The Spirit of giving A Sonic the Hedgehog story by Helen Stansfeld. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sonic the Hedgehog and other affiliations, characters and locations are © Sega Enterprises Ltd. Used without permission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part Three - Not ugly, just..... visually interesting Important Note Mecha-Sonic smiled in the warm sunshine that was bathing the green hills that gave the zone its name. It felt good to be free. He hovered on for a while until he reached the lake. There were some animals playing with a multi-coloured beachball on the shore and others were having a splash contest in the lake itself. Suddenly he yearned to join in, to be part of a laughing group. Pure want over-rode common sense as he made his way down to the sand, plucking up courage to ask if he could play too. Unfortunately, before he reached them, the animals started shrieking and they ran off in all directions. "Wait!" Mecha-Sonic cried. "Why should we?" one of the bolder creatures yelled. "You'll just take us to Robotnik!" The lake fell quiet after the animals had evacuated. Mecha-Sonic gazed at the water and saw his reflection. He carried on staring until a mild breeze rippled the surface and distorted the image. For a wonderful split-second, Mecha-Sonic saw the picture as the smiling face of Sonic, and for that brief moment he believed, he really believed, that he was Sonic. He instantly saw sense, though, and the reflection once again mirrored his features. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Where are we?" Sam asked. "The Metropolis Zone," Sonic replied, slowing down. "Robotnik's headquarters." "Something's up," Tails announced, landing beside them. "The entire place is deserted! There are no robots or anything!" "Weird," Sonic's brow furrowed. "C'mon! We've gotta check this out!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Phew!" Amy exclaimed as she sat down on a rock in the shade of a palm tree. Her ankle pain had eased up only a little during the long slog through the Metropolis Zone. After her rest she got up and headed for home. "Huh? What's that?" she asked as she passed the lake. She walked down the bank to investigate. Someone was sitting on a log facing the water and crying. "Are you all right?" she asked kindly. The person just carried on crying. "Sonic?!" she said in disbelief. Amy ran round to the other side of the log and gaped at what she saw. It was Mecha-Sonic. Amy didn't know whether to run or stay. On one paw, she knew Mecha-Sonic to be dangerous, having experienced it herself, but on the other, he looked so small and helpless sitting there. Mecha looked up at her indecisive face and then stared at the ground again. He knew that any minute she would run away shrieking, just like all the other animals. Amy didn't know whether it was the look in his eyes as he glanced up at her or the way he seemed so little and pathetic, but she sat down beside Mecha and smiled at him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Look - even the main gate's open!" Tails said in disbelief. "It must be a trap. It has to be." "I'm not so sure," Sonic replied. "Even Ro-nutt-nik wouldn't make it this obvious. I think that something's malfunctioned. Come on!" "Come on where?" Tails asked. "Inside of course!" Sonic tapped the side of his head with his index finger. "OK Mr 'I'm so clever', what exactly are we going to do inside?" Sonic's grin disappeared. "Uh.... I'll tell you when we get in there," he ad-libbed. "You don't have a plan at all, do you?" Tails smirked in triumph. "You have no clue what you're going to do! I don't believe it, I just don't believe it! A 'Super-hero' you call yourself, and yet you don't even have a plan! That is the stupidest, most ridiculous-" "All right, all right, I get the picture," Sonic said grumpily. "Can you think of something?" "As a matter of fact I can," Tails crowed. "I suggest we go back to the Green Hill Zone and have a rest. I'm sure Sam's as tired as I am, what with dimension travelling and all." "Yeah, he's right, Sonic," Sam agreed. "Oh all right," Sonic said, making it quite clear that it wasn't all right. "Home it is, then." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Do you want to talk about it?" Amy asked kindly. The grateful look in Mecha's eyes would have warmed the heart of even the baddest of bad guys. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mecha-Knuckles still stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. If Phase One was carried out now, then the consequences could be too terrible to mention....... on the other hand, orders were orders and he knew that if he didn't carry this out, he wouldn't exist tomorrow. Sadly, he turned to a computer terminal and set Robotnik's poetry into motion. A dialogue box popped up. Mecha-Knuckles cursed under his breath and clicked OK. Another appeared. "Are you really sure you want to continue?" he read. Click yes. "Are you really, really sure?" Yes. "Really, really, really sure?" Yes! "Really, really, really, really sure?" YES! "Are you really, really, really, really, really sure?" For the last time, YES! "You're really, really, really, real-" YEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! "OK, then. All you had to do was say." Mecha-Knuckles narrowed his eyes at the monitor. It took all he had to restrain himself from thumping it. He relaxed and sighed. Even the computer was against launching Phase One. Well, it was done now. There was no turning back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "We're back," Sonic announced lifelessly. "Yup, we certainly are," Tails agreed, exaggeratingly taking a deep breath of fresh air to complement his previous over-the-top teasing. "It hasn't changed much since I was here," Sam said, making conversation. "How long has it been since you were here?" Sonic asked, perking up a little. "Well, I was seven when I got sucked in," Sam replied. "That would make it...... about ten years." "Good job we rescued you, then!" Sonic smiled, looking altogether in a better mood. "Yeah. Thank you!" Sam grinned and hugged him. "Aw, it was nothin'," he blushed. "Would you like a tour?" Tails inquired. "Or, maybe, we could try and find your family for you." "I'd love a tour!" Sam agreed enthusiastically. "Only.... I can't remember my family name....." "Well, how hard can it be?" Sonic asked. "All we have to do is search the birth records in the library for a hedgehog named Samantha." "Somehow I don't think it'll be that simple, Sonic," Tails said. Seeing Sam's face fall, he quickly added, "But it's sure worth a shot!" "To the library, then!" Sonic felt a bit weird saying that, as the only time he'd been to the library he'd been small and had accidentally run down an aisle, couldn't stop, and had knocked down an entire row of bookcases. He hoped the librarian didn't work there any more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Well, here we are," Sonic said outside the wooden door of the library. He gingerly walked up the steps and went in, Tails and Sam behind him. Suddenly he froze. "Oh no...." he whispered. The librarian still worked there, and she had spotted him. "Well, if it isn't young Sonic!" she exclaimed. "How can I help you?" That wasn't what Sonic had been expecting. "Uh... we'd like to look at the birth records please," he replied, still in a state of shock. "Certainly," she smiled at him. "Miles Prower! Haven't you grown!" Tails smiled wanely and nodded. "And who's this beautiful young lady?" the librarian continued. "I'm Samantha, pleased to meet you," Sam answered politely. The librarian hurried away. "Amazing...." Sonic breathed. "She doesn't even remember the bookcase incident...." "Me thinks she's changed her tune due to the fact that you're a Super-hero now," Tails grinned. "She'll be just itching to assist us!" They all sat down at a table with the comfiest-looking chairs. "Why's this place so quiet?" Sonic asked, looking bored. "Because people want to read, duh!" Tails replied. Sonic scowled. Tails was getting much too flippant for a side-kick. He didn't have time to insult his friend, though, as the librarian pressed a folder of papers into his paws and smiled at him. "Here you go, young sir," she said. "All the records we have. If you need any more assistance I'll be more than pleased to help you." "Thank you," Sonic replied. "I'll be sure to ask should that need arise. Look - I think some-one needs help with the card catalogue!" "So they do!" The librarian walked away as fast as she could given the 0.1 mile per hour speed limit universally given in all libraries throughout the multiverse. "Phew, I thought she was never going to leave!" Sonic exclaimed quietly. "Right, let's get down to business. 17 years ago...... Tails you look at this pile, Sam - you do this one and I'll do these." Silence shrouded the table, save for the odd rustling of paper. Sonic's eyes darted from column to column, eagerly searching for the few sentences of print he was looking for. Ten minutes later his attention was slipping away from the task and he was beginning to feel drowsy. 'Funny,' he thought to himself. 'I never get tired!' Tails looked up at him. "Are you OK, Sonic?" he asked. "You don't look very well!" "I guess I'm a little tired," Sonic conceded. "If it's all right with you two I'll go and grab a quick nap." Sonic groggily got to his feet and teetered out of the building. "Weird," Tails said to himself. "He's not normally like this, is he?" Sam said. "No," Tails adamantly shook his head. "Sonic never gets tired out, even if he's been running at Warp Seven round the planet all day! Something's wrong." Sam scanned the enormous pile of papers in front of her on the table and then at Tails. "We're never going to find what we're searching for," she stated. "So let's go and see what's happening!" Tails grinned and walked out after her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mecha-Knuckles was still in the control room, holding his head in his hands. Everything was doomed...... nothing would continue to exist...... everything would end as they knew it....... cease to live......... Suddenly he jumped as the door glided open. "I take it Phase One has been initiated?" Robotnik asked, wobbling up to him. "Yes, master," Mecha-Knuckles replied dully. Robotnik looked carefully at him. "Are you sure you're all right?" he inquired. "Y-yes, master," M-K said shakily. "Look, if you're worried about -ha-ha- Project: Spirit , don't be. I think I forgot to mention one slight little detail to you....." A few minutes later Mecha-Knuckles was grinning. So that was the plan after all........... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "You're not ugly," Amy reassured Mecha-Sonic, having listened to him pour his heart out. "Just.... visually interesting. And I'll take you to talk to Sonic - he'll make you feel better; he always does...." She sighed. "Come on!" She led him by the paw through the Green Hill Zone. "He's got to be around here somewhere," she muttered. "Ah! There's Tails! He'll know. Tails! Tails! Over here!" Tails stopped Sam and looked in the direction of the shout. "It's Amy," he said. "We better go see what she wants." "Hi, Tails!" Amy greeted him. "Have you seen Sonic?" Tails stood there with his mouth open staring at Mecha-Sonic. "Oh, it's all right, he's a friend," she explained. "Uh... Sonic, right..... um... me and Sam were just looking for him," Tails replied. "Oh, right!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Amy, this is Sam; Sam this is Amy." "Hi!" Sam smiled. "Hi!" Amy said. She looked at Sam carefully. "Have I seen you before?" she asked. "You seem really familiar." "I don't think so," Sam answered, thinking hard. "I'm probably wrong," Amy dismissed it. "Come on! We can go looking for Sonic together!" Tails raised a paw. "Wouldn't it be quicker to split up and look for him?" he suggested. "Hmm... you're right," Amy agreed. "Me and Mecha-Sonic can be one team and you and Sam can be another. Let's go!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Hmmm..." Mecha-Knuckles mused, staring at a control panel. "He's been an awful long time training." His brow furrowed, and then he barked, "Switch to Visual." The training course was empty. He flipped a switch and scanned for anything radiating heat. Nothing. The signs showed that nothing had been there all day, either. "Where is he?" M-K wondered aloud. Turning to a computer he ordered: "Scan building for Mecha-Sonic. Report when complete." In the meantime he drummed his fingers on the side of the machine. "Mecha-Sonic is not present. Input new command when ready." "I must tell his supremeness!" Mecha-Knuckles rushed out quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Where is Sonic?" Amy asked, getting worried. "We've been searching for him for over an hour! I just know something's happened to him! Robotnik's roboticised him and then he'll come looking for us and we'll all be mindless slaves and Sonic won't be able to do anything and we'll all be metal and- and-" Mecha-Sonic laid a paw on her shoulder. "Calm down," he said softly. "Nothing will have happened to Sonic. Maybe the others have already found him." "Maybe," Amy replied, unconvinced. "Look, I'm sure the others have found him," Mecha stated. "How about I go home with you and fit your new computer chip for you?" "How did you know about that?" Amy asked in surprise. Mecha-Sonic blushed. Realisation dawned on Amy. "You were the one who made the robots in the warehouse malfunction!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me before?" "Well, I..." Amy reached up and hugged him. "Thank you!" she smiled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Oh, we're never going to find him!" Tails was getting frustrated. "He's not at home, he's not by the lake, he's not anywhere!" "Well, he can't have got far, not in that state," Sam reasoned. "So let's go and check out the area round the library again." "Good idea," Tails agreed. They walked over the green hills in silence, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for a spot of blue or Sonic's voice. As they entered a grove of Palm Trees Tails cried, "Look - there he is!" "Sonic, are you all right?" Sam asked, kneeling down by him. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied softly. "Why wouldn't I be?" "You mean you don't remember?" Tails said worriedly. "What's there to remember? I was feeling tired so I went to sleep, end of story, full stop." "But you never feel tired in the middle of the day!" Tails exclaimed. "That's the entire point!" "Point of what?" Sonic questioned, looking puzzled. "Sam asking if you were all right!" Tails replied, restraining from yelling at his friend. "Look, maybe you'll feel better after some lunch - you haven't eaten anything since breakfast early this morning. Sam, stay here with Sonic and I'll go get some food. I'll be back in a flash!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "He's where?!" Robotnik roared. "Not here, sir," Mecha-Knuckles replied quietly. "Well why wouldn't he be here?!" Robotnik yelled. "I... I really don't know, sir," M-K answered. "Search HQ again! Search his quarters! Search the entire zone! NOW!" "Yes, sir," Mecha-Knuckles said meekly, hovering out. Robotnik stood fuming in the middle of the room. Suddenly something on a TV screen caught his eye and he cracked an evil smile. It was working and nothing could stop him. Laughter rang out around the laboratory. With no-one to stop him, perhaps it would never stop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORTANT NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR From this point onwards, it may seem like I am changing the Sonic continuity in a big way. Fear not, fellow Sonic fans and people who know me and have been forced to read this -- bear with me and all will become crystal clear in the end. You'll just have to keep reading to find out! To the Top