After the Lies

by cookies_for_brains

Summary:

Years after their initial departure from Green Hills, the brothers seem to be doing relatively well for themselves, hiding amongst the hustle and bustle of Central City. Sonic is thriving in the track team of their school, and Tails has finally found a family in their group of friends.

Although, under the surface, struggles arise that could threaten their lives here, and it’s up to Sonic to figure out how to get past them on his own. When an opportunity arises that could potentially erase all of their money problems, Sonic is quick to take it, but he quickly realizes that everything could hang in the balance of winning this one scholarship.

What happens when a black and red hedgehog comes along, threatening to take the very thing he’s depending on? Throwing a wrench in his perfect, carefully curated plans? What happens when everything backfires? When the life he’s perfectly fabricated breaks apart? What happens after all the lies?

Notes:

This is my first fic so please be nice!

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

-Application Received!

 

The tiny words flashed across the laptop screen, lighting up the surrounding room. In the tiny bedroom, a groan of relief came as a small whisper, breaking the silence.

It was dark. Barely anything visible except the cityscape and the moon outside the window, plus the white screen of the computer from inside. Sonic shouldn’t have stayed up so late, he knew Tails wouldn’t approve of it, but he couldn’t just wait.

The faster his application was received, the more eager he would appear during consideration. That being said, even if his logical side provided another reason, he knew why he really stayed up so late to finish it. The nervous anticipation was eating away at him ever since he found out about the scholarship, and it hasn’t left his mind since.

With a huff, Sonic slowly lifted from his desk chair, as it squeaked in protest from the sudden shift in weight. When he stood, he closed his laptop, exhaustion finally setting in. He took a glance to the outside world, padding over to the small window to the side of the desk. His steps were sluggish from the disuse from the past few hours, and he squinted from the white rays of the moon against the wall.

Parting the curtains and peeking through the blinds, he took a better look at this ungodly hour of the night. Central City loomed before him, still buzzing with life despite it being 3:00 in the morning. “Of course there were still people out and about right now, it was Central City of all places.” He thought to himself.

But he had to admit, as much as Sonic once disliked the constant hustle and bustle of the city, slowly it started to grow on him. Sure, there weren’t as many places to run freely, no rolling hills, no grassy fields like there were in Green Hills. But it definitely had its own charm. There were so many different kinds of people from all over the world. Mobians and Humans alike. And that’s something his hometown never had a lot of: Diversity

And Sonic had to admit he thrived in the kind of chaotic environment that possessed the city. There was always something going on, whether it be a high speed chase, a night out, or a quiet day at home for some. Even the mundane life had its thrills here. That was possibly one of the only things he enjoyed about being here.

With that last thought, Sonic dropped his hands from the blinds, and slowly crept to his bed, plopping down on the edge. Eyes trailing once more to the closed laptop sitting on the desk, ominous and taunting. He couldn’t help the sinking feeling of anticipation that squeezed his gut tightly, making him slightly nauseous. Along with that quiet anticipation came a pang of fear. Something he tried to push to the back of his mind.

Instead of acknowledging it, he deflected, focusing instead on the amount of clutter his small room held. Wabs of paper overflowed from the trashcan by his desk, and the table itself was almost equally as messy. Unfinished and ongoing assignments littered the area around his laptop, and several small items of trash he neglected to throw away cluttered the spots in between.

He really had to give his room a good spring cleaning, didn’t he?

His gaze trailed every known surface he had seen thousands of times throughout the past couple of years. The wall in front of him littered with photographs and random stuff he deemed important enough to keep. Right next to it, a sliding closet made from an indent in the wall. He could see clothes peeking out from the small space between the door and the edge of the wall.

Upon seeing the small closet, he remembered another thing he had to clean.

Great.

Sonic relaxed slightly into the mattress, slumping his posture as he got more comfortable. But his mind still lingered, and his eyes followed to his laptop. He wondered again about his application, and whether the readers would deem it worthy enough to warrant even a second consideration. They had to. It was him of course. Was it really a possibility that he wouldn’t win?

Sonic was a shoe in, he was the best known student athlete in his track team, and his speed was unparalleled in the city. That had to count for something.

But yet, the what-ifs ate at him, and the possibilities were too terrifying to dismiss, even if logic told him he had nothing to worry about. The stakes were too high, and even if he knew he should win, would win, he couldn’t help the overwhelming fear of what could happen if he didn’t.

It was probably the only thing in the world that could make Sonic the Hedgehog afraid.

 

Failure.

 

Whispers of doubts wrapped around his head, and anxiety wormed its way into his heart. It was “completely illogical” as Tails would say. It was scary to think about, scary that he could be so worried about something that hadn’t even happened yet. He wouldn’t let it happen, he couldn’t. Not with everything that’s at stake.

He tried to calm himself, shaking his head to rid himself of the stressful thoughts.

He had barely just submitted his application, he shouldn’t feel so stressed already.

But a cold sweat already stuck to his skin, and he couldn’t fight the onslaught of worries he’d just reawakened.

He found himself revisiting thoughts he swore he wouldn’t let himself get dragged into again.

What if he can't win the scholarship?

What if he doesn't?

He can’t let his mind go deeper than that.

He felt himself get choked, air being dragged from lungs paralyzed in fear. The gravity of his suppressed doubts hit him full force like a truck, knocking his breath away and sending him reeling. With his elbows on his knees, and his gaze trained on the floor between his feet, like it would provide him answers.

His vision started to blur, and he could no longer feel the mattress beneath him, or the wooden floor underneath his feet. There was a buzzing of flies in his head, that slowly turned into a static frequency, growing louder in his own ears.

He had to push himself out of this, or else he was gonna throw up.

Or else he was gonna wake up his little brother.

He couldn’t let Tails see him like this.

He fought the attacks of noise in his mind, and instead tried to focus on things that weren’t taking a toll on his mental state. He remembered picnics with his friends at home, Tail’s first trip to the tech museum here in the city, and all the moments plastered on his wall for this exact reason.

He tore his gaze from the floor, unfocused eyes grasping for anything to hold on to. And he found them, the mementos of past adventures, photographs of friends and family, gave him something to grab, even if only to push away the darkening thoughts of fear.

Slowly, he felt his breathing return to normal with every distraction he laid eyes on, and now he could feel his knuckles release their strain from clenching his fists. He noticed a tinge of pain from where his nails dug into his palm, and the fact that his gloves were nearly torn.

Sonic let out a sigh of frustration. He hated that he could be so irrational sometimes, and he hated that something so seemingly small as this scholarship could have a drastic effect on his life. He hated everything important to him hanging in the balance of one decision, from one organization. And he hated that even though he knew he would win, his mind still found different ways to torment him with the constant worrying.

But he couldn’t focus on the possibilities right now. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to worry about them at all. Carefully, Sonic slid his feet onto the bed, and slunk underneath the covers. Their weight gave him some needed comfort as his body welcomed the sinking sensation of drowsiness.

He turned to his right, taking one last look at the pictures littering his wall. “ It’ll be okay. I don’t have anything to worry about.” He focused on a picture of his little brother, overjoyed at his first working creation. It had been years since that photo was taken, but it was the beginning of a journey that Sonic swore he would support. It was the moment he realized Tails would do amazing things in his life, the moment when Sonic swore to do everything for him.

As Sonic started to drift into a restless sleep, he wondered whether he would be able to do it, supporting his brother until he reached his dreams. He hoped so, he wouldn’t forgive himself if he couldn’t.

With that final notion, Sonic sunk the side of his head deeper into the pillow, and gave in to the welcoming darkness that was sleep.

-------------------------------------------------

He woke to the blaring sound of his alarm on the nightstand.

The clock read 6:15 in the morning, Much too early in Sonic’s opinion. But it wasn’t like he had much of a choice.

He reached up and slapped his hand on what he assumed was the off button, and dragged himself off the bed. Thankfully, he was right, since the blaring sound ceased immediately afterwards. Slowly, he surveyed the room, remembering details of importance about the coming day.

Today was a Tuesday, which meant he had his less demanding classes today, thank god. He didn’t think he could handle Chemistry after a measly 3 hours of sleep. He hurried over to his small set of drawers near his closet and pulled out a fresh pair of socks. As he pulled them on, he made a note to make himself go to bed earlier today. He was going to need his rest for the upcoming track season.

Sonic sprung up, turning towards his closet, and pushed one of the sliding doors to the side, revealing the contents. He pulled out a plain white T-shirt, red hoodie, and a pair of wide leg jeans. He wasn’t really in the mood to try to dress fashionably, and he had always preferred the comfort of a hoodie, as opposed to going bare-armed.

His Tan arms never really bothered him, but they were a trait more commonly associated with female hedgehogs, so it just felt more normal to keep them underneath a long-sleeve shirt, or a jacket.

That’s why most of his regular outfits only consisted of a different colored hoodie and shorts or jeans. Today was no exception. He pulled back the closet door into its original position, and started to change from his pajamas into the chosen outerwear.

If you asked him if he wore Chao-print pajamas, he would deny it.

Once his assembled outfit was on successfully, he headed out his bedroom door, and towards the small bathroom in the hall, right next to his room. Sonic started to brush his teeth, and glanced at his reflection in the mirror before him.

His quills were kind of a mess, but more so than usual since he just woke up. They pointed in every which way, not adhering to their regular combed-down shape. Maybe he should ask Amy to help him trim them since they were so long. He made a point to ask her about that later today. He turned his attention from his quills, to his face.

Bright, Emerald Irises stared back at him from underneath thick, black eyelashes. The fur on his muzzle looked a little ruffled, probably since he had his face up against his pillow. He wiped the crust from underneath his eyes with one hand, the other still holding the toothbrush in his mouth.

He finished brushing his teeth, and rinsed out his mouth with water from the faucet. Once he finished, he set his toothbrush in the holder, next to Tail’s one. It still looked wet, so that meant his brother was probably up already.

Sonic made an effort to smooth out the peach fur on his muzzle as best as he could, and then started to brush out the quills towards the back of his head. This was always particularly difficult for him, since his quills were really long and grew very fast, unlike the fur on the rest of his body.

Hedgehogs and spiked mobians of any kind always had trouble with their quills and spikes, so they had to take care of them with extra effort. Amy especially, was an expert at taking care of her quills, and she even managed to do them up with different hairstyles, which was pretty impressive. She also kept them relatively short, so they didn’t bother her. Sonic on the other hand, doesn’t remember the last time he had them trimmed.

He had a bad habit of just letting them get really long and unmanageable. He noted that he really needed to ask Amy for some help.

Once he thought his quills looked alright, he placed his brush in the cabinet attached to the mirror, and turned out of the bathroom.

He walked diagonally across the hall until he got to Tail’s room. Slowly, he opened the door, not wanting to scare his little brother if his assumption about him being awake was incorrect.

Although he was right as it seemed, since he saw his brother kneeling down next to his backpack, shoving in whatever gadget he wanted to show off to his classmates today.

“Morning Bud!”

Tails looked up from his predicament, and smiled brightly.

“Good morning Sonic!”

Sonic approached him and his backpack, peering down to look at said invention.

“You sure that’ll make it back in one piece bud?”

Tails, understanding what he meant, just laughed lightheartedly.

“ Well, if those idiots decide to break it, I can always make another one.”

With that, he finally zipped up his backpack, and made his way out the door, presumably to the kitchen. Sonic chuckled as he left. Tails was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Even though his two tails have gotten him bullied since he was little, that never stopped him from taking everything in stride, and never giving up.

Even when the other kids destroyed his inventions, or called him a freak, he never backed down, always brushing it off and continuing on. It made Sonic sad that others couldn’t see his little brother like he could, as unique and cool as he was. But that was why Sonic tried as hard as he could to get him somewhere where they would.

As much as Tails could do alone with his gadgets and inventions, he still needed someone to look after him until he could show the world his talents.

With that last thought, Sonic followed behind him, closing the bedroom door as he stepped out.

“Ok, Ok, but watch your language, it’s not nice to call people idiots.” He said unseriously.

“It's not like I haven’t heard you call Knuckles worse!” His brother shot back from across the room.

He was at the fridge, with a carton of eggs in his hands, already preparing to make breakfast.

“ Well that’s different! We’re friends with Knuckles, so we can call him whatever. But you can’t just go calling random people you don’t know idiots!”

“I never planned on it.”

Tails was now at the stove, cracking and pouring the eggs onto the pan with practiced precision. Over-easy for Sonic, and scrambled for himself, as usual. Sonic raced behind him, opening the cabinets above him and grabbing two plates. In a blur, he had already placed them down, along with two glasses on the table.

He was halfway through popping some bread out of the toaster when Tails spoke again.

“ I heard you up late last night Sonic, what were you doing?”

Sonic momentarily cringed before resuming his task, now smoothing jam and butter over the surface of the toasted bread. There was no point in lying about it, he knew he was a horrible liar. He would just have to make sure he didn’t tell Tails too much.

“I was just finishing up an application for some scholarship.” Sonic replied coolly, grabbing the plates with toast and placing them on the table. He grabbed the empty plates next, walking towards the stove where his little brother was finishing up the eggs.

He approached him and poked his head around Tail’s shoulder, grabbing the kit’s attention. “Now I want to know what the heck YOU were doing up!” He glared from the side of his eye, trapping his little brother in his gaze.

“ I-uh-well you see, I was finishing up that invention I showed you earlier.” He replied sheepishly, seeming intent to focus his stare on the burning eggs in the pan.

Sonic sighed, and pulled away from him, holding the plates out so the fox could transfer their breakfast. Tails did so, staying silent. He imagined that he was probably expecting his older brother to get mad at him.

“ Listen bud, you need to understand that staying up so late isn’t good for you. Heck-it isn’t good for me either, but at least I can handle it. You’re still a kid, as much of a grown-up mind as you have, you can’t go on without proper sleep.”

Tails plopped the eggs onto each plate, ignoring the slight steam coming off them. He turned towards Sonic, a guilty expression written across his face. “How will you take on the world if ya need a nap?” Sonic asked jokingly, the serious tone disappearing from his voice, replaced by his usual demeanor.

His little brother chuckled at this, now turning off the stove and placing the pans towards the back of the stovetop so they wouldn’t be disturbed. “I’m sorry Sonic, it’s just that I got really excited about this one… I couldn’t really help it.”

Sonic smiled, holding out his arms to signal a hug, and a truce.

“ Nervous excitement? I know the feeling.” He giggled, the fox taking the opportunity with thankfulness. He held him for a moment, before raising his hand and ruffling the kid’s bangs, causing him to flinch away and whine.

“Soniiiccc, I told you to stop doing that!” He said, hastily fixing his messed-up fur. Sonic only snickered in response, turning away towards his awaiting breakfast, plopping down in his seat at the table. Tails followed shortly after, grabbing both plates of eggs, as well as some cutlery, and took his own seat.

As Tails started to scarf down his food, Sonic watched, relieved at the twist in conversation away from himself.

His little brother shouldn’t be concerned with his struggles, especially if they were related to the sibling’s financial situation. He knew Tails would attempt to compromise his own education in an attempt to help Sonic out. But that just wasn’t going to happen. So for now, he would keep it secret. If he shared about the scholarship, and the amount of money they would win if he got it, Sonic was sure that Tails and his little genius brain would figure it out soon enough. He wanted the Kit to know as little about this opportunity as he could afford. He would only tell him about it if he won- no- when he won the money.

Sonic quickly brushed this notion away as he ate his own food, hurrying to ensure neither him, nor Tails were late for school.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

His little brother waved a hasty goodbye from behind the gates of the school. Sonic waved back, kicking up the bike stand at the same time. He put his weight back on the small seat, leaning forward and preparing to take off. Pushing off the cement with his right foot, he began to pedal with his left, picking up one leg and placing it back on the pedal as he rode with a steady pace.

The only thing separating him from the street was the landscaping of trees and dirt to his left. The hedgehog thought back to the little kit, now making his way down the empty sidewalk. Tails was always bored here, he was a genius after all. His poor brother just sat in class all day, being forced to practice things that came as second nature to him. Sonic had reminded the poor boy time and time again that he just had to sit through it. After all, he would never get anywhere if he didn’t show up to his fundamental classes.

Sonic chuckled at the funny image that popped up in his head; Tails slouching on a desk, grumbling as he was forced to practice multiplication tables. Yea, his brother was something else alright. They weren’t anything alike at all, although many would probably have said they’ve been blessed by the God Chaos himself.

Tails with his impressive IQ, and Sonic with something else entirely.

As the blue hedgehog rolled down the sidewalk, he picked up the pace, pedalling harder and faster until he was plowing down the pathway with ease. The air spurred around him, wind picking up his quills, billowing up the heavy sweater and jeans that enveloped him. He blew down the sidewalk until he reached an intersection, and the array of trees finally came to an end. With nothing separating him from the busy street, he easily jolted his red bike off the sidewalk, and onto the road.

He competed against the rest of the cars with ease, reaching their pace, and a little faster if he tried hard enough. This hedgehog had an incessant need for speed, and what may have seemed to onlookers like an exciting and frightening pace, was a snail’s crawl for him. Sonic grinned as he kept the same speed with vigor, his legs pumping with a shocking persistence. Although, he wasn’t tired. No, such a menial task was a walk in the park for him.

While Tails was blessed with his impressive genius, Sonic inherited a completely different and unique gift. He could run at such an impressive speed, faster than the fastest car on the market, and the quickest jet in the skies. He even thought he might just be the fastest thing alive.

For what reason, he didn’t know, but he could move like that ever since he knew, and his stamina only grew with his age. It seemed like his body was a natural accelerator, his heart pumping in a ridiculous tempo, and his lungs huffing with such an unknown strength. He was a natural battery, channeling chaos energy with every breath and every step.

Now, as he raced down the block, he couldn’t help but feel that recurring annoyance at his predicament. He would give anything to go faster, to push himself and see how far and how fast his legs could really move. But he was bound back by the weight of what would happen if he did.

Special abilities were not particularly uncommon amongst Mobians, and a small excess of Chaos energy in their bodies could produce such abnormalities as weird traits. But there was an extent to how far these abilities could go.

Some were stronger than others, sure, but no-one had ever witnessed natural chaos energy so powerful before. Especially in a mere Mobian. Sonic was an anomaly, and he wasn’t keen on dealing with the repercussions of that fact being known. He wasn’t exactly sure what would happen if anyone else knew, but that didn’t mean he was planning on finding out any time soon.

And if there was anyone else out there like him, he doubted they’d be dumb enough to reveal themselves either...

Ruminating on that fact, Sonic couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness-no, loneliness.

No matter how many friends he had at school, loving parents, or awesome little brothers, there would never be anyone that really understood him. Maybe he was being a little selfish, but when he lived so differently, he couldn’t help but feel bogged down by everyday life.

Everyone around him seemed to live so happily, so content. But Sonic felt trapped in place. Like he was meant for more, more than just menial tasks and a student life. He was outside of the bubble, existing in a different plane than his classmates.

But if not with his friends, then where did he belong? He suspected nowhere. Nowhere felt right. Nowhere but the wind in his quills, and the rushing ground underneath his feet.

 

His solemn thoughts were interrupted by familiar buildings slowly making their way into his view.

Central City Highschool loomed before him, long glass buildings stretching both horizontally and vertically, creating equally tall and massive structures that rose several floors high.

As he approached, he studied the exterior of the school again, something he’d seen so many times before. He admired some of the impressive architecture that made up the facility.

Several large buildings, 5 in total, and towards the very back lay the football field and track. At the moment, he couldn’t see this area, as he was looking towards the very first of the buildings.

“Sector A” as they called it, held the lobby, administrative offices, and cafeteria. Sectors “B”, “C”, and “D”, lay just behind it, with sectors B and C off to each side, facing the right or the left.

Sector D was in the very back, parallel to the first building. In the middle of the square formed by the 4 buildings, was a large and beautiful courtyard where students frequented for lunch, study, etc.

The 5th building was on the left side, right next to building B. “Sector E” wasn’t a full structure, like the other 4, rather it was about 3/4ths the size of the others, and stood slightly shorter. It was used as the only gym on the campus, and had a path leading from the back door, to the football field.

The whole campus was quite luxurious, it could almost be mistaken for a fancy private school. It was arguably the most funded, and most prized high school in Central City, which was saying something.

It took up an enormous plot of land, and was a menace to traverse around. Even the gates protecting the school were nice. A tall, black iron fence stretched across the whole front courtyard, until transitioning to concrete walls towards the back of the school.

Beautiful, tall Oaks could be seen all across campus, especially in the path leading to the front entrance. The same entrance that Sonic now slowed down to approach. He could see other students filing through large, black iron gates, wide open and daunting.

It was still quite early in the morning, class didn’t even start until 30 minutes from now. It was 7:45 in the morning, and this was one of the only schools in the district that started with Advisory period at 8:15 in the morning. He wasn’t surprised at his early arrival however, going at the speed he was.

As his pedals slowed and resumed a normal pace, Sonic focused his attention on the students stepping through the gates. There weren’t very many yet, he had successfully made it here before the crowd, which for him, would mean the occasional greeting rather than the onslaught of affection.

He slowed a little more before drawing closer to the school. Maybe he would hang out in the lobby for a little? Or grab a book at the library? He could even get breakfast from the cafeteria before school officially started.

Now he rolled onto the sidewalk, approaching the student drop off that caused a significant amount of traffic for passerbys. He was glad he wasn’t one of those poor people sitting in their car, waiting for the bright yellow school bus to finish its drop off.

Eventually he reached the tall gates leading into the front courtyard. Students walked around him as he neared the bike park, passing by with tired eyes and a bored look on most of their faces. Sonic hopped off his bike, and placed it in between the curved metal pipes, chaining it to the pole.

Several bikes already stood in the small rack, the space was filling up quickly. It’s a good thing he got here early, he guessed. After making sure his ride was secure, he started making his way down the cement path towards the lobby in what he assumed was a normal pace.

He had practiced this many times of course.

He glanced at the large trees scattered around the area, the bright green grass adorning each side of the path, that stretched about 50 feet in each direction until hitting the fence. As large as it was, the front courtyard didn’t even compare to the one inside the actual school. Sonic could tell how well maintained the entirety of the school was, not just the landscaping.

It was one of the best-rated schools after all. Not just in education either, but in athletics and the arts as well. Seeing as it’s directly funded by the city itself, it’s no surprise that this was one of the most elite schools in the country, despite it being a public school.

Most students called themselves lucky to go here, but at first, Sonic couldn’t really care less. He never used to care about which school he went to, it’s not like he had much of a thing for education anyway. However, only as of recently did he start to consider himself one of those lucky students.

If he never transferred, he probably wouldn’t have come across a scholarship opportunity like he did. He probably would’ve failed Tails by now.

He continued to walk down the path, letting his thoughts wander.

As it is, he’s barely scrounged up enough money to cover this month’s rent, he would have to figure something out to cover next month.

“Just hold out for the scholarship money” Is what he told himself.

How he would do that, he wasn’t sure.

 

That is, if you win...

 

He took a sharp breath, and dragged his eyes to stare down at the concrete below him.He felt the familiar squeeze in his chest, that snake of doubt wrapping itself dangerously around his heart.

Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, dripping down towards his eyelids. That familiar voice, dangerous and venom-laced, he knew it too well.

He was abruptly pulled out of his slight panic by another familiar voice, this one much less intimidating in manner.

“Hey Sonic!”

A chipper voice greeted him, momentarily startling him before he turned to look up at the voice’s source.

Amy Rose, his long-time classmate, and equally long-time friend, beamed at him, much too happy for the hour in the morning.

That was the thing about Amy though, she was always happy, always with a smile on her face. And thankfully for him, she always seemed to make him feel at least a little bit better.

“Hey Ames!” He replied brightly.

Even after that momentary meltdown, he was able to bounce back quite quickly, it was impressive. Maybe it helped that his spirits were actually starting to lift ever-so slightly.

“What’s wrong? You looked a little mopey, staring at the floor like that.”

She had a concerned look in her eyes, and was obviously worried.

“ Really? Sorry I’m just really tired.” Sonic explained confidently, careful not to give away any small detail of his panic.

“I sorta stayed up til like-3:00 in the morning.”

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

“Sonic!!!!” Amy exclaimed.

The kind look she wore previously disappeared so quickly, it was almost funny. At least, it would’ve been, if the blue hedgehog wasn’t the subject of her new-found wrath.

Sonic visibly jumped, taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. “I had a reason!!! I promise!”

He brought his hands in front of him in a soothing fashion, holding them out in front of him to symbolize an attempt at peace.

“ I was finishing like-a super important application! It just couldn’t wait, y’know?”

Amy puffed out in annoyance, but let her gaze soothe from a no-doubt care-induced anger, to one of slight annoyance. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and whipped her head away from him, causing the quills pulled in a ponytail to rustle behind her head.

“Even if it was something reasonable, I still don’t like the idea of you not getting enough sleep! As it is, you’re already way too careless!”

She turned away from him, beginning to walk towards the entrance, expecting him to follow. He sprang forward, his confidence returning after being momentarily criticized.

“I know Ames, I promise I’ll try to be more careful, gotta keep myself ready for track season!”

At his words, the pink mobian seemed to perk up, and turned towards him. He was able to match her stride easily, not even falling a beat behind. Amy was a little stunned.

One moment she was walking a few feet in front of him, and the next he was right next to her! It never ceased to amaze Amy how quick on his feet he was.

Sonic was always a fast-paced guy, heck- he couldn’t even sit still for 2 minutes! She sighed, recovering from her momentary bafflement, a thought coming to her from something Sonic said before.

“You mentioned something about an application, what’s that about? You aren’t typically the kind of guy to really care about his education.” Amy giggled lightly at seeing the offended face worn by her counterpart.

“What?! I totally care!” Sonic defended, taking on an even more cocky stance as they continued to walk.

He turned his chin upwards, and put his hands on his hips, maintaining the exaggerated pose while they approached the school doors.

“Besides, it was for a track scholarship anyway, nothing too out of my forte!”

“But the writing portion was really tough!!! How the hell am I supposed to explain my whole life’s existence in 500 words?!”

Sonic continued to rant and complain even as they entered the lobby, not even missing a word as they stepped into the doorframe.

“Well that’s just how it is, Sonic.” Amy replied. “I wish you the best of luck for the money though!”

Her demeanor suddenly turned snarky, and she smirked at him eagerly.

“ Though, we all know you’re going to win it, district champ!”

She winked at him, retaining the smirk even as she turned to walk away suddenly.

“Bye Sonic! I’ll see you at lunch!”

“Oh! Bye Amy!”

Sonic was a little startled by her sudden disappearance, as in times past, she probably would've stayed to continuously pester him any chance she got. But she had been slowly maturing recently, as they all have.

No longer was she her middle-school self, and no longer was he, either. With a slight smile, he turned towards the staircase at the end of the large room and began to make his way up. He went over his options for this morning, and eventually decided on heading to the library to do some reading.

He still had about 25 minutes to spare anyways, and he wasn’t in the habit of arriving to his classes very punctually either. So, he continued his trek up the stairs, going from the first floor, to the second, and making his way down one side of the long hallway he emerged into.

As he walked along the right side of the hall, he glanced towards his left side, and out of the expansive, glass windows.

From here, he could see the front courtyard, and the street he was just on mere minutes ago. He could fully see the outline of Central City in its early morning glow, as the long windows stretched across the whole surface area of this side of the building.

The bright light filled up the space, lighting up the long walkway in a warm, yellow shine. Sonic sighed as he felt the filtered sunlight hit his face. If he stood here long enough, he could probably fall asleep right in this spot. But he continued his walk towards the library, nothing to be heard other than the light tap of his shoes against the tile of the floor. He walked in peace, relishing one of the rarer, quiet moments of his life.

Notes:

And that's chapter 2!

Some important plot building, and yes, Sonic does have his speed in this AU! But he must keep it hidden, for reasons still unknown...

Also, Amy appearance!

See u next week!

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

His morning classes came to an end with the loud ring of a bell, signaling the beginning of a long-awaited lunch period. Immediately, Sonic jumped out of his seat, grabbing his backpack and shoving everything inside eagerly. He half-hazardly pushed in the desk chair, quickly racing over to the classroom door.

This whole class he had been antsy, annoyingly so. English was the one subject he didn’t have any friends with. He was completely alone, save for the talkative fan, or the competitive rival.

Being alone with his thoughts was really a hassle. He only tolerated it as much as was necessary. Sometimes Tails told him his thoughts raced faster than his feet. Although he couldn’t tell what was worse; being forced to slow down and acknowledge his inner ramblings, or having to sit through Jet’s constant snarky remarks. The hawk had a habit of trying to get under Sonic’s skin, and on particularly bad days, it really irked him. Normally, he barely had a problem dealing with it, and even reciprocated with his own quip from time to time, but today he was not feeling it.

So, with a newfound happiness that came from freedom, he practically bounced out into the crowded hallway, leaving Jet and the rest of his classmates behind. Even though they were just given a large passage to read and dissect for homework, Sonic could hardly care less. He was too busy basking in the freedom that lunchtime brought.

The sun now shown directly overhead, creating short shadows from where it hit against the glass panes opposite of him. His English class was in building C, therefore, his view was a little different from where he had been this morning. He could see the distant waves of the coastline as the city slowly diffused into the natural ocean. Of all the views, he thinks he prefers this one the best. Although, every side of the campus had something different to offer.

Even though the water was somewhere he would rather stay far away from, he couldn’t help but admire the glistening teal waters. Several shades lighter than his own Cobalt blue, the sea before him shimmered and glittered under the sun’s direct light, and boats could be seen moving around the crowded waters.

He admired the view one last time before stepping to the side, and out of the doorway that let him face the ocean directly. As if remembering his purpose, Sonic took off in a speed walk, passing the crowd as he sped down the route to the cafeteria. Several distractions crossed his vision on his way, momentarily deterring his thoughts.

He continued hugging the wall to evade some of the lingering students, until a bulletin board caught his eyes. Or rather, a particular flyer hanging there stuck out to him. He focused on the bright red letters, reading them quickly. It was an old track interest form, and underneath the “JOIN NOW”, in bright, bold, red, was a section for names. The lined margin was almost completely filled, with only 2 slots remaining empty. Of course, his name was one of the first atop that list from weeks ago, but he was a little surprised to see the amount of names that now filled up the space.

There was a small twist in his gut. How many of these people did Coach also tell about the scholarship? How many of those kids actually applied? That nervous, uncomfortable jitter squeezed his gut again, becoming all too familiar these past few days. As far as he knew, only him and a couple other students were competing for it, but what if there were more than he expected?

The possibilities flooded his head while he continued to stare at the flyer blankly, and at all the names scribbled down, each with their own distinct handwriting. What if one of those people managed to beat him out of winning? Was that even possible? He didn’t know, but that didn’t stop the anxiety from creeping up.

So he stood there for a second, analyzing the flyer, staring at it as if it owed him money. He hardly noticed the way his hands clenched at his sides, or the way his breathing got slightly more shallow. But as soon as he did, he quickly attempted to calm himself, tearing his gaze away from the flyer to something much less daunting, much less stressful.

Sonic turned to face the spectacular view again, this time with a purpose. He traced the cityscape with his eyes, as well as the line where land breached sea. He counted the amount of cars that flew by on a distant road, until he felt the release of his claws on his palms, and his heartbeat slowing to a normal pace.

Then, he turned and briskly walked away from that spot, internally cursing himself for letting something so small get to him so easily. He left in a hurry, determined to leave behind the ridiculous flyer, and all his conflicting emotions with it. This has already happened twice today! Damn, he thought. I really need to get a grip.

He stalked down the halls, trying to get rid of his previous panic. He continued his trek through the long building until he reached the main staircase. Sonic pushed open the door into the corridor, and hurried down the winding steps. He continued his fast pace until he reached the door to the first floor, and emerged into the long hallway almost identical to the one 2 floors above. Once he was a safe distance from the cause of his inner turmoil, he let his thoughts wander again, slowing down a considerable amount.

Sonic started to wonder again about his current predicament. As much as he worried, he had never gotten so stressed out about something like this! Although, now that he thought about it, he had never really been in a situation like this before. His brows furrowed in concentration while he attempted to recall his past troubles.

Before this point, his mom and dad were usually able to support him and Tails enough to take care of themselves. Only recently did they start coming up short with money for them.

Sonic emerged from the hall, and out into the brisk, autumn air. He stopped his thoughts momentarily to bask in the breeze, listening to the trees rustle and the chatter of the world around him. There were birds chirping all around, as they had claimed their homes in some of the dense trees packed all around the campus. He made his way down one of the paths leading to the main and front building, briefly admiring his surroundings.

He decided to let his thoughts go for the moment, choosing instead to bask in the flourish of nature. He saw squirrels scampering around, and birds flitting from tree to tree. He looked down and saw the vibrant grass underneath his feet, it was short and well trimmed, but somehow still managed to appear abundant throughout the whole area. Not a patch of yellow or a dry spot in sight.

He marvelled at the way this simple walk through nature was able to clear his head so much. Almost instantly after stepping into the breeze, he felt at peace. That feeling of unrest settled for just a moment, leaving him in this quiet, serene experience. He stopped for a moment, taking in the beautiful blue of the sky above, and then closed his eyes, feeling the sunlight on his muzzle. He stayed like that for a minute, letting his body sway with the breeze, and his thoughts came to an end. Sonic cherished these moments, and for good reason. There weren’t many opportunities for him to slow down. Much less to completely lull his turmoil of emotions to a stop.

He was always in movement, always worrying about next month’s rent, or when his parent’s next payment would come, or keeping up his shape for track, or all his overwhelming student responsibilities, or being a good big brother...

But for now, it looked like all those things could wait, just for a second.

----------------------------------------------------

Sonic hurriedly punched his number into the keypad, immediately speeding out of the cafeteria. He speedwalked as fast as he could without reaching abnormal speeds, and made his way towards his friend’s usual spot. The pace was still agonizingly slow in his opinion, but he had already resigned himself to the fact he would never be able to go any faster.

He swerved around people, being careful not to jostle around his lunch too much in the process. Finally, after a lot of obstacle maneuvering, he reached his destination in the courtyard. Almost in the very center of it, stood the largest oak tree, casting a large shadow over the entire area around it. And right underneath it, his friends sat, giggling and laughing amongst themselves.

Sonic approached faster, feeling relieved to see them again after the onslaught of boring classes and intrusive thoughts. They were a welcome change of pace with all the insanity going on around him. Hanging out always distracted him, their stupid antics overcame his stress and momentarily distracted him from outside worries. He slightly smiled to himself in his newfound feeling of elation.

His shoes crunched on the grass and leaves underneath his feet as he approached the two. Knuckles and Amy sat on the largest roots of the tree, Amy was enjoying a sandwich of some sort, while Knuckles was digging into the school lunch.

Huh, he thought. I guess no-one else wanted to stop by today.

The pink mobian saw him first, and her smile brightened upon recognizing him.

“You’re late Sonic!”

“What?! Late?” Sonic chuckled, “I didn’t know we had a designated meeting time, Ames.”

Amy huffed into her snack, although she still had a playful smile tugging at her lips. “You know what I mean! What kept you?”

Sonic sat down on the same large root as her, while she scooted over a little bit to make room for him. He placed his plate on his knees, finding a comfortable position.

“ The lunch line took extra long today, and by the time I got there, everybody else was already in front of me!”

Sonic explained in an animated manner, waving his hands around for extra effect. It was a total lie, and he knew it. But the simple white lie was a whole lot easier than telling the convoluted truth.

That the real reason he was “late” was because of a (tiny and insignificant) meltdown, and his sudden need for alone time. When in hell had Sonic ever needed space before? He just wasn’t that type of guy. What happened today and yesterday was just a fluke, and he would make sure he didn’t freak like that again.

His friends didn’t need to bear witness to his weird, emotional turmoil, especially since it wouldn’t be a problem for long.

“Damn, that’s why you gotta hurry, or else your gonna be stuck in that stupid line forever” Knuckles chimed in, not even daring to look away from his own meal.

“Or, you could just pack lunch like me!!” Amy said, gesturing to her own, homemade lunch. “In fact, I could even pack you a spare meal as well! I know you love the way I make my spaghetti!” She added that last part with a hint of snarkiness, she knew Sonic was a sucker for her food. That sneaky hedgehog.

But he couldn’t accept her offer, as much as he wanted to. Sonic unfortunately knew that accepting anything like this would mean encouraging her advances, even just a little bit. And he couldn’t do that to the poor girl. He couldn’t lead her on like that, but he couldn’t outright reject her either! Was it selfish to still want her as a friend after rejecting her other affections?

It felt like it was. Somehow he felt worse by continuing to be friendly with her, it seemed like that act in itself was fueling her fire.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Knuckles suddenly breaking the silence.

“Hey! You never offered to bring me lunch!! What’s up with that?” He looked up from his hot dog, glaring at Amy with slight offense.

Poor Knucklehead, he could be so dense when it came to romantic advances. Especially when it came to such subtle actions. But honestly, Sonic was thankful for the spotlight being taken off of him while Amy sputtered, attempting to find a suitable excuse. Obviously trying to find a good answer so as to not embarrass herself in front of either boy.

A few seconds later, she settled on something, albeit a little hurtful. “Well maybe it’s cause you eat as much as a garbage truck!” “It would be a waste of my cooking!”

Although she wasn’t really proud of her slightly offensive excuse, she was still relieved to have the awkward conversation dropped, since Knuckles was too distracted by the obvious insult.

Now, it was Knuckle's turn to blabber, taken aback by her crude statement. “ Of course I eat a lot! I need the protein!!! Have you seen these impressive guns?!?”

At this, a smirk stretched across his muzzle, and he raised up his arms to flex his muscles in the dumbest display of manliness Sonic thought he’d ever seen. He was only wearing a black tank-top, so he could perfectly display his ridiculously toned muscles.

 

“Oh yes I see them, handsome~”

 

A sultry voice shocked them out of their banter, and they turned to the owner, who was now making herself known from the other side of the tree trunk.

A bat with white fur slipped out from behind her hiding place, flitting off the ground slightly, her boots dangling a small distance above the grass. The winged mobian moved gracefully with an easy confidence few could achieve, remaining airborne still. She flew quickly to a spot behind Knuckles, who had very noticeably flushed a bright tomato red, matching his signature red fur.

Rouge giggled upon seeing the Echidna’s flush, and grasped at his shoulders from behind. She smirked, “Although it’s much better to observe up close.” Knuckles gawked, eyes widening and arms trembling, he quickly brought them down while he struggled to formulate a response.

Sonic quirked a brow at his blatantly flustered friend, and Amy giggled in amusement. They both shared a knowing look before glancing back at Knuckles, who was now trying desperately to shove off the new arrival. Rouge easily evaded him, dodging each sloppy attack with a laugh.

“Ha, you know I’m just messing with you Big Red.” At this, she shot him a playful wink, swinging around his shoulders to look him in the eyes. Her words did little to ease the echidna however, and his back visibly straightened, eyes widening even more. Just as quickly as the shocked expression came, it vanished, replaced by a clearly feigned angry furrowing of his brows.

He tried to recover, crossing his arms over his chest, and turned his face away from her with a huff. “ As if I’d ever be bothered by your antics, bat.”

His deflection clearly did little to deter her, however, as she snickered in response. “ Whatever you say, tough guy,” rolling her eyes playfully, and gracefully planting her boots on the ground.

“So, Rouge,” Amy finally spoke up, saving their red friend from further embarrassment.

“Why the sudden visit? Last I checked, you usually like to hang around Omega, right?” The pink hedgehog turned her full attention to Rouge, choosing to ignore the next chain of insults uttered by their flustered friend.

“Well, as interesting as the guy can be, sometimes life gets a little boring when the only person you hang around is a robot.”

She chuckled slightly, and rested a hand on her hip. “Although you might be seeing less of me soon, I’ll be getting some new entertainment.” While she said this, she lowered her lids, a cunning look crossing her features.

Sonic was about to ask what she meant by that very cryptic statement, before he was interrupted (Very rudely) by Knuckles, who raised his voice angrily.“Yea, well that still doesn’t explain why you’ve come to make your loneliness our problem.”

Rouge let out a gasp, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead in a dramatic display.

“Oh, how you wound me Knuckie!”

“I told you not to call me that you stupid bat!”

 

“KNUCKLES!” Amy commanded, her tone sharp and accusatory. The red mobian in question immediately halted his retort, turning fearfully to the hedgehog whose quills were now slightly raised, flaring upwards from her ponytail.

“ How could you be so rude?! Rouge did nothing wrong!”

 

“Wha?!-I-she said–”

“I’m not hearing it! You had no right to call her something so hurtful!”

Amy was obviously not backing down, and though neither boy would admit it, they were both a little fearful of the girl’s wrath. She was nothing short of impressive, especially in her athletic prowess, and what was even more intimidating was when she was angry. None dared to mess with her then.

Rouge of course, took full advantage of Amy’s defense, and resolved her expression into one of hurt. “Yea Knuckles, words hurt y’know.”

Even though her face conveyed offense and sadness, her narrowing eyes still sparkled with amusement, and she shot a gloating smirk towards the sputtering echidna when Amy wasn’t looking.

Sonic couldn’t help but burst out laughing, letting out some of his previous stress at the downright ridiculous display in front of him. His friends really never failed at lightening his mood, no matter how upset he was.

He was immediately brought out of his thoughts when all heads turned to him, slight surprise coating their features. Just as quickly however, they seemed to realise the absurdity of their situation as well, and all 3 let out a happy laugh at their own ridiculousness.

“This is exactly why I stopped by!” Rouge sputtered out between laughs, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

“You guys always make life a little more interesting!” Her posture relaxed, and a content smile graced her lips, a rare sight on the usually cool girl. Knuckles seemed to take notice of this too, his cheeks flushing a bright red, completely taken in by the beautiful sight before him.

Yea, the guy was definitely head over heels for her, Sonic thought. But he would never admit it. Hopefully though, one day, he might get to see them get together. Now that would be something.

Rouge snickered again, pulling both mobians from their internal dialogues to focus on her again.

“Man, I’m gonna miss hanging out with you guys so often.”

Again with the cryptic statements, Sonic thought to himself. “What do you-”

“Well, that’s it from me boys, I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re running out of time here.”

And with that, the bat unfurled her wings in a flash, pushing herself off the ground quickly. Her wings flapped, bearing her weight as she began to soar away from the confused group.

Sonic sighed. He was about to ask her what she meant for the second time, but it seemed she was keen on keeping them in suspense. He supposed she always did that though, relaying small bits of information, just telling enough to draw you in, but just vague enough to leave you wondering.(And annoy the crap out of you too.)

Amy broke the silence from the bat’s rushed departure. “She’s right guys, next period’s about to start.” Sonic was jolted out of his thoughts from her despairing reminder. That’s right, he had his stupid Algebra ll class to go to. He groaned dramatically, completely forgetting about his previous train of thought.

It seemed that the sentiment was felt throughout the whole group, as all 3 collectively let out their own small sigh. Sonic begrudgingly stood up from his spot on the large root of the oak, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders. Amy and Knuckles did the same, a matching look of slight sadness adorning each of their faces. He glanced quickly at his forgotten lunch, he’d placed it on the ground while standing up.

His chili dog still sat(completely and sadly untouched) on his tray, accompanied by a small paper dish of fries and some fruit. Sonic wasn’t the type to let food go to waste, even if it was cold. So, with much enthusiasm, he picked up the tray, grabbing it’s contents and carelessly shoving them into his mouth quickly.

Even though it was rather lukewarm at best, the chili-dog still tasted delicious in his opinion. The perfect combination of meats, sauce, and melted cheese adorned his tastebuds, and he let out a satisfied hum at his perfect meal. He only let himself relish the taste for a moment however, because as he heard and felt his stomach rumble restlessly, he quickly shoved the whole thing in his mouth, barely taking a second to chew and swallow.

He heard a boisterous laughter from behind him, and turned to see Knuckles guffawing at him. Amy simultaneously giggled next to him, sharing whatever joke his other friend found so funny. 

"What is it? Do I have somethin on my face?" Sonic asked, bewildered.

The two only continued laughing, and Sonic continued to stare at them incredulously.

"Man," Knuckles finally spoke, still holding back a chuckle. "You and that chili-dog really need to get a room." Amy nodded in agreement, also holding back another laugh. 

"Pshh, whoever makes them deserves an award! You can't blame me when they're so delicious!" Sonic retorted

 

"Well maybe next time you're in the lunch line, you should thank the cooks!" Amy offered light-heartedly.

 

"Yeah maybe," Sonic chuckled, beginning his trek to his next class, and away from his group of friends. He walked away, still with an easy smile face, and waved good-bye without looking back. 

Notes:

Kind of a longer chapter this time, but I had so much fun writing Knuckles and Rouge!

They're the perfect couple if you ask me. Also, Sonic still having some stress-induced thoughts. Surely just a one time thing right????

Chapter 4

As usual, his Algebra ll class passed by all too slowly, turning minutes into what felt like hours. However, contrary to his English class from earlier, he had a couple friends to rely on here, if only for entertainment. Currently, it was Blaze and Silver who sat across from him, clearly enveloped in their own conversation.

Sonic had tuned them out a while ago, choosing instead to stare at the analog clock that hung above the classroom door. It read that they had 20 minutes off class left, still much too long before he could go to gym.

He sighed and slid down his chair, resting his head on his hand with one elbow propped on top of the table. He could see Silver talking in a really exaggerated way, while Blaze silently listened, nodding along with whatever nonsense the other hedgehog was going on about. Although it may not have been as silly as it would’ve been hanging out with his closest friends, Sonic still enjoyed the other’s company just as much.

Right now however, he continued to get lost in his own thoughts while watching their conversation, yet hearing none of it. As he eyed the purple cat, a thought crossed his mind. He wondered if she would be competing in the same tournament as Amy this weekend. They both played the same sport after all. That was something he would love to see, both mobians competing against each other. It would surely be a skilled match, that’s for sure.

Amy may have pure strength on her side, but Blaze was exceptionally swift. The thought peaked his interest, so he decided to voice it, briefly interrupting the other’s conversation.

“Hey Blaze.”

The cat in question perked up, turning away from Silver.

“Are you doing that Tennis tournament this weekend? You know, the one here?”

Blaze quickly nodded, confirming his speculations.

“I am, Sonic, why do you ask?”

Sonic chuckled slightly: “ Oh nothing, I’d just be interested to see a match between you and Amy is all.”

The Cat’s eyes widened slightly, a sure indicator she was interested. She leaned forward slightly, completely forgetting about the other hedgehog, and questioned him.

“ Will she be there? I would relish a friendly competition with the pink hedgehog!” Her eyes had an excited glint to them, sparkling with determination.

Sonic laughed out loud now, both amused by her excitement in the matter, and her professional dialogue.

“Yea, Ames will be there! I hope you guys get a chance to play against each other, it would surely be a match for the ages.”

“Yea!!” Silver suddenly chimed in, “ You and Amy are awesome, man! A competition between you two would be epic!” Silver waved his hands in the air comically, further exaggerating his words.

Blaze listened to him, blushing slightly.

“You think she would appreciate a match against me?”

“Of course! From what I know, she’s been itching to play with you too, with you playing club and all that!” Sonic said enthusiastically upon seeing the cat’s agreement. “Plus, with your speed, and her strength, the game would be really interesting!”

 

“You two would make a perfect match!”

 

Suddenly, Blaze completely flushed, her fur bristling, and her eyes widened. She suddenly looked very interested in the cracks on the table, tearing her eyes away from him quickly. She shuffled nervously under his confused gaze.

Did he say something wrong? Last he checked, he was talking to her about playing with Amy. What was she suddenly embarrassed by? Sonic squinted for a second, trying to decipher her odd behavior briefly, before a loud ringing interrupted his pondering. In shock, he immediately looked at the clock above the door to confirm what he’d just heard. The hands on the clock read correctly, it was now time for the next period. As if to confirm, the bell chimed a second time, reminding him of his previous desires to leave the dreaded class.

He shot up out of his seat, deciding he’d ponder this more later, and grabbed his backpack, swinging it over his shoulders. He quickly pushed his seat in, already lagging behind as students quickly filed out of the classroom. Waving a hasty good-bye to the other two, he made his way to the exit.

“ Bye guys! See you on Saturday Blaze!”

The cat let out a choked sound, scrambling for her own bags, before waving back.

“Y-yup! See you!”

Sonic quickly made his way out into the hallway, walking as fast as he dared, and made his way to the gym next to building B. As he walked, he passed several acquaintances along the way, waving to each and giving a short greeting. This was by far one of the most busy buildings in the school. Building C had most of the student lockers on the bottom floor, making it a pain to traverse with all the traffic.

This made for constant interactions between him and his schoolmates. He was pretty popular, given his record on the track team, and his extremely extroverted personality in general. He uttered a few greetings, some to lesser-known friends, and a few to the occasionally-shy girl. It was quite pleasant to have so many people that liked him, it made him feel a little more comfortable in the environment here. It made him feel a little more like he belonged, even though he didn’t.

He made his way out of the long hallway, and into the open air. In order to get to the gym, he had to cross the long courtyard, and go around Building B. So he did, making his way on one of the paths leading to the opposite side. On his way, he usually passed Amy and Knuckles, since they had History together, and Algebra II a period after him, but today, he didn’t see them. They must’ve decided to take a separate route, he thought. Sonic still continued, and eventually made his way to the large gym, entering with a few other students.

They all knew the drill, and headed straight towards the locker-room to change. Since his athletic elective was track and field, his class was separate from the others going on in the same gym, as they spent most of their time on the football field. They only really met up here to change and leave their belongings.

Sonic entered the locker-room, inhaling the scent of stale sweat and overall grossness. He scrunched his nose up, the all too-familiar smell was not welcoming in the slightest. But he pressed on, finding his locker. Quickly, he deposited his hoodie on the bench in front of it, keeping his shirt and changing into his athletic shorts. He stuffed his jeans, hoodie, and spare shirt in the locker for when he was finished, and made his way to the field.

He hardly took notice of the other mobians in the room, most of them were here just to take the class as an elective, not really bothered to actually care about the sport. To Sonic, they were all missing out. Of course, it was different for him. Track was everything to him, it always was. The only place where he could let himself be as free as he could. Where he was the closest to who he really was. It was his identity, what made him, him. Maybe his other friends didn’t know it, but it was the truth. Running meant so much more to him than anyone could ever know.

He approached the gate guarding the field and track, the gate already open. Sonic could see other students doing stretches on the grass, no doubt the football elective class. They were the only other students using the field at this time, and they usually didn’t bother each other. He took in the familiar sight, controlled excitement rising in his chest.

The sun glared down on them fiercely, and there was no cloud in sight. Only the bright blue of the sky, and lush green of grass. He quickly made his way over to the benches near the starting marks on the track, meeting up with the other students and his coach. Immediately, he spotted a couple of his more serious classmates, already chatting with the coach. Jet and Scourge were the most noticeable, with their bright, lime green feathers and fur. Then, he spotted Silver stretching off to the side, likely doing some sort of warm-up.

How did he get here faster than him? They literally just had the same class together. And I left in a rush, too, Sonic thought. Whatever the case, he quickly approached him, waving.

“Hey Silver! Howd’ya get here so fast?!”

“I didn’t, I just skipped the locker-room.” Silver replied, chuckling.

Now that Sonic thought about it, Silver really had been wearing his athletic clothes all day, he’d just failed to really notice it.

“Ohhh, that makes sense.”

“Yea, I’m planning on changing afterward though.” He continued with his stretches, bending down to touch his toes.

“Mind if I join you?”

Silver gestured his hand in response, already touching the tips of his sneakers with his fingers.

Sonic took that as his sign to join him, stepping next to him, and simply copying his movements. They continued like that for a few minutes, stretching until Silver was ultimately satisfied in his flexibility and movement.

Although, the blue blur supposed he was just doing it for fun. He never needed to stretch before a run, as it was all too easy for him anyway. But Coach told him it was important, and he’s sure it probably was, just not for him. Heck, he could probably take off right now, and reach terrifying speeds within a second.

He wondered dreamily at the thought; speeding down the track, not even taking 5 seconds to clear the finish line, reaching and crossing it in faster succession each time. He imagined the crackling electricity, the friction, and the energy seeping off him in waves. More than anything, he imagined ecstasy. The feeling of his feet pounding against the track, the ferocious and restless energy that always channelled through him, finding release. He could see it, practically feel it, the way wind tousled through his quills, the lightning that jumped off and around him, filling the air with excitement.

 

“Sonic!”

 

He jerked his head up at the noise, and the daydream dissipated into reality, reminding him again what it truly was: a dream. Nothing more than that.

He looked towards the source of the voice and saw his coach calling him over, beckoning him with his hand. He perked up immediately, already walking towards him with a quickened pace. He could see the other students gathered around him, clearly waiting for instruction. They stared at him as well, obviously waiting on him.

Dammit, he’d been so busy daydreaming, he didn’t hear the coach call them.

Sonic rushed to join the rest of his straggling classmates, springing into a short jog and making his way to the group at a reasonable pace. He landed next to Jet, and the hawk didn’t wait a second to chide him, speaking in a low whisper, so only Sonic would hear him.

“ What were you dreaming about there, flowerboy?”

An offending snicker seeping through in his stupid, squawky voice.

“Shut it Jet.”

The hedgehog sneered at him, trying to retain any dignity he still had left after the embarrassing moment. The coach started his talk now, listing the planned activities for the period, and Sonic tried to listen as best as he could. He was still a little pissed though, Jet’s jokes about him being girly always put him in a bad mood. (No offense to Amy, or any of the other girls he knew.)

He crossed his arms, and tried his best to pay attention. The coach mentioned something about a brief lap around the track(Probably a warm-up), and then a long run around a couple of the school buildings.

He could hear grumbles from around the group, likely the kids that only picked this class as an elective. However, some of the more competitive students(Including himself), chirped in excitement, obviously excited for the chance to best one another.

Sonic himself could see a competitive glare in the corner of his eye, radiating from a certain hawk. Sonic shot him back a smirk, clearly amused by his antics. He would never shy away from a challenge, but this was hardly considered such. Sonic was the fastest athlete on their team, or rather, in the county. Jet was never gonna come close to his record. And even if he spontaneously managed to beat it, Sonic was still waaaaaayyy faster than that idiot by a long shot.

But still he egged him on, if only for the fun of it.

“What? Think you can beat me?” He leaned in now, and put a hand on his hip, clearly challenging him.

“Oh, so you wanna race then?” The bird squawked in response.

“If you call me pummeling your ass, racing… Then yea!” Sonic grinned, straightening his posture and beginning to walk away. He heard his green counterpart grumble something in response, but Sonic was already too far away to care.

He brought his hands up, behind his neck, and rested them there, walking away coolly.

They completed their warm-ups quickly, along with their quick lap before they started the actual run. Once he stepped off the track, he joined the other students waiting by the gate. The Coach stood there patiently, waiting for each student to make their way over.

“Alright everybody, I want you to start here, make your way around the back of the gym, and then to the side of building B. After you get there, I want you to make your way through the courtyard in the middle section, and circle back here. Does everybody got that?”

Reluctant voices and nods rang through the small group.

“Yes Coach.”

“Alright then, now go!” He blew his whistle suddenly, startling everyone into movement.

Sonic was on the move, making his way through the slow trek. All the other students followed quickly behind him, rushing to keep up with his pace, or steady themselves enough into a slow jog. None would catch up though, unless they wanted to fully sprint the path. But Sonic had endless energy, so he took it on rather easily.

He was already making his way to the gym, leaving the gate to the field behind, when he heard loud footsteps behind him, quickly making their way close to the path he ran. He turned his head in curiosity, and saw the familiar, agitating, green feathers first. He let out a small sigh, wondering to himself how idiotic the hawk must be to try and keep up with him.

Jet was already next to him, elbowing his shoulder with a cocky smirk, obviously trying to throw him off balance. Sonic barely reacted, instead throwing an unimpressed glance back.

“Let’s see how long you last at my pace, feather brains!”

And with another mischievous smirk, he picked up the pace, rushing into what would be considered a full sprint for other mobians. He laughed to himself after seeing the shocked look on Jet’s face, right before the winged mobian started running with a greater stride, struggling to meet him.

Sonic laughed out loud, looking down at him in amusement. He gave him one last look before speeding up yet again, barely caring to entertain him anymore than he already had. He left Jet in the dust, keeping his own stride consistent while he finished the rest of the course.

That familiar voice of self-indulgence perked up again, encouraging him to go faster, just a little more, a little faster. Every day it got harder to resist that voice, but today was no exception for his persisting resolve. So, he forced the urge down, and quickly tried to clear his head of the temptation. He hadn’t listened to the voice in about 10 years, and he wasn’t about to falter again.

Notes:

I think Blaze might just have a crush on Amy lol.

As of right now, Jet is Sonic's #1 rival, but poor bro is really struggling there.

BUT HE MAKES UP FOR IT WITH HIS RAGEBAITING AHAHA

AND Sonic needs some other issues too, Jet just likes to capitalize off that fact.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Notes:

Posting this really early, since it's kinda a shorter one, and doesn't really qualify as a a full chapter!

He’d cleared the distance in about 10 minutes, an extremely impressive feat, but still nothing to him. Although, both from the heat, and the slight jog (sprint) he’d built up a small sweat.

He approached the gate again, now having finished his round-about course. Obviously, he was the first one back, as usual. The others had probably barely passed the gym by now, and wouldn’t be back for another 20 minutes at least.

He wasn’t the least bit proud of his various achievements, but he pretended well enough. A mobian being able to run like he did while pretending was impressive and worthy of praise.

But he knew too well, if he let his powers slip, he would be treated less like an athlete, and more like a lab rat. Or worse, a weapon.

So with this knowledge tucked deep inside his subconscious, he whooped to himself when he saw his Coach approaching him with a proud smile on his face.

 

“ Wow Sonic, 10 minutes is a new record on this route!”

 

The hedgehog in question gave a wide smile, bringing one hand to his hip, and the other to rub underneath his nose.

“ Didn’t even break a sweat. Not bad, huh?!”

 

Coach laughed loudly in response, a deep, resonating, and powerful sound that could be heard a great distance away easily.

 

“Man, you never cease to amaze me, kid.”

 

With that, he turned on his heel, starting his walk in the other direction.

 

“Speaking of your speed, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” He beckoned him to follow, not even bothering to look back to see if he actually did.

 

“What’s up?” Sonic easily kept pace, and raised his hands to rest behind his head as he walked.

 

“I wanted to talk to ya about that scholarship I asked you to apply to. It’s a real good opportunity, and I know someone like you has a shot at it! “Actually, I’m almost certain there’s no one else more qualified!”

 

Sonic smiled a little, accepting the compliment happily, though a nagging voice in his head still chirped incessantly.

 

“If they really knew what you could do, they wouldn't want anything to do with you.”

 

He quietly shook the thought out of his head.

He already knew that. It wasn’t important right now.

The Coach continued eagerly.

“So, did’ya consider applying? Because if you didn’t, I’m telling you right now, it would be a real waste of an opportunity-”

“Yes, Yes, I did!” Sonic giggled.

“Not wasting a second to lecture me I see?” He covered his hand with his mouth, suppressing another laugh.

 

Coach sputtered awkwardly for a second, before he sighed.

“It’s nothing like that kid, I guess I just got carried away.”

 

“All’s good Coach, but yea, I did apply! Finished the application last night actually.”

Now, the burly man looked surprised.

“But I just told you about it yesterday!!! There’s no way you sat down and did it that quick! Wait- please don’t tell me you half-assed it, cause I swear if you did-”

“Woah, woah! Already scolding me again?!” Sonic waved his hands in front of himself in a protective manner.

 

“I promise, I did it right! In fact, I swear on it! I was just really excited! That’s why I got it done so quickly.”

“I swear Coach, I filled everything out to the best of my ability.”

His voice took on a bit more of a serious tone as he said this, and it seemed to convince the man.

 

The Coach chuckled slightly, watching the young hedgehog with eyes of admiration. The large walrus gave a small shrug, continuing his stride. “Sorry kid, I guess I didn’t expect you to take what I said as seriously as you did.”

“Even though you were supposed to-and I’m glad you did, it was just unexpected.”

“I guess it is a little out of character for me, huh?” Sonic tilted his head, further emphasizing his point. His relaxed stance, with his hands still behind his head as he walked, said it all.

 

“Yes, I guess it is, but I'm proud of you.”

 

Sonic’s eyes widened, and he almost stumbled from shock.

Time seemed to slow as he watched the Coach’s content smile through unfocused lenses.

He hadn’t heard anyone say that to him in a long time.

Flashes of bright sunlight, warm embraces, and a childhood home crossed his mind. A feeling like that of a warm blanket briefly wrapped around him, enveloping him in a momentary, protective comfort he hadn’t felt in years.

 

But just as quickly as it came, the feeling was replaced with a sharp pang of reality.

 

He wouldn't be proud if he knew what you are.

 

He would be scared.

 

 It took all of Sonic’s willpower to not crumple to the ground right there in front of him, or run away at full speed. He was stripped of that fuzzy blanket of delusion, and the icy cold reality bit at him from all sides.

But he just kept walking, and uttered a quick “Thanks”, through barely parted lips, with his brows furrowed. Silence descended upon them fairly quickly, and Sonic scrambled for a way to break it.

After desperately searching for a way to resume his usual casual demeanor, he finally found something to grab at, grasping it tightly as his salvation out of this awkward silence.

“Although it was pretty easy to complete, barely had any hard questions. It was mostly just asking about all the generics, like my race, address, and school.”

Coach easily resumed conversation with him, quirking a brow in confusion.

“Well all that’s typical for them to know so they can send’ya the money if you win, but I’m surprised there weren’t any personal questions.”

“There was like, one, but that was it! And it was tiny too!”

Sonic brought his index finger and thumb up to his chin in a pondering expression. “I wonder how they’d make such a big decision based on that alone?”

 

“Pfft, you better have wrote one hell of a response, kid!”

Sonic giggled, although nervousness creeped it’s way up his spine.

Was that really all it came down to to determine a winner? It had barely asked about any of his achievements, so there’s no way they could’ve known about his record, right? Had they even heard of him before? Did he even have a shot anymore? Did he write a good enough essay?

He tried his best to suppress the overwhelming hive of thoughts and emotions swarming him, swatting each one away as it came. He had to finish his conversation here and now first, he could panic about it later. Coach was still looking at him expectantly, obviously waiting for a response. He fumbled to find something suitable, realizing he still had his hand to his chin as if he was still thinking. Quickly, he grabbed at something that had puzzled him from the beginning.

“Speaking of weird, why is Robotnik Industries offering Track Scholarships now?”

Notes:

It was definitely a really short chapter, but IMPORTANT NONE THE LESS. This mysterious donor is finally revealed, and this will not cause any problems at all....

Also, a little bit of insight into Sonic's perspective:

He really doesn't appreciate his power very much, and tends to see it as something more to be feared. Over the years, he's morphed his fear of getting used because of his power, into fear of the speed itself.

That's pretty much why he lets his subconscious call him a monster, cus he believes it to a certain degree.

I'll get more into WHY he was ever so afraid of getting caught in later chapters. 🌀

Notes:

Constructive criticism is very welcome, please don't be too mean though. I will update as I can, hopefully every week.