Revenge of the Serpent

Mammoth Mogul stood as he cast magic into a shadow filled area. When he had finished, movement happened in the darkness. Then, glowing red eyes had appeared.

"So, you have awakened once again." Mogul replied. "I have heard from the one who has donated your skull to me that his daughter was taken away from him. But however, he knows that none of his people consider him a hero. Thus he asked me for help." Then, he paused.

"Who are you?" a voice stated.

"I am Mammoth Mogul." The elephant stated. "I was the one who brought you back from the grave. In addition, I have heard that a fox had slain you."

"How dare you mention that fox to me!" the voice hissed.

"Do you want to kill him?"

"Yesssss."

"I have place on you a suit of armor to protect you and gave you more supernatural abilities for the assignment I am to give you." Mogul proclaimed to him. "Head to West Side Island and Destroy. Miles. Tails. Prowler."

"With Pleasure." The voice stated in malevolent glee as he left in the shadows.

"What's this thing?" Knuckles asked as he was pointing to a machine, grabbing it by the handle.

"It's an experimental piece of equipment I'm working on." Tails stated.

"Is it like a vacuum cleaner?" Knuckles asked a second time.

"Sort of." Tails stated.

"Okay, I can test it."

"Knuckles, it's not a good…" Before Tails could finish his sentence, Knuckles turned on the machine. The machine activated and took off with him.

"AHHH!" He screamed as he tried to hold on. He zipped passed Cosmo who was getting Tails some iced tea. The speed caused her to spill the tea on her skirt.

"Ohhh." Cosmo groaned. Then, it ran into a tree and blew up. Knuckles came stumbling back with ash all over his face with the handle he was holding onto.

"You might want to work on that." Knuckles stated. Then, he fell backwards falling unconscious.

"It wasn't finished." Tails groaned facepalming himself.

"Tails, Tails, come quick!" Sonic stated. The fox ran into the other room where Sonic and Amy were at. Cosmo went with the fox.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You might want to see this." Sonic replied, as he turned up the volume on the TV. The news report showed images of charred bodies laying their side.

"There are bodies that are charred to a crisp." The reporter had answered. "Still, we have not found the perpetrator of these attacks on civilians."

"Looks like we need to do an investigation." Sonic stated.

"You're willing to do a slow mission?" Amy asked. "That's a first."

"Amy…" Sonic replied.

"Well, you never do slow missions." She answered.

"I… I… just wanted a change of pace." Sonic replied trying to pull himself back up to his argument.

"Oh sure." Amy said.

"Guys…" Cosmo stated with a worried look. "Look." They looked and on the TV; it revealed the markings of two tails on the ground as if carved out of the dirt. "Apparently, I wants Tails."

"Whoa," Sonic replied. "Is there anyone who would be that hostile to Tails? I know of a few who would be hostile towards me, but Tails? I don't buy it."

"I don't remember any who would be my enemies." Tails stated.

"Was there any conflicts you had outside of our team?" Amy asked.

"Well… there was only one I can remember." Tails answered. "I was on Medereck Isle and I had defeated a monster named Lyric, but nothing else. But it couldn't be him, he's dead." Amy looked a little worried when Tails said that the monster was slain.

"But shouldn't we investigate this?" She asked the other three.

"I think we should." Sonic stated.

"I'm worried about any more civilians being harmed by… whatever this is." Cosmo stated.

"Okay, just let me get my equipment." Tails added.

After getting the equipment that Tails had requested, the four headed out to the area. They ended up in a wooded forest filled with oak and birch trees.
"Looks like this is the place where the attacks were." Sonic exclaimed. He looked down and saw the carved tails on the ground. "Definitely, the place of the attacks."

"So, we'll need to be on guard." Amy answered. "Don't split off from the others." But little did, they know that there was a set of eyes watching them. He hissed at them softly, but then he noticed Tails was in their group.

"Finally, the moment I've been waiting for." A voice said to himself. "The eradication of Tailsssss." He paused. "But on failure," he turned to another member of the party. "I will make hisssss life missserable." It gently moved towards a position where Tails could hear him clearly, but the others would have difficulty hearing its words.

The four looked around, all with their backs towards each other. They were moving slowly in some direction to look around for clues.

"What do you think it would be to attack such people?" Cosmo asked.

"Could it have been a dragon?" Tails asked.

"I doubt it. From what I heard, the dragon population is nowhere near West Side Island. Somebody would have noticed if one did show up." Sonic replied. "Besides, there are no foot prints of that type here."

"What else could have charred them? A guy with a flamethrower or napalm?" Amy asked.

"The environment would have been damaged if anyone used those weapons." Tails stated. "But due to there being no environmental damage that removes those weapons out of the equation."

"Tailsss." A voice said.

"Sonic, did you ask me for something?" Tails asked Sonic.

"I didn't say anything." The blue blur replied.

"Oh Tailsss." The voice taunted. "Come out and play."

"Why do I keep you calling me, Sonic?" Tails replied.

"I'm not saying anything." Sonic rebuked.

"Okay… If it's not Sonic, then, who's talking to me?" The fox answered.
"Don't you remember me, Tailsss?" the voice hissed. "I remember perfectly well about the ssstuntsss that you pulled on me." Then, Tails noticed the eyes in the darkness. "But now, it doesssn't matter. You die today." He inhaled and a stream of fire came rushing forward.

"EVERYONE DUCK!" Tails shouted. The party ducked getting out of the way, but the tips of Sonic's quills got singed.

"HEY!" Sonic yelled. "I just got a new quill cut too." Then, the figured started to slither out of the shadows.

"No, it can't be." Cosmo answered in a frightened look; Tails was just as frightened. They saw Lyric come from the shadows, but he wore a metallic set of armor with two arms and a bubble around his head. There was a grill towards the front of the bubble. In addition, there was a claw attached to the end of the tail.

"I have returned for you, fox." Lyric stated.

"How could you be alive?" Tails asked. "I put a blaster shot in your head."

"I have returned from my ssslumber to get my revenge on you." Lyric answered. "And I will have it."

"So, you're Lyric?" Sonic stated. "You don't look that tough."

"Oh really?" Lyric rebuked him. "You think you're all that? If you try to get in the way of my revenge, I will desssstroy you assss well."

"I won't let you hurt Tails." Cosmo stated angrily at the snake.

"Isss that so, little medereck?" Lyric sneered at her. "Very well, than. Prepare to enter oblivion." Green lightning surged through the claws on his suit's arms, he slashed at the four and the group split up into different directions. Sonic and Amy in one direction, Tails and Cosmo in the other.

Sonic leapt up into the air and he spindashed towards Lyric. It hit the armored suit and he bounced off of the metal plating.

"You think you can jusssst pound away at my armor?" Lyric stated at him. Amy went to the side and struck the back part of the armor with her piko piko hammer. The clawed tail whipped and knocked her away.

"AHH!" She shouted; Sonic was able to catch her in mid-air.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'll be alright." Amy replied. "But he definitely smells like a dead corpse. There's necromancy involved, we need to be careful."

Tails pulled out his scimitar and tried to shine a glare of light into Lyric's eyes; but it didn't work. But it got Lyric's attention away from Sonic and Amy.

"Ha, your little trick issssn't going to work this time." Lyric laughed at him. "Thissss bubble is made from glare-resistant glasssss." Cosmo threw a rock at him, it faced her and he lashed his tail towards her. He opened the claw tail to grab her. She dodged out of the way and the claw slammed right into the trees behind her. "Stand still you little…" He tried to pull the tail back, but it wouldn't budge.

"You stuck your tail onto a spot of highly concentrated tree sap." Cosmo replied. Tails took this opportunity to strike at Lyric's tail and the claw was cut clean off. Lyric hissed in pain and anger. He turned and fired an explosive at Tails. It blew up nearby releasing many smells around the fox. He started to feel nauseous from the overload of scents.

Sonic got down and prepared a spinball; Amy came over with her hammer. She swung her hammer and pushed Sonic forward.

"FOUR!" She shouted. Lyric looked towards her and was struck in the bubble by Sonic's spin attack. There were a few cracks that appeared on the bubble, Sonic bounced off the cracked lens. The blue blur leapt up and zoomed towards the glass bubble again. Lyric spewed fire towards him. Sonic went right through the fire spinning rapidly to keep cool. He smashed through the glass and whacked Lyric in the face. The snake fell backwards as Sonic jumped up and landed next to Amy.

"Now, to finish you once and for all." Tail stated flying towards Lyric; he dodged the flame shot and swung his sword point down. He pierced Lyric in the shoulder; the monster hissed in anger.

"You think you'll have a glad victory?" Lyric stated. "I won't let that happen. SSHHHHHAAAAA!" A blast came from Lyric's mouth knocking Tails back into a tree with blood spraying from the wound. Lyric, himself, fell over and died. Cosmo ran to him.

"Tails… Tails are you okay?" She said. When the fox opened his eyes, she saw the eyes of Lyric staring back at her.

"You're next." Lyric stated through the mouth of Tails. Cosmo gasped in shock. Before she could react, Tails lunged his sword into Cosmo's chest right through the heart. The medereck had perished before she even hit the ground. Sonic and Amy stood there in horror as Tails got up with blood on his chest.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?" Sonic yelled.

"It's Tails." Amy stated. "It's not him."

"The pink one isss correct. It is an ability I have gain went I returned from the grave." Lyric replied. "I can take temporary control over the one who inflictsss the killing blow against me. I would have the fox kill himself, but where'sss the fun in that. Even though I also have the ability to suppress his awareness during this time, I decided not to. Thusss you can't lie to him; and he will be forever tormented by the death of his loved one, where he is to blame."

"HOW DARE YOU…!" Sonic roared at him, about ready to punch Lyric. But Amy stopped him. Lyric laughed. But as soon as he left him, Tails turned around to face Cosmo. He desperately ran to her.

"Cosmo… Cosmo, please wake up." Tails stated, but there was no response from her. "Please, don't be dead." Tears started to form in his eyes as he held her in his arms. "Cosmo…"

Amy looked up and she was the only one who saw the raven standing by them. With his scythe, he severed the link between Cosmo's spirit and her deceased body. A ball of light was in his claw when he noticed Amy looking at him.

"Like I mentioned before," the raven stated calmly. "You and MOST of your friends had long life ahead of them. But I had no control over the time of her demise," He looked in his claw and the ball of light that was there had disappeared. He was shocked when he saw this. "And I sense foul play going on. Look into this, Miss Amy Rose."

Then, the raven flew away as Tails wailed an agonizing cry of mourning that echoed across the landscape as the tears poured down his face over his lost love.