Chapter Text
Sonic has decided that he's nine years old, because he must be, and that he’s not afraid of anything, because he can’t be.
He’s never been a coward, really. Not as long as he can remember, even if he can’t remember very much. It was the easiest thing in the world to fight those little robots that appeared on his island one day. But now he’s a lot tougher than before, because he didn’t just fight against a bunch of little robots. He won against the guy who made them, too. He doubts he’ll ever see that mad egg-headed scientist again, or his mustache, or his weird hovercraft. Good riddance. Sonic’s glad he chased the egg man – Eggman? – off his island. He’s especially glad that all his animal friends are safe.
Still, he’s not sure why the Eggman ever came here in the first place. How does someone get it in their head to trap little animals and use them as power sources?
There's something nagging at Sonic about that -- a feeling that he's forgetting something, maybe even something important. But his head doesn't go back far enough to figure it out.
He tries not to worry about it. He has other things to worry about instead, he decides. And there are some things that stress him out. Like how, even though Sonic should be resting easy now that his island and animal friends are safe… it’s hard sleeping sometimes, even under a sky full of stars. Sonic can’t help thinking about how awful it would be, cooped up like that. Sonic knows he’s not really contained, not when he can run around the island – so why does he feel trapped here?
Christmas Island is the first place he's ever been. If Sonic thought back, he'd say that he's always been here. It's all he knows. And now Christmas Island is under his protection. He’s a hero. His animal friends would do anything for him. So why doesn't it feel like home? He’s not sure why he’s still here – but it’s like the sky and its stars, and the islands beyond the ocean are calling him.
Sonic’s not afraid of the ocean anymore, he’s decided. He can’t be.
But… he doesn’t want to cross it on foot, either.
He wants to see cool new places without risking sneezing in the middle of the ocean and losing his speed. He’d hate to sink that far out to sea. He doesn't want to know what lies beneath; doesn't want to sink into the depths. Nothing scares him, but... he'll admit he really doesn't like water. Which is why he looks for other ways to travel than just his feet. It feels like a lucky find, but within a few weeks, he finds an old plane on the outskirts of the island. It had Eggman’s logo on it, the first time Sonic sees it. He still feels a little gross using it, but he made sure to paint over that part, leaving the rest of the symbols in place.
Now that he’s fixed up the plane, he can go anywhere he wants.
First, he goes north and east. Sonic wants to see the whole world, but he’s got to start somewhere. And there’s something in the wind that tells him this is a good first step.
//
Sonic’s speed betrays him for months.
Not because he loses speed – he actually is getting faster every day. No, it’s because no matter how fast he goes or where he explores, adventure remains stubbornly hidden from him. Months drag on and on with absolutely nothing to do. It starts to feel like he’s already had his greatest adventure at only eight-and-a-half. (He had to be eight and a half then if he’s now nine, because he’s pretty sure it’s been six months. But time has never been his strong suit.) He can’t imagine spending the rest of his life like this – looking for a calling that won’t answer him, and going from blue to gray – especially when he’s just barely started noticing deep blue quills poking through his light blue fur. He's still a kid, he can't settle down for a long, long time. Not until he's had his fun.
That, and he knows he’s no quitter. So Sonic keeps finding fuel for the Tornado, and keeps setting off for new adventures.
Sonic spends two months hopping from island to island. Most of the ones he lands on are uninhabited. Or, if they’ve got people, they’re humans, and Sonic’s a little wary of human people right now. The Eggman put a really bad taste in his mouth. So Sonic usually takes off pretty quick from the populated ones, instead sticking to the quieter ones that have new little animal friends to make. They keep him company and make for good playmates, but... Sonic has to admit, he was looking for more adventure than this.
But when Sonic finally finds the great adventure he was looking for, it’s not what he expects.
That’s because the first time he finds it in months, it’s in the form of Eggman’s carrier, and a few Mobians – just like him. Sonic’s not super used to seeing other Mobians, but he thinks he recognizes the species. A red armadillo – and with him, a yellow little squirrel with a much bigger tail than he expects.
And they’re fighting Eggman.
Eggman, who Sonic already beat. Ugh. So much for new adventures.
Sonic can’t help but feel frustrated, partly for his animal friends, and partly for how much he wanted something exciting. He thought – he really thought – that Eggman was a thing of the past. That he’d never see him again. That he’d sent him packing, not only off Christmas Island, but everywhere else. That he’d never have to feel the strange familiarity or disgust or helplessness or anger that courses through him every time he sees that awful mustache.
But as Sonic approaches, he realizes very quickly that this whole adventuring thing might be more complicated than he thought.
The second thing Sonic feels is kinship for the other mobians. …Even if a little wind is taken out of his sails at not being the only one to ever fight against Eggman.
The red one is pretty strong, which immediately earns him some respect in Sonic's book. Sonic watches as he punches his way through the robots and badniks surrounding them. And to his surprise, the yellow one occasionally flies to his side for assistance. A flying squirrel, how weird! But maybe plenty of other species can fly that he wouldn’t expect. After all, non-Mobian hedgehogs seem to be pretty slow, unlike him. And he never pictured armadillos as strong. For now, Sonic watches, silently cheering from the sidelines. He wants adventure, but he wants it to be new – they can take Sonic’s hand-me-down Eggman. He won't embarrass them by telling them he already defeated him.
But he realizes after a few moments that this might not be a fight the pair can win.
The red one keeps having to stop and readjust, because his little yellow friend is in danger. Sonic can’t help but feel bad – the little one looks a lot younger than his big friend.
When a badnik gets a lucky shot in, though, and Eggman cackles and twists his mustache in glee, Sonic realizes what he has to do. He speeds through and takes all of Eggman’s attention – and his fire, because armed megalomaniacs tend to shoot at anything that dares stand up to them. Sonic’s fast, though. Fast enough to dodge even Eggman’s weapons.
Fast enough that it takes Eggman a few seconds to even realize who he’s fighting.
By then, Sonic’s spin-dashing into the egg-carrier. He lands on the front of the windshield, hoping he looks as cool as he feels.
The man shouts something at him – but Sonic doesn’t understand him, and isn’t interested, anyway. Instead, he places a well-timed strike against his control panel from the inside.
Sonic hops off – and Eggman, hovercraft now smoking, can’t stay for long, or risk his engine overheating and blowing up.
He yells even louder, words that Sonic doesn’t understand a word of. But he doesn’t need to – all he needs is this victory. Eggman flies off, still shaking his fist, and Sonic snickers at him from the ground.
It’s not until Eggman is far away, smoke trailing behind him and marking his path, that Sonic remembers that this was a rescue.
He hears voices from the other mobians, and turns to find them staring at him.
The red armadillo steps forward – but surprisingly, keeps his little yellow friend pushed behind him. Even going so far as to gently push him back when the little guy tries to poke his head around to see what’s going on in front.
The red one says something – a greeting, Sonic thinks.
He repeats it back as best as he can – but he winces at how it sounds even to his own ears.
The red one tilts his head to the side. Then he says something else. Sonic can’t tell if it’s a greeting or conversation. This time, he doesn’t bother repeating it, not wanting to embarrass himself. His cheeks warm as he realizes that he can’t do anything now that the badniks are blown up and Eggman is gone. Sonic doesn’t have much else to offer them. He crosses his arms and looks pointedly away, ignoring the armadillo as he continues saying strange, and completely different accented phrases at him. Better to have an attitude than to admit weakness, after all.
If this mobian is trying to figure out what language Sonic speaks or understands, he’s out of luck. Not even Sonic’s totally sure about that one.
The thing is, Sonic has words in his head. His thoughts aren’t empty, or just about motion – though he’ll admit it plays a big part. He has concepts, even words, for most things. He just isn’t sure where they come from, or ever had a chance to pronounce them. Christmas Island’s population was so small that he never had real conversations – he’s not sure where or when he was taught language at all. But it had to have happened, he thinks – because he does, in fact, think.
It doesn’t help here, though. Having words in his head doesn’t do a thing when he doesn’t know what language he speaks, and can’t get his voice to produce those words.
And even if he could speak, he doesn’t know this language.
The armadillo takes a few steps closer, and Sonic watches, still aggravated and trying not to show his frustration. He doesn’t do a good job of it, hands balled into fists, staring fixedly at the ground and kicking at the sand.
But the guy is surprisingly persistent. In a maybe-friendly way – not an Eggman way. He clears his throat, and when Sonic finally risks a glance up, he gestures to himself. “Mi-ty,” the guy says. Simple. The best introduction they’re going to get. “Mighty,” he repeats, just in case Sonic missed it.
This, Sonic can work with. He smiles and gives a thumbs up.
The armadillo – Mighty – tilts his head to the side. Waiting for Sonic to introduce himself.
Sonic opens his mouth, but the word doesn’t come out.
“Mighty,” Mighty says again, and Sonic gives him a rude look. He taps his ears, to show that he already heard. Mighty just furrows his brows.
Sonic sighs and rubs his cheek, feeling uncomfortable for what’s got to be the first time in his life. Wasn’t it enough that he saved them? Why did they have to talk? And why was the little yellow one still being pushed behind the armadillo like Sonic was dangerous?
It hurts more than it annoys him. But Sonic’s not great at figuring out feelings, so for now, it does both.
So he taps his foot, trying to show just how impatient he feels with all this. Just as he’s about to run off though, he remembers the flickies on the ground. Sonic snaps to attention and sucks in a sharp breath as he remembers. He'll never forgive himself for forgetting his new animal friends. Ignoring the mobians, he speeds over to flickies, and gently picks them up and places them in a small, sandy patch of beach. He catalogs their various injuries – ignoring Mighty's attempts to get his attention, because it’s more important to tend to his little animal friends.
It only takes a few seconds to find some nearby resources for the little guys. He finds some hydrating little berries, and some nuts and small nutritious herbs, and then places them in the little patch of beach he's gathered the flickies on. There’s not a lot there, but it’s enough for now, to give them enough strength to forage themselves, after some rest.
Sonic sits and watches them for complications – just in case.
He almost forgets that there are other mobians present… until the little yellow squirrel shyly approaches. He kneels near the little animals too, and in his hands, he has a few more berries.
Sonic eyes him warily, and moves to stand firmly between the kid and his newly freed animal friends.
The little yellow squirrel says something, which isn’t helpful at all. But when Sonic looks at him with a questioning look, the kid seems to realize the problem. Then, the kid’s eyes light up – and he motions with his hands.
He mimes giving the berries to the flickies.
Sonic glances at the berries. They’re of a similar variety to the ones Sonic recognized and plucked, but he doesn’t quite recognize them.
He’s about to shake his head no, when Mighty pops back up. He shakes his head, then pops one of the berries for himself.
They must be safe to eat then…
And Sonic supposes the locals usually know best about local foods. Sonic finally, reluctantly nods, and watches as the little animals eagerly eat the fruits once they’re presented. It’s a much better spread of food for the exhausted little critters – Sonic feels warmth bloom in his chest that they’re being provided for.
The little yellow one slides into Sonic’s field of vision again, and Sonic looks up at him, surprised at the kid’s persistence, when he simultaneously seems so shy.
Once he has his attention, the kid says a lot of syllables all at once. Sonic doesn’t catch most of them. And to be fair, even for the kid’s own language, it seems that he’s repeating a lot of sounds. A lot more than Mighty did.
But he does catch, a single, uncertain, syllable mixed in with the starts and stops. “Ray.”
Sonic does his best to repeat it, thinking it’s the important word.
It’s hard.
But it’s worth it to make the little guy, Ray, smile. Sonic’s reminded, just a bit, of some of the more shy animal friends he has. Easily intimidated – and who could blame him, after getting hurt? Because Sonic didn’t miss the way that badnik blasted him on the shoulder.
Ray nods, still looking very shy. “Ray,” he repeats, because Sonic must have said it a little wrong, even if he got the right word.
Sonic tries again – but it just makes the kid giggle. Sonic huffs, rubbing the back of his neck. Maybe he ought to just give up entirely. But making a kid laugh isn’t the end of the world. Chaos knows he makes his animal friends giggle enough. At least making Ray laugh seems to have the added bonus of making Mighty relax a little. Still, even so, the guy won’t stop hovering.
They all watch the flickies and friends eat for a few more minutes. And as the moments tick by and Sonic hasn't yet run away, Sonic starts to feel like he’s caught here. Like he can't leave until he figures out what's compelling him to stay. Mighty and Ray start talking amongst themselves for a bit, until finally, after much debate, Sonic clears his throat.
Sonic points at himself uncertainly.
Then, he tries saying his name one more time.
He tries to put some energy and enthusiasm into it – but it comes out all wrong anyways. His voice sounds like puffs of air that meet his voicebox like barbed wire. There’s accents where they shouldn’t be, and it’s much too quiet and breathy. He can’t help his frustration, and finally he scrubs his hands against his cheeks. He shakes his head, wishing he knew how to say never-mind, that he's changed his mind.
But Ray plops in front of him, determination on his face.
“Sonec?” the kid says.
And it’s not so terribly off that Sonic feels worse for getting his own name wrong.
Sonic nods, with a hand-wave to show it's only mostly right. “Sonic,” he tries again. It’s not much better than before. It’s so quiet and cracking that he thinks no matter what word he tries, he’ll barely get a syllable out. It feels like he’s already losing his voice. His cheeks feel hot.
But… these two aren’t trying to give him a hard time.
“So-nic,” Mighty says. Sow instead of so.
Mighty says it hesitantly – but Sonic has a feeling it’s for a nice reason, not a negative one.
It’s still not quite right, though. Sonic opens his mouth to try and fix it – but nothing comes out. He rubs at his throat. Not sure how to fix it when he can’t say anything more.
The little kid doesn’t let him give up easily. Instead, he gets bright eyes, even with his timid voice. “S-S- Sonic ,” Ray says. It seems to take herculean effort, but he seems proud of himself nonetheless.
Mighty glances between them, as if trying to make sure Sonic won’t give him a hard time for the stuttering. But instead, Sonic gives Ray a thumbs up – and gives Mighty only a sideways thumb. He tries to use his voice one last time. And fortunately, there’s sound instead of just the breathy wisp before. “So-nic.”
It’s almost how Ray pronounced it. And, he thinks, probably the way it’s supposed to be said.
Ray absolutely lights up once he realized he got it the closest.
Mighty smiles too, more confident than before. He finally moves to stand beside Ray, no longer trying to shield him. He says something again, but seems to realize it’s not very useful without a bit of extra guidance – and he gestures to the sand around them.
Mighty plops down on the sand – and Sonic moves to sit closer.
Just like that, Sonic’s made his first friends.
Mobian friends are hard to come by on these mostly-empty islands. So this feels special, even if Sonic’s never sure where friends factored into his adventuring. But even though he feels good, he can’t get too cozy – they did just finish a battle after all. Sonic glances at the little patch of singed fur on Ray’s shoulder, where he got hit with Eggman’s beams, and then points to his own shoulder, giving Ray an intense look and furrowed brows. He wishes he could ask if he’s okay. But even if he knew the words, his voice feels gone for the day.
Ray seems to understand anyway. His cheeks go pink, embarrassed about getting hurt. But Mighty places a hand on his non-hurt shoulder, then ruffles his hair. He says something, and his voice is warm as honey. It seems to relax Ray, too, who just fidgets his fingers too. Finally Ray looks back up at Sonic and nods, gently patting the singed fur. The closest to an ‘I’m fine’ as they’re going to get.
From there, the night gets easier.
It’s not a quiet evening, exactly. Ray and Mighty talk plenty, and the fire crackles so loud that their conversation sounds like nothing more than honeyed, gentle background noise. Similar, just a little, to when Sonic’s old flicky friends were chatty in the early morning.
But they’re good friends, because even while chatting amongst themselves, they don’t exactly exclude Sonic, either.
They share their food – meals with flavors Sonic’s never had before, but that pair well together. Small white grains, mixed with food from the sea, and dried greens Sonic isn’t sure of the origin, but that tastes good, if a bit salty. It’s the first meal he might have ever had that he didn’t catch himself. He makes a face at some of the seasoning, and Mighty laughs at him only a little before giving him a more plain version he can eat. But Sonic’s never one to back down from a challenge, and soon he’s testing how much spice he can handle before his mouth gets too hot.
Eventually, they figure out a game to play with one another. Charades is a little harder when the word itself can’t easily be shouted out by all parties. But the spark of recognition when they do understand common concepts – it’s impossible to fake, and they trust each other. And when Sonic gets something and even starts to sense patterns in words… it feels amazing.
It’s also how Sonic starts learning the language that Ray and Mighty speak. Because as it turns out, this is not a one-night friendship. They share an extra blanket and don’t mind when he stays near their camp and the fire. Sonic isn’t sure if it’s just gratitude from saving them from Eggman, or if it’s the same feeling of friendship he has towards them. But it’s a good feeling.
//
They learn a lot, together.
Mighty is a surprisingly patient teacher, for a guy who Sonic learns can punch through cliffsides. Sonic’s pretty great at living off the land, but Mighty has insight that Sonic doesn’t hasn’t learned; how to forage for foods on islands he’s not familiar with, how to use certain rocks to start fires, how to mend injuries.
Mighty also teaches both Sonic and Ray how to speak. This one, Ray’s got more of a knack for than Sonic, as he already clearly understands language. But there’s something different about his voice, where he still has trouble remembering words or pronouncing them right. When he’s upset, sometimes he can’t speak at all. As opposed to Sonic, who sometimes would rather go kick sand than be in lessons where his voice sometimes dies after three words; he doesn’t even need to be upset for his voice to die, sometimes it just croaks for no reason. But they’re both still learning, and it builds both their confidence to have a partner to practice with. A small part of Sonic thinks that being here is helping Ray – that it’s nice for Ray to succeed in something he probably used to think he was really bad at. Sonic’s not exactly excited to be the new worst person, but if it builds the kid’s confidence, he’ll do his best. And he can’t deny that he’s learning a lot, too, even if he’s better at understanding than repeating.
Sonic, meanwhile, has his own tips to share. He teaches Mighty the best way to take down badniks, and even some of Eggman’s bigger robots, when they bump into them as a group. That’s just for Mighty, though – he doesn’t think Ray can quite throw a punch, and Mighty seems reluctant to teach him.
But there are strategies that Sonic can teach both of them: how to target power sources from afar, how to avoid getting hurt when badniks corner them, and most importantly, how to make friends with flickies and other little forest animals. He teaches them how to make the little guys feel safe, especially after being freed from their robot prison. He also teaches them how to lead the animals to a safe place and get them some food, because they’ll be exhausted after having to power a robot for so long. Mighty and Ray are both good at this – but Ray really, really shines. He was a natural when he first held a baby flicky in his hands. He spoke softly to it, and let it see one hand at all times while the other held it, and after it felt safe, he let the poor thing rest while Mighty found it some water. Sonic’s proud of them, he really is.
And to Sonic’s surprise, even little Ray has things to teach them. There’s not a lot that he can really ‘teach’ Mighty, but every day, Sonic watches Mighty’s patience grow. Early on, Sonic seemed to frustrate him sometimes – but one look from Ray would have Mighty take a deep breath, calm down, and figure out a new way to bridge the squabbles Mighty and Sonic often had. (Because they do have squabbles, and a lot of them. Most are friendly, but with enough time, even the gentlest argument can turn to strife. Especially when it concerns getting Sonic to join them in water, or demanding that Sonic stop running ahead, or Sonic getting huffy when they make certain areas of the forest a bathroom.)
Ray teaches Sonic plenty, too – some directly, some indirectly. For one, he teaches Sonic how to play with kids. Sonic had thought he was good with kids because he was good with animal friends, but he quickly learns there’s a big difference, and Ray is kind enough not to take offense. Instead, he shows Sonic how to play tag without ruining it by using his speed, and how to play hide and seek, and how to figure out games of pretend with a six-year-old. Mighty joins in, too – not too mature for them, even when he’s a whole ten to Sonic’s nine and Ray’s six.
Most importantly, Ray teaches Sonic how to adapt to not talking. How to get along when he can’t understand, or can’t express his needs. Especially to other Mobians who get frustrated with him when they realize he doesn't understand them. Ray teaches him patience, and persistence, and how to find a different way to get what he needs. Sonic wants to believe that someday, this will be super useless information – but right now, he’s really grateful for it. Grateful that he has the tools to go into towns and buy materials even if he doesn’t have the voice for it. Grateful for not feeling like a slow learner for not grasping it immediately. And grateful for a teacher even more patient than Mighty, who shows him that sometimes whispering can help ease into sounds.
And in turn, Sonic tries to build up Ray’s confidence – because if even the coolest, fastest guy he knows has trouble talking, then clearly it’s not something to lose sleep over, so who cares if he has a stutter?
Sonic, Mighty, and Ray make a great team. For a while, it seems like this will be where Sonic finds his future. The big adventure that he’s always been looking for. And the family that he never really expected, but fits right into despite himself.
But, to Sonic’s bitter disappointment, after a few months, it starts to fall apart. Even worse, it’s his own fault – because the only real problem is that Sonic selfishly wants even more than this.
The action, the adventure, the thrill of heroism, saving flickies everywhere they go – it’s important to all of them, albeit for slightly different reasons. Sonic likes the thrill more than anything in the world, and he doubly likes getting vengeance on Eggman. Ray likes to save the little animals and help them back to safety. And Mighty likes to protect the helpless.
It’s a perfect team, in theory. But Sonic can see the writing on the wall. There are flaws in this team-up, and something’s got to give. He makes it last as long as he can, but even on Sonic’s most optimistic, peaceful campfires with Mighty and Ray, towards the end, he starts to feel anxious.
Because they’re almost done exploring this island. Even as massive as it is, it’s been months. And once they’re done exploring the island, after the day is saved… Sonic knows what he has to do.
Sonic has to chase down Eggman. To fly to new, unexplored islands, and find the adventure he needs to feel whole, and save as many people as he can, all over the world.
And he knows Mighty and Ray wouldn’t come with him.
Ray is scared – and Mighty is protective. Protective to the point of red-hot anger when he’s in danger, to the point it prevents him from holding back his incredible strength. Even if Ray wanted to go, Sonic doubts Mighty would allow it.
Sonic can almost convince himself it won’t be a problem, that he’s just being paranoid and that they’d totally join him. He almost manages to delude himself… up until they start unearthing Eggman’s larger plans for this island, and Mighty talks about how glad he'll be when this is all over. Sonic's heart sinks when he first hears it -- and he wishes more than anything else that he'd misheard.
But there's still time to enjoy this before it's over. Because it isn't over yet, not by a long shot. There’s been an increase of the bigger, more threatening badniks, all guarding Eggman’s various chemical plants and factories. There are swaths of the biggest deadly robots here, the ones Sonic loves fighting for the thrill and adventure – and the ones Mighty will only fight if there’s no other way, because Ray is always with him, and he refuses to ever, ever let Ray get close to one of those things.
Sonic can’t just not fight robots, though. They try to compromise, but Sonic is ultimately proven right when the robots are unleashed from the factories and start invading other zones.
Left unchecked, the robots will destroy the whole island. First, there are only smaller, more manageable ones. Mighty thinks things will still be okay as before.
And then came even bigger and more dangerous robots – ones that even Sonic hasn’t encountered up til now.
That’s when everything goes wrong.