Author's Note: The song featured here is a parody of "Can't Keep a Good Dog Down" from All Dogs Go to Heaven.

13 years ago

In the dark night, a lone bug mute with purple and green colors was strolling down the streets of Las Vistas. In his hand, he held an electric fan which he paraded around with and singing about it.

"I've got the fan. I've got the fan. I've got the fan 'cause I'm the man. Yeah, Dave's the man!"

The bug mute called Dave stopped when he heard a nearby cry. Curious, he followed it and saw a hooded woman run to the other side of the street. Dave looked and saw a small basket at a doorstep. Dave approached the basket seeing a green baby hedgehog wrapped in a light-blue blanket. He was crying.

"What the heck?" Dave asked. He hovered over the basket and picked it up with three of his hands. He carried it to the direction where he saw the woman disappear to. "Excuse me! Miss? You left something behind!" What he didn't know was that as soon as he left, the mute who owned that doorstep opened his front door looking around. When he didn't find anything, he shrugged and closed the door.

After a full minute of looking, Dave stopped flying and rested the basket down. He took a minute to talk to himself while looking at the green baby. "Man. Who'd leave behind a good baby like this little guy?" His eyes then glanced at a piece of paper tucked in the sheets next to the baby. He picked it up to take a read. "Dear new guardian of this baby, this is Manic…" He tossed the note away without reading the rest. "Good enough for me."

The baby named Manic kept crying until Dave leaned in closer. Out of compassion, he turned on the fan and let some wind blow at the baby's face. Manic's expression changed to a amused chuckle. Dave smiled seeing the joy on Manic's face.

"Well, ain't you a little bundle of joy, are you? Well, Manic, since I found you, I guess I'm your new guardian like the note said. I may not know a lot about parenting, but I'll certainly do my best. Now, come along, little buddy. Let's begin the wonderful adventures of Dave, Manic, Dave's fan, and no one else!"

Present day

Two figures approached the abandoned building. One was a black teenage human with a green and white T-shirt that had a cat image, blue pants, and a green baseball hat. The other was Manic, who was now a teenager with an orange, torn jacket. He had on a drum-shaped pendant and a pair of drumsticks at his hip.

"Think it was a good idea to leave Dave here, Benson?" Manic asked

"Don't sweat it, Manic." The human boy answered. "We've put him in worse places than that crib. What's the worst that can happen?"

Manic popped his eyes out as they approached the white building with the dragonfly limo parked at the front. "Um maybe Mod Frogs."

Benson shared his concerned friend's look. "Oh, boy. How are we going to pull this off?"

Manic thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Got it. You still got those Explosion Berry sodas?"

"Yep, and they're still shaken from that mega mute earlier." Benson said.

Jamack and his companions, Harris and Kwan, searched the whole building for their targets. Kipo, Wolf, Mandu, Sonic, and Sonia were hiding from the fancy-dressed amphibians while trying to keep the baby mute quiet. They were unsuccessful and it kept crying out loud.

Jamack heard the cries along with his coworkers. "Was that a baby? Let's check it out."

Before they could, however, the door burst open. Manic ran in with Benson limping behind him holding onto his stomach. The Mod Frogs turned their attention towards them.

"Another hedgehog?" Jamack asked. "What, is this Hedgehog Day or something?"

"You gotta help us!" Manic pleaded. "My friend… He's really sick!"

"Sick?" Jamack asked.

"Oh…" Benson feigned a moan. "I fell into a patch of explosion berries. I think I'm in trouble."

"Explosion berries?" Jamack asked once more. "Is that a real thing?"

"Real and contagious, dude." Manic said. "Benson and I have seen several mutes blow up simply by touching them! One drop gets on you, and your fate is sealed!"

"Oh, no! It's gonna happen! It's gonna…" Benson shouted. He slipped his fingers into his sleeve which had a soda can in it. He popped it open and a large stream of purple liquid exploded from it. Benson positioned it to make it look like it came from his stomach. He sprayed it right on the Mod Frogs who panicked and ran out of the building. They hopped into their limo and the dragonfly drove it away.

Kipo and the others, who have been peeking out from their room, ran out to Benson.

"Oh, my gosh!" Kipo exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Benson said revealing his soda. "Explosion Berry?"

Kipo thought for a second before chuckling. "Wow. I actually thought explosion berries were real."

"Amazing what you can do with just a soda and a couple of gullible toads." Manic said. He moved his face left and right noticing that Kipo, Sonic, and Sonia were staring right at him. "What?"

"This might seem like a strange question," Sonia said, "But do you by any chance have a silver pendant on you?"

"How'd you know?" Manic asked showing off his necklace. "Wait, do I know you guys? You seem familiar."

"The other night," Kipo asked, "Did you have a strange dream about playing in a band?"

Manic widened his eyes dropping his jaw. "You? It was you guys?"

"Uh, Manic, is everything all right?" Benson asked.

"Benson, these three were in the dream." Manic explained. "The purple human girl and the hedgehogs? Who are you guys?"

"Well, I'm Sonic and this is Sonia. And… I think you're our brother."

…"Come again?" Manic asked.

Wolf sighed smacking her own face. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Thanks for looking after Dave for a bit." Benson said spilling slurps of Explosion Berries soda into the baby mute. He and Manic were leading the others outside into the middle of the street. "The dude just needed his formula. So… Manic… You've got a brother and sister huh?"

"Dude, I had no idea." Manic said. "Remember? Dave found me alone when I was a baby."

"So I find both of my long-lost siblings on the same day?" Sonic asked. "What are the odds of that?"

"Hold on." Kipo said. "Manic, you said Dave found you when you were a baby. How could he…"

Before Kipo could continue, though, the cocoon around baby Dave grew and completely covered him. Benson set it down and a few seconds later, Dave burst out. Only instead of a baby, he looked like a toddler.

"Whoa!" Sonia exclaimed. "That's gross."

"That's awesome!" Sonic said.

"That's Dave." Manic said. "He's basically immortal. He gets through his stages of life quicker than most other species, and whenever he dies, he reverts back into a baby."

Suddenly, the toddler Dave grew a caccoon again and emerged as a teenage version who didn't look pleased. "Stop looking at me. You're embarrassing me." A few seconds later, he caccooned again and came out as an adult bug finally relieved. "Finally, out of my awkward phase."

"Trust me, guys," Manic said, "This version of Dave sticks around the longest."

"So Benson, Manic, who are these guys?" Dave asked.

"Oh, right. You were a baby at the time." Benson said. "Well, this is Kipo, Sonic, Sonia, Mandu, and Wolf. And get this, Sonic and Sonia here are Manic's brother and sister!"

"For real?" Dave asked. "You ain't pulling my leg?"

"No leg pulling here, Dave." Manic said. "And get this, their necklaces can change too."

"You're kidding." Dave said.

"So what can yours change into, Manic?" Kipo asked.

"You're not seriously interested in this, are you?" Wolf asked angrily.

Manic held up his talisman and it flashed a green light. When it dimmed, Manic was with a full drum set. He swung his drumsticks and started playing.

"Pretty cool, right?" Manic asked.

"Very cool!" Kipo said.

"Hey, Benson, Dave," Manic said, "What say we give my fam and their friends a performance?"

"You wanna play music out in the open?" Wolf asked. "That's ringing the dinner bell!"

"Oh, you gotta relax." Benson said.

"Yeah. After all, you only live once." Dave said. "That is, unless you're me. But back to the matter at hand, hit it, Manic!"

Manic:

Oh, I've got the whole world ahead

I've got the whole world ahead

I've seen all kinds of peril

Both mean and feral

But whatever it might be

You won't find me

At the bottom of the barrel

You'll never find me dead

'Cause I've got the whole world ahead

Benson:

We've got the whole world ahead

Dave:

We've got the whole world ahead

We can spend the years

Benson:

All full of tears

Manic:

Well, let me say

I just spend the day

Without worries or fears

Benson:

No need to fret about the dread

Manic, Benson, and Dave:

'Cause we've got the whole world a…

The whole world a…

'Cause we've got the whole world ahead

Manic:

We've got the courage of lions

Benson:

The cunning of foxes

Dave:

Even a bit of bears

Manic:

Bears? I'd say we're more like tigers

Dave:

The speed of horses

Manic:

A menagerie

That's assuredly

Without all the cares

So say I'm reckless if you must

But this is one hedgehog who won't be biting the dust

Manic, Benson, and Dave:

Oh, we've got the whole world ahead

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

We've got the whole world ahead

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Benson:

We've faced every pro and con

Dave:

From dusk til dawn

Manic:

One minute, you'll find us

The very next, we're gone

Manic, Benson, and Dave:

It shouldn't have to be said

Manic:

I've had good. I've had bad

I've been happy. I've been mad

But nevertheless, this is the best life I've ever had

Manic, Benson, and Dave:

SO LET'S GO PAINT THIS WHOLE TOWN RED

'CAUSE WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD…

YEAH, WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD

WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD AHEAD

WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD… A… HEEEEEEAAAAAD

Kipo clapped her hands while Wolf looked at all ends of the street suspiciously.

"That was not bad." Kipo said.

"Thanks." Benson said. "So what brings you guys out here anyway?"

"Don't say anything." Wolf warned. Of course, Kipo didn't listen.

"We're trying to return to my burrow." Kipo said.

"You're a burrow girl?" Dave asked.

"Yes." Kipo said much to Wolf's chagrin. "I got separated and I'm trying to return home. We're trying to get there across a big pile of skyscrapers."

"You mean skyscraper ridge?" Manic asked. "Well, believe it or not, we know the place."

"You do?" Sonia asked.

"Yeah. It can get pretty tricky unless you know your way around." Benson said. "Me, Dave, and Manic travel a lot, so of course, we know how to get you back home. We can take you there and it'll only cost… Hey, guys, what do you want it for?"

"How about the deathstalker tail?" Dave asked.

"No way!" Wolf denied.

"How's about we do it on the house?" Manic asked. "I mean, they are family after all."

"You know what? Why not?" Benson asked.

"Okay. That's fair." Dave said.

"Kipo, no!" Wolf exclaimed. "We can't trust them. They're clearly thieves."

"But Manic's our brother." Sonic said.

"I don't know what is going on here, but frankly, I don't care." Wolf said. "We've already got three mutes with us and that's three more than I can tolerate. I'm not adding two more even though one of them is another hedgehog sibling."

"Well, I just got my brother back." Sonia said. "We gotta at least give him a chance."

"I agree." Sonic said.

"Sorry, Wolf, but I can't just break up a beautiful sibling reunion." Kipo said.

Wolf gave a deadly glare at the other three.

The next morning, the whole group made their way across a road that was heading toward Skyscraper Ridge. Most of them were riding on bicycles while Sonic kept up with them as they rode.

"So you guys really are thieves?" Sonia asked her green brother.

"Sort of." Manic said. "We mostly just steal from those who deserve to be stolen from. Usually, just food and medical supplies. Turns out, I'm a master lockpicker."

"I think it's pretty disgusting, teaching a kid how to steal." Sonia said.

"Hey, I resent that remark." Dave said.

"So what's the plan now, Manic?" Benson asked. "I mean, you just found your brother and sister."

"Well, they told me they were heading over to live with Kipo at her burrow." Manic said. "I suppose it's time for me to settle down and catch up with my fam. You guys can come too if you want."

"Sounds good." Dave said.

That was when they heard the distant sound of a dragonfly buzzing. They looked and saw the Mod Frogs' limo closing in from hilltops away.

"Uh, oh. I guess they stopped believing the 'Explosion Berries' con." Manic said.

"I'll deal with them." Sonic said. "You guys get going."

Sonic made a U turn and caught up to Jamack at the front of his car.

"This time, you're not getting away!" Jamack threatened as Sonic ran next to his limo.

"Make a move, frog legs!" Sonic dared.

Jamack shot his tongue out which Sonic dodged. The blue hedgehog circled around the car while poking at the dragonfly that was driving it. Jamack got annoyed, so he changed his target. He shot out his tongue aiming it at Kipo, but Benson's bike got caught instead. His tongue wrapped around the human in the hat and he struggled to pull him in along with Dave and Manic.

"Manic!" Sonia yelled out. She jumped off of Kipo's bike to try and wrestle Jamack's tongue off of Benson. "Wolf, sting the tongue!"

Wolf proceeded to flip backwards preparing to strike with her deathstalker tail. Except she didn't aim it at Jamack's tongue. Instead, she struck it right onto the dragonfly's head making it stop all of a sudden. When it did, Benson, Dave, Sonia, and Manic were pulled off of their bike letting Kipo and Wolf drive off alone.

Sonic stopped when he noticed what just happened. He turned to confront Jamack, but the frog mute had picked up both of his siblings.

"Let them go!" Sonic shouted.

"How about no?" Jamack asked. "Here's the deal, blue boy. Surrender yourself now and I'll let them live. But if you run away, fight back, or even play smart with me, then things will get messy."

"Don't listen to him, Sonic!" Sonia pleaded.

"We'll be okay… I think." Manic said.

Feeling uncertain, Sonic lowered his head and held out his hands. "Fine. You got me." Jamack nodded to his coworkers who then walked over to Sonic tying up his wrists and ankles. "Now, let them go."

"No can do." Jamack said. "You see, Scarlemagne has put a big bounty on just one hedgehog. And he's paying five times as big for four. Three will have to do. So we're taking you all along with your human friend and that weird bug guy."

Kwan picked Sonic up and threw him in the backseat of the limo. The Mod Frogs threw in his siblings, Benson, and Dave after.

"I can't believe Wolf just left us to get caught." Sonic said. "I know she never liked me, but this is too far."

"And we didn't even do anything." Dave said. "This goes against the code."

"What code?" Manic asked. "We have a code? Benson, did you know we have a code?"

"I did not know we have a code." Benson replied.

"Four." Sonia said getting everyone's confused attention. "Jamack said that Scarlemagne put out a big bounty for four hedgehogs. But there's only three of us."

"There's a fourth hedgehog?" Dave asked. "Yo, Manic, did you see another hedgehog in that weird dream of yours? Maybe playing the… magic clarinet or something?"

"No." Manic said. "The only hedgehogs that were there were me, Sonia, and Sonic. Kipo was there too, but she's no hedgehog."

"So why would Scarlemagne be after four hedgehogs?" Sonia asked.

Suddenly, the limo came to a sudden stop startling the prisoners.

"What was that?" Benson asked.

"I don't know." Sonic answered.

Just one minute later, the door opened up and the Mod Frogs threw in two more humans. They were Kipo and Wolf.

"Well, look who came running back." Sonic said.

"Hey, guys." Kipo laughed nervously. "We came to rescue you."

"Yeah. I can practically smell the freedom right now." Manic said sarcastically.

"Next time, we find smarter humans to befriend." Dave said.

Author's Note: Now, the siblings are back together. All that's left now is to escape the Mod Frogs.

Sorry if this chapter seems a little rushed, guys. I've had a different way to end this chapter, but I had a hard time putting it in the story right. I can do better in the future.

Any and all comments are welcome.