Robotnik had gone away from New Robotropolis and went to set his sights on Downunda.Meanwhile Knothole was relocated and rebuilt deeper in the Great Forest.Alot of the citizens were feeling rather broken and suicidal and Sally seemed to be blaming this on herself.She sat laying on the steps of her hut in tears.She hid her face in her knees crying quietly.

Just then Sonic approached her walking around with a cast and with crutches.

"Whats the matter,Sal?" he asked.

"Its all my fault,Sonic.Its my responsibility as princess to protect the people at all costs and I let them all down.Because of me not being able to handle things it has cost the lives of many of the villagers and my family."

"Hey! don't cry anymore Sally.Your not to blame.Nobody could have stopped this from happening.We all tried to stop it but it wasn't good enough.Its that Robotnik thats to blame."

Sally dried her tears and looked up at Sonic who was reliving horrible flashbacks in his mind burning with rage.

"I destroyed him...how could he have cheated death and have come back like this! Wait...I know just the person to ask" he said.

Sonic tore off from the village and went to a desolate part of the forest.He stood there for a few minutes and then shouted out at the top of his lungs.

"ZONIC! GET OVER HERE!!!!!!"

Just then a blue hedgehog appeared.He was one of many special elite policemen that monitored the time and space flow to stop catastrophes and save lives and keep criminals at bay.He and Sonic had met many times before.Whenever a dimension was in peril and they needed a hero he was always called upon or sometimes 'forced' to go along and fix the problem.He didn't like it but he was just happy to help.

Zonic was clad in futuristic looking heavy equipment and a large helmet covering his head.
Since he was from a special place in time and space dubbed the No Zone his gravity was altered so he could only be seen standing horizontally to Sonic.

"I got a guess why you called for me" he said with a half sarcastic smile.

Sonic glared at him.
"You know why."

"Well Sonic,I'm going to be honest with you.I didn't want this to happen and looked for every possible way to prevent it but,I was powerless to stop it from happening" he said sadly.

Sonic plopped down on a nearby tree stump,looking up at him.

"Tell me everything, Zonic."

"Well ok heres what I've collected..." he began slowly.

"When Robotnik and you fought to the death the effects of the Ultimate Annihilator screwed up much of space/time so dimensions were destroyed,created and fused.We had alot of damage to fix up on our end because of him.Many worlds were destroyed or damaged beyond repair.The reason this dimension is still intact was,out of pure fluke accident everyone was pulled into a dimension made two hours into the past before ground zero."

"I know all this,stop beating around the bush" said Sonic,flicking a stone.

"R-right...well,we all thought Robotnik was erased from existence but what apparently happened was that he also too was transported to another zone.He was taken to a zone created accidentally by the Ultimate Annihilator cannon.It was a copy zone of this one except it was just him there.It never made copies of the inhabitants so Robotnik was stranded on a empty Mobius.So while you spent your years beating down the Robotnik from another dimension,Robotnik Prime spent his time advancing his technology and took advantage of zone hopping and moved his empire back to here."

"But why didn't you do anything!" Sonic roared. "Why didn't you stop him? I mean your a zone cop after all! You protect people."

Zonic fell silent bowing his head in silence.He slowly unbuckled his helmet pulling it off to show respect to his friend.To see the sincerity in his eyes and not the cold lawful visor.

"I'm sorry Sonic.." he said.

"If he was any other Robotnik doing this I would have have but since he's from here I cant stop him.Since he never died I am bound by my duty to not break the peace.I'm just a spectator in all this...I'm sorry."

Sonic's eye twitched in anger.He had the power alright.He may not have been allowed to but damn he had the power to save all those who have already died.That he chose to not do the right thing in favor of saving his own ass from the fire.He felt the strong urge to break his nose but just instead hung his head in gloom.

"Look on the bright side Sonic" he said trying to find something positive to say.

"I've learned that in every dimension I've seen you have always beaten him."

That was the last straw.
Sonic flew at him in a violent rage sending a hard punch to his jaw knocking him over.

"Whatabout Eggman!! He came from a dimension where he killed me!!" Sonic yelled,balling up his fists.

"You call yourself a cop but when it comes to do the right thing you let thousands die!!"

Zonic slowly collected himself,brushing the dirt off his uniform.

"Perhaps Sonic,I won't argue there but because of me I have saved countless worlds and civilizations and it is not in my best intentions to let your world die!" he said,coldly.

"I can't stop holocausts but I can stop armageddons.What is more important to you?"

Sonic couldn't respond.He bit his lip,knowing he had a point.

"Everything happens for a reason,Sonic.Your alive still not just because I have been saving you time and time again but because you still have something to accomplish."

Sonic just stood silent for awhile,not speaking nor Zonic.

"Listen,this is off the record.You didn't hear it from me but,truth is your future looks good" he said.

Sonic looked up at him surprised.

"Y-you mean..?"

The time cops wrist band began to flicker.

"Oh! I'm wanted back at HQ.I've been here too long.I'll be watching" he said and with that he disappeared.

Sonic got up and felt the urge for some chili dogs.He began to feel better and he raced back to Knothole.Chili dogs always seemed to make him feel abit better.