Disclamer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters and content are copyrighted by (c) SEGA, Dic, and Archie. I'm just using them for this fic, I don't have any money, so like, please don't sue!! Other chericters (Keeper of Time), and this fic are copyrighted by N. G. Silver 2000.
Just so you know: Any and all text with a "" around them are speaking. Any and all text with a '' around them are thinking. (I had to find some way to do it, since Italics isn't in text format)
About the story: I was just sitting in English last year and my teacher asked us to write a story that had something to do with a TV series, so I thought, 'why not finish out the cliff hanger in the end of the SATAM series?'. So I started to write the first chapter, which is like chapter 1-2 combined and shortened. I turned in what I called part 1. Then began work on part 2, when a thought came to me, why not make it a huge story with compelling plot and stuff. So I went to work, and after a critique by a friend came up with this. I'm not finished yet though, so be patient, I will finish it soon I hope!
********************************************************************************
Sonic the Hedgehog: Blast Back to the Past!!!! (Part 1)
Chapter 1
Princess Sally and Sonic The Hedgehog were standing on a stage in front of all the other freedom fighters. They each looked into each other's eyes. They were mesmerized. They each grew closer to the other until finally their lips met.
A huge pink glow emanated from them as fireworks shot up from their heads. The freedom fighters out in the crowd cheered as the couple met.
"Hay Sal," Sonic said as he pulled his lips from hers. The loudness of the cheers only allowed her to hear what he was saying. "I just thought of something."
"Why Sonic, I'm impressed, you're actually using your head." Sally said sarcastically.
"And you wouldn't believe the migrain its causin' me." He started to explain, "And I just got a great idea. I mean, now that we got the DP stones and unlimited power, we could use the time stones to blast back to the past and stop Robuttnik from taking over. Then unc will be back to normal and your father wouldn't be locked away in the void."
"That is a great idea Sonic." She then kissed him on the cheek. "But would it work?"
"Would it work," Sonic said in deffence, he couldn't believe Sally asked him a question like that, he just hates having to think, "come on Sal,
we got the DP stones, we beat Robotnik with them in this time, why not back when he was stupider?"
"It's just that," Sally thought for the right words, "well, the last time we tried we thought we could do it, but you had bad syncronization and sent us back too late. We bairly got out of that one."
"So we messed up a bit that time, you learn from mistakes, and anyway you said yourself that we could keep tryin after we got back."
"I did not..." Sally didn't remember saying that.
"Yes you did..."
"Did not..."
"Yes you did..."
"I did not," Sally was getting fed up with this argument, "Nichole?" she went for her trusty computer.
"You said exactly that, Sally." Nichole chimed in with her electronic voice, "do you wish for me to replay the argument?"
"No, that's fine Nichole."
Sonic stood there with a smirk on his face broadcasting his pleasure in seeing Sally be told by her own computer, "I told you."
Sally on the other hand was not too happy about her present perdicament, "I sware you did something to her."
"Your just tryin' to find an excuse for the obvious."
Sally didn't like where the argument was headed so she gave in, "Okay, Okay, I'll think about it!"
With that Sally stormed off the stage and into her hit leaving Sonic standing still on the stage with the smirk still on his face. It wasn't everyday that he got to kill Robotnik and trick Sally, and he was pleased about it.
But then his stomic began to rumble, which reminded him, he hadn't eatin' in half a day. "Some good old fashion chilli dogs should hit the spot." He thought as he raced off the stage to his own hut, leaving the crowed of people wondering where their two heros had gone off to.
A week had passed sense they had killed Robotnik and Sally was sitting in her hut with Nichole thinking about what Sonic had said to her on the stage the previous week. She had to admit that Sonic had a point, but she wouldn't in front of his face. She did not want to go back in time again, the only reason she had said she would think about it was to get Sonic off of her case, and even then she knew he would brag about it for a day or two. She just didn't want the same thing to happen again, in fact she didn't even consider it until a day ago. The day Snivily made his first attempt at his uncle's position.
Yea, it's kinda funny how he managed to escape and Robotnik didn't. I guess it's because Robotnik has always underesimated Sonic, and snivily had noticed that. It's susprising how on could hate his own uncle as so like snivily does. I guess he was sick of being misstreated and steped on, and with Robotnik's shoe size, I wouldn't blame him.
Sally had herd all this from Sonic and Antoine after Sonic had rescued him from cell in snivilies hideout. Snivily had told them about his plans for mobius and the freedom fighters. Luckly Sonic had managed to foul up his plans almost as easyly as Robotnik's.
The mention of another threat to mobius had hit Sally good and hard. She had believed so much in the thought that with Robotnik gone her job as a freedom fighter would be finished, she was tired of fighting. But this made her relyze that her fight would never truly be over, their would always be someone trying to become the next Robotnik, and she would always have to stop them.
And then she thought of Sonic's proposal, she could end the fight right now. Just go back in time and kill Robotnik and snivily before they had a chance to effect the world. She could then go back to the way things use to be, before Robotnik.
And now here she is, sitting in a chair in her hut, going over all the possible causes and effects of what Sonic had proposed to do. She had been in their all day, she missed lunch even with Tails coming in three times to remind her and she was probably missing dinner.
'Surprised Tails hasn't came to tell me about dinner yet'. She thought, 'I guess sense I didn't come to lunch he just thought it would be a waist of time'. But then the door opend, 'oops, spoke to soon'.
"Come on aunt Sally," Tails, the youngest freedom fighter said, "Rosey fixed a grest dinner, and she said you need to come and eat." He sounded a bit irritated, probably from Sally's earlier ignorance to his calls.
Sally looked up from Nichole's monitor to look at the ten-year old two tailed fox standing in the doorway, "Tell her I'll be out in one secound, okay?"
"Alright aunt Sally." Tails then walked out the door.
Sally soon followed after setting Nichole down on her bed. She was hungry, and any ways, she needed a break.
The aroma from the dinner filled the room as Sonic, Sally, Antoine, Bunny and Rotor sat at the round dinner table awaiting Rosey's entrance from the kitchen with the food. Sally decided that right now would be as good a time as any to tell Sonic about her decision to act out his plan, sense she hadn't done so as of yet.
"Sonic," she said to the hedgehog sitting next to her, "do you rember last week, how you said that we could go back in time and I said I'd think about it?"
"Yeah," Sonic replied not quite sure what she was getting at.
"Well, I have thought about it and decided to go through with it." Sonic looked at her in susprise, he hadn't thought that she would say yes seeing that she hadn't answered in a week. She was usualy quicker with her decisions, "We'll leave at dawn."
The mention of this brought Sonic down, he really didn't like having to get up before sunrise. But he couldn't argue, Sally was the Princess after all, and her word was final. But even if she wasn't, freedom fighters always fallow orders.
Sally sat on the side of her bed as the stars in the sky slowly faded away and the light from the sun crept up from the horizon to begin the new day. She hadn't gotten one wink of sleep sense she awoke earlier that night, the scene just kept playing in her mind. She couldn't quite comprehend what it ment, but it startling all the same.
Snivily sitting in Robotnik's command chair, Sonic running continusly on a conveyor belt, two red glowing eyes in the darkness, the power ring pool dried up, the Doomsday Maciene reappearing, and then darkness. All of thus parts in this dream, the later the most disturbing. 'Does this dream mean anything?' She thought as she got up and looked out the window. The sky was a mix of red and yellow light bouncing off the clouds and into Sally's window. The beautiful sight conforted Sally some, she now remembered why she chose to leave a dawn. And as she sat back down on her bed she wondered how well Sonic had slept. 'He probably slept like a log'. She thought as she slipped her boots on.
Sonic had slept like a log, at least until he too awoke from a dream.
He was running, running in one spot, never moving, trapped in one place with no escape. He had never thought about that dream until he had had his speed taken away by that evil sorcerer, but this was the first time he wasn't ably to get out of it. This startled him, he always thought he was too fast to get caught.
'Hold on a sec', he thought as he started to put on his sneekers, 'what's a stupid dream getting me down for? It probably doesn't mean anything anyway'. Then his stumic started to rumble as he got up to look outside. The red tinted sky was starting to turn blue as the sun started to peak it's head up over the horizon. 'Rosey won't make breakfast for another hour or so and by then I'll be gone'. He thought as he walked into his small kitchen, 'I'll just wip up something to eat'. So he set off through his kitchen to make the one thing that makes his mouth water, chili dogs. He had finished his fifteenth one just as the door opened and Tails walked in.
"Hay Sonic," the ten-year-old fox with two Tails said, "Sally wants to know if you're ready to go."
"As soon as I finish these last ten chili dogs little buddy." The hedgehog said as he stuffed another chilidog in his mouth.
"Chili dogs!" Tails yelled as his mouth started to water, "Could I have some? Please?!"
"Okay, take a seat while I whip up some more." Sonic said as he flew out of his seat and as quick as lightning cooked five more chilidogs.
He then set them down in front of Tails and then took his own seat. "Let's race to see who can finish their plate the fastest." Tails said.
"Okay big man. On three." He paused, "three!" both the fox and the hedgehog dug into the chilidogs. Eating each in one byte. Tails was ahead of Sonic by one chilidog when Tails finished his last one in one big gulp.
"Beat cha'" Tails boasted.
"That you did buddy. But you had four less than I did." Sonic added. "Okay, I'm ready to go."
Both Tails and Sonic got up from their seats and walked out the door.
Sonic and Sally were standing on the stage again. But this time Sonic was wearing his knapsack. Inside were the deep power stones, Sonic had one half of the time stone in his right had and so did Sally.
Uncle Chuck came up to Sonic and gave him a hug. "Good luck." He said as he pulled a round device out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he gave it to Sonic, "take this. It's a
power ring generator. You just press this buttion and one will be generated for you. But use them wisely, because ten is all you can get."
"Why ten?" Sonic asked.
"Because I could only retrieve ten rings from the power ring pool sense Rotor and I created this storage devise."
"I thought it just created them like the devise at the bottem of the pool."
"No, It uses a piece of a emerald I chipped off from the one in the devise to keep the power rings energized." Uncle chuck opened a slot on the devise and pulled out the chip, the devises power source. He then put it back in.
Sonic stuck the generator in his knapsack and he said, "Let's just hope for Robuttnik isn't smart enough that I'll have to use it, for his sake at least."
Sally walked over to Sonic. "Synchronize your thoughts on Robotnik's war room the year 3224."
"Got it Sal." He replied.
They each closed their eyes and thought of that one moment to which they would both be taken, then they would change history. They had to each keep their minds set on that one moment in tome or it wouldn't work. Neighter Sonic nor Sally wanted the same thing that happened last time to happen again. Even Sonic kept his mind on that one moment, though he was having trouble doing so.
But then they herd the all familiar high-pitched whine of a laser blaster. But they kept their minds set, it was probably only a figment of their imagination anyway. Only when Sonic herd a scream that could only have come from Tails did he brake his consentration and open his eyes. The last thing he saw was Tails lying on the ground with a puddle of blood seeping out of him before the whole world dissapeared from under his feet. 'I'll make sure none of this will ever happen little buddy', he thought as the world began to form under his feet again, 'I promise'.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 2
The ground was cold and hard where they returned to the time stream. The room seemed to be darker then the darkest reassesses of space, the only light seemed to be coming from Sonic's knapsack. Unfortunately they had not packed the inferred goggles uncle chuck had made for them; Sonic instead resorted to a more primitive form of light. He called upon a power ring and one floated up out of his knapsack; he grabbed onto it and used it to light the room up some. Suspiring how luminescent the ring actually was, it lit the whole room up, to an extent. The room was rather small considering the fact that it was Robotnik's sleeping chamber. The large bed situated in the center of the room took up a major portion of the chamber; the only other noticeable thing was an extra wide door on one side of the room and a hanger containing his usual dress.
"I'm going to take a closer look, hold on to this for me, Sal." Sonic said as he handed Sally the power ring, and then started to creep very softly toward the bed.
He noticed that the sheets were moving when he came within arms length of the bed. He also noticed that the sheets were raised a lot higher than the bed and formed a large circular shape. It was definitely Robotnik asleep in his bed. He seemed to have a smile on his face; he must be having a good dream. But then he stopped smiling and began to twist and turn in his bed; the good dream had turned bad.
Sonic started to back away, he didn't want to be near Robotnik when he wakes up, "He'll wake up soon, Sal. We've got to get out of here."
"I'm working on it." Sally replied with Nichole in her other hand trying to think of the best way out.
"Well you better hurry up Sal, because..." sonic paused as he saw two red beams of light shine out from Robotnik's bed. He was awake, "Too late, he's already up."
The two beams of light turned around to face the two freedom fighters. "Come on Sal, what's the plan?"
"Okay, out the door and two the left."
Sonic began a super sonic peel-out, "Grab on Sal."
Sally grabbed on to Sonic's shoulders and Sonic speed off.
"Pestilence!" was all Robotnik said as he ordered his door to close. Sonic hit the door head on and fell on his back unconscious.
Sally looked into his closed eyes as she tried to wake him up.
"Lights," Robotnik ordered and the room lit up, "guards." And two swatbots entered through the door and stood waiting for their orders.
"Take those two intruders to their cell to await robotisization." He paused as he looked at the two swatbots pick up the two intruders, "Oh, and leave that knapsack here with me, it might contain something useful." The bots then took the knapsack off Sonic and tossed it over to Robotnik, "And that ring the lady is holding might be useful." He then walked over to Sally and snatched the power ring from her.
"You'll never keep us long enough to robotisize us, Robotnik!" Sally stated while struggling desperately to break out of the swatbot's grasp.
"Oh but my dear, I've learned from my mistakes two years ago." He then changed tones to command his robots, "Take these two to our new cell."
"New cell?"
"Why yes, designed especially for you!" Robotnik replied as the swatbots took Sonic and Sally to their cell.
Robotnik studied the ring in his hand once the guards left. "Hmm, I wonder what this is?"
"It's a power ring." Said a voice not too different from Robotnik's own as a dark figure stepped out from one of the dark corners of the room.
In the small sell Sally was pacing back and forth while Sonic lay still unconscious on a retractable metal bed. After a while she stopped and pressed a button on the wall and another retractable metal bed came out. She sat down on it, but just as she did Sonic started to move and he moaned a bit. Sally rushed over to him and knelt down next to him. She cradled his head and looked into Sonic's slowly opening eyes.
As the blurieness in Sonic's eyes faded he saw Sally looking down at him saying, "Sonic."
Many times in a soothing voice.
Sonic said in response, "Am I in heaven?"
"More like hell." Sally answered back to him as she got up and walked to the center of the room. "Are you all right." Sally asked the newly awakened hedgehog.
Sonic sat up on the bed. "All except for this mondo headache." He answered while rubbing his head.
Sally walked over to the cell bars and grabbed on to them, "We have got to..." but was cut off by the intercom.
"How are my precious prisoners doing?" a loud cocky voice came from an intercom attached to the wall. "I hope you had a pleasant sleep, rodent!"
"Robuttnik!" Sonic replied with a low intone.
"That indeed it is hedgehog" came the voice from the intercom again, "guards!, take the prisoners to the new roboticizer." He paused, "I'll meet up with them there." He sounded older then he did a few hours ago, Sally noticed, but shrugged it off, it was probably just the intercom.
The robotic guards then walked into the cell and dragged Sonic and Sally out to the roboticizer.
When they came to the new roboticizer room they found Robotnik standing behind a panel next to a yellow pad. The swatbots dropped Sonic and Sally then left the room.
"Today, I will finally taste victory. I will roboticize both of you and then destroy Knothole." He said.
"You'll never get away with this Robuttnik." Sonic yelled.
"Oh, but I already have," The round man said, "you see, I have your time stones and your power ring." He pointed to a knapsack lying next to the panel, "There is no escape."
"The round guy never learns." Sonic said, "it's spin and win time Balto." He then ran around in circles creating a smoke screen. This was exactly what Sally had hoped for. She ran to the panel and grabbed the bag. Then she darted out an air vent leading outside.
Sonic on the other hand was less fortunate for Robotnik extended his robotic arm and grabbed Sonic. "You should have known better that to roboticize my arm, rodent!" He then threw Sonic onto the pad and pressed a yellow button. Sonic tried to run out of the pad but glass stopped him from doing so. "How do you like my diamond glass. Not even you can break through that." He then pressed a green button and a red glow emanated from the top pad. Then a red bolt hit Sonic and slowly he turned into a robot.
"Yesssssssssss! Yeeeeeeeessssssssssssss! No more hedgehog! I've won! I have actualy won!!" Robotnik yelled out as he threw his hands out into the air and started to laugh in his own distinct sinister way.
Sally sat in the air vent watching the whole thing. "Sonic." she whispered as to not be detected. A tear ran down her cheek. 'I have to get him back somehow' she thought, 'and I will'. She then walked down the air vent towards the exit.
Robotnik looked around but could not find the princess. He called out to his swatbots.
"Find the princess. She has the Deep Power stones. We need them back." A small group of swatbots ran across the room towards the exit.
Sally was walking around a corner when she looked out a vent and saw the robotisizer. "I've been going around in circles." She said, "I guess the only way out is to use the deep power stones." She reached into her knapsack and pulled out two black stones. She stuck them together. A white sparkly sphere surrounded her. Her legs began to spin. She then let go and as quick as lightning she ran out of the vent and through one of the walls in the robotisizer room, leaving a hole was left where she went through. She then ran into the great forest.
She stopped in front of a hollowed out tree lying on the ground. She pulled the deep power stones apart and stuck them in the knapsack. "The sliding tree, Knothole." She said and then jumped into the tree.
She slid down the tree going through loops and turns till she came out and hit a clump of hay. She got out and wiped off the hay sticking on her fur. She then walked into the village.
"Is anyone home?" she yelled.
"Alesha!" Sally's younger version came running out of one of the huts. Sonic's younger version followed her and the others followed Sonic. Rosey came out shortly after the children.
"Princess" Rosey said, but Sally stuck her finger up to her mouth. Rosey didn't say any more.
Sonic stopped in front of Sally. "Where's Juice?" he asked.
"He's been robotisised." She told the small hedgehog.
Rosey gasped.
Sonic began to run but Alesha stopped him. "Now where do you think your going?" she asked.
"To break Juice out." Sonic replied.
"Now Sonic you know we can't do that," Alesha said calmly, "we need a plan first."
"I can't wait, I have to break him out now!"
"You want to get Juice back?" Sonic nodded, "Then come inside and lets think of a plan to get him out."
Meanwhile back in Robotropolis, Robotnik was pondering on how Princess Sally could have escaped. She had left no traces behind, it was as if she had disappeared into thin air. Just then a swat bot came running into Robotnik's command room.
"Sir, there is a hole in one of the walls of the robotisizer room. Still no traces of the princess." It spoke with a mechanized voice.
"Hmm..." Robotnik was at a loss for words at the moment, but sense he was getting no where sitting in his chair he decided to check it out for him self. He stood up and started out the door. "Coming Snively?" he asked his lackey.
"Yes sir." Snively, Robotnik's nephew replied as he ran out to catch up with his uncle.
Robotnik stood in front of the hole in awe. It had been extremely smooth cut, not even his finest beam laser he had could make a cut that smooth, nor Sonic, even with his super Sonic spin dash attack, could cut through two foot thick titanium walls. The hedgehog and princess may have been resourceful in the past but not this resourceful.
Then Robotnik began to piece together the facts. A perfectly round hole, in two foot titanium walls, a very fine and smooth cut, not a trace of the offender nor a trace of the titanium that the hole replaced. Something smelt fishy, actually something smelt stony, deep power stones that is.
Yes he knew about the DP stones. But not on his own did he discover their existence, but with the help of one Ivo Robotnik.
He came to him earlier that day, after he had sent Sonic and Sally to their cell. At first he had thought that his older self was actually a robotic clone of himself, designed to take his place, but a quick show of blood disapproved that. But he was still unconvinced that his older self was actually who he proclaimed to be, so his older self told him that in one minute a swatbot would enter his chamber and report that Sonic and Sally were locked up. They waited, and then it came, he was finally convinced.
Then is older self told him everything, from this point to his almost certain death at doomsday, which he avoided with the help of the time stones. Then he told him about the deep power stones and how they and the power rings used by Sonic would foul up many of his plans.
He then offered to help, by showing him how to create a robotsizer that Sonic could never escape from. "But what's the catch?" ha asked, but his future self simply replied, "My price will come later."
It did, after the both switched places and the Robotnik from the future robotisized Sonic. He knew Sally would somehow find a way to get Sonic back, so as his price her took Sonic back to the future with him.
With a few glances his own self left back to the future, where he would regain his rule over Mobius.
Robotnik thought to him self for a second, 'if I had not taken the time stones out of that knapsack all of this might not have happened. If only I had taken the Deep Power stones out as well.'
"Snivily," Robotnik bellowed as he finished his pondering, "our princess is on the loose with the Deep Power Stones, she could pose a threat if she finds Sonic's younger version. His genetic code is still the same as Sonic's when he used it. Search all of Robotroplis and the great forest. I want that hedgehog."
"Yes sir." Snivily answered as he gave a solute and began to walk away to transmit the orders to the swat bots.
"Oh, and another thing. I want him and the princess, alive. I wish to see them beg for their lives before I robotizise them."
"Yes sir." Snivily then left the room. He had orders to carry out. As for Robotnik, he stayed in front of the hole to ponder some more.
"Hmm, I wonder what the princess is doing now?"
********************************************************************************
Chapter 3
Sally's mind was in a haze. All she could remember was that Sonic had been robotisized, but she didn't know who this Sonic was. The thought of that brought a tear to her eye, for what reason she did not know. The heavy fog that she was in must be having an effect on her memory, she knew that there was much more to her life then that one incident.
Then a warm hand grabbed her shoulder. The movement was not harsh and abrasive but soft and kind. She felt love from the hand's owner, a love directed at her. She turned and saw a shadowy figure standing in front of her. The being then moved closer to her, and Sally could sense what was going to happen, yet she too moved closer, and they kissed. Then, like a ton of bricks, it all came flooding back, everything.
As her memory became clear so did the fog around her. When she looked again at the figure she saw a tall blue hedgehog, "Sonic!" she cried as she rushed toward him and swung her arms around him. Her love for him was unmistakable, and she could sense his love for her. And they kissed again. Now she knew why she had cried, but why wasn't he like that now?
Passion they felt for each other, a passion in which would lead to one thing and only one thing, a ritual which most take a part in. A ritual called mating.
"I love you." She whispered as she placed her head on his chest. Oh how she wanted to take him right then and there. Join with him in a way that could not be broken. She was sick of hiding her true feelings for him from himself and every one else. But he gave her no answer in return.
His warmth made her feel calm and relaxed. But it soon faded, and his body became cold. He pushed her away and she fell onto her side with a thud.
"Sonic, what's wrong?" she asked and was soon answered. His body slowly turned into robot. His flesh and bone traded for metal and wires. His blood exchanged for electricity and oil. His mind replaced with circuits. He himself was no longer hedgehog but robot, a product of Robotnik's most fiendish machine, the robotisizer.
"Priority one, destroy freedom fighter, by order of Robotnik." Sonic said as his eyes glowed red. He lifted up his arm and aimed his laser weapon at Sally.
"No Sonic, its me Sally. Don't you remember?" she tried hopelessly to reach Sonic. She knew he was still in there. After all this was one way that helped bring uncle chuck back.
But her cries were hopeless. He had not listened to her. Then with an evil grin he said, "Good by, Sally" and fired...
She awoke in a thick sweat with a screem. Breathing heavly she sat up in her bed. The dream had been intense and she knew it. 'That wasn't a dream', she thought to her self, 'it was a nightmare'.
Then the door flew open and in ran little Sally Acorn. She too had had a bad dream. Hers had left her in terible fright and she was shaking from head to toe.
"What's wrong Sally?" Alesha asked the little one.
"I I h had a b bad d dream." Sally said still shaking. Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
Alesha patted her hand on her bed as she spoke, "Why don't you come sit down and tell me about it?" her voice was calm and soothing to help comfort the child.
Sally jumped up on the bed and told her latter self about her dream. Like Alesha's hers too was intense. She was sitting on a log with nothing to do when a hand taped her on her back and yelled, "Your it!" Sally turned around and saw Sonic's younger version standing behind her with his hands at each side of his face yelling, "Nah nah na na nah." He then stuck his tong out at her and declared, "You'll never catch me Sal." Sally of course was fumed at this and began to persue the hedgehog. He running just fast enough to keep out of Sally's grasp. But then abruptly he stoped and Sally toppled over him and slapped him on the back proclaiming to the world that she had gotten Sonic. But Sonic didn't say anything in return. Sally was now worried that she had hurt him. She walked over to him and pushed him on to his back. His eyes were closed. "Sonic, are you okay?" she asked as she looked into his eyelids. Then his eyes opened and a red glow eminated from them. "Of course I'm okay Sally." He said as he began to turn into robot, "As would anyone under the great Robotnik's rule." He then ran towards her. She screemed and ran as fast as she could. She yelled for help but no one answered. And then she fell, tripped over the very log she had sat on earlier. She curled herself into a ball awaiting Sonic to come, awaiting the one swift move of Sonic's hand that would mean the end to her life. But it never came. She looked up and saw no one around. Sonic had left. She stood up and walked over to Bunny's hut. She opened the door to find Bunny lying on her bead. She could see red streaks on her back. Sally walked closer to Bunny and saw blood on her bed, Sally turned Bunny over on her back and saw a stab wound on her stomach. She was dead. Sally screamed right then and there. She had not seen death before, and to see her best friend lying on her bed dripping with blood, it was too much for her. She was only seven. She then heard a tapping and turned to see Sonic and Juice, each had been robotized. "Yes, she's dead. Along with the others." Sonic called as he threw down Rotor and Antoine while Juice threw down Rosey and Miles, the little one-year-old fox didn't have a chance. Blood slithered out of each one of Sally's friends, seeing this Sally screamed again. She was not ready for something like this. She just wanted to curl up and die. She had no reason to live. Why didn't Sonic just go ahead and get it over with. Why did she have to see all of this. "I assure you it was a quick and painless death for them all." Sonic said, "After all they died in their sleep." Hearing this Sally did curl up. She knew she had no chance on getting away from them. So she just sat there waiting for the darkness. It came quickly as Sonic blasted her with his arm laser.
"... And I woke up after that and ran over here."
"My god that was terable." Alesha said as she hugged the little child. She had had a most disturbing dream. No wonder she had been shaking when she entered her hut. "Why don't we go see if the others are alright?" Sally nodded her head and took her future self's hand. They walked out of Alesha'a hut together.
They had found out that every one in Knothole had had a bad dream. Each one different but all ended in the same way, with Sonic killing each one with his arm laser. This they learned after entering Rosey's hut and seeing every one had congregated there except Sonic who they believed was still in his hut. They all went to see him and found that he was still in his bed asleep. They would wait until morning to ask if he had a dream, he was not one to be very happy when woken up before sunrise.
Both Sally's went back into Alesha's hut and sat down on her bed. "How about you stay here and sleep with me tonight?" Alesha said, "I think we both need a little company after what we had been through tonight."
"Okay." Sally said still a little shaken up from her dream. She curled up in bed next to her older self and fell fast asleep. Sally looked back apon herself and a tear ran down her cheek. 'A child that young should not be exposed to that kind of stuff. It just isn't right'. She thought as she lied back down apon her bed and fell fast asleep also. The last thought she had before she drifted off into her subconsious mind was, 'do these dreams have a meaning?'
And as she awoke the next morning to the sound of a screem she had her answer.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 4
The scream came from Sonic's hut.
When Sally sat up she found that her younger self was not next to her. She quickly, with the notion that her younger self might be in danger, slipped on her boots, swung her vest on and ran out of her hut towards Sonic's.
Every one was outside Sonic's hut, except Sally. Alesha was right in her assumption. Sally had woken up early and walked over to Sonic's hut. She was anctious to see weighter or not Sonic had had a dream. Bunny had went with her but ran out as soon as she saw Sonic still asleep in his bed, while Sally stayed in the hut. On her way out Bunny slammed the door shut and it latched behind her.
Then came the scream, and the gathering of friends around the hut. No one could get in through the door though and the windows were closed, locked and had drapes around them. No one could see inside to tell weither Sally was all right or not.
Sally ran up to the door and uncliped Nichole from her boot and asked, "Nichole, can you pick the lock to this door?"
"Computing," the little computer with a female electronic voice said as it searched the posibilities, "yes I can Sally."
"Nichole, do it." Sally commanded as a thin laser beam shot out from Nichole cutting the lock on the door.
Sally opened the door when Nichole finished. She looked in and saw herself curled up in a little ball in one corner of Sonic's hut. Sally ran over to her and picked her up. She was shaking violently, more than she had done the previous night. "What happened?" she asked herself.
The little one looked up and saw Sally's face. She stopped some of her shivering and answered, "Sonic, he changed, like last night."
"What?"
"Look." Sally pointed at Sonic lying in his bed. He seemed to phase in and out of robotic state.
'What could be causing this?' Sally thought. And then it came to her, she quickly grabbed Nichole and commanded her to give a list of inventory on the knapsack.
"Two power stones and one power ring generator are present and accounted for, the time stones have been lost, Sally."
"Oh no."
"What is it Alesha?" Sally asked as she jumped down from her arms.
"Robotnik," Alesha explained, "he's doing this." She paused as she looked at Sonic. His change to robotic form was becoming more perminate now, "Why don't you go out side with the others? I'll be out in a secound."
"Okay." Sally then ran out of the door and into the crowd.
Alesha then walked closer to Sonic. He was in a Mobian state at the moment. But then he started to glow, Sally tried to touch him but her hand was repled. Sonic's glow then became brighter and a beam of light shot out from him. The beam was so bright that she had to cover her eyes to keep from going blind. Then Sonic dissapeared, in the state of a robot, leaving the beam of light behind. Then it began to grow in size, consuming everything it touched and tourning it into light. Seeing this Sally ran out the door and into the crowd.
"Sonic's gone, and in his place is a temperal reflux. The light will consume everything and erase it from exstince." Sally yelled as the beam consumed all of Sonic's hut. The beam moved quicker with each thing it consumed, "Don't let it touch you!"
Everyone ran, they ran for their lives, they ran for their soles, they ran for themselves. But all was hopeless. No one could escape. First the kids were consumed, then Rosey, and finally in a brilliant flash of light Sally. The last thing she saw was a robotisized Sonic standing in front of her laughing, 'this was what the dreams had ment' she thought, and then darkness swept over her.
Within hours all of Mobius had been consumed by the light and what once was, was no more. A new Mobius emerged from the light, a Mobius full of polution, toxic spills, and worst of all, ruled by the evilest, ugliest and fattest person Mobius has ever known.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik
********************************************************************************
Chapter 5
Cold, dark and dry, Sally could only feel these things. The place where she had gone was darker then anything she knew, she couldn't even see her hand in front of her eyes. The floor was cold, hard, and slick, like the metal Robotnik was so fond of using, yet it wasn't metalic. The air was dryer then the desert, when she breathed she felt like she was taking a breath of the cold brisk air of winter, drying her throat.
She lied on the floor for what seemed like years, pondering what had happened to her, yelling at herself for letting Robotnik beat her like he did, wondering where she was, until a voice boomed in over her.
"I see you have awaken, child. I've been waiting a long time." The voice came from all around Sally, she couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Sally asked looking in all directions.
"Ah yes, I believe I should introduce myself, child. I am the Keeper of Time." A spot of light came out of the darkness and rained upon an old man standing in front of Sally. He had a long beard and wore a long light blue robe. "This place has no name, but asure you I will, you are safe from the passage of time here, you will never grow old."
"Keeper of Time? I thought I was dead."
"Yes, you should be, but you're not. Your heart still beats, you are still living."
"But how did I get here? Did it have to do with the tempral reflux?"
"Child, you ask many questions, but you are curious. I will answer them." He paused as to regain his thoughts, "I brought you here. For you see, you were alone. When this tempral reflux occurred you had no where to go, so you ran, but it didn't matter. The light cought up to you, at this point you should have lost your life, but you were not affected by the light. So you were lying on the ground sleeping, waiting for someone to awaken you. I found you and brought you here, where you have been sleeping for quite some time."
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Using your conventional time, six years."
"Six years?" Sally thought about the possabilites. She couldn't believe this had happened, "What are you going to do with me now that I'm awake?"
"Well, it has almost been four thousand years sense I have had any company in this place. And I have been doing this for so long that all I want to do is leave this life and go into the next. Yet to do this I must have someone to take over my place."
"And you want me to become an appentice to you and when it is time take over for you?"
"Yes, that is what I want. Of course it is your choice, I cannot force you to decide either way. I shall give you time to decide." Then the light vanished and Sally was again alone in the darkness.
She thought about the Keeper's offer, a job as the keeper of time, probably one of the most important jobs in the universe, and it was offered to her. But then she thought of her old life, she thought of Bunny, Tails, Rotor, and Sonic, her friends. She enjoyed her life as a freedom fighter, she loved the satisfaction she got for messing up one of Robotnik's plans. She missed her friends, she knew she would, and she'd miss Sonic most of all. But then she thought about what had happened, her friends were all gone, she had no life back on Mobius, her life had been taken away with the light.
"Yes, I accept." She said.
"I knew you would, child. Kneel down, and this will be so." Sally kneeled down while the Keeper walked over to her. As he placed the tip of a sword over her shoulders he spoke, "As Keeper of Time and the power given to me by the greater beings, I hear by bestow upon you the title of apprentice to the Keeper with all the responsabilities that the title gives. Are you ready?"
As if trapped in a trance she answered, "Yes."
"You are now and as long as need be know as Apprentice to the Keeper." He then cut off a lock of her fur from her neck. "With this lock you will be bound to this place, without it you may not return to the time stream and with it you will not be able to return." He paused as he handed out his hand to Sally, she took it and stood up, "welcome, Sally, you are now one of us."
With that he took her to her place of study and sleep. Over time he taught her many things about time and the universe. She learned how to watch over the time stream and keep it running according to the rules. She learned how to create things using only her mind. She learned how to use time to help her out in many problems. She learned all there was to know. This went on for years, twenty years I believe it was. Until one day when Sally was studying in her room.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 6
The room was dark all except for a beam of light shining apon Sally sitting at a desk reading a book. For the past twenty years she has spent most of her time studying books like this. He position required many hours of study each day and a lot of time alone. Which didn't bother her much sense she had spent many hours back in her old life alone in her hut planning. She was acustomed to being alone yet she had always had someone to talk to if she needed it. It's not like the keeper doesn't keep her company but he just isn't like her friends.
"Through use of the time stones and the time stones only may a person go back in time. Once there he/she can change a specific event altering history and changing the flow of time to the new version of the present. The traveler can then return to the present unharmed by the change in history'. Sally read from the book.
"Basic idea of time travel." She stated, "Something we did not sucseed in." she thought about he and Sonic's journey back to the past. How he had gotten robotisized and then the dream, and finally the temperal reflux which brought her here. The thought of what they might be now startled her, and she lost her concentration, which kept the light going. She was now in darkness.
"I sense that you are troubled, child." The keeper walked up to Sally and placed his hand on her shoulder. She regained her concentration as he touched her and the light returned. "What is the matter?"
Sally looked up at the old man, beard hanging down to his knees, and said in a sensear tone, "Keeper, I have been thinking about my friends and Mobius. I have not seen either sense you helped me twenty years ago. I wish to see them."
The keeper hesitated to give a reply, he seemed to be in deep thought. He then spoke, "The one thing I have yet to teach you, child, is that witch you ask. I have not shown you this until now because I did not believe you ready to handle it. But now you seem to be ready for it. Watch closely."
The keeper then spoke to Sally through her mind as he placed his hands out and began to chant the word vision. As he did so a white ball of energy condensed between his hands forming a circular disk. Images began to form inside the disk as the keeper stoped chanting.
"Now child, look." The keeper pointed to the disk as the first image came to view inside the disk.
The first image was Mobius, Sally gasped as she saw the gray plannet, the air was poluted and all the vegitation had died off. The next image was of Robotropolis, the size had almost tripled of it when she left with Sonic back nine years. The air around it was pitch black, it's polution rate had tripled that of where it started. Then she saw images of her friends, all of them robotisized, all of them working in the mines for Robotnik. But then she saw Sonic, he was serving Robotnik food like a maid. All of this was worse then she had ever imagioned it getting. Then the energy dissapeared.
An intense anger grew inside of Sally, a flame of hatred toward one man, and a large man at that. The hatred burned inside her like a flaming lake of lava, never growing colder, only hotter. She had to do something, she had to make Robotnik pay for what he had done, she will kill him.
"Keeper, I wish to return to the flow of time, I wish to stop Robotnik before he makes any of this happen." Sally pleads.
The keeper looks into Sally's eyes and sighs, "Child, I knew you would probably say that. I knew you just couldn't let that go on." He paused as he peered deeper into her eyes, "I see your passion, I can see the will of your heart, I cannot stop you. You may return."
The keeper twisted his fingers around and a lock of hair, Sally's hair, apeard in his hand. He walked over to Sally and placed it back in the spot it had come from, "As long as this lock is in place you can stay, but the minuit it's taken off you will return here. Remember, you can use time as your ally in battle, never believe time is not on your side. You can only do this once, after that you are stuck here."
"I will." Sally said as she closed her eyes and thought of the time where Robotnik had gone back to. She felt a blast of warmth blast over her as she opened her eyes to see the great forest. She had two days.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 7
Over on the other side of Mobius a riot had broken out among the Overlanders, Julian had gotten the citizens to move against their leader. A perfect scheme he thought, though he had no idea that it would soon turn against him.
Over in an alley of the city some papers began to rustle around violently, the air became thin and the ground began to shake. In the center of the alley a round sphere of clear energy began to form, two dark silowets began to form in it, one large, and one spiked. When the area calmed down, two beings formed from the energy, Robotnik and the robotisized Sonic.
Robotnik began to survey the area, "Ahh, what better place to end up then home, and during the power revolt too, perfect timing if I do ask myself." He chuckled a little after that. He seemed to have decided to come back to a time before the Mobians knew who he was. Yet he was far off from where he needed to be. 'A minor setback', he thought.
"Sonic, go find me the fastest vehical you can find. We have a lot of traveling to do." He ordered. Obeying his commander Sonic pealed out of the alley and into the streets, within a minute he was back with a hover unit. Robotnik stepped inside and it flew off out of the city. His destination, The Science Ministry in Mobitroplis, the mission, kill Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sally walked, knowing well that she would reach Mobitroplis in a day at her current pase, giving her a day to stop Robotnik from killing Sonic. As she passed the outer edges of the great forest she began to think of a way to stop Robotnik.
Sally stopped and reached down for Nichole, but couldn't find her computer. She forgot she had lost it when the Tempral Reflux hit her, along with the deep power stones and the power ring generator.
She thought for a moment and then closed her eyes in concentration. She moved her hands together as if she was molding a snowball, and as she did so particles of time began to converge between her hands forming a ball. She opened her eyes, concentrating still, but not as hard. She then let the ball spin in mid-air alone, but then began to press it together forming a large spinning disk of time. Sally closed he eyes once more and concentrated on a certain point in time, before the reflux had hit her, keeping that exact moment in her mind she opened her eyes to find it displayed inside the disk. She stepped inside and looked around to see herself running from a blinding ball of light, frozen in time. She walked over to herself and grabbed nichole from her hand and the sack from her back. She then walked back to the portal she had created. Sally turned around and took one last look at herself, she noticed Sonic over in the distance, but not the same place she'd seen him before. He had a smirk on his matlic face, an almost evil smirk. But she could see in his eyes, she could see a feeling of distress, like he was trapped. She knew Sonic, the one she knew was still in there somewhere, trapped in a prison of metal. She would get him out, somehow, she knew she would. Sally then turned toward the disk once more and walked through, leaving her past behind as the portal closed up and disapeared.
Sally opened nichole and asked, "Nichole, what are the possiblities of escape?"
Nichole replied in her usual tone, "Next to nothing."
Sally then told nichole, "scan for any and all temprial anomilies, nichole."
Nichole werred as she began her search, "Scanning... Four anomilies found Sally."
"List."
"Two on the other side of the planet, both heading toward robitroplis, one directly behind us, whose traces are diminishing, and one in front of me, you Sally. None seem to contain cheristics of a tempral reflux."
"That's because I have been outside time for twenty years, Robotnik and Sonic are from the future, and I created a time portal from which I have saved you from the Reflux."
"Information dose not seem to compute Sally, explain."
Sally held her left hand up and swayed it back and forth once, in her hand formed a data disk, she inserted it into nichole.
Nichole wirred as it read the disk. "Compiling data."
Sally waited for a moment as nichole read the disk, she then herd nichole beep, "Data compiled, mission understood."
"Nichole, calculate a any and all possible ways of restoring time to it's origional flow, yet also erasing Robotnik from history."
"First I suggest you begin walking, we still have to get to mobitroplis." Nichole clicked in.
"Right." Sally picked up the sack and swung it around her back and began walking toward The Science Ministry in Mobitroplis.
It was around nightfall when Sally entered the city, she stopped at a closed chilidog stand and sat. "Any sugestions on returning history?" she said as she uncliped nichole from her boot.
"Restore Sonic to his origional state." The computer wirred back.
"Any others nichole?"
"None. You must derobotisize our main hedgehog, that is the only possible way."
"Any suggestions there nichole?"
"It may be possible to return Sonic to his previous state by flowing the power of ten power rings into his body."
Sally checked the meter on the power ring generator, it displayed 90% capasity. "But we only have nine power rings. And the power ring pool is a days walk from here."
"You could use you mastery over time to take you there."
"No, it wouldn't work, if I could transport myself I wouldn't have walked here. I need time to recover from my last attempt, it drained a lot of my energy keeping that portal open long enough to pull you and the sack from history. Plus the rules of time do not permit me to take things from the past, because they may be vital to the present or the future. I am also unable to travel to the future."
"Then your only chance is to take the ring Robotnik has, it may be possible that he still has it."
"Thank you, nichole." Sally then closed her computer up.
As Sally walked of toward the Science Ministery her mind was set, she would return Sonic to his normal state, it's the only way of beating Robotnik.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 8
Sally tossed and turned in her make shift bed beside the steps of the science ministry. Her body at ease, sleeping, but her mind not, for it raced, non stop. She was dreaming.
Sally sat on a log next to the power ring pool, waiting for a power ring she believed, for she didn't remember walking there. It was a long and boring wait, all alone on the long, watching a boiling pot. But then she heard a twig snap behind her and turned quickly to see Sonic walking toward her, and sit down on the log next to her.
"Lonely?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.
"Actually, I am quite fine." She answered back looking away from him.
He sat his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, I know you want some company, I could tell by the way you looked when I walked up."
Sally had been cornerd, by Sonic, she chuckled a bit, "You know me too well, Sonic Hedgehog."
"I suspose I do, seeing we've lived together since we were five."
Sally looked at him, all blue and normal, she knew this was a dream, "Your not going to go and turn into a robot now are you?"
Sonic instantly had a puzzled look on his face, "Say what! No, I ain't gona change into no bot."
Sally smiled, she missed his smart-alecy remarks, "Good." She then held her hand in his, and act which she hadn't commited in twenty years.
As she sat there, her hand tightly fassoned in Sonic's, she thought of all the fun time's they'd had together, the battles, the wins, and the losses. She could picture them in her mind as if they had just happened, and she wondered why. Was it the fact that she was dreaming, or that she had been trained in time and can use it to remember. It was all a mystery to her, a dark thought among all the good, almost evil.
As she thought of such things the pool began to swirl, it was time. The sight was magnificent, the way the pool opened itself up in a perfect circle, and how the blue water took upon itself a golden glow as the secound most powerful object upon Mobius rose from the pool of swirling water. A Power Ring.
The beauty of the ring was immeasurable, how it's own power made it glow a bright golden color, casting the color over everything around it. Sonic stood up, face flush with gold from the light eminating from the ring, at took his place upon the log which hovered over the waters of the pool. The closer he got, the more flush he became, the golden light covering Sonic from head to toe. Then without premise he flung his right hand out and clung on to the shinny object, who's power could be transferred into Sonic allowing him to travel even faster then he can at that moment.
But then, like the most spontanious reaction the world has ever known, the glow cesed. As if all the energy had been sucked out of it, the golden ring changed to a brownish color, one that made it look as if it were dying. Sally gasped as she saw the act, 'not again', she thought.
Sally held her hand out to signal that she wanted something, "Hand it here, Sonic."
Sonic looked at Sally, eyes glowing, but not the red she had expected from a robotisized Mobian, but it glowed gold. "Here, take it!" He said with an eccoing tone as he threw the ring at Sally who caught it an inch from her nose, "It's usefulness has been lived up! It contains no power."
Sally looked at the dead ring, brown and cracked, it made no reaction. "Who are you?" she asked with the voice of a young child, one who's curiosity had gotten her into more trouble then she wanted.
Sonic let out a short "heh" as he smiled. He acted almost like Robotnik, which, for more reasons then one, was frightning Sally.
Sonic began spinning, going faster with every revolution, until he himself turned into a round blue sphere. He spun there for what seemed like days from Sally's point of view, until he began to slow down and take shape. But the shape he reverted back to was not his own, but the one of The Keeper of Time. Sally gasped, 'this is turning into a weird dream', she thought as she looked up at the one who saved her from death twenty years prior to when she decided to go back through time.
"Child, to be alarmed is to be weak in mind. Anything can happen among dreams." The Keeper said as he looked down upon Sally.
"Were you the one who gave me those dreams, the ones depicting destruction?" Sally asked with the curiosity of a two-year-old.
"Yes, and no." The Keeper said as he pointed a finger at Sally and began to communicate directly to her mind, "I was conducting an experiment long ago, my apprentice had advised me not to but insisted upon it. Little did I know, that when I was finished I would end up with the time stones.
"Realiseing the destructive power of the time stones, I created a place for them, hidden from all. Yet it needed a guardian, so I granted my apprentice the title of Keeper of the Time Stones. Which he has done his job, and granted use of the time stones to you and Sonic, who were both pure in heart.
"Though I knew that the Time Stones would only be granted to those pure in heart, I also knew the possibility that they could get lost and wind up in the hands of evil. Which is what has happened. So as a failsafe I created the Deep Power stones as a means to either destroy the world if such an act had happened, or to correct it with the ultimate power, the power to defy time.
"When you and Sonic used the Deep Power stones you both were granted this power, at first the power came in distructive form, but then it came in dreams. But the final and most powerful stage of the power was the ability to not be affected by time changing itself. This is why you were not killed, and live today to stop the evil from completeing it's plot.
"Only YOU can save Mobius, at least until you free Sonic, then you both, in combined effort, will be able to win. This is the only way, combine powers or you will never know the future you seek."
Then as he finished his last word the Keeper began to revert into Sonic, "Wait, I have another question!" But Sally was too late, the Keeper was gone and Sonic was in his place.
Sally looked down at the brown power ring as Sonic sat back down beside her, "It's going to be alright Sal, everything will be alright." Sonic said as he put his hand upon the ring.
With Sonic's touch the ring began to glow golden again, casting it's normal golden tint upon Sonic, Sally and everything around it. Sonic looked at Sally, who in turn looked at Sonic, and they kissed. As they did so the ring began to increase in the intensity of it's glow, until all that could be seen was the glow. Everything was gold...
********************************************************************************
Chapter 9
Sally awoke with a jolt upon the steps to the science ministry as Sir. Charles Hedgehog touched her shoulder. "Calm down child, I was only checking to see if you were alive." Said Charles as he looked down at Sally who was now calming and stared up at whom she knew to be Uncle Chuck.
"I'm sorry, I was having a startling dream." Sally replied as she rested her head in her right hand to relieve some of the pressure her head was feeling from the sudden wakening. "I was waiting for Sir Charles and then fell asleep."
Chuck smiled, "Well anyone who would sleep on the steps of the science ministry building waiting for me must have some urgent business. Here, come inside and we'll talk."
Sir Charles said as he helped Sally to her feet and led her into the building.
"...So as you can see, we have to protect Sonic in this time at all costs, as well as find a way to steel the power ring from Robotnik. Or all will be lost." Sally said as she closed the projection Nicole was displaying.
Charles sat for a moment pondering what he had heard. "So, my nephew Sonic is suppose to be this world's savior?"
"In a way yes." Sally replied, knowing time was getting short, Robotnik would soon be in Mobitropolis looking for Sonic.
"Well, then it's settled. Our first priority is to place Sonic in a safe place." Charles paused as he stood up, "Then, I believe I have a machine that will be able to help you out."
"So where can he be found around now?" Sally asked.
"Well, he should be storming into this room any minuet now." Chuck stated just before a loud hum buzzed by Sally's ears and before her stood a relatively shorter and younger version of Sonic then she had seen before.
"I don't remember seeing you around here before." Stated the young Sonic as best he could as he patted his feet on the ground.
Sally smiled and knelt down so she could be as close to the youngster's height as possible, "I'm an old friend of your uncle. My name is Alicia."
"Oh, I see." Sonic said before he turned to face Chuck, "So, what's up today unc?"
Charles chuckled at Sonic's question, "Well Sonic, Alicia and I are going on a trip."
Sonic's eyes lighted up at the mention of a trip, "A trip! Can I come... please?"
Charles looked at Sally for a moment, she nodded, "Sure, come on. It's a long walk from here."
"You mean I have to walk?" Sonic asked as Chuck took Sonic's hand and dragged Sonic out of the room with Sally trailing behind.
"Yes Sonic, you have to stay close to me and Alicia so that you won't get into any trouble." Charles answered in a fatherly tone.
"Man, that bites." Sonic said right before Sally pinched him for his remark. She chuckled at being able to punish Sonic. She hadn't had that pleasure... yet.
The three travelers were sitting down under a tree near the Great Forest. Sonic was playing with Nichole while Uncle Chuck was laughing as Sonic tried to understand Nichole's speech. Sally was thinking of a way to hide Sonic so that Robotnik could never find him. She knew it was impossible to do that on the planet because Sonic could track himself, and space would be impossible to reach. Then, an idea hit her mind.
"Excuse me you two, I have something to do in private." Sally said as she stood up.
Charles nodded, "Alright, make it quick though. We need to get moving soon."
Sally returned the nod and then turned and headed toward another tree off further away from their resting-place. Once there, she sat down behind it so that neither Charles nor Sonic could see her activities. Then, with a quick glance toward the hedgehogs for security she began to meditate.
She began by placing herself in an Indian style sitting stance, then she proceeded to place her hands together so that the center of her forehead would sit between the two held together index fingers leaving her thumbs to rest at the bottom of her chin. She then closed her eyes and concentrated on time. She, once calm searched for a place in time that was stopped, a place where time did not run, her sanctuary. After a short time of searching, she found it.
'Keeper,' she projected her thoughts into the place. 'Speak to me Keeper.'
'Yes child, I am here.' Replied the Keeper.
'I have a question to ask of you.' Sally thought.
'What is it child?' The Keeper replied.
'Would we be able to hide Sonic from this time with you?'
'That is impossible.' Answered the Keeper, 'to do that would surely mean my death.'
'I know of the rules, but would we be able to go around them on the technicality of the situation?' Sally asked with the hopes of being able to bend the rules.
'You mean bend the rules?' Asked the Keeper.
'In a sense, yes.' Answered Sally. 'Because Sonic is important to the time stream, the rules say that we can't mess with his importance in time. But, since Robotnik is here trying to mess with Sonic's importance, wouldn't our interference be justified?'
The Keeper thought for a moment before replying. 'It is possible, but the punishment would be severe if we are proven otherwise non-justified by the council.'
'That is a chance we will just have to take if the timeline is to ever be restored to its origional flow.' Sally replied sternly.
'All right, I will help you to bring him here Sally. Though if the timeline is not restored exactly to its origional flow; we will be held accountable for the changes.' Warned the Keeper.
'Thank you,' Sally said.
"Sally!" cried Sonic from the distance.
Sally quickly opened her eyes and turned to look at what was going on. Robotnik had caught up with them; Sonic was lying on the ground unconcience while Sonic's mechanized older self was holding Charles. Robotnik had a gun pointed at Sonic.
"No!" Sally yelled as she held her left hand to her side and concentrated some temperal particles into a small sphere in her hand. She then began to run toward Robotnik while she threw the sphere in mid stride toward Mecha-Sonic. The sphere flew at high speeds until it blasted into Mecha-Sonic throwing him a long distance away from the hedgehog. While the sphere began to dissipate into nothingness as it messed with Mecha-Sonic's circuitry Sally drop kicked Robotnik sending him to an intimate meeting with the grass.
Quickly Sally then grabbed the young hedgehog and ran toward the Great Forest. As a precaution she threw another blast of temperal energy toward Mecha-Sonic who was now getting up from the ground. This blast also hit its target and knocked Sonic to the ground again before it dissipated. All the while Robotnik was yelling at Mecha-Sonic to get up and chase after Sally, but with no prevail. The battle was over, for now.
As soon as Sally was a safe distance inside the Great Forest she set the still sleeping hedgehog on the ground. She then concentrated on the time stream to find that place in time that was protected from its flow. She found it again.
'Keeper, I am ready.' Said Sally.
'As am I, concentrate hard Sally.' Replied the Keeper.
'Of course.' Sally replied as she raised her hands toward the area beside the young hedgehog and began to form the temperal particles into a portal. The Keeper also from the other end of the portal concentrated upon that portal and formed the portal at the opposite end allowing Sonic the room to pass through to him.
"Send him through child." Said the Keeper through the portal to Sally.
Sally instantly picked Sonic up and pushed him through the portal to the Keeper.
"He will be safe here Sally. Good luck." Said the Keeper before the portal closed and Sally was left alone in the forest.
"Robotnik will be here soon looking for Sonic." Sally said as she saw a ray of red sunlight pass through an opening in the trees. "Looks like I'll have to transport myself back to the Science Ministry if I wish to avoid Robotnik."
Sally looked directly in front of her and began to concentrate bringing temperal particles slowly together to form another portal. She began to sweat from the strain on her body to complete her task as the portal to her sanctuary took most of her power to complete. Within a few minuets the portal had formed completely and a picture of the area in front of the Ministry building shown through the portal. Sally took a deep breath and walked trough it. The portal lived for a few moments before it fizzled away into the atmosphere.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 10
Sally calmly walked into the Science Ministry building. She hopped that nothing had happened to Chuck or his lab area. She would need his help to recover the lost power ring, and in the future to escape from Robotnik.
As she walked through the halls toward Uncle Chuck's lab she noticed something different in the atmosphere of the building. It was an uneasy feeling that seemed to fill the halls of the building. She was beginning to worry about the integrity of the lab and Chuck, and so, she ran.
Opening the door leading into the lab Sally noticed what she had hopped against. In the search for Sonic, Robotnik had totally destroyed every instrument in the lab. It was a devastated room full of rubble, a scientific graveyard.
"You succeeded child?" came a voice from the opposite side of the room.
"Yes I did. Sonic is safely in the hands of the Keeper of Time." Sally replied as she walked towards the voice.
Uncle Chuck came out of the dark and into the light as he spoke, "I wish I could say the same for myself and the lab."
Uncle Chuck appeared to be badly beaten and bruised, he had numerous cuts that were still bleeding.
"Uncle Chuck, what did Robotnik do to you?" Sally asked as she rushed over to the hurt hedgehog.
"After you ran off with the boy he had Sonic capture me while I was trying to escape." Chuck paused a moment as he coughed, "Apparently, he didn't see me as a threat without you or Sonic. Though he sure didn't let me go without a good beating." Uncle Chuck let go of the machine he was holding on to and tried to balance himself upon his own legs. As soon as he tried his legs gave out from the pressure and he fell to the ground. Sally caught him and held him tight like a child.
"Are you alright?" Sally asked.
Chuck waved his hand in an attempt to brush it off, "I'll be fine," he paused as he coughed, "I just need a little help to walk that's all." He paused again as he tried to stand up; Sally helped him to his feet. "Thank you, I have something I need to show you."
"I need to get you to a doctor." Sally said as she began to lead Chuck out of the room.
"No," stated Chuck as he pulled her in the opposite direction, "you must see this first." He paused as he looked at Sally who nodded, "This way."
Uncle Chuck led Sally into a small area on the far end of the lab. The area was the least crowded with debris in the lab and still had a yellow light that showed down upon the area. In the center was a round shaped machine, one that looked almost identical to the one stationed at the bottom of the Power Ring Pool.
"This, is my power ring generator." Chuck said as he pointed to the contraption.
"You mean YOU created the power rings?" Sally asked in shock.
"Yes, this machine was created by myself. I was hopping to give you one of the power rings that it creates. Unfortunately, while Robotnik was destroying my lab he took the key components needed to create a power ring." Chuck explained.
"Did he take the chaos emerald?" Sally asked.
"Luckily he didn't." Chuck replied as he pulled the emerald from the machine, "But all of the power distribution components have been taken. I found them close to the area where we were resting. Unfortunately each one was incomplete."
"What do you mean by incomplete?" Sally inquired.
"Well, certain key parts on each component had been taken. Apparently Robotnik needed parts to build some machine. What it is he was trying to build I don't know. But I do know that it would take me longer then what we have to repair the generator." Uncle Chuck stated before he began to cough continuously.
"I need to get you to a doctor right away!" Sally stated as she began to walk as quickly as she could out of the lab and into the city streets toward the infirmary.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, princess." Came a sinister voice before Robotnik appeared from on of the halls inside the science ministry building. Sally stopped in front of the large man and set chuck down beside her.
"What do you want Robotnik?" Stated Sally with a scowl.
"Why it is quite simple really, I want the young rodent." Robotnik replied calmly.
Sally thought of Sonic after Robotnik had spoken and a smirk ran across her face as she replied, "Oh I'm sorry, but Sonic is no longer here with us, but if you would like to leave a message I'd be glad to relay it to him upon his next visit."
In a fit of rage Robotnik picked Sally up by her vest, "Are you mocking me?" Robotnik said with crimson red eyes.
"It depends on whether or not I can gain a few hundred pounds." Sally said sarcastically.
"Pestilence!" Robotnik yelled as he threw her to the other end of the hall. Sally quickly flipped around and landed on her feet skidding to a stop before she hit a closed door.
"Hmm, quite impressive." Robotnik turned toward Sonic who was patiently standing beside him, "Do away with them both." Then looked down at Chuck lying down on the floor, "Him first."
"Yes sir." Sonic replied in a mechanized voice as Robotnik walked out of the science ministry.
Sonic turned toward Chuck as lifted his arm in preparation to crush his head in. Sally looked on at the sight as hollered as loud as she could as she ran toward Sonic, "NO!!!"
Sonic looked up at Sally as she ran toward him. For a moment he faltered in his thoughts, but quickly regained control and began to complete his task.
Gathering up as much strength as she could muster Sally concentrated upon the temperal particles in the air trying to form a sphere out of them. One formed between her hands and Sally threw it at Sonic, hitting him before his hand connected with Uncle Chuck's head throwing him out of the science ministry.
Sally quickly knelt down and placed Uncle Chuck on her shoulders before she ran toward the back exit. At the same time she concentrated again upon time hopping to form another portal. She stopped at the door and allowed the sphere to form between her hands, then trying with all her might to form a portal she flattened the sphere out and a picture of the inside of the infirmary formed inside it. Then, with all her might to stay awake she moved through it with Chuck on her shoulders. The portal disappeared behind her.
Inside the main hall of the infirmary doctors and nurses were scurrying about on their ways to perform their tasks. One nurse was studying a clipboard when a sphere of light formed in front of her. She stopped and stared in awe and terror as a picture of the inside of the science ministry formed inside it and then Sally with Chuck on her shoulders emerge from it before it disappeared.
"Please help." Sally said before her eyes closed and she fell to the ground letting Chuck roll in front of her as she passed out form exhaustion.
The nurse turned quickly toward the opposite end of the hall and yelled, "I need some help over here. Someone has just entered with an injured man on her shoulders and then passed out herself!"
Blurry, a bright light, awakening. Sally slowly opened her eyes as she laid in one of the hospital beds. Disorientated she tried to sit up but wound up falling back upon the bed. She lay there for a moment until her sense of sight came back. When it did she looked over to her right and found Sir Charles lying in another hospital bed. She slowly got up and walked over to him.
"Charles, can you hear me?" She asked as she grabbed hold of his left hand.
Sir Charles opened his eyes slowly and stared at Sally for a moment before responding, "Sally, you must fight Robotnik."
Sally smiled, "I'm glad your alright."
"I'll be just fine, all I need is some rest. You must find Robotnik and destroy him. Here." Chuck reached under his bed sheets and pulled out a glowing ring.
"A power ring?" Sally asked astonished.
"I too was working on a storage device. I took this ring from it before Robotnik confronted us. It should still be good enough to help you." Chuck said as he handed Sally the power ring.
A tear formed in Sally's eye, "Thank you." She knelt down and picked up her backpack lying beside her bed and placed the ring inside the generator.
"Just right Robotnik's wrongs." Chuck said before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
"I will." Sally replied as she tore the IV from her arm and changed into her vest. She then walked out of the infirmary avoiding detection. She then grabbed a hovercraft and flew it out of town and towards the great forest. 'For you...'
Sally hopped out of her hovercraft, which she parked a few feet from an opening into the great forest. She then began to walk upon the path deep into the forest. She knew the path had been laid out just for her since there was no path in the future leading to Knothole. That's where Sally was heading.
It didn't take her long to figure out where Robotnik would wish to meet her while she piloted the hovercraft from Mobitropolis. The site where Knothole would be built is the most private and secluded area on Mobius that she knew. A large open expanse hidden within the great forest under a canopy of tall trees which stood on a cliff above the expanse. No one would be able to see what would take place there, yet there would be enough room for a large-scale fight if there need be one.
Sally pondered her predicament while she walked along the freshly laid out path toward Knothole. The whole reason her and Sonic originally came back through time was to change history by erasing Robotnik from it. Now her whole purpose for leaving her home is gone. The time line must be kept exactly the way it was, that is, if she valued her life as well as the Keeper's. Unfortunately for Mobius, she did.
Throughout her twenty years of study in the most quiet and secluded place there is she hadn't had a time of piece in which she could think like she could as she headed down the path toward Knothole. She thought of many things, the future, Uncle Chuck, Robotnik, but most of all she thought about Sonic. What would happen to him if she was forced to fight him. Once changed using the power rings would he be able to help her battle Robotnik? If time were to change, would he be lost in time as well?
Sally had pondered on living out the rest of her life alone without Sonic or any of the other freedom fighters by her side. Being the Keeper of Time was a very lonely job, one that she would ultimately have to take when the time came. Could she bring Sonic with her, and forever be with him watching over time together, or would she be forced to spend eternity alone like the keeper.
With these questions fresh on her mind as she walked up to the tree slide leading to the Knothole area she remembered a conversation she had with the keeper during her period with him.
' Sally had been studying a book about time until she came upon a passage that seemed to trouble her. The moment she laid back into her chair the Keeper appeared behind her and asked, "What troubles you child?"
Sally sighed as she turned around to face the Keeper before she replied. "This passage states that you can use temperal particles to erase someone with an evil heart from the time stream. Yet, it says nothing about what would happen if the same particles were to land upon someone pure in heart."
"Ah, thinking of Sonic again are we?" The Keeper paused for a moment as he thought of an answer that Sally would understand, "You see child, the reason the book doesn't tell what would happen is because no one knows."
Sally's spirits lowered for a moment as she stared at her feet upon the metallic surface of her sanctuary. The Keeper knelt down and placed his hands on Sally's shoulders, "Do not be sad Sally, I'm sure that, when the time comes, if you were to miss Robotnik and hit Sonic something good will come out of it."
Sally looked up with a few tears in her eyes, "I hope so." '
"Well Keeper, it's time to find out..." Sally said as she jumped into the tree stump and slid down the slide into the depths of the Great Forest known as Knothole. The final battle ground.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 11
"Not good!" Sally said when she came to the end of the slide. The end off
the tree at this point was a good 30 feet above the ground that Knothole is on. She also noticed that there wasn't any hay pile for her to fall into. 'I forgot we didn't set this up for a year!' She thought as she fell to the ground, but instead of hitting the ground she hit a pile of hay.
'This wasn't here a second ago.' She thought as she rolled out of the pile
and brushed off the hay from her fur.
"That's because I just put it there." Came a voice from behind her.
Sally turned around and found Robotnik standing in front of her and the
pile of hay gone. "Robotnik!"
Robotnik had a smirk on his face, "What, no thank you for keeping you're
body in a healthy condition. My, my princess have we forgotten our manners so
quickly in the past twenty years?"
Sally's eyes shot open in surprise before stating, "You know about that?"
Robotnik chuckled a little, "Well, when you have the time stones you can
find a lot out. Of course, ease dropping on your conversation with Sir Charles
helped as well."
"Why you..." Sally began to condense temperal particles within her right
hand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you princess. Without me, you're precious
Sonic will self-destruct." Robotnik said as he pointed toward Sonic who was
standing in his usual patient-less stance.
"Alright Robotnik, I'll play by your rules." Sally stated as she let the
particles return to their respected places while letting out a sigh.
Robotnik smiled as he said, "I'm glad you see it my way." Robotnik paused
as he began to walk toward the housing area where a large structure had been
constructed, "Follow me."
Without another choice Sally began to follow Robotnik. After a few moments
she looked back towards Sonic yet he was gone.
"Oh don't worry about him, he's gone to prepare for when he'll be needed."
Robotnik stated.
"I suppose you would know best." Sally stated sarcastically.
"Flattery will get you now where." Robotnik stated as he opened the door
to the structure and motioned for Sally to enter before him.
With a bit of hesitation Sally walked into the structure to find that it
was completely dark inside, she then heard the door shut behind her covering her
in darkness.
"Lights." Robotnik stated but to no avail, "Stupid computer, I knew I
should have built it from my own parts and not that of this area..." Robotnik
mumbled as he seemed to walk toward a light switch and flip it on.
Sally gasped in awe as the lights in the structure came on revealing a
large table with hundreds of plates full of all kinds of food upon it. From the
smell that reached her nose she could tell that it had all been recently cooked.
"Why Robotnik, all of this for little old me?" Sally said as if she was trying to
flirt.
"It wouldn't be fair to have you fight Sonic if you are only half full.
Besides, I think I would love to see your full potential." Robotnik stated, "This way." He then let Sally sit down at the head of the table offering her anything she desired from it.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Sally asked.
Robotnik's eyes seemed to darken a bit more as he said, "Don't doubt my
generosity princess, or else you will find yourself regretting it."
"Perish the thought." Sally stated as she reached for some food.
"I must see to it that our battle arena has been properly set up." Robotnik stated as he headed toward the entrance, "If you'll excuse me." He bowed before exiting. Once outside a chuckled as he thought, 'she seems to be falling right into my trap, one taste of that food and she'll die from the poison. Just in case though, I should have the explosive ready.' Robotnik pulled a small pad with a switch on it out from behind his back, stopping from his jog he turned and flipped the switch upon the pad...
"I have a bad feeling about this." Sally stated as she turned her head as
Robotnik closed the door.
'Sally, it's a trap!' Came a voice from another space.
Sally stood up and began to head toward the door when she heard the
explosion start, 'here goes nothing!' She thought as she jumped through a sparkling white sphere that formed in front of her.
Sally appeared behind Robotnik as the building exploded into millions of
small scraps. 'Thank you Keeper,' she thought as she condensed temperal particles into her right hand. "Nice try Robotnik," Sally paused as Robotnik turned toward her in shock, "but a try doesn't quite cut it with someone like me!" she then threw the particles at Robotnik sending him flying toward the rubble left from the explosion.
"Sonic!" Robotnik yelled as he pulled himself up from the rubble, "Kill
her!"
A second later Sonic appeared in front of Sally, "As you bid." He then
kicked Sally sending her flying toward a tree.
Seeing her destination Sally quickly spun around and formed a sphere of
temperal energy under her feet. When the energy hit the tree she was sent flying
toward Sonic, who jumped into the air before Sally could drop kick him.
"I see his speed hasn't changed." Sally said as she shot another blast at Sonic
who let loose a folly of laser fire that split right through the energy and began
to pummel the ground around Sally trapping her inside it. He then proceeded to
attack Sally by shooting another blast of laser fire.
In response Sally formed a field of temperal energy atop her hopping to
stop the laser fire. When they collided the laser energy was absorbed by the
temperal particles and began to turn the sparkling grayish energy a dark red tint before shattering it forcing Sally to the ground before Sonic picked her up and threw her a clear twenty feet from him.
Skidding to a stop on the ground Sally urged herself to her feet as she
wiped the excess blood from her cheek. "Sonic, it doesn't have to be this way,
you're on my side."
"Oh but it does princess." Robotnik stated from behind Sally who turned to
face him before Sonic ran up behind her grabbing her by both of her arms. "As you see, he is completely loyal to me and only me. Why, not even a power ring could turn him against me."
Sally struggled within Sonic's steady grip for a moment before speaking,
"Is that so Robotnik? I guess we'll have to find out then." She paused for a moment to watch the curious look on Robotnik's face, "Rings generate times ten!" she called out as her backpack began to glow the glow of power rings.
"Oh no you don't!" Robotnik yelled as he snatched the backpack from Sally
who managed to kick him a few times. "These rings are mine now." Robotnik then
began to chuckle.
Sally looked at her right arm as a grayish glow began to engulf it. She
smiled as she let loose the energy knocking Robotnik on his back as she knelt down and threw Sonic onto Robotnik. Then she snatched up her backpack and pulled out the generator. "Waypast!" she stated before ten power rings formed above it.
Taking them in her left hand she charged Sonic who had gotten off of Robotnik. She then gave Sonic a drop kick forcing him to the ground before throwing the rings onto Sonic's chest. Stepping back Sally watched as the power ring's glow began to increase as it engulfed Sonic.
"NO!!!!!!!" Robotnik yelled as he watched in awe at the display in front
of him. His prized creation destroyed in front of his eyes.
Sally stepped toward Sonic as the glow diminished leaving the figure of a
hedgehog hunched over amidst the cloud of dust. The figure stood up after a moment and turned to look at Sally.
"Sonic!" Sally cried out with a smile, which soon turned into a frown as
she saw two red glowing eyes come forth from the dust.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 12
Sonic leapt out of the dust towards Sally bringing her to the ground upon
her back. He then grabbed Sally's neck and began to squeeze.
"Sonic, it doesn't have to be this way, Robotnik can't be allowed to win!
Please Sonic, why do you have to do this?" Sally pleaded as best she could as Sonic continued to squeeze tighter and tighter on Sally's neck until a childish smirk came upon his face. Then with a wink Sonic threw Sally toward Robotnik knocking him down on the ground all the while breaking Sally's fall.
"Yo Robuttnik! It's time we fought ourselves!" Sonic yelled out towards
Robotnik as he stood to his feet while Sally ran out of the way.
"What!? How did you retain your free will?" Robotnik asked dumbfounded at
the recent turn of events.
"How should I know. It's not like I planned it out anyway!" Sonic replied
as he began to get restless.
"Hmm, those power rings must have had an affect on him. Why didn't I see
this when I designed that robotisizer?" Robotnik trailed off as he thought about
what had happened.
"You talk to much fat man! I want some action!" Sonic said before dashing
off toward Robotnik landing a blow to Robotnik's large stomach throwing him clear toward the remains of the exploded building. "That's more like it!"
"Sonic!" Sally called as she ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "I
thought it was a lost cause."
"Hey, don't worry about it, I'm back." Sonic paused as he looked down at
himself, "well, in mind at least!"
"Just as long as you have your free will. It doesn't matter about your
body." Sally said before giving Sonic a kiss on the cheek.
Sonic smiled before grabbing Sally and gave her a kiss like the one they had taken part in after the destruction of doomsday. As they did a white glow began to emanate from Sonic growing stronger the longer they kept together in the embrace until finally the light was so bright that Sonic nor Sally could be seen within it.
Just as this begun Robotnik emerged from underneath the rubble. Looking on
at the display he gasped in awe, it seems he was now absent one robotic hedgehog, or at least that's what he believed.
Sonic and Sally were still within their embrace when the light subsided and returned to Sonic where it started. Now what was once a robotic version of Sonic was now a flesh and bone real life version, the original. When Sally backed away and opened her eyes she gasped in surprise at the sight in front of her.
"Sonic, you're yourself again." She said with a hand halfway covering her
mouth.
Sonic looked down at himself before replying, "I guess I am." Sonic paused
as he looked himself over and then looked back at Sally, "That kiss must have
triggered something I guess. So much for the power rings LOOK OUT!" Sonic grabbed Sally and jumped out of the way of a laser blast. He then got up and turned to look at Robotnik.
"That was way low round man!" Sonic yelled as he looked over at Robotnik
who was holding onto a large laser gun.
"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment pest!" Robotnik replied as he
shot another blast at Sally who held up her hand and caught the energy within a
field of temperal particles.
"I believe this is yours Robotnik." Sally said as she stood up next to
Sonic, "Here, you can have it back." She then threw the energy at Robotnik
knocking the gun out of his hands.
"Thanks Sal, I'll take it from here." Sonic said as he raced off toward
Robotnik to engage in combat.
'Sonic should be able to handle this,' Sally thought as Sonic raced off,
'But just in case, I should have this ready. It'll take most of the strength I
have to do this, I hope it'll be enough!' She then placed her arms behind her
back and began to call forth temperal particles to form her most powerful attack.
"You're mine rodent!" Robotnik called as he grabbed Sonic and threw him
across the field. Sonic laid on the ground for a second before getting up and
returning Robotnik's favor with a speedy upper cut knocking Robotnik off balance
for a moment.
"It would appear were almost equal." Sonic said as he kicked Robotnik
causing him to fall onto his back.
"How so?" Robotnik inquired as he stood up and punched Sonic with his
robotic arm.
"Well, your weight is too much for me and my speed is too much for you. But the reason we're almost equal is the fact that I have the power of ten power rings at my disposal." Sonic said as a golden glow began to engulf him.
"What!? Ten power rings!" Robotnik yelled as he remembered the power rings
Sally had thrown to Sonic before his transformation. 'This wont get me anywhere,' he thought, 'I've got to get out of here!' Robotnik then ran the opposite direction of Sonic until he was stopped by a gold tinted blue streak that circled around him.
"Where do you think you're going robobutt?" Sonic called as he ran around
Robotnik blocking all means of escape.
"Oh no where really, I was just on my way to your funeral!" Robotnik replied as he extended his robotic arm at the blue streak grabbing a hold of Sonic. Sonic began to open Robotnik's hand, but as he did his golden glow disappeared and was crushed by Robotnik's extremely tight grip.
"Heheh, maybe you'd like to go to an amusement park instead?" Sonic asked as Robotnik tightened his grip more and more upon him.
Deep within the great forest another fight for survival was taking place. A young Julian was running through a dark and dangerous forest trying to keep away from a group of overlander soldiers on a mission to kill him. 'It wasn't my fault, my assistant miscalculated.' He thought over and over as he ran from the group of soldiers and their lasers.
"There he is!" One shouted as he pointed off in the direction of the
scientist. At once all of the soldiers shot their lasers weapons at Julian.
"Oh no!" Julian yelled as he saw the lasers and dodged them as best as he
could. Looking back as he ran Julian tripped over a fallen tree limb and began to roll across the forest floor until he came upon a well-hidden cave entrance and fell into it.
"Where did he go?" asked one of the soldiers as they came to the hole and
looked around for him.
"He must have ran deeper into the forest where the trees are thicker." One
of the other soldiers said before running off deeper into the forest.
"I hope you're right" one of the others said, "I'd hate to see what would
happen to us is we don't bring back Julian's head!"
"Those fools!" Julian said as he stood up inside the dark cave, "They're not even close to me!" he then began to walk in the direction of a small glint of light. "I wonder if those stupid Mobians will..." Julian stopped as he was
engulfed in a flash of white light before disappearing into the air around him.
Sonic! Sally thought as she hurried to finish her work, the energy she
needed was not fully ready to initiate the attack. 'It seems I'll need to stall.' She thought as she ran up to Robotnik and connected a drop kick to the side of his head. Robotnik in turn lost his balance causing him to loosen his grip on Sonic just enough for the hedgehog to escape from Robotnik's clutches.
"It seems the damsel has decided to join the fight." Robotnik said as he
regained balance and pulled out his laser rifle, "No matter, I rather enjoy a
good gun fight!" Robotnik then began shooting his gun at Sally who in turn placed a field of temperal energy in the way of the laser with her left hand allowing her right to keep it's work going.
"It's no use Robotnik, you cannot beat a master of time!" Sally yelled as
she pushed the energy back at Robotnik knocking him on his back.
"And you're no match for my speed!" Sonic shouted as he sped past Robotnik
putting him in a spin.
"It would seem so." Robotnik replied as he regained control over himself,
"But two of me should be able to handle this just fine."
"What do you mean two of you?" Sonic asked.
"He should be here any moment." Robotnik stated.
"Who? Who will be here?" Sonic asked again.
"Me!" answered a voice from behind Sonic before two large arms grabbed hold of him rendering him incapable of movement.
"Sally, Sonic, this is Doctor Julian Kintobor, but you may call him
Robotnik. Thank you so much for joining us doctor." Robotnik said as he bowed his head toward Julian.
"It is my pleasure. I'd be glad to help exterminate a few minor pests
before infiltrating the Kingdom of Acorn." Julian said, "Now what should I do
about this feisty pest?"
'It is finished,' Sally thought as she watched the two doctors exchange
formalities, 'all I need now is the opportunity to use it!' Sally brought her
hands up in front of her holding them in tight fists to conceal their cargo.
"Kill him!" called Robotnik as Julian took Sonic and threw him to the
ground knocking him out cold.
"Sonic!" Sally cried as she charged Julian who bent down to pick Sonic up.
He turned to look at Sally who's right fist had a white glow emanating from it.
Just as he did he picked Sonic up and threw him at her as she let her right fist
fly out at him sending the ball of energy at Sonic. Then Julian smacked Sally out of his way before seeing a white sphere of energy engulf Sonic.
"Oh no!" Sally cried as the sphere disappeared leaving nothing behind it.
"Look what you made me do!" she yelled as fire burned in her eyes and hatred
brewed in her heart at both of the men responsible for what had happened to Sonic.
"Great work Kintobor, you just made her angry." Robotnik said as he watched Sally closely hopping to stay alert in case she attacked.
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Julian asked as he too watched Sally.
"I suggest that you two both run!" Sally yelled as she threw two blasts of
temperal energy that flew right past the two fat men.
"I think she's right!" Robotnik yelled as he ran in the opposite direction, Julian following close behind him.
"Great, now that they're on the run I can get them both with these last two blasts that I have left over from earlier." Sally said as she began to run toward the two fleeing doctors. 'Please give me the strength to catch them,' she thought as temperal particles began to flow around her body giving her a white glow and increasing her speed.
"Oh boys!" Sally called out to the two Robotniks as she got closer to them. She then threw both of the energy spheres at each one as they looked back at her.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" came a scream from each of the doctors as the spheres hit
them creating a transparent sphere of white energy around them. Their bodies then began to mix together into one body as well as all the past and future forms of Robotnik. Then, as a burning sound eminated from the sphere the white energy penetrated the mass that was, is and will be Robotnik leaving no trace of the man.
"It is finished." Sally said as she sat down, closed her eyes and waited as the white sphere engulfed her and the rest of the planet turning everything white.
The Keeper looked down from the sphere where he watched the fight at a
small blue hedgehog sleeping on the floor. He smiled as he picked him up and held him in front of the sphere. "It's time you returned." He said as he threw Sonic into the sphere.
The Keeper looked through the sphere at the changing Mobius before turning
from it and saying, "All of my mistakes have been corrected, but at what price?"
********************************************************************************
(From here on out there are 2 epilogues to choose from. The first one is the intended ending of the story. The second is an alternate ending, and would probably be best read after the first. Just a little authors note)
********************************************************************************
Epilogue
"... Ms. Alicia, is there any way I can change your mind?" Spoke Queen
Sally from her thrown.
"Young Sonya will miss you greatly." Spoke King Sonic from his thrown
beside Sally's, his tone and stature much different from the one Alicia knew and
loved.
"I am sorry my King and Queen, but I must take my leave. I wish the young
princess and the both of you well." Replied Ms. Alicia before taking a bow and
walking out of the throne room and into the streets of Mobotroplis. She stopped as she came upon a small home and entered. Inside were bookcases full with books about time theories, stories for children and novels for adults.
Alicia sat down in front of a desk, upon which sat a large hard cover book. Opening it she turned to the latter few pages upon which no writing had been placed. Pulling out a pen from the inside of the desk she began to write.
'20 years has passed from the day Sonic and I had originally set forth to
change time. Yet because of Robotnik's death it wasn't, instead a new day in a new present that I now call home and will soon leave.
After returning to Knothole I was confronted by the Keeper of Time and
called back into his dimension. Once there I stood with the Keeper on trial for
the crimes that we had committed against the rules set forth by the very ones
judging us. We were found guilty on all accounts except for the death of Robotnik.
The Keeper's sentence I suppose was fitting for someone who wished to end
his existence anyway. He was sentenced to death by insertion back into the time
stream. Mine however was the most severe I believe. My kingdom was taken away from me; instead I would become a nanny like Rosey to the child Sonic and I would have had if we were to assume the throne. I was forced to watch over that which would have been mine as I lived alone without Sonic.
20 years has passed since then, and now my sentence is up and it is time
to return to the place I will spend an eternity inside watching over time. The
Keeper's sentence would begin once I return the kind old man will have finally
gotten his wish, I am happy for him.
This is the final chapter in the exciting tale of Sonic the Hedgehog and
his friends. I am still at a loss as to what happened to the fastest thing on two feet that has had the privilege of living on this planet. What happened to him shall be left up to you who read this tale. Goodbye my friends...
Alicia M. Hedgehog
A.K.A. Sally Alicia Acorn The First'
Sally closed the book gently after signing the one and only testament of
what had happened in her existence. She then stood up, taking the book in her right hand, and placed it on the only empty spot for a book in the whole house.
"Keeper, thank you for everything." Sally said as she looked out her door
and up at the rest of Mobotroplis, her kingdom, her home, her future.
'You're welcome,' came a thought into her head as she shut her door to
look behind her. A long staff lied upon the desk, a possession of the Keeper's,
now given to hers. She walked over to her desk and picked it up standing in beside her like the Keeper used to do. She then closed her eyes and waited for her final moment within her time to end. It came swiftly as the gray lock of hair that kept her bound to Mobius fell from her body onto the floor of the house and Sally faded away into the air.
"Sally!! You're main hedgehog is back!!" shouted a brash blue hedgehog as
he kicked the door open. He looked around the room to find that no one was home.
He walked over to the desk in the middle of the room and sat down. As he did he
caught the sight of a gray lock of hair and picked it up from the ground. He
sniffed it a few times before he was convinced, "Sally's..."
He noticed that one of the drawers was left open about an inch. Curious he
dug down into it and found Nichole laying open inside. "Hey Nichole, long time no see!"
The small computer lit up before speaking, "Yo Sonic, what up?"
"You don't have any messages for me by any chance do you Nichole?" Sonic
asked.
"Yes, I have one message addressed to you and you alone. It requires a
password to insure that it is you." Nichole answered back.
"Hmm," Sonic thought about what her password might be until he remembered
what Sally had said to him before he was hit by that crazy blast of energy. "Time."
"Password accepted, playing message." Nichole said before her screen went
blank and a projection of Sally formed in front of Sonic.
Sally had a look of loss and pain in her eyes, she also seemed a bit older
to Sonic then he remembered her being. She spoke softly and sincerely, "Sonic, if by some chance in the eternal flow of time that you survived that blast of energy, then by the time you hear this I will already be gone. Sonic, I am as sorry as I will ever be for what has happened to you and all of Mobius. I regret ever deciding to destroy Robotnik, because it has torn me away from you. I love you Sonic, just like Queen Sally loves King Sonic in this new time. The child we would have had, Sonya, is such a sweet and beautiful girl. You should meet her." Sally paused as a tear ran down her cheek, "If there is any way that we could be together now I would give my life to embrace it, but it cannot be done. I know that as each and every second passes that I will think of you as I watch over you and the rest of Mobius from my pedestal outside the flow of time. Your happiness is all that matters to me, so do not spend the rest of your life holding onto my memory." She paused again as more tears ran down her cheek, "Goodbye Sonic, I will always love you, for as long as time allows..." Sally then placed her two largest fingers to her lips and then toward Sonic, who in turn did the same and met each other within the projection. Then the projection disappeared and Sonic was left alone inside the house.
"Sally," Sonic said as a tear ran down his cheek, "I love you too..."
"Then why not tell her yourself?" Came a soothing voice from behind Sonic.
"Who are you?" Sonic asked as he turned to face an old man.
"I am the one who used to be The Keeper of Time. Now Sally has taken my
place and I have returned to this planet to live out my final days." Said the
Keeper as he walked toward Sonic.
"Then how will I be able to tell her myself?" Sonic asked.
"I may no longer be the Keeper of Time, but I can still control the
temperal particles in this room like Sally could. I can form a portal to the place where time has no meaning, where Sally is." The Keeper stated.
"Won't the stress take all of your energy? Won't you die?" Sonic asked
concerned.
"I already told you that I came to live out my final days, and seeing that
Sally is happy only gives me joy in my heart."
"Hey, if you don't have a problem with it I don't." Sonic said with a
smile on his face.
The Keeper held out his right hand and a white sphere formed in it, the
sphere then turned black as a picture of Sally sitting at a desk formed inside it. "This portal will take you to her. There is one catch to this whole deal, that is, you must promise me to take good care of her, for as long as time will allow."
"Keeper, that is a promise that I could make a thousand times!" Sonic said
as he stood up from behind the desk and walked toward the Keeper. Sonic then stood still as he stared at the picture of Sally who was reading a letter at her desk. As he did the Keeper placed his other hand upon Sonic's head as a blast of while light engulfed Sonic.
Looking over at the Keeper Sonic said, "Thank you."
The Keeper smiled as he spoke, "I have done everything I can for you, it
is time to enter the portal, Sally awaits." The Keeper then took his free hand and proceeded to enlarge the sphere to a size Sonic could fit into. He then let it float in front of Sonic.
With one last look around the room and a nod toward the Keeper Sonic walked into the portal. 'Sally...'
Sally sat down at her desk within her sanctuary, one solitary light shined
down upon her from above as she placed her head within her arms and began to cry. Normally when she did this the Keeper would show up to comfort her, but her never came. Sally just kept on weeping and weeping until she felt a pair of soft and loving hands come upon her shoulders. She lifted her head and turned slowly toward the darkness that was her sanctuary. She then felt a finger wipe away her tears from her cheek, she looked up at where the face of the figure in front of her.
"I love you too, Sally." Said Sonic as a light shown down upon him from
above. Sonic smiled as Sally's face lit up as she saw him before he pulled her
toward himself and gave her a passionate kiss.
Sally pulled away from Sonic as she said, "Wait a minute, how did you get
here anyway?"
Sonic chuckled for a moment before he answered, "The Keeper decided that
your happiness was more important then his last few days on Mobius. He was content in knowing that you wouldn't cry anymore."
"Yeah, I figured that, but what about my blast?" Sally asked as she broke
away from Sonic completely.
"Well, your strange blast sent me about 30 years into the future. When I
woke up I found myself in floating in the power ring pool, or at least where is
would have been. I've spent the past 3 years looking for you." Sonic said.
"You know, I have a feeling that the Keeper had known what that blast would do to you and he planned this all along!" Sally said after finally realizing the Keeper's plot.
"Yeah, and I've been planning this for 3 years!" Sonic said as he grabbed
Sally and tilted her over and kissed her once more. After he let her back up he
realized something about her he didn't notice before. "Sally?"
"Yes Sonic?"
"You're old!" Sonic said with a smile.
"Oh is that so!" Sally replied as she placed her hands upon her hips.
"Yeah, but I always did have this thing for older women." Sonic said as he
moved toward Sally as the light above him and her went out forcing him to fall over top of Sally. "Sorry, I just learned how to do this today, I need more practice."
Sally kissed Sonic and then laughed, "We don't need lights for what we're
about to do!"
"Uh oh! Maybe I should have stayed on Mobius!" Sonic said as he stood up
and began to run away from Sally in the dark.
"Sonic Maruce Hedgehog you get back here this instant!! Sonic, Sonic...
Sonic!!!!!!"
The End
********************************************************************************
Epilogue
(Alternate Ending, starts after the sphere of energy engulfed Sally)
Sir Charles wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked at the large
platform in front of him the he had spent all night working the kinks and bugs out of. His newest invention was now complete and ready for testing, the first
robotisizer.
Hoping to find a way to increase the life span of Mobians by exchanging
their flesh and blood for metal and oil while retaining their personality and free will. This new invention would be the greatest in history and bring in a whole new wave in medicine.
Sir Charles began to walk toward his computer council to begin selection
of a test subject when he caught sight of a blue streak in the corner of his eye. Turning around to see if he could catch the culprit he called out, "Sonic, you know there's no playing in the lab, you might get hurt on something."
"I was just testing you Unc." Sonic said as he stood beside Sri Charles,
"So what cha' been up to?"
Charles smiled as he looked down at his nephew, "Just a new top secret
experiment."
"Oh," Sonic said before he walked over to the large pad, "I've never seen
this before, is this it?"
Charles hesitated answering Sonic until he saw him patting his foot on the
floor impatiently. Charles sighed as he answered, "Yes."
Sonic's eyes lit up as he searched the pad all over until he found a keypad and began pushing buttons, "What's this do?"
"No Sonic!" yelled Charles as he grabbed Sonic off the pad before a blast
of yellow light came down from the bulb above the pad disintegrating the wrench he had laid there earlier. "I told you not to play with anything in the lab!"
Sonic looked down at his feet, "Sorry."
Charles put an arm on Sonic before saying, "It's alright, as long as you
didn't get hurt." He paused before remembering something, "How would you like to
go to the palace with me? I have to speak with the king and you could play with
his daughter."
"A girl?" Sonic asked almost disgusted.
"Yep, you'll have lots of fun." Charles waited but Sonic still wouldn't
answer, "I could send you back home to watch over your baby sister."
"Alright, I'll go." Sonic said, "But she better be fun to play with!"
"I'm sure you two will become fast friends!" Charles said as he led Sonic
out of the lab. He then turned back to look at his new invention. 'Hmm, perhaps
I'll forget about the hero thing.' He thought as he shut off the light and ran
down the hall after Sonic who had already left the building.
King Acorn was sitting in his throne when the snap of fine boot leather
echoed throughout the room as a guard called, "Sir Charles and Sonic Hedgehog."
Following their cue Charles and Sonic walked into the room as the king
came up and greeted them, "Sir Charles, how good to see you again. I suppose this must me Sonic." The King asked.
"Yes, this is Sonic." Charles replied.
The King knelt down to face Sonic, "Hello Sonic, Sally is waiting for you.
Rosey will take you to her." He said as he stood up and showed Sonic Rosey who led Sonic out of the throne room and down the hall towards the room Sally was waiting in.
"I hope they'll like each other," the king said, "Sally really needs a
playmate."
"I'm sure they will sire." Charles said before taking his attention from
Sonic and to the job at hand, "Now, about the Robotsizer..."
"This is it." Rosey said as she stopped in front of a small door, "Sally's
waiting for you."
"Thank you Rosey." Sonic said as he opened the door to see Sally sitting
on the floor of a large playroom with her legs crossed. "So you're Sally."
Sally opened her eyes and looked at Sonic, for a moment her eyes brightened and she jumped up and gave a protesting Sonic a hug. "Woah, what'd you do that for?" he asked.
"I don't know." Sally answered.
Sonic stood confused for a moment before speaking up, "So what kind of fun
do you have here?"
"Well, there's a whole palace full of places to hide, that is, if you can
catch me." Sally said as she ran off toward the door on the other side of the room.
Sonic smirked, "The question is, can you keep up with me?" he then speed
off through the door and down the hall leaving Sally standing by the door in a
cloud of dust.
"Hey! It's ladies before gentlemen!" Sally yelled down the hall hoping that Sonic would hear her. She then smiled and thought, 'he just might be fun to have around. But first he's got to learn some manners!'
The End
********************************************************************************
FINALLY!!! It is finished! I hope you enjoyed the story, cuz' I had fun writing it, so you BETTER have fun reading it!! J/K Anyway, what'd you think about the ending(s)? And how about our heroine? For once Sally saved the day!! Well, see ya!
Just so you know: Any and all text with a "" around them are speaking. Any and all text with a '' around them are thinking. (I had to find some way to do it, since Italics isn't in text format)
About the story: I was just sitting in English last year and my teacher asked us to write a story that had something to do with a TV series, so I thought, 'why not finish out the cliff hanger in the end of the SATAM series?'. So I started to write the first chapter, which is like chapter 1-2 combined and shortened. I turned in what I called part 1. Then began work on part 2, when a thought came to me, why not make it a huge story with compelling plot and stuff. So I went to work, and after a critique by a friend came up with this. I'm not finished yet though, so be patient, I will finish it soon I hope!
********************************************************************************
Sonic the Hedgehog: Blast Back to the Past!!!! (Part 1)
Chapter 1
Princess Sally and Sonic The Hedgehog were standing on a stage in front of all the other freedom fighters. They each looked into each other's eyes. They were mesmerized. They each grew closer to the other until finally their lips met.
A huge pink glow emanated from them as fireworks shot up from their heads. The freedom fighters out in the crowd cheered as the couple met.
"Hay Sal," Sonic said as he pulled his lips from hers. The loudness of the cheers only allowed her to hear what he was saying. "I just thought of something."
"Why Sonic, I'm impressed, you're actually using your head." Sally said sarcastically.
"And you wouldn't believe the migrain its causin' me." He started to explain, "And I just got a great idea. I mean, now that we got the DP stones and unlimited power, we could use the time stones to blast back to the past and stop Robuttnik from taking over. Then unc will be back to normal and your father wouldn't be locked away in the void."
"That is a great idea Sonic." She then kissed him on the cheek. "But would it work?"
"Would it work," Sonic said in deffence, he couldn't believe Sally asked him a question like that, he just hates having to think, "come on Sal,
we got the DP stones, we beat Robotnik with them in this time, why not back when he was stupider?"
"It's just that," Sally thought for the right words, "well, the last time we tried we thought we could do it, but you had bad syncronization and sent us back too late. We bairly got out of that one."
"So we messed up a bit that time, you learn from mistakes, and anyway you said yourself that we could keep tryin after we got back."
"I did not..." Sally didn't remember saying that.
"Yes you did..."
"Did not..."
"Yes you did..."
"I did not," Sally was getting fed up with this argument, "Nichole?" she went for her trusty computer.
"You said exactly that, Sally." Nichole chimed in with her electronic voice, "do you wish for me to replay the argument?"
"No, that's fine Nichole."
Sonic stood there with a smirk on his face broadcasting his pleasure in seeing Sally be told by her own computer, "I told you."
Sally on the other hand was not too happy about her present perdicament, "I sware you did something to her."
"Your just tryin' to find an excuse for the obvious."
Sally didn't like where the argument was headed so she gave in, "Okay, Okay, I'll think about it!"
With that Sally stormed off the stage and into her hit leaving Sonic standing still on the stage with the smirk still on his face. It wasn't everyday that he got to kill Robotnik and trick Sally, and he was pleased about it.
But then his stomic began to rumble, which reminded him, he hadn't eatin' in half a day. "Some good old fashion chilli dogs should hit the spot." He thought as he raced off the stage to his own hut, leaving the crowed of people wondering where their two heros had gone off to.
A week had passed sense they had killed Robotnik and Sally was sitting in her hut with Nichole thinking about what Sonic had said to her on the stage the previous week. She had to admit that Sonic had a point, but she wouldn't in front of his face. She did not want to go back in time again, the only reason she had said she would think about it was to get Sonic off of her case, and even then she knew he would brag about it for a day or two. She just didn't want the same thing to happen again, in fact she didn't even consider it until a day ago. The day Snivily made his first attempt at his uncle's position.
Yea, it's kinda funny how he managed to escape and Robotnik didn't. I guess it's because Robotnik has always underesimated Sonic, and snivily had noticed that. It's susprising how on could hate his own uncle as so like snivily does. I guess he was sick of being misstreated and steped on, and with Robotnik's shoe size, I wouldn't blame him.
Sally had herd all this from Sonic and Antoine after Sonic had rescued him from cell in snivilies hideout. Snivily had told them about his plans for mobius and the freedom fighters. Luckly Sonic had managed to foul up his plans almost as easyly as Robotnik's.
The mention of another threat to mobius had hit Sally good and hard. She had believed so much in the thought that with Robotnik gone her job as a freedom fighter would be finished, she was tired of fighting. But this made her relyze that her fight would never truly be over, their would always be someone trying to become the next Robotnik, and she would always have to stop them.
And then she thought of Sonic's proposal, she could end the fight right now. Just go back in time and kill Robotnik and snivily before they had a chance to effect the world. She could then go back to the way things use to be, before Robotnik.
And now here she is, sitting in a chair in her hut, going over all the possible causes and effects of what Sonic had proposed to do. She had been in their all day, she missed lunch even with Tails coming in three times to remind her and she was probably missing dinner.
'Surprised Tails hasn't came to tell me about dinner yet'. She thought, 'I guess sense I didn't come to lunch he just thought it would be a waist of time'. But then the door opend, 'oops, spoke to soon'.
"Come on aunt Sally," Tails, the youngest freedom fighter said, "Rosey fixed a grest dinner, and she said you need to come and eat." He sounded a bit irritated, probably from Sally's earlier ignorance to his calls.
Sally looked up from Nichole's monitor to look at the ten-year old two tailed fox standing in the doorway, "Tell her I'll be out in one secound, okay?"
"Alright aunt Sally." Tails then walked out the door.
Sally soon followed after setting Nichole down on her bed. She was hungry, and any ways, she needed a break.
The aroma from the dinner filled the room as Sonic, Sally, Antoine, Bunny and Rotor sat at the round dinner table awaiting Rosey's entrance from the kitchen with the food. Sally decided that right now would be as good a time as any to tell Sonic about her decision to act out his plan, sense she hadn't done so as of yet.
"Sonic," she said to the hedgehog sitting next to her, "do you rember last week, how you said that we could go back in time and I said I'd think about it?"
"Yeah," Sonic replied not quite sure what she was getting at.
"Well, I have thought about it and decided to go through with it." Sonic looked at her in susprise, he hadn't thought that she would say yes seeing that she hadn't answered in a week. She was usualy quicker with her decisions, "We'll leave at dawn."
The mention of this brought Sonic down, he really didn't like having to get up before sunrise. But he couldn't argue, Sally was the Princess after all, and her word was final. But even if she wasn't, freedom fighters always fallow orders.
Sally sat on the side of her bed as the stars in the sky slowly faded away and the light from the sun crept up from the horizon to begin the new day. She hadn't gotten one wink of sleep sense she awoke earlier that night, the scene just kept playing in her mind. She couldn't quite comprehend what it ment, but it startling all the same.
Snivily sitting in Robotnik's command chair, Sonic running continusly on a conveyor belt, two red glowing eyes in the darkness, the power ring pool dried up, the Doomsday Maciene reappearing, and then darkness. All of thus parts in this dream, the later the most disturbing. 'Does this dream mean anything?' She thought as she got up and looked out the window. The sky was a mix of red and yellow light bouncing off the clouds and into Sally's window. The beautiful sight conforted Sally some, she now remembered why she chose to leave a dawn. And as she sat back down on her bed she wondered how well Sonic had slept. 'He probably slept like a log'. She thought as she slipped her boots on.
Sonic had slept like a log, at least until he too awoke from a dream.
He was running, running in one spot, never moving, trapped in one place with no escape. He had never thought about that dream until he had had his speed taken away by that evil sorcerer, but this was the first time he wasn't ably to get out of it. This startled him, he always thought he was too fast to get caught.
'Hold on a sec', he thought as he started to put on his sneekers, 'what's a stupid dream getting me down for? It probably doesn't mean anything anyway'. Then his stumic started to rumble as he got up to look outside. The red tinted sky was starting to turn blue as the sun started to peak it's head up over the horizon. 'Rosey won't make breakfast for another hour or so and by then I'll be gone'. He thought as he walked into his small kitchen, 'I'll just wip up something to eat'. So he set off through his kitchen to make the one thing that makes his mouth water, chili dogs. He had finished his fifteenth one just as the door opened and Tails walked in.
"Hay Sonic," the ten-year-old fox with two Tails said, "Sally wants to know if you're ready to go."
"As soon as I finish these last ten chili dogs little buddy." The hedgehog said as he stuffed another chilidog in his mouth.
"Chili dogs!" Tails yelled as his mouth started to water, "Could I have some? Please?!"
"Okay, take a seat while I whip up some more." Sonic said as he flew out of his seat and as quick as lightning cooked five more chilidogs.
He then set them down in front of Tails and then took his own seat. "Let's race to see who can finish their plate the fastest." Tails said.
"Okay big man. On three." He paused, "three!" both the fox and the hedgehog dug into the chilidogs. Eating each in one byte. Tails was ahead of Sonic by one chilidog when Tails finished his last one in one big gulp.
"Beat cha'" Tails boasted.
"That you did buddy. But you had four less than I did." Sonic added. "Okay, I'm ready to go."
Both Tails and Sonic got up from their seats and walked out the door.
Sonic and Sally were standing on the stage again. But this time Sonic was wearing his knapsack. Inside were the deep power stones, Sonic had one half of the time stone in his right had and so did Sally.
Uncle Chuck came up to Sonic and gave him a hug. "Good luck." He said as he pulled a round device out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he gave it to Sonic, "take this. It's a
power ring generator. You just press this buttion and one will be generated for you. But use them wisely, because ten is all you can get."
"Why ten?" Sonic asked.
"Because I could only retrieve ten rings from the power ring pool sense Rotor and I created this storage devise."
"I thought it just created them like the devise at the bottem of the pool."
"No, It uses a piece of a emerald I chipped off from the one in the devise to keep the power rings energized." Uncle chuck opened a slot on the devise and pulled out the chip, the devises power source. He then put it back in.
Sonic stuck the generator in his knapsack and he said, "Let's just hope for Robuttnik isn't smart enough that I'll have to use it, for his sake at least."
Sally walked over to Sonic. "Synchronize your thoughts on Robotnik's war room the year 3224."
"Got it Sal." He replied.
They each closed their eyes and thought of that one moment to which they would both be taken, then they would change history. They had to each keep their minds set on that one moment in tome or it wouldn't work. Neighter Sonic nor Sally wanted the same thing that happened last time to happen again. Even Sonic kept his mind on that one moment, though he was having trouble doing so.
But then they herd the all familiar high-pitched whine of a laser blaster. But they kept their minds set, it was probably only a figment of their imagination anyway. Only when Sonic herd a scream that could only have come from Tails did he brake his consentration and open his eyes. The last thing he saw was Tails lying on the ground with a puddle of blood seeping out of him before the whole world dissapeared from under his feet. 'I'll make sure none of this will ever happen little buddy', he thought as the world began to form under his feet again, 'I promise'.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 2
The ground was cold and hard where they returned to the time stream. The room seemed to be darker then the darkest reassesses of space, the only light seemed to be coming from Sonic's knapsack. Unfortunately they had not packed the inferred goggles uncle chuck had made for them; Sonic instead resorted to a more primitive form of light. He called upon a power ring and one floated up out of his knapsack; he grabbed onto it and used it to light the room up some. Suspiring how luminescent the ring actually was, it lit the whole room up, to an extent. The room was rather small considering the fact that it was Robotnik's sleeping chamber. The large bed situated in the center of the room took up a major portion of the chamber; the only other noticeable thing was an extra wide door on one side of the room and a hanger containing his usual dress.
"I'm going to take a closer look, hold on to this for me, Sal." Sonic said as he handed Sally the power ring, and then started to creep very softly toward the bed.
He noticed that the sheets were moving when he came within arms length of the bed. He also noticed that the sheets were raised a lot higher than the bed and formed a large circular shape. It was definitely Robotnik asleep in his bed. He seemed to have a smile on his face; he must be having a good dream. But then he stopped smiling and began to twist and turn in his bed; the good dream had turned bad.
Sonic started to back away, he didn't want to be near Robotnik when he wakes up, "He'll wake up soon, Sal. We've got to get out of here."
"I'm working on it." Sally replied with Nichole in her other hand trying to think of the best way out.
"Well you better hurry up Sal, because..." sonic paused as he saw two red beams of light shine out from Robotnik's bed. He was awake, "Too late, he's already up."
The two beams of light turned around to face the two freedom fighters. "Come on Sal, what's the plan?"
"Okay, out the door and two the left."
Sonic began a super sonic peel-out, "Grab on Sal."
Sally grabbed on to Sonic's shoulders and Sonic speed off.
"Pestilence!" was all Robotnik said as he ordered his door to close. Sonic hit the door head on and fell on his back unconscious.
Sally looked into his closed eyes as she tried to wake him up.
"Lights," Robotnik ordered and the room lit up, "guards." And two swatbots entered through the door and stood waiting for their orders.
"Take those two intruders to their cell to await robotisization." He paused as he looked at the two swatbots pick up the two intruders, "Oh, and leave that knapsack here with me, it might contain something useful." The bots then took the knapsack off Sonic and tossed it over to Robotnik, "And that ring the lady is holding might be useful." He then walked over to Sally and snatched the power ring from her.
"You'll never keep us long enough to robotisize us, Robotnik!" Sally stated while struggling desperately to break out of the swatbot's grasp.
"Oh but my dear, I've learned from my mistakes two years ago." He then changed tones to command his robots, "Take these two to our new cell."
"New cell?"
"Why yes, designed especially for you!" Robotnik replied as the swatbots took Sonic and Sally to their cell.
Robotnik studied the ring in his hand once the guards left. "Hmm, I wonder what this is?"
"It's a power ring." Said a voice not too different from Robotnik's own as a dark figure stepped out from one of the dark corners of the room.
In the small sell Sally was pacing back and forth while Sonic lay still unconscious on a retractable metal bed. After a while she stopped and pressed a button on the wall and another retractable metal bed came out. She sat down on it, but just as she did Sonic started to move and he moaned a bit. Sally rushed over to him and knelt down next to him. She cradled his head and looked into Sonic's slowly opening eyes.
As the blurieness in Sonic's eyes faded he saw Sally looking down at him saying, "Sonic."
Many times in a soothing voice.
Sonic said in response, "Am I in heaven?"
"More like hell." Sally answered back to him as she got up and walked to the center of the room. "Are you all right." Sally asked the newly awakened hedgehog.
Sonic sat up on the bed. "All except for this mondo headache." He answered while rubbing his head.
Sally walked over to the cell bars and grabbed on to them, "We have got to..." but was cut off by the intercom.
"How are my precious prisoners doing?" a loud cocky voice came from an intercom attached to the wall. "I hope you had a pleasant sleep, rodent!"
"Robuttnik!" Sonic replied with a low intone.
"That indeed it is hedgehog" came the voice from the intercom again, "guards!, take the prisoners to the new roboticizer." He paused, "I'll meet up with them there." He sounded older then he did a few hours ago, Sally noticed, but shrugged it off, it was probably just the intercom.
The robotic guards then walked into the cell and dragged Sonic and Sally out to the roboticizer.
When they came to the new roboticizer room they found Robotnik standing behind a panel next to a yellow pad. The swatbots dropped Sonic and Sally then left the room.
"Today, I will finally taste victory. I will roboticize both of you and then destroy Knothole." He said.
"You'll never get away with this Robuttnik." Sonic yelled.
"Oh, but I already have," The round man said, "you see, I have your time stones and your power ring." He pointed to a knapsack lying next to the panel, "There is no escape."
"The round guy never learns." Sonic said, "it's spin and win time Balto." He then ran around in circles creating a smoke screen. This was exactly what Sally had hoped for. She ran to the panel and grabbed the bag. Then she darted out an air vent leading outside.
Sonic on the other hand was less fortunate for Robotnik extended his robotic arm and grabbed Sonic. "You should have known better that to roboticize my arm, rodent!" He then threw Sonic onto the pad and pressed a yellow button. Sonic tried to run out of the pad but glass stopped him from doing so. "How do you like my diamond glass. Not even you can break through that." He then pressed a green button and a red glow emanated from the top pad. Then a red bolt hit Sonic and slowly he turned into a robot.
"Yesssssssssss! Yeeeeeeeessssssssssssss! No more hedgehog! I've won! I have actualy won!!" Robotnik yelled out as he threw his hands out into the air and started to laugh in his own distinct sinister way.
Sally sat in the air vent watching the whole thing. "Sonic." she whispered as to not be detected. A tear ran down her cheek. 'I have to get him back somehow' she thought, 'and I will'. She then walked down the air vent towards the exit.
Robotnik looked around but could not find the princess. He called out to his swatbots.
"Find the princess. She has the Deep Power stones. We need them back." A small group of swatbots ran across the room towards the exit.
Sally was walking around a corner when she looked out a vent and saw the robotisizer. "I've been going around in circles." She said, "I guess the only way out is to use the deep power stones." She reached into her knapsack and pulled out two black stones. She stuck them together. A white sparkly sphere surrounded her. Her legs began to spin. She then let go and as quick as lightning she ran out of the vent and through one of the walls in the robotisizer room, leaving a hole was left where she went through. She then ran into the great forest.
She stopped in front of a hollowed out tree lying on the ground. She pulled the deep power stones apart and stuck them in the knapsack. "The sliding tree, Knothole." She said and then jumped into the tree.
She slid down the tree going through loops and turns till she came out and hit a clump of hay. She got out and wiped off the hay sticking on her fur. She then walked into the village.
"Is anyone home?" she yelled.
"Alesha!" Sally's younger version came running out of one of the huts. Sonic's younger version followed her and the others followed Sonic. Rosey came out shortly after the children.
"Princess" Rosey said, but Sally stuck her finger up to her mouth. Rosey didn't say any more.
Sonic stopped in front of Sally. "Where's Juice?" he asked.
"He's been robotisised." She told the small hedgehog.
Rosey gasped.
Sonic began to run but Alesha stopped him. "Now where do you think your going?" she asked.
"To break Juice out." Sonic replied.
"Now Sonic you know we can't do that," Alesha said calmly, "we need a plan first."
"I can't wait, I have to break him out now!"
"You want to get Juice back?" Sonic nodded, "Then come inside and lets think of a plan to get him out."
Meanwhile back in Robotropolis, Robotnik was pondering on how Princess Sally could have escaped. She had left no traces behind, it was as if she had disappeared into thin air. Just then a swat bot came running into Robotnik's command room.
"Sir, there is a hole in one of the walls of the robotisizer room. Still no traces of the princess." It spoke with a mechanized voice.
"Hmm..." Robotnik was at a loss for words at the moment, but sense he was getting no where sitting in his chair he decided to check it out for him self. He stood up and started out the door. "Coming Snively?" he asked his lackey.
"Yes sir." Snively, Robotnik's nephew replied as he ran out to catch up with his uncle.
Robotnik stood in front of the hole in awe. It had been extremely smooth cut, not even his finest beam laser he had could make a cut that smooth, nor Sonic, even with his super Sonic spin dash attack, could cut through two foot thick titanium walls. The hedgehog and princess may have been resourceful in the past but not this resourceful.
Then Robotnik began to piece together the facts. A perfectly round hole, in two foot titanium walls, a very fine and smooth cut, not a trace of the offender nor a trace of the titanium that the hole replaced. Something smelt fishy, actually something smelt stony, deep power stones that is.
Yes he knew about the DP stones. But not on his own did he discover their existence, but with the help of one Ivo Robotnik.
He came to him earlier that day, after he had sent Sonic and Sally to their cell. At first he had thought that his older self was actually a robotic clone of himself, designed to take his place, but a quick show of blood disapproved that. But he was still unconvinced that his older self was actually who he proclaimed to be, so his older self told him that in one minute a swatbot would enter his chamber and report that Sonic and Sally were locked up. They waited, and then it came, he was finally convinced.
Then is older self told him everything, from this point to his almost certain death at doomsday, which he avoided with the help of the time stones. Then he told him about the deep power stones and how they and the power rings used by Sonic would foul up many of his plans.
He then offered to help, by showing him how to create a robotsizer that Sonic could never escape from. "But what's the catch?" ha asked, but his future self simply replied, "My price will come later."
It did, after the both switched places and the Robotnik from the future robotisized Sonic. He knew Sally would somehow find a way to get Sonic back, so as his price her took Sonic back to the future with him.
With a few glances his own self left back to the future, where he would regain his rule over Mobius.
Robotnik thought to him self for a second, 'if I had not taken the time stones out of that knapsack all of this might not have happened. If only I had taken the Deep Power stones out as well.'
"Snivily," Robotnik bellowed as he finished his pondering, "our princess is on the loose with the Deep Power Stones, she could pose a threat if she finds Sonic's younger version. His genetic code is still the same as Sonic's when he used it. Search all of Robotroplis and the great forest. I want that hedgehog."
"Yes sir." Snivily answered as he gave a solute and began to walk away to transmit the orders to the swat bots.
"Oh, and another thing. I want him and the princess, alive. I wish to see them beg for their lives before I robotizise them."
"Yes sir." Snivily then left the room. He had orders to carry out. As for Robotnik, he stayed in front of the hole to ponder some more.
"Hmm, I wonder what the princess is doing now?"
********************************************************************************
Chapter 3
Sally's mind was in a haze. All she could remember was that Sonic had been robotisized, but she didn't know who this Sonic was. The thought of that brought a tear to her eye, for what reason she did not know. The heavy fog that she was in must be having an effect on her memory, she knew that there was much more to her life then that one incident.
Then a warm hand grabbed her shoulder. The movement was not harsh and abrasive but soft and kind. She felt love from the hand's owner, a love directed at her. She turned and saw a shadowy figure standing in front of her. The being then moved closer to her, and Sally could sense what was going to happen, yet she too moved closer, and they kissed. Then, like a ton of bricks, it all came flooding back, everything.
As her memory became clear so did the fog around her. When she looked again at the figure she saw a tall blue hedgehog, "Sonic!" she cried as she rushed toward him and swung her arms around him. Her love for him was unmistakable, and she could sense his love for her. And they kissed again. Now she knew why she had cried, but why wasn't he like that now?
Passion they felt for each other, a passion in which would lead to one thing and only one thing, a ritual which most take a part in. A ritual called mating.
"I love you." She whispered as she placed her head on his chest. Oh how she wanted to take him right then and there. Join with him in a way that could not be broken. She was sick of hiding her true feelings for him from himself and every one else. But he gave her no answer in return.
His warmth made her feel calm and relaxed. But it soon faded, and his body became cold. He pushed her away and she fell onto her side with a thud.
"Sonic, what's wrong?" she asked and was soon answered. His body slowly turned into robot. His flesh and bone traded for metal and wires. His blood exchanged for electricity and oil. His mind replaced with circuits. He himself was no longer hedgehog but robot, a product of Robotnik's most fiendish machine, the robotisizer.
"Priority one, destroy freedom fighter, by order of Robotnik." Sonic said as his eyes glowed red. He lifted up his arm and aimed his laser weapon at Sally.
"No Sonic, its me Sally. Don't you remember?" she tried hopelessly to reach Sonic. She knew he was still in there. After all this was one way that helped bring uncle chuck back.
But her cries were hopeless. He had not listened to her. Then with an evil grin he said, "Good by, Sally" and fired...
She awoke in a thick sweat with a screem. Breathing heavly she sat up in her bed. The dream had been intense and she knew it. 'That wasn't a dream', she thought to her self, 'it was a nightmare'.
Then the door flew open and in ran little Sally Acorn. She too had had a bad dream. Hers had left her in terible fright and she was shaking from head to toe.
"What's wrong Sally?" Alesha asked the little one.
"I I h had a b bad d dream." Sally said still shaking. Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
Alesha patted her hand on her bed as she spoke, "Why don't you come sit down and tell me about it?" her voice was calm and soothing to help comfort the child.
Sally jumped up on the bed and told her latter self about her dream. Like Alesha's hers too was intense. She was sitting on a log with nothing to do when a hand taped her on her back and yelled, "Your it!" Sally turned around and saw Sonic's younger version standing behind her with his hands at each side of his face yelling, "Nah nah na na nah." He then stuck his tong out at her and declared, "You'll never catch me Sal." Sally of course was fumed at this and began to persue the hedgehog. He running just fast enough to keep out of Sally's grasp. But then abruptly he stoped and Sally toppled over him and slapped him on the back proclaiming to the world that she had gotten Sonic. But Sonic didn't say anything in return. Sally was now worried that she had hurt him. She walked over to him and pushed him on to his back. His eyes were closed. "Sonic, are you okay?" she asked as she looked into his eyelids. Then his eyes opened and a red glow eminated from them. "Of course I'm okay Sally." He said as he began to turn into robot, "As would anyone under the great Robotnik's rule." He then ran towards her. She screemed and ran as fast as she could. She yelled for help but no one answered. And then she fell, tripped over the very log she had sat on earlier. She curled herself into a ball awaiting Sonic to come, awaiting the one swift move of Sonic's hand that would mean the end to her life. But it never came. She looked up and saw no one around. Sonic had left. She stood up and walked over to Bunny's hut. She opened the door to find Bunny lying on her bead. She could see red streaks on her back. Sally walked closer to Bunny and saw blood on her bed, Sally turned Bunny over on her back and saw a stab wound on her stomach. She was dead. Sally screamed right then and there. She had not seen death before, and to see her best friend lying on her bed dripping with blood, it was too much for her. She was only seven. She then heard a tapping and turned to see Sonic and Juice, each had been robotized. "Yes, she's dead. Along with the others." Sonic called as he threw down Rotor and Antoine while Juice threw down Rosey and Miles, the little one-year-old fox didn't have a chance. Blood slithered out of each one of Sally's friends, seeing this Sally screamed again. She was not ready for something like this. She just wanted to curl up and die. She had no reason to live. Why didn't Sonic just go ahead and get it over with. Why did she have to see all of this. "I assure you it was a quick and painless death for them all." Sonic said, "After all they died in their sleep." Hearing this Sally did curl up. She knew she had no chance on getting away from them. So she just sat there waiting for the darkness. It came quickly as Sonic blasted her with his arm laser.
"... And I woke up after that and ran over here."
"My god that was terable." Alesha said as she hugged the little child. She had had a most disturbing dream. No wonder she had been shaking when she entered her hut. "Why don't we go see if the others are alright?" Sally nodded her head and took her future self's hand. They walked out of Alesha'a hut together.
They had found out that every one in Knothole had had a bad dream. Each one different but all ended in the same way, with Sonic killing each one with his arm laser. This they learned after entering Rosey's hut and seeing every one had congregated there except Sonic who they believed was still in his hut. They all went to see him and found that he was still in his bed asleep. They would wait until morning to ask if he had a dream, he was not one to be very happy when woken up before sunrise.
Both Sally's went back into Alesha's hut and sat down on her bed. "How about you stay here and sleep with me tonight?" Alesha said, "I think we both need a little company after what we had been through tonight."
"Okay." Sally said still a little shaken up from her dream. She curled up in bed next to her older self and fell fast asleep. Sally looked back apon herself and a tear ran down her cheek. 'A child that young should not be exposed to that kind of stuff. It just isn't right'. She thought as she lied back down apon her bed and fell fast asleep also. The last thought she had before she drifted off into her subconsious mind was, 'do these dreams have a meaning?'
And as she awoke the next morning to the sound of a screem she had her answer.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 4
The scream came from Sonic's hut.
When Sally sat up she found that her younger self was not next to her. She quickly, with the notion that her younger self might be in danger, slipped on her boots, swung her vest on and ran out of her hut towards Sonic's.
Every one was outside Sonic's hut, except Sally. Alesha was right in her assumption. Sally had woken up early and walked over to Sonic's hut. She was anctious to see weighter or not Sonic had had a dream. Bunny had went with her but ran out as soon as she saw Sonic still asleep in his bed, while Sally stayed in the hut. On her way out Bunny slammed the door shut and it latched behind her.
Then came the scream, and the gathering of friends around the hut. No one could get in through the door though and the windows were closed, locked and had drapes around them. No one could see inside to tell weither Sally was all right or not.
Sally ran up to the door and uncliped Nichole from her boot and asked, "Nichole, can you pick the lock to this door?"
"Computing," the little computer with a female electronic voice said as it searched the posibilities, "yes I can Sally."
"Nichole, do it." Sally commanded as a thin laser beam shot out from Nichole cutting the lock on the door.
Sally opened the door when Nichole finished. She looked in and saw herself curled up in a little ball in one corner of Sonic's hut. Sally ran over to her and picked her up. She was shaking violently, more than she had done the previous night. "What happened?" she asked herself.
The little one looked up and saw Sally's face. She stopped some of her shivering and answered, "Sonic, he changed, like last night."
"What?"
"Look." Sally pointed at Sonic lying in his bed. He seemed to phase in and out of robotic state.
'What could be causing this?' Sally thought. And then it came to her, she quickly grabbed Nichole and commanded her to give a list of inventory on the knapsack.
"Two power stones and one power ring generator are present and accounted for, the time stones have been lost, Sally."
"Oh no."
"What is it Alesha?" Sally asked as she jumped down from her arms.
"Robotnik," Alesha explained, "he's doing this." She paused as she looked at Sonic. His change to robotic form was becoming more perminate now, "Why don't you go out side with the others? I'll be out in a secound."
"Okay." Sally then ran out of the door and into the crowd.
Alesha then walked closer to Sonic. He was in a Mobian state at the moment. But then he started to glow, Sally tried to touch him but her hand was repled. Sonic's glow then became brighter and a beam of light shot out from him. The beam was so bright that she had to cover her eyes to keep from going blind. Then Sonic dissapeared, in the state of a robot, leaving the beam of light behind. Then it began to grow in size, consuming everything it touched and tourning it into light. Seeing this Sally ran out the door and into the crowd.
"Sonic's gone, and in his place is a temperal reflux. The light will consume everything and erase it from exstince." Sally yelled as the beam consumed all of Sonic's hut. The beam moved quicker with each thing it consumed, "Don't let it touch you!"
Everyone ran, they ran for their lives, they ran for their soles, they ran for themselves. But all was hopeless. No one could escape. First the kids were consumed, then Rosey, and finally in a brilliant flash of light Sally. The last thing she saw was a robotisized Sonic standing in front of her laughing, 'this was what the dreams had ment' she thought, and then darkness swept over her.
Within hours all of Mobius had been consumed by the light and what once was, was no more. A new Mobius emerged from the light, a Mobius full of polution, toxic spills, and worst of all, ruled by the evilest, ugliest and fattest person Mobius has ever known.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik
********************************************************************************
Chapter 5
Cold, dark and dry, Sally could only feel these things. The place where she had gone was darker then anything she knew, she couldn't even see her hand in front of her eyes. The floor was cold, hard, and slick, like the metal Robotnik was so fond of using, yet it wasn't metalic. The air was dryer then the desert, when she breathed she felt like she was taking a breath of the cold brisk air of winter, drying her throat.
She lied on the floor for what seemed like years, pondering what had happened to her, yelling at herself for letting Robotnik beat her like he did, wondering where she was, until a voice boomed in over her.
"I see you have awaken, child. I've been waiting a long time." The voice came from all around Sally, she couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Sally asked looking in all directions.
"Ah yes, I believe I should introduce myself, child. I am the Keeper of Time." A spot of light came out of the darkness and rained upon an old man standing in front of Sally. He had a long beard and wore a long light blue robe. "This place has no name, but asure you I will, you are safe from the passage of time here, you will never grow old."
"Keeper of Time? I thought I was dead."
"Yes, you should be, but you're not. Your heart still beats, you are still living."
"But how did I get here? Did it have to do with the tempral reflux?"
"Child, you ask many questions, but you are curious. I will answer them." He paused as to regain his thoughts, "I brought you here. For you see, you were alone. When this tempral reflux occurred you had no where to go, so you ran, but it didn't matter. The light cought up to you, at this point you should have lost your life, but you were not affected by the light. So you were lying on the ground sleeping, waiting for someone to awaken you. I found you and brought you here, where you have been sleeping for quite some time."
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Using your conventional time, six years."
"Six years?" Sally thought about the possabilites. She couldn't believe this had happened, "What are you going to do with me now that I'm awake?"
"Well, it has almost been four thousand years sense I have had any company in this place. And I have been doing this for so long that all I want to do is leave this life and go into the next. Yet to do this I must have someone to take over my place."
"And you want me to become an appentice to you and when it is time take over for you?"
"Yes, that is what I want. Of course it is your choice, I cannot force you to decide either way. I shall give you time to decide." Then the light vanished and Sally was again alone in the darkness.
She thought about the Keeper's offer, a job as the keeper of time, probably one of the most important jobs in the universe, and it was offered to her. But then she thought of her old life, she thought of Bunny, Tails, Rotor, and Sonic, her friends. She enjoyed her life as a freedom fighter, she loved the satisfaction she got for messing up one of Robotnik's plans. She missed her friends, she knew she would, and she'd miss Sonic most of all. But then she thought about what had happened, her friends were all gone, she had no life back on Mobius, her life had been taken away with the light.
"Yes, I accept." She said.
"I knew you would, child. Kneel down, and this will be so." Sally kneeled down while the Keeper walked over to her. As he placed the tip of a sword over her shoulders he spoke, "As Keeper of Time and the power given to me by the greater beings, I hear by bestow upon you the title of apprentice to the Keeper with all the responsabilities that the title gives. Are you ready?"
As if trapped in a trance she answered, "Yes."
"You are now and as long as need be know as Apprentice to the Keeper." He then cut off a lock of her fur from her neck. "With this lock you will be bound to this place, without it you may not return to the time stream and with it you will not be able to return." He paused as he handed out his hand to Sally, she took it and stood up, "welcome, Sally, you are now one of us."
With that he took her to her place of study and sleep. Over time he taught her many things about time and the universe. She learned how to watch over the time stream and keep it running according to the rules. She learned how to create things using only her mind. She learned how to use time to help her out in many problems. She learned all there was to know. This went on for years, twenty years I believe it was. Until one day when Sally was studying in her room.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 6
The room was dark all except for a beam of light shining apon Sally sitting at a desk reading a book. For the past twenty years she has spent most of her time studying books like this. He position required many hours of study each day and a lot of time alone. Which didn't bother her much sense she had spent many hours back in her old life alone in her hut planning. She was acustomed to being alone yet she had always had someone to talk to if she needed it. It's not like the keeper doesn't keep her company but he just isn't like her friends.
"Through use of the time stones and the time stones only may a person go back in time. Once there he/she can change a specific event altering history and changing the flow of time to the new version of the present. The traveler can then return to the present unharmed by the change in history'. Sally read from the book.
"Basic idea of time travel." She stated, "Something we did not sucseed in." she thought about he and Sonic's journey back to the past. How he had gotten robotisized and then the dream, and finally the temperal reflux which brought her here. The thought of what they might be now startled her, and she lost her concentration, which kept the light going. She was now in darkness.
"I sense that you are troubled, child." The keeper walked up to Sally and placed his hand on her shoulder. She regained her concentration as he touched her and the light returned. "What is the matter?"
Sally looked up at the old man, beard hanging down to his knees, and said in a sensear tone, "Keeper, I have been thinking about my friends and Mobius. I have not seen either sense you helped me twenty years ago. I wish to see them."
The keeper hesitated to give a reply, he seemed to be in deep thought. He then spoke, "The one thing I have yet to teach you, child, is that witch you ask. I have not shown you this until now because I did not believe you ready to handle it. But now you seem to be ready for it. Watch closely."
The keeper then spoke to Sally through her mind as he placed his hands out and began to chant the word vision. As he did so a white ball of energy condensed between his hands forming a circular disk. Images began to form inside the disk as the keeper stoped chanting.
"Now child, look." The keeper pointed to the disk as the first image came to view inside the disk.
The first image was Mobius, Sally gasped as she saw the gray plannet, the air was poluted and all the vegitation had died off. The next image was of Robotropolis, the size had almost tripled of it when she left with Sonic back nine years. The air around it was pitch black, it's polution rate had tripled that of where it started. Then she saw images of her friends, all of them robotisized, all of them working in the mines for Robotnik. But then she saw Sonic, he was serving Robotnik food like a maid. All of this was worse then she had ever imagioned it getting. Then the energy dissapeared.
An intense anger grew inside of Sally, a flame of hatred toward one man, and a large man at that. The hatred burned inside her like a flaming lake of lava, never growing colder, only hotter. She had to do something, she had to make Robotnik pay for what he had done, she will kill him.
"Keeper, I wish to return to the flow of time, I wish to stop Robotnik before he makes any of this happen." Sally pleads.
The keeper looks into Sally's eyes and sighs, "Child, I knew you would probably say that. I knew you just couldn't let that go on." He paused as he peered deeper into her eyes, "I see your passion, I can see the will of your heart, I cannot stop you. You may return."
The keeper twisted his fingers around and a lock of hair, Sally's hair, apeard in his hand. He walked over to Sally and placed it back in the spot it had come from, "As long as this lock is in place you can stay, but the minuit it's taken off you will return here. Remember, you can use time as your ally in battle, never believe time is not on your side. You can only do this once, after that you are stuck here."
"I will." Sally said as she closed her eyes and thought of the time where Robotnik had gone back to. She felt a blast of warmth blast over her as she opened her eyes to see the great forest. She had two days.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 7
Over on the other side of Mobius a riot had broken out among the Overlanders, Julian had gotten the citizens to move against their leader. A perfect scheme he thought, though he had no idea that it would soon turn against him.
Over in an alley of the city some papers began to rustle around violently, the air became thin and the ground began to shake. In the center of the alley a round sphere of clear energy began to form, two dark silowets began to form in it, one large, and one spiked. When the area calmed down, two beings formed from the energy, Robotnik and the robotisized Sonic.
Robotnik began to survey the area, "Ahh, what better place to end up then home, and during the power revolt too, perfect timing if I do ask myself." He chuckled a little after that. He seemed to have decided to come back to a time before the Mobians knew who he was. Yet he was far off from where he needed to be. 'A minor setback', he thought.
"Sonic, go find me the fastest vehical you can find. We have a lot of traveling to do." He ordered. Obeying his commander Sonic pealed out of the alley and into the streets, within a minute he was back with a hover unit. Robotnik stepped inside and it flew off out of the city. His destination, The Science Ministry in Mobitroplis, the mission, kill Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sally walked, knowing well that she would reach Mobitroplis in a day at her current pase, giving her a day to stop Robotnik from killing Sonic. As she passed the outer edges of the great forest she began to think of a way to stop Robotnik.
Sally stopped and reached down for Nichole, but couldn't find her computer. She forgot she had lost it when the Tempral Reflux hit her, along with the deep power stones and the power ring generator.
She thought for a moment and then closed her eyes in concentration. She moved her hands together as if she was molding a snowball, and as she did so particles of time began to converge between her hands forming a ball. She opened her eyes, concentrating still, but not as hard. She then let the ball spin in mid-air alone, but then began to press it together forming a large spinning disk of time. Sally closed he eyes once more and concentrated on a certain point in time, before the reflux had hit her, keeping that exact moment in her mind she opened her eyes to find it displayed inside the disk. She stepped inside and looked around to see herself running from a blinding ball of light, frozen in time. She walked over to herself and grabbed nichole from her hand and the sack from her back. She then walked back to the portal she had created. Sally turned around and took one last look at herself, she noticed Sonic over in the distance, but not the same place she'd seen him before. He had a smirk on his matlic face, an almost evil smirk. But she could see in his eyes, she could see a feeling of distress, like he was trapped. She knew Sonic, the one she knew was still in there somewhere, trapped in a prison of metal. She would get him out, somehow, she knew she would. Sally then turned toward the disk once more and walked through, leaving her past behind as the portal closed up and disapeared.
Sally opened nichole and asked, "Nichole, what are the possiblities of escape?"
Nichole replied in her usual tone, "Next to nothing."
Sally then told nichole, "scan for any and all temprial anomilies, nichole."
Nichole werred as she began her search, "Scanning... Four anomilies found Sally."
"List."
"Two on the other side of the planet, both heading toward robitroplis, one directly behind us, whose traces are diminishing, and one in front of me, you Sally. None seem to contain cheristics of a tempral reflux."
"That's because I have been outside time for twenty years, Robotnik and Sonic are from the future, and I created a time portal from which I have saved you from the Reflux."
"Information dose not seem to compute Sally, explain."
Sally held her left hand up and swayed it back and forth once, in her hand formed a data disk, she inserted it into nichole.
Nichole wirred as it read the disk. "Compiling data."
Sally waited for a moment as nichole read the disk, she then herd nichole beep, "Data compiled, mission understood."
"Nichole, calculate a any and all possible ways of restoring time to it's origional flow, yet also erasing Robotnik from history."
"First I suggest you begin walking, we still have to get to mobitroplis." Nichole clicked in.
"Right." Sally picked up the sack and swung it around her back and began walking toward The Science Ministry in Mobitroplis.
It was around nightfall when Sally entered the city, she stopped at a closed chilidog stand and sat. "Any sugestions on returning history?" she said as she uncliped nichole from her boot.
"Restore Sonic to his origional state." The computer wirred back.
"Any others nichole?"
"None. You must derobotisize our main hedgehog, that is the only possible way."
"Any suggestions there nichole?"
"It may be possible to return Sonic to his previous state by flowing the power of ten power rings into his body."
Sally checked the meter on the power ring generator, it displayed 90% capasity. "But we only have nine power rings. And the power ring pool is a days walk from here."
"You could use you mastery over time to take you there."
"No, it wouldn't work, if I could transport myself I wouldn't have walked here. I need time to recover from my last attempt, it drained a lot of my energy keeping that portal open long enough to pull you and the sack from history. Plus the rules of time do not permit me to take things from the past, because they may be vital to the present or the future. I am also unable to travel to the future."
"Then your only chance is to take the ring Robotnik has, it may be possible that he still has it."
"Thank you, nichole." Sally then closed her computer up.
As Sally walked of toward the Science Ministery her mind was set, she would return Sonic to his normal state, it's the only way of beating Robotnik.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 8
Sally tossed and turned in her make shift bed beside the steps of the science ministry. Her body at ease, sleeping, but her mind not, for it raced, non stop. She was dreaming.
Sally sat on a log next to the power ring pool, waiting for a power ring she believed, for she didn't remember walking there. It was a long and boring wait, all alone on the long, watching a boiling pot. But then she heard a twig snap behind her and turned quickly to see Sonic walking toward her, and sit down on the log next to her.
"Lonely?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.
"Actually, I am quite fine." She answered back looking away from him.
He sat his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, I know you want some company, I could tell by the way you looked when I walked up."
Sally had been cornerd, by Sonic, she chuckled a bit, "You know me too well, Sonic Hedgehog."
"I suspose I do, seeing we've lived together since we were five."
Sally looked at him, all blue and normal, she knew this was a dream, "Your not going to go and turn into a robot now are you?"
Sonic instantly had a puzzled look on his face, "Say what! No, I ain't gona change into no bot."
Sally smiled, she missed his smart-alecy remarks, "Good." She then held her hand in his, and act which she hadn't commited in twenty years.
As she sat there, her hand tightly fassoned in Sonic's, she thought of all the fun time's they'd had together, the battles, the wins, and the losses. She could picture them in her mind as if they had just happened, and she wondered why. Was it the fact that she was dreaming, or that she had been trained in time and can use it to remember. It was all a mystery to her, a dark thought among all the good, almost evil.
As she thought of such things the pool began to swirl, it was time. The sight was magnificent, the way the pool opened itself up in a perfect circle, and how the blue water took upon itself a golden glow as the secound most powerful object upon Mobius rose from the pool of swirling water. A Power Ring.
The beauty of the ring was immeasurable, how it's own power made it glow a bright golden color, casting the color over everything around it. Sonic stood up, face flush with gold from the light eminating from the ring, at took his place upon the log which hovered over the waters of the pool. The closer he got, the more flush he became, the golden light covering Sonic from head to toe. Then without premise he flung his right hand out and clung on to the shinny object, who's power could be transferred into Sonic allowing him to travel even faster then he can at that moment.
But then, like the most spontanious reaction the world has ever known, the glow cesed. As if all the energy had been sucked out of it, the golden ring changed to a brownish color, one that made it look as if it were dying. Sally gasped as she saw the act, 'not again', she thought.
Sally held her hand out to signal that she wanted something, "Hand it here, Sonic."
Sonic looked at Sally, eyes glowing, but not the red she had expected from a robotisized Mobian, but it glowed gold. "Here, take it!" He said with an eccoing tone as he threw the ring at Sally who caught it an inch from her nose, "It's usefulness has been lived up! It contains no power."
Sally looked at the dead ring, brown and cracked, it made no reaction. "Who are you?" she asked with the voice of a young child, one who's curiosity had gotten her into more trouble then she wanted.
Sonic let out a short "heh" as he smiled. He acted almost like Robotnik, which, for more reasons then one, was frightning Sally.
Sonic began spinning, going faster with every revolution, until he himself turned into a round blue sphere. He spun there for what seemed like days from Sally's point of view, until he began to slow down and take shape. But the shape he reverted back to was not his own, but the one of The Keeper of Time. Sally gasped, 'this is turning into a weird dream', she thought as she looked up at the one who saved her from death twenty years prior to when she decided to go back through time.
"Child, to be alarmed is to be weak in mind. Anything can happen among dreams." The Keeper said as he looked down upon Sally.
"Were you the one who gave me those dreams, the ones depicting destruction?" Sally asked with the curiosity of a two-year-old.
"Yes, and no." The Keeper said as he pointed a finger at Sally and began to communicate directly to her mind, "I was conducting an experiment long ago, my apprentice had advised me not to but insisted upon it. Little did I know, that when I was finished I would end up with the time stones.
"Realiseing the destructive power of the time stones, I created a place for them, hidden from all. Yet it needed a guardian, so I granted my apprentice the title of Keeper of the Time Stones. Which he has done his job, and granted use of the time stones to you and Sonic, who were both pure in heart.
"Though I knew that the Time Stones would only be granted to those pure in heart, I also knew the possibility that they could get lost and wind up in the hands of evil. Which is what has happened. So as a failsafe I created the Deep Power stones as a means to either destroy the world if such an act had happened, or to correct it with the ultimate power, the power to defy time.
"When you and Sonic used the Deep Power stones you both were granted this power, at first the power came in distructive form, but then it came in dreams. But the final and most powerful stage of the power was the ability to not be affected by time changing itself. This is why you were not killed, and live today to stop the evil from completeing it's plot.
"Only YOU can save Mobius, at least until you free Sonic, then you both, in combined effort, will be able to win. This is the only way, combine powers or you will never know the future you seek."
Then as he finished his last word the Keeper began to revert into Sonic, "Wait, I have another question!" But Sally was too late, the Keeper was gone and Sonic was in his place.
Sally looked down at the brown power ring as Sonic sat back down beside her, "It's going to be alright Sal, everything will be alright." Sonic said as he put his hand upon the ring.
With Sonic's touch the ring began to glow golden again, casting it's normal golden tint upon Sonic, Sally and everything around it. Sonic looked at Sally, who in turn looked at Sonic, and they kissed. As they did so the ring began to increase in the intensity of it's glow, until all that could be seen was the glow. Everything was gold...
********************************************************************************
Chapter 9
Sally awoke with a jolt upon the steps to the science ministry as Sir. Charles Hedgehog touched her shoulder. "Calm down child, I was only checking to see if you were alive." Said Charles as he looked down at Sally who was now calming and stared up at whom she knew to be Uncle Chuck.
"I'm sorry, I was having a startling dream." Sally replied as she rested her head in her right hand to relieve some of the pressure her head was feeling from the sudden wakening. "I was waiting for Sir Charles and then fell asleep."
Chuck smiled, "Well anyone who would sleep on the steps of the science ministry building waiting for me must have some urgent business. Here, come inside and we'll talk."
Sir Charles said as he helped Sally to her feet and led her into the building.
"...So as you can see, we have to protect Sonic in this time at all costs, as well as find a way to steel the power ring from Robotnik. Or all will be lost." Sally said as she closed the projection Nicole was displaying.
Charles sat for a moment pondering what he had heard. "So, my nephew Sonic is suppose to be this world's savior?"
"In a way yes." Sally replied, knowing time was getting short, Robotnik would soon be in Mobitropolis looking for Sonic.
"Well, then it's settled. Our first priority is to place Sonic in a safe place." Charles paused as he stood up, "Then, I believe I have a machine that will be able to help you out."
"So where can he be found around now?" Sally asked.
"Well, he should be storming into this room any minuet now." Chuck stated just before a loud hum buzzed by Sally's ears and before her stood a relatively shorter and younger version of Sonic then she had seen before.
"I don't remember seeing you around here before." Stated the young Sonic as best he could as he patted his feet on the ground.
Sally smiled and knelt down so she could be as close to the youngster's height as possible, "I'm an old friend of your uncle. My name is Alicia."
"Oh, I see." Sonic said before he turned to face Chuck, "So, what's up today unc?"
Charles chuckled at Sonic's question, "Well Sonic, Alicia and I are going on a trip."
Sonic's eyes lighted up at the mention of a trip, "A trip! Can I come... please?"
Charles looked at Sally for a moment, she nodded, "Sure, come on. It's a long walk from here."
"You mean I have to walk?" Sonic asked as Chuck took Sonic's hand and dragged Sonic out of the room with Sally trailing behind.
"Yes Sonic, you have to stay close to me and Alicia so that you won't get into any trouble." Charles answered in a fatherly tone.
"Man, that bites." Sonic said right before Sally pinched him for his remark. She chuckled at being able to punish Sonic. She hadn't had that pleasure... yet.
The three travelers were sitting down under a tree near the Great Forest. Sonic was playing with Nichole while Uncle Chuck was laughing as Sonic tried to understand Nichole's speech. Sally was thinking of a way to hide Sonic so that Robotnik could never find him. She knew it was impossible to do that on the planet because Sonic could track himself, and space would be impossible to reach. Then, an idea hit her mind.
"Excuse me you two, I have something to do in private." Sally said as she stood up.
Charles nodded, "Alright, make it quick though. We need to get moving soon."
Sally returned the nod and then turned and headed toward another tree off further away from their resting-place. Once there, she sat down behind it so that neither Charles nor Sonic could see her activities. Then, with a quick glance toward the hedgehogs for security she began to meditate.
She began by placing herself in an Indian style sitting stance, then she proceeded to place her hands together so that the center of her forehead would sit between the two held together index fingers leaving her thumbs to rest at the bottom of her chin. She then closed her eyes and concentrated on time. She, once calm searched for a place in time that was stopped, a place where time did not run, her sanctuary. After a short time of searching, she found it.
'Keeper,' she projected her thoughts into the place. 'Speak to me Keeper.'
'Yes child, I am here.' Replied the Keeper.
'I have a question to ask of you.' Sally thought.
'What is it child?' The Keeper replied.
'Would we be able to hide Sonic from this time with you?'
'That is impossible.' Answered the Keeper, 'to do that would surely mean my death.'
'I know of the rules, but would we be able to go around them on the technicality of the situation?' Sally asked with the hopes of being able to bend the rules.
'You mean bend the rules?' Asked the Keeper.
'In a sense, yes.' Answered Sally. 'Because Sonic is important to the time stream, the rules say that we can't mess with his importance in time. But, since Robotnik is here trying to mess with Sonic's importance, wouldn't our interference be justified?'
The Keeper thought for a moment before replying. 'It is possible, but the punishment would be severe if we are proven otherwise non-justified by the council.'
'That is a chance we will just have to take if the timeline is to ever be restored to its origional flow.' Sally replied sternly.
'All right, I will help you to bring him here Sally. Though if the timeline is not restored exactly to its origional flow; we will be held accountable for the changes.' Warned the Keeper.
'Thank you,' Sally said.
"Sally!" cried Sonic from the distance.
Sally quickly opened her eyes and turned to look at what was going on. Robotnik had caught up with them; Sonic was lying on the ground unconcience while Sonic's mechanized older self was holding Charles. Robotnik had a gun pointed at Sonic.
"No!" Sally yelled as she held her left hand to her side and concentrated some temperal particles into a small sphere in her hand. She then began to run toward Robotnik while she threw the sphere in mid stride toward Mecha-Sonic. The sphere flew at high speeds until it blasted into Mecha-Sonic throwing him a long distance away from the hedgehog. While the sphere began to dissipate into nothingness as it messed with Mecha-Sonic's circuitry Sally drop kicked Robotnik sending him to an intimate meeting with the grass.
Quickly Sally then grabbed the young hedgehog and ran toward the Great Forest. As a precaution she threw another blast of temperal energy toward Mecha-Sonic who was now getting up from the ground. This blast also hit its target and knocked Sonic to the ground again before it dissipated. All the while Robotnik was yelling at Mecha-Sonic to get up and chase after Sally, but with no prevail. The battle was over, for now.
As soon as Sally was a safe distance inside the Great Forest she set the still sleeping hedgehog on the ground. She then concentrated on the time stream to find that place in time that was protected from its flow. She found it again.
'Keeper, I am ready.' Said Sally.
'As am I, concentrate hard Sally.' Replied the Keeper.
'Of course.' Sally replied as she raised her hands toward the area beside the young hedgehog and began to form the temperal particles into a portal. The Keeper also from the other end of the portal concentrated upon that portal and formed the portal at the opposite end allowing Sonic the room to pass through to him.
"Send him through child." Said the Keeper through the portal to Sally.
Sally instantly picked Sonic up and pushed him through the portal to the Keeper.
"He will be safe here Sally. Good luck." Said the Keeper before the portal closed and Sally was left alone in the forest.
"Robotnik will be here soon looking for Sonic." Sally said as she saw a ray of red sunlight pass through an opening in the trees. "Looks like I'll have to transport myself back to the Science Ministry if I wish to avoid Robotnik."
Sally looked directly in front of her and began to concentrate bringing temperal particles slowly together to form another portal. She began to sweat from the strain on her body to complete her task as the portal to her sanctuary took most of her power to complete. Within a few minuets the portal had formed completely and a picture of the area in front of the Ministry building shown through the portal. Sally took a deep breath and walked trough it. The portal lived for a few moments before it fizzled away into the atmosphere.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 10
Sally calmly walked into the Science Ministry building. She hopped that nothing had happened to Chuck or his lab area. She would need his help to recover the lost power ring, and in the future to escape from Robotnik.
As she walked through the halls toward Uncle Chuck's lab she noticed something different in the atmosphere of the building. It was an uneasy feeling that seemed to fill the halls of the building. She was beginning to worry about the integrity of the lab and Chuck, and so, she ran.
Opening the door leading into the lab Sally noticed what she had hopped against. In the search for Sonic, Robotnik had totally destroyed every instrument in the lab. It was a devastated room full of rubble, a scientific graveyard.
"You succeeded child?" came a voice from the opposite side of the room.
"Yes I did. Sonic is safely in the hands of the Keeper of Time." Sally replied as she walked towards the voice.
Uncle Chuck came out of the dark and into the light as he spoke, "I wish I could say the same for myself and the lab."
Uncle Chuck appeared to be badly beaten and bruised, he had numerous cuts that were still bleeding.
"Uncle Chuck, what did Robotnik do to you?" Sally asked as she rushed over to the hurt hedgehog.
"After you ran off with the boy he had Sonic capture me while I was trying to escape." Chuck paused a moment as he coughed, "Apparently, he didn't see me as a threat without you or Sonic. Though he sure didn't let me go without a good beating." Uncle Chuck let go of the machine he was holding on to and tried to balance himself upon his own legs. As soon as he tried his legs gave out from the pressure and he fell to the ground. Sally caught him and held him tight like a child.
"Are you alright?" Sally asked.
Chuck waved his hand in an attempt to brush it off, "I'll be fine," he paused as he coughed, "I just need a little help to walk that's all." He paused again as he tried to stand up; Sally helped him to his feet. "Thank you, I have something I need to show you."
"I need to get you to a doctor." Sally said as she began to lead Chuck out of the room.
"No," stated Chuck as he pulled her in the opposite direction, "you must see this first." He paused as he looked at Sally who nodded, "This way."
Uncle Chuck led Sally into a small area on the far end of the lab. The area was the least crowded with debris in the lab and still had a yellow light that showed down upon the area. In the center was a round shaped machine, one that looked almost identical to the one stationed at the bottom of the Power Ring Pool.
"This, is my power ring generator." Chuck said as he pointed to the contraption.
"You mean YOU created the power rings?" Sally asked in shock.
"Yes, this machine was created by myself. I was hopping to give you one of the power rings that it creates. Unfortunately, while Robotnik was destroying my lab he took the key components needed to create a power ring." Chuck explained.
"Did he take the chaos emerald?" Sally asked.
"Luckily he didn't." Chuck replied as he pulled the emerald from the machine, "But all of the power distribution components have been taken. I found them close to the area where we were resting. Unfortunately each one was incomplete."
"What do you mean by incomplete?" Sally inquired.
"Well, certain key parts on each component had been taken. Apparently Robotnik needed parts to build some machine. What it is he was trying to build I don't know. But I do know that it would take me longer then what we have to repair the generator." Uncle Chuck stated before he began to cough continuously.
"I need to get you to a doctor right away!" Sally stated as she began to walk as quickly as she could out of the lab and into the city streets toward the infirmary.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, princess." Came a sinister voice before Robotnik appeared from on of the halls inside the science ministry building. Sally stopped in front of the large man and set chuck down beside her.
"What do you want Robotnik?" Stated Sally with a scowl.
"Why it is quite simple really, I want the young rodent." Robotnik replied calmly.
Sally thought of Sonic after Robotnik had spoken and a smirk ran across her face as she replied, "Oh I'm sorry, but Sonic is no longer here with us, but if you would like to leave a message I'd be glad to relay it to him upon his next visit."
In a fit of rage Robotnik picked Sally up by her vest, "Are you mocking me?" Robotnik said with crimson red eyes.
"It depends on whether or not I can gain a few hundred pounds." Sally said sarcastically.
"Pestilence!" Robotnik yelled as he threw her to the other end of the hall. Sally quickly flipped around and landed on her feet skidding to a stop before she hit a closed door.
"Hmm, quite impressive." Robotnik turned toward Sonic who was patiently standing beside him, "Do away with them both." Then looked down at Chuck lying down on the floor, "Him first."
"Yes sir." Sonic replied in a mechanized voice as Robotnik walked out of the science ministry.
Sonic turned toward Chuck as lifted his arm in preparation to crush his head in. Sally looked on at the sight as hollered as loud as she could as she ran toward Sonic, "NO!!!"
Sonic looked up at Sally as she ran toward him. For a moment he faltered in his thoughts, but quickly regained control and began to complete his task.
Gathering up as much strength as she could muster Sally concentrated upon the temperal particles in the air trying to form a sphere out of them. One formed between her hands and Sally threw it at Sonic, hitting him before his hand connected with Uncle Chuck's head throwing him out of the science ministry.
Sally quickly knelt down and placed Uncle Chuck on her shoulders before she ran toward the back exit. At the same time she concentrated again upon time hopping to form another portal. She stopped at the door and allowed the sphere to form between her hands, then trying with all her might to form a portal she flattened the sphere out and a picture of the inside of the infirmary formed inside it. Then, with all her might to stay awake she moved through it with Chuck on her shoulders. The portal disappeared behind her.
Inside the main hall of the infirmary doctors and nurses were scurrying about on their ways to perform their tasks. One nurse was studying a clipboard when a sphere of light formed in front of her. She stopped and stared in awe and terror as a picture of the inside of the science ministry formed inside it and then Sally with Chuck on her shoulders emerge from it before it disappeared.
"Please help." Sally said before her eyes closed and she fell to the ground letting Chuck roll in front of her as she passed out form exhaustion.
The nurse turned quickly toward the opposite end of the hall and yelled, "I need some help over here. Someone has just entered with an injured man on her shoulders and then passed out herself!"
Blurry, a bright light, awakening. Sally slowly opened her eyes as she laid in one of the hospital beds. Disorientated she tried to sit up but wound up falling back upon the bed. She lay there for a moment until her sense of sight came back. When it did she looked over to her right and found Sir Charles lying in another hospital bed. She slowly got up and walked over to him.
"Charles, can you hear me?" She asked as she grabbed hold of his left hand.
Sir Charles opened his eyes slowly and stared at Sally for a moment before responding, "Sally, you must fight Robotnik."
Sally smiled, "I'm glad your alright."
"I'll be just fine, all I need is some rest. You must find Robotnik and destroy him. Here." Chuck reached under his bed sheets and pulled out a glowing ring.
"A power ring?" Sally asked astonished.
"I too was working on a storage device. I took this ring from it before Robotnik confronted us. It should still be good enough to help you." Chuck said as he handed Sally the power ring.
A tear formed in Sally's eye, "Thank you." She knelt down and picked up her backpack lying beside her bed and placed the ring inside the generator.
"Just right Robotnik's wrongs." Chuck said before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
"I will." Sally replied as she tore the IV from her arm and changed into her vest. She then walked out of the infirmary avoiding detection. She then grabbed a hovercraft and flew it out of town and towards the great forest. 'For you...'
Sally hopped out of her hovercraft, which she parked a few feet from an opening into the great forest. She then began to walk upon the path deep into the forest. She knew the path had been laid out just for her since there was no path in the future leading to Knothole. That's where Sally was heading.
It didn't take her long to figure out where Robotnik would wish to meet her while she piloted the hovercraft from Mobitropolis. The site where Knothole would be built is the most private and secluded area on Mobius that she knew. A large open expanse hidden within the great forest under a canopy of tall trees which stood on a cliff above the expanse. No one would be able to see what would take place there, yet there would be enough room for a large-scale fight if there need be one.
Sally pondered her predicament while she walked along the freshly laid out path toward Knothole. The whole reason her and Sonic originally came back through time was to change history by erasing Robotnik from it. Now her whole purpose for leaving her home is gone. The time line must be kept exactly the way it was, that is, if she valued her life as well as the Keeper's. Unfortunately for Mobius, she did.
Throughout her twenty years of study in the most quiet and secluded place there is she hadn't had a time of piece in which she could think like she could as she headed down the path toward Knothole. She thought of many things, the future, Uncle Chuck, Robotnik, but most of all she thought about Sonic. What would happen to him if she was forced to fight him. Once changed using the power rings would he be able to help her battle Robotnik? If time were to change, would he be lost in time as well?
Sally had pondered on living out the rest of her life alone without Sonic or any of the other freedom fighters by her side. Being the Keeper of Time was a very lonely job, one that she would ultimately have to take when the time came. Could she bring Sonic with her, and forever be with him watching over time together, or would she be forced to spend eternity alone like the keeper.
With these questions fresh on her mind as she walked up to the tree slide leading to the Knothole area she remembered a conversation she had with the keeper during her period with him.
' Sally had been studying a book about time until she came upon a passage that seemed to trouble her. The moment she laid back into her chair the Keeper appeared behind her and asked, "What troubles you child?"
Sally sighed as she turned around to face the Keeper before she replied. "This passage states that you can use temperal particles to erase someone with an evil heart from the time stream. Yet, it says nothing about what would happen if the same particles were to land upon someone pure in heart."
"Ah, thinking of Sonic again are we?" The Keeper paused for a moment as he thought of an answer that Sally would understand, "You see child, the reason the book doesn't tell what would happen is because no one knows."
Sally's spirits lowered for a moment as she stared at her feet upon the metallic surface of her sanctuary. The Keeper knelt down and placed his hands on Sally's shoulders, "Do not be sad Sally, I'm sure that, when the time comes, if you were to miss Robotnik and hit Sonic something good will come out of it."
Sally looked up with a few tears in her eyes, "I hope so." '
"Well Keeper, it's time to find out..." Sally said as she jumped into the tree stump and slid down the slide into the depths of the Great Forest known as Knothole. The final battle ground.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 11
"Not good!" Sally said when she came to the end of the slide. The end off
the tree at this point was a good 30 feet above the ground that Knothole is on. She also noticed that there wasn't any hay pile for her to fall into. 'I forgot we didn't set this up for a year!' She thought as she fell to the ground, but instead of hitting the ground she hit a pile of hay.
'This wasn't here a second ago.' She thought as she rolled out of the pile
and brushed off the hay from her fur.
"That's because I just put it there." Came a voice from behind her.
Sally turned around and found Robotnik standing in front of her and the
pile of hay gone. "Robotnik!"
Robotnik had a smirk on his face, "What, no thank you for keeping you're
body in a healthy condition. My, my princess have we forgotten our manners so
quickly in the past twenty years?"
Sally's eyes shot open in surprise before stating, "You know about that?"
Robotnik chuckled a little, "Well, when you have the time stones you can
find a lot out. Of course, ease dropping on your conversation with Sir Charles
helped as well."
"Why you..." Sally began to condense temperal particles within her right
hand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you princess. Without me, you're precious
Sonic will self-destruct." Robotnik said as he pointed toward Sonic who was
standing in his usual patient-less stance.
"Alright Robotnik, I'll play by your rules." Sally stated as she let the
particles return to their respected places while letting out a sigh.
Robotnik smiled as he said, "I'm glad you see it my way." Robotnik paused
as he began to walk toward the housing area where a large structure had been
constructed, "Follow me."
Without another choice Sally began to follow Robotnik. After a few moments
she looked back towards Sonic yet he was gone.
"Oh don't worry about him, he's gone to prepare for when he'll be needed."
Robotnik stated.
"I suppose you would know best." Sally stated sarcastically.
"Flattery will get you now where." Robotnik stated as he opened the door
to the structure and motioned for Sally to enter before him.
With a bit of hesitation Sally walked into the structure to find that it
was completely dark inside, she then heard the door shut behind her covering her
in darkness.
"Lights." Robotnik stated but to no avail, "Stupid computer, I knew I
should have built it from my own parts and not that of this area..." Robotnik
mumbled as he seemed to walk toward a light switch and flip it on.
Sally gasped in awe as the lights in the structure came on revealing a
large table with hundreds of plates full of all kinds of food upon it. From the
smell that reached her nose she could tell that it had all been recently cooked.
"Why Robotnik, all of this for little old me?" Sally said as if she was trying to
flirt.
"It wouldn't be fair to have you fight Sonic if you are only half full.
Besides, I think I would love to see your full potential." Robotnik stated, "This way." He then let Sally sit down at the head of the table offering her anything she desired from it.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Sally asked.
Robotnik's eyes seemed to darken a bit more as he said, "Don't doubt my
generosity princess, or else you will find yourself regretting it."
"Perish the thought." Sally stated as she reached for some food.
"I must see to it that our battle arena has been properly set up." Robotnik stated as he headed toward the entrance, "If you'll excuse me." He bowed before exiting. Once outside a chuckled as he thought, 'she seems to be falling right into my trap, one taste of that food and she'll die from the poison. Just in case though, I should have the explosive ready.' Robotnik pulled a small pad with a switch on it out from behind his back, stopping from his jog he turned and flipped the switch upon the pad...
"I have a bad feeling about this." Sally stated as she turned her head as
Robotnik closed the door.
'Sally, it's a trap!' Came a voice from another space.
Sally stood up and began to head toward the door when she heard the
explosion start, 'here goes nothing!' She thought as she jumped through a sparkling white sphere that formed in front of her.
Sally appeared behind Robotnik as the building exploded into millions of
small scraps. 'Thank you Keeper,' she thought as she condensed temperal particles into her right hand. "Nice try Robotnik," Sally paused as Robotnik turned toward her in shock, "but a try doesn't quite cut it with someone like me!" she then threw the particles at Robotnik sending him flying toward the rubble left from the explosion.
"Sonic!" Robotnik yelled as he pulled himself up from the rubble, "Kill
her!"
A second later Sonic appeared in front of Sally, "As you bid." He then
kicked Sally sending her flying toward a tree.
Seeing her destination Sally quickly spun around and formed a sphere of
temperal energy under her feet. When the energy hit the tree she was sent flying
toward Sonic, who jumped into the air before Sally could drop kick him.
"I see his speed hasn't changed." Sally said as she shot another blast at Sonic
who let loose a folly of laser fire that split right through the energy and began
to pummel the ground around Sally trapping her inside it. He then proceeded to
attack Sally by shooting another blast of laser fire.
In response Sally formed a field of temperal energy atop her hopping to
stop the laser fire. When they collided the laser energy was absorbed by the
temperal particles and began to turn the sparkling grayish energy a dark red tint before shattering it forcing Sally to the ground before Sonic picked her up and threw her a clear twenty feet from him.
Skidding to a stop on the ground Sally urged herself to her feet as she
wiped the excess blood from her cheek. "Sonic, it doesn't have to be this way,
you're on my side."
"Oh but it does princess." Robotnik stated from behind Sally who turned to
face him before Sonic ran up behind her grabbing her by both of her arms. "As you see, he is completely loyal to me and only me. Why, not even a power ring could turn him against me."
Sally struggled within Sonic's steady grip for a moment before speaking,
"Is that so Robotnik? I guess we'll have to find out then." She paused for a moment to watch the curious look on Robotnik's face, "Rings generate times ten!" she called out as her backpack began to glow the glow of power rings.
"Oh no you don't!" Robotnik yelled as he snatched the backpack from Sally
who managed to kick him a few times. "These rings are mine now." Robotnik then
began to chuckle.
Sally looked at her right arm as a grayish glow began to engulf it. She
smiled as she let loose the energy knocking Robotnik on his back as she knelt down and threw Sonic onto Robotnik. Then she snatched up her backpack and pulled out the generator. "Waypast!" she stated before ten power rings formed above it.
Taking them in her left hand she charged Sonic who had gotten off of Robotnik. She then gave Sonic a drop kick forcing him to the ground before throwing the rings onto Sonic's chest. Stepping back Sally watched as the power ring's glow began to increase as it engulfed Sonic.
"NO!!!!!!!" Robotnik yelled as he watched in awe at the display in front
of him. His prized creation destroyed in front of his eyes.
Sally stepped toward Sonic as the glow diminished leaving the figure of a
hedgehog hunched over amidst the cloud of dust. The figure stood up after a moment and turned to look at Sally.
"Sonic!" Sally cried out with a smile, which soon turned into a frown as
she saw two red glowing eyes come forth from the dust.
********************************************************************************
Chapter 12
Sonic leapt out of the dust towards Sally bringing her to the ground upon
her back. He then grabbed Sally's neck and began to squeeze.
"Sonic, it doesn't have to be this way, Robotnik can't be allowed to win!
Please Sonic, why do you have to do this?" Sally pleaded as best she could as Sonic continued to squeeze tighter and tighter on Sally's neck until a childish smirk came upon his face. Then with a wink Sonic threw Sally toward Robotnik knocking him down on the ground all the while breaking Sally's fall.
"Yo Robuttnik! It's time we fought ourselves!" Sonic yelled out towards
Robotnik as he stood to his feet while Sally ran out of the way.
"What!? How did you retain your free will?" Robotnik asked dumbfounded at
the recent turn of events.
"How should I know. It's not like I planned it out anyway!" Sonic replied
as he began to get restless.
"Hmm, those power rings must have had an affect on him. Why didn't I see
this when I designed that robotisizer?" Robotnik trailed off as he thought about
what had happened.
"You talk to much fat man! I want some action!" Sonic said before dashing
off toward Robotnik landing a blow to Robotnik's large stomach throwing him clear toward the remains of the exploded building. "That's more like it!"
"Sonic!" Sally called as she ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "I
thought it was a lost cause."
"Hey, don't worry about it, I'm back." Sonic paused as he looked down at
himself, "well, in mind at least!"
"Just as long as you have your free will. It doesn't matter about your
body." Sally said before giving Sonic a kiss on the cheek.
Sonic smiled before grabbing Sally and gave her a kiss like the one they had taken part in after the destruction of doomsday. As they did a white glow began to emanate from Sonic growing stronger the longer they kept together in the embrace until finally the light was so bright that Sonic nor Sally could be seen within it.
Just as this begun Robotnik emerged from underneath the rubble. Looking on
at the display he gasped in awe, it seems he was now absent one robotic hedgehog, or at least that's what he believed.
Sonic and Sally were still within their embrace when the light subsided and returned to Sonic where it started. Now what was once a robotic version of Sonic was now a flesh and bone real life version, the original. When Sally backed away and opened her eyes she gasped in surprise at the sight in front of her.
"Sonic, you're yourself again." She said with a hand halfway covering her
mouth.
Sonic looked down at himself before replying, "I guess I am." Sonic paused
as he looked himself over and then looked back at Sally, "That kiss must have
triggered something I guess. So much for the power rings LOOK OUT!" Sonic grabbed Sally and jumped out of the way of a laser blast. He then got up and turned to look at Robotnik.
"That was way low round man!" Sonic yelled as he looked over at Robotnik
who was holding onto a large laser gun.
"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment pest!" Robotnik replied as he
shot another blast at Sally who held up her hand and caught the energy within a
field of temperal particles.
"I believe this is yours Robotnik." Sally said as she stood up next to
Sonic, "Here, you can have it back." She then threw the energy at Robotnik
knocking the gun out of his hands.
"Thanks Sal, I'll take it from here." Sonic said as he raced off toward
Robotnik to engage in combat.
'Sonic should be able to handle this,' Sally thought as Sonic raced off,
'But just in case, I should have this ready. It'll take most of the strength I
have to do this, I hope it'll be enough!' She then placed her arms behind her
back and began to call forth temperal particles to form her most powerful attack.
"You're mine rodent!" Robotnik called as he grabbed Sonic and threw him
across the field. Sonic laid on the ground for a second before getting up and
returning Robotnik's favor with a speedy upper cut knocking Robotnik off balance
for a moment.
"It would appear were almost equal." Sonic said as he kicked Robotnik
causing him to fall onto his back.
"How so?" Robotnik inquired as he stood up and punched Sonic with his
robotic arm.
"Well, your weight is too much for me and my speed is too much for you. But the reason we're almost equal is the fact that I have the power of ten power rings at my disposal." Sonic said as a golden glow began to engulf him.
"What!? Ten power rings!" Robotnik yelled as he remembered the power rings
Sally had thrown to Sonic before his transformation. 'This wont get me anywhere,' he thought, 'I've got to get out of here!' Robotnik then ran the opposite direction of Sonic until he was stopped by a gold tinted blue streak that circled around him.
"Where do you think you're going robobutt?" Sonic called as he ran around
Robotnik blocking all means of escape.
"Oh no where really, I was just on my way to your funeral!" Robotnik replied as he extended his robotic arm at the blue streak grabbing a hold of Sonic. Sonic began to open Robotnik's hand, but as he did his golden glow disappeared and was crushed by Robotnik's extremely tight grip.
"Heheh, maybe you'd like to go to an amusement park instead?" Sonic asked as Robotnik tightened his grip more and more upon him.
Deep within the great forest another fight for survival was taking place. A young Julian was running through a dark and dangerous forest trying to keep away from a group of overlander soldiers on a mission to kill him. 'It wasn't my fault, my assistant miscalculated.' He thought over and over as he ran from the group of soldiers and their lasers.
"There he is!" One shouted as he pointed off in the direction of the
scientist. At once all of the soldiers shot their lasers weapons at Julian.
"Oh no!" Julian yelled as he saw the lasers and dodged them as best as he
could. Looking back as he ran Julian tripped over a fallen tree limb and began to roll across the forest floor until he came upon a well-hidden cave entrance and fell into it.
"Where did he go?" asked one of the soldiers as they came to the hole and
looked around for him.
"He must have ran deeper into the forest where the trees are thicker." One
of the other soldiers said before running off deeper into the forest.
"I hope you're right" one of the others said, "I'd hate to see what would
happen to us is we don't bring back Julian's head!"
"Those fools!" Julian said as he stood up inside the dark cave, "They're not even close to me!" he then began to walk in the direction of a small glint of light. "I wonder if those stupid Mobians will..." Julian stopped as he was
engulfed in a flash of white light before disappearing into the air around him.
Sonic! Sally thought as she hurried to finish her work, the energy she
needed was not fully ready to initiate the attack. 'It seems I'll need to stall.' She thought as she ran up to Robotnik and connected a drop kick to the side of his head. Robotnik in turn lost his balance causing him to loosen his grip on Sonic just enough for the hedgehog to escape from Robotnik's clutches.
"It seems the damsel has decided to join the fight." Robotnik said as he
regained balance and pulled out his laser rifle, "No matter, I rather enjoy a
good gun fight!" Robotnik then began shooting his gun at Sally who in turn placed a field of temperal energy in the way of the laser with her left hand allowing her right to keep it's work going.
"It's no use Robotnik, you cannot beat a master of time!" Sally yelled as
she pushed the energy back at Robotnik knocking him on his back.
"And you're no match for my speed!" Sonic shouted as he sped past Robotnik
putting him in a spin.
"It would seem so." Robotnik replied as he regained control over himself,
"But two of me should be able to handle this just fine."
"What do you mean two of you?" Sonic asked.
"He should be here any moment." Robotnik stated.
"Who? Who will be here?" Sonic asked again.
"Me!" answered a voice from behind Sonic before two large arms grabbed hold of him rendering him incapable of movement.
"Sally, Sonic, this is Doctor Julian Kintobor, but you may call him
Robotnik. Thank you so much for joining us doctor." Robotnik said as he bowed his head toward Julian.
"It is my pleasure. I'd be glad to help exterminate a few minor pests
before infiltrating the Kingdom of Acorn." Julian said, "Now what should I do
about this feisty pest?"
'It is finished,' Sally thought as she watched the two doctors exchange
formalities, 'all I need now is the opportunity to use it!' Sally brought her
hands up in front of her holding them in tight fists to conceal their cargo.
"Kill him!" called Robotnik as Julian took Sonic and threw him to the
ground knocking him out cold.
"Sonic!" Sally cried as she charged Julian who bent down to pick Sonic up.
He turned to look at Sally who's right fist had a white glow emanating from it.
Just as he did he picked Sonic up and threw him at her as she let her right fist
fly out at him sending the ball of energy at Sonic. Then Julian smacked Sally out of his way before seeing a white sphere of energy engulf Sonic.
"Oh no!" Sally cried as the sphere disappeared leaving nothing behind it.
"Look what you made me do!" she yelled as fire burned in her eyes and hatred
brewed in her heart at both of the men responsible for what had happened to Sonic.
"Great work Kintobor, you just made her angry." Robotnik said as he watched Sally closely hopping to stay alert in case she attacked.
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Julian asked as he too watched Sally.
"I suggest that you two both run!" Sally yelled as she threw two blasts of
temperal energy that flew right past the two fat men.
"I think she's right!" Robotnik yelled as he ran in the opposite direction, Julian following close behind him.
"Great, now that they're on the run I can get them both with these last two blasts that I have left over from earlier." Sally said as she began to run toward the two fleeing doctors. 'Please give me the strength to catch them,' she thought as temperal particles began to flow around her body giving her a white glow and increasing her speed.
"Oh boys!" Sally called out to the two Robotniks as she got closer to them. She then threw both of the energy spheres at each one as they looked back at her.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" came a scream from each of the doctors as the spheres hit
them creating a transparent sphere of white energy around them. Their bodies then began to mix together into one body as well as all the past and future forms of Robotnik. Then, as a burning sound eminated from the sphere the white energy penetrated the mass that was, is and will be Robotnik leaving no trace of the man.
"It is finished." Sally said as she sat down, closed her eyes and waited as the white sphere engulfed her and the rest of the planet turning everything white.
The Keeper looked down from the sphere where he watched the fight at a
small blue hedgehog sleeping on the floor. He smiled as he picked him up and held him in front of the sphere. "It's time you returned." He said as he threw Sonic into the sphere.
The Keeper looked through the sphere at the changing Mobius before turning
from it and saying, "All of my mistakes have been corrected, but at what price?"
********************************************************************************
(From here on out there are 2 epilogues to choose from. The first one is the intended ending of the story. The second is an alternate ending, and would probably be best read after the first. Just a little authors note)
********************************************************************************
Epilogue
"... Ms. Alicia, is there any way I can change your mind?" Spoke Queen
Sally from her thrown.
"Young Sonya will miss you greatly." Spoke King Sonic from his thrown
beside Sally's, his tone and stature much different from the one Alicia knew and
loved.
"I am sorry my King and Queen, but I must take my leave. I wish the young
princess and the both of you well." Replied Ms. Alicia before taking a bow and
walking out of the throne room and into the streets of Mobotroplis. She stopped as she came upon a small home and entered. Inside were bookcases full with books about time theories, stories for children and novels for adults.
Alicia sat down in front of a desk, upon which sat a large hard cover book. Opening it she turned to the latter few pages upon which no writing had been placed. Pulling out a pen from the inside of the desk she began to write.
'20 years has passed from the day Sonic and I had originally set forth to
change time. Yet because of Robotnik's death it wasn't, instead a new day in a new present that I now call home and will soon leave.
After returning to Knothole I was confronted by the Keeper of Time and
called back into his dimension. Once there I stood with the Keeper on trial for
the crimes that we had committed against the rules set forth by the very ones
judging us. We were found guilty on all accounts except for the death of Robotnik.
The Keeper's sentence I suppose was fitting for someone who wished to end
his existence anyway. He was sentenced to death by insertion back into the time
stream. Mine however was the most severe I believe. My kingdom was taken away from me; instead I would become a nanny like Rosey to the child Sonic and I would have had if we were to assume the throne. I was forced to watch over that which would have been mine as I lived alone without Sonic.
20 years has passed since then, and now my sentence is up and it is time
to return to the place I will spend an eternity inside watching over time. The
Keeper's sentence would begin once I return the kind old man will have finally
gotten his wish, I am happy for him.
This is the final chapter in the exciting tale of Sonic the Hedgehog and
his friends. I am still at a loss as to what happened to the fastest thing on two feet that has had the privilege of living on this planet. What happened to him shall be left up to you who read this tale. Goodbye my friends...
Alicia M. Hedgehog
A.K.A. Sally Alicia Acorn The First'
Sally closed the book gently after signing the one and only testament of
what had happened in her existence. She then stood up, taking the book in her right hand, and placed it on the only empty spot for a book in the whole house.
"Keeper, thank you for everything." Sally said as she looked out her door
and up at the rest of Mobotroplis, her kingdom, her home, her future.
'You're welcome,' came a thought into her head as she shut her door to
look behind her. A long staff lied upon the desk, a possession of the Keeper's,
now given to hers. She walked over to her desk and picked it up standing in beside her like the Keeper used to do. She then closed her eyes and waited for her final moment within her time to end. It came swiftly as the gray lock of hair that kept her bound to Mobius fell from her body onto the floor of the house and Sally faded away into the air.
"Sally!! You're main hedgehog is back!!" shouted a brash blue hedgehog as
he kicked the door open. He looked around the room to find that no one was home.
He walked over to the desk in the middle of the room and sat down. As he did he
caught the sight of a gray lock of hair and picked it up from the ground. He
sniffed it a few times before he was convinced, "Sally's..."
He noticed that one of the drawers was left open about an inch. Curious he
dug down into it and found Nichole laying open inside. "Hey Nichole, long time no see!"
The small computer lit up before speaking, "Yo Sonic, what up?"
"You don't have any messages for me by any chance do you Nichole?" Sonic
asked.
"Yes, I have one message addressed to you and you alone. It requires a
password to insure that it is you." Nichole answered back.
"Hmm," Sonic thought about what her password might be until he remembered
what Sally had said to him before he was hit by that crazy blast of energy. "Time."
"Password accepted, playing message." Nichole said before her screen went
blank and a projection of Sally formed in front of Sonic.
Sally had a look of loss and pain in her eyes, she also seemed a bit older
to Sonic then he remembered her being. She spoke softly and sincerely, "Sonic, if by some chance in the eternal flow of time that you survived that blast of energy, then by the time you hear this I will already be gone. Sonic, I am as sorry as I will ever be for what has happened to you and all of Mobius. I regret ever deciding to destroy Robotnik, because it has torn me away from you. I love you Sonic, just like Queen Sally loves King Sonic in this new time. The child we would have had, Sonya, is such a sweet and beautiful girl. You should meet her." Sally paused as a tear ran down her cheek, "If there is any way that we could be together now I would give my life to embrace it, but it cannot be done. I know that as each and every second passes that I will think of you as I watch over you and the rest of Mobius from my pedestal outside the flow of time. Your happiness is all that matters to me, so do not spend the rest of your life holding onto my memory." She paused again as more tears ran down her cheek, "Goodbye Sonic, I will always love you, for as long as time allows..." Sally then placed her two largest fingers to her lips and then toward Sonic, who in turn did the same and met each other within the projection. Then the projection disappeared and Sonic was left alone inside the house.
"Sally," Sonic said as a tear ran down his cheek, "I love you too..."
"Then why not tell her yourself?" Came a soothing voice from behind Sonic.
"Who are you?" Sonic asked as he turned to face an old man.
"I am the one who used to be The Keeper of Time. Now Sally has taken my
place and I have returned to this planet to live out my final days." Said the
Keeper as he walked toward Sonic.
"Then how will I be able to tell her myself?" Sonic asked.
"I may no longer be the Keeper of Time, but I can still control the
temperal particles in this room like Sally could. I can form a portal to the place where time has no meaning, where Sally is." The Keeper stated.
"Won't the stress take all of your energy? Won't you die?" Sonic asked
concerned.
"I already told you that I came to live out my final days, and seeing that
Sally is happy only gives me joy in my heart."
"Hey, if you don't have a problem with it I don't." Sonic said with a
smile on his face.
The Keeper held out his right hand and a white sphere formed in it, the
sphere then turned black as a picture of Sally sitting at a desk formed inside it. "This portal will take you to her. There is one catch to this whole deal, that is, you must promise me to take good care of her, for as long as time will allow."
"Keeper, that is a promise that I could make a thousand times!" Sonic said
as he stood up from behind the desk and walked toward the Keeper. Sonic then stood still as he stared at the picture of Sally who was reading a letter at her desk. As he did the Keeper placed his other hand upon Sonic's head as a blast of while light engulfed Sonic.
Looking over at the Keeper Sonic said, "Thank you."
The Keeper smiled as he spoke, "I have done everything I can for you, it
is time to enter the portal, Sally awaits." The Keeper then took his free hand and proceeded to enlarge the sphere to a size Sonic could fit into. He then let it float in front of Sonic.
With one last look around the room and a nod toward the Keeper Sonic walked into the portal. 'Sally...'
Sally sat down at her desk within her sanctuary, one solitary light shined
down upon her from above as she placed her head within her arms and began to cry. Normally when she did this the Keeper would show up to comfort her, but her never came. Sally just kept on weeping and weeping until she felt a pair of soft and loving hands come upon her shoulders. She lifted her head and turned slowly toward the darkness that was her sanctuary. She then felt a finger wipe away her tears from her cheek, she looked up at where the face of the figure in front of her.
"I love you too, Sally." Said Sonic as a light shown down upon him from
above. Sonic smiled as Sally's face lit up as she saw him before he pulled her
toward himself and gave her a passionate kiss.
Sally pulled away from Sonic as she said, "Wait a minute, how did you get
here anyway?"
Sonic chuckled for a moment before he answered, "The Keeper decided that
your happiness was more important then his last few days on Mobius. He was content in knowing that you wouldn't cry anymore."
"Yeah, I figured that, but what about my blast?" Sally asked as she broke
away from Sonic completely.
"Well, your strange blast sent me about 30 years into the future. When I
woke up I found myself in floating in the power ring pool, or at least where is
would have been. I've spent the past 3 years looking for you." Sonic said.
"You know, I have a feeling that the Keeper had known what that blast would do to you and he planned this all along!" Sally said after finally realizing the Keeper's plot.
"Yeah, and I've been planning this for 3 years!" Sonic said as he grabbed
Sally and tilted her over and kissed her once more. After he let her back up he
realized something about her he didn't notice before. "Sally?"
"Yes Sonic?"
"You're old!" Sonic said with a smile.
"Oh is that so!" Sally replied as she placed her hands upon her hips.
"Yeah, but I always did have this thing for older women." Sonic said as he
moved toward Sally as the light above him and her went out forcing him to fall over top of Sally. "Sorry, I just learned how to do this today, I need more practice."
Sally kissed Sonic and then laughed, "We don't need lights for what we're
about to do!"
"Uh oh! Maybe I should have stayed on Mobius!" Sonic said as he stood up
and began to run away from Sally in the dark.
"Sonic Maruce Hedgehog you get back here this instant!! Sonic, Sonic...
Sonic!!!!!!"
The End
********************************************************************************
Epilogue
(Alternate Ending, starts after the sphere of energy engulfed Sally)
Sir Charles wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked at the large
platform in front of him the he had spent all night working the kinks and bugs out of. His newest invention was now complete and ready for testing, the first
robotisizer.
Hoping to find a way to increase the life span of Mobians by exchanging
their flesh and blood for metal and oil while retaining their personality and free will. This new invention would be the greatest in history and bring in a whole new wave in medicine.
Sir Charles began to walk toward his computer council to begin selection
of a test subject when he caught sight of a blue streak in the corner of his eye. Turning around to see if he could catch the culprit he called out, "Sonic, you know there's no playing in the lab, you might get hurt on something."
"I was just testing you Unc." Sonic said as he stood beside Sri Charles,
"So what cha' been up to?"
Charles smiled as he looked down at his nephew, "Just a new top secret
experiment."
"Oh," Sonic said before he walked over to the large pad, "I've never seen
this before, is this it?"
Charles hesitated answering Sonic until he saw him patting his foot on the
floor impatiently. Charles sighed as he answered, "Yes."
Sonic's eyes lit up as he searched the pad all over until he found a keypad and began pushing buttons, "What's this do?"
"No Sonic!" yelled Charles as he grabbed Sonic off the pad before a blast
of yellow light came down from the bulb above the pad disintegrating the wrench he had laid there earlier. "I told you not to play with anything in the lab!"
Sonic looked down at his feet, "Sorry."
Charles put an arm on Sonic before saying, "It's alright, as long as you
didn't get hurt." He paused before remembering something, "How would you like to
go to the palace with me? I have to speak with the king and you could play with
his daughter."
"A girl?" Sonic asked almost disgusted.
"Yep, you'll have lots of fun." Charles waited but Sonic still wouldn't
answer, "I could send you back home to watch over your baby sister."
"Alright, I'll go." Sonic said, "But she better be fun to play with!"
"I'm sure you two will become fast friends!" Charles said as he led Sonic
out of the lab. He then turned back to look at his new invention. 'Hmm, perhaps
I'll forget about the hero thing.' He thought as he shut off the light and ran
down the hall after Sonic who had already left the building.
King Acorn was sitting in his throne when the snap of fine boot leather
echoed throughout the room as a guard called, "Sir Charles and Sonic Hedgehog."
Following their cue Charles and Sonic walked into the room as the king
came up and greeted them, "Sir Charles, how good to see you again. I suppose this must me Sonic." The King asked.
"Yes, this is Sonic." Charles replied.
The King knelt down to face Sonic, "Hello Sonic, Sally is waiting for you.
Rosey will take you to her." He said as he stood up and showed Sonic Rosey who led Sonic out of the throne room and down the hall towards the room Sally was waiting in.
"I hope they'll like each other," the king said, "Sally really needs a
playmate."
"I'm sure they will sire." Charles said before taking his attention from
Sonic and to the job at hand, "Now, about the Robotsizer..."
"This is it." Rosey said as she stopped in front of a small door, "Sally's
waiting for you."
"Thank you Rosey." Sonic said as he opened the door to see Sally sitting
on the floor of a large playroom with her legs crossed. "So you're Sally."
Sally opened her eyes and looked at Sonic, for a moment her eyes brightened and she jumped up and gave a protesting Sonic a hug. "Woah, what'd you do that for?" he asked.
"I don't know." Sally answered.
Sonic stood confused for a moment before speaking up, "So what kind of fun
do you have here?"
"Well, there's a whole palace full of places to hide, that is, if you can
catch me." Sally said as she ran off toward the door on the other side of the room.
Sonic smirked, "The question is, can you keep up with me?" he then speed
off through the door and down the hall leaving Sally standing by the door in a
cloud of dust.
"Hey! It's ladies before gentlemen!" Sally yelled down the hall hoping that Sonic would hear her. She then smiled and thought, 'he just might be fun to have around. But first he's got to learn some manners!'
The End
********************************************************************************
FINALLY!!! It is finished! I hope you enjoyed the story, cuz' I had fun writing it, so you BETTER have fun reading it!! J/K Anyway, what'd you think about the ending(s)? And how about our heroine? For once Sally saved the day!! Well, see ya!
