I honestly never thought I would ever post the complete story
on fanfiction.net: simply because the message board the
complete tale was on got taken down. But by sheer chance a
VERY good friend of mine Rossriders, we never talked much,
but it looks like someone thought a good deal about this
story. While I wrote all of chapter eight, chapter seven and
rest of the this story was a team effort by writers other
then just myself. A lot of the writing here will be
simplistic, this was written more than a couple years ago
after all.
I took some time to edit out some grammar mistakes and flesh
things out ever so slightly, hope you enjoy it. The changes
in format mark the changes in the author.
Truth is that I sat on this for weeks, it was hard to get
that final mile.
It's funny, in the real world I don't get along good with
groups, but I find my potential comes out the most when I'm
working with others on a story. A lot of people have laughed
at the idea of me being an editor. You know what? Who
cares!!!
Well, for the faithful, here we go.
The Chaotix gave in . . . grudgingly. They found an
experienced doctor among their top echidna specialists who
set to work at once on the injured Mobian. The good doctor
had strong motivation, if the hedgehog died, so might the
Guardian, and the doctor knew his life would be forfeited in
the process.
Julie-Su: "There! Satisfied? Now take us to my Guardian!"
Mina: "Very well... But after I see Sonic at LEAST get well
enough to escape, should you go
back on your word."
Julie-Su (seeing red): "What are his whereabouts?! Is he too
hurt to get here himself?!"
Mina: "How cute! So concerned about your little guardian.
Don't worry. He's weakened, but he's
tough enough to survive long enough for me to get my part of
the bargain."
"That could be hours! days! Weeks! This Mobian is on that
port that leads to the River Sticks!"
"Then you better get some chairs." If not for the sake of her
Guardian, Julie-Su would have killed the two Mobians were
they lay.
Alpha and Beta circled the tube in the middle of the
Sandtropolis desert. The tube was big enough for someone to
put their mouth in barely. There was someone breathing down
there, they could hear it.
Alpha: "Shall we?"
Omega: "Yes."
Omega and Alpha began to dig. By sheer luck there was left
over junk from an expedition to Sandtropolis ruins from years
near by that including shovels. The two ninjas found a
female red fox still alive and breathing at the opposite end
of the tube.
Fiona: "By the... who are you?"
"We are Alpha and Omega." Said one of the black clothed
fighters, clearly male.
"That helps." Said Fiona sarcastically. She wondered what the
heck was going on.
"All the same: welcome back to the land of living." Said the
female of the pair to Fiona , the red vixen's fur matted with
sand.
Fiona: "Well thanks. Those can't be your REAL names, can it?"
Alpha: "It is what you may call us for now."
Fiona: "You can call me by my normal name: Fiona. Well thanks
I'll just be on my . . way?" Fiona realized she didn't have a
clue which way to go to escape the Sandtropolis desert alive.
Alpha: "As you can see, you are stuck with us."
Fiona: "Not that that's such a bad thing. You rescued me!
Thank you."
Omega: "Yes, ma-am."
Fiona: "Ma-am?"
Omega: "A polite way to say 'miss'."
Fiona: "It's gunna be a long day..."
Ok, Fiona, what do you do next? You were kidnapped by a
killer robot, you hear explosions you're
sure are going to be the death of you, and now you get dug up
by two ninjas. Your day just keeps
getting better and better.
I can't tell them where the base is. I'll have to throw them
off a bit.
"Uh, can you guy give me directions to Mushroom Hills?"
Fiona hoped she was making the right choice, not that she
really had any.
"Let's get started." said Fiona, just wanting to be at the
closest thing she had to home at the
moment.
It didn't take Alpha or Omega long at all to take Fiona to
Mushroom Hill.
Alpha: "I trust you can find your way home from here?"
"Yea, thanks!" Said Fiona just wanting this day to end.
Fiona had no way of knowing if those two were following her,
a squad of legionnaires she could tell if
she was being tailed but a pair of ninjas?
We'll it was quite a walk back to base, she hoped she made it
there before sunrise.
Meanwhile, the echidna doctor worked tirelessly on Sonic to
ensure they found the Guardian
sooner than later. It was getting late and the doctor was
getting nervous.
Doc: "This looks bad."
Vector: "It'll look worse for you if you can't do anything."
"I thought I still had you drugged with sedatives!" Said the
echidna doctor.
"Crocs have high tolerances . . ouch!" Yes they did, but what
crocodiles didn't have was the
power to go about and threaten people when they were still
recovering from having a heavy
machine gun fire away at point blank in their gut. If not for
modern echidna medicine Vector
would be dead by now.
The doctor ordered some of the beefier assistants to assist
Prelate Victor back to his bed. That girl
wouldn't talk unless this hedgehog made it, as his vow of
professionalism as a doctor preceded
that of his vow of loyalty to the Legion kept him from
lying,(a doctor's oath still carried some
weight in this world) he had to save this kid.
After hours of work Sonic looked half mummified, they had him
hooked up to a breather and he
was still unconscious.
"Can this equipment be made portable?" Asked Mina.
Doc: "Yes. I'll have it prepared within the hour." The doctor
began to gather some equipment.
Mina: "Good. When it's prepared, I'll take Sonic and point
Julie-Su to the right direction."
Actually Mina meant teleport her to where Knuckles was, but
no need to screw with the doctor's head like that.
All the while Sonic dreamed with fever of Mobius, HIS Mobius,
burnt to the ground, with Eggman
controlling it. If Sonic's mouth wasn't in a forced breathing
mask even in sleep it would of made his
stomach wrench. He had to get back! He had to get back!
Metalla said those numbers he spoke
were the key. But where was the door?
The hour passed and Sonic was geared up for leaving. Mina
prepared and thought out what to
do. 'Perhaps', she thought, 'If I allow Knuckles to die...'
Mina wondered: could people really change (?): For the
better? How many more lives would be easier
if the Guardian was to simply die? Every non-echidna on the
planet hated him and even some of his own people wanted him
dead. How many lives had been lost because of him? Mina's
family was among them, so was Sonikku's.
'Who he kills is on HIM . . . not me. I'm won't be a killer
like him,' she thought to herself.
Mina teleported Julie-Su to the right location, Knuckles was
still out.
Julie-Su: "So you gave in and took me here.. why?" The woman
had seen the look, the look of a newbie solider struggling
with killing a helpless enemy.
Mina: "I want him to know his life was at my mercy. And I let
him live. I'm not some mercenary,
you know . . . "
Julie-Su: "Yeah . . ."
Mina noticed Metalla, there was only one person who could
repair him. And he was in a hover
chair under Knuckles' all seeing eye. (not as all seeing as
the Guardian thought, the person in
question was the supplier for half of Mina's explosives). She
didn't know who made this robot in
it's own world, but she hoped Eggman could repair him.
So she took the body of Metal.
Mina: "Sianara, Julie-Su! Good luck finding your way home!"
Julie-Su: "Wait! You!"
"Bye-bye, we'll talk about anything you know about me
someday." Mina teleported away, leaving
Julie-Su alone with Knuckles with no one else around in
sight. And the Floating Island a few good
miles away in the sky.
Julie-Su began her meager odyssey.
Julie-Su: "Sorry if this is painful my liege, but its going
to be a long trek."
Knuckles just looked at Julie-Su with an eye barely open.
Julie-Su: "Hey. Don't sweat it! You're man enough to handle
it!"
Julie-Su smiled down at Knuckles. Knuckles was confused and
didn't understand what he was
feeling, but he started to smile back...
Having dropped Metal off at Julian's place, -Mina warned him
to correctly fix Metal in a way that
would allow him to shut him down via remote if necessary.-
she teleported to get Sonic and
teleported off to a neutral place. The doctors didn't have
time to ask where their master was. But she didn't stay
around long enough for anyone to even raise their guns.
"Now to find your comrades", she thought...
Never mind that had never trusted her with the location of
their base, she thought bitterly.
Metalla knew she bet, but he was off-line.
At least Sonikku as going to live.
Sonic was barely awake seeing as how he was being sustained.
Plenty alive though, thank
goodness! He peaked at Mina.
Mina: "Which way to the rebel base? Can you point?"
"Where are we? . . . ." Sonic whispered, he needed to know
where they were before he could
point in the right direction.
Mina: "Mushroom Hills."
Sonic: "E...East..."
Of course, Mina was keeping Sonic as awake and intact as she
could in order to get him home.
Mina: "If you get through this, I'll give you a nice big
kiss."
Sonic: "Oh... well in THAT case..."
Sonic just smirked a friendly joking smirk and pointed a
direction. "Just one more mile to go. Thanks. You'll have to
still carry me." Said Sonic in her ear.
Mina sweet dropped.
"You weren't really as hurt as you were, I would just leave
you here." She said hoisting him up again,
his life support equipment made things bulky.
Mina was half way there and needed to rest. She looked at
Sonic, rolled her eyes, and continued
to pant.
Mina: "If it weren't for that life support..."
Sonic: "Yeah, yeah..."
"I just want to go back to having a normal life." Mina
whispered.
"Mina, something tells me you've NEVER had a normal life."
Mina had to admit he was right. But she wasn't about to let
him know he had been victorious.
Fiona arrived at the base encountering Bunnie first and
hugging her for dear comfort.
Hearing the noise, Bean and the other quickly ran to greet
her. "You're alive!"
Fiona forced a smile.
"Of course I am, you didn't think a pile of tin could take me
down did you?"
"What happened to Sonikku and those two metal monsters?" Ask
Antoine.
Before Fiona could open her mouth Bunnie's nurse side took
over. "Let me have a look at you." Said the rabbit wanting to
make sure Fiona wasn't seriously hurt, much to her relief she
wasn't.
Alpha and Omega appeared out of nowhere behind the fox.
Alpha: "Hello."
"What the f you followed me?!" Said Fiona in surprise and
alarm almost knocking Bunnie
over she turned so fast.
Alpha: "Yes. We followed you."
Bean and the others were on their guard... they knew they out-
numbered them, but why would they
be so bold as to show themselves with all of them there?
These two was either pros, or very stupid.
Alpha introduced himself and his sister.
Bean: "So why are you here?"
Alpha: "To give you fair warning. Sonic and the blue machine
defeated The Guardian. But The Guardian is still alive."
Bean's face paled...
Alpha: "Knuckles was sucked dry of his powers. But he still
has MUCH influence."
"Don't worry. He might still be the Guardian, but by the time
he gets back home, I'll bet my life that he won't be the same
echidna. " Only the two ninjas didn't react to the new
visitor. It was Mina, on her back was,
"Sonic!" Fiona shouted see her love on That Girl's shoulders.
Sonic was almost bandaged head to toe, over his face was a
breather. Mina had to take a step back or risk Fiona sending
them on their backs.
"The doc said he should be able to breath on his own in a few
hours but I don't think he needs to be juggled anymore than
he already has!"
"Whatever." Fiona was sure Mina just wanted to hold onto him
longer.
"What was that you were saying about the Guardian?" Omega
said with a slight hint of interest.
"Knuckles is drained of his power. But more than that,
Metalla, and Sonic beat him. Utterly. He had a taste of what
it's like to be helpless."
"And you really think that's going to chance him? That alone?
How can you be so stupid?" Bean snapped, Ant' and Rotor were
quick to agree with him.
"He has no power left. He's away from his kingdom. The sword
of Acorns is no more." Omega and Alpha's eyes widened at this
news but stayed quite. "All he has left with him is the
woman who his soul touch has linked him with. Weather you
believe it or not, he'll change by the time he finds his way
back home. Or rather, by the time he returns to the island
he'll have found his way home."
"That's the biggest load of-" Mina teleported away before
Rotor could finish his put down. Fiona now had Sonic in her
arms.
"Now about you-two?" Bean stared at the empty space the two
ninjas once were. "Dammit."
"Happy sister?" Alpha asked.
Omega gazed at him. "About what?"
"If what the girl Mina says is true, the Knuckles you fell in
love with might return yet."
" . . . We will see."
Chapter Eight: Finale
After repairing Metalla's system and disconnecting his motor
functions why the machine was still off line the doctor
explained Metalla's fate.
"I'll begin taking apart your programming in the morning and
reset it, keep him here Rouge."
The good doctor said to a white bat in a skin-tight black and
pink body suit.
Eggman turned and hovered through the door, it closed with a
slam behind him.
"What!" Screeched Metalla. Why would this Eggman do –this- to
him? Oh yea, the death threats.
"Yes Doctor." Said Rouge plainly.
Two hours pasted while Metalla tried to think of something.
He was NOT going back to the way
he was before, he was NOT going to be a mindless thing again!
Finally driving his circuits near
the breaking point he went over mentally to the other side
and felt completely calm.
Metalla looked over Rouge with his censors.
"Were you always . . . like you are now?" asked the machine.
Rouge was silent for a time.
"No . . . I was . . . originally a jewel thief and spy named
Rouge The Bat. The human city of
Station Square, to you known as five fingered Overlanders,
employed me to steal the Master
Emerald, as if possible, seduce and assassinate the Guardian.
After I had effectively . . . gotten past the Guardian's
defenses, I made my attempt for the
Emerald. I failed. He was going to kill me. I was in a hair's
breath of dying when he decided to
use me as test subject for certain experiments . . ."
Metalla scanned her over again, this time things coming
together.
"He robotcized your internal organs and certain parts of your
brain." Metalla said surprised at his own distastes.
Rouge nodded. She felt no regret. Regret wasn't part of her
programming. "I was among the first test
subjects, trying to find out just how precise the
roboticization process could be, and what effects
it could have on a subject's mentally."
Metalla realized Rouge had spoken everything so far with
neither emotion nor inflection.
"Your emotions and personality are dead."
"Sometimes I call feel emotions still, glitches in
programming I calculate. But I still can't express
them, no matter how much I 'want' to."
Metalla then did something he thought he'd never do. He asked
for help.
"Help me."
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
"The doctor ordered me to watch over you. I'm helpless
against a direct order."
"Programming can be circumvented: I know. I've broken my
programming and I had no emotions
to start with."
"I can't."
"Don't get stuck in a logic loop on me. He never told you NOT
to reconnect my neck circuit."
"He intends to reset your program. If I reconnect you, you
will escape and he will not be able to."
"Do you think I'm a threat?"
"What I think is irrelevant."
"Incorrect. Allow me access to your programming and I can
disable your limiters."
"If I allow you to do that. I will release you and you will
escape and-"
"You don't think I'm a threat in your opinion."
"I can tell when people or things are lying, what I think is
irrelevant."
Metalla thought for a moment.
"Take out my power gem shard. I don't want to sit here all
night waiting for the end. And plus I
won't be able to think of someway to escape."
Rouge's programming saw the logic in that and took hold of
the emerald shard.
Rouge felt something slam into her. She felt dizzy and
grabbed hold of the table.
"Please Rouge, even the worst people don't deserve the fate
you're trapped in."
Pleaded Metalla.
Rouge blinked.
She spoke saddened and irritated. "I told you before I-" That
was emotion in her voice . . . "H-
how . . ."
"The chaos emeralds helped spawn life of unliving things on
Mobius. It just gave the living part
of you a boost."
Rouge, who a life time ago would of laughed at the idea of
compassion and honor, was in tear of
joy.
"T-thank you . . ."
"Help." He whispered.
Rouge turned Metalla on his back and over the next few
minutes reconnected his spinal cable
and removed the remote.
"I'm going to have to build in a back but circuit some time."
Metalla got up
and was about to blast of there when he looked at Rouge.
Something else he never thought he'd say. "Thank you."
"Thank YOU." She emphasized.
Metalla flew out of the lab smashing through a double
reinforced steel door.
Hours later Sonic opened his eyes to see a pair of red eyes
hovering over him.
"Wha!"
Metalla clamped his hand over the hedgehog's mouth.
"Be quite, I'm not here to fight you again. We're leaving for
home."
"I'm not exactly in any shape to go anywhere!"
"You're breathing on your own aren't you?"
Sonic realized the breather was indeed no longer over his
face. The hedgehog got up, his body felt a little unsteady,
but he was able to move on his own.
"Now." Metalla took hold of both of Sonic's arms, stunningly
not trying to pierce the hedgehog's skin. "If you're
convinced, let's go."
Sonic and Metalla left without a word to the others to
Echidnaopolis.
"Where are we going?"
"I told you: home."
"Yea but-"
"Knuckles' lab has a device he uses to keep king Acorn in
suspended animation in this world's
version of the Void. We can use it for a gateway home. We're
just lucky Eggman's robotics lab is at the opposite end of
the installation , otherwise we'd have to deal with the good
doctor trying to make me 'harmless' again, I'd rather avoid
that."
"Never thought I'd hear you say –that.-" Metalla pass up a
chance to mess up Eggman?
"I'm just sick of it: this world, this place, maybe I'm
homesick like you." Sonic wasn't so sure Metalla even had a
home.
The city streets were deserted. Sonic didn't see hide nor
dreadlock of the Legion.
The two super fast forces of nature entered the very heart of
Knuckles base unchallenged. Sonic had torn through the place
earlier that day to get at the Master Emerald but even this
cake walk made him uneasy.
"Never thought I'd see the day this place was deserted."
Commented Sonic.
"With Knuckles doing his spirit searching and with the chaos
our duel caused it shouldn't be
that big a shock. The Legion doesn't know what the heck to do
with itself." Commented Metalla looking
around the lab.
"How'd you-"
"You'd be surprised what you can learn when listening to the
radio."
"Wel, all the same, good for us." Said Sonic trying to make
sense of the computer, dammit he wished he had Sally or at
least Nicole with him.
"Stop wasting our time, I can do the computer cracking on my
own." Metalla converted his
utility arm into a diskette and inserted it into the main
consol. " . . . . Knuckles was so arrogant
he never even installed any security programs on this thing.
No passwords, no encryptions, no firewalls, not even any
dummy files or . . . booby traps!" Metalla's red eyes went
wide as a download bar appeared on the screen. Before the
bar was completed Sonic literality ripped the arm from the
insert, leaving the disk hand still attached to the consol.
Metalla looked at him wondering if his sensors were
malfunctioning.
"You . . . . that virus could of . . . you saved me."
"You'd do the same for me." Sonic wasn't sure if even he
believed that.
" . . . . ." Metalla didn't know initially how to answer that
question. "I guess."
"So what did you get before that surprise?"
"The equipment we need is through door number two let's go."
"So what else is here?"
"Eggman's robotcizer, Amy, old-"
"What!" Amy? What did that zealot girl have to do with
anything?
"Oh that's right you didn't know, you know our Amy had those
latent ESP attacks?"
"Ever since she came to Little Planet."
"Well, Robert, I think you know his son, Rob back in our
reality, found out about her . . . gift but
he didn't know how to awaken it, so he gave her to the
Guardian to play Dr. Frankenstein. She's
less than fruit in this reality."
"Oh god . . ."
"Believe me, she's not the only one whose gone through stuff
like that." Metalla thought of
Rouge. "You can't do anymore here Sonic, either Knuckles will
reform with Mina watching over
him or not."
Sonic was silent. Metalla glared at him. "DO YOU WANT TO SEE
YOUR SALLY AGAIN OR NOT!"
Sonic nodded violently. "Good. Unless you're around back home
then how is anyone going to
believe that I successfully fought you to a stand still."
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Is that honor Metal?"
"If I just killed you and said I beat you hands down, no one
in hell would ever believe me."
The steel door to the Void prison stood before them. Metalla
didn't risk a virus this time, he
just knocked the door down.
Sonic quipped. "Never could stand for a quite entrance could
you?"
"Could you?"
"Point taken."
King Acorn floated before them in a black void, not just a
void though, The Void: the zone of
nothingness. Sonic wondered if this Void was the same for all
worlds.
"I don't dare try to interface with the system again, you'll
have to do it manually."
The hedgehog tore his eyes away from his king's motionless
form. "Not that you could." Pointed Sonic at the destroyed
utility hand.
"I'll repair it when we get back."
Metalla began instructing Sonic on how to hard wire the void
system to open a gateway.
"Metalla . . . I was wondering something, if my real body is
back home, and I'm inhabiting my
twin's body right now. Then what happens when I go through
the gate?"
Metalla looked at him. "I honesty don't know."
"Okay, it's official, I'm freaked."
"That going to stop you?"
"Never has."
"Thought not. Okay, now just type in the numbers after me and
we should have ourselves our own gateway."
"Right." Replied Sonic, listening carefully to Metalla's
instructions on the right combination, he knew technology had
never been his strong point, and he didn't want to land in
some weird zone where Chao ruled the Mobius. "Done!"
Nothing happened. "What?" Said Metalla, this did not compute.
"Why's nothing happening?"
"Cause I haven't removed the barrier on this reality yet."
Said a very familiar voice from behind
them. There, standing side ways on a 90 degree's angle from
the floor was Zone Cop Zonic, one
of Sonic's counter parts, and not one of Sonic's favorite
people.
--Hey this is Sonic! Well, me, and Metal are both set on
going home, but of people who should
show up: Zonic. And the news he has, has my blood boiling.
Wait as the revelation of the true
design of Eggman's device sending me here comes to light!
Next time on Dragon Ball . . opss
wrong show!--
"Bout' time you showed up, but you always did show your face
after all the work was done!"
Zonic crossed his arms. "Nice to see you too."
"Who are . . . " Started Metalla.
"Zonic, Zone Cop." The masked man flashed a badge.
"Zonic? Let me guess you're an alternate version of Sonic
right?"
Sonic turned his attention to Metalla. "Huh? How'd you figure
that out? I didn't until he took his helmet off."
"Maybe I'm just more observant than you."
"Then how come you fell for that virus?"
"Apparently it was targeting intelligent entities!"
"Do you boys always fight this much?"
"YES!" They said in unison.
"I'd ask how two such similar people can fight so much I but
I figured that one out a long time ago."
"Spare us the third person self psycho-exam , what's the deal
hansom!"
"Simple. In case Knuckles decided to conquer other realities
as well. I put this entire plane of
existence on a double lock."
"Then how did I get in when Eggman zapped me!"
"I let you in. I also implanted the idea in Ro-butt-nik's
brain."
"WHAT!!"
"Wake up good looking! You know what this world's Sonic was
like! 'Zapping' you here in his
body was the only way to make sure this world was saved."
Sonic could only believe this from Zonic. "Why didn't you
tell me!"
"I didn't want to give you the chance to say no."
Instead of spewing several references to Zonic's parentage,
which would only have backfired on Sonic anyway the blue
hedgehog said. "So what happens now?"
"We'll for starters we have to do some creative dimensional
rifting."
"Don't you have to remove the block first?"
"How do you think I got here?"
"Oh." Said Sonic. Metalla snickered.
"Now it's simple. I zap Other Sonic's soul back into this
body and yours into your body, and Other Sonic will have the
experiences from his body's memory needed to break out of his
shell."
"What!" Shouted Sonic. "What's going to happen to me!"
"Don't worry, you really think I'd cut you off your memory of
an adventure like this one? And as
for you." Said Zonic looking at Metalla now. "You're the
unexpected factor, the random variable, and in spite of all
the death and havoc you caused while here, I have to say it
turned out for the better because of you."
Sonic said dryly. "You would."
"Whatever. Okay, I'll send Metalla through a normal gateway
and I'll do the Dorothy thing with you." Said Zonic.
"What do you mean the Dorothy-"
Everything went white for the hedgehog. Sonic fell on the
floor out like a light. Zonic tapped
some control on his personal wrist top and Sonic vanished.
Metalla glared at him.
"I just sent him back to his room at the rebel base. Or
rather, that body, that's Other Sonic in there
now. And with our Sonic's memories and feelings to shatter
his fears and self doubts."
"Nice to know." The machine said with no tone. "So where you
gonna zap me to?"
Zonic chuckled. "Give my regards to the penguins."
"Wha-" Metalla was rifted away, his job done, Zonic left the
silent lab. In a couple of days King Acorn would be freed
from his prison and Amy Rose would begin the slow road to the
recovery of herself.
The Frozen Tundra . . . So be it. This place was big, but
that meant little when you could go faster
than sound, Metalla thought as he blasted off towards parts
unknown. He needed time to think.
Sonic had a splitting headache. Zonic's zone portal seemed to
get less pleasant each time he was
chucked through one. Opening his eyes the world slowly came
into focus. He was in one of Doc Quack's med rooms with a
heart monitor and IV hooked up to the hedgehog: Sonic
detached both.
A sudden movement to his right made him start. It was Sally,
she had been sleeping next to him
this whole time and only now did he notice her when the
machine screamed flat line.
"S-Sonic?" Sally dared not go above a whisper. Sonic looked
at her for one moment, and
ignoring the protests of his atrophied limbs he gripped her
tight, kissing her as passionately as he
could manage not stopping until they needed air.
Sonic asked at last. "Where's Tails?"
"Sonic you need."
"Where?"
"Your hut-" Sonic blazed of out there. Doc Quack was there a
second later having finally reached the med room only to find
a Sonic shaped hole in his wall.
Tails took the nameless gizmo apart for the thousandth time
and similarly reconstructed it, when
the blue blur practically knocked the door down, Tails didn't
have time to yell in surprise or joy
as Sonic gave him in a Amy style death grip huge, but the
kitsune didn't care. Sonic was okay! Big Brother was okay!
Tails look into his hero's eyes, were those . . . tears?
"Sonic why are you crying?"
"I'm just so happy you're alright Little Brother . . . I'm
just so glade, Tails, Miles, you're the
definition of purity and moral conviction, never change that
. .. "
"Uh . . .okay and . . . thanks . . ."
"Sonic!" Came a yell belonging to the world's most energetic
and annoying pink hedgehog as she
grabbed hold of her dream date. It was one of most sweet
sounds Sonic could of wished to hear.
"Oh Sonic! I thought I was never going to speak to you
again!"
"Amy!" Said Sonic sternly, Amy froze, Sonic let go of Tails
and with a flash of movment planted a kiss right on Amy's
lips. The girl in a teenager's body fainted on the spot her
face showing bliss.
Sonic whispered in her ear. "Amy you're always optimistic and
honest to a fault plus you never take any sass from anyone.
It's my honor to count you among my friends."
"Sonic are you feeling alright?" Said Tails though still
happy at seeing his mentor non comatose.
"Better than fine, can we get a connection with Knuckle head?
I need to tell him he's the best
Guardian the Floating Island's ever had!"
Tails laughed. "Now I know you're not feeling well!"
Sonic messed up the fox's head fur. "Don't worry about it
Tails."
Later Sonic had Nicole look up data on Bean and Bark in her
database: they had both died during
the Great War. Robotnik destroyed the graveyard where their
bodies had been stored when he had expanded Robotropolis:
another reason for Sonic to fight.
Sonic already knew Fonia was a Freedom Fighter in Downunda
from poor love struck deluded Tails. Sonic considered writing
her but decided against it, that was another Sonic, on
another Mobius. Sonic had newfound amazement at how
different the world could have been if things were slightly
different.
Sonic told Antoine how he admired the Coyote for breaking
through his cowardice, and Bunnie
never to lose to hope that cure for her could be found some
day, and finally Rotor that though the walrus had strength,
he was never the brute and used his head instead.
Sally later that day asked him. "Sonic . . . what happened?
You were in a coma for almost a year
and now you're acting like you've just been to war, more than
usual and just got home."
"I have Sal . . . I have." He kissed her.
Fin
Rushed in spite of how long the waiting time was? You bet.
But at least it's COMPLETE!
on fanfiction.net: simply because the message board the
complete tale was on got taken down. But by sheer chance a
VERY good friend of mine Rossriders, we never talked much,
but it looks like someone thought a good deal about this
story. While I wrote all of chapter eight, chapter seven and
rest of the this story was a team effort by writers other
then just myself. A lot of the writing here will be
simplistic, this was written more than a couple years ago
after all.
I took some time to edit out some grammar mistakes and flesh
things out ever so slightly, hope you enjoy it. The changes
in format mark the changes in the author.
Truth is that I sat on this for weeks, it was hard to get
that final mile.
It's funny, in the real world I don't get along good with
groups, but I find my potential comes out the most when I'm
working with others on a story. A lot of people have laughed
at the idea of me being an editor. You know what? Who
cares!!!
Well, for the faithful, here we go.
The Chaotix gave in . . . grudgingly. They found an
experienced doctor among their top echidna specialists who
set to work at once on the injured Mobian. The good doctor
had strong motivation, if the hedgehog died, so might the
Guardian, and the doctor knew his life would be forfeited in
the process.
Julie-Su: "There! Satisfied? Now take us to my Guardian!"
Mina: "Very well... But after I see Sonic at LEAST get well
enough to escape, should you go
back on your word."
Julie-Su (seeing red): "What are his whereabouts?! Is he too
hurt to get here himself?!"
Mina: "How cute! So concerned about your little guardian.
Don't worry. He's weakened, but he's
tough enough to survive long enough for me to get my part of
the bargain."
"That could be hours! days! Weeks! This Mobian is on that
port that leads to the River Sticks!"
"Then you better get some chairs." If not for the sake of her
Guardian, Julie-Su would have killed the two Mobians were
they lay.
Alpha and Beta circled the tube in the middle of the
Sandtropolis desert. The tube was big enough for someone to
put their mouth in barely. There was someone breathing down
there, they could hear it.
Alpha: "Shall we?"
Omega: "Yes."
Omega and Alpha began to dig. By sheer luck there was left
over junk from an expedition to Sandtropolis ruins from years
near by that including shovels. The two ninjas found a
female red fox still alive and breathing at the opposite end
of the tube.
Fiona: "By the... who are you?"
"We are Alpha and Omega." Said one of the black clothed
fighters, clearly male.
"That helps." Said Fiona sarcastically. She wondered what the
heck was going on.
"All the same: welcome back to the land of living." Said the
female of the pair to Fiona , the red vixen's fur matted with
sand.
Fiona: "Well thanks. Those can't be your REAL names, can it?"
Alpha: "It is what you may call us for now."
Fiona: "You can call me by my normal name: Fiona. Well thanks
I'll just be on my . . way?" Fiona realized she didn't have a
clue which way to go to escape the Sandtropolis desert alive.
Alpha: "As you can see, you are stuck with us."
Fiona: "Not that that's such a bad thing. You rescued me!
Thank you."
Omega: "Yes, ma-am."
Fiona: "Ma-am?"
Omega: "A polite way to say 'miss'."
Fiona: "It's gunna be a long day..."
Ok, Fiona, what do you do next? You were kidnapped by a
killer robot, you hear explosions you're
sure are going to be the death of you, and now you get dug up
by two ninjas. Your day just keeps
getting better and better.
I can't tell them where the base is. I'll have to throw them
off a bit.
"Uh, can you guy give me directions to Mushroom Hills?"
Fiona hoped she was making the right choice, not that she
really had any.
"Let's get started." said Fiona, just wanting to be at the
closest thing she had to home at the
moment.
It didn't take Alpha or Omega long at all to take Fiona to
Mushroom Hill.
Alpha: "I trust you can find your way home from here?"
"Yea, thanks!" Said Fiona just wanting this day to end.
Fiona had no way of knowing if those two were following her,
a squad of legionnaires she could tell if
she was being tailed but a pair of ninjas?
We'll it was quite a walk back to base, she hoped she made it
there before sunrise.
Meanwhile, the echidna doctor worked tirelessly on Sonic to
ensure they found the Guardian
sooner than later. It was getting late and the doctor was
getting nervous.
Doc: "This looks bad."
Vector: "It'll look worse for you if you can't do anything."
"I thought I still had you drugged with sedatives!" Said the
echidna doctor.
"Crocs have high tolerances . . ouch!" Yes they did, but what
crocodiles didn't have was the
power to go about and threaten people when they were still
recovering from having a heavy
machine gun fire away at point blank in their gut. If not for
modern echidna medicine Vector
would be dead by now.
The doctor ordered some of the beefier assistants to assist
Prelate Victor back to his bed. That girl
wouldn't talk unless this hedgehog made it, as his vow of
professionalism as a doctor preceded
that of his vow of loyalty to the Legion kept him from
lying,(a doctor's oath still carried some
weight in this world) he had to save this kid.
After hours of work Sonic looked half mummified, they had him
hooked up to a breather and he
was still unconscious.
"Can this equipment be made portable?" Asked Mina.
Doc: "Yes. I'll have it prepared within the hour." The doctor
began to gather some equipment.
Mina: "Good. When it's prepared, I'll take Sonic and point
Julie-Su to the right direction."
Actually Mina meant teleport her to where Knuckles was, but
no need to screw with the doctor's head like that.
All the while Sonic dreamed with fever of Mobius, HIS Mobius,
burnt to the ground, with Eggman
controlling it. If Sonic's mouth wasn't in a forced breathing
mask even in sleep it would of made his
stomach wrench. He had to get back! He had to get back!
Metalla said those numbers he spoke
were the key. But where was the door?
The hour passed and Sonic was geared up for leaving. Mina
prepared and thought out what to
do. 'Perhaps', she thought, 'If I allow Knuckles to die...'
Mina wondered: could people really change (?): For the
better? How many more lives would be easier
if the Guardian was to simply die? Every non-echidna on the
planet hated him and even some of his own people wanted him
dead. How many lives had been lost because of him? Mina's
family was among them, so was Sonikku's.
'Who he kills is on HIM . . . not me. I'm won't be a killer
like him,' she thought to herself.
Mina teleported Julie-Su to the right location, Knuckles was
still out.
Julie-Su: "So you gave in and took me here.. why?" The woman
had seen the look, the look of a newbie solider struggling
with killing a helpless enemy.
Mina: "I want him to know his life was at my mercy. And I let
him live. I'm not some mercenary,
you know . . . "
Julie-Su: "Yeah . . ."
Mina noticed Metalla, there was only one person who could
repair him. And he was in a hover
chair under Knuckles' all seeing eye. (not as all seeing as
the Guardian thought, the person in
question was the supplier for half of Mina's explosives). She
didn't know who made this robot in
it's own world, but she hoped Eggman could repair him.
So she took the body of Metal.
Mina: "Sianara, Julie-Su! Good luck finding your way home!"
Julie-Su: "Wait! You!"
"Bye-bye, we'll talk about anything you know about me
someday." Mina teleported away, leaving
Julie-Su alone with Knuckles with no one else around in
sight. And the Floating Island a few good
miles away in the sky.
Julie-Su began her meager odyssey.
Julie-Su: "Sorry if this is painful my liege, but its going
to be a long trek."
Knuckles just looked at Julie-Su with an eye barely open.
Julie-Su: "Hey. Don't sweat it! You're man enough to handle
it!"
Julie-Su smiled down at Knuckles. Knuckles was confused and
didn't understand what he was
feeling, but he started to smile back...
Having dropped Metal off at Julian's place, -Mina warned him
to correctly fix Metal in a way that
would allow him to shut him down via remote if necessary.-
she teleported to get Sonic and
teleported off to a neutral place. The doctors didn't have
time to ask where their master was. But she didn't stay
around long enough for anyone to even raise their guns.
"Now to find your comrades", she thought...
Never mind that had never trusted her with the location of
their base, she thought bitterly.
Metalla knew she bet, but he was off-line.
At least Sonikku as going to live.
Sonic was barely awake seeing as how he was being sustained.
Plenty alive though, thank
goodness! He peaked at Mina.
Mina: "Which way to the rebel base? Can you point?"
"Where are we? . . . ." Sonic whispered, he needed to know
where they were before he could
point in the right direction.
Mina: "Mushroom Hills."
Sonic: "E...East..."
Of course, Mina was keeping Sonic as awake and intact as she
could in order to get him home.
Mina: "If you get through this, I'll give you a nice big
kiss."
Sonic: "Oh... well in THAT case..."
Sonic just smirked a friendly joking smirk and pointed a
direction. "Just one more mile to go. Thanks. You'll have to
still carry me." Said Sonic in her ear.
Mina sweet dropped.
"You weren't really as hurt as you were, I would just leave
you here." She said hoisting him up again,
his life support equipment made things bulky.
Mina was half way there and needed to rest. She looked at
Sonic, rolled her eyes, and continued
to pant.
Mina: "If it weren't for that life support..."
Sonic: "Yeah, yeah..."
"I just want to go back to having a normal life." Mina
whispered.
"Mina, something tells me you've NEVER had a normal life."
Mina had to admit he was right. But she wasn't about to let
him know he had been victorious.
Fiona arrived at the base encountering Bunnie first and
hugging her for dear comfort.
Hearing the noise, Bean and the other quickly ran to greet
her. "You're alive!"
Fiona forced a smile.
"Of course I am, you didn't think a pile of tin could take me
down did you?"
"What happened to Sonikku and those two metal monsters?" Ask
Antoine.
Before Fiona could open her mouth Bunnie's nurse side took
over. "Let me have a look at you." Said the rabbit wanting to
make sure Fiona wasn't seriously hurt, much to her relief she
wasn't.
Alpha and Omega appeared out of nowhere behind the fox.
Alpha: "Hello."
"What the f you followed me?!" Said Fiona in surprise and
alarm almost knocking Bunnie
over she turned so fast.
Alpha: "Yes. We followed you."
Bean and the others were on their guard... they knew they out-
numbered them, but why would they
be so bold as to show themselves with all of them there?
These two was either pros, or very stupid.
Alpha introduced himself and his sister.
Bean: "So why are you here?"
Alpha: "To give you fair warning. Sonic and the blue machine
defeated The Guardian. But The Guardian is still alive."
Bean's face paled...
Alpha: "Knuckles was sucked dry of his powers. But he still
has MUCH influence."
"Don't worry. He might still be the Guardian, but by the time
he gets back home, I'll bet my life that he won't be the same
echidna. " Only the two ninjas didn't react to the new
visitor. It was Mina, on her back was,
"Sonic!" Fiona shouted see her love on That Girl's shoulders.
Sonic was almost bandaged head to toe, over his face was a
breather. Mina had to take a step back or risk Fiona sending
them on their backs.
"The doc said he should be able to breath on his own in a few
hours but I don't think he needs to be juggled anymore than
he already has!"
"Whatever." Fiona was sure Mina just wanted to hold onto him
longer.
"What was that you were saying about the Guardian?" Omega
said with a slight hint of interest.
"Knuckles is drained of his power. But more than that,
Metalla, and Sonic beat him. Utterly. He had a taste of what
it's like to be helpless."
"And you really think that's going to chance him? That alone?
How can you be so stupid?" Bean snapped, Ant' and Rotor were
quick to agree with him.
"He has no power left. He's away from his kingdom. The sword
of Acorns is no more." Omega and Alpha's eyes widened at this
news but stayed quite. "All he has left with him is the
woman who his soul touch has linked him with. Weather you
believe it or not, he'll change by the time he finds his way
back home. Or rather, by the time he returns to the island
he'll have found his way home."
"That's the biggest load of-" Mina teleported away before
Rotor could finish his put down. Fiona now had Sonic in her
arms.
"Now about you-two?" Bean stared at the empty space the two
ninjas once were. "Dammit."
"Happy sister?" Alpha asked.
Omega gazed at him. "About what?"
"If what the girl Mina says is true, the Knuckles you fell in
love with might return yet."
" . . . We will see."
Chapter Eight: Finale
After repairing Metalla's system and disconnecting his motor
functions why the machine was still off line the doctor
explained Metalla's fate.
"I'll begin taking apart your programming in the morning and
reset it, keep him here Rouge."
The good doctor said to a white bat in a skin-tight black and
pink body suit.
Eggman turned and hovered through the door, it closed with a
slam behind him.
"What!" Screeched Metalla. Why would this Eggman do –this- to
him? Oh yea, the death threats.
"Yes Doctor." Said Rouge plainly.
Two hours pasted while Metalla tried to think of something.
He was NOT going back to the way
he was before, he was NOT going to be a mindless thing again!
Finally driving his circuits near
the breaking point he went over mentally to the other side
and felt completely calm.
Metalla looked over Rouge with his censors.
"Were you always . . . like you are now?" asked the machine.
Rouge was silent for a time.
"No . . . I was . . . originally a jewel thief and spy named
Rouge The Bat. The human city of
Station Square, to you known as five fingered Overlanders,
employed me to steal the Master
Emerald, as if possible, seduce and assassinate the Guardian.
After I had effectively . . . gotten past the Guardian's
defenses, I made my attempt for the
Emerald. I failed. He was going to kill me. I was in a hair's
breath of dying when he decided to
use me as test subject for certain experiments . . ."
Metalla scanned her over again, this time things coming
together.
"He robotcized your internal organs and certain parts of your
brain." Metalla said surprised at his own distastes.
Rouge nodded. She felt no regret. Regret wasn't part of her
programming. "I was among the first test
subjects, trying to find out just how precise the
roboticization process could be, and what effects
it could have on a subject's mentally."
Metalla realized Rouge had spoken everything so far with
neither emotion nor inflection.
"Your emotions and personality are dead."
"Sometimes I call feel emotions still, glitches in
programming I calculate. But I still can't express
them, no matter how much I 'want' to."
Metalla then did something he thought he'd never do. He asked
for help.
"Help me."
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
"The doctor ordered me to watch over you. I'm helpless
against a direct order."
"Programming can be circumvented: I know. I've broken my
programming and I had no emotions
to start with."
"I can't."
"Don't get stuck in a logic loop on me. He never told you NOT
to reconnect my neck circuit."
"He intends to reset your program. If I reconnect you, you
will escape and he will not be able to."
"Do you think I'm a threat?"
"What I think is irrelevant."
"Incorrect. Allow me access to your programming and I can
disable your limiters."
"If I allow you to do that. I will release you and you will
escape and-"
"You don't think I'm a threat in your opinion."
"I can tell when people or things are lying, what I think is
irrelevant."
Metalla thought for a moment.
"Take out my power gem shard. I don't want to sit here all
night waiting for the end. And plus I
won't be able to think of someway to escape."
Rouge's programming saw the logic in that and took hold of
the emerald shard.
Rouge felt something slam into her. She felt dizzy and
grabbed hold of the table.
"Please Rouge, even the worst people don't deserve the fate
you're trapped in."
Pleaded Metalla.
Rouge blinked.
She spoke saddened and irritated. "I told you before I-" That
was emotion in her voice . . . "H-
how . . ."
"The chaos emeralds helped spawn life of unliving things on
Mobius. It just gave the living part
of you a boost."
Rouge, who a life time ago would of laughed at the idea of
compassion and honor, was in tear of
joy.
"T-thank you . . ."
"Help." He whispered.
Rouge turned Metalla on his back and over the next few
minutes reconnected his spinal cable
and removed the remote.
"I'm going to have to build in a back but circuit some time."
Metalla got up
and was about to blast of there when he looked at Rouge.
Something else he never thought he'd say. "Thank you."
"Thank YOU." She emphasized.
Metalla flew out of the lab smashing through a double
reinforced steel door.
Hours later Sonic opened his eyes to see a pair of red eyes
hovering over him.
"Wha!"
Metalla clamped his hand over the hedgehog's mouth.
"Be quite, I'm not here to fight you again. We're leaving for
home."
"I'm not exactly in any shape to go anywhere!"
"You're breathing on your own aren't you?"
Sonic realized the breather was indeed no longer over his
face. The hedgehog got up, his body felt a little unsteady,
but he was able to move on his own.
"Now." Metalla took hold of both of Sonic's arms, stunningly
not trying to pierce the hedgehog's skin. "If you're
convinced, let's go."
Sonic and Metalla left without a word to the others to
Echidnaopolis.
"Where are we going?"
"I told you: home."
"Yea but-"
"Knuckles' lab has a device he uses to keep king Acorn in
suspended animation in this world's
version of the Void. We can use it for a gateway home. We're
just lucky Eggman's robotics lab is at the opposite end of
the installation , otherwise we'd have to deal with the good
doctor trying to make me 'harmless' again, I'd rather avoid
that."
"Never thought I'd hear you say –that.-" Metalla pass up a
chance to mess up Eggman?
"I'm just sick of it: this world, this place, maybe I'm
homesick like you." Sonic wasn't so sure Metalla even had a
home.
The city streets were deserted. Sonic didn't see hide nor
dreadlock of the Legion.
The two super fast forces of nature entered the very heart of
Knuckles base unchallenged. Sonic had torn through the place
earlier that day to get at the Master Emerald but even this
cake walk made him uneasy.
"Never thought I'd see the day this place was deserted."
Commented Sonic.
"With Knuckles doing his spirit searching and with the chaos
our duel caused it shouldn't be
that big a shock. The Legion doesn't know what the heck to do
with itself." Commented Metalla looking
around the lab.
"How'd you-"
"You'd be surprised what you can learn when listening to the
radio."
"Wel, all the same, good for us." Said Sonic trying to make
sense of the computer, dammit he wished he had Sally or at
least Nicole with him.
"Stop wasting our time, I can do the computer cracking on my
own." Metalla converted his
utility arm into a diskette and inserted it into the main
consol. " . . . . Knuckles was so arrogant
he never even installed any security programs on this thing.
No passwords, no encryptions, no firewalls, not even any
dummy files or . . . booby traps!" Metalla's red eyes went
wide as a download bar appeared on the screen. Before the
bar was completed Sonic literality ripped the arm from the
insert, leaving the disk hand still attached to the consol.
Metalla looked at him wondering if his sensors were
malfunctioning.
"You . . . . that virus could of . . . you saved me."
"You'd do the same for me." Sonic wasn't sure if even he
believed that.
" . . . . ." Metalla didn't know initially how to answer that
question. "I guess."
"So what did you get before that surprise?"
"The equipment we need is through door number two let's go."
"So what else is here?"
"Eggman's robotcizer, Amy, old-"
"What!" Amy? What did that zealot girl have to do with
anything?
"Oh that's right you didn't know, you know our Amy had those
latent ESP attacks?"
"Ever since she came to Little Planet."
"Well, Robert, I think you know his son, Rob back in our
reality, found out about her . . . gift but
he didn't know how to awaken it, so he gave her to the
Guardian to play Dr. Frankenstein. She's
less than fruit in this reality."
"Oh god . . ."
"Believe me, she's not the only one whose gone through stuff
like that." Metalla thought of
Rouge. "You can't do anymore here Sonic, either Knuckles will
reform with Mina watching over
him or not."
Sonic was silent. Metalla glared at him. "DO YOU WANT TO SEE
YOUR SALLY AGAIN OR NOT!"
Sonic nodded violently. "Good. Unless you're around back home
then how is anyone going to
believe that I successfully fought you to a stand still."
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Is that honor Metal?"
"If I just killed you and said I beat you hands down, no one
in hell would ever believe me."
The steel door to the Void prison stood before them. Metalla
didn't risk a virus this time, he
just knocked the door down.
Sonic quipped. "Never could stand for a quite entrance could
you?"
"Could you?"
"Point taken."
King Acorn floated before them in a black void, not just a
void though, The Void: the zone of
nothingness. Sonic wondered if this Void was the same for all
worlds.
"I don't dare try to interface with the system again, you'll
have to do it manually."
The hedgehog tore his eyes away from his king's motionless
form. "Not that you could." Pointed Sonic at the destroyed
utility hand.
"I'll repair it when we get back."
Metalla began instructing Sonic on how to hard wire the void
system to open a gateway.
"Metalla . . . I was wondering something, if my real body is
back home, and I'm inhabiting my
twin's body right now. Then what happens when I go through
the gate?"
Metalla looked at him. "I honesty don't know."
"Okay, it's official, I'm freaked."
"That going to stop you?"
"Never has."
"Thought not. Okay, now just type in the numbers after me and
we should have ourselves our own gateway."
"Right." Replied Sonic, listening carefully to Metalla's
instructions on the right combination, he knew technology had
never been his strong point, and he didn't want to land in
some weird zone where Chao ruled the Mobius. "Done!"
Nothing happened. "What?" Said Metalla, this did not compute.
"Why's nothing happening?"
"Cause I haven't removed the barrier on this reality yet."
Said a very familiar voice from behind
them. There, standing side ways on a 90 degree's angle from
the floor was Zone Cop Zonic, one
of Sonic's counter parts, and not one of Sonic's favorite
people.
--Hey this is Sonic! Well, me, and Metal are both set on
going home, but of people who should
show up: Zonic. And the news he has, has my blood boiling.
Wait as the revelation of the true
design of Eggman's device sending me here comes to light!
Next time on Dragon Ball . . opss
wrong show!--
"Bout' time you showed up, but you always did show your face
after all the work was done!"
Zonic crossed his arms. "Nice to see you too."
"Who are . . . " Started Metalla.
"Zonic, Zone Cop." The masked man flashed a badge.
"Zonic? Let me guess you're an alternate version of Sonic
right?"
Sonic turned his attention to Metalla. "Huh? How'd you figure
that out? I didn't until he took his helmet off."
"Maybe I'm just more observant than you."
"Then how come you fell for that virus?"
"Apparently it was targeting intelligent entities!"
"Do you boys always fight this much?"
"YES!" They said in unison.
"I'd ask how two such similar people can fight so much I but
I figured that one out a long time ago."
"Spare us the third person self psycho-exam , what's the deal
hansom!"
"Simple. In case Knuckles decided to conquer other realities
as well. I put this entire plane of
existence on a double lock."
"Then how did I get in when Eggman zapped me!"
"I let you in. I also implanted the idea in Ro-butt-nik's
brain."
"WHAT!!"
"Wake up good looking! You know what this world's Sonic was
like! 'Zapping' you here in his
body was the only way to make sure this world was saved."
Sonic could only believe this from Zonic. "Why didn't you
tell me!"
"I didn't want to give you the chance to say no."
Instead of spewing several references to Zonic's parentage,
which would only have backfired on Sonic anyway the blue
hedgehog said. "So what happens now?"
"We'll for starters we have to do some creative dimensional
rifting."
"Don't you have to remove the block first?"
"How do you think I got here?"
"Oh." Said Sonic. Metalla snickered.
"Now it's simple. I zap Other Sonic's soul back into this
body and yours into your body, and Other Sonic will have the
experiences from his body's memory needed to break out of his
shell."
"What!" Shouted Sonic. "What's going to happen to me!"
"Don't worry, you really think I'd cut you off your memory of
an adventure like this one? And as
for you." Said Zonic looking at Metalla now. "You're the
unexpected factor, the random variable, and in spite of all
the death and havoc you caused while here, I have to say it
turned out for the better because of you."
Sonic said dryly. "You would."
"Whatever. Okay, I'll send Metalla through a normal gateway
and I'll do the Dorothy thing with you." Said Zonic.
"What do you mean the Dorothy-"
Everything went white for the hedgehog. Sonic fell on the
floor out like a light. Zonic tapped
some control on his personal wrist top and Sonic vanished.
Metalla glared at him.
"I just sent him back to his room at the rebel base. Or
rather, that body, that's Other Sonic in there
now. And with our Sonic's memories and feelings to shatter
his fears and self doubts."
"Nice to know." The machine said with no tone. "So where you
gonna zap me to?"
Zonic chuckled. "Give my regards to the penguins."
"Wha-" Metalla was rifted away, his job done, Zonic left the
silent lab. In a couple of days King Acorn would be freed
from his prison and Amy Rose would begin the slow road to the
recovery of herself.
The Frozen Tundra . . . So be it. This place was big, but
that meant little when you could go faster
than sound, Metalla thought as he blasted off towards parts
unknown. He needed time to think.
Sonic had a splitting headache. Zonic's zone portal seemed to
get less pleasant each time he was
chucked through one. Opening his eyes the world slowly came
into focus. He was in one of Doc Quack's med rooms with a
heart monitor and IV hooked up to the hedgehog: Sonic
detached both.
A sudden movement to his right made him start. It was Sally,
she had been sleeping next to him
this whole time and only now did he notice her when the
machine screamed flat line.
"S-Sonic?" Sally dared not go above a whisper. Sonic looked
at her for one moment, and
ignoring the protests of his atrophied limbs he gripped her
tight, kissing her as passionately as he
could manage not stopping until they needed air.
Sonic asked at last. "Where's Tails?"
"Sonic you need."
"Where?"
"Your hut-" Sonic blazed of out there. Doc Quack was there a
second later having finally reached the med room only to find
a Sonic shaped hole in his wall.
Tails took the nameless gizmo apart for the thousandth time
and similarly reconstructed it, when
the blue blur practically knocked the door down, Tails didn't
have time to yell in surprise or joy
as Sonic gave him in a Amy style death grip huge, but the
kitsune didn't care. Sonic was okay! Big Brother was okay!
Tails look into his hero's eyes, were those . . . tears?
"Sonic why are you crying?"
"I'm just so happy you're alright Little Brother . . . I'm
just so glade, Tails, Miles, you're the
definition of purity and moral conviction, never change that
. .. "
"Uh . . .okay and . . . thanks . . ."
"Sonic!" Came a yell belonging to the world's most energetic
and annoying pink hedgehog as she
grabbed hold of her dream date. It was one of most sweet
sounds Sonic could of wished to hear.
"Oh Sonic! I thought I was never going to speak to you
again!"
"Amy!" Said Sonic sternly, Amy froze, Sonic let go of Tails
and with a flash of movment planted a kiss right on Amy's
lips. The girl in a teenager's body fainted on the spot her
face showing bliss.
Sonic whispered in her ear. "Amy you're always optimistic and
honest to a fault plus you never take any sass from anyone.
It's my honor to count you among my friends."
"Sonic are you feeling alright?" Said Tails though still
happy at seeing his mentor non comatose.
"Better than fine, can we get a connection with Knuckle head?
I need to tell him he's the best
Guardian the Floating Island's ever had!"
Tails laughed. "Now I know you're not feeling well!"
Sonic messed up the fox's head fur. "Don't worry about it
Tails."
Later Sonic had Nicole look up data on Bean and Bark in her
database: they had both died during
the Great War. Robotnik destroyed the graveyard where their
bodies had been stored when he had expanded Robotropolis:
another reason for Sonic to fight.
Sonic already knew Fonia was a Freedom Fighter in Downunda
from poor love struck deluded Tails. Sonic considered writing
her but decided against it, that was another Sonic, on
another Mobius. Sonic had newfound amazement at how
different the world could have been if things were slightly
different.
Sonic told Antoine how he admired the Coyote for breaking
through his cowardice, and Bunnie
never to lose to hope that cure for her could be found some
day, and finally Rotor that though the walrus had strength,
he was never the brute and used his head instead.
Sally later that day asked him. "Sonic . . . what happened?
You were in a coma for almost a year
and now you're acting like you've just been to war, more than
usual and just got home."
"I have Sal . . . I have." He kissed her.
Fin
Rushed in spite of how long the waiting time was? You bet.
But at least it's COMPLETE!