Some months ago, I wrote a long, chaptered fanfiction based on the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series. It took me several weeks of brainstorming, typing and editing to complete it. After having posted this story in the Fanfiction forum of the message board community "The Ultimate Chao Garden" and receiving excellent feedback on it from the readers there, I have decided to publish it for a broader audience on a fanfiction site. The story contains 24 chapters total plus an epilogue, and one new chapter will be published every day until I reach the end of the fanfiction. I hope you like it!

The first few chapters will serve to introduce the characters and explain a bit about their backgrounds, presented in five-year leaps; the real story will begin when the characters of Generation Beta are 15 years old. Before I actually begin publishing it, however, I would like to present an introduction to the story itself. The following notes should be observed before one begins reading the fanfiction. Please read with care. Thank you!

- My story takes place in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist. Only animals are found in Green Hill, which is where Sonic and his friends live. Humans can be found in other cities, such as Station Square.

- In real life, different animals have different lifespans and gestation periods. For the purposes of this story, I have taken into consideration the fact that the animal characters are all anthropomorphic, and therefore they all have lifespans and gestation periods equal to those of humans, i.e. a nine-month gestation period and an average life expectancy of approximately 75 years.

- I have changed Tails's age from seven years younger than Sonic to three years younger than Sonic, in order to make the story more plausible.

- Many people have raised the question of whether or not Knuckles and Tikal are related. In the universe described in my story, Knuckles and Tikal are in no way related to one another. Although they are descended from the same tribe, the tribe leaders were of one bloodline while the Master Emerald guardians were of another. In the past, it was also customary for echidna couples to have only one child; therefore, Tikal was the last of her bloodline, and she had no siblings, aunts or uncles which could have been Knuckles's ancestors.

- Yes, Shadow can procreate. Enough said.

- References have been made in other media about Sonic having parents and siblings. In my story, Sonic is an only child, and at the most, only vague references are made to his parents.

- Although they are not related by blood, Sonic and Tails are considered brothers. Every reference made to both their families in my story is based on the fact that Sonic adopted Tails as his little brother, and therefore the two are considered family to each other.

And so begins my story: "Generation Beta". Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Sonic the Hedgehog had made his final stand as a hero. His archenemy, Dr. Eggman, had put another of his plans for world domination into action, and the hedgehog had foiled him once again. The mad scientist had used an enormous contraption of his own design to try and take control of the planet from outer space, and had come dangerously close to reaching his goal. He had also come close to actually defeating and possibly killing Sonic, thus removing all obstacles from his path of wicked ambition.

But Sonic would not be defeated. As he lay gravely injured before the laughing Eggman, he had drawn strength from the persistent encouragement of his surrounding friends, who never lost faith in him, even when he had almost lost it in himself. The blue hedgehog managed to pick himself up, draw energy from the Chaos Emeralds being used to power the scientist's machine, and transform himself into his super form. Using Chaos Control, he completely destroyed Eggman's space station, and teleported his friends to safety just before the explosion. Eggman, who couldn't possibly have made it out of the space station in time, was presumed dead.

It had been Sonic's final stand as a hero. He was twenty years old at the time.

---

The time was now five years later. Sonic was sitting in a waiting room with his friends Tails the Fox and Knuckles the Echidna. He was more nervous than he had ever been before in his life, and couldn't stop fidgeting in his chair. His friends tried to calm him down, but their attempts were made in vain, because no amount of calming words can relax a person sitting in a hospital waiting to hear about his wife.

After several minutes, the doctor finally came into the room and walked over to Sonic. The hedgehog stood up to meet her, and voiced the question he had been desperate to ask since the last time she had left the room:

"How is Amy?"

The doctor replied with a smile and a straight answer:

"She's ready. 10 centimeters."

Sonic's eyes widened, and he slowly turned around to face the fox and the echidna, a distant look in his eyes. When he finally found his voice, he simply whispered:

"I'm gonna be a father."

And he followed the doctor to the delivery room, Tails and Knuckles grinning at him as they watched him disappear into the hallway.

---

Several months ago, Sonic had a life-changing experience. His wife, Amy Rose, who was already three months pregnant, had called him into their living room to tell him something important.

"Sonic", the pink hedgehog said slowly, "I went to the doctor's today, and... I found out what our baby is going to be."

"You did?" Sonic replied, surprised. "What is it?"

"It's going to be..." Amy said, smiling brightly, "... a boy."

The blue hedgehog could hardly believe his ears. He was so happy, he almost stood up and did a back flip right there in the living room. But Amy wasn't done yet.

"And a girl", she finished.

These last words caused Sonic to freeze, his eyes wide with shock. A boy and a girl?

"Twins?" he breathed disbelievingly. "Twins?"

Amy grinned and nodded, repeating the wonderful word back to her husband, "Twins."

It was incredible. The blue hedgehog placed his hand over his wife's belly, inside which his children were growing. Sonic had just become the happiest hedgehog in the world.

---

Six months after the conversation, Sonic and Amy found themselves in a private hospital room, each one holding a sleeping baby hedgehog in their arms. In Sonic's arms lay the couple's son, and in Amy's, their daughter. The boy was lavender in color while the girl was a lighter lilac, and each child had green eyes, just like their parents.

Amy looked down at the little girl in her arms as she lay in her bed, then gazed up at her husband, who was sitting by her side.

"Have we decided, then?" she asked him, smiling. "Should we call them in now?"

Sonic looked his wife in her eyes, and, smiling back at her, nodded. So Amy had all their friends, who had been waiting outside eagerly to see the babies, brought into the room.

One by one, they filed in slowly. First came Tails and his wife, Roxanne, who had the bulging belly of her seventh month of pregnancy. Behind them came Knuckles, followed by his wife, Tikal, who was carrying their eight-month-old son, Rex, in her arms. Finally, Cream the Rabbit entered the room, with her boyfriend, David, and her recently evolved Hero Flying Chao, Cheese.

The friends all gathered around the new parents, who were beaming brightly at them all. Everyone was excited to see the little twin hedgehogs.

"Have you chosen names yet?" asked Cream. Her question caught everybody's attention, and they all stared quietly at Sonic and Amy. The hedgehogs nodded.

"We've decided to name the girl Lily", said Amy happily. "I've always wanted to name my daughter that, ever since I was a young girl myself."

"And what about the boy?" said Knuckles curiously. At this, Sonic and Amy exchanged glances, smiling at each other before turning back to everyone else.

"Miles", said Sonic plainly.

Everyone now turned their attention from the blue hedgehog holding his newborn son to the two-tailed fox standing by his own pregnant wife. They were all surprised by this incredibly kind gesture, especially Tails, who had never felt so honored in his life.

"After me?" he whispered in shock. Tails's real name was Miles Prower, and the fact that his best friend wanted to give his son the same name was unbelievably moving.

"Of course!" said Sonic, and he proceeded to explain. "We wanted to give our son a name he could live up to. And what better namesake to live up to... than his Uncle Tails?"

"You guys, I'm so touched!" replied Tails, a tear just visible forming in the corner of his eye. "Thank you so much!"

"It was Sonic's idea", Amy told the fox. "And I agreed there was no better name for our son."

Tails reached his hands out to the baby boy still in Sonic's arms.

"May I?" he asked the boy's father. Sonic nodded his approval, and carefully passed his son over to his brother.

"Hey there, Miles", the fox whispered to his nephew. "I'm your Uncle Tails. You know, your dad is a hero, the fastest hedgehog in the world. And you're gonna grow up to be just like him. You're destined to be great, just like your father, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Tails looked up and smiled at his best friend before adding, "I know you are."

And so was born the next generation of the greatest heroes the world would ever know.