So close to my October deadline but missed it by just a week. I blame getting sick in the last couple days of October and just general writers block and I guess this darn site going down on uploads for whatever reason. But better late than never after all.
Time for another round of Trials of War. This time we're going for our final set of chapters in Green Hill Zone with waterway fun and tag teaming it in Arsenal Pyramid.
Now as said before, all of this was originally gonna be part of the last chapter but I decided to make the birthday stuff a standalone thing. As such, I guess this chapter ended up on the shorter side too.
Trials of War: A Sonic Forces Rewrite
Chapter 27-
Homeward Bound
Up in the skies was none other than a familiar Egg Carrier that had been on quite a trip throughout the world. From the Death Egg to Sunset Heights to Station Square, they had seen it all. Now however, they only had one destination to get to, the only problem…
"So does anyone actually know how to get to the Resistance Base?" Topaz asked the group.
There was an awkward silence amongst them as they looked around the room.
Commander Tower joined them. "So we have no idea where we are flying? Just that we're going to gallivant across the globe and hope that we somehow run into them?"
"Well… That actually isn't true sir…" A timid but spotted mouse named Belle spoke up. "Those of us who were in the resistance after the raid on Sunset know where they went."
"And where is that?"
Belle held her tongue, unsure whether or not to say. It was agreed that under no circumstances were resistance members to reveal their location, especially after the fall of Sunset. It would reveal where her friends and family were and could greatly jeopardize their effort in order to save the world. But if that wasn't bad enough, then Knuckles would absolutely slaughter you for revealing where they were if it meant the Master Emerald was in danger.
"Well… you see…"
"Angel Island." The most monotonous voice they had ever heard drawled out.
The two turned their attention to see a stout beaver with peach fur on its face and stomach. He had massive buckteeth and pale brown, nearly grey eyes that bore a hole into your soul with just how little care they held for the world around them and to round out the look he wore a red bowtie.
All the members of the resistance were absolutely shocked to see that he would give away their base of operations so easily while the beaver absentmindedly scratched himself.
Commander Tower and Lieutenant Topaz looked at one another and went deep into thought.
"Angel Island…" Commander Tower frowned. "I should've known…"
"Yes." Topaz nodded. "It would be the safest place in the world after Eggman began his reign..."
"But now the question is, how do we get there?" Tower asked. "Angel Island can fly anywhere on the planet at a moment's notice. It'd be like finding a needle in a haystack at this rate."
Topaz agreed and took to addressing the resistance members around them. "Do any of you have any of the Resistance Members have any way of tracking Angel Island?"
A chorus of declinations ran out throughout the hull, causing the lieutenant's hopeful smile to turn back into a frown.
Tower saw this and groaned. "So we're basically on a wild goose chase until then?"
"Looks like it."
The two groaned only for a familiar voice to speak up yet again.
"Why do we fret when the answer to find Angel Island is clear?"
The two looked to see Professor Pickle walking up to them.
"You really do seem to have all the answers, don't you, Professor?" Topaz sighed and pinched the ridge of her nose.
"It seems to be the common trend, does it not?" He chuckled. "Blame the powers that be, they seem to like giving me all the answers. How else would I have become a professor after all?"
Tower and Topaz shrugged at this and looked to the professor to continue.
"Angel Island is known for its ability to travel across the skies with ease. But do you know why that is?"
"Of course." Topaz replied. "The Master Emerald allows the island to fly. Without it, it just sinks to the ground."
"Precisely!" The Professor grinned. "If the Master Emerald is what is keeping Angel Island afloat then that means we have something to look for. The Master Emerald shall be our guide!"
The two GUN leaders looked at one another again.
Tower pinched the ridge of his nose and sighed. "That would be great idea, Professor. But I don't suppose you have any Emerald radars lying around for us to detect Chaos Energies?"
"Tech like that doesn't come easily these days." Topaz added.
Professor Pickle rolled his eyes. "Pft… Technology would do well, but we do not have the resources for that. Luckily for you, Emerald Radars are built into some beings bodies and if we're lucky, maybe one of those people are here and they will be the ones to guide us to Angel Island."
"You're saying you want to go to Angel Island based on the hope that someone is Chaos Sensitive?" Tower asked. "The odds of that are slim to none."
"You are wrong." Professor Pickle smirked. "Lots of people, especially Mobians have the spark, it's just that they've never had the opportunity or know how in order to tap into those energies."
Topaz crossed her arms and looked skeptically at the short old man. "And you just happen to know how to do that?"
"But of course! I may specialize in Gaia, but I did not become a professor in the world's mystical arts and cultures for nothing! We'll find someone here, tap into their power and they will lead the way!"
~Trials of War~
Feet blazing across the desert, kicking up dried up heaps of sand and blades of grass Sonic and Celeste made their way through the deserts of Green Hill Zone, the Pyramid looming in the distance. Sonic was all smiles as he ran alongside his partner who couldn't help but share in the joy.
The communicator chimed on to life and Knuckles voice was on the other end. "Eggman's base is inside the central pyramid, looks to me like you're gonna have to make your way through some of the factories in order to get there."
He paused for a moment and added. "If you want, I can plot you the best possible route?"
Sonic simply laughed. "No need! We'll blitz the place and find our way up there in no time. Right, partner?"
Celeste couldn't help but grin. "Let's rock and roll, Sonic!"
Sonic smiled and grabbed her hand, boosting down the hill they were on and in the process knocking a bunch of robots out of the way.
Before long, the two were sent soaring off an incline and into the sky, towards one of the large mechanical factories that were littering the island much like the pyramids.
A sentry Egg Pong took notice of them freefalling through the air and took aim.
This time it was Celeste's turn to get into action. She quickly grabbed Sonic's hand and fired her grappling hook right at the robot, causing it to blow up and the two to be sent towards the platform where Celeste landed in a crouch amongst the broken robot parts and Sonic rolled into a ball before springing up back to his feet.
Sonic clapped. "Nicely done, Cel."
The girl couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Sonic."
"Course. Look at you comin' up with all sorts of new tricks. Looks like I made the right choice for a partner on this mission." He grinned.
Cleste sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"But we won't know for sure unless you can keep up!" He added before dashing off ahead.
Celeste laughed at this and chased after him. "Hey, you get back here!"
Sonic couldn't help but join in on the laughter as they made their way through the outdoor facility.
He was able to keep a steady pace ahead of her with what was merely a jog to him.
Unfortunately, he had to come to a stop as a group of Eggpongs were in the room and charged their lasers in front of him.
"Ha! Caught you!" Celeste beamed as she was able to run into the hedgehog. "Hey, what's got you- Ohhhhhh…"
The two quickly dove to opposite sides of the room, narrowly avoiding the lasers from the robots.
Sonic was first to hit the ground and was quick to go into a spindash, rolling into a few of the robots.
Celeste landed in a crouch and was quick to pull out her laser Wispon, firing off a volley of lasers that took out the rest.
She smiled as she got to her feet and blew off steam from the barrel of the gun.
Sonic took notice of this and grinned. "Hey, that one's new."
"The Wispon?" She asked as the two continued to jog down the platform, this time side by side.
"Yeah. Figured you'd just go with lightning again after what happened. What made you change?"
Celeste looked down at the Wispon and smiled. "I don't know. After what happened with Infinite back in Adabat, I just figured it was time for a change…"
Sonic hummed in response. "I feel that. Sometimes you gotta reinvent yourself and do you by you. Y'know?"
"For sure." The girl grinned as they continued along their way across the metal platform.
They soon made their way off of it and down onto the ground in front of their destination.
The two landed in the shipping yard leading up to Arsenal Pyramid just as Team Dark had all those months ago.
They looked up into the sky at the massive pyramid. Thanks to the harsh desert sun, it cast a looming shadow over them giving off an imposing aura that dared them to come forth.
Across the shipping yard and patrolling the pyramid were all sorts of robots of different shapes and sizes. Some of them were simply taking inventory, looking over the boxes and directing traffic while others were patrolling the pyramid, ready and waiting to fire.
Sonic and Celeste were quick to hide behind a box and look around at the shipping yard before them.
"Looks like we're gonna have to find a way in." Sonic said.
Celeste frowned at this and looked around at the yard before them. "But how? I don't really see any doors or anything?"
Sonic nodded and furrowed his brow as well before pulling down his glove sleeve and pooking the communicator on his wrist. "Yo, Knux?"
"What's up?"
"We've made it to the pyramid but it looks like we don't really have a way in. Got any bright ideas in that empty head of yours that'll help?"
Sonic had to hold back a chuckle while Celeste gasped.
"Better an empty head than having your brains in your feet." Knuckles retorted which got a good laugh out of the hedgehog. "Gimme a sec and I'll have your data."
"Roger that, Knucklehead."
Celeste looked at him with wide eyes. "Sonic, you can't say stuff like that!"
He just laughed at her. "Sure I can. It's just Knuckles."
"Okay. But won't he get mad?"
Sonic just shrugged it off. "Nah, Knux and I have been doing little jabs at each other like that since we were kids. You should've heard the roasts I had for him back when I was a preteen."
"And now you've got those mature adult roasts because you're 18 now right?"
"Better believe it." The hedgehog triumphantly put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, causing the dog to laugh.
Unfortunately, fun times had to come to an end as they were spotted by a Buzz Bomber, flying overhead.
It took aim with its laser and fired down on the two.
Sonic being the priority was the one that was flung by the force of the blow and into the crate they were standing next to.
Celeste gasped but was quick to draw her Wispon, firing a laser at the badnik and destroying it instantly.
Immediately, all the other battle bots were alerted at this and turned their sights on the girl with her steaming wispon.
With a whole pack of robots in her sights, she gulped but prepared for battle.
Sonic was there to beat her to the punch as he let out a cheer and boosted past her.
For a moment she could only watch as the blue streak ran around the battlefield, smashing into all sorts of enemies that would come his way.
She was quick to shake it off and plunged into battle as well.
Celeste ran around the battlefield, firing her laser wispon at any enemies that would come her way while doing her best to dodge any returning shots that would fire at her as well.
Along the way, Knuckles voice chimed to life on both of their communicators.
"You really couldn't stay still for a few seconds could you?" Knuckles deadpanned.
Sonic jumped into the air, his arms and legs splayed out like an eagle for a few moments before curling into a ball and slamming into a trio of Eggpongs.
"Eh, you know me. Never a dull moment." Sonic snarked before dashing off again.
"We didn't really mean to get spotted, it just kinda happened." Celeste added as she dove away from a Roader and fired at it while it was revving around for a second go.
"Right… Anyway, it looks like that front door entrance that Rouge talked about is gone."
"Yeah, we noticed." Sonic rolled his eyes while punting over a buzz bomber so that he could deliver a roundhouse to an Eggpong, knocking into several of his buddies.
"But… there's a hole on the top of the pyramid that you guys can use to get inside. But stay alert, there could be all sorts of traps inside."
"Probably uses the Eggmobile to fly in and out." Sonic noted. "That's smart, too bad me and my partner will still be able to get in."
"I don't know if I'll be able to scale the pyramid though!" Celeste cried out as she peeked behind a crate and sniped a few Buzzbombers.
Sonic just shook his head as he stomped on a roader. "Sure you can. You ready to try that double boost trick again?"
Celeste nodded, careful to avoid a punch from an Eggpong before swinging the butt of her wispon into it, shattering the robot to pieces. "Alright, let's do it!"
She raced off to him.
Sonic grinned and wound up a punch that left an Eggpong in pieces.
The two met and Sonic could feel the energy coursing from within his body and into Celeste.
Together, the two linked hands and raced off and up the pyramid, knocking down any of the robots in their path before descending into the pyramid below.
~Trials of War~
"We've arrived at the cavern and are making our trek underground." Fierro announced as she and the rest of the resistance stood in front of the same cave that had been pictured earlier.
"Excellent." Amy replied. "Continue into the caves and do your best to find the water. Contact us if there's anything that you need."
"Roger that, Captain." Fierro replied as she began to lead the group into the vast cave system underneath Green Hill Zone.
Stepping into the caves, the group's footsteps made uneven clangs against the metallic floor. Amongst their footsteps, they could hear a light howling wind that sent a chill in the air that seemed to reverberate off the jagged stone walls of the cage. They could also hear the light rushing of water within the pipes that ran alongside them and the little pitter patter of the waters from the underground deposits would drip from the rock overhead.
Charmy shivered. "Burr… It's cold."
"I told you to bring a jacket." Vector groaned. "It's cold down here underground, but you didn't listen."
"But you don't have a jacket?"
"What can I say? A stud like me is way too hot to get cold."
Rouge, who was walking at the head of the group with Fierro and Silver, made a gagging motion at Vector's declaration. The cat let out a sharp laugh at that while Silver rolled his eyes.
"Hey, what you laughin' at? It's true!" Vector shouted.
Rouge just rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course it is, honey."
Rouge turned to Fierro again and shook her head, causing the two to laugh once more.
Vector began grumbling to himself at this.
"I'm still cold though." Charmy groaned.
Suddenly, a large bushy tail was up in his face and he was surprised at this only to see Tangle look up at him and smile. "You can cuddle with my tail, buddy!"
Big spoke up too. "Or I could give you a great big hug. That oughta keep you warm!"
Charmy beamed at this, taking in both the tail and wrapping Big in a hug. "Aww thanks, you guys!"
Espio, Mighty, Ray and the rest of the Beta Squad walked alongside one another.
Espio frowned. "It's too quiet here."
Gadget shivered. "Tell me about it. I thought by now we'd be blasted or shot at or something, but nah. We've just been able to walk around these dark caverns for a few minutes and haven't been shot at, burned, crushed or electrocuted yet!"
"Kinda boring if you ask me." Corvin groaned.
"Tell me about it…" Mighty agreed, leaning his shoulder on the bird's shoulder.
Ray shrugged. "At the very least it means we're not dead."
"Yet." Gadget pointed out.
Corvin rolled his eyes. "Relax, specs. You've made it this far, haven't you?"
"No thanks to you. You keep trying to get me into more trouble."
"I'd prefer to use the words "spicing up your life." Ain't that right, Rhythm?"
The bird laughed and gestured over to his friend but she wasn't paying attention. The Rabbit was deep in thought, eyeridges furrowed and both ears slumped as she took in her surroundings.
The group stared at her for a moment before Corvin spoke up. "You good, Rhythm?"
She blinked in surprise. "Huh? What?"
"You good?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, sorry." She chuckled. "I guess, I was just thinking a bit. Everything going on down in Green Hill, being down here and saving the world. I guess I got struck with inspiration again and am trying to work out a song."
"Oooooo got somethin' cooking?" Corvin asked.
"Mhm. I'm thinking something a little slower paced and sweeter. Talking about the underground and emotions rising to the surface, y'know?"
"Wow! That sounds really deep!" Ray exclaimed. "Can I hear it when you're done?"
"Of course you can!" The rabbit grinned.
Corvin smirked. "Everybody's gonna hear your great songs when you go hit the big time after the war. Mark my words."
"Thanks, Cor."
In a largely cheery mood, the group continued to trek through the underground only to come to a stop as they reached some form of a destination.
The cave seemed to end in a sort of massive room that had exits from the back they came from and the two sides. Standing above them was a massive machine, grey in color and had all sorts of pipes running around it with the Eggman Empire logo just visible above it all. They could hear the water pounding through it now.
"Is this it?" Tangle asked, taking it all in.
"Who cares?" Corvin asked. "Let's smash it."
A lot of the others followed this and got their powers and weapons ready.
"Hold it!" Fierro shouted.
A lot of the others stopped, turning to the head of Beta Squad expectantly.
"We can't just go and smash it. At least… not yet."
Rouge nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we don't even know what this thing even is yet. For all we know, we could bring the whole cavern down on us."
"What do we do then?" Charmy asked.
Silver was the one to speak up this time. "Let's call into HQ and see what we're dealing with here. Then we'll see what we can do."
The others agreed and at that, Silver turned on his communicator.
"Hey, Amy. We got a situation here. We found some sort of room with a big machine but don't really know what to do. Got any ideas?"
"Alright. Take a picture and we'll have it sent in for analysis. Just sit tight."
"Roger." Silver nodded, holding up his wrist communicator so that it would take a picture of the machine and send it to Amy.
For now, the water warriors would have to wait.
~Trials of War~
"Everyone, please close your eyes." Professor Pickle soothed as he walked past rows and rows of mobians and humans alike who had been sat cross legged within the carrier.
All the people in the Egg Carrier complied, closing their eyes and waiting for the words of the scientist.
"Now, I ask you to clear your mind. Absolutely nothing should come from the outside world as you dive into this meditative state aside from the sound of my voice…"
He addressed each and every one of them, taking in the sight of humans, mobians, GUN, Resistance, civilians wanting to join the cause, all of them following his heed and attempting to tap into Chaos Energies and smiled.
"Repeat after me…"
Oh, Chaos…
I come to thee…
Reaching out with my heart, mind, and soul,
Calling upon your Chaotic, frantic, power that courses with a raging fire burning brighter than the sun…
With the same soothing waters to wash all our fears away…
I call upon your great power, Chaos
To guide mine body to you...
All of them sat in silence for a while, waiting for something, anything to happen.
"I knew this wouldn't work." Commander Tower grumbled as he got out from his cross legged position and rose to his feet.
"Arthur, please…" Professor Pickle insisted but the GUN Commander just brushed him off.
"While it was in your best intentions, Professor, it is clear that none of us possess the capabilities that you speak of."
Topaz rose to her feet as well, to which Abraham wordlessly offered a hand which she gladly took.
"It was worth a try." The Lieutenant mused. "I never have tried to get in tune with Chaos before and at least now I know for sure that I will never have those powers."
"You wouldn't have to begin with." Tower stated. "Humans are never Chaos Sensitive."
"Ah, but you are wrong, Commander. While even rarer than in Mobians, humans do possess the capability to achieve this power. Few have been documented over the course of history, but it is always worth a try."
"Too bad none of those people are here." Commander Tower grumbled.
Many others around the shuttle began to rise to their feet and mingle about the shuttle, having given up on their efforts to reach out to the Master Emerald.
Professor Pickle did not look discouraged though.
"I feel something…" An echoed voice announced.
Commander Tower's jaw dropped to the floor as Professor Pickle threw a smirk his way. It was Lieutenant Topaz though that grabbed Tower by the arm and began to push him through the crowd towards the source of the voice.
It wasn't long till Topaz pushed past a crowd that was looking in wide eyed shock and awe.
Hovering before them was none other than a peach colored red panda with a tuft of fur that covered her right eye. She wore a forest green colored shawl around her shoulders and pants of the same colors along with twin metal bracelets with stained glass melded into them.
Everyone couldn't help but look on with amazement as she continued to be in her meditative stance, her entire body glowing in multicolored chaos energy along with her eyes and bracelets.
The young girl was in a trance as she began to speak. Like before, it wasn't just the girl speaking, but a deep ethereal otherworldly tone was brought along with it.
"Ah yes… Everything is falling into play…" She couldn't help but smile.
"Another has come into touch with their latent abilities and welcomed Chaotic Power into her heart. Using this power, she will lead the way towards the Master Vessel, allowing for the final act to soon be upon us."
Still in her trance, she went from floating to flying and phasing right out the top of the ship as they all could only watch in shock.
Topaz was quick to run to the pilot's quarters and saw the red panda floating in front of the ship and making her way out through the skies.
"Follow her!" She ordered the two pilots to which they nodded and began to follow the panda to Angel Island.
Everyone was still absolutely floored by the events that just unfolded, left in dumbfounded silence at the miracle that was just performed in front of them.
Professor Pickle couldn't help but nudge tower and still give the man the smuggest smirk that he could possibly muster.
"Not one word…" Tower sighed.
~Trials of War~
Still high on the adrenaline from the double boost, Celeste let out a cheer as she and Sonic dove down into the pyramid.
"Pretty thrilling ey, partner?" Sonic looked to his side and asked the young dog.
The two from there carefully avoided grids of lasers that attempted to stop them on their descent but they were easily able to maneuver their way around them.
Sonic and Celeste touched down on a metal platform and took a moment to take in their surroundings.
The interior of Arsenal Pyramid was a harsh contrast to the zone outside of it. Gone was the bright, sweltering sun and the dusty deserts of the Faded Hills and instead was a cold, harsh, factory made entirely of metal, dimly lit by a pale blue light that gave the room an almost clinical feel. The sounds of the factory filled their ears, the rhythmic clangs of the robots and other machines getting to work on the assembly lines, the clicks of the gigantic gears that moved above and below them, all accompanied by the quiet thrum of generators throughout the facility.
Sonic the Hedgehog frowned at all of this. "So, they're building weapons here, huh?"
Celeste nodded.
"Making everyone work like robots."
Celeste once again nodded, unsure of where the hedgehog was going with this.
Sonic put a single hand on his hip and once again, his eyes looking around the room to take it all in. To think that some gross, cold factory could be here in his beloved Green Hill Zone, tainting the one place in the world that he may have actually considered a home. It was disgusting. He hated it. He wanted nothing more than for it to burn to the ground.
"Well, it'll be Eggman's turn to get pushed around when I get a hold of him."
Celeste looked at the hedgehog, unsure of what to do with him as she had so rarely seen him angry.
Ultimately, she decided to put an unsteady hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "We'll find him."
Sonic screwed his eyes shut, just allowing the anger to flow through him for once.
Celeste actually had to pull her hand back as the tiniest crack of electricity bouncing off of him and onto her hand. It tingled for a moment, but overall didn't make any major damage.
Sonic opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief, looking towards her and doing his best to give a sort of a reassuring smile towards her before racing into the depths of the factory.
Celeste was quick to follow after him.
The two started off into the factory, jogging through the metal pathways of the factory.
For a bit, there was silence as they walked on by, following Knuckles instructions as he led them through the factory. As they took in more of the sights but that quickly grew to be a bit boring so Celeste decided to make more small talk.
"So… Sonic…"
Sonic turned his attention towards her, seeming to have calmed down a lot more now.
"What exactly is so special about Green Hill? I mean, I know it's where you and Eggman first fought but is that really why it's so important to you?"
Sonic laughed. "No… That's not it at all. I mean, sure. Breaking Eggman's toys for the first time was fun, but that's not really why this place means a lot to me."
"So what is it then?"
"Green Hill is the place where I was born. Or at least, I think it was. It's really the first place I remember growing up and that was it. I would spend my days running, collecting nuts and berries and stuff like that. Then one day, Eggman came and threatened that life and I knew what I had to do."
"So it was where you grew up?"
"Pretty much." Sonic shrugged. "But it's a place I just keep coming back to, y'know? I just get this fresh breath of nostalgia whenever I run around here no matter how many times I do it. For most people, home is usually some sort of place or thing. A long time ago, you talked me about how Sunset was your home, right?"
"Yeah, it's where I've been all my life."
"For me… It's a little different. Home is in the people around me. It's in Tails, it's in Knuckles, it's in Amy, it's in all of my friends. Heck, I've even started to consider you a piece of home for me, buddy."
Celeste smiled. "I'm glad that you feel that way."
Sonic returned the gesture and a wistful look came over his face. "But if there's one actual place that I could consider a home, then it would have to be Green Hill. It isn't just about having my earliest memories here or the fact that it's where I set off for my first adventure. It's just that when I come here, I can just let everything go and just run, be as wild and free as I wanna be and just be, y'know?"
Celeste nodded, imagining Sonic just running around and having a good time in Green Hill Zone.
"I'm always running all over the world, I'm always seeing new and exciting places… But Green Hill, it's just always gonna do it for me in a way that no other place ever really will be able to compare to. If there's any one place in the world that I can call a home, then it's Green Hill Zone."
Celeste smiled. "I can see why you love it so much."
"Yeah…"
The two crossed over into another room, failing to notice the laser beam that ran along the entry way and were quick to trip it.
A red light flashed above and to their shock, the grated metal floor below gave out, causing them to plummet down into the factory below amongst all the gigantic gears.
Celeste was the one to react first, grabbing onto Sonic's hand and using the grappling hook to latch onto the ceiling above.
The two then swung, free falling amongst all the cogs and gears but were able to land atop one of the many turning mechanisms in the factory.
Sonic let out a sigh of relief and gave her a thumbs up, while Celeste did her best to find her balance after performing such an act and dealing with the rotating platform they were on.
Unfortunately for them, the bad news kept on coming as a ring of Eggpongs were dropped down around them, each charging their lasers and prepared to fight.
This time, Sonic was the one to go first. He jumped up into the air and began to home in on one of the Eggpongs, crushing it to bits before jumping again and doing the same, bouncing around like a pinball atop the robots without breaking a sweat.
Celeste on the other hand had dove into a crouch and was picking off whichever robots didn't come their way and was quick to duck and dive out of the way of their return fire before it was too late.
The last of the Eggpongs were finished off and Celeste was able to wipe the sweat from her brow.
Sonic landed in front of her and gave her a light punch on the shoulder to which she smiled.
But at that, fifteen Buzz Bombers flew out towards them, each with their blasters charged.
Celeste was quick to aim and fire, taking out one of them.
"Nope, let's not do that!" Sonic shouted.
"Hey!"
Before Celeste could pick off another one of the flying robots, he had scooped her up into his arms and hopped off the edge of the gear they were standing on and like that, the chase was on.
Sonic leapt between the gears as they spun, jutted up and down and moved about the factory in all sorts of different directions.
Buzz Bombers made their pursuit only to be caught in some of the larger gears of the factory, much to Sonic's relief.
But there were still a few pesky bots that were able to keep up.
Celeste sighed at this and adjusted herself in Sonic's grip, pulling out her Wispon and taking aim.
It took a couple of misfires but she did manage to shoot each of the remaining Buzzbombers down, leaving them all alone.
Sonic landed on another platform and set Celeste down. He patted her on the back.
"Nice shootin'"
"Thanks, nice running."
"It's all in the legs." He smirked.
Celeste let out a laugh at that only for them to be cut off by the sound of Sonic's com going off.
"You two make a great team." Knuckles declared. "You're almost there. All you gotta do is head off the platform and into the lower levels of the Pyramid. You should land on a walkway and from there you'll split up to head to the lab and the center of the pyramid."
"Thanks, Knux. We'll keep you posted." Sonic gave a two finger salute.
Sonic and Celeste turned towards the edge only for a pack of Eggpongs to drop in, preparing to fire.
Sonic rolled his eyes at this and pointed mockingly at the robots to which Celeste laughed.
Sonic then boosted right into them. Knocking them out of the way as if they were bowling pins.
Celeste quickly followed after and together they dropped down onto the catwalk, each landing in a crouch.
The two rose up to take in their surroundings only for both of their eyes to widen in shock.
Sonic was quick, running over to the metal railing to take it all in.
Below them, conveyor belts lined this room, carefully slogging their cargo along in and out of the room to be completed. On those conveyor belts were massive missiles, each the size of a bus with complex wiring running along their sides and the Eggman Empire logo carefully painted on each of them. But the part that was so chilling to the two were the names of different locations around the world carefully printed underneath those logos.
Sunset Heights…
Station Square…
Viemigos…
Adabat…
Spagonia…
Soleanna…
Westopolis…
And so many others, each of them had a bomb ready and waiting for them.
Celeste had paled, unable to say anything as she looked on with wide eyes.
But Sonic… Sonic was absolutely furious with what he'd seen. His teeth were clenched so hard together that he felt as if they could shatter from the sheer pressure he was exerting. But he didn't care. His fists were balled up tightly against the railing, he was sure they were bone white underneath his gloves.
"Eggman…" Sonic let out an almost growl was almost so animalistic, so primal, it reminded him of his time as the Werehog. He screwed his eyes shut, just letting it all roll over him.
Celeste could only watch in shocked awe as Chaos Energy rolled off of the blue blur in miasmic waves, barely able to be contained.
"S-S-Sonic…?"
Sonic heard Celeste's voice and he opened his eyes again and looked between the bombs and the young girl who looked at him with such great concern that genuinely surprised him for a moment until he looked at himself and saw the wispy energy coming off of his body.
His eyes widened in shock at this once again and immediately tried to maintain his cool.
He did his best to control his breathing, struggling to keep his anger in check but… He just couldn't… To see that this was what Eggman had in store for a world he had already turned into his own twisted image… To see that he wanted to cause more pain and destruction not only to the environment but to the people that called Mobius their home.
How… How dare he even have the mere thought of doing such a thing?
Celeste could only watch the trembling hedgehog as he stood there and more of that strange energy came off of him.
"S-S-Sonic!" She cried out, this time shouting to try and get his attention.
But he could only continue to let out short, ragged, labored breaths as he tried to get his anger under control.
Celeste was shaking now too, unsure what to do about her friend as he stood there, trying to contain his emotions.
Every part of her body told her to run and just hope that he would be able to sort it out on his own. Sonic looked like he was ready to explode if he wasn't careful and honestly, she wasn't sure if either of them would be able to survive the blast.
But her heart knew that she couldn't do that to him when he was so lost.
Celeste took heavy, labored steps towards the hedgehog, fighting through the miasma. "Sonic! Sonic!"
But he couldn't hear her anymore as he just so desperately tried to get a grip on himself. Months of bottled up emotions, pain during his capture, putting on a show for people when even he couldn't help but be fearful came back to him. Eggman's plans for this world… What he was capable of? It was just far too much for him to handle now looking at all of this…
Celeste had crossed the gap though and stood next to the hedgehog as the chaotic energy went flying all around her. "Sonic! I-It's okay!"
She was in tears now as she watched the hedgehog struggle and before she even knew it, she reached her arms out and enveloped him into a hug.
Sonic's eyes widened in surprise and the energy around him, wild and unchecked, furled around them for a few moments as Celeste just took it all in.
"We're gonna find Eggman!" She shouted. "We're gonna win this war and none of these terrible things that we see here are ever gonna happen because you're here with us and you always know what to do! So please! Don't let him beat you with this because right now, these are just bunch of useless pieces of metal and they're here to scare us! We can't let him win! Not like this!"
And then, Sonic took in the embrace from his friend, listening to her words and reminding him what he was fighting for. For people like Celeste who had to fight in a war that he should've stopped long before it had started; for his friends that looked up to him and continued to fight alongside him no matter what; for a world that had deserved much better than the pain and destruction of this war.
Getting angry…
Losing control like this…
It wouldn't help anything.
He was Sonic the Hedgehog.
The energy began to dissipate until it finally died down.
Celeste was sobbing now, her eyes screwed shut as she held on to him.
Sonic lightly tapped her hand and she opened her eyes, seeing the hedgehog look normally now and she smiled. Letting him go.
"Thank you, Celeste…" He let out a sigh of relief.
Celeste wiped off the tears and looked him in the eyes. "Hey, what are friends for? You've done the same for me, right?"
She was still sniffling and Sonic smiled. "Yeah, I can always count on you to have my back, partner."
"Of course!"
Sonic smiled and then turned back to the bombs again and frowned. "Eggman…"
"Sonic, you shouldn't look at those…"
"I know, but I promise that this time I'll be fine." He insisted, not taking his eyes off them as he was now deep in thought yet again. "You should go and try and find that lab, Cel. I just… I just wanna be alone for a little bit before I go and do my part of the mission."
Celeste looked worriedly at him. "Y-you promise you'll be okay…?"
"I swear."
Celeste timidly nodded, still eying him a little but turned and walked to the opposite end of the catwalk, where she found a sliding door.
She looked back at Sonic, who was still looking over the edge at all those bombs. She waved at him, but he didn't seem to notice as she turned and left for Eggman's laboratory.
Sonic was left alone and just collected his thoughts for a moment before he finally turned and left. Not looking back at the bombs as he ran for the center of the pyramid where he could blow the place sky high.
Sonic didn't notice the light spark of purple electricity that bounced from his hand to the railing as he ran off.
And we'll end it here. What a chapter, right? A little bit of Green Hill Zone, a little bit of fun it's a good time. Next up, we'll be heading back over to the Classic Quartet and see what they're up to. Who knows where they'll end up? Well, I do but I guess you'll have to wait and see.
In other news, happy third anniversary Sonic Forces. Didn't really mean to have this update today, but woke up and saw on Twitter that it was the anniversary, so hey, I'll take what I can get. Ah, Forces. The game that spawned this story. Have had some ups and downs with this game both in playing and theorizing and writing but I'm glad that it exists since it inspired this story. So thanks, Forces for inspiring this and many other rewrites all over FFN.
And final words, I hope that in these rather trying times what with the election and everything that everyone's doing well. It's very stressful in the world right now and it's certainly been quite the year but we've all got each other to help us get through.
Until next time, hope to have at least one more update this year and I'll see you all next time. But first, review replies.
numberjackscotonauts:
Sonic's birthday actually wasn't part of the initial plan it was an idea I had somewhere while writing this story (like some chapters ago) and I thought "Oh, wouldn't this be sweet?" It felt fitting. Glad you enjoyed it.
TGN:
Ooooo I'd love to see you do a scene like that.
Gotta give Sonic some good old, healthy angst on his birthday. Poor guy has been through a lot and there's more to come. But we all saw potential in Forces and that's why there are so many rewrites. It's so much fun to see so many different fan's takes on this game.
I'm so excited to get to the reunion, you have no idea. And don't worry, Tails will indeed contribute.
Thanks for the support as always, man.
Animation Adventures 1:
Ah, there you are! No worries, happens to the best of us.
One of the big things throughout this story is working out this dynamic between Tails and Classic Sonic. The big thing of how, yeah, they're not each other's friends in where they're from this split timeline but no matter what, they know enough about each other to tell what's up. Sonic giving Tails a bit of tough love here hurt but was necessary as it was the wakeup call Tails needed.
Animation Adventures 2:
I think chapters will be on the shorter end for a bit moving forward.
GUN was important to get right and I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Writing that Professor Pickle joke was one of my favorite things. He's slowly become one of my favorite characters to write in this story.
My man, Big has his moments.
We're well on our way with Green Hill!
TheLostEternity:
Haha. Always glad to put a smile on your face with new updates.
The world could be on fire and Pickle could go for some Cucumber sandwiches. Haha.
I hope you enjoyed your birthday!
Somebody's gotta keep those kiddos in line. Haha.
Always glad to respond. Thank you for the continued support.
SonicDash:
Maybe a reunion could be the ultimate birthday present. ;)
Gotta love Tangle, haha.
And as for Tower and Topaz? Maybe? I'll leave that up to interpretation. I'm not gonna give it a hard no like Sonamy, just a if you wanna view it that way, sure but I'm not really trying to write them romantically.
Anyway, thanks a bunch!
The Sensational SpiderDom321:
Hey. No worries, man. Life happens. I'm glad you're doing well though.
Professor Pickle is hilarious and I love writing him so much. Pickle needs to be brought back, I love him so much. Two worlds is unfortunately canon but of course in Ways continuity, screw that. It's all one world with one history and Mobians and humans can live side by side. The only place two worlds can actually work is if it's established in the story like Sonic X or the movie continuities but because the games barely even suggest this, it doesn't work so I ignore it all together. I acknowledge that the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid decision, Imma elect to ignore it.
I feel like at this point, Gemerl's such a character that it'd be tough to weave him in naturally due to being so close to Cream and all. Maybe if I get an idea? But I would say not to hold your breath. Sorry bout that bro, guess Gemerl's my Waluigi to my Everyone is Here.
But thanks so much. Having all these characters can be a struggle sometimes, but I think it's important to get a lot of them in to show that Sonic's got this whole living breathing world full of new and old faces. Having so many characters, I feel does a good job of establishing that and then of course finding balance and deciding who will be major and minor and that sort of deal is what it's all about. I'm glad that you think I pull it off so well.
I did not do Arsenal Pyramid. I did Lost Valley and Faded Hills, but maybe you're thinking of when we visited the pyramid in the flashback in Episode Omega.
You're a treasure, man and I'm so glad to have your help. You do such a great job with these characters.
Thanks so much, man! Always appreciate the support.
And yeah, gonna have to find the time and check it out!
SilverNova1:
It's definitely an interesting theory and I like it. Just not what I'm going with here. The Ruby's power is great but depression is its own demon.
SilverNova2:
No worries, I'm always happy to help.
SilverNova3:
A large part of that has to go to SpiderDom, he's very good at writing the Deadly Six and gave me a hand where I couldn't quite get them just right. I think they're a challenge because of the fact that they're so divisive. How do you take particularly bland characters and give them substance without changing them too much that they're out of character, y'know?
SilverNova4:
Hey, I'm glad to have inspired you. That really means a lot and I wish you the best on your fic, I'm sure you'll make it great. End goal really is a career in all of this. Someday, I'll get there and am working towards it.
SilverNova5:
Thanks so much for the kind words. Getting that moment with Tails in was important, and of course, it's building up to that reunion. Excited to show what else I have up my sleeves.
SilverNova6:
Had to show a particularly protective side of Omega there. Don't regret it one bit.
CVGWJames, tekina fiction & zack24:
Thank you!
