Sonic the Hedgehog (Part 1)

Legal stuff: The names Sonic the Hedgehog (and all permutations thereof), Princess Sally Acorn, Tails, Rotor, Antoine, and all characters affiliated with the aforementioned are trademarks of Sega Of America. I do not own any of the characters (with the single exception of Aaron Brandt) and claim no ownership of any other names used throughout this story.

Notes: This story is based on the SatAM cartoon series and the Archie Comic series. Parts of it take place someplace on Earth (location never really decided), and it also involves traveling to other dimensions. Also, please don't rate & review this story until you've read all three parts (unless it really needs a review for some reason). Also, I am not making any corrections to this version anymore... I am working on a very much longer version of it, and eventually will post that one on here (it's over 500kB right now and it's only a quarter done or so).
Now... on with the show!

Prologue: The legend (Setting: 2 days before the Freedom Fighters formed.)

Sonic Hedgehog was out trying out the new sneakers his Uncle Chuck had just made for him that could withstand Sonic's incredible speed when he decided to stop by one of his friend's houses. Her father was the King. He went up and rang the doorbell. Rosie, the Princesses aunt, answered the door.
"Is Sally home?" Sonic asked.
"And, just who wants to know?" Rosie wondered.
"I'm Sonic Maurice Hedgehog. Sally's best friend." Sonic said. Rosie had just arrived from the Eastern hemisphere of Mobius.
"I'll get her. Wait in the west wing." She said as she walked off to get Sally. A few minutes later, Sally came walking into the west wing where he was waiting.
"Why, Sonic! How sweet of you to visit me here in the palace!" Sally said in her slight European accent. It was Sally's eighth birthday and all her friends were invited to the party.
"I just thought I'd stop in and say 'Hi'!" Sonic said.
"Well, don't just stand there, come on in! You know you're always welcome in the palace." Sally said as she led Sonic into the main chamber.
"Well, I have an opportunity for you and five others to go for. But, you'll have to accept tonight." Sonic explained.
"And, just what kind of opportunity is this and what does it entail?"
"Well, you'll have to leave your life in the palace behind and live in the Great Forest with the others. You'll have to be willing to risk your life for the safety of Mobius. Are you willing to do all that and more?" Sonic explained in detail. Sally did not hesitate to answer.
"Yeah! But, am I ready for that kind of life? Can I bring my Aunt Rosie? Sally questioned.
"Question one: Yes, I believe you're ready for this. Question two: Yes, you can bring your Aunt Rosie. And, if you want to bring anything small you have, go ahead and bring it!" Sonic finished.
"So...what time should I come over, then? And, how will I get my things there?" Sally asked.
"Everything will be taken care of, your Royal worry-wart! As for the time...why don't you come over tomorrow at about the same time?" Sonic answered.
"Okay! I'll do that!" Sally exclaimed as she showed Sonic the way out. The rest of the night, Sally was uneasy about leaving the palace. Finally, at about ten o'clock that night Sally went to talk to her father about joining this club.
"Sally, to tell you the truth... I think that you are old enough to decide what you want to do." King Acorn explained to his daughter.
"Well, I would like to be the first Princess to live outside the palace! But, I will miss the palace once I am outside of it. But, still I would love living someplace else!" Sally exclaimed.
"Well, you have my permission to go!" The King said with a laugh. Sally immediately began packing. Her mother, Queen Alicia, had left her a pocketed vest before leaving for the eastern half of the planet. Sally slipped her computer that she had named Nicole into one of the pockets. While thinking about what it would be like to live outside of nearly twenty acres of palace, she continued packing her chemistry set. She had finished packing for the next day and she decided to go call a few of her friends. She got the calls done and went to bed. In the morning, she woke rested and excited about joining this organization when Sonic showed up.
"Well... are you ready to come to your future home?" Sonic asked.
"I haven't even had breakfast yet! Why don't you come in and explain this organization to me and tell me where it is?" Sally asked.
"Breakfast-wise, you can eat once we get there. As for the name of the organization, it is called 'The Freedom Fighters'! We will be located in the middle of the Great Forest." Sonic explained. Sally didn't hesitate one minute. She ran and told her father that she would miss him. Then, as Sally was walking to get her bags, she heard a scream headed toward the palace.
"Everyone hide! Ivo Robotnik is coming!" A young two-tailed fox yelled. Sonic and Sally both ran to the window and watched as house after business vanished as Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his SWATbots destroyed the village and roboticized every living thing except for those in the palace.
"SWATbot X-136269, blast through the gate. Now!" Robotnik ordered. The SWATbot followed the order to the word. Just then, the King came out.
"What is this about?" King Acorn asked.
"To put it bluntly, I want to roboticize every living thing on Mobius...including you!" He laughed.
"I truly don't believe accordingly so, Ivo!" King Acorn said.
"Oh, I think so and will! SWATbots, take him away!" Robotnik ordered. King Acorn tried to run away, but was stopped short when Ivo tripped him. "Never mind, I'll do it right here!" He said as he reached into his cape and pulled out a portable roboticizer. "Now, will you come along quietly or will I have to do this here?" Robotnik asked, grinning.
"Kodos would be proud of me right now!" The King turned and was lead by Robotnik to the city of Robotropolis.
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! My...my...father!" Sally screamed.
"Sally, calm down! Listen, we have to get out of here! Run and get your essential stuff! We'll come back and get the rest of it later tonight!" Sonic directed. Sally ran and got the things she needed and came back. "Okay, follow me and keep low until we get into the forest. "
The next day, after getting the rest of Sally's things, they set about finding four more Mobians to complete the team. Later that day, Sonic found the rest of the team members and then introduced them to Sally.
"Sally, don't worry! We'll get your father back. We promise." Sonic said to Sally.
"We? Who are this we?" Sally inquired. Sonic turned and shouted for the others to come out and out stepped four others.
"Sally, this is Bunnie Rabbot!" Sonic said, "She is from the Southern Quadrant of Mobius. Bunnie stepped forward, "How y'all doin'?" Sonic turned to Sally.
"This is Miles 'Tails' Prower." Tails flew forward.
"I'm the only two-tailed fox on Mobius!" Tails proudly said. Sonic turned.
"This is Rotor." He said and forward stepped a lavender walrus. "Last and least is Antoine D'coolette... I am sure you know him. He was the King's personal guard." Sonic said.
"Hollo, my dear princesse." Antoine said in his French accent.
"Well...this is a surprise! When are we going to move into this place called Knothole?" Sally asked.
"We're going to move tonight. I want everyone ready by midnight. At twelve-thirty, we move. No later." Sonic ordered.
"Want me to get the rest of my stuff out of the palace?" Sally asked.
"We'll get it later tonight or tomorrow. Robotnik is probably hiding there." Sonic said.
After getting the stuff out of the palace, Sally and Sonic were the only ones still up.
"I think we are going to have a great relationship!" Sally said to Sonic before falling asleep in his arms.

(End of Prologue)

Chapter 1 The Freedom Fighters: Ten years later

"We can't rush into things here! We have to consider the options!" Sally said, "I think we, being, the last hope for Mobius, should try to come up with a back-up plan! The mini-bug we placed in Robotnik's H.Q. heard that he has a machine that allows him to travel to other planets, even back in time." Just then, Rotor walked into the meeting.
"Sorry I'm late, Princess, but I have the portal working. All I need is your permission to go ahead with the plan!" Rotor reported.
"Not until we know for sure exactly what it is Robotnik plans to do to Earth. So, nobody goes near it until then, understood?" Sally asked.
"I read you loud and clear, my lady. I'll have Sonic guard it until then. He won't let anything he doesn't know past." Rotor answered. Once the meeting was over with, Rotor and Sally went to find Sonic. They found him in the exercise hall.
"I'm working on a new move! It's the figure-eight super peel-out! Once I do it, I move at warp speed!" Sonic explained.
"Sonic, Rotor needs you to guard his lab being that he finished the portal. Nobody enters the lab!" Sally ordered.
"And, don't touch the wires leading from the generator!" Rotor cautioned. Rotor and Sally turned around and headed back to the remains of the palace.
"I can't believe he did all this in one night!" Sally said in disbelief. She had ordered the rubble and the remains be kept in the same position and location as it was the day after. They knew where the King was but needed the exact coordinates for 'The Zone OF Silence'. Just as they got to the ruins of the palace, they heard the portal generator start up.
"Rotor!" Sally yelled over the noise.
"The portal! I forgot to install the safety circuit! It is completely unpredictable without it!" Rotor said quickly. Before he knew what was happening, Sally ran to the lab and grabbing a backpack full of power rings jumped through the portal after Sonic. Immediately, after she got through the screen, the Inter-dimensional Portal Generator blew the fuse. The entire village was standing outside the lab as Rotor got there.
"Here's the story: Sonic managed to figure out how to operate the thing. He went to..." Rotor said as he read what the screen said, " Bad news is: Sally went with him. Worse yet, the portal blew its one and only fuse. I'll have to make another before we do anything else." Rotor reported. There was still power going through the portal and it was still active.
"Tailsis Bunnie? Maybe she can get close enough to it to cut the juice." Rotor asked.
"She is out patrolling the outskirts of Robotropolis. Why not try the cut-off switch?" Tails asked. Rotor tried it, and it worked.
Meanwhile on Earth, Aaron Brandt was trying the portal he had just built at the same time that Sonic had started Rotor's up. The portals work by breaking down the creature entering it into a mass of molecules. Aaron had just gotten into his portal when Aaron's friend Samantha Collen went to pull him out, but instead tripped on a wire into the portal. As their molecules passed, they got mixed; Sam's with Sally's and Sonic's with Aaron's. Sonic was further along the teleport process that Aaron was, so the momentum carried them back to Earth. When they got out, they immediately fell unconscious. Sally began recalling her youth.

(End of Chapter 1)

Chapter 2 Sally's past: The reality of it all (8 years old)

"I'm smarter than you!" Sally exclaimed.
"Sez who?" Sonic asked.
"I say!"
"You say?"
"Yeah!" Sally shot back. "I do! King Acorn walked up.
"What seems to be the problem, children?" The King asked.
"Nothing important, daddy!" Sally naively said.
"Nossir! We were just having fun!" Sonic added.
"I see." King Acorn replied.
"I hate to interrupt, King Acorn. But, I have matters of urgent importance to discuss!" A stranger said form the shadows.
"Ah, Warlord Julian Kintobar! I've been looking for you. Run along, children! We'll settle this later." The King said.
"Come on, Sal! Last one to the tree house is a rotten chilidog!" Sonic told Sally as she followed a short distance behind.
"We've a reception tonight!" The King said.
"A reception, Sire?" Julian said.
"Yes, I'm announcing your appointment as Minister of Science. I've also approved your plans for dismantling the military! Implementation may begin at once!"
"Of course, Sire!" Julian attentively said.
"One more thing...it is imperative that the transition proceed immediately! I'm confident you're more than up to the task, Doctor Julian!" King Acorn said.
"Better than you know, Sire!"
"Very good! I'll see you tonight, then!" The King said as he headed towards the door.
"Alert the troops to be ready for my signal, Snively!" Julian said.
"Just say the word, Sir!" Snively said.
"The word is given, Snively... Commence attack... NOW!"
"Sal...it's like the war is starting up again! But, I've never seen troops like these!" Sonic said in awe.
"What do they want, Julayla?" Sally asked.
"As I'm at a loss to explain this, I think it better that we return to the palace and find Rosie, my dear!" Julayla, the Princesses mentor, said, "I'm sure the King is aware of the situation!" A startled King looked onward as Julian approached him.
"Julian! What's going on here?" The King asked.
"Your Majesty and members of the royal courts... I've now assumed control! Henceforth, what was once known as Mobotropolis will now be Robotropolis, the capitol of my kingdom! My army of SWATbots have struck simultaneously at various key points all over the kingdom, virtually halting any chance of any resistance!" Julian said to the King, "That could change, however, if the royal subjects were to rally around the King and crown!"
"Give it up, Julian! You can't succeed!" The King exclaimed.
"The name is no longer Julian! From this day forward, I am Robotnik! As for you, King Acorn, I hereby banish you to The Zone Of Silence...forever!" Robotnik evilly cackled.
"Oh my!" Julayla gasped.
"Have you no honor, Julian? No sense of responsibility or loyalty?" The King asked.
"Oh, but I do! I have a responsibility to restore order from chaos!" Robotnik said, "And, with the aid of my latest discovery, I have the means necessary to carry out my plans! SWATbot, bring me the creator of this device! Sir Charles Hedgehog!" Robotnik turned to Charles, "After changing a few things on it, I will control the planet Mobius!" Charles then turned to the King.
"Sire, I made it so if someone breaks a leg or arm, I can roboticize that limb, but after Ivo stole it and tampered with the controls, it completely roboticized my brother! You killed my brother!"
"Now, you may join your brother in my army of robots! The machine will transform any living creature into a mindless robot, free to obey my every command and orders!"
"Sally, Sonic, Julayla, Rosie run for your lives! Escape from this place!" The King shouted to the others. "This is Monstrous!"
"That depends on your point of view! In my version, you are the enemy and must be eliminated for the good of all!" Robotnik said.
"No matter how long it takes, Julian, somehow I will stop you!"
"Courageous words Sire! But, where you are going that won't be possible! Open the portal! May I present to you The Zone Of Silence! Impressive, isn't it? Be sure to give Ixis Naugus, its inventor and Kodos, your former warlord, my regards! An unsafe journey, my once and former King!"
"I'll get you, Julian!"
"Long live, the King!"

(End of Chapter 2)

Chapter 3 Planet Earth

"Sam, you alright?" Aaron asked as Sam got up. Aaron reached over and grabbed his rolling chair. "Here Sam, sit down and rest." Aaron said.
"What happened? It was working just fine until that weird electrical storm! Would the static electricity mess up the transmission system?" Sam asked. Just then the phone began ringing.
"Hello?" Aaron said into the mouthpiece. There was silence. Then the phone started sounding like it was receiving a fax. Aaron hung up the phone and looked over at his portal. It had started up.
"Aaron, what's going on?" Sam asked.
"Sam, pull the security card from it!" Sam reached back and did as told. "See the red button, hit it!" Sam reached over and hit it. The portal shut down.
"Aaron, what's with the power?" Sam asked as the lights flickered.
"That happens all the time. Nothing to worry about." Aaron replied. A humming filled the air as the auxiliary generator kicked in.
"Come here, I want to show you something I've been working on for a while. This is as secret as you can get!" Aaron said as he led Sam over to a part of the floor that was darker than the rest. "Sam, stand next to me. And, don't tell anyone how to get to this part my lab." Aaron typed in a code on his computer and hit enter, then walked to the secret platform. It slowly lowered to a garage below a garage.
"This has been here ever since the original garage was built. Guarded by a sophisticated security system, I have been designing a 'Stretch Lamborghini'. The car is designed so that it will not use any gas." Aaron explained.
"Then, what will it run on?" Sam asked, for the first time showing some knowledge about the inner workings of cars.
"I found these green crystals in here when I discovered this workshop. If my calculations are correct, these will allow the car to reach the necessary speed to jump dimensions and travel through time." Aaron replied. "Do you still have your laptop? I could use it to drive the car without having anyone in it."
"Yes, I have it right here. Do you hear that?" Sam asked, as the air filled with what sounded like a thousand humming. Suddenly, there was an explosion above ground.
"I'll go above ground and see what it was." Aaron said as he got back on the platform and went up. Once there, he saw that half of the block he lived on was destroyed. He then went back down. "Half the block is gone! I had better finish the car, so why don't you head back home? I can have the car meet us at school and pick us up. You can spend the night here...your house was one that was destroyed by that mysterious explosion! I'll be in before too long." Aaron said as Sam left. Aaron then went back to work on the car. Once finished with the car, he went to bed. In the morning after a brief breakfast, he took the bus to school. Once on the bus, he noticed it was quieter than usual. At school, he noticed that no one save for him and Sam were eating lunch. At study lab, they discussed their findings.
"Nothing is the same as it should be. I first noticed this when I got home. No one was home at my place and no one from my entire block was home!" Sam said, obviously worried for their safety.
"Same with my place." Aaron added.
"I think we should get away form here! This is too weird!"
"Well, school's almost out. But, do you think we should use the car? What if we never get there?"
"If what I think is wrong is wrong, then we have more to worry about that we thought!"
"Let's get going right now! We'll call the car from your computer. Let's hope none of the remaining people see the car coming here!" Sam started her computer up.
"How are you gonna call that car with my laptop?"
"I need to use the Internet to access my lab and link up with the car." Aaron connected up with his lab and activated the car. The screen showed the status of the systems as it started up. Aaron let the coolant work its way through the engine. Aaron's fingers flew over the keyboard and the separate windows piled up, then the screen showed the word coming.
"Okay! We have ride out of here. The car is on its way here! It'll be here momentarily. Sam and Aaron walked out of the school and noticed that there was a large factory outside that was not there the other day.

(End of Chapter 3)

Chapter 4 The Factory

"What is this?" Aaron said surprised by the sudden placement of the factory that stood across the street.
"How long until the car arrives?" Sam asked.
"Ten to fifteen minutes. What say we go and check it out?" Aaron suggested.
"I've got a really bad feeling about this!" The two of them cautiously approached the gate. Aaron found a wet stick and threw it at the gate. It hit the gate and nothing happened.
"What's that?" Aaron looked at where Sam was pointing, and saw what looked like a robot coming towards them.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't look friendly! Let's get out of here!" Aaron started running, when he heard Sam cry out in pain.
"What happened?" Aaron asked as he doubled-back to help Sam up.
"I must've twisted my ankle. Can you run super-fast like you used to? Because I could hold onto your shoulders and we could get to the car before that thing catches up with us!"
"Yes, I could and will." Sam hobbled over to Aaron and grabbed his shoulders. Aaron started running and ran faster than he had ever before. They got to the school just as the car pulled up. As it stopped, the doors swung open. Aaron got in the driver's side and Sam in the passenger side. The doors automatically closed once both passengers were entirely inside.
"Buckle up! This might be a tricky ride. Plug Nicole into the dash." Aaron said as he started the car up. The back seat held the power source two Chaos Emeralds, the same green crystals he had found in the shop. The smallest one started to faintly glow as the power system started up. Aaron stepped on the accelerator and the car pulled away silently.
They had just pulled away from the school grounds when Sam said, "Isn't that your Uncle Chuck?" Aaron looked at where Sam was pointing and he saw it.
"Oh, crap!" Aaron slammed on the brakes and the car slid to a stop. Sam's ankle felt better and she followed Aaron to the factory. They stealthily approached the front half of it.
"Sam, grab my shoulders. I'll run up that wall." Aaron said as he started running. "I'll try my new trick, the figure-eight super-peel-out!" Aaron made his legs move so fast they formed a figure eight. There was a streak of blue and red leading from the car to where Aaron met with the wall, where he leaped onto the surface of the wall and proceeded to run straight up it.

Back on Mobius, Rotor's portal started up on its own and out came the King. Rotor heard the portal start up and ran to it.
"Antoine, get in here quick!" Rotor shouted over the noise of the machine. Antoine ran as fast as he could as soon as he heard Rotor.
"I think this is the time to pray that Robotnik doesn't destroy us! Get Doctor Quack immediately!"

(End of Chapter 4)

Chapter 5 Robotropolis

"Ah, Snively! Isn't it just wonderful that we can not only take over one world, but as many as we like?" Robotnik exclaimed.
"Sir, a perimeter alarm has been tripped! Sector 10A. Should I dispatch the SWATbots or perimeter patrol?" Snively asked.
"No, I'll handle this myself." Robotnik said.

Back outside, Sam was amazed at the sheer size of the buildings.
"Wow! Look at the size of those buildings! Where did they all come from?" Sam exclaimed. A door opened out of the ground.
"I think it best if we leave all those questions unanswered. Back to the car, now!" Aaron shouted as five robots shot lasers at them. They climbed into the car and took off.
"This time we don't stop until we get there!" Aaron said. Once they hit seven hundred miles per hour, the car started changing. A cone extended from the front, and at its base was surrounded by a ring. The car was now shaped almost like a bullet. The second emerald started glowing.
"Aaron, are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" Sam asked.
"I know enough!" Aaron replied as he navigated around the wet streets. As the car reached fourteen hundred miles per hour, a lightening bolt shot from the end of the cone creating a black hole in front of the car. The car vanished in a large shockwave and then it was gone. They made their way through the Dimensional Super-Highway to Mobius.

In Knothole, things were not looking so good.
"Great shades of Mobius! The King's back!" Doctor Quentin Quack said as he entered.
"His skin's changin' or something! Look!" Bunnie said.
"He looks like a chaos emerald or something!" Tails noted.
"There's... not...much... Doomsday..." The King mumbled.
"Tails! Find Uncle Chuck! We're going to need as much help with this as possible!" Rotor said. Tails set out immediately for Charles' bunker.

After the car made it out of the portal, Sam and Aaron separated from their counterparts, Sonic and Sally.
"What the?" Aaron asked as he realized where he was.
"I'll explain: when I started Rotor's portal up originally, I created portals all over Mobius." Sonic explained as best he could.
"Also, simultaneously, opening a doorway to other dimensions, times and realities!" Sally finished.
"I don't believe you! All I know is, I saw my Uncle Chuck get thrown into a machine that looked like a food processor!" Aaron disbelievingly said. Sam was now fully awake.
"Ahhhhhhh!" She screamed as she came to her senses.
"It's okay! It's okay! We're safe! You're with me!" Aaron comforted as best he could the scared young girl.
"This is unbelievable! I, Aaron M. Brandt, am standing here talking to Sonic Maurice Hedgehog and Princess Sally Elisha Acorn!" Aaron exclaimed.
"Shouldn't we head back to Knothole and see what's been going on in our absence?" Sonic asked.
"I think it better! Let's get going!" Sally ordered.

Uncle Chuck had made it to Knothole from his lab outside of Robotropolis.
"Good God! The King's back! What's wrong with him?" Uncle Chuck asked.
"We're not sure...he just came out of my portal about ten minutes ago! When he came out, he said; "There's not much... Doomsday." Then he passed out." Rotor explained.

"But, you're talking animals! Animals don't talk! At least they're not supposed to!" Sam said. Aaron ran and grabbed his backpack and put the two emeralds from the car in it.
"Sam, when Sega originally created the whole Sonic The Hedgehog video game series, a surge in the programming department created a permanent dimensional rip. Everything Sega tried could not hold the rip shut. Finally, they managed to trap the rip in a game cartridge. That's what resulted in the realism of the game." Aaron explained.
"So, where you come from, we are just some kind of game?" Sally asked. Sam was standing next to Sally, realizing how tall Sally was.
"Well...all I want to know is what are we going to do? We don't have any road to get up to speed to jump dimensions!" Sam said.
"Well...if you want, you can live with us for a while. But, if things get hairy, we'll have to pack up and move out." Sonic said.

(End of Chapter 5)

Chapter 6 Free Fall

"Well, Sam. It looks like we'll be staying here for a while." Aaron said. Sam was worried and it showed.
"Can't we find an open field or a flat hill so we can go home?" Sam asked.
"They need my help! And, we don't have a level enough stretch of land to get up to speed on." Aaron explained. Aaron held her closer to him. Sam was softly crying.

On the western side of Knothole, Drago had just walked into Hershey's hut.
"Drago! What're you doing here?" Hershey asked, just as startled as grateful.
"Well, I've got some bad news. The King is back!" He angrily shouted as he poured himself a drink.
"You call that bad news?" Hershey asked. She then thought to herself that she would never understand Drago.
"It deadens my chance at the throne!" He shouted. Then, he remembered. He remembered how much Hershey hated Snively. He thought silently, "There's an optically-altered mask of Sonic in the Mobotropolis storeroom. If I can have someone kill Sally, and hide the King, I'll get the throne! And, if Robo gets back soon, he might let me detonate the Ultimate Annihilator!"
He laughed to himself and then said, "I hear that Snively is planning on ambushing the Freedom Fighters!" Hershey had lost her parents to Snively's war machines when she was ten. She was still determined to get Snively back.
"What is he planning on doing to Knothole?" Hershey angrily asked. It was working as Drago had planned.
"He plans to carry Robotnik's Doomsday device into the village and detonate it in the middle of town." Drago explained. Hershey grabbed her binoculars and started out the door, but was stopped by Drago.
"But, Snively will recognize you! You need a mask so that Snively will not know who is attacking him!" Drago said as he grabbed a mask of Sonic. "He'll try to break into his bosses office to get the codes for the device. Do whatever you can to have him take a hard fall!" Drago informed Hershey. Hershey put the rest of the costume on. Once she got the costume on, she left for Robotropolis.

In the interim, back at the Knothole Infirmary, Doctor Quack had just finished hooking the King up to his medical computers.
"I hope the computers can figure out what is happening to His Majesty!" Quentin said.
"Your computers can't help at all! Only the King's magical sword can cure the King of his ailments." A shadow standing in the doorway said.
"What the Oh, it's you Knuckles! Please help us out on this one!" Tails pleaded with Knuckles. Quentin unhooked his computers and shut them off.
"As I said, the only way to cure the King of any ailments is with his sword." Knuckles explained.
"Well, where can we find this magical sword?" Rotor asked while checking his database.
"It should be in Robo's main office." Knuckles answered.

Sonic, Aaron, Sally, and Sam were meanwhile trying to pick their way through an old over-grown trail that led to the old tree stump. The old tree stump led to the Underground Knothole Village, which had been abandoned since Robotnik had discovered its whereabouts. Sonic reached up and grabbed a vine and pulled on it.
"Hey! That was never mentioned in any of the comic books!" Aaron exclaimed. Suddenly, there was a violent tremor originating from deep within the planet itself. Almost immediately, the tree stump crumbled and was buried under a fallen tree.
"What is happening?" Aaron yelled over the rumbling. Sally motioned for Sam to give her the computer.
"Princess, according to what data I could collect...it appears that Planet Earth and Planet Mobius are merging." Nicole, Sally's computer, said. The tremors were subsiding. After a few more seconds, the tremors had stopped all together.
"What were you saying, Nicole?" Sally asked. The small computers lights blinked, and then she repeated what she had said.
"How much longer until both planets are completely merged?" Aaron asked the computer.
"There is about fifty hours until the two planets are completely...incoming message." Nicole said, but was interrupted as she received a message.
"Princess, is that you?" A static-laden voice said through Nicole's speaker.
"Rotor! Where are you?" Sally exclaimed, happy to hear Rotor's voice.
"We are in my lab. We have a worse dilemma than you do, I'm sure!" Rotor explained.
"What's going on in the village, aside from the quake?" Sally asked.
"There are structures and oceans popping up all over the place! What's causing all this stuff?" Rotor's scratchy voice asked. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came a big lightening storm and a bunch of roads. Things started to completely change across all of Mobius; trees growing where none existed before including under the drivers side of Aaron's Lamborghini causing it to flip over onto the roof.
"Oh, shi..." Aaron started to say, but stopped when Sam shot him a warning glance. She hated hearing people swear for any reason.
"Sorry, but our ride home just rolled onto its roof and there is no way of flipping it back over." Aaron explained, the tension showing through his voice.
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you two back home, separate the two planets and defeat Robotnik yet!" Sonic enthusiastically told Aaron and Sam.

(End of Chapter 6)

Chapter 7 The fate hangs in the balance

Sonic, Sam, Sally, and Aaron had started the walk back to Knothole Village.
"This has been one long day! How much further until we get to Knothole?" Sam asked.
"About another half hour, maybe. We have to be in by sundown, though." Sonic answered.
"Think we should all hang onto each others shoulders and have you do the running? Because, if I remember right, there's like another mile or two until we hit the village." Aaron suggested to Sonic.
"Alright, I get to try out my new move! Hold on... 'cause here we go!" Sonic said as he peeled out and off they went. Within a matter of seconds, they arrived at Knothole.
"Why do we have to be in by sundown?" Aaron asked.
"We have spotted robots wandering through the forest at night, but lately they have developed chameleon-type qualities, and they are super-hard to see." Sally explained. "I'm going to go find Rotor and find out what's been going on in our absence." Sally finished as she headed to the Infirmary. Aaron, Sam, and Sonic followed her.
"Rotor! Where are you?" Sally called out.
"Princess, you're here. We have good news and bad news." Rotor announced.
"Bad news and then the good news." Sally instructed.
"Okay, the bad news is this; the merging of the planets is accelerating...already twenty-five percent of both planets has become one. The good news is...is...um, you better see for yourself." Rotor said as he led the Princess into the Emergency Room. Upon entering, the scene in front of her was a total shock.
"Oh...my... God! Daddy! What's happening to him?" Sally cried.
"Princess, we have no clue as to what is happening to him. All we know at this point is that he suddenly fell out of my portal about two hours ago and he's only said one thing since he got out of it: 'There's...not...much... Doomsday'." Dr. Quack said as he attended to the King. Just then, Aaron, Sam, and Sonic entered the ER.
"Great Scott!" Sam exclaimed.
"My God!" Aaron gasped.
"Holy crap! It's the King!" Sonic gasped as he beheld the scene in front of him.
"What is happening to him? He seems to be changing." Sam observed.
"Do you think a Chaos Emerald might help reverse it?" Aaron asked.
"Where do you think you're gonna get a Chaos Emerald? Last I heard Robotnik had the last useable emeralds." Rotor explained.
"Not entirely true," Aaron said as he set his backpack on the floor, "I have two of them. I use them to power my car." He said as he handed them to Rotor.
"Where'd you get'm from?" Knuckles asked from the shadows.
"I found'em back on my home planet in my garage." Aaron explained to Knuckles, who was obviously irritated. Sally was knelt beside her father in silent prayer. She got up and came over to where Aaron, Sonic, and Sam were standing.
"Sonic, we must get into Robotnik's HQ and get the Sword of Acorns so we can get the King back and finish this thing after all these years." Sally explained with tears in her eyes. Sonic wiped the tears from her eyes and took her hand.
"How about this as a plan: we send two teams, each team covers the other. How should we take the building?" Geoffrey St. John, who had been in the ER watching from the corner, asked.
"I think the stronger team should take it from the inside and search from the ground floor up while the other team takes the outside and climbs up the wall and go straight to the office to get the sword. We'll rendezvous at the top floor and both teams go back down one way." Sally explained.
"We'll have fifteen minutes to get the two teams together and as well armed as possible with what we have." Antoine suggested. At that, the small gathering broke up as everyone went around gathering everyone who wanted to go on. They then went to the palace armory and got what weapons they had.
"Sally, are you sure you want to go through with this? What if it falls through? Is it worth that kind of risk?" Sonic asked.
"Are we gonna come with or are we gonna stay here?" Aaron asked.
"It would probably be better if you guys stayed here. We can't risk your lives to save our King's." Sally explained.

While this was going on, Hershey had left for Robotropolis so she could stop Snively. She was on the roof of Robotnik's Command Center waiting for Snively to show his face. Hershey put on the fake Sonic head. She then looked down and saw Snively and an army of SWATbots approaching.

St. John and his team had already begun the infiltration of the ground floor while Sally and her team worked on launching the grappling hook so that it caught on the upper edge of the wall.
"I'll go first. Everyone follow my lead." Princess Sally instructed. She started slowly and was halfway up within a minute. Her instincts told her to look up and to her surprise, she saw Sonic looking down over the edge. Sally reached her hand up and Sonic brushed it away. Sonic then reached over the edge and cut the rope with a pocketknife. Immediately, Sally began falling the seven floors she had just climbed. After what seemed like an eternity, she hit the ground.
"Oh, mah stars!" Bunnie gasped.

(End of Chapter 7)

To read the rest, click here: "Sonic The Hedgehog (part 2)"