Sonic GeneX - The Series
Season 4 Prologue

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.


"Good day, my friends, though the tidings are bleak.
If you'd stop to listen, I've a tale to speak.
A sadness and tragedy carried through song,
Of seven chosen heroes, whose mission went wrong..."

In a lonely town, far from the troubles of warring echidna tribes, greedy dragons hiding in their temples, and the seven Chaos Emeralds watched over by sweet creatures and their protector... a saddened fox wearing a beret played his lute and sang his sorrowful song for any who would hear. Most ignored him. Some laughed at him. However, a round bodied human stopped to listen, transcribing his words onto a sheet of parchment. "Such music... It rings of experience... The story you have to sing is personal, isn't it?" the man asked. The fox fell silent, glancing at the gentleman with the magnificent mustache. "Oh, go on. But tell me your name, good sir. For posterity. And maybe some coin?" the man asked. The fox sighed.

"Bard is my name, one of seven I was.
A knight, a warrior, a guardian with a cause.
Take heed of my story, my tale of woe.
Lest the evil I speak of... return, and grow."

The heavy man hurried to copy his words. "Evil... grow... Evil, you say?" he said, looking around cautiously, "Might we adjourn somewhere more... private? You never know who might be listening..." he murmured. Bard scratched his head under his beret. "And... who might you be, sir?" he asked. The man smiled warmly. "Prescott Kintobor... A simple scholar, my good man... With more money than business to apply it to. I'll gladly record your story for something to do..." he grinned, leading Bard away. "...And keep it for my private collection..." he added under his breath.


The recorded story was preserved for generations, until at last the volume was forgotten, shelved in a library hidden in one of many bases across the globe. Bored and drowsy, Char the Chao found himself guarding this library while the rest of Dr. Eggman's forces seemingly had more exciting things to do. "We took over the whole world and I got stuck in a musty basement full of... paper..." he sighed, crumbling up a page from "The Diary of Ivo Robotnik" and taking a shot at the wastepaper basket. Suddenly, the door burst open at the top of the nearby steps, and Char scrampled under the table. "Ohhh, I hope it's not Infinite...or those Zeti..." he whined. Instead, Capricorn the ferret came down the stairs, her white robes looking a little sooty. "Who's down here? This base is fallen. Forces are rallying against Eggman. It will not be long before his uprising is quelled." she stated. Char peeked out from under the table. "Aww, I knew he'd blow it again somehow..." Char sighed, "Actually, it's kind of a relief... but I still can't just let you do whatever down here!" he said defiantly.

Capricorn ignored him, her eyes scanning the shelves for anything clearly ancient. "...There it is." she said, walking over to a shelf in the corner. "Hey! Pay attention!" Char snapped, flying up and moving towards her. Capricorn flitted her wings and glanced at him. "I'm doing this for the good of the timeline... Someone is going to the past, seeking to overturn a great tragedy." she stated. Char squinted, like he was straining his mind to comprehend her words. "Who turned over a truck? Don't confuse me!" he growled. Capricorn chuckled softly. Despite his posturing for the Eggman Empire, Char was still just a Chao. "Someone is going to the past in order to change events described in this book." she stated. The book, as she removed it from the shelf, could be seen titled "The Tragedy of the Bard." Char scratched his head. "Well... What's the big deal? People change the past all the time around here." he shrugged. Capricorn crossed her arms, clutching the book. "The further back in time one goes, the greater the consequences to meddling with time... You may want to stop something bad from happening, but it could change things so much over time... that things end up worse in the end." she explained.

She turned to leave, but Char flew into her path. "Hold it! You still can't take that! It's Dr. Eggman's!" he insisted, "I hit a silent alarm under the table! Bots are on the way!" he warned. Capricorn chuckled again at him. "Char... You're too small to understand. I need to take this book before changes to the timeline take hold and alter its contents, or erase it..." she stated, "And... I wasn't leaving through the door..." She pointed to the side, creating a time portal. "Maybe call it a false alarm?" she smirked, stepping through the portal and vanishing. Char flitted in place, dumbfounded as Egg Pawns stormed the library. "Uhhh... False alarm? My... fingerless hand slipped on the button?" he chuckled awkwardly.

Who would change the past? What is this Tragedy of the Bard? Who is Infinite??
Most of the answers coming, next season on Sonic GeneX: the Series!
To find out about Infinite, obviously, it's best to pick up Sonic Forces; on sale November 7!
(Don't say I never did anything for you, SEGA)

To be continued! 