- Chapter 57 -

Wrongs to be Righted

Station Square

Kat slowly came to, her head pounding as she opened her eyes. Her head was covered in bandages and she had another on the cheek Locke had smacked. She took in her surroundings, looking around to see she was in a hospital room. After a few minutes, the door opened, revealing a Mobian duck in doctor's garb with yellow feathers and blue eyes. He looked up to see her, giving a smile.

"Finally awake, I see," he noted. "Good thing Sonic's as light on his feet as ever."

"Sonic…" Kat repeated. "What happened?"

"You were quite lucky," the duck noted. "Any normal human would have died from the blow you sustained. Don't ask me how you survived, much less with only a moderate concussion. Anyway, where are my manners?" He offered a hand, which she shook. "Dr. Horatio Quentin Quack. Former Royal Physician to the Kingdom of Acorn, now working freelance."

"Sonic asked for you, didn't he?" Kat asked. "He knows I-... don't like human doctors."

"Yeah, he said you'd prefer a Mobian doctor over a human one." Dr. Quack recalled. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone cracked my skull with a boulder," Kat replied bluntly. "Is Knuckles here? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Dr. Quack assured.

"Can I see him?" Kat questioned. "I want to let him know I'm okay."

-X-

In the waiting room, Sonic and Knuckles were both pacing, waiting for any news when Dr. Quack entered.

"Ease up, boys," he told them. "You're gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up."

"How is she?!" Sonic and Knuckles screamed in unison.

"Quiet down," Dr. Quack shushed. "She's finally awake, and she's asking for Knuckles."

Sonic slapped Knuckles on the back. "Go ahead, buddy."

He headed into the room, seemingly losing a massive weight on his shoulders as he did. He sat down, taking her hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I will be," Kat promised. "Are you? This has... not been a good day for us."

"I'll be fine," Knuckles assured her. "I laid down the law with my dad. I'm not staying on Angel Island if he kicks you off. I'm going back to get the rest of your stuff and say goodbye to Mom, but that's it."

"And... that stuff with Thrash?" Kat asked. "About the echidna and the Devil Dogs?"

"He was in shock over clubbing you with the boulder," Knuckles explained. "We just left him and his pack in the jungle after Sonic got you to the doctor."

"He... kinda reminds me of how I was. Angry and hurt. Just... lashing out." Kat chuckled darkly. "I guess I know how Sonic felt now."

"But you didn't try to kill Sonic, or commit genocide on his entire species." Knuckles pointed out.

"Well, I also had someone to talk me down, and to help me," Kat added. "Thrash… he has no one. He's all alone with barely sentient Devil Dogs."

"We've been talking about that," Knuckles informed her. "Considering his reaction to what happened to you, Sally wants to reach out to him, extend an olive branch."

"Good," Kat nodded. "He's lost. What he needs is help, and maybe a little hope."

"Sonic's not too keen on the idea, but he did suggest talking to Chris' grandpa and his colleagues. Maybe his Uncle Chuck as well when we get him back. See if maybe there's a way they can restore the Mobian devils."

"Let me deal with Sonic," Kat said. "And let me talk with Thrash too. Maybe I can get the two to bury the hatchet."

Knuckles nodded. With that, he departed, allowing Sonic to enter next. Kat sat up, giving him a smile.

"If you're going to try and apologize for what happened, don't," she told him. "You got me here and got me help. That's what matters."

"I know," Sonic's hand went to his rib at that. "I failed you once already, Kat. I won't do it again."

Kat wisely decided to change the subject.

"Listen, I want you to take me to Thrash," she told him. "Wherever you left him."

Sonic's expression soured. "I'm not bringing you within ten miles of that psycho devil. Not after what he did to you. What he threatened to do to Knuckles' people."

"From what I can tell, what happened to me was an accident. As for his threats, he's angry, and hurt and alone. I've been there, I want to help him, and I think now, he'll listen to me."

"Sally said the same, but no matter how he's feeling, there's only so much sympathy I can dig up for a guy who was openly threatening genocide."

"Sonic... I'm not asking you to forgive him. All I'm asking is for you to trust me. Please?"

After a few minutes, Sonic sighed.

"Okay, fine."

Mystic Ruins

Thrash sat listlessly in front of the temple, his Devil Dog sisters next to him. They suddenly perked, growling menacingly as a figure approached.

"Call off your packmates, Thrash," Sonic demanded. "I'm not here to fight."

Thrash looked up, seeing Sonic walking up with Kat in his arms. She gave a small wave as Thrash gasped in surprise.

"Y-you're alright," he let out before looking away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sonic set Kat down and crossed his arms suspiciously.

"You're not still gonna try to attack Angel Island, are you?" he asked.

Thrash sighed in a mixture of regret, confusion, and defeat. "I don't know anymore."

Kat walked over to him, carefully skirting around the Devil Dogs. She sat down next to him, taking a breath.

"You've lost your people, you're alone, you're scared, and you're in so much pain. All you want is to make it go away. Believe me, I've been there."

Sonic stepped forward at that.

"Look, I get you're angry over what happened, but whatever the Echidnas of the past did to you, that was just one group, and that was a long time ago," he told him. "The current generation didn't do anything wrong."

"Knuckles is my best friend, and he's willing to leave his people for me," Kat added.

"Also, even if the Echidnas of today did do something wrong, getting rid of them won't bring your people back," Sonic included. "All it will do is leave you feeling the same as before, Thrash. Your heart will still remain in turmoil, and your anger just won't vanish. The pain will never end."

"Sonic's right," Kat concluded. "Vengeance isn't the answer."

Thrash took their words in before sighing. "I don't know what else to do."

"Come back with us," Kat offered. "We want to help you, and your pack."

She gently reached for his sisters. Rather than snap at her, his sisters allowed Kat to pet them. Thrash still seemed uncertain, so Sonic tried his trump card.

"I know a bunch of scientist types. Some of the best minds on Mobius," he began. "If you want, I'll talk to them, see if there's a way to restore the Mobian devils. Or at least make it so the Tasmanian devil-Devil Dog baby ratio is a bit more even."

Thrash perked. "You'd do that for me?"

Sonic nodded. "You've been devoid of hope for so long. Maybe it's time you got some."

Thrash turned it over in his head, before nodding and standing up. "Alright, mate. You've made your point."

Kat stood up herself and offered him a hand, which Thrash took.

Knothole

Kat and Sonic arrived, Thrash in tow. Everyone glared at the devil in disdain, but no one made a move to attack him. Knuckles was sitting on a rock, glancing over at the trio.

"Thrash," he greeted tersely.

"I ain't here to pick a fight, mate," Thrash told him. "I've had some time to cool down and think."

"Figured," Knuckles noted. "No way Sonic would bring you here if you weren't good."

"A shame it took you cracking an innocent girl's head open with a rock to realize maybe you were on the wrong side." Shortfuse spat.

"Shorty, you're not helping," Sally admonished.

Shortfuse shrugged. "I'm not trying to help."

"Guys, enough," Kat cut in. "I'm okay. Thrash is sorry. Let's drop it."

"Seriously?" Sticks demanded. "Accident or not, he hit you with a freaking boulder while he was trying to use it to kill your best friend, and you want us to just 'drop it'? Wake up and smell the coffee, Kat! The devil's a menace!"

Sally stood up at that. "Will you excuse me for a minute?"

With that, she grabbed Sticks by the ear, dragging the badger out of the room.

"Rule one of this place, Sticks is insane and she's never gonna change." Kat informed Thrash. "So don't let her get to you."

Thrash nodded before deciding to address the elephant in the room.

"Look, all of you, I'm sorry," he said. "I've been fed stories on the Echidnas for so long. I knew that trying to get rid of them all wouldn't just magically change the Devil Dogs back into Mobians. But... I needed a reason to keep going. To vent."

"Yeah, I've seen that kind of anger," Knuckles noted.

"So have I," Sonic recalled, his hand going to his rib again. "I'm sure you heard of Dr. Robotnik. He kidnapped Kat's hometown and family, put them to work as slave labor on his Death Egg. Long story short, I was stupid. I made a mistake and left them all behind when the ship went down."

"I was pissed," Kat added. "So angry that I just wanted someone to pay. I latched onto Sonic, blaming him for not saving us. And when I saw him again…"

She put a hand to her head. "Let's just say he didn't just get a bump to the noggin."

Thrash got the meaning, his eyes widening.

"I let her do it," Sonic explained. "So she could vent, let out the pain."

"You were so blinded by rage you couldn't see the truth," Kat said. "And now… now you do."

Knuckles stood up at that. "Sonic said he'd talk to his uncle's associates, see if there's a way to restore your race. I'm gonna do the same with my people, before I leave Angel Island behind."

"Then… she wasn't lyin'," Thrash realized. "You're willing to leave your people."

"I had a falling out with my old man," Knuckles explained. "He's an old, racist asshole who only cares about himself and his so-called 'duties.' I'm not gonna let that happen anymore."

Echidnaopolis

A Warp Ring opened up, and Knuckles and Kat entered, followed by the Freedom Fighters. Lara came running over, hugging her son.

"Hey, Mom," Knuckles greeted.

"Yo, Locke!" Sonic called. "Show your face! I need to have a word with you!"

Locke soon appeared from the crowd.

"Sonic the Hedgehog. I was wondering when you'd-"

A loud thud sounded. Locke was suddenly on the ground, his lip split open. Sonic withdrew his fist, shaking it out.

"That's for putting your hands on Kat, old man," he seethed. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, or you'd get worse."

Lara looked at Kat, gasping.

"Oh, Aurora!" She looked her over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kat assured.

Locke stood up, wiping his lip as he turned to the others.

"I'm just here to get Kat's stuff and say goodbye to Mom," Knuckles informed him. "After that, I'm kissing the island goodbye."

"Knuckles…" Locke began. "You can't leave."

Knuckles scowled. "Watch me."

Locke's eyes fell on Sally at that.

"Princess Sally," he greeted. "You've gotten big."

"Don't bother putting up the act you gave my father, Locke," Sally snapped. "Not after what you said and did to Kat." She shook her head. "To think I used to respect you."

"Listen, I-" Locke began.

"Save it. I'm done," Knuckles cut him off. "I don't want to-"

"I'm sorry."

Everyone froze up upon hearing that.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"I was… wrong," Locke admitted. "I've been wrapped up in my Guardian duties for so long, at the expense of everything else. I have more than a few regrets, and if you really are going to leave, son, at least hear me out first."

Knuckles turned to his father, crossing his arms. "Alright. I'm listening."

"Your mother literally slapped some sense into me after you left." Locke informed him.

Kat looked at Lara, who just shrugged. "He deserved it."

"I really like you now," Sonic said with a grin.

"I've had time to think over what you both said," Locke explained. "If it will get you to stay, I will allow Kathryn to remain on the island."

After a few minutes, Knuckles nodded.

"Alright," he agreed. "But we have a few conditions. First off, she's my friend, not my pet. Treat her with respect, understand?"

Locke nodded.

"Second, when Relic finishes the robots, the two of us get to come and go as we please, and you don't stop us."

Locke turned it over in his head. "The pika has been making good progress with the robots. They proved quite effective at protecting the island in the past before they fell into disuse."

"Then she stays too," Knuckles said. "Let her continue her research."

"Very well," Locke agreed.

"And third, we need to have a discussion about what I found out about the Devil Dogs recently."

Master Emerald Shrine

They headed to the shrine, where Knuckles explained what Thrash told them. Lara was horrified, and Locke sighed.

"What this Thrash said was true," he confessed. "Centuries ago, during a war, a group of Echidna scientists were commissioned to develop means that the ancient Knights of Aurora could use to fight off a deadly enemy. The Order of Ixis."

"Ixis?" Sally thought back. "Before the Great War, my father employed a man named Ixis Naugus as the Royal Wizard. But Dr. Kintobor caught him trying to usurp the throne, so Daddy banished him."

"I remember him," Sonic shuddered. "He was some kinda freakazoid. Face of a bat, with a rhino horn and a lobster claw."

"Is this Order of Ixis the ones who created the Devil Dogs?" Tails asked.

"No," Locke shook his head. "The Echidna scientists in question were corrupt bastards. Instead of helping the knights, they experimented on the local Tasmanian Devils, turning them into what you know as the Devil Dogs to serve as guards and beasts of burden. They were caught and punished for their crimes, but the damage was already done."

"Then no one is left that remembers how it was done, is there?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know," Locke admitted. "There may still be some records left in the old archives."

"Then let's go check it out," Sonic decided.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why do you care so much?" Locke asked.

"Thrash isn't a bad guy," Sonic explained. "He's just hurting, alone, and in serious need of hope. We promised we'd try to help him find a way to restore the Mobian devils."

"I highly doubt that's possible," Locke told him.

"We're gonna try anyway," Sonic said. "It's better than letting him stew in his hate to the point he's plotting to wipe out an entire race."

"Fair point." Locke conceded.

Echidnaopolis

They headed to the archives, grabbing various files. Eventually, Tails waved them over to where he was sitting.

"I think I've got something." he told them.

Everyone gathered around.

"They manipulated the reproductive DNA of the Tasmanian Devils, slowly overriding the genes that made them sentient Mobians." Tails explained.

"So over the generations, the Devil Dogs became predominant, while the Mobian devils whittled away." Rotor deduced.

"Any way we can fix that?" Sonic asked.

"Genetics are kinda out of my expertise, Sonic," Tails replied. "But we know how they did it, so that's a start."

"Indeed," Rotor agreed. "We'll do all we can."

"That's all anybody can ask for," Sonic noted.

"I'll see what I can do from here," Locke told them. "Regardless of how you feel about me, what those Echidna did to the Devils, even I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"Glad to know you're not a complete asshole," Sonic quipped.

Locke looked at him blankly before turning to Sally. "You certainly keep interesting company."

"Sonic's rough around the edges, and not one to mince words," Sally admitted. "But his heart's in the right place."

"So it would seem," Locke mused.

Knothole

As the Freedom Fighters returned to Knothole, they sat Thrash down to explain the situation.

"Well Thrash, the good news is we found out what exactly made the Devil Dog mutation and how we can reverse it," Sonic told him. "The bad news is it'll take a while before we figure out exactly how."

"It's alright," Thrash assured. "The chances of survival for my race just went from none to slim."

"So, what're you gonna do now?" Sally asked.

"Go back to the Mystic Ruins," Thrash replied. "I'm more at home there than anywhere else. Besides, I can tell I'm not wanted here."

As he stood up and prepared to go, Kat put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she began. "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me. Just knock on the door, don't knock me out."

Thrash nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

With that, he began walking off.

Robotropolis

In his lab, Robotnik was running scans alongside Grimer and Snively.

"The Phantom Ruby just vanished after Sonic and his friends destroyed the Heavy King," Robotnik mused. "Did they destroy it? Did it simply warp away?"

"All we know for sure is the King's final clash with Super Sonic released that red wave across Mobius." Grimer recalled.

"I wish I knew more-" Snively began before a knock sounded on the door.

"Who is it?" Robotnik called.

The door opened, revealing a girl who couldn't be any older than twelve. She had hair the same color of Robotnik's mustache, as well as big, thick glasses. She had a tiara in her hair and wore a black dress with a yellow and red skirt.

"Uncle!" the girl declared before running over and hugging him. Robotnik blinked in surprise, patting her back before pulling away.

"Agatha?!" Snively exclaimed.

"Hi, Snively!" Agatha greeted. "I knew I'd find you."

"What is she doing here?" Robotnik demanded.

"I came to find you!" Agatha explained. "I tracked down the epicenter of the temporal wave."

"Why exactly are you here, is what we want to know," Grimer clarified.

"Because I came to help," Agatha replied. "I wanna be a Robotnik!"

A dead silence followed at that.

"I've been following your exploits. all of your robots." Agatha explained. "They're amazing! I even started making one of my own!"

There was a high pitched laughter as a small robot came flying in. It was about the same size of Agatha, a navy blue color with devil horns and a messenger back on its side.

"Meet Bokkun, a messenger robot and surveillance drone," Agatha introduced.

"Nice to meetcha!" Bokkun greeted.

"Likewise…" Robotnik replied.

"You're my sister, and I mean this in the best possible way, Agatha," Snively began, "But why would our uncle take you in when he has me?"

"Maybe because you lost to three kids my age and crashed Uncle Ivo's airship into Mount Mobius?" Agatha said rhetorically.

Snively turned red in anger and embarrassment.

"Also because I deduced exactly what the temporal wave did," Agatha added.

"What did it do?" Grimer asked.

"It has essentially weakened the bonds between the various temporal Zones," Agatha explained. "Several pocket dimensions have already been breached, and others are not far behind."

Robotnik went pale, his mustache drooping and his eyes widening behind his shades. "Oh, no…"

"Sir?" Grimer asked.

"Here's my calculations, Uncle." At Agatha's direction, Bokkun produced an info pad, which Robotnik took with shaky hands. "At best, you have months before it shatters completely. At worst... Days."
Robotnik dropped the pad, stumbling back. "It's reached as far as the Zone of Silence…"
"The Zone of Silence?" Grimer repeated.

Robotnik sighed, sitting down. "Also known as the Void. A pocket dimension, situated in the deepest, darkest corners of the Special Zone. Discovered by the former Royal Wizard of the House of Acorn, Ixis Naugus."

"Ixis?" Snively asked. "Isn't that-?"

"Yep." Robotnik said flatly.

"The one you-"

"Uh-huh."

"What's going on, Doctor?"

"Ixis Naugus, as I said, once worked for King Max as the Royal Wizard, back when my former self was still his Warlord," Robotnik explained. "In the final days of the Great War, I came across his plans to take the throne for himself by banishing him to the Zone of Silence. He was caught in the act, and I carried out the order to banish him to the zone instead."

"He swore vengeance on him," Snively added. "Well, on Julian Kintobor."

"Is he truly that dangerous?" Grimer asked.

"He's the last known practitioner of the ancient art of Ixian Magic," Robotnik replied. "Elemental control, manipulation of Chaos energy, mind manipulation… Let's just say he's the reason I prefer science over magic."

"That's why I came to help," Agatha explained. "I want to help you and keep you safe. Please, Uncle?"

"Hmmm…" Robotnik pondered. "I suppose…"

"If and when Naugus gets out, he's going to be very unhappy." Snively reminded him.

"And he'll start muscling in on the Kingdom of Acorn. My empire's territory." Robotnik composed himself, standing up. "That won't do. Mobius is my world to plunder and control, not his."

"We'll be here for you, Doctor," Grimer assured.

"Very well, Agatha," Robotnik conceded. "Welcome to the Robotnik Empire. Your first order of business is working out contingencies for Naugus. When he comes knocking, I'll be ready."

"Uncle, are you serious?" Snively demanded. "She's a little girl!"

"Who solved our query on the temporal wave," Robotnik pointed out. "She's staying."

Snively realized there was no point in arguing, giving in. With that, Robotnik took Agatha's hand.

"Come along, my dear," he said. "We'll get you a room and a place to work."

As they went, Snively crossed his arms, grumbling.

"What does she have that I don't?" he muttered.

Some distance outside of Robotropolis, a swirling dark portal winked into existence. From it appeared a pair of piercing red eyes, which blinked and peered out upon Mobius. An evil, raspy laugh sounded from within before the eyes simply closed, the portal disappearing…

Author's Note:

Well, there we have it. Thrash has seen the light, and I've managed to hint at the future appearance of Ixis Naugus. Yes, the final scene was taken from the final scene of the SatAM finale, "The Doomsday Project."

As for the character of Agatha, she's essentially the fan character/meme of Eggatha Omelette Robotnik. When I saw her, I just had to work out a way to introduce her. Essentially, she's the anti-Snively, the polite, loyal minion of Robotnik to Snively's rude, conniving usurper.

Next chapter is a bit of a breather, a chance to relax before things get hectic again.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Eggatha - Kate Micucci (Webby Vanderquack from DuckTales 2017, Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo media from 2015 onward)

* Dr. Quack - Don Cheadle (Donald Duck's non-garbled voice in DuckTales 2017, James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Please R&R. Until next time!