Hey there everybody! What's up?

Been enjoying vacation so far, and I decided I'd post a little something to keep my readers entertained! I've been slow with updates, but honestly, who hasn't?

So, I hope you'll enjoy it. Things will begin to get a little more... Serious.

Oh, and before I forget, this chapter is a tribute to one of the greatest musicians of all time: MJ. Finally, I get to show him my appreciation by using one of his songs as a theme for this chapter. It's the Free Willy theme, "Hold me", or something like that.

Anyway, enjoy the read!

Sonic the Hedgehog: the True Power of Music

Chapter Twenty

I should've gotten used to this, but there's no experience quite like it. My surroundings constantly changed as the hedgehog, who carried me in his arms, sped through areas, cities and places I couldn't define. It was like a mash of sights that fused together, unrecognizable only if I gave time to think about it. Heck, this ride was an incredible feeling. Even if I would do it millions of times, it would still feel as thrilling as it had felt the first time. It's difficult to explain it, but I guess I'll have to try, right?

What was incredible was this surreal feeling to it, caused by the adrenaline that rushed throughout my whole body up to my head. It made me smile, laugh and scream in excitement. There was no end to this feeling; quite on the contrary, I wanted more speed, and more discoveries. Clearly, the Earth had a lot to offer. It made me realize how little I knew of the world.

Back when I was young and a lot more curious than now, I always wanted to go with my mother to her fashion-shows in Italy or Prague, not only for the show, but to know what the journey's like and to see the places. Cultural monuments, historic cities, spring gardens… I journeyed to both places, but the stay was too short to have a proper tour of the area. And now, I had the chance of doing something like a world tour in a couple of minutes. How cool was that?

Now, I'm sure you're telling yourselves that making a global run around the world is impossible for Sonic, especially since more than half of the planet was covered in water, and you know how much he hates water. At first, I thought he'd take another route, make a little detour, all to avoid his greatest fears. However, he dashed from the shore on at high velocity into the ocean. He dared all challenges and fears, never letting anything slow him down or stop him and, most of all, he never looked back. It was hard to believe that we weren't sinking: it almost seemed like we were running on normal ground, yet it was in some ways wobblier.

What I particularly loved at that moment was the water that sprinkled on my face as his feet kept on kicking the water like a propeller. It was strange, because at moment tears began to form, sparkling as the sun shone on them, time seemed to have slowed down. Magic was in the works here.

The pearls soared through the air, the ocean gleamed in its bluish bed of diamonds, and all that fresh air blowing in my face refreshed my body and soul. A new, rebirthing strength invaded me, and I became mesmerized by those pair of emeralds glowing with so much passion and mystery as a constant grin remained below them. It took my breath away and until I noticed it, a smile had formed on my lips.

Then, something emerged from those splashes, those forming pearls. It was the sound of music. Sonic's kicks gave off the rhythm of a drumbeat, splashes were playing a shimmering sound, and the little droplets from the sprinkling water softly hummed. A familiar melody was being put in motion. And then the whole music calmed down and faded away in an instant, as if this song was expecting someone to carry it on. Who would have guessed that I'd hear that song again?

"Hold me, like the river Jordan
And I will then say to thee
You are my friend
Carry me, like you are my brother
Love me like a mother
Could you be there…"

The rhythm of Sonic's kicking feet had returned with its dynamism, and the soft jingles of the splash flowed back in with its tiny drops humming once again. Such an overwhelming melody took place, and the orchestra was the nature itself. I never had that kind of experience, which was worth more than any music-concerning memories I ever had. It had much heart and soul to it if you would compare it to a sound that came from an ear-aching radio. You were not listening to the music. You were the music, a part of something so great, so worthy, like completing a band that had a missing musician. You played a great role in the song, and soon, you'd realize that everything around you had an equally important role as well. If you were as emotionally sensitive to music as I was, then I'm very sure you could feel what I was feeling. My soul was at peace, appeased by the passion and love shared through the bondage in music.

This musical display showed me the meaning of everything that surrounded me.

Nature was alive, and it has been impatiently waiting for someone to hear them out and to even sing with them.

"Weary, tell me will you hold me
When wrong, will you scold me
When lost will you find me?
But they told me a man should be faithful
And walk when not able
And fight till the end but I'm only human…"

The speedster's y feet kept on pedaling in this regular, same beat, sparking off this feel of guide in the music. Soon, to our surprise, we weren't alone. A series of high-pitched squeaking joined the song, and we both looked at each side, baffled by these Dolphins that followed us as they jumped out of the water and plunged back in. I could feel them saluting us, welcoming us to this vast ocean.

And then I noticed, Sonic's speed accelerated, but it amazingly didn't change the regular beat. By the way he smirked at those dolphins, which began to surpass his acceleration, I believe that was the reason that pushed him to go faster. I'm sure he was challenging these sea creatures. And even when they began to become more distant, these mystified creatures would still try their best to keep up with us.

"Everyone's taking control of me
Seems that the world's
Got a role for me

I'm so confused
Will you show it to me you'll be there for me
And care enough to bear me"

Then, there was something new. Instead of humming, I swear I could hear these droplets now singing, speaking to me. As if telling me that anything can be achieved by music. When their indescribable and breathtaking voices reached to my ears, I ceased to sing, just to listen to them.

"Hold me

lay your head lowly
Softly then boldly

carry me there
Hold me

love me and feed me
Kiss me and free me

I will feel blessed…"

That music was so deep and heart touching, that I could hardly contain myself to join in. Until the right came for me to jump back in the musical, I grew impatient. But I finally could sing once again, but together with these new, powerful voices. As the tenacity grew, the nature became the music, engulfed by all that passion invested into it. And I came to a stunning realization of this stunning event: it wasn't all about who had the greater talent, whether it was strong or beautiful. The music will always be strong and beautiful, as long as it comes from the heart and that the soul was rightfully put into the music. I don't think that was even the whole point. It was about being together, to feel one another, and to testify together to everyone and everything in this world.

"Carry

carry me boldly

Lift me up slowly
Carry me there

Save me

Heal me and bathe me
Softly you say to me

I will be there"

"Lift me

Lift me up slowly
Carry me boldly

Show me you care
Hold me

Lay your head lowly
Softly then boldly

Carry me there
Need me

Love me and feed me
Kiss me and free me

I will feel blessed…"

I closed my eyes, knowing I was finished doing my part of the job, and listened as the song came slowly and calmly to an end. The droplets were still humming as they splashed across my face, followed by a swishing sound of the waves, and the constant beat of Sonic's feet. I tilted my head up, feeling the warmth of the sun upon me, bringing a smile onto my face. And then I looked into Sonic's face. A bright smile was what caught my attention first.

"What a concert nature can give, huh?"

I let out an exasperated gasp. "You could hear…?"

He gave an eyewink. "I run around the world, Christine, but that doesn't mean I don't pay attention to what's around me. Nature's music is one of my daily soundtracks, but it's never been that clear till you sang along today."

I chuckled to myself, hiding my embarrassed face. "Wow, I know that people would call me crazy."

"Sonic? What's it like to be the fastest hedgehog in the world?"

The hedgehog cast a surprised glance at me, his lips sealed as no words came out. He then began to snicker.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" I asked, confused by his sudden mood-swings.

"I'll say." He answered, looking up ahead, "You're the first one to ask me that question. Well, running sure is a lot of fun. Challenging, but refreshing in some ways, too." He raised his brows, contemplating. "Can't put it easily inta words. There's a lot to discover no matter where I run; there's a lot to see, many things to smell, different stuff to touch and feel, new foods and drinks to taste, even music to hear. I never get tired of it. Everyday, I wake up, excited and ready to go on another adventure."

In an instant, his splashing kicks were transformed into stampeding, kicking against the shore's ground. Some of the sand blew into my eyes, so I had them closed. I rubbed my eyes to rid of the grains, until, finally gone, I opened my eyes once more. This time, flashy lights came from every corner, chattering voices of people were heard, and that was when I knew we were in a big city. The air was so stuffed, and it was more a more noisier than in my hometown, something I wasn't used to. But that surrounding quickly disappeared as we traversed a completely different area.

It was an incredible, unfortunately short tour around the world, and it had come slowly to an end. In the middle of this travel, Sonic halted abruptly, grinding his shoes sideways against the ground. He put me gently back on the ground, carefully making sure I could stand on my own. Right after letting me go, I felt the pressure was too much for legs to bear, and my body kipped to the side.

"Yikes!"

Luckily he was around to catch me in his arms. With his usual grin. "Gotcha!"

"Thanks. I've got to start getting used to walking again." I said as he helped me back up on my feet. It was a lot harder than it seemed to stand right after having that kind of trip. Nevertheless, after several minutes of failed attempts and difficult tries, I was finally able to stand on my own two feet. I took a look ahead of me, then around me. From where we were standing, we had an overlook to a vast forest. "Where are we?"

"Home. Thought it'd be nice to take a walk before going back to ol' Grouch-Knucklehead. We'll just have to walk down that-"

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion emerged from the forest, rocking the ground all the way up here. A series of birds popped out of the thick woods and dispersed into the skies, squawking and screeching as they flew overhead of us in our direction. And when we laid our eyes back onto the green woodlands, thick bubbles of fume and smoke began to form, spreading further into the skies.

"What's going on down there?" I asked.

"Whatever it is, it's dangerously close to our home."

"Say what?"

All of a sudden, a scream emanated from the forest. It took us not long to guess who it was.

"Amy!" I cried.

Quicker than wind itself, Sonic dashed towards the forest. I attempted to run for it as well, but Sonic's yell held me back.

"Stay back! I'll go check it out and get you when it's safe."

And then, complete silence. His voice, along with the pattering sound of his feet, died away as we grew apart in distance.

I watched in silent contemplation from the hill, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on. But all the sound of crunching metal, explosion and several screams made me uncomfortably nervous. The sound of my heartbeat reached to my ears, nearly deafening all noise around me. Rubbing my fingers, my palms slowly covered themselves into cold sweat, and the incredibly strong wind made chills run down my spine.

Hold on, that wind is really strong. How come do I have the feeling-?

"Enjoying the view, I presume?"

A loud thump in my chest forced my eyes to widen and my jaw to drop in shock. A voice that familiar made my nerves tremble, and the idea paced the rhythm of my heart. Frightened, I dared to turn around with slow, hesitating gestures, and a gasp escaped my mouth.

"N-No. Not you…"

A round, three-meter wide, floating vehicle descended down from the skies and made its soft landing impact to the ground. Only then could I confirm what I had feared.

"E-Eggman!"

Oh, I'm so mean, ending this with a cliffhanger! But what WILL happen next? Chapter coming up soon! ;)