[Sonic] Seize the Day: Ch. 1

"Behold, Sonic, the crown jewel of the Egg fleet...the Egg Viper!"  Slowly making its way towards me was the latest in Dr. Robotnik's arsenal of battle machines.  At least he made an attempt to make the machine look intimidating this time: its lengthy tail was comprised of segments that were armed with an alternating pattern of large polished spikes and omnidirectional lasers; its massive head was adorned with black and yellow "caution stripes" and had some kind of foreboding cannon sticking out of its mouth, protected on both sides by rotating hemispherical nodes that could either crush you under their sheer weight or rip you to shreds with the spikes about their edges, and topped with two large red "eyes" that glowed menacingly.  I scoffed.  It doesn't matter how you dress up your machine, Robotnik...I'll reduce it to a scrap heap, just like all the other ones I've destroyed.

Or at least, that was my plan.  Apparently Robotnik must've learned something from all those showdowns in the past...I was taken aback to discover just how fast and agile this contraption was.  Every time I lunged at the machine was a near miss, always managing to avoid my attacks by fractions of an inch, and I had more close calls in defending myself than I'd otherwise care to admit, including a laser beam that singed the tip of one of my quills and a tail spike that was a last-second midair split away from permanently altering my gender.  This shift in the balance of power wasn't lost on Robotnik by any means; he made sure to taunt me every time one of his attacks came close to putting me out of commission.  That's OK, Eggman, taunt me all you want.  You know you're just digging your own grave.  Clearly I needed to come up with a new technique to use on this machine, since up to that point I hadn't landed a single solid hit.  What I decided to do was just bide my time and go on the defensive for several minutes, giving me an opportunity to examine the Viper all over for any potential weak spots.  My eyes fixed on the joint where the tail attached to the head, and I contemplated smashing that joint to disarm Robotnik of his primary weapon, but after seeing Robotnik igniting afterburners (which were mounted on the back of the head) to increase his speed, I knew I wouldn't be able to pull it off successfully without burning myself to a crisp.

So instead, I just waited for the moment when Eggman's cockiness caused him to let his guard down.  And when he did, he left a sizable portion of the bottom of the head unprotected.  I saw my chance and struck, tearing away a portion of the outer hull that you could've fit a person through.  Dumbfounded that I managed to deal damage upon his precious machine, Robotnik became enraged and activated the cannon mounted on the front of the head, which turned out to be a near-continuous flamethrower, while simultaneously detaching the two nodes on the sides of the head and flinging them at me like a yo-yo.  I discovered that I could ricochet off the flat surfaces of the nodes and aim for the curved panel of safety glass that stood between me and this deranged doctor, but the two times I attempted it resulted in me being broadsided by the underside of the machine's tail.  What Robotnik didn't realize, though, was that twisting his machine in such a manner exposed the hole I'd torn in the hull minutes before, and inside I caught a glimpse of a component that fizzled with electrical sparks: the power core.  Instantly an idea came to mind about how to finish Robotnik off, once and for all.  I jumped back and waited for Eggman to fling one of those side nodes at me, and when he did I leaped up right in the path of the spinning spikes.  At the last second I arched my back so I got bumped by the node body instead of being torn to shreds, but from Robotnik's perspective it surely looked like the spikes had done me in.  I collapsed like a rag doll, landing face-down, and I even pretended to be gasping for breath for a few seconds before dropping my head and closing my eyes to complete the illusion.  I could hear the doctor inching his craft forward to survey the damage. I must've looked convincing enough, because the next thing I heard was Eggman's shouts of joy and celebration.  I opened one eye just a crack to see exactly where he was positioned, and the hole / power core was within easy jumping distance.  Perfect.  I drove a stake through the heart of the Egg Viper by using every last bit of energy I had to punch a hole all the way through the head, taking the power core with it.  Oh, if I only had a camera to capture the look on Eggman's face immediately after that.  It didn't take him long to regain his composure, though, and a few button presses later he was hovering over his wrecked battle machine in his trademark ejection capsule.  "You may have won this time, Sonic, but I promise you I WILL have my revenge!"  As I watched him take off into the wild blue yonder, I mockingly shouted out "You get an 'A' for effort, Eggman, but better luck next time!"

What I heard next wasn't a snappy comeback from Robotnik, but oddly enough, the sound of applause.  I blinked a few times and looked around, to see a growing multitude of people slowly coming out of hiding behind whatever they could find on the streets of Station Square.  It pains me to think that the past few times Robotnik and I have butted heads, he hasn't been content to keep the fight within the confines of any of his massive bases of operations, preferring instead to take it to places where there was a very real possibility of collateral damage.  Of course, the innocent bystanders didn't think of it that way -- they saw me as their knight in shining armor protecting them from Robotnik's terrors, which naturally meant that a public thank-you was in order.  So later that day, there I was, standing next to the mayor on the steps of City Hall, amid a barrage of reporters' flashbulbs.  "Sonic the Hedgehog, on behalf of the city of Station Square, I'd like to express our gratitude for keeping our city safe from the terrorism of Dr. Robotnik..."  After a few words of political grandstanding, he invited me to shake hands for a photo op, then I was given an opportunity to speak to the press.  "I really appreciate the gesture, Mr. Mayor, but I was just trying to keep innocent people out of harm's way."  I got several questions from reporters asking about the history I had with Robotnik, and if I had any idea why he had these kinds of proclivities -- in retrospect, perfectly reasonable questions.  However, considering how I wasn't in the mood to attend this press conference in the first place, let alone be asked to describe my life story, I gave them a few vague platitudes about what Robotnik and I stood for, before waving goodbye and speeding off.

The destination I had in mind was Tails' workshop at the edge of the Mystic Ruins, which in recent years has become a place for me and all my friends to hang out.  I'm sure Tails and the others wanted to hear the news about my latest exploits with Eggman.  But as I was running along, traversing everything from city streets to open fields to jungle thickets, my mind started to wander.  Maybe it was being asked all those questions about me and Eggman that prompted it...I don't know.  I wish I could remember how I got saddled with the responsibility of leading the charge against Robotnik's creations...I didn't volunteer for it, that's for sure.  Apparently running and thinking are two things I can't do well at the same time, because without even realizing it I careened full-speed into a palm tree, which flexed back and shook violently upon impact.  I was seeing stars for a second, and when I realized what happened I scolded myself for being so careless.

There was no way I was going to Tails' place now -- imagine the reactions if I was to explain how I got this bruise on my face.  So instead I decided to head to a secluded grove of trees hidden between the crests of a mountain range, a place I accidentally discovered years ago and had since become my favorite spot to get away from it all.  If there was ever a place to think deep existential thoughts, this would definitely be it.  Climbing to the top of one tree, I spread myself out on a branch and leaned back, looking up at the sky.  As a soft breeze blew by, cooling my sweaty quills, I continued my thoughts about my role in this world and my responsibility to others.  You've risked life and limb over and over again to prevent Robotnik from gaining another foothold on this planet, Sonic, and what has it gotten you?  Nothing but a bunch of faded scars and an assortment of battle stories.  Living the hero lifestyle sounds glamorous, but it gets old really fast.  My mind flashed back to earlier in the day when I saw the people coming out of hiding on the city streets.  Why can't I be one of those people for a change?  Why not let someone else do the dirty work?  Hanging out with friends, not having to worry about being whisked away without warning to save the world, sounded really appealing to me at that moment.  Suddenly the breeze turned cold and, blinking a few times to bring my mind back to reality, I noticed that night had fallen already.  With an exasperated sigh, I mumbled "I guess all the wishing in the world can't change who I was meant to be," and I got as comfortable as one can on a tree branch before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

These same thoughts swirled around in my head all night long, and the longer I thought about them, the more I craved that escape.  It made for a restless night's sleep, as every time I tossed and turned I came close to rolling off the tree branch, jolting me awake.  When morning came, I was so tired I almost didn't hear the beeping from the communicator device I keep strapped around my wrist.  Rubbing my eyes, I pushed a button to answer the call and heard Tails' voice crackling through.  "Sonic, if you're out there, please respond."  I yawned and said "I'm here, Tails.  What's going on?"  From out of nowhere, he suddenly got an attitude: "Sonic, where the heck are you?  When you didn't show up after battling Robotnik yesterday, we thought something bad happened to you."  I still wasn't fully awake yet, so I mumbled "I just needed some time to myself."  Instantly his tone softened: "...Sonic, what's going on?  Are you OK?"  I wasn't really in the mood to carry on a conversation at that moment, so I finished with "I'm all right.  Don't worry.  We'll talk later," before turning the communicator off.

I closed my eyes again, only intending to give myself a few extra minutes of sleep.  So naturally, the next time I opened my eyes, the afternoon sun was high in the sky and my abdomen was looking a little more tan than usual.  Snap out of this, Sonic.  These thoughts are really dragging you down.  It's making you insecure, and who knows what trouble that might bring...  Suddenly I remembered the conversation I had with Tails that morning, and with a clearer mind I realized that my choice of words may have done more harm than good.  So I climbed down the tree and sped off to Tails' workshop to let him know he had nothing to worry about.  But I didn't make it all the way there because I noticed an unmistakeable propeller plane flying overhead: the Tornado.  I skidded to a stop and attempted to flag it down -- not that it was necessary, because the cloud of dust I kicked up behind me would've been hard to miss from the air.  I watched the plane slowly circle around and descend, coming in for a rough landing on the bank of a straight-running stream.

As Tails exited the plane, I could see a mix of gratefulness and frustration on his face.  "There you are!  I've been looking everywhere for you!"  I tried to remind him that I was all right, but now that we were face-to-face, he wasn't buying it.  "Sonic, you haven't been acting like yourself today.  Is there anything going on in your life that you haven't shared with us?  Come on, I'm your best friend.  You can tell me anything and I won't be judgmental."  Seeing that it was time to come clean, I idly dug into the soft dirt with the tip of my shoe and told him everything that had been weighing on my mind, finishing with "Please don't spread this around, Tails.  I try to be strong for everyone and I can't let them see me like this."  He sat there, taking it all in stride.  "None of us really wanted this freedom-fighter lifestyle either, but don't forget, Sonic, that you're not alone.  Knuckles, Amy and I are on your side.  We band together to make the best of what we've got."  I could tell he was trying to be supportive, but it wasn't helping much.  Both of us stood there quietly for a moment after that...and then I saw Tails' face light up with a spark of inspiration.  "Hey, I just got an idea!  I just remembered a 3D computer simulation I programmed years ago for combat training.  I bet I could retool it to simulate the kind of ordinary life you're looking for."  I wasn't too keen on the idea -- after all, a simulation is just that, a simulation, and how exactly do you simulate an ordinary life? -- but I quietly nodded since I didn't want to be a disappointment to my friend once again.

"Well, Sonic, I'll do everything I can.  Drop by my workshop tomorrow evening...I should have everything ready by then!"  I remember him eagerly sprinting off to his airplane and taking flight back to his workshop.  I couldn't help but chuckle...Tails is a genius, but he's still got that optimism of youth that makes him think he can solve all the world's problems with the right set of power tools and a little elbow grease.  Watching the propeller plane putter off into the sky, I recalled all the times when Tails helped me out of sticky situations (and not just with Robotnik, either).  I might be the poster boy for the fight against Eggman, but if I said I didn't have a team of friends to back me up, I'd only be fooling myself.