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Night had fallen; darkness had overtaken the path. Belle the Tinkerer found herself sitting back anxiously as her wagon's wooden wheels creaked over the dirt path. She grumbled as she looked over her map again, the area illuminated only by the light of the moon. She could see a little better in the dark than most people given her… unique construction, but that could only help so much when she couldn't even see her surroundings. The map was at least a little better lit thanks to the lights from inside her repair wagon, but when she couldn't make out a single landmark in her surroundings…
"…Sawdust, we're definitely lost…" She groaned to herself as she slumped against the window of the wagon. She heard a concerned little chirp, and looked past the slightly crumpled paper in her hands to see her cute little Badnik companion staring back at her with his big blue eye. She simply gave him a tired smile. "…It's fine Motobud. We'll find our way eventually! That old couple in Soleanna wanted my help, and I'm going to give it to them! Even if this forest feels… very easy to get lost in." She gave him a thumbs up, and in response he excitedly wiggled his one antenna, the flower occupying the other slot swaying in tandem, clearly agreeing with her. He began to pull the wagon again as she leaned back in towards the window to try to get a better look at the map. "Come on… there's gotta be something…" she mumbled to herself.
KRACK!!
The two froze instantly. The puppet girl threw her map beside her, glancing around quickly as Motobud huddled closer to the wagon. Belle was… not built for encounters. Thankfully, as a Badnik herself, Badniks would usually just ignore her and let her by. And even if they didn't, Motobud was fast and stronger than most expect him to be. But she wasn't sure exactly what this was; there's never really been Badnik activity in this area from what little she could tell when she was doing research. She wracked her brain as she tried to think about what she learned while looking up information about the path ahead of time, her wooden fingers tapping a rhythmic sound against her noggin; were there any threats she hadn't accounted for…?
Suddenly, the area was bathed in a blinding light, the puppet girl covering her face as her eyes struggled to adjust. After a moment, she could just barely see in front of her.
It was… a large spotlight. And silhouetted in front of it was… a tall human man. But…
Belle blinked, trying to lean in to see things better; her confusion rose as she realized she recognized the shapes atop of his head. It… couldn't be. Sonic…? Way too tall to be him, but..
This thought was interrupted as his voice rang out over the field between them; it definitely wasn't Sonic.
"EVIl-DOERS BEWAAAARE! The Supersonic Hero of Soleanna is here, and he will let you go no further!" He shouted, striking a dramatic pose in front of the spotlight, his body contorting in a way that looked like it would be painful to hold. "The name… is Sonic Man!! Soleanna's bravest defender, and the hero of generations!" As the spotlight began to fade, Belle blinked in confusion as she found herself faced with… the most normal looking human man she's ever seen. He was wearing red shoes that almost looked like Sonic's, blue jeans… a t-shirt with Sonic's face on it… and a strange motorcycle helmet that covered half his face, resembling Sonic's head. The robot girl tilted her head with an audible creak from her neck joint, trying to even comprehend how to respond to this.
"…I…. y-you…?" She began to stutter, before she finally had his speech fully click. She shook her head, sitting upright, "W-Wait, evil-doers?! What do you MEAN evil-doers?" She asked, befuddled. The man smirked cockily as he struck yet another pose, wagging his finger dramatically.
"Tsk tsk, thought I wouldn't figure it out, did you?" He sneered as he leaned into his pose harder; Belle couldn't help but partially hope he'd fall over. "I've been on plenty of adventures, and faced many rivals in the past! And believe me, I know a Motobug when I see one; your ploy to sneak into Soleanna disguised as simple travelers was a clever one, but you can't get anything past THIS hero!" Belle felt one of her eyelids twitch as she stared in disbelief at him, watching him continue on, "Face it!! You're here to kidnap our fair Princess Elise, aren't you!? I've caught you red-handed!"
Belle stuttered over her words; she swears she can almost feel her processing unit heating up as she tries to even think of a response.
"Y-You… What…?" The puppet girl started, before getting to her feet on the edge of the wagon, "H-hold on just a moment, time-out! What do you mean "Sonic Man"? You're not Sonic! And what are you even talking about?! I called ahead to okay Motobud with the city! I'm just lost!! I've got no interest in princesses, kidnapping them or otherwise!" She reached down to grab the map, picking it up and waving it at him. "See!?" He seemed to take a moment to think, staring at her and the paper she held in her hand. He scritched his chin. Was he going to get it…? Belle was almost hopeful for a moment…
"…I see now. You've crafted your backstory very well!" He leaned back into his pose, a big grin on his face as he pointed at her. "But you can't outwit a true hero! Doctor Eggman's robots are capable of the most cunning of schemes; you may look like an innocent puppet girl, but you're just waiting for us to let our guards down, and that's when your true form will get unleashed!" He then took up a fighting stance, like one of those characters from that anime Tangle tried to show Belle once; crouched, one hand in front of his face, a smug grin visible behind his clenched fist. "And now, you'll face MY power! Get ready!!" He suddenly leapt up into the air, dramatically aiming a kick towards Motobud. "THE POWER… of MY SUPERSONIC 3D BLAST!!" Belle's eyes widened as she saw him start to come down, and without thinking pulled on her tail to force her legs to kick her off of the cart, launching herself upwards!
She landed in front of Motobud, her arms crossing in front of her face. She closed her eyes, trying not to let the trembling in her body show, as she felt the kick collide with her arms, and…
Nothing.
She blinked her eyes open, looking around… and saw the titular Sonic Man curled up on the ground, wincing as he held his foot. She tilted her head, her gaze dropping to the spot he had kicked… and just saw a slight scuff mark. It won't even take that much effort to get it out. She hadn't even been pushed backwards. He stopped his rocking as he looked back at her, one of his wide eyes barely visible through his opaque visor. Within seconds he was back to standing up and… laughing, with his hands on his sides, as if nothing had ever happened.
"I see now! By the Flames of Disaster, you are a tremendously powerful foe!" He said with a grin as he mimicked Sonic's nose-rubbing pose. "An invincible robot… the mad Doctor's outdone himself this time! And one that will take the blow for their fellow robot… why, it's as if you have a heart!" Every single word out of this man's mouth made Belle's eye twitch. "Clearly, having a battle will not defeat this foe! Yes, for the sake of the world, I must… come up with a DIFFERENT tactic. Perhaps if I-"
"STOP!!" Belle shouted, trying to put the breaks on that train of thought before this can continue. "Listen to me! I'm Belle the Tinkerer, and I'm on a very important trip to Soleanna! This is my partner Motobud! We are NOT threats, evil-doers, or any kind of monsters! We're just LOST!!" He froze mid-laugh, before suddenly rushing to a nearby tree to look away from her, clearly talking to himself.
"…Belle the Tinkerer. That's a familiar name… but where…" She could hear him muttering to himself. She tilted her head, slowly but surely walking closer. After a moment, he suddenly leapt out from behind the tree, taking up another stance with the palm of his hand facing her. "HALT!!!" He shouted, and Belle just… stared up at him in confusion, stopping in her tracks. He cleared his throat before he continued, "…You are no ordinary robot, it is clear to me now! Even if you have not shown any signs of aggression though, I would be a fool to let just any stranger and their Badnik through to Soleanna!" He posed dramatically, throwing his head back before pointing at seemingly nothing in particular." A test is in order! A test to prove that you're truly lost in this world, and not one of Doctor Eggman's forces!" She slumped forward as she looked up at him, an audible creaking noise coming from her wooden joints.
"…A test?" She asked quietly, the disbelief in her voice evident. Well, not evident to him it would seem as he nodded thoroughly, giving her a big thumbs up.
"Indeed! A test to prove you are in fact, not a villainous foe heralding the boom in a rise of evil throughout our beloved city!" He held his hand out, his palm forward with three fingers up." Your test will begin with three simple questions!" The girl glanced between him and her equally confused traveling partner. Motobud gave her an expectant chirp as he tilted his head, but then wiggled his little arms in what she hopes is a show of encouragement. She then looked over at Sonic Man, her brow furrowed.
"…If I pass your… test, will you help me find my way to town?" She asked, hesitant but figuring this was better than just wandering in the woods. He paused once more, and leaned back, stroking his chin as he looked her over. After a minute, he snapped his fingers.
"…If my tests determine your story to be true, then you will have the aid of a true supersonic hero! Your bravest escort! But before that… the test!" He pulled a sketch book out from his pocket, a pen from his other, and began to scribble. "Now, for our first epic question; Who is the ruler of the beloved city of Soleanna?"
The puppet blinked, and tilted her head.
"…Princess Elise?"
"CORREEEECT! That's right, Soleanna is ruled by our fair lady, Princess Elise the Third!" He gave her a thumbs up. She didn't have it in her heart to tell him that even had she not known, he already told her the princess's name during his initial accusation... "Nooooww… what do you think of the Forces of Dr. Eggman? The mechanical menaces! The deadly monsters! The armies of evil that threaten world famous superstars like our beloved lady every day?!" He then grins cockily, brandishing his pencil like it was a sword, "Or they would, if they didn't know SONIC MAN was here to keep our beloved city safe! Now, what do you think of them?" Belle sighed, and looked up at him with exasperation.
"…I really don't like Fath… Dr. Eggman." She grumbled, glancing off to the side. She then returned her gaze to him before continuing, "His forces… well, it depends... Not all of his robots are bad? Like, there's Omega and Gemerl…" She blinked as she realized he had gone silent, clearly squinting at her beneath his visor. She wondered if she had a mistake by claiming there could be good robots, but he simply wrote something down on his notepad before nodding.
"I see… what an intriguing response! Maybe a sign of… Hmm…" He took a step back, and then struck a dramatic pose. "And now, for your final question! Who is the greatest hero of all? The most powerful, epic hero who can stand up to Doctor Eggman's regime, the one who can free us all from the shadows of darkness that threaten this beloved world of ours? Our one true… Blue Streak of Justice!!" He gave yet another dramatic pose, Belle groaning as she could feel that this night was just getting more exhausting by the moment. She decided to play to his ego.
"….Sonic Man?" She asked, trying her hardest to keep the exasperation out of her voice. He gave her a cocky grin, before shaking his head as he began to write in his notepad once more.
"A good guess! It would actually be Sonic the Hedgehog; I'm just the fair protector of this city, not this whole world! Your questionnaire answers show… promise, but they're a start! And now, I give you the permission to… CONTINUE ON TO TEST 2!!!" He excitedly shouts, flashing her a peace sign with his fingers.
Test…. 2?!?
Belle could swear she felt one of the gears in her head stall for a moment. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes; while she didn't actually physically need to breathe, the motions helped her ground herself and calm a little.
"…What's next? More questions?" The puppet girl asked dryly. The man shook his head, and gave her a finger wag, followed by a boisterous laugh.
"More questions? Why, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Nope! It's time for you to engage with a good ol' Soleannan pastime! A physical test to make sure you're up to par to navigate our fair city!" He reached under the wristband of his glove, and aimed his hand, pointing at an emptier part of the moonlit forest. There was a click, and suddenly… large holographic red rings appeared, shimmering into existence; two on the ground, one higher up in the air, and a horizontal one that was clearly meant to be dived through. The puppet girl tilted her head, bewildered, looking to him. He looked back, smugly pointing to the device hidden under his wristband.
"Oh, this? Why, it's the Ring Around 3000! It's all the rage in Soleanna, has been for the past 20 years! It spawns holographic rings that you have to go through in 30 seconds, before they vanish! Oh, and uh, the clock IS ticking, better hurry! As they say, you Gotta Go Fast!" Belle's eyes widened, and the puppet began to clumsily run towards the rings. They were a bit of a ways away; how was she supposed to make it in time? She reached backwards, gripping the tip of her tail, her brow furrowing. She just needed to get through the rings, right? No matter the method of doing so…
She pulled it taut, and launched herself forward, the two ground rings vanishing as she soared through them. She landed right in front of the higher up ring, and braced herself; she didn't like using her ability this much, but she wasn't going to jump that high on her own! She pulled once more, sending herself flinging right up through the third ring…
…and falling flat on her face through the fourth, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground. She could hear a stock cheering noise from the wrist-device Sonic Man was wearing; she had passed. She groaned as she slowly but surely looked up, her head turning 180 on her neck to see what the human thought of her performance…
Only to find him currently enamored by a bush that Motobud had trimmed into his own image, the sneaky lil badnik currently chirping excitedly up at him while making big puppy-dog eyes. The man was laughing as he admired the topiary duplicate of himself; Belle squinted in disbelief. Was Motobud trying to bribe him to give her extra time to complete the test? She already did!! And no one saw her fall flat on her face!!
…Probably a good thing, actually.
The puppet slowly pushed herself off the grass, taking a moment to make sure none of her components got loosened up too much in that fall before turning her head back to its normal rotation. She began to trudge back towards Sonic Man; she just hoped that test was the last one… and yet, ever-growing cynical part of her had a feeling this was far from over. As she approached, Sonic Man suddenly swiveled on his heels to face her, and gave her a big thumbs up.
"Congratulations, Belle! You've passed your second challenge with an incredible success! That front flip or whatever was perfect! Almost as grand as your little friend's immensely powerful work of pure art! Very talented individuals indeed" He said with a cheer in his voice, while Belle felt her shoulders slumping further down, her back hunching slightly. The puppet sighed, looking up at him wearily through half-lidded eyes.
"…Let me guess… that… wasn't the final test, was it?" She grumbled out, looking exhausted. Sonic Man took a moment seemingly to process her words, before he gave her a big nod.
"CORREEEECT!!" He began in an over the top fashion, leaning farther back into a pose than most humans should be capable of; how was he still standing up? He grinned," Fret not though, while that was not the ULTIMATE test, it was the PENULTIMATE test! You have one more to go, just one!" He then grinned. "And thanks to the efforts of your stalwart companion, I'll let you have an advantage! Your final challenge… will be to beat me, Sonic Man, in a race! A special race, to see who is fastest!" He then pointed to Belle."For your advantage, you may use anything short of the cart itself to compete in the race; but I warn you, keeping up with me will not be a slice of cake, after all, I'm the fastest thing alive… in our beloved city, at least! Our goal will be… ah, the ruined pillar that away!" He dramatically pointed to deeper in the woods, where Belle could just barely make out an ancient looking stone pillar.
Belle's eyes drifted back towards her cart, the gears in her head already turning. She wasn't exactly… slow on her feet, or anything. But she was clumsy at times; one moment of tripping over her own feet is all it might take to lose the race. She needed a way to counter that; some way to ensure she wouldn't fall over. As she looked, her gaze drifted to… Motobud. The little Badnik noticed her staring and tilted his head; to which she smiled at him. She walked over, gently putting her hand on his head, before looking at Sonic Man. This was at least a test she could feel a bit more confident in now.
"…I'm going to race with Motobud. After all, if we're to get into the city, it'd only be fair to test us both at the same time, right?" She said with a small smile. Sonic Man practically beamed at the thought, giving her two thumbs up.
"A sound idea! Prove yourselves both in one fell supersonic swoop! But I warn you; you will not find me so easily bested, not by anything on this planet!" He took his place next to her, getting into a crouched starting position. Belle nodded, and climbed onto Motobud's back. She braced herself; this should be easy. He's just a normal guy, and Motobud's rather fast for a badnik. "We will start on my mark!" He declared, his fingers touching the floor now. "When I say Go… get ready to race, as you never have before!" The puppet nodded, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes as they both stared at the objective.
"…Start the countdown." She said quietly, trying to stay focused on their endgame.
"…3." He began. She felt him starting to tense up beside her.
"…2!" She leaned forward. She felt Motobud starting to shake beneath her, the Badnik's wheel spinning in place for a moment as it revved.
"…1…!" The forest felt like it was standing still around them, the forest ambience falling dead silent around them.
"GO!!"
And with that, he took off in a sprint. Belle's eyes widened as she watched him run; he wasn't Sonic fast by any means. He probably doesn't hold a candle to any of the hedgehogs. But… definitely faster than she expected from a human. She felt Motobud finally let loose as the badnik began to speed across the forest floor. Sonic Man was still ahead of them, leaned forward into a sprint with his arms behind him in a clearing mimicry of Sonic's running style, but they were rapidly gaining ground; they're not going to be behind for long.
As they zipped past, she could just briefly see a shocked expression on his face as he watched the two overtake him. Belle looked ahead to see the finish line before them; they're almost there!
"Not so fast! You can't out-speed… a true hero!" She heard him yell out, blinking as she looked back to see him speeding up. She could hardly believe what she was seeing; he was getting closer! He wasn't exactly catching up, but… she's very glad she asked to use Motobud if this is what he's capable of. Just as she began to worry that he might…
She saw the pillar pass them by, a look of realization slowly creeping onto her face.
She had won. The final test… it was all over.
Motobud skidded to a halt, the puppet flailing a little as she held onto him tight to prevent spilling herself onto the ground. She glanced back and watched Sonic Man collapse into a crouch after he himself finally reached the pillar, panting as he leaned on it for support. Belle got off of Motobud, and pointed towards the wagon with one hand while patting his head with the other.
"Go get some water for him, okay?" She asked quietly, watching him let out a little chirp as he rushed back to their wagon. She then walked back towards the pillar, where Sonic Man was now bracing himself against it as he tried to stand back up. He looked up at her, though before he could say anything his attention was snapped away by the sound of a tire on the dirt road as Motobud sped towards him with a water bottle clutched between its claws very carefully. He took it with a nod of approval, and chugged it down fast. After he finished with a gasp for air, he looked over to her.
"…that…" he began, still trying to catch his breath. "That was… incredible. Never before have I been pushed thoroughly. And you even gifted me precious water when it was unasked for…" He looked up at her, and did another extravagant pose as he pointed at her, somehow still getting one in even when he wasn't fully standing upright. "You! You are not an ordinary lost girl in the woods or an evil plot from Doctor Eggman's foul factories! You are… a fellow symbol… of justice!" Belle's head tilted as she looked up at him, feeling a bit… caught off guard, but at least he wasn't doubting her intents anymore. She shook her head as she began to speak,
"I… don't know about that. I'm just a girl trying to get to Soleanna to do a repair job." She said with a nervous laugh. "Besides, you were faster than I expected! Not as fast as Sonic, but you clearly put the work in." She saw the man freeze up, his barely visible eye beneath the visor lighting up as if he had just been struck by a revelation.
"…Wait…" he sped over to her in moments, easily outpacing the speed he had been at during the race. He began to sift through his pockets, which began to spill out with… papers? Newspaper clippings, photos, drawings, what seemed to be images printed off from a computer… Belle's pupils shrank as she stared at this, trying to comprehend how he was fitting all this in those jean pockets. He then finally brandished a piece of paper, declaring loudly, "EUREKA!!! This is it!" He held it up; it was… a newspaper clipping about the avalanche at White Park Chateau. "I've collected many epic examples of my hero's heroic accomplishments, and…" Sonic Man held it up to her face, pointing at something. She could see… herself. Having fallen flat on her face in the snow. "I KNEW the name Belle was familiar! And that means… That… MEANS…" He seemed to drop a lot of the extra bravado in his voice, a more genuine tone coming forth. "You… you actually know SONIC? Like, the Hedgehog?" He asks, sounding a bit shocked. Belle nodded slowly.
"Y-Yes. We… we've known each other for a while. I think we're friends…?" She idly looked to the side as she mused on that; she doesn't interact with the blue hedgehog nearly as much as a lot of other people do… She looked up, and saw him grinning wide, cheering as he pumped his fist.
"Oh Great Flames above!!! Someone who actually knows Sonic!! One of his friends, a champion of Justice! This really is my day-" He then stopped dead in his tracks, his voice silencing as the fire inside him seemed to die. He slumped down, falling to his knees as he collapsed onto his elbows, his voice dropping harder than he did as he continued "A-And I have waylaid her in her path… I am but a fool… I have betrayed the sanctity of my calling… I am no more a hero than a sheet of paper, blowing in the wind like litter…" Belle watched nervously as he slowly lowered fully flat onto the ground, and looked around before walking around him a bit to get closer to his face. She cleared her throat, to try to get his attention.
"…Well… you didn't exactly bar my path." She started, trying to think of a way to word this to lift him back up. She began to slowly but surely pick his collection of papers back up for him. "…If anything… running into you was a boon. Because I'm lost, and can't find your… fair city of Soleanna. If you show me there…. you'll have not only committed a heroic act, but uh… helped a friend of the… 'great' Sonic the Hedgehog?" As she compiled the loose papers into a neat stack, she offered one of her hands to try to help him back up, nervously glancing to the side as she hoped that worked. As he laid there, he meekly responded with his face still buried in the dirt.
"…Do you truly… honestly mean that?" After a moment of quiet contemplation, he… launched himself back to his feet, and began to laugh, giving her a thumbs-up. "THAT'S RIGHT!!! I can correct my wrongs and show you the way to our beloved city, where I will personally make sure not a single soul disrespects an ally of the great Sonic the Hedgehog! I will be your escort, your guardian, a TRUE defender of justice!! I will lead the way to the greatest city on this planet!" He took her hand, shaking it roughly; practically shaking her entire body. Belle needed a moment to recover after he stilled, feeling like her head might spin before he finally pulled away, taking the paper stack from her and slowly but surely packing it back into his pants pockets. She finally stilled herself, before looking back up at him with a small smile.
"…I don't know if I need a… well, a guardian exactly… but I would appreciate the guidance. I've never been to Soleanna before." She said as she began to get her wagon set back up to move, Motobud happily chirping as she hooked him up to the front. As she sat on the seat of the wagon, she looked over to Sonic Man," Alright, I think we're ready. Lead the way, please." The human grinned up at her from the ground, and happily began to walk alongside the wagon as it got to rolling slowly.
"This way, my new friend of justice! I daresay you'll enjoy our fair city… it's rather lovely this time of year! The Festival of the Sun is but a few short days away, so the sprawling city is bustling with merchants and passerby from the surrounding areas and even further beyond!… well, during the day at least; nights are a bit quieter! But I, as a champion of justice itself, shall NEVER be quiet, no matter the time of day! Justice never sleeps, and Justice is NEVER silent!" He let out a boisterous laugh as he walked alongside the wagon. Belle couldn't help but roll her eyes, sighing as she looked ahead, watching him point to a path in the woods. He was a bit… much, but he was at least genuinely helpful. It seemed like no matter where Belle went, she's going to end up in a situation of some sort. With Motobud able to read Sonic Man's directions, Belle leaned back, and closed her eyes for a moment.
This wild night was finally coming to an end; she could finally relax, at least until her new friend hits her with new trivia delivered in his over the top matter… she assumes she has five minutes of quiet before Sonic Man sees an exciting rock or something. Not the worst night she's ever had on the road, and one she'll definitely remember.