Chapter Text
It had been a few days since Jules' return to the land of the living, and while he was grateful for the second chance, the body that second chance came in left much to be desired.
Dr. Eggman hadn't built him to last. He was made with all the power of a Metal Sonic, but with none of the durability. That hadn't been the point of making him, after all. His new body had been built just to wreak havoc and then be destroyed, all to traumatize Sonic. It was pure chance that the Freedom Fighters were able to revive his consciousness within it.
If he wanted to keep living for this second chance, then he would need some serious upgrades.
So one fine day in the Acorn kingdom, Jules knocked on the door to Tails' workshop, as the fox was kind enough to volunteer to give him some.
"Coming!" called the young fox from inside, and soon enough the door opened.
Jules frowned as best he could. "Tails," he said slowly. "Why are you covered in grease?"
Tails, who was coated in the substance, looked down on himself like it was the first time he was seeing it. "I had to crawl into part of Sky Patrol to do maintenance," he replied.
"Was that safe?" Jules asked in concern.
"Probably," was Tails' reply, not too worried about it.
Jules sighed and pinched his forehead. "Your mother is going to-" he started to say, but broke off when he remembered that Rosemary Prower no longer existed.
Tails gave him a knowing look, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just stepped back to let Jules inside.
Not wanting to put his foot in his mouth again, Jules was quick to comply.
However, once inside, he was surprised to see another somewhat familiar face already there.
"Shard? What are you doing here?" he asked when he saw the reformed Metal Sonic.
"Owed Tails a favor, so he asked me to assist," Shard said, not looking comfortable.
Considering the reformed Metal Sonic was usually quite eager to insert himself into Jules' family, he had to wonder why the robot was suddenly so subdued. "Help with what?"
"Basically, I'm here in case there's any need to do the equivalent to you as Tails did for Sky Patrol," said Shard.
Meaning, crawl inside and fix things, but given the other robot was roughly the same size as Jules, if a bit shorter, he didn't see how that was possible.
As if sensing his confusion, Shard let out a sigh and sat himself down on a chair. "If I hear any cooing or the word 'cute' used at all, I'm out of here," he told them both before seeming to power down.
Jules stared at the other robot in confusion and was just about to ask Tails what that was supposed to mean when the hatch on Shard's chest sprang open.
Tails looked far too amused as he walked over to Shard's prone body and reached inside his chest to press a blue button. Or perhaps it wasn't a button as it immediately popped loose, and a small blue ball popped out onto his hand.
Tails then turned to hold the ball up for Jules to see, and the last Robian watched in surprise as it uncurled into a tiny, and frankly adorable, blue robotic hedgehog standing in the palm of his hand.
"You're not the only one who came back in a new body. This is Shard's original form from when he came back in this timeline," Tails explained. "Professor Von Schlemmer built him and other Bits like him in the future to be his lab assistants, and they were all based on Metal Sonic's design. When Uncle Chuck built him a bigger body, he made it so Shard's Bit form could be installed or uninstalled into it rather than completely taking him apart just to make him bigger."
"I see, how handy," said Jules, trying very hard not to laugh.
Shard's tiny face looked incredibly grumpy, and he crossed his arms and chirped something that sounded like ones and zeros, and yet Jules still understood it just fine. Even so, the translation still came out of a device on Tails' desk. "I didn't ask to be built like this."
"Better this than being connected to the Doctor again," Jules pointed out. "Besides, I can't judge. I'm here for the same reason, aren't I?"
Shard glanced at him and loosened up slightly. "Right. Gotta say if I was built to be a glass cannon I'd want some serious upgrades too."
"All the more reason to get started," said Tails, walking over to his work table to place Shard down and show Jules some blueprints. "It's, of course, up to you how deep this will go, but I've put together ideas for if you want an entire overhaul. I even started working on some holographic disguises if you want to look like your organic self again, but, uh, I don't remember what you looked like then."
"You wouldn't have, even with your memories," Jules said, touched at the kit's generosity. "I was transformed before you were even born. Maybe you saw an old photo or two if Chuck managed to save them. But otherwise this is how I've always looked in your eyes."
It then occurred to Jules that there truly was almost no one left who remembered his organic form anymore besides himself. Sonic may have a vague recollection outside of pictures, but he had been too young to truly remember, and anyone else who knew him back then either no longer existed or had no memories of him. The only other person with a possible inkling of how he used to look was Dr. Eggman, and that thought just left a sour feeling where his gut used to be.
"How did you look?" asked Tails curiously. "I would assume you looked like Sonic since you're related to him."
"That I did," Jules said. "Sonic is a real chip off the old block. My eyes were brown, as were my bangs, but otherwise we look a good deal alike. He gets his eyes from his mother, however."
Tails squinted at him like he was trying to picture that.
Shard, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. "I wonder if I can upload an image of Bernadette to be printed out using my memories. I saw how she looked."
"That's a great idea, and I would appreciate that, thank you, Shard," said Jules, touched at the offer (though he did wonder how and when Shard would have caught sight of his wife).
Shard looked bashful at the gratitude. "It's no problem. I'll talk to Nichole after this. There are people I'd like to have physical copies of their pictures, too, so it'd help me out as well."
"I'd like to see those," Tails said eagerly, before getting back on track. "Anyway, how deep do you want me to go in upgrading you?" he asked Jules.
Jules sighed. "If it were possible to remove anything Eggman touched to make this body without losing who I am, I'd take it, but Silver's professor friend worries that altering me too much would sever whatever link I have to my previous self that lets me be me. So I'll settle for at least being hardier than I currently am and secure from anyone trying to control me. Sonic has lost me twice now, and there were even more near misses in the past. I won't put him through that again if I can help it."
Tails nodded in agreement. "I don't want to put him through that, too. I saw how sad he was about losing you and his mom and everyone else the wave took away."
The discussion then turned to Jules' upgrade, and they eventually came up with a plan to give him a body that was more likely to withstand the punishment their lives gave out.
"You've put a lot of thought into this," said Jules once they finally settled on a plan and Tails started working.
Tails looked sheepish as he unscrewed the outer parts of Jules' arm. "I'll admit, I have been thinking about things like this since Eggman built Metal Sonic years ago. Kind of just imagining what I would do if I built a robot Sonic just to prove to Eggman and Metal that Metal's not as great as they think he is. I started thinking of it more when I heard about Shard, and then even more when Shard actually showed up and needed a bigger body. Even if he decided he wanted Chuck to do it instead, it was fun brainstorming how I would do it if given the chance."
Shard, who had so far just been handing over tools, perked up and looked over Tails' blueprints with more interest. "Huh, might hit you up for an upgrade at some point myself," he said.
"Sure, anytime," said Tails. He then frowned as he fiddled with the insides of Jules' arm. "Um, Mr. Hedgehog?" he said, as if hesitant to voice his thoughts.
"You can ask me anything, and you've always called me Jules, Tails, don't stop now," said Jules kindly.
Tails took a deep breath and let it out. "What can you tell me about my parents?"
Shard froze from what he was doing and looked over at Tails sympathetically.
"Sonic told me about them, he told me everything he could," the fox admitted. "But… while he tried really hard not to be, I know some of his opinions about them are biased. And I just… I want to know about them from every source I can."
Tails paused and then added, "Well, not every source. I'm not about to ask Eggman."
"He'd lie even if you did," said Shard. "Or tell the truth in the worst possible way."
"Yeah…" said Tails, remembering how Eggman would mock Sonic for how he 'failed' to stop the Genesis Wave and how so many people were gone because of it. He tried to hide it, but they could all tell those taunts got under Sonic's skin more than any others.
"I'll tell you all that I can," Jules promised him. "Rosemary, Amadeus, and I didn't always see eye to eye, but I would count them as my friends, especially since you and Sonic are so close." His expression then turned fond. "Did you know, Sonic was there when you were born?"
That threw Tails off, and he shocked himself with one of Jules' wires. "What?" he asked after jumping from the jolt.
"I was already roboticized, so I wasn't there," Jules said. "But Chuck told me about it later. Sonic and his friends helped your mother get to the hospital the day you were born. While Rosemary recovered, Sonic was actually the first person to hold you. Chuck told me he promised to always be your best friend then and there."
Tails stared at Jules, his eyes wide. "I know I wouldn't remember that regardless, since I was a baby, but… I wish I remembered that."
"How'd you meet in this timeline, anyhow?" asked Shard curiously.
Tails shrugged. "When I was a little kid, some bullies were picking on me for my tails. Then, Sonic showed up and scared them off. I just started following him around after that, and never stopped since."
Jules laughed. "I'm glad that you two always seem to find each other."
"I'm glad too," said Tails with a grin, but Jules seemed to read something in his face.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
"I've been… considering getting my own memories back," said Tails. "I want to remember the old world, too."
Jules blinked his optics, but Shard didn't look surprised.
"Yeah, I kinda figured since you built a whole invention to bring those memories back," Shard said.
Tails nodded as he worked. "Yeah, but… I can't use it yet."
"Why not?" asked Jules. "It worked on me."
"It brought your memories back, but tell me this: do you remember anything from this world before you got your memories back?" Tails asked.
Jules frowned. Honestly, he hadn't really thought about whatever short life this body had before waking up in Tails' workshop. He didn't want to. The idea of remembering anything about this body's creation, or to remember attacking Chuck and Sonic without mercy, the idea just made him sick to the stomach he no longer had.
But Tails had asked, so Jules did his best to cast his mind back. To try and remember.
Only… there was nothing there to remember. Jules searched everywhere in his mind, but-
"Nothing," Jules admitted. "I don't remember anything. If you all had told me that it was Chuck, or Rotor, or Tails who had rebuilt me, I would have believed you without hesitation. My last memory before awakening in this world is being home with Bernie, waiting for you, Sonic, and Amy to return from stopping Eggman and hopefully saving Sally."
"And that's why I can't use the G-Recollector on myself just yet," Tails said. "While there might be differences in its effects on organic life as opposed to robots, there's a very real chance that using it will erase my memories of this timeline. Or worse. It's entirely possible that using it on me could drive me insane or leave me in a vegetative state. We've been lucky so far with how the memories have affected people's mental and physical state."
"And even then, remembering is never pleasant," said Shard in agreement. "One moment, I was pretty sure I was dying after fighting Metal Sonic, the next I felt like I was being fried, and now I am in this puny body. I do remember being a Bit, but the memories are pretty vague. I can't really tell if it's because, as a Bit, I didn't have much personality programmed into me beyond being a loyal lab assistant, or if it's because remembering Mobius made those memories harder to search up."
"Right," Tails agreed, as he moved on from Jules' arms and started working on his chest hatch. "There's just no way yet to tell how safe it will be for anyone to remember. And so for now I can only study and make theories."
"I understand," said Jules. "There's no rush to remember them. Enjoy the life you have, Tails. Don't worry too much about the past. I'd be happy to tell you anything you want to know."
Tails nodded before finally getting Jules' chest hatch off, and turning to Shard. "I'll need your help for this part. You up for it?"
Shard shrugged. "It's where the Bit memories come in handy."
Tails then looked at Jules for his permission. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I don't know what it's going to feel like, but it'll probably be weird."
Jules just looked at Tails fondly. "I trust you, kid. Do your worst."
"No way," said Tails. "I'll do the opposite. I'm going to do my best."
"I can't wait," said Jules, and the three of them got to work.
Sonic tapped his foot impatiently outside Tails' workshop.
He trusted his little brother with his dad. He really did, but he'd only just gotten him back, and he had never been good at waiting.
Shard had left a while ago to find Nichole for some reason, and his metallic 'cousin' had been infuriatingly vague about the progress they were making. Jerk.
Still, for as much as Shard liked watching Sonic squirm, he would have told him if anything was going wrong, so no news was good news.
Finally, the workshop doors opened, and Tails stepped out.
"How'd it go, little bro?" Sonic asked eagerly.
Tails beamed back at him. "See for yourself," he said, stepping aside.
Out of the door stepped Jules, looking different than how Sonic had seen him before. In many ways, he still looked like himself, but several of his clunkier parts had been streamlined to sleeker versions, his eyes now more like Shards, allowing his emotions to easier to see, and the spike that made his bangs on his forehead was now as blue as the rest of his spikes, and was more swept to the side rather than previous his unicorn look.
"Whoa, Dad, you look great," Sonic said, and he really meant it. While Eggman had rebuilt him to be very close to his original design, there had still been clear indications of the mad doctor's usual design flares for machines, and he was glad to see them gone, and he was sure his father was glad too.
"Thanks, Sonic," Jules said fondly, reaching out to ruffle his quills now that his hands weren't claw-tipped like a Metal Sonic. "I feel great, too. Much less clunky than before. And, Tails added a new special feature I think you might like."
"Not surprised," Sonic said, because of course Tails couldn't resist adding his own spin to things. "What'd he do this time? Some secret weapon? Are you able to sleep and eat now?"
"Not yet, but I'm working on that," said Tails, his tails twitching eagerly like they always did when he went on an inventing binge.
"Then what?" asked Sonic, curiously.
He then had to shield his eyes as a flash of light emanated from Jules, and had to blink away the spots.
Once his vision cleared, his jaw dropped.
If it hadn't been for the fact that Jules' hand had never left his quills, he never would have believed he was seeing the same person.
An older, blue hedgehog that looked a great deal like an older version of himself smiled back at him with warm brown eyes.
"What do you think?" the Mobian form of Jules asked, looking like he'd never once stepped into the Roboticizer.
"Wha- Whe- How-" Sonic stuttered in shock, before just surging forward to hug his dad, and even though he still felt metal as he clung to him, not a bolt was in sight.
"It's just a hologram," Tails explained, bashful at how positive Sonic's response was. "But I figured if I had the option, I could give him back his old face."
"It's not quite what I used to look like, but Tails made a great guess and got it pretty dang close," Jules admitted, hugging his son back. "I'm more than happy to take it."
Sonic had to laugh and squeeze his dad tighter. Bittersweet though it was that he honestly couldn't tell the difference, having been far too young when his father was roboticized to remember his original face.
It took a while for Sonic to compose himself, but once he did, a thought occurred to him, and he had to snicker.
"What's so funny?" asked Jules, confused.
"Bet you a platter of chili dogs that next time Amy comes around, she hugs you thinking you're me," Sonic said with a grin.
Tails and Jules shared a glance and snickered too.
"Now that's a suckers bet," said Tails.