Chapter 8: The First Attack
Green Hill Zone was unusually peaceful, the gentle breeze rustling through the trees and sunlight glinting off the familiar slopes and loops. For once, everything felt calm.
Sonic zipped along the winding trails, weaving between trees and rocks with effortless speed. He looped around a hill, skidding to a stop beside Amy, who was lounging by a shady tree with a book. She looked up with a playful smirk.
"Couldn't sit still for more than a minute, could you?" Amy teased.
Sonic grinned, folding his arms. "Come on, Amy, it's way too quiet around here! How's a hedgehog supposed to keep himself entertained?"
Amy laughed, closing her book. "Maybe learn to appreciate the quiet? Not everything has to be a race or a battle, you know."
"Pfft," Sonic replied, rolling his eyes. "That's where you're wrong. A little action never hurt anybody." He kicked a rock, sending it bouncing down the path, his eyes darting around the serene landscape. Even Green Hill Zone's iconic loops and cliffs seemed unusually calm.
Nearby, Tails was hunched over a complicated device, his face scrunched in concentration. The gentle hum of his machinery blended with the rustle of the grass as he carefully adjusted a few wires. He hadn't stopped tinkering since they returned from the other world. Every day, his mind had been on one thing: reconnecting with the friends they had left behind.
"Any luck, buddy?" Sonic asked, walking over to him, though his attention was still focused on his own frustration with the calm.
Tails looked up briefly, adjusting his goggles. "Not yet. But I'm close. I have to keep trying. Dr. Light's probably working just as hard, you know?"
He glanced at the device, where a single gold ring glinted softly. It was the last ring he had, the only connection he might be able to forge to the other world. Without it, this project would be impossible.
"It's the last one, huh?" Amy asked, joining them, her gaze softening as she looked at Tails's invention.
"Yeah," Tails replied, determination shining in his eyes. "But it's worth it if it means we can reach them again."
Sonic gave him a pat on the back, a rare moment of quiet support. "You'll get there, Tails. If anyone can figure it out, it's you."
As they stood there, Amy leaned against Sonic, her gaze drifting toward the sky. "I wonder what Knuckles is doing up there." She looked up at Angel Island, barely visible as it floated high above them. Knuckles had been guarding the Master Emerald, as always, keeping a vigilant watch. It was a role he had chosen and one he took more seriously than any of them.
Sonic shrugged, leaning back on his hands. "Probably still acting like a grumpy babysitter for that emerald. Some things never change."
They laughed, the sound light and carefree in the stillness of the afternoon. For the first time since the war, it felt like they had a moment to breathe. But that peace was short-lived.
A sudden gust of wind whipped through the group, followed by a series of metallic boomerangs slamming into the ground. Sonic was knocked off his feet, Amy fell backward, and Tails ducked just in time.
"What the—?" Sonic scrambled to his feet, his eyes narrowing.
A streak of red and grey zipped past them again, moving so fast that it was barely visible. Sonic's heart raced. It wasn't just any enemy—it was Quick Man, one of the Enhanced Robot Masters.
"Guys, get ready!" Sonic called, bracing himself as the blur circled them.
Amy stood up, confused. "What is that thing?"
"That," Sonic said, voice sharp, "is one of Dr. Wily's Robot Masters from Peach's world. And he's bad news. Robot Masters were dangerous enough, but Robotnik enhanced them, made them nearly indestructible."
Quick Man zoomed past them again, his boomerangs cutting through trees and kicking up dirt. Sonic took off at full speed, chasing after him. But Quick Man was fast—faster than anyone Sonic had ever faced.
As the chase began, Amy turned, only to find herself face-to-face with another threat—Skull Man. His skeletal frame gleamed in the sunlight, his shield raised.
"Great," Amy muttered, gripping her mallet. "I'll handle you."
She swung her mallet with all her strength, but Skull Man's shield reflected the impact, sending her sprawling backward. He pointed his arm cannon at her and fired; she barely avoided the shots. She tried to hit him from behind but was knocked off her feet by the shield again. She grunted, frustration building as she struggled to figure out a way through his defenses.
Meanwhile, Tails, eyes wide with shock, was processing everything. "But... the Robot Masters disappeared when Bowser's kingdom was teleported. How are they here?"
There was only one answer. Sonic skidded to a stop, his heart pounding. "Robotnik's back."
As if on cue, another figure appeared—Needle Man, his body bristling with spikes. Sonic barely managed to dodge a lethal strike, losing his footing as Needle Man lunged at him.
"Hold on!" Sonic shouted, eyes darting between his friends and the oncoming danger.
Before he could make another move, a shadow passed over them. Sonic glanced up, dread curling in his stomach. There, floating above them in his Egg-O-Matic, was Robotnik. His maniacal grin was as wide as ever, his eyes filled with twisted glee.
"Well, well, well," Robotnik sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. "If it isn't my favorite blue hedgehog."
Sonic's blood turned cold. "How are you back?"
Robotnik chuckled darkly. "Oh, Sonic. Nothing can keep a brilliant scientist like me down. You should know that by now."
But Sonic wasn't listening anymore. His eyes locked onto something behind Robotnik in the Egg-O-Matic—a flash of red fur. His heart dropped.
"Knuckles!" Sonic shouted, his voice thick with panic. There, slumped unconscious in Robotnik's machine, was Knuckles. "What did you do to him?!"
Robotnik's grin widened. "Knuckles will be the first of you to join my new army. I've unlocked powers you can't even begin to imagine. And soon, all of you will be part of my unstoppable force."
Sonic's mind raced, panic rising in his chest. He couldn't let this happen. Not Knuckles. Not his friend. His legs tensed, and without thinking, he dashed toward Robotnik, aiming for the Egg-O-Matic.
"Not if I can stop you!" Sonic yelled, slamming into the Egg-O-Matic, throwing it off balance. Robotnik spun wildly, clutching the controls to stabilize the machine.
Tails quickly took to the sky, grabbing hold of Knuckles and pulling him free. Relief washed over Sonic for a split second—he had saved Knuckles.
But then everything went wrong.
Robotnik's hand shot out, grabbing Tails by his tails and yanking him back. Tails let out a cry of pain, his grip on Knuckles slipping as Robotnik pulled him closer.
"No! Tails!" Sonic's heart pounded in his chest, desperation flooding his veins. He leaped toward Robotnik's machine again, but this time, Robotnik was ready. He swatted Sonic away with a vicious blow, sending him tumbling across the ground.
Tails struggled, his face twisted in pain. "Sonic!"
Robotnik's laughter echoed through the air. "You can't stop me, Sonic! I don't need you alive to turn you into my warriors. And now that I have the Master Emerald—and all the Chaos Emeralds—there's no escape."
Sonic's breath hitched as Robotnik revealed the glowing emeralds in his possession. And then, with a sinister grin, Robotnik pressed a button.
Above them, Angel Island exploded in a deafening roar. The ground shook violently as massive chunks of debris plummeted, tearing through the sky like meteors. Fire and smoke billowed in all directions, casting an eerie glow over the once-peaceful landscape.
Sonic's chest tightened as he watched the destruction unfold around them. Fires spread across the hills, and the once-lush landscape was rapidly transforming into chaos and ruin. Knuckles lay unconscious, Tails was in Robotnik's grasp, Angel Island was crashing down, and Green Hill Zone… their home… was being torn apart right before his eyes.
For the first time, Sonic felt himself freeze. His mind struggled to process it all, his legs rooted to the ground as his breath caught. This was too much. The sight of his friends in danger, his home falling to ruin—it was as if the world he knew was unraveling, and he couldn't move.
"Sonic!" Amy's voice cut through the haze, her hand slipping into his, squeezing tightly. "Sonic, we can't stay here," she pleaded, desperation thick in her voice. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she looked around, but her grip on his hand was firm. "Please, we have to go! There's nothing left we can do here… not yet."
Her words pulled him back, and he blinked, the weight of the moment crashing over him. He gave her a shaky nod as she pulled him along, her eyes filled with urgency as they stumbled toward the portal, debris from Angel Island crashing down around them.
Amy grabbed Knuckles, dragging his unconscious form toward the portal as more debris from Angel Island rained down around them. Sonic, barely able to process what was happening, stared at the devastation heading toward them. Green Hill Zone, their home, was about to be leveled by the falling debris, but his eyes remained focused on Tails.
Amy grabbed hold of him, pulling him with her as they stumbled toward the portal. As they tumbled through, Amy managed to catch one of the Chaos Emeralds in her hand. But the powerful energy of the emeralds began to destabilize the portal, causing the remaining emeralds to scatter to unknown locations across wherever the portal was taking them.
The last thing Sonic saw before everything went dark was Tails, reaching out toward him, his face twisted in pain and desperation.
The portal spit them out and Sonic hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. He blinked, trying to catch his breath, trying to process everything that had just happened. Angel Island... Knuckles... Tails.
"Tails..." Sonic whispered, his voice weak, his heart pounding in his chest. He tried to stand, but his legs felt like they were made of lead. "Tails..."
Amy's voice broke through the haze. "Sonic? Sonic, where are we?"
Sonic lifted his head, his breath still shallow. The night air was cool, the stars above twinkling faintly. And in the distance, bathed in the soft light of the moon, stood a familiar structure.
Peach's castle.