dimensions (on hold)

[ chapter 1 ]

[ narrator pov ]

To say today was a normal day.. would be lying. From the moment the sun rose, something was off. Everyone knew the feeling of wrongness that they awoke with.. but it was faint enough to ignore.

The wind blew cold today, and despite the strong breeze the world seemed to be still. The trees towered over the paths, their branches twisted and reaching out like the horrifying hands of death. The few leaves that littered the branches barely shifted in the wind.

Shivers ran down the backs of those who dared to leave the safe comfort of their homes. Even the back of our dear hero, who walked outside with a horribly unsettling feeling.

He stood outside the door, one foot turned slightly to the left as if he was thinking about just going back inside.. but he couldn't do that, he had a job to do after all. But the temptation was strong.

A flash of blue was left in his wake as he ran from his home and across the city to where he was needed. His eyes squinted slightly against the harsh light of the sun shining in his eyes.. Eventually he slowed to a stop, his hand up to cover his eyes from the sunlight in such a way that he could still see pretty clearly. Too bad he didn't have sunglasses.. but he knows what would happen if he ran while wearing sunglasses.

He'd just have to make do.

He turned, walking into a small cafè. The beautifully designed wooden sign read: "Blooming Roses". It was a lovely name for the cafè, and seeing as the whole interior decor was dedicated to roses and vines.. it suited quite nicely.

As he pushed the door open, a soft ringing sounded. A voice rang out from underneath the counter. "I'll be with you in a minute! Help yourself to a cookie on the tray by the door!"

He smiled softly, reaching up and grabbing one of the chocolate chip cookies. It was slightly warm to the touch, meaning they were fresh. And when he took a bite.. the exterior was a pleasant amount of crunchiness paired with a lovely texture. The core of the cookie was slightly mushy, but in a good way. It was probably one of the best cookies he'd ever eaten..

He leaned heavily against the counter, one of his hands pressed up against his cheek as he waited for her to finish whatever she was doing. In the other hand, he held the half eaten cookie, taking small bites from it as if he wanted to savour the taste.

"Hey, sorry for the wait-" the girl stood up from behind the counter, her pink quills shifting with the sudden movement. "-I was just fixing.. Oh! It's you!"

The tone in her voice instantly changed, turning more genuine and happy with the discovery. She dropped her whole positive, fake work attitude as she noticed who was standing infront of her. She smiled, and he returned one of his own.

"Well hello Sonic, it's been a while since you've ventured so far into the city. It's nice to see you.." She looked down at her hands, fidgeting slightly with the wrench she held. Sonic blinked, speaking softly. He genuinely liked Amy, even if she was a bit strange sometimes. "Amy.. I know I should have visited more often. My bad, I know. But you have to understand.. with the.. disappearance.. it's been difficult to even get out of bed when Egghead wasn't attacking."

She sighed, reaching out and taking a gentle yet firm hold of Sonics hand. "It's been hard for all of us.. but the police force is trying their best to find them.. we all just have to have a little more faith. Okay?" She pulled her hand away from his, leaning to the side and grabbing a muffin that was up for display. "Here, I know you love these sorts of 'cakes. On me. After my shift, I'll take you for a walk in the park.. alright? Then we can both calm our nerves, together."

".. I would like that. Thank you Amy." He took the muffin that was offered. It was a blueberry/chocolate mix. And there was blueberry jam on the inside. Sonic held it for a moment, before tucking it into his quills. He had a job to do after all, this was just a detour. "I'll see you later. It was nice chatting with you, you always find some way to lighten the mood."

Sonic turned as he spoke, his white gloved hands dropping to his sides as he looked off to the side. He smiled, glancing back at Amy before turning and pushing the door open to leave. The sound of ringing bells filled his ears, but were quickly muted when the door closed.

He walked down the street, for once.. slowly. And not a sound was made as he walked in silence. It was still early in the morning.. so many citizens were still sleeping instead of being out and about. It was eerie, yet peaceful to walk down the empty streets. Unsettling, yet calming to not be able to hear anything except the sounds of his soft footsteps and the gentle howl of the wind.

He continued walking, keeping this slow and steady pace for a long, long while.

That was.. until he reached the edge of the city. He stared out over the empty fields. Those fields should belong to a farm, but it's far more likely the city's land. Everyone knows that the city likes to keep good earth to themselves, and wait for a stupidly large amount of money for it. It's pathetic really.

He walked into the fields. A highly illegal thing called trespassing is something that he does often here. He just comes here to wait. Wait for what? He doesn't know. He just knows there's something to wait for. Today more than ever before.. there was something extremely off about this day, he knew it.. maybe that strange unsettling feeling is what had drawn him to this place.

He sat down on the grass, crossing his legs and staring down at his hands. And, just like every other time he had come here, he lost himself in his thoughts.

He was Sonic the Hedgehog. Hero of Earth and Mobius both. Hero of the universe. Friend to many, foe to few.

But he didn't feel like a hero anymore.
Just a distraction.

That's all he was.
A distraction so people wouldn't notice what's truly going on.

As much as he believed this, and as much as he thought about what could be going on.. he had no idea.

He felt like a background character in his own story. A mere bystander. And he didn't know why.

He's always been a hero. Someone people cheered for, someone they relied on. He was always there to save the day, it was his job sure.. but it was also his passion. He loved waking up every day to save the citizens of this city, and every other city or small town.

That's who he is.
Or was.
Or supposed to be.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes with a tired expression. If he isn't a hero, if he isn't even the main character of his own story.. who is he? Who could he possibly be? He's lived this life for 15 years, he can't just.. stop. It wouldn't be right.

He let himself fall back, laying down against the slightly damp grass. He stared up at the sky, his emerald eyes barely showing the same light they usually would hold. There was something wrong with him. And something wrong with this entire day.

But he didn't know what.

He couldn't stop thinking about this, going round and round in circles even though he knew that thinking these thoughts hurt his pride and soul a little.. that was until he saw something falling from the sky. Something strange, small and extremely bright. He winced, quickly reaching up to cover his eyes from the reflective object.

What the hell?