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 Four - The Metropolis Flasher Knuckles the Echidna was stood on a flat piece of rock jutting out over a valley in the Mushroom Hill Zone surveying the Floating Island. He was humming what seemed to be the Sonic theme tune and looked bored with a capital B. The Chaotix had gone off somewhere and who got left behind to do the boring stuff? Knuckles 'yeah, I could do with a little time to myself now you ask' Echidna. They were probably having fun somewhere like the Carnival Night Zone or Balloon Park at that moment while he, the Guardian of the Floating Island who never got a break, was on watch. "Great," he muttered, kicking a pebble over the edge. He was about to sit down when he suddenly realised something. There was a lake under the ledge, which meant that the stone would have made a similar sound to 'ploonk' or 'spelunk', but it hadn't. It was almost as if it had disappeared into thin air........ Knuckles walked over to the edge and peered over, only to be knocked backwards by something flying into his face. "Sorry Knux," the thing apologised. "Didn't know you'd poke your nose over. I was flying up here to give you some company when this rock comes rocketing down. It hurt!" "Hi, Charmy," Knuckles said irritably, rubbing his head. "Where are the rest of Mrs Widgery's Lodgers?" "What?" Charmy Bee asked, puzzled. "Sorry, I can't think why I said that," Knuckles replied. "Something about giant space turtles and a pizza-shaped planet....... never mind. I meant 'where are the rest of the Chaotix?'" 1 "Oh, they're messing around on Speed Slider," Charmy answered. "So why'd you come back?" "Because it wasn't very nice them tricking you and all, and I was feeling sick, and I thought you'd want some company," Charmy said, smiling. "You aren't feeling sick now, are you?" Knuckles inquired suspiciously. "No. Mighty asked that same question about half an hour ago. It wasn't my fault that he was in the way!" Knuckles visualised the scene and grinned. He also knew the real reason why Charmy had come back now. "So, have you seen anything?" Charmy asked, making conversation. "Not a thing," Knuckles replied. "Nothing ever happens! I'm bored!" "Actually, Knux, things do happen - remember when you got brainwashed into helping Robotnik, and the time when Mecha-Sonic came along, and the Mobius Grand Prix and-" "Yes, thank you Charmy!" Knuckles snapped. "I meant nothing ever happens while I'm on watch!" "Well, maybe if you didn't go on watch then something would happen," Charmy suggested. Knuckles felt like slapping his forehead due to Charmy's 'logic'. "Charmy, if I didn't go on watch, then who would get the blame if something happened?" "Uh.... you?" Charmy ventured. "Ker-ect! How do you do it?" Knuckles said sarcastically. "Man, I shouldn't have bothered feeling sorry for you," Charmy remarked, looking upset. "I'm sure Sonic would be more fun." "Sonic? That big-headed jogger?" Knuckles asked in outrage. "More fun than moi?" "Yeah," Charmy retorted. "And he's nice to his friends." "If you can say he's got any," Knuckles pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Anything he can do I can do better!" "If you say so, Knuckles," Charmy replied. By this point Knuckles was positively fuming. "Yeah, I do say so!" he said, blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And I can prove it!" Charmy looked startled. He hadn't expected Knuckles to go berserk. "H-how?" he inquired shakily. "I'm going to challenge our dear friend Sonic to a contest," Knuckles announced. "The winner is the true hero of Mobius." "But how are you going to be a hero when you have to be the Guardian of the Floating Island?" "Oh, Sonic can do all that gallivanting off stuff, I just want it to be known that I'm better than him," Knuckles replied. "Look after the Island for me, Charmy - I'm going now. Round up the rest of the Chaotix; they've had enough time to goof off. Seeya!" Charmy shook his head as Knuckles glided into the distance, his dreads whipping out behind him. "What have I done?" he whispered softly, still watching the horizon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "He any better?" Tails inquired. "No," Sam replied, sounding worried. "Something's happening to him. It seems like he's losing his self-confidence and drive." "We've got to do something!" Tails exclaimed. "We can't let Sonic lose his spirit - for his sake and Mobius'!" "Agreed, but how?" Tails looked sadly at the ground. "I have no idea," he said dejectedly. "Well, I don't think he'll come to any harm while he's sleeping," Sam replied. "So if we take him home and then go looking for whatever it is that's doing this to him....." Tails looked up. "I get your drift," he said softly, staring at the figure of Sonic who was sleeping like a baby. As he carried Sonic out of the palm tree grove, Tails whispered something that was almost inaudible. "Whatever happens, however hard, I'll be there for you, Sonic, my friend. I'll go to the end of the world and back again! I won't stop until you're well again!" Sam looked across at him and smiled. She didn't know what he had said, but she knew that there was a bond so strong between the two friends that nothing, however bad, could ever separate them. There was Tails, stumbling along bearing the weight of Sonic, 8 years his senior, and he wasn't even objecting. There was no regret at volunteering to carry him. Somehow, just watching that devotion made her smile inside. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Something in the Metropolis Zone stirred. It had been locked away from the world for all its existence, and now..... and now - it was free. It couldn't move, not yet, but the time was near. After that...... well, they'd see just how powerful it could be. Not that it could see yet, either, but that wasn't the matter in hand. Or paw, come to that. The air positively bristled with the energy it was receiving. Soon, it would be over......... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When Sonic awoke, all was quiet. He sat up and looked around. He didn't remember going back to his house, or even falling asleep come to that. There was a strange fuzzy sensation in his head, rather like a jelly tot that had been in someone's pocket for months. As he slid off the sofa there was a sharp rap at the door. It was an impatient knock, giving the impression that the knocker was going to enter whether the inhabitant wanted it to or not. "Yeah?" Sonic called out, sitting down, resting his chin in his paws. He watched as the door flew open. A red apparition strode in and heaved him up by the arms. "Ow! What dja think you're doing?" Sonic yelled angrily. "You," the creature said forcefully, "are coming with me." "Says who?" Sonic said viciously, whipping his arms back, letting the figure stumble. "Knuckles the Echidna, that's who!" Sonic gave him a cold, hard stare, standing rigid, and then, ever so slowly, fell backwards, hitting his head on the wall. Knuckles ran over, wondering what was wrong with him. Sonic's eyes had rolled back in their sockets and his skin had a shiny, almost translucent appearance to it. The echidna rolled Sonic's glove back to take his pulse, but he was stopped as a tiny electricity bolt knocked him back. He picked himself up and took a few paces backwards. It was then that his eyes caught sight of a piece of paper on the table. It had been hastily written by the look of it, and Knuckles had a bit of trouble making out the words. He recognised it as Tails' handwriting, and it said, "To anyone who might find this, Sonic is unwell and should not be moved or put under any unnecessary stress," Knuckles paused, feeling guilty, "as I don't know what the consequences may be. I have gone looking for whatever's causing this, as it clearly isn't natural. Please stay with him until I get back, Tails." Knuckles took another look at the prone hedgehog. The mini electricity spark was definitely not natural, he decided. He glanced at the note again and groaned. He didn't want to have to stay with Sonic, especially when he had electricity with attitude. But if something happened to Sonic when he could have been watching him, Tails would never forgive him. And what would the Chaotix say if he returned saying "Sonic wasn't feeling well, so we didn't have the contest after all."? That would go down a treat, wouldn't it. Excuses. However, before he had reached a decision, a small black whirlwind was over by Sonic without seeming to have crossed the intervening space between the hedgehog and the door. Looking closer, Knuckles made it out to be a black hedgehog with a strangely buoyant pony-tail. She was kneeling beside Sonic saying things along the lines of "Oh no! Sonic! What happened?". Knuckles coughed politely. The hedgehog turned round in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise anyone else was in here," she said, obviously flustered. "Nothing to be sorry about," Knuckles replied pleasantly. "Name's Knuckles. It's a pleasure to meet you -" "Sam," she filled the gap. "Nice to meet you too. Are you a friend of Sonic's?" "I wouldn't say friend," Knuckles said slowly. "Acquaintance, yes. Friend, well..... let's just say we have a personality clash." He smiled grimly. "I see. Would you help me lift him up?" "Sure." With one swift movement Knuckles reached down and effortlessly lifted Sonic onto the sofa. Sam watched with widening eyes. "You must be strong!" she exclaimed. "You have to be when you're the guardian of the Floating Island," Knuckles replied. "Floating Island...... can't say I've heard of it." "Really?" Knuckles asked in disbelief. I haven't been in this dimension since I was seven, so I guess that explains it," Sam told him. "And I've only known Sonic since this morning." "Ah." Knuckles nodded. "It's where the Chaos Emeralds are kept. They're gems with limitless energy, but they're dangerous, too. Especially in the greasy little hands of Dr. Robotnik. They also keep the Island afloat in the air, hence the name." Silently he added, "Only since this morning? It doesn't seem like it, Sam." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mecha-Sonic hadn't really been surprised to see that Amy had a Sonic mouse mat. He hadn't batted an eyelid when he saw the Sonic start-up logos and the distinctly Sonic desktop, or even when he saw that she had several folders full of Sonic items. What did surprise him, though, was Amy's extensive Sonic fact-file. It was extensive with a capital E. It spanned several Gigabytes, every single byte of space containing information on Sonic's history, victories and hobbies. 'So this is what she does in her spare time,' he thought. Suddenly the phrases "Channelling statue" and "Power beyond belief" flashed in front of his eyes. A look of dread convulsed his face. "Mecha, what's wrong?" Amy asked worriedly. "Sonic's in trouble," the robot hedgehog replied. "I don't want to alarm you, but he's in the gravest danger you could possibly imagine. We have to find him!" Amy looked like she was going to dissolve. Then a change overtook her. She rose to her feet looking defiant towards the world in general and said, "Let's go!" Mecha-Sonic nearly faltered but took Amy's alteration in his stride as they ran out of the door. He could have sworn that Amy had yelled "To the Bat-mobile, Robin!", but, then again, the trip between Amy's place and Sonic's house had been a complete blur to him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tails' bravado ran out about the time he reached the Metropolis Zone. Something was telling him that this was all Robotnik's doing, and something else was telling him even more strongly that he should have brought Sam with him. He paused, panting by a dustbin. The city looked even bigger and scarier than it did normally. He tried telling himself that it was still the afternoon, but the city glared and shouted at him, instructing him to believe that it was midnight, the witching hour. Tails didn't quite know what a witching hour was, but it sounded scary. He trudged on, his twin tails quaking slightly in the shadows. There was nothing around, he observed. Absolutely nothing. Whether that was good or bad depended on your philosophy. His heart beat faster as he approached Robotnik's HQ. It loomed out of the darkness like a very big, scary looming thing. Tails swallowed and stepped forward. He tested the door and found it to be open. The corridor had nothing to illuminate it, giving it a sinister appearance. Tails pressed on. Suddenly he stopped. Something seemed to be flashing behind a door beside him. He could only see a chink of light under the door, but that was enough. He felt as if he had been drawn to it, like a moth to a porch-light. He reached out and pulled the handle. 'Drat, it's locked!' Tails thought, adding the punctuation with feeling. 'Maybe if I slammed against it....... no, that would bring attention. There has to be another way!' And that was how Tails ended up in a small, dark air duct. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Hunh? Where am I?" Sonic asked, blinking groggily. "You are where ever you want to be," a voice replied. Sonic paused to think about that. "Are you sure?" he ventured after a while. "Perfectly," the voice said pertly. "In a purely metaphorical sense, of course." "What?" Sonic was mystified. Something sighed. "We've got a right one here, Fred," it said, clearly not talking to Sonic. That meant that there were two of them. "All right mister whatever-your-name-is, I'm going to explain what I said v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. D-o y-o-u u-n-d-e-r-s-t-a-n-d-?" "Y-e-s," Sonic replied, getting into the swing of things. "Good. Right. OK. A metaphor is, like, not a real thing... a figure of speech if you will. Do you follow me?" "Y-e-s." "And basically, what I meant -- you still following me? -- was that you have to make your own decisions, and make the best of things. I am, in technical terms, a Philosopher." Sonic later wondered how anyone could speak in capital letters. "Oh, right. So, in un-metaphorical terms, I'm really standing in space?" "Yup." Sonic had never heard such a deep sense of foreboding in an answer so concise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Knuckles and Sam both watched the door in shock. Mecha-Sonic found himself saying "Holy camel-juice!" for no apparent reason. 2 "What's going on?" Sam managed. "We're sorry to intrude," Amy started. "But my side-kick here has had a premonition. Tell them, MS." Mecha-Sonic shuffled his feet. "Well, it wasn't really a premonition," he said. "I just remembered being told about something called 'Project: Spirit' a while back by Dr. Robotnik." He spat the name out like a lump of fat. "Do carry on," Amy encouraged him. "And he'd said something about a statue of some sort that will channel part of Sonic into it. Take away his spirit, that sort of thing. I don't know what'll happen, but that statue will be dangerously powerful." "In short: we have to stop it." Amy said. Sam gasped. "So that's what's been happening to him!" she exclaimed. "Mecha-Sonic, do you know where this statue is?" "I assume it's in his HQ," Mecha replied. "Then we've gotta get there right away!" Amy stated, taking the role of leader. "Agreed," Sam said, steepling her fingers. "Knuckles, are you coming with us?" Mecha-Sonic asked slyly. Knuckles glared at him. "I think it would be best if someone stayed with him," he answered quickly. "So I'll just stay here, shall I?" "Oh, we can get Ricki to do that," Amy replied, grinning. "You can come with us, Knuckles. You'll be more of a help in the Metropolis Zone." The echidna sighed. He wanted to help Sonic just as much as he wanted to jump off the Floating Island with a bungee cord that was ever-so-slightly too long. But he knew he couldn't wriggle out of it. 'Damn!' he thought, as he followed the trio out of the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tails tried to make out the choices of the next junction in the non-existent light. Sliding his paws along the sides of the duct he decided to go right. A mistake. "Aaaagghhhhhh!" he cried as he slid down the steep incline, hit the grating at the end and fell through into a room. "Sonic?!" he exclaimed, backing away towards the wall. There was no reply. Tails took a closer look. On inspection, it clearly wasn't his hero. The real Sonic didn't glow, for instance. 3 Nor was he completely inanimate. At least he knew what the source of the glowing was now. The little fox gulped. There were no signs that it had registered his presence, but then again, it could be waiting for him to approach it. Well, there was no chance of that; Tails planned to keep as much distance between it and himself as possible. Keeping one eye on the statue, he scanned the room for a door. There, on the right hand side. There was a huge bolt and padlock on it, the metal reflecting the eerie glow of the Sonic statue. Tails wondered why it was necessary to bolt the door from the inside and shivered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sonic hugged himself tight and was, though he hated to admit it, scared. He didn't know what was happening to him, and he didn't know why he was apparently standing in the middle of space. Plus the guy who could speak in capitals and his friend, Fred, had disappeared. He had no where to go and no one to turn to. Part of him felt complacent and warm, while another felt frightened and cold. Sonic knew that he had to do something, but it was as if he were stranded, as if his will had flown away. He was feeling weaker by the minute and he was growing colder, too. "You are wherever you want to be," a voice echoed around him. Sonic stamped his foot and stood up straight. "Right!" he shouted. "I want to be with my friends! I want to be where the stuff that's happening to me is happening from! Right now!" There was a brilliant flash above him that would have cost a special effects team quite a lot of money and an accompanying bang. Sonic's spines glowed gold for a split second and he rose up high in the air. His legs became a blur and he roared away across space, a sonic boom echoing behind him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Things will be corrected.... corrected... corrected..." The Spirits nodded in unison. What the outcome was didn't matter to them. The Universe came first. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Footnotes 1. Fellow Discworld fans will have noticed that I am, indeed, a fan of the wonderful Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett, hence the reference. I couldn't resist it! Back ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. I don't know whether non-British people will get this, so I better explain. A while ago on Channel 4, they showed a load of Batman programs (not cartoons). In those, Robin said a lot of things such as the mentioned 'Holy camel juice, Batman!'. I'd just like it to be known that it was many years ago when I watched them, all right? Back ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Apart from the time that Tails, Pocky, and the others set up a tin of luminous yellow paint over Sonic's door. Of course, being the quick-drying, nev-r-fade variety, he couldn't get it off and people could see him coming at night for weeks. Back