*With Sonic, in the Dai-Ki Mountains, ten minutes earlier*
"Taste the chaos!" Fleetway hissed before lunging at the hero.
Sonic dove underneath his evil counterpart and rolled to his feet, spinning his heels to face the attacker once more. The hedgehog ran up to the yellow menace and sent his fist hurtling towards the villain's face, however Fleetway shot out his arm and blocked the attack. Quickly turning his arm downward, Sonic sucker punched the chaos-infused hedgehog in the stomach before twisting his arm back upward and nailing his foe in the nose.
Staying here will further sow the seeds of your demise. You must take to the skies if you are to survive, The pure being inside the Blue Blur stated.
I'm doing pretty fine right now! Sonic thought angrily.
Sonic knocked the feet out from under Fleetway, who in turn rolled to his right, dodging a punch from Sonic.
"You got too much psycho in ya!" Sonic stated, dodging punches thrown by his enemy. "You need to relax! Take a yoga class!"
Sonic palmed a punch from the villain and kicked him in the gut, sending him stumbling back.
"Maybe a therapeutic massage! Smell some scented candles?"
Sonic back flipped, dodging a powerful punch that was aimed for his chest, which if it had hit, would've blown him off the edge of the cliff and would have sent him falling to him death. The hero blocked more punches before Fleetway finally landed one, smacking the Fastest Thing Alive in the jaw so hard a crack was heard.
"Ow. Dat hur!" Sonic sputtered.
"That's the general idea, yes," Fleetway hissed, grinning.
The evil hedgehog kicked Sonic's legs out from under him and grabbed his arms, lifting him into the air and starting to pull. The Blue Blur gritted his teeth together as his vision grew red, however after a swift kick to the jaw, the hero was back on his feet.
"Maybe you need to get rid of stress? Maybe lift weights? I got an echidna friend back home who—"
"Please! Feel free to keep yammering on! It'll be the last time you'll ever be able to talk before I use your jaw as a cup holder!" Fleetway exclaimed, recovering his balance and swiftly slamming his fist into the hero's nose, sending the hedgehog stumbling back.
Take to the air!
Fine! Sonic thought.
Summoning the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic began to morph into his super form as the gems whirled around him. Lifting himself into the air, the hero was incased in a bright, white light for a few seconds before the aura faded along with the gems, leaving Super Sonic in their place.
"Eh. Fleetway me isn't as good looking as Super me," The Blue Blur stated, clenching his fists. "Breath is better too. Ever heard of a dentist?"
"Funny! HAHAHAHAHAHA," The villain cackled, floating into the air to face the Fastest Thing Alive. "What's even funnier is you still think you can save Amy Rose! She's as good as dead! Your failure will feed me like an elegant dinner at a five-star hotel! HA HA!"
"Geez. I was kinda coo-coo when I was like that."
The two hedgehogs clashed, sending a blast of energy in all directions. The two flew backwards before ramming each other multiple times, sending out similar energy blasts just like the first, but doing no damage to either one.
"It's like hitting a boulder!" Fleetway giggled, cracking his knuckles.
"Boulders are painful when hit!" Sonic called from afar.
"Pff! I eat pain for breakfast with a side of toast!" The hero's assailant chuckled. "Reminds me. I have to pick up some jelly later."
"I thought you were a rock clone!" Sonic joked, smirking. "But really, though—I have to get moving."
"Rock models have to do things too!" Fleetway exclaimed, holding out his arms. "But yes, I would like to quickly kill you and move on with my immortal life."
The two soared towards each other once more, but instead of hitting his foe head-on, the Blue Blur ducked underneath the psychotic villain, grabbed him by the feet and launched him into the top of the mountain, creating a crater.
HE SLOWS YOU DOWN. HE WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE LOCATION OF THE INGREDIENT. KILL HIM.
How do I kill an immortal rock…thing? Sonic thought.
The rock being itself cannot die, but the version you are fighting against can. Fleetway is the only one who has the location. If you disintegrate him, he will not resurface again and you will not have the area where the plant is held.
LIES! THE PANDA BELOW HAS THE LOCATION. KILL THIS FOOL WHO'S WAISTING OUR TIME AND GO FORCEFULLY EXTRACT THE LOCATION FROM THE RAINBOW BEAR.
Both of you! Shut up! I'm going with the sane voice in my head! The hero thought, and then frowned. That didn't come out the way it was supposed to.
YES! GO WITH MY PLAN!
He was referring to me, numb nut.
OH.
Sonic shot down towards the base of the mountain top and rapidly punched and kicked the platform until one side gave way, making the top lurch in that direction and start to slide off the main part of the mountain. Fleetway, who was on the sliding platform, scrambled to his feet; however, before he could escape, Sonic grabbed him by the head, hauled the attacker into the air and fired him into the rockslide. Topping it off, Sonic flew after the villain with clenched fists, slamming Fleetway into the now-formed-cliff even further before peeling the psycho hedgehog off the mountain side and tossing him on to the rubble where the mountain top once stood.
"I am…you! You kicked…your own…b…utt! Ha ha ha ha!" The chaos-infused assailant sputtered, clutching his chest and rolling on his back. He stopped and coughed a few times and groaned in pain. "You don't happen to have an Icy Hot on you by chance?"
Sonic shook his head. "I need that location. Spit it out."
"And ruin the fun we're having?"
"I don't have time for this!"
"I do! Yes, it's true that I have to give you the location of the plant, but what I don't have to do is give it to you right now," The villain stated, smiling in agony. "I could just wait a few days…maybe months to make sure your girl is nice and dead before I say anything."
A small, black aura began to snake its way across the hero's body as the hedgehog began to grow enraged.
What is going on? The pure being inside Sonic asked.
YES. FEED ME YOUR ANGER AND HATRED.
Please! You must stop! Your evil side is becoming stronger the longer you're like this!
SHUT UP. YOU TALK TOO MUCH.
Sonic grabbed Fleetway by the chest and soared down to the outskirts of the mountain range where a river filled with rapids sat.
"You're immortal. I get that," The Fastest Thing Alive stated. "And I can't kill this version of you—"
"Because you're a hero, right?"
"Because I need that location," Sonic corrected, looking at the villain with malice. "And although I may not be as smart as Tails, I do know a thing or two about science."
"Oh?"
"Like erosion."
"Oh."
"I wonder how long your rock body would last once I plunged you under these rapids while I create some wind from the skies to speed the process up," The Blue Blur continued. "You'd go everywhere. Although you'd still be alive, you'd never be able to put yourself back together again."
His foe gulped. "Now THAT'S a funny situation. HAHAHAHAHA! I might be rubbing off on you!"
"Where's the location?"
"Fine, party pooper. It's inside the room of that panda that helped you. You remember that table you were laying on? Yeah. Move the table and there's a little crevice," The villain explained, sticking his lip out. "You're no fun when you're mad."
"I wouldn't say that."
"I would."
Sonic took position and held Fleetway behind him. "Back ya go!"
Using half of his strength, Super Sonic launched the villain through the air and back towards the mountain top where they once were. A plume of dirt, dust and rock shot into the air once Fleetway hit.
*Thirty minutes later*
After regrouping with Spencer, who, to Sonic's surprise was not assaulted by Toxic and The Plague while the hero was gone, the two went back to the panda's cave and pulled the stone table away, revealing a small crevice where a plant lay.
Sonic shot Spencer a distasteful look.
"What? I didn't know that was there! It never was in the past!" The multi-colored panda defended.
The blue hero walked over and carefully uprooted the plant, placing it in a protective case along with the silk from the worms that he got in the tundra.
"Hey, you said you got a trans-dimensional-whatever disc that you can use to hop dimensions?" The Blue Blur asked, turning to face the panda.
"Yeah. I also got a spare in case the one I usually use broke. You need it?" Spencer replied.
"Kinda. I'll give it back when I'm done."
Lobbing the disc to Sonic, the panda shook his head. "You better. My bud'll be furious if he finds out I lost it to someone else."
Nodding, Sonic walked thanked Spencer for his help and exited the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving the panda in there before running out of the mountains.
As the chubby hero began to put things back where they originally were, he heard a thump in the room behind him where Sonic had left and heard the door creak open.
"Forgot something?" Spencer asked, turning around. He suddenly stopped and took a few steps back in shock.
"You friend of hedgehog's," The Plague grumbled, walking in along with Toxic. "Friend of Sonic is enemy of us."
"Give us the other teleporter and we'll leave you with only a major concussion. Refuse, and a painful death will follow," Toxic hissed, extending a slimy hand.
The panda looked past the two at the only exit he had, which was blocked by the monstrosities at the moment.
No way out.
"Don't try to go invisible either. We know that trick by now," The green creation added.
"What it be, tubby bear?" The stone beast commanded, clenching its fists.
Spencer closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. He made his choice.
*With Sonic, outside of Dai-Ki Mountains, five minutes later*
"Ay! Yo! Tails!" Sonic called through his earpiece. "Sorry I've been hard to reach. Those mountains were brutal. Ran into some issues, but I got the plant. Where to next?"
"Sonic! It's great to hear your voice. I feared that those two things had gotten to you!" The fox exclaimed.
"Almost, but not quite."
"And you got the plant! That's great! That means you only have one more ingredient to get. Unfortunately, it's in another dimension. You might be familiar with it," Tails continued.
"Lucky for you, I got a dimension-travel-hopper-thingy with me that I borrowed from some mountain hermit. Where to?" The Blue Blur asked.
"The Frostbite Dimension."
*With Tails, Knuckles, Vector and Charmy, twenty minutes later at the President's command center*
After signing off with Sonic, the four requested a meeting with the president, and after some persistence from Vector and Knuckles, they managed to get into the base where the leader of Mobius was and meet with him in a private room with guards outside. Pulling out a tablet, Tails set it up on a small carrier to hold it up and connected them to a live video feed with Sally Acorn. After all, she was the most diplomatic of the five of them when it came to talking with the President. If he didn't like their idea, they'd hand it over to Sally.
"Queen Sally," The President said, nodding.
"Mr. President," Sally replied, nodding back.
"So, to what do I owe this visit from the best detectives and fighters we have?" The chubby leader of Mobius asked, leaning forward and grinning, making wrinkle lines appear near his eyes. "Rest of the gang couldn't make it?"
"Well, that's what we're here to talk about, Sir," Tails stated. "Ya see, Shadow and Rouge were out on a G.U.N. mission, Sonic is out getting ingredients for a cure for the poison in Amy, and Blaze and Silver are handling issues in their own dimensions. Because of the force field you put up, none of them can get back in to help us with a cure."
The lines faded from his face as he sat back and folded his arms. "I see. And Espio?"
"He's…occupied," Charmy responded.
"So you want me to take this dome down, hm?" The President asked.
"Wow! You catch on fast, Sir!" Vector exclaimed, receiving a swift punch to the side form Knuckles. "Ow!"
"If these heroes can acquire these ingredients for Amy Rose, then a cure can be formed to combat the toxin inside her—the exact same poison that this green creature has. If it is mass produced, then we can douse it in the stuff and get rid of it for good," Sally added.
"And the rock creature? What about it? As I recall, those two always travel together," The leader of Mobius stated.
"We believe that the stuff that holds the two together is identical. If this cure hits that, then the two will be defeated for good," Tails explained.
"But you're not certain?"
The four looked at each other uneasily.
"Listen, as much as I want to help Amy with this cure, we can't be sure that it will save her and stop these monsters. If I let the shield down, then these things could get in, if they aren't already and cause even more damage!
"If these things were already in Mobiocity, don't you think that they would've attacked by now?" Knuckles interjected.
"All the more reason to keep the force field up," The President huffed, standing up. "This conversation is over. I'm sorry, but I can't risk the lives of many innocents for the sake of one good person."
With that, the leader of Mobius left the room.
After thanking Sally for her help, Tails shut off the tablet and put it back in its case before tapping an earpiece in his ear.
"Espio, you're up. Shadow? Rouge? Be on standby."
*With Espio, five minutes earlier, inside the main generator for the force field*
The chameleon crouched behind a stack of steel crates, changing his skin to the color of them as to blend in better. Surprisingly, it only took silent steps and good camo to get in to this place. Not many guards were inside this generator area, but it was an army to get through in order to enter this room. He had tried to avoid conflict whenever possible, but he did have to knock out a few guards to get in.
Anyone but me would have trouble getting in here, The hero thought. I've got ninja tactics.
Strapped to his waist was a set of charges and a detonator in case he was required to blow this thing to bits. Inside of his wrist cuffs, a full round of throwing stars were ready for disposal. A katana was latched to his upper back and two sai were strapped to the lower part. He was prepared if things got ugly.
"Espio, you're up. Shadow? Rouge? Be on standby," Tails said, crackling through the intercom.
If things didn't go as planned with the president, Espio had to burn this thing to the ground. Then, once the dome was down, Shadow and Rouge would race in and head back to their HQ, avoiding guards and different army vehicles along the way. He had to place the charges and wait until Tails, Knuckles, Vector and Charmy would well away from the blast zone.
Sneaking around to one of the sides of the large generator, the ninja placed the charges and moved to his nest spot. After sticking the bombs to all the sides of the generator and to some beams that held up the ceiling for good measure, Espio turned a shadowy black and began the painstaking process of knocking each guard and scientist out and dragging them out of the room so they'd be safe from the blast. After a long thirty minutes, he was ready.
"I'm good to go," Espio muttered into the coms, changing back to his purple color.
"Alright. Get out of there and burn it down," Knuckles stated.
*With Shadow and Rouge, real time, outside Mobiocity*
"You ready?" Shadow asked, taking off the rings around his wrists.
He hadn't done that since the fight with Mephiles. In this case, he'd make an exception. He'd try to not injure anyone once he blew past the front line, but nothing was guaranteed.
After a few minutes of waiting, a large explosion sounded from far off. The two heroes diverted their attention to the sound of the blast just in time to see the steady beam of blue light die, making the force field collapse inward and disappear.
Panicked, guards began getting into their battle stations and readying their weapons. Half the soldiers departed from their posts to go help out at the blast zone while the other half stayed guard.
"Go!" Shadow ordered.
While Rouge soared over the guards, the Ultimate Life Form exploded past the front line, rocketing into the streets of Mobiocity towards their HQ, leaving a mix of confused shouts and angry soldiers behind them.
"Force field's down! Shadow! Rouge! Are you guys in?" Charmy called.
"We're in, sweetie. Don't worry about us," Rouge replied, dodging buildings.
"Once you get back here, unload your stuff and get ready in case the army wants to stop by!" Tails exclaimed.
*With Sonic, in the Frostbite Dimension, forty-five minutes earlier*
"I HATE THIS PLACE!" Sonic roared as he trudged through the snow and ice once more. "I thought I was done with chilly stuff for a while, but noooooo!"
We don't feel the cold.
I'M HOT.
Please, for once, shut up.
"Good for you guys! I'm a walking hedgehog ice pop out here," The Blue Blur chattered, gritting his teeth.
After a while of walking, Sonic began to feel the cold seeping into him, turning his hands and feet numb as snow and ice began to cling to his fur. His thoughts grew slow and his heart beat became even slower. Wheezing, the hero collapsed in the snow. Without protection from the elements, he couldn't go another step.
The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a figure running towards him.
*Time: unknown, location: unknown*
Sonic began to stir once more. He was getting tired of passing out. Once in the mountains was enough, but twice? He was a rugged hero! He should be able to withstand almost anything! However, with his sanity weak from his mind being split in two, he realized just how much his strength had been sapped. He was literally fighting himself while battling nature and villains.
After sitting up, the hedgehog realized he was no longer in his super form.
When did I change back to normal?
"Oh! You're up," A raspy voice stated.
Sonic ignored the sound and took in his surroundings for the first time. He recognized this cave. It was the same one they'd found Mute in after he and his friends fled from the council members. Sonic wondered if he'd be able to find the kind old polar bear that had taken them in a while back.
"Ahem. Over here," The voice said.
Sonic turned and saw a white bird sitting to his right. Their clothes were ripped and torn. It hadn't looked like they'd eaten in a few days or bathed in weeks. A single pistol was holstered on their waist for protection, and the bird was missing a boot. A long scar ran from the top of their right eye to the middle of their beak where either they were cut by a sword or shrapnel, or they were too close to an explosion.
"Good thing I got to you in time before you died of frostbite. This dimension is known for that," The bird said, coughing. "You are?"
"Sonic."
"Mmm. Sonic. Nice name, nice name," The bird stated, extending their hand. "I'm Talon."
AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER FOR YOU ALL. If you were wondering where I went, that's because I was writing this monster for you guys.
Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review! It'd make me so happy to see that my hard work isn't displeasing to people, minus the five that do review. You know who you are ;)
More to come…