After a while of pursuit, Sonic came across another ruin which Eggman entered.
"Not again," Sonic sighed. "Last time I went through one of these I burnt my quills!"
Unfortunately for Sonic, the ground he stepped on gave way, causing him to slip and fall into a pool of water.
"No, not water!" Sonic cried as he hit the water's surface.
Episode 4: Sonic's Weakness! The Great Labyrinth Chase!
Sonic crawled out of the water when he realized it was really shallow.
"Man, this is worse than lava!" Sonic cried. "I can't swim for crap and sink straight to the bottom! Not to mention I can't move as fast in water!"
Little did Sonic know, Eggman was hiding nearby and heard everything.
"So, that rat DOES have a weakness!" Eggman cried to himself. "This should make for an interesting turn of events."
Sonic continued through the Labyrinth, searching for Eggman and the Chaos Emerald. As he searched, he avoided pools of water, hoping that the Emerald wasn't actually buried underwater. Finally, he came across a large room, where he found the Emerald hidden behind a pile of rocks.
"Gotcha!" Sonic said as he picked up the Emerald. However, the room began to shake violently as water flowed into the room.
"Not good!" Sonic cried.
"How do you like my fake Emerald?" Eggman cackled. "Now, this room is set to flood with water. It's sink or swim, hedgehog!"
"Damn!" Sonic cried as Eggman began to fly upwards. "That's it! The only way out must be up!"
Eggman cackled as he flew upward, but when he turned to look, he saw that Sonic was in pursuit of him.
"No!" Eggman cried. "Eat this!"
Eggman flew the Eggmobile into Sonic who was jumping from wall to wall. The contact knocked Sonic into the pool below.
"Hohohoho!" Eggman laughed sinisterly as he continued to elevate.
No way, Sonic thought to himself as he fell into the pool, gasping for breath. I can't die like this. No, I won't die like this!
Sonic landed on the bottom of the pool before springing upwards, desperate to jump from the pool, but to no avail. He sank right back to the bottom of the ever-rising pool. He could feel his last breath leaving him and had to act fast.
Meanwhile, Eggman continued to rise as he held the fourth Emerald in his hand.
"Hohohoho!" he said to himself. "Only two more of these and I'll control EVERYTHING! Hohohohohoho!"
"Not so fast, Doc!" shouted a voice that made Eggman cringe.
"You!" he cried as he turned to see Sonic jumping from wall to wall, fast approaching. "I figured you'd be dead by now!"
"You made one miscalculation!" Sonic cried as he rammed the Eggmobile.
"Yeah?" Eggman snorted as he repositioned the Eggmobile. "And what would that be?"
Sonic pulled a red mushroom-shaped object from behind his back.
"It can't be!" Eggman cried. "You had a Spring Launcher?"
Sonic put the Spring Launcher in front of his body as he lunged at the Eggmobile.
"Nope," Sonic grinned. "You left it on the ground in the chamber! Now, I'm going to show you the power of the Spring Launcher! It shoots whatever touches it in the direction it is facing!"
"No, you don't mean..." Eggman gasped in desperation. "N-n-n-no, stop!"
"Too late!" Sonic shouted. "Sonic Spring Gun!"
Sonic drove the Spring Launcher into the Eggmobile.
"See you later, Eggman!" Sonic yelled.
The spring recoiled, launching the Eggmobile straight into the wall, causing it to crumble.
"Victory!" Sonic shouted, but he soon realized that he had made matters worse.
"You stupid hedgehog!" Eggman growled as the Eggmobile repaired itself. "You've done it now! This whole chamber is going to collapse, and with it will gush gallons upon gallons of water into this room!"
"What?" Sonic cried as he continued to jump upwards.
"Sadly, I don't plan to be done in by a water flow," Eggman grinned. "So, I'll take my leave now!"
Eggman increased in speed as the water continued to fill the room at a faster rate.
"This isn't good!" Sonic cried. "Jumping up the wall takes too much energy and slows me down in the long run! I gotta think fast!"
Sonic pondered for a moment and then remembered his signature speed.
"Of course!" Sonic shouted as he began to run up the wall itself, catching up to the Eggmobile! "I can run faster than gravity can pull me down! Just you wait, Eggman! I'm coming for ya!"
"Impudent rat," Eggman growled. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's Robotnik, not Eggman!"
"Geez," Sonic shook his head as he increased his speed even more. "I tell you, Doc. Denial isn't only a river in Egypt it seems."
"Die, you impudent fool!" Eggman shouted as he tried ramming the hedgehog, who effortlessly dodged him.
"You first, I insist!" Sonic shouted as he jumped out of the way and curled into a ball. "Spin Attack!"
However, Sonic lost his footing before he could finish the attack. Before he could catch himself, though, Eggman sped out of the hole in the ceiling and out of sight. Sonic followed suit, finally making it out of the hole.
"Where are you, Eggman?" Sonic called out into the night. "Huh, guess he got away. Well, at least I'm outta the frying pan-"
Sonic turned around to see a familiar place that petrified him with fear.
"-and into the freezer," the hedgehog gulped.
He looked at his surrounding, an aerial city, high in the sky.
"I've only heard rumors of this place," Sonic shivered. "The futuristic city, where stars shine bright, even in the light of day. I can't believe it. It's the fabled Star Light."
Next Time: Sonic fights Eggman in Star Light, but Eggman obtains the fifth Emerald, leaving only one left!Don't miss Into the Starry City: Only One Emerald Left!?
C/C: I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. I felt the pacing was off a bit, but things are finally about to heat up, since the culmination of this arc is finally building up. Enjoy the final three chapters of the arc when they come, although Chapter 5 will be somewhat weak, but hopefully better than 2 and 3.
As for how I feel this chapter stacks up, I'd put it right in the middle, maybe even higher than Chapter 1. I dunno, I guess you guys decide how it stacks up.