Sonic the Hedgehog

Unfair

Despite the ever-growing anxiety inside of the young two-tailed fox, he still can't help but marvel at the endless wonder of the island below him. Sonic looks as if he's going to die if his feet don't soon hit the ground of what is completely uncharted land. Something he demonstrates when he jumps off of the Torando as it deploys its landing gear. He lands safely in the middle of a luscious green forest that Mobius's beautiful environment can't begin to hold a candle to. Butterflies, bees, curious squirrels, and other types of wildlife move all around the stunned hedgehog as he breathes in the fresh air of his surroundings.

Tails also takes in the stunning scenery as the Tornado comes to a slow halt. With his second successful landing in a row, he hops out of the plane and takes a breath of relief. Being the curious child he was, Tails always found himself wondering what mysteries an uncertain place like Mobius might contain. New areas and land being unearthed or discovered are fairly common. The young boy had always hoped HE could maybe uncover something one day. Perhaps even with technology of his own making. While certainly not the set of circumstances he envisioned, the fact he and Sonic are standing here right now feels too surreal.

If we weren't on such an important mission, this would be the best day of my life. Tails thinks with certainty. That reminds me...

As he nears Sonic, Tails takes a look at Miles Electric and his eyes flash with sudden surprise. Something Sonic catches.

"Is the energy source still here?" he asks.

"Yeah-"

"Good!" Sonic says. "Point me in the right direction and let's get running."

"But Sonic, Miles Electric isn't just picking up the energy source!" Tails says, catching Sonic's immediate attention. "There are multiple energy readings that are approaching our location... and they're right on top of us!"

"Oh boy," Sonic says before he and Tails look up and catch a sight of something that brings them five years back.

A SWATbot unit comprised of five metallic warriors who each hover over the pair with built-in jet-packs. In each of the SWATbots' cold, shiny, lifeless hands are Egg Guns. Built-in, automatic weaponry that recycles the energy fueling the robots into renewable lasers that can be shot out with speed that exceeds that of a normal GUN Rifle. The units appear to be slowly descending, likely taking the time to scan their opponents' physicality. Once that's complete, the duo knows very well that their speed will be a different story.

"Lay back, Tails," Sonic warns. "Things are about to get interesting..."

"Are you sure-?" Tails stops what he's saying immediately after being taken aback by Sonic's smile.

A wide, joyous smile that would more appropriately fit a kid in a candy store. A smile Tails should have known to be there.

"Just leave things to m-"

In what could only have been a fraction of a second, one of the SWATbots flies down and swings at Sonic with a punch capable of piercing through reinforced steel. The attack makes Tails stumble back into a pair of bushes. Sonic on the other hand just barely dodges the attack. At least, that's how it would look to those with a normal perception of time. From Sonic's perspective, he had dodged the SWATbot's attack way before it could have possibly made contact.

In quick retaliation, Sonic curls into a ball and spins while stationary, resulting in a glowing blue ball of pure momentum and destruction. The sound Sonic produces rivals the sound of a revving-up motorcycle. In a flash, Sonic shoots into the SWATbot and propels it into the air as he drills through its metallic torso, spewing oil and wires.

Once the two reach the height of the other four SWATbots, Sonic leaps off and grabs the head of the closest unit. With a quick TWIST, the SWATbot's head is 180 degrees away from the direction it's supposed to be facing, and after a swift YANK, it's now in Sonic's right hand as he begins falling down. Now in the air and under gravity's strict control, Sonic welcomes the remaining three robots' attacks at a time when he's most vulnerable.

The SWATbot that accepts this challenge opts for an efficient strategy. It aims its Egg Gun and fires a barrage of lasers.

About time I broke a sweat. Sonic thinks as he dodges the lasers in the middle of his free fall back to the ground.

"My turn!" Sonic teases as he winds up the arm that currently holds the SWATbot head.

After two miliseconds of speedy wind-up, Sonic launches the head at the combatant directly above him, which bursts through its central plating and shoots straight through its core.

Two left already? Sonic realizes as he lands on the ground.

The other two SWATbots begin a laser barrage of their own and rain down pockets of highly concentrated beams of energy that miss their speeding target by a hair. Sonic runs up a tree, and with only a millisecond to coordinate his jump, he leaps off the top of it backwards. The hedgehog soars through the lazer-filled air before his foot obliterates the head of one of the remaining two SWATbot units.

With only one left, and conveniently still right next to its now decimated partner, Sonic takes this opportunity to stick his tongue out at it. Then, while still in the air, he takes the Egg Gun of the offline SWATbot and jams its barrel against the barrel of the other unit's.

The resulting explosion is bright and red. The flames of such a disastrous event just barely graze the fur of Sonic's back as he falls once again to the ground. A collection of gears, bolts, and metal falls around him. During the five-second encounter, Tails barely got to witness any of the action as he rose from the bush. He spits out a leaf and gets to his feet as he slowly realizes that each of the SWATbots have disappeared as quickly as they arrived.

Sonic looks at his friend and grins.

"You okay, bud?" Sonic asks.

Tails is completely speechless. The sun above them shines down like a spotlight. The boy then smiles.

Why was I worried for a second? Tails thinks, smiling even wider.

"Not bad, warrior," a stranger's voice comments to the side of the two friends.

Sonic and Tails quickly and cautiously look in the direction of the voice and spot a red echidna eyeing them, his fists clenched.

"But now you're up against me."

...