Chapter Text
Even though X was (almost) an exact copy of the famous blue hedgehog on the outside, in reality, he was completely different. Sonic even once thought of keeping a list of all the ways his devoted faker … well, didn’t exactly fit into the bounds of normalcy. But when he realized he had already lost count while mentally listing the creature’s oddities, he gave up.
The first strange detail was X’s complete ignorance of the surrounding world. Sometimes Sonic felt like every time he talked to him, he was speaking with an alien from another planet. All of the faker’s knowledge was limited to some disturbing facts about living creatures and a few deep reflections on the meaning of creation itself thoughts that either gave Sonic a headache or made him sleepy. X really should’ve discussed such topics with Sonic’s best friend and, at the same time, little brother Tails, but the fox was so terrified of the being that he couldn’t bring himself to be in the same room with it, which, in turn, flattered X. That was another oddity...
You should’ve seen Sonic’s face when he realized the creature had no idea what movies, comics, music, or the Internet were. He called his faker a savage, to which the latter reacted with genuine surprise.
“Seriously, even old folks these days know how to use the Internet!” said the blue hero, and then patiently began enlightening his short-sighted faker. The creature’s confusion and curiosity were charming in their own way as he grumbled while flipping through the bright pages of Sonic’s favorite comics, mumbling something about what a pointless waste of time it was.
“And you call this an interesting story? Pathetic fabrications, nothing more. Ask me about anything else, now that’s a truly fascinating plot,” X would insist and Sonic would always refuse. He wasn’t ready to spend another hour listening to a monologue full of philosophical musings and existential questions.
During that time, Sonic learned a few things about the creature’s tastes. For example, instead of comics, X preferred regular books, his music choices were calm and measured, and as for movies... but that was another story.
The second oddity was one of the most terrifying. X had an unhealthy fascination with anything related to pain and suffering both physical and emotional, and violence. Faker knew every tiny detail about how living beings were structured inside. Once, he proudly started sharing his knowledge, but Sonic’s reaction was enough for him to never bring up that topic again. The blue hero realized that X was quite the sadist. Even though X insisted he had never caused anyone serious harm, Sonic didn’t believe him and wasn’t shy about throwing suspicious looks his way. At least here, he hadn’t hurt anyone… Because of this trait, the creature’s favorite kind of movies were, unsurprisingly, horror films. It only took watching the classic «A Nightmare on Elm Street» together for X to find his favorite genre. Not just because of the blood, terror, and death, but because of his idol’s reactions to them. How adorably the hero’s bravado crumbled after each jumpscare, how cutely his ears folded to head at the characters’ screams, how attractively his body tensed up. He even snuggled up to X a few times out of fear! Of course horror would be his favorite genre...
The third oddity was X himself. The creature didn’t eat, drink, or sleep, didn’t do anything that a normal living being needed to survive. Sonic asked a few times who, or rather what, X actually was, but he never understood what “a system error” or “a cluster of antimatter” was supposed to mean. He’d sometimes think about asking Tails to clarify, but he never did, he didn’t want to scare the poor fox even more. Sure, it was convenient that Sonic didn’t have to worry about the creature’s health, but this peculiarity had its downsides too. For example, once, X spent the entire night silently watching Sonic sleep without even moving a millimeter. Of course Sonic didn’t like that, the famous hedgehog wasn’t used to feeling vulnerable in front of anyone. Still, he had to accept it, since sleep simply wasn’t a function built into X. Instead, when his energy ran low, he entered a strange state that he himself called a kind of hibernation. During that time, X would stop showing any signs of life at all, freezing in the same pose he was in before. It could last anywhere from 12 hours to 2 days. During that period, Sonic could do whatever he pleased and of course, being himself, he couldn’t resist taking advantage of it. Everyone loves a few harmless pranks, right?
Fourth: X could fly! And not only that. He could also teleport, and all of that without the Chaos Emeralds! Moreover, the creature had no idea what those “magic stones,” as he called them, even were. He rarely used these abilities, but when he did, it was so effortless as natural as breathing or walking.
“You do know hedgehogs can’t fly, right?” asked the blue hero, crossing his arms.
“And as far as I know, hedgehogs aren’t capable of supersonic running,” X retorted, leaving Sonic without a comeback to his own disappointment.
“One–nil...”
Fifth: this guy was unkillable. Literally! If Sonic acted recklessly in dangerous moments because of his confidence which, to be fair, was justified. X… you could try to douse him in acid, set him on fire, drown him, shoot him, or strangle him, but none of it would work. Sonic had never personally witnessed this “immortality” in action, but he took X’s word for it. One look at the creature was enough to know that he could jump off a cliff with a completely calm expression, hit the ground, and just keep walking.
Sixth: X knew everything about Sonic. And “everything” was no exaggeration. In truth, the hero of Earth wasn’t even that surprised. After all, one mustached weirdo had already built a robot obsessed with replacing him. Oh, those fans, huh?
Seventh... You know what? There were just too many oddities. And besides, writing was so boring!
Sonic leaned back in his chair, dropping the pencil from his fingers.
“Time to stretch,” he said, springing up like he’d been stung, and ran out of his yellow friend’s workshop not forgetting to grab the notebook.
A light breeze, carrying the salty freshness of the sea and leaving a tang on his tongue, pleasantly brushed against the hero’s blue fur as he once again raced through his homeland. One tall palm tree gave way to another. The bright yellow petals of sunflowers glistened dazzlingly in the sunlight, the proud plants stretching straight toward the warm sky. The grass rustled softly under his red-and-white shoes. Not a single badnik in sight which only added to the hedgehog’s already good mood. He slowed down slightly, then came to a full stop, gazing at the clear blue sky. Sonic inhaled deeply and sighed with relief. Freedom is the best thing that could ever exist.
“Enjoying the calm of the moment?” came a familiar voice from above. He turned his head and saw that same eerily empty stare looking down at him. The creature floated above him with its hands folded behind its back. So much for freedom...
“Wanna join me?”
“With you, even into the darkest depths of the abyss, hedgehog. But first, I came to return this.”
X stretched out his hand in front of Sonic’s face, waving a small notebook right before his nose. The hero’s heart nearly sank into his shoes. Shoot. The blue hedgehog snatched the worn-out notebook, a victim of rough handling, and cleared his throat.
“Uh… thanks, I guess,” he mumbled, quickly tucking it deep into his quills, a habit X found endearing, and the creature landed beside him.
“What other oddities were you planning to write about?” Upon hearing that, Sonic groaned softly and pulled his cheeks down in disappointment at his own carelessness.
“If I’d kept writing like that, Eggman would’ve managed to conquer the world ten times over with eternity-long breaks in between,” Sonic said, scratching his nose with a finger and smirking proudly when he heard the creature chuckle.
“Silly hedgehog,” X poked his idol’s forehead with a finger.
“Creepy guy,” Sonic shot back.