On the streets of Station Square, a speeding car tore its way down the road, with Sam Speed, the leader of the SSPD's S-Team in hot pursuit.
"New world, new rules, yet these mooks still act like they own the road around here," Sam mused as he pressed his foot on the pedal.
Sam's car increased in speed, causing the speeding driver to fret as he continued driving. His driving, however, was hectic and swerving all over the place. The terrain of the road was different from what he was used to, now being far more organic in shape and full of curvature. The driver's attempts to keep up with the constant curves and dips caused him to collide with the railing hard, scraping against it hard. The driver tried to pull off, but it just sent him driving toward the edge of a curve.
"No!" Sam cried out.
The driver screamed in horror, slamming on the brakes, but knowing they wouldn't do much good. Just as Sam sped up, however, a familiar blue blur streaked past him, suddenly giving him cause for relief. The blur then tore through the car, pulling out the driver seconds before it collided with the curved railing. Sam slowed his car to a stop as the driver was deposited on the ground by the blur, revealing himself to be none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Hey Sam," Sonic greeted. "How's life in the fast lane?"
"Heh, same as always," Sam remarked, removing his helmet. "Showing these showoffs who rules the road. Even if the roads are a little more intense these days."
"Eh, doesn't seem to be bothering you much."
"What can I say? I enjoy a challenge." Sam bent down and slapped the cuffs on the perp on the ground. "How's my little brother doing, by the way?"
"Doing good," Sonic reassured, giving a thumbs up. "In fact, he and I are heading out of town for a while. Think you can manage things without me?"
"I think I'll manage. The big wigs have even been working on some cars that can handle those big loop-de-loops. Soon I'll be leaving you in my dust."
"Heh, in your dreams!"
Sonic then sped off, rolling along one of the loops before taking off down the street, Sam just smiled before carting the speeder away.
…
It had been a few weeks since the world known as Mobiarth was formed, combining the worlds of Mobius and Earth. Things were still rough around the edges, with humans and Mobians working to find a way to co-exist alongside one another. Of course, that did little to deter Sonic from wanting to explore this brand-new world. He was practically buzzing with energy, eager to race off into that horizon. But this time, he wouldn't be alone. Keith Kent, Sonic's first human friend, had volunteered to go with him to explore the new world, wanting to see some of the sights from Sonic's world.
At present, Keith was at Sega Labs, making some modifications on his nitro gloves and the strength-enhancing suit of his human friend Kat Winters to make them resistant to Chaos Energy. He took a moment to wipe sweat from his brow, taking a moment to look at the Lichtenberg figures engraved into his hands.
It felt like only yesterday that he and Kat had overclocked their weapons with Chaos energy to save their world. He winced at the thought of the pain he and Kat were in, hoping that neither of them would ever have to experience that pain ever again. The thought made sparks dance in his eyes for a split second, disappearing just as a familiar blue blur came dashing through the window.
"Hey pal," Sonic greeted, kicking his feet up on a console as he rested on a chair. "How are the repairs coming?"
"Just about done," Keith informed him, smiling at his friend as he turned to face him. "I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of the work I was able to do with stuff like Power Rings and the basically rampant Chaos Energy all around us. Dad's been making discovery after discovery to the point that he hasn't stopped smiling."
"Glad to hear."
Keith's father, Charles "Chuck" Kent, was the founder, CEO, and head scientist of Sega Labs. He was also now the top researcher of Chaos Energy amongst the human nations, and one of the few to have positive ties to Mobian countries.
"So, you about ready to go?" Sonic asked, leaping out of his seat.
"Just about. Once I get everything boxed up, I'll be ready." Keith turned back to the gloves and suit. "You mind if we make a pit stop at the warp pad before we head out? I need to drop off Kat's suit."
"Not a problem," Sonic reassured. "I wanna see how the Knuckleheads are up to anyhow. Plus, Amy will murder me if we don't pop by her place before we leave."
"Oh big time."
…
On Angel Island, Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of the fabled Master Emerald and one-time sole occupant of the island, lounged on the stone steps of the shrine with a piece of grass in his mouth. He seemed completely relaxed, unaware of a figure lurking in the bushes. A pair of brown eyes sparked with a reddish light as a slight giggle slipped from the figure. There was a rustle, then a young woman with wild red hair jumped out of the bush, a hi-tech bat in her hand as she prepared to attack.
"Sneak attack!" she shouted, grinning from ear to ear.
Knuckles quickly sprung up, grabbing the bat and flipping her onto the ground. She landed with a heavy thud, dazed, but unharmed.
"Friendly advice," he spoke, tossing her bat in his hand like it was nothing, "don't announce that you're sneaking up on someone."
The girl just laughed, relaxing fully in the her-shaped indent on the ground. This was Kathryn Winters or Kat to her friends. A wild child even at her age, she had energy to spare and had somehow managed to worm her way into Knuckles' heart, life, and home.
"I got pretty close to the shrine though," she argued playfully. "Getting sloppy, Knux?"
"You wish," he remarked, helping her up. "Didn't hurt you, did I?"
Kat popped her back, cracking her neck before dusting herself off. As she adjusted her shirt, the top part of a massive emerald-shaped burn became visible from beneath her shirt. It rested right over her sternum, where a Chaos Emerald had been shoved. It didn't hurt anymore, but it was a scar that would never fade.
"Nah, I'm fine," she insisted, reclaiming her bat. "I'm tougher than I look, remember?"
"How could I forget?"
They shared a laugh just as an orange light caught their attention, originating from a massive hollow tree in the woods. The two knuckleheads rushed over toward the tree, seeing Sonic and Keith emerging from it.
"Hey guys," Keith greeted.
"Oh hey," Kat replied, looking him up and down. "Is it that time already? Heading out into the new frontier?"
"Yep. Just wanted to say bye, and to drop this off." He held out the suit to her.
Kat gasped, immediately snatching the suit and grinning. "You got it working again?!"
"With the added benefit of handling Chaos Energy. So no overloads like last time."
"Sweet. You're the best, Keith."
She set the suit aside and gave him a tight hug, one he happily returned. Knuckles and Sonic both rolled their eyes with playful smiles.
"When will they admit that they like each other?" Sonic questioned.
"The same day you tell Amy you like her," Knuckles shot back.
Sonic just elbowed him in response, only to get elbowed right back at ten times the intensity. Keith and Kat chuckled at the exchange.
"So… you guys got anything big planned?" Keith asked.
"Actually, yeah," Kat replied. "With Silver mentioning that Lara-Su person, Knuckles has been interested in the idea of there possibly being other Echidnas out there. So he and I are gonna explore the island for any possible clues."
"Explore the island?" Sonic glanced over at Knuckles. "I figure you would have basically had this island memorized by now."
"You'd think," Knuckles replied, crossing his arms. "I've been exploring this island all my life and still find new things about it. If there's some clue as to what happened to my people, it's gotta be here."
"Plus, who knows what kind of changes Solaris made to the place when they made Mobiarth," Kat added, voice tinged with excitement. "Areas once fully explored may have new additions worth looking into."
"Guess it's a good thing I finished the suit when I did," Keith remarked. "Something tells me you'll need it."
"Indeed." Kat hugged Keith again, smiling as she did. "Be careful out there, alright? I expect letters, postcards, pictures, the works."
"You'll get 'em."
"And try not to get into too much trouble," Knuckles remarked.
"Now where would be the fun in that?" Sonic retorted.
…
Back in Station Square, on one of the more historical streets that was a heavy mix of Mobian and human architecture, a cozy diner was abuzz with activity. Behind the counter was the pink-haired hedgehog, Amy Rose, the owner and proprietor of the establishment. She happily delivered plates to all of her customers, checking on other wait staff and bussers to make sure they were keeping up with the flow.
"Miss Rose!" the hostess at the front called out. "I have two for the counter who say they wanna see you!"
"Tell them, they'll have to wait!" Amy called back. "Table 3's been waiting on their order for ten minutes!"
Just then, a blue blur rushed past, racing into the kitchen and then out into the dining room, dropping off several plates of food in the process. Finally, Sonic landed on one of the booths, spinning around before coming to a stop in front of Amy.
"I think your schedule just cleared up," he remarked.
"Sonic!" she let out, leaping up onto the seat next to him. "Maybe I should consider hiring you."
"Nah, I do not have the attitude for the food service industry. I'd tank your customer retention." He leaned on the counter, smirking. "However, if you happen to have some chili dogs you can spare, along with whatever Keith wants, we can call this even."
Amy giggled in response. "Coming right up."
Amy leaped down and ran back behind the counter as Keith took his seat next to him. As he settled down, he picked up a menu to take a look.
"Whoa. So many new recipes. And look at this." He showed the menu to Sonic. "Ella's Specials. That's one way to give credit where it's due."
"You're telling me," Sonic remarked.
"Well, it is thanks to Ella that this place is as popular as it is," Amy replied, coming out with a plate of chilidogs. "It only seems fair. Know what you want, Keith?"
"How about the Spaghetti?"
Amy smirked. "The Silver Special. Coming right up!"
"Thanks," Keith replied. "Speaking of Silver, where is he these days?"
"Last I heard, he said he wanted to explore the world on his own. Get the lay of the land and stuff. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be seeing him again soon."
…
Meanwhile, Silver the Hedgehog was across the continent, in a small town off the coast. It was raining, a warm summer shower that had him utterly spellbound. He hovered above the town, eyes closed as the rain washed over him. He had a content smile on his face, relishing in the feeling. The psychic hedgehog was originally from a fiery post-apocalyptic future, one where things like nature and rain were a distant fantasy. Now that he was a denizen of this new era, he was determined to enjoy every piece of nature he could, and see everything this beautiful world had to offer.
"Help!" he heard a voice call out, breaking him from his trance.
He looked around, spotting a little girl in a raincoat standing beneath a large tree. Among the branches, a soaked cat could be spotted.
"Loki, come down!" the girl called. "It's time to go home!"
"Is everything alright?" Silver asked, landing next to the girl.
"My cat got stuck in that tree," the girl explained. "He won't come down."
Silver looked back up at the cat, smiling a little. He held out a hand, encasing the branch in green energy. With careful precision, he snapped the branch off, lowering it down to the ground so the girl could grab her cat.
"There you go," he said to the girl, a huge smile gracing her face as she grabbed her cat.
"Thank you Mister hedgehog! Thank you so much!" She ran off towards one of the houses. "Mommy! A hedgehog saved Loki!"
"Was it Sonic?" he heard the mother ask.
"No! A white one!"
Silver smiled, happy he was able to do some good before flying off, looking to continue his journey.
…
Meanwhile, a young, long-eared rabbit named Cream and her Chao friend Cheese were having a small tea party in front of the cottage they called home. A third plate and cup had been set up across from her at the table, but no chair was waiting.
"Everything looks great, Cheese," Cream commented. "We just need to wait for our cookies, and our guest, then everything will be perfect.
"I can provide one of those," a familiar voice reassured.
Cream perked up happily, turning to see Sonic walking up with a plate of cookies in hand and Keith following close behind.
"Sonic!" Cream cheered, running up to him. "It's good to see you!"
Cheese chirped in agreement as Sonic placed the platter of cookies on the table. "Amy asked me to deliver these for you before Keith and I head out."
"Got a guest coming?" Keith questioned, glancing at the extra plate.
"Helen's coming over later. We're gonna have such a fun time. I'm so happy we all get to stay together."
Sonic could only smile at that, the girl's joy matching his own. He glanced back at Keith, who he no longer had to say goodbye to thanks to a shocking twist of fate, and a spark of hope.
"So am I kiddo," Sonic replied. "So am I. Anyway, we should get going. Tell Helen we said hi, will ya?"
"Absolutely," Cream replied, with Cheese chirping in response. "Have fun on your adventure!"
"We will!" Keith called out as he and Sonic began to leave.
…
Back in Station Square, Hope Kintobor was standing on a balcony looking out at the city. She was still reeling from all the changes that had happened in her life. He had been removed from the custody of her abusive uncle, informally but might as well be adopted by three different Mobians and a robot, and was now an emancipated teen working for GUN's Team Dark. She let out a sigh of contentment before heading back inside, seeing Rouge on the couch filing her nails while Omega carefully polished his cannons. She glanced around, noticing one of the team was missing.
"Hey, where's Shadow?"
"He and Chessie went out somewhere," Rouge replied. "Didn't say where. Topaz went to give her report to the President. He's still trying to work with everyone on this whole 'Mobiarth' thing."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Hope took a seat next to Rouge on the couch. "The world changed literally overnight, and we're still trying to figure out which way's up."
"Yeah, but it definitely has more upsides than downs if you ask me. The beauty of two worlds for the price of one. And double the amount of jewels to collect."
"Nice to know you have your priorities in check," Hope remarked.
"Why play against type? Right, Omega?"
"Affirmative. This unit is pleased for the renewed opportunity to destroy Dr. Eggman."
"Right… Uncle Ivo… where do you think he went after Solaris merged the worlds?"
"Who knows?" Rouge replied with a flourish of her hand. "Don't worry, though. Eggman's not one to sit still for long. When he shows up again, we'll be ready."
Hope smiled in response. "And hopefully, he'll have Ag-... Eggatha with him. Even after everything she's done, I'm still worried about her."
"If she's half as tough as Eggman himself, I wouldn't be too worried. In the meantime, I say we enjoy the peace while we can."
"That… sounds like a really good idea," Home commended.
…
Back at Sega Labs, Miles "Tails" Prower was hard at work making some final adjustments on one of his signature planes, the X-Tornado. While he was sticking with his original plane, the Tornado II for his own upcoming trip, he wanted to make sure Keith's trip went smoothly as well.
"Just need to tighten this last bolt…" he mused to himself.
"Everything tip-top, buddy?"
The two-tailed fox instantly smiled upon hearing that voice, pulling himself out to see Sonic and Keith standing next to him.
"You bet," Tails reassured, giving a thumbs up.
"So, what'd you all do?" Keith asked. "I thought Solaris restored the X-Tornado when he fused the worlds."
"He did, but I made a few upgrades. Not the least of which is a remote control signal linked to our wrist communicators. Now we can call on either the Tornado II or the X-Tornado if we ever need a fast lift."
"Bet that'll come in handy," Sonic remarked. "So, I hear you're heading off yourself."
"Me and Chuck, actually," Tails confirmed. "We're heading out to Westside Island to clean up the old Chemical Plant. It's my first big project since signing on with Sega Labs. I'm really excited about it."
"Oh yeah, that place." Sonic shuddered. "Definitely in need of some TLC."
"And that's where we come in," a new voice added.
The three turned to see Keith's father, Charles Kent walking up. To either side of him were his wife and Keith's mom, Lindsey, and the family butler, Mr. Tanaka.
"Mom?" Keith let out. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see my boy off before he sets out on his big adventure," Lindsey replied, walking up and hugging him.
"Awww, Mom!"
Sonic and Tails couldn't help but smile in response.
"Well, guess we'd better get going," Sonic decided before turning to Tails. "Catch ya later, pal."
"You too, Sonic," Tails replied, the two sharing a fist bump.
Sonic and Keith made their way over to the X-Tornado, loading up their supplies before Keith climbed into the cockpit.
"We'll be sure to call when we make our first stop!" Keith reassured.
"Any idea where you're heading?" Chuck asked.
"I know one place we're going," Sonic declared. "Somewhere near and dear to my heart."
"South Island?" Tails assumed.
"You know it," Sonic replied, flashing a thumbs up.
Keith began the startup sequence, causing the cockpit to close up before the X-Tornado got into position along the runway.
"Be careful, you two!" Lindsey called out.
"We will!" Keith called back. "Love you!"
With that, the X-Tornado took off down the runway, before finally taking off into the air. As the three watched them depart, a thought popped into Lindsey's head.
"Tails," she spoke up, getting the fox's attention. "Is this 'South Island' Sonic's home?"
"Well… not exactly," Tails replied. "Sonic grew up there, but it's not exactly a place he goes back to that often."
"Oh? So… did he have anywhere to stay before coming here?"
"Sonic…' Tails mulled over his words for a bit. "Let's just say there's a reason he's so comfortable sleeping on rooftops and trees. He's used to always being on the go and never having one place to settle. Why do you ask?"
"Oh… just wondering."
Chuck cocked an eyebrow at that. "You're up to something, aren't you?"
"Me?" she replied in a faux-offended tone. "I don't know what you're talking about."
As the three talked, they were unaware of a tiny robotic fly hiding in the shadows, watching and listening to everything that had transpired.
…
Within the metal confines of the dreaded city of Robotropolis, a shadowy figure sat at a command chair, watching the events unfold on screen.
"So…. the reports are true. Sonic the Hedgehog is alive." The figure spun around in his chair, pressing a few buttons on the armrest. "It would appear some preemptive action is to be taken. To me, my Hard Boiled Heavies!"
A large metal door opened up, revealing five Egg-Robos with distinct designs, colors, and attributes. A blue one with a police helmet and a rocket launcher, a green one with a cape and a sword, an orange one with a magician's top hat and bowtie, a purple one with a mace and riding a motobug, and finally, leading the group, a red one with a cape, a crown insignia on its chest plate, and a scepter in hand.
"I have a mission for the lot of you," the figure resumed. "Sonic and his little friends have resurfaced. I want you to track them down… and destroy them."
The Heavies all nodded before turning around and heading off, the figure smiling as he turned back to the monitors, waiting to see the carnage unfold.
…
Later, Sonic and Keith were flying high above the ocean, Sonic tapping his foot impatiently as he did.
"You know, that's not gonna get us there any faster," Keith told him.
"Eh, never could get used to these long travel times," Sonic admitted. "At least we're above the water this time."
Keith rolled his eyes playfully. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask. Why do you always insist on riding on the outside of the planes we fly?"
"Easy. That's where all the action is."
"Ah. I should've guessed." Just then, something came up on Keith's screen. "Hang on… I think we're close!"
"Finally!"
The X-Tornado flew through the cloud bank, coming out to see a large island that was completely Mobian in every aspect. The rolling hills were dotted with loops and caverns, and palm trees as far as the eye could see.
"This is it!" Sonic called out. "This is South Island!"
The X-Tornado continued to fly down toward the ground. Once they were low enough, Sonic leaped off the plane, eyes sparkling at the sight of that familiar turf. The second he hit the ground, he took off in a flash, the trees bending as he ran. He ran all around the familiar tracks of the island, hitting every loop he could. He zipped through the familiar caverns, remembering each twist, turn and jump like the back of his hand.
"Oh, man, I missed this!"
He continued running, following a familiar trail that led him toward a group of huts, zipping in between them all until he reached the one at the crest of the hill: Longclaw's hut. He came to a sudden stop in front of it, taking a breath before walking up. He knocked on the frame of the hut's door, waiting a moment for an answer. The curtain blocking the door parted, and a familiar face came into view.
It was an elderly owl, a Great Horned owl to be precise. She possessed purple-brown feathers on most of her body, while her face was covered in white feathers, with light brown feathers extending from her nose ridge and over her eyes, forming eyebrows. She also possessed blue eyes and a short, curved black beak. Additionally, she had two light brown and black-striped feathers coming out from behind her ear tufts, and large mottled brown wings. Her face was in shock and disbelief at the sight before her.
"Sonic…?" she let out.
"... hey Longclaw," he greeted.
Longclaw didn't waste a moment before hugging him, which Sonic returned in kind. The hedgehog practically melted into his surrogate mother's feathers, just holding her tightly.
"Sonic, my dear boy. Look at you." She pulled back, eyeing him up and down. "You've gotten so big. Have you been eating well?"
"Yeah, been trying. Look, a lot's happened. Especially recently."
Longclaw's face brightened. "I can tell. I think that's the loudest I've ever heard you talking in a long time. You've really come out of your shell, Sonic."
"I've had a lot of help with that. In fact, there's someone I want you to meet."
As if on cue, Keith stepped through the curtained door. He had been here once before, in a fragment of time before Mobiarth was formed. Back then, it had been an empty shell, a shattered memory. Now, the place was warm and felt inviting in a way that Keith couldn't properly describe. Longclaw took a step back, unsure of what to make of this new guest in her home.
"A human?" she questioned.
"Nothing like Eggman," Sonic assured her, zipping over to Keith and wrapping an arm around him. "This is Keith Kent. One of the best friends I could ever ask for. Keith, this is Longclaw. She's the one who raised me after Uncle Chuck…" his face dropped a bit. "Well, you know."
Keith placed a hand on Sonic. "I know."
Longclaw was surprised at the mention of Sonic's uncle, a sore subject that never failed to render the young hedgehog mute. Now, while his volume did drop a few octaves, he still spoke. He still stood tall and proud.
"He… knows about that?" she finally asked.
"Yeah… he deserved to know."
Longclaw took this in, before straightening up. "A very select few know what happened that night. Even fewer learn it from Sonic himself. If he trusted you with such a harsh truth… then you must be a worthwhile friend."
Keith smiled at that. "I try to be, ma'am."
…
Sometime later, Sonic, Keith, and Longclaw were taking a walk across the island, the latter two informing her about everything that had transpired recently. They told her about Chaos Control, about everyone coming together, Chaos, Shadow, and every adventure in between.
"This is incredible," Longclaw commented. "You've accomplished a lot in such a short amount of time."
"You know me," Sonic replied. "Never a dull moment."
"And it seems you've really doubled down on my advice regarding friends."
"Oh you have no idea. Tails and Amy were just the tip of the iceberg. Knuckles, Cream, Keith, Kat, Helen, Chuck, Ella, Mr. Tanaka, everybody. They've all been so great."
"I'm so happy for you, Sonic. Perhaps once things have quieted down for your friends, they can visit as well. I have been interested to see how your friend Amy has been."
Sonic just playfully rolled his eyes in response. "Longclaw…"
Sonic suddenly stopped in his tracks, spotting something just on the horizon.
"Is that… no way!"
Sonic instantly took off, confusing Keith and Longclaw.
"Sonic!" Keith called out, chasing after him.
Longclaw took off after them as well, curious as to why Sonic would take off so suddenly. She scooped up Keith in her talons, able to keep better pace with Sonic in the sky and not wanting to lose her surrogate son's friend in the jungle.
…
After a few moments, Sonic made his way toward the beach, where he saw an African American human standing in front of a cart full of hot dogs cooking on a spinning wheel.
"Please," Sonic let out, coming to a stop in front of the cart. "Tell me this is what I think it is."
"That depends," the man replied. "Do you think this is Don Fachio's famed franks? The best hot dogs in this or any world?"
"Alright!" Sonic let out as Keith and Longclaw arrived, the former chuckling at the sight.
"Of course this is what he found," Keith commented.
"I was unaware there were humans on South Island," Longclaw mused, observing the man and his cart.
"Guess a few got transplanted here after the worlds merged."
"Oh, I'm just traveling," Fachio replied. "Thought some more exotic locations would drum up some business."
"Well, you thought right," Sonic replied. "Two chili dogs with the works. Oh and maybe something for my friends."
"Ch… chili dogs?" Longclaw questioned.
"It's a… food item back on Earth," Keith explained. "Sonic's a huge fan of them."
"Is that so?" She searched the vest she was wearing, attempting to find some form of payment. "Then perhaps I shall try one."
"Trust me Longclaw," Sonic reassured, holding his dogs while Frachio made more. "You won't regret it."
Sonic was just about to bite down on his when something large landed being the group, creating a massive shockwave that knocked the group off their feet. They all crashed to the ground, Sonic dropping his chili dogs as a result. He shook his head, looking up at Keith and Longclaw.
"You two alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're good," Keith reassured.
Longclaw nodded, wings instinctively fluffed as she moved to shield the boys. They all got to their feet, turning to see a large silver and red robot with Robotnik's face for a head and spikes in place of hands.
"No way…" Sonic let out, getting to his feet. "The Death Egg Robot?"
"Death Egg Robot?" Keith asked.
"Sentinel for a battle station Eggman cooked up. You remember that disco-ball-looking ship from that space movie you showed me?"
"Yeah?"
"Think that, but with Eggman's face plastered on it."
Keith swallowed hard at the very thought. "Ah. So, Eggman's back huh?"
"Looks like. Though he doesn't usually do repeats of old mechs. Wonder why the nostalgia trip."
As they spoke, the Death Egg Robot marched toward them, raising one of its spiked fists. It shot the spiked fists out toward the group, causing them to scatter. Longclaw flew up while Sonic and Keith fled in opposite directions.
"So, how'd you take this thing down last time?" Keith asked.
"With sheer determination… and Chaos Emeralds."
Keith rolled his eyes in response. "Okay, so we're improvising."
He turned on his nitro gloves and fired an energy ball at the robot, causing it to fidget a bit but not much else. He grimaced at that.
"Damn, not enough energy."
That's when Longclaw deposited a glowing gold ring onto the ground before him. "Try that, young man!"
Keith smiled before plugging the ring into his gauntlet and supercharging it.
"Oh yeah," Keith let out. "This is gonna work."
"Great," Sonic replied. "I'll keep it busy while you get into position on top of that thing. Just let me know when you're ready."
Keith nodded as Sonic ran off toward the robot. He leaped up and rolled into a spin dash, colliding with the chest plate before bouncing off. He landed on the ground with a skid, waiting for the massive machine to chase after him, which it promptly did. It lumbered after him, opening up its chest plate to fire bombs at Sonic. He easily evaded them as the Death Egg Robot continued its assault. Meanwhile, Longclaw took hold of Keith and flew him toward the robot. She flew up toward the top and dropped Keith on top, prompting him to form an energy saw and try to cut through the top of the robot.
Back down below, Sonic continued bobbing and weaving around the bombs the robot was dispensing, until he finally made a U-Turn and sprinted right toward the robot. Seeing this, the robot shot out an arm at Sonic, causing him to leap over and onto it, running up the limb of the machine. Sonic then jumped into the air and rolled into a spin dash, plowing into the hole Keith had cut open. Keith followed after, his gauntlets charged and ready for action. As they landed inside, however, they found that the mech was completely unmanned.
"What?" Sonic let out. "Nobody home?"
"Not even an Egg-Robo?" Keith questioned. "That's… not normal.l"
"We'll worry about it later. Right now, let's wreck this robot."
Keith nodded slamming his gauntlets onto the control console while Sonic zipped around, spin-dashing at every console and batch of wiring he could find.
Outside, the robot began to sputter and spark, before finally toppling over, completely destroyed from the inside. Sonic and Keith climbed out as Longclaw approached.
"Are you two alright?" she asked.
"We're fine Longclaw," Sonic assured her, dusting himself off. "Just a little confused."
"Eggman wasn't even inside," Keith explained. "Not even an Eggrobo."
Longclaw's eyes narrowed at that. "Very suspicious. Given Eggman's obsession with Sonic, it's highly unlikely that he would simply send an unmanned robot to eliminate him."
"Agreed," Sonic said, looking at the robot. "That means that there's a good chance this wasn't Eggman's doing."
"Well if it wasn't his…" Keith looked up at where the robot had descended from, "then who's was it?"
"I don't know… but I wanna find out."
…
Meanwhile, the shadowy figure from before watched the events from his monitor screen, irritated that Sonic managed to survive.
"You're more persistent than I gave you credit for," he mused to himself. "Nevertheless, I doubt your friends will be so fortunate. It's only a matter of time…"
The figure turned to see a red and black gem glowing brightly in a console, smiling intently as he settled back into his throne.