Tails' Workshop
Tails yawned as he tinkered away at his desk; Eggman may have been gone for three years, but that didn't mean he had to let his skills get rusty. Raiders had nearly shot down the Tornado a few nights ago, so he was working on a shield generator to keep it from happening again. A clap of thunder made the fox jump, nearly sending his invention plummeting to the floor. Looking out, he could see something across the lake.
"Who would take a boat out in this weather?" he pondered, peering through the blinds. It was then he realized that it wasn't a boat going across the water, but a person, specifically… "Sonic?!"
Tails flew down to the front door, unlatching it just as the blue blur zipped inside, slamming into the kitchen table with an almighty crash. Sonic didn't look great, with a large bruise along his back, a black eye, and a wound on his left shoulder. The fox had to wince, especially as his sudden collision had Sonic stumble backwards.
"Rrgh… who put that table there?" he mumbled, rubbing at his now-sore abdomen.
"I did, two years ago," replied Tails, shutting the door once again. "What are you doing here, Sonic?"
"I was staying in this small village, Ashdrop, and some raiders came to try and loot the place," said Sonic, sitting down in one of the chairs. "It was standard fair, kicked their butts like no tomorrow. But then it stopped being standard."
Ashdrop village, half an hour ago
Sonic was in the middle of an evening run through the village and the surrounding forest. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, but storm clouds were brewing overhead, so he'd have to get in as much running as he could. A clap of thunder boomed, it sounded like it wasn't too far off. The hedgehog's thoughts took a very rare turn to the past, wondering if it would storm where Tails was, and if he was still afraid of thunderstorms. Sonic was pulled back into the present by the sound of an airship appearing overhead.
"Who would take an airship out in this weather?" asked Sonic, peering over the vessel.
It was then he noticed the giant cannon hanging over the side. This was no exploration craft, it was a group of raiders!
The hedgehog sped back to the village, running into a red rabbit girl as he reached the square. "What's with the hurry?" she asked, dusting herself off. "You should be getting inside before the storm hits."
"Something worse is about to hit," warned Sonic, just as the airship fired a shot at the village clock tower. "You guys need to hide."
The rabbit glanced in fright at the airship slowly descending, before bravely nodding and leading everyone indoors. Sonic stayed outside, posed defiantly as the ship lowered down, as an unknown figure dropped down with a loud thud. He looked taller than anybody else on Sonic's world, only slightly shorter than Eggman, with heavy armor, a wicked looking helmet, and glowing red eyes. He glanced at Sonic dismissively.
"Yeesh, talk about a face only a mother could love," the hedgehog quipped. Whoever this guy was, he'd go down just as easily as any other wannabe thug.
"Hold your tongue, boy, or Urvos will rip it out for you," the giant growled, his lackeys hopping out behind him to start looting the place.
"Ooh, very egotistical, aren't you? Well, Sonic doesn't need to talk in third person to be cool, as Sonic will gladly demonstrate!"
Sonic sped towards the first crook he could find, a bull wearing some sort of mech suit. The arms read "Armstrong" in a red, blocky font, so he assumed that was his name. Armstrong huffed and swung his heavily armored fists at Sonic, who swiftly dodged before delivering a swift kick to the bull's helmet, disorienting him for long enough that Sonic could grab a coil of chain and wrap him up. He then felt a searing pain in his left shoulder, turning to spot a deer with a sniper rifle up on the airship. Using the restrained Armstrong as a stepping stool, Sonic hopped up onto the vessel and plowed down the assailant. The deer stumbled backwards, his gun being knocked down to the ground below.
Sonic and the deer weren't alone on the airship, as a scrawny raccoon wearing what looked like goggles was hunched over a computer terminal which was responsible for keeping them in the air. The raccoon seemed very intimidated as Sonic approached, the hedgehog feeling thrust made his job a lot easier. "Yo, goggles, aren't you a little young to be flying one of these things? How about setting this thing down and running home?"
"Hey, hog!" bellowed a deep voice from behind, Sonic turning too late to see the massive fist that collided with his cheek! The puncher turned out to be a bear, which explained why the punch stung so much. "Maybe you should quit playing hero and go scurrying off?"
"You don't scare me," scoffed Sonic, spindashing into the bear and bowling him over.
Sonic smirked proudly as he eyed the fallen lackeys, not counting goggles as a serious threat. He'd have to wrap things up fast here, because his shoulder was hurting, and he could feel his eye starting to swell from getting punched. All that was left was the man himself, Urvos.
The brute looked to be wearing some sort of armor, which Sonic figured would be too tough to get through, so he'd have to settle for disorienting his opponent. Urvos made his first swing, Sonic swiftly dodging it. The hedgehog popped up behind the giant, giving a kick to the back of his unarmored knee. Urvos grunted, but remained upright, swinging a punch at Sonic; the hedgehog turned, but not quickly enough, as the brute was able to land a firm punch that knocked Sonic to the ground.
Urvos seethed as he stared down at the hedgehog, who was struggling to get up without using his left arm. "You shall be a thorn in our side no longer," he growled, raising his hands to deliver the finishing blow… which never came, as he suddenly collapsed to his knees, holding his hands to his head as he screamed in pain. The hedgehog, not quite understanding what was going on, managed to get to his feet and run away as far as he could.
Present Day
"...and the first place I thought of running was to your workshop."
By this point, Sonic's shoulder had been bandaged up, and an ice pack was placed over his black eye. Tails had been making chili dogs while this tale was being told, his ears peeking up as it finished.
"Really?" he asked, stepping towards Sonic with a wide smile. "This was the first place you thought of? Are you… coming back?"
The hedgehog noticed his friend's expression, plenty of feelings running through his mind. But he responded by giving a wide grin and holding out a fist. "Well, since I've got nothing better to do…"
Ashdrop Village
Urvos could focus on nothing but the massive pain in his head, feeling as though his brain was being squeezed to bursting. The other raiders ran over at the sight of their leader's distress, but he waved them off and staggered to his feet. They were joined shortly by a levitating robot, with sleek white plating and Eggman's emblem prominently printed across on its elbows.
"Why?" grunted Urvos, glaring daggers at the unemotive machine.
"Your orders were to catch the hedgehog, not kill him," said the robot. "I don't know if traps where you come from are deadly, but Eggman always caught that hedgehog alive."
The brute seethed as he turned to his defeated team, the raccoon trying to make himself look less noticeable. "Maybe if my team weren't so worthless, I might not have needed to use such force!" he bellowed. Just then, he saw another of his crew approaching, carrying the red rabbit with them. "And Esmas, what is the point of dragging that creature here?"
"You should be congratulating her," interrupted the robot, levitating over. "Esmas has just found bait for a hedgehog trap."
The rabbit looked up nervously, the robot grabbing her chin. "You can forget it," she said, mustering up what defiance she could. "I don't even know the guy, he won't show just because I'm in trouble."
"You're wrong, my dear. Sonic is and has always been a thorn in the side of the Eggman Empire, but he is empathic. He would trade his life for a stranger's, and it's this weakness we shall exploit." The robot turned back to Urvos, pointing to the raccoon. "Have Krak locate and raise communications with the hedgehog."
"You heard him, whelp, get to it!" roared the brute, the raccoon scrambling up to the airship as the rabbit watched on anxiously.
Tails' Workshop
Tails had told him to sit still for a while, but Sonic couldn't do that. He went upstairs to where his best friend worked, curious if anything had changed. He found the usual telltale signs of a mess, but was surprised to find that on a wall that was previously bare, a dozen pictures were now hung up. The hedgehog found a number of himself, as well as Amy, Knuckles, the Chaotix, Sally, Cream, even Shadow and Rouge. And below all that, there was a lamp shining over a flowerpot, which contained a slowly growing plant.
"I never took Tails for a gardener," he pondered. "I really have been away for a while."
Before he could go ask his two-tailed friend about the plant, a light began flashing on one of the many devices. It was that moment when Tails stepped in, pressing a button on the device. The two turned to a nearby screen…
...and flinched as Urvos appeared, holding the rabbit by the back of the neck.
"How did you find this place, you oaf?" demanded Sonic.
"My crew did something useful for once," was the simple reply. "Now, return to the village."
"And what if I don't?"
"Then the rabbit here becomes boots." The rabbit girl looked terrified, but tried shaking her head no.
Sonic grit his teeth at the sight, stepping closer to the screen. "You let her go, Urvos! She's done nothing to you!"
"You have until first light to collect her!" the brute shouted over Sonic. "Come alone to the square, and I might spare you both."
The transmission ended immediately after Urvos finished talking. Tails almost didn't notice his friend leaving until he heard a pained groan from the end of the hall. Sure enough, the hedgehog was standing close to the door, trying to tighten the bandage around his shoulder. "Sonic, you're not seriously gonna go deal with that guy? He almost obliterated you!" the fox protested.
"Hey, everyone gets lucky once," said Sonic dismissively, until he noticed how concerned Tails was. "I'm not letting anyone die, Tails. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe sooner than you think!"
Sonic pulled on a rain jacket and stomped out into the stormy night, Tails shutting the door and trying not to cry from worry. He then spotted the Miles Electric sitting on the floor, having been knocked off the table, and an idea came to him. Sonic was in no shape to fight, but that didn't mean he couldn't have help.
Hey, everyone! So, a bit of background: I always had something of a passing interest in Sonic growing up, I played the first game, I watched a few episodes of some of the cartoons, and knew some of the characters, but I never had much real interest in it until recently, and I have the Sonic movie and the Snapcube fandubs to thank for that.
This story is mostly set in the same universe as the games, give or take, and for the past three years the world has been at peace from Eggman. Sonic leaves the group to go do his own thing, similar to Dark Brotherhood, but it seems as though fate plans to pull them al back together.
It's been a while since I've written a big story like this, so feel free to share your thoughts and criticisms in the comments!