Ah, welcome back, readers! It's been a bit. I've enjoyed being on break to be honest. Drew some art, made a lil Anju and Link comic, and have been brainstorming stories I didn't know I'd be writing! This chapter isn't quite an epilogue, though. Instead, it shows a previous battle between Shatterhand and a duo you might not be expecting. I do admit the pacing is rather fast, but I wanted to have this be just one bonus chapter and not two. Though now it means that this is the LONGEST chapter I've ever written. Anyways, thank you all for reading, and enjoy!
-Joost
Shattering the Stars
Bonus Chapter: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
The dirt had been tainted by gallons of oil, all spurting out of each machine that trudged through the grasslands in unity, all destroyed with ease. They were popped like balloons, but not by the usual blue perpetrator. Instead, they had been reduced to scrap by missile fire, lasers, and a magic that not even the greatest mind on the planet could recognize.
All the animals had gone away, hidden like it were winter despite the humid, sunny weather. Fear corroded the walls of every underground den, their residents trembling as they heard the distant booms of a siege happening on the surface. The soft soil around them had become coarse and dry, the grass singed and reeking of smoke and gasoline.
One animal, however, was on the surface. A creature often mistaken for a rodent and ran with a speed that was unseen among humans. From him came an aura so strong that it made all the animals in hiding want to come out just to witness him blaze by. They didn't dare take the risk, the fumes threatening to send them into coughing fits that their little lungs couldn't handle.
Cutting through the dense, smog-filled air like a knife, a blue blur sped across the hills, following the pipeline that led towards the Chemical Plant. Sonic the Hedgehog, holding the Phantom Ruby, had his heart set on delivering the artifact to Eggman, whom he had formed an alliance with against the one they called 'Shatterhand'.
"This thing better be worth all this trouble," Sonic thought annoyedly, ignoring the throbbing pain in his feet. It wasn't often when he got tired of running, but his legs hadn't stopped moving for almost two hours straight.
More and more metal appeared along the ground as Sonic crossed the territory of Green Hills and into Eggman's Chemical Plant. He always despised the machinery, but now, with no other safe haven, it was all he and his friends could call a 'base'.
Sonic's footing was completely steel, tubing surrounding him, pumping liquid to who knows where for who knows what. Taking two turns to the right, heading straight down sliding down a slope, he approached a large, iron door.
"Hey, Eggman, I'm back! Lemme in!" Sonic shouted, putting the Phantom Ruby under his armpit so that he could cup both hands around his mouth. After a couple of seconds with no response, the hedgehog lowered his eyelids and groaned.
"Ugh, 'Robotnik', I'm back. Let me in!" Sonic begrudgingly corrected himself. Finally, the door opened with a hiss, sliding to the right and allowing him entry. Scoffing, Sonic ran in, the natural outside light being quickly replaced by artificial light.
There were surprised murmurs coming from every direction as Sonic slowed his pace to a speedwalk. All the Badniks and fellow freedom fighters greeted him with similar friendliness. Normally it would feel strange, such kindness coming from Eggman's little robots, but they'd been allied for so long that now it was natural. A month can feel like a year if the stress is high enough.
Entering the communication's hub, Sonic took the path to Eggman's lab, knowing that's where he'd be. A few waves between friends were exchanged before Tails spotted him, flying into the air and across the room.
"Sonic, you're back!" exclaimed the fox, happy that his best friend returned safely. He was a little offput by the Phantom Ruby though, not expecting it to right there in Sonic's hands. "Eugh… So that's the thing we lost Shadow over?"
"Yeah…" Sonic hated the reminder. Shadow was the first one Eggman trusted to retrieve the ruby, just a week ago. However, after a few days, all that came back were his golden Limiter Rings, broken and dull. Nobody knew for sure, but it was likely he was defeated by Shatterhand. "But at least now we don't have to worry about that guy getting his gross little hands on this."
"True. Without this, there's no risk of him being able to bypass your Super form," Tails mused aloud, hesitantly taking the ruby into his hands to inspect it for a moment. He was still a bit uneasy around it when he gave it back to Sonic. "Robotnik's still in his workshop, or whatever he calls it."
"Hm… Still not really sure if I should just hand it over to him," Sonic mumbled, thinking about the many possible ways he could be betrayed. It had happened in the past, who's to say it wouldn't happen now?
"I don't see any other way to travel through dimensions to get help. Robotnik's been trying it for years," Tails reminded his friend.
"Meh… Alright, see 'ya later!" Sonic tried to instill a bit of hope in the mood that had already become so laden with dread. He and Tails smiled at each other as the former left, making his way to Eggman's 'sanctuary' as he called it.
The sanctuary itself was dimly lit, entrance blocked by a large, red door with Eggman's trademark emblem printed on it. Only a select few were allowed inside, one being Tails and another being Sonic, but for the hedgehog's case, it was rare. The facilities within Chemical Plant were crude according to the doctor, who had only set them up if his original headquarters in the blandly named Metropolis were compromised.
Sonic hated just how picky Eggman was with who was allowed inside his lab. Standing before the red door, he knocked a few times, waiting for it to open. Along the wall, a compartment opened, were a small camera scanned the hallway before glaring at the blue speedster. Sonic just held up the Phantom Ruby and waved it around. The camera made a mocking gesture, somehow being programmed to roll its eye before disappearing behind the compartment shutter.
The door slowly opened, letting the hall's light flood in, revealing Doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik, working on a large, platform-like machine while splitting his attention between it and his computer. Sweat beaded down his face and moistened his moustache, creating an unflattering image of the man with an IQ of exactly 300.
"You've really got to install a few more air vents in here, Eggman. This is just gross…" Sonic grumbled as he walked inside.
"It must be so tragic, forgetting basic information so fast. It's Robotnik, you little rat," the doctor snapped, wiping his brow as he typed a command into his computer without even needing to glance at the desktop. His fingers were large and bulky, yet they glided along the keyboard with amazing precision. Robotnik never made a single typo in his life, having memorized each key's location at the age of three.
"Not my fault you're an egghead," Sonic shrugged, chuckling at the soft growl Robotnik gave as a response. "Anyways, here, your stupid ruby, fresh off the presses."
Robotnik swiped the Phantom Ruby out of Sonic's hand in a flash, taking the time to examine the stone to make sure it was truly the genuine article. Unlike the many prototypes he tried to create during this whole debacle, the real ruby conjured an illusion of whatever was most desired by its holder. The doctor briefly saw something that made a chill ripple through his spine, so that was enough to convince him of the gem's legitimacy.
After experiencing the ruby's illusion, Robotnik's face became soft for a moment. Looking back at Sonic, he nodded and gave a quick, "Thank you," to the hedgehog before sitting down in his chair. Reaching across his desk, he grabbed several cords ending with suction cups. Placing them on opposite faces of the ruby, they began reading data.
Sonic knew that the Ruby showed its holders things. When he first touched it, he saw images of Mobius united, his friends all together. He didn't know what Eggman saw, but it must've meant a lot for him to go all soft for even a second. Sonic was a little surprised to be given a sincere gesture of gratitude from Eggman, but he didn't focus on it for too long, deciding to check out the contraption taking up a considerable amount of space in the room.
"So, this is what you've been working on all week? A stage?" The platform Sonic spoke greatly resembled something singers would perform on. There was a wide, circular design in the middle, lights surrounding it with exposed wires connecting to power cells on the back next to the wall.
Robotnik groaned, "It's not a stage, it's to contain a portal. You stand on it as the Phantom Ruby summons an entryway to another world," he explained. Waving one hand around as the other continued to type, he said, "The frame simply stabilizes the portal, because the gem's power is too sporadic to hold it for more than a few seconds."
"Where do you even plan on heading to?" Sonic asked, a bit curious.
"Well, it's a place with an animal similar to you. I figured, if you're so powerful, someone like you also harnessing the Emeralds' might be what we need to finish this… 'Shatterhand'," Robotnik hated saying that name. When first appearing on Mobius, the doctor thought of Shatterhand as nothing more than a new rival. But, as a third of his Badnik army were wiped out, it became horrifyingly clear that this man was something different.
"Hey, hey, if I'm gonna need to share the Chaos Emeralds with someone, I'll need time to trust them!" Sonic argued. He didn't need to literally hand over the emeralds to someone in order for them both to transform into a super state, but granting them such power wouldn't be something Sonic would just instantly decide. Even if he only had twenty minutes to choose, a stranger would have to show their worth.
Robotnik turned and gave Sonic a rude glare, "I know that! It's why I'm planning on sending you there as soon as possible! I'll only need an hour to finish writing this code so that my machine can handle the ruby," he explained with hurried words, more focused on his work than actually speaking about it. "Now leave me be, I need to concentrate!"
Sonic shook his head, ashamed that he was trusting the fate of Mobius with Eggman. Leaving the lab, he soon realized that he didn't have much to do now that his mission to bring the Phantom Ruby back was done and over with.
But there was something he remembered Tails telling him before he had left to go on said mission.
The two-tailed fox wasn't anywhere to be found in the communications hub once Sonic returned. Wandering around the station with no real purpose, he eventually bumped into Tails when going outside for some semi-fresh air. He was sitting on a ledge, head down, staring blankly at his glass tablet.
Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Discarding his previous intention to ask Tails about his research, he simply sat down on the ledge next to his friend.
"You alright?" Sonic finally asked after a good five minutes of silence, only the distant whirrs of machinery, goo running through tubes, and steam being expelled from various air vents providing any distraction.
"Not really… Just…" Tails couldn't find the words, fiddling with the edges of the screen in his hands. He never did finish his sentence, leaving it alone as a sigh came from his mouth. "This guy, Shatterhand," he suddenly said, "Have you ever thought that this might be someone we just… can't beat?"
That had been a question that Sonic definitely considered numerous times already. "C'mon, bud, what kind of talk is that?" he feigned confidence, thinking to himself in the meantime. Unlike Eggman's often short-lived plans for world domination, the Time of Awakening, or even Operation Big Wave, something about this ongoing war against the walking mystery that was Shatterhand brought a sense of… finality? Sonic didn't rightly understand why, but he could feel that the strings guiding his fate were tied to this man.
"I'm serious, Sonic," Tails reiterated himself, "Shatterhand isn't like the others. He's not here to conquer, he's here for… something else." His fingers rapped against his tablet anxiously.
"He's probably here for the Chaos Emeralds then," guessed Sonic, "What else would he want?"
"That's the thing! If he wanted the emeralds, wouldn't he have expressed that by now? It doesn't make sense why he's doing this when it doesn't seem to be any real motive. Is it just for fun?" Tails wondered aloud, not even realizing he was rambling. His eyes widened when he thought about that last possibility, feeling sick to his stomach. "Jeez, I hope it's not just for fun…"
"Whatever his reason, I'll beat it out of him once I get help from whoever Eggman is sending me to," Sonic assured, a cocky smirk forming along his muzzle. "By the way, I wanted to ask, did you and Eggman use the Phantom Ruby prototypes to find out who he is?"
"We-" Tail's stuttered, the question a surprise. "We did," he began, looking down at his tablet and dragging his finger along the surface, scrolling to the page of scans he and the doctor had made.
Sonic lit up, "Hey, that's great, right?"
"Y-Yeah, I had kinda hoped you had forgotten, because… what we found didn't help," Tails muttered meekly, lowering his head and letting the trio of bangs dangle in front of his eyes. He showed Sonic what he and Robotnik had found, "His name is Mike Jones…"
"Mike-" Sonic fumbled with his words, taken aback by the simplicity of Shatterhand's real name. "Mike Jones?" he repeated, peeking over at the tablet screen.
"Yep, I didn't believe it either," Tails admitted, "But look, the data we gathered from what's apparently his home dimension has this picture of him when he was young. It's him, right?"
On the screen was a teenage boy's face, lightly tanned, possibly from traveling, with bright, ginger hair swooping to his right. Compared to the fiend Sonic recognized, the face was indeed Shatterhand, only he looked far more innocent than the hedgehog ever expected. He even had the same pattern of freckles on his face. All that was missing was the moustache and that nightmarish grin.
"Mhm… That's him," he confirmed.
Dumbfounded, Sonic leaned back and thought to himself. If Shatterhand, or Mike Jones, seemed so unsettlingly normal in his youth, how did he attain such overwhelming power like that gauntlet? Or his ship?
But then, all the questions stopped once the two friends felt the faint rumblings of explosions, a few thundering booms sounding off behind them. Standing up, Sonic and Tails looked back, already able to see smoke rising behind the base, debris flying through the air.
"Speak of the Devil…" Sonic growled, rightly assuming that Shatterhand was here. He was about to speed off into the base to find Robotnik and go wherever he needed to, but was stopped by his friend for a moment.
"Wait, hang on," Tails handed the hedgehog the glass tablet, "Robotnik and I learned some more details, so whenever you can, read them over."
"Will do," Sonic grinned, taking the device. Again, he was just about to leave when this time, he stopped himself, "I promise I'll be back before you can say 'Full speed ahead'!"
With that, he was gone, disappearing behind the door and into the facility, leaving Tails by himself. "Full…" he mumbled, "Full speed ahead…"
Sonic negotiated the falling metal and searing fire of the base. How did Shatterhand already cause this much damage? Laser fire came towards him, being shot by someone or something out of view. They were easily dodged, though. Sonic was used to being shot at, hardly expecting anyone's aim to be good these days.
Skidding to a stop in front of that same red door, it opened for Sonic right away, urgency surging through Robotnik's veins as well. "Is it ready?!" he asked, seeing that the portal platform looked no different from what it had earlier.
"It's only been a little over half an hour!" Robotnik shouted, typing frantically. At first he thought an hour was a bit excessive, but the Phantom Ruby was proving hard to code for. "Gr… Just- Give me seven minutes! That's all I need!"
Sonic grumbled and turned away, peeking out the door to check for anything closing in. Nothing so far. He wouldn't resort to the Chaos Emeralds just yet, only if he actually ran into Shatterhand. Keeping himself near the area, he waited, his ears just as alert as his eyes. The crackles of fire were easy to drown out, the hedgehog having learned it years ago.
The first minute went by with nothing of note.
The second minute was also wrought with an eerie stillness. Frustrated, Sonic questioned how so much destruction could've been caused without any foes in sight.
The third minute was almost the same, until a flash of light appeared down the hallway, followed by laughter. Wasting no time, Sonic dashed down the corridor and heard a scream, but it was cut short right when he arrived. There, right across from him, stood a man dressed in grey and blue, hunched over a body. As he turned around, his star-shaped badge glimmered in the light coming from his weapons. Two scimitars grafted to his arms.
"You must be Sonic," the man said, his brown, wavy hair swinging down into a fringe on the right side of his head, concealing his right eye.
"Am I supposed to know who you are?" Sonic asked, trying to get a look at who was crumpled on the floor behind the man.
The man just chuckled, "Well, don't you see the rank insignia? You can call me 'Captain'."
"Yeah, right, well you better step aside before I-" Sonic was cut off by an arc of light shining from one of the Captain's weapons, aiming for his right hand. Thanks to his heightened senses, he managed to pull his arm back before he could discover what the beam of light was supposed to do.
Snarling, the Captain lunged at Sonic, determined to obtain a trophy present to his master.
Jumping up to avoid another slash of light, Sonic powered up in the air, rolling into a ball. Once he landed on the ground, he sped towards the Captain while in his ball form, ramming into the swordsman at full speed, sending him flying. Then, before the Captain could even hit the wall, the blue blur appeared behind him while in midair, delivering a swift kick.
"RAAGH!" the Captain let out a shriek as he was tossed around the room repeatedly, his time in the air easily enough for Sonic to run and meet him where he would've landed. "Hmpf! Let's see you outrun the speed of light, rat!" a smirk appeared on the Captain's face as he swung his left blade, a bright shimmer coming from it.
Right as Sonic was about to continue his volley, the Captain as the ball, he was blinded. Then, a thin yet lengthy slash appeared across his right arm, causing him to falter.
"HA! Your speed is useless! USELESS!"
Sonic rolled back up into a ball and took off, zooming across the room and making circles around the Captain in an attempt to confuse him. Enraged, the Captain swung his weapons, beams of light slicing the ground after each go. They were all too slow to keep up with Sonic, who was only buying time, having no intention on defeating this guy.
It'd only been two minutes, meaning there was thankfully just two more to go before Robotnik was ready with the portal. To keep the Captain busy, Sonic occasionally stopped and punched when in his opponent's blind spot.
Suddenly, a dark blob of energy struck the floor, sending both fighters flying in opposite directions. Sonic got some of his fur singed, while the Captain was reduced to an aching fool struggling to stand.
Eyes darting around, Sonic was about to ask what the big idea was, when his body shuddered involuntarily at the sound of a soft, chilling laugh. The only entrance to the room besides the hallway Sonic ran in through was blocked off by flames. Glancing at the fire, Sonic watched as a figure emerged, marching within the embers without problem. There was no mistaking that unruly smile.
"M-Master…" the Captain uttered, groveling on the floor as Shatterhand walked past him.
"Get up, leave us," Shatterhand ordered, stopping for a moment, "I'll handle this."
"Oh no…" Sonic muttered.
The Captain slowly stood up and departed, quickly dashing past the fire and leaving Shatterhand to deal with Sonic. Sonic, knowing that Robotnik only needed one more minute, decided not to even risk letting the Archfiend of Reality get close to the Chaos Emeralds, vanishing right as Shatterhand blinked.
"Hm… For once, a smart choice. Almost," Shatterhand snickered, following the trail of blood left by Sonic's wound, taking his time.
"Eggman!" Sonic called out, slamming his fist against the door. "Running out of time, c'mon, you better finish up," he spouted worriedly. The barrier opened, letting him in. Robotnik was almost done, the portal aglow with blinking lights as he removed the cords from the Phantom Ruby's faces.
"Put it in the socket, now!" Robotnik squawked as he handed Sonic the gem, pointing at the spot where the ruby would fit. Then, he slammed his fist down on the button that opened the door, now closing it and sealing it off. "That might net us a little more time," he said.
"Alright, alright!" Sonic's hands were surprisingly shaky as he place the Phantom Ruby into its socket, allowing the platform to whirr to life. A dozen more lights flickered on, a droning hum coming from the center of the machine.
The tech came to life with a jump, the Phantom Ruby glowing as its energy was directed through the wiring and controlled by the restraints of the Robotnik's coding. Just seconds after Sonic inserted the stone into place, a star-shaped portal opened up, wind coming from whatever was on the other side and swirling around the room. The lights within the room dimmed from the amount of power being redirected to the device, becoming overpowered by the glow of the tear in reality.
Sonic was about to cross when he stopped and turned to look at Robotnik. "Alright, I guess-" he didn't actually expect to leave so soon, "I guess I'll see ya later…"
"Yeah… No you won't…" Robotnik mumbled as Sonic entered the space between the realms, being whisked away into another world. Weightlessness overtook him while he swam through the dimensional soup, and he remained unsure if he would return to Mobius with an ally, not even knowing the name of whoever he was going to meet.
When there was a resounding boom against the door protecting Robotnik, he acted quickly. He took a wrench and started to bash the Phantom Ruby, hoping to destroy the gem before Shatterhand could get his hand on it. The door was no help against the Dark Matter gauntlet, as it went down after just three hits.
"Hello, Ivo," Shatterhand greeted, grinning from ear to ear.
Robotnik, to Shatterhand's surprise, shared the smile, hitting the Phantom Ruby one last time, causing it to explode. The blast was immense, enveloping the room in a hot pink mist, energy crackling before fading away.
When the smoke cleared, Shatterhand was alone. He cackled at Robotnik's effort, greatly amused.
"WAAAHHH!" Sonic hollered as he stood on the edge of reality for an instance. "Woah, oh no, AAAHHH!" he continued to scream, nausea and confusion wracking his brain until he found himself in a thorny brush, leaves crinkling and cushioning his impact.
"Ugh, ouch! Stupid thorns!" Sonic tumbled out of the foliage, his body covered in splinters, some threatening to lodge themselves inside the cut along his right arm. He didn't even register the scenery until he was finished slowly and methodically pulling out every thorn he could find. "Hate thorns, get stuck in my fur, sometimes make me sick, ugh," he grumbled, looking up, "Now, where'd you send me Eggman?"
Having touched down in the middle of a forest, Sonic smoked out its edge, standing before a valley that held a quaint little village about a mile away. It reminded him of South Island, only flatter and with a plethora of grassy rock formations, some with water running off their sides, dotting the land like spires. A heavenly breeze made each blade of grass dance in waves, rustling gently. Beautiful was how Sonic would've described it.
"Huh…" Sonic, forgetting about the pain in his arm and body, admired the new world, putting his hands on his hips and whispering to himself, "I'll admit it, Egghead, you picked a good one."
"Egghead!? Who you callin' an 'Egghead?' Better not be me, buddy!" came a thickly accented voice somewhere behind Sonic.
The hedgehog jumped almost twice his height at the startling new sound, "WHO IN THE-?!" he yelped, tripping on a conveniently placed branch and again falling to the ground. Picking his head up, Sonic saw a feline-esque face staring back at him, connected to a slim body that seemed to be appearing out of a hole in the ground. "Who the HECK are you?!"
"Afternoon to you as well-" said the figure sarcastically. Leaping out of the hole, the fellow revealed themselves to be some kind of cat, wearing a white tee branded with an orange exclamation mark, matching their unkempt fur. Oddly, they lacked pants. While Sonic didn't wear much besides shoes, why wear a shirt without going all the way? "Hmmmm…" they examined Sonic closely, hand on their chin and eyebrow raised, "You're not from around here, are ya?"
"N-No, not exactly," Sonic stated, standing up and dusting himself off. "Hey, wait! I asked you a question first! Who are you?"
"Man, you're feisty! The names' Bobcat… Bubsy Bobcat," they said, striking a pose and speaking dramatically, as if they were emulating something they heard from a movie.
Dread teased Sonic's nerves as he thought about the prospect of this person being the one Robotnik wanted him to meet. Something about this Bubsy screamed 'self-proclaimed hero' and 'idiot' at the same time. "I take it back, Eggman…" he softly groaned to himself, regretting the earlier compliment.
"Sonic," Sonic struggled to introduce himself, unable to shake fear of the possibility of needing to work together with this oaf. He held his arm out, wincing under his breath as his shoulder ached.
"Hmmm, Sonic, eh? Sounds a 'lil familiar," Bubsy leaned in after the handshake and pointed over yonder, "No matter, I bet you wanna head over to town and relax, right?"
"Not exactly," Sonic began, looking over at where the bobcat was pointing. "The thing is, I'm not on a pleasure trip, I'm uh…" He thought against explaining everything right away. Surely Bubsy would think Sonic insane if he just spouted out the whole reason he was here, so instead, the hedgehog elected to play it safe. "Y'know what, some relaxation sounds swell. Lead the way."
Sonic expected Bubsy to speed off down the slope and towards town, but he was shocked to have his hand taken and pulled downwards. Bubsy, smiling wide, dragged Sonic through the mysterious hole he had previously appeared from, falling through matter and into darkness.
"WOOOAAAHHH, WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Sonic bellowed, his voice echoing like he were in a cave.
"Where else? To town!" Bubsy cheered, falling with his hands clasped behind his head and legs crossed, as if he were reclining on a chair. "My hometown, to be exact! Called 'Berlyn', you'll love it!"
Moments later, Bubsy and Sonic were flung into the air and landed right in the middle of a bustling village. Their feet hit the ground with a thump, the bobcat striking another pose as Sonic staggered and toppled over, feeling sick to his stomach. It churned, first from the sensation of traveling dimensions, and then from the many unwilling somersaults he did while falling through the hole.
"What's wrong? Never been in a Portable Hole before?" Bubsy stood over Sonic, watching with confusion as the hedgehog clutched his abdomen, groaning. Bending over, he peeled the hole off the ground, revealing that it to be as thin as a placemat. Then, he put his arm through, pretending he were a magician with a bottomless hat.
Sonic carefully got to his feet, forcing the bile that was stuck in his throat back down. "N-Nope… Never heard of them," he mumbled, his arms feeling like jelly. A part of him wanted to be mystified by the reality-bending hole, but he was too preoccupied with regaining his balance.
Bubsy was stumped by the perplexing nature of this Sonic's sudden appearance. Very jumpy, face flushed with nervousness, and unresponsive to his jokes, Bubsy couldn't get a read on Sonic. He was in obvious pain, not only from his experience with the Portable Hole, but also because of the various bruises on his body and long gash on his arm. So, choosing to take things a bit more carefully, Bubsy grew serious.
"Hey, here," Bubsy put down the hole and went to help Sonic stand up fully. Taking the hedgehog's good arm, Bubsy put it over his shoulder, relieving some of the pressure on the blue hero's tired legs.
"Thanks…" Sonic said, disconcerted by the change in Bubsy's attitude.
"Heh, I might not be the wisest, but I can tell when someone's in a rough spot, bud," Bubsy explained, acknowledging Sonic's expression. "I'll lead ya to an inn, on me." He gestured over to a building two blocks down, a wide one with a red tile roof and wooden windows along the front.
"Yeah… Yeah that'd be sweet," Sonic huffed, forcing a smile. Some respect for Bubsy formed, though he didn't know if this would be a one-time instance of the bobcat casting his humor aside.
The two left for the inn, not many words being exchanged during the short journey. Bubsy took care of the finer details, but Sonic was granted a simple room, with a decently sized bed. The whole time, there was a veil of awkwardness between the two speedsters, not really knowing what to say. Bubsy didn't know why Sonic was here, and Sonic didn't know how to explain. Regardless, after getting his wounds tended to, Sonic passed out cold on the mattress, snoring rather loudly for a while.
The next day, Sonic greeted the morning before everyone else in town. He woke up right at dawn, resting against the windowsill of his room, watching the sun gradually rise over the mountainous horizon. This place, Berlyn, if he remembered what it was called, was cozy, somewhat like the early days of Mobius, before Robotnik's constant quests to conquer.
Reaching into his pocket, or what Tails called 'hammerspace', Sonic pulled out one of the Chaos Emeralds, the silver one, and holding it up so that a ray of sunshine made it glow vibrantly. The way light bent within the gem's facets always brought Sonic ease, even though he could do the same with any piece of glass or mineral. Seeing rainbow rays shoot out and paint the walls with color felt magical, despite what science was actually behind the phenomenon.
Then, a knock at the door made Sonic's fingers slip. He caught the emerald before it could fall, sighing as he put it away.
"Come on in!" Sonic shouted.
"Heeeyyyy, pal," it was Bubsy, opening the door and leaning on the frame. He had a ball of yarn in his hands, which he played with idly as he spoke. "Didn't think you'd be awake, but how ya feelin'?"
Sonic didn't think he and Bubsy were on the level of 'pals' yet, but he didn't want to be rude. "Better. No limp, as you can see," he demonstrated, walking around the room with ease. "Why're you here this early, though?"
"Well, first I wanted to check on you, and the inn requires me to be here since I'm payin' for the room," Bubsy explained, walking inside and lounging on the bed without Sonic's permission. The hedgehog just groaned under his breath, thinking it pointless to object. Was this how Robotnik felt dealing with him?
"Wait, you've been here all night?" Sonic asked, dumbfounded.
"Yep, never left," Bubsy's smile faded, annoyed by the inn's rules. He kept tossing his yarn up into the air and then catching it, purring slightly. "Chairs are pretty comfy though, so I ain't complainin'. You should try 'em out!" He sat up and pointed his thumb to the door, chuckling.
"Hm…" Sonic didn't really care about the chairs, turning his head to gaze out the window again.
Once again, there was a wall of silence between Sonic and Bubsy, just like yesterday. Fed up with such irritating nothingness, the bobcat got an idea. "Hey, wanna get somethin' to eat? It's early, so the food court is all ours!"
"Eh…" Sonic was about to pass on the offer, but his stomach rumbled slightly. It occurred to him that he couldn't even remember the last time he ate anything. "Sure, why not?"
Before Bubsy knew it, Sonic sped out of the room.
"Oh hohoho… So you ARE fast like me, awesome!" Bubsy smirked and leapt off the bed, speeding through the door and down the hallway after Sonic.
Taking two rights and then straight down, Sonic made it to the food court in less than two seconds. He saw it in passing the night prior, so he knew where it was. Bubsy was right behind him, his own speed impressive, but not really comparable to Sonic's. No matter, because the bobcat had an ability that Sonic didn't, but there wasn't really space to display it. He decided on showing off later, giggling softly.
"Ah, beautiful, beautiful food," Bubsy sighed, walking over to the pastry stand and grabbing a cinnamon roll, stuffing it in his mouth. He chewed only a little before swallowing, still savoring the taste of the icing. "Mmmf, feel free to pick whatever," he said, mouth half full and crumbs getting everywhere, "I'm still payin' for this!"
"Yeah, we've established that…" Sonic replied, rolling his eyes.
Secretly, Sonic was in the mood for a chili dog, but that was anything but a breakfast item, so one probably wasn't up for grabs. Instead, choosing to go basic for once, he picked out a random muffin and sat down at a nearby table. Peeling off the wrapper and taking a bite, he ate it absentmindedly. There were just hints of blueberry flavor.
Bubsy sat opposite Sonic, picking his legs up and crossing them on the table, tilting the chair back to subtly rock back and forth on its two hind legs. He enjoyed his sweet confection much more sloppily than his blue companion, but the silence again got on his nerves after a minute. Sonic's irresponsiveness was concerning, the hedgehog barely showing any enthusiasm for the food he was eating. Thinking about what to do, Bubsy then realized that he forgot to grab butter for his cinnamon roll. Finally, an idea sparked.
"Hey, y'know what? I think you and the Portable Holes got off to a bad start yesterday, so here," Bubsy reached down and, out of nowhere, retrieved two of the aforementioned holes. Closing one eye and bending his arm, he flung one hole across the room where it slapped and stuck against the wall just behind the table with the little butter packets. "Allow me to formally introduce you to them!"
Bubsy then tossed the other hole over to Sonic, landing before him on the table like a plate. "Stick your arm through, you'll see," he wore a smug grin.
"Stick my- Huh?" Sonic was confused.
"Just do it," Bubsy interrupted.
After putting his muffin down, Sonic carefully reached over to the hole, and reached, and reached some more, until he discovered that he was almost elbow deep. Next, he heard a dish clattering to the floor behind him. When he looked over, he saw his arm poking out of the other hole, having accidentally knocked over a plate.
"Wooaah…" Sonic exclaimed, watching as his arm moved around as if it were still in front of him.
"There we go! Now grab the butter for us! That muffin ought to taste better with some," Bubsy said, pointing over to the tray with the butter packets. Sonic, narrowing his eyes and moving his arm with precision, picked up a handful of butter and retreated back through the hole, reappearing out of the first. "See? Pretty rad, right?"
"Yeah…" Sonic remained astonished by the Portable Hole as he chucked a few of the butters over to Bubsy. "How does that work?"
"I dunno!" Bubsy just shrugged, picking up a knife and opening the butter, spreading it across the rest of his food before taking a large bite.
Sonic snorted at the answer, buttering up his muffin. He found he enjoyed it a lot more now, the flavor enhanced a bit, but maybe it was just the atmosphere around him and Bubsy finally cooling after so much unspoken tension. Once breakfast was done and over with, the pair went to leave the inn, genuine smiles donning their faces. However, Bubsy's expression was far more mischievous, and for a good reason. As soon as he and Sonic stepped outside the door to take in some fresh air, the bobcat raced forward and jumped, holding his arms out wide and somehow taking flight.
"Try and keep up now, pal!" Bubsy called out, taking repeated dives to gain speed as he glided through the air.
Sonic again was shocked, trying to discern any logical way Bubsy was now soaring around in the sky seemingly without any equipment. "Heh, you're on, 'pal'!" Sonic yelled confidently, curling into a ball and building up some speed. He blasted off into town, expertly steering himself around lampposts and the occasional pedestrian.
Surprisingly, when Bubsy saw that Sonic was keeping up with him fairly easily, he chuckled, having finally found someone worth competing against. So few folks here were as fast as the bobcat, so the glee he felt when racing with the blue blur was earnest. Swinging through the air and landing on a roof, Bubsy rolled down the incline and used the momentum to maneuver out of sight and catch his rival off guard.
"Watch out below!" Bubsy cried, tilting his body back down and dive-bombing at Sonic.
"AH!" Sonic ducked out of his ball-form to avoid a collision. Luckily, Bubsy didn't crash, swerving back up into the air with little speed left. Noticing he had an advantage to get ahead, Sonic spindashed away, leaving Bubsy behind. "Hah, try and catch me now! Ha! Haha… ha," his laughter died down once he figured out he didn't know where he was going. The race between him and Bubsy really didn't have a goal, they were just racing for the fun of it.
"What's up?" Bubsy touched back down on the ground gracefully, tilting his head.
"Nothing, it's just…" Sonic almost considered revealing a Chaos Emerald, but he chose against it at the last second, merely putting his hands behind himself casually. He glanced around, he and Bubsy standing in a field just on the outskirts of the village. "I think I like it here," he admitted.
"Hey, I'm glad you do!" Bubsy proclaimed, patting Sonic on the back, "I was a 'lil confused by ya at first, I'll be honest, but it was probably 'cause how shaken up you were yesterday. Now that you've gotten your mojo back, you fit right in!"
Sonic was touched by Bubsy's words. Truthfully, if he was visiting under vastly different circumstances, he would be enjoying his time in this realm far more. However, there was the looming threat that he didn't expect would find him, at least not yet. Taking a minute to think, Sonic didn't happen to see a cloud in the sky that was… different from the others. It drew closer to the ground, partially blocking out the sun. Only then did either speedster notice its peculiar appearance.
"Huh, that ain't normal…" Bubsy muttered, eyebrow raised, thinking that maybe the Woolies were invading again. If so, he could handle them, he had in the past effortlessly!
"No… Oh god, no, not now… How did-?!" Sonic couldn't believe the cruelty of fate, able to recognize that 'cloud'. He'd seen it before, it being a lazy imitation of nature. His blood ran cold at the horror, realizing that Shatterhand had found him.
Reentering town, Sonic and Bubsy stood worriedly at the sight of the ship casting its hulking shadow across the landscape, causing the clouds to scatter and a harsh breeze to rush through the valley. The trees rustled violently, some branches snapping at the sheer force of the wind.
"Alright, that's no Woolie ship! What is it?!" Bubsy had to shield his face from the air, it flowing so fast it made his eyes water.
"It's Shatterhand's dreadnaught…" Sonic answered, scowling, fists clenched.
Bubsy's personality fermented for an instant, tromping over in front of Sonic, placing his paw on the hedgehog's shoulder. Unlike before, his grip was tighter, his retractable claws slightly exposed. "What?" he asked, wearing a rare, serious glare. "Do you know who's up there? Is he dangerous?"
Knowing there was no other way to do this without owing Bubsy an explanation, Sonic relented. "Yes…" he said, looking down at his shoes. "He's dangerous, alright, and he's-" he had to bite his tongue, but then he released his worries, trying to speak with some sternness, "He's after these," Sonic revealed one of the Chaos Emeralds.
The glimmering sheen of the emerald was as mesmerizing to Bubsy as it was to Sonic, and the bobcat's face grew soft. "So… that's why you're here? Are you running from him? Who ARE you, really? I think I deserve to know," he argued, backing away from Sonic.
"I'm just looking to beat that guy," Sonic began, pointing angrily at the dreadnaught, "I was sent here in search of someone like me, to help me take Shatterhand down! I wasn't so sure about you at first, but we don't have any other choice! Will…" Sonic clutched the Chaos Emerald, "Will you help me?"
Bubsy glanced at the darkening sky, the sun completely obscured by the ship. Now the only light was the soft glow from the many lampposts around town, though the dreadnaught soon fixed that. A dozen or so searchlights on the bottom of the hull soon activated, shafts of light swaying from side to side, each inspecting the ground. It was like nightfall had quickly consumed the land and a vibrant, blinding claw dug its many fingers into the town, looking for something. There was only one question on Bubsy's mind: Would this Shatterhand destroy the town in order to get to Sonic?
"How do we do it?" Bubsy asked, turning to Sonic with a fierce determination in his eyes.
"I-" Sonic wasn't expecting the bobcat to agree, "Well, it depends. If he lets his goons loose on us, we just gotta fight them off best we can. But if he decides to take us on himself, we wear him out and finish him off with all seven of these," Sonic pulled out the other six emeralds, his hands barely able to hold them all.
"What are those, anyways?" Bubsy kinda had to ask at this point.
"Uh… The key to a power that should be handled carefully," Sonic explained, the emeralds clinking together. "Listen, if we can do this, we'll both harness these and take down Shatterhand together!"
"Okay, okay, but let's make sure we can-" Bubsy was abruptly cut off by a chilling hiss coming from the dreadnaught. Both he and Sonic looked up to see the sides of the hull opening, revealing a hangar. They almost expected to witness a legion of men emerge and descend towards them, ready for battle, but oddly, only one could be seen making the dive out of the hangar.
"Uh oh…" Sonic said, squinting in order to get a better look. As soon as he saw the black energy surging from the figure diving through the sky, his muscles tensed up. "I guess he's gonna take us on himself!"
Sonic was about to speed off to meet Shatterhand where he estimated he'd land, when Bubsy cried, "Wait!"
The blue blur stopped.
"I was going to say that you should round up all the villagers and get them out of here! You're faster on your feet, so you'd be best," Bubsy explained, showing true concern for the safety of the people living in Berlyn. He looked back up at what he presumed to be Shatterhand, still in his dive. "I'll distract him for a bit until you're done, alright?"
"You sure?" Sonic wasn't confident that Bubsy could hold his own for long enough against Shatterhand.
"Yeah, I got these," Bubsy cheekily whipped out a set of Portable Holes and a ball of yarn.
"Heh, alright then, good luck," Sonic again was about to leave, when he had an idea. "By the way," he said, catching Bubsy's ear. "His name is Mike Jones. No one else knows that besides us, and I don't think he'll like that fact."
Bubsy chuckled, already thinking of some ideas to taunt Shatterhand. Sharing a thumbs up, the two speedsters ran into town, breaking off from each other. One was going to meet with the Archfiend of Reality and buy time, while the other began heading around to every house to gather everyone he could find and evacuate them.
Shatterhand landed with a thundering boom, the sheer force of his impact creating a crater in the rough, dry dirt. Standing up straight, he tilted his neck left and then right, popping some of his joints and loosening his shoulders. Then he took in his surroundings, the searchlights of the dreadnaught giving most of the environment an orange glow. He was unimpressed.
"Hm… quaint," Shatterhand mumbled, the town reminding him of some of the villages he visited in his youth.
"Yeah, it's quaint," Bubsy's voice came from behind, surprising Shatterhand as he flipped around in confusion. There, the bobcat laid on a bench in a relaxed pose, legs crossed and a toothpick between his teeth. "But it's home. Sure does beat leaving in a floating, metal box," he declared calmly, sneering at Shatterhand.
"You…" Shatterhand inspected Bubsy curiously, "I never thought I'd encounter you like this. You're that bobcat, correct?"
"Yep. Name's Bubsy," Bubsy said, sitting up straight and spitting out his toothpick, "I'm just chillin', enjoying life. Made a new friend, too! He's real great."
Shatterhand scanned Bubsy up and down before turning away curtly. To him, the orange feline was of no threat to his plans, and simply wasn't worth the effort to eliminate. He hadn't even considered the idea of Bubsy being a challenge.
"But you, Mister Mike Jones," Bubsy pointed at his opponent. Upon hearing his real name be uttered, Shatterhand stopped dead in his tracks, startled. The reaction made a wide, cocky smirk appear on Bubsy's face as he continued, "I can tell you're a killer. If you hurt just one of the folks livin' here, you're getting these paws, bud!" Bubsy then stood up and perched himself on the back of the bench, bearing his claws.
Jones gave off a furious stare, a murderous glint in his wretched eye. How Bubsy knew of his identity was beyond him, but now, the idea of killing this fool was joyous. "Are you prepared to die?" Jones asked, his voice like gravel.
"Are you?" Bubsy answered the question with a question, his hands behind his back.
Jones said nothing, raising his gauntlet up and letting the darkness pour. It shot from the fingers and at Bubsy, striking the bench and releasing a dark cloud. When the smoke cleared, Bubsy was gone. "Expectingly simple," he scoffed, beginning to walk away.
"Nuh uh!" Bubsy's voice rang out, and suddenly, Jones was tripped, falling to the ground ungracefully. Bubsy had used one of the many Portable Holes planted around the site to escape the blast, peeking out of one just close enough to Jones' legs to tug at them.
Scrabbling to his feet, Jones eyed Bubsy incredulously. "WHAT THE-?" he screamed, as the bobcat proceeded to grab ahold of his boots and heave, lifting Jones off of the ground. With one big movement, Bubsy spun his foe around and flung him into the wall of a nearby building, slamming into planks wood and splitting them in half.
"Mikey, you have no idea what you've done! Ask Oinker P. Hammm and he'll tell ya, there's no fun to be had when Bubsy's mad!" Bubsy stated proudly, reaching over his shoulder and somehow revealing three balls of yarn. Wrapping each limp string around his right paw's digits, he put his arm back and launched the yarn at Jones, the balls unravelling. "Now take this!" he shouted as the lines of fabric reached and grabbed onto the fiends' limbs.
Jones thought it ridiculous to fight an opponent who used yarn as some sort of attack, but when he attempted to tear his way out of the string binding him, he was met with surprising resistance. This yarn was special, strong and flexible like rubber but still made of wool. Each string tightened around Jones' arms and legs, and Bubsy started to pull, dragging Jones across the dirt like a ragdoll.
"NO!" Jones bellowed, but it was no use.
Bubsy jumped onto a roof and used every ounce of strength he had to yank Jones into the air, over his head, and straight into the ground on the other side of the house. Dirt and grime scattered everywhere while the yarn released Jones, returning to its owner. Then, a Portable Hole was chucked onto the grass, Bubsy climbing out of it seconds later.
"Sonic might be done helping everyone out in a bit. Come on, Jonesy, I think he'll wanna word," Bubsy said coldly, the yarn once again going and wrapping itself around Jones' body.
Jones groaned as he felt himself be pulled across the ground like a sack of potatoes. He wriggled about, feeling like the greatest idiot in the universe for allowing this to happen. Flexing the Dark Matter gauntlet, he tried to turn and aim it at Bubsy, but he couldn't. "Gah! Stupid cat," he whispered, but then he felt the gauntlet's fingers brush up against one of the yarn strings holding him. Adjusting his shoulder, he realized he could grasp it with the device. "Heh, despite seeming clever, as it turns out, you are nonetheless stupid!"
Gripping the yarn, Jones charged up the gauntlet, sending a surge of power through the fabric. Even though the material was an insulator, being made out of wool, the dark energy had nowhere else to disperse, so it raced up and delivered a painful shock to Bubsy.
"YYEEEEEOOW!" Bubsy screamed, his whole body lighting up for a split second as it was tazed by darkness. He collapsed, some fur blackened and smoke rising from his body. Jones, in the meantime, managed to free himself, the yarn going slack due to Bubsy's distraction.
"FOOL!" Jones rushed towards Bubsy and grabbed the bobcat by the neck with his good hand.
"Ack! W-Wait!" Bubsy wheezed, already short of breath. All he needed was to swipe at Jones' hand to get loose, but he had little strength left.
Jones growled like an animal, holding his gauntlet up and angling the fingers threateningly. "Never… Never in my time searching for my old companions have I had someone not even RELATED to the matter try and stop me. You, my friend," Jones chuckled, "You have set a new standard." There, he powered up the gauntlet again.
Bubsy watched helplessly as he dangled in Jones' grasp, thinking this was the end. The Dark Matter seemed to be a painful but fast way to die. Then, a rush of wind caught the Archfiend's attention, and when a quick flash of blue ran by, he softened his grip by mistake.
"AAAH! Sonic!" Bubsy was able to get a full breath, and finally managed to claw at Jones' hand. Blood was drawn and the feline was released, tumbling to the ground while coughing up a storm. Without warning, he was scooped up and sat down over a dozen meters away, Sonic having gotten him out of range of the gauntlet.
"You alright?" Sonic asked.
"Ugh, yeah…" Bubsy pounded on his chest to fix his cough. After a bit of hair flew out of his mouth, he noticed the patches of singed fur along his arms. "Guy was fast to do a number on me. I thought I had him for a second there." Turning his head, Bubsy was shocked that Sonic was able to come to his aid so soon. "Thanks," he said.
"No problem, pal," Sonic replied, "Now, let's do this!"
When Sonic said the word 'pal', it immediately gave Bubsy a boost in spirit. The two wore matching smiles as they sped back towards Shatterhand to continue the fight. If they coordinated well and got Jones weak enough, they'd both be able to finish him off with the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic was always up to gamble a little, but here, he was determined to win big.
Jones wasn't left alone for long. He denied his instincts to chase, seeing that if Bubsy planned on taking him to Sonic, their biggest goal was to defeat him. If that was the case, he knew they'd come running back, so he waited. Taking a seat on a mound of dirt, he hunched himself over, fiddling with his nails. In just the blink of an eye, Sonic and Bubsy appeared across from him.
"I have to admit, I never thought you two would team up," Jones commented on the bizarre duo. He clicked the fingers of his gauntlet, flicking off some soot that had accumulated on the tips. Making eye contact with Sonic, a sadistic smile gleamed his lips, "Across the realms, after all the weird foes I've faced, very few have actually managed to put up a fight."
"Fate seems to favor the strange, at least in my eyes," Sonic replied, he and Bubsy taking defensive stances.
"Oh yes, indeed, it does," Jones said smugly, straightening his posture, "Once I fought a scruffy, blonde man in blue, using handcrafted weapons he picked up along his journeys. Another time, I had the displeasure of dispatching a washed up set of plumbers. They were ugly variants of people I am truly after!" He quickly stood up, holding both hands in a crazed manner, leaning back and howling with laughter.
"Guess that means we're special, eh?" Bubsy mused.
"Mhm… Let's show him just how special we are," Sonic had a brazen fury in his eyes, and it was accentuated by his next movements. He zigzagged towards the enemy, closing in and landing a swift punch to the jaw. Right after, Bubsy glided down and pounced on Jones' head, scratching the man's scalp a few times before sticking a three-point landing behind Shatterhand, growling.
Sonic, spindashing the fastest he ever had, crashed into Jones' chest at full speed. His quills partly shredded through the armor plating protecting the fiend's torso, and he aimed to get rid of each and every piece.
"Hold him down!" Sonic ordered. To his amazement, Bubsy was able to briskly follow orders, pulling out his yarn and using the strands to again keep Jones at bay. "Huh…" the hedgehog had an urge to laugh, not expecting that to be how Bubsy's yarn worked.
Without any more delay, Sonic then began to whirl around Shatterhand, creating an updraft, all while a blue aura trailed behind him. The Blue Tornado technique, as he called it, generated a vortex that sucked Jones into the air, unable to move thanks to the yarn constricting him. Normally, Sonic performed the move with his friends, so it wasn't as powerful as it could be, but it was enough to allow him to jump up and stomp downwards, curling up right as he hit Jones, spinning violently. He proceeded to slice through the rest of the armor, the yarn releasing Jones as he crashed back into the ground.
Performing a tactical roll in order to avoid any more incoming attacks, Jones dodged what would've been a brutal punch from Bubsy. He reached onto his belt and brandished his yo-yo, a tool that neither hero had seen in action yet. Outfitted with a metallic, serrated wire in place of normal string, Jones cast it at Sonic. He considered it a weapon now, since after the wire coiled around the hedgehog and constricted, skin was cut like tinfoil.
Bubsy, in retaliation, chucked a yarn ball at Jones, distracting him for a moment. Next, he threw one Portable Hole at Sonic, slapped another on the ground and dived in. Appearing beside his friend, Bubsy used a claw to cut the yo-yo, untying it. It slithered back to its owner in a flash, as if it were alive.
"Here, I've got an idea," Bubsy said, keeping an eye on Jones. He held up his two spare balls of yarn and whispered his plan to Sonic. With a new strategy, Sonic took the yarn and sped away, unraveling it to form a large barrier, the enemy standing right in the middle.
"Heh…" Jones was keen to notice what his foes were up to. Using what was left of his yo-yo, he watched Sonic's racing pattern, and eventually calculated where he'd be after a certain turn. Throwing the yo-yo, it stuck itself between two walls, right in Sonic's path, and it acted like a tripwire.
Sonic was nearly decapitated, as his neck would've been right in the way if he hadn't jumped at the last possible second. He still fell face first in the dirt, parts of his shoes ripped thanks to the wire, but enough yarn was tied up around the area that Bubsy's plan could still be seen to its climax. Scrambling to the closest part of the barrier, Sonic curled up and spindashed into it. The yarn acted like a rubber band, snapping back after too much resistance was built, launching Sonic like a cannon ball. He barreled at Jones with fantastic speed.
"GAH!" a grunt came from Jones as he stumbled backwards from the hit. Bubsy suddenly came in from behind and stomped on his head, gliding away when finished. Then, Sonic struck again, having done the same trick with the yarn barrier in another spot. An uppercut courtesy of Bubsy followed, knocking Jones down. The blue blur was just about to get one more hit when Shatterhand somehow got up and punched him with the gauntlet, forcing him out of his ball form. "Insignificant RODENT!" Jones roared, charging up with darkness.
Bubsy acted fast. Running in with a Portable Hole in hand, he leaped over and held it up right in front of Sonic's face, where Jones was aiming. The blast funneled through the opening and fired out of its connecting hole, which was around the place Jones had first landed in town. The stray shot flew into the air and hit one of the searchlights on the dreadnaught, glass raining down.
"What the-?!" Jones still didn't know how the holes worked, but he didn't forget about them, even when Bubsy moved away, allowing Sonic to land a punch straight to the nose.
"Ha! Way to step it up, Bubs!" Sonic commended Bubsy for the idea, even if it only partially worked. Jones seemed spent, a bit of blood trickling down his face and bruises on his cheeks. Holding a Chaos Emerald, Sonic outstretched his hand, "I think it's time we finish him."
On cue, the rest of the seven gems powered up, orbiting Sonic as he smiled. Bubsy, even while enamored by their majesty, held a bit of skepticism. "S-Sonic, I dunno…" he stuttered, "You said these things have to be used carefully, so I'm not sure I trust myself-"
"No, stop, shush," Sonic interrupted, "This might be our only chance. I know we've only known each other for like, a day, but I trust you. You're a little… quirky, but you've got what it takes."
Bubsy took a second, peeking over at Jones. He was still dazed.
"Alright," Bubsy said, putting his hand on the emerald Sonic held.
A bright, heavenly light enveloped Sonic and Bubsy, the Chaos Emeralds activating. Though the two didn't know it, Wave Energy sparked through their bodies, unlocking a passionate potential within them. One might've mistaken the light from the gems for the sun, so vivid and warm like godrays. It only lasted a couple of seconds, sadly, but when it dissipated, there floated Super Sonic and Super Bubsy. Their fur shimmered with power, shining like platinum yet colored a splendid gold, flowing in the wind as they levitated.
"Wooah-ho-hoo!" Bubsy exclaimed, looking at himself. The exclamation mark on his shirt was flashing through all the colors of the rainbow, something he didn't even know could happen.
"So, you're 'super heroes' now, hm?" Jones got his first glimpse of his opponents' new forms. Well, new for Bubsy, as Sonic had done this before. The mockery of their status as heroes didn't faze them, instead just making their resolve to defeat Shatterhand even stronger. "Finally, worthy opponents!"
"Worthy opponents? Nah, it's over, Mike. You're never getting your hand on the Chaos Emeralds now," Sonic smirked, clenching his fists. He was the first to attack, revving himself up and flying right at Jones, sparks bursting from his shoes "TERIAAA!" he cried out.
The last thing Sonic expected was to have his momentum screech to a halt, but when he saw that his was being stopped by Jones' gauntlet, the darkness acting like a shield. His eyes widened in confusion.
"Fool… Does it look like I need the Chaos Emeralds?" Jones snarled, pure, visceral wickedness in his voice. A knowing, vile grin etched itself across his face, and he licked his lips before cackling maniacally. He gestured to his gauntlet, asking, "Why would I ever want a couple of miscolored stones, when I have this?!"
Then the Dark Matter Gauntlet did something unprecedented. The black, oozing energy corroded the veil of light that normally surrounded Super Sonic, eating away at it slowly. Sonic's confusion morphed into unrelenting panic. The darkness could bypass his Super Form?! He didn't want to discover the extent of that, but he found that he couldn't pull back, as if the shadows were clutching him, latched on like a tick.
Meanwhile, Bubsy snapped himself out of his self-imposed trance. While he couldn't help but gawk at his newfound abilities, he was quick to help Sonic. "I got you, bud!" he shouted, charging at Jones and ramming into the fiend with his elbow. He didn't know his own strength with this form, because Jones flew like a bullet, breaking the darkness's hold on Super Sonic.
BOOM, Jones careened straight into a bench, demolishing it, kept going, and crashed into a vacant house. Colliding with one of its loadbearing beams, he plowed through it, causing the building to collapse. He was left with a few broken ribs, a sprained leg, and dirtied hair.
"What happened?!" Bubsy asked, helping Sonic dust himself off.
"He… W-We," Sonic couldn't form anything coherent, the shock of what he now knew too immense to stomach all at once. "We're not invincible…"
Sonic found it strange that, even though he didn't have any rings, he was able to stay in his super form. Perhaps the rules of this realm caused the emeralds to act differently. It didn't matter if that was the cause for the gauntlet's ability to affect him and presumably Bubsy in their transformed state. The fact it could at all meant trouble.
"It- It's fine," Sonic pivoted his attention back to Jones, who was just starting to recover from his injuries. "We've got to stop him, fast!" he shrieked, his soul swelling with frustration. In a blind rage, he took off, tackling Jones and flying high into the air.
"Wait, what's wro- Ugh, wait for me!" Bubsy flew after them, concerned as to why Sonic was so distraught now.
"Stupid to assume I can't fly either, rat!" Jones cracked, reaching down and charging his boots with Dark Matter. He gained a surprising amount of control, kicking Sonic in the chest to get him away. "You and I are far more evenly matched than you think! When I described you as 'worthy opponents', I truly meant it, because we all have power far beyond our own understandings!" Taking Sonic by the shoulders, he gave a devastating headbutt, following up with an upwards punch to the stomach via the gauntlet, sending the hedgehog into the hull of the dreadnaught above.
The ship rocked to the side slightly at the sharp dent Sonic's body created, sound reverberating through its metal like a gong. He was embed in the steel for a second, but couldn't free himself, Jones flying up and socking him.
"YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?! M̴̚Ư̶͌A̵͓͝Ä̷́Ạ̷͙̩́̒H̶AH̴̖̐AH̴̪́̄Á̴̔͊H̴̱̀A!" Jones howled with insane laughter, baring his teeth like a savage, deranged predator. He went in to throw another punch, but Sonic caught his fists, and they struggled for a second, both trying to overpower the other.
"Hey! Get your hands," Bubsy appeared behind Jones, grabbing his waist, "Off him!" He tore Jones off Sonic and kept him still, allowing for some teamwork.
As soon as he was free, Sonic delivered a flurry of blows, his arms moving so fast that they produced afterimages. Next, he took Jones by the feet and began to spin, twirling around wildly. Once he was satisfied with the speed he had, Sonic let go, flinging Shatterhand away.
"Uh, Sonic?!" Bubsy's voice was ridden with anxiety. "S-Sonic, help me!"
Turning to his companion, Sonic saw that the yo-yo wire had been tied around Bubsy's neck, and it was rapidly losing slack. When he was being held back, Jones secretly looped some of the remaining yo-yo cord there, anticipating some sort of attack that would send him flying. The throw resulted in Jones crashing into not one, but two of the ship's searchlights, consequently yanking Bubsy through the sky with him once the yo-yo's string strained.
Jones finally came to a stop, stabilizing himself in the air. Before Bubsy could, however, he flew forwards and caught the bobcat with his gauntlet. The fingers of the weapon tightened around Bubsy's chest, charging up. "I have you now!" Jones proclaimed.
The gauntlet surged with energy, eating away at Super Bubsy's golden glow and burning into his fur. It stunned the feline for the perfect amount of time, so Jones went in for the kill. Bubsy's body was promptly infected with darkness, making his skin go cold and stopping his heart instantly. All the fire faded from his eyes as Jones smiled, and he let go, letting the bobcat's body fall.
"Bubsy?!" Sonic yelled, flying down to catch his friend. He swooped further towards the ground, landing on a roof. "Hey, hey, come on, man," Sonic said, thinking Bubsy had just passed out. When he got nothing, he shook Bubsy by the shoulders, he shouted, "Dude, get up!"
Sonic couldn't believe it. There was nothing, no sign of life anywhere in Bubsy's corpse. His eyes were glazed over, glassy, pupils narrow. His mouth hung open just a bit, no breath coming out. There was no way. It was impossible. Did he really just get Bubsy killed? Denial and guilt overwhelmed the hedgehog, the loss feeling too sudden to be real. How? How did the gauntlet overpower the Chaos Emeralds? Why must there always be something that goes wrong? These questions and countless more invaded Sonic's head as he huffed, showing so little emotion on the outside that it made Jones giggle.
"I'll add him to the list of your friends I've slaughtered," Jones said while he hovered in the air, crossing his arms. He tilted his head, speaking tauntingly, "Your disbelief amuses me, Sonic, I must say… Today has not gone according to plan, has it?"
The golden glow of Sonic's fur dimmed just slightly, and slumped onto his knees, the will to fight diminishing. He kept his head down, unwilling to look Jones in the eye. Out of all the questions swirling in his head, one managed to reach the surface. "Why…?" Sonic asked.
"Why?" Jones repeated.
"Why are you doing this? If you… If you don't want the Chaos Emeralds, then why?!"
"You want to know why? Hmph…" Jones snorted, hovering back to keep his distance. He had full confidence that victory was assured for him, so he saw no reason not to finally discuss the reason why. "Fine, I'll enlighten you…"
"I was a hero like you," Jones began, pulling out his damaged yo-yo. He reminisced on his first journey, "I fought a beast named Zoda and saved my world," he said, "But one day, a blonde fellow came to me and invited me across the realms!" He held up his gauntlet, gazing between the fingers. "I accepted, and joined a league of heroes to protect these realms, and my god… it was glorious!" Reaching into his pocket, Jones pulled out a trinket. A weathered, rusty badge. "It was me, the blonde man, a pair of brothers, a blue robot, a spiky-haired swordsman," his face scrunched up with annoyance, "A pink ball, a military operative named 'Snake', and even you."
"What?" Sonic didn't understand what Jones meant.
"But then, one day, while we were surveying a ruined realm, something happened," Jones continued, ignoring the interruption, "I was betrayed, left to die in a decaying dimension, and deformed!" He removed his gauntlet, bestowing to Sonic the reason he was called 'Shatterhand'. "I spent… an eternity alone, wondering why I was abandoned. Then, almost by chance, I was freed, all thanks to a foolish, blue-robed magician who wanted to control the multiverse," Jones wanted to one day thank Magolor for unintentionally allowing all this to happen. He put the gauntlet back on, smiling, "After that, I discovered a way to travel the realms, and I came to realize that there were many versions of people across the realms. But most importantly, most tantalizingly, I found out that there were versions of that blonde man, the robot, the brothers, all of them."
Sonic was easily able to discern what the whole explanation meant. Horror crept down his spine and whispered the truth to him. "I get it…" he stammered, "So you've just been-"
"Yes," Jones, for the millionth time, smiled like a madman. "I've just been hunting down each and every version of my old friends until I find the ones that betrayed me. You, Sonic, are just another one off my list."
It was almost too much to take in at one moment. Sonic cowered over Bubsy's body, unsure of what to do. He wanted to unleash every sliver of anger and fury onto Jones, kill him right there, end his life without any more adversity. That's exactly what he attempted to do.
"HYYYYYYYYYYAAAAHH!" Sonic hollered, zooming up and lunging. He tackled Jones and the two flew through the air again, the hero resuming his barrage of punches, raw hatred flowing through each thrust of his fists. "I'll stop you, right here and now, Mike Jones," he declared between blows, gritting his teeth, "I won't give up until the end of me, you got that?! I'll avenge my friends, I'll avenge Bubsy, I'll avenge EVERYONE!"
Super Sonic's attack lasted some time, bursts of light flashing every time his fists made contact with Jones. He was able to block a few, but the hits that did make it through were painful, Sonic making sure to go for any possible weak points. Finally, all the light ceased when Jones caught one of the punches with the gauntlet.
"Your efforts are useless, you hear me?" Jones squeezed, sending a wave of darkness back and breaking Sonic's hand, "It's useless! Useless, useless, useless, useless, USELESS!"
The fight quickly turned around, the darkness used to crush Sonic's fist crawling up and corrupting his arm. Jones slammed the gauntlet directly into his opponent's muzzle, knocking out a single tooth. Then with his boots, he kicked Sonic in the face, ending it off with a hard jab to the stomach. He finished his assault by lifting the gauntlet up, charging it full of thick, murky shadows, and bashing it downwards. The hedgehog was sent plummeting like a meteor, creating a massive crater.
Dust clouds bordered everything in view for Sonic when he came to, the orange beams from the dreadnaught's spotlights barely able to break through. Sitting up slowly, Sonic's whole being ached, every muscle either strained or torn. Looking down at himself, he saw that his fur was back to its normal blue coloration, meaning that he was weakened enough to eject the Chaos Emeralds from his body when he crashed.
"No, no no no no," Sonic rummaged around, groping the dirt in hopes of finding the emeralds. He only needed to reach a few feet to grab one, all seven sitting on the ground around him. A bit of hope returned to his eyes, but it was swiftly stomped out when he realized that the emerald in his hand had lost its luster. "No…" he muttered again.
Suddenly, an earsplitting thud shook the earth, Shatterhand landing behind Sonic. Fright forced a yelp out of his mouth, and he rolled onto his back try and scoot away from his pursuer. Standing up tall, the Archfiend towered over Sonic, his eyes aglow with a piercing, intent stare.
The two opposing forces remained fixated on each other, silence hanging over them. Almost everything had been lost, the Phantom Ruby, Mobius, Bubsy, and the Chaos Emeralds, all that remained was the blue blur. He had put one hand up, yielding to Jones, but he knew, deep down, there would be no mercy. Oddly, he experienced a renewed fervor against Jones, feeling that even if this was where it all ended, his crusade to defeat Shatterhand wasn't quite done.
"Behold, Sonic," Jones lifted his gauntlet up one last time, "Oblivion."
The essence of Dark Matter became more potent than ever before as it amassed across the gauntlet's fingertips. Wisps of energy fired off wildly, and in a single, enormous blast, it was over. When the shadows faded and light returned to the crater, Sonic had completely and utterly vanished. Mike Jones stood alone, much like after Robotnik destroyed the Phantom Ruby. He was victorious.
Jones looked up into the air at his ship, bringing his left arm up and opening a holographic tablet. He tapped it once, lowered his arm, and let the fruits of his battle bring him to his knees. Panting heavily, he coughed up a bit of blood, peeling back his shirt to check the side of his torso. It was a deep purple.
"Hah… Hah…" Jones huffed over and over, not even acknowledging when a porthole on the dreadnaught's exterior opened up, casting a cylinder of light down onto the town.
From the light emerged the Captain. "Well done, sir," he congratulated, holding his hand out for his master to take.
"Thank you," Jones said as he grabbed onto his captain's hand, hoisting himself up. They walked slowly into the light, getting beamed back into the dreadnaught. Dozens of medical personnel were summoned to assist Shatterhand, even bringing in a stretcher. Lying down and letting them do their work, Jones and the captain remained side by side.
"We all kept a close eye on things, sir, as per request," the Captain reported.
"Good. I may have just slightly underestimated those two, particularly the cat, but it's of no matter," Jones mused as he was bandaged up. He wouldn't need long to recover, so he sat up to keep his professional demeanor intact. "Oh, I just remembered," he reached into his pocket, grabbing the severed wire of his yo-yo, "I think this may need an upgrade. Perhaps some of that liquid metal we have stored, it'd allow it to reconstruct itself if cut."
"Yes, sir, of course," the Captain took the yo-yo and handed it off to one of his specialists. "Now, that brings the question, what's next, sir?"
Jones was shaken up just a bit at the idea, having not even considered what their next objective would be. Reclining on the stretcher, he removed the gauntlet and folded his good hand and malformed hand together, sitting them on his chest while eyeing the ceiling. He stayed like that for some time, thinking to himself, all while the Captain simply waited for an answer, obedient as ever. There was no denying that Shatterhand's battle against Sonic and Bubsy was, in actuality, closer than either party had anticipated. This fact made Jones weary of going directly into battle again.
An idea soon sparked in Jones' mind, and he turned to the Captain, "Maybe we should approach things a little… differently," he said, "The next realm we were going to was a parallel Hyrule, correct?"
The Captain opened up his own tablet to check. "Yes, sir, it is," he confirmed.
"This recent fight has reminded me that I am, indeed, mortal," Jones explained, looking down at his bandages. "Now, I'm wondering if we eliminate our next target by more… careful means. Instead of engaging in combat from the get-go, we implant ourselves into their society."
"Hm?" the Captain didn't quite follow.
"I've always thought about what it'd be like to live as a Hylian, so maybe, we forge a name for ourselves and bring our target in to eliminate him when least expected."
"Ah, I understand," said the Captain, smiling.
"Begin preparations. Immediately. I shall join you tomorrow," Jones ordered.
"Yes, sir," the Captain left, and the dreadnaught soon disappeared from the sky, leaving the ruined town of Berlyn behind.