tiredly. It felt like his head was being squeezed and burned.

Finally, she took the needle from her mouth and stitched it through the fine leathering of the bandages holding it tightly and securely; she held a hand over the needle and shook the bandages lightly. They were tight, so all's good.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's ok now, and we're done see!" Siesta held both her hands up, both empty of rags or bottles or bandages and the like. The maid murmured a few things in a light tone, but Sonic couldn't understand.

The hedgehog glanced at his head and looked at her. She sat back with pep to her voice as she rubbed at her blouse and apron, dusting away hair follicles. He reached to pat the wrapping but stopped as Siesta stared at him with a blank expression. Sonic glanced between the bandages, his hand, and the girl a few times. He rose his hand slightly above the cloth and motioned himself patting his head. Siesta smiled and giggled as she repeated his movements. "Yes, you can pat your head." Saying this, she tapped at her own head softly.

Sonic grinned cheekily as he tapped his head, though it turned into a slight wince of pain. 'So you can understand me, somewhat anyways.' Siesta thought to herself.

The hedgehog continued feeling around the cloth. At least if nothing else, the pain isn't as nasty as before, Sonic figured. Being cleaned of his previous state and properly cared and tended for, Sonic hopped off the bed, nodding gratefully just as Siesta stood up. She smiled and bowed with a curtsy.

"All's right with her. I say we leave her to continue resting as is, room temperature and all for the night, while you go and order a specially made soup first thing in the morning for the lady." The head monk turned to Siesta with a knowing look, and she wavered slightly in her good cheers, though her smile didn't leave her. Sonic noted it was pained.

Sonic wasn't sure what to make of it. Still, it looked like they were done with their diagnosis of Louise, and that's all that mattered to him right now. He sighed, relieved as the group came to stream out of the room, heading to their rooms to tuck in for the night. One of the mages walked by the blue blur, perhaps the leader or the guy in charge of the group, before his hand came to a rest on Sonic's shoulder. Sonic turned to the mage, startled by the sudden touch, as he spoke to the hedgehog.

"I wouldn't worry too much about her, familiar. She's fine. Miss Vallière just needs a good long rest. She was just drained of willpower; her last spell, whatever it was, knocked the wind out of her and put her in this state. Not the first time I have seen it happen. Just make sure she doesn't push herself so hard, at least for a few days. She has to regain her levels of willpower firstly. After that, you'll settle on in with her." The mage slapped his shoulder softly once more, and then he left the room, leaving Sonic alone with Louise and Siesta.

Again the words he spoke were unintelligible, and furthermore, he had no clue what he said, so he just nodded along anyway. Why make a fuss about it this late? Sonic gave a sidelong glance as he watched the rest of the group stroll out of the room, leaving the door open. Sonic turned to Siesta blankly, confused. Siesta hugged her hands together as she brought them to rest between her hips in the center of her apron, smiling apologetically to the hedgehog. He seemed lost and in some dire need of company; Siesta would've liked to be that company.

She had so many things to say, the rumors surrounding their master Miss Vallière, what kinds of things it pondered about, the stuff it enjoyed, could it speak? It seemed possible, and if it did, what would it sound like? The little scenarios she imagined with the familiar had piled up like a mountain. Still, as much as she'd like to stay behind with the strange familiar, the girl had her duties even this late at night. She curtsied once more again in a solemn sympathetic grace before turning away.

"I guess this is goodbye, Mr. Familiar. It was... nice, to meet you, I mean... Farewell." Sonic blinked and raised a hand, urging her through his body language to wait a moment, but her back was turned to him, and the door creaked as she closed it. His hand wavered slightly in the air as he looked at the door closed in front of him. Begrudgingly he brought it down to his side, hearing the light patter of steps draw away from the room.

He was alone now, just him and the sleeping girl. Sonic waited for another moment as he glanced at her, and again her chest expanded outwardly, sleeping soundly. The hedgehog unknowingly released a sigh of relief.

Not even a minute later, the hedgehog found himself anxious as he stood dead center of the room, and he opted to explore the space to occupy his nerves, which there wasn't much to bother with, he quickly realized.

Cobblestone lined up the room walls, and it made his fur feel damp in the night. There appeared to be wooden roofing and wooden flooring as the main set piece of the bare room. There was a lone window in the far side of the room beside Louise's bed and the spare bed he sat at, and besides the cupboard in the room hosting the valuable healing items and two small cabinets by the side of those beds, that was it.

Sonic sighed disconsolately and plopped himself upon the edge of the spare bed, sitting upon its creaking surface as Sonic tapped against the floor and interlocked his hands together. The hedgehog swung his feet rhythmically, absentmindedly staring at the floor. He couldn't do much here but burn through time just waiting for the girl to wake up. He propped his head up by his hands as he studied the girl before him, his face lost in his thoughts. If there was anyone here in this place, anyone who could answer his worries like where he was brought to and the world he currently inhabited, it was this girl who lay in a deep slumber.

For the next few moments that passed, the only sounds that accompanied the lone hedgehog were the taps and the pitter-patter of his soles, and the quiet, soft breathing of the only other occupant in the room with him, the girl who brought him here.

Wherever and whenever here, was.

Sonic watched the floor at first, portraying no expression beyond contemplation. Still, after a while, his face gradually scrunched up, and his eyelids slit as a deep and sorrowful frown crossed his features. Sonic let out a shaky breath leaning further down as he brought a gloved hand to grasp his face and gripping it tightly as he shook his head softly.

The weight of the past came crashing all at once for Sonic, and with nothing to interrupt him, no one to see and witness this side of Sonic, he felt bitter. He felt anger, consumed in horror, regret, and sorrow as the loss of his old world came crashing down on him like a tidal wave.

He was such a dunce!

Sonic boiled in his tormented self-loathing judgment; he hated and criticized every little mishap by his brashness. He should've brought the emerald radar! His own arrogance cost the destruction of his beloved bi-plane, the Tornado. He could've and should've waited for Tails to join him and fight against the mad scientist. He should've stopped fighting the metallic copy and help Knuckles protect the Master Emerald! Should've destroyed those egg-robos when he had the chance; they were cornered! He had them right where they were caught completely in surprise! He should've destroyed everything within the Death Egg, tear it down from its throne in the sky!

He should've thought things through, should've done everything differently!

In his loathing anger, his hands curled into fists, and his arms shook violently; he stopped and stood still in place before he slumped over. His rage was cooled in his grieving. He shook his head faintly, trying to rid his thoughts of the past. He stayed there for a good long while; the bitter hurricane of surviving enveloped him. With the time stones destroyed, his life and life back on Earth were gone, all existence wiped to the sands of time.

Sonic survived, but at what cost?

Though there was life here, and he was most grateful for something still living, it wasn't home; it could never be.

Sonic was the sole remaining survivor of the collapse of space and time there, and with it, the only one who could mourn this incredible loss, this tragedy, this failure. Somewhere out there in the cosmos of space, his world was utterly annihilated. And for whatever reason, he survived yet could do nothing but watch and live with that knowledge forever.

For a while, Sonic sat there, grieving and mourning the monumental loss of life because of his incompetence. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, and they trailed down his cheek as a droplet fell and crashed against the Earth. The thuds of tears against the wooden floor rung in his ears like thunder.

Sonic wiped his face; his eyes stung. His glove was stained in a cascading trench of tears. There was no point trying to imagine anything like what if. Holding on to the past would change nothing. Pitying himself would just make the whole ordeal worse, and even as the storm of anger and sorrow raged on in his head, he had to move on and make up for it in the future. For his friend's sakes, for his world, for himself.

Sonic gripped at his knees as he battled the raging calm in his mind. He needed some air, some space. A jog around the neighborhood, to bring him out of this rut, to clear his mind; if only to experience the feeling of the wind whipping against his face, the fauna of the landscape humming silently as he breezed by, just one more time.

Sonic made up his mind, and though his body protested begrudgingly against the sudden movement of his limbs, he was determined to clear his mind, to rejuvenate his spirits. The chaos emeralds still existed out there, somewhere. Sonic's eyes widened as he realized this, both hopeful and worried. Sonic stood up from his bed and went for the door, but as he gripped the handle and twisted the doorknob, he glanced back at the girl.

Louise tossed in her bed, murmuring about something and mindlessly looking for something to hold. Sonic tensed up for a moment, worried that he might've woke her up, but his concerns were gone once he realized she was just acting out her dreams. Sonic briskly and quietly made his way to his bed, taking its pillow and carefully placing it under the arm of the girl, who, after feeling its texture, gripped it and hugged it closely.

Sonic smiled softly at the scene. It was adorable and reassuring, watching someone as small and petite as the girl before him sleeping so soundly, so comfortably after earlier.

He made his way to the door and opened it carefully, making sure the locking mechanisms did not disturb Louise, but just as he was ready to cross the door, he could've sworn he heard something leave the lips of the pinkette.

"My... guardian... my angel..."

---

...As much as Sonic cleared his focus, he still couldn't understand what the girl was saying. Maybe he should get something for her. She seemed distraught and lonely when he came across her earlier, so some gifts may be appreciated. The gears clicked softly; he felt a little prick in his head as the border between familiar and master solidified.

Without any sense of direction, Sonic strolled the corridors of the academy, slightly lost and clueless as he drew a blank, searching the depths of his mind for the exit that lead outside. All the doors in the hallways looked precisely the same, and likewise, every hallway looked as familiar as the last one he passed. He did his best to withhold his need to run around aimlessly, even as his urge to scurry ate at him. He didn't want to disturb anyone with any unnecessary racket.

He explored the inner campus grounds, observing the campus's architecture with a faint interest to occupy his mind. Everything appeared historical, as if all the designs around him came from the 16th century, so much so that the only sources of light he could find either came from torches or lamps hanging from the walls. It was kind of neat, fascinating to see these once ancient buildings in his world used and regularly maintained instead of falling apart, abandoned without any love or care for history.

The only small detail sticking out to that thought was the grandiose chandelier that hung from the ceiling in a large open hall, flames just dancing along with the tails of the piece without any wax candles underneath.

What was this sorcery?

Sonic stood aside, peering at the columns of long tables filling up space around the floor. His mind wandered listlessly as he regarded the building's architectural foundations.

Was this the extent of their societal progress? If not, how advanced was this new world? How old is this building? What do these people even do inside here? Not like he could get an answer anyway, language barrier and all.

Studying the space, he noticed and soon found a door leading to the kitchen that was right next to the open room. Sonic could only assume that the place was called the dining hall, indeed to house quite many people. Though he wondered where they were, this place seemed almost empty, and it filled him with this sense of haunt.

As he continued roaming around, Sonic became curious about the lack of people walking down the halls. Assuming that these humans had a curfew, it wouldn't make sense for nobody to be around now, especially since the place is so big. There probably had to be a few attendants keeping an eye on the halls; otherwise, his common point of reference to Robotnik always keeping his laboratories occupied with badniks, especially with something as gigantic as the Death Egg, would be useless.

Eventually, the hedgehog found himself exactly where he came from, the entrance to the building being the two large doors that lead to the central hall. Still just as imposing as he remembered it.

Sonic tested the strength of the door hinges, confirming that the double doors were locked. He took a glance around himself, wondering if anyone was coming down the hall. Even with his focus picking up the smallest crack of fire coming from the lamps, Sonic hadn't heard a single set of footsteps. The hedgehog then decided to unlock the doors and tugged one side open, leaving enough space for himself to fit through. A howling of wind pushed against his quills as he held the door open to get himself out.

Sonic closed the door behind him, holding the hinge down against the rushing wind trying to flee inside so as not to make any noise. The wooden door drummed as he closed it. The hedgehog quietly stepped back and made his way down the small set of stairs, his soles tapping lightly against the cobblestone flooring, his ears catching the hums of chirping bugs.

He looked around, spotting the two moons as he studied the courtyard, though it was almost impossible to see a few feet ahead of him even with the light of the moons as the darkness of space was incredibly dense. As far as he knew, the blue blur could only assume that it was the dead of night.

He looked up to the stars, and with a halfhearted attempt, tried finding any constellations he knew; there wasn't anything remotely close to what he recognized within the galaxy. Sonic sighed, slightly crestfallen. Where ever he was, out in the depths of space, he was unbelievably far from home.

Sonic closed his eyes as he listened to the calm air around him, his ears twitching with every small change in the breeze. He could recognize the sound of bugs flying, the beat of their tiny little wings, the grass flowing and sliding along each other's base with the wind, and crickets chirping amidst the grass. It was so very much like his own world, with echoes of nature bringing out memories of his adventures throughout the earth's landscapes.

Sonic closed his eyes and rose his arms out; the fresh wind beating against his skin and fur was soothing to the hedgehog. That saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same, was right. Some sensations, some feelings, no matter the land, always remained constant in the ebbs of life. Following this train of thought, a light of optimism came upon Sonic as he went to a mesmerizing epiphany.

This is a whole new world, a real new life given. He could explore as much as he wanted with the land and always discover new things beyond his comprehension. He could run through terrain that would never exist back home and it would probably be just as otherworldly as the abilities of those monks. He could find hidden gifts from the scenery this world had to offer.

Really, the more he thought into the idea, the more he grew interested and curious about the world around him. There was so much to discover and so much to learn from this new realm before him. The more he pondered, his sense of adventure, his yearning for the thrills of life piqued considerably. He became enraptured with the mysteries of this new life as the idea took hold.

Surprisingly, the hedgehog took this all in stride, apart from the crucial list of things to do. Priority one was collecting the chaos emeralds, from understanding the language of this world, and finding a way to save his home was his endgame. As his mind continued wandering, he realized just how necessary it would be to understand these people's language to get anywhere meaningful in his goals.

He can think this through later. For right now, he just wanted to run.

By the time he was done exploring his mind, Sonic had found himself just outside the gates of the building, whatever its name or purpose standing among a field. He blinked and turned back, the academy's doors a distance away from the trail out to the gate. Had he been so lost in his thoughts?

Sonic watched for a moment before the chirps of a nearby bug broke his concentration. He shook his head lightly and made a stance as he dragged his foot back, rocking his soles against the earth as the dust was disturbed. He brought his fingers to the dirt trail where he stood and leaned down, preparing his run. The soft noises of the night were drowned out as adrenaline pulsed through his veins. The hedgehog took a deep breath, letting the fresh air enter his lungs with a newfound sense of determination.

The sight in front of him seemed very alluring, and without missing a beat, the hedgehog blasted off to the plains as a resounding boom echoed across the courtyard. Sonic's arms swung around him, back and forth in a rhythmic tempo, a blitzing metronome as his body blurred against the night, no longer withheld by another passenger and free to go at a pace of his choosing. So, he chose to go at a light jog first, warm up his body, and take in the plains' view in the night. Sonic smirked as he saw just a few feet of him, some lightning bugs flying and illuminating the night with their luminescent tails, and he turned in his path to meet up with the bugs, his speed ever slightly increasing as he neared them.

Right as Sonic passed by the visible wandering bugs, immediately his presence and speed scattered the rest hiding in the blades of the grass at night. They all flew, disturbed from their nightly feast showering the portion of the plains in a flurry of blurring yellow lights. Sonic smiled wildly as they rose up to the sky and trailed beside him, scattering everywhere like shooting stars. He ran even faster in the night as the wind blew against him fiercely.

Just the way he liked it.

Sonic swung out his arms, dragging them behind his back as his fingers flowed along with the wind like silky threads. Sonic breathed deeply as his nostrils picked up the scents and flora of the wildflowers, plants, and shrubs that grew along with the plains. The tall spindly blades of the plains swished lightly like a downpour of whispers around Sonic, both invigorating in its otherworldliness and calming in the night. Running along the wavy plains and leaving a thick trail behind him as he delved deeper into the heart of the plains, Sonic jumped as he ran into a small incline, bringing his arms out fully as he fell down to the earth.

Mere inches from the ground, Sonic tucked himself in and rolled fiercely against the windy air. The speeds at which he went, along with his asymmetrical ball formation in the wind, incurred the Magnusson effect as his form swung up and inclined higher in the air as he increased the speed of his projectile ball formation. Before he slammed into the ground and slid against the rough dirt floor on his soles, Sonic turned to the nearby meadows and blasted off towards the pasture, leaving behind a blue blur. More lightning bugs scattered to the wind, and the ethereal peace, cast in the dark twilight by the beauty of the terrain, soothed his soul. The little twinkling lights reminded him of the street corners in Starlight Zone.

Sonic breezed past the plains' brushes and found himself amid the meadows he trekked through earlier, the floor underneath him rough and bumpy. As he ran through the terrain, the uneven ground allowed him for some air time as he oft found himself flying through the night sky; and what a glorious view it was, the world bathed in the night from where he was high above.

He fell down and continued running, and within his short time running out in the night, he saw a thick blanket of sheer darkness jutting up against the light of the moons. Sonic was curious about the sizeable imposing abyss the blot catered, and he shifted his mindless running to the general direction of the dark mass.

He dragged his soles against the ground, sliding on the rough patch of dirt as he came across the gates of the dark swarths, and realized as the faint light of the moons shined on the dark mass. The hedgehog understood then that he was in the same forest where he and his companion were in earlier. He came to a stop and stared at the edge of the forest, watching, letting the tall trees overpower him in their grandiosity. As he contemplated the scenery before him, Sonic's ears prickled as he could've sworn he heard the faintest ringing of bells.

Sonic rose a brow as he turned to the direction of the sounds. It seemed to have come from within the forest. Curious and on edge, the hedgehog jogged up within the forest trees, listening carefully for the sounds again. It appeared to get louder and more surreal, like the sounds escaped in some kind of mist instead of waves.

Using the tree trunks, Sonic leaped into the air, grabbing and bouncing off the numerous scattered amounts of trees as he neared. It was surprisingly dark in the forest, though that was mostly given by how compact and tall the trees were. Their bountiful leaves blocked the light of the moons entirely.

His small endeavor came to a halt as he came upon a clearing in the forest; surprisingly, his eyes were granted shards of moonlight piercing through the open cracks above the trees, enough for him to marvel at the natural spectacle occurring before him.

In the center of the clearing was a proportionally large pool, a bit shallow in its depth, and around it were glowing buds from the natural fauna surrounding it.

The flowers were stunning, and just as Sonic heard, they sang like bells. Although, when he dropped down onto the turf of the ground beneath him and approached the scenery, up close, they were like misty whispers. The hedgehog walked up to the edge of the pool, staring down at his reflection curiously. His blue color was almost hard to make out thanks to the darkness surrounding him, but Sonic paid no mind to his mirrored discernment as he kneeled down next to the pool, holding his fingers over the surface of the water.

As if in a trance, the hedgehog found himself dipping his digits past the plane of molecular difference and dragged his fingers around mindlessly. The water, disturbed from the outside force against it, trailed along with his hand. Sonic smiled childishly as he played along the water's edge. The water was nice and cool. Sonic retreated his fingers as he surveyed around the clearing and found, of all the buds, the brightest and incredibly breathtaking lone flower by the brush.

Sonic made his way to the flower with awe lacing his eyes. It was a sight to behold; he saw many flowers of an exotic kind back in his adventures, but nothing quite like this. It seemed more mystifying than even the natural fauna of Little Planet, and they powered machines! Sonic squatted carefully as he tenderly felt around its smooth and moist bud. The radiance of the flower only endeared him to it as little nectar spores flew from its depths and tickled his nose.

He smiled happily, enjoying the simple pleasures of life. As he made his way to stand back up again, a thought crossed him. The girl from before, the one sleeping alone in the nursery, seemed so... sad and lost. He remembered the tone of her gasps, the way her brows curled up with uncertainty, both hopeful and so very resigned, how she trembled in her steps as she commanded herself with all her might to go up to him, ignoring her bursting nerves.

By how rare it was to see any traces of happiness within her, Sonic decided that she needed to cheer up, to smile. It looked nice on her the few moments she gave one. Really, it fits onto her with stunning grace, like a cherry on top. Sonic glanced down at the flower, and he knew exactly what'd brighten up her day. Sonic brought his fingers together, ready to pierce the ground by making his hands as flat and seamless as possible, and thrust his hands into the ground like butter.

Sonic's face hardened and steeled in concentration as he gingerly brought the flower up from the earth, its roots still intact. The blue hedgehog smiled eagerly as he held it up. The flower would no longer grow its beauty alone without purpose, without any spectators to come and marvel at the beautiful masterpiece standing still against the weather like a statue. It would have a home, a home to someone who could watch it grow, would appreciate the beauty there, would understand the triumph of its existence against the loneliness of the shrouded forest, of the life surrounding it.

Sonic wiped his dirtied gloves, pondering. At first, his only reason for going out here was to clear up his head and forget about his worries for a moment, but his run gradually shaped up to be a little mission, a journey of treasures for the pink-haired girl. It didn't bother the hedgehog. If anything, he wished to find more exotic flowers, not only to satiate his newfound curiosity of discovering new vegetation but to gift the girl as well. Even if the gesture was just some flowers, the thought was all that mattered.

Sonic turned back to where he came from in the forest and had an idea. Why not pick up some flowers on his run? They could act like checkpoints, and he would be on his merry way to a new geographical region, running around its land until he found another.

Sonic ran back out into the forest, letting himself bounce around with the maze of tree branches, hopping on their arms, and flying up higher to get a view of the woods. Sonic continued this little game in the forest until he neared the edge where the meadow and forest came to a head. Seeing the border closing in, Sonic plopped back down to the branches of the trees, swinging single-handedly and catapulting himself to the ground. Somersaulting as he landed before seamlessly pulling himself up to his feet, Sonic carried his momentum as he bulleted through the forest and out into the meadow.

For the rest of his run, Sonic's sights were firmly planted in the ground, glancing around himself for any flowers that stuck out to the hedgehog. He figured they should complement the girl's colors, pink and vanilla, and so he watched carefully, using the bud as a little light source to find the flowers that matched the description. He jumped as he felt a ditch coming up ahead, though as he landed, his soles crashed against a camouflaged rock and sent him tumbling through the air.

Sonic gasped, surprised as he suddenly lost his footing. Out of habit, he rolled against the rough and uneven terrain, smacking into some rocks. The hedgehog popped out of his spherical form and skidded to a halt. He turned and veered around to witness the near sudden mistake. That was close... he could've spiraled off his speed, maybe worsen his wound if he wasn't careful.

Sonic glanced around himself, looking still, all for that elusive flower of his imagination. And there he found it. A thick brush was a flowerbed growing incredibly stunning wreaths of petals out of their stems in a partially closed-off space. Sonic eagerly took a handful, plucking the flowers out by their roots carefully considerate of their lives. He was a preservationist to the end, and a dying flower plucked out by its stems hurt him all the same to a dying ecosystem.

The wind picked up behind Sonic. His ears tussled against the sharp draft as it brushed him forward. Sonic took a step to recompose himself, looking up to notice a large mass like a mountain illuminated by the two moons' combined lights bathing it in a neon red and blue glow like Cinema 3D glasses. He stared up at the mountain curiously as the windy roars echo off its slanted surface before a sly grin slid between the corners of his face. Sonic walked up to the direction of the large mound of the earth and gradually, ever so slightly, applied more force into his movements. He went faster, faster, until his feet blurred against the air as he rocketed towards the mountain.

The hedgehog's figure whizzed in the twilight of the moons, and with a jump, he ran up the rough surface of the mountain. His momentum abruptly kicked back to slow base speed, but the hedgehog persisted, maintaining his pace as he scurried up the rugged terrain, the windy air screaming and pushing against him.

Rocks tumbled and echoed at the origins of his trek, its base disturbing the loose dirt and tall boulders near the bottom of the mountain, kicking up a thunderstorm of rocks. They fell unceremoniously, rocking the earth underneath as an avalanche of dust and rocks spilled below.

Sonic hopped up against the rough terrain of the mountain, zigzagging to the next viable spot to rest his soles on to continue his glide on the surface of the jutted land. Though his quick wits were put to the test as he made a jump towards an unintended spot, a rock piercing out the side of the mountain irregularly, and as Sonic's weight and speed crashed onto it, the rock crumbled apart in two and slid down the earth.

Sonic yelped as he suddenly plummeted down the side of the mountain on top of the giant albeit flat rock piece. Steadying himself on the new platform, with quick thinking and intuition, he righted the rock like a board and guided it down a smoother, less-vicious path that would grate the rock to dust. Sonic leaned left and right as he slid down the surface of the mountain, the improv surfboard slowly thinning as it ground against tiny rocks that ate the board's underside. An unexpected bumpy segment down the level threw the hedgehog off his intended path as he landed onto a rough patch where its sharp and tall rocks tore at the makeshift board Sonic rode on. Tiny pieces of debris flew out from his sides.

Sonic nearly yelped as long and deadly blades of boulders leaned into the narrow open path he took, forcing Sonic to hop and slide his legs around to avoid tearing his limbs. The surface then suddenly inclined, and Sonic braced himself as he squatted on the board before jumping off the naturally formed ramp, flying off against the night so high up in the sky, his shadow cascaded down on the earth as he was caught square in the middle of the lights of the twin moons. Sonic whistled, amazed by the twilight shadow cast onto his fur before he anchored his hands onto the board. Sonic leaned back as he flipped around and pulled out a few tricks, the wind whopping loudly and excitedly as he bulleted toward a splintered segment of the mountain.

Sonic leaned forward; he fell, bulleting down from the heavens, before jumping with all his might against the board. With only seconds of avoiding sudden death, it shattered into dust as it crashed into the area. Sonic unfurled himself, gliding further down the mountain until the heels of his shoes had made land. Although, by touch-down, he soon tumbled the rest of the way. His spastic rolling escalated into a whirlwind of spinning around uncontrollably. Upon first notice that he wasn't going to be slowing down anytime soon, Sonic whipped his hand out and pierced them down on the earth, dragging them along with him as he tried stopping the weight of his own inertia. After a few moments, the hedgehog came to a slow halt, and Sonic breathlessly tore his grip from the ground, the tips of his fingers feeling as cold as ice. Sonic's breath hitched, and he shuddered intensely, not out of fear but rush, the adrenaline coursing through his blood like a tsunami.

Sonic cupped his hands as he blew his breath on them, trying to regain sensibility on his fingers before he slid his hands together, fiercely until smoke flowed from his gloves. Whew, nice and warm.

The icy wind cooled his scattered and eager mind, allowing him to focus on keeping an even breath as he exhaled. A snowy, frosted, and cloudy plume escaped from his lips. Sonic flapped his hands as he glanced around himself casually, his breaths coming in intensely, gradually residing to a normal tempo and intensity as he checked out the area he was in. In his half-hearted once over, he noticed the brush surrounding him and the lines of flowers scattered around him.

Sonic blinked inquisitively and in surprise. Flowers that grew even as high as where he was? They must be some strong and resilient plants.

His eyes glazed over the batch as he studied their looks, deciding which of the flora would double nicely with the flowers he already collected. He walked around before he spotted what he looked for. It didn't look like anything he'd seen in his world; the colors felt so right with his bunch. Sonic eagerly picked at the flower and plucked it from the ground along with its roots, rising back to his feet to inspect the flower closely. His head bobbed side-to-side as he pondered. He smiled, placing the flower along with the rest.

This would do.

With the scattered feeling of rush and surprise sliding down the mountain still lingering within him, Sonic hopped up to a tree, grabbing onto a jittering branch, and swung himself onto it, spinning over and over until he had gained enough air and speed to shoot far like a sling. Sonic let go just as his ears caught the branch snapping from his weight as he soared up in the air. As his feet impacted the sloped wall, disturbing the plump of snow underneath him, he began his trek up the mountain.

The hedgehog hopped over cliffs, avoiding falling rocks, bouncing atop trees with grace, all while collecting more flowers in his mindless adrenaline-fueled haste up the tip of the mountain. The higher he climbed to the peak of the mountain, the denser and fierce the weather became as the clouds rose underneath the twin moons, bathing Sonic in extreme darkness blanketed by the snow pouring down on him. The faster he went, the stronger the howls of the winds, their monstrous shrieks of death became emboldened by his brashness to scale the mountain.

Sonic merely smirked in the face of his natural adversity. The will of nature against his nature merely served to invigorate him, and he sped faster up the mountain whilst covered in a thicket of darkness.

Finally, after passing a particularly rough and jagged path up the mountain, Sonic neared the peak of his journey where the jagged rocks jutting against the earth's surface flattened and sharpened at the very tips of the inclined surface. Sonic hopped along the rigid and sharp boulders scattered everywhere on top of the mountain. When they crumbled underneath his weight and speed, every so often, Sonic hugged the walls of the mountainside and ran along its side before hopping back onto an exposed limb to grasp. Launching himself from a distant limb, Sonic collided with a flattened platform of the mountain to gain his footing, and as he landed, he glanced to see the very tip of the mountain at a short distance.

Sonic smiled before the deathly cold wind brushed against his fur, and he grimaced slightly. The air became fainter than he imagined, thinning out the oxygen within his lungs. He revved himself into a ball and scaled all limbs to the very side of the tallest piece of the mountain. Grabbing ahold of the tip of the mountain, he swung around its stem like a pole before he perched himself on its surface. Sonic breathed profoundly and carefully as he felt the wind become much lighter; here he was, the end of his run on top of a freezing cold mountain where the clouds met and fogged his view of the earth underneath.

The land, wherever he was and what it was called, looked beautiful from this spot, even if a bit unclear and blurry from where he stood. Sonic watched and basked in his view of the landscape. It looked so heavenly, utopic. He was almost entranced by the beauty of the geography where nature stretched endlessly out. Sonic laughed, happily raising his hand cusped with flowers into the air as he leaped off the pole, falling back down to the earth; his troubles, all but forgotten and dealt with in his small run.

It was nearing the middle of the night when he finally came down the mountain, and as he plummeted further down, Sonic rolled into a ball, increasing his speed and momentum tremendously. He bounced and bounced down the side of the mountain in his ball form, but as he continued his roll, he burrowed deep into a layer of smooth and slushy snow, causing it to depart from its spot and smash against loose quick-snow.

Sonic unfurled himself from his ball form and turned around, running full speed backward as he tried discerning the thunderous rumbling behind him and why the floor underneath him shook and tumbled softly. His questions were answered by a wave of snow coming down and crashing against the earth, disturbing the snowy floor underneath and kicking up clouds and wisps of snow. Sonic smirked and readjusted to run ahead normally, pulling his arms back as he blurred against the earth and tore up the snow in two, dividing the trail behind him in two as he rocketed down the slope.

A resounding boom echoed, and the cracking of ice followed. From a distance, the bank in which Sonic tore erupted in a massive cloud of snow. A moment later, Sonic reappeared in front of the academy's entrance, the air and wind deathly silent as he slid on the terrain. Sonic turned to find the dirt being kicked up seconds later. Instantaneously a mighty clap resounded, and a gush of wind blew against Sonic's face. He hardly staggered in place as it blew by, his soles just slightly pushed back. Sonic closed his eyes and smiled contently; the cold icy wind in the meadow's moderate temperature was very welcoming, and he basked in the calming breeze.

A moment later, Sonic shook himself from his trance, blinking as he stared around himself and the flowers in hand; all was good. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. He was a little worried he got caught up in his joyride around the mountain. Sonic held the group of flowers firmly in his grasp, and the hedgehog looked to the towering building in front of him. Once more, the thoughts from prior welled up in his head, but where there was once a bitter acceptance and grief, there was stoic neutrality of his situation.

With his mind washed of the tension, anxiety, and despair in his little run, Sonic frowned with a wandering look. Walking to the campus entrance steadily, his mind was occupied with determining his next move.

Firstly, there was the language barrier; so long as he remained here, which he had a feeling would be a good while, the total lack of communication would be a cumbersome obstacle to face. He would need directions, names of places, landmarks and the like which required a knowledge of their language. Speaking and conversing was out; for now, what remained were maps and a scaling system, which would likely be language locked too, unfortunately.

There were the stars— ah, no, that wouldn't work; the entire alignment of stars is all out of whack here, star mapping wouldn't work. So, all Sonic could hope on now was a map. Indeed this place would have one. The people inside seemed to work with ancient technology. Maps had to be plentiful; otherwise, they couldn't go anywhere without getting lost, right?

Oh, and there was the food too.

Sonic stopped suddenly as he was within an arm's reach of the entrance steps, his face and his eyes growing wide in realization.

Oh, the food; How was he supposed to get food now? The berries and the fruits would look utterly different from his own, wouldn't they? The tricks to determine if a fruit or veggie is not poisonous likely didn't apply here—Sonic glanced to the bright flowers in his grasp. If he tried to be self-sufficient, every fruit he would come across and eat would be a fifty/fifty toss-up of death. Just wonderful, he had to contend with exotic foods too!

Sonic lightly shook his head, slightly overcome by the choices crossing him, and instead, he went to walk up the steps. Again he stopped as something else came about.

Where would the flowers rest?

He took a step back and looked around the courtyard; surely they'd have a small pot lying around somewhere.

Sonic hopped off from his perch on top of the steps and jogged lightly around the courtyard, looking around for a random pot lying around somewhere. The moons were directly above him, allowing him to see better in the night, and that's when he noticed a small cottage just propped up in the middle of the courtyard, jutting against the symmetrical design of the enclosure up to this point, piquing the hedgehog's interest.

He came up to the cottage, and sure enough, he found some pots laying about in the front entrance. He curiously rose a brow at the mess but put aside his intrigue as he rummaged around. There, finding a perfectly sized empty pot laying around the quarters of the servants, he hurriedly made his way back to the nursery, pausing momentarily to scoop up dirt to place inside the pot as he entered the building.

Within the midst of the night, Sonic quietly walked the building's hallways, the silence for whatever reason compelled him to be quiet. The place felt odd at night with no living souls running around; things felt dead and yet unnatural, paranormal. The atmosphere almost reminded him of a short film he watched titled "Night of the Were..." Sonic shook from his strange reverie; reading one too many ghost stories with haunted mansions was healthy, he figured.

As Sonic walked further down the building's halls, he heard a faint sound, the sounds of footsteps, of movement, and he could've sworn there was music. He paused in his steps, brow raised as he regarded the noise uncertain and yet inquisitive. Sonic internally debated as he shifted in his actions whether or not to investigate the noises as he looked between the hallway he was going and the alternate stone pathway. Thinking on his toes, he readjusted his movement and jogged down the other hallway.

It wouldn't hurt to take a quick peek, right?

Sonic came to a gradual halt as he came across the dining hall from earlier. The trails of fires on the pedestals of the chandelier all extinguished, basking the hall in darkness with the only sources of light originating from the moons peering at the space by the open windows. His mind wandered listlessly as he regarded the room. The noises suddenly calmed, and the hedgehog found himself alone yet feeling a presence of some sort.

Again, that haunt crept up his spine and he shuddered suddenly as a faint gust brushed his spikes.

Sonic turned to the walls, he didn't notice before but lined up along all the walls of the dining hall were tiny and yet intricately designed sculptures of humans in the midst of their duties. Sonic whistled at the craftwork of the statues. They were very well made.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary from what he could tell, the hedgehog went to turn; his ear twitched as he heard the grinding of wood. Sonic paused and immediately turned around, using the glowing bud in his hands as a makeshift flashlight. He held himself defensively, prepared for any foe that might try to get the drop on him, but instead, Sonic found one of the statues off of their spot in the wall and more coming off, moving... alive!

Sonic watched, amazed as the statues gingerly brought themselves off their rows in the wall and onto the floor, helping each other along the way. They moved in a rhythmic flashy and exaggerated fashion like it was some kind of musical or dance.

He stared, befuddled at the statues' actions as they continued to dance together, arms locked as they danced around the room reverently. His ear twitched as again he heard music, the crinkling of a music box somewhere in the room. The notes it played, as simple as it were, were solemn and yet soothing. Sonic breathed deeply as the music coursed through his ears, and he relaxed his stiff posture.

Why were they dancing so late at night? Was it because of the moons or something? Was it some kind of curse? Sonic scratched his head unsurely, but he was relieved by their innocent behavior. He even found himself captivated by their dance routine, their charming choreography.

Somehow, he felt like the guy in that one museum movie; completely glued to his spot as he watched them continue. Though, instead of remaining baffled at the scene, he chuckled at the strange movements. The hedgehog swayed side to side, entertained by their quaint performance as the solely disregarded audience of their nightly dance.

Time passed by like the wind as he watched them grow more extravagant and mesmerizing the longer they went. Sonic leaned close and held the glowing bud to see better; he had a feeling the dance was climbing up to something, something grand and exciting. Though as he did, one of the small statues flew from the group. The big wave of bodies they were portraying was too sudden. Sonic gasped and reached for the statue, and she landed on his glove comfortably, cushioned from its fall.

The statue holding onto Sonic's glove slid down from his hand before it stood up, turning around to face Sonic. She stared at him with wide thankful eyes, and she gestured for Sonic to come closer. The blue hedgehog curiously obliged, squatting to level with the statue, and she smiled back, placing a peck on his cheek. Sonic laughed, a little embarrassed as he scratched his head.

It was no problem, always happy to help.

The statue, with a pep in her step, skipped a few paces back and stopped, leaning her head to a side curiously as the statue linked its fingers together, swaying side to side on its feet. She stared deep into his eyes, searching. Then she came to Sonic, grasping his hands, and gestured to the crowd behind them, beckoning Sonic to join the statues dance. Sonic smiled toothily and awkwardly, shaking his head. He shouldn't dance with them, otherwise, the wood statues might get trampled!

The wooden figure frowned softly at Sonic before she turned to the glowing bud in his other hand, and a mischievous look crossed her. She bobbed on her feet before it leaped and pulled a flower from Sonic's grasp, turning on its heels and ran to the synchronized dancing bodies. Sonic grimaced in shock as it scampered away, and he rose to his feet, his brows furrowed.

Give that back, little thief! Sonic sneered with a challenging undertone.

Taking a step, the little figure was within his grasp until suddenly it decided to toss the bud deeper into the group. With a faint brush to its movement, the flower glided across as one of the little figures jumped up to catch it. The flower puffed and glowing dust scattered in the room. Seemingly, by the flower's presence, the little figurines adapted their dance, incorporating the flower into their pirouette session. Sonic hopped on one foot as his heels nearly crashed against the figures, trying simultaneously to take the flower back and not damage the little people.

Sonic leaned back with a mischievous smirk. So they really want to play this game, do they?

This chase repeated itself over, often with Sonic coming close to capturing the little flower before it was ripped from his grasp by a random figurine. He had to sway around, twirling along with his toes as the flower glided between the figurines.

With an arsenal of kickflips, small hops, and an ever-changing tempo of tricks, Sonic avoided the small statues with style.

His arsenal of acrobatics was diverse, performing small hops and tricks to avoid crashing into the figurines.

Finally seeing an opening to catch the darn thing, Sonic ran towards the central dining table, hopping onto its surface and cartwheeling across on his fingertips as the wooden figurines closed in, jumping high up. At the center of the table, the wooden figures piled up onto each other, hopping and locking arms as they stood on top of their brethren's shoulders. So methodically and precisely they were very structured rapid, and disciplined in their little tower of bodies; like a cheerleading squad.

The flower hovered down where the figurines were, and it was mere centimeters away from their tiny dainty hands when Sonic flew above them, his eyes crossing all of theirs as he swung by and yanked the flower from them. Sonic kick flipped as he came down before he spun around in place on his tips, on one hand, the flower, and the other the flower pot, and as he blurred on the surface of the table, he secured the flower back in the pot before planting his soles firmly on the ground cementing him to a stop. Sonic opened his eyes, surprised as he heard clapping all around him. He turned around and saw the little figurines stop in their dance, facing him and clapping happily.

Sonic rose his brows bashfully as he clumsily bowed to his sudden audience; they must've been impressed with his acrobatics or thought that he was freestyling. He hopped down from the table, scratching his head wearily as the wooden figures crowded around him in awe. He gingerly stepped around the figures, which gradually resumed their dancing. Sonic walked back to his spot, turning around with a hand on his hip and with an appreciating smile as he watched them continue onwards uninterrupted.

"Dance, interesting." A quiet voice spoke beside the hedgehog in a dry, monotonous tone.

Sonic whirled around to face the intruder, startled as he threw the pot from his hands and juggled it to keep from falling. Suddenly it froze mid-air. Sonic stopped and watched, bewildered as it slowly hovered down, plopping perfectly in his grasp.

W-what?

Sonic gazed at the flower pot, bewildered by its ability to hover in place suddenly. Sonic glanced up to the owner of the voice, refocusing his vision, and saw, just barely illuminated by the light of the moons, a girl putting away a staff staring blankly at the dancing figurines. Sonic looked between his pot of flowers and the girl a few times and asked wordlessly if she was the reason it floated. The girl didn't respond, still staring ahead; the only sign of life from her was a single drawn-out blink.

The girl stood deathly still, like a statue. He was almost convinced the girl was another figurine until he noticed the faintest rise and fall of her chest. Well, company was always nice, he supposed. Sonic flicked his gaze between the wooden statues prancing about and the girl anxiously as questions razed his head.

Why is she up so late? Wouldn't these folks have a curfew of sorts and how long has she been here? Sonic realized he hadn't gotten a good look at her yet, and so he steeled himself to peek quickly.

Sonic glanced aside. The first thing that stood out to Sonic was her hair. It was a light shade of blue, like his quills. What's with these people and wacky hair colors? Still, it was a very light shade of blue. It had to be natural considering the time period. Like the pink-haired girl, she wore the exact same clothing: a white buttoned-up shirt, plaid midi skirt, and a cloak that reached her ankles.

So there 'was' a hierarchy of sorts, but of what reasoning or purpose behind he wasn't certain yet. Sonic peered down at her face and noticed she wore glasses. It hung loosely on the bridge of her nose, though she didn't seem to mind. A faint draft passed by them, and the peculiar girl's glasses slid a bit lower, resting on the crown of her dainty little nose. The girl blinked, her eyes taken from the dancing wooden figures to her glasses; her eyes crossed. The azure girl brought two fingers to her face and pulled her glasses back in place, her hand was almost covered entirely by her long sleeves, and only her knuckles were laid bare to see.

The glass glinted in the twilight as she glanced back at Sonic, her deep blue orbs leaning down and entrapping his eyes in her gaze. Sonic smiled awkwardly as he gave a half-hearted wave.

Hi?

...She didn't wave back.

Sonic furrowed his brow, bringing his hand down. She's still looking. Sonic shifted in his feet and glanced around her, mildly uncomfortable as she just... stared. Sonic leaned on one of his feet, and her eyes trailed along with him, still staring even as he stood back in his resting pose. The girl's face gave no indication of what she was doing or felt; it was blank, neutral. Sonic shivered as a tingle grew on his back, he didn't know what it was, but she made him feel off.

Just when his nerves were starting to get rattled, she turned to look back at the performance before them, all tension suddenly vanishing to the night. Sonic rose a brow, mouth slightly opened in a questioning look, but he dropped his uneasiness just wanting to move on. Sonic pursed his lips, a bit put off by her standoffish behavior, but he shrugged it off. He came to her and stood by her side, watching along. The outlines of their heads, their forms basked in the shadow of the night while the twilight splayed in the foreground were in sync as they watched and turned their heads, following along in perfect disciplined motion.

"Unique performers." The girl suddenly stated, breaking the peaceful quiet.

Sonic turned to her. Huh?

She still stared ahead, "Alviss. Enchanted statues. Come alive at night... to partake in dance. The first rays of light return to their spot and die. They come alive at night dancing again, forever... sad."

She turned to him, her eyes now hyper-focused on his own. They wavered slightly, deep in something. "I watch every night, their dance of blue." She leaned forward till her face was mere inches from his. Sonic leaned back. His face appearing unnerved, her face appearing sharp; the girl blinked leisurely and gradually with exaggerated motions. "It's all very blue... like me, like you." Her last words escaped her breath and brushed against Sonic's face.

Sonic squirmed underneath her gaze. Seriously what's with her?

The strange girl hovered mere inches away from him, gazing deeply into his pitch-black charcoal eyes, searching. Searching for what the blue hedgehog didn't know. A moment later, the girl hummed softly before she took a step back and came upon her spot again, her face softening, blank, and emotionally reserved as before. Sonic quickly stood up from his tense form and relaxed, albeit a little hesitantly. He didn't know what the girl said nor understand her problem, but he could figure out the little statues' dance meant something to the girl. Sonic watched as one of those statues came up to the girl and offered a hand. Wordlessly the mysterious girl refused the offer with the shake of her head.

"Partaking."

The statue simply nodded and returned to the rest, still dancing along to the night. The girl's lips parted. "Wish to join?..." She turned to find herself alone in the corridor, the lone watcher, the audience of their dance.

---

Sonic took this chance to leave, and he did so with great vigor of silence. He'd been held up long enough.

He kept his formal quiet all the way until he reached the hallway he believed the maid girl led him. Well, he believed so anyway because all the entrance doors and hallways looked the exact same.

Sonic wore a tired and dry smile. More looking, oh joy.

The hedgehog walked around for a short while, trying vainly to recall which room the girl resided in. He came to a door his sight just happened to be upon and started with it, opening the door there was—nothing, Sonic closed the door. The hedgehog went to the room beside and opened the door... not it. Sonic frowned slightly as he closed the door and went to the next. This routine went on for several more times, each door leading him further away from what he was looking for, with rooms catering to all sorts of purposes; then, he was just fed up. Seriously, who doesn't designate the purpose of a room with a symbol at least, or differentiate the entrance door! The lettering revealed nothing to him!

Sonic stopped at the center of the hallway, looking miffed. Screw it.

All at once, Sonic tore through the hallway within a flash, his faint outline coming to and from each and every room of the corridor and simultaneously appearing as if he never took a foot from his spot in the middle of the hallway. Sonic came back to his spot and reappeared fully as is before he tore through the hallway and into another. Sonic's feet screeched against the floor as he came upon the entrance of the other hallway. The hedgehog took a breath in preparation as he quickly skimmed down the doors lining the stretch of rooms. Sonic sighed, relieved when he came upon a door he sworn was the one the maid girl came to was the right room.

The petite girl was still there, still sleeping peacefully in the same position she was in when Sonic left her. She made no indication that the blue hedgehog disturbed her sleep in his haste to find her. The hedgehog closed the door behind him carefully, making sure no loud noises disturb her sleep. Gingerly, Sonic came upon the bedside where the girl laid and placed the pot on top of the nightstand beside her. He took a step back and watched. The flowers looked nice with her; the scenery looked comfy with what he could see.

Now all there was left for him to do was wait. Wait and get questions answered by morning. Despite his little stunts on his run and his restrictive on-the-spot rules to debilitate him in his run, it did zilch to help pass the time waiting as it only took the hedgehog half an hour running around aimlessly in the area before he launched down the base of the mountain top. The night was still suffocating as he stood there. Maybe... maybe the only other way to kill time was to take a nap? Upon the mere thought of sleep, the hedgehog yawned, bringing a hand over his mouth. Yeah, maybe it was time to get some shut-eye.

Sonic hopped onto the bed next to Louise, laying himself as comfortably as he could onto the rough-looking sheets that sat underneath him. As he plopped himself onto the bed, the feeling was even more pronounced; it was unnaturally awkward, with stiff, almost grainy parts on one end of the bed and soft parts on another end. Regardless, he tried focusing on getting some rest. He closed his eyes and tried going to sleep. Sonic grunted, tossing around to find the perfect spot to sleep, but try as he might, this stubborn bed refused to give him any sort of comfort for his ailing mind. He tried vainly for a few more minutes before he gave up and stood from his bed. Sonic hopped from the bed, slipping on his shoes, and walked out of the room irritated, albeit quietly. The hard surface of the bed ruined his mood; a bay of hale was more comfortable than that, even the rough textures of the palm trees on his island were more comfortable than those frilly things they call beds.

Sonic swiftly twirled and closed the door softly, glancing and looking around the door to ensure he didn't forget the room this time, before heading off to the exit. Troublesome as it may be with the complicated maze of corridors, even coincidentally ending up at the dining hall again, he eventually made his way to the courtyard and wandered around aimlessly, searching for something. That something was a spot to sleep in, and that spot he could see by the faint distant landscape of a group of flower beds huddled near each other. The flowers themselves were an assortment of warm colors mirroring one another, the main takeaway being white, yellow, orange, and a light shade of red. Strange as it may be, the colors were the only recognizable thing that remained anchored in Sonic's memory, and even as he successfully scored himself a large flower bed, the shape of said flowers were odd. Well, he probably should've figured that out by now. He's in a different world after all. Not everything will be the same here as it would be on Earth.

Upon rounding the lone flower bed once and finding a clearing within the barrage of blooming buds, Sonic hopped onto the opening and sat down on the ground, careful to avoid crushing any form of plant life. Although it was somewhat difficult to fit into the small crevices between the stems of every flower, Sonic's concerns were wiped away as soon as a yawn crept onto his face. His need for sleep was starting to calm him, lulling him to lay back and cushion his head with his gloves. The swish of grass waving along with the breeze only further added to the onslaught of exhaustion quickly catching up to the hedgehog.

Somehow, with the remaining minutes he had left before his pale eyelids would close, a stream of thoughts came onto Sonic. It was almost as if his mind decided to play a recording of his memories of every event that lead up to this single moment. From his wake at Christmas Island to the chase for Robotnik, from the workshop to the destruction of the Tornado, from his super transformation to the horrifying discovery of the doctor's newest plans, from his struggles of prevention to the beginning of a looming nightmare...

And then he ended up right here.

Sonic wondered if his reaction towards his circumstances were unnatural. Then again, he didn't have much time to think through such things as soon as he arrived in this new world; a girl collapsed onto his arms as soon as he arrived here. Maybe he subconsciously, out of shock, treated this as another adventure. Like if it was just somewhere really far from... home. Sonic shook his mind. No, no justifying, no rationalization of his circumstances; he still had a duty to his world. Sonic found his eyes watering and trembling as he yawned, and his mind washed to the depths of his subconsciousness.

Darkness encased him.

---

End Chapter 3.

Well, congratulations! You just finished the chapter and now we're here.

...

I can explain.

It's been nearly 4 months and a whole lot of things happened on our end. You're probably wondering where we've been and this author's note will answer a few questions.

First (for the older fans), are you dead? Both of us are still alive and we're still typing.

Second, what took so long? Let's say that real-life pulls you aside for a good minute. We had responsibilities that we had to fulfill.

Third, are you the real Tokubi? Yes, we are the same creators. The 2 reasons for the name change was because I wanted to change it and because some security related issues forced us to move all our progress onto another account. I also decided to change my profile pic to include my editor. It was surprising that he only wanted a stick figure representing himself. He was adamant about making sure that he was A-Posing.

To follow up with the second question on a different note, there have been a lot of changes to the third chapter. Surprisingly enough, despite how short these 2 chapters were, we've made around 7 different versions of this chapter, as long as this one with each going in different directions. Because of how little time we had to jump back onto the story, we lost touch/traction of the direction of the plot. In order to regain our creative foundation, it took us weeks, thousands of words, and multitudes of files to realize that we were overthinking things.

[Editor: Personally, I blame our excitement with how well received the first two chapters were when they were initially posted here. Both of us felt we had to go and make the third chapter as soon as possible, and so we both rushed to get the first words down literally immediately after the second chapter had been posted.

[Editor: Not kidding 'bout that, we were just that hyped up to get it done with.

[Editor: I think in our rush to get this chapter out, we didn't spend enough time to really develop this chapter as much as we did with the previous two, and that may explain why this one feels so... off compared to the other two. To be honest we were kind of aimless with this chapter initially because we didn't allow ourselves enough time to think the next one through; like I said we rushed to get this out after the hype of the last two chapters.

[Editor: That being said I hope you like this chapter, we gave this one our all!

...

Admittedly, I miss the old comments that were left on the previous publication of our story. The critics, the fans, and yes, even the haters. Your comments brighten up our days, be it negative or positive. The fact that this story has been given recognition is more than enough in my opinion.

With that being said, we encourage you to leave a comment on this story. It really helps us figure out if we're doing a good job on the path we chose for the fanfic.

Oh right! I completely forgot!

I've just made a new cover for Sonic and the Pink Tress. I'll be making a deviantart account soon to publish the other versions that came about in the process, so hopefully, that goes well.

I hope you enjoyed the third chapter!

-TokuBinu