Archie Timeline: During "Night of 1000 Sonics!" Sonic the Hedgehog #19 (duh)

Chapter 2: Archie Sonic's POV

I stared up at that oversized hologram of Robo-Robotnik. Was it just me or did he look even uglier when completely roboticized? Then I looked at the other Sonics and I knew it wasn't just me - so to speak.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Well done, Sonic. By gathering your hedgehog 'brothers,' you've saved me the time and trouble of tracking them down! Soon, this universe and all others shall belong to Robo-Robotnik!"

Not if me and the hundreds of other Sonics had anything to say about it. We were more than ready, willing and able to battle an army of... What did he call these blackish-blueish 'bots; Shadow Swatbots?

"Priority-one-Hedgehogs-surrender."

I smirked. "Surrender? If robots could dream..."

Zap!

Blammo!

I jumped away from the podium as it got blasted, barely dodging the wooden debris. "Freeze-Hedgehogs."

That did it. The other Sonics charged.

I frowned. These Shadow Swatbots were a little bit better than ordinary ones. That shot just barely missed me.

I quickly went into a Sonic Spin and tore through one. I noticed it took me a lot longer to slice through it. One second longer to be exact. Still, it seemed Robutt-Robuttnik was no different from my Robuttnik; they both had a bad habit of underestimating yours truly.

"Help!"

"Wha-? That sounded like Tails!" Over the sounds of the fight, I could barely hear him. Where was he?

"Let go of me!"

"Oh no, Sal!" I rushed in the direction from which I heard both her and Tails' yells, fighting my way through crowds of Sonics and Shadow Swatbots.

Through a sea of limbs, I saw them both in the clutches of a Shadow Swatbot whose red visor was glowing in a way I didn't like. And the crowd was so thick, I couldn't get there in time!

"Watch out!"

The Shadow Swatbot's visor fired.

But the shot never connected.

Not with a living being, at least.

Charred bits of another Shadow Swatbutt clattered onto the ground beside me as another Sonic, looking just like me (no weird costume), jumped over the crowd and landed right in front of me, Sally and Tails in tow.

"I believe these are yours," he said, smirking and letting go of them.

I briefly hugged them both. "Sally, Tails, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Sonic. Just a little shaken, that's all," assured Sal. Tails looked breathless but excited.

I looked seriously at both of them. "I think you both better get back to Knothole this instant. It's too dangerous here."

"'Knothole?' What's that?" asked the other Sonic in confusion.

"Aw, come on, 'Sonic'," answered Tails matter-of-factly as he turned to him. "You know what it is. You live there."

The other handsome dude grinned and rubbed Tails' head affectionately. "Sorry, keed. Never heard of it. Where I come from, I don't have a home."

I would've asked him what he meant by that but...

"Aaaahhh!"

...Yep. Duty screamed, er, called. I turned to Sally and Tails as we all ducked to avoid getting hit by a laser.

"I'm getting you two back to Knothole! But first, judging by the way Antoine's screaming, I think I may have to bring a special delivery to Dr. Quack. So you two stay out of sight until I come back!"

They both started to protest while the other Sonic stepped forward, looking apprehensive. "You know, for a moment there, I thought you said 'Dr. Quark'."

"I didn't; I said 'Dr. Quack...' Why?"

"Never mind. Listen, I'll help you bring the injured to this 'Knothole'. But you better lead the way, I wouldn't know where the place is, after all."

I accepted. He then revved up and zoomed off in the direction of the scream. "Up, over and gone!"

I starred after him for a moment then followed him. "'Up, over and gone?' What kind of catchphrase is that?"

A little later, the other Sonics were not having much trouble but I couldn't say the same for my Freedom Fighters. One by one, Bunnie, Rotor and Antoine were taken out of commission, due to a broken arm, several laser burns and a fainting spell, respectively. Me and that other Sonic had to carry them by the shoulders and feet to Knothole for medical attention. Of course, I had to lead the way.

One conversation, while we were running back through the lush trees of the Great Forest after bringing Bunnie, the third Freedom Fighter to fall, to Dr. Quack, went something like this:

"Coconuts, Scratch and Grounder are the only badniks that exist in your world?" I asked.

"Yeah unless you count Roller and Ballhog but they didn't last long*. Robuttnik usually sends just Scratch and Grounder after me and Tails. But they're hardly any trouble. Wait, did I say 'hardly,' I meant 'not at all'."

"Is that so?" was my reply. "Me and the other Freedom Fighters rarely ever see those badniks. We usually have to deal with Crabmeat, Buzzbomber and many others. And speaking of Freedom Fighters, do you recognize...?"

"I know Tails and Sally but I have no idea who the half robo-transmogrified rabbit or..."

"Whoa, whoa. 'Robo-transmogrified'?"

"Uh, yeah. She was part robot, right?"

"Oh! In this world, the word's 'roboticized'!"

"Oh."

Way past cool! I never expected that other Sonics' worlds would be very different from mine. As this Sonic revealed, the one in which he lived hadn't been completely conquered by Robotnik. The Swatbots he had to deal with had many different styles. Even the laws of physics were weird. Near invulnerability? Wearing disguises that came out of nowhere? How crazy was that?

But things got even crazier when we returned to the battlefield.

"What?" shouted the hologram of Robo-Robotnik. "My Shadow Swatbots - destroyed! Who dares...?"

"I dare!" Robotnik sneered and jabbed his thumb at himself. "The true Doctor Ivo Robotnik! And your floating image doesn't scare me!"

There were bits and pieces of Shadow Swatbots everywhere. A group of ordinary white-and-grey Swatbots stood at attention nearby while their commander, my world's Robotnik, tread upon thousands of Shadow Swatbot bolts and sprockets and mocked his roboticized counterpart.

"Psst! That's your Robuttnik?" the Sonic who had helped me whispered, "Yikes, he's even uglier than mine!"

I grinned at him and zoomed up to Sally, who was still uninjured, while Robotnik rambled on.

"This is my world," Robotnik pointed at Robo-Robotnik, "and it's not big enough for the both of us! Be gone with you!"

"Your world?" I snorted under my breath. "Not on yours and every other Robuttnik's life!"

Robo-Robotnik paused, apparently thinking. "As you wish...but I shall return!" He then vanished in a blinding flash of light.

"That's one down..." one Sonic started.

"...And one to go!" I finished as I clenched my fists, getting ready to fight.

Robotnik wasn't impressed. "You fools! Do you really think he'd give up so easily? I certainly wouldn't!"

He actually had a point, much as I hated to admit it. He then approached to me.

"Since this new menace is a threat to all our interests, I propose we cease our private battles and pool our resources!"

I scowled. "This stinks worse than last week's chili dogs, Doc! But when you're right, you're right!"

A while later, me and Sal (Tails had been sent back to Knothole) were seated at a small, round conference table Robotnik had conveniently brought in his ship. All the Swatbots and other Sonics remained standing around. Robuttnik, not bothering to sit down himself, slammed his fist on the table to get everyone to quiet down.

"'Bots..."

Me and Sally cleared our throats.

"...and Freedom Fighters! I call this meeting to order!"

I could never stand these kinds of things so I just let the princess and Robuttnik talk while I looked with interest at the other Sonics.

I noticed one Sonic in purple shorts, who was twice as tall as a normal hedgehog and many times as muscular, trying to push another one, who appeared to be made out of rocks, out of his way for some reason.

He stopped after a while and scratched his head, mumbling, "Why do others talk? Why not fight? This one is big! Strong! Strongest one there is! No need help!"

At that moment, four minuscule Sonics in different shorts and shirts, no taller than my knee, came running by him. Big Sonic noticed and stomped his feet on the ground, throwing the Mini Sonics up into the air. "What can little ones do?"

The miffed Mini Sonics got right back up again and started running circles around Big Sonic, disorienting him.

"What..."

"...can..."

"...we..."

"...do?"

Two of the Mini Sonics ran behind Big Sonic's feet and crouched down. The other two immediately jumped up and shoved him over their companions' backs.

"Does this answer..."

"...your question?"

With a loud crash, Big Sonic fell down right on his behind.

I would have got up to tell them to cut it out but the Sonic who helped me before made sure I didn't have to, unintentionally or not. "Knock it off, you guys! This man has a plan!"

A plan which Robotnik started to explain right then and there, with the help of a set of maps. Finally, I must have been sitting for a whole five minutes!

"In order to second guess our mutual adversary, I've had to think like him! ("Now how hard could that be?" I wondered sarcastically) Which means he's definitely searching for a way to destroy us all!

"And he could accomplish his goal if he had...the Giant's Hand! A alien weapon of great power!

"My genius has located the weapon's likely position within the region known as the neutral zone..."

As if on cue, another portal appeared a mere ten feet away. Hmmm...

"...and we need to dispatch a squadron of Sonics across the Cosmic Interstate to retrieve it! Go now! Quickly!"

While a bunch of Sonics dared to go through the portal (including the one that helped me), I decided to be one of the Sonics who'd stay in my universe. After all, someone had to keep an eye on Robotnik.

*"Untouchable Sonic"