Mobius Mania

The Fastest Thing 'Alive'?

In the outskirts of Robotropolis, hidden within an average looking pile of junk and scrap, a robotic blue hedgehog, with features of an elderly man was carefully reviewing footage he received from a hidden computer screen.

"Halt intruder! Hedgehog priority one!" came the voices of Swatbots on the video.

"Hedgehog? What's that Sonny boy doin'?" The robot hedgehog reviewed the footage and watched as a blue blur tore through the Swatbots before heading to Robotnik's command center. With narrowed eyes, he killed the feed before he began typing up a message.

"I should probably hear it straight from the horse's mouth. Sonny boy's got some 'splaining to do."

[]

In the heart of a large, lush green forest, one of the few settlements left untouched by Robotnik's rule, stood a small village with houses put together from the natural materials that surrounded them. In one such house sat a red-haired chipmunk girl clad in blue boots and a matching vest. With the day being uneventful she opted to spend her rare moment of free time simply reading a book. She'd be pulled away from her book by the shrill chirping of an exotic looking bird.

"A message from Uncle Chuck?" she said aloud. Letting the bird perch on her arm, she took the message and read it silently before gasping. Her surprise turned to annoyed ire as she rolled up the scroll and called out, "Sonic!"

In a matter of seconds, a gust of wind blew up in the village accompanied by a familiar blue streak. As the streak screeched to a halt, it revealed itself to be a young-blue hedgehog who struck a victorious pose. "Aaaaand that's game!" he announced with a chuckle.

"Sonic!" the girl called again.

"In a Mobius Minute Sal," Sonic dissuaded. "I gotta wait for Dulcy to catch up." Sonic immediately placed his hands on his hips and began tapping his foot. Glancing down at his wrist, he droned out, "I'm waaait~!" Before he could even finish the word, a loud crash, accompanied by a pair of female screams sounded in the village. The source of said crash and screams: A large, teal dragon with a nose ring and a rabbit girl with a robotic left arm and legs.

"Huh…make that a Sonic Second instead." As Sonic zipped over to the two, Sally quickly followed suit.

"Yo, you girls alright?" asked Sonic.

"Hey Ma, I made it home~," replied the dazed Dragon.

"Looks like Dulcy's alright Sugar-Hog, but I'm feelin' a little jet-lagged after a crash landin' like that," said the rabbit.

"You and Dulcy can take five Bunnie. I need to speak with Sonic…alone," said Sally.

"Oh, is that a fact?" Bunnie asked in a teasing manner.

Crossing her arms, Sally replied, "Yes it is," and gave Bunnie a look that told her that their meeting was all business.

Moments later, Sonic and Sally were assembled back in her house and the latter did not look pleased.

"So what's up Sal?"

"I think that's my line," Sally sharply replied. "Sonic, where were you last night?"

"Here in Knothole, why?"

"Sonic, you don't have to lie to me. I don't mind if you want to go on solo missions, but you've GOT to report back to me when you return, we don't keep secrets when it comes to attacks on Robotnik. Also, you can't go around 'Quills blazing' into Robotnik's control room!"

Sonic quickly and defensively raised his arms up. "Hey whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I ain't even done nothin'!"

"I have evidence to the contrary."

"Say what?"

Sally reached into her vest pocket and pulled out the message from earlier, unraveling it and holding it in Sonic's face. "What's this?"

"It's a message from Uncle Chuck, saying that last night, Robotnik's "Hedgehog Alarm" was set off.

"Well whatever set it off wasn't me?"

"Oh?" Sally raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "And I suppose you have proof?"

"You want proof? I'll give ya proof! Let's juice!"

"Hey wait, where are we…!?"

Before Sally could finish, Sonic grabbed her by the arm and rushed off, taking her along. Seconds later, the two arrived near a small two-tailed fox boy and a teal walrus with a tool-belt strapped onto him.

"Hey Sonic, Sally, what's up?" greeted the walrus.

"Yo Rote, Tails, I need y'all to clear somethin' up for us," said Sonic.

"Clear up what?"

"Where was I last night?"

"You were with us helping spruce up the Freedom Stormer," said Rotor.

"What?" Sally exclaimed.

"Yeah. Sonic, Rotor and I were trying to modify the wings so it could fly smoother. With Dulcy always crash landing, Rotor wanted to make sure that the same sort of thing wouldn't happen in the airplane," Tails explained.

Sonic held out his arms in an introductory manner. "And there ya have it Sal. While Rote handled all the machine-head stuff, Tails was our lookout and I was the equipment guy. I never left Knothole at all last night."

Sally's expression softened. From the looks of things, Sonic seemed to be telling the truth, and he even had Rotor and Tails to confirm his story. Still, some doubt remained Uncle Chuck wouldn't lie to them, about something like this.

"Sal?"

"How long last night were you guys working on the plane?"

The boys all had their own contemplative looks as they tried to recall the time of night. "I could be a little off, but I believe we started at around 1800 and worked for…around three, maybe four hours after that," said Rotor.

Sonic narrowed an eye in thought. "Yo, what time did Uncle Chuck say the alarm went off?"

"It doesn't say in the note," Sally replied.

"Then I guess we'll have to hear it straight from the Ol' hedgehog mouth."

"Agreed," Sally nodded. "Rotor, let the others know that Sonic and I are going to see Uncle Chuck. We need answers."

"Sure thing. Though I think you may also need a ring," Rotor reminded them.

"No problemo. Back in a Sonic Sec."

As Sonic shot off to the grotto, Sally pulled out the note and read it over. 'From the way things are turning out, Sonic might be truly innocent here, but then that begs the question. Robotnik's Hedgehog Alarm wouldn't go off unless he genuinely thought it was Sonic causing trouble, but then if it wasn't really Sonic, then what set off the alarm?'

[]

Sonic, with Sally in his arms zoomed across the horizon. The two remained unnaturally silent as they each had their own thoughts on the current situation. "Yo Sal," Sonic finally spoke up.

"What is it Sonic?"

"I just had a thought."

"Now there's a rare occurance," Sally joked.

"Would you get serious?" Sonic snapped.

"Talk about your role reversals," Sally chuckled.

"Listen Sal! I think Uncle Chuck might be in trouble!"

Sally immediately dropped the snark and replied, "What makes you think that?"

"The note you got. I just thought…what if Uncle Chuck ain't the one who sent it?"

A look of dread flashed across Sally's face as she quickly understood Sonic's implications. "You mean…you think Robotnik may have found him and sent the note as…some kind of trap?"

"Or a way to turn us against each other."

"Oh my gosh…I never even thought of that!"

"You? Not thinking? Now that's a rare occurrence," Sonic joked.

Sally crossed her arms. "I walked into that one didn't I?"

"Oh-ho, big time!" With a victorious chuckle, Sonic sped off not stopping until they finally reached the secret bunker of Sir Charles the Hedgehog. Knocking on the hollowed-out pile of scrap, Sonic called out. "Yo Unc, you in there? It's us!"

The side of the pile flipped open to reveal an entrance where Sonic and Sally were quickly greeted by the roboticized, elder hedgehog. "Great, you two are here. Come in quickly, we've got a bit to talk about."

"Ain't that the truth."

Once the young Freedom Fighters were inside, no time was wasted as Sally instantly pulled out the note. "Charles, we need you to level with us, did you really send us this note?"

Chuck took the note and quickly read it over before nodding his confirmation. "Yup, I sure did. I could hardly believe my eyes and ears myself when I heard that Sonny was goin' around causin' a ruckus by himself."

"The feeling's mutual except…."

"Whoever it was causin' a storm in the city wasn't me!" Sonic protested.

"Look Sonny, we all know you're more than capable of handling Solo Missions but…"

"You can spare him the lecture Uncle Chuck, I already gave it to him. But the thing is, Sonic seems to be telling the truth," Sally interjected.

"Seems to…?"

"I'm just saying, he has an alibi on where he was last night, and your testimony can prove whether it's true or not."

Chuck rubbed his chin then nodded. "Okay then. What do you kids want to know?"

"When did the Hedgehog alert go off?"

Chuck turned to the screen and began typing. Seconds later, he had his answer. "According to the logs it was…at around 1830 hours."

"Bingo!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Bingo what?"

"According to Sonic, he was with Rotor and Tails at Knothole at around that time. They backed him up, and you just sealed it."

"Thank you very much. Now to prove I'm the bigger man here, I'll wait until we get home before I start askin' for the apology you owe me."

"Good grief," Sally sighed.

Chuck crossed his arms. Even if Sonic wasn't being wreckless, they still had a major problem to contend with. "Okay then, it's my turn to ask a question."

"Shoot Unc."

"If Sonny wasn't the one making a mess of the Swatbots…" Chuck paused to hit a button on the keyboard, bringing up the visual feed from last night. Sure enough, it showed a blue blur blasting through a horde of Swatbots. Sonic could only watch in shock and awe as Sally turned a displeased glance to the hedgehog.

"Sonic, an explanation?" said Sally.

"I don't got one, but I KNOW that ain't me!"

"Are you certain? You are the only thing that's both fast and blue around these parts," said Uncle Chuck.

"Come on you guys! I already told you, I was with Rote and Tails when this was happenin'. Even I'm n-n-nnnn-!" Sonic bit his tongue as he began to stutter.

"Sonny?"

"Even I'm n-n-n-n…!"

"Oh my gosh…are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say!?" Sally gasped.

"I dunno, whadaya think I'm tryin' to say?"

"It almost like you' were going to say, 'Even I'm not fast enough to be in two places at once,'" Chuck said in a light, teasing manner.

"Your words, not mine," Sonic dismissed.

Sally couldn't help but giggle. Even if he didn't say it himself, she acknowledged his admittance. "Okay, okay. All joking aside, Sonic does bring up a good point. If he was in Knothole when the alarm sounded, he couldn't have been here in Robotropolis which means…."

"Looks like you've got a bad case of impostor syndrome Sonny."

"Uncle Chuck, that's not what impostor syndrome is," Sally began. "It's the person themselves feeling like a fake when…"

Ignoring Sally's explanation, Sonic made a wholehearted declaration. "I don't know who this impostor is, but if he shows his mug again, I'll be there to run him offa Mobius. I'll show them what happens to people who impersonate the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Dropping her earlier definition, Sally spoke up. "Do you really think we're dealing with an impostor Sonic though? I mean, anyone can make themselves look blue, but how can they mimic your speed?"

"Sal please, nobody can mimic my speed," Sonic boastfully proclaimed.

"Robotnik's Racer Robot," Sally reminded him.

"Hey, that race had no conclusion. And I would've creamed that thing anyways."

Realization flashed on Uncle Chuck's face. "Hey wait…what if that's the answer!?"

"Huh?"

"Robotnik's racer. Do you think someone might've been able to find and reprogram it?"

Sonic and Sally mulled it over. That was definitely possible. The machine was able to keep up with Sonic, and given a blue paint-job, it'd be difficult to tell if it was the real Sonic or not if it was going fast enough.

"I don't know Charles, but if that is the case, then who did reprogram it?"

"Now there's the million mobium question. Unfortunately, we have next to no answers."

"So what now?" asked Sonic.

"For now, you two should head back and continue doing what you best. I'm going to keep a special eye on things here. If Sonny's doppelganger shows up again, I want a good look at the thing. Find out who's side its on."

"You do that Unc. Sal and I are gonna enjoy the rest of our day off before we get ready for our next big mission."

"Sure thing you two, but be careful headin' back home. I have a feeling that Sonny's mysterious copy won't be the only nasty surprise in store for us."

After saying their final goodbyes, Sonic and Sally sped off back to the great forest with quite a bit to think about. Robotnik's apparent Doomsday Project was still a concern, but now with an impostor Sonic running around, things were sure to get complicated. If Robotnik wasn't already on edge, he's sure to start taking more serious measures after the attack last night. It looks like rest for the Freedom Fighters wasn't going to last for too long.

[Meanwhile, in Robotropolis]

The dual Doctors watched with glee as Metal Sonic stood beside Robotnik's Racer Robot. On Snively's mark, the two robots shot off at high speed. Despite initially starting off at even speeds, Metal Sonic quickly overtook his quadrupedal rival before crossing the finish line full seconds ahead of it.

"That's over 500 miles an hour sirs!" Said Snively.

"Almost twice as fast as my old racer," noted Robotnik.

"If you think that's impressive, just wait until you see old Metal on the battlefield," Eggman boasted.

Robotnik summoned a squad of Swatbots to Metal Sonic's location and the robotic copy made short work of them with his chest blaster. After returning to the command center, leaving Metal's maintenance in Snively's hands, the Doctors struck up a conversation about their next move.

"Impressive Doctor truly. I have to admit, this demonstration has been most entertaining."

"I am a man who aims to please," grinned Eggman.

"Still, I'm not entirely sure I'm interested in this plan of yours," Robotnik dissuaded.

"I understand your hesitance Doctor, but I can assure you, if you wish to be rid of those meddlesome rodents, you're going to need my resources," Eggman countered.

"Considering you've failed numerous times to conquer your world, I think need may be too strong a word."

"And yet, despite you controlling most of your world, you've failed numerous times to catch a small handful of nuisances to make your conquest absolute," Eggman countered, much to Robotnik's ire. "Besides, I've got it much harder since I have to work my way up from nothing. You on the other hand, had a kingdom before you ripe for the taking with nothing to oppose you. That however, leaves your forces relatively weak as a unit."

"Excuse me!?" Robotnik dangerously growled.

"Don't misunderstand, I said 'comparatively' weak," Eggman clarified. "You certainly are no slouch when it comes to maintaining order and control, but your offense is severely lacking."

"My offense?"

Eggman nodded. "Your Swatbots are excellent soldiers, but that's all they are: mere grunts, pawns going up against a full set. Where are the big guns? The bishops, the knights, the queen!? From what you've shown me in the past, you have had a share of heavy artillery, love the radar cannon by the way, but nothing stood out to me as game changing. I on the other hand have countless of weapons ranging from soldiers, to mechs to everything in between that, if given the necessary time could annihilate an entire country in minutes, let alone a single forest."

Robotnik narrowed his eyes. It was obvious his counterpart loved boasting about his machines. A sentiment he could share, but he was starting to grow tired of it. Still, if even a fraction of what he said is true, it could be the edge he needed. If Metal Sonic was any indication, then Eggman may just be telling the truth.

"You drive a hard bargain Doctor, but there are still factors that I think you need to clarify for me."

"Such as?"

"For starters, how do you intend for us to get back to your world?"

"Let me answer your question with one of my own; Can you please explain this 'Void' phenomenon to me?" asked Eggman.

"The Void!?"

Eggman took note of Robotnik's reaction. There was genuine fear in his exclamation. "Was that a sour spot?"

"Apologies you had to see that, but if at all necessary, I'd like to avoid that pit as much as possible."

"Just hear me out. Remember this gemstone Metal Sonic had with him?"

"The Phantom Ruby?"

"Yes. Well, let's just say, I had a little theory. The Phantom Ruby brought me here, but since it was by accident, I unfortunately have no clue how to use it to send me back…which is where the Void comes in."

"Are you planning to use that jewel to force open the Void?"

"Not just force it open. Turn it into our own little revolving door between your world and mine. We'll be able to come and go as we please, granting us easy access to both of our resources."

"That does sound promising, but how do you propose we go about doing such a thing?"

"I'll need some more information on the void itself, but once you so graciously provide me the info I need, I'm sure two brilliant minds such as ours can construct a necessary apparatus."

Robotnik paused to consider Eggman's plan. It was undoubtedly risky. Whenever the Void is involved, that blasted sorcerer Naugus won't be too far behind. Then again, if he leaves the Void, he risks death, which did a great deal to ease Robotnik's troubled mind.

"I'll need a to think on this a little longer. In the meantime, why don't we discuss the other point of contention with your plan."

"And that would be?"

"You already know." Robotnik sneered.

"Oho, you're referring to my little blue nuisance," Eggman guffawed. "Don't worry good Doctor. I already have a plan to keep that little rodent in his borrow. We'll need to make some preparations, but once we return to my world, I'll make sure MY Sonic won't be an issue."

Robotnik glared with glowing eyes at Robotnik but eased into a satisfied grin. "Very well then Doctor. Shall we get to work?"

"We shall."

[Elsewhere]

Alongside the bright, white sandy shores of an island stood a small house, no bigger than a large garage. Beside the house lay a large red biplane with an emblem of two fox tails and the letters S-O-N-I-C emblazoned on it.

On the plain's top-most wing laid yet another blue-quilled, red shoed hedgehog while at the plane's front engine, stood a small, orange furred fox with two-tails.

"You Tails, how much longer till this baby's back in flying shape again?" asked the hedgehog.

"Shouldn't be much longer Sonic. Just need to untangle and reconnect a few more wires," the fox replied. "Man…it sure has been a crazy week so far, hasn't it?"

"I'll say. I never expected to run into Mighty and Ray again," Sonic replied.

"Well…yeah, but I was talking about you going back to the future world. I wish I could've been there too."

Sonic's expression darkened. "Trust me Tails, no you don't."

"But Sonic, that's the second time where you've seen a future where Eggman wins," Tails whined.

"And the second time I've prevented it from happening too."

"It's also the second time since we met you've gone on an adventure without me," Tails huffed.

Sonic giggled. "Sorry buddy, didn't mean to. I'll tell you what. The next time Eggman's fortress creates a dark portal to the future, I'll mae sure you're right beside me so you get sucked in too."

Tails shuddered at Sonic's description. While he hated being left out of Sonic's adventures, when they're described like that, they suddenly sound less appealing. "On second thought, maybe staying home wasn't the worst thing after all."

"That's what I thought." Chuckled Sonic.

The two remained silent for a moment until Sonic finally spoke up again. "You know something Tails…my memories of that whole thing are starting to get fuzzy…."

"You mean like after the first time we met our older selves?"

"Yeah…I've already forgotten about some pretty major things, but I haven't forgotten how horrible Eggman's world looked…at least not yet. So while it's still pretty fresh in my mind, I want it to be a reminder of why we can't slow down. As long as Eggman is still cooking up some crazy scheme, we'll be first in line to scramble him!"

"For sure Sonic!" Tails agreed. "But Eggman's been gone for a few days now. Even he can't come up with something big in that short a time."

"Not unless he just happens to find another jewel of power or something," Sonic sarcastically droned.

"Sonic, you're gonna jinx us!"

Sonic merely shrugged. If Eggman did come up with another scheme so soon, they'd be ready and willing to stop him again.

"Okay Sonic, we're all set!" Tails announced.

"Sweet!"

Shutting the engine chamber, Tails hopped into the pilot seat and fired the plane up. With a few sputters, the craft roared to life, it's propeller spinning at speeds even Sonic himself could envy.

"Tornado…liftoff!"

As Tails ascended the craft, Sonic stood firm yet casually on the wings, set to enjoy the inviting breeze of the air.

(A/N:[Cue Sonic 1 and 2 intro music] Sonic the Hedgehog, you can't catch what you can't see, Sonic the Hedgehog he's…wait, that's from the wrong show. So, the Freedom Fighters are made aware of something that can move as fast as Sonic just as Eggman is making preparations to return to his world. There's absolutely NO WAY that could have ANY negative impact at all. Joking aside we're one step closer to a full on mix-up between the cartoon and games. When that happens, boy won't it be a hassle trying to keep track of which Sonic and Tails is speaking. Speaking of speaking, I really hope I got the dialogue between SatAM Sonic and Sally down. I tried to make Sally reasonably upset with Sonic, but not so much to the point she comes off as overbearing. And don't worry, we'll see more of the other FF's soon enough (I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with Antoine) as well as the game cast. Quick disclaimer, don't expect all the chapters to be released as quickly as this one, especially when or if they start to get longer than 3K-4K words. I was just feeling very motivate and figured I could get a second chapter out without too much hassle. Here's hoping things go just as smoothly moving forward cause the game's just getting started. Until next time, I'm up, over, and GONE!)

PS: The ending bit about Sonic forgetting the events of Forces is why I mentioned Genesis of a Hero last chapter, as that's where that plot point comes from. Tl;dr, as the timeline fixes itself, Sonic (and Tails') memories of Generations started to fade so they won't have knowledge of the future and the timeline would proceed as intended.