Sonic Returns

"Sonic Returns" is the first episode in the Sonic Mania Adventures webseries. It first aired on the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube Channel on 30 March 2018.

Synopsis
Welcome back to Angel Island with Sonic Mania Adventures!

Sonic has just arrived back after the events of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, but something is already amiss. What are the huge holes being dug in the ground? And why is Eggman already capturing more animals? The story begins here, with the first of five parts in: "Sonic Returns"!

Appearances
Characters:
 * Animals
 * Flicky (multiple)
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Metal Sonic
 * Sonic the Hedgehog

Locations:
 * Classic Sonic's world
 * Angel Island

Items:
 * Capsule
 * Chaos Emerald (x7)
 * Spikes

Vehicles:
 * Egg Mobile

Plot
The episode starts with a view of Angel Island on a sunny day. Suddenly, Sonic the Hedgehog appears, returning to his own world, after the conclusion of the War to Take Back the Planet. As he looks around the island however, he notices several holes in the ground and wonders what has happened. While examining the holes, Sonic hears something fly by and looks up, only to see Dr. Eggman fly by in his Egg Mobile with a group of encapsulated Flickies in tow. Deciding to rescue the Flickies, Sonic chases after the Doctor.

After running through the jungle, Sonic arriving at an empty clearing, which has a single Capsule sitting in the middle of it. Finding everything eerily calm, Sonic nonetheless tries to walk towards the Capsule despite his suspicions. Upon taking his first step however, he discovers that spike traps are buried beneath the ground. Sonic quickly jumps out of the way, only for more spikes to protrude where he lands. Jumping over each of the subsequent traps, Sonic lands on the Capsule and unlocks it, freeing the Flickies inside. As Sonic looks at the Flickes as they fly away however, a metallic Eggman head springs out of the Capsule, causing Sonic to fall to the ground. Although Sonic is annoyed, he soon finds himself in the middle of a lasso connected to a hidden machine. This machine grabs Sonic by the leg and leaves him dangling over a set of spikes. The capsule then transforms into a bomb set to explode in forty-five seconds, much to Sonic's surprise. Eggman then comes out from behind his bomb and laughs evilly about the hedgehog's capture and impending doom while taking notice of the countdown.

As Eggman walks away, content with leaving Sonic be, Sonic gets an idea and pulls out a Chaos Emerald he has, which catches Eggman's attention. Eggman promptly tries to take it, only for Sonic to play keep-away with it. This allows Sonic to lure the Doctor into another one of his lasso traps. Hung upside down next to Sonic, the Doctor tries again to take the Emerald, but Sonic keeps him from it. He then breaks free of Eggman's lasso on his own, for then carried to safety by the Flickies he saved, and prepares to leave Eggman behind with his bomb. Just when he is about to leave however, Eggman makes a begging expression. Although unsure, a dismayed Sonic ultimately decides to help and prepares to free his arch nemesis. Just then, however, the mad scientist suddenly drops his handheld. This device shows him an image of the seven Chaos Emeralds. It then shows that Eggman himself has the blue, purple, light blue and yellow emeralds as opposed to Sonic's one, and that the red and white emeralds are still missing. The handheld further reveals via a sequence that Eggman planned all along to steal Sonic's Chaos Emerald for himself to add to his collection and then kill Sonic himself.

Unsurprised by this turn of events, Sonic gives the nervous Eggman a deadpan stare before giving Eggman's bomb a knock, deceasing its countdown. Sonic then runs away, leaving Eggman hanging as his bomb detonates.

Meanwhile in an area filled with wreckage, an old foe awaits...

Continuity

 * In this episode, Sonic returns to his world from his adventures in Sonic Forces.

Goofs

 * When Sonic pulls out the Chaos Emerald, he is holding it right side up. However, at the 1:27 mark, he is holding it upside down.
 * While Dr. Eggman's device falls out of his pocket he is seen smiling while his teeth is the same color as his skin instead of being colored white.
 * While Sonic looks at Eggman's handheld, the bomb is seen to have 19 seconds until detonation. After 25 seconds of looking at his handheld however, the bomb is at 17 seconds until detonation.

Trivia

 * The Eggman decoy head shares a resemblance to Neo Metal Sonic's fake Eggman form in Sonic Heroes.
 * This episode features several references and Easter eggs:
 * The music that plays during the opening scene in this episode is a remix of the music for the opening cutscene in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
 * The sound effect that is heard when Sonic reappears on Angel Island is the same sound effect the Phantom Ruby makes.
 * This is a reference to how the Phantom Ruby was destroyed in Sonic Forces and was what brought Sonic back to his world.
 * The music that plays when Sonic opens the Capsule is the same as the music that plays when the player completes an Act in Sonic Mania.
 * Eggman's trap is similar to the one used in "Sonic Ride" animation included in Sonic Jam.
 * The "EG" decal on Eggman's trap is the same one seen in the Wing Fortress Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
 * The theme that plays when Eggman appears before Sonic is similar to the one Dr. Robotnik has in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
 * The chime that plays when Sonic pulls out his Chaos Emerald is the same one that plays when the player completes a Special Stage in Sonic Mania.
 * The music that plays when Sonic breaks free of Eggman's trap and prepares to leave is an arrangement of Sonic Mania 's main theme.
 * The stick illustration of Sonic that is displayed on Eggman's handheld has appeared in several other official Sonic-related media, such as the early Sega Genesis manuals.
 * The sound Eggman's bomb makes just as it is about to blow up is the same charging sound the Great Eggman Robo make when charging its laser in Sonic & Knuckles.
 * Sonic appears to have a Chaos Emerald, yet he appeared to have lost all of them by the end of Sonic Mania.
 * Angel Island still appears to be in the ocean from when it fell in Sonic Mania.
 * of the upside-down hanging Sonic and Eggman were made available for the SEGA Shop after the episode's release.
 * The prototype of the Eggman keychain originally had his nose miscolored yellow.