Early Attack
As the moonlight shone above the village, inside a small house, Sonic and his friends watched as the credits rolled on the screen. Knuckles was clapping and whistling excitedly. "We're not in a theater, Knuckles," Leo explained. "Huh," the red echidna replied. "I was wondering why the projector screen was so small." The young lion let out an exasperated sigh, then turned to the others. "So, how'd you guys enjoy the movie?"
Tails smiled. "It was even better than I imagined!" he described cheerfully. "I mean, sure, there were some plot holes, but the story was so good!" Amy nodded. "Even though the book is better with pacing, I think this was still pretty cool." Sonic sat up straight. "I really liked the look of Robo-Lizard," he added. Leo smiled. "Glad you guys enjoyed it," he said. "I'm surprised it got fifty-seven percent on Poisoned Potatoes." The gang nodded in agreement, muttering some unintelligible words before standing up. "Well," Knuckles said with a yawn. "I guess it's about time to hit the sack." Sonic looked at the clock on the wall. "He's right," the cobalt hedgehog said. "It's pretty late. Plus, the band has a gig at the village square tomorrow."
"Wait, what band?" Leo inquired. Tails was the first to explain. "Well, us guys are a band called Dudetude." Leo perched an eyebrow. "Never heard of you," he responded. "But, I'll come and see you guys. When is it?" Sonic smiled. "That'd be great!" he said. "And it's at two thirty, in case you were wondering."
They all waved as they exited the house. "See you guys tomorrow!" Leo called out the window as they all went there separate ways. Suddenly, a boomerang hit him in the face, causing him to yelp in surprise. It circled back to a familiar badger sitting in the bushes. "Just because you're hiding doesn't mean I can't see you, Sticks!" he called angrily as he shut the window.
Sticks smirked. "I think I'm starting to get under his skin," she said with a mischievous giggle.
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The hot afternoon sun crawled slowly through the cloudless sky as people began to crowd around a small pullout stage in the center of the village. Everyone was chattering with minimal excitement, including Leo, Amy, and Sticks. None of them noticed that a hyena, an owl, and a bull were all surveying the area, as if looking for someone.
Leo looked at the stage in front of them. "So, how good are they?" he asked Amy. The pink hedgehog shrugged. "They're pretty good," she said. "They managed to get Sticks and I over Justin Beaver."
Leo shuddered. "You two were fans of Justin Beaver?" he inquired in a disgusted voice.
Sticks put her hands on her hips. "Hey, his music is still good," she argued. "We're just not so hung up on him, is all." Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I just don't like his songs."
"How dare you!" Sticks said, getting into a stance prepped for a possible lunge.
Before their argument could escalate any further, Comedy Chimp, walked onto the stage, causing the crowd to erupt into quiet applause. "Thank you all for coming," Chimp greeted. "Let's get this music fest on the road. Introducing Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna, playing together as Duditude!"
Both Amy and Sticks squealed with delight, receiving confused looks from Leo in response.
Comedy Chimp stepped backwards out of the way as the curtains opened, revealing the trio dressed in white button up shirts. Sonic held a triple headed electric guitar in his hands, gripping onto it firmly. Tails clutched a bass, his fingers running over the strings. Behind them, Knuckles was seated at a set of drums, holding a stick in each hand. All of them had proud looks on their faces.
"Hey, everybody!" Sonic said into the microphone. A second cheer erupted from the crowd. "Welcome to the gig! We have quite a treat for you today, so gear up and rock on!"
Silence crept through as the applause faded. Then, a low, soft guitar tune began to echo through the speakers, played by Tails. It carried on for several seconds before Sonic began to sing, his voice holding perfectly.
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city, to see a marching band.
As the song repeated, Knuckles began to beat his drumstick against the symbol, in a sort of parade-like fashion.
He said, "Son when you grow up,
Will you be the savior of the broken?
The beaten and the damned?"
As Leo and his friends listened on in the crowd, he suddenly found the lyrics familiar, and realized they were playing a cover of an already known song. But it almost seemed just as good as the original.
He said, "Will you defeat them?
Your demons?
And all the non-believers?
The plans that they have made?
"Because one day, I leave you.
A phantom, to lead you in the summer.
To join the Black Parade!"
In a flash, Sonic began strumming his guitar strings in a louder fashion, followed by Tails and Knuckles, who all played an eight second bridge in between the lyrics before letting the music fade for another second.
Suddenly, Knuckles began to play a loud, fast-paced drum solo, joined by Sonic and Tails playing their guitars quickly, their fingers darting up and down the heads as the crowd erupted into a short, loud applause.
Sometimes I get the feeling
She's watching over me!
And other times, I feel like I should go!
And through it all, the rise and fall!
The bodies in the streets!
And when you're gone, we want you all to know…
They all played a rapid, one second bridge before carrying over to the main chorus.
We'll carry on! We'll carry on!
And though you are dead and gone
Believe me!
Your memory will carry on!
You'll carry on!
And in my heart I can't contain it!
The anthem won't explain it!
As the three boys continued to sing the lyrics, Leo couldn't help but admire how well they played the song. It was still the same note pattern, but there was a bit of techno music added into the electric guitars and drums that made the cover its own thing.
For the rest of the event, Duditude played their own works. Songs that, admittedly, were a bit cheesy, but that couldn't compare to the sheer awesomeness of their music.
In the matter of an hour-and-a-half, the concert was over. The whole crowd came together for one final applause before departing, leaving only Leo, Amy, and Sticks to stay behind.
The three boys came off of the stage towards their friends. They all high fived each other in excited triumph. Leo seemed the most verbal in his praise, rambling on about how great they all were. "You guys were fantastic!" he said in an excited, fast-paced manner. "That music was incredible! Your voices were amazing!" He stopped to catch his breath and ease his excitement.
"You are the best band I've ever heard," he finished, which earned him proud, thankful smiles from the guys.
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Later, after the equipment and stage had been removed from the town square, the group sat near the town hall and talked.
"So, Tails, that bike you made," Leo began, catching the attention of the young fox. "How does it work?"
Tails thought for a moment. "Well, I built the engine so that it targets and syphons the speed energy Sonic gives off, thereby allowing a secondary unit to convert that energy into a fuel source. The more he focuses that energy, the faster it gets."
Leo looked intrigued. "That's actually really cool," he complimented. "I modified my motorcycle so that it turns oxygen molecules into a combustible and clean energy source for the engine."
Tails perked up. "Wait, you can do that?" he asked in a bewildered voice. "Did you use a subatomic particle producer to add the necessary protons and electrons?" Leo's eyes widened. "No, that's just too much of a hassle. I used a portable molecule converter."
"No way!" Tails exclaimed.
Suddenly, the two looked at the others, who were giving Leo confused looks. "Hey," the teenage lion said. "I graduated high school last year. Sometimes it pays to be a nerd."
Sticks crossed her arms and gave a disapproving look at her friends. "See what I mean?" she persisted. "No average person is that smart! He really is a double agent!"
"Oh, for the love of-!" Leo yelled, standing up to meet Sticks' eyes. "I'm not a double agent! When are you gonna get that in that thick skull of yours?!"
Sticks gave him a sharp glare. "Hey, at least I'm not some seductive teenager who manipulates people into becoming their friends!" she countered.
"'Manipulated?' Well, I, for one, am not some kid who came out of the jungle in a torn up rag, who has zero social skills and likes some buck-toothed doofus's music!" Leo shot back.
As their argument continued onward, several people stopped what they did and looked in their general direction. Sonic felt uncomfortable having people look at them like that. Lady Walrus even covered her eldest son's ears. "Why, I have never heard such foul language!" she said angrily.
Just as it seemed like Leo's and Sticks' conflict would escalate to something more physical, a loud explosion suddenly erupted in the village streets. Leo and Sticks stopped their quarrel and looked in the direction of the fireball.
A pod slowly hovered out of the smoke, revealing a smirking Eggman with Orbot and Cubot in the sidecars. "Well, well, well," he said in a teasing voice. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the concert, rodents."
Leo backed away slightly, but clenched his fists as he did so. "W-Who is that?" he stammered.
"That's Egghead," Sonic explained. "Eggman!" the doctor corrected angrily. "Words hurt, you know!"
"Something's not right!" Tails exclaimed. "He never attacks off schedule!" This earned a confused look from the young lion.
"Get to safety, Leo," Amy instructed. "We've got this covered." With this, she drew out her massive hammer, making Leo's eyes widen in surprise. "If you don't have some kind of pocket portable function in that thing, I just might think you're some kind of magician," he muttered before dashing off to find cover.
Sticks drew out her wooden staff, stepping into an offensive stance. "Get ready, Eggman!" she yelled. "In a few minutes, you'll be sitting in a pile of metal and wires!"
The mad doctor chuckled. "We'll see about that," he replied. "Besides, I have some backup."
As he finished his sentence, three figures stepped out of the smoking crater from the explosion. They were all robots, Sonic determined. But something was different about them. They all had the aesthetic of Mobians, but were complex in their engineering, bearing heavy duty armor plating. The one on the far left had the appearance of a hyena, with green glowing optics, tan and gunmetal grey paint on its armor, and sported a slightly bulky physique.
The one on the right was owl-like in its appearance, its features appearing more slender and feminine against fiery red and gold plating. Its optics glowed a light purple. Sharp metal wings draped down from the back of its arms.
The robot in the center had a large, muscular appearance. Its features matched that of a bull. The entirety of its body was covered in black and grey armor. Fierce red optics stared intently at the five heroes.
"Say hello to Cackle, Swoop, and Ram!" Eggman announced. "Prepare to meet your doom, you miserable pests!"
Sonic got into a defensive pose. "You built them, didn't you?" he taunted. "It's probably gonna take a few minutes before we're standing on their remains!"
Eggman chortled, then turned to the three robots below his pod. "Show them what you've got," he ordered.
All three of the metal Mobianoids started to stride towards the group with determined, malicious expressions. "Come on, guys!" Sonic yelled. At his command, all five of them charged at the robots, all of them letting out a loud, fierce battle cry.
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Knuckles took after Ram, rearing back his arm for a powerful throw. However, mid swing, a metal hand gripped onto his gloved fist. "What the-?" Knuckles stuttered. Suddenly, Ram threw his fist aside, then delivered a sharp blow into the echidna's stomach. Knuckles stumbled backwards, clutching onto his abdomen tightly. He ducked as Ram threw another punch, allowing for him to recover and deliver a blow with both his arms.
Despite the powerful thrust of his swing, the impact barely seemed to faze the robot bull. He looked at Knuckles intently, then grabbed onto one of his quills and brought him down, using his metal knee to send Knuckles flying back.
"For a big guy, you sure are clumsy," Ram taunted. Knuckles, dusting off his arms and body, glared back and the bull robot and charged again.
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Sonic sped over to Cackle, jumped up, and spin dashed towards the hyena robot. However, a metal arm knocked him to the side. The cobalt hedgehog steadied himself as he landed, looking up with a hard glare. Eggman really upped his game with these guys.
He stood up straighter, then ran for another attack. Hwol grabbed him by the arm just as he passed by the robot, and swung him clockwise before letting go, sending Sonic flying through several trees.
The hedgehog grunted quietly as he got up, clutching a bruised area on his shoulder. "Not bad," Howl observed with a smirk. "For a hedgehog."
"Sonic, catch!" Tails called. Sonic looked over and caught a yellow energy cable as it flew through the air just as his friend was hit with a plasma based projectile. "Tails!" he cried before turning back to Cackle angrily. He whipped the cable towards the hyena, causing it to loop around his cannon arm. Sonic pulled him forward with all his might, expecting to deliver a blow to Cacklel's face, but was met with a metal fist colliding with his chest. He stumbled backward, barely able to breathe from the impact. He looked back up at Cackle, who was walking towards him in a threatening manner.
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Amy and Sticks stood on the left and right side of Swoop, who was looking back and forth at the two of them. "How about a little game of 'Monkey in the Middle?'" Amy said to Sticks, who smirked in response.
They both threw their weapons above Swoop's head, Amy catching her friend's staff while Sticks grabbed the large hammer out of the air. She then swung it at Swoop, who moved out of the way, only to be struck in the back of the head with the long wooden weapon. Turning back around, the owl robot attempted a swing at Amy, who jumped out of the way, tossing the staff back to Sticks before catching her hammer. She swung quickly, delivering a powerful blow into Swoop's body, who flung back, skidding to a halt on her feet.
Sticks let out a loud grunt as she swung her staff into the owl's head with great force. However, the tremendous impact caused the wooden weapon to snap loudly down the middle. Sticks looked at the broken end of her staff. "But, this is the strongest wood on the island!" she whispered, a slight hint of fear in her voice.
"Enough!" Swoop cried. Her sharp metal wings suddenly stuck outward, and she spun in place rapidly until a small wave of energy erupted from her feet, knocking into Sticks and Amy and sending them flying backwards. "Hmm, too easy."
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Within minutes, the whole team had huddled together, badly injured and riddled with fatigue. Dust and bruises were sploched all over their bodies. All three of the robots stood in front of them, clearly satisfied with what they've accomplished.
"They're all yours, Eggman," Cackle said, and the three of them moved out of the way as the small pod hovered just above the ground in front of them. "Well, it's been fun, rodents," he taunted with a smirk. "But I have an island to conquer. And I need to maintain a pest control." As he finished his sentence, a large barrel extended from an open hatch on the front. A low humming noise resonated from the inside, gradually increasing in volume and pitch.
Sonic looked at his friends, who each closed their eyes, prepared to accept their fate. He looked at Amy, and she stared back at him, giving each other sad expressions before clenching their eyes shut, prepared to be met with a burning death.
A firing sound echoed through the village, and all of them flinched, but felt no pain. Slowly opening his eyes, Sonic could see Eggman's pod spiraling away from them. The barrel of the weapon was now melted and smoking. "Who did that?!" the doctor yelled furiously. Cackle, Swoop, and Rammer all looked around, unsure of what caused the laser fire.
Suddenly, the clang of metal and clattering of pebbles caught their attention. They all looked toward the source of the noise, and the team's eyes all widened.
Standing up, in a small crater in the pavement, was another Mobianoid robot. It was slightly bulky, but also had a streamlined look. Its plating was Copenhagen blue and deep silver. In place of optics and a mouth were a silver plate shaped into a muzzle, and two glowing blue plates that were shaped into a furrowed brow. A silver headcrest was mounted on the forehead.
Cackle seemed surprised by the new robot's presence, but then furrowed his metal brow and clenched his fists. "What an unexpected surprise, Roar," he said. The robot across from the trio simply nodded in response. Ram stepped forward and pounded his fists together. "What? Cat got your tongue?" he asked with a dangerous smirk. Roar didn't answer, instead deploying a cannon weapon from his right arm, and a blade on his left. Swoop smirked. "Oh, this should be interesting," she said as the three started a slow walk towards Roar. The blue robot walked in their direction. They gradually sped up into a run, the trio drawing their weapons. Then, as Sonic and his friends wearily got up, the fight began. A fight in which Sonic, his friends, the village, nor Eggman had ever witnessed. An intense, fast-paced battle, but also elegant in an indescribable way.
Roar shot first, managing to strike Rammer in the shoulder before power-jumping onto his shoulders and bringing him down on his back, jumping away right before he landed before turning his attention to Cackle and Swoop. Cackle threw a fist at him, which he ducked and swung his leg into the back of Cackle's knee, causing him to fall forward, giving Roar the clearance to strike him on the back of the head. Swoop grabbed him from behind and threw him into a wall, and the mech let out a small grunt before falling to his knees. He got back up quickly and charged at an oncoming Swoop, grabbing her fist midair and bringing her over his head before slamming her into the ground.
He stood up straight and backflipped just as Ram came in from behind, causing him to run right into the wall. Roar held him there as he let bullets spray at Cackle. The hyena ducked under them and tackled Roar. The two rolled before Roar got on the bottom and kicked off his adversary. Cackle flew into a tree close by, and got caught under the falling trunk. Quickly, he pushed it off of him, and noticed someone hiding nearby. With a sinister smirk at Roar, who was occupied with Ram and Swoop, he ran to where that person was hiding.
Just as Roar threw Swoop and Ram away, the sound of a shriek caught his attention. He turned toward the direction of the noise, where Cackle was currently holding a bandicoot girl in a chokehold with his weapon against her hand. Roar moved to run to them, but was grabbed by both Ram and Swoop. He struggled greatly, but didn't make a sound. Cackle smirked. "If you move, this girl gets it." The girl had a scared look. "No, please," she gasped. He pushed the barrel against her head.
Sonic gasped upon realizing who it was. "Perci!" he whispered. He tried to run, but was stopped by Amy. "We can't do anything!" she said urgently. "If we try, she's as good as gone!" Sonic fought her grip as best he could. "But if we don't, Roar's dead!" Sticks looked at him. "Why do you want to save him? For all we know he could be with them!" Sonic looked back at her. "He saved our lives. I want to return the favor." Knuckles put on a thinking look. "Maybe we can sneak attack?" he offered. Sonic thought for a moment, then smiled. "That's actually the smartest thing you've said all day." Knuckles gave him a puzzled look. "Really? Well, thank you."
Roar finally spoke, his voice deep and giving off a mechanical vibration. "You don't want to do this, Cackle," he tried. "Just take me in and let her go." Cackle sneered. "Where's the fun in that?" he returned. Roar growled. "Do you think Hunter would've wanted this?!" Cackle's look of superiority faded. "I couldn't give less of a damn about what Hunter wants," he said in a low and dangerous voice.
Suddenly, a light blue coil grabbed his cannon arm, catching him by surprise. It was turned away from Perci, firing just inches from her face. Two more coils, red and pink, grabbed onto Swoop and Ram, throwing them backwards, giving Roar time to fire at Cackle, a bullet flying straight into his optics, causing him to let her go. Roar ran forward, grabbed her, and ran to a safe hiding place. She was panting and appeared very startled. "It's okay," Roar said. "I'll make sure he doesn't touch you again." She nodded and forced herself to calm down. "Thank you," she said quietly. He nodded before jumping over the hiding place and running back towards the fight.
Cackle had one hand over his optic. "You and your friends are gonna pay for that!" he growled before trying to punch Roar. The mech blocked it and threw him to the ground. "Yeah, yeah," he taunted before throwing him into the other two. "If I had a nickle every time I heard that."
Cackle, Swoop, and Ram all sat there, tired out and beaten. Roar stood a few meters away as Sonic and the others jumped down behind him from the plane. "Had enough?" he asked. Cackle growled at him. "Don't celebrate so soon," he muttered before getting up. "We're going," he said to the others. He looked up at Eggman, who was staring dumbfounded in his pod. "Thanks for your help," he hissed. Eggman held his hands up. "Hey, that fight was too cool!" he shot back before following them. The mechs flew into the sky and past the mountains, with Eggman following close by.
Roar looked back at the others, who all stood with awe-struck expressions. "Wow….thanks for saving our butts back there." Sonic said. Roar nodded. "One question," Tails added. "Who are you?" Roar didn't answer, instead boosting upwards and flying off into the distance.
Sonic brushed his quills as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He looked at the others, but found no words to say. Suddenly, Sticks broke the silence. "Where's Leo?" she asked. Amy looked to where their friend had run. "Let's go find him," she added.