Sonic The Hedgehog (SatAM)
Sonic Illusions- A SatAM Story
The next arc is in full swing with Mystic Sonic, being the first in a new arc for this ongoing series. This story, the second in this arc, continues to dive into the barriers between magic and technology. As always, send me a PM or leave a review. I always try to respond to feedback.
Episode Recommendations: "Super Sonic" (Season 1), and "The Void" (Season 2)
Special Thanks to: wingwolffly ("Wild Fox") for being an amazing editor and helping to make my stories the best they can be!
And to the fans of these works and SatAM in general: Check out sea3on (google it), and support the efforts for a Season 3!
Prologue
"This is for the best. At least, for now..." Sally reluctantly stated, as the Freedom Stormer started its engines, with Rotor in the pilot's seat. Bunnie and Sonic sat in the back, with the former looking outwards toward the old mill where they got most of their electricity. They were leaving behind someone today.
"Nicole won't be joining us this time." A pit in her gut formed as she said those words. She was the chipmunk's constant and reliable companion throughout all their journeys so far. However, dealing with Lazaar could be disastrous depending on his mood. They left on good terms, but there was a great evil that needed to be cleansed from that computer. If he had failed...
"We can't risk her coming into contact until we know the spell computer is able to be interacted with safely..." The hedgehog huffed and pointed at the passenger seat.
"Then let's get out of here, already! The sooner we finish this mission, the sooner we can help Lupe and the rest of them!" Sally knew deep down that if Nicole saw them leaving, it would be all the more crushing. She also knew she was just trying to alleviate her own guilt as well...
"Yeah. Hurry up and hop in, Sally-girl!" Bunnie had always saw right through her, even from a young age. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting!
Chapter 1
Nicole shifted to her awake state as soon her internal alarm struck; timed exactly to meet up with the Freedom Fighters for their next mission! Watching the sun begin to rise in the sky, she stretched her gyros as she left Rotor's hydroelectric mill. Her green heart glowed brightly as she initiated her new dampeners, cloaking the light. All the better to sneak around. During my next mission~!
"Wow. You're in a good mood today, Nicole! You got that bounce in your step!"
"Oh!" She broke out of her trance to see Tails waving her down in mid-flight. "Hello there, young one! You're up early!" She nervously yelped, not expecting the kit to be awake at this time!
"Yeah, you too Nicole." He giggled as the brown lynx shifted around in place, avoiding his gaze.
"Well, you know that a rookie Freedom Fighter has to be the first to arrive and last to leave for an important mission. Isn't that right, Tails?" An awkward silence filled the air as the AI opened her eyes to see what was wrong.
His stunned expression caught her off guard and she walked over to him, waving her hand in front of the young fox's face. "Are you alright? You look like you have seen a spectral entity of some kind."
"Uh, Nicole. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but..."
"They WHAT...!?"
–
"You sure this is, okay Sal?" Sonic wondered, peering up at the passenger seat of the Stormer where the auburn-haired one sat. He could easily imagine her rolling her eyes at this point.
Sally pinched the bridge of her muzzle in response. "You agreed with me back when we're fighting Robotnik earlier. I believe your exact words were 'After this, she's taking a break from missions for a while.' Right...?"
The hedgehog shrugged and shook his head. "You got me dead to rights. I did say that—but you have to admit she kicked butt out there. I'm still jealous of that hoverboard trick!"
"Oh, that's what all this is about, sugar? Well, we'll have plenty of time to play around after everything is said and done." Bunnie rubbed his shoulder, trying to get the hedgehog's mind back on task. "She deserves some down time, even though she will hem and holler for a little while!"
"You know, Sonic." Their pilot finally piped in. "Nicole is something special. It took a lot to get her where she is today and we gotta take care of our own, even it means giving them a minute to catch their breath!"
"Okay, okay Rotor. Everyone. Thanks for the pep talk. Now, let's land this thing and get to the magic man already! Dive, dive...!" The walrus threw on his goggles and brought the plane down towards their destination: The Forbidden Zone.
Chapter 2
A curious fog rolled over the proceedings as the Stormer made its landing with little difficulty. The Forbidden Zone was a place given over completely to the desolation and pollution of Robotropolis, and yet an eerie quiet was all that remained of its proposed threat.
Bunnie accidentally took in a deep breath to sigh in relief, and choked on the putrid air. Letting out a whooping cough, she sputtered out sarcastically, "Ugh...all this fresh air is just too much to take in, y'all!"
"Okay Sonic. Pass the breathing masks. Didn't think this place could get any more dangerous than last time..." Sally ordered, covering her mouth with both hands. Before even a second had passed, the blue blur had them all protected. The chipmunk groaned under her mask. "You could warn me before you do that!"
Now properly kitted out for their journey, they proceeded inward as a metallic being watched from the shadows, red eyes glistening in the darkness...
–
"Oh, I wish I was there with them, right now!" Nicole sighed as she ran her robotic digits through the ring pool. "It was -my- idea in the first place!"
The artificial lynx could not believe that she was being left behind for possibly the first time since she had known the auburn-haired chipmunk. The feeling stung.
"I never even met that old guy..." She wasn't quite all there for the first time that her and Sally traveled to the Forbidden Zone. The whole impetus of the adventure was a malfunction on her part, needing rare microchips to get her back to full functionality.
A sudden realization hit her at that moment, "That's why they left me. They did not want me to get hurt!"
She stood up with a fierce determination. The lynx knew what she was capable of and more importantly, what her limits were. "Well, I will just have to show them how reliable I can be!"
A bright light soon overtook her sensors and she brought up a hand to shield her eyes! "Oh!" The sudden illumination left hazy afterimages behind, focusing into a large golden ring. Is this a vision, perhaps? No, it can't be.
Shaking her head, she indeed saw the source of power floating before her just above the lake. An idea began to form in her digital brain.
–
"Oh man. He forgot his power ring!?" The AI could see the cogs turning in the young boy's mind. Something about the desperate lynx's story had made complete sense. "They did leave pretty early..."
Nicole stood beside him with a concerned expression, turning momentarily to hide a devious grin. "Tails, I believe it's imperative that we correct this grievous error!"
The boy looked at her with head cocked, slightly confused by her vernacular. "We have to get that power ring back to Sonic, as soon as possible!"
"Oh... Got it, Nicole!" He peered over at the runway with a visible frown. "They took the Freedom Stormer though. It's a long way to Robotropolis..." As Tails grasped the sides of his head and racked his brain for a solution, the lynx offered just the right idea.
"Well, you still have that jet-pack. We just need fuel and some extra parts in case it need repairs." She pointed toward the large metallic building at the north end of the village. "We'll just have to raid...I mean borrow a few things from Rotor's workshop!"
She moved in closer as the plan began to come together, whispering, "Do not worry. It is for a good cause after all."
"Wow. How do you think up this stuff on the fly? You're so smart Nicole." She could see that Tails' confidence, both in her and the mission were beginning to grow.
"Well I was Sally's most trusted advisor for the longest. It is only natural!" She smiled charmingly as the two went off to prepare for their latest adventure! We'll show them! You and I are going to be a great team, Tails!
Chapter 3
A horrid swamp of boiling oil and unknown filth lay before the four Freedom Fighters, and numerous creaks and grinding noises sounded in the distance. The rancid smell of the lost area was mitigated by the masks they wore, but the foul air still made their eyes water. The blue one among their number tried to find any activity to distract himself from literally everything around him.
Let's see. A toothbrush, a piece of cloth... Oh, my little mirror! …Well, this is a little embarrassing. Sonic had stopped to thoroughly search his backpack only to find that something important was missing. "Uh, guys. I think I may have left somethin' back in Knothole."
"What? Your dignity?" Sally silently pumped her fist. He could tell she had been sitting on that quip for quite a while.
-Very- funny, Sal. I'm serious though, my power ring's missing!" He also wanted to tell her that early morning jogs wasn't his thing, but that would only mean more teasing from the chipmunk. The hedgehog did not have the patience for that right now and motioned the group onward.
"Well, we'll just have to be quick. If Lazaar is indeed still his cranky self, we don't want to risk-" As they crossed the bridge toward the last known location of the wizard's hidden den, a massive earthquake shook the region!
Sally nearly slipped into the horrid swamp, only to be caught by a metallic hand, followed by a clawed one! "Gotcha, Sally-girl!" Bunnie cried!
"Oh man! Sonic! Pay attention!" Rotor called out the distracted hedgehog, who had his eyes on something else entirely.
"No time! Hold on, everyone!" Summoning a deep well of strength, he forced the group into a makeshift conga line, and sped off as the massive house rose above their feet!
As soon as they came back to the foot of the bridge, he almost ran smack dab into the figure that followed them this entire time! "Whoa...!" Sonic corrected at the last second and leapt, using the inertia from the rest of the Freedom Fighters to carry him over the massive metallic creature. Coming to skid, the chipmunk, rabbot and walrus collapsed in a heap!
"Not -you- again!" The cloaked robot, looking like death itself, peered at them with glowing red eyes and a face contorted in seemingly permanent anger.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE? THIS PLACE ONLY BRINGS PAIN TO THE RIGHTEOUS." His grinding voice had a similar effect on the hedgehog's eardrums, as Sonic cupped his ears. Well that's all of my senses screwed up by this place! We'll make this quick!
"Guardian. We need to see Lazaar. Now." The skeletal being pointed toward the massive domicile which now took up most of the bridge.
"THEN GO, BUT CONSIDER THIS YOUR ONLY WARNING. YOU HAVE ALREADY PROVEN YOUR WORTH TO MY MASTER. THAT IS THE ONLY REASON YOU ARE ALLOWED ENTRY AT THIS TIME." A beam shot out of the Guardian's eyes meeting the entrance of Lazaar's Keep, as the front of it bent upwards to allow entry within.
"Thanks for the warm welcome." Sally replied sarcastically, as she dusted herself off and shook her arms vigorously trying to bring feeling back to her arms.
"Sorry for the rough landing, Sal." Sonic said as he shrugged with an apologetic grin.
"Don't worry, we're used to it sugar." Bunnie interjected as she heaved herself upwards with her metallic arm, using the other to help the roughed up walrus to his feet.
"Speak for yourself." Rotor groaned as he caught his breath.
"IF WE ARE FINISHED, THEN I WILL CONTINUE TO GUARD THE ENTRANCE FROM ANY OTHERS THAT WOULD FOLLOW. REMEMBER, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE'S THAT..." Before the Guardian could finish, a cloud of dust covered his sensors as his eyes pierced the fog. When it dissipated, nothing remained in its wake. The Freedom Fighters had already entered the keep.
"HOW RUDE."
–
"WOW! This is way past...!" Tails cheeks flapped in the wind as he held onto Nicole as she piloted her new vehicle of choice. The jet-pack was strapped to the base of the board, now formed into a solid sheet of metal with a grippy material on top. Metal clung to it as static kept them just above the ground, arcing off the back of it. They were quite the sight as they rocketed out the Great Forest towards the massive metropolis!
Perhaps too much so... "Uh...buzz-bombers! Incoming...!" Nicole turned to her companion, who was looking over his shoulder.
"That's all I need to know. Computing its speed and trajectory. Compensating." The robotic cadence of her voice was off-putting to the young fox, who stared at her with a uncomfortable worry. "It will not catch us! Hold on, Tails!"
Blasts from the bomber's tail struck the ground behind them, with none finding their mark as the AI predicted the robot's movements. Skidding and drifting throughout the plains, they soon left the badnik in the dust! "Nicole?"
"What is it Tails?" The artificial lynx replied somewhat coldly, catching the hesitance in his voice. Of course she did.
"Why are we really out here doing this? We could have told Lupe about it. You two could have went off to find them without me. I wouldn't have minded..." A hidden fear clawed at him, even though he had went off by himself in the past.
"Tails, I know you are tired of being left behind. There has to be..." They found themselves in Robotropolis soon enough, as the grassy fields quickly turned to metal streets. The lynx took the cue to end the conversation. "We'll talk later."
The young fox buried the thought, now concentrating on the mission. He fumbled with the power ring in his backpack, reminding himself of a task far more important than his feelings.
Chapter 4
Lazaar's Keep was falling apart from misuse, and the air was musty; comparable to a tomb. Bunnie shivered despite herself as Rotor pulled out a flashlight to pierce through the dark hallways. "I don't remembah this place being so...spooky."
"You barely remember this place, Bunnie. Lazaar had you under his spell for most of it! OW!" Sonic's ill-timed quip earned him a slap upside the head from his chipmunk companion.
"Sonic, I know this place makes you anxious. Don't take it out on us..." The hedgehog knew immediately that she was more intense than usual.
"Whoa Sal. You're definitely on edge. Take a few deep breaths, okay?" She stopped and turned to him with a searing glare.
"I have to be! He warned us that he would not return until all the evil contained within that computer was extinguished, but..." She paused for a moment, worriedly looking down at the ground. "What if something else happened to him?" She quietly gestured outwards at the atmosphere of the deathly silent home of the wizard. "We can't be too careful."
"Well we got Rotor with us this time! That computer's got no chance to hurt you guys. I promise." The walrus balked for a second, unsure whether to take the compliment or not.
Pointing firmly at the hedgehog, he replied to the assertion, "Wow. Lots of pressure there, Sonic. Be careful, I may blow a gasket!"
"Take it easy! What's the worst that could happen?"
Answering in unison, they shouted at Sonic, "Don't -say- that...!"
–
Arriving at the zone at last, Nicole noticed Tails pointing toward the Freedom Stormer. "Huh. Guess they parked here. Need something from here, Tails?"
"Yep! It's real important if we're set on doing this, Nicole." Bringing the hoverboard alongside the plane, she watched as the young fox rifled inside the cargo bay, unearthing a familiar pair of goggles!
"Oh! That's very smart of you. The atmosphere around here is..." She scanned around the area briefly and grimaced. "...not ideal."
A bit of fabric caught the boy's attention, wrenching it out from under the seat. "Well, looky here! Count on Sally to bring a few spares. She's almost too careful sometimes..." Tails said as he pulled out another mask which fit about his face loosely.
"That -is- adorable!" The lynx emotions flooded out suddenly against her will; he looked like a wide eyed baby mole.
"Cut it out, Nicole." The boy was not amused in the slightest, and began to walk off toward the entrance of the swamp. The artificial one moved to cut him off. "Hey! What's the hold up?"
The lynx hesitated before she spoke, and didn't meet the boy's gaze. "Tails. If you don't want to come with, I can take care of things from here. It might be best if you kept an eye on the Stormer in case we need to get out of here at an expedited pace."
The guilt had suddenly overcame her as she watched him waddle towards potential doom. It was her fault he got roped up in this. Maybe she could...
"No way. We already agreed that this was a big deal, right? Well, I'm coming with you, no matter what you say." The worry ebbed away as she gave him a comforting smile.
"Alright partner, let's do it to it then!" She replied as they shared a confident fist bump!
Just stick with me, Tails... I'll keep you safe.
–
"Oh my gosh... Look at that, Sonic!" Sally saw it immediately as they entered the room where the computer was stored. The device itself was cracked and some kind of mysterious energy seeped out of it, dissipating into the air. Next to it, was the great wizard Lazaar in his resting pod. Echoes of ragged breaths escaped the containment unit as a red light flashed above it.
Sonic raced over to the pod and looked for the control unit in desperation. "I don't think he's got much time left. We've gotta hurry and get him out of there!"
END OF ACT I