It was just before dawn on New Year's Day. Keith had gathered all of his friends and family onto the yacht. This included the Birnbaums, Vanilla, and Kat's dad among the usual group.
"Just a few more minutes to go," Chuck reported.
"I gotta say, Mr. Tanaka, watching the first sunrise of the New Year was a great idea," Keith commended. "Even better than celebrating at midnight."
"Thank you, Master Keith. It's been a tradition in my family for many years now. It is my honor to share it with all of you."
"Well here's a tradition from my family," Al declared, holding out a box of party poppers. "Everyone grab a popper! We'll set it off right at sunrise!"
Everyone starting grabbing poppers, except for Cream and Cheese.
"Mr. Winters, I don't think that's a good idea. If we make too much noise, the sun might get scared and run away."
Cheese let out a long, worried chirp. Helen giggled.
"Don't worry Cream, the sun won't get scared away."
"Helen's right," Vanilla nodded. "In fact, I think the sun will be very happy to be getting such a happy welcome."
"Well… ok," Cream relented. "I'll take one."
She takes a popper for herself, and for Cheese. As Kat took one, she began looking around.
"Hey, where's Sonic? Did he ditch us while we weren't looking?"
"No, he said he'd stay this time since it wasn't a month-long journey," Keith told her. "Still, I don't see him anywhere."
"Try that way," Tails replied, pointing upwards.
The two looked up and saw Sonic sitting on top of the yacht, looking up at the Egg Moon. His expression was dark, and his entire body seemed tense, like he was waiting for something to happen.
…
On the Emerald Coast, Topaz was relaxing on a beach chair, dressed in a tasteful two piece bathing suit. She had some glasses on her head as she leaned back, her phone in hand.
"I'm surprised you turned me down, Rouge. The first rays of the New Year are some of the best."
"Forget it. When I go on vacation, I'll go spelunking or something."
"Only you would find crawling around in a dark cave relaxing."
"I'm a bat, remember? Dark caves are my kind of vacation spot."
"No wonder you have no social life."
Rouge just scoffed and hung up. Topaz smirked, tucking her phone in her bag, slipping her shades before getting comfortable once more, preparing to watch the sunrise.
…
Back on the cruise ship, everyone had their party poppers ready.
"Alright everyone!" Chuck addressed. "Just a few more seconds!"
"Remember," Keith instructed. "Pull the strings at the exact same time, just as the sun begins to rise."
Slowly, the sun started rising on the horizon. Everyone cheered, pulling their poppers and spraying confetti all across the deck. Everyone laughed, hugging one another and declaring it a happy new year.
Just then, the sky began to darken once more. Everyone looked confused and worried as a dark shape overtook the sun. The happy cheers were transformed into confused exclamations as everything plunged into darkness.
"What the heck?" Sonic let out.
"What's happening?" Amy asked.
"We did scare the sun away!" Cream sobbed, clutching her mother.
"No, no, the sun's still there," Chuck assured her. "We appear to be witnessing a Solar Eclipse."
"But that's not possible," Dr. Birnbaum insisted. "The next total Solar Eclipse is several decades off, and it wouldn't have occured this quickly."
"Eggman..." Sonic growled. "I just know it!"
He looked towards the shore, then began zooming around the ship before launching himself off the boat. Everyone watched him, Tails letting out a whistle.
"I think he just broke his record from our Glacier tour."
"Think we should go after him?" Knuckles asked.
"Probably," Kat agreed. "If Eggman is up to something, it'll take all of us to take on the Moon."
…
At the White House, The President received a report about the Egg Moon. Upon reading it, he let out a curse.
"That madman has plunged the entire world into total darkness! I should have known he was up to something! Find Robotnik immediately! He won't get away with this!"
"We're working to find him now, sir," Christina informed.
"No need," Robotnik declared as he walked right into the Oval Office. "I'm right here."
Everyone turned, seeing Robotnik, Orbot, and Cubot walking in. Almost immediately, the Secret Service turned their guns on him.
"Don't take one more step!" one warned.
"How the heck did you get in here?!" Another questioned. "There's at least two dozen guards on every entrance!"
"I pretended I was a bar of soap and gave them the slip," Robotnik responded. "Now please, put your weapons away. I came to help."
"Help?!" The President exclaimed, slamming his hands on his desk and rising to his feet. "It's your fault the entire country's trapped in a Solar Eclipse in the first place!"
"Not on purpose! A solar storm affected the Egg Moon's control system. It went into a new orbit by mistake. I give you my word that this isn't my fault."
The President mulled that over. While the idea was plausible, the President was no fool.
"... I don't believe you."
Robotnik sighed.
"I suppose that's fair. After everything I've done to your world, I wouldn't trust me either. But, I'm willing to prove myself. With the eclipse in place, the country will be needing a way of supplying sunshine to everyone. I have a way of harvesting the sunshine, and if it doesn't work, I'll turn myself in."
"Well, we do need light desperately… alright. I'll give you one chance."
"You won't regret it, sir. I promise."
…
Back in Station Square, Sonic was surveying the city at super speed, making sure Robotnik and his robots weren't taking advantage of the chaos. To his surprise, all he found were confused morning commuters. He stopped in the middle of downtown, more confused than ever. It was here that everyone else caught up with him.
"Find anything?" Amy asked.
"Nothing. Just a few concerned citizens. I expected this place to be teeming with robots."
"Something's definitely up," Knuckles remarked. "We need to find Eggman and fast."
"Uh, guys?" Tails let out, pointing at the jumbotron screen above him. "I found him."
The others turned towards the screen and saw a news report of Robotnik shaking hands with the President. Everyone's jaw dropped at the sight.
"What?" Kat let out.
"The?" Keith stuttered.
The word the others let out was one that made Cream cover her ears and Vanilla give the lot of them a stern glare. On the screen, the President addressed everyone.
"My fellow citizens, a cosmic storm has caused damage to the Egg Moon, which makes it impossible to remove from its current position. For the moment, the eclipse will continue, but efforts are being taken to ensure that this is a temporary situation.
"I am working on a solution," Robotnik reassured. "But it will take some time. I'll need to write new software and run tests. If I act in haste, the Egg Moon's damage would be permanent. In the meantime though, I am launching an initiative to provide some much needed sunlight to the afflicted areas. The last thing we want is the world freezing over and plants withering. Rest assured, light will be returned to Station Square."
Sonic's fist just clenched.
…
A few days later, Orbot and Cubot were overseeing the preparation and launch of a rocket ship that was a culmination of Robotnik-tech and G.U.N. tech.
"All systems are go," a navigator declared.
"Roger!" Cubot shouted.
"We're all set to launch!" a second navigator announced.
"Beginning countdown now!" Orbot declared.
"Hold it!" Bokkun interrupted, flying in front of them. "You can't start yet!
"And why, may I ask, is that?" Orbot asked.
"Dr. Robotnik has a message for ya!"
Bokkun pulled out a tablet for them, holding it out.
"Remember you two, the entire country is counting on us. You mess this up, and I'll make sure both of you are dismantled and your parts sold on ebay before I'm carted off. Understand?"
"Uh… yeah, sure thing boss," they replied at the same time.
"You certainly can't argue with his management style," Obrot commented.
"And if you do, he'll sell ya for scrap," Cubot added.
"We should be so lucky. Still, we have a duty to do. We will not fail!"
"Is that an option?"
"Begin countdown sequence!"
The two robots then began counting down from 5, shouting "Lift off!" as loud as they could at the rocket took off and entered the upper atmosphere of Earth. Once there, it ejected its primary thrusters and extended four small fins around its secondary thrusters before continuing on its trajectory toward the moon.
"Open light reflector," Orbot instructed.
The rocket's forward thrusters slowed the rocket to a complete stop as an umbrella-like part at the front opened up and expanded.
"Alter angle by 30 degrees," Orbot insisted.
The rocket, now a satellite, tilted until it began channeling the sun's light toward the earth. The light beam began to power a tower that has been set up on the ground below. A technician overseeing everything ran over and began reading the power level.
"The system's power storage is now at 10% of full capacity and rising steadily," he reported.
…
A few days later, the group reconvened at the Kent House. There, a news report played in regards to Robotnik's work in the crisis.
"For several days now, the endless eclipse has blocked all sunlight from reaching our planet. But thanks to the work of Dr. Robotnik, our world will soon be bathed in a new form of light."
Sonic snorted, crossing his arms.
"I don't buy it for one minute. Whatever he's planning, it's big, and he's using this crisis to hide it. How do we even know he's gonna return the sunlight at all?"
As he asked that, Scarlet was handed a piece of paper to read.
"And now, a word from our sponsor."
Just then, a Robotnik logo with the words "Robotnik TV Shopping" beneath it. Orbot and Cubot then appeared, speaking in unison
"Are you feeling bad because it's always night? Robotnik TV Shopping helps you see the light!"
Robotnik then stepped in front of them, a proud expression on his face.
"Folks, I don't need to tell you how troubling living in the dark is. It's depressing, a public safety hazard, and it's bad for your lawn. Fortunately, I have a solution!"
Orbot and Cubot then pulled off a tarp, revealing a large sphere on a pole.
"The Robotnik Sunshine Ball! With just one of these, even the darkest household will know the gift of sunshine."
"You have got to be kidding me," Kat let out.
Sonic just gritted his teeth as he looked on.
"Call within the next twenty minutes, and you can take advantage of our special offer," Orbot announced. "New customers eligible for free delivery and installation is half price."
"I wish I could offer it for free, but there are maintenance costs to pay. I'm sorry about that."
"Don't let this opportunity pass you by!" Orbot warned.
"Call Robotnik TV Shopping now!" Cubot recited. "Operators are standing by."
"No. Way. In. Hell," Kat declared. "Absolutely no way."
"I know it's fishy," Chuck conceded. "But we do need sunlight, desperately."
"Dad, are you sure?" Keith questioned.
"Yeah," Kat agreed. "They could be spy cameras, or bombs, or… I dunno, something eggman-y!"
"As much as I hate to admit it," Knuckles spoke up. "We may have to trust Eggman on this."
Everyone turned to Knuckles.
"Excuse me, I think I have something in my ear," Amy insisted, digging into her ear for emphasis. "Did you seriously just say we should trust Eggman?! I can count two times that particular line of thinking bit you in the-!"
"Hey, believe me! I don't trust Eggman anymore than you do, but this isn't about trusting him. It's about survival. And like it or not, we need the sun to survive. Heck, I'm pretty sure Chuck can tell us a lot about the need for sunlight and general health.
"Knuckles is right," Chuck confirmed. "Without sunlight, we'll lack a massive amount of vitamin C, which is quite necessary for any healthy being, even Mobians."
"Right. So for now, I think it's best we take Eggman's help."
Sonic instantly leapt to his feet.
"If you think that, you're more in the dark than everyone else!"
Sonic then sped out of the house, much to everyone's surprise.
"What was that about?" Keith wondered.
"Sonic's not taking this well at all," Tails remarked, playing with his tails nervously. "I don't like this..."
"Well I don't like having to rely on some Eggman tech to get some sunlight," Kat declared. "I'd rather live in the dark than buy into his plan."
"Maybe so, but we can't ignore the situation we're in," Chuck reasoned. "Besides, think about it this way. When Eggman does eventually launch his plan, we'll know right away what's going on and be able to stop it."
"That's… fair," Kat relented.
"I'll order one for the house, and for Angel Island," Chuck declared, pulling out his phone.
…
A day or so later, The Birnbaums, the Kent's, and Kat's treehouse all received sunshine balls. Orbot and Cubot installed them, under the watchful eyes of the houses' residents.
"Almost there," Orbot instructed as they set up the ball on the Birnbaum's house.
"Hang on, are we supposed to turn it clockwise or counterclockwise?" Cubot questioned. "I forget."
"Orbot, it's lefty-loosey, righty-tighty, remember?"
"Right!... So is it clockwise or counterclockwise?"
"Just turn the way I turn."
Finally, they got the ball installed, and it began shining a bright light over the house.
"It feels so warm," Helen marveled. "And it's almost as bright as real sunlight."
"Even if it's only a small sun, it does feel good to be back in the light," Vanilla said happily.
"Thank you, Mr. Robots," Cream told Orbot and Cubot.
"Our pleasure," Orbot replied.
The two walked off, Cubot beaming.
"Did you hear that, Orbot? We got thanked! And without a 'for nothing' at the end!"
"Truly invigorating! We should've become good guys years ago!"
…
As more and more sunshine balls went up across the planet, some of the poorer districts began marching to their leaders, demanding light for their parts of the city. It was getting to the point that angry mobs were beginning to gather demanding sunshine balls for public areas. Soon, the matter became so massive that it was brought before the senate.
"Mr. Speaker, my constituents demand their Sunshine Balls immediately! One senator demanded.
"Now hold on!" Another Senator interrupted. "The big cities have to be taken care of before rural areas!"
"And what about my people?!" Governor Fink questioned, having been granted a seat as part of his agreement with the President. "We Mobians still require sunlight, and our currency is still under debate!"
"Quiet, please!" the Chairman insisted. "We must have order!"
…
At Robotnik's new base, Bokkun is taking as many calls as he could.
"Hello? ... Please hold! ... Yes? ... One moment... We're a little backed up right now! We'll get there as soon as we can! Thanks for calling!"
Robotnik listened to all this, rubbing his chin in thought.
"With how high consumer command has gotten, I'll need another mirror tower to produce more artificial sunlight"
"Maybe you could ask the President to help," Bokkun suggested.
"Not a bad idea."
Robotnik picked up the phone and dialed the President.
"Hello?"
"Mr. President, it's Dr. Robotnik. Sunshine Ball sales are growing higher than I can provide. Can the government grant me some free land to build another Mirror Tower?"
"I'll see to it immediately."
"Well, all I can say is 'Hail to the Chief!' Thanks."
"If anything, I should be thanking you. Maybe you truly are trying to change, and everyone is all the better for it."
"Well, that's very kind of you to say, sir."
"You're a hero who not only saved our country, but the entire Earth!"
"A hero? You mean, like Sonic?"
"That's right."
Robotnik hung up the phone in surprise.
"I've never been a hero before… I could get used to it."
…
Before long, dozens of Mirror Towers were set up and operating at maximum capacity. Everyone was enjoying the light, and were beginning to let their guard down. Everyone except Sonic. He stood in front of one of the Mirror Towers, scowling intensely.
"You may have everyone else fooled Eggman, but not me. You say you made these things to bring sunshine, but I think you're just keeping everyone in the dark about your real plans. I may not know what you're up to… but I won't let you get away with it!"
Sonic then darted towards the tower, rolling into a spin dash and plowing right into the Mirror Tower. The tower then exploded before toppling over, completely destroyed.
…
At the Birnbaum house, Cream and Helen were out in the garden, planting some flowers and enjoying their Sunshine Ball. As they stopped to take a small break, the light died out, plunging everyone into darkness once again.
"Our Sunshine Ball went out!" Helen let out.
"What's going on?" Cream questioned.
…
Pretty soon, Sunshine Ball's went out throughout the city, much to the confusion of everyone. Even Angel Island suffered a blackout, causing both Knuckles and Kat to investigate. The Echidna climbed onto the roof, giving the Sunshine Ball a gentle knocking.
"Something must have cut the power," he suggested.
"Is our power crystal out?" Kat asked.
Knuckles hopped down, opening a metal box to reveal a glowing crystal.
"No, crystal's still got power. It's just the Sunshine Ball."
"Wonder what happened."
…
Everyone gathered up once again at the Kent House, trying to figure out what happened.
"My guess, Eggman cut the power to try and extort more money," Amy insisted.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Amy," Kat declared. "He's milking everyone for every penny they have."
"Quiet everyone," Chuck requested. "There's a report on the blackout now."
Everyone gathered around the TV as Robotnik stood before a group of reporters, all demanding answers.
"Today, a Mirror Tower collapsed which overloaded the power grid and caused the system to shut down. We are doing our best to repair the damage quickly and we hope to have the lights back on in just a few hours."
"Doctor?" Scarlet called out. "Do you know why the Mirror Tower collapsed?"
"We have our suspicions, but it wouldn't be prudent to say now as the investigation is still ongoing."
"You don't think…" Keith let out.
"It's Sonic," Tails declared. "No doubt about it."
"But why?" Keith questioned. "I know he hates Eggman, but to do this? It's not like him."
…
At the White House, Jerome was informing the President, Christina, Topaz, and Rouge of the situation.
"It can't be…" the President let out.
"I'm afraid it is, sir," Jerome replied. "We have confirmation that Sonic was responsible for the Mirror Tower's destruction.
"Are you sure? This isn't the first time someone's got it wrong when a hedgehog caused trouble."
"See for yourself."
Jerome then pulled up security footage of the Mirror Tower site, where everyone could see Sonic clear as day.
"I checked the footage over and over," Jerome told the President. "It hasn't been tampered with or altered in any way, shape, or form. What we're seeing… really happened."
"As much as I hate to admit it, this is well within Sonic's character" Rouge declared. "He and Eggman have been at odds for literal years. He's got his brain wired to automatically register anything Eggman does as a threat. While I personally don't trust these Sunshine Balls, they are rather necessary for the moment, and Sonic's smashing them out of spite."
"Mr. President, Sonic's clearly not of his right mind," Topaz insisted. "Perhaps it would be best to quietly bring him in. If word gets out of their beloved hero causing this blackout, we'll have an angry mob on our hands."
"And we can't afford anymore chaos. Bring him in, but be discreet about this."
…
Robotnik looked at an array of monitors, each depicting one of the Mirror Towers he had set up. He watched as Sonic plowed right through a second one, the doctor letting out a sigh.
"How tragic," he bemoaned. "It seems that no matter how hard I try, Sonic will never see me as anything but a villain. For his own sake, and for the sake of Earth, he must be stopped."
"Are you going to unleash a robot on him?" Bokkun questioned.
"Of course not! That was the old me. The new me will do the responsible thing and deliver this information to the press. The public deserves to know that it's favorite hero has gone rogue."
…
"We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring out this breaking news." Scarlet reported. ""There's been a major development in the Mirror Tower case. A video tape released to the studio by an anonymous source shows the towers being destroyed by none other than Sonic the Hedgehog!"
…
"It was Sonic…" Tails realized.
"But why?!" Keith exclaimed. "Why would he do something so reckless?!"
"Because Eggman is involved," Knuckles remarked. "Whenever Eggman does something big, no matter what it might be, he loses all sense of self control."
"But still, to go this far… doesn't he realize we need these Sunshine Balls? Does he even have a plan?"
"Honestly, I don't think so," Amy admitted. "When it comes to Eggman, Sonic's always had a one track hatred."
"But why?" Keith questioned. "I get that Eggman is evil and needs to be stopped, but this seems more like he's-"
"Lashing out," Kat finished, realization dawning. "Keith… remember after my mom died? I was an absolute wreck. I wanted to fight everyone and anyone until you calmed me down." She then turned to Amy, Tails, and Knuckles. "Did… Eggman do something to Sonic?"
"Don't look at me," Knuckles insisted. "I didn't know him til after his rivalry started."
"Tails?" Keith asked desperately. "You've known Sonic longer than anyone. Surely you know."
Tails rubbed his head nervously, hesitant to reply. Amy turned to him, taking his hand and giving a small nod.
"I don't know the full story," Tails admitted. "All I do know is that it involves the only family Sonic had: his uncle..."
…
Meanwhile, Sonic was running through the desert, searching for another Mirror Tower. As he ran, he felt his shoe snap under him. He lost his balance and went sliding face first across the sand. He sat up, spitting sand and looking back. To his horror, one of his sneakers was no longer on his foot. He searched around frantically, trying to find it. Finally, he spotted it and rushed over, picking it up. The sole was completely gone, the strap split and frayed, and the toe area was completely off and hanging loose.
"No..." he let out.
…
Mobius, 10 years ago.
"Sonic!" an old hedgehog with a thick, grey mustache called out. "Sonic! Where are you?"
Outside, a younger blue hedgehog came running towards the building at blazing speeds. He ran inside and began running around the room energetically.
"Hi ya unc! What's up? What's happening?!"
"Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, stop that running around this instant!"
Sonic finally stopped running, stopping in front of the older hedgehog.
"How many times have I told you not to speed around in my lab?"
"Sorry Uncle Chuck."
"One of these days, you're going to run right into trouble," Uncle Chuck admonished. "Now, let me see your shoes."
Sonic slid off his shoes and gave them to Uncle Chuck, who saw how completely worn out they were.
"I just bought you these yesterday! Did you go and do the big loop again?"
"I went even faster this time!"
"I'm sure you did." Uncle Chuck looked at the shoes, then sighed and tossed them into the garbage. "Clearly, standard footwear will not be enough for you my speedy little nephew. Luckily, I've been working on a solution. Close your eyes."
Sonic closed his eyes in eager anticipation. Uncle Chuck then set something in his lap. He opened his eyes to see a small box contain a pair of bright red and white shoes.
"These sneakers are imbued with Power Ring energy. While they will eventually wear down, even at your speed, it will take awhile. I imagine these shoes will last you a good decade or so. Try them on, see how they feel"
Sonic slid them on and started running in place. The shoes felt great, better than any sneaker he'd tried on before. He zipped across the lab a few times, then hugged Uncle Chuck.
"Thanks Uncle Chuck! I love them!"
"I love you, I like the sneakers," Uncle Chuck corrected playfully, planting a kiss on Sonic's forehead.
…
Sonic sniffed, feeling tears dripping down his snout and onto the sneaker. He then stood up, sliding the shoe on. Reaching into his fur, he pulled out some sports tape and speedily taped the shoe back together. He did the same to the other as a precautionary measure, wiped his eyes, then took off again, seeing another Mirror Tower up ahead. He rolled into a spin dash, tearing right through it with ease. Not even bothering to stop, he just kept running.
…
"Sonic never mentioned having any family," Keith recalled.
"It's been a sore subject to him," Tails admitted. "I only know about his uncle because of Longclaw, Sonic's guardian. She told me about how his uncle Chuck was a royal scientist for the Acorn Kingdom once upon a time. He created so many inventions to try and help people, and his kindness extended to all beings: including a wayward human that appeared out of nowhere."
"Eggman?" Keith guessed.
Tails nodded.
"This was long before Sonic was born. Eggman was just a kid, a lost kid with no idea how he'd ended up in our world. Chuck helped him out, got him on his feet, and even got him a position as a scientist in Acorn Kingdom after he retired."
"So, what happened to him?" Kat asked.
Before the conversation could continue, Mr. Tanaka came into the room.
I am sorry to intrude, but there seems to be an unruly mob forming outside."
Everyone gathered at the window, seeing several furious people beginning to march on the gates. They were holding up signs demanding Sonic, and their shouts made it clear they were out for blood.
"Uh-oh," Chuck let out. "Everyone, out the back! We need to get out of here!"
Everyone took off out the back door as the mob began knocking down the gates. Soon the whole house was surrounded by protestors who closed in on the group. Amy and Kat both readied their weapons, preparing to fight back. Chuck pulled Keith close to him to protect him, and Knuckles just got ready for a fight…