Back to Chapter 4

Sonic awoke the next morning as sunlight trickled in through a small gap in the bedroom curtains. A delicious smell filled his nostrils just as it had the previous night- eggs and bacon. Sonic may not have been terribly keen on eggs but he could hardly stop his mouth from watering at the scent of the delicious grilled Apterix meat. Sonic had often thought it was amazing how so many different foodstuffs could be produced from one creature- and, depending on the cut and preparation, you could get all sorts of different tastes.

Sonic stretched and rubbed his eyes before forcing himself to sit upright and swivel his body so his legs dangled over the side of the bed. The clock in his room informed him it was a little past eight. Sonic reasoned this probably gave him a few moments to himself before breakfast was prepared and served up. He stood up and walked over to his guitar, picking it up. He still couldn’t believe Chuck’s incredible kindness to him, to give him such a unique gift. It was now Sonic noticed the guitar even had its own volume control dial, meaning he could get in his daily practice without causing too much disruption to the house.

Sonic placed the guitar on the bed then crossed to the curtains, opening them and letting the bright, beautiful day in. Sonic peered out the window and saw a few of the villagers milling about here and there. One gentleman was setting up a fruit and vegetable stall in what Sonic reasoned was the marketplace. One lady was unlocking the door to a large, official looking building. And a happy-looking family were out for a morning stroll. Sonic looked at the family, lost in thought. The mother and father seemed to be rather friendly, waving to anyone they saw peering out at the day through their windows. The daughter, a yellow hedgehog, seemed peppy and full of life as she skipped through the village. Then there was a young blue hedgehog wearing a jumper with a big “N” emblazoned on it. He seemed rather more timid as he pushed his glasses up his nose, though none the less happy for being with his family.

Family.

Sonic had never known much of a family.

He had no idea who his real parents were. He’d never met them. Sonic had been abandoned at birth, or so he’d been told by his foster parents. They were nice people- good, honest folks. There had been no point in them pretending they were his birth parents as they weren’t hedgehogs, but they had raised him with love and care all the same, as if they were his real parents. And now… they were gone. Sonic cast his mind back to the previous day. The explosion. The fire. How fortunate he’d been to avoid it. If he hadn’t been out playing at the time…

Sonic put it to the back of his mind. He had no interest in facing what had happened. It had happened and that was that. He didn’t want to talk about it or even think of it. Still, it gnawed at him- what exactly had happened? Sonic reasoned there probably wasn’t much he could do to figure it out. No, he’d keep it buried. If he didn’t think of it, he didn’t have to deal with it. It had happened and that was that- and that was that.

Sonic sat on his bed, propped up by his pillows and picked up his guitar. It hadn’t occurred to Sonic that learning an instrument by ear might not actually be as easy as he’d thought. But Chuck had told him he had to practice every day. So, Sonic decided, even if it took him years, he’d teach himself.

Sonic strummed each of the strings in turn, shifting his hands a little to find what was position most comfortable for him to hold the instrument and seeing how the sounds changed as he held the strings differently. Sonic assumed the simplest way to learn how the guitar worked would be to learn what combinations of strumming and hand-holding earned certain notes. Sonic hummed a note, then tried to match it, ensuring the volume was low enough that he wouldn’t cause too much of a distraction for Jules and Bernadette. It was a slow and arduous process but Sonic wasn’t deterred. He experimented with which notes sounded good one after the other and before too long he’d come up with the beginnings of a catchy little ditty.

A couple of small knocks at the door snapped Sonic out of his focus as Jules turned the handle and entered.

“Good morning,” the older hedgehog greeted Sonic, “Practicing well?”

“Oh, sorry,” Sonic replied, sheepishly, “Am I being too loud?”

“Not at all!” Jules assured the youngster, “It seems like you’re getting to grips with your guitar already. You can definitely handle it better than Chuck, he’s completely tone deaf!”

Sonic laughed, “Yeah, Mutt told me the same thing”

“Ah, he’s a good kid,” Jules smiled, “He’ll probably be around today, actually, with the rest of your friends. I just wanted to let you know breakfast is ready whenever you are”

“Thanks,” Sonic hopped from his bed and placed his guitar in the corner of the room once more, “I’ll be right down”

“See you down there!” Jules exited and headed downstairs.

Sonic whizzed into the bathroom to wash up ready for breakfast. It was only now it really occurred to him that it was sort of odd that so many of Mobius’ animals wore gloves. Sonic pondered this for a moment and shrugged, putting it out of his mind as just one of those things. Ensuring his hands were at their cleanest and his gloves at their whitest, Sonic jogged downstairs and seated himself at the dining table, where Bernadette greeted him with a plate of bacon and tomatoes.

“Good morning, Sonic,” Bernadette grinned, “I know you don’t like eggs, so I switched them out for tomatoes for you. Unfortunately the rhyme doesn’t work them- you know, ‘Wakey-wakey, tomatoes and bakey’ doesn’t quite fit”

Sonic let out a gentle laugh, “Thanks, this is great”

The three hedgehogs were all seated to eat. Sonic’s curiosity got the better of him.

“So,” he managed to get out between mouthfuls, “Everyone tells me today’s a really big day- what’s the occasion?”

“Oh, right, of course,” Jules replied, “Well, you know your friend Sally Acorn? Chuck told us you met her yesterday”

“Yeah, she’s cool,” Sonic nodded.

“Well, she’s more than cool, dear,” Bernadette interjected, “she’s very important. Sally is going to be queen of West Side Island one day”

“She said she didn’t like people treating her differently because of who she is,” Sonic noted.

“I know, she’s a lovely girl like that,” Bernadette responded, “But, unfortunately, that’s the world she’s been born into. People are likely always going to treat her differently because she’s royalty. But that doesn’t mean she’s any less of a person or any less of a friend to you- you just treat her how you’d like to be treated yourself”

“After yesterday, I’ll be treating her really well,” Sonic’s eyebrows widened as he remembered his brush with jeopardy, “She saved me from drowning”

“Oh my,” Bernadette gasped.

“I always said she had a good head on her,” Jules added, “Good leadership skills, that one. Keeps calm in the face of danger. And only young yet, imagine what she might achieve as queen”

“I know,” Bernadette nodded, “Well, anyway, Sonic, today’s a special day for Sally and for South Island- particularly the Green Hill Zone. Sally’s father, King Acorn, is making a royal visit and he’ll be bringing his royal entourage with him”

Sonic didn’t quite know how to respond. He supposed it sounded very interesting but, at the same time, he didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere around royal proceedings.

“I sense worry in your face,” Jules smirked, “Don’t worry, the king is perfectly charming. Just remember to bow if he meets your eyes- and if any of the entourage ask you to do something, your help will probably be appreciated”

“Just bear in mind Sally might be a little preoccupied today, so you may have to play with your other friends instead”

“Okay,” Sonic accepted. He couldn’t imagine the life of a royal, having to go places and do things because it was your duty. Sonic liked to think he preferred the idea of freedom to go where you wanted when you wanted.

In short order, breakfast became a thing of the past and Jules and Bernadette began clearing the table.

“Tell you what, Sonic,” Jules offered, “Why don’t you head to meet your friends and we’ll catch up with you later?”

The older hedgehogs had decided the night before that the best thing for Sonic would be to ease him into life with them if he was to stay. Having no desire to smother him, they thought it best that Sonic spend time with the other animals his age to help him acclimatise to life in the Green Hill Zone.

Sonic found Jules’ suggestion agreeable, “Okay. I’ll see you guys later!”

Forgetting himself, Sonic put on huge burst of speed and whooshed out of the door, creating a gust of wind and leaving two very surprised hedgehogs in his wake.

“Jules?” Bernadatte managed to get out after a few moments’ pause.

“Y-yes, Bernie?”

“I think Sonic might be different to most children”

***

Sonic screeched to a halt in the middle of the Green Hill Zone, having come upon his friends.

“Morning, Sonic,” Porker greeted him.

“So, how did Mr and Mrs Hedgehog take finding out about your speed?” Flicky enquired.

Sonic paused as a look of realisation dawned upon his face, “Shoot. Well, I guess they know now”

The other animals shared a friendly laugh at this.

Sonic noticed Sally was absent from the group, “No sign of Sally then?”

“No,” Johnny shook his head, “She’ll be with Rosie, getting ready for the big visit. I take it you’ve been told what to expect?”

“Yeah, Jules and Bernie told me already. I guess we’ve got to be on our best behaviour today,” Sonic shrugged.

“Whatever that is,” Flicky winked at Chirps.

“I’ve never met a king before,” Sonic asked, “Does this sort of thing happen a lot?”

“It’s a rather infrequent occurrence,” Tux replied, straightening his bowtie and ensuring his crest looked its smartest, “Though I would suggest it beneficial. It strengthens ties between the two kingdoms. Good for political goodwill and what have you, to have friends abroad”

“Wait, so South Island is a kingdom too? I never knew that,” Sonic was surprised and baffled.

“Officially, yes,” Tux noted, “Though the monarch hasn’t been seen for some time. Rather a superstitious sort, as I understand it. The kingdom is largely governed by certain high-ranking office holders, but with the ruler’s final say so on any decrees”

“What’s the name of our king then?” Sonic asked.

“Hm. Funny,” Tux’s brow furrowed, “Do you know, I’ve quite forgotten”

“Crikey, Tux doesn’t know something about posh folks,” Flicky gave a cheeky elbow to Porker, “I reckon that’s one of the signs of the apocalypse, isn’t it?”

“My dear boy,” Tux gave that familiar wry smile to Flicky, “I can assure you that I have forgotten more than you’ll ever know”

Chirps laughed uproariously, “He’s got you there, bird brain!”

“Chirps, what is wrong with you?” Flicky raised an eyebrow, “Both Tux and you are birds too!”

“Reckon when Chirps was hatched the egg wasn’t the only thing that was cracked, you know what I mean?” Joe said, almost to himself.

Suddenly, a loud fanfare sounded and everyone turned to look at the source of the noise.

An authoritative voice cried out, “Make way for his royal highness, King Nigel Acorn of the Kingdom of Acorn, ruler of the West Side Island territories and benevolent keeper of the Source of All”

Sonic watched as a procession led by the owner of the voice, a flagbearer with a bugle tied to his waist, began walking towards the assorted animals of the Green Hill Zone. Behind the flag bearer were two squirrels, each wearing a crown. It didn’t take Sonic much to realise two of this trio must be the king and queen of West Side Island. The king wore a perfectly tailored blue suit with red trim and gold highlights while the queen wore a beautiful flowing dress. About half a step behind the king to his other side was a yellow-feathered duck. The duck wore a stern expression but also a small mirrored ring on his head. The duck was talking to the king, though Sonic couldn’t hear what was being discussed among the hubbub.

Behind these individuals were a couple of characters who looked altogether more unsavoury. One, Sonic could tell from the mane, was a lion- but not just any lion. This particular lion was a hulking brute of a beast, easily three times the size of the king. Huge shoulder pads only made his impressive mass look more intimidating and a seemingly permanent scowl and teeth bared in a snarl made Sonic quite certain he had no interest in upsetting the gentleman. Alongside him, sometimes offering words of conversation to the lion was another creature altogether. Sonic tried his hardest to place exactly what manner of animal this individual was but found himself unable to think of anyone quite like him. He walked upright like most Mobians, though with a slight hunch, yet that offered few clues. He had what appeared to be a claw in place of his right hand, though Sonic reasoned it could have just as easily been a prosthetic as an indicator that the gent was a lobster. Huge, bat-like eared framed his grinning face, sharp yellow teeth rounding off a wild expression. Yet, in the centre of his head was a horn not unlike that of a rhinoceros, sticking out just under the brim of his large black hat. To further confound matters, a long rat-like tail trailed behind him. Sonic decided there was no placing this individual’s species so simply gave up trying.

Bringing up the rear were two familiar faces and three newcomers. Sonic instantly recognised Sally and Rosie, but joining them were a female chipmunk about Rosie’s age and two squirrels, both male, one slightly younger than Sally and the other younger still.

Sonic turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat, “I said,” repeated the flag bearer, “make way for the king”

Sonic had spent so long staring at the procession, looking at the faces of everyone assembled- trying to decipher precisely what on Mobius the gentleman in the large black hat was- that he’d failed to realise he was stood in the road.

Embarrassed, Sonic blushed and stepped back, joining his friends, who couldn’t help but chuckle at him.

“Ah, no need to be so hard on the lad,” the king told the flagbearer.

Sonic looked up at the king and their eyes met. The king had a well-trimmed moustache which gave him a distinguished look. His face was kind and friendly- Sonic could instantly see why Jules had said the king was charming. Then Sonic remembered Jules’ advice and bowed deeply. Sonic’s friends joined in, with Tux delivering a sweeping motion with his bow, clearly something he had practiced.

The king chuckled, “As you were, boys,” Sonic and his friends stood up and relaxed somewhat. The king looked behind him and sought his daughter, “Sally, would these happen to be your friends? They match the description you gave me”

Sally gently walked over to her father, giving a little curtsey before speaking, “Daddy, this is Sonic, the hedgehog I was telling you about”

The king reacted with some interest, “I hear you had something of an incident yesterday, Sonic. All alright now?”

“Yes, sir,” Sonic responded, not entirely sure how to address royalty when the only other royal he knew preferred not to be spoken to with titles, “Your daughter-- the princess rescued me”

“And a fine thing she did too!” the King beamed with pride, “You can probably thank her tutor for her wherewithal and skills!”

The chipmunk raised a shy, dismissive hand, “Nonsense, your highness, I merely give the princess the information- it is she who has the wisdom to use it”

“Julayla, you’re as modest as you are brilliant,” the king praised the chipmunk, “Precisely why I organised for Sally to learn under you. Not just a master of the philosophical arts but physically quite remarkably gifted too! Our future queen will have quite the full education under your guidance”

Sally whispered to Sonic, “Julayla’s Rosie’s cousin, by marriage- that’s how Rosie came to be my au pair”

The king took a look at the surroundings, “Quite a scenic area, isn’t it? Not unlike our own Emerald Hill Zone, perhaps a slightly more muted palette but no less beautiful. You boys shall have to visit our fair kingdom one day, perhaps while Sally takes a break from her studies”

Sonic really began to feel like everything was moving at a million miles an hour. Was this an official royal invitation? Did that mean he had to attend? Would he be expected to wear a suit? He didn’t much fancy that at least.

“As far as I’m concerned, my lads,” the king addressed Sonic’s group of friends, “any friend of Sally’s would be a welcome guest in the Kingdom of Acorn”

“Your majesty, we really have to—” the lion attempted to keep things moving but the king waved him off.

“Nonsense, Kodos, we have ample time for the court of South Island’s monarch. Given the queen will doubtless be absent, there’s no immediate rush. Time, perhaps for an introduction to these friends of our fair kingdom. You boys already know Sally, of course, allow me to introduce the rest of—”

“Sire, if I may,” the flagbearer offered.

“Oh, certainly, my good man, it is your job after all,” the king acquiesced.

The flagbearer cleared his throat, “Introducing Queen Alicia Acorn of the Kingdom of Acorn, gracious queen of South Island”

The queen nodded almost imperceptibly, a warm smile crossing her face. Sonic somehow sensed her kind heart as she asked, “How do you do?”

“How do we do what?” Chirps asked, shortly before being kicked in the back of the leg by Johnny.

“Prince Elias Acorn,” the flagbearer continued, unabated, “second child of the king and queen and second in line to the throne of West Side Island”

Elias took a step forward and bowed awkwardly. It seemed as if standing on ceremony really wasn’t for him.

The flagbearer continued, “Prince Tufftee Acorn, third child of the king and queen and third in line to the throne of West Side Island”

The smallest squirrel stepped forward, almost tripping over his feet. Tufftee wore an awkward look on his face, even more so than Elias. He bowed low and came close to flopping onto his forehead before righting himself. Elias may have given the impression he didn’t care for pomp and circumstance, but Tufftee almost seemed as though he had wandered into the wrong family, having as he did no apparent grace to his motions. Still, the lad was young and might learn yet.

“Doctor Horatio Quentin Quack, royal physician and foremost medical expert in this hemisphere”

The stern looking duck’s face softened as he gave a gentle smile and wave. The doctor clearly had no interest in pretending to be something he wasn’t- his duty was to his profession rather than his position.

“Warlord Kodos,” the flagbearer continued. The hulking brute of a lion stepped forward and gave the slightest hint of a bow. Sonic thought Kodos’ clothes might pop off him if he bent any more, so tightly were they bound to his mighty body. “Chief military strategist and leader of the king’s armies”

This left only the bizarre creature that Sonic had been unable to identify. The grinning, grey-brown goblin-esque individual bowed deeply, giving a flourish of his black cape and widening his smile in a display Sonic found unnerving, almost frightening.

“Walter Naugus,” the flagbearer announced, “Royal Wizard and master of the elemental arts”

No clues in that name, Sonic thought. He decided it would probably be rude to ask someone what they were so let it lie.

Sonic and his friends gave a bow each and offered their names in turn.

“Splendid, such well mannered lads!” the king cried, “A credit to each of your parents!”

Sonic’s friends, Sally included, nervously looked at Sonic to see if this might set him off again but Sonic seemed unaffected.

The flagbearer suddenly stood to attention, caught off guard, “Sir Charles Hedgehog of the Kingdom of—”

“That’ll be enough, thank you very much,” interrupted Chuck as he came through the crowd in the direction of Sonic, “Just Uncle Chuck will do if you don’t mind”

Sonic’s eyes almost popped out of his head. ‘Sir’ Charles? Sonic couldn’t help but be continually impressed by Uncle Chuck. What further revelations could there be about this great hedgehog?

“You’ll forgive me, Sir Charles,” the king smiled, “If I use your proper title”

“Naturally, your highness,” Chuck bowed to the royal entourage, “I was hoping I might borrow the services of Sonic and his young friends. We’ve quite the rush on at the restaurant, you see. It seems rather a lot of soldiers have descended upon our humble eatery”

The king chuckled, “Now, where could they have come from?”

“If you lads aren’t busy, I’d appreciate the help,” Chuck addressed the youngsters, “They say an army marches on its stomach, and I reckon the king will want his men well fed!”

Between them, the boys decided they’d be happy to help, secretly hoping they might be paid in chilli dogs.

“Well, your majesty, we shan’t keep you any longer,” Chuck nodded to the king, ignoring Kodos quietly mumbling ‘Good’ to himself, “Come alone, boys- there are mouths to feed!”

As the group walked off in the direction of Uncle Chuck’s, Sonic turned back to look at the royal procession. They were walking onwards to their next destination and the chatter had variously resumed among their party. Sally turned back and caught Sonic’s eye. Sonic thought the whole thing was very surreal- princesses were character in fairy stories, you didn’t just happen to meet one one day… did you? As Rosie reminded Sally to watch where she was walking, Sonic couldn’t help but feel a touch of destiny, as if the course of his life had changed completely.

On to Chapter 6