35I'm BAAACCCKK!
Sonic: Great. And now I'm here because you finally decided to post something other than Pokemon.
Hey, I just wanted to do something else besides Pokemon for a bit. Not like I'm abandoning the stories, I just wanted to actually have a story that I could actually finish.
Sonic: So what even is this anyways?
Basically, this is part one of a new series I'm making called the Run Series that is based on the idea of Boom Sonic running away from Bygone Island as they don't respect him. The rest of the series focuses on Sonic healing from what happened here and gaining new powers and a new identity to try and push back his old life from memory.
Sonic: Sounds deep, I guess.
Yeah, it's basically here because I think you, in all incarnations including this one, are a person, eh, hedgehog, who would rather explore the world rather than remain on an island for your whole life with barely any change. Even if Eggman normally attacks the place, I still see you as someone who would run around the world a few times when you have the chance.
Sonic: Well, can't deny that. I am a person who would rather run around the world than sit still.
Anyways, Let's Go!
Disclaimer: I only own the plot of this story/series. I do not own the Sonic Boom franchise or the TV show. If I did, the show would be a lot less mundane and the characters would be written better.
Sonic Boom: Run Away: Start
The ceiling looked rather interesting tonight.
...
Oh, who am I kidding? I just can't sleep anymore. Everything that has happened here, I'm starting to lose my mind. I'm losing my mind at only thirteen years old.
(Sonic is 13 at the start of this series)
Wondering why?
Well, once upon a time, a hedgehog who could run faster than the speed of sound lived his life always traveling, barely giving others a chance to speak to him as he rushed by. He never truly paid attention to anything like only a child could. That was how he lived for years.
After traveling the world so much like this, he soon came upon other Mobians who appeared to be like him with skills surpassing others, be it strength, agility, or smarts. They gave him friendship, something he never had before, though he soon found himself liking it. As the days turned to weeks, then months, then years, the speeding hedgehog soon found himself remaining where he had met his friends, his ways of traveling forgotten in exchange.
Before long, a villain showed up, threatening to hurt people with his mechanical army. The group of friends banded together and saved the day with the speedster leading them. They became the heroes of the village, which they promised to protect for as long as they could. Every crook and villain beware, the team was ready to stop them.
However, problems soon began to arise. While the speedster liked his friends, he soon discovered that they were not as good as they appeared to be, nor was the village he decided to protect. They didn't show much kindness or respect to the speeding hero, but he had trouble seeing it for he had no proper interactions with anyone before he found them. As such, the speedster continued to protect them, never once questioning the fact that they were so mean to him.
And then he realised how terrible that life was.
How could I have been so blind? How did I not see how they were using me?
You might ask when was one of the first times I noticed it.
"But I'm not Eggman! I'm Sonic!"
There it was. The memory came back to me as I remember shouting out those words, but in the voice that was not my own. It was Eggman's. My own mind trapped within his body, which was basically torture. I was not at all who I was supposed to be, and I lacked the speed I always relied on.
"Don't listen to him! I'm Sonic! Look at how blue I am! Must be one of his ingenious plans we all admire him for. Ha ha, friends?"
I remember how my voice was being commanded by his mind. How words with a faintly nervous and stiff edge fell from them quickly, like a man trying to hide the truth.
Eggman wasn't even doing that good of a job at being me. The words that came out of his mouth sounded nothing like me.
"Haha! 'Ingenious plans'! Good one, Sonic!"
Yet, they still thought he was me.
"Yeeeah... we're making fun of Eggman because we're secretly jealous of him, right? I mean, the brains, the panache, the mustache... He's the total package, eh?"
Seriously, how did they not see it? Eggman is suddenly saying he's Sonic and Sonic is starting to complement Eggman? It was so obvious!
"Hahahahaha!"
But they all still believed him. They kept laughing, not even questioning why I would say things like that. As if they never questioned what I said, just as long as I was there.
Do they even know what I'm like?
No way would I call Eggman's plans "ingenious" because they rarely are! I wouldn't even be able to say that with a straight face unless something was wrong with me. And I would never say I respect him that much even as joke.
I started wondering about how much my friends knew me. I questioned how they could have messed up so badly. I asked myself what would have happened if Tails had never seen the proof that I was right. After that day, a voice in my head appeared, telling me something was wrong with the way that had played out. That something was wrong with my friends and my role as hero. I was quiet, but it whispered constantly.
Eventually, the voice faded away as things returned to normal, and we acted like it never happened, the others never even seeing a problem with how they acted that day. I just decided to think it was a little slip-up on their part. That they thought I was affected by the meteor, making me act a little strange. The idea of switching brains seemed impossible to them.
I honestly thought it was a one time thing and that nothing like that would happen between us again.
"Are you pretending that he's attacking you?"
I was soon proven wrong.
"Okay everyone, enough. We were trying to motivate Eggman so you will have someone to battle."
Eggman had decided to stop his villainy, and I had gone a little crazy in trying to hang out with my friends. Admittedly, I made things pretty bad for them. I was nervous, always thinking that Eggman was tricking us, going to pop out with an army the next second, laughing at us for falling into his trap. I needed to be with them, constantly wanting to hang out with them, to be by them.
However, they didn't realise why.
They thought I was doing it because I needed challenge and action in my life, something that only Eggman could give me.
Yet I was doing it so I would focus on them.
So I would focus on them instead of running.
My two major hobbies are running and fighting. Without Eggman, there was no reason for me to stay on the island all the time. I would have to taking fighting off as a major hobby, so I would would indulge in my other hobby some more.
So I would run.
Then I would get bored with running on this island.
So I would run to another island and explore before coming back.
Then I would get bored with that island.
So I would run to the next.
Then I would get bored with that island.
So I would run to the next.
Who knows where I would have gone?
Would it have been better than this island? One that had no more challenge?
But I told myself that I had my friends and I needed to protect them and everyone else from other crooks. I tried to hang out with my team, but I tried too hard to hang out with them all while being concerned that Eggman was just tricking us.
I wanted to protect them. I wanted to be with them. I wanted to hang out with them.
This made me annoying to them. So they decided to bring back Eggman, who would cause harm to our village, just because they wanted me out of their hair.
After that event, the voice came back, louder than before. I questioned why they would do this to me. To bring harm to many, us included, when I was just trying to hang out with them, avoiding the possibility that I may run from the island.
Looking back, I realise they never gave me the chance to hang out with them, finding it easier to bring back Eggman that to deal with me. They never gave me any comfort that Eggman wasn't going to come back, to sooth my nerves, instead deciding to make it happen. Just so I would leave them alone.
But, once again, the thoughts faded as I decided they had no idea what I would do with that free time. They had their projects, they probably thought I had my own. They didn't think I could end up running away, there was no way for them to know what it was like to be fast enough to run on water and go anywhere in the world in minutes.
As time went on, more events began popping up where it seemed everyone was against me. It no longer just contained my friends, it extended to the whole village. The village I try to protect almost everyday.
"You've been served. Dr. Eggman is suing you."
You're believing the guy who trashes the town every other day? The guy that I normally stop?
"Eggman is suing me? Nobody's going to take this seriously."
That's what I thought. That everyone would think it was another one of his schemes. That the hero being sued was a joke, especially against the guy who attacks the town all the time.
"It's the trial of the century that everyone is taking very, very seriously. This will ruin the life of whomever loses."
But no one else thought that. They believed him despite all he had done. No one believed me after all I had done. A hero guilty while a villain innocent.
Was I even the hero if I could lose it in such a way?
"When I grow up, I wanna be just like you!"
How an innocent child could see anything good in him was beyond me. He was a villain, plain and simple. So what if he knew how to make tomato sauce? He probably threatened your life the other day!
"Woah-ho, don't set the bar too high; not everybody is cut out for the big time. Just look at that Sonic the Hedgehog guy; whatever happened to him? Is he still a thing?"
But you still see something in him while I'm forgotten and thrown to the side. Someone who dedicates his life to protecting yours, making sure you can grow up to actually live your dreams. I prove my worth everyday, while he gets the spotlight without even trying.
Makes me wonder if I ever was a thing.
After all, if one was "a thing" like Eggman said, they would be remembered, even if it was by the smallest amount of people. I was forgotten within a day without anyone caring.
"Okay, the doctor is in. Talk to me. Just because I'm your sworn enemy, it doesn't mean we can't be friends."
I believed Eggman there. It was stupid, he was my enemy all the time. But the way he talked to me, the compassion, understanding, and kindness leaking off his voice as he spoke, seemed so real. The way he acted, it seemed like he could relate.
"Sonic! Eggman's not your friend. If you listen to him, you're gonna end up tied to something."
Oh, the irony.
Wasn't it you who tied me to this tree before you began showering yourself in praise at a simple victory I could not aid you in?
Wouldn't it be better if you just got rid of me, for I was nothing but an annoyance to you?
Sticks didn't understand. None of them understood. Without my speed, I was nothing. There was nothing I could do that didn't require it. My life felt like it was in pieces because of the rule that had been placed on me. The rule that I couldn't run.
I was foolish for believing Eggman, for thinking he wasn't using me, but a part of me wants to relive those few moments he was seemingly helping me. How he talked with me and tried to help me. The tone of voice he used that screamed helpfulness, unlike my "friends" who had been commanding me instead, stopping their help when they thought they couldn't do anything else.
That kindness I had been searching for every day after that event in all the villagers and my friends. A type of kindness that showed understanding and a true desire to help.
I haven't found it yet.
"Whoa-oa! Chill-ax, blue man! What's the big dealio?"
What was the big deal? The fact that this guy appears out of nowhere and takes everything from me. No one could see how he was clearly trying to upstage me. No one saw how fast I was fading away.
"Let's not go agro, brozilla! Can't help if I'm more handsome, styling', and totally faster than you!"
I was upset beyond belief when he said that. I was the fastest thing alive, no one was going to take that from me until I die. Yet everyone would probably take his side, believing what he had said. Heck, even my friends would probably take his side while giving me small excuses and sorries that meant nothing other than pity.
I wonder what would have happened if I left. If he had been normal, would everyone have quickly forgotten me. No one would have cared about the old hero.
"It's not what you said, Sonic. It's how you said it."
Exactly how did I say it that it upset so many people? It was just a little comment I had said with a straight face and no other remarks.
No remarks calling him weak or useless.
No comments about him not being able to do anything.
Nothing truly hurtful to him.
I had merely called an average joe 'just a guy' because he didn't have any fighting skills but wanted to come to one of the fights against Eggman to 'help'. I didn't want him fighting because he could get hurt.
"But, I think the town will forgive you if they see you're making an effort to change condescending, high-hand, appallingly insensitive attitude."
In what way was what I said any of those things?
Of course, everyone took that little comment the wrong way, saying that I was being mean and heartless. They took a harmless phrase and blew it up into the most horrible thing ever. They didn't see I was trying to protect someone. They saw a person who thought he was above others.
Was it really worth it to protect people who thought that about me?
The more these memories filled my head, the more clouded it became. Soon the words started to blur out of these memories, but the actions in them still rang clear.
Eggman's base had been robbed. Despite the fact that he was a bad guy, the police still went to his base and ran an investigation, though I shouldn't have been surprised at this point. I don't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember how they came for me, accusing me for the petty crime.
Then the entire Village was against me, claiming I stole things while I hid away from them to find the real crook. I even heard that that old wolf lady wanted to try killing me with poison!
There was only one who was truly nice to me in that time; Earl.
He was one of the few people who showed me genuine kindness. He believed that I was good. He helped me, without me even asking him to do so. Without him, I would have never been proven innocent.
Unfortunately, he later moved away from the island. Can't say I blame him. With this place as it is, I'm surprised more people aren't leaving.
Maybe it's because they're the problem.
A blue aura surround the prison I was in, preventing it from moving. Right beside me was my enemy (most of the time), Eggman. We were in such a cramped space, I'm surprised he didn't start trying to attack me. The horrible fact was that I was not put in here by accident or by another evil. It was my friends.
Again, they had grown annoyed with me. This time for just one simple comment! Sure, I may have dragged it out a little, but that was no reason to put me in here.
They placed me in a cage where I could not move freely next to a man who could fry me with the laser that he had on his wrist!
I felt claustrophobic, wanting to feel the wind rush through my quills as I sped around only to be met with the blue force field. It cruely cut me off from the rest of the world, letting me only see it with an annoying blue tint.
Why in the world would they do this to me?
Did they not care about me?
Am I that much of a bother to them?
I was gripping onto the ice, trying my hardest to stay above the water right below me. Surprising that it was my own friend that put me in this situation, the one that I saw
as a brother, no less. This was supposed to be a simple game, where he tried to catch me while I avoided his traps. Tails went way too far.
He knew I couldn't swim, it was common knowledge at this point.
He knew it would be hard for him to save me if I went under, it had happened before.
He knew I could drown.
I could hear him mocking the sympathy I gave him. It was a dirty trick, and he mocked me for trying to be nice to him in his failures.
But this was no longer a game.
This was a death trap.
When Tommy Thunder rolled into town, I couldn't believe what everyone thought of him. Seems like I'm the only one who can understand the difference between a hero and an actor. Everyone looked up to him so much, even my friends.
He then wanted to follow me around, apparently to figure out how to get into his next role, to which I said no. I didn't want to have another person with so little skills tagging along with us. Unfortunately, he managed to bribe my friends so they would help him get a spot on the team. I eventually let him, only for him to steal my spotlight.
He never did anything aside from taking credit for my victories.
However, I let him keep that spotlight later on.
Why? Because I knew Tommy had an image he wanted to keep.
An image that spread hope to people. Something that people looked up to and wanted to be. Despite the fact that he didn't deserve it, I knew it was what everyone wanted.
No one wanted me.
The memories blurred even more to the point where they just flashed in my head. Feelings of loneliness, questioning, and sadness as others radiated hatred and distrust. I felt something drip down my face when I remembered how they tried to force me into the ocean knowing full well that I both couldn't swim and was afraid of the ocean.
Moving my hand to my face, I realise they were tears.
Was this what I had become? A hedgehog who had to cry himself to sleep at night? One who wore a fake smile during the day as he worried about what others would say?
I got off my hammock, trying to shake the feeling, to find some good that was still in my life. The open doorway to the outside was where I soon found myself. New memories flashed in my mind. Not ones of this island, but ones from before I ever found this place. While I was somewhat lonely, I was free.
"We can't just leave."
There it was, the voice in my head. The part of me where I kept telling myself that everything was fine. One that was always trying to tell me there was good in staying on the island. However, the voice had grown quieter over the months as each new event came and went..
"Yes, we can."
There was the other voice. It had once been weak, a mere whisper in the back of my mind, before it had grown into a strong, dominant voice. I was telling myself to leave, run again like I had done so long ago.
"The Village might be attacked again."
"The others can stop it without us. They have before."
"What if something bad happens to them?"
"Not everything can be perfect in life. Why should we rot just so they can have it easy? Why should we sacrifice ourselves for those who do not care? For those who wouldn't even care if we left half the time?"
"They will miss us. When they find out we are gone, they will search endlessly."
"They will miss our strength. They will miss our leadership. They will miss our popularity. They will not miss us as we truly are. We will be forgotten as soon as they find a new hero."
"Where will we go?"
"Anywhere. We have done this before, we can do it again. There is nothing stopping us or hindering us."
"What are we even going to do?!"
"Be free. Run away and be free like we were before. If we do not, we will lose our will to live. We will lose our spirit to fight. We will lose who we truly are. We can go somewhere, find some place where we can be respected and free. All we have to do is run."
The other voice in my head went quiet, my own mind now stuck in realization. I had nothing to lose if I left and everything to lose if I stayed. It was all too true.
The friendships I once had were now bittersweet, rotting as each day passed and slowly becoming a toxic meal. They thought they had me trapped in a cell, one of which I wouldn't ever try to escape, but they never saw how easy it was for me to leave if I looked. They thought they could bend me to their will, using only fake friendship to keep me in place. Not anymore.
Looking out at the ocean, I made my choice. This was not the life I needed.
I quickly moved around my house to gather what I needed.
I grabbed a nicely sized messenger bag I've had ever since my old traveling days. Zipping around my house, I found a few important things to fill the bag with. Food, water, and a blanket were the necessities, along with all the money I had. Moving on, I went to see if there is anything else I want to take.
I look at my coconut husk collection, but I decide against taking it. In reality, it was just some silly hobby I got into to keep off boredom every now and then. Rather pointless now, only serving as a reminder to how much freedom I cut myself off of.
A bit more searching allows me to find my old Enerbeam Generator. While it was a reminder to this place, it was honestly too useful to get rid of.
Again, I search, soon finding something I had stuffed away into a corner. It was a small metal box, about the size of a shoe box. I careful open it to be met with a few objects I had with me during my old travels.
I… I hadn't opened the box in years. Never needed to because I was so focused on everything else.
As I look back in the same corner again, I pull out another object. This time it is a large, hard covered book. It was also from my travels. A book full of stories that I would read almost every night when I would sleep amongst the stars. I think it was a gift I received for one of my earlier birthdays.
I picked up the box and book before putting them in the bag with my other stuff. I also find a spare pair of gloves and shoes, which I decide to take with me. I consider more sports tape, but I decide against it, knowing that it would only remind me of my life here.
As I put the bag on, I remember my communicator. It still rested on my wrist, a faint blue glow coming off it. I rip it off me, tearing the band along with it. I throw it to the floor and stomp right on top of it, crushing it to pieces. In its place on my wrist, I put the old Enerbeam Generator, knowing that the newer one had been connected to the destroyed device.
I'm about to leave when I notice one last thing hanging on the wall. It's a picture of me and my "friends" all standing together as a team. To think, only a few short months ago, I could smile without forcing it while around others. I had fun without others putting me down.
It makes me sick to look at my naive face.
I rip the picture off the wall and throw it into another. The frame shatters, sending small bits of glass and wood flying. The photo that had been within lies lifelessly on the ground, a few pieces of debris on top of it. A part of me feels better, having released some of the stress and anger that had been pent up inside me, but it isn't enough.
Finally, I sling the bag over my shoulder and head to the door. Without looking back, I walk over to the ocean, stopping right in front of the waves as they gently moved in and out. There is nothing but water as far as the eye can see.
I stand there for a minute, as if I'm waiting for someone to see me. To question where I'm going. To stop me from leaving. To tell me that they care and promise to show me kindness. But I know no one will come.
"Go."
With my mind compelling me forward, I know the path I must take.
I start running, sprinting across the top of the water. The moon is my guide as it shines down on the waves, lighting my path. A faint sea mist blows through my quills as I run.
It's so… freeing.
For the first time in months, I smile with all my heart.
There is no going back for me. I must make a new life.
I have escaped my cage. The bittersweet taste is replaced by sweet freedom.
My mistakes can be forgotten.
I've finally run away.
Sonic Boom: Run Away: End
To be continued in Story 2: Running with Hope.
And Story 1 is done.
Sonic: So... why am I 13 in the story.
The series is supposed to last a few years canonically. I wanted you to remain a teenager rather than have you turn into an adult. Some of the other characters ages are also going to be changed.
Sonic: Now what do I do?
I'm... not sure. Go ask Ash and siblings in the other room. They might know something.
Sonic: 'Kay then. See ya people later! (Runs out of room)
Anyways, I'll try to keep this and my other stories going, but don't hold me to that. If you have any suggestions, feel free to send them to me via review or PM.
To all my readers, watchers, and reviewers out there, Stay Golden!
