Manic's Story

Chapter 2

    I walked the streets of Mobius, wandering around corners and side streets. Finally, I reached the forest beyond, green and lush with life. I stepped into the grass. I felt the good feeling of the wind on my face.

    "I could get used to this." I mumbled out loud.

    I walked into the shade of the trees and sat down, leaning against one. I sighed. I rested my head against the tree and fell asleep.

    I woke up to a twig snapping. I gasped, suddenly wide awake. The full moon was high in the sky, casting shadows behind the trees. I saw two glowing eyes in a bush. They creeped closer, and closer. They came out of the bush, and it turned out, they belonged to a Werehog. It came closer. It came so close, that it's nose barely brushed mine as he sniffed me. I tried to show no fear of him, but inside I was terrified.

    He stared at me with big, emerald green eyes. Something about those eyes seemed familiar to me. I shifted a little, and the Werehog looked down at my hands, expecting to see them rise and try to swat at him. I didn't move a muscle. His eyes came back up to mine and he bared his fangs. He looked as if he was going to take a huge bite out of me. He seemed to know me, too. I'm guessing that's why he didn't immediately pin me to the ground and tear me to shreds.

    A look of recognition glimmered in his eyes, before he turned and ran off into the trees. I let my breath out slowly. Just to find myself holding it again when a silver-gray hedgehog came around the tree.

    "Hello. My name's Silver. What's yours?" He said.

    "Ma- " my voice came out squeaky, so I cleared my throat. "Manic."

    "Well, you look like a nice guy, Ma- oof!" he was cut short as a black hedgehog with red stripes jumped out and grabbed Silver's throat.

    "You idiot! Why are you talking to this stranger?" He snarled.

    "Sh- Shadow! Let go of me!" Silver choked out.

    "Hey! Let him go!" I sprang up, and ran towards them.

    I grabbed hold of Shadow's shoulder and tried to get him off of Silver. Shadow turned and hit me. I rubbed my jaw. Pain shot through my head from the impact. I touched the medallion around my neck and instantly my drumset appeared in front of me. I drummed so loud and strongly that Shadow and Silver both lost their balance. As soon as Shadow let go of Silver, I stopped drumming.

    Silver lay gasping for air on the ground, while Shadow got up and made a move for Silver. I quickly jumped from my drumset, and bounded over towards Shadow. I got close enough to pounce on him. When I pounced, I grabbed hold of both of Shadow's shoulders and pinned him to the ground, knocking the breath out of him.

    "Wha- ? What the hell?" Shadow gasped. "Who the hell are you?"

    "The name is Manic. Manic the Hedgehog. Prince of Mobius. Member of The Council of Four. One of the leaders of the Freedom Fighters." I panted. I may not have been strangled or sat upon, but I was still out of breath. From drumming so hard and from wrestling Shadow to the ground.

    "Your a prince?" Shadow smirked. "Ha. For a prince, you don't look very prince-like."

    "You want me to mess up your face? I indeed am one of the princes of Mobius." I countered.

    "What do you mean, 'one'?" Shadow asked.

    "Sonic was the other prince and Sonia was the princess. I am their brother, Manic, which makes me a prince as well." I told him.

    "Sonic? A prince? I'll believe it when I see it." Shadow laughed.

    "Oh, well. I guess you'll never believe me. Sonic has been dead since yesterday. If you guys had been there helping us fight, you would've known that!" tears began to well up.

    "Sonic is dead? That can't be, I saw him only this morning!" Shadow said.

    "How can that be? He died yesterday morning! I actually watched him die! And Sonia, too. They died holding each other's hand." the tears finally came. They poured like waterfalls down my cheeks.

    Silver had been watching from a distance. And when I started crying, he rushed to my side immediately.

    "There, there. Get off of Shadow and come sit next to me." he murmured.

    I got up and walked over with Silver to the tree I had been sitting at earlier. He sat down and patted the ground beside him. I sat down, still crying.

    "It'll be okay." he said, rubbing my back in a friendly way.

    "No it won't! My brother and sister get killed, my mother bans me from the castle, I meet you guys!" I wailed.

    "For the last time, Sonic isn't dead!" Shadow said.

    "Shut up, Shadow! You're making it worse!" Silver said. He wiped my tears with his handkerchief, even though more kept coming.

    Shadow looked as if he was about to explode, he was so mad at Silver. I looked at him, and he seemed to get a scared look in his eyes. "What's wrong, Shadow? Scared I might sit on you again?" I told him. I saw him swallow hard. He crossed his arms in front of his furry chest to show he wasn't afraid. But an uncertain look stayed in his eyes. I noticed that they were fixed on my medallion.

    "Oh. You're scared I might bring out my drums again, aren't you?" I asked. I saw him give the smallest of nods.

    "There, now. Don't you feel a whole lot better?" Silver asked me.

    "I guess so." I replied.

    "Come on. Let's take you to the Thorndyke mansion. There you'll be safe." Silver said comfortingly. "Who knows?! Maybe you'll be allowed to share mine and Shadow's bedroom!"

    We set off toward the Thorndyke mansion. I had no clue what or where it was. I didn't even know who Thorndyke was. I just knew that it sounded like a good place to live.

    And it sounded better than sleeping out here with that Werehog on the loose.