Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal, two examples of zone-imps.
Zone-imps are a permanently-perplexing species of extra-dimensional reality-warpers native to the Unknown Zone, a Zone where normal physics do not exist. Two known members of the species, Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal, made a few appearances over the course of Dr. Ivo Robotnik's last year of power, until the Omega Wave transformed them into "machine gods", twisted them into hostile warmongers in the process. As their war with each other escalated, they were ultimately detained and imprisoned in the Zone Jail.
History[]
Dr. Ivo Robotnik's Tyranny[]
When Sonic got himself flung into the Unknown Zone, he met the zone-imps Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal. While the pair remained welcoming and lovable towards the hedgehog despite his confusion as he tumbled through their Zone, they ultimately did little to intervene with Sonic's trip before he was deposited from their Zone. They soon after appeared in the Great Forest to watch an angry Sonic chase after Antoine. (StH: #2)
Al and Call later played baseball in the Unknown Zone, although the Zone's lack of physics distorted their game. Al and Cal later disrupted a virtual reality created by Robotnik to imprison the Knothole Freedom Fighters, which let Sonic stop Robotnik's newest scheme. (StH: #4, #16)
The Search for Ixis Naugus[]
When the Omega Wave hit the Unknown Zone, Al and Cal were decimated to sub-atomic particles along with their Zone, although Al and Cal's ethereal essences survived. As the Unknown Zone began re-evolving though, so did Al and Cal's primal power, eventually turning them into "machine gods". Unfortunately, the process seemingly twisted the two zone-imps' minds into that of warmongers. With the two of them starting to blame each other for what happened to their Zone, Al and Cal began warring with each other. During their ceaseless battle, Sonic and Tails arrived in their Zone by accident, and Al and Cal decided to use them to decide the outcome of their war. Using mind control, they pitted Sonic and Tails against each other, until the two friends managed to snap out of it and tried persuading the zone-imps to burry the hatchet and become friends again. Although the idea spoke to them, Al and Cal ended up nixing the idea and resuming fighting each other while Sonic and Tails fled the Unknown Zone. (StH: #59)
Geoffrey's Betrayal and the Death Egg's Return[]
As their fighting began damaging other Zones, Al and Cal were arrested by the Zone Cops and outfitted with Control Collars that negated their powers, turning them back to their original forms and mental states. Incarcerated in the Zone Jail, the pair were subjugated to much bullying from the other inmates. Some relief came when Scourge was brought in, as they found him being beaten more than themselves, and tried to befriend him, but their efforts were rebuffed. Regardless, Al and Cal persisted until Scourge's old associates, the Destructix, arrived in the Zone Jail and scared them off. Over the next few days, Al and Cal would endure their usual beatings from the inmates and Scourge's callousness. (SU: #29, #30, #31)
Freed from their Control Collars, Cal and Al rampage inside the Zone Jail.
When the Destructix eventually instigated a prison riot, Cal and Al were brought to Scourge by Predator Hawk and had their Control Collars removed by Sergeant Simian. As a result, the zone-imps involuntarily reverted back to their machine god forms and began rampaging through the Zone Jail, attacking prisoners and Zone Cops alike out of spite. However, their rampage was put to an end when they were subjugated to the Zone Cops' F.O.E. Inhibitors, which reverted them back to their original forms and snapped them out of their madness. Al and Cal were then abandoned by Scourge when he fled the jail with his associates, despite their pleas. (SU: #31, #32)
Appearance[]
The zone-imps' natural anatomy is very similar to that of humans, except that they are much more diminutive in size, much like certain overlanders. As such, they do not appear than much taller or shorter than the average mobians. Other features they display include cojoined eyeballs, green irises, and miniscule amounts of hair on their heads.
Culture[]
Zone-imps are naturally very lovable, benevolent, and kind, if not a little zany and whimsical. Surmised as permanently perplexing, they have very few worries in life and tend to look at the bright side of things. Also, despite the limitless scale of their powers, they mostly spent their time recreating for their own amusement. While apparently not the type to interfere in the affairs of other zones, they have nonetheless come to the aid of their associates from time to time. (StH: #4, #16, #59, SU: #29, SA: #16)
Abilities[]
Being self-styled deities in the Unknown Zone and extra-dimensional beings, the zone-imps have demonstrated incredible reality-warping and mental abilities, to the point where they were able to interfere with a computer simulation created in Sonic's mind by Dr. Ivo Robotnik, manipulate matter to the degree of turning a solid platform into quicksand, manipulate elements to create a tornado, controlling the minds of three-dimensional beings, and creating items seemingly out of thin air. Their power even allowed them to fully restore themselves and their Zone after both of them were reduced to sub-atomic particles. However, their powers do have some limits, as Sonic and Tails were able to free themselves from their mind control. Additionally, their powers can be suppressed with the Zone Cops' technology. (StH: #4, #59, SU: #29, SA: #16)
The zone-imps' bread and butter is physics and gravity manipulation, allowing them to walk and stand on ceilings and walls, and create laws of physics in the Unknown Zone, a zone where no such concepts exist. (StH: #2, #59)
In machine god forms, zone-imps can fly and unleash powerful blasts of energy. The scale of their powers in these forms are so great that the infighting between two zone-imps damaged an unknown amount of other universes. They also appear to be able to travel between Zones. (StH: #4, #59, SU: #29)
Known Zone-imps[]
Background Information[]
- The term "zone-imp" was first revealed in the Who's Who profile for Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal in Sonic Archives Volume 16.
External links[]
- Zone-Imp at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.