In a distant, unspecified future, Humanity faced many crises, yet many wonders were also discovered. Mankind discovered worlds beyond our own: The Multiverse. Leading an expedition: Dr. Julian Robertson lands on one of many worlds through a teleporter constructed by the Nacurans, as an invitation. The Wormhole is one of many gifts of the Nacurans, the other are the Power Rings, based on Nacura itself, a Ringworld.
Initially: Robertson would gladly work with the Nacurans, and use the Power Rings for Mankind's benefits. But, as he studies them further, he becomes obsessed, wanting to unlock their secrets and access to even more worlds beyond. Eventually, he relinquishes his flesh, becoming an immortal machine.
Julian Robertson is dead: Dr Robotnik was born!
Fearful of Robotnik's ambition, both humanity and the Nacurans jointly work together to create a genetically uplifted Hedgehog, one who can save mankind, the Nacurans and the Multiverse.
Sonic The Hedgehog is born!
With the help of both the humans and the Nacurans, Sonic understands and wields the Power Rings, allowing him to control time and jump to worlds. When wielding all nine of the Power Rings, he can wield more awesome powers, but only as a last resort.
Still, Robotnik caught wind of this and dispatches his drones to hunt him down, take the Power Rings and "Unlock" The Multiverse. In and out of Robotnik's boundaries, Sonic also uses the Rings to sneak by and destroy his factories.
Ultimately, Sonic faces off with Robotinik in his mechanized, monstrous form: The fate of Life, The Multiverse, and Everything hangs in the Balance.
If Robotnik wins, he uses Sonic and the Nine Power Rings to unlock The Multiverse, inadvertently dooming everyone in each universe. A self-fulfilling prophecy who thought he could save his race would end up dooming them all.
If Sonic wins, Robotnik realizes he was wrong the whole time. He pleads Sonic to destroy him, which the last reluctantly accepts, sacrificing him to save everything from Robotnik's wrong doing.
The story ultimately ends with Sonic using the nine Power Rings to jump to many worlds and strikes the iconic pose as seen in the original Sonic Game. Though not after he visits Robotnik's grave baring his original name: Dr. Julian Robertson.
"For the man who has everything, should he use them for everyone."
Sonic pays his respects to his enemy he slain.
World after world, Sonic jumped with the Nine Power Rings orbiting around him.
One of Invisibility
One of Speed
One of Time
One of Strength
One of SuperJumping
One of Dimension Hopping
One of Flame
One of Great Learning
And One of Shaping Land.
Each one is powerful enough they can be dangerous if fallen to wrong hands.
And someone like him, did.
As Sonic arrived in this realm, he sees all the destruction around him. A civilization befell from a being as great as Sonic himself. And it was long before he encountered his mirror self. But even he is not alone. His right hand, a rabbit, uplifted by himself to serve his needs. The name is ironic, she is cynical: Hope The Rabbit. Both Sonics are equally matched, but Hope is there to push the True Sonic back. He teleports away, leaving the two curious about what just happened.
Elsewhere, Sonic arrived on another devastated realm, but the civilization looks much different than the last. Sonic looks shocked upon seeing another place destroyed, and he won't be the only one around. Teleporting behind him is someone he never thought of seeing whom he looked like when he was made of flesh. One who started it all, yet took a different path than the one Sonic knew of.
Dr. Julian Robertson, had he not join the expedition, yet became aware of the Multiverse thanks to the visiting Nacurans when the Expedition returned.
Both Sonic & Julian curiously look at each other, unsure if either one was the cause of it or innocent.
But that moment lasts short, as both Evil Sonic and Hope arrive and pounce, both Sonic and Robertson pulled back, now knowing who they're up against. The two decided to work together, but needed to teleport somewhere else to get each other up to speed, as well as teaching each other how to fight both Evil Sonic and Hope. They can't hurt or kill Hope without feeling guilty, so Robertson suggested persuasion to make her own path and now follow her creator's. Even if they won't persuade her physically and instead verbally, her outcome would depend on the words they used on her.
But of course they can't stay alone together for long, as Evil Sonic catches up. The Evil Sonic, having already discovered the Nine Power Rings by the True Sonic, thought he could merged eighteen of them, so that there can only be nine power rings Evil Sonic can use for his continuing anarchy and chaos, world after world.
The two decide its now or never, and Sonic battles his evil self, while Robertson persuades Hope to break her connection with Evil Sonic. Both Robertson and Sonic take turns as the battle takes place, while Evil Sonic announces that if he kills both the True Sonic and Robertson, Earth Prime will be his next target. Something Neither the True Sonic nor Robertson would allow. Hope is disabled, leaving only both Sonic and Robertson lay the beat down on Evil Sonic. And since both Sonics are equally matched and Hope out of the fight, Robertson turns the fight into the True Sonic's favour.
Still, this won't stop Evil Sonic, as he's about to merge his Power Rings with the True Sonic's. Surprisingly, Hope kills Evil Sonic with her daggers, but not for both the True Sonic, nor Robertson's. The Nine Power Rings for Evil Sonic merge with the True Sonic's, only for Hope stealing one of the Nine Rings for herself before she teleports away, leaving the two alone.
Once again, though, both Sonic and Robertson won't stay alone for long...
First there was Robotnik. Then there was Evil Sonic. Now: Both Sonic and Robertson are on the run.
Framed for destroying the previous two civilizations, Sonic is being chased by the self-proclaimed Dimensional Police. Robertson, whether or not he had anything to do with this, is also being chased, given that he must have played a part in this through the Police's assumption.
The two jump world after world, separating then reuniting. Sonic performs parkour tricks on any surface he walks on, using the Power Rings to help him through, refusing to fight the Police without confirming their reports on his actions only his now-late evil self committed. When Sonic killed Robotnik, he felt guilty and pity for the scientist-turned robot monster; Seeing him more as a tragic hero who would've doomed everything in The Multiverse. Less so when it comes to Evil Sonic. He was evil when he used the Power Rings for selfish purposes, borderline evil. He could've spit on his evil self's corpse had it not been for the Dimensional Police showed up.
Eventually, and thankfully, they lost the police and hide out in a shelter, where the two now wonder what to do. Sonic can't keep the Power Rings for the rest of his life while Robertson thinks this whole thing is a mistake, thinking mankind is still not ready to explore the Multiverse. They also wonder what happened to the Dimension Hopping Power Ring Hope stole from Sonic, but Robertson tells him it's no longer important; since Robertson still has his teleporter and plans on going to Nacura and give the Power Rings back to the Nacurans.
Speaking of Hope, she is now on Earth, with the Power Ring she stole orbiting around her. She recalls her entire life of the past three years since her creation. Up until now, she was loyal to Evil Sonic, working with him on his quest to destroy civilizations just for the fun of it. Mindlessly obedient like his pet. All it took was both Sonic and Robertson to persuade her to make her own decisions, like the phrase "Cogito Ergo Sum." She thinks for a solid minute, trying to understand what that means.
But as she thinks further, she sees violence from bellow, a skirmish between criminals and police officers. She teleports there sees the skirmish on ground level. She intervenes and kills both police and criminals using only her daggers. As she inspects and assess the situation, she still can't tell the difference. For the criminals, she sees one of them holding a toy in his pocket. She enters the criminal's room, looking for more about that toy the late criminal carried. She sees pictures of what appears to be a family, indicating that criminal has a family he has. The rest of the stuff are drugs they're about to sell, and the criminal just wanted the money from drug dealing for his family's sake. She then inspects the police. One of the police officers has a portrait of a family of her own. Had Hope not kill her, she could've lived to see her family, glad and happy she came back from her duty.
Not tonight, unfortunately.
She hears sirens, and they're getting louder: Backup!
"Freeze! Put your hands behind your back!"
She wouldn't budge. Instead, she teleported away and onto Nacura. She cried out in anger and shame, having spent three years working with her maker and witnessing a battle between the police and the drug dealers, the ones she just murdered then investigated herself. Killing her maker set her free, but wasn't unsure of who she should be till that recent event. It was all sudden for her, wielding such an awesome power as the Power Ring she stole, could also be used to do whatever cruel act she could commit.
She calms down, thinking as hard as she could of what to do now that she has the Power Ring. She could use it to kill both Sonic and Robertson, but that could make her just like her maker. She could use it to save people, but that wouldn't matter, people will see her as a criminal, a monster. So instead, she uses it to wander the Multiverse, letting each of the worlds' nature calm her nerves and let her make her pace. And then, something crossed over into her mind.
As Robertson uses the shelter to make a lab and his home, Hope teleports and requests a talk with him. Outside, Sonic searches everywhere at any angle, height and horizon of any Dimensional Police forces. His moment of peace and quiet ended with the arrival of Hope, also requesting him for a moment with Robertson. She proposes to hand over the Power Rings back to the Nacurans, something Robertson already suggested, and accepts her proposal, same from Sonic.
The three teleported to Nacura and make a deal. Have the Nacurans keep the Power Rings until someone of much better worth and wisdom can explore the Multiverse proper, and have both Sonic and Robertson teleport back to Earth to face charges, while Hope stays on Nacura, learning about the Power Rings so that she can make her own choices, neutral rather than good or evil. As for what Cogito Ergo Sum means for Hope, Robertson answered.
"You think, therefore you are."
Meaning Hope can think for herself and confirm on making her own path from now on as both Sonic and Robertson teleport back to Earth, mirroring on what Hope did when she stole the Dimension Hopping Power Ring from them earlier.
Although as cynical as she was before, this time she's more ethically conscious, learning the difference between right and wrong, and, when ready, she'll use the Power Rings with the Nacurans to once again invite the humans and others into the Multiverse, next time, though, with thorough planning and a better understanding of what should be cherished on worlds beyond Earth.