Hog & Scorched

**Hog** is a tenrec who happens to be an alternate Sonic the Hedgehog created by a third-party group that happens to be labeled **Giga**. However, his creation overrode the existence of a certain hedgehog and his world, causing him to desire revenge.

## Overview

**Hog** himself is a heroic tenrec. Together with his best friend Prowler, he ventures out to stop the evil Doctor Bio "Yolkman" Mechanik from conquering planet Torus. Occasionally others like Fists, Holly or Shade and Velvet join his little quest.

On the contrary, **Scorched** used to be Sonic the Hedgehog, the Fastest Thing Alive. The moment a Sonic 3 & Knuckles cartridge was locked into Giga's Switch N' Play, he was sent to the void as the only survivor. Years have passed and he became a mere shadow of his former self. Having snapped, he decided to spread destruction and gain the Power Rubies using Hog as a puppet.

## Appearance

### Hog the Tenrec

A blue anthropomorphic tenrec looking slightly like Sonic. He has short dark blue quills and pale, pink - coral coloured skin. his mouth is rarely seen, but when it is he has small sharp teeth. he has small skin coloured tufts on the sides of his muzzle, and has very large, white connected eyes. he has black shoes, and the insides of his ears are filled with blue,

### Sonic/Scorched

Before the incident, Sonic started out the same as his canon self. However, years of being in the void changed his appearance. Notable features include darker colors, fur on his belly like Hog's, and most notable are the black eyes and his large teeth.

When harnessing the power of both Power Rubies and the Giga Ruby, he assumes a larger form that meshes his appearance and Hog's together. This is his "Super form". In certain art, his arms, legs, and eyes glow yellow.

## Biography

The story begins with a simple action of inserting a cartridge of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. However it had not been put into an average Sega Genesis console. Rather, it was being integrated with a peculiar product called the “Switch N’ Play”. This add-on had been made by a third-party group that labeled itself as Giga, focused on creating extensions to already pre-existing titles. This product was made specifically for the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise, with the extensions having their very own set of twists, such as new levels and thrilling, original gameplay mechanics.

The Switch N’ Play itself brought to the table their own characters. One of them was their main icon, named “Hog The Tenrec”. Characters such as him take similar aspects of their original counterparts but have their mechanics changed and visuals altered to create new gameplay experiences and inspire awe.

The character roster would include **Hog The Tenrec**, a snarky but kind hearted hero. Despite letting his ego get the best of him sometimes, his heart was pure gold.

After him Prowler The Fennec would follow. This creative genius would be able to build any type of gadget needed for any and all situations. The fennec fox would occasionally put himself on a pedestal due to his intelligence, belittling those who were not up to his level. However, he would put most of those nitpicks aside to aid in saving the day.

Next up would be Fists The Porcupine, a tough as nails fighter. He would be very confident with his strength, seizing every opportunity to engage in a brawl no matter the situation. Despite his impulsive demeanor he would zeal for the safety of anything or anyone that he swore to protect.

Last in line would be Dr. Bio Mechanik, nicknamed ‘’Yolkman’’ by his animal adversaries. A mad scientist with an incalculable intellect. He would always be determined to have the upper hand, regularly tricking his foes with his cunning ways or using his inventions to assure a guaranteed victory.

After the insertion, everyone living within the game gets thrown into a void where hidden or unused assets go. This includes scrapped enemies, levels, sprites, music and other secrets that can only be accessed through sound test or debug mode.

The Void has a unique effect. When assets are contained within it and have no major use, it strips away code in order for it to be reused later on. This also applies to characters. The process kills the cast immediately the moment they enter, leaving nothing but lifeless bodies to float endlessly in the Void to rot. This affected everybody except Sonic.

The add-on does not create new coding when it comes to main character controls. It reuses the pre-existing code as a base and adds onto it to create new abilities. This important detail lets Sonic prevail even after being thrown into the Void.

Sonic wakes up after being unconscious. He analyzes his surroundings and notices he is in a barren place with random objects floating around. Some perfectly cut squares of the terrain he had traversed appeared to be thrown about like a chaotic collage of random things. Bushes, trees, boulders, scrap, all floating in the air. Numbers and letters spread around the sky as if they were faint clouds. It was all very confusing to look at.

After looking at everything, he decided to turn around and explore a bit more of this place but it would soon see a radical change. Dead animals were scattered on the pitch black floor. Some of them had chunks of their body missing, others had their faces ripped apart and were distorted beyond recognition.

“Geez, this place is like something out of a nightmare.” - Sonic comments whilst walking amidst the chaos.

He finds Tails laying on the floor, his back facing towards him.

“Tails? TAILS!” - Sonic rushes over to help.

“Buddy, let's get you out of here. This place is giving me the creeps!”

Sonic turns Tails around.

He jumps back from shock and horror. So many thoughts rushed through his head at that moment. He would murmur:

‘’No….”

“No, no, NO, NO NO!” - Sonic screamed, panicked. He would then proceed to quickly pick Tails up.

“I’ll find help, you’ll be fine!” - He runs aimlessly, looking in every direction for a solution.

Sonic eventually slows down and stops:

“How did this happen..?” - He would ask himself.

“Please…don’t die on me..”

“Tails…please…” - He would quietly murmur.

Sonic would kneel down and cry on the body of his best friend.

“I’ll find out who did this to you…” - Sonic whimpered.

“I’ll not stop until I find him…”

Determined to search for an answer, Sonic laid down the body of his friend and decided to scout the area to see what he could find. Some of these areas were very large and spacious. The more he searched around, the more lost he got. Minutes turned into hours. Hours turned into days. He was feeling drained.

He would eventually stumble across Knuckles and Eggman. Both seemed to have been disfigured in the same way Tails was. Knuckles had chunks of his body missing. Eggman had his lower half torn off.

He was so emotionally exhausted that he couldn’t feel anything towards their deaths. It seemed as if he was too drained out for him to care.

At this point Sonic was starting to give up. It was hopeless, he thought. He laid down, waiting for something, anything to happen. It was all so quiet, he would start to hallucinate and hear things, like birds chirping and wind calmly passing through the plants. It all felt so real to him. He missed it very much.

In his own head he could hear the sound of people speaking. He missed resting near a palm tree with his best buddy, as he rambled on and on about nerdy stuff.

“Wait a minute.” - Sonic would open his eyes and snap out of his flashback.

He looks to his right side and notices a shred of light. Voices could be heard coming out from it but it was all muffled. They were too far away for him to make out what they were saying...

“Hey, over here!” - He heard from the light.

The voice sounded familiar. It sounded like..

“Tails..?” - Sonic wondered.

The feeling of hope soon filled Sonic’s heart. Maybe all of this was just a nightmare. Maybe he will wake up soon.

He noticed that his legs were weakened. It was slightly painful to run now. But despite that he forced himself to run.

“Come on, you can do it!” - The voice motivated him.

“Tails, I’m coming, wait!” - Sonic reassured his buddy, filled with more hope as he moved onward.

“There we go! Took you a bit, huh?” - The voice spoke in a playful manner.

“Wait, what?” - Sonic, slowing his pace, started becoming confused and cautious.

“Phew! Yeah sorry about that Prowler. I really gotta lay off those corn dogs!” - Uttered an unknown voice.

“It’s fine, let's keep moving, you never know when-”

Prowler unknowingly steps into a trap and gets his leg tied by a rope, leaving him dangling.

“Hahahaha! If it isn’t Hog the Tenrec!” - The notorious Doctor Yolkman made his grand reveal.

"Yolkman!" - Hog and Prowler were surprised by the sudden appearance of the mad doctor.

Sonic would look at the screen, visibly confused. It all looked so different yet felt so familiar.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?!” - Sonic screams, calling out for them.

The characters seemed to be unaware of Sonic’s presence. As if he was some sort of ghost behind a screen.

"What are you scheming now, Yolkface?!" - Hog asks the mad doctor.

“Well I’m not gonna tell you like some bumbling idiot, I-” - Yolkman would then get interrupted.

“High energy levels detected. Tracking…” - Announced the integrated system.

“Power Rubies detected. Displaying coordinates!”

“Curses! Engage silent mode! Order 10!” - Yolkman hits a button in his Yolk Mobile in order to avoid any other information getting to his nemesis ears.

“Sounds like a race then, huh?” - Said Hog smugly.

“A race indeed. But what’s that over there!” - Yolkman hurriedly points to his left.

“Huh?” - Hog looks in the direction the doctor pointed at.

Having distracted Hog, the cunning genius quickly presses a button in his aircraft. The Yolk Mobile would deploy two laser cannons in an instant and one of them would fire at Hog. The shot would make the tenrec fling backwards.

“Bwahahahaha! Au revoir, rodent!” - Yolkman flies away to get his hands on the rubies.

Hog would get up and clean the dirt off of him.

“Darn it! Well, I guess It’s up to us now.”

“True! However, there's an itsy, teensy problem with that.” - Prowler says to Hog.

“Oh, what is it?” - He turns to look at Prowler

“I’M STILL TRAPPED UP HERE!” - Prowler shouts angrily.

“Oh, right. Sorry!” - Hog says as he walks up to him.

As the situation continued to unravel, Sonic would look at the screen, intrigued at the fact that these people acted the same way everyone did in his world but with some slight changes.

“Huh. It’s almost like I’m looking through a distorted mirror." - Sonic would comment.

“Maybe there’s a way for me to contact them. I just gotta figure out how.” - Sonic would start to ponder while scratching his chin.

For days Sonic would analyze Hog’s world and how it functioned. He would make theories or possible ways for him to make his presence known or anything that could get their attention.

As time went on and the many attempts of him trying to make contact, it seemed each and one of his plans would not work. He was running out of ideas.

“Ugh! Nothing is working!” - Sonic would say in his frustration.

His anger would subside and his mind would wonder for a bit. He would then remember Tails.

“If only I had you to help me with this.” - Solemnly, Sonic would put his hand on the monitor.

“I miss you Tails....” - Sonic would look down at the floor, his sorrow taking over.

In that same moment, Sonic would hear footsteps around him. The blue hedgehog would be completely taken off guard, as he thought he was the only one in here. Despite being somewhat anxious about approaching the area where the noises came from, he thought that maybe there could be someone in there who was willing to help him escape this place. He decided to take the risk and go towards the source of the footsteps.

When he arrived, all he could see was a silhouette. It did not look familiar until a glimmering light revealed who it was. It was Tails, supposedly alive once again. He did not appear harmed as he was before, his amber fur and white accents were brightly colored, and the fur itself was not madded or dirtied.

“Tails..?” - Sonic asked with an astonished look on his face.

“H-How? I thought you were dead!’’

“Hello Sonic.” - Said Tails in a gloomy tone.

Sonic rushes over to Tails to embrace him.

“Oh buddy, I’m so glad you’re okay!” - Sonic would squeeze him in his arms.

“Alright, let’s get outta here! Maybe you could find a way to-”

Tails would interrupt him:

“You don’t have much time, Sonic.” - Tails said harrowingly.

“What do you mean?” - Sonic asks, confused by his words.

“Take a look.” - A reflective surface would materialize in front of Sonic, acting like a mirror.

Sonic would take a good look at the mirror and see himself.

“Well, I don’t see anything wrong so far, I mean I do look pretty- AAH!” Sonic, petrified by the sight, yelps and falls backwards.

In a flash, the reflection would reveal his true appearance. His fur and skin were darkened in color. His lips were starting to crack and rip, showing raw flesh. The skin of his arms were beginning to sag and wrinkle.

“W-What’s happened to me??” - Sonic said, horrified.

“You’re withering away. This place is slowly killing you, Sonic.” - Tails would reply with no emotion on his face.

“You have to get out of here quickly Sonic, or else you’ll fade away into nothing.”

“I’ve tried everything! Nothing works!” - Sonic would answer with frustration and fear in his voice.

“Not everything.” - Tails would correct him.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Tails would approach the screen, distorting and corroding it with his touch.

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you the answer.” - Tails replies.

The screen would reveal a radiant Power Ruby, slowly rotating and glowing.

“A gem? How’s THAT gonna help me?” - Sonic would reply with arrogance.

“It will connect you to their world.” - Tails replies. He begins to instruct him.

“If you somehow break the barrier between here and their world, you’ll be able to become one with them and make your presence known.”

“But how am I gonna break a barrier that I don’t even know about? I’m in the middle of NOWHERE!” - Sonic began to get frustrated.

This would be for Sonic to figure out on his own, as the vision of Tails promptly ignored the question, walking away as if his job were finished.

“H-Hey, buddy! Where are you going? Tails!” - Sonic would start to sprint towards him, trying to follow him.

“TAILS, COME BACK! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!” - Sonic ran as fast as he could, but Tails walked further away, blending into the Void’s dark shadow.

“Tails..? TAILS!” - Sonic begins to shout at nothing, hoping to find his friend.

Sonic would slow down as he began to feel a sharp pain in his legs. The effects were now starting to become very apparent to him and much harder to ignore. The only thing that hurt more than the state of his legs was him being alone once again.

“Please… come back.” - Sonic says through his quiet desperation.

After the first encounter, Sonic would sit next to the monitor, constantly watching Hog’s moves. He was trying to figure out how that gem would connect him to their world. Several days passed as he kept trying to understand without any success.

As the hedgehog kept thinking to himself, another figure would approach Sonic. This time it was Knuckles.

“Sonic.” - Knuckles sternly says his name.

“Knuckles?!” - Sonic jumps from the sudden mention of his name.

“What are you doing here? How are you-”

“You’re running out of time, Sonic.” - Knuckles cut him off mid sentence.

Sonic for a moment goes quiet, looking at Knuckles.

“Knuckles, I’m trying. I really am-”

“You’re not trying hard enough. You’re growing weaker. Softer.” - The echidna scolds Sonic.

Sonic again goes silent, reflecting on Knuckles’s words.

“They replaced you, Sonic.”

“They took everything from you because you were weak.”

“Now, you’re nothing but just a fading memory.”

“And soon enough you’ll be forgotten.”

Sonic starts to get angered by Knuckles’s words.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” - He gets up and approaches Knuckles.

“I’ll get out of here and I’ll prove it.”

“And how will you do that, Sonic?” - Knuckles asks.

“How will you free yourself from this place? You don’t even know where to begin.”

“Wow. Shocker.” - Sonic would sarcastically reply.

“Your sarcasm won’t help you either. Don’t waste time.”

“I’ll find a way out. Leave me alone.” - Sonic answers, walking back to the monitor and returning to what he was doing.

The echidna takes one last look at the broken down hedgehog. He turns around and walks away into the darkness.

Time and time again, Sonic would try to think of a way to get out. But he would always remain stumped on what to do. Each day seemed to be a struggle. He was trying to keep himself together, but his mind was starting to be affected by the Void. Knuckles’s words echoed through his head. It seemed as if it was haunting him every living moment. Was he going mad? He could not tell.

One day, a third figure would appear. It was Eggman.

“Ah, my old nemesis. Sonic the Hedgehog. Or at least, what’s left of him.”

Sonic would remain silent but still pay attention to the scientist.

‘’Time is slowly draining away. Though I am certain you already know that by now hedgehog.’’

Sonic would look at him but then turn his head back to the monitor. Eggman would wander around behind him and look in the distance.

‘’It’s a shame I never discovered this place. It would’ve made for such a wicked scheme.  Sending you here and trapping you, maybe even see you lose your mind in the process. What a delight! Wouldn’t you agree?’’

Despite Eggman's words, Sonic kept focusing on the monitor. Eggman hunches over and takes a look for himself.

‘’You know, if I had to dictate the worst aspect about you, besides the fact that you are so adamant in ruining my plans, it would be the fact that you always expect the solution to be right in front of you. Quite disappointing, really.’’

Sonic would look at the scientist’s face, annoyed.

‘’No need for that look, hedgehog. But wouldn’t you suspect there is something else to this place, other than what you see with your eyes? Have you even tried thinking outside of the box?’’

Sonic would silently look down to the floor, unsure of himself.

‘’It isn’t my job to ensure that you make it out of here. In all honesty, you can wither away in the same place where you are standing. Though I would expect more from the one that has been pestering me for years now. Or maybe that lower hedgehog beyond the screen has already beaten you?’’

Sonic would turn to the monitor again and look at Hog.

‘’Doesn’t it anger you that you’re living your life here while they are out there? That they stole your identity and ran away with it? That they took your title as hero? Face it, Sonic. You’re not ahead in the race anymore. You’ve been left in the dust, forgotten.’’

Sonic, having had enough, stands up and confronts Eggman.

‘’And why should I trust you? Why should I take anything that you’re saying to me right now as truth? You’re messing with me, it’s something that you always do. I'm not letting you get the best of me. Ever.”

‘’And yet…’’ - Eggman would point at the screen - ‘’It would seem someone already has.’’

Sonic looks at the monitor and walks up to it once again.

“Ignore my words if you wish. But the fact still stands that you can’t even tell what’s real and what’s not.

“Stop messing with my head.” - Sonic says, his frustration starting to rise.

“You’re losing yourself Sonic. It 's quite obvious.”

“Quit, IT!” - Sonic starts to cover his ears, attempting to ignore Eggman.

“And soon enough, you’ll cease to exist. In fact, you’re not looking quite like your former self anymore.”

“SHUT UP!” - Sonic rushes over to Eggman, with rage filling his heart.

He lunges himself and tries to punch the doctor but lands on the ground instead. Eggman had vanished out of thin air. He was hallucinating this whole time.

“I’m not going crazy, I’m not.” - Sonic holds his head.

“I’M NOT.” - He starts to grip it, looking up.

Sonic kneels down and hurls a scream so loud that echoes through the whole Void.

A long time had passed since then. Sonic could not tell how long it had been. He had tried again and again to find a way to break the barrier, but he could not discover any way to do it. All this did was confuse him more. Everyday the apparitions would return to torment him even further. He was starting to grow mad.

One day, he had reached an epiphany. He had finally understood what was going on. At least, to him, this was true.

“Wait a minute... I get it now!” - Sonic chuckles lightly.

“They’re mocking me! Mocking the fact I am suffering here and they have what was once mine! ”

Sonic would fall back and descend into a laughing fit.

“I’ll show them how It feels to lose EVERYTHING!”

“I’ll make them PAY. I’ll make them SUFFER.”

“I’LL BURN THEIR WORLD AWAY AND RESTORE MINE FROM THE ASHES.”

“BUT I’LL FIRST DESTROY EVERYTHING THEY HAVE. THEY’LL SHIVER AND CRY UNDER MY FEET. I’LL SHOW THEM ALL!”

Sonic would stop, he gets up and slowly walks to the monitor, which was displaying Hog talking to Prowler.

“You can’t get rid of me. You can’t erase me. I WON’T LET YOU.” - Sonic’s fists would shake in pure rage.

He falls down to his knees and bash both of his fists into the ground

“I WILL NOT BE **REPLACED!**”

Four years had passed ever since, feeling like an eternity for Sonic. His body was now heavily warped, bearing no resemblance to what he was before. His skin was stretched around and merged with his fur in some spots. His quills were darkened in color. His face had undergone the most damage with his cheeks pulled so far back to the point of them being ripped, exposing his bare gums and teeth. His eyes were very dilated, looking like they were almost completely blackened.

By now, his anger had completely broken him. Whatever trace of Sonic that was within him had been completely erased. The same thoughts lingered within his mind. The need to get rid of the impersonators, to fix his world and to return to his normal life. He would dwell and contemplate on it. By any means necessary, he would see this through..

Sonic would maintain his attention on the monitor as always. He looked at the screen and noticed something strange that he had never seen before for all of his time within the Void. He peered into the sky seeing a black bar on top of the screen. He could see himself sitting, watching the monitor, as if it was looking from a lower angle.

He quickly realized where the barrier was. It was below him this whole time.

He looked at the monitor once again and saw that Hog was on his way to catch the Power Ruby. He was running out of time. If he didn’t catch this now, he would have to wait much longer.

This was his chance to free himself from this hell. All he had to do was pummel the ground and break it. Sonic began to use his legs to jump through the barrier, hoping to break it after applying enough force. With each heavy landing, the pressure started to worsen his bones. They were starting to audibly snap and crack. Each stomp gave a sickening crunch, with the next being worse than the last. Sonic clenched his teeth in anguish, but he insisted on pushing on.

“Come ON.”

The moment started getting more intense as Hog started to approach closer and closer to get the gem..

“Break!”

“BREAK, DAMN YOU!”

With one last landing, the black barrier that separated the Void and the sky gives way. He starts falling through the clouds and conveniently lands on top of the ruby.

As everything went white, a jingle was heard.

“SONIC has collected a Power Ruby!”

Suddenly, Sonic would open his eyes. It seemed that the nightmare was over at last. His body was no longer in the pained state it was in for the last four years of his imprisonment. However, despite that, something was still not right.

“Huh..?” - He looked at his hands. These weren’t his gloves.

“There you are!” - Prowler approached him.

“Did you get the Power Ruby, Hog?”

“Hog? My name isn’t…” - Sonic would observe his gloves, his torso, and his shoes. Something was wrong…

He was no longer Sonic the Hedgehog, he was instead controlling Hog’s body. The plan had worked, but not in the way he’d hoped.

“No… no! NO! This isn’t right! What happened to my BODY?!” - Sonic grips his fists in frustration.

“Hog, are you okay?” - Prowler asks in concern and confusion.

Sonic would sharply turn towards Prowler.

“You.”

Sonic instantly began to sprint towards Prowler, getting him in a choke hold.

“YOU KILLED HIM AND YOU’RE JUST PRETENDING TO BE HIM!”

“Gh- What are you t-talking about?!” - Prowler struggles and chokes for air.

“DON’T LIE TO ME, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE!” - Sonic pummels Prowler to the ground.

“I’LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO TAILS!” - He tightens his grip on Prowler’s throat.

“H-Hog, p-please.. st… op…” - Prowler continuously struggles to breathe with the light in his eyes beginning to fade.

Before he could finish the job, Sonic’s hands were suddenly empty, and the scenery around him was non-existent. He was trapped in the Void once again.

“H-huh?” - Hog would regain his consciousness, noticing that he was choking Prowler, letting go immediately.

“P-Prowler, what happened? Are you ok??”

“Am I ok?! What has gotten into you?! You were STRANGLING ME!” - Prowler angrily shouts.

“I- I don’t understand! I just blinked and my hands were around your neck. I don’t know what happened.” - Hog started to freak out, wondering if he actually did it or not.

“Well-” - Prowler coughs as he slowly gets up, catching his breath.

“Whatever THAT was, It won’t excuse you from almost popping my head off my shoulders.”

“I’m sorry.” - Despite having no recollection, Hog is ashamed of himself .

“Whatever, let's just go.” - Prowler says unenthusiastically.

Both Hog and Prowler leave the scene.

Sonic wakes up, noticing he is back in the Void again. His rage would return to a boiling point, breaking.

“No.. NO NO NO. WHY AM I BACK HERE!? WHY?!”

“I ALMOST HAD IT, I-”

He suddenly stops himself. It couldn’t be, he thought. He would regain his focus and look towards his right, the blue glow radiating off of the Power Ruby. He decided to walk towards it, questioning if he had finally reached his breaking point. The closer he got, the more viscerally real it looked. It’s almost like he could reach out and grab it… And he did.

“Look at how you gleam. And shine. Your faint blue glow…so beautiful…!”

“You and I will do wonders together. We just have to find the others. I will be able to change myself back. I can feel it.”

As it glowed in his hand, the small chuckle grew into a maniacal cackle.

With the ruby in hand, the similarities between his world and that of Hog’s were especially evident. He and Hog were one and the same. Everytime Hog would collect a Ruby, it would also count as Sonic collecting them as well.

Hog would continue collecting more rubies to take down Yolkman. For each one he collected, the more the world would start to distort. At first it wasn't obvious, but then it became apparent to Sonic that the world was surely changing. For Hog however, all seemed to be the same. Strangely, as Hog acquired each ruby, he would feel as if he was losing consciousness. Either he would slip in and out, or would make erratic, sudden movements. But even then, he continued to collect them. By the time he reached the fourth ruby, he blacked out and seemed to be not all there anymore. Sonic had full control of Hog’s body at this point, all he needed to do was collect the rest.

During Sonic’s goal to collect all of the rubies for his own reasons, Prowler was already suspecting something was wrong with his friend when he was first attacked. He felt as if something was off, especially since Hog wouldn’t do such a thing to his peers. The more rubies that were collected, the more his behavior began to change. Hog was now more obsessed with the Rubies than ever, usually he would only use them to stop Yolkman, but these were for his own misdeeds. Prowler would be determined to find out what was wrong.

In concern, Prowler would approach Hog and ask him:

“Hog, are you okay?” - Prowler puts his hand on Hog’s back to comfort.

“Oh, I’ve been just feeling under the weather recently. I’m alright though, we just need to collect all of those Power Rubies so we can take down Yolkman’s plan.” - Hog replied.

“But you’ve been on this search for these rubies almost non-stop. It’s okay if we take a break. Yolkman probably isn’t that far off on his plans anyways. Besides, I can invent something to make our jobs a lot easier. I'm just more or so worried about you.”

“I am fine, Prowler.” - Hog asserted sternly.

“Are you sure? Honestly speaking, I feel like you need to ease down on this–”

“I said I’m FINE! We need to keep on going to defeat Eggman!” - Hog insisted very rudely.

“...Okay then. Let’s just sleep for now okay? It's getting late.”

“Fine. But when we wake up, it’s back to searching for them. Got it?”

While Hog slept, Prowler went to his Warehouse to figure out what was really going on.

Whatever this thing was, it clearly wanted the Power Rubies. And since they wanted all of them, he could only assume that he wanted to go super. But Hog would only use these to stop Yolkman. That thing that was so obsessed with power was not his friend at all.

Even stranger, it had mentioned someone whom he had no recollection of meeting. Who was this Eggman? Was that person somehow responsible for whatever was going on? Despite dwelling on these questions for some time, he concluded that there was no way that he could possibly know the answers to them, at least not right now. He needed to take action. He decided to clean up his makeshift workshop before getting to work. If that thing was so desperate for the power within the rubies then he would make sure that he would have the perfect counter to nullify the energy obtained from the gems.

He started to construct a weapon that would drain all of the power harnessed by the rubies, in case whatever this was would manage to catch all of them. After he had finished his new invention, it was time for a test. Since Hog was still fast asleep, he would quickly sneak outside and quietly sweep one of the rubies collected that day. Back at the Warehouse, he would decide to undergo his test inside of the basement of the building in order to muffle the noise of the weapon. After going downstairs and putting the ruby in place, he would fire a quick shot at it to discover if the result was to his liking. Fortunately for him, it had. The ruby had lost its energy and was now nullified. He noticed that the sun was almost rising. Perfect timing for him to quickly go back and put the ruby in its place and pretend he had been sleeping all night inside of the Warehouse.

The sun emerged brightly from the horizon. A new day was upon them. Sonic immediately told Prowler to get up. They were on their way to find the remaining rubies. Though they were not the only ones trying to get them.

They found themselves within a location that was swarming with robots. Prowler would comment on the scene:

‘’Seems like we aren’t alone! Yolkman must’ve sent Boltnik scouting teams to inspect the area for rubies.’’ - Said the fennec fox.

‘’Then we’re better off having them destroyed. I’ll deal with them.’’ - Hog added.

‘’That’s an awful amount of robots though! Maybe it’s best if we plan it out and…’’

‘’We have no TIME for that!’’ - Hog replied - ‘’I’ve got to have them NOW! I’ve almost got them all.’’ - he proclaimed.

Before the fennec fox could utter another word, the agile tenrec had thrown himself into battle. He watched as various robots, one by one and in very quick and brutal succession, were cut down and obliterated. After a few hours, the scouting teams had turned into nothing but piles of broken bits of metal. Prowler was sure that whatever had possessed his friend was something very dangerous. And he was determined to put a stop to it.

Prowler would walk into the scene. He would stay low in order to not raise any attention. He would find Hog amidst the wreckage and notice that he was just standing still, looking at the rubies. He could hear the tenrec talking to himself:

‘’Yes! I finally have them! All in my hands. Now it’s time!’’

Hog would then close his eyes. The rubies he had collected suddenly started surrounding and spinning around him quickly. But after some time they would fall to the ground, which would displease Hog greatly:

‘’NO! Why didn’t they work? Maybe if I try again…’’

Prowler attempts to catch the tenrec off guard by using his blaster against him. However right as the weapon clicked to fire, Hog would notice and hastily dodge out of the way. Being on edge due to failure had raised his perceptiveness. He proceeded to pin down the fennec fox.

Having been caught by surprise instead, Prowler would try to free himself from their grasp. By this point Sonic suspected that Prowler knew who they were already. Dropping his entire facade, he would utter to Prowler:

“You finally figured it out huh?”

Sonic puts Prowler on a choke hold.

"Too bad you won’t be telling anyone about this.’’

Prowler would squirm and struggle around trying to reach for his back

“I.. don’t… think so!” - Prowler finally manages to pull his blaster out and fire a shot.

Sonic is sent flying backwards, hitting the ground with his chest slightly emitting smoke.

Prowler walks up to Sonic.

“Let Hog go.” - Said Prowler whilst charging up his blaster.

“Go ahead. Shoot me, and you’ll lose your friend.” - Sonic creepily grins at Prowler, thinking he would outsmart him.

“Not quite, I know where your power is coming from. This next shot is gonna erase all of the Power Ruby energy out of your body. You’ll not be in control anymore, whoever or whatever you are.”

“So what will it be? Your way or MY way?” - Prowler aims at Sonic.

Both stare at each other for a moment.

Sonic suddenly gets up and spin-dashes. Prowler starts shooting, attempting to hit Sonic.

Sonic then runs up to a dirt wall and bounces off it, aiming towards Prowler’s head, but he would manage to rapidly dodge out of the way and punch Sonic in the back.

Sonic would land on the dirt and immediately get back up. Both of them would start throwing punches at each other. During the fight Prowler would demonstrate being able to dodge most of Sonic’s hits and land quite a few of his own in the process.

After being hit multiple times, Sonic would suddenly uppercut Prowler, causing him to be flung back. After landing back down, Prowler would notice that one of his teeth had detached itself due to the blow endured. His nose would also be bleeding. Droplets of blood would hit the grass.

“Seems these gems worked after all.” - Said Sonic, as he could feel himself becoming stronger.

After he had said that he would sprint at Prowler. The speed at which he did it was so great that it would leave a trail of small flames behind him.

Prowler would try to fly by splitting his tails and ascending upward, though Sonic would grab him by the leg and throw him back to the ground. The blaster would bounce away from the fennec fox.

They both stop and look at the gun. Sonic would make a run for it whilst Prowler kneeled down.

“C’mon Prowler, you can do this.” - Prowler gets ready to spin dash.

After some time he propelled forward. He would split his tail, separating it into nine. His tails would start to spin around, pushing him forward at a rapid pace. Despite not usually spin-dashing, this action would allow him to beat the tenrec and he would have a hold of the gun once more.

He then flew upward and fired multiple times while airborne. Sonic dodged the projectiles all while dashing and he would bounce off the terrain, using the platforms around him to get higher and dropkick Prowler. However, the fennec fox would outsmart him by catching his leg and then throw him into a wall.

The wall Sonic hit would make a big dust cloud rise up. Prowler slowly landed, waiting for Sonic to get out. Despite readying himself and preparing for the next attack, Prowler could not expect the speed at which the tenrec would go, but nevertheless he readied a punch. Both of them would exchange punches and fall back.

They would eventually come to a standstill, with the two of them being worn out from the fight.

“You’re… very… smart….” - Sonic catches his breath.

“I’m…surprised that you were even able to build a gun to weaken me…”

“But even then, you’re just a lesser version of Tails. Disappointing really.’’ - Sonic shakes his head.

“Well, whoever this “Tails” is, he probably didn’t stick around with you for long. You seem insufferable to live with.”  - Prowler answers.

Sonic’s expression changed in an instant, angered by the fact that this lesser worm was mentioning his dead best friend.

‘’You don’t know what you are talking about.’’ - Said Sonic in an aggressive tone.

“And yet, it seems I do. Your anger tells me everything.” - Prowler added.

“You’re NOTHING like him.” - Sonic shouts.

“Maybe I am not exactly like him. But great minds do think alike. He probably had every intention of leaving your side if you’re this violent.”

Sonic stayed quiet, looking at Prowler with his blacked out eyes.

Prowler then pulled out his blaster. Sonic would instantly notice and run towards Prowler at super speed.  He would quickly aim at Sonic and fire in an instant.

After the shot had been fired it all went silent. The forest would merely echo the sound of crickets and rustling of trees. The waterfall could be heard from far away. A beautiful sunset could be seen on the horizon.

Suddenly, something could be heard.

Though faint, the presence was undeniable.

Tiny little droplets falling, one after the other. Slowly into the ground.

Prowler felt a sharp pain pierce through his abdomen, with it coming out of his back.

He looked down and saw that Sonic had shoved his fist through his body, with his blood gushing and pouring down from the wound.

Sonic starts to cackle maniacally and gives Prowler a monstrous grin, with his gums and teeth fully exposed. A very real depiction of what he looked like in the Void.

The rubies had severely increased Sonic’s strength level. In a heartbeat, he would grab the lower and upper half of the wound and begin to pull each end. Eventually, Prowler would be ripped in two. Guts would be flung into the air and blood would shower down into the soil.

Suddenly, the tenrec would drop to the ground, unconscious for a while.

Hog would wake up dazed. He would rub his eyes and soon after be shocked at what was right in front of him. His best friend was completely mauled and disfigured. What happened? What did he do to Prowler? He would soon see blood on his hands and body. This was definitely his doing but he could swear that he did not land a finger on his friend. He would approach Prowler’s carcass, distraught.

“P-Prowler..?” - Hog puts his hand on Prowler's chest.

“P-Please..” - Hog starts to cover his face on his fur and sob.

Kneeling down and crying on the carcass of his dead friend, he lets out a scream with anguish and guilt, hoping that this was just one big nightmare. Sonic had let Hog take control, so he could see him suffer like he did. He relished every single moment of it.

With his objective now complete, he would regain full control of Hog’s body and attempt to use the Power Rubies to manifest into a physical form.

With all seven, he allowed them to work their magic… yet he wouldn’t transform. He pressed on, but after each attempt, nothing seemed to be working. At first he was very confused, but then he came to the full realization. If these Power Rubies were the equivalent of the Chaos Emeralds, then there would have to be an equivalent to the Master Emerald, the last possible resort.

This equivalent is known as the ‘’Giga Ruby’’, a gem so powerful that it can lift a whole island and make it float in the sky. It is located within a place called “Heaven’s Land”, which is protected by a mighty warrior.

That warrior is known as Fists, a porcupine that came from a lineage of tribesmen that vowed to protect the Giga Ruby. Their strength, including Fists’s, came from the gem, who gave the guardians an incredible amount of power.

Fists always stood guard near the Giga Ruby, always watching it carefully. That was his one true purpose. Staying guard wasn’t easy however since it required being alert at all times and a lot of patience. One of the things he was taught by his ancestors was to expect the unexpected, which meant any kind of threat could harm him or the gem.

Rain started to pour down the island. Fists sensed an uneasy presence approaching the gem at lethal speeds. He already knew who could possibly go super fast and be interested in the Giga Ruby. This presence was definitely no stranger to him.

“Hog.” - Fists puts his hands up and prepares himself for a fight, unbeknownst to him that this would be his last.

Sonic arrived, determined to get his hands on the Giga Ruby. He had swore to himself that he was going to get it. He’d look up at Fists, who was standing in the stairway leading to the altar.

“What brings you here, Dust Devil? Looking for trouble?.” - Fists looks at Sonic.

Sonic ignored Fists’s question, instead focusing on the gem standing behind the porcupine.

“I see. Very well then.”

Fists makes the first strike, hitting Sonic face first and knocking him off the stairs and onto the ground, face down with a broken tooth.

“First come, first serve. I’m glad that you see it my way!” - Fists smirked with pride.

“Gives me more of a reason to pummel you back to where you came from.” - He cracks his knuckles in preparation.

“Show me what you are truly made of!” - He gestures for him to come closer.

Sonic gets up and wipes the blood dripping down his mouth.

He charges up a spin dash and quickly launches himself at Fists.

Fists manages to catch Sonic and pummels him to the ground.

They would fight for hours, with seemingly no sign of stopping.

A visibly exhausted Fists manages to tackle Sonic and begins punching him incessantly.

“You’re WEAK. “

“PATHETIC.”

“C’mon, FIGHT. “

“Fight BACK.”

“FIGHT BACK!”

“NOW!”

Sonic finally manages to punch Fists away.

He pulls out a blaster aimed at Fists and fires.

Sonic limps closer to Fists, looking down at him.

“I think your gun malfunctioned…heh…still want a piece of me?”

“I ain’t done yet…not by a long shot.” - Fists looks up at Sonic.

Sonic would continue to approach silently.

Fists gets up.

“I don’t want a piece of you, I want the WHOLE THING!”

Fists throws a punch and hits Sonic.

Upon impact he felt the pain passing through his hand. The gun drained all of the power energy within, weakening him.

“What did you do to me…? You ain’t acting like yourself!” - Fists looks at his hands.

“I took the liberty to relieve you of what wasn’t yours in the first place.” - Says Sonic.

He walks up to the Giga Ruby and touches it.

“Bring my friends back.” - Sonic whispers to the Giga Ruby.

His body glows for a split second and multiple figures suddenly appear. Tails, Robotnik and Knuckles were brought back to life. They all looked decayed, weathered and torn as if they were the undead.

“What the..?” - Sonic looks at them in shock.

The undead stumble to reach Fists by any means necessary.

“Stay back you freaks! Back off!” - Fists attempts to fight back with no avail.

Fists gets pinned down by all of them.

Each of the undead would then restrain him, digging their teeth and clawing their hands into his skin. Fists continues to struggle amidst the crowd of rotting corpses as they savagely eat his flesh. His screams effectively start turning into wailing. The torment felt within would overwhelm him to such an extent that words could not be uttered. Pain was the only feeling that he could express. His agonizing screams began to accompany the bloody gurgling.

With his last ounce of strength he tries to crawl away. His life hanging on by a thread. After a few seconds passed, the porcupine finally succumbs to the pain and lays motionless.

Sonic was glad that Fists had been dealt with in the most brutal way possible. It was almost as if he had enjoyed watching the event unfold in front of him.

As soon as the porcupine warrior collapsed to the ground, the undead entities would rot away. Sonic would glance at the Giga Ruby once more.

"This has to work this time. Please work.” - Sonic began climbing up the ruby.

After reaching the top, Sonic laid his hand down on it and slowly harnessed its power. As a result, his body started to float and glow. He could feel the power rushing through him. The light emanating from the transformation was so strong that it pierced the sky like a blade.

He started to change. His fur and skin would turn a vibrant gold. His quills would point upwards. It felt very reminiscent of the old days. He missed using this power to save his friends from trouble.

However, something was wrong. His body began to expand and contract in unnatural ways. The pressure was so great that his arms and legs were ripping apart, tearing at his flesh in such a way that the muscles within were clearly exposed. His snout stretched and the skin around his jaw rotted away. Most of his bones were broken or completely replaced by muscle. His body was also set ablaze. After the painful event was over, Sonic would land on the ground.

He opened his eyes and stood up, realizing that he was much taller than before. But this wasn’t the outcome he had hoped for. His body now reflected what he had become. A nightmarish amalgamation consisting of his own body and the tenrec he was possessing. An atrocious mistake.

Yolkman would arrive shortly after in an attempt to steal the Giga Ruby. His face would instantly be filled with terror at what was being displayed before him. Three undead mobians consuming the porcupine warrior’s flesh and a massive, charred monster that faintly resembled his nemesis.

Sonic looks up at Yolkman and growls. This hedgehog now knew nothing more than hatred and destruction. As he got up he would forcefully snap his broken arms back into place and unleash a mighty roar towards the doctor.

Despite being filled with fear, Yolkman would take this opportunity to quickly swoop in and take the Giga Ruby.

Sonic then dashed towards Yolkman, beginning an incessant chase.

Yolkman, aboard his Yolk Mobile, would quickly fly away from the island and head to a place called “Sacred Aether Zone”, this world’s equivalent to “Sky Sanctuary Zone”.

Sonic, in an attempt to grab Yolkman, would throw himself down the island, seemingly missing his target. Yolkman sighed in relief, thinking that the monster had met his fate.

‘’That was close! Too close for my liking.” - Yolkman would chuckle nervously.

“Time to relocate this artifact to a more suitable place. I just know that this will be the key component to aid in my research.’’ - Yolkman would fondle his mustache with satisfaction.

Yolkman would look at his aircraft’s control panel and press a button. He would triangulate the position of the landing site and set an automatic route. Right after, he would access the Yolk Mobile’s communicator and issue an order to the Boltniks surrounding the landing area:

"Battalion Q Omega! Arrange the landing platform and clear it from any debris in the-’’ - he would be forcefully interrupted.

The doctor had felt something heavy clinging to the bottom of his aircraft. It was that beast again. And to make matters worse, it was somehow flying in the air. The automated system of his flying vehicle would begin to go off:

‘’Warning! Excessive cargo detected. Detecting nearby areas for safe drop off.’’

‘’Let go, you pest! I won’t have you ruin this plan!’’ - Yelled Yolkman.

The system would continue to speak:

‘’No areas detected. It is advisable to drop excessive cargo. Rerouting motor power to better stabilize aircraft.’’

‘’No! Override operation! Command order 25.’’- He shouted.

‘’Command order denied due to excessive cargo.’’ - The integrated system replied.

‘’Agh! Then it’s time to trim the excess fat off.’’

Yolkman would pull out a laser gun from one of the pockets in his pants. He proceeded to hunch over and try to spot the monster’s head. Slowly and carefully, the doctor aimed for its eyes. Thanks to his robot eyes he would nail two perfect shots into Sonic’s eye sockets. He would recoil away from the pain and free the flying vehicle.

‘’Gotcha!’’ - Said Yolkman with a smile on his face.

The integrated system would speak again:

‘’Excess cargo lifted. Returning power to engines.’’

‘’System, engage turbo mode. Order 22.’’

‘’Engaging.’’

The system would proceed to shift the engines of the scientist’s machine to maximum power in order to out-speed the hedgehog beast.

They both arrive at Sacred Aether. Sonic lunges at Yolkman in an attempt to restrain him but Yolkman dodges out of the way. Despite that stroke of luck, Yolkman saw that his machine had been damaged during the high speed flight. Before Sonic could focus on finding Yolkman again the scientist would swiftly deploy a robot that could maybe defeat this abomination or, at the very least, slow it down for a while as he fixed his machine.

“Say hello to my newest creation!” - announced Yolkman.

The robot would fly towards Yolkman, assume a defensive stance and proceed to utter his his command:

“War Hog Mark II. Target acquired. Awaiting further instructions.”

War Hog proceeded to pull up his arms and aim towards Sonic. His arms would turn into cannons.

In a fit of rage, Sonic began dashing towards Yolkman. But before he could even reach him, Yolkman would relay his next command to his loyal machine:

‘’FIRE!’’ - yelled Yolkman.

Multiple missiles deployed from the War Hog’s arm cannons. They would all hit Sonic and send chunks of his flesh flying into the air. The resulting explosions would make the hedgehog veer off course and hit a wall.

Sonic, now impatient, would empower his body with the ruby’s energy and concentrate the heat within him, setting himself on fire in the process. A bright glow would emanate from his charred skin, with a lava like liquid oozing from the exposed flesh.

In an attempt to gain the upper hand, War Hog would fly to the top of the Giga Ruby and power himself up to turn super.

A proper clash between the savage hedgehog and metal tenrec would begin. Their destructive fighting prowess would leave nothing but rubble in their wake. Despite their best efforts to destroy one another both were equally matched in their power.

After a good amount of time passed, the machine had finally given out. It had run out of power due to the intense and relentless fighting session. Sonic would grab the robot and fiercely hit him against the Giga Ruby. He would then pull the robot’s body into his right hand. As the liquid oozed from Sonic’s palm, the once metal robot would turn into nothing more than a shallow puddle of molten metal on the floor.

After that Sonic would focus his attention on Yolkman, who had just finished repairing his Yolk Mobile. Sonic would try to spin dash him from afar, however he would be a minute too late.The cunning scientist had quickly hopped into his now fixed vehicle and was starting to fly away.

Tired of endless chases, the deformed tenrec would jump up and release a burst of speed mid-air, catching up to Yolkman and pierce the doctor’s flying machine, effectively decommissioning it. He constrained Yolkman while both of them hurled towards Heaven’s Land. The resulting impact would leave an enormous crater on the ground. This would leave Yolkman with both of his legs broken due to the fall.

After getting up, Sonic walks up to him and firmly grasps the doctor’s face. The terrified man would try to reason with him:

‘’P-please!’’ - begged Yolkman - ‘’Don’t kill me! If it’s power you want I could help you with that! I just need some time to rebuild my aircraft and then I could easily transport the Giga Ruby for you…’’ - said Yolkman.

Sonic would clench Yolkman’s face.

“BURN.”

Yolkman instantly catches on fire and his flesh turns from red to black within minutes. The scientific genius had turned into nothing more than a pile of ashes.

Right as Sonic had put an end to Yolkman, he began hearing a voice inside his head, shouting at him:

“Stop! Get out of my body! GET OUT!” - said the voice.

Sonic started to lose his composure. He felt as if control of this body was slowly fading away. Another force was trying its damnedest to assert it's presence.

For a while Hog would regain control of his body and try to repress Sonic’s influence, but the hedgehog wouldn’t give in so easily. After struggling for a moment, both of them would separate from each other.

Sonic would fall back, returning to his previous form. Hog would land on the other side.

They would get up and stare each other down.

“You…you….” - muttered Hog.

“MURDERER!” - Hog spin dashes at Sonic and lands a quick blow.

“YOU’LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!” - Hog shouts with anguish.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Hog gets some more punches in. After some time, Sonic ducks down and hits Hog with a kick, breaking one of his teeth.

Sonic grabs Hog and throws him up into the air. As Hog hits the ground, he quickly gets up and starts throwing in more punches at Sonic, hitting him multiple times mercilessly.

“Why did you do this!?” - Hog asks.

“WHY!!”

“WHY?!” - he continues.

“ANSWER ME!!”

“ANSWER-” - Sonic interrupts Hog, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him down to the ground.

Hog struggles and tries to escape his grasp. Whilst pinned down, Sonic decides to answer him:

“You are the reason I am the way I am. Anything that is dear to me became nothing but a memory. My life took a left turn when YOU appeared.’’ - Sonic explained

Hog would proceed to free himself and land a few more hits on Sonic. The hedgehog would throw him into a nearby wall. As he approached Hog, he continued to speak:

“I was trapped in an empty void for an eternity, hoping for a way out! And when that chance came I went to restore this world back to what it was!’’ - he continued.

Hog would slowly get up and spin dash towards Sonic. He’d stop him with his hands and bash him to the ground with his fists. Sonic would then finish his statement:

“You are the reason I am doing this. You are the reason I have nothing!” - said Sonic with a growl before charring Hog with a punch.

A small portion of Hog’s face would be burnt by Sonic’s fist. Hog would proceed to use his speed to trip Sonic down and rapidly spin dash towards his face as retribution. He would take this moment to share his thoughts:

“You didn’t need to do it this way!” - he exclaimed - ‘’My friends could’ve helped you! We WOULD’VE helped you! But you…’’ - Hog stopped for a moment.

Yet again reminded of what fate his friends had met, Hog began to tear up:

‘’You killed them all without a second thought. And you used me! You forced me to kill them! How could you!?’’ - Hog screamed, before dishing out the most powerful punch he could muster.

After Hog landed his punch, Sonic would slowly get up and grab him by the neck. He would trap Hog within his grip, slowly but surely beginning to burn him alive. Hog could feel the excruciating pain spreading to his body. One last sentence would escape Hog’s mouth before collapsing from the pain:

“You…really are…a monster..” - Hog said  as he lost his breath.

Sonic smiled through finally getting the one he hated the most on his grip and now finally putting an end to him. But suddenly, he would start to hallucinate.

He would see himself in his hands. Struggling and gasping for air. His voice was screaming and crying out for help. What was he doing?

For a moment, Sonic would reflect. Thinking of the entire process that led him to that point, the depths to which he would sink, he would recollect the struggle that was felt not only by him, but also by others that had died by his hand. The misery he had erected with each passing moment by taking away everything that Hog held dear. For each piece of Hog’s world that he took, a part of him left also. He had truly lost sight of who he was, and his actions were now nothing more than a blur, stained with envy and wrath. Had he truly wanted this to end the same way it had begun? The more he thought about it, the more he saw that his methods were applied with ferocity and brutality, which were uncharacteristic of what he had known himself to be before all of this happened: a hero.

As these thoughts were racing inside Sonic’s head, someone would hit him from the back. The impact would make the hedgehog lose grip on Hog. Before he could turn around to see who this figure was, it spoke to him:

‘’You didn’t think I had kicked the bucket so soon, did you?’’

His eyes then saw a familiar entity. The porcupine warrior he had faced back on Heaven’s Land had returned. Fists was filled with wounds that scattered across his body: scratch marks, bruises, some scars, bits of exposed flesh and even a broken limb. Despite his appearance, he could still feel that Fists had some of his fighting spirit left:

‘’Normally I wouldn’t stand beside the Dust Devil, let alone fight for him! But even I can sense a bigger threat when it’s standing right in front of me. So I will gladly beat you down for good!’’

Sonic, actively trying to engage in a fight with the porcupine warrior, got himself up. Despite only being hit by a singular punch he felt like the pain was greater. Something was off. He would quickly gaze at the porcupine again to see that he had done more than just punching him:

‘’Looking for these?’’ - Fists would show the rubies in his hands - ‘’I took the opportunity to snag back what isn’t yours!’’

Fists would hold the rubies out and absorb the energy from within the gems. In no time, the porcupine was looking like his old self. But right after he empowered himself with the energy recently obtained from them, they would begin to crack and abruptly shatter. Fists stared in disbelief at what he was seeing. He knew well that with the destruction of these gems, the Giga Ruby would cease to function normally and great disaster would ensue soon after. He imagined the worst possible outcome for the current situation he was facing. Looking back at Sonic, the catalyst of this entire ordeal, he could only focus on one thing: payback for what this hedgehog had done. Holding back was not an option.

He pounced on top of Sonic and began unleashing a flurry of punches. As he did so, he also kept asking the same question with each blow:

‘’What did YOU do?!’’

After he had striked Sonic multiple times, he began feeling like something awful was about to occur. He would stop hitting the hedgehog for a moment and look around to see what could possibly be wrong. In the distance, he saw Sacred Aether for a second before an intense beam of light erupted from the same location. He felt the Giga Ruby being destroyed. A thundering sound echoed through the land and after that a massive and destructive ball of energy emerged in the horizon. The porcupine’s expectations of a great disaster did not even hold a candle to the cataclysmic event he was witnessing. He felt distraught and ashamed for allowing his compulsions to get the better of him, making him lose time that he could have used to somehow prevent this event from happening. Frustration also emanated from within him and, turning back to face Sonic, he would utter something:

‘’I am going to-’’

But before he could even finish his sentence, an excruciating feeling of agony would envelop him. He would get down on his knees and notice that his skin was rotting away. Piece by piece he could feel his body falling apart to the ground. The realization that his existence was fading before his eyes could not even be processed by him, as he ceased to be in the very moment he was beginning to die. The ongoing catastrophe made Hog regain consciousness and witness the sheer amount of destruction currently enveloping the world. Due to the fight endured he could not even get up to take the cataclysmic view in. Bound to the ground, he could only comment on the situation he was facing as a torrent of tears escaped from his eyes.

‘’The world I once knew, the friends I once made….’’ - he said with a whimper - ‘’All gone. It’s all gone…’’

He would hear someone approach and stand next to him. The very same person that had caused all of this had settled down. Hog looks at him and asks:

“Was it all worth it?”

“Did you get what you were looking for?” - Hog’s anger would begin to show.

Hog, despite being in excruciating pain, would get up. Sonic would stay in silence, baffled.

“ANSWER ME!” - Hog demanded.

“EVERYTHING IS GOING TO END NOW BECAUSE OF YOU.”

“BECAUSE OF YOUR SELFISH GOALS.”

“THERE COULD’VE BEEN A BETTER WAY FOR THIS TO END!”

Sonic would scream back.

“IT WASN’T MY CHOICE.”

“I’VE LOST EVERYTHING. AND EVERYONE.”

Hog would settle down, disappointed and hopeless.

“And your choice was to take someone else’s life? Because you lost everything?”

“YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME.” - Sonic yelled

“How so?!” - Hog replied

“How did I take everything away from you? What part of that was MY FAULT?”

They both went quiet as the destruction raged on.

“You don’t even know, do you?”

‘’I…I…’’

Sonic could not think of what to say.

“You were trapped in that void for so long, that you’ve even forgotten that?”

Sonic would fall into silence. Ashamed and confused.

Hog would look away from him, disappointed and frustrated.

The cataclysm would roar louder. It was approaching. Sonic would start to have his life flashing before his eyes. The sweet moments that he had with Tails. The fights that he had alongside Knuckles. The many plans of Eggman that he had foiled to save everyone. It was all in vain. Everything was lost due to his selfishness. Sonic would look at his hands and cover his face with them. The once resilient hedgehog had now turned into a quivering wreck. He would say with a cry:

"I don’t want to die alone.’’

Hog would think about Sonic’s words and stare at him. His mind was completely divided as armageddon approached. Should he make peace with the monster that had slain his friends and ended his world? Or would he rather let him suffer for his actions? Despite trying to decide between these options, it was already too late. The ball of energy had already reached both him and Sonic. He had mere seconds to face impending doom. The tenrec and hedgehog had been enveloped by the sphere of energy in a heartbeat, without having the opportunity to make a decision. Destruction had left its mark, having corrupted the world and leaving nothing but a black void in its place.
This destruction had also left its mark in the real world. The cartridge add-on had overheated and corrupted in the process, which had rendered them, and the console, completely useless. Effectively sealing the fate of both the resilient hedgehog and the courageous tenrec.

## Potential

Being counterparts, Hog and Sonic have the same abilities, such as super-speed, the Spin Dash, etc. As this particular exe pair existed via a Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles cartridge, it's likely that they can access the Insta-Shield too. It is unknown whether or not Hog can use some of Sonic's other abilities from outside of this game. Hypothetical extensions include the Super Peel-Out, Light Speed Dash, and Homing Attack.

However, upon collecting the first Power Ruby, Sonic gained the ability to control Hog's body. Each Ruby gave him more control over the tenrec and when he accessed his Scorched form for the first time, he gained the ability to generate fire from his body, which he kept even after being separated from the tenrec and manifesting physically.

## Trivia

* While not present in the main storyline, Hog has his own versions of Amy, Shadow, Rouge, and Metal Sonic. These versions are named Holly, Shade, Velvet, and Iron Hog respectively.
	+ According to Jack Gore, Holly and Iron Hog can only be found if the Switch-n-Play has Sonic CD in it. No confirmations on Shade and Velvet though.
* Hog's world has a mysterious property wherein visitors are forced to change form to survive. This is known as "Hoggification".
* According to Jack Gore, only one player character can survive the Void. So if Tails were to rhetorically survive, Sonic would die in his stead.
* Scorched's soul was not able to move on after his death, and eventually turned into the incarnation of the character seen in Scorched: Redux. It is unknown if this story is considered canonical to the current incarnation of the character.