Chapter 9: Over the Sea

Stars were starting to peek out from the now-indigo sky, signifying the onset of night. Meanwhile, on the ground, the other Sonics followed AoStH Sonic, all the while trying to ask what the matter was.

"What are you doing?" Anime Sonic demanded to know.

"I told you, someone needs our help!" replied AoStH Sonic, not bothering to look back. "Don't ask how I know, I just do!"

"He's definitely gone mad," remarked Fleetway Sonic in an annoyed tone.

"He doesn't look angry to me, Sonic."

Fleetway Sonic looked up with a scowl. "Not that kind of mad, Pix…Tails. I mean he's gone crazy.

Tails hovered over Fleetway Sonic by spinning his two tails, frowning. "That's not very…"

"What the…!" SU Sonic yelled out in surprise as he looked up, nearly stumbling. "He can fly?"

"Course I can, Sonic," smiled Tails.

SU Sonic continued to stare. "Kid, you never cease to amaze me."

Tails giggled and started to reply…

"Help!"

The other Sonic turned around and stopped just in time to avoid crashing into AoStH Sonic, who had halted, and sending them all tumbling into the sea from the pier they were standing on.

"Sonic, it's Merna!" Tails pointed out towards the ocean.

The top half of a yellow, female hedgehog could be seen above the water a half a mile away. She was trying desperately to swim to shore as fast as she could and no wonder; a twelve-foot-tall steel grey robot constructed in the shape of an octopus was chasing her. The beast was propelling itself by some unseen device and the eight tentacles were attempting to scoop its prey into its sucker-like mouth.

"Hang on, Merna!"

With that said, AoStH Sonic bravely dove into the brine, followed shortly by SatAM Sonic. The rest stayed on the pier, looking both shocked and worried.

A second later, both AoStH Sonic and SatAM Sonic surfaced and proceeded to tread water. They looked at their comrades and SatAM Sonic asked, "Well? Aren't you coming? And what are you staring at?"

The other Sonics looked at each other in hesitation before Archie Sonic spoke up.

"I can't swim."

SatAM Sonic and AoStH Sonic's jaws dropped. "Say what?"

"And neither can the rest of us, I think."

"He's right."

"I'm not fond of water."

"I sink like a rock."

"Amen."

"What they said."

AoStH Sonic continued to gape at them. "Let me get this straight: not one of you can swim an inch even to save somebody's life?"

"Well, I did rescue Amy from drowning ('The Last Resort')," replied Sonic X, "but that was only once and… Hey, wait a minute! I remember running across a river once ('How to Catch a Hedgehog')!"

"Without sinking?" queried Anime Sonic incredulously.

"Come to think of it," remarked SEGA Sonic, "I do recall running across bodies of water in my adventures…if I did it at a high enough speed. Something Tails said about not giving the water enough time to displace."

"Cool!" stated Tails.

"So what are you waiting for then?" shouted SatAM Sonic, a bit miffed. "Get down to the beach and put the pedal to the metal!"

"Or are you scared?" questioned AoStH Sonic with a grin.

"We are not!" uttered SU Sonic. "Just give us a Sonic second to join you."

SU Sonic, Anime Sonic, SEGA Sonic, Sonic X, Archie Sonic and Fleetway Sonic then ran down the pier back to the beach.

"Come on," said AoStH Sonic to SatAM Sonic. "Let's go rescue Merna. The others will catch up." They swam off with Tails flying close behind.

At this point, the octopus had wrapped Merna's entire body save her head with a metallic tentacle and was beginning to squeeze the life out of her.

"Yo, Eight Arms!"

The octopus' eyes swivelled in the direction it heard the voice – only to have AoStH Sonic snatch Merna right out of its arm. They landed in the water, the robot's attention thankfully fixed on SatAM Sonic, who was mocking it.

"Are you alright, Merna?"

"Y-yes, Sonic," she answered nervously as she looked from one Sonic to the other.

"Get to safety. We'll handle this."

As if on cue, the other six Sonics arrived, running on top of the water and trying hard not to look at the briny deep below their feet.

Merna opened her mouth to reply, changed her mind and began swimming toward the coast.

The eight Sonics and Tails looked at the octo-bot, which was thrashing around angrily at having lost its quarry.

AoStH Sonic grinned. "I know that's an octopus and not a squid, but... Calamari, anyone?"

"See? I told you there were eight Holy Hedgehogs."

"Wow. They must be from other worlds!"

Silhouetted against the twin moons of Mobius were two Chao, each gazing at the battle taking place below them.

"This is quite a development! We must tell the others!"

"Yes. We just might stand a chance now!"

"Let's hope so. I shudder to think that that thing is here."

"Who doesn't? That creature will lie in wait for victims to torture and give it strength until we defeat it."

"And if just one Holy Hedgehog were to fall into its grasp...well, I don't want to think about it!"

They flew off, hope starting to gleam in their hearts alongside their worries.

Clarissa was up against the colourless wall, cornered by the very Sonamy group she had asked to join. Just seconds before, she had been interrogated by the leader to see if she was fit.

"What did you say?" demanded the leader. "You can't like Mina, Newbie

"W-Why not?" she stuttered nervously.

"Duh, she's a rival! Sonic might fall in love with her and reject Amy!"

"But I didn't say I like Sonina," Clarissa protested. "I just like Mina as a person!"

"So? You also said you hate Sally and Sonally!"

"Well, that's because she doesn't wear much clothing and, not to mention, she's selfish..."

"It doesn't matter!" The leader interrupted. "Newbie, the point is, Mina is as much a threat to Amy being Sonic's girlfriend as Sally is! And if you want to join this club, you have to start hating her too!"

"But..."

"No buts! Now repeat after me: I solemnly swear to detest all rivals to the Sonamy relationship in all possible Sonicverses and their respectful Fans."

"...uh...I-I solemnly sw-swear to detest all rivals to, to the Sonamy relationship i-in all possible Sonicverses a-a-and their respectful Fans."

"Good," said the leader, satisfied. "Now we can continue the interrogation."

Clarissa couldn't help but sigh. Just what had she gotten herself into?

By now, the aquatic machine was in fairly bad shape. Its left eye was cracked and blinked spasmodically while the right eye was nothing more than a gaping hole. To top it off, three of its arms had been sawn off and there were numerous gashes in its hide.

The eight Sonic Primes and Tails looked at it triumphantly. "Ready to give up yet, you overgrown stack of jellyfish?" inquired SU Sonic with a grin.

In response, the octopus extended its five remaining arms in a circle around it, causing the hedgehogs and fox to tense up, ready to evade if it tried anything. It did something much unexpected though; it started spinning. Slowly at first but picking up speed until it nothing but a grey blur.

"Uh-oh," remarked Tails.

A column of water erupted around the robot, enveloping it and forming a waterspout. The suction began to pull in the Sonics and Tails.

"Whoa!" yelled Archie Sonic as he began to attempt to run away. "We're being sucked in!"

"Obviously!" hollered Fleetway Sonic sarcastically.

"Help!" shouted Tails as he was swept past the hedgehogs.

"Tails!" AoStH Sonic turned around and started swimming toward his little buddy.

"Sonic!" Tails managed to grab a hold of his adopted brother's outstretched hand but now they were heading irreversibly for the swirling mass of H2O and sodium chloride.

Kablooie!

The octopus suddenly, violently exploded and the Sonics that had been running or swimming full steam suddenly shot off and ended up on the beach in less than a millisecond while AoStH Sonic and Tails remained in the water.

"Huh? What happened?" asked Tails in confusion.

"Good question," answered AoStH Sonic, "and there's our answer." He pointed at the pier.

Metal Sonic was standing there, arm outstretched to where the marine robot used to be.

SU Sonic's jaw dropped. "You saved us!"

"If anyone's gonna defeat you, it'll be me!" he said smugly. "Not some fifth-rate piece of junk! By the way, your little friends are on the way."

"Are you okay?" asked a waist-deep Merna with concern as AoStH Sonic and Tails swam back to shore.

"We're fine, Merna. But why was that robot chasing you?"

"Because it wanted to keep me from getting help; Mertopia's under attack!"

"What!"

"I've been swimming for hours trying to find land and you, Sonic."

"'Trying to find land?'" repeated Sonic X. "Is Mertopia on an island?"

"Well... No. You see, Mertopia's not on an island..." she knelt down and did a handstand then her voice came clearly through the water. "...it's underwater."

With the exception of AoStH Sonic, the Sonics' eyes, even Metal Sonic's, nearly bulged right out of their sockets. For in the place of a pair of legs was the yellow tail of a fish, the wet scales glistening in the moonlight.

Merna then stood up. "Yes, I'm a merhog."

"That couldn't have been anymore obvious," said Fleetway Sonic monotonely, still in shock.

Authoress' Note: I find it weird and hypocritical that many a Sonamy Fan loathes Sally but likes Mina, hence the scene.