297Sonic Heroes: Desert Winds
Sonic the Hedgehog © Sega/Sonic Team
Lucario © Nintendo
Master Tigress © Dreamworks
Chapter One: Winds of Change, Part 1
It's hard to believe over a year has passed since the final defeat of Nazo and the Dark Rulers. For the first few weeks, the world waited anxiously for the demon's return. But he never came back – Nazo was truly dead. And after forcing themselves to admit the truth, the Sonic Heroes were left with no other choice but to go their separate ways. That's where our story begins.
The scenery opens to the island kingdom of South Island, famed to be the birthplace of the world's greatest hero. The kingdom still prospered as the leading trade center of the planet under the guidance of Queen Aleena. But a new leader was training to take his role as the king of the island. Sonic the Hedgehog, former second-in-command of the Sonic Heroes, was pacing down the main corridor of the castle with a pair of leather-bound books tucked under his arm.
During the past twelve months, Sonic had change considerably since his time with the Heroes. The cobalt hero had grown generally taller – he was level with his father – and he shown a newfound sense of maturity. The only things that haven't changed were his six contoured quills and his insatiable hunger for adventure, which he had been denied of for so long. As in accordance with tradition, Sonic wore a pair of night-black shoes, blue sash over his shoulders, and a snow-white cloak with the royal emblem on the back: A crimson phoenix in a circle of flame.
"Man, I hate homework." Sonic groaned leaning against the wall. "I know my tutor is only trying to teach me how to place my place as king, but even kings need a break once in a while." His eyes shifted up and down the corridor and, once knowing the coast was clear, tossed his books out the window. "Eh, I'm sure no one will notice."
"Guess again."
The cobalt hedgehog groaned inwardly and turned to face the character sitting on the windowsill. The new creature was a blue jackal with black paws, black marked 'mask' on its face, a sweeping tail, and a yellow furred chest. He had spikes on the back of both paws, one on his chest, four large tendrils in the back of his head, and a pair of piercing red eyes.
"Come on, Lucario." Sonic whined. "Can't I just have a short break?"
"You have 'short breaks' four times a day." Lucario stated sternly. "The last time I let you have a break, you and your little brother were lost on the secondary island for two weeks."
"Yeah, that was actually kinda funny." Sonic said humorously.
"No, it's not!" Lucario exclaimed frantically. "The queen nearly died of fright!"
"Chill, I'm just messing with ya." Sonic waved offhanded. "By the way, where is mom? I haven't seen her all day."
"She and Prince Stream decided to spend the day observing their people." Lucario answered.
"In other words, they went to the beach and left me to study." Sonic said bluntly.
"Pretty much." Lucario shrugged.
Sonic held his tongue, wanting very much to voice his opinion. After being scolded by his guardian, Sonic reluctantly walked into his room and slammed his books on the desk prepared for him. The vibrations of the impact rattled an object of its stand and rolled across the wood with a continuous clatter. The cobalt hedgehog looked smiled lightly at the sight of the green Chaos Emerald. It was the last memento he had left from his time with the Sonic Heroes. Sonic chuckled placidly when remembering the insane journeys they had to go through just to find these little gems.
"Such great memories." Sonic sighed as he watched the sunlight reflect off the emerald's surface. "I can't believe it's been a year since I've seen everyone. I wonder what they're doing."
The scene alternates to the central area of Westopolis, which was once again transforming into a battle zone as it is so famous for. G.U.N. soldiers were seen retreating backwards with their weapons raised, firing relentlessly at their approaching target. The creature in question was a savage grey/purple beast that appeared to have suffered through intensified mutations. Its face was distorted and unrecognizable, its muscle mass was triple the size of a normal human, and had half a wing growing out of its left forearm. The disfigured mutant threw aside the cars in its path while stomping closer to the attacking soldiers – the bullets were only bouncing off its skin.
"This isn't working!" One of the soldiers screamed. "We have to fall back!"
"No, not yet." The captain commanded firmly. "We have to hold out until Agent Shadow arrives."
"But we just called him in a few seconds ago!" A second soldier screamed, never leading his eyes away from the beast. "It could take hours before he gets here!"
"Do you really think I'm that slow?"
The soldiers jumped terrifyingly when they failed to realized a new ally had appeared directly behind them. The soldiers discreetly stepped aside for the former leader of the Sonic Heroes to make his way through. Shadow the Hedgehog's appearance remained relatively the same as it has been for the past fifty years: Jet-black fur, six quills curved upwards, red highlights on each quill, and a tuft of white fur on his chest. The only significant difference was that he wore black and white shoes with red trims at the bottom, golden ring cuffs on his ankles and wrists, a pair of white gloves, a spiked 'X' chain around his neck, and a pair of emerald lensed sunglasses over his eyes. The Ultimate Life-Form stared at the rampaging mutant before turning his attention to the leader of the group.
"Captain, are telling me you can't capture this thing on your own?" Shadow questioned sternly. "I am getting tired of having to save you on every mission."
"W-we're sorry, Agent Shadow." The captain stammered, falling in salute. "But this monster is just too strong. I'm not sure even you could beat it."
Shadow scoffed at the insult and calmly walked down the street as the rampaging mutant stomped closer each second. The human soldiers watched fearfully as the two opposition moved closer until they were only inches from each other. And then they struck. The disfigure beast swiped its left arm to claw the hedgehog's throat, but Shadow effectively dropped closer to the ground and rebounded. He drilled his fist into the monster's abdomen and the horrid mutant released a shrill cry that shattered all glass in the area. Shadow sighed and released his hold on the mutant, watching the ugly beast dropped to the ground unconscious. The soldiers stared in awe – they heard that Shadow was the most powerful warrior in the world, but they always believed the rumors to be exaggerated.
"That hideous thing wasn't even worth the energy I spent getting here." Shadow glowered, stepping up to the captain. "If you ever waste my time again, I will have a talk with Commander Kumori about reassigning to janitorial duty. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes, Agent Shadow." Th captain nodded fearfully.
The Ultimate Life-Form sighed and took a seat on a bent lamppost as he watched the soldiers restrain the mutant. He didn't really trust them much and expected the soldiers to slip up in some way. Looking at the captured beast, Shadow was reminded of the days when the Sonic Heroes would battle Nazo's monsters during their many adventures together. The Black Arms hedgehog sighed once more and watched the clouds go by.
"These missions are becoming duller everyday." Shadow thought tiredly. "With Nazo gone and Eggman still inactive after four months, there's nothing left in this world to challenge me." For one split second, a vibrant blue blur appeared in the back of his mind. "No...There is still one challenge I have yet to overcome. Sonic, I will beat you one day. Just you wait.
The scene transports to Night Babylon – the nocturnal city. The city was well known as both for living in eternal night and the number of casino resorts – Gemini owned a vast majority of them. And of the major nightclubs that were scattered across the area, Club Rouge was the most prominent of them all. Due to her international fame and overall appeal to men, Rouge's business was an instant success. The vampire heiress in question was sitting behind the bar, watching her customers chatting animatedly or dancing to the music.
Rouge the Bat had also mature more thoroughly after accepting the fact that she was a vampire, but has no desire for blood unless to heal herself. Her normally aqua-colored eyes were permanently piercing gold, her fangs partially exposed, and her silky, white hair reached to her shoulders. She was disappointed that her 'assets' wouldn't grow any more, but she didn't hesitate to flaunt them. She wore a small, black tank top to show off her greatest feature, black pants with white floral printing, a pair of white elbow-length gloves, and red/white sneakers. Rouge was cleaning out the glasses when a grey tiger took a seat across from.
"Hey, beautiful." The tiger said suavely. "How about you stop wasting time by yourself and join me out on the dance floor."
"Tempting offer." Rouge said sarcastically, not even bother to lock eyes with him. "But if you haven't guessed it, I happen to be the manager of this fine establishment. And..." She showed her right hand, waving the golden ring on her finger. "I'm happily married."
"Like I give a damn!" The tiger growled, forcefully grabbing her arm. "You're coming with me whether you like it or..."
A gloved hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the tiger's wrist, forcing him to release. The sudden intruder was far from happy at the display. Knuckles the Echidna had grown much taller over the past years as his muscles were more toned and his dreadlock reached to tip of halfway down his back – two dreads limped on his shoulders. His attire consisted of scarlet-red shoes with yellow laces, finger-linked gloves with two spiked knuckles, and a pair of moss-green goggles around his neck. The furious echidna force the tiger's hand back, threatening to snap it clean off.
"I'd love you to meet my loving husband, Knuckles." Rouge said playfully. "Knuckie, would you be a dear and throw out the trash? It's starting to stink up the join."
"But what about this guy?" Knuckles asked dumbly.
"Uh...I was talking about him." Rouge sweat dropped.
"I guess brains wasn't at the top of your list, eh?" The tiger smirked at Rouge.
Heated that the egotistic feline would even dare speak to his wife, Knuckles grabbed his arm and twisted it completely around. The crowd silenced for a moment once the tigers started screaming bloody murder. The feline whimpered and tried to break the hold, but each movement only intensified the pain. And in one swing, Knuckles lifted the tiger of the floor and threw him through the window and into the crowded streets outside. There was a short period of awkward silence before everyone went back to their usual business – this was a normal occurrence to them.
"Don't you think you could get rid of them with destroying my property?" Rouge asked as Knuckles took a seat. "I may have the money to repair everything you break, but I would rather not spend it unless its necessary."
"Sorry, Rouge." Knuckles apologized. "It just makes me mad to think that someone would dare lay a hand on my wife. You're too good for that kind of trash."
"Aw, you're sweet." Rouge said pleasing, giving a quick peck to the echidna's cheek. "And little dimwitted, but sweet."
The scene alternates to Megalo Station, home of the world most advanced technology. Under the command of E-123 Omega, the Meteor Tech robots became the main branch of maintenance and security of the city. At the moment, two of Meteor Tech's highest grade robots were standing in the heart of the museum, guarding their latest acquisition. A beautiful sapphire necklace was displayed in a glass case between the two soldiers, just glimmering under the lights. With such a rare treasure on display, it came as no surprise that three thieves were just waiting steal it. The Babylon Rogue were looking through the glass dome above, monitoring their target and the guards.
The leader of the group, Jet the Hawk, was glancing back and forth between the robots with a calculative expression. The hawks head feathers were wilder than before and the scar Erazor left behind remained on his right leg. He wore ghostly white/red boots with black straps down the front. He also donned sleeveless silver coat with a green hawk imprinted on the back. He still carried Shahra's ring on his left ring finger and the green Ark on his wrist in addition to his newest treasure. A silver folded sword with a golden wire handle and the crest of a dragon rested in its sheath on Jet's back. Caliburn didn't seem too happy about their attempted thievery.
Storm the Albatross had taken a drastic turn in his appearance as his fat had disappeared, leaving only pure muscle and bone. Along with his Rogue tattoo, he gained a dragon tattoo that slithered up his arm and finished with the head at his chest. He wore bright yellow shoes with hard metal soles and black straps running across, a yellow bomber jacket completely unzipped to reveal his bulging abs, and the purple Ark on his right wrist. His favorite possession was the silver snake pendent that once belonged to his uncle; a gift given by Accel.
And of either of the three birds, Wave had changed the most in appearance and personality. She had three long feathers draped down her back and tied into a ponytail with her Rogue tattoo was transformed to pure white as a sign of her true heritage. She wore a pair of the finest Arabian silk pant, a pair of pure-white sandals, a white top with a black crescent moon in the back, and the yellow Master Ark on her left wrist. She still carried the Red Opal around her neck to remind her of the dark legacy her family carried. Judging from her facial expression, she was clearly annoyed by the sword on her lover's back.
"Did we really have to bring him along?" Wave glared. "With his big mouth, this plan is definitely going to fall apart."
"Normally, I wouldn't be against a fair woman." Caliburn the Sword said pompously. "But there is nothing fair about you, my lady."
"What was that you oversized letter opener?!" Wave screeched.
"Ok, let's just calm down here." Jet said hopefully, feeling awkward to act as peacekeeper. "Storm, what's your opinion on this?"
"Well, I only see two of them." Storm announced proudly. "But with something this valuable, they must have some extra security hidden somewhere."
"My thoughts exactly." Wave nodded. "That why we need to time everything perfectly."
"This is disgraceful." Caliburn proclaimed. "This is no way for a respectful knight to act."
"Well, I'm not a knight in this world, am I?" Jet smirked.
Caliburn had no retort for that comment. Jet and Wave moved to the side and Storm brought his hands together over his head. The large albatross waited for his bosses signal before bring his fists down over the glass, smashing it inwards. The Meteor Tech robot reacted to the sound by unlocking their hidden guns – it was pointless. The moment the window had shattered; Wave jumped into view and shot three electronic disks. Two of the disks slapped against the robots foreheads and released a sudden surge of electricity, sending them to immediate shut down. Once the cost was clear, the trio jumped down with victorious grins.
"Now that was too easy." Jet stated.
"Halt!" All of a sudden, the light flickered on, revealing over fifteen Meteor Tech robots surrounding them. "You have been surrounded! Subject yourselves to immediate surrender or we will use force."
"Maybe we should do what they say." Caliburn suggested
"You're kidding, right?" Jet laughed. "They're gonna have to be a lot faster than that to catch us."
Knowing that the Babylon Rogues weren't going to surrender willingly, the leading robot unlocked his hidden weapon and took careful aim. It released a shot of electrical energy, which was intended to paralyze the thieves, but failed miserably. To the astonishment of the robots, the blast projected through the avian thieves and shut down one of its allies. And once processing the information, the leader of the group looked down and discovered the third electronic disk – it was a holographic projector. There was a sudden crash and the machine turned back to see the avian thieves making a break for it on their Extreme Gear with the sapphire necklace in hand.
"Hah! Catch us if you can!" Jet challenged.
The scene shifts deep into the heart of China, in a land that time had forgotten. A small village rested at the base of a large mountain as was carefully watched by the a carefully structured palace. A lone finger was sitting in the center of the palace courtyard, meditating while three birds were perched on her shoulders. A bright-orange tigress wearing a silken, red vest and tight black pants sighed peacefully for a short moment before the sound of footsteps entered her ears.
"Are you ready to begin your next lesson, little one?" The tiger asked.
"Yes, I am, Master Tigress." A young voice answered respectfully. "What will we be doing today, master?"
"It is a little test to see how far you have come." Tigress explained. "The task is simple: land at least one punch on me and you pass. After that, you will have proven to have defeated the intermediate level and move to the final steps of your training."
"That's all?!" The student cheered. "That's great! I promise I'll make you proud, master!"
"We shall see." Tigress said lightly. She pushed herself up, sending the bird flying back into the air. "Show me the fruit of your training, Cream."
Cream the Rabbit moved one hand forward with her fingers curl and brought her other fist closer to herself while keeping her legs apart. Even during her extensive training in the martial arts, Cream was slowly growing into a beautiful young woman. She had already grown a few inches, her fur was smooth and silky, and burning-orange hair was finally emerging from her head. She wore a bright orange, sleeveless shirt with a white line around the hem and a golden star on the chest, which matched her orange shorts. She also had orange/yellow running shoes, white gloves held in place by black bands, and an orange visor. Master Tigress took a similar position as she stared down at her student.
"Begin!" Tigress growled.
Cream's attack was instantaneous as she kicked off the ground and threw a punch to the master's face. Tigress easily blocked the strike with her forearm, but winced slightly on impact – Cream had grown stronger every day. While her master was distracted, the young hare curled her ears around her arm and swung around the defense. Cream thrusted her foot out and was within inches of kicked her master's face. But at the last second, Tigress swung her arm down and carried her student back to the ground, leaving her wide open for an attack. And before she even reacted to what happened, Cream felt a deep pressure in her back and was launched forward. Master Tigress flinched as her student connected face first with the wall...on the other side of the courtyard.
"I think I might have overdone it." Tigress murmured; she watched her student slump to the ground. "Are you all right, Cream?"
"I'm...just fine." Cream said shakily as she pushed herself up. "I...can still...fight."
"Maybe we should just continue this another time." Tigress suggested.
"No!" Cream shouted, surprising even herself. "I'll never quit! Even if it takes a thousand years, I will never give up!"
Master Tigress and her apprentice stared back at one another, allowing the words to sink in. The tiger warrior could see the flames of determination in her pupil's eyes and knew she was not one to go back on her words. Without saying anything, Master Tigress moved back into her stance and nodded in acceptance. Cream smiled happily and also resumed her fighter's stance.
"Cheese..." Cream thought. "When you left to become the North Sovereign, I realized I could no longer depend on you to fight my battles. I need to grow stronger so that I can help my friend and no longer be a bother."
"Begin!" Tigress commanded.
The next scene opens to bustling area of Central City. While everyone went about their own business on the surface, they failed to realize what was occurring underground. Hidden away behind an abandoned subway station, the echoes of thunderous cheers could be heard, all shouting the same name. If anyone dared to venture further, they would find a hidden arena with a large steel cage and rows of fans scream and cursing. Within the steel cage arena, a muscular ox was cracking his knuckles, hoping to intimidate his opponent through his appearance. A few short moment later, a man carrying a megaphone stepped into the center of the ring.
"Welcome to the Underground Pit!" The man announced. "To those new here, let me explain the rules! And that is...there are no rules! To people enter; only one comes out! Now, let me introduce the challenger for today's competition." The crowd booed and hissed. "The titan of might, the man of muscle, the unbreakable wall – Mytar the Ox!"
The crowd was obviously not in favor with the muscular opponent and continued hissing for the beast to leave. Mytar snorted furious and looked back to his opponent, who was hidden in the shadows. Judging from the outline, he was at least half as tall as himself and wasn't even paying attention. How could they be cheering for this half-pint?
"And now, the moment you have all been waiting for!" The announcer continued. "The wilted flower, the fallen petal, the reigning champion of the Underground Pit – Amy Rose!"
Amy Rose was made visible by the spotlight above, sending the crowd in a wave of cheers. Unlike the other heroes who have maintained proud appearances, Amy looked as if she had just risen from the dead. Her pink fur was spotted with blood and bruises, her hair that reached past her shoulders was unkempt, and she held a glazed look in her eyes. Her cloths consisted of a white/pink tank top, pink slacks with white stripes, red/white sneakers, white gloves with red/yellow sweatbands, and her signature red headband. She obviously did nothing to take care of herself as her clothing was worn and torn in a number of places.
"Are you joking me?!" Mytar growled. "That's supposed to be my opponent?! You ripped me off!"
"Hey, if you win, you get 100,000 rings for it." The announcer stated.
"Let me at her!" Mytar said with a sudden change in mind.
Even before the match was officially started, the bulking ox charged for the unsuspecting hedgehog. Getting a hold of the hedgehog was much easier than he had expected since she made no move to avoid him. Mytar grabbed Amy be her and started slamming her face repeatedly into the steel cage wall. The crowd groan with each thud and a trail of blood started making its way down from the hedgehog's forehead. In normal occurrences, the assault would have killed anyone, but Mytar threw his opponent down and stomped on her spine for extra measure. When the ox moved his foot, Amy remained unmoving.
"Well, that was easier than I thought." Mytar said, turning to the announcer. "Now where's my money."
"You are pathetic."
Mytar's eyes were wide in terror when he learned that wasn't the announcer speaking. The giant ox turned around on his heels, which became his ultimate mistake. Amy Rose seemed unaffected by number of lethal strike and jumped into the air until she was level with Mytar's head. And in one swift movement, she jabbed her foot into the ox's throat. Mytar staggered backwards and held his throat, making choking noises. The enlarged fighter only stayed on his feet for one moment before dropping backwards with a thunderous thud. Though his eyes were devoid of life, he was still breathing slowly, signaling that he was alive.
"And winner, by a knock out: Amy Rose!" The announcer shouted.
The crowd screamed and chanted Amy's name repeatedly, but that didn't concern her. The wilted rose remained rooted to her landing spot, staring at the unmoving body of her feeble opponent.
"Be thankful you're not Sonic." Amy thought.
The scene is transported to an unknown desert region...in another dimension. Hidden within the blowing sands, a metallic city stood out from its surroundings. The city closely resembled a metallic junkyard with machine parts scattered in every direction. A majority of the scrapped parts were used as makeshift shelter and armed battle stations. And of the many structure that created the city, the ancient clock tower stood as the symbol of the people. The giant building was old from the centuries with several bricks falling out of place, gears sticking from the walls, and many numbers missing from the face. But more importantly, the tower stood as the fortress for the people's leader.
The man in question was sitting on a throne of gears within the clock tower, staring into the depths of space. The enigmatic ruler wore a deathly-black cloak with an unusual symbol on the back: a drop of venom between two snake fangs. His face was unseen by any as he kept a hood over his head at all times, giving him the air of mystery. The unknown master was resting his head on her hand, watching the gears turning above, until...
"Master, master!" A small voice croaked. "I've done it! It is finished!"
The leader turned his head and gazed at the unwanted intruder. A small, humanoid creature with sickly green skin and nearly twenty warts paced out of the darkness – the leader scoffed in disgust. To many who have seen mythical creatures in books, one would refer to this ugly beast as a goblin. He was panted excitedly and carried a small machine in its hands.
"What is it, Ragoorik?" The leader questioned scowled. "I do not need you wasting any more of my time."
"Master, it is complete!" Ragoorik exclaimed cheerfully. "The machine to find new warriors is done! With this, we can find new creatures to fight for the Greyfangs in the arena and bring them to us."
"Really, how does it work?" The leader asked interestingly.
"It's mostly based off the Scouters we found years ago." Ragoorik explained. "This machine can pinpoint power levels from other dimension and, using electromagnetic pulses, we can rip a hole in the dimensional wall. Then it tunes into their frequency and turns their bodies into living energy. And using this device as a waypoint, they will be instantly drawn to us."
"How many can it transport?" The leader questioned.
"Six." Ragoorik answered. "I have already locked onto six powerful frequencies and ready to summon them at your call."
"Do it." The leader commanded.
The hideous goblin cackled under his breath as a pressed a specific sequence of buttons. The machine shuddered suddenly and released a pulse of energy that was unseen by either of the creatures.
Back at South Island, Sonic was leaning back on his chair, playing with the Chaos Emerald in his hand. He sighed at the homework waiting on his desk and looked out the window to the shining sun.
"Many, it's a perfect day." Sonic moaned. "I wonder if there's a way to sneak out without being caught by Lucario."
But unbeknownst to the cobalt hedgehog, the Chaos Emerald began glowing all of a sudden. The only known times the Chaos Emeralds have ever reacted was at times when their were great sources of energy nearby. Sonic's attention was drawn back to the gem only when its light expanded over the room and consumed him entirely. And when the glow finally died, Sonic the Hedgehog was missing.
The final scene arrives in the same dimension, but within a different region of the planet. By some unknown means, a thriving jungle existed within the eternal desert and flourished with plant-life not normally seen on Earth. The tree reach over thirty feet tall and were at least twenty feet thick – hundred of vines and flowers were decorated across the branches. But the true spectacle was lying peacefully in the bushes at the base of the trees. Sonic had fainted during his dimensional travel, still clutching the Chaos Emerald. And while the former hero continued to sleep, two shadows loomed from above.
"And intruder." The first shadow said. "Where do you think he's from?"
"I don't know." The second shadow replied, turning the hedgehog over. "There are no markings of any tribes on his body."
"An outsider." The first shadow stated. "We must report this to the council."
The unknown characters nodded in agreement as one of the beings lifted Sonic on his shoulder and disappeared into the trees.
The adventures of our heroes have only just begun. How has the war with Nazo affected the other Heroes? Why has Sonic suddenly been brought to this world? And what will become of him? Find out on the next Desert Winds!
Please, read and review.
