Lost
"Water! Why is there always water!"
Even though Joe Sushi was present, Sonic actually wasn't asking the walrus a question. Rather it was a rhetorical one. On South Island, it had been the Labyrinth Zone. On Westside Island, it had been the Aquatic Ruins. On Angel Island, it had been Hydrocity. And now, having chased Robotnik back to South Island after their confrontation at Splash Hill, the hedgehog had come to the last place he wanted to visit. And "third time lucky" wasn't going to change anything.
"So, Sonic..." Joe began awkwardly, sensing the hedgehog's frustration. "What are you going to do?"
"Do?" asked Sonic. "Well, for starters I'm going to rescue Tux."
The walrus smiled gratefully. "Just like old times, eh?"
"Pretty much."
Of all the animals on South Island Sonic had made friends with, Joe Sushi struck Sonic as the most wise, the one with the most insight. And considering that his first words after being freed from a burrowbot was that Tux the Penguin had been captured, perhaps the most compassionate. Still, Sonic doubted even the walrus knew how right he was in regards to "old times." Since the destruction of the Death Egg, Eggman had apparently gone old school in an attempt to defeat his nemesis. And apparently part of the plan was drawing his foe back to the one place on South Island that Sonic hated even more than Scrap Brain.
The Labyrinth Zone...Sonic thought to himself, the word rolling over in his brain like it was part of a bad joke. The civilization on this island was able to build structures in and around lava, was able to make blocks float above the Green Hills and yet they couldn't keep their labyrinth from being submerged? Heck, even the 360 degree arcs made more sense than this!
Robotnik had often commented that idiocy was a universal constant in one of his many attempts to insult Sonic while the hedgehog tore into his Eggmobile. Since Westside and Angel Island had gone the same way in underwater cities, Sonic was inclined to agree. But even after all that occurred, after Tails had demonstrated his own skill in the water and forced Sonic to follow, the Labyrinth Zone still made him ill.
Great. If I don't drown, then I'll still wind up with a cold...
"Alright," said Sonic suddenly, resolving to go through the same process of underwater battle and evasion again. "Best get back to the Green Hills Joe. The Labyrinth Zone awaits and-..."
"It's not called that."
Sonic spun around, turning away from the sea of green that was the watery version of Hell. He was surprised to find that Joe was still here and even more surprised that he'd interrupted him. Cut back another lifetime and he might have simply ignored the resident of South Island. Still, coupled with a reduction in narcissism after meeting Tails and...ugh, Knuckles and a lingering desire to put off getting into the water, Sonic decided to give him the time of day. So instead of speeding off into the distance, Sonic did what he disliked almost as much as water and stayed put.
"Not called that?" the hedgehog asked. "What do you mean?"
"The Labyrinth Zone," Joe answered. "That's no longer its name. Not after what's happened..."
"...which is?"
"Look around you Sonic. Just stand still and look."
Standing still could be bad enough and if Sonic was to look at things, he preferred to do it while moving. Still, he gave Joe the benefit of the doubt and looked at the labyrinth. Water, waterfalls, ruined architecture. More ruined than he remembered, but that hardly fazed him. The entire labyrinth could be erased from existence for all he cared and he wouldn't bat an eyelid.
"It's not the Labyrinth Zone anymore," said Joe sadly. "Not after all the excavation Robotnik's done. Now it's the Lost Labyrinth."
"Excavation?" Sonic asked. "For what?"
Joe shrugged. "I don't know. Did the doctor's motives ever make sense to you?"
The hedgehog remained silent. He'd never given Eggman's motives much thought. He wanted power as a means to an end, or sometimes as an end in itself. Going deeper than that didn't really seem important.
Come to think of it, the labyrinth did look worse for wear. And admittedly it wasn't the first time Robotnik had ruined it, using it as a dumping ground for Scrap Brain's waste in their second confrontation on South Island. The same mega mack Sonic had fallen into and narrowly avoided back in the chemical plant on Westside. But while that had been an isolated part of the system, looking at the damage now, this covered the whole zone.
"This labyrinth stood here for thousands of years," said Joe sadly. "And now...well, it's fallen victim to things other than time."
Sonic twisted a foot awkwardly, feeling the desire to run build up. He'd never really been into archaeology, certainly not like how Tails had been in the Aquatic Ruins or Knuckles's apparent fanaticism in protecting the secrets of Angel Island from the "thieves." And while Robotnik had destroyed before, there hadn't really been anything he'd damaged that wouldn't heal in time. But this damage to the Labyrinth Zone, or the "Lost Labyrinth" as it had become...this time, the damage was permanent.
Maybe the whole thing will collapse. Save me some time.
Sonic thought that, but didn't mean it. He despised the Labyrinth Zone, had been as frustrated with it as he had been with a certain idiotic echidna that he'd met not too long ago. But he never seriously considered wishing it harm, if such a term could be used. It wasn't a living, breathing thing after all. But still, as much as he disliked water, that didn't mean the dislike had to extend to the ruin as a whole. It wasn't the builders' intention to have it flooded after all.
"Listen, I better go," said Sonic eventually, really meaning it this time. "See ya Joe."
"Yeah..." said the walrus sadly, his gaze still on the Lost Labyrinth. "See ya..."
Going into a spin, Sonic shot forward, wanting to stay in the air as long as possible before descending into the depths.
He'd have more on his mind than just where to get air bubbles.
A/N
I don't know how or why the knowledge that Lost Labyrinth from Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a ruined version of the Labyrinth Zone sparked the idea for this oneshot. We all have our own experiences, but at least on the 16-bit version of STH1, the zone was the most annoying level in the whole game and second only to Scrap Brain in the 8-bit version. Still, all dead deserve respect...or something.