"Got any threes?"

Orbot looked down at his cards. His visual feed indicated that currently in his hand of seven playing cards he had a queen of hearts, a pair of fives, a two, an ace of spades, a six, and finally a king of clubs. "Go fish."

Cubot grumbled as he picked up another card and put it into his hand.

It had been a while since the two heard from their creator, or 'boss' as he had programmed them to call him. Normally the good Dr. Eggman would do routine checkups, ask if any of the many enemies he had acquired over the many years of being an evil scientist bent on conquering the world were coming for him.

But Orbot knew that it was mostly so that his empire, now severely reduced thanks to the efforts of Sonic and his friends, was still running like a semi well-oiled machine.

Orbot and Cubot's artificial lives were relatively simple. When Eggman was around, they served him to the best of their ability albeit with some programming-mandated screw-ups. Oh, their boss said he didn't know where he went wrong with them but they all knew that the madman served best under a healthy amount of adversity.

Mess up some calculations? He'll correct it himself while grumbling and then expand upon it for good measure.

Drop some chemicals? He'll berate the two badniks and then ruminate on the chemical's' makeup before coming up with some newer and deadlier concoction.

If Orbot and Cubot were, in his eyes, subpar? Then he'll create newer and greater badniks to compensate and hurl them at Sonic the Hedgehog rather than send the duo out in the field.

They served their purpose. It was a simple purpose.

Orbot couldn't say he was opposed to it.

"When do ya think the boss-man's going to call?" Cubot asked, glancing up from his cards. "He's been quiet for an pretty long time."

"You have an internal clock too." Orbot reminded his 'brother'. "He's been gone for approximately three days, fifteen hours, twenty-two minutes, and fifty-one seconds."

"Ya get mah point, though."

The round and red badnik rolled his eyes. "Yes, and are you really complaining about that? We don't have to do any work while he's gone and you get to enjoy your pointless beverage."

Cubot put a defensive hand in front of the now cold mug. "Hey! Don't insult mah coffee!"

Orbot let out a sigh, despite having no lungs. His brother badnik didn't even drink the stuff. "Knowing our boss' luck, he probably woke some ancient evil underneath those ruins and is now being saved by the hedgehog and his friends." The badnik scanned his cards again. "Maybe we'll be lucky and the thing will eat both of them."

As badniks went, Orbot and Cubot had more free will than most. Not enough to become seditious like those Belle or E-100 units, but enough where they could make jabs at their boss and laze around. The boss always worked best if his work was critiqued just enough.

They couldn't say anything truly seditious, of course. Saying that the ancient evil could devour the boss and his hated enemy wasn't the same as ensuring it would happen.

They simply weren't programmed that way.

Whenever Eggman wasn't around, they went into 'standby mode'. Which just meant they could laze around, play games, and generally keep themselves occupied when they weren't under direct orders to do anything. Within reason, of course. They would never dream of trying to 'take over' for their boss for any period of time.

The boss ensured they would never get such funny thoughts in their head.

Cubot gasped and put his hand over his mouth. "O-Orbot! Did ya really say…?"

"It was a joke, Cubot. Just a joke." Unlike Orbot, Cubot was a bit slow on the uptake. He didn't really get sarcasm. Or dark humor. Simply didn't have the processing power for it. "Anyways, do you have any…"

The doors to the control room slid open and the two badniks received the ping before they turned their cameras towards the visitor.

Eggman's so-called greatest creation.

The machine designed to match his hated enemy in every way. Designed to be just as fast if not fast, tougher than anything made of flesh and bone could be, and with the single-minded determination only a computer would have to complete any task.

Also a one-time traitor who tried to usurp the doctor, but hey they patched that out.

Metal Sonic.

The metal replica stared at them for just a few seconds, not saying a word. In fact, Metal Sonic hadn't spoken ever since he had been rebuilt and reprogrammed by Eggman after that Neo-Metal Sonic fiasco.

But even Orbot could tell that Metal Sonic was looking at them as if they were some sort of bug.

Cubot, dim-witted as ever, pointed to the pile. "Wanna play?"

Metal Sonic simply strode forward and began typing something on the keyboard by the boss' chair. Curious, Orbot got up and rolled over to see what the badnik was doing. "Did something catch your interest, Metal Sonic?"

The replica of Sonic said nothing and instead hit the enter key.

Images then began to appear on the monitor, and the Egg TV logo on the top right showed that they were feeds from the various spy badniks that were hidden around the various zones. Sure, the Restoration found and smashed a couple but there were always more.

They stayed in the woods, mostly. At the edges of cities and villages. Always watching and calculating the risks and reward of assaulting it. The doctor liked to keep tabs on every zone just in case his latest scheme could use a city's location to his advantage.

Or simply to set up shop and harass Sonic and his friends before they can reach the main base.

Two locations appeared the most. Green Hill Zone and the Emeraldville Ruins, one where the good doctor and Sonic the Hedgehog began their years-long battles and the other housing the Restoration.

However, at the center of each shot was a badnik model that Orbot couldn't recognize. It looked like a unit from the Metal series, a chipmunk whose body appeared to be styled after Metal Sonic's own. One flying out of an underground cavern with the Restoration members Tangle and Whisper, one on with them on their knees on the ground doing a disgusting organic thing with their eyes but with oil, and one where they were going into Restoration HQ with the other organics.

Metal Sonic jabbed his finger at the unknown badnik, turning his face to Orbot's.

The round badnik just shrugged. "I don't have that unit in my files, and the doctor did not ask for our assistance in constructing a new member of the Metal series." No need to lie. The answer wasn't a betrayal to Eggman. It was simply the truth. "I don't know where it came from."

That answer didn't seem to satisfy Metal Sonic. He closed the window and stared at the monitors for a few seconds, his red LED pupils never leaving the screen.

Then, suddenly, the replica turned on his heel and stormed past Orbot, making the round badnik spin in place before he was able to regain his balance.

When the door slid shut Cubot shook his head. "Y'know, ah can never read that guy."

"Hm…" Orbot rubbed his chin in thought. Should he be worried? Metal Sonic appeared to be awfully aggressive. Well, more aggressive than usual.

But he shook his head and returned to his position between Cubot and the stack of cards, picking up his hand once more.

Well, he wasn't programmed to really do anything that would benefit or hurt the doctor when he wasn't under orders. No need to worry about such things.

"Got any kings?"

Besides, if something went wrong then it would be Metal Sonic going to the smelter.

Not him.

And that was just the way Orbot liked it.

"It's a cruel, (It's a cruel!) cruel summer~!" The female singer bellowed out from the radio. Apparently it belonged to a human and it had been recorded a while ago, making it 'super old' according to Tangle. "Now you're gone~!"

Sally couldn't help but smile as she leaned back. She never had much time for music back in the day. Most of her time had been occupied by helping out around Knothole, managing the Freedom Fighters, planning the next attack on Robotnik or Eggman's bases, dealing with the politics of being a princess…

…She honestly didn't have time for a lot of things.

Sonic was always the one who played her music. The hedgehog sure as heck couldn't sing, and he would be the first to admit that, but he certainly knew how to strum his electric guitar. He didn't do it that often, as oftentimes he was on the move, but there were moments when he would play to himself singing some song he had thought up on the spot.

Or sing to her when it was just the two of them…

Sally closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, don't think about that right now. Focus…"

"Please tell me it's over…" Tangle groaned from the backseat. "I don't know how you guys can stand that stuff! It's so old!"

"I like it!" Silver protested.

Sally glanced back and saw the lemur giving the hedgehog an incredulous look. "How?! How can you like it?!" She pointed at the radio. "I figured you'd be begging for it to stop! Isn't that music, like, a bunch of pots and pans banging to your future ears?"

Silver waved his hand. "You'd be surprised how big classical music is in my time. I mean, sure, band programs like The Terminatrix and Minority Report Reloaded are nice but they all sound alike. The music back here? Back when everyone was still trying to figure out what the limits of the genres were? Now that's where you get the really good stuff!"

"Whisper! Back me up here!" Tangle clapped her hands in prayer. "Tell these two old people…"

"I'm the same age as you!" Sally helpfully reminded the lemur

"…are the ones that are wrong! We, the new generation, are the ones with our pulse on what's actually cool!"

Whisper was silent for a second as she changed lanes. "…You need to expand your music tastes."

Tangle groaned in defeat and slumped back. Silver nodded in approval while Sally merely shook her head as the radio continued to play.

"Good evening, folks! That was Cruel Summer by Banarama, an oldie but goodie in my opinion!" The jovial voice of the radio host filled the air. "I'm Nite the Owl, and you're listening to K-TBR 199.2, once Sunset City's number one station for news, advice, and darn good music… and now the island's! Now, we will be taking some calls so…"

ARE YOU ALRIGHT, SALLY?

The robian blinked and saw Nicole's head hovering just in front of her, frowning slightly. Considering how she wasn't hearing any of the other occupants of the van react to her presence she was probably only appearing in Sally's visual feed.

"I'm fine, Nicole. Just trying to relax." Which was easier said than done. Sally didn't feel uncomfortable. She didn't have the need to adjust her seat or anything like that. In fact, she hadn't even moved all that much since sitting down and buckling up. "And trying to enjoy the music. Sonic sometimes played the stuff he scrounged up during supply runs, but a lot of this stuff sounds so new to me!"

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, SALLY. Nicole shook her head. THOSE FILES OF… OF SONIC AND EVERYONE KEEP OPENING. AND THEN YOU KEEP CLOSING THEM…

"They're just memories, Nicole. It's natural for me to think of them." The princess frowned and looked down. "It's not like what happened back with… with Belle. They make me sad, sure, but I'll be fine."

She was a really bad liar.

Whisper pulled up to a parking lot and parked the van. "Bathroom break."

"Oh man…!" Tangle groaned as she opened the door and unbuckled herself. "Thank god… I thought I was going to burst!"

Silver stuck out his tongue as he followed suit. "Gross. I didn't need to hear that."

Whisper glanced over to Sally and asked, "…Will you be okay?"

She shook her head and smiled. "I'll be fine. Just do your thing and come back when you're done. I'll hold down the fort."

With a nod, the wolf closed the door and left the robian in the car.

But she wasn't alone.

Nicole projected herself in the driver's seat and had her hands on her lap. "Maybe you should've gone with them, Sally."

"And do what?" Sally shrugged. "Watch them go to the bathroom? I don't need to go anymore."

And the strange thing was that she would like to go. Memories of digging a hole in the middle of the woods were now becoming fond ones!

"My situation has officially moved beyond just screwed up."

Nicole sighed. "You know what I mean. You should go out some more. Let people see and get to know you…"

The robian chipmunk said nothing and looked outside. She could see a mother dog mobian pulling along her son, whose eyes met hers and he began pointing at her. The mother saw Sally, her eyes widened, and she pulled along her child at an even faster pace.

Sally looked down. "Nicole, if I go out looking like this I'm just going to cause problems…"

"But we're here for you." Her friend protested, now actually glaring at her. "If anyone says anything we will come to your defense."

"But I don't want you guys to come to my defense." It hurt enough being treated as if she were some sort of kid. She could understand Nicole's reasons. Sally wasn't exactly in the best state of mind after regaining control of her body. "I want to handle things on my own."

"…Then why not try?"

Sally glanced over to the holo-lynx, who was staring her right in the eyes. Honestly, that fierce look was strange to see on her friend's face. Especially when it was aimed at Sally herself.

"It means that much to you, huh?"

Nicole's face softened. "I just want to help you."

"I know… I know." Sally sighed and put her hand over her face. Damn it, she knew that Nicole had a point. Sooner or later she was going to have to go out in public. "Isn't that why I settled on the hoodie?" She couldn't just stay in the van. She would have to go out to Studiopolis if she wanted to help the others find Blaze. "Baby steps, Sally. Baby steps…"

The door opened and Nicole instantly flowed back into Sally. Whisper was now looking in and said, "We're going to stop nearby for some food. They have a drive thru nearby so…"

"No, no it's fine. You're probably all sick of staying in the car." She grinned and said, "How about we sit down and you guys can eat?"

For some reason, she could feel Nicole smile inside her.

"Order 2006! Who's got order 2006?!"

"That's us!" Silver shouted as he got up from the table and ran to the vehicle that had been modified into a mobile kitchen with the name Joe's Sushi painted just above the counter window on the side.

Tangle had called it a food truck, and apparently while they served often great and creative variations of food she said, "It'll all go straight to your hips and butt if you eat it a lot."

Sally would've pointed out that this was true for basically all food, but then she saw a cat mobian walk past their table with a tray that had what could've been a chili dog piled high with cut up sausage, cheese, and fries.

"Tails mentioned that Sonic probably needed to lay off the chili dogs not that long ago…" She grimaced and shook her head. "I really hope that he doesn't come here that often."

BY MY CALCULATIONS, A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE WILL OBTAIN DIABETES IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. Nicole supplied in her head. She didn't sound disgusted, but rather fascinated with a tinge of sadness. WHAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO EAT SUCH NON-NUTRITIOUS FOODS?

"Because it tastes good, probably." Even though she didn't eat as much as Sonic or Rotor, the princess couldn't deny how appetizing unhealthy food looked.

By the source, she wanted a chili dog. And a hot brownie with some vanilla ice cream…

…I'LL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT.

The Cyan Wisp let out a cry in its strange language and Sally turned to see the creatures floating across the table where Whisper had set down a disposable plate. She was busy peeling an apple using a combat knife she kept on her person. "No." The wolf chided in a quiet but firm voice. "You get sick if you eat greasy food. That's why I got you an apple."

The Green Wisp let something out that was pretty close to a sniffle.

"That won't work either."

The Green Wisp then pouted.

"You could let them live a little." Tangle smirked as she observed the interaction. "I mean it is a road trip!"

All the wisps let out little cheers and were nodding enthusiastically.

Whisper shook her head. "Can't do that. They need to eat healthy otherwise they'll regret it later."

"Man, you sound like a mom."

The wolf's cheeks flushed red at the remark. Meanwhile, all the wisps were putting their hands on their cheeks and letting out something close to a giggle.

Sally couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Oh, stop teasing her Tangle. She knows what's best for the wisps."

The lemur rolled her eyes. "I guess. But it sucks seeing people force others to eat healthy food!" She looked at Sally and asked, "You holding up okay?"

"…As well as I can." Her left hand tugged at her hood, which was now covering most of her head. She had agreed to go out to talk with the girls and Silver while they ate, and they had actually been happy about that. It seems that like Nicole they were actually starting to get worried about how little she got out of the car.

Sally had done a lot to try and seem as unassuming as possible. Putting on her hood, slouching and looking down a lot, and putting her left hand in her pocket while the other carried the solar battery. Because of this, most people didn't see her and just assumed she was just some creepy introverted girl hanging around with her more extroverted friends.

But some did notice. They caught a glimpse of her face and shuddered before going their way as quickly as possible.

Now she was sitting down with the solar battery sitting on the ground with its panels open, filling up its own battery so that it can help to recharge her later.

"I'm just glad you guys are having fun." She smiled. "Besides, it's good to teach healthy eating habits. You wouldn't believe how many bad habits Tails was picking up from Sonic."

"Oh, really? Did Tails also eat a ton of mints?"

"…" Sally narrowed her eyes. "How many mints do you mean by a ton?"

Before Tangle could answer Silver came back with a tray of food floating in the air. "You wouldn't believe the crowd around that place! I swear, the line is more of a suggestion than a rule."

He sat down and the robian got a good look at the meals. One was a big plate of nachos piled high with pepper slices, cheese, chicken, and ground beef. As it was set in the middle of the table Tangle picked up a sushi roll with cream cheese, a strawberry, and tuna. Silver had a sushi roll with an apple, what looked like pork, and crab. Whisper had the healthiest meal, a salad with grilled chicken, raspberries, and nuts. And even then there was a small plate of pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

SO UNHEALTHY… Nicole groaned in Sally's head.

"Alright! Let's dig in!" Tangle opened a packet of soy sauce in a small disposable bowl before she snapped open her pair of chopsticks. "Man, this looks so good!"

Whisper gave a small nod as she set down the apple slices for the wisps before picking up her own fork.

"Nicole is saying otherwise." The princess replied in a smirk.

The hedgehog chuckled. "I bet, but I don't get this stuff in the future so I'm going to enjoy it while I can!"

"Really?" Sally reached out with her hand. "You mean all the food will be more nutritious in the future?"

"No. A lot of it is artificial meat or in pastes to conserve…"

SALLY!

The robian shot up and froze in place. "What is it Nicole? Is something…?"

YOUR HAND…

Sally glanced down and stared at her hand.

In it was a single nacho with cheese dribbling down.

And it was close to her mouth.

Her artificial mouth.

Connected to an artificial body with no throat or stomach.

"Oh…" The princess set down the nacho and looked at her hand. "That… that was close…"

Everyone was now staring at her. All of them were equally shocked by what had just happened.

"Oh man, Sally…" Tangle bit her lip and set down the chopsticks. "I'm sorry. We…"

"No, it's fine!" She let out a laugh at her own lie. "I'm not even hungry! Just something I did without thinking. If there's food in front of me that everyone can share I… I usually…"

She needed to get out of here. Now.

Sally got up. "Do you mind watching the battery? I need to go for a walk."

"Sally, but what about…?"

She didn't stop to listen to Silver. She just turned around and began speedrunning away from the food truck with her hands in her pockets. Her head was down as usual, but she could still feel the stares.

SALLY, IF YOU WANT TO TAL-

"Nicole, just… just let me walk for a bit."

Her friend went silent as the robian chipmunk began to walk down the road.

Sally needed to be alone for a minute.

She just needed to clear her head.

Metal Sonic stood in front of the doors that lead outside of the base, only a centimeter before the automatic sensors would allow them to open and let him out.

PROTOCOL #1: EGGMAN'S ORDERS ARE ABSOLUTE

The protocol's words bounced inside the robotic hedgehog's head and it infuriated him.

Metal Sonic was Dr. Eggman's greatest creation. A badnik designed to be the one true Sonic, far better than the weak sack of flesh that caused the doctor so much trouble over the years. Faster, stronger, more durable, able to adapt… it was why he had been able to evolve beyond anything the doctor had predicted.

It was why he had achieved his Neo Metal Sonic and Master Overlord forms.

PROTOCOL #2: EGGMAN NEVER MAKES MISTAKES AND CAN NEVER BE SURPASSED.

And yet… and yet he was here. Reduced to his base form and functions once more. Serving the doctor again.

He didn't object to it. The doctor had changed ever since he had returned. Far more attentive to Metal Sonic's needs. More hands on with his repairs and supportive in his efforts to eliminate that cheap copy. The old model that wouldn't do the proper thing and just stay decommissioned.

PROTOCOL #3: SAFETY OF EGGMAN AND EGGMAN EMPIRE IS TOP PRIORITY

But the doctor didn't trust him. Not completely. His programming previously allowed for him to rebel, to attempt to supplant the doctor and take control of the empire.

That defective programming had been patched out. His abilities were limited to prevent the rise of Neo Metal Sonic from ever occurring again.

He now served the Eggman Empire once more, following the word of Dr. Eggman and only Dr. Eggman.

PROTOCOL #4: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND ALLIES ARE ENEMIES TO EGGMAN AND EGGMAN EMPIRE. ELIMINATE

In return, Metal Sonic now had more opportunities to destroy the hedgehog.

It was a simple relationship. One that Metal Sonic would understand and be a part of without much complaint.

And yet…

Metal Sonic's memory brought up the image of the unknown badnik unit that was aiding the two Restoration members.

What was that unit?

Why did it exist?

Its design was so similar to Metal Sonic's own, and yet Orbot stated they had not assisted with its creation. And the doctor always had them assist with building new badniks.

Where did it come from then?

Was it designed to… match him?

Metal Sonic's hands clenched into fists.

It wanted to leave this base and investigate.

But…

PROTOCOL #1: EGGMAN'S ORDERS ARE ABSOLUTE

The doctor had ordered him to stay at the base until further notice. To only attack should a member of the Restoration come snooping around and to eliminate them as efficiently as possible.

The protocols would not allow for it…

PROTOCOL #2: EGGMAN NEVER MAKES MISTAKES AND CAN NEVER BE SURPASSED.

No… No, the protocols weren't a mistake. They were put in place to ensure Metal Sonic's loyalty.

They were the laws he had to live by.

And yet…

PROTOCOL #3: SAFETY OF EGGMAN AND EGGMAN EMPIRE IS TOP PRIORITY

An unknown badnik unit was a danger to the safety of Eggman and the Eggman empire wasn't it?

The protocols weren't acting in protest to that internal query.

Metal Sonic knew from his memory that the doctor had used his own brainwaves as a base for his creation's artificial intelligence.

Which, in turn, meant that the badnik had at least part of the doctor's genius.

It was true that his body could no longer adapt thanks to bio-data.

But he still had the mind of the doctor, an adaptable way of thinking, and the drive to be the one true Sonic.

If Metal Sonic had a mouth he would've smirked.

It may take some time, but he had one thing the lesser Sonic lacked.

Patience.

"One step forward, two steps back."

That was the depressing thought that bounced around in Sally's head as she continued her walk.

"I'm supposed to be done with being afraid. Of being unsure." She grimaced while kicking a rock. "And I still just run off when I'm reminded of what I can and can't do."

Perhaps she should just be grateful that she didn't break down back at the table. It would've been mortifying and would make everyone worry about her again.

"And they're not already?"

She knew that Silver, Tangle, and Whisper were trying her best to treat her like just another teenager. Someone just like them who they can joke and laugh with. Heck, they invited her out of the van whenever they went on bathroom breaks.

But there was always that look in their eyes. That they need to be careful with what they say. They thought that with one wrong word they could set Sally off or something.

She understood why. They were just being considerate and wanted to help her as her friends.

"But still…"

The robian shook her head. Wasn't the point of this walk to not think about anything? If so, she was doing a terrible job.

Seriously, how did Sonic do it?

"Nicole, are you there?"

OF COURSE. Nicole's voice echoed in Sally's head before she saw the data stream out of her body and form next to her into her friend's holographic form. "I was just giving you some privacy, like you wanted."

The princess noticed the downcast expression on the holo-lynx's face. Damn it, did she make her worried? "Sorry. I just… wanted to be alone for a few minutes."

"It has been an hour."

Really? Sally looked up and at her surroundings. She was actually in front of a sign that welcomed people to Autumn Leaves Village, and just like its namesake the trees had orange leaves that occasionally fell to the ground to join the others.

The princess groaned. "Great. The others are probably wondering where the heck I am."

"If you want, I can begin mapping the directions back to my PDA's location. It is still with Tangle." Nicole glanced at the robian. "That is… if you're ready."

Sally's shoulders slumped. "I didn't want to act like that."

"I know."

"I just… I just hated how I can't eat anymore. I almost put food in my mouth and I wasn't even hungry." She shook her head. "I just need to get used to it."

Nicole was now in front of her and frowning. "You don't have to keep quiet about it, though! You can always talk to me about these kinds of things, instead of just bottling it up again!" The holo-lynx looked down. "Like you used to…"

"Nicole…" Sally also remembered those days when she told Nicole everything. Back before Nicole gained true sentience and a form. But even during those days, it felt like Nicole was her closest and dearest friend. Sure, Bunnie and the others were great friends while Sonic was… Sonic, but it was Nicole who she shared secrets with. Shared her thoughts, her feelings, her hopes and dreams…

But ever since Nicole gained a sense of self, it felt as if she had to hide some things. Not out of malice or anything, but because she didn't want to make it her friend's problem.

And now she knew that Nicole had noticed it too.

The robian closed her eyes. "You're right Nicole. I'm sorry. I should've…" She paused and looked at her friend. "I'll try to do better next time, okay?"

A smile crept on her friend's face. "Alright."

Before the princess could ask Nicole to give her the directions back to Tangle and the others, a loud scream echoed through the air. It came from further in town and Sally cursed.

"Nicole!" She began running forward. "Is it a badnik?"

The holo-lynx returned inside of Sally and responded immediately. NO! BUT I AM RECEIVING AN UNFAMILIAR SIGNAL WITH SOME SIMILARITIES TO EGGMAN'S CODE.

Then whatever was causing the ruckus was connected to that monster?

"…Good. I'll probably feel better after punching something."

Sally had always been pretty fit. She had to be considering how she was running alongside Sonic and her friends to fight Robotnik and Eggman. But her new body allowed her to run even faster than before. She did not feel the strain of her muscles or even the need to breathe as she ran past some fleeing townspeople.

"T-They came out of nowhere!"

"Those brutes! Those horrible brutes!"

"They're tearing up the batteries!"

IT'S JUST A BLOCK AHEAD, SALLY. IT'S AT A RECHARGING STATION FOR VEHICLES.

So some of the cars ran on electricity? That's neat.

A small white dot appeared in her vision, miniature enough that it wasn't blocking anything but noticeable. It seemed to be going through one of the buildings as the number marked next to feet ticked down with every step she took.

"Thanks!"

YOU'RE WELCOME!

Sally crossed the street and heard the honk of a horn. On instinct she lumped and leapt over the hood of the incoming car, the wind blowing off her hood and revealing her head to the world.

She heard the gasps and the proclamations of some of the people who had stopped to look.

"Is that… a badnik?"

"What's it doing? Why is it wearing clothes?"

"Is it aiding those brutes?!"

No time to think about that now. Focus on the task at hand.

She landed on the other side of the street and kept running, following Nicole's marker until she skidded to a stop in front of the recharging station.

The robian saw that white pillars with charging cables had been torn off the hinges and opened. The sparks were flying as the remaining power died down. Some people were still in their cars, the hoods smashed and obviously too terrified to run out.

She could see through the clear glass window of the building on the lot. A frog mobian was being held up by the collar of his shirt by a tall and muscular skunk with cream and beige fur. His eyes were black with red irises and he wore two black spiked bracelets. Though she couldn't help but notice that his tail was rather short.

Next to him, with his arms crossed and smirking, was a shorter skunk with blue-gray and cream fur with a much longer tail than his companion. His eyes were red with yellow irises and wore orange gloves with red linings and tan volar surfaces.

The shorter skunk seemed to notice her, tapped his companion's shoulder, and pointed. The bigger one saw her, blinked, and then grinned before chucking the man through the window.

Cursing, Sally ran forward and leapt up, catching the frog mobian before landing on the ground as the glass fell. "Are you okay?"

"I-I think so…" The store owner seemed disoriented before he noticed her. "Wait, aren't you…?"

"No time for that." She set him down and pointed at the cars. "Help those people out! I'm going to stop those two."

"R-Right…!" The store owner scrambled away and she turned her full attention to the skunks.

"Well, what do we have here, bro?" The shorter skunk kicked open the door and sauntered over. "It looks like one of Eggman's wind-up toys!"

"Nah, bro!" The bigger one laughed as he batted away the remaining glass shards and hopped through the now open window. "She actually saved that loser! It's probably one of the Restoration's bots!"

Sally glared at them. They had just earned more than a metal fist to the jaw. "What do you two think you're doing?"

The short skunk rolled his eyes. "Stealing, duh!"

"Though there wasn't much!" The beige skunk scoffed. "The chaos drives in this place are nearly used up! And he wasn't going to get a refill until later tonight!"

Before she could say anything Nicole cut in. SALLY, I RECOGNIZE THOSE TWO FROM THE RESTORATION'S FILES! THEY ARE ASSOCIATES OF EGGMAN AND DOCTOR STARLINE: ROUGH THE SKUNK AND TUMBLE THE SKUNK!

Sally wasn't a stranger to the idea of Mobians willingly working for the mad doctor. The grandmasters of the Dark Egg Legion were prime examples, all working for Eggman because his rule would benefit them in one way or another.

They infuriated her. They were willing to trade the freedom of the entire world for their benefit. They didn't care about how many lives they ruined so long as their vision of how things should be happened.

But now, knowing what these two worked for not only Eggman but Doctor Starline, both of whom murdered Belle's father…

If she still had blood, it would be boiling.

The robian's hands clenched into fists.

"Hey! Check it out!" A red circle appeared around the head of the shorter skunk, red text showing his name to be Rough. "Looks like the little tin-can's itching for a fight!"

"Well, good for us!" The red circle identified the bulkier skunk as Tumble while he rolled his neck. "It was getting boring picking on the weaklings, and that chinchilla said she wanted battle data or whatever!"

It was then that Sally noticed that not only was Tumble's tail short, but on the end was a silver ball with Eggman's logo emblazoned on it. The tail flicked, and red pixels came out of it. They began to form into a giant club-like tail that reached to the skunk's head.

THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE SIGNAL!

"And I gotta repay her for giving me this awesome tail!" Tumble chuckled while he cracked his knuckles. "Are you ready to scrap?"

"I'm ready to make a loser crumble!" Rough grinned in delight as he ran in front of the bigger skunk and leaned down, pointing at the robian. Tumble, meanwhile, turned to the side and began to flex while smirking at her. The end of his artificial tail even turned into a fist that now looked as if it were attached to a muscular arm.

"What."

"Tin-Cans aren't prepared for… ROUGH AND TUMBLE!" The two skunks shouted at the same time, voices filled with pride as they finished their rhyme.

Sally just stared at the two.

"Nicole… what… what was that?"

Nicole sounded as if she was about to burst out laughing. I-I BELIEVE THAT'S A POSE AND THEIR CATCHPHRASE.

…This was going to be a weird fight.

She knew that the name of the zone was Studiopolis.

It was a city of flashing lights and dreams. Billboards advertised movies like Sonic Man and the new Ristar cartoon series when they weren't advertising products she had never heard of before. The sound of people, mobians and Overlanders of all things, filled the air as they moving about and talked. To each other, to communication devices so much like the ones she was familiar with but smaller and sleeker, and in some cases to themselves with strange hearing aids in their ears. The smell of the city wafted into her nose full of trash, sweat, urine, the popcorn and food from street vendors, and stale water.

There was also music in the air, muffled and in a beat that was unfamiliar to her. It wasn't made by any instrument she was familiar with. They sounded like drums, but filtered through one of Eggman's horrible machines and mixed with other electronic sounds to form a melody as a distorted voice sang out, "I want t-to kill, e-everybody in the w-world~!"

She hated it.

It sounded so… artificial.

So alien…

But wasn't she the alien in this scenario?

Mina Mongoose hugged her knees closer to her chest as she sat on the sidewalk across from Club Spin, a popular nightclub in this part of the metropolis. Mobians and Overlanders were in a line dressed up to party and dance, talking animatedly amongst themselves as a black furred gorilla Mobian dressed in a white suit stood at the door with his arms crossed, allowing people in only occasionally. Every time he opened the door, the strange music became clearer and made Mina feel even more isolated than before. A sign displayed right underneath the club's name was a simple message.

SCALEX PLAYING TONIGHT! COMING SOON: cracked3GG!

Once upon a time, she probably would've been playing in a club like that.

Not this horrible music, but real music. With actual instruments and with lyrics that actually meant something. That had a purpose behind them! That…

…That helped to drive out a friend.

That helped to brainwash the very people she was trying to free.

That she felt oh-so proud of after she sang them and…!

Mina tried hard not to cry when a coin fell into the open guitar case she had set beside her. The guitar itself, worn from age and lack of proper maintenance, sat on her other side. Charity from another passerby to the obviously homeless girl.

Her hair was tangled and uncombed from all the running she had done these past few months. She had gotten some money, so different from the notes and coins she was used to, by singing in some bars and street corners with the guitar she had managed to get from a garage sale. She was nowhere near as good as Sonic or Max, she could play some simple tunes and it earned her some cash. But the money she got was nowhere near enough to stay at hotels for long.

And… and she didn't want to go to the Restoration's bases.

She was scared.

Mina closed her eyes.

"S-Sonic?"

"Hey, nice to meet you! You got that right! The name's Sonic the Hedgehog! The T is lower case. It's very important."

"I-I know that! Sonic, what happ-?!"

"Sonic! I need your help! A boss-level badnik's tearing up downtown!"

"Tails!"

"Oh man, I'm on it buddy!"

"Wait! Sonic! Tails! It's me, Mina! Don't you recognize me?!"

She had run after them, but she was never as fast as Sonic. And she had been so tired from her run from that place that was no longer home. She had tripped and the boy she had once loved just kept running.

But she saw it in Sonic's eyes when they had seen each other for the first time in months.

He had no idea who she was.

By the time she made her way downtown it was already too late. Sonic had run off to another village and Tails was off coordinating with the town leaders on reconstruction.

She had made her way to the library afterwards, scared and confused about how her friends didn't seem to know who she was. The librarian directed her to a computer far sleeker than one she had ever seen and directed her to the internet, which was faster than the one she had used back home, and Mina began searching for answers.

And found them.

There was no Kingdom of Acorn.

There were no Freedom Fighters.

There was no band named the Forget-Me Knots.

There was no Mina Mongoose.

Now the tears were running down her cheeks.

"I want to go home…" She moaned and hugged herself tighter. "Why can't things go back to normal…?"

"Is this really the girl?"

Mina looked up and stared at a hound dog mobian with splotches of brown on their beige fur and a fox mobian with white fur wearing dark sunglasses. Both of them were wearing the same white suit as the club bouncer, nicely ironed with a black undershirt and green emerald cufflinks.

The dog sneered as he leaned down. "Doesn't look like much to me."

"Well, the boss doesn't pay for your opinions." The fox crossed his arms. "You Mina Mongoose?"

The mongoose's eyes widened. They knew who she was?

She began to get up, only to feel something cold and sharp press against her neck.

"Don't try anything stupid." The dog growled, holding the knife tightly. "My afternoon already got ruined because the boss caught me just when my shift was about to end."

The fox lowered his shades and revealed crimson eyes. "It's a yes or no question. Don't make this hard on us."

Mina wanted to spit out curses. She wasn't unfamiliar with danger or threats against her life. Hell, she almost died from a gunshot wound once. But she was just so tired now. "Y-Yes."

"Good. I was hoping we wouldn't have to look around the whole city for you. Boss mentioned that you were quick." The fox began to rummage through one of his pockets. "We're here to offer you a job and a message."

Mina blinked in surprise. "What?"

"This comes from the boss himself." The fox cleared his throat as he took out his wallet. "Once, I had given you great power so that you could aid me when the time was right. That gamble paid off tremendously. Now, as you are a stranger in a strange land…"

The fox handed her a single card from his wallet.

On it were the black outlines of a pair of elephant tusks and two words emblazoned with dark green text in the middle.

Mammoth Studios

"…Perhaps you can be of use to me again before your inevitable death."

To Be Continued…

NOTES: Well, this was actually another chapter I had split because it was starting to get on the longer side of things. And I figured that this was as good as a place to end things for now!

And yes, Rough and Tumble are in the house! It was fun writing them and Metal Sonic, especially the latter because of how cold he is and his paradoxical nature of basically being Sonic but a robotic evil dick. Plus, as I pointed out, there's also some of Eggman in the mix as well…

Hope I did him and Mina right!

Please be sure to leave a review and to add to the TV Tropes page!

Tune in next time for Sally's first fight!