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Chapter I
Nightmares and Cuddle Dreams

"This is where everything began.
Who knew such a tiny flame could bring such devastation?
If we put out this flame, Solaris will never exist. And then we'll never have to worry about the Flames of Disaster, right?
But our encounter... You and I will never meet.
It will never have happened!"

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Suffering from those disturbing nightmares for almost a year by now, experiencing them several times a week, sometimes even multiple times a night, Sonic couldn't take it anymore. Again and again he dreamed of dying, of falling to his death together with that strange human girl. And after waking up, he felt weakened and exhausted every time, as if he had been running at full speed for hours without taking a single break. In the meantime, he was even afraid of falling asleep sometimes, and that was particularly distressing to him. The situation was wearing him down, sapping his strength, and his once cheerful and carefree attitude had meanwhile largely faded.

But that was not the only reason why the last year had turned out to become a rather sorrowful one for the cobalt-furred Hedgehog and his friends, perhaps even one of the toughest they had ever had to endure. With a more dangerous and merciless Eggman than ever before, who had kept both Mobius and Earth on their toes at the same time, they had had twice as much trouble in half the time.

To make matters worse, it even came to a fatal situation six months ago when Sonic, overtired and weakened from several sleepless nights in a row, had been unable to mobilize all his strength and speed. As a result, the crazed scientist had managed to steal the Master Emerald from Angel Island, nearly killing first Knuckles and then Rouge in the process. The giant gem was back in place by now, and also the Echidna had almost fully recovered in the meantime, but Rouge had been badly injured and was still on her sickbed. She had also almost certainly lost her eyesight forever.

The incident had shocked everyone of Sonic's friends, but Knuckles was the most deeply shaken of them all, and was barely able to get over what had happened. The ordeal Rouge had gone through and was still going through had left deep scars on his soul, and he blamed Sonic for the condition of his partner. Although Knuckles was the guardian of the Master Emerald, the chosen one of the current generation of his clan, and thus defending Angel Island was actually his responsibility, Sonic did not contradict him in this matter. On the contrary, the Blue Blur reproached himself most severely for what had happened.

Fate or chance had endowed him with extraordinary powers and abilities, some of which far exceeded even those of most other Mobians. He therefore felt it was his duty to protect them, to be there for them whenever they needed him. If Knuckles was the protector of the Master Emerald and Angel Island, then Sonic considered himself as a kind of protector for all of Mobius. And his friends had always been able to rely on him. To him, it felt like he had failed, like he had failed his friends. The thought was almost unbearable for him. And the thought that something similar could happen again even less. He decided that he had to do something. He had to find out what was wrong with him, what was the reason for him having those annoying dreams. He wanted, no, needed to clear his head and finally be able to sleep through the nights again. It was time to take action.

After some thought, he came to the conclusion that it would be best to first find out who that woman was in his dreams and if she even existed. Maybe they weren't just dreams after all, and there was more to it than that. He actually didn't believe in such things, but he also didn't know where else to start. So he began secretly messing around with the computer system in Tail's basement whenever his best friend wasn't home or otherwise occupied. He was anything but skilled in operating a device like that, much less one as advanced as the inventive Fox had set up in the caverns beneath the old hangar he had made his home. But he had already looked over his friend's shoulder a time or two, and the basics were familiar to him by now. After countless attempts, he eventually managed to find someone in an extensive online database who seemed to match the appearance of that unknown woman from his dreams. For once, he found it helpful that her image was virtually burned into his mind meanwhile, so he could feed the search tools with almost every detail of her look.

When the computer screen finally showed him the face of a young woman referred to as the Princess of Soleanna, the City of Water, a coastal city-state located in the Earth realm, he almost forgot to continue breathing. That... that's her! No doubt, he thought excitedly. Elise the Third, Princess of Soleanna! So the girl is real! Incredible! What's does that mean? The words on the monitor were reflected in the Hedgehog's widened eyes as he skimmed through the text again and again. Soleanna... seashore empire... constitutional monarchy... economy dominated by tourism and precision machinery... That's all so boring! Where's the connection? I've never had anything to do with that woman! Why am I dreaming of her? Of dying with her? The Mobian clenched his fists so tightly that the fabric of his gloves made a grinding sound. He scrolled back to the top of the file where her picture was displayed and examined it again. Elise... Without knowing why, a tingle ran up his spine.

He started to read the article again from its beginning, this time carefully and attentively, and eventually came across a section titled 'Latest News' that provided him with some more information. Soleanna's most sacred ceremony, the 'Festival of the Sun', which is held to pay tribute to an 'Eternal Sun God' called 'Solaris', will take place in two weeks, he learned. This year they'll combine it with a celebration in honor of Elise's eighteenth birthday, which was two months ago. The city administration is expecting thousands of people to visit the capital and celebrate with the royal family, while the princess herself is going to preside over the festival for the very first time.

A thought occurred to him. Well, if this isn't the perfect opportunity for me to meet that lady in person! Maybe this way I can find out whether there isn't some connection to her after all. But I can't tell the others... Wouldn't be the greatest idea ever. I'm not in the slightest mood for awkward questions, and besides, I have enough problems as it is. Not to think of how much Amy would freak out if I met another girl, human, Mobian, whatever. A smirk settled on his lips.

But then doubts crept into his mind. What if those dreams are a warning? Some kind of premonition? Harbingers of a... dark fate? What if I'm really going to die there? His smile faded, only to return a moment later twice as wide. He almost had to laugh at himself. Naah! I've never passed up an adventure before, and I'm not going to start this now! Also, I need to find out what's going on! He made decision. I'll just take my friends with me to Soleanna! I'll sell it to them as an adventure vacation. A recreational trip. Something along those lines... They can enjoy themselves at the festival while I'll make a move on that girl. Well, so to speak. His smile grew even wider, and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. He sensed that he might have come one step closer to solving his problems.

Suddenly a voice sounded from behind him, almost giving him a heart attack. Quick as a flash, he switched off the computer. "Gotcha, Sonic! You forgot our date! Once again! I searched whole Mobius for you, but I didn't expect to find you here in Tails' musty dungeon, fiddling with his stuff, and... Wait! What are you doing here anyway? And who was that girl on the screen?!"

Amy?! Shoot! I was so lost in thought, I didn't even hear her coming! "Oh, hi Ames!" He turned around to the Hedgehog girl and forced a smirk onto his pained expression. "I was looking for... well... I've lost my... uhm... chili dog!" He had to snicker at his own nonsense. "Yup. Left my chili dog here somewhere, and all of a sudden that weird computer... thing... went crazy all by itself! So..." He chuckled again and scratched the back of his head. "Seems like my lunch has vanished somehow. Have to get me another one. Starving! See ya!"

"Sonic! What? Hey, wait!" she tried to object.

But the Blue Blur had already sped past her. At the spot where he had been standing just a second ago, only a few specks of dust were left dancing in the air.

What the heck was that, Amy wondered, staring at the now blank computer screen. That woman... Who was she? And what has Sonic to do with her? With a human girl, of all things! Her jealousy grew with every further breath, and her mood worsened at the same rate. A feeling she thought was love made her heart beat with almost painful intensity. No other woman must ever approach my sweet Sonikku! Not even a human one! Not as long as I live!

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-===XXX===-

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A little less than two weeks later, Sonic sat at the kitchen table of the three-room hotel suite he shared with Tails and Knuckles at a hotel in Soleanna. With half-closed eyes and his head resting heavily on one hand, he stirred listlessly with a spoon in the bowl of breakfast cereal that Tails had managed to dig out of one of the supply cabinets somewhere. Since he had finally managed to persuade his friends to travel with him to Soleanna a few days ago without revealing his true intentions, his dreams had not only become more intense than ever before. Now they even came every single night. Once more tired and exhausted to his limits, the Hedgehog was still half asleep and again completely absorbed in thought.

On the opposite side of the table, Miles 'Tails' Prower tried to concentrate on scooping as much of his own breakfast onto his spoon as possible before shoving it into his mouth and chewing on it with strain. He could almost physically sense the tension of his longtime friend. Although the smart tinkerer actually had a thousand questions burning on the tip of his tongue, he held back so as not to annoy the other Mobian unnecessarily. Somehow Sonic hasn't been himself anymore for quite a while now, and we've all had to notice that in one way or another by now, the Fox thought, and his two tails swept restlessly across the floor behind his chair. He's quick-tempered and fidgety and often pretty snippy. And he even wanted to have the Chaos Emeralds taken with us... Tails was particularly concerned about that. Even though he had created a special lead suitcase with an interior of foam padding into which the stones had been fitted to prevent them from touching each other, it still was a big risk to travel around with the precious and dangerous gems. They had hidden the case under the bed in Sonic's hotel room, but somehow it reminded the amber-furred Mobian of a suitcase bomb.

Finally, Tails couldn't stand the unsettling silence any longer. He pointed his spoon at his friend's bedroom door. "Ahem... Listen, Sonic. Would you please tell me why we had to drag the Emeralds along so urgently? You know, it's pretty much like carrying a bunch of nuclear warheads around." He put on a grin and winked conspiratorially. "Are you expecting any serious trouble during that festival, or are you just planning to boost the nightly fireworks with some light show of your own?"

Sonic gave his friend a blank-eyed stare before continuing to swirl his cereal around in the milk. "Call it intuition." Just a little reinsurance in case things get as explosive here as they do in my dreams. But he doesn't need to know that. He tried to create a milk vortex with his spoon, but underestimated his own speed and spilled some of the white liquid over the rim of his bowl.

Before the young Fox could say anything back, Knuckles came out of his bedroom. He made a show out of stretching his limbs, and also did not miss the opportunity to let out a booming yawn. Then he walked over to the kitchen area and, seemingly on a whim, suddenly slapped Sonic on the back of his head, causing the Hedgehog to spill even more of his breakfast. "Howdy, speedster! How's it going? Any better? No? Third day in this stinking canal city and still not a bit cheered up?" He threw a glance at Tails, who preferred to take cover behind his cereal bowl, before turning his attention back to Sonic. "Until a few days ago, you were pretty pumped about that weird festival tomorrow night." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And don't forget that we're here with you mostly 'cause you almost kinda forced us into this trip to the wet end of freakin' Earth realm!"

Sonic somehow managed to stay calm, even though adrenaline was rushing through his veins from surprise and anger. He not only felt ambushed from behind, but also a little caught in some way, because Knuckles was not entirely wrong in what he said. Taken off guard and exhausted from the restless nights that lay behind him, the Hedgehog for once had no clever answer at hand. If they only would leave me alone! Can't they see that I just need some time to myself? He slammed the spoon down on the table and stared at the Echidna with narrowed eyes.

To avoid the looming argument between his friends, Tails interfered. "Hey guys! Don't you also wonder why they're throwing their so-called 'Festival of the Sun' in the middle of the night, of all times?" But instead of responding to him, Sonic and Knuckles just continued trying to stare each other down. The little inventor decided to become a bit more forthright. "Knuckles, you shouldn't be so hard on Sonic. I don't think he's sleeping very well with all that water around, and he's probably just tired. I've heard him screaming on and off the last few nights, even through the wall-"

All of a sudden, the completely unnerved Hedgehog lost it and exploded, "I am not screaming in my sleep!"

After some seconds of uncomfortable silence, Knuckles snorted. "Well, at least you're quite a screamer when you're awake," he replied challengingly.

Eyes wide with anger, Sonic jumped up from his seat and planted himself in front of the other Mobian. White-hot, irrational fury raged inside him, and his quills raised until they stood almost vertical.

Noticing the fiery glint in Sonic's gaze, Knuckles took a step back and released his arms from their folded position to free his hands. For a disturbing moment, it almost looked as if his companion was going to attack him without warning.

But then the overtired Hedgehog just walked past him and left the hotel suite, banging the door shut behind him.

"Sonic!" called Tails after his friend, but in vain.

"What's the fuckin' matter with him?" the Echidna asked, growling.

The little Fox looked very troubled. "I'm not sure... Maybe he just needs some fresh air. But I rather think something's pretty much getting to him."

"No shit..." Knuckles decided to drop the subject for now. "Seen the others yet?"

"Amy and Shadow? Not this morning. I guess the grumbler spent the night at the hotel bar again. And Amy is probably still in her suite upstairs. She's taking her sweet time with her morning routine, as usual." Tails stared at his breakfast, but he had lost his appetite.

Knuckles didn't miss the other one's glance. "Round 'em up. We gonna get us some decent breakfast. My treat." He turned to leave. "I'll wait for you three down in the lobby."

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-===XXX===-

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Elise was once again awakened by her own screams. Trembling and drenched in sweat, she sat up in her bed. Her nightdress stuck to her body like a second skin, and her short red hair hung all stringy and messy in her face. That terrible nightmare again, she thought. I can't stand this any longer! She took a deep breath and waited for her wildly pounding heart to calm down. This is going on for almost a year now! And always the same dream, over and over again... Why does it keep recurring? Why does it never change? She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Could it be a vision? Is that maniac really going to kidnap me one day? Am I foreseeing my own death?

The noblewoman squinted her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. Slowly, she catched her breath again. I used to have those dreams maybe once or twice a week. And that's already more than bad enough. But now I've had them three nights in a row! And on top of that, I feel like they are more intense than ever! She had never thought of herself as an anxious person, but meanwhile the situation was unsettling her more and more.

A knock on her room door jolted her out of her thoughts. "Miss Elise? Is everything all right? I heard you screaming!" It was Susanna, her lady-in-waiting. She was always on Elise's heels, and sometimes the young princess even had the impression that the other woman was watching her every step.

That girl is like my shadow. She follows me everywhere. And she's such a squealer! Elise heaved an annoyed sigh. "Yes, Susi. I'm fine. Don't worry," she said loud enough to be understood on the other side of the door.

"Well, okay then, Miss Elise. But please let me know immediately if you need anything," the maid answered through the wood. "You know I'm always at your service!"

Elise rolled her eyes and stifled a groan. "Will do, promise." Can't she leave me alone just once, at least for a minute?!

She got up from her bed, peeled out of her sweaty nightdress, and threw it over her folding screen. Standing naked in front of her full-lenght mirror, the young woman examined her slender, shapely body for a moment. I'm eighteen at last, she thought, turning back and forth while looking at herself. But still father keeps me under surveillance all the time. I'm afraid he also won't wait much longer for me to finally decide on one of my suitors. He's putting quite a bit of pressure on me in that regard by now. But I've seen them all. All those snooty, snobbish, spoiled fools, who call themselves 'noblemen'. Father is constantly dragging new ones to our court to introduce them to me, probably hoping that I'll eventually become attracted to one of them. Especially lately, the whole thing is taking on more and more bizarre forms. Sometimes it almost appears to me as if he's virtually... offering me to them!? He seems to wish so badly for me to finally get married and ensure the succession to the throne. As if that's all that matters... She let out another deep sigh. But I just haven't met the right partner yet. I know it. I feel it! If only father would understand...

She returned to her royally sized bed and snuggled back into her blanket, enjoying the way the soft fabric caressed her undressed body. But suddenly, something else soft fell quite unexpectedly from the shelf above her bed right onto her face. It was her merchandise plush doll of Sonic the Hedgehog, the famous hero from Mobius.

And here already comes the next suitor, Elise thought, smiling.

She picked the impishly smirking toy off her face and looked at it, and her mind wandered back to the all-changing events of eleven years ago, when she had been a seven year old girl. Back to the day when a strange space-time distortion had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the sky, miles above a distant ocean, probably created by that Eggman guy who emerged from it shortly thereafter and attacked Earth with murderous weapons and machines. Back to the day when all those amazing creatures had appeared, which, with a little imagination, almost looked like anthropomorphic animals and, of course, were quickly labeled as such by the people on Earth. They called themselves Mobians and explained that they came from Mobius, the realm on the other side of the spatial rift.

Eggman, for his part, turned out to be a serious threat, and it was hard to believe how much havoc that single man was capable of wreaking. Even with the combined forces of all nations on Earth, he was almost impossible to defeat, and time and again he caused chaos and trouble. But then there was Sonic, the Mobian Hedgehog, who was always on hand to save the day, and sometimes even the whole world while he was at it. From the very first day, Elise was totally thrilled every time the little cobalt-furred alien went up against the mad scientist and his hordes of deadly battle robots. She followed all the news broadcasts, reports and documentaries, soaking up every piece of information she could get about him, and her enthusiasm had not waned a bit in all those years. Many other people were also fascinated by Sonic, and already years ago several companies on Earth had started producing merchandise of the well-known hero and his illustrious friends. One of those cute artifacts had found its way onto Elise's shelf.

And now even into my bed. She had to laugh.

The space-time distortion, which by now everyone simply referred to as 'the rift', was closely monitored, but seemed to have permanently established and to be stable. Travel through it was regulated at both ends, with identity checks, passport controls, and application forms. On both sides, hundreds traveled through the dimensional portal every day, and it had become quite normal to see the so-called 'anthros' on the streets and in the media. Moreover, Earth government had decided seven years ago to grant full civil rights to all Mobians who wished to stay here and spend their lifes on this side, since they were intelligent, sentient beings.

In the meantime, many of them had found a new home on Earth and, thanks to their often amazing abilities, were highly valued workers in all sorts of industries. Some of them were even attracted to humans, and vice versa some humans to Mobians. Over the years, a number of them had come together as couples, and even marriages had taken place, which, although permitted in principle, was still highly controversial to many on both sides to this day. There was also no securely documented case of successful progeny so far. But even in the kingdom of Soleanna, some of those dissimilar couples were to be found, albeit not in the capital of the same name.

But father hated the Mobians right from day one... In his eyes, they cause nothing but trouble. Over time, he somehow developed a deep aversion to the mostly friendly and sometimes quite cute aliens, and even started to call them 'critters' at some point. He can be such a pighead at times! She glanced at her Sonic doll and immediately burst out laughing again. How would father react if I introduced him to a Mobian as my chosen mate? She laughed until tears ran down her face. After she calmed down a bit, however, another thought crossed her mind. But still... I've been wondering for so long now what it would be like... to be with someone like... Sonic! He seems like a really nice guy. Always friendly, always helpful. Also, he's kind of... handsome!? And he's so fast and strong! And cool. And smart. And last but not least, he's a true, world-famous hero!

Without thinking much about it, the young woman gave herself over to her fantasies. She pushed the blanket aside, closed her eyes, and began to gently stroke her body. I wonder what it would feel like to be with him... to be intimate with him... to be touched by him. She let her hands slowly wander from her shoulders and her neck to her breasts, where she let them linger for a moment before moving further down with them. A soft moan escaped her lips as she caressed the insides of her firm thighs, and she slightly spread her legs. All the time he's wearing those gloves... I wonder what his hands look like! What they would feel like. What his body would feel like, very close to mine... Continuing to fondle herself with one hand, she brought the other to her mouth and gingerly bit down on her index finger as her arousal grew. Sonic... Sonic the Hedgehog! Would you like to be my hero? A dreamy smile played about her lips as her fingers eventually reached the most secret and sensitive spot of her body. She panted. Sonic!

All of a sudden, the door to her room was flung open so violently that it almost banged against the wall. Susanna came rushing in, a stack of folded towels on her arms, and inevitably caught what was going on. "Miss Elise!"

"Holy Solaris!" the princess cried, startled and embarrassed, and immediately slipped back under her covers. "Can't you knock first instead of bursting into my privacy like that?!" The girl's face color abruptly took on the red of her hair. "What are you thinking?!"

The maid, however, did not make the impression of being aware of any guilt. Instead, a spiteful grin crept onto the freckled face of the tall, scrawny blonde. "Well, it's time to get up, Your Highness. Today you are to practice for the festival with the dancers down at the pier. King Hector ordered so."

"King Hector ordered so," Elise imitated the other woman in a high-pitched voice. "He's been bugging me with that for days now. And as far as I know, my father is duke."

"Yes, but you know. He demands to be called king by everyone. He always gets very upset if he's addressed in any other way." Susanna brought the towels into the adjoining bathroom and returned.

The princess got out of her bed again and planted herself in front of her servant. Although she was a whole head smaller than the other woman and also still completely naked, she managed to radiate strength and self-confidence. "If you tell my father, the duke, even the slightest thing about what you have seen, or rather, have not seen, you will bitterly regret it this time. Did I make myself clear?"

But the impudent maid did not seem particularly intimidated. "Whatever you say, Highness." She turned her back on Elise and walked over to the balcony windows. "We should greet this glorious morning with some rays of Solaris' shine, don't you think?" Without warning, she pulled the curtains aside with a jerk, flooding the room with sunlight, and exposing the undressed princess to the world outside.

"What the...?!" The noblewoman bolted into her bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. "Get out of my sight right now, Susanna," she yelled through the closed door. "Just leave me alone!" What in the name of Solaris is wrong with that woman? She has such bad behavior!

Barely able to suppress her anger, Elise finally climbed into the shower stall.

...