--
"EGGMAN!!"
The explosion was huge, quaking the earth beneath everyone's feet. Many flung themselves to the ground covering their heads, and a chorus of screaming and vulgar language rattled what would have been a peaceful night.
The smoke curled into the starry heavens, and jade eyes goggled wide as a small shower of crimson and gore danced gruesomely to the terrain. A loud crash ensued with an explosion as the collosal machine fell to the ground, which caused the earth to rock beneath everyone's feet again. A jaw was slack, green eyes staring at the section of air Eggman had just been suspended in just moments before.
"SONIC!"
The hedgehog was jolted from his shock as his named was yelled and he wheeled, coming out of his stupor. He ducked as a body went flying over head and leaped away from his spot, which erupted into flames as another machine came thundering to the earth where he had been standing seconds before. He was forced to wrench his shoulder back and out of the way to stop from being impaled by a claw, and grabbing the flailing wrist he punched full heartedly the stomach of his attacker with his eyes wild and a growl leaping from his throat. All around him were the snarls of battle, screeches of pain, the clang of metal and machines, chains rattling, whips cracking and the pungent smell of blood. It invaded the hero's senses, and he bristled viciously as he pummelled the wolf that had attacked him. However the canine grabbed him by the neck and threw him away, knocking him into the tattered earth and tumbling into a dead body. Blood leaking from his lip, he looked up to see a scarlet stained dagger lodged in the carcass of a dead animal, and snagging it he rolled just in time to miss being skewered with a saber. With an incoherent yell he thrust the dagger upwards and into the neck of his foe, twisting as it gargled and fell in a lifeless heap to the earth. But the action didn't stop there, because Sonic had to leap to his feet and dart from his spot as a thick chain came towards him.
"FUCKER!"
The baritone of Knuckles the Echidna. Sonic spun again, and ducked once more as the chain came whipping at his head again. However the attack wasn't intentional, the hedgehog saw, as it was being brought over its owner's shoulder and at a red figure. The dreadlocked echidna lifted a hand, and the chain came down on large metal spikes connected to his glove. His violet eyes were flaming up at his opponent and there was a standoff for a fleeting moment before the chain was yanked back, pulling Knuckles into his foe. As Sonic was leaping forward to help his comrade, an orange blur came plummeting from the sky in a whir of fur and tails and landed on the chain-weilding anthro's head, putting extra weight on his shoulders and causing him to crumple. There were yells and screams and the two took down the large figure, but then Sonic couldn't seen anymore as a curved sword came down towards him.
The blue hedgehog let loose a war cry and a series of dodges at sonic speed as the flashing, blood stained metal swung at him. A quick power up and the blue speed demon let loose a Spin Dash into his attacker's legs, rewarded with a loud crack and a scream of pain as he fell. Suddenly his ears snapped back at the swish of moving cloth and the song of iron through the air.
"WATCH IT!"
And he leaned sideways as some kind of weapon came flying towards him, missing him by inches. Behind him there was a screech of pain, and turning he set eyes on Rouge the Bat, whose wing had been impaled by what looked like a 6 inch dagger. But she didn't have time to take it out, because a crocodile was snapping at her neck and she had to jump back out of the way. The last thing Sonic saw of that fight was a tall cheetah leaping over the crowd and bringing a thin sword down through the top of the reptile's head, because then a large metal pipe nailed him in the stomach, winding him and sending him falling backwards. The hero rolled to his feet as quickly as he could, to find - not a pipe - but a serated blade aimed down at him. He yelled something unintelligable and threw himself onto his side, the blade cutting deep into the earth beside him as if it were butter. He saw the blade wrench back and over the shoulder of his foe, and as he rolled to his feet a black creature leaped between him and the cascading metal.
Sonic cried out as he saw the metal fall through the air again, and the black hedgehog who had come to his aid leaned out of the way, although not quickly enough. The end of the serated edge sliced him through the side of his face and caused a shower of blood and a snarl of pain. Shadow the Hedgehog grabbed the blade in his left hand, cutting it in the process, and vaulted forward, grabbing the attacker by the neck. Sonic took this chance to leap forward and knock the blade away, but then a loud crack was heard as he saw his black and red lookalike snap the neck of the orange hedgehog who had attacked him. Scarlet eyes lifted from the now limp carcass to meet those of emerald, half blinded by thick red liquid. He gave a sort of half smile that appeared grotesque through the blood, then leaped away again. Sonic turned at the same time, leaping into the air and curling to fire a homing attack into the back of a whip-weilding ferret with acid green eyes.
Yet as he connected with the rodent, who went down immediately, something hit his arm and his hand went to fly and hold it as blood seemed to leap from his body. There was a loud whirring sound from somewhere behind him, and as he turned to look he was thrown back to the ground by a blinding light and an explosion so loud he at first thought it defeaned him. That was, until more blood curdling shrieks cut into his head, quickly followed by a booming voice that yelled out across the battle field.
"FALL BACK! RETREAT! RETREAT!"
Sonic was on his feet faster then he had ever been before as his ears cocked towards the voice, recognizing it as someone from his side of the battle as his eyes snapped around. Everywhere he heard echoes of the command of a retreat, and saw as Freedom Fighters started to leak away from the battle stumbling, running, crying out and helping comrades up to get away. Sonic didn't return just as quickly though and instead bolted through the crowd in the opposite direction, screaming out the retreat. But even he was forced to fall back quickly form the onslaught of what seemed like a fresh new wave of attackers, and he wheeled and darted from the oncoming mob. As he weaved he saw his two-tailed fox friend bolt by, a white and blue figure over his shoulders which - surprisingly - didn't seem to slow him down at all. Far over to his right, Knuckles was leaping over a two-dead-body pile up and catching the wind as he glided over the heads of retreating fighters. Repeats of the fall back were still being called out, and as he ran, the hero could see why it was called. Scattered were the dead bodies of acquantainces and farmiliar faces. There were corpses of people Sonic didn't know, although he had known they were on the side of freedom he was fighting for. It was apparent that they had been losing, their numbers much smaller then what they were when they had just entered the battle - and still behind him he could hear the crowd of enemies swelling in number. But Sonic could not stop and look, and he had to hope that all of his friends had gotten out of the battle alive, because at that moment he could only run for one life - his own.