Birthday Riddles

Sonic was kicking back on his couch as he flipped through the TV channels. Various shows flashed such as talk shows, a lame TV movie, reality shows, and soap operas. Sonic groaned as he continued to flip, "Man, there is nothing on today!"

He flipped past a news channel with the anchor woman saying, "Today is, Sunday June 23rd, Sonic the Hed-" Startled, Sonic flipped back. "-hog's birthday. And we have a special birthday message for him. The message will be delivered live by our field reporter Mary Watts. Mary?"

The camera switched to Mary, a thin hare, who replied, "Thank you Trish. I'm outside of the famous hero's home right now, about to knock on his door and deliver the message." Sonic watched, utterly confused as Mary walked up to his door and knocked, the sound coming from the TV at the same time as real life. He stood and slowly answered the door. Sure enough there was the reporter and her cameraman. A quick glance to the TV showed Sonic standing in his doorway with the reporter. "Hello there Mr. Hedgehog, it is a pleasure to be here and wish you a happy birthday on behalf of everyone back at the station. How is your birthday going so far?" as Mary spoke the last sentence, she aimed the mike at Sonic.

The flabbergasted hedgehog replied, "Um, good I guess. I kinda forgot it was my birthday, though. But, thanks for wishing me a happy one. And you can just call me Sonic."

"You're very welcome Sonic. Are you ready for your special birthday message?"

"Sure, who is it from anyways?"

Mary laughed as she pulled out a little birthday card, "Sorry, but that's one story we can't report. Now, here is your message: 'The happiest of tidings to the Blue Blur. The greatest of birthdays is about to occur. Filled with so much surprises and fun. You'll be quite sad when it is all done. These cards will bear clues that guide you on your way. To having the very best special day. So gear up, your journey begins now. Starting by fueling up on some good chow.'"

Sonic replied, "A birthday mystery huh? And here I thought I was gonna be bored today!"

"Here, the card is yours to keep. Do you know where to go first Sonic?" asked Mary.

"Hmmmm…" Sonic re-read the message which had been printed onto the card instead of written. "Wait, 'fueling up on some good chow'? I bet that means my favorite chilidog joint! Thanks again for wishing me a happy birthday. Excuse me, but I got a clue to run down!" Sonic took off in a gust of wind and leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Mary turned back to the camera, "And that was Sonic the Hedgehog, blasting off on the first step of his birthday journey. What will he encounter? Who knows? This little news station is just happy to play a part in showing one of Mobius' greatest heroes our appreciation. Happy Birthday Sonic the Hedgehog and good luck. Back to you Trish."

Sonic was running through Central City, on his way to his favorite place to eat chili dogs. He skidded to a stop in front of a small diner. "Ah, good ol' Jannie's! Best chili-dogs in town and my favorite place to chill out. This must be where the clue was talking about, I can't imagine anywhere else." Sonic entered the quaint little place and sat down at the counter and said to a pretty lynx, "Hey Susie, how's it going?"

She smiled, "Good. You want the usual hon'?"

"You know it. How is Jannie doin'?" Sonic asked as he casually played with the salt shaker.

"You can ask her yourself. She always likes to say hi so I bet you she'll be out as soon as she hears you're here." Susie went back to a little window in the wall and called out, "I need two dogs on fire with the works and don't be skimpy with jalapeños!"

A high voice in the back, "You got it sweetie! Coming right up!" In less than two minutes, a kind looking woman came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with two steaming chili-dogs topped with the place's signature chili, onions, cheese, and lots of jalapenos. "There you go Sonic, just how you like it. Happy birthday by the way dear."

Sonic took a huge a huge whiff, "Thanks. Mmm smells delicious as always. How do you always know when it's my order Jannie?"

"Because dear, no one else likes their chilidogs that hot. Oh by the way, since it's your birthday, here's a cupcake. Don't worry it's on the house." Jannie handed Sonic a little cupcake with a birthday candle and winked, "Enjoy your meal, it's always so nice to see you. Wish I could stay and chat but the lunch rush calls! Have a nice birthday dear!" Sonic had already downed one dog and was half way through the other as he waved good bye. After finishing the second chili-dog, Sonic paid for his lunch and left.

"I didn't see any clues in Jannie's." he muttered to himself. "Maybe I went to the wrong place. Nah, I couldn't have. I guess I have to go back and take a closer look." As Sonic began to turn back, he took a bite out of his cupcake and out fell a little plastic bag with a card inside. He picked it up and smiled, "AHA! This must be the clue. I wonder what it says… 'You've taken the first step; you're on your way. But much more awaits you today. This is a very simple clue. Just think about what you love to do. It will be there that the next hint will be concealed from you.' What I love to do? Well I love to run. I guess I should go to my favorite place to run." Sonic took off again at top speed.

He ran to the outskirts of the city until he reached a huge open space with waist high grass and one lone tree. Sonic loved to run as fast as he could here, kicking up dust and whipping up mini-tornadoes. The speed demon ran over to the tree and climbed up to the top, scanning the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it was a clear day and a small breeze was blowing. Sonic slumped against the tree and read the clue again, "Hm. 'Think about what you love to do. It will be there that the next hint is concealed from you.' So it's hidden somewhere in this field. How am I supposed to find it though? It'd be like finding a needle in haystack!" Sonic watched as the wind picked up for a second, rustling the grass and sending a few blades twirling into the sky. His trademark grin came to his face, "Unless you blow the haystack away!"

With a deafening boom, Sonic, visible only as a bright blue blur, began to run in a wide circle. He ran faster, making a powerful current that carried dust and blades of grass high into the air in the form of a swirling funnel. The mini twister moved to and fro, sucking up everything around it and throwing it upwards. At last, a brightly colored card flew up and fluttered around in the funnel. Sonic spotted it and curled into a tight little ball so his tornado picked him up and carried him up to the very top where he uncurled and snatched up the clue. He landed lightly on his feet and watched as his twister spin out till it was nothing more than a little dust devil twirling with the breeze.

"Now, on to the next clue!" declared Sonic happily as he opened the card. "Let's see. 'This one was breeze. But you won't solve the next with such ease. Put on your thinking helmet as quick as a Flicky. This clue is going to be tricky. Look for pipes that are not whole. It's where you will find your goal.' Heh, tricky is right! Nothing obvious in this one at all." Sonic reread the clue a couple times, "Helmet… tricky… pipes that are not whole… Wait! Pipes that are not whole, half pipe! That's it! The next clue is hidden at the skate park!"

Sonic took off back into the city towards the large park in the middle. He quickly reached the skate park that had some of Sonic's fondest childhood memories. As a kid, he had torn up this skate park and was especially good at the half pipe. Sonic still came here from time to time and he had made a friend or two. One of these friends was at the park, shredding the half pipe. He spotted Sonic and ran over, "Sonic, my man! Howz it goin'!? Happy B-day!"

Sonic fist bumped his pal, "Thanks dude. I'm on the hunt for clues. Somebody's got me going on a birthday treasure hunt. Have you seen any little birthday cards lying around near the half pipe?"

"I don't know, I've been too busy pulling off some gnarly tricks to notice anything like that. Say, while you take a look do you wanna shred the pipe with me? I got an extra board."

"You bet! It feels like forever since I've skateboarded. I hope I'm not rusty!" The two grabbed their boards and headed over to the half pipe. Sonic's worries had been for nothing for he was doing all sorts of flips, jumps, and tricks, proving that he still had it. After a while, Sonic and his friend stopped to rest.

"Dude, that triple 360 you pulled was awesome!" panted Sonic as he high-fived his friend.

He laughed and replied, "But not as awesome as your Spin Ball Flip! Total righteousness!"

"My signature trick never fails! Whew! I'm thirsty as heck, do you have any water?"

"Yeah, I brought a little cooler with me, grab a bottle and toss me one too." said the friend as he pointed. Sonic went over to the cooler and peered inside. He rooted around towards the bottom for the coldest bottles and grabbed two.

"What the-?" muttered Sonic as he noticed one of the water bottles had a rolled up piece of paper in a bag inside it. "Hey check this out!" he called out, "This water has a little piece of paper in it!"

"Really? Open it man!" shouted the friend as he ran over. Sonic chugged enough of the water so he tip the bottle and fish the bagged paper out. He opened it and pulled out the paper which he could see now was another birthday card. "Well there's your clue! What does it say?"

"It says, 'Hope you're thirsty for more. There are still many things in store. Now is not the time for cold feet. Use your head and you'll have this beat beat beat beat.' That's the shortest one yet." Sonic looked at his buddy, "You knew this was here didn't you? Come on, whose behind all this?"

The friend shrugged, "Sorry, can't tell ya. You're just going to have to go find that next clue man."

"Alright. Now I'm getting curious! I'll see ya around dude!" Sonic took off running through the city as he thought about the clue. He stopped under the shade of a bus stop terminal and read the clue again. "It says 'beat' four times… That has to be the key to figuring it out." The bus pulled up and Sonic got on. He tapped his finger against the window as he thought about the clue. "What does it mean? 'Use your head and you'll have this beat beat beat beat.' 'Beat beat beat beat.' 'Beat beat beat beat'" Sonic tapped his finger in time as he spoke, "Hm. 'Beat beat beat beat' 'Beat beat b-' Hold the phone!" He looked at the card, "Its means a beat, like music and it repeats, like a song skipping or a record scra-" Sonic's face lit up as the answer came to him, "A record scratching! A DJ scratching a record! The next clue is at the club I DJ at!"

At the next stop, Sonic jumped off the bus and dashed a few blocks to the club known as Remix. He entered and immediately was greeted by his boss, "Well, well, well look who it is!? One of the best DJs in Central City! How can I help you Sonic?"

"Hiya Mr. Spak, I just wanted to take a look around the place if that's alright. I'm on a birthday hunt of sorts and the clues have led me here." explained Sonic as he held up the little cards he collected so far.

"But of course! There's a charity rave going on though so it's a little crowded on the dance floor. By the way, happy birthday kid. I hope you find whatever you're looking for. Oh, and if you have some time, can you take a look at the DJ table? It's been acting funny all day."

"You got it. Thanks Mr. Spak." Sonic went down the entry hall and past the coat room. He could hear the club music blaring from the speakers and feel the vibration pulsating in his sneakers. He entered the main room and like his boss had said, it was packed with ravers getting down for a good cause. Sonic weaved his way through the crowd, looking in the booths, at the tables, and at the bar but his search turned up nothing. Sonic sat down in a corner booth to think when the music stopped abruptly and dancers began to boo.

The DJ on duty was flipping switches and fiddling dials frantically, "Hey don't get mad at me! I have no idea what's wrong!"

"Come on! Where's the music!? That's the fifth time in an hour!" shouted the people angrily

Sonic ran up onto the stage, "Franky, what's the problem?"

"Sonic!? Thank goodness you're here! This thing has been giving me problems like nobody's business! You know this table inside and out, think you can fix it?" pleaded Franky.

"I'll see what I can do." Sonic got on his knees and opened the table's maintenance panel. He glanced around and reported, "Everything looks fine Franky. None of the wires to are disconnected. What exactly is it doing?"

Franky stammered, "It-it-it just cuts off!"

"Be specific. Does it start up where it left off or when the sound comes back does it sound like it was still playing?"

"I don't know! Every time I bump the darn thing it cuts off!"

Sonic sighed and rolled his eyes, "Why didn't you say that!? The speaker cables are probably loose and you're shaking it when you bump it. Gimme a sec." Sonic crawled a ways under the table and began to check the speaker cables. The ones on the left were firmly plugged but on the right he found they were a little loose. He went about pushing them in all the way but one of them refused to go in. After feeling around a little, Sonic pulled a card out of the way, much to his surprise. He finished with the cables and crawled back out but the music still didn't play.

Franky began to panic, "It's still not working! The boss is gonna have my head! What do we do, what do we do, what-"

"Franky chill!" interrupted Sonic. He gave the table top a quick look over and chuckled, "You turned the volume down when you were fiddling with stuff." Sonic turned the volume up again and the music burst from the speakers as he gave one of the records a couple scratches in time. "See?" he shouted over the music and cheering of the crowd.

"Thanks!" Franky shouted back, "I'm still trying to get used to this thing, you know?"

With another chuckle Sonic gave Franky a pat on the back, "Expertise comes with time. You'll get it sooner or later. Have a good one Franky."

Sonic left the club with his clue in hand. "Ok, let's see what you have to say. 'Your journey and the day are over half done. Look up and notice the sun. Hurry now or you'll be late. You'll miss a moment worth more than gold in weight. You'll only find the clue among the clouds at the last shine in the sky. Don't let this small window pass you by.' The sun huh?" Sonic looked up. The sun had passed its overhead position and was readying to set in the west. He ran a hand through his quills, "I'm really going to pick this one apart. 'A moment worth more than gold in weight.' 'Among the clouds at the last shine.' Ok. 'The last shine' must be sunset or else it wouldn't have mentioned the sun in the first place. 'A moment worth more than gold in weight'… Hmmm… That's a bit of a stumper…" Sonic began to walk as he looked up the sun again; the sky was beginning to change color from blue to a light orange.

He passed by a newsstand with a rack of postcards but one made him stop and take a closer look. One of the cards had a picture of a strikingly gorgeous sunset, the kind that when you see it, you remember it forever. "It's describing the sunset. 'A moment worth more than gold in weight', of course! A sunset so beautiful that you never forget it, something that you can't buy. So the clue is somewhere where beautiful sunsets happen and I'll only find it during the sunset." Sonic skimmed through the card again, "So 'among the clouds'… that's gotta mean high up. So a place high up with beautiful sunsets…" Sonic ran up the side of a sky scrapper and scanned the horizon. "It can't be up on a building, that's too vague. There has to be some place higher up, some place, some place…" He trailed off midsentence as he spotted Red Mountain defining the horizon, its peak slightly obscured by low hanging clouds. "'Among the clouds'! That's it!" Sonic looked out at the sun which had begun its speedy decent. "I better hurry if I'm going to make it in time!"

With a mighty leap, he launched himself across the gap between the scraper and the next building. In this matter Sonic quickly traversed Central City and was zooming towards Red Mountain in a race against time. He reached the base of the gigantic mountain and in a sonic boom that could be heard for miles, began to blast up the mountain. Sonic skidded to a stop as he arrived at the peak just as the sun started to set. The blue hedgehog had to catch his breath as the sun set the clouds on fire in a spectacular display. He watched with wonder, the fire spreading to the rest of the sky as the sun sank lower. Finally, as a grand finale, the horizon burst into flames when the sun dipped below it. Suddenly, a bright beam of light shone in Sonic's face, making him cover his eyes for a second. The source was a little mirror tucked into a bush angled to catch the last light of day. Sonic moved aside and the beam continued to shine on a rock sitting on a slope behind him. The sun dipped lower behind the horizon and the beam disappeared.

Sonic climbed up the slope, shaking his head, "Man, whoever set this up is hecka clever and wants to keep me on my toes. The mirror was shining on this rock here. Oh, there it is." The card was stuck under the edge of the rock. Sonic pulled it out and opened it, "I have a feeling this one is gonna be interesting. 'Today you have seen true, natural beauty. But before you can relax, you have a duty. Over the years, to the aid of others you came. But this is only part of your claim to fame. To find the final clue, find the yang to your yin. Go to a place that you have several times been.' Yep that's interesting all right." Sonic sat down on the rock he found the card under to think. "These riddles are giving my brain a good workout that's for sure…" he mumbled as he re-read the card. "Huh… 'Part of your claim to fame.' Other than helping out those in need I guess people know me for fighting off giant monsters and huge robots. But what's yin and yang got to do with it?" As he thought, Sonic started to head down the mountain. Halfway down Sonic realized, "My yin is obviously good, which makes my yang evil. Hence always fighting the monsters and robots. That's my duty, it's what I do. But where could it mean when it says 'go to a place that you have several times been'? I've been to lots of places lots of times so that doesn't narrow it down. The place has to be related to my previous battles. But which one?"

Sonic was now at the bottom of the mountain and the sun had almost completely set. He tapped his foot, impatient with himself, as he thought about which of his many battlegrounds did he return to a lot. He went through each in his mind when suddenly, the answer popped out at him. "DUH! Chaos, I'm such a dummy!" shouted Sonic as he revved up and took off. "I never thought that the trail would end there though!"

Within the hour, Sonic was skidding to a stop in front of big metal doors. He prepared to Spin Dash through but the doors opened on their own. Sonic warily stepped inside, all of his senses straining to pick up anything useful. The lighting was poor, revealing hardly anything. Sonic tensed as an all too familiar voice cackled, "So, you're finally here Sonic! For the fastest thing alive, it sure took you long enough! Hohoho!" The lights flashed on to show Eggman in a massive mech with lots of menacing guns and laser blasters on it. "Surprise hedgehog! Muhahahohoho!"

"Eggman! So this was all an elaborate scheme to lead me here!" shouted Sonic, "And on my birthday none the less! Is there any low you won't sink to?"

The scientist scoffed, "Oh please you forgot it was your birthday! Yes that's right I saw you on the news this morning. By the way, the wide lenses on news cameras make you look like a fat little pincushion."

"Ouch, unnecessary roughness! Did you have some purpose for leading me here other than to insult me?"

"Hm? Oh yes, I'm going to kill you! Muhahahaha! Prepare to die!" Eggman seized the controls of the mech and began to open fire. Sonic quickstepped out of the initial burst's path and began to run. The bullets and lasers made craters and burns where his feet were moments before. Sonic dashed up the wall and jumped off, homing attacking some of the guns on the mech and destroying them. "Hohoho nice try!" yelled Eggman as he pressed a button on the dashboard. The destroyed guns fell off and new ones popped up to replace them.

Sonic whistled, "That's a new trick! But you'll need to do better than that!" He boosted forward into one of the mech's legs, knocking it right off. Before the mech hit the ground, he made a U-turn and took out the other leg. The mech slammed to the floor on its side. "Ha! Whatcha gonna do now Eggman?"

"This!" yelled the villain as he hit another button. Spider legs popped out of the mech's torso and it stood once more, resuming fire.

"I'm gonna squash that bug!" Sonic did another homing attack but as he hit the glass dome of the cockpit it shone bright purple, revealing the force field around it and making him bounce right off. Before he could recover, a laser blast hit him in the chest and sent him into a wall. He hit the ground hard and struggled to his feet.

"This will be your last birthday Sonic the Hedgehog!" proclaimed Eggman as he aimed all the guns and lasers at Sonic.

The blue hero merely smiled, "You're good Eggman, I'll give you that." The 7 Chaos Emeralds began to swirl around Sonic's body, shining their awesome glow. They spun faster and faster, converging into Sonic in a brilliant flash of light. "But I'm better." said golden Super Sonic as he floated up off the ground. "This battle's over!" He flew at Eggman, ready to plow straight through the mech.

"WAITWAITWAIT!" screamed Eggman as he put up his hands franticly, "STOP STOP STOP! THIS WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL!"

Super Sonic stopped inches from the mech confused beyond belief, "Part of the deal? What in the name of Chaos are you talking about!?"

"I'm helping with your stupid birthday mystery thing and this is how you repay me!? Besides, where the in heck did you get the Emeralds!? That's just not fair! You can't randomly pull out the Emeralds and go Super! What if this was a real fight!? It's anti-climactic!" ranted Eggman as he pointed accusingly at Super Sonic.

"What do you mean 'if this was a real fight'?! And you're in on this birthday thing too?! You got some serious explaining to do Eggman! What exactly is going on?" demanded Super Sonic.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you! I'm the second to last stop in this mystery. We were supposed to have a nice normal little fight where you don't try to utterly destroy me and my base! But, I digress, here's the final clue."

Super Sonic took the card and looked at Eggman suspiciously, "Why are you helping with this? You're my arch-nemesis."

Eggman shrugged, "I'm a bad guy and bad guys can be bribed," With that Eggman pulled out a plate with a slice of cake on it and began to eat it. "Mmm delicious."

"Wait, you're telling me, that whoever set this up, bribed you with cake?" asked Super Sonic with his mouth agape.

"Hey don't judge me, it's really good cake! Happy birthday you meddlesome hedgehog. Now get out of here before I decide to actually try and kill you." Super Sonic shook his head and blasted through the roof of the building earning himself an angry shout from Eggman, "Curse you Sonic! There is a door you know!"

As he flew, Sonic read the final clue, "'You've come all this way. And now it's time for the climax of the day. Don't bother retracing your step. For this last clue doesn't have much depth. You've already proven your sharp wit. Just come home lickety split.' So the whole thing loops around. Now I think I really know who's behind this!" With a flash of golden light, Super Sonic shot through the darkened sky like a shooting star.

In no time, he landed outside of his front door, returning to normal as his feet touched the ground. He slowly turned the knob, having a vague idea but still rather clueless as to what waited for him. He stepped into the dark living room and sure enough, the lights came on in a bright flash with a deafening yell of "SURPRISE!" accompanying it. When Sonic's eyes adjusted to the light, a huge grin spread across his face to see his friends Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Miky, Rouge, Cream and Cheese, Vector, Charmy, and Espio there with party hats, noise makers, and big smiles of their own.

"Wow!" he shouted excitedly, "You guys caught me completely off guard! The whole mystery with the cards and riddles was totally awesome!"

Tails came forward, "Best birthday ever right!?" The kitsune wrapped his big bro in a hug, "Happy birthday Sonic!" Everyone else stepped up and gave Sonic a hug and wished him a happy birthday. Even Shadow gave Sonic an awkward little bro hug and muttered something under his breath that the birthday hedgehog assumed was good tidings. The party was tons of fun with lots of food including the cake the gang had bribed Eggman with.

"MMM! Eggman was right, this is some good cake! No wonder you got him to help out!" commented Sonic as he ate his slice.

Miky giggled, "Nobody can resist my desserts! Not even evil mad scientists!"

Tails nodded in agreement, "Foxes with sweet tooths definitely can't resist it!" Knuckles snuck up behind Sonic with a plate of cake in his hand.

The echidna tapped him on the shoulder and when the hedgehog turned around, he splatted it in his face with a shout of, "Happy birthday!" and ran.

"Knux you son of gun! Get back here!" yelled Sonic as he chased after him.

"FOOOOD FIIIIIIIGHT!" shouted Charmy at the top of his lungs as he threw cake in Vector's face. At the war cry everyone let out a whoop and began to chuck cake at each other. They ran around the living room with frosting flying about the room. Shadow had gone into a corner to avoid the line of fire but a stray shot from Charmy hit him square in the back of the head making everyone stop and gasp.

He slowly turned around and growled, "Who threw that?"

Charmy pointed at Espio, "Espio did it!"

"What!?" exclaimed the ninja, "It wasn't m-" His sentence was ended by a return fire from Shadow.

"Revenge is oh so sweet!" the black hedgehog declared as he grabbed more ammo.

"Run for your lives!" cried Amy as she clung to Sonic.

Rouge dove behind Knuckles, "Protect the ladies!"

"Don't forget the children and Chao! Quick hide Cheese!" shrieked Cream as she and her pet hid behind the couch. The cake fight resumed with twice the intensity now with everyone joining in. When there was no more cake to throw, everybody kicked back on Sonic's couch, those who couldn't fit sat on the arms or the floor. Cake was splattered all over the walls, on the floor, and smeared on everyone.

Sonic looked around at the massive mess and burst out laughing, "Thanks you guys, this is truly was the best birthday ever!"

Author's Note: Hello FanFiction! I'm so glad to be able to post a special one shot for The Blue Blur's very special day. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to post much else for a little while more because I have no internet at my house and I have to post this with McDonald's Wi-Fi. Sigh… Anyways, I would appreciate your patience till I get internet back which will be who knows when. While it's down though, I'm typing like crazy so I have a huge chunk of stuff to post such as the sequel to Zombie Apocalypse and a few chapters of Homefront Adventures. Please read, review and most of all enjoy this birthday story.

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY SONIC!