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You never told me who does your highlights.
Sonic was an absurdly easy person to read, or so his fmaily insisted despite the Hedgehog's attempts to sound cool and myserious in some cases, but there were thins he managed to keep hidden inside. One of them? He was sad that Shadow was gone.
As much as he acted casual around the others whenever the topic came up, he did wish he had more time to... know better that guy. It wasn't every day that he met another Hedgehog- back in his days with Longclaw? It was just the two of them, he didn't even get to interact with anyone beside her. Not that the young man resented her for their isolation, he knew she sacrificed everything for his sake. Still, isolation was his norm back home.
After he arrived on his new 'home'? The first years were complete solitude, even if he had to admit his old cave was comfy and nice for something that was pretty much dug in the dirt. He had Longclaw's drawing to keep him company, comics, all he needed to have fun on his own but the lingering loneliness was there. Then his family happened. Unplanned, messy, but something he treasured greatly. Tom had been a good friend at first, then a good dad. Maddie? Sonic couldn't hope for a better 'mother'.They didn't replace Longclaw, but they still allowed him to feel like he belonged.
Tails and Knuckles? Their presence made him so incredibly happy, even if he often complained about the echidna's peculiar ways and even if he often couldn't follow the fox's fancy talks. It took him months to fully realize how much he loved them, how much he considered them his brothers- even if he couldn't bring himself to admit that out loud. It felt so incredibly... sappy. When he stopped to look at how far he went, how loved he felt, Sonic had to be honest: he was happy with them.
Still. They weren't completely like him. Fifteen years and he had only met a fellow Hedgehog once. And they barely had time to talk to each other, finally dropping their hostilities, when 'Saving the world' got in the way. And while the last moments he spent in space felt like a blur,..? He couldn't shake how a certain conversation he had with Shadow on the moon made him feel. They were... so similar, in some ways? Sonic didn't have big answers, but in his mind the Hedgehog convinced himself the real issue was how much pain the other felt. And how he couldn't (wouldn't?) face it. A bit of guilt was there, it took far too long to realize that, and now he coudn't even apologize. Nor he could tell him they could build plenty of good new memories to be made, even if so many important things had been lost.
'Look at Knuckles', he wanted to tell him 'He also lost his people, but now he's here with us!'.
'Well, you have Maria and I have Longclaw, we can both remember their light and honor their life' he wanted to say.
But Shadow was gone.
And Sonic had never been the best at big, emotional speeches so part of him wondered if he would have been able to reach the other even after everything calmed down. Maybe Shadow would have enjoyed moving in with the family as well, maybe he could have become one of the new siblings not that he ever wanted to say that out loud but that feeling of 'there is someone else just like me' was supposed to be lost forever. Who even knew if there were other Hedgehogs back on their planet, if they could even reach Earth...
Sonic stretched, standing on the top of the house's roof. It was a beautiful night, absolutely perfect for a run and to clear his own mind. Lingering on 'what ifs' and 'maybes' wasn't going to fix anything. He had an 'almost friend' there and he was lost....
"No point in getting all serious, man. What will your fans think?" He asked himself, slapping both cheeks and shaking his head, quilla dancing wildly left and right. With everyone asleep and only the occasional lights in the distance, hidden between trees, that let him know G.U.N. was still spying on them, Sonic knew no one who mattered was actually looking but that didn't matter. Even without witnesses, he had a reputation to protect. "We'll make more friends, I'm sure of that!"
No one of them was going to be 'different' like Shadow was, but, hey. There were miles to run and selfies to take, right? He slipped a few rings inside his glove for safekeeping, not even realizing one of them was just slightly cracked, and before anyone could notice? He was already on his way. down the road. Fast enough to feel the usual adrenaline and joy, not fast enough to trigger any big sensor or create any energy shift that could be perceived.
He didn't usually care about the 'where' when he started moving, just about the wind between his quills and the joy the simple act of following what was almost a primordial urge gave him. He passed cliffs in silence, rushed all around a lake, jumped from tree to tree and let his nature push to the side any negative feeling... at least until he put his foot on a wrong rock. The surface he was moving on fell apart under his feet, making him plummet down, his attempt to hold back on the ground without giving away his position by using any special power had him almost lose a glove and, before he could even properly figure out what was happening? The damaged ring he was carrying was already opening a portal and he was falling through it.
One, two, three tumbles and he found himself face down against a hard surface, either stone or something manmade- holy moley, why did he feel like he just went through something that scrambled his whole being? Green eyes opened to an unfamiliar area and- wait. Why were his arms tan instead of the usual blue? The teen gasped, trying to stumble back on his feet- what did he even do?
As much as he acted casual around the others whenever the topic came up, he did wish he had more time to... know better that guy. It wasn't every day that he met another Hedgehog- back in his days with Longclaw? It was just the two of them, he didn't even get to interact with anyone beside her. Not that the young man resented her for their isolation, he knew she sacrificed everything for his sake. Still, isolation was his norm back home.
After he arrived on his new 'home'? The first years were complete solitude, even if he had to admit his old cave was comfy and nice for something that was pretty much dug in the dirt. He had Longclaw's drawing to keep him company, comics, all he needed to have fun on his own but the lingering loneliness was there. Then his family happened. Unplanned, messy, but something he treasured greatly. Tom had been a good friend at first, then a good dad. Maddie? Sonic couldn't hope for a better 'mother'.They didn't replace Longclaw, but they still allowed him to feel like he belonged.
Tails and Knuckles? Their presence made him so incredibly happy, even if he often complained about the echidna's peculiar ways and even if he often couldn't follow the fox's fancy talks. It took him months to fully realize how much he loved them, how much he considered them his brothers- even if he couldn't bring himself to admit that out loud. It felt so incredibly... sappy. When he stopped to look at how far he went, how loved he felt, Sonic had to be honest: he was happy with them.
Still. They weren't completely like him. Fifteen years and he had only met a fellow Hedgehog once. And they barely had time to talk to each other, finally dropping their hostilities, when 'Saving the world' got in the way. And while the last moments he spent in space felt like a blur,..? He couldn't shake how a certain conversation he had with Shadow on the moon made him feel. They were... so similar, in some ways? Sonic didn't have big answers, but in his mind the Hedgehog convinced himself the real issue was how much pain the other felt. And how he couldn't (wouldn't?) face it. A bit of guilt was there, it took far too long to realize that, and now he coudn't even apologize. Nor he could tell him they could build plenty of good new memories to be made, even if so many important things had been lost.
'Look at Knuckles', he wanted to tell him 'He also lost his people, but now he's here with us!'.
'Well, you have Maria and I have Longclaw, we can both remember their light and honor their life' he wanted to say.
But Shadow was gone.
And Sonic had never been the best at big, emotional speeches so part of him wondered if he would have been able to reach the other even after everything calmed down. Maybe Shadow would have enjoyed moving in with the family as well, maybe he could have become one of the new siblings not that he ever wanted to say that out loud but that feeling of 'there is someone else just like me' was supposed to be lost forever. Who even knew if there were other Hedgehogs back on their planet, if they could even reach Earth...
Sonic stretched, standing on the top of the house's roof. It was a beautiful night, absolutely perfect for a run and to clear his own mind. Lingering on 'what ifs' and 'maybes' wasn't going to fix anything. He had an 'almost friend' there and he was lost....
"No point in getting all serious, man. What will your fans think?" He asked himself, slapping both cheeks and shaking his head, quilla dancing wildly left and right. With everyone asleep and only the occasional lights in the distance, hidden between trees, that let him know G.U.N. was still spying on them, Sonic knew no one who mattered was actually looking but that didn't matter. Even without witnesses, he had a reputation to protect. "We'll make more friends, I'm sure of that!"
No one of them was going to be 'different' like Shadow was, but, hey. There were miles to run and selfies to take, right? He slipped a few rings inside his glove for safekeeping, not even realizing one of them was just slightly cracked, and before anyone could notice? He was already on his way. down the road. Fast enough to feel the usual adrenaline and joy, not fast enough to trigger any big sensor or create any energy shift that could be perceived.
He didn't usually care about the 'where' when he started moving, just about the wind between his quills and the joy the simple act of following what was almost a primordial urge gave him. He passed cliffs in silence, rushed all around a lake, jumped from tree to tree and let his nature push to the side any negative feeling... at least until he put his foot on a wrong rock. The surface he was moving on fell apart under his feet, making him plummet down, his attempt to hold back on the ground without giving away his position by using any special power had him almost lose a glove and, before he could even properly figure out what was happening? The damaged ring he was carrying was already opening a portal and he was falling through it.
One, two, three tumbles and he found himself face down against a hard surface, either stone or something manmade- holy moley, why did he feel like he just went through something that scrambled his whole being? Green eyes opened to an unfamiliar area and- wait. Why were his arms tan instead of the usual blue? The teen gasped, trying to stumble back on his feet- what did he even do?
no subject
Oh...
[It finally clicks. Green eyes dart in Shadow's direction for a moment, then they go back to his own reflection. It's still him, but he's... older? An adult? Both hands are raised up and passed on his quills, flattening them down just slightly- they're smoother than his usual ones (or even the ones that he saw on the original Shadow), a bit longer too. He's older. Why? Sonic has no idea but it explains why he's 'longer' at least. There's just a short moment where he wonders when hedgehogs reach adulthood, how old he's supposed to be in that body and what puberty even if when a Hoglet turns into a proper Hedgehog but...
But there are other priorities.
Shadow doesn't care and he has to pretend that doesn't hurt.]
Fine. We'll figure out WHY you don't care once we're out.
[He does put up his attitude, but the ears still flatten quickly as soon as the other warns him things will get worse. What. Why? Despite his bravado and the way he attempts to act unbothered, the way his quills stand on his back and that he moves do tell a different story before he hops on the window and hops at Shadow's side... keeping a generous arm's lenght worth of distance.
Oh? Wait.. Let's go. Come on... ACCEPTANCE, AT LAST. Or, well, a sliver of it. Sonic brought both hands to his hips and glanced down to the city-]
You know. I was supposed to visit many things with my siblings when I came here. My younger one wanted to see The big Crossing thing? All the talks about this place being so important in many videogames and a very romantic spot. HEH. Personally, I can't see the charm of a place where all you do is cross a street. My older one just wanted to find a good place where to fight local warriors so there's that...
[Chatting, chatting, not really sure on what to do or say. This was his world, covered in what felt like a coat of porcelain and stuck in time. Part of him wondered why he even bothered to leave his owwn place hours earlier, but what could he do now?]
Not really easy to be turists but if there's one place where I can be taken for a guy in a costume... it's probably Japan. Anyway, what is the goal? We just... go around? Run? See what we can find?
no subject
shadow tunes him out, his patience wearing thin, but given the situation they're in he chooses to do nothing more but move forward. he tilts his head up at the sky wondering if that is also covered in the substance that the world seems to be, but it seems there's no clouds, and only a bright sun that hangs overhead illuminating the world.
the place is familiar enough as he's aware of it, and has passed through before. however, the timeframe is unfamiliar to him. the year 2025 that appears over and over again compared to how he knows things is jarring, but shadow doesn't make any comment about it. in the end, he's the type who won't be made a fool of due to what knowledge that he lacks. ]
You think I know what the goal pertains to when this is your world?
[ that's the issue, he doesn't know what sonic finds so familiar here. it's outside of what shadow himself knows, it's new, not something he could easily reference like the back of his hand.
it's an entirely new world.
he clicks at his teeth, rolling his eyes as he looks to the hedgehog behind him. ]
Do you live in Japan? If not, then there's no way to get into contact with your "family".
[ it's weird to say knowing that sonic doesn't have that, but he swears that there's someone named tom, and someone else whose name he's forgotten already. these discrepancies in what makes sonic stand out so well that they pale in comparison to the original, and when has shadow started thinking like that? either he needs sonic to remember who he is, or this faker to remove himself immediately, but his chance to ditch him is gone.
clearing his throat, he's about to speak up again until a strong gust of wind blows from one direction. warm, wet and the smell of blood wafts along. ]