Sonic the Hedgehog: eternal hatred
Author's note: Inspired by Slimebeast and Super Mario World: I HATE YOU. All copyrights go there.
I'm a Sonic the Hedgehog superfan. I buy the new games when they come out, watch the shows and movies, read the comics, I even still sleep with a Sonic plushie. Sonic himself is my favorite media character and that won't change ever, even after the experience I had.
You're probably expecting a story about Sonic either becoming or getting attacked by a satanic entity, which than proceeded to come after and kill me, but this story isn't about that.
This story is about something that SEGA themselves added into Sonic's lore.
No paranormal activities, no Sonic.exe, none of that. Just something that we were all supposed to discover, but never did. Something that should've greatly impacted the rest of the series, but somehow didn't. Something that, while not changing the way you view your favorite media character, DOES change your view on his most important relationship and creates entirely new conspiracies surrounding his game franchise.
This is my experience with a supposed hidden ending for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the SEGA Genesis.
Rewind time for a bit, in 2007, I received a laptop for my birthday (among other things like Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Nintendo Wii, but that's not really why we're here). My first computer. I'd always been using my mom's computer if I needed the internet, and even then I was more partial to playing Sonic games on my GameCube and Wii. But this one was all mine to use.
I did all sorts of things, like making Sonic my desktop image, and joining all sorts of early Sonic chat forums.
It was through this I discovered Sonic 3. I was a huge Sonic fan beforehand, as I had caught every episode of Sonic X that I could (it was my favorite TV show ever back than, and it still is now) and had most of the Sonic games for the GameCube. But the one game I didn't have was the Sonic Mega Collection, meaning I couldn't play the classic Sonic games. That all changed now that I had the whole internet at my disposal.
I'd downloaded every Sonic game available along with the SEGA Genesis emulator. Sonic 1 and 2. Sonic 3D Blast. Sonic Spinball. But Sonic 3 (and Knuckles, you always play those games locked-on) was my favorite out of them all.
From then until now, I always found myself coming back to that Sonic 3 ROM file. Even after playing every other new Sonic game that came out, I returned to Sonic 3. I kept playing the game over and over, beating it faster and faster. Eventually I just began replaying my current save file and explored the zones with no aim or true purpose.
Game Genie codes were a big help. I could turn off the timer and explore entire zones while waiting for downloads (or for r/SonictheHedgehog on Reddit to load)
I must've beaten the game millions, if not billions of times. It was a safe and comforting experience.
All of that was nearly shattered when I saw the blind EggRobo
The blind EggRobo, as I call it, was blocking the exit to the "Death Egg Zone" from the near end of the game, preventing Sonic from reaching the boss
It was weird, like somebody had made a 5 minute hack of the game, but I knew from years upon years of experience this was an ordinary Sonic 3 game (plus most of the 5 minute hacks are of Sonic 2 and not Sonic 3)
It wouldn't move, it wouldn't attack, attempting to Spin Dash would make Sonic repel back like he'd hit a bumper from Spring Yard, Casino Night, or Carnival Night Zone
How could it do those, it couldn't even see Sonic.
I then noticed something else that shouldn't have been there
An animal capsule had just spawned. In case you haven't played this game (and why the heck are you here then?), animal capsules are a way of ending the level. Usually they spawn in Act 2 of every zone.
After taking a screenshot to show you fellow Sonic fans, I hit the capsule and freed the animals, figuring the game would crash and I'd have to restart, if not lose nearly 15 years worth of gameplay.
Instead, I got booted back to the file select.
A new level had been unlocked.
Curiosity got the better of me and I entered the new zone.
At first glance, the level name isn't the strangest thing in the world, considering this game has zones named Doomsday and all that. Most zones have normal names like Ice Cap or Lava Reef, but there are strange ones too.
The zone's interior matched that of the Death Egg Zone, which made sense considering you unlocked this level from that one.
At first glance, I thought I'd somehow busted a bloody ROM file. The level was empty, with nothing to do but run to the right.
After a while, some blind EggRobos popped above Sonic. First there was just 1. Then 2. Then 3. Then 4. Then there were many of them
They were just... there. No rhyme nor reason. If you jumped or Spin Dashed, they'd just shudder a bit, as if the bwoop or the vree-vree-vree startled them, which was kinda disturbing considering they're robots.
Then something made me stop dead in my tracks
My thoughts then went from "I broke the game" to "The game is screwing with me". A wall of spikes that would crush Sonic approaching rapidly. How can you avoid that.
The answer. Game Genie codes. I activated Super/Hyper Sonic.
I made Sonic go Hyper and escape the trap. I was than encountered by a message scrawled on the wall of the Death Egg (if you can really call it that)
I hate you.
This confused me, but it did kinda reassure me in believing that this was a map supposed to exist. There was something here that linked back into the overall plot of the game.
But what did it mean. Who hated me? Dr Robotnik seemed the obvious choice. Or maybe just the badniks. Sonic does destroy countless of them en mass without checking if the animal friends like their robot bodies. Combine that with the fact that it's shown badniks can gain their own sentience later on in the series, and them hating Sonic isn't the most unreasonable thing in the world. I still hated the idea because like I said earlier Sonic is my favorite media character of all time.
As of this point, the game chilled out with the blind EggRobos, which made me happy because their presence made me feel weird. What replaced them wasn't better though
Giant versions of the Jawz enemies from Hydro City Zone, y'know, the most insane looking enemies in the entire game. Fun for all.
Granted because I wanted no harm to befall Sonic, I Hyper-Flashed their lousy butts out of existence.
And before you get on me, yes, we're talking about the message on the wall.
"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!"
Because Sonic is my favorite media character and I refuse to let him die. What is it to you, Sonic 3.
After moving forward, the zone began to resemble Act 2 of Death Egg Zone. The first thing I encountered were those spike balls. You all remember the spike balls from the Marble Garden Zone. They were here. And they had one subtle yet MAJOR difference.
There was blood not only on the spike balls, but on the bed of spikes. This was getting really weird. I've played the ENTIRE Sonic franchise and there hasn't been any blood at all.
I continued along the path of spikes. It was still kinda fun, in the "Hyper Sonic breaks the game in half" kind of fun.
But that feeling soon disappeared.
Everything was all coming together. That blood on the spike balls. Past Sonics. Past Sonics that went through here and met their demise.
As much as I hated seeing Sonic like this, I did need to give credit for showing the player the downsides of their actions. Learning that their actions had consequences if you will.
I wouldn't wish anyone discover my favorite media character in such a state. It hurt me seeing Sonic like that.
And as a way to remedy this...
Without jumping up. Without building up speed or Spin Dashing or anything, the dead Sonics came at me. They still looked very much like zombie Sonics, but they moved at a speed worthy of the Sonic the Hedgehog name.
I just made sure I held right and got out of there. Hyper Sonic invincibility didn't matter, I wanted to escape.
Eventually, a door came down and prevented the zombie Sonic's from reaching me. After that, there was nothing else in the way of death traps or anything, a clear path.
Eventually the screen stopped scrolling, meaning I was about to face a boss.
Before that. a... strange looking monitor.
...moving along now.
I arrived at the arena where you fight the Sonic 3 version of the Death Egg Robot. However, there was nobody for Sonic to fight.
Instead he gazed off and looked out into space.
Take a quick look at the picture.
It's OK, take a quick look.
If you don't see it, look directly above the planet.
If you're not aware, that's not in the normal Sonic 3 (again, why are you here if you don't know this?)
As if to cut the tension Sonic and I were feeling, a familiar face strutted in from the right.
Small, fluffy, and bearing 2 tails.
It was Tails.
Sonic doubled back in horror. The screenshot probably isn't doing it justice, but it was so strange to see from a cool, snarky heroic guy like him.
And then these characters did something you probably didn't think they did until Sonic Adventure
Sonic and Tails spoke
Everything all came together now.
Those bloody messages of hate scrawled across the zone. I hate you and Why won't you die.
Tails.
The part about Robotnik working alone. That sounds strange, but when you stop and think about it, how does Robotnik gradually improve his mechs to the point where stuff like the Death Egg Robot (in both Sonic 2 and Sonic 3) is made to counter Sonic's speed. We know why in real life. It's a video game. It needs a difficulty curve. But in universe, how do you go from this...
...to this...
...instead of sicing the Death Egg Robot out at the beginning of the game.
The answer.
It was all an inside job since Sonic 2.
The cutscene still continued
After that, control was given back to me, and the music that plays when fighting the Sonic 3 Death Egg Robot started.
I was in a boss fight against Tails.
Naturally, I fought and made sure Tails suffered for all the suffering he put my favorite character Sonic through.
After the normal 8 hits, the music stopped, Sonic looked reluctant, and Tails looked limp.
The game showed one thing on screen.
The game wanted me to Spin Dash.
So I did.
Sonic spinned into Tails and knocked him off, dooming him to die from impact.
What Sonic said afterwards was heartbreaking
The zone's name.
Everything came together.
None of this was a glitch. None of it was some Sonic.exe creepy stuff, a spiteful SEGA dev, none of that.
All it was was a planned part of the Sonic the Hedgehog lore.
Beat X level Y number of times and you learn Tails was a spy for Robotnik, stalking Sonic through the events of Sonic 2 and 3, leaking information about Sonic back to Robotbik to help him beat Sonic. Does he do it, no, because Sonic is the greatest and he always prevails.
It was a secret so hidden, so obscure, even SEGA themselves knew you wouldn't unlock it. Hence why Tails is back beginning from Sonic 3D Blast, and Sonic and Tails relationship has been increased to the brotherly bond it is today.
After that, the ending played.
As this was supposed to be a part of the game, this was normal.
After the ending, was where things changed.
After the ending, I was placed in a level
I was in Emerald Hill from Sonic 2.
It was a simple straight line.
At the end was the true ending for Sonic 3.
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