"Sonic...how I hate him. All of that loathing has been focused into this invincible instrument of war. Every defeat, every humiliation at the hedgehog's hands will be returned a thousandfold. With the power I've managed to conjure, Sonic's days on this planet are numbered. This is my dream come true! With this invention, I can expand the Eggman Empire across the globe and conquer the world. Mwa...mwahahahahahahahaha!"
Even the most peaceful of sanctuaries aren't safe from the intrusion of combat. The flora and fauna of an island paradise were quite content with their continued daily life before the storm came, with the animals casually grazing on the lush green grass and the palm trees stretching towards the sun. As it was a hot day for the hilly area, many of the small creatures, content with their green meal, crowded around the many waterfalls and pools that the land provided.
A few of the animals were sent skidding across the grass when a body much larger than theirs suddenly rushed past. The movement brought a fierce gust of wind, which threatened to pull the pudgy critters into the air. Each of the animals immediately looked to get a glimpse at the sudden passerby, but cowered upon seeing another group of bodies suddenly fly by. Due to them being slower than the first, these speeding entities were easy for the animals they were disturbing to see – though they weren't pleased in the slightest by that fact.
The swarm of bodies happened to be a horde of flying robots – all resembling that of a wasp. Their metallic bodies were exaggerated in a cartoonish way, though there was no denying the threatening look of the rifles jutting out of their gasters. Each of their beady eyes sharpened as the group grew closer to their target, who continued to speed at a pace almost unnaturally fast. Upon tailing the fleeing creature enough to consider it within firing range, the robots began to analyze the entity's form.
What had been running from the group of robots the entire time was a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog. As strange as a concept that may have seemed to some, the robots immediately recognized this anomaly. From the long, fin-shaped quills to the peach-colored arms and belly, and to the signature red shoes that kept his feet covered while he ran, these trademark attributes immediately put the robots on guard.
"Subject S-62391 has been spotted." One of the leading robots announced. "Deploying initial strike formation." The robot that spoke suddenly flipped its body around, pointing its stinger at the sprinting hedgehog's back. Its allies, meanwhile, left it to raise their altitude – flying high overhead. "Engage!"
The hedgehog's green eyes suddenly flashed to the corner of his vision as he heard his pursuer announce its intentions. Just as the robot would have rocketed into his back and sent him flying into the air, the blue blur suddenly hopped into the air, allowing the attacker to fly underneath him. Before the machine could even process what was happening, its opponent swung down with all his might, crushing the insect-like head and leaving the body to fall to the ground with a clang.
"Do they really not program you scrap heaps right? The name isn't some serial number, it's Sonic!" The hedgehog called, finally acknowledging the group of drones following him.
The sound of robots hovering through the air only grew louder as Sonic sprinted further through the hilly, grassy area he considered his home. "Huh...I don't remember there being this many buzz bombers that'd normally patrol Green Hill." He muttered, glancing up at the dozens of purple, wasp-shaped drones that swarmed over him. The hedgehog was forced to press a hand against his forehead to block out the glaring sunlight. In the distance, he could see a horde of land-dwelling machines marching along the grass – trampling flowers in their wake. "I don't remember a bunch of egg pawns hanging out here, either. You guys sure you don't have the wrong meeting place?"
He was immediately put on edge when the robots above him suddenly turned to the side – pointing their 'stingers' at him. The cone-shaped weapons began to grow a bright red – much to his dismay. "Right...less talk more action!" Sonic shouted, leaping out of the way of three brightly-colored energy shots that had rocketed towards him. His reaction was swift and punishing; the hedgehog leaped into the air, before rocketing straight into one of the drones. From the miniature explosion came Sonic in his curled-up, balled form, racing towards another one of the flying wasps. One after another each of his opponents were dealt a swift end by his attack.
"Alright, still got it!" The blue hedgehog chuckled as he landed on the ground. As he began to brush some debris from his arms, he heard a sudden beeping noise emitting from one of his hands. Looking down, Sonic noticed a wrist communicator attached to his glove. "World's fastest hedgehog speaking. I'm guessing you're not doing so hot on your end, either?" He called upon pressing a button atop his glove.
"How'd you guess?" A high-pitched, boyish voice gasped. His voice was a little harder to make out due to the compression and sound quality of the transceiver, but Sonic was able to recognize its owner quite easily.
"Didn't I ever tell you? I've actually been a psychic this whole time! I can read your mind even from over here." The hedgehog replied. He began to pick up the momentum as he spoke – breaking out into a sprint while holding the communicator close to his face.
"What!? No way! That's so-" Sonic felt a smirk creep its way across his lips as he heard the other person grow silent for a moment. "Quit lying!" They protested with a whine. "Anyway, Eggman's forces are surging into the city. We need you here right now!"
"Alright, Tails! I'm on my-" Sonic was quickly cut off by the sudden approach of the robots he saw earlier. The horde of brightly-colored, egg-shaped robots took a swing at him with their fists, beeping at him with malicious intent. "Whoa!" The hedgehog cried, ducking underneath one of his attackers. He landed a sharp kick to the back of its head, before hopping over the closest robot and swinging the heel of his foot over the head of another. Each robot was flattened or reduced to scrap by his powerful blows. "Alright, Tails! I'm on my w-"
Sonic let out a cry as one of the egg pawns landed a hard punch to the distracted hedgehog's back. He was sent stumbling forward, but slid across the ground and spun around – kicking up a bit of grass and dirt as he did so. With a grunt, the boy curled up into a ball and began to spin in place, forming a small cloud of dust behind him. After a few moments he let himself loose, which resulted in him shooting through the chests of three different pawns.
"Sonic, are you okay?" Tails called over the line. His companion didn't immediately acknowledge him, as he was busy ducking underneath a robot's punch. The hedgehog cried out as he tore the limb from its body, before bashing the severed limb against its former owner, as well as several other of the pawns.
"AlrightTailsI'monmyway!" Sonic shouted as fast as he could into his wrist, before switching the transceiver off. He then leaped into the air and used his signature homing attack to wipe out the last few egg pawns in his path. "Phew…! You guys are getting tougher. I'm not getting any younger, either..." The still youthful-hedgehog panted. After shaking his head and stretching a bit more, Sonic blasted off – running forwards at blistering speeds. His acceleration was almost inhumane.
"This is it for Green Hill, so the city must be close." He muttered under his breath as the hills around him slowly grew less steep, before flattening into a grassy field. Creeping over the horizon were the tops of buildings and other landmarks belonging to the people of Sunset Heights City. Even from a distance, Sonic could see and hear the signs of combat from the area. What was normally a peaceful seaside township had become a warzone. "Okay, Egghead...wanna pick a fight? Let's see whatcha got!" The hedgehog suddenly cried out. His form quickly grew smaller and smaller from the view of the scrapped robots he left behind.
Fire had broken out in the town square as a squad of egg pawns broke through the blockade set up by the townsfolk – unleashing their lasers and grenades upon the locals. Initially the few who knew how to fight attempted to hold their ground against the robotic invaders, but any semblance of order they might have had quickly escalated into chaos. Screaming, frantic, and panicked, those who weren't struck down by lasers or successful in scrambling into one of the few other exits their former haven had were shepherded into a group by the robots. One by one the arrested villagers were forced onto their knees and had their hands cuffed behind their backs. Loud sobs could be heard from the youngest and most frightened of the group.
As an egg pawn pulled away from the last of the prisoners to be apprehended and restrained, something bashed itself against the robot's side so forcefully, the metal husk was sent flying to the side. The townsfolk watched with wide eyes as a newcomer suddenly landed where their captor once stood – standing proudly atop the rubble.
The one who attacked the robot was, admittedly, quite smaller than anyone would have anticipated. He couldn't have been a fox that was a day older than eight, what with his stubby legs, wide childish eyes, and energetic demeanor. His orange and white fur was the perfect canvas for the shadows and light of fire to dance across. Everything about the boy was bold and outlandish to the city folk, but what was most outstanding was the fact that he had not one – but two long, flowing tails. They whipped at the air in preparation, moving as if they had minds of their own.
"Looks like you all could use a little help!" The young boy called, waving to the prisoners. He then spun around, glaring at a few robots that had already begun to approach. "Everyone, get back! This could get ugly!" Just as several egg pawns fired at he where he stood, the fox lunged forward, rolling across the ground and out of the way. A loud whir could be heard after he curled up into a ball – his tails flailing at the air while he spun quickly in place.
With a loud screeching sound accompanying his release, Tails rocketed straight towards one of invading robots. He managed to hit them squarely in the chest, knocking them over and allowing him to use its body to throw himself into the air. The fox soared over another one of the egg pawns, lashing his tails over its head and crushing the weak metal armor keeping its internal workings protected.
The intervening hero was quickly cut short in his rampage when a series of chrome-colored egg pawns aimed their hands at them, before quickly transforming them into massive blasters. A series of bright-red balls of energy shot towards the fox, forcing him to duck, dodge, and dance around while he fought desperately for his life. It took everything he had to avoid those glowing projectile shots.
An egg pawn suddenly appeared to the fox's right. The robot dealt a merciless and swift punch to his opponent's side – sending the boy rolling across the ground. Those who were handcuffed and watching in awe suddenly felt their hearts sink as their supposed savior returned to them covered in dirt and scratches. "Ow..." He sniffled, shakily rising to her feet. "Th-They landed a good hit...b-but I'm just warming up!" While the boy psyched himself up for another round with the robots, however, the enemy forces moved in quickly. The crowd joined their sole defender in staring at the chromatic egg pawns, who were lining themselves in front of them. A clicking could be heard as their weapons readied to fire.
'N-No…! There's too many of them, and now I'm at a disadvantage!' The fox thought to himself, clutching a stinging scrape on his arm while he regained his breath. 'What am I gonna do? What would Sonic do? C'mon, Tails...think!' Yet all he could think about was the barrel of the cannon pointed directly at his head. Sweat trickled down his face as he stared down inevitability.
A change in the winds caused not only the crowd of prisoners to look around, but the robots as well. It felt as if there was another presence among them in the city square – invisible to the naked eye. The identity of the additional newcomer was made clear when a spinning blue ball suddenly shot past the firing squad. As they moved past the ball suddenly reeled towards the right, resulting in them running into and wiping out the robot serving as the end of the line.
The spinning ball suddenly leaped into the air, before unfurling for the crowd to reveal his full body. Their rescuer was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. "Hey, tin cans! I think you've got the wrong guy!" He shouted, gaining the attention of the other robots. They immediately unleashed a barrage of fire at the hedgehog, who ducked and dodged in the air. It was clear that the freedom fighter was always in control of his movements – even while off the ground.
"Sorry I'm late! Is everyone okay?" Sonic asked the fox as he landed atop one of the egg pawns – resulting in its comrades to tear through its body with cannon-fire. He then spin dashed into another of the robots.
"Sonic, finally!" Tails gasped. With the opportunity available to him, the fox ran into the fray once again, this time with the advantage of an ally. "The city's getting torn apart because of Eggman's forces, and you're not gonna like it when I tell you who I saw..." He suddenly whipped his tails against an egg pawn, sending them flying. "But everyone here in this specific plaza? Yeah they're fine." The boy used his appendages to grab one of the robots, and threw them in Sonic's direction so he could deal a decisive finishing blow. "I know you like being fashionably late, but isn't this cutting it a little close!?" From one glance around the fiery plaza, one would feel the smaller of the two was justified in his line of questioning.
"Sorry bud, I'll always be chasing after those style points." The hedgehog replied. He grabbed a hold of one of the robots, before slapping it so hard it was sent spinning in place. "Heads up!" Sonic then knocked the egg pawn in Tails' direction, which resulted in the boy easily crushing it with his useful twin tails. "It's just how I roll!" After noticing the last of the enemies being pinned down by his companion, he rushed in and homing-attacked into it, defeating the last of the horde.
"Phew…! What a workout!" Sonic chuckled, dusting off his hands. Tails, who had fallen to the ground from the force of his friend's finishing blow, was forced to help himself to his feet. "So what's this about Eggman tearing apart the city? It really is a full-on attack, huh?" The small orange fox nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! Dropships flew in from the eastern side of the city and let loose a bunch of these egg pawns. The whole place has been in chaos ever since!" He explained, his small hands balled into fists. "I only just showed up myself, and I'm already overwhelmed. I know Eggman's been attacking cities along the coast, but he didn't have to go all out here!"
"Yeah, well, that old egg sure is petty." Sonic huffed, brushing himself off. "Green Hill's definitely my favorite go-to place, so of course he's gonna trash it whenever he can!" Tails rolled his eyes in response. "Anyway, we're gonna show that slob why we're the heroes around here, right?" He asked, holding his fist out to his companion.
"Hahaha, yeah!" Tails cheered, bumping his fist against the hedgehog's.
"Hohohoho…! That's what you think, is it!?" A voice suddenly rang out. The source had come from far in the air over them, causing Sonic and Tails to look up.
"Oh, great." Sonic sighed as he watched a large, half-sphere vehicle lower into the square. As the hovering machine reached the ground and floated a few feet over the rubble, its pilot became clear for all to see. The man was, oddly enough, a human. He was hefty, overweight, and wider at the bottom of his torso than he was at the top. In all honesty, he bore a striking similarity to an egg. The only signs of hair was the long, bristling mustache that stretched past the sides of his head.
"Perfect, just the jerk I wanted to speak with. You've got some explaining to do, Eggman!" Sonic called. Tails nodded in agreement. After receiving a shifty glance from his blue companion, the fox turned and ran back to the crowd of prisoners. He began ushering them into an alleyway, giving them time to flee from the area.
"Hohoho, Sonic...is an explanation really all that necessary?" Eggman questioned, raising an eyebrow as he grimaced. "I've said this many times before, but this is truly where it all changes. Our time together as adversaries ends here!" The doctor watched his opponent begin to stretch his limbs with anticipation. "Say your prayers, Sonic! Behold the power of my ultimate masterpiece!"
"You talk big game, but I don't see what's changed. Why don't you show me, up close and personal?" The hedgehog replied. He suddenly charged forward, smirking as he leaped into the air and readied to homing-attack the vehicle. Tails, who had just finished ushering the other townspeople out of the plaza, turned to watch with excitement. Seeing his best friend show up the arrogant mad scientist was always a treat for him.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Sonic noticed something approaching him at a near-blinding speed. With enough sense to cut his losses on attacking the doctor's vehicle, he dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way of whatever had come charged towards him. Sonic watched as a large, red and black, lizard-like horned creature slammed into the ground next to him – breaking apart brick and concrete with his landing.
The fight was instant. As soon as the creature knew where Sonic was, he let out a mighty roar and swung with all the strength he could muster. His opponent was fast, however, and quickly ducked underneath his right hook before ducking behind him. Glancing around angrily, it wasn't until he looked down at his own body that the lizard-like foe noticed Sonic laying between his feet, his hands held behind his head. Much to the monster's anger, he seemed completely calm.
"Hey, Zavok." Sonic greeted, batting his eyes innocently at the red brawler. His opponent moved to stomp his face in with one of his large, flat feet, but the hedgehog was easily able to roll out of the way and behind him once again. "Listen Eggman, I like Zavok as much as the next guy, but the "former" leader of the Deadly Six doesn't sound masterpiece material to me." He called.
"Do not mock me, you little blue runt!" Zavok hissed. His voice was deep and guttural, one fitting for the apparent leader of a team. "I'll flatten you with my bare hands!" He took another heavy swing at Sonic, who once again easily sped out of the relatively slow monster's way. The two continued their one-sided exchange while the hedgehog continued to taunt.
"Actually, now that I think about it, don't you hate Eggman? And all living things on earth, of course, but mostly Eggman? What's with the sudden team-up?" He asked.
"Why must you assault my ears with your constant talking!?" Zavok shouted. The monster swung his fists down as quickly as he could – causing the ground in front of him to shatter. As specks of debris were scattered across the area around them, Zavok looked up to see Sonic land atop his hands. His opponent took a moment to wag his finger cockily.
"Well, I can always just hit you instead!" The hedgehog offered. He then unleashed a powerful kick to Zavok's right cheek, causing him to grunt in pain and fall backwards. Sonic smirked as he heard Tails cheer at the sight of his enemy landing hard on his back. "Well buddy, it was a nice little reunion, but I've got an egg to scramble." The hedgehog turned to his right, only to find someone standing in front of them.
Sonic stared directly into the glowing red eyes of a robotic hedgehog – modeled almost completely in his image. The robot seemed to emit an aura of total loathing. It swung at the hero the moment their eyes made contact, but even he hadn't gotten enough of a jump on Sonic.
"Oh hi Metal Sonic." Sonic greeted nonchalantly, ducking underneath their arm. He fell back onto his hands, allowing him to deliver a sharp kick to their chin. The hedgehog could only smirk as he watched Metal Sonic reel backwards while clutching its head. "You know, you could help!" Sonic called to Zavok. He hopped into a fighter's stance, an eager smile taunting both enemies. The fallen brawler growled as he pulled himself off the ground.
Zavok roared as sprinted forward, throwing all of his momentum in a punch that he aimed directly at Sonic's face. The hedgehog quickly tripped his opponent while side-stepping them. "Two on one, alright! I'd ask Tails to hop in and make it a one-on-one, but that just wouldn't be fair to you guys." He chuckled, hopping over Metal Sonic – who had just managed to recover from the surprise kick to the chin – as they flew in to tackle him.
The metallic hedgehog circled back around and made another dive, but a spin-dash from Sonic forced him to a stand-still. There Sonic stood, between an angered Zavok and a menacing robot, his brows furrowed in concentration while he sized up the situation. A movement from the weakest link gave Sonic the opportunity he needed. He curled into a ball and spun beneath Zavok's legs as he charged in, before kicking him hard in the back and sending him flying into Metal.
"Got any other curtain calls you wanna get out of the way, Eggman?" His question was immediately answered when a sudden impact to the back of his head sent Sonic stumbling forward. "W-Woah!" He cried, spinning into a ball and rolling across the ground to break his fall. The hedgehog quickly unfurled out of his spherical form so that he could get a look at his next opponent.
Much to Sonic's shock, standing a short distance away was a bipedal, green-eyed humanoid creature composed entirely of water. The hedgehog's eyes widened as he reached to pat where he had been struck. Part of his quills were wet, with water trickling down the pointed forms.
"Chaos?" Sonic called, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" His question was answered the moment the watery creature lashed out at him – stretching his limbs long enough to reach and strike the hedgehog. "Whoa, whoa! Hold on a second! Time out!" Sonic cried, using his hands to form a T after dodging the melee attacks. Chaos retracted its limbs as it stared at the hedgehog expectantly.
"I understand why Metallic Madness and Sellout over there would be working together with Eggman, but you? What's the big idea?" He called. The watery creature continued to stare at him blankly. 'I really wish you had a face, that way I could at least guess what you're thinking…' Sonic thought to himself.
Those few moments were all the time Chaos seemingly allowed, as he quickly returned to throwing punches at him. "Hey, Tails? Did Knuckles ever hit you up and let you know that the God of Destruction is out and about again? Or that he's gone totally psycho!?" Sonic called, dashing away from the stretching limbs. He hopped over a few more, before spin-dashing towards his opponent once he saw an opening. The watery creature immediately dropped out of Sonic's range, forming a puddle while the hedgehog flew across the plaza.
Tails, who had grown more nervous with each introduction of a new adversary, felt his heart sink when he saw the most recent newcomer join the fray. "N-No, that doesn't make any sense! I thought Chaos was our friend…! He's supposed to be good!" The fox whispered. He felt the urge to leap in and help, but something stopped him. Something out of the corner of his eye…
"Okay, three on one, nothing I haven't seen before!" Sonic exclaimed. The hedgehog wasn't nearly as certain of himself as before – especially with the introduction of Chaos to the mix. He ducked as Metal attempted to swoop in once again. A swipe at his feet by Chaos forced Sonic to suddenly hop into the air, before landing atop one hand. With a confident grunt the hedgehog dropped himself to the ground, allowing him to charge up a spindash. He let loose and rocketed forward, hopping into the air as Metal made another grab for him from the ground. Determined to land a homing attack against Chaos's head – a surefire way of defeating the beast – Sonic aimed his sights on the water creature.
Just as he began to rocket forward, Sonic was cut short by the sudden intervention of Zavok. The red monster held up one of his thick forearms, blocking the hedgehog's attack and forcing him back into the air. "Hey! What gives?" Sonic protested. He was so preoccupied with his frustration with the three that he failed to notice something else encroaching on their fighting space.
"Sonic, look out!" Tails suddenly cried – having finally gained the strength to speak.
Tails' warning went entirely pointless, however, as Sonic was struck by the incoming attack all the same. Another body suddenly rammed into him while the hedgehog was exposed in the air. This sent him flying across the plaza. "Gah!" The hedgehog cried as he hit the ground, before rolling back several more feet into a pile of debris. Waves of pain surged from where the initial impact hit him. "Alright, who else did you invite…?" Sonic coughed, wiping dirt from his face as he rose to his feet.
The greatest shock yet was in store for Sonic. As the hedgehog lifted his head up to look ahead, he was surprised to find a black and red hedgehog, his arms crossed and his red eyes staring daggers into Sonic's green ones. This newcomer stood proudly as he watched Sonic's face morph into one of surprise. "Sh-Shadow? What are you doing!?" He cried, watching as the three other opponents joined their lackey. Shadow averted his eyes for a moment, his expression softening, but quickly hardened once again as he got into a fighter's stance.
"So, that's it, then." Sonic panted, glaring at them. "So two of my friends, two of my enemies..." He was cut off, however, when he heard another sound echo throughout the plaza. It was a strange, foreign sound – sounding completely unnatural. Due to him hearing it from above, the hedgehog looked up to see that a fifth person floated well above them.
The figure hovered in the sky, lording over Sonic and the others with his presence. His form was shrouded in silhouettes, making it impossible to truly tell what he looked like, but Sonic could make certain distinctions out of their appearance. This newcomer had a long, sharp, pointed face, with long strands of fur jutting out from the back of his head and whipping at the air. His fingers ended with sharp claws – matching the overtly pointy and dangerous look of his boots, collars, and ears. From his backside was a long, dark tail, which defied gravity just as easily as his hair.
Sonic's eyes narrowed in distrust as he watched the shadowy figure lower himself to the ground, placing himself directly in front of the team of four. This left him only a few yards away from the blue hedgehog himself. "Okay, scratch that...two of my friends, two of my enemies, and someone I don't even know..." Sonic growled. He grimaced while flicking his thumb against his nose – as if to challenge the newcomer.
The fight needed no prompting to continue. Sonic was eager to get the jump on this new opponent – desperately wanting to get even with him for his unnerving appearance. He dashed forward with his typical unmatched acceleration, only for the enemy to simply fly to his immediate right. There was no movement of his limbs, his entire body moved at once. This sudden and miraculous dodge caused Sonic to sprint right past the group of enemies, leaving him confused as he skidded to a halt.
"What the? I was so close, there was no way he should have been able to dodge that fast…!" Sonic muttered. As he moved to turn around, Metal lunged forward, landing a direct jab to his gut. The hedgehog let out a cry of pain, and spun backwards to avoid a kick to the side of the head by Shadow.
"Wh-What was that!? H-H-He dodged Sonic!" Tails gasped, ducking behind a large piece of debris while the battle continued. "There's no way...is he faster than him?" He let his eyes wander away from the fight, allowing him to look back at Eggman. To his amazement, the doctor was reclining in the leather chair of his vehicle. His calm appearance and smug grin was unfamiliar to Tails – a fight with him and his friends typically left the man on the edge of his seat.
Sonic ducked as the mysterious newcomer fired several laser shots from the palm of his hand – aiming directly at the hedgehog's head as he moved. Grunting as he side-stepped laser shots and enemies alike, Sonic eventually felt enough confidence to suddenly leap into the air and risk a homing attack. As he rocketed towards the fighter, however, he was dealt a swift and punishing blow to his back by Metal, sending him higher up than he anticipated. This moment of weakness allowed the mysterious figure to rocket upwards as well. He kicked Sonic hard in the stomach – sending him rocketing into a building.
A sharp cry of pain escaped Sonic as he hit the wall hard. "That's...not good…!" He gasped, falling out of the sky and flopping onto the ground. The hedgehog wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Alright, you've gotten my attention! You wanna fight? Bring it!" Sonic shouted as he leaped to his feet. The figure simply shook his head.
More lasers came from the hovering foe, causing Sonic to go into the defensive. He sprinted away from where he once stood, but didn't get far with the other four fighters ready to take action as well. Zavok immediately stormed into him, swinging a fist at Sonic. The hedgehog managed to block his fist with a kick of his own, before lunging forward and landing a sharp blow to his gut. Zavok was forced to take a moment to regain his breath while Sonic dashed away.
'Aim for that creep, he's the one orchestrating this entire fight!' The hedgehog thought to himself. He leaped into the air – making another attempt at rocketing into their body. His target quickly shot out of the way, leaving Metal in his place. "I'm supposed to be the fast one, you know!" Sonic shouted after throwing himself back to the ground.
Another homing attack, another dodge. This time Sonic's next opponent was waiting for him on the other side – perfectly calculating his movements. The hedgehog had to throw a punch at Chaos in the hopes of deterring them from standing in his way, but the watery creature was able to block both of his hands. "What the-? How are you doing that…!?" He called back to the apparent leader of the crew, trying to pull his hands away from Chaos's grip.
Suddenly, the figure he was so desperate to get close to appeared at his side. Before Sonic could realize what was going on, the heel of his boot connected with his face, knocking him back to the center of the square. He felt his arms and legs tremble from the pain and exhaustion, while sweat dripped down off of his body and onto the pavement.
"Gyahahahaha! Oh, this is too good to watch!" Eggman cackled. "Nice!" He added, watching as Shadow rushed in to kick Sonic back across the plaza.
"Tails, help!" Sonic called, trying to reach out to his companion as Metal gripped him by his leg. He was thrown into the air, allowing the shadowy figure to ram his foot into his face once again. "I...could...use...the...help!" The fox instinctively moved out from behind the debris to help Sonic, but part of him immediately froze. A chill ran up his spine, and his legs suddenly felt as if they were made of lead – anchoring him to where he stood.
Fear. It was fear that kept Tails from rushing in to make the attempt at helping his friend. Fear was what made each drop of sweat rolling down his back feel ice-cold; Fear was what made every beat of his quick-moving heart near-deafening in his ears. The boy could do nothing but watch in horror as his idol, Sonic the Hedgehog, was caught in a twisted juggling game. His hero was no longer able to even put up a fight.
A scratch from Metal Sonic. An uppercut from Chaos. A punch over the head from Zavok. A knee to the gut from Shadow. Sonic was knocked in and out of the air, back and forth between opponents, all while his only ally sat and watched. To add insult to injury, he was finished off by the fifth and most powerful enemy, who fired a series of lasers into his chest.
"Taaaaaaiiiiiillllllssssss!" Sonic cried as he fell from the sky. His hedgehog body hit the ground once again with a dull thud. All was a haze to the youthful hedgehog as he fought to regain his senses. The pain and fatigue from his beating was simply too much for him. All he could manage was a small head-tilt, allowing him to look his frightened companion directly in the eyes.
"Gck-! Ngh...T-Tails..." The blue hedgehog winced, his eyes drooping as his head slowly lowered back onto the ground. A faint ringing in his ears nearly made his own statement of "Run..." inaudible. Darkness crept from the corner of his vision, while the ringing only grew louder. Soon sight was no longer a luxury the quickly-fading hedgehog could afford, as everything went dark. The last thing he could hear before drifting away was the sound of someone calling his name – as well as that same, otherworldly sound...
Greetings! This was admittedly a little creative exercise I decided to give a try. I thought there wasn't a better way to dust the cobwebs and practice some action writing than to write a bit about Sonic. Why Forces? I've shared the same sentiment with many others that the story could use some work, so I thought it'd be nice to give it my own spin! Again, this was just a creative exercise, but I'm interested in continuing the project and possibly developing the concepts more! The foundation for that was already established here, as I did have the sentiment of 'I should leave this open to continue' in mind.
Cheers! Let me know what you think of the work in a review, if you'd like. Thoughts on the writing would certainly be appreciated.