The Speed of Sound

Race Me!

        The rising sun beats down on the vibrant grass with satisfying warmth. Pink and yellow rays streak out across the light blue sky on this cloudless morning. Last night you and Sonic had both stayed up very late, waiting for Tails to return home. Sonic had wanted to sleep earlier, but since you were becoming worried for the young fox he had decided to stay up with you. These two boys have filled the empty void in your heart with a great amount of friendship and care. You worry for them if you believe things have gone wrong. Fortunately the little orange fox arrived home safely, leading you to race up to your room and collapse onto the small bed sore and utterly exhausted.

        Once morning comes you and Sonic eat a quick breakfast and head out the front door as Tails places a new watch-radio in your hand. The two of you speedsters then proceed to sprint across the land until Sonic finally stops at the "favorite place" he had spoken about.

        Your face has on an extremely confused expression as you gaze around. The place Sonic stopped at is a very flat valley surrounded by high, rolling green hills. It is extremely beautiful, you especially like how vibrant green it is. However, what confuses you are the many loops, bridges, and paths connecting them. The paths are checkered brown. Is this a racing track? You turn your head to Sonic, incredulous. He smirks back.

        "This is Emerald Hill, the best racing track on Mobius!" He dashes to you and sets you down on the neatly trimmed grass. "You just sit there and relax. I'll show ya how it's done!" The hedgehog instantly runs to the beginning of the brown-checkered path, giving you a wave. "Time me!" he yells. Looking to your watch, you press a button to change the clock settings. "Tell me when!" you hear Sonic exclaim in an excited voice. Your watch set to "timer," you allow a finger to hover over the start button.

        "Uhh....GO!" you shout out in Sonic's direction while pressing down.

        Fast-paced footsteps instantly ensue, and you snap your head up to see a blue blur dashing along the racing track. Your mouth hangs open in astonishment at the sight of its speed. A long blue line trails behind Sonic; it looks so strange yet so amazing. Is that how I look when I run? You jump to your feet as Sonic rolls himself into a spiky blue ball and reels up the loops. Wow! He's so fast that he can go upside-down! Soon the hedgehog comes to a halt next to you after completing the course. You quickly push the button on your watch to end the timer and see how Sonic had done.

        "26.07 seconds!" An impressed smile stretches across your lips. Sonic chuckles and stretches a little.

        "Yeeaahh...I can go through this track pretty fast," he pronounces with slight arrogance. Sonic eyes you in a way that makes you expect his next words. "Hey (Y/n)! You should try out the track too!"

        "No thanks," you abruptly reply.

        "Aw c'mon. It'll be fun!" He continues to insist that you race on the course, and again you refuse. His eyes get big and he drops to his knees, crawling forward with his hands held together in a pleading posture. "Pretty please? Hey! The sooner you go through this, the sooner I can help you pick a nice spot to live!" That seems to work. You sigh and stroll over to the beginning of the track, leaning forward and ready to race. From across the field, "Ok! On your mark...get set...go!"

        You speed off, your (f/c) running shoes eating up checkered track as you sprint across your first few bridges. Narrowing your eyes you pinpoint the first loop ahead of you. Hopefully you can do this right, just like Sonic! Bending your knees you build momentum as you sprint close to the ground, approaching nearer to the loop. In the distance you can hear Sonic cheering for you, boosting your spirit. Within moments you are already leaving the loop behind. What? It was so easy...like I didn't even go on it! However you know you did run the loop and you feel extremely proud of yourself for doing so.

        The rest of the Emerald Hill course is a breeze. You pass the last obstacle and slow to a stop because Sonic is waiting for you there. He comes running to you with his watch held out.

        "29.31 seconds! HOW?!" He hops up and down in front of you, frantically waving his arms. "Wow, wow, wow! You're almost as fast as me...and this was only your first time running the track! I practice all the time!" You puff your chest out in pride.

        "Can I go again?" you ask in a squeaky, joyful tone.

        The blue hedgehog nods with an amused smile and you set out across the field to arrive at the starting line once again. You lean forward, the tip of your shoe just touching the edge of the brown-checkered path. Sonic is fiddling with his watch since he had accidentally pressed a wrong button, causing little beeps to emit from the contraption.

        Patiently waiting for your timer, you suddenly get the feeling that somebody is watching you. You whip your head from side to side, scanning the valley for anyone strange. Nobody is down here except for you and Sonic. You then look higher up, at the tops of the towering hills. A dark figure causes you to instantly freeze. Blinking once, the figure has disappeared. It must have been a shadow, you try to convince yourself as you look up in the sky to see if there are any clouds that could have caused a shadow. The bright blue sky is crystal clear. ...or not.

        "Are you even paying attention?" the voice jolts you from your thoughts as you remember the race.

        "Sorry, I'm ready now!" you yell back at Sonic. He sets the timer, announces the start, and you are off!

        "27.40 seconds. Oh geez, you're getting' fast! I just hope you aren't the fastest thing on Mobius..."

        You smile shyly, hands on your knees as you heave for breath. Racing really took a toll on your energy. Static noise coming from both yours and Sonic's watch-radios make your ears twitch in irritation.

        "Tails coming in. Guys, I made lunch if you want to come home to eat." A thundering rumble echoes throughout Emerald Hill. You look up in alarm and search around the landscape for an attacker.

        "Running makes ya hungry eh?" Sonic's amused snigger snaps you out of your state of panic and your cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. "That's just like me," Sonic continues. He presses the communication button on his radio. "We'll be right over Tails."

        A fizzy "roger" responds and then the communication goes out with a pop. Sonic lifts his leg up and, with a wink, dashes off in the direction of home. You take one last look around the beautiful scenery of the race track. Emerald Hill seems like a very peaceful place. Perhaps you can come here whenever you need some alone time. Heart thumping just a little, you scan the tops of the rolling green hills for any sign of that dark figure. Of course there is nothing. Scolding yourself for being so paranoid, you follow the trail of dust back to Sonic and Tails' house.