Sonic 06

This topic is making my brain hurt.

Fuckin Sonic '06...

 

I despised the loading screens...

Then I hated with a passion the run-like-hell Sonic levels.
I hated how slow Tails was.
I hated how it's almost impossible for Knuckles and Rouge to let go off the fricking wall.
I hated the hub world, and searching for shit in it.
I hated the Trials.
I hated the terrible programming, such as invisible walls after springs, that shouldn't be there.
I hated Elise, and Sonic's story being basically keep rescuing the princess, while Silver and Shadow hogged all the glory.
I hated how retarded the whole Sonic death scene looked like. It was like a terrible fan fic.
I hated the less than memorable music, except the main theme for every character.
I hated how Omega moved and acted like a tank. He moved... trolling-ly slow, after proving to be so nible in Heroes and ShTH.

There's just too much to hate about this game... I don't know how I pulled through, but if there was anything worth it, it'd be Silver's gameplay.

 

I've attempted the task on which you are now engaged before, Duck.

So, sadly, it does not surprise me. I know your pain.

Fukin' plot

 

Those were aesthetics used in an attempt to make up for the otherwise lack of immersion in Act 2. Then there's how shit is thrown at you way too quickly in Act 1, how rails can send you to your death, how their placement is questionable(moreso than usual), how you will always miss two sets of rings in that scripted area, how the stage is a difficulty spike if I've ever seen one, and the spring and dash panel abuse. Granted, I can say that last one for the whole game, but Crisis City especially. But you liking the stage is cool beans though.

That's funny because often times the first stage is one of the least linear.

 

I've attempted it and succeeded before - but without writing down anything substantial. Everything fits in my head, but as soon as I write it down, suddenly there's a whole new layer underneath that I have to make sense of.

Six potential timelines down, n more to go.

EDIT:

That's true. It can go both ways. Like my ex.

 

Mefiresu from Sonic CIS asked me to write that "He gets the purple emerald in the first final scene when he is in ?rystal form."

 

Writeup complete. *** WARNING - VERY, VERY, VERY LONG POST ***

First things first, let me explain how I'm analysing the story.

There are several ways of breaking apart time travel chronology; I've chosen timeline reconstruction, which allows you not only to see how a time loop can be stable, but also how it can be formed in the first place. The idea is to start with the “original timeline”, the one that “happened” before any time travel took place, and then follow each timeline as it unravels from there.
Of course, there'd actually be an infinite number of loops before it becomes fully stable, as minute differences in particles happen each time. However, we're only interested in the events here.

Notes:
I'm assuming three time “periods” – 1996, 2006, and 2056. It should be obvious which is applicable to any particular scene.
Only time travel backwards is of interest – time travel forwards is no different than just disappearing for a while.
I'm treating each portal as one “unit” – I.e. everything that enters the portal travels that timeline. It doesn't make any real difference, but it greatly simplifies the writing.
Once backwards time travel has occurred, there is no need to continue the current timeline – it'll be changed by the time travel. Only once a stable time loop is formed should the current timeline be continued.
Under standard alternate universe theory, ALL of these timelines happen. Under predestination/time loop theory, only the final timelime happens. Sonic '06 shows the final timeline.

So, here we go:

TIMELIME 1

1996
Solaris is split by scientists.
Elise's father seals Mephiles in the Scepter of Darkness, and Iblis in Elise using the White Chaos Emerald. – Don't forget, this is the original timeline. Shadow and Silver haven't gone back in time yet. While it may not seem he was up to the task, the Duke seems to be absolutely determined to do whatever it takes to stop Iblis and Mephiles from escaping.

2006
Eggman travels to Soleanna; Sonic follows.
Rouge retrieves the Scepter of Darkness.
After a kerfuffle, the Scepter of Darkness is dropped.
Mephiles is reborn from Shadow's shadow.
Mephiles travels to the future alone. – As Shadow didn't seal Mephiles in the past, Mephiles has no idea who Shadow is, and has no need to exact his revenge on him.
Shadow collects the Red Chaos Emerald. – It's a bit of a stretch, but if Shadow doesn't get thrown about time by Mephiles, he may, in his travels, stumble across the Red Chaos Emerald. It's the only reason I can think of for it being otherwise “freaking nowhere”, and it's the only way it works later on in the analysis. It's improbable, but certainly not infeasible, so I'm sticking with it.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Elise, eventually realising Sonic isn't returning, cries and releases Iblis. – And even if it isn't over Sonic, she's bound to start crying sometime in her life.
Iblis does what large fiery demigods do.

2056
Mephiles arrives.
Mephiles collects the Violet Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Mephiles talks to Silver and Blaze. – More firepower, or just dramatic licence? You decide.
Mephiles travels to the past with Silver and Blaze.

TIMELINE 1A

2006
Silver arrives. Blaze and Mephiles arrive elsewhere.
Eggman travels to Soleanna; Sonic follows.
Rouge retrieves the Scepter of Darkness.
After a kerfuffle, the Scepter of Darkness is dropped.
Mephiles is reborn from Shadow's shadow.
Mephiles travels to the future alone.
Shadow collects the Red Chaos Emerald.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Sonic fights Silver.
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Silver and Blaze collect the Blue Chaos Emerald from Eggman's Base.
Shadow fights Silver.
Shadow and Silver travel to the past using Shadow's Red and Silver's Blue. – This is why Shadow needs the Red Chaos Emerald. It seems to be established that it takes two Chaos Emeralds to create a time portal.

TIMELINE 2

1996
Shadow and Silver arrive.
Solaris is split by scientists.
Shadow seals Mephiles in the Scepter of Darkness.
Silver helps Elise's father seal Iblis in Elise using the White Chaos Emerald.
Shadow and Silver travel to the future using Shadow's Red and Silver's Blue, leaving Scepter of Darkness and Blue Chaos Emerald behind.

2006
Eggman travels to Soleanna; Sonic follows.
Rouge retrieves the Scepter of Darkness.
After a kerfuffle, the Scepter of Darkness is dropped.
Mephiles is reborn from Shadow's shadow.
Mephiles travels to the future with Shadow and Rouge. – Now Mephiles recognises Shadow, as he was the one that sealed him, not Duke.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Shadow and Silver arrive. – This will get more confusing as in later timelines they come back from the past they never go to.
Elise, eventually realising Sonic isn't returning, cries and releases Iblis.
Iblis does what large fiery demigods do.

2056
Shadow and Rouge arrive. Mephiles arrives elsewhere.
Mephiles collects the Violet Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Mephiles talks to Silver and Blaze.
Mephiles travels to the past with Silver and Blaze.

TIMELINE 2A

2006
Silver arrives. Blaze and Mephiles arrive elsewhere.
Eggman travels to Soleanna; Sonic follows.
Rouge retrieves the Scepter of Darkness.
After a kerfuffle, the Scepter of Darkness is dropped.
Mephiles is reborn from Shadow's shadow.
Mephiles travels to the future with Shadow and Rouge.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Sonic fights Silver.
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Silver and Blaze collect the Blue Chaos Emerald from Eggman's Base.
Shadow and Silver arrive. – Yes, now there are two Silvers. But don't worry, that's perfectly normal in a still-forming time loop.
Elise, eventually realising Sonic isn't returning, cries and releases Iblis.
Iblis does what large fiery demigods do.

2056
Shadow and Rouge arrive, Mephiles arrives elsewhere.
Mephiles collects the Violet Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Mephiles talks to Silver and Blaze.
Mephiles travels to the past with Silver and Blaze.
--- Note that at this point, Timeline 2A repeats itself continuously. Thus, I consider it a Stable Time Loop and continue with the analysis.
Shadow and Rouge collect the Green Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles collect the Cyan Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge travel to the past using Sonic's Cyan and Shadow's Green.

TIMELINE 2B

2006
...
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Silver and Blaze collect the Blue Chaos Emerald from Eggman's Base.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Rouge arrives.
Rouge gives Omega the Green Chaos Emerald. – Rouge seems fairly smart to me; I'm sure she could work out, without seeing Omega in the future, that you can just tell a robot to hold on to something and then go to sleep for fifty years.
Sonic rescues Elise.
Silver attacks Sonic.
Without Shadow to save him, Sonic is killed. – Because Shadow is “still” in the future.
Elise cries and releases Iblis.
Iblis does what large fiery demigods do.
Shadow and Silver arrive. – Nice timing. Next time you return from the past you never went to, make sure you do it before the hero gets killed.

2056
Shadow and Rouge arrive, Mephiles arrives elsewhere.
Mephiles collects the Violet Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Mephiles talks to Silver and Blaze.
Mephiles travels to the past with Silver and Blaze. --> 2A
Shadow and Rouge find Omega on standby.
Shadow and Rouge collect the Green Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles collect the Cyan Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge travel to the past using Sonic's Cyan and Shadow's Green. --> 2B
Shadow fights Crrystal Meph.
Omega gives Shadow the Green Chaos Emerald.
Omega fights Crystal Meph.
Crystal Meph flees to the past, Shadow and Omega follow.

TIMELINE 2C

2006
...
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Rouge arrives.
Rouge gives Omega the Green Chaos emerald.
Shadow and Omega arrive. Mephiles arrives elsewhere.
Sonic rescues Elise.
Silver attacks Sonic.
Shadow saves Sonic.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Shadow fights Silver.
Shadow and Silver travel to the past using Shadow's Green and Silver's Blue.

TIMELINE 3

1996
Shadow and Silver arrive.
Solaris is split by scientists.
Shadow seals Mephiles in the Scepter of Darkness.
Silver helps Elise's father seal Iblis in Elise using the White Chaos Emerald.
Shadow and Silver travel to the future using Shadow's Green and Silver's Blue, leaving Scepter of Darkness and Blue Chaos Emerald behind. – And after time has run its course, the once-necessary Red Chaos Emerald is now nowhere at all.

2006
Eggman travels to Soleanna; Sonic follows.
Rouge retrieves the Scepter of Darkness.
After a kerfuffle, the Scepter of Darkness is dropped.
Mephiles is reborn from Shadow's shadow.
Mephiles travels to the future with Shadow and Rouge.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Shadow and Silver arrive.
Elise, eventually realising Sonic isn't returning, cries and releases Iblis.
Iblis does what large fiery demigods do.

2056
Shadow and Rouge arrive. Mephiles arrives elsewhere.
Mephiles collects the Violet Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Mephiles talks to Silver and Blaze.
Mephiles travels to the past with Silver and Blaze.
--- Timelines 3A-3C repeat here as 2A-2C did…

TIMELINE 3C

2006
...
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Rouge arrives.
Rouge gives Omega the Green Chaos emerald.
Shadow and Omega arrive.
Sonic rescues Elise.
Silver attacks Sonic.
Shadow saves Sonic.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Shadow fights Silver.
Shadow and Silver travel to the past using Shadow's Green and Silver's Blue. --> 3
Shadow and Silver arrive.
Sonic and Silver don't make it to the Egg Carrier on time.
Sonic travels to the past using Sonic's Cyan and Silver's White.

TIMELINE 3D (FINAL)

1996
Shadow and Silver arrive.
Solaris is split by scientists.
Shadow seals Mephiles in the Scepter of Darkness.
Silver helps Elise's father seal Iblis in Elise using the White Chaos Emerald.
Shadow and Silver travel to the future using Shadow's Green and Silver's Blue, leaving Scepter of Darkness and Blue Chaos Emerald behind.

2006
Silver arrives. Blaze and Mephiles arrive elsewhere.
Eggman travels to Soleanna; Sonic follows.
Rouge retrieves the Scepter of Darkness.
After a kerfuffle, the Scepter of Darkness is dropped.
Mephiles is reborn from Shadow's shadow.
Mephiles travels to the future with Shadow and Rouge.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Sonic fights Silver.
Sonic gives Eggman the Blue Chaos Emerald.
Eggman sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to the future.
Silver and Blaze collect the Blue Chaos Emerald from Eggman's Base.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Rouge arrives.
Rouge gives Omega the Green Chaos Emerald.
Sonic rescues Elise.
Silver attacks Sonic.
Shadow saves Sonic.
Eggman kidnaps Elise.
Shadow fights Silver.
Shadow and Silver travel to the past using Shadow's Green and Silver's Blue. --> 3
Sonic[3C] arrives.
Shadow and Silver arrive.
Sonic[3C] rescues Elise from the Egg Carrier.
Sonic and Silver don't make it to the Egg Carrier on time.
Sonic travels to the past using Sonic's Cyan and Silver's White. --> 3D
Silver and Blaze travel to the future through the same portal.
Crystal Meph collects Yellow Chaos Emerald.
Shadow fights Crstal Meph II.
Crystal Meph steals Shadow's Green Chaos Emerald during the fight.
(Anything that happens past this point is part of the last story, which I've previously mentioned messes everything up.)

2056
Shadow and Rouge arrive, Mephiles arrives elsewhere.
Mephiles collects the Violet Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrive.
Mephiles talks to Silver and Blaze.
Mephiles travels to the past with Silver and Blaze. --> 3A
Shadow and Rouge find Omega on standby.
Shadow and Rouge collect the Green Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles collect the Cyan Chaos Emerald.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge travel to the past using Sonic's Cyan and Shadow's Green. --> 3B
Shadow fights Crrystal Meph.
Omega gives Shadow the Green Chaos Emerald.
Omega fights Crystal Meph.
Crystal Meph flees to the past, Shadow and Omega follow. --> 3C
Silver and Blaze arrive.
Silver fights Iblis.
Blaze seals Iblis within her and sends herself to another dimension using the Cyan and White Chaos Emeralds.

And there you have it. Anything you feel needs expanding upon, feel free to let me know.

EDIT: >2000 words. That's it, my next fifty posts are all one-liners about breasts.

 

And don't forget:

Iblis does what large fiery demigods do.

 

But that's the scene where he skewers Sonic, right? And straight AFTER that he goes and re-fuses as Solaris?

Since the End of the World happens immediatly after skewering Sonic, the scene where Shadow Mephiles sends Silver and Blaze back in time must come before that. And he's got the purple Emerald there, so he CAN'T have only just picked it up in the skewering scene.

But if Iblis was initially released by crying, doesn't this mean he should have been in a form to which Mephiles could fuse? Admittedly, Mephiles isn't IN THE UNIVERSE at the time during timeline 1A, since he's travelled to the future... but when he pops out in 2056 (2206?) shouldn't he be able to fuse with Iblis there, negating any requirement for him to fuck about with Silver or Blaze or going back to the past? And in other timelines, like What's your criteron for whether or not Mephiles is allowed to fuse with Iblis during any particular loop?

In the cutscene we actually see in-game after the Shadow-Silver fight, it's Shadow who suggests jumping into the portal to 1996, and he ONLY SUGGESTS THIS because he wants to know why Mephiles has been gunning for him all game. But by your chronology here, Mephiles HASN'T been gunning for Shadow yet, so he's got no motivation to go time-spelunking at all.

Also, Robotnik creates the White Acropolis portal with only the blue emerald... but I'll grant that you seem to need 2 if you're doing time travel WITHOUT a great big Eggman Empire machine helping you.

 

I'm completely ignoring the fusion of Iblis and Mephiles, as it's part of the Last Story, and as I've already said, the Last Story fucks everything up.

However:
1. The portal is created accidentally by Shadow and Silver during their fight.
2. Earlier, Rouge mentions that police etc. are looking for Shadow because of a mistaken identity with Mephiles, so he may have motivation to get information from Eggman, and thus possible motivation to go time spelunking.

EDIT:

Do we actually have a time period given? I just assumed a nominal fifty years.

 

When Rouge and Shadow are wandering around "2056" White Acropolis, Rouge accesses one of Eggman's still-functioning computers, which reports that the last time it was updated was "200 years after our time". So Crisis City is at least 2 centuries in the future.
Makes absolutely no difference to your analysis, but... y'know, pedantry.

I'm not talking about the time mechanics of Solaris here. I'm saying that to proceed from Timeline 1 to Timeline 1A, you rely on Mephiles going back to the past with Silver and Blaze. But in Timeline 1, Mephiles has got no REASON to do so... unless you can contrive some reason why he can't fuse with Iblis in 2056 in this situation. It's a motivational point (as in my second objection), not a paradox-mangling point.

#1 I'll grant you... but, as we see when Sonic and Silver create the portal in Timeline 3C/D, it doesn't seem like open portals link to a specific place/time. Sonic jumps into one which takes him back ~1 hour, and then Silver and Blaze jump into the same one and go forward to "2056" for Iblis Phase III. It seems more like the destination is whatever (whenever) you want it to be when you jump in; it's certainly not set in stone when the portal is created. Accordingly, neither Shadow or Silver have any reason to suspect that important shit went down in 1996 while they're in Timeline 1A, so they wouldn't know to "wish" the portal to take them there.

As for #2: Iirc Rouge doesn't tell Shadow that the police are looking for Mephiles until AFTER he comes back from 1996 (don't they have the conversation in the New City docking port, where Rouge complains that "Your trip to the past hasn't made you any more conversational" or something)?

 

ITT: People reading way way way way WAY too much into the storyline of Sonic '06. I honestly don't even see why it's worth taking the time to deconstruct it's timelines, but I do applaud your efforts good sir.

+ - And to think, the time you used to write up that timeline deconstruction could have been spent doing something productive. Ah well, 'suppose I'm in no position to talk.   :v:

 

If I wasn't doing this, I'd have to be doing work.

Go figure.

 

I'll fix that when I next update it, then.

Why can't he fuse with Iblis in 2056 2206 anyway?

... Fuck. I thought I'd gotten everything right this time. Back to the drawing board.

 

Why would Shadow let Rouge capture the Scepter for the second time if he knew that this would release Meph?

 

NOBODY KNOWS. This is another plot fumble in the whole thing.

EDIT:
Theories include that the Crisis City timeline is one caused by Elise's DEATH (on the Egg Carrier?) rather than crying, and a death-released Iblis can't be fused with Mephiles.
Alternatively, Mephiles might have to fuse quickly after Iblis is released, or Iblis grows too strong for Mephiles to rein in. In one or two of these timelines, Mephiles isn't around when Iblis is released, 'cos he travels forwards to 2206 in a portal.

I'm not CERTAIN that it's after he comes back from 1996. It might have been after he comes back from beating Crystal Mephs in 2056.
...But then again, that's Timeline 3D. In Timeline 1A Shadow never goes to the future at all, so yeah, that's still a problem either way.

When (and why) in 3D does Shadow go to see Robotnik? ("Wouldn't the door have been easier")? To the best of my recollection, it's THAT conversation that clues Shadow in about the Solaris Project being interesting in 1996, but I can't remember off the top of my head if that's the order it happens in.

EDIT:

Shadow never knows what's in the Scepter at the point when he and Rouge extract it.

 

If that's the case, Elise may simply just die in the earlier, unknown timelines. I assumed Iblis' release upon crying/dying were identical, but if they're not, there's nothing to say that Elise doesn't get killed in one of Eggman's attempts to resurrect Iblis.

Just because he hasn't come back from the future doesn't mean that he won't be aware of the government attention he's getting after seeing a clearly supernatural being rise out of his shadow that looks almost identical to him. And he knows Eggman at least knows something about it, since he made a lot of drama about retreating when it dropped. He could easily have found out from there that it's due to a project ten years ago, and then upon accidentally opening a time portal while fighting Silver, decides to go and investigate.

 

Yeah, that might work.

Now, your SECOND mission:

Explain Omega. Conventional wisdom indicates his 'final' timeline goes:

2006:
Wandering around in Tropical Jungle for no reason
Rouge gives him the Green Emerald
Goes into shutdown out of the way somewhere until 2206

2206:
Rouge and Shadow see him, shut down, in Crisis City
Boots up after they leave and his 200-year timer goes off
Mephiles shows Shadow his own frozen corpse
Omega helps Shadow beat up Mephiles Phase 1
Portal back to 2006 with the Green Emerald

2006:
Chases Mephiles to Wave Ocean with the rest of Team Dark
Chases Mephiles to Dusty Desert with the rest of Team Dark
Fights Mephiles Phase 2
End of the World

HOWEVER. After Wave Ocean, Omega confesses to Shadow that HE was the one who captured Shadow such that his frozen corpse was in Mephiles' display under Flame Core in 2206. When, and why, exactly, did Omega do this? He was in the world for the 200 years where Shadow got witch-hunted, sure, but he was only nominally in it, 'cos he was a slumbering hunk of metal.

???