Ruler Of Everything by Tally Hall.
~~~

"So, you finally showed up?" His tone plain, he didn't even need to look up from the folder in hand to recognise the clops of those boots.

"Missed me that much, huh?"

He only scoffed. "What were you up to?"

"Helping a friend."

"You mean that echidna."

"Better than moping in the office all day."

Red eyes peered over the papers at sly blue. In a tight black jumpsuit, the bat straightened her belt before resting her clawed gloves on his desk, digits covered in rings. Her head gently shook to sweep the large tuft of fur over her eyes and her expression became curious.

"What's that in your hand?"

The dark hedgehog stood, swinging his leather jacket over his shoulder. He handed the folder over, revealing sown black symbols on his gloves (he'd once mentioned they resembled 'promises').

"Missing persons case."

"Why're we hearing about this? Isn't this...under our jurisdiction?"

"I'll explain later. For now we have a task to complete. Omega is already waiting for us outside."

The bat was quick to follow, leaving the folder on her desk. "It's about him, isn't it? Knuckles mentioned the Master Emerald was on edge."

"Mm. There's no point in informing that Faker about what we know now. At least, what we thought we knew."

Briefly, her eyes narrowed when outside- allowing them to adjust to the much brighter sunlight. Beside the buildings front steps stood a tremendous robot staring at a couple observing him as they passed. When he noticed his team, his optics lightened and he gave a wave.

"Hey, big guy."

"Rouge. Shadow. Are we ready to enact our revenge?"

The bat chuckled, patting the robots arm. "Not before Handsome here tells me what's going on."

The hedgehog's eyes rolled. "It seems Faker has found the old man for us."

Her lightheartedness fell and her eyes widened. "Seriously? But we-."

"His base may be at Christmas Island, yes. But he isn't." Shadow held out his hands.

"You're gonna take us there, I assume?"

"Yes."

"But you know how exhausted it makes you, especially when it's a person and not an exact location."

"All that matters is we get there to tear him down." Omega intervened.

Shadow's fingers snapped. "Exactly."

Rouge pinched her nose and sighed before accepting the Ultimate Lifeform's hand and gasping when the three vanished in a golden flash.

———

Spagonia's market was overrun with Badniks. Although they didn't do much of anything, the hiding citizens still refused to move. At least there wasn't a fire this time.

Shadow, hands on knees and out of breath, glared at the scene. "That moron."

Rouge took in the discarded cameras and microphones with a tap to her chin. They had arrived quickly, so Sonic must be-

A thunderous boom from close by and the three looked to the clock tower. A red plane rotated above and blue streaks zipped from the ground towards it's highest point- chased by a simple round vehicle. A checkered wrecking ball swung into the tower, always missing it's speedy target but causing unnecessary damage all the same.

"So he really is back." Shadow murmured.

"Not for long." As the two reached, Omega began stampeding towards the scene.

"Can't catch me Egghead!" The blue hedgehog teased as he bolted around the slim structure.

But an uproar of bullets crushed his path. Sonic turned, briefly, to see a hungry (yet familiar) machine down below.

"Apologies!"

A bat joined Omega's side. "Blue, watch where you're-!"

With a thud he smacked against the side of the wrecking ball. Although dizzy, he kicked off and rushed back down cream stone- catching the grinning man off guard.

"Feeling nostalgic, Eggman?" Hands in his quills, he turned to run backwards with a flashy smile.

"Decided to show up after a year and couldn't even be bothered to be original?"

"Someone keeps ruining my plans!"

Sonic shrugged. "Whoops."

"But I thought I'd take them down memory lane."

"I do hope I received an invitation." A golden flash and Shadow was pushing himself down by his Air-shoes at his rivals side.

"With all the gaps in that memory of yours, I suppose you could do with one."

He growled, but kept his composure by turning to that cocky blue head. "Mind explaining what the hell is going on?"

With the wrecking ball crushing down, the pair leaped over the Eggmobile and proceeded running upwards.

"You know more than me, I'd wager. Dude showed up after I took out more of his goons."

Shadow double took. "More? Sonic how-?"

"Eh, the occasional swarm. No biggy."

He frowned. "You moron. Eggman showed up and you didn't think of telling us about these occurrences?"

"I...didn't think it was needed. I handled it fine."

The Ultimate Lifeform gestured to the chaos behind them. "Fine?"

"Well...it was. Before he showed up."

A claw slammed against the clock part of the tower, blocking their path.

"Has he even said why he's shown up now?" Shadow murmured out the corner of his mouth.

"...No."

"Sonic I swear-."

"I hate to intrude on the bickering, but I do actually have much more important matters to attend to." Eggman smoothed his moustache over.

Sonic theatrically smacked a hand to his chest, silver and green bracelet shining in the sunlight. "I'm hurt."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "What sort of plans, Doctor?"

"An announcement of sorts. Finally I've garnered enough spotlight to make it worth while. Thanks to you, of course." Red and black eyes narrowed on green.

Feeling another, furious, red pair on him, Sonic guilty lifted his arms and smiled. But the red plane made itself known and drifted in to tower behind Eggman, where a narrow eyed golden orange fox sat.

"We'll stop you like always, Eggman!"

"But I always bounce back." With a nightmarish, unnaturally wide grin, the Eggmobile zoomed skyward (making Cubot and Orbot yell).

"Plan?" Shadow hurriedly asked.

Sonic quickly scanned his surroundings. "Yeah. You, Rouge and Omega get those folks to safety. Make sure the reporters are protected and get rid of those Badniks."

He rolled his shoulder and cracked his knuckles. "Me and Tails are gonna take out a rotten egg."

With a golden snap, the Ultimate Lifeform was gone and reunited with his team. Sonic watched them head to the markets remains, switched his Comlink on and took off after the fleeing Eggmobile.

"This is Orange Sky calling to Blue Ground- you read me?"

Sonic held back a warm snicker. "Loud and clear Little Buddy. You on my tail?"

"Right behind you. What's the plan?"

"I'm gonna use my charm of course. Gonna need you to swoop and block pal."

"On it."

With a beep Sonic refocused on the cackling man ahead. For years, it had been him fleeing and Eggman chasing, but now....

The large man looked over his shoulder and almost screamed at the rapidly approaching Blue Blur. Cubot and Orbot started tugging on his red and yellow coat, blue optics stuck wide. He'd only glanced away for a second but Sonic was in front all the same. Winking and wiggling his digits, he pointed to the sky above where the Tornado twisted in circles.

Fine. He always worked best when backed into a corner. Sonic, however, failed spectacularly at it.

Spit left his mouth when he yelled and began mashing buttons, stabbing his claw into the ground and wrecking ball crushing where the chuckling hedgehog had just been. He was really having fun with this, wasn't he?

"So, big announcement huh?" Sonic swerved under the clutches of the claw. "Got a fun project in the works?"

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Eh, was never a fan of those."

"All the more reason to keep it secret."

Tails raised an eye ridge, thumb lifting off the control in charge of the Tornados offensive. Although he couldn't hear the conversation below, he was puzzled at the actions between the two. He'd seen how they fought before. How violent and reckless and damaging it could be. But this...it was much more like a catch and miss sort of game.

"Seems you've had a busy year." Eggman seethed when one of his landings was dangerously close.

"I can say the same for you, I bet. Would've shown your ugly face otherwise."

"How charming. I meant, you're quite the celebrity. Much more than before-."

Sonic's eyes narrowed. "Don't."

Eggman feigned an innocent shrug. "It's...impressive. That's all."

That evidently shocked the speedster enough for the claw to whack him aside. But his focus was quick and when it came rushing towards him, he slipped into a spiky ball and zoomed past.

"Of course, your fame only comes from me." The claw raised and the wrecking ball rolled. "Without myself, you'd be-."

BANG!

The upper half of the claw snapped cleanly off it's stem. The chain holding the ferocious sphere snapped and it barrelled towards the outer walls of Spagonia, creating a dent upon arrival. Oil burst from the damage and wires wiggled from the holes. With a cough, Eggman lowered his arm and followed Sonic's gaze to the sky- where the Tornado began to land. Orbot and Cubot yelped and hid under the Eggmobile's control panel.

"Seems I overlooked someone." With a stroke of his moustache, he observed the fox clamber out the planes pilot seat when on the ground.

"You may have slowed me down, fools. But the world knows I'm back all the same!"

Tails paused in his flight when the Eggmobile lifted off the ground. Pulling blue goggles off wide eyes, he glanced at his brother who charged up his legs, but Eggman was already in the air. The yellow inventor gasped, tried to follow yet was shoved back by the mans hand.

He rolled in the air but soon managed to catch himself, muttering in disbelief when Eggman was nowhere to be seen. Landing with a disappointed sigh, he fiddled with the black strap of his pouch when Sonic rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry. I caught you off guard."

"Tails, that's on me. You did good. I'm always glad to have your back."

He looked up at his older brother, who rubbed his nose with a grin. Wait.

"Sonic!" The fox smacked his pilots goggles against the speedsters shielding arms.

"H-hey! That wasn't an invite to-!"

A heavy sigh. "Just a few Badniks, huh?"

———

Omega lifted the worst of the damage into piles, gathering the larger pieces whilst Shadow conversed with the citizens. Badniks lay in ruin and Rouge was off to the side, pacing and speaking into her Comlink.

Sonic awkwardly cleared his throat and gave a salute. "Everything okay over here?"

Shadow turned, expecting to see three but frowning when only met with two. "I see we were much more successful than the pair of you."

Tails' head dipped and he kicked some rubble with his blue shoe. "Eggman got away, sorry."

"I'm sure you did what you could, fox."

"Favouritism." Sonic grumbled, arms crossed (eyes narrowing when his brother feigned innocent blinks).

"Well, how did he flee? Could you seriously not even catch his Eggmobile?"

"I-it was my fault. Eggman landed a hit and I panicked so I attacked back and-."

Shadow set his hand atop Tails' head fur, only briefly for he understood the fox to be very protective on who could pat him. "No matter. Although it's...not ideal that he's escaped, at least we know he's around. It'll be much easier to stop him now."

Sonic's fingers snapped. "See? Piece of cake now. And once Eggman's out he won't wanna stay away for long."

Shadow's eyes narrowed. "If only we knew about this all sooner."

"Hey man, I didn't know Eggman was back 'till today like everyone else."

"But you knew of the Badniks. We were only aware of very rare instances, but they sound to be much more common. Even you aren't that stupid to not have realised it would've eventually led to him returning, yes?"

Sonic glared and he stepped closer. "Alright, Faker-."

"Guys!" Smacking his hands against their chests, Tails stood between the pair.

"Shadow, who's Rouge even talking to?"

The Ultimate Lifeform sighed and watched Omega approach the bat (the machine who had once been 'glaring' at the speedster).

"She's giving an update on what's occurred here." Red eyes met green.

"She's informing Commander Towers that Eggman has returned."