Review Responses:
To Void Reader:
1. Sonic (91') has the same plot, Sonic CD came after to explain why Tails wasn't there. Sonic 2's plot will be further explained in the chapter, but it's the same. Sonic 3 and Knuckles' plot remain the same, Knuckles Chaotix remains the same.
Adventure 1 is the same, but Chaos was Chao that mutated and transformed into an ocean demigod and protector of all Chao. The humans are Overlanders like in the comics and they live on the other side of the planet. In Adventure 2, Shadow's story remains mostly the same, but he was a result of infusing a Mobian hedgehog baby with the blood of Black Doom using the Chaos Emeralds. GUN raided the ARK due to Gerald Robotnik's alliance with the Black Arms being leaked.
Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog's plots are also the same, but Shadow was not falling for Black Doom's nonsense and wanted to see what was really going on. Sonic Rush is the same as well, establishing that Blaze the Cat is the princess of the Sol Dimension and guardian of the Sol Emeralds. However, her universe is simply an alternate version of Mobius approximately four hundred years in the future where Sonic and the gang are no longer alive. So Silver the Hedgehog exists without a doomed future in the Sol Dimension.
After that, an alternate version of Chakra-X's fan animation, "Nazo Unleashed" occurred. But in this alternate version, Sonic and Shadow used Chaos Unification to unify and become Shadic early. As Shadic, then Super Shadic, they fully destroyed Nazo before he could evolve and reach the form of Perfect Nazo. This was broadcast all over the world.
2. Finally, this story takes place in Year 3327, three months after this version of Nazo Unleashed.
3. As for what happened with Sally's friends…well it will be explained in the next chapter.
4. And why is the SNIVELY AI bit a thing? Well, Collin Jr. is dead in this universe. He died trying to impress his uncle with an experiment gone wrong.
Eggman's Backstory will be revealed later.
That's all for now, on with the show.
Old Knothole HQ, Great Forest, Acornia
The circulation of high winds thrashed around the area of the old headquarters of the Freedom Fighters, with Buzz Bombers and Egg Flyers being knocked either on away or other random trees before exploding.
Under Dr. Robotnik, the Egg Shooters, and the Freedom Fighters was a giant tree that was damaged by an earlier fight, with the trunk halfway nearly being timbered. However, the force of the winds was enough for it the upper half of the tree to fall.
"Agh! What's the meaning of this!?" Dr. Robotnik screamed, hanging on to his hovercraft while the other Freedom Fighters either onto the ground or each other.
As the blue whirlwind subsided, a familiar teenage azure hedgehog wearing a necklace with a gray ring, white gloves, and red and white Power Sneakers stood on top of the tree stump with a bright grin. His green eyes darted at the sight of the Freedom Fighters, then at Dr. Robotnik.
"My! That's a pretty snazzy performance there." Sonic said, making his presence known.
The Freedom Fighters could believe their eyes as they gazed at their rescuer.
"No way!" Rotor gasped.
"Thet kaynt bay…!" Bunnie said, following Rotor's sentence.
Antoine confirmed, "...I-it is!"
"He's here!" Sally whispered, barely containing her happiness, relief, and excitement.
"...Sonic the Hedgehog!" Dr. Robotnik explained, enraged and unhappy to see his arch-enemy.
Looking around to see the Freedom Fighters and Robotniks' cronies, Sonic said, "Hehe! Looks like I showed up to the welcomin' party just in time!"
He then turned to Robotnik, saying, "And I knew you wouldn't resist layin' on the down-low for too long. So, what took you so long to show your ugly face, Eggman? Out to conquer the world again?"
The mad scientists' blood began to boil at the sight of the snark blue teenager and his attitude. Especially regarding the hedgehog's nickname for him.
"You pesky little rodent! I am ROBOTNIK, DR. ROBOTNIK! And that's for me to know, and for you to die without a clue! EGG SHOOTERS, SHOOT HIM DEAD!"
The twelve Egg Shooters took at the hedgehog and began emptying their rounds. Fortunately for Sonic, bullets were too slow for him as he dodged and began his assault. As he lept in the air, he formed into a spiky ball and began bashing all twelve in a chain, performing the Homing Attack in succession.
"No!" Cried the doctor.
Finishing the last Egg Shooter, he stood in front of the Freedom Fighters before turning to them. While the others got up. Sally was still taken back at the sudden movements of Sonic's attack. She was brought back to reality when a hand was extended to her while she was on her knees.
"Need a hand?"
Not trusting her voice, she took her old friend's hand as the other Freedom Fighters approached Sonic.
"Y'all alright? Nobody got any fatal wounds or broken bones, right?" Sonic asked.
Rotor shook his head, saying, "N-No! We're fine...but...you're-"
"-Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. And I'm here to help. The general sent me here." Explained the blue blur.
"Quoi, my father sent you?" Antoine asked, surprised that the king sent his father, of all people, to escort the son of his rival.
Sonic nodded in a small smirk, "That's right! Nice to know that the general's got a son who's as hardcore as he is."
Antoine gave a small nod, content that his long-lost friend acknowledged him.
"Look out!" Bunnie shouted, causing the others to see a giant green fist heading straight at them.
Using his speed, Sonic pushed the Freedom Fighters out of the way, evading a punch that would have crushed them to death.
The others got up and realized that Dr. Robotnik's Egg-Mobile had been transformed into a cockpit for him to pilot the E-3000 robot.
"I will not be denied my power! I will take Acornia's secret technology by any means necessary! Even if I have to crush anybody and everybody who stands in my way! Including you, rodent!" Dr. Robotnik shouted with a sinister toothy grin.
"Sacre bleu!" Antoine exclaimed, pointing at Dr. Robotnik. "He can drive that thing!? With a machine that powerful, he could very well wreak havoc in New Mobotropolis!"
Sonic continued to smile as he walked forward, ready to face his arch-enemy like he always has done.
The princess' mind flashed back to a little light blue hedgehog that would mischievously sneak out of the playpen with the same smirk and glint in his eyes.
Coming back to her senses, Sally spoke out of reflex, "Wait, it's too dangerous! We need a plan!"
Turning back around, Sonic asked, "Hey, what's your name?"
"I-I'm Sally," She said, trying not to falter from her nostalgic memories.
Sonic stared into Sally's eyes and for a split second in his mind, she was quickly replaced by a smaller version of the girl wearing a golden tiara with a gem in the center, a light blue crop top with matching puffy pants, and cerulean curled shoes. He then blinked and before smiling and gave her a thumbs up with his right hand.
"You and your pals have done everythin' you can, Princess. That's more than anybody could ask of you when dealin' with a loser like Eggman, here. Just sit back and hang tight, alright? I'll handle it from here."
Trusting in Sonic's confidence, Sally and the other Freedom Fighters fell back, going behind the fort of their old base.
"Okay, you insolent blue fool! It's high time we settle this once and for all!"
"Ready when you are, doc! Bring it on!"
E-3000 went for a slam of its hand, which Sonic dodged by running through the legs of the machine.
Sonic rubbed his nose with his left index finger while saying, 'You gotta do better than that, Eggman!"
Sonic then sprinted and jumped, smashing into the head of E-3000, causing Dr. Robotnik to stagger a bit.
"Argh! ...Why you-!"
Sonic went to go for another attack, only for the teenager to take a roundhouse kick, sending him through four trees.
"WOHOHOHOHO!" Dr. Robotnik cackled. "How do you like that!?"
The Freedom Fighters held their breath with Bunnie holding on to a nearly tear-driven Sally.
Sonic flipped in mid-air before gaining equilibrium and slid back.
'...Ouch! That sword guy wasn't kidding about Eggman's new toy! This hunk of junk can nearly match Knuckles when he's holding back! I better not play too much.' Sonic gritted, standing up while feeling like he was hit by a large bell.
Sonic and Dr. Robotnik continued their intense battle, with the speedy hedgehog circling around E-3000, hitting specific weak points with Homing Attacks when the robot batted him or swatted him away.
Sonic ran to deliver a devastating blow, only for Robotnik's creation to grab a hold of him and squeeze his hand, causing Sonic to feel the pressure of his body being compressed.
"UGH!" Sonic grunted in pain, but kept himself from screaming.
"Yes! I have you right where I want you! In the palm of my hand, suffering with every breath you take! Hehehehe!" Dr. Robotnik remarked with glee.
Sally, watching her childhood friend grunt as his bones nearly began to crack, stood up from where the others were sitting.
Watching this, Rotor grabbed her arm.
"Sally, wait! You'll get creamed if you go out there!" The Mobian walrus warned her.
The Mobian chipmunk jerked her arm away, saying, "I can't sit here and watch this any longer! Oliver needs help and I'm going to help him!"
"But princesse, it's too dangerous! What would your father think if you got hurt, or worse?" Antoine questioned, backing up Rotor's stance on the situation.
"I don't care what my father thinks right now, Antoine! We've already lost him once, and I'm not going through that again!" Sally shouted before taking out her handheld computer with a special golden ring on top of the monitor. "He may be fast and powerful, but that doesn't make him invincible."
Bunnie, seeing what Sally was about to do, smiled as she cheered, "Go git 'em, Sally-girl!"
"Right!" Sally said before sprinting nearby the E-3000 machine and opening up her computer. "NICOLE, materialize!"
The handheld screen booted upon command. From there, the space of the golden ring emitted a blue light that created a beam.
The beam, which was made up of small pixels and shapes, projected itself from the ground up, forming a holographic construct with mass.
As a result, what came to be was the projection of a Mobian Lynx roughly the height of Sally. The ends of NICOLE's ears were black, and her face featured a stripe along the bridge of her nose as well as one under each eye. NICOLE'S eyes were green and she had medium-long black hair with splits at the ends that she wore down.
For attire, NICOLE wore a shoulder-less, sleeveless and purple dress with split tails, decorated with a small golden broach with a purple gem. She also wears black pants, black and white gloves, and shoes, the gloves featuring round purple cuffs while the shoes had white cuffs with a small golden broach with a purple gem and white toes.
Turning to Sally, NICOLE asked, "How may I assist you, Princess?"
"NICOLE, is it possible for you to scan for the configuration of Dr. Robotnik's machine?" Sally inquired.
"Affirmative." NICOLE nodded as her eyes peered towards E-3000 for five seconds and glowed a bright blue.
"What do you see?"
As she finished her scan, NICOLE said, "The machine may seem complex by the exterior in its configuration on the inside, but the material that it is composed of is quite basic. In fact, the robot is twenty percent copper."
Hearing the word copper, Sally immediately got an idea.
"NICOLE, how'd you like to try out the potency of your Data Bolt Attack?" Asked the chipmunk with a smug grin on her face.
NICOLE smirked as she raised her right hand with blue energy that materialized a construct similar to a lightning bolt.
Meanwhile, Robotnik was busy slowly taking in his so-called victory as he was about to deliver the finishing blow on his most hated adversary.
"I hate to cut this short, but I have a kingdom to ravage and things to steal. I'd say we had some good times in the past, but I would be lying to myself. Sayonara, Sonic the Hedg–ARGHHH!"
Robotnik's goodbye speech was cut off by E-3000 being short-circuited as a result of being struck by a bolt of electricity, making the machine twitch and stutter. The grip around Sonic's body loosened, causing him to fall back to the ground on his knees, catching his breath.
"NO! W-What's happening!? E-3000 isn't responding to any of my command inputs! It's short-circuiting! Blast! I was so close! NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Robotnik shouted, trying to touch the controls of the machine, only for the console to flash and explode out of malfunction.
"Data Bolt Attack was one hundred percent successful, princess," NICOLE announced with satisfaction in her voice before dematerializing.
"OLI–" Sally called before correcting herself. "SONIC! Now's your chance!"
Hearing this, Sonic got up as he said, "Got it!"
He ran a few yards back and then raced back to the fight, jumping on a nearby tree trunk. Using the force of his speed to bounce off of the tree, Sonic spun into a ball while surrounded by blue electrical energy, hitting the midsection of the robot right after Dr. Robotnik ejected from it.
However, E-3000's explosion came into direct contact with the Egg-Mobile, sending Dr. Robotnik flying back to wherever he came from.
"I'LL GET YOU YET, HEDGEHOG!" Dr. Robotnik screamed as his figure left the view of the Freedom Fighters and Sonic until there was a twinkle in the sky.
Sonic simply waved mockingly, shouting, "Have a nice flight, Eggman! Don't hit the moon on your way back, I just fixed that two months ago!"
The Freedom Fighters surrounded Sonic, giving thanks and praise for his work.
Rotor, slapping Sonic's back, "That was crazy, man!"
"I too can concur. That was indeed. incroyable." Antoine nodded with Bunnie adding her two cents.
"Darn raht! Yawl showed thet slimy snake whut fahwar, sugar!"
Sonic chuckled, rubbing the back of his quills before looking at NICOLE and Sally.
He then stated, "Hey, it was nothin' special. I was actually messin' around durin' that fight. If anythin', your leader over there deserves just as much of the credit."
Everyone smiled at Sonic's honesty and modest gesture, showing them that the hero wasn't self-absorbed in his own deeds.
"That's a thoughtful gesture, Sonic," Sally said with a smile on her face while approaching Sonic. "And we appreciate your assistance here."
Sonic gave her a thumbs up with his right hand again.
"Sonic!"
The other Freedom Fighters turned around to see Tails descending from the sky with his twin tails spinning, who came using the route that Sonic arrived in.
"Hey, Tails!" Sonic said as he walked over to him.
The fox looked around to see the Freedom Fighters in good shape and the remains of E-3000 still smoking from the explosion.
"I take it that everything went well?" Tails asked, already knowing the answer.
Sonic brought his fists to his hips, retorting with his own question, "Was there ever any doubt?"
"Not a chance!" Tails answered, prompting him and Sonic to high five.
"I'd hate to interrupt you two, but we should head to the castle," Sally advised, causing the two friends to listen. "My father is expecting you, so we should return to the city as soon as possible. Luckily, there's a path my team and I take to get there faster."
Tails and Sonic nodded with the blue hedgehog saying, "Sure thing. Lead the way, princess."
Sally nodded, directing the two to a shortcut back to New Mobotropolis with her friends and subordinates surrounding them. Although she was happy that her long-lost friend returned in her kingdom's time of need, she still couldn't shake off the feeling of grief given that Sonic didn't seem to remember her or anything regarding his life.
Castle Acorn, Royal Hills, New Mobotropolis
Sonic, Tails, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters made their way back to New Mobotropolis within a ten-minute walk thanks to a shortcut nearby the old Freedom HQ. From there, they met Armand, who was glad that his son, the princess, and the rest were safe thanks to Sonic's aid.
Together, Armand and the Freedom Fighters escorted Sonic and Tails through the streets of New Mobotropolis. Sonic and Tails were given a tour of the various streets and districts of the metropolis provided by either Sally, Bunnie, Antoine, or Rotor.
For Tails, it was like going to an amusement park to him. Sure, it didn't seem as advanced or futuristic like let say Grand Metropolis, but he loved exploring and seeing new things like any other child.
But for Sonic, there was this vague sense of familiarity to the city. Not exactly because he had been in the city, he hadn't before, but the air smelt familiar, the structure of some of the buildings were familiar, and he swore that he saw the way the roads looked from somewhere. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
Sonic snapped back into reality when he heard cheers from the nearby civilians. This included the swooning of nearby young Mobian females roughly his age to about eighteen-years-old.
"Hey, look! Princess Sally and the Freedom Fighters made it back!"
"Hooray!"
"...Oh my Chaos, it's Sonic the Hedgehog!?"
"It is him! He's even brought Tails with him too!"
"Oh wow! He looks so handsome in person!"
"...I hope he's not taken."
"Are they joining the Freedom Fighters?"
Sonic lightly blushed at the attention he was receiving from most of the citizens (namely the girls' comments) and wearily chuckled, earning a wholehearted laugh from Tails and most of the Freedom Fighters' mild amusement except for Sally, who rolled her eyes lightly while shaking her head.
Tails said, "I guess the letter wasn't kidding when it said that people knew about us."
"That is correct, Mr. Prower," General D'Coolette confirmed. "While the kingdom has been dealing with our own issues, which will be revealed soon, your battles and endeavors on the other side of the planet have not gone unnoticed. You'll soon find that your adventures and efforts for peace have inspired millions of Mobians around the world, giving them hope. It even influenced a change in the Overlanders' view on our kind."
Tails' eyes widened in awe.
"Wow, we really did all of that?" The child asked.
Bunnie answered softly with a wink, "Yawl shore did cutie pie."
Sonic remained silent but smiled at the conversation, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Sally. After another twenty minutes, the group approached a large castle on top of a large hill, taking Sonic and Tails by surprise.
"Woah...! Cool!" Sonic and Tails said together.
The group walked a single flight of stairs and stood in front of the gate where two Royal Guards stood in front. The guards ordered Sonic and Tails to halt, only for General Armand to intervene.
"Let them through, these two young men saved New Mobotropolis and will have an audience with His Majesty." General D'Coolette commanded.
"We'd appreciate it, boys," Sally said with her hands on her hips.
Scrambling to fix their mistake, both guards moved out of the groups' way, allowing them to pass through after the gate was lifted.
When the group went inside, Sonic and Tails glanced at their surroundings in awe. Within the lobby, they stared at the area which was decked out with old portraits, ancient statues of past kings and heroes, pieces of medieval armor and weaponry, furniture for those who visited, and other ornaments that were hanging on the wall for decoration. From there, they walked further down, crossing a hallway until the group made it to the waiting room where behind the corridors was where the king sat on his throne.
"Holy cow...Eggman has nothing on this place." Tails said, comparing all the bases and parks he made during their past incursions with the scientists.
"Boy, I'll say! You definitely don't see anythin' like this on the South Island." Sonic said, just as impressed.
"I will have words with His Majesty before you meet with him. For now, please wait here." General D'Coolette said with a stern look.
Sonic and Tails nodded, understanding the situation. Sally invited them to sit with her and the rest of the Freedom Fighters, which both boys accepted wholeheartedly as they waited.
"So Sonic, Tails," Rotor spoke, getting their attention. " Do you guys mind telling us more about yourselves?"
Tails obliged with a smile, "Sure! What do you guys want to know?"
Beating Sally and Rotor to the punch, Bunnie questioned, "How bout tellin' us whayer yawl came frum an how yawl two met?"
Sally gave her best friend a thankful nod, already knowing the intentions of the conversation unbeknownst to the Blue Blue and the two-tailed fox cub. Sonic and Tails looked at each other, then nodded to the Freedom Fighters.
"Okay, then! I'll start the story off," Sonic declared. "From what I recall, my earlist memories was being on the outskirts of Christmas Island. From there, I've spent at least a couple of months survivin' on my own. It wasn't until I saved an old guy from being crushed by a boulder where my livin' dynamic changed."
"An old guy?" Sally mimicked, suspecting something. "Could you tell us more about him? Like a name?"
"Sure. He was an old owl. Eh… Hm… I think his name was H...Harvey?" Sonic said, snapping his middle finger and thumb from his left hand. "Yeah, Harvey!"
Sally and other Freedom Fighters looked at each then back to Sonic and Tails while she allowed them to continue.
"Anyway, Harvey, or Old Man Owl as I liked to called him, took me in to live with him and his wife when he realized that I was a homeless orphan. Apparently, he owned shelters for families and other folks strugglin' during a crisis or hardships. So I spent my formative years being raised on South Island until I was about eight-years-old." Sonic explained, smiling at his childhood.
"Interesting…" Antione said, stroking his chin. "So what happened next?"
Sonic's brow furrowed as he simply stated, "...Eggman happened."
"Eggman? Do you mean that mad scientist you took down?" Rotor asked, recalling Robotnik's being called as such by Sonic.
"That's right," Tails answered. "Eggman is an insulting nickname that Sonic calls Dr. Robotnik. He and Sonic have been arch enemies for a long time."
"How in thuh warld dja meet thet rotten man?" Bunnie asked with a frown.
Sonic then explained, "Eggman came to South Island one day in search of ancient relics called Chaos Emeralds in order to use harness their power to take over the world. But he couldn't do it alone, so he mass produced these machines to search for the gems him and to conquer South Island. He intended to use the island as his main base and robot factory. What even worse was that Eggman thought it would be a good idea to power them by usin' Mobinies and Mobians, so he started kidnappin' my friends includin' Old Man Owl and Granny Owl."
The Freedom Fighters gasped, with looks of shock and disgust washing over them.
"...That's just sick!" Rotor wretched, imagining being used to power a machine like any of the E-Series robots he encountered
"You got that right," Sonic agreed. "Fortunately, Owl Man Owl and his wife helped me learn how to control my super speed for a good four years. So I put my skills to the test and chased Eggman all throughout South Island, kickin' his butt every chance I got! Once I confronted and defeated him in his own base in Scrap Brain Zone, I made a wish on the Chaos Emeralds and saved everybody on South Island."
Sally and the others smiled at the end of his story.
"That's great that everything worked out for you in the end, Sonic." The auburn-haired chipmunk said.
"It did… For a while. Eggman tried it again elsewhere, though, so I had to stop him from taking complete control over Little Planet and sent him packing. After setting Little Planet free, that journey convinced me that the doctor just didn't know when to quit. It was there that I made the decision to go after Eggman whenever I could catch him. It took some convincing, but my foster grandparents saw that I was responsible enough to fend for myself. They gave me the Tornado as a birthday present, and I set off to travel the world. Seeing new places and kickin' Eggman's tail whenever I get a chance." Sonic finished
Sally took in almost every detail of Sonic's story and stored it in her mind like she was taking notes. She and the others listened for more considering who went up next.
"...And that's where my story begins!" Tails chimed in. "Ever since I was born, I spent a lot of my time in an orphanage by Emerald Hill on Westside Island. And kind of like Sonic, I was also looked after by an owl. She was one of the matrons of the place."
Expressions of pity were exchanged by the militia, with Bunnie lamenting, "Aw, you poor thang you. Thet must hav been hayud fahwar yawl growin' up lahk thet."
Tails scratched his head, replying, "Yeah… Many of the kids were either afraid of me or teased me because of my extra tail. But what made it bearable was my caretaker, Longclaw. She noticed how smart I was and fed me books about machines, engineering, automotive, and subjects regarding different sciences and technology. Heck, she even helped me develop my method of flying."
Hearing that shocked all of the Freedom Fighters.
Sally smiled and said, "That's quite impressive Tails. If you can fly like that then you've got to be incredibly smart."
"Hehe! You kiddin', right? Tails ain't just incredibly smart, he's a certified genius! Let's put it this way, Tails' IQ is on the same level as Eggman, with both havin' an IQ of 300." Sonic boasted with a proud smile.
Seeing that his friend rendered the militia utterly speechless, Tails continued, "Anyway, uh, I ended leaving the orphanage for…. personal reasons and decided to live alone when I was four. Fortunately, I too learned how to survive all on my own. One day, I came across a red plane that needed fixing, adjusting, and tuning. Little did I know, that was Sonic's plane. So I got my toolbox from the makeshift hut I was living in and got to work."
"That's where I come in," Sonic spoke. "I asked the little guy what he was doin'. He tried hidin' his wrench behind his back, but I saw a toolbox near the nose of my plane. When I inspected everythin', it blew my mind. This kid not only fixed my plane, but he also made it faster. Mind you, I was raised by owls who were engineers and pilots, so I know my stuff. And by the time I figured out that Eggman was up to his same tricks on Westside Island and chased after him, Tails did somethin' unbelievable at the time."
"What did he do?" Sally said, with her friends.
"Tails followed me," Sonic answered... "The little guy used both of his tails as a turbine and kept up with me everywhere I went on my little adventure to chase Eggman down. He even taught me how to Spin Dash along the way, flew me up to his Wing Fortress where I had to fight Eggman and his cronies in space, then caught me in my plane while I was fallin' down from the base explodin'."
"Needless to say Sonic let me tag along and I've been living with him ever since." Tails said, ending the story.
"That was a really cool story!" Rotor said, now excited that there was another inventor and engineer he could talk to. "Do you mind if we collaborate on a project sometime? I could use a hand with a few things in the lab."
"Sure thing! Uh...I didn't quite get your name, sir."
"Oh, right. It's Rotor Walrus." Rotor greeted, shaking Tails' hand.
"Nice to meet you, Rotor!"
A smile formed on the hedgehog's face as he got lost in his thoughts again.
'I see that Tails is makin' new friends. Good, the kid deserves it. ...Why do these people seem so...familiar? I swear, it's like I've been havin' deja vu all day. My head's killin' me with all these images runnin' wild.'
General D'Coolette then returned from conversing with the King of Acornia and looked at Sonic and Tails.
"His Majesty will see you now. Come this way."
Sonic and Tails got up and nodded. He turned to the Freedom Fighters, with Sonic asking, "Are you guys stickin' around until we get back?"
Sally replied, "I will. The others might have other things to attend to, though."
Tails said, "That's okay. We'll see you soon, your highness."
Sonic and Tails then followed Armand, closing the corridors behind them. The two walked through a short hallway until they ended up walking into the throne room. It was here where the general announced the king's presence to Sonic and Tails.
"Presenting His Majesty, King Maximillian Acorn, 12th patriarch of the ruling Kingdom of Acorn!" General D'Coolette announced.
While getting closer to the throne room, Sonic paused as his eyes moved over to the man sitting on the throne.
The Mobian squirrel that sat on the throne of Acornia bore a striking resemblance to Sally. The difference however was he was male, slightly taller than her, and had auburn eyebrows and a goatee. He wore the blue Acornia Royal Army uniform with gold epaulets, red boots, and a red cape. Upon his head was a golden crown adorned with green gemstones that seem to emanate a mystical glow to them.
This was King Maximillian, or Max for short, the current ruler of Acornia and father of Princess Sally.
Whether it was out of instinct or a command that came from his subconscious, Sonic immediately kneeled before Max while whispering Tails to do so.
While Tails listened to his older brother figure, to him, this was unlike Sonic given how he acted informally around important figures such as the current President of the United Federation, President Langston Arbuckle (or Arby for short).
Sonic awaited further instructions from the king until the king spoke to him and Tails.
"Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, I thank you both for saving New Mobotropolis from the robotic forces of Dr. Robotnik." King Max spoke in a formal but warm tone.
Sonic and Tails got up, with Sonic replying, "It's no problem, Your Majesty. When there are times to rescue or fight, I just gotta do what I gotta do. That's all."
Tails then said, "We've got your letter in the mail today. You said you had something to discuss with us. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?"
"Yes, I did." King Max replied as he cleared his throat. "I don't believe I have to explain to you both what the Great War was, do I?"
Sonic and Tails shook their heads negatively, already aware of the tragedy that was the Great War.
"It was about a year after the Great War had finished, Acornia was still rebuilding and recovering from the aftermath, leaving our forces weakened and in disarray. Then one day upon the horizon was an army from a far-off kingdom, their warriors clad in what looked like dark crystals oozing with malicious intent." King Max explained.
"A crystal army?" Tails echoed, wondering what kind of power this army possessed.
Sonic remained silent, saving his questions for later.
"Suffice to say, the Royal Army was still suffering from the consequences of the Great War and were not prepared to go into battle with this invading force. It seemed as though we would be wiped out by these crystal knights until he arrived." King Max continued.
"Who's he, Your Highness?" Sonic asked, still remaining as respectful as possible.
"A single man, wearing the garb of a sorcerer, stood in front of this crystal army and annihilated it with nothing but a snap of his fingers. His name was Walter, Walter Gaunsun. He was a sorcerer from the kingdom of Soleanna." King Max stated.
Sonic then said, "...Soleanna? That's a place I ain't ever heard of before? Tails, do you know anything about the place?"
Tails shook his head, saying, "Not a clue, buddy."
"Soleanna was a kingdom on the continent of Guardia, a neighbour of the country of Apotos." King Max explained to Sonic and Tails. "The kingdom had advancements in magic and science with many of its people following the practice of Solarism."
"Hm...This place sounded like a cool spot for a vacation." Sonic commented.
"So they followed a solar deity?" Tails asked. "Could you tell more about it?"
"Yes, they worshiped Solaris, an ancient god who according to Solarism had power over light and time." King Max replied. "The people of Soleanna referred to Solaris as the Flame of Hope, seeing his power as a beacon for their people to live by."
Sonic nodded, saying, "Alright, if this Soleanna place was so cool, why did Gaunsun leave?"
"Because nearly thirty years ago, a great catastrophe engulfed the kingdom of Soleanna, turning the once-powerful nation into a barren wasteland." King Max replied in a solemn tone.
Sonic and Tails immediately were taken aback by the king's words, internally imagining how many lives were lost during that apocalypse.
"That's no good." Sonic muttered while Tails looked down, averting his eyes.
"Because of this, Gaunsun had no home or people to call his own." King Max explained. "So he wandered Mobius, ending up on the continent of Grandia where he used his sorcery to defeat the crystal army. We were grateful, to say the least, and Gaunsun offered his mystical knowledge and power to the kingdom of Acorn, and he became my court wizard. We learned a great deal from Walter, about the nature of magic and various mystical forces within our world."
Tails commented, "This Walter fellow sounds like he was very knowledgeable and wise."
"...I don't know," Sonic retorted while crossing his arms, "This seems took good to be true. This seems awfully suspicious."
King Max looked at Sonic, pausing for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"You aren't the first to think so. I was warned by an old friend about Gaunsun, and did not listen at the time. When I learned the truth, it was already too late. Gaunsun had revealed himself as the Ixis Warlock Naugus, a conqueror who laid siege to many kingdoms in the past." King Max stated.
Tails gasped at the information, covering his mouth with both of his hands.
Sonic, meanwhile, felt a large pit of dread in his stomach building up from the sound of Naugus' name. Sweat poured down from his face, his breathing slowly became irregular as he was caught in a trance. He could hear almost feel the malicious presence send a chill down his spine as a demonic laugh echoed from his mind.
"-nic? Sonic! SONIC! Snap out of it!"
Sonic came back into reality with Tails shaking him awake.
"Huh?" Sonic said, waking up. "What's up?"
"I can see that you still don't remember what happened that fateful day." King Max said with a sigh.
"Remember? What do you mean, Your Majesty?" Tails asked, confused at his comment.
"I don't… I don't understand what you're talkin' about." Sonic said, clutching his head. "What are you tryin' to say?"
"You are not just Sonic the Hedgehog, savior of the planet Mobius and the fastest thing alive." King Max replied. "But you are Oliver Maurice Cobalt, son of Sir Jules Hedgehog and Queen Aleena Cobalt IV, and Crowned Prince of the kingdom of Azuron."
"What!?" Tails shouted, looking at the king incredulously then turned to Sonic. "Sonic? What is he talking about?"
"I...I don't…" Sonic staggered before trying to recollect himself of who he is based on what he knew. "With...all due respect, Your Majesty, I find that hard to believe. I'm Sonic, I've always been Sonic! That's who I've been for as long as I can remember. I didn't even have a name until Old Man Owl raised me with his wife, let alone remember being called this Olsen or whatever you said."
"You are referring to Harvey Who, am I correct?" King Max asked.
Sonic took a step back, asking, "...How did you—"
"–Harvey Who was the advisor to my father, King Frederick. He was a pilot serving under the Acornian Covert Operations before becoming their spymaster prior to the Great War." King Max explained.
"...That would explain a lot, considering Sonic's interests in traveling and his knack for easily learning how to drive aircrafts." Tails said thoughtfully.
Sonic shook his head, saying, "Look, I respect your authority over your kingdom and all, but I'm gonna need some proof about this. As far as I know, I ain't royalty, let alone prince charmin'!"
King Max sighed as he lifted his arm up and pressed a button on a small device attached to his wrist.
"General, bring him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." General D'Coolette said on the other end.
Tails and Sonic looked at each other with bewilderment as they turned to King Max.
"Your Majesty, who is coming to the throne room?" Tails asked politely.
"You'll see." King Max replied.
A few moments later, Armand greeted the newcomer to the throne room. The person's appearance shook Sonic to his very core, with Tails' eyes also shrinking in shock.
This person stood, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Sonic, albeit much older and mature, having light blue fur and possessed baby blue eyes with silver-colored eyebrows and mustache. For his attire, a brown coat over a green turtleneck sweater, brown gloves, brown, laced-up boots, and glasses.
"Oliver, meet your father's older brother and your last living relative." King Max said. "Your uncle, Sir Charles Hedgehog."
The uncle of Sonic waved at the teenage hedgehog, saying, "It's been a long time. Hasn't it, eh Sonny-boy?"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes:
First off, I'd like to thank UltimateDemonBeast65 for helping me write some of this and for collaborating with me in the pitch and pilot. I appreciate the assistance considering that making a plot for a Sonic story can be incredibly difficult. So kudos to you, my friend.
Finally, Sonic's past starts to be revealed to us. Now, I know that a lot of you may still be asking questions regarding this continuity. Though I will not reveal every little detail or huge plot point(s), I will give out miscellaneous details that will help you guys understand where this story fits exactly.
Please feel free to leave those questions, comments, and concerns in the comment section below. I'm signing off for tonight.
-DarkShadowGames451