Angel: A quick heads up, I start classes next week, so updates might be a bit slower. I'm working on like 5 projects right now, so that's why my posting hasn't been super heavy like in the past. Currently, I'm on the Blast to the Past Special, the 5th episode of Sonic Boom, chapter 9 of Lucila and the Grimwalker, and I'm still trying with My Life as a Teenage Robot fan season, but it's being more difficult than I thought, so I don't know when that'll be out. And the last project is not something I'm willing to disclose right now.

And I do apologize for the constant delays, I just want to be farther ahead so that I can finish faster to work on other stuff which both you and myself want fulfilled. And like I said in the last episode, I will be rewriting this one when the story is over so that it's in past tense like previous chapters. Also, I put up a poll on my profile to see if people want me to do Dr. Stone, which might be in like Panther territory for me, as in I might get a lot of negative comments about why the story shouldn't exist. And I don't need that experience again, so I'm leaving it up to you guys. I recently got into this anime and I'm obsessed, but I don't know if I'm gonna get massacred online for it lol.

In a desert-like area, fog is blowing. A ship then flies past, which is being shot down by two other ships. The green ship flies into the forest, skidding across the water. Once it's stopped, a tall ram runs out, looking back briefly. He takes off down the creek while the two ships follow him.

Meanwhile, Sally, Sophia, and Sonic are in another part of the forest.

"Any year now, Sal!" Sonic calls out and she comes over, humming. He's holding onto a rope while she inspects something. Sophia is next to him holding onto another rope.

"You know, your unremitting perseverance is an example to us all, Sonic," She comments while attaching a hook to an abandoned ship.

"Say what?" He wonders, a hand on his hip.

"Just move it," She tugs on the rope.

"You heard her," Sophia shrugs lightly and they speed up their feet.

"Hold on to your socks, Sal!" They take off, lifting up the ship and revealing some junk left behind. Sally kicks it away while inspecting further.

"That's good, guys!" She shouts and they slide to a stop. They tie the ropes to a tree stump to hold the ship in place. They go back to Sally near the seats.

"Any cool stuff for the Deroboticizer?"

"No, nothing yet," She answers while holding something broken.

"I hope this isn't all for nothing. My Papa is risking a lot to find my mother enough as it is," Sophia comments in worry, Sonic placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"We'll turn your parents back. We promise," Sonic assures the alien princess and she gives a small smile.

"He wouldn't risk his life if he didn't have a good reason: to make sure you're back as a family," Sally speaks up and she nods.

"Thanks, you guys."

"Man, what is all this junk?" Sonic wonders as they start searching. "Hey, check this! A toaster!" He holds up a giant item that looks nothing at all like a toaster. Sally gasps sharply at what he's holding.

"Oh my Gosh, Sonic! That's a magnetic field generator!"

"You mean it's not a toaster? Then what's it do?" He questions cluelessly and Sophia facepalms.

"It's a very powerful magnet," Sally explains to him.

"Do you know what we could do with that kind of power?" Sophia gestures to the object.

Meanwhile, Dulcy, Tails, and Antoine are using binoculars to scope the skies. Well, Tails and Dulcy are. Antoine seems to have his focus elsewhere...or on someone else. "Ah, magnifique!" He swoons while holding a piece of paper. "My princess Sally, I'm seeing my love for you is like a huge fungo salad, my little tomato... You are the onions of my eyes... The gray flowers of my ear... The cucumber-"

"Ant, you're making me hungry," Tails interrupts his...romantic monologue. "Besides, we're supposed to be lookouts."

"That's right, Tony. Lookout!" Dulcy shouts into his face and he yelps in alarm, dropping everything and falling backwards. The two laugh at his reaction.

"Wow, it's still in excellent shape!" Sally explains while the three examine the magnetic field generator.

"Wonder what it's doing here?" Sophia asks while looking at her reflection.

"You had these back in your planet?" Sally looks up at the girl.

"Well, we had these but in a smaller scale. We used these to attach shipments to our hands more so than for power," The girl answers while examining closer.

"Let's check it out!" Sonic reaches out to touch the power button.

"Careful Sonic! Switch that on and you'll attract every piece of metal within 50 feet," Sally warns him, thankfully stopping him before he could do anything.

"Woah! That could be ugly," He replies and Sophia hums, nodding. "Is that why you guys stopped using them, Soph?"

"Nah, it was because someone attached it to their head for some reason and it got...dangerous," Sophia shudders a little. "Before my planet was destroyed, last I heard he was still traumatized and was homeless."

"Because everything in his house was metal?"

"Nah, because he went insane having them over his brain for too long," She states casually, earning a gulp from Sonic.

"Yoo-hoo! Alló, ma princesse!" Antoine calls out, alarming all of them.

"Ew, speaking of ugly..." Sonic remarks in disdain, Sophia snickering to herself.

"I have written for you, my princess!" He rushes over to them, holding his poem. "I'm falling in love with you!" He trips over a branch, loosening the ropes holding the ship. He screams while attempting to hang onto them, and it falls over. The three gasp sharply as it's heading for them. Sonic drags Sally and Sophia away.

"Sonic, the magnet!" Sally points to it and he goes back to grab it. Antoine gets spun around over a branch and then lands in the tree. He then falls down and they all flinch.

"Nice landing, Ant. You gotta teach that to Dulcy," Sonic remarks while Sophia dusts herself off.

"Thanks, Sonic," She sighs in relief while Antonie sits up.

"Are you okay, Antoine?" Sally asks him in concern.

"Moi? But of course, my princess. I've never been so much better..." He chuckles nervously, even though yes, he was a little out of breath.

"Dulcy, check this out! Somebody is coming." Tails reports to the dragon, who sees the ram from before running in their direction. Sophia's ears twitch as she looks around. The others immediately notice it from her.

"Sophia, what's wrong?" Sally asks the girl, but she waves a hand.

"Oh, oh! Swat-bots! You better tell Sonic and Soph!" The ships are still chasing him as he can't get away.

"Sonic! Sophia!" Tails flies over to the speedy duo.

"What's up, big guy?"

"Sonic, Soph, SWATbots! They're chasing some guy this way," He points to his left.

"He's right. I can hear them approaching as we speak," Sophia reports to them, listening in closer. "It's at least two ships."

"Some guy?" Sonic questions, wondering why they're after him. Usually they chase down Freedom Fighters because that's their orders. Not some civilian who would probably be in hiding to avoid being roboticized.

"Yeah, over there!" Tails points in the same direction Sophia's looking at.

"We'll check it out!" Sonic states, and Sally places a hand on his arm.

"Sonic, Soph, lead the bots back here," She suggests with a smile, to the shock of the others.

"Say what?"

"Why? We can lead them away so you can get back to Knothole," Sophia raises a brow at Sally. Sonic gestures to her silently.

"I've got an idea, trust me."

"You got it, Sal," Sonic answers and Sophia salutes to her. They speed past the group, blowing away Antoine in the process. The ships are now firing at the ram hiding behind a tree, and he just laughs this off.

"I'd like to stay, boys, but I have places to go and people to see!" He swings off a branch, the ships still flying around. He then hears a whistle from down below.

"Yoo-hoo!" He looks down to see Sophia waving, as she's the one who signaled him. Sonic stands next to her with his hands on his hips.

"Ooh, way cool moves, bud! Get ready to roll! We'll draw these bots off!"

The ram just laughs again. "Thanks but, why would they follow you?"

"Well..." Sophia starts off, but then they hear a whirring sound nearby.

"Emergency order override. Hedgehog and Princess Sophia. Priority one," The Swatbots see the two, focusing their attention on the duo instead. They hold out their arms, looking back up at the ram.

"It's complicated for me," The pink-haired girl shrugs up at him.

"That's why! Rip and Slip Time!" They speed up, allowing the ram to escape down the forest. The duo turn the corner so that they can lead them straight down. Sally and Tails are waiting for all of them.

"Here they come!" The two watch Sonic and Sophia run past them. Sally turns on the magnetic generator. It turns on and as soon as the ships arrive, they're attracted to the generator, rending them stuck. "You got them, Aunt Sally!"

She goes over to one of the ships to pull off the control panel. "That's the power converter," She points to a small part with two buttons. "The magnet deactivated the bot," She then removes the power converter. "We can use a lot of these parts for the De-Roboticizer."

In the middle of the fog, Antoine and Dulcy are playing Go Fish, a campfire in front of them. "Do you have a seven, Antoine?"

"Hmm," He gives a look of thought towards his cards. "Go fishing. You're having a...four?"

"Go fishing. I need a nine."

"Go fishing. You're having a..."

Meanwhile, while they're playing, a camera is watching Sonic, Sophia, Sally, and Tails. They're listening to the escapee's story on what was going on. "So, I was on the way to this old fortress where Robotnik's holding my Freedom Fighters. And-"

"Whoa! Did you say "Freedom Fighters"? Like us?" Sonic gestures to himself in shock.

"I thought when I met you, you were the only Freedom Fighters," Sophia raises a brow while turning to the hedgehog.

"Not exactly. We're only six. Well, we were seven..." He hesitates from recalling it. "Now there's only me."

"Isn't that interesting? We've never heard of other Freedom Fighters," Sally glares a bit at him suspiciously.

"Well, before today, we've never heard of you either," He shrugs a little while looking at them.

"Look, anyone can say they're a Freedom Fighter," Sally states plain and simple, Sonic approaching her.

"Yo Sal, you're being mondo rude!" Sonic whispers as the two walk away from the fire so that the others don't listen.

"No, Sonic, I'm being mondo cautious," She whispers back, glancing at the...'Freedom Fighter'. "We know nothing about him. I don't know, something...just doesn't feel right," She doesn't know why they're never heard about him before. Another Freedom Fighter doesn't just turn up out of nowhere in her eyes.

"Like what?" Sonic questions in disbelief.

"Like here we are, in the middle of nowhere, and another Freedom Fighter just happens to show up?" She questions suspiciously, hands on her hips.

"Sal, give the guy his props," Sonic explains while the camera focuses on them now, with neither of them noticing it.

"Props?" She looks at him in confusion.

"Proper respect, lady. Bots were chasing him."

"Fine. But Robotnik controls the bots," Sally points out slowly, none of them aware that Robotnik can hear everything they're saying. Snively turns around to him away from the control screen.

"The princess may be a problem, sir," He speaks up while looking up.

"Aah, but the rodent believes him, Snively...and that's what matters," Robotnik rubs his hands together with an evil smile on his face. Sophia stops eating her sandwich and looks up. "Sophia senses something. Activate the cloaking device."

Snively presses a button so that the robot camouflages itself from Sophia's hearing. She pauses as she looks at Sonic and Sally for what seems like a while. "Soph, is everything okay?" Tails wonders and she shakes her head to snap out of it. She turns back to him.

"Sure, Tails. It's just...I could've sworn I felt uneasy for a second," She chews her sandwich, debating if her senses have ever been wrong before.

"Yeah, well I trust him," Sonic argues to Sally.

"Well I don't!" She argues back to him.

"I do!"

"I don't!"

The new Freedom Fighter clears his throat, getting their attention. They turn to him wide-eyed. "Excuse me. I don't wanna cause any trouble, so thanks for your help. I'll handle it from here. Good luck," He then walks right past them.

"Smooth move, Sal," Sonic remarks sarcastically with a smile.

"Sonic, you're being too reckless, as usual," She scolds and Sophia sighs while looking away, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, what's so reckless about trusting somebody?" Sonic asks incredibly, turning to Sophia who was having a cup of water. "Soph, am I being reck-"

"Don't make me choose sides between you two," She interrupts knowingly without even having to look back, taking another sip. "Both of you think your opinions are valid when in reality, it's just you two being childish."

Both of them grumble from her answer. "Fine! You guys take the junk back to Knothole. I'm gonna help Ari," He then speeds past Sally, who looks after him in worry.

"Soph, would you please-"

She sighs and stands up, dusting herself off. "I'm only doing this because of that hesitation I felt earlier," The girl states clearly before speeding up and following after Sonic.

Dulcy is taking back their loot, but she's snoring in mid-air. Tails, Antoine, and Sally glance to each other in alarm. "Dulcy!" Sally calls out, but the dragon doesn't seem to hear them. "Dulcy!"

"What?" She looks back to them and not up ahead.

"That tree!" Sally cries out, Dulcy looking back and screaming. Dulcy hits the tree, all of them falling towards the ground.

Rotor is scatting to himself in his lab when the four skid inside. Dulcy's eyes look a bit unnerved from the crash. "I'm home, ma..." She murmurs while disoriented.

Bunnie puts a hot cloth over Dulcy's head, the dragon laying down. "I didn't do it, ma...honest."

Nearby, Rotor is attempting to get one of the robots that was chasing Ari down to turn back on. "Now we connect this wire, and..." The robot comes to life after he does so.

"Awaiting instructions."

"What are your orders?" Sally questions it immediately.

"Orders, pursue Freedom Fighter Ari...Do not capture...Drive to the fortress," They turn to each other in confusion, wondering what fortress and why. "Coordinates 3-6-2. Use Ari to force Priority One Hedgehog and Princess Sophia into trap."

"Where?" Rotor questions quickly, concerned for his friends.

"Fortress. Coordinates 7-5," Sally writes it down, gasping.

"We have to warn Sonic and Soph."

At a pyramid, there are bursts coming out of the water in between the sharp rocks and formations. Sonic and Sophia are racing over to the pyramid, with Sonic carrying Ari. He takes off the goggles from the top of his head. "Sonic, put these on!"

"What are they for?" He wonders while doing so.

"That patch of sand up ahead. Vibrations trigger hidden whirl pools. Look, just avoid the red areas!"

"No problem, Ari!" Sonic smiles while Sophia gets that same uneasy feeling when that robot was watching them. Ari turns to her regrettably.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I don't have another pair for you."

"I can manage. My eyes can detect them," She focuses her eyesight and sees the red spots on the ground. They start dodging the spots on the ground. She glances at Ari, wondering if Sally's right on this one. After all, both the same feeling occurred with Ari around...they could be connected.

Meanwhile, Dulcy is leading them to the fortress. "I know this is asking a lot, Dulcy, but can you go faster?" Sally wonders, growing more and more worried for her friends.

"Okay!" Dulcy pants out while flapping her wings as fast as she can.

Ari, Sonic, and Sophia stare at the pyramid from behind some rocks. "Man, it looks totally deserted. You sure your Freedom Fighters are in there?" Sonic questions in hesitation, Sophia glancing at Ari pulling something out. She turns back to the hedgehog and pyramid.

"Yeah, I saw them," He pulls up an antenna and presses a button.

"I've had my fair share of deserted places being here...we need to keep our guard up," She warns while glancing at the hedgehog.

"What is it with women and not trusting him?" Sonic whispers to Sophia, gesturing to Ari. Suddenly, a panel opens up from the pyramid, revealing a small robot with sharp teeth and red eyes.

"Sonic!" Ari calls out to get their attention. "Your highness!"

"Got it, no problemo!" Sonic waves a hand while Sophia huffs a bit. That seems too contrived for her liking. Sonic takes off, Sophia following, and the robot follows their every move. It chases them around, getting in close. "Man, this guy is a real pain in the-" The robot suddenly uses a small mouth to bite Sonic from behind and he yelps. "Whoa, that's rude, man! Better teach you some manners," He whispers to Sophia, who nods with a small smile. The two turn the corner and then stop, seeing a red area in front of them. They both dig into the ground in front of the spot, the robot coming over to them. The two then appear from behind, knocking the robot into the red spot for it to disappear. "Ooh, his bite was worse than his bark!" He rubs his back, frowning.

Ari approaches the duo. "Are you all right, Sonic and your highness?"

"Yeah, as long as I don't sit down," Sonic remarks while taking off his goggles.

"At least we know what to do if another one shows up out here," Sophia comments while looking at Ari. It's pretty weird that he knew about the robot before they did...

Back with Dulcy and Sally, they're just arriving, though the dragon is out of breath.

"There they are!" She points to the trio down below. "Dulcy, could you-"

"I know, I know, faster, faster," Dulcy dives straight for the three

Sonic and Sophia approach the door. They both reach out to open them.

"Your highness, Sonic, wait!"

"What's up?" Sonic turns around to him and he picks up a rock.

"That door isn't friendly," He throws it, and demonstrates that the door has a defense mechanism. Both of them flinch while stepping back.

"Woah, that would have smoked my sneakers, big time!" Ari takes out the same remote control from before and uses it against the door. "You sure know a lot about this place, Ari."

"We have a good intelligence network," He replies as they walk up. Sophia stares at Ari with a small glare. She finds it to be just way too easy that he just happens to have something to counteract the door.

"So do we. We'll make a great team!" Sonic remarks and then looks back at the pink-haired girl. "Soph, you coming?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm coming," She steps in behind them as the doors open.

"Sonic! Sophia!" They hear Sally's shout and turn around in confusion.

"Huh? Sal?" The two step up to the door, but Ari uses his remote control to close it in front of them. The two speedsters flinch in alarm. Sophia slams on the doors with her fist. Dulcy quickly flies upwards and turns around.

"Hold on, Sally!" She cries out before skidding against the sand. Dulcy crashes into a rock formation.

"Dulcy, are you all right?" Sally asks her in concern.

"I'll pick up my room later, ma..." Dulcy murmurs while her eyes swirl around, meaning she's in a daze. A yellow light shines behind them, and Sally turns around to see the temple glowing. Then it turns into a sinister-looking temple...with Robotnik's face.

"Oh my gosh, Dulcy...this is trouble!"

"There won't be any trouble, ma..." Dulcy then closes her eyes again, as it'd take a while for her to be less disoriented.

"Yo! What's up with the weirdo TV?" Sonic notices a TV screen that's giving off static. Sophia gives Ari a small glare. She's almost certain that he's behind trapping them in here, but she doesn't know how or why.

"We have to unscramble it to get in," Ari explains and walks off towards a door.

"You mean like eggs?" Sonic wonders while staring at him.

"Hmm...similar," He presses in a code on the keypad, and Sonic whistles while they wait. He glances up at Sophia, who stares at him with her arms crossed.

"Oh, come on, not you too, Soph! Don't tell me you actually agree with Sal about Ari," The hedgehog whispers to her.

"I'm starting to see her point. This is all too easy, Sonic. You can't really tell me you can trust him when he seems to know the key code. And yet somehow escaped from here if that door was a trap to be chased by Robotnik," She whispers back and he taps his foot in annoyance.

"What's up with you women and your trust issues?" He mumbles and she rolls her eyes to the back of her head at this.

"That's it!" Ari opens up the door and they step inside, though Sophia still has her doubts.

"Man oh man! Are those your Freedom Fighters, Ari?" Sonic points to a bunch of people tied up with glowing restraints.

"I'm afraid so," Ari answers sadly, but it seems too fake for the pink-haired princess in her opinion.

"Let's spring 'em!" Sonic speeds over to one, only for the person to disappear completely. Sonic yelps in surprise. "W-What's up, Ari? What's going on?"

"Talk now!" Sophia turns around immediately, pointing her fists full of Chaos Energy towards Ari.

"I'm sorry, you two. I wish there were another way," He presses the button to have the door close in on them. Both of them rush over to the door, but they don't make it out.

"Hey Ari! Open up, man!" Sonic shouts while slamming on the door.

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Hedgehog and your highness," Sonic flinches while Sophia gasps at the familiar raspy voice. "But not to worry. I promise you won't be bored," Robotnik appears on the screen across the room and then lets out an evil laugh.

"Robotnik," Sonic whispers knowingly and realizes the truth. "Soph, when we survive this, you have every right to tell me you told me so."

Meanwhile, outside Dulcy has recovered and is wearing the magnet generator. "Okay. When I push this button, I'm gonna fly backwards and rip out the door."

"Dulcy!" Sally protests as she doesn't approve of this plan at all.

"Trust me..." She pushes the button instead of waiting for an answer.

"Wait! Don't!"

"This will work!" Dulcy shouts in assurance, but the magnet pulls her forward so that she crashes. Sally flinches from the sound, gasping and running over. Dulcy is stuck to the door, muffling until Sally turns the generator off.

"Dulcy, talk to me!" Sally bends down to her.

"I'm fine ma..."

"Analysis complete, Sally," Nicole's voice brought her attention and she stands up.

"Bad news first, Nicole."

"No access possible," Nicole brings up a hologram of the temple. "Doors all code-locked."

"Great!" Suddenly the door opens on its own somehow. "Come on, Dulcy!" They both run to hide, seeing Ari approaching a Swatbot ship. He runs inside, and they notice their friends aren't anywhere to be found.

"Where's Sonic and Soph?" Dulcy whispers to Sally as they watch him.

"I don't know. But get ready to move," Sally warns and they see the ship flying out, the doors closing soon after. "Darn! I have to find out what's going on. Dulcy, can you catch that hovercraft?" She points up to it, knowing that Sophia would've been after it if something didn't happen.

"It'll be a stretch, but I'll try," She states, and takes off with Sally to go follow it.

"Dulcy, faster!" Sally urges the dragon.

"OK, but I'll have to crack the whip," Dulcy looks back at her.

"Crack the what?" Sally wonders in confusion, as she doesn't know what that means.

"The whip!" Dulcy explains and then cracks her tail to give her a boost. Sally yelps and hangs on for dear life.

"Dulcy!" The two crash into the ship from behind, to Ari's surprise. He narrows his eyes and keeps going into Robotropolis.

"Are you ready to play, my favorite rodent and princess?" Robotnik snarls down at his two enemies as they look up at him.

"Play what, chrome dome?" Sonic demands him, hands on his hips.

"A little game I created. Just for the three of us," He presses a button and then lights flash. He lets out an evil laugh, and scoreboards are surrounding the screen.

"Oh, man!" Sonic places a hand in front of his eyes.

"Whatever he's got planned, this isn't good," Sophia whispers to him while looking around for a way out.

"Sir, we have the hedgehog and the princess in the palm of our hands," Snively points out while looking at his boss. "Why not just-just squash them now?" He would think that since now he has the both of them trapped, that he would just have weapons destroy them right then and there. They were tricked into this trap, after all.

"Oh no Snively," Robotnik shakes his head with an evil smile. "I've been waiting far too long for this moment. I want to savor it. Hehehehe! Activate."

"Activating, sir," Snively presses a button and something blinks. Then there's shimmers over the two, causing them to look up. Sophia looks at her arms as nothing seems to be happening just yet...but she wouldn't have her guard down just because of that.

"Yo Robuttnik, what's up?" Both of them yelp as they're lifted off the ground. Sophia tries to break free, but it was like there's this hold over them so that they couldn't escape. Meaning she couldn't use her wings to break out either.

"Why...you are, hedgehog," Something appears underneath their feet, and it opens up. Then they fall, only to land in large orbs that's adjusted to both of their sizes. Sophia grunts and tries to push her way out, but it's no use. "Comfortable?"

"Let's do it, Robuttnik. I don't have all day," Sonic retorts, tapping his fingers against his prison. Sophia tries using her laser eyes, only for the blast to ricochet around her. She yelps and then eventually catches it, and she winces as it burns her hands a bit.

"That's true. You don't. Activate." Lights appear around them and they look around in alarm.

"Oh, no!" They look to see their faces on a mechanism next to them. "Something tells me I'm not gonna like this game."

"If it's anything by Robotnik, no one would," Sophia remarks while looking back up towards the screen, glaring. Then a vortex of sorts appear, but its destination is unknown.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It's a dimensional warp I created years ago," Robotnik explains to the duo.

"You need to get out more, Robuttnik," Sonic comments while looking up in alarm.

"There are still some techno problems to solve. It seems that those who enter...never return," Then the warp disappears in front of them, and he lets out a sigh. "Oh well, life is not perfect," He shrugs a little casually.

"Perfect means never having to see you again, moon-head!" Sonic retorts up to him.

"And our Freedom Fighters winning against you!" Sophia adds in, glancing down at her feet briefly.

"Be careful what you wish for, rodent and pink annoyance! Here are the rules. Hit your bumpers, and the portal closes a little," The board glows yellow as he continues explaining. "Hit my bumpers and...well...even you two can figure that out!" Both of them scream as they're lifted up and led backwards. "Let the game begin!"

Both of them start in front of some buttons, which recoil back.

"Should have listened to-" The button rushes forward towards the both of them. "Saaaaal!" They're rocketed forward, spinning around and hitting some buttons uncontrollably. Robotnik gains at least 100 points before they come to a stop.

"Oh, I feel sick," Sophia holds her stomach while her eyes spin around.

"Huh, you wanna play, huh, Robuttnik? Well check this!" They use their speed to get their own points as they constantly hit buttons. They roll to a stop as the warp completely disappears. "Bye bye portal. You lose, bullet-head!"

"Silly creatures. That was just the warm-up. I didn't want you to...strain yourself," Robotnik explains, the two gasping as they're sent flying around the game again. This time they're in different directions, Sonic landing in a chute that practically freezes him. Meanwhile, Sophia lands in a catapult and is launched into the air. She yelps and bounces around so much it makes her dizzy.

"Mondo problemo..." Sonic screams as he's sent for another round, and the warp reappears. Robotnik presses a button. "Oh man!" He laments as a large hologram of Robotnik appears with a hockey stick.

"One small step for the rodent, one very large stick for me!" He sends Sonic flying, and he rolls to a stop on the board. He's unfrozen now, blowing out some smoke and speeding up his feet. Sophia rolls away from being hit herself.

"You're history, Robuttnik!" He speeds up his feet and goes around the board again. He heads for Sophia and bumps into her. She yelps and then cheers as she earns points for herself as well.

"I admire your spirits, rodents, but this game is far from over," Robotnik states as the buttons open up to reveal Swatbots. The two run away from them, going around the board to avoid them. They look up as the Swatbots turn around to them. They push a bumper in front of them, and when the ships come down, they knock into the bumper. They land inside the warp, which disappears completely. Robotnik gasps sharply at this.

"All right Robotnik," Ari speaks up to him while entering the room. "I delivered Sonic and Sophia, now release my Freedom Fighters."

Sally and Dulcy are watching this interaction from the air vents. She looks up at the dragon. "Ready, Dulcy?" She whispers to her friend.

"Ready," She takes a deep breath.

"Of course dear boy, I always keep my promises. Snively!"

"Sir?" He turns around to Robotnik.

"Bring in Ari's...friends," For some reason, Ari did not like this at all. Snively presses a button, revealing that all of Ari's friends have been roboticized.

"What is this, Robotnik? We had a deal," Ari exclaims angrily once he sees them.

Dulcy is still inhaling inside the vents. "Hurry, Dulcy!"

She gives Sally an annoyed look, still having a huge puff of air in her stomach. "You think this is easy?" She asks while trying to not let all the air out. She then continues letting in air.

"Deals only exist to be broken, dear boy," Robotnik explains while Ari is being held by Swatbots. "You'll feel better once you're roboticized."

Ari grunts while trying to break free, being taken away. "One day Robotnik, you'll be on the other end of this!" He declares while looking over his shoulder.

"Oh, please, all this drama gives me a migraine," Robotnik rubs the top of his head, not caring at all from this declaration. Plus, he still rules Robotropolis, so that threat from Ari doesn't really faze him that much.

"I hate doing this," Dulcy takes in one more breath. "OK, ready!" She steps forward and because of the extra air, falls through the vent. She screams and then falls between Robotnik and Snively. "Hello," She responds meekly to him. He gasps at her appearance and she lets out her air, actually freezing Robotnik.

"Oh, no!" Snively laments before she turns to him. She then freezes him solid as well. Sally flips onto the ground, the Swatbots turning around to attack them. Ari runs over and uses his horns to knock them to the ground.

"Thanks, Ari," Sally smiles gratefully at him.

"No, no, princess. I should thank you," He replies back to her.

Meanwhile, Sophia and Sonic are still stuck in the pinball game, not aware of what happened to Robotnik and Snively. They continue hitting the buttons to break free of their prisons, but nothing is working. "Oh man! Pinball is...a tough game. I'm outta here!" Both of them pull at the metal bar.

"Nothing's working! Not even my powers are strong enough against this," Sophia complains while looking at her hands.

"Don't strain yourself, blue boy and pink nuisance," Robotnik speaks up, and they look towards him. "The game isn't over until the hedgehog or princess scream!" He's apparently now solid again, though has some ice all over his body. The board changes again so that there's only four red bumpers. They try to run away, but the one behind them hits them. Robotnik laughs as he watches them go through the board again, unable to stop themselves.

Ari drives his ship in front of the temple from before. "I'll be right back," Sally jumps out and takes out the magnetic generator. Ari walks up to her.

"Excuse me, princess," He takes it from her.

"Ari, wait!" She calls out as he runs up to the door. He pulls out a remote control as they run up to him. "Ari, what are you doing?!"

"Stay back, princess. The door has a defensive system," He warns and rushes in. They go after him, but the door closes in front of them.

"Ari!"

Robotnik laughs from watching his enemies get constantly hit. "Having fun yet, you two?" He wonders as the warp reopens again. As soon as they stop, Sophia looks up at him with a small growl.

"Man, I need a big juice," As the bumper recoils back, Sonic holds up a ring while Sophia charges up hers. Before they can use them, they get hit with the bumper. This causes them to drop the rings. For some reason, they stop in front of the warp and they get pulled backwards. "Hey, what's up? Soph, is that you?"

"Mm-mm," She shakes her head no.

"What is this?" Robotnik notices it as well.

Ari is using the magnetic generator to pull them towards his direction. He catches Sonic, placing a hand in front of Sophia to stop her. "Ari, thanks."

"I'd also be grateful if you weren't the reason we're here in the first place," Sophia narrows her eyes at him. "I can only assume there'd be nothing stopping you from doing the same thing to us again."

"Soph," Sonic looks at her in a warning way.

"No, I deserve that," Ari shakes his head. "I thought you two could use a hand, but now we're both in trouble."

"No prob! Help's on the way," Both of them hold up their hands to levitate the rings towards them. "Way cool!" They hold up the rings and give their shoes a boost. "Get ready to turn that sucker off!" Both of them speed up, a blue and pink aura appearing from the both of them. "Now, Ari!" He turns off the generator and they take off at high speeds. Robotnik gasps as they start destroying the board entirely.

"Finally, the Power Rings!" Robotnik laughs, since the warp is still open. "Play time's over," He presses a button.

"Destruct mode. Count down. 5...4...3...2...1..." Just as the countdown stops, the two knock their prisons against the wall to break them open. "Activate." A gust of wind blows in, and they try to fight against it with their speed. Whatever was destroyed goes flying into the warp, Ari hanging onto a support beam. The wind is too much, though, and he goes flying while screaming.

"ARI!" They shout while looking back. They head for him and grab his hands, hanging onto the exterior of the warp. "Hang on, Ari!"

"Sonic, Sophia, I'm sorry! I didn't wanna...do this. He had my Freedom Fighters," He shouts to the both of them.

"That doesn't matter anymore!" Sophia states while trying to pull backwards.

"Just hang on, pal!" Sonic tells him, looking worried.

"Guys, listen! There are other Freedom Fighters besides us. I don't know how many, but they're looking for Sally. The list! Her father's list!" Before they could get a further explanation, a piece of debris hits Ari, causing them to let go.

"ARI!" They scream as they watch him fly backwards towards the light, disappearing. "Oh no!" They move their hands against the wall to get away from the warp, speeding away and dodging debris.

Sally and Dulcy are hiding behind a rock to endure the wind. They see their friends speeding out of there. "Sonic! Soph!" He rushes over and hugs Sally.

"Yeah!"

Sally hugs Sophia as well, who smiles. They all gasp while looking back, seeing the temple glowing. A red aura appears before the warp causes it to disappear completely. They could only stare in shock.

"Is...Ari..." Dulcy asks them slowly.

"Gone. He's inside that thing," Sonic murmurs sadly, Sophia frowning.

"We...we tried all we could, but..." She doesn't finish as the warp forms into a tornado, slowly going away.

"It's a vortex. With luck, we can figure it out and bring him back," Sally tells the duo.

"I hope so. He saved me from going in there."

"If he hadn't, we would've met his fate..." Sophia murmurs as they look to the empty space.

"Other Freedom Fighters?" Sally wonders as they've told her what Ari had said to them. "And you're sure he said my father's list?"

"That's right, Sal," Sonic answers while leaning back in his chair.

"What can it be? A list of...other Freedom Fighter groups?" She asks in surprise, her eyes going wide just saying it out loud.

"Who knows? You're the one who didn't trust Ari," The hedgehog mocks her a little.

"But, unlike some hedgehogs who leap before they look, I have the ability to learn," Sally retorts back to him.

"Hey, I can learn!" He argues back to her, jerking a thumb to himself.

She laughs while standing up, walking away. "I think not."

"I think not," Sonic mocks her, turning around to the remote she left behind. "What's this thing?" He touches it and gets electrocuted. Then he's left in a daze, picking up a mirror and screaming at his appearance.

Sally laughs while coming back. "I rest my case," She remarks, as she actually meant for that to happen.

"Duuuh, funny. Very funny," Sonic grumbles while crossing his arms.