Episode Metal aside, I'm not sure that Generations using the Bad Future for Stardust Speedway is indicative of how the timeline shook out after CD. See: Crisis City showing up despite the Iblis Future not being how the timeline shook out after 06.
As I recall, Little Planet was chained to Angel Island in Mania and was freed at the end of the game, vanishing as it did in Sonic CD. I think it was probably put there by force thanks to Phantom Ruby shenanigans, especially given that it wasn’t over Never Lake this time.
The Bad Future is not canon. Little Planet apparently can shift its own timeline depending on who's interfering in it. Sonic CD's intro shows Little Planet already turned into metal, before Sonic arrives in it, but when he does, the planet is fairly normal.
I think that's really cool, I really, really love weird Sonic lore about old stuff. I think Little Planet as a whole is just this lovely concept. I love that it exists. I wish the series had more weird, mystical places like that. South Island moves around everywhere, Angel Island floats, Little Planet floats and only shows up one month a year aaand can mess with its own timeline, Westside Island. I like the magical mysterious parts of Sonic lore, it's why I don't really care for the Chaos Emeralds having a backstory in Frontiers. I feel like kinda-saying they were made by aliens makes them less interesting to me. I don't want them to be something that was made. I like having my magic gems that somehow have pocket dimensions in them or something.
If I recall correctly, the Chaos emeralds were discovered by the ancients, not made by them. I don't think it was ever stated how they came to existence, just that they're not from Earth (or at least weren't on it when the Master Emerald called them to the planet). They're probably not from the ancients' homeworld either.
Oh, goody, I dislike that less. Actually, in that case, I think that makes them more mysterious. Also makes the Master Emerald have its own mystery, too. .. So how long were the Ancients a thing? iirc, they were on Earth 10,000 or so years ago, (please correct me if I'm wrong there) but do we know how long they were a living society?
Ah yes, the Phantom Ruby mess. Though if we consider the Phantom Ruby as actually doing that and not just an illusion, that also raises the question of if that interferes with the pattern: if the Little Planet appeared in November, but was dragged to Earth in March, does it now appear in March instead?
In one of the side stories, SAGE describes the Chaos Emeralds as native to the Ancients' world. Interesting wrinkle that sort of raises more questions than it answers in my opinion.
I figure the Chaos Emeralds are 'native' in that they've been on the planet longer than life. Like how the Native Americans' Ancestors went over to the continent from Siberia: they're native just because they were there for the longest time.
I suppose I'll just go with the assumption that they're made of some cool alien mineral or something. .. Still leaves the question about the Master Emerald, darn.
Little Planet is chained over a lake in Sonic Mania's animated ending, in an area that looks very much like the Sonic CD intro. Little Planet can also be seen in the background at the end of Lava Reef Zone. Angel Island is in the ocean for some reason during Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Adventures. So perhaps it landed nearby the landmass that Never Lake is on?
Given the ending of CD and Mania, where Little Planet breaks its chains once free of Eggman's influence and leaves while projecting Sonic's face, I'm inclined to think it has a degree of sentience, so maybe it appearing once a year above Never Lake specifically is a preference thing. Planets need holidays too, I guess.
One ponders how Robotnik managed to get it a third time and build the Death Egg Mk. II around it if it's sentient and, given Sonic the Hedgehog CD's ending, can just warp out of there.
I said it's sentient, I didn't say it's intelligent. Lord knows how many times Knuckles has been fooled at this point.
The official reasons for his gullibility are that he tries to see the good in everyone, and that he has no experience dealing with people due to having lived in isolation most of his life. Which aren't mutually exclusive.
24:43 - Is Mania's Egg Reverie Zone related to Forces' Null Space and Dream Team's Reverie? - No. I'm fairly confident 'no' about Null Space, I am 100% confident about the Reverie that Ariem is in. 36:42 - Sonic Fighters has Death Egg mark II. Does that make Fighters direct sequel to Sonic 4? Is that how Little Planet got free? No (...).
I didn't realize Ian was no longer weighing in on timeline questions. Also, everyone knows the Death Egg in Fighters is the Death Egg II, which is completely different from the Death Egg Mk. II
