- Chapter 41 -

The Good Future

Metallic Madness Zone

Robotnik returned to his base, passing Metal Sonic's remains on to the Badnik Army Repair Functionaries before turning to face the S.S.S.S.S. Squad.

"Let me guess," he began. "Sonic and his cohorts beat you all to the remaining Time Stones, didn't they?"

Decoe and Bocoe were both getting laser burns patched. Orbot and Cubot both just looked away sheepishly. Scratch, Coconuts, and Grounder looked like they'd been in a knock-out, drag-out. That was all the answer he needed. Robotnik pulsed with rage, turning purple, and the 6-S all tensed, expecting an outburst of deadly fury. Instead, Robotnik suddenly became calm, eerily pleasant, and let out a somewhat manic chuckle, which was somehow even scarier.

"I'm sorry," he said calmly. "This is the part where I'm supposed to be angry... full of rage... incensed beyond belief. Once again, Sonic has outsmarted and outspun my best henchmen. I should be rather upset, shouldn't I? To be honest, I can't recall a single moment where I was filled with as much seething, unbridled rage as I am now. But my heart is calm... like an ocean of darkness."

Everyone just began backing away, not daring to say a word. At that very moment, Robotnik, still with a smile on his face, launched into a furious rant.

"SONIC! YOU FILTHY, WORM-SUCKING RODENT! YOU'LL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED MY PATH! RUE IT, YOU HEAR?! PREPARE YOURSELF, YOU LITTLE BRAT! YOU'RE ON THE THRESHOLD OF HELL, AND I'M PUSHING YOU OVER IT!"

By this point, the 6-S had fled in terror. With that, Robotnik went over to the intercom, pressing a button.

"Snively, be so kind as to ready the Time Egg," he requested, still eerily calm. "Sonic and the Freedom Fighters will be here before long, and I'd like to meet them personally."

-X-

In his room, Snively heard Robotnik's voice, going pale at the wording.

"Oh no… He's lost it…"

-X-

Just outside, Sonic and his friends had made it to Robotnik's stronghold, a green, technologically-advanced factory flooded with Badniks. Every once in a while, they heard a turbine blowing, as well as stuff like buzzsaws popping out of the walls.

"I'll never understand Eggman's tastes," Sonic muttered.

"Just ask yourself what a scrap heap would look like, and there you go," Tails offered.

"You really think we can beat Eggman?" Amy asked. "He looked really angry before."

"Well, I've done it three times already," Sonic replied. "I'd say our chances are good."

As they approached the door, suddenly a massive mech burst out of the wall before them, stomping toward the Freedom Fighters. It was a massive, Robotnik-shaped robot, easily twice the size of the one from the Death Egg with a silver head and mustache. It seemed to pulsate with a strange power, and it almost immediately began attacking the Freedom Fighters. They immediately jumped back as they heard unsettling laughter from within.

"You're just in time, Sonic and friends," Robotnik remarked, dissonantly calm. "I needed to vent all the rage I'm feeling right now."

The bot brought its fist down, which Sonic darted to the side to dodge.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, hedgehog," Robotnik went on. "For your persistent insolence and repeated affronts toward me, the future emperor of Mobius, you will now reap THE SWIFT AND SEVERE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS!"

"Whoa…" Tails let out. "I don't think I've ever seen him this mad!"

"All this because of that stupid robot?" Sonic demanded, clearly not registering just how much danger he was in.

"Sonic!" Sally shrieked. "You're making it worse!"

Robotnik's eye twitched. "Oh, no. Metal Sonic was just the straw that broke the camel's back. And now I'm going to break your back!"

He brought his fists down, shouting the entire time. "I will erase your miserable life from history, Sonic! When I get through with you, you will have NEVER EXISTED! I won't leave a speck behind! I WILL ERASE YOU FROM THIS WORLD!"

"No way, Eggman!" Sonic shouted. "I beat you before, I'll do it again!"

"And one more thing…" Robotnik growled. "My name. Is! Ivo! ROBOTNIK!"

This time, the robot's fist connected solidly with Sonic's body, plowing him clean through a wall.

"SONIC!" the Freedom Fighters screamed in unison.

Amy, seeing her hero fall, felt something in her snap. She grabbed her warhammer, charging at the Time Egg.

"You're gonna pay for that!" she screamed, smashing the hammer into its leg and actually leaving a fair-sized dent. She pounded about three more times, then the hammer completely shattered. The bot's leg lifted up, and Amy jumped out of the way a split second before she could be crushed.

"Mother of Aurora…" Shortfuse gasped. "He's completely out of his goddamn mind!"

"I don't know if we can beat 'im," Bunnie let out. "He ain't actin' rational."

Sonic emerged from the rubble, clutching his shoulder as he rejoined his friends.

"I'm gonna feel that for about a week," he winced.

"You can't win this one, Sonic!" Robotnik ranted. "I've spent decades refining the Time Egg through the power of the stones! It's invincible!"

They took off running as he stomped after them.

"I've thought up the perfect revenge on you. After I've finished killing you, as slowly and brutally as possible, I'm going to rewind time. So I can do it again. And again! AND AGAIN!"

He laughed maniacally as he continued to pursue the Freedom Fighters.

"Wait…" Tails thought it over. "He spent decades perfecting it. Sonic! The Time Stones! Use them!"

"Of course!" Sonic realized. "We can't beat this thing in the here and now, but if I can smash it up in the past…"

He pulled the five stones from his pocket, looking at them and gritting his teeth before shoving them into his chest .On instinct, he threw his arms and head back.

"Chronos… CONTROL!" he screamed.

There was a blinding flash of light and everything began to twist and warp around him. Arcs of energy flickered off him, crackling before he was surrounded by an energy ball and vanished.

"Okay, he's gone back to the past," Sticks noted. "Now we just gotta survive long enough for him to trash it!"

"We can do this," Sally insisted. "We have to. For Sonic."

-X-

Sonic reappeared in the Metallic Madness Zone, which was still in a state of semi-construction. However, most of the machines and computers appeared intact and functional with a lavender hue. Building girders were strewn about the ceilings and floors in many areas, construction cones could be seen on the ground and the metal shone with a soft, light purple hue. What really caught his attention, however, was a construction site upon which the Time Egg was in development, slowly being put together.

"Just one chance. If that bot gets functional…" Sonic shook his head. "I'm not gonna let that happen."

Curling into a Spin Dash, Sonic began smashing everything in sight. Surprisingly, every time he did, it almost immediately turned to rust. He also left trails of grass in his wake, as if time itself was righting itself through him.

-X-

Back in the present day, Robotnik continued his rampage, only for all those present to be surprised when the Time Egg began to flicker and fade out like an image on a bad VHS tape. It was as if its very existence was in flux.

"What?!" Robotnik screamed. "No! No! NO! SONIC!"

"It's working!" Sally cried.

Robotnik charged at them, reeling the Time Egg back for one final punch, only for it to stop in its tracks before it reached the Freedom Fighters. The Time Egg vanished from existence, leaving Robotnik to fall to the ground just as Sonic reappeared.

"Just in time, am I right?" he quipped.

Robotnik slowly got to his feet, his shades having fallen off to expose his black-and-red eyes. He gritted his teeth, growling as he glared at Sonic with pure, unbridled hatred.

"Damn you…" he hissed. "Damn... YOU...!"

He charged right at Sonic in a rage, fists raised to rip him apart. "NOOOOOOOOO!"

Sonic sped out of the way, then came up behind him and kicked him on the back of the neck. Robotnik dropped to the ground as the world shifted and warped around them…

Mercia

Down on the ground, the Mercians watched as the Little Planet was surrounded by an image of Sonic's head in lights, reverting back to the grassy utopia it was supposed to be. Sparkles began to rain down around Never Lake, causing plants and flowers to immediately regrow around it.

"They did it!" Rob cheered.

Little Planet

The Freedom Fighters watched as the Little Planet shifted back. Robotnik slowly sat up, looking around before just letting out another chuckle.

"Defeated again…" he grumbled. "This just isn't fair… Maybe I should retire to a nice, big beach with a nice, big drink. And a woman with nice, big... bags of ice for my head…"

Amy used the handle of her hammer to knock him out once again.

"Sleep it off, Eggman," she told him before peeling the owl mask off his face. With that, they looked him over.

"So... did his big freak-out scare the pee out of the rest of you?" Tails asked. "Or was that just me?"

Sonic patted his shoulder. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't as pee-less as you, buddy."

"Yeah," Sally agreed. "That was… something."

Sonic gathered the Time Stones in his hands. " C'mon. Let's put these back where they belong and get Eggman off the Little Planet."

After stashing the Time Stones in a safe place, the Freedom Fighters handcuffed Robotnik and placed him on the Special as they departed the Little Planet. As they headed back for Mercia, Robotnik calmly stood up with a chuckle.

"These primitive cuffs are no match for my genius," he boasted.

Before anyone could stop him, he pulled his arms apart, snapping the chain and running over to the door, snagging a parachute.

"Eggman!" Sonic screamed.

"You've only won a temporary victory," Robotnik assured them with a grin. "You'll never be rid of me, Sonic. I'm the villain of your dreams. The shadow within your shadow. The tumor lurking in your soul. And this war between us won't stop until I kill you... or you kill me."

With that, he jumped out of the plane, deploying the chute as he called the Egg Mobile.

"No, damn it!" Sonic cursed. "We actually had him this time!"

"There'll be other opportunities," Sally assured.

"And next time, we'll use something stronger than handcuffs," Tails added.

Sonic took that in, sitting down and nodding.

"Call me crazy, but I'm actually kinda glad he gave us the slip," he confessed, getting odd looks. "Eggman's not entirely wrong, I'll admit that much. Without a villain, what's a hero for?"

"You'll always be a hero, Sonic," Sally told him. "You don't need some villain to be one."

"Yeah…" Sonic nodded. "You're right, Sal."

He looked at the chain still tethering the Little Planet to the mountain. "Just one last thing to do."

With that, Sonic jumped off the plane, curling into a Spin Dash and slicing through the chain with a precise hit. As he landed, he clapped his hands together.

"Problem solved. What's next?"

Rottingham

At Rottingham Castle, Amy knelt before Rob as Sonic as the others looked on.

"Amy Rose," Rob began, "what you did was reckless and foolhardy. You disobeyed your ruler by going off to Little Planet and nearly got yourself killed."

"I know…" Amy admitted solemnly.

"I must not allow such insolence to go unpunished, even for my beloved cousin," Rob went on. "Thus, I am sentencing you to community service… to be served with the Freedom Fighters."

Amy perked at that. "R-Really?"

"You will do everything they tell you to do, go where they want you to go, and until such time as they no longer require you. But, I am not without mercy, so I shall leave you with a parting gift."

He clapped his hands twice, and two attendants came out with a large chest. Amy opened it, and was awestruck at the sight of a large hammer with a cylinder-shaped red head with raised rectangular sections around the middle. The face disks were rather thick and had round edges. It also had a brown handle with a metal section where it met the head.

"This…" Amy began, "this is…"

"Indeed," Rob confirmed. "The Piko Piko Hammer. Heirloom of my mother's side of the family for generations."

Amy lifted the hammer out of the box.

"I expect you to wield it with honor, dear cousin," Rob went on.

Sonic leaned over to Sally. "Kinda cutesy name for a big war hammer, don't you think?"

Sally just shrugged.

Amy nodded. "Rob… I don't know what to say."

Rob just shrugged. "No one can argue that what you did was a reckless decision. Still, I can't deny you proved your mettle up there. Sonic and his friends wouldn't have gotten as far as they did or found the Time Stones without your guidance. So go. Be the hero you want to be, and return home a legend in your own right."

"I will," Amy promised.

Rob stood up, holding out his arms. Amy ran over, hugging him. Once they parted, she went over to Sonic and his group.

"Well Amy, you got your wish," Sonic noted. "Welcome to the Knothole Freedom Fighters."

Author's Note:

Thus, the Little Planet arc is complete. And I'm just gonna say it; Robotnik's villainous breakdown here managed to even freak me out, and I wrote it!

Just to clarify, though, he didn't go completely insane. He was just super-pissed. We all do crazy and irrational things when we're angry. Some more than others.

Anyway, the Time Egg is taken from Final Fever, an unused true final boss that was planned for Christian Whitehead's 2011 remaster of Sonic CD. Some aspects of it were re-used for Sonic Mania, like the interior design of the Titanic Monarch Zone and the Egg Reverie Zone boss fight.

Next chapter's a little breather, something light and fluffy after the insanity of this one.

Please R&R. Until next time!