It was nighttime in Robotropolis as a shadow snuck around, flying Swat-Bots flying by. The shadow was actually Uncle Chuck, who waved Elliot forward. The former king ran forward to hide behind him. The moment the coast was clear, they made a run for it to a pair of goblin statues that were surrounding a door. Lightning struck above their heads. They walked up to one of the statues, pulled the head off, and stuck a note inside the hollow body. Elliot was on lookout, making sure that no one saw them. And once the head was back in place, they headed off.
Sally was looking through a pair of supped up binoculars, monitoring a lighting fast Sonic as he goofed off while dodging lasers. He even found time to down a chili dog. Sophia shook her head while running next to him.
"I don't believe it!" Sally grunted and Sonic let out a burp. "Actually, I do believe it," She corrected herself while putting down the binoculars. Bunnie stared as Sally turned back around. "Ohhh! Sometimes that hedgehog makes me so MAD!" She glared, hands on her hips. She hated it when Sonic didn't seem to take things seriously.
"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed as he and Sophia zipped past the spotlights, the ships chasing after them and firing.
"HEDGEHOG. PRIORITY ONE. HEDGEHOG. PRIORITY ONE," As the robot was talking, they took cover inside an abandoned car, as the robots passed on by. They met Sally, Bunnie, and Dulcy back at the safe spot in no time.
"Waaaay cool!" Sonic exclaimed while drifting around Sally to a stop. And he could tell already that she looked annoyed with him. "Sorry I'm late, Sal, but I had to-"
"Sonic, I cannot believe that you would jeopardize our mission for a stupid chili dog!" Sally angrily, then pointing up to a whistling Sophia. "And you let him!" She scolded the pink-haired girl as well.
"You think I wanted to stop for a chili dog?" Sophia shrugged at her cluelessly, Bunnie patting her back in sympathy. It wasn't like Sally was entirely mad at her for this, but at the same time, Sonic's carelessness could be influencing her.
"A chili dog? Moi!?" Sonic asked innocently and then let out a burp. "Oops..." He smiled widely as Dulcy sniffed him for hints of either hot dog or chili.
"Don't tell me you forgot to check the blind drop?" Sally tapped her foot impatiently.
"Ooooh-K," Sonic answered casually, irritating her even more.
"Okay what?!" Sally shouted at him and Sophia winced.
"I won't tell you I forgot to check the blind drop... Ahahaha! Chill, Sal! I'll be back in a flash!" He sped up his feet and went to the blind drop spot. At the same time, he sent Bunnie and Dulcy flying thanks to the strong wings. Sophia grabbed their hands and pulled them backwards.
In seconds, Sonic had gone to the blind drop spot, and took the note from Uncle Chuck and Elliot. He then came back, and as he did, Sally looked more impatient than ever. Sonic started juggling the note around once he stopped.
"Am I cool, or what?" He was about to catch it in his hand when Sally snatched it from him. "Heeey!"
"You're what," She remarked before opening the note and reading it. "...Oh my gosh, listen to this, Cancel mission, Robotnik has moved roboticizer. When we find out where, we'll let you know. Still no word on Soph's mother's whereabouts."
Sophia sighed slowly from that answer. Maybe they weren't looking hard enough if her mother was harder to find than Elliot. But she hated how much Robotnik was prolonging her reunion with her family.
Sonic placed a hand on his chin in thought. "Man, that drags big time!"
"What now, Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked her with a small frown.
"Wait. Go back to Knothole and wait," Sally instructed with a frown of her own.
"Not my best event. You guys go ahead, I've got some stuff to do!" Sonic jerked a thumb to himself.
"Sonic, you're not going after another chili dog!" Sally warned him with a glare, hands on her hips.
"Chili dog? Moi? Heheh!" He laughed as he sped up his feet again. "Silly girl..." As he left, the wind blew papers onto them, Sally groaning at this.
"And be sure to replace the paper towels with those soft ones I like!" Snively ordered while sitting in Robotnik's chair.
"YES SIR."
"Ahhhh..." He sighed happily, glad to be the boss for once. "Decisions, decisions…" A mechanical hand reached out and spun the chair around. Snively gasped sharply as Robotnik pulled him out of his chair by the collar. "Uh...Good evening, sir!" He smiled nervously, hoping that his boss didn't hear anything regarding the paper towels or giving out orders.
"Listen closely, Snively. I'm leaving now to eradicate that little freedom fighter uprising in the northern frontier..." He jerked a thumb behind him.
"Very good, sir," Snively answered in a weak voice, still being held by the collar.
"And while I'm away, I want you to take care of things, or you'll end up as the paperweight I always wanted..." Snively gasped in fear, Robotnik being seen from his pupils because that was how terrifying he was to him right now. "Understood?!"
"Perfectly, sir!" Snively wheezed out in fear.
"Good!" Robotnik shouted, tossing Snively back into the chair.
"Ha-have a nice trip, sir! Miserable toad..." He grumbled the last two words to himself as he watched Robotnik taking his leave.
Sonic found a chili dog vending machine in the sewers. Sophia came up to him just as he gave it a smack. Out resulted in a fresh chili dog. "Get along, little doggie!" Sonic sniffed the air, smiling.
"You know, maybe if you stopped getting chili dogs all the time, Sally wouldn't have to yell at you so much," Sophia remarked while watching him.
"Oh, what is the big deal? The hedgehog is huuuungry! So what if I stop for a chili dog? You guys oughta try 'em yourself and see what they're all about," He held one out to Sophia, who shook her head and held up a hand.
"No, thank you, I think they're more so your thing than it could ever be."
"So true," He licked his lips. "Through the teeth, and past the 'ol gums, look out tummy, here it-!"
"KEEP MOVING. KEEP MOVING."
Sonic stopped himself from eating the chili dog, and looked through a vent cover. He waved Sophia over, and she peeked behind him. They both saw a group of Freedom Fighters that had been captured by the Swat-Bots.
"ALPHA PATROL IN ROUTE TO ROBOTICIZER. REQUEST CLEARANCE," They could see the Freedom Fighters walking in front of them, all of them in cuffs.
"The Roboticizer...? Ohhh..."
"Could this be where Robotnik moved it like Uncle Chuck and my Papa mentioned?" Sophia whispered to him.
"BREAKER-ECHO-RED-ZERO-ZERO-NINER."
The Swat-Bots continued on, followed by the Freedom Fighter prisoners. Sonic chowed the food down, and made his next move.
"I'm outta here!" He sped over to the man-hole cover. Sonic tried forcing it open with his back. "Eh! Neh! Come on, metal-head!" However, it wouldn't budge and he looked down at Sophia. She used her laser eyes, but it reflected back to her and she jumped out of the way, yelping. "Oh, so you wanna play hardball, huh? Check this!"
Sonic jumped down and used his Super Spin move. Sophia opened up her wings, flapping them as she looked down. He went up and forced his way through, making it back on to the main ground of the city. He skidded to a stop as Sophia flew out and landed behind him. Sonic tapped his chin in thought, scratching his head.
"Hmmmm...Now what'd that botbrain say?" Sonic thought about it for a second, and then Sophia leaned towards his ear to whisper it to him. He snapped his fingers once he heard the code.
"There you go, Soph! Breaker echo red, zero, zero, niner!" He recited and the gate opened up. The two zipped inside, making it to the Roboticizer. They saw that the other Freedom Fighters were about to go inside it. Sonic and Sophia took cover behind a doorway.
"No! Please!" A Freedom fighter protested while being escorted to the machine. "Let me go!" The glass pod dropped down on the female freedom Fighter and she let out a yelp.
"SPECIMEN READY FOR PHASE ONE ROBOTICIZATION."
"I don't think so, pal," Sonic whispered in determination. He and Sophia glanced at each other and nodded. Sonic sped in, and started circling a Swat-Bot. "Yo, tin head! Neaner neaner neaner!"
"HEDGEHOG ALERT! HEDGEHOG ALERT! HEDGEHOG ALERT! HEDGEHOG ALERT!"
"Excuse me!" Sonic kicked two away from Sophia, who was focusing on the glass cage. "Mondo rude!" The guards were out, and the Freedom Fighters were now safe as they looked to Sonic. "Go for it, guys!"
The Freedom Fighters ran for it, as Sonic and Sophia stayed behind. The pink-haired girl turned back to the controls, attempting to operate it so she could see the female free.
"Hey, wanna boogie?" Sonic teased and danced around while pushing buttons. "You're ugly, and so are all your friends!" Sophia then managed to shut down the Roboticizer. She smiled while pumping a fist, while Snively watched them over a monitor.
"ROBOTICIZER OFFLINE. ROBOTICIZER OFFLINE. ROBOTICIZER OFFLINE. ROBOTICIZER OFFLINE."
"Fools!" Snively exclaimed in anger, while the duo looked back to see the door closing. They had distracted the Swatbots long enough to trap them inside. "Must I do everything?!" He slammed down a fist, and realized now why Robotnik did it; because he had a robotic arm that didn't give off pain.
Sonic was trying to help Sophia with the female Freedom Fighter still stuck in the glass pod. He started pulling at the glass door, Sophia grunting as she wasn't too familiar with technology like this.
"Hang on! We're outta here in a Sonic sec!" The female started pushing against the door, but it was too strong.
"HEDGEHOG ALERT. HEDGEHOG ALERT." A Tech-Bot opened a small door and pulled out a remote device. The Tech-Bot pressed a button on the remote device and fired a ray, just as Sonic opened up the pod. The female Freedom Fighter made a break for it.
"Thank you, Sonic and Sophia!" She called out while running.
The two were just about to follow her, but then Sonic noticed the ray coming for Sophia. "Look out!" He shouted while pushing her towards the door. She landed on the ground just as Tech-Bot's ray zapped him. Sonic began stumbling around, Sophia gasping sharply. She turned around just as the door closed in front of her. The ray began zapping everywhere, Sophia standing up and banging on the door.
"Hey!"
Snively was driving in Robotnik's hovercraft. "You hit him with a Memory Scrambler?" He questioned while landing the ship.
"CORRECT. ABILITY OF TEMPORARY MEMORY LOSS: 99.9 PERCENT."
"Excellent... Where is the hedgehog now?" Snively wondered and looked at the screen.
"SUBJECT HAS EXITED FACILITY. LOCATION UNKNOWN. UNKNOWN."
"Aaaauuughhh!" Snively shouted in disbelief, slamming his fists against the chair. Meanwhile, Sophia emerged from a back door, speeding off as she needed to tell the others.
Snively soon after spotted Sonic in the streets. "Well, well! What a lovely sight," He murmured as Sonic was shown walking in place out on the streets. He looked up at the ship, his eyes wide and purple. Snively landed his hovercraft, and walked right up to Sonic.
"You there! What's your name...?"
"I...don't know..." He answered after a few seconds, as he was in a daze. Snively gave an evil smile, as he could use this to his advantage.
"Well...not to worry, friend. You're with me now..." Snively gave a small evil laugh.
"Ohhh...I just know something's happened. They've never been this late!" Sally exclaimed in worry since it had been hours since they had seen Sonic or Sophia. Not even a message or anything like that from them. She paced in front of Bunnie, who was lying on the bed.
"Now Sally-girl, that Sugar-hog can take care of himself. Same thing with Sophy-girl."
"You're probably right, Bunnie," Sally sighed a bit while looking outside. "I just-" Suddenly, they heard a loud crash outside. "What's that?!"
Dulcy came forth by crashing through the door, landing in the middle of the room. "Ooooooh... Hello, Ma. I'm home!" She called out in a daze as Bunnie and Sally approached her.
"Dulcy! Did you see anything?" Sally asked as they bent down to her.
Dulcy stood up and shook her head rapidly to span out of it. "Oh sure! I saw an owl, some trees...and, uh..."
"Sonic and Soph? Did you see Sonic and Soph?!" Sally asked her urgently, and Dulcy shook her head.
"Sooorry... I looked everywhere, too," She said regretfully, Sally sighing as she looked away in thought. There was only one other way to get information on where her friends were. Robotropolis was the last place she saw them, so only two people would know what was going on there.
"Something's really wrong. I gotta tell Uncle Chuck and Elliot," She did a bird call to summon a Dove and it flew over. She rolled up a piece of paper once she was done writing and put it into the canister. The bird then flew off. Bunnie walked over to Sally, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be alright, Sally-girl. We'll find them."
Snively showed a holograph video of everything that just happened, somehow. "Princess Sally! She is the leader of the Freedom Fighters! A band of troublemakers...remember?" Snively guided Sonic while Sally looked away, still worried.
"Sally...troublemaker...Got it," Sonic agreed, hands on his hips.
"You infiltrated this group to bring me information! You are Sonic the Hedgehog, and I...I am Snively the Great!"
"You are Snively the Great..." Sonic nodded in agreement, as Sophia hadn't reached Knothole yet. She was halfway there, sighing sadly. Part of her wanted to blame herself for leaving Sonic there, but there was no way she would know how to reverse the effects. Hence why she needed Sally for this one. She just hoped by the time they got back to Sonic that it wasn't too late.
The dove Sally sent out was flying around and eventually found Elliot and Chuck, who were hiding from the ships above them. The bird gave them the letter and they both read it.
"Hmmm...I don't like the sound of this..." Uncle Chuck murmured before they walked off.
Sophia suddenly got a familiar feeling and skidded to a stop. She looked back towards Robotropolis as she felt like she needed to go back. Not only because of Sonic, but because she felt like something there was waiting for her. She sped up her feet and went back in the opposite direction.
Bunnie, Sally, and Dulcy were in the middle of a dump, a bird sound being heard. Bunnie did a bird call herself, and it echoed back. Elliot and Uncle Chuck arrived soon after.
"Any news?" Sally silently shook her head no. "Well, there's one place we haven't checked. The holding room."
"The holdin' room? What in the world?" Bunnie murmured in confusion as they had never heard of it.
As they talked, Dulcy spotted a Surveillance Orb watching them.
"It's where Robotnik keeps the prisoners waiting to be roboticized," Uncle Chuck explained to them.
"Oh no..." Sally murmured while Dulcy knocked out the surveillance orb.
"I hope they are not there," Elliot closed his eyes sadly. The last thing he needed was learning that his daughter was about to roboticized.
"We'll check it out," Uncle Chuck ran off, followed by Elliot.
"No, Uncle Chuck! The three of us will check it out!" Sally called out while running after them.
Three Tech-Bots rolled in front of a guarded door. "Identification," All of their hands were scanned. "Proceed." The three bots rolled forward, the door opening to reveal cells. One of them used a key card, noticing the room was empty.
"These were full yesterday," Uncle Chuck was revealed to be in one of the robots, the trio having disguised themselves to get inside.
"W-what... what if they've already been roboticized?" Sally asked in horror, Uncle Chuck lifting up the top.
"Elliot and I would have heard. Robotnik would never keep that a secret."
"And I would've been heartbroken when we met outside," Elliot pointed out, and she realized they were right. If the two ever were roboticized, the duo would've been the first to know about it. That, or Robotnik would've sent them a message that he did so.
She lifted up her cover next, followed by Elliot. "Then where are they?"
Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around, gasping as she saw Sophia. "Soph, you're okay!" She hugged the girl gratefully, who smiled. "But where's Sonic? Wasn't he here with you?" Sally looked up in worry.
"...The last time I saw Sonic, he sacrificed his freedom for me. He was hit by a ray, but I don't know what it did to him. The door closed on me before I could find out. I saw you guys headed back here and realized you noticed we were missing, so I followed you."
"How'd you get past the guard?" Uncle Chuck couldn't help but wonder, earning a smirk.
"Oh, I just gave him a little payback for earlier is all. Come on, I can-"
Somewhere else Sonic and Snively were heard laughing, interrupting the girl. Sally and Sophia glanced to the side, wondering what was going on.
"Ha-here's another one; How many Worker-Bots does it take to change a light bulb?"
"Hehehh- I don't know!" Sonic joked while looking towards him.
"All of them!" They laughed at the joke, as the four witnessed it. They all glanced at each other silently. Sonic and Snively walked outside.
"Just go to North! Knothole is somewhere in the Great Forest! When you find it, radio back the coordinates!" Snively ordered the hedgehog, holding up a small radio. He placed it inside of Sonic's backpack.
"Gotcha, pal!" Sonic stated, while the four were watching the conversation.
"What have they done to him?" Sally asked her friends while looking at them.
"Some kind of mind control. You two go back to Knothole and warn the others. We'll snoop around here," Uncle Chuck advised and the two nodded in agreement.
"Be careful, you two," Sophia whispered to them.
"We will," Elliot patted her on the head and she smiled.
"You say I can run...fast?" Sonic asked in confusion, since he wouldn't remember that he had super speed.
"Extremely fast. Although another one of those troublemakers can run fast as well. Watch out for her," Snively warned him, even though he had no idea where she was right now.
"But how do-"
"Trust me, friend!" Snively interrupted him, pointing forward. "Now go find Knothole..."
Sonic started to twirl his feet, and before he knew it, he was running off. "Wha-whah-whoahh!" He exclaimed in alarm as he ran forward.
"No, no! That way!" Snively pointed in the opposite direction. Sonic sped past him, although uncontrollably.
"Whaha-whoah!" He crashed into a few boxes on his way out.
Dulcy was flying around with Bunnie and Sally. Sophia was right next to her.
"That's it, Dulcy-girl! Keep it straight! Keep it straight!" Bunnie called out in encouragement while they flew through the forest.
"Keep it straight...Keep it straight..." Dulcy reminded herself, both Sally and Sophia gasping.
"Dulcy!"
"Huh?" She turned around to Sally in confusion.
"Watch where you're going!" Sally pointed forward and she turned around. A branch was in their pathway, and they all yelped. The dragon then crashed right into the branch.
"Hold on, Sally! I think we're gonna land!" Bunnie shouted while Dulcy was in a daze.
"I'm coming home, Ma," Dulcy murmured before they all headed for the ground. Sophia grabbed both Bunnie and Sally just as the dragon fell. Sophia looked down at her friend, flying them all down safely to the ground.
Meanwhile, Sonic was tearing through the woods. "Where are you, hedgehog?!" Snively demanded through the radio. The hedgehog came to a stop.
"Somewhere in the Great Forest," He reported as he didn't know where he even could find Knothole when it was just all trees.
"Keep going! A Freedom Fighter will find you! Trust me!" Snively stated and Sonic took off again, leaving behind dust.
The four girls had made it back to Knothole, where they were telling their friends everything that had happened. "And Snively is using...some kind of mind control on Sonic, so he'll reveal where Knothole is!"
"If he hadn't gotten me out, I could've ended up just like him," Sophia frowned while crossing her arms. But blaming herself wasn't going to help Sonic, so she had to keep that thought from getting to her head too much. The priority was helping her friend out of his mind control after all.
They all murmured while trying to come up with a plan before Sonic could get here.
"Eh-heh! I am always knowing that Sonic has spelled much big trouble," Antoine shook his head in disapproval.
"Can it, Antoine!" Dulcy shouted down at him.
"Don't forget that I was the last person with him, so what do you think that implies?" Sophia scolded while pointing a finger at him. He then clamped his mouth shut.
Bunnie and Sally then noticed that someone was missing from the meeting. "Hey...where's Tails?" Bunnie questioned as he was nowhere to be seen at all.
"In the lookout tower!" Dulcy glanced to the side and Sally gasped. If he came across Sonic, he'd no doubt lead him to Knothole.
"Oh my gosh! We gotta warn him!" Sally shouted and Sophia took flight.
Tails was looking around with a pair of binoculars in the tower, when he spotted Sonic running around. "Sonic!" He exclaimed with a happy smile on his face. "Alright! Sonic, wait up!"
Sonic shouted while skidding to a stop. He then got burrowed into the sand since he was still getting used to his speed. He jumped out, landing on his feet. "Who's there?!" He asked in alarm and Tails laughed while landing in front of him.
"Sonic, you're back! We were worried about you!" He lunged forward to hug him.
"You're...Tails..." Sonic murmured as that just came out of him for some reason.
"Of course...Uh, are you okay?" Tails examined him, and he silently noted the huge purple eyes that Sonic didn't have the last time they spoke.
"Sure! Hey, wanna race to Knothole?"
Snively was listening closely to the conversation, sitting back in Robotnik's chair. He was wearing a headset to hear them, thanks to the radio he gave Sonic.
"I can't now, I'm on lookout," Tails denied to him; he was told earlier to not leave his post and he didn't want to break that rule. Even if it was Sonic asking him to race.
"Very good, hedgehog. Very good..." Snively whispered happily, smacking his fist against his palm.
"Forget that! You're with me!" Sonic placed a hand on his back and Tails stared up at him, a bit confused. Sonic wouldn't ask him to leave his lookout post, but then again, he felt like it would be okay since nothing was happening right now. And Sonic could vouch for him.
"Okay. But I get a head start!"
"Wouldn't have it any other way, big guy!" Sonic smiled at him. Tails revved up his tails, took flight, and they left. Dulcy and Sophia arrived seconds later, unfortunately missing the two.
"Too late, Sally! He's gone!"
"He'd never leave his post, maybe he's with Sonic!" Sally suggested and Sophia looked around the forest.
"If he is with Sonic, then we've gotta find him like now. Come on, Dulcy!" She took off, Dulcy following her.
Tails landed in front of a hollow stump, laughing while looking behind him.
"Good-bye!" He then jumped into the stump, Sonic skidding to a stop. He looked around in confusion and then noticed the stump, jumping in.
"Well, well...Home sweet Knothole!" The hedgehog said to Snively, who was monitoring his movements through the large screen in front of him. Which meant unfortunately he now had a pinpoint location of Knothole.
"Bingo-Bingo-Bingo! Yehehes! Ready the assault force!" He pressed a few buttons to deploy them. "Tonight, Snively the great destroys Knothole! Hahahahahaheh!" He declared and gave an evil laugh at the incoming victory.
Sonic and Tails were still racing until they made it to their home. Tails giggled while flying, glancing behind him. Sonic came in running as they arrived at all the huts. Sonic screamed as he tripped on a rock, falling to the ground. Tails ran up to him panting.
"Sonic, are you okay? You never fall!" Tails stated, now even more confused. Not once had he ever seen Sonic actually trip.
"I guess I'm tired. I'll just grab a nap," He answered as the two-tailed fox helped him up, alarming him even more.
"A nap?! You never take naps!"
"Hey!" Sonic protested while walking past Tails. "Even hedgehogs need a little beauty sleep!" He headed for a hut, but just as he was about to open the door, Tails stopped him while laughing.
"Heheh! Yo Sonic, that's Sally's hut!" Tails pointed at it and Sonic paused a little.
"Uhh… I knew that!" He protested, heading for the door right next to him.
"And that's Dulcy's!" Tails corrected just as the hedgehog was about to reach out to the door.
"Just testing ya, big guy! I'll bet'cha don't know which one is mine..." He said teasingly, though this was only to know which hut was actually his. And so he could have privacy to contact Snively.
"Of course I do! That one!" Tails pointed to Sonic's hut right behind him.
"Right again, little buddy..." Sonic shrugged innocently while walking past the young Freedom Fighter.
"Weird," He commented while staring at his friend. To him, it was just...off to see Sonic like this, but maybe he was just having an off day. He couldn't really explain it otherwise to describe Sonic's behavior.
Sally, Sophia, and Dulcy were heading back. They met Tails walking across from them. "Tails, have you seen Sonic?" Sally asked him politely, not wanting to freak him out yet that Sonic wasn't exactly Sonic.
"He's taking a nap. I didn't know Sonic took naps..." Tails scratched the side of his head in confusion.
"That's 'cause he's not the real Sonic," Dulcy shook her head.
"Whad'ya mean?" Tails looked up at them and Sophia winced a bit.
"Dulcy, you explain it," Sally looked up at her. The pink-haired princess placed her hands on her hips.
"Meanwhile, we need a plan."
"Yo, Snively the great! My main man! This is Sonic, over?" He pulled out his radio, pulling up the antenna.
"Greetings, my friend! I assume you've rounded up the Freedom Fighters?" Sally and Sophia came to a stop in front of his hut. They crouched in front of the window before looking inside. Sophia placed a hand on Sally's back to turn them invisible.
"Ehhhh... Not exactly," Sonic shook his head no.
Snively was back in Robotnik's hovercraft, flying near the Great Forest. And he was less than pleased to hear this. He wanted to see the Freedom Fighters' faces of being betrayed by Sonic, without them knowing that he had lost his memory. "Now listen, you incompetent little..." He stopped himself from insulting Sonic further, otherwise that might tip him off. "I mean, Sonic, Sonic, dear, dear boy. Time is of the essence here! I'll be in Knothole shortly, and I want those Freedom Fighters rounded up!"
Sally and Sophia both gasped sharply.
"Get to work, ehehm...buddy! Over and out!" He hung up and the two left Sonic's hut.
Bunnie was pushing up a dummy tree-stump, revealing a small hideout. "Hurry! Snively's on his way, and we got to get Sonic back to normal...somehow!" She placed a hand on her temple as everyone besides her, Sophia, and Antoine ran to go into the hideout.
"Because of why?!" He demanded the two of them, Sophia looking annoyed. "It is to his blame that we are in this terrible trouble, so I-"
The others popped up to glare at him. "Shut up, Antoine!" Everyone shouted at him in unison.
"We get it, you think this is Sonic's fault, but let me remind YOU that he's mind-controlled by Snively," Sophia pointed a finger at his chest. "If he hadn't saved me from being subjected to that, would you be blaming me for the same thing for something that was out of my control?"
Antoine shook a little and then rapidly shook his head no. "That's what I thought," Sophia huffed at him. "Now get inside the hideout so that he can't find us."
"Y-yes, ma'am," He saluted and jumped inside. Sally turned to her friend, who sighed slowly.
"Soph, you don't need to beat yourself up for what happened to Sonic. He would've saved you even if he had known it would have him lose his memory," She placed a hand on Sophia's shoulder.
"I know," Sophia pinched her nose. "It's just...hard for me to focus sometimes on helping him." Sally gave an understanding look to her friend. Knowing that Sonic was out there with his mind under control, if he had saved Sally from it, she'd be feeling guilty over it too.
Sonic was wandering around the woods, seeing no one around. "Sally! Sophia! Hey?" Sally and Sophia jumped into their hideout, the tree stump closing. "Where is everybody?!" The hedgehog skidded to a stop right next to the stump.
"Heellooooo!" He hollered, not realizing they were in plain sight.
Sally looked through a peephole. She saw Sonic looking up in the sky at Robotnik's hovercraft arriving. "We'll soon see who will be a paper weight! Hah! Is he in for a large surprise?" He pointed at the hedgehog bitterly.
Chuck and Elliot had snuck on board. They came out of hiding to look around, only to duck back when a Tech-Bot flew past them.
"POWER BOOSTER ADDED, SIR."
Snively smiled while holding the Memory Scrambler. "Perfect! The Freedom Fighters will never know what hit them! Prepare to land!" The ship landed, and Snively put on a helmet. "Prepare, Freedom Fighters, to kiss the feat of Snively the Great!" Elliot and Chuck came out of hiding again.
Snively and a couple of Swat-Bots took off on a series of hover pads, allowing Chuck and Elliot to get out of the hovercraft unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Snively met up with Sonic. "They did what!?" He exclaimed in anger once he heard the news.
"Disappeared! The whole joint is empty!" He informed his 'friend'.
"Then they're hiding somewhere! Activate heat sensors!" Snively shouted at the Swat-Bots. The Swat-Bots started looking for the Freedom Fighters.
"And Snively's planning to use a Memory Scrambler on all of you, like he did with Sonic!" Uncle Chuck reported to the hiding Freedom Fighters. Sophia gasped while covering her mouth in shock. So it was a Memory Scrambler that she could've been hit with.
"A Memory Scrambler?" Dulcy asked in confusion.
"It temporarily erases your memory," Uncle Chuck pointed to his head.
"It's a good thing Sophia wasn't hit with one, otherwise she might've been given them her power rings," Elliot gestured to Sophia's wrist. She held one up, biting her lip.
"For how long?" Sally asked with a frown.
"I'm not sure...but we can bring him out of it with a Power Ring!" Uncle Chuck explained, everyone turning to Sophia. She looked at her two rings, frowning a little.
"I don't know if mine will work if they're slightly different from Sonic's," She spoke up hesitantly. "I've had mine longer than his, so it might have a different effect on him. We've gotta use one of his own."
"That's a problem," Sally shook her head. "The next one is due in two minutes. We'll never make it!"
Tails flew over to her. "I can make it, Aunt Sally!" Without any further discussion, Tails flew out of the hideout with Chuck, Elliot, Sophia, and Sally tagging along. Just as the Power Ring came out of the Lake of Rings, Tails snagged it. He flew back and landed in front of the others.
"That'a boy, Tails!" Uncle Chuck congratulated him.
"Good job, honey!" Sally kissed him on the cheek while both Sophia and Elliot cheered for him.
"Eeeewwww! Aunt Sally!" He cried out in embarrassment while wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.
"We need you to do one more thing, Tails...Are you up to it?" Sally smiled down at him.
"No problem!" He agreed eagerly while nodding his head.
Snively, Sonic and the Swat-Bots were closing in on the hiding spot. "What is it you are seeing, Dulcy?" Antoine called out to her as she was looking through the peephole.
"Antoine, put a cork in it!" She warned since the stump was not sound-proof. So if any of them got near the stump and heard them, it would be all over for the Freedom Fighters.
"Ah, oui, oui, oui! I can do that!" He looked away sheepishly, but the Swat-bots located them anyway.
"Uh oh!" Dulcy cried out in worry, and they pointed their weapons towards the stump.
"Bingo! Bingo!" Snively jumped up and down happily. "You have five seconds to come out with your hands up!" He warned as the Swat-Bots powered up their weapons. "One... Two... Three... Four! Five!" As soon as the countdown was over, the stump opened up, and everyone popped out.
"Oooh! Uh, what a great pleasure I am to see you, Mr. Snibbly!" Antoine ran up to him. "Ah, yes, yes... You know... I am being 'eld prisoner against your will, and I-" Snively grabbed him by the shirt to pull him forward, tired of hearing him stutter.
"Where is Princess Sally and Princess Sophia?!" When he didn't get an answer, he tossed Antoine aside.
"Wouldn't you like to know, shrimp-boat!" Dulcy got into his face, growling.
"Very well...Big mouth! Take That!" Snively then zapped Dulcy with the Memory Scrambler.
"Eugggh! Hi ma, I don't remember a thing..."
"How's it going, pal?" Sonic approached him from behind.
"Hedgehog...Find both of the princesses, NOW!" He demanded the hedgehog angrily, who didn't seem fazed by his behavior.
"No problem, bud!" Sonic turned around and took off.
"This is x-ray leader, launch delta bravo! Repeat, launch delta bravo!" Snively ordered and a series of Stealthbots were launched into the air.
Sonic continued running through the woods when he heard Tails' voice. "Sonic!"
He looked back and tripped, falling onto the ground in a bit of a daze. Tails flew past him and then landed in front of his friend. "Sally and Sophia want to see you, Sonic!"
Tails led him to the Lake of Rings. "Hello Sonic!" Sally smiled at him sweetly.
"Hi!" Sophia waved to him.
"Who are you?" Sonic pointed to them in confusion.
"We're your friends!" Uncle Chuck gestured to himself while Tails joined their side.
"Come back to us, Sonic...You're our leader!" Sally tried to explain to him and he backed away from them immediately.
"No! Snively the Great is my only friend!" He denied and Uncle Chuck shrugged at Sally. She glanced to Sophia, who simply nodded at her.
"Here! Catch!" Sally tossed Sonic the Power Ring and he caught it.
"Huh?! What's this...?" A yellow aura surrounded him and his eyes went back to normal. "Yeah...Yeah!" Sonic ran off and then laughed before running back towards his friends.
"Here he comes!" Tails pointed at him and he stopped near the others.
"Sonic, is it really you?" Sally asked him happily.
"The real deal, Sal!" He gave her a thumbs up and Sophia sighed in relief. The Stealthbots were still on their way, however. Meaning that they still needed a way to stop them before they started destroying Knothole.
"Good to see you back on our side, Sonic," Elliot smiled down at him.
"Now here's the plan, Sonic. While Sally and I reprogram the Stealthbots, you and Soph take care of Snively and the Swat-Bots!" Uncle Chuck told the two.
"No prob, Unc!" Sonic smiled and then gave Sophia a low-five. "Good luck!" They all shared a high-five.
"Meanwhile, I'll take Tails back to the hiding spot," Elliot offered and Sophia nodded. She and Sonic slid back, preparing their feet.
"Sonic!" Sally stopped him before he could leave. "I'm glad you're back." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Me too," He said happily and ran off with Sophia. The two smiled at each other, Sophia grateful that he was himself again.
With the others, Snively had them all under his control with the Memory Scrambler, except for Antoine. "You know, I am thinking, Snibbely the Great," He kissed Snively's feet, trying to kiss up to him. "That this is not in my job descriptioning, nes-pa, and to be working pour vous I am too grateful..."
"Quiet, you little twit!" Snively shouted in annoyance, and zapped Antoine with the Memory Scrambler.
"Eep! Eheheheh, quando, quando, quando, Eh-eheh!" His eyes swirled around just like the others.
"Alright you Freedom Fighters...who's next?!" Snively snarled while looking around to see who else needed their memory erased. Sonic raced in and grabbed the Memory Scrambler from him.
"You are, pal!"
"Consider this payback for being an annoyance to us today," Sophia smirked while gesturing to Sonic.
"What are you-" Sonic activated the device on him. "Who...are you?"
"I'm Sonic the magnificent!" The hedgehog jerked a thumb to himself. He gestured to Sophia, who did a little curtsy. "And this is Sophia the Amazing!"
Sally and Chuck were inside Robotnik's hovercraft, taking care of the Stealthbots. A countdown was occurring, and when that countdown was over, they would start attacking. "There!" He put the headphone to his ear to contact them. "Delta Bravo, this is command! Return to base! Repeat, return to base!"
"CODE WORD REQUIRED TO ABORT MISSION. TARGET LOCKED ON. 60 SECONDS. 59. 58. 57."
"We need the mission abort code!" Uncle Chuck told Sally, who searched for it on the monitor.
"Nothing..." She gasped and snapped her fingers. "I've got it!" Sally types in the codename, R-O-D-E-N-T.
"That's it! Delta bravo, this is command! Abort rodent! Repeat, abort rodent!" Uncle Chuck informed them.
"ABORT RODENT. ABORT RODENT. CONFIRMED. RETURN TO BASE." The Stealthbots turned around and went right back in the opposite direction.
"Yes!" The duo cheered while sharing a high-five.
"Listen up, friend! This is Robuttnik!" Sonic showed Snively a hologram of Robotnik while they were in his lair. "A bottom dwelling, scum sucker who's lower than a snake's belly!" He smiled while his hands were behind his back.
"Robuttnik… Bottom dweller..." Snively stated with hatred, Sophia snickering at him.
"Wish we could be here to see the look on his face when hears that."
"Hey Unc, Snittly ever gonna get his memory back?" Sonic turned around to him.
"Eventually. But don't worry, he won't remember where Knothole is," He explained while he and Sally were working at the control panel. "It was the ship's guidance system that got him there, and I'm taking that out right now!"
"Cool!" Sonic commented while Sophia wiped off her forehead in relief. They needed to take every precaution possible so that Snively wouldn't either remember or lead them back.
"Okay, Sally?"
Sally was putting some final touches on the keyboard. "And that's it! Knothole's coordinates are now in the Great Swamp!" She said proudly and Sonic pressed a button.
"See ya, shrimp-boat!" He waved while he and Sophia left him there.
"Bye-bye old buddy- I mean, Sonic the Magnificent and Sophia the Amazing!" He waved to them while still in a daze. They all just looked to each other innocently and then they heard someone coming inside.
"Snively!" The four gasped, getting out of there quickly as it was Robotnik returning.
"Robuttnik! You bottom dwelling scum sucker!" Snively declared and then jumped at Robotnik, who just bounced him off with his massive gut. He yelped as he landed far away on the opposite side. Robotnik glared at him, looking very angry.
"Why I do believe that it's…time for that paper weight I've always wanted," He loomed over Snievly, who was shaking in fear of him. Robotnik picked him up by the back of his shirt. "Any last words, Snively?!"
It was right then that Snively actually got his memory back. He yelped in alarm as his eyes changed back to his normal green. "Da- Sir! Sir! I-I found-I found Knothole!" He stuttered nervously, hoping to not be punished now.
"You found Knothole?" Robotnik was so shocked that he dropped Snively.
"Yes sir! Yes sir! And I can take you there, right now!" He pointed to the screen, that had a bunch of blinking red dots.
However, like Sally promised, it took them to the swamp. "My patience...is wearing thin, Snively! Where is Knothole?!" Robotnik demanded as he was surrounded by a bunch of flies. Snively looked at the map.
"Huh- Just a little farther, sir!" Snively led the way.
"I do hope you're right, Snively!" Robotnik started smacking the bugs onto his head.
"Weh- It'll never happen again! I'm quite sure I know where it is! Just stick with me for another moment! It's somewhere a little over here to right, maybe to the left! Just give me a..." He continued going on as Robotnik was getting annoyed by the bugs.
"It frightens me to think what would happen if you're wrong..." He yelped as one of them actually stung him.