Issue #6: The Goblin King

Tails ran as fast as he could, tablet fragment in hand. He wanted to fight and he made that clear to Sonic and Peter, but he knew that he was the only one who could keep the fragment away from Osborn's hands. He jumped into the Tornado and started it.

The fox sighed, growing more worried for his friends each passing second. He knew Sonic could handle himself and Spider-Man was no doubt just as capable in his eyes. Normally in situations like these, he'd be right at Sonic's side, fighting whatever threat challenged them, but this time Sonic gave him a new goal, one who won't fail.

He looked back to where he came from one more time before turning the plane and using the runway as a means to fly away, hoping to take the fragment somewhere safe for the time being until things cool over.

And more importantly, somewhere away from Norman Osborn.

Sonic jumped over Goblin's now giant fist and stuck his tongue out. He quipped, "Wow, really, Norman? I thought this was supposed to be an upgrade, but you're still slower than me!" he landed on Goblin's arm and ducked, spinning his body around so that he could kick the Goblin King right in his sharp-fanged mouth.

The Goblin King snarled and grabbed Sonic's face, slamming the back of his head onto the ground, "You will learn to hold that tongue of yours in due time, rodent boy."

The Goblin King felt something attach to his back and then was forced backwards by Spider-Man, who dragged his body around before placing his foot onto his chest, "Well sorry for being snarky. You just make it so easy. Anyway, are you trying out for the Hulk's rogues gallery? Because I gotta say that the fire is a cool touch to make you stand out."

With a loud yell, Goblin dragged his feet onto the grass and turned around. He raised an arm and his palm began to cover itself in a ball of flames. Peter's Spider-Sense went off and he shot a web-line onto a tree, zipping away as Goblin threw the fireball, it missing and burning the side of a tree. Peter was about to comment, but his ascension was cut short by Shadow, who Spin-Dashed right through the web, causing Peter to fall and land on his back, a hiss of pain escaping him.

Shadow perched himself on a branch and snickered at the wall-crawler's undoing. Spider-Man grumbled and sat up, "Okay yep. That hurt… a lot…" he admitted. He had to fight the pain though. This time the very fabric of reality depended on him not collapsing. 'Osborn working with a hedgehog as strong as Sonic… yep this is quite the pickle I found myself in.' he thought, getting back on his feet.

Sonic ran up a tree and grabbed the branch Shadow was standing on, using his grip to spin around and kick the Ultimate Life-Form from behind. It worked because Shadow then topped off his spot, allowing Sonic to stand where he once was. His moment of triumph was cut short, however, by the Goblin King throwing a fireball in his direction. The blue hedgehog yelped and leaped off, kicking his feet off the tree and jumping towards Goblin, his fist extended out and ready to punch him.

However, the Goblin grabbed Sonic's fist and held him up, his flaming eyes glaring at the hedgehog. Sonic chuckled nervously, "Hey, uh, what's up Gobby? I like the fire eyes, looks dramatic."

The icebreaker didn't do anything. The Goblin King threw Sonic directly through a tree, causing it to collapse. The Goblin sneered in the hedgehog's direction and would've gone after him had he not been interrupted by his hated nemesis, who punched him in the cheek, "Lay off my friend, Osborn!" Spider-Man warned.

Spider-Man knew the punch didn't do anything. Well, it was more of an assumption. An assumption based on the fact that Norman turned his head and looked directly at him without a single bruise on his features. Peter was ready to strike again, but Shadow made an attempt to Homing Attack him, prompting Peter to flip backwards. "You really have to work on your aim, Shadow. This is starting to become embarrassing for you!"

"The nerve…" Shadow growled.

The Goblin King and Shadow were about to attack the web-slinger, but a blue blur circled the two of them, confusing them. Before they knew it, they were floating in the air thanks to Sonic's Blue Tornado, a tactic Sonic hadn't used in a long while.

While they were airborne, Spider-Man jumped and did his best to strike Goblin's face as hard as he could. Sonic went after Shadow and used his Homing Attack, launching Shadow a few feet away. Peter's attack did nothing and Goblin retaliated by punching Spider-Man directly in the head, denting his faceplate. Peter hit a tree and slid on the grass along the way, leaving a trail of dirt. He shook his head and felt Goblin stomp in front of him, the ground shaking.

Goblin grinned, his teeth exposed. Peter was still dizzy from the punch, "Did… someone get the number of that… fist?" he asked, rubbing his sore head. The Goblin King held Spider-Man up and pinned him to the side of the tree he hit.

"I will enjoy making you suffer…" Goblin declared. He punched Peter, making him scream. He punched Peter again. And again. And again. Again. It was almost endless.

Meanwhile, Sonic was busy fighting Shadow. The blue hero bicycle-kicked his rival in the chest, but was met with a Chaos Burst, forcing him to leap back and get his bearings. He turned his gaze and saw Peter getting pummeled by the Goblin King. The hedgehog had to come up with a quick plan to get Goblin away.

"Chaos Spear!"

The sound of Shadow's voice got Sonic out of his brief stupor and he zipped to the side on instinct. The floor was covered in a few volts, and an idea dawned on Sonic. He whistled to the black hedgehog, "Yo, Shadow. I'll give you another shot to beat me. Come on and take it!"

Shadow felt as though something was amiss, but he took that chance anyway if it meant getting the upper hand. "Chaos Spear!" he threw another yellow projectile in Sonic's direction.

Sonic needed to wait. He saw the spear heading right towards him but he needed to time this right. Right as it inched towards his face, he moved away, allowing the spear to hit the Goblin King, who was standing right behind Sonic the whole time.

The Goblin King roared in pain as the shock of the Chaos Energy enveloped his body. Taking the opportunity to escape, Peter weakly kicked Goblin's chest and back-flip kicked himself out of his grip. He crouched down and panted heavily and Sonic ran to his side, "You okay, dude?" the hedgehog noticed how torn up Peter's armor was, dents covering it and the spider emblem no longer glowing.

Peter said, "...Kind of… Maybe… A little sore… but I felt worse, I think."

With Shadow standing beside him, Osborn curled his hand into a flaming fist and said, "Is that a challenge, spider? Remember who has tormented you the most."

"...My Parker Luck?" Peter quipped.

The Goblin King snarled and lunged after the heroes. Sonic managed to hit him with a Homing Attack before adding on with a Stomp directly onto Goblin's back. The Goblin yelled in pain as he was pushed onto the floor, leaving a pile of dirt and smoke. Sonic dusted his hands, a confident smirk on his muzzle, but he was interrupted by Shadow, who elbowed him while moving as a yellow blur.

Sonic coughed and was flung across the forest by Shadow. The blue hero grunted and drove his fist directly onto his rival's muzzle. Shadow responded by using a Chaos Burst, flinging Sonic upwards. Shadow jumped with aid of his hover shoes and his heel met the back of Sonic's head. The hedgehog was thrusted downwards and left in a small crater made from his impact. Shadow huffed, "Pathetic that this the best you could muster. I expected more of a challenge from you by now."

"But what about… me?"

Before Shadow could react, Spider-Man used a web-line to throw Shadow aside. The webslinger knelt down and helped his hedgehog friend up, "Jeez, you…" he cringed in his own pain, "You took a beating of your own."

Sonic sighed, "Yeah… to think Shadow did this…" he panted, "While under mind control."

The heroes felt the ground shake as the Goblin King sprinted towards them. Without even thinking about it, the heroes jumped back into the fight despite their growing injuries. Sonic went after the Goblin this time, "We've only known each other for less than ten minutes… and you're already getting on my nerves just as much as Egghead…"

Goblin chuckled at the comment, "But unlike him, I shall succeed where he has spent years failing."

"You're not the first bad guy to say that…" Sonic admitted. He punched Goblin's arm, "And you… won't be the last."

"Oh you're sorely mistaken on that statement, rodent." Goblin declared, grabbing Sonic by the throat and making him slide on the ground, creating a trail of dirt along the way. He pushed Sonic so that his skull hit the tree trunk behind him.

Sonic felt cobwebs growing in his head now and a sudden burst of heat around his neck. His eyes widened and he mustered as much strength as he could to escape. The Goblin King felt Sonic try to wiggle himself free, but that only convinced him to tighten his grip. Sonic choked and gasped for air, reaching a hand for Goblin's horns. He silently hoped this would work. The hedgehog gasped out something incomprehensible and brought his foot directly onto Goblin's nose, using the leverage of his horn to push himself closer.

Goblin roared and Sonic kicked himself away, running around and shoulder-charging the Goblin so that his face went through the tree. He held his knees and panted, rubbing his heated neck, "Better… luck next time Gobby." he managed to say.

In an instant, the Goblin punched Sonic square in the muzzle and gave him a right hook to the chest. Sonic spat and attempted to strike back, but Goblin was moving swifter than him in his current state. Goblin uppercutted Sonic and chose to watch him fall. His palm opened up and he threw a fireball, smacking the dazed Sonic with it.

Meanwhile Spider-Man did his best to match his reflexes with Shadow. The yellow blur did his best to ensure he couldn't be touched. Spidey said, "...Oh man… this is gonna be tougher than I thought…"

Using his Spider-Sense to his advantage, Spider-Man moved away from where Shadow threw his Chaos Spear, "Impressive for a mere human." Shadow said.

"I'm more… capable… than you think!" Spider-Man shouted as he jumped, punching Shadow where his patch of fur was at. He grabbed Shadow's leg and threw him to the ground with a stomp, "See?" he said, landing on the grass.

Shadow got up instantly and drove his shoulder onto Spider-Man's back. The wall-crawler was pushed to the ground and stepped on before getting kicked aside like a toy. "You should've continued your quarrel with Osborn. Your speed is no match for mine."

"You're right on the speed part…" Spider-Man admitted. His Spider-Sense tingled when Shadow vanished and he managed to predict where he would appear, shooting a web-line directly onto his mouth, "But all I need are reflexes… and strength."

The black hedgehog yanked the gossamer off of him, "Hmph. A childish effort. Chaos Spear!"

Spider-Man used the Chaos Drive in his armor to gain enough energy to move away and reach Shadow again, this time putting the webs in his eyes. Spidey uppercutted Shadow, shot a web-line to his foot and pulled him down before spinning. However, Shadow cut the web and struck Spidey with a Homing Attack, flinging him a few feet away.

Ready to get up, Spider-Man was forced back down upon feeling Sonic's body get thrown to him. "Oh man…" Spidey mumbled.

The Goblin King marched to him and grabbed Spider-Man's helmet, "I wish to see your cowardly face as I finally end you." he removed the helmet and dropped it.

Spider-Man felt his Spider-Sense go off again and he was ready to scold it in his head, but instead he was met with a shocking pain that he thought only Electro could deliver. Him and Sonic screamed in unison before finally falling into unconsciousness. Revealing himself was none other than Metal Sonic, who was repaired and the culprit behind the sneak attack. He stood next to Shadow.

"Excellent work, Metal Sonic. Now retrieve the emeralds." Goblin ordered the robot. Metal nodded and did as instructed, revealing the Chaos Emeralds hidden within Spider-Man's armor. Once that was fulfilled, the Goblin King opened a palm and was finally ready to destroy the heroes once and for all, a maniacal grin seen on his face.

But then something dropped in between the heroes and villains. It was Tails, piloting the Tornado in its mech form. He had just returned from hiding the fragment and immediately came back "You're not going anywhere near them." he warned.

"Then I guess we'll just have to go right through you, boy." the Goblin King laughed off. "I shall let you have the honors, Shadow."

Shadow didn't move. He was shaking in place, and for a brief moment Tails swore his eyes stopped glowing. Goblin and Metal Sonic looked at Shadow, who only muttered two words.

"Chaos Control!"

Using the energy of the Chaos Emeralds and the Tablet fragment, the villains were warped away before anyone could object. With a sigh of relief, Tails hopped down and was greeted by Sonic and Peter's beaten and unconscious forms. He frowned, concerned over their current state and he felt a twinge of guilt for not helping.

The fox carried the heroes onto the plane and rested their bodies in the back seat, buckling them up. He walked to the runway and transformed the Tornado back into its plane state, flying away back to his workshop so the two of them could recover.

Earth

Norman, Shadow and Metal Sonic appeared in a base of some kind. Something Osborn no doubt implanted into Shadow's mind, "You traitorous fool!" he smacked Shadow and made him collapse to a knee, "You dare disobey my will?!"

Shadow hesitated to talk, but eventually that glow in his eyes came back and swiftly said, "No, Goblin King."

"It seems you have more willpower than I expected. Your punishment shall put a stop to this." Osborn said, "It matters not anyway, we shall speak to our mutual ally and establish the next phase of our plan. Sonic and Parker will no doubt find a means to follow us, so it's only a matter of time until they come to us."