CHAPTER I
The Vacation
. . .
EGGMAN'S VOLCANIC LAIR
__________________________________
"Mom bot, please hurry! We're going to miss our reservation!" Eggman whined. The motherly bot stormed out of her bedroom, fuming at his impatience.
"Now, young man, is that any way to talk to your mother?" She scolded. Eggman chose not to argue, sighing in defeat.
"No, mom bot." He groaned. She resumed her packing once again, gathering extra tools for any surprising repairs she may need.
“Now where did I put those extra bolts?” She curiously searched the small room. Eggman muttered something under his breath, slowly turning his attention to his doppelganger from an alternate dimension.
"Steve, are you at least close to ready?" Eggman asked, growing more annoyed by the minute. You think that by building an entire mechanical family, they'd at least master the art of time management. After several minutes, the doppelganger finally stepped out from the doorway, sporting his usual blue lab coat. He noticed him hauling, not one, but two large, light blue suitcases; he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight.
“You know it's only three days, right?” Eggman crossed his arms.
“Pfft, yea! I like to be extra prepared, unlike some morons.” He motioned to Eggman's small duffle bag.
“How dare you? I'll help you know, I'm not a robot! I don't need nearly as many supplies as you dunderheads!” He spat.
“What was that last part?” Mom bot angrily asked, peaking her head into the hallway. Immediately, Eggman broke into a nervous sweat.
“Haha nothing…” He nervously laughed. He knew he was in for a scolding. Luckily, the lair doors opened, grabbing Eggman's attention.
“The ship's all ready to go, sir!” Orbot the small, red robot saluted his master. A low growl suddenly erupted from the irritable man.
“It's about time. Have you all finished packing yet? I'd liked to be smothered in sunscreen, lounging on the beach before noon!”
“Don't get your knickers in a twist.. ’re hurrying!” The motherly bot finally retreated from her room with a small pink suitcase towing behind her. The doctor shot a perplexed expression her way.
“Two hours for that!” He asked, shocked. She only stared at him with a blank expression. “I- I mean, let me grab that for you.” He nervously shuffled to the irritated bot, taking her bag carefully. “Please, go ahead and get comfortable on the ship.” He stuttered, not wanting to pester her any further. She huffed while walking past him to get settled in the large aircraft. Eggman did one final check of the laboratory, making sure everything was in order; feeling certain, he locked his lair and activated his security systems before venturing to their vacation resort.
. . .
MEH BURGER
"Why do we keep eating at this horrible place?” Amy picked up her undercooked fish sandwich, observing it carefully. The group of young friends, minus Sonic, only shrugged, feeling uncertain.
“It is the only place in the village.” Tails commented, taking a bite of his burger. “What other options are available?” He asked innocently. She shot the naive fox a threatening glare as he cowardly sunk into his seat under her intimidating gaze.
“I mean, bleh.” He playfully grimaced, placing the burger down.
“Don't patronize me, Tails.”
“Yes ma'am.” He nodded quickly, turning his attention back to his food. A sudden strong wind overtook the group as they shut their eyes from the impact. They slowly opened them as the dust cleared, revealing none other than the blue blur himself. Amy wasn't impressed as she folded her arms at his fashionable lateness.
“Nice of you to grace us with you're presence Sonic.” He rolled his eyes at the snarky remark.
“Hey, it takes a long time to look this good.” He shot her his infamous cocky grin. She only stared blankly at the arrogant hedgehog, not nearly as impressed as he thought she'd be. Her judgmental gaze only made Sonic more nervous as he quickly stirred away from the subject. “Um…how has everyone's weekend been-”
“I thought you'd never ask!” Tails beamed retreating to under the table. The group groaned in unison as Tails fiddled with his latest invention. After a brief moment, he placed the small ray gun on the table. “Behold, the Reversitron 2000!” He exclaimed. The team stared at the small ray gun, somewhat dumbfounded as they burst into laughter. Tails sulked, seeming somewhat disappointed in his friends.
“Ha, s-sorry Tails.” Sonic managed to say through his chuckles. Tails only growled under his breath.
“I've been workshopping this for months!” He yelled. Time and time again, Tails invented complex machines that have claimed victory in many of their battles. Why would they doubt him now? Amy noticed his somber expression deciding to ease up on the young fox.
“Our apologies, Tails. What does it do?” Amy politely asked, forcing her giggles to cease.
“Watch this.” Without warning, Tails aimed his gun at Sticks.
“Hey-” The blast interrupted her protest as she was stunned for a second before returning to normal. The group eyed her curiously as nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Sticks, do you believe that can openers can transmit alien signals?” Tails asked. She looked as if she had seen a hedgehog with three heads.
“No. That's obviously crazy!” She unconsciously responded. She suddenly gasped, realizing what she said.
“What did you do to me?!” Sticks made a move to hit Tails, but Knuckles was quicker, snatching her up before she could cause any damage. Tails' fear only grew as Knuckles struggled to contain the angry badger. He instantly shot her again as she returned to her normal conspiracy-obsessed self.
“I-it just makes whatever it comes in contact with the opposite of what it actually is.” He argued. “S-see look.” He suddenly pointed it at Amy.
“N-n-no Tails!” She yelled, but it was too late as she was shot by the bright green light; seemingly returning to normal a few moments later.
“Amy, are you and Sonic close friends?” He tried to hide his grin. She scoffed, rolling her eyes.
“Not in a million years…” She folded her arms. Sonic looked at her, somewhat shocked.
“B-but I thought we were friends…?" Sonic pouted.
“You're tolerable.” She shrugged carelessly. Sonic's anger suddenly grew, turning his attention to the twin-tailed fox.
“Change her back right now, Tails!” He demanded.
“O-oh sorry…” He quickly shot the pink hedgehog, zapping her briefly as she settled down once again. “Just to be safe...Amy, is Sonic your friend?” Tails asked. Sonic looked at her with anticipation as she spoke.
“T-the bestest friend anyone could ever ask for.” She shot him a nervous smile; he nodded in content but wasn't fully convinced of the capabilities of the device as it was a reminder of a situation from their past.
“C’mon Tails, this is just a fancier UT (universal translator from the episode Translate This)," Sonic admitted.
“That's what I'm saying!” Sticks agreed.
“What's the point of this anyway?” Knuckles folded his arms in discontent, but Tails was determined to convince his discouraging friends.
“Guys, the possibilities are endless! We could get true confessions from anyone, including criminals! Imagine how many bad guys we can put away with this!” He motioned to the gun. The young group wanted to dispute with him but realized he had a point. If they were to use the device against criminals, they'd be forced to tell the truth, making locking bad guys up a piece of cake.
“Actually that's not bad, Tails.” Amy admitted. “Job well done!” The pink hedgehog complimented.
“Yea…I guess it could come in handy, but no more using it on us. We clear?” Sonic asked. Tails nodded, fully understanding the severity of the situation as the group continued their meals. They soon finished, quickly discarding their food as they retreated to Amy's hut to relax for the day.
. . .
AMY'S HUT
“Has this weekend been slow for you guys?” Tails suddenly asked from the kitchen. Amy spontaneously perked up with excitement.
“Well, I have this new recipe that I've been dying to try-"
“It has been unusually quiet lately.” Sonic interrupted her. Amy lowly growled as the rest pondered the thought briefly.
“Not really. I've just been lifting weights and impressing the ladies.” Knuckles responded, slumping into his chair.
“Yeah, not too busy.” Sticks added returning to Amy's magazine. Silence fell upon the room briefly as they busied themselves with their personal tasks. Tails' eyes suddenly widened in realization.
“Wait, has anyone seen Eggman?” He asked curiously. The group realized Eggman's abnormal absence, wondering where he could be.
“Today, uh…no.” Sticks shrugged.
“Maybe he's finally given up.” Knuckles suggested, but Sonic shook his head, disagreeing.
“One can dream.” He sighed. “Forget about Eggman. Let's just enjoy the time we have away from him. Who's up for the movies?” Sonic suggested. The group shared nods of approval before quickly exiting the decorative hut.
. . .
UNKNOWN CAVE
“Good going on the activities, Eggman!” Steve complained.
“I thought it said scuba-diving!” Eggman admitted feeling a bit sheepish. Steve shook his head, continuing to hammer the solid rock before him; his annoyance growing by the minute. The robot family had been subjected to hard labor as opposed to the free-filled fun Eggman had promised. Eggman couldn't help but feel silly over the small mistake.
“How do you confuse excavating for scuba-diving?" Steve asked angrily.
“It's the ing's, the ing's I tell you!” Eggman cried.
“Right…” He replied sarcastically, returning to the trivial task. Eggman did the same, slamming the metal pick as hard as he could into the solid rock walls. A few moments of excavating passed. However, no one managed to find a single thing.
“I bet there's nothing even here in this stupid cave-”
“Clink!” Eggman's pick suddenly collided with a metallic object. “Huh?” Eggman grew curious, suddenly slamming his pick harder as he broke a hole into the shallow wall, exposing the treasure that lay behind it. “What is this? Do my eyes dare deceive me?” He gazed at the crystal-filled room as the cave walls glowed a bright red light shining brightly through the hole.
"I- I can't believe it!” Eggman stuttered. His robotic family gathered around with anticipation to see what the excitement was all about. They gasped at Eggman's discovery, somewhat shocked.
“What are those Eggy dear?” Mom bot asked, clearly mesmerized.
“T-There the crystals that power mech suits! The Ancients used these to create machines of indestructible power! Do you know what I could accomplish with these?” He exclaimed. “I've got to dig further...” Eggman continued to pick the shallow wall as his family ultimately joined in hammering the rest of the gravel away. A large hole suddenly formed, exposing the entire room. His robots, including Eggman, gawked at the sight slowly stepping inside. They stood in astonishment at the bright red crystals that shined brightly before them.
“What exactly do you gain from using these?” Mother Bot asked, still not convinced of the mysterious crystal's potential.
"Immeasurable power…” Eggman chuckled. He instantly pumped his fist in victory as his brain racked through different scenarios: all of which took the blue rodent down. “Quick! We have work to do…” Eggman and Steve started collecting the majority of the crystals as Orbot and Cubot joined in swiftly grabbing the rest that remained. However, Mom bot was indifferent on the issue seeing her sons raviously scavenge.
“Eggman! We are on a family vacation. For once, I just want to relax with my boys and enjoy our time off from Sonic and villainy all together!” She argued. Eggman disagreed quickly, exiting the cave with his family.
“Sorry Mom bot, no time! This may be our only chance to beat him, and I can't take this for granted!" He placed the rest of the crystals inside his ship before turning to his mother. "Are you joining us or not?" He asked. She rolled her mechanical eyes but ultimately made her way to him.
“Hmm. Fine.” She huffed, stumbling onto the ship. The rest followed suit carefully, making their way inside to start the diabolic plan that would inevitably destroy Sonic.
. . .
THE MOVIES
"What do you mean that movie was lame?" Sonic asked Amy. The group had just finished Comedy Chimps' latest cash grab of a film as they made their way home. Even though they enjoyed it, Amy couldn't understand the hype over the childish comedy.
"It was stupid, Sonic. How can you enjoy ninety minutes of that idiocy?" She crossed her arms. Sonic huffed in disbelief.
"You have no taste, Ms. Rose."
"Oh please, give me a break, Mr. Hegdehog." She teased. Sonic shot her a smile as she blushed, turning away. The group only stared at them smirking at each other but decided not to interrupt the lovebird's little quarrel. Silence followed as they walked through the wild forests, taking in its beauty.
"Woah!" Tails suddenly tumbled to the ground. The group gasped as Amy helped him back up to his feet, rubbing his head.
"Are you okay, Tails? She asked worriedly. He nodded, gathering himself and dusting the dirt away.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What the heck was that?" He turned trying to find the source of his fall; it was none other than an idle bee bot. "What the heck...?" He picked the bot up, observing it closely. It couldn't have been a coincidence he ran into it. What if Eggman was still out there, watching, lurking, ready to strike as soon as their guard was down? He tried to shake the thought away as he dropped the bot, continuing their journey. However, he couldn't shake the dark thoughts as he turned to his friends for reassurance.
“What if Eggman is taking extra time off to plan something elaborate and big? What would we do then!” Sonic stared at him dumbfounded.
“Yea, I wouldn't be so worried about Eggman Tails." Sonic replied. “I doubt he'll ever come up with anything elaborate." Amy couldn't help but giggle.
“How soon you forget Shark bots…” Amy smirked before Sonic shot her a glare.
"Water under the bridge Ames.” He threw his hands up.
“For you, maybe."
“Oh snap, the claws are out.” Sticks laughed as Knuckles joined in.
“Haha claws…” Knuckles shook his head, completely missing the joke. After a brief moment, they finally arrived at Sonic's hut, carefully making their way inside. Sonic was immediately stunned by the surprise left on his hammock: a gift-wrapped basket of thirty chili dogs carefully dressed with bright red salsa. He gasped at the sight.
“Chili dogs!” The blue blur didn't hesitate as he sped to his favorite meal quickly, scarfing each one down without a breath. His friends looked in astonishment as he quickly finished the basket, licking his fingers in the process. Amy couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief.
“There's no way that's healthy.” She grimaced as Sonic finished.
"Who were they from anyway?" Tails asked curiously. Amy checked the tag, reading it carefully.
"It only says from a secret admirer." Her jealousy started to flare, but she calmed herself down, not wanting to overreact as usual. "That's nice." She threw the tag to the ground. A loud crash suddenly ranged from outside as the group rushed to see none other than Dr. Eggman hovering above in the egg mobile.
“Hahaha!” Eggman retreated from the forests as he made his way to them.
“Eggman!” The young group shouted quickly, getting into defense mode.
“What are you doing here?” Sonic asked. Eggman looked to the empty basket slightly chuckling.
“I see you found my treat, Sonic.” Sonic's eyes widened in shock.
"You made those?!" Eggman laughed at his stupidity.
"Yes! How silly of you to eat mysterious chili dogs without questioning their origin..." He chuckled, feeling rather brilliant.
"B-but they were chili dogs..." He sulked, feeling foolish to fall for something so obviously set up.
“What did you do, Eggman?" Amy stepped in front of him, ready to attack; he only shook his head at the sudden gesture.
"Oh, you'll see. You'll all see." Sonic suddenly collapsed as his body pulsed a bright red.
“Sonic!" His friends shouted, retreating to his side. He grew worse and worse trembling, but Sonic was fearless as he attempted to stand.
“W-what d-did you d-do to me E-Eggman?” He stuttered out.
“I might've accidentally but definitely on purpose cooked your chili dogs with a little extra ingredient..." He pulled a whole crystal out as the group's eyes widened at the sight.
“No! Eggman, how could you?!” Tails gasped. He shrugged carelessly.
“Oh, it was easy. I just ground up some of the Ancient's crystals, and it worked!" Eggman laughed cheerfully.
“No! You can't consume those crystals, do you know what will happen?” Tails pleaded.
“Of course! That's why I did it-” A sudden dark chuckle caught their ears as they turned their attention back to the struggling hedgehog.
"S-sonic?" Tails asked worriedly. His gaze stayed low to the ground as he fell silent.
“Oh no…” Amy said, slowly backing away and preparing to take off. “Sonic a-are you okay?” She asked, worried.
“Heheh.” He chuckled coldly. “Do you guys wanna play jungle predator?” He replied ominously. They shook their heads, slowly increasing their distance from him.
“W-what, why?” Sticks looked fearful stepping further away; Knuckles and Tails copied her stepping back as well.
“You better run.” He looked up, suddenly meeting their gaze as they gasped at the sight. His eyes glowed an unusually bright red as an evil grin played on his lips.
“Ten…” They flinched at his sudden counting.
“Sonic…” She tried to plead with the manacing-looking hedgehog, but he ignored her standing to his feet.
“Nine…” He grew more impatient.
“D-Don't do this!” Tails cried but backed away faster.
“Eight…”
“Run. RUN!” Amy yelled as everyone immediately took off, including Eggman, as Sonic continued his countdown.
"Are you insane?!" Amy asked after sprinting a good distance away from the crazed hedgehog; the others quickly followed suit running behind her.
"Okay, okay. I went too far this time..." He replied, genuinely concerned for his safety. "I didn't think he'd react so excessively!" He admitted.
"He's going to hurt anyone who crosses his path. Are you crazy!?" Tails chimed in.
"I know! Gosh, I admitted I was wrong isn't that enough-" Eggman was suddenly snatched out thin air.
"Eggman!" Amy shouted but didn't stop her stride as she continued to run. She turned to see what happened but only Eggmans egg mobile hovered in the air with no Eggman in sight. Her fear only grew.
“We've got to get to the village to warn the others!" She insisted. The others nodded in understanding as they raced anxiously to defend the village.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I'm honestly excited to see what's in store for these characters. Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you in the next chap!
Mariah Masters ♡