Shadow Saves them All

Chapter 4

I can distinctly remember the first time I met Sonic. Shortly after the first adventure he ever went on. After he collected the seven chaos emeralds and freed his numerous animal friends, he returned home to a life of fast running and solitude. If you truly wanna know, I helped him find his first real friend. According to the Sonic X story, Sonic met him on an island when he was fixing up Sonics plane. According to comic books there was a whole other story to tell. But when you come down to it, Sonic needed to take the initiative to find that friend. Guess who provided it?

Sonic was running home just after defeating Dr. Robotnik and was finally back in the green hill zone. He was headed for a cabin in the woods nearby and just as he was about to enter…

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I remember walking through a portal as a test for one of my first assignments, next thing I knew I was falling into a forest. I hit a couple of tree limbs and then finally I hit the ground. I ached all over and felt terrified from the large fall I had just taken. But the biggest thing was that I felt something underneath me. I got up… slowly and looked on the ground, only to see a blue hedgehog with white gloves and red shoes was lying on the ground, hurt bad.

I picked him up, which was very easy seeing as he was maybe 2 foot seven at the time, and I was about 5 feet tall. He was surprisingly light so I did what any rational person would've done in my situation, shook him until he came to.

"Wake up!" I shouted at the little guy over and over. His eyes started to flicker open and then they opened wide when he noticed something was holding him. He quickly jumped out of my hands and landed on the ground with a look that said; "If you come any closer, I'll attack you," I caught the signal and immediately settled myself down. I decided the polite thing to do was apologize for falling on him. Next I introduced myself.

"My name is Dylan, what's yours?" I said in a friendly tone.

'Not like he can answer. Although, he is standing upright like a normal human…'

It was at that moment when I heard something I could not believe…

"I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog," he said giving me a thumbs up. My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe this Hedgehog was talking to me.

"So, you're a human huh? I always imagined they would be bigger," he said scratching his chin with his fingers.

"This day cannot get any weirder. I've met a blue hedgehog who can walk and talk like a human… next thing you know he's got super powers or something," I thought.

"So, do you wanna come into my house for something to eat?"

… "Great, now he lives in a house," I nodded politely and I started for the log cabin when the hedgehog ran right into the place in a split second. He ran so fast he looked like a blue streak. He ran back out in no time with two glasses of lemonade. I picked one up and nervously drank it.

"Okay so he DOES have a super power. He also lives in a log cabin in the middle of the woods and apparently can make lemonade in the blink of an eye, well, that's about as weird as it gets, so I may as well make the best of it. I shouldn't feel threatened by him so long as I don't give him a reason to dislike me," I thought in a slight panic.

He invited me inside and I made my way to the log cabin. It was actually very nice. One story, one bed, a small table to eat at and a small fireplace with two little windows. Coupled with a few lanterns for light, the place looked very old fashioned, reminded me of home in a way. One thing that stood out though was his little kitchen in the corner, it had a refrigerator and a working boiler with a few pots and pans. Where did he get the electricity out here, and where did he get such high tech gear?

I kept my eyes on the appliances until Sonic followed my gaze. He ran over to them and leaned on the counter with the boiler on it.

"Like it? I got this and the big cold box from Dr. Robuttnik. He made some robots out of them and after I trashed them, I figured out how to use them," he said with a proud smile on his face.

"Cool," I said cautiously. Robuttnik? It had to be a nickname, Robotnik maybe? Oh yeah Robotnik, he's the guy who wanted the animals as a power source, and those emeralds too. So if this hedgehog beat him, then he must be a good guy. The light bulb finally lit up, I was worried about nothing. I was in the capable hands of a hero, so I could relax more.

I walked up to the boiler and examined it without touching it, I didn't wanna be rude.

"May I examine this?" I asked the hedgehog who was already relaxing on his bed.

"Sure thing," he said.

"Just don't break it,"

"No problem," I looked in the back of the device, there was no plug. I looked on the bottom and didn't see any battery slots or charging plug openings.

"Does this thing still work?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, whenever I need it to it always lights up," I had nothing else to go one. The only thing I could think of was this Dr. Robotnik was able to make a device with a self sustaining power source and place it in such a small machine. Interesting and at the same time… frightening.

I put the boiler down and sat down in the chair, it was so quiet and peaceful out in the woods, I liked it. Then I remembered the device on my belt, if I was sent to a world with no mission, then it would bring me back in twenty four hours. I checked it quickly to make sure it still worked, otherwise I was going to be there for a while. Luckily it wasn't damaged in the fall. That's when my stomach began to growl…loudly. I didn't have anything to eat before coming here and the fall took a lot out of me, so it wasn't surprising that I'd be hungry.

Sonic heard the growl and sat up on the bed.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I've got it," I remembered my emergency stash. I took off my backpack and placed it on the table. I zipped it open and felt inside for it… where is it… aha! Found it! I pulled out a Chili dog fresh in the wrapper, it was still warm from the insulated bag I had kept it in, and it wasn't even smushed from the fall! I unwrapped it and I was about to take a bite when I noticed Sonic was peering at my backpack from the edge of the table.

"What… is that?" he asked curiously. I looked over at the pack and realized. This guy doesn't know what a backpack is? Then I remembered he called the fridge a cold box and it snapped in my mind. This guy has probably never seen this stuff before from being out in the woods all his life.

"That's a backpack, it's got pockets and stuff so I can carry things with me wherever I go,"

Sonics eyes widened as he continued to gaze at it.

"Whoa…" he said. As he started to rummage through it, don't worry I didn't mind, I continued to unwrap the chili dog and I took a bite. The warm chili over the tender hot dog on the soft bun was overwhelming, for just a moment I felt like I was floating, not a care in the world. Sonic pulled his head out of my backpack and started to sniff the air, he followed the smell of something unusual and delicious back to my chili dog, and his mouth began to water as he asked;

"What is that?" his eyes were fixated on it as took another bite. I swallowed and said;

"This my friend is the ultimate achievement in foodstuffs. It's a combination of the classic hot dog and a side of chili, it's what makes life worth living… A Chili Dog!" I said raising it in the air letting sunlight from the window hit it for effect. I am awesome at showmanship. Sonics eyes were glowing and his mouth was watering more and more by the second. I knew what the next thing he was going to say was and I was way ahead of him. I reached into my backpack and grabbed another Chili dog out, I always carried another one in case I was really hungry or was eating with a friend. I unwrapped it and gave it to him, taking the wrapper away so he wouldn't eat it. He held the Chili dog gingerly in his hand as he looked up at me with big eyes that asked; "Can I please?"

"Yes," I said with a smile. He didn't even have to ask. He took a good bite out of it and chewed it slowly to savor the flavor and finally he swallowed. His face had a blank expression on until finally he reacted. He jumped up and turned into a blue ball in the air. He landed on the ground on his two feet and ran all around the room, on the walls and even on the ceiling. I could hear him cheering and saying; 'Yahoo, and yeah!'

He finally stopped across from me at the table saying; "Wooee! That tastes delicious! It's like nothing I've ever had out here in the green hill zone! This Chili dog is the best!" he ate the chili dog so fast that by the time he was done I had only taken another bite of mine. I finished mine up with a few more bites and wiped my mouth a napkin. I had introduced Sonic to a world of flavor and he had introduced me to a world of excitement and adventure.

Time passed, before I knew it nighttime had fallen, no doubt that by tomorrow afternoon I would be called back. Sonic lit up the lanterns and the fireplace and made sure to lock the door. He sat down on the chair by the fireplace and relaxed again. I took my back pack and set it down by the door and took off my jacket hanging it on a log jutting out of the ceiling near the door. I looked around the cabin again and I was amazed how quaint Sonics life was. All he needed was a chair and a bed to relax in on a nice quiet day, and plenty of space to run in. He had truly acquired a taste for the simple things in life. I had taught him the names of the boiler and the refrigerator and even showed him what he could do with them. Boiling water, making thing hotter and colder using them. Until now he used them to keep himself warm when it was cold out, and cool when it was hot out. Now he could make his food in some new ways. I was also sure to give him the recipe for Chili Dogs, he really liked them. I mean REALLY LIKED THEM.

I looked around for another chair to sit down on when I remembered there was only one. Like I thought before, one story, one bed, one chair, a lot of ones. That's when I thought of something interesting to ask Sonic.

"Sonic, do you have any friends?" He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

"Hmmm… nope not really," he said with indifference.

"Well, do you have anyone out here to talk to?"

"Nope,"

"So you just live out here by yourself?"

"Nope,"

No? He didn't have anyone to talk to, so how could he say he wasn't alone? He continued…

"Robotniks out here causing all sorts of trouble, so I'm not alone. And I've got my animal friends to talk to, not like they talk back or anything," I could feel a slight sadness in his voice, I didn't want to cause him any pain or anything, I was just wondering.

"Well, maybe you could make friend or two?" I suggested. He looked at me with a look of interest.

"Living alone must get kinda lonely sometimes, wouldn't it feel nice to hang out with someone or be able to talk to someone about your problems?"

"Hmmm, well I have thought of it, it's just that…" he stopped for a minute, he was definitely saddened by the answer he was making.

"Nobody is as fast as me. I'm always on the move running around fighting Badniks, I don't think anyone but me is that fast, that brave or that tough," he said, turning his gaze to the fireplace alive with flames. The crackling of the wood burning continued to fill the cabin.

"Well, you'll never know unless you try," I said. Sonic thought for a moment, then he shrugged it off. He hopped out of the chair and rested on his bed.

"Well I'm turning in for the night," he said turning over to sleep.

"Yeah me too," I said. I laid down on the floor and put a blanket over me. I was happy today, and I hoped tomorrow would be just as well, until I had to go back.

The following day I woke up and relaxed in the cabin for a few hours with Sonic just talking about his life in Green Hill Zone and how he was fighting Robotnik. I was also sure to make a couple more chili dogs using some of the ingredients around the cabin. It was an unusual breakfast for both of us. Around noon time my belt blinked saying;

"Warning five minutes until auto-teleportation," Sonic didn't know much about technology, but he knew what that meant. I quickly explained to him my situation and thanked him for letting me stay with him. I told him he was a good person and to keep fighting for the side of good, and that one day, I might even see him again. Five minutes later, I gave him a high five and then I was teleported away. Shortly after that he met up with Tails just as he did in the Sonic X story, just a little differently but that's a story for another time. I'm almost up the hill to the hospital and Amy's starting to wake up, better get ready to pay the cabby. I wonder if they take rings or cash?

To Be Continued…