-Chapter 114-

Total Chaos


Egg Carrier

Amy and Cream were running around, trying to find a way out when the 6-S jumped out at them.

"We've got you now!" Scratch declared. "The chase is over!"

"Ahem…"

They froze, turning to see Kat there.

"Forget about me?" she asked.

"Hey, w-why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Coconuts stammered.

Kat walked up to Coconuts, showing they were the same height.

"Oh…" Coconuts chuckled. "Well…"

He threw a coconut at her face before running for the hills, the rest of the 6-S following.

"Ow!" Kat yelped, rubbing her head as Cream and Amy approached.

"Are you okay?" Cream asked.

Kat rubbed her forehead before nodding.

"How'd you get here?" Amy questioned.

"The Special," Kat replied. "Came looking for Master Emerald shards, then I got side-tracked."

Amy perked. "Oh! That reminds me."

She reached into the front of her dress, withdrawing the shard. "I found this in Twinkle Park before we got nabbed."

Kat breathed a sigh of relief, taking it. "Thanks, Amy."

"Where are the others?" Cream asked.

"Just listen for the sound of fighting, and you'll find them," Kat replied. "I have to go regroup with Knux and the Chaotix."

"Before you go…" Amy began, "is Sonic here?"

Kat nodded. "And eager to find you both. Don't worry, he's still blue."

Amy's face lit up, while Cream tilted her head in confusion.

"Long story," Amy said quickly. "Not important right now."

"Good luck, Kat!" Cream said, waving.

"Same to you!" Kat replied as they parted ways.

As Amy and Cream went, they stopped to hear a familiar laugh. Robotnik came in on the Egg Mobile.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked.

"Go away, Eggman!" Cream shouted. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

Robotnik wagged a finger.

"One can never cause enough trouble, my dear, as you will soon see," At that, he scowled. "Now, for the last time, give me the damn bird!"

"Keep at it, and I'll give you the bird, alright!" Amy shot back.

Cream snorted as Cheese made an "ooh" motion, covering his mouth. Robotnik's eye twitched. At that moment, they heard a whistle, and turned to see Sonic and Tails there, Sonic casually leaning against the wall.

"Miss me?" Sonic asked.

"Like a hernia," Robotnik said before turning back to the girls. "Fine. I was polite, I was reasonable. Remember, Amy, you made me do this."

A mechanical arm shot out of the Egg Mobile, snatching Lily right out of Amy's hands.

"Lily!" Amy screamed.

Robotnik grabbed Lily, opening the locket on her neck and removing a Chaos Emerald.

"There, now was that so hard?" he asked before tossing Amy back at Lily. She quickly caught her, holding her close.

"You had a Chaos Emerald with you this whole time?" Cream asked.

"Yes. And such a hassle you made it to retrieve it. Now that that's done…"

Robotnik pressed a button on his glove. Right on cue, Gamma emerged from the back of the deck. Sonic and Tails immediately hopped down.

"What is your wish, Master?" he asked.

"Gamma, so glad you could join us. My wish is quite simple," Robotnik pointed right at Sonic. "Destroy Sonic the Hedgehog! Blast him into little giblets!"

"Yes, Doctor," Gamma set eyes on Sonic. "Hedgehog, Priority One."

"Gamma!" Amy and Cream shouted.

Gamma took aim at Sonic and started firing, forcing him on the run. Sonic easily dodged around the laser blasts as Gamma took off into the air.

"Now, I have other matters to attend to," Robotnik said as he flew away, leaving Sonic and Gamma to duke it out.


In another part of the ship, Hope carefully peered down a hallway, searching.

"Alright, coast is clear," she reported.

She made her way down, Big following.

"Are you sure Froggy's this way?" he asked.

"If not, I know someone who can help us find him," Hope answered.

They heard a soft ribbit not too far ahead. "And there he is now."

They both headed deeper down the hallway, where they spotted Eggatha walking with Froggy in a small portable aquarium.

"Froggy!" Big exclaimed.

Eggatha yelped, nearly dropping the aquarium and scrambling to recover it. Hope let out a sigh.

"So much for the stealthy approach," she deadpanned.

"Hope?" Eggatha asked.

"Hey, cuz," Hope greeted. "Can we have the frog?"

"Sorry, Hope…" Eggatha answered. "Uncle Ivo really needs him. Once we're done with him, I'll make sure he gets released. Just... be patient."

"Why is he so important? Because he has Chaos' tail?" Hope demanded. "For Aurora's sake, Aggie, don't you know what's gonna happen once Chaos is at full power?"

"We can control him, Hope," Eggatha insisted. "The Anti-Chaos Nullifier works. It even took down Sonic!"

She paused. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't sound that excited about that, but still."

"And how long until it doesn't work?" Hope asked.

"It'll be fine," Eggatha insisted. "Besides, you guys'll find a way. You always do."

"I'm not so sure this time," Hope answered. "The last time Chaos was free and got all seven Emeralds, he decimated the Echidnas and almost destroyed the world. Does that sound like something anyone can beat? Or control?"

Eggatha hesitated, looking conflicted. "I… I'm sorry, Hope. I can't."

Hope sighed. "There's really no way I can convince you to peacefully give up the frog, is there?"

Eggatha shook her head before backing up and taking off.

"Hey!" Big took off after her. "Give me back my friend!"

"Big, wait!" Hope called out as she ran after him.


Back on the deck, Gamma's continued assault on Sonic was ripping chunks of the ship apart.

"Gamma, please stop!" Amy cried out. "You don't have to fight! You don't have to listen to what Eggman tells you to do!"

Sonic used a chunk of the ship to block Gamma's lasers, then kicked it at Gamma. As he landed, he kicked another chunk at the bot, connecting hard with both and knocking him to the ground. Gamma collapsed, sparking and damaged. Sonic prepared to land a final blow when Amy and Cream stepped in front of him, arms outstretched to block his path.

"Sonic, no!" Amy shouted.

"Out of the way, Amy!" Sonic told her.

"Mr. Sonic, you don't understand!" Cream tried to explain. "This robot isn't like the others. He let us escape."

"Gamma's not like the rest of them!" Amy insisted, "and I won't let you destroy him!"

Sonic stopped, raising an eyebrow as Cheese and Lily piped in, chirping and nodding in affirmation..

"I… alright," he sighed, standing down. "If you're all vouching for him so hard, I'll let him go."

Both girls let out sighs of relief. At that moment, several small explosions rocked the Egg Carrier. They all looked around.

"Not good!" Tails cried. "I think we're losing altitude!"

"We're running out of time!" Sonic insisted. "Tails, get Amy and Cream to the X-Tornado and clear out!"

"What about you?" Cream asked.

"I'm gonna find Eggman, and put him out of commission for good!" Sonic swore. "See you down below."

As Sonic took off, Amy turned to Gamma, who had reactivated.

"I don't understand," he said. "Why did you help me?"

"You're our friend, Gamma," Cream pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what friends do," Amy added. "They save each other."

"Leave this place. Be free," Cream urged. "Eggman's the last person you should be working for."

"Amy! Cream!" Tails shouted. "We gotta go!"

"Until we meet again, Gamma," Amy nodded at him. "Take care."

.They rushed to the X-Tornado as Gamma got to his feet.

"Take care," he said softly before activating his jetpack and taking off.


Meanwhile, Kat had managed to regroup with Knuckles and the Chaotix. She found them before a sizable vault, the door of which had been ripped off its hinges.

"Knock knock!" Kat declared

"Nobody home!" Charmy shot back.

"Just ignore him," Vector said.

"I know they're in here somewhere…" Knuckles muttered.

"Relax, you'll find them," Julie-Su assured.

"This ship is coming down!" Knuckles snapped. "I can't relax!"

"Panicking will not reveal their location sooner," Espio pointed out.

"Espio's right," Mighty added. "You've gotta stay calm."

Kat entered, closing her eyes and trying to feel them out.

"Top shelf, in that sealed cabinet," she said.

Vector reached up, chomping through the lock and opening the aforementioned cabinet. Sure enough, there they were.

"Bingo!" Ray declared.

Knuckles grabbed them all, letting out a sigh.

"Is this all of them?" he asked.

"I believe so, yeah," Kat confirmed.

"Good," Knuckles dumped them all in Kat's arms, then pulled out his last Warp Ring. "Vector, get the others to the Special and get outta here."

"You got it," Vector assured.

He and the Chaotix headed out as Knuckles tossed the ring. Kat went to toss the shards through, but Knuckles shoved her through before she could.

"Knuckles!" Kat shouted.

"I'll be back soon! Count on it!"

Before she could go back through, the ring closed. The ship shook violently, nearly knocking the echidna off his feet. A feeling of dread passed over Knuckles as he hurried to the deck.


Around that time, Eggatha had arrived before Robotnik, handing the aquarium containing Froggy just as Chaos 4 formed before them and Hope and Big came running up.

"Chaos!" Hope shouted.

"Ah, Agatha, thank you for bringing me my frog," Robotnik ruffled her hair before opening the aquarium.

"You better not hurt him, Eggman!" Hope yelled.

"This little froggy has something that belongs to me, Hope," Robotnik answered. "I'm just taking it back."

He squeezed Froggy's sides gently yet firmly, as if performing the Heimlich, and eventually, he coughed up the Chaos Emerald he had swallowed earlier. He added the Chaos Emerald from Lily to his hand with a cloth.

"And now, I, the Amazing Robotnik, will make these two Chaos Emeralds... disappear."

"NO!" Hope screamed.

Robotnik tossed both Emeralds at Chaos, who glowed before shifting around once more. When the light faded, Chaos was no longer humanoid, instead vaguely resembling a bloated scorpion/frog-like creature. Over three times Big's height, it had a massive body with two extensions/antennas on its sides, two pairs of digit-less legs, and a similar pair of large hind legs bending backwards. It had a large mouth with razor sharp teeth and two large eyes aligned vertically on its face with three smaller eyes aligned horizontally on each side. Running through its hind legs were grey bones, connected in the rear by a pelvis-like bone, with a Chaos Emerald embedded in each of them. In its belly lay its bone-covered core, encircled by four standing bones, each with a Chaos Emerald on top.

"And now, the finishing touch," Robotnik added. "The frog possessed by Chaos' tail. Once my godly minion regains his tail, he will be complete and ultra-strong."

He floated over Chaos, dropping Froggy right into his body. The frog was sucked in, his tail disappearing as Chaos sprouted one of his own.

"Froggy!" Big began to shake, true rage in his eyes. "Give! Me! Back! My! FROGGY!"

He charged right at Chaos.

"Big, no!" Hope shouted.

He jumped at Chaos, only to be bounced back and sent skidding back. It was around that time Sonic and Knuckles came in, stopping in shock at the sight of Chaos' form.

"No, damn it!" Knuckles shouted.

"He's transformed again!" Sonic added.

"Two more Chaos Emeralds!" Hope added. "Chaos 6! And he got his tail back!"

"Please, you gotta help me!" Big pleaded. "He's got Froggy!"

"Six Emeralds down, one to go," Robotnik gloated. "Victory is within my grasp."

"Oh, please," Robotnik scoffed. "Chaos may not be perfected yet, but he's one foe that's beyond any of you, Sonic. It's game over!"

"You haven't won yet!"

"I might as well have," Robotnik shot back. "Chaos has six out of seven Chaos Emeralds! Just need one more for my plan to succeed! And just to make absolutely sure Chaos pulverizes you…"

He drew a blaster similar to that used by ZERO at Sonic, pulling the trigger. Sonic managed to dodge in time, recognizing the gun. Knuckles, however, wasn't so lucky. He screamed in pain as he fell, convulsing like mad. Green smoke seemed to rise off of him as he howled in agony.

"What have you done to him?!" Hope demanded.

"It's quite simple," Robotnik replied. "Controlling Chaos through the Anti-Chaos Nullifier is perfectly fine. Then I got the idea to weaponize the process. Disrupt Chaos energy. Like say, that a certain blue pincushion is full of."

"Chaos Disruptor…" Sonic perked. "That's why I felt so off! But Knuckles…"

Knuckles was screaming in pain by this point.

"Stop it! Now!" Sonic begged.

Robotnik grinned. "We were just getting to the fun part."

He aimed the gun at Sonic, firing again and forcing the hedgehog to dodge. As he did, he was unaware of Hope running around behind him, scrambling up the back of the Egg Mobile. She grabbed ahold of Robotnik's oversized mustache, yanking hard and throwing off his aim. The doctor cried out in pain as Hope kept her grip.

"Ow!" Robotnik shouted. "You little juvenile delinquent! Let go of my mustache!"

"Not a chance!" Hope snapped.

Keeping a grip on his stache, she began kicking the gun as hard as she could, determined to break something. Eventually, she managed to knock it out of his hand, sending it clattering across the ground.

"Sonic, the disruptor!" Hope yelled. "Take it out! Quick!"

Sonic immediately ran over to the gun while Robotnik tried to push Hope off of him. She scrambled for a hold, eventually managing to latch onto his control gauntlet.

"You won't shake me off so easily, 'Uncle Ivo'!" she yelled.

She landed a solid kick to the Anti-Chaos Nullifier before Robotnik finally managed to knock her off the Egg Mobile, sending her sprawling. He straightened his mustache, scowling at her.

"To be perfectly frank, my dear niece," he spat, "if I were Agnes, I would seriously reevaluate how I'm raising you before you end up in the electric chair!"

"I'm not the one destined for a criminal's death, Eggman!" Hope shot back.

She wiped her mouth, a small trickle of blood from a split lip on her face.

Sonic began rapidly stomping on the Disruptor, eventually smashing it. Chaos let out a roar, jumping at Hope, but Sonic was quick on the draw, snatching her out of the way.

"No!" Robotnik shouted. "Not the girl! Attack Sonic! Do as I command, Chaos!"

He pressed several buttons on the Anti-Chaos Nullifier, only for the buttons to be stuck solid, not budging. He looked, seeing it smoldering and broken from Hope's assault. Eggatha gasped at the sight, turning to Hope.

"Hope, what have you done?!"

"What?" Hope let out.

"That was how he was controlling Chaos! You just smashed the Nullifier!"

Hope turned pale.

"I what?!" She stumbled back, a wave of horror washing over her. "Oh Aurora... I've doomed us all…"

With the Disruptor out of commission, Knuckles' screams petered off. He got to his feet slowly.

"Uh... I feel like my insides want to be outside…" he managed.

Sonic held him up, remembering his own experience.

"Don't push yourself," he insisted. "That thing knocked me on my ass, and you've got alot more Chaos Energy than me."

Chaos roared, beginning to jump around and roar furiously.

"He's completely out of control…" Hope gasped. "What're we gonna do now?!"

"We take him down, once and for all," Sonic insisted. "Big, can you fish Froggy out?"

Big nodded. With that, Sonic handed Knuckles over to Hope.

"I'll keep Chaos occupied while Big gets Froggy loose. As soon as he does, the two of you find a way off this crate."

"We're not leaving you!" Knuckles shouted.

"You can barely stand, and I am not letting that thing hurt anyone else," Sonic insisted. "So shove the stubbornness and get to safety!"

With that, Sonic began attacking with all his might, stealing Chaos' attention as Big drew his fishing rod.

"Alright Froggy, time to play!" he shouted.

He performed an intricate cast with several flourishes and spins before launching his line at Chaos. The lure landed with a plop, and Froggy immediately swam for it. The second Froggy swallowed the lure, Big gave it a yank, pulling Froggy free.

"Got you, buddy!" he cried.

"Good!" Sonic shouted. "Now get going!"

Big nodded, running over to Hope and Knuckles.

"Sonic, this whole ship is gonna go!" Hope objected. "If you stay here-"

She was scooped up before she could finish her sentence, Big running towards the Special.

"Sonic!" Hope screamed. "SONIC!"

This left Sonic to face Chaos 6 alone. Robotnik pulled Eggatha onto the Egg Mobile, pressing his glove controller.

"Fortunately, I anticipated the possibility the Nullifier would be damaged or destroyed. It helps to be prepared."

Several panels began opening across the deck of the Egg Carrier, unleashing several bots. These bots were oval shaped with their bottom half being grey and made of metal while their upper half was made of red glass. They had spikes atop them and an orange gem in their center.

"Ice-bots! Attack!" he ordered.

The bots took aim at both Chaos and Sonic, sending out arctic blasts of liquid nitrogen.

"Hey!" Sonic shouted. "Who's side are you on?!"

"Mine, of course."

Sonic dodged around the Ice-bots, but Chaos' bulk made him an easy target. It took some time, but he was slowly turned into a frozen statue. Sonic saw the frozen deity and got an idea. Sparking with energy, Sonic revved himself into a Spin Dash, launching himself at Chaos. The icy god shattered, and the six Chaos Emeralds rained down on him. He quickly scooped them up and stuffed them into his bag, much to Robotnik's horror and outrage.

"Damn you, hedgehog! Enjoy your little victory, because next time, I will be victorious!"

He turned away, flying off.

"Hey!" Sonic shouted. "If you think I'm just gonna let you walk away, think again!"

He jumped off the Egg Carrier, launching himself at the retreating Egg Mobile and catching on. Robotnik scowled down at him.

"Take your stinking paws off me, you hideous hedge-rat!" he ordered.

"Nothing doing, Egghead!"

"I said… Get. OFF!"

Robornik swung with his metal fist, connecting solidly with Sonic's jaw. Sonic was knocked off, his bag sent flying and the Egg Mobile sent careening out of control toward Station Square as the heroic hedgehog free-fell to the ground below…


Author's Note:

Not much to say about this one. I think it speaks for itself.

Please R&R. Until next time!