Sonic the Hedgehog 1. Introduction

'Sup, guys?

So, I finally got the guts to upload a story on here. I can't make any promises about when I can update or anything, but I'll try to do so on a semi-regular basis.

The prompts for each of these chapters was found here: 2011/09/25/100-themes-challenge-writing-prompts/. If any of you readers has any suggestions for a future prompt, go ahead and throw it at me!

This is my first story _ever_, so please be patient with me. I have no beta reader, so correct me if I make any mistakes with the canon or grammar. I hope I'll be much better at all of this by the time this story is completed. Constructive criticism is welcomed, and all reviews are appreciated! Flames...will probably just be ignored.

**Warning:** This chapter contains minor swearing. Each Chapter will have its own warning label

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of that other crap. It's SEGA's crap, and it's awesome crap, but it's not my crap. **

Enjoy!**  
**

**_Prompt #1:__ Introduction_**

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"I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Shadow's eye twitched dangerously as he heard the same words over. And over. And over.

"Don't you worry; I'll take care of this!"

"Don't be scared, we'll find your parents."

"Woah! Gotcha. That was close!"

Their most recent battle with Eggman had ended like all the others: the mad scientist flew away (on whatever the hell that floating vehicle of his was) to lick his wounds, and the blue idiot congratulated the both of them on saving the day once again. Unfortunately, the stray lasers that had resulted from said battle had managed to light fire to a few of the buildings in Station Square.

And the stupid hedgehog just _had_ to be the hero. Again. And Shadow just _had_ to be dragged into the entire affair. _Again_.

His own efforts to save the people were very different from the Faker's, though they were no less effective. Approaching a panicking tiger in a business suit, he growled an admittedly less-than-comforting, "Shut up. Stop moving" as he lifted the (now petrified) businessman over his shoulder and hauled him outside before unceremoniously dumping him on the ground and heading straight back into the building.

"H-hello? Somebody?" Shadow looked over at the sound of a frightened whimper, and he spotted a little girl as she coughed hoarsely on the thick smoke. She could obviously hear the blue blur helping others, but the smoke rendered her nearly blind and unable to find him. Shadow started forward, but before he reached her, Sonic was there.

He knew that the best time for observing _anything_ was definitely _not_ in the middle of a burning building, but Shadow couldn't help but watch as the Faker brought himself down onto one knee and looked the crying girl in the eye. Throughout this entire ordeal, he hadn't yet lost that reassuring, annoying-as-hell smile, and now he was aiming it at this unknown child. They made eye contact, and the following moment was frozen for what seemed like the shortest eternity Shadow had ever known.

They didn't do anything monumental. There was no dramatic movement or declaration of heroism or gratitude. They just looked at each other, and something passed between them. Shadow had seen it before, and he recognized it vaguely; it was the bond, however brief, that was formed between a hero and a victim. For just a few seconds, that little girl would understand what it meant to have somebody spend time focusing on absolutely nothing but her safety and her life. Sonic, on the other hand, would have the knowledge that he, and he alone, had _kept somebody from dying_. It was such an everyday occurrence in their lives that Shadow had almost forgotten the actual depth and _amazingness_ of it, and for that single moment, Shadow was really, truly content, and happy, and _proud_.

And in the next moment, he was on the verge of tearing off his own ears.

"Hi there! I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!"

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"Hello. My name's Miles Prower, but everyone just calls me Tails."

Sonic watched indulgently as his little bro shook hands with a friendly-looking swallow. He wasn't sure exactly what Tails had done, but some mechanical doohickey of his had managed to catch the eye of the leading company in what Sonic liked to call "smart person stuff" and Tails corrected him as "technological advances". They had invited Tails over to collaborate with some of their top scientists and inventors on some other thingamabob that apparently could be made better with some parts from Tail's doohickey.

As the two strolled into the company building and Tails waved goodbye to Sonic, the Fastest Thing Alive found himself thinking. He usually managed to get by without doing too much of that, but there were times (like this) when he just had nothing to do for a few hours, and thinking was usually the result of boredom.

Sonic wondered, not for the first time, why his little bro introduced himself the same way to everyone they met. Amy had asked a similar question a few weeks ago: "Hey, Tails? Why don't you just say that your name is…well, Tails? Why add in your real name if you don't want them to call you that?" The fox's response had been a confused "Huh. I'm not sure, Amy. I just do, I guess."

The Blue Blur liked to think that he knew Tails better than anyone else. He suspected that Tail's introduction ran deeper than the little guy let on.

Because even though not many people knew where Tails came from, Sonic did. He remembered the cowering little fox, with the too-thin arms and the too-big gloves. He remembered hearing about the bullying and the taunts and the threats. He often wished that he had been able to save the two-tailed fox earlier, but Sonic also knew that was an impossibility. He had been too involved with stopping Buttnick to stop and smell the roses for a long time. Still, picking up the little fox and bringing him on his adventures definitely made the list of the Top Ten Best Decisions of Sonic the Hedgehog's Life.

At first, Sonic had tried to make the little fox forget. Forget the taunts, forget the pain, and forget the loneliness and the hunger and the cruelty. It had taken him months and months to realize that Tails didn't want to forget at all.

With every introduction, Tails made a statement. My name is Miles Prower, but I am not Miles Prower. Everyone calls me Tails, because that is who I am. That nickname is the embodiment of what I have grown into.

Sonic couldn't deny (nor did he want to) that he was proud. And not just proud. Sonic the Hedgehog was _damn_ proud of his amazing, genius little brother.

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So there you have it, kiddos. My first chapter.

Yes, it is short. Trust me, I know. Some of these chapters will be short, and some will be long. Just trust me on this.

I was originally just going to do the "Sonic" introduction, but that was shamefully short. Solution? Throw in Tails for instant happy :)

Again, reviewing helps! Thanks guys!


	2. Complicated

'Sup, guys :)

Let me just say that when I checked FanFiction this morning and saw that my story actually had _a fave_, I almost went into cardiac arrest. GamerGirl54321, thank you. Your niceness almost killed me. Thanks for the review as well! Yes, I think of that as a short oneshot. I try to hold myself to at least 1,000 words per chapter.

Oh, and here's the _correct _link to where I found these prompts: 2011/09/25/100-themes-challenge-writing-prompts/

**Warnings: **Very mild swearing.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic or any of that other crap. It's SEGA's crap, and it's awesome crap, but it's not my crap.**

Enjoy!

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**#2: Complicated**

Nobody could ever call Knuckles stupid.

Okay, maybe a few people could and would. Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge, to name a few.

But the fact of the matter was that Knuckles _wasn't_ stupid. Gullible doesn't equal stupid. You try living on an island alone your whole life and see if you don't listen to the first seemingly friendly face you see! Just because that face happened to be Eggman…that doesn't mean anything.

While his friends liked to use the term "gullible", Knuckles once heard Tails use a term that he liked infinitely better. "Devoted".

Yes. Much better. Knuckles was devoted to the Master Emerald, devoted to his role as its Guardian. Nothing mattered more. His sole purpose was to protect the Emerald.

At least, it had been. Until that blue nuisance showed up.

Once they'd gotten past the little road bump of "I'm-gonna-kill-you" and moved on to the tentative "Okay-I'm-not-gonna-kill-you-anymore-but-I-_could_", and then somehow moved from there to "best friends", Knuckle's perspective had shifted. Because now he had to figure out where his priorities had settled. He'd been pretty lucky so far: when Sonic needed his help, there had been peace and he could leave the M.E. for a short time. Likewise, when he needed Sonic's help, the blue blur had been free to assist in retrieving the M.E. with him. But, to repeat, Knuckles wasn't stupid. He knew that sooner or later, one day, his friends would need his help in a time where the M.E. needed to be guarded. And he would have to choose one of the two.

Sitting on a flying island with nothing to do for days at a time gives you plenty of room to think. And while Knuckles may have been lacking in the imagination department, this massive space of time made up for that annoyingly well. Therefore, Knuckles was able to scare the hell out of himself with as many scenarios as his mind could torture him with.

What if the M.E. was stolen and Sonic was busy dealing with another issue?

What if Eggman was attacking Angel Island and Station Square simultaneously?

What if—Chaos forbid—somebody from the surface got _hurt_? Hospitals weren't as readily available as some might think, especially when Eggman liked to demolish them with his robots. Knuckles knew more about natural healing than anyone else _by far_. Sonic and Shadow could heal with Chaos Energy, to an extent, but that technique only worked on those who could control Chaos Energy as well. So what would Knuckles do if Tails called over the communicator and _needed his help_ but the Master Emerald was in _danger_ but one of his friends was _dying_ and _oh, Chaos_…

The echidna took a deep, meditative breath, trying to convince himself that he was letting his almost-nonexistent imagination run wild. The rest of his friends weren't inept at healing, and Tails was actually quite knowledgeable in most cases (Knuckles supposed that happens when you live with I Don't Care for My Own Safety Sonic the Hedgehog).

But what if it was _Tails_ that was hurt. The idea of the little two-tailed fox being injured, in pain, _dying_…

Knuckles shuddered. In that situation, he knew that Sonic would be practically useless as he worried himself sick over his "little bro". What if Shadow was on a mission for G.U.N? What if it was just Sonic and Tails and the little fox was hurt? The Fastest Thing Alive wasn't as useless as most people made him out to be, but to see what he thought of as his own family (and possibly the only family he had left) bleeding out onto the ground…Sonic would panic. He would freeze up and let his own overly-active imagination run wild. He would pick Tails up and run as fast as he could (breaking the sound barrier would only aggravate the fox's injuries) and try to find a hospital, or a friend, or _something_.

The Guardian shook himself to break out of these disturbing thoughts. He frowned at the altar steps beneath him as if they were the cause of all his problems. He hated this…indecision. He was the _Guardian of the Master Emerald_. That was _all he was. _That was his _purpose_.

And yet.

He had seen the murals. He had walked down into the depths of those hallways and rooms so many times he had lost count. He had seen the pictures and stories. The ones that foretold of a hero that would save the world again, and again, and again.

Sonic had seen the murals, too.

Knuckles had made a point to show them to him. Had told him that this was his _purpose_. To save the world. He had expected the Blue Blur to find peace in this statement. He thought that every creature lived to find its purpose.

What he hadn't expected was for Sonic to give him a look that suggested Knuckles had just forced him to swallow a jug of year-old milk.

After that, Sonic had only mentioned the murals once, and it had been a joke about how he knew why "one of them is furrier than the rest". Knuckles decided not to ask.

But other than that, the blue hedgehog just…lived life. He didn't even seem to _care_ that he was literally _born to save the world_.

Knuckles wondered idly if he could learn something from his blue friend (though he would never admit it). Maybe his purpose wasn't all that mattered. Maybe he should just take some time to…live.

The red-furred Guardian groaned in exasperation and put his head in his hands. Damn Sonic. Why did everything have to be so difficult with that blue moron? Sometimes, Knuckles wished for the days when it was just him. Just him and the Master Emerald and everything was simple and easy. There were no decisions to be made. There were no friends to worry about. Knuckles wished furiously for a moment that he had no friends.

Then he relaxed his tense muscles, slid down to sit on the altar steps, and smiled hopelessly. He wasn't stupid. He couldn't even lie to himself.

Damn Sonic for making everything so complicated.

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Hehehehe soooo...yeah. I like Knuckles.

After finishing this, I thought it would fit a prompt of "Purpose" much better, but I checked the list and THERE ISN'T ONE. So HA._  
_

I'm not very good at these conclusions, am I? Oh, well. This is more of an exercise to improve my writing than anything else.

Again, thanks for reading! Reviews and constructive criticism is welcomed, and flames...will probably just be ignored.


	3. Making History

'Sup, guys.

Three updates in three days? Wow. I'm proud...of myself?

GAH. I can't get the link to work. If you Google "100 Theme Writing Challenge", it's the first link that comes up. There.

Huge thanks to Rad Dudesman for the fave! As for their review...Blaze. Oh god, that's the ONE character I have NO CLUE how to write. I already have a few story ideas, though, so hang in there!

**Warnings: **...eh, I don't think there are any for this chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic or any of that crap. It's SEGA's crap, and it's awesome crap, but it's not my crap.**

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**#3: Making History**

Maria peeked carefully through the window in the door. She knew she wasn't supposed to be here; the hallway was littered with signs that read multiple variations of "Authorized Personnel Only". However, even good little girls were curious, and she knew Grandfather would forgive her if he found out.

The rest of the ARK had been suspiciously empty for the past few days. When she had asked Dean, a scientist who worked for Grandfather, he had simply grinned and told her that everyone was working on a few new projects, it was nothing too important. Maria had smiled back, muttered a submissive "okay, thank you", and had waited for Dean to leave before setting out on a new adventure. She may have been a little girl, but Maria was a Robotnik, and that meant _really really_ smart. She had a feeling that something important was happening, and she wanted to see what it was.

The room she was currently peeking into (courtesy of a convenient chair-turned-stepstool) looked…well, it looked like nearly every other laboratory on the ARK, save for a few…minor details. The first being that no other room on the ARK was ever this busy. There were at least twelve scientists crammed into a room that only a few days ago had probably never held more than five. The majority of them were crowded around a circular tube in the center of the room. Maria couldn't quite see what it held, but she could make out a smallish creature floating peacefully in the green liquid surrounding it.

Maria felt a rush of uncharacteristic anger, mixed with a strong sense of protectiveness. Was it in pain? What were they doing to it? She knew that Grandfather was a kind man, he would never cause any of those poor creatures pain…right?

Her fears were put to rest when the brilliant man known as Gerald Robotnik spoke. "My fellow scientists," he announced in that calmly determined voice of his, "This is it. I hope you all understand what exactly is happening right now. We are making history. Other attempts have failed, but this is different. This specimen- (Maria bristled slightly at the way the creature was addressed) -is far more advanced than the others. Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to be the first to create a living, breathing, sentient creature."

Oh. So it (she wasn't sure if it was a he or a she) wasn't alive yet. Maria exhaled softly in relief as the activity in the room heightened again. People were pushing buttons and taking measurements. The little girl watching through the window could barely force her mind to absorb all the information. Having grown up with the carefully bland ARK atmosphere, hearing all the voices jumbled together with the flashing lights and the movement was definitely a lot to take in. Maria blinked furiously as something momentous happened and all movement in the room stopped. Every gaze turned to the unknown creature in the tube.

For just a moment, nothing happened.

Then, Maria heard a muffled _beep, beep, beep_ that she recognized as a heart monitor, and the little creature's chest expanded suddenly as it took its first breath through the oxygen mask attached firmly to its face.

Suddenly, the room was full of motion again as scientists cheered and laughed and shook hands with anyone they could find. As Grandfather began making what was probably some sort of congratulatory speech, Maria got her very first clear look at the little creature.

It was a hedgehog. Male, if she remembered the textbook pictures correctly (and she always did). She was fascinated with the little anthropomorphic creatures, and she had made sure to read about all of the most common species. Hedgehogs didn't exactly make that list, but…they were just so _adorable_! She couldn't help but give a soft squeal at just how _cute_ this little guy looked. He was mostly black, but his quills, arms, and legs had soft red streaks on them (or at least, they looked red. The green liquid made colors kind of hard to discern). His face was a deep tan, and to top it all off, he had a small patch of white fur on his chest that was a little longer than the rest of his fur, and it floated gently in the nonexistent current in the tube.

Maria was snapped out of her observations as a few of the scientists broke away from their huddle and walked towards the door. She squeaked and scrambled backwards off of the chair, not bothering to hide it before she ran as fast as her weak body could go. As she rounded the nearest corner, gasping for breath, he heard the door open.

Maria was a good little girl, and she felt no ill will towards anybody. However, if she giggled softly as she heard the emerging scientists fall all over themselves after one tripped over the chair…well, nobody would ever know.

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So there.

I'll admit to a *cough* slight favoritism towards Sonic. So whenever I get a clear chance to write about another character, I try to take it. Because I know that otherwise...this'll just be a Sonic-Character-Study-Fest and not a 100 theme challenge.

So yeah. Read and review? Thanks.


	4. Rivalry

'Sup, guys.

Okay, so guess what? COLLEGE, that's what. Yeah, Spring Break is officially over.

I'm taking _20 credits_, guys. That's _five classes_. I'm so screwed.

Anyway, I'm sure my blessed days of relaxing evenings are over, and that means fewer updates. I've been able to update once a day for the past four days, but that'll probably change to once or twice a week to be safe. I'm not abandoning this story or anything.

Reviews:

werewolf lover99: I think Knuckles is pretty interesting, too. He can be really dull, or he can be really insightful, and that's what makes him such a fun character to write. Thanks for the compliment and the encouragement! You make me blush :) College...eh. It's better than high school, I'll give it that.

**Warnings:** None

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic or any of that crap. It's SEGA's crap, and it's awesome crap, but it's not my crap.**

Enjoy!

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**Prompt #4: Rivalry**

Sonic liked a lot of things. He wasn't picky. As a matter of fact, if he had written a list of things that he liked vs. things that he didn't like, the former would outdistance the other by about five pages, _at least_. Sadly, wasting time _writing_ was one of those things Sonic didn't like (it could be clumped in with the wonderfully vague yet accurate bullet point labelled "being a slow-mo"), so said list had yet to be written.

Back to the point.

Sonic wasn't picky. However, there would always be things he preferred over others. The Fastest Thing Alive would eat about anything, but nothing could beat Chili Dogs. In a similar fashion, Sonic liked running _a lot_, but there was something special about racing.

Racing always resulted in that wonderful adrenaline rush similar to what he achieved in a battle with Eggman. Everything would move at a snail's pace, and he would feel his body working so perfectly, feel each muscle contract and expand as his entire being worked desperately towards one simple goal: win. He was addicted to the adrenalin and the victory.

At one point, he would have scoffed at the idea of racing with Extreme Gear. He would have insisted that there was no skill at all in flying around like some kind of surfboarder on drugs. It was at that point, of course, that he actually _tried_ racing on Extreme Gear. Ouch. Talk about humiliating.

Still, even now that he _could _use an Ex Gear, he preferred running. There was something so…different about it. It wasn't just the actual physical exertion, and it wasn't about how good one was at it. The difference between the two laid in the rivalry that could only be born in a footrace. It was one thing to use a machine or vehicle to win, but it was completely another to use nothing but yourself.

Maybe that was a reason why he had nearly no respect for Eggman. Because if you set aside the crazy tendencies, the annoying laugh, and the itty-bitty desire to rule the world and enslave all those in it, Eggman used his robots to play (usually pretty badly) in a field that he just wasn't fit for. Yeah, he was a genius, and yeah, he created the robots himself. Still. Sonic couldn't shake the (admittedly irrational) gut feeling that Eggman was _cheating_. It was stupid, he knew, but it was a legitimate feeling.

The Blue Blur had the same sort of sentiments toward Jet the Hawk. If his shaky (read: almost nonexistent) morals could be ignored, Jet still used an Ex Gear to win. A machine. He hadn't even _built_ the thing himself (that could probably be pinned on Wave), so he couldn't even claim that! Jet was another thing on the List of Things Sonic Didn't Like: a Mobian who used other people's work and achievements to help themselves without giving the actual owners the credit they deserved.

He only had one Mobian who could match him in a _real _race, and that was Shadow. Sonic had debated with himself for a long time over whether the emo-hog was "cheating" or not. Because _hello! Jet-powered shoes!_ But once he had learned how the shoes actually worked, his suspicions had been laid to rest. It had been Tails who explained the concept, so Sonic had to remove and interpret all the mechanical, suspiciously science-y sounding mumbo-jumbo, but he had the basic idea. Shadow's shoes were powered with Chaos energy from Shadow's own body. Therefore, the Chaos Energy that his black-furred counterpart absorbed to power them was like the food that Sonic ate to power his own body. Therefore, not cheating. Besides, just the fact that Shadow's body could actually withstand the pressure of breaking the sound barrier (ever run into a brick wall at approximately 340 miles per hour? _Ow._) made him a more than worthy opponent in Sonic's eyes—not that the azure hedgehog would ever admit it, of course.

Sonic broke out of his quiet thinking as his stomach made a familiar grumbling noise. He chuckled and shook his head. Running burned a lot of calories, especially when one does it at a less than leisurely 300 miles per hour for around four hours straight. Even though Being Hungry was another thing that made his List of Things Sonic Didn't Like, it inevitably led to one of the things Sonic _did_ like: eating.

Those chili dogs were calling his name.

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Sorry, guys, that ending was kind of rushed. I had a few more ideas for this chapter, but my brain isn't thinking correctly right now.

_Did _Jet build his own Ex Gear? I admittedly didn't play that game, so I have no idea. Oh, well. The concept still applies.

Me gusta Shadow :)

So yeah. Reviews are nice, constructive criticism is great, and flames...will probably be ignored or used to roast Peeps.


	5. Unbreakable

'Sup, guys.

I actually uploaded! My teachers had mercy on me, and my homework load was just light enough for me to crank this puppy out in between assignments.

So, a little explanation: this is my interpretation of a Sonic that is a bridge of SEGA sonic and Underground sonic. I imagine that he would have a lot of deep, dark emotions under all of his normal happiness, and he's a helluva lot more fun to write. So yeah.

Replies to some reviews:

**Rad** **Dudesman: **I suppose you're right about Blaze's character. I always was worried, though, because I imagine her with that certain something you expect from a princess, but every attempt I make at bringing that something out just ends in her being...well...a bit of a bitch, and that's just _not_ Blaze.

**werewolf lover99: **Thanks (for the first comment, and the well wishes, and the tip for dealing with those scary seniors)! And you hate Peeps? What?! I was sitting here, chillin' on my laptop, when I read your review and realized I was living in a world where there are people who _don't like Peeps_. Oh, well. I don't like chicken, so I guess we all have our quirks.

**UPDATE** : I tried, guys. I really did. But it's only five chapters in, and I can't bring myself to think of a single thing. Maybe school is frying my brain, or maybe my imagination is vacationing in Tahiti, but I need help. So here's the deal. At the bottom of this chapter, I'll list the next five prompts. Then, in reviews or messages, give a sista a hand and throw me some ideas. Chuck 'em at me. Please.

**Warning: **There's a little swearing.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic or any of that crap. It's SEGA's crap, and it's awesome crap, but it's not my crap. **

Enjoy!

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**#5: Unbreakable**

Tails didn't particularly like having these type of conversations with Sonic. On one hand, these conversations involved deep thinking, and while the little fox was no stranger to that particular action, this type of thinking involved things that none of his knowledge and mathematical formulas could explain. Like… emotions. And for a young two-tailed fox that thrived in his world of machines and technology, there were few things that could be quite as terrifying as _feelings_.

But when your adopted big brother is sitting weakly on his bed, smiling at you like there was nothing wrong and _what do you mean, dehydration?_, feelings are kind of hard to avoid.

Sonic the Hedgehog looked terrible. Tails felt a rush of uncharacteristic anger at Eggman for doing something so…_cruel_. He had known, just like the rest of his friends, that Eggman was one of those types who would not hesitate to take a mile if he were given an inch. But _still_! When the Blue Blur had been captured, they were sure that they would be able to find him relatively unharmed. Imagine their utter horror when, just a week later, they had found his big brother, smiling weakly and asking with a painfully raspy voice, "Hey, there's the party. 'Sup?" The two-tailed genius was pretty sure he actually saw the physical effort Knuckles was taking to keep himself from pummeling the "blue idiot".

"Tails? You alright, little bro?"

The fox's baby blue eyes focused again on his best friend. Sonic was a fast healer, so he wasn't too worried about the numerous wounds the hedgehog had gotten from who-knows-what. A few of the deeper gashes would scar, and Tails was fairly certain he had caught a glimpse of horridly burnt skin before the hedgehog had bandaged himself. Sonic had seen a lot of battles, though, and the fox knew his big brother would not be bothered by the new marks on his skin. Sonic had once told him jokingly that his body was a map, and if scars were new places, what did Sonic like better than exploring?

"Tails?"

The blue fur not covered in bandages had lost much of its sheen, and Tails tried not to count the ribs that protruded from the form that had been incredibly thin _before _being deprived of essential nutrients. Sonic's metabolism was unheard of, almost as fast as the Blue Blur himself. This was necessary to keep his speed up and his body working under the pressure that it did, but it did have its disadvantages. As much as all of his friends made fun of his eating habits, Sonic had to eat a _lot_ of food. Calories on top of calories, just to maintain the thinness that had become more prominent as he aged and his proportions slightly evened out. It hadn't been hard for Eggman to figure this out, and he used this to his advantage, giving the blue hedgehog just enough food to live on and nothing more. While he wasn't a walking skeleton, the hedgehog resembled someone highly anorexic, and to be honest, that was what sickened Tails most of all.

"_Yo!_ Earth to fox? Come in, fox!" The voice that finally caught his attention was still slightly raspy.

Tails, halfway jolted out of his examination, blurted out, "What did he _do_ to you there, Sonic?"

In the short silence that followed the question, Tails looked directly into his brother's eyes. For all that he had been through, those eyes were still the same vivid shade of Master Emerald green. Tails' breath caught as they darkened quickly, revealing deep _somethings_ hidden beneath the arrogance and childish behavior that was his brother's trademark. It was moments like this that Tails got a glimpse of a darker side of Sonic, and it was moments like this that Tails wondered how well he really knew the azure hedgehog.

The Fastest Thing Alive blinked, and the moment was gone. Dark pools of green lightened back to their normal shade, and his grin was obnoxiously wide as he teased, "Does it matter? Don't worry; I didn't let him off easy. I drove our old Eggy friend crazy with a few new lines that managed to make him attempt to turn into a tomato. It was fun!"

"How do you do that?"

"Eh? Do what?"

Tails searched for words, finally huffing in frustration, "Stay so…happy. Confident. He was doing who knows what to you and you managed to _snark_?! I'm thirteen, Sonic! I don't deserve gray hairs yet!"

The older mammal couldn't contain his boisterous laugh that managed to slightly raise the kit's dark mood. Once he calmed down, Sonic gave a hearty shrug that was only accentuated by his bony shoulders, and couldn't quite contain a small wince as he remembered that yes, he still had plenty of angry red marks on his back from the ordeal, and yes, they still hurt like hell.

Thinking on the question for a moment, he finally answered, "I don't know, Tails. I guess it's just a matter of will, y'know? I've been told that I have an unbreakable nature, and my natural stubbornness makes me, and I quote, 'a reliable source of hope for my friends, and a brick wall of assholery for my enemies'. The guy saying this was a tad bit dramatic, but the point still stands. Eggman won't win until I give up."

_Or you die_. Tails shoved the traitorous thought to the very farthest depths of his mind, even as he rolled his eyes, smiling. "I think I would have liked this friend of yours, Sonic" he joked.

Sonic rolled his eyes and grinned right back, "Oh, you two would have been thick as thieves, trust me. Now get outta here; I want to sleep and your presence makes me _think_."

"It's good to know I'm a positive influence for you, you dunderhead."

A very well-aimed pillow that was followed abruptly by a book (since when did Sonic read?) chased the fox kit from the room, snickering mischievously all the way.

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**UPDATE** : (This was also posted above, but if you missed it...)I tried, guys. I really did. But it's only five chapters in, and I can't bring myself to think of a single thing. Maybe school is frying my brain, or maybe my imagination is vacationing in Tahiti, but I need help. So here's the deal. At the bottom of this chapter, I'll list the next five prompts. Then, in reviews or messages, give a sista a hand and throw me some ideas. Chuck 'em at me. Please.

The Prompt List of DOOM. 

#6: Obsession

#7: Eternity

#8: Gateway (already have an idea for this, but don't hesitate to give me more!)

#9: Death

#10: Opportunities

So I was kind of nonchalantly reading over the prompt list I'm using, and I realized that a lot of these (almost all of them, actually) are really...heavy. Like..."Out of Time" or "Seeking Solace" or "Forever and a Day" or "Shades of Grey" (_Fifty Shades of Gray, _anyone ;)?). That means that I'll either have to make clumsy attempts to lighten stuff up a bit, or this'll be a very angst-ridden story. Maybe tell me what you prefer in the reviews? Angst is repetitive, but I'm really not too skilled at lighthearted conversation. Egh...

And yes, the quote about assholery was from my mental canon of Manic.

So yeah. Reviews and ideas for future chapters are REALLY helpful right now. Thanks.


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Sonic the Hedgehog