"Sonic, we need to talk. Now."
Those words meant business as Sonic's face slightly fell, his quills somewhat rustled yet sure of what the princess wanted to speak about at this time. From the looks of it, Sally stared at him dead in the eye, her arms crossed with a very stern expression on her face, blue eyes piercing through Sonic's. The speedy hero sighed, knowing that he was definitely in for it now.
But then again, Sonic wasn't in the mood for this, considering his thoughts on his recent two-tailed friend's safety. The others seemed to have noticed Sonic and Sally's scuffle already, with Antoine naturally glaring at Sonic the whole time for getting close to the love of his life.
"What is there to talk about, Sal?" Sonic tilted his head slightly, eyeing Starlight Highway far ahead. "We need to keep moving before Ro-Butt-Nik gets to another Chaos Emerald somewhere around here-!"
When he tried to move, Sally suddenly jerked the speedy hero back in by the arm. "Sonic, Bunnie is still hurt. And Rotor's been trying to fix her arm back up after she nearly endangered herself. We'll still find the next Chaos Emerald AFTER you answer this one question for me, okay?"
With his face nearly faltered, Sonic pushes a default face and yanks his arm away from Sally. "Jeez, you didn't need to be this harsh, Sally. If this is all about urging Bunnie to do that stunt, then I'm sorry I couldn't say it any better. Happy now? You also want a medal while you're at it?"
"That's not your responsibility, but it isn't what I'm talking about here, Sonic," Regarding his response, Sally took that as a sign to continue her rant. "Ever since you helped save my friends, and while I'm grateful, you've said some things about yourself that aren't accurate with me; about visiting your uncle in Mobotropolis and how you escaped from the invasion on your father's plane."
"Wait a minute," Rotor turned while fixing Bunnie's robotized arm, looking at Sonic and Sally in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Oui, I want to know what this is as well," Antoine crossed his arms with a mix of interest and disrespect.
"Robotnik's been talkin' an awful lot about himself bein' friends with Sugar-Hog back in the day," Bunnie told the walrus with her hand holding out.
"Sonic, is that true?" Rotor then turns to Sonic, looking troubled.
Sonic seemed tense. "Nothing's wrong, guys! You're making a big deal out of nothing!" The blue hedgehog laughed, trying to sneak past the princess, but it was no good.
Sally knew what Sonic was trying to do as she held her arm in the way of Sonic's path. "Sonic…" she muttered.
Sonic sighed. "What?" he asked, folding his arms and tapping his foot.
"Don't give me that look, hedgehog. It's not going to slip past me," Sally informed.
Sonic didn't answer as he kept tapping his foot. After a while, he asked, "Can I go now?"
"No," Sally demanded, pointing a finger against his nose. "You are going to answer my question first."
Sonic sighed again. "Do I HAVE to?"
Sally stared at Sonic, who sounded like an eight-year-old that didn't want to go to school.
"Yes," she answered. "Please, Sonic. You're making this harder than it should be!"
"I...I, uh... What are you trying to say, princess?" Sonic gulped, crossing his arms rather tensely since he couldn't think of anything better to say.
"What I'm saying is that you're not telling me the whole truth, Sonic," Sally said with a painful sigh. "Earlier today, Bunnie and I fought against one of Robotnik's Badniks, and it started mentioning things about you. The same said about that tyrant too. I didn't want to believe it, but my suspicions soon spread around. Were you an actual resident in Mobotropolis rather than just a mere visitor?"
Shocking the blue hedgehog, he tried to say something to avoid trouble. "Sal, I wasn't lying...!"
"Please tell me the truth, Sonic," Sally's glare made him shrink down a bit but soon saw tears well up in her eyes. "Did something happen between you and Dr. Kintobor before he took the name Robotnik and overthrew my home? I want to understand, Sonic, but I need you to be honest with me. Please?"
Sonic stared on as he absentmindedly scratched his neck. "How to explain this?"
"Answer her question, scoundrel! You are speaking with the princess." Antoine suddenly drew his sword at Sonic, scowling at him.
"Antoine, cool it!" Rotor grimaced.
But Sally raises a hand to quiet Antoine silently, who yields to her act. For a moment, Sonic had almost considered running off and leaving Sally behind while taking the canine robot with him, but he knew he couldn't do that. The chipmunk girl's tone had an unspoken message of wanting Sonic to explain himself for his actions. Her posture clearly showed strain, as if she was keeping in anger.
Sonic being the indirect cause of Mobotropolis' downfall wasn't something he could explain under a ten-minute time frame. And she'd probably not believe any more of his evasions, which he didn't blame her for at all. Unable to do anything else in silence, Sonic obeyed and eventually let out a breath of defeat.
"Yeah, I was a resident with my uncle," Sonic's eyes could only glance back at Sally and then the ground as he shared his real story. "Though my speed was mondo reckless, and people didn't want me there at all, despite that I'm my uncle's nephew who only smashes stuff and ruins everyone's day. I always wanted to be faster than I was, but I had a limit."
Listening to his words, which made Sally's stern expression soften, she pondered a bit. "What had happened to Sonic that made him feel like he had to lie to me? What was his fault? Family issues? Did something happen to him? Bullying? All of this makes no sense at all! Did someone...?"
"But then Dr. Kintobor became the first friend that I've always wanted in a long time. He was a friendly and funny guy. He wanted to make a legacy of his own. And to tell the truth, I acknowledged that he had such a big dream like I did. Anyway, back to his kindness, he even helped me find my way back to my uncle's house. From then on, every day, I'd come to his laboratory, and he'd let me use his treadmill that he made so then I could run faster. Dr. Kintobor was amazed by my speed and told me that I could help him with something. I quickly said yes. He made me feel important and like I would do anything as long as I put my heart into it. I figured I might as well hang out with him for a while. The next thing I knew, his behavior started changing so fast I lost track of what was going on. Dr. Kintobor couldn't resist carrying out this one experiment by using my speed..."
As the mournful glare on Sally's face soon melts into a heavy shock, she listens carefully to Sonic talking about his experimentations alongside Dr. Kintobor. Listening in on the story like a gossip-monger is not what Sally intended to do, but that's what she did precisely.
Sonic told them all about the night he and his uncle separated, not sparing any detail. The news had hit Sally hard the most, but she took it in stride just like everyone else did. Sonic was trying hard not to hold back on his past, and he didn't want this startling revelation to complicate his life anymore.
Much of this caught onto Bunnie as she gazes in disbelief and anxiety, her face now changed to a rather solemn one when she remembers her time getting robotized by Dr. Robotnik's Robotizer. Now, questions and pieces started to mix for the possible answer for what Sonic was implying.
Everything Sonic voiced out showed a lot of oppression after covering it with his constant need for speed and cocky attitude. While most of this became unbearable for Sonic, Sally couldn't help but count all the strings coming together.
Sally recalled back to the disaster of Dr. Kintobor's Grey Emerald Project when her father addressed the doctor's fabrication to the citizens. King Acorn explained that Dr. Kintobor found an Overlander group that snuck in and destroyed everything, losing the Grey Emerald in the process.
Sir Charles' side of the story got brushed aside due to an error in judgment between him and King Acorn, renouncing the older hedgehog's status as Minister of Science and, unfortunately, appointing it to Dr. Kintobor instead.
Much of this was during Elias and Sally's time as inheritors to the Kingdom of Acorn before Dr. Robotnik launched his rebellion, destroying the joyful harmony Sally adored. Once Sonic finished explaining for himself, as Sally began to digest this revelation, his arms crossed over his chest with a lowered head in silence.
"So, you see," Sonic looked up at Sally's tear-stained eyes, his frown still present. "Everything that Robotnik did to bring down your kingdom, your family, your freedom, is all because of me. Kintobor becoming evil, trashing people's homes, robotizing the innocent, and causing a bunch of trouble is all on me. It isn't something I want for anyone, but it happened, and I'm so, so sorry for causing you guys so much crap."
Pain.
That's all Sally felt after finally blinking her watery, horrified eyes, anger coming back from within as she began to hyperventilate and clutch her head with one of her hands. But Sally shook her head, not wanting to have dark thoughts right now. Because right now, her only concern was helping Sonic, who was troubled that he unintentionally brought in Dr. Robotnik's existence, and he took away her home and family.
"So if you want to hate someone, then hate me. 'Cause I deserve it big time after what I've done for putting Mobius in harm's way." Sonic said solely.
Sally's confused eyes stuck towards Sonic as she shook her head forcefully. "N-No."
"What?!" Sonic got taken aback this time as he half-yelled. "What the heck do you mean 'No'? All of this is my fault, Sally-!"
Oddly enough, Sally disrupted his sentence more furiously. "That's not true! I don't believe you, Sonic! You didn't do anything wrong or had something to do with helping Robotnik take over my kingdom! You were doing what you got told to do during the Grey Emerald Project, and you were a child back then!"
"YEAH! A child who didn't know any better and could do nothing but leave family behind!" Sonic was triggered by fury, surprising the group as the blue hedgehog puts his hands on his face. Never had the speedy hero shown this much emotion. "How many innocent civilians did I have to condemn!? Or even robotized for my child's play!? Bunnie got to play a part in all the crap I put her through! Don't you get it?! I'VE BECOME THE CAUSE OF ROBOTNIK'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE!"
Sonic couldn't handle it any longer. It was too much for him to bear. He covered his ears and shut his eyes as tight as they would go. And the team got pulled along with him, especially Sally, who became rattled and etched with sorrow by what she'd just heard.
Tears had begun to run down Bunnie's cheeks, the beads of liquid glistened in the night. "I-I don't understand, Sugar-Hog. You didn't do any of this to me!" Her cheerful smile had died down into a slightly frightened expression.
"I don't expect you guys to forgive me or understand what I did," Sonic opened his mournful eyes, looking at Bunnie. "But it happened anyway. I'm sorry for creating so much trouble for you, Bunnie. I wish I'd been there before you got robotized, but there's nothing I can do to bring things back after what I have done."
"Are you crazy?" Rotor's voice dripped with frustration and hurt, walking over to Sonic after fixing up Bunnie's robotized limbs. "Dude, come on! Don't you think that's a bit much?! Everyone else right here would've remained in those Super Badniks if you didn't show up. I would know it, Bunnie would know it, Sally would know it, and Antoine would know it too. We all lived our lives differently, but that doesn't mean we can't understand you!"
"AGAIN!" Sonic tried his best to regain his footing in the conversation. "I was there, and it's all planted on me."
Upon seeing everyone else's upset look, Sonic bounded to his feet to begin leaving. "Nobody here is going to get hurt as long as I'm around. So whatever you guys think about me, then fine, have it your way. But you can all go back to Knothole since I've already rescued enough of you. I'm heading for the big man so I can save Tails and end this nightmare."
"So that's it?" Sally's words spilled out, shaking her arms around to question Sonic's logic. "You're just walking out on us?! None of us want you to go away, Sonic. We could still try to help you!"
"She's right, Sonic," Rotor chimed in. "Do you think saying all that makes this hurt less? You've messed up pretty bad already, and truth be told, I'm sorry about how you turned out. But we're all still willing to help-!"
"En garde!"
Antoine tries to slash Sonic with his sword before Rotor can speak further. The quick-witted hero foresaw this approach. Sonic twisted to catch both hands on the swordsman's handle with one of his own, placing the other on his chest to hoist Antoine up and over himself, sending him to the ground a few feet away, falling on his back.
"Antoine!" Sally exclaimed.
"Antoine, what the heck are you doin'?!" Bunnie demanded in shock.
"Hey pal, you better put that down," Sonic stated, watching Antoine getting back up. "It won't do you much good anyway."
"Au contraire, you ignorant swine," Antoine shouted, aiming his sword forward. "You have the right to remain silent! For you are just as guilty as Dr. Robotnik for committing such treason to my princess' kingdom!"
The coyote charged at Sonic again, continuously swinging his blade in an attempt to strike down the hedgehog. Sonic dodged every attack at regular speed while trying to talk him out of it.
"Look, Ant!" Sonic kept dodging and ducking away from Antoine's attacks. "I don't want to hurt you!"
Convinced and annoyed that there's stopping him through words, Sonic switches to action. Antoine then threw another blow to the torso. It would have gone through him if his target didn't clap his hands around the sword a few inches away.
"Okay, that's it!" Sonic grits his teeth, already bored with all these excessive attacks.
The hedgehog raises his leg vertically to kick Antoine's sword from his grip, catching it in the process, and then drags him to the ground. Sonic twirled the sword forward as if he was about to stab Antoine. Everyone who was watching let out a panicked scream as the dreaded moment arrived.
When the coyote opened his eyes, he saw that his weapon had struck the ground near his head, but he was unharmed. After Sonic stood up to depart, Antoine sought to stand up but became unable to do so since his blade had pierced the shoulder of his jacket, pinning him to the ground.
"I don't walk. I run." Sonic closed his eyes as he waved goodbye. "I'm sorry, you guys, but only I can help myself. So please, stay away from me. I'm going to keep my promise of saving everyone until I can fix what I've done. Because there's one thing my Uncle Chuck told me to do: let your speed guide you through and never to kill, even in revenge. It's been fun, guys. Later."
Sonic then gestures a side glance to T-Pup. "Yo, little buddy! Let's go get your master back!"
With only a sad whine from the canine robot, T-Pup obeyed and hovered his way over to Sonic just before the duo raced off towards Starlight Highway, leaving Sally and the group for possibly one last time. The Freedom Fighters got left in a state of dishevelment for not just the revelation behind the First Robotnik War but also Sonic for feeling its accountability.
Sally was sad to watch the hedgehog leave with T-Pup. All of this meant losing a valuable new ally, and she felt that it was partially her fault for pushing Sonic further into telling the truth like everyone else. A small tear even rolled down her cheek.
"We're all still sticking with you, Sally," Rotor goes over to place a hand on the chipmunk girl's shoulder. "You haven't led us astray."
"Speakin' of which," Bunnie appeared to have an unpleasant glare on her face, directing it towards Antoine. "What were you thinkin'?!"
"Yeah! What was that all about, Antoine?" Rotor asked.
"N-Non, non! You have mistaken moi!" Antoine tried to explain, shakily freeing himself from his bounded state. "T-That hedgehog has just dumped us when he, how do you say, spilled the beans?"
All it did was make Sally sigh to herself in frustration as Rotor deadpanned at the swordsman. "Smooth, 'Twan."
"What?" Antoine shrugged, giving a disapproving look. "That is what you are calling it when someone walks out on you, non? Has not that fool done enough to us already? He admitted that he had doomed us all and kept it secret from my princess. As of now, that hedgehog has become the turncoat!"
"But that still ain't his fault, and you attacked him for it, Antoine! You shame yourself!" Bunnie angrily poked his chest, making him jolt a bit.
"Moi?!" Antoine fell in complete shock, stating unpleasantly. "I do not know what you all see in that miscreant! How are we supposed to trust someone who was the danger in the first place?"
"Antoine, I wanna' tell you somethin'," Bunnie pulled on his arm, but he resisted until the half-bot brawler gained his full cooperation. "Shut your yapper, or I'll shut it for you with my bionics."
The warm air seemed to freeze as each teammate considered what to do next. Uneasy looks settled on the faces of most of Sally's group. Antoine had a rather indifferent expression, although his head lowered just a tad bit. However, Sally seemed to become the one to voice her opinion everyone had, except Antoine, who raised an eyebrow at the princess.
"We're going after him," Sally ordered calmly and stoically of her teammates.
"O-Oh, but that is not safe, my princess! I-I suggest w-we go back Knothole, oui?" Antoine was instantly beside her with a stutter, only to get gripped by the collar.
"I said, we're going after him," Sally said with venom in her voice, harsh enough to ensure it was steady and even. "When all this started, Sonic's first thought was to help us because it's the right thing to do. Not in hopes of a reward. So be thankful that Sonic rescued you out of that Super Badnik."
As Sally pushed the cowardly coyote away from her and marched over to Bunnie, she held both her hands. "We'll be able to take on Dr. Robotnik together with Sonic because that's what we do as Freedom Fighters."
"We're there!" Rotor smiled, throwing a fist in the air. "Five heads are better than one."
"We'll show that nasty ol' Robotnik what the Freedom Fighters can do!" Bunnie flexes her robotized arm, glad enough that she was all fixed now.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Antoine muttered to himself until everyone frowned at him, nervously jolting back into his brave facade. "W-Where my p-p-princess goes, I a-am g-going also!"
"Sometimes I wonder why we have him tag along…?" Rotor thought in exasperation.
"Come on, let's go!" Sally pointed to follow Sonic's trail towards Starlight Highway.
Throughout the quiet twilight of the city building tops in Starlight Highway, Snively's Hover Unit flew across many ghetto streets, viewing some Mobians that are high off their butts and running amok. Other down-and-out gangs see the Hover Unit with suspicion.
Flying right beside him showed a couple of android Badniks called Egg-Robos as Snively's private army. Shaped like an egg with arms and legs, clearly made to resemble Dr. Robotnik, the Egg-Robos followed in pursuit with laser pistols. Right now, Snively's main goal was to retrieve the discovered Chaos Emerald in Ebony the Hare's territory.
Inside the Hover Unit, Snively soon locates the rabbit mobster himself in the alleyway, Ebony the Hare. He had mainly black fur, a snowy white muzzle with cheek turfs pointing upwards, blue inside his long ears, and an earring attached to his right ear. Ebony's attire wore a dark blue vest with a white collar, a vertically striped button-up shirt underneath along with a tie and pants, blue oversized shield sunglasses, a white fedora hat, white gloves, and black shoes with blue soles.
Surrounded by his high-ranking members, Ebony got accompanied by a muscle-bound, slick-dressed bulldog named Blackjack and has an attractive female vixen named Foxxie always at his side. Ebony even had many other members wielding weapons of such as members of his authority.
"Well, well! What a lovely sight." Snively lands his hovercraft alongside the Egg-Robos and steps right out. "Salutations, Ebony."
"I'll make this simple for you, shorty. We can either do business," Ebony gestures a thumb behind Blackjack, who was brandishing spiked brass knuckles. "Or else my boy, Blackjack, here can give you the business. Now, whaddya want?"
"I've come to retrieve the Chaos Emerald. I know you have it with you."
"You honestly think me and my posse are just goin' to give it up, start lying things down for the doc?" Ebony spat, glaring at Snively while fiddling around with an orange Chaos Emerald. "I own this town, homeboy! Don't you forget it!"
"Oh?" Snively's words became thick and slimy, a sadistic smile on his face. "But time is of the essence here! You're nothing but a lowlife who is way over his head and can't even fight his own battles, Ebony. Haven't you realized that all of South Island will soon shift to the Robotnik Empire?"
"Puh-leeze!" Foxxie just scoffed at that. "Puddin' here has done a fine job keepin' our people at bay and settin' the curve on poppin' any agencies that come near us, thanks to Blackjack."
"That's because I helped bring order and law to your gang of yardsticks," Snively went on as he let two Egg-Robos aimed with their laser guns at them. "Sooner or later, there will come a time where you'll have to pay for your crimes and face the misdeeds you've done. Do I have to remind you about the penalty for opposing your supreme ruler's wishes? Especially mine?"
Almost instantly, the smile melted from Ebony's face, and several of his followers recoiled at the thought of their fates becoming worse than death.
Robotization.
"N-No, sir!" One of the goons screamed out of panic. "Not after what happened to Bosco the last time you were here! You can do whatever you want! You can order me around or even kill me! Just PLEASE don't put me in the Robotizer!"
The last part got Snively to chuckle sinisterly, holding out his hand. "All you have to do is hand over that Chaos Emerald without any harm done to your people, Ebony. And seeing how we can understand one another's motives, you'll stay serving the Robotnik Empire."
"Puddin', please," Foxxie pleaded. "All of this has got to be a trick."
"Sorry, babe." Ebony sighed until grumbling the next, giving the Chaos Emerald to Snively. "So how can I be of service, Dr. Snively."
"Very simple, Mobians," The dwarf snapped his fingers for the Egg-Robo to project a holographic picture of the Freedom Fighters, mainly Sonic. "Princess Sally and her riffraff have caused me more than enough trouble as of this time. But this hedgehog has become a bigger thorn that can't get out of my uncle's side. Your gang's main objective is to capture either one of these brats and bring them in dead or alive. Optionally, I'd want them all lifeless on the ground. Understand?"
"We'll get them," Ebony guaranteed, hearing Blackjack cracking his knuckles fiercely. "We promise."
Unbeknownst to the group, an invisible figure on one of the buildings immediately ducked back into the shadows after that.
The ground was metallic and green, and light posts surrounded both sides of the walkway as Sonic and T-Pup raced by each one. Sonic admitted that this site looked even less complete than Spring Yard had become. The settlement here on South Island looked like it had gotten deserted and forsaken after the Great War.
Everything around here became notable for having several alternate routes to explore, filled with twists and loop-de-loops, see-saws with iron balls used to reach higher places, and giant fans that force others away from them.
Many gray gilders and construction cones decorated the city, passing along the constructions here and there. Right now, Sonic was dashing through some sections, not even knowing which way he was going due to still grieving over everything he had just done.
The speedy hero stopped and turned his head, rethinking his choice before forcing his thoughts to shake it off. "Don't even think about it, hedgehog! They can't trust you anymore."
Sonic was about to continue his run when he and T-Pup stood in the middle of the street. Admittedly, there were no Badniks on sight. Just some gangs out doing their business. That is, whatever business it was when it was this late at night. He and T-Pup sped around a bit. Maybe there were Badniks here after all, and they were just good at hiding.
Nothing.
"Whaddya know? I can't see any other Badniks around here in this rat-hole town!" Sonic searched around but stole a glance at the starry night sky above him. "Man, I wish Mobotropolis had such a good view of the stars like these."
After mentioning so, Sonic recalled sufferable memories of his childhood when he failed to save Uncle Chuck and Longclaw. There became times that he had to beg for food, practice his moves on inanimate objects, and explore places that brought him to new people. He didn't have enough money to buy anything to eat or rent a hotel, so he had to steal a sleeping bag and got used to going hungry.
Of course, some people gave him food, but Sonic tried not to accept, only doing so when he was on the verge of starvation. Uncle Chuck had always said not to rely on others too much, so when it looked like someone tried looking after him permanently, he dashed off, never to come close to someone like that again. Sonic could feel a dark memory arise when he remembered losing Uncle Chuck and Longclaw, forcing him to run away on his own.
Sonic knows, ever since he got taught as a child, that boys should never cry. He'd do many things, but crying was never one of them. Not when he was hurt, not when he was scared. And if he felt the sting of tears about to surface, he'd fight it with everything he had. He'd make sure those pesky tears never saw the light of day.
What kind of hero would he become if he cried?
Not the tough ones, for sure.
And even then, as just a child, Sonic would have given anything to be considered stable. And even now, as a teenager, Sonic had prided himself on never having cried, not counting his infant years. He'd gotten close, sure.
Sonic shook his head briefly. Why wouldn't the memories go away? Dr. Ovi Kintobor, formally known as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, was another father figure he could remember, aside from Uncle Chuck. He trusted that man more than anything up until this point. The doc was gone, yet his lessons stood clear in the azure hedgehog's mind. It became odd thinking about it, but his jolly human friend taught Sonic the primary things in life before becoming the mad tyrant now.
Live life.
There's always a little good in someone.
Do what you love.
Family, whether blood or not, is all that matters.
"Dr. Kintobor, Uncle Chuck, Longclaw," Sonic said to himself, earning T-Pup's attention before looking back to where he fled from the Freedom Fighters. "I could've saved you, I should've saved you, but I will somehow. I know what I got to do now."
T-Pup became instantly thrilled as Sonic turned around to go back to Sally's group. However, it wasn't long before Sonic stopped short, seeing a spotlight shining onto him and the canine robot from above, courtesy of Snively's Hover Unit.
"Oh, what now?" The blue hedgehog frowned.
"It is all over, you spiky little pincushion!" Snively's voice shouted from within the hovercraft's microphone. "I have you finally outnumbered now that you are all alone. With you finally out of the way, getting rid of those other pests will be easy as pie."
"Pfft, oh yeah? You looking for me?" Sonic snarked mockingly. "Well, I have a lot of things better to do than wander around and receive a bullet in the face. And besides, I was wondering when you would show up, short-stack!"
"That is Dr. Julian Snively to you, Mobian!" Snively said from his Hover Unit. "I am sure you understand that I cannot simply let you pass, correct? That this is where your adventure ends?"
"I mean, yeah, that is what the fat man wants." Sonic shrugged. "And there is a small chance of that happening if you want to bet."
"Are you sure? Because that is such a sucker bet."
"Yeah, but every sucker is an egg-lover like you, shorty!"
An annoyed growl emitted from the Hover Unit's microphone, followed by a loud horn that soon brought multiple thugs to blockade Sonic and T-Pup. Searching left and right for any escape, none were around as Sonic's attention locked onto Ebony the Hare, who emerges from his mob alongside Foxxie and Blackjack.
"Whoa," Sonic gasped, checking out the bulldog's massive height.
"It's time for you to give in and come with us, homeboy," Ebony ordered, twirling around his gun. "There's no need for all of this to get bloody."
"Well, it looks like somebody ordered an extra-large clobbering topped with punches, kicks, and awesomeness with a side of a total beatdown." Sonic wipes his nose in a cocky manner, initiating his fighter stance. "Hope you guys are hungry!"
"We doin' what we can to survive in this world," Ebony told him, pointing onward. "Take him!"
The brawl soon ensued, showing a few thugs marching after a smug Sonic as one goon raised his crowbar to strike him. But the hedgehog eventually ducked, still smiling to watch the crowbar swing over, missing him completely. If Sonic had turned around to see his handiwork, he would have seen the surprised expression on the goon's face.
However, Sonic's nerves jolted once more. Standing on one hand, he kicked the goon right into his associates. Taking his chances, Sonic jumped towards another thug. He manages to dodge several gunshots, caving his fist through the thug's jaw and letting teeth fall out.
"I'm going to have to do that with every other deadbeat like that, aren't I?" Sonic told himself, revving into a ball of destruction upon the upcoming crooks.
T-Pup followed alongside Sonic as he sped around each mugger, spin dashing and overcoming some of them in the most disgracing ways until they either squealed like little girls or cried out in agony. But then, Sonic got to see a couple of Badniks, such as the Orbinauts. There weren't that many Badniks here, but the only threats besides the Orbinauts were bomb-based Badniks called Bomb-Bots.
"So! There are robots here, after all!" Sonic scrutinized, avoiding any damage inflicted upon him.
Sonic then evaded a pair of spike balls before taking out two other Orbinauts and freeing the animals inside, leaving a trail of metal parts in his wake. As a Bomb-Bot moved closer to Sonic's sneaker, it stopped dead in its tracks and was motionless for a second.
Then, a tiny latch opened near the top of the sphere and sent out a small flame that landed on the Bomb-Bot's wick. It caught flame and inched down until it was almost gone.
"WHOA!" Sonic tried to dodge it, but he was too close, and the Bomb-Bot exploded right in front of him, sending flaming ashes everywhere.
Most of it, Sonic dodged, but a small flame caught onto the bottom of his sock and top of his shoe.
"AH!" Sonic yelled and then patted the fire down since it was pretty small.
It did, however, leave a small burn mark on his sock and shoe. Sonic did not realize these bomb-based Badniks were self-destructive until one almost literally killed him. Sonic saw three more of the Bomb-Bots.
So, he ran up, got close so they would light themselves, and dashed back, this time with the knowledge of what was going to happen and just how long until it happened.
As expected, the Bomb-Bots all exploded into fiery remains and a few mechanical parts. Ebony could only watch, where his gritted teeth showed a fit of irritation, calmly gesturing Blackjack to give Sonic why he means business. Sonic tried to hit another Orbinaut, making short and quick bolts.
Abruptly, Blackjack reappeared behind the blue hero to hammer down a massive, spiked brass-knuckled fist. Luckily, Sonic's instincts kicked in for him to cartwheel out of Blackjack's punch, which caused a trembling impact with debris erupting out. Using enough of their speed, Sonic and T-Pup quickly eluded into a nearby bar to find some time to recuperate.
"Okay," Sonic breathed heavily, his eyes racing everywhere throughout the bar. "What's next for me now?"
"What's next for you is telling us how you got Ebony's crooks after you." A hard-boiled voice uttered from out of nowhere.
Sonic blinked, catching sight of three detectives that interrogated the bartender about something until the speedy hero came bursting in all of a sudden.
The one who answered Sonic first was a burly, green-skinned crocodile with spiky red scales down his tail and yellow eyes. He sported a thick body that resembles an S-shape, with his broad upper body getting slimmer towards his tail and legs. By contrast, his arms start as thin before thickening closer to the wrist. His belly, snout, and arms are light green, while the rest of his body is dark green.
For attire, the crocodile wore small, black shoulder pads. White gloves with black-and-orange cuffs, embellished with gold buckles, and black shoes figured with white and orange colors. Other traits included a gold chain around the neck, a pair of black-and-gray wireless headphones, a black leather jacket that features very short sleeves, black armbands on the right arm, and a tattoo of an eight-point compass rose on the left arm.
The second detective showed a purple chameleon with a yellow horn between his gold eyes. His muzzle and heart-shaped pattern on his torso had a peach color. Behind the back, the chameleon has a ridge of three black spikes going down his spine and a coiled tail.
For attire, he wore a thick, black neck gaiter scarf with a mouth covering. He has dark purple shoes with black accents, metal-reinforced arm bracers, elastic baggy pants with a utility belt to keep some of his ninja gear, and white gloves with dark purple pads on the backs. Around his wrists and ankles are bandage-wrapped cuffs with gold studs on the lower bands.
And the third detective showed a juvenile, black-and-yellow striped bee with yellow-and-black striped antennae, translucent sky blue wings on his back, and honey brown eyes. He also has exposed peach skin on his muzzle, two pairs of arms, and having no nose.
For attire, the bee wore an orange vest with a bee emblem on the left, a yellow zipper, and a white-collar resembling that of a polo shirt. The bee had white and orange shoes cuffed with black rings and topped with yellow zippers, white gloves with similar cuffs, and a black pilot's helmet with a dark pink rim, alongside orange flight goggles. Not to mention holstering a wooden slingshot with some pebbles around his waist.
"Who the heck are you guys?" Sonic asked, with T-Pup guarding the hedgehog in a growl. "You want a piece of me too?"
"Yo! Hold your horses, kid. We're not here to cause you and your pup there any trouble. The name's Vector," The crocodile introduced himself and his crew, handing Sonic a card who takes to look it over. "And these here are my two co-workers: Espio and Charmy. We're a group of professional problem solvers called the Chaotix Detective Agency. Our boss, Chief Furor, assigned a case for us here in Starlight Highway to bust Ebony for commissioning various criminal acts."
"Detectives, huh?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, folding his arms. "And you're saying Ro-Butt-Nik's crony got every crook here after me?"
"I investigated the area for traces to find Ebony's hideout, but I saw Robotnik's nephew making a deal to kill you and Princess Sally Acorn. Ebony became given a lifetime commitment after Snively took a strange jewel he originally found." Espio explained.
"No way!" Sonic nearly exclaimed, followed by a stern look. "And here, I thought things couldn't get any worse. But still, if they think they'll hurt Sal, they got to go through me first."
Zipping in front of Sonic, Charmy had stars sparkling in his eyes. "Whoa! You're the Blue Blur from the Spring Yard Obstacle Course! I saw you racing on TV! It sucks that you didn't win, but at least I got to see Turbo Tails win! He was so awesome!"
Now, it was Sonic's turn to look shocked. "Wait, Tails won-?"
"LAST WARNING, HEDGEHOG!" Snively's voice interfered from the Hover Unit's microphone. "Come out of the building right now, or I'll open fire and torch everything with you inside!"
"Looks like we won't be here for long, huh?" Sonic said flatly.
"No time to become a fanboy, Charmy," Vector turned toward the sound, with Espio and Charmy following suit. "We, as a business, make sure that our cases always get seen through to the end. You coming, Blue Blur?"
"Oh yeah," The speedy hero replied, with T-Pup yipping as well. "And the name's Sonic, by the way."
"The pleasure's all mine," Vector smirked, eagerly popping his knuckles. "Get ready to go nuts, boys! Because I hope our paychecks back home come in a bundle."
"Hai," Espio held out a couple of kunai blades.
"Time to rock 'n' roll!" Charmy grinned cheekily, holding out his trusty slingshot.
Back outside, Ebony impatiently marched up onto the front porch of the bar, his gun loaded and finger close to the trigger. Blackjack, along with many other thugs, remains close to Ebony to be sure nothing suspicious happens to him. Just as Ebony was about to speak for himself, his words became cut short as a smoke bomb rolled in front of him, releasing a flash of smoke into the surrounding area, which caused an uproar.
Without a moment to spare, Ebony wasn't able to spot a ninja chameleon's foot that delivered a devastating kick to the mobster's stomach. Ebony got sent crashing into the building walls, failing to apprehend the situation. The crowds were in shock. Foxxie was filled with anger for her partner to cry out in protest. Once the smoke cleared, Sonic and the Chaotix stood in the middle of the street while Ebony's gunmen surrounded them.
"Yo, hopscotch!" Vector called out for Ebony, who crawled his way back onto his feet, thanks to Blackjack's support. "We've come to close you down, permanently!"
"Okay, Blackjack, it's become necessary for you to put these chuckleheads into obedience school." Ebony summoned his commanding voice, which the bulldog nodded. "Give 'em a good sluggin'."
With most of the thugs stepping back, Sonic and the Chaotix saw Blackjack stomping his way over to them while the ground trembled. The bulldog growled lowly, so low it was almost hard to understand him. But Sonic knew that he and the Chaotix were up against somebody possessing destructive strength beyond that of an ordinary Mobian. By kicking each of their feet forward, the battle in Starlight Highway soon began.
TO BE CONTINUED...