— Downtown District —

  In another day at Haven City, both Mobians are tired after their rough sleep. Yawning and rubbing their eyes constantly to keep themselves awake. Although Solid has bought them coffee to at least deal with their sleepiness, both are still affected by the environment of the empty rooftop. Without any kind of soft texture to rely on for sleeping, both feel body aches and a sense of discomfort throughout their entire body.

  Some words in Sonic’s head personally describe his feelings.

  “Sleeping up there was rough. I’m surprised that he’s able to sleep on hard concrete without any annoyance from the environment. I had to use Tails’s tail to make my head rest comfortably; still, my entire body was shivering from the night breeze. Even when Solid told us to sleep inside the bathroom, that was… WAY WORSE BECAUSE IT’S TOO CRAMPED! … My head is still sore…”

  “Furthermore, the streets down there were still busy at night. Those car honks are still ringing inside my ears… Oh, not to mention, he snores loudly, talk about a sleeper. Argh! I knew I should’ve brought my earplugs with me! I don’t know why I didn’t…“

  “But let’s get straight to the point. We’ve got a hedgehog friend who works, yet doesn’t have a home. Are the people living inside the apartment fine with a random hedgehog roaming around on their rooftop? I mean, he’s a clean person, so they’re fine with that- but then again-“

  “You know what, I have a real question…”

  “WHAT IS SOLID!?”

  “I’m considering Solid… peculiar,” Sonic whispers, pointing at him while walking in the crowded streets of Haven City. “I know he’s our friend, and I don’t want to say anything negative about him, but he works and doesn’t have the will to afford an apartment or a house.” He rubs his eyes in tiredness, opting to take another sip of his coffee.

  “He’s just unique in his ways. He probably has a reason to live in such conditions, but I digress.” Tails responds, yawning before proceeding to take another sip of the coffee. “A hedgehog who’s a hard worker and conforms his living style to the impoverished…”

  But with some thoughts, Sonic flashes to him, now matching his pace while walking beside him. “Why is it that you live in such an undesirable- err… I meant…” He clears his throat, “... Live on an empty rooftop of a random apartment building?”

  “... Not paying my bills…? Didn’t I just say that earlier?”

  “Well, yeah. But I want the truth. The actual reason is other than just bills all day long.” Sonic slightly exaggerates his voice to emphasize his curiosity.

  “... The reason why I live in this condition… well... It’s-... It’s personal… I’d rather not explain.” Solid abruptly stops, contemplating and staring at an alleyway next to them, “And for the money… I can give it to you guys, or…” He blends in with the darkness of the alleyway, forcing them to follow him.

  In the alleyway, despite being daytime, darkness pervades the entire area. When their eyes finally adjust to the lighting, they encounter the homeless population, sitting or lying down next to the walls, suffering in the detrimental environment. Those who look at them either eventually ignore them or are interested, pleading with them for any spare change or mercy. Not to mention the foul smell, which is associated with sickness. Despite all of this, Solid uses most of the money he earned from his wallet and gives an equal share of the pay to each of them. He has already been affiliated with this environment, the behavior, and the relationships.

  To everyone he sees, he feels the everyday struggles of life, while they live in such poor conditions. All he’s trying to do is guide them to a life where they can thrive. Freely giving money to them isn’t sufficient for him to satisfy himself by bringing joy. But he does kickstart something for them.

  Whenever he looks at them, he tries to smile, but it’s already sad. He’s somewhat depressed, and work has been stressful, with some of his coworkers just slacking off while he works hard. To the innocent people, he wants all their pains to go away and bring all of their pain to him to cope with it.

  Be happy.

  But he wants everyone to smile.

  And he has at least proven that he can try to make that happen.

  Solid wall jumps over a fence that’s blocking the alleyway, before he starts talking from the other side. “Haven City is spectacular. I get the whole vibe and popularity, but just like every place, it has its downsides lurking around.” He says while he is unlocking the fence. “This is just one example, don’t let everything else get caught up in you two. They’re not YOUR situations; people tend to ignore them here, but some kindness is optional. If you want.”

  Once the fence is unlocked, they eventually make their way back to the crowded streets. Sonic approaches him and pats his shoulder in respect. “For a hedgehog like you, you’re doing so much for the community. I think you’re doing more than what I- well, I also do much for the community as well.” Being amused by his fumbled words, Solid gives out a slight and amused scoff before he continues. “First, giving away some money to us. Now giving away most of your money to the poor? I think you deserve some of your money back.” He hands out half of the money that was given to him and gives it back to Solid.

  Solid weakly smiles, signifying his satisfactory response, feeling appreciated after some time of receiving barely anything or none. “Thank you, Sonic. I haven’t had much praise for a while now; getting praise from people like you makes me happier.” He accepts the cash given back to him, putting it inside the same glove where he hides his wallet, sighing as he looks at the street. “Not everyone recognizes my contributions. They just see me as a hustler nowadays; I don’t like being called one. I’m not here to gain fame or money, I’m just doing it for a better cause. A part that correlates with my past. But then again… that’s how life works. We’re sometimes judgmental.”

  “We’ve all been through that.” Tails catches up with them, also expressing some honest words with him. “You’re not alone, Solid. We’re grateful that you have allowed us to stay at your home, even if it’s… Heh-heh…” He nervously chuckles, slowly looking at Sonic, who is glaring at him after having a bad sleep. “Fortunately, we are glad to be your inter-dimensional friends.”

  Touched by their kindness, he has received unrecognized positivity throughout his past achievements. “Aye… I…” He momentarily raises his arms defensively before putting them down. “... I appreciate it. You guys didn’t need to do that, but… honestly, you two are amazing as friends. I won’t deny that.”

  As the three continue walking through the streets, they start to get a better understanding of each other. One recognizes their strengths, weaknesses, or miscellaneous stuff in general. Although they briefly share quite a few pieces of information about themselves, it’s not enough to be THAT important. They still walk around, enjoying the atmosphere in this city.

  Everything is until…

  They all stop and take their brief rest, seemingly tired of walking in this already massive city. With both Mobians leaning against the wall, they’re not surprised to see Solid still standing freely, not exhausted just yet. “Tired? Don’t worry, most tourists get tired of walking here, too.”

  “I wish my body would get used to here. This would take, like… roughly 5 years to recognize the streets? Maybe more…?” Sonic doesn’t enjoy having to rest. He would rather explore and explore until he finds something at least noteworthy. It’s not like he’s in a rush, we —, technically, he is because once in a while his mind shifts to Eggman. But, compared to the other cities in Mobius, it isn’t as massive as Haven City. With each street being more navigable and less of an adrenaline mess of streets and roads, it’s no wonder that the atmosphere here is different compared to what he’s already used to; everything is pretty much like home except that he’s literally in a different dimension.

  Tails reacts with a smug expression, forming a creative and potentially useful idea of their problems as interdimensional people. “You know how we displayed the hologram of the entire city from my device? Well… I have a brilliant idea.” A momentary pause causes both of them to look at him curiously before he finally speaks. “How about we create wristbands that display the hologram wherever we go? That way, we- excluding Solid, of course… we have a manageable way to tell where we’re going without any hassle with such a huge device?” He tries his best to visualize his whole invention, more so, accurately representing a watch.

  “Not a bad idea, Tails.” Solid casually paces back and forth, visualizing the idea. “... It’s just a watch, but it shows off a hologram. Right?”

  “Basically, yes.”

  Sonic lets out an amused scoff, quickly pushing his entire body out of the wall and stretching. “A watch but displaying a hologram… simple yet effective.” He playfully clicks his tongue. “Like you, Tails. Simple for a best friend, not too bad for a creative inventor…”

  Tails is instantly baffled, not understanding the metaphor between him and the hologram watch. “What do you mean?”

  “What!? You didn’t get the similarity?” Sonic is quite shocked by an attempt between the two metaphors, where he thought that he had perfectly nailed it. “I’m still trying, tho. I mean, it’s not perfect, but it’s an attempt, right?” He looks at Solid to back up his support.

  Solid shakes his head in amusement, still not understanding the conversation between the two best friends. He looks at them having a normal, yet quirky conversation, almost eerily similar between him and Woofa. It’s just entertainment, at minimum. He knows there’s so much more than what meets the eye, and these two have a strong bond, whether it’s from talking to anything in general.

  As the conversation continued, Solid stared more intently at his surroundings. Pedestrians passing by, vehicles traveling through the streets, and anything seen in urban life. He takes a glance back at the Mobians, clearly still having the best time chitter-chattering about whatever nonsense they’re talking about, probably far from the hologram watch idea.

  Strangely, a laser pointer is being aimed at Sonic’s forehead. It could be just some random person pulling off a prank with a red laser pointer; he has seen tons of people in this street, particularly those who get the most out of pranks.

  But this person is way too accurate; usually, they just home in the laser pointer on someone before it quickly disappears due to their usual aim. It could be just a person with a supporting stand to aim it, but this person is way too stationary.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Almost too stationary…

  Enough for Solid to finally take a huge realization.

  “WAIT, THAT’S SOMETHING ELSE!!!” Solid tackles both to the ground, and in exchange, a blast hits the building. Pedestrians flee for their lives, some running, some driving away, while others get out of their cars and make a dash for it. “What the hell was that?!” He immediately stands up and frantically looks around the area, desperately trying to find where and who this person is.

  When they both slowly stand up, it isn’t a person, but rather what the two have already seen back at home. Tails pats Solid’s shoulder, letting him view what they’re viewing. Emerging from the dark alleyway on the opposite side of the street, multiple Badniks are aiming directly at them. This city is no longer a haven from Eggman’s attacks. “Egghead…” Sonic says, finally feeling a fight happening in this new world, and his first.

  “He’s here then!” Tails exclaims, with both Mobians standing right ahead, getting ready to fight. But first, because they now have a foreign friend, he clarifies what these things are. “We refer to them as Badniks in our dimension; they’re Eggman’s inventions. You’ve never seen them before, but here they are, invading your world.” Solid watches as his tails start propelling, allowing him to hover just like last time.

  “Eggman… who knew they were right? These things just destroyed like they had no emotions.” Solid clenches his fist, finally getting the feel of what combat lurks inside of him. “Whatever these Badniks are… We’ll stop them.” The Badniks automatically detect the two Mobians as recognized enemies; furthermore, they also detect Solid as an enemy, despite having no records of encounter.

  With the three now staring down, essentially preparing for the next move, the Badniks seemingly wait there, also waiting for their next move.

  Nothing much, but an intense staredown…

  “NOW!!!”

  Both Mobians instantly rush towards the Badniks, hoping they leave zero room for error. Sonic proceeds to spindash, while Tails hovers around, using a few of his aerial attacks while primarily using more of his gadgets to fight. In the end, they either damaged or destroyed most of the Badniks along their way.

  By their abilities and fighting techniques, this puts Solid in awe; other than fighting by manipulating his speed, he wonders if he can fight efficiently like them. He takes his time focusing on them, not realizing that he’s a part of this fight too. At that moment, a Badnik appears right in front of him, snapping him out of his stare, and forcing him to realize the reality. He tries to replicate what he saw when Sonic fights with the other Badniks, so… to start it off, he attempts to do a spinning kick. However, that proves dangerous as the Badnik responds with a dodge and then a counterattack. Luckily, he also dodges the attack on time, but tells himself not to do anything reckless like that ever again. “... Close one for a first attack...” Not even a second attack, and he’s already panting, unsure why he’s desperate to destroy them with ease; he knows that their level of fighting is unmatched by his. Meanwhile, he continues glancing at them, still destroying most of them without a single break of sweat.

  “Mobius is a different dimension that has quality heroes like them to aid innocent civilians. In my world, we only have to rely on law enforcement… but this situation is far less helpful than what’s hap-” While distracted, one of the Badniks grips on Solid’s quills from behind. “OW!!!” He flares his arms around, trying to let the Badnik go, but the strength and the nature of his quills are to be reckoned with, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. His mind instantly reminds him of how unreliable he is as a fighter, despite his surprising, immense power. The situation worsens when another Badnik joins in and lands on the chest to attack him, causing rings to disperse around him. “T-The rings… Sonic was right about them protecting me in some way… BUT-” He instantly grabs the Badnik on his chest and throws it far away like a pebble, instantly destroying it upon impact with the wall. Although the other Badnik remains clinging to his quills with ease, it continuously takes advantage of his weaknesses. “DAMN, I HATE MY QUILLS!” He manages to grab one of the rings for some protection, hoping it could spare some time while his life is on the line.

  Tails notices this altercation and immediately grabs one of his gadget guns from his backpack, shooting the Badnik off of Solid’s quills. “You need to watch yourself, Solid! It seems like they’re going after your quills!” He says to him while proceeding to attack a few more Badniks.

  Solid takes a quick nod, instantly standing up and collecting all of his rings splattered around him. What he realized is that more Badniks are learning about his underperforming fighting skills, which is where most of them redirect to him. Immediately, when one of the Badniks bullrushes towards him, he gives out a punch, which effectively destroys it upon impact. “I-I destroyed one of them!” His body is filled with excitement and determination, but he remains focused, knowing that other Badniks may present a different skill set than the first one.

  He remains in a stance, watching every move that they make in front of him. However… “There’s always that one who’s trying to get my quills…” He second-guesses himself, with a decision to tell himself if he should turn around or not, yet Tails’s voice still rings the line, “They’re going after your quills!”

  He turns around and throws a prayer.

  With a 50/50 chance… on the line to save himself…

  He won the bet.

  There was a Badnik who was aiming for his quills, and his punch landed on it, painfully destroying it. “T-That worked!” Solid is stunned that he pulled that miraculous punch; if he hadn’t turned around, he’d be in an undesired situation and outcome. But that punch caused his confidence to surge to the roof; he’s ready to destroy them all. This is followed by a series of rapid, strong punches and kicks, creating a lethal combination.

  As the Mobians dealt with all of the Badniks, they both watched as Solid swiftly dealt with them easily. “Hah Hah!” Sonic cheers on with Tails, both of them supporting him. “Look at him go, he’s fighting as if he owns them! Let’s go, Solid, keep up that momentum!” He’s able to defeat all of the Badniks who dared to challenge him within a matter of seconds.

  Tails quickly approaches Solid, checking for any injuries. “You’ve handled those Badniks pretty well. My advice helped improve your fighting skills.” Though around the entire streets… are abandoned, the lively content of the place… is now replaced by a warzone mess. “... We’re sorry that these Badniks have caused a disturbance in this city… we never were 100% that Eggman would be here until this happened… I’m sure that-” Suddenly, something large appears right ahead of them.

  “Oh, great. A large Badnik.” Sonic steps forward, stretching and hopping around, preparing for more combat. “Let me teach 'em how it’s learned after we destroyed some.” A slight smirk forms across his face before he flashes towards it and tries to spin attack, but the Badnik flicks Sonic away, causing him to be launched back towards the building. “Maybe not!” He chuckles nervously, slowly flashing back to them while the Badnik glares at the trio menacingly.

  “What are we going to do?’ Solid’s calmness is retained, but hints of panic are set within his voice.

  “I-I don’t know. This Badnik is a different type that Eggman probably prepared us for if they ever cross paths with us.” Tails’s tail starts to propel once more, indicating more combat. “In any case, we should fight differently now.”

  They all nod at each other before looking at the large Badnik ahead of them. It’s gonna be a tougher fight than before, but they’re confident that-

  SMASH!!!

  Without any sort of planning, they’re met with a pink flash, dashing through the large Badnik, and swiftly damaging it. This wasn’t part of their plan, but both Mobian’s eyes widen, immediately knowing who it is.

  “Amy!”

  “Amy?” Solid watches her swing her iconic Piko Piko Hammer, effectively and effortlessly. “Her swings are deadly… to a normal civilian, one blow would be enough to blow their brains out.” Still, having experienced numerous fights better explains their ease in defeating these Badniks.

  “Sonic!” Amy rushes over and hugs him tightly, nuzzling her face against his chest. “Oh, I’ve missed you…! I’ve missed you, missed you, missed you! Those sewers were a mess; you don’t understand how bad the stench and the scenery were inside. I’m glad that I’m out of there and we’re finally here, together.”

  “... Huh?”

  Solid is shocked that Amy is obsessed with Sonic, but the weirdest shock is how she easily mistakes the iconic blue blur with another distinct hedgehog. “Uhh… I’m not… Sonic…” He responds with uncertainty in his voice.

  “You’re not Sonic?” Amy immediately lets go of Solid, looking confused, “But… you just look like him and- Oh my god.” Her jaw drops, with her hands covering her mouth in despair; she inspects his looks and finally sees a noteworthy difference, “You’re orange and… still like Sonic… and Shadow… and Silver…?” She continuously shakes her head and rubs her eyes, contemplating whether he’s real or not. “You’re confusing me. Literally.”

  “Shadow? Silver? I bet that they’re also hedgehogs as well.” Solid gives Amy time to process the whole situation, while he’s trying to understand who Shadow and Silver are. “It’s alright… Amy. I know I look like… him, but I’m not your favorite person. If you’re wondering, he’s right there.” He points at Sonic, who’s fighting, but more so stalling out the large Badnik with Tails.

  “Hmph.” Amy looks away from him, clearly disappointed with him, though… “Not Sonic, but I accept your honesty.” She walks away, getting ready to swing at it once more.

  “Wait!” Solid stops her momentarily, letting her turn around to see what he’s going to say. “I’m… Solid. Solid the Hedgehog, if you’re left wondering.”

  Amy holds her hammer, maintaining her grip on it. “Amy Rose. Do promise me this.” She goes up to him, still clearly unamused by their first interaction, “Don’t you ever trick me again with your appearance. Alright?”

  Solid blinks his eyes in confusion to her question, though he responds, “Mm-hmm… Just make sure not to mistake any hedgehog with Sonic anytime soon.”

  Amy lets out a smile, finally satisfied with his response. “Don’t worry. I’m always the best at improving.” She lets out a wink, further satisfying his answer.

  As the Badnik stumbles behind Amy, she instantly flashes and takes a singular swing at its back, effectively damaging it; she could finish it off herself, but doesn’t opt to. That’s because she allows one more person to seal the deal.

  “And… Here comes the train!” Knuckles dives down, fist forward, not even one flinch, his singular punch destroys the large Badnik. Sonic and Tails get knocked back while shattered pieces fly out; fortunately, they manage to dodge all of them.

  “Ha-ha!” Sonic and Tails rush over to them, instantly forming a circle, “Look who’s back!” They all cheer together; their reunification symbolizes their relationship and bond, not only as friends but also strikingly resembles a family. “It’s not even a full week, and we’ve dearly missed you guys!” Sonic tears up a bit, but is relieved to see them back.

  “Glad that we finally reunited.” Knuckles brings them closer, and the team gets the chance to fill in more of the missing members. “When Amy and I reunited under those sewers, our top priority was to get the hell out of there immediately. Spending inside the darkness for a few days was rough! The smell… and us accidentally bumping into each other...” Amy pouts and looks away, upset that she was forced to spend a few days with him, surviving inside there. “We pop that manhole right open, and we see a bunch of cars passing by over us, telling us that we’re in this immaculate city of this unknown dimension.” He gazes at the high-rise buildings surrounding them, taking notes of the significance of this place. “At the right time, a bunch of Badniks were storming in a particular direction, and we decided to follow them. Once we were at the site, we saw you guys fighting them, and it made our day.”

  “Typical Knuckles.” Sonic nods his head, amused, yet he enjoyed his story. “Always going at it, huh? Though, thank you for showing up at the best possible moment. We still had the juice to finish beating up some Badniks, but you two are fine.” He gives them a reassuring smile and a thumbs-up. “And it wouldn’t be that amazing without our new friend.” He directs their gaze to Solid, who stands alone awkwardly.

  Knuckles approaches their new friend, offering a handshake. “Yo… You look exactly like Sonic. And Shadow… And… Silver…” He starts getting a bit confused, noticing the similarities. “What the hell is this hedgehog…?” “Anyways, nice to meet you, strong warrior. It’s Knuckles the Echidna you’re talking to.”

  “I’m Solid- OW!” From accepting Knuckles’s handshake, he winces as a reaction, feeling the strong grip compared to all the other grips he’s ever felt. “It’s… It’s not that painful, but for those who’ve never felt any strong grips, well… At least I’m experienced with these strong grips before.” He eventually shakes his hand before they let go.

  “Other than reunification or introductions… we now know that Eggman is here.” Tails says, looking at the destruction made from their battle. He opens his backpack and pulls out a device from earlier, displaying the hologram. “We’re currently in the Downtown District...” He looks at Amy and Knuckles to further their clues for any signs of his whereabouts, “Which direction were the Badniks heading towards us?”

  Amy visually recalls the direction of the Badniks, “I remember the Badniks were heading south of where we opened the manhole.” She looks at the streets ahead, “That means the Badniks were North of where we are, meaning…”

  “North…” Tails checks the number of districts that are north of downtown, but can only make out two. “Capitol District and Northern District are the only districts north of where we are… but presumably, Eggman wouldn’t just set up a base around the Capitol District. That means that he’s probably hiding around the Northern District. The problem… is that this district has the largest population out of any district in this city, holding approximately 40 million residents living there.” He looks at Solid, searching for some answers. “Anything up there we should keep in mind?” The others also look at him for some answers.

  “... It’s a huge district… umm…” He tries to explain, but he’s at a loss for words. “... The district is something else… Uhh… I’m sorry, I can’t explain much of what it has to offer. It’s difficult, man. But like… we have plenty of time to travel there for this day.” When he pulls out his phone, it’s close to noon, indicating the amount of time they have to explore and investigate at their respective speed. “So, you want to go now?”

  “Tch. I have no time to play around with Eggman’s games for another 24 hours. I’d rather find him and get that Master Emerald back to Knuckles himself.” Sonic crosses his arms, his foot tapping in frustration with a lack of patience. “Isn’t that right, buddy?”

  Knuckles cracks his knuckles, letting the tension of his fists ease up. “I’d prepare for any battle upcoming, and once they try to fight, one punch is closer to taking back the Master Emerald where it truly belongs.”

  “Oh, speaking about this city.” Amy comes up to Solid with a follow-up question, “Are there any malls around here? Although I want to SWING my hammer at those enemies, I do have some leisure time to help myself get away from the nasty sewers.” She rests her hammer on the ground, requiring a break from the missions.

  “Sure. There are malls around here that you can visit at some time… after we investigate. But I PROMISE… I’ll take you to the mall whenever we have the time.” Solid says with a weight of sincerity in his voice, a promising sign that he’ll take her sometime soon.

  But truly, when it mattered… it mattered.

  With a partially reunited team, along with the newest member who’s now guiding them to an investigation to track down Eggman’s whereabouts in this city, they’re ready to start this mission. They all flash away from the destruction, leaving a trail of their respective colors before multiple ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks arrive at the scene.

  One objective.

  Find Eggman and retrieve the Master Emerald.

  - - ACT 1: Stage 1 (Haven City) || COMPLETED - -