Rushing onward across the Marble Bridge's underground dungeon, Sally's eyes narrowed at the sight of several more Badniks while handling her wooden bow. She jerked out another arrow from her quiver and pulled on the bow's string to shoot at the next few targets.
Each shot fired popped open a woodland critter from out of any Badnik that approached her. Able to withstand multiple times of use without breaking a sweat, the princess had left a trail of broken parts from any Badnik that tried to assail her.
The princess soon spotted what appeared to be a hermit crab-based Badnik called the Spikes, using two claws to swipe and slash at Sally. She performed a short backflip and zipped to the side. Sally quickly grabbed the next arrow and shot it into the Spikes.
It penetrated, destroying the hermit crab-based Badnik until an animal popped out. Once Sally continues sprinting throughout the dungeon, she came across swinging pendulum platforms, much like those from Green Hill, but in the sequence above lava rivers. There were a couple of small fireballs shooting up and down close by.
But of course, that didn't stop Sally from succeeding. "Okay, okay, okay! Here we go!" she uttered.
Muttering to reassure herself, she allowed her timing to go right as the princess hopped a safe journey to the opposite side. A Cater-Killer slithered its way to seek for a bite at the princess, but she barrel-rolled before anything else happened. Sally held her bow up again and shot clean through the caterpillar-based Badnik until it became destroyed. A critter waggled some pieces off and bounced away, leaving Sally all by herself to her thoughts once again.
As Sally proceeds onward, she recalls back when she and her family emerged onto Castle Acorn's balcony and waved the crowd below. She even remembered sitting on her father's shoulder while waving happily alongside her mother and twin brother.
"I may haven't the foggiest idea of what Elias was like, but we both knew there would come a time when we'd have to take on specific duties and responsibilities..." Sally ponders, reliving back to how she had changed into a refined young girl, with conceivably a scarce grave of a standpoint about life for someone her age. "...though, I never assumed that I'd have to start so early."
Later that one night, Sally's sleep was interrupted by Rosie Woodchuck, who scooped her up in her arms.
"Sweetheart, wake up!" she whispered with a concerned tone of voice.
"Zzz…? Rosie?" Sally mumbled groggily with a yawn. "What's wrong…?"
"Hush now, dear. We need to hurry!" said Rosie as she carried Sally over and out of the bedroom.
King Nigel Acorn, gazing outside a window in his throne room, saw chaos unfolding throughout his kingdom below. Some of the civilians started fleeing from numerous Swat-Bots, while the unlucky ones became captured and robotized.
"That it should come to this, what have I been doing all this time?" The King walks back, doing his best to maintain his composure.
"Daddy!" Sally called out to King Acorn and rushed towards him, seemingly terrified. "Daddy, what's going on? Why are those things attacking the city?"
The King soon sighed and knelt to speak with his daughter, "Sally, my dear. My wish was to raise you and Elias in a peaceful kingdom so that one day you both may succeed me and lead the Four Islands of Mobius to a new age of prosperity. But my paranoia allowed me to become duped by the real enemy."
"W-What are you-?" Sally tried to speak further until King Acorn shushes her gently.
"Sally, you must go. I can't afford to lose you as well."
Sally nearly began to cry, "But daddy, I'm scared! What if I never see you again?"
"We will, Sally. In years to come." The King slowly smiled, allowing a lone tear to roll down his cheek. "In the meantime, you must stay strong for me, you understand? Don't look back and be safe."
Sally sniffled with a shaken nod, "Y-Yes, daddy."
"I love you, remember that." King Acorn kisses his child's forehead and hugs just as Rosie appears before them.
"We must leave at once, princess," Rosie stated, placing both hands on Sally's shoulders.
"But what about mother and Elias? Are they okay too?" Sally gazed back at her father, who winced in grief while striving to reply.
"Sally, they are-!"
King Acorn is suddenly interrupted from speaking further as they each hear a loud banging on the throne room doors behind him.
"Open up, soon-to-be-former king! It is time for that SPECIAL treat I promised you!" Dr. Robotnik's sinister voice oozed like poison down somebody's throat.
Determined, he nudges Sally to Rosie gently with a firm voice, "Take Princess Sally and the evacuating survivors to Knothole Villiage, Rosie. They'll be safe within the Great Forest where your cousin, Julayla, has settled. She will teach her everything she needs to know."
"Of course, your highness," Rosie answered gravely, leaving away with Sally alongside her.
The last thing Sally saw of her father was him walking towards the door, unsheathing a royal golden sword from his scabbard, ready to defend his kingdom.
Over Mobotropolis, pleats of fire reach high into the air to break up the cool blue colors of the night. There are some far-off screams and commotion that are breaking the quiet night ambiance. Outside behind the castle, Rosie tried to get some young survivors out to escape. She cracks the big castle doors open and peeks about. Rosie then motions for the children to exit the castle door.
"Quickly! You must hurry," belted Rosie, evident in her voice that she's freaking out but still trying to stay composed.
"It's all right. We're just going to go to a safe place for a while."
A few youngsters noticeably tripped but got back up again before running off in a panic. As Sally runs past, she stops though to catch her breath.
Sally motions back towards the castle doors behind her. "But Daddy is still inside. He's-!" said Sally.
"Yes, and you must go to a safe place while your Father protects the Kingdom," responded Rosie.
"But Daddy needs help!" whined Sally, beginning to tear up. She puts a hand to her chest as she pleads. "I'm a princess. I'm supposed to help protect this Kingdom!"
Rosie picks Sally up in her arms. "When you're older, aye, but not right now." She said, picking Sally up into her arms, a strain in her voice from the extra weight. "Remember what I taught you. A proper ruler must know when to retreat and when to attack."
Rosie turns to run away while carrying Sally in her arms, rushing off towards a forest in the distance. Sally sees the extent of damage to Castle Acorn for the first time from afar. Her eyes tear up, and her hand reaches back towards the castle.
"DADDY!" Sally cried out, helplessly watching the devastation to the Acorn Kingdom with flames and shadowy robotic figures.
By the time Sally and the band of surviving citizens finally escaped over to the peaceful forest outside of Knothole Village, she watched as birds were chirping, the sun was shining, quite a contrast from what happened just before. In the distance were muffled talking, some laughter of children, and some whooping.
Sally soon walked over to Julayla, who lived as a profound and wise personal friend of the House of Acorn and Rosie's cousin. She was a Mobian cat with light brown and pink fur, gray hair tied in a bun, and blue eyes. The rest of her attire was a maroon turtleneck sweater and a dark teal robe with white linings.
Julayla was sitting on a chair with a wooden bow and arrows next to her. She handed the princess the bow, who looked at it confused, and she glanced back up to her teacher.
"I said that I was going to teach everything I know. Well, that starts with how to use this one here." Julayla said proudly, gazing at the bow.
"A bow?" Sally blinked.
Julayla nodded her head, still keeping her gentle smile. "Correct, this here is has been my prime weapon, and soon it's going to be yours. That's why I'm going to teach you how to use it. Now, go take some arrows and try giving it a shot."
Sally walked over to a quiver and took an arrow, remembering back to some archery footage from Nicole's screen, so she copied the usual position. Julayla watched with the same smile as Sally's position was terrible. She held the arrow wrong, and she put too many fingers on the string. When Sally fired her shot, the arrow barely went four feet.
Sally walked over to her teacher and apologized. "I'm sorry, Julayla."
"It's quite alright, dear. It was to become expected, so I know what I'm working with now." Julayla took the bow from Sally's hands, placing it with the quiver.
Julayla took a seat back onto her chair and looked at Sally. "Here's what we're going to do, Princess Sally. For the next eight months with Gandar, you're going to work on building your body since you look like a wet noodle. Next, I want you to come here every day and start practicing the bow. I will teach many things, but there is so much outside of my power. Read some books on archery to expand your knowledge. My good friend, Jeremiah, will be able to help with that. You'll need to study everything, from mathematics, wind dynamics, breathing methods, and how to shoot with multiple arrows. All this is important to archery."
Sally nodded to her teacher's words and began to grab some weights.
"Before you do that, dear, let me show you something."
Sally turned his head to see Julayla with the bow in her hand.
"This is how you shoot an arrow."
Sally saw the way her teacher's body became positioned. Her posture was perfect, and the way she held the arrow is right. Everything about Julayla's stance was perfect. Julayla lined up her target with an apple she had put down. Sally witnessed her teacher fire the arrow, and it went flying. It looked like a bullet that hit the apple with tremendous speed, sending the apple flying while still attached. It would eventually land on a tree, but Sally was in awe at how her teacher wielded the bow.
"That was amazing!" Sally acclaimed.
Julayla smiled when she heard that as the cat looked back to Sally.
"Yes, my child. Now, it's time to get to work. By the time your training is complete, you shall soon bear the mantle of leadership with honor and grace."
And with those words, Sally went right to her training. Julayla's words re-ignited the fire within Sally, giving her the drive to become the leader she strives to be. And Nicole was there to assist her if the time needed. The same princess, who had fled from Dr. Robotnik with a handful of other children, had become what anyone has nevermore imagined about her actuality; she had become a fighter.
"Everyone back at Knothole is far from home, and now my friends are going through so much right now. They're all trying so much to stay forward during what has happened. So I have to be brave for them as well. A princess should keep everyone else encouraged, right? I can't let them see me be weak, even though I miss my father so much." Sally held a straight grim look on her face during her thoughts.
Sally knew that Rosie and Julayla became entrusted as foster parents to the little lost children. Yet simple enough, they were also a few of the grown-ups in the sanctuary of Knothole Village. As the children grew, they wanted to fight back for what Dr. Robotnik's empire had taken away from them.
No matter how much innocence that the adults tried to save, there will eventually be bits of boiling anger to the world as it is today. Julayla always told Sally she'll learn an abundance of many things when the time comes. Sally understood what she meant after a terminal disease came and took away Julayla's life.
After Julayla's passing, many Knothole villagers now look at Sally as their leader. She not only directs and organizes her people but helps through negotiation, offering suggestions or compromises to difficult situations. Although not many Mobians wanted to get involved in the Freedom Fighter movement due to fear, some of Sally's friends desired to fight Dr. Robotnik because of the madman's dreadful influence on them all.
Sally was the princess of the House of Acorn. Even though Sally accepts it involuntarily, she is the last remnant of her family's noble bloodline, and she has to preserve what's left of her people. What became left of the old Mobotropolis didn't exist anymore and was now a dark, foreboding place, full of oily shadows and pollution shrouded around metallic buildings.
As of right now, with her friends now trapped in the Super Badnik Horde, Sally had always been cautious in the way she conceives things. Sally slowly ventured her way down through the caves, eyes agape and sharp for any hint of danger brewing within this place. She didn't get much farther before she heard the metallic footsteps of Swat-Bots.
"Oh, and my day just gets better," Sally muttered sneeringly.
There were three humanoid-shaped robots with shiny metallic black armor covering them. Each droid stood roughly six feet tall and had domed-shaped heads with a spike pointing from the top and surveyed around with a single red-tinted optical visor. They also extrude melee spikes from the joints, large fins occupying the forearms, and retractable wrist blasters.
"Crud," Sally said before she hid behind one of the boulders nearby.
Sally kept herself in position behind the boulder and slowly peeked her head out to count how many Swat-Bots there were. After finishing, her eyes were relieved at the approximate result.
"Three? That's not too bad," Sally confirmed quietly.
The princess ducked down when a Swat-Bot glanced at the boulder, then eventually looks away to scope around for any Mobians. Sally slid along the edge of the rock until she hurried only feet away from the Swat-Bots, coming face to face with yet another Swat-Bot that blinks when communicating.
"Princess Sally Acorn detected." The Swat-Bot intoned as the others did so, pointing their built-in wrist blasters at Sally.
"Seriously, there had to be another Swat-Bot around here." Sally ranted, avoiding the first one trying to attack her while the rest immediately began firing.
Sally rapidly dodged and somersaulted by another boulder again, pulling out a bomb arrow that Rotor designed for her. Barrel-rolling out in the open, Sally aimed at a target before hitting one Swat-Bot dead center, making it explode with the other robot nearby.
Quickly, Sally saw another Swat-Bot swinging a fist at her, landing a glancing blow on her shoulder before she jumped back a little bit. She aimed at the last two targets, hitting them both as the two Swat-Bots sparked for several seconds before collapsing.
Sally wiped a brow, fastening her bow onto her back, and collected the arrows into her quiver. As she did so, Sally then looked over the fallen robots, taking note that they had no critters inside any of them.
"Sally, I've detected Dr. Robotnik's heat signature that's developing from outside. My suggestion is that he's waiting for you or Sonic's arrival." Nicole reported from the hand-held computer.
"That's good to know, Nicole," Sally marveled, only to deliberate to herself. "Unless Robotnik's bringing me into another trap, I have to be more careful this time. And I best hope Sonic's not turning things counterclockwise back in the dungeon. For one of my friends' sake, too."
Sally made her way further down the caves, dodging various lava pits and spikes, before eventually finding herself outside. She stood before a massive lava pit with a few rocky platforms scattered around the area. Sally held her bow in position with an arrow primed for any Badniks zooming the place.
"You've all been a big thorn in my side. I guess it's true what they say, princess." Sally turned toward the voice, seeing Dr. Robotnik flying in on the Egg-O-Matic, now equipped with what seemed to be a fireball cannon on the underside.
"You want something done..." Dr. Robotnik muttered at the princess, clenching a shaken fist. "...you're going to have to do it yourself."
Dr. Robotnik aimed the cannon at Sally and shot a fireball right at the princess. She quickly jumped back in time to avoid it and backflipped onto one of the platforms, looking up at her enemy.
Robotnik began to move from one side to the other, hovering above the ground. "And it's rather peculiar to see you here than that rotten hedgehog. Did you imagine that I'd let you steal what all belongs to me?"
"What?!" Sally shot an eruptive arrow at the Egg-O-Matic as it zips aside to avoid any ignite damage. "Everything that you took belonged to my father, and you know it!"
"Now, now, my dear, be a good princess and surrender because you've got two options. You can either come now to be robotized or perish in the fires by the one you hate. Decide now." Dr. Robotnik dictated with the fireball cannon pointed at Knothole leader.
"Never!" Sally hissed at the bloated human. "Every excuse for the corruption you offered to my people will not become the final result!"
"Oh, but it's true, especially how your father served himself to become back then. A good-for-nothing fool full of hardships, just like his daughter!" Dr. Robotnik beamed.
With that, Dr. Robotnik aimed at Sally once more, discharging another fireball which the princess succeeded in avoiding, skipping to another platform.
"And of course, just like his daughter, you are only standing in the way of Doctor Ivo Robotnik!" The doctor grinned as he continued. "And everything you own now will always be MINE!"
Feeling insulted by the madman's words, Sally grits her teeth as she glared at Dr. Robotnik for mentioning her missing father. She kept herself silent as the princess pointed her bow and arrow towards Dr. Robotnik's crazed grin. Not to mention thinking about the one person who should be here by now.
"Sonic, where are you?"
As there remain lit torches placed in alcoves in the walls, Sonic and Bunnie step inside another dungeon to find Sally or Dr. Robotnik. During the time that they both had inside the illuminating corridor, Sonic and Bunnie were making friendly chatter as there was a stone bridge over a stream of lava up ahead.
"So, I never asked. Where did you get the name Sonic from, Sugar?" Bunnie inquired.
Sonic blinked but was happy enough to answer her question, "Oh, it's nothing too special. It's something that my family must've named me after how much I could run faster than most Mobians. I'm able to hit the juice until at the speed of sound, which is impossible for anyone else to do."
"I'm guessin' you're callin' yourself lucky then?" Bunnie replied.
"Maybe, yeah," Sonic's head shifted, moving from where his eyes resided on Bunnie. "But I still don't know of how much speed I carry inside me. I always got told to keep my power in check, but where's the fun in not exploring yourself these days?"
A gentle smile pulled from Bunnie's lips, "Can't argue with that, Sugar. I hope you'll find your folks soon enough until Robotnik is defeated."
Sonic took a moment to ponder what Bunnie had said to him and shrugged his shoulders, "Eh, if I can't find them, then I'll settle in with you guys for now at least."
Bunnie starts to get cheeky as there was a small amused smile on her face now. "Sounds to me you've been gettin' along quite well with Sally-Girl, huh?"
Sonic's face glowed a light shade of red upon witnessing the southern belle's teasing, "Whoa! What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing! Let's move on now, shall we?" Bunnie answered.
Sonic looked like he was about to pout at her but contains himself with a rolling-eyed gesture. "Yeah, let's."
"Where the heck are we anyway?" Bunnie asked.
"A long way from the nearest chili dog stand, that's for sure!" Sonic scoped the scene before humming to himself. "Hmm. The torches had gotten lit somehow. It looks to me like someone's been here before we did."
Bunnie smiled smugly, "Ghosts, maybe?"
Sonic shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not exactly sure, Bunnie. But I don't think any of them spooks would need a firelight to move around in a freaky slag heap like this."
"That's for sure, Sugar!" Bunnie crossed her arms as she eyed around the place. "Not even archaeologists would've touched these crypts. Where else could they have gone?"
"Not in the lava, certainly," Sonic replied, inspecting the entryway that he and his newest friend entered. "Somebody's home somewhere."
"I've been told stories about what happens in these here ruins." Bunnie's eyes changed in each direction. "One wrong step and everything crumbles, or they shoot arrows, or a giant boulder appears. But something's got to be in here with us, right?"
Sonic closed his eyes with a nod. "Makes sense to me, Bunnie, which means we need to be on our...!"
Suddenly, a massive, spiky platform on a chain emerges from above, plummeting down towards Sonic and Bunnie.
"GUARD!"
Seeing this coming, Bunnie quickly stops the spiky platform with her robotized arm, pushing it with all her might.
Sonic soon rushes out from under the trap with concern, "Bunnie! Are you all right?"
"GRRR! I'm fine, Sugar-Hog! Just get out and hurry!" Bunnie started to strain against the force of the spiked crusher of doom that tried to skewer her. "What to do, what to do...? I'm between a rock and a hard place for sure!"
Abruptly, Bunnie's robotized arm extends itself a foot or so higher, forcing the spiky platform of death up with it.
"What in the hoo-hah?" Bunnie reacts with surprise.
Bunnie's legs soon begin to stretch as well, lifting her and the platform soaring into the air while still stunned and impressed. Showing a tall shot of the female rabbit, she had all three mechanical limbs extended, pressing the spike trap against the ceiling itself.
"Well, I'll be darned." Bunnie blinked at her strange act.
"I didn't know you could do THAT!" Sonic could only watch in the curiosity of Bunnie's capabilities with being half-robot.
Bunnie tried to call out to the blue hedgehog until she whirled around to become flanked by Buzz-Bombers and Bat-Brains.
"Oh, my stars!"
"Speak of the devil! They must've followed us all the way!" Sonic remarked just as he dashes up within the brick walls through a circular motion. "Hang on, Bunnie! The hedgehog's coming to kick some tin cans!"
Knocking away a few Badniks that tried to seize Bunnie, Sonic got a hold of the female rabbit's hand and whisked inside the tunnel pathway. Bunnie felt honestly astounded by how much speed Sonic has used to help hightail the both of them away from Dr. Robotnik's Badniks. After what felt like a quick maze, Sonic and Bunnie were able to drop down from a descending platform and made it across a stone bridge over a stream of lava.
Bunnie sighed in relief, "Phew! Thanks for the save there, Sug."
Sonic beamed with a smug demeanor, "Pleasure doing business with you, Miss O'Hare-!"
Suddenly, the ground started to waver from its core as fireballs soon popped from the magma. The bridge that Sonic and Bunnie stood on began to crack, causing them both to jump back alarmed.
"What the heck's going on!? A-a-an earthquake? A lava burst?" Bunnie questioned with concern.
"M-maybe it's the ghosts?" Sonic dryly joked with a mere shrug and a nervous smile, only to earn a groan from Bunnie.
"Seriously?" Bunnie shook her head.
"AROOOOOOO!"
A sudden, loud howl rocks through the entire construction, terrifying both Sonic and Bunnie further.
"Do you believe in the entire place coming down on our heads if we don't RUN FOR IT?" Sonic asked while looking perturbed.
"No argument from me!" Bunnie nodded as she and Sonic flee across the collapsing bridge. "Hurry, the bridge is collapsin'! We gotta' go fast!"
"Good thing I never go any other way!" Sonic commented.
Bunnie and Sonic soon slide to a complete stop, realizing that they have run out of the bridge's planks. There was boiling lava awaiting for them, with stones collapsing from the very ceiling.
"Tarnation! We're trapped!" Bunnie quaked.
Sonic looks at Bunnie and asks, "You want to bet I could run across lava fast enough and not get burnt?"
"No, I wouldn't!"
Bunnie, fortunately, points up at the collapsing stone blocks of the ceiling as they fall into the lava. "The ceilin' blocks float in the lava a bit before sinkin'. Jump on those!"
"Got it." Sonic flexes both of his fingers as they popped. "Juice time!"
Sonic, with Bunnie, now scooped in his arms, starts leaping across the stone blocks in the lava. He dodges several falling blocks as he does so and eventually landing on the stable ground on the other side.
"And that's the way it gets done!" Sonic smirked, gingerly setting Bunnie back down on the stone ground.
"Juice time?" Bunnie smirked with her hands on her hips.
"It was something my dad always said that my uncle mentioned before I never saw him again. I picked it up from him."
"AROOOOOO!"
The howl continues through the ruins as Bunnie begins to look up, concerned.
"Um, that there howl's gettin' closer." Bunnie quirked an eyebrow, but she decided to stay calm.
"Which means something's alive back there, right?" Sonic said with his arms crossed behind his spiky quills. "So somebody had a way inside. And where there's a way in, there's a way out."
"I guess so." Bunnie nodded as she watched Sonic cup his hands around his mouth.
"Hey, you! Whoever you are! We're coming in to help you!" Sonic yells into the blackness of the next room.
Bunnie narrowed her eyes at Sonic, "Help them? We don't know who they are!"
He looked back at the southern belle and scowled, "That voice sounded pretty low-spirited. I'd say they need our help. What if Sally got caught in a booby trap?"
As Sonic and Bunnie entered the darkroom, Bunnie continued to contemplate Sonic's viewpoint, "Good point, and if we're the ones needin' help?"
"Can we at least assume SOMEONE in these ruins doesn't want us dead?" Sonic asked, not looking at Bunnie this time.
The half-robotized rabbit soon kept her mouth shut after what Sonic had just said, causing her to sigh in defeat. "Okay, but can you see where you're going?"
"No, Bunnie, I can't, and it's slowing me down!"
Soon, the two of them walked into an enormous treasure room filled with gold, cut gems, treasure chests, pearl strings, and many works.
"Whoa!" Sonic crossed his arms with a slight smirk. "Talk about swag, am I right, Bunnie?"
"Looks like you're right, Sugar-Hog." Bunnie's eyes inspected all over the place, surprised.
"Yep, great, enough sightseeing." Sonic begins to walk off. "Time to speed our way out of this place-!"
"Hold your horses, Sugar-Hog!" Bunnie's robotized arm soon clutched onto Sonic's shoulder for him to halt, pointing over at something else. "There's a cage, and someone got trapped in it!"
In the center of the treasure chamber, a large cage stood with metal bars and a padlock. And it had a shadowy figure inside of it.
"AROOOOOO!"
With Sonic observing inside the cage and Bunnie peering inside, they couldn't tell if the prisoner could hear them. Soon, both Sonic and Bunnie examined the lock on the enclosure as Sonic runs his hand through his hair, picking out a single thin quill.
"So, let me guess." Sonic gives a smug smile and does a wink. "You need something to pick the lock, don't you, Bunnie? Good thing one of us is spiky, or you'd never-!"
Bunnie, who stood deadpanned, just straight-up smashes the lock with her robotic hand. "It's just metal, Sugar-Hog."
"Oh, well, that works too." Sonic became somewhat deflated and smiled in embarrassment.
Bunnie rolled her eyes to ignore Sonic and stretched her robotized arm to bring the figure over to them, "Alrighty, whoever you are with all that howlin', let's get you outta-!"
With much hope now speechless to Sonic and Bunnie, all there remained was a fake paper-maché head with rolled-up sheets stuffed in to make it look as though somebody was trapped. Not to mention a small recording device hooked on the test dummy's torso.
"AROOOOOO!"
"It's a fake!" Sonic spoke from out of the awkward shock of silence.
"Drop it, you bunch of intruders!"
Sonic and Bunnie suddenly whirled around when they hear an old grey mole in orange mining gear named Spelunk. The attire assisted of a mining helmet with built-in light and metal brackets. A tool belt, gloves with claws protruding out, and gold bracelets on black cuffs. White shoes with orange strappings and gold bracelets on black cuffs. Sonic gasps while Bunnie drops the dummy as they saw Spelunk is now standing next to a cannon.
"Hey, don't scare a lady like that! Who are you?" Bunnie asked with a glare.
"That'll be my claim, and I'm asking the questions here! And my question is, you got any lasts requests, afore I let you have it?" Spelunk scowled back at the half-cyborg rabbit, now holding a match in his left hand.
Sonic then zips up to Spelunk with an arm resting on the cannon and holds up two of his fingers, "Yeah, two requests; show us how to get out of here, and a dozen chili dogs, with extra onions and cheese, to go!"
"Chili dogs?! Forget it! Do you know how much chili dogs cost?" Spelunk shudders angrily. "Money doesn't grow on trees, you nitwit! You're just like the rest of them; want something of mine for nothing! Can't you kiddies leave me alone? I've spent ages of hard work recovering all of these treasures, and you whippersnappers think you can just come in and take it all!"
"Now, now, sir! We're not after your treasure!" Bunnie speaks out, trying to reason with Spelunk. "We're just tryin' to make sure Robotnik doesn't hurt our friend Sally or get his grubby hands on the Chaos Emeralds!"
"Don't try to deny it! You thievin', trespassing, lootin' no-good varmints!" Spelunk is not convinced, putting his left index finger on Sonic's nose. "And I've got a right mind to blast you!"
"Hey, you've got us all wrong! We're Freedom Fighters!" Sonic was now tapping his left foot after pushing Spelunk's finger away from him.
"It looks to me like you're freeloaders, and I don't give anything for free!" Spelunk turns his cannon with both his hands, pointing it at Sonic.
The mole then lights the match in his left hand with the cannon and lights the fuse.
"In that case, gotta roll, troll!" Sonic declared as he uses enough momentum to flip the cannon over, so it's pointing straight at Spelunk before running away.
"EGAD!" Spelunk shrieks as he quickly flips the cannon back over to shoot at Sonic.
Only to find out that the fuse had gotten cut off by Sonic seconds before he departed. All of this caused Spelunk to fuse with anger as his face went red and lights the fuse once more. The cannon soon fires a cannonball as it chases after Sonic, who runs away from it. When he gets to Bunnie, he grabs her with his right hand, towing her along.
"Whoa!"
Sonic and Bunnie were both running through the cave, with the cannonball chasing them the entire time. The cannonball eventually catches up to Sonic from behind, where he and Bunnie come to a dead end. The hedgehog screeches to a halt when he sees it, and Bunnie soon stood her ground with a scowl.
"This has gone on long enough with that ol' crazy mole!" Bunnie declared.
Using enough of her robotized strength, Bunnie caught the cannonball with her robotic hand to twirl and cast it back until it struck through the cave's walls, creating a cloud of grey dust. Sonic then gains his attention at the skylight above him and Bunnie.
He points up while calling over the half-cyborg rabbit, "Yo, Bunnie! That has got to lead us out! Let's make tracks!"
"Good eye, Sugar-Hog." Bunnie turned to run in place, then grabs Sonic's left arm with her right hand, jumping through the skylight.
Spelunk soon notices the already shattered cannonball through the cave walls, snarling, "Why that scheming little missy!"
The old mole quickly makes his way over and stands next to a lever. "If those two think they can go tell the world about my treasure caves, they got another think coming to em'!"
Spelunk pulls the lever forward with both hands, revealing a minecart on a few tracks in another entrance. He then hops into the minecart once it starts up and begins storming through in a split second. Sonic and Bunnie soon land outside the hole and at the bottom of a spiral-shaped summit with minecart tracks. At the very top, there is a lead out of the mine. Sonic smirked as he runs towards the hill, with Bunnie following after Sonic.
Bunnie frowns, "You know, that mole guy ain't gotta be so penny-pinching all the time, and I almost miss having to deal with Robotnik's shenanigans."
Sonic slightly scoffed it off, "Oh, he probably wouldn't be so bad if he spent some quality time with us!"
As the two of them continued running higher, Bunnie gasps when she sees Spelunk riding a minecart, which is coming down the other way.
"I'll get you, you infringers!" Spelunk shouted as he waves his left arm furiously.
"That is not the quality I had in mind!" Sonic screeches to a halt when he sees Spelunk and turns around to run back down the other way.
Bunnie follows behind him while Spelunk follows the two of them on his minecart. After they all reached the bottom of the hill, Spelunk then stares in shock as Bunnie whips herself around to push the mine cart to a halt with her robotized arm.
"Please, you've got to stop!" Bunnie pleaded with a hint of irritation. "Robotnik's gonna' send his goons down here to dig out the Chaos Emeralds. And they won't stop at just takin' one stone."
Sonic halts himself as well to help Bunnie push against the minecart, trying to play diplomat. "What Bunnie's trying to say is true, and it is, man!"
Spelunk continued to be cantankerous. "And why should I believe you bunch of thieves? Give me one good reason why I should trust you?"
"Cause if you don't, Robotnik's gonna' send an army of Badniks after all your treasure. And he'll likely robotize you, too, as he did with me!" Bunnie replied with slight sadness and frustration.
Spelunk folds his arms and turns away. "Badniks? Pah! Nobody comes down here except a bunch of dirty thieves such as yourselves. And I defy you to prove otherwise!"
Worm's eye view of the ceiling started rumbling above the trio, all showing varying degrees of alarm. Spelunk became shown mildly concerned while Sonic and Bunnie were both somewhere bothered in the middle. Suddenly, an army of Buzz-Bombers and Bat-Brains blast through the ceiling of the treasure chamber, preparing to assault any attackers and steal valuable goods.
"And right on schedule." Sonic rolled his eyes, bored with a smirk.
TO BE CONTINUED...