Well, this is it. How will Sonic cope? How long will he be able to keep his head above water? Let's find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog or any of the characters, they are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.

February 9th 1994.

The day his mother passed away, had been the hardest of their lives.

Jules had known it was inevitable, but Sonic didn't have clue.

Sonic tried all he could to reason with what had happened.

One second denying it and the other going crazy over it.

"She was okay, I just saw her, she was okay." He thought repeatedly.

"Sonic." Jules said.

Sonic looked up, eyes still bloodshot, surrounded by dark circles due to lack of sleep.

"It's time." Jules told him, then walked away.

Sonic stood up, slowly making his way downstairs and out the door.

Out in the fields, stood his family members, some people from town, his father Jules, his mother's friend Aleena and Amy.

As Sonic arrived, they lowered the coffin into the ground.

A kid stepped forward, an orphan by the name of Silver, started to play a slow melody on his violin as she was laid to rest.

Silver looked at Sonic with sympathy, as if to say he was deeply sorry.

It seemed as though there was a sense of peace, as if she were still with them, standing beside them as always, comforting them, saying how everything was going to be alright and to always look forward to tomorrow.

In that moment, everything seemed fine.

But as if to knock them down again, it didn't last.

A helicopter arrived, flying overhead, blowing gusts of winds at everyone as it landed.

Vans by the dozens started arriving at the scene, reporters and camera people rushing out towards the funeral.

At contact range, the reporters mobbed everyone with questions, most of all, Sonic.

"Mr. Hedgehog, how do you think this will effect your performances in the future?" One asked.

"Mr. Hedgehog, is it true that your mother did not approve of your relationship with Amy Rose?" Another asked.

"Mr. Hedgehog, we have reports that you refused to visit her for almost four years, are you glad that she's gone?" One more asked.

Upon hearing that, Sonic dug his fingers against his scalp, growing more enraged than he had ever been before.

"How dare you." He whispered, still loud enough to where people can hear.

At that moment, he snapped.

He lunged at the reporters, smashing the cameras to pieces and smashing them all into the ground by force.

Sonic growled, running off into the field, away from the horrid beings he couldn't even classify as Mobians.

He used to think no Mobian could be that cruel, but they had proven him wrong by miles.

His own mother had just passed away, yet still, they held no decency whatsoever.

They crashed her funeral, disrespecting and slandering her.

Tears built up in Sonic's eyes, screaming out in frustration at what they had done.

They had tarnished her, all in pursuit of questions that didn't even concern her.

Only lies and questions about his career.

None of it mattered to them, they didn't care how he felt, whether or not they cause pain to others, they only cared for themselves and getting their story for a paycheck.

Sonic fell to his side, feelings of illness and frustration taking over.

"I can't take much more of this." He thought.

"I have to stop it."

October 18th 1994.

The day after Sonic's outburst, the tabloids went wild.

More focus was put on Sonic than ever.

While Ken tried to use this to get Sonic fired, the execs couldn't be happier with Sonic's decision, saying it added to his edgy image.

To them any publicity was good publicity.

In the months that followed, Sonic became more reclusive, no longer talking to any press or fans.

He was escorted to work by bodyguards every day, simply going straight from work to home and vice versa every time.

With this new feeling of a less carefree Sonic looming over the new movie Sonic & Knuckles, the hype seemed to be not at full for the viewers.

At the premiere, people seemed to like it, but their excitement and enjoyment seemed to be on a lower scale than their reaction to their last efforts.

Sonic sat at the bar, trying to stay away from everyone else.

In the distance, he heard Ken talk up Knuckles and Tails to the press.

Knuckles was set with the Chaotix for their first film in six months, Tails' first miniseries airing about a week later.

He felt happy for them, that they would find success on their own, especially with the way things were going.

Sonic grabbed his drink, downing it in seconds, trying to numb the pain he felt inside.

He was living the dream his mother had hoped for him, but not the way anyone should.