Author Notes: Hi, TennesseeanArtist/TeenageHedgie (the author) here!-
This following work, and all possible future sequels (I think I'm up to six in total), is my own recalibration/adaptation of the Sonic story that I've been building up over on Twitter ( TeenageHedgie) for a while now, so finally being able to dig deep and tell this story in an even more fulfilling way is indescribable. For future reference, this universe IS going to be a little darker when compared to the games or even the comics (both Archie and IDW), BUT that doesn't mean that these are going to be 'Rated R stories' either.*
These are stories about a talking blue hedgehog after all; the biggest job is to hit a balance, and hopefully, I've done a good job of it so far - mature enough (and accurate in terms of character enough) to where it doesn't feel like a 2010's era game, but also not a bunch of foul-language riddled, raunchy gorefests either. Again, hopefully, I'll be hitting that balance as this story progresses!
Buckle up, as things are going to be slow at first, but it'll just be getting started!
Hope you enjoy! (Constructive) criticism is also always welcomed!
Yours truly, TA/TH!
*Disclaimer: These stories WILL portray and discuss heavy themes including abuse, trauma, and the like. If any of those or similar topics are liable to trigger you, here's your warning!
—
PROLOGUE - BLUE STREAKS
The loud cheers of the thousands of stadium attendees charged the atmosphere of what was described by many many pieces of marketing as 'the biggest race the world will ever bear witness!' Fireworks littered the night sky, filling it with a beautiful array of glowing saturated colors and booms. Lighting systems and spotlights began to slowly move their way to point toward a center stage, built and customized just for this race.
"You all know who it is!" the PA system surrounding the stadium teased, causing the audience to cheer wildly, as they waved blue-tinted flags and banners practically large enough to wrap an entire car. All of them said the same thing or variations of the same thing—
Sonic. We love you, Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog, the Fastest Thing Alive.
"Today, ladies and gentlemen, the stakes are higher than you can possibly imagine! I hope you are all excited as I am, as we may be seeing a world record take place right in front of our very eyes! This event, sponsored by the Mobius Planet Records, will be the ultimate test between flesh and blood versus the latest in technology!" the announcer behind the speakers joyfully explained.
—
Not two months before, Robotnik Enterprises, one of the most promising up-and-coming engineering companies the planet has ever seen, took to the press to tease their brand new toy; the S-91. Originally, the jet was designed for military usage, sporting heat-seeking missiles, cloaking technology, and most importantly, a high-powered engine that could potentially provide speeds up to Mach 5; the label that separated supersonic from hypersonic.
For comparison, the current jumbo jet used hundreds of thousands of times per day to transport cargo and civilians alike, would only average Mach 1, maybe Mach 1.5 if the pilots stomped on the accelerator just enough. Even the United Federation's stealth jets could reach 4.5, but 5 was always considered a pipe dream. One Dr. Ivo Robotnik was the perfect head designer to make that pipe dream a reality.
Ivo was a man that took after his grandfather, Gerald. Both of them shared a vision and an intelligence that was simply phenomenal. Ivo was a slob in the classroom and his bedroom, but his grandfather would always ward off the boy's parents' concern with the idea that all geniuses were unorganized. The kid never paid attention and wasn't treated in the best of ways by his classmates. All of the different spotlights began to center on the boy, though, when one time, he would use a mechanical fist to fight back against one of these bullies and win the science fair fifteen minutes later.
Then, the scholarships came in, as did the invitations, and the one-week suspension from the school, all of it at once. The boy ended up with no common financial sense or social skills because of it, sticking close to his grandfather as much as he could. Even that connection, though, would sever when Gerald told him that he had a mission that he described as being located "up in the stars." After that, Gerald was nowhere to be seen. His parents never told him what happened, as they thought it was only for the best.
Ivo figured it out eventually, though, and disowned himself from the rest of the family, who didn't seem to care in the end. He tried taking that frustration out and making something positive out of it, which led to the creation of Robotnik Enterprises. He wasn't a CEO, for the better anyways, but—
—
"Good luck out there."
The doctor was startled by the voice and by the sudden appearance from the source of it; a cobalt-tinted hedgehog with deep emerald-green eyes with a long, flowing, curly streak of brown hair that curled and sat handsomely off to the side of his head. He had red shoes, polished enough to where it was as reflective as a mirror, with golden buckles bedazzling them. He also had pure white cotton gloves on, both balled into fists with confidence. 'A fool's substitute for intelligence,' the doctor mentally noted.
He turned to his side and leaned over to speak to the hedgehog as he was far taller than the creature, "Oh! You must be Jules? Or Sonic? Whichever do you prefer, sir?"
Jules hummed quietly as he extended a friendly hand out. "Call me whatever ya' want! We're all friends here. You drivin' it too, or did you just draw the pictures?"
Ivo chuckled with a bit of sneer hidden within it. "Oh, I won't be flying it today! We got someone from the United Federations' reserve to do it."
"And that thing…" Jules said, pointing towards the shiny plane that was currently being unveiled from a red tarp for the dramatics, "… is the thing that's gonna either beat me or be beaten, you say?"
"Ah, yes! The S-91. She's a beauty, isn't she?"
"Heh, sure," the hedgehog said with a hint of sarcasm as he patted the human's back. "I'll make sure to get yer' name out there when I make that new record."
The hedgehog whistled as he began to walk away. The doctor, on the other hand, sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his index and middle finger. The crowd cheered as the blue blur made his way past the backstage curtains out into the evening sun.
"As our flesh and blood, don't blink or you might miss him; he is the one, the only, the True Blue… Sonic the Hedgehog!" the announcer called out.
Ivo looked on at the excitement outside and mentally crossed his fingers, hoping to whatever deity was out there to make sure that all the capital, all the time, and all the material and designing that occurred to make the plane a reality wouldn't be for naught.
"Against him is what is supposedly the fastest plane this world has ever seen; the S-91! This wonder of design is brought to us by the hard-working people of Robotnik Enterprises; Mechanizing the Future, Preserving the Present! This plane can apparently go Mach 5, ladies and gentlemen, a new frontier in vehicles may just be broken today, folks. Either that, or we may be witness to indeed the fastest thing, living or nonliving, the world has ever seen! Who will come out on top? That's up to our racers!"
At least the announcer knew how to hype up a match.
—
The deep gray shoe soles would slowly dig their way into the pavement to mark its place. Jules the Hedgehog breathed slowly, in and out. For an event of this magnitude, it was therapeutic. He knew it was a risk coming here. Not that it was dangerous to come here, but that he was running out of time to do these types of events as he had someone waiting.
—
His wife.
Aleena the Hedgehog was a strange, beautiful woman he met in his mid-twenties out on the main town square of Station Square after cutting his university Statistics class. He figured that he wasn't failing and missing one class would not do any harm to his perfectly average C minus. It was so perfect, his first run-in, that he would recall it as a 'perfect movie moment.'
Her bags of groceries fell after he accidentally bumped into her. He helped her, and conversations sparked. And now, Aleena was perhaps days, maybe even hours away from having their first kid with two years of marriage under their belt.
The couple had been attempting to decide which name to go with since they had gotten the news and landed on Sonia if it was a girl and Maurice if it was a boy, deciding to wait until their birth to see which one would be used.
Aleena's last words to him were for him to "win this one for them." Both her and their child.
And Jules was going to make sure that was going to happen.
—
Jules let out a long exhale as he heard the jet slowly hover closely towards him, then to his left side. He looked towards it, and the pilot inside gave the hedgehog a thumbs up. He then turned back to face the front of him; the stadium was open, chosen so that Jules could have a straight shot from the starting position to outside the walls, both in and out.
It was a city-wide race; certain downtown zones around its perimeter shut off and planned for both the jet and Jules to circle. Winning this race was not only a matter of who got to the finish line first but the speed itself, for recording purposes. Jules kept all this in mind as he once again inhaled and exhaled slowly.
"Ready."
For Aleena.
"Set."
The pilot quickly made sure all of the levers, switches, and buttons were pressed, preparing the engine to switch the plane from hovering to flying as soon as he could. His hand rested, shaking slightly over the toggle. Ivo leaned forward, eyeing the two.
A blank round flew straight up into the air, and the two opponents began moving. Jules instantly shot out of the stadium, leaving a simple blue streak, bits of crackling lightning, and a dust cloud to boot. The plane took what Ivo could count as a quarter of a second before it too flew over the stadium audience's heads, leaving the bowl to experience high turbulence. Hats, signs, and popcorn flew in swirling circular motions and the cheers became even more thunderous.
"You got this…"
—
Jules wasn't breaking a sweat; he was born with this ability, after all, and he was going to push that ability to the point where his body would simply reject it. His vision was blurry, with large masses of gray and mere specks of other unique colors passing him by. That was the main issue for a speedster, the almost absolute blindness. To help, though, Jules focused his perspective to distinctly follow a small pinpoint in the center, where it was clear. The hedgehog just followed it, not even caring about the jet above who was beginning to catch up.
—
"How are you doing up there, son?" the radio crackled. The pilot could barely hear it over the sound of wind passing by his window, and the feeling of the Gs slowly beginning to loosen the elasticity of the skin inside his helmet. He quickly pushed a blue button, and it stayed locked in place; a feature that was designed to not take focus away from the pilot flying. "I'm doing okay, sir. She's handlin' like a dream!"
"Perfect! I have your speedometer connected, it says you're going just about Mach 1?" Robotnik inquired.
The pilot responded with a nod, "Yes, sir, I'm going to pick up the pace once she stabilizes a bit more."
"Excellent. If you have any issues, you tell me."
—
"You got this. You got this…" the hedgehog mumbled to himself as he tried to blur out the car horns and irregular cheers for his name on the sidewalks. He looked to his right and noticed the highway bridges twirling and dancing with one another like noodles. He chuckled to himself, realizing that he was at the halfway point of the race.
He couldn't help but think about Aleena, waiting for him to come home. He could see their future, her sitting on the couch with a small bundle of cloth in her arms as he came home from a workout. Her precious smile and voice greeted him quietly to not wake up their greatest creation.
Jules felt his heartbeat reach closer to its limit, his forehead slowly pushing out beads of sweat which immediately shot into the breeze behind. He couldn't see the plane anywhere. The stadium was growing closer, though, which was the important thing.
—
Meanwhile, the pilot had finally stabilized, reaching an approximate total of Mach 4.675, which officially broke the previous record holder. He grinned silently to himself. He peered down for just a second to see that he was passing the True Blue! "Doc, things are going good—I'm in front."
"Good! Bring it on home, sir." Ivo responded through crackling audio.
Suddenly, the plane began to shudder. The pilot sat still to analyze whether or not it was the cause of turbulence or a slight issue with the plane's hardware or even software. "Doc, we have a problem…"
"What is it?" Ivo said.
"I don't know." the pilot said. "The plane's shaking and I don't think it's turbulence…"
"That's okay, just bring it on home as I said; you can deploy the parachute and activate hover mode and it'll all be okay!" he said, trying to sound calm. The pilot could tell, though, that the doctor was nervous. The pilot was trained for this, however, as he did not answer, preparing himself for the maneuver.
—
Below the slowly descending jet, Jules had started to pant now, feeling himself getting closer to his breaking point. At some point, even the clear pinpoint center of his vision was just as blurry as his peripheral. He looked up and barely saw the jet begin to get in front. No way he was winning…
'Just got to keep up!…' Jules thought to himself as he felt his legs ache, threatening to give in! He could see the finish line right in front of him, it just had to!
—
The large camera took the picture, letting out a millisecond-long flash that lit the stadium up. Jules felt himself give out, rolling across the ground and stopping just short of a nearby wall. As medics rushed in to see if he needed any medical attention, Jules looked up to see the plane struggle for a second to stop; it hit the ground harshly, its parachute preventing it too from crashing.
Jules slowly felt consciousness return to him and then leave, the medics towering above him checked his blood pressure and retrieved a few water bottles. The hedgehog could barely see it, but the plane to his right wasn't in the best condition; flames spewed out onto the grass of the stadium. The pilot was nearby, shaken but okay. If only he could feel anything other than the growing pressure in his chest.
—
The news had spread like wildfire; Sonic the Hedgehog is officially the fastest thing ever! Robotnik Enterprises took a dive after the news, despite how they were just a mere three-hundredths of a second away from beating the hedgehog. Their official CEO ousted Dr. Ivo Robotnik as their head engineer and designer, which lead to them going in a different direction; cybernetic enhancements, quality of life improvements, reducing crime, and even genetic engineering to improve crops and livestock.
Ivo had since gotten into hiding after the Incident, going off the grid. Even when the CEO of Robotnik Enterprises tried tracking him down, there was no trace. The company's board of directors thought that it was perhaps just as well that they lost their wild card; no more risks, all the more rewards. Robotnik was holding them back from making real progress, they would publicize.
—
Jules, on the other hand, had a wonderful gift to wake up in the hospital room; a scent of milk and honey flooded the room, and a purple form was in the vicinity, waiting near his bathroom door. Aleena had taken to visiting him as he recovered from a heart attack, thanking Gaia that he was alive every chance she got. However, Aleena wasn't the only one with her.
One time when Jules had woken up and was able to speak long enough to hold a conversation, his eyes quivered in joy as he met similar emerald hues on another hedgehog. It was a child. Their child. Not too long after Jules had made headlines and passed out, Aleena had given birth to a bouncing baby boy. He could even swear that his eyes sparkled like he did when he was ready to run.
The couple took the time to recover and introduce their son to the world, making sure it never left their sight. They promised that they would try their best to give him as many opportunities as possible, knowing that he had a gift like his father's. It would just take a few years. It couldn't have been too hard.
Right?
They had named their son Maurice.