//------------------------------// // Behind The Speed // Story: Tomorrow War // by Battwell //------------------------------// "Wow, so you guys go on adventures like this all the time?" Sonic Wachowski asked Peter, who was informing the young hero of recent events. "Pretty much." Peter replied. "So, just to be clear, this whole place is filled with super people?" Tom asked for clarification. "Yeah, but it only got a lot more complicated recently." Peter replied to the cop. "How so?" Maddie asked. "Well basically..." As they talked, Twilight couldn't help but glance at Sonic, the version she's known for nearly three years, maybe more than that. She felt a tint of sadness tug at her heart when glancing at the super sonic blue Hedgehog. He looked so serious, just like Shadow. Sonic was obviously dealing with something, and it was related to that "Dark Form" he used when battling Sephiroth. She breathed in and out before walking a little faster to catch up with her friend, hoping to talk to him about his problems. Maybe she could help. Twilight slowed down to walk alongside the Hedgehog, who didn't have that kind look on his face, the kind he usually had. Instead, he had a look of anger, sadness, and determination. "Sonic? Are you okay?" Twilight asked, breaking the tense silence between them. Sonic didn't even look at her, "I'm fine." He responded coldly. Twilight frowned, "I'm just trying to help." "WELL I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Sonic snapped as he turned to face Twilight, his eyes glowing white. Twilight took a step back as her ears folded to the back of her head, tears brimming her eyes. Sonic sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He then looked at Twilight again, this time his eyes were normal and he had a look of regret on his face. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just, THAT form, is one I would rather forget." Sonic said in a sad tone. Twilight looked concerned, "Maybe talking about it would help you." "Twilight--" "No! Sonic, you tried to kill that guy! You NEVER fight to kill. NEVER. I at least deserve an explanation," Twilight then looked down, tears starting to fall down her face, "Or....do you not t-trust me?" Sonic sighed as he looked down at the ground, a look of pain on his features, this was obviously something that he's been dealing with for a long time. He looked up and Twilight saw something she thought that she would never see. Sonic was crying. He wiped his tears away with his forearm, "A-Alright, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else. The only other person who knows is Tails, and that's because he's my younger brother. So, I need you to Pinkie Promise me that not a word of this is spoken to anyone else." Twilight was stunned but she nodded and performed the promise, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Sonic sighed before speaking, "When I was young, I didn't have many friends. Most of the people on my Island thought my speed was abnormal, they thought I was a freak of nature. Christmas Island, that's what the island I grew up on was called. And let me tell ya, it wasn't a nice place. "Every time I stepped foot out of the house, the other people would call me names like 'Freak', 'Monster', 'B-Blue Devil', they even went out of their way to throw stones at me whenever they could. They would all laugh and tease, and I was just a kid, a-a little boy. And they tormented me day and night, just because I was different. "School wasn't any better, I would get beat up on a regular basis. They would shove me up against a locker, take out a blade and," Sonic sniffled as the memories came flooding back, "T-They h-hurt me. I-I would come home with c-cuts and bruises every single day. All because I was abnormally fast. "And they didn't only harass me, they went for my family as well. They would constantly beat up my Mom, calling her a She-Demon, just because she gave birth to me. She couldn't even show her face out in public without being called a 'Witch', or any other horrible name. She would be mugged regularly, and..." He chocked back a sob before he continued, "They would, touch her. Make her DO things that she didn't want to do. T-they hurt her, goddamn it, they hurt her! Saying that she deserved it! SHE DIDN'T DESERVE IT!" Sonic's eyes went white, but he breathed in and out, calming down before continuing, "My Dad, was a downright bastard. He skipped town when I was born. He didn't even say goodbye. He. Just. Left. So it was just me and my Mom, we didn't have much money, so our house wasn't the best. B-But we managed, that is, when the other citizens didn't hurl bricks at our windows. We weren't even safe in our own home. "My Mom was the only one I could count on. She loved me for me, she was my best friend. But she needed a coping mechanism to deal with all of it. So she started drinking, and when she got drunk, she would say all these horrible things. Saying that it was my fault that Dad left, saying that I ruined her life. That was most nights, but I still loved her, what else was I meant to do, she was my only family. "So, when I didn't have Mom to confide in, I started talking to myself in the mirror. I would be up there for hours, just talking to myself. It's not like I had anyone else, I never got a response, what did I expect. But one day, I did. I saw him, my first real friend. I made my own coping mechanism, a black hedgehog with white eyes. I named him 'Dark', because he had dark fur. "We would talk for hours, at the time I thought it was normal. He would listen to me, he would GET me. I mean, he was me. That was my life for a very long time," Sonic's eyes darkened, "Until THAT day. Apparently torturing us on a daily basis wasn't enough. No, they just HAD to go that one step too far. "They....they threw Molotov's at our house. They tried to kill us, called us 'Abominations'! As the fire burned, I heard my Mom calling out to me. She was trying to find me, but.....she didn't notice the ceiling breaking apart." Sonic looked to the ground as tears streamed down his face, his fists clenched in anger. "I watched my Mother die. She died right in front of me. I snapped. Dark took over and confronted the people outside. We fought, I survived. They didn't." Twilight looked scared, "D-Did you?" Sonic shook his head, "I don't know. Everything was a blur, I barely remember it at all. But I eventually left Christmas Island, wanting to be a hero. I wanted to give to the world what I never had. A symbol of hope. A hero. Anyway, fast forward a few years, and I'm fighting Eggman, he goes too far, Tails nearly died. Dark came back, and I nearly killed him. If it wasn't for Tails, well, you know... "I try to keep him locked up, but if I get angry enough, the lock breaks. I've been trying to make up for my mistakes, to be a hero, and if I let him out, then all my hard work will have been for nothing. And that's it, that's why I try so hard to do the right thing, to help people, to keep Dark locked away. I-I'll understand if you want nothing to do with--" But to the Hedgehog's surprise, he was enveloped in a tight hug by the Alicorn. Sonic could feel a slight wetness on his shoulder. Twilight was crying, in fact, she was near sobbing. "Oh, Sonic. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry that you had to go through that! I'm so sorry about your Mom, about everything that you had to go through! It's not fair! Not fair at all! But you're not alone, you have Tails, your friends, Peter, m-me." Twilight said between sobs. Sonic let the tears fall as he returned the embrace, crying into Twilight's mane as he let the feelings flow through him. And yet, there was another feeling, one that he hasn't felt before. Was this....love? The embrace ended and the two stared at one another for a moment before wiping their eyes and giggling. "T-Thanks, Twi. You're the best friend any Hedgehog could ask for." Twilight blushed before replying, "If you ever need to talk, I'm here." Sonic nodded, "I know, Twi. I know."