- Chapter 249 -
The Devil Went Down to Wyldwest
CONTENT WARNING!
Disturbing content and zombie imagery near the end of Sonic and Kid's fight. Viewer discretion is advised.
Great Desert
As night fell, the Belial drove through the desert. Cream and Cheese were out cold on the couch, only for Cream to wake up at the sound of voices.
"Jefeeeeee, are we almost there yet? I gotta weeee!" came Jose's voice.
"Jose, we told you to go before we left," Billy sighed.
Cream followed the voices to the control room.
"I didn't have to go then, but now I gotta!" Jose was standing in place, doing a frantic potty dance. "Can we stop the cruiser so I can go, pleeeeeease?"
"Jose, we're almost there," Matti pointed out. "Can't you hold it in a little longer?"
"I had the Burpo Grande!" Jose said. "I can't help it!"
"Yeah…" Matti sighed. "This is why I told you it'd be good to at least get a chemical toilet, Kid."
Kid just ignored them.
"Kid?" Bill asked.
"Jefe?" Jose tilted his head, confused.
"Never forgive…never forget…"
"Uh oh…" Bill winced.
"Oh great, he's focusing," Matti sighed.
"Never forgive...never forget… Never forgive...never forget..." Kid's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his voice getting louder. "Never forgive...never forget!"
"Mr. Kid?"
Kid snapped out of it, turning to see Cream and Cheese at the doorway.
"Cream?!" Kid cleared his throat. "Wh-What are you doing up?"
"I heard you all talking about something and came to see what it was. Are you okay?"
Kid looked away. "Y-Yes Cream, I'm okay… I'm just...tired is all. Really...really tired."
"Kid, look!" Bill pointed, the group seeing a town in the distance. "It's Tranquil Gulch! We're here!"
"Finally…" Matti sighed.
"Floor it, Jefe!" Jose pleaded. "I'm gonna explode!"
"I'm flooring, I'm flooring!" Kid hit the gas. "Sheesh."
"Tranquil Gulch…" Cream smiled. "We finally made it, Cheese! I can't wait to see Mr. Sonic and the others. I hope they're alright."
"I'm sure they're just fine, Cream," Kid replied. "I'm sure they're just fine…"
Tranquil Gulch
At the saloon, Bunnie was gritting her teeth as Hope repaired her arm. She yelped, trying to pull away.
"Oh sweet lil' baby Aurora, this is torture!" the rabbit yelped.
"Bunnie, hold still!" Hope snapped. "I swear, you're like a little kid at the barber."
"I can't help it! Oooh, why did Aggie hafta make these things so good!?"
All the while, she was squeezing Antoine's hand with her flesh arm in an effort to endure the experience. With each twinge of pain, she squeezed tighter, until everyone in the saloon heard something crack and Antoine let out a pained yelp of his own.
"Ma cher, I know this is a trying experience, but could you please calm down?" he requested. "You're breaking my hand!"
"Whoops!" Bunnie loosened her grip. "Sorry, sugah."
"Hey, it could be worse," Shard pointed out. "You could have a hole blown in your chest."
"Or magnet poisoning," Nicole chimed in.
"Just a sec. I'm almost there, and…" Hope closed the access panel on Bunnie's arm. "Done. And in the future, I'll be sure to have some anesthetic handy."
"Please do…" Bunnie sighed. That was awful."
"Ummmm..." Everyone turned to see Lily and Rally walk over. Lily stepped forward sheepishly, gripping her arm.
"What's up, Lily?" Hope asked.
"Not much," Lily replied. "I just… I was thinkin'... I…" She bit her lower lip and suddenly bowed down at the waist. "I'm really, really sorry!"
The Freedom Fighters paused as Lily got up, composing herself. "I was wrong. Hope was right. Shard, Nicole... you do have souls. You're just as much real people as I am, nd I am so sorry that it took me so long to realize that. 'Tween losin' Jesse and everythin' that's been goin' on lately, I've just..." Lily shook her head. "I've been a mess. A big, fat, angry mess. I ignored Aurora's teachings, let myself get consumed by hate, and took it out on the wrong guys. I don't expect y'all to forgive me, but..."
"We do," Nicole told her, much to Lily's surprise. "One of our closest friends, Kathryn Winters, went through the same thing you did when she first met us."
"Bit less violent, though…" Shard said, only to be elbowed by Nicole. "Hey, at least Kat didn't shoot me when we first met."
"But she did beat Sonic to a pulp," Nicole reminded him.
"Right…" Shard conceded.
"Wait, hold on," Lily blinked. "Yer...Yer forgivin' me, just like that?"
Nicole and Shard looked at her in confusion as she went on. " I shot you! Almost killed you! I dehumanized you and called you things in front of your own friends! I was a complete and total bitch, and you're just brushing it off?"
"We know," Nicole replied.
"You messed up badly," Shard added. "But… we can't completely fault you for that, given what you've been through. Eggman's caused so much misery, giving bots like us a bad name."
"Still, I…"
"Lily, it's alright," Rally cut in. "Ya said you were sorry and they forgived ya."
"I shot him, Rally! You don't just accept an apology for something like that!"
"Look…" Shard said, "If it's really bothering you that much, how about..." He tapped his chin in thought. "How about you treat us to something at the saloon? Then we call it square. Sound good?"
"Yeah…" Lily nodded. "Sounds good."
As they headed up to the bar, they saw Sonic removing his hat, vest, and Sheriff's badge, setting them all on the table.
"My work here is done. First thing in the morning, we're heading for Sand Blast City."
"Fair enough, son," Dennis nodded. "You did a fantastic job, regardless."
"Still, do you have a replacement in mind?" Sally asked.
"Actually, yes," Sonic turned to Willie, who blinked in surprise.
"Me?" the possum questioned.
"Yeah. Why not?"
"B-But I'm a saloon owner! I-I dint even do much durin' the fight!"
"You rallied the whole town and stood up to Thunderbolt, Willie, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders."
"After you beat her senseless."
"You still stood up to and laid down the law to an Egg Boss. Besides, she wasn't exactly bluffing earlier. She had a little more juice left."
"C'mon Willie, yer the hottest firebrand in the whole dang desert and you don't take shit from nobody!" Dennis chimed in. "Yer perfect!"
"I second that!" Lily agreed.
"Well, if y'all think I'll be good at it, what the heck?" Wille smiled, taking the badge and hat. "I'll give it a shot."
"Now then, what say we get this here hootenanny started!?"
Everyone cheered at that.
-X-
It wasn't long before the party got into full swing, the group discussing what they had experienced over food and drinks.
"A booze-powered robot?" Sam repeated.
"Yeah, it was bizarre," Rotor remarked.
"Try freakin' weird," Hope corrected.
"Y'know, I get the feeling that this is basically how Thunderbolt came up with her plans for the Six," Sam put on a shrill voice similar to hers, tapping his forehead. "'Write some words backwards on my head!' Then she got a sheep of paper and was like..." He mimed writing on his forehead, then placed an imaginary sheet of paper on the bar and mimed slamming his head on it. "'There you go! My new Badnik plans!'"
They all laughed at that.
"Still, they were strong," Cosmo mused. "Ours chased us all around the desert in a fury just because he thought we were making fun of him for not having hands."
"Least you didn't get yer arm sliced open," Bunnie remarked.
"Or knocked out in the first minute, " Antoine grumbled. "Bâtard sournois. (1)"
"What about you, Sal?" Sonic asked. "How'd you and Nicole's fight go?"
"Honestly, it was pretty straightforward," Sally remarked. "Earp was surprisingly polite and well-spoken for a Badnik."
"Whereas Pete was a bastard-plated bastard who ran on double A-S-S batteries," Lily spat.
"He rubbed what happened to Lily's friend in her face, and showed us a holo-vid of his roboticization," Shard's eyes briefly flashed red as he rubbed the spot on his chest where he had been shot. "Not gonna lie. Tearing his magnetic core out of his chest and crushing it gave me no small amount of satisfaction."
"What about DOS?" Nicole questioned.
"The egg guy? He lagged through the whole thing," Bunnie replied.
"Rally managed to blindside him and crush his head in one shot," Sonic recalled.
Rally tilted his hat dramatically. "Jus' doin' ma job, Sheriff,"
"Honestly, if this is any sign of what the Dust Riders are capable of, I think we got this one in the bag," Sonic remarked.
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, son," Willie approached at that, looking grim. "I don' know what kinda varmints y'all are used to, but the Dust Riders ain't nothin' like them. They don't do warm-ups, they don't do warning shots, and they don't make big speeches 'less yer too beat up to cut'em off."
"Willie's right," Dennis areed. "Them fellers are cold-blooded killers. 'Specially… him."
Dennis pointed to a bulletin board, on which were a collection of wanted posters. Most of them were just dime-a-dozen crooks and hoodlums, but there was a large section composed entirely of Egg Soldiers, presumably the Dust Riders. There was one that stood out in particular, a picture of a grim-looking human man in a long coat and wide-brimmed hat. His whole body was covered by his outfit, his face concealed by a long scarf and a pair of fiery red sunglasses. At first glance, he didn't look too impressive, but the longer the group stared, the more they felt something...off about him.
"The Diablo Kid," Sally read. "Wanted: Dead or Alive for.. Five hundred seventy thousand Mobiums?!"
"Preferably dead," Dennis spat. "Guy's a real loose cannon, with an anti-Aurora streak. Just last week, he blew an Aurorium in Mirage Saloon to smithereens with a rigged church pew. And he has a rather... nasty habit of killing or trying to kill anyone who so much as mentions Aurora's name."
Lily gritted her teeth, fists clenching.
"Pardon me," Cosmo cut in, "but what's a 'diablo'?"
"It's Spagonian for 'devil'," Lily replied.
"That's exactly what the Kid is," Willie said. "He styles himself as a demon from Hell, wanting to burn Mobius down and dance on the cinders."
"They say he can breathe fire hot enough to melt solid rock, and the burns never heal!" one patron piped up.
"I heard he can lift a pistol the size of a sawed-off with one hand, and the bullets can burn down a whole house!" a second added.
"That's nothin'," a third patron chimed in, taking a drink. "I got a buddy in Querque who met the Kid and lived to tell about it. Bastard butchered his buddies on the way home from the bar, or rather...he made them butcher theyselves. Said he just looked at 'em, then they started screamin' bloody murder and clawed their own throats out."
People gasped as the patron took another drink before going on. "The Kid's way beyond evil and insane. He goes way over that line and into new levels of snake-fuggingly crazy. You go up against him, Sonic, don't let up. Hit him fast, hit him hard, and keep hitting him until he stops movin'."
Sonic gulped, his confident grin faltering for a moment. "Right…"
Suddenly, his com went off. "Oh! Hang on a sec." He pulled it out and answered. "Hello?"
"Sonic! Thank Aurora!"
Sonic perked. "Tails? What's up?"
"Sonic, listen, we got a situation, and it's bad!"
"Whoa, easy there, Tails!" Sonic held up a hand. "What's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, Tails explained their recent conflict with the Junkyarders and the chaos that ensued, ending with Beauregard's ominous phone call.
"Holy…" Sonic managed.
"Yeah, I know. We were already freaking out when Cream stole a Warp Ring and tried to go after you…"
Sonic perked. "She did what?!"
Tails gulped. "I-I tried to call you earlier, but that stinking electrical interference hit again, and then the Junkyarders showed up. I, uh... don't suppose she's there with you?"
"Tails…" Before Sonic could berate his friend, there was suddenly a loud rumbling noise. "What the...!?"
"Wh-What's goin' on!?" Rally demanded.
"An earthquake?!" Sam questioned.
Everyone looked out of the saloon to see a large, armored vehicle plowing through the streets at breakneck speed, people jumping out of the way to avoid getting run over.
"What is that thing!?" Rotor demanded.
"I don't know…" Dennis said.
The vehicle rushed ahead until it reached the saloon, where it slowly came to a stop, kicking up dust. The Freedom Fighters watched as a door on the side slowly opened. They assumed combat positions, ready to fight in cast whatever stepped out wasn't friendly. They didn't have to wait long, as a pair of figures walked over.
"Hello, everyone!" Cream greeted cheerily, Cheese chirping.
"Cream?!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Mr. Sonic!" Cream and Cheese ran over to Sonic and hugged him. "We finally found you!"
A moment passed before Sonic gently yet firmly pried them off, kneeling down to their level.
"Tails just called and told me everything," he said sternly. "Kiddo... do you have any idea how much trouble you're in right now?"
"I-I'm sorry…" Cream nervously twiddled her fingers. "I know it was dangerous, but I couldn't just stay behind.
"So you stole a Warp Ring and tried to follow us?!" Hope demanded. "Cream, you've never been here before! Anything could've happened to you!"
"What if the Dust Riders had found you!?" Bunnie yelled. "Yer ma and pa would never forgive us if you'd been captured!"
"I'm sorry... I really am," Cream replied. "But some nice people found me and helped me find you! They're kinda scary looking, but they're nice! I even made a friend!" She perked. "Ooh! I'll introduce you!"
She ran back into the vehicle. They heard some voices talking.
"Come on, it's okay. Don't be shy."
"Dangit Cream, let go of me!" came another's voice. "I told you, I don't wanna! I can't!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Sonic and the others are really nice. I think you'll all like them a lot. C'mon!"
"Heyheyheyheyheyheyheyhey!"
Everyone watched as Cream dragged out her new friend.
"What the…?" Sonic let out.
"Kid, this is my friend, Mr. Sonic," Cream introduced. "Mr. Sonic, this is Kid."
Everyone gaped in shock, awe, and utter horror. Standing right next to Cream, right before their very eyes, was the last person they thought they'd see.
"No…" Lily managed. "No way…"
"It can't be…" Dennis said.
"It's the freakin' Diablo Kid!" a patron shrieked. "RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIFE!"
Everyone in the saloon who wasn't a Freedom Fighter immediately ran out of every possible exit, screaming in terror.
"I told you…" Kid sighed.
"What was that all about?" Cream blinked.
They heard guns cocking. Sam, Hope, and Lily had all drawn their firearms, training them on him.
"Cream, get away from him!" Hope shouted. "NOW!"
"Huh?" Cream tilted her head in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Wait, you seriously don't know who this guy is?" Rally asked.
"Cream, that guy's a freaking psycho!" Sam yelled. "He's the Diablo Kid! An Egg Soldier! The most wanted man in Wyldwest!"
"What!?" Cream shook her head. "Mr. Kid's not a bad guy, he's...!"
"Actually...he's right." Kid picked Cream up by the scruff of her dress.
"M-Mr. Kid?"
Kid didn't respond, he just threw Cream at the Freedom Fighters, Sonic managing to catch her.
"Citizens of Tranquil Gulch!" Everyone turned to see Kid making an announcement. "I have come here to-"
"¡Baño! (2)" Jose suddenly blazed past Kid, causing him to fall over. "¡Baño! ¿¡Dónde está el baño!? ¡Necesito tintinear, ahoraaaaaa! (3)"
Everyone watched in stunned speechlessness as Jose bolted into the saloon at Sonic speeds. Kid slowly got up, annoyed.
"I'm gonna murder that crow…" he grumbled.
"Mr. Kid, why?!" Cream demanded. "I trusted you! You were my friend!"
Kid sighed. "Do you remember what I told you when you first met me in the desert, kiddo? I told you you were being too trusting. That for all you know, I could be a complete psycho." Kid reached into his pocket and pulled out an egg-shaped device, similar to the ones Thunderbolt's soldiers had at Twinkle Park. "And I am."
He pressed the button on it. At that, sand started gathering around him, eventually surrounding him in a dirt devil. When the dust settled, Kid's appearance had changed. His overall look remained the same, but had taken on a noticeably more futuristic design. His rugged, leather duster had become a sleek, brown longcoat that bore a striking resemblance to Robotnik's jacket, complete with white gloves, and a black jumpsuit and boots; though, he had spurs on. But the most noticeable addition was a badge pinned to his left breast, which looked like a cross between a Sheriff's star and a pentagram. In the center was the Robotnik Empire symbol smiling at them.
"Citizens of Tranquil Gulch! Freedom Fighters! Sonic the Hedgehog… Allow me to introduce myself! I am the Devil of Dust Town! The Bringer of Ruin! Commander of the Army of the Damned! Sheriff of the Wyldwest Egg Militia! The Diablo Kid. And I've come here…to bring you Hell on Mobius!"
While the others were shocked or recoiling in fear, Sonic just clapped sarcastically.
"Nice evil monologue. You write that out yourself, or rehearse it with your bathroom buddy?"
Kid just glared at Sonic from behind his glasses. "Of course you'd say that."
Sonic shrugged. "Let me guess. You're here because Eggman knows Thunderbolt lost, so he sent you this way to try to salvage his little casino scheme?"
Kid scoffed. "Oh please, I could care less about that tub of lard's gambling addiction or his fat, electric asslicker."
That got Sonic's attention. "So... you're not the new Egg Boss in town?"
"Oh, I'm the Egg Boss alright..." Kid drew his guns. "And I'm here for one reason and one reason only..." He aimed his guns at Sonic. "To baptize you and this rathole town in hellfire!"
Sonic ran forward, kicking Kid in the chest. He grunted in pain before aiming his gun at Sonic's head. He pulled the trigger, only to miss as the hedgehog sped out of the line of fire before Spin Dashing him in the back.
"Stop moving!" he yelled.
"Oh yeah. I'll stop moving so you can put a bullet through my head," Sonic said sarcastically. "You must really think I'm some kinda idiot, huh?"
"I think you're something, I'll tell you that much."
Kid's eyes widened as a gunshot sounded, a bullet grazing his coat. He turned to see Lily aiming a smoking gun at him and glaring viciously.
"You…"
"Get the hell away from my friend, Scarfy!" Lily shouted.
Kid grimaced. "Matti! Bill! Keep the rabble out of this."
Lily blinked. "Huh? Don't you ignore me, you-!"
Before Lily could protest further, she was cut off by several strands of what appeared to be glowing, blue barbed wire.
"Sorry 'bout this, folks," Everyone turned to see Bill and Matti exit the Belial, Bill's horns glowing the same color as the wire. "But the Boss don't want you interferin' with his work."
"Feel free to try anyway, though," Matti gave the two a dead stare. "I'm kinda bored, honestly."
The Freedom Fighters perked as they saw Matti.
"Sally, that girl..." Nicole realized.
"I know, Nicole," Sally whispered.
"Mon dieu…" Antoine gasped. "The Egg Army's recruiting children?"
"Cream, she don't look much older than you," Bunnie remarked.
"Hey Kid, do you want us to keep these losers busy while you play with Sonic?" Matti asked.
Kid shrugged. "Do whatever you like."
Bill cracked his knuckles and neck. "Alright, Nutkins, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna stand here and watch Kid pump Sonic's guts fulla lead... unless you think you're tough enough to get past us."
"And honestly..." Matti's arms began to shift and open up, transforming into a pair of mechanical prosthetics with large, piston-like lower halves. "...we don't."
Sonic looked around, seeing the barbed wire surrounding the area. "So... handicapping the fighting area, trying to close me in so I don't have the speed advantage. You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble for little old me."
"It's called tactics and planning ahead, hedgehog," Kid shot back. "Not that you'd know the meaning of those words even if they came up and kicked you in the face. Speaking of face..."
Kid shot at Sonic, who nimbly leapt out of the way.
"Dude, I can outrun Robuttnik's particle beams. You're not gonna hit me with-" Sonic was cut off by an explosion going off behind him, launching him off his feet and toward Kid. The minute he was close enough, Kid spun in place, landing a solid roundhouse kick that sent Sonic slamming into the side of the Belial. Sonic slowly got up, rubbing his jaw.
"Brimstone round," Kid explained. "Armor piercing, explosive, incendiary bullets. Strong enough to blow a GUN Beagle (4) to smithereens with one shot. All it'll take is one bullet, Sonic... and then your pals will be looking for the giblets that used to be your body for weeks."
"Seems like overkill if you ask me," Suddenly, Sonic clutched his head, his vision blurring and colors shifting around. "Ugh… what the hell?"
"Oh yeah, they're also poisonous," Kid informed him. "Don't worry, it's not deadly. Just very, very painful."
"Oh geez..." Sonic stumbled around a bit. His stomach was roiling and he felt lightheaded. It was taking everything he had just to stay conscious.
"Mr. Kid, stop!" Cream screamed. "Don't DO this!"
"Sit your butt down and keep quiet, Cream!" Kid shouted, causing Cream to flinch. "The big people are talking!"
Sonic scowled, sparking slightly. "Buddy, you just tied your own noose. Nobody talks to Cream that way."
Sonic sparked with Chaos Lightning, allowing him to get up.
"What the...!?" was all Kid managed before Sonic spear-tackled him, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the side of the Belial with enough force to leave a visible dent and nearly tip it over.
"How the hell...?!" Kid exclaimed. "That's impossible! The Brimstone fumes... you should be on the ground puking right now!"
Sonic just punched him in the face.
"Cream put her trust in you," he growled. "She reached out to you, and you betray her and treat her like that. That was the most despicable, unforgivable thing you could've done, Kid! So don't think I'm gonna let you off easy!" He reeled back. "Now eat this!"
Before Sonic's blow could connect, Kid took off his sunglasses. "Devil's Eye!"
Kid's eyes let out a bright red flash, causing Sonic to shield his eyes and stumble back. "My eyes!" Sonic rubbed his eyes, trying to regain his bearings. "Dammit, that was a cheap shot you-"
At that moment, he heard a terrified scream. He looked up in horror to see the entire city on fire, the sky blood red and full of spiraling dark clouds.
"No…" he gasped. "This… this can't be real…"
"Sonic…" Sonic looked over his shoulder to see Sally limping toward him. She had been shot in multiple places, and was bleeding from the mouth.
"Sally? SALLY!" Sonic ran over to catch her as she fell. "What happened?!"
"He...He got us Sonic… the Kid and his friends..." Sally managed. "They...They were too strong. Willie was right...they're demons."
"That can't be... I was literally just fighting him!"
"Fighting him?" Sonic turned to see Lily standing there, battered and bloody as well. "You call that fighting?! He just looked right at you and you conked out like Mayor Chestnut after a shot of whiskey! After that, they just...and Rally…"
Lily fell to her knees and broke down crying.
No...Lily I… I'm sorry...I…"
"Sonic..." came Antoine's voice.
Sonic turned around and saw the other Freedom Fighters and the townsfolk, only all of them were zombies. Their flesh was pale and sunken, with bullet holes and missing limbs. Antoine was missing an eye, Rotor's tusks were broken, Sam had lost an arm, and Cosmo looked wilted. It was like a scene straight out of Malicious Corpses.
"How could you let this happen, Sonic?" Rotor demanded.
"He was right there!" Bunnie shouted. "You had him dead to rights."
"And he still beat you!" Hope accused.
"Guys...guys, no..." Sonic clutched his head. "No! This can't be happening!"
"This isn't real! This is a nightmare!"
"This isn't a nightmare, Sonic," Sonic stiffened, slowly turning around to see Kid standing in front of him, except instead of the mysterious gunman he'd been facing, he'd become a full-blown demon, with red skin, sharp claws and teeth, horns, and fiery eyes.
"This...is HELL!" Sonic watched in terror as Kid cackled and aimed his gun. Sonic could only stand in fear and close his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. But when Kid pulled the trigger, something jumped in front of him and blocked the bullet.
"What the!?"
"Sonic!"
"Huh!?" Sonic perked, looking up to see Mighty standing before him.
"Sonic! Snap out of it!" Mighty grabbed Sonic by the shoulders, shaking him and rapidly slapping his face lightly until Sonic snapped to, the hellish landscape and zombified populace disappearing.
"It's… it's gone…" Sonic realized. "It was all an illusion. A fake…"
"Get off me!" came Kid's voice.
"No way!"
Sonic perked, looking up to see Ray had dropped down onto Kid's head, pulling his hat down over his eyes.
"Ray? Mighty? What... when did you-?"
"Sonic!" Sally's voice came. Sonic turned to see Sally and the others running over, all of them unharmed.
"Thank Aurora…" he sighed. "It was all a fake!"
Kid scowled, throwing Ray off and spinning on Sonic. "Don't ever say that bitch's name in front of me!"
"What's your beef with Aurora?" Sonic demanded.
"She's tribal! She takes sides!" Kid snapped. "No hag Echidna in the sky intervened to pull me out of Hell, so I went right back in! I figured it out a long time ago, Sonic. If Aurora is all-powerful, she cannot be all good. And if she is all-good, then she cannot be all-powerful. Otherwise, Mobius wouldn't be a complete shithole inhabited by worthless assholes like Eggman…" He glared at Sonic, "and you."
"Me?!" Sonic let out incredulously. "I never even met you before today! What'd I ever do to you?!"
"You really don't know? You-" Kid was cut off when a bullet clipped his shoulder, getting a pained scream.
"What was that!?" Sally demanded.
Lily perked, pointing. "Look, over there!"
Everyone turned to see a large jeep driving right toward them. At the wheel was a Mobian bear, his passengers being a rabbit, a wolf, a roadrunner, and a lizard. The rabbit was holding a smoking rifle.
"Rabbit…" Kid hissed, his voice dripping with more venom than a rattlesnake.
"Oh, fug me…" Bill gasped. "It's the Sand Blasters! Kid, we gotta get outta here!"
"Like hell we are!" Kid suddenly ran right past Sonic.
"Kid!" Bill yelled. "That idjit…"
"He's mine! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" Kid drew both guns as the jeep came closer, his eyes glowing brightly. "JAAAAAAACK!"
"Avery!" the rabbit turned to the bear. "Do the thing!"
"On it!" Avery pressed a button on the dashboard. "Computer, activate Pulse Gun!"
The jeep beeped and shifted, causing a cannon to appear from the front.
"The Power of Orange compels you, shithead!"
Avery slammed the button again, causing the cannon to launch an electric projectile right at Kid.
"Oh shit..." was all Kid could say before he was hit by the blast, spasming and screaming as he was painfully electrocuted.
"He's hit!" Avery reported. "But it won't last!"
"Shift!" the rabbit turned to the wolf.
"Understood." Shift stood up and pulled out what appeared to be a set of bolas with bear traps attached to them, throwing them at Kid. He was quickly bound by the bolas, the traps clamping down on his wrists and ankles.
"He's down!" Shift declared.
"And we're up!" the roadrunner declared. "C'mon, Tex!"
He jumped out of the jeep, sprinting over to Kid.
"Jolt, wait-!" Shift objected.
"Oh, brother," the lizard sighed.
Jolt sped over to Kid and started going through his stuff, taking all his weapons. "I'll just take this and that and that and this and oooh! I like that!"
By the time he finished, a huge pile of weapons and ammo was lying beside Kid.
"Y'know, kids shouldn't play with dangerous weapons," Jolt quipped. "You could put your eye out."
Kid just growled.
"Hey, doofus!" the lizard yelled, getting Jolt's attention. "You forgot something!"
"To brush my teeth? Put on deodorant? Wear clean underwear?" Jolt got his answer when he was tangled up by strands of the energy wire that had caged Sonic.
"You forgot about us, chicken lips!" Bill shouted.
At that moment, Jose finally exited the saloon, zipping his fly and sighing in relief. "Ay caramba, I needed that. What'd I miss?"
"About time you got done with your pee break!" Matti snapped. "Grab Kid and let's go!"
Jose perked before dashing in, scooping up the downed Kid and hurrying for the Belial. Bill followed, Matti taking up the rear. Mighty ran forward, reaching out for her.
"Matilda! Matilda, WAIT!" he cried.
"Bill! Floor it!" Matti shouted, ignoring him. The bison nodded and turned on the ignition. As soon as the cruiser roared to life, he slammed his hoof on the gas pedal and drove off.
"No!" Mighty shouted as he tried to run after them, "Matti, it's me! Don't go!"
"Mighty, stop!" Ray shouted as he zipped over to him.
"Ray, that was-!"
"I know, I know! But keep it cool!" Ray nervously pointed to the Sand Blasters' jeep, which was drawing closer.
"Right...sorry." Mighty took a breath and composed himself. The jeep pulled to a stop, the rest of the Sand Blasters filing out. None of them looked particularly happy, especially not the rabbit.
"Damn it, they got away! Right when we had that bastard where we wanted him." He sighed, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter out of his pocket. Shaking one out, the rabbit popped it in his mouth and lit up.
"Flex! Jitters!" he shouted, prompting Mighty and Ray to snap to attention. But while Mighty stood tall and firm as ever, Ray was twitching and fidgeting around like he's just drank a hundred cups of coffee.
"Sir!"
"Check up on the civvies! Make sure everyone's alright."
"Yessir Mr. Rabbit sir!" Ray shouted excitedly.
"Will do," Mighty stated, and with that, they ran off.
"Now then..." the rabbit turned to see Sonic looking right at him. With a smirk, he began to slowly advance. "Well, ain't this a surprise, Sonic the Hedgehog. Hero of Mobius. The Blue Blur."
"And you are?" Sonic asked.
"Name's Rabbit. Jack Rabbit." Jack's crew walked over to join him, "And this here is Avery the Bear…"
Avery snorted and spat.
"Shift E. Wolf..."
Shift cracked his neck.
"Jolt the Roadrunner…"
Jolt fiddled around with a large knife, which he quickly put away; grinning innocently.
"...and Tex the Lizard."
Tex merely grunted.
"We're the Sand Blasters," Jack concluded as he narrowed his eyes, "And we got somethin' to say to you…"
Jack reached into his pocket, causing Sonic to tense, expecting him to draw a weapon or some kind…
"Can we have your autograph?"
…only to be taken aback when instead, he pulled out a pen and notebook, and everyone's mood did a complete 180; going from grim and serious to excited in an instant.
Sonic and the others stood there in disbelief as they processed what they just heard. Everything was quiet, save for the sound of the night wind; a tumbleweed blew by as if to emphasize the point. Finally, after about half a minute. Sonic's brain finally managed to catch up with the rest of him, allowing him to finally give his carefully thought out and eloquent response.
"HUUUUUUUUH!?"
Author's Note:
(1): Sneaky bastard.
(2): Bathroom!
(3): Bathroom! Where's the bathroom!? I need to tinkle, nooooow!
(4): The Jump Vehicle from Shadow the Hedgehog. It's called a "Beagle" in Japan.
There we have it. Sonic and Kid's face-off, and first meeting with the Sand Blasters. Next chapter, Sonic and co. finally go to Sand Blast City, and discover the Sand Blasters aren't exactly on the up and up.
Please R&R. Until next time!
