Disclaimer- I don't own the games or the show.

Sorry for the wait, but here's Just a Guy! Hope you enjoy!

First Sonic, now Metal. If the azure speedster wasn't the love of Amy's life, and if beheading Metal put them all at risk of being trapped in this cage of a house forever, she would've gone to town with her hammer.

She huffed, glaring at the rude robot. "I try to be nice and get to know you outside of your inferiority complex, but you suddenly decide to grow a mean sense of humor!" Before Metal could argue that he wasn't inferior in any shape or form, Amy rounded on Sonic, who was failing at stifling his chuckles. "And I know you're laughing at what he said! You're supposed to be mad at him!"

Sonic smiled sheepishly as he raised his hands. "Nah, I'm not mad at him! I just didn't like that-"

"You embarrassed yourself in the most entertaining way possible." Knuckles finished his sentence with a satisfied grin.

Sonic slumped in his plastic chair. "Not exactly how I would've worded it, Knux, but sure."

Tails eyed Metal, the robot rigid at the call-out of his most obvious trait. "But wait, I actually want you to answer Amy's question, Metal. What's your future with Eggman?"

Metal looked at him. "I have no future with that oversized rotten egg."

Eggman pinched the bridge of his nose. He might take a little vacation after they were let out of here to recover his sanity. "Did you have to?"

"Yes."

Amy stared at the blue mech in disbelief. "So you'd rather answer Tails than me? What did I even do?"

"Nothing," Metal answered. "I had calculated that avoiding your inquiry would result in you having a humorous response. You did. I would have laughed if I was alive."

There was a pregnant pause because apparently no one knew what to do with that information.

Amy's mind had to reboot before she could ask, "Can something be so innocent yet so annoying at the same time?"

"Tails is on less than five hours of sleep."

"What?" Tails' befuddled gaze landed on Sonic. "I'm not-"

"You do get a little cranky, bud."

Knuckles nodded. "I can vouch for that." He learned not to visit if Tails was in that state of mind because one wrong move, and someone's shoes would be superglued to the floor.

Eggman hummed in affirmation as well, and the kit's jaw dropped. "You think so too, Eggman?! But how-"

"You're more of a tactical risk taker when you're sleep deprived. It's aggravating." Eggman complained, crossing his arms. You'd think that taking away sleep would hinder the fox, but no, it simply increased his incentive to get the battle over with. "There's a reason most of my attacks are done during the day."

"Huh." Sonic smirked at the frowning doctor. "You learn new things every day! Hey Tails, why don't we try-"

Shadow knew where his train of thought was going and shut it down immediately. The kit didn't deserve what he was going through. "Don't. It's hell."

"Yeah…" Tails cherished sleep too much to voluntarily give it up. Plus, the risk of emotional instability was higher than what he would like. "I'll take Shadow's word for it."

Amy nodded while she twirled the TV remote between her fingers. "He does have the experience, and I do too! Being in his body was rough-"

"On that note, you should play the damn show," Shadow nearly growled. He didn't want to be reminded of the worst fifteen minutes of his life.

Amy did without argument because she knew where he was coming from. She probably shouldn't remind everyone that she nearly soiled a couch.

The scene started out in Tails' workshop.

"Wait." Knuckles looked around. "Did anyone catch the title?" Hopefully it had nothing to do with his twin having any sort of government power, or being put in any position of authority.

"I think this episode is called 'Just a guy'," Tails provided after a moment of thought.

The echidna sighed. "It tells us exactly nothing. Great."

Sonic snickered. "Cheer up, Knux! The thing wouldn't put two episodes in a row that-"

"It absolutely would."

The kit was tinkering with a tool until the radar beside him began to blare. Startled, Tails looked at the screen, seeing that a red arrow was approaching.

Eggman wasn't going to pretend to be surprised. "I wonder what robot will be thrown into the nearest dump this time."

"Keep that thought in mind whenever you decide attack us, Eggy." Sonic's smug aura was palpable.

The human's mustache flared, but he took a deep breath to keep his blood pressure down. "How many times do tell you that I'm nothing like my double!"

Sonic waved him off. "It doesn't matter if you're the same or not. Even if you're better, us heroes are a hundred times more experienced than our twins. Haven't you been in enough battles to realize you're always on the losing side?"

Eggman glared. "One day, hedgehog, I'm going to catch you at your lowest, when you're least suspecting, and-"

"You guys hear somethin'?" Sonic cut him off with a question, relaxing in his seat.

Most of the Mobians shook their heads.

"I might have." Shadow drawled. "It sounded suspiciously like never-ending sorrow and defeat."

Hatred flowed through Eggman's veins like wildfire, but all he could do his tightly fist the over-sized tent he had for a shirt.

"An incoming Eggman attack!" Determination shined in his eyes. "Better get the gang together." Tails pressed buttons on his communicator. "United Village Defenders of the Village, unite!"

Amy slowly blinked. "Now that's a mouthful if I've ever heard one."

A crease formed in Tails' brow. "He really didn't need to say village twice…or at all. What happened to just Team Sonic?"

"Maybe they talked Sonic into changing the name?" Amy guessed.

"Pfft." Sonic scoffed. He wouldn't switch out Team Sonic for fifty chili dogs. Or maybe twenty-five. With fifty, he might think about it. "They definitely didn't talk him into changing it, especially to something like that."

The screen split, showing Amy. "On my way!"

Sticks appeared too. "Let's move!"

Sonic was smirking. "I'm on it!"

Lastly, Knuckles was shown, but he didn't look too enthused. "Eh…it's not really a good time for me. I kinda have plans."

Knuckles felt the exasperation creeping up on him, but he squashed it for now. "To give him an ounce of credit, they don't even need him for the fight. It'd be overkill."

Sonic understood his logic, but, "Yeah probably, but fighting as a team boosts morale! It makes the certain victory even better when everyone's there to kick Eggface's butt!"

"Sonic, your positivity is too bright. Tone that down."

Tails frowned in confusion. "Wait, what?"

"Seriously, Knuckles?" Sonic asked in exasperation before sprinting to where the echidna was. He ran up to Knuckles' table at Meh Burger. "What do you mean you have other plans?"

Amy groaned. "Am I seriously going to have to accept that Meh Burger is like the go-to place in the village?"

"Makes me wonder why no other restaurant has set up camp." Tails pondered, tapping his chin. "They'd steal all of Meh Burger's business."

"Unless it's something like Meh Pizza," Amy said and instantly regretted. She and the kit instantly shuddered at its implication, both imagining the pickles and the peanut butter and- "Forget I said anything."

"Gladly," Tails whimpered.

Knuckles gestured across the table. "I was gonna catch a movie with Mike."

Mike, an ox, raised a hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Mike!"

"Oh, look! He's making friends!" Sonic sent a teasing look Knuckles' way. "Well, I guess he is better than you at something, huh?"

The echidna scowled at him. "I have plenty of friends!"

"Uh huh. Name some that aren't in this room."

Knuckles smirked. "The Chaotix."

"Keep going."

"Mighty."

"I lump him with the Chaotix, but alright."

"Tikal."

"Eh."

"Eh? What do you mean eh?"

"Just keep going."

The smirk marginally waned. "Blaze."

Sonic's grin split his face in half. "Are you friends with her, or just acquainted?"

Knuckles didn't bother to answer. "Silver."

"Same with him."

It was then that the echidna hesitated, and Sonic smiled like he was a cat that had caught the canary. He motioned 'go on', and Knuckles squared his shoulders. "Rouge."

Sonic was having too much fun with this. "Just friends? Could've fooled me."

The guardian's eye twitched. "What are you talking about? We are!" Knuckles ground out. "Hell, we're barely friends!"

"No one should get so flustered telling the truth," Metal butted in.

Knuckles whirled on him. "Stay out of our conversation!"

"It is hard to when you are yelling."

Sonic barked out a laugh. Time to tame the bull before he broke too much china. "Calm down, Knux! I was just teasing ya. You're better at making friends than your double, happy now?"

Knuckles grumbled as he pointedly ignored the blue hero.

Tails cocked his head. "Is that a yes?"

Sonic liked his hands behind his head. "As close as we're gonna get!"

Sonic reluctantly waved at the new face. "Uh, yeah, hi." He turned back to Knuckles, insisting, "Seriously though, we gotta get moving. Eggman's attacking."

The echidna groaned. "But today is the last day of Jungle Fighter 3: Revenge of the Jungle Fighter!"

"Okay, but seriously, let him skip this fight," Amy said. This was almost as bad as the other Tails missing the pie festival. "I'm sure they'll have a hundred more Eggman fights!"

"Jungle Fighter can wait," Mike advised. "It is important to battle Eggman."

"I'm assuming that this character is 'just a guy'. They wouldn't waste their time introducing him otherwise." Shadow put together. This new person seemed to have a higher IQ than his company. "This episode might not be an absolute train wreck like the last one."

Sonic perked up and addressed Knuckles, "Great! See?" He began to walk off, motioning for the other to follow. "Let's go!"

Mike smiled at the speedster. "So, where are we going?"

Why did Shadow even try? "I take it back."

"Birds of a feather flock together," Eggman uttered. Of course the echidna would only attract like-minded individuals. Any other person would flee, fearing for their safety and sanity.

That stopped Sonic in his tracks. "Oh, uh…I mean me and Knuckles."

Knuckles blinked at him. "Why can't he come?"

"Yeah, why can't I come?" Mike echoed.

Tails frowned. "Has he not seen any of the Eggman fights?" This new guy clearly wasn't blind; if he was, he deserved an award for perfect acting. "There's fire, missiles, and lasers that could easily get him hurt!"

"We can't bring you to a battle. I-" Sonic floundered a bit. "I mean, you're just a guy."

All of the mingling villagers at Meh Burger gasped.

"Oh…" Sonic winced. "That's not good." He understood what his twin was saying. Putting Mike in the middle of a fight wasn't the best choice because of the lack of fighting experience, that was true. The double didn't mean anything mean by it, but Sonic's been in the public eye for far too long to learn to never say things like that.

People would get testy.

"I do not comprehend," Metal started. "What did he do wrong?"

Tails wished the other Sonic the best of luck, because it honestly looked like it was going nowhere but downhill from here. "He technically didn't do anything wrong…He probably should've used different connotation."

Metal stared at the screen for a moment before stating, "It seems to me that the villagers are overwhelmingly sensitive."

Knuckles shrugged. "It's a mixture of both." This was why he stayed on his island most of the time, so he wouldn't have to deal with these kinds of situations.

An old monkey with a hat and cane glared. "Just a guy?!"

Sonic shook his hands innocently. "No! I-I didn't mean – what I meant to say was – he's not…" He gestured vaguely. "…you know."

Amy felt so bad. "That poor soul. He's trying his hardest."

"I would've walked away because how they felt wouldn't be my problem."

The pinkette rolled her eyes. "That's because you don't care if people like you or not! The other Sonic clearly does!"

"Problem number one."

"Is this the sleep talking, or are you really this much of an uncaring misanthrope?"

"Yes."

Crickets chirped as Mike waited patiently with the angry villagers behind him. No one said anything.

Knuckles cut in, disappointed. "I think you've said enough already."

"He is the last person to give an opinion on the situation!" Knuckles waved his arms in the air. "He is a walking disappointment!"

"Nah, that's Eggman." Sonic jeeringly corrected, finding joy in how said human stiffened. "The other Knux has many redeeming qualities!" He tsked. "And aren't you supposed to be trying to accept your twin?"

"Trying is the key word there," the echidna grumbled.

Sonic sharply sighed. "Ugh, we don't have time for this!" He grabbed the echidna's arm and ran off with him in tow.

The scene morphed into a valley of a canyon. Amy, Tails, and Sticks were fighting Badniks while Eggman and his helper robots flew around in the Eggmobile.

"Speaking of trying, he isn't." Eggman didn't know if he wanted to slap the sense into his other self and maybe teach him on how to be successful – failures led to success, the doctor had heard that somewhere – or just tell him to retire and take up knitting. Or shuffleboard.

"Was this just a way to get rid of his extra robots?" Tails kicked his legs back and forth in his chair, wondering if he would seriously needed to buy a new couch himself. "Because he couldn't possibly think that he'd win with only Badniks."

Sonic and Knuckles ran into the fray, the former spin dashing a crab bot. Knuckles, punching a motobug to smithereens, yelled out, "I can't believe that you said that to Mike!" He smashed another Badnik.

Amy couldn't believe he was bringing it to the battlefield. "It's funny that he's bringing it up, but it didn't seem like Mike was bothered at all by it! Just the villagers!"

"Considering how Mike is 'just a guy', basically the plot of this episode, he was probably bothered by it," Knuckles responded.

"What did he say?" Tails asked while smacking a robot with a wrench.

Eggman frowned at their conversation. "Uh, battle's over here, guys?"

"Battle is a strong word." Eggman groused. "More like target practice."

"He called my friend Mike 'just a guy'!" Knuckles scowled while pummeling yet another mech.

Amy and Sticks whirled around, gasping.

The pinkette flattened a bot with her hammer. "Sonic! How could you?!"

Sonic didn't expect that reaction. "Whoa! They're actin' like he committed a murder or something!"

"Well, he might've killed his own publicity…" Tails muttered.

Sonic slid to a stop, annoyed. "I didn't mean that-"

"Yeah, Sonic," Eggman commented from his hovercraft. "That's a really crummy thing to say to a dude."

"Coming from the man who threatens people on a daily basis!"

"Threatening and demeaning are totally different things, pincushion."

"But he does both."

Eggman couldn't believe he was somewhat sticking up for his twin. "True, but the villagers expect it from him. What would make you feel worse: me telling you to jump off a cliff, or Tails telling you to?"

"…I see your point."

Sonic growled in frustration before swiftly smashing all of the remaining robots.

Amy wrung her fingers together. "He's getting upset…"

Knuckles scoffed. "I don't blame him."

Eggman took his cue to leave. "Well, gotta go." He flew off with Orbot and Cubot shouting, "You know I'm right!"

"Metal, what are the chances of my twin showing up again later?"

"95%."

"Wonderful."

Sonic deadpanned as the doctor disappeared. Tails stepped up to his side, smiling. "Don't worry, Sonic! This will all blow over! By tomorrow, nobody would even remember what you said."

Tails inwardly groaned. "He loves jinxing stuff, doesn't he?"

There was a cut, and Soar the Eagle appeared on the screen.

Knuckles gaped. "What? He's a reporter now?"

Sonic snickered. "I guess being a motivator didn't quite work out for him. Either that, or his experience with Eggman caused him to switch careers altogether."

The bird spoke into a microphone. "It's been twenty-four hours since Sonic the Hedgehog's infamous 'just a guy' comment shook the very foundation of our fair village. I'm here now with an angry mob."

He glanced to the side, and there was a crowd of villagers all yelling in anger.

"You know nothing happens in the village when that is the main headline." Amy grumbled. She hated seeing blue speedy hedgehogs go through stress. "Another meteor needs to threaten the town so they could forget about what Sonic said."

Sonic warily eyed her. "I don't think people need to be put in danger, but yeah, I get the gist of what you're sayin'."

Soar gave the old monkey the microphone. "Sonic barged in and called Mike 'just a guy'! As if to say he was so much better than the rest of us! And we begged him to stop, but he just kept berating the poor fella!"

A walrus in a hat was up next. He clenched a fist. "That Sonic, living it up on the beach! He's lost touch with the common man!"

Eggman then snatched the mic. "Can you believe that guy? I mean the nerve of some people!"

Sonic was too astonished to note the absurdity of Eggman's presence. "Is everyone else kinda getting mad, or it is just me?"

"Not just you," Knuckles answered with the ghost of a frown.

"Definitely not just you," Tails piped up.

Surprisingly, Metal replied as well. "Those villagers are becoming annoying."

"I mean like-" Amy thrusted her hands at the screen. "Sonic only said a few words, and now the whole village hates him? After all that he's done?"

Eggman remained quiet, and while Shadow didn't say anything, he did believe that those people were being absolute idiots.

Sonic was then shown at Meh Burger, peacefully ordering food. "Yeah, can I get a chili dog?"

Dave scratched his head, his tone mockingly sarcastic. "Oh, jeez, that sure does sound complicated. Can you really trust me that order?" A devious smile grew. "After all, I'm just a guy."

Sonic woefully groaned.

"Okay, that deserved a punch."

"Knuckles!"

"Can't blame me for telling the truth, Tails."

In Sonic's shack, the speedster was pacing in front of Knuckles, Tails, Sticks, and Amy as they sat at a table.

"All I did was call him a guy." Sonic paused in his stride, looking at his friends for help. "Is that guy not a guy?"

"It's not what you said, Sonic, it's how you said it." Amy admonished. "But, I think the town will forgive you if they see you're making an effort to change your condescending highhanded appallingly insensitive attitude."

Knuckles lowly whistled before grinning over at an appalled Sonic. "Girlfriends really don't pull any punches, do they?"

"Or kicks," the speedster easily retorted, sending the echidna into a sputtering fit.

For the first time, Amy ignored the implications of dating to say, "But he's not like that all the time! It just happened this once…barely!"

"We don't follow them around every second of every day…" Tails reluctantly put out there.

Amy still didn't believe it. "He doesn't seem that bad when we see him though!" She crossed her arms with a huff. "She's obviously overreacting. Sonics are a gift to the world that bring joy and happiness, and-"

"Now who's exaggerating?" Shadow cut her off for the sake of his mental state.

"Shadow, if you were any less of a physical powerhouse, I would attack you with no mercy."

Sonic crossed his arms with a frown.

Amy brightened. "Lucky for you, I happen to teach a sensitivity training seminar!"

Tails' laugh was uneasy. "She's really determined about being a psychologist."

Sonic looked at her, stunned, as she kept going. "Every weekday morning at eight a.m. to three p.m." Amy turned to the others. "And, there's enough open spots in the class for all of you!"

"Or you could not go, for it is a waste of time," Metal uttered, convinced that the pinkette herself needed to be mentally evaluated.

"But that would be 'insensitive', and the other Amy would probably hunt them down." Knuckles opposed.

There was a collective groan. Knuckles glared at the blue hero. "Not cool, Sonic."

"But he started-" Knuckles had to stop himself because he felt a vein threatening to burst.

Later, Sonic's team – along with Comedy Chimp and the bow-tied beaver – were all folding paper hats at a table.

"Why?" was the only thing Sonic could manage to ask.

Knuckles, sitting by Sonic, sent the speedster an ugly look. "I still don't get why we have to do all this stupid training just because of Sonic's big dumb mouth."

Knuckles had to stand up this time, taking deep breaths as he walked around the room.

Sonic agreed that was a bit uncalled for.

Eggman was getting fed up at this point, and usually it's the highlight of his day whenever something negative happened to the annoying pincushion. "That dimwit echidna should be locked in a room with a copy of himself."

Shadow immediately threw that idea out. "Then they would become friends, and we'd have two of them to deal with. No thank you."

Amy blew a whistle, startling everyone. "Uh ah ah!" She wiggled a finger. "Insensitive remark! This training's not stupid."

"That's what she calls him out on?" Amy pulled at her hanging quills. "Not that Knuckles just called her bf dumb?!"

Sonic wasn't going to correct her because she was so riled up. The risk was too high.

Her expression brightened. "Now, how are everyone's sensitivity hats coming along?" The group held their hats up, Sonic extremely unenthused.

The whole room shared his sentiment.

"Why is my twin even there?" Tails questioned, curious. "I get why Knuckles and Sticks are there, Sonic being there is because of plot, Comedy Chip and the beaver were really random, but why Tails? He hasn't done anything wrong!"

Knuckles plopped down in his seat with a grunt, his anger back down to manageable levels. "Most likely for emotional support because Sonic sure does need it right now."

The class then moved to the couch with Amy standing in front of them. "When you find yourself frustrated, instead of lashing out at someone else, close your eyes-" She did so. "-take a deep breath, and go to your happy place."

From Knuckles' experience, that wouldn't help much.

Amy reopened her eyes, placing her hands on her hip. "Let's practice that right now."

Everyone else followed in her footsteps, visiting their happy places.

Sonic's happy place was the beach with him lounging in a hammock without a care in the world.

"I'd rather be running though open spaces-" Sonic shrugged. "-but that's good too."

Tails' happy place was in the sky. He was spinning his namesakes as he flew around like a superhero.

Tails smiled widely, relieved to know that they were on the same wavelength.

Sticks' happy place was in the jungle. With camouflage paint on her face, the badger took down robot after robot with ease.

"That'll teach you to team up with alien overlords you robo-trash!" Sticks exclaimed out loud, and her neighbor on the couch – Comedy Chimp – eyed her warily while scooting over.

"Wise decision," Knuckles commented. He thanked his lucky stars that they had skipped over his twin's happy place.

A short while later, they were sharing stories.

"Now I realize that even though on the outside I was hitting my sidekick with a mallet, on the inside, I was hitting myself with a mallet of my own insecurities," Comedy Chimp admitted before bursting out in tears.

"Wow…" Amy's expression softened. "That's actually pretty sad."

Metal glanced at her. "You have a hammer."

"You better stop that connection right now if you know what's good for you."

Sonic threw her an amused look. "You've really been goin' after people lately, Ames."

"It's this episode!" Amy breathed harshly out of her nose. "It's got me a little heated, that's all."

Beside him, Knuckles seemed to be holding back tears as well. "It's okay, bro." The echidna pulled the crying chimp in for a sympathy hug. "I like to hit things too."

Sonic snickered at that, and he figured that he should make an announcement. "We can't forget that the other Knuckles is still a good friend, guys. He's a little…weird, but a good person nonetheless."

"Weird is not the word I'd use," Knuckles mumbled.

Tails and Sticks looked on sadly. Amy wiped away the dampness on her face and asked, "Sonic, would you care to share with the group?"

Sonic scratched his head unsurely, avoiding his paper hat. "I don't know…" He looked around. "I guess I could be more mindful of peoples' feelings, and stuff?" Curious gazes watched him, waiting for more. Sonic wracked his brain. "Aaand…maybe I'll go talk to Mike? Tell him…I'm sorry?"

"I hope everything will be right again after he does!" Tails chirped.

Knuckles rose a dubious brow at him. "Do you really think it will?"

Tails' hesitation was all the answer he needed.

Everybody around him cooed and held their arms out.

Sonic didn't fight it. "Alright, bring it in." He was suddenly crushed in a group hug.

"Aw!" Amy cooed as well before facing Sonic with a glint in her eye. "Can we all give you a group hug too?"

"Speak for yourself," Shadow grunted.

Knuckles grinned at how Sonic tensed up. "I think she is."

"Why would I need a hug, Ames?" The blue hero forced a laugh. "I don't need a pick-me-up!"

"So you're giving me permission to hug when you're down? Yay!"

What have I done?

At Meh Burger, Sonic was chatting with a particular ox. "Listen, Mike," he started. "I was wrong to say you're just a guy."

"And?" Mike prompted.

Sonic wasn't expecting that, his answer more like a question than a statement. "And…I'll never do it again?"

"And?"

"That greedy jerk!" Amy swore that everyone was out to get the other Sonic. "He said he was sorry! Isn't that enough?"

Tails had a thought and suddenly feared the future. "He most likely still wants to go battle with Eggman."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, things definitely won't go wrong if that happens. Sonic better say no."

Sonic could already see it coming. "Remember the sleepover episode? He's too nice…" Sonic himself would let the guy down gently, explaining the multitude of reasons not to be in the middle of a fight.

A subtle frown grew on the speedster's muzzle. "And…" He thought for a second. "If you want, you're welcome to come with us to the next battle with Eggman."

Knuckles couldn't help but to face-palm.

Mike smiled. "Apology accepted! Can we go now?"

Sonic blinked. "Well, no. We have to wait until Eggman launches an attack."

Mike leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. Putting it back down, he asked, "How about now?"

A few people turned to Metal and opened their mouths. The robot already knew their question. "We are only five minutes and twenty-five seconds in."

Shadow gritted his teeth, Eggman cursed the existence of everything, and Knuckles needed a time machine.

Sonic stuttered at the insistence. "N-No, you see-"

"So, now?" Mike gently pounded his fists on the table, excited. "Let's go now!"

Sonic took a sharp breath and closed his eyes. "Just go to your happy place…" he muttered. "Just go to your happy place."

Sonic laughed even though he felt bad. Mike was a handful, to put it lightly. "I don't think ignoring him is the best plan here."

Tails shared some of his amusement, lightly chuckling. "It's better than being angry."

"Is it?" Knuckles and Shadow grunted at the same time.

The kit nodded. "Way better."

The hero was then relaxing in his hammock, the sea breeze gently rocking him back and forth. Sonic sighed in relief only to gaze in shock when Mike walked up to him.

"What?" The ox glanced around. "Is this your happy place or something?" He placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "And when are we going to the battle? Now?"

Amy creased her brow in concern. "That's terrifying. Imagine having a good dream and then boom! Your worst nightmare walks in like he owns the place."

Eggman didn't have to imagine it, for his nightmare ceaselessly popped up at the worst times in the shape of a spiky blue irritation.

Sonic groaned before closing his eyes again.

This time, the hedgehog was standing in a peaceful room void of anything but white space. Sonic slumped with a smile, happy to be alone.

Knuckles shook his head in disappointment. "Should've said no."

"What's this? Your happier place?" Sonic spun around with wide eyes only to see Mike, who was examining his surroundings. "Cool! So can we go to the battle now?"

"Is there something in the water that diminishes IQ points?" Metal asked. "There is no other logical explanation for this stupidity."

Amy hummed in thought. "Maybe, but then explain Sonic, Tails, and my twin! They don't seem affected…much."

Sonic jumped into the conversation with a shrug. "Maybe they drink a lot of juice instead? I like juice."

"Me too!" Tails chirped.

Amy nodded. "It's a possibility…"

Sonic gritted his teeth but was distracted by a sudden beeping. "Huh?"

The Sonic in the hammock opened his eyes. "What?"

Then the Sonic at Meh Burger shot to attention.

Lastly, a human was shown taking out the trash in a Sonic costume. He froze and mumbled in Sonic's voice, "Oops. One too many." He dropped the bag in the trash can.

Sonic accurately imitated a stranded goldfish. "What…What in the world was that?!"

Tails' eyes were wide. "There was a human…dressed as you…but he had your voice and…how…trash…" The kit held his head in his hands, whining. "My brain hurts…"

"And did you see the background?!" Amy had never been so confused in her life. "It was nothing like I've ever seen before! It's realistic but not…but it is."

Sonic leaned back in his chair. "I'm glad someone else besides me saw that because I thought I was losin' it for a sec."

Knuckles ran a hand down his face. "We're all slowly going crazy." He then gestured at the screen. "And what the hell does 'one too many' mean?"

"Cannot compute," was Metal's contribution to the conversation.

Shadow's mind was too muddled to attempt to comprehend what just happened. If Tails couldn't, he wasn't going to try. "Let's just say that the other Faker lost his mind and move on."

"Something snapped in that mind of his." Eggman stroked his mustache. "Since we saw it in his 'happy' place." He paused, pensive. "Or was he out of it?"

Tails whimpered again.

"We should keep going…" Amy suggested, pressing play so they could forget the last ten seconds.

Meh Burger Sonic looked down at his beeping communicator and pressed a button. Tails' alarmed voice came through. "Incoming attack from Eggman!"

Eggman, after mentally ousting that bizarre image, sighed. "Again with this? He must be doing some spring cleaning."

Sonic hopped out of his seat, regarding Mike, "Okay, now."

The ox didn't move. "Hold on a minute-"

Sonic growled before grabbing Mike's wrist and sprinting away.

"I would applaud, but this is about to be a train wreck," Knuckles commented as he propped his chin up with his hand, waiting for the inevitable.

They ended up back at the canyon, meeting with the other members of Team Sonic. Eggman swooped down in his hovercraft once more.

The heroes were ready for battle; Mike laid a checkered blanked on the ground and got comfortable, gaining the others' attentions.

Tails' brain came back online just in time to question this. "He doesn't even want to fight? He's just there to watch?"

Amy puffed out her cheeks. "He made such a big deal out of this? Watching the fights should be normal at this point!"

"Behold!" Eggman raised a fist. "My latest invention-" He cut himself off when he punched his dashboard, causing Cubot to be ejected from his seat. The robot flew and crashed into Mike's leg, causing the ox to cry out in pain.

"Yep." Knuckles grunted. "There it is."

"Oh boy." Sonic subtly shook his head. "That's not good."

Later, Sonic was walking through the village, pushing Mike in a wheelchair. The ox had a broken leg, and the villagers were berating the hero for it.

"How could you take that fella to a battle?" the old monkey harshly questioned. "He's not like you, Sonic. He's just a guy!"

"Question." Eggman began. "If I somehow found a way to that dimension, would you stop me from taking that village over?"

"Absolutely not," was Knuckles' instant response.

Amy pondered it for a bit. "I would after thinking long and hard about morals."

"They might be mean and unfair, but they're still people!" Sonic argued with a smile. "We'll stop you like we always had! Right, Tails?"

"…Yeah, the guilt would eat away at me."

"What was with that hesitation?"

"I thought I…had to sneeze?"

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Uh huh, sure. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing!" Tails averted his gaze. "Just um, hypothetically, if we just…let him take over for like a day."

Sonic narrowed his eyes even more.

"Hypothetically!" Tails emphasized.

Knuckles snorted. "It would teach them about not hating the one main thing stopping their home from being made into an amusement park."

"That's still no good!" Sonic shook his head. "Because Eggman would get a win under his belt as well, and my perfect record would be swiped clean!"

Eggman arched a brow. "Seems to me that you care about your record than the victims, cactus."

"What? No!" Sonic waved his hands back and forth. "Stop twisting my words! I didn't say that!"

"That's what I heard," Shadow uttered.

Metal nodded. "I as well."

Sonic groaned.

Sonic whirled around and put a hand on his hip, frowning. "Wait, seriously? I only took him to the battle because you people-"

The townspeople gasped before glaring. "You people?!"

Tails winced. "He's just digging a deeper hole for himself."

Shadow wasn't surprised. "I told you. Walking away would have solved all his problems."

Sonic was now sitting back on Amy's couch wearing a paper hat. He exhaled harshly, not thrilled at all to be back in the class.

"Alright," Amy began. "Perhaps our enthusiasm yesterday was a bit premature. As it turns out, some people still have a long way to go in their training."

Sonic sharply returned the gazes that landed on him.

That caught Knuckles off guard. "He's super pissed."

Tails glanced between the blue hedgehog on the screen and the one in the room. "I don't think I've ever seen you that mad, Sonic."

The speedster raked his fingers through his quills. "Well yeah, I don't have to deal with people hating my guts for no reason – Shadow, you say you hate me, but you really don't – and his friends…really aren't makin' things easier for him."

"Especially my double!" Amy wanted to hop into the screen herself and take over. "Sonic doesn't need these meetings! He needs a good pep talk and a hug!"

"Right now though, I think he needs some space…" Sonic muttered to himself.

Amy remained bubbly. "But I'm sure that we'll all learn to be compassionate after tomorrow's…" She threw an eager fist in the air. "…sensitivity training camping trip!"

Everybody – sans Sonic – cheered loudly.

"Take out the 'sensitivity', and it might've been bearable," Knuckles said.

That seemed to be the last straw for the blue hero. "You know what I think is compassionate?" His words were sharp and icy. "Saving the village from Eggman like every week. But do I get any props for that? No." He was getting himself worked up. "Everyone just goes around gasping at me when a call a guy a guy, or people people!"

The room gasped.

Immensely annoyed and agitated, Sonic's voice escalated to a shout. "I quit heroing, and I quit this stupid group!" He snatched his hat off his head and hurled it to the floor. He got off the couch, leaving the room without another word.

There was a beat of silence. Then, one at a time, pairs of eyes landed on Sonic.

The blue hedgehog harshly exhaled. He was a version of the Sonic on the TV, and those words still shook him a bit. "Like I said, I don't blame him. I wouldn't go so far as the quit being a hero, but, man that's rough."

Eggman made a mental note to emotionally prepare himself for if – when – he took over the world. That cactus's anger was nothing to laugh at, apparently.

Tails almost couldn't believe what just happened. "Is…Is he serious? About retiring?"

"Considering that this isn't the last episode, I doubt it." Shadow would give anything to make this the last one. "Though, I have to say that I'm impressed. I didn't know he had that outburst in him."

"Seriously." Knuckles agreed. That was true anger. Not annoyance, not exasperation, that hedgehog was mad. "He held it in well because I would've snapped a long time ago."

"And I would have snapped necks."

Knuckles slowly focused on the bot. "Whoa, Metal. Remember pain?"

"Yes, and again, it would be painless."

Ignoring the conversation around her, Amy's heart went out for the other Sonic. He sounded so frustrated that no one was on his side, angry that nothing he did made things better, and tired because those unnecessary meetings were at eight o'clock in the morning.

She caught on to that negativity, wanting it to go away, and she also noticed something else. She's almost ashamed of it, but-

"…Would it be out of line to say that Sonic's really cute when he's angry?"

Knuckles burst out in laughter, and Sonic's voice was an octave higher than normal. "Let's keep the show going, Ames!"

"Like, maybe I should drop one or your chili dogs or something-"

"That's how you get me to cry, not be angry." Sonic admitted, cringing at the visual of his favorite food being tainted. "But anyway, keep the train chugging!" Amy opened her mouth, but he wasn't having it. "Play!"

Outside the nearby window, a guy wearing a tree costume snickered deviously.

"Really?" Tails gasped. "He was there the whole time?!" Not only did he see Sonic at one of his more explosive moments, now they know he wasn't going to help!

Knuckles was still chuckling. "He's seriously stuck in that tree costume? It has to reek."

Inside the Lightning Bolt society's base, their walrus leader was shocked. "Sonic the Hedgehog, retired?"

"Yeah!" the tree guy affirmed. "And the rest of his do-gooder friends are going on some lovey-dovey camping trip!"

Amy wanted to hit something. "She didn't cancel it?! Even after Sonic went off on her because of it! Is being a psychologist that important?"

"There's nothing wrong about her thinking about her future."

"Shadow, you're talking way too much, and I don't like it."

"The town is ours for the taking!" The cloaked weasel smirked.

Eggman highly doubted it.

"Wait…" Dave furrowed his brow. "Didn't we try this once before already?"

This was news to Sonic. "Wait, they have?"

The walrus leader shook his head. "No, that was when Eggman retired. This time, Sonic's retiring! Totally different thing."

"We definitely missed something…" Sonic pointed out with a frown. "I think I'd remember old Eggy retiring."

Metal could not recall that from his memory files either. "And considering that he is still failing spectacularly, it did not last long. Which is unfortunate."

Tails didn't like that there was a missing puzzle piece here. "When did it happen, though? I-" The rest of his words died out when the TV screen suddenly cut to black. Tails went rigid – along with the rest of the room – and his gut dropped. "Oh please no…"

"It shut off." Amy's pulse was in her ears. "It shut off!" she screeched, horrified.

Before she could continue – and before the occupants of the space succumbed to mass hysteria – letters appeared on the television.

"Calm down. You're still getting out when the episodes are done. Call this a little intermission."

Amy gasped, her voice the complete opposite than before. It's low and cautious. They've experienced all of the things it can do, and they really shouldn't try to reveal more. "Oh my gosh, it's the thing!"

"Hey."

Many unsure looks were shared.

An awkward and nervous atmosphere settled when those three letters didn't move from the screen.

Sonic was the first to break the silence, going for a safe route. "Uh…hey to you too! It's been a while since you last talked to us, huh?"

Eggman's gaze sharpened as he recalled all of the insanity he had been through. He knew that he could very well be digging his own grave, but he couldn't help it. "Stop talking to it like it's a long lost friend. It's anything but."

If being friends protected Sonic from the random impossibilities the thing could pull off, he was all for it.

"Harsh, but expected."

"Harsh?" Shadow had been planning to keep his emotions in check, but that made his blood boil. "You don't know the first thing about harsh," he glowered.

"I'd calm down if I were you."

"Or what?" Shadow snarled out of anger, temporarily ignoring common sense.

"Hey, do the rest of you want to see what a shaved Shadow looks like?"

Shadow instantly quieted.

Someone gagged, and Knuckles shook off that haunting image before raising a fist, scowling. "Why are you keeping us trapped here? Let us go, dammit! We haven't done anything to you!"

It disregarded his question altogether. "I'm here to clear things up."

Tails reluctantly ventured, "About your powers?"

"No, about the other Eggman's retirement."

"We don't care that much out it!" Knuckles gritted his teeth. "Let us out! What do you gain from keeping us here?!"

"Stuff." Knuckles looked on in disbelief. "But anyway, it's true that his retirement happened. You did miss it because it was one of the episodes I was kind enough to delete from the watch list."

Eggman's mustache bristled. "What, do you want a thank you?"

It kept going like he hadn't spoken. "Nothing important happened, really. Basically, Eggman tries and fails to get rid of Sonic, and Sticks convinces him that machines are untrustworthy."

Amy blinked, caught off-guard. She was still processing that the magical being was giving them a rundown of a slice of their doubles' lives, and the Sticks thing was icing on the cake. "Wait, what?"

"I know right? Hilarious. But yeah, he deserts his lair because of the technology, and the Lightning Bolts take over, accidentally causing havoc with robots. When Sonic tells him about it, he trusts machinery again and takes back his lair. That's pretty much it."

Silence reigned for a couple moments.

"Oh, and the other Eggman is very fond of butter."

"O…kay?" Sonic had no idea how to feel right now.

"I know you're all confused, but it's alright. It's all for comedy." White noise slowly filled the screen, making the words barely readable. "Well, now you know, so I'm leaving."

"Wait!" Knuckles shouted while standing up only for the episode to pop back up, paused on the other Sonic's walk out. He punched the floor in frustration.

Shadow was fuming in silence, wishing to tear something apart. His gaze snapped down when a yellow smiley stress ball landed in his lap.

He hurled it across the room with no hesitation.

Metal watched the ball as it bounced against the wall with a loud thump. "Now it has a personality, my despise grows significantly."

Eggman got up to search for more headache medicine that was somewhere in the kitchen.

Sonic scratched the back of his neck, his thoughts nothing but a jumbled whirlwind. "The thing just came in and went like that…"

Tails was fiddling with his namesakes. "I'm more confused that it solved our confusion. Kind of. Isn't it supposed to be mean?"

"It still is!" Amy was fighting through her mental whiplash. "It gains stuff from us being here! What does that even mean?"

"Nothing." Knuckles breathed out as he plopped back down into his chair. He was clenching and unclenching his fists. "It just said it to make us mad."

"It's obvious that we're here just for shits and giggles," Shadow added as the anger slowly drained out of him, replaced by the everlasting exhaustion. "Now that we know about the doctor's stupid retirement, play the damn thing so we can leave here and it as soon as possible."

Eggman reentered the ruined living room with a huff. "Please because it feels like I'm wasting away in this blasted house." He reclaimed his seat. "My dream of Eggmanland is in jeopardy."

"Isn't it always?" Sonic reverted back to teasing because it was the only thing safe and familiar in this bizarre situation he found himself in.

"Hush you."

Outside their window was a small flying robot that was eavesdropping on the society.

Miles away in an evil base, Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot watched as the Lightning Bolts cheered on-screen.

Tails was almost hesitant to talk because it was proven that they were always being listened to, but they couldn't really do anything about it. "Does Eggman have robots watching people all the time? There's no other way he can catch these key moments with luck."

"Luck balance of the universe," Knuckles grumbled, mood in the negatives.

"…I guess."

"Sounds like an opportunity to launch an offensive," Orbot advised.

"Yeah!" Cubot agreed. "And you should attack too!"

Eggman sent them a sharp look. "No, if I do that, Sonic will come out of retirement and fight me! I'll need to bide my time, wait for juuust the right moment…"

"Ah," Orbot said softly. "Do nothing at all. It's that kind of evil scheme that keeps you feared around the globe."

Metal tilted his head. "If they keep up this high level of sarcasm, they might not need to be discarded in the nearest landfill."

"So…the ocean?" Amy guessed.

"Correct."

Eggman wished the pills were faster acting. "How can he be feared around the globe if he does nothing but attack a village in the middle of nowhere with a max population of twenty?"

"He probably sells evil ham and evil turkey to distant places on the side, and people are scared of getting food poisoning."

Several odd looks settled on Sonic.

"What? That's the most realistic explanation to why Sunny-side Up would be feared."

"But that's not really realistic." Tails mused.

"That's the point."

Back near the village, Sonic in his hammock and the rest of his friends on their hike were being spied on by the guy in the tree costume. He lowered his binoculars and sent a signal to the weasel bandits.

They gave him a thumbs up before one of them kicked a trash can into a bigger dumpster. Elsewhere, Dave was in a bathroom, switching around toilet paper so that the end hung under the roll, not over. A sinister laugh escaped him.

Sonic gasped. "That monster."

Knuckles was surprised at the intern's nerve. "That's the evilest thing he's done."

Metal didn't understand the reason for alarm. "Did he not activate a Doomsday device?"

"You don't have to use the bathroom, Metal." Sonic knew that trying to explain it would be hopeless. "So you wouldn't understand."

The tree guy looked around before pouring juice from a juice box into a cup. Lady Walrus approached, visibly upset. "But it's already a juice container! Why dirty a glass?!"

"If she's upset about that, don't let her find the toilet paper…" Amy felt sorry for the next person who went in there.

The leader of the Bolts was helping an old lady across the street. However, halfway across, he abandoned her with a laugh, running away. The lady shrugged in exasperation before continuing on.

Amy frowned at the blatant disrespect. "Now that's just mean!"

"Maybe they're stepping up their game a little?" Tails provided.

At Meh Burger, a goat lady was ordering. "And tomatoes on the s-i-i-i-de please."

Dave went over to the burgers and deliberately placed tomatoes right on the patty. He chuckled darkly as he picked up the tray.

"And it went back down."

On the beach, a handful of villagers were standing in front of Sonic's hammock. Lady Walrus was the first to speak. "Sonic! You have to do something about the Lightning Bolt society!"

Sonic tersely scoffed. "Oh whatever. I've eaten burritos more dangerous than the Lightning Bolts." He donned a pair of sunglasses. "Sorry, guys. I'm retired." He drawled out, going back to relaxing and ignoring their existence.

Sonic couldn't necessarily be mad at his double acting like this, but he would've done something regardless. "I've eaten stuff more dangerous than Eggman, and I still help out!"

Eggman scowled. "Now you're just making things up, you pincushion!"

"Nope! One day, I experimented with really spicy chili, and I honestly thought I was going to live out my last hours on the toilet." Eggman recoiled at that, and Sonic nodded. "Yep. It was pretty bad."

Tails remembered that day vividly. He thought Sonic would be terrified of all chili dogs because of the incident, but the hedgehog made some the next day without a care in the world. "I had the hospital on speed dial just in case, but anyway, the other Sonic is doing what I wanted!" Tails changed the subject before adding on sheepishly, "You know, hypothetically."

Amy pursed her lips. "You think he's teaching them a lesson?"

"After his outburst? I doubt it." Knuckles snorted. "He's not pretending to be out of the game. Just look at him! No one pulls out shades if they aren't serious."

The scene cut to the Lightning Bolts approaching a pen filled with quadruped sheep. "Well, well, look what we have here!" one of the weasels chirped. "A fence! Trying to dictate where we can and cannot go!"

The walrus leader brandished some bolt-cutters, snapping the wiring in the fence.

Dave smiled a little too widely. "Oh yeah…anarchy baby, woohoo!"

"I have a strong feeling that they don't know what anarchy means." Shadow had experienced, and had started, anarchy in the past, and releasing sheep wasn't it.

"I am perplexed to why Dave would join that mediocre society with the knowledge of what the doctor can do."

Knuckles shook his head at Metal. "Don't question it. Life will be much simpler."

The society yelled in victory as they ran into the formerly fenced-in area. Dave slapped a random sheep, and it instantly sprinted through the hole in the fencing. The rest of the sheep followed suit.

The herd made it to the heart of the village, stampeding through and causing the townspeople scream and flee.

"They're just sheep!" Amy raised her voice like the villagers could hear her. "Throw them some wheat or something!"

Sonic, hearing the terror, lowered the drink he was sipping out of a coconut and sat up. "So much for early retirement…" he groused before speeding off.

Tails blinked. "Wait, so he actually-"

"Told you." Knuckles smugly scoffed.

The chaotic sheep rampaged around the village, eventually knocking down a tree. The tree crashed into a bench, catapulting a baby walrus into the air.

Lady Walrus screamed. "My baby!" Then she looked at the camera. "Again." She resumed screaming. "Somebody save my baby!" Back to the camera. "Again."

"That baby does have a bad luck streak." Tails knew the mom's stress level had to be through the roof.

Sonic snickered. "I'm glad we don't have sheep around here that can somehow topple trees like it's nothing."

The toddler was falling, but he never hit the ground. Sonic carefully caught the child and handed him over to his thankful mother.

Eggman watched the scene from his lair, smirking. "Now this feels like the right moment! He'll never see me coming…"

"How is that the right moment?!" Knuckles realized that he went back on his own words, questioning that world of insanity, but his life was in shambles anyway, so it didn't matter. "Do it when he's completely distracted with not something sheep-related or, I don't know, when he's sleeping!"

"Perhaps the other doctor is focusing more on beauty sleep, for it is obvious he was not getting any before." Metal glanced over to Eggman. "I am sure you can sympathize."

"I'm going to tear you apart so violently when we get out of here."

Back at the village, the old lady from before was running away from the out-of-control sheep. Sonic swiftly guided her out of harm's way, and he did the same to a hanging monkey and a kid playing in the sand.

"Did they not see the sheep, or…"

"They were just sheep! I wouldn't be scared either!"

"I dunno about you, Ames, but seeing superpowered sheep tear down a tree would make me a little worried."

Sonic then bolted over to the sheep and herded them up, running circles around them to stop their stampede.

Eggman, along with Orbot and Cubot, swooped down in his hovercraft and pushed a button on his dashboard. The bottom of the Eggmobile opened up to reveal a large hand that was aiming from the oblivious speedster.

Mike, observing from his wheelchair, gasped at the sight of the doctor and yelled out, "Sonic!" He pointed. "It's Eggman!"

"Oh, look who decides to be helpful." Knuckles observed.

"I mean, he's a good guy." Tails tried to back the ox up. "The other Knuckles just might not be the best influence."

"Huh?" Sonic glanced over to the ox before shifting his gaze up just as the hand got too close for comfort. Sonic slipped into the group of sheep and ducked down, making Eggman pause.

In response to Sonic hiding, the mechanical hand scooped up a few sheep and tossed them too hard into the air. The each of the livestock landed on the three evildoers.

Sonic would've side-stepped and spin dashed, but hey, if it worked, it worked. "That's one way to do it."

Getting an idea, Sonic reached over and positioned a sheep on his back, piggy-back style. He trotted away, the rest of the herd following him. Eggman, now helpless with the sheep hindering his vision, yelped when the mechanical hand tried to grab more sheep, pulling the doctor along for the ride.

Amy could see why the other Eggman abandoned all technology in the earlier episode.

"It's so pathetic that it hurts," Eggman grumbled.

Shadow sent him a not-so-subtle glance and hummed.

The doctor glared. "I don't like the tone of your hum, rodent!"

"That seems like a personal problem."

The scene then cut to the Lightning Bolt society relaxing in the now empty sheep pen. When a deep rumble caught their attention, they sat up and one weasel asked, "What the heck is that?"

Sonic was swiftly approaching them with the sheep on his back. There wasn't a herd trailing after the hedgehog anymore, for the mechanical hand had deposited them all on top of Eggman and his helper robots.

"I can't see anything!" Eggman exclaimed. "What's going on?!"

Tails was glad that nothing too serious had happened in the show, but, "I feel like having an entire sheep on your head would more than just blind you. How much do they look like they weigh?"

"Enough to destroy his spinal column."

"I was hoping for a numerical answer, but…thanks anyway, Metal."

After placing his sheep in the enclosure, Sonic jumped up and spin dashed the hovercraft. The animals flew into the air and landed inside the fence. Sonic then welded the metal gate shut with the head of his spin attack.

Sonic narrowed his eyes. Science usually went over his head; however, his twin using his quills to weld inside of shred was too out there even for him. "Tails-"

"I didn't think it was possible either."

The Lightning Bolt society were promptly pelted with the falling sheep.

"They're all dead," Shadow's curtly stated.

The villagers cheered as they crowded around Sonic. "We were wrong about you, Sonic." The old monkey apologized. "You are better than us!"

Knuckles shrugged. "He isn't wrong."

"I mean…" Sonic fumbled with his words for a moment. "Physically maybe, but not an any other way! Everyone are equals!"

The echidna rose an inquisitive brow. "So you're saying that you're not smarter than that old monkey?"

Sonic opened and closed his mouth without saying anything.

"Exactly."

Lady Walrus clasped her hands together. "Thank you for saving the village, and my baby! Again."

At this point, the rest of Team Sonic including the beaver and Comedy Chimp entered the scene with broad smiles.

Amy rolled her eyes. Now they decided to show up. "That camping trip better had been the best trip of their lives."

"I knew if we left you alone long enough, you'd step up and save the day!" Amy chirped.

"While I appreciate you taking partial credit for my heroics, Amy, there is someone who actually deserves my thanks."

Knuckles smirked. "It's safe to say that he's still a little mad."

In contrast, Tails and Amy covered their mouths in shock at the obvious passive aggressiveness while Sonic hoped his double could outrun the hammer that might pop up.

"Mike." Sonic went over to the ox, patting his shoulder. "Without his help, I never would've seen Eggman coming. You're more than just a guy, Mike. You're a hero!"

"Oh," Mike responded nonchalantly. "Neato."

He doesn't even care! Amy inwardly shouted. After all of that, and he doesn't-

No one acknowledged Amy tightly gripping the arms of her chair like they were the sole reason for her distress.

With the Lightning Bolts, they had recovered from the sheep attack.

Shadow signed in disappointment.

"Oh man!" Dave complained. "We thought we were the badest in town, but then Eggman showed up with his claw doodad…"

One villager, a cat, addressed them, "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you're just not good at it."

"Yeah…you're not good at it," the rest of the people echoed with head shakes.

"We are going to see that gorup again," Knuckles said, resigning to the sad fate. "I doubt the villagers' disapproval will keep them from doing overwhelmingly mediocre things that annoyed everyone."

The walrus leader rolled his eyes. "Ugh, and I suppose you people can do it better?"

Sharp gasps filled the air.

Amy was back in her house, smiling. "Let's see those sensitivity hats, boys!"

The Lightning Bolts, including Tails and Sticks, held their hats in the air.

"Why-" Knuckles stopped right there. It was the end of the episode, and there was no point in looking back now. "Another episode down, and we learned that the other Sonic can hold one hell of a grudge."

Amy nodded before huffing. "I like my twin, but she deserved it! She wasn't great in this one, and neither was Knuckles!" They were basically fighting over who could be the worst friend.

Sonic scratched his nose, replying, "They could've done things better, yeah, but they were doing what they thought was best."

Shadow pointedly looked at him. "You're clearly delusional, but what else is new."

"Hey!"

"Yeah! He's not delusional!" Of course, Tails had Sonic's back. "He's positive, there's a difference!"

Metal nodded. "Correct. Those two words are not synonymous. I thought you would know that, Ultimate Lifeform, for you are the only delusional one here."

"Probably."

Eggman was expecting more of a reaction than that, but Shadow had to pick his fights if he didn't want to completely burn out before they were freed. The thing deserved his anger, not the mouthy disposable robot.

Before the conversation could continue, a blinding white flash filled the room, making most of them hiss in pain.

Sonic had a bad feeling when he blinked his eyes open, lowering his arms. Nothing good came after one of those.

It wasn't long until he stiffened, his mouth agape as he stared at the figure standing in front of the TV. It took him a second to process the red fur, the hanging dreads, and the built stature, but once he did, he swiftly glanced over at Knuckles.

Knuckles' panic was clear as day as he breathed out, "Why me…?"

"Huh?" The newcomer – who had his back to them – turned around and immediately sought out the one who talked. He froze also at the sight of Knuckles, eyeing the seated guardian.

"Well-" The 'stranger' pointed at Knuckles' shoes, which were near identical to his own. "Somebody has to change, and it's not gonna be me."

I've been waiting since The Meteor to do this! Two Good to be True is next, and you already know that it's about to be a wild ride ;)

Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!