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Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sonic the Hedgehog official characters.

Great Responsibility

"So, this is what you do on your free time?" asked Knuckles.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails were perched on top of a Seattle building in the backdrop of a moonlit sky. Below them was the entrance to a bank.

"Guys, this is what we're going to do as a team from now on," Sonic told them. "We've faced the worst Robotnik has brought but not all villains were made equal. Sometimes, we're gonna deal with criminals of the more mundane variety."

"Hey, I'm just glad I get to join you on a mission, Sonic!" Tails smiled, looking happy to be here.

"Knuckles, are you bullet-proof by the way?" asked Sonic. "You've got the super strength but what about the durability?"

"Bullet-proof?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow.

"You know," Sonic explained. "Bad guys shoot you with bullets and they bounce off of your skin. Ping. Ping. Ping."

"Eh, in space I have survived some of the worst laser blasts the Black Arms have had to offer," Knuckles answered.

"Eh, you know what?" Sonic decided. "Let's not test any hypothesis for our first mission. Remember, avoid whatever they shoot at you, disarm them, and take 'em out."

Tails got his computer out from his backpack just as a van of armed criminals arrived at the scene.

"Just on time as we expected," Tails looked down.

"You got this, Tails?" asked Sonic.

"Trust me Sonic, the cameras in there will glitch the moment you and Knuckles step in there," Tails promised.

"Knux, you ready for this first mission?" asked Sonic.

"These breakers of the law will not know what hit them when the hammers of justice come smashing down on their jaws!" Knuckles smashed both fists together.

"Uh yeah, heh heh," Sonic smiled nervously. "Good enthusiasm, buddy."

oooo

"Alright guys, go the loot?" the ringleader of the thieves, Karl, asked his gang.

"Two more minutes and we're out," one of his henchmen replied.

"Okay, take as much as you can but don't let it slow you down on the way to the car," Karl ordered.

"Uh, boss," another minion pointed towards the entrance where Sonic and Knuckles stood. "What are those?"

Karl turned around.

"Sorry guys, but I don't think AnthroCon comes around until later in the year," Karl almost burst out laughing at the sight of the two.

"AnthroCon?" Knuckles looked puzzled.

"Don't ask," Sonic shook his head before turning back to the bank robbers. "Alright you bozos, one chance. Drop the loot and I promise to speed you all to the local precinct."

"I can't believe I'm being threatened by giant plushie toys," Karl shook his head. "Kill them and let's get out of here."

At his command, all his men aimed their weapons and opened fire, after which, Sonic and Knuckles sped out of the way to avoid the bullets.

"Remember, disarm and dispatch," Sonic told Knuckles.

Quickly, Sonic avoided one robber trying to fire a point blank shot at his head and kicked him into several more of his companions. As another robber took aim at him from behind, Sonic spin dashed around the room before giving the assailant a light kick from behind which sent him crashing to the floor.

On Knuckles' side, he grabbed the shotgun of one robber and spun the man around, throwing him into three more of his companions, knocking them all down. To his side, several more robbers opened fire, causing him to take cover.

"So, it's like that, eh?" Knuckles under the desk until it sounded like the shooters had run out of ammo.

Once the bullets briefly stopped flying, Knuckles got up and grabbed the large bank vault door, tearing it off its hinges.

"Oh… my… God," one of the robber's jaws widened.

"Feel the hammers of justice!" Knuckles flung the vault door straight at them.

"Knuckles," Sonic knocked out the last of his opponents with a punch and stared in shock at what Knuckles was doing.

Before the door could hit the bank robbers, Sonic quickly grabbed and sped them out of the way as the vault door flew across the room and smashed into the side wall. Karl could only stare in shock at this freakish display of strength he was seeing.

As Sonic tied up the robbers who had narrowly escaped Knuckles's flying vault door, Knuckles grabbed Karl's gun and flung it aside. He then grabbed Karl and slammed him into the wall.

"Oh… there goes my spleen," Karl coughed.

"You… you thought you could get away with your crimes," Knuckles glared at the man. "But the fists of justice never sleep! It is time you paid for being a menace to society!"

Sonic's eyes widened, realizing what would happen if Knuckles connected his fist with Karl's face. As Knuckles threw the punch, Sonic quickly grabbed Karl at super-speed and got him out of the way just as the echidna smashed his fist through the wall where Karl's face previously was.

"Sonic, what is the meaning of this?" demanded Knuckles.

"Uh, hello?" Sonic dropped Karl. "We're supposed to be stopping crime, not splattering street-level baddies."

"But these people were committing criminal acts!" Knuckles looked frustrated. "Why would you save their lives?"

"Because," Sonic shook his head. "This isn't a mission for the fate of the world. We're just on patrol!"

"In space, it was kill or be killed," Knuckles argued. "One had to fight with all his might and survive the rigors of combat in order to survive."

"Look, we're not in space anymore and on Earth, there are certain codes of conduct we have to go by so we don't go too overboard and draw too much unwanted attention," Sonic tried to explain.

All the while the two were going back-and-forth, Karl managed to slip away while leaving the rest of his men behind.

"Sorry guys, but live to fight another day as they say," Karl muttered.

"I have been through plenty of brawls in space stations where I could punch drunken tentacle aliens with all my might," Knuckles countered.

"Uh hey guys," Tails flew down. "Think we could save this for back home? The security systems in this bank are rebooting and we've got less than a minute before the cameras reset."

"Fine, let's finish this later," Sonic agreed.

oooo

"If I'm reading instructions right, this was another one of Robotnik's old bases," Agent Stone looked down at the instructions on his iPhone.

During Robotnik's trip to Siberia with Knuckles, the doctor had taken some time during the trip to send him instructions on a remote backup base he had in the Rockies in any sort of event where he would go missing.

"Alright, so if I'm reading this right…" Agent Stone looked down at his map again.

Stone pressed his hand against a part of the stone wall that looked like Robotnik's hand prints and pressed down. Immediately, a stone door opened up, revealing a new base inside.

"Whoa, now this is impressive," Stone looked around the technologically advanced based Robotnik had as a backup.

"Greetings Agent Stone," a computerized female voice came to life.

"Whoa, who are you?" asked Stone. "Did… did Robotnik build you?"

"I am the doctor's System Analysis Research Assistant," the supercomputer told him. "Otherwise known as SARA."

"P-Pleased to meet you, Sara," Stone looked around the lab.

"The doctor electronically forwarded all his instructions to me in the event of his possible demise," Sara told Agent Stone. "I will act as an extension of his will to the best of my abilities. I was also given specific instructions to aid you should Dr. Robotnik not be available."

"This new place is impressive," Agent Stone nodded. "Say Sara, do you know anything about a Project Shadow? Those GUN agents were really hush-hush about it in the aftermath of the doctor's… tragic—"

"I'm afraid I don't have any information on Project Shadow," Sara told him. "Agent Stone, are you alright?"

"No worries," Agent Stone wiped away a tear. "I just… need a moment."

"I'm afraid I was not programmed to deal with human emotions," Sara told him. "But I do, however, have multiple contingency plans the doctor left behind should you require them."

"Contingency plans?" Agent Stone turned serious. "Tell me."

oooo

As Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles sat down in the living room, Tom Wachowski turned to face the three.

"Alright, so I've had a talk with Sonic in the past about superheroing," Tom looked at the three. "Today, we're going to need to have a similar talk with you, Knuckles."

"I… do not see what I did wrong?" asked Knuckles. "Were these not fugitives we were stopping?"

"Yeah, about that," Tom frowned. "Look Knuckles, you're strong. Real strong. And the bad guys not having a chance against you is… a good thing."

"Well, he does have the intimidation thing down," admitted Sonic. "You should've seen the looks on those robbers when Knuckles tore off a bank vault."

"But… on Earth, sometimes we have to deal proportionally with those who break the law," Tom explained. "Cops generally can't pull a gun on someone unless they have serious reason to believe their lives are in danger. And if they do pull a gun, they can't go overboard and pump the guy full of lead and then go after the guy's entire family."

"But in my life, I had to do what I needed to do to survive," Knuckles scratched his head. "In space, you had to fight. And any hesitation… any holding back… would be tantamount to death."

"I… think I see where you're coming from," Tom scratched his head. "But here on Earth, most people aren't as… durable as the guys in space you fought. Take Sonic for example. He has the power to do a lot of damage but when he's out on patrol, he generally doesn't spin-dash peoples' heads off."

"But he could if he wanted to" Knuckles insisted. "Would that not deter lawbreakers quicker to see their crimes will end in a bloody mess?"

Psst," Sonic whispered to Tom. "Maybe it's better to give him the other kind of talk… you know, about superheroes?"

"Oh, right," Tom nodded. "Listen Knuckles, you've hung out with us for a few days and we haven't shown you everything Earth-related but you've seen some movies with us."

"Indeed," Knuckles agreed.

"Well, you know how superheroes generally operate," Tom went on. "Look at Superman and Spider-Man. They're both super strong and super fast, just like Team Sonic here. Whenever they fight crime on the streets, they never go all-out and just punch a crook's head off. Superman doesn't punch Lex Luthor with the same amount of power he punches Darkseid. Spider-Man doesn't punch Kraven the same way he punches Venom. They use their power proportionately to whatever the threat level is they're facing."

"But… what about that funny man in the winged rat costume?" asked Knuckles. "He never pulls his punches. He punches everyone the same like all those moments he made that crazy clown man lose teeth. Why can't I do that?"

"Eh…" both Sonic and Tails looked at each other.

"Well Knuckles," Tails cut in. "That's because Batman is human. Superman and Spider-Man are both superhuman so they have to watch the amount of force they use. But Batman is human just like the crooks he fights so he doesn't have to worry as much."

"Correct, Tails," Tom smiled. "And because Batman is human, he doesn't have the luxury of showing restraint because a bullet can conceivably kill him. Hesitation on his part could mean the difference between life and death but it's different for Superman and Spider-Man because they either have super durability to take the bullets or super agility to easily dodge them. It's also why they have to show restraint because some of their opponents are much weaker than them and absolutely require a proportionate response."

Knuckles still looked confused.

"What I'm saying," Tom continued," is that with great power comes great responsibility. Cliché, yes, but it's true."

I see," Knuckles frowned. "I will think upon your words, Tom Wachowski."

"Yes, please do," Tom clasped his hands together.

oooo

What I'm saying is that with great power comes great responsibility. Cliché, yes, but it's true.

Knuckles woke up in the middle of the night as soon as those words reverberated in his head.

He looked to the side. Sonic and Tails were still sleeping.

"Hmm, great responsibility," Knuckles frowned.

The concept on paper sounded relatively easy to grasp. But trying to undo years of muscle memory and fighting experience where he had to go all-out was difficult to do. In frustration, Knuckles sighed at how the beings on Earth were so fragile that he had to limit himself and his potential.

Realizing he was having a difficult time going back to sleep, Knuckles decided to grab the iPhone that Sonic used and open the window to get some night air at the top of the home.

"I have a gift," Knuckles said to himself as he sat down on the rooftop. "My strength is something that should be used for the greater good."

He hadn't quite used an iPhone as much as Sonic but Knuckles still had some rudimentary knowledge on operating it. Flicking his thumb across the screen, Knuckles opened up a screen on Seattle news that Sonic often kept up with.

"Hmm," Knuckles looked down at it as the screen popped up to show a local reporter.

"This just in, a hostage situation is beginning to develop downtown," the reporter stated. "The suspect is Karl Mullins, a convicted felon with a rap sheet of armed robbery and assault."

As the screen zoomed in to focus on a picture of a man in an apartment, Knuckles looked carefully and realized that he recognized the face.

"It's him!" Knuckles recalled.

Looking down, Knuckles pondered whether or not he should wake Sonic or Tails.

oooo

"You been trying to skip town again, babe?" Karl clasped his ex-girlfriend from behind by the neck in a not-so-gentle fashion. "I don't like rude surprises, Courtney."

"L-Let go, Karl," his ex insisted. "It's over between us!"

"It's not over, babe," Karl licked her neck. "It's never over. If I say you're my girl, you're mine."

"Karl, please… let's just stop this," she pleaded. "The police are outside. This could end badly for both of us if they get involved."

"Too late," Karl told her. "I lost my crew. I lost my score. And I ain't losing you too."

"Look, if it's about money," Courtney tried to reason with him. "I have some cash under the bed. Maybe you could—"

At once, Karl backhanded her, knocking her down.

"Agh!" Courtney shrieked as her face hit the floor.

"Don't try to talk your way out of this!" Karl ordered. "This isn't just about the money! And who says I can't have both the money and your sweet ass?!"

"I say you can't have both," a deep voice behind Karl replied.

Karl turned around. To his utter shock, he saw the same red creature he encountered previously standing before some kind of gateway powered by a giant gold ring, leading to some kind of mountainous area.

"Y-You again!" Karl pointed his gun at Knuckles.

Before the Karl could fire, Knuckles grabbed his hand, lifting it into the air while squeezing the man's hand painfully until he was forced to drop his gun.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Karl screamed at the sheer grip strength of Knuckles.

Out of the corner of his eye, Knuckles could see Courtney backing against a corner in fear. The sight of the scared woman made him realize just how frightening his strength really could be.

"If it were up to me, you would not be allowed to breathe again," Knuckles told the man.

He could see the fear and pain in the man's eyes.

"But fortunately for you, I have… responsibilities," Knuckles smiled.

The red echidna balled up his fist and hurled it at Karl's face. Karl screamed and closed his eyes. However, he only felt a breeze of wind hit his fist as Knuckles held back at the last second and didn't connect with the punch.

"Y-You're letting me go?" Karl asked hopefully.

"Yes," Knuckles answered. "And… no."

Knuckles set the man down gently. With that, he placed his thumb right under the criminal's head and flicked him across the chin with a comparatively gentle love tap that knocked Karl unconscious, causing him to fall down on the sofa.

"W-Who are you?" asked Courtney.

Turning his head, Knuckles heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the hall. Before long, the police would arrive so he would have to make his leave.

"Just a friend," Knuckles tipped his head. "You will be alright, ma'am."

oooo

The next day.

"C'mon Tom, when does The Flash begin?" asked Sonic.

"Three more minutes Sonic," Tom Wachowski promised. "Until then, I just gotta see what's on tonight's news."

"Sonic, who do you like more so far?" asked Tails. "Quicksilver or the Flash?"

"Well, Quicksilver's got more of my flair," Sonic admitted. "But Flash definitely has the cooler moves. Buuuut… those two ain't got nothing on me."

"Hey, is that Seattle in the background?" Maddie noticed. It was the very scene of the building where Knuckles had been last night.

"Uh… looks like it," Knuckles scratched his head nervously.

"Last night, the stand-off between Karl Mullins and the police was decisively settled," the reporter announced. "By the time the police entered the building, Mullins was incapacitated and though his ex-girlfriend was roughed up and shaken, she faces no major injuries."

The camera cut right to Karl being led away to a police man. All of Team Sonic and the Wachowskis noticed a bandaged up hand.

"I swear, it was a big red Tickle Me Elmo who did this to me!" Karl screamed at the camera. "He crushed my hand like putty! Oh yeah, and I think he's Rastafarian too!"

"Knuckles, was that you?" asked Tails.

"Yeah, I can't think of too many other people who fit the description of being a Rastafarian Tickle Me Elmo…" Maddie stared at Knuckles.

"Alright Knux, fess up," Sonic ribbed him.

"Alright, fine," Knuckles admitted. "I was not able to sleep that night and thought I would put your suggestions to a test, Tom."

Tom smiled slightly. "Well Knuckles, you did kinda crush his hand. And we've went over the application of force before."

Knuckles looked down nervously.

"But… you still brought down the bad guy, escaped before you could attract more attention, and spared his life while better understanding the disparity between yourself and a common crook," Tom continued. "Good job, Knuckles."

"Yeah, besides, don't feel too bad about not getting it on the first try," Sonic told him. "When I started out, I took out a whole city block on accident!"

"Yes Sonic, I still remember that well," Tom told him.

"What exactly did Sonic do again?" asked Knuckles.

"Uh, The Flash is starting and I hear the popcorn in the microwave so I'm just gonna watch it upstairs," Sonic smiled nervously before speeding off.

"Well anyways, road bumps are just a part of life," Tom said to Knuckles as Sonic disappeared. "You'll encounter them on your journey but you'll get to your destination eventually."

"Yes," Knuckles agreed. "And until then, I will keep in mind that responsibility must walk hand-in-hand with power."

Fin.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Test Run

"Sir, I would advise you against this course of action," Sara cautioned as Agent Stone walked towards the Seattle bar.

"Oh Sara," Agent Stone smiled. "You worry too much. This guy is only an experimental guinea pig."

"Yes, but what if the Q9 formula has unforeseen side effects on him?" asked the artificial intelligence located on Stone's watch.

"Hey, that's going to be Sonic's problem to deal with then!" Agent Stone grinned.

Stone entered the establishment full of rough looking people. There were several bikers, a few drug dealers, and a few other shady people. Chances were, all of them had some kind of run-in with the law before.

"Yeah, I'm really slumming it," Stone whispered to himself.

"Are you Stone?" a bouncer went up to him.

Stone nodded in the affirmative and showed the man his ID.

"Come with me, please," the bouncer led Agent Stone to a room in the back.

Stone went in and made himself at home, crossing his legs as he sat down. It wouldn't be long before the man he was supposed to meet also made his way into the room.

"Hey!" Stone looked up.

"Ric Drake at your service," a short 5'6 man with brown hair and tattoos on his shoulder stepped into the room.

"So Ric," Agent Stone sat down and poured the man a cup of water that was available on the table. "It turns out that you have a bit of a rap sheet… but you're also known for your professionalism and never selling out your client."

"I do what I have to do," Ric took a drink. "Honor amongst thieves and all."

"Well Ric," Agent Stone told him. "What if I were to tell you I could make your rap sheet go away if you do a little favor for me?"

"What kind of favor?" Ric raised an eyebrow.

"It's a little different than running drugs," explained Stone. "I'll need you to… take someone out."

"It's not part of my usual resume," admitted Ric. "But hey, bullet between the eyes is something I can make happen if you keep your promise."

"Oh, there won't be any need for that," Stone replied. "You, my friend, will become more powerful than you ever were. More powerful than any drug kingpin!"

"Is that so?" Ric sounded interested. "What do you have in mind?"

oooo

"Agent Stone," Sara greeted as Robotnik's former assistant and Ric stepped into the secret base.

"This… this is something else!" Ric looked around in awe.

"Now do I have your full attention?" Agent Stone grinned.

"You do now," Ric gazed across the room like a little kid in a candy shop. "So kind of weapon do you got for me? Plasma rifle? Black hole generator? Stealth ninja suit?"

"You won't be receiving any weapon," Stone informed him. "You, my friend, will be that weapon."

"You… you mean you're gonna give me superpowers?" Ric looked incredulous.

Agent Stone did not answer him. He went to the table and picked up a container which featured one of Sonic's quills.

"Whoa, what is that?" Ric gaped.

"You remember that huge Pacific Northwest blackout a while time ago?" asked Agent Stone.

"Yeah man, that was crazy!" exclaimed Ric.

"Well, I'm gonna need you to go after the guy who caused that huge outage," Stone told him.

"Okay… but how?" asked Ric. "And who is he again?"

"I'll answer all your questions," Agent Stone took out a vial with unknown blue liquids in it. "But first, I'll need you to test this out.

oooo

"No, this cannot be" Knuckles growled.

He and Sonic were playing a game of Super Smash Brothers while Tails, Tom, and Maddie were watching.

"What can I say?" Sonic smiled as his Pikachu knocked Knuckles' Donkey Kong off the platform to his doom.

"Dishonor!" Knuckles shook his head. "I challenge you to another round!"

"Knuckles, you've had five turns already!" Tails pointed out.

"Yeah, give the rest of us a chance," Tom insisted.

Fuming, Knuckles wondered how Sonic could have beaten him so many times.

"I should have smashed your tiny electric rodent into dust!" Knuckles glowered. "Why is my great ape not performing to my expectations?!"

"Gee, maybe it's because I've been playing this game for a few months and know what to do?" Sonic offered.

Sonic looked down at his phone and noticed a text.

"Oh hey, burgers are ready," Sonic pointed out to his new adoptive family.

"So which joint is it?" asked Maddie. "We only have about… two burger restaurants in town."

"Oh, this one's in Seattle," Sonic told her. "It's a good one, I promise."

"Before you came here, I never thought it would've been possible to get takeout in another State," Tom nodded.

"Remember, no pickles on mine," Tails told him.

"You owe me a rematch, Sonic!" Knuckles told him. "You will rue the day your tiny lightning rodent made a fool of me!"

"Alright guys," Sonic put down the controller. "I should be back about two or three minutes later since this one's all the way in Seattle."

oooo

As Sonic sped down the I-90 highway, he couldn't help but get a feeling that he was being watched somehow.

"Hmm," he looked to the left and the right but didn't see anything.

Suddenly, a burst of green energy crashed into him, knocking him to the terrain off of the road.

"Whoa!" Sonic finally fell down to his side near a rock before raising his head.

Before Sonic was a man in a leather jacket and a green t-shirt. He sported some visible tattoos on his neck and brown hair similar to Tom's.

"And you are?" Sonic looked confused.

"Hey Sonic!" a familiar voice rang out.

Sonic looked above him to see Agent Stone sitting on top of a flying pod floating in the air to observe the scene.

"Hey, weren't you Robotnik's paper boy?" asked Sonic. "What was your name again? Agent Scratch? Agent Snively?"

"It's Stone! Agent Stone! Did you seriously forget my name?!"

"Well," Sonic frowned. "Yeah. Sorry dude, you really weren't that memorable."

"Oh yeah?!" Stone shouted. "Was it memorable to you when you sent the good doctor falling to his doom?!"

"Oh, you mean when he attacked my new hometown with a giant hulking robot and tried to kill me?" asked Sonic. "Yeah, I don't think I could forget that moment."

"I'll have you know the man was a genius!" Agent Stone snarled. "He was a very special person to me and YOU TOOK HIM AWAY!"

"Wait," Sonic raised an eyebrow. "You mean he was… and you are… oh, I get it now."

"Wait, you get what?" asked Ric.

"Look dude, I'm not gonna judge if you're into the Ro-boob-nik," Sonic told him. "But seriously, I won't just stand here and let you do whatever you please."

"I realize that," Stone smiled. "And I also realize that to make your trips to Seattle, you had to use the I-90 highway, which is how I anticipated you here. And it's why I brought along a friend. Sonic, say hi to Ric."

"Alright Ric," Sonic faced Agent Stone's hired hand. "I'll keep this short. Stand down and drop Agent Stone as your new boss. First and only offer."

"Gimme your best shot," was Ric's only response.

Sonic ran towards the man, throwing a punch with the intention of downing him in one blow. To his shock, however, Ric dodged the punch with his own super-speed as green lightning cracked around him.

"Wha—" Sonic gasped.

He didn't get to gawk for long. Ric uppercutted Sonic, hit him with a side blow to the liver, and struck him across the jaw with a right elbow that rocked Sonic.

"Score!" Agent Stone shouted.

Ric ran around him, speed-blitzing the space hedgehog with multiple punches per second. He then stopped before the dazed Sonic and kneed him right in the gut.

"Ack!" Sonic cried out.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Sonic blocked a punch from Ric and answered back with a blow to Ric's chin to knock him back.

"You might have super speed now, but do you know how to use it?" Sonic asked.

"Let's find out," Ric's eyes glowed green.

The two of them ran across the hills at super speed, punching at each other and simultaneously blocking each other's blows.

"My, this is getting good," Stone flew his pod into the air, watching the carnage as blue and green streaks raced across the landscape.

Finally, Sonic got a little ahead of Ric, stopped and stuck out his foot, causing the drug trafficker to trip and crash against a rock.

"Ready to give?" asked Sonic as he stood over the man.

"Not quite!" Ric's eyes glowed again as he stretched out his hands, blasting Sonic with his own green lightning.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Sonic fell back.

Before Sonic could get up again, Ric ran towards him at super speed, kicking Sonic across the side to send him skidding across the ground. With that, he took out his gun and walked towards Sonic slowly and triumphantly.

"Yes, do it!" Stone shouted excitedly.

Ric pointed his gun at Sonic but suddenly felt a sickening feeling in his stomach.

"Agent Stone, I…" Ric stuttered.

Ric's hand lost control of the gun as he fell to his knees and threw up.

"I warned you something like this could happen," Sara told Agent Stone. "This man's body has completely burned through the Q9 formula. And now his body is dealing with the aftermath."

"Oh great," Stone flew his pod closer and pressed down on a button.

Just as Sonic got to his knees to clear his head, Stone's pod unleashed a metal tentacle that grabbed the vomiting Ric Drake and lifted him into the air.

"You're in luck for today, Sonic!" Stone told the hedgehog. "Four days from now, meet back at this same location. Three PM sharp!"

Sonic shook his head as he looked at Stone flying off with his assailant. Near his feet was the gun Ric had dropped.

oooo

"Feeling better now, Sonic?" asked Tails as he put a bandage on Sonic's arm.

"As good as I'll ever be," admitted Sonic. "Gotta admit it caught me off guard that dude could move as fast as me."

"How did he get his super speed?" Tails wondered aloud.

"That's just it," Sonic answered. "He could move like me and he had his own electricity. I think Agent Stone must still have one of my quills that he used to power the guy."

"Hmm, so Robotnik's assistant is back," Knuckles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I thought he had perished in the battle against Robotnik."

"I thought so too but he escaped somehow," Sonic put an ice pack on his head. "He probably has a secret base somewhere."

"Do you suppose Robotnik is still alive?" asked Tails.

"I don't think so," Sonic replied. "Stone wouldn't stop talking about how special Robotnik was to him and how I would pay. Yada yada yada."

"Hmm, perhaps the Eggman really has perished," Knuckles crossed his arms.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sonic admitted. "But what I do know is that I gotta deal with Stone here and now."

"Hey, Tom's back!" Tails looked up as the owner of the home came back.

"Hey guys," Tom told the gang. "I had the gun examined for fingerprints and the DNA results are back."

"What did you find out, Tom?" asked Tails.

"Well, the prints belong to a man named Ric Drake," answered Tom. "He's guilty of drug smuggling, assault, and armed robbery."

"Great, a thug with superpowers," Sonic groaned.

"He's a wanted man, Sonic," Tom told his adoptive son. "A dangerous criminal with super speed is nothing to take lightly."

"We'll have your back the next time, Sonic!" Tails clenched his fist.

"No need," Sonic told his team. "This guy's got my speed. I'm the one who needs to handle this."

"But Sonic, we are there to have your back," Knuckles protested.

"And you will," Sonic told him. "In fact, I do need your help before the confrontation."

"What do you want us to do?" Tails scratched his head.

"Knuckles, you're one of the few people on this planet who can go nearly as fast as me," Sonic told the larger echidna. "You and Tails can help me train tomorrow."

oooo

Four days later.

As expected, Ric and Agent Stone were there waiting for him on I-90 where he last encountered them.

Sonic came to a screeching halt, a few feet away from the two as he noticed Ric appeared a little buffer than usual, with glowing green eyes.

"Hi Sonic," Stone smiled. "You ready for round two?"

"Stone, what have you been feeding this guy?" asked Sonic. "You really think the Washington State Athletic Commission won't investigate this?"

"I'm better than ever, Sonic!" Ric started jumping back and forth excitedly. "Jealous you're no longer the fastest thing with two legs?!"

"Sir, the hedgehog does have a point," Sara told Stone through his portable watch. "I don't believe a triple dose of Q9 will really—"

"Not now, Sara," Stone cut her off. "Trust me. Ric's got this."

"You ready, Sonic?" demanded Ric as his body glowed with green electricity. "Now we'll see who the real speed demon is!"

Sonic said nothing and ran towards Ric, punching him across the chin. Ric stumbled back a few feet and moved his jaw back into place.

"I'm not just faster now," Ric grinned. "I'm stronger!"

Ric returned with a rapid fire volley of punches that Sonic was forced to dodge.

"Better quit while you're ahead," Sonic weaved past the blows. "Stone is just using you! You think he won't throw you aside the moment you become dead weight?!"

"Only thing dead is YOU!" Ric finally connected with a punch across Sonic's jaw, dazing him.

Ric Drake grabbed Sonic and kneed him in the mid-section again. As Sonic coughed in pain, Ric threw the hedgehog in the air and as he came down, Ric struck him with a roundhouse kick that sent Sonic smashing through a large rock.

"I've never felt this strong!" Ric came in, speed-blitzing Sonic from all sides.

Quickly, Sonic reflexively raised his arms to cover his head, blocking the blows. It was an instinct he picked up while sparring against Knuckles.

From what he could tell, Ric's mental state seemed to be going downhill from the triple dose of speed Agent Stone had somehow given him.

"Your mind is not there, Sonic!" Knuckles told him as he threw heavy blows at the hedgehog.

Sonic dodged under Knuckles' blow and hit him in the stomach to make the echidna stumble back.

"That felt there, didn't it?" Sonic continued to pummel Knuckles from all sides, with multiple punches at once while Knuckles raised his hands to protect his head.

Finally, Knuckles stopped the onslaught by throwing a fist to his right side causing Sonic to run into it and knock himself to the ground.

"You are distracted," Knuckles told him. "You are not used to fighting an opponent who's as fast as you but you must overcome this and focus!"

Sonic steadied himself and breathed, slowly analyzing Ric's attack patterns and realizing Knuckles was right.

"Just think of all the stuff I could do with this speed!" Ric screamed, continuing his assault.

Immediately Sonic stuck his foot out and tripped Ric, causing him to skid and crash across the ground before stopping at a hill.

"You're fast," Sonic told him. "But super speed alone won't win you the race."

"Shut up!" Ric ran towards Sonic and threw a punch at him.

Sonic step-sided the punch, grabbed Ric, and spun him around at super speed, letting go after a few seconds and throwing Ric into an abandoned gas station. Ric felt his body crashing through at least two walls before he fell to the floor and heard the sound of the building being leveled.

He coughed violently, getting back to his feet but just as he did, Sonic came in, dazing him with a punch and catching him across the chin with a kick. Ric swung at Sonic but the space hedgehog continued pummeling Ric.

"Damn it, Ric!" Stone shouted. "Are you really going to let that hedgehog beat your ass?!"

"Hell no!" a surge of anger reignited in Ric as he dodged one of Sonic's punches at super speed.

Ric grabbed Sonic's hair from behind and with all his might, threw Sonic towards the still-standing gas station sign that once showed the gas prices.

Sonic, however, flipped around and planted both feet on the sign.

"After all those hits and kicks, now I know what you're made of and you can take it, tough guy," Sonic told him. "Now I don't have to hold back."

Blue electricity surrounded the hedgehog as his entire body began spinning.

"What?!" Ric looked shocked.

Sonic then pushed himself off the gas station sign and flew down, catching Ric in the ribs with a powerful spin attack that slammed the man into the ground with a huge explosion of sand and blue lightning.

When the smoke cleared, Ric lay there unconscious in a crater, with Sonic standing over him.

"Alright Stone," Sonic turned around. "Let's finish what we—"

By then, Stone had already flown off into the distance. It came to no surprise to Sonic that he had abandoned his new partner.

"Figures," Sonic shook his head.

oooo

"So I was able to take him down and put those lessons you drilled into my head to good practice," Sonic told Tails and Knuckles outside at the campfire.

"I am glad to hear that!" Knuckles patted Sonic on the back.

"Omph!" Sonic nearly felt his roasted s'mores traveling up his throat. "Easy there Knuckles, I'm still bruised."

"Eh, sorry," Knuckles smiled sheepishly.

"So what was it that helped you beat this guy in round two?" asked Tails.

"Well, that guy was strong and fast," Sonic admitted. "He caught me off guard the first time around. The second time around, he got even stronger and faster because Agent Stone gave him a bigger dose."

"Sounds like Round Two should've been even tougher," admitted Tails.

"It was," admitted Sonic. "But Ric didn't have the experience or skill with super speed that I do. And more importantly, he lacked one crucial thing."

"What's that, Sonic?" Tails looked at his friend.

"He didn't have a mentor like Longclaw to properly train him and guide him to use his powers wisely," Sonic told them.

"I… have a hard time seeing Agent Stone giving proper training," Knuckles admitted.

"Yeah," Sonic looked nostalgically into the night sky. "And that makes all the difference."

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Memories

Agent Stone sat in the private dining room waiting on his latest guest.

“So Sara, this guy is good, right?” he asked.

“Indeed,” Sara replied. “In the Southwest, this bounty hunter’s abilities are second to none.”

At that moment, Stone heard a knock at the door.

“Come in!” he called out.

A Hispanic man with light brown skin, long hair, and a black jacket stepped inside. What was the most note-worthy to Agent Stone was how the man wore an eyepatch.

“Hello,” Agent Stone shook the man’s hand but suddenly noticed how hard of a grip he had.

“Hey,” the bounty hunter nodded.

“Quite a grip there,” Agent Stone whispered as he let go.

The man’s handshake wasn’t quite as strong as what Knuckles was capable of but it was powerful by human standards nonetheless.

“So I looked you up,” Agent Stone continued. “And I know you prefer to go by Lynx.”

“That’s right,” the bounty hunter nodded.

“Please, have a seat,” Agent Stone gestured as the two men sat down.

“Who’s this?” Lynx looked down at the coffee.

Once again, Agent Stone had decided to get creative with the coffee froth. At the very top was yet another drawing of Robotnik and Stone grinning together.

“That… is the brilliant Ivo Robotnik,” Stone replied sadly. “He was someone who truly meant a lot to me and whenever I think about him, I—“

“You know what?” Lynx grimaced in disgust. “Just pay me and give me a target. I’m not gonna pry into a man’s personal business.”

“Err, very well,” Agent Stone took a sip of his coffee. “By now, I’m sure you know about the Pacific Northwest blackout and rumors of a blue blur seen across this region?”

“Yeah, what about it?” asked Lynx.

“Well, I’ll have you know it’s not an it,” Stone smiled. “It’s a who. I would like to pay you to capture the being responsible for the blackout.”

“You said being,” Lynx noted. “You make it sound like this fella’s not even human.”

“That’s because he’s not,” Stone revealed a screen that showed Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

“Well I’ll be,” Lynx looked surprised. “What exactly am I looking at here?”

“They’re three extraterrestrial beings that go by the names of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles,” explained Agent Stone. “They bear similarities to some mammalian fauna here on Earth but they are alien in origin. Currently, I believe they reside somewhere in Green Hills, Montana. I give you permission to bring them back to me either dead or alive.”

Lynx grinned like a child that just discovered his dad was going to take him hunting for the first time.

“I take it you’re in,” asked Stone.

“I usually ask for partial payment up front,” Lynx took a sip of the coffee. “But this time? Just have all the money ready once I come back with these three.”

“I like your attitude!” Agent Stone grinned as he took out a high tech suitcase. “And since these three possess extraordinary abilities, I would like to equip you with the extraordinary means to hunt them.”

oooo

“I don’t see Knuckles and Maddie back yet,” Sonic paced around the TV.

“Well, they did say we’d have to come to an agreement on which series to watch first,” Tails told his friend.

“Yeah, I just wonder what series Knuckles is so interested in,” Sonic wondered aloud.

“Well, whatever it is, I hope it’s not too long,” Tails replied. “I mean, the shows we both wanna watch are both pretty long.”

“Yeah, and we promised we’d play a game of rock, paper, and scissors to see whose show gets first priority,” Sonic rubbed his chin. “Personally, I think the founding father series should come first. I can’t wait to see my man Goku in all his Super Saiyan glory!”

“Well there’s no denying Dragonball’s impact on Shonen as a whole,” admitted Tails. “But there’s no rule saying a successor can’t surpass its predecessor in quality. Naruto had the benefit of learning from Dragonball’s mistakes.”

“And in what way does it do that?” Sonic raised an eyebrow.

“Well,” explained Tails. “For one, whereas fights in Dragonball rely on power levels, the fights in Naruto are far more cerebral and strategy can win over brawn. The series also makes more effort to bring in female demographics and it notably keeps its supporting characters relevant and not get completely shown up by the main character in battle.”

“Okay,” Sonic looked at the DVD on the table what held the Naruto discs. “You sure there isn’t some other reason you want to watch this?”

“Okay fine,” Tails admitted. “I also wanna see Naruto’s Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.”

“Called it,” Sonic rolled his eyes humorously. “Fess up, Tails. You’re into the action and super modes every bit as much as I am.”

“I guess you’re right,” Tails finally swallowed his pride. “Say, you think those Chaos Emeralds could’ve given me a Kurama Mode?”

“Those emeralds did give me a golden form,” Sonic considered. “But who knows. Maybe if you had them, they could—”

At that moment, the door opened up as Tom, Maddie, and Knuckles walked inside.

“Greetings,” Knuckles smiled. “We have returned from our trip!”

“Good to have you back!” Tails waved.

“Alright,” Tom told his added adoptive family members, “so tonight we’re going to come to an agreement on what to watch.”

“Can’t wait,” Sonic rubbed his hands. “So what’d you get, Knuckles.”

“Well, it was a series that I decided was worthy of our attention,” Knuckles declared proudly.

“Knuckles was really looking forward to this,” Maddie added.

“Behold!” Knuckles reached inside the bag and took out the Blu-ray.

Sonic and Tails looked at the DVD cover in surprise.

“S-Sailor Moon?” Sonic was jawed by the image of the magical girl on the cover.

Surprise soon turned into chuckles as both hedgehog and fox began laughing.

“T-That’s a good one, Knuckles!” Sonic held his belly to try to hold back some laughter.

A look of quick anger crossed Knuckles face. However, that anger quickly turned to sadness as Knuckles decided not to say anything in return.

“I… I need a moment, please,” Knuckles said softly as he walked out the back door.

“Wait, Knuckles,” Tails managed to stop himself. “Where are you going?”

However, Knuckles was already out of the door by then.

“Uh… that didn’t go well,” Tom whispered.

“Boys, can I have a word with you two?” Maddie looked at Sonic and Tails.

oooo

The town of Green Hills in Montana was a mostly peaceful town without much crime or other happenings that would require a huge amount of police activity. And as such, due to the peaceful nature of the town, things could get boring there, even for the police assigned to watch the town.

“You still playing that game?” one of the off-duty cops asked Wade Whipple.

“Shhh,” Wade told the rest of his team who were still officially on-duty but didn’t have much going on that day. “There’s a Venusaur right in front of me. I think I got this one.”

“Wade, one day you’re going to walk into oncoming traffic if you keep playing Pokemon Go,” another colleague laughed.

“Yeah yeah,” Wade said dismissively. “I’ve got you now, my pretty…”

Suddenly, a man in a black trenchcoat stood in place of the Pokemon that Wade had in his sights.

“Hey, this Green Hills?” Lynx smiled, slinging a technologically advanced gun across his shoulders.

“W-Who are you?” demanded Wade.

“Just a friendly bounty hunter out for my quarry,” Lynx responded curtly. “So I hear there are some extraterrestrials out in this town.”

Wade looked at the rest of his fellow officers. After Lynx’s mention of extraterrestrials, he had a bad feeling in his stomach of who this strange man was really after. And as Sonic was a friend to him, there was no way he’d simply let Lynx come to town to go after a buddy.

“You know, sir,” Wade told Lynx. “I’d love to chat with you but first I’m going to need you to put down your admittedly cool weapon and then show us a permit for that gun. Then after that, we can go to the station and we’ll answer whatever questions you have.”

“Afraid not,” Lynx stopped smiling. “I’m rather attached to this thing right here and putting it down just wouldn’t feel right.”

“Sir, I’m not going to ask you again,” Wade warned as some of his on-duty officers got up from their games and walked towards Lynx with more authority. “Put down the weapon and—”

Unfortunately for all the officers, Lynx was far faster on the draw than any of them and opened fire with his weapon. A blast of purple energy hit Wade and all of the police officers on duty, smashing all of them to the ground with the force of gravity multiplied by enough to render them helpless.

“Aaaaahhhh!” Wade shouted as he felt himself being crushed.

“This gravity gun’s better than I could’ve imagined,” Lynx looked down at his newest weapon. “Stone’s a weirdo but his tech is to die for.”

Soon, Lynx noticed how all the police officers were helpless on the ground and turned off the adjustor on his weapon, finally freeing them from the force of extreme gravity pinning them to the ground.

Wade and all of the police officers lay there unconscious from the blast of the gravity gun.

“You’re lucky I was only told to bring back those aliens dead or alive,” Lynx spat on the ground and walked off.

oooo

“Uh look Maddie,” Sonic said as he and Tails sat on the couch with her. “We didn’t mean to get Knuckles upset.”

“I realize that Sonic,” Maddie told him. “But we need to have this talk because there’s a reason he’s upset.”

“Um, I guess there’s nothing wrong with liking magical girl anime,” Tails scratched his head. “It’s just that Sonic and I were surprised a big, tough intergalactic warrior like Knuckles would like Sailor Moon.”

“Yeah, I thought for sure Knux would be into something like Dragonball or Fist Of The North Star,” Sonic added.

“Well, you two want to watch shows with more action,” Maddie informed them. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. Sonic, you like Dragonball for the transformations and the action. Tails, you want to watch Naruto because it’s also action-packed but more cerebral. But do you understand why Knuckles might be into Sailor Moon? Hint, it’s not just the action and powerups he’s into.”

“Uh… Knuckles secretly wants to dress up in a Japanese schoolgirl uniform?” Sonic ventured a guess.

Tails shrugged in confusion rather than say anything. He had no idea why Knuckles would be into a Shojo series.

“Listen, back in my day, I also watched some Sailor Moon,” Maddie told them. “And it isn’t just about the uniforms or the powerups or the transformations.”

Sonic and Tails looked at each other without a clue.

“Just think,” Maddie told the two. “Knuckles came from space and before he became part of this adoptive Earth family, he had a family and an Echidna people from beyond the stars who were taken away from him. Sailor Moon also had a people and a Moon Kingdom in her past life before all of them were taken away from her.”

At that point, it began dawning on Sonic and Tails why Knuckles reacted the way he did.

“Knuckles wants to watch Sailor Moon because he can relate to the story of Princess Serenity because he too once had a proud lineage and civilization in the cosmos,” Maddie finished. “He relates to her in everything she’s gone through because he’s also gone through the same thing. To Knuckles, Sailor Moon is more than just a show with cool fights and powers. It’s the story of his life in another fictional setting.”

“Oh…” Sonic finally looked at Maddie and Tails knowingly as realization finally set in.

“I see now,” Tails lowered his head.

“Well Tails, what do you say we go apologize to Knuckles?” Sonic asked.

“I’m with you on that, Sonic,” Tails got up.

oooo

Knuckles looked down at the forest stream into his own reflection.

He could hardly blame Sonic and Tails for their reaction. After all, they had no idea he was a fan of magical girls and he himself had never really told them his interest.

Moreover, they didn’t even know why he liked Sailor Moon and were in the dark as to why he identified with Usagi so much.

“Perhaps I’d better head back,” Knuckles sighed.

Suddenly, Knuckles saw something in his own reflection.

Knuckles, my son, the hopes and dreams of our people lie with you now.

“F-Father?” Knuckles stared into the water as he rubbed his eyes.

The reflection of Knuckles’ father looked back at his son.

But on this day, my son, you have a new family and a new home you must protect.

Before Knuckles could reply back, he saw a burst of purple energy somewhere in the distance.

“What was that?!” Knuckles became alarmed.

Looking back at the stream, Knuckles could no longer see his own father.

oooo

“See Knuckles anywhere, Sonic?” asked Tails.

“No, but I’m sure here’s out here somewhere,” Sonic looked around on the forest path they were on. “Keep an eye out for broken trees that Knuckles might have punched down.”

Behind the bushes, however, they did not notice Lynx who lay there in waiting for them.

“Fish in a barrel,” Lynx whispered.

He got up as Sonic and Tails got near, taking them completely by surprise and fired his gravity gun. A burst of purple energy hit Sonic and Tails, slamming both of them to the ground with tremendous force.

“Aaaaahhh!” both hedgehog and fox screamed.

“This is my lucky day,” Lynx appeared before the two.

“W-Who are you?!” Tails demanded.

“The name’s Lynx,” the bounty hunter glared at the two.

As soon as Lynx noticed Sonic forcing himself back to his feet, he adjusted the dial on the gravity gun which increased the amount of gravity that was already holding him down by tenfold and slammed Sonic face-first into the ground.

“AGH!” Sonic cried out loud.

“I know all about your super speed,” Lynx informed Sonic. “That’s why I brought along this handy gravity gun which can stop you on your tracks.”

“Why are you doing this?!” demanded Sonic as his face was held to the ground forcefully by the gravity.

“Well as you can see,” Lynx told them. “A certain Agent Stone’s gonna pay me handsomely to bring you to him dead or alive.”

Lynx reached for the dial on the gravity gun to increase the gravity yet again.

“And since I’ve seen some footage of what you’re capable of,” Lynx decided. “I figure it’s easier to bring back cold bodies than warm bodies.”

Sonic and Tails looked up helplessly but before Lynx could increase the gravity to even more unbearable levels, Knuckles leaped out of the bushes and punched at Lynx.

Thanks to his years of being in action, Lynx dodged the punch and rolled across the ground, firing at Knuckles and striking him with a gravity blast.

“Agh!” Knuckles sank to his knees.

“I was warned about you,” Lynx growled, adjusting the gravity settings on Knuckles to the highest possible setting.

As Knuckles gritted his teeth, the ground underneath him started to crack and turn into a crater from the gravity energy.

“I… think… NOT!” Knuckles got up and slowly walked towards Lynx even with all that power holding him down.

“No… no… this isn’t possible!” Lynx looked at Knuckles walk towards him in utter shock.

“In my tribe…” Knuckles grunted.” We believe ANYTHING is possible!”

With that, Knuckles grabbed the gravity gun from the surprised Lynx and broke it in two by slamming it down on his knees, releasing all three members of Team Sonic from the energy holding them down.

“Even so,” Lynx reached inside his vest as he noticed Sonic and Tails having trouble getting up. “All that gravity crushing you had to have hurt. And this is where I take advantage of that.”

Lynx took out a knife and swung it at Knuckles’ neck.

Knuckles, seemingly no worse for wear, dodged both blows and grabbed Lynx’s wrist on the third strike, forcing the bounty hunter to drop his knife as he crushed the man’s wrist.

“Aaaaaahhhh!” Lynx cried out.

“Time for a dirt nap,” Knuckles grabbed Lynx by the face as the man sank to his knees and slammed him head-first into the ground to knock him out.

“Are you two alright?” asked Knuckles as he helped Sonic and Tails up.

“Well, I won’t be doing any running for the rest of this day,” Sonic admitted. “But I’m doing better than Dollar Store Snake Plisskin here.”

“Yeah, and Knuckles, Sonic and I both have something to tell you,” Tails told the echidna.

“That’s right,” Sonic told him. “We’re both sorry we laughed at you when we saw you wanted to watch Sailor Moon. We didn’t know you identified with her because you both have a similar backstory.”

“Yeah, and if her story means that much to you,” Tails offered, “we can both watch the series with you.”

“No offense is taken,” Knuckles told the two. “You did not know why and more importantly, there is another lesson magical girl anime has taught me.”

“What’s that?” asked Sonic.

“My heritage is important to me,” Knuckles told them. “Like Usagi with the Moon Kingdom, the Echidna tribe will always reside in my heart. But I still have to remember that I have a new family in the here and now to look after.”

oooo

“Well Sonic, look on the bright side,” Tails whispered to his hedgehog buddy as the two sat on the sofa with Knuckles completely engrossed in Sailor Moon.

“And that is?” Sonic raised an eyebrow.

The two had to admit the show was much better than they had anticipated but still, it was not quite their cup of tea, as both hedgehog and fox were more of Shonen anime enthusiasts.

“At least we’re watching Sailor Moon Crystal instead of the longer 90s anime,” Tails pointed out.

“Moon Prism Power Make-Up!” the titular character shouted on the television screen as she vanquished the monster of the week with her attack.

“Hahaha!” Knuckles put his arm around Sonic. “Say it with me now! MOON PRISM POWER MAKE-UP!!!”

“Moon Prism Power Make-Up…” Sonic and Tails groaned unenthusiastically.

Fin.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Author's Note: This takes place after the events of "Sonic Drone Home" where Team Sonic became friends with Unit.

Drone Call

"I just wanna know, who calls their robot just Unit?" asked Sonic.

"Maybe Robotnik didn't have time to assign a number?" Tails guessed.

"He could've at least called it Unit 5 or Unit 007," Sonic shook his head. "That would've been better."

"I still do not trust that thing," Knuckles cracked his name-sake as the three walked towards the local Green Hills library.

"Look, I know Unit is still a little… overenthusiastic about the whole taking over the world with poetry thing," Sonic cracked open the door and stepped inside. "But I think we can all agree that his skills are better put to constructive use like poetry than war."

The three walked across the library to find their new robotic friend.

"So you think Robotnik really perished in that explosion?" asked Tails.

"Well, he's survived me launching him into another planet before," Sonic replied. "Anything's possible."

"Shhh!"

All three turned around to see the elderly librarian lady in a full-sleeve grey dress. She looked at them sternly while pointing towards the "please lower your voices" sign in the library.

"Uh, right," Sonic smiled nervously. "Forgot about that."

"You're this town's best kept secret, Sonic," the elderly librarian told Sonic. "So let's keep it a secret… and a quiet one at that."

"Of course," Sonic whispered. "Do you know where Unit is?"

"As a matter of fact," the old librarian told Sonic, "he's in the back with the poetry section."

"Just where we'd expect to find him," smiled Tails.

"Hmm," Knuckles crossed his arms suspiciously. "Have there ever been any poets who fought in wars? I am certain Unit might use them as inspiration to his future endeavors."

The three of them finally stopped at the poetry section where Unit was reading through some books in his new body that had wheels, a rectangular body, and two arms. His round head was still the same, however.

"Hey Unit!" Sonic greeted Robotnik's former creation.

"Sonic," Unit went over to Sonic. "I am happy you and the team decided to visit me."

"So watcha reading, Unit?" asked Tails.

"War poems, perhaps?" Knuckles demanded.

"This actually," Unit held out a book.

"Wow, Shel Silverstein," Sonic nodded. "That's pretty interesting

"See?" Tails looked at Knuckles. "Nothing war-related here."

"Hmm," Knuckles grunted.

"So you want to show us some of your new poems?" asked Sonic.

"Absolutely," Unit told them. "Please come with me to the table where my notes are."

oooo

"My sensors indicate what you're looking for is there," Sara told Agent Stone as the man walked up to the library in business casual wear.

"It would be nice to have all of the doctor's creations back," Stone mused. "But I wonder what this particular drone is doing inside a library of all places."

"It is likely someone picked this particular unit up and re-configured him for usage in a public library setting," Sara surmised.

"Well, even if this isn't the doctor's greatest creation, I'd still like it back," Stone stepped near the front door and began examining his license to make sure he had the right information. "I'm a bit of a completist with his inventions, you know."

"Agent Stone, please take a look at the window to your right before you step inside," Sara suddenly told him.

"Huh, what's going on?" Stone stepped into the grass to look through another side of the library.

Inside were Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Unit, sitting together at a table and exchanging notes. It looked like they were collaborating on something with different people giving different critiques.

"By Robotnik's handsome stache!" Stone gasped. "What are they doing in there?!"

"I believe they are… socializing," Sara stated the obvious.

oooo

"And until the cows tip over," Unit finished up his poem. "The dog's name is Rover."

"Uh…" Sonic's mouth hung open.

"How was it?" asked Unit.

"It… could use some work," Sonic admitted.

"I was afraid of such," Unit said with a hint of sadness. "I was built for conquest and yet my passion is poetry."

"Hey, plenty of people out there who can go against the grain of what's expected," Tails tried to cheer up the robot. "A long time ago, women on Earth were expected to cook, clean, and have kids. Nowadays, there are plenty of women who have careers!"

"I suppose so," Unit looked down. "But it is difficult being creative when my core programming is to obey the doctor's will and destroy his enemies."

"Yes, and you seem to have forgotten that programming!" a loud voice alerted all four at the table.

"Is that…" Sonic looked up.

"Stone!" Knuckles growled.

"Oh, excuse me," Stone glared at the trio and Robotnik's former drone. "Was I interrupting something?"

Suddenly, Stone felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," the old librarian told him.

Stone turned around to see the stern face of an old woman who looked like she was about hit him with a ruler over the head.

"Shhhh!" the librarian pointed towards the quiet sign.

"Err, sorry," Stone lowered his voice. "I'll watch the volume."

The old women looked at Stone and pointed both fingers to her own eyes, and then pointed them back at Stone, letting Robotnik's assistant know that she was watching him.

"Anyways," Agent Stone sat down at the table.

"Alright Stone, what do you want?" Sonic demanded.

"What I want is what's rightfully mine," Agent Stone said with an entitled air. "You see, this particular unit belonged to Robotnik so I wish to have him back."

"Well, I hate to disappoint," Tails told Stone. "But he doesn't want to come back."

"Aye, and you can't just walk in here expecting us to not teach you a lesson," Knuckles got up, preparing to make a move against Stone.

"Easy Knuckles," Sonic held him back. "Let's see what Unit has to say first."

"Well Unit, were you not Dr. Robotnik's creation" Agent Stone asked the drone.

"I was," Unit admitted.

"And were you not programmed to obey his wishes, including raining terror on his enemies?" asked Stone.

"You are correct," Unit replied.

"So why don't you want to?" asked Agent Stone.

"Well Agent Stone, it turns out that my true passion is poetry," admitted Unit. "I wish to conquer the world through the power of my poetry."

"Poetry?!" Stone looked incredulous. "Who gave you that crazy idea?! Surely not the good doctor!"

"Well, I did find a book of poems in the junkyard where I was left at," Unit admitted. "After reading through it, I discovered my passion."

"Okay first of all, you belong to Robotnik," Stone told him. "And in the event Robotnik isn't available, who do you think has ownership over you, Unit?"

"You, Agent Stone."

"That is correct," Agent Stone nodded. "And second…"

Agent Stone picked up multiple pages the robot had written and skimmed through them. His expression grew angrier the more he read them.

"Your poetry is awful!" Stone told him. "Who writes this stuff?! A third grader?!"

"Now that was just uncalled for," Sonic pointed out.

"Yeah, Unit's got potential to be something more in life than Robotnik's attack dog!" Tails pointed an angry finger at Stone.

"Isn't that right, Unit?" asked Stone. "Are you not better at being a weapon than a poet?"

"I… I suppose it is what I was programmed to be," Unit said sadly.

"Alright Stone, you're way out of line," Sonic glared at Robotnik's assistant.

"Good, then leave everything behind," Stone told the robot. "We're going. Now."

"Negative," Unit told the man. "I may not possess natural talent for poetry as the more spontaneous and carefree humans do. But I do have something after I met Sonic and his friends."

"Pray tell, what is that?" demanded Agent Stone.

"I have self-respect," Unit responded with more conviction in his voice. "I believe I can be more than my programming."

"Well too bad for you," Stone took out a remote. "Because I can override you and make you my slave again!"

Stone pressed down on the button.

"So Unit, ready to come back?" he demanded.

"Negative," Unit replied.

"What?!" Stone was shocked.

"I helped operate on Unit before he came to this library," Tails pointed out. "I removed Robotnik's command servos so he wouldn't go back to being a war machine. And in case something like this happened."

"You… you can't do this!" Stone shouted.

"We can," Tails smiled. "And we did."

"Alright, I think we've tolerated Stone for long enough," Sonic got on the table as blue electricity crackled around him.

"I agree," Knuckles clenched his fists as red electricity also surrounded him.

"Stay back!" Stone got up. "You can't do this to me!"

Before Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails could take care of Stone, however, the old library woman got there first.

"Ahem!" the old lady stood behind Stone with a loud huff.

"Eh?" Stone turned around.

"You, sir, are making too much noise!" the old lady grabbed Stone by the ear. "You are leaving at once!"

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Stone cried out in pain as the librarian lady dragged him away by the ear.

"Heh, whaddya know," Sonic smiled. "Guess we're good."

oooo

After opening the door, the old lady yanked Stone forth, causing him to trip and fall to the ground in pain.

"Owww," Agent Stone clutched his ear. "That hurt!"

"You are lucky, Agent Stone," Sara finally told him.

"Lucky?!" Stone shouted. "How?!"

"It only takes seven or eight pounds of pressure to rip off a human ear," Sara informed him. "That old lady came very close to doing so. You are fortunate she didn't go beyond six pounds of pressure."

Agent Stone decided not to respond anymore. Rather he walked away in defeat while rubbing his ear the entire way.

oooo

"I apologize that my work was not up to the standards I would like it to be," Unit told the three friends as they left the library at six in the evening.

"Don't worry Unit," Tails told him. "We all have to start somewhere."

"Yeah, I didn't start out as the fastest runner," Sonic told him. "I was just a tiny hedgehog once who crawled. Over time I got better at running with practice."

"Yeah, and I didn't become an inventor overnight," Tails told Unit. "That also took some time for me."

Knuckles crossed his arms. "Hmph, being an echidna warrior also took years to achieve, I suppose."

"So you mean to tell me that these are skills that can be honed over the years?" Unit sounded hopeful.

"Of course," Sonic told him. "Nobody becomes a billionaire overnight. Wanna know why?"

"Why is that?" asked Unit.

"Because practice," Sonic put his hand on Unit's shoulder. "Practice makes perfect."

Fin.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Big Steps

"So why isn't Wade joining us right now?" asked Sonic.

Team Sonic and Tom were driving towards a campsite in a local Montana forest. They'd been planning it for a while and everyone was excited.

"Wade promised he'd join us later," Tom replied. "He has some things with his mom he has to take care of."

"Yeah, I bet he's getting another talking to right now," Sonic guessed as Knuckles and Tails snickered.

"Well, sometimes Wade doesn't do all of his household duties," Tom admitted. "And when that happens, his mother always feels the need to say something. And she also makes him finish those chores before he can do anything else."

"Want me to run over there and clean up his room?" Sonic joked. "I can be back in this car in less than a minute."

"Nah, he's a big boy," Tom smiled. "Wade can take care of his own affairs."

oooo

"Agent Stone, the analysis is complete and this new battle unit is ready for testing," Sara told Agent Stone as the man sat down on his chair.

"This new android is one of the doctor's finest," Stone typed in some notes.

"With the new VR simulator, you'll be able to control its every action," promised Sara.

Stone went over to the large humanoid robot he had just recently finished up on and scrubbed off some dirt on its foot.

"So Sara, tell me where Sonic is right now," Stone requested.

"According to the drone that's following them, they are heading towards a campsite in Glacier National Park."

"I see, so they're getting in touch with nature," Agent Stone mused.

"Shall I deploy this new robot?" asked Sara.

"Actually, I've decided we're going to give our latest model a cosmetic makeover," Stone looked up at the hulking android. "Sara, do we still have those synthetic materials we use for some robots to disguise them as humans with skin and hair?"

"Those are available to you if you wish to utilize them."

"Great," Stone smiled. "Sonic and his friends are going to be quite the happy campers when they meet this guy."

oooo

"So Sonic, do you think you'll ever be able to achieve that super form again?" asked Tails as he helped set up the camp.

"Don't know," Sonic paused a second from setting up his tent at super-speed. "Honestly, I didn't think I was ready for their power. Who knows. Maybe those Chaos Emeralds will come back someday."

"Not gonna lie," Tom admitted. "I thought for a moment the Sonic we knew and loved was gone."

"I believed so too," Knuckles nodded. "But it appeared that Sonic had far better control than I imagined."

"You brought the wieners to roast, Tom?" asked Sonic.

"You know it, Sonic," Tom assured.

"So what kind of wild animals are out here?" asked Tails.

"Well, in Montana there are quite a few," Tom replied. "You could see mountain goats, bighorn sheep, brown bears, cougars, or wolverines."

"Any foxes out here?" asked Tails. "Of the Earth variety, I mean."

"There are several of those in Montana as well," Tom confirmed.

"I wonder if we will run into any bears out here," mused Knuckles.

"Possibly," Tom told them. "But on this trip, with you guys, I wouldn't worry too much about them. With the three of you here, this may possibly be the safest camping trip any guy has taken."

oooo

"Finally, she let me go," Wade grumbled as he drove his car towards Glacier National Park where he would meet up with Tom, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles for the camping trip.

It had taken him a while but finally he was done with his chores. His mother had been absolutely insistent that he get done with his business and would not let up on him.

Wade picked up his iPhone to make a call to Tom and tell him that he was almost there. However, after a single ring, there was no one to pick up on the other side.

"He probably doesn't have wifi," Wade muttered to himself as he put down the phone.

It made sense, after all. The rest of the gang were at a camping site where wifi was probably unheard of.

In the distance, Wade heard something resembling a roar.

"What was that?" Wade wondered aloud.

Suddenly, a giant hairy beast leaped in front of Wade's car, causing the policeman to scream and swerve his car off the side of the road, crashing into a ditch.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Wade's jaw dropped as he saw a large, hairy man-like beast roar at him at his side window.

Before him was indeed none other.

"B-Bigfoot!" Wade trembled as he tried to reach for a weapon.

The creature stared at him before leaping off into the distance into a wooded area with a leaping ability comparable to the Incredible Hulk.

After a few moments, Wade got out of the car despite his great fear and stared off into the distance where Bigfoot was headed.

"That's where the guys are!" Wade realized. "I better get there and warn them!"

As Wade reached for the car door, he then realized his car was completely stuck in a ditch and unable to get out. It would have to be something car insurance would have to take care of.

And his only other option to reach his friends would be to walk directly to their campsite.

"Aw, fishsticks," Wade complained.

oooo

"Wonder why Wade is so late?" Sonic scratched his head. "He was supposed to join us way before sundown."

"Wade's a good guy," Tom admitted. "But sometimes he has trouble making it to things on time. Doesn't happen all the time but he has his moments where he gets held up and either doesn't make it or makes it late."

"He is missing out," Knuckles gobbled down a s'more.

"So now that we're at the campfire," Tom told the group. "Who wants to start with some campfire stories?"

"Well… I can't think of too much," Tails admitted.

"I can't think of much either," Sonic acknowledged. "Tom, you've been on Earth longer than any of us. You probably know more scary stories and urban legends than the three of us combined."

"Yes Tom" Knuckles agreed. "Grace us with your knowledge of wilderness lore!"

"Well in that case," Tom nodded. "I can go first. Who here has heard of the story of Bigfoot?"

Of the three, only Sonic raised his hand. Unfortunately for Tails and Knuckles, they hadn't been on Earth long enough to learn about the creature.

"For beginners, Bigfoot is a cryptid," Tom informed them. "A cryptid is an alleged animal believed to exist by some but mainstream science does not accept their existence due to a severe lack of evidence in the fossil record, in finding bodies, and in photographic or video evidence."

"Oh, so we're basically cryptids," Sonic realized. "We're creatures who aren't accepted by mainstream science and as far as most people know, we don't exist."

"In a sense," Tom admitted. "Me and a handful of other people know you exist but as far as mainstream science is concerned, there's no real 'evidence' of you."

"Some people might consider us extraterrestrials," Tails roasted his marshmallow over the fire. "Technically, we are."

"Anyways, on to the story of Bigfoot," Tom continued. "Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is a large hairy ape said to inhabit North America and sightings are most common in the West Coast. Before Europeans arrived on the continent, Native American mythology often spoke about mysterious hairy creatures who dwelt in the wilderness. However, even as America as a country was formed, sightings of Bigfoot continued."

"Wonder why they never found Bigfoot," Tails whispered to Sonic.

"Excellent question, Tails," Tom pointed out. "There are some recorded footage out there of him like the Patterson-Gimlin film that recorded one allegedly. Beyond that, it's mostly been blurry photos and videos even into the modern age where you'd think we would finally have a clear shot of one."

"Why does that happen?" asked Tails.

"Well if I had to guess," Tom surmised. "I think the people who manage to get blurry photos of Bigfoot usually go on hikes not expecting Bigfoot so it's a big surprise when a Sasquatch shows up for real and most people are so frightened that they can't hold their cameras steady."

"You know, I bet I'd get the perfect photo of one if I got the chance," Sonic chewed on his foot.

Suddenly, Tails' eyes widened, as did Knuckles.

"S-Sonic," Tails stammered. "I think you might get your chance."

"Huh?" Sonic suddenly noticed a giant shadow fall over him under the campfire's light.

Sonic turned around. Behind him was a massive ape-like creature with brown fur and a gaping mouth full of fangs. It was much taller and bigger than Tom and just about any other man alive.

The Sasquatch brought its fist down on Sonic who quickly dodged as the giant creature smashed the log Sonic was sitting on.

"He's real!" Sonic gathered together with his teammates as Knuckles and Tails shielded Tom from behind.

"Speak of the Devil!" Tom's mouth widened.

"Fear not!" Knuckles growled. "I will take care of this insolent beast!"

Knuckles launched himself as Bigfoot, punching right at his face with a powerful blow. To his shock, however, Bigfoot caught the punch in mid-air and began squeezing.

"He… he is much stronger than I anticipated!" Knuckles grunted, struggling against the creature's grip with his own great strength.

Bigfoot quickly drove his other fist into Knuckles stomach to knock the wind out of the echidna and then kicked Knuckles directly in the face to send him skidding across the forest floor near Sonic and Tails.

Sonic was the next to leap into action with a spin attack, bouncing off multiple trees before striking at the giant monster. With a surprising agility, Bigfoot threw his arm up and struck Sonic in his spin dash mode, knocking the hedgehog into a tree.

"Omph!" Sonic coughed. "What's with this guy?! Does he have some kind of psychic agility or something?"

"I'm starting to wonder that myself," Tails analyzed the situation next to Tom. "This thing seems just a little too smart to be some kind of savage monster…"

oooo

"Hahaha!" Agent Stone laughed in the VR chamber where he commandeered the robotic Sasquatch's every move. "This is the moment I've been waiting for!"

Stone thrust his fist into the air. At the same time, the Bigfoot simultaneously punched Sonic, knocking him into Knuckles and Tails on the screen.

"This is getting good now," Stone grinned. "Doctor Robotnik will be avenged by my hands! And feet of course… can't forget about that now."

"Enjoying yourself, Agent Stone?" asked Sara.

"This is like shooting fish in a barrel!" Stone commanded the Sasquatch to backhand Tails aside in the heat of battle.

oooo

At that point, Team Sonic still in the heat of it. Knuckles came in, kicking Bigfoot across the face. After his head tilted back in an unnatural manner, Bigfoot snapped his head back into place and punched Knuckles away.

"Did you see the way his head snapped back?" asked Tails.

"Hmm, I do," Sonic muttered and then took one of his own quills out, handing it to Tails. "Tails, let's test out just how much of a real flesh and blood creature he is, shall we?"

Tails, nodded, understanding what Sonic wanted him to do.

Sonic ran forward and struck Bigfoot in the chest with a dropkick, causing the Sasquatch to momentarily stumble. Bigfoot then swung wildly at Sonic a few times.

"Can't touch this," Sonic continued dodging the hits at a super fast rate.

From behind, Tails came in, stabbing Bigfoot on the side of the shoulder with Sonic's quill. Rather than blood, Tails exposed only electricity and metal underneath the fur. Tails then got off and flew to Sonic's side before Bigfoot could grab him.

"Just as I suspected," Sonic noted. "Well guys, guess we don't have to worry about offing an endangered species anymore. Now then, guys… shall we?"

Sonic's eyes glowed as electricity crackled around him.

The cybernetic Sasquatch roared furiously and charged. Sonic ran forward at top speeds and before the creature could even react properly, channeled himself into a blue ball and spin dashed right through the giant robot's chest area, exposing the metal, wiring, and circuitry inside.

The robot Bigfoot stumbled back as Sonic regained his bearings. He then gave Knuckles the thumbs up.

Before the cybernetic Sasquatch could even recover, Knuckles came in next, punching the creature as hard as he could and taking off its head in one powerful blow.

"It would appear that the legend of Bigfoot was just a myth after all," Knuckles frowned, standing over the now destroyed robot.

"Too bad," Tails sighed.

"My guess is that Agent Stone is responsible," Sonic kicked the head a few times. "Stone, buddy! You in there?!"

Sonic got no response.

"He's probably drying his tears," Sonic remarked.

"Sonic! Guys!"

Tom and Team Sonic turned around to the voice. It was Wade who was drenched in sweat after running for who knows how long.

"Wade?" Tom looked surprised. "You made it!"

"I… just let me catch my breath," Wade huffed heavily.

"Take your time," Tom replied.

After a few minutes had passed and Wade drank down an entire water bottle offered to him by Tails, his breathing became steady.

"Oh man, I'm glad I made it here to warn you," Wade told them. "You see, my car got stuck in a ditch after Bigfoot attacked me and then I saw him heading to your direction and—"

It was then Wade noticed the destroyed Bigfoot robot.

"And… I see you took care of things," Wade noted.

"Sadly we didn't see the real thing," Tails shook his head.

"Well, now that you're here, Wade, we've still got a night of campfire stories and food," Tom informed his fellow officer. "What do you say we have some more fun for one night and tomorrow we'll go get your car out of the ditch?"

"Well, it couldn't hurt," Wade sat down.

"S'mores?" Knuckles offered.

oooo

"So how are we going to get the car out of the ditch again?" asked Wade as Tom drove towards the site where Wade's car was stuck. "I mean, we haven't even called insurance yet so a tow truck can come."

"Knuckles has got you covered," Tom promised as he drove closer to the site.

"Well, uh okay then," Wade noted the sharp protrusions on Knuckles' fists. "Just don't damage the paint."

"It will take but a few seconds," Knuckles promised.

"I see it up ahead," Sonic pointed out.

Tom parked the car as Wade and the whole team got out.

"Huh?" Wade glanced at the car curiously.

Somehow, the car had been lifted out of the ditch. Surprised by this turn of events, everyone walked closer towards the vehicle until a strong odor his their nostrils.

"What is that?!" Tails covered his nose.

"I don't know," Sonic grimaced. "But it smells like something died."

"I have not smelled something this bad since hunting down that fugitive on the garbage planet of Antilles Five," Knuckles covered his mouth in disgust.

"H-How did this happen?!" Wade looked at his car in surprise now that it was no longer in the ditch.

"Are those fingerprints on the car?" Tom took a closer look. "Wait, is that red hair I see on there?"

Suddenly, the sound of a rock falling off a mountain alerted Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails.

The three friends turned around and looked towards the nearby mountain. A large man-like creature with dark red hair and a white streak running down its head was walking up the mountain. It didn't take long before Sonic and his two companions realized what they were really seeing and how Wade's car got removed from the ditch.

As the creature continued walking, it turned around and looked at Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, staring at them with deep, intelligent eyes before reaching the top of the mountain and disappearing behind a few trees.

"Well, whaddya know," Tails finally smiled. "He really does exist."

"That's right Tails," Sonic put an arm around his little buddy. "Sometimes… seeing is believing."

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Swatted Part 1

“I sincerely hope this means the doctor is back,” Agent Stone walked towards another of Robotnik’s bases in North Dakota.

“One of the doctor’s bases has been activated,” Sara reminded him. “As for who did it, I cannot say.”

“Well, if Dr. Robotnik is back, this is cause for celebration,” Stone replied.

Robotnik’s assistant walked behind the mountain for the source of the disturbance.

“Whoa, what are these?” Stone glanced at the scene before him.

To his great shock, multiple androids were mining the minerals inside the mountain.

“D-Did the doctor do all of this?” Stone looked around.

All of the humanoid robots in the area were heavily armored with a grey and white color scheme to their bodies. They had dome-like heads with red visors and a sharp horn at the very top of those heads.

“Sara, run a diagnostic,” Stone whispered to Sara. “Did the doctor create these things and put them in storage for later?”

After a few seconds, Sara answered him.

“No, he did not, Agent Stone,” Sara informed him. “These were made from Dr. Robotnik’s technology and they use some of his schematics but the doctor did not make them himself.”

“Hmm,” Stone wondered aloud. “Who could have possibly—“

“Intruder alert!” one of the android looked at Stone. “Halt now or face termination!”

“Whoa there!” Stone raised both hands in the air. “I come in peace!”

Soon he found himself surrounded by the heavily armored robots.

“Um, who are you guys again?” Stone inquired.

“Silence!” one of the robots ordered. “Do not speak until the Major arrives!”

“The Major?” Agent Stone frowned.

“Yes, the Major,” a familiar voice rang out.

“Who… wait, I think I know you,” Agent Stone looked at the man who walked towards them.

“Bennington,” the man smiled. “Major Bennington… I never thought I’d see your little weasel face again, Stone.”

“Major Bennington?” Stone gasped. “What are you doing here? And what are you doing with the doctor’s resources? This is his base!”

“Ah yes,” Bennington cleared his throat. “You see, ever since Robotnik became persona-non-grata, I decided to look into some of what he had after getting the proper clearance. And this man has so many great toys! Toys I’ve decided to use for myself!”

“These are not yours to use!” Stone shouted.

At once, Agent Bennington slapped Agent Stone across the face.

“Ow!” Stone rubbed his cheek.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten how Robotnik publicly humiliated me in front of my men!” Bennington told him. “It’s been a dream of mine to pay him back someday but now that he’s gone… again… don’t think I won’t settle for you, Stone!”

“Why are you doing this?!” demanded Stone.

“It’s simple,” Bennington replied. “I’m a military man. It’s my job to weaponize revolutionary technology that men like Robotnik possess. And after researching some of this arrogant-but-brilliant man’s schematics, I created my own line of robotic soldiers.”

Major Bennington gestured towards all of the robots who surrounded Stone.

“I call them… Swat-Bots!” he declared proudly.

“Well, they are impressive,” admitted Stone. “But that doesn’t give you the right to poach Robotnik’s tech for yourself!”

“Hahaha!” Bennington laughed. “Are you in any position to do anything, Stone?”

It was then that Agent Stone realized he had come to this base with no backup. And he didn’t have any hired minions like the previous criminals and bounty hunters he had hired. Nor did he even bring a combat unit with him while Bennington possessed multiple combat units all around him.

“Ummm…” Stone fidgeted nervously.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” grinned Bennington.

“So, uh, what are you going to do with these robots?” asked Stone.

“I’m gonna take them for a test run,” Bennington said happily.

“I see,” Stone nodded. “Great, you go have fun with that…”

Stone tried to turn around and walk away but multiple Swat-Bots pointed their wrist guns at his face.

“Where do you think you’re going, buddy?” Bennington slapped Stone on the back. “The party’s just starting!”

“What have I gotten myself into?” Stone mumbled.

oooo

“You ready for this, Knux?” asked Sonic.

“I will destroy your fastball special with every fiber of my warrior spirit!” Knuckles growled.

“You got this, Knuckles,” Tom encouraged the echidna.

“Give it to ‘em fast, Sonic!” Tails cheered on.

“Get ready!” Sonic spun his arms around to build momentum.

Knuckles clenched his teeth as red electricity surrounded his body.

Sonic threw the ball at Knuckles at near full speed. The echidna swung with his bat and struck the ball, knocking it clear into the stratosphere.

“I think I can see it entering the stratosphere,” Tails continued looking up.

“Alright Tails, it’s your turn next,” Sonic told his little buddy.

Knuckles handed the bat to Tails as the fox readied himself.

“Ready?” asked Sonic.

“Ready,” Tails affirmed.

Sonic threw the ball and Tails swung, hitting it and sending it into the air. Not as far as Knuckles did but still far enough.

Just before Tails could take off running, however, a laser blast struck the ball in the air, destroying it completely.

“Whoa!” Tails was shocked.

“Halt! In the name of the law!”

Two humanoid robots clad in white and gray armor walked towards the baseball field.

“What are those things?” Maddie took a step back.

“They look like trouble,” Tom whispered.

“You there,” one Swat-Bot looked at Sonic. “Your energy signature matches the power source the Major is looking for. Come quietly now.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Sonic glared at the robot.

“You’ve got some nerve interrupting the sport that brings brothers together!” Knuckles growled.

“Targets have refused to come quietly,” the other Swat-Bot noted. “Excessive force is permitted.”

In an instant, Sonic and Knuckles were onto the Swat-Bots, punching them across the face at superspeed and knocking the two back into the fence.

“Capturing Sonic… denied,” Sonic smirked.

Suddenly, the two robots hummed back to life and blasted Sonic and Knuckles back with their wrist-mounted lasers.

“Omph,” Sonic got back up painfully. “These new robots really pack a punch.”

“We shall see about that,” Knuckles got up and charged one Swat-Bot, punching it across the face.

Not deterred in the least, the Swat-Bot punched back, hitting Knuckles across the cheek with an ironclad fist.

“I felt that,” Knuckles was surprised.

Knuckles tackled the robot to the ground, punching at it furiously. The Swat-Bot in return threw Knuckles off and just as the echidna charged again, blasted him in the stomach with a second wrist-laser.

“Who are you?” demanded Sonic as he ran in circles around his Swat-Bot dancing partner. “And why are you after me?!”

The Swat-Bot raised an arm as Sonic’s neck ran first into the robot’s iron grip.

“Ow… that hurt,” Sonic struggled.

The Swat-Bot held him firmly by the neck, lifting him up.

“You are wanted by the Major,” the robot answered.

“The Major, huh?” Sonic mused. “Doesn’t sound like Agent Stone this time.”

Sonic spun his legs at super-speed, kicking the robot dozens of times across the head and forcing him to let go. After that, the Swat-Bot aimed his wrist lasers at Sonic and fired multiple times but the hedgehog dodged all the blasts.

The hedgehog came in like blue blur, striking the Swat-Bot from all sides and raining punches on him. The Swat-Bot took the initial brunt of the blows but his scans helped him adjust to Sonic’s attack patterns.

“Attack pattern confirmed,” the Swat-Bot announced and punched just at the right time, catching Sonic in the middle of his attack routine and sending the hedgehog skidding across the ground.

The Swat-Bot pointed his wrist laser at Sonic and fired.

“Sonic, no!”

Suddenly, Tails got between Sonic and the Swat-Bot, taking the full brunt of the blast and getting knocked back.

“Tails!” Sonic cried out.

Knuckles stopped what he was doing and looked at Tails in shock.

“You…” Sonic glared at the Swat-Bot as blue electricity surrounded him.

“You do not lay hands on the fox!” Knuckles growled, dodging a punch from his Swat-Bot dance partner.

Knuckles leaped over the Swat-Bot and grabbed him by the helmet, pulling with all his might, ripping the Swat-Bot’s domed head off its body.

As Knuckles threw the head to the floor, Sonic ran towards his target, dodging the robot’s laser blasts.

“Nobody touches my pal!” Sonic cried out.

The next thing the Swat-Bot saw was Sonic turning into a blue ball of energy. And the next thing he knew, Sonic had spin dashed right through his chest.

“Self-repair activate—”

Before the robot could even try to repair himself, Sonic came in with multiple more spin dashes, shredding the Swat-Bot to pieces.

“Tails, are you alright?” Knuckles held Tails by the head.

“Hang in there with me, buddy,” Sonic went over as well.

Tails finally looked up after he became conscious again and coughed.

“Hehe, just a flesh wound guys,” the fox smiled. “I’ll be alright.”

“Hey,” Tom came up to the trio. “I’ve got some bad news. Something’s going down in our town square.”

Tom revealed Wade’s face on the iPhone.

“Hey guys,” Wade told Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. “This is huge. A big time army guy has declared martial law basically. And nobody is to leave the town limits for who knows how long.”

“Who is he and what does he want?” asked Tom.

“We’re not sure but he’s demanding everyone make their way to the town square,”

“Alright, let’s go give this guy the welcome he deserves,” Sonic cracked his knuckles.

“Wait Sonic,” Tom told his adoptive son. “Before, those two robots said you were the energy signature they were after.”

“Yeah, this could be a trap,” added Maddie. “Just to be safe, Tom and I will go there to see what’s up. After that, we’ll call you guys and let you know what’s going on.”

Sonic looked at Tails and Knuckles reluctantly. He wanted to there and give the “Major” a piece of his mind but also realized Tom was probably right about the whole thing being a setup.

“We’ll be fine,” Tails promised. “We’ll hide in the woods and wait for you guys to call us.”

“Alright, stay safe guys,” Tom told them.

oooo

In the middle of the town square, Tom and Maddie gathered together with the crowd. Nearly everyone was there.

But unlike the usual festive town gathering like Christmas or New Years, the entire town was swarmed by imposing Swat-Bots and a small smattering of human army soldiers. At the center was Major Bennington surrounded by his robots and Agent Stone sitting in a chair uncomfortably.

“Hmm,” Tom struggled to get a closer look. “Isn’t that Robotnik’s assistant? I could’ve sworn I recognized him from somewhere.”

“He don’t look too happy to be here,” Maddie noted. “I see that frown on his face.”

“Maybe this Major used him to create these robots?” Tom guessed.

Before the couple could continue talking, Major Bennington took to the podium.

“Ahem!” Major Bennington announced. “I would like everyone’s undivided attention please!”

“Hey Major!” Stone suddenly raised his voice, interrupting him. “I don’t want to interrupt but my cuffs are too tight. Do you think you could loosen them some?”

Major Bennington sighed and turned to Agent Stone.

“I’m sorry Stone,” Bennington smiled insincerely. “But as a wise man once said… based on critical importance, there’s a certain disparity between us that’s too vast to quantify. Request… DENIED!”

Stone groaned with displeasure as Bennington turned back to his mic.

“Now as I was saying,” Bennington spoke before the literally captive audience. “I am Major Bennington of the United States Army. And right now, I am on a mission of critical importance to national security. As of now, I cannot share with you every detail of my mostly classified mission but just know that it is related to UFO activity in this area. Until my mission objectives are complete, I am afraid that this town must remain under martial law.”

Bennington noted the looks of consternation on the townsfolk.

“Temporary martial law, I might add,” Bennington reassured everyone. “This will not be permanent and my garrison of aptly-named Swat-Bots will leave once all of this is over. I assure everyone.”

“Uh, Major?”

“Ugh, what is it now, Stone?” Bennington turned around angrily.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Stone told him. “Do you think you could escort me to the boy’s room?”

Bennington looked around briefly before getting back to Stone.

“There’s some bushes over there,” he pointed out. “Swat Unit 6, go escort Stone to do his business.”

“Wait, he’s gonna be watching me?” Stone pointed towards the large Swat-Bot next to him. “And you’re making me use the bushes?!”

When you gotta go, you gotta go,” Bennington smiled and gave his Swat-Bot the signal.

The Swat-Bot took the protesting Agent Stone and dragged him off the stage.

“No, wait!” Stone cried. “Can’t I use the port-a-potty at least?!”

“Just as a reminder,” Bennington told the rest of the nervous crowd. “While I’m here, there’s gonna be a ten o’clock curfew for the entire town. Sleep tight, everyone.”

oooo

At night, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails waited patiently in the woods outside the baseball field.

Before long, their iPhone rang.

“Tom?” Tails picked up.

“Well guys, the bad news is that the entire town is under surveillance,” Tom warned them. “The Major is occupying this town due to ‘UFO’ activity. In other words, he’s probably after you guys.”

“No good news?” asked Sonic.

“I… don’t know if this could be interpreted as good news,” Tom told them. “But so far, this Major seems to have no idea that anyone in the town is harboring you guys.”

“Then we still have the element of surprise,” Tails realized.

“That could change,” Tom reminded them. “I saw Agent Stone as a captive of the Major and I’m not sure if he’s spilled anything or not. But judging from how Stone’s being treated, he probably doesn’t feel like giving the Major any advantages.”

“Do you have any idea where the Major could be staying tonight?” asked Sonic.

“Best guess is the town hall,” Tom told them. “But guys, I don’t know if confronting him head-on is the best idea. After our issues with GUN, I don’t know if we want to get into another dispute with a government that could decide it wants to put you on a dissection table one day.”

“This will be a reconnaissance mission,” Tails tried to persuade Tom. “Sonic and Knuckles will bring me there and I’ll use my tech to listen in on the Major to see what he’s up to. We’ll do our best to stay out of conflict.”

Tom looked torn for a second, not knowing if he should give the yes or no in this situation. After a few moments of indecision, he looked back at the three.

“Okay,” Tom finally relented. “But reconnaissance only. You find out what’s going on and you bail. Besides, they can’t keep the town under martial law forever. They’ll have to leave eventually.”

“Okay guys,” Sonic looked at Tails and Knuckles. “Let’s do this.”

Author’s Note: Since Major Bennington didn’t get many lines or development in the first movie, I decided to just give him Damien Darhk’s personality from the Arrowverse.

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Swatted Part 2

"Sir, I don't know if G.U.N. will approve of this or not," one of the human soldiers told Major Bennington in his newly occupied town hall office.

"Once I'm done here, I don't think G.U.N. will get to have much to say," Bennington told the major. "So all of this is to be kept hush-hush, alright?"

The soldier looked a little hesitant.

Bennington motioned with his hand. Two menacing Swat-Bots surrounded the soldier.

"I… yes sir,"

"Good, you're dismissed, soldier," Bennington smiled.

After the soldier left, Bennington looked at the two Swat-Bots in front of him. One major advantage to his new soldiers is that they would follow orders totally and absolutely, a quality that was lacking in his human soldiers.

"Now," Bennington opened up his laptop to look at the security cameras for the entire town. "Let's see what activities we can find, shall we?"

oooo

"Is… is that who I think it is?" Sonic looked at the window.

He, Knuckles, and Tails were all hiding in a tree after having snuck past the security detail of Swat-Bots.

"Surely you jest," Knuckles narrowed his eyes.

"No, it's really him," Tails took a closer look with his binoculars at the second story room in the townhouse.

"Since we need information, why not talk to him?" suggested Sonic.

"Can we get inside quietly enough?" asked Tails.

Using his superspeed, Sonic ran up the building, undid the screws to the window, entered the room, and tied Stone up with a blindfold around his mouth before he could even react. Then he motioned for Tails and Knuckles to follow him.

"Mmmph!" Stone looked at the three in fear.

"Promise not to scream after we remove this from your mouth?" asked Sonic.

"A Knuckle sandwich should be enough incentive not to raise your voice," Knuckles banged both his fists together to intimidate Stone.

Quietly, Stone nodded. After that, Sonic removed the cloth from his mouth.

"So ready to tell us what the US Army is doing here with a bunch of killer robot soldiers?" demanded Sonic.

"One of those robots hurt the fox, so you had better not be working with them," Knuckles glared at Stone.

"You… you think I'm working with Bennington?" Stone nearly laughed.

"You're not working with him?" Tails looked confused.

"On the contrary," Stone explained. "I was on a recon mission because one of the Doctor's bases had been compromised somehow. So I drive over there and who do I see but Major Bennington having stolen the Doctor's genius to create these… abominations Bennington refers to as Swat-Bots."

"I dunno, these new Swat-Bots seem like something Robotnik would mass-produce," Sonic disagreed.

"If you ask me, Bennington just put his personal touch on the Swat-Bots," Tails agreed.

"So what are you doing here exactly?" Knuckles pointed at Stone.

"Because, my dim-witted space porcupine," Stone answered, "Bennington took me hostage and decided to make me be a captive audience to his military conquests."

"So we're supposed to believe you're the victim here," Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Believe it," Stone replied. "And while you're at it, believe me when I say Major Bennington is here for you, probably so he can take you three to Area 51 for non-elective surgery."

"So what're we supposed to do?" Sonic looked at Stone. "Work together against a greater threat?"

"Robotnik was a back-stabber," Knuckles gestured at Stone. "And this man who follows him is cut from the same cloth!"

"Fine, so the Doctor was only using you, Knuckles," Stone conceded. "But this situation is different. I'm using you to get free from Bennington. But you're also using me to liberate your town from his Swat-Bots. We're mutually using each other this time. It's not so one sided this time around. Does that sound like a more acceptable situation?"

"It's your call Sonic," Tails looked at his friend.

Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal several Swat-Bots.

"Intruder alert! Extra heat signatures in Agent Stone's room detected!" the robot declared.

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" Stone cried out loud. "They were here to kill me!"

Sonic glared at Stone angrily.

"Surrender immediately or—"

Immediately, Knuckles leaped into action and caved in the robot's face with a punch. The other Swat-Bots opened fire but in such a confined space and in crowded numbers, they were much less effective.

Knuckles punched at them over and over again until the last Swat-Bot had fallen.

"Is the hall clear?" asked Sonic.

"Clear," Knuckles looked around.

"Oh, my heroes!" Stone changed his tune again. "I'm glad you saved me from that horrible Bennington and his Swat-Bots!"

Sonic looked like he wanted to spin-dash Stone's head off.

"Stone," Sonic gritted his teeth. "Not another word."

Slowly, the sound of clapping could be heard.

"My, that was a great performance!"

"Oh no," Stone realized. "It's him…"

Major Bennington appeared down the hall with two of his soldiers, smiling as he walked.

"You know Sonic, I've always wanted to personally meet you," Bennington compliments. "But G.U.N. wouldn't see fit to allow me in on Operation: Catfish. So I decided to take matters into my own hands."

"G.U.N. isn't after me anymore," Sonic told Bennington. "Or did they change their mind?"

"No, I'm operating independently," Bennington promised. "But I guarantee that just like those guys, I also have the best interests of the world at heart."

"If you have the world's best interests, why have you declared martial law on this town?" demanded Sonic.

"Oh, it's for everyone's good," Bennington promised in a tone that did not convince the trio. "You see, Sonic, you've got a lot of untapped potential… potential that can cause a lot of havoc if not used properly. So I've got a proposal. You and your friends hitch a ride with me and I'll bring all of you to a secure facility where we can study you, monitor you, and even help you control your powers to better acclimate you to this world."

"Hard pass," Sonic told him. "I've already been controlling and testing my powers since that day and you haven't seen anymore blackouts since."

Major Bennington's smile vanished.

"And what's more, your Swat-Bots are occupying this town that I call home and worse, they hurt Tails," Sonic pointed a finger at the Major. "So forgive me if I don't buy your offer of giving me a new home gym."

"I see," Bennington frowned. "Well that's unfortunate."

"I suggest you take my offer and leave town," Sonic declared.

"Well, I would," Bennington crossed both arms. "But I do have a mission and that's to bring you in… by any means necessary."

"So it's gonna be that way, huh?" Sonic's eyes glowed.

"It is," Bennington gestured with both hands. "Come and get some, little guy."

Sonic ran forth with the intention of punching Bennington with just enough force to knock him out. However, before he could even reach his target, the ceiling above him gave way as a large, imposing robot landed on the ground.

"What?!" Sonic's eyes widened.

The massive robot quickly smacked Sonic away with a backhand.

"I was afraid it would come to this," Bennington walked in front of the robot.

The massive 'bot resembled all the other Swat-Bots, except this one was much larger and more imposing. And rather than the usual white and gray color scheme, this Swat-Bot robot was largely black in color.

Soon, its chest opened up as Agent Bennington climbed inside and completely armored up.

"Meet the ultimate Swat-Bot," Bennington told the three. "Moi."

Sonic got back up and rubbed his face.

"I hope you boys are ready," Bennington told them cheerfully. "Because I am ready to SWAT some ASS!"

Sonic and Tails looked at Bennington strangely. Then they looked at each other and snickered as Knuckles shook his head at Bennington.

"What?!" Bennington sounded aghast. "Do I need to work on my dialogue?"

"Yeah, you kinda do," Sonic told him, holding back some laughter.

"Well no matter," Bennington raised his robotic arm. "All of you are coming back to Area 51 with me dead or alive!"

Knuckles came in first and punched at Bennington's armored frame. Immediately, Knuckles got sent flying back by a red energy shield that appeared the minute he struck at the Major.

"What?!" Knuckles was surprised.

"Oh yeah, I equipped this Swat-Bot armor with just the right auto-shields," Bennington told them. "You see, my team of scientists researched the amount of energy you, Sonic, generated with your little blackout and built my power suit to be able to withstand all that and more."

Bennington unveiled an arm cannon and began firing at Sonic and his friends.

All three extraterrestrial animals avoided the blasts and went wide.

Sonic bounced off the walls and struck at Bennington with multiple spin dashes. But every time he bounced off the robotic armor's auto-shields which were able to repel all his attacks. It was at that point he realized Bennington hadn't exaggerated his suit's abilities at all.

Bennington grabbed Sonic in mid-air and slammed him against the wall.

"Agh!" Sonic screamed.

Bennington then used his other arm to open fire on Tails. Tails rolled across the ground to avoid the blast and grabbed a rifle from a destroyed Swat-Bot. He opened fire on Bennington multiple times but the auto-shields repelled those attacks as well.

Knuckles came in from behind, punching at Bennington.

While inside Bennington's robotic hand, Sonic went into spin-dash mode again, carving at the auto-shields.

"Sir, your shields are steadily dropping," Bennington's AI told him. "I recommend ending this battle before your enemies can break through."

Bennington frowned, realizing his computer was right. He had configured the robot only for a battle against Sonic, but not Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails all at once.

Bennington turned around and blasted Knuckles with an eye laser from the Swat-Bot's visor. He then turned around and let go of Sonic, punching him against a wall.

Tails came in blasting at him with the laser rifle but Bennington fired a capture net that struck Tails, capturing him and blasting him with multiple volts of electricity.

"Aaaaahhh!" Tails screamed.

"Tails!" Sonic rushed at Bennington.

Thanks to his large frame, Bennington noticed both Sonic and Knuckles coming at him but they did not see each other due to the Swat-Bot's size.

"Perfect timing," Bennington leaped into the air as both Sonic and Knuckles ran straight into each other and got knocked back.

Immediately Bennington took advantage of the situation, coming down and slamming his boot down on Knuckles to smash the echidna's face into the ground.

As Knuckles got up again, Bennington fired a capture net at him, knocking him out with electricity again.

"Bennington!"

Bennington turned around as Sonic came in directly at him with his strongest spin dash by far. Sonic hit him right on the chest, forcing Bennington back. The auto-shields held back the ferocious assault but Sonic was still gaining ground.

"Shields dropping," the AI told Bennington. "Seventy five percent and falling."

"Re-route all power to the right hand," Bennington ordered.

As Bennington was pressed to the very edge of the building, he realized he now had enough power to the finishing blow.

With nearly all the suit's power re-routed to his fist, Bennington felt the pulsating energy in the robot's hand. He then unleashed his own punch, slamming Sonic down into the ground with a tremendous amount of force that left a crater in the ground.

"Whoo, what a rush!" Bennington cried.

He looked down. Sonic was now unconscious. And so were Tails and Knuckles.

"It took quite a lot of money to come up with the tech to match you," Bennington said to the unconscious Sonic. "That's more military spending than some countries, you know! I just hit you with the same amount of energy you used to blackout a part of this nation!"

Agent Stone peered out of his room nervously after the devastation.

"Hey Stone!" Bennington waved. "Pretty good job, if I do say to myself, huh?"

"You… you definitely got the job done," Stone admitted.

"In fact, I've done something your precious doctor could never do," Bennington pointed out. "I actually beat Sonic and his little friends. Has Robotnik ever done that?"

"No…" Stone admitted reluctantly.

"Bingo!" Bennington cried out. "Face it, Agent Stone! You've been outclassed… out-foxed… out-gunned!"

"So what now?" asked Stone.

"Well it's simple," Bennington answered. "Tomorrow I announce to the town that martial law is over. Then I take these three to Area 51. Oh, and you'll be coming with me as a prisoner too, Stone. Can't leave any loose ends with Robotnik's sidekick."

"Oh, okay," Stone grumbled.

"Go back to your room and get some sleep Stone," Bennington told him. "Tomorrow you've got a long trip with these three."

"As you wish," Stone said quietly so as to not rouse suspicion in the Major.

As Major Bennington walked off with unconscious bodies of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, Stone slunk quietly back into his room.

He looked around the room and opened up the cabinets. Inside was what he was looking for, a phone book for the local residents.

He flipped through several pages until he found what he wanted.

"Here it is," Stone whispered.

Agent Stone peeked around outside again to make sure nobody was outside before going back to his room.

"Alright," Stone dialed the number on the phone.

After a short while, the particular resident he was looking for answered the phone.

"Hello, Wachowski residence?" asked Agent Stone.

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Swatted Part 3

"So you're just going to take me to Area 51?" asked Stone.

"Pretty much," Bennington admitted.

"But I'm human," Stone pointed out. "I don't belong on a dissection table!"

"You're right," Major Bennington look at him. "You don't. But the deserts surrounding Area 51 are very vast and isolated. I imagine it'll take three to four days for the vultures to totally pick you dry and one month until there's nothing left of you."

Agent Stone gulped.

"Trust me, Robotnik insulting me like that was the last mistake he'll ever make," Bennington informed him.

"But I'm not Robotnik! I wasn't the one who did that to you!" Stone protested.

"You're right," Bennington answered. "But Ivo is gone and you're the closest thing to him I can take it out on, so there's that."

Stone looked around as he was put in the same military van as the unconscious Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

"Is what you're doing even authorized?" asked Stone.

"No it's not," Bennington acknowledged. "But that's why I brought more Swat-Bots than human soldiers for this mission. They follow orders to the T!"

Stone looked down at a laptop in Bennington's possession. It looked familiar, like something he had seen before. Then it hit him.

"Hey, that's one of Robotnik's laptops!" Stone recognized. "That's not yours!"

"It is now!" Bennington smiled. "In any case, Agent Stoner, I gotta go give a farewell speech to the townspeople and skadoosh out of this bum-ass town! Hahaha!"

Stone looked out the window in despair as Bennington walked off.

"Aww, man," Stone groaned.

One human soldier was stationed next to the convoy he was in. Suddenly, out of the blue, an electrical net sprung out and enveloped the soldier, electrocuting him and knocking him out.

Maddie first emerged, holding one of the weapons from Tails' backpack, soon followed up by Tom.

"You're lucky you told us Sonic's location," Tom told him. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have come."

"C'mon, don't I get any respect for helping save your three furry children?" demanded Stone.

"Thank you," Maddie told Stone as she got the keys from the downed guard. "Now don't push your luck."

Maddie opened up the doors.

"Out," Tom pointed a finger at Stone.

"Okay okay," Stone stepped out. "Sheesh. Is it me or am I detecting a sincere lack of trust here?"

"Well, you have tried to kill our three furry children before," Maddie said to Stone. "So maybe that's why?"

"Point taken," Stone huffed.

Maddie and Tom got Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails out of their cages.

"Sonic, talk to me buddy," Tom held the blue hedgehog.

"Ugh… donut lord?"

"Good to have you back with us, Sonic," Tom smiled.

"Well, once the Major finds out these three escaped," Stone pointed out, "the martial law over this town is never gonna end."

"That's gonna be a problem," admitted Tom. "So what do we do?"

Sonic shook his head as both Knuckles and Tails also came to.

"Bennington's power suit was more than Knuckles and I could handle," Sonic strategized. "We need some way to get around its auto-shields."

"You know, I think I can help with that," Stone pointed out. "You see, most of Bennington's tech is based off Robotnik's designs and technology. Bennington has one of the doctor's laptops and if I were to get it, we could maybe hack the suit so that it can't generate anymore forcefields."

"Hacking?" Tails realized this was something in his forte. "I can get the job done!"

oooo

"Alright, good people of Green Hills," Bennington smiled insincerely as he took the podium before the crowd. "I can assure you that our mission is now over and as of now, so is the martial law. You may go back peaceably to your lives, with my blessings."

The crowd looked at each other with some relief but also some skepticism.

"Wrong-o."

"Who said that?" Bennington turned around.

Suddenly, a blue spin dash took off the heads of an entire platoon of his Swat-Bots. A second spin-dash attack took out another dozen Swat-Bots, piercing through their chests like hot butter.

"What?!" Bennington screamed.

Sonic appeared right before Bennington.

"This little occupation of yours was never legal to begin with," Sonic told him.

"Is that true?!" Wade in the audience demanded.

"I can confirm it," Stone stepped out. "Bennington was never given approval for this mission. He told me himself."

Bennington looked around.

"Now folks," Bennington smiled. "I'm a Major in the United States Army. Who are you going to trust? Some little blue alien and a washed up never-been like Stone?"

"This little blue alien has saved our lives before!" Wade pointed out. "Sonic has every right to stay here!"

"Sonic stays! Sonic stays!" the crowd chanted.

Bennington's smile finally cracked.

"I see insubordination is a virtue to you people," he frowned. "But no matter what, Sonic is my mission and I'm going to take him, whether or not you people like it!"

A rock was thrown from the audience and hit a Swat-Bot's visor.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Bennington looked at the gathered crowd. "Swat-Bots, let 'em have it!"

Another legion of Swat-Bots raised their wrist-blasters but Knuckles appeared from the side, punching one of them hard enough to knock the rest down like dominos and preventing them from shooting the audience.

"You're going down, Bennington!" Sonic pointed a finger at the Major.

"We'll see about that," Bennington quickly disappeared behind two Swat-Bots.

Soon, the crowd surged forth, taking advantage of Knuckles' distraction to strike and hit the Swat-Bots with baseball bats, crowbars, and anything else they had that was readily available.

"Alright Knux, let's find Bennington," Sonic told the echidna.

"I'm right here," a large black Swat-Bot landed right behind the two and punched downwards.

Both Sonic and Knuckles leaped out of the way and faced the Major in his power armor.

"We've cracked open Robotnik's creations before," Sonic promised. "And we'll crack open your tin can too!"

"Be that as it may," Bennington looked at the two. "Robotnik's last robot in this town was too massive and unwieldy to be efficient. I, on the other hand, am focused on what gets the job done."

Bennington began firing at the two who dodged the blasts.

Sonic spin-dashed Bennington's Swat-Bot armor from a few angles but bounced off all the shields.

"And unlike Robotnik, I actually installed auto-shields for my 'bots," Bennington gloated.

Bennington smacked Sonic away as Knuckles came in with several blows at the torso. The Major lifted his robotic leg and kicked Knuckles into a nearby building.

"You want a little truth bomb!" Bennington grinned like a manchild. "My Swat-Bot is DA BOMB!"

Suddenly, Bennington was pelted from behind by several rocks being thrown by Sonic at near light-speed.

"You really need to know when to stop talking," Sonic continued throwing. "Because your material is CRINGE!"

Bennington noticed his shields dropping from the sheer velocity of the stones being thrown at him.

"We'll see how cringe I am when you're on the dissection table!" Major Bennington screamed.

At once, the shoulders on his Swat-Bot opened up to unveil multiple heat-seeking missiles.

"Dodge this, you alien pieces of trash!" Bennington screamed as all the missiles unloaded.

"Incoming!" Sonic cried.

Both he and Knuckles got out of the way as the missiles launched towards them, exploding on the ground as the two got out of the way.

oooo

In spite of all the carnage and the fighting, Agent Stone managed to grab on to Robotnik's laptop that Major Bennington had stolen from the doctor.

Looking around, he noticed that nobody was paying attention to him and slowly began to walk away.

Before he could get far, however, a grappling hook wrapped itself around his legs and tripped him to the floor.

"Agh!" Stone cried. "What was that?!"

In front of him were two Swat-Bots.

"Uh oh," Stone grimaced.

However, two laser blasts took them out. Behind him, Stone noticed that Tails was there. He was the one who had saved him.

"You're not seriously running away, are you?" demanded Tails.

"Uh… no?" Stone looked around nervously.

"Good, because we're going to need that laptop," Tails to him. "If Bennington based his tech on Robotnik's designs, then it can be hacked using Robotnik's laptop."

Stone noted Sonic and Knuckles engaging Bennington in combat. So far, neither of them had been able to get past Bennington's powerful force fields.

And considering how Bennington had captured and humiliated him, Stone decided that revenge would be better than simply running away.

"I suppose it's plausible," Stone finally set down the laptop and opened it up. "By the way, I'm not really a hacking expert. Do you have any idea how to—"

"I'm already on it," Tails told him.

At once, the fox got down and began typing. Before long, he reached his goal.

"I'm getting there," Tails whispered. "Just one more…"

"Access denied," the laptop's AI told the fox. "DNA signature of Ivo Robotnik required."

"DNA signature?" Tails groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me! And I've already gotten this far!"

"You need a DNA signature?" Stone asked.

"That's what it requires," Tails frowned.

"I… think I may have the solution," Stone finally said.

"What do you mean?" asked Tails.

Stone reached inside his vest and pulled out a black glove.

"What's this?" Tails inquired.

"It's one of the doctor's gloves that I've always kept as a memory of him," Stone turned the glove inside-out. "This one has the DNA prints we need."

Stone held the glove right before the laptop as the AI began scanning it through the camera.

"DNA signature… confirmed," the laptop finally conceded.

Tails grimaced. "Stone… thanks. You're a real weirdo but… thank you."

The fox immediately got back to hacking as soon as the right window opened up for him.

"And now for the rest of these Swat-Bots," Tails pressed down on a button.

At once, all the Swat-Bots in the area began malfunctioning. One after another, they fell down after being hacked.

"Okay Stone, now we can—"

Suddenly, Tails glanced back. Agent Stone was no longer there.

"Guess he's not gonna be coming over for ribs anytime soon," Tails rolled his eyes.

oooo

"Face it guys," Bennington mocked. "You'll never get through these shields!"

Bennington raise a mechanical fist and brought it down as both Sonic and Knuckles leaped out of the way.

"Robotnik has never brought it to you this hard, has he?" demanded the Major.

Suddenly, the AI in Bennington's Swat-Bot began beeping rapidly.

"Warning. Shields dropping."

"What?!" Bennington cried aloud.

"Shields gone. Evasive maneuvers recommended."

"No… no!" Bennington screamed. "What's going on?!"

"Hey!" Tails waved from the side with the laptop.

"Oh, hell no!" Bennington realized what had happened.

Suddenly, a powerful fist from Knuckles connected to his chest. Immediately Bennington in his armor was rocked back from the punch.

Sonic came in second, spin-dashing the robotic armor from all sides, denting it and damaging it from every angle.

"No, this can't be!" Bennington opened fire at the two.

Sonic dodged a blast as Knuckles came in, kicking the robot and sending Bennington stumbling back. Sonic spin dashed Bennington, sending him stumbling forth as Knuckles upper-cutted the robot and sent him flying into the air.

Bennington crashed into the ground. He realized he needed to do something quick or else he would be overwhelmed.

"This isn't over!" he screamed.

As both Sonic and Knuckles came in close, he emerged from the rubble and backhanded the two away.

"Eat this!" Bennington fired another laser at the two who avoided it.

"I have an idea," Knuckles told Sonic. "Without his shields, I believe I can remove his protection. But you must strike when he is vulnerable!"

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Sonic.

Bennington fired again but this time, Knuckles slid underneath is Swat-Bot's legs, Knuckles then leaped onto Bennington's back, punching both his fists into the Swat-Bot's domed helmet, ripping through it as Bennington gasped, seeing the sharp protrusions from Knuckles' fist dig right into his suit.

Grabbing hold of the Swat-Bot helmet, Knuckles began to pull with all his might as Bennington used his mechanical fists to pound at Knuckles.

"Aaaagh!" Knuckles screamed, pulling with all his might.

Finally, Knuckles ripped the helmet straight off of the massive power suit, exposing Bennington's very human face. As the echidna fell down with the helmet in his hands, he turned to Sonic.

"Sonic, now!" Knuckles cried.

Sonic rushed forth with no need of anymore instruction.

"Stay away!" Bennington cried.

Bennington punched at Sonic with his massive mechanical arm but Sonic somersaulted over it and ran up the arm right towards Bennington's exposed head.

Before Bennington could even register what was happening to him, Sonic struck him with a devastating punch into his right cheek, hitting him with more than enough power to knock out a human male of Major Bennington's size and durability.

Bennington could not even make any noise in that moment because everything happened so fast. The sheer force of the punch sent his neck snapping back as the Army Major fell down alongside his mechanical suit completely unconscious and barely able to cry out in pain.

"Who knew you had a glass jaw underneath all that military spending?" Sonic stood over the fallen Major as he and Knuckles fist-bumped

oooo

In the aftermath of the battle, multiple G.U.N. soldiers were sweeping up the Swat-Bots.

"We're sorry this happened," Commander Walters told Sonic and co. "Major Bennington's actions have not been authorized in any capacity and we'll see to it that he faces justice."

"That's good," Tom crossed his arms. "Bennington wanted to take Sonic and his friends to Area 51. I hope you're not thinking the same right now."

"Uh, no, not at all," Walters looked down, embarrassed. "Mistakes were made and we acted on faulty intelligence previously."

"Right, like catfishing my sister," Maddie glared at him.

Before the conversation could get more awkward, Sonic stepped in.

"So what happens to Bennington?" Sonic asked.

"I assure you he will be court-martialed and properly confined," promised Walters. "I want to thank you, Sonic, for stopping this madman. Who knows what more damage he could've caused with his new combat units."

"Well, we stopped the Major and saved the town," Sonic shrugged. "You know what I call that?"

"What?" asked Tails.

"I call that a good day."

oooo

Sitting in his containment cell, Bennington looked at the dark corners of the room frantically.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," the ex-Major gritted his teeth. "Everything was supposed to go down as I planned it!"

Bennington had overseen prisoners before, on both the battlefield and at home. And being confined always took a heavy psychological toll on those being held. He witnessed it firsthand.

However, he never counted on the possibility that he would be added to those ranks.

"Perhaps it does not have to end this way," a raspy voice whispered.

"Who's there?" asked Bennington.

The lights went off for a brief second and then came back on again to reveal a robed figure in a hood. Out of the corner of his eye, Bennington swore he saw a centipede crawl out of the man's sleeve and onto the ground.

"And you are?" Bennington suddenly forgot about his predicament to focus on the stranger.

"Call me a friend," the figure replied. "Serve me and I will free you. I will give you power beyond your wildest dreams."

It was a pretty big promise. And had this man offered him this at any other time, Bennington would have laughed at him. Looking around his cell, however, Bennington suddenly realized just how limited his options were.

"Hahahahaha!" Bennington laughed. "Mister, you've got yourself a deal!"

"Good," the figure made a single gesture with his wrist.

At once the door opened up.

Cautiously, Bennington walked out.

"I can just go?" the ex-Major asked. "What about G.U.N.? What about the Pentagon?"

"They will concern you no longer," the stranger promised. "I will restore you to your station and everything you've lost. In return, you will aid me in everything I ask."

"Well, what have I got to lose?" Bennington smiled and began walking with his new savior.

The End?

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

A Night at the Carnival

"So what'd I tell you?" a bearded hippie with sunglasses at night asked.

"You… you were not lying!" Knuckles took another sniff. "This is out of this world!"

At the summer carnival, both Knuckles and a local hippie were sitting down on the bench and chatting.

"Why did my family not tell me about this wonderful plant earlier?!" Knuckles laughed as smoke filled the air. "This so-called pot that you had me try is so good!"

"I dunno man," the hippie shrugged. "Maybe they grew up as 90s D.A.R.E. kids or something."

"But this experience is so wonderful!" Knuckles chuckled. "I do not see why Tom or Maddie would be against me doing this!"

"Hey man, I don't got the answer to that," the hippie patted Knuckles on the shoulder as he continued his pot-smoking session with the echidna. "Some people wanna be judgmental and tell other how to live their lives. But this… this is the way."

"This is the way?" Knuckles stared at the bearded man blankly.

"This is the way," the hippie nodded.

"DIS IS DE WAY!" Knuckles cried out happily.

Suddenly, the euphoric and drug-induced high came to an end as Knuckles noticed Maddie standing right before him.

"Uh…" Knuckles suddenly began to sweat.

"Is that… is that Maddie?" the hippie asked nervously.

"Knuckles, what do you think you're doing?" Maddie crossed her arms.

"Uh… I will show you de way?" Knuckles swallowed nervously.

"Get up," Maddie told him. "Now."

Despite how high he had become, Knuckles still had enough sense to get to his feet woozily.

"Come with me, Knuckles," Maddie ordered.

"Aw c'mon," the hippie protested. "Knuckles and I were just—"

Maddie turned around and gave the man such a death glare that he immediately shut up.

"I'll just go sleep in the woods now," the hippie quietly got up and hobbled away.

oooo

"Hey Sonic," Tom approached both Sonic and Tails.

"What's up?" asked Sonic.

"Maddie and I gotta head home early," Tom informed them. "Unfortunately, Knuckles… made a new friend who got him high."

"High?" Tails looked at Tom sideways.

"DO YOU KNOW DE WAY?!" a loud voice was heard from the family truck in the parking lot.

"High," Tom nodded.

"That's rough," Sonic grimaced.

"He'll probably have a hangover tomorrow," Tom shrugged. "And probably an even bigger talking-to from Maddie."

"Well in any case, Tails and I should be fine," Sonic told Tom. "The two of us will make it home by ten."

"Alright sounds good," Tom told them. "Maddie and I will take Knuckles home and give him plenty of water to drink. You guys have fun and take care."

"Will do," promised Tails as Tom walked off.

"Yeesh, I didn't think Knuckles of all people would get high," Sonic shook his head. "He's always been the serious type."

"This will probably be his first and last time," Tails concluded. "Maddie probably won't stand for something like this happening a second time."

"So where do you wanna head to next?" asked Sonic.

"Hmm," Tails looked around.

The two of them had already been on a few of the rides like the roller coaster and the carousel. After a while, Tails saw something they hadn't been to yet… a carnival haunted house.

"Let's try that," Tails pointed out.

"Hmm, that looks promising," Sonic grinned. "Let's do this then."

The two of them walked towards the haunted house as a man in a painted mime costume greeted the two.

The mime smiled and waved warmly at the two, standing aside and making a gesture for the two to enter.

"You ready, Tails?" asked Sonic.

"I was born ready," Tails agreed.

The two of them stepped inside.

The mime smiled after the two entered and wiped away the mime paint on his face to reveal Agent Stone.

"I've got you now," he rubbed his hands gleefully and walked into a nearby trailer.

After taking off his gloves, he took out his computer and opened it up.

oooo

After walking past a few animatronics skeletons and vampires, Sonic and Tails had already lost their initial "jump scare" fear.

"Okay, this isn't quite as scary as I thought it would be," admitted Sonic.

The two of them walked past a gargoyle that growled with glowing eyes.

"Yeah, it's not the same as something scary coming at you for real," Tails looked around.

"Hmm, that's an interesting display down there," Sonic pointed out.

Up ahead were multiple glowing red eyes on the ceiling.

"What are those?" Tails scratched his head.

"Batbrains," a screen appeared on the wall to reveal Agent Stone's face. "I call them Batbrains."

Multiple robotic bats began screeching and flew down towards Sonic and Tails.

"Stone," Sonic shook his head. "Should've known you'd be behind this."

Tails took out a laser blaster from his gear and blasted a Batbrain that got too close.

"How'd you even come up with that name?" Tails demanded as he began firing at the bat robots.

"I sorta made it up on the spot," Stone admitted. "Look, when you're on a mission of revenge, you don't have a whole lot of time to be creative."

As the Batbrains opened fire on Sonic, the hedgehog avoided the blasts and bounced off multiple walls, destroying the bat robots with multiple spin dashes.

"That's your problem Stone," Sonic told him.

"What is?" Stone demanded.

Tails flew Sonic into the air and spun him around before throwing him as a fastball special. The blue hedgehog spin-dashed his way through the remaining Batbrains before landing on the ground.

"You never put that much thought into what you do," Sonic told him.

"What?!" Stone was offended. "I do too!"

"Not from what I can see," Sonic shook his head.

"Yeah, well those Batbrains were just the appetizer," Stone promised. "What comes next is something beyond your capabilities. So just follow the path, Sonic, and you'll see."

"Alright, you're on," Sonic grinned.

Both Sonic and Tails continued going down the haunted attraction until they reached a room which looked like a dining hall in a mansion.

Stone appeared on a screen at the fireplace.

"Glad you could make it, Sonic," Stone grinned. "I have to say, I'm surprised that stupid echidna isn't with you and the fox."

"Knuckles was… preoccupied," Sonic admitted.

"With what exactly?" asked Stone.

"Stuff that young children should never do," Sonic confessed.

"What did he do?" Stone inquired. "Drink and drive?"

"Close, but…" Sonic began to speak but thought better of it. "You know what? I don't know why you even need to know. I mean, you're trying to kill me after all."

"Yeah, that is a good point," Stone admitted. "Anyways… on to the killing part!"

"I don't like the sound of that, Sonic!" Tails gripped his gun.

From the ceiling emerged a new robot. It took the appearance of a green orb with menacing eyes as multiple other spiked balls orbited around it.

"I call him Orbinaut," Stone beamed.

"Name's better this time," Sonic admitted.

"Great," Stone nodded. "Okay Orbinaut, kill the hedgehog."

The floating robot floated down and spun his spiked balls around him at breakneck speed. It flew towards Sonic and Tails, narrowly missing the two as it destroyed the dining table in the area.

"He's fast," admitted Sonic.

Orbinaut came down at Sonic again, forcing the hedgehog to duck.

Tails rolled to the side and fired at the robot with his laser gun. However, all the shots bounced off the rapidly spinning spiked balls.

"He's too well defended!" Tails cried.

"Let's try this then!" Sonic began charging up.

The blue hedgehog turned into a blue ball and dashed all across the room. For a second it looked like Orbinaut wasn't able to follow him. After finally bouncing off the ceiling, Sonic came down at Orbinaut with a powerful spin dash.

Unfortunately for Sonic, however, the spiked balls surrounding Orbinaut did their job of defense and knocked Sonic back into the wall.

"Agh!" Sonic cried.

"You okay, Sonic?" asked Tails who helped his friend down from the cratered wall.

"That thing might be impervious to physical attack," admitted Sonic.

"Ready to wave the white flag?" asked Stone on his screen. "If you do, I promise to make it quick!"

"Hmm," Tails pondered. "A physical attack might not do it but at the end of the day, Orbinaut is still a machine and has a power source. And anything with a power source can be shorted out."

"What are you guys talking about?" demanded Stone.

"So I need something else?" asked Sonic quietly.

"I think your lightning might just do the trick," Tails whispered back.

"Alright then, I got an idea," Sonic nodded. "I saw this trick on The Flash and maybe it'll work for me too since I'm also a super speedster with lightning."

"Okay, can you two just bend your necks and die already?" asked Stone.

"Let me think," Sonic told him. "… NAH!"

Immediately, blue electricity surrounded Sonic as he began running in circles around Orbinaut, gathering as much lightning as he needed.

"What're you doing?!" Stone gasped. "Orbinaut, attack now!"

Orbinaut obeyed and made a move against Sonic. However, in that instant, Sonic had gathered enough energy. The blue hedgehog leaped into the air with his gathered electricity just as Orbinaut launched himself towards Sonic. With the electricity in his hand gathered into a ball, Sonic used it to slam-dunk his electrical ball onto Orbinaut's head while somersaulting across the air.

The electrical ball struck Orbinaut full force, completely short circuiting the robot as Sonic landed on his feet gracefully after his somersault.

"No!" Stone shouted, seeing Orbinaut fall down completely inert and useless.

"Wow, so I can use lightning offensively," Sonic smiled. "C'mon Tails, let's go!"

"This isn't over!" Stone shouted. "You're not out of the woods yet!"

oooo

"I think that's the exit," Tails pointed towards an exit sign.

"Great," Sonic grinned. "Now all we need is—"

Without warning, the ground opened up in front of the exit as a mechanical sphinx emerged and blocked the exit.

"Not again," Sonic groaned.

After that, multiple laser turrents emerged from ceiling, pointing down at both Sonic and Tails with red dots.

oooo

"Sir, are you certain this will work?" asked Sara. "What if Sonic and Tails are more knowledgeable than we anticipated?"

"Oh Sara, you don't have to worry," Stone told her, sitting down on his seat comfortably. "I know for certain Sonic and Tails won't have the capacity for answering riddles."

"And why is that, Agent Stone?" Sara inquired.

"Well, most schoolchildren get taught classical mythology in school," Stone pointed out. "But Sonic and Tails are new to Earth and have never been inside a classroom. I highly doubt with all the modern distractions they have, they'll spend any amount of time studying up on ancient mythology or folklore."

"I see now," Sara acknowledged. "Perhaps this is a brilliant plan after all."

"Exactly," Stone beamed. "These two are basically a pair of furry alien zoomers addicted more to their iPhones than books!"

oooo

"So… is this sphinx another mini-boss?" Sonic cautiously looked at the sphinx.

"I am the Sphinx," the robotic sphinx told them. "Answer my riddle correctly and you shall pass. Answer incorrectly and your lives will be forfeit."

"So we have no choice in the matter?" asked Tails, looking down.

"That is correct," the sphinx told them.

"Fine," Tails looked at the creature. "Ask us your riddle."

"I go on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening," the sphinx asked. "What am I?"

Tails looked down before answering. From his screen, Stone could not make out exactly what Tails was thinking or muttering as Sonic blocked his path.

"Man," Tails answered finally. "As a baby, he crawls on all fours. As an adult, he walks on two legs. And in old age, he requires a cane, essentially a third leg, to stand."

The mechanical sphinx's eyes glowed red in assent. Soon, all the ceiling guns shut down and disappeared back into the ceiling from where they appeared.

"You are correct," the sphinx replied. "You may pass."

Before long, the sphinx sank back into the floor, unveiling the exit.

"No!" Stone screamed. "Tell me! How did you solve the riddle?! I doubt you two have ever picked up a book on mythology!"

"That's right, we haven't," admitted Tails.

"Then how?!" demanded Stone.

"Simple," Tails smiled and flashed his iPhone before Stone. "I used Google."

Before Stone could say anything more, both Sonic and Tails sped away.

"NOOOOO!" screamed Agent Stone.

oooo

The next day.

"Ooooh," Knuckles rubbed his head as he laid down on the couch, suffering from a case of weed hangover

"Hey Knuckles," Sonic brought out a plate with some waffles and coffee for Knuckles while munching on some toast in his mouth.

"I am never doing that again," Knuckles groaned.

"Maddie have a talk with you about this?" asked Sonic.

"Maddie and Tom," Knuckles acknowledged. "Had I known the morning side effects, I might not have touched the funny green leaf."

"Well, I would've loved to give you a nice Sonic Says PSA about how drugs are bad," Sonic shrugged. "But I think the human parents did their job just fine."

"Yes, and now I know," Knuckles nodded. "Drugs are not the way."

"By the way Knuckles, could you do that accent you did last night?"

"What accent?"

"You know… DO YOU KNOW DE WAY?!" Sonic chuckled.

Knuckles glared at him.

"Nevermind," Sonic sped away. "Enjoy your waffles, Knux!"

Fin.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Wingmen Part 1

"Enter."

Agent Stone sat in the room at the Seattle nightclub, waiting for his next guest.

The door swung open to reveal a familiar face but not the face Stone had been expecting.

"You," Stone's mouth gaped.

"Hey Stone," Ric Drake smiled. "How you doing?"

"I'm doing… okay," Stone admitted. "But you're not the one I was expecting to see."

"Sorry I didn't make an appointment," Ric told him. "It took me some time but I was able to get out on a technicality."

"Of course," Stone drank his coffee. "And why is it you came to see me? I'm a very busy man and I've got a very important appointment around this time."

"I'll get straight to the point," Ric told him with a crazed look in his eye. "I need more Q9. You opened a world of possibilities for me when you granted me the power of super speed. I need more of it. More than any drug. More than anything else!"

Stone frowned. "Well, that's nice… but you failed to defeat Sonic even when you got an upgrade."

"Okay so that didn't go as well as I'd hoped," Ric admitted. "But I'll do better the second time around! Just let me have a little bit of that Q9 and I'll show you why you can rely on me."

"Sorry Ric," Stone told him. "You had your chance. And that's why someone else now deserves a chance."

"Yeah, and who is that?" demanded Ric.

Stone smiled as a man entered quietly into the room and stood behind Ric.

"Look behind you."

Ric turned around. Next to him as a lean, muscular Irish-American man with a dyed green Mohawk and a leather jacket with fire emblems on the sleeves. Sunglasses hid his eyes from both Ric and Stone. Looking down, Ric also noted the green sneakers he was wearing.

"Ian O'Reilly," Stone looked at his file. "You're an MMA prizefighter in the local Anarchy League. And you've gone undefeated in 12 fights so far. Not to mention, you've had numerous run-ins with the law, from bar fights to public displays of violence where multiple security guards were hospitalized because of you."

"Him?!" Ric demanded. "You're gonna give this guy the Q9 formula?! What does he have that I don't?!"

"Well," Stone replied. "I looked at all his MMA videos. He can fight for one. With all due respect, Ric, you were just a drug runner and a street criminal. Ian is a warrior."

"Bull!" Ric shouted. "I could beat this punk with both hands tied behind my back!"

"You really wanna go there?" Ian smirked, tilting his sunglasses.

"I'll tell you what," Stone conceded. "Right here and right now, I want to see what you're both made of in a bare-handed fight. Whoever wins will have the rights to the Q9 formula."

Ian merely gave a thumbs up as Ric grinned.

"Alright then," Ric turned to Ian, taking a defensive stance.

"May the best man win," Stone clapped both hands to signal the beginning of the match.

"You're dead meat!" Ric prepared to take a swing.

Before Ric knew what happened, an elbow to his face from the Irish-American fighter completely dazed him and caused him to see stars. After that, Ian had completely taken him down and put him in an armbar.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Ric screamed.

Finally, the drug runner had no choice but to tap out.

"I give!" Ric conceded. "I give!"

Finally, Ian O'Reilly let go of Ric's arm before it could be broken.

"Excellent work," Stone smiled. "I believe the right candidate has proven his mettle."

"Ow," Ric complained, finally getting up.

"You approve?" Ian asked Stone.

"Indeed," Stone acknowledged. "You far exceeded my expectations. Sonic won't even know what hit him!"

"I see," Ian finally got down to business. "So… tell me about this Sonic."

"By the way, could I at least stay and see this through?" asked Ric. "I mean, I know I didn't get the job done with Sonic but I at least want to see someone else whup him!"

"Eh, fine," Stone conceded. "I don't see why not. Anyways Ian, let me tell you all about what we're facing here…"

oooo

"Hey Tom, we're done with ours chores and we're going on patrol now," Sonic told his human parents.

"Sounds good Sonic," Tom hugged Maddie as both looked at the laptop.

"Before I go, what're you guys looking at?" asked Sonic.

"Oh, it's just an MMA match," Tom informed them.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles paused to watch what was on the screen. On the computer was an MMA fighter with a green Mohawk. Quickly, he took down his opponent with a knee to the jaw that knocked him unconscious.

"Who's this guy?" asked Tails.

"His name's Ian O'Reilly," Tom informed the three. "This match is a re-run from a few nights ago. He's gone undefeated for quite a while now."

"He's good, no doubt about that," Knuckles acknowledged.

"Anyways Tom, we promise to be back before midnight," promised Sonic as he took out a ring and threw it to open a portal to Seattle.

"Alright guys, stay safe," Tom nodded.

oooo

"So what is on the agenda tonight?" asked Knuckles.

"Well, I did get news that a certain old enemy of mine broke out again," Sonic told his two partners.

"Who is it?" asked Tails.

"Ric Drake," Sonic answered. "He's gotten out on a technicality and I've gotten word he's making another run tonight."

"Hmm, was he not the one who gained temporary super speed?" asked Knuckles.

"He did," acknowledged Sonic. "But I'm sure it's been drained out of him by now and I doubt Agent Stone will give him another dose of it after I busted him."

Tails flew up into the air.

"My sensors are picking up some gathering of people going down in a shadier part of town where Ric lives," he pointed out.

"Alright, let's go," Sonic and Knuckles ran towards the location, leaping across buildings as the flying fox led them there.

Before long, the trio arrived at the scene. Looking down, they saw a bunch of goons loading cargos into a truck.

"That must be Ric's gang," Sonic peered down.

"Do we have any kind of plan?" asked Tails.

"Yeah, just the usual," Sonic grinned. "We go down there and hit them before they—"

Without warning, a fist smashed into Sonic's face, sending him skidding across the rooftop.

"Sonic!" Tails cried.

At once, an elbow struck Tails, knocking him back. Angrily, Knuckles turned to the assailant but he too was sucker punched from the side.

"Agh!" Knuckles fell down.

"What the heck?!" Sonic looked up.

All across the building was a mysterious figure running at super-speed but this time, green lightning crackled all around his body as opposed to the purple lightning he saw from Ric.

"Who are you?!" demanded Sonic.

Sonic got up as the figure rushed towards him. The mysterious assailant punched at Sonic multiple times but the hedgehog avoided the blows.

"Sorry to disappoint," Sonic told him. "But you're not my first marathon against an opponent with super speed."

Finally, Sonic caught the attacker's punch and for the first time, got a good look at him.

"You… you're him!" Sonic's eyes widened.

"And you must be Sonic!" Ian O'Reilly smiled.

Without warning, Ian kneed Sonic in the sternum, causing the hedgehog to drop down. Rearing back, Ian kicked Sonic all the way to another building and began racing after him.

Knuckles and Tails got up after shaking the cobwebs from the surprise attack.

"We have to save him, Knuckles!" Tails cried.

"Agreed," Knuckles looked around. "But first of all…"

An entire swarm of Buzz Bombers had them surrounded from all sides.

"We must deal with them!" Knuckles dodged a blast as the Buzz Bombers began firing at him and Tails.

Tails got out his laser pistol and began firing as Knuckles leaped up and punched through one of the robots.

oooo

Sonic landed, skidding across the roof until he hit a vent pipe.

"Ow…" Sonic got up painfully.

Suddenly, Ian appeared before him with green electricity crackling around his body.

"No more Mr. Nice Guy!" Sonic growled. "I'm ending this!"

Sonic leaped back to his feet and furiously assaulted the Irish-American MMA fighter with rapid punches that blurred across the air but before long, he noticed something was wrong.

Not a single one of his punches had connected.

"Surprised?" Ian grinned.

It was at that moment Sonic realized this man wasn't anything like Ric. He was a far more skilled fighter. And not only that, he also had super speed to compliment his skill.

A sudden liver shot made Sonic grunt. Then a punch across the face staggered the hedgehog.

Sonic punched back but Ian dodged the blow and began pummeling the blue hedgehog with a volley of punches.

"Aaaaahhh!" Sonic cried out.

"Don't have the stamina for this, do you?" Ian laughed. "Here, let me help you!"

O'Reilly raced around Sonic a few times before roundhouse kicking him onto another building. Sonic managed to get up but Ian elbowed him in the face to send him flying across the air once more.

Before Sonic could land, however, Ian grabbed Sonic and raced down the building onto the streets. He smashed Sonic's face across multiple buildings before throwing him. Sonic's body skipped across the street before he flipped back up to both feet.

"I'm… I'm not gonna give up!" Sonic said, his breathing steadily becoming more irregular.

"Better know when to tap out, son!" Ian mocked the hedgehog.

Sonic raced towards Ian and punched at him multiple times. Ian dodged every blow masterfully before grabbing Sonic and bringing him to the floor.

Suddenly, the blue hedgehog felt as if pythons had wrapped themselves around his neck. What he didn't know was that Ian O'Reilly had put him in a rear naked choke.

Sonic began coughing and grabbing at Ian's arms to try to break free but wasn't able to. Soon, the loss of air got to him and he went unconscious.

At that point, Ian let go of the blue hedgehog before he could permanently snuff him out. The MMA fighter put his ear to Sonic's chest. He was fairly certain an alien hedgehog also had roughly the same heartbeat as a human.

"Good, you're still alive," Ian wiped away some sweat and picked Sonic up.

oooo

Suddenly, Sonic regained consciousness when cold water hit his face.

"Wha—" Sonic shook his head.

He found himself strapped down to a chair with energy bonds holding him in place. In front of him was a brunette woman wearing mostly black leather and had her midriff exposed.

"Look Ian, he's woken up!" the woman smiled.

Sonic looked around the place. Agent Stone was there, as was Ric Drake and Ian O'Reilly.

"You again, Stone?" Sonic grimaced. "And hey there, Ric. Long time no see. Too bad it wasn't longer."

Ric moved towards Sonic angrily but Stone held him back.

"Gotta admit, you're fast," Ian said tauntingly. "But all that speed doesn't mean anything if you don't got the skill to back it up."

"And Ian's got plenty of it," the woman next to him hugged Ian. "Name's Fiona Penders by the way. I'm Ian's girlfriend."

"Great," Sonic groaned. "Now Agent Stone has his wingmen."

"Gotta stop you right there," Ian interrupted. "But all these guys? They're my wingmen! Ian O'Reilly is the one who runs this show!"

"With all due respect Ian," Stone told him. "I'm the one who gave you the Q9 formula, granting you your speed."

"Yeah, and if you're such a genius," Fiona looked at Stone funny. "Why didn't you take the Q9 yourself to fight Sonic? Why rely on someone else to do the dirty work?"

"I, uh," Stone looked like he didn't have an answer. "Look, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm the one who set this into motion. And I gave Ian a very specific job. That was to kill Sonic. And is the hedgehog lifeless right now?"

"No he ain't," Ian tilted his sunglasses. "But that's because I want this to be on a grander stage. Sonic's gonna be my official 13th opponent in an MMA match."

"Wait, what?" Stone's jaw dropped.

"I'm a showman," Ian replied. "I'm gonna fight Sonic again and do it in front of all my adoring fans! The Anarchy League has never seen a fight like this before! And because Sonic isn't even a human being, there won't be any murder or manslaughter charges once I snuff him out at the end of the match!"

"You know what," Stone told him. "I've got a better idea. I shoot Sonic. The end."

Stone walked towards Sonic and took out a gun. Before he could aim it properly, a flash of green lightning made his gun disappear.

"Hey!" shouted Stone.

In another split second, Ian had Stone slammed against the wall.

"You wanna pull something like that again?" demanded Ian.

"I wouldn't piss this guy off if I were you," Ric told Agent Stone.

"N-No…" Stone muttered as Ian raised a fist.

"Good boy," Ian let him go. "As promised, Sonic will die. But he dies on my terms. In a cage match. With MMA rules. In front of my adoring audience."

"Don't look so glum," Fiona patted Stone on the shoulder. "Don't you wanna see a show? Because Ian always puts on a good one!"

"Well," Stone looked down. "I suppose there's no harm in some entertainment before an execution."

oooo

"Hey, is everything okay?" asked Tom as Knuckles and Tails showed up at the front door in the early morning.

"Sonic… Sonic is missing!" Tails cried.

"There was a new assailant with super speed who attacked us," Knuckles went on. "He ran off with Sonic to do battle but before we could join him, Agent Stone's robots attacked us and by the time we destroyed them, Sonic was gone!"

"We scoured the entire city looking for him but no success!" added Tails.

"This is bad," Tom's voice became serious.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Maddie.

"We could go back and search for him again," Knuckles suggested. "Leave nothing unturned until we find the hedgehog!"

"If Agent Stone is behind this, I could go see Unit," Tails pointed out. "Most of Stone's technology is based on Robotnik's designs and Unit could probably help me locate some place where Robotnik's tech is. That's most likely where Sonic is being held."

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Wade showed up at the door. "Tom and I have patrol today. Where's Sonic by the way?"

"Sorry Wade," Tom sighed. "Today's been rough. Last night, Sonic got ambushed and went missing."

"That sucks," Wade frowned. "Wait, who's even fast enough to get the drop on Sonic of all people?"

"Another punk with super speed most likely," Tails pointed out. "But Sonic can usually handle those types."

"Gaining super speed alone should not be enough to allow just any human to defeat Sonic," Knuckles crossed both arms thoughtfully. "Whoever made Sonic disappear has more than just the ability to run fast."

"I'm going to get the car ready," Maddie told the group. "Tom, are you going to call the department to let them know you can't make it today?"

"Yeah, I probably should," Tom reached down to his phone, which suddenly started ringing.

Curiously, Tom picked it up and answered.

"Hey there, Mr. Wachowski," Agent Stone's voice was heard by everyone.

"Stone!" Tom grew angry. "What do you want?"

Tom pressed on the phone's loudspeaker so everyone present could hear Stone.

"Well, I'm saving you a long, meaningless search for one," Stone replied. "I've got Sonic and all of you guys get to know where he is!"

"Tell us, you frail, coffee-swilling human!" Knuckles growled.

"Ease up, Knuckles," Stone replied. "And since I promised you'd all get to see Sonic, I want all of you tomorrow night to come to the Moebius Lounge in Seattle. You'll all get to see Sonic in an MMA fight against Ian O'Reilly."

"Wait, Ian O'Reilly?!" Tom's expression grew shocked. "The MMA fighter?!"

"Wait, did Stone give that guy super speed?" Tails looked surprised as well.

"The fight of the century!" Stone cried, as if he were a fight promoter. "And you're all invited to see Sonic take his last breath in the cage!"

"Wow, this is really bad," Tom acknowledged.

"It is quite bad… for your little blue hedgehog!" Stone grinned from the other side. "Be there tomorrow night at 8!"

Stone hung up after that.

"I've seen what Ian has done to people in that cage," Tom looked like he was finally doubting Sonic's ability to defeat an opponent. "And if Ian has super speed to go with all his fighting skill…"

"It is not too late!" Knuckles told the Wachowskis. "Tomorrow when we get there, I can volunteer to fight in Sonic's stead! I do not wish to brag of my own prowess so casually but Sonic has less fighting experience than I do despite his power. I swear I will take care of this!"

"That's true," Tails looked down thoughtfully. "I mean, Knuckles does have a reputation for being the greatest warrior in the galaxy."

"Thanks guys," Tom still looked nervous. "I'm going to call the department and tell them I can't make it tomorrow."

"If you don't mind, I'll do the same and go with you guys," Wade volunteered.

"What do you want us to do in the meantime?" asked Tails.

Maddie noticed the bags under Tails and Knuckles' eyes. They had spent the whole night searching for Sonic.

"You two need to get some rest," Maddie put her hands on Tails and Knuckles and led them inside. "I know dedication to a friend when I see it. And I'm sure Sonic appreciates it. But he'd want you two to be rested up and healthy."

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Wingmen Part 2

"So that's it?" Sonic demanded. "I wait here until the big fight?"

"That's pretty much it," Ian grinned at Sonic alongside his girlfriend Fiona.

Sonic was completely tied up on a chair with energy bonds inside the reinforced cage. The only thing that could conceivably free him was a device Agent Stone had on him.

"Well, I can't exactly fight on an empty stomach," Sonic told them.

"What's that mean?" Ian raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't eaten for a while," Sonic informed him. "And you want to fight me. Do you really want to beat me up while I'm starved and dehydrated? I don't know all the rules of your sport but where's the legitimacy in beating a weakened opponent when he's not at his best?"

Ian looked at Sonic thoughtfully as he began thinking.

"Ian, honey," Fiona asked. "Are you really going to let this alien hedgehog get to you?"

"You know what?" Ian stared at Sonic menacingly. "You've got a point."

"I do?" Sonic looked surprised, as did Fiona.

"Yeah," conceded Ian O'Reilly. "There's no point using you as a punching bag in the ring. I need to show the world I beat you at your best."

"Wait, you're not really gonna listen to him, are you?" Fiona stared at her boyfriend.

"Fiona, take out your iPad," Ian ordered. "Alright baby blue, you make the call. What do you want as a last meal before your execution?"

Fiona looked like she was about to protest but Ian silenced her with a glare.

"Sure," Sonic smiled. "I want 15 chili dogs, medium sized fries, an extra serving of curly fries… oh yeah, and a Diet Coke."

Ian frowned, realizing the cost of all the food. He took Fiona's iPad and typed in the order at a local fast food joint and grimaced at the cost.

"That's quite a lot," Ian noted.

"Fast metabolism," Sonic answered.

"Be right back," Ian told Sonic before speeding off in a flash of green lightning.

Within seconds, Ian returned with a credit card and placed the order.

"It'll be here in forty minutes," Ian promised, also revealing a remote control. "When it does, I'll put all the food in your cage and untie you from your bonds."

"Thanks," Sonic told him. "I promise not to try to break out. I want to see this fight through as much as you do."

Before Ian could answer back, all three people in the cage heard Agent Stone calling out.

"Hey, has anyone seen my credit card?" Stone loudly cried out.

"You used Stone's card?" Sonic managed to crack a smile.

"Eh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him," Ian shrugged.

oooo

Fight night.

"This is the place," Wade opened the door to the Moebius Lounge.

The first thing that greeted the Wachowski family, Wade, Knuckles, Tails, and Unit was a seedy bar with multiple patrons who looked shady.

"Let's be on our guard," Tails looked around. "Sonic and I have been in a place like this before in Siberia but that place was colder. And the people there turned out to be alright."

"Does anyone see Sonic?" asked Tom.

"There he is," Knuckles pointed out.

In the middle of the cage in the room was Sonic stretching and warming up.

"Sonic!" Maddie and the gang rushed over.

"Oh hey guys!" Sonic greeted them.

"Alright buddy, you ready to bust out of here?" asked Wade.

"Nah, not now," Sonic replied.

"That does not compute or make logical sense to my programming," Unit stated.

"I'm gonna stay and see this through," Sonic told them. "Ian wants a piece of me and he's going to get some."

"Sonic," Tom tried to tell his adoptive son, "listen to me. This guy is a trained fighter and now he has your super speed. You can't be serious about fighting him man-to-man!"

"Better idea," Maddie told Sonic. "We can have Knuckles fight in your place. He's almost as fast as you are and he's got more experience fighting across the galaxy."

"Yes, I am available," Knuckles stared up at Sonic.

"Sorry guys," Sonic told them all. "But I can tell this Ian O'Reilly wants to prove something. And I intend to prove him wrong. Plus he got me some chili dogs using Agent Stone's card so I owe him one."

Sonic's family and friends were about to protest further but they were interrupted by Ian's wingmen, including Ric, Fiona, and Agent Stone.

"You folks ready to see a massacre tonight?" Ian walked up to them cockily.

"Considering all your bar brawls and run-in's with the law, I have no doubt you intend to go too far," Tom told him.

"Hey, that's the thing about man-slaughter charges," Ian grinned. "You have to be a human being for that to apply. Sonic just a little blue furry alien so ending him in this fight won't get me in any hot water like usual."

"I swear, if you hurt Sonic, I'll—" Tom raised his voice.

"Do what?" Ian asked mockingly. "Get your ass kicked by an MMA fighter with super speed?"

"You are not the only one with power here," Knuckles got in front of Tom to face Ian. "Like Sonic, I possess power but have the experience wielding them. As people on Earth like to say… why don't you pick on someone your own size? Because I will gladly fight you in Sonic's stead!"

"Well, I'd love to," Ian grinned at Knuckles. "But Sonic here has agreed to fight me."

"That's right," added Agent Stone. "And Knuckles can't fight as long as Sonic gives his consent to this fight. Isn't that right, Sonic?"

"That's right," Sonic told his family and friends. "This is something I feel like I need to see through."

Reluctantly, Tom looked at Sonic.

"For the record, I don't want you doing this," he told the hedgehog. "But if he gets you in any kind of submission, tap out immediately. He'll have no choice but to let go according to MMA rules and you can live to fight another day. Please, Sonic, just promise me."

"I promise," Sonic told Tom.

"Alright then, let's have this little fight begin!" Stone told Sonic's wingmen.

oooo

"Go Ian!" Fiona shouted. "You've got this, baby!"

As everyone was seated for the match, the announcer took his microphone and began introductions in the cage.

"In this corner, standing at 3 feet and 62 pounds, we have the blue blur… the space hog… the Blue Justice himself… SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!"

After that intro, the announcer turned to Ian O'Reilly who stood in the other corner.

"And in this corner, standing in at 5'6 and 163 pounds… we have the Prince of Anarchy… the Celtic Emerald… Ian 'SCOURGE' O'Reilly!"

Ian raised his hands to loud cheers.

"Kick his ass for me, honey!" Fiona called out.

Sonic and "Scourge" came face to face as the referee called them forward.

"You sure you want to still wear that leather jacket and sunglasses for this match?" asked Sonic, noticing Ian hadn't taken off his apparel yet.

"This isn't a normal MMA match," Ian smirked. "I can bend the rules a little, just this once."

"Once the bell rings, I want a good clean fight," the referee told them. "Due to your super speed, I will not be able to stay in this ring. So once the bell rings, you two will fight like men. Is that clear?"

Both Sonic and "Scourge" nodded as the referee left the reinforced cage to let both fighters run wild against one another.

"We've got your back, Sonic!" Tails shouted, encouraging his friend.

At once, the referee rang the bell as soon as he was outside.

"Begin!" the ref shouted.

Both fighters punched at each other but Ian, thanks to both his naturally longer reach and combined super speed, hit Sonic first, knocking the blue hedgehog back.

Sonic got back on both feet and came back swinging but all his punches missed. Ian took the opportunity to strike back, hitting Sonic across the face and then roundhouse kicking him from the side.

As Sonic was dazed, Ian ran circles around Sonic, speed-blitzing and punching him dozens of times.

After that was done, Ian roundhouse-kicked Sonic into the side of the cage.

"Agh!" Sonic cried out.

"C'mon!" Ian shouted as he charged.

Sonic regained his bearings and ran out of the way as Ian punched at him. The blue hedgehog ran up the cage, briefly confusing Ian.

"Huh?" Ian paused briefly. "Didn't know he could do that…"

Sonic ran up, down, and across the cage multiple times before glancing Ian across the face with a punch.

Before Ian could recover, Sonic came in and hit him with another leaping punch. After that, Sonic began hitting Ian from all sides.

Thanks to his MMA training, however, Ian raised both arms to protect his face and sides from any serious hits. His eyes began trailing Sonic, following his movement patterns. Finally, Ian turned around and side-kicked Sonic right in the face just as the blue blur sped towards him from the right.

As Sonic fell down, Ian was on top of him, raining down blows as Sonic raised both hands, frantically trying to ward off the hits.

"Face it!" Ian cried as he punched down. "I'm a pro at this!"

Despite being pinned down, Sonic was able to catch Ian's fists as they rained down with his palms. However, he was not sure how much longer he could keep it up.

Finally, one of Ian's blows struck Sonic across the face, stunning Sonic. Then a second blow dazed him again. The third blow made him nearly see stars.

Before Ian could launch another hit, however, the bell rang, indicating the first round was over.

"Alright, back to your corners!" the referee ordered.

"Saved by the bell," Ian got off of Sonic and walked off.

"Great job out there!" Ric cheered.

"One more round and he's done for!" Stone raised both thumbs.

Sonic got up, tasting the blood in his mouth. He was not sure if he would last another round with the man.

oooo

Sonic sat down at his corner while Tom and Knuckles were allowed to get in the cage to give him water.

"Sonic, I insist you forfeit this match," Knuckles told him. "Allow me to fight in your stead! There is no dishonor in this! The day may come when you become a more experienced fighter but today, there is no shame in admitting you are not there yet!"

Sonic began drinking the water as Tom looked down thoughtfully.

"I'm gonna have to pass," Sonic told the echidna. "This is my fight and I'm the one Ian wants to face."

"You are out of your mind," Knuckles shook his head. "Tom, explain to Sonic the folly of his actions."

"I don't want Sonic to get hurt anymore than you do," Tom replied thoughtfully. "But all this time, I realize I might've had the wrong idea. During your fight, I noticed you could do certain things Ian can’t do, like bounce off walled structures with your spin dash. Plus you've got your quills and lightning.”

Sonic looked at Tom thoughtfully as he realized his human parent was on to something.

"All this time I was afraid of you fighting him man-to-man," Tom told Sonic. "But I was wrong. In a fight like this, you don't fight Ian man-to-man with punches, kicks, or chokeholds. You fight him hedgehog-to-man. Use what you have that he doesn't."

"Huh, that is quite brilliant," Knuckles noted.

"Thanks for the advice, Tom," Sonic smiled.

"Anytime Sonic," Tom patted the hedgehog on the shoulder. "Besides, that's what wingmen are for. It's why we're here."

oooo

In the second round, Sonic and Ian came face to face as the referee stood outside with the bell.

"Are both of you ready?" asked the ref.

"Yes," Ian replied.

"Ready," Sonic glared at Ian.

"Round two," the referee rang the bell. "Begin!"

Quickly, Ian struck first, punching Sonic back at breakneck speed. Sonic felt his back hitting the side of the cage before falling down.

"You pack a punch," Sonic told him. "But striking is all you can do!"

"Oh, you wanna get put to sleep like in our last fight?" Ian's temper flared up. "C'mon then, blue! I can make it happen!"

Sonic and "Scourge" circled each other and got into grappling position before both clasped at each other. Soon, Ian began overpowering Sonic.

"You're an amateur at this," Ian told him. "Won't be long before I make you tap…"

"Not long at all," Sonic smiled, as Ian finally held both hands on his head.

All of a sudden, Sonic abruptly transformed his body into a spin dash just as Ian was holding him.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Ian screamed as the blue ball began shredding his palms like a big blue buzzsaw.

Ian let go and stumbled back, looking down at both hands frantically, gaping in shock at how red they were from the most epic case of friction burn he had ever gotten in his life.

As Ian raised his head, Sonic punched him across the face. Sonic then spin dashed across the wall and came down, striking Ian behind one leg to bring him to his knees. After that, Sonic began pummeling Ian across the face multiple times.

Ian managed to raise his hands finally to block the blows and when the punches stopped coming, he got up just as Sonic took out two quills from his back and thrust them into the ground. The Irish-American MMA fighter attempted to get some distance but to his amazement found he couldn't move.

"What?!" Ian looked down.

Both quills from Sonic had pinned his shoes into the mat below them.

"I have my ways," Sonic smiled.

Then Sonic began pummeling the now-standing Ian in the stomach, hitting him with dozens of blows all at once.

"Aaaaahhh!" Ian screamed in pain and frustration, finally ripping the two quills out.

He tried to slash at Sonic with those quills but the blue hedgehog ran around the ring and began spin-dashing off multiple sides of the cage, hitting Ian with the same powerful combos he hit Robotnik's ship in their first battle that spanned the world. The only reason Ian himself wasn't torn to bits was because he had taken the Q9 formula which enhanced the durability of his body, just like it did for Ric previously.

Finally, Sonic stopped behind him and sweep-kicked Ian to the floor.

With that, he took out a four more quills and pinned Ian to the floor, sticking the quills through the jacket sleeves that O'Reilly still wore.

"This can't be happening!" Ian "Scourge" O'Reilly screamed at the top of his lungs. "I'm the best there is!"

"You were," Sonic informed him.

The blue hedgehog leaped into the air high above Ian and came down with a powerful spin dash that flattened Ian right through the ring into the floor.

After that, the referee came into the cage to take a look at the scene and begin the ten count.

"Ten… nine… eight…"

"No… get up Ian!" Fiona urged. "Get up, baby!"

"Yeah!" Tom cried. "I knew you could do it, Sonic!"

"I'm… glad I was proven wrong," Knuckles smiled with pleasant surprise.

"You did it, Sonic!" Tails cried happily.

"Three… two… one," the referee finished and finally raised Sonic's hand. "The winner as a result of long count… Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Thank you, everyone!" Sonic bowed before the cheering crowds and exited the cage, wiping away some of the blood on his mouth.

"You were great out there, Sonic!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Yeah, you kicked his ass!" Wade high-fived Sonic.

"I was wrong about you, Sonic," Knuckles admitted. "I thought your lack of experience would not land you a victory. But you proved me wrong!"

"How were you able to think up such a clever stratagem for victory despite the overwhelming odds?" asked Unit.

"Well, it's simple," Sonic replied. "After Tom told me to stop fighting like a man and start fighting like a hedgehog—"

"Hey!" a voice rang out. "It ain't over yet, blue!"

Ian was out of the cage, bruised and injured, but still conscious and still hyper-aggressive.

"IT'S NOT OVER 'TILL I SAY IT'S OVER!" Ian charged towards Sonic at super speed as the blue hedgehog took another defensive stance.

Suddenly, Knuckles got in front of Ian just as he threw his punch, catching the blow.

"It's not so easy when your opponent can see you coming, is it?" Knuckles began squeezing down on Ian's fist.

"Raaaahhhh!" Ian screamed as Knuckles crushed his fist with more force than he'd use on an ordinary human.

"I saw what you endured in there with Sonic," Knuckles told him. "And you can take it, big man!"

With that, Knuckles punched the aggressive MMA fighter across the chest, sending him flying through the wall and into the alley behind the Moebius Lounge.

"There," Knuckles dusted his hands off. "I believe this qualifies me to be exempt from taking out the trash this Thursday."

"Now would be a good time to retreat," Agent Stone look at what was going on and slipped away through the exit as Ric and Fiona stood there gaping in fear and awe that Ian had lost.

Maddie considered what Knuckles had said.

"Yeah, you're good, Knuckles," Maddie smiled, patting Knuckles on the head. "You can just take it out next week."

"So, who's ready to celebrate?" asked Sonic.

"I am!" Tails hugged his buddy. "Let's go party!"

Sonic and his wingmen started to head to the exit.

"Sonic, anything you want… it's on me," Tom promised him.

oooo

The next morning.

Agent Stone drank some coffee in his private lounge that he used to hire mercenaries, bounty hunters, and other unsavory characters in hopes of killing Sonic.

Last night did not go down how he wanted but there would always be others. And there would be other opportunities.

Suddenly, Stone heard a knock.

"Uh… come in?" Stone replied.

He had not made any appointments for this day so for someone to contact him was strange.

The door opened up to reveal Ian. But something was wrong as the Irish-American MMA fighter weakly stumbled into the room, nearly falling down at one point. Stone noted his heavily bandaged chest, the result of Knuckles punching him there and leaving scars across his chest.

"Well, look what the hedgehog dragged in," Stone told him. "You look like crap."

"I… I lost," Ian groaned. Clearly he was still weakened and not fully recovered from his wounds from last night.

"Yes clearly," Stone told him. "In any case, I have a busy schedule today and I don't have any appointments. Either ways, you failed to kill Sonic and worse, you didn't listen to me to just kill him when you had the chance after your first fight. You and I are through, professionally."

"I… I…" Ian finally had to swallow his pride. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, doc. I'm done being a cocky fighter with a big ego. Could you please at least hear me out?"

"Hmm," Stone appeared to at least appreciate an apology. "Alright fine, since you apologized, what do you have to say? I'm willing to listen."

Ian took out two quills he got from Sonic and laid them out on the table.

"I lost to Sonic because your formula could only give me super speed," Ian continued. "I can run fast and hit with more momentum but Sonic can still do things I can't because he's an alien hedgehog. He can bounce off walls and do that spin dash move that messed up my hands. He has abilities a human like myself doesn't have, even if I've gained super speed."

"Hmm, that's correct," Stone looked intrigued. "What are you saying, Ian?"

"You engineered the Q9 formula," Ian pointed towards the quills on the table. "Could you reverse-engineer the DNA on those quills… and make me just like Sonic?"

Agent Stone's eyes widened. "You mean… mutate you into an anthropomorphic hedgehog just like Sonic?"

Ian smiled. "You're speaking my language, Stone!"

"That's… an intriguing proposition," Stone told him. "And I believe that's within the realm of possibility. You know, Mr. O'Reilly, I believe the two of us can still benefit from working with one another."

"I appreciate it," Ian sat down next to Stone. "Soon, Sonic's gonna find out he's not the only game in town. Before long, he'll be dealing with a real SCOURGE on his hands…"

The End?

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Bounty Hunters

"Hey Wade, your mom finally let you off the hook?" asked Sonic.

Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Wade sat at the campfire together. All four of them were camping out in the Montana wilderness due to Wade not being able to totally make it on their last trip with Tom.

"Yeah, she can be hard to live with sometimes," Wade admitted, roasting his marshmallow. "But it's whatever, you know. We make up after our arguments and love each other. And learn to live with each other again."

"So what've you been up to lately?" asked Tails.

"Well, I've been watching this new genre of anime called Isekai lately," Wade told the three.

"Isekai?" Sonic looked up. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's the sort of genre where a hero enters into a parallel world," Wade explained. "Sometimes they get transported there and sometimes they die and get reborn into a new fantasy world."

"Ixnay on the dying part for me," Sonic shook his head. "Guess that makes me, Tails, and Knuckles all Isekai heroes who got transported to Earth."

"Ha!" Knuckles smiled. "I never thought of myself as being 'Isekai' until now."

"A lot of times, the main heroes will have unique, powerful abilities even compared to the fantasy world they've gone to," Wade continued. "A lot of times, they'll use their abilities to fight powerful monsters, villains, and demon lords. Well, in some cases, the protagonists can even be demon lords."

"Well, Team Sonic does have some of that covered," admitted the blue hedgehog. "Don't think any of us count as demons though. Tails? Knuckles?"

"Nah," Tails looked up thoughtfully. "Just a unique but non-demonic space fox who was born with two tails instead of one. Though I guess that would make me more of a mutant than anything…"

"In my tribe, we echidnas did have our lore about demon gods," Knuckles admitted.

"Oh hey, shooting star," Wade looked up.

"Looks pretty," Tails took out his iPhone. "I'll snap a shot and…"

"Hmm," Sonic observed. "That thing's coming awfully close…"

Knuckles' eyes widened as the shooting star flew right overhead and crashed into the trees several yards away from them.

Wade dropped his marshmallows.

"That was a little too close for comfort," he admitted.

"Do you think we should check it out?" asked Tails.

"Just to be safe," Sonic decided. "The three of us animal aliens are unique here. We'd better go make sure it's not some martians who decided they want to conquer Earth for their supreme overlord."

"Well, alright," Wade got up reluctantly. "Better safe than sorry. Who knows, it's probably just a normal meteorite or something."

The four friends got up and went to the location of where the supposed meteorite crashed. On the ground several yards away, they found a crater where the object had landed.

"That doesn't look like a comet," Tails pointed out.

"It's like an escape pod," Sonic added.

"Oh, well that's a surprise," Wade admitted. "Let's hope this doesn't lead to intergalactic war of some kind…"

The only one who didn't say anything was Knuckles. Something dawned on his face and it was a very nervous expression.

"You recognize something, Knuckles?" asked Sonic.

"I… I believe I might," Knuckles replied. "Shall we see what is inside the contents of this?"

"Alright," Tails was the first to get down to the pod. "Let's check out what we have here…"

Sonic and Tails looked at the pod, trying to find a way to open it. Suddenly, without warning, the door to the pod opened up allowing all four of them to take a look inside.

"Is that?" Sonic's expression widened.

"A girl?" Tails was also taken aback.

"Not gonna lie," Wade admitted. "She looks like every anime nerd's fantasy waifu."

Inside the pod was what appeared to be a brunette human girl in a pink and yellow outfit, not unlike something girls in big cities would wear. On top of her head was some sort of big ribbon-like hat, which the gang wasn't sure if it hid giant ears or not. But her most striking feature was the fact that she had a cat-like tail.

"So you guys are like the animal aliens," Wade analyzed the situation. "And this girl's one of those human aliens like a Kryptonian. Except she's a catgirl."

Knuckles stared at her with a frightened look on his face.

"Knuckles, you're awfully quiet," Sonic turned to him.

"I… I just remembered," Knuckles took a few steps back. "I, uh, forgot to feed Ozzie before we left."

"But Tom already feeds him," Sonic pointed out. "Like everyday. Heck, feeding Ozzie isn't even your responsibility, Knuckles."

Knuckles grasped Sonic by the shoulder.

"What?!" Sonic was taken aback.

"Listen to me, Sonic," Knuckles told him. "Should this girl wake up, do NOT let her know I am on this planet!"

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Sonic asked before his brain could get rattled by the powerful echidna.

"I will explain everything in due time!" Knuckles bounded off. "In the meantime, make sure she is alright and help her… return home!"

Sonic was so used to being the fastest thing alive that as soon as he saw Knuckles running away, he was reminded just how fast the echidna could move if he was really motivated to. At the very least, Knuckles' fastest speeds matched his casual speed.

"Was it me or is Knuckles trying to avoid this girl?" asked Tails.

"He's definitely hiding something," Sonic finally shrugged. "But we'll play dumb and pretend we don't know Knuckles for his sake."

"Guys, I think she's coming to," Wade pointed out.

"Owww," the girl moaned.

"You okay?" asked Sonic.

"I think so," the girl stepped out.

"Who are you?" asked Tails.

"My name is Sara," the humanoid alien girl told them.

"Hmm, easy to remember," Wade nodded. "Sounds like a name you'd hear on Earth. So far so good."

"So Sara," Sonic asked. "I'm Sonic and my friends here are Tails and Wade. What brought you here to Earth?"

"Well, if you must know," Sara replied. "I was running away from my father to be with my betrothed."

"Getting hitched, huh?" asked Sonic. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Oh, this person and I were promised to each other in childhood," Sara beamed. "We were in an arranged political marriage despite being different species. And I haven't kept up with him in a good long while. But over the years, tales of his exploits across the galaxy grew and I became more enamored with him."

"Guy sounds like a legend," Sonic sounded impressed. "Who is he again?"

"Why, none other than Knuckles the Echidna!" Sara said excitedly.

"What?!" Sonic, Tails, and Wade nearly fell down in shock.

oooo

The spaceship hovered over Earth just beyond the reach of any satellites.

Inside the ship, a robotic alien cobra slithered across the floor and looked down at the screen in front of him.

"So, based on what I've gathered," the silvery cobra-bot looked down, "the President's daughter has crash-landed on this planet."

The purple-furred bounty hunter next to the cobra-bot tilted his head to reveal a long shout underneath his hat.

"She didn't land in the oceans, did she, Snakebyte? This planet has to be at least seventy percent water!"

"No, she didn't," answered Snakebyte. "The President's daughter landed on one of the more medium-sized continents. I've traced her crash-landing and we can get down there shortly."

The smaller, furry bounty hunter got up.

"Alright then," his fangs glinted. "We came a long way just to bring back some runaway kid. That reward the President gives us had better be worth traveling such a long distance!"

"Shall I set a course then, Nack?" asked Snakebyte.

"Do it," Nack the Weasel confirmed. "She ain't getting away from the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter that easily."

oooo

"Hey Sonic, I'm gonna go take a video of this tiger salamander," Tails told Sonic as he and Wade sauntered off.

"Have fun little buddy," Sonic smiled.

He turned his attention back to his new guest.

"So Sara, say you meet Knuckles again," Sonic asked her. "What will you do? I mean, it's been a long time since you two last met, right?"

"Oh, it wasn't so long ago," Sara replied. "You see, a few months ago, I saw him at an intergalactic bar with three alien mercenaries. He was shocked the moment I confronted him. After that, he used a bathroom break excuse to run away from me again."

"I can't imagine why," Sonic grinned.

"I'm his childhood friend!" Sara pointed out. "We were promised to each other by our fathers. Why would Knuckles go back on that?"

Sonic looked down nervously.

"Well Sara, you see," Sonic pointed out. "Knuckles is now the last of his kind. His entire tribe is extinct now. Maybe he considers the marriage annulled with his people gone?"

"Well, that's all the more reason why he should come with me," Sara insisted. "I heard of what happens to his tribe but we can build something new together. There's no reason for him to be alone."

"Maybe Knuckles just needs some time," Sonic told her. "I mean he's been through a lot. He and I fought before becoming buddies. We beat Robotnik together and fought some other baddies afterwards. He's now starting to adapt to Earth life. He might legit need some time before he seriously considers settling down."

Before Sara could protest further, two figures emerged from the undergrowth. One was a large robotic cobra but the other figure was closer to Sonic in size.

"That's a real nice story," a purple colored anthropomorphic weasel tipped his hat. "But unlike Knuckles, Sara, you don't have the luxury of time. Daddy called. He wants you back."

Oh no!" Sara got behind Sonic.

"Uh, just who are these guys?" Sonic stared at the two.

Tails turned towards the scene as he continued holding his iPhone, which was still filming, in his hand.

"That… that's Nack the Weasel!" Tails exclaimed. "He's considered the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter! I'm not familiar with the other guy though."

"My partner here's called Snakebyte," Nack casually strolled towards the group.

"We came a long way," Snakebyte reared his head back. "And we're irritable after quite the trip so I suggest you don't do anything to escalate the situation, Sara."

"Why do you guys want Sara?" demanded Sonic, not willing to simply hand the alien catgirl over to them.

"Her father, the President of Planet Freedom wishes her return," Snakebyte pointed out.

"Planet Freedom?" Sonic looked disbelieving. "Is that actually the name of a planet?"

"It is," Tails confirmed. "I've never been there myself but it's populated by various aliens that can be considered humanoid by Earth's standards."

"Well, if she has worried parents, that's a legitimate concern," Sonic acknowledged but took notice of how repulsed Sara was by Nack and Snakebyte. "But shouldn't you have Sara's consent to bring her back to her father?"

"These two are bad news, Sonic," Sara pointed out. "They tried capturing me before by force but I managed to escape before I came here. It's why I was on an escape pod."

"Well, her father did say she wasn't to be harmed," Nack admitted casually. "But when you have an uncooperative, whiny girl, your patience tends to run thin."

"Uncooperative?" Sara forgot her fear and got in front of Sonic to face Nack. "Whiny?! Who do you think you are, mister?"

At once, Nack drove his fist into her stomach and knocked the wind out of her.

"Whoa!" Tails cried out, as his iPhone caught the punch.

"Now you'll come quietly," Nack took her fallen body and turned to walk away.

At once, Sonic sped in front of Nack, standing in his way.

"After what you just did, you're not going anywhere!" Sonic growled.

Nack sighed. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

The intergalactic weasel threw Sara's body to the side but Sonic was able to catch her and set behind a pair of bushes in time.

"Be right back, Sara," Sonic promised.

"Wade, you might wanna stand back," Tails told Wade who quietly nodded and headed down the trail away from the scene.

"Try picking on someone who can hit back!" Sonic rushed towards Nack.

Nack took out two blasters and began firing at Sonic. The shots missed as Sonic came in and punched Nack to the floor. Snakebyte came in next, biting down at Sonic who leaped out of the way.

Suddenly, from the air, multiple laser shots began peppering Snakebyte in his cobra hood.

"I'll handle this guy, Sonic," Tails promised, firing his own blasters at the robotic cobra.

"You sure?" asked Sonic. "I mean, this guy does look pretty tough."

Before Sonic could air his partner, Nack fired a capture cable that wrapped itself around Sonic, trapping him. He leaped over a branch and slung Sonic up high. Then he took out his blaster again and began firing once more.

Sonic swung from side to side to avoid the blows but then spin-dashed his way out of the cable and landed on the floor.

"You got a lot of gear," Sonic noted.

"You need it in this line of work," Nack fired again.

Sonic sped out of the way of the blasts and came in close, punching at him.

This time, however, the weasel dodged the blows and kicked Sonic back. Nack wasn't as fast as him at running but his reflexes were good enough to keep up with the blue hedgehog. Sonic came in again but this time, Nack reacted just in time to grab Sonic by the arm and hurl him into the side of a tree.

"Agh!" Sonic fell down.

Nack threw an explosive at Sonic but the hedgehog saw it coming and kicked it back at Nack who ducked it as the explosive fell down a cliff and went boom.

Sonic punched Nack across the face but Nack returned the blow, staggering Sonic back. The weasel leaped up onto a tree and began firing at him. Sonic avoided the shots and leaped up, destroying the branch Nack was standing on with a spin dash.

"Whoa!" Nack fell down.

As the weasel fell, Sonic bounced off a tree and kicked Nack, sending him crashing to the ground.

oooo

"Come out now, fox," Snakebyte hissed as his long body moved across the forest floor.

Tails hid behind a tree with his laser blaster. Right now, he was regretting how he didn't bring any other weapon out for the camping trip other than a laser gun.

"You cannot hope to defeat me," Snakebyte promised. "The Serpentronian race is known for our warrior prowess. We evolved under the harshest of conditions to be a bounty hunters, mercenaries, and conquerors. We also have one other useful ability…"

Tails flew into the air and began firing at Snakebyte once more. Unfortunately, the laser blasts didn't seem to do any damage.

Snakebyte smiled and turned to Tails in the air. At once, he arched his back as the gears and moving parts on his body began changing. Before long, Snakebyte had transformed into a more humanoid robot form with arms and legs. His silvery armor remained the same as before and his cobra hood adorned his new robotic head. In his hands were two electric tonfas.

"We also evolved to transform our bodies," Snakebyte informed Tails. "Surrender now and I promise to make it quick. I have a bounty to collect, you know…"

Tails paused briefly, holding up his gun.

"Why do you even need money again?" Tails asked the cobra android. "You're clearly robotic and I doubt you'll be using the money on food, alcohol, or any sentient bar female to spend a night with."

"Our circuitry and sparks still burn with the same fire an organic would have in his soul," Snakebyte told him. "I do it for the thrill of the hunt! The payment afterwards is only to sustain this life."

Tails opened fire at Snakebyte a few times but quickly, the cobra android blocked the shots with his electric tonfas. The fox rolled behind another tree and fired again, this time striking Snakebyte's hand and knocking out tonfa out of his grip.

"Agh!" Snakebyte hissed.

Tails did not get another chance to fire off another shot. The cobra android kicked the gun out of his hand and struck Tails in the stomach with his remaining tonfa.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Tails cried out as many volts of electricity surged into him.

Snakebyte struck Tails a few more times with his weapon before Tails rolled across the ground to regain his bearings. As soon as Tails turned around to face his opponent, Snakebyte kicked him across the forest floor, sending him skidding.

"Oww," Tails groaned.

Suddenly, he noticed he had landed near one of Snakebyte's electric tonfas.

"This was over before it began," Snakebyte transformed back into his snake form. "Say goodbye, fox!"

Snakebyte arched his massive cobra head back just as Tails grabbed on to the electric tonfa. The huge robotic cobra struck down at the fox, intending to take his head off in one bite. However, Tails reacted in a timely manner. Before Snakebyte's maws could even reach him, Tails stuck the electric tonfas right in between Snakebyte's jaws just in the nick of time.

"Urrgh!" Snakebyte's eyes opened up wide in shock. He was unable to move his mouth, thanks to the tonfa being stuck, pinning down his tongue and jamming his palate.

Tails pressed down on the button used to electricy those tonfas, sending volts of electricity into Snakebyte.

The cobra hissed and thrashed about as Tails held on for dear life. Finally, he threw Tails several yards away but by then it was too late. The button on the tonfa had been jammed and the electricity was overloading him.

Instinctively, Tails realized what would happen next and ducked under a rock just as Snakebyte's head exploded. Finally, the fox turned around to look at the carnage he unwittingly caused with the electrical overload.

"That was a close one," Tails finally sighed, realizing he had nearly been made a morsel.

oooo

After recovering from the blow Nack had delivered to her, Sara looked up from her hiding spot and saw both Sonic and Nack engaging in a fight.

"He… he's fighting for me?" Sara looked on.

Nack fell back from a hail of blows as his back hit a tree.

"Give it up!" Sonic rushed in again.

This time, Nack had another trick up his sleeve. He side-stepped Sonic's blow and pinched his fingers together, striking Sonic underneath the armpit.

"Aaaah!" Sonic cried out.

Then Nack used those pinched fingers to strike Sonic in a few other choice spots on Sonic's upper and lower arm, causing the hedgehog to step back.

"What did you do to me?" Sonic felt one of his arms going completely numb. "I can't feel anything in this arm!"

Nack came in again, taking advantage of Sonic's shock to do the same to his other arm, hitting him with pressure point strikes in every choice spot he could, leaving Sonic near-helpess with both arms dangling. After that, he knocked Sonic to the ground with a sidekick to the stomach.

"Nerve strikes," Nack answered before seeing Sara in the bushes. "They come in handy with my line of work when I have to incapacitate uncooperative targets. And speaking of which, it's time to collect my trophy."

"Stop!" Tails flew in front of Nack before he could reach Sara.

"Outta my way!" Nack grabbed Tails and hurled him into Sonic.

"Omph!" both Sonic and Tails took a hard landing after crashing into one another.

"Tails, buddy," Sonic whispered to the fox. "My arms can't move and this guy's got us good. I have an idea but I'll need your help."

Sonic whispered something into Tails' ear and by the time Tails heard the words "fastball special" being spoken, he smiled.

"Gotcha," Tails took Sonic by both feet and flew him in the air, spinning him around multiple times to build centrifugal force.

"Last chance, Sara," Nack took out his gun. "Either come quietly or I get rough."

Sara looked up before she could answer, suddenly noticing what Sonic and Tails were doing.

"Huh?" Nack turned around, realizing she was legitimately focused on something. "What're you…?"

At once, Tails let go of Sonic who was launched towards Nack at rapid speeds. Immediately, Sonic turned his body into a spin dash as he struck Nack square in the stomach and slammed him into the ground, creating a small crater in a minor explosion.

Sara coughed but as soon as the smoke cleared, Sonic was the one who emerged still standing while Nack was unconscious on the ground.

oooo

"Sara, what is the meaning of this?" demanded the President of Planet Freedom.

Sara was speaking to her father on a holographic communicator as Sonic, Tails, and Wade stood to the side.

Both Sonic and Tails took note that Sara's father, despite having some pointy ears, did look more human-like for an alien. On the ground, Nack sat there while tied up with his own capture cables, grumbling angry.

"Daddy, I know you want me to return home," Sara told him. "You don't need to send armed bounty hunters to twist my arm!"

"Sara, we've been over this," the President told her. "The entire echidna tribe is now gone and your marriage to Knuckles is annulled. I need you to return home. There's nothing more to be gained by you gallivanting across the galaxy. Now untie that bounty hunter and let him escort you home."

"I don't think so," Sara growled. "After the way he handled me?!"

"What's going on?" demanded the President. "He had strict orders not to harm you."

Sara looked at Tails nodded. Tails took out his iPhone which recorded the entire video of Nack walking up to Sara to punch her out and showed it to the President.

"What?!" the President looked outraged. "Nack! I gave you specific orders and you dare do this!"

Nack didn't say anything in shock. He was not counting on being recorded and figured he could get away with anything as long as he brought Sara back more or less alive and intact.

"You can keep the initial payment I gave you," the President snarled. "I'm officially removing the bounty I put on my own daughter. You will not receive the rest even if you do bring her back."

"You can't do this to me!" Nack angrily retorted. "I came a long way to bring her back and my partner Snakebyte got killed along the way! You can't do this to me!"

"And you can't expect to lay hands on my daughter and get away with it!" the President told him. "Be happy I'm only cancelling your services. Step out of bounds again and I will dedicate all my resources towards hunting you down!"

At once, Nack quieted down. As angry as he was, he didn't want to become a target himself, especially the target of an angry President of a wealthy and influential planetary system.

"Fine…" Nack grumbled.

"So daddy, will you allow me to stay on this planet?" asked Sara.

"Absolutely not," her father shook his head. "Now that I know your location, I will be sending my forces here to pick you up."

"What forces?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"An armada, of course," the President replied.

"Whoa," Sonic frowned. "That might be a little excessive. You see, people on Earth don't take very well to alien invasions."

"You have a better idea?" demanded the President.

Sonic thought fast.

"Well, Mr. President," Sonic thought fast. "It appears to me that your daughter came a long way here to follow her heart. And she had it set on Knuckles. If you could give her some time to at least meet Knuckles, talk things out, and get some closure, I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

At once, Sara's eyes began to look hopeful.

"Hmm, I do remember once meeting the echidna's father a long time ago," the President replied thoughtfully. "He was truly a wise and good leader."

"And I promise Knuckles is the same as his father," Sonic told him. "If you could stall picking up your daughter, I can help her find closure, whatever that might be."

The President took note that Nack, the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, had been defeated by Sonic. He realized whoever this blue hedgehog was, he'd be more than capable of protecting his daughter.

"Well, you do make sense," the President conceded. "Very well. How long do you need?"

"A year," Sara requested. "Our family in the past has sent children to study on other planets before. Think of this as tradition, daddy!"

"This planet seems like a backwater," the President shrugged. "But I will allow it. You have a year, Sara, to study abroad at this planet before returning home. I trust these two will be good protectors and guardians to you?"

"You know it, sir," Sonic saluted.

"Very well," the President acknowledged. "As of this moment, you have my blessing, Sara."

"Oh thank you daddy!" Sara squealed. "And thank you, Sonic!"

At once, Sara hugged Sonic and planted an affectionate kiss on his cheek to the shock of the President, Tails, Wade, and Nack.

"When I set you free, you're not going to do anything funny, are you?" asked Tails, looking at Nack.

"No… I've had enough," Nack mumbled angrily.

oooo

"Damn it all!" Nack punched the side of his ship angrily as he stumbled back inside, still injured from the battle against Sonic.

He dumped Snakebyte's now-headless body in a holding container and sat down at his piloting chair, sighting deeply.

It was the first time he had ever failed to collect a bounty and for a bounty hunter with an ego as big as his, it was an insult he could not bear.

"Computer, take us back home," Nack instructed.

"I am sorry sir," the computer replied. "But the fuel back to your home planet is insufficient."

"What?! Nack cried. "How?"

"At your last stop, the fuel you filled this ship with was incompatible with the engines," the computer informed him. "We will not be able to make the journey home unless you wish to be stranded mid-route."

Then it dawned on Nack. During their last stop at a fueling station, he was so intent on using the restroom there that he left Snakebyte with the duty of refueling.

"Snakebyte, you idiot!" Nack slammed his fist on a panel. "You gave my ship the wrong fuel!

"Sir, your outburst is not recommended if you do not wish to damage further equipment," the computer tried to calm him down.

"I come all the way out here to this dustball for a bounty," Nack got out of his chair angrily. "The bounty gets called off. My partner becomes scrap metal. And I get my keister kicked! Worse, I fail for the first time in my long career! And you want me to calm the hell down?!"

"You are the master of this ship and I cannot order you to do anything," the computer admitted. "But I can recommend the best course of action in worst case scenarios like this."

Finally, Nack took a deep breath, realizing that his tantrum wasn't going to make the situation any better.

"Computer," Nack asked. "Show me a map of this entire planet."

"At once," the computer showed him a holographic image of Earth.

"Tell me," Nack asked. "Is there anything on this mudball that would make my time here worthwhile? Any energy sources I can use to refuel?"

The computer began its scan and after a few seconds had an answer.

"There is a source on this planet that most inhabitants would not consider important but for those you associate with across the galaxy, it holds great value," the computer finally told him.

"What is it?" Nack looked curious.

"My scans indicate an energy signature comparable to that of the Chaos Emeralds," the computer told him.

"Well I'll be," Nack's eyes widened. "Where is it?"

"It is… within your vicinity," the computer informed him.

"Say no more," Nack smiled. "I'll get my speeder bike ready."

oooo

"You no good deadbeat!" Sara growled at Knuckles. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited on you?!"

"She's all yours, Knuckles," Sonic patted Knuckles on the shoulder as he and Tails walked by in the yard.

Both Sonic and Tails began playing a game of Frisbee with Ozzie while Knuckles was forced to deal with the angry alien catgirl.

"Girl's got game," Maddie said to Tom and Wade who nodded in agreement on the side.

"But Sara, you don't understand," Knuckles tried to calm her down. "After I became the last of my kind, I thought our arranged marriage was over!"

"Oh yeah, what were you doing?" demanded Sara. "Two timing me with every space bimbo you came across?! You're not even HALF the man that Sonic is!"

Knuckles quickly had to reach inside the cooler they had to pull out the Master Emerald.

"The three of us had to form a new tribe," he told her solemnly. "We formed a new brotherhood to watch over the Master Emerald."

"Is… is that the Master Emerald?" Sara temporarily forgot her anger.

"It is," Knuckles nodded. "And we've sworn to defend it from the forces of evil."

"Well, it is good that you found a purpose in life," Sara finally looked down. "But…"

Suddenly Sara's face turned angry again.

"Did it ever occur to you that you should've reached out to me in all this time!?" Sara growled. "The least you could've done was drop by and tell me what happened to your tribe and that you needed time to process grief! But no! You disappear off the face of the galaxy without so much as an explanation!"

Knuckles took a step back as sweat poured down his head. He had not counted on Sara having this level of persistence and realized this was going to take a while.

"Who knew our lives would turn into To Love Ru," Sonic grinned as he picked up a chili dog, enjoying the whole spectacle.

Off in the distance, on the branch of a tree, nobody in the Wachoski residence had any idea they were being watched.

Nack finally put down his binoculars, having observed the whole scene.

"So the Master Emerald is here," he grinned. "Guess coming to Earth wasn't a total loss after all."

However, he was still somewhat apprehensive about directly going after the gem. After all, he had recently just been defeated by Sonic and Tails. And not only that, Knuckles the Echidna, one of the most feared warriors in the galaxy also resided in this area. On top of his fresh injuries, sneaking in there to steal the Master Emerald was going to be a tricky and daunting task, even for a professional bounty hunter like him.

Not to mention his partner Snakebyte was now dead and he was operating on limited resources no matter how much he wanted the power of the Master Emerald for himself.

"Guess I have no choice now," Nack climbed down the tree and hopped aboard his speeder bike. "I'm in this for the long haul. Maybe staying on this planet will have some upsides after all."

There was only one option for him now. He had no other choice than to acclimate himself to Earth for the time being and build himself back up to achieve his new goal of taking the Master Emerald.

"We'll be seeing each other again," Nack promised as he drove off. "Count on it, hedgehog."

The End?

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Ironbound

“Sir, is that who I think it is?” Commander Walters walked into the room with a shocked expression on his face.

The President of the United States turned to Walters. Next to him were Major Bennington and a mysterious cloaked man.

“Hey!” Bennington waved. “Good to see you again, Walt old buddy!”

“Mr. President, I don’t know why you let this man out,” Walters said to the President. “But Major Bennington has proven himself to be a loose cannon and a national security risk who disobeys orders, operates as a vigilante, and doesn’t respect the rights of this country’s citizens!”

“Hey Walters,” Bennington got up, facing the Commander. “You got a little bit of leftovers on your chin.”

“I do?” Walters paused.

In an instant, Bennington slapped Walters across the face with a smack that bounced all across the Oval Office.

“Don’t worry,” Bennington told him. “It’s gone now.”

Walters looked at Bennington in shock at having the gall to assault him openly in front of the President of the United States. Soon, that shock turned into anger.

“You just made a bit mistake, mister!” Walters warned.

Suddenly, the mysterious man in the hood turned to face Walters. At once, Commander Walters felt an ominous foreboding presence that shook him to his very core.

Prudently, he decided not to retaliate against Bennington for the insult.

“I gave Major Bennington my full pardon,” the President told Walters. “From here on out, he is free to do anything he sees fit for the security of this nation.”

“Sir, you can’t be serious!” Walters protested.

“Are we going to have a problem here?” the President demanded.

Walters could tell the President was dead serious about this.

“I… no sir,” Walters finally conceded, deciding he had to be pragmatic and keep a slightly lower profile to better analyze what was going on in the situation.

“Good, thank you Commander Walters,” the President looked pleased.

“You heard the man,” Bennington smiled. “Anything I want, Walters…”

oooo

“Does this school look good to you, Sonic?” asked Maddie.

Both Sonic and Maddie were in the office room looking up schools for Sara, the alien cat-girl who had recently also made Earth her temporary residence.

“Hmm, this all-girls school is the closest one we could find,” Sonic admitted. “It’s close enough that we can visit her and enough of a private girl’s school that she can have a real study abroad experience with Earth girls around her age.”

“Now all we have to do is show Sara,” Maddie told him.

“Knuckles, we’re not done yet!” Sara’s voice was heard from outside the house. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!”

Suddenly, Knuckles rushed into the room and locked the door, bolting it.

“That… that girl does not give up,” Knuckles breathed heavily.

“Hmm,” Maddie looked at the panting Knuckles. “You know what they say about how water can wear down even the strongest mountains over time. Sara’s persistent. And sometimes, fiery persistence like water that can float through the cracks can triumph over something strong.”

“Well, you were supposed to be her fiancée,” Sonic pointed out. “Plus, you did leave me with the responsibility of dealing with her.”

“Yes, and you should have just made sure she was alright and sent her on her way,” Knuckles glared at Sonic. “I made it clear I wanted to avoid her!”

“Well, I would have,” Sonic admitted. “But Tails and I had to deal with two alien bounty hunters immediately after we helped her out. And after that, her dad threatened to send a giant armada to Earth and I narrowly talked him out of it. So if you asked me, Knuckles, I think you putting up with her nagging is a small price to pay for a crisis averted!”

“You think putting me in a situation like one of your harem anime shows is funny?” demanded Knuckles. “

“I think you owe me one for avoiding an intergalactic incident by smooth-talking your ex-fiancee’s dad,” Sonic slowly got angrier.

Maddie noticed how the two were tense with each other and got between Sonic and Knuckles before something like a brawl could break out.

“Okay guys,” Maddie told them. “I know you both have your own different ideas on how to handle situations, but let’s not destroying the living room again. Besides, there’s that town picnic we all have to attend later on.”

Knuckles huffed and sat down angrily.

Maddie opened the door and left with Sonic who exchanged a frustrated glance at Knuckles. The two bumped into Sara who was a few feet away.

“Were Sonic and Knuckles… fighting over me?” asked Sara. “Because I can’t think of anything more romantic!”

“Well, you were part of the conversation,” Maddie admitted. “But when these two boys fight, it’s usually their pride that’s on the line and less of a girl.”

oooo

Major Bennington and his benefactor walked down the assembly line of the new base he had created for himself.

“You know, I have you to thank for providing me with all this,” Bennington turned towards his new partner.

“That is appreciated,” the hooded benefactor nodded. “With all that I’ve given you, you have some of the greatest minds working for you.”

“Oh hey,” Bennington turned towards one of his workers. “Shinjiro, what did we say about women at the base?”

A young Japanese scientist turned towards Bennington with two girls in his arms. One was a natural redhead and the other was a brunette with some dyed blue streaks across her hair.

“Oh hi, Major!” Shinjiro Ikari smiled, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I wasn’t expecting you to come back this early!”

“This is your boss?” asked Ashley, the redheaded girl.

“Afraid so,” Shinjiro mumbled.

“Mr. Ikari, what you want to do with your free time is your business,” Bennington crossed his arms. “And I’ve allowed you to get away with a lot because of your brilliant mind. But from here on out, I’d seriously suggest you not mix business with pleasure.”

Shinjiro sighed. “Girls, wait for me back at my place.”

“That’s too bad, Shinjiro,” Rey told her paramour. “We’ll be waiting for you back home.”

“So how goes the research?” asked Bennington.

“You see,” Shinjiro pulled up a screen. “Robotnik’s a genius. After a while, I was able to extract some of his files and found schematics on a new breed of robot, one that’s a perfect counter to Sonic in every way.”

“Looks impressive,” Bennington looked at the blueprints. “I’m not sure I like the name though. We’ll be sure to use these blueprints for our own version. How long do you think it might take to build it?”

“I’d need a few more weeks,” Ikari told his boss. “Why? Got some big mission you’re planning?”

Bennington looked disappointed. “No, I just thought I’d get the chance to skewer Sonic and his little buddies sooner than later.”

“I believe I could provide you with the diversion if that is what you’re looking for,” the mysterious figure told Bennington. “Command your most loyal soldier to step forth.”

“Hmm, alright,” Bennington stroked his chin and opened up his com-link. “Lieutenant Irons, please come meet me in the main office.”

“What manner of creature is this?” asked the hooded man, looking up at a fossilized ankylosaurus skeleton in the room.

“It’s a dinosaur,” Bennington answered. “They roamed this Earth millions of years ago before going extinct. My men excavated this fossil and rather donate it to a museum, I decided to keep it for myself as a display.”

“Excellent, this will do,” the hooded man stroked the fossil just as Lieutenant Irons entered the room.

“Sir, you called?” asked Lt. Irons.

He was a tall, muscular blonde man with a chiseled chin and stood about 6’4. On his uniform was a patch of Nebraska, the place he was born.

“Meet Lieutenant Sam Irons,” Bennington introduced the soldier to the hooded man. “He’s one of my most decorated soldiers and just like with Shinjiro and his habits, I sometimes give Lt. Irons more free reign than other people in the army.”

“Ready for duty, sir,” Irons nodded.

“Lieutenant Irons,” the hooded man walked around Irons. “How would you like to be of great use to your commanding officer? Do you wish to eliminate those who threaten your country?”

“It’s my duty to root out all enemies, domestic and foreign,” Lt. Irons answered with a steely voice.

“There you have it,” Bennington smiled. “If you need a man for the job, Sam Irons is your man.”

“Yes,” the hooded figure paced behind Irons. “Sam Irons, are you ready to become more than a mere man in service of your country and station?”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow,” Sam Irons admitted.

“I will make you stronger, more powerful, and superior to all mere mortals,” the hooded figure’s hands began to glow.

“I… I accept,” Irons finally nodded without hesitation.

“What’re you doing?” asked Bennington.

Shinjiro Ikari turned around from his work to watch what was going on.

“Whoa,” Ikari gasped. “Who is this guy and what is he doing?!”

Telekinetically, the strange being took apart the ankylosaurus skeleton, removing the massive shell. All the bones floated in the air surrounding Lieutenant Irons.

“Transmutation,” the strange being answered Ikari’s question. “You will become more than a mere man.”

The skull was placed on top of Sam’s head, followed up with the rest of the fossils attaching themselves to the other parts of Lt. Irons’ body.

“What… what’s going on?!” Sam Irons looked incredulously as his own body began to glow.

A completely blinding light surrounded Irons, blinding both Bennington and Ikari in the room.

Soon, the light cleared.

“Sam Irons has been reborn,” the mysterious benefactor to Major Bennington informed him.

“Whoa!” Ikari gaped in awe. “What did you do to him?!”

Before the three was a mutated, purple dinosaur-man in the place of Sam Irons. A powerful club tail swung back and forth as spikes lined themselves across his shelled back. Sam Irons looked at the two with an expression that was clearly no longer human as fangs aligned his mouth.

“Major Bennington, what happened?” asked Irons.

“Take a look for yourself,” Bennington beckoned Sam Irons to follow him towards a mirror.

“Could this be real?” Irons was incredulous. “What have I become?”

“Well based on what I saw, you were transformed into some kind of mutant ankylosaurus from the fossils we found on that one excavation,” Bennington told him. “Not gonna lie, you’re quite an impressive specimen.”

“This is unreal,” Ikari was still looking on in shock.

“You know, an occasion like this is very special,” Bennington looked up towards the mutated dinosaur-man. “When you went through boot camp, you had to be re-made into a new man. Now that you’ve transcended even that new man, we need a new name for you to celebrate your baptism through fire.”

“How about Ironbound?” suggested Shinjiro. “It was a name I always wanted to use for one of my mechs but now that Sam Irons has leveled up, I think it fits him more.”

“Well?” Bennington asked with a smile. “How does Ironbound sound to you?”

“I like that name,” the former Sam Irons looked into the mirror thoughtfully. “It will do nicely…”

“Come with me,” the benefactor beckoned the newly baptized Ironbound. “I will show you how to utilize your dormant potential.”

“Follow his orders as you would mine,” Bennington told Ironbound.

“Understood Major,” Ironbound bowed and followed the mystery man.

oooo

Later on, the town picnic in Montana was proceeding smoothly.

“Alright, so we finally found this Catholic school for girls a few hours away,” Maddie told Sara. “I think it’ll really provide you with the foreign exchange experience your father wants for you.”

“Sounds great,” Sara exclaimed. “I’ll still get to see you guys, right?”

“We’ll be sure to visit,” Sonic assured her.

“I doubt we’ll even be breaking any rules,” Tails pointed out. “After all, this girl’s school might not allow human boys on campus… but us anthropomorphic aliens are another story.”

“You’ll visit too, right Knuckles?” Sara demanded.

“Uh…” Knuckles scratched his head. “Perhaps?”

“Sheesh, show some backbone!” Sara pointed a finger at him accusingly.

“Don’t worry, he has one when he’s throwing punches,” Sonic pointed out. “But throwing down in courtship? That spine turns to jello!”

“Perhaps you’d like to feel another thrown punch,” Knuckles offered the blue hedgehog.

“You gotta land it first,” Sonic taunted. “Out of every two or three hundred punches you throw at me, just how many land? One maybe? Trust me, I’ve kept count.”

“Hey, what is that?” asked Tom, pointing up into the sky.

From the skies, a massive, red robot with a spiked head, bat-like wings, and a round body landed on the field where all the people of Green Hills were having their picnic.

“Oh great, who is it this time?” Sonic got up as both he and Knuckles decided to put their rivalry on hold.

“Sonic, good to see you again?” a familiar voice emerged from the robot.

“Oh great,” Sonic groaned. “And it was such a nice day not having to deal with Agent Stone. And what kind of robot is that anyways? Besides ugly.”

“I call it the Metal Robotnik,” Stone grinned inside the suit. “It was another one of the doctor’s blueprint designs before he could create it and put it to a field test.”

“How original,” Sonic rolled his eyes. “Listen Stone, before I dismantle your new toy, you need to know that your little man-crush on Eggman—”

Before Sonic could finish, the ground began shaking. Tom and Maddie looked down at their cups and inside, the water trembled.

“What is that?” asked Sara.

“Uh… wasn’t me,” Stone shrugged. “I didn’t even move.”

Like the Red Sea, the people of Green Hills parted as someone new entered the scene, casually walking into the picnic area without a care.

“Is… is that a living dinosaur?” Tails looked shocked. “But they’re supposed to be extinct, aren’t they?”

Before everyone was a purple, mutated ankylosaurus standing on two feet. All over his armored body were menacing spikes and a clubbed tail that swung back and forth.

“I’m sorry,” Stone turned the Metal Robotnik towards the newcomer. “You are?”

“I am Ironbound,” the dinosaur-man replied curtly. “And Sonic is my mission. Stand aside or I won’t be held responsible for what happens to any of you.”

“Hmm, let me think about that,” Stone pointed Metal Robotnik’s gatling gun at the dinosaur-man. “Nah!”

Stone opened fire. All the shots struck Ironbound but bounced off harmlessly. Ironbound slowly walked towards the Metal Robotnik menacingly. Stone then realized the level of threat he was dealing with and fired a missile at the creature, causing a huge explosion.

However, the mutated dinosaur-man emerged from the fire with no damage having been done to him.

“The Major was right, Stone,” Ironbound informed him. “You ARE pathetic.”

With a single punch, Ironbound struck the Metal Robotnik, smashing through its energy shields and sending the robot hurtling into a boulder.

“Aaaaahhh!” Stone cried out. “I felt that through the suit!”

“Hit critical,” Stone’s supercomputer warned him. “Escape maneuvers highly recommended!”

“Don’t need to tell me twice!” Stone fired up the engines.

The Metal Robotnik’s thrusters activated as the robot flew into the air.

“I think not,” Ironbound looked up and curled into a ball, gathering enough energy for a move that Sonic was more than familiar with.

“Is he doing a…” Sonic’s eyes widened.

Ironbound flew into the air, striking the Metal Robotnik with a powerful concussive spin dash that knocked it back down.

“Nooo!” Stone cried out.

As the Metal Robotnik fell from the sky, Ironbound struck it a few more times with multiple spin dashes, completely destroying the giant robot until the central core fell to the ground. Soon, Agent Stone crawled out of that core and landed face-first on the ground. Gulping, he realized Ironbound stood right in front of him.

“Send my regards to Robotnik,” Ironbound raised both hands, intending to smash Stone to a bloody pulp right there and then.

Before the mutant dinosaur-man could crush Robotnik’s assistant, however, Sonic saved Stone at super speed and ran him away into a safe location.

“You… you saved me!” Stone exclaimed as he realized he was safe inside a building of sorts.

“Well, that depends of your definition of being saved,” Sonic shrugged.

It was then that Stone realized he was in the Sheriff’s building and that he was standing in front of an open jail cell.

“Listen Sonic, you don’t have to do this,” Stone put his hands on Sonic’s shoulders and tried to talk his way out of the situation. “I did some things… you did some things… maybe we could both try something new for once and team up against the latest bad guy!”

“Just to jog your memory,” Sonic reminded him. “We did do that with Bennington and you still tried to kill us after that. And besides, now that you’re here, there is something new I wanna try.”

“Huh?” Stone looked down and realized Sonic had his hand an inch away from his stomach with a bent elbow and fingers both loose and perpendicular.

With that, Sonic thrust his arm forward at superspeed, snapped his wrist into a fist at the last second, and struck Stone, sending him flying back into the cell as his back hit the wall.

“Omph,” Stone gasped, holding his stomach in agony. “W-What was that?!”

“Just testing out Bruce Lee’s one inch punch,” Sonic grinned like a young child having learned an exciting new trick. “And huzzah! I pulled it off!”

As Stone began coughing, Sonic closed the jail cell and ran off again to confront the latest enemy.

oooo

“Just who are you and what do you want?” Knuckles demanded as Ironbound circled him and Tails.

“I have a mission,” Ironbound said very plainly. “I am to bring you, Sonic, and the fox back to HQ whether voluntarily or by force.”

“You can’t do that!” Sara cried out. “I haven’t even decided whether I want to marry Sonic or still marry Knuckles!”

The ankylosaur looked at Sara, noting her tail.

“Is this girl a cosplayer or is she one of you?” Ironbound demanded. “I don’t recall human girls on this planet having tails.”

“I hate to point this out,” Tails stared at the dinosaur-man as Sonic ran back to join the group. “But you don’t exactly look human yourself. What’s your story? Are you another bounty hunter like Nack? An alien warrior out for a score?”

“Alien? Ha!” Ironbound scoffed. “Unlike you abominations, I was born on this planet! What I have undergone is the next evolutionary step of a super soldier!”

“You mean you were mutated?” asked Tails. “Were you human before?”

“Yeah, and couldn’t you have become a super soldier another way?” Sonic pointed out. “Like learn to throw a metal shield or use a metal arm?”

“Enough questions!” Ironbound grew impatient. “This is your last chance. Come with me quietly or be taken by force!”

“Sonic isn’t coming with you!” Wade called out.

“Yeah, he’s done a lot for this town!” another townsperson shouted.

“The people have spoken,” Sonic grinned.

A tomato was thrown across the air from a young child, hitting Ironbound’s head and splattering harmlessly across his shoulder. Calmly, Ironbound used his hand to brush off the splattered vegetable.

“So they have,” Ironbound grinned, happy at finally having an excuse to go all-out.

The dinosaur-man slapped both hands together as hard as he could, generating a powerful thunderclap and ensuing shockwave that struck every person in the immediate area, knocking them back.

“Aaaaahhhh!” Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails all cried out as the shockwave struck them too.

Both Sonic and Tails were knocked back but Knuckles still remained standing, though it was apparent the shockwave had hurt him too. Behind Knuckles was Sara and she was the only other person in the area still standing as the echidna took the full brunt of the attack, shielding her in the process.

Everyone else, however, was not so lucky. As Sonic looked around, he noticed how everyone else, including Tom and Maddie had been knocked out.

“Tom!” Sonic cried. “Maddie!”

“Shame,” Ironbound grinned, revealing his fangs. “But this is what happens when you assault an officer in the army.”

“You’re going down for that!” Sonic cried.

Immediately, Sonic struck Ironbound from all sides with multiple spin dash attacks. Ironbound took all the attacks without injury and knocked Sonic away with a backhand. Knuckles came in next, punching Ironbound across the face. The dinosaur-man stumbled back briefly but regained his bearings.

Ironbound caught the next blow from Knuckles and punched him into the air with an uppercut. As Knuckles landed next to Sonic, Ironbound noticed Tails slipping underneath his legs before getting back up.

“My files on you indicate you’re the weakest of these three aliens,” Ironbound cracked his fists.

“Maybe,” Tails smiled. “But I make up for it in other fields.”

Ironbound looked down, after hearing a humming sound. It was one of the gravity discs that belonged to Tails. Immediately the machine hummed to life and lifted the dinosaur-man into the air.

For a brief moment, Ironbound looked surprised as he was shot into the air. However, that surprise disappeared as an expression of angry resolve crossed his now-mutated face.

“Uh oh,” Tails backed away.

Ironbound twirled his body into another spin dash and came down hard, defying the gravity-generating power of the disc and smashing it completely into the ground, creating a large crater and forcing Team Sonic to take cover.

As Ironbound got up again, Sonic spin dashed him right in the face, followed up by Knuckles hitting him with a left hook. The two took turns, hitting him across the body and head, hoping to find a weak spot.

“My armor is impenetrable!” Ironbound informed the two. “I’m a living, breathing tank!”

One tail swing from Ironbound knocked Sonic back while Knuckles got a face full of Ironbound’s fist.

“You!”

“Huh?” Ironbound looked up as Knuckles’ body crumpled to the floor from the force of his punch.

Sara leaped on top of Ironbound, trying to pound at his armored head with her bare fists.

“How dare you attack my ex-fiancee and my future husband!” Sara screamed.

“Is this a joke?” Ironbound noted as he tossed Sara off just by shaking his head. “Were you not paying attention to what I just did to everyone in this town?”

Ironbound backhanded Sara, knocking her into Tails and rendering both of them unconscious.

Another spin dash struck Ironbound from the side, briefly causing him to stumble.

“You attack my friends,” Sonic growled. “You attack my family! And you think I’ll just walk away quietly with you so you can experiment on me and take my power just like all those other madmen?!”

Blue electricity surrounded Sonic as he prepared for his strongest attack yet with no holding back.

“My answer is the same to you just like it was with Robotnik!” Sonic snarled. “Hell no!”

Sonic launched himself towards Ironbound with his strongest spin dash yet, this time with the full intention of maiming or killing the dinosaur-man.

However, Ironbound held out his hand just in time and caught Sonic’s killing blow.

“Me? Take your power?” Ironbound smiled, easily holding Sonic back. “The Major may want you to experiment on, but me?”

Ironbound threw his other hand up, disrupting the hedgehog’s spin dash and punching Sonic into the air with a mighty uppercut. The dinosaur-man then took a step back as Sonic fell back down on the ground, causing a small crater to erupt.

Sonic looked up weakly as the mutated ankylosaur stood over him.

“I AM power incarnate!” Ironbound declared boldly and punched downwards, completely rendering Sonic unconscious with a powerful blow and further cratering the ground beneath him.

A cough behind Ironbound alerted the dinosaur-man as he turned around to see Knuckles getting back to his feet.

“And then there was one,” Ironbound walked towards Knuckles methodically.

Knuckles jumped out of the way as Ironbound took a swing at him. Bracing himself, Knuckles struck Ironbound with a flurry of punches in the stomach. The dinosaur-man came down at him with another blow, which the echidna ducked again. Knuckles returned fire and punched Ironbound across the face, causing the mutated human to stumble back and finally give ground.

“I almost felt that,” Ironbound noted.

“And yet you still feel nothing,” Knuckles raised his fist. “I’ve come a long way and gone through much hardship to find a family and a tribe once more. And I will not stand by and allow you to take them away from me!”

Ironbound growled and charged once again. Knuckles managed to dodge a punch but did not count on another weapon the dinosaur-man had at his disposal. Ironbound’s tail connected with Knuckles in the stomach and sent him flying into the air.

“Aaaaahhh!” Knuckles cried out as he soared through the sky.

Ironbound pounced up, leaping into the air and transformed into a rolling ball again, covered with spikes and armor. Before Knuckles could fully regain his bearings again, Ironbound hit him with a powerful spindash that knocked him down into another mountain range.

After the dust cleared, Ironbound picked Knuckles up.

“That’s all you had?” Ironbound asked. “Pathetic!”

At once Knuckles sprang back to life and kicked Ironbound in the face with both feet, causing the dinosaur-man to drop Knuckles.

Without a word, Knuckles punched at Ironbound but the former military man caught the punch.

“That’s enough outta you!” Ironbound brought his head down on Knuckles’ head, causing the echidna to see stars.

“Ugh…” Knuckles fell down on both knees.

“Down you go!” Ironbound punched Knuckles in the back of the head to bring him down.

“Now to retrieve Sonic and Tails,” the dinosaur-man grabbed the echidna and leaped back to the other side of the mountain where the hedgehog and fox lay unconscious.

oooo

“About time you responded to my distress call,” Stone shook his head as Ian O’Reilly appeared before his jail cell in a flash of green lightning.

“So how’d it go?” asked O’Reilly.

“Well, not exactly as expected but I still got what I came for more or less,” Agent Stone admitted.

“In what way?” O’Reilly took out one of the keys he’d stolen from the building and opened up Stone’s cell.

“Well, I’d been hoping to extract some of Sonic’s DNA through battling him in my new Metal Robotnik robot,” Stone explained. “But this new guy showed up and completely trashed my suit. After that, Sonic saved me and I managed to plant my hands on his shoulders and get some DNA samples from him that way.”

“Well, you got the job done at least,” Ian shrugged. “Ready to hightail it?”

“Not a moment too soon,” Stone agreed as Ian took hold of him and ran off at super-speed.

oooo

At the picnic scene, everybody was still unconscious from Ironbound’s assault. The dinosaur-man threw Knuckles to the floor as he opened up a communications link with Bennington.

“Sir, the targets are down,” Ironbound confirmed. “We can begin extraction soon.”

“Glad to hear that,” Bennington responded back enthusiastically. “I’ll give you the coordinates to a nearby base I want you to take them to.”

Knuckles looked all around him after regaining some bit of consciousness. He’d never been hit so hard in his life and this new being, Ironbound, possessed a strength that equaled or possibly surpassed his own. Worse yet, the dinosaur man had critically injured many of the people around him from the Wachowskis to Sara to Sonic and Tails.

He needed to do something and fast if he wanted to defend the new tribe he had finally found for himself after all these years.

The echidna looked at the fallen Maddie who laid next to Tom.

You know what they say about how water can wear down even the strongest mountains over time. Sara’s persistent. And sometimes, fiery persistence like water that can float through the cracks can triumph over something strong.

A bottle of hot sauce lay down at the floor next to Wade, giving Knuckles an idea as he crawled over to it slowly as Ironbound gave his report back to his superior.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?!” demanded Ironbound, noticing Knuckles crawling away.

Stomping over towards the echidna, Ironbound grabbed Knuckles by the back of the neck and picked him up.

“I was merely... getting ready to wear down the strongest mountain,” Knuckles smiled.

By the time Ironbound noticed something in the echidna’s hands, it was too late. Knuckles took out the hot sauce and squeezed it directly into the dinosaur-man’s comparatively more sensitive eyes, causing Ironbound to scream.

“Aaaaahhh!” Ironbound roared in pain. “I can’t see!”

Knuckles only responded back with a punch that sent Ironbound stumbling back. He punched at Ironbound again and again, forcing him back towards a cliff.

“You blinded me!” Ironbound growled, swinging wildly in all directions but missing the echidna. “I’ll tear you apart for that!”

As Knuckles ducked underneath a swing, he finally noticed a single soft spot on Ironbound’s body underneath all the spikes and armor… his throat.

The echidna punched with all his might, striking the dinosaur-man directly in the throat, causing him to cough and wheeze violently. Soon after, Ironbound’s knees buckled as he fell down on both of them, coughing continuously due to the critical hit Knuckles had inflicted on him.

“I… I can’t lose!” Ironbound managed to hold his throat to prevent another hard hit as he also tried to clear the hot sauce from his eyes.

“There’s a first time for everything, including loss,” Knuckles told him. “And I am about to show you the way.”

With that Knuckles leaped up and kicked Ironbound in the chest, knocking him off the edge of the cliff that Ironbound had been kneeling on.

“Aaaaaahhh!” Ironbound screamed as his body hit a raging river underneath and disappeared under the waves.

“The way down,” Knuckles smirked and went back to check up on his family and the other townspeople.

oooo

“Thanks guys,” Sara looked around her new all-girls school dorm. “I think something like this is exactly what daddy had in mind.”

“Remember, you’re always welcome to come over for weekends when school’s out,” Maddie told her.

“Take this too,” Tails gave her a communicator.

“What is it?” asked Sara.

“It’s a communicator,” Tails told her. “Use it whenever you’re in trouble or you just want to talk.”

“Thanks Tails,” Sara hugged the fox.

“Are we alright now, Sara?” asked Knuckles.

“You know, I did become conscious to see you finish that battle with Ironbound,” Sara told him.

“Huh, you did?” Knuckles scratched his head.

“Yeah, and frankly, I don’t know whether to be more impressed by you defeating the dinosaur or Sonic defeating the weasel to save me,” Sara mused. “Who knows, maybe I can marry you both!”

“What?!” Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other in shock.

“Well, she is from another planet,” Tom looked at Maddie in surprise. “Maybe cultural customs are different there.”

“Knuckles old pal… you can deal with this,” Sonic got behind the echidna and pushed him forward into Sara’s arms.

“Aww, I knew you’d see things my way, Knuckles!” Sara hugged and cuddled the echidna.

“Sonic, get back here this instant!” Knuckles cried angrily. “You will pay for this dishonor!”

Sonic stopped at the door briefly, stuck out his tongue at Knuckles, and ran off, leaving the flustered and angry echidna to deal with the alien catgirl.

oooo

“You look like you’ve been through a war,” Shinjiro Ikari looked on as Ironbound crawled back into the base where Bennington and the others were working.

“Major Bennington,” Ironbound coughed, falling down on both knees in his weakened state. “I’m sorry. I failed my mission. I was not able to complete the objective.”

Major Bennington walked over to Ironbound and looked at him.

“You know what?” the Major told him. “Don’t worry about it. You did good out there regardless.”

“I did?” Ironbound looked confused. “But I was not able to capture them.”

“It’s not a problem,” Bennington informed his mutated subordinate. “I’ve been monitoring your battle via drone. You see, you didn’t fail in anything. You did everything right. You utterly crushed most of the opposition. You made no mistake at all in your approach but it was just one little unforeseen thing that tipped the scales against you. I mean, how were you supposed to know Knuckles would use hot sauce to blind you? If you ask me, I don’t punish people for doing their duty but being blindsided by the unforeseen.”

“Thank you sir, I will not fail you again,” Ironbound bowed his head.

“In any case, come over here with me,” Bennington beckoned the dinosaur man to get up. “I have something to show you.”

“What is it?” asked Ironbound.

“If you’re a living weapon for our cause, you’d be the wrecking ball,” Bennington informed him. “But this? This weapon is more of a surgical and precision-cutting buzzsaw.”

Ikari noted Ironbound and Bennington coming closer and stopped his work. He took the white cloth off of the new project to reveal to them what it was.

“Impressed?” asked Ikari.

“What is this thing?” Ironbound asked.

“I give you… Project Silver Sonic!” Bennington grinned with pride.

The End?

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

A Terrible Thing To Waste

"Hey Rockman, we need to have a talk," an Italian man with brown hair and a trenchcoat walked into the mayoral office.

He was surrounded by multiple bodyguards and henchmen, all of whom looked extremely formidable to the public eye. Sitting on a desk was an African-American politician with a mustache and a blue suit.

"I see, and you are?" Lloyd Rockman asked.

"Constantino," the Italian man told him. "I don't know what hold you have over my dad but it ends tonight."

"Your dad, hmm," Lloyd looked down at his phone. "Oh yes, I recall now… Mr. Rossi, wasn't it?"

"I don't know what hold you have over my dad," Constantino leaned in over on the desk in a threatening manner. "A lot of our money seems to be going into your coffers and your stupid mayoral campaign."

"Your father's a grown man," Lloyd smiled crookedly. "He can make his own decisions and support whoever he wants, right? By the way, how'd you like to sign up as a supporter?"

In anger, Constantino knocked all the things off Lloyd's desk in one swipe of his arm.

"I'd like," Constantino growled, "to wipe that stupid grin off your face… forever."

"You sure you wanna go there, son?" asked Lloyd. "You've got guys… but I've got guys of my own too."

"Boys," Constantino ordered. "Let's take Mr. Rockman for a swim tonight, shall we?"

All of Constantino's bodyguards moved in aggressively to grab a hold of the mayoral candidate but at once, a blue streak struck half of them, knocking them into the air.

"The hell?!" Constantino cried.

After that, a large, menacing figure leaped onto the desk and gripped Constantino by the throat, lifting him up.

"Sir!" one of Constantino's bodyguards rushed forward but a small disc fell under his feet and generated enough gravity to send the large man flying into the air.

The final three guys pulled out their guns but a blue ball struck all three at once, knocking them down like bowling pins. After that, the muscular aide to Lloyd threw Constantino to the ground.

"Like I said, I've got guys of my own," Lloyd smiled.

Constantino looked at the three figures in the room. All three of them had glowing eyes and none of them were remotely human. The Italian man looked a bit closer and recognized at least one of them.

"Is… is that Blue Justice?" Constantino gasped.

"He always comes to the aid of the people," Lloyd clasped his hands together. "And when the people support a guy like me, you can bet Blue Justice will be right behind them. Why don't you run off now back to dear old dad?"

Constantino was forced to swallow his pride right there and get up, running off shamefully, knowing that there was no way for him to avenge any kind of honor on this day.

"Watch for me in the runoffs!" Lloyd called out as the man exited the building.

oooo

"You guys okay?" asked Tom.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails were together in the sofa fast asleep as Tom came into the room.

"Guys?" Tom nudged Sonic.

"Huh, what?" Sonic exclaimed. "Donut Lord?"

"Guys, you've been dozing off at odd hours for over two weeks," Tom told them. "You all feeling alright?"

Tails was the next to get up.

"I don't recall staying up all night," Tails rubbed his eyes.

"Guys, seriously, I know sometimes you do patrols at night but you never stay out this late," Tom made sure to wake Knuckles next.

"Maybe all that crime fighting really does a number on you," Sonic yawned, trying to come up with a theory.

"Guys!" Maddie's voice called out.

"Uh oh, sounds serious," Sonic suddenly snapped out of his sleepiness. "We'd better see what's up."

Tom and the three headed to the living room where Maddie sat.

"You guys need to take a look at this," she told them in a serious tone.

"Last night, another state bank was robbed," the news anchor announced. "This time, we were able to get CCTV footage and what we saw was surprising."

The footage rolled, showing three figures wearing black going inside the bank. The three bodies everyone saw on screen had the basic outlines of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails.

The figure who looked like Knuckles punched the bank vault hard enough to de-stabilize it. With his raw strength, he yanked the door off and threw it aside. The next figure who resembled Sonic sped into the vault and took out multiple large bags of money.

"What the…" Sonic's jaw dropped.

Next up, a security guard ran up to the three.

"Freeze!"

After that, the smaller figure who resembled Tails took out a laser blaster and knocked the gun out of the man's hands. After that, all three ran off, leaving behind a stunned security guard.

"Because one of these robbers looks vaguely familiar, we must have one question on our minds" the anchor told the audience. "Has the vigilante known as Blue Justice turned against us?"

"You know, we don't know that for sure," his female broadcast partner replied. "After all, not many good footage of Blue Justice exists out there. Besides, some people don't even think he's real."

"You know, I did see a video of a local MMA fighter losing to someone who claimed to be Blue Justice," her male partner replied. "But many out there doubt the authenticity of that fight as well. In fact, some say it was a publicity stunt with a CGI animal…"

Tom turned down the volume.

"Okay, we've GOT to get this settled," he told the three.

"Uh… I do not recall doing any of this," Knuckles replied honestly.

"Nada," Sonic said next. "No memories."

Tails shrugged, indicating he also had no idea what was going on.

"You know us better than this, Tom," Sonic looked at his adoptive father. "After all we've been through, we'd never turn to crime or do anything like this… at least not willingly."

"I fully believe you," Tom told them. "Look, just go and get some sleep while Maddie and I do some research on this trending news topic. We'll get this all cleared up because I know you three are innocent."

"Alright, thanks Tom," Sonic yawned, realizing just how sleepy he was.

oooo

"So what do we have here so far?" Tom asked his wife.

"Well, based on the articles I've gathered, we now know all the locations of these so-called Blue Justice crimes," Maddie told him.

"I see," Tom sat down. "Most of them are state banks in Seattle…"

"Notice anything so far?" asked Maddie.

"Hmm, most of them are just robberies so far," Tom noted. "Is there a trend we should be looking for?"

"I only showed you the names of the banks on the articles," Maddie clicked on the mouse. "Now… let's see the locations of all these banks on a map."

Tom examined the evidence carefully as all the state banks showed up on the digital internet map. Soon, he noticed a trend.

"All these banks," Tom finally acknowledged. "They all surround and converge around a central location."

"That's right," Maddie pointed towards the central building where all the crimes had taken place.

"This is the US Government Accountability Office," Tom noted. "Not sure if it means anything or not but… this place might be worth investigating. All the bank robberies surround this building like a circle."

Upstairs, a creeking noise was heard.

"Hang on, let me go check on the boys," Tom said, getting up.

"You guys alright?" Tom went upstairs and opened the door.

Before him were Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles putting on black ninja-like suits.

"Boys?" Tom asked.

All three turned around with glowing red eyes.

"Uh oh," Tom realized something was amiss.

All three ignored Tom as Sonic took out a ring, throwing it into the air for create a portal to the government building that Tom had just recently looked up.

Sonic was the firsts to enter the portal, soon followed up by Tails. Before Knuckles could enter, Tom grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Knuckles, wait!" Tom tried to stop him.

Knuckles turned around, planting his hand on Tom's chest. With a simple push, he sent Tom flying half-way across the room as the Wachowski's back hit the wall.

"Owww," Tom rubbed his back in pain.

"You alright?" asked Maddie as she rushed in.

"Yeah, you were right about where they were going," Tom got up as Maddie helped him.

"So what next?" asked Maddie.

"Well, since that place might be surrounded with security, I might need to take a look at the interior of the building," Tom went straight for the computer again.

oooo

Inside one of the main office buildings, Tom appeared through the ring's portals, armed only with his wits and a gun.

"Don't know if this is the place or not," Tom looked around.

He didn't particularly want to do it but if it came down to it, he planned on choking a janitor or guard unconscious and stealing their uniform to do his investigation under cover.

In mere moments, he heard footsteps coming towards the room. Quickly, Tom opened up the closet door and hid inside. He left a little bit of peeking space open to see who it was.

"You boys have done well," Lloyd Rockman came inside.

With him were Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in black suits that covered their bodies and most of their faces. More ominously, Tom saw that their eyes were all glowing red.

"I could've never done it without your help," Lloyd told the three. "Once I'm running this city, I'll still need your assistance. You three are the best aides I could've asked for!"

The three only nodded as if they were in a trance.

"What has he done to those three?" Tom quietly murmured.

Suddenly, the career politician's eyes darted towards Tom's location as if he sensed Tom's very presence.

"You can come out now," Lloyd smiled. "I know you're there."

Tom was taken aback, having lost any element of surprise. Calmly, he walked out of the closet.

"I'm surprised you managed to get past security," Lloyd told him as Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails surrounded Lloyd in a defensive position.

"I have my ways," Tom glared at the man.

"I'm sure you do," Lloyd replied. "So what can I do for a trespasser such as yourself?"

"Well for starters," Tom told him. "You can release your hold on them."

"Nah, I don't think so," Lloyd shrugged. "You see, having these three is very helpful to me and I think I'll keep them around as my personal attack dogs."

"You can't do that to them," Tom growled. "They may not be human but they have their rights and they should be free."

"Why do you care so much?" asked Lloyd. "What're you? Their dad?"

"You could say that," Tom admitted.

"Well don't worry, I already know their stories," Lloyd chuckled. "They weren't able to hide much from me."

"How were you able to do it?" demanded Tom.

"Well, it all started when I was a young boy," Lloyd told his story. "I was an intelligent young man and the school athletes all loved to pick on me back in the day. They gave me no rest and made life hell for me. You could imagine what that was like, no?"

"I can," Tom told him firmly. "You remind me of another person who used his bad childhood experiences as an excuse to be a rotten scumbag in the present."

"Let me guess," Lloyd smirked. "Dr. Ivo Robotnik?"

"Wait, how did you?" Tom's eyes widened in shock. "I didn't even say his name!"

"That's right," Lloyd finally confirmed. "I'm a telepath and I just casually read your mind."

Tom gulped, realizing things weren't looking good.

"One day, just as I was being slammed against the locker by a bully named Brad," Lloyd continued, "my latent telepathic powers awakened. In that instance, his mind was putty in my hands and I was able to make him back off. After that, the rest of high school sailed by smoothly, with all the jocks… and cheerleaders listening to my beck and call."

Lloyd saw Tom looking at him suspiciously.

"Better idea, instead of telling you, why don't I show you?" Lloyd offered.

Before Tom could react, it was as if a gate in his mind had been forcefully opened up as a head-splitting pain over took him. Lloyd was now establishing a psychic connection even more forcefully.

"Alright punk, you know what day it is," Brad slammed a teenage Lloyd against the locker. "Pay up!"

Lloyd looked at the larger athlete with hatred in his eyes.

"Let me go, Brad! I already gave you ten bucks yesterday!"

"Well now I need more," Brad slammed Lloyd against the locker again.

"I said… NO!" Lloyd screamed as his eyes glowed with power.

At once, Brad's eyes changed. His entire body seemed to pause, as if waiting for instructions.

"Get off of me," Lloyd ordered, not yet knowing what he was doing.

At once Brad obeyed and got off. Hardly believing his good luck, Lloyd felt something pulsating inside of him.

"G-Get on your knees and apologize," Lloyd ordered.

"I'm sorry Lloyd," Brad did as told with a glazed look in his eye.

At once, Lloyd realized what he was capable of.

"I think I'm going to like this," Lloyd felt the power surge through his mind.

Finally, the past scenes of Lloyd's life ended as Tom grasped his head in pain.

"Yeah, you're living proof no person should have this kind of power," Tom told him truthfully, clutching his head. "Just because you were bullied once, doesn't give you the right to invade other people's minds."

"Is it really an invasion if they don't know about it?" Lloyd smiled.

"How did you get to Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails?" demanded Tom.

"It was simple," Lloyd finally turned to Tom with a frown. "You see, I can establish a telepathic link with anyone in my vicinity that I choose. One night I stumbled upon the three of them high-fiving after foiling a few muggers and once they turned around, they instantly became my pawns."

Tom cursed himself for not having prepared the boys for a situation like this. But then again, none of them ever expected to go up against a telepath and had little experience dealing with psychic powers.

"Now that you've uncovered the truth," Lloyd told him. "I can only deal with you in one manner to make sure you never expose me."

Lloyd quickly made a motion towards the three.

"Kill him," Lloyd ordered.

Sonic's eyes were still in a glowing red trance as he came in first, punching Tom hard enough to send him flying back against a wall.

"Aaahhh!" Tom cried out.

"Raaahhh!" Knuckles cried and leaped into the air.

Thanks to the roar, Tom got enough of a heads up to roll out of the way as Knuckles came down, destroying the drawer right next to him.

Trying his best to ignore the pain, Tom grabbed his gun and aimed at Lloyd. However, a yellow laser struck the gun and knocked it out of his hard courtesy of Tails.

"Agh!" Tom cried out.

Knuckles grabbed him by the collar and hurled him across a dinner table, knocking off all the snacks.

Tom frantically looked around, realizing he was done for if he didn't do something soon enough. Deep down, he knew he would not survive a prolonged assault by the three if they were going all-out.

Sonic appeared before Tom with glowing red eyes again. He clenched his fist as electricity gathered around it. Tom recognized whatever Sonic was doing, he was likely preparing a fatal blow. Looking down, he finally found something and instinctively held it up.

"Sonic," Tom said. "This isn't you."

In his hand, he held a donut that fell down from the table.

"You're not a killer Sonic," Tom told him. "I know you have the heart of a hero and a family you love."

Briefly, Sonic stopped and look at Tom with some hesitation as the glow in his eyes began to waver.

"Listen to my voice Sonic," Tom continued. "Listen to Donut Lord and be the hero I know you are…"

Gritting his teeth, the blue hedgehog shook his head, vibrating at super speed like a war was going on inside his mind. Finally, Sonic snapped out of his brainwashing, completely cutting off the psychic connection between Lloyd Rockman and himself. .

"Tom?" Sonic's eyes widened.

"I'm okay Sonic," Tom told him.

"Impossible!" Lloyd was infuriated. "No man or… beast should've broken out of that!"

"Sorry, guess your telepathy's just garbage," Sonic smiled.

"Kill them!" Lloyd ordered Knuckles.

As the two moved in on Tom and Sonic, Sonic raced right behind Knuckles, hitting the echidna on the back of the head with multiple hammer strikes like he was beating on drums. As Knuckles fell down, Tails tried to pull his gun on Sonic but the blue hedgehog quickly applied two super-sonic slaps across his buddy's face to knock some sense into him.

"What?" Tails finally snapped out of it as well. "What happened?"

"This guy," Sonic pointed a finger at Lloyd.

"Sonic, did you just hit me on the head multiple times?" Knuckles demanded, finally coming to as well.

"Yeah, but you needed it," Sonic smiled.

"No, this can't be happening!" Lloyd's confidence began to waver. "I won't let you do this to me!"

"Oh no?"

Tom punched Lloyd as hard as he could across the face before he could use his telepathy again, knocking him backwards over his desk as the politician fell on his back.

"Good job Donut Lord!" Sonic cried.

"Get back!" Lloyd suddenly got back up to his feet.

Blood ran down his mouth from where Tom punched him. In his hand was a gun that he trained on Tom.

"Say goodbye!" Lloyd pulled down on the trigger.

Immediately, Sonic went into super speed mode. Racing forward, he grabbed a pen from the desk and jammed it directly into the barrel of gun that Lloyd was in the process of firing.

Sonic ran back to Tom's side and just as Lloyd pulled the trigger, his gun exploded, seriously injuring his hand.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Lloyd Rockman screamed in pain.

"Ready to give up now?" demanded Tom.

"Not quite," Lloyd winced in pain, holding his hand. "I lost my psychic connection to your three boys… but my hold over other people isn't over yet."

The door broke down, revealing multiple guards with the same glowing red eyes Sonic and his friends previously possessed.

"Remember to go easy on them," Sonic pointed out to Knuckles and Tails. "These guys are just as brainwashed as we were."

As Sonic and his family moved in to deal with Lloyd's security forces, Lloyd quickly used the opportunity to slip away. Them holding back out of fear of seriously injuring or killing other people under his control was exactly what Rockman was counting on to buy him precious enough time to escape.

oooo

By the time he had reached the parking lot, Lloyd was panting heavily. His powers of telepathy were very useful but they had a drawback. As an adult, when he was stressed out or in a tight spot, they were much less effective and in order for him to use it again, he would have to be in a calm and confident state.

Fumbling in his pocket, Lloyd reached for his car keys only to realize to his horror that they were not there. It was then that he realized the keys must've fallen out of his pocket the moment Tom punched him and sent him falling over his desk.

"This can't be happening," Lloyd grasped his head as the pain on his injured hand seemed to get worse.

Suddenly, a black limo pulled in front of him. The windows rolled down to reveal Constantino to Lloyd's relief.

"Constantino!" Lloyd cried happily. "Listen, let's strike a deal! You get me out of here and—"

"This is for my father, dirtbag."

At once, Constantino pulled out a machine gun and opened fire on Lloyd, striking him in the heart through the chest and hitting multiple other major organs as a side effect. As Lloyd fell down to the ground, Constantino rolled the window back up as the limo drove off.

By the time Lloyd's body stopped moving, Sonic and the rest of his family had gotten there.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Sonic knelt down before Lloyd's body.

"Judging from the bullet wounds," Tom examined him. "Lloyd Rockman's made more enemies in life than just us."

"A shame," Knuckles crossed his arms. "He had talent and power but refused to use it in the service of something greater."

"It is a shame," Tom agreed. "He had no one to guide him in using his powers and teach him right from wrong."

"Yeah, Sonic had Longclaw and Knuckles had his father," Tails looked down at the deceased Lloyd. "And we all have you, Tom. This guy had no one."

"Well at least now in the event the three of us ever go rogue again," Sonic pointed out. "We can always count on Donut Lord to be our kryptonite!"

"As long as we never have to deal with another psychic again," Tom lifted Sonic up on his shoulders, "I don't think we'll ever have to worry about that possibility. Ready to go home, guys?"

"You said it, dad!" Sonic put his arms around Tom's head. "Let's catch up on some sleep!"

Fin.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Owl Night Long Part 1

Sonic tossed and turned in his sleep as a distant voice kept calling to him.

"Ugh," Sonic moaned.

You were a son to Longclaw once. And you can be again.

The blue hedgehog shook his head, trying to clear the voices.

The owls have not gone extinct but you are the key to our revival.

Finally, Sonic woke up drenched in sweat.

Tails stood by his side. It was early in the morning but Knuckles was not up yet.

"Same bad dreams again?" asked Tails.

"It was the same voice again," confirmed Sonic. "Telling me that the owls haven't been wiped out."

"Do you think it could be Longclaw or another owl?" asked Tails.

"It's another voice," Sonic replied. "Male this time. It's not anyone I've ever heard before. Tails, do you suppose it could be Agent Stone somewhere messing with my head?"

"Nah, I've got sensors all over our home," Tails told him. "I would've let us know if strange radio waves or something else was bombarding our place."

"So far I'm the only one hearing these voices," Sonic looked down.

"Do you see anything in those dreams?" asked Tails.

"I do," Sonic responded. "It's a huge formation of stones. In a circle."

"Hmm," Tails rubbed his chin. "Let me do a quick search on the internet."

After a while, Tails came back with his laptop.

"Is this the place?" asked Tails.

"It is," Sonic confirmed.

"Sonic, the vision you saw was Stonehenge," Tails told him.

"Hmm, so the voice came from there," Sonic wondered aloud. "But what could it mean?"

"I don't know," Tails told him. "But if it can give you some closure, maybe we can go there and find out."

oooo

"Sonic, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Tom.

"Yeah, I'm not against a vacation," Maddie told him. "But a trip based on a hunch and a dream?"

"This is something I need to do," Sonic told his parents. "I need closure. And to see if Longclaw's people are really gone or not."

"I'm with you on this, Sonic," Knuckles told the hedgehog. "You helped me during a time when I needed it most and I would be happy to do the same for you."

"At the very least, maybe we can put an end to these recurring dreams," Tails added.

"You guys ready?" asked Sonic.

Both echidna and fox nodded.

"Let's do this," Sonic threw out a ring.

The ring expanded, revealing Stonehenge before the entire family.

"Good luck guys," Tom nodded.

"We'll be back before dinner," Sonic smiled, waving.

All three members of Team Sonic stepped through the portal, entering into the huge stone formation in England.

After the portal closed, Tails took out his machine and began scanning the entire place.

"Hmm, this place is giving off a lot of strange energy," the fox admitted. "It's not like any natural energy I've detected on Earth so far."

"There is something unnatural about this place," Knuckles nodded, sensing something strange.

"Is there anyone here?" Sonic called out. "I've heard your voice. And you told me Longclaw's people aren't gone. If you're really here, I need to know."

A gust of wind blew against Team Sonic, giving them a brief chill.

"Uh, Sonic," Tails told his friend. "Energy readings are spiking."

Before the three, a ghostly spectre materialized before the three. It was another horned owl, similar to Longclaw but bigger. From the looks of it, this particular owl was a male. And not only that, he had a scar across his eye.

"Who… who are you?" asked Sonic.

"You are truly Longclaw's son," the owl spirit looked at Sonic in admiration.

"Do you know Longclaw?" asked Sonic.

"Not personally," the owl answered. "But I am her ancestor. And I couldn't be more proud of what my lineage has lead to."

"Do you have a name?" asked Tails. "Maybe you can jog Sonic's memories from the time he spent with Longclaw. Maybe she mentioned your name at some point."

"I am Betelgeuse," the great owl spirit told them. "Unfortunately, I existed generations before Longclaw ever came into being."

"I… honestly don't remember a time during my childhood when Longclaw ever mentioned you," admitted Sonic.

"That is fine," Betelgeuse replied. "During her time, I am certain I was little more than ancient history to her."

"Wow, you must be really old," Tails admitted. "Err, no offense, sir."

"It is fine," the older owl smiled gently.

"You said Longclaw's people weren't gone and that they could be brought back," Sonic mentioned. "Did you mean that?"

"I did," Betelgeuse replied. "But it will require your power, Sonic. First, I must be revived. And after that, we will journey to find the other owls."

Sonic looked at both his companions. Tails seemed to be content to do whatever Sonic wanted but Knuckles had another expression on his face.

"I'm with you on this, Sonic," Tails told him.

"If… this is what will bring you closure, I too will stand by your side," Knuckles finally spoke with what sounded like hesitation in his voice.

"What do I need to do?" asked Sonic.

"The centre of this stone structure holds my essence," Betelgeuse informed him. "Run until you can unleash a full energy blast towards the middle of these rock formations."

"I gotcha," Sonic agreed as electricity crackled around him and gestured for Tails and Knuckle to move away from the center.

Tails and Knuckles did as they were told and backed away until they stood near one of the standing stones. At that point, Sonic began running around Stonehenge, gathering energy.

The two-tailed fox then took a glance at the stone next to him. On the rock were inscriptions in a language he did not recognize.

"Huh?" Tails looked at it curiously as Sonic was running around Stonehenge.

Tails took out his universal translator and scanned the words on the stone. After the translation finally came through, Tails read it carefully as a frown appeared on his face. Soon, realization dawned on him.

"Sonic!" Tails cried out. "Wait! Don't do this!"

However, it was too late. Sonic had gathered enough energy and leaped into the air, hurling a bolt of his own lightning towards the center of Stonehenge.

The bolt struck the center, unleashing a huge surge of energy. When the smoke cleared, a massive wingspan stretched out, followed by glowing red eyes.

"Thank you Sonic," the now-corporeal Betelgeuse arose. "I could not have done this without your help."

"I'm glad I could help," Sonic told him. "Now what do you want us to do to bring back Longclaw's people?"

"Uh Sonic," Tails went up towards his friend. "You're going to want to read this."

"Read what?" Sonic looked at Tails.

Tails showed Sonic the words on the stone he had translated.

"Wait, a minute," Sonic frowned. "This can't be right."

"Huh," Knuckles scratched his head. "It says Betelgeuse abused the power of the chaos emeralds and became a tyrant who crushed his own owl tribe with an iron claw."

Suddenly, Betelgeuse's seemingly benevolent expression changed. He had not counted on Tails having the means to translate what was written on the stones.

"Betelgeuse," Sonic asked. "What's all this about?"

"Those are lies, my boy," Betelgeuse scoffed. "I would not do such a thing to my fellow owls."

"It also says your own daughter led a rebellion against you and all of them trapped you in these stone formations," Tails pointed out.

"What's going on here?" asked Sonic pleadingly. "Betelgeuse, please. Tell me.

"Sonic wanted to bring you back and sought you out because he received visions of someone similar to Longclaw," Knuckles pointed his fist at Betelgeuse. "I think he deserves an answer."

Inwardly, Betelgeuse was fuming. Because of Tails, he could no longer maintain any charade and his ancient history had been exposed. There was really only one option left for him and maintaining a façade for much longer was not going to be possible.

"Very well," Betelgeuse told them. "The truth is… I really only needed Sonic to be here and not the rest of you."

Betelgeuse smiled as a standing stone behind Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles was activated. A powerful beam emerged from the rock and struck Sonic from behind, knocking him unconscious.

"Sonic!" Tails cried.

"Both of you stand aside," Betelgeuse warned. "Final warning."

Before Betelgeuse could react, Knuckles punched him across the face, sending him flying against one of the standing stones, shattering it.

Knuckles leaped up at Betelgeuse but the giant owl unleashed a gust of powerful wind with a swipe of his wing that knocked Knuckles back.

"I will be taking Sonic now," Betelgeuse told them.

"No way," Tails took out a laser pistol and fired.

Betelgeuse shielded himself with his wing, blocking the blasts and hurled a few razor sharp feathers at Tails, forcing him to dodge. The great owl then lifted a pillar of stone with his psionic power and hurled it at the fox.

Immediately, Knuckles got in front of the stone, punching it with all his might and shattering it to pieces. The echidna charged at Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse unleashed a pair of laser beams from his eyes, forcing Knuckles to roll under.

The echidna came up, after the blast, punching Betelgeuse in the stomach with a powerful blow.

"Aaagh!" Betelgeuse stumbled back.

Again and again, Knuckles punched him, unleashing powerful blow after powerful blow. Betelgeuse swiped at Knuckles with his wing but Knuckles leaped over it, kicking Betelgeuse across the head to send him stumbling back.

"Yeah, Knuckles!" Tails cried out.

"You are more troublesome than I anticipated," Betelgeuse licked his lips.

Another punch across the face sent Betelgeuse crashing to the floor.

"You will not have Sonic, deceiver!" Knuckles growled.

"What Knuckles said," Tails pointed his gun at the downed Betelgeuse. "Sonic isn't going anywhere with you!"

"I will have the hedgehog's power," Betelgeuse swore. "And neither a mutant fox nor an overgrown echidna will stand in my path!"

At once, multiple Tails holograms began swirling around the owl. Tails had switched on his Miles Electric.

"Hoping to confuse me, are you?"

All the Tails holograms flew around Betelgeuse until one of them kicked the owl across the face. It was the real Tails.

As Tails flew in again, Betelgeuse smacked him with a wing, knocking him against one of the stones to take him out.

Knuckles charged at the owl next but Betelgeuse grabbed Knuckles by the face with one of his claws and slammed Knuckles to the ground. He slammed the echidna down a second time forcefully.

Suddenly with a burst of strength, Knuckles grabbed Betelgeuse's foot and lifted it up, throwing the owl off of him. As Betelgeuse regained his footing, Knuckles came with mighty uppercut that sent the large owl staggering back.

"I have no time for this," Betelgeuse growled.

As Knuckles charged again, Betelgeuse summoned a mighty stone hand from the earth which grabbed Knuckles. As Knuckles struggled, Betelgeuse telekinetically sent Knuckles and the earthen weapon into another piece of Stonehenge. With that needed distraction, he grabbed Sonic by both claws and flew him into the air, flying away.

"I have great plans for you, hedgehog," Betelgeuse promised.

"Ugh," Knuckles pushed one of the rocks off of himself just in time to see the giant owl fly off into the distance with Sonic.

"Tails, are you alright?" the echidna rushed towards Tails.

oooo

"Guys?" Maddie asked as Tails and Knuckles reappeared at the door.

"Bad news," Tails told his adoptive family. "It turned out to be a trap."

"Wait, what?" Tom got up.

"It was one of Longclaw's people," Knuckles informed the family. "An ancient ancestor of Longclaw's. But this owl was not who he made himself out to be. His main goal was to free himself so that he could get Sonic for himself. For what yet, I don't know."

"Ok, so does anyone know where he's taking Sonic?" asked Tom.

"During our battle, I was able to plant a tracking device underneath one of his feathers," Tails informed everyone. "It was when he got distracted by all my holograms."

Immediately Tails took out his tracking device. He turned on his personal computer to see where the owl was going.

"He's within driving distance," Tails told everyone. "He's on the Columbia Center in Seattle. That might be the tallest building in that city."

"Why is he taking Sonic there?" asked Tom.

"Hmm," Tails pondered aloud. "If I were to guess, a tall building like that would be useful for him to effectively broadcast something to the entire world. But what yet, I don't know."

Tails then showed another photo he took of some writings on Stonehenge with his universal translator.

"There's more," Tails told them. "This Betelgeuse was once an ancient owl who came from Longclaw's tribe many centuries ago. He became corrupted by the power of the Chaos Emeralds back then and began ruling over the other owls like a tyrant. Over time, because of his evil ambitions and iron fisted rule, the other owls turned against him. His own daughter was the one who led a rebellion against him and overthrew him. After his defeat, Betelgeuse was trapped here on Earth, within Stonehenge by the other owls in a mystic ritual designed to contain evil spirits."

"And I say it is time we put a premature end to his second reign," Knuckles cracked his fists.

"Alright, let's get over there," Tom promised. "We'll get Sonic back. And we'll even the score with this evil owl."

oooo

"You're awake, good," Betelgeuse looked at Sonic who was just getting up.

"Ugh, where am I?" Sonic looked around. "Wait, I'm back in Seattle?"

"A good view, isn't it?" asked Betelgeuse.

"Why?" asked Sonic. "I trusted in your voice… thought you were like Longclaw."

"But alas, I'm not," Betelgeuse shook his head. "But it was fortuitous you once knew an owl like your own mother. That made my task of making telepathic contact with you much easier."

"Just what are you?" demanded Sonic.

"I suppose there's no more hiding it," Betelgeuse confessed. "I once considered the owls my own people. But one day I came in contact with the Chaos Emeralds and began unlocking their secrets. In my zeal, many of my own people turned against me, including my own daughter."

"You know, something tells me there's more to this story that you're not telling me," Sonic remarked.

"Do you know what it's like to have your own daughter stab you in the back?" Betelgeuse glared at Sonic.

"I wouldn't know," Sonic told him. "But what I do know is that you're not the good guy you made yourself out to be."

At once, blue electricity surrounded Sonic as he charged at Betelgeuse.

The hedgehog punched at the owl as hard as he could but at once, a red force field surrounded Betelgeuse's body. Sonic's fist struck the energy force field which then repelled him and knocked him back.

Betelgeuse's eyes glowed as his telekinesis activated. Stone was ripped from the building as they surrounded Sonic, trapping him tightly from all sides.

"Let go!" Sonic cried.

At once, Sonic transformed into a spin dash, destroying the rocks and striking Betelgeuse in the stomach to knock him off the building.

Sonic was fairly certain the battle had not yet been won as he cautiously walked towards the edge, trying to be prepared for a second attack.

"I will not be denied dominion over this world!" the large owl flew into the air in front of Sonic as his eyes glowed red.

Betelgeuse's eyes unleashed a powerful red electricital burst that struck Sonic, unleashing a wave of agony into the hedgehog. The burst of power was so great that everyone in Seattle could see it spreading out over a large portion of the city.

Finally, Sonic fell down unconscious.

"First I take over this mudball," Betelgeuse promised, landing next to Sonic. "Then I draw back the Chaos Emeralds to me. Finally, I will return to the stars to reclaim my rightful destiny."

oooo

"Sir," a young lieutenant told Commander Walters at a G.U.N. facility. "There's been a massive burst of power at Seattle."

"Another one?" asked Commander Walters. "Any possible leads?"

"No sir," the lieutenant stared at the monitor. "All I can tell you at the moment that it's probably not Sonic. Our cameras caught something generating a red electrical shockwave."

"So it's something else then," Walters frowned. "Where is this exactly."

"It's near the Columbia Center in Seattle," the lieutenant reported.

"Do we have access to a camera on that building?" asked Walters.

"Accessing right now," the lieutenant continued typing.

On the screen, both Walters and the lieutenant could see Sonic fighting briefly against a large owl. Afterwards, the owl generated the massive shockwave which knocked Sonic out.

"Alright, that thing can't be native to Earth," Walters confirmed. "And judging from the situation, Sonic was fighting against it. That just leaves us with one option left. Send all available GUN units to dispatch this extraterrestrial owl creature."

"Yes sir."

oooo

"Now to rearrange this stain of a city to something more suitable," Betelgeuse concentrated all his psionic energy upon the city itself.

He focused fully on the kind of scientific equipment he needed and found one of the buildings. Telekinetically, he tore that building apart with his psychic energy as all the equipment he needed floated into the sky towards his new abode on the Columbia Center.

Betelgeuse arranged everything carefully, constructing a machine what resembled a treadmill. After he was done, he picked up Sonic telekinetically and placed the unconscious hedgehog on top of it. With that, he then telekinetically erected a cage around the machine.

"As promised, you will serve me well," Betelgeuse exclaimed.

In the distance, Betelgeuse saw several jets and airships headed his way.

"Hmm, curious," Betelgeuse noted.

Suddenly, one of the doors on top of the building was kicked open. Multiple GUN agents swarmed in, pointing their weapons at the giant owl.

"Sir," one of the agents spoke to Walters on the com. "We have the target surrounded and Sonic is indeed under his possession."

"Good," Walters' voice replied back. "Give him his one chance to stand down. You know what to do if he doesn't."

"Alright," one of the commanders got closer to Betelgeuse, training his gun on the owl. "We are the Guardian Unit of Nations and you are an anomaly who displayed hostile behavior towards the people of this planet and our cities. Stand down at once. I will not repeat myself."

"I do not grovel before my inferiors," Betelgeuse told them. "Not before my own people, the owls who betrayed me… and certainly not before you wretched vermin!"

"Open fire" one of the agents shouted.

At once all of them opened fire. In addition, multiple drones in the sky also fired upon the owl.

Smiling, Betelgeuse created a powerful electro-magnetic pulse that caught all the bullets in mid-air, shorting them out and dropping them to the floor. Soon, all of the drones fell from the sky as the human agents took out other weapons to subdue him.

Betelgeuse, however, did not give them that chance. He swung one wing, creating a powerful guest of wind that knocked multiple GUN agents off the building. And with another swing, he sent multiple razor feathers flying forth that pierced the hearts of multiple other agents.

"All units!" a remaining agent shouted. "We need backup!"

Betelgeuse launched himself at them. Immediately, the agent who spoke on his com was bisected with a single wing slash. Another agent found his head being grabbed by the owl's talons.

"Know your place, human!" Betelgeuse snarled.

He crushed that agent's skull. Moving at a fast rate comparable to Sonic, Betelgeuse dive-bombed the remaining agents, annihilating them on the spot.

"Pathetic," Betelgeuse spat.

The final agent on the building took out a bomb and prepared to throw it but Betelgeuse saw him. Just as the agent pulled out the pin, Betelgeuse knocked the man off the building with another powerful wind blast. Below, the owl could hear the man's own bomb going off and taking his life.

In the air, Betelgeuse finally took note that multiple fighter jets and other aerial crafts were coming closer towards him, including a giant GUN airship.

"So, you want to escalate this, do you?" Betelgeuse grinned.

The giant owl flew into the air to engage. He flew past multiple gunfire from the jets and sliced the wings off of one with his own razor-sharp wings, sending the craft plummeting to the ground.

Then Betelgeuse turned around and struck another jet with his wind blast, sending it spiraling out of the way into another jet, triggering an explosion. From behind Betelgeuse, a hail of bullets hit his back.

At that moment, Betelgeuse became enraged. He created another ball of red electricity with his wings, sending the blast in multiple angles, destroying all the jets surrounding him.

Before long, all of the jets crashed down onto the city below, creating panic and bedlam like no other.

"It seems to me the people of this planet need to be taught a severe lesson," Betelgeuse said firmly, staring at the giant GUN airship right above him.

Betelgeuse flew up into the sky higher than the airship.

"Let a swift death from above be your lesson!"

Betelgeuse flew down directly towards the airship. Immediately he made contact, dive-bombing his way through the entire ship and destroying its engine. A part of the ship exploded as it caught fire. Soon, the flaming airship fell from the skies onto Seattle below.

On the ground, Walters and some of his aides looked on helplessly.

"This doesn't look good sir," one of Walter's assistants told him.

"Don't give up hope yet," Walters reminded him. "This was just the initial force we sent. GUN forces from across the rest of the country and our overseas bases are mobilizing."

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic, sir," the assistant replied. "But will they be enough? From what we've just witnessed, this thing seems like it has enough power to destroy the entire city if it wanted to."

"Didn't that thing have Sonic?" asked Walters.

"Yes, I believe it did."

"Maybe we need to get in contact with Sonic's family," Walters took out his cell phone. "Hold on. I have them on here somewhere."

After finding out the proper number, Walters gave the call. After a few moments, however, nobody picked up.

"They're not available," Walters frowned.

oooo

"I just got a call from the guy from GUN," Tom looked down at his phone.

Knuckles, Tails, and the Wachowski's had just stepped foot into Seattle from one of the rings they used as transportation.

"Well, I'm sure it can wait," Maddie nudged Tom. "We have more pressing concerns right now."

"Yeah, like rescuing Sonic," Tails added.

"Hmm, I just got a voicemail from him," Tom looked down as his phone vibrated again.

"Dot dot dot," Knuckles looked at his messaging system. "Dot dot dot…"

"Now he's texting me about the situation," Tom sighed. "It's really not the best time for him to be doing this now."

"Tom, shall I punch that man in the face to make him stop harassing you?" asked Knuckles.

"That would be nice," Tom almost agreed before realizing it was a bad idea. "I mean… no! No thank you, Knuckles. I appreciate it but I don't think the commander would survive one of your punches."

"You said he's right on top of the Columbia Center?" asked Maddie.

"Directly on top," confirmed Tails.

"So what's the plan here?" Tom asked Tails.

"Judging from the devastation Betelgeuse has already inflicted on Seattle," Tails told the team. "He might be expecting an attack from all sides. But I think there might be another way we can get up there without alerting him."

"How can we do that?" asked Tom.

"Tom, can you look up photos of what the top of that building looks like?" asked Tails.

"Alright," Tom took out his iPhone.

"Don't worry buddy," Tails looked up at the top of the Columbia building. "We're coming for you, Sonic."

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Tales of Team Sonic

Owl Night Long Part 2

As Sonic looked up, he saw himself in a different dimension, almost on a different plane of existence. Everything was ethereal and weightless in a way he wasn't used to in a more physical realm.

"Am I… dead?"

"No, and I thank the stars for that."

Sonic turned around to a familiar sight.

"Longclaw?" his eyes widened.

"I stand before you," his mentor and mother figure said to him. "Though I cannot stay with you for long, there are several things I wish to tell you."

"You're… you're not alive again, are you?" asked Sonic.

Longclaw only shook her head sadly.

"I appear before you only in spirit," she told him. "But because the situation was dire enough, I managed to temporarily leave my final resting place to bring you this message."

"All this time," Sonic asked her. "Betelgeuse telling me he could bring back the owls. It was all a lie, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Longclaw confirmed. "Betelgeuse was once an ancestor of mine. He abused the power of the Chaos Emeralds for his own ends and became corrupted. His own people rose up against him and overthrew him for his crimes. However, his own daughter was so distraught at the idea of having to kill her own father that instead of taking his life, she sealed him on this planet many ages ago."

"So Stonehenge was a creation of the owls," Sonic realized.

"Yes, it was designed to hold one of Betelgeuse's power," confirmed Longclaw. "But now that he is free, there's no telling what he'll do."

"What do you need me to do?" asked Sonic.

"I cannot return to the realm of the living," Longclaw told her adoptive son. "Only you have the power to stop this mad owl."

"I'll do whatever it takes," Sonic swore. "You can count on it"

Sonic looked up and saw a bright light. Instinctively, he knew that his time was short.

"I've really missed you Longclaw," Sonic told her.

Longclaw embraced Sonic as the two hugged tightly.

"My spirit will be with you forever," Longclaw told him.

oooo

Sonic woke up. He was back in the physical world and on top of some kind of treadmill.

"Do you like it?" asked Betelgeuse.

All around him, Sonic saw a forcefield that contained him inside that treadmill. He curled up and hit the forcefield with several spin dashes and as expected, he couldn't break through.

"Just what are you doing?" demanded Sonic.

"Sadly, this planet's forces were no match for me," Betelgeuse informed him. "But I sense they've sent more backup against me."

Sonic looked at the devastation down below that Betelgeuse had caused.

"Can you blame 'em?" asked Sonic.

"Perhaps not," Betelgeuse pointed his wing at Sonic. "And that is where you come in."

"To do what exactly?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Your speed will supply the power necessary to my transmitter, calling the power of the Chaos Emeralds to this planet," Betelgeuse told him.

"So this treadmill I'm on is just one big homing beacon?" Sonic looked down.

"With the power of the Chaos Emeralds, no one on this planet will be able to stop me," Betelgeuse promised.

"Sorry but if you think I'm gonna give you juice for your homing beacon, you can—"

Sonic was interrupted as the treadmill he was on hummed to life, nearly knocking Sonic down. At the last second, Sonic prevented himself from falling but at the cost of his own promise not to power the treadmill. As he was now hooked to the machine, Sonic felt himself being unable to stop as he continued to run. Before long, blue electricity crackled all around him, giving the machine more power.

Two clamps from the treadmill then reached out and grabbed Sonic, restraining him by both arms, keeping him in place.

"Oh man!" Sonic cried. "This isn't good!"

oooo

Knuckles, Tails, and the Wachowski's appeared in front of the building where Betelgeuse was holding Sonic through a ring. By now, most people had evacuated the area and the damage around the area was extensive.

"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice rang out.

Tom and his family turned around. Commander Walters was there at the scene with a few soldiers by his side.

"This is a warzone," Walters told Tom. "You shouldn't be here."

"All due respect, sir," Tom told him. "Sonic is family. And that giant owl up there has someone I consider a son."

"Besides, we have a plan," Tails assured the GUN commander.

Walters did not look convinced.

"We just threw everything we had at that giant owl creature," Walters told the fox. "And guess what? He tore through GUN forces like tissue paper. Add in the fact that he seemingly has Sonic hostage and I'm not sure what you can bring to the table that will stop someone like that."

"He is formidable," Tails admitted. "But I have a plan that might work and free Sonic."

"Please, we just need a shot at bringing Sonic back," Tom told the commander.

Walters looked down at his watch.

"Reinforcements are set to arrive in an hour and twenty minutes," Walters informed them. "And even then, I'm not sure if they'll succeed. That's all the time I can afford you, because if you can't rescue Sonic in that time frame, all units have orders to attack that creature on sight regardless if you're on that building or not."

"That's all the time we need," Tom nodded.

"Alright everyone," Knuckles told them. "Are you ready?"

The entire team gathered together as Knuckles took out two rings from his bag.

oooo

"I can feel it," Betelgeuse looked up into the sky proudly. "I sense the Chaos Emeralds drawing closer. They will be here soon."

"And then what?" Sonic demanded, still being forced to run on the cosmic treadmill Betelgeuse had created. "You just take control of them like that?"

"I have tasted their power in the past," Betelgeuse replied. "And they will be mine once again."

"Something tells me you don't really know what you're doing," Sonic grimaced.

"Oh, but I do," Betelgeuse smiled. "Has Longclaw told you of how the owls took the emeralds from the echidnas because they believed no one should be allowed such power?"

"Wait," Sonic frowned. "What're you getting at?"

"I was the owl who declared war on the echidnas," Betelgeuse said triumphantly.

After a few seconds, Sonic completely figured it out.

"You," Sonic realized. "You just wanted the power of the Chaos Emeralds for yourself."

"It's such a shame the other owls believed in the mission objective," Betelgeuse lamented. "After we had taken the emeralds, they did not take well to my use of the Chaos Emeralds after a while. A fearsome battle ensued on earth eventually and my own daughter defeated and sealed me away. After that, the rest of those fools still carried on believing that it was their mission to protect and hide the emeralds."

"You started a war because you wanted the power of the Chaos Emeralds for yourself," Sonic gritted his teeth. "You get trapped but the damage is already done and the owls and echidnas all suffer for it in a war that drags on for eons."

"That is correct," Betelgeuse confirmed. "My people's foolish nobility was their ultimate undoing. They should have followed me and I would have led them to glory beyond their wildest imaginations. Instead, they chose to be stewards and guardians even after my defeat."

"Let me out of this thing right now," Sonic cried. "Unlike Robotnik, this time I'm going to make sure to check for a body!"

"I think not," Betelgeuse smirked. "You will run until your little legs give out."

Suddenly, a portal ring appeared right before Betelgeuse.

"What?!" the owl cried.

Both Tom and Maddie appeared. Tom had his sheriff's rifle in hand while Maddie was packing a laser rifle Tails had given her.

"Get away from our son!" Maddie cried, unloading a laser blast at him.

The shot struck Betelgeuse on the shoulder, stunning him briefly.

"How dare you!" Betelgeuse cried.

Tom fired a second shot, hitting Betelgeuse. The couple began firing at him multiple times, forcing Betelgeuse back. However, none of them appeared to do any damage. Finally, Betelgeuse shielded himself with a wing as he chuckled deeply.

"You think your primitive tools can stop me?" Betelgeuse mocked.

From the sky, a second ring portal opened up right above Betelgeuse. Knuckles leaped down, stomping down on Betelgeuse's head.

"Agh!" the owl cried as the echidna stomped his face into the pavement.

As Knuckles leaped off, he joined Tom and Maddie who aimed their shotguns at him.

"You insolent echidna!" Betelgeuse cried. "I will make you suffer!"

"It is not wise to take your eyes off an opponent," Knuckles crossed his arms.

"What do you mean?" Betelgeuse cried. "You're standing right before me."

"I was not referring to us," Knuckles grinned.

Suddenly, Betelgeuse felt himself being slammed into the ground by a powerful force that seemed to overwhelm every inch of his body.

"W-What is this?!" Betelgeuse cried in shock.

Tails was right above him with a gravity disk, except this time the gravity disk was pointed down, concentrating all its energy on Betelgeuse, keeping him pinned down.

"Just something to make sure you don't get up for a long time," Tails promised.

"Alright, any way to free Sonic from this machine?" asked Tom.

"There has to be some way, right?" Maddie looked at the force field surrounding the treadmill.

"No," Betelgeuse told them, trying to focus on maintaining the force field as the gravity generator continued to increase its pressure on him.

"Only one way," Knuckles said, walking forward.

The echidna punched the force field as hard as he could, destroying it in one punch.

"No!" Betelgeuse cried.

Knuckles grabbed the restraints holding Sonic on the machine and broke them. After that, he took Sonic off the device and set him down on the ground.

"Oh man, thanks Knux," Sonic smiled.

"You okay Sonic?" asked Tom.

"Never better," Sonic huffed. "Just need to catch my breath for a moment."

"I… I will not be denied!" Betelgeuse cried.

Betelgeuse looked up at the gravity generator, using his telekinesis to crush the machine psychically as Tails was forced to let go of it. The owl got up as Team Sonic gathered together.

"It's too late," Betelgeuse told them. "Soon the Chaos Emeralds will return and I will rightfully ascend to the role I was born for."

Wisely, Betelgeuse decided not to directly fight the team all at once, surveying the team and seeing who the weak links were, realizing that Tom and Maddie were the ones who needed protection the most.

His eyes glowed briefly, lifting both Tom and Maddie up with his telekinesis. Smiling, he hurled them both off the building.

"Tom!" Sonic cried. "Maddie!"

"I got 'em!" Tails leaped off the building to go catch the two.

Not thinking straight, Sonic rushed directly towards Betelgeuse who had counted on such a reaction. The owl unleashed twin eye beams that struck Sonic before the hedgehog could reach him.

"Aaaaaaahhh!" Sonic screamed.

"I predicted such impetuous behavior!" Betelgeuse gloated.

As Sonic fell down, Knuckles came in, punching at Betelgeuse who avoided the wide blow. In turn, Betelgeuse swung a massive wing, smacking Knuckles across the face to daze the echidna.

Knuckles, however, returned fire and punched the owl in the stomach to send him stumbling back. Betelgeuse came back with a powerful wind blast. Knuckles held his arms up just in time, blocking the wind attack but getting moved back a few feet by the impact.

Knuckles regained his stance and prepared to attack again but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Knuckles, let me handle this guy," Sonic requested.

"What?" Knuckles looked surprised. "But Sonic…"

At that moment, Tails landed on the top of the building once again with both Tom and Maddie safely.

"He tricked me," Sonic pointed out. "Used me. Made me think there was a chance I could bring back Longclaw and her people when all he cared about was his own selfish gain. I'm going to settle the score once and for all."

"Sonic, you sure that's a good idea?" Maddie asked in a concerned voice.

"What do you say?" Sonic turned to Betelgeuse. "You and me, pal."

"Hmph," Betelgeuse spat. "I will grant your wish. After all, do not gods answer the requests of mortals from time to time?"

"Everyone," Sonic told his family. "Clear the area."

"Are you sure about this Sonic?" asked Tom.

"Have those chili dogs ready for me by six," Sonic merely smiled.

Tails looked at Knuckles who nodded. The echidna pulled a ring out from his bag and opened a portal to the ground level. As the team left the top of the building wide open for Sonic and Betelgeuse, both combatants stared each other down.

"So, shall we?" asked Sonic.

"Longclaw raised you well," Betelgeuse told him. "But not well enough to be a warrior."

"Yeah, well," Sonic shrugged. "Some things you just aren't born or raised with. But when life comes at you, you gotta learn on the fly."

Snarling, the owl telekinetically ripped off a huge chunk of the building and hurled it at Sonic.

The blue hedgehog met it head-on, transforming into a spin-dash at the last second and smashing his way through the debris. The moment Sonic burst through the weaponized rubble, he smashed into Betelgeuse's chest, sending them both hurtling off the building.

Within moments, Sonic was punching Betelgeuse repeatedly as the two of them fell. In return, the owl head-butted Sonic, dazing him. With a powerful flap of his wings, the giant owl sent Sonic flying into a building. Sonic crashed through a few walls before ending up in some kind of office building.

Immediately Betelgeuse was upon him, telekinetically lifting a bunch of furniture up inside the building. Before he could hurl them at Sonic, however, the hedgehog realized the opportunity he was given. Transforming into a spin cash, Sonic bounced off all the furniture in the air, striking Betelgeuse from different sides.

"Aaaahhh!" Betelgeuse cried as Sonic struck him from all sides.

One final spin cash slammed into him from behind, sending Betelgeuse crashing outside the building. Sonic then leaped out the window, running down the building as Betelgeuse pursued him.

"Stay still!" the owl shouted, hurling razor-sharp feathers at Sonic which the hedgehog avoided.

However, the owl was able to close in the gap. He grabbed the speeding Sonic with his razor talons by the head, lifting Sonic up and smashing him face-first across the building for a good few seconds.

"Speed can only help you so much," Betelgeuse declared boldly.

"That's right."

Sonic turned into a spin dash while he was being held in the evil owl's grasp.

"Agh!" Betelgeuse screamed, being forced to let Sonic go by the sheer burn of the dash.

Sonic then landed on the ground but turned into a spin cash once again, leaping upwards and striking Betelgeuse across the chin with a powerful blow and sending him crashing back-first onto a random car on the streets.

"I can do a lot more than just run fast," Sonic informed him.

"Yes," Betelgeuse finally looked up. "So I've noticed."

Suddenly, Sonic noticed he was standing on a dark shadow. Above him were thousands of tons of debris that Betelgeuse had torn from a building while he had been lying on top of the car Sonic knocked him into.

At once, Betelgeuse dropped the telekinetic chunk of the building on Sonic with a mere gesture of his chin, smashing the hedgehog all at once.

"Ugh," Sonic moaned as Betelgeuse psychically cleared some of the wreckage to reveal the injured hedgehog.

"It's over," Betelgeuse told Sonic. "Soon the Chaos Emeralds will return and I will take my rightful place as ruler of this galaxy."

"It's really saying something," Sonic told him. "Your plan to steal from the echidnas was self-serving and power hungry. But the other owls… they still believed that no one should have that much power despite being tricked by you. Wanna know why?"

Betelgeuse glared at Sonic.

"You showed them what a power hungry tyrant is really capable of, not Knuckles' people," Sonic told him. "That's why they sealed you away and continued trying to hide the Chaos Emeralds from those who would abuse their power."

Suddenly, Sonic noticed the Chaos Emeralds floating above himself and Betelgeuse. They had finally arrived thanks to the machinations of Betelgeuse. The evil owl noticed it as well as he grinned.

"I offer you one last chance," Betelgeuse offered Sonic. "Bend the knee before me and I will spare your life and the lives of your adoptive family. Continue to resist me and die."

"Bow to you?" Sonic scoffed. "Don't bet on it."

"Very well," Betelgeuse snarled.

The owl's eyes glowed with energy as he fired a powerful blast at Sonic.

"Sonic, no!"

Sonic looked to the side as Tails got in the path of the blast.

"Tails!" Sonic cried out.

The beam struck Tails, hitting him full force and knocking him to the ground.

"No!" Sonic cried.

With a burst of strength, Sonic destroyed the rubble surrounding him with a spin dash and ran towards Tails.

"Tails, buddy!" Sonic cried. "Talk to me!"

"It is too late," Betelgeuse declared as the emeralds hovered in the air. "The power will finally be mine!"

The emeralds floated in the air as the owl flew up to their level.

"Come, join with me and together we will unlock the secrets of the universe!" Betelgeuse beckoned to the emeralds.

He got no response.

"I command you to obey me!" Betelgeuse ordered with more force in his voice.

"Tails," Sonic below cradled the limp body of his buddy.

Finally, the Chaos Emeralds began to glow.

"TAILS!"

To the owl's surprise, the emeralds floated down towards Sonic, enveloping him in a bright light.

"No!" Betelgeuse cried. "What is this?!"

When the light cleared, a golden warrior appeared, cradling Tails in his arms.

"Buddy, you just made the biggest mistake of your life," Super Sonic told the evil owl.

Sonic in his super form enveloped Tails with a healing power to mend his injuries.

Knuckles arrived on the battlefield just in time to see him.

"They have come back," Knuckles said in awe.

Sonic took Tails and handed him over to Knuckles.

"Here," Super Sonic told Knuckles. "Watch over Tails for me, alright?"

Not needing to be told twice, Knuckles took Tails into his arms.

"Good luck," Knuckles nodded.

"Yeah, Betelgeuse is gonna need it," Sonic winked at Knuckles.

"The Chaos Emeralds were supposed to be mine!" Betelgeuse cried, lifting an entire building with his telekinesis, hurling it at Sonic.

At once, Super Sonic stopped the building in mid-air with a touch of his finger.

"No more collateral damage now, you hear?" Sonic smiled.

"You dare take what is rightfully mine?!" Betelgeuse howled. "I will feast on your—"

At once, Betelgeuse was sent into orbit with a powerful punch.

In the coldness of orbit, Betelgeuse could only cough in shock and horror at the power he just experienced.

"It's not over yet, pal," Super Sonic instantly appeared in front of the evil owl.

Betelgeuse blasted at Sonic with his eye lasers but Sonic punched it right back at him, knocking Betelgeuse across the horizon again.

Super Sonic came in, laying punch after punch into the evil owl as he continued to glow in a speed blitz Betelgeuse couldn't even keep up with anymore. Finally, Sonic hit Betelgeuse with another uppercut that sent him further into space.

By the time the owl got his bearings, he looked down and saw the golden hedgehog flying towards him.

"The Chaos Emeralds chose you over me," Betelgeuse created a massive ball of energy with his wings. "I do not know why but I will rectify that mistake! If they will not serve me, they will serve no one ever again!"

With that, the evil owl hurled the ball of energy at Sonic.

Immediately, Super Sonic transformed into a spin dash, meeting the giant ball of energy head-on and completely tearing through it, destroying it on the spot. To Betelgeuse's horror, Super Sonic was still coming towards at him.

"No, stay away!" he cried in horror.

At once, Super Sonic hit Betelgeuse full force, tearing right through his head and making it explode in a single powerful spin dash before stopping some feet away from Betelgeuse. The golden hedgehog then looked back. The now headless body of Betelgeuse floated momentarily in space before a golden glow enveloped the rest of his body, making it explode.

oooo

"Knuckles, is Tails okay?" asked Tom as he and Maddie joined Sonic.

"He is," the echidna confirmed, setting Tails down.

"What happened?" asked Tails, waking up and shaking his head.

"That's what we'd like to know as well," Maddie nodded.

"I saw it," Knuckles told them. "The Chaos Emeralds returned and chose Sonic over the owl. I have a feeling we will not have to worry."

"Did he become Super Sonic again?" asked Tails.

"That he did," Knuckles replied, nodding his head.

"I wonder how that happened," Tails scratched his head. "I always wondered if the Chaos Emeralds have a mind of their own. That evil owl does have a history with the emeralds so I figured there was some chance he'd be able to control them."

"It is possible," Knuckles theorized. "The Chaos Emeralds already knew Betelgeuse would only wish to use their power for his own gain. But Sonic? They sensed how the hedgehog's only wish was to protect his friends… his family… his new home."

"So Sonic was more worthy in their eyes," Tom concluded.

From the sky, all of them saw a golden light flying towards them. In an instance, Super Sonic stood before them.

"Sorry if I made you guys worry," Sonic told them.

"It's alright Sonic," Maddie told them. "We're just glad you're okay."

Sonic looked around the devastated city of Seattle.

"Hang on a second," Sonic told them.

Super Sonic glowed with more power, flying around the city and using his super form to repair all the damage Betelgeuse had caused before flying back to his family.

"There, now GUN won't have extra cleanup duty," Sonic landed before his family.

"You really don't feel any different with the power of the emeralds, do you?" asked Knuckles. "In our past battle with Robotnik, I assumed you had transcended to a new level of existence."

"Personally?" Sonic replied. "I still feel like the same person inside despite this power boost. But I do have an extra bit of wisdom granted to me by the Chaos Emeralds. And they're right.
No one should have this much power and Betelgeuse was living proof of it. It's why the owls continued to believe in the mission even though their leader turned out to be a power hungry fraud. Because he showed them how much absolute power can corrupt someone."

Super Sonic glowed one more time, letting go of the power of the Chaos Emeralds which then floated into the air and disappeared beyond the stars.

"It's why I gotta let it go," Sonic turned back to his usual blue color.

"So what next?" asked Tails.

"What's next?" Sonic looked surprised. "What's next is that we go home and I spend time with my family!"

"Good to have you back, Sonic," Tom smiled.

"Yeah, you're always gonna be our son!" Maddie hugged Sonic, setting him on Tom's shoulders.

"You know, I learned two important lessons from all this," noted Sonic.

"Know when to let go of great power?" asked Knuckles, scratching his head.

"History is more complicated than we make it out to be?" asked Tails, recalling how the noble mission of the owls did have its start in a manipulative leader in Betelgeuse.

"Close, but remember how Betelgeuse reached out to me psychically and manipulated me into freeing him?" Sonic winked. "First, don't talk to strangers. And second, never listen to voices in your head."

As everybody walked towards their car, chuckling at Sonic's observations, Sonic looked back up into the sky. In the air, he saw the spirit of Longclaw looking down on him and giving him an approving smile.

Sonic smiled back.

"I love you, Longclaw," he whispered quietly.

Fin.