Sonic the Hedgehog

Fate

It is almost impressive how quickly a once motionless, quiet city devolves into a spectacle of sheer chaos and destruction. All thanks to one hedgehog. He stands in the middle of the street, rows of buildings on either side of him. Gathered on both sides of the enclosed space are what have to be hundreds of infected Mobians- all of whom have their eyes set on one target. The initial chaos strike was released without thinking. Merely an impulsive release of the sentient weapon's immense anger. Everyone and everything caught in the blast should have been annihilated. While the old, unattended road stood no chance but to crack under the pressure of such fierce energy, none of the ZomBots appear injured. In fact, none of them appear remotely phased.

What did the Doctor do to these people?!

A yellow spear of energy is released from the tip of the black hedgehog's fingers. It meets its intended target: an infected Mobian goat who appears around thirty years of age. At least physically. The resulting blast creates a mini-explosion sending a shockwave that slides the ultimate weapon back a few yards. He shields his eyes from the rushing wind and lowers his arm to get a good look at the damage. He finds himself hoping the attack was fatal. Anything to release these tortured souls from their prison. No luck.

In the center of the Mobian is a large hole. So large in fact, a good portion of the view of ZomBots behind him can be seen through the perfect circle. There is no blood. No internal organs. Nothing. Just a clear, empty vessel, which is quickly shielded once the internal liquid metal solidifies back into its previous shape. The goat proceeds as if nothing happened.

They're not people anymore! Shadow realizes, disgusted. I wanted revenge. For Maria. But... she's not the only victim. I wanted this world to suffer for its past crimes. I wanted to deny them the peace they didn't deserve. But what about all of these people? What of their remaining friends? Families? Where is their peace? Why isn't anyone doing anything? Is the world this broken? Is this all there is?

It begins to dawn on the hedgehog that he doesn't have the time to ponder such questions. He's backed against an empty pharmaceutical clinic, with the horde of ZomBots only drawing nearer. The closet of the bunch is to his left, only several steps away. Just one touch and Eggman's curse will find a new victim.

"CHAOS BLAST!!!"

The greyed Mobian's distance is lengthened once he flies back into the crowd of approaching threats, knocking a few of them to the ground with him.

"CHAOS BLAST!"

Another tremendous shockwave keeps the right side of the restless crowd at bay, blasting about ten of the Zombots through the air. One of them- a Mobian raven who looks rather young, loses her head completely. Everything above her neck has disappeared. Once again, no internal fluids. It's as if someone swiped off the head of a clay figure. In the briefest of moments, the raven vaguely resembles that of a human girl. An all too familiar one. Shadow can't bring his follow-up chaos spear forward. He pauses, petrified, watching his best friend's head grow right back, completely unharmed.

***

"What a pointless display of strength," Metal Sonic comments, arms crossed, watching the cornered hedgehog below. He stays suspended in the air, his jet engine barely audible over the explosions. "Wasn't he briefed before the mission? He should know there's no way to harm a ZomBot. Such action is simply illogical by all accounts. I can't process not one motivation. Typical organics. They're as random as they are useless."

Intrigued, the metal hedgehog turns left, catching both E-123 Omega and Rouge flying in the direction of the emerald, still undetected by the horde below.

"Interesting. They seem to have abandoned their partner in favor of completing the mission. It could be cowardice... or perhaps loyalty to the Doctor. Either way, at least they're on task. The ultimate fool will be turned in no time. Can't say it's much of a loss. If he expects help, he is a bigger moron than I-"

A turbine engine. That's all Metal Sonic has to hear before every current thought evaporates. His head twists around. Entering the city, just a few meters away, is a red, personally crafted plane. On board is exactly who he expected. An arrogant echidna, a useless hedgehog, a wannabe boy wonder, and finally, standing front and center... is his mediocre double. His metallic fists tighten. Something momentarily distracts him- something internal his processor cannot even begin to grasp. Some sort of unfamiliar feeling- as if his metallic core is under some sort of straining pressure.

"There you are, my double," Metal Sonic mutters, ascending higher into the air. The robot's jet engines charge, producing a screeching, whirling noise. "You should have been dead a long time ago my insignificant copy. I've abided by the Doctor's words, but no longer. If I'm to prove I'm ultimately the real Sonic, I need to secure my long-overdue victory here and now. I can't lose to you. I won't. Prepare yourself my pitiful look-a-like, as it is time we both face our destiny."

...