A Hedgehog Story: World Adventure

Chapter 1 Unbelievable

Eight months…

It was last summer when I last saw Sonic and the rest of his friends. It's now the beginning of the next year, 2010, and my life has been a rollercoaster as those eight months flew by.

A good part was that my and my brother's parents were extremely overjoyed and surprised when we showed up when we got home. They asked us and Dylan a bunch of questions on what happened and how did we get back. I couldn't lie, so I explained everything, but it just left them saying that it was too childish to believe.

"Court! Show them the ring Sonic gave you!" My best friend shook my right shoulder. I then took off the luminous ring from my wrist, and showed it to them. It was then that they believed.

The same thing happened to Dylan with his parents. I then showed my ring to them, and they instantly believed.

Another good thing is that Dylan and I were getting more close as friends. As soon school started, we had a class together and we got to talk and hung out at times. But I lost the class with him during second semester, but now I get to see him during my lunch hour, and hang out on weekends for a few times during each month.

And for the last good things, I made another friend at school (which is awesome, because I'm super shy when it comes to school, and other places with people), a guy named Trevor. He's really nice and a funny guy to be with, but he can be…well…picky at times.

Along with that, I finally had gotten back in contact with one of my good friends that I haven't spoke for over a year. Her name is Ellen. We met a few years ago when my other good friend, Chel's, invited both of us over to her place to hang out, and we've been friends ever since. It's good to hear from her again.

As for the bad things…

Over those eight months, I sometimes thought non-stop about Sonic. I couldn't help but wonder what he's doing or how he's feeling…I know it was unhealthy for me to do that.

I wore his ring he'd given me on my left wrist everyday since the day I left (it was now my permanent bracelet), and its light never did fade. But now every time I look at it, I begin to wonder nonstop.

Almost everyday, from the rest of the summer to when I get home from school; I always walked down to the creek and deep into the forest where the portal was once was. Like I was hoping for it to magically appear and then enter the blue blur's world once again.

But every time I came, nothing was there. It was just another open space in the forest.

"What am I doing…?" I stood there in the woods once again, looking at the same emptiness. Thunder boomed in the distance, meaning that rain was going to downpour soon.

I laughed. "I'm so stupid for doing this till now, why won't I accept that I'm never going to see Sonic again…?"

Thunder boomed, again from the distance. Rain now started to fall heavily. With it being the middle of February, no leaves were on the trees to protect me from the heavy shower. It was only the beginning of me being wet.

"…Maybe it's because I don't want to let go of our friendship." I spoke as cold drops of water splashed on my head, face, almost everywhere around me. I rolled up my left sleeve from my ivy green jacket and looked at the glowing ring on my wrist for the millionth time in the row. My eyes lowered in sadness.

"I'll never forget you." I spoke, and then covered the ring back in my ivy green sleeve.

I was getting soaked. But before I can get any wetter, I then fled from the forest, to the road, driveway, and back into my nice, dry home.

I didn't return to the forest ever since.

Riiinnng! The bell had rung in my school for my second class. I instantly got out from my seat, sped down the hall, to the commons, up the stairs, and into another hall, and saw and met up with my best friend, Dylan, who was by his locker at the time. I didn't have anything to do between these hours, so I hung with Dylan for the next five minutes.

It was kind of hard getting to him though; many of his friends have lockers by his, and also decide to hang out with him as well between hours. He's a popular guy, unlike myself. But he always manages to get to and giving me a short hug.

"How are you this morning?" He asked me in a chipper morning mood. I made a small smile.

"I'm good, just tired." I answered.

"Hey have you seen those posters around?" He questioned me again.

I raised an eyebrow. "What posters?"

He then pointed to where the water fountains were, and above it was a small hot pink poster that said, 'Dylan for Sweetheart King!' with a picture of Shadow on the bottom.

The Sweetheart dance was coming up, and Dylan was one of the nominations for Sweetheart King. I gasped when I found out, and was happy that my best friend had gotten nominated for a thing like that.

"Some of my friends were posting them around the school, but I keep telling them that I didn't want this." Dylan laughed. "And yet, some people are ripping them down." His voice lowered.

"Well that's ignorant…but I bet you'll win anyways!" I then smiled, trying to cheer him up while my beginning anger disintegrated. He laughed again.

"Thanks Court! Oh! The time! Let's get going, shall we?"

We walked to my next class together while talking about random things along the way. Then we gave each other hug, said our goodbyes, and thus leaving me to enter my class as the bell rung while Dylan rushed to his, being tardy. But I knew his teacher was nice enough not to count it against him.

As soon my second hour was done and over with, I headed for my third hour, for which Trevor was in. I ran across more of Dylan's posters along the way, seeing a bunch among the halls, and some couple crumbled on the floors in the hallway.

"Some people…" I sighed as I entered through the doorway to my third class, which was geometry.

Trevor was sitting in his seat, which was in front of mine. As soon as I sat down, he quickly turned back and stared at me with a silly grin drawn on his face. It made me laugh with him looking at me like this, but yet again, it freaked me out in a way.

"What?" I asked him, while making a nervous giggle.

"Nothing." He replied. His smile never faded.

Another sigh escaped from my mouth. "Why are you staring at me?"

He didn't say anything this time; half the time he's like this whenever I come in third hour. This only meant that it was time for a topic.

"Hey have you seen Dylan's posters?" I asked him while my smile appeared again. I couldn't help but to be excited for my best friend.

"Yeah I saw them. I can't believe that he's nominated! He's got my vote!" Trevor answered while he jumped out of his seat in an excited tone. Jamie, who was one of our friends, looked up at Trevor like he's was hyped up on sugar.

"Geez Trevor, can you get even more hyped up?" She told him while Trevor's attention was fully on her. Then they fakily argued for a little while till our teacher had come into the classroom.

"Quiz time!" She told the students as she gotten out papers and passed them out to everyone, with included geometry problems that we've been working on frequently this week.

Normally, I study a little for quizzes like these, but this was a part of geometry that I did understand. So I probably will ace this one, which meant getting a C.

After that was done, I talked to Trevor again, and then the bell rung for my next class, then it rung again for the next, and soon it was lunch. Afterwards, my school day just passed by. Not like it didn't happen before, it always does if your last classes are art classes.

Art was something I enjoyed, and good in. I can draw pretty amazing pictures, as so as my friends tell me. For the past eight months, my whole sketchbook was filled with nothing but Sonic and his friends, and Dylan and I in our hedgehog forms. I drew other things too; it was just that was the only thing I liked to draw at the moment. I never seemed to get Sonic, his world, and our adventure, out of my mind.

Trevor always comes and visits me in this class, since our classrooms were in the same hallway. He has an art class at this time, which was Photography. I had Advanced Art.

"How come you don't draw me in hedgehog form in your book!?" Trevor made a fake whine when he saw me draw another adventure scene from my sketchbook. This time I was drawing me and Dylan with the fireflies.

"I told you Trevor, I don't know what you'll look like in hedgehog form." I made a soft laugh. "You have to find out when you enter Sonic's world…but I don't think you will be able to…"

Trevor made an unsure look at me. "Are you sure you're not making all this up?"

"I'm positive!" I yelled out. "Look at my ring for example!" I then uncovered my jacket's sleeve and showed my friend the glowing gold ring on my left wrist, which I showed him many times.

"Are you sure it's not battery powered?" He asked me, still unsure. He won't believe easily. I made a sigh.

"Fine, don't believe me…" I told him as I covered up my ring again. Then I went back to sketching my picture.

"It's not like I don't want to believe, but I can't imagine Sonic being real. He's just too..."

"Unreal to believe, I know." I finished his sentence as I looked at the clock ahead of me. It was almost time for school to be done.

I packed up my sketchbook, pencils, and other supplies into my bookbag and hung it over my left shoulder. Trevor had done the same with his things, and he went over and gave me a goodbye hug.

"I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" He told me as he released me, and then got a head start of exiting by standing by the doorway.

The bell rung.

"Yeah." I told him as we both entered the hallway, which was immediately filled with rushing teens. He disappeared into the crowd when he got further away.

As time passed, the week was finally done and over with, continuing with the same routine everyday. But it doesn't mean I gotten tired of it, it just needed more excitement to it.

Luckily, the Sweetheart Dance was tonight. And I'm already starting to get ready.

After my mom pulled up and fixed my hair, I then slipped on into my nice short dark blue dress. As I looked into the mirror, I twirled around playfully a couple of times to see the sparkles glitter at the bottom of my dress. Which reminds me, Sonic's ring…

Knowing that gold wouldn't match with the dress, but the ring was something that held a memory to me. So, I had to wear it. As I looked in the mirror again, something was missing, like I needed another piece of jewelry to wear along with it.

I digged in my jewelry box, which was in front of my mirror, and then grabbed my indecent jewel necklace that my grandma had given me as a gift for last Christmas.

I wore it every now and then when I went to school or any other occasion. But the weird thing is, when I wore it, it felt like I was instantly calmer, as if the worry has escaped from my body. But maybe I was imagining it, this jewel can't contain a magic power, it's not even real…but what if it was?

I shook the idea away from my memory, put on the necklace, and finally gotten the last touches of my makeup on. Soon, my dad called for me to take some pictures, since I was dressy, and then he drove me to my school.

As I passed through the entrance and into the commons, which the dance was held, loud music flooded my ears as I saw many crowds of people sitting, standing, and dancing. But there was no sign of my friends. Usually I get nervous at a time like this, but strangely the emotion wasn't responding at the moment. The jewel? No…

When I was squeezing myself through a maze filled with teens, I finally found one of my friends. It was Chel's and she was dancing along with some of her friends.

"Chel's!" I screamed her name over the music till she noticed me. She rushed to me with a big grin and given me a hug.

"You look nice!" She told me after the hug, still grinning.

"You too!" I replied as I looked at her in her long black dress.

After I danced with her along with her friends for a few songs, I took up my courage and decided to go through the dancing crowds again to see if any more of my friends are in there. It was then I found Trevor, and his girlfriend, Brittney.

"Court!" He screamed my name when I was searching, and I turned around and saw the both of them.

"You look amazing!" Trevor and his girlfriend complemented. I smiled.

"Thank you! And you guys do too!" I replied. And just like with Chelsea and her friends, I danced to a few songs with them.

While dancing to a song, I spotted Dylan nearby along with a huge group of his friends, dancing away. I automatically smiled when I spotted him, and then I tried my best to get to him, again, through the sea of dancing people.

I came up behind him, and made a little poke on one of his shoulders. He turned around and smiled at me. But even though he was smiling, I can see that he was nervous about the King thing.

"Hey Court!" He said and gave me a hello hug. "How are you?"

"Doing good!" I said peppy, I was truly having a nice time at the dance so far. "How about you?"

"Good!" He answered. Yet again, I can see his nervousness. Maybe my necklace would help him, if it helped me…No! It's just my imagination.

"Excited about the Sweetheart court?" I asked him. He made a nod.

"Yeah, kinda nervous though." I knew it…

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine!" I reassured him. Another smile appeared on his face, but this time without the nervousness.

"Thanks Court!" He told me, as a smile appeared on my face again.

After dancing with him and his friends for a few songs, I then squeezed my way through people again, and got back to Chel's and her buddies, and of course, danced.

But as soon I announced in my mind that this was the best time I had a school dance, a large crash occurred on where the DJ's were. Glass shot everywhere as the huge windows on the back of the school were broken, and teens started to scream and dodge the sharp clear falling pieces.

"What's going on!?" I heard Chelsea say in a panic, along with others, after she uncovered her eyes.

I looked ahead, seeing a giant goofy-styled robot standing on where the windows were. And on top of it was a big man in red and black, with a huge orange mustache—Dr. Eggman!?!?

"What!?!?" I blurted out in shock, staring at the villain that caused soo much trouble and worry during the most of my summer. Now he's back!?

"Hahahahohoho! Finally I'm back in this world! And after through that all that grief to getting those Chaos Emeralds! Sonic will pay when he gets here to save her…"

When Eggman said the last word of his sentence, he was staring right below at me.

With wide eyes, I stared at Eggman for a few seconds in shock. But when my adrenaline was now running through my veins, I ran out from the scene, to the front door. But before I pushed the doors to the outside, a giant metal hand grabbed me and pulled me back to Eggman. Like of what happened to Sonic in the beginning of Sonic Unleashed.

"Court!" I heard Chel's screaming my name below me.

"Why are you here!? What do you want from me!?" I started to scream fully at the foolish Doctor in front of me, as I tried to escape from the grasp from his cold metal robot. Like always, he responded with a laugh.

"I have made other plans to conquer both your world and my world. But my main plan now is revenge! And it starts by killing you!"

As soon Eggman said his last sentence, rockets came out and appeared on the chest of the robot, aiming at its target, which was me.

"Hahaha! Goodbye!" Eggman waved at me as he pressed a button on his robot to release the rockets. During all this, I heard screams from my friends and people below, and I watched my life flash before my eyes just when a few seconds before the rockets had me.

Suddenly, a blue streak flashed in front of me to push the rockets off course. The rockets exploded somewhere nearby. The next flash, it grabbed me and destroyed the hand of which the robot gripped on me.

As I meet the ground, still holding on, I looked at my rescuer in the same way I did with Eggman. But this time, the shock was more fortunate than unfortunate. Eight long months…and I got to see him once again.

Sonic the Hedgehog.