Chapter 1.5

## Synopsis

This chapter gives more info on what happened before. Explaining how Sonic got his amazing scarf and spectacular shoes, and a bit more between his and Eggman's relationship.

## Story

They left the town that night and took a helicopter to the mansion. On the way there, Sonic's eyes never left the window, gazing with wonderstruck eyes at the stars that surrounded them.  They flickered softly as if awaiting permission to dart across the night sky, leaving trails of light behind them. It was so peaceful, so serene, so... Tempting.

That was when the change began. Something about that sky whispered to his heart like a ghost in the night and for once in his life the world seemed beautiful.

Eggman watched him thoughtfully. "I have a little present to give you when we get there.  I have a feeling it's something you'll like," he said, chuckling when the child nodded distractedly, as if he hadn't really heard.

Sonic barely noticed when they landed, his mind still pondering the vastness of the world above. Even as they toured the enormous mansion, passing endless rooms full of advanced technology, he seemed distracted. Eggman took notice of this and gave up on trying to teach him the basics of the house. "How would you like your present now?" He asked in attempt to finally catch the boy's attention.

"Uh, sure..." Sonic mumbled, a dazed look on his face.

Though he knew Sonic's attention was still elsewhere, he grabbed the gift anyway.

At the sight of the wrapping, the boy finally seemed to awaken. He perked his ears as his eyes widened in curiosity. "What's that?"

Eggman laughed. "Oh, so now you pay attention!"  He said in a joking tone, then calmer, "Follow me."

They walked outside into the garden lush with flowers and covered by the jungle canopy above. A waterfall rose into the air at the center, the liquid flowing around the rest of the garden so that the shallow streams formed the shape of a star.  It was next to one of these streams that they sat and Eggman handed him the wrapped box. The child tore it open, never before having known the experience, to reveal the contents within.

Inside were three items. He treated these as though they were ancient artifacts, carefully removing them from the box as if they might turn to dust should he take them too quickly.  They were simple. The first gift was a small bag. It was red, like the other items, and had a streak of white through the center of its flap. Two feathered rings adorned each corner, making it look as though it had miniature wings. The second gift was a pair of running shoes that matched the bag, a white streak again running through the middle of them. The final gift was a scarf. Sonic held it in his hands and studied every inch.  Like the others it was a deep red with a white streak, but at the end the simple fabric led to a feathered tip with a golden ring in the center of the wing.  It wasn't just a scarf. Sonic knew that. And so when he asked the question, "What does it do?" Eggman just smiled knowingly.

"Try them on and see for yourself," he replied.

Sonic did. The rings on the scarf and the bag began to glow and golden lights began to swirl around him. “What's happening?” He cried, closing his eyes to shield them from the blinding light.

“Look down!” Eggman called.

“Look d-?!” Sonic stopped mid-sentence as he opened his eyes to find himself floating high above the garden. His first reaction was to panic before he realized he could move freely.  He walked tentatively at first, testing each step as though he could fall back down at any moment.

“Try running!” Eggman yelled up at him.

He stopped for a moment, trying to decide whether he should. Finally, he swallowed his nervousness and burst forward.

It took his breath away. The speed was unimaginable, far faster than he could run on land. And yet he couldn't feel a thing on his feet. There was no jarring thump each time he stepped forward and no scuffing from the rough ground.  He was left to run, unobstructed, through the sky.

At this realization he let out a holler, laughing with pure joy as he became a shooting star racing through the night.  The moon shone on him as he ran across the cool air of the sky, the thrill reflected on his face.

When he finally returned to the ground he was panting from the pure adrenaline rushing through his veins. His eyes wild and a beaming smile on his face he looked to  Eggman and rushed into his arms, whispering breathlessly, “Thank you.”