Sonic: Twilight pointed out something that's bugging me. The last group of Badniks me, Rainbow. Tails and her faced was way more organized. But Eggman hasn't shown to claim his mess since he like to go loud and proud.

Pinkie: Then it's all more reason to come back to the resistance!

Sonic: No, It's all the more reason to hit the road and find's out what's going on!

Unknown Figure: So... Knuckles still plays the hero on the surface.

Tangle: What if the war was just beginning? What if there's something even worse on the way?

Blaze: The Sol Emeralds are not chatty. If they directed me here, there must be a purpose.

Eggman: Don't worry little one, soon I'll be fixing everything!

In a mountainous area with evergreens and intertwined corkscrew loops made of stone, Sonic and Espio the Chameleon are busy fighting a swarm of Badniks.

"Careful- on your right!" Sonic warned him. "

"Left, right- they have us surrounded!" Espio said.

"Meh, we handled more than this before," Sonic reassured him. "Just gotta get into the swing of things!

"Roger that!"

Catching Sonic's drift, Espio throws a kunai with a rope tied to it into the corkscrew road and grabs Sonic's hand, causing them to swing around the corkscrew road at high speed and take out the Badniks that have them surrounded.

Thanks," Sonic gave him thumbs up. "The bots are getting more organized something tells me that Eggman has yet another master plan coming up."

"Actually I don't believe that the Doctor is to blame," Espio said.

"Oh? So you guys plus CMC have a lead?" Sonic asked.

"Better than that," Espio started to explain.

He explains that after the Chaotix and the Cutie Mark Crusaders went to Imperial City, only to find nothing but wreckage, they went to Eggman's last known lab. There, they found Orbot and Cubot, who, despite being cooperative, knew nothing about Eggman's whereabouts. Furthermore, Eggman's computer in the lab showed no escape plans or personal traffic, likely because Eggman thought he had won in their last encounter. Espio then explains that he and the others tried checking out Eggman's other bases, only to encounter trouble at every turn, like giant snakes in Mystic Jungle, E-106 Eta, and occasional Badniks.

"Well, nuts." Sonic sighed. "You guys are the best detectives I know."

"We're the only detectives you know," Espio reminded him.

"Semantics, so why, did you call me if haven't found him?

"We did, sort of. We received a tip that led to the village I'm taking you to now. So, technically we didn't find him..."

"You could have simply say 'I'm taking you to Eggman."

"I wanted you to understand how hard we worked."

"Noted, now let's get moving!"

Sonic soon finds himself in an idyllic village, much to his own surprise. There, he meets Charmy Bee, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, who introduces him to the children of the village.

"Sonic! You made it!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Hey little buddy," Sonic greeted them. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah!" Apple Bloom said. "This place is great! Tons of flowers kids, colts, and fillies that our age! and they have the best Apple Tarts!"

"That's cool, but what about 'the big guy'?" Sonic asked.

"That's right!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "You haven't met him yet! I'll get him!"

The unicorn filly brings back however, while Vector the Crocodile skeptically looks on, is a merry Eggman dressed in casual work clothes. Upon meeting Sonic, Eggman introduces himself as "Mr. Tinker" (as he has been called). Sonic, however, scoffs at Eggman's attempt to shake his hand, not buying what he believes to be an act on the doctor's part. Eggman, on the other hand, does not know why he refers to him as a doctor, though he admits he does not remember much of anything. Sonic proceeds to ask Eggman about what he knows about the Chaos Emeralds, the Lost Hex, the ARK, and the Death Egg, but none of these seem familiar to Eggman. Vector then tells "Mr. Tinker" that this is just a case of mistaken identity and tells him to go back to his work. Although Eggman wants to help, he understands and takes his leave with the children.

"This is what I meant when I say we sort of found Eggman," Espio implied.

"And you're sure it's not an act? He pulled this similar stunts in the past."

"We've interrogated and observed him for a couple of days but it's legit he remembers nothing," Vector spoke up.

"Yeah," Sonic said. "But... he can still be dangerous. Forget the close calls I've had while fighting him. He can threaten a whole planet at a time...but seeing him like this..."

"That's why we called you, we have no clue what to do!" Vector said. "Sure he's done nasty things in the past, but can you really punish a guy who doesn't remember doing any of it?"

Espio believes that Eggman must be brought to justice regardless of the crimes he has committed, but Sonic reminds him that they cannot really call the new Eggman the same person they once knew. Then the head of the village walks to them. and says that he wants Sonic, the famous hero, to be the judge of Eggman, although not without hearing what he has to say. Elder Scruffy explains that Eggman appeared in his village one day without warning. While unsure of how Eggman had survived, the villagers had him locked up immediately. The next day, however, they discovered that he had broken out of his cell, only to reinforce it. The villagers thus spent the next days questioning and testing Eggman, only for him to not show any trace of his villainous ways. Eventually, the village accepted the new helpful Eggman, taking him in and nursing his wounds. Elder Scruffy then tells of how Eggman repaid their kindness by repairing anything they brought him, both big and small. Elder Scruffy then finishes his tale with an appeal to Sonic: though Eggman has done many terrible things that cannot be undone, Mr. Tinker has proven to be a blessing to the village. As such, Elder Scruffy wants Eggman to be free so he can do some good instead of rotting in a cell and doing nothing. Feeling conflicted after hearing Elder Scruffy's story, Sonic is unsure about what to do. Vector remarks that they could stick around and keep an eye on Eggman, but Sonic tells him that this will just delay things. Before Sonic can figure this out, however, a terrified villager comes running, screaming that Badniks are coming in from the south. Shooting Elder Scruffy an annoyed look, Sonic has the Chaotix handle the Badniks while he confronts Eggman. When Sonic gets to the house that Eggman is in, however, he finds a scared Eggman trying to build a barricade for the village's children, whom he gently tries to keep calm and assured. He then begs Sonic (whose name he has not heard yet) to help defend the village, admitting in an ashamed manner that he is too afraid to fight himself. Upon seeing this, Sonic tells "Mr. Tinker" that he just has to worry about keeping the children safe while he helps the Chaotix smash the Badniks. Sonic thus hurries outside of town and joins the Chaotix's fight against Hoverbys and Antons. During the fight, Charmy sees a Flapper in their midst and takes it out. Back in the Eggman Empire-themed base, the unknown figure controlling the Badniks gets angry with this development, questioning why Sonic and the Chaotix were there. The figure also wonders if their forces have stumbled upon a settlement and if Sonic and his allies have figured him out.

Back at the battlefield, Sonic and the Chaotix clear up the remaining Badniks. Vector notes that it was a pretty puny rescue force, only for Sonic to correct him, stating that Eggman was terrified of his own robots. Charmy then begins teasing Vector about how he told him that Eggman was a good guy now, prompting a fight between the two. Espio subsequently asks Sonic what he intends to do now that Eggman is a new man. Sonic grins, knowing exactly what to do.

Back in the village, Sonic shakes Mr. Tinker's hand and apologizes for mistaking him for someone else. Wanting to make a fresh start as well, Sonic introduces himself to Mr. Tinker, who humbly accepts it. Mr. Tinker also hopes that Sonic finds the one he is looking for as he seems worrisome, but Sonic tells him not to worry about it, as he thinks he is gone for good. Vector then tells Eggman that, as the Chaotix Detective Agency, they will not leave a job half done, so they will keep an eye out for the doctor. However, Vector also tells Mr. Tinker that he can stay in the village, and thanks him for helping with their investigation. Finishing off with a well-received joke, Mr. Tinker thanks Sonic for helping the village. Just as Sonic prepares to leave however, Mr. Tinker tells him that he hopes he will come back to visit, as he would love to show him Eggman Land once it is complete. This mention of Eggman's personal theme park catches the interest of Sonic, who begins questioning whether or not Eggman's amnesia is genuine.

"You'll never menace the world with Eggman land again!" Everyone looked up and saw Shadow, Rouge, and Tempest Shadow. "I'll destroy you first."

Next Chapter: The Fate of Dr. Eggman Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 10 Minutes