1.0 PROLOGUE:

GHOSTS OF A HEDGEHOG'S PAST

When the Chaos Gate abruptly shuts down, the emeralds suspended within its interior flash and vanish a second later. Everyone in the vicinity take a collective breath, and for a moment Chris assumes its because of the sudden drop in air pressure, until the realisation of what he's just done sinks in like a nightmare.

His attention snaps to the closed Chaos Gate and to his closest friend. The expression on Sonic's face is painful to look at; lax. Not calm but utter disbelief and betrayal, his eyes wet, wavering in an absolute, all-encompassing sadness bordered by anger.

Sonic is stranded on Earth, and it's all his fault.

"Chris!" Grandpa Chuck's tone is both agitated and stern, a sudden disruption of thought that makes him jump and turn to the elderly man. Chuck has a face like thunder, striding towards him and the Chaos Gate at a speed he wasn't aware his Grandpa was capable of.

He's already stepping away from the control panel as Chuck grips his upper arm and forcefully pulls him away from the console. His stomach drop into his shoes, the reality of what he's just done sinking in as tears form, the elder's sharp anger mellowing to disappointment. "Why? Why did you do that?"

Chris shakes his head a little as the elderly man takes hold of his shoulders makes their eyes meet, his hold too firm and stare too piercing for his soft tone. "Sonic needs to return home, to prevent our worlds merging and keep time flowing properly. Why'd you turn it off?"

Tears flow freely down his cheeks. Chris shakes slightly, replying in a weak voice. "I… I d-don't know…"

Looking to his stranded friend, he's taken aback by the hedgehog's expression, Sonic's usual confident smirk replaced with disdainful twist, his body coiled in anger and hands balling into fists at his sides. Even his breathing is wrong, so deep and slow his peach-coated chest heaves and his nostrils flare.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, Sonic." The hero's ears fold back, quills bristling in agitation, and Chris' apology dies on his lips. As the hedgehog turns away desperation filters into his tone, reaching towards the Mobian he never wanted to hurt. "Please, I just didn't want you to go! Wait!"

Sonic's first few steps are slow and he pauses as Chris begs. Hope bubbles in the preteen's chest, but the boy's hopes for reconciliation are dashed in a heartbeat when the Mobian glances back with a deep scowl. Then just as quickly Sonic is gone, his slipstream ruffling the hems of skirts and whisking away hats all that remains.

Thoroughly rejected, tears stream down Chris' face, his arm slowly lowering back to his side. Voice lost in the raging emotions only made worse by his prepubescent age, all he can do is stare after the cerulean, regret for inflicting the same loneliness he's endured most of his life on his closest friend in a selfish attempt to keep him.

"He's stuck here," Chuck comments softly. He catches the elder's gaze and the disappointment merging with concern in Grandpa's deep brow furrows makes him feel sick all over again. "Until we get some updated readings from GUN, we won't know if him being here is enough to still force our planets to merge."

Nelson Thorndyke strides up the steps to the console. "There must be something we can do," he states briskly, already scanning the machine for anything his father may have missed, the calm confidence of a CEO unwavering in the face of a challenge. "So we don't have the same energy source, but can use something else? Tails made a fake emerald, didn't he?"

Chris turns away, unable to face the disappointment he knows he'll see in his dad's eyes, wiping tears from his cheeks as they burn in embarrassment. Being impulsive in front of Nelson is the last thing he wants to do, the successful businessman a role model he aspires towards now sure to think of him as childish.

He looks to where Sonic ran off and isn't surprised the hedgehog hasn't returned. People gossip quietly, casting judgemental glances his way. Chris wants the ground to swallow him up, barely able to keep himself standing as emotions swell in his head, and it's almost beyond his composure when his Mom kneels before him.

Focus still on the forest fifty feet away, he doesn't look at her until fingers glide through his hair. He expects to see disappointment on her features, but instead her expression is sad but sympathetic, irises swimming with unshed tears where others have smudged her perfect make-up. A tidal wave of sadness to crash over him and all his resolve abandons him in a moment.

Devastated by the loss of his closest friend and crushed beneath the reality of his own selfishness, he falls into his mother's hug. Chris finally allows himself to be the kid he is and sets his emotions free, sobbing in his mother's shoulder as the Thorndyke patriarchs try to fix his mess.

I'm sorry, Sonic. Please. Please forgive me.

oOoOo

Running blindly through the undergrowth, the tears that stream down Sonic's cheeks are whisked away before they can leave tracks through his fur, dissipating in his slipstream before he can acknowledge them. His mind feels numb, rejecting all thought and rationality in the face of his friend's betrayal, his consciousness in too much turmoil to contemplate anything.

So he does what comes naturally. He runs.

His feet choose the course through the forest, weaving between trees and jumping obstacles, paying no attention to his surroundings beyond instinct. With his senses so detached his mind writhes with emotional turmoil, desperately trying to claw its way out of an encroaching darkness Sonic isn't used to dealing with, even if it somehow feels familiar.

Leaf litter becomes grassy plains as the forest is left in his shadow, sun crawling across the sky as time passes. Open grassland becomes loose sand but still he runs, does not look back, afraid of what might overcome him if he does. The wind whips this uncomfortable anger away with his tears, leaving an unmarred blankness in its place.

His legs shake from exertion as he crosses the sands, grains sliding beneath his feet and absorbing the pounding of his pace. Still his anger burns, a weakness he's unaccustomed to only made worse by the incessant ferocity of the sun. By the time desert turns to patchy dirt he's coated in a thin sheen of sweat, damp fur sticking to his arms and legs as he continues on.

Earth yields to sea and momentum alone keeps him above the surf. The sun begins to drip in the sky, the freshness of sea spray a welcome relief after baking in the desert. With no concept not care for how much time has passed, no knowledge of where he is, surf becomes sand once more, he continues on aching leg. The terrain suddenly becomes dense woodland again, grass damp beneath his unsure stride and auburn mud squelching under his sneakers

The sun sinks lazily in the sky, dyeing the foliage a burnt orange as it prepares for the rise of the moon. Dodging branches and leaping fallen trunks, Sonic goes onwards until his legs finally betray him, his stride slowing as they began to feel akin to lead, exhaustion and emotion creating a heaviness he can no longer deny.

With one final step he falls to his knees, palms flat against the damp grass and head hung between them. His whole body shakes as he gasps for breath, the sadness he's been repressing finally allowed to wrack his body as he sobs in isolation. Tears soak his cheeks and drip to the ground only to get lost in the mud and grass below, irrelevant in the vastness that is the forest's solitude.

He weeps for his friends safety, the prospect of leaving them unprotected as Eggman strives for world domination an anxious ball in his throat, choking him as he tries to remember to breathe. He weeps for himself, for his own future trapped in a world of humans without Mobian company, for his own stupidity for never taking his relationship with Amy seriously. He sobs aloud the lost opportunities; he's been fighting Eggman for as long as he can remember, never considering getting old, having kids, to love and be loved.

Gloved fingers trowel into the dirt as his emotions reach a fever pitch, the shake of his limbs reducing the small mounds to nothing moments later. His eyes are raw when they open and stare vaguely at the dirt below, his internal exhaustion leaving a cavern of emptiness where empathy once resided, leading to the loss of his cheerful facade that opening a door he'd long since barricaded.

Anger he hasn't felt in eight years boils forth, a blinding outburst of rage last expelled against Eggman soon after the first met.

He doesn't remember being enraged, only that it saw the man almost murdered by his hand. A second away from ripping the Human's throat out with his teeth, Tails had begged him to come to his senses. The kit's fear was enough to return him to sanity, and since then his existence had been what drove him to manage the anger, to smother it with a smile and join life's great masquerade.

Detachment from mortality was apparently easy when you had nothing to return to, no memories of where you came from, and until Tails became like a brother it would remain as such. By the time everything got more serious, he'd found he could keep frustrations in check by circumventing it, turning events into challenges to overcome rather than life-threatening situations.

Now, his life is empty again.

Everyone he knew and loved has gone back to Mobius with the nutcase known as Doctor Eggman and he can't protect them, stuck in an alternate reality full of stupid, obstinate humans because of one selfish little boy.

With nothing to ground his emotions, anger engulfs him once more. He doesn't react when it begins to rain, the gentle patter of cool water on his fur unnoticed while in the midst of instability. Sonic squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his teeth as wave after wave of catastrophic logic drowns out his common sense, reality reduced to little more than perceptions of delusions and hatred.

An energy that should repulse him begins to overtake his body, a seeping darkness that trickles through his system and quivers along his muscles. He doesn't notice the subtle lift of his quill or the darkening of his fur, mind struggling to retain itself as his body fights against the strange invasion.

A chill so strong erupts from his chest, startling enough to make Sonic shudder. The shock brings him crashing back to the present, only able to endure the unfamiliar sensation as it washes over him. He begins to notice the rain, the light pattering now a downpour, and tired eyes open to stare blankly at the mud as a memory surfaces.

"It's so unfair!" Sonic whines, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, the image of the woman towering over him blurred by their presence. "I wanna go too, Ma! She always get to go with me when I visit Uncle Chuck!"

She crouches before him, the picture of elegance even as she gets to her knees and draws the toddler into a hug. "Because Charles is her Uncle too, Olgilvie. But Bartleby is her friend, not yours. If you visit a friend, she won't be permitted to accompany you unless you wish it."

Rejecting the embrace he pushes her away, turning to look at a wall with his arms folded above his pudgy stomach. "Don't care! I wanna go!" He looks down to the white guitar medallion hanging around his neck with annoyance before adding: "She always gets what she wants while I have to be the responsible older brother. She's only minutes younger! It's not fair!"

Her tone takes on an authoritative lilt. "Olgilvie…"

"I told you it's Sonic now. That's the name I chose, Ma!" He stamps a foot as he looks back to her, eyes drying as his face creases in anger. He can feel the same rage rising in his small body. His emotions more intense as a toddler, his boiling point is already just a moment away. "So what if it's hard to find names to match it with? I'm the oldest! And I wanna be Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Despite his anger, the woman before him seems sympathetic. She rests her hand on the medallion hanging against his chest, bringing his attention down. At her touch, the small red gem set into the medallion glows softly, emitting a soothing chill that displaces his anger with a reassuring calm.

"Centre yourself, Sonic. Do you remember what the Oracle told you?" Realising she used his chosen name the young hedgehog puffs out his chest in satisfaction, all of the negativity lost beneath his confidence and the cleansing energy of the medallion.

The high it's short lived; the mention of the Oracle and his predictions always sours Sonic's mood, and he sighs with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah, I remember. Great power, equal darkness and light, control my destiny, more stuff that makes no sense. Yada yada."

Her smile is a strange combination of reprimanding and kindness, the older female taking a moment to smooth down the quills he didn't notice raise. "Do not disregard his foresight so easily, young Prince. He has yet to be wrong, only cryptic. He wishes the best for us all."

Stroking his cheek with affection brings the cerulean's gaze back to her own. Dpite being young, he identifies the worry in the lines around her eyes and mouth, a sobering realisation for a five year old. "But why us, Ma? Why do we have to leave? What's gonna happen if we don't? And why's Orc always on my quills?"

"You are special, Olg- Sonic."

Her smile becomes more natural as she lifts his chin slightly with a forefinger. "How or why has yet to be determined, but you are. That is why the Oracle has an interest, to be sure to guide you down the correct path, to the foreseen Council of Four."

Leaning forwards, she plants a kiss on his forehead and straightens. "Remember, my Prince; kindness, empathy and compassion. Those are the qualities of a true King, a Hero of his People."

Returning to the present, Sonic finds himself soaked and freezing. The wood is dark, the rising moon barely able to penetrate the trees. His left palm supporting him in the mud, his right clutches at the fur of his chest. Toddler Sonic had a medallion there, but there's nothing there now, leaving a sense of loss in its wake. He releases the fur and shivers, already soaked to the bone even though the rain has stopped.

Sonic tries to focus on the memory, on the woman the young him called 'Ma', but all he can recall is the deep purple hue of her fur and a small tiara between her ears. He feels strangely calm in the wake of the memory, a sense of peace with himself he doesn't understand, but it has brought clarity to his current situation.

And he has a preteen Human to reconcile with.

oOoOo

It's past midnight when Sonic returns to Station Square, the darkness illuminated by orbs of light atop posts line the streets. Sonic dodges the few pedestrians and cars still about with ease despite being distracted, mentally preparing himself for the unavoidable conversation with Chris on the horizon.

He nearly misses the sheer number of cars and people loitering around the Thorndykes' driveway, but manages to divert into a neighbour's bushes at the last moment. Crouching in the undergrowth, he notes Sam Speed's own racer and three marked police cars cluttering the oval driveway, assumedly for Chis and him respectively.

What puts his quills on edge is the presence of a GUN vehicle, because they should be more concerned with the potential Mobius merger than the disappearance of a single hedgehog for an afternoon. Were they going to attempt to take him into custody for bailing, or until they could send him home?

From what little interaction he's had with Commander Towers and his agents, he's not fond of their ideals or how they handle sensitive situations. As such, Sonic has no desire to become acquainted with them, arrested or otherwise.

He shivers, now dry but still feeling the soaking he endured earlier. More than anything he wants to drop into the kitchen through a window and gladly accept the mug of cocoa Ella will force upon him. A phantom richness floods his mouth and he begins to salivate at the thought, mind wandering to a warm, comfortable bed and blissful sleep.

If the Thorndykes take me back.

Sonic's ears fold back to his skull and he swallows. The seemingly malicious prevention of his return to Mobius was likely a moment of madness by a vulnerable child, and of course Chris had panicked. His only friend was about to leave him alone in a massive house, whims catered for but feeling wholly unloved, and Sonic has been unable to see past his own nose.

Regret sits heavily in the Mobian's stomach, sinking like a lead weight into his sneakers as bile bubbles in his throat. He has to make this right, to be the friend he had been for Tails while he's stuck here and hope to Chaos the Thorndykes or GUN can eventually figure out a way to get him home

Taking a deep breath, Sonic holds it a moment, exhaling sharply as he gets to his feet. His trademark smirk comes easy again as he steps out of the bushes and onto the driveway, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of floodlights that illuminate his figure.

Weapons load and safeties are disabled, but he won't falter in the face of GUN, instead smiling cheerily and addressing the cadets focused on him. "Hey. S'up?"