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the-fourth-knower · 1 year

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Sonic Underground: Last Resort: A Re-Telling: Chapter 1

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And here we are, chapter 1. The first one, the numero uno, the alpha and- actually no it's just the alpha.

Anyway. I'll be putting these up on a weekly basis. The full version is on Ao3, which was already linked in my intro post here. I'm quite excited to begin sharing them here. It's easily my biggest thing I've written in a good while - and it's an underground episode re-write.

Amidst the industrial outskirts of Eggman land, a beige van trundled along. Snaking its way through abandoned roads and alleyways, it at length came to a stop inside of a collapsed building. Safely hidden away from all but the most diligent of eyes.

A door on the side slid open, and the van’s occupants emerged. A green hedgehog in a red vest, red and white boots with white cuffs, gloves with spiked bracelets, and a belt with a fanny pack; a magenta hedgehog in a red top and purple skirt, purple gloves, and purple and red boots that were taller than the green hedgehog's; and a yellow and white fox, with white gloves and red and white shoes.

“You guys sure you don’t want to wait for Sonic?” the fox said, peeking out from the van at the hedgehogs. And everywhere else, eyes darting around, ears twitching. Alert for the slightest hint of trouble.

“It’s all cool, Tails. Nothing ol’ Eggy can make that will give us too much trouble.” the green hedgehog said, a smirk on his face as he gave Tails a thumbs up.

“And besides, Sonic tends to show up right when trouble starts anyways.” the magenta hedgehog said, hand on her hip and sour look on her face. “Because of course he does.”

“Aw don’t be like that, Sonia.” the green hedgehog said, walking up to the lady hedgehog and putting his arm around her shoulders. “He does his best.”

“Don’t start, Manic.” Sonia said, flicking his ear. “You can’t pretend that it isn’t a hassle.”

“Sonic always comes in for us when we need him!” came a high pitched voice from the van. Tails glared at Sonia, cheeks puffed out as the fox glared at her. “So be nicer about him!”

Sonia opened her mouth to respond, then paused. Closing her eyes, she raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her muzzle. “Alright, fair. Maybe I am being a tad too harsh on him…”

“Ya think?” Manic said, leaning towards his sister with a smirk.

“Shut it, Manic.” Sonia replied, staring straight ahead of her. “But, you are right, Tails.”

“Really? I mean, yeah! I am!” Tails said, a big grin spreading across his face.

Sonia could not help but smile as she placed her hand on her hip at Tails’s joy. Of her three new found brothers, he was her favorite. Even if he shared their trait of leaping into danger.

Not that she ever did that, of course.

“At any rate. We need someone to watch the van.” Sonia taps her finger against her chin, her gaze shifting to the Underground van.

“Not it.” Manic said, raising his hand above his head.

“Not it.” Sonia joined in, hand half-raised so it came up between her head and her shoulder.

“Huh?” Tails blinked, stared blank as he looked at the hedgehogs.

“You’re guarding the van, Tails.” Sonia said, hand back on her hip.

“Wha - on my own?” Tails moved his hands behind his back as his ears flattened - twin tails swishing behind him.

“You’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Sonia said as she turned her gaze towards their objective. “I wouldn’t expect too many problems on this end.”

“And besides, we need someone to guard the van,” Manic said as he walked up to Tails. “Which is where you come in, lil’ bro!”

Manic put Tails into a headlock, giving the younger fox a noogie for good measure.

“H-hey!” Tails swiped his arms at Manic, trying to break his grip on him while a grin beamed along his face. “Cut that out! Ha ha!”

Manic’s laugh joined Tails'- even Sonia allowed a giggle to escape her. After a moment, Manic relented the noogie, shifting his hold onto Tails’s shoulder.

“You’ll be more than a match for any of Eggy’s junkpiles that wander in. You’ve been busting them up for a good while now, lil bro!”

“He heh, thanks Manic.” The fox puffed himself up, fists raised in front of him. “I won’t let you down!”

“We know you won’t, Tails.” Manic ruffled Tails’s head again, prompting another playful swing and giggle from the younger boy.

At this point, Sonia was starting to tap her foot. The clack of her boot against the concrete underfoot, echoing outwards into the building they occupied.

“C’mon, Manic.” she said as she crossed her arms across her chest. “We need to get a move on, we’re getting late enough as is. And we don’t want any patrols showing up.”

With that, Sonia turned around and began walking away, threatening to leave Manic behind if he didn’t get the hint.

“Alright, alright. I get it.” Manic said, voice betraying a hint of snark. With one last head ruffle to Tails, he ran over to his sister.

“Keep the van warm, Tails!” he said, hand waving at the fox as he sped away.

“You got it, bro!” Tails said, fist raised into the air. A fist that turned into a wave of his own.

When the hedgehogs got out of sight, Tails went back into the van. Then he returned, setting up a makeshift workbench. No reason he couldn't work on his latest project and guard the van at the same time. Better than sitting around waiting for something to happen, after all.

And besides, he just needed to put the finishing touches on his latest WIP.

________________________________

Silence.

That was what pervaded the street Sonia and Manic traveled down. A deep, all encompassing silence - one that seeped straight into the very marrow of one’s being.

No sounds of birds in the air, cats in the alley, dogs growling. An absence of any conversations, angry yelling, kids screaming as they play. Not a single engine rumble of a motorbike, truck, car, not even a distant plane.

The only people in this part of the city were the two hedgehogs. And they could feel it with every step they took.

Manic opened his mouth to say something, when the silence was shattered. Upbeat music blared out from speakers, as monitors blazed to life with Eggman logos. And then it came, the voice of the world’s latest world conqueror.

“Greetings, hard-working members of the Eggman Empire! It is I, your esteemed and benevolent overlord, here to make your daily important announcement. We here at Eggman Enterprises are deeply concerned about your well being as you slave away for the betterment of me. And as such, you will all be given complimentary egg based foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The bags they come in can even be used for emergencies, in case you need to vomit afterwards. Thank you for your forced compliance in watching this! Remember to tune in next time for more mundane announcements, voiced by yours truly. Ta-dah, and get back to work!”

As sudden as they sprang to life, the monitors closed. The only sound left was the fading echo of Eggman's voice.

“What on earth does Eggman need all these announcement monitors for?” Sonia said, casting her glance around at the screens as they passed them. “There’s no one here.”

“Not any more...” Manic said, keeping his gaze alert for any threats. “This used to be a neighborhood, once. Then Eggman decided that he'd move them all closer to his industry.” Manic scowled at the next monitor he passed. "He just never bothered to remove his voice boxes."

Sonia blinked, looking over to the buildings beside them. “Oh.”

The siblings fell back into an awkward silence, their footsteps echoing out around them.

After what felt like hours - it was in fact a minute and twenty seconds - the two arrived at their destination. An abandoned, decrepit tunnel entrance, filled with grime, cobwebs, dust, and do not enter signs.

No issue for Manic, who went through far worse on a daily basis growing up. But for the dainty, aristocrat-raised Sonia?

“Eugh!” Sonia exclaimed, raising her hands as her tongue stuck out. “Why do we always have to break into places using dusty, dirty tunnels!?”

“Oh c’mon, sis.” Manic rolled his eyes at his sister’s antics, “It’s not that bad.”

Not that his words got through to her.

“There are cobwebs everywhere! And all that muck? Do you know how long that will take to get off my boots! Even worse if it gets onto my dress!”

Manic sighed, facepalming at Sonia. She always got like this when they ran into the slightest threat of a cobweb. She still needed to break that habit of hers.

“Well, it could be worse...” he said as he let his arm drop back to his side. “It could be a sewer again.”

Sonia readied a retort. Closed her mouth. Opened it again for a new retort, before shutting her mouth once more.

“Fine.” she said at length, letting out an exhale. “Let’s just get this over with…”

“That’s the spirit!” Manic walked over to Sonia, clapping Sonia on the back. “Just don’t walk into anything, and you’ll be fine!”

Taking opposite sides of the entrance, the duo enter. They were only a few feet away from the entrance when Sonia, inevitably, encountered a cobweb.

“Ack! Yuck!” she cried, flailing her hands in her quills and around her head. “Ohhh, it’s all in my quills!"

“Told ya not to get into one of those.” Manic said, smirk on his face.

Right up until he walked into a cobweb himself.

“Awwww, maaaan.” Manic said, eyes closed from the web trap. “Curse you, pride before the fall.”

“You were saying, Manic?” Sonia let out a caustic smile, glaring over at Manic’s predicament.

Manic shrugged, clearing the webs away from his face. “Eh, it's been worse.”

“Of course you have,” Sonia said, with a bitter tone in her voice. “Ugh, I hate cleaning these off of me.”

“You know we’re going to just walk into more of those, right.” Manic put his hands on his hips, leaning towards Sonia with a smirk.

“I…hmph.” Sonia huffed as she stomped away.

Manic followed after Sonia, chuckling as the two resumed their mission. Sonia taking great pain to avoid any other cobwebs, Manic walking straight through them.

“So this terminal - you really think it’s got info on Eggman’s latest plans and doodads?” Manic asked after a few minutes, pausing to look back at Sonia.

“We won’t know until we give it a look,” Sonia said, dusting her hands and body off in a losing battle to keep her clothes cleaned. “If it is even connected to Eggman’s network, still.”

“Heh, who knows. Maybe it’ll have some dustcloths for you!” Manic said with a grin, giving Sonia a playful fist to the shoulder.

Sonia glared at Manic, before huffing and turning away. The sounds of her steps echoing around them as she stormed away from Manic.

“He he he… okay, okay. Maybe not that, then.” Manic followed after Sonia, hands behind his head. “How about -”

“Manic. Shut it.”

Manic’s mouth froze open, before he shut it. Better not to risk Sonia’s anger, especially during attempts to sneak around.

Little did they know that they were being followed - soft whirs of gears and motors stalking after the two hedgehogs, optics sending video back to their current masters.

The bait had fulfilled its purpose - now it was a matter of springing the trap.

________________________________

After a few more minutes - what felt like half-an-hour in the oppressive, encroaching tunnel walls, the hedgehogs found themselves approaching a light. Drawing closer, both of them let out soft gasps.

Before them was a large circular room, with a terminal set in the center on a raised platform. A vaulted dome supported by curved metal supports rose up above the room, the floor of which was flat save for the central platform and three side ones.

With so much space, there was just one thing that went through the minds of both Manic and Sonia.

“You know, sis...” Manic said, brow raised as he gave the room a thorough look-over, “this is stating to feel a lot like -”

“A trap?” Sonia said, her own gaze tracking around the room.

“Well, actually I was going to be all fancy and say ambush, but yeah.” Manic rubbed at his nose, frown on his face.

“Mmm-hmm. I’m sure that’s what you were about to say, Manic.” Sonia grinned, throwing a sly look at her brother.

“Hey!” Manic turned his head at Sonia, indignity oozing from his protest “I know big words!”

“Ambush is not a big word,” Sonia looked back into the room as she corrected Manic, “it’s two syllables.”

“Huh. What are syllables?” Manic asked, turning his focus back to Sonia.

Sonia blinked, then turned her head to look straight at Manic. “Are you serious right now?”

“Heh he, nah. Not at all.” Manic said, facing Sonia with a wide grin on his face, eyes sparkling with mischief. “I wasn’t raised in a barn, you know.”

“Ugh,” Sonia rolled her eyes, before her mouth slid into a smile of her own. "And a sewer is that much better, then?"

"Hah! Got me there, sis," Manic said, letting a chuckle out as he leaned himself against the wall. “So, you wanna go first or should I?”

“By all means, ladies first.” Sonia stepped up from her wall spot, then bowed and spread her arms to the side. Inviting Manic to go first.

Manic chuckled, bowing back at Sonia. “Well, hey. Least one of us pulls it off.” He winked at Sonia, a smirk on his face.

“Just shut up and get moving, sewer crawler.” Sonia reached out and gave Manic a gentle shove forwards, getting another chuckle out of him.

“I’m moving, I’m moving.”

The two hedgehogs crept into the room, sticking to the wall. When they reached the first column, they hurried forwards onto the center platform. A button pressed later, and the access into the terminal slid open.

“Alright,” Manic said, rubbing his hands together, "let me break in, you keep an eye out.”

Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a small brick like device with Tails’s logo on it. Then, he placed it onto the terminal. At once, it came to life, locking onto the terminal and making a series of beeps and whirs.

“Let’s just hope that this Tails gadget works...” Sonia said, more to herself than Manic. But he heard her anyway.

“C’mon, give the little bro his credit!” Manic leaned over and gave Sonia a light punch to her shoulder, grin on his face. “Since when has something he’s made gone wrong?”

“Do you mean before or after the first time it’s properly tested?” Sonia said. “Usually when someone uses it in the field?”

“Point taken. But this one will work!”

On cue, the device let out a ding. The screen blared to life, bringing with it schematics, images, and design notes of all manner of Eggman robots.

“See, what I’d tell ya?” Manic said, putting his arm around Sonia. “We’re in!”

Sonia pushed Manic’s arm off her, as she walked forwards to the terminal, “Alright. Then we better start to -”

Before she could do anything, the screen went black. As if it had just shut off. Both hedgehogs blinked at the screen, faces blank.

“- secure…the info?” Sonia’s brow raised up, her suspicions on high alert.

The screen flashed red, and then a series of laughing Eggman jpegs appeared on the screen.

“Muah ha ha ha! Muah ha ha ha!”

The laughter echoed out across the room, as if coming from multiple speakers around it. Knowing Eggman, it was no doubt the case.

“Whuh-oh,” Manic said, stepping away from the terminal as light and sounds assaulted him. “That’s a problem.”

“Alright,” Sonia balled her fists, readying herself for a fight, “so it is a trap.”

“Indeed it is, Silvia,” a sly, contemptuous voice snaked its way into the hedgehogs’s ears.

The two turned around at once, confronting the owner of that voice. Before them stood a large, hulking orange dingo, next to a tall but lanky wolf. The dingo was raggedly dressed, while the wolf’s clothes were almost pristine - aristocratic almost. Flanking them on both sides were badniks of all kinds, spreading out around the hedgehogs.

“Well, well,” Sonia said through her grimace, “if it isn’t the gruesome twosome, Sleet and Dingo.”

“You mean Terrible Twosome,” Dingo puffed out his chest, pointing a thumb at himself.

“Yeah, you two are definitely terrible,” Manic said, smiling as he spoke. “At your jobs!”

“Yeah!” Dingo nodded his head, before he blinked. Then scowled. “Now wait just a minute - ow!”

Dingo rubbed his arm where Sleet pinched him - the only way Sleet could physically shut the dingo up.

“Dingo! Focus!” Sleet snarled, both in his voice and expression. His features became more devious once his gaze returned to the hedgehogs. “As for you two - well, it’s more than about time we caught you.”

“You haven’t caught us yet!” Sonia said, hand raised in a taunting gesture.

“Oh, are you sure about that?” Sleet gestured to the badniks now surrounding the siblings. “Why don’t we depose some royalty, then?”

Sleet raised his hand into the air, before bringing it down in a chop motion.

“Get them!”

At once, the horde of badniks Sleet gathered trundled, stomped, crawled, and flew towards the two hedgehogs. Soon a box of machines formed around them, the mechanical terrors encircling the hedgehogs.

“So, uh. Trash talk aside, any plans for getting away?” Sonia asked, getting into a fighting stance as the two kept moving towards the wall backwards.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking!” Manic unclenched and clenched his fists rapidly, wishing - not for the first time - he had more than one set of drumsticks for situations like this.

A Buzzbomber readied its weapon - before abruptly busting apart in a shower of parts and a pop sound.

Before anyone could react, a dozen more badniks popped apart.

“What?!” Sleet yelled, hands going to his head as he stared dumbfounded.

The hedgehogs were equally surprised - at least until a familiar blue figure with red/white shoes and white gloves landed in front of them. There was only one person it could be-

“Hey, hey!” Sonic said, turning to face Sonia and Manic with a grin and wink. “Looks like I got here just in time!”

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