Emerald Arts High School Chapter 1: Featherweight Freshmen, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

AN: Hey guys. This is my crown jewel right now. I'm REALLY proud of how this story is turning out. I've written quite a lot of it already o get a jump start on it. When I think the story is attracting enough attention I'll post the next chapter. I promise to try and reply to reviews in a timely manner. Um…let's see other little notes…. OH RIGHT! I think it's this chapter, or next, where you will see something along the lines of 'Westopolis, Illinois'. In this story Westopolis is in place of Chicago. I will explain other cities when they come up. I REALLY hope you enjoy this one. I've put a lot of hard work and effort into it and I'm really trying to keep the characters to their personalities. Mind you, this version of Shadow is what I imagine he was before he lost Maria. Yes…sadly he will lose Maria in this story too. BUT, it's not for a LONG WHILE. So just enjoy for now. Read, Review, and please, no flames.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Sonic, Tails, Manic, Sonia, Shadow, Aleena, or ANY OTHER Characters that are the rightful and copywritten property of SEGA and their Co-Producers. I also do NOT own the lyrics to I Miss You by Blink182. I would NEVER steal anything from them and their Lyric Writers. They are an excellent band. I recommend them if you've never heard of them before. I ALSO do not own the quote 'Featherweight Freshmen'. I got that from the song Four Years by Jon McLaughlin. He's excellent too.

HOWEVER, I DO own Kyle, Shadow's Mother, Melody, Ashiri, and any other Non-SEGA owned character that might pop up in this. If a Character appears that is non-SEGA owned that I do not own either, I will put a DISCLAIMER in the Author's Note before the Chapter. Thank you for bothering to read this. I won't keep you any longer. Read, Review, and Enjoy.

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Emerald High School for the Artistically Talented and Musically Gifted
a Sonic High School Story

By: Silvershadow145
Also known as Sockmonkey145 on dA

Chapter 1: Featherweight Freshmen

"S-Sonic! Wait!" cried a young voice. The blue hedgehog currently running away from the house didn't even pause for the yellow-orange fox that had run out the door after him. The fox dropped his outstretched hand, and stopped in the driveway. It was impossible to keep up with the speedy hedgehog when he got like this. The fox knew he would back for lunch. They would talk about this then.

The fox sighed and turned back to the house. He went back to the living room, where the two teenage mobians had been talking over a bag of potato chips, before he had brought up his most recent news. The hedgehog, Sonic, was his best friend and adopted brother and hero. He looked up to the older hedgehog, but he knew he had to be himself. No one could ever be Sonic, except for Sonic himself. No one else could move that fast, act that fast, or even talk that fast.

The fox sat down on the couch and looked at the two acceptance letters on the coffee table. He picked up his own and stared at it. What was so bad at being accepted to a live-in high school? He shook his head. Confusion from Sonic was a common thing in this house. The fox's ears pricked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up to see the pretty hedgehog that was Sonic's biological mother, and his adopted mother. He jumped up and ran over to her with the letters.

"Look, mom!" He exclaimed, holding up the letters excitedly. "Sonic and I got accepted to Emerald Arts High School for the Gifted!" The beautiful hedgehog took the letters from his hand and read them over. Then a big smile grew on her face, but it held a twinge of sadness. If anyone could read emotions, it was the fox.

"That's wonderful, Tails!" The fox's adopted mother gushed. "I'm so proud of you both! But I guess Sonic wasn't too happy to hear the news? I saw him run out just a minute ago from my room."

"Yeah... I don't know what's bugging him. I mean this school is excellent and he could train his talents a lot easier there."

"I think I know what's up." She smiled gently. "Sonic doesn't want to go because it would mean leaving his home, his brother and sister, and me behind."

"Ohh... That makes sense. Sonic has always been close with his siblings."

"You're his sibling too, Tails." She laughed. "Don't count yourself out of that one. I'll talk to him at lunch. He's bound to come back for that you know."

"Of course." Tails laughed. "Sonic has never missed Chilidog Tuesday before for anything!"

XXXXXXX

"Ash! Ashiri! Oh my gosh Ashiri!" A black and purple hedge-fox burst into her brother's room and almost stabbed him in the eye throwing a letter at him. "I did it! I got in! I'm going to EHSG!"

The black and acid green hedge-fox sitting in a desk chair with a strawberry halfway into his mouth stared at her in shock for a moment. Then he opened the letter without a word, not even bothering to take the rest of the strawberry into his mouth, leaving its bottom poking out of his round mouth. He read the letter, and then jumped out of his seat, shouting through the strawberry. The once excited girl stopped, put a hand on her hip, and raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Chew, swallow, then talk." she said slowly, as if talking to a little child. Ashiri finished his strawberry and attacked her with a sudden hug.

"I'm so proud of you..." was all he whispered into her ear. He was hugging her tightly, knowing that in a few weeks he would have to let her go. He leaned back, holding his sister at arm's length to get a good look at her grinning face. "My, beautiful, talented, shy, wonderful baby sister; look at you, you're all grown up now..."

"Ashiri, I still have a few years of growing up to do." Melody said, rolling her eyes. "And you can come visit me every weekend, except for test study weekends. You know I can't be distracted then."

"I know, I know. We've been over these rules a thousand times, Mel. This is so great! You deserve this, you really do." Ashiri gave her another quick hug.

"I have you to thank Ash. You've been by my side my whole life. And you're the one who really pushed me to apply to the high school." Melody smiled. Ashiri smiled back.

"My baby sister... so grown up already... Where did the time go?" Ashiri asked, shaking his head slowly and looking her up and down. "You're not the little baby in the brown basket with the purple blanket anymore, that's for sure. Now you're a fully-fledged teenager standing on the edge of the rest of your life."

"Let's hope that edge I'm standing on looks out over crowds of cheering fans soon. I guess the only thing left is to let them in right?" she joked. "I will get up there Ash. I will do this. I am going to be a singer, and no one can stop me now."

"Oh, yes you will." Ashiri agreed. "I'm going to miss having you around though..."

"Ash, every weekend. And a phone call every night. I think you'll live. It's not like I'm dying or something. It's just Westopolis." Melody brushed a tendril of hair behind her ear.

"It's on the other side of the state, Mel." He put a hand on her shoulder, as if not wanting to let go yet.

"Yeah so? It's not the other side of the world. Not even the other side of the country. Take a train or something. I know they're all over the place now." Melody said, brushing his hand off. "And I promise to try and make new friends this time."

"Good. I want to come visit you next weekend and be introduced to some good new people. Good luck, Mel. Now come on, I'm sure lunch is getting cold."

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Tails heard the door slam shut and a whiz of fast footsteps. A breeze blew past his face with a blue blur. The papers flew off the coffee table from the sudden breeze. Tails grabbed his acceptance letter. The blur snatched his and stopped in his tracks, staring at the piece of paper. His face was blank, but Tails could tell he still wasn't feeling any better after his run.

Then Sonic sniffed the air. His eyes widened, he stared right Tails, blinked, and then made a mad dash for the kitchen with only one thing on his mind now.

"Chilidogs!" He cried. Tails laughed and joined the others in the kitchen. By the time the young fox got there Sonic was wolfing down his second chilidog while Manic and Sonia, Sonic's biological siblings, were barely reaching for their firsts. Tails grabbed two of them before Sonic could eat all of them and ate them at his own, slower pace.

Sonia was a year younger than Sonic and the same age as Tails. Manic was a year younger than Sonia and Tails. Tails was going to high school a year early because he had aced this special test the students had taken at the middle school. Manic was in seventh grade this year, Sonia was in eighth and Sonic and Tails were going to be freshmen. Tails was so excited, but Sonic wasn't so happy about it. Tails wondered if Sonic had been hoping he wouldn't be accepted. Tails didn't want to go without his brother and if his hero was uncomfortable with it then he guessed he wouldn't go.

"Sonic dear, I know you're upset about school, but I think I know how to cheer you up. Come with me for a little bit." Their mother said after lunch. Sonic hesitated, but went with her anyways, snatching another chilidog on his way out of the room. Tails sat down on the couch after he finished his own chilidogs and started playing video games. Manic and Sonia went outside to go biking for a while. Sonic came and joined him a little while later with a big smile on his face.

"So, Sonic, what'd mom say?" Tails asked.

"Not much, but it helped. I'm ready for this new adventure!" Sonic declared, punching the air above his head. "Now I'm going to show you how to really beat this level!"

"Sure you are, Sonic." Tails rolled his eyes, but smiled anyways. He put his all into the level, and he beat Sonic by only three points, but he still did it. Sonic gave him a high-five and a signature smile, and they went back to playing. They spent the rest of the afternoon playing video games together, just as brothers; before they would have to be separated into dorms according to what they would choose as their main subject.

"Are you sure you can do this Sonic?" Tails asked later that night when they were snuggling down into their blankets. They shared a room, and neither brother minded at all. They hardly ever fought, and when they did, they made up very quickly. The room's decorations split it in half. Sonic's half had green walls, a blue bedspread, and dark stained wooden furniture. Tail's half was painted a light, calming ocean blue. He had a night sky patterned bedspread and the furniture was painted white. They had hard wood floors with an area rug that matched both sides of the room, surprisingly.

"I'm sure of it Tails. This is only just another adventure of ours, right? It's just another adventure, just the two of us exploring a little bit more of this world to our hearts content." Sonic sighed happily and after a while, Tails could tell he was asleep by the pattern of his breathing. Tails let himself fall asleep as well, looking forward to that day in a few weeks, where they would be boarding a train to the next adventure of their lives.

XXXXXXX

"Mom I told you, I can pack by myself." a black and red hedgehog growled lightly, waving his mother off. She backed up with a sad smile on her face and let him do it himself. He was trying to act normal, but he didn't want to leave either. He shook his head and solidified his choice once more. He finished with his suitcases and they packed them into the pick-up truck. Shadow climbed into the passenger seat and waited for his mom to grab her purse so they could go. His younger brother was chatting up a storm in the backseat but Shadow was trying to drown him out with his iPod volume on high. His mother finally came out with her purse and his brother cheered from the back seat.

Once they got moving it was easier to drown his babbly brother out. He rolled open his window and rested his arm on it. He stuck his head part-way out the window, letting the wind from the truck's movement blow through his quills forcefully. He took a deep breath, reminding himself to revel in it while he could. He would not be coming back home for quite a while. The air smelled like White Pine trees and freshly bloomed flowers. The clean scent of last night's rainstorm still clung to the air.

His mother looked at him, hanging his head out the window just to breath in the clean mountain air. She knew he would miss home a lot, but she also knew that he would adapt to living in the city. He was just the kind of kid that adapted easily to new places. Unfortunately, he wasn't that good with the people in those places. He had never been the kid who made a new friend on the very first day of school. He took his time with those things, but the outcome was spectacular. In the seven different houses they had lived in over the years, just the three of them, he had never made any friends, but he had certainly gotten close with his teachers and elders. He had made himself well known. He had a routine to his day and everybody knew him in this small town, except for the kids his own age.

His mother shook her head in wonder at this behavior. Normal kids his age would be doing anything to get out of the house and hang out with friends all the time, but he would rather spend time at home than with his peers. The teenage hedgehog laid his cheek down on his arms, which he had folded in the window. His mother glanced at the rearview mirror to see his content face. He loved living in the mountains. The town was built on the mountain, so there were a lot of hills and tilting roads, but it was a very nice town. It was small, but nice; it was comfortable.

"Shadow, can I ask you something?" His mother asked.

"Anything, mom." He answered lazily.

"Have – have I done a good job?" she asked, biting her lip. Shadow didn't know if it was the question, or the tone in which she had asked it, but it made him turn and look her in the eye.

"Good job with what?" He asked.

"Did I do a good job of – you're so introverted it makes me feel like I did something wrong in raising you." She said. Shadow sighed and gave his mother a rare smile.

"Momma's done a perfect job!" His younger brother, Kyle, shouted.

"Mom, you've done a great job. I'm introverted because that's just who I am. I think I got it from Grandpa Gerald." He said seriously. His mother laughed, which had been his goal in the first place.

"Oh gosh, maybe I shouldn't have let you stay with him last summer. Promise me you'll try to make friends with some of your peers?"

"Can I go visit Grandpa Robotnik this summer?" Kyle asked.

"No, Kyle, you're still too young, maybe in a few years." his mother answered. His brother pouted but as soon as Shadow turned the radio on, he cheered up.

"I promise, Mom. I'll try to make friends with someone."

"I swear the only people you've let yourself get close to are my Dad, your cousin Maria, your brother, and I." The mother chuckled a little.

"Yeah, but you're not even my real mother, so..." He trailed off. "Mom, have you ever thought of adopting again?"

"Yeah momma, can I get a little brother?" Kyle called.

"I don't know, boys... I don't think I could handle trying to raise another little boy." She said as they turned the corner.

"Maybe I didn't want another little brother." Shadow said. "Maybe I want a little sister."

"A sister? You want a sister." His mother asked in disbelief.

"Sure I do." Shadow shrugged. "I'd like to have another girl around the house, if only so I could have a chance to beat up the bad boyfriends she's guaranteed to have."

"Oh, Shadow... Maybe, but not for another year, alright?" his mom laughed.

"That's okay." Shadow said with a nod.

"A sister?!" Kyle asked in horror. "I don't want a sister! Girls are yucky. They think they're better than boys!"

"Well, if I adopt a baby girl and raise her with two older brothers, maybe she won't be as girly as you think? And I think she'd adore her big brothers to the ends of the earth."

"We can hope." Shadow teased.

"Girls are sissys. They never play nice and they cry too much."

"You cried nearly every day when you were a baby, Kyle." His mother contradicted. "I think you'll just have to get used to having a girl around, but Kyle it's not for another year, so don't fret yet."

"Okay, momma..." he pouted more. Then he cheered up as a familiar song started playing on the radio. It was one of Shadow's favorites. "Sing! Shadow sing! It'll make momma happy!"

"I don't know, Kyle... I haven't sung in a while, I might be rusty." Shadow protested lightly. His brother kicked the back of his seat roughly and Shadow turned to glare daggers at him. His brother only made a big, puppy dog begging face.

"Please, Shadow? You have to sing at least one more time before you go away." He begged.

"Oh, fine. I will."

"Yaaay!" His brother cheered. Shadow rolled his eyes, but waited for the next song to start. It was another one of his favorites, one he knew by heart.

"Hello there...
The angel of my nightmare
The shadow in the background of the morgue
The unsuspecting victim
Of Darkness in the valley
We can live like Jack and Sally if you want
Where you can always find me
And we'll have Halloween on Christmas
And in the night we'll wish this never ends
We'll wish this never ends.

"I miss you...miss you..." his brother sang from the backseat. He was starting to get a hang of it now.

"Where are you? And I'm so sorry
I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight
I need somebody and always
This sick strange Darkness
Comes creeping on so haunting every time

And as I stared I counted
The webs from all the spiders
Catching things and eating their insides
Like indecision to call you
And hear your voice of treason
Will you come home and stop this pain tonight?
Stop this pain tonight.

"Don't waste your time on me
You're already the Voice inside my head!"

"I miss you...miss you..."