Of orange and Blue

CHAPTER 1:

"Get back here you freak!"

The little fox fit continued to run through the streets of the small village, careful of not tripping over his feet as he focused on getting away from the angry bull behind him.

He paid no mind to the hateful looks coming his way. Of the way mothers shielded their kid's eyes when he ran by or the utter disgust on the elders' faces. Too used to it after all those years and too focused on losing his pursuer.

He didn't plan on getting caught, he knew what he was doing wasn't really considered legal- but he wasn't hurting anybody! Besides, is not like anyone was using that stuff anyway, it wouldn't hurt if he just took some of it, right?

"Eek!" He had to make a last-minute duck after multiple rocks were sent flying his way. Some of the kids in the playground had caught sight of him and decided to join in on the fun, giggling as they picked up whatever they could find and aimed it at him.

It certainly complicated things, but this wasn't the worst situation Miles had found himself in, not by a long shot.

He knew these streets better than anyone. Rounding a corner sharply to get out of the kid's firing range, Miles kept running until a familiar alleyway came into view. He sent an apologizing smile to the lady on the flower stand as he grabbed some dirt from her pots, throwing it behind him and leaping over to the alley as the dirt created a small smoke bomb on his trail, shielding him from the officer's view.

He used his momentum to jump and land behind one of the many trash cans in the dirty alleyway. His small frame allowing him to practically disappear behind them. Miles held his breath as the red bull that had been chasing him for a while now continued to run down the street, mumbling some words under his breath that he didn't quite manage to hear.

He stayed in his hiding spot for what he estimated was 10 minutes. Ears flickering as he registered the sounds coming from the street.

The commotion had certainly died out, citizens going back to their usual activities while making some not very nice comments about him. But more importantly, he couldn't hear the security guard anymore, which meant it was time to move.

He didn't like staying in one place for too long, and the last thing he needed was for someone to find one of his hiding spots again. He was extra careful as he stood up, slightly hissing as his knee protested the movement, still sore from his last beating. The adrenaline had worn off, but no one seemed to have noticed him. Good.

He quietly made his way to the outskirts of the town, the forest beyond more welcoming than anyone in the village had ever been to him. It wasn't until he had triple checked that he wasn't being followed that he finally headed for his current hideout.

It wasn't as nice as the cave he had found during winter, but after Slash and his gang had found it, he had never been able to go back to it. This new place was near a waterfall and had enough plants around to shield him from view. Hopefully they wouldn't find him as easy this time.

Miles finally took off the worn-out bag from his shoulders, laying down the tiny screws and wheels he had worked so hard to get and had gotten him into so much trouble.

He didn't like stealing, but he didn't have much choice. Each time he tried to ask something nicely, people would either give him hateful looks, laugh at him or in the worst just start kicking him until he went away.

Even then, he refused to snatch things from people's hands. Everything he had, or even ate, was from the trash or leftovers he found. Sometimes, he was lucky enough to find whole pieces of food or half meals in the trashcans around town. Anything that was left behind by others was useful to him.

However, his resourcefulness wasn't always enough. Work on his latest project had been put on hold for weeks now as he hadn't been able to find the pieces he needed. Miles had scavenged all the possible places, but it was no use. His only choice was the town's junkyard, and it wasn't really stealing when the stuff he grabbed was going to be destroyed anyway, right? At the very least he could give it another use.

The junkyard's security guard didn't seem to think the same though. As soon as the bull had caught sight of Miles, after he had gotten distracted marveling at all the technology in there, he had chased him all over town while yelling means things his way.

It didn't matter now, but it meant that sneaking in there would be much more difficult the next time he needed something this specific. Shame, Miles loved every second he spent in there, to think people would throw away so many useful things just like that when half of the stuff in the junkyard was still functional- Miles certainly didn't understand why people would trash their old, entirely functional, electronics just so they could buy the newer ones in the market.

Miles shook his head, he had to focus.

Very carefully, he pulled the rusted, silver watch he had been working on for months now from under the rock he had been hiding it in. He had found it in the trash of some family last winter, it looked old and had stopped working a long time ago, but it was the most intriguing thing Miles had ever seen.

It was unlike any other machine he knew about. Most of them were big with all sorts of engines and complicated systems, but the watch was so simple yet so complex at the same time. It fascinated him. He promised himself that, one day, he would fix it right back to its original state. Something so unique deserve to be treated with love and care. Besides, it was a challenge, and Miles loved anything that could test his mechanical skills.

He swiftly got to work, his hands working with precision and care as he started to replace the old pieces with the "new" ones. He had taken apart every single watch he had found in the junkyard, studying its insides and taking the pieces he needed. It wasn't easy, and the system was very delicate, but he slowly started to get the hang of it.

He must have spent hours working on the watch, as by the time he finally called it quits for the day, the sun was just about to disappear in the horizon. His stomach complained quite loudly, but he was too mentally exhausted to try and find any food.

Instead, he put all of his strength into climbing one of the trees nearby. His knee hurt as he made his way to one of the sturdiest branches, and his stomach was a bit sore from both lack of food and the many hits it took a few days ago, but it was fine. He curled up into a ball and settled in for the night, tails coming in as a blanket.

Miles eyed them with a mix of hatred and love. His tails helped him when it was cold, and lately, he had found out he could use them to boost himself when he ran and could even get him to jump higher than any of the other kids! But at the same time, they were the reason nobody liked him.

He was… wrong, at least that's what everyone told him. Everyone else only had one tail, but he was born with two. Each time someone saw them, they would immediately change the way they saw him, saying means things or calling him names- Miles didn't understand why it was such a big deal, but everyone acted like it was this horrible, hideous thing- so it must be true, right? He was a freak.

He curled up further in himself, slightly shivering as a hard gush of wind flew by, body aching with bruises and an empty stomach. He could bury himself on projects all day and ignore all of his worries and hunger, but it was by night where he had nothing to distract himself with, where he had to face his situation.

Miles hated the night.

It just made him remember he would have to live like this for the rest of his life, wondering if he'd be able to eat something tomorrow, begging for his hideout not to be found, hoping none of the bullies went too hard on him next time.

Miles went to sleep like all nights, with tails covering his body and tear tracks on his cheeks.


Sonic the hedgehog was having the time of his life.

The wind brushed against his spikes, the evening sun leaving a nice, warm feeling over his body and the sounds of the forest mixing around him as he ran past- This is the life he was always meant to be a part of. What he was born to do.

He grinned as the edge of the forest came into view, the line of trees disappearing in what appear to be a cliff. Sonic just laughed as he quickened his pace, launching off and enjoying the few moments when gravity held no power over him. When he was free.

His eyes narrowed as he rapidly approached the ground. He curled his body, transforming into a blue spiky ball that rolled down from the hill that awaited him at the end of the cliffside. As soon as he made contact with the ground, he unfolded and dashed away with the same drive he always carried.

The city skyline finally took shape on the distance. The landscape turning from trees and plains to stores and buildings. Sonic had to stiff a laugh as he finally came to a stop in front of a chili dog stand, startling the poor owner who practically jumped a foot off the ground on his arrival.

"Hey there, I'll be having the triple deluxe combo with extra chili to go, thanks." Sonic just leaned on the food cart, tapping his feet as he waited for the dog to regain his bearings and process his order, as well as the reaction he knew was about to follow.

"You-you are Sonic the hedgehog!" The dog practically shouted as he rearranged his apron and hat. Ah, there it was. Same good ol' response to his arrival.

"The one and only! And do you mind speeding it up a little? I'm on a tight schedule." Sonic winked as he counted down in his head. Three, two, one…

"EEEKKKK! It's Sonic! He's here!" Yup, here comes the fans. Sonic took a second to take a deep breath and put on his easygoing smile before turning to face the growing crowd that was forming around him.

"Oh em gee! Can you please give me your autograph?!"

"Sonic! Over here!"

"How was it fighting Robotnik?!"

"Why are you so blue?"

"Is it true you can run as fast as light?!"

"Please marry me!"

Okay, if someone had told him that becoming famous meant he had to deal with crazy fangirls 24/7, he might have reconsidered going on all those interviews after kicking Eggman's butt. But who can blame him! They were basically begging for him to appear on their shows! They gave him good money for it, and he didn't think that being a celebrity would be this bad. Just look at how happy people looked on those fancy magazines. But thinking about it now-

"M-Mister Sonic? Here's your order. A triple deluxe combo with extra chili on it, i-it's on the house!" The dog shily tapped his shoulder to get his attention, a bag of deliciousness on his hand.

-Okay yeah, maybe Sonic could deal with the crazy fangirls if it meant he got free food.

"Thanks! Well, I'd love to stick around, but I gotta speed!" He made sure to grab the bag before speeding off, the screams from the crowd disappearing the further away he got from the city.

Sonic stopped a few miles away from there. A nice little hill with a view to the ocean. Sonic might not be too fond of water, but it didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the sight from a safe, solid distance.

He sat down and took a bite of his food while his other hand reached between his head quills, patting around until he found what he was looking for and took it out. He unrolled the map on the grass in front of him, using one of his quills to draw his notes on the forest and city he just visited.

After he finished, he drew back and analyzed the paper. Those were the last two spots he had not visited on this island. The forest had been particularly fun, there were plenty of falls for him to mess around with and seemed to have been relatively untouched from Eggman's destruction. He would definitely go back there. As for the city, hmm… Sonic took another bite of his chili dog and, after chewing on it a bit longer, declared they were good enough for him to go back for. The fans would be a problem tho.

And that was always the problem. No matter where he went, after he saved the world from Eggman a month ago there was literally no place for him to go without getting swarmed by fans the second he stopped.

He had been excited at first. He had gone from being a nobody to a world-wide celebrity overnight. Of course, going from getting weird looks due to his speed to being admired by everyone he met had been jarring, but it was also what he had always wanted.

At least, that's what he thought he wanted. He soon realized people were just there to watch his skills or "uniqueness", rarely did any of them show any interest in knowing him more personally. Hell, he sometimes thought that if he hadn't stopped Eggman people would just see him as a freak, the same way they did back in his home island…

Sonic shook his head, no point in thinking about the past.

Instead, he had to focus on the future. What did he truly want? He had thought becoming famous would help fix his problems, but it had kind of backfired and created even more. He knew for a fact exploring was when he felt the happiest, so maybe the answer had something to do with that. But he had already seen everything this island had to offer; his map was proof enough of that. So then what-

A glint caught his eye. There, down by the city's ports, was a small landing field full of planes from all different sizes. The glint on one of them hitting his eyes as his owner applied a fresh coat of wax on it.

Sonic stared at the plane and then down to his map. Perhaps it was time to go somewhere else. He was sure he wouldn't find what he was missing here, so maybe taking the Tornado out for a new adventure might be what he needed.

Sonic puffed out some air and grinned. Only one way to find out. He quickly packed his trash on the bag that once held the chili dogs and put his map back into his quills. Stretching a bit before standing straight on the hill.

Sonic gave the ocean one last look, the sun just starting to set in and painting the horizon in beautiful oranges and blues, and disappeared in a blur of color as he made his way to where he had left the Tornado.

This was the start of something great. Sonic could feel it.