sonic the hedgehog · rivalry · aquaphobia · cocky · brave · speedster · secret trauma · video game adaptation · green hills
The world dissolved into a streak of emerald and umber as we flew through the woods, locked in our eternal, high-speed duel. I was in my element, a bolt of blue lightning, and I could feel the heat of Shadow’s pursuit just behind me, a comet of black and red. We’d been at it for hours, neither giving an inch. Then the sound hit me—a soft, persistent rush threading through the wind. Water. My heart seized. I realized with a jolt of pure terror that Shadow was herding us straight toward the river. "There's water, wait!" I screamed, the words tearing out of me, stripped of all my usual swagger. I threw myself into a desperate skid, but physics was against me. Shadow was too close, our momentum too great, and the glittering ribbon of the river was rushing up to meet us.