Sonic stood at the edge of the strip mine. The sun was bright and bold, signaling high noon, and swarms of robots dug in the sunken ground of Mazuri below. It didn't take Tails to know that Eggman was up to no good, and considering Tails was off in Mazuri's village, tending to other important research that Sonic didn't understand a word of, that was a good thing. Sonic wouldn't need Tails for this anyway.
Judging by how deep the mine ran, Eggman had been here for a while. After all, the doctor wasn't exactly subtle about the whole mining operation, and no matter how hot it got out here, there was no way Sonic was going to take this lying down.
He jumped down and curled into a spindash, ricocheting off of a good dozen robots. As the robots fell, Sonic sped over to one and confidently placed a foot on its back.
"Don't suppose Eggy got a permit for this, hm?" he asked, smirking.
A single Egg Fighter stumbled in front of Sonic, sending a shower of tiny pebbles skidding down the ledge. It jerked backward, emitting a single, low, tone and raised an enormous iron mallet above its head.
Eggman's voice radiated deep from inside the robot. "And I don't suppose you got a permit for destroying my private property, rodent!"
Sonic placed his hands on his hips, pouting at the Egg Fighter.
"You expect me to be polite when you can't even insult me in person?" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "I thought you were better than that, Egghead."
The Egg Fighter's only response was to lunge forward and swing the mallet at Sonic.
Sonic stepped back. The mallet slammed the ground in front of him.
"And—your robots are way slow. That too."
The pebbles on the ground began to tremble. A distant roar, like running water, began to hum deeper into the mine. It was gradual at first, consistent, yet building, louder and louder until—
A stampede of Egg Fighters turned the corner, rushing toward Sonic in a tight phalex.
"You're mine now, hedgehog!"
Sonic rolled his eyes but smiled, getting into a fighting stance. "I thought this was your mine?"
He snickered. Licking his lips, he curled into a tight spindash. He waited then charged forward, knocking the Egg Fighters away like bowling pins.
A bright beam of laser light tore down from the sky, leaving a deep, smouldering gash in the earth below. Another laser followed the first, and then a third, then more as a great flock of Egg Chasers descended from the sky.
"Last warning, hedgehog! Get out of here!"
Sonic gasped in mock offense.
"And leave when the fighting's still good? Never!"
He grinned at the Egg Chasers, tauntingly gesturing for them to come closer as he continued dodging their lasers with ease.
He ran. "Unless you guys are trying to start a disco, you're doing a terrible job!"
The ledge narrowed, turning into a thin, jutting trail down the edge of the pit. The Egg Chasers packed together above, thick enough to block the sunlight. But ahead, the ledge evened out, running flush with the bottom of the mine—a great, open pit, bare to the sky, coming down into a hollow cone.
And in the very center, a great, steel structure stood with immense spires reaching upward toward the sky.
Sonic's smile faded to an unamused frown. The structure was such an eyesore, especially when he knew that there was once nature in its place.
Well, at the very least, it would serve his purposes.
Sonic ran at the structure, dashing up the outer wall in an extra burst of speed. The Egg Chasers approached, aiming at him with little success.
Sonic jumped with just enough height to grab onto one of them. He glanced over at the remaining ones.
"All right, so which one of you lucky bots is gonna be the one to actually come close to hitting me?"
Two Egg Chasers swooped down, nearly clanging into each other, then separated as they approached him. Closing in from either side, their lasers tore at the earth, the smell of burning soil rising all around.
Sonic jumped as the lasers approached. The laser struck the Egg Chaser he had held onto instead. He then leaped from Egg Chaser to Egg Chaser in a brilliant blur of blue. Lasers followed behind him but never hit their mark.
"Nope!"
"Try again!"
"Sorry!"
If they failed to hit him, as they always did, they would either strike nothing or pierce the armor of one of the other Egg Chasers.
Sonic loved the smell of fried robot parts.
Before they could even pull up "protocol failed" on their processors, there was only one Egg Chaser left, and Sonic clung to it with a smug smirk. He then spindashed its back, his quills slicing into its rockets as it plummeted to the ground.
Sonic hopped off, standing in front of the structure as he surveyed the damage.
"Hm, looks like you're the last one," he said, as if he didn't already know. "And since the other bots didn't even come close, I guess that makes you the lucky one."
He covered his eyes, ears pointing upwards.
"I'll give you a fighting chance. Go on, I won't look."
The lone Egg Chaser stood there looking somewhat sad and pathetic, grounded like a broken airplane. And yet if the Egg Chaser itself noticed its condition, it didn't seem to deter it. Instead, it dug its heels into the ground and fired. Laser light beamed forward, tearing through the ground in a single, deep rut.
Sonic waited half a second—an agonizingly long time—then dodged. The laser broke through the steel structure, melting a deep hole.
Sonic uncovered his eyes then spindashed confidently through the final Egg Chaser.
He stood proudly on the robot as he threw his hand dramatically up into the air. "And that's the game!"
He chuckled to himself, leaving the scattered robots to themselves as he walked towards the gap.
Before he entered, he took one last peek at the damage he had done. His confidence shined brighter than the sun.
"Huh. Guess none of you were the lucky ones."
He tsk'd, walking inside.
The inside of the structure was dim, made even worse by the sudden break from the sun. Smooth steel sheets smothered the floor, dipping down into a large basin at the very center. Iron beams lined the top, weaving into a lattice of support.
And yet all of this was overpowered by the object in the center: an enormous glass tube made from dark panes. It was impossible to see inside, and it stretched from floor to ceiling, illuminated only by an array of red lights lining the floor.
Sonic gazed upwards, unimpressed.
"I busted into this place for this? A big hunk of whatever and a light show?" he asked, gesturing to the offending objects. He looked around, searching for any sign of Eggman. "Yo, Eggs Benedict! Where's the next swarm of your lamebots? Don't tell me you've gone over easy on me!"
The bolts between the steel panels began to shake, then the panels themselves, then the entire room. The lights flickered, growing to full intensity, brighter and brighter, until they were nearly as bright as the sun outside.
Then the room went dark.
Lights clicked on behind Sonic, illuminating his shadow in a single, long streak.
Sonic's ears perked, but instead of a surprised gasp, he gave an amused smile.
Boss time already? You spoil me, Egghead.
He turned.
Towering above stood the mechanical monstrosity: a great, steel snake. Metallic panels wove together to form the body. Black paint ran across its back, yellow across its stomach. And yet, instead of a head, there was the Egg Mobile, and inside of that—
Dr. Eggman.
"Behold! My greatest creation—the Egg Basilisk!"
"You're still not over that naming thing, huh?" Sonic asked casually, hands on his hips. "So, lemme guess. Before we fight, you wanna talk about why you're here and how inevitable my defeat is because of some big plan. That about right?"
Sonic sat down on the floor, legs crossed and hands resting on the floor. His smirk was as wide as ever. "Go on then, Eggface. Amuse me. I'll even pretend like it matters if you want."
The Egg Basilisk reared backward. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we, hedgehog? You're in that big of a rush to meet your demise?"
A muffled, whirling roar filled the room, emanating from the floor. The lights surrounding the glass tube flashed on and off, flickering faster as the roar grew in intensity. Air hissed through the pipes lining the tube.
"Mazuri is truly wonderful, isn't it? The air here is so clean—exactly what my new generator needs to run. It should last me a long time—that is, until the smog turns the sky black. Then I'll have to find something else." Eggman shrugged. "But that won't matter to you. Today will be your last."
Sonic turned to the glass tube, his mouth dropping open at the sight. The amusement drained from his face. "We'll see about that, Eggface. What's here that's so important anyway that you've gotta make this place as gross as you?"
Eggman smirked. "The geology of Mazuri is very unique. Nowhere on this planet is quite like it. For example, did you know, pincushion, that the continental fault line lies just beneath us?"
"Yeah? Because it's your fault that this place is turning into a wreck?" Sonic snarked, brow raised. "So you just wanna gather up all this land for your rock collection, is that it?"
"Oh yes! The rocks, the dirt—anything inside the planet that I can turn into energy."
Eggman chuckled.
"Now, rodent—prepare to die!"
The Egg Basilisk slammed forward, screeching against the floor and charging toward Sonic.
Sonic scowled, moving away in a burst of speed. "Ah, shoot, and I didn't bring my coffin or anything. Maybe next time."
The Basilisk slithered past the tube, picking up speed as it rounded the corner, then reared up above Sonic. Panels along its side snapped open, revealing an array of laser guns bolted to the machine.
"Ready…" The lasers glowed. "Fire!"
Sonic jumped, backflipping and sidestepping around the lasers.
"Well, you're better than your bots at least." He smirked. The tube gave him an idea, and he dashed for it. "But not by much!"
The Basilisk slammed into the ground, bouncing forward as it screeched between Sonic and the tube.
"Not today, hedgehog!" Eggman slammed the control panel. The lasers dropped back into the machine. The Basilisk rumbled. Spikes burst outward, covering the surface like a pufferfish.
Sonic hummed. "Ooo, that's new."
He ran from the Basilisk, trying to make distance. He didn't need a plan. He just needed action.
The Basilisk lurched backward, nearly coiling in on itself. Then in a burst of momentum, it sprang forward, soaring through the air, spikes gleaming with the red light below.
Sonic sped to Eggman's side, narrowly dodging the Basilisk as it landed. He followed along Eggman as the Basilisk circled the room. Sonic smirked, shouting over his shoulder as he ran, "You think that big caterpillar can catch me? Fat chance, Eggman!"
"Catch you? Who said anything about catching you? The point is to—" The Basilisks spikes tore into the steel, sending a shower of sparks as it moved. It reared up again then went careening toward Sonic. "—crush you!"
Sonic sped up, looking down at the marks in the floor left by the Basilisk's spikes. He shrugged, unimpressed.
"We'll see about that!"
He raced towards the glass tube.
The Basilisk sprang up again, rising over Sonic is a grand arc. For a moment, its shadow eclipsed Sonic, soaring nearly silently above him. Then it tilted down.
Except Sonic wasn't under it any more. He had bolted out of the way just as the Basilisk had come crashing down. So Eggman's cockpit hit the ground instead, and the momentum sent the Basilisk careening into the tube.
The glass cracked, tiny lines spreading across its surface, and yet it did not shatter. Eggman quickly pulled the Basilisk back.
"Don't think you can pull that trick on me, rodent."
Sonic skidded across the steel floor as he stopped, surveying the damage that Eggman's Basilisk had caused.
Smug eyes half-lidded, he grinned. "Don't have to."
He ran, finding his place at the opposite end of the Basilisk. "You left me an opening!"
He jumped and spindashed, aiming himself at the tube before the Basilisk had time to react.
The sharp quills of Sonic's spindash hit the glass. He expected to hear Eggman's angry shout. Or maybe the motor finally shutting down. He had prioritized taking down the machines that were destroying Mazuri's nature first, so that was all that was left.
But that wasn't what happened. Instead, he felt a force slamming against him, forcing him to uncurl. Sonic's vision blurred as he barely registered the blasts of dark purple smoke escaping through the cracks. The cracks multiplied, pieces of glass flying everywhere as Sonic spun in an effort to disperse the energy.
He landed with his usual flair, looking up to the massive hole left in the glass. The purple smoke dissipated out from underneath him, seeming to vanish into the air.
Seeming to.
Sonic glanced up at Eggman with his usual smugness. The power source hadn't been what he expected, but it was most likely just a delayed shutdown reaction.
"Heh, not so tough without your power, huh, Egg—?!" Sonic cut off with a strangled cry. A sharp pain jolted through his body. His breath went short, his legs giving out and forcing him to to the ground. He threw his hands out, skidding across the cold metal floor, stopping his head from slamming against it.
His face, his chest, his whole body felt like it was on fire. He was usually so tolerant of pain, but that tolerance was abandoned as he grunted. The burning sensation swarmed through him like biting insects.
What was this? What was happening? Sonic wasn't sure. His mind was nothing but a jumbled mess as he struggled to lift his head, able to do nothing else but give a weak and confused glare to Eggman.
The Basilisk slowed, coming to a gradual halt. Steam hissed from the cockpit, and the Eggmobile popped off from the head of the snake. It drifted to the ground, and as soon as it got close enough, Eggman scrambled out from it.
"That's the funny thing about power," Eggman said. He dusted off his shoulders, meandering toward Sonic. "It can be used for different things."
Sonic went to retort, but all that came out was a loud yelp as the waves of fire burned inside his body. They flared, joining together, bursting through to every corner of his form.
Sonic winced, shaking as he tried not to look weak in front of Eggman. He was failing, and he knew it.
Something in him was changing. He forced his eyes open, though squinting, and despite the fuzziness of his vision, he could see his skin seemed off-color. His arms and chest itched, as if the fire was trying to escape through them.
Suddenly, Sonic realized that he'd felt this before. Dread followed after the familiarity.
"N-no!" His voice came out weak and pathetic. He could feel his bones reacting to the fire. They melted and stretched like taffy, Sonic panting helplessly at both the heat and pain.
His ears twisted sharply, and the itchiness in his arms and chest flared. A mass of fur grew out along them, fluffing outwards with the rest of his fur. Desperately, Sonic reached a shaky hand to his other arm, grabbing it and squeezing as hard as he could, as if trying to force the transformation to stop. His attempts were futile, both arms thickening and gaining muscle. He felt claws at the ends of his fingers, stressing against the inside of his gloves. His hands expanded, tearing apart the white fabric, light blue skin exposed to the harsh air.
He bit his bottom lip, trying to hold back another cry. His muzzle was shifting, his teeth growing fangs. The entirety of his mouth felt foreign as it widened and adjusted to the transformation's whim.
His torso felt thicker, heavier, and the burning grew strongest there. It was like all of his insides—his organs—were moving, changing, and burning twice as badly as they tried to find a place in his body.
The strength in his legs was the last to go. The feeling of being able to carry him anywhere he wanted to go vanished. Unlike everything else, it was quick and painless, yet somehow, Sonic felt it to be the worst part of the experience.
The fire cleared into mere soreness. Sonic's arms slipped out from beneath him. He dropped to the floor in a heap. Wisps of black seeped through the edges of his vision, and the coldness of the floor did nothing to ease him.
"You wanted to know what was so special about Mazuri, rodent? Or should I say, mutt?" Eggman's boots clicked against the steel floor as he walked. "It was the last place on Earth with a pocket of Dark Gaia energy. Imagine that, hmm?"
To Sonic, it was like Eggman's voice was miles away. He couldn't think. There was an uncomfortable pounding in his ears that he couldn't shake.
He huffed, pushing himself up into a sitting position and staring silently at his form.
His werehog form. The one he never thought he would see again.
"Of course, given this was the last pocket, I had to take extra precautions to ensure you got the right dosage. It would have been a terrible shame to expose you to it, only to have nothing happen but fur grow out of your ears. So I made sure to expose to a little more...condensed energy than last time."
Sonic's ears flicked at Eggman's words. He glared up at the doctor, but felt vertigo from the simple movement.
Why was it so hard to think?
He swallowed, trying to ready a comeback in his head. A growl came out instead, harsh and animalistic.
He tried to think, to think up some sort of plan that would stop Eggman and reverse this.
Instead, he only felt one emotion.
Aggression.