Chapter 8: How It Started
Hi guys! Hope you enjoy this new chapter! And sorry for the long wait.
XXX
After the entire village celebrated the addition two new Freedom Fighters to the ever-growing list, Chuck took Sonic and Tails back to their house. As the fox went into the house, the blue one's uncle took him into his work shop.
"Sonic, there's something that I want to show you." Charles announced as he led him to the back of the room.
"What is it?" The teenager inquired as he saw a tarpaulin covering something on a pedestal.
"This is something that I found on one of the islands, before I came here." He said as he pulled off the sheet that covered the platform. Upon it was a huge green diamond.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Sonic replied as he stared at its radiant beauty.
"It is, isn't it? It's called a Chaos Emerald, Sonny. No one knows where they originated from, but it is said that there are seven in total and all of them are very powerful. Legends say that whoever possesses the seven Emeralds has the ability to rule the world. It is also stated that…"
"Wow. It must be very important." Sonic said quietly as he approached the pedestal, unnoticed, until the last minute.
"Don't touch it!" His uncle shouted as he desperately placed the tarpaulin back on the jewel, while Sonic immediately withdrew his hand, not noticing that a strange glow had radiated from the gem, as the young hedgehog approached it. "I'm still not sure what happens when a Mobian touches a Chaos Emerald. Wait until I've done some research before touching it ok, nephew?"
"Yeah, sure."
XXX
One year had passed after Sonic and Tails became Freedom Fighters. They had managed to hone their skills with intense training and they were seen as some of the best. So Uncle Chuck and the King decided to send them on a mission.
"We want you two to find more information about the Chaos Emeralds. If you find any, bring them back here for research. You can use my plane to travel around."
"Sure thing!" Sonic said as Chuck gave him the Emerald in a small box.
Later that afternoon, Sonic and Tails were preparing for takeoff. They packed a few bags, took off from Knothole and headed to the North.
XXX
"Hey, Tails, are we there yet?"
"Ugh, Sonic. We'll get there when we get there." The fox moaned after hearing his brother ask that question for the fifty-seventh time in the last five minutes.
The vulpine had been flying Uncle Chuck's small bi-plane for the past three hours with Sonic the Hedgehog lying on a wing of the plane. The small cub was astonished that the aircraft had lasted for so long. The plane had clearly seen better days, especially with all the rust and decay. Tails decided to try and better tune up the plane once they got back – if they got back that is. While navigating through the clouds, he only hoped that they'd be able to land soon.
The blue Mobian yawned loudly, reached into his back quills and then fished out the box that the Chaos Emerald was stored in. He opened the container and looked at it for a moment. "Tails, are we-"
"Sonic!" Tails barked in warning.
Said hedgehog instantly gasped. Not at the fox's intimidating move, but at the fact that his Emerald was now glowing brightly. He shielded his eyes from the brightness. Suddenly, the plane shuddered and began to automatically descend at a rapid pace.
"Agh! I can't pull up!" Tails screamed as he tried to pull the plane back up.
He tried everything to get the aircraft back in control, but it was no use. Once the plane was low enough, the clouds suddenly dissipated and the fox could finally see land ahead.
He then directed the plane as best he could, and at the last second, he managed to pull up. There was a straight stretch of land and soon, the plane ground to a halt.
He panted hard. Sweat pooled from his head and he tried to fix his ruffled-up fringe back into place.
"Hey, Tails, are we-"
"Shut up!"
XXX
After parking the plane on a new found runway, Sonic and Tails gazed at the beautiful scenery, from the attractive grasslands, lush forests, sparkling waterfalls and stunning mountains. This place was gorgeous and literally untouched. The only inhabitants were the small animals.
They remembered why they were here and set to work. Tails used a computer while they explored the area. The two Mobians loved the tranquillity and serenity of this place. They wondered how a place like this had remained so unspoilt by human interaction for so long.
XXX
After several hours, the fox and hedgehog decided to have a small picnic on the vigorous, green grass. As Sonic placed a blanket on the ground, Tails went to the plane and fetched a basket. The hedgehog opened it and fished out two chili dogs and two bottles of soda.
"This place sure is beautiful!" The blue one remarked as he enjoyed the peaceful scenery. He laughed a little as a squirrel clambered up his body and sat on his head.
"Absolutely!" The vulpine added.
"I wonder why this place is only inhabited by animals, I mean, there are no humans around."
"I know! Maybe we should bring everyone here instead. That way, we won't have to worry about overlanders anymore." The cub suggested optimistically.
"I'm not so sure about that, Tails. This place was hidden pretty well. Perhaps this land isn't meant to be harmed by anyone."
"Maybe you're right." The fox said before yawning. "Well, I'm beat."
"Good night, Tails." Blue said as he rolled out his sleeping bag.
"Good night, Sonic."
XXX
The next morning was bright and beautiful. Sonic was the first to wake up. He stretched and took a look around. He enjoyed the scents of the grass, flowers and water flowing nearby. He couldn't help but think that something was odd, compared to yesterday. He glanced in every direction, listening for any sound.
That was when he realized it. There were no sounds, save for the waterfall. None of the animals could be heard. No flickies chirping in the sky, no squirrels or chipmunks chittering in the trees and there were certainly no rabbits rustling in the tall grass nearby.
"Tails, wake up!" Sonic barked as he shook the fox awake.
Said cub stirred. "What is it?" He said sleepily, unamused at the hedgehog's frantic behaviour.
"The animals! They're all gone!"
"What?!" Tails exclaimed, but then listened with his ears. "You're right, Sonic! What happened?"
"I don't know, bro. But we're going to find out!" Said hedgehog replied as they left their camp.
XXX
After an hour of searching for the animals, they found none around, but they did see something unusual on the ground.
"Sonic, these look like tyre tracks." The fox announced as he examined the unusual pattern.
"What?! Humans must be here then and they have our friends! Let's stop them, Tails, and put an end to this once and for all!" The blue blur said and sped off. The fox soon followed behind him.
After following the tracks for a minute, they came to a dead end. The trail stopped abruptly. Sonic and Tails searched for more tracks.
Suddenly, the hedgehog was bowled over by something from behind and he gave a loud yelp of surprise, grabbing the fox's attention.
It appeared to be a big ladybug, but it had pincers and a wheel instead of legs.
"Sonic, what is that?!" The fox asked his brother.
Said hedgehog was recovering from the attack. "I don't know… but it's going down!" He said as he dashed forward, tucked into a blue ball and smashed head-first into that thing.
As the ladybug creature burst into a thousand pieces, the vulpine noticed that it was in fact made of metal. Sonic noticed something move and gazed up. He saw that it was a blue flicky bird that sprouted from the metallic insect.
"Thank you for releasing me!" He chirped happily. "Someone is using us to power these machines. Please stop them!"
Both Sonic and Tails exchanged a glance and took off into the forest.
They found even more of those robots and thrashed them all, releasing their friends from their metal cages.
XXX
After a few hours, they made it back to the plains.
"I think that's all of them!" Sonic said, breathing hard.
"Yeah… I think so too." Tails panted. His ears suddenly pricked up in alertness.
"What is it, Tails?"
Suddenly a huge rumble brought their attention to the trees. A large aircraft hovered in front of them and inside it was a strange man. Sonic instantly recognised him as that same man he saw back in that giant metal city.
The man laughed. "Well, well! What do we have here?"
"Tails, get out of here!" Sonic barked sternly as he stepped in front of his brother, holding one of his arms out protectively.
"I'm not going anywhere without you!" Said Mobian protested.
"Just go back to the plane! I'll be fine! GO!" The hedgehog commanded.
Tails could clearly see that once his brother had made up his mind, there was no stopping him. "Ok, but be careful!" The fox said hesitantly, before running back towards the plane.
Before he disappeared into the undergrowth, Sonic gave him a thumbs up, signifying that everything was going to be alright.
Once the kit disappeared, the blue creature turned back around to face this strange human.
"Who are you?!" Sonic asked.
"So, introductions! Oh, but I already know who you are. You are Sonic the Hedgehog!"
"And you're a deranged psychopath!" Said animal grumbled under his breath.
"And I am the Great Doctor Eggman!" The scientist smiled as he took a bow, not hearing the Mobian's previous comment.
"…" Sonic was absolutely stunned at this and didn't know what to say.
The human rose again and within a few seconds, his eye brows furrowed and his grin disappeared as he was met with total silence.
"You… don't remember me at all, do you?"
"Should I?" Blue asked as he folded his arms, unamused at this ridiculous display.
Sonic's triangular ears suddenly perked up when he heard the human mutter something to himself. The hedgehog couldn't be absolutely certain, but it sounded like something on the lines of 'what a pity'.
But he didn't have time to think as the so-called doctor said something else. "So, you're the naughty little blue rat who snuck into my city and freed all my slaves, and now you're the one who destroyed all my new robots that were being powered by the animals here. Guess I have you to thank for this little disruption."
"That's right! I won't let you get away with hurting my friends, or turning them into mindless robots!"
"You know, you really need to keep your nose out of my matters, kid."
"But why are you doing this? Why are you making so many Mobians suffer?"
"Because my mission is to gather the Chaos Emeralds and rule the world. And I will complete my assignment by any means necessary."
"Are you insane!? Mobians are not slaves to be used by a bunch of overlanders!"
"A child like you cannot possibly begin to contemplate what I intend to achieve."
"I refuse to accept this!"
"I don't need you to accept it, but what do you plan to do about it? Are you going to fight me?"
"Absolutely!" Sonic said as he prepared himself.
"So be it, you arrogant, little hedgehog!" He shouted as he pulled his hovercraft upwards. "You know, I was going to let you go with just a fair warning…" The doctor replied calmly, before he pushed a button and a large chequered, metal wrecking ball, attached to a large chain fell from the machine's underside.
He then yelled, "…but now it appears that you need to be put thoroughly in your place!"
The human then pressed another button, which caused the large ball to drop at a rapid pace. Sonic only had milliseconds to react and dived to his right. He then glanced back and ran away before the chequered orb could hit him again.
Eggman performed the same action several times across the plain and at each attempt, the blue one managed to narrowly dodge each attack, gaining a little bit of confidence each time.
Once the hedgehog had acquired enough distance, he glanced back and had a smirk on his face. "Too slow, Egghead!"
The doctor growled. He then decided to switch to plan B. He pulled a lever, which made the large ball swing back and then come charging forward.
Sonic started to run away from it and dashed up a steep hill before leaping backwards towards the human. He landed on Eggman's head and then jumped off the back of the hovercraft. That was when he remembered the swinging ball, which came up to greet him.
"Gah!" The blue blur yelped as he was hit and knocked onto the ground.
"Is that really all you've got to offer?" The human asked as he watched the animal attempt to stand up on his shaking legs, while holding his head and groaning a little from the pain. He then shook himself and glared at the doctor with determination in his eyes.
Upon witnessing this, Eggman decided to goad him on. "I'm disappointed."
When he heard this, Sonic became very angry. He grit his teeth and began to hiss at the human with his azure spines bristling. The hedgehog then started to run away from him, before turning back around and speeding towards the moving ball.
"Where'd you go?!" Eggman asked as he looked around, once the animal passed beneath his hovercraft.
Presently his chequered sphere came back up behind him, with Sonic standing on it, who then proceeded to blow a raspberry tauntingly.
"Why you-! Grr…Obnoxious little hedgehog! I'll crush your foolish pride!" The doctor growled.
The blue one then jumped off the ball and began to attack the underside of the hovercraft when it was exposed. Eggman yelped as his invention was knocked to and fro.
"Stop that!" The human commanded.
"Fine!" Sonic replied. He then hit the craft so hard that the chain snapped and the ball went rolling away along the ground.
The hedgehog then turned to meet his adversary, who was now utterly defenceless. "So, Eggman. As you can see, I've stopped your plan to turn my friends into robots. What do you have to say about that?"
"This!" The scientist announced to the Mobian.
Sonic was so distracted that he didn't realize that the human had pressed a button on his control panel. Said animal spun around to be met by a giant killer robot that had transformed from the chequered ball. The blue one had no time to react as the robot punched him in the face.
The small animal was flung hard into the ground.
Witnessing his foe to likely be severely wounded, Eggman decided to depart.
"Wait!"
The human stopped in his tracks and looked behind him.
"…Is… that all… you've got… Egghead?" Sonic questioned as he climbed out of the small crater and got up on wobbly blue legs, trying hard to regain his balance. The human was amazed, and secretly impressed, to see the bruised and battered hedgehog still standing.
"I'm surprised that you're still conscious after that hit. I should warn you that this robot has been modified thanks to the legendary six Chaos Emeralds that I've recovered from around the world."
'Wait…Six?! That means that he doesn't know!' Sonic had to smirk at this interesting advantage. Blood dripped out of his mouth and from a gash on his right eye.
The scientist also noticed the critical wounds. "I'd advise you to stand down and join me. With your abilities, you would have a very satisfactory position within my ranks."
The human's eyebrows suddenly furrowed as he heard laughter coming from the hedgehog.
"You think that I'd do that to my friends? You really are crazy!"
Eggman growled. "Curse you! Robot, ATTACK!"
The mech ran forward in order to attack the hedgehog. Sonic lunged forward, intending to destroy the robot.
As he sped forward, Sonic started to wheeze and he clutched one of his sides. It seemed as though that hit had also damaged some of his ribs, and now he was paying the price for it. This caused him to slow down a little, but it was sufficient to give the machine the upper hand. It managed to grab Sonic in one of its large hands before he could dodge. The blue one squirmed within its grasp.
"Last chance, hedgehog. Will you join me?" The doctor asked.
"NEVER!" The blue one replied defiantly.
Eggman became extremely furious at the hedgehog's strong spirit and with a snap of his fingers, the robot flung Sonic into a huge cliff nearby. This caused the animal to adhere to the surface for a moment, before careening to the ground. The force of the impact had also caused a rockslide and soon, the Mobian was crushed beneath about a ton of rock.
Knowing his enemy was very likely to be unconscious, the human began to depart from the battle field with the six Chaos Emeralds.
XXX
With a groan, Sonic awoke, and as he looked around, he realized that he was trapped in a small chamber created by the rocks. As he rose to his knees, he felt a warm liquid spill down his body and legs. When he stood up, he could feel his entire form ache.
But even that wouldn't stop him from trying to push the rocks out of the way, but they were too large for him. He then tried to dig his way out, but to no avail. Sonic grew frustrated because he knew that he didn't want to give up. He wasn't finished fighting Eggman and wanted to teach the crazy doctor a lesson that he wouldn't soon forget.
As he thought about that, he suddenly noticed a green glow nearby. Guided by its reassuring light, the blue blur began to dig in that spot; until he found the familiar box that his uncle had given to him.
When he opened the lid, the green Chaos Emerald shone even brighter. That was when the hedgehog heard a female voice in his head speaking to him.
"You must find a way to defeat Eggman, Sonic…Because if you don't find a way, no one ever will."
As said Mobian heard this, he then thought of all his friends, that he met and cared about over the past few years. Thinking about them had suddenly given him strength and when he touched the Chaos Emerald, that was when he noticed a strange glow start to form.
XXX
Meanwhile, as the crazy human left with his giant robot, he noticed that it was starting to glow in several places.
"What's this?" He asked himself as it began to glow even brighter.
As he approached his creation, he yelped as six lights burst out of its arms, legs and chest and shot out into the pile of rock beneath the cliff.
"Agh! My Emeralds!" Eggman gasped, his hand outstretched to try and grab them, but to no avail.
But once they entered the rubble, a strange golden glow suddenly filled the surrounding area, and with an instant explosion, the debris was suddenly floating in a circle in the sky. In the centre of it all, was a golden hued hedgehog.
"No! It can't be!" The human gasped.
XXX
Sonic couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was now out of the rocks, which were now suspended around him, and as he looked at his now healed body, he realised that he was now bathed in a bright golden aura. But the most important thing that he noticed was that he was literally floating in the air.
As he glanced around, he then spotted Eggman and his robot dead ahead and knew what he had to do.
With a mere gesture of his arms, he launched all the boulders at the robot. Said machine tried to block, but it had taken some damage, before it could raise its shields.
While this was happening, Sonic lunged forward, and after a few sloppy movements during his glide, he succeeded in getting accustomed to flight.
As he dashed, he noticed his aura build up around him into a kind of barrier. As he approached, the robot tried to block him, but the gold hedgehog burst through the shield as though it was nothing but paper.
It was then that the robot tried to punch him, but Sonic just dodged one hand and blocked the other. The hand to hand combat went on like this for a few seconds, before the gold hedgehog saw an opening and kicked the robot's head off its metal shoulders. After this happened, a rapid golden streak passed through one of the machine's arms and then the other.
After a moment, both the limbs suddenly fell to the ground. They were completely torn apart from the robot's body.
Eggman watched as his creation was practically disabled from its combat functions and as he looked onward from his hovercraft, he saw the gold hedgehog swing back around to finish it off. The doctor could only twitch an eye as he saw the Mobian enter the robot's body, exit out where its head once was and escape the explosion that was now inevitable.
The doctor then pulled his craft away from the destroyed robot, but was caught in the explosion. His vehicle was badly damaged as it was knocked to the ground. The human panted as he took in his surroundings. His robot was obliterated, his hovercraft was almost destroyed, he was covered in soot, and now his master plans were all but ruined, thanks to that smart-alec little hedgehog.
As soon as the human thought of that last part, he wondered where said Mobian was. But he didn't have to wait too long as the gold hedgehog landed right in front of his hovercraft.
With another gesture, Sonic created a small gold barrier in front of him, and with a wave of his hand, his gold fur transformed back into its royal blue colour once again. Upon doing this, the seven Chaos Emeralds surrounding him, suddenly dispersed and flew off all over the land.
As soon as Eggman saw this, he growled in frustration. "It took me years to find those Chaos Emeralds. Count yourself lucky, Sonic. If I'd known that there were seven before, I would've won this battle. No matter, it's just a little setback from what I've got planned next." The human said as he got his craft ready to take off.
"Wait! I don't care what I have to do or how long it takes! I'll destroy your lousy plans every single time! And whenever you feel the wind blowing, I'll always be there…to stop you!"
"You know, you're really determined on getting on my nerves! But mark my words, this isn't over, Sonic! You haven't heard the last of Doctor Eggman!" The human remarked before taking off and disappearing into the distance.
The blue hedgehog watched as the doctor fled the scene and was about to give chase, until he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Sonic!" Tails barked out in relief as he ran over and gave the hedgehog a hug.
"Hey, Tails!" Said Mobian replied happily.
"Are you alright? I saw a huge explosion, so I assumed that you were hurt."
"No, I'm fine… just a little tired." Sonic announced. He guessed that it was from that rough fight, but also from his transformation, thanks to the now scattered seven Chaos Emeralds.
"By the way, what happened to that human?" The fox asked as he looked around.
"I taught him a lesson that he won't soon forget and then he flew off. He calls himself 'Eggman'."
Tails chuckled at this. "Yeah, he did look like an egg! Do you think we'll see him again?" He then asked curiously.
"I hate to say it, but I think so." Blue replied. "It sounded as though he wasn't finished here yet."
"Maybe he went to that ancient marble city that I spotted earlier. It could be hiding some valuable treasure there too, thanks to all that lava surrounding it."
But Sonic, however, wasn't listening to that last part. He was convinced that as long as Eggman was around, there was bound to be trouble. "Listen, Tails. I want you to stay here for a little while until I return."
"What?! But where are you going?!"
"I'm going to stop Eggman. I'll be back soon!" He then announced as he sped off in a blue streak.
"…Ok, but be careful." The fox mostly said to himself, before heading back to the Tornado to make a few readjustments. He was certain that Sonic would be alright and would be back by lunchtime.
XXX
I loved the Sonic Movie! Was anyone else also expecting to see a fight like this at the end of the Movie?
I've had this chapter made up for about four years, but I never felt happy with it. Nothing went the way I had intended; no matter how much I tweaked it. So, after seeing the new Sonic Movie and being inspired by it, I decided to go ahead with this version.
What I love about the Movie, apart from Sonic's redesign and cute, non-cocky personality, is the fact that unlike the majority of new dimensions that we're first introduced to, Sonic and Eggman don't know each other at all in this one.