Sonic eXcluded
I do not own Sonic or other associated characters. I own Douglas, my fan character, so do not use.
Intro
"Eggman's base was completely destroyed!" The President's Aide said, smiling as he closed the newspaper. "Mr President, you'll surely win the next general election hands down! This is a great victory."
The President was unimpressed, staring blankly at the cup of coffee on his desk.
"Uh, I wouldn't be so sure..." Christina Cooper said, holding up another newspaper and pointing to the headline. "The heroes that took down Eggman were Sonic and Douglas..."
"What?" He grabbed the newspaper, looking at the large picture of Sonic giving a thumbs up. "Sonic?"
He grabbed one of the newspapers a bodyguard was reading, looking shocked at the picture of Douglas on its front page. "Douglas?"
He ran around the room, checking every national and international newspaper that had been brought in.
"Sonic! Douglas! Sonic AND Douglas!" He exclaimed, tearing a paper in half. "Stupid journalists! What about the TV news?"
He grabbed a TV remote and pressed the on button, pointing at the TV in the room. The image of Sonic running down a road was shown.
"AH! Sonic!" He changed the channel, to find a video of Douglas wrestling being shown. "And Douglas!" He began flicking through the channels. "They're everywhere! On this one, and this one as well! They're here, and here, and here!"
He dropped the remote, worriedly looking around him.
"This is terrible! They're more popular than the government!" He said.
"Jerome, I think you're overreacting..." Christina said.
"OVERREACTING?" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "What if Sonic gets elected president?"
"...What nonsense did you just say?" The President looked up.
The doors into the room suddenly burst open, as a group of furries followed by Topaz, Mr. Stuart, Fang and Rouge entered.
"Do you know who I am?" The leader, a ground-squirrel in a blue jacket and blue boots asked, walking up to the desk and slamming her hands down on it.
"...A very angry a ground squirrel in a blue jacket and blue boots?" The President replied.
"You win an Internet!" Fang announced, pushing past the group and jumping up to sit on the desk. "Mr. President, may I introduce Princess Sally Acorn, leader of the Freedom Fighters of Knothole?"
"...If it so pleases you..." The President sighed.
"THERE'S EVEN MORE OF THEM!" The President's Aide exclaimed, startling the coyote in the group. "Oh this is bad, this is bad!" He began pacing back and forth.
"Is he all right?" Sally questioned, pointing to the worried human.
"Not in the head sometimes..." The President mumbled under his breath.
"I'VE GOT IT!" Jerome announced. "A celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base!"
"...A celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base?" His words were repeated by everyone else in the room.
"Sonic and Douglas are openly invited to attend." He tapped a finger against his head. "But then it will be their honour to shake hands with the President himself!"
He could see it now, a mass of press photographers and cameramen all taking in the sight of the blue hedgehog hero known as Sonic shaking hands with the President.
"It will be the talking point for all the newspapers and all the news channels all over the world!" He smiled as if he'd thought of the best thing since sliced bread. "By associating Sonic and Douglas with our government, their popularity will transfer over to the President! Then even more people than before will give us their support!"
He then ran out the door, but ran back a few seconds later.
"That of course means an almost certainly overwhelming landslide majority in the next general elections, and a guaranteed next term of office as President! It's brilliant! I'll have invitations sent out to invite them to the celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base!"
He left the room again, leaving many confused faces behind him.
"...At some point..." The President mused. "I must have agreed to give him a job here..."
Episode 14 - Mobian History
Part 1
"...The hell?" Douglas questioned, looking at his reflection in the mirror. "It healed overnight this time?"
He'd taken off the bandages to check on the laceration that had been caused during the battle in the cornfield yesterday. To his shock, there wasn't any sign that it had ever been there. Not even a scar.
This rapid healing had happened a few times before, but never this quick. It kinda freaked him out...
"Douglas!" Ella called up the stairs. "There is a letter addressed to you and Sonic!"
"Oh really?" He said, tossing the bandages into a trashcan. "I'll be down in a minute!"
"...A celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base..." Chuck read the letter. "Although it's addressed to you two, we're all invited to attend."
"Sweet!" Manic said. "Party time!"
"Just a minute there!" Sonia said, grabbing her green brother by the arm. "Can we be sure that this isn't some sort of trap?"
"Now Sonia..." Chuck said. "I can understand your caution, but I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"Yeah, relax sis!" Sonic said, lying back in the sofa. "Besides, what's the worse that could happen at some fancy party?"
"It's not likely to be a party, probably some fancy ballroom nonsense..." Douglas grumbled.
"What do you mean Mister Douglas?" Cream asked.
"Stuff like champagne, fine red wine, cuisine prepared by the finest chiefs from around the world..."
As Douglas continued to list a number of generic things associated with a formal gathering, he didn't notice the looks on the others in the room as they imagined each item he described.
"...You know, that kind of boring stuff." Douglas concluded
"An occasion like this will require appropriate attire!." Mr. Tanaka stated. "I will get new suits and tailcoats prepared at once!" He quickly left the room.
"Oh, how exciting!" Ella said. "I'm going to meet the President himself!"
"Come on Cream!" Amy said, excitedly taking the rabbit by the hand. "We must look out best!"
"You mean we can wear pretty dresses?" Cream asked.
"We'll get to wear the prettiest dresses ever made!"
"What, you guys want to go this thing?"
"YES!" They all shouted, causing Douglas to fall over the back of the sofa.
"So, are you going?" Chuck asked the blue hedgehog.
"Don't see why not." Sonic shrugged.
"Douglas?"
"Well, I would, but..." The human said, standing up as he scratched his chin. "But I've got to check into rehab ya know, so..."
"You're not injured!" Chuck stated.
"No, for my drug addiction! I've got to flush all the corrupting weed out of my system!"
"...You don't want to wear a suit, do you."
"...Yes. And the drugs."
"You are NOT on drugs!"
"Well I've been meaning to start, or something like that."
"Kids, drugs are bad." Knuckles popped up from behind a sofa. "Only stupid and uncool kids do drugs." He then disappeared.
"...Was that some kind of legal requirement to keep lawsuits at bay?" Douglas questioned. "In that case: KIDS! Do crack, it's awesome!"
"No it's not!" Knuckles appeared again. "Don't listen to him, he's bad for you!"
"Ah screw it, I'll go to this celebration, whatever it is." Douglas gave up.
"A celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base." Chuck stated.
"Yeah yeah, all right. Whatever..."
"I feel like a sardine in a tin..." Douglas said, cringing at the expensive suit he was wearing.
"You're not the only one." Chuck added, equally uncomfortable.
"Oh relax Doug." Sonic said, unfazed by the suit he was wearing. "This isn't too bad."
"My street cred' is being assassinated wearing this..."
"The transportation has arrived." Tanaka announced, opening the front door.
"Man, we get to travel in a limo!" Manic rushed past like an excited kid on Christmas morning.
"Don't touch anything!" Sonia warned, unable to chase after him because of the high-heels she was wearing.
"Limo? Why not take the Tornado X?" Sonic stated.
"We can't all fit in it." Knuckles answered. "Plus Ella would freak out if got these things dirty."
"Right, I'm gonna go roll around in some mud then..." Douglas said, walking in the other direction.
"Hey! This limo's got a mini-bar!" Manic shouted again.
"Out of my way!" Douglas ran out the front door, before running back in, throwing a vase across the room and running back out again.
"All right! Party time!" Sonic said, punching a fist in the air then running out as well.
"This cannot be good..." Knuckles sighed, shaking his head.
"Oh mah stars!" Bunnie Rabbot gushed, looking around the large ballroom set up for the celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base. "I ain't never seen anything as fancy as this!"
"It is fantastic, no?" Antoine grinned smugly. "Not a royal banquet, but truly magnificent!"
The room was already filled with guests, waiters and staff. Despite the fact that this event was coming out of the blue, a great number of high-ranking public figures had cancelled appointments so they too could honour the great heroes of their country.
"I completely agree." Sally said. "It's finally good to see a sense of order in this strange world..." She glanced over to look at Fang, who seemed to be both confused and disgusted at some of the items of food on the table. "...Very strange world."
"...Let me get this straight..." Fang scratched his head. "They've put prawns, PRAWNS, into... A cocktail?"
"It's a fantastic starter." Rouge said, teasing the weasel a little. "You should try it."
"...Wait, what's a starter?"
"Excellent!" The President's Aide rubbed his hands together with glee. This is perfect! Now all we have to do is get Sonic to shake hands with the President, and have the world's media see it!"
"The guests of honour are arriving!" A staff member called out.
The cameras from the paparazzi flashed as the limo pulled up in front of the Presidential building. Reporters were trying to push past each other, their microphones ready to catch some words from the heroes.
The door opened, and out stepped Mr. Tanaka - who was wearing a far more expensive uniform than he usually wore, but it looked exactly the same to his normal one.
He helped Ella out, who was dressed in her finest blue dress.
Cream - in a pretty pink dress, Amy - in an overly sparkly red dress, and Sonia - in a regal purple dress, then followed.
Next came Chuck, Tails, Manic and Knuckles all dressed in suits, and all looking slightly uncomfortable with the whole event.
But the press were still very patient upon seeing them, since they weren't the main attraction.
Which is why when the last two occupants of the limo stepped out, security had to quickly rush in to hold them all back.
Sonic had his trademark grin on his face as he waved for the more than excited reporters, unfazed by all the attention he was getting.
After all, this wasn't the first time he'd saved the world or beaten Eggman. He didn't really get what all the fuss was all about.
Douglas on the other hand was loving every second of it. Playing to the photographers, he stood and held a fist in the air as a sign of victory.
He was only a regular guy after all, so why not enjoy all this? He may never get a chance to do it again.
To him, this was completely and utterly awesome.
"Get them back!" Jerome ordered to the security guards, allowing a path through the crowd for the arriving guests. "Please, come this way!"
The cameras continued to flash as the group made their way towards the building, not knowing they were not in for an ordinary celebration hosted by the President himself to honour the heroes who bravely fought and destroyed Eggman's base.
'I'm still not sure that this a good idea...' The President thought, looking over at the official photographers for the event. 'This publicity stunt will probably backfire, like most of Wise's other ideas.'
The main doors into the hall were flung open, and the President's Aide stood in the doorway smiling.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" He announced. "Please welcome our very important and special guests, the heroes we are about to honour for bravely fighting and destroying the evil Eggman and his base, Sonic the Hedgehog and Douglas Thorndyke Smicktor!"
"SONIC!" Sally screamed, running past Jerome, knocking him over, and violently tackling the blue hedgehog as he walked through the door alongside Douglas.
"...Yo Sonic, you're getting your ass kicked by a girl." Douglas helpfully pointed out as Sonic struggled against the ground squirrel who was attempting to strangle him.
"MON PRINCESS!" Antoine said in alarm, running over to help his fellow Freedom Fighters to pull Sally off of the hedgehog , while at the same time Sonic's friends were holding back Sonic from attacking her.
"...Uh..." Douglas was clearly perplexed, as were the members of press who weren't sure if they should be reporting on this or not.
"SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLAN!" The President's Aide shouted, quickly pushing the press out into a side room. "We'll let you know when they're ready for the photographs thank you for your co-operation!"
He quickly slammed the door shut, before glaring at the two groups of furries (and humans). "CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT?"
Jerome suddenly found a glass of wine being thrown over his face.
"Chill out." Douglas said, putting down the glass. "Jeez, you'd think this guy was a big shot around here." He added, pointing at Jerome.
"Perhaps... Perhaps our guests need some time to settle in..." Christina Cooper said, trying to find something that would break the tension.
The President nodded. "I agree. Give them a couple of minutes, and we'll all assemble in my office." He said, before looking at Jerome. "You can stay and take care of the guests here and the press. This was your idea after all."
"Yes sir..." Jerome said through gritted teeth, watching The President walk away. "I'll take care of this all right..."
Five minutes later, and the President's room was so full of tension that it would be hard for even the sharpest knives to cut through.
The President sat at his desk, with Christina Cooper, Topaz, and his bodyguards beside him.
On the left side of the room were Ella, Mr. Tanaka, Chuck, Knuckles, Tails, Sonia, Manic, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Sonic and Douglas.
On the Right side of the room were the Freedom Fighters. He did not know who they all were, but there were quite a few of them, including the angry looking ground squirrel, a part-robotic rabbit, a royally dressed coyote, and a walrus wearing a yellow baseball cap.
Also in the room were Fang, Rouge, and Mr. Stuart.
"...Forgive me if my Aide was not entirely helpful..." The President said, noticing that Sonic and Sally were staring daggers into each other. "But I do express my deepest thanks for ridding us of that evil Eggman."
"Hey, it was no problem!" Douglas said, a little confused as he'd never seen Sonic like this before. "But Sonic and me can't take all the credit, can we? Sonic?"
Sonic didn't respond, so Douglas punched him in the arm.
"Ow!" Sonic glared at him. "What was that for?"
"You weren't listening!"
"He never did." Sally stated flatly
"Yo, who are you guys anyway?" Douglas looked over all the Freedom Fighters.
"Yes, I was wondering about that..." The President caught everyone's attention. "I know of some of you, others I am just seeing for the first time..."
"What the President means..." Christina quickly interjected. "If would all be so kind as to introduce yourselves, so that we all get to know each other. Just a brief background, so we can better understand you all."
Fang smirked. "What, you want a lesson in Mobian History?"
"Oh man, I hate history!" Manic complained.
"You hated learning!" Sonia stated. "You hardly did any."
"Now let's all calm down..." Chuck said as he stood up. "Since we're all going to introduce ourselves, I'll start.
My name is Chuck Thorndyke, father of Nelson Thorndyke, the C.E.O. of the Starship Soft Computer Company. Retired professor, inventor, and occasional thrill-seeker."
Douglas laughed a little at the last item on the list.
"I live at the Thorndyke residence mainly to try and keep and eye on Douglas..." He shot a knowing look to the purple-haired human, who put his hands together and looked up to the roof, faking innocence. "And spend most of my time up in my lab if I'm not being interrupted."
"A pretty active life for someone your age if I may say so." Christina said. "Anyone else would have avoided this like the plague."
"I couldn't not avoid it." Chuck smirked. "I literally walked into the living room to find Sonic and Douglas watching the TV news about 'the mysterious blue hedgehog'."
"Then he attacked Sonic with a screwdriver thinking he was a robot." Douglas added.
"I see..." The President said, completely not understanding at all.
"I am Mr. Tanaka." The butler suddenly stepped into the middle of the room, just as Chuck was about to say something else. "I have served the Thorndyke family for many years as butler, chauffeur, and general..."
"Oh hello Mr. President!" Ella barged past him, knocking him over and excitedly shaking The President's hand. "Oh it's such an honour to meet someone like you!"
"...And you are?" He asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer or not.
"I'm Ella! I'm the maid for the Thorndykes, and believe me, they need one! Mr. Thorndyke is so untidy sometimes, and Mrs. Thorndyke isn't the greatest cook ever..."
"Thank you, thank you..." The President waved a hand as Mr. Tanaka had to practically drag Ella away. "Not that I mean any offence, but I would like to know more about Sonic and his friends..." He looked at the Freedom Fighters. "Or even non-friends it seems."
"What's there to know?" Sonic shrugged. "My name is Sonic the Hedgehog..."
"Prince Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonia stated.
"What?" Douglas questioned. "What's this about Princes?"
"This here..." Sonia tapped Sonic on the head, who had suddenly become very uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Is Prince Olgilvie Maurice the Hedgehog, the next in the line to the throne of the Royal Family of Hedgehogs."
"...A Prince?" The President, like all the other humans in the room, were gob smacked.
"Oh yeah, blue bro here's supposed to be wearing a crown on his noggin!" Manic stated, tapping a drumstick on Sonic's head.
"Dude!" Douglas exclaimed. "You're a prince?"
"We all are." Sonia pointed to herself and to Manic. "All part of the Royal Family."
"See? Not even people on other planets can believe it." Sally stated.
"Hmph, perhaps it would be better to explain the war first of all..." Knuckles stated, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall.
"The war?" The President asked.
"The Great Mobian War of Independence." Sally stated, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small computer.
She opened it up, pushed a button, and put it down on the table in front of her.
"Nicole, bring up the files on The Great Mobian War of Independence."
"Processing..." The voice of the computer said. "Files accessed. Shall I play them?"
"Yes."
The planet Mobius was once a very peaceful place, where everyone lived in peace and harmony.
In that time, there were many different countries and regions, known as Zones. Either the Royal Family of Hedgehogs, or the Royal Family of Acorn ruled over these Zones either. The castles of their families both resided in South Island.
These two families were dedicated over generations to their own people, not to increasing land or stature. They lived peacefully, often helping each other in times of need.
But a tragedy happened.
One day, a bright light was seen by guards outside of Mobotropolis, the capital and home of the Royal Family of Acorn. Upon investigating it, they found 2 strange men, both dazed and confused, at the side of a river. They were unlike anyone on Mobius, as they were not animals. They were both human, or as some called them - Overlanders.
The first man was rather short, almost similar in height to many average Mobians, and went by the name of Colin Robotnik. He was the nephew of the second man, who was far taller and fatter, and went by the name of Julian Robotnik.
It was quite obvious they were from another world, and seemingly they had spent some time in the legendary, and strange, Special Stage. The effect of the time spent there was devastating to their bodies. Colin lost his hair, and he had shrunk height wise. Julian was even worse, almost losing his sight, and found that his limbs were vastly weakened.
The King of the Acorn Family allowed the two men to stay in Mobotropolis after discovering that not only did they both have a passion for technology, but they were in awe of what they called 'far-superior' technology that Mobius had.
The King was further impressed when the Robotniks were able to replace Julian's weakened body parts with robotic arms, legs, and 'sensor' like eyes. Perhaps they could use this technology to help those in need. They agreed, in return for being allowed additional time on their own to create a gateway that would allow them to return to their own world.
But that was not their only motive.
The time spent in the Special Stage had effected their minds, and over time they began to resent their hosts, blaming them for what had happened to their bodies. Julian decided that he was far superior to anyone else on the planet, and that a change was needed.
King Acorn believed that the Robotniks were only creating a gateway in their private lab just a few miles away from Mobotropolis. That was not true.
On that tragic day, the day now known as 'The Fall of Mobotropolis', a giant airship simply called 'The Destroyer' launched from the lab, launching an attack on the Acorn castle. Robotnik, with a robotic army of SWATbots, seized control of the city in a swift and brutal attack that completely levelled the whole city.
During the chaos, the Royal Family escaped. It is believed that King Acorn and his closest advisors took refuse in the Special Stage, a place where Robotnik would not venture.
Robotnik hated the Special Stage so much he referred to it as 'The Void'.
But some of the youngest members of the family, King Acorn's daughter, son, and some of the nannies and carers escaped deep into the Great Forest, an area so dense that no radar could read any signs of life in it.
In that Forest, those who had escaped built a village known as Knothole, and vowed to one day avenge what had happened on that day.
They called themselves The Freedom Fighters.
Doctor Julian Robotnik constructed a new city over the ruins of Mobotropolis. A vast city of factories, warehouses, smog and pollution. He named it Robotropolis.
But he was not done. Leaving Colin, who he now called Snively, to see to business in Robotropolis, he took the Destroyer to the Castle of the Family of Hedgehogs, only to find it deserted. News had spread, and the family had already fled the castle.
Robotnik crushed the castle, then declaring himself supreme ruler and King of all of Mobius, and naming Robotropolis as the planet's capital.
There were many rebellions against Robotnik in the weeks just after his seizing control, lead mostly by Sir Charles 'Chuck' Hedgehog of the Royal Family of Hedgehogs.
But he was captured, and became the first victim to Robotnik's cruellest weapon.
The Roboticizer.
It completely transformed its victim from living breathing flesh and bones, into cold mindless machinery. Showcasing the Roboticized Chuck to the world, the rebellions stopped in a heartbeat, and remained like that for many years.
"...My goodness." The President said. "Robotnik."
"Not to be confused with Eggman." Fang said, walking over and kneeling down to look at the hologram of Robotropolis Nicole was projecting. "Julian Robotnik is Eggman's father, believe it or not."
"That's right." Sally said, leaning back into the sofa. "Eggman, aka Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Compared to the Robotnik that was dictator of Mobius, Eggman is somewhat of a joke."
"How many years ago was this?" Douglas asked.
"It only ended about two years ago..." Sally said. "It feels much longer. The war lasted for about 10 years, were all just children when it first started."
"So we spent our teenage years fighting a war just so we could have a future." A black cat in a Green Beret said.
"Ouch." Douglas stated. "So you were all in this village?"
"Not all of us." The walrus in the yellow cap said. "There were a few of us to start with, but as Robotnik captured more and more families, the survivors found their way to Knothole."
"Call it a mutual bond of suffering." Sally said.
"The floor's yours." Douglas offered, making a motion with his arm. "Let's hear your stories."
"Princess Sally Alicia Acorn." Sally stood up. "Now next in line to the throne of the Royal Family of Acorn. I was aided to safety, along with my brother Elias, Antoine and all the rest of us during The Fall by some of the few remaining royal followers. I pretty much stayed in Knothole until I learned the skills necessary to fight against Robotnik, then I took my place as leader of the Freedom Fighters."
From the way Sally spoke, it was obvious royal duty meant a great deal to her, which is respectable since she is a Princess by birth. But the way she and Sonic were interacting and looking at each other made it a little hard to openly accept her. For Sonic to be like this must have meant something pretty serious between the two of them.
"Not exactly Princess material..." Rouge stated, looking over the ground squirrel.
"I couldn't exactly carry out any royal duties without a kingdom." Was her reply. "Fighting Robotnik was the only way undo his terrible deeds."
"You mentioned your brother..." Christina started to say.
"King Elias Acorn." Antoine stood up, proudly saluting. "Since the King has not returned from le Special Stage, he has assumed his rightful duties as King Acorn."
"He escaped along with me." Sally began again, as Antoine sat down again, not noticing the strange looks he was getting (or perhaps ignoring them). "Although quite a fighter, he never really seemed to grasp the leadership needed for this kind of fighting, so he let me take control. I had no problems in letting him take the crown..." She looked at Sonic. "Although I was offered a chance to become Queen..."
"I see. Antoine, is it?" The President looked at the coyote.
"Ah, oui monsieur?" Antoine stood up. "Antoine D'Coolette, loyal member of ze Royal Guard of ze Royal Family of Acorn."
'There is no hope.' The President thought. 'The French exist on other planets as well.'
"My duty is to protect ze Royal Family at any cost to life and limb!"
The Freedom Fighters, and Sonic's friends, were either shaking their heads or rolling their eyes at Antoine. It was obvious what they thought of him, and what to expect of him. And it didn't seem highly for either.
Sonic laughed at that comment.
"Excusing me, what is the laughing for?" Antoine demanded.
"You forgot the part about being a serial coward." The blue hedgehog said.
"And the ego." Manic added.
"Don't forget about how clumsy he can be." The walrus pointed out.
"Rotor! Who's side are you being on?" The traitor on his side shocked the coyote.
"It's the truth!" Rotor shrugged his shoulders.
"He means well..." Sally sighed, easing the clearly peeved coyote back to sit down. "Most of the time."
"Well, since I seem to have caught the ball..." Rotor smiled as he stood up, adjusting his cap. "I'm Rotor, but my friends call me Boomer. Long story, not really interesting. I lived in the city and got taken to Knothole during The Fall. I guess I've known these guys..." He motioned to the freedom fighters on the sofa and behind it. "Since I was a kid, or since being in Knothole, or maybe even both!"
As soon as Rotor stood up, smiles (even just small ones) appeared on most of the furries' faces. Rotor had the kind of carefree, easygoing attitude that you couldn't hate. He didn't have any grudges or problems with anyone, and was always willing to give an open ear to any problems or just a shoulder to cry on. Many considered him to be an unsung hero, as he preferred working in the background rather than in the limelight.
"Rotor was in charge of creating tools and machines to use in the war." Sally said. "If he wasn't making something, he was fixing something."
"I just liked it as a hobby before The Fall..." Rotor shrugged. "I was happy it could be useful."
"A passion for inventing, eh?" Chuck rubbed his chin.
"Yeah, you could say that." He smiled again, before sitting down.
"Well, mah story is a lil' different, as you can tell..." Bunnie Rabbot tapped her metal arm with her real arm. "I didn't know any of these guys until after The Fall. Robotnik came through our town and wrecked everythang. I was darn scared I didn't know what to do, then I wound up in Knothole and met old Sally-girl here."
Bunnie was always known for two things: Her tremendous strength (both physical and inner), and her Southern drawl. It was quite a while before she came to Knothole, and soon became an inseparable part of the Freedom Fighters, as well as best friend to Sally.
"And before you start wonderin', these old things..." Bunnie motioned to her robotic legs and arm. "Were Robotnik's handy work."
"Whoa, what?" Douglas was taken aback.
"The Roboticizer." Rotor stated.
"I was lucky Suga-Hog saved me before that darn machine turned me into Robo-Rabbot." Bunnie added.
"That's pretty messed up." Douglas stated. "I mean, I thought it looked cool that you got those, but not if they were forced on you."
"Aww, that's sweet of you honey!" Bunnie almost blushed. "I must say, you are the nicest overlander I've ever met!"
"You guys are the ONLY others we've met!" Rotor stated.
"That's quite interesting then..." Chuck said thoughtfully. "If that Robotnik was a human, an overlander as you say, then how did he get from our world to yours?"
"You think Robotnik was from here?" Topaz questioned.
"It's just a thought, as crazy as it may sound, but I don't know of where else humans might come from."
"No, you're right." The President agreed. "That does sound interesting. For some reason, I'm sure I've heard the name Robotnik before..."
"Excuse me for asking..." Christina said. "But what happened to you Sonic, and your family?"
"Do you wanna tell the story Sis?" Sonic looked over to Sonia.
"Gladly..."
The news came of The Fall of Mobotropolis, and sent the House of Hedgehog into a panic. It would not be long before they were the next targets. Taking advice for her most trusted advisor, known as The Oracle of Delphius, Queen Aleena Hedgehog - head of the Royal Family of Acorn - fled the castle with her 3 children.
She put each of the children into the care of three very different types of people, praying that one-day they would meet each other and bring peace once more to Mobius.
She also left each child with a special medallion, full of legendary magic that only those born from the Family Hedgehog could use.
The first child, the only daughter, Sonia. She was left in the care of an aristocratic family, and developed refined intelligence, calm, and sophisticated ways. She also became expert at the piano.
The second child, Manic. Raised by a street gang of thieves, he himself became a master thief. His skills allowed him to easily slip in and out of buildings, spot and use hiding places, and fight.
The third child, Sonic. It didn't matter that the family he was raised by were simple farmers, his skills were already apparent. His speed, athletic ability and adventurous attitude could not be tamed.
It was clear then that Sonic could not be held back, and so when he was told the truth that the farmers were not his real parents, he set off on a quest to find them.
The would all meet up in the city of Mobodoon. Sonic, just walking down the street, spied a pickpocket attempting to steal from a fancy looking lady. Rushing up to stop him, the three hedgehogs locked eyes with each other, and for the first time the medallions around their necks glowed as their power was finally unlocked.
Tragically, Robotnik's forces invaded the city due to failure to pay a triple tax increase, and the three were forced to flee to an underground home Manic set up when the gang that raised him were captured.
All through the night, the three children bonded with each other, sharing stories about what they'd learned and what they should become. They also experienced for the first time the power of their medallions.
Sonic was given the power of a guitar, which from one mighty rift could produce an energy blast capable of tearing through the hardest of armour.
Sonia was given the power of a keyboard, a combination of keys could produces laser blasts to pick off targets even at a distance.
Manic was given the power of drums, which could create miniature earthquakes and rifts in the ground.
Together they decided to travel under the disguise of an rock group trying to make it big, in hopes of actually finding their real parents.
On that day, the Sonic Underground was born.
"At least, it started off that way." Manic added. "We were just three kids looking for our mom, playing some kick-ass music on the side. We didn't really know much about the war with the Freedom Fighters and that until we checked out Robotropolis."
"You were oblivious to a war?" The President asked.
"We were so focused on finding our mother that we pretty much ignored everything else that was going on."
"That was..." Sonic said, looking directly at Bunnie. "Until we saw first hand what Robotnik was up to..."
"Uh, Manic?" Sonic had a confused look on his face as he pushed the manhole cover away and climbed out of the hole. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"The map says so!" Manic said, also climbing out of the hole, pointing to the map he was holding.
"...Manic, you're holding it upside down." Sonic sighed, looking on the map.
"Are you serious?" Sonia climbed out, and grabbed the green hedgehog by his jacket. "Manic! We could be anywhere now!"
"Shh!" Sonic said, grabbing his siblings and pulling them into a dark corner. "I hear somethin' coming."
Moments later, a patrol of four SWATbots walked by, not noticing the hedgehogs.
"SWATbots." Sonia whispered. "I've heard about them. They're Robotnik's means of keeping law and order, and they're not too friendly either."
"Hey, what's this?" Manic said, wiping some dust off a crate beside then. "Look at this: 'Blaster Parts; Destination: Roboticizer Centre 4'."
"Roboticizer? What's that?" Sonic questioned.
"Beats me Bro." The green hedgehog shrugged.
"Well, I don't think there's going to be much of interest around here..." Sonia started to say, before a scream caused all three hedgehog to look around them.
"HELP!" The strong southern accent called out. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"Someone's in trouble!" Sonic said, preparing to run off.
"Big deal!" Manic grabbed his brother's arm. "We've got our own problems!"
"Manic's got a point, we don't want to get blacklisted by Robotnik..." Sonia said.
"PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!" The voice called again.
"Sorry guys..." Sonic pushed the green hedgehog away. "It's juice and jam time!"
Before the others could protest anymore, Sonic took off quickly down the corridor, following the screams for help.
Flip Card 1 - Sally
Full Real Name: Princess Sally Alicia Acorn
Nickname(s): Sally-girl, Sal
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Likes: Honour, tradition, family and friends
Dislikes: Robotniks, breaking of tradition
Identifying features: A brown ground-squirrel, with reddish hair of medium length. Wears a blue jacket and blue boots, often carries a small computer called Nicole
Flip Card 2 - Antoine
Full Real Name: Antoine D'Coolette
Nickname(s): Ant
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Likes: Tradition, Royal duties, fine cuisine and cooking
Dislikes: Danger, violence, anything even potentially painful, the misuse of margarine and butter
Identifying features: Coyote who dresses in royal attire, carries a sword. Has a strong French accent, and a slightly over-combed haircut.
Part 2
"So..." Robotnik sneered, rubbing his metallic hands together. "This pathetic little creature is one of these bothersome 'Freedom Fighters'?"
"It seems so Sir." Snively said, pressing some buttons on the control panel in front of him.
"For the damage these Freedom Fighters have done to my factories and operations, I was expecting something far more... Impressive."
Robotnik was clearly not thinking highly of the frightened rabbit in a purple leotard and pants, being held up by her arms by two SWATbots.
"She was captured outside sector 08/26-1991 JPN." Snively said, checking a panel reading. "It seems the Freedom Fighters were having fun with explosives and the communications tower."
Robotnik frowned, looking down at the rabbit. "How annoying, that will take some time to repair... But since she is with the Freedom Fighters, she must be made an example of. Prepare the Roboticizer." He said, waving a hand and walking away.
"No! NO!" Bunnie screamed as the two machines began taking her towards the large Roboticizer machine.
"She may have some useful information." Robotnik added, his red sensor eyes glowing a little as he entered the lift. "If not, just assign her like the others."
"Of course Sir." Snively said, watching the doors close. "My royal fatness." He added under his breath.
As much as he hated taking orders from his own uncle, he hated the Freedom Fighters more. At least for the time being. Besides, it would only be a matter of time before he took control for himself.
"Scream all you want rabbit." Snively said, tapping a few buttons as the two SWATbots forced Bunnie into the chamber of the Roboticizer. "Your friends aren't going to save you now."
The chamber sealed shut, and the machine began humming into life. Bunnie began hammering onto the glass with her fists, screaming out for help. But the thick glass muted her cries.
"A sad sight indeed." Snively said, pulling the main switch.
Electricity flashed inside the chamber, the Roboticization process beginning. Snively shook his head again, a part of him wondered when it would all end.
A loud rock guitar rift made him look up, and he saw an energy blast crash into the Roboticizer chamber.
"What?" He questioned, before a blue blur suddenly rushed past, into the smoke where the chamber was, and then back out again.
"...This is not good."
"This is not good." Sonia said, sitting next to Manic in the Sonic Underground van. "Who knows what Sonic's up to..."
"Maybe Sis, but blue bro can take care of himself..."
The door of the van suddenly opened and closed. The two hedgehogs turned around to see Sonic standing, holding a rabbit with metallic legs and one metallic arm, who was crying into his shoulder with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Oh my gosh!" Sonia gasped. "What on Mobius happened?"
"Ro... Robotnik..." Bunnie said in between sobs.
"That's when we first hooked our groups together." Manic said.
"We took Bunnie to her home in Knothole, and having seen what Robotnik had been doing..." Sonia started to explain.
"There was no way I was letting him get away with it." Sonic spoke up.
"It wasn't all bad..." Bunnie sighed. "Ah used the strength of these things against them SWATbots."
"And rip open the odd door or ten." Rotor added.
"So you guys all teamed up to take on Robotnik?" Douglas asked.
"Pretty much anyone who wound up in Knothole joined the Freedom Fighters." Rotor said. "Everyone had a skill to lend in the fight against him."
"Not everyone." Tails mumbled under his breath.
"Not everyone." Amy said, not picking up what the kitsune had said. "I was only little when I arrived in Knothole..."
"How can we forget!" Rotor smiled. "Back then you were a little girl in an orange skirt and green top with a loud voice!"
Amy blushed, clearly embarrassed.
"The only change is her dress sense then." Chuck joked.
"HEY!" Amy exclaimed.
"Yes..." Sally sighed. "Amy was far too young and inexperienced to go out as a Freedom Fighter."
"How about you Tails?" Chuck asked. "How did you end up in this war business?"
"I was saved by Sonic!" Tails said. "Literally. I was running from a group of SWATbots when I ended up stuck in quicksand. I was lucky that Sonic was around to pull me out!"
"When I saw his twin tails, I thought he had a brother stuck in the pit as well!" Sonic smiled as he remembered. "Ever since then, we've been best buds!"
"Now that is certainly one heck of a story..." The President said.
"You don't know the half of it." Fang said, catching everyone's attention.
"When the Underground joined forces with the Freedom Fighters, Robotnik's dominance in the war started falling." He continued. "Sonic and Sally led the charge against the overlanders, hitting SWATbot factories, prisons, all that kinds of stuff. With every attack that went by, Robotnik lost more and more of his mind. He started destroying his own robots who'd failed him, even started hirin' bounty hunters to try and take out the Freedom Fighters.
He needed someone to get him the Chaos Emeralds, and I just happened to fit the bill."
"You betrayed your own people for money?" Christina was shocked.
"Money, guaranteed safety, not having to live in back alleys... Was a pretty good deal. Robotnik even let me have ownership of the Oil Ocean factory."
"Oil Ocean?" The president asked.
"Robotnik was obsessed, and I mean seriously obsessed with pollution. Had some kind love for destroying landscape and plants and stuff with smog, oil, anything damaging. Set up a whole Chemical Plant dedicated to pollution."
"Forgive me for asking, but..." The President said. "Knuckles, how did..."
"My story?" The Guardian said.
"Alright. From as far back as I could remember, I was all alone on the Floating Island, with only the ancient stone tablets to give me hints to my past and my purpose. From what they said, I was the last surviving Echidna of my tribe, and therefore the Guardian of the Floating Island and the Master Emerald.
The Floating Island is both a mystery and a wonder in itself. I can't even tell you how, what or why it's like it is, all I know is that if the Master Emerald should leave the island, then the whole world is in grave danger. I wouldn't want to take a risk the tablets being false.
I got dragged into the war when Robotnik caught wind that the Island, specifically the alter that houses the Master Emerald, was once the resting place of all seven Chaos Emeralds."
"So he went up after them, and we all had to try and stop him." Sally stated.
"And true to form, Knucklehead got duped into helping Robotnik." Sonic said.
"...It was my first contact with the outside world." Knuckles grumbled. "I was young too..."
"You've always been gullible!" Sonic stated.
"Oh, and you're just the perfect hero as well." The echidna replied.
"Anyway..." Sally said. "Robotnik's trick worked, and he got a hold of the remaining Chaos Emeralds. That left only one option left - we had to attack before he could activate The Doomsday Project."
The Doomsday Project was to be Robotnik's most sinister and deadly creation. He wanted something capable of completely Roboticizing not only large numbers of Mobians at one time, but also turning landscape into large industrial areas at the same time.
To achieve something of this magnitude, Robotnik would not only need to build a machine large enough to do such a task, but he would need vast source of energy to power it.
As fate would have it, a Chaos Emerald mysteriously found it's way into the hands of Robotnik. So a race began to collect all seven of the Chaos Emeralds before the other side did.
Despite their efforts, Robotnik won.
Arrogantly, Robotnik claimed that even though the Doomsday Project was not yet fully built, he had all the power he needed to defeat the Freedom Fighters.
His words would be put to the test when the Freedom Fighters mounted an all out assault against Robotropolis and Robotnik. They had no idea if Robotnik's words were to true or not, or how near to completion the Doomsday Project was if he was telling the truth. They had no choice but to act now before it was too late.
"All or nothing huh?" Douglas guessed.
"Exactly." Rotor answered. "It was crazy. There were so many explosions, robots, fighting going on, I almost lost track on what the plan was!"
"Ze greatest battle that has even been fought!" Antoine said.
"But you won, right?" Douglas asked again. "I mean, 'cuz you're all here..."
"Of course we won!" Manic said. "Kinda obvious I guess, but..."
"What exactly happened?" The President asked.
"That's the strange thing..." Sally said, adjusting her jacket. "Not even in our wildest dreams could we have guessed what was going to happen..."
"You know that feeling you get when everything seems to be going a little to well?" Rotor said. "Like, it's all a bit too easy?"
"The one where you start to think that you're walking into a trap?" Topaz guessed.
"That's the one. Only, the trap wasn't for us, it was for Robotnik!"
"What do you mean?" The President asked.
"Turns out Snively didn't exactly live up to his nickname after all." Sonia said. "Especially when we saw him blast a laser."
"It was so suddenly, so unexpected..." Sally said. "Just when it looked like we could actually lose, Snively just turned on him!"
"The weirdest thing was, he didn't even explain himself." Manic added. "The guy just turned, got in a fancy pod thing, and disappeared into the sky!"
"He was nice enough to start a self-destruct countdown for us though." Sonic said with a smirk. "Still a Robotnik after all."
"And I thought my life was messed up..." Douglas mumbled under his breath.
"Mr. President!" The President's Aide burst into the room, knocking over Mr. Stuart in the process. "The guests and the press are getting impatient!"
"Impatient? You haven't seen Sonic when Nicole's processing data." Rotor laughed.
"I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting!" Fang said, tapping his foot in an exaggerated manner.
"What? How hard is it to bring up a map, or some old files about coded messages?" The blue hedgehog tried to defend himself.
"I've come to a conclusion!" Douglas stood up.
"What?" Chuck asked.
"This is the second worst party I've ever been to. No beer, no music, I mean, seriously? What's going on here?"
"Second worst?" Rouge questioned. "How can this be any worse?"
"You never seen a toilet explode have you?"
"What about the photos?" The President's Aide was getting very worried.
"THERE ARE NO PHOTOS!" Rouge, Bunnie, Topaz and Mr. Stuart said in unison.
A very uncomfortable silence followed.
"...What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Douglas pointed at Mr. Stuart.
"UH, I, uh... The Government wanted to know about you! And since I'm your boss and everything, you know!" he quickly spat out an excuse.
"Miss Cooper, have we covered everything?" The President asked/
"Everything apart from the two robots and Dr. Eggman himself." Christina stated.
"Oh, you mean Scratch and Grounder?" Rotor smiled. "Trust me, I wouldn't worry about them too much."
The now abandoned Eggman Island lies silent, with only the ruins of Eggman's tower base serving as the reminder of the battle that had taken place hours ago.
That, and the two robots that were trying to pour the water out of various parts of their bodies.
"Quit complaining!" Scratch said, ringing the last drops of water from its tail feathers. "We got back here didn't we?"
"But did I really need to carry you all the way underwater?" Grounder said, reattaching his head to his body. "We could have found another boat..."
"It wasn't my fault that the boat was cursed! Besides, we have a huge problem..."
"Oh yeah..."
Both robots looked at the ruins of Eggman tower.
"This is bad, this is real real bad..." Grounder sighed.
"Yeah! This is going take hours to clean up!"
"I know, the Doctor's going to be super mad at us!"
"Initial reports did state that a toaster passing five safety tests in a row posed more of a threat than the two machines." Christina said.
"I don't recall permitting those robots to be released." The President seemed annoyed.
"THE PHOTOS!" Jerome screamed, almost in desperation.
Douglas stood up and threw a glass of water into his face, soaking him.
"Get lost." Douglas said. "And don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out."
"Well, it certainly seems we are all a little more acquainted than before hand." Chuck said. "Although I'm not quite sure what we accomplished today."
"Well it's clear that Chaos Control transported more people into this world." Knuckles stated.
"More then just that Red!" Bunnie said. "The whole Great Forest got shipped over here!"
"SAY WHAT?" Sonic and his friends said in shock.
"What!" Fang said smugly, trying to be funny, but only got smacked on the back on his head by Rouge.
"Well, quite a bit more than that." Christina stated. "I'll just bring up the map..."
The large TV screen on the wall showed an image of a large island with different terrains on it.
"South Island!" Sonic exclaimed, almost jumping out of his shoes.
"The whole of South Island." Sally stated. "Quite incredible, but we guessed it had something to do with the remains of Eggman's base we found."
"Man, it is all there..." Fang remarked. "Robotnik's old Chemical Plant, the Hill Top volcanoes, the Mystic Caves..." He grinned. "And my Oil Ocean. Fantastic."
"An Oil Ocean?" The President questioned.
"It's a long story, but I own all that oil, and all the oil that place produces. Useless stuff on Mobius though, all it does is pollutes."
"Incredible..." Chuck remarked. "A portion of another world, right in ours!"
"I knew Chaos Control was powerful, but to actually move a whole island..." Knuckles was clearly disturbed by the fact.
"Ya'all think you were freaked?" Bunnie laughed. "We spent a few weeks tryin' to get everyone back together!"
"That happened to you guys to?" Tails asked. "We got split up as well after the Chaos Control."
"Oh yeah." Rotor said. "I wound up on the beaches by Emerald Hill, and Sally had to trek back from the south side of the Mystic Caves."
"Must have been terrible for Ant." Sonic smirked.
"Ah was ze luckiest. Ah 'ad to hold up ze fort." Antoine said.
"What?" Douglas was confused by the bad use of words.
"He was the only one still left in Knothole." Sally explained. "Found him hiding in his bed when we eventually got back."
"Chuck..." Tails whispered.
"Hmm?"
"I think I know why we can't find any of the Chaos Emeralds around here."
"You think that they might be in South Island?" He whispered back.
The kitsune nodded in reply.
"Tails hun', what 'cha whisperin' about there?" Bunnie said.
"Nothing Aunt Bunnie!" Tails said out of reflex, before cringing in embarrassment.
"The hell Tails?" Douglas said. "No offence to you guys, but your planet is seriously screwed up if a fox is related to a rabbit!"
"Excuse me?" Sally was clearly offended, a look of annoyance on her as she stood up. "I happened to be Tails' Aunt Sally, for your information."
"Hey 'Aunt Sally', Tails ain't a kid if you haven't noticed." The human crossed his arms. "You watch this guy rebuild a 'plane into a transforming jet fighter, and you'll know he don't need anyone to hold his hand through a park."
"You rebuilt the Tornado?" Rotor said.
"Oh man, you should see it!" Manic said, jumping up onto the back of the sofa. "It's flying with style by the mile!"
"I might have known you'd be a bad influence." Sally rolled her eyes at Sonic.
"Say that again?" He challenged, standing up with a look of anger on his face.
"Easy Sonic!" Sonia tried to calm him, patting his shoulder to relax him back into his seat.
"Please, everyone." Christina said. "This isn't the time, nor the place for any kind of violence."
"Violence?" Antoine started looking frantically around him as if his life was in danger. "What is this about violence?"
"Hold on people!" Rotor said, standing up and putting his arms between Sally and Sonic. "The lady's right. You're setting a bad example in front of their leader."
"On the contrary." The president said, surprising everyone. "I find it quite refreshing to know that our cultures are actually quite similar. Personal problems, warfare, different walks of life... Makes us all seem quite normal in such abnormal circumstances.
I'm not sure if it was explained fully, but I would like to openly extend an invitation to you all, including to our new guests, for recognition to your hard work and success in the destruction of Eggman's base.
As President of this country, I hereby grant to Sonic, his family, and his friends, and also to the Freedom Fighters, the freedom of the whole country."
"Whoa!" Douglas was gob smacked.
"Are you sure Mr. President?" Chuck asked.
"Without a doubt." He said. "You all deserve it."
"But why do we need the freedom?" Manic shrugged. "We've already got our homes in South Island."
"Good point Suga'." Bunnie said. "The Acorn palace, the Hedgehog palace, an' good old Knothole Village is all there."
"NOT THAT we're ungrateful Mr. President!" Chuck quickly intervened. "It's truly an honour, but what we mean is that they'd first like to go to South Island to get rid off the home sickness they're having!"
"Now that sounds like a great idea!" Amy said. "There's no place like home after all!"
"Oh well, I suppose that IS an option..." Sonic said, waving his hand dramatically.
"It'll be just like old times!" Rotor said. "Everything's practically the same."
"Just the same..." Sally said sarcastically under her breath.
"Then it's settled." Chuck said with a smile. "We'll all pay a visit to South Island!"
"Sounds cool to me!" Douglas said. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"There has to be a better way than this!" Scratch said, trying in vain to lift a heavy section of metal off the sand.
"I can't think of anything else." Scratch said, brushing away the sand in front of him with a feather duster attachment from his arm. "Huh?"
The robot noticed a glint in the sand from the setting sun. Brushing away the area more, he revealed what looked to be like a metal floor.
"Scratch! I've found something!"
"What?" The chicken stormed over, clearly annoyed. "This better be importaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
As soon as both machines were on it, the floor opened up, sending both of them falling into the darkness below, before the floor sealed shut again.
Moments later, the sand around it mysteriously moved over it, hiding it again, and leaving the island disserted.
Next Episode Preview - Voice-Over by Douglas
"Damn, a Whole New World to explore! A guided tour of Mobotropolis, the royal palace of Acorn, Hedgehog, and finally Knothole Village! But we learn much more than just the places we visit. Turns out there's some dark secrets that both sides are trying to hide...
Next time one Sonic eXcluded: Welcome to Knothole! Don't miss it!"
