- Chapter 39 -
Big Plans on Little Planet
Knothole
A week passed following Sonic and Metal's fight. As the FF relaxed, Sally came in, holding a letter.
"Guys," she said, getting their attention. "We just got another letter from the Kingdom of Mercia."
"Is it another one from Amy, begging for another chance?" Shortfuse questioned.
"No, it's from Robert," Sally answered. "He's inviting us to Mercia for the Little Planet viewing. It's apparently quite the spectacle."
"The Little Planet?!" Tails exclaimed, perking up.
"Uh, what's the Little Planet?" Sonic asked.
"I read about it once," Tails explained. "The Little Planet, also called the Miracle Planet, is a planetoid with mystical properties that hovers around Mobius. It appears in the skies above Mercia's Never Lake for one month a year, then vanishes without a trace."
"That does sound pretty cool," Sonic admitted.
"I'm packing my telescope!" Rotor declared.
"Wait for me!" Porker added.
They headed for the lab with Tails in tow.
"I'll grab some folding chairs," Johnny decided.
"And a blanket," Bunnie added. "Don't forget a blanket."
They went into another room with Antoine.
"I better go keep an eye on those guys while they pack," Sally said.
Sonic nodded. "Go on, Sal."
"Eh, I'll go with ya," Sticks decided. "Might be fun."
"You'll have to be on your best behavior," Sally told her. "Meaning no yelling at anyone, or accusing people of being Illuminati, and please, for the love of Aurora, stay out of the garbage cans."
"That's where I find the best materials!" Sticks objected.
"You were raised in high society, Sticks. I know you hated how you grew up, but it wouldn't kill you to at least act civilized once in a while."
Sticks rolled her eyes.
"Ugh... Fine…"
She started heading off, much to Sally's confusion.
"Where are you going?"
"To take a bath, what else?"
As she left, Tails came back out of the lab.
"Hey, there's nothing to worry about," he insisted. "Manners are easy. Everyone at these kinds of events are windbags anyway."
He grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around himself like a noble's robe, talking in a very sophisticated manner.
"Hello, good evening. What a robust mustache you have, Colonel Grumpkin."
Sonic stood up, also wearing a blanket like a robe and mimicking a typical high class person.
"Why thank you, Madame Stinkbottom. How do you do?"
The two soon got into a bowing contest, attempting to outdo the other with deep, regal bows. After a minute, they ended up crashing their foreheads together, falling back with a yelp. Sally rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, you're the picture of sophisticated grace. No wonder Sir Charles keeps you at the kiddie table, Sonic."
Sonic and Tails just folded up the blankets, putting them back where they were
"I'm in touch with my inner child, Sal," Sonic retorted. "Is that so wrong?"
Sally sighed before just walking off.
"Okay, we've had our fun," Tails decided. "Let's get to packing."
"Right," Sonic nodded. "Back to work."
Robotropolis
In Citadel Robotnik, Metal Sonic's eyes lit up. He took in his surroundings, looking around before seeing Robotnik before him.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Metal," the doctor greeted. "Or in your case, functioning."
"I failed," Metal pointed out. "Sonic defeated me. Why did you repair me?"
"Sonic got lucky, that's all," Robotnik insisted. "Out of all my Badniks, you've come the closest to defeating him. And around here, good help is hard to find."
"Thank you, Doctor," Metal said gratefully.
With that, Robotnik led Metal further into the lab, showing him a diagram of the Little Planet on the computer.
"Now for my next scheme to conquer Mobius," he began. "What you see here is the Little Planet."
Metal scanned the diagram. "What purpose does this serve for the Robotnik Empire?"
"Allow me to break it down for you."
Robotnik shifted the image to a diagram depicting seven different hexagonal stones colored similarly to the Chaos Emeralds, coming in blue, green, cyan, orange, purple, yellow and red. Two of them were contained in what appeared to be an ornate owl mask. Metal scanned them.
"These are not Chaos Emeralds," the bot noted. "What are they?"
"Something my former self came across while researching the Chaos Emeralds for the ROCC project," Robotnik replied. "The Time Stones, stashed on the Little Planet by an ancient order called the Knights of Kronos. Possessing one grants the user the power to travel to any point in time. With all seven, one would have absolute and total control over the timestream."
Metal gave a nod before turning to the doctor.
"What is my mission?"
"We will go to the Little Planet, and establish a base on it," Robotnik went on. "There's no doubt in my mind Sonic will eventually be on our tail, so that's where you come in. Along with my latest Badnik squadron, which Snively and Grimer collaborated on with my assistance."
He went over to several Badnik capsules, opening them up to reveal seven different Badniks in various shapes. One was a humanoid chicken, one was a green mole-like design with tank treads for feet and drills for hands and feet, one was a monkey, one was a spherical red robot, one a yellow cube-shaped robot, one a tall and slender yellow bot with an oval-shaped head, and the last a short and stocky silver robot with a circular shaped head. Robotnik gestured to each of them in turn.
"Scratch. Grounder. Coconuts. Cubot. Orbot. Decoe. And Bocoe," he listed off. "Together, they are the Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad."
Metal looked over each one in turn. If he had an eyebrow, he'd be raising it.
"I fail to see the merit in any of these Badniks," he said bluntly. "They will not last five seconds against Sonic."
"Hey!" Scratch objected. "Say that to my face!"
"I just did," Metal shot back.
Robotnik took Metal to the side.
"In all honesty, I'm aware of that," he admitted. "They're meant to distract Sonic and be a diversion."
"I see," Metal realized. "They're glorified cannon fodder."
Robotnik grinned. "I knew I liked you for a reason, Metal."
"I'll work with them, Doctor," Metal decided. "Hopefully, they will not interfere too much. Who knows? Between the seven of them, they might have a functioning brain."
Metal walked forward, getting the seven's attention.
"I am Metal Sonic, Dr. Robotnik's proudest creation. From this day forth, you answer to me. Any questions?"
"Who put you in charge?" Decoe questioned.
"Yeah!" Bocoe agreed. "We're the elite squad here! We should get to decide our own leader!"
"I vote for me!" Grounder declared.
"No way!" Scratch snapped. "Dr. Robotnik created me before the rest of you! I'm his favorite, so it's me!"
They all began arguing among themselves, though Orbot just held up his hands.
"Don't look at me. These Badniks are nuts."
Metal stood there, seething. Eventually, Robotnik got sick of it, lifting a table over his head and throwing it at them, knocking them all down.
"STOP IT!" He shouted. "Metal Sonic is in charge, and that's the end of the matter!"
The seven all straightened up, saluting.
"But... why does he get to be in charge?" Bocoe whined. "Seems unfair."
"It's perfectly fair," Robotnik shot back. "Metal came the closest I've ever gotten to killing Sonic in their first fight. Amongst the Badnik Horde, he's the top banana in a world full of hungry little monkeys."
"I resemble that!" Coconuts objected.
"Allow me to clarify," Metal held up a finger. "In a sequentially ranked hierarchy, based on level of critical importance, the disparity between us is too vast to quantify."
Cubot leaned over to Orbot. "What's that mean?"
"He thinks we're basic," Orbot translated.
"Most of you, at least," Metal pointed to Orbot. "At least you seem to have some decent processing power."
"Yes, we tried to avoid making them too smart so they wouldn't foster thoughts of rebellion," Robotnik explained. "Now I'm thinking we may have dialed it back a bit too much."
"Perhaps," Metal conceded. "Regardless, our orders are clear. How long do we have until the Little Planet makes its appearance?"
"Not long," Robotnik replied. "Now go, and do not fail me again. I will be with you shortly."
Metal turned to the Squad, jerking his head, and they all departed the lab.
Mercia
The Freedom Fighter Special had just entered Mercian airspace. Most of the Freedom Fighters were still in awe at Sticks' transformation. Her fur was combed and in a neat ponytail, she was wearing a brown T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sandals, She was also sitting up straight with an expression that seemed almost superior and bored.
"I'm assuming we're almost there?" Sticks asked, her wild, Brooklyn-esque lilt replaced with a more sophisticated accent.
"Just about," Tails confirmed.
"Do you have to keep staring at me like that?" Sticks questioned.
"...Who are you?" Sonic managed.
"Sophia Badger," Sticks replied. "Who else, Sir Sonic?"
"Is anyone else feeling a bit disturbed?" Antoine asked.
"Ain't just you, sugar," Bunnie agreed.
"'Ain't' is neither a proper word nor proper grammar," Sticks cut in. "Please refrain from speaking as such while in polite company."
"Sticks, when I said to act civilized, I didn't mean a complete personality alteration," Sally told her.
"Actually, that is exactly what you asked of me, and thus, I have acquiesced," Sticks retorted. "After all, I, Sophia, do have a completely different personality from Sticks."
"I think I liked her better when she was screaming about conspiracies," Rotor confessed.
"Okay, stop!" Johnny finally let out. "Crazy conspiracy nut Sticks is better than sophisticated snob Sticks. You're freaking me out!"
That was all she needed to hear. Sticks immediately kicked back in a more relaxed position in her chair with a smirk.
"I was wondering just how long I'd have to endure all that elegant crap before you guys caved in," she said in her normal voice.
With that, Sticks pulled the tie out of her ponytail, her fur instantly puffing out, and kicked off her sandals, tossing them off the plane.
"Better?"
"Much better," Sonic agreed. "Please… don't ever do that again."
"Don't make me do it again," Sticks replied. "It ain't me."
"To be fair, Sally just asked you to be more civilized for the viewing," Porker pointed out. "She didn't exactly make you do anything."
"I'm perfectly civil," Sticks insisted. "I'm being civil right now."
"Okay, fair point," Shortfuse conceded.
Rottingham
The Special touched down on a strip outside of Rottingham Castle, the center of the Mercian capital of Rottingham. They were greeted on the strip by a male Mobian hedgehog with teal fur and matching eyes. He wore a brown hooded vest with matching hunting/hiking gloves and boots, a bow and quiver strapped to his back. Sonic was the first up, shaking his hand.
"Rob O' the Hedge," he greeted with a smile. "Heard nothing but good stories about you on the grapevine. Big fan, I gotta admit."
"And I, you," Rob replied. "I've heard about your exploits. Good show, lad."
He turned, bowing to Sally. "Princess Sally, always a pleasure."
"No need for formalities, Robert," Sally assured. "Just call me Sally."
"Only if you agree to call me Rob."
They shared a laugh before Rob got to business.
"I'm glad you could come," he told them. "I wanted to use the festival as a way to apologize for my cousin. I understand she traveled all the way to Knothole."
"Yeah…" Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "We were probably a little hard on Amy ourselves."
"My cousin has a good heart, but she's just not a fighter," Rob said. "You were right to send her away. She would have gotten herself killed. Of course, she came back more determined than ever. For the past month, she's been training with all her might."
"Where?" Sonic asked. "Maybe I can go check on her."
"The training grounds of the castle," Rob replied. "Believe me, you'll know the way"
Sonic nodded. "Be right back, guys."
With that, he was off.
-X-
Sonic made his way to the training grounds. There, he found Amy working with a crossbow. She aimed it at a target, only to miss completely. From the number of arrows in the wall, it wasn't the first time. In a fit of rage, Amy threw the crossbow aside before snatching up a massive war hammer. With surprising strength, she smashed right through the target.
"Why! Can't! I! Hit! YOU?!" she screamed with every blow.
Before long, the target was a pile of broken wood, and she was breathing heavily.
"Y'know, you might wanna work out your anger issues."
Amy perked, turning to see Sonic casually leaning against the wall.
"Sonic?" she asked. "What're you doing here?"
"Your cousin invited me and my crew to see the Little Planet," Sonic explained.
Amy dropped the hammer with a loud thud, marching over and dragging the destroyed target into a pile of other broken ones.
"Well, enjoy the festival," she said simply. "I'll be here."
She grabbed a new target, setting it up and reclaiming her crossbow.
"Word of advice, try to keep your cool and just keep practicing," Sonic suggested. "You'll never get any better if you flip out and smash the targets with a mallet every time you miss."
"Don't you have a festival to attend with your Freedom Fighters?" Amy questioned with a hint of bitterness, taking aim. "Just leave me alone."
"I'm just trying to help." Sonic objected.
"I don't need help!" Amy snapped.
She fired, the arrow going over the wall. He ran, catching it and bringing it back. Amy just snatched it out of his hand.
"Thanks," she said.
Sonic just sighed. "I'll leave you alone."
With that, he left. Amy took aim again before her hand shook. With a sigh, she lowered the crossbow.
-X-
Meanwhile, the rest of the Freedom Fighters were looking around Rottingham, taking in the sights of the festival. Stalls with food were set up, along with a few games and an outdoor pub. They briefly jumped when Sonic came running in, walking alongside them.
"Did I miss anything?" he asked.
"Not much," Sally replied. "Surprisingly, Rob and Sticks have hit it off. They're having an archery competition."
"And I'm winning, suckers!" Sticks bragged.
Sonic turned in the direction of the voice. Sure enough, Rob and Sticks were at an archery range. Both of them were hitting bullseye after bullseye.
"So, how's Amy?" Tails asked.
"Practicing her own archery," Sonic answered. "She's… in a mood."
"Aye, that's Amy for you," Rob confirmed. "Hair trigger on her."
"You mean her blowing her stack and taking a blunt instrument to whatever ticks her off happens all the time?" Sonic questioned.
"More often than not." Rob nodded. "She's awful with a bow, but give her a mallet and whoo! Better watch out."
"She'd be a better fighter if she stuck to hammers and whatnot instead of bows, to be honest," Sonic admitted.
"Really?" Bunnie asked.
"I saw her smash a big wooden bullseye to kindling with a warhammer, Bun," Sonic explained. "There was a pile of busted targets big enough to make a bonfire."
"She should've told us that when she came to Knothole," Sticks noted. "Knowing how to use bludgeons is way more useful than palm-reading."
"We'll talk to her after the festival," Sally decided. "If she's really as strong as you say she is, we could use her."
"Truly?" Rob asked.
"Yeah, she's crazy strong and got a lot of heart," Sonic noted. "She just needs to learn how to use it."
Amy, who was hiding behind a tree, gasped in delight before doing a silent happy dance.
Palmtree Panic Zone, Little Planet
Meanwhile, Metal Sonic and the S.S.S.S.S. Squad had managed to arrive on the Little Planet. The Badnik group took in their surroundings. All in all, the planet's geography was quite similar to Mobius'; it sported many islands scattered here and there by a single large ocean, with the islands displaying visible mountains, a volcano, and valleys streaking across the surface. All over the place was lush vegetation, such as trees and various flowers.
"Gee, sure looks a lot like home," Cubot mused.
"You were literally born yesterday, and this looks nothing like Citadel Robotnik," Orbot pointed out.
"He was talking about Mobius itself, not the citadel," Coconuts said.
"All of you be quiet," Metal snapped. "According to the doctor's notes, there's some kind of temple the Knights of Kronos set up in the Palmtree Panic Zone. That's where we'll find the Keeper of the Time Stones."
"Why's it called Palmtree Panic?" Scratch wondered. "That doesn't sound safe."
"Shut up, Scratch," Metal said simply. "If there are any dangers here, we're more than capable of handling it."
"But I can't stand pain!" Scratch whined. "It hurts me!"
Orbot sighed. "Perhaps the doctor made you too chicken."
"Ugh…" Metal face-palmed. "Let's just go."
They began making their way through Palmtree Panic, a tropical area decorated with palm trees and bearing more than a passing resemblance to Green Hill. As they went, Orbot scanned the flowers around them.
"Hmmm…" he mused. "I'm getting strange energy readings from these flowers."
"They're just plants," Decoe insisted. "What's so strange about 'em?"
"They seem to be emitting a powerful surge of energy," Bocoe noted. "Rather strange for mere plants."
Orbot touched one, and much to their surprise, it suddenly glowed before dissipating into a glowing seed, which landed in his palm. Metal approached, taking it.
"Interesting," he mused. "We'll make sure to report this to the doctor."
With that, they continued on their way. Eventually, they came to a massive temple near the edge of the Zone, carved in stone with the insignia of an owl with spread wings before a sundial.
"This is it," Metal noted. "The Temple of Kronos."
"I hate to rain on your parade, but what do we do if he doesn't just give us the Time Stones or tell us their whereabouts?" Orbot asked.
"Simple, Orbot," Metal replied. "We take them."
As they began to go in, Cubot suddenly shuddered.
"You ever have the feeling you were being watched?" he asked.
"Every day," Scratch replied.
Cubot was about to retort before he heard a sound like rocks tumbling. They looked up to see one of the stone gargoyles standing outside the entrance, seemingly guarding it. They resembled griffins. As such, they had the body, tail, and legs of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle. They also had red eyes and a watch engraved on their chests, and one of them had just turned its head to look right at them.
"I think you were right, Cubot," Decoe agreed nervously.
"We are being watched," said Bocoe.
"The doctor mentioned that the Temple of Kronos had tests and guards to keep the unworthy out," Metal recalled. "I'll handle this."
He approached slowly, and both gargoyles suddenly sprang to like, jumping down from their pedestals as they slowly advanced on them.
"Should we start running now?" Grounder asked nervously.
"You are a member of the Badnik Horde," Metal snapped. "There is no room for cowards in the horde. Shape up or be scrapped."
Grounder looked around nervously as Metal faced down the gargoyles.
"Be a wuss if you want, Grounder!" Scratch declared. "This is our chance to prove ourselves to the doc!"
He ran in, jumping on one of the gargoyles' backs before starting to attack with karate chops and the like, inserting attacks from his beak as well.
"You might as well give up now!" the chicken Badnik shouted. "I'm a black belt!"
The gargoyle casually grabbed Scratch by his neck, tossing him away. Decoe and Bocoe tried their luck next.
"Here goes nothing!" Decoe shouted. "Vulcan Merge!"
Decoe extended his body over Bocoe, retracting his arms, with Bocoe stretching his own arms upwards, allowing Decoe to rest on them. From there, a plate extended from Decoe, inserting into Bocoe's head as the top of Decoe's own popped open to reveal a functioning energy cannon.
"Decoe-Bocoe Brain-Bazooka!" They shouted in unison.
They fired a laser blast at the gargoyles... which did basically nothing. Orbot watched from the side, more bored than anything.
"You know, it's quite embarrassing to see the rest of you talk so big and perform so poorly."
Well, what're you and Cubot gonna do?" Coconuts snapped, throwing a coconut bomb at one gargoyle. "Lie in the road and wait for these things to trip over you?"
"That's not very nice!" Cubot whined.
"Are you forgetting we're the bad guys here?" Coconuts shot back. "We're not supposed to be nice!"
Meanwhile, Grounder was cycling through numerous elaborate gadgets that popped out of his hands, trying to decide on which one to use.
"Just pick one already and go for it, you dodo!" Scratch shouted.
"I'm looking, I'm looking!" Grounder shot back. "Keep your feathers on, bird brain!"
Eventually, Grounder just went with his normal drill hands and charged at the gargoyles, boring away at them. With no other options, Cubot grabbed Orbot, who converted to his ball form as Cubot readied him like a bowling ball.
"Cubot selects the ball and steps to the line," he recited to himself. "It looks like a tricky 7-10 split. A hush falls over the crowd. And now, the famous Cubot twist and release!"
He began slowly edging forward on the front of his lower body as if tip-toeing before launching Orbot across the room, where he bounced off one gargoyle before rebounding into the second. He managed to trip the gargoyles up, but that was about it. Orbot rolled back over to Cubot, his eyes spinning around in his head as he unfolded.
"We make a good team, don't we?" Cubot asked eagerly.
"Indeed we do," Orbot agreed, though it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
Metal let out an annoyed sigh. "Alright. I'm done."
He jetted forward at that, attacking the gargoyles at full force. They shattered in an instant, Metal coming to a stop and clapping dust off himself.
"You're all useless morons," he spat.
"Hey, we tried our best, Metal!" Cubot objected. "You don't have to be so mean about it."
"How is Dr. Robotnik going to conquer Mobius with you idiots working for him?" Metal pondered aloud.
"I concur," Orbot agreed.
Metal looked over at Orbot before giving him a tiny pat. "Let's move on."
They entered the temple, and stopped short to see the room inside was an M.C. Escher style labyrinth with stairs spiraling off in every possible direction.
"Well, that's that," Cubot declared. "I'm firing my travel agent."
"Grounder, make yourself useful," Metal ordered. "Drill us a way through."
"Yessir!" Grounder walked over to the wall across from them, getting to work.
"I thought we were supposed to solve the labyrinth?" Coconuts asked.
"We are," Metal insisted. "We're making our own path."
"Isn't that cheating?" Cubot questioned.
Metal just vented harshly, and Cubot recoiled.
"We have our orders from the doctor, Cubot," Orbot justified. "There's no time to waste on puzzles and riddles."
Eventually, Grounder created a path, and the S.S.S.S.S. Squad soon came across a purple door with clock hands. Metal went over, trying to push it open when suddenly it glowed and sucked them in. The bots found themselves in a river of shiny purple water that turned into a waterfall, sending them down a whirlpool and spitting them out in a room with a floor with white and black chess board patterns.
"This is not how I expected our first mission to go," Decoe groaned.
"Same," Bocoe agreed. "I expected something grander."
The lights suddenly went out, before another light appeared, forming into a pair of eyes. Around those eyes materialized an elderly Mobian owl with gray feathers, numerous wrinkles surrounding his dark green eyes, and a small beak. For attire, he wore a purple cloak with the collar upside-down and a yellow fastener with a red jewel embedded in it.
"I am Nicholas O'Tyme of the Knights of Kronos, Keeper of the Time Stones," he said in a deep, booming voice. "To prove yourself worthy of them, you must solve this riddle."
"We're listening," Metal replied.
"I run and run, but cannot leave. I am often watched, yet ever seen. When long, I bring boredom, when short I bring fear. What am I?"
"An ostrich?" Cubot offered.
"A river!" Scratch declared.
"Grass?" Coconut asked.
"Eggs!" Grounder shouted.
"Wind!" Bocoe and Decoe proclaimed at the same time.
Both Orbot and Metal facepalmed, the rest of the team continuing to randomly guess.
"A dog disguised as an owl?" Scratch tried.
"A seeing-eye owl?" Grounder guessed.
At this point, Orbot and Metal both just decided to ignore the inane guesses, turning to one another. Together, they began actually going over the riddle to try and solve it.
"Let's see…" Orbot said softly. "'I run, and run but cannot flee'."
"'Watched yet never seen'," Metal added.
Orbot snapped his fingers, turning to Nicholas.
"The answer is time."
"Correct," Nicholas confirmed.
"A three ringed binder!" Cubot shouted.
"Cubot, we're done guessing," Orbot informed him.
"Did I get it right?" Cubot asked.
"No, Orbot did." Metal said bluntly.
Nicholas held up a wing, and in it materialized the two Time Stones encased in a stone mask. Metal took them, before looking up.
"There's only two," he noted. "Where are the other five?"
"You have passed the tests, so I must relinquish the mask," Nicholas answered. "But, I do not need to give you all of the stones"
"Hey, that's not fair!" Cubot objected. "We passed your crazy gargoyles! Got through the labyrinth! Solved your riddle! We earned the stones!"
"You won through dishonest means, and your cold, metal shells are devoid of decency and compassion," Nicholas said. "Evil beings like yourselves are not worthy of the Time Stones. They would only bring calamity in your hands."
"We came here for all seven, and we're going to get them one way or another, O'Tyme," Metal spat. "And if that means prying them from your cold, dead wings, I'm happy to oblige!"
"You know, you're not really helping our case," Orbot pointed out.
Nicolas just chuckled darkly, spreading his wings.
"Good luck with that."
Suddenly, he disappeared, as if he had never been there to begin with. All the bots blinked.
"My internal clock seems to have skipped ahead," Orbot mused.
"Mine too!" Cubot exclaimed.
"Of course," Metal realized. "He used time manipulation to escape."
The area began to warp and bend around them, and the next thing they knew, they were back outside the temple. Metal looked, seeing he still had the mask in hand just as Grounder began emitting a ringing akin to a telephone. Metal looked confused, while Orbot just held up a finger and floated over. He opened a panel on his chest, revealing a cell phone seated on a charging panel, which he handed to Metal.
"Hello?" Metal asked, pressing a button.
"This is Dr. Robotnik," came Robotnik's voice. "The Robocom Phone seems to work fine. At least Grounder's good for something."
"So far, he and Orbot are the only ones who have shown any merit whatsoever," Metal deadpanned.
"Enough about that. How is your mission going?"
"The Keeper gave us two of the Time Stones, but deemed us unworthy of the other five."
"I see," Robotnik sighed. "Well, the two we have will suffice for now. We'll just have to look for the remaining stones the old fashioned way."
-X-
Before long, Robotnik arrived on the Egg Mobile. Metal approached to report their findings.
"We've found something quite interesting about the flowers here, Doctor," he informed him. "They're giving off biological readings similar to the Mobini. They could work fine as organic batteries."
To demonstrate, he held up the glowing seed from earlier, dropping it to the ground. They watched as it instantly sprouted into a full-fledged flower.
"Incredible…" Robotnik mused. "So, it seems plants and natural environments are good for something."
"I wonder how good they'll work as batteries?" Cubot pondered.
"Metal, give me the stones you have so far," Robotnik ordered, Metal doing so. "Our first step will be going back and conquering this puny little planet in the past. It will be the beginning of the Robotnik Empire. From there, we'll begin our conquest of Mobius anew."
"With all due respect, can we do that in our limited time frame?" Metal asked. "Little Planet only remains in Mobius' orbit for a short time."
Robotnik grinned. "You let me worry about that."
He placed the owl mask on his face, the Time Stones upon it glowing ominously…
Never Lake
Back on Mobius, the Freedom Fighters and other festival goers were headed for Never Lake.
"C'mon!" Tails urged. "It's almost time!"
"Sheesh, usually I'm the one telling you to hurry up," Sonic noted.
"I can't help it!" Tails declared. "I'm so excited!"
He and Sonic hurried ahead, only to stop short at the sight before them.
"What the flying…" Sonic let out, "WHAT?!"
"What's wrong?" Sally asked as she and the others approached.
As they reached the lake, they all caught sight of something truly devastating. The forest and greenery around Never Lake had disappeared, and rather than the serene, green paradise they expected, the Little Planet was an ugly, bleak, steel sphere.
"Oh, no…" Sally gasped.
"Yeah, this has Eggman's stink all over it," Sonic growled.
"It's always Eggman, isn't it?" Bunnie snorted. "What makes you say that?"
"Partially because the entire planet looks like it's been roboticized, and partially because of that."
Sonic pointed to a mountain adjacent to the lake. It had a statue of Robotnik's face carved into it, from which a long, thick metal chain extended, connecting the Little Planet to it.
"What has he done…" Rob managed.
"I dunno," Sonic replied. "But I'm gonna find out. It's hero time!"
He quickly dashed up the mountain, landing on the chain before running up it toward the Little Planet. Amy suddenly emerged from the crowd, hurrying after him.
"Amy, stop!" Rob shouted. "Don't be a hero!"
"No, Rob!" Amy shot back. "Now's my chance to prove I'm Freedom Fighter material!"
Before anyone could stop her, she jumped onto the chain, hurrying after Sonic.
"Amy!" Sally screamed. "Oh no... that girl's gonna get herself killed!"
"We're gonna have to go after them," Shortfuse said. "Warp Rings, or just follow Sonic up the chain?"
"We need to know where we're headed, have a basic idea of the terrain," Tails explained. "Otherwise, the rings won't work."
"Chain it is," Shortfuse confirmed.
"Or we could just take the Special up there." Rotor offered.
Everyone paused.
"Right," Sally agreed. "We'll take the Special and meet Sonic up on the planet."
"And maybe give Amy a smack or two for being so dumb," Sticks added.
"You can count on us," Sally promised.
With that, they piled into the Special, taking off and heading for the spot on the Little Planet where the chain was connected, and where Sonic would undoubtedly be.
Author's Note:
There we go. The Little Planet arc begins in earnest, and we got the introduction of the Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad (try saying that three times fast) in the bargain as well.
Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts are from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Decoe and Bocoe are from Sonic X, while the Keeper of the Time Stones is from SatAM; his name is taken from Archie.
Also, SatAM fans may have noticed that what Metal and the 6-S went through is essentially what Sonic and Sally went through to get the Time Stones in the "Blast to the Past" two-parter.
Next chapter, the Freedom Fighters begin their campaign to free Little Planet from Robotnik's evil clutches, while Amy tries to make herself useful.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Rob - Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Grinch in the 2018 CGI movie, and Sherlock Holmes from the Sherlock show)
* Nicholas - James Earl Jones
* Scratch - Rob Paulsen (Peck from Barnyard, Fowlmouth from Tiny Toon Adventures, Antoine in Sonic SatAM)
* Grounder - Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson from The Simpsons, Genie in the Aladdin series and Kingdom Hearts, Arnold Wester/Scarface from The Batman)
* Coconuts - Thom Adcox-Hernandez (Lexington from Gargoyles, Klarion the Witch Boy from Young Justice)
Decoe and Bocoe keep their VAs from Sonic X (Andrew Rannells and Darren Dunstan, respectively), while Cubot and Orbot keep their VAs from the games and Sonic Boom.
Please R&R. Until next time!