Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Welcome to the void. An empty abyss that is unaffected by time, and to some lucky, or unlucky enough, this is where they reside after death. 

Do not think of the void as a place of the afterlife. It isn't hell, heaven or purgatory. The void is a fake dwelling. The void is merely an empty space of nothing that crosses in between the veil of life and death. And this is where a single unfortunate soul stays in grief, suffering from the betrayal of her former friends. 

The soul floated within the blackness, only able to see nothing. It wasn’t anything new, the soul has been trapped for who knows how long, but sudden anger erupted in the soul. 

How could they just allow this to happen? How could she be trapped in this place of never-ending agony? How dare they just abandon her?

…

Hold on. Who were the ‘they’ she was so angry about? The soul just can’t understand it. 

Perhaps long ago the soul had an identity, but that doesn’t matter anymore. 

What’s the point of memories when they are no use in this cycle, the cycle of inevitable torture from the let-down of her reluctant hope? 

All the soul wants is to leave this realm. She just wants to be free…

No… That’s not right. She nearly forgot again. 

What the soul truly wants is to be with her near-forgotten family. 

The soul can barely remember her loved ones, she can barely remember they even existed, only their name remained in her consciousness. 

Mom… Dad… Her sweet girlfriend, Lily… She desperately wants to see them again. 

In another futile attempt to change her fate, desperate pleas echoed throughout the void. 

She wants to leave! She wants to leave. Please, anybody! Help!

But the reality was a cruel mistress and thus it shall wrong the soul once more. Nobody came.

The soul felt like laughing. Of course, it wouldn’t work. 

Hasn’t she already tried to call for help countless times? It never worked before so why would it work now? Who would come to save her from this dark plane? 

Nobody. She will always and forever be alone-

Red. 

The soul snapped out of her turmoil, astonished. The dark colour of crimson red flooded through the void, ultimately overwhelming the soul. 

Something was happening. Something new was happening!

As the colour surrounded the soul, a distorted voice boomed out, almost deafening to the soul.

“Oh, wretched soul who finds nothing but despair,

 I have heeded your call with time to spare.

 I offer you a deal of the making. 

 That will bring your potential to awakening.

 With your anger within to light the spark,

 It shall be the key to escape the dark.”

The soul has become stuck, speechless. Was this an offer to leave this hell forever? 

“Reading your thoughts, I confirm it’s true.

 This offer will give great power to you

 The power to survive and sought out revenge.

 No more loneliness and suffering, free to avenge.”

The soul felt an inkling of unease blooming, the offer somewhat starting to sound less appealing. But the soul was utterly desperate. And those who are desperate make irrational decisions. This was the opportunity that arrived to the soul on a silver platter. 

She couldn’t just lose it!

Without thinking, the soul eagerly starts to voice out her agreement when another colour arrives in the void. 

A royal highlight of purple seeps into the void, clashing against the red, a smooth, calming voice following in afterwards. 

“Stop, young soul. You must not agree to this deal as it will bring doom that shall shatter you further beyond comprehension.”

Startled, the soul stopped. The red flashes violently, as if it was furious at the intrusion.  

“You! Do you dare interfere again? Haven’t you caused enough trouble in the past?” The red darkened like dried blood, a threatening tone flaring into being. 

“Leave! I have a business to attend to.” 

The soul was mildly surprised. Where did the rhyming go?

Seemingly unperturbed, the smooth voice spoke again clearly ignoring what the warped voice had said. “I am afraid I cannot let you do this. You should know by now that I am not one to give up easily.”

“You must be stupid to think-”

“I did not come here to fight you. I have come to compromise, and help this soul from a tragic fate.”

“Don’t act like you’re so righteous! We both know you’re not any better.” 

“Yes. But I feel that what I am about to suggest will pique your interest.” 

“...Fine.” The ruby hue sparked, miserably conceding, “You have 30 seconds to convince me. Go.”

Clearing its non-existent throat, the stoic voice began. 

“I will start with the fact that you have become bored over the past centuries, finding enjoyment from the suffering of others, trying out every possible scenario imaginable to bring torment to unsuspecting beings. You have tried out every single solution to bring entertainment, but I think you overlooked a crucial factor. With every tragedy that you caused, wouldn’t the impact of the tragedy be more effective, more entertaining if there were good times, making those who experienced happiness feel even more devastated by the loss?”

No response.

Finally after a long period of silence, “...I hate you. So much.” 

“Well, that was easy. Now let’s begin, shall we?” Despite the polite response, it was easy to hear the triumphant smirk in its voice.

The soul having to watch the two entities argue - now watching them quietly discuss - wondered what in the world just happened. But the soul quickly brushed it aside. She didn’t care about their pointless drama, while it was entertaining as this was the most that had ever happened in the void, the soul couldn’t afford to care much about it. All she wanted to know is if she can escape this dreadful place!

Right on time, the purple entity addressed the soul. 

“I apologise for leaving you in waiting, young soul. We have come to a compromise.”

“Unfortunately.” the warped one grumbled. 

“Quiet.” the other entity impassively silenced, before speaking to the soul. 

“Now, young soul, do you remember your name?” 

Name, name, what was her name? What was it? It was… Sarah?

“Sarah. Well, Sarah, we will be able to free you. There will be conditions, of course. I am sorry to say that you will not be able to return to your old world.” 

For a moment, a melancholic aura radiated from the soul. It was wishful thinking that the soul could see her family again, especially when it was this hopeless. 

“Instead, you will be transported to another.”

Then curiosity won over, the soul now heavily interested in the entity’s words.

“We will only ask that you let us both take care of everything and that you will give up all of your memories.”

What? 

Now that the soul had time to fully process what was occurring, she could tell that something wasn’t right. While never seeing her family again was terrible, it seemed too easy. The soul didn’t have much to remember in the first place. There had to be a bigger catch.

Sensing the sceptical thoughts that the soul was making, electric red once again flooded around the soul. “Believe it or not, that’s how it’s gonna be. Don’t worry too much. We’ll take care of everything. Not like you will remember anyway.” It seemed amused. 

“While tactless, that is true.” The other colour commented. 

“It is a shame though, you should know about where you’re exactly buried, it’s hilarious in context,” included the haughty entity. 

The stunning purple flickered, the once soothing voice transforming into a frustrated one. It was hard and ice cold. “Enough.”

Once the light dimmed, the voice called out, “Sarah. Do you accept this offer?”

The soul thought about it for a brief moment. It seemed to her that the pros outweigh the cons. Was that even a question? She accepts. 

“Very well.”

As soon as the sentence finished, a blinding pillar of light appeared around the soul, engulfing it entirely. 

As the soul disappeared, she barely heard the soft whisper of “Goodbye, Sarah.”

The light soon completely vanished, only leaving the two hues in the emptiness. The red and purple remained to hover around the void when the tranquil voice spoke in a subdued manner. 

“You usually don’t gamble like this. What was it about the soul that fascinated you?”

“You don’t see some random mortal trapped in the void every day. Even more so mostly intact. I just want to see where it could go.”

“I see…”  

“It's also because I wanted to kickstart another version of this reality. But that didn’t work out so well, did it?”

There was a moment of silence.

“...Be honest with me. Why did you decide to follow me here?”

“I have learnt my lesson. If I cannot completely stop you, then I will have to join you in this madness and lessen the damages.”

The scarlet entity scoffed.

“You’re lying. You're also curious about what will happen next, aren’t you?”

“...Yes.” 

“Hah! If only the others could see that the so-called ‘good’ has joined the dark side. They would throw a fit.” Loud guffaws could be heard. 

“I would not phrase it that way, but you are not wrong.” 

“But don’t think you're off the hook. I’m still upset with you. There better be some good amusement that comes out of this shit show, or I swear I will kill you.”

The purple entity only replied with a dull, “Duly noted.”

Soon the void finally became empty. 

Chapter Text

To most, the existence of the multiverse is considered merely a concept, but only a few know that it is confirmed to be true. And those very few exist to mess around with the multiverse. These very few are agents of Chaos who toy and play with factors of truth. As a whole, universes are not meant to be meddled with in any way, and yet it still happens, creating endless, entertaining possibilities. That is the scary reality of the truth. 

Before we begin, we should explore the important history of an unbelievable world. 

In such a universe, there exists a beautiful planet called ‘Mobius’. Similar to the most well-known planet in the multiverse, ‘Earth’, Mobius might as well be considered a twin planet as it also consists of bright greenery and its own unique flora accompanied by crystal clear waters. However, instead of humans, colourful anthropomorphic animals known as ‘Mobians’ inhabit the majority of the land. 

One day, many years ago, a wicked human doctor named Ivo Robotnik, nicknamed “Eggman” appeared out of nowhere and started to wreak havoc on the planet in an attempt for world domination. Eggman was infamously known for his frightening intelligence, IQ of 300, and his common use of machinery to conquer the planet. 

However, with the rise of a villain, the hero appears alongside. In this form, came the world-renowned hero of Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog. For many years, the free-spirited blue blur, using his unique power of speed, always thwarted the doctor’s schemes 

Nevertheless, it will be said that Eggman’s most recent attempt was the closest succession to his plan to acquire absolute control. A nearly unbeatable empire was built within Mobius becoming the cause of many helpless people’s suffering and deaths, and mass destruction brewed in the once peaceful civilisations making the world desolate and barren. 

However, the combined efforts of Sonic the Hedgehog, his friends, and countless mobians defeated and overthrew the Eggman Empire once and for all. Eggman himself vanished, never to be seen again.

Hard-earned peace returned to Mobius, flourishing more than ever before. 

But even as their fellow people returned to their ordinary lives, they were all wondering the same thing. Will this unforgettable time of peace last?

The answer was unclear.

In the tiny town of Windmill Village, a fellow human was busy tinkering at his desk in his workshop. He was fiddling around with a small wind-up toy that a young cat mobian broke. The child bounced in place next to him, trying to be patient after she ran up to him in tears with the toy in hand, asking the human to fix it. 

Once the last gear popped back into place, the human held up the toy with a victorious and warm smile, humming to himself in a pleased manner. He turned the winding key to test out the toy. It moved its legs and arms back and forth, in an attempt to walk. It was working perfectly. The human turned to the child mobian to hand the now-fixed toy to her. “There you go. It is all fixed. Try to be more careful this time.”

The cat eagerly grabbed the wind-up toy, about to hurry away to join her peers outside when she suddenly remembered her manners. The child hastily bowed. “Thank you, Mr Tinker.”

The human known as Mr Tinker laughed heartily, feeling warm from the sincere gratitude. “You are very welcome, Charlie. Anyone is welcome to Mr Tinker’s workshop.”  

Charlie returned a grin before dashing out of the building, to show the other children in the village her practically brand new toy. 

Mr Tinker chuckled to himself, happy to be able to help the girl. He stretched in his wooden chair, slightly sore from sitting at his desk all day. He decided it was time to take a short walk and get some fresh air. It wasn’t good for one’s health to stay inside all the time. Mr Tinker pushed himself out of the chair and strolled towards the front door. 

As soon as he went outside, the relaxing smell of the air slammed into his face. It truly was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, brilliant beams of the sun flared down like a blessing. Soft songs sung by flickies could be heard nearby, the laughter of cheerful groups of children growing louder as Mr Tinker wandered around the village. The joyous villagers who passed by him greeted him, and Mr Tinker returned their hellos with just as much energy. 

Many residents were out and about in the village plaza, helping each other out to the best of their abilities. Mr Tinker loved that quality regarding the people of Windmill Village. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, that he had to primarily experience their kindness. Even with the rough start from the residents, - he apparently resembles someone they really despise - he was treated with benevolent acceptance. At that reflection, Mr Tinker briefly frowned. Although the human mechanic usually didn’t question it, sometimes he wondered who he was being compared to. 

Mr Tinker snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a voice call out, “Good afternoon, Mr Tinker!” behind him.

Mr Tinker turned around to face a grey-furred, senior goat with a cane who was walking towards him. 

“Elder Scruffy! Good Afternoon,” he responded merrily. 

Elder Scruffy wore a serene smile of his own. Contagious, Mr Tinker smiled back. 

“What are you doing on this fine day?” the old goat asked.

“I am just having a stroll around the village. A moment of fresh air if you will,” answered the mechanic. 

Elder Scruffy nodded in agreement and understanding. He himself sometimes felt like he just needed to move around to enjoy the scenery. Gazing upon the human, Elder Scruffy could tell that something was off about Mr. Tinker. Despite what some people thought, he wasn’t a fool. Growing a little concerned, he asked in a more serious tone. “Is something the matter?”

The human mechanic felt a bit called out. He nervously tugged his olive green overalls. “Oh? Oh no. It’s nothing.” Quickly thinking of something to say, “I just feel like tomorrow will be an eventful day for me. I have a special project waiting to be built after all.” 

Elder Scruffy’s eyebrow rose in interest. “Oh? Are you willing to tell me what it is?”

Ah, well… “I think it is better as a surprise. I personally enjoy surprises.” He wasn’t even lying about the last part. The human mechanic loves surprises. 

The elderly goat bobbed his head up and down. “Of course. I look forward to it.”

Elder Scruffy opened his mouth, intent on continuing the conversation, when, “Mr Tinker!”

The mechanic and mayor turned towards the source of the noise. A yellow dog mobian in an apron was running towards them. It was Mrs Pawson, known throughout the village as one of the best seamstresses. She seemed to be a little troubled. Mrs Pawson stopped in front of the duo to catch her breath. 

“Hello, Mr Tinker. I am so sorry to bother you, but the cupboard door in my kitchen has become unhinged. Can you please come over and repair it?”

Mr Tinker automatically answered, “Certainly, Mrs Pawson. Lead the way please.” 

Relief showed in her eyes as she motioned the good-natured human to follow her. Elder Scruffy stayed quiet. Maybe another time. 

Elder Scruffy and Mr Tinker said their goodbyes before the tinkerer departed with Mrs Pawson towards her house. As the good repairman walked with the woman, he had a fleeting thought. 

‘Tomorrow was another day.’ 

It was the dead of night - in which a fully pajama-dressed Mr. Tinker was snoring in his bed for a change, instead of planning out blueprints for his inventions - when a thump was heard outside. Being a light sleeper, the round human abruptly sat up from the mattress, rubbing his sleepy eyelids. “What in the world was that?” He then glanced at his alarm clock on the nightstand next to him to look at the time. It was an unbearable 2 o'clock in the morning. Mr. Tinker softly groaned to himself.

Of course, the one time, the one time he decides to rest is when it gets interrupted.

He was having a good dream, too. 

Once the drowsiness mostly went away, curiosity rose in Mr. Tinker. He grabbed his glasses that were near the alarm clock and promptly got out of bed. 

Thinking back, it seemed like the noise came from outside, somewhere around his window.

Mr. Tinker shuffled to the window in his bedroom not unlike a zombie, still not completely awake. The exhausted man squinted, having to concentrate hard to see properly. 

Out in the darkness, he could make out a figure. They were lying down on the ground. Mr. Tinker’s eyes widened in panic, the weariness fully gone, now replaced with great worry. Someone could be out there injured. 

Now with urgency, Mr. Tinker rushed out of the bedroom to his main working desk in the next room. He quickly searched through the desk drawers until he found a small flashlight. 

He was about to barge outside when he stopped suddenly at the last second. 

This time, mindful of his actions, Mr. Tinker opened the front door quietly, as he didn't want to disturb the other villagers who were sleeping. Immediately when he stepped out the door, the human shivered. It was uncharacteristically cold, Mr. Tinker noticed. He wasn't fond of the cold so he needed to resolve this swiftly to get back inside. 

With strides that were impressively silent for his large size, Mr. Tinker quickly went up to his body. He pointed the flashlight at the figure and gasped, raising his hand to his mouth. As the flashlight shined through the vacant night, lying unconscious on the grass, was a mobian hedgehog with the fur color of spectral violet and skin that was as pale as porcelain. 

What in the world was a lone mobian doing out here, motionless, at this time of the hour?

His curiosity now hitting its max, Mr Tinker observed the mobian. The possibility of the mobian being dead was increasingly high with how washed out the colour of their muzzle was, bleached and milky like a ghost. He even couldn’t tell if they were breathing, to be honest. 

Another eye-catching feature of the mobian was the permanent smile plastered on their face. Mr Tinker was confident in his knowledge, that people do not smile while they are asleep. At least not for long. It is a fact that people do not have the muscle strength to smile for a long period of time while they are awake as it is, much less when unconscious. 

It was... An unnerving realisation. 

Mr Tinker became deep in thought, pondering on what to do when a chilling breeze brushed past him. Well, that speaks for itself. Whether they are dead or not, he certainly can’t just leave the hedgehog out here. 

With his mind made up, Mr Tinker slowly approached the purple mobian to pick them up. He carefully lifted them, relieved when he realised they weren’t dead cold, he shifted them into the position of a comfortable piggyback. He huffed to himself as he slowly moved to his workshop. 

He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on right now, but he had an inkling that his feelings about there being big things ahead were becoming true.

Chapter Text

Mr Tinker stared at the limp hedgehog who he placed on his couch in the living room. The snoozing mobian was currently wrapped up in the red and green patterned quilt that Mrs Pawson had given to him during the day, as thanks for fixing her broken cupboard.

Mr Tinker sighed, he definitely wasn’t going to bed now. The entire fiasco completely woke him. He might as well do something productive, like thinking up ideas and planning out some blueprints for the ‘surprise’ project that he told Elder Scruffy about. And that was exactly what the human did for the next few hours.

When dawn was finally breaking out from the horizon, it was then that things started to get interesting.

Mr Tinker busied himself, fully focused on scribbling his idea of a marvellous carousel ride decorated with ladybugs. During this time, the genius human hit a lightbulb and thought up a wonderful gift in form of an amusement park for the children.

He’s thinking of naming it… ‘Eggmanland’. That sounds good.

The hardworking handyman didn’t notice that the mysterious mobian had stirred on the couch until they suddenly flung the quilt across the room. Mr Tinker jumped in his seat, dropping his pencil from shock. He turned around to glance at the purple hedgehog.
“Oh my goodness. You startled me.”

The hedgehog sat up on the couch, rigid. They didn’t seem to hear him. It didn’t seem like they even noticed him, as they were too busy staring into space. Mr Tinker paid no mind as he continued to speak, devolving into a one-sided conversation.
“I found you collapsed outside last night.”

Nothing.

“Are you injured in any way? “

Nope.

“I could take you to the doctor to let you be checked over.”

This was going nowhere.

Mr Tinker sighed, for the second time tonight. They were really out of it, huh?

The hedgehog still wasn’t acknowledging him, now focusing on themself, patting themself down as if they were checking themself out.

Now that the mobian was awake, Mr Tinker also took the time to truly take in their appearance. They wore what looked like orange gloves on their hands, sporting alongside reddish pink pointed sneakers decorated with a single orange stripe, accompanied by white heels and laces. White socks were poking out the footwear. The silent purple mobian was currently fiddling with the half sleeve of their giant pink and purple sweater that engulfed their body.

No offence to the mobian, but if Mr Tinker was going to be honest, he thought their choices of clothing were a bit tacky. The sweater blended in with their fur colour too much and the gloves stood out like a sore thumb.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. During this period of time, Mr Tinker realised something and facepalmed.
“Excuse me for my lack of manners. I didn’t introduce myself. I am Mr Tinker. And you are?”

There was once again no response. At least, no verbal response.

When the pale muzzle of the mobian finally turned to face him, Mr Tinker nearly gasped again. Their irises were completely black, devoid of colour and pupilless. Everyone he knew had at least some colour in their eyes but not this person.

The kind tinkerer shook off the surprise quickly, he wasn’t going to judge someone just because they look different. He bravely pushed on to another question. “Can you speak?”
Mr Tinker immediately regretted it, wincing at his tactlessness. The mobian just tilted their head.

… He’ll take that as a ‘No’.

Mr Tinker slowly got up with a pen in his hand, not wanting to frighten the one sitting on the couch. He headed to the bookshelves for a spare notebook. “We can use this. Are you alright with that?”

There wasn’t an answer, not that the mechanic was expecting one. He showed the wordless mobian the notebook, holding it up to them patiently. He noticed the grin that the violet hedgehog was wearing wasn’t letting up anytime soon. “We can start with your name.”

The mobian eyed at the items, their eyes being blank of expression accompanied with the default smile, before hesitantly reaching out and taking them. After fumbling with the pen for a few moments, they scribbled down on the notebook.

The word ‘Sarah’ was wonkily written, barely legible enough to be read.

This was a start.

“Sarah is your name?” Mr Tinker asked to confirm.

She nodded. The human mechanic was delighted that there was progress being made.

Remembering his manner this time, “If it is alright with you, can I ask some questions?”

Another nod came from the lavender mobian, seeming to be okay with the not-technical-interrogation.

Mr Tinker began, “Sarah, I found you outside my house last night, unconscious. What were you doing out there in the middle of the night?

The hedgehog shrugged, her smile still not going away. It seemed that she had no idea either.

“Do you know where you are?” She shook her head, no. So the mobian on his couch didn’t know they were? Maybe they have forgotten?

Mr Tinker had to clarify, “You’re in Windmill Village.”

Confusion filled the hedgehog’s eyes. Had she never heard of the place before? Granted, Windmill Village isn’t a very well-known area so it is understandable. Maybe Sarah was just a traveller? A traveller who wanders around without care? However, it didn’t seem likely.

No other questions were properly answered, only the ignorant expression on the mobian’s face remained until… “Where are you from?”

The clueless blankness in the mobian’s face quivered into something, a clear response. Sarah turned her gaze to the arm of the couch as if she was pleading for answers at it. That’s not good. That was how Mr Tinker came to the conclusion.

“You don’t have anywhere to go, do you.” It wasn’t phrased as a question.

Sarah gave the slightest nod, that the human would have missed it if he wasn’t watching carefully. Mr Tinker hummed sympathetically. He had also been in the same boat so he had some experience.

Before the handyman could say anything else, the purple mobian hurried into standing up, being tired of being on the couch. It was shown to be a bad idea because as soon as she tried to stand, Sarah immediately fell over, her legs failing to support her weight.

Mr Tinker instantly stepped forward to help her up. The vertically challenged hedgehog wobbled on her feet, legs shaking.

Meanwhile, Mr Tinker was wildly thinking about what he should do. The human wasn’t about to just let her leave, the mobian can barely stand straight. At this rate, she is going to get hurt. What he was thinking of was not a sound solution for a normal person, but Mr Tinker was anything but normal. It was a rash decision but he felt in his heart that it was the right one.

He kneeled down before the struggling mobian, thinking carefully about what to say, “How about you stay here with me? At least for a while.”

Sarah looked at him, surprise evident in her onyx eyes. She seemed to be questioning if he was really going to invite a random stranger to stay in his own house.

Unfortunately for both of them, the answer was yes.

Finding her footing, she stumbled over to grab the writing materials left on the couch to write her question. ‘Why?’

Why, indeed. He couldn’t necessarily blame her for thinking that way, but he wasn’t backing down. Mr Tinker gave her his best friendly and welcoming smile, hoping that this will work.

He gave his honest answer.

“You don’t have anywhere to go and it would be nice for some company.”

There was more silent staring between them. Wondering if his response wasn’t enough, Mr Tinker continued, growing more flustered as every moment passed.
“I…I am being truthful. I know it is sudden and… maybe a little foolish, but I promise you-”

Before he knew it, Sarah hugged him, burying her snout into his shoulder. Mr Tinker startled but recovered as he wrapped his arms around her, carefully avoiding her quills, returning the sudden hug.

He rubbed slow circles on the violet hedgehog’s back. The quiet lasted for a few minutes, the duo looking peaceful with each other’s company until the human gently pushed the violet hedgehog away. Mr Tinker dusted himself before standing up, deciding to look past the impulsive embrace.

“So you accept my offer? You want to stay?”

Nodding her head with glee, Sarah agreed.

Mr Tinker felt right to say, “I must warn you, there will be other people who’ll want to meet you.”

Sarah was then looking down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs. She seemed nervous at the thought of meeting other people. With sympathy, Mr Tinker tried to reassure her.
“Don’t worry, they are very kind.” Sarah didn’t look much better.

Mr Tinker reached to smooth out his moustache, trying to hide his own nervousness. He then added, “And I will be there with you. You will not be alone.”

The quiet mobian’s worries melted away and Sarah smiled wider at Mr Tinker with appreciation. Using the notebook, she gingerly wrote ‘Thank you.’ Her handwriting seemed to be improving with each attempt.

Mr Tinker beamed, pleased with himself. He was relieved to be able to help. 

The soundless hedgehog then tossed the pen and notebook onto the couch, having decided that it was the perfect time to explore the living room. Joy twinkled in her eyes as Sarah bounced from one leg to another, looking at the previous bookshelf where Mr Tinker retrieved the notebook.

She felt reassured that she was not alone anymore.

Mr Tinker had other thoughts in mind, watching his guest move around the room with wonder, thinking hard about how the villagers will take the news. Even though he believed that the villagers wouldn't mind his new roommate, he wanted Sarah’s stay to go smoothly as possible.

Fate seemed to laugh at him when Sarah decided it was a convenient time to tip backwards as she lost the strength in her legs again, nearly knocking over the vase on one of the tables.

The mechanic hurried over to help her. They’ll have to work on that first though.

Chapter Text

“You are getting really good at this.” 

In an effort for Sarah to improve her mobility and dexterity, the duo found out that the smiling hedgehog is basically a sponge personified when it comes to learning. It was fascinating how not too long ago Sarah could not even take a couple of steps before dropping, now she improved to being able to turn sharp corners and running around the room without bumping into any furniture. 

Breaking out of concentration, Sarah skidded to a halt, her numb smile shifted into a proud smirk, and gave the elderly human mechanic a thumbs up. Mr Tinker exchanged an equally proud smile and mused to himself about Sarah. As he got acquainted, he discovered further that Sarah was still a mobian of mystery. 

They both learned about her little quirks of being mute and also her inability to frown. Mr Tinker had asked about it not too long ago and even Sarah had no idea what it was about. She didn’t even realise that she was constantly smiling. He watched her trying to frown, her face scrunching up in the process through the struggle. For now, he let it go. But he was certain that as he got to know the mobian better, they’ll be able to figure it out. 

It also seemed Sarah was also ignorant of certain things, no surprise since he has a sense that the girl possibly has amnesia. But the hedgehog was utterly enraptured by the technology. The wonder he saw from the purple hedgehog when she ogled at the television was priceless. Mr Tinker swore he could see stars popping out of the dark eyes when he showcased some of his prototype inventions. 

Watching the mobian march around the room, the human adjusted his glasses and breathed out through his nose in relief, as somehow Sarah didn’t ruin his living room from her stumbling into everything. 

A loud knock was heard from the front door. 

The two stiffened from the noise and looked at the door. 

Another knock banged against the door, Mr Tinker hurriedly went to open the door and blocked the view of Sarah, who was now sitting on the couch trying to meld into the cushions.

At the front door, a fellow ox with navy fur stood with a basket of self-cultivated tomatoes, carrots, and cabbages in his arms. Lolo was all dressed up early in the morning to most likely pick the vegetables from his garden. He was in a jolly mood. 

“Good morning, Mr Tinker! I brought you some vegetables. I feel that these are my best batch yet.” Lolo boasted.

“Good morning, Mr Lolo. Thank you. I’ll be sure to use these sometime.” Mr Tinker gratefully accepted the basket.

The ox’s eyes turned intense, like a laser. “I expect them to be used sometime today.” 

“I’ll try, Mr Lolo.”

Lolo the ox sighed, “I guess I’ll have to take that.” 

The tinkerer asked with confidence that he didn’t feel, “Is Elder Scruffy awake?” 

“Yes. What’s the matter?” Lolo asked, confused. 

“It isn’t technically urgent but I would like his advice. Could you bring him over?”

Although still confused, he complied. “Let me go fetch him.”

Lolo disappeared to the direction where the head of the village lived. 

Mr Tinker then felt a tap on his shoulder. The human jumped from the contact and twirled around to see Sarah behind him, her smile shining as bright as ever. 

He clutched his chest in relief. “You are going to give me a heart attack at this rate.”

The mischievous expression that the strange mobian held stayed in place.  

“Mr Tinker!” It seemed that the garden-loving ox returned with an apologetic face. 

Sarah bolted away in alarm behind the couch.

“The Elder is currently out on his morning stroll. I suggest waiting near his residence if you want to be the first person to know when he comes back.”

Mr Tinker hummed at the information. He did forget that the Elder had such a routine. It couldn’t be helped then. As soon as the gardener left, Mr Tinker tried to tell his guest about the change of plans.

“Sarah, we will have to go outside sooner than you probably wish.”

There was no response. The mobian stubbornly didn’t look at him, still hiding behind the couch. The human could tell she hated it.

“Please. I know you are afraid, but you will need to face them if you wish to stay here.”

Mr Tinker felt a weird sense of deja-vu from this, similar to when he met Sarah not too long ago. 

The quiet in the air was unbearable when the violet hedgehog finally moved. Mr Tinker focused.  

Now full of determination, Sarah stared into Mr Tinker’s eyes to reassure him that she will do it and gave him a firm thumbs up. Mr Tinker beamed at her. 

“You are very brave.” he complimented with all his heart.

She rubbed the back of her head almost sheepishly. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad after all. 

They both tried to ignore the sheer amount of looks that they were getting. 

The villagers were astonished to see the stranger walking next to Mr Tinker. It wasn’t the fact that there was someone new around.

Travelers were uncommon in the secluded mountain where Windmill village was, but that wasn’t why the people were shocked.

The mobian had an uncanny resemblance with the world-renowned hero, Sonic the hedgehog. If you could ignore the fur and skin, you would think it was Sonic with a unique fashion statement. The eyes of the mobian were also slightly scaring them. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Worry started to build. It was no secret that Eggman had an obsession with the blue blur. While the villagers wanted to believe that the lovely Mr Tinker was ultimately a good man, there were always whispers in their minds that he could disappear.

Could it be that Mr Tinker’s memories were returning? Or was the notorious doctor pulling the wool out of their eyes after all, and biding his time to create his horrible empire once more? 

A large crowd began gathering around the house of the head of Windmill Village, pondering villagers whispering amongst themselves of the suspicious individual and secretly, Mr Tinker's memories. 

While the odd duo was waiting near Elder Scuffy’s hut, it was clear Sarah was becoming more and more nervous as time passed, moving closer and closer to the human until she was practically pressed against him. 

Mr Tinker tried his best to not pay attention to the stares. He squeezed his friend’s shoulder, grounding the poor panicking hedgehog. She thankfully glanced at him. 

“Mr Tinker?”

At last, Elder Scruffy returned, the villagers who were blocking the goat mobian's path, parting away like ants from waves of water. He had a puzzling air around him, obviously noticing the crowd and the strange person behind the mechanic. 

“Hello, welcome to Windmill Village. May I ask who you are?” He politely addressed Sarah. 

She floundered on the pen and notebook in her hands to write a quick, “I’m Sarah. I want to stay here with Mr Tinker.”

Eyebrows rose to that sentence. “Oh?”

Mr Tinker blurted out, “I let her stay over at my house last night and we wanted to know if we could make it a permanent arrangement.” 

“So this happened only last night? This seems like a sudden choice, Mr Tinker. Are you sure?” the goat questioned, perturbed. 

The human thought for a moment. 

“Truthfully, no.” He answered sincerely. 

“But I can’t in good conscience let the poor girl leave as she is. She has no past and no memories. Only her name.”

At the corner of the handyman's eye, Sarah twitched at his words. 

The Elder was startled. “What? Oh, I see.” Understanding flooded within Elder Scruffy as he realised that Mr Tinker related to the purple hedgehog’s situation and wanted to help her. 

“Well then, I see no reason not to let her stay. We would be happy to offer our hospitality. Isn’t that right?” Elder Scruffy loudly spoke the last sentence for the other villagers to hear. 

“We shared our hospitality to Mr Tinker. There is no reason why we shouldn’t share it with this young lady.” It was a silent ‘If we can let the man who was Eggman stay in the village, then we take in this amnesiac mobian too.’ Everyone understood. 

The villagers mumbled out agreements. Mr Tinker could breathe easier, now that the difficult part was out of the way. He could feel Sarah sag behind him as she too felt relief from the acceptance. 

“Hello, Miss Sarah.” 

A deer child stepped forward from the group, shrugging off their parents’ hands, and offered something uncertainly to the hiding mobian. Sarah peeked out of her cover. 

“Uh, here.” In the child’s hands was a beautiful purple allium flower. Sarah gingerly took the flower from the child, her eyes not taking off the plant. 

The deer child shyly kicked the ground, dust flying into the air. “It’s a welcome present. Welcome to Windmill Village, Miss Sarah.”

The villagers held their breath, waiting for a response. Thankfully despite their worries, Sarah crouched down and ruffled the child’s head in thanks. The deer giggled and tried to push off the hand on her head. 

It was like a dam broke after that interaction. Tension drained away as endearing smiles formed on the people’s faces and more children started to approach Sarah, all speaking at once overwhelming the poor hedgehog.

“Do you like rocks?”

“Your smile's nice.”

“You look like Sonic!”

“Why are your eyes black?”

Mr Tinker took matters into his own hands and gently pushed the children away. 

He explained patiently, ‘Now, now children. Do not overwhelm her. I’m afraid Sarah cannot speak and it will be difficult for her to answer your questions. Perhaps another time.” 

The children awwed in disappointment. 

When the crowd dispersed, Mr Tinker took Sarah by the hand and they walked back to the mechanic’s house. As soon as they entered, the purple hedgehog immediately fell face-first onto the floor, exhausted from the interactions with the villagers. Mr Tinker snickered at the hilarious dramatic action.  

“Well, now that has settled,” Mr Tinker clapped his hands. “Breakfast.” 

Sarah lifted her head.

Plans started to form in the genius human’s head. “Then I think we should prepare your room. After all, we can’t have you sleeping on the couch.”

At that, Sarah quickly stood up and also clapped supportively at the idea. It seemed that she was excited about her getting her own room. 

Mr Tinker headed towards the kitchen. “But firstly, breakfast.” 

“Please wait here. I’ll be right back,” he called out to his recent roommate. 

Sarah stood there for a moment, before shuffling to the bookshelf and tentatively removing a book. She began flipping through the pages for something interesting. It wasn’t long until she was immersed in the magical words of “The Arabian Nights.”