Egg Bunker
After his defeat, Mecha Sonic plugs a USB into himself. The Hydrocity battle is pulled up on the big screen, Robotnik leaning in for analysis. Stone, Knuckles, and Bokkun are right behind him, getting to view the spectacle.
The echidna notices how Sonic reassures Tails through the battle. He is rather..protective actually. "Why would that hedgehog care so much about a kid? He's using him, is he not?"
"I'm going to hit you with the hardest truth you've ever heard." Robotnik starts. "Personalities can be deceiving. I thought he was good at first, but his speech is his deadliest weapon. We can't give him the opportunity to use his lethal words. It'll be the most cringe inducing speech I've ever heard."
Stone claps his shoulder. "I'll get the refreshments ready. For after we win."
As he heads for the coffee room, Knuckles brings something else to the doctor's attention. "We could bring your minions for support. The mechanical enemy would assure us a victory."
"He needs to charge."
Knuckles points to Bokkun. "What of the chatterbox?"
"He won't leave his cushy job."
"I love what I do.." Bokkun admits.
Knuckles faces the coffee room. "What of the stone?"
Robotnik's eye twitches at all the questions. "I say, we brush him off. Leave him to his devices."
"You underestimate his support."
"YOU overestimate our need for his."
Knuckles glares at him. "Dishonor."
"Dis..is how I roll." Robotnik says, summoning his Eggmobile. Knuckles huffs, hopping on the side of the vehicle. He's starting to get fed up with this doctor, but he can't lose sight of what really matters to him.
The gem he must reclaim.
Ice Cap Mountains
Snow and Ice cover all at Ice Cap. There's even spots of it on Sonic and Tails, who are very close to the true compass they've been looking for. Even though they arrived after a shortcut through Hydrocity, there's still a literal slope to go down.
Sonic brushes his quills. "Things are gonna get messy again. Ready to roll?"
Tails gets a look down himself. It's..quite a way down. "Judging from the destination after, it should pop us onto a steadier surface. I'll follow your lead." he says.
Sonic curls up, and shoots himself down the mountain. Tails follows as usual. They get shot into the sky, and Sonic twists in the air for a good landing. He bows to the nonexistent audience. "Thank you, thank you." Tails lands behind him, and they continue forth.
On the way, the fox gleefully recalls what he saw before. "I saw owls and echidnas, and didn't think their war went THIS far. A secret compass? Maybe even a shrine? This is the stuff they put in documentaries!" Tails geeks. "What happened sucked, but I'm..i'm about to see ancient history."
Sonic tries smiling through it. "Check that off your bucket list." His happy appearance doesn't really describe how he feels inside. Tails loves his history, but Sonic's had to live through a part of it. There's a good chance that Knuckles guy shows up again, and the hedgehog wants a piece of him. He swallows his anger for now..
The two find themselves at the peak of an ice mountain. Sonic almost slides off, but steps into a solid piece of snow to stop himself. That little slip isn't on his mind. The big hole in the mountain across from him is.
"Is that the entrance?" Tails asks.
"It's not the exit."
"Well it could be." Tails corrects.
"Let's not think about that right now. One liner failed, let's go."
They make way to the hole, ready to cash in on the search they've spend days on.
Floating above, is the Eggmobile with a mad doctor and his honorable Echidna. Robotnik puts his goggles on. "Blue and Yellow at it again, I see."
"We must attack at once."
"Hold it.." Robotnik turns to his partner, with a smug look. "Why exert so much energy, when we can just pick the scraps? It's strategic."
"Our enemies are faster than the speed of sound. We cannot let them leave the entrance."
"That, we can agree on."
The mobile hovers above the secret area. Robotnik presses a button, activating a lazer to draw a circle around the top layer. Easy way in, but it may be hard getting out.
While the doctor looks to come in from above, Sonic and Tails enter to an ice-sickle filled area, with some light seeping into the enclosure. A owls head stands atop a giant door, with a little slit in between. Sonic slides through, and guides Tails in too.
The fox's eyes light up seeing ancient art all over a whole wall! It's not just one spot like the Sanctuary. There's several echidnas standing around the Master Emerald. The spot next to it shows the Owls flying away with it. There's also text riddled beneath each drawing, telling a story some average joe won't understand.
"Woah…Sonic do you see this?"
"I do." Sonic says, turning away from it. "Let's get in and get out. Egghead could come around any second."
Tails looks dejected, and rubs a hand over the art. He ends up obeying his friend anyway, glancing at it as he leaves. The next room has peak design. Several little owls stand on pillars, placed around a giant one. At the bottom of the sculpture is an emerald shaped outline. Not big enough to fit a handprint, but small enough for someone to draw on it.
Sonic sees four symbols, randomly assigned. He looks at the map and sees those symbols in a different order. "That's just not right, is it?" He rolls the panels until they match the map. A green glow envelops the symbols, switching their color after the hedgehog cracks the code.
The giant owl's eyes glow green, and spreads it's wings, blocking the light. The pair backs away, with Tails fearing the worst. "Did we upset a spirit?"
"Oh don't get me thinking about that.."
A green glow appears on the owls chest. A compass, entrapped with a gold outline, and green center floats down to Sonic, who takes it right away. "So this is it.." he clutches it, "I won't let you down, Longclaw."
"OH BUT YOU WILL!"
The two look up to see the good ol' Eggmobile, and the Doctor that won't leave them alone. Knuckles is right by his side. "I don't know nor care about your owl mommy. But I'll give you my gratitude for doing the dirty work."
Knuckles hits a superhero landing. "WE will take it from here."
Sonic shoots them both a glare, and Knuckles gives the energy back. "You wanna go round two with the blue?"
Robotnik chuckles with glee. "I've been savoring THIS!" He presses a button, sending his droids out to attack! There's some Buzz Bombers in the air, and Crabmeats crawling around. The crabs fire away, and the heroes have to jump different directions to dodge the blasts. Sonic loops around the statue, dogging on those crabs. The Buzzers miss their shots, instead hitting the giant owl!
Knuckles looks to blitz Sonic, but that hedgehog slides under his fist, barely missing it. He gives himself a little fist pump, but cuts it out when the giant owl falls to the wayside. It crashes into the wall, leaving a brand new opening!
"There's our exit." Sonic says, rushing up while his buddy follows. A Buzzer gets in the way, so Sonic grabs it by the stinger, and throws it through the other ones approaching! Seven Buzzers killed with one simple move. Sonic picks up a flat of loose sculpture, and gets a good look at the drop.
"You go high, I go low. Knuckles' is gonna want ME." Sonic says. Tails simply nods and flies up, leaving Sonic to plunge down.
"Cowards!" Knuckles yells, running up the statue. A few Motobugs look to roll down. While they succeed, Knuckles snatches one and rips it open! A poor bird goes flying out, leaving a perfect place for Knuckles feet. He spins it in a snowboard position, and flies off! Robotnik follows him out, in the cushiest seat of the fight.
As Sonic boards down, Knuckles slides into his view. He does NOT look happy! "It's over, Sonic!"
"It's not over till I say so!" Sonic hurls snowball after snowball, attempting to blind the echidna. Knuckles just wipes it away, and rams Sonic to the side. There's nothing to crash into, so his move creates a decent gap between the two.
Drones and Buzzers launch shot after shot, but the hedgehog's reflexes are on point, barely dodging each one. The innocent snow gets blasted though! Knuckles has to dodge a few himself, and even swats one from the air! "Watch who you target, Doctor!"
Robotnik misses a shot at Tails. "BLAME THE HEDGEHOG! LITTLE RAT WON'T STAY STILL!"
"What can I say?" Sonic boasts.
"NOTHING!" Robotnik yells, directing his Crabmeats toward him.
Knuckles manages to find Sonic in the fire. The hedgehogs not even thinking of him, seeing several Buzzers pull ahead, ready to shoot him down. There's a drop below, and Sonic needs a plan STAT. But this is Sonic the Hedgehog. He's not a big thinker.
"That all you got?"
Sonic dismounts, having to hit ridiculous poses just to dodge their lethal doses. He sits on a Buzz Bomber, and starts bombing all Robotnik's creations! It's clears out huge clutter against them. Knuckles emerges from the explosion!
"We are not finished!"
Sonic shrugs and keeps on boarding. He comes to a ramp, and smiles at the flip he's about to do. He hits a sick backflip..but Knuckles wrecks the ramp, and has a fist about to wreck him too! One punch sends Sonic flying to a scary edge! There's a drop at the end nobody can survive. He's dangling, and gasps at the drop.
"Nope! No no no!" He lifts himself back up. He's met by Knuckles scornful gaze. "You need anger management."
"Your words are meaningless. You know nothing about me, hedgehog."
"Oh but I DO." The annoyed Sonic crosses his arms. "You echidnas love rolling in and destroying my life. Is this for kicks? Or does it run in your blood?"
"Destroying YOUR life?!" Knuckles moves his fist back for another blow. Hopefully the last. "I lost EVERYTHING because of you. My tribe was close to uncovering all the Owls' secrets. My father stopped me from joining the fight. He said the time to honor my tribe would come, but it is not today."
His eyes lower. "Those were the last words he had ever spoken. I never saw my hero again."
Sonic's attitude flatlines after hearing him out. "We lost everything that day.." he shakes his head vigorously to snap himself out of his sad trance. "But you're confusing. What's so honorable about Eggman anyway? He's the most venomous snake I've ever seen."
"His tribe feeds me. Compliments me. Makes me feel at home. Sure, the Doctor is what we'd call..odd. But he means well." Knuckles has to stop himself. After what he heard today, maybe he cshould re-word that. "He is complex."
Sonic looks bewildered. "He's a certified liar!"
Knuckles gets back into his fighting stance. "We cannot agree on anything."
A cord wraps around Knuckles, shocking him up! It stuns him in place! Tails flies in. "Quick, Sonic!"
"Deceiver.." Knuckles grumbles.
"Hey, that came from the heart." Sonic defends. When Knuckles starts bursting from the cord, he eyes his pal. "Catch, Tails!"
"You want me to go alone?!"
"We don't got a choice! I'll hold him off. Go find IT!" Sonic exclaims, tossing the compass to his Fox friend..only for Robotnik to block that throw with a catch of his own!
"Ho-ho!"
"No!" Tails shouts, trying to follow. A missile blasts him from behind, sending him into the snow! With the Fox out, Sonic has to make a choice. Chase the compass, or save the kid.
Chase.
Save.
It's running through his head at a hundred per hour. He doesn't have much time left to make a choice..
"I got you, Tails!" Sonic heads to his friends aid, leaving Knuckles puzzled.
"We got what we need, my little red wrecking ball." Robotnik informs, so Knuckles hops onto the side. Not without looking back though.
"The enemy is unusually honorable." Knuckles mentions.
"It's always been his greatest weakness."
That gets a questionable look from the echidna. "Honor is not weakness."
"It can be if you let it."
Knuckles looks back once more. "Maybe we can convert the Fox. He is too naive to see the wrongdoings of his ally."
"Nope." Robotnik slides his goggles up. "Already tried. He's set in his ways. But so are we."
As they fly away, Sonic lifts Tails onto his shoulders. "You're ok, buddy. I gotcha." The rumbling of the mountain doesn't give him any comfort. "Oh no." He turns around to see a mass of snow piling down! It's an avalanche!
Sonic kicks it into high gear, speeding up his pace. He unzips his little bag and pulls out a shiny ring! He closes his eyes briefly, and throws it like his life's on the line. Because it is.
The ring opens wide, and a valley of mushrooms can be spotted from the other side.
All that work, only for the compass to get snatched last second. Curse that Doctor! Also looks like Sonic and Knuckles still have tension from THAT fateful day. Arguably, many would still have tension if an event like that happened, and they saw a big cause of it.
Anyways, the next chapters coming out soon, BUT it won't be until after this "Kingdom of the Apes" arc is done and over with. Just one chapter of that, and we'll be back here while I plane the next arc on that end of the series.
See ya!