Chapter Text
“So uh…” Sonic was the first to speak, looking suspiciously around the room. “Did anything change? Or did the thing just blind us for no reason?” He honestly wouldn’t put that past it at this point.
Tails searched the walls, ceiling, and floor, brows creasing in confusion when nothing stood out. “Everything looks the same…”
“I’m really going to go blind at this point” Knuckles groused, rubbing at his eyes.
Amy scratched her head. Something was pulling at the back of her mind, something right out of arm’s reach. “I dunno…does-does anyone else feel like they’re forgetting something?”
“Hm” Metal Sonic hummed, gazing up at the TV. “Not necessarily. Though I wish I could forget my pathetic excuse of a copy.”
Eggman tapped his chin. “You know, Metal, Maybe I should melt you down into something more useful when we get out of here instead of-”
“I will melt off your fingers.”
Eggman grinned too widely. “You say that now, but-”
“Let’s get on with it” Shadow interrupted. He refused to let more time be wasted. “Start the next one.”
The feeling was still there, but Amy shrugged and grabbed the remote. She pressed play only for nothing to happen. “Huh?” She pressed it again and again but nothing was happening.
Panic was already seeping in. “Ames, why isn’t it playing the next episode?” Sonic asked.
“I don’t know! None of us are sleeping, absent, or incapacitated so it should work fine!”
Everyone was fighting the urge to scream, throw something, lose it, or all of the above. There were only four episodes left! They can’t stop now! Not when it looked like the sun was setting. “If I have to spend the night with you rodents I will personally make it worse than when my double did it!” Eggman threatened. “It feels like three years have passed since being trapped in here!”
Tails checked the time to see it was 5:19. “Actually it’s more like nine hours and nineteen minutes. But…yeah it can feel like that.”
The additional facts were enough for Shadow to grit his teeth and slowly glow red. Freedom was less than an hour away with one of the episodes bound to have his double finally show up. After everything he went through, there better be a good reason the next episode wasn’t starting.
Otherwise he might consider carrying out Gerald’s original goal.
Static then lit up on the screen, catching everyone’s attention. It disappeared and words showed up. Hello! Sorry to keep you waiting.
“Keep us waiting?!” Knuckles marched to the screen. “Why are you not playing the next episode?! Haven’t you raised my stress levels enough?!”
“Knucks no!” Sonic pulled him back hard. “Don’t make it mad! It might go back on its decision on cutting the amount of episodes to watch!”
Oh, don’t worry more words appeared. There’s still four episodes left. There’s just been…a change in management.
“Change in management?” Tails eased up. This didn’t sound like the thing they knew and tolerated at best.
It’s a long story. The being who began all this just got swamped with a lot of work. Preventing the marathon from finishing. So, I’ve decided to take the reins. No sense dropping it when you’re so close to the finish line.
There was a new thing taking over? That was enough for Shadow to calm down. Maybe this one had a less sadistic streak. Or at the very least would stop targeting him with leashes and time loops.
Before we get started, I do have a proposition for all of you.
“A deal?! Fat chance!” Eggman crossed his arms. “After everything we went through with the last horror, I’m not taking any chances with you!”
Something then poofed into the room. It landed on the doctor’s lap and he gaped at what it was. It was a pair of his clothes. Right size and all. He didn’t know what to think. He was grateful to finally have fitting pants but he wasn’t giving the new thing an inch only for it to take a mile.
To ease you all into this a little better, I’ll tell you what I’ll do for you. After each episode, I will give you something to make the last few minutes bearable. Starting with restoring the living room to it’s proper state before the sugar induced Chaos Blast.
Shadow shuddered at that memory. Tails on the other hand was overjoyed. He wouldn’t have to purchase replacements after all! Sonic eased up as well, “Okay… What else?”
I don’t want to spoil the other surprises but I can say that after the next episode, I will provide a home cooked dinner since the snacks are probably running low by now.
“Yes!” All suspicions were put on hold as Metal Sonic rubbed his hands together. An opportunity to try an actual dish like the pot roast seen in the New Year’s episode!
“Hold on there” Knuckles looked at him. “This sounds a little too good to be true. It hasn’t even told us what we have to do to earn it.”
It’s nothing much the text stated. Just three things. First, for Metal, I would like you to go a little easier on eating. A body of flesh and blood comes with curses and blessings. You did experience this firsthand with the hot sauce contest. And I’m not talking about the spice alone.
The former robot ignored Sonic’s teasing smirk as he recalled the pain. It did hurt that the food he enjoyed was forced out of him. If he was to prove his new body was as superior as his old one, he would have to fight his weaknesses. “Very well.”
Second, for Amy, please tone down the love sickness. It was entertaining for awhile but it started to get old. I know you’re so much more than this. The other you and Sonic do have a close bond but the show never confirms that they are a couple. It also wouldn’t hurt to watch your temper.
“What?!” The pink one looked like she was told to eat the pepper if it was still here. Right when things were looking up.
Sonic was trying not to look ecstatic with the risk of facing her wrath. “I guess we finally have a concrete answer! They really are just close friends and nothing else.”
“B-B-But Mittens believed they’re dating! And I’m not that violent when it comes to love right?!”
Complete silence and averted gazes.
More words came on the screen. Listen, love is a wonderful thing but it can be used in the wrong way. By attacking your friends over disagreements and when they point out harmful traits out of concern for you, that isn’t true friendship love. The reason your double and the other Sonic are comfortable with one another is because she respects his autonomy for romance. She isn’t perfect either but she does work to help others. At least hold out until the marathon’s over. Your friends have been through a lot already. If you truly love them, you wouldn't bring them harm.
While still angry, Amy had to admit there was a point. Her double was more successful because of holding back on affection. Besides, it was just another hour to go. She could last that long. “Fine. I do have a strong love for more than just Sonic.”
Said hedgehog internally breathed a sigh of relief. He was liking this new thing more and more.
Lastly, and this is for most of you since not all of you have done it, please tone down the swearing. I find it rather unnecessary. If it gets too much, you’re more than welcome to exit the room and let it out in the basement.
The red and black one felt like he had been slapped. Profanity was being silenced? It was bad enough being censored when Mittens was present. The others however weren’t as miffed. “I mean…that’s not so bad” Sonic stated. “We won’t have to worry about any more innocence being lost.” He looked specifically at his little brother.
“As long as my double is tolerable it won’t be hard” the echidna agreed.
“You underestimate the importance of it” his rival glowered. “It shows you mean business. That things are serious. That someone is not to be messed with.”
“Yeah but…it wouldn’t hurt to try” Tails suggested lightly.
Shadow just frowned and crossed his arms. Yet again he was put on restraint. At least this one would give him something good if followed. “If it will make my time here bearable long enough to see the other me.”
“Can we still tease each other and insult the doctor?” Metal asked.
Yes.
Eggman groaned. Guess the new thing’s nicer nature could only go so far. He just walked off to go change as the room began to shake. The others stood up as the plastic chairs morphed into two couches and beanbag chairs, the carpet was brand new, the walls and table lacked any damage, and the windows were opened slightly to allow fresh air to come in. Not big enough to escape but enough for circulation.
“Our living room’s fixed!” Tails plopped on one of the couches with a smile.
Sonic joined him, “Gotta say, it does deliver on its promises.”
Amy was about to sit next to him but remembered the promise. If the rest of the surprises would be given, she had to watch herself. So she chose one of the beanbags and found them better seats than the folding chairs. “Wonder if it’s been taking interior decorating skills from my twin.”
“Maybe” Knuckles sat on the other sofa. “Or maybe she got the skills from it. This looks better than when we were forced here.”
Curious, Metal Sonic sat on the couch first and remembered the feeling when he was in his copy’s body. Then he tried the beanbag chair and melted into it. “This is mine. No one else will take it from me.”
By then, Eggman returned in his typical outfit. Hiding his gratitude from the new thing. He wasn’t going to give it anything to use against him. His eyes fell on the fixed living room and everyone enjoying the upgrade. “Try not to forget we’re still prisoners being forced to watch a show that’s making me increase my desires to invade it for myself and show my double how a real evil genius gets it done.”
“We’re just making the most of it!” Sonic put his hands behind his head. “You need to lighten up Eggy. Especially since it chose to help you out for once.”
The human just fumed as he joined Knuckles on the other sofa. Shadow took the last beanbag as the title of the next episode finally showed. “Designated Heroes?” Tails questioned. “Doesn’t that title refer to people who claim to be heroes but whose actions go against what a hero should be?”
“Well it fits Shads pretty well sometimes” Sonic commented, ignoring the sound of growling. “But I doubt this is where his double will show up. Maybe a different group of heroes with immoral values will be what our twins will face.”
“What they lack in your morals copy, they may make up for in competence” Metal snarked.
Amy just took the remote and pressed play. The episode finally rolling this time.
Eggman laughed evily as he drove his hovercraft to a toy warehouse. Firing blue lasers to blow open a hole in the wall.
“I knew it was too good to be true. Starting off with the focus on my twin” the doctor sighed. That was two in a row now!
“It just started” Knuckles replied. “Though why is he attacking a toy warehouse?”
“Must have lost his toy hippo from Bro-Down Showdown” Sonic teased. “And is looking for a replacement!”
Eggman only hoped that wasn’t where the episode was going.
“Dr. Eggman’s really tearing into that toy and game factory!” Orbot exclaimed.
“Tear into is a strong word” Metal Sonic rolled his new eyes. The Chaotix freeing his former master when he trapped him had more damage than that.
“What did that toy and game factory ever do to you?” Cubot cried.
“Haven’t you imbeciles ever been in a covert operation?!” Eggman yelled. “I need complete silence or we might be discovered.” His hovercraft then pulled out a vacuum that loudly sucked up the toys.
The doctor face palmed in annoyance while his enemies chuckled. “I highly doubt any Eggman knows what it means to be silent” the Blue Blur laughed.
Tails was about to point out the times his brother was guilty of the same thing but knew it wouldn’t matter.
Sure enough, Team Sonic charged in. “Not so fast Egghead!” Sonic yelled.
“What? Hold on, let me turn this thing off!” Eggman turned it off and glared at his robots. “I told you your shouting would attract attention!”
And the annoyance of his double made the human sink further into the couch.
“Ball Bots, attack!” Ball Bots bounced in as Sonic used a tennis racket to parry one back. It hit the Eggmobile on point.
“I think the viewers will agree there is nothing like watching a contest between two evenly matched competitors” Orbot stated as he and Cubot were at a desk giving commentary. “One of whom always loses to the other.”
Sonic grinned at that statement while his archenemy wanted this episode to end already.
“Hm, these robots are slowly growing on me” Metal admitted. Maybe it was because they were aware of their creator’s failure as much as he was.
“Enough for you to say they aren’t failures?” Tails asked.
“…That is up for debate.”
“That’s right, Orbot! So, what is Eggman’s strategy? We talked with him earlier” Cubot chimed in.
A recording of an earlier conversation was in the upper left corner with Eggman explaining. “I told you talking bedpans already! By robbing the village of any source of fun, the citizens will become sad, dry husks; and will pay huge fees to enjoy my new amusement park. Now get that camera out of my face!” He blocked the camera with his hand as the recording ended.
“He’s still trying to create his amusement park?” Amy questioned. “You’d think he’d give up on that after Swifty.”
“It’s not the first time our Eggman tried to create a theme park” Sonic reminded her. The Dark Gaia Incident and the Wisps came to mind. “Repeating failures of the same plan should be a sign by now.”
It cut back to the fight as Amy used her hammer to hit a Ball Bot like a golf ball. Sending it flying into the Eggmobile with a direct hit to Eggman’s gut.
“Ooh!” Orbot exclaimed, “Let’s see that again in slow motion.”
A slow-mo replay did just that.
Most of the room did wince at that. “That does look painful” Knuckles spoke.
Metal felt that especially since one hit there would lead to another batch of tossed cookies. Sonic as well since Amy’s hammer has tested his threshold for body blows.
Sticks was currently skipping with a jump rope. “I can do a polka. I can do a split. I can catch a Ball Bot just like this.” With the rope, she used it to create a net with other jump ropes to catch three Ball Bots. She swung around and threw the net to Knuckles who caught it and threw it to the ground to punch it.
“Oh, you’d hate to see that happen to promising young Ball Bots” Cubot sighed.
Knuckles was impressed at the competence of those two. While they were still at the bottom of his favorite character list, he didn’t despise them as much as when the marathon started. But they still had a long way to go to not risk his annoyance.
Knuckles then took the net of Ball Bots and rolled it to the robot commentators. They screamed as the makeshift bowling ball hit them and sent them flying into Eggman.
Tails took a baseball bat, “Batter up!” He swung at a Ball Bot only to miss.
“Swing and a miss!” Orbot said.
He kept missing the Ball Bots as they flew by.
“My twin hasn’t always been athletically inclined” the kitsune could understand the pain. Sports weren’t his forte either.
Frustrated, the fox just threw down the bat and pulled out a glue cannon. Shooting a Ball Bot from behind and then shooting Team Eggman, covering them with glue as the heroes celebrated.
“Would have been more satisfying if it was a real weapon” Shadow uttered.
Seeing the commentary got Sonic thinking. “You know, our battles would be a lot more fun if there was color commentary.”
“It’d make things more entertaining” Tails agreed. “And could ease the worries of any bystanders as they watch on. Enjoying the jokes and wit.”
“Let me try” Metal cleared his throat. “The copy once again uses a spin dash on the doctor’s latest invention doomed to fail. A predictable move yet gets the job done. Sometimes a one trick pony is what the world needs in a hero.”
Knuckles and Shadow snickered while Sonic was annoyed. “Hey, I do more than just spin dash!”
“Oh right, you also use homing attacks. Very original.”
“He’s not wrong” Tails tried to hide his laughs.
The sight of his enemy grumbling was enough to improve Eggman’s mood.
“Slow sarcastic clap, slow sarcastic clap. Sorry, I’d do the real things if my hands weren’t…you know.” The doctor grumbled.
“What’s your problem, Eggman?” Sonic asked. “You’re letting all the air out of our victory.”
“Some victory. Five against one! If you want to be fair, you’d only battle one-on-one from now on. That is unless you’d prefer it to be unfair” Eggman replied.
The team murmured in agreement at this. “I don’t care either way” Sticks stated.
“They’re actually agreeing to this?!” Sonic was in disbelief. “They can barely take him down with one member missing!”
“My double and Sticks are doomed” Knuckles gave the facts. “The other Amy may have a chance but it’s clear your and Tails’ doubles have the best shot.”
“I have faith in my twin!” Amy defended her. “She can use her psychology skills to take him down mentally! Have the build up from other episodes pay off here!”
That would make the pain of her sensitivity camp worth it for most of the group.
“Still! The power of teamwork is what bring us victory!” Sonic proclaimed.
Shadow scoffed, “Think again.”
His rival looked to him, “I’m sorry Mr. I Work Alone. You have something to say?”
“Nothing. It’s just when was the last time you had any of us take part in an adventure or fight against Eggman that didn’t involve us just staying on the sidelines, providing information, and being your cheerleaders?”
The rest of the room looked to him as he got sweaty. Sonic nearly brought up the Paradox Prism fight but that was after an adventure telling him letting his friends help was a good thing and it was technically a do over of his first attempt. And he had yet to explain all that no thanks to a certain quick comeback. So he was struggling for a more recent example. “Uh…well there was…*sigh* the Soleanna Incident way back” he admitted.
“My thoughts exactly, Faker.”
“Wait…what happened in Soleanna?” Tails asked.
“Yeah, I never had any schemes there” the human chimed in.
Both male hedgehogs looked at one another with a knowing look. “It’s an overpowered hedgehog thing” Sonic told them.
Sonic walked up to the glued doctor. “Okay, Eggman. You got yourself a deal. In the interest of fairness, only one of us will battle you at a time. Shake?”
He noticed the man’s hands were still covered in glue. “Oh.” He shook his moustache instead.
“Gross” the speedy animal cringed.
“Indeed. Who knows where those gloves have been?!” Eggman questioned. Not to mention the glue getting in his double’s moustache hairs.
The scene changed to Amy patrolling the village’s entrance gate.
Amy was getting nervous. “Her first? He couldn’t have started small with Sticks or Mittens?”
The echidna ignored the lack of support as Tails gave a guess. “Well she tried to be his therapist so he might use that to his advantage.”
Eggman then arrived in his Eggmobile, making her ready her hammer. She was stopped as he started talking. “I was just thinking, that hammer of yours…Ah forget it. Just smash my teeth in.”
“No, tell me. What?” She lowered her hammer and her guard.
“Ignore him!” the pink one yelled. “He’s trying to trick you! Use reverse psychology or ask how these attacks make him feel!”
“Well it would be great for my recycling project. I take old cans and make playthings for needy robot kids. That hammer would be helpful for flattening the cans, that’s all” the doctor continued.
“You recycle, and help needy kids?” Amy asked with a smile.
“Must have heard how successful using the children to win her over was from Barker” Eggman leaned back. His double was actually being competent in something. Using each hero’s fatal flaw as a weakness.
“It’ll take more than helping children to let my guard down!” Amy announced.
She was right about that. Sonic knew that if he was ever held captive, nothing would stop her on a one way rescue mission. Believing saving him would win his heart. But his rescue on Prison Island would say otherwise.
“You have to promise not to tell anyone. I don’t want my bad name being tarnished” Eggman asked.
“He’s worried about his image?” Metal Sonic scoffed. “I’d be surprised if there’s any dignity left.”
Angry at his good mood rising being interrupted, Eggman threw one of the restored pillows at his former robot. It hit him on the head as he turned around to glare.
“Next time it’ll be something harder. You do hate pain, don’t you?”
Metal said nothing as he moved slightly to watch for any more thrown projectiles while watching the screen.
Won over, Amy handed over her hammer. “Well as long as it’s for a good cause.”
“Oh it is! Victory, not unlike your hammer, is mine!” Eggman had his hovercraft throw the female off as he flew away.
Furious she cried out: “Just for that, I’m gonna tell everyone about your charity!”
Amy face palmed, “She still thinks it’s real?! That should be a sign that he was faking!”
“I don’t know” Sonic wondered. “Remember the charity to send sweaters for baby penguins? There could be an organization like that.”
He was supporting her double! Maybe it was a sign that he did like her! Still, Amy kept it to herself to stay on the new thing’s good side.
Next it showed Sticks walking in the jungle.
“Compared to my double, Eggman’s got this in the bag!” Amy slumped.
“Or she could drive him crazy with her conspiracy theories” Shadow offered.
Everyone looked to him in disbelief. He was supporting her? “Giving her the benefit of the doubt, Shads?” Sonic raised an eyebrow.
“No. She’s a goner. I’m just being realistic.”
The badger bumped into Eggman. “Shh! I’m picking up some bizarre alien vibrations.”
“Astro sickness 7-Q vibrations?” she questioned.
“Huh? Oh, yes. Sure, those. We’re being watched.”
Eggman sighed. Even at his best he still is worse than me. The only reason this was working was because of how loopy the badger was.
“I knew it! Don’t worry, I’m ready.” Sticks ran to a boulder and pulled a lever to have a bamboo cage drop down. The impact making Eggman yelp.
“Careful. They’re picking up the frequency of your shoe squeaks. Better take them off.”
She was quick to do so.
“Is her paranoia interfering with her common sense?” Tails wondered.
“If so, we need to find a cure for it” Metal answered.
“Okay. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things. You run and go warn the others” Eggman told her.
“They all laughed when I said my shoes were conspiring with aliens. Who’s paranoid now?!” she yelled. “Don’t answer that.”
“Sooner rather than later.”
“Could not have said it better, guardian.”
Tails’ workshop was shown.
Anticipation and dread filled the fox.
“Don’t worry bud!” Sonic reassured him. “He’s a genius! I bet he already has a plan to take Egghead down!”
“You’ll be fine Tails” he told himself. “Just look cool and Eggman will totally back off.” He perched on a wooden rail only to slip and fall over. A missile fired over his head as the man arrived in a large Moth like robot.
And the concerns grew further for the kitsune.
“Hah! You think standing in a cool pose is going to intimidate me? Say hello to a little device I call: the MX-4180 Electroplasmatic Capsulator!” He pulled on a tarp to no success. Grunting and straining until he finally got it off, revealing a yellow invention.
“He can’t even be strong enough to remove cloth?” Knuckles was in disbelief at that. Even the Tails here could easily handle that!
Said fox fought to defend his twin. “Maybe the fabric was really stuck or latched onto something?”
The doctor wolf whistled, “Wow. Plantanium casing, hydroponic stabilizers? This is a thing of beauty. So what’s this baby do anyway?”
“Oh it just restructures the humidity molecules in the air to synthesize a hyper-magnetic force field” the kit explained.
Mixed feelings were swirling in Tails. Impression at the device’s capabilities and worry that his double was outright telling Eggman what it could do! “Is he letting pride cloud his judgment?”
“Possibly. You do tend to get over your head when showcasing your work bud” Sonic said.
“Hopefully not too much. Don’t want to end up like Eggman.”
“I’m sitting right here!” the doctor yelled.
“We know!” the brothers smiled.
“Whoa-whoa-whoa. Slow down, professor” Eggman eased him.
“And here’s the best part” the fox continued. “It runs on brain power! All you have to do is put on this helmet and say something smart.”
Amy giggled, “Best keep it from Mittens then.”
Knuckles was imagining what would happen if his twin got a hold of that device. And a decimated island was enough to plant a smile on his face. Shadow was the same.
A helmet was given to Eggman as he put it on. “Complimenting someone will make them lower their guard.”
The machine beeped at the response and pointed its gun at Tails.
“Exactly! Wait, what?” He then realized the situation too late as the fired beam froze him in place.
“Eggman: Three. Losers: Zero” the doctor smiled proudly.
“Hmm…” the human was thinking of something that Sonic caught on to.
“No! No! No amount of compliments will allow us to give you an edge!”
“You sure? The right compliment can make all the difference.”
A smirk formed on the hero’s face. “Really? What if we did the same to you?”
His friends were stunned now. Compliment their enemy? That was a tall order.
“Fat chance. You can’t give a genuine compliment towards me to save your life. Same for Shadow and Metal.”
Both dark hedgehogs just tuned him out. Silently acknowledging he was right.
Knuckles came running in, “Oh yeah? Well, guess what? It’s about to become Eggman: Three. Losers: One!”
The guardian braced himself. “Here we go.” Just make it quick and painless.
He got ready to punch but Eggman stopped him. “Nice try, but we have an agreement. One at a time; and Tails is still the Designated Hero. Wait your turn, Nuffles.”
Metal Sonic giggled at the running gag while Knuckles sighed.
With that, elevator music played in the background as they stared at each other. The camera shifting back and forth between the two. A bell went off after an uncomfortable wait. “Well, that’s my shift” Tails announced.
Eggman took off the helmet allowing Tails to go free. He walked over to a booth and put a piece of paper in. Clocking out as Knuckles clocked in while he flew away.
“He couldn’t have used those final few seconds to destroy him?” the doctor groaned.
“Goes to show that his bouts of competence can only do so much. Though they last longer than yours.”
Like he threatened, Eggman threw the oversized shirt and small pants at his former robot. Metal was prepared this time and managed to catch them. He then ducked when a shoe was thrown his way.
“All right. Time to do some clobbering!” Knuckles put up his dukes.
“What? Just like that? Without a warmup? You want to pull a hammy or something?” Eggman questioned with a hint of feigned concern.
“Hmm…you’re right. I probably should stretch before I pound your face into the dirt.” The echidna did some stretching exercises.
Knuckles couldn’t get too mad at this as a pulled muscle would ruin everything. Still, he couldn’t have done this before his shift?
“He’s got his priorities straight!” Sonic was feeling the same. “Nothing like a good stretch to destroy Eggy’s schemes in prime condition!”
“And don’t forget jumping jacks” Eggman told him.
It cut to Knuckles doing that.
“Now sit-ups.”
He switched to sit-ups.
“Twirl like a ballerina.”
He spun around on one leg.
“Now bend this sheet of metal into a giant paper airplane.”
“He might as well tell him to jump off a cliff into a pool of lava!” Knuckles exclaimed. His twin’s gullibility was clearly worse than his!
Shadow rose an eyebrow at this but remembered how that world loved idiots. “Sadly, he’s not that sadistic.”
“Thank goodness!” Amy shuddered at the mental image. “And it’s been proven at this point that death’s impossible in that dimension.”
“Unfortunately.”
Knuckles had just finished creating a metal sheet airplane with little effort.
“Now dig a hole.”
He did just that and stopped once a hole was in the ground. “All right. I’m warmed up. How do I get outta here?"
“Climb. Out” the guardian sighed.
“Just keep digging” Eggman yelled down. “You’ll reach the other side eventually.”
“Well you haven’t steered me wrong yet.” Knuckles kept digging, “Oh man, when I get my hands on you…”
“Eggman: Four. Losers: Zero” the doctor grinned.
Knuckles held his head in his hands as the human laughed. “It’s times like this that I miss how easy you were to fool!”
Everyone else was more concerned at the endless digging. “Is…he really going to dig to the other side of the world?” Tails wondered. “There’s the molten lava at the planet’s core. Not to mention the different layers that increase in heat the deeper you go.”
“He’ll be too busy digging to care” Metal replied.
“And he’ll pop back up eventually” Sonic added. Preferably not anywhere near Dark Gaia if one exists over there.
The next scene was at Meh Burger. Tails and the girls upset while Sonic was laughing.
Amy had basically given up at this point. “I should get used to the fact that Meh Burger’s their only option for meeting up but my stomach says otherwise! It’s like it wants to desensitize us to it!”
“Where else would they go?” the fox asked.
She tried to think of other village locations and was drawing blanks.
“You guys got totally schooled. By Eggman!” Sonic laughed harder, “That’s lame!”
“The guy’s a lot trickier one on one” Amy stated.
“He’s actually pretty smart. You forget sometimes that he’s a doctor” Sticks added on.
“They’re giving my double too much credit.” True his twin was more capable this episode but this was a once in a blue moon situation for Eggman.
“And you’re any better?” Sonic snarked. “You might have more of a drive but we’ve always stopped you.”
“Need I remind you I was only able to split the world apart by taking advantage of your gloating?”
The looks from his friends, occasional ally, and former robot doppelgänger were enough to silence the Blue Blur.
“Hey, Knuckles’ shift isn’t over yet. Maybe he had better luck” Tails guessed.
He was proven wrong as the echidna popped out the ground in front of them. “I got you know Eggma-” he stopped when he noticed his friends. “Huh? Oh, hey guys.”
Red and yellow animals just stared at the scene while the others had smiles to varying lengths.
Sonic gave a cocky grin while the trio sighed.
“Well, I guess that means it’s all up to old Sonic. See you after my victory!” He ran off leaving his teammates alone.
The look alone on his double’s face was enough for Sonic to smell the ego from him. “He’s really overconfident isn’t he?”
“What’s the difference?” Shadow asked him.
“I’m more than able to back up my talk! He uses minimal effort yet still comes out on top! I actually work hard! It’s allowed me to defeat every evil!”
His rival turned away with a humph. “Except hubris” Metal mumbled.
“Yeah? Well when I find this Hubris, I’ll kick his butt too!”
“You…do know what hubris is, right?” Tails questioned.
There wasn’t an answer as his brother just returned to the show.
Knuckles looked to the girls and Tails. “Hey. You guys will never believe what I found in this hole!”
“Dirt?” the fox answered.
“Lucky guess.”
Knuckles couldn’t hide a snort from that. Maybe it was the timing or tone of voice but it got to him.
“He can always be relied on for a good laugh” Amy giggled.
Sonic was out in the badlands waiting for his foe’s arrival. He looked around to find nothing. Growing impatient, he sat on a rock and made vocalizing sounds. Each new one louder than the last.
“Is that what you do when you’re bored, copy?” Metal looked at him.
“No!” the hedgehog defended himself. “I don’t babble and make funny noises!”
“Don’t you practice comebacks before heading off to save the world or talk to destroyed robots though?”
“You promised you wouldn’t bring that up again Tails!”
Now it was showing Sonic having an imaginary tea party with piles of rocks. “More tea, Mrs. Rock Bottom?” he said in a high voice. “Don’t mind if I do Mr. Boulder.” That one was with a lower tone.
At this point, Sonic had his face in his hands in pure embarrassment. He could hear Eggman, Knuckles, and Metal’s snickers but another noise made him look up. To his surprise, Shadow was fighting the urge to bust a gut.
“Are…you alright?” he asked with worry on the answer.
“I’m…*heh heh* fine Faker” he hid his grin. This is rich!
After all those hours of being teased, the doctor was more than happy to dish it back. “Have you had any pretend tea parties lately? Was there a dress code?”
Tails thought of something to help his brother when a memory came to him. “Well one time, we did have a tea party with the Rabbit family. Cream was having a rough day and Sonic went all out to make it wonderful. She said it was one of the best ones yet!”
“Aww. How sweet” Amy smiled. “Those do mean the world to her.”
Relieved at the mercy, Sonic grinned. “Yep! There’s nothing shameful about that if it means it makes a kid’s day!”
His bright side attitude ruined Eggman’s chance for payback. The other boys had calmed down by then as well.
As Sonic poured pretend tea, his team arrived. Completely unamused. “Busy day?” Amy judged.
“Huh? Oh. I sat here my whole shift” the hedgehog fought to save face. “Eggman never showed and you know why?”
“He wasn’t invited to the tea party?” Knuckles guessed.
That got a laugh out of Sonic while the guardian silently chuckled at the mental image. “Ames is right! He can bring the laughs when needed the most.”
“No, cause he’s totally intimidated by me!” Sonic answered.
His teammates didn’t buy it. “Whatever. We’re going to the beach” Sticks told him. “Since you’re so perfect, you can stay on guard duty all day.”
“That’s a good idea. I could use a nap” The glory hound closed his eyes. “See, cause I won’t be fighting.”
The others groaned as they walked off. It then cut to Sonic sleeping on the ground.
Something then came to Tails, “What if Eggman’s seeing this and takes the opportunity to attack the village?”
“He won’t” the doctor shot that down. “I have no doubt he’ll put all his effort into the rodent alone and not jump at the chance.” Yet another reason why that dimension would be taken over in an hour tops.
Eggman then arrived on his Eggmobile wearing the helmet from earlier. Behind it was a high-tech platform with all of his gear on it. He cleared his throat to wake his enemy up.
“G-Go away Amy. I’m not in the mood” he mumbled.
Well it was longer than expected but now Amy was fighting the urge to squeal happily. Another sign of romance! Take deep breaths. Take deep breaths. she told herself.
Sonic was stunned at her restraint. “She…really is trying hard to ease up on love.”
“Sacrifices must be made” she sighed.
The hedgehog then woke up to see what it was. “Eggman?!”
Eggman pressed a button that began a chain reaction involving Amy’s hammer and the metal sheet airplane. It ended with the bamboo cage falling on Sonic. He pulled on it to no avail.
“The area of a circle is pi times its radius squared!”
That smart fact made the Capsulator freeze the cage with a force field. No amount of spin dashes weakened it.
Everyone in the room was impressed for different reasons. “He used each of his small wins for a bigger win!” Tails stated. “This might be your double’s most well-put together plan yet!”
Eggman gladly accepted the rare praise his twin deserved. Now if he could only find a way to accomplish that himself.
“Eggman: Five. Losers: Zero.” The doctor smiled big, “And this is especially delicious because…da-da-da-dah! I did it by manipulating your clueless friends!” He then did a dorky dance. “Go Eggman! Go Eggman! Who’s a villain? Who’s a villain?”
Aaaaaand he had to ruin it.
Laughter bubbled out of his enemies. “You gonna do those moves if you somehow defeat us?” Sonic teased.
“Unlikely. He would end up pulling something” Metal told him.
“Oh, right.”
The rest of the team then returned. “Well well well” Amy looked smugly at Sonic. “Look who got captured by Eggman.”
“Guys, can we postpone the ‘I told you sos’ and general ridicule until after the rescue?” Sonic groaned.
“Oh fine” Tails said. “But, once we save you, the ridicule will be more severe.”
“Duly noted.”
That got Shadow interested and excited. He longed for a day he could do the same to his peppy rival.
“All right Eggman. You’ve had your fun. Now let him go!” Amy demanded.
“Hmm…let me think. No!” He fired back and ran to his mobile. The team rushed him but were stopped. “Nah-ah-ah-ah! Remember! We have an ironclad agreement to fight only one on one.”
“How much longer you think that agreement will last?” Metal asked everyone.
“Not past this episode” was the universal response.
Sticks spoke up, “Me first! Gotta get home and wrap my burrow in tinfoil before the thought police show up.”
Not even going to think about that Knuckles told himself.
Orbot and Cubot were at a commentary desk again as a wrestling bell went off. “And there’s the bell!” the former announced.
The badger thew her boomerang that missed the hovercraft. “Hah!” Eggman laughed, “You missed!” He ate his words when the weapon hit him from behind. “Activate hammer!”
Amy’s hammer was deployed from the platform attached to a wheel. It rolled towards Sticks at a high speed making her run away. “And Eggman regains the upper hand by robotizing Amy’s hammer!” Orbot commentated. “That’s a heads-up play by the mustachioed marauder.”
Sonic scoffed, “I can think of better wrestling themed nicknames for you Eggy.”
“And I don’t want to hear any of them.”
Sticks was still running from the wheel as she stepped to the side. “Sticks. Let me take over your shift!” Amy held out a hand for her to tag. The wheel was now targeting her as she jumped over it, grabbed her hammer on the way down, and pulled it free. It wasn’t longer until the wheel was whacked to the Eggmobile. Eggman jumping out of the way as it made contact.
“Incredible escape!” Orbot exclaimed. “Surprisingly agile for a middle-aged scientist.”
“You know, you sometimes forget he’s a doctor” Cubot added.
“I sincerely doubt you can call him that” Metal Sonic stated.
The doctor took the metal sheet airplane and threw it at Amy. It pinned her dress against a wall at high velocity. Knuckles then dug a tunnel and popped out to where she was. “Amy, tag me in!”
She did so as he pulled he plane out to free her. He then threw it back at Eggman.
He was prepared though, “The length of a hypotenuse is equal to the square root of the sum of the lengths of the sides squared.” A force field surrounded him to protect him from the plane.
As interesting as the fight was, Sonic was shuddering. “Ew. He’s using math words.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a little number crunching” Tails defended the sacred subject of math.
“But that’s geometry!”
Hard to argue with that. Genius or not, even that gave him a challenge.
Sticks was tagged back in as she jumped up to take the helmet off Eggman’s head. She tagged Tails and handed the helmet to him. “Here you go.”
“I got a better idea.” The fox put the helmet on Knuckles’s head and tagged him in. “Quick! Say the first thing that comes to mind!”
The entire room was internally panicking. Save for Shadow who was hoping for his dream to come true. “This will not end well” Knuckles could only say.
“I think Eggman’s mustache is just spaghetti that grows out of his face” the echidna said.
The force field surrounding Stick’s cage dissipated.
A sigh of relief was heard all around. “Never been happier for Mittens to prove me wrong” Knuckles smiled.
The black hedgie didn’t know why he tried hoping. So much for trying optimism.
“Knuckles, tag me!” Sonic yelled.
He did so as his spin dash freed him this time. Sending the bamboo flying and landing around Eggman in a teepee style cage.
And his twin’s competence had run out. Lasted longer than normal but Eggman knew it couldn’t last. “That doesn’t look that hard to break out of!”
“I don’t know” Amy wondered. “Bamboo can be pretty heavy.”
”And down goes El Huevo Loco!” Cubot said.
“It’s all over for the Bald Behemoth!” Orbot announced.
“One more word out of you two and I’m gonna take you apart and put you back together blindfolded!” Eggman yelled.
“Please do” Metal hoped. “Maybe then they’ll become a creation worth keeping around.”
“Even when we can only battle Eggman one at a time, we managed to work together as a team” Amy smiled.
“Yeah that’s true” Sonic started. His pride overtaking him again. “But in the end I’m the one who put Eggman in a cage.”
The scene cut to Sonic trapped in the bamboo cage with Eggman as the force field from before was now surrounding it.
“Guess even your friends have limits to your ego huh rodent?” the doctor grinned.
Metal and Shadow were on the same boat as the sight of their rival incapacitated filled them with joy.
“Wha-but…you guys would never do something like that right?” Sonic looked to his friends who were avoiding eye contact.
“Well…” Knuckles trailed off.
“I have done worse when angry” Amy shrugged.
“I would have let you out eventually” Tails admitted.
The hero could just sigh as he watched his double’s fate.
“Hey guys? You accidentally left me trapped in this force field with Eggman! Guys? GUYS?!” The team walked off ignoring his screams.
“While we’re here, might as well make the best of it.” Eggman started singing, “A thousand bottles of liquid nitrogen on the wall. A thousand bottles of liquid nitrogen…”
“So far, that episode has the best ending” Shadow smiled.
“I second that” Metal Sonic agreed.
“Indeed. For an episode focused on my double it was almost as good as the time loop one” the doctor added.
The reminder made Shadow slump. Right as his mood was improving.
Sonic was feeling the same for different reasons. “Humiliation aside, that was one of the more interesting ones. Both good and evil trying to switch things up. But in the end, the former will always win the war.”
“Never say never pincushion.”
A flaming three showed up on the screen before fading away. Piles of food then poofed onto the table with cooked ham already sliced, macaroni and cheese, green beans, bread rolls, Chaos Cola, paper plates and cups, plastic utensils, and napkins.
Drool was forming in Metal’s mouth as he was fighting the urge to devour everything. There’s enough for everyone the screen stated. We’ll start the next episode in thirty minutes.
The sight of the ham was enough for Eggman to groan. “Look Eggy! It’s your evil ham!” Sonic pointed with a smile.
He cut out the snickers as he folded his arms. “Sure, sure. Laugh it up now. Let’s see if you’ll still be like that when we discover the food’s actually poisoned.”
“It’s not that cruel” Tails filled up his plate. “The new thing’s being true to its word. And we have a chance to enjoy a meal.”
“You think the first thing would do this for us?” Amy wondered.
“I doubt it.” Shadow was still on edge but hunger was winning out. He was one step closer to home and sleep. He just hoped the food wouldn’t put him in a coma and prolong the imprisonment.
Metal was already filling up his plate with two servings of everything. “You gonna eat all that?” Knuckles was getting concerned again.
“I will try to pace myself. The harshest consequences are a good motivator.”
He started eating his serving as he failed to hide tears of joy. It tasted so good! Still, Sonic leaned over to his brother. “Better get a bucket just in case.”
“Already on it.”