You Can't Go Home Again
"Hey doc, love the clown costume."
"Keep laughing, little rodent. You won't be able to see it once your eyes are back in the dirt."
Bathed in the light of the setting sun, Sonic grinned at the egg-shaped human residing in a vehicle of the same dimensions, a different suit being worn this time. It was hardly a surprise really, that Robotnik would be at Splash Hill. True, it was a bit of a shock to find the area swarming with badniks, but the hedgehog had gone through the same experience when he'd first arrived on South Island. Dodge the robots, crack their casings and sooner or later he'd come across the big egg himself. So, with Robotnik descending from the sky in his Eggmobile, Sonic wasn't frightened. Indeed, coupled with the 'challenge' Eggman could provide him and the nostalgia of their first encounters, the hedgehog was actually looking forward to this.
Wonder what weapon he'll use this time...the speedster wondered, drowning out the Eggman's rants. Hopefully something actually challenging...
Then again, this being their first meeting, he'd probably choose something basic. Either way, flipping up onto one of the two floating pieces of earth, Sonic prepared to find out.
"See you're using old badnik designs," Sonic continued. "Buzzers, jaws, motobugs...what happened doc? Did the yoke of your minions go down with the Death Egg?"
The doctor didn't answer, but a slight quiver in his moustache was enough to show that the memory of his destroyed space station was still an unpleasant one. Come to think of it, in some respects, it had been unpleasant for Sonic too, what with deluded echidnas, robot hedgehogs and a battle in outer space. Still, Sonic had been able to fly away from Angel Island with his health, his best friend and even a new...ally. Robotnik however, had barely been able to fly at all.
"So what's it gonna be this time?" the hedgehog asked, seeing Eggman fiddling with the controls of his ship. "The flamethrower? The mallet? What device of doom is your Eggmobile equipped with this-..."
Clonk.
"...time?"
Blinking multiple times, Sonic still found it hard to believe what his eyes were showing him. He hadn't expected something too lethal from Robotnik-not at this stage at any rate. But of all the weapons the doctor could have used, of all the methods of attempted destruction he could have chosen, he'd deployed what was perhaps the most inefficient mechanism of them all.
"A wrecker ball," said Sonic blankly. "I defeat you at South Island twice, I down your Death Egg twice, and you think you're going to beat me with...with...huh?"
It was around this time that the hedgehog realized two things. The first was that Eggman was unusually quiet. The second was that it was only now he was breaking that bout of silence. Not with rants, not with threats, but with laughter.
"You poor child..." the doctor mused. "Always running forward yet always looking back."
"Um...what?" Sonic asked blankly. Usually by this point Robotnik would be saying "blasted rodent" or, if he was really quick, flying off shouting "I hate that hedgehog!" Laughing in the manner he displayed now was the last thing he expected.
"Look around you Sonic," the Eggman declared, gesturing over the sunset-bathed hills. "Does this look like the Green Hills to you? The Emerald Hills even? Or is some fairy tale combination of both?"
Sonic didn't know what to say. For the first time that he could remember, Robotnik had the verbal upper hand.
"Sonic, this isn't the first time I've used the wrecker ball and if by some chance you foil my latest plan, I'll still return to use it again," Robotnik declared. "I'm perfectly capable of reusing old badniks and ideas. But you, little rodent, will always be tied to the past. A snivelling little child who arrives on South Island with delusions of grandeur."
"Delusions?" Sonic asked. "You were the one who left Scrap Brain in defeat."
"Maybe. But if you return there Sonic, what then?" the doctor sneered. "What will you do?"
The hedgehog didn't answer.
"What you'll do, Sonic, is long for the experiences you once had. You'll long for your first sight of a motobug, the thrill of dodging a buzz bomber. You'll always harken back to the start of your miserable little crusade while I, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, will always look forward."
"Doc, I think-..."
"And what about Westside Island?" Eggman continued. "You'll never be able to land your plane without expecting a toddler to emerge wanting to be your best friend. You'll never be able to escape from the yearning for a repeat of that moment, of finding someone that you were willing to reciprocate such friendship to. Even now, as you've been smashing my badniks here, you've been elsewhere Sonic. You've been in the Green Hills, doing your best to repeat history. And that's why you've cited the wrecker ball as not being a threat. Because deep down, you know that it was a threat the first time you faced it and you'll never be able to experience that again.
Sonic still remained silent. There were over a dozen insults he could levy at Robuttnik right now, but somehow he didn't have the heart to. Maybe it was from surprise. Or, more likely, it was from the realization that the doctor was right. His early battles on South Island, his meeting Tails on Westside Island, his glee at seeing Knuckles realize he'd been duped. Yes, he could return to the places where these occurred, but the events were lost to history. South Island had been the start of something special, the Green Hills especially. So special that looking at Splash Hill now, for all its beauty in the setting sun, it felt like little more than a hollow imitation.
"Well hedgehog?" Robotnik asked. "Shall I continue to wreck your hopes and dreams figuratively? Or shall I move on to literal things and do it do your body?"
"How about neither?" murmured Sonic. "How about I just send you packing and give you the same result you'll always get?"
It wasn't the most effective comeback he could have used, but Sonic didn't care. For all of Robotnik's malice, he'd at least shown the hedgehog a truth he'd evaded until now. Always running forward, he had to look forward as well. Nothing would ever match his first experiences. He'd never have a better friend than Tails. Maybe it was time to accept that and deal with the present.
And, as the doctor made his first swing, deal with Eggman as well.
A/N
This oneshot was 'inspired' by footage from Sonic the Hedgehog 4 at E3, though despite its vibe, it's not actually a criticism of the game. Indeed, the expo made me more reciprocal to it, showing that the game is, as far as I can tell, riding on more than just nostalgia. While I have nothing against going back to 2D basics, I think a sucesfull game needs to have more than just a retro feel to suceed. The Greenhill Zone was where it all started and, to me at least, no installment in the series will ever surpass the likes of Sonic 3 and Knuckles (at least in 2D, I'm actually reciprocal to quite a few 3D games) or beat the nostalgia of the zones of South Island and Westside Island. It's good to remember the past, but we shouldn't be trapped by it. So hopefully STH4 will be a good game based on its own merits in addition to invoking memories of early zones...
...and the wrecker ball. Nothing beats that. ;)