Back to Chapter 16

As luck would have it, a group of Sonic’s friends- Sally, N.I.C.O.L.E., Antoine, Rotor, Bunnie, Johnny, Flicky, Tux, Porker, Chirps and Joe- were all enjoying a spot of lunch at Uncle Chuck’s diner. As per usual, Sally was footing the bill with her family’s royal expense account. Jules and Bernie were behind the counter, cooking food and serving hungry patrons while the proprietor was enjoying his day off in his workshop.

Sonic hopped up onto a swivel chair next to the counter-top, “One double cheeseburger and large fries, please!”

“Coming right up!” Jules smiled, oblivious.

Sonic initially didn’t notice anything unusual. He turned and waved at Sally, “Hey, Sal!”

Sally’s face dropped. The boys started chuckling.

“Oh, I guess she’d rather be called Princess after all!” Flicky nudged Johnny.

Sally slowly walked over to Sonic, disbelieving. After a moment she managed to almost whisper, “Sonic?”

“Well of course it’s me, who else do you know that’s this good looking?”

Bernie dropped the plate she was holding as everyone stared at Sonic.

“Oh, right!” Sonic exclaimed, “I’m blue now, I forgot to mention”

“Oh mah stars,” Bunnie gasped.

“Sacre couer!” Antoine’s eyes widened

“Sonic, what happened to you?!” Sally asked.

“I think I can answer that one,” Doctor Kintobor responded, “Hello- Doctor Ovi Kintobor, I’m a scientist, pleased to meet you all”

A confused murmur rumbled through the group.

“I was keen to experiment on Sonic’s speed. I gave him the Friction-Reducing Power Sneakers you seem him wearing and, well, one explosion later and Sonic underwent the Cobalt Effect and here we are”

“Explosion?!” Bernie squeaked.

“Sonic, are you alright?!” Jules frantically asked.

“Calm down, guys, I’m fine. I’m full of energy- literally! The doc just helped me tap into it. And it wasn’t so much a fiery explosion, it was a sonic boom- like me, right?”

An awkward silence fell over the group.

“Yes, but Sonic, you’re blue!!” Johnny finally blurted out.

“Well then I guess I won’t be such an outcast in Hedgehog Village anymore,” Sonic shrugged.

“You didn’t feel like an outcast before, did you?” Bernie asked, concerned.

“A little. The two of you made me feel warm and welcome and safe but… well, I dunno, I guess everyone else was twitchy about the outsider. It doesn’t matter now though- I’ll fit right in!”

“Oh, yeah, lots of superfast, sonic-boom causing hedgehogs in the village last I checked,” Flicky retorted.

“Shut up, Flicky,” Sally waved a dismissive hand at the bluebird, “Sonic, I’m concerned for you”

“No need, I’ll be fine,” Sonic shrugged.

“That’s what you say, mister,” Sally put her hands on her hips, “But I bet if I asked Mr. and Mrs. Hedgehog, they’d tell me there’s no medical degree hanging on your bedroom wall”

“I don’t know if any doctors have ever heard of someone turning blue, Sal,” Sonic cocked an eyebrow at her.

“That’s as maybe. Which is why I’m going to ask an expert opinion,” Sally unclipped N.I.C.O.L.E. from her leg and flipped her open, “N.I.C.O.L.E., can you run a medical diagnostic scan on Sonic?”

“Certainly, Sally,” N.I.C.O.L.E.’s soothing voice responded as her avatar smiled, “Where is he?”

Sally flipped N.I.C.O.L.E. around. N.I.C.O.L.E. smiled, “Hello, Son—WOAH. You’re blue!”

“Don’t worry, N.I.C.O.L.E., I have that effect on a lot of girls,” Sonic smirked.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” N.I.C.O.L.E. responded, her animated image raising an eyebrow and turning up the corner of her mouth, “Sally, please provide a tracking motion from Sonic’s head to his feet. I will scan him utilising my camera”

Sally did as told. An almost imperceptible beam of white light shone from the camera above N.I.C.O.L.E.’s screen and scanned Sonic in.

“Processing data, Sally,” N.I.C.O.L.E. noted, “Processing complete. Initial observation: Sonic has undergone a physical transformation. Hypothesis: Streamlined spikes should decrease wind resistance and allow Sonic a boost in maximum speed of at least three-hundred-and-fifty-seven percent. Slight strengthening of muscular structure noted, perhaps a natural metamorphosis-style reaction to account for the change to allow Sonic to better utilise his speed. No other change noted. Except for the shoes. They’re very nice”

“Thank you, N.I.C.O.L.E.,” Sonic nodded, “Now can you all please stop panicking?”

“Doctor Kintobor,” Jules nervously began, “Is Sonic going to be alright?”

“Alright? Absolutely! Better than alright, even! Why, if Sonic was fast before, now his potential is practically limitless! And he certainly seems happy enough, doesn’t he?”

“Well… sure,” Jules admitted, “This is all a little sudden though”

“Quite so,” Kintobor acknowledged, “But he’s still the same Sonic he’s always been”

“Well, then,” Bernie, “that’s good enough for me! If you’re happy and you’re healthy, then nothing else matters!”

Bernie gave Sonic a hug and made the younger hedgehog laugh, “Haha, stop, not in front of the guys, you’re embarrassing me, mom!”

Sonic jolted upright.

“I, uh,” he started, “I didn’t mean to…”

“That’s okay,” Bernie smiled, ensuring nobody could see her wiping away a tear of happiness, “I don’t mind”

Bernie took a deep breath, “Jules, I trust you can handle a double cheeseburger and fries? I’m going to take a break”

“No problem,” Jules replied, sharing a smile with his wife. Now that Sonic was blue like the two of them were, he could pass for their own. Jules knew exactly how much that meant to Bernie. He knew because it meant the same to him- and hearing Sonic accidentally call Bernie “mom” had made his heart swell- just as he knew Bernie’s had too.

***

One double cheeseburger and fries, later, Sonic was ready and raring to go.

“What’s the plan for today then, guys? You got anything on the royal agenda, Sal?”

“Sonic, settle down,” Sally shook her head, “We’ve only just finished eating”

“Yeah, well, so have I- and I’m ready to roll!”

“Extraordinary,” Kintobor noted, “Your metabolism has been transformed as well, it seems. You’re converting that food into not just the usual energy you’d use but also into speed energy!”

“What does that mean, doc?” Sonic asked.

“It means,” Porker said, “You can eat as much as you like and your body will simply turn it into the energy you need to run”

“Very good,” Kintobor responded, “Who might you be, young fellow?”

“Os—ahem— Oh-so nice to meet you, Doctor Kintobor,” Porker said, somewhat awkwardly, “My name’s Porker Lewis”

“Doctor Kintobor, I can’t believe it’s really you,” Rotor gushed, “You’re my hero!”

“Oh, now, that’s lovely,” Kintobor smiled, “But, really, I’m no different to anyone else deep down!”

“Come on, you lot, I’m bored of waiting around! Hey, I know! Doc, why don’t I take the guys on a treasure hunt?”

“A treasure hunt…?” Kintobor repeated, unsure of what Sonic was getting at.

“Yeah- and the treasure we’re in search of is the grey emerald!”

“Oh! My, what a remarkable idea!” Kintobor clapped.

“Jewellery?” Tux enquired, “Forgive me, Sonic, I didn’t think you the type”

“Yeah!” Chirps squawked, “And Sally’s probably got tons of jewels anyway, being rich and all!”

“Oh, shut up, Chirps!” Sally rankled

“I reckon he has a point, though,” Joe nodded.

“This isn’t just some jewel,” Sonic explained, “This is a gem of almost unimaginable power. If we find it, Doctor K can change the world for the better at the push of a button!”

Sally crossed her arms “Sonic, are you having us on?”

“He’s quite right, my dear,” Kintobor informed Sally, “Or, at least, that is my hypothesis”

Sally mulled the things over for a moment, “Alright, Sonic, sounds good. If we find this emerald then great! And it not then we’ll have enjoyed a nice day together as a group. No foul!”

“Hoi!” Chirps sulked.

“Foul, Chirps,” Sally rolled her eyes, “F-O-U-L, not fowl with a W!”

“Oh, well, fair enough then” Chirps shrugged.

“Alright, enough talking, let’s go!” Sonic whizzed off at high-speed before anyone could say anything else. A few moments later, he returned, “I suppose someone else should probably set the pace. Sal?”

***

Sally led the group on an expedition across the Green Hill Zone. Along the way, they managed to bump into Dulcy- or, rather, she bumped into them as she crash-landed in a heap in the middle of the group. Dulcy, for her part, said she was very impressed with Sonic’s new look but, then again, it was difficult to take her at face value when she may well have been concussed.

Eventually, the explorers made it up to a high peak, just in time for sunset. They’d seen no sign of the grey emerald but, then again, they didn’t have anything to detect where it may be so they could only wander in a given direction and hope to get lucky.

“I’m ready for a good sit down,” Porker breathed.

“Mighty fine idea, that,” Joe concurred, dropping his weary bones onto a nearby felled log.

Within moments, Dulcy, Sally and Sonic were the only ones left on their feet.

Dulcy glanced at Sally, “I’m guessing you’ve had a little more physical training than the rest of the boys”

“You might say that,” Sally smirked, “I presume the same goes for you?”

“Oh, I’ve had training, sure,” Dulcy nodded, “But you know how it is, dragons have good endurance anyhow”

Sally smiled at Dulcy’s cheery nature and pointed a thumb at Sonic, “And something tells me it’ll take a lot to tire this one out”

Sonic jogged on the spot, “I feel great, I could go on all day”

“I’ll just bet you could,” Sally rolled her eyes.

“Dulcy,” Chirps piped up, “You’ve got wings and that, right? And you can fly, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Dulcy replied.

“Do you think you could show me some pointers? I’ve not got any luck with flight myself”

“Chirps, sugah,” Bunnie said, “ah don’t think ah’ve ever heard of a chicken that kin fly”

“Well those guys weren’t trying hard enough! They don’t have my moxie! Watch this!”

Before anyone could stop him, Chirps scrambled up a nearby tree and clambered out towards the end of a branch.

“Chirps, come down, you doughnut,” Flicky said, “You’re going to hurt yourself”

“No way! I’m sick of watching other people fly! All I have to do is do what you guys do- if I flap my wings, just right… I bet I can do this first try!”

Chirps flapped his wings and, before there was any time to react, bounded from the branch. Chirps tumbled in a mid-air somersault and then, to everyone’s astonishment- planted himself beak-first in the ground.

Okay, so it wasn’t that astonishing.

Sonic laughed so hard at this he thought he might be sick. In truth, everyone was having a good chuckle at it, even Chirps saw the funny side.

Sonic whizzed up onto the branch, “You’ve got to put a little style in your flip, Chirps- like this!”

“Sonic, I must advise you that hedgehogs certainly cannot fly,” N.I.C.O.L.E. objected. But it was too late.

Sonic leapt into the air and tucked his arms and legs. He shifted his weight and spun faster and faster in the air. He became a whirling blur of spiked velocity. Sonic’s friends watched in astonishment as he rocketed into the side of the mountain and bore a huge hole in it.

Sonic climbed out of the hole.

“Well,” he started, “I guess that’s another bit of training. Thanks, Chirps!”

“Soneek, zat was amazing!” Antoine blurted.

“And what exactly do you call that, pray tell?” Tux asked.

Sonic thought for a moment, “How about… the Super Sonic Spin Attack!”

On to Chapter 18