Hey everyone. Well I can finally say that the angst is over and done with…mostly. Time for Sonic's time away.
Responding to a couple reviews.
Malik A – Thank you, I'd hoped to be able to entertain all of you.
Lilac Rabbit – Sorry about that, but don't worry, it all changes, starting here.
Thank you all and let Sonic's example teach you, that even in our darkest times, to just get back up and keep on running.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog or any of the characters, they are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.
Disclaimer: I do not own Crash Bandicoot or any of the characters, they are owned by Vicarious Visions and Activision.
January 1st 1997.
It had been almost six months since he was last seen by the public eye.
In the time that passed, Sonic had received both treatment and therapy for his conditions and continued to stay strong with each day that passed.
While many had wondered what exactly he was doing, his movies and television specials continued to be released, despite no star to go out there and promote them.
At first, Sonic seemed furious that they would cut ties with him.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that they did him a favor.
No more deadlines, no more working through nights without any sleep for weeks and most of all, no more having to make rain checks with the ones he loved.
Thanks to his work and lack of spending, Sonic had saved up his money, having enough cash for an early retirement.
Sonic remained home with Amy, who had stuck by him and helped him through his recovery.
He awoke from his bed, the sun shining on his face and went out to the kitchen to see a full breakfast made.
"Happy Anniversary." Amy said, kissing him on the cheek.
Four years later since that first kiss they shared at that New Years party and the two were inseparable.
Sonic and Amy spent a quiet day at home, only with each other's company.
It was weird being together without the cameras surrounding them, but it was nice finally having some solitude to themselves.
As it became late, Sonic and Amy drove out to their reservation, a nice restaurant on the other end of town.
Sonic and Amy were seated and ordered their dinners, it was then they noticed something.
Someone was staring at them.
Amy whispered to Sonic that a group at another table was staring at them.
Sonic turned to look, but as he did, the group quickly picked up their menus, effectively hiding their faces.
Sonic thought about it for a moment but shrugged it off, figuring they just recognized him or something.
As they paid for their meals and walked out, Sonic felt a tap on his shoulder.
Sonic turned to see an orange bandicoot stood before him.
"Can I help you?" Sonic asked.
"You're really him, you're Sonic the Hedgehog?" The bandicoot said nervously.
"Yeah." Was all Sonic could say.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" The bandicoot said, quickly putting out his hand for Sonic to shake.
"I'm Crash, Crash Bandicoot." He introduced himself.
Sonic shook his hand and after a few seconds, realized who he was.
"Oh yeah, I've heard about you, your movie came out a few months back, right?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, back in September, it's an honor to meet you sir, you've been such a huge inspiration to me." Crash told him.
"Please, call me Sonic and thank you, it's an honor to meet you as well." Sonic told him.
"So, I take it you were one of the ones hiding behind the menus." Sonic said.
"Yeah, sorry about that, we just didn't want to cause a scene in the restaurant, I was actually going to ask you something." Crash explained.
"What was it?" Sonic asked.
"I was wondering if I could get some advice, you've been doing this a while, I was just curious if you had any pointers for a rookie." Crash told him.
Sonic looked at him, being reminded of himself when he first started.
Knowing where this could eventually lead, Sonic decided to warn him of the mistakes he made.
"Well, first of all, look closely at your contract, I made the mistake of signing before reading and it ended up destroying me." Sonic warned him.
"How so?" Crash asked.
"I basically signed away my freedom, to where if I didn't agree to perform for any of the events they wished, I would be fired and placed on trial." Sonic explained.
Crash looked at him with pity.
"Dude, that's harsh." Crash said.
"Yeah, eventually, I broke down, you saw what happened in the news, right?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, we were filming when it happened, everyone on set couldn't believe it." Crash said.
"Yeah, I was pushed too far and made some bad choices, don't make the same mistake I did." Sonic told him.
Crash nodded he would and thanked him.
"I gotta get going, gotta rest up for tomorrow, we start filming the sequel and when you don't have any lines, you have to double up on the action scenes." Crash said, saying goodbye.
"One last thing." Sonic said.
Crash turned to listen.
"You got anyone in your life you care about?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, the two inside you saw, my girlfriend, Tawna and my sister, Coco." Crash said, gesturing to the door.
"Don't take them for granted, they should always be your first priority, always cherish your time with them." Sonic advised him.
Crash smiled, nodding yes once more and headed back inside.
Sonic and Amy drive back home, Sonic's words staying with him the whole way.
A few hours later while Amy was asleep, Sonic layed awake in bed, unable to shake off the thoughts.
That's when he realized what he had to do.
Sonic went to the bathroom, washed his face and combed his quills.
He went back to his room and woke Amy, grabbing his jacket and keys.
"Sonic, what's wrong?" Amy asked.
Sonic looked at her with a determined look on his face and asked her a simple question.
"Ames, you up for a little trip?"