-Chapter 237-

How We Met Our Hedgehog

Knothole

It was a slow day in Knothole, the various Freedom Fighters relaxing around HQ. Sonic stumbled in after his latest training session with Longclaw, taking off his training weights before collapsing on the couch.

"You look exhausted," Sally noted.

"I am," Sonic confirmed. "Longclaw is merciless."

"Well, you're the one who told her not to go easy on you."

"Believe me, I know. If it gives me the muscle to take on Akhlut, it's worth it."

Off to the side, Cream watched as Cheese and Team Chronic did their own training. Chronic was holding up a block of wood, which Cheese was preparing to chop through. He let out a few deep breaths before letting out a yell and chopping at the block… only for his nub to bounce off of it, sending him falling on his back with a startled chirp. Chronic laughed, then Chuckles came forward, pantomiming rolling up sleeves before punching through the block. Cheese grumbled under his breath as Chuckles flexed, grinning.

"Have you guys been watching Sharky Chan (1) movies with Tanaka again?" Sonic questioned.

"I know Chronic's been watching me and Chris train with him," Keith replied. "When we're not working on new upgrades for the Nitro Gloves."

"We've even been taking Chuckles in a bit more often," Chris added.

"Cheese wants to learn Chao Karate, but I'm having a problem finding a good trainer for him," Cream explained. "So he's making do."

"Chao Karate?" Kat asked. "Now I'm picturing a wizened old Chao teaching Team Chronic the 'wax on, wax off' maneuver."

Everyone snorted at that.

"I'm more surprised that there's a karate style made specifically for Chao," Tails remarked.

"At this point, nothing would surprise me," Sonic said. "Keep at it, Cheese!"

Cheese chirped happily as Chails brought in a new wooden block. Before he could try again, however, they heard a car horn. Curious, everyone went out to see Amy drive in at the wheel of a pink convertible with a white stripe down the middle and the lower edge of the sides. It possessed brown seats with a rectangular windshield up front, black wheels with pink hubcaps, yellow front lights with eyelashes, and a license plate that said "AMY-01". She pulled to a stop, climbing out with a smile.

"So, what do you think?" Amy asked. "The Pink Cabriolet. Rob had it custom-made for me."

"Wow, Amy!" Sally exclaimed. "It's perfect for you."

Amy beamed happily. "Thanks! I worked really hard to get my license, and I finally passed my driver's exam! I even got a commercial license, so I can drive some big rigs. Should come in handy if any of our missions involve trucks or cars of any sort."

"Seriously?" Knuckles asked, incredulous. "We've been training and working on getting stronger while you've been wasting time getting a license?"

"Think about it, Knuckles, said Amy. "Tails can fly just about any air vehicle in existence, but can anyone here drive a car? Sure, Shadow has his bike, but what about if Eggman hijacks a truck or something? Or we need actual land transport?"

"Well, I am working on giving the X-Tornado a car mode," Tails pointed out.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Tails, do you even know the first thing about traffic laws?"

That stopped Tails at that.

"Okay, no," Sonic admitted. "I don't think anyone here can drive a car. But in my defense, when you can run halfway across the planet in five seconds, what use do you have for a license?"

"You and Shadow are the only ones who can do that, Sonic," Amy said. "And we can't always rely on Warp Rings. Remember how many times we've run out? Or forgotten them? Or they've been stolen or destroyed?"

A moment passed before Sonic nodded. "Yeah, that's a good point. Well made."

Amy smiled at that, plopping onto the couch. "So, how is everyone doing?"

"Beat," Sonic replied. "Longclaw's training is brutal. I just wanna sit back and relax for now."

-X-

Sometime later, a storm had hit, rain falling in buckets as thunder crashed and lightning flashed. Tails was squeezing Cosmo's hand, flinching every time lightning hit.

"I hate thunderstorms," he griped.

"You kidding?" Kat asked. "Thunderstorms are the best. They always manage... to put me... to…"

She slumped over on Keith's shoulder, snoring. Knuckles lifted her up, setting her on the couch.

"Is it bad that I'm growing numb to this?" he asked.

Sonic shrugged as Sticks entered, soaking wet. She got down on all fours, shaking like a dog to dry off before approaching the others.

"Ladies and germs, after days of work, I'm proud to present my latest and greatest bot-bashing weapon!" she declared before producing a set of nunchucks, looking like they were made out of two pipes from a Badnik, tied together with some thick vines.

"Sticks... that's a nunchuck," Sally said. "And one that will probably snap the second you try to use it."

Sticks shook her head. "No, they won't! I've been practicing. Watch."

She began spinning them, making funny whooping noises as she did. Suddenly, there was a massive bolt of lightning and a loud crack of thunder. The lights flickered, then everything went dark. Sticks yelped and there was an audible thud as she ended up whacking herself in the head. A moment passed before the room lit up, the group turning to see the source of the light was Hope with a zippo lighter.

"Um, Hope?" Tails began. "Why do you have a lighter?"

"For the Bunsen burner in the lab," Hope explained. "And Shadow's scented candles."

Sticks was slumped over, eyes crossed and a goofy expression on her face. Sally just rolled her eyes as the group gathered some candles, Hope lighting them in turn. About that time, Rotor and Porker came walking in.

"So, turns out the lightning hit the junction box," Rotor said. "I need to wait for the storm to pass before I can start repairs."

"I grabbed all the ice cream from the fridge," Porker added.

They helped themselves, everyone sitting around the living room.

"So… what do we do now?" Cream asked.

"Well, how about some stories to pass the time?" Johnny offered.

"That could work," Porker agreed. "Like that time Tails accidentally overloaded our lab and we were stuck for four hours until his dad came and got us out."

Johnny chucked. "I remember that. That was actually the day we first met Sonic, right?"

"You know, I'm actually curious about that," Cosmo said. "How long have you all known Sonic?"

"It varies," Knuckles replied. "I've known him for about a year or two. Most of the others have known him since they were little."

"Well Johnny, you were the one with the idea," Sonic pointed out. "Why don't you start us off?"

"Sure, why not?" Johnny grabbed his ice cream, leaning back. "Tails and Porker were always lab partners, and I was always the one to keep the little jerks away. I was basically Porker's Sonic. And one day, Tails is experimenting with a new form of energy: Power Gems. He'd brought Sonic to the lab that day to introduce us…"

Flashback

A young Tails held Sonic's hand as he dragged the hedgehog into the lab. Porker was bent over a circuit board while Johnny was reading comics in an overstuffed bean bag to the side.

"Hey, guys!" Tails declared, getting their attention. "I brought in a new friend."

Porker looked up, seeing him. "Oh, is he the guy who gave that jerk an atomic wedgie?"

"That'd be me," Sonic said with a grin. "I'm Sonic, by the way."

"I'm Porker Lewis, a lab mate of Tails'," Porker replied.

Johnny gave a wave from his beanbag. "Johnny Lightfoot."

Sonic looked around the lab. "Fancy place."

"It is, isn't it?" Tails asked. "My dad helped me set it up, and brought Porker to help with my studies."

"And where Porker goes, I go," Johnny added.

"Hey, you gotta stand by your friends," Sonic said. "I respect that."

Johnny actually looked up at that, managing a smile as Tails went over to the lab table, where a green Power Gem sat.

"So, are we ready to try it out?" Tails asked.

"The dampeners should be in place," Porker replied. "If this works, our lab will be one hundred percent off the grid."

Tails grinned. "Moment of truth time!"

He snatched up a pair of jumper cables, hooking them into the Power Gem.

"Um... I don't think that's a good idea," Sonic began. "Uncle Chuck says you shouldn't put something like a Power Gem in conventional-"

But it was too late. A loud pop sounded, and sparks flew before the lights went out. Thinking fast, Sonic grabbed Tails, Porker, and Johnny, kicking over the table just as the Power Gem exploded, the shards embedding into the table.

"-circuit." he finished.

They slowly looked up, seeing the damage and blown-out lights.

"Well…" Johnny began, "that's unfortunate."

"I thought for sure I had enough failsafes," Tails remarked.

"I knew we should have tried a shard, not a full gem," Porker sighed.

"Well, hindsight is 20/20," Tails said.

Flashback Over

Knothole

"The funny part is that the power eruption was so large that Amadeus' security system kicked in, locking everything down," Porker remarked.

"It thought that we were saboteurs!" Johnny laughed.

"We were stuck in the lab for a good six hours before someone came to get us for dinner," Sonic recalled. "And let me tell you, having super-accelerated vision and brain activity to go with my speed made it seem even longer. I almost went crazy."

"Given how the walls were covered in dry erase doodles, I'd say you did," Johnny deadpanned, getting a laugh out of everyone.

"Well, if we're telling stories of the past, I guess it's my turn," Sally said. "As you all probably know, my father was quite close with Sonic's father and his uncle. And one day, Sonic tagged along on one of their visits to Castle Acorn. I was still pretty young at the time, and nowhere near as confident as I am now…"

Flashback

As Jules and Uncle Chuck spoke to King Max, a bored Sonic wandered off, looking around the castle before coming to the courtyard. He stopped, seeing a young Sally in a sparring match with an older Mobian chipmunk, while a young Antoine was hunkered down in the corner.

"Come now, is that the best you've got?" the chipmunk asked. "I've seen you attack harder than this."

"I'm trying, Julayla!" Sally insisted. "I really am."

"Then come on and hit me!"

Julayla laid on a brutal attack, knocking Sally back. Sonic's eyes widened before he darted out, running toward them. Julayla spotted him, moving in instinct for an intercept. Sally did the same thing.

"What in the...?!" Julayla let out.

To Julayla's shock, Sally was the one who took Sonic down, pinning him to the ground with her blade to his throat.

"Hey!" Sonic yelped. "I was trying to stop that old lady from beating on you, and this is how you thank me?!"

Sally blinked at that.

"Young man, who are you?" Julayla asked. "How did you get in here?"

"I'm Sonic. I came here with my dad and Uncle Chuck."

Julayla looked him over, noticing his resemblance to Jules and Chuck, before nodding. "Stand down, Princess."

"Alright," Sally backed off, letting Sonic stand up.

"Now, why are you bullying that girl?" Sonic asked. "What'd she do to you?"

"Bullying?" Julayla blinked. "Oh, heavens no. We were training."

"Training?" Sonic tilted his head quizzically. "What kind?"

"Martial arts. Self-defense and the like."

"I was supposed to be training with Antoine, but…" Sally sighed, rolling her eyes.

Sonic jerked his thumb in Antoine's direction. "Oh, you mean the wimp in the corner cowering at his own shadow?"

"Hey!" Antoine objected.

"Boo." Sonic said simply.

Antoine yelped, cringing before scowling.

"Do you know who I am?" he stood up tall, his chin in the air. "I am Antoine D'Coolette! Son of the great General Armand D'Coolette! You will show me the proper respect I deserve, hedgehog!"

"Yeah…" Sonic scoffed. "Do something to earn it, and then we'll talk."

Antoine fumed while Sally snickered.

"Now now, break it up," Julayla cut in. "There's enough horror and hate in the world without you two adding to the mess."

"Oh!" Sally perked. "Where are my manners? I am Princess Sally Alicia Acorn. It's nice to meet you, Sonic."

Sonic perked.

"Y-you're the princess?!" He quickly bowed to her. "Sorry, I didn't know! E-excuse me!"

"There's no need to be formal," Sally assured. "Just call me Sally."

"Oh… alright then," Sonic stood up. "Just call me Sonic, then."

A moment passed before Sally smiled. "You wanna play with us?"

"Sure!" Sonic grinned. "Let's play!"

Sally turned to Antoine. "Antoine, we're done sparring for now. Wanna play hide and seek?"

"With him?!" Antoine let out snootily. "Bah! As if I'd ever lower myself to playing with this...peasant!"

"Whatever," Sonic scoffed. "Like I'd want to stoop to playing with a chicken-wuss like you. You're probably just terrified that you'll lose to me."

Antoine scowled. "Pardon?"

Sonic smirked at that.

"You heard me. You don't wanna play hide and seek because you're a chicken-wuss who might lose!" He folded his arms like wings, mockingly flapping them. "BAWK-BAWK-BAKAAAWK!"

Antoine fumed, his face turning red.

"I will show you who the chicken-wuss is!" he declared. "Let ze game begin, you dirty, blue rat!"

"Bring it on, you French poodle! 'Cause you're it!"

Sonic darted off at that to hide. Antoine's jaw dropped at the sight.

"Don quoi!?" he exclaimed before sighing. "Sacre bleu-cheese. I think I have...how you say...bitten off more than I can chew."

"So it would seem," Sally agreed.

Flashback Over

Knothole

"...In the end, he got into it," Sally concluded. "And we all had a good time."

"Mr. Antoine used to be a mean guy?" Cream asked, surprised.

"Oh, he was a pompous dimwit with a yellow streak a mile wide," Sonic confirmed. "So imagine my initial skepticism when Sal mentioned he was part of the Freedom Fighters Initiative."

"Yeah, he was an idiot," Sally admitted, "but he grew out of it."

"Well it sounds like you had fun once he loosened up," Helen mused.

Chris snickered. "Speaking of loosening up, remember how we met Sonic?"

"How could I forget?" Keith recalled. "I wound up face-first in the mud."

Kat had come to by then, at least for the moment, and eagerly leaned in.

"This oughta be good."

"It was about six years ago," Chris began. "We were on a family outing, with Helen coming along. It'd rained a lot, and, well... Helen's wheelchair wasn't meant for soggy terrain."

Flashback

The boys were attempting to get Helen's wheelchair out of a mud puddle, where it was stuck solid. Helen was at her wit's end attempting to get it loose, and Chris and Keith weren't fairing much better.

"Ugh, it's stuck…" Chris grumbled.

"Mrs. Birnbaum is gonna kill us," Keith sighed.

Then, all of a sudden, a blue blur cut through the mud and got Helen out. Chris managed to catch himself, but Keith ended up in the mud.

"Oh, gross!" he exclaimed, spitting and sputtering.

"What just happened?" Chris asked.

They looked up to see Helen's chair skid to a stop, Sonic standing behind her.

"Good thing I was out for a run and saw you needed a hand," he remarked.

"Thanks for the help," Helen said gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," Chris agreed.

Keith was wiping himself off, trying to clean his glasses.

"Yeah... sorry about that." Sonic winced.

"Eh, we were bound to get muddy with this," Keith said, finally managing to clean his glasses. "I'm Keith Kent. This is my cousin, Chris Thorndyke. And that's our friend, Helen Birnbaum."

"Thorndyke…" Sonic perked. "Any relation to Chuck Thorndyke? He works with my uncle on the ROCC project."

"Uncle?" Keith asked before perking. "Oh, you mean Sir Charles, right?"

"That's him," Sonic confirmed.

"And yes," Chris nodded. "Chuck Thorndyke is my grandpa."

"Huh, small world," Sonic mused. "This is my first trip to Station Square. I'll be honest, I'm used to small towns like Emerald Town."

He took the handles of Helen's wheelchair. "Why don't we walk and talk? I'll keep Helen here from getting stuck in any more mud."

So they started walking and talking.

"My parents are almost always busy, so I barely see them," Chris noted. "Even today, stuff called them away. So I mostly hang out with my grandpa and my cousin."

"Hey, they try," Keith pointed out. "They're just really busy, important people."

"Aren't I important too, Keith?" Chris said bitterly. "Their only son?"

"Of course you are," Helen assured. "My parents are always busy too, but I know they love me."

"Because your parents make time for you," Chris replied. "I can't even remember the last time we were able to have dinner without a business call or a role rehearsal."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Sonic looked off to the side, lost in thought.

-X-

The next day…

Chris and Keith entered the Thorndyke Mansion to hear voices coming from the living room.

"I must say, I'm quite disappointed in the both of you," came an unfamiliar voice. "With how much Charles spoke highly of his son, I figured you had a good head on your shoulders. But completely disregarding your son like that…"

They peeked into the room, surprised to see Uncle Chuck speaking with Nelson and Lindsey. Chuck Thorndyke himself sat off to the side, watching it play out.

"Sir Charles, you don't understand," Lindsey insisted. "We have our duties. Important jobs and-"

"Yes, I understand," Uncle Chuck cut in, not unkindly. "But Christopher is not a coat that you hang in the closet, then pick it up when you're ready to wear it. His life goes on. He's not supposed to be there for you. You're supposed to be there for him."

"We... we only want what's best for him," Nelson tried to explain. "We work hard so he'll never want for anything!"

"But you're not truly giving him what he needs," Uncle Chuck insisted. "He doesn't need toys or gifts. He needs his parents to be there. When was the last time either of you ate a meal together as a family before being called away by your jobs?"

The Thorndykes attempted to respond, but to their horror, they couldn't remember.

"Oh, Aurora…" Nelson managed.

"You need to get your act together," Uncle Chuck went on. "Before you lose your son completely. It's not too late."

He looked toward the door at that. "I don't suppose you two are going to stand there eavesdropping all afternoon?"

Chris and Keith exchanged looks before entering the room.

"Chris. Keith," Nelson let out.

"Oh, you poor boys…" Lindsey stood up, hugging them. "I'm so sorry, Chris... I never meant to hurt you…"

"Mom…" Chris let out, returning the hug just as Nelson joined it. Keith looked at Uncle Chuck, confused.

"My nephew told me about his meeting with you two yesterday," the elder hedgehog explained. "So your grandfather and myself worked together to get them here for a talking-to.

"My son was overdue for this little talk," Chuck added.

"We've been too focused on our careers for too long…" Nelson lamented. "But it's time for that to change."

"Agreed," Lindsey said.

Chris smiled, tears in his eyes before looking at Uncle Chuck.

"Thank you, Sir Charles," he said gratefully.

"Oh, that's way too stuffy for me," Uncle Chuck replied. "Just call me Uncle Chuck."

Flashback Over

Knothole

"He knew me all of five minutes and he helped to fix a lifelong problem," Chris recalled.

"A hero right from the start," Keith added.

Sonic shrugged. "What can I say?"

"Yeah... the story of how I met Sonic is a bit less happy," Hope said somberly, rubbing her arms. "It happened not long after my parents died."

Everyone turned to her with a wince.

"I was already staying with Grandma, but I'd been moping in my room for a week," Hope went on. "So, she took me to Uncle Julian for the weekend, and he, in turn, took me to the lab. And Sonic just happened to be there with Uncle Chuck the same day…"

Flashback

Hope sat near-lifelessly on a chair, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as Julian spoke with Uncle Chuck and their colleagues.

"Agnes is worried about her," Julian said. "She doesn't eat, or sleep."

"She survived a fatal car accident," Nate recalled. "That would leave anyone traumatized."

Julian sighed. "I just wish there was something I could do to help her."

Sonic was off to the side, hearing everything. After a moment, he made his decision, approaching Hope. She didn't look up at him, but he took note of the bandage on her forehead, and the locket she was gripping in her hand.

"Hey…" he began gently. "Hope, right? You doing okay?"

Hope didn't respond.

"This seat taken?" He gestured to the seat next to her.

Again, Hope said nothing. After a moment, Sonic took the seat regardless.

"That's a pretty locket. Does it have any pictures inside?"

He reached for the locket, only for Hope to clamp her hands around it and pull it close to her chest.

"I'm not stealing it," Sonic assured. "I just wanted to see it."

"Just... leave me alone," Hope said quietly. "Please."

"I would, but I don't think that's what you really want," Sonic said. "I know you're hurting. All I wanna do is help you. But you have to let me, Hope."

"You can't help me…" Hope pulled her knees up, hugging her legs. "My mom and dad are gone. I'm all alone…"

"I don't think so. I mean, you've got your grandma, right? And Julian?"

Hope scoffed. "What's the point? Why does it matter? We were just out on a drive, and the next moment, my parents are dead. We could all be dead tomorrow, every one of us. Life can end in the blink of an eye, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Well, isn't that all the more reason to live life to the fullest?" Sonic asked, getting Hope's attention. "I may not know what you're going through right now, but I know one thing. Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets. Especially if it's spending time with the people you care about."

Hope listened, life slowly returning to her eyes.

"Your parents may be gone, but you still have your memories. They'll always be right here," he tapped her chest. "And you have so many other people who care about you. You're not alone, Hope."

Hope sniffed slightly, and slowly unclenched her fist around the locket. She opened it, revealing a picture of herself with two people Sonic immediately realized were her parents. Her father resembled a younger, thinner Julian with shaggy blonde hair and a matching goatee, while her mother was an older version of Hope herself.

"Mom got this for me for my birthday," she explained. "It's... the last gift I'll ever get from her... from either of them."

"Then keep it close to your heart. Cherish it always, and never let it go."

Hope sniffled, tears beginning in earnest. Sonic barely hesitated to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. As he held her, Julian came walking in, two mugs of cocoa in his hand. He spotted the two children, seeing Hope finally letting everything out. He managed a smile, setting the cocoa down before leaving.

Flashback Over

Knothole

"He was only twelve... but he did what Grandma and Uncle Julian couldn't, and said just what I needed to hear," Hope concluded.

Sonic shrugged.

"Eh, it's nothing big. I just didn't like seeing you all emotionless and sad," he smiled. "Frankly, I think Charlie and Angela would be proud of you. Bet they're looking down from wherever they are now, happy with what you're doing with your life."

Hope managed a smile. "I'd like to think so myself."

"So who next?" Sticks asked. "What other stories can we tell?"

Sonic thought it over before snapping his fingers.

"I've got one. My origin story, in a matter of speaking. How I first met the Donut Lord."

Everyone let out a collection of oohs at that.

"I must admit, I am curious about how you met the sheriff," Sally said. "I know it involves you being really little."

"Oh yeah, I was six," Sonic confirmed. "Still living on Mobodoon, and I hadn't developed my powers yet. It all began not long after the Great War ended. It was just another day, playing tag with Manic and Sonia…"

Flashback

Many years ago, in the streets of Mobodoon, three young hedgehogs were running around, playing a game of tag.

"You're never gonna get me, Manic!" Sonic taunted. "You know I'm the fastest of all of us! You're wasting your time!"

"Eat my dust, Olgilvie!" Manic shot back.

"No thanks, already ate!" Sonic scowled. "And stop calling me that dumb name!"

"It's your name, Olgilvie!" Sonia pointed out. "Get used to it!"

Sonic sighed. "I need a better name. I mean, We call Manic 'Manic' and I know that can't be his real name!"

"Well, you should have come up with a better name like Manic did!" Sonia said.

"We'll work something out once we beat you at tag!" Manic decided.

The game went on for a while, when suddenly, Sonic took off and seemed to disappear. Manic and Sonia looked everywhere, but couldn't find him.

"Whoa…" Manic let out. "Where'd he go?"

"Olgilvie?" Sonia called. "Come on, this isn't funny!"

"Uh... Sonia?"

Sonia turned to Manic, seeing him staring at skidmarks in the dirt.

" I... don't think he's in the forest anymore. In fact…" He pointed, showing the skid marks leading off a cliff, and the waters churning suspiciously. "I don't think he's on the island anymore…"

As if to prove him right, when they followed the skids for a bit, they saw one of his sneakers, charred, torn, and with the soles melted…

-X-

Later, they brought Sonic's parents and uncle to the site.

"I don't know how it happened!" Manic exclaimed. "One minute, we were playing tag, and then he was gone! I mean, I knew he was the fastest of us, but this is crazy!"

"The speed of Solaran…" Uncle Chuck realized.

Sonia blinked. "Huh?"

"An ancient hedgehog, one of the greatest warriors of the time," Uncle Chuck explained. "Legend says that he could tap into the latent Speed Gene inside every hedgehog, making him faster than light itself."

Manic held up the melted shoe.

"I think this qualifies," he remarked. "But... where is he now?"

"I don't know," Uncle Chuck replied. "But we'll find him."

"Chuck…" Jules began, "if he tapped into the speed gene, he could have run all the way to the mainland…" His eyes widened in horror. "To the Overlands…"

Flashback Over

Knothole

"Okay, hold up," Johnny said. "I know for a fact that you didn't get the name Sonic until after you got your speed. So why the heck are you trying to overlook that little detail? (2)"

"Because my name is Sonic, I had it legally changed, and none of you will ever learn what it really is," Sonic said matter-of-factly.

"And if I told you I bribed Uncle Chuck with coffee for your real name…" Kat began.

"I'd shave your head in your sleep," Sonic replied bluntly.

Kat yelped, covering her head.

"Relax. I'm sure he's bluffing." Sally gave Sonic a stern look. "Right?"

"Not hardly." Sonic gave Kat a clear "I'm watching you" gesture.

"Okay, back on track," Tails cut in. "Then what happened?"

"Well, I kept running and running," Sonic said. "It was all over in the blink of an eye, but somehow, I had run all the way across the ocean... all the way to the Overlands."

Flashback

Sonic skidded to a stop, taking in his surroundings.

"What the…"

He was in woods he didn't recognize, and worse, his clothes appeared to be on fire. He shrieked, ripping them off before dropping and rolling in the grass. Once that was done, he got up.

"Manic? Sonia? Anybody?!" He called, getting no response. "Uh-oh…"

He headed through the woods, eventually coming out overlooking a rural town that he didn't recognize. His heart nearly stopped when he saw humans wandering the streets rather than Mobians.

"Oh no…" he gasped. "I'm in the Overlands?!"

Panicking, he rushed back into the woods. He ended up moving so fast he ran right into a tree. He groaned, rubbing his head.

"Ow… Who put that tree there…" He perked, realizing what was going on. "Wait a sec... I knew I was fast, but... did I run from Christmas Island to the Overlands?"

To test, he caught sight of a boulder in the distance. He ran towards it, almost immediately smacking into it like he did the tree. His feet were beginning to hurt now, and when he looked down, he saw why: he was missing a sneaker, the other charred and worn out.

"My shoes?!"

"Who's there?!"

Sonic screamed and bolted, this time finding himself up a tree in the time it took to blink. He looked down, seeing an older man with graying hair looking around every which way.

"I know you're there!" he called. "Come on out!"

Sonic held his breath, staying perfectly still. Eventually, the man left, stealing one more glance at the woods before walking away.

-X-

Later, at a bar, the man was rambling about what he saw.

"I saw it! A blue blur, a super-sonic monster! It's gotta be one of them Beastmen! They're here to finish the job!"

"Carl... did you take your meds this morning?" a patron asked.

"Don't gimme that look, Jimmy! I know what I saw!"

"Look Carl, the beastmen aren't here," Jimmy replied. "Green Hills is beastman free. You know that."

"Carl, maybe you need to up your sessions with your doc," the bartender said.

"I know what I saw, Clara!" Carl insisted. "Some kind of... blue devil out there. I'm not crazy! I'll prove it!"

Flashback Over

Knothole

"I don't get it," Cream said. "Why did seeing humans everywhere scare you?"

"The Great War had only recently ended, Cream," Sonic explained. "Tensions between humans and Mobians were high, and they wouldn't react well to seeing one."

"Making you feel like a minnow in a shark tank," Knuckles concluded.

"Basically," Sonic nodded. "What I also didn't know at the time was that Crazy Carl was actually a war veteran. And one of the few survivors of Kodos' massacre. Of course, I was six, going on seven, so I had no way of knowing this."

Everyone winced at that.

"Okay, so what did you do from there?" Chris asked.

"I hunkered down in a cave I found in the woods, making do with what I could. It went on for a few weeks…"

Flashback

Some time passed. Sonic kept out of sight, amusing himself by messing with people around town and observing their daily lives. He found his attention particularly drawn to Tom Wachowski, the town sheriff who everyone looked up to and respected. He called the man Donut Lord, because he was almost always eating or talking to donuts.

He also got a laugh out of messing with Carl, who kept trying to catch him and prove to the others he wasn't crazy. One particular instance found him hanging in a snare trap after Sonic set off multiple bear traps and escaped.

"I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE, AND I KNOW YOU'RE REAL!" the old man screamed into the night.

"NOOOOO I'M NOOOOOT!" Sonic called in the distance.

He also watched Tom at his house, where he witnessed his wife Maddie performing yoga and teach her daughter Natalie the same. His attempts to mimic the poses she was doing... didn't go so well.

"Ow, ow, ow…" he whimpered. "Was she born without bones or something? Maybe she's a pretzel…"

After that was done, he popped by the Wachowskis' house for movie night, seeing them settled on the couch with a daughter around his age and a Mobini puppy, watching a movie featuring a young Lindsey Fair. He grinned widely as he saw her riding a motorcycle in a clear action scene.

"Yes!" he cheered. "An action movie and not a sappy rom-com. Just what I was hoping for."

Once it was over, he looked over Tom and Maddie with their daughter, wincing before sadly walking away and heading for the small cave he had ducked down in. He took off his worn-out shoes, realizing he'd need a new pair soon.

"Downside to speed... I run through shoes," he lamented. "The Blurr never had these problems…"

Some time later, he slipped through the skylight of the local shoe shop, dropping down inside and looking around.

"Alright... I need size 12. Ooh, these ones light up."

He went to snag some socks, only to come face to face with the owner of the store. A moment of silence passed, Sonic stuck between fight or flight. He chose flight, throwing one sock into the owner's face before taking off like a shot.

"Aurora…" he gasped. "Carl's blur monster... It's real!"

-X-

A few minutes later, Tom was looking at the security footage of the shop.

"I thought Carl was just having another episode, but he's real," the owner said. "The Super Sonic Monster. I blinked and it was gone... but at least now I know who's been stealing all the children's shoes."

"Guess I owe Carl an apology," Tom mused, looking it over again.

"One of the beastmen, right here in our town." The store owner shook their head. "What, is it not enough that they won the Great War?"

"Look closer," Tom pointed out. "It's... just a kid."

"Sheriff, with all due respect, they're all the size of kids." the owner paused for a moment. "Well, except that psycho lion. He was huge. But most of them are pretty small."

"Alright. I'll find him." Tom decided, standing up.

-X-

Across town, Sonic had hunkered down in his cave.

"They saw me... they're on to me... What am I gonna do?" He shook his head. "Uncle Chuck said if I ever got lost, I had to stay put. I can't leave... they won't find me if I leave."

At that moment, he heard footsteps and whirring noises. He peeked out, eyes widening at the sight of numerous drones and the like looking around.

"Okay, yeah! Getting outta here!" he took off. "I gotta find somewhere to lay low!"

Immediately, he thought of Tom's garage on the edge of town. "Donut Lord to the rescue."

He made it to the garage, slipping through the back window.

"Okay, I'm in. With minimal damage to Donut Lord's property. Now I just hunker down and wait for all this to blow over. No problem."

Sadly, he didn't count on getting spotted by Maddie, who quickly called Tom to investigate. Sonic was just about to sit down, only for the door to be kicked in. Tom entered, carrying a tranquilizer gun.

"Station Square PD!" he exclaimed. "...Pending background check. Paws in the air!"

His eyes fell on Sonic, the two frozen in place. In a panic, Sonic did the only thing that he could think of.

"Uhhh…" he smiled nervously. "Meow?"

"I said paws in the air!" Tom ordered, aiming the gun at him.

Sonic immediately did so. "Please... I don't want any trouble."

"You can tell me the whole story down at the station," Tom produced two pairs of cuffs for both his wrists and ankles. "And don't even think about running."

Flashback Over

Knothole

"So, you first met Sheriff Wachowski face-to-face when he arrested you?" Rotor asked.

"Oh yeah," Sonic confirmed. "Trust me when I say I was scared. I had grown up on horror stories of what Overlanders did during the war. My mind was running a mile a minute. It was all over. I was dead. What would it be? The guillotine? Hanging? The electric chair? The rack? Chun-ese water torture? But in the end, I just found myself sitting in the sheriff's office."

Flashback

Sonic was cuffed and taken to the station, where Tom was talking to him.

"You're one of the beastmen, right?" he asked. "You've been spying on us for weeks. Are you here to abduct us?"

"I wouldn't call it spying. We're all just hanging out, only I wasn't invited and no one knew I was there." Sonic got defensive at that. "And you abducted me!"

"...Okay, that's a fair point," Tom conceded. "Why were you hiding out in my garage?"

"I needed somewhere safe and you're the only person I could think of, Donut Lord."

"Why do you keep calling me Donut Lord?"

"'Cause you talk to donuts. And then eat them if they get out of line."

"Again, fair," Tom nodded. "Now, what do I call you?"

Sonic was silent, not wanting to reveal his embarrassing name.

"Look, I have to call you something, and Super Sonic Monster is a bit of a mouthful."

"Oh yeah, that's what Crazy Carl calls me," Sonic thought for a moment. "Sonic... y'know what, just call me that. It fits."

"Okay, Sonic," Tom conceded. "And for the record, Carl is a war veteran, and he's not crazy. And if he is, it's because of what the Beastmen did to him."

"My Uncle Chuck told me about you Overlanders. This all started when you stormed into town trying to kidnap one of his friends. You were all mean to us. Why do you think I kept out of sight for this long?"

"You were all mean to…" Tom blinked. "Why are you talking like a little kid?"

"Because I am!" Sonic snapped. "I'm only six years old!"

Tom's jaw dropped. "Wait… What?"

"I'll be seven in June (3)."

"How did you... why…"

"It was an accident. One minute, I was playing tag with my friends on Christmas Island. The next thing I know, I'm in the woods over here."

"Chri- just how fast are you?"

"Faster than even I could imagine."

He curled up on the chair, and Tom finally got a good look at him. Rundown clothes clearly pulled from the donation bin, shoes held together with duct tape, and his quills messy and dull. A soft growl of a stomach also showed that Sonic hadn't eaten in awhile.

"I just want to go home," he let out sadly.

A moment passed before Tom made his decision. He reached for the keys, unlocking the cuffs.

"Ever had Meh Burger before, kid?" he asked. "They've got this deal going with a new menu item: chili dogs."

Sonic perked. "Really?"

"I'm not about to let a kid go hungry. Just promise me you'll stay here in the station until I get back."

Sonic nodded. "O-okay…"

-X-

Later, Sonic was brought back to Tom's house, Maddie waiting. Sonic was sat down as Tom explained the situation.

"So the super sonic monster is just a little kid?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, couldn't believe it myself," Tom replied. "He's been alone in the woods for weeks. On paper, Sonic's under house arrest here. And now the hard part: finding out how to get him home without getting GUN on our case."

"Tom, if word gets out about this, your transfer to Station Square is toast."

"Yeah? Well so be it. I'm not turning my back on a kid."

Maddie glanced over at Sonic, who was stuffing his face with Meh Burger as Natalie laughed and played with the toy.

"Right. Beastman or not-"

"Mobian," Sonic cut in. "That's what we're really called. Uncle Chuck always said that was a racial slur, whatever that is, you Overlanders called us."

"If that's the case, the correct word for what we are is human."

Sonic nodded. "Okay then."

Flashback Over

Knothole

"I'm so glad you were no longer living in the woods," Cream said happily.

"Agreed," said Amy. "They were so nice to take you in."

"Nice doesn't even begin to describe it," Sonic replied. "I had steady food, clean clothes, and their daughter Donut Twist was always trying to help me find my family."

Kat snorted. "Donut Twist?"

Sonic shrugged. "I called her parents Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady, so... yeah."

"It's cute," Sally remarked.

"She liked it," Sonic replied. "And for a full week, that was all she would answer to."

"So, then what happened?" Tails asked.

"A week or so went by. I slept in a room they set up in their attic while Donut Lord and Donut Twist looked into Mobian sympathizers, hoping to find someone that could help me get back to Christmas Island. And as luck would have it…"

Flashback

Natalie came running into the living room.

"Daddy!" she cried. "Someone's looking for Sonic!"

"What?!" Maddie was on her feet. "Where?!"

Natalie dragged them over to the family computer. There, he saw a post from Nate Morgan about a missing six year old hedgehog: "Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog, age 6, went missing from his home on Christmas Island six weeks ago. If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact Julian Kintobor at 555-344-1991." Tom blinked, rereading the name again.

"'Olgilvie'? Really?" he sighed. "No wonder he didn't want to tell me his name."

"Yeah, Sonic's much cooler," Natalie agreed.

"Hey, Sonic!" Maddie called into the living room, getting his attention. "Do the names Nate Morgan or Julian Kintobor sound familiar?"

"My Uncle Chuck's friends," Sonic replied. "They do science nerd stuff together."

"Go keep him company," Tom told Natalie. "I'm gonna call this Dr. Kintobor."

He headed off, dialing the number before getting a response. "Is this Dr. Julian Kintobor?"

"Speaking," came the voice on the other end.

"My name is Tom Wachowski. I'm the sheriff of Emerald Town in Northamer. I have a six year old, super sonic hedgehog."

That got Julian's attention. "Blue fur, with green eyes?"

"Hates his name? Honestly, who names their kid Olgilvie?"

"Sucky parents, that's who!" Sonic called from another room.

"Well, in his parents' defense, it was his paternal grandfather's name."

"Good for them," Tom said. "Still sucks."

"Thank you!" Sonic declared.

"So you did find him," Julian realized. "He's been in Northamer this whole time?"

"He's been quite the little rascal. Took several weeks to catch him, but don't worry. We've been taking care of him and making sure he's safe. I recently found the blog from Nate Morgan reporting he was missing, and that's how I knew to call you."

"His family and I go way back. I'll contact them right away to let them know."

Flashback Over

Knothole

"It seemed my luck was finally turning around," Sonic said. "But, of course, we hit a snag."

"Ain't that always the case?" Knuckles deadpanned.

"What happened?" Tails asked.

"Well, Pretzel Lady had a sister. A very angry, very racist sister. Rachel. Your classic obnoxious in-law, a real piece of work. And one day, she brought her daughter Jojo over for a surprise playdate. The second she saw me, she screamed and accused me of being a Beastman soldier."

"You?" Amy asked. "A six-year-old kid?"

"I said she was racist," Sonic replied. "And it didn't take her long to get GUN involved."

Flashback

Sonic shuddered in fear, being held by Natalie and Jojo behind a stack of boxes in the basement as Rachel brought in the GUN soldiers. They heard voices screaming from above.

"One of those dirty Beastmen are right here!" Rachel ranted. "My no-good brother-in-law has been harboring him this whole time!"

"Calm down, ma'am, we'll handle this," a female voice came.

"I'm not harboring anyone!" Tom shouted. "Rachel's never liked me! She'd do anything to get my wife to divorce me!"

The soldiers headed into the basement, the girls clinging to Sonic.

"You're a menace and a criminal!" Rachel shouted at Tom.

"I'm the Aurora-damned sheriff!" Tom snapped. "Don't you have anything better to do than harass me and Maddie, you old hag?!"

"Alright, enough!" the leader, a woman, snapped. "Can everyone just calm the hell down so we can deal with this like rational human beings, please?!"

A soldier came by their hiding place, hearing the kids breathing.

"Agent Garnet!" he called. "You need to come see this!"

The leader came over, moving the boxes to reveal the girls and a crying Sonic. He cowered, curling up on himself, but they didn't do anything. A moment of silence passed before they turned to Rachel.

"Ma'am... is this the 'crazed soldier' you were going on about?" the soldier asked.

Rachel saw Sonic with the girls, and shrieked.

"Get the hell away from my daughter, you freak!"

She charged at them, making to grab at Sonic, only to be pulled back.

"What're you doing?! It's a rabid Beastman! And it has my Jojo!"

"You're an idiot," the leader snapped. "It's just a little kid."

"Are you kidding me?!" Rachel screamed. "It's a rabid, wild animal that needs to be dealt with! I pay my taxes, which means I pay your salary! Which means I'm! Your! Boss! SO GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO YOUR F***ING JOB!"

The leader leveled her with a glare. "Very well."

Rachel's smug smirk disappeared when instead of Sonic, they cuffed her.

"What the-?! Hey, you can't arrest me!"

"For falsifying a report and wasting valuable military resources and time, I can."

Sonic's jaw dropped at that.

"I'd be happy to play corroborating witness if you need," Tom offered.

"We'll keep that in mind," the leader said.

"Wait…" Sonic began. "Aren't… aren't you GUN? You hate us."

"That was the old one," the female soldier explained. "Our new Commander, Abraham Tower, isn't the corrupt, anti-Mobian creep Hugo Brass was."

"But-! The Beastman-!" Rachel objected.

"The Mobian is a little kid," one soldier cut her off. "He's no threat to anyone. The Great War is over, lady. Time to move on."

After Rachel was escorted out, the leader turned to Tom and Maddie.

"I don't know what you've heard of us, but Commander Tower isn't out to get every Mobian out there," she told them. "The Great War has been over for a long time."

"I'm glad to hear that, uh…" Tom began.

"Madonna. Madonna Garnet. And we'll be hitting you up for that testimony. For now, just see to it that kid gets home. With luck, he can help to make stuff like this alot less common."

As she left, Sonic flopped to the ground in relief.

"I have never been so scared in my entire life... and I almost drowned last year."

"So…" Jojo began, "If Mama's going to jail, can I stay here?"

"Of course, honey," Maddie said with a smile.

"You can sleep in my room!" Natalie offered. "I'll even give you top bunk!"

Flashback Over

Knothole

Hope perked at one name in his story.

"Wait, hold it," she said. "Madonna Garnet? She was the GUN soldier who helped you out back then?"

Sonic thought it over, realizing she was right. "Oh yeah. What do you know?"

"That's incredible," Tails remarked. "I wonder why she never said anything."

"Eh, it was over a decade ago," Sonic said with a shrug. "I never told her my name, and we barely said two words to each other. Hell, I didn't put it together until just now."

"Still, it's surprising," Sally mused. "You've had influence in so many lives."

"So I've noticed. Well, now for the end of this little tale."

Flashback

Some time later, Julian Kintobor arrived. Jules and Bernie had accompanied him, and they immediately scooped Sonic up.

"Mom! Dad!" Sonic cried.

"Olgilvie!" Bernie exclaimed. "Oh, my baby!"

They embraced, before Sonic held up a hand.

"Mom... if it's not too much to ask, call me Sonic. That's what the people here started calling me. No disrespect to Grandpa, but... it's cooler."

"Whatever you want, baby," Bernie assured. "I'm just so glad you're okay."

Jules turned to Tom. "Thank you so much for taking care of my son."

"It's no trouble," Tom replied. "He's a good kid."

Jules shook his head. "You don't understand. I can count the number of good humans I've met on one hand. I was terrified for my son. I'm glad to see that my fears were unfounded."

"You're... not too far off," Tom admitted. "The best you can say about us is that we're flawed. There are plenty of bad humans, but just as many good ones. You can say the same about you Mobians as well, I'm sure."

"Yeah…" Jules thought back to Kodos and his ilk before shaking his head. "It's good to see that all our work during the war paid off in the end."

Sonic turned to him, smiling. "Thanks for everything, Donut Lord."

"Just stay out of trouble, Sonic," Tom replied.

"Come visit whenever!" Natalie insisted.

"Yeah, come visit!" Jojo agreed.

Sonic grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me!"

Flashback Over

Knothole

Sonic kicked back, smiling.

"The Donut Lord was a big influence on me," he remarked. "It's because of him I even got into heroing in the first place."

"And we're all grateful for that," Amy remarked.

"You can say that again," Tails agreed.

A moment passed before the lights flickered back on.

"Aha!" Rotor cheered. "I got it to work!"

Sally started blowing out the candles. "Well, that was fun. We should do this again sometime."

Sonic smiled. "Agreed."

Author's Note:

(1): Mobian Jackie Chan.

(2): Sonic's birth name was revealed for the sake of the audience above. In-universe, he kept calling himself Sonic in the story from the get-go.

And there you have it. The story of how the founding Freedom Fighters met Sonic, and Sonic's origin story.

Tom and Maddie having their own kid in this verse was something we came up with; she and Jojo were the two human kids in Sonic's flashbacks back in the Secret Rings arc.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Julayla - Kath Soucie (Sally from SatAM, Dexter's Mom from Dexter's Laboratory, Lola Bunny from Space Jam)

* Natalie - Erica Luttrell (Candy from Dave the Barbarian, Shuri in the Avengers game, Cheetah in Injustice 2)

Please R&R. Until next time!