Disclaimer: All non-original characters are property of SEGA or their respective creators.
Act 2: Heel Turn
"I love this part," said Tangle, leaning forward on the couch in Shadow and Amy's apartment.
"Which part?" asked Amy, glancing between the beaming lemur and the television.
Onscreen, Sonia held Lanolin by her for woolly pigtails. The ewe was stumbling and swaying like a drunk sailor on a stormy sea. Sonia tucked her opponent's head under the wrestling ring's top rope, then hooked her arms back over the rope. The limp Lanolin was left hanging by her elbows while the purple hedgehog stirred up the crowd.
"What does she do now?" asked Amy.
"Just watch," said Tangle, eyes glued to the screen.
Once she was satisfied the crowd were chanting her name loudly enough, Sonia took off across the ring. Rebounding off the opposing ropes, she charged straight at Lanolin. After she passed over the All Mobius Pro Wrestling logo on the ring's mat, the purple hedgehog jumped, dropkicking the ewe square in the lower back.
Amy winced on Lanolin's behalf as she crumpled onto the mat. Amid feverish applause, Sonia leisurely lay down over her fallen opponent. She held one arm in the air, counting on her fingers as the referee slapped the canvas.
Once…twice…thrice.
Ding-ding-ding!
Tangle jumped to her feet in unison with most of the Babylon Enterprises Arena as the bell rang. The sidden movement prompted Shadow to look up from feeding Omega shards of pizza crust.
"Did I miss something?" he asked, looking to Amy.
The pink hedgehog. "Just Tangle."
The rapt lemur went on gawking at the TV as the referee, a golden-maned lion, presented Sonia with her championship belt. Shadow nodded passively. Omega pecked the plate of cold pizza crusts impatiently. Shadow went back to feeding the gray Flicky. Amy went back to watching Tangle.
She'd furtively been watching the lemur more than the TV over the last couple of hours. Wrestling wasn't her usual choice of afterschool viewing. However, she'd quickly discovered she didn't need to enjoy the spectacle in order to enjoy how giddily happy it seemed to make her girlfriend.
"Huh?" uttered Tangle.
She looked down to find the white sleeves of Amy's school shirt wrapped around her waist.
"Sorry," said the pink hedgehog, "But you're really cute when you're like this."
The lemur blinked. "That's, like, a good thing, right?"
"What do you think, silly?" cooed Amy, kissing the fifteen-year-old's cheek.
〜
"Do you think Tiara and Honey were watching that?" said Sonia into her microphone.
The five thousand Mobians packed into Tundra Bay's Babylon Enterprises Arena roared their agreement. Sonia flashed a smug smile and turned to the nearest television camera.
"Read it and weep, kitty cats," she said, running a finger under the embossed letters on the 'Queen of the Ring' championship belt around her waist, "There's only one queen of this ring."
Lie, cheat, steal! Lie, cheat, steal! Lie, cheat, steal!
Sonia and everyone else in the arena turned to the entrance stage. The floor spat jets of flame as a green hedgehog in a black leather jacket and red-framed sunglasses swaggered into view. He paused to run his hands through his slicked-back quills, then strutted down the ramp.
Scourge slid into the ring under the bottom rope, swaggered over to Sonia, and snatched the microphone out of her hand. Peering over the top of his sunglasses, he stared the purple hedgehog down as she grudgingly ceded the spotlight.
"Who does this diva think she is, hmm?" he wondered aloud as Sonia retreated up the ramp, "That's right, Your High & Mightiness, take your belt and go. I know who you all really came to see."
The crowd replied with scattered boos. Somewhere in the arena's upper bowl, a fan's handwritten sign caught Scourge's eye.
"Fraud, huh?" he said, raising his sunglasses, "You all paid to be here, right? Yet you're telling me you don't think he's the real deal?"
Scourge shook his head.
"Ain't you suckers got anything better to do in this town?"
He shrugged as a wave of boos washed over him.
"Okay, okay. I get it. You just like being proved wrong, then."
Amid more voluble boos and jeers, a goodly number of middle fingers were brandished. Scourge nodded his head as if grooving to a beat.
"Well, Holoska, All Mobius Pro Wrestling is proud to present…"
He thrust a finger towards the entrance stage.
"…Sonic!"
If you're strong, you can fly, you can reach the other side of the rainbow!
The arena erupted in opprobrium as a masked hedgehog walked out, dressed head-to-toe in silver spandex, quills and all. White mesh hid his eyes. He proceeded languidly down the ramp. Fans jostled behind the steel barriers lining his way, vying for the chance to abuse this imposter to his face.
"You paid your money, Holoska," said Scourge, "Now take a good long look at him!"
"Go away, Nazo!" squeaked a young ermine on her father's shoulders, "You're no one's hero!"
She hurled her Princess Blaze plushie at the masked hedgehog in disgust. She missed, but the crowd cheered her sacrifice.
"Sounds like everyone thinks they know who you are better than you do," said Scourge, draping an arm round Nazo as he ducked under the top rope, "Just take a look."
The hedgehogs gave the crowd a cursory glance. More uncomplimentary handwritten signs were on display.
"Looks like these suckers came prepared," remarked Scourge, "Got anything you wanna tell these doubters?"
Jeers of approval gave way to a chant that quickly engulfed the arena.
"Speak! Speak! Speak! Speak!"
"How about it…Sonic?"
The grinning Scourge held out his microphone. Nazo looked at the proffered object. The chant grew louder. Scourge wiggled the mic. Nazo looked right, then left, then back at the mic. A spandex-sheathed hand gradually rose and reached for the microphone's handle.
Suddenly, the arena went dark. A blast of trilling panpipes echoed around the venue.
Born on an island in the heavens! The blood of my ancestors flows inside me!
A red echidna strode out onto an entrance stage bathed in green light, wearing shiny green trunks and matching boots. Bold red letters on both items of clothes spelled out 'The Guardian'. He stood statuesquely at the top of the ramp, soaking up the crowd's adulation.
The Guardian coolly ignored the many hands straining for a high-five as he strode ringwards.
"Don't you have an island to protect?" said Scourge, snatching back the microphone.
The echidna climbed onto the ring's apron and vaulted over the top rope. He barged Scourge out of his way, walked right up to Nazo, and held out a hand swaddled in white sports tape.
"Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake!"
Nazo kept his hands defiantly by his sides. The Guardian cocked a brow. Withdrawing his hand, he turned his back to the hedgehog, throwing up his arms in exasperation. The crowd voiced their sympathy.
Ding-ding-ding!
Nazo grabbed a handful of The Guardian's dreadlocks and steered him to the nearest turnbuckle, ramming his face into the topmost pad over and over. After ten reps, he pushed the dazed echidna onto his back and pounced on him, hooking an arm under one knee.
The referee slapped the canvas once…twice…
The Guardian convulsed, breaking the pin. Nazo jumped up and mounted the turnbuckle. Facing the crowd, he leapt backwards in an arcing moonsault. The crowd cheered as he faceplanted an empty mat.
The Guardian hauled Nazo up by a spandex-sheathed quill. He twirled, lashing the hedgehog with his dreadlocks, then floored him with a dropkick. Nazo landed on his front. The echidna sat on his back, cupping his hands under the hedgehog's chin in preparation for a chokehold.
Instead, he began tugging at Nazo's mask. There was barely enough loose fabric for one handful, but he persevered. With his arms pinned beneath the echidna's knees, the hedgehog kicked his legs in desperation. Another chant began to build.
"Off! Off! Off! Off!"
Scourge came flying in off a turnbuckle, taking out The Guardian to universal disapproval. The referee went ballistic, shooing the interfering green hedgehog out of the ring. Meanwhile, the vengeful Nazo rained kicks down on the writhing echidna.
The Guardian stayed down as Nazo reversed towards the nearest turnbuckle. With a nimble bound, he mounted the top rope, and launched himself into the air. Whilst airborne, he curled into a ball, completing three rotations before landing on the echidna.
The crowd booed this pale imitation of a Spin Attack to the rafters.
〜
"He can't do that!" blurted Tangle, jumping out of her seat.
Down on the couch, Amy blinked. "Why not?"
The lemur looked at the pink hedgehog like she was crazy. "That's Sonic's move!"
Amy tilted her head. "But…that is Sonic, isn't it?"
"How could it be?" countered Tangle, "That Nazo guy's a total ass—"
"It's Sonic," Shadow cut in.
The teenagers looked at the black hedgehog in surprise. Amy hadn't realized he was even watching.
"How can you tell?" demanded Tangle.
"I've fought him myself," said Shadow flatly, "No one else moves that fluidly. He's just taking it slow for change."
The lemur's face dropped. She sank back onto the couch like a deflating bouncy house.
"Well, I don't feel like a total idiot," she mumbled, smoothing out her pleated gray skirt.
Amy quietly propped her head on the lemur's blazered shoulder. She couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't compound her girlfriend's embarrassment. Had she forgotten who Sonia and Manic's brother was?
〜
A hush had descended over the Babylon Enterprises Arena.
Nazo had flipped the script, and The Guardian's chances of flipping it back seemed to be ebbing away with each fresh blow the hedgehog landed on the echidna. Down by entrance ramp, the young ermine who'd thrown her plushie was bawling in her daddy's arms.
Standing up from his second successive suplex, Nazo paused, turning to face the four sides of the arena in turn. The hush persisted. Most of the five thousand attendees seemed to be all booed out. The silver spandex around the hedgehog's neck creased as he nodded in triumph.
My will, my way, my fear fades away! With tails I fly high, watch me fly!
Roused by her daddy's whoops of excitement, the distraught ermine looked up in time to catch a glimpse of the newcomer rushing down the ramp.
"Wild…Child?" she said to herself, reading aloud the words scribbled in black marker on the back of his tattered white shirt.
The arena let out a collective gasp as Wild Child literally flew over the top rope, propelled by his two bushy tails. Coming in to land, he cracked a folding chair over Nazo's head so hard, the bent back-panel flew across the ring.
Nazo staggered sidewards, cocking his head left and right as if seeing tiny Flickies flying around his head. Then, he collapsed, the frame of the busted chair still around his neck.
The young ermine looked on misty-eyed as Wild Child helped The Guardian to his feet. She was already imagining herself with the fur on her head styled in a mohawk like the fox's. Her daddy might draw the line at dyeing it red, but she had a ton of spare school shirts she could tear up.
"You show him, Wild Child!" she squealed, watching the fox fend off the marauding Scourge with a dropkick.
Meanwhile, the referee slapped the canvas once…twice…thrice.
Ding-ding-ding!
〜
Watching the referee present the victorious Knuckles and Tails to the adoring crowd, Amy stiffened as the giddy Tangle suddenly put her in a headlock.
"You have the coolest friends!" the lemur gushed, noogeying the thirteen-year-old's braided quills.
Despite the affectionate onslaught, the pink hedgehog strove to keep one eye on the TV. She was almost certain she could see Tails struggling to stay in-character. He seemed to keep casting furtive glances towards the entrance ramp, where Manic and the disguised Sonic were taking a prolonged walk of shame. Fans' bleeped-out abuse was flying thick and fast.
"Hang in there, Tails," she said to herself. Tangle's blazer sleeve muffled her words.
Tails' gimmick is basically Mangey Tails as a feral schoolboy.
Hat-tip to Eddie Guerrero (RIP) for Manic/Scourge's entrance music.