- Chapter 36 -

Revenge of the Hedgehog

Death Egg

As Sonic ran into the main room of the Death Egg, he found himself surrounded by Badniks. An Egg Robo floated overhead, Robotnik speaking through it.

"Ever the persistent pest," the doctor spat. "The Death Egg is at full power thanks to the Master Emerald. There's nothing you can do to stop me this time."

"I brought this ship down once, I'll bring it down again!" Sonic vowed. "And this time, you won't walk away from the wreck!"

"One of us won't walk away, that's for certain," Robotnik assured. "I must admit, though, I'm almost sorry it'll end here, Sonic. If nothing else, you've been a most worthy adversary. But in any game, there are winners and there are losers."

"Nice of you to admit it, Eggman," Sonic shot back. "I always thought you were a loser too."

The Egg Robo's eyes narrowed at that.

"Time to put an end to this charade," the evil doctor vowed. "Badnik Horde, ATTACK!"

The Badniks all swarmed after Sonic. He began clashing with them frantically, kicking, punching, and spinning all the while. Using Spin Dashes and Homing Attacks, he smashed through every bot he saw. Once he saw an opening, he charged through them, smashing Badniks all the while until he reached the engine room, the Master Emerald plugged into it. Before he could do anything, a massive battle mech came crashing down from above. It resembled an Egg Robo, but was much bigger, large enough that Sonic could easily fit in his hand.

"It all ends here, old friend," Robotnik swore. "My Great EggRobo is symbiotically linked to the Death Egg's systems. Which means it's powered by the Master Emerald itself! Which means you're as good as dead!"

"No, it just means I'm gonna have to smash it a little harder!" Sonic retorted.

The Great EggRobo stomped after Sonic, swinging with its massive fists as he went on the run.

"I've got big plans, Sonic, and crushing you is at the top of my list!" Robotnik went on. "And after that, I'm going to take the Death Egg down to Mobius and pay a visit to Mobotropolis. My conquest will begin with replacing it and the Royal Hills Zone with a new one I like to call 'The Completely and Utterly Destroyed Zone!'"

"Over my dead body, Eggman!" Sonic shouted.

"That's the idea!" Robotnik tried to bring a metal fist down on Sonic. "And my name is Dr. Robotnik!"

Sonic dodged the fist, leaping up and smashing a finger.

"Oh, I don't know," he retorted. "I do find you rotten and much better scrambled!"

Robotnik howled, trying harder and harder as Sonic smashed more fingers.

"Think about this then, Sonic," he offered. "You defeat me, put an end to me once and for all... and what then? We define each other! Yin and yang, black and white, light and dark. Without me, you stop being a superhero, and go back to being a lowly, bored teen doing nothing but running around Green Hill and stuffing yourself with chili dogs until you pass out! I'm what makes you special!"

"That's where you're wrong, Eggman," Sonic shot back. "I was saving people long before you showed up, and I'll gladly give all this up if it means taking you down for good. Unlike you, I'm not in this for recognition, or glory, or power. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do!"

Sonic then charged at Robotnik, ramming right into the EggRobo. The fight continued, and before long, the Great EggRobo sparked before collapsing. A chain reaction occurred at that, the Death Egg beginning to spark and smoke. Robotnik leapt out, running to the Master Emerald and pressing a button under it, which dropped it and the floor down. Sonic looked down the hole to see a large blue destroyer-like spacecraft in a hangar below, into which Robotnik stashed the Master Emerald before boarding it.

"Enjoy your little victory, Sonic!" he mocked. "This time, you're the one who's going down with the ship!"

Sonic jumped into the tunnel, but was too late to stop the ship from launching.

"Damn!" the blue blur cursed.

However, he noticed a glow emit from within Robotnik's getaway mech…

Hidden Palace

Within the Hidden Palace, the seven Super Emeralds, still in their spots on their pedestals, began to glow as well. They began lifting off of their columns, smashing right through the crumbled ceiling and right through the Sky Sanctuary. They darted upwards, shooting towards the sky as they went straight towards the Death Egg…

Death Egg

They tore right through the metal, reaching Sonic and swirling around him.

"What the-?" Sonic managed. "The Super Emeralds? What are they doing here?"

Rather than ponder it any further, he looked to see Robotnik's ship rapidly escaping.

"Well, no use looking a gift horse in the mouth," he remarked as he focused. "If Chaos Emeralds make me Super, then what're these gonna make me?"

The Emeralds rapidly spun around him before phasing directly into his body. His spines began to spike up like they did when he went Super, but this felt different. His entire body was shimmering, unable to hold a truly solid form. He was a menagerie of colors all swirling in a single mass, solid golden eyes the only discernible feature. He turned down the direction Robotnik had gone and took off with a sonic boom, ripping the walls apart from the sheer force of his power. As he went, the Death Egg exploded, leaving nothing behind but space debris.

"Good riddance." he remarked. "Now that's one crisis down!"

He was a streak of multicolored light shooting across the sky, almost as blinding as the sun. He rapidly caught up with Robotnik and streaked past him, looping around and shooting right at him.

"What?!" Robotnik screamed.

"Game over, Eggman!" Sonic declared, completely decimating the machine.

As the blue machine fell, a larger mech resembling a cross between the Egg Robo and Death Egg Robot emerged from the outer shell, still carrying the Master Emerald.

"Every genius worth his salt always has a backup plan, Sonic!" Robotnik declared. "I'd love to see your new form run out and watch you explode in the vacuum of space, but I really must be going!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Sonic shouted, chasing after him.

As Robotnik gunned the engine, he took Sonic through an asteroid field, dodging and weaving around them. More than once, he actually kicked several asteroids at him in an attempt to slow him down. However, Sonic either avoided the asteroids or just plowed right through them. Eventually, with a powered up Spin Dash, he caught up, slicing off one of the mech's arms before plowing through its gut and straight down through its head. With a mighty explosion, the Egg Mobile was sent flying, a screaming Robotnik inside as it plummeted for Mobius. The Master Emerald began to fall as well, but Sonic was quick on the draw and caught it. As he descended with it in hand, his power ran out in mid-flight. Fortunately, the Tornado flew in, catching Sonic on the wings, and the Master Emerald with a grappling tether in the back.

"We gotta stop meeting like this, buddy," Sonic deadpanned.

Tails just laughed as they flew back to the Sky Sanctuary.

Master Emerald Shrine

Sometime later, Kat followed Knuckles, who was carrying the Master Emerald, back up the steps of the Master Emerald Shrine.

"Finally," he sighed. "It's back where it belongs."

He put it in its spot, and it immediately began to glow. After a moment, they felt a jolt, and Angel Island began to raise from the ocean and into the sky.

"Whoa…" Kat let out. "Is- is the island-?"

"Flying?" Knuckles offered. "Yeah."

They walked down the steps at that, seeing Sonic, Tails, and Relic standing in front of the Tornado discussing things.

"You really wanna stay here, Relic?" Sonic asked.

"Of course I do!" Relic declared. "This island is teeming with untold knowledge and treasures. I simply cannot abandon a search prematurely."

"Well, if you insist," Sonic decided.

"I don't see any problem with her staying," Knuckles replied. "So long as she steers clear of the Master Emerald."

"Of course," Relic assured. "I already know enough about it already."

"Good," Knuckles nodded.

Relic grabbed her stuff, then prepared to head back to work. "Thanks again for the lift!"

As she disappeared, Sonic turned to Knuckles.

"What happened to Robotnik?" Knuckles asked.

"Last I saw him, he was plummeting toward the planet in his Egg Mobile, going through reentry," Sonic replied, thinking for a minute. "He's most likely still alive, and plotting his next evil scheme as we speak."

"He's like a cockroach," Tails added.

"Still, what I wouldn't give to squash him," Knuckles growled.

"Maybe you can," Sonic mused. "I've seen what you can do. You've got some serious muscle. How'd you like to join the Freedom Fighters, Knuckles?"

Knuckles blinked, taking that in before shaking his head.

"I'm flattered, really. But I'm gonna have to say no," he told Sonic. "Angel Island and the Master Emerald need their Guardian. I can't just leave."

"I understand," Sonic answered. "Still, it'd be nice to have you. you're pretty tough in a fight."

He turned to Kat. "So, you ready to go?"

"Go?" Kat repeated.

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "The entire reason we came here was to find survivors. We found you. Now we can take you home."

"I'm sure we can find somewhere for you," Tails added. "A new family even."

Kat looked at the pair, then back at Knuckles, as if gauging his reaction.

"It's up to you," he said after a minute.

Kat took a breath, then stepped away from the plane.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to stay here," she decided. "There's nothing for me down there. Not anymore. But here… I have a friend."

Knuckles smiled at that, while Sonic just looked down, remembering his failure.

"If I'd just gotten here sooner, maybe things would've been different." he mused.

Kat put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.

"We can't change what's happened," she told him. "Besides, their deaths aren't your fault. Robotnik killed them, not you."

"He only pulled that off because I jumped ship without bothering to make sure there was anyone else on board," Sonic pointed out.

"But you came back," Kat reminded him. "You cared enough to come back."

She pulled him into a hug. "And for that, I can't thank you enough."

Sonic slowly returned the hug.

"Remember what Porker said, Sonic," Tails cut in. "Don't attack yourself for your mistakes in the past. That road leads to madness."

Sonic nodded at that, and after a minute, he and Kat parted.

"Well, the day's been saved, and the bad guy's been sent packing," Sonic remarked. "Tails, I'd say it's time for us to go home."

Tails nodded. "Let's."

The two hopped aboard the Tornado, Kat quickly remembering something.

"Hey Tails!" she shouted, tossing him his jacket. "Thanks for letting me borrow it!"

Tails reclaimed his jacket, shrugging it on and taking off.

"Don't be a stranger, Knuckles!" Sonic called as they went.

Knuckles and Kat waved them off.

"Just make sure next time you drop by, you don't bring a warship!" Knuckles shot back.

They both managed a chuckle, and before long, the Tornado disappeared over the horizon.

"So, looks like you're stuck with me," Kat said.

"Eh, whatever," Knuckles shrugged goodnaturedly. "Better than being alone."

The two smiled, then walked back up the stairs of the shrine arm in arm.

Robotropolis

Meanwhile, Snively and Grimer's escape pod had landed a few miles outside the city limits of Robotropolis. Since then, they had been trekking back to Citadel Robotnik, the gates of the city finally in view.

"I hope Dr. Robotnik got out okay," Grimer said aloud.

"We're lucky we made it out okay," Snively retorted. I doubt even my esteemed uncle could survive that."

Once they made it to the gates, they stopped short to see the Egg Mobile crashed out front.

"Is that…" Grimer began.

"Uncle!" Snively exclaimed.

"Doctor!" Grimer yelled.

They rushed over to the downed Egg Mobile, pulling Robotnik out.

"By Aurora, he's still alive!" Snively let out.

"Of course I'm alive," Robotnik spat, coughing before sitting up. "No thanks to you simpleminded simpletons. Where have you been?!"

"We took the last escape pod before the Death Egg went down," Snively explained. "In retrospect, having Grimer launch every last one wasn't one of your better ideas, Uncle."

Robotnik glared at him. "Snively, it's only fair to warn you that now is not a good time for you to make me angry."

"Sir, what happened?" Grimer asked. "These wounds look… fresh."

"Sonic happened, that's what!" Robotnik snapped. "The Death Egg is nothing but space debris now because of him."

"So what now, Uncle?" Snively asked.

"Now?!" Robotnik jumped to his feet. "Now I find a way to rid myself of that hedgehog once and for all!"

He threw open the gates, heading right back to the citadel with Snively and Grimer in tow.

"Hear me, Sonic!" he shouted to the sky. "I will enact scheme after scheme until my Robotnik Empire encompasses all of Mobius and I rule the world! Losing is not an option! And neither is giving up! I'LL BE BACK!"

Despite the circumstances, he found himself laughing evilly, already working out potential schemes for the next time.

Marble Garden

Meanwhile, in the Marble Garden, Relic and Fixit were continuing to overlook the Grand Conservatory, eventually coming across an old hangar-like room.

"Oh, didn't see this before," Relic mused. "Fixit, be a dear and get the door, please?"

"As you wish, Mistress,"

Fixit interfaced with the door, opening it. As they entered, Relic stopped short to see what was inside. A row of six golden robots were hanging from chains on the wall. They were vaguely Mobian shaped with long, black limbs and red bars for eyes. A few of them were partially dismantled while others were covered in dirt and rust.

"My word…" Relic managed before turning to her helper. "Come, Fixit. Knuckles needs to see this."

Knothole Village

The Tornado touched down on the airstrip of the FF HQ. Sally rushed to meet them, smiling brightly as both Sonic and Tails disembarked.

"Sonic! You're back!" she cheered. "Did you find any survivors? How many are there? We can scramble a rescue team to pick them all-"

"No need for a team," Sonic told her. "There was only one."

Sally went quiet, seeing his forlorn expression. Fearing the worst, she reached out for him.

"Sonic? What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, Sal. Right now... I need some sleep. It's been a long couple days."

He gently freed himself from her grip and walked away. Sally watched him, her mind still trying to process what was going on.

"Only one? Tails... what-?"

"He'll explain when he's ready," Tails interjected.

With that, he and Sally went back into the living room.

-X-

Sonic entered his room, the weight of his fatigue and exhaustion hitting him from the numerous battles on the island. He collapsed on his bed, not even bothering to take his clothes or shoes off, and was out cold within minutes.

Author's Note:

And with that, the Angel Island arc is concluded.

Next chapter will be a breather. Sonic and co. relaxing and all that, and a bit of fluff between him and Sally.

Please R&R. Until next time!