Back to Chapter 2

Uncle Chuck locked up the laboratory behind him. Sonic was still staring, impressed, at his new guitar. In truth, Sonic didn’t have any idea how to play a guitar, but he was determined to learn, even if that meant teaching himself to play by ear, particularly since the guitar was a gift and it had come with a condition. Sonic couldn’t be certain how seriously Chuck meant his instruction to practice every day but he knew there was only one way to be sure- and that was to practice.

A rush of excited feet chased towards the lab. Johnny Lightfoot was the first to reach Sonic.

“There you are!” the rabbit smiled, his breathing unaffected from the run.

Porker Lewis was slightly more winded, “We’ve been… whoof… trying to find you”

Flicky landed gracefully next to the rest of the boys, “Yeah, I figured there was only one place Uncle Chuck would take you after his diner”

“Hey, guys,” Sonic smiled.

“Sonic, I wanted to apologise for earlier,” Chirps said, sheepishly wandering over, “I didn’t mean to upset you”

“It’s okay, buddy,” Sonic nodded, “Forget it, you weren’t to know” Sonic looked at the assembled group of animals, “So,” he said, changing the subject, “what do you guys do for fun around here?”

“We were gonna go to the river to meet our other friends. Wanna come?”

“Sure, sounds good!”

“Hey, nice guitar, Sonic, that’s cool,” Flicky whistled, “is it yours?”

“Yeah, Uncle Chuck gave it me. As long as I practice every day, that is”

“Sweet,” Chirps responded admiringly, “All I usually get from Uncle Chuck is indigestion”

“That’s because you eat your chilli dogs too fast!” Chuck laughed, “I told you you need to come up for air between bites”

“Yeah but then all the flavour goes out of it if you don’t eat it within the first couple of seconds. Delicious Apterix- my favourite!”

“Their flavoursome sacrifice shan’t be in vain as long as Chirps’ stomach rumbles,” Chuck rolled his eyes with a wry smile, “Come on, Sonic, you go spend some time with your friends, I’ll take your guitar and see about finding you that place to stay I mentioned”

“Okay,” Sonic handed the guitar over to Chuck, “And… thank you again”

“Any time, sonny,” Chuck smiled gently.

“Alright, Mr. Speedy,” Johnny grinned at Sonic, “lets see just how fast you are against the sprint champion” Johnny pointed into the distance, “The river is half a mile that way- loser has to get thrown into it by everyone else. Don’t worry, we’ll do it in the shallow end”

“Oh no,” Sonic grimaced, holding his hands to the side of his head, “I’m really not sure I can win- and I do so hate water”

“What are ya, chicken?” Chirps teased to a confused look from everyone else.

Sonic turned back to Johnny, “Alright, Lightfoot, I guess I’d hate to look like I’m scared…”

“That’s the spirit. Porker, if you please”

Porker cleared his throat, “On your marks” The racers took their positions, “Get set” Johnny failed to spot the tiniest signs of a smirk on Sonic’s face, “G—”

Before Porker could get to “o”, Sonic was off ahead at what may as well have been a million miles an hour, a trail of dust in his wake.

Everyone shared a look of confusion.

“I think you’re about to get wet, Johnny,” Flicky shrugged.

***

Within a matter of seconds, Sonic had found and arrived at the river. Screeching to a halt, Sonic threw up a cloud of dust which settled a short moment later. When Sonic looked out to the water, he saw two animals staring back at him, open-mouthed.

“Goodness,” the penguin managed.

“Yeah,” the walrus responded.

“Hi,” Sonic waved, “Tux and Joe, I assume?”

“Tux the Penguin, at your service,” the penguin politely bowed low.

“And I’m Joe Sushi,” the walrus continued, “Pleased to meet you, ridiculously fast person”

“Sonic,” Sonic introduced himself with a grin, “And I think you might want to move back a little”

“Why’s that?” Tux asked, tilting his head.

The sounds of protest filled the air, “No, wait, hang on, stop, I—” with a loud ker-sploosh, Johnny Lightfoot was hurled into the river by his friends to their raucous approval, throwing water over Tux and Joe.

Johnny stood up, soaking wet, “Well, that’s a new one on me”

“Well,” Flicky said with a cheeky smile, “I think we’ll need an authorised race to make it official, but I reckon Johnny’s no longer the local sprint champion”

Johnny wrung water out of his long, grey ears, “How did you do it?”

Sonic shrugged, trying to remain at least somewhat modest, “I dunno, I’ve just always been fast”

“Sonic, that was more than fast,” Porker said, eyes wide with amazement, “it was practically light-speed!”

“I bet he’s faster than Hodgepodge!” Chirps blurted.

The animals began to debate back and forth whether Chirps was right.

“Who’s Hodgepodge?” Sonic asked, quizzically.

“Hodgepodge is my coach,” Johnny explained, “Fastest creature on Mobius. Retired from official competition years ago but it’s thanks to him I’ve learned everything there is to know about running”

“Sounds like my kinda guy,” Sonic replied.

“Oh, I’m sure he’d hate you- at least to begin with!” Johnny laughed, “He’s kind of defensive in the face of anyone who can challenge his speed. He’s a great guy once you get to know him but there was a while where he really didn’t like me!”

“Well maybe an authorised race is in order after all,” Sonic smiled, “I do love a challenge!”

“Sounds good,” Johnny’s mouth upturned in a smile, “By the way, I’d love to share some tips with you. You’ve obviously got me beaten on speed but your stance and technique could use work. I think I could help you get even faster”

Sonic slapped his hand into Johnny’s in a firm handshake, “Lightfoot, you’ve got yourself a deal”

Joe Sushi looked at Tux and shrugged, “I’ll never understand everyone’s obsession with going fast. I prefer the easy life, me”

“I quite agree,” Tux concurred “A little peace and relaxation never hurt anyone, now did it?”

“Except for when you fell asleep on an ice floe which drifted all the way out to sea and you landed here, eh?” Flicky raised a cheeky eyebrow.

“Quite so,” Tux nodded “Though one can’t help but feel that proved favourable in the end as it allowed me to meet you, my dear friends”

“Are all penguins posh then?” Sonic asked.

“Only the ones with proper breeding, my dear boy,” Tux struggled to hide a wry smile as he straightened his bow tie.

“Speaking of proper breeding,” Joe motioned, “Here comes her maj’”

Sonic turned with the other animals to see who Joe meant. He was greeted by the sight of a smartly dressed female woodchuck who Sonic estimated to be middle-aged. With her was a young squirrel girl about Sonic’s age. She was wearing very ornate green clothing and a golden tiara. Her long hair was tied up above her head, while her large tail rose up as if trying to meet it.

“Good afternoon, Sally. Good afternoon, Rosie,” Porker politely greeted the two.

“Good afternoon to you too, Porker,” the woodchuck beamed, “The princess has finished her schooling for the day and I’m happy to leave her in the care of her friends- as long as you all promise to behave”

“Princess?” Sonic found himself saying out loud.

Flicky cleared his throat, “Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Sally Alicia Acorn of Westside Island, Heir Apparent to the throne- and Kingdom- of the House of Acorn”

Sally buried her face in her hand, “Shut up, Flicky”

Sonic was immediately unsure what to do. He’d never met a princess before. At least, he didn’t think he had. He settled on an awkward sort of bow.

“And there’ll be none of that,” Sally shook her head, “I may be royalty but I’m a Mobian citizen too. I don’t want treating any differently just because of who I am”

“Sally, lass, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times,” Rosie admonished the youngster, “as future queen, it’s imperative you accept your unique position in society”

“Rosie, I want to be a ruler like daddy- someone who cares for his subjects. But I can’t do that to the fullest if I’m put on a pedestal”

“Wisdom beyond her years, this one,” Rosie rolled her eyes with a chuckle “Anyway, my polite young friend, who might you be?”

“I’m Sonic the Hedgehog,” Sonic looked up at Rosie, seeing in her eyes a similar kindness to that of Uncle Chuck, “Are you Sally’s nanny?”

“Well, officially I came to Westside Island as her au pair but I like to think our relationship has strengthened since then,” Rosie gave Sally a warm smile “I’ve been charged with looking after the princess’ wellbeing while she’s schooled here by her private tutor”

Flicky looked at Sonic out of the corner of his eye and pushed his upper beak up with his forefeather as if making a “stuck-up nose” gesture.

“I saw that,” Sally griped.

“You were meant to,” the quick-talking bluebird responded.

“Well then, my dear, I’ll be back for you later,” Rosie gave Sally a hug, “I’m off to meet an old friend”

Sally waved Rosie off, “Thanks, Rosie, see you later!”

Sally turned to the gathered friends, a confident smirk on her face, “Alright, boys, I get it- you don’t like being shown up by a princess. That’s fine. Because I’m going to give you a chance to one-up me right now. Tux?”

“Yes, your highness?” Tux bowed.

“Okay, I’ll let that slide, it’s kind of cute when you do it. Tux, as someone with experience in the matter and as someone whose opinion I can trust, I’d like you to judge our best efforts in a diving contest. We’ll each take a leap from…” she paused to pick out a suitable diving spot, “…that tree! And whoever does the most graceful dive wins”

“Sally, no offence,” Joe raised a flipper, “But you know full well I’m not climbing any trees. I’ll help Tux judge the contest from the water”

“Fair enough, Joe,” Sally conceded.

“What’s the prize?” Johnny asked.

“I think a free meal at Uncle Chuck’s ought to do the trick”

Flicky choked, “You would say that, you’re loaded!”

“Correction- daddy is loaded,” Sally’s smirk was now laser-focused on Flicky, “And if you’re worried you can’t pay, then you’d better not come last, had you? Now, stand back and watch as I show you the latest gymnastic techniques”

A calm female voice piped up, “Sally, might I remind you that if you intend to go swimming, you should place me down safely first? After all, I wasn’t designed for underwater use”

Sonic looked around, confused, “Who said that?”

“Oh, of course, I’m so sorry!” Sally said, reaching down to her leg and unclipping a small metallic object that fit in the palm of her hand.

Sonic peered at the object with some curiosity as Sally opened it up, revealing it to be a palmtop computer of a clamshell design. The smiling, digital face of an animated lynx looked out of the screen and straight at Sonic.

“Well hello, and who might this be?” asked the lynx in that same, calm, pleasant voice.

“S… Sonic,” the hedgehog was a mite confused, “I’ve never met a robot before”

“She’s not a robot, Sonic,” Sally explained, “She’s a computer. The hologram allows easier interface with the system but, suffice to say, she’s a super digital brain”

“You flatter me, Sally,” the animated lynx smiled kindly “It’s nice to meet you, Sonic”

“You too, um… what should I call her?” Sonic asked Sally

“Well, her creator, Dr. Ellidy, officially titled her the Network Interfacing Computer Output Log E-device. Which is a fancy way of saying she interfaces with computers and records information which we can then use. But we just call her N.I.C.O.L.E. for short”

“Nice to meet you, N.I.C.O.L.E.” Sonic smiled, “A computerised friend, that’s pretty cool”

N.I.C.O.L.E. smiled and a happy jingle emanated from the system’s speakers.

“All of this is very interesting,” Flicky intruded, “but are you having a dip or what?”

“Well, if you’re going to be pushy,” Sally said, removing her tiara and tightening the pink bow in her hair, “perhaps I’ll show you how it’s done”

Sally placed N.I.C.O.L.E. safely on a nearby tree stump, ensuring the device’s camera was facing the river, presumably in the hope of capturing an instant replay. Sally turned to face the tree then took a running leap at it, bounding up it without breaking a sweat. As she swung from one branch to the next until arriving at the highest branch, Sonic couldn’t help but think Sally made the entire endeavour look effortless. Sally paused for a second before popping a finger in her mouth to wet it, using it to measure the speed and direction of the wind. Then, without warning, she leapt into the air gracefully. The other animals watched in awe as Sally’s body twisted and turned this way and that in the air, with spins and flips combining in one seamless move before she angled her hands directly towards the water and landed smoothly with a splash.

When Sally resurfaced, she caught the stunned looks of amazement on everyone else’s faces.

“Beat that,” she grinned.

“That will prove difficult, your highness,” Tux responded, “as that was a truly exceptional dive, wouldn’t you agree, Joe?”

“It was pretty impressive, alright,” Joe nodded, “Even as a walrus, I can see that!”

Johnny climbed the tree somewhat more awkwardly. Rabbits, after all, are more at home on the ground. All the same, after one upset defeat already, Johnny had to recover at least a little bit of face. Reaching the high branch, Johnny looked down from what he felt was a dizzying height. He bent his knees then bounded towards the water, landing with a convincing splash.

“Hm. Not bad, good form,” Tux commented.

“It’ll take more than that to beat Sally, though,” Joe noted.

“Ah, come on,” Johnny moaned as he flicked water from inside his ears, “If I keep this run of bad luck up, they’ll kick me off the triathlon team”

“Oh dear,” Porker mumbled, “I wouldn’t worry, Johnny, something tells me you’ll still outdo me”

“Don’t worry, Porker,” Sally replied with a comforting tone, “We won’t hold it against you if you don’t do a flip”

“Okay…” Porker replied, almost to himself. He climbed the tree with great uncertainty before eventually arriving at the top branch. Pigs, traditionally, aren’t known for being lightweight. Porker was slim by the standards of most pigs but his natural genetics meant despite his outward appearance, his body had a higher percentage of fat than you’d expect. The branch cracked ever so slightly, making Porker wince with nervousness.

“You can do it, Porker!” shouted Johnny encouragingly.

Porker looked down and decided he had to take the chance, no matter how worried he felt. He leapt up just slightly before coming down in a huge cannonball dive, shooting up an enormous spout of water as he landed.

“Impressive distribution of mass, perhaps an inelegant form but delivered with conviction,” Tux commended Porker.

“I thought the splash was well good,” Joe nodded.

“In terms of delivery, I would rank that above Johnny,” Tux decided.

“Oh, come on!” Johnny grumbled, his former encouragement for his friend evaporating.

“Gentlemen,” Flicky smiled, “allow me to show you how to deliver a truly graceful dive”

Rather than climbing, Flicky soared directly to the branch up above, landing on one foot. By contrast to Porker, Flicky made an almost imperceptible difference to the branch. Flicky leapt forwards and seemed to hang in midair for a second before delivering a beautiful airborne backflip. As he approached the water, Flicky changed his angle just enough to catch an air current under his wings and allow him to skim the river’s surface for a few moments before landing with an impressive wave.

“A worthy challenger to the princess,” Tux admitted, “It’s a tough call between the two of them, truthfully”

“Well, it looks like big mouth isn’t paying for the meal at least,” Joe winked at Flicky.

“I thank you, Mr. Sushi,” Flicky bowed.

“My turn! My turn!” Chirps scrambled wildly up the tree before coming to the high branch. He bounced up and down on it a few times before hurtling downward with all the grace of an exploding planet and hitting the water belly-first every bit as gently. The other animals winced as Chirps lay face-down on the water’s surface for a few moments. Bubbles eventually came from his mouth as he sunk below the surface then bobbed back up again, face up. “Ow,” was the best he could manage.

“Needless to say, I think Chirps is picking up the bill,” Tux looked to Joe.

“Hope you brought your wallet, Chirps, watching you lot jump about is making me hungry!” Joe laughed.

“Alright, Sonic, are you joining in?” Sally asked.

“I don’t know, I’m not so good in the water…” Sonic admitted.

“Hey! If he doesn’t jump, he’s loser by default!” Chirps yelped.

“Chirps, Sonic doesn’t have to play if he doesn’t want to, you tightwad,” Sally frowned at the rooster, “Everyone’s afraid of something”

“Oh, okay… I didn’t realise he was chicken!” Chirps smiled.

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” Sonic crossed his arms, “Buddy, I wasn’t chicken ten minutes ago and I’m not chicken now, chicken!”

Sonic began to climb the tree. Despite his bravado, he wasn’t actually much of a climber. Sally couldn’t help but notice how unsteady Sonic’s hands and feet were as he climbed. Sonic was reaching for handholds and footholds that were making his climb more difficult than he needed and once or twice he almost lost his grip. Eventually, the young hedgehog reached the top branch. He could have sworn the tree didn’t look this tall from on the ground. Gingerly, Sonic walked towards the edge of the branch as everyone looked on. He took a deep breath and—

Suddenly, the branch snapped. Sonic plummeted towards the water yelping half with surprise and half with panic as the branch flung off in the opposite direction. Before anyone could react, Sonic hit the water hard and sunk beneath the surface. All the air was knocked out of Sonic and he sank to the bottom of the river before he had a chance to realise what was going on.

In an instant, Sally took command of the situation, “Johnny, grab the life ring”

“Right!” Johnny bounded out of the water and reached for the nearby life preserver, hooked onto a sign reading ‘EMERGENCY USE ONLY’

“Throw it to Tux!” Sally shouted and Johnny quickly obliged. He’d already had his running and diving put into question, he wasn’t letting his shot put skills be thrown out as well. Tux deftly caught the ring.

“Tux, dive and get Sonic to safety,” Sally instructed.

In a flash, Tux dove beneath the water’s surface and down towards Sonic. Sonic, woozy, saw the small penguin coming towards him, life preserver in hand. Sonic allowed himself to be rescued then, guided by Tux, floated up towards the surface inside the ring.

Sonic burst through the water’s surface and took a huge breath before coughing hard, spluttering water. Tux was right behind him.

“Great job, everyone,” Sally congratulated her friends, “Sonic are you alright?”

“Yeah… told you I wasn’t much good in the water,” he breathed deeply.

Sally smiled gently at Sonic’s good humour in the face of danger.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I think nearly drowning has to put Sonic at the bottom of the list, ergo I don’t have to pay for food this evening,” Chirps claimed.

“Shut up, Chirps,” Sally tutted, “Nobody’s paying this evening. I’ll get it charged to the royal account. My treat,” she smiled at Sonic, who returned her smile with one of his own. Sally quietly added an extra remark that only Sonic could hear, “Same as it always is”

“Thanks, princess,” Sonic spoke softly.

“Please, just call me Sally or Sal or whatever- don’t call me princess” Sonic noticed Sally’s eyes gave off that same kindness that Uncle Chuck and Rosie’s did, despite her young age.

“You got it, Sal,” Sonic felt he’d probably feel right at home among people like this.

“Do you require me to call for medical assistance, Sonic?” N.I.C.O.L.E.’s calm yet concerned voice enquired.

“Nah, I’m alright, N.I.C.O.L.E.. Thanks. What would make me feel better would be if nobody mentioned this ever again and we carried on having a fun afternoon”

Sally smiled, “Alright, mister. But you’re wearing that life ring if you’re staying in the water, got it?”

“Got it,” Sonic grinned.

Flicky broke the tension by splashing water at Chirps before a huge water fight broke out between the animals. Laughter rang out among the group.

Sonic took a look down at the life preserver. Strange how something so simple could make such a big difference. Sonic thought it was odd, though. Life preservers were usually orange but this one had a different colour scheme.

Not for the last time, Sonic’s life had been saved by a golden ring.

On to Chapter 4