To say that Central City was different during the day was an understatement.
The capital of the United Federation was literally night and day during those time periods. The loud sounds of the night would drown the moment the sun would rise and the birds would sing. The bustle of the city would die with its awakening, and the honks would simply disappear as irresponsibility left for sensibility.
Cheers became chuckles. Shouts became whispers. Loud became silent. Only the teenagers seemed to disrupt the quiet all called peace with their ongoing chatter as everyone else stuck to the gadget they were given at birth.
Their Digetron.
It contained everything they needed to know to get further in life, and cut communication with the outside world to a minimum. Adults barely addressed each other on the streets, merely nodding in acknowledgment, and children, while still craving for a social life, were quickly absorbed in the piece of technology that would last until they gave their last breaths.
And after living a night like nothing he had ever lived before, Sonic the Hedgehog was bored.
No, beyond bored. It had been a week since the events and his mind running back to them. Like a song on repeat. He had half tried to stop himself, but had eventually given up when it kept coming back at random moments.
"It's not like you to daydream. What's going on in that mind of yours?"
He jumped at the words before quickly glaring at the fox who wore a gigantic smile, all too happy to catch his attention.
"Welcome back to Mobius, Sonic," the vulpine continued while waving his fingers tentatively, making him scowl.
"You're lucky I have a "no beat friends up" policy, else I'd fight you right about now."
"I'm lucky you're my friend, period," came the answer as the fox returned to his Digetron, his two tails flopping happily behind him.
"And I'm surprised you're still studying even though I said "day off"," Sonic replied while taking the orange device, smirking when the vulpine turned to him with a small growl.
"Give it back! It's mine!"
"No can do, Tails. I want you with me," the teenager stated with a grin before looking at the street.
It wasn't empty, far from it. People hurried along the sidewalk, barely noticing the pair. Only the teenagers and kids stared a bit longer, usually ending with a small wave as they were still not used to the ways of society just yet. But it was still silent.
"For what? You've been annoying me all week with this outing," the fox grumbled as he put his hands in the pockets of his overalls.
"You'll see," was all Sonic could answer while his gaze darted to the few shops. There weren't that many, but that made them all the more precious.
"There it is!" he shouted before grabbing his friend's hand and dragging him in.
And the other blinked the moment the sent of wood hit his nose.
"… An antique shop?" asked Tails, staring at his friend who kept scanning the different articles. "Okay, who are you and what have you done to Sonic?"
The hedgehog laughed it off.
"It's not for me. It's for a friend. He seems to like this kind of stuff," he answered as he grabbed a random article to look closer at it. Yeah, from what he'd gathered from Shadow's apartment, the black hedgehog was a fan of antiques, or at least old things. So any old object would do fine as a thank you present, right?
"Come on, help me choose. I don't want it to be random, and you're the expert," he continued while putting down the article and picking up another one, carefully appraising it. Nope, not this one either.
"I'm an expert in robotics, not in antiques," whined Tails. "And would you give me my Digetron back?"
"Only if you help me," came the answer as Sonic took the device out of his pockets.
"Fine, I will," said the fox as he snatched the gadget back. "But antiques are really not my thing. You should ask someone else."
"Maybe I could help, then."
The two boys froze before slowly turning around at the new voice.
It was a female, a rabbit female who was clearly younger than Tails, yet whose maturity seemed to go beyond her tender years.
"Welcome to the Enty shop. My name is Cream. How may I help you?" she asked with a tilt of the head, and Sonic chuckled as orange went slightly red.
"Hi, I'm Sonic and this is my friend, Tails. We're looking for something not too expensive, but with a good story. Any chance of finding that here?" he replied as Tails shook his head, finally gathering his senses. Poor kid. Even after all these years of hanging out with him, the young fox still wasn't used to making contact with other people, certainly girls. He half wanted to blame the introvert life Tails lived, since he rarely left his Digetron.
"All depends on how much you are willing to pay for it," she added, smile still present. She probably didn't really own the store, but her manners were spot on. Whoever had raised this little girl had to be proud of themselves.
"I'd say about... 2000?" he answered with a grin, and she bowed.
"It'll be just a moment, Mr. Sonic," she said before leaving the two of them.
And the hedgehog didn't wait to catch his friend's eye.
"Quite a cutie, isn't she?"
Tails simply blushed.
"Sonic!" he shouted.
"Hey, I'm just saying," commented the hedgehog with a shrug. "She is cute and she's your age."
The fox simply mumbled about how hedgehogs were the bane of his life when another rabbit appeared, still female, but clearly older.
"Hello, my name is Vanilla and I'm the owner of this shop. You said you were searching for an article?" she asked with the same tone the young girl had used. Must be her mother.
"Yeah, we are," Sonic stated while giving a look at his friend who diligently returned to his Digetron, clearly ignoring him. "The budget is 2000, which is probably not much, but it's the only hole I can afford."
"It's alright. I have quite a few articles within your price range. Any special reason behind it?" she continued, now walking through the store, the two boys in tow.
"It's a gift for a friend," he answered while looking at the different pieces. The colors on some of the wood pieces had faded so badly, he couldn't tell what which one it was. Pieces of metal seemed warped, and completely useless. "I think he's a collector, but I'm not sure."
"Well then, I think I have something for you," she replied, pulling out a wooden box with a smile.
And he gasped once the content was revealed.
It was a small figurine of a blue hedgehog. It looked so similar to him, yet even as the original color seemed to fade ever so slightly, there was one big difference.
While he wore clothes, this figurine wore nothing but gloves and shoes. Bright red shoes with a white strap and a golden buckle. And a self-satisfied smirk was plastered on the figurine's muzzle, as if it was confident in its strength.
"What's the story behind it?" he asked, completely entranced.
"Well, this is what they used to call action-figures. It's not the only one available, so that is why it's within your price range, but it's approximately six hundred years old. It's been well preserved, I must say. As for what it represents..." she trailed off, clearly knowing how to seduce her clientele. "Ever heard of the Hero of Mobius?"
His smile only widened. Of course he had. It was a classic, the bedtime story every kid knew about.
"It was modeled after him," he heard the owner proudly say as he looked away from the figurine to her. Yup, she really knew her stuff.
"How much?" he asked with a grin.
"2000."
Sonic nearly laughed.
"You really know how to make a sale, ma'am," he chuckled, pulling out his Digetron. "I'll take it."
They were out the store in less than a minute, the boxed figure in a small paper bag.
"Well, that didn't take too long," was all he could say before looking at his friend who was currently neck deep in studies. "And remind me to take it away from you longer, next time."
The fox merely shrugged, "At least you got what you came here for. And I still don't understand why you wanted me to come along. You could have done the trip on your own."
"Because if I don't, you wouldn't leave your house of all week," commented Sonic while taking the boy's Digetron again, chuckling lightly at the growls that followed him as he ran.
