- Chapter 50 -

Wild Wild West

Mirage Saloon

Bunnie's group had taken a pit stop at a bar within the Mirage Saloon's local town. The bar was standard Wild West fare, complete with swivel stools, an ice cream parlor/bar, barrels, and someone playing a jaunty tune on a piano. Exhausted from looking for the Chaos Emerald, they were helping themselves to a root beer float.

"Ya'd think something like a Chaos Emerald wouldn't be so hard ta find," Bunnie muttered.

"If only." Shorty grumbled.

"Well, the locals haven't exactly been the most... helpful fellows," Antoine noted.

"I think they just keep staring at… well, you know," Mina shifted uncomfortably.

As if to prove her right, a drunk Mobian bull staggered up to them, putting an arm around Bunnie.

"Hey, girl…" he hiccupped. "Whaddaya saw we go out for a ride in the desert?"

"No," Bunnie calmly removed his hoof from her shoulders. "Now please go sweat on somebody else."

"Aw, c'mon, sweetie," the bull insisted. "I ain't gonna bite."

As he reached for her again, Bunnie grabbed him with her metal arm. The bull gasped in shock.

"When a lady says no, she means it." Bunnie said, deadly calm before letting him go.

"Y-you're one of them!" the bull exclaimed. "You're a freaking robot!"

He scrambled back, drunkenly running out of the bar. Bunnie sighed.

"And that's why even before I was roboticized, I made it a point to avoid Mirage Saloon." she said.

"Unfortunately, not all of us can scare them off with robotic limbs," Mina noted.

"Relax, Mina," Shortfuse assured. "If anyone lays a hand on you, I'll make sure they pull back a nub."

Suddenly, the door to the saloon was thrown open, and everyone tensed as three individuals, consisting of a weasel, a duck, and a polar bear, entered. The weasel had purple fur and blue eyes with a white muzzle and crooked tail. He was dressed in a brown fedora, a brown belt, brown gloves with metal plates, and brown and white boots, complete with a beige trench coat with brown chaps and a dark blue shirt underneath.

The duck had green feathers and blue eyes, and was wearing a black shirt and dark blue overalls with a red neckerchief, his shoes bearing an uncanny resemblance to Sonic's sneakers. The bear had yellow fur with a triangular patch of white fur on his chest and red eyes, towering over the others. In addition to a collared red shirt with rolled up sleeves, he wore a blue vest, dark blue pants, brown gloves, brown-toed red boots, a green scar, and a red beanie with holes to allow his ears to poke out. The four Freedom Fighters were instantly tense, getting bad vibes from the trio. Mina turned to Bunnie.

"You know anything about these guys?" she asked.

"Team Hooligan, a group of mercenaries for hire. They'll take any job for the right price," Bunnie pointed at each one in turn. "Bark the Polar Bear. Bean the Dynamite. And their ringleader, Nack the Weasel, alias Fang the Sniper."

"Somehow, I get the feeling they're not here for the root beer floats," Shortfuse noted.

Nack scanned the room, his eyes eventually falling on the foursome before he came over.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be part of the Freedom Fighters, would you?" he asked. "Know a guy named Sonic?"

"So what if we do?" Shortfuse retorted.

"It's our current job," Bean said. "A weirdo yellow robot with a magician motif put a hit out on them."

The four exchanged looks.

"That's gotta be one of the Heavies," Mina mused.

"Just what I was thinkin', sugar," Bunnie agreed.

"I'm terribly sorry my good fellows," Antoine began, "but I fear we are disinclined to offer our expertise in the matter."

Bark scratched his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"He said get lost!" Bunnie snapped. "We ain't helping ya!"

"Nice try," Nack scoffed. "The Magician already told us what you all look like."

He leveled a raygun at them. "Dead or alive, you're coming with us.

Shortfuse calmly jammed his finger in the barrel just as Nack fired. The gun exploded in Nack's hand as Shorty removed his finger, Mina blowing on it to cool the warm metal.

"Feeling lucky, punk?" Shortfuse taunted.

Bark punched him in the face. Shortfuse went flying into the wall, stunned but unhurt, while Bark shook out his battered knuckles.

"Okay, that caught me off-guard," Shortfuse admitted, standing up. "No one's been able to throw me that far."

He retaliated with a jet-boosted kick that sent Bark flying across the room, slamming into the piano and smashing it. That threw a match into the powder keg; a full-on bar brawl broke out. Patrons were smashing bottles over everyone's heads. Some were even grabbing stools to use as weapons. Bunnie let out a small cheer, punching a drunk from happiness.

"Been too long since I've been in a good bar fight!" she declared.

Mina suddenly darted across the room with surprising speed, barging one drunk aside with her shoulder. As Bean tried his luck, she grabbed him by the collar, punching him multiple times in the span of two seconds before knocking him on his back.

"You have super-speed, too?" Shortfuse let out. "How... why…"

"I'm not sure myself," Mina admitted. "Probably because mongooses are naturally fast. As for why I didn't tell you, you never asked."

She then sped to the side, avoiding a rather drunk and angry bull. "Olé!"

Sadly, she let her guard down at that. Bark clubbed her in the back of the head with one meaty paw before hoisting her over his shoulder.

"Put the girl down, buddy!" Shortfuse shouted, aiming his laser blaster.

Bark held Mina up, his hand closed around her head. "Just try it. I'll pop her head like a berry."

Shortfuse scowled, slowly lowering his arm. With that, Nack escaped, Bean and Bark in tow, lingering back just long enough to give an ultimatum.

"The Heavy Magician is waiting near the train station," he warned. "If you're not there by high noon, you'll never see the mongoose again!"

And with that, he was gone.

"Damn it!" Shortfuse cursed.

"Well, this is a fine mess," Antoine remarked.

A bar patron tried to smash a stool on Shorty, but it just shattered around him. Angrily, Shorty fired into the air.

"SHUT UP!" he screamed, the bar fight suddenly stopping. "I'm in a very bad mood like now. All of you, get back to your damned seats and keep nursing the bottles, or I'll shoot you all where you stand! Got it?!"

The bar was suddenly very calm and orderly.

"Was that really necessary?" Antoine asked.

"Our friend and comrade was just kidnapped by Nack and his goons," Shortfuse spat. "I don't care if it was necessary or not."

"Shorty, we'll get Mina back," Bunnie assured him. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

Shortfuse nodded. "If the Heavy and those goons want a fight, they've got one."

"Indeed they do, mon ami," Antoine agreed. "Bunnie, where is the train station those mannerless miscreants want to meet us?"

"Just outside the town," Bunnie replied. "Follow me."

Just outside the train station itself, the Heavy Magician loomed overhead with Team Hooligan by her side, Mina tied to the railroad tracks.

"Really?" Mina said flatly. "You're going with the old 'tie up the damsel and leave her on the railway' routine? That went out of style with the silent movies."

"Shut up!" the Magician snapped. "It's dramatic, and I'm a sucker for the classics."

"Sucker's a good word for you," Mina retorted. "You know the Freedom Fighters are going to kick your butt."

"Watch your tongue, girl," the Magician warned. "I am the Heavy Magician! Mechanical Mistress of the Magic Arts!"

"Wait, you're a girl?" Mina asked. "Seriously?"

Team Hooligan shared a few snickers. The Magician scowled, before snickering as a train whistle sounded in the distance.

"Ah, the ten o'clock train," she noted. "Right on schedule."

"You want me to beg?" Mina demanded. "Scream for you to let me go? Not gonna happen!"

"I'll admit that's half the fun," the Magician replied. "But I've got some real fighters to deal with."

Shortfuse and Bunnie flew in, Antoine clinging to Bunnie as they went. As they arrived at the train station, a yellow top hat spun into existence before them, the Magician popping out of it.

"Hello, Freedom Fighters!" she declared. "Are you ready for the greatest magic show you'll ever see?"

"Where's Mina?!" Shortfuse demanded.

"Ugh... no sense of showmanship," the Magician sighed. "I'm afraid she's a little tied up at the moment, but don't fret- I have a feeling we'll be running into her shortly."

Her wording made all three of the Freedom Fighters freeze.

"No…" Bunnie gasped. "You didn't…"

"You tied her to the railroad?!" Antoine screamed.

"Yes," the Magician chuckled darkly. "It's simple, inexpensive, personal and deadly, but it gives you a little hope - maybe you'll escape."

"I'll find Mina," Shortfuse decided. "You two deal with the Heavy."

His rockets kicked on and he shot towards the tracks.

"Well, shall we?" the Magician tugged her hat back over her body, coming out as a duplicate of Antoine complete with sword. Antoine drew his own sword.

"En garde!" he declared.

The two clashed, crossing blades…

-X-

Meanwhile, Shortfuse managed to find Mina. By this point, she'd closed her eyes and braced herself, waiting for the end. With the train getting ever closer, Shortfuse stood right on the tracks, planting his feet hard before throwing his arms out as he stared the incoming locomotive down.

"Come on…" he dared. "COME ON!"

The horn rang out, then the conductor jumped ship, just as it plowed right into Shortfuse. The engine buckled around him, pushing him back as it began slowing down. Shortfuse even used his booster rockets to slow the train. It was only when the train was mere inches from running over Mina that Shorty managed to stop it. She cracked an eye open, seeing the Cybernik pulling himself out of the train's engine. He dusted himself off before cutting Mina's ropes, helping her up.

"You alright?" he asked, only to get a relieved hug.

"Thanks, Shorty," she said gratefully.

Shortfuse patted her back. "We're friends. Comrades-in-arms. You'd do the same for me."

"In a heartbeat," Mina pulled away before looking at the train. "We should make sure nobody was on this thing."

Shortfuse winced. "I... hadn't even thought of that."

They scrambled to do so.

-X-

In her duplicate Antoine form, the Magician was holding her own against Antoine reasonably well.

"If you think I will yield to a robotic replica, then you are sorely mistaken!" Antoine declared.

The Magician slashed, landing a shallow cut on Antoine's arm before he managed to get under her defenses with a stab, breaking the illusion. The Magician quickly jumped back, removing her hat before pulling a Caterkiller out. It rapidly increased in size before burrowing underground.

"Caterkiller!" Bunnie screamed. "An Uber one!"

"This could be a might tricky," Antoine confessed.

The Uber Caterkiller sprang out of the ground, lunging as Bunnie fired her arm cannon at it.

"I've got the Caterkiller!" she shouted. "You focus on the Magician!"

"Of course, mon cherie," Antoine assured before turning back to the Magician.

"Bold to assume that I won't have the last laugh," the Magician swore.

She pulled her hat back over herself, coming out as a duplicate of Bunnie. Antoine blinked at that.

"Now that's just in bad taste," he declared.

The Magician put on an innocent expression, mimicking Bunnie's accent as she spoke.

"Now, you wouldn't hurt lil' ole me? Would ya, sugar?"

Antoine seemed shocked, but scowled before slashing at the Magician, forcing her to jump back.

"What's the matter with you?!" She snapped in her normal voice. "You didn't even hesitate to attack a fellow Freedom Fighter, a FRIEND!"

"Because I'm well aware that you are not Bunnie," Antoine argued. "And you will pay for sullying her beauty with your distasteful charade!"

He came at her with the Spin Blade Ball Attack, forcing her on the defensive. As this went on, Bunnie faced off against the Uber Caterkiller, lashing out with a punch only to bounce off its underbelly. She backed off, seeing the glass dome on its head containing its brain circuitry.

"Okay, go for the head," she said to herself.

She waited until it charged at her, then she clicked her heels, activating her rockets. Jetting upward, Bunnie blasted fist-first through the Caterkiller's head. It began sparking and sputtering before it exploded piece by piece. The Magician saw that and turned.

"No!" she screamed.

Seizing the moment of distraction, Antoine plunged his blade into Magician's chest.

"Checkmate," he declared. "And good riddance."

He jerked the blade out, the sparking Magician falling. Bunnie landed, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Way to go, Antoine!" she declared.

"Same to you, mon cherie," Antoine replied.

"C'mon," Bunnie insisted. "Let's hope Shorty got to Mina before the train did."

-X-

Antoine and Bunnie hurried in the direction Shortfuse went, only to stop short when they saw the train's engine caved in.

"Mon dieu…" Antoine managed.

Mina and Shortfuse emerged from inside.

"Good," Shortfuse sighed. "No one was on board."

"Yeah," Mina agreed. "It wasn't a passenger train."

Antoine and Bunnie hurried over.

"Shorty, what did you do?" Bunnie asked.

"Let's just say when train meets Cybernik, the train loses." Shortfuse replied.

"And look what we found in the coal bin!" Mina showed them the blue Chaos Emerald.

"No wonder we couldn't find it," Antoine mused

"We're now one step closer to getting all the Emeralds we need to stop Eggman," Bunnie said.

"Sonic and Rotor have the ones on Angel Island covered," Mina recalled. "So I guess it's up to us to get the one at Oil Ocean."

"Then let's get moving," Shortfuse insisted.

With that, they headed off into the sunset. Unbeknownst to them, Team Hooligan was watching them go.

"So, what do we do now, Nack?" Bean asked.

Nack shrugged. "The Heavy Magician's down and out. Our contract with her has expired."

He turned in the opposite direction, gesturing for his gang.

"Come on boys, we're heading out."

They headed to a hoverbike with three side cars, boarding it and flying off.

Author's Note:

There we have it. Another victory for the Freedom Fighters.

Since I haven't adapted anything to do with Sonic Triple Trouble or Sonic the Fighters, Nack's debut and Bark & Bean's debut, respectively, I decided to make their official debut here. Rather than illusions the Heavy Magician whipped up, they're the real deal, hired by her to help kill the Freedom Fighters.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Heavy Magician - Rachel York (Circe in Justice League Unlimited)

* Bark - Josh Brolin (Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cable in Deadpool 2, young Agent K from Men in Black 3)

* Nack - Lex Lang (Captain Cold in Justice League Unlimited, Neo Cortex from Crash Bandicoot, Sanosuke Sagara from Rurouni Kenshin)

* Bean - Jeff Bergman (Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck in multiple Looney Tunes projects)

Next time, we go to Angel Island, where Rotor's group takes on Hydrocity, and Sonic's takes on Lava Reef.

Please R&R. Until next time!