Spike groggily opened his eyes to the futuristic ceiling. His attention went towards the TV which was still on with a paused Sonic Unleashed on screen. His eyes then swayed to the five plates on the table beside him. Chili stained the various parts of the plate including the bottom which seemed impossible. Spike sat up and yawned but closed his mouth in disgust. He breathed into his hand and took a small whiff. His face jumped back at the smell, chili dogs still stained his breath. "Oh wow, that's bad."

Just then Sonic sat up as well and yawned. He completely mirrored Spike's earlier expression and stood up. He made his way over to the kitchen and opened a small drawer. He pulled out a small and thin can and sat back down on the couch. "Good thing I stocked up. Want one?"

"Um...What are they?"

"Breath mints. See the horrible side effect of something so good is that it leaves a nasty smell so pop two or three of these in and chew. They make your breath all minty fresh."

"Hmm." Spike grabbed two mints and popped them in, Sonic did the same. As Spike began to chew his expression grew surprised. "Wow, that mint taste is strong."

"Cool too."

"Cool?"

"Finish chewing then breath out."

Spike did just that and smiled as his breath came out ice cold. "Wow, that is cool, literally."

"Yep, might as well clean up this mess while we're at it."

Spike and Sonic grabbed the five plates and brought them over to the sink. Sonic began running the water and poured a stream of soap, Spike leaning against a wall while Sonic began washing. "So Sonic?"

"What's up?"

"You never really got around to telling me about your world, you know, the reason you wouldn't be so surprised about another world?"

"Oh yeah, might as well multitask then." Sonic turned his body slightly towards Spike but continued washing dishes. "So it all began with a certain robot loving freak we call...Robuttnik." Hours passed as Sonic told his story with such enthusiasm that it seemed like he was actually reliving them. "Finally after speeding to the final scene, me and my younger self went super and stopped both Robuttnik and Eggman."

"Wow! So was it as awesome as it sounded when you and Tails took on the death egg?"

"All sorts."

"And is that knuckles guy really that easy to trick?"

"Just about, but when things get serious, he's always on my side."

“And what about those off the record adventures?"

"Off the record? Oh, you mean the Babylonian nights and Camelot. Those were...unorthodox but fun overall. I made a really cool friend in the world of Babylonian nights though so I hope to go back sometime."

"Oh, and what about.."

"Whoa! OK ok, you keep that up and we'll be here until midnight."

"But judging from how you taught me how to read a clock, it's only noon."

"Right, and I have stuff to do."

"Like what?"

"Well unfortunately, we have to split up. I have to to get to the final stage."

"Final stage? Are you talking about that Grand Prix you announced on that giant TV."

"Yea."

"What's the final stage?"

"Well the tournament works like this, there are four stages not including the actual final stage, the preliminaries, the main race, the semi-finals, and the finals. Each team must put up one person to race and basically whoever's last will have their team eliminated. And so on until the last team standing at the finals heads to the actual final stage. The chief of police won't let us use the city as a racing stage, something about collateral damage or something, so Tails and Knuckles went out to the desert to build a replica."

"Won't that take a long time? I mean this city and tower are pretty...advanced."

"Well yes and no, the replica won't need to be as functionally useful as the original, only functional enough to race around. Anyway, I have to get to the finals stage before 3 o'clock and trust me, it takes me a while to get there."

"But aren't you the fastest thing alive?"

"Yea, but that can't beat the sweet taste of all the chili dogs on the way. Did you know that they actually bacon-wrapped a chili dog?"

"What's bacon?"

"Um..nevermind. I'm gonna regret this but you gotta go."

"What do you mean? Can't I come with you?"

"Well no, no one besides myself, Tails, and Knuckles can see the stage but sign-ups are today and the race starts in two days. We can see each other then."

"Wait wait wait, you're just gonna leave me, a dragon not even from your world, on his own? Oh man, how am I supposed to get around, I don't know anyone?"

"Well, I can give you a hint." Sonic opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a small phone. "Here. Keep this with you."

"What um, is it exactly?"

"An arm pad, just a basic one since you don't know how to really use the more complicated ones. Basically, just strap this to your wrist like so and press this button to turn it on and this black screen should light up, it's touchscreen so use your finger or...claw to press on these little apps. This one can do video calls so anyone you may meet can get a hold of you and this one is a map, it adapts to the terrain wherever you are giving you an up to date map of the area. Don't worry, my contact is in there too."

"That doesn't help me at all, like what am I supposed to do, learn how to ride a gear in a day?"

"You'll be fine trust me. But if you do need a hint, go to the Emerald park and just walk around. I promise that you'll meet someone there."

"How do you know?"

"That park is the central point of events. Everything happens there from meetups and hanging out to even events, especially choosing teammates."

"So this map will show me how to get there right?"

"Yea just press the GPS button when you open it up and say where you wanna go."

"So...you do this ditching newcomers thing often or...?"

"Hey, I'm not the bad guy here. I put you up for the night and since you have no way home apparently, it's time for you get used to the way we do things around here. I helped you out as long as I could but now with this tournament and everything, my hands are kinda tied sorry."

"Sonic..."

"Heh, you sound just like Tails when he used to do that. Look just call me if you need help and I'll be right there ok?"

"You make it sound so easy."

"Fastest thing alive, I told you. Oh yea, probably should've given you this first." Sonic removed a board from its magnetic locks and tossed it down in front of Spike. "It was my prime EX-Gear during the time we had those magnetic space bracelets. Not completely up to date but it should at least earn you some credit.

"I still don't know to ride this thing and this you're just handing me one? Not even gonna teach me the basics?"

"It's all self-learning with this sport anyway, you don't get better until you try it."

"This is the worst introduction to a new world I've ever had."

"Don't blame me, even the fastest thing alive doesn't have all the time in the world."

Sonic and Spike proceeded behind the kitchen to a small circular platform which instantly lit up with turquoise light upon their touch. Spike closed his eyes as the light began to engulf them and suddenly his body felt weightless. Moments later he felt the weight return to his body as he opened his eyes. "Wow, we came from all the way up there so fast."

"Technology is awesome, isn't it? Now I wouldn't recommend joining any teams until you get the proper equipment so head down to the EX shop next to the park and ask for Rotor, he'll hook you up."

"Thanks..." Spike said in a sarcastic tone. "It's not like I'm being thrown headfirst into the Wolves den or anything."

"Hey, Tails is the only person who might even remotely know how to get you home, and crossing that finish line is the only to him right now."

"Wait what, you want me to...no no, I can't, I literally have never stepped on one these things before, I'd get creamed."

"You'll get better, the races don't start for a while so you have time to get the basics down. Besides, it might be the best idea since Tails is literally the only person smart enough to get you home except for a certain egghead but stay away from him no matter what. Now go find yourself a team so we can get you home."

"Ugh...fine. If it's to get home, I might as well. I'm sure everyone is waiting for me to just pop back up.

"Good, hope to see you in the championship, ciao."

With that, Sonic hopped on his board and took off in a burst of speed leaving Spike to fend for himself. "As long as I get to the park, I should be fine. No pressure me, I can do this. It's to get home...it's to get home." Spike turned on his pad and pressed the map icon. A holographic map of the tower popped up with a red blip under it. Slightly camouflaged to the left of the screen was the GPS button in which Spike nervously pressed. Upon doing so, he instantly jumped out of his scales as a small young girl emerged from his pad. "Dear Celestia!"

"Calm down, there's no need to be afraid young dragon."

"Who are you and why are you in my wrist? Did Sonic trap you in this...technology and you can't get out?"

"Oh heavens no, quite different actually. I am a computer program created a very long time ago to help Sonic and Sally on their adventures. Did he...not mention me?"

"Well he might have but we kinda fell into a food coma last night. I don't remember much after all those chili dogs."

"Yea that's my Sonic. Well then let me introduce myself."

Spike almost had a heart attack when she seemingly stepped off the pad's holofield and grew to his size along with gaining a variety of colors. "Wow, how are you...well, doing that?"

"I am a highly advanced sentient program, my name is Nicole the Lynx.

As she raised her to shake, Spike felt a noticeable blush come to his face upon studying her person. "N-nice to meet you prett-- mean Nicole,"

"Is there something wrong Mr. Spike?"

"Um...no...not a thing...just....I can breathe fire and it makes my stomach upset."

"I can be the nearest medical clinic in a nanosecond, shall I run and get something to soothe it?"

"No!...um no I'm fine now."

"Fabulous, by the way, was there somewhere you wanted to go?"

"Oh yea, t-to Emerald Park."

"Certainly, it's about four blocks south from the tower. Shall I guide you?"

"Yes m--um..." Spike just decided to shake his head in agreement.

"Are you ok? You're acting quite strange."

"I'm fine, t-trust me."

"Alrighty, shall we walk and talk?"

"Of course, we s-should do that prett-I mean Nicole."

Nicole guided Spike down the street showcasing to him the many shops and stores as they passed them. Spike, however, was struggling to keep the awkwardness to a minimum. "And so Sally actually ended up slapping Sonic for going off on his own against such a dangerous robot and while that is his thing, Sally cares too much for Sonic to be Sonic."

"I n-never knew that you were so prett-I mean Sonic had so many admirers."

"Naturally. Of course, now he has this pink-haired nuisance chasing him all over the place named Amy Rose. She means well but her motivation not to mention attitude can be quite annoying. Did you by chance have this issue back in your world?"

"What!...well y-yea but I was like no, I don't want the ladies, I one pony kind of guy, back up."

"Monitoring your vitals, I can tell you're extremely nervous and unsure."

"You can do that?!" Spike said checking his body for any weirdness.

"Indeed, I need only scan you once to be able to monitor your vitals in real-time. Now tell the truth young man."

"Ok ok, it was the complete opposite. Most of the time, it was me chasing the girl I thought would be perfect for me, but as fate would have it...most of them were either too old for me or didn't return my feelings."

"Too old you say?"

"Well back in my world, I had a slightly shorter stature, almost kid-like, so everyone kind of saw me as a kid."

"Really, you seem pretty mature to me, well for a teenager anyway."

Spike's level of blush was through the roof, his face so red that it literally could turn the rest of his body that color. "-R-really? I d-do-I--I--I just..t-thanks...Um, so Nicole, what are you interest?"

"Interest, well I never really get any time to do so but even though I'm a girl, I love to play video games surprisingly."

"Why is that surprising?"

"Because there's this whole gamer girl trend, it's like any girl who loves games can be considered into this category and automatically it's like she plays games, that's so uncommon."

"What, that sound so dumb, you shouldn't be singled out just because you're a girl who likes to do boy things."

"That's what I said. Anyway when I'm not doing that, I often like to enjoy the nature in the parks, cracking open a good book is never a bad thing, hanging out with friends is my favorite pass time, and you know being a computer program, I love to program, It relieves stress when things get...complicated."

"Complicated."

"Well as I'm sure you didn't know, I run just all the things in that tower as well as most of the processes around the city. A lot of these people are a handful to deal with only a near-constant daily basis."

"Well I would suggest taking a break but only if I knew this place better."

"That would be nice, by the way, we're almost there, Emerald Park is just up that hill."

"Wait what? We walked so far in such a short time."

"Time flies when you get a good conversation going."

"Well, then I suppose I should be on the lookout for that Rotor person Sonic mentioned."

"Oh Rotor? That big lug is just past the park. His shop has a big emerald sign above it, you can't miss it."

"Thank Celestia, I would've been walking for ages trying to find it."

"Anytime Spike, No one's in the tower so I'll be with you always."

Spike just stared into space as those words flooding his mind. Eventually, he realized it and stumbled as he snapped out of it, letting out a small burst of fire in the process. "O-oh uh...sorry, I got a little...I uh...zoned out a little bit."

Nicole giggled and waved. "You are quite funny Spike. Ciao for now."

Nicole faded into the datascape as Spike began walking up the hill. "Wow, she's unimaginably beautiful. Something about here is just s--"

"Spike, I can still hear you you know?" He covered his mouth in embarrassment. "Did you say I was beautiful?"

"Um...Nevermind that I have something to do."

Nicole giggled again. "Funny dragon."

Spike walked up the hill and set foot on the sidewalk, the park was significantly bigger than most. It consisted of a small walkway that connected throughout the park. From his view, the sidewalk went to three paths. Going straight surrounded you by trees and benches, going to the left led to a giant playground for kids, to the right was Spike's future later destination. A Grove of trees was all that was between him and large futuristic looking area. There, dozens of Riders sat by or on their EX Gear talking and practicing basic things.

"Are you looking to sign up Spike?"

"N-Nicole? right, you can still hear me. Well, yea I guess I am since the only person who can really get me back to my world is this Tail's character. And since he's a host in the Grand Prix and won't be seen until the end of it, the only way to get back is to well, join the Grand Prix."

"That or Sonic just wants someone with the potential to race."

"Either way, I got to trust him." Spike made his through the middle path watching as the wind subtly moved like a wave among the trees. "It's so unusual to see nature cooperating so fluidly with this technology of yours, they seem so different."

"It's the second reason this park is so popular. Seeing as how 90% of the city is technology, Emerald park is very famous for its abundance of nature untouched by the hands of modern society."

"It...reminds me of this farm we had in Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres."

"Sweet Apple Acres? What was that place like?"

"The best apple farm out there. When you walked in, you were greeted by Applejack, one of the nicest and most honest ponies you ever saw. In the distance, thousands of apple trees with ripe apples ready to picked and eaten. Course it wasn't the apples that drew everyone in but actually, it was the apple pie and apple cider that sealed the deal."

"Sounds delicious."

"Wait, can you taste and drink? Last time I tried pouring anything liquid on technology, it sparked and almost fried my entire room."

"I'm surprised you know so much about how the technology works."

"Well besides what Sonic has shown me, we've only begun to discover such wonders in our world."

"Interesting. To answer your question, yes it would fry any normal machine but as you know I'm not normal. I have programmed myself as such with normal behavior and everything. I can understand and convey emotion, I get hungry, I get thirsty, and yes even lonely. Honestly, I'm so advanced that I could be considered a regular mobian just like anyone else."

"You're kidding, that's like even more reasons to love you," he uttered without thinking.

"What was that?"

Spike blushed and turned his head to the right. Off the straight path to his right through the grove of trees was the big emerald sign he had been searching for. "Hey I see the emerald sign, that's Rotor's place right?"

"Yep, there's that big lugs shop all right."

"Sweet." Spike made his way across the trees and crossed the street making sure not to anger any passing cars like last time. The shop was built three stories high, a garage on the bottom and two more floors with windows. Spike made his way into the violet-colored home observing all the parts and tools on the ground. Parts for cars, gadgets, and EX Gear were scattered across the way. "Hello?! Anyone home?!"

Spike put a hand down on the nearby futuristic convertible to lean against it but was thrown back by an alarm suddenly erupting from it. Immediately through the door in the back of the garage came a violet walrus who jumped into the car and tinkered with the inside which was exposed. After a few seconds, the car alarm finally shut off and the walrus climbed out. "Sorry, this car had an electrical problem and that just so happen to be one of the kinks I haven't worked out yet. Name's Rotor, the finest engineer in all of Mobius, how may I be of service?"

"Name's Spike, I'm kinda new in town and I was told that I could get some gear here."

"You know it, the best gear in all of Mobius. So what kind of Gear are we talking about here?"

"EX-Gear."

"A racer? so you looking to enter Sonic's tournament too?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright have a look around and tell me what you like, the shop's in the back."

Suddenly Spike's wrist began to glow and out popped Nicole to normal size. "Is it fine if I have a look too?"

"Nicole?" He said with a noticeable satisfaction in his tone. "Long time no see, what's up?"

"Well, I decided to help Spike out, figured it's the least I can do."

"Least you can do, What happened to him?"

"He...I don't know either. Spike, would you mind an explanation?"

Spike sits down and motions Rotor to do the same. "Got any snacks cause this might take a while. So it all started with the two princesses, Celestia and Luna.

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the Archie nostalgia this chapter.