Tales of Sonic: Mobius ZX

TALES OF SONIC: MOBIUS ZX

MIRAGE SALOON BRAWL

SAND HILL DESERT

Planet Mobius, Sand hill desert…the sun is intense, and the heat immense. Yet that doesn’t stop there from being activity. A Cactus Crawler does what its name suggests, crawling up a cactus, and eating a hole through it to reach its juicy center. Right before a Sandworm pops up and snatches the Cactus Crawler, dragging it underground to devour it. A desert Dove lands on the cactus and starts to drink from the hole the Cactus Crawler made.

Three colorful streaks go through the desert, kicking up dust as they go: one blue, one yellow and one red. Two are Mobians that either run or fly incredibly fast, a blue hedgehog and a two-tailed fox; the third person riding a hovercycle that leads a red trail, wearing a cloak and hiding their person.

They stop at a little desert town known as Sun Snare Drum. The rider parks their vehicle and from the side car steps a small dog-like creature. The four go inside the nearby Mirage Saloon. The blue hedgehog orders three lemonades for the three of them and some water for their canine companion. The bartenders says they look like they could use something stronger, the blue hedgehog saying that he doesn’t like stuff that messes with the brain. The cloaked figure says in a feminine snarky voice: ‘Too late.’ Sonic just laughs as it is a playful joke.

At that point, a biker gang comes in, weapons out saying that the Nasty Hyenas are here to collect ‘Protection Taxes’ and if no one wants trouble, they better pay up. Most people cower in front of them, but the trio of newcomers and their pet don’t. They just get up, with the blue hedgehog saying that there are three things in the world he hates: the taste of seafood, people testing his patience, and bullies. And they are two out of three, not very good odds.

The Nasty Hyenas’ leader, Gero, asks what little boy blue is going to do about it. The hedgehog says he is going to kick their butts. The four hyenas laugh since he and his team looks scrawny. They say they’ll just teach them all a lesson.

The the two tailed fox says she hoped they could go somewhere without having to pick a fight. Sonic says that he doesn’t look for trouble, trouble finds them.

Gero opens fire at the blue hedgehog, but he finds that none of the bullets hit their mark, they just vanish. The hedgehog opens his hand the bullets fall out. Gero gulps and asks whom he is. The blue hedgehog says. ‘Sonic! Sonic the hedgehog! Fastest thing alive!’

He closes the gap between him and Gero, whom clumsily tries to get a hit on Sonic but of course he is too fast, he is like a blur. He moves at in-Mobian speeds.

The second Nasty Hyena Nimo goes after the two-tailed fox, whom flies into the air to avoid him. Nimo asks what kind of little freak he is. The boy says his name is Miles Prower, but everyone calls him Tails. Nimo says that the little boy can only run, because he is bigger and stronger than him and can crush the little boy. Tails says he doesn’t like violence, but he is acting like a big jerk. The little fox surprises him by lifting him by the scruff of his collar. And throw him into a table. When Nimo asks what they feed the kid. Tails says ‘brainfood’ as he pushes a button on his bracelet. A device that Tails had planted on Nimo when he grabbed him shocks him unconscious.

Savage, the female member of the Nasty hyenas has a ball and chain, and she swings it at the cloaked figure. She dodged the flail and with a  slash, the ball part is cut from the chain. Savage is thrown off guard as suddenly the stranger throws off her cloak and throws it over Savage’s face. As she is distracted and pulls it off, she is grabbed by her face and her head slammed in the wall. As Savage slowly loses consciousness she notices a Mobian Owl woman with long, sharp claws as she slurs: ‘Who are you?’ the owl lady says to call her Longclaw.

The last of the Hyenas, Ted, stands in front of the pet companion of the trio. He says the pupper is kind of cute…he hates cute stuff. He pulls a pair of knives as the dog growls. And then it grows to five times its size, from a cute pet to a huge wolf-like creature. Ted blinks and mutters: ‘…nice doggy’. Then he is uses as a chewtoy for the next few minutes.

The hyenas are beaten with only a frightened Gero left standing, and he pulls a hostage and holds his gun to their head. Gero asks to step back. Sonic says there is no scenario where he comes out on top. Even if he creates distance, he’d have no problem closing it. Gero says he’ll blow his hostage’s brains out. Sonic says there are two options: he’ll be fast enough to stop him before he can pull the trigger…or he fires, kills the hostage and nothing will be able to protect him from his wrath. He wasn’t really trying when fighting Gero, does he want risk him getting serious.

Gero and Sonic stare each other down…Gero screams, throws his gun in the air, and tries to run, but Sonic of course is fast enough to block his path and ends it with one kick to the head. The gang is taken care off and everyone cheers.

The bartender says the drinks are on the house, and if they want some food, he’ll waive that too. Sonic asks if they have chilidogs. The bartender says the kitchen staff is willing to make it for them. One of the bystanders asks what kind of dog that is that they have. Sonic looks at his pet, still in his giant form. “You mean Muttski? What kind of dog he is? Well, he’s a good dog.” He answers as he pets the tail-wagging doggo’s head.

Longclaw says it was risky what he did with Gero. Sonic says he knew Gero wouldn’t have the stomach. He can recognize cowards from a mile away. And he knew even if he wasn’t fast enough, he knew Tails would be smart enough and Longclaw cunning enough to come up with something.

The Hyenas are dropped off at the Sherriff’s office (whom were sad to have missed the action, the travelers handled things really fast). They stay the night before they continue their journey. They wish the townspeople good luck and depart.

DESERT NIGHTS

Later on the day, they set up camp for the night. Longclaw is looking at a locket she carries. Inside is a picture of another owl woman, with a younger Longclaw, Sonic and Tails. Sonic asks ‘A Mobium for your thoughts?’

Longclaw says she is just reminiscing. She misses their mother. Always wondering if she’d be proud of them…of her…if she’d approve of using her name, if she deserved that. Sonic and Tails both assure her that Longclaw is deserving, and she did it to honor their mother. She’d have been happy and honored that she’d taken the name.

Sonic says that their mother found two lost boys, and she took them in and raised them, loved them as their own. He can’t imagine she’d be the person who’d think less of her. Tails says their mom didn’t make him feel like a freak, instead made him feel unique. Muttski, back to pup size nuzzles her.

Longclaw feels better already. They decide to turn in for the night. Sonic says ‘Goodnight Athena’, and in return Longclaw says ‘Goodnight Miles, Goodnight Maurice…goodnight Muttski.’

The next morning they are ready to depart. Tails opens his navigator, as Longclaw asks where their next stop is. Sonic says that they are heading for the Emerald Archipelago, to be precise the Kingdom of Acorn.

TRIVIA

• Started with a new Sonic project.

• This starting chapter is inspired by an old fic of mine, Sonic Cobalt. The first few chapters also took place in a western-style town in the desert.

• Due to the animals being Mobians, different non-sentient creatures take the place of wild animals. The Sand worms are like the ones on lost world, the Desert Dove is like the Dove of Satam (a bird with lizard tail and insect wings) and a Cactus crawler which I imagine like a lizard/insect hybrid.

• Muttski in this incarnation is like Satam a non-sentient pet…though as you can see he has a few tricks up his sleeves.

• Meet a new character…Sort of. Athena aka Longclaw II. She is the daughter of the original Longclaw whom is Sonic and Tails’ adoptive mother. She is actually more of a decomposite character of sorts?

• Like the archie comics Sonic’s full name is Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog. And he would rather go with his second name instead of his first name. And even then, after he took on the Sonic moniker, few people call him by his real name. Athena/Longclaw II and Tails have family privileges.

• The Nasty Hyenas are from the Satam cartoon. They are more outright bandits rather then a cannibalistic biker gang. They were never names, but I named the main four Gero, Nimo, Savage and Ted.

• Gero-nimo…Banzai. Savage in Swahili is Shenzi. And Ted is one letter away from Ed. I knew what I was doing naming these four.

• If you want to know who’s who, take a look at the picture underneath first:

https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Nasty_Hyenas?file=Fed_up_with_Antoine_068.png

Gero is the gray bearded one, Nimo is the striped tall one, Savage is the lady and the one with the piercing is Ted.