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The next day, Sonic determined he was going to explore the Green Hill Zone a little. Sonic had always been interested in finding out more about the world in which he lived and, since the Green Hill Zone was going to account for much of that world for now, he reasoned he’d better have a look around.

Sonic had decided he was going to explore solo on this occasion. In truth, he was starting to get a little overwhelmed by all the new faces and was worried he might have another emotional wobble like he did on his first day in the village. If he was going to have a bit of a moment, he was going to do it on his own terms.

Setting off towards the mountains, Sonic was constantly taken aback at just how green the Green Hill Zone was. Obviously, it would have to be to get its name but this was a pure, deep, luscious green you just didn’t see anywhere else except in comic books and cartoons. Likewise, the waters of the Zone were a deep, rich blue that sparkled in the sunlight. Sonic had never seen anything like it. The Zone’s natural beauty was evident. Sonic felt almost as if he was in a fairy tale. He wondered if the Zone was always this beautiful- he certainly hoped so.

Coming to a rocky mountain range, Sonic once again had to be impressed by the vibrancy of the colours. This brown was very brown. It couldn’t get much more brown if it tried, really. There weren’t many mountains the colour of smooth milk chocolate but here Sonic was. Naturally, the mountains didn’t taste of smooth milk chocolate, but Sonic had read some unbelievable things about edible Zones he’d previously put down to the strange humour of the author behind Mobius’ 50 Most Astounding Zones, a favourite picture-book of his as a child.

Sonic decided to climb the rock-face of the mountains to get a better view. For once, he elected to tie his shoelaces. It wasn’t that he couldn’t tie them, he just usually couldn’t be bothered. Not wanting to take any unnecessary risks while mountaineering, however, Sonic thought it best to play it safe.

Clambering up the cliff, Sonic had a momentary flashback to his awkward ascent up the tree the other day before his inelegant crash into the water below. If he fell now, he’d certainly land with a thud, but the waters of the Zone were some way off. Sonic decided he’d just have to curl himself into a ball to stay safe if he fell or, better still, not fall in the first place (which was, as it happens, the most vital piece of advice in the Mobian Guide to Mountaineering, not that Sonic knew as much).

It took Sonic a decent amount of time to make his way up the mountain. He may have been fast on the ground but his vertical speed was another story altogether, a much less impressive one at that. Eventually, Sonic reached a trail along a ledge about three-quarters of the way up the mountain he’d elected to climb. Sitting himself down for a breather, Sonic turned to face the horizon. He found his already short breath being taken away by the beautiful view in front of him. Gorgeous white, fluffy clouds dotted the skyline. The sun shone beautifully and the Green Hill Zone, laid out ahead of him, appeared as if from an amazing high-fantasy novel.

Sonic knew in that moment that he would enjoy calling the Green Hill Zone his home.

As he was about to push on ahead, cursing himself for not bringing a snack to eat, Sonic became aware of a shadow blotting out the light above him. He turned his head towards the source of the shade, protecting his eyes as best he could against the sun’s harsh light, peering between from underneath his palm. He could just about make out a shape in the sky above him- no, two. Sonic squinted, paradoxically making it harder to see as he strained for a better look. The shapes seemed to have… were those wings?

Sonic’s eyes widened.

Dragons!

Sonic had certainly read enough legends about dragons to know they were some of the fiercest, cruellest creatures on Mobius. In centuries past, they’d been plentiful. Now, however, most of their number slumbered beneath Mobius’ crust, awaiting the time of their revival- and that was just fine by Sonic! Sonic had heard a few pockets of dragons still existed in the world, keeping watch over Mobius, plotting and planning for the great awakening of their kind.

Sonic suddenly had a vision in his head of fire and danger and destruction. He could take on a blowhard like Tundra no problem- but dragons fried you alive! The dragons up above seemed to be getting larger- no, of course not, Sonic shook his head, they weren’t getting larger, they were coming in to land! If they saw him, he was toast. Sonic had read that dragon fire was one of the hottest things ever recorded on Mobius- and the last thing he wanted to be at that precise moment in time was roast hedgehog!

Sonic spun round and his eyes darted frantically to find a hiding spot. He thanked his lucky stars as he noticed a cave entrance and practically leapt inside. The cave was not especially deep, only about twenty feet in or so, and probably only ten feet high. If the dragons caught wind of him in there, he wouldn’t have much room to move- and that was before their flames filled the cave. Sonic’s heart thumped. The last few days had been full of so much fright- the explosion, almost drowning, now this. Sonic was starting to think he was a bad luck magnet.

There was a mighty crash outside and Sonic feared the worst.

“Dear me…” one of the dragons said in a deep, female voice.

“I’ll get it, don’t you worry,” the other responded in a higher-pitched voice.

“Now, where was that little one I saw?” the deep voice asked herself.

Sonic’s back clung to the cave wall. His heart was practically punching at his ribcage, demanding to be let out so it could go away and be anywhere but here. If he was turned into a pile of ash and blown away by the wind, his friends would never find him! Would Jules and Bernadette think he’d left them? More to the point, would Uncle Chuck want his guitar back? Sonic shook his head- this was hardly the time to ponder such things.

The larger dragon, a brownish-green with a lighter, more yellow green colour to the underside of her wings and a mohawk of brown hair, stalked her way into the cave.

“Where are you, little one?” the larger dragon asked, “Come on out, don’t be frightened… we just want to say hello”

Scared, Sonic squeaked and gave away his position. Nice, he thought, go out with a whimper rather than a bang.

The second dragon entered the cave. Her scales were a lighter shade of green and her wings were pink on the underside to match her hair.

“Ma?” the younger dragon asked, “What’s going on?”

Sonic now realised the younger dragon was probably about his age.

“Nothing, dear,” the elder dragon responded, “Just trying to make this little one see we’re not a threat”

“Y-you’re… dragons,” Sonic stammered.

“Very good, excellent eyesight. They do say that about hedgehogs, don’t they?” the older dragon gave a wry smile.

“Are… are you going to fry me with your fire breath?” Sonic squirmed.

“Fry you?!” the younger dragon was incredulous, “Why would we wanna do that?”

“You know… to eat me,” Sonic could hardly believe what he was saying.

“Yuck, no thanks!” the younger dragon shook her head and stuck her tongue out disgustedly, “I bet hedgehog tastes horrible, all points and no flavour”

“Besides,” the other dragon responded, “if we used our fire breath on you, I can promise you there’d not be much left of you to eat- and I don’t like to waste my food. But if it makes you feel any better, you needn’t worry- we’re both vegetarians”

“Vege—are you serious?!” Sonic gasped.

“Of course, dear”

All of a sudden, Sonic noticed that despite her size, the older of the two dragons had a warm, kindly face. The younger almost seemed nervous herself. Sonic took note of their traditional attire- he’d seen a picture of clothes like this in a history book.

“Wait a second… you’re… Mobians?”

“Well of course we are,” the elder dragon responded, “We’re too large to be Mobini- and have you ever seen a human with wings?”

“Well, no,” Sonic had to admit he had not.

“Well, why wouldn’t we be Mobians, silly?” the younger dragon asked.

“I just… you know… read some stuff about dragons,” Sonic responded sheepishly, realising how foolish he must sound.

“Little one,” the older dragon responded with a comforting tone, “I’m sorry to say our history has been skewed. Much of what you read about dragons in your picture books is a far cry from the truth. We’re just like you or anyone else, really”

“So… hundreds of dragons don’t sleep underground, while a few of you await their return?” Sonic asked.

“Well, that part is true,” the elder dragon returned, “The life force which preserves our kind grew weak and unable to sustain us. Most dragons were forced to enter a deep slumber of centuries while those that remain watch over the world as we await their return. We keep the traditions and the old ways alive. For instance, my daughter and I are member of the Eastern Forest Clan- we help preserve the old ways of our clan”

“Wow…” Sonic suddenly felt rather embarrassed, “I’m sorry. I just… you know, I was scared. And then I heard you say you’d get me…”

“Say what?” the younger dragon responded, “Oh, right, that was me! No, when I said ‘I’ll get it!’, I didn’t mean I’d get you- I meant I’d get the hang of landing. You heard the crash right?”

“You… you don’t know how to land?”

“It takes time and practice to learn a skill, little one,” the mother responded, “As I’m sure you’re aware”

Sonic looked at the dust on his gloves from climbing the mountain and realised she was right.

“Yeah… yeah, I get it,” he smiled.

“Well, we can hardly go on calling you ‘little one’. My name is Sabina and this is my daughter Dulcinea”

“Dulcy,” the younger dragon corrected her mother, “You can save my full-name for Sundays, ma”

Sonic took a calming breath, realising the danger was non-existent, “I’m Sonic. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve never met a dragon before”

“Well, Sonic,” Sabina smiled, “Now you have”

The three of them exited the cave. Sonic found himself compelled to ask, “What’s it like?”

“What’s what like, dear?” Sabina responded.

“Flying. I’ve never flown in a plane or anything. It must be amazing”

“It’s the best!” Dulcy exclaimed, excited, “When you can fly you can go anywhere and do anything whenever you like!”

“You’re lucky,” Sonic looked up at Dulcy- despite her being of a similar age, she naturally towered over him due to the difference in their species.

“You think so?” Dulcy asked, “I guess I never really thought about it. Yeah, I guess I am pretty lucky to be able to fly”

“It’s a precious gift that comes with being who we are,” Sabina added.

“Hey, you wanna give it a go?” Dulcy blurted out.

“What?” Sonic asked.

“Flying! You don’t look too heavy and I’m pretty strong- hop on my back and I’ll give you a piggyback ride! Um, hoggyback ride?”

“You mean it?” Sonic was open-mouthed with delight at the prospect of taking to the skies, a realm previously closed off to him.

“Sure! And maybe you can spread the word about how great dragons are and how cool it is to fly on one? Maybe throw some old books out?”

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Sonic beamed.

***

Mere moments later, Sonic found himself soaring through the sky, clinging on for dear life to Dulcy’s back, arms wrapped around her neck.

“M-maybe ease your grip a little?” Dulcy croaked, trying to keep a smile on her face.

“Sorry!” Sonic responded, loosening his grip, “I’ve never done this before and it’s a little scary”

“Aw, my ma says life’s scary. Sometimes you’ve just got to face it head on and- CHAAAAARGE!”

Dulcy swooped down lightning fast as Sonic yelled, before pulling back up into the skies. Sonic laughed nervously, then hysterically, before settling on joyously. It really was an exhilarating feeling.

“Sorry that wasn’t as smooth as I usually like,” Dulcy apologised, “I’m getting a little bit of drag. Your spines aren’t very aerodynamic!”

“Hah, I wish!” Sonic snorted, “If they were, I could be even faster on the ground!”

“Oh, a runner, huh?” Dulcy grinned.

“Yeah- I’m pretty fast! Not that I’m trying to brag or anything- trust me, right now, nothing much seems cooler than flying!”

“Is this your home Zone?” Dulcy enquired as the air rushed past them both.

“It is now. I’m new here,” Sonic replied, “How about you?”

“Nah, we’re just visiting for a little vacation. We’ll be here for a while, though, so if you want to show me around then I’m up for it!”

Sonic spotted the Green Hill Village below, “That’s where my friends live! What say we give them a little surprise? I bet they’ve never seen a dragon before either!”

“Oh, so now I get to be your cool new toy to show off, huh?” Dulcy raised a cheeky eyebrow at Sonic, “Alrighty, let’s see if we can’t pay your friends a visit!”

Dulcy divebombed down at a rate of knots comparable to Sonic’s land-speed. Sonic loved the feeling of the wind rushing past him, amused that it was coming in a completely different direction to what he was used to when running. Dulcy pulled up slightly as the two neared the ground in the village, flying parallel to it, similar to Flicky’s technique the other day. The air currents pushed Dulcy further along at speed and Sonic suddenly realised this might have been a bad idea.

“Uh, Dulcy, I don’t say this often but- maybe you ought to slow down a little?”

Dulcy gulped, “I’m trying…”

“Not to be a back-dragon driver or anything,” Sonic responded, slightly frantic as he saw houses whizz past him before he could even register they were there, “but could you try a tiny bit harder?”

“You remember how I told you I wasn’t good at landing?” Dulcy winced.

“Oh no…” Sonic groaned.

“Sorry…”

***

Porker Lewis arrived at his front door. In his arms he was carrying a huge basket of laundry. The laundromat owner had been away the week before and Porker had been forced to hold off on washing as his own washing machine had broken down. With two weeks’ worth of clothes inside it, the basket heaved and sagged as Porker dragged it behind him. Contrary to most stereotypes surrounding pigs, Porker hated mess. He was very organised, particularly his work-space, a sharp contrast to Rotor’s.

“Phew,” Porker wiped his brow as he placed the basket on the floor to unlock his front door, talking to himself as he did, “It’s amazing how quickly this all piles up”

Porker was suddenly acutely aware of a sound rushing towards him.

A sort of screaming sound.

A sort of two-voices-screaming sound.

A sort of two-voices-screaming-as-their-owners-careened-out-of-control sound.

Porker turned to see the source of the noise…

…just in time for Dulcy to slam into the laundry basket, sending herself, Sonic and two weeks of laundry all over the place.

Porker gasped and stood for a moment, not quite sure what to say, before finally offering, “Sonic, is that you? Are you alright?”

Sonic had managed to get wrapped up in a pair of Porker’s jeans. Fighting to get them off him he staggered to his feet.

“Good thinking with the crash mat, Lewis, you really are the brainbox here, aren’t you?”

Porker couldn’t tell if Sonic was joking or not, “I—”

“Porker Lewis, allow me to introduce to you my new friend- Dulcy the Dragon!”

The two looked over at a heap of clothes, under which lay Dulcy.

“Dulcy?” Sonic furrowed his brows as he lifted up a shirt which was covering her face.

“Okay, ma…” Dulcy responded in a confused daze, “I’ll clean my room up in just a minute…”

Dulcy coughed and a tiny lick of flame shot out of her mouth, singeing the front of one of Porker’s favourite T-shirts. Porker looked at Sonic, unimpressed.

“You know,” Sonic shrugged, “I saw a laundromat on my way out of the village this morning, maybe they could be your next stop. This is a pretty big mess, Porker”

Fifteen minutes later, Sonic sat, arms-crossed in the laundromat, unimpressed that he’d been placed on guard duty for Porker’s washing. No sense of humour, some people, Sonic pondered.

On to Chapter 10