The following is a work of fan fiction by Joshua D. Tarwater and is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.*
*SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS retains full rights over the Sonic the Hedgehog™ intellectual property and can terminate or take control of this work at any time.

~EPISODE OF NEW HISTORY 08~

         ★Sonic versus Eggman.

         Perhaps what Sonic is most known for is his heroics in stopping Eggman. For Sonic however that battle has been far longer and possessed of more clashes than anyone in the world could know. However, Sonic also has a selfishness that few recognize or understand. One that as of now has driven him to confront Eggman more so to satisfy his own ego and an obsession he himself has not realized he possesses. But can he be saved when he himself is typically the hero who saves everyone else? It is unlikely that Eggman cares as Sonic approaches.

Klaxons blaring
Missiles firing
Conveyer belts working and overgrown
Electrified floors and gravity warping chambers
Plant life ablaze
Natural lakes in mechanical world
Machines versus living stone
Determined blue streak racing through.

         The Death Egg had once marked the end of one of Sonic’s greatest adventures. It was as much a space station as it was a fortress bearing Eggman’s countenance. Now bobbing in the ocean and overgrown in great grasslands and forests, it was hard to imagine what it represented. Yet Sonic still stubbornly held to the idea of the threat Eggman posed as he dismantled its power reactors and raced across its surface and through its interiors. His stubbornness was not the only will to not surrender on the fallen space station however as Eggman’s machines fought back the encroaching overgrowth which itself refused to yield. It was likely neither side would yield until Eggman himself was bested, which was exactly Sonic’s plan.

         “Alright Eggman, with this many of these golems around it’s hard to think that even they haven’t recognized you as the big bad here.”

         Though Sonic aimed to walk into the cluster of golems comprised of mainly spheres and Anchor Man Ghosts, the golems were none to fond of him and he had to dodge their beam attacks and fists as he strolled out onto the impromptu pier.

         “You just couldn’t help yourself but to come and pay me a visit, could you Sonic!!”

         Eggman’s question boomed with mirthful annoyance from a mech that heavily resembled him as it ran out from behind the cover of tree and bent exterior frame of the space station. Not much larger than the floating pod he was known to ride in, the Eggmobile, the mech in question had spindly legs and large arms. Arms that ended in a hand holding a massive laser canon with the fingers of the other serving as multi-direction aiming gatling guns. The rain of bullets sent Sonic scrambling to get out of the way as a score or more of golems were reduced to dust regardless of the condition of the gems that powered them. However, the rush of blooming flowers of light that sprang up in the wake of the destruction clearly demonstrated the accuracy of Eggman.

         Still, Sonic cracked wise to get under Eggman’s skin.

         “You really should take up gardening, Eggman! Just look at how fast you get flowers to bloom!”

         “Really Sonic,” Eggman sighed and surprised Sonic as he piloted his mech to run away further down the ‘pier’ that was far more a new peninsula, with rockets accelerating the pace of the machine. “You wreck my beautiful creation. Drop it in the ocean even, and then you come to finish the job and you still try to mock me. Did I anger you that much in my pursuit of my rightful spot as ruler of this world?”

         “You’re really going to play innocent?” Sonic asked as he sprinted after Eggman’s mech and was caught off guard when it knelt and fired off its laser canon sending him and the Rings he carried flying.

         “Dah~ hahahahaha!!

         “Innocent? I have no idea what you’re talking about Sonic. You’ve been spouting nonsense since I confronted you earlier. Did you hit your head during reentry and scramble what little brains you already had?”

         “If my heads been scrambled, we both know whose fault it is,” Sonic countered as he collected his Rings and sprinted away from the attacks of incoming golems.

         “I appreciate the compliment and praise Sonic. Really, I do. But–”

         Leaping up and onto a giant girder, Eggman allowed his mech to open like a music box and leaned back as he kicked his feet up onto the controls. Looking down at Sonic, he donned a toothy grin to mock him.

         “–I really haven’t had the resources to try. As you can see–”

         Working the controls with his feet, Eggman piloted his mech to fill the air with missiles and machine gun fire. A rain of stone and seeds of light soon fell around Sonic, and he had to scurry out of the way.

         “–I’ve been tremendously busy with a different set of problems that have needed my attention. Mind, I’m more than glad to show you my conquest of this vegetive debacle unless you want me to finish you off first.

         “Dah~ hahahahaha!!”

         Rolling over in his seat, Eggman let his mech snap shut and it soon jumped down to assault Sonic with a barrage of gunfire, laser blasts, and missile volleys. Sonic could only dodge before Eggman retreated again further up the ‘pier’ to escape the growing army of golems.

         “You’re enjoying this too much, Eggman!”

         “Of course I am!! I needed a distraction to improve my mood and finishing you off once and for all is the best thing I could ask for!! Now just stay still and die rather than prattling on about my latest and greatest idea that even I haven’t thought of yet!!

         “Dah~ hahahahaha!!

         “You really expect me to buy that Eggman?” Sonic snapped as he raced after the mech. “How else can I explain losing the Chaos Emeralds and being back in time, not to mention whatever it is that’s happened to Amy!”

         “Amy?”

         Eggman’s question made Sonic’s heart skip a beat. He recognized that confusion as it was the same confusion Tails expressed that morning. As the sun dipped out from behind a cloud, he tightened his fist and threw himself through the knee of Eggman’s mech.

         “Gwuah~!!” Eggman screamed as his machine tumbled out to nearly the end of the impromptu ‘pier.’ Before he could recover though the top of his mech was spun clear off and he found himself grabbed by the collar. “My, aren’t we angrier than normal, Sonic…”

         “Don’t you dare tell me you don’t remember Amy,” Sonic shouted at Eggman, making the nervous grin Eggman wore fade away as his mustache drooped and his glasses slipped down his nose. He was obviously lost and despite the constant lies Eggman would tell, there was no hint of one in his eyes right now prompting Sonic to keep shouting. “You snagged her and used her as a hostage on Little Planet! Remember! You made me race Metal Sonic to save her.”

         “Another fine invention you made a mess of, but–”

         “A pink hedgehog girl, Eggman!”

         A moment of silence fell between the two adversaries and Sonic let go of Eggman and stumbled backwards off the mech. It was all but useless now and Eggman was effectively defenseless, but his curiosity was piqued, and he leaned over the edge to look at Sonic. There was a defeat there that he did not recognize, and it hurt his pride that it was not of his making. Clearing his throat, he attempted to cheer up his nemesis so that he could claim victory over him.

         “Perhaps Sonic you’ve been looking at this the wrong way,” Eggman began with an ever-widening grin. “You naturally recognized my genius as the source of your obvious defeat, but I lack the pleasure of having bested you myself. Something else has bested you. Something else has liberated you of the Chaos Emeralds. Something other than super genius scientist, Doctor Eggman has defeated Sonic the Hedgehog, and I’ll beat you again by besting you to the answer as to what. And to begin, I’ll start with a phenomenon that has been bothering me since you arrived with your wild accusation. A phenomenon I can hardly imagine ignoring despite it always being there!!”

         “What…?” Sonic asked as he stumbled backwards enough to see Eggman point to the sky behind his mech.

         As the sun lowered in the sky its light reflected off of a golden surface and Sonic had to shield his eyes. Walking past the bested mech, Sonic shifted the position of his hand and looked up into the clouds adorning the blue sky. His hand soon fell away as his mouth fell open and he took in a great Ring in the sky.

         Miles upon miles upon miles in diameter, it seemed impossible and must have been for it was but only a two-fifth fragment of a Ring. Yet it was made complete by a cogwheel of matching hue that turned through it and encircled a single point of Darkness just large enough for the eye to see. From it, arcs of electricity arced at the Ring of Memories, the greatest Ring forged by the unknown God of Rings.

         “Dah~ hahahahaha!!” Eggman’s laughter interrupted Sonic’s disbelief. Turning around he saw that the Eggmobile had already cleared the mech and Eggman was well out of his reach. “You’ve been entrenched in whatever dream you’ve been having you managed to forget about that Ring. A Ring I can’t fathom why I haven’t investigated once in my life. But that changes now Sonic!! You’ve given me a reason to humiliate you in a new way!!

         “Dah~ hahahahaha!!”

         With his laughter ringing out, Eggman took to the skies and abandoned the Death Egg to pursue a new venture. One with the Ring in the sky at its center. Sonic aimed to do the same.

         A new adventure awaited Sonic the Hedgehog, one that held the fate of his friends in limbo. Worse, he knew his time was limited as Eggman surely would waste no time in unraveling the mystery of the Sky Ring. From the cockpit of the Tornado, he stared deep into the heart of the Darkness encircled by the Ring and could not help but think of Amy reduced to a shadow that had almost become one with it. He needed to find her if he were to understand anything, and the Tornado left a fine stream of smoke in the sky as he set out.