Okay, my fellow authors/readers, this was requested by a couple of reviewers for one of my earlier stories that asked for a sequel. It's been a while since I worked with Mario characters, and especially since I did one with this setting. I know I'm behind on this one since the PyeongChang Winter Olympics had already passed (which Sega and Nintendo didn't make one for this time), but I figured I'd better set this during the Rio Olympics since the previous fic was set during Sochi. I present New Times, New Olympics, the sequel to Love At The Olympics.

DISCLAIMER: Sega owns Sonic the Hedgehog and all related media.

DISCLAIMER: Nintendo owns Mario and all related media.

Reunion for Rio!

On a nice, sunny day in the Green Hill Zone, a certain blue hedgehog stopped during one of his usual afternoon runs to enjoy the scenery. The critters were enjoying themselves as he lied down to take a little nap. Naturally, this was Sonic's way of taking in all of the nature, but since he and his friends got reintegrated into the Knothole Freedom Fighters after the mess at the Sochi Olympics, but at least he and his girlfriend Blaze the Cat came out of it with a happy ending.

As Sonic was staring up in the clouds, he contemplated on what he was going to do next, especially to get Silver and Amy together. Amy had stopped chasing him after seeing that Blaze stopped at nothing to save him during one of Eggman Nega and King Boo's sabotage events at the Sochi Olympics that put the Ice Hockey game on hold. They had to go through some drama with Sally afterwards, but she eventually stopped her attempts, mainly thanks to Knuckles and Shadow. Sonic's thoughts were halted as he saw Omochao floating down. "Hey, Omochao," he greeted. "What's up?"

"Just thought you'd enjoy this," the robotic Chao said, giving Sonic a letter. "It's an invite for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero. I already sent Dr. Eggman his invite and even gave a couple of new competitors one each. There are also a couple being sent to the future. Obviously, one was sent to Silver."

"If you sent two, I'm guessing the other one's Eggman Nega." Omochao responded with a nod.

"I also sent one to an alternate dimension besides the one Blaze is from. Since, you, Tails, Knuckles, Eggman, Amy, and Shadow are already competing and that world's Shadow doesn't care for what he considers 'childish games', it's the one member of that world's Team Sonic that doesn't have a counterpart here."

"New competition, huh? Thanks, Omochao."

"No problem, Sonic." With that, Omochao floated away as Sonic went back to Knothole.

Once Sonic got back to the Freedom Fighters HQ, he saw that Sally was restless, much to his and Antoine's concern. It's been too peaceful and it got to the point where Sally was wondering what Eggman was up to. She was too paranoid that she kept looking over sectors that she observed ten times already. Sally looked up and saw that Sonic had arrived from his afternoon run earlier than usual. "Sonic!" she exclaimed. "You're back early! Did you run into Eggman? What's he up to this time? We have to know so we can stop him!"

"I know I'm back early, Sal, but no, I didn't run into Egghead," Sonic said back. "Any idea where Tails and Knuckles are?" Sally saw the envelope with the Olympic Rings on it, figuring out why he asked.

"The Olympics, huh? Tails is in the garage with Rotor while Knuckles is at the Master Emerald's shrine. If you're looking for Amy, she's at the store, Vector is at the Chaotix HQ, and we haven't seen Shadow."

"That's where Omochao comes in."

"Well, Sonic, I hope you and Tails win gold metals in ze name of ze Acorn Kingdom," Antoine said, cheering on his rival. Sonic gave him a thumbs-up in response before heading to the garage. Once he got there, he saw that Tails was working on the Tornado as usual, seeing what else he could do. On the radio, he had Lenny Kravitz's song 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' blaring from the speakers. As much as Sonic liked the song, he turned it off, getting Tails and Rotor's attention, the latter having fallen asleep.

Tails pulled out from under the Tornado and saw his 'older brother' smirking at him. "Hey, Sonic," he greeted. "What's up?" It was then that he saw that Sonic was holding a certain envelop. "The Olympics! That's awesome!"

"I know!" Sonic said, just as excited as his best friend. "What do you think about taking the Mario Brothers down?"

"That, and knocking Bowser Koopa down several notches."

"Uh, about that, Tails. Eggman's going to be at this one too. So are Nega, Silver, and a brand new face that we haven't seen before."

"WHAT!? Eggman Nega actually got invited this time!?"

"Yep. Now is the Tornado ready? We have to fetch the Knucklehead and Amy."

"What about Blaze?"

"I spoke to her on my way back. She said she'd meet us in Rio. Silver and Nega as well."

"So you guys have some new competition?" Sally asked, her mind now at ease now that she knows why Eggman hasn't attacked. "You two better get out there and show them who runs the ring."

"Don't worry, Sal. We will. Right, Tails?"

"Oh yeah!" The two of them shared a fist bump before Tails got the Tornado started. Rotor pulled a lever and opened the garage door. Tails had modified the plane so it seats five, meaning that Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles could fit in and they could carry an extra passenger if he needed to. "First stop: Angel Island!" Tails exclaimed.

"Good luck, you two! And have fun!" Sally hollered as the plane took off. Sonic and Tails gave her a thumbs-up as they took off to fetch Knuckles.

As Sonic and Tails searched for Angel Island, the blue hedgehog was getting excited. He normally wasn't a patient one, but he was excited to try his golf game against Mario's, having gotten some practice in. He just couldn't wait. "Hey, Sonic!" Tails exclaimed, breaking Sonic from his thoughts. "We're almost there!" Sonic looked and saw Angel Island right in front of them. Tails flew by the Master Emerald's shrine, seeing that Knuckles was ready for the action with a smirk of his own. The treasure-hunting echidna jumped and landed in an unoccupied seat. "Welcome aboard, Knuckles!"

"Thanks!" said the Guardian. "And thanks for the ride!"

"You bet!"

"We're going to have to pick up Amy at Station Square!" Sonic exclaimed. "No doubt she's going to have a ton of outfits with her!"

"Wouldn't put it past her!" said Knuckles. They saw Eggman's ship heading for Rio, so Tails flew by.

"Hey, Eggman! See you in Rio!"

"Don't keep us waiting, Sonic! I'll be getting more medals this time!" the scientist exclaimed, laughing as he flew off with Orbot and Cubot with him.

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

"So Eggman's in this too, huh?" Knuckles asked. "Why am I not surprised?"

"We've also got some new competition! I'll fill you in once we get Amy!"

At Station Square, Amy was checking out at a department store. True to Knuckles' predictions, she had bought new outfits to try on. What the guys didn't know was that Cream and Cheese went with her. Naturally, the girls were having a good time hanging out together. They were going to be able to spend even more time with one another since Cream was coming with Amy to Rio. "So, Amy," Cream said. "What do we do next?"

"Well, I believe it's time to head to Brazil," said Amy. "There's our ride." The rabbit-and-Chao duo looked and saw the Tornado waiting for them with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in the seats. Cream took the bags into the cockpit before picking Amy up and putting her in her seat. "Okay, we're ready to go."

"Cream, you're coming too?" Tails asked. "That's great! It'll be nice having you cheer us on!"

"I'll be doing more than that, Tails," said Cream. Much to the guys' shock, Cream had an invitation as well. "Mother said it was okay."

"Well, that's even better," said Sonic. "The more we have, the more we can knock ol' Bowser Koopa and Eggman off their perch." Soon, Tails got the plane back into the air and on its way to Rio. It was a nice relaxing flight, which Tails had to keep smooth because of Cream, but there was something on Knuckles' mind.

"Hey, Sonic," he said, getting his friend's attention. "You mentioned some new competition besides Cream. Who else was invited?"

"Well, there's someone from an alternate dimension as well as Eggman Nega," Sonic said, to the shock of Knuckles, Amy, and Cream.

"Eggman Nega got invited this time?"

"Yep, so we'll have to knock him off his high horse too."

"This will be perfect payback for when Nega kidnapped Cream to get under Blaze's skin," Amy said. "Speaking of Blaze, is she going to be there?"

"You better believe it," Sonic answered, the excitement clearly laced in his tone. "Silver will be there as well."

"Let's see, that's us five, Eggman, Nega, Silver, Blaze, Metal Sonic most likely, and this new person, whoever he is," said Tails. "That's eleven so far."

"You forgot to factor in Vector and Shadow, so that's thirteen," Knuckles reminded before turning to Sonic. "Did you, by any chance, figure out who the last ones are?"

"Nope," said the blue hedgehog. "Omochao never told me. We'll have to wait and see."

The five of them got to Rio, where the others were waiting. Once Tails landed the plane, they all stepped out. Sonic recognized the ones they didn't expect as Espio the Chameleon, Rouge the Bat, E-123 Omega, Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and (much to his, Tails, and Eggman's frustrations) the Zeti Zavok and Zazz. Sonic was banking on Mario getting a few new additions as well. "So, how is everyone?" he asked.

"We're fine, Sonic," Shadow said. "We were just waiting for you to get here and get us all registered."

"Sorry for the wait, Shadow. We had to pick up Cream and Amy from Station Square." Shadow nodded as everyone went inside. Sonic went to the registration booth but was tapped on the shoulder. He looked to his right but didn't see anyone there. He then looked to his left but couldn't find anyone. Sonic turned around and looked into the hazel eyes of his beloved girlfriend Blaze, who greeted him with a kiss. "Well now, that's a greeting," Sonic said.

"Why thank you," she responded back.

In the meantime, Amy sat in the lobby trying to find something to say to Silver. Before she could find a way to break the ice, though, she got tackled by a brown honey badger who was happy to see her. She wore attire that made her look like a jungle dweller, ranging from a tattered top to an equally tattered skirt. She also had blue eyes. "Amy! It's so good to see you here after all!" She exclaimed, much to Silver's confusion and Amy's irritation. "I thought I was going to be a loner!"

"Will you get off? I don't even know you!" said Amy as she tried to push the badger off.

"Aw c'mon! Don't be like that! It's me! Sticks! Your best friend!"

"I don't know anyone named Sticks! Now back off!" The badger, now known as Sticks, merely quirked an eyebrow before ducking Amy's signature Piko Piko Hammer. Soon, however, Amy was unable to move the hammer. "Silver!"

"Sorry, but if she's a teammate, we can't afford to lose her," said the white hedgehog, who used his psychokinesis to stop Amy from squashing Sticks. Amy knew that Silver was right, so she reluctantly calmed down.

'Amy was acting weird,' Sticks thought. 'She's normally calm and collected with the only one of our teammates she'd swing that hammer at being Knuckles.' She thought for a minute before she saw Tails stretching out. "Tails!" she exclaimed, tackling him with a hug, much to Cream's shock. "It's so good to see you! I've only seen Amy so far and she's acting weird! Oh thank goodness I came across some familiar faces! Hey, where's Zooey?"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Tails exclaimed. "Who are you? What are you talking about? And who's Zooey?" Sticks was as stunned about this as she was Amy not knowing who she was.

"Oh now c'mon, buddy. You know. Zooey, as in your girlfriend." Between nudging Tails' arm and the mention of a girlfriend Tails may have, Cream was getting frustrated, mainly at Sticks.

"Um, I'm afraid I don't know anyone named Zooey. I don't even know who you are."

"OH NO! TAILS HAS AMNESIA! HE CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE!" Sticks screamed, confusing everyone present. "Wait! Let me try something else!" Much to Cream's anger, she grabbed Tails' shoulders. "What's my name?"

"How would I know that?" The question caused Sticks to burst dramatically into tears, which was greatly irritating Shadow, Amy, and Blaze. The outburst also caught Sonic's attention as Tails tried to comfort her.

"You really do have amnesia!"

"What's going on here?" Sonic asked, getting Sticks' attention. Once again, she had a smile on her face upon seeing the blue hedgehog this time.

"Sonic! The leader! My man!" Like the others, Sonic was greatly confused. "I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can remind Amy and Tails about who I am."

"Uh, who are you?"

"You too, huh? First Amy, then Tails, now you? It's me! Sticks!"

"Sorry, but I don't know anyone named Sticks," Sonic explained. "You do remind me of someone I know named Marine the Raccoon, though."

"Oh yeah," Tails said, getting a closer look at Sticks along with Blaze. "I thought she looked like someone we know."

"Well, I'm not a raccoon!" Sticks exclaimed. "I'm a badger! Maybe you'd remember that if you didn't have amnesia!"

"Nobody here has amnesia, sister!" Knuckles exclaimed, getting Sticks' shocked face as a result. "What?"

"You're not the Knuckles I know. The Knuckles I know is really tall and bulky but looks like he skipped leg day."

"You're not in your dimension, Sticks," Sonic explained. "Whatever your Sonic, Tails, and Amy looked like there, we're not them. Now, take a good look at the rest of us and tell us who has a counterpart in your dimension." Sticks did as Sonic told her, but only recognized five others. "Well?"

"I recognize Vector, Shadow, Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot," she said. "But aside from the bots, they all look different."

"How so?"

"Well, now that I had a good look at him, Shadow doesn't have the cowlicks he has in my world, Eggman's outfit and moustache are different and he's chubbier, and Vector has no tattoo, no jacket, and a pair of headphones." The observations got Vector to scratch his chin while Eggman had a good look at his stomach.

"Okay, so we're getting somewhere. Let me introduce you to everyone else. I'm sure Metal Sonic looks the same too." Sticks nodded at Sonic's observation. "Well, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Blaze the Cat, Silver the Hedgehog, Espio the Chameleon, Cream the Rabbit, Eggman Nega, E-123 Omega, Rouge the Bat, Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and unfortunately Zavok and Zazz."

"Got-a some new faces, Sonic?" The speed demon hedgehog chuckled and turned around to greet Mario.

"You bet, Mario. In fact, I was getting Sticks here acquainted with everyone. She already knew me, Tails, Knuckles, Egghead, Amy, Metal, Orbot, Cubot, and Shadow since we have counterparts in her world."

"Ah, interesting," said the plumber. "We have some-a new-a faces too." Sonic looked and saw who Mario was talking about. Right off the bat, he recognized Dry Bowser, Dry Bones, and Rosalina. "I know you remember who we met back in Sochi and London, so I'd like-a to introduce Nabbit, Diddy Kong, the Koopalings Roy, Wendy, Ludwig, and Larry, and Birdo."

"So, the skeletons got invites too, huh?" Sonic asked. "So did Nega and Jet." Mario looked and saw that Sonic was telling the truth. The two rivals glared at one another. "May the best man win?"

"Deal," said Mario. The two of them shook hands while glaring at each other before Mario went back to his group.

"Wow," Nega said, finally speaking up. "And I thought my rivalry with Silver was intense."

"We're not rivals, Nega," said Silver. "We're enemies. There is a difference. That right there is a friendly rivalry."

"Silver has a point, Nega," Shadow said. "It's amazing that Omega doesn't have his cannons pointed at you and Doctor Eggman yet."

"It's an Olympic Protocol I installed in him," said Eggman. "Until the Olympics are over, Omega can't activate his cannons."

"Whoa! Take it easy, guys!" Sonic exclaimed, trying to get everyone to get along. "Shadow, Silver, I don't like either of these guys any more than you do, and I like the Deadly Six even less, but we're here to have fun and win medals, remember? Save your conflicts until then."

"Okay, Sonic," said Shadow. "Just remember that the 100 Meter Dash is up first. You and Blaze are going to have to hold your speed back and I can't use my air shoes." Sonic nodded, knowing that he had to do the same thing in Beijing and London.

"Okay, guys, the Games start tomorrow! Let's get to our rooms and get some rest!" The others nodded and went to their rooms. Sticks, not knowing that Sonic, Silver, and Blaze were observing, was taking a good look at Tails and secretly liked what she saw, especially knowing that he was single. She didn't know why, but she had only one thing on her mind even though they were both very young. "This is going to be a long two weeks," Sonic said, getting a nod of agreement from Silver and Blaze.

CHAPTER 1 END

Okay, folks, I'm back with another entry in both the Sonic and Mario series. Like last time, it may be largely Sonic-centric, but I'll put focus on the Mario characters as well. Sorry for including Sticks, even though Sonic Boom is my least favorite Sonic sub-franchise, but she's on the roster for Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, so I have to include her. Anyway, see you next chapter!