BURSTS OF SPEED
A NEW WORLD AND A HALF
It was merely second ago that Sonic and the Freedom Fighters saved the day once again. Eggman had unleashed Dark Gaia, the next primordial deity he stupidly thought he could control. While his friends dealt with Eggman's troops, Sonic had gone Super and sent Dark Gaia back to the center of the earth with the help of his new buddy, the spirit guardian Chip (after he became this awesome temple Megazord golem thingy).
Now he was floating in what appeared to be space, only Sonic could breathe. Chip and Sonic stared right at an orb of light which spoke to them: "Welcome, friend of Light Gaia."
"Okay, either I'm suffering a hallucination induced by the stress of the last few hours or I just died…and I'm talking to a floating ball of light…again. Hasn't happened since Egghead unleashed Chaos." Sonic noted.
"Your sense of humor is endearing, young one." The voice added. "I must thank you for aiding Light Gaia in his time of need." The orb of light said.
"It's only fair…er…I'm sorry, I don't know your name?" Sonic replied.
"I am the manifestation of the primordial forces, the foundations of the multiverse and of the Chaos Force. I see all, I know all…I embody everything about your world. So in a sense…I am Mobius Prime itself."
"So I'm talking to the literal planet itself…that is something. And just when I thought I have seen everything. Now, I hope being split apart didn't hurt too much." Sonic noted.
"I cannot feel pain in the same way you do, young one. Now…you may be aware, but the world you woke up in before you started your quest for Dark Gaia is different from what you remember." Mobius said.
"Yeah, I got that. It made things awkward. The memories blending from the old you and new you, somehow I'm surprised I didn't go insane…Or maybe it's because of that I didn't go insane, don't know…Eggman did a number on you, sorry I wasn't able to stop him." Sonic said. "I was not fast or strong enough."
"You already have done more any mortal should have been capable off. In fact, it's your actions that allowed me to fully awaken again. With the Gaia Temples and Emeralds restored…I can restore myself. To achieve balance I need to reset from before the mad mortal Overlander started his first, as he called it, 'Genesis Wave'. Right now I need the power of your Emeralds to do so." Mobius explained.
"So…the old world will return again? Will everyone remember? Will I remember? If not, how do we prevent them from making the same mistakes again?" Sonic asked, confused.
"They will not remember, not fully. But something will remain in the back of their minds, like a dream or memory long since passed. It will subtly influence their actions. Though it may guarantee for some to not make the same mistakes, some may just make new mistakes, though different form the other ones. On the other hand they may do things differently in a way to cause things to turn out better. It can go either way. As the Mobian and Overlander's minds and souls are unique and incomprehensible, even for me, I cannot tell for sure." Mobius explained.
"So there will be some good, some bad, but not the exact same. But no guarantee Eggman will become so crazy again? I mean he unleashed various evil deities and messed with reality…" Sonic continued to ask.
"He came from a dead world, driven mad by the isolation and the lack of companionship. No one, not even he, was made to be alone. The continued use of hopping bodies only made him more foolish, more arrogant but also more dangerous and unstable. When I restore myself, I must erase these traces of madness, at the cost of that he'll become saner, but more calculating and dangerous once more. I restore balance of things, but even I can't tempt fate. His ultimate demise is your destiny." Mobius said.
"Nothing I'm used to already. At least I'll have the friends and loved ones we've lost. Though one other thing I need to know: what will happen to the people of the new world? Several of them, they didn't exist or I didn't know they exist in the old world. Will they survive in the new world?" Sonic asked.
"The intention was to restore balance, and to do so I need to go back to the way they were before." Mobius explained.
"But the new people…I know they were not intended to be part of you. But it's not their fault they existed. They didn't have a choice. Are we going to sacrifice them to bring back others? I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Sonic said. "I know not all of these new people are good, and some of them have made mistakes, but should we just decide over life and death like that?"
"Your compassion is admirable…Now, it would not be impossible to have them survive in the new world. But they are not native elements. Though they are only a few, their existence may cause imbalances. Not big ones…But these small ones can still be exploited by malicious forces. You might only give yourself more things to worry about in the future."
"I'm prepared to make things harder for myself, so everyone can live their lives to the fullest. I'm a Freedom Fighter, always have been. I do not only fight to create peace to maintain it. No matter the cost to myself I will keep doing so. I'm willing to keep fighting for what's right." Sonic said. "So, you still need me to give you a boost with Emerald power?"
"You are truely a remarkable individual hedgehog. Maybe you are foolish, brash, cocky and arrogant…"
"Won't deny that…" Sonic responded.
"But also a true hero: noble, courageous and compassionate. You only accept sacrifices if they are your own. We are lucky the power of the Chaos force runs through you." Mobius noted.
"I'm not the only hero. There are others who still help in their own way to make you a better place. Without them I wouldn't have gotten this far. So that's why I want this. They are also needed in the new world." Sonic said.
"Very well…the time of restoration is following. Prepare yourself. Channel your remaining Chaos prowess into the force around you…" Mobius responded.
"Just say when, Moby." Sonic said. The ball of light in front of him became brighter, as he turned his thought into power, like any force of Chaos is…first the plain of existence faded to white…and then it rebuilt.
Sonic woke up with a jolt…he panted heavily. He didn't remember, but he had an odd feeling like he had several nightmares after each other. Like he had traveled to a Mobius he didn't recognize and he has been missing a few people. He rubbed his eyes and got his shoes, socks and gloves on, and stormed downstairs. His mother, Bernie, was making pancakes while Jules, still a Robian was reading his newspaper, as the pet chao of Jules, Omachao, was resting on his shoulders.
"Good morning, Sonic. Did you have a nice sleep?" Bernie asked. It was then that she was glomped and hugged by Sonic. She was then rapidly dragged towards Jules, whom was pulled into the hug as well. "You seem awfully affectionate this morning."
"I…just had a bad dream…I think, I don't remember, but you were gone, I feel…just glad to see you are both all right." Sonic said, tears in his eyes.
"Either post-traumatic stress from past adventures is catching up, or you ate too many chilidogs before bed again." Jules pointed out. "But your concern is appreciated."
"I'm sorry, I must look silly right now…" Sonic said as he let them go.
"It's nothing dear, there are days when it gets hard to keep your emotions in check. Now…your uncle and cousin are coming over for dinner later today. They are going to work on a new project and they won't have time to fix their own dinner…I think they called it 'Project: Shard' or something." Bernie noted.
Sonic then thinks of his Uncle Chuck and adopted cousin Muttski…something about the latter feels odd, but he brushed that feeling aside. "Say, how about we invite Sally's family for dinner as well. I can quickly jump by the store for some extra ingredients. There is also one other thing I need to pick up as well."
"That's an excellent idea Sonic. You know, we're glad you and Sally are back together again, you two had some issues to work out." Bernie noted.
"I know, that's why I'm making these important errands." Sonic said. "I need to get going, being fastest thing alive is no excuse to be lazy…Bye now!" Sonic said, kissing his mother's cheek as he quickly grabbed a pancake and rushed out the door.
"Ah, to be young and in love." Jules noted.
At Castle Acorn, Sally woke up, not with a jolt, but with the weirdest feelings, like she had the oddest dream. She rubbed her eyes and picked her Ring Blades from her nightstand. She then pondered for a moment. Did she always have those? She then wanted to reach for something, only to find it no longer there. "Oh right, nanite city, no more handheld." Sally muttered.
Nicole's holographic form then materialized in front of her. "Good morning, Sally. Are you well-rested?"
"I think so…But I have had the weirdest feeling. Like I have forgotten something important. But at the same time I'm certain I'm not." Sally said. "And I have the feeling something bad happened to my family…But they are safely inside the castle, right?"
"They are fine, I assure you. But I also feel odd, but that may be because of my recent memory recovery after the Iron Dominion invasion." Nicole said, having recovered her memories as the once organic Nikki Ellidy in her youth, before her mind was digitized. "Reminds me, once I'm done making the backup program to run the city in my absence and my new body is done, I should visit my father on Isolated Island."
"Of course, family is the most important thing there is, and should be cherished." Sally said, as she felt like she could break out in tears at any second. "Why do I feel so relieved?" she thought. Nicole vanished to attend her duties in the city, as Sally left her room, towards the dining hall to her family.
Like Sonic earlier today, Sally had hugged her parents Max and Alicia (her father was especially healthy looking, though Sally could have sworn she thought he was ill), her brother Elias, sister-in law Megan and niece Alexis deeply. "Well, you seem to really be in a big hugging mood." Alicia noted.
"I know…don't know why. I just felt…odd thing morning. Nothing bad, but still…can't explain." Sally added.
"I know what you mean, I woke up this morning, and it almost felt like I was surprised at myself that I could stand up. I'm as healthy as can be yet I feel like I should be in a wheelchair. Some real odd dreams I may have had…" Max added.
"We've been under a lot of stress lately. With us dealing with a world-conquering empire on a daily basis, I'm surprised we're all still sane." Elias said, smearing some butter on his toast.
"Important is that we're all healthy." Megan said, feeding some porridge to her daughter.
"Oh, I suddenly think of something. The Hedgehog family has called, they've invited us for dinner. Sounds delightful, but I wonder what brought it on." Alicia said.
"I'm sure good friends should have no reason to invite one another." Max said. "And it'll be good to be out of the castle for a while. We should enjoy ourselves with friends more often."
"I think we should. Life is too short and we have to enjoy every moment." Sally added. "More than we realize." She added in thoughts.
Somewhere else, Tails had come over to Rotor's workshop to work on a project of their own. They were busy rebuilding Heavy and Bomb, with their good natures restored and being Egg-proofed. "Geoffrey and the Chaotix will be glad to have their old buddies back." Tails noted.
"Indeed. Besides, we need all the help we can get against Eggman. That guy has given us enough nightmares. Speaking of nightmares…" Rotor continued.
"Did you also have those odd dreams where you woke up in a new world, your family gone?" Tails asked. "Because I had them and…I really hugged mom and dad really tight this morning."
"I had something too. But there was something else, that something was odd with my dad. But that can't be right. Dad may look fierce but he's like a big teddy bear. Mom, dad and Skeeter are actually taking a vacation this weekend to our city. It will be nice catching up. My brother says he wants to be a Freedom Fighter like me when he grows up." Rotor said.
"Will the Artika Freedom Fighters be all right without your dad leading them?" Tails asked.
"Guntiver can handle things for a few days…Anyhow, I believe quality time with our families should help us relax a bit more. We had a few stressful events going on." Rotor said.
"We really should." Tails said as he was putting a microchip into a machine part. "A few more questions…Elias is still the king for the moment, right?" Tails asked.
"Yeah, he is." Rotor answered. "Has been since Max was under attack, and he has remained so afterwards."
"And what about Geoffrey, Hershey, Dylan and Hamlin…Wait, who gives a damn about Hamlin…the Substitutes? Are they okay?" Tails asked.
"If I'm not mistaken they are on a mission in Soumerca. It's nothing big, just some data gathering. Why do you ask?" Rotor asked.
"Not sure, I have the feeling something bad has happened. I guess that we can add to the list of weird thoughts we've had."
"If I wasn't sure Eggman would never let us have one, we'd take a vacation. I'm sure we'll feel better later. Now…After fixing our old friends up, I have a little side project that may prove useful and I want your help on it. I call it 'the Sky Patrol'."
Bunnie slowly awoke. She sat up and saw her husband, Antoine D'Coolette, sleeping peacefully. She ran her fingers through his hair. He looked so peaceful…and in one piece. Why did she had the feeling she expected him to look hurt upon waking up? She then eyed her robotic hand and flexed the fingers. She felt confused. Oh well…she had a few more minutes, and decided to use those to spoon with her sleeping husband.
At a house at the edge of New Mobotropolis, a black and yellow robot was carrying a pack of wooden logs five times his own size. He put it down at the designated spot and dusted his hands. "Firewood for the next thirty years, all done!" he said. His name was Gemerl. He got done early with his chores and decided to sit down for a bit and look a the surroundings. Sure it was all nanites, but Nicole has made an accurate replica of real nature. He studied it and started thinking on it.
"Just taking the beauty of this place into account…After being locked up, freed, blown up and rebuilt several times, I feel like I should take more time enjoying the little things in life, like the beauty of nature…sort off." Gemerl replied, poking at one of the nanite trees. "It's like I experience today as the first day of my life all over again. Am I getting melancholic now?" Gemerl wondered to himself.
"Is it because I'm aware of my own mortality at this point? Am I getting more in tune with these newfound Mobian emotions? Still so many questions." Gemerl said. "At least I'm glad to have friends on my side." Gemerl pondered some more. "I did my chores, I think I'm just going to take a walk now."
Somewhere else, a different set of heroes were contemplating on certain things. Knuckles had gathered the rest of the Chaotix. "Guys…I'm going to need to leave the island for a while. I think it is about time I need to get over my guilt issues and go see my mother and the people of Albion again." He said to his teammates.
"And I'm going with him." Julie-Su said. Knuckles has somehow insisted on it. He had just told her he felt he couldn't bear to be apart with her for the next few days.
"Well, you finally got knocked some sense into you. Must be a week of miracles of the mind, first Charmy and then you." Vector said. "No offense, but you really needed to wake up."
"None taken." Both Knuckles and Charmy said.
"You take all the time you need, we'll watch the island and the Master Emerald in the mean time." Charmy noted. Charmy's brain damage had finally healed recently, to everyone's joy, and most of all Charmy's fiancée Saffron.
"But I must tell that Vector, me and Charmy plan to catch up with Mighty after your return. He is still searching for his sister. We hope to catch up to him somewhere in Soumerca…He's there to visit an old friend of his and there would be a good time to join him." Espio noted.
"I understand. Mighty is our friend, and he needs support of the team." Knuckles noted.
"Say, Knuckles, can I come to Albion? Not just for support, but echidna settlements are rare nowadays and it would be great to see a still intact piece of echidna civilization up close and it it has a vast history behind it so for me it would be a chance of a lifetime, if you don't mind I mean and…I'm blabbing again, am I?" Relic the Pika, the newest member of the team asked.
"It's all right." Knuckles said with an amused smile. "You and Fixit can tag along." Relic just squeed happily.
For as no one remembered the rebirth of their world, at least something had pushed some of them further towards their happiness. The future will bring challenges, but at least two lovers are going to be closer then ever.
Of course, the heroes were not the only one to be affected by the recreation of their world. Snively was at a place called Metal Island, an island located near the coast, east of the Rail Canyon, and it was home to the Ruin Woods and the Dark Castle. He had taken some gear with him. He traveled deep inside the island until he found what he was looking for. A crystal formation. Inside, a female creature resembling Ixis Naugus and a trio of Mobians were trapped inside (a wolf, a grizzly bear and a rabbit girl).
Snively grabbed a device that looked like a tuning fork. "Took me a while to find you, my uncle hid all records on you real well. He doesn't like magic after all." Snively muttered. "Anyhow, I'm glad to make your acquiantance…Wendy Naugus." he said as he prepared to rescue his future ally from the crystal prison.
One tap of the tuning fork against the crystal, and it started to shatter like glass, and the old woman and the three Mobians fell out. They were passed out at first, but they started to stir eventually. The three Mobians started to get up faster then the old woman. They looked angry with her. After all, Wendy had them under control for eons. Sure, they were criminals before they even met her, but they still felt they deserved payback.
"Wakey-wakey, bones to breaky!" the rabbit girl, Carrotia said as she was the first to stir awake and she helped the others get up.
"Hehehehe!" the wolf, named Falke, just laughed disturbingly and in an unhinged manner.
"I am going to break bones, all right, all of them!" Bearenger, the grizzly bear said.
They prepared to advance onto the seemingly defenseless old troll woman, but then the three were stopped when Snively pulled out a device that seemed to make the three Witchcarters feel uncomfortable. They couldn't keep balance and held their heads in pain.
It gave time for Wendy to get up. "Quick, enslave them again! The vertigo inducer won't hold forever."
Witchcart did as she was told and raised her wand and aimed it at the three Mobians. They grabbed their heads as once again their free wills were stripped from them and they bowed down before the old troll-witch. "I am most grateful for your assistance, little man…But who are you?"
"Of course, where are my manners? Colin Kintobor Jr., but you can call me Snively." Snively introduced himself.
"I heard about you. Aren't you the nephew of that handsome Dr. Robotnik?" Wendy asked.
Snively's eye twitched at the mention of someone calling his uncle handsome. "Yes. Though he goes by Dr. Eggman now. And a lot has changed since you've been in that crystal prison. More Freedom Fighters have popped up, deities from ancient times have reared their heads…the fox boy who trapped you even became quite the famous hero."
"That Prower kid stole five years of my life and I'll make him pay for it, and everyone he loves!" Wendy growled.
"And we will. I also have a bone to pick with them. But I'll need your help for that. I plan to gather an alliance of people of the same mind as I, to vanquish our enemies, overthrow my uncle and declare ourselves rulers of the world." Snively said as he handed Wendy a few scrolls. "I'm certain someone of your mystical knowledge will recognize these."
"The Gaia manuscripts, real ambitious of you. But you think you can control it?" Wendy asked.
"I learned from my Uncle's mistakes; I'm hiring experts on the matter to help me. You think you can do it?"
"I may. But I'll need help with someone equally skilled as I. However the only one I can think off right now is trapped in the Zone of Silence, last I've heard of him." Wendy said.
"If you are thinking about your brother Ixis Naugus, he is no longer in the Zone of Silence, he resides on Mobius. Though right now he's a bit…broken, but I think I have a way to bring him back to his senses." Snively said as he pulled out the Blue Chaos Emerald. "Was not easy to get this one."
"Oh…The blue Chaos Emerald? So the gateways to the Special Zone have been re-discovered…" Wendy sneered as she studied the gem.
"Oh believe me, there is a lot you have missed in the last few years. I'll be able to fill you in…that is if you are on board with my plans?" Snively said.
"You got yourself a deal, little shrimp!" Wendy said, shaking hands and sealing the deal. She shook Snively's hand with her own non-claw hand. "Now, whom else do you have in mind for our little group?"
"Oh, I can think of a few people." Snively said with a smirk.
On another part of Mobius, a certain Mobian Mammoth was overseeing the construction of a special project. He had taken over one casino and decided to make it branch out, as he started building a second one. He was talking to another Mobian, a female teal hedgehog with blue highlights in her quills. "The new Casinopolis will be a success. And who knows, not only will it be the first in a chain of establishments, if the moment is right to end my retirement, I can use it for more…ambitious projects. Now, I can trust you to take care of this part of the branch for me, Breezie?"
"You can count on me, my liege." Breezie said, giving a gentle bow. "As long as you do as you promised."
"I always keep my promises, when my partners keep theirs. You continue to work hard and loyally and you'll get rich and powerful beyond your wildest imagination." Mogul assured her. A beeping then came from his pocket. "Just a moment…hello?" he asked. "Snively…never expected you to find this number. What is it with you now. What? That's real ambitious of you…and you need Naugus? Mh…tell me what, let me in on the plan and I'll give you Naugus' services in return. Come by later at the Casino Night for the details." Mogul then ended the conversation.
"I believe there is a change of plans?" Breezie asked.
"Indeed there is, my new student…our patience has been rewarded and an oppertunity opened up." Mogul said with a grin on his face.
Somewhere in outer space…between the debris of destroyed planets and warships, dead alien corpses floating in between. A certain alien warlord has finished up a certain war. "The Xorda have delayed my plans for the last time. At least their infernal species are all wiped out. Now we can plan our return to Mobius." Black Doom growled. He turned to one of his drones. "How is Project: Eclipse coming along?"
"He should be ready any moment. He will be the perfect backup plan in case we are unable to recruit Shadow into our ranks." The drone replied.
"Excellent. Finally, we will get what is rightfully ours!" Black droom replied.
-
Eggman woke up, started rubbing his eyes. He had fallen asleep above his work table. He adjusted his glasses…and found his mind to be surprisingly clear this morning. He started to bring up some files and started going through them.
At that point, Lien-Da came in. "Ah, good, you're awake sir. The crew hadn't recieved the daily schedule yet, they've been doing nothing but the standard maitenance this morning."
"Right…" Eggman said. "There are going to be a few changes in plans. I am going to need to establish a few new chapters for my Empire. The Crystal Caves, Shamar and the Oceans could use each a chapter or two. I already thought of a few good candidates to lead them. Also, a change in leadership for a few other chapters are in order. I don't trust that idiot Drago or the ex-Freedom Fighter Bill to effectively lead their chapters anymore. I thought about assigning some of the new high-ranked Legionnaires to those chapters instead."
"Okay, anything else we need to know?" Lien-Da asked.
"Yes...your request for relocation to Albion has been approved. I am going to take on a mixed team of Legionnaires to manage things in New Megaopolis and my new Death Egg instead." Eggman added.
"Really?" Lien-Da asked. "Thanks, my Lord. I promise, I'll be more in my element in Albion, we'll be able to take it for sure."
"Whatever. Now, where is that little imp, Snively?" Eggman asked.
"He went out to investigate the mining operations at Metal Island, why?" Lien-Da asked.
"As soon as he returns, have him watched closely, but discreetly. I have the feeling he is planning something. I can't risk that at this point." Eggman noted.
"It will be done. You seem awfully…reserved today sir…" Lien-Da said.
"I feel like my mind has cleared. I feel like we should start to get really, really serious. Aside from some reforms, we should also update our tech. Scrap the Egg Swats in favor of new and improved Swatbot models. And have the new Metal series fine-tuned, I don't want them to go down as easily as last time. No more making on the fly…" Eggman said.
"Dr. Eggman, something tells me this new you is going to be really interesting…" Lien-Da pointed out.
"Please…Call me Dr. Robotnik."
Later that day, back with the heroes, in New Mobotropolis. The Acorn and Hedgehog families were enjoying dinner together. "…and there is this meeting that will be going on in a month, where the Freedom Fighter leaders will come together to exchange ideas and plans and introduce a few new ones. The new recruits look promising." Sally explained.
"Please Sally, while it is nice to hear things are going all right with the Freedom Fighters, but we're on a friendly visit. I think we can spare to talk about work and relax for a bit." King Max friendily insisted towards his daughter.
"I have also something important to say, but it's not Freedom Fighter related. But it is about us, Sally." Sonic said, taking the word. "It has taken up a long while for me to catch up…which is normal because I'm very fast, after all…but the realization caught up, that over the years, no matter how strong and how fast I get, there would be one thing I would fear more then Robotnik or any other bad guy, was losing you. It tore me apart when we broke up, and now we're together, I don't want to risk anything anymore. With everything we've gone through, I want to make things count." Sonic said as he pulled out a small black bow.
"He's not…" Jules whispered.
"I think he is." Bernie added. Megan began to have a wicked, happy grin on her face.
"Sally Acorn…will you marry me?" he asked as he opened the tiny black box and showed a ring with an Emerald Shard for the gem.
"Sonic, I…yes, yes, YES!" Sally said as she pulled Sonic closer and gave him the biggest and best kiss he ever had in his life. Everyone cheered for them.
"Now, it's a bit early to say, but welcome to the family, Sonic." Max said heartily.
"Wait until the others hear about this, they'll flip their lids." Elias noted.
"Oh, I don't think they are that surprised. There is a pool running about when Sonic and Sally finally were going to tie the knot." Muttski noted. "I just lost fifty Mobiums." He added sadly.
"Did they bet on us? You know what, I don't care anymore." Sonic said. "I'm just so happy that…"
"I know, Sonic. I know. Me too." She said.