Hello everyone, hope you've been enjoying so far and I hope to continue to entertain.
Now, to answer some reviews.
Lilac Rabbit: I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. Yeah, I thought the balloon incident would be perfect for the tone I'm going for and I wanted to get the details right.
Malik A: Neither can I. I already have a few ideas for the chapters in mind.
Thank you all so much.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog or any of the characters, they are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.
December 23rd 1993.
The holidays had come around once again, everyone in the studio, cheerful with excitement and joy.
Sonic, Tails and their new friend Knuckles were chatting away over coffee.
"So, whatcha got planned for the holidays Knuckles?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, I heard the rest of the guys are throwing a party." Tails said.
"Yeah, Vector just got his director's check, he's buying a huge house and we're all finally moving out of the slums." Knuckles told them.
"Congrats man, and hey, just in time, the press has been having a field day with you guys." Sonic pointed out.
It was true, the five of them had wild escapades around the city.
Joyriding, trashing the rooms they stayed in and Mighty had a weakness for the girls.
"Yeah, the tabloids even gave us a nickname, they said we've been acting chaotic, so they're calling us the Chaotix." Knuckles told them.
"Yeah, like that name's ever gonna stick." Sonic said.
"Trust me, Vector's trying to make it so it does, he's been talking to the execs about making a Chaotix movie, full ensemble cast and everything." Knuckles says.
"Sounds like fun, so when's the party?" Tails asks.
"Woah, Tails, didn't take you for the party type." Sonic said.
"I'm not really, but I need to get out more, I've been staying up studying for too long." Tails said.
"You'll have to ask Vector, I've got a date for my break." Knuckles says with a smirk.
"Yeah, rumor has it you and Rouge are a thing now." Sonic said, patting him on the back.
"Guilty as charged." Knuckles said.
"Well, have fun you guys." Sonic said.
"What about you?" Tails asked.
"I'm finally going home, I haven't seen my family in almost four years, I'm long overdue for a visit." Sonic told them before walking out of the room.
As Sonic walked through the halls, on his way out, of course, Ken showed up.
"Hey, buddy, I've got your schedule right here, you'll be flying out in a few hours." Ken says, handing him the notes.
Sonic took them, reading them over, giving Ken an unamused look as he saw the dates.
"Ken, this says I'm working through the holidays again." Sonic said.
"Yeah, after that whole balloon thing last month we gotta work harder to boost your image." Ken told him.
"Ken, I'm already on the cover of every magazine, I'm in dozens of commercials, I'm slapped on the cover of fast food promotions, grocery stores, my own cartoons, comics and everything else under the sun, what more do you want from me?!" Sonic started to get worked up.
"Easy kid, remember your contract, you have no say in the matter." Ken pointed out with a sneer.
"You know what, forget it, I don't care what you guys do to me, but you're not gonna keep me from seeing my family anymore!" Sonic exclaimed, storming out of the studio.
"Hey, get back here, you think you can just walk out?!" Ken shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You got another thing coming buddy!" Ken threatened.
As soon as he was gone Ken immediately went from angry to nervous.
"What am I gonna tell the board?" He thought, hitting his head against the wall.
"Trouble with our star?" An exec asked.
Ken looked at him, a feeling of nausea overtaking him.
"Yeah." He said.
"Well, I knew he'd get fed up sooner or later." The exec said.
"What are we gonna do?" Ken asked, panicked.
"Cancel the gigs, simple as that." The exec told him.
"Are you kidding me, you're just gonna let him get away with it?" Ken asked in disbelief.
"We get away with nothing, we've kept him here for almost four years almost against his will, he deserves a rest, it's the least we could do, seeing as he saved all of us from being out of the job, including you." The exec explains, pointing his cane against Ken's chest.
Ken just gritted his teeth in anger and walked away.
Sonic's Hometown.
It was almost like a dream to him, he just couldn't believe it.
The wide open fields, the small quiet neighborhood and the little theatre that started it all.
Sonic was home.
Sonic inhaled slowly, taking in the fresh air as if it was a breath of new life.
He parked his car outside his old house, smiling as he looked around.
"Hasn't changed one bit." Sonic thought happily.
Sonic walked up to the porch, knocking on the front door to await an answer.
The door creaked as it slowly opened, to reveal his mother on the other side.
"Sonic?" She said in surprise.
"Hey mom." He said.
Bernadette instantly broke in to tears, hugging Sonic.
"It's good to see you too." Sonic said, humorously.
"We've missed you so much." She said through the sobs.
"I've missed you both too." Sonic told her.
"Come in, your father will be home soon, he'll be so happy to see you." She said.
Sonic stepped in, almost fainting from the sight.
All the memories came back to him, but it all seemed so distant, he was here not so long ago and yet it felt different.
"We kept your room, the way it was when you left." His mom told him.
Sonic headed to his room, jumping onto the bed as he used to.
The room seemed so much smaller than it used to, but he still loved it.
Sonic walked back out to the living room, seeing his mom looking at a picture of the three of them.
"It seems like forever ago." Bernadette said.
"Yeah, time flies." Sonic said.
"Alright, enough about the past, let's talk about now, I hear the major movie star has a girlfriend now." Bernadette told him.
Sonic just chuckled at her reaction.
"Yeah, it's my friend Amy, you remember her?" Sonic asked.
"Oh yeah, I always liked her, and apparently you did too." His mom joked.
Sonic faked a laugh.
"Still, never forget, when you love someone, always put them first and care for them like they mean the world to you." His mother advised him.
Sonic smiled, taking her advice to heart.
"I will." Sonic tells her.
"Good, well I better…" His mother trails off, as her eyes start to shut, passing out.
Sonic catches her just in time before she hits the floor.
He carries her to the couch and set her down.
A few hours later, Sonic's father had returned home, welcoming his son back and waking up Bernadette.
"Hi honey, how was your day?" She asks Jules.
"Just fine, Sonic went out for some groceries." Jules tells her.
Bernadette lays there, smiling as her husband comforts her.
"You should tell him." Jules says to her.
"I know, but we can't, it's better this way." Bernadette says softly.
Sure enough Sonic returns and goes into the kitchen, preparing their meal.
That night, the three of them sat to dinner, laughing, catching up and sharing in the happiness they hold.
After the new year had started, Sonic knew he had to go back to work, not knowing when he would get the chance to see them again.
As Sonic stepped out the door, his mother hugged him one last time.
"I love you." She whispered.
Sonic couldn't help but cry a little as he had to bid goodbye to his family once again.
February 2nd 1994.
This was it, the biggest premiere to date.
Today, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 would be released to the public.
It promised to be bigger and better than its predecessors and to many, it would deliver.
As Sonic 3 was bound to be a hit, the studio had thrown another party, this time welcoming the public to attend the large gathering.
They had set up a karaoke booth, which instantly attracted everyone's attention.
While there were some surprises like Tails amazing the crowd with his ballad work and Knuckles commanding the stage with his rapping, the rest just ranged from okay to cringe worthy.
It seemed like everyone was just having a great time.
"So, when are you gonna get up on stage?" Amy asked.
"Never, I may be good at acting, but my vocals are awful." Sonic said with a chuckle.
Suddenly, Sonic felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Yes?" Sonic asked.
"Mr. Hedgehog, there's a phone call for you." An intern told him.
Sonic followed him to the phone, picking it up to hear his dads voice on the line.
"Hey, dad, what's up." Sonic said, happy to hear from him.
That's when everything seemed to stop to him.
As his dad spoke through the phone, everything around him started to spin and stop over and over.
He began to feel sick inside, dropping the phone and falling to the floor, unable to comprehend both physically and mentally what had happened.
His mother had passed away.