Christmas Island
A ring portal opens, Sonic stepping out into the cold snow. Flakes blow, and the flagrant trees sway around. Nothing much has changed since the last time he was here. Some trees lost their decorations, and that's a damn shame.
"Long day ahead. It's colder than ever." Sonic mutters to himself, dashing around to find a loose shovel.
Eight years ago…
A small blue hedgehog plucks a little pie off the ground, and runs into the day. No booby trap can stop him, weaving spears. and jumping over some surprise spikes! Safe to say that this territory is not friendly to hedgehogs. No matter what his enemies do, they can't catch the kid.
"You're too slow!" He shouts, rolling around.
After some time, he crosses a rickety log bridge, and bursts into a gate. It looks like a forest at first, but judging by all the interconnected bridges above, as well as shelters in the trees..this is quite the community. A little sign dangles on the first house.
"Pilferer Village"
The young hedgehog has no clue what island he's on yet, but maybe one day the Owls would let him take more of a look around. They always warned him of "the outside"..but when he gets a look around, all the scenery is still the same.
Same bark.
Same leaves.
Nothing new to see.
He makes his way up to the interconnected paths, and rams himself into a shack. A tall brown owl, dripped in gold wear, has a massive height advantage. She isn't any enemy of his..but a dear friend.
"Hey Longclaw, look what I got!" Sonic reveals the pie. The owl takes the treat in, looking at it from side to side. "Had to run really fast this time!"
"Sonic.." she starts. "We will share your gift..but did you enter Echidna territory?"
Sonic pauses. "Uh…no?"
Longclaw shakes her head. "You know how dangerous they are. If they get their hands on you, they'll extort you and..who knows what else."
Blink. "What's..extortion?"
"I'll put it this way." Longclaw sets the delicious pie on the table, grabbing a sharp blade to slice it open. "If they capture you, they will make us give them something before you ever come home. You have a remarkable gift. Don't let them get their hands on it."
The young Sonic looks at his own hands. "I didn't die, did i?"
His childish naivety puts a small smile on her face. "Thank the gods you didn't."
Present Day…
Sonic's a snowplow, mowing snow like he's parting the Red Sea. He hears a TINK, stopping his shovel in its tracks. Sonic reaches in for himself…
It's a white feather. A stiff one, with all its softness lost to time.
"Yeesh. You've had a rough go." Sonic comments, plucking it from its cold prison. He clenches it tight as his search for that map continues. The largest mountain on the island sticks out.
"Oh boy.." Sonic doesn't look thrilled at the path. He holds the shovel tight. "Here, we, GO."
In the Past…
Sonic eats the hard dirt. A few white owls surround the defenseless kid, scratching him with their talons, all with glee. He doesn't know the motive, but it's hard to think when a group of bullies mob him. Plus, his trusty legs are cut up from the attack.
"Look at little speedy junior! Gonna cry?" One asks.
"Go back to your own kind!" Another demands.
Sonic jogs past a couple. His tormentors are ruthless, taking to the skies to have a constant eye on him. Sonic's hyperventilating at his situation. Normally he's been able to dodge traps, but never has he been confronted by a group as vicious as these three.
One swoops in with his sharp talons, but Sonic fakes him out, pretending to go right..but switching lanes. Traffic laws can't hold him. "Can we just stop?" He asks, to deafening silence.
Even though one's been slowed, two are left, not looking to repeat their friends mistake. They split up, one on the kids left, one on his right. They swoop in..but Longclaw flies in, taking them down with her!
"Longclaw!" Sonic shouts, trying to run back and help, but she waves him off.
"Get to the house. I will take care of them."
Sonic's at a standstill. Do I obey? Or go against her wishes? Before he can decide, those white owls are knocked out, butterflies dancing above their hands. Longclaw flies over and grabs Sonic with jet beak, flying him away from this carnage.
He gets dropped off at their porch. Longclaw alerts a few in their village of the nasty cuts on his legs. Like a true community, those few come over to provide their medical affection. They weren't deep enough for stitches, but he still needed a cleaning. Owls make for decent doctors apparently.
.
.
"Infections suck.." Sonic whines, crawling into his messy bed. Longclaw uses her beak to cover him up..the best she can anyway. That blankets all folded up.
"You aren't infected, silly. You just need to rest." She responds, giving him a peck on his forehead. "Goodnight, Sonic." She closes the blinds to his window, and looks to head out.
"Longclaw.."
She stops. "What's wrong?"
"Uh.." Sonic has to find the words. "Is everyone on the uh..outside like that?"
Longclaw's calm demeanor starts to crack. She wasn't even trusting with those outside of the village, yet here he is asking HER about it. How could she break it to him, without her own bias getting in the way?
"Longclaw?"
She snaps out of her trance. "Oh..well..not everyone." At least she hopes so. "I hope you find good people one day. Inside the village..or even outside if it comes to that. You haven't gotten the chance because you sneak out at the worst times."
Sonic wipes his eyes. "When…" a yawn cuts him off. "When can I go outside?"
"You were attacked after five minutes. I don't know if we should do it now. You run into tons of trouble.."
The hedgehog huffs. "But..." He stops himself. Longclaw never ever let him go outside. Only on special occasions. "Nevermind.."
His godmother tries to shift the topic. "Get some rest, Sonic. We have a big day tomorrow."
After leaving her surrogate son to rest, she takes a second to think over what she did. Did she handle it right? Is he happy? The answer to both questions, is no. Whether she likes it or not, she can't keep him couped in the village forever. She knows so herself. No Owl can really catch him when it comes to his more..rebellious side.
"What am I going to do with you?"
Present Day…
Sonic chuckles to himself as he runs up that massive mountain. More of those repressed memories start flooding back. A little guilty angel on his shoulder keeps whispering about his stubbornness back.
"She wanted to protect you, but noooo, you didn't listen." It says.
"Give me a break will ya? Gaia forbid I try to live.."
"You can't run from what you did."
While he's lost in though, he trips over an object buried in the snow, sending him sliding up the trail! With his quills white, Sonic heads to the source, and finds a rock just sitting there. Who knows how many more the snow has buried.
Past…
The sun shines on a flying Longclaw, who has Sonic in her grasp again. "Where are we going?" He asks, seeing them get further and further on from their village. She soars down, the wind messing up both of their looks. Once she touches down, she lets Sonic down on a rock. Has great sitting room too.
Sonic's eyes shoot up when he sees…different birds below?! There's a little green one on a flying skateboard, who doesn't seem to be anywhere from the village. There's a bigger gray one entering his vision, but he face plants. That green one points and laughs at his friends failure.
"You took me..outside?"
Longclaw nods. "Last night, I was thinking..and I don't think you should be holed up anymore. You have an undying will for exploration. Who am I to get in your way?"
Sonic's jaw drops. "You shouldn't have…is there a 'but'?"
"Get me or my sisters to accompany you." She reveals. "We're taking things slowly, Sonic. What leader would I be if I didn't care for my residents?"
Sonic just hugs her straight away, not even caring about the catch, he finally gets some freedom! With special permission, of course. He wasn't foreign to "sneaking" out, but there's that approval aspect. All kids want approval whether they say so or not.
Longclaw brushes a wing over his head, before she looks out at those playing birds too. Sonic's seated, swinging his legs. "I need one!" He shouts, referring to those magic boards.
"One day. Be careful who you keep around. You never know who's hungry for power.."
Sonic turns to her, with an innocent look. "Why would they starve?"
Longclaw looks at the earth below. "There are good people for you to play with..but some put on a disguise. They don't act like you think. One day, your relationship is cordial. Then, overtime, the more power they SEE they can grab, the worse it will get." Sonic's just blinking as she explains. Maybe the concepts too big for him to grasp.
"So..good people can turn bad?"
"Unfortunately. They just believe they are right, but the reality is: they are wrong." Longclaw gets flashes of the old echidna tribe. One without the traps, and the dark disguises. One that wasn't starving for the Master Emerald. Everything was going well until that cruel chief came to power..
Sonic's still not focused on any of that. "BORING." He says, jumping down to meet the colorful birds. He didn't think about how the fall was, so he dips downward! Longclaw catches him with her foot, flying the upside-down hedgehog right back up. He's laughing at the horrifying sight, in a horrifying situation.
"Hahahaha!"
"You are lucky to have me, dear.."
Present…
"Yes I was." Sonic says, finally reaching the top of the mountain. It's flat, and nowhere close to bumpy like the run up. He circles around like a Roomba, clearing out every inch of this mess. A paper goes flying out!
"Gotcha!"
He catches it, wiping the snow away. Some of the paper is tore up, but he can still make out most of it. The emerald picture sticks out first. Jackpot, got the map, and just need the next piece.
Then his worst memory flashes..
Past…
A fields tore through with a brown mark, burrowed through all zig-zagged. A few echidnas, armed and wearing camouflage, trace it. One's got a fluffy, grey beard, but a deadly gaze to go along with it. Sonic might have
"Chief Pachacamac…this has to be the way, yes?" One asks.
The grizzled echinda aims his spear at the path. "That hedgehog has doomed his people."
.
.
Back at the Owl village, Sonic's casually rushing around the neighborhood. He just has to let all that pent-up energy out. Simply seeing a different type of bird has his head spinning. Who else is out there? What do they even do?
His mind is filled with curiosity.
Longclaw flies over, carrying a little skateboard in her feet. Sonic's emerald eyes light up at his new toy! "Oh my gaia, oh my gaia, you did it!"
The Owl beams a warm smile, as she rolls the board in-front of him. "Now you can practice your tricks all you want."
Sonic immediately rolls the board away, getting a half-hearted frown from her. It was almost funny how quickly he just ignored directions..but as she said to herself: she can't keep him chained up. This kids going to do what he wants, whether she likes it or not.
Another owl flies to her side, wearing a leather vest. "That kid's a free spirit. Have you been spoiling him?"
"Some days I wish I could..but my responsibility is too great. I'm glad I could do SOMETHING for him." Longclaw admits. "He's been itching to see the outside often."
"So that's why you went to the cliff.."
"Who am i to deprive him?"
Whoosh!
A spear impales her friend! Longclaw catches her friend from collapsing, and makes out a few echidnas scaling the trees. They are SCATTERED. There's a group on the left, one on the righ—ANOTHER SPEAR cuts her off! Her right wings stinging, but despite the pain: she was work to do, and people to protect.
She flies into her house, nabs a sheet of papyrus, and flies on down! While her people try to fend off the sneak attack, Longclaw can't seem to find Sonic anywhere! A blue ball lands in-front of her, teary eyes over his broken skateboard. "The bad guys are here!"
Longclaw uses her wing to force him on her back, and takes off. Sonic's frantically looking down, watching as an explosive burns the paths he used to roam. "Hang on!" Longclaw warns, having to dodge a few spears. A fourth one cuts through a wing, forcing them into a crash landing!
"NO!"
Longclaw takes the brunt of the fall, saving Sonic from a massive hit. Sonic shakes the daylights out of her. "Longclaw? LONGCLAW!" The owl can barely open her eyes, but when she's lucid..
"Oh dear."
She digs through a pouch in her vest, pulling out that ring. She lets the map fall from her beak, and forces it into Sonic's hands. "You'll be needing that." She tosses the ring, opening a portal to a winter wonderland, with new trees and decorations all over. The flakes are coming in hot, as they can feel the wind through that portal.
"Never stop running.." she says, forcing him through the ring! Sonic powers out of the snow, clutching the map tight.
"You're coming too!"
The echidna tribe starts swarming them from all angles. Some reveal themselves in bushes, their spears stabbing into the owls armor! Longclaw knows about their slim chance of survival, and kicks the bag of rings inside too. "You always wanted to see the world, right? Now is your chance.."
Sonic keeps trying to get in, but a spear comes his way! Longclaw blocks it with her clean wing, taking that out of action too! "RUN!"
The sharp spear to the face gets the message across. Sonic grabs his items, and turns away..but he just. Can't. Do it. His soul won't let him leave someone like her behind. He turns back, charging forward, all while the echidnas charge his closest friend. Longclaw doesn't look back, bracing for their oncoming attack.
No fear.
Just acceptance.
"Be free, Sonic the Hedgehog.."
Sonic's not letting it end this way, looking for one last leap. The map slips from his grasp, blowing up high. He's lost his access to ultimate power, all for Owlkind..
.
.
The portal disintegrates. There's no saving Longclaw. Whatever the echidnas do to her, he will never know about. There's so much pressure on him, from the wind, to the emerald, to wherever he's going next. All he knows is that this is a cold place to stay.
"The map.." Sonic pats himself down, and can't find one! It's just him, and the rings. He shakes his head. "No..no.." he can feel the energy rise, the blue aura surround him. He's on his own now. Longclaw wanted him to see the world, and damnit, he's going to do it!
Where?
He kicks snow behind him, coming to the end of that island in seconds! In the distance, is a new land..but there's a giant body of water. All he has to do, is get past that, and he's home-free.
"Not water.."
He takes a deep breathe, and runs against the tide! Walking on water feels surreal, but he almost trips up quite a bit! Soon, the beach is in his sight, all he has to do is—
SWOOSH!
A wave knocks him off balance! The kids losing energy trying to fight the wave, and starts sinking like a rock. The land he seeks, gets muddier and muddier.
This is it…
.
.
.
The kid opens his eyes, to find sand beneath him. He coughs out chunks of access water, and takes a second to catch his breath. Those clumps of sand have never felt better! He makes a sand all and douses it at his face just for good measure.
"No..more..water.."
"Hey there!"
Sonic turns to the source of the voice: a young, bloated purple cat, with a mustached one too. There's a cute little frog by their side. "I'm Large! This is my boy, Big. What's your name?"
"Sonic.." he shivers. "Sonic Hedgehog."
"Well Sonic Hedgehog, get a good look at the place. One hell of a vacation.." Large admits. Sonic decides to take that advice, and walk through the environment. There's monkeys playing in the trees, chickens chasing each other around, and birds doing their mating calls.
Already off to a better start.
Sonic sighs in relief, as he finds a sign with two sides. Ones blank, so he smacks it, and the other flips over. It reads:
"Green Hill"
Present Day
Christmas Island
Sonic clutches his way back tight. All of that trauma, happened because of a silly mistake HE made. Sonic scratches his head, immediately putting SOME of that blame elsewhere.
"Yeah, I really messed up..but the echidna.." His knuckles almost burst from the glove. "They just had to get greedy."
Having to relive the memories just pisses him off even more. Now the Master Emerald, and the echidna tribe, are back into play. Knuckles was too young to participate in the slaughter. He didn't even agree with his corrupt people, but still got drug back in. All because Egghead loves pulling the strings.
What did he tell him?
Why is Knuckles eating it up?
Sonic can't answer either question. The angers building up inside. No matter how many breaths he takes, he still can't shake off what happened. Why did the doctor have to bring it back?
"Say your prayers, Eggman.."
Jimbotnik better take as many vitamins as he can, because Sonic's on a mission! To think, nobody else in the situation feels like he does. Well, for now. Other characters have their ties..and you can easily guess who.
That took a while. Dear me. The next chapter will feature Knuckles and Mecha Sonic collecting some metal for their doctor, plus Sonic's return to his buddies. See you there, uce.