Based on the original comic book story written by Ken Penders, Kent Taylor, Mike Gallagher and Karl Bollers for Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog Issues 47-50 and published by Archie Comics.
This re-write is intended for entertainment purposes and is also intended for those who feel the original Endgame story was lackluster and could have been better. No offence is intended for anyone who enjoyed the original story.
Part 1: Taking the Fall
Another day.
This was just another day on the job for the Freedom Fighters. After resting up from that long debate around the campfire last night, the Freedom Fighters had geared up and had left to do their next mission. They weren't alone for this one though, they were teamed up with their good allies and friends, the Wolf Pack. The Freedom Fighters and Wolf Pack had sneaked inside the enormous, metallic metropolis that is Robotropolis, the home place and refuge of the nefarious Dr. Robotnik, the very man who betrayed the world and took it over in the blink of an eye after once serving the king and helping the Mobians to win their war with The Overlanders years ago. After getting inside Robotropolis, the Freedom Fighters and Wolf Pack had set up in strategic places all around the city. The set-up was like this: Sonic the Hedgehog and the beautiful Princess Sally Acorn were breaking and entering the main base of operations. On standby were Tails the twin-tailed fox, junior member of the Freedom Fighters and budding mechanic, Bunnie Rabbot, obligatorily named because of her being a cyborg rabbit thanks to being partially roboticized, Antoine D'Coolette, the Freedom Fighter coward and son of a soldier and Rotor Walrus, the team's scientific member and builder of many weapons, particularly the Party-Hearty Quadra Sonic Rock n' Roller which was a weapon capable of busting through zones (that's pretty damn destructive!). The Wolf Pack was all together and in another section of the city. Their job was to keep watch and see how Sonic and Sally fare out and once the two were in place, they were to call the Freedom Fighters and inform them on what's happening. Then on Sonic and Sally's signal, the Freedom Fighters would move in and storm Robotnik's base. This whole mission was for sabotage purposes and to finally bring down Dr. Robotnik once and for all. He had been in control of the world for too long and it was about time the Freedom Fighters brought him down. As the teams were all setting up, everybody was just about bubbling with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Excitement in the case that this could possibly be it and anxiety in the case of they're in enemy territory and when dealing with Dr. Robotnik, you never know what will happen for the good doctor often has a surprise or two up his sleeves. This was a day that everybody was both looking forward to and dreading at the same time given what they were all in for. Sonic and Sally were slowly trekking through the robotical city and heading up to the command center, the main base of operations for Robotropolis, the very place Robotnik was residing in now. Inside that base was their greatest enemy and the one guy who was keeping them from their freedom, Dr. Robotnik. They arrived at a pile of machinery and crouched down low behind it to make sure they weren't seen be anything that might be patrolling around, be it a SWAT-bot or a spy-cam. There was nothing around at the moment so Sally took out a pair of binoculars she had in her vest pocket and she peered up at the top of the command center through them. The smell of machinery and oil from the robot-producing factories all around Robotropolis hung in the air but Sonic and Sally managed to ignore the smell and focus on the task at hand.
"OK Sonic, here's our target for tonight." said Sally as she observed the top deck of the base through her binoculars "The very pinnacle of Robotnik's base. Are you ready for this."
"Sal, there's never a time when I'm "not ready"." said Sonic snarkily "I was ready the moment we arrived here."
"Cute." chuckled Sally sarcastically "But please be serious Sonic, this is probably one of the most dangerous missions we're ever going to participate in. We need to be ready for everything if we're to make it out of this horrific place alive."
"I know, I know, I just like to remain optimistic that's all." said Sonic "A positive attitude's always a good thing to have when on a mission like this. Helps us focus and prepares us for anything."
"That I agree with." said Sally with a smile, putting her binoculars away in her vest pocket "Now Sonic here's what we're gonna do, you will run up to the pinnacle of the base with me holding onto you and once up there, we'll break into the base and bring down Robotnik once and for all. Once the others get our signal, which will be this flare I'll send up once we're inside..." she paused for a moment to take something out of her vest and show it to Sonic. It was a silver, metal stick that could send off flares at the push of a button "...they'll join us and we'll bring the command center down to the ground. Got that?"
"To the letter Sal." said Sonic brightly "So you ready to begin?"
"Definitely." said Sally "Let us end Robotnik's oppression over us!"
With that said, Sonic scooped Sally up bridal style and prepared to run.
"Hold on tight Sal, this ride's gonna be tight!" cried Sonic as he revved his feet up.
He whooshed off like a speeding arrow towards the command center and, since he can run fast and all, he ran directly up the wall of the center and started whizzing towards the top of it. Sally resisted the urge to squeal with excitement as Sonic carried her up the wall of the command center and the wind blew past her and Sonic as he ran. This was a thrill ride for the princess and she was loving it. But all good things must come to an end for Sonic eventually arrived at the pinnacle of the command center and he put Sally down on the floor of the top deck they were on. The whole thing had been observed by the chief leader of the Wolf Pack, Lupe. She and the wolf pack were stationed a few yards away from the command center and Lupe was watching Sonic and Sally's movements through a pair of binoculars. She was pleased to see that the two had reached the top. Everything was going according to plan for the moment.
"My dear wolves, Sonic and Sally have reached the pinnacle of the command centre right on schedule." said Lupe brightly "All is going according to plan so far. If all goes well, Robotnik won't know what hit him."
The wolves all smiled happily at this news and they prepared for their turn to come into play. One wolf was less happy about all of this though and that was Drago Wolf, one of the more headstrong members of the pack with a bit of an ego to him.
"Good news indeed chief, although I'd be much happier if it was just us doing this mission." grumbled Drago "We're far more capable then those Freedom Fighters!"
"Drago, I will thank you for not belittling our comrades." said Lupe sternly "We are allies of the Freedom Fighters and we are in this together. Besides, the might of the pack alone is not enough to bring down the walls surrounding Dr. Robotnik."
"I...understand now chief." said Drago, his disdain still evident in his voice "Please excuse my unneeded outburst."
"It's quite alright Drago, just remember to keep your obstinance in check." said Lupe kindly "Now then, I shall contact the Freedom Fighters and inform them on Sonic and the Princess's current location."
With that said, a Wolf Pack member handed Lupe a communications device and she pressed a few buttons on it.
Over to the Freedom Fighters, Tails, Bunnie, Antoine and Rotor were atop a tall building that matched about half of the command center's height and they were keeping a look out for any signs of trouble. Rotor had a pair of binoculars in his hands and he was peering through them.
"Is there anything around Rotor?" asked Tails nervously.
"There's nothing around here so far little guy." said Rotor, the tone in his voice suggesting he didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing at all "Everything's still clear. Once we receive Sonic and Sally's signal, it seems we're going to have a clear charge to the command center."
"That sounds great." said Tails happily "I can't wait to take down that bloated baddie for good!"
"While ah'm equally as ecstatic about takin' down Robotnik, ah can't help but be a little anxious about all this." said Bunnie with a tone of concern in her voice "Ah mean, everythin' seems a lil' too quiet and empty for mah likin'. It's like Robotnik ain't even concerned about us bein' here or somethin'. Shouldn't he at least have some kind of patrol or somethin'?"
"Bunnie, ma Cherie, do not be worrying about zis." said Antoine reassuringly "It is early in ze morning do not forget. Robotnik might still be sleeping at zis time for all we know."
"Maybe so but surely he'd still have a patrol or somethin', ah mean his robots don't need to sleep." noted Bunnie "Ah can't help but think that Robotnik's up to somethin' right now."
Before Antoine could say anything else to the anxious Rabbot, his communicator device started ringing (the ringtone is the theme song to the first Sonic the Hedgehog game for the SEGA Genesis by the way).
"Zut alors! My communicator!" cried Antoine "It must be ze wolf pack."
He took the communicator off of his belt and answered it.
"Bonjour, is zat you Lupe?" he asked.
"It is indeed Antoine, Sonic and Sally have reached the pinnacle so you can focus your attention on them now." came the voice of Lupe on the other side of the communicator "The Wolf Pack is ready and waiting to move on their signal."
"Ah, zat is being very good right now." said Antoine brightly "We are standing by and are waiting for ze signal too. Be ready to move Lupe, OK?"
"Certainly. Over and out." said Lupe, switching off for the call was at an end now.
Antoine put his communicator back on his belt and looked out at the command center, his eyes completely fixed at the top of it. Rotor had heard Lupe's message and he was now peering up at the top with his binoculars. He could see Sonic and Sally just atop the building and getting ready to make their next move.
"They're up on the top decks, they'll be making a move any minute now." said Rotor "Get ready for the flare."
"We are Rotor." said Tails "Let us hope everything goes well from here. I don't know how I'd feel if things suddenly started going wrong."
"I agree Tails, if something started going wrong, I don't know what I'd do." said Rotor "So let's keep our fingers crossed and hope the rest of the plan goes smoothly."
Tails nodded and he focused his attention on the command center. His best friend and his surrogate auntie were up on the top floors of the command center. It was plain sailing from there but even at a moment like this, they had to be prepared for everything. Tails began to wish he had some binoculars with him so he could watch Sonic and Sally along with Rotor too. As is, he'd just have to look up and take from Rotor what was happening since he was the one with the binoculars.
Meanwhile, up on the top deck of the command center, Sonic had his back pressed against the wall and he was keeping a cautious look-out around the corner to make sure nothing was there. He peeked around the corner and saw nothing around so he was ready to carry on moving. But he soon noticed that Sally wasn't looking too well. She was leaning against the wall with her hand on her head and looking deep in thought about something. Something seemed to be bothering the princess so Sonic decided to see what was up.
"Yo Sal, is everything alright?" he asked "You look a million miles away."
"Huh?" murmured Sally as she snapped out of her thoughts "Oh sorry, I must have drifted off for a minute. Yeah, everything's OK Sonic." she assured the super-speedy hedgehog in the red sneakers.
"You sure?" asked Sonic with concern.
"Positive." said Sally "Let's find an entrance point in this thing."
"OK Sal." said Sonic "I'll go around the back and you search around here."
Sally nodded and she remained where she was while Sonic ran off around the back of the floor they were on to see if he could find a way into the center. As Sally searched for a way in, her mind began to wonder again for she had so many things on her head that she couldn't help but let her mind wander.
Gosh. Ever since that campfire last night, I've been getting a little worried about a few things. she thought to herself So many accusations were made that night. So many suspicions were aroused. Uncle Chuck could be a Robotnik spy, Geoffrey St. John's as shady as he seems and may still be working for Robotnik, especially as Antoine's accusations have a lot of weight behind them. And Drago Wolf's a suspicious character. According to Lupe, he's gone off about three times in a week without official leave. I can't help but worry if any of the accusations made at that campfire last night might be true and there maybe somebody betraying us and working for Robotnik. I can't let it bother me though, I've got to focus on the mission, the mission is what matters more than anything right now...
Sally decided to subside her thoughts for the time being and she continued looking for a way inside. As Sally came to a corner and peeked around it, she got the shock of her life. A whole horde of SWAT-bots were standing by and waiting and they all saw Sally as she came around the corner! They all reacted immediately at the mere sight of Sally.
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" screeched the SWAT-bots "Seize the intruder and bring her to Dr. Robotnik immediately!"
That made Sally take off and take off FAST as the SWAT-bots all raised their arms, aiming their blasters at her and started running after her the moment she darted off. Unfortunately for Sally, the SWAT-bots seemed to be a little smarter than normal for some SWAT-bots ran around the other side and blocked her escape route. Sally screeched to a halt and screamed in surprise as SWAT-bots blocked off the route around the other side of the building. She was now surrounded by SWAT-bots and since Sonic seemed to be gone, he wouldn't be able to help her right about now. The SWAT-bots began to close in on her and they prepared to grab her.
"Sonic? Sonic?! HELP!" yelped Sally as she began to back away from the SWAT-bots.
Over to the Freedom Fighters, Rotor was watching what was going on through his binoculars and he just about had a heart-attack over what he was seeing.
"Oh my gosh! Sally's surrounded by SWAT-bots!" cried Rotor "And Sonic isn't around to save her!"
"Oh mah stars!" exclaimed Bunnie.
"Aunt Sally's surrounded by SWAT-bots?!" yelped Tails in worry "Oh no! Why isn't Sonic helping her?"
"Sacre bleu!" screeched Antoine "Ze princess is in danger?! We must be helping her immediately!"
"Hold these for me!" ordered Rotor, tossing the binoculars over to Antoine "I'll save Sally with this big gun I've been hoping to test for a while..."
He then pulled out of a pouch on his belt a small power-drill. He pressed a button on the power drill and it extended into an enormous bazooka with extra cannon barrels. This was the Party-Hearty Quadra Sonic Rock n' Roller that be invented a while ago. Rotor hadn't used it in combat yet so he was eager to see how effective it was. He set the power so it wouldn't be too powerful and he aimed at the SWAT-bots surrounding Sally. The terrified princess was backed against a wall and completely surrounded by the SWAT-bots. She was going nowhere now and the SWAT-bots were ready to grab her and take her to be roboticized. But before they could grab her, Rotor fired the bazooka at the SWAT-bots. The SWAT-bots were hit in the backs by a powerful blast that struck about eight of them all at once. The blast was enough to bring them all down and they collapsed at Sally's feet. Some SWAT-bots were left and they aimed their blasters at Rotor. Before they could attempt to shoot him though, Rotor blasted them to pieces too. The SWAT-bots were all dead thanks to Rotor and Sally was safe for the moment. Sally put her hand over her pounding heart and she sighed with relief.
"Aw thank goodness for Rotor and his excellent weaponry." she gasped "That was too close."
As for the Freedom Fighters, they began to cheer with excitement.
"Well shot Rotor! You've saved Aunt Sally!" cheered Tails.
"Very well done indeed Rotor!" cried Bunnie ecstatically.
"Aw thanks guys." said Rotor happily "But I have a feeling Sally may not be safe yet. Robotnik might sic something else on her."
"I am hoping zat Sonic will be around to help her if ze princess ends up in trouble again." said Antoine, trembling furiously "We cannot be helping from ze sidelines all ze time after all."
Back up on the command center, Sally continued looking for a way into the center but her search was cut off by an unexpected arrival. For as she ran around the corner the SWAT-bots had been around, she saw Sonic the Hedgehog standing there and waiting for her. That surprised and delighted Sally at the same time for she wasn't expecting to see him there and had expected him to be inside the building already.
"Oh, Sonic, there you are." said Sally "Where were you? I called for help when the SWAT-bots attacked me and you didn't answer me."
"Sorry about that Sal, I found a way inside the building and I didn't hear you." said Sonic "Are you safe now?" he asked.
"I am now you're here." said Sally graciously.
"Good...now I get to finish you off myself." said Sonic, his voice colder than ice.
Before Sally could ask what Sonic meant by that, Sonic suddenly lashed out and grabbed Sally by the throat! Sally gagged and choked in surprise as Sonic did that. Sonic then proceeded to life the horrified chipmunk off her feet by her neck and he carried her over to the edge of the building. Sally squirmed in Sonic's grasp, desperate to get free but the hedgehog's grip was too strong for her.
"Urk...Sonic...release me at once!" gagged Sally "What the hell are...you doing...?!"
"What the doctor ordered." said Sonic, a sick, twisted devil's grin spread out on his face as he said that.
As for the Freedom Fighters, Antoine was looking through the binoculars and he could see something was happening. And that something was something that made his eyes widen so much they nearly popped out of his sockets and his mouth dropped open. Sonic was carrying Sally over to the edge of the building by the throat and he appeared to be preparing to throw her off of it!
"Sacre bleu!" screeched Antoine "What in ze heck is Sonic doing?!"
"What? What's going on?" asked Tails, snatching the binoculars off of Antoine and looking through them himself.
He could see what Antoine had seen and his tails straightened in surprise at what he was looking at.
"WHAT IS SONIC DOING?!" he exclaimed in horror "He's...he's...holding Aunt Sally over the edge of the building!"
"Oh mah stars! Why is he doing that?!" cried Bunnie in horror.
"I dunno, but I'm gonna save Aunt Sally!" declared Tails, throwing the binoculars over to Rotor and twisting his namesakes around one another.
He took off and flew towards the command center to stop Sonic from dropping Sally. Over to Sonic, he stood on the edge of the barrier with Sally in his grasp and he was choking her more than ever. Sally still squirmed desperately in his grasp, trying to make him let go of her neck so she could throw herself forwards and make him fall backwards. But Sonic's grip was too strong for her and Sally couldn't do anything.
"Sonic please...don't do this!" begged Sally, tears coming to her eyes as Sonic prepared to do the one thing she thought he was going to do.
"Sorry Sal, but the hedgehog's with Robotnik now." said Sonic, his voice dangerously soft and threatening sounding "So long doll-face..."
Tears began to stream down Sally's horrified face as Sonic did the one thing that she never would have expected him to do. He drew his arm back, thrust it forward and let go of Sally's neck. Sally was thrown backwards by Sonic and she began to plummet down to the ground below, her screams of terror echoing ominously around the city as she began to fall. Tails could see that Sally was falling down from the command center and he flew on as fast as he possibly could, desperate to catch her and save her life. Tails' heart began to race as he flew on towards the falling Sally. He almost didn't make it for Sally was almost about to crash down on the ground below. But Tails only just managed to catch Sally by the vest. But then something else went wrong. As Tails caught Sally by the vest and tried to lower her to safety, Sally ended up accidentally slipping out of the vest for Tails was pulling on it too hard and her weight dragged her down and she continued her interrupted plummet. Tails was only about fifteen feet above the ground so Sally didn't have much of a fall left. What followed after slipping out of her vest was a sickening crunch sound as Sally came down with a crash on the ground below. Sally's tearful eyes closed and she lay there, completely motionless on the ground and seemingly dead. Sonic, who had watched her fall from up above, just hopped off the barrier and wandered off. Tails was so horrified at all of this that he almost forgot he was supposed to be flying and fell down with her. He put his hands to his mouth in shock and stared at Sally's unconscious body.
"Oh no...!" he gasped hoarsely "Aunt Sally!"
Antoine had witnessed the horrifying event through the binoculars and he almost went mental with shock at what had happened.
"Zut alors!" he gasped "Sonic threw Sally off ze building! We must get to her now and make sure she is OK!"
"Hang on Tails, we're comin'!" cried Bunnie, extending her robotical legs and hopping off the building they were currently on.
But just as Bunnie was jumping off the building and hopping onto another one, a large gun turret extended up from a nearby building and started blasting at her. Bunnie yelped in surprise and she ran off out of the turret's way as it began to shoot at her. The Wolf Pack could see that something was going horribly wrong so they decided to attack without the signal. They all leaped off of the building they were on, howling their trademark battle cries and they ran towards where Bunnie Rabbot was. One wolf aimed a gun he held in his hands at the gun turret and he blasted it to smithereens in one shot. The gun turret wasn't the only thing that was coming out though, a horde of SWAT-bots were coming out of the command center and spreading out into the city like an infestation of rodents spreading out across the perimeter of the place they were in. They all began shooting at the Freedom Fighters and the Wolf Pack but the two teams fought back with their much stronger weaponry. Rotor blasted many SWAT-bots away with his bazooka, Bunnie punched through some of them and the Wolf Pack blasted and bombed them with the weapon supplies they had with them. Drago Wolf had a flamethrower and he activated it, blazing some SWAT-bots away and making them back off. Thanks to the combined efforts of the two teams, Bunnie was able to reach Sally at last. She knelt down by her still body and wondered if she was alright. Her eyes began to brim with tears. Tails was standing beside Sally's body too and he looked equally as upset about it.
"Oh Sally girl...what did sugah-hog...do to ya'll...?" said Bunnie in despair "Why...did he do this to ya'll?"
"I can't believe Sonic would do this to Aunt Sally!" wailed Tails "He's a hero and Sally's love interest! Why would he try to kill her?!"
"Ah dunno honey but we've gotta get Sally back to Knothole and get her to Doctor Quack and see if she's gonna be OK." Said Bunnie, feeling Sally's pulse "She's still alive now but ah'm not sure if she'll be alive for much longer if we stay here."
"I agree Bunnie." said Tails "But first, we've gotta get past those SWAT-bots."
Bunnie nodded and she left Tails to watch over Sally while she helped to bust down some SWAT-bots and clear the way for everybody.
While all this was happening, Sonic the Hedgehog had found a way into the center and was rushing through the corridors, looking for Robotnik. He had just managed to find a way inside before Sally got ambushed by the SWAT-bots and he had called for her to say he'd found a way in but he had received no answer for Sally had been deep in thought when he called for her and thus, hadn't heard him. He'd called for her again but the noise of the SWAT-bots had drowned out his calls so Sally didn't hear him the second time. He just assumed that Sally had already made it inside before he did and thus, he went down the vent shaft just before some SWAT-bots had gone around where he was to corner Sally. He was running through the corridors and searching for Robotnik. At this very moment, he seemed to have found him for he came across a door that looked promising to him. It was a rather large door with warning stripes around it.
"Hmm...I wonder who's behind this door?" wondered Sonic as he spin-dashed into it and broke it down.
Surely enough, as he broke the door down, he saw that none other than Dr. Robotnik was on the other side. He was sitting in his hi-tech chair with his pointy-nosed sidekick Snively at his side. They were watching the computer monitors to see what was happening but Sonic spin-dashing the door down had caught their attention and made them turn away from what they were watching. Dr. Robotnik's evil black eyes widened a little at the sight of Sonic but he quickly regained himself and shook of the surprise.
"Greetings hedgehog." purred Dr. Robotnik, his deep, ominous voice rumbling around the room like an earthquake "How prompt of you to drop by. I was expecting you to show up at some point today."
"Hey there Ro-butt-nik!" said Sonic in his usual snarky attitude "Your days are numbered for the gang's all here and we're gonna bring you down once and for all! Either you surrender and make this nice and easy for everyone or you be a stubborn jerk and make this hard on yourself."
"I do not think any of those options will suffice Sonic." crooned Robotnik malevolently "I will not be doing anything and neither will you for there's a dear friend of yours in need of assistance..."
He moved got up out of his chair and stood to the side so Sonic could see what was on the computer monitor that he was watching. Sonic stared at the computer monitor and his eyes widened in horror. He could see Princess Sally lying on the ground, completely unconscious and being guarded by a very upset looking Tails. Sonic was so horrified at what he was looking at that he forgot he was supposed to be here to stop Dr. Robotnik and he stared hard at the monitor. Eerily enough, Dr. Robotnik made no attempt to run away. He just stood there and watched Sonic's horrified reaction to all of this. He seemed to be getting great satisfaction out of seeing Sonic horrified at what had happened to Sally.
"Oh my gosh...Sally!" cried Sonic "What did you do to her Robotnik?!"
"Me?" sneered Robotnik innocently "I haven't laid a finger on the poor princess. I let one of my minions do the dirty work for me instead."
"Robotnik, what did you do to her?!" snarled Sonic threateningly.
"I'll leave you to work that out." laughed Robotnik "Let's just say, "fall" came a little early for her. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Sonic quickly realized what Robotnik meant. Sally had fallen off the command center. But how did that happen? He knew Sally wasn't clumsy or anything so she can't have intentionally fallen off the building. Did Robotnik throw her off or did a SWAT-bot throw her off or did Sally just get knocked off by something? Whatever the case was, Sonic was going to kick Dr. Robotnik's flabby backside for doing this to his dear girlfriend.
"You scum! I'll flatten you into mush for that!" yelled Sonic
But then suddenly, a laser came out of the ceiling and blasted at Sonic, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks and back off. There wasn't just one laser though, there were several more in the ceiling and they all began shooting down at Sonic. Sonic ran around quickly in order to dodge all the lasers. As he was doing this, Dr. Robotnik thumped a button on the wall and an escape chute opened up for him in the floor.
"I'd love to stay and chat Sonic, but I'm afraid I am needed elsewhere." purred Robotnik darkly "My ultimate plan is under way and I need to get to it and fast. See you later...provided your friends do not arrest you and lock you away first."
What followed this was a loud, haunting cackle from Dr. Robotnik as he jumped down the escape chute and fled from his command room, leaving poor Sonic to dodge all the shooting lasers in the ceiling. Luckily for Sonic though, he managed to weave his way around the lasers fast enough to avoid getting shot by them and he made it to the broken down door which was his only exit from the ceiling lasers. Sonic stopped for a moment to catch his breath and he panted heavily to himself.
"Whew...just survived...stupid Robotnik..." he panted "Got away...again...pant...gasp..."
After finally catching his breath back, he began to wonder to himself.
"What did happen to Sally? Was she thrown off by somebody? Did somebody knock her off the building? And what does Robotnik mean by "provided my friends do not arrest me and lock me away first"? Is that guy just trying to confuse me or something? We can all agree though that Sally's hurt, possibly dead, and it's all my fault! I should have checked to see if she had found a way in herself before I went in!" he moaned to himself, slapping his forehead in annoyance "Man Sonic, why do you have to be so reckless at times?!"
He soon shook off his thoughts and focused back on reality.
"I may have caused this to happen but I can make it up by being at Sally's side to see if she's alright." said Sonic "I sure hope she is."
With that said, Sonic revved up his feet and he whizzed off through the corridors to get out of the base and back outside. He had a long corridor to run through but with his super-speed, he would make it out quickly and he'd arrive back outside so he could see if Sally was OK...
Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighters and the Wolf Pack had finally managed to fend off all the SWAT-bots and they had run off in a hasty but imperative retreat. Bunnie was carrying Sally as everybody fled the city and headed off out into the meadow where they had parked their only mode of transportation. And that mode of transportation was a red bi-plane that had enough room for all the Freedom Fighters. The Wolf Pack didn't have a mode of transportation, they had simply come to Robotropolis on foot (wolves have tremendous stamina and can cover large distances so they're OK to just walk or run to the city). The Freedom Fighters all piled up into the plane with Antoine taking the pilot's seat for he was piloting the plane and Sally taking the seat next to him. Tails, Bunnie and Rotor all sat in the back seat and Antoine started the plan off.
"Well zat mission was a disaster!" cried Antoine in despair "Our princess gets thrown off ze building by Sonic and now we are ze retreating because of zis! Zis has been a most terrible day indeed!"
"Ah'll say it has sugah-twan." said Bunnie, sharing the coyote's disappointment "Ah was hopin' we were in for an easy mission and instead, we're comin' home with a casualty. Ah sure hope that casualty doesn't become a fatality."
"I am hoping zat too." said Antoine as the plane started up and the propeller blades started spinning around "If Sally is dead because of Sonic, I will never forgive him!"
"I'm still trying to believe that all of this is really happening!" wailed Tails "I'm hoping that this is all a bad dream and we're gonna wake up soon!"
"We're all hoping that Tails but we are awake and this is no dream I'm afraid." said Rotor grimly "Everything we just saw really did just happen."
"I know but...it's still unbelievable!" cried Tails "How could Sonic do this to Sally?!"
"I wish I knew Tails..." murmured Rotor as the plane taxied around and took off into the sky "I wish I knew..."
The plane flew off and left the city of Robotropolis behind. Its destination now was back home to Knothole where they would get Sally to Dr. Quack and see if she was going to pull through or not. As the plane took off, the Wolf Pack decided to make a steady trek back to their home for they felt the Freedom Fighters needed a moment on their own with Sally. The moment the plane left and disappeared up behind the clouds and the Wolf Pack left, Sonic the Hedgehog arrived on the scene and he screeched to a halt the moment he saw that the plane was gone. He looked around wildly, wondering if he was in the right place or not. The scenery looked the same as it did when they had arrived with the only visible different being the absence of a parked plane so he was definitely in the right place.
"Huh?!" blurted Sonic aloud "What the heck...? Where is everyone? Why are they all gone? Did they just abandon me? Or do they know what's happened to Sally and are taking her home to get some medical treatment? If it's the latter then I can understand that. Oh well, I've gotta get home so I can be there for Sally!"
With that said, Sonic zoomed off again and headed off in the direction Knothole was located in. It would take him a while to arrive there but he'd make it eventually, given how fast he was, and he would see what was going on with the others since they were likely already back home now...
Meanwhile, back in Robotropolis, Dr. Robotnik arrived back up in his base room with Snively beside him. After Sonic had left, the two had taken an elevator back up to the top floor of the base and they settled back down inside the base room. Dr. Robotnik sat down in his chair and sighed with content as he lay back and relaxed.
"How clever it was of me to fool Sonic into thinking I was fleeing so he would leave the place and not bother coming for me." he crooned "And now I'm back in my seat of power and eagerly awaiting what will happen next."
"Indeed sir." purred Snively, his face contorting with evil "And I will say, your genius plan is definitely going well. After our agent told us everything the Freedom Fighters were going to be doing, it was straight forward for us wasn't it?"
"Of course Snively." cackled Robotnik "Now Sally is, hopefully, dead and Sonic will take the rap for it thanks to my very convincing looking Automaton Sonic I constructed for this very plan..."
As he said that, the door opened up and "Sonic the Hedgehog" strolled inside. This, of course, was not the real Sonic the Hedgehog, it was an Automaton designed like Sonic. It evoked his likeliness and his voice to perfection and he had no visible differences on him whatsoever. No wonder everybody was so fooled by this, the Automaton Sonic was practically the spitting image of Sonic so anyone could have been fooled by this, even Dr. Robotnik if he hadn't been the one to invent it. Auto-Sonic strode over to Dr. Robotnik and he bowed down loyally to him.
"I did as you instructed sir." said the Automaton in a perfect impression of Sonic's voice.
"I know you did my excellent little robot." said Dr. Robotnik brightly, patting the Sonic copy on the head and smiling brightly "I really did admire the look on Sally's face when her "precious Sonic" threw her off the building. You did very well Auto-Sonic and thanks to you, the Freedom Fighters will accuse Sonic of the murder, or at the least ATTEMPTED murder, of Sally Acorn and with that little thorn in my side out of the way, I'll be able to commence with my ultimate plan and he won't be able to stop it! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Snively joined in with his evil uncle as he began to laugh away gleefully. Dr. Robotnik really was behind Sally being thrown off the command center and it seemed that Sonic was definitely going to be blamed for it since everybody had been fooled by the Automaton Sonic. Sonic was in for it once he arrived back home and then Robotnik could commence with his ultimate plan to wipe out the Freedom Fighters...
Back at Knothole, Sally had been rushed into Rosie the Woodchuck's hut immediately and Dr. Quack had been called around to have a look at her. Sally was lying on a bed with everybody gathered around her and Dr. Quack studied her unconscious body closely. He had brought over much of the necessary equipment needed for this so he was able to analyze her accurately at least. He X-rayed her and monitored her heart-beat. Everybody was watching tensely as they waited for Dr. Quack to give his statement. After a few minutes, Dr. Quack finished analyzing Sally and he turned to the others.
"I'm pleased to announce that the princess will live." he said grimly "But she's in a coma right now and she will not wake up for a long time. The poor dear fractured quite a few bones in that fall but luckily, nothing vital has been fractured. She just needs a few day's rest and she'll hopefully recover from what has happened to her."
"Oh thank goodness..." said Rotor with relief "Sally's going to live."
"Just a pity she'll be asleep for a while." said Tails sadly "That fall must have been really bad. It might have been worse had I not tried to save her."
"Yeah, ah think you may have saved Sally's life Tails." said Bunnie "Ya'll caught her by the vest but she feel outta it and fell down to the ground just a few feet above it. Had she just fallen and that was it, she might not have been so lucky.
"I agree ma Cherie." said Antoine "Tails has saved ze princess from a worse fate. Very well done Tails."
"Thanks guys...but I should have saved her from falling all the way, not just partially." murmured Tails "I could have saved her all this that's happened to her now but I didn't. I really wish I did."
"Don't be hard on yourself Tails, just be thankful that you managed to stop Sally's fall from being fatal." said Rotor kindly "She's survived and has a chance to recover, be happy about that."
Tails smiled weakly at Rotor, his smile not really a real smile, and he nodded at him. Then suddenly, much to everybody's surprise, the door flung open and in ran Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic screeched to a halt before everybody and everybody stared at him in surprise.
"Hey everybody, what's going on?!" blurted Sonic "Is Sally OK?"
"No she isn't...no thanks to you!" yelled Antoine, pointing an accusing finger at Sonic like a rapier "You, you slimy little traitor, tried to murder our princess but thanks to Tails, she survived your little murder attempt and will pull through! I am betting zay you are here to finish her off non?"
Sonic looked like somebody had just pulled a knife on him.
"WHAT?!" he blurted at the top of his lungs "What the sandhill are you on about Antoine?! I didn't try to murder Sally at all! I was INSIDE the command center and I found out from ol' Butt-nik himself that Sally's been hurt! I came here so I can be by her side and hope she gets better!"
"Ah wish we could beleive you sugah-hog but sadly, we can't." said Bunnie sadly.
"Oui, we saw you doing it with our own eyes!" yelled Antoine "We saw you through ze binoculars zat you grabbed Sally by ze throat and then through her off ze building in an attempt to murder her!"
"Hey Antoine, get your hair sorted out, I didn't do anything of the sort!" bellowed Sonic "And how can you even THINK that I would attempt to kill the love of my life?!"
"Because they witnessed it mate and you're going down for this baneful act of treason!" yelled a voice that Sonic seriously didn't want to hear right about now.
The hedgehog turned around and saw that the voice belong to none other than Geoffrey St. John, one of his arch-rivals and contender for Sally's affections. Geoffrey had been informed on what had happened and he had brought his two friends, Lieutenants Smiley and Fleming, with him. He was keen to have Sonic arrested for he never liked him from the start and he loved Sally himself so he was all too happy to make Sonic pay for what he did to her.
"Oh great, just what we need, Geoffrey St. Jackass stinking things up more than they already have been!" scoffed Sonic.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that insult." said Geoffrey through gritted teeth "And instead, do this: arrest him Smiley and Fleming!"
With that said, Smiley and Fleming seized Sonic by the arms and they snapped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. Sonic made no effort to break free since that wouldn't do anyone any favours at all, or prove his innocence for an innocent person wouldn't resist.
"You Sonic the Hedgehog, are under arrest for the attempted murder of Princess Sally Acorn!" growled Geoffrey "And since the king is unavailable to deliver your penance, I think we should gather around the citizens of Knothole and let them vote on your sentence. I do hope they vote for a good one."
"Look guys and girls, you've got it all wrong! I didn't attempt to kill Sally!" protested Sonic "Come on, you can believe me can't you?"
"I'm sorry Sonic but until we can prove your innocence, you're guilty until further notice." said Rotor sadly "We all witnessed what happened and we all clearly saw it was you, although we still can't believe it was you and some of us like Tails and Amy refuse to believe it was you."
"Whereas I am not surprised in the slightest." said Geoffrey coldly "I knew there was something wrong with you little boy and my instincts were correct indeed. Smiley, Fleming, let's take the traitor to his cell where he will reside until tomorrow. First thing in the morning, Knothole votes for his penance."
"No! You can't! I'm innocent! Don't do this to me!" begged Sonic "Let me go! I can prove I'm innocent! Honest I can!"
Geoffrey ignored him and he, Fleming and Smiley left the hut with Sonic being carried away by the two beavers that followed Geoffrey. The Freedom Fighters just watched as Sonic was taken away to spend the night in a cold, hard cell. Despite what he had done, they couldn't help but feel sorry for Sonic. For there was something in all of them that was telling them that maybe Sonic WAS innocent after all and once Sonic's sentence had been delivered, they could start investigating and see if they could find out what had really happened and if Sonic really did try to kill Sally at all...
Well this isn't good...Sonic's been framed but nobody believes it wasn't him! Will he prove his innocence? Or is Sonic well and truly imprisoned? Find out next time...