"Alright, pencils up? Papers set? Ready to go?" Sonic twirls a small staff in his hand, marching in front of a hologram projected towards a stark black wall.

Watching the hedgehog is Sayaka, seated with a pen and notebook on her desk as one of the few students in the Helicarrier's Study Hall. Light permeating the room away from her are several other Disciples, casually observing Sonic with no supplies at all with them.

Almost like they're here to review an old concept perhaps?

Sayaka looks behind herself to get a better look at the Disciples above her. She could recognize a few. Captain America, a Pikachu in a knit detective's hat, Samus Aran… among a few she couldn't decipher the identities of. Probably a little more niche characters than what she is used to.

…And they're all looking down on her. Sweat beads drip down Sayaka's forehead.

They're not reviewing the course, they're reviewing her. Of course they are. Wincing, Sayaka redirects her attention at Sonic's exclaimation.

"Sayaka! Ready to go?"

"Y-Yup! Let's do this!" Sayaka sits unnaturally straight.

"Right…" Sonic clicks his tongue, looking towards an image of the planet Earth on the digital display. "Now, I think a good way to start off these lectures is to… answer a question that you're probably asking."

"I… wasn't asking anyth-"

The image of Earth slides to the side to reveal a stick figure with Sayaka's hair and cape.

"What happens when a character, like you for example gets whisked away from her Writer's intention? Your writer, a Mr. Gen Urobuchi obviously intends you to go on a very different path than what you are on now." Sonic explains.

"So, dead?" Sayaka asks.

"Guess you can say that." Sonic mutters back. "But you are now a Disciple. You are veering faaaaar off the canonical path of the Madoka Magica franchise. Your multiverse where your world takes place in can't go on as planned."

Sonic illustrates this by pointing the staff at the Sayaka stick figure, dragging her away from the Earth image as it shrinks away, making room for the cross-shaped insignia of the Disciples, letting the little Sayaka rest on that logo.

"So, what do you think happens to the world you left behind?" Sonic asks.

"…I-I dunno, the world goes on without me? And whatever sequel, or prequel, or whatever comes out of my world doesn't happen?" Sayaka guesses with a shrug.

Sonic wags his finger. "Yes, but it's not the whole story. Anyone of our volunteers would like to lend a hand, eh?" He asks the visitors among the crowd.

"Well, what happens, oooobviously is that a new multiverse is created to fill the gap your world could not! Of course." A black haired girl with an intricate dress and long black pigtails says, rolling her eyes.

"Not liking the attitude there, Noire. But yes." Sonic confirms. "The Golden Weapons that create the Fictional Realm still need a version of your reality that lines up with the story our creators out there in the real world wanna make. They exist to bring to life anything they imagine to a T."

So your world becomes free, and non-canon. A new canon world is born automatically from the Weapons and takes the mantle."

The image of the Earth splits into two, with two labels stamped above them: NON-CANON and CANON, respectively.

"And if THAT world for example becomes the center of a Metarex attack, an intruder shows up, just anything that goes against the norm… the cycle repeats again and again." Sonic says. "And our job as Disciples is to make sure canon goes as planned, non-canon worlds are safe, and the Writers remain unharmed. You vibing with me so far?"

Sayaka doesn't try to look at Noire and nods. "Y-Yeah, I think I get it. If something happens that isn't planned by a writer, our world goes on and another is made to stay on course. Right?"

"Exactly!" Sonic winks, pointing the staff at Sayaka. "Now, lesson two!"

THUD!

Slapping her books and DVD cases on the table, Sayaka sits down amidst the silent integrity of the Ruins' library.

"EXCUSE ME! DO YOU HAVE A SPARE COPY OF "A LOOK INTO AVIAN ESPIONAGE" BY ANY CHANCE?!" A voice squawks from the direction of the library table. Sayaka, annoyed turns that direction to encounter a loud red and blue parrot speaking to a small spherical purple man in a suit at the librarian's desk.

"Mmm, yes Mr. Iago. You will find it in the eighth aisle, fifth row." The far more subdued voice nods.

"THANKS, YOU'RE A DOLL!" The parrot squawks back, flapping away to his directed location.

"I bet he's pleasant to be around." Sayaka shakes her head, pulling out the first textbook. It is hefty, bigger than any textbook Sayaka has ever seen back in Mitakihara.

She dusts off the cover and eyes the title.

"Studies in Canonicity, by Vector Prime…" She recites to herself. Opening to the first chapter, skimming the table of contents, Sayaka recites the first few words.

"What we know as fiction lies within the eyes of the one writing it. They decide who lives, who dies and the events that surround each and every world in the Fictional Realm. All fiction unless unbound adheres to the timeline the Writer of the world decrees as true. This is called canon…"

"Yeah, that's pretty obvious." Sayaka shrugs, combing through a few pages. "I get it, I get it, I get it…"

"Non-canon events can become its own universe, whatever a writer makes that they decree is non-canon becomes a canon in of itself and its own world, yadda yadda, canon can be passed down between writers…"

Speeding through the walls upon walls of texts and diagrams, one page eventually halted Sayaka's speedread.

"Hold on… Divergent Canons of a Character." Sayaka mutters the chapter name and begins reading in-depth. "Canon can be vastly different despite utilizing the same character and world as a base. For example, we will observe the multiple canon interpretations of the SEGA character, Sonic The Hedgehog…"

Sayaka's eyebrow raises as a diagram shows itself to her, presenting three versions of Sonic that look far more similar to the pop culture icon in her world.

The first Sonic on display is one with a lanky anthropomorphic body, with green eyes. This seemed the most familiar compared to the pudgy, circular Sonic who has taken her under his wing. "The primary Sonic in which all other canons stem from, created by Yuji Naka…" She reads the caption at the bottom.

Next to him is a Sonic with a scarf and bandages, multiple spines and blue arms in contrast to the prime Sonic's peach. "This Sonic, colloquially referred to as the Boom Variant lives on an entirely different island with a different, more cynical disposition. Developed by Takashi Izuka…"

She looks to the third and final Sonic. Expecting the Sonic she has met, instead he is furrier, with disconnected eyes and electricity crackling through his quills.

"Meanwhile the live action film Sonic lives on Earth with a human family, younger and more inexperienced than his alternate universe counterparts, creation overseen by Jeff Fowler…"

Her eyebrows furrow. Curious that this "Sentinel" Sonic that the Disciples adhere his orders to from the very inception has no mention.

Flipping the page for maybe an extension of the diagram, nothing continues from there.

Closing the book for a moment, Sayaka walks over to the librarian's desk. "Hey, excuse me."

"Oh, uh. It's you. The new Golden One." The purple librarian says. "A-A pleasure to meet you, Ms…"

"…S-" Sayaka is about to speak, before being interrupted.

"Sonia? Serenity? Santiago? Sabrina? Stephen? Sam?"

"…Sayaka." Sayaka replies back, causing the librarian to snap his fingers.

"SAYAKA! Yes, yes. Sorry, a habit caused by my autofill makes me assume things quite early. The name's Knowsmore, Miss." The librarian apologizes.

"Ah, well… Mr. Knowsmore." Sayaka continues. "You think there's maybe a book, orrrr a show? Game? Any archival… anything about our Sonic? The other Golden One?"

"We do have archival from the Sentinel Sonic universe, correct." Knowsmore affirms.

"Great! Do you have… any details on the writer of that?" Sayaka asks, shrugging.

Knowsmore frowns. "Unfortunately, we do not."

"…Eh? We don't know the writer of our Sonic?" Sayaka says, looking back at her book. "Well, I know mine. I assume you know yours-"

"Rich Moore." Knowsmore replies.

"…Right." Sayaka nods, interrupted again. "And the book I read lists the guys who made the other Sonics. You think maybe Sonic knows, though?"

"No. He asks me all the time." Knowsmore shakes his head. "I can never provide an answer for him. We could never identify his writer. No matter how hard we analyze his DNA."

Sayaka tilts her head in confusion. Where did this Sonic come from, then?