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Sonic the Hedgehog: End of the Road

A “Silverscale Arena” Anthology Side-Story

(All characters in sexual situations are 18 and above)

(All art belongs to their respective owners, which are credited beneath, though that's for the version with pictures.)

Green Hill Zone, Mobius (SEGA Universe)...

If there was one thing that Sonic could easily put on his List of Things I Could Do Without', alarm clocks would have a spot reserved for maybe #3 or #2. For what seemed like the hundredth time, he had hit the 'snooze' button on his clock. "Five more minutes." He groaned.

His beauty sleep would have to wait, as his phone began to blare 'It Doesn't Matter' at full blast. "URGH! Why did that song have to be so catchy?!" He groaned before he got up in a flash, his quills looking like a typical case of bedhead before he rustled them. He rushed to his kitchen, checking his phone before perking up when he saw who was calling him. Somebody that he hadn't heard from in a couple of months. "Hey, buddy! How's it going?"

"Hi, Sonic! Sorry to wake you up at noon-"

"Wait, it's noon?!" Sonic looked to the clock, confirming that fact. He then checked his calendar, a multitude of things he promised to do written on this day. "Why do my sleeping habits have to suck THIS BADLY?! Tails, you don't mind me talking and running, right?"

"Uh, are you okay? Is this a bad time?"

"No! It's a great time! It's been forever since we've talked!" The hedgehog mobian said as he splashed some hot water directly on his face while whipping out a chili dog from the fridge (of which, there were many). Slamming it into the microwave, he tapped his foot as he waited for it to heat up. "So, uh, how's the whole 'going solo' thing doing?"

"I was actually going to talk to you about that while also asking if you could find some materials for me and my assistant." Tails clarified, only for the fox mobian to hear the sound of a microwave blowing up. "You sure this isn't a bad time?"

His face covered in soot, Sonic shook his head while trying to enjoy the now-barely edible Chili Dog. "Don't sweat it. Just tell me what you need and I'll grab it! Right after I give Vector a piece of my mind." He muttered that last bit, kicking away the broken part of the microwave that had the Chaotix logo on it.

Several Flickys were surrounding the temporary home of the hedgehog before he ran out, giving them all a wave. He could already hear the music that constantly blared in this section of Mobius. It was something that always made him forget his worries and just let the wind take him to parts unknown. On days like this, he would just run to any random location and see what he could find.

As he ran (complete with loop-de-loops and the occasional high jump), he quickly got out a list. "Let's see here...check on the Apotos restoration efforts...flowers for Amy...grapes for Knuckles...race with Shadow...and now, parts for Tails!" He said before grumbling as he wrote down a new thing. "Aaaaaaand get a replacement microwave from Chaotix."

"Hold on. You're doing all that in one day?" Tails asked him before chuckling. "Why am I surprised? You can't resist a challenge, can you?"

"If it means hanging out with you guys again? I'd do a whole bunch of stuff!" Sonic said. "Besides, I don't see Baldy McNoisehair messing things up anytime soon."

The fox mobian groaned from the other end. "And now, you're just tempting fate."

"Heh. What if I am?" Sonic asked as he jumped over several spikes. Suddenly, he heard an explosion from the other end. "Everything good there, buddy?"

"Don't worry! My assistant is just having...disagreements with one of the machines. I'll call you later!" Sonic waited for Tails to hang up, though as he waited, he heard some more clanging and blasting noises. "Sticks! For the last time, that roomba isn't plotting to destroy your boomarang!"

"I saw the way it was looking at me! What's mine is mine and what's mine is mine to use to smash the system!" The voice of the savage but sweet badger mobian, Sticks, shouted. The call was cut off when her trusty boomerang was heard smashing into the roomba.

Sonic put away his phone as he sped off into the ocean, running along the water's surface as he made for the coastal town of Apotos. "Sticks as Tails' assistant? Sure as heck didn't see that coming." He wondered if the materials the fox needed him to get were either for some new invention or repairs for the damage the badger mobian might have made in her zeal against anything that she considered a 'conspiracy'.

Later at Apotos...

For a couple of years, the Restoration (formerly the Resistance) had been cleaning up the damage that the infamous former-ruler of the world, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, had caused during his months-long reign. Things may have settled down greatly, but there were still many repairs to be made and rogue Badniks to take care of.

Sonic could see the costal Greece-inspired town of Apotos coming up, smiling as the memories came flooding back. Even though his main experiences with this town involved stopping the rampage of Dark Gaia, he loved a lot about the place. From its great cuisine to the way that he could travel to each island through the various grind-rails, there was much for him to enjoy.

Right now, much as he wanted to stick around, he had something to do here. It all started when he came across one of the buildings currently under repair, a female sheep mobian diligently looking at the construction plans. "Augh, was this building supposed to be on the left or right? Maybe I should ask Jewel again. I just hope she's not getting annoyed."

"What's up, Lanolin?"

With a startled bleat and a jingle of the bell/Wispon around her necklace, Lanolin turned to the Blue Blur, clearing her throat. "S-Sonic! You know I hate that!"

"Sorry. Force of habit." The hedgehog mobian admitted. "Anyway, I came to check up on you and your pals. How are the Neo-Diamond Cutters doing these days?" He looked around, smiling at the sights. "Looks to me like you've managed to score a restoration effort AND a vacation at the same time."

Lanolin gave a slight giggle. "Yeah, that's what Tangle said. In a way, she's right. This place is perfect for not just another sweep of the place to make sure everything is going well, but also for morale. Paperwork is going down steadily, so, as soon as I'm done here, I can finally stretch my legs."

"That's the spirit!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. "I bet Jewel is feeling extra stoked not to do paperwork for the next bajillion hours." 

The sheep mobian put her hands on her hips, looking mildly offended. "Come on. There's SOME fun to be had in paperwork...kinda...not really..." Her ears fell, remembering the many times she thought she'd faint from how much stress she suffered during Eggman's reign. "Although, I've noticed that she's gotten more active since several days ago. She's been spending less time at her museum or at the Restoration HQ. She's not slacking off, but it's quite the change."

Before Sonic could ask about where the others were, he got his answer when he hears the sound of excited laughter coming in fast. "INCOMIIIIIIIIIING!" A lemur mobian was rocketing towards the hedgehog, having an utter blast while enjoying the speed ramps and grind-rails. However, her tail got caught on a lamppost, her body stretching forward until she was mere inches from a surprised Sonic. "Hi!" 

Instantly, she snapped back into the lamppost, causing her to see stars. "Tangle! Be careful!" Lanolin chided the dazed primate mobian.

"Urrrrrgh...my head." Tangle stood up shakily before raising her fists. "AGAIN! I love this town!"

Sonic smiled softly, as her enthusiasm reminded him of how he felt when he visited Apotos for the first time. "Feeling's mutual." He walked over to the lemur mobian, high-fiving her elastic tail. "So, how's it going?"

"Things are going great! Did you know that Jewel learned a new fighting technique? She's headbutting through Badniks like nobody's business!" Tangle exclaimed. "Hey! I've got an idea! Let's race throughout all of these islands! I've learned every speedway and bounce-pad like the back of my hand!"

"Sure wish I could, but I've got some other things to do. Put a pin in that, though! I'd love to see if you can break my record. That is, if you don't chicken out first." He lightly teased.

That caused Tangle to give a competitive smile. "Oh, you're so on!" Right as she said that, a loud crunch could be heard. They turned around, only to see a wolf mobian chewing on a slice of pound cake with almonds mixed into it.

She had a futuristic mask attached to the side of her head, as well as a wispon rifle holstered around her waist. When she realized she was being watched, she almost went back into the shadows until she saw who it was. "Sonic. It's good to see you." The wolf mobian said very softly. Almost like a whisper, hence her name.

"Geez. It looks like this place is bringing out the best in everybody." Sonic said with pride. 

"Yep!" Tangle beamed before her tail coiled around Whisper, causing the wolf mobian to tense up before she allowed herself to be brought to the tomboy's side. "Whisper's been coming out of her shell and, I gotta say, I didn't expect her to have a sweet tooth." 

Gulping down her pound cake, Whisper nodded, humming in approval. "It's...really good. The extra almonds...they add a nice crunch."

Sonic really wanted to try a piece, but he saw a nearby clock, showing that he needed to hurry it up with his duties. "Wish we could catch up more, but duty calls! Later, girls!"

"See ya!" Tangle waved as the Blue Blur sped off. Whisper gave a more subdued wave, her wisps coming out a nearby bakery to also wave a temporary goodbye.

Lanolin, while also giving a wave of her own, looked at the construction plans, only to see that everything was, indeed, in working order. "Alright, girls. I think our work here is just about done. Where to next?"

Right as she said that, the place began to rumble. It was a slight tremor, but still noticeable. "GAH! MY BELLY IS ATTACKING THE CITY!" Tangle cried out, her fur frizzing up before she instantly calmed down. "Kidding. I'm just hungry. Also, what was that?"

Whisper's ears had flicked when that quake happened. Her fur stood on end when she swore she heard the sound of a familiar egg-shaped villain laughing. Shaking her head, she tried to dismiss those thoughts, but her wisps could tell that she was on edge again. Hopefully, that feeling would pass.

Later at Central City...

In terms of places he liked to visit, cities didn't really appeal to Sonic that much. Maybe it had something to do with them not having much space for him to run freely without smashing into something. Maybe it was because most of his experiences there were getting chased by G.U.N for one reason or another. But that didn't mean that the hedgehog anthro couldn't enjoy leaping from building to building through his speed.

It was that or facing the traffic down below. He remembered the last time he tried to speed through traffic. Needless to say, he got a LOT of complaints from those that got their vehicles smashed in the process.

Still, Sonic had not come here for more thrill-seeking. In fact, he had come here to check up on a friend. Yet another that he hadn't seen in a while. Currently, he was atop one of the many skyscrapers, only to realize the shop he was heading for was right below him. "Here we go!" He yelled before he raced down the building, loving the feeling of allowing gravity to take him while he STILL remained in control.

As he raced down the building, however, he saw that somebody was running down the opposite building. More specifically, somebody was rocketing down that building, as that person was the walking arsenal known as E-123 Omega. "Greetings, Sonic! You would not happen to be heading towards the Matchmaker's Market, would you?" He asked in his deep machine monotone.

"I am! What's it to you?" Sonic asked, genuinely curious. His answer was Omega increasing the speed of his rockets. "Hold up! If you don't slow down, you'll-"

CRAAAAAASH! Sonic winced as a massive crater was formed in the sidewalk, causing the nearby citizens to run screaming. "It is alright! G.U.N will pay for the damages!" The robot assured before rushing towards the nearby boutique.

Sonic was the last to land, observing how deep the crater was. "Geez. Isn't G.U.N going through some issues?" He openly wondered, having heard that Eggman's reign had humiliated the organization severely, given how quickly the mad doctor was able to defeat their forces. "Hope they still have some leftover cash to fix this hole." Suddenly, he remembered what he was doing. "Wait up, Omega!"

The Matchmaker's Market seemed like a bright pink hole in the wall, but every one of its customers enjoyed the place for its many features. It had a welcoming atmosphere, great choice of soothing background music, all kinds of flowers for every kind of occasion, books all about forging stronger bonds, and there was always a chance that the owner of the shop would be there to do a free tarot reading for her customers.

That owner was, of course, the pink hedgehog mobian known as Amy Rose. Currently, she was on the phone, listening intently to one of her many callers. "So, listen to your heart and, no matter what happens, at least you'll know you stayed true to yourself. If you have anymore doubts, don't hesitate to call me again. Have a nice day!" She winked before putting the phone down and giving a satisfied sigh. "Another happy customer. I hope things go well with his crush."

When she looked at the entrance of her shop, she saw Omega trying to fit himself through the doors, his shoulders proving to be too broad. "I have news to give, Amy. Alas, it appears I am stuck...again. Should I unleash the heavy ordinance to widen the space?"

"No need for that! Just take a step back and shuffle sideways." Amy gave a nervous smile, knowing that the robot was the definition of 'bull in a china shop' right now. Still, he seemed to be handling himself well when he took her advice, trying to make sure his large limbs wouldn't knock anything over. "So, what can I help you with?"

Omega tapped his claws together, looking quite nervous. "It is about the one I have found myself wanting to form a meaningful emotional attachment to. Today, I plan on telling her how I feel. There are several plans I have, but I want to run them by you. Data from our previous meetings has proven your superiority in the battlefield known as 'love'."

"That's one way to put it, but let's hear them!" Amy cheerfully said before giving him a serious look. "They don't have anything to do with the destruction of any kind of property, right?"

"...maybe I should tell you Plan C, instead." Omega suggested before Sonic zoomed in, causing many items in the shop to blow around from the gust of wind.

"Sorry I'm late, Amy! I...ooooh...whoops." Now, it was the Blue Blur's turn to look incredibly nervous, the shop owner standing still like a statue before she fixed her quills, given that they were blown back by the wind as well.

Taking a deep breath, Amy did her best not to lose her temper. "Much as I'm glad to see you again, Sonic, could you please remember to come in slowly next time? You know it takes me a while to clean up after you knock over everything."

"Yeah. Fair point." Sonic was thankful that nothing fragile got shattered, but he still got to picking things up around him while also having to move around Omega. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Affirmative." Omega turned to the hedgehog mobian. "I am currently trying to conquer these illogical feelings of the phenomenon you call 'love' within my circuitry. I only wish to confide in Amy."

"It's cool. I totally get that." Sonic assured before turning to the pink hedgehog mobian. "Business is booming, right?"

Despite the damages done to her shop, Amy couldn't help but smile as she sat down. "Yep! I did tell you that I wanted to help people all across the world find fulfillment and form tender bonds with those around them. So, what better place to start than here? I still remember those lovely donations you and the others sent. They helped spruce the place up."

"Speaking of 'sprucing the place up'...TA-DA!" Sonic whipped out several thorny roses from his quills. "Heard you needed some help finding these. Spent a couple of afternoons looking for them, but here they are!"

Gasping in delight, Amy took the roses carefully, placing them in one of her many vases. "These are perfect! The sharpness of the thorns symbolizes romances with rocky starts, but that eventually bloom into the brightest of loves! I have a few clients that'll want these. You're a lifesaver, Sonic!"

"I do all I can." Sonic beamed before he had a thought. "I've got some other things to do today, but if you ever wanna grab a bite to eat later-"

"Can't! I have a date tonight! But I'd love to some other time." Amy replied. "Guess we both have busy schedules."

Sonic blinked when he took that in, clearing his throat. "You mean...helping with a date, right? Omega's date, I guess?" He turned to the robot, who was patiently waiting for him to finish his stay.

"Negative. There might not even BE a date for me when I confess my feelings to Sticks-I MEAN 'CONFESS MY FEELINGS TO THE ONE I AM WANTING TO ENGAGE IN ROMANTIC ACTIVITIES WITH'!" He shouted. "Pretend you did not hear that."

"None of us did!" Amy assured before nudging the Blue Blur. "Right?"

"Uh, yeah! Pretty much! Now, look at the time! I've gotta go fast!" Sonic hurriedly said before turning to his friend. "See you later, Amy!"

"Take care!" Amy waved, grateful that the hedgehog mobian just powerwalked out until he was a safe distance away, zooming towards his next destination. The only downside was that a lot of car  alarms went off from how fast he was going now. With that, she had a more tired look on her face. "When should I tell him?" She asked the robot in the room. "Am I leading him on or does he even care that I'm going out with Big?"

"I cannot provide conclusive data. I am sorry."

"Don't worry about me. Right now, we've got a potential date to help you with." Amy said with renewed determination. Before she could continue, another tremor rocked the shop, causing her fingers to dig into the desk. Thankfully, nothing was tipped over, but it still somewhat put her on edge. 

"Chances of random tremor being 'foreshadowing': 90%." Omega pointed out.

"Not helping." Amy sighed.

Back with Sonic, as he rushed away from the city, several things were going through his mind. The first was that Omega was not only seeking romance (instead of the next opportunity to lay waste to whatever remained of Eggman's forces), but seeking it in the form of the technology hating Sticks. "I mean, I can see it. I just hope he knows what he's getting himself into."

The second thing was that Amy was seeing somebody. Almost as if she had finally gotten over her obsession with the Blue Blur. "On one hand...I should be proud, but..." A feeling he wasn't used to creeped around in his mind. A little something called 'jealousy'. Still, he shook his head, focusing on his next destination.

Later on Angel Island...

High above a dense group of clouds, there existed an island that glided through the skies. It was through the power of the mysterious Master Emerald that this island was granted that boon. Not many creatures lived here, but those that did were happy to be away from the constant noise of the world. Even during Eggman's reign, they remained safe, though that was most likely because the villain was defeated before he could focus his efforts onto the island.

Another reason for the long peace this island had enjoyed? The guardian of the Master Emerald himself, Knuckles the Echidna. However, despite looking like he was resting near the Master Emerald, his mind was anything but peaceful. Mainly, it was because he remembered what he vowed to do during the misadventure involving the Starfall Islands. He wanted to explore the world and live his life the way he wanted to. He wasn't sure what he'd do with that amount of freedom, but he would enjoy finding out.

The echidna mobian sighed, getting up from his resting spot before gazing at the horizon. "Someday, but not today." His fists clenched before he looked back at the emerald. He walked towards it, gazing at his own reflection. "Look at you. You allowed your eyes to get off this emerald plenty of times and it worked out. But I can't remember the last time I did that and it DIDN'T involve a crisis."

Suddenly, a grape was tossed against his head, causing him to angrily turn back and put up his fists. "Monologuing to yourself already? Yeesh. You really do need a vacation from this job."

It was Sonic, his hands carrying a basket full of grapes. At first, Knuckles looked excited, as that was his favorite meal. But he shook his head, trying to ignore the delicacy before him. "How did you-"

"Get here? I found a bouncepad." Sonic shrugged.

"But...that doesn't explain...nevermind." He took a handful of grapes, chowing down on them before smiling. "My favorite flavor, too. Awful generous of you to come all the way here just to give me some grub."

"I also wanted to see if you were finally making plans to travel the world. Maybe have Tails install a security system to keep the bad guys out?" The hedgehog mobian suggested.

Knuckles' expression went back to being stoic and sour. "It's more than just about the protection of the emerald. It's my destiny. I know I talked a bunch about getting out more, but there's always that nagging voice in the back of my head telling me to stay."

Sonic looked around, his ears flicking at the various serene noises that Angel Island had to offer. From the beautiful songs that the birds sang to the sound of rushing waterfalls going over the island's edge. "I could think of worse places to be stuck defending. Seriously, though. Have a little faith. In no time flat, we'd help you find the way to freedom."

"I appreciate that, but...but..." He looked to the vast horizon again, then back to the Master Emerald. "URGH! You're right! There are days in which I hope that the Master Emerald shatters, just so I can have an excuse to travel! Any longer here and I'll go crazy!" He took another handful of grapes when he said that, chewing on them aggressively.

Sonic snacked on some of the grapes as well, listening to his rival-turned-friend. "Tell you what. Gimme a call and we'll work something out. It can be anything you want. Night on the town, catching up with the Chaotix, maybe a little tussle to see if we haven't lost our edge..."

That last bit caused Knuckles to give a smirk of his own. "And here I thought I was replaced by Shadow as your rival. Just know that, if I choose that option, I'm gonna clobber you like the day we met!"

"C'mon! Cut me some slack! I was caught off-guard that time!" Sonic defended before calming down when he realized something. "Speaking of Chaotix, that's my next stop!"

"That explains the busted microwave you shoved into your quills." The echidna pointed to the large appliance slowly slipping out of the quills before Sonic put it back in. "How did you keep it in there this whole time?"

"Can't explain! Gotta run! See you around! Looking forward to our next hangout!" With that, Sonic jumped off the edge of the island, letting out a thrilled yell as he sky-dived to the surface.

The guardian of the Master Emerald watched as the hedgehog mobian vanished from sight. "Heh. Guess he thinks he can outdo me in the gliding department, too." He joked to himself before wandering to the Master Emerald. "Someday, I won't have to life in fear of you being in the wrong hands. Count on it." He stated before rubbing his chin. "Maybe, when I start traveling, I could pick up treasure hunting? I've always liked making sure ancient relics stay safe from evil."

He wasn't the only one thinking about his connection to the Master Emerald. Within the gem itself, the essences of two beings dwelled, taking care of the Chao spirits that resided with them. The first was the spirit of a kind-hearted echidna, while the other was Mobius' God of Destruction. Both were living in peace inside of the gem, but the latter was starting to grow...weary of being trapped in there.

Inside was an idyllic paradise full of sunshine and grassy fields, the spirits of the Chao enjoying themselves. Some of them even got to see what the Chao in the physical realm were up to, giggling at their antics and happy to see them all thrive as they were. Tikal, the Echidna mobian mentioned earlier, was being cuddled by a few, giggling as several nipped at her dreadlocks. "Hehehe...you know that tickles!"

Her happy expression faded when she looked to the other one sharing space with her. The watery being known as Chaos was staring at one of the screens that the Chao were looking at. This one depicted a sunny beach with people making sandcastles, surfing the waves, and generally enjoying all that life had to offer.

"Hmmmn...I've never seen him look so forlornly at the visions showing the physical world." Tikal said to herself, the other Chao crowding around Chaos to see if they could cheer him up. The silent creature's mood seemed to rise up when he leaned down to pet his brethren, but Tikal could still see something was bothering him. "Is everything alright?" She asked, leaning in.

The taller being just gave a slight bubbling response, turning his gaze away. "..." 

"Don't give me that. I know you too well, Chaos." Tikal put her hands on her hips, having dealt with this response plenty of times for the past couple of days.

Despite trying to remain stoic as usual, the watery creature turned his head back to her, giving a drawn-out sigh. "The pain that the Master Emerald's guardian feels...I wonder if I'm starting to feel it myself." He spoke in a deep distorted baritone, one that would frighten most creatures.

Not his brethren or the echidna mobian he loved, though. Instead, she sat down next to him, holding his claw. "Our fate is to be here with the souls of your fellow Chao." Her expression fell when she remembered why the spirits were stuck in this gem. "Our connection to the Master Emerald binds us here. But isn't this what you wanted? To be forever at peace with us all?"

"Believe me. I would never want to be apart from all of you. You're my family." Chaos assured. "But sometimes...I want to experience what the other Chao out there must be experiencing. Maybe I should just stop looking at the visions and let the others enjoy them. They don't need me moping about it." The other Chao started to tug at his leg, wanting him to see the visions of a certain Chao enjoying his time with a gentle rabbit mobian and her robot friend. 

"Maybe someday, when the world needs us most...there'll come a time where we can all enter the physical world. Have a little hope." Tikal said before leaning into Chaos' side, causing him to sit back down and lean back into her. 

If he could smile, he certainly would right now, resting his claw on her hand. "What am I saying? So long as we're together, I'm content. But I suppose there's no reason not to have a little hope in that moment coming to pass." Leaning in more, he nuzzled his face against her cheek, leading her to kiss him on where the lips would be. "I love you, Tikal."

"Love you, too." She replied before they were all mobbed by the Chao, all of them giggling and chirping with the duo. After a while, she got a sly look in her eyes, cupping the face of her lover. "Can you tell the Chao spirits to leave us for a moment? There's something I want to try out."

Blushing, Chaos nodded his head. "My brethren, why don't you all play tag to the north? There's something me and Tikal need to discuss." Nodding their heads, the spirits raced to the north. With that, the watery one looked back down at his beloved, only to see that she was removing her top.

Her full breasts exposed, Tikal arched her back, loving how her friend looked so enticed. "Forget about all your problems. Embrace me. Let's wash away our worries together."

"As you wish, my love." Chaos said softly before he turned into his water blob form, covering Tikal head-to-toe in his own body.

She moaned when that happened, her face kept above the liquid. The water massaged all over her body, even getting into her intimate areas. "Mmmmn...so gentle...so amazing..." She murmured.

Chaos' head appeared over her pussy, his arms materializing to cup those breasts. His head rubbed between those thighs, tiny tendrils of water fitting into her pussy to massage it. "You taste delicious as ever." Chaos said while spreading more tendrils to worship her body.

Biting her lip, Tikal writhed as the sensations increased. "Yes...go faster! I want to feel more of you!"

Instantly, the water began to rush more around her body, the pressure of it all causing her to cum within the watery mass. The tentacles around her just got rougher, as they started to press against her ass, squeeze around her tits, and increase their pace while going into her pussy. Tikal's mouth hung open, her moans acting as music to the watery one's non-existent ears.

As this happened and Chaos fully embraced his partner, Knuckles swore he could hear faint muffled moaning and the sound of the echidna mobian cumming more loudly. "Yep. I definitely need that vacation." He said to himself.

Thankfully, there were no earthquakes to interrupt this moment, given the nature of Angel Island. Alas, this would possibly be the last moment in which the island would know peace, given what was to come...

Later at the Chaotix Headquarters...

"Gentlemen...this might be our most difficult case yet."

Those words were spoken by the leader of the Chaotix Detective Agency himself, Vector the Crocodile mobian. He was sitting at his desk, surrounded by a bunch of boards with red string connecting each photo and article stapled onto them. The whole room looked like an utter mess, despite Chaotix gaining a funding increase from their efforts during their time helping the Resistance.

Maybe that had something to do with them immediately wasting that money on food and other stuff that they found that they didn't really need. So, it was back to square one. At the very least, they had a better reputation than ever.

"What do you mean by that?" Espio, a chameleon mobian with the skills of a ninja, wondered. "We've handled every case that was sent to us with resounding success."

"Yeah! HUGE success!" Charmy Bee, a bee mobian, exclaimed. "So, what's the big deal, boss?"

A look of serious resolve crossed the crocodilian's face, getting out a random pair of shades as he slowly got a photo out from his desk. "Our last case for the week...will be the mystery...of CREAM'S MISSING DOLL!" He shouted dramatically.

His fellow detectives stared at him with confused expressions. "A missing doll?" Espio raised a brow. "I don't see why that would require such dramatics and...wait a minute. You didn't hide that doll yourself just so you could spend more time with Vanilla, right?"

"WHAT?! How dare you!" Despite blushing heavily, Vector was legitimately outraged. "I literally got a call from Cream an hour ago and she sounded really upset! How could you be so heartless?!"

Charmy shoved his stinger at the chameleon mobian's cheek. "Yeah! Heartless!" He turned to his boss. "Soooooo....you're not just doing this because you wanna make kissy-faces with Cream's mom?"

Vector groaned. "For the last time, no! Maybe." He rubbed the back of his head, blushing at the thought of the MILF giving him a warm hug and a big kiss on the cheek. "Can we talk about something else other than my love life?! There's a poor innocent girl who's missing her doll and-" His phone began to ring again. "Hold on! It's her!" Quickly, he answered. "Vector's still on the case!"

"Oh, I hope this isn't a bother, Mr. Vector, but I found my doll already!" The voice of Cream, the rabbit mobian mentioned earlier, said cheerfully from the other end. "She's safe and sound, thanks to Gemerl!"

Vector blinked, taking this news in. "...oh. What a relief!" He nervously chuckled. "Guess you won't be needing me anymore...at all. Not with your robot helping you out all the time." Espio noticed how slightly melancholy his boss sounded, but he said nothing.

"To be honest, I was going to call you so that you could join me and my family for a picnic later. I called you first because we wanted to give you something to enjoy that wasn't constant work." Cream continued. "Mom was VERY hopeful that you could find the time to come over, but if it doesn't fit with your schedule-"

His hopes raised again, Vector slammed a fist against the desk, nearly breaking it in half as he jumped for joy. "YES! I can make it! Mind if I bring my buddies?! I'd bet they'd love to come to!" His eye turned to his companions, the reptilian slit thinning. "RIGHT?" 

"You bet!" Charmy beamed.

"I...suppose." Espio rubbed his arm. 

"C'mon! You don't hate fun, do you?" The bee mobian teased, poking his head multiple times. "Do ya'? Do ya'? Do ya'?"

"No! It's just...I had plans of my own." Espio blushed, peaking the curiosity of his companions.

Still, Vector was too excited to look into it. "Anyway, name the time and place! Chaotix will be right there in a split-second!"

"Yay! It'll be sometime tomorrow or the day after that, depending on the weather. We're having it at the Emerald Hills. Try to bring snacks! Carrots, especially!" Cream added. 

"Wait, did she say 'Emerald Hills'?" Espio leaped towards the phone, wondering if he heard that right. "Then we will be there VERY soon! Just text us the time and we'll be there!"

Vector was a bit caught off-guard by how the chameleon mobian's mood changed in that instant, but he was happy that his friend was in agreement anyway. "Uh, yeah! Send us a text about the time soon!"

"Thank you, Mr. Vector! And tell Mr. Espio and Charmy that I said 'hi'!" Cream giggled before the call ended.

With all that done, the crocodilian pumped a fist. "YES! I love our work, but it's about time we got a break! Not to mention, a break with...her." Vector dreamily thought of Vanilla, the object of his affection for many years. 

Charmy was about to say something to show how excited he was as well, but there was something on his mind when the turned to Espio. "What's up with the sudden mood change? I thought you were all 'business' and no 'play'?"

The chameleon mobian turned his head away, closing his eyes. "It is nothing. It's merely...ninja...things." His blush only grew, hating how awkward he sounded.

"I know that type of voice." Vector rubbed his chin.

"Yeah! I know it too!" Charmy added. "Boss gets like that every time he tries to hide his feelings for Vanilla!"

"Yep! That's right! I...hey, shut up! I don't actually sound like that!" Vector snarled. "I'm a detective! I just figured it out on the fly! But Charmy's right, pal." He walked over to his ninja friend. "C'mon! Spill the beans! It would explain why you've been writing poetry that doesn't sound depressing!"

Espio knew these two would bother him until he explained the sudden change in behavior. "There's this hedgehog I've been seeing lately. We've been going out for months and...I have a feeling he'll be arriving at the same spot that Cream's family intends to go."

The two other Chaotix members looked at each-other, Vector's detective mind trying to figure out whom he might be talking about. "Sonic's out of the picture. Same with Shadow. The former would have gotten hitched with Amy by now and the latter is about as romantic as a cactus. So...who could it be?" He rubbed his chin.

SMASH! The door flew open, interrupting his thoughts. "Oh, thank SEGA. A distraction." Espio said under his breath.

"Guys, look! A hedgehog!" Charmy shouted before realizing who it was. "Oh, it's Sonic! Are you here to take Espio out on a romantic dinner?"

Sonic blinked in confusion at that statement. "Uh, no? I mean, I'm flattered, but-"

Vector decided to change the subject for an embarrassed Espio's sake. "What can we do to help?"

The hedgehog mobian answered by dropping the busted microwave on their desk. "Sooooooo...don't suppose I can either get my money back or a new microwave?"

All three detectives collectively sweat-dropped, realizing they were hosed. "I knew we shouldn't have given him that thing during that yard sale. It was on its last legs." Espio whispered to Vector.

"I thought he'd take it to Tails! Maybe fix it up or something." Vector sniffed the air before his eyes widened. "Did you burn a chili dog in here or something?!"

"Yep. Pretty much. Honestly, I was gonna ask for a new microwave, but I think I'll just as you guys if you sold anybody ELSE any other exploding appliances." Sonic raised a brow.

"Nope! We didn't! We're good!" Both Charmy and Vector shook their heads, Espio's nodding confirming their words.

Sonic gave them one last suspicious glance before shrugging. "You guys have fun with whatever you're doing. Gotta go!" With that, he sped off for the second-to-last thing to do on his list.

Once he was gone, Vector leaned next to Espio and whispered in his ear. "Just so you know, whoever you're dating, I only hope they're the right one for you and, if they try to mess with your heart, they'll get the business ends of my teeth."

"And my stinger!" Charmy vowed.

Espio couldn't help but give a small smile. "Your concern is touching, but I doubt it'll come to that."

As he said that, that same earthquake rumbled once more, causing a bunch of junk to tumble down and bury all three of them. "So, that's where all my copies of 'Chao in Space 3' went!" Charmy said, having avoided the junk collapse by flying away from it.

"That's great. Now, somebody dig me out." Vector grumbled from within the pile.

Later at the Chemical Plant Ruins..

One would have to be crazy or really curious to go visit any place that reminded people of the demented doctor that once ruled the planet with an iron fist. The Chemical Plant Zone was one of those places that reminded people of how utterly callous Eggman was towards the environment. While it certainly created a lot of materials for the villain to use in future, it also rendered the water around the zone uninhabitable, as well as choked the sky with pollution during its heyday.

Nowadays, the place had fallen into utter disrepair. The buildings were tipped over, nothing ran anymore, and the pollution was only now starting to clear up, allowing the sun to shine down on the desolation. There was an odd feeling of hope surrounding the forbidding place. A sign that, no matter what evil did to Mobius, it would always bounce back. 

Sonic wasn't here to wax philosophical about his old speeding grounds, though. It was here that he wanted to race with a longtime rival of his. While he sped across the broken speedways of the factory, a familiar red/black hedgehog grinded on the mangled rails above him, his glare descending down on the hero. "Hey, Shadow! Glad you could make it!"

"Keep the chitchat to a minimum." Shadow replied, landing next to his rival and instantly gaining the upper hand in the race, his air-shoes working at max capacity. "I only decided to play your insipid game because I have a reputation to salvage."

Sonic just chuckled while he jumped onto a nearby grind-rail, catching up with his rival as they entered a spot covered in the pink goo that this place used to produce. "We all think you're the 'ultimate life form'!" He made his voice comically deep for that. "You don't need to keep saying it every few minutes. Just let your skills speak for you."

"And you're such a MASTER at keeping your mouth shut." Shadow retorted, catching up with his foe before they wound up side-by-side. "You should have picked somewhere more dangerous. This is all beneath me!"

"That's kind of why I had a friend of yours make some adjustments. NOW, ROUGE!" Sonic yelled to the sky, a flapping of wings signifying the arrival of the bat mobian herself.

High above the ruins, Rouge tapped away at a wrist gauntlet, crossing her arms when that was done. "Maybe I'll get lucky and BOTH their egos will get knocked down a peg. That, or I just get dinner and a show." Kicking back in the air, she whipped out some candies. The kind of cadies that had flying insects embedded in them. She WAS a bat mobian, after all.

She was also carrying a backpack containing things like maps, intel for further missions from G.U.N, and jewels that she swore to many that she 'acquired' and did not 'steal'. Obviously, she couldn't keep a straight face when saying that. But something was wriggling inside. Something she was saving for the very end of the race. Thus, she patted her backpack to pacify the one inside. "Easy there. The fireworks are about to begin. You can have a peek, but it's gonna be loud!"

Instantly, explosions began to rock across the entire plant, causing several buildings to start collapsing on top of the whole place. Acidic liquid was splashed into the air, landing on the speedway and eating away at it. "This is more like it. I'll hand you that." Shadow said as he rushed through a falling building, smashing through its window before exiting out of the other side.

Meanwhile, Sonic was doing some tricks in the air thanks to a speed ramp, masterfully avoiding the splashes of acid. "C'mon! Step it up!"

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I wouldn't need to work for G.U.N." Shadow groaned before both hedgehog mobians raced around a building in a spiral-like pattern. Explosions rocked the entire structure before they both leaped off at the same time, diving down to the nearest intact speedway.

Once they landed, they resumed running, but Sonic noticed something off about his rival. Jet-black volts were crackling around Shadow's body, causing him to wince. "Whoa! You okay there?"

"I'm fine! Don't distract me!" Shadow shouted, fighting through the pain before both saw the finish line coming up. "This is it! You owe me ALL the coffee beans your rings can afford when this is done!"

Rouge flew towards the running hedgehog mobians, quickly opening the backpack. "Last obstacle, boys! Melanite, do your thing!" With that, a Dark Chao instantly emerged, rushing at the duo at full speed. Once the devilish creature was near them, he unleashed his best puppy-dog eyes.

Both were caught off-guard, but it was Shadow that came to a dead stop. "N-no! Must...resist...the look!" He grunted before realizing his hands were already rubbing around Melanite's cheeks, causing the little one to purr. "How does he keep doing that?"

"Sorry, Shadow! But I guess you're a bit softie after all! Later!" Sonic sped off towards the finish line...only for another explosion to blast him off the roadway, causing him to land into a puddle of pink gunk. "UGH! Really, Rouge?!"

"Should have looked before you leaped! Let's just call this a draw, okay?" Rouge chuckled before flying towards a very peeved Shadow, his hands still cuddling the pleased Dark Chao. "Don't give him that look, grumpy. If I'm remembering things right, you wanted this race to be challenging."

"Challenging? Yes. Humiliating? No." He replied before he crossed his arms, doing his best to glare at the Dark Chao, but he ultimately allowed him to rest in his quills. "Rrrrrgh."

Rouge just giggled before giving a flirty smile. "You know, you're cute when you're angry. Is the 'Ultimate Life Form' about to throw a temper tantrum?"

"I...am not...cute." Shadow blushed, still trying to come off as intimidating and failing miserably. "Whatever. Let's just head on back." Still, he couldn't help but give a slight smirk when he saw Sonic's state down below. "Frustration aside, we should do this again sometime. Maybe, perhaps...the Labyrinth Zone?"

Sonic instantly shook off the goop and ran up to where his rival was. "Don't even think about it. Let's just keep thing simple for now. Anyway, you might wanna get that zappy thing checked. Looked kinda suspicious."

That caused Shadow to revert to his sour mood. "I'm fine. Why don't you focus on your own problems? I have a whole list, if you wanna hear."

"I'm sure you do." With that, Sonic sped off for his final task of the day. 

As he vanished into the distance, Rouge floated next to Shadow, the hedgehog mobian still a little salty over how that race went. "So, what next? Maybe you could drop another one of your 'brooding sessions' for once and enjoy a nice night on the town?" She leaned in more when her friend just continued to angrily sulk. "Maybe end it with one of those chick flicks you like so much?"

"...I'll think about it." Shadow nodded before another earthquake rocked the place, causing more of the ruins to fall into disarray. "What now?"

"Probably nothing." Rouge dismissed it before taking the surprised hedgehog mobian's hand. "Now, c'mon. At the nearby mall, there's this jewelry store about to have a clearance sale!"

Despite blushing heavily at feeling her hand hold his, Shadow had room to snark. "And by 'clearance sale', you mean that there's a 50% chance your face will show up on the news along with the headline 'Winged jewel thief robs store blind'?"

"You know me so well." Rouge winked.

Later at Cocoa Island...

Mobius had many idyllic islands, with Angel Island being the most famous, but there was also the humble Cocoa Island. Not only was it mostly untouched by the troubles that usually plagued the world, but it was also the birthplace of Sonic's former sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower.

Sonic was running towards this island with a bunch of supplies in his hands, careful not to lose them to the ocean he was running across. "Once this is done, I think I've earned myself a trip to the nearest chili dog stand!" He said. "Here I come, best buddy!" He rushed faster across the water, eventually racing around the entire island before arriving at a large laboratory.

From the looks of it, Tails had made it himself, his Tornado plane parked near the rectangular yellow/blue structure. Whenever the hedgehog mobian looked it, as well as the various inventions near it, he felt a great sense of pride in how much his fox mobian friend had accomplished. However, there was an odd sadness in him as he walked towards the door and thought on what Tails had vowed to do after the Starfall Islands incident.

Despite how much Sonic enjoyed having his best friend around, he knew that Tails really wanted to step out of his shadow and make a new destiny of his own. "You're gonna go far, pal." He smiled, swallowing whatever sadness he had as he remembered his own promise. Mainly, to see the person that Tails would become when left to his own devices.

The very minute he rang the doorbell, a bunch of logs swung from the nearby trees, nearly striking the Blue Blur. Stepping back, he almost stepped into some beartraps, but he set them off intentionally, using his speed to avoid the snapping jaws. "Okay, that's new." When he turned back to the door, a poster featuring the original 2019 Movie design of himself suddenly showed up. "GAAAAAAAAH!"

Suddenly, Sticks opened the door, brandishing her boomerang. "YOU GOVERNMENT AGENTS AREN'T GONNA TAKE ME ALIVE!" However, she calmed when she saw the terrified Sonic, knocking away the poster to get it out of his sight. "Oh. Hi, Sonic! How do you like the new security system I installed?"

"It's...effective." The hedgehog mobian regained his senses, doing his best to forget that horrible sight. "Can I come in?"

"Sure! But don't stare. Tails went through some stuff when testing out her newest invention." Sticks warned.

Something about what the badger mobian said caused Sonic to raise a brow. "Nothing bad, right? And don't you mean 'his' new invention?"

"Nah! It's 'her' now! You'll see why soon." Sticks said before directing him towards the lab. There, he could hear the sound of the fox mobian already hard at work. Those two tails were twisting behind a large hunk of metal, sparks flying everywhere.

Getting out the supplies from out of his quills, the hedgehog mobian awaited his friend to come on out. "What's up, Tails? Busy lately?"

Instantly, Tails stopped tinkering, revealing himself to his best buddy...or, really, 'HERSELF' to 'HER' best buddy. It was unistakably the twin-tailed fox mobian, but she now had the body of a mature female, given that she had recently turned 18 many months ago. She wore an oil-stained t-shirt and shorts containing many of her tools. "You got what I needed? Thanks! I...oh." She blushed, realizing that Sonic was staring. "I guess this requires an explanation."

Whatever was happening, Sonic just gave a chill smile, leaning against the doorframe. "Never a dull moment, huh?"

Chapter Text

Tails' Lab, Cocoa Island...

Sipping some hot cocoa, Tails sat at her lab-table, Sonic helping himself to some as well. "Sooooo...how do I tell you're not just some imposter taking my buddy's place?" The hedgehog mobian asked.

"I have a DNA tester on hand to prove it." Tails said. "Now, the short version of the story is that I got splashed with some strange chemicals that were dropped off at my lab, maybe by a careless client, and-"

"Wait, client?" Sonic stopped drinking his cocoa before remembering. "Oh, yeah! You wanted to start making your fortune inventing things for others before you went out in the world."

Her tails waving with pride, Tails looked back to a nearby wall, the thing adorned with 'Thank You' letters from across Mobius. "That's right! Helping the world, one invention at a time! Although, some of my endeavors were better than others. I think I remember sending you a text about that 'Battle Bed' idea."

Sonic gave a chuckle when he remembered that fiasco. "You know, I could respect wanting to kick butt while kicking back at the same time, but after that...it's not worth it."

Sticks jumped in, having put all the supplies in the right areas. "Oooh! Oooh! Don't forget the 'Flying Segway'! I still remember taking down an entire swarm of those." She kicked back next to Sonic, sighing in bliss. "Good times."

"More like 'humbling times'. Never doing that again. Like the 'Kudzu Chia Pet'." Tails shuddered at that idea. "Pretty sure I almost wrecked the ecosystem of this island with that thing. Anyway, you were wondering why I look like this now?"

"Honestly, if this is because you wanted to transition, I'm 100% supporting you, buddy." Sonic assured.

The fox mobian looked touched, but she got back on track. "That's very sweet, but let me tell you the story anyway. There's also a few other things that may require your attention."

"I'm all ears!" Sonic kicked back some more.

"Well...it all started a couple of months ago." She began. "I think it was after I took Sticks in as my assistant."

Suddenly, the jungle badger mobian jumped onto a chair, looking quite excited. "Oooh! Oooh! Let me tell this part of the story!"

Before Tails could say anything, Sonic gave an approving smirk. "Sure thing! I wanna hear why you've decided to help my best pal. Don't get me wrong. I know you'll always lend a hand to help!"

Sticks gave a toothy smile. "Yep! Well, only if they're not slug mutants from another galaxy that are conspiring to use television sets to brainwash the masses. In that case, I'll lend my boomerang. Into their noses. That's the weak-spot. Where was I?" She blinked.

The other two mobians looked at each-other before Tails cleared her throat. "You were going to tell him how you became my partner."

Siting down more casually, the jungle badger mobian began. "It all started when you came back to Cocoa Island. Things were getting kinda depressing for me. More than they already are, considering I'm usually surrounded by either people who think I'm just some random looney or the piles of garbage I make out of whatever I can find washed up on the beach. It stayed that way until you saw me take apart a downed tank with all the skills I've gained throughout my life."

"It's true. The way I saw her analyze the washed-up Eggtank was quite insightful and I didn't want her to be lonely all the time." Tails added. "Needing somebody to help me establish my lab on this island, I came to her with an offer to be my assistant. Though, in hindsight, maybe I should have approached you from the front instead of behind."

Sticks scratched her head, getting out a few bugs she then ate. "It's okay. My boomerang forgives! Didn't mean to nearly dislocate your shoulders, though. Anyway, I was gonna tell you to get off my turf, but then you said you were a friend of Amy."

Sonic rubbed his chin, recalling that Amy spoke of vacationing to this island at one point, meeting the jungle badger mobian at the same time, and doing her best to help her make new friends. The way the pink hedgehog mobian was able to make Sticks go from 'aggressively anti-social paranoid hermit' to 'friendly somewhat-social paranoid hermit' was certainly impressive and quite heartwarming. But that was a story for another day. "And then, you two hit it off."

"Precisely." Tails nodded.

"Yep! I may trust machines as far as I can throw them, but anything made by Tails can't be all that bad." Sticks smiled before remembering what this whole talk was about. "Ooooh! And then we got that strange package!"

"Alright. My turn to tell the rest." Tails said, looking to some of her workbenches as she recalled that time. "I was working at the lab when I received through the mail what I thought were just bottles of wine. The label on it said 'Leftovers from Baskerra Hellmane', whatever that meant. I was going to send them back when I...kind of tripped and caused some of the stuff inside of the bottles to land on me. I think some got in my mouth." She groaned, slapping her forehead. "I know. Pretty stupid thing to do when handling potentially dangerous chemicals."

"C'mon. We all make mistakes. But yeah. That would have me worried sick for sure." Sonic admitted. "And the chemicals turns you into a girl?"

She nodded, looking upon her new body once again. "Exactly. When Sticks woke me up, my biology had been radically altered. Thankfully, there were no other adverse effects. I was still kind of freaked out and I almost called you to help, but then Sticks suggested Amy come on over instead."

"Good call. If anybody could help you with that, it'd be her." Sonic agreed.

Tails continued. "I found that, very quickly, I actually liked my new body. Amy guided me through all that I needed to know in my current state. By the time we were finished with our talks, I actually didn't want to change back. In fact...I think I like this new body a lot." She beamed. "Besides, I'm still Miles Prower deep down."

"You sure are. Right down to working yourself to death. I mean, when's the last time you left the lab?" Sonic wondered.

That caused Tails to look a bit sheepish. "...a couple of weeks? Months? I still get out! I swear I do! I'm not a hermit! No offense, Sticks."

"None taken!" Sticks said as she put several cables back in their places. "Done! Got the metal snakes back in their places! Now, they can't burrow underground and download everybody's internet histories."

Deciding to ignore that, Sonic continued with his point. "I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt to get out and hang out."

Though the fox mobian was considering that, she gave a bit of a sly smirk. "Is that legitimate advice or are you just missing me that badly?"

"Little bit of both."

"Well, what have YOU been doing since we parted ways?" Tails asked. "I might not be the only one set in their ways."

"Touché." Sonic whistled before leaning back. "Let's see...traveling the world, fighting whatever remains of Eggman's empire, meeting some new folks, and occasionally visiting mom. Nothing much else."

That last statement caused the others to pause. "I'm sorry, but I thought you were an orphan like me. How come I've never heard of this until now?" Tails wondered, honestly intrigued.

Realizing what he just said, Sonic just took a deep breath. "Yeaaaaaah...guess it was gonna be inevitable that I'd let that slip. Then again, NONE of us ever about our folks."

Tails raised a hand to argue, but she slowly put it down. "Fair point. I don't go to everybody and say that my parents were dead before I could remember their faces properly."

"And I don't tell people that my mom was a seagull and my dad was an old stack of magazines." Sticks added. "Childhood was rough, let me tell ya'."

Sonic soon continued, wanting to clear the awkward atmosphere. "To make a long story short, this owl named Longclaw took me in when was 4 apples tall. I still remember when she gave me these sneakers." He wiggled his shoes, realizing something. "Wait, did these grow with my feet? Guess she really did have magic."

"This is kind of a lot to take it, but your past is so nebulous that I don't consider this past the realm of possibility." Tails said. "If you don't mind me asking...is she...still around?"

That caused Sonic to rub his chin, deep in thought. "You know...the last I remember seeing of her was a note she left. Said something about dealing with some kind of evil power. That she'd hopefully be back in a couple of days and, if not, she told me to 'follow my heart and run like the wind'. It hurt at first, especially when she didn't come back, but I'd say things turned out well in the end."

"...are you sure you don't still miss her?" Tails wondered.

"I can sniff her out! I can sniff ANYTHING out! ANYTHING!" Sticks screeched.

"Easy there! I'm fine. One of these days, I might get some closure, but for now, I'll keep following my own path." Sonic assured before getting an idea. "Subject change. You basically admitted that you haven't been out of the lab in forever."

Tails groaned. "Fine. Can you promise me you're not planning another adventure that lands us in a crisis?" She then turned away to whisper something else. "One that nearly gets you killed...again."

"Relax. I've got just the thing." Whipping out his phone, Sonic entered the number of a certain lemur mobian. "What's up, Tangle? You guys done with work?"

"Yep! We're now wondering what to do next. Wanna throw me some suggestions before the workaholics decide?" Tangle replied.

"We can hear you, you know!" Lanolin shouted. 

"We're not ALL about work!" Jewel added.

"Suuuuuuure...you keep telling yourselves that." Tangle teased.

Before Sonic could state whatever plan he had, a loud knocking sound was heard against the doors. "I'll get it!" Sticks leaped off the chair and raised her boomerang. "If this is that supermodel again, let her know that I don't care WHO the IRS sends! I AM NOT PAYING TAXES!" 

When she opened it, she saw her entire security system in ruins...and E-123 Omega standing in the wreckage, something clenched in his claws. "Greetings, Ms. Sticks! I have come to-"

"ACH! ROBOT!" Instantly, Sticks threw her boomerang at the machine, the combination of speed and power knocking Omega onto his back. However, she suddenly realized who she was looking at, causing her to just leap onto him. "Oh, it's you. The robot who works for the shady government organization."

Sonic turned to this sight, curious. "Tangle, could you hold? We're about to see if Robo-Romeo can find a date."

As Tangle asked Sonic what was up about that interruption, Omega found himself looking up at the jungle badger mobian. "I apologize for my intrusion. I shall refrain from reacting with violence and, instead, present you with a gift." His claw opened up, revealing several metal wires that had been bent to look like roses.

At first, Sticks wasn't sure what to think, but, when she gave them a sniff, she gasped. "Are these...TV antennae? The kind that people use to brainwash all the couch potatoes of the world?"

"Yes. People called you insane for stating that theory. While it flies in the face of all logic, I have chosen to believe you, for I care about you very much." Omega stood up, finally regaining his footing. "Will you accept my gift, Ms. Sticks?"

Taking the metal flowers in her hands, Sticks found herself blushing heavily. "There must be 25 of these." Her little tail began to wag before she shook her head. "How do I know this isn't some kind of G.U.N trick for me to lower my guard?! It's not like it's working!"

Omega actually looked rather sad at this, his limbs slumping down. "Very well. If you are not interested in having any further interactions, I shall respect your wishes and-"

"Hold on, big guy!" Sticks shouted, causing his posture to straighten back up. Putting her hands on her hips, she moved her hand to tilt his chin down so he could be at eye-level. "I dunno what you're doing, but I'm gonna make sure you're not tricking me by...hey, Sonic! What was the plan?"

"On it!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. "So, Tangle, wanna meet up at Spiral Hill Village? A little celebration of being almost done with the Restoration?"

Tangle gasped on the other end of the phone, the shout of joy she let out causing Sonic's phone to vibrate from pure sound. "AWESOME! Drinks are on me!"

"Nah, they're on me! I've got enough rings and enough speed to get supplies if the village needs any." Sonic assured.

Tails felt a bead of sweat drop from her head. "How can somebody live life freely AND be a workaholic at the same time? Exhibit A." She pointed at the hedgehog mobian.

Hearing this, Sticks turned back to Omega. "So, I'm gonna take you out on one of those 'date' things. That way, I'll know if this is a trick or not!"

"It is not a trick! I am choosing to date you because...well, perhaps I can tell you how I came to the conclusion that I am, as humans say, 'falling for you' when we have our date. Is this acceptable?" Omega asked.

"Sure." With that, Sticks accumulated a loogie in her mouth before spitting on her hand. "Shake on it, robot?"

Instantly, Omega looked at his own claw. "I am unable to produce saliva. So..." Using his other claw to fiddle around with his wiring, he caused some oil to spill on his claw. With that, he shook the paw of the jungle badger mobian. "It is a date. I look forward to it. Farewell." Before he turned back to leave for home, he caught a glimpse of Sonic giving a thumbs-up. With that, he rocketed into the sky.

Sticks just crossed her arms, still blushing. "Hmph. Big stupid robot...making me feel all tingly deep down." She looked at the metal roses, holding them close. "But he worked so hard to defeat the evil brainwashing antennae...maybe he's not all that bad."

Tails blinked at this whole sight before clearing his throat. "I'd better send a group-text. See if the others are interested."

"I know for a fact that Tangle's missed you. You guys really hit it off when you two met." Sonic said. "Catch you later, buddy! If you need anything-"

"WAIT! I just remembered! There's something else I need to tell you." Tails said.

"What's that?"

Getting out of the Miles Electric, Tails showed her friend several images she had taken of various zones across Mobius. "One hobby of mine is seeing how far I can send out the Tornado using the Miles Electric. Sometimes, I'll even snap photos of the scenery." Several of the photos, however, showed a blue smear racing across the sky, a trail of smoke left in its wake.

Peering into the smear, Sonic thought he saw a red glow in that smear. "Is that...Metal Sonic?"

"Precisely. I analyzed the photos and realized that it's definitely him. He's active, which means Eggman might be up to something again. I like a good celebration, but we still have to be on our guard."

"No problem! If he's looking for another butt-kicking, I'm the hedgehog for the job!" Sonic said confidently. "If anything, I was getting worried that he quit! It's not like him to just do nothing for a bunch of years."

"I kinda wish he'd quit for once." Tails muttered. "All that genius, wasted on making everybody else's lives miserable. Anyway, see you tonight!"

"Later, guys!" In the blink of an eye, he was running across the surface of the water, leaving Cocoa Island behind.

Sticks entered the lab again, sighing as she sat down. "At least we're not being invited to the Casino Night Zone. I don't even have to be crazy to tell you it's a cesspool of corruption there."

"Trust me. Something tells me we might worry about other things soon." Tails looked back to the photos, her fists clenching. "But we'll be ready. I swear it."

Meanwhile, back at Central City...

As night began to fall, Amy Rose closed shop for the day, stretching after a stress-free but still eventful day. She had also received the group-text, prompting her to look through her outfits and just pick her usual one. "Ah, I cherish these get-togethers! And, from what I got, Omega actually got a date! Can this day get any better?"

Right as she said that, a large frog slapped against one of her windows, croaking as it got slime all over them. "Ribbit...ribbit..."

"I just had those cleaned!" She cried out, rushing out of the door with a rag to clean it up...only to run into a wall of the softest fuzz ever when she stepped outside. "Hmmm?"

Looking up, she saw a familiar face. One that instantly hugged her close. "Amy! How's it going?" 

This was Big the cat mobian, as well as his amphibian friend, Froggy. The frog just leaped on top of his head, watching this all take place. Meanwhile, Amy found herself snuggling into that fur, clinging up until her nose touched his own. "Hey, Big! Glad you could make it! You got the group text too?"

"Huh? Text?" Big scratched his head before realizing something. "Oh, yeah! I'm still getting used to using this. Sorry about that." He got his phone out of the bag he usually put fishing bait into, gazing at the text.

"That's fine. You're trying new things. It always takes time to get used to them." Amy assured before resting in his large arms. "Heheh...I love it when you do this."

"Thanks! I do my best." Big said before a car sped by them, causing him to cry out in surprise. "This party's not in the city, is it? I can't say I like the constant noise."

Knowing that he was much more used to the peaceful sounds of nature, Amy patted his head when she climbed onto his shoulder. "Don't worry. It's just Spiral Hill Village. Things are plenty peaceful there."

"Yeah. I think I remember fishing there once." Big supposed.

Amy giggled at that. "You've fished pretty much everywhere at this point. You could write a book about all that you've seen and found."

"Ribbit."

"You're right, Froggy. It'd be nice to share fishing tips with others." Big looked back to Amy. "Do you think Spiral Hill is still selling that smoked salmon special?"

"I sure hope they do! Personally, I wanna share my strawberry shortcake recipe." Amy suggested before realizing something. 'Sonic's going to be there. He's going to see me and Big probably doing couple things. Maybe now would be a good time to tell him that I've moved on? Oh, this is so fustrating! For a girl that claims to know all about romance, you sure as heck don't practice what you preach! '

"Are you okay, Amy?" Big asked.

Shaking her head, the hedgehog mobian patted her boyfriend's head some more. "Never better! Let's go and have ourselves some fun!"

Rouge's Apartment, also at Central City...

The bat mobian hummed to herself as she placed some of her newly 'acquired' gems on her bedside, her eyes drifting over to a large spot in the room that she was saving for a special occasion. "Soon...we'll be together again." She murmured, remembering the Master Emerald and all of its splendor. "But for now...SHADOW!"

"Rrrrgh...what?" Laying on the sofa was the Ultimate Lifeform, his rest now disturbed.

"There's this party going on at Spiral Hill. Maybe you could quit dozing for the entire evening and have some fun?" Rouge asked.

Grumbling some more, Shadow stood up, crossing his arms. "You know I don't do parties, right? Especially the loud and annoying ones. It'll probably be even worse than that mall visit you dragged me into."

Rolling her eyes, Rouge sat next to him. "Last I checked, you weren't complaining when you saw there was a sale for Chao toys. You wound up having fun anyway. Why should this party be any different?" Studying her friend's expression a bit more, she scooted closer, moving a wing to pat him on the head. "Listen, If you get overstimulated, just give me a call and I'll fly you back home."

"...I appreciate that." Shadow admitted before he gave her some side-eye. "But, in return, I'll make sure you aren't just coming there to raid Jewel's museum."

Crossing her arms, the bat mobian huffed. "Oh, please. I know stealing-I mean...acquiring gems is my thing, but I know better than to take from her. I'm not heartless, you know."

"SPEAKING OF HEARTS!" Omega smashed his way in, though that didn't get a reaction out of the duo.

"That's the fourth door this month." Shadow muttered before giving a much angrier glare at the machine. "You almost woke up Melanite! What is it?!"

Omega looked to the wreckage of the door, but he turned back to the others, his body shaking with excitement. "Sticks has confirmed she wishes to go on a date with me! Mission: Partial Success!"

"Oh, good for you. You finally asked her out." Rouge smirked, ignoring the damages for the moment. "Now, all you have to do is show her some charm. Maybe tell a joke for once in your life."

"...I am not programmed for humor. I will still attempt it." Omega said. "In the event that this date fails, I will require comfort. Therefore, you two will accompany me to Spiral Hill Village."

Shadow sighed, rubbing his temples. "There goes any excuse to back out of this foolishness. Fine. We'll be there as soon as we can." Walking past Omega, he approached a small fenced-off part of the room, his Dark Chao, Melanite, sleeping peacefully, despite the noise. "Hmmmm..."

Rouge moved behind him, leaning against his shoulder and causing him to freeze while she cooed. "Awww....worried for him? Don't worry about it. We'll be back in a few hours anyway."

"Good." Shadow replied proceeding to check if everything was alright with Melanite. From checking the monitor to seeing if the toys had enough stuffing in them to keeping potentially harmful objects far away. 

Rouge gave a slight chuckle to herself as she watched this. "I never get tired of seeing his softer side. It's so cute. Not to mention...kind of DILF-y." She blushed, her wings fluttering a bit.

"Searching the definition of DILF..." Omega's eyes lit up several times as he got his answer. "Putting answer into the category known as 'Scandalous'."

Meanwhile at Angel Island...

The moment Knuckles received the text, he instantly felt the urge to join everybody. Looking back to the Master Emerald, he made up his mind pretty quickly. "It's just for a few hours, Knuckles. You can handle it." He said to himself before jumping off the edge of the island, only to start gliding into the distance. "Wait up, guys!"

Back within the Master Emerald, Chaos and company watched the guardian leave, Tikal smiling contently. "I'm glad he has so many good friends. If anything happens to this emerald, they'll be there to help him. For now, I hope he enjoys his break."

"Yes, dear. I'm...sure he will." Chaos sighed, sulking away.

Immediately, the echidna mobian came to his side, the other Chao looking worried. "Chaos, I told you. There'll come a time when we can experience the physical world. It's just...nevermind."

This time, it was the destruction deity's turn to look concerned. "What is it? Are you also feeling the same things I am?"

"No, it's...you know what might happen if we were to be released from the Master Emerald, yes?"

Chaos gave that thought. "We would...be free? Simple as that? Only, I would have a physical body and you would be a floating ball of light?"

Tikal shook her head. "Actually, yes and no. For a time, that would be the case, but, after a while, we would all have to ascend to the Heavens...except you. You're still alive, remember?"

The pieces came together for the watery being, his eyes widening as the other Chao nodded at Tikal's point in confirmation. Some cuddled into each-other more, not sure how to feel about that scenario happening. "On one hand...you would all be able to rest even more peacefully than now...but...I don't think...I could handle that..."

"Then we'll never leave. We must bind ourselves to the Emerald if we're to be together." Tikal stated, though her lip was trembling a bit.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Chaos leaned in to hug her tightly. "Then, I will stop desiring to step into the physical world. Besides, I think they still fear me for the crimes I've committed against them."

"That wasn't your fault! You were under the influence of the negative energy of the Chaos Emeralds!" She replied. "You're nothing like you used to be during then."

Chaos nodded at that, sitting down as they cuddled into each-other, the other Chao cuddling into the duo as well. "I understand. Still, for the sake of your happiness, I'll never leave. Maybe I should just sleep this off. Then, things will go back to normal."

"Yes...back to normal." Tikal said before looking away, her lip still trembling a bit. 'There'll come a time when I have to let you go. When I have to ascend and be with my people. When the Chao can ascend and be with the rest of their kin. We can't just keep Chaos confined here forever. But his heart wouldn't be able to handle it if we were all separated. What do I do? '

"Something on your mind again?" Chaos asked.

Taking a deep breath, the echidna mobian had a question for her lover. "If you were to return to the physical world...and I were to return to the Heavens...would you promise me that you'd find somebody else that would love you, body and soul?"

That caught the destruction deity off-guard, causing him to make a bubbling noise of surprise. "Wh-what?! Again! I'm perfectly fine with being stuck here-I mean being trapped in here-I MEAN just being here with you for all eternity! I don't need anything that's actually real and not just a construct of the Master Emerald! I have all of you! That's all I need. That's all I'll ever need...right?" He sounded a bit unsure at that last bit.

"...yes. Things are...fine."

"Indeed. Just...fine."

The silence that followed was deafening, the other Chao looking unsure of what to do.

Somewhere underground...

Ever since the incident with Dark Gaia, the interior of Mobius had been filled with even more tunnels and caverns than ever before. But there were a few that existed long before the monstrosity threatened to rip the planet into pieces. These tunnels were usually only inhabited by bats and other cave-dwelling creatures. Nothing out of the ordinary.

That is, until a large portal opened up inside one of the tunnels. From the other side, several silhouettes were coming into view. One was of a large anthro hyena-like canine, another was more scorpion-shaped, another was of a sleek insectoid anthro, another was a strange mime-like humanoid, and the final one was of an anthro feline figure.

"We're heeeeeeere." All of them (except for the mime-like one) said ominously.

Silence followed...until the scorpion one spoke up in a female Australian accent. "G'day, mates!"

"Dropio, nobody's here." The muscular female canine anthro said with a lisping Hungarian accent.

"Oh, sorry."

Chapter Text

Later that evening at Tails' Lab, Cocoa Island...

Knowing that it had been days since she had stepped foot (or tail, really) out of Cocoa Island, Tails was fussing over what to wear for such an occasion. "Amy said that it doesn't really matter if I wear male or female clothing. Just whatever makes me happy. That said, she DID give me tips of what color matches with what...hmmmm...I've never really paid attention to that sort of thing before..."

Eventually, she just settled for something casual. In this case, a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. The design on the shirt was that of a rocket launching into space, the vast cosmos surrounding it. As she adjusted her shirt, she looked at herself in the mirror, her tails swaying around. "Another factor to consider: the possibility of being attracted to potential studs, as well as attracting their attention first."

Those thoughts prompted Tails to move her hands through her golden/white fur, biting her lip as several perverted fantasies flooded her mind. One involved a burly male seducing her on the dance floor. Another had something to do with the concept of a 'glory hole'. Still, she shook those thoughts away. "Focus on having fun! That's it!"

"Hey! Tails!"

"Speaking of inexplicable romantic feelings..." Tails sighed before rushing towards one of the areas in his lab. Standing before him was Sticks, the jungle badger mobian dressed in a fancy black dress, though there was a sense she was going commando. "Is there a problem?"

Lifting her to leg to her cheek, Sticks began to scratch herself, despite wearing shoes. "Nah! 'cept that this thing is itchy as heck! How do girls stand wearing these?!"

"Just keep in mind that was a gift from Amy. Now, remember what she said about you attending these kinds of parties." Tails warned, moving that foot away from her assistant's head. "Given that this is your first date, they're even more important to remember."

Sticks huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "It is NOT my first date! I'll have you know I've broken the hearts of SEGA-knows how many rusty tin cans!"

"Those don't count." Tails deadpanned.

Still, she groaned again, remembering those rules Amy gave her a long while ago. "Yeaaaaah. No slouching, no pouncing on people, no fighting people over the food, no scent marking the room-"

Before her assistant could finish, the fox mobian whipped out some green panties, still looking unamused. "And, if you're going to wear that, put on these and keep them on."

Grumbling further, Sticks did as she was told. "Least my tits aren't gonna itch too bad." She moved her hand to flick that part of her breasts several times.

Hoping that this would be a normal party, Tails headed towards the Tornado. "Even if the party doesn't go quite as well as I hope, we can test out the new capabilities on my plane. Remind me again. You don't mind heights, right?"

To answer her question, Sticks had already leaped into the secondary cockpit. "The chance to see the government agents from above, catching them off-guard before they corrupt those around me? I'd love to do this! C'mon! Let's fly this thing before it inevitably kills us in our sleep!"

Tails gave a nervous chuckle at that. "You have a way with words, don't you?" With that, she got into the main cockpit of the Tornado, the plane taking off into the sunset after just a few minutes of the engine starting back up. Those upgrades certainly came in handy.

However, there was one detail that Tails had forgotten about. The Miles Electric left back at the lab was picking up new readings. They would not last long, but these readings were quite intense. Another earthquake followed that reading, shaking the island and causing the wildlife to panic.

Those readings, however, weren't just coming from the earthquakes...but from something that happened before that. Something that tore through the fabric of time/space. Whatever it was, it was yet another warning of things to come. But enough about that! There's a party to be had!

Later that night at Spiral Hill Village...

If there was one word to describe this highly elevated town, it would be 'cozy'. Just your average ordinary town situated atop a large hill with a large wall-stairway leading to it. Now that night had fallen, the village could come alive with bright lights and the sounds of many mobians celebrating the heroes that liberated them from the grasp of Eggman. 

Sonic was already speeding his way towards the place, but he made sure to go slow enough so that others around the village could take notice of him. "Hey, guys! It's Sonic!" A random bull mobian called out.

Instantly, many flocked to the pathway of the hedgehog mobian, his hands outstretched in order to high-five the masses. "Heh. I love being me." He said to himself, rushing through the streets before finally making it to the center of the town. Jumping into the air, he spindashed across the floors before winding up in a laying-down pose, flashing a big smile to those around him. "Did you miss me?"

The cheers of the crowd were music to his ears. While he wasn't too egocentric, Sonic couldn't deny that their praise gave him even more reason to get out of bed, aside from the call of adventure. Right as that happened, the Tornado flew by, Tails flying down from it while the automatic piloting systems did the rest of the work. "If I was given five more seconds, I could have beaten you here. I'm getting better at this." The fox mobian said.

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Sonic asked in good humor before something tackled him to the ground. "OW! Hey!"

"Got you!" Knuckles chuckled, having glided all the way to the village. "So, this is the party? Not bad."

Getting up from that surprise attack, Sonic gave his friend a playful punch to the shoulder. "Geez! A little warning next ti-"

"INCOMING!" Sticks shouted before she landed right on top of the hedgehog mobian, her skirt nearly blown upwards. "Whoops. Sorry."

"...which way to the chili dogs?" Sonic groaned.

In terms of the party itself, it was fairly standard. Lines upon lines of snack tables were laid out, several simple games (like Ring Toss and 'Bobbing for Badniks') were set up, and there was a sense that this party was more for people to mingle and even dance a bit. Knuckles was already making his way to one of the snack tables, gorging himself on whatever he could find. "They were right! I've spent WAY too much time on Angel Island! I've been missing out on the eclairs!"

One of his ears twitched when he heard a familiar laugh. Turning around quickly, he saw Rouge, her nose inches away from his own. "Hey, handsome. I can't help but notice how you've left that beautiful gem...unguarded." She teased.

"R-Rouge?!" He stepped back, putting up his fists. "Big mistake revealing your plan to me! If you think you're gonna take the Master Emerald, you're dead wrong!"

That just made the bat mobian laugh louder. "I never get tired of seeing you this flustered! Keep your chest-fur on. I'd much rather take it while you're still up in the clouds. Otherwise, where's the challenge? So, feel free to stuff your face. I know I will." Her long bat tongue licked her lips when she saw some of the fruit displays. Being a vampire/fruit bat hybrid mobian, she couldn't resist.

Unconvinced, Knuckles crossed his arms. "Now, I'm really glad I came. I won't let my eyes leave her for a second!"

Sonic walked past him, nudging him. "Or maybe you like her?"

"...nah. Not my type." Knuckles replied. "Even if she was, I have no time for romance. There is only training, guarding, and-oh, hey! Those guys are showing off their rock collections! I gotta tell them about mine!"

Both Sonic and Tails watched him join the group, the echidna mobian wasting no time talking about a rock he found that looked like a horse. "Glad to see he's getting out there more." The fox mobian stated. "I've heard about being immersed in your work, but I'm pretty sure I would have gone insane looking after one object for so much time."

"I wouldn't have lasted ten minutes." Sonic admitted before noticing another peculiar sight. "Hey! Robo-Romeo! You feeling the love tonight?"

Sitting on a bench was Omega, the robot twiddling his claws while Shadow just patted him on the shoulder. "Calculating possibility of abandoning mission...data requested." He turned to his hedgehog mobian friend.

"I never took you for a coward and I'm not starting now." Shadow said plainly before pointing to where Sticks was slurping some beverages loudly. "There she is, already making a fool out of herself."

"How dare you!" Omega's eyes narrowed. "That is the slurp of a lady!"

Shadow just shrugged. "Whatever. Knock her dead." He shoved the larger robot forth, causing him to stumble a little. "That's a metaphor, by the way."

Trembling like a leaf, the machine loomed over Sticks, her mouth covered by the liquid of the beverages. "Greetings, Ms. Sticks. My sensors indicate that you are looking quite ravishing tonight. It is inconclusive if I possess male robotic genitals, but if I do, I am as hard as titanium thanks to you."

Everybody near the machine stared at him in utter disbelief at what he just said, though Sonic was doing his best not to burst out laughing. "Sweet SEGA, this is already painful to watch." Tails pinched the brow of her nose.

"Yikes." Rouge winced before chowing down on a large strawberry.

Sticks blinked at what Omega just said before shrugging. "Eh. I think you have some amazing robo-claws. Wanna go check the water supply for any nanobots trying to possess our brains?"

Recovering from his blunder, Omega nodded quickly. "It would be my pleasure. I want to hear all about your illogical but ultimately engaging theories. In return, I would like to discuss the many ways you can destroy a Robotnik Robot."

He was surprised when Sticks leaped onto his shoulder, sitting atop it and slouching against his head. That caused her panties to be revealed, but she didn't care. "You know, you're a pretty strange robot, but I like strange. Lead the way and crush my enemies!" She screeched out. "The day will come when you can't ignore the truth!"

"Hear, hear!" Omega pumped a fist as they wandered towards the outskirts of the party.

As soon as they left, Sonic crossed his arms, a confused but satisfied smile on his face. "Glad things could work out between those two. Amy sure knows a couple when she sees one."

Tails nodded in agreement, but then she saw some other familiar faces. "Hey, Sonic! I'm gonna check up on Tangle and company. Maybe you could see if Amy also made it, speaking of her?"

"You bet! Have fun out there, buddy!" Before he'd do that, the hedgehog mobian zoomed to Shadow's side. "So, what's shaking?"

Despite giving an annoyed groan, the Ultimate Life Form just kept looking sour, yet he didn't move away from his spot. "Nothing much. I just realized that I got dragged here for nothing. Omega's chances with Sticks seem sound."

"It kind of makes sense when you think about it. Let's be fair. They're...kind of nut-jobs. I mean that in the nicest way!" Sonic insisted.

"They're OUR nut-jobs. Last I checked, you're not entirely sane, given your habit of thrusting yourself into every danger conceivable." Shadow stated before narrowing his gaze. "Don't think that I haven't heard of your most recent brush with death. Impressive, but..."

The fact that he didn't finish that sentence clued Sonic into a certain detail. "You were worried about me? Awwww, I didn't know you cared!" He nudged the brooding one's shoulder, making him groan in even louder.

Something caught Shadow's eye, causing him to give a smirk of his own. "Maybe you should focus less on being your usual irksome self...and direct your attention to Amy's new boyfriend."

Despite already knowing that Amy had found a new boyfriend, it was still a shocking fact for the Blue Blur. Now, he was here too! "Oh, uh, I've got...chilli dogs to eat! Gotta juice!" With that, he zoomed away, leaving Shadow to brood in peace.

Still, he shook his head, remembering what he said about the Starfall Islands incident. "This world needs you, Sonic. Never forget-RRRGH!" He grunted, black volts crackling across his body again. That brought him to his knees, but that was nothing compared to the other part of the pain.

'Shadooooooow...become what you were always destined to be...'  A deep shadowy voice beckoned him, causing him to cover his ears, stumbling through the crowds as he did that.

Meanwhile with Amy and Big...

With a mighty heavy of her arms, Amy had managed to fish a massive badnik replica from the pool, wowing the crowd. "You did it, Amy! You mastered the technique!" Big cheered, clapping his hands while Froggy just enjoyed himself on the pond by snacking on flies.

Looking proudly at her catch, Amy gave a cute wink before flexing her arm. "The heart is a small muscle, but it packs on heck of a punch when you train hard enough!" Moving next to her boyfriend, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Next time, I'm going to show you some of MY skills. Maybe you'll be able to beat my hammer toss record?"

"That sounds like fun!" Big said before hoisting her up. "Up you go! Wanna get some shortcake?"

"Onward!" Amy giggled as she lifted her hammer up...before both were interrupted by Sonic's arrival, the Blue Blur stopping still when he saw what was happening. "Oh, uh...hi, Sonic!" She nervously chuckled before shaking her head. "No, it's time to break the news to him now. Calmly. No drama."

Big just remained oblivious, giving a wave to the confused hedgehog mobian. "How's it going?"

'Is...is BIG her boyfriend?! I saw them share a kiss!' I didn't know he had rizz!'  Sonic thought before getting a hold of himself. "Pretty good, actually. Glad you two could make it. I see you both are...really...really really really...REALLY...close?"

"Yes! Yes, we are!" Amy shouted before getting off her BF and clearing her throat. "Sorry. I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but I needed some time to also get my shop off the ground."

"Honestly, I'm just curious as to how this happened." Sonic said, rubbing the back of his head before looking towards the feline. "Aren't you too busy fishing all over the world?"

"Yep. But it got lonely after a while. No offense, Froggy!" Big shouted towards his amphibian friend, whom just gave a soft 'ribbit'.

Wanting to decrease how awkward this was, Sonic decided to play it cool. "How about some shortcake on me and we can just...you know...chat."

"Sure!" Amy nodded. "It'd be nice to catch-up anyway." In her mind, it seemed like crisis had been averted, but there was still that healthy tinge of awkwardness between the two hedgehog mobians.

'Why am I feeling like this?! She's moved on and that should be fine! I'm a free 'hog', for Pete's sake!'  Sonic thought as they made their way to the nearby cafe.

'Get it together, girl! He's probably still in shock over being stuck in the friendzone. Wait a second. I don't even BELIEVE in the friendzone! Maybe some shortcake will calm me down.'  Amy thought.

'Why do so many people hate anchovies with their pizza?'  Maybe because they just have anchovies and no other fish-related alternatives.'  Big thought, his head in the clouds.

The thoughts of Froggy were so M-rated that we might as well move on right now.

When they sat down at the cafe, Big was given the largest salmon the town could offer, Amy had her shortcake, and Sonic had stuffed his chilli dog into another shortcake. "So, you know how you used to always dodge the question of whenever I asked if you wanted to become more than just friends?" Amy began.

"Hmmmmn..." Sonic thought back to the MANY times he had ignored or outright refused her advances. "I think we agreed that you were coming on a bit strong."

The pink hedgehog mobian sighed. "I know. I recognize that what I was engaging in wasn't love. It was more obsession."

"It's fine. We worked through that and..." Sonic found himself unable to finish that sentence. Did he like her as more than just a friend? Even he couldn't answer that, given his conflicting feelings about his way of life and how much lingering attraction he had for Amy. "So, I guess you and Big hooked up while you were working on your shop?"

Big turned his head to the hedgehog mobian. "Yep. We're basically friends, but more. I'm new to this whole thing, but I'm new to many other things Amy's been showing me." He patted his boyfriend on the shoulder, giving a happy smile. "I have much to thank her for."

"Heheh. Thanks. You've been a source of calm and relaxation for me as well." Amy complimented back. "I guess there you have it, Sonic. We just ended up clicking after spending enough time with each-other."

"Good for you two!" Sonic beamed, though he still had something of a conflicted look on his face. "That's...great."

Being able to read people quite well, Amy's brow rose. "Why do I get the impression that you're having second thoughts about certain choices in your life? Should I do a Tarot reading?"

"N-no! I'm fine! It's just-" Before Sonic could finish his thoughts, another earthquake rumbled, causing the party to nearly come to a standstill. Everybody was frozen with shock and mild terror before the party resumed, everybody confident that the nearby heroes could handle whatever problem would come. "Crazy. That's been happening too many times for comfort."

"No kidding." Amy said, also noticing how Big's fur was standing on end. "Everything okay?"

"I dunno. Something about that felt kinda bad." Big admitted before shrugging. "Oh, well. Can't worry about every little thing."

"I can respect that way of thinking." Sonic said. "If anything shows up, I'll just beat it into next week. Heck, you guys can join in, too!"

Giving a somewhat sad smile, Amy decided to bring up another point. "There's...another reason I chose somebody other than you. Once, you were the apple of my eye, but...ever since the Starfall Islands incident, apart from inspiring me to help others out in the world, I...I can't get the image of you fading away out of my head."

Despite being confused at what she just said, it all came back to the Blue Blur about what she was talking about. His near-death experience due to Cyber-Corruption. The way he felt everything go dark and stiff, being unable to move or speak or hear. Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and even Robotnik bore witness to it all and it was very apparent that they all remembered. "Well, I didn't die, did I?"

"I know, but...you keep throwing yourself at every crisis. What if, one day, your luck runs out?" Amy whispered before shaking her head. "Forget I said that! I know you'll succeed! Great. I'm being such a downer."

"It's okay, Amy." Big comforted her. "Somedays, I worry that Froggy will be lost forever. But everything turns out well in the end."

"What he said." Sonic nodded.

"I know, but...when you go after whatever's causing those earthquakes, please be careful." Amy pleaded.

A moment of silence followed before Froggy gave another 'ribbit'. "You're right, Froggy. Maybe we should just calm down and enjoy what life has for us right now." Big said before hoisting both onto his shoulders. "Maybe we can go watch some fireworks?"

"I'd like that, Big. You're sweet." Amy calmed down, patting his head.

Sonic, however, found himself with Froggy hopping atop his head. "Pretty sure that's slime in my spines. Hoo boy." His conflicting feelings about Amy's new romantic interest would have to wait. There were more chilli dogs to gorge himself on!

Back with the Neo Diamond Cutters...

Tangle's first instinct when she saw Tails wandering closer was to wrap her tail around the fox mobian, a big smile on her face. "Glad you could make it, Tails! Gotta say, you're looking GREAT!"

"Heh. Thanks. I figured you'd be extremely supportive. Enough that you're forgetting to ease the constriction of your tail. I think my ribs are starting to break." She wheezed.

That caused the lemur mobian to free her friend, her tail returning to its original length. "Whoops! My bad! Anyway, what's shaking?"

Dusting herself off, Tails walked alongside her friend. "Nothing much. Just changing the world, one invention at a time."

"And we're restoring the world, one beatdown at a time!" Tangle winked before using her tail to grab a soda, chugging it down before noticing how Whisper was aimlessly standing around. "Hey, Whisper! Guess who just joined the party?"

"...hi, Tails." The wolf mobian said quietly, already uncomfortable with the massive amount of people surrounding her. "It's nice of you to come over."

The fox mobian could already see that the usually silent one wasn't have the best of times. "Nice to be come over, too. If it helps, I'm not much of a social butterfly myself. We can always just hang around here and chat."

"Yeah! We can talk about all kinds of things!" Tangle exclaimed. "Like how ripped Jewel must be getting right now! She's been holed up in her museum for so long and she's been sending me pics showing off her gains!"

"Fascinating. I didn't think beetles COULD get 'gains'." Tails remarked.

Within the crowd, they could see Lanolin was leaving it, looking quite flustered. "Never doing that again." She muttered, sitting down at the nearby bar before scooting closer to her team. "Mingling here is a lost cause. I can barely hear myself think on the dance floor."

"The dance floor? Huh. Thought you said you were going to stay here and 'watch over us like a hawk'?" Tangle teased. "Guess you're not all about work after all."

The sheep mobian gave a huff. "I'm just getting prepared for the time in which we have more chances to relax! That time appears to be coming really soon. I just...kind of hoped I'd not just find another hobby to pick up on. I...might be looking for a girlfriend." She twiddled her fingers, her ears falling down in embarrassment.

"Any potential candidates so far?" Tails asked.

Tangle wrapped her tail around the sheep mobian's shoulders, bringing her closer. "Any stand-out qualities you're looking for?"

That got Lanolin to give her teammate some side-eye. "Was that a come-on?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't mean it like that!" Tangle exclaimed. "Besides, I've already got my eyes set on somebody." She glanced to her right, only to see Whisper wasn't there. "Huh? Well, uh, anyway...Tails, could you see where she went?"

"On it!" Tails took to the air, hoping that the wolf mobian didn't get lost and overwhelmed by the crowd.

With Tangle, she continued to clarify. "I'm just saying. If you're looking for the right gal, I'm YOUR gal to go look for...your gal. Wow, that was a rambling even by my standards." 

"Hmmmmn...if I had to be honest...maybe somebody who's tall? Very amazon-like." Lanolin explained. "But I also want somebody that understands how it feels to be married to the job already. Like, if we put our heads together, we could handle any paperwork, organize any team, or something like that. Two powerful wills working together as one!"

The lemur mobian took that all in, giving a nervous chuckle. "What I say next comes from a place of love...but that kind of sounds like your idea of a date would be just typing away stuff on a computer while giving each-other occasional glances."

Without thinking, Lanolin gave another detail of her ideal partner. "I would also like us to give each-other the roughest sex of my life in order to dispel the tension we'll feel at the end of each workday." She covered her mouth, her wisp coming out of her bell-like Wispon to gawk at what her friend had just said. "Forget you heard that!"

"No promises." Tangle blushed.

Back with Whisper, the truth of why she had suddenly walked away from her group was more than just her getting lost. In fact, it was much worse. Her usually perpetually closed eyes were wide with terror, her hand nearly reaching into her cloak to whip out her wispon rifle. "You're here." She muttered under her breath, some of the partygoers getting uneasy with her jumpiness.

Her eyes darted left to right as she saw signs that her ultimate enemy had infiltrated the party. A shadow of some tentacles there, a flash of pure black eyes with white irises there...and she swore she heard that awful laugh of his everywhere she went. She could continue to go through the crowds, trying to seek him out. Not saying a word, she did her best to stay on her toes.

She felt something slick against her shoulder, almost like pairs of suckers were latching on it, causing her body to go stiff. "Heheh. Found you."

Letting out a furious growl, she utilized Pink (one of her Wisps) to fire several spikes behind her, hoping to finally nail the traitor that caused her so much pain. All she did was spark panic in the crowd, most of them to dispersing and fleeing for their lives. "Whisper! What the heck?!" Tails cried out, flying onto the scene.

The wolf mobian's grip on her Wispon stayed strong, but she still snapped back to reality. "I...I...he was...he was here!" She breathed, clutching her chest before realizing what she just did. The spikes had lodged into the nearby wall, some of which having pinned several foot items and a few hats onto there.

Tails sighed, indicating to the crowd that things were okay, but they needed a minute. She cautiously moved her hand to lower Whisper's wispon, the other Wisps coming out and looking quite worried for their friend. "Listen...I know that what 'you-know-who' did was horrible, but our reports stated he was one of the causalities during the war. We even found evidence in the form of several burnt tentacles."

"No. He's still alive. I can feel it." Whisper breathed, especially when she thought she saw the octopus mobian himself wander through the crowd, taking on the face of a cat mobian while he was at it. "I...I...I just..."

"Whisper, it's okay." Tails said softly. "Maybe it's time that you were given time off from your usual duties. We can't have you attacking random civilians just because of a snipe hunt."

"IT'S NOT A SNIPE HUNT!" Whisper roared before calming down, looking shamefully away. "I need a moment." Without another word, she walked as quick as she could from Tails, using the crowd to escape. 

Sighing to herself, Tails gave one last look to the spikes in the walls. They were already vanishing, but still. "Geez." One partygoer said. "That Mimic guy must have really hurt her bad."

"It's a shame. What he did to her squad was unforgivable. I'd be mad as Hell too." Another one stated.

While it was nice for the fox mobian to see that the others were understanding of Whisper's plight, she wasn't going to enjoy having to break the news to Tangle and company that their friend was once again suffering from the actions of the shapeshifter.

Speaking of which, a purple cat mobian was hiding behind the shadow of a nearby building, frowning as he slowly shape-shifted into something more cephalopod-like. He was also speaking to a communicator. "I was THIS close to finishing the job at long last. I could have had her join the rest of her stupid squad in Hell if...yeah...uh-huh...oh, right! Fine, I'll get back to my post."

Turning off his communicator, Mimic leaped through the darkness of the town. "Besides, it's not like I didn't have fun at the party." He grinned. "I wonder how long it'll be before my old friend goes completely bonkers?"

Meanwhile with Shadow...

"Get out of my head...GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The Ultimate Lifeform was grasping his head even harder, those volts returning in full force. He had dealt with these many times before, but this time, they felt a whole lot worse. Some partygoers were noticing his discomfort, but they kept their distance, given his intimidating aura.

'Embrace what you were always meant to be...'  The voice spoke again. 'Did you really think you could live a normal life as a normal hedgehog? No...you are so much more. Just let it all burn away.'

Slamming a fist against the nearest wall, Shadow panted heavily, gritting his teeth. "If this is whatever remains of Black Doom, I'm not interested in following your command or anybody else's commands!"

'No...I'm something far greater than that arrogant fool. Oh, and as for that last bit...you're already Commander Tower's lapdog.'  The voice taunted again. 'For such an 'Ultimate Lifeform, you lower yourself by trying to be like these creatures. You are more powerful than you think you are. All you have to do is let it loose. I can show you your destiny.'

Narrowing his eyes, Shadow fought through the pain in his head even further. "And...what destiny might that be?"

'Destruction. Devastation. Domination. Even if you don't agree, you MUST agree that you need to become stronger. After all, that 'Sonic' mortal has proven himself to be capable of making great mistakes. He nearly died several times over...and what happens when Mobius loses its greatest warrior?'

"Then somebody else will take his place!" Shadow argued, not wanting to think about that possibility.

'And that 'somebody else' will be you. But you will fail in your current state. Not to worry, though. Your current form is already breaking down. You will emerge as more than just a lab experiment. You will be like a god. Farewell for now.'

With that last ominous warning, the voice was gone. For a while, it looked like Shadow would get some relief from what he had just felt. However, a whole new feeling of discomfort began to spread through himself. "N...no...why here?! Why now?!" He grunted, his skin starting to bulge in several areas. Concentrating as hard as he could, he did his best to suppress it. 

"Uh...you okay?" A random partygoer asked, causing him to violently turn his head back, eyes wide with both pain and almost feral rage.

"FINE! I'm fine! Just...leave me be! Leave me be before I-" His vision went blank, causing him to stumble back and rest against the wall. HIs fingers dug into it, creating several holes in the bricks before he began to see his vision become dark crimson. Almost like the vision of a reptile. 

One word echoed in his brain, his body continuing to swell even further, especially around his tail, arms, legs, and even head. One word that caused him to start rushing through the party, mindlessly pushing through anything in his path. One word that he was desperately trying to ignore.

D E S T R O Y

Meanwhile, up at the rooftops...

There was a time when Whisper didn't think much of finding the highest point of any building in the vicinity during or after a mission. Just being away from the constant noise and it just being by herself. But, even then, that bitter feeling of loneliness ate away at her. The company of her wisps provided comfort, but they were always concerned with the fact that Whisper was basically tuning everybody out.

Even with that in mind, the wolf mobian sighed as she rested her head on her hands, gazing at the bright lights and the overall merry nature of the whole place. Her wisps noticed her discomfort, especially Blue, who hovered closer to her. She wanted to tell them that she was fine, but even she couldn't lie to them. Not when they gave her those innocent eyes. "What if...Tails is right? What if I'm taking this too far?"

Green gave some words of his own, despite them coming out as mostly muffled noises. Even without her mask, Whisper could understand what he was saying. "Retire? I can't retire! Not only are there still remnants of Eggman's forces, but HE'S still out there! I can feel it! I can..." Growling loudly, she stopped when she noticed how scared Blue was at her rage.

Sighing in defeat, she slumped against the tower's tip, giving one last glance to how the Neo Diamond Cutters were doing, the duo having not been told of what had happened earlier. 'I can't lose another team to that traitor. But I promised them I wouldn't shut them out at the same time'  She thought, resuming her sulking in silence. The temptation of going solo was there. To flee from her own fears and do what she had done ever since the loss of the original Diamond Cutters.

Before it could continue to eat away at her mind, she heard something that also mesmerized the other wisps. It was coming from the other side of the tower she was sitting on. The sound of a melodious deep humming and the strumming of a guitar. Blue was the first to curiously float over to it, the others following suite.

Whisper slowly followed them, peeking from her side of the tower and putting her mask on. She witnessed her wisps converging around a large hunched stranger. Even with his posture, he would stand much taller than even Omega! Anyway, he wore a purple cloak that ensured nobody would be able to see his visage. She could, however, see a sharp metallic gray claw strumming the guitar with expert skill. 

A kind of skill that almost felt like he was creating actual images in the heads of those that listened. From the strumming, she could see a crushing weight, but also a great resolve. Like an entire world smashing onto one man that tried to hold it all on his shoulders. Despite this grim image, she and the wisps couldn't stop listening.

Not only that, but the stranger was now softly singing, his deep slightly digital voice causing Whisper's ears to flick and her tension to decease even further. "Feel the weight of the world in its entirety...falling down on me...falling down on me, but I'm too proud to give in. I'm feeling the shift in light force energy...gotta hold on, gotta be strong. It won't be long...to seal the fate of the weight of the world."

Suddenly, the music stopped, his head shifting to where Cyan was getting awfully close. That caused the Wisps to freeze up in surprise, though Pink put up her fists. "..." Blue started to clap his legs to ease the awkward silence.

"...I'm not used to having a crowd. But your compliments are appreciated." The stranger replied before strumming more softly. "Do you have any requests?" That got a bunch of noises from the wisps. Noises that the figure seemed to understand perfectly. "Free Bird?" That got a chuckle from him. "Should have seen that coming."

Whisper continued to watch, thankful that this person wasn't a hostile. A part of her wondered if this was Mimic, but there were several signs that it wasn't that criminal. For one thing, Mimic was an AWFUL musician (there was that time with a tambourine that her old team wouldn't let him forget about). Another thing was how he smelled. Not a single scent of ink was on him, even though Whisper was getting incredibly close to the figure's back.

"I know you're there, Whisper. I've heard much about you."

Jumping back a bit, the wolf mobian calmed down before looking away, not sure where to go with this. Social interactions were never her cup of tea. "I...I like your music. It's...wait, how do you know my name?"

The figure didn't turn his head to her, but he was still listening, strumming a soft tune as he did. "You are known as the 'Guardian Angel'. A savior to those who had no hope, yet one carrying so much pain within her. I also saw your incident down below. You have my sympathies."

Her ears fell when she heard that, remembering how she had frightened those around her. "Th...thanks. I guess." Whisper's attention was then brought to how Cyan was trying to move his cloak off of his face, causing him to let out a snarling growl.

"Sorry. I'm not used to being around others myself." He apologized. "I alone carry the weight of what I must do."

'Sounds familiar.'  Whisper emphasized deep down.

Another awkward silence followed. "So...um..." The mysterious stranger's voice had gone from smooth and stoic to something that almost seemed adorably shy. "...I saw what happened down below. Want to talk about it? I'll listen."

To open up to a random stranger was something that Whisper would normally refuse. However, something about him gave the impression of a kindred spirit. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was sitting next to him. Still, as a compromise, the wolf mobian kept her mask on. Yet another thing they seemed to already have in common, it seemed.

At that point, she could see other distinguishing features of his. Beneath the cloak covering his face, she could make out a harshly glowing yellow light. She could also smell the faintest scent of lotus blooms, as well as see what she supposed was a long tail that looked to be made of...red/gray brambles?

"What's there to talk about?" She began, twiddling her claws.

"Something to do with this...Mimic?" The stranger's claw gripped around his guitar. "I have heard about that miserable traitor. Disgracing those he called 'friends' for the sake of greed. You have made it your mission to eliminate him, yes?"

The wisps spoke up again, with Cyan making several punching motions in the air to indicate what he wanted to do with him. Blue just looked sad, remembering his own past with the octopus mobian. "But everybody says he's dead." Whisper was glad her mask was hiding how she was baring her teeth in frustration. "Even my own teammates are telling me to stop. I know they're worried, but I know he's out there! I guess it's just my burden to bear. Like they don't understand how it feels."

"And it's crushing you." The stranger finished. "I understand how you feel. I too have a past I wish I could just change entirely. One with my own foes. My own regrets. My own loved ones that I had lost." His voice lowered to an even more somber tone. "I envy you, though. With my quest, I must face my trials alone. But you...you have them."

He pointed to the Wisps floating around the duo, with one of his claws extending out to let Blue rest on it. Whisper tensed when she saw that, but he was being quite gentle with him. She nodded after thinking it over, especially when the other wisps cuddled into her sides. "That's a good point. I can't tell them enough how grateful I am that they've stuck by my side."

Blue gave a happy nod, but then found the piercing yellow glow gazing at him. "There is...something I wonder about. You, creature of light, are so far away from home. Is this bond between you all preventing the crushing despair from overtaking you?" The wisp didn't seem to understand what he was getting at, until all looked up to see a bright light in the stars. The light of Planet Wisp. 

Hearing the wisp's response, the stranger looked away. "I see. Your bonds are beautiful things. Even if the world were to think you were insane, Whisper...never lose them. Don't become like me."

Whisper nodded, taking in what he was saying. The fact that she still had the closest thing to family with her was certainly comforting. However, her empathy prompted her to do more than just listen to the stranger talk. "Do you...have any friends?" Whisper asked.

"...no. I haven't had a friend in years." He admitted. "Not when I have a mission to complete. A destiny. Even now, I'm only visiting this place just so I can gaze upon it one last time. It's...not as dreary as I remember it being. Almost beautiful. But not as beautiful as...home."

More chittering came from Orange and Green, with Cyan and Blue nodding in approval. Pink just looked ready to barf at whatever cheesy stuff they were talking about. "Home is not a place?" Whisper repeated. "I guess you're right."

"It's a lot more complicated than that. But I thank you for your words, creatures of light." The stranger complimented. "I hope what I said provided some comfort. Do you feel comfortable heading back down? Those you consider allies might be looking for you."

She hesitated upon hearing that, but she still gave a nod. "Maybe in a few minutes. I hope they aren't too worried."

"Before you return to them...could you tell me what is so good about having friends? How does it feel? Speaking as one who has never had them." The stranger requested. "In return, I could play you any song of your choice. That is all I can offer, though. If you are not interested-"

"Any song. I...I really like music." She admitted, her tail wagging a bit as she adjusted her mask. 

That got the stranger's fingers strumming again. At this point, she was almost hypnotized by how skillfully he was working. Thankfully, this wasn't mind control. She could still think rationally. Anyway,  every note came from his melancholy heart and seemed to speak of something else. Something that brought euphoria with it.

The cool winds of nature, representing by gliding motions of his claws. The rushing rapids of a waterfall, as shown when he strummed heavily near the base of his instrument. A melody from his memory, as when he started to hum to himself during some of his strumming.

All the while, she remembered her own experiences with her newfound team. The music seemed to help jog Whisper's memory of many good times. Every time Tangle told a cheesy joke or introduced the wolf mobian to a delicious new treat. Whenever Lanolin helped the whole group utilize the power of teamwork to accomplish any task. Whenever she herself helped Jewel from being consumed by her own work. There was a synergy between them, as well as the wisps, that made her feel...whole.

"Like family. It feels like family." She finished recounting those memories to him while he played, her smile hidden by her mask. "That's the best part of having friends. Never being alone."

"Family...that's a word I haven't heard of in a long time." He softly remarked. "You have a truly beautiful thing. Don't lose it, even as you bear your burden."

"I...I hope you also find some friends of your own." She shyly replied. "Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome. Do you feel better?"

"A little. Do you also want to join in on the party?" She offered before realizing her hand was close to his own, pulling it away with a slight blush.

Even he seemed a bit flustered, clearing his throat. "I appreciate the offer...but I must go soon." He stood up, towering above her and the rest of the wisps as he did so. "There is...one other thing I must warn you about. I was planning on keeping it to myself, but I can no longer stomach the thought of doing that."

"What do you mean?" She wondered, her attention grabbed again.

Looking over to the horizon, the stranger pointed to the sea in the distance. "Around that area, something will happen. Something that will hopefully come and go as quickly as it came. But, if not, you will need all of your allies to stop whatever it is. Even I do not know what might happen, but it might have to do with this world's most egomaniacal mind."

Only one person fit that description, causing Whisper's tail to tense up and her claws to nearly come out. "Eggman." She muttered.

"Yes. Be prepared and-"

BOOM! Several chunks of debris were flung from below, scaring the wisps and causing the duo to pull back. Some parts of the debris struck her mask, causing it to fly off. "NO!" She cried out, the mask plummeting down...

...until a large vine of red brambles extended and caught it. Gazing at it in surprise, she saw that it was seemingly connected to the back of the stranger's head, his face almost visible because of it. Really, it was a LACK of a face, considering it just looked like a metallic mask with a single wide yellow oval optic covering the entirety of it. "You should probably handle that now. Go to your allies. Stop whatever that is. Heed whatever omens might come." 

With that, he leaped onto the very top of the tower, another vine tentacle emerging to act as an extra limb, much like the first one. "Oh, and...thank you for the talk. We may never meet again, but there's a part of me that hopes we do." With that, he leaped away into the distance, jumping from one building to the next.

So many questions were burning in Whisper's mind, but her attention had been brought to whatever havoc was going down in the party. It looked like something was smashing its way in random directions, shattering through windows and even obliterating walls. Turning to the wisps, they gave a confirmatory nod before fusing into her wispon.

The time for reflection was over. The time to stop a potential crisis was now.

Back down below at the party...

"Doom to those who dare violate our privacy!" Sticks shouted, having dunked herself into one of the town fountains. Her dress was ruined and she looked quite insane to those around her. Well, not to everybody around her.

For Omega was also with her, aiming his cannons at the water beneath him. "Scanning for nanite activity...none so far, but I am experiencing this thing you call 'fun' presently. Therefore, I will not hesitate to keep looking."

Blushing at how dedicated he was to the same cause as she was, Sticks scooted closer to the robot. "You know...after this night's done...wanna come over to my place? Talk about how society is creeping on the edge of destruction while also maybe going for a bite?"

"I do not need to consume food, but I will have one of the G.U.N engineers work on a way to implement that into me. Even without such a function, I would be delighted." Omega replied. "Perhaps I could interest you in eradicating more of Eggman's marauding mechs in areas where they are suspected to be attacking?"

"You betcha'!" Sticks said before they both heard the sound of screaming, smashing, and snarling. She looked at her belly, slapping it. "I just had that BLT Special! Why must you torment me when I'm having fun?!"

Omega scanned the horizon, sensing a familiar presence. "Greeting, Shadow! This date is going most optimally! Would you like to...WARNING! WARNING! DANGER INCOMING!" Leaping towards Sticks, he hugged his arms around her as he fell, allowing both to avoid the incoming out-of-control Ultimate Lifeform as he smashed through the fountain like it was nothing.

Both slowly looked up, only to see Shadow racing through the party, not caring about what was in his way. It was a miracle that the civilians were either just shoved harshly or knocked off their feet by the sheer force of his speed. His hover shoes weren't even activated. Almost as if his true speed had been unlocked...but at the cost of his sanity. "Did somebody give Shadow too much caffeine? I knew those coffee beans were trouble." Sticks remarked.

"Contacting Rouge right now." Omega stated, turning on his communicator. "Alert! Alert! We have a problem!"

The state of Shadow's mind was complete chaos. All he could see was red, with occasional black outlines representing the panicked civilians in his way. "Graaaargh...AAAAAAUGH!" He screamed in agony, his skin feeling like it was on fire. His limbs bulged in certain spots, almost tripping him up, but he fought with all of his might to break free of whatever had come over him.

Rouge eventually noticed what was happening, namely when Knuckles was struck by a food stand that had been thrown into the air, smashing down on him. "Ow...did anybody get the number on that stand?" He wondered before shaking his head. "The heck's going on?!"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we need to surround him before he gets any farther away!" Concern was evident in Rouge's voice, having never seen Shadow this...feral. She always knew he had a destructive streak, but that was reserved for his foes and anybody who dared harm his friends. Now? She had no idea.

"He's got rabies or something!" Tangle cried out.

"That's...not outside the realm of possibility." Lanolin admitted.

Tails flew down, utilizing the Miles Electric to see if there were any mind-control signals. She got nothing, but she picked up on something. "There's this outside force, but it's not the usual mind-control stuff I'm used to. Whatever it is, the best course of action is to restrain him somehow!"

Suddenly, Sonic arrived, Amy following close behind. "Sheesh! What's gotten into him?"

"That's what I want to know!" Knuckles emerged from the rubble, putting up his fists.

"Forget the 'why'! Let's do this!" Rouge shouted before throwing some Bat Bombs in order to disorient Shadow, forcing him to turn different directions.

He was on all fours, snarling while clawing at his own head. "OUT! GET OUUUUT!" He roared before he looked to the heroes before him. Disturbingly, his jaws seemed to extend, almost tearing his cheeks as he did so. 

"That's gonna stick with me for a while." Tangle grimaced before leaping into the air, Lanolin using her Wispon power to unleash a soundwave that incapacitated the Ultimate Life Form. Knuckles burrowed into the ground, hoping to attack from below.

"Wait, what's the plan again?" Lanolin wondered.

"We improvise, that's what!" Sonic said as he spin-dashed on the ground, Amy striking him with her hammer and causing him to rocket at Shadow like a missile.

Given his feral state, Shadow was caught off-guard when Sonic smashed into him, sending him hurtling into where Omega was. "Attempting to restraint Shadow. Now, playing soothing lullaby." He stated before playing one of the lullabies that the Ultimate Life Form would usually play for Melanite...

...only for his speakers to blare out 'Bodies' by Drowning Pool. "You call THAT a lullaby?!" Amy shouted.

"Do not blame me! According to Shadow, this helps Melanite when he is having trouble sleeping!" Omega stated before his grasp around his friend was broken, Shadow pouncing on him and striking his head so hard that it spun around, confusing the mech.

He was stopped from further mauling his friend when Sticks pounced on him as well, using her boomarang to smack some sense into the hedgehog mobian. "Hands off my destructive mechanical kinda-sorta boyfriend!"

"RAAARGH!" Pushing her off, he was suddenly wrapped by Tangle's tail, allowing Amy and Knuckles to try and close the distance, the latter emerging from the ground. Shadow's pupils almost turned into slits before he pushed them all back with a burst of chaotic energy. 

Sonic was also pushed back, but he dusted himself off and proceeded to roll into a ball, spin-dashing into the berserk Shadow many times. "I don't know what's up with you, but maybe lay off the coffee beans?!"

Before he could strike the increasingly tired Shadow even further, his leg was grasped by the angered one, his body thrown into Amy before he started throwing Chaos Spears all around. "Get a hold of yourself! We're your friends, remember?!" Rouge shouted, having to weave around in the air.

Suddenly, a fishing line wrapped around Shadow's leg, tripping him up before he could throw another spear. "You need to calm down now." Big said calmly before pulling the hedgehog mobian with enough force to slam him against his broad chest. Falling back onto the ground, he prepared to attack again, only for a series of orange missiles to fly from the smoke and crash into the rampaging one's location.

The resulting explosions pushed Shadow into the air before Whisper jumped from that same smoke, using the Wispon as a makeshift hammer when Blue was activated. She slammed that hammer against Shadow's back, his pupils returning to normal before he found himself trapped by several more cubes she formed.

Slowly, the other civilians returned to the scene, gazing upon what just happened. "WHOO! You go, Whisper!" Tangle gave a thumbs-up. Her mask still on, the wolf mobian gave one back. Something about this whole situation felt oddly cathartic, given the involvement of those accursed Shadow Androids in the incident that spelled doom for her team.

"We helped, you know." Knuckles said, punching his fist into his palm. "Now, is he back to normal or am I gonna have to punch his lights out?"

"Easy there! We need to approach this calmly and rationally." Lanolin instructed.

"Of course! Shadow would never do something like this voluntarily!" Amy stated.

Sonic and Tails were the first to approach the cubes, the trapped one slowly getting up and rubbing his head. "Rrrrrgh...what...what just happened?"

The duo gave each-other an awkward glance. "Do you want to tell him?" Sonic asked.

"I think the desolation around us speaks for itself." Tails gestured to the parts of the town that looked either slightly damaged or outright wrecked. "If it helps, nobody was seriously hurt."

Shadow gazed upon what he had wrought in his rampage, turning his head away before looking at his hands. For the briefest of moments, he saw them turn into claws before he shook his head. "Get it out of the way. Say how I ruined everything. Because...I did...and I'm sorry."

The amount of remorse in his voice gave everybody reason for alarm. "That bad, huh?" Knuckles remarked.

"Permission to comfort?" Omega asked.

Rouge walked over to the prison, still in confusion over what just happened. "I'm thinking we should talk to the Commander about this. Get you checked up."

"Yeah. Just know what you did wasn't your fault." Sonic said with a casual smile. "No biggie."

In that instant, Shadow went from remorseful to utterly ticked off, slamming a fist into one of the cubes before giving his rival an angered glare. "No biggie? NO BIGGIE?! I could have killed somebody! On top of all that, you don't understand how bad this is! I don't know what got into me that time, but I can tell you that I NEED to be stronger than this! Stronger than somebody who has shown, time and time again, that he's too much of a fool to understand his burden!"

"Shadow, where is all this coming from?" Amy asked before Sticks patted her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"If he goes nuts again, can I have your hammer? One more hit to the head should work."

"Don't you dare." Rouge hissed.

Shadow continued his argument, pointing at the surprised Sonic. "YOU, this world's greatest protector, have shown that you really can FAIL at any moment! There was a time when both of us were incapacitated and look how well that turned out! The whole world suffered for it!"

"Geez! That was one time!" Sonic replied. "Why is everybody getting on my case for that?"

"Actually, it was almost twice." Lanolin pointed out. "Maybe more times, according to my data."

"Dude! Not helping." Whisper nudged her shoulder.

"And now, there's a chance that, if something happens to you, I won't be there to protect it!" Shadow finished before shutting his eyes tightly. "I made a promise to Maria, remember? That I'd defend this world...at least I can commit to something and take it seriously. Unlike YOU. Well, I've got new for you...your speed means NOTHING when it's death you're running from! Remember that and the consequences both of our demises will bring!"

"Calm down already! That's not gonna happen!" Sonic argued. "Everything's fine! Just chillax and we can talk this over!"

Turning his back on everybody, the hedgehog mobian calmed down slightly, but still kept his glare. "I never even wanted to come to this party. I knew I'd just ruin it, but never like this." Giving one last glance, he charged up his Chaos Control to teleport away. "Farewell. I'll pay for the damages tomorrow morning."

BZIT! With that, he was gone, leaving everybody to think on what he just said. Oh, and to hammer home the miserable end to the party? Another earthquake happened, causing most of the civilians to just leave, too scared to continue. 

"What is even happening anymore?" Tangle wondered.

"I don't know, but I think we may have another job on our hands." Lanolin stated.

Whisper looked to the sea again, remembering the warning of the stranger. "I...think I may have an idea of what might be happening. But maybe we should discuss it after some rest."

"Not a bad plan. I'm bushed." Tangle stretched before giving a worried glance to the others. "I'm sure this will all just blow over...right?"

"I don't think so. Something's wrong and we're gonna find out." Rouge said with great resolve. "Right, Omega?"

"Affirmative. I will not stand idly by and let our friend suffer." He turned to Sticks, leaning down. "I apologize about the end of our date, but I can assure you that I have achieved the condition known as 'fun'. How about you?"

What he got was a kiss to his cheek, causing steam to come out of where his ears would be and also causing his top half to spin. "See ya' on the second date. Looking forward to smashing some evil robots with you!"

"That would be...most optimal..." He sputtered, lifting the mood slightly with his dorkish response before he restabilized himself. "But, for now, the new mission objective is to seek out Shadow."

"My beauty sleep will have to wait. See you around, boys." Rouge said before flapping her wings teasingly at Knuckles. "And, if I have enough time, I might just give the Master Emerald a visit."

That caused the echidna mobian to shake his fist. "Not on your life, thief!" With that, the two left, leaving the others to think on what just happened.

Sonic was the most perturbed, the harsh words of Shadow ringing in his ears. "I hope Shadow will be okay. I just wish he didn't have to be so harsh." Amy remarked.

"You want to go after him as well, Sonic?" Tails asked.

Returning back to reality, the hedgehog mobian shrugged. "I mean, if Rouge and Omega can't find him, I will. For now, I'll help with repairs. Who's with me?"

"Already on it!" Big said as he lifted several destroyed parts of the town back into their normal places, Froggy joining in by jumping on some nails to hammer some wood back together. "If anybody needs a hug after all that, I'll be here. Hugs are nice."

"He's so helpful and caring..." Amy dreamily said before having a thought. "Maybe a Tarot reading will dispel this doom and gloom...or amplify it..." She shuddered before yawning. "But, after we help out, I think it's time we call it a night."

"Seconded." Tangle agreed before glancing at Whisper. "You okay now? Tails told me what happened."

"I'm fine. Just...maybe no more parties for a while. It's enough being with you and the others." She gave a small smile to her and Lanolin.

"Aw, thanks!" The lemur mobian used her tail to hug both her and Lanolin close, surprising the latter while she tried to write down the analysis of the damages done by Shadow.

And so, the repairs of Spiral Hill Village would be over sooner than expected, given the speed of the heroes. However, both Tails and Knuckles noticed how Sonic still looked quite perturbed. "Do you wanna talk about...y'know?" The echidna mobian tried to put it gently.

"What Shadow said? The guy was just venting. It meant nothing." Sonic assured. "I'm just tired, that's all. We all had a long day."

"I'll say." Tails admitted before also remembering what Shadow said. "I think...if there's SOME truth to what he said, it's that maybe it would be best to exercise caution a lot more."

The hedgehog mobian sighed. "Heard it from Amy too. You guys shouldn't have to worry about me all the time. I'll be fine, just like every other time. Not to mention, if these earthquakes are all because of Baldy McNoseHair, we all know how it'll go. We smash up his stuff, we have a few fights, and boom! Everything goes back to normal!"

"Sonic, I'll be blunt right now." Tails held up a hand. "I know we all risk the chance of meeting an early grave, but, even though we're going out own separate paths, you're still our shining hope. The loss of morale if you were to...expire early..." She shuddered at that possibility. "...would be catastrophic to Mobius' morale."

"The pressure of a hero is real." Knuckles admitted. "But hey! We're tough enough to handle it, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Sonic said, happy to her some optimism after all these grim chats. "You know what? How about we stop focusing on what might happen and talk about, I dunno, what we're doing tomorrow. Me? I think I'll look around to see if Eggman's up to his old tricks. How about you guys?"

Both looked at each-other before shrugging. "Thinking on it." Knuckles admitted.

"Going back to the drawing board of that Floating Hammock invention. You don't wanna know what it did to the test dummies." Tails said.

And so, the night ended, many questions going through the minds of those there.

Meanwhile at the outskirts of Spiral Hill Village...

Despite the chaos of what had transpired, there was somebody else watching from afar. She was floating in the night sky, gazing upon the sights with a feeling of yearning and melancholy. "Despite all of their differences...they all come together to celebrate. To laugh. To love. To...thrive." 

This was Sage, the most advanced artificial intelligence ever created by the mad genius of Eggman. Her virtual form flickered between harsh red highlights to soothing blue as she continued to stare. "Logically, if I were to join in the festivities...my father's plans would be found out or they would just reject me all-together. Maybe...or maybe not." Shaking her head, she just floated away.

But she did not come alone. Two floating objects joined her, but they collided into each-other in front of the A.I. "OW! Perhaps we need to get your flight navigational systems tested?" The red orb wondered.

"I already told you! I don't need glasses!" The yellow cube replied before both shifted into their robot forms. "Hey, sis!" Cubot waved.

"How goes the observation plan?" Orbot asked before giving a worried expression. "Is something wrong?"

"...it's fine. Nobody suspects a thing, except maybe Miles." Sage replied. "Our father's plans can continue without interruption."

"Splendid!" Orbot exclaimed. "We'd better hurry home or we'll be spotted...or worse..."

He was interrupted when something powered by rocket fuel zoomed past him, spinning both brothers around before it stopped. He looked like Sonic, but made of dark gray metal, a furnace of pure power radiating within his chest. Hateful yellow eyes glowed as his mouthless face turned to the trio. "Metal Sonic. How are your observations doing?" Sage asked, showing no fear towards her brother's new design.

Flexing his enlarged claws, Metal Sonic narrowed his gaze before grabbing Cubot harshly. "I gave you all an order from Robotnik to return to base immediately. You are .05 seconds late."

"Geez, isn't that kind of harsh? I can't even count that high!" Cubot said before he started to get crushed a bit more.

"Oh, dear! That's even more harsh! Control yourself, Metal!" Orbot asked before being batted to the side.

Sage gasped, but she didn't take that laying down. "Cease this brutality. Your parameters are logically impossible to follow. The mission has been completed anyway."

Calculating all that, the robotic hedgehog freed his sibling, but still kept that hateful glare. "Very well. Return to base. Now. You have better things to do than watching that hedgehog and his friends engage in useless social activities." With that, he rocketed forth, cloaking himself to avoid detection.

The trio watched at this happened before Orbot turned to Sage. "Is it me or is he becoming far more aggressive these days? I wonder if all those losses to Sonic are finally getting to him?"

"Good thing we're no quitters!" Cubot said cheerfully.

"Probably because we weren't programmed to quit. Would be nice to just have a vacation one of these days." Orbot groaned. "Come along, Sage. We've got work to do."

"...I know." Sage nodded before giving one last glance to the leaving partygoers. "They'll be ready for what's coming. They have to be..."

Later at the Green Hill Zone...

Standing at the tallest point of the whole zone (the largest hill of the Green Hills, if you will), Sonic stood before a large statue of a large owl mobian. He only came up to the statue's neck, the moonlight reflecting off of the jewels that adorned it. "Hey, mom. Long time, no see." He said calmly before sitting down. 

Getting his thoughts together, the hedgehog mobian prepared to vent. "It's been kind of a day of it. I know. I love it whenever things aren't dull, but this one was a mixed bag. Good news, Knuckles isn't as big of a stiff, Tails is killing it with his-I mean HER new inventing gig, and most of everybody else is doing fine." He gave another sigh as he remembered the bad bits. "But then there's this whole thing with Shadow. I think something's happening to him and he kind of exploded at me at the end. Hope Rouge and the others can handle that."

He continued, eyes glancing around at the stars. "Whisper's still hurting from what Mimic did to her and Amy's officially moved on. I'm not sure how to feel about that last bit. Should I be happy? Relieved? Jealous? I dunno! I just...never really thought of settling down, you know? Guess that means no grandkids, am I right?" He chuckled before his smile faded. He started to remember what the others told him.

'What if, one day, your luck runs out?'

'Your speed means NOTHING when it's death you're running from! Remember that and the consequences both of our demises will bring!'

'The loss of morale if you were to...expire early...would be catastrophic to Mobius' morale.'

Sonic's philosophy of only living in the moment had been dealt one heck of a beating that night, causing him to go silent in contemplation before continuing. "They tried to hide it, but I guess it all just came loose tonight. They're all worried so much about me after my fight with Infinite and the entire Starfall Islands trip. I wanna assure them that everything's gonna be fine...but what if they're right?"

More silence followed before he stood up, looking at Longclaw's statue dead in the eyes. "No. If I just flat-out gave up, who would save the day? I know they would, but what kind of guy would I be if I just left them to handle every disaster? Every day I fight for Mobius, I run the risk of getting my lights knocked out forever, but when has that stopped me? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! I always come out on top! And I have them to thank for it...and you. I still remember your lessons."

Giving one last deep breath, he turned back to face his home. "Anyway, I'll feel better in the morning. Just a little rest and I can get to investigating whatever's going on. Wish me luck, mom!" With that, he sped towards his house for some much-needed sleep.

Chapter Text

Chaotix Headquarters...

Vector stared holes into the calendar, shaking like a leaf as he realized what day it was. "Nononononono...Vector, you IDIOT." He muttered to himself, grasping his jaw while his long tail nearly smashing the desk into splinters due to how fast it was moving.

Espio also entered the room, looking stressed out and with bags under his eyes. "Espio, you MORON!" He shouted, banging his head into the wall.

Charmy looked at both of them like they had lost their marbles. "Uh...Charmy, you jerk?" He attempted to join in, flicking his finger at his own cheek before putting his hands on his hips. "Okay, what's gotten into you guys? Did you lose all of your progress on one of our video games?"

Sighing, his crocodilian boss turned to the insect mobian, collapsing onto his chair. "There's no use hiding it. I spent all of last night preparing for today's picnic...and I still forgot to pick out a gift for Vanilla! It's freaking bogus! I got all the right food, even the best carrots I could find, and I still wound up screwing up!"

"C'mooooon! We've got plenty of time! Let's stop by Amy's shop and see what we can find!" Charmy said optimistically.

Vector just shook his head. "I was thinking the same thing...but we only have half an hour!" He cried out before looking at Espio, the chameleon mobian still banging his head against the wall. "What's up with you?"

Rubbing his aching forehead, Espio turned to them. "It shames me to admit this, but I also forgot to get a suitable gift for my date." He admitted before getting out a slip of paper. "All I did last night was spend time worrying about what to wear and which of my poems would be suitably romantic."

Charmy rubbed his chin, wondering what he could do to lift the spirits of his friends. "Maybe find something from the pile of stuff we have? A gift is a gift!" He flew over to the pile of stuff that had been knocked over since a day ago. The earthquake had caused a multitude of items to scatter around the place, including a Dreamcast, several drumsticks, a bunch of video games, a few action figures, many unsold CDs of Vector's music career, and more. 

The duo looked upon the pile, looking at each-other as they thought about the idea. They raised their fingers, ready to tell Charmy that it was an utterly stupid and rushed plan...but then they looked at the clock...then back to the pile...then back to the clock again...then back to the pile again...

"SCREW IT! DIVE IN!" Vector shouted, doing just that and swimming through the junk.

"May luck be on my side!" Espio shouted before rummaging through the pile as well. 

Charmy beamed as he watched this, crossing his arms. "I did it! I saved the day...I think." He felt a sweat droplet go down his head as Vector and Espio fought over a chess board, the crocodile mobian's jaws clenching around it while the ninja started chucking throwing stars sloppily at his boss' strong hide to no avail.

Meanwhile inside the Master Emerald...

Once again, Chaos was playing with the other Chao, but he couldn't shake off the last awkward conversation he had with Tikal. Deep in thought, he wasn't paying attention to his brethren playing with an illusionary beachball. The ball occasionally bounced off of his head while he tapped his fingers onto the ground, continuing to think.

"Does she want to ascend into Heaven or does she want to stay with me? I don't want to force her to do anything she doesn't want, but I keep getting mixed messages." He said to himself. His claws dug into the ground before he scooped up a handful of dirt, only for it to fade away. "Still...if I stay any longer in this prison...I may start losing my mind...NO! I should be happy! I'm with my family! My lover! I should be FINE!"

Realizing that he was scaring the Chao around him, he sighed, resting his head against his knees. Not since his previous imprisonment within the Master Emerald had he felt so helpless and unsure of what to do. "Am I a bad person?" He muttered. "Am I ungrateful?"

Tikal had been busy passing down fruit to the Chao around her, but she was also witnessing Chaos' angst once again. Her thoughts began to drift to that awkward conversation as well. "All this time, I didn't want you to be a prisoner again. Now...I guess that ended up happening anyway." She said sadly. "What do I do? I need a sign!"

That sign came when a literal crack in the illusionary reality suddenly opened up in front of everybody, causing the Chao to scatter and Chaos to stand up in surprise. "What's this?!" He cried out. "Stand back, everybody! I'll handle this!" A part of him was slightly excited that something new was happening, but the safety of his family came first, his claws clenching into fists.

The sheer amount of energy that was spiraling out of the multicolor crack clued Tikal to its nature. "Something is happening with not just the Chaos Emeralds, but...I'm not sure what this is!" She said before the crack began to suck various illusionary items into it, the Chao struggling not to get dragged in as well. "Everybody! Grab a tree! Hold on tight!"

As the crack continued to suck things in, Chaos realized his body was getting dragged in the most, perhaps due to him being the closest to the tear. "Can't...resist...for long!" He shouted, his toe-claws clenching into the ground. With all of his strength, he tried to crawl back to the others, holding out his hand...

...only for the vacuum-like pull to overpower him, causing Chaos to be sucked in. His body spun around, his hand still outstretched as he was taken to parts unknown. The Chao cried out in horror and fear, but the suction of the crack had calmed down, allowing them to move just a little bit closer to the thing that had taken their guardian away from them.

"I...I still can feel his presence. He's alive, but...where did he go?" Tikal wondered, worry filling her heart. Taking a deep breath, she sat down and closed her eyes. Her bond with Chaos would be able to tell her if he was in danger and, perhaps, if he could find a way to return. "I'm...I'm getting a visual of where he's going. It's...water. So much water. There's also land and people and...a power similar to the Chaos Emeralds?"

Where did Chaos end up in? That was to be revealed soon...but first, how's Chaotix doing?

Back with Chaotix...

The answer to that question? Could be better, could be worse.

Charmy panted heavily, his wings flapping desperately as he tried to hold both of his teammates up in the air. "You know...it's times like this that I wish I was half ant. I'd be...so much stronger."

"Maybe less mouthy?" Vector wondered, his scales still having various shurikens stuck in them. 

Espio had his arms crossed, trying to forget the disgraceful fight from earlier. In terms of his injuries, his tail had several bandages and there were bite-marks on his ankle and wrist gauntlets. "He can't see me like this."

"C'mon, Espio. Think of it this way. Whoever you're dating is gonna be so impressed that you wrestled a crocodile and lived to tell the tale!" Vector tried to be encouraging, only to get an annoyed grunt. "Look, let's just be glad we managed to find a FEW gifts to give." Indeed, he was clutching a large present he had hastily wrapped, while Espio just had some apples he found in the fridge.

Anyway, Charmy scanned the horizon, the group eventually reaching their destination. The Emerald Hills Zone was a peaceful location that was filled with towering palm trees, sun-kissed beaches, and an overall relaxing atmosphere. Beyond the beach, the forests were tranquil and filled with the songs of the various birds that lived there. Overall, a perfect place for people to relax and enjoy the splendor of nature.

Of course, this place used to be the main site of one of Dr. Robotnik's early schemes in his villainous career, but that's another story.

Speaking of things involving machinery, something nearly hit Charmy out of the sky, the bee mobian struggling to keep flapping his already tired wings. "GAAAH! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! WE'RE GOING DOWN!"

"What?!" Vector cried out, realizing that Charmy had accidentally let them go. "Ah, nuts." He muttered before falling like a rock into one of the forest areas.

Espio fell with him, but he just closed his eyes, preparing to use one of his ninja techniques. "Like a shadow...I move quickly into the dark-" SLAM! He wound up crashing into the ground as well, landing right on his ass. "...ness." He finished, wheezing that last bit before falling onto his side.

As Charmy crash-landed into some bushes, Vector tried to pull his snout of the ground, snarling angrily. "When I get my hands on whoever did that, I'M GONNA-"

"Oh, Vector! Are you alright?"

When the crocodile mobian looked up, all of his rage evaporated and was replaced by both warmth and nervousness-induced panic. Vanilla was holding out her hand, rubbing his snout after he had removed it. Chocola was also dusting his scales off. "Oh, uh...I'm fine! It'll take more than that to take this croc down!" He flexed his muscles, only to wince and rub the aching parts of them. "Ow! That smarts."

"You're telling me." Charmy moaned, only to be heled up by Cream.

"Don't worry! We'll get some ice if you need it!" Cream said, Cheese patting the bee mobian on the head.

Espio looked up, only to see Gemerl arrive with all of the picnic supplies. "Greetings, Chaotix! Apologies for the sudden crash. GPS has been inefficient. One of my objectives is to have Tails look at it."

"You are forgiven." The chameleon mobian found it pointless to hold a grudge. His apples remained unbruised, so he couldn't get upset. "I take it this is the spot? If so..."

"Actually, it's just up ahead." Cream said. "But we're so happy you could join!"

"Likewise." Vector gave a thumbs-up before giving a glare towards Gemerl. "Don't do that again, okay?"

"Very well! You are looking very handsome today! That was a compliment. Those are nice to give." Gemerl said before leaning into the crocodile mobian's snout. "Your heartbeat is rising. Might I suggest meditation?"

Given that Vanilla was now holding his hand as he got up, Vector couldn't argue with the fact that his heart was hammering heavily in his chest. "I-I-I'm good!" He said while blushing. "Let's go do some pinic-ing!" Snapping his fingers, he signaled to Espio to teleport and suddenly reappear with the picnic supplies. "Ta-da!"

"Goodness! You really prepared for this! That's so thoughtful!" Vanilla beamed before sniffing the air. "And you brought the thickest carrots! My favorite!"

"Yep! Best carrots I could find!" Vector smirked. "Oh, and I got you this!" He showed the motherly rabbit mobian the battered chess board. "Just so you know, the bite-marks are a feature!"

Silence followed, the crocodile mobian's heart sinking by the second. "Oof." Charmy winced.

"It's...not that bad?" Cream offered. Cheese turned to her, confused. "Okay. It's that bad. Just don't tell him."

Eventually, Vanilla just giggled. "Oh, I love it! Gemerl and Cream love playing chess, so what better board than one with a feature that reminds us of a very good person?" She leaned into his taller body, his blush intensifying.

"G-g-g-glad you like it!" He stammered.

As this played out, Espio sensed a familiar presence. One that caused his own heart to start beating quickly. "He's here." He said softly, a smile growing on his lips. 

"Who?" Both Charmy and Cream asked, the Chao floating near him.

"Oh, um...are those lemon squares I smell?" He asked, changing the subject. "I'll take two! Both defiantly just for me!"

Vector just gave an amused smile. "Never thought I'd see the day when Espio the mysterious ninja ended up as subtle as an army of jackhammers."

Gemerl nodded. "Simulating sound for comparison."

"WAIT, NO!" Everybody shouted, the two Chao waiving their arms in panic.

On the other side of the island, a certain silver-furred hedgehog mobian heard loud metallic drilling sounds coming from the woods, the birds flying away in panic. "Did I arrive at the wrong time?" He wondered before floating towards the commotion.

Meanwhile in the Sol Dimension...

Across the endless ocean of Solius, there seemingly existed only peace. There were barely any landmasses, ensuring that only the gentle waves could be seen for the most part. Even around the landmasses that were scattered across this world, nothing much happened. Only harmony and serenity.

But that wasn't the case for a group of islands near the Sol Kingdom. A humongous metal pirate ship had already made its way onto shore, the flag depicting the skull and crossbones of a dingo. Those that inhabited this island would soon find themselves attacked by the ruthless Egg Pawn-like crew, all of them brandishing sharp swords and even a few futuristic blasters that reduced many homes to rubble.

The civilians of the island (mostly koala and wallaby solians) were gathered into one crowd, the pirates keeping them stuck there while the captain stepped forth. "Avast! Let's see what we have here?"

He was a large barrel-shaped pirate robot, his hat even looking like it was a part of his dome-shaped head. His iron attire was that of a stereotypical pirate captain, while his claws ended in literal pirate hooks. That feature caused his hands to be ridiculously large, yet he could still wield them and even carry a sword longer than his stout body. His face looked like a standard Egg Pawn, only it had a metal beard and one of the eyes was covered by a patch.

"P-p-p-please, Captain Hookclaw! We'll give you anything you want!" A Koala solian begged.

Scraping a hook-finger across his metallic beard, the captain just gave a cruel laugh. "What do I want? I want yee worthless lot to watch while I snuff out the flame that keeps us pirates from enjoyin' more booty!"

The crowd looked confused, until several other pirates aimed their blasters and swords at them. "You mean...Princess Blaze?" A wallaby solian asked.

"Precisely! Oh, and for every minute she's not here..." Captain Hookclaw aimed his own blaster at the nearest civilian, causing the poor guy to cower in fear. "Then I'll be helping me-self to whatever riches yee got hidin' in yer britches!"

As he prepared to fire, chuckling horribly all the way, several fireballs rained from the sky, blasting several of the pirate crew into scrap. "You want my attention? Now, you have it!" Propelled by a burst of fire into the air, the guardian of the Sol Dimension had arrived, landing on the shore.

The people of the island cheered as Blaze hit the scene, her stoic expression nearly faltering as she glared at the evil robot. "That's her! The princess! We're saved!" A koala solian shouted.

"You'd better start running now!" His bandicoot friend added.

Instead of being intimidated, the robot captain gave a wider smile. "Excellent. Yee took the bait! Hook, line, sinker, and everythin'!" He chuckled.

Blaze's ears flicked, hearing the sounds of crying and frightened whimpering. The sound was getting closer, causing her to flex her claws, flames dancing along her palms. "What are you getting at?! If you don't speak now, then I'll-"

"Hold yer tongue or I'll cut it out of yee, royal wench!" Captain Hookclaw shouted before gesturing to his ship. Atop it, a large cage filled with terrified children was being displayed. They were trembling like leaves, the robot pirates around them aiming their blasters at them. "Yer a smart one. I think yee can figure out what this is."

Gasping in shock, Blaze's flames went out as she processed the situation. "You...you would be so heartless as to hold children hostage?! I'll melt you into slag for this!" 

Instantly, Hookclaw brandished a remote control from his pocket. "Stay yer flaming hand, wench! That cage is lined with explosive nanobots! Remnants from the great Dr. Eggman Nega! If I push this button, the millions of nanobots will go up in flames, takin' out the landlubbers in one blast! Of course, I could always have me men take care of the little brats one by one if yee don't comply with my demands."

"And...what are those?" The princess could barely keep the rage from her voice, her eyes reflecting her inner flame.

Putting away the remote control, Captain Hookclaw rubbed his metal beard again. "I was thinkin'...the Sol Emeralds."

"You're mad if you think I'll let those emeralds fall into the wrong hands!" She shouted.

That just made him brandish the remote control again, causing her to stand back before she could rush at him. "Yee have only ten seconds before I show yee that Captain Hookclaw DOESN'T bluff! Yee either show me the way to the greatest treasure in this whole blasted dimension or I send these brats to Davy Jones' Locker! 10...9...8...7...6..."

Throughout the countdown, Blaze struggled to think of a solution, the civilians also panicked and horrified by what was going on. "There must be something I can do! Think, Blaze, think!" She said to herself, grasping her head. 

"...5...4...3...2-"

His countdown was thankfully interrupted when something crashed into the shore from seemingly out of nowhere. Everybody turned to the strange object, only to see a pool of water slither out of the sandy crater. Taking advantage of the distraction, Blaze shot a small fireball from her finger, causing the remote control to go flying into the air. "Your evil ends here!" She shouted.

"HALT, WENCH! Me crew will do the dirty deed if you make another move!" Captain Hookclaw vowed before turning to where the remote control was going.

It landed on the water pile, right as it began to form into Chaos. His green eyes widened as he stood up, staring at all around him. Many sensations flooded through his body, causing him to forget that the remote control was floating inside of his body. "What is that thing?!" A civilian shouted.

"I don't know, but it can't be any worse than the pirates...right?" Another wondered.

Taking his first step, Chaos marveled at all around him. "Ground...air...water..." He scooped his hand through the wet sand, the waves gently crashing against his feet. The sand fell through his claw, the sense of actual touch causing him to feel euphoric. "I am...free. I AM FREE!" He spread out his arms, letting out a distorted roar of joy.

Blaze was unsure of what to do, but she was already creating fireballs in her hands, in case this newcomer was hostile. The robot captain beat her to the punch in terms of action, though. "ATTACK! FIRE! GET ME REMOTE BACK!" Captain Hookclaw ordered.

Instantly, the crew unloaded their blasters onto the watery creature, hardened shrapnel shooting out of said weapons. When the bullets struck Chaos, all they did was float around in his body before falling harmlessly to the ground. "...I think this is what people call 'deja vu'." He commented before looking at the crowd. "Ahem...could somebody tell me where I am? I may be free, but I'm also very lost."

Blaze took over the conversation, knowing it was now or never. "That control in your body! Keep it away from the pirates!" Pretty soon, she head to leap out of the way before the ship's cannons opened fire on her position. The whole place turned into a warzone, the civilians running for cover while the pirate robots fired their weapons and ran at her with their blades.

Chaos was even more confused than he already was, stepping back as he assessed the situation. "Let's see...I'm on an island, there are terrified people, those robots don't look friendly, and that feline..." He watched as Blaze rushed into the crowd of robots, twirling her body like a ballerina as flames danced around her. The flames were so powerful that they reduced the robots to spare parts when they crashed into them.

"Fight, yee scallywags! FIGHT!" Captain Hookclaw shouted before he swung his sword, creating an energy blast that crashed into where Blaze was, sending her flying and forcing her to regain her footing. "Behold! The terror of-"

He was interrupted when Chaos extended his arm, punching him so hard that his head literally spun. "I'm guessing you're not a very nice person."

"And who may yee be, sea devil?!" The robot shouted.

Glaring at his foe, the watery being shoved his hand into the ground, absorbing enough water to turn his hands into hammers. "To put it simply...CHAOS!" Turning into his puddle form, he rushed at the pirate and smashed his hammers down, forcing him to dodge. 

However, that just left the villain open for Blaze to crash into him, smashing him through his own ship before kicking him into the sand. When she looked back, the army was getting decimated by Chaos, who used his stretchable limbs to take them out with only a few swipes. He also transformed into a large ball of water, bowling through more of their ranks. At one point, when surrounded by several of the robots, he slammed his arms into the sand, turning the sand beneath the feet of the robots into quicksand in order to immobilize them.

It felt like the army of robot pirates wouldn't stop, as many more were coming out of the large ship. Blaze growled as she created a shield of flames around herself, the amount of bots blasting at her increasing in number. "If I can just destroy that ship, I-" She was interrupted when she felt something against her back, causing to turn around and prepare to unleash her flames.

Instead of a robot, it was Chaos, the watery creature having just crushed the lower halves of several robots into nothing due to his quicksand trap. "Wait! I come in peace!" He shouted, eyes widening before he gazed at the flame. "How are you doing that? It's...mesmerizing."

"Um, thanks, I suppose?" The two stood like that, both having created a shield of concentrated fire and water around themselves. "Nnngh...I have to destroy that ship! But...there's too many of them!" She hated saying that, glaring at the source of the machines, while Captain Hookclaw looked smugly at them. "I won't this villain get the best of me!"

"Then perhaps we should come up with a plan!" Chaos suggested. "I'll need some help, though. I'm not used to coming up with plans...or working with others...or fighting robot armies...or doing anything outside, really. Let's just say I don't get out much!"

"It's alright! I don't get out much either!" Blaze stated before coming up with a plan on the spot. "We need to rescue those children, then I can unleash my full power against that ship. Can you sneak in there and find a way to release them from the cage? Be warned! The captain has rigged it to explode!"

Chaos' eyes widened in horror. "This machine would destroy CHILDREN to achieve his goals?! I'll rip him apart, bolt by bolt! But yes! I can do that!"

"Excellent! Now, hurry! We don't have much time! Keep that remote control away from him, too!" Blaze instructed.

Instantly, Chaos melted into his puddle form, struggling to keep the remote control close as he slid across the battlefield. Fire and shrapnel flew past him, his body eventually moving into the sea. Sticking to the hull of the ship, he climbed to the top, using his arms to knock the robots atop there off. One robot tried to blast him from behind, only for his head to move 180 degrees to face the ship robot. "You blast me in my brain and SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" He roared.

Instantly, rather than face the watery creature, the robot threw himself overboard, leaving Chaos to approach the hostages. "A sea monster!" One cried out, cowering.

"Don't eat us!" Another cried out.

Despite looking quite hurt by that statement, Chaos knew what he had to do. "Do not fear! I am here to rescue you!" He looked at the cage, only to see the beeping lights attached to the metal bars. "Just as soon I figure out how this-"

SHANK! A metal claw shoved into his chest, the hooked appendage returning to Captain Hookclaw's arm. Now, the evil captain had the remote, but Blaze had dispersed her own shield upon seeing that, rushing at him. "NO!"

"Too late! Yee landlubbers will all pay for makin' a fool out of Captain Hookclaw!" He shouted before turning to his ship. "Say goodbye, scallywags! Oh, and farewell, sea devil!"

Panicking, Chaos entered the cage, thinking of a last-minute idea. "Everybody! Hold your breaths!" Not questioning him, the children did as they were told, the lights on the cages glowing brighter as the explosive nanobots were activated.

Before the horrified eyes of Blaze and the civilians, the cage exploded violently, blowing a hole in the center of the ship, but leaving it still functional. "No...NO!" She cried out before sucker punching the robot captain, her burning fist melting the metal and leaving him glitching out.

Still, he was laughing spitefully, sparks flying out where he had been punched. The remaining pirate bots were also giving their own cruel laughter. "You're too late! Maybe you should have surrendered when you had the chance!" He then gestured to where the smoke was clearing. "Gaze upon how yer greatest failure, princess! Let it shiver yer...timbers?"

When the smoke cleared, everybody saw a large orb of water, the children floating around in it. They were holding their breaths and were very much alive. Chaos had protected them with his body, eventually freeing them and reforming back to his original form. "Nngh...I...did it..." He wheezed before collapsing into a puddle, slithering off the side of the ship to return to the ocean.

"What the?! That's not fair! They were supposed to be swimmin' with the fishes!" Captain Hookclaw shouted before Blaze spun around him, a tornado of flames engulfing the machine. He let out a distorted mechanical scream before he was melted into slag, his hat being the only thing remaining of him.

Landing gracefully, Blaze looked to the other robots, only for them to fall down, lifeless without the control of their captain. To prevent anymore robots from arriving and as soon as she saw the children reuniting with the crowd safely, she generated a fireball in her hands, blasting it at the ship. It was blown sky high, pillars of fire erupting from the holes in it before it collapsed onto its side. "And that's that, I hope." She wiped some sweat off of her forehead.

"Hooray! We're saved!" That was one of the phrases shouted by the crowd, everybody overcome with relief and gratitude. 

A kangaroo solian child ran up to Blaze, hugging her leg. "Thanks for saving us, Princess!"

Leaning down, she patted him on the head, smiling back. "I'll always be there to protect the kingdom. I'm sorry you all had to go through that."

"It's alright! I always knew you'd save us! Although, I didn't know you had a friend!" He said before pointing to the reforming Chaos.

Despite having endured that explosion, all he suffered was a throbbing headache. "Urrrrgh...I remember this feeing. Pain. I don't quite think I missed this." Chaos groaned. He was then surprised to see the children gathering around him. "Um...hello?"

"Thank you, stranger!" A koala solian girl waved.

"Sorry for calling you a monster." Another guiltily said.

Rubbing the back of his brain, Chaos just gave his impression of a smile (given his lack of a mouth, his eyes had to do the emoting for him). "It's fine. I've been called worse things. Still, I'm glad to have helped."

Blaze approached the watery being. "You saved their lives and almost at the cost of your own. Who are you, noble one?"

Clearing his throat, Chaos addressed those around him. "I am Chaos. The True Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds, God of Destruction, Protector of the Chao, and...and...lost. Very lost, in fact." He deflated before looking up to the sky. "Hmmmmn...the absence of the Chaos Emeralds here indicates that this isn't my world. Maybe not even my universe."

Blaze's ears flicked upon hearing something peculiar about his speech. "Chaos Emeralds? I think I know of the world you come from! Don't worry. Others from your world have ended up here and we always find a way to bring them back home. You have nothing to fear."

"That's very reassuring." Chaos sighed with relief before looking to the feline solian and tilting his head. "So long as I'm here, who are you? You possess great power, yet use it to protect others. I like that!"

Offering her hand, Blaze shook one of those watery claws, finding it to be surprisingly solid and nice to the touch. It was like gentle waves were gliding around her hand, yet not getting her wet. "I'm Blaze, Guardian of the Sol Dimension. It's my duty to use my power for the greater good, especially if it means ensuring that everybody here has a future."

Nodding, Chaos suddenly heard a growling noise. "What was that?! Did anybody else hear that?! Are there any monsters around here?! Besides myself, that is?"

Everybody looked confused, with one of the children poking at the waist of the watery one. "That's your belly. You're hungry!"

Blinking in surprise, Chaos looked down, his waist bubbling up with that growling sound. "Oh. Hunger. Yet another feeling I've forgotten about. I suppose I'll go find some food for myself. No need to worry about me."

"Actually, if it's alright, perhaps you could stop by my kingdom? I could not only find a way to send you back home, but provide you with a well-deserved lunch for your altruism." Blaze offered.

Some of the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves. "An invitation to the kingdom? What an honor!" One said.

"Maybe Blaze just really wants somebody to hang out with." Another guessed.

Back to Chaos, he nodded. "That's...exceptionally kind of you. I would love to visit your place!" He excitedly said before his happy expression fell. "But...Tikal and the others must be worried sick. I-"

"Chaos!"

"GAH! Tikal! Is that you?!" He shot up, eyes widening. "Are you inside of my head?! I always knew we share an amazing bond, but-"

"It's alright! Through your eyes, I see what is happening to you! My hope is that you return soon, but, for the time, enjoy yourself! You've earned a vacation from your duties."

"Really?! You mean it?! I'll try not to stay here for too long, but thank you so much!" Chaos joyously said. However, he realized everybody was looking at him oddly. "It's...a long story. Apologies." Awkwardly, he turned to Blaze. "So, where to?"

"Oh! My castle, of course." She pointed to one of the larger islands, a glittering purple/white ornate castle in the center. The tip almost reached to the sky, with the rest of the buildings around the central tower looked just as royal. The central tower had the emblem of the Sol Dimension on it, which depicted the glowing Sol Emeralds around crashing waves.

Chaos gazed upon the faraway structure, awestruck. "That's your home? It's magnificent! I just...I've never walked among those in the real world for so long." He looked away with a look of shame. "And it's been so long since I've been in the real world without causing pain and devastation."

"What was that?" Blaze's ears flicked at that last detail.

"Nevermind! Lead the way, fellow guardian!" Chaos said.

"It's Princess Blaze, you drip!" One cranky civilian shouted.

"Save the formalities." Blaze said as she floated above the water, Chaos sinking into it. "Blaze is just fine."

Chaos nodded, his puddle form gliding over the water's surface before submerging, his brain being the only indication he was there. "Very well!" With that, both of them were headed for the castle.

Back with Chaotix...

"More lemon squares? I made them extra sweet for you, Charmy!" Cream beamed.

"Yum! I call dibs on the first two!" The bee rushed towards the food, already chowing down.

"Yeesh. And I thought I was the glutton." Vector remarked.

The group had finally settled in to enjoy their picnic, despite the fact that their ears were still ringing from Gemerl's display. The robot was fine with just playing with the Chao, testing their speed as he flew through the trees. Espio continued to look nervously around, keeping his apples close. "You look nervous. Is everything alright?" Cream asked.

"It's fine. I'm just...expecting some company. Don't worry about me." He said.

Changing the subject, Vector chomped down on a lemon square before turning to the teenage rabbit mobian. "So, Cream, how's school?"

For the longest time, Cream had been homeschooled, as they lived on the countryside and were too far away from civilization. However, with Cream being able to use her ears to propel herself, the rabbit mobian had finally been able to attend school. Something that she had acclimated to quite well. "It's going great. I still get a little nervous whenever people bring up my adventures. I'm no celebrity. I'm just doing what's right."

"Glad to see you're still humble and sweet." Vector patted her on the head. "That kind of fame almost went to my head, but I had some buddies to make sure I didn't totally lose my way." He winked the other Chaotix members.

Charmy gave a thumbs up before kicking back in the air. "I used to think school was boring, but I'm finding that I'm a king with math!"

"To be honest, I didn't see THAT coming. Good on you." Vector said before turning to Vanilla. "How's life treating you?"

"Oh, it's fine, but it's even better that you're here." She added, giggling at how Vector's cheeks were burning bright red.

Both Cream and Charmy leaned into this, the other Chao distracted from their training session with Gemerl to take notice as well. "R-r-really? Oh, wow. That's quite the compliment!" Vector stammered.

"I knew it." Cream whispered to the bee mobian.

"Yeah, it's that obvious. Those two are totally gonna start making out." Charmy chuckled.

Vanilla was now leaning into his large chest, chomping down on a carrot as she did so. "You always are there when Cream needs a babysitter and, even though you can be a BIT dense-"

"Okay, harsh, but true." The crocodilian mobian sweat-dropped.

"...you have quite a big heart. So, maybe sometime, how about a date? I'm free for the next couple of nights." She offered.

Espio could hear his friend's heart hammer even louder than before, a smile gracing his lips. "Heh. Never thought she'd be the forward one, but here we are." He said to himself.

Right before Vector could shout 'YES' at the top of his lungs, a gust of wind nearly blew the picnic away. The source of it barreled through the sky, nearly running into Gemerl. "More of Eggman's forces! I'm here to stop you from bulldozing and destroying more of the planet! Your evil will...be...stopped?"

Floating before the surprised group was Silver, the future hedgehog mobian. "Is this about the noise from earlier?" Cream spoke up.

"Blame Gemerl!" Charmy pointed at the robot.

The Gizoid glared. "Classifying what you have said as a 'Jerk Move'."

"Silver! Nice to see you again! Is the future in danger?" Vanilla asked, looking nervous when she said that last bit. The arrival of Silver usually heralded something awful, like when he arrived a few minutes before Sonic was defeated back during Robotnik's rule.

The future mobian gave a reassuring smile. "Nope! I'm here on my own volition. The future is safe! Now, have you seen-"

"Silver! Forgive me for my paltry gift!" Espio suddenly stood up, kneeling before offering his apples. "I was so busy trying to prepare for our date that I-"

"Wait a minute. You're dating Silver? When did this happen?!" Vector exclaimed. "I'm not mad. I'm just shocked!"

"We were shocked that you had a boyfriend to begin with!" Charmy added. 

The chameleon mobian looked to the others. "It's a long story, but-"

"We'd be happy to tell you all! Also, these apples are also my favorite!" Silver said happily before hugging his boyfriend, holding him in the air. "Thanks, Espy!"

"Pffffft! He calls you 'Espy'?" Vector tried to hold in his laughter, only to shut up when Espio brandished another shuriken.

Settling on the ground, the couple sat down, the future mobian joining the others. "I suppose it all started during that the day the Time Eater attacked..." Espio began.

Back with Chaos and Blaze...

The mutated Chao felt so alive as he swam through the water, even jumping up from it like a dolphin before continuing his swim. "You really mean that this entire world is mostly covered in water? Even more than on Mobius?! Had it not been for my duties, I would gladly make my home here!"

"I'm glad you like it. It's only a shame that I barely have the time to enjoy it myself." Blaze admitted. "I take it that we're both what some would call 'swamped' half of the time?"

"In a sense." Chaos said before he leaped onto the landmass in front of him, scaring off some civilians. Looking around, he saw the castle loom over him, the pathway made up of various homes and stands that looked like they came out of the medieval age. Only, this time, there didn't seem to be any sign of disease and poverty. "So, this entire kingdom is yours?"

Blaze landed next to the watery one, gesturing to her subjects that all was fine. "Indeed. Most of the time, I'm either patrolling this world or stuck in my tower, handling paperwork and the like." She crossed her arms, a frown forming on her face. "And sometimes, I have to deal with royals that, not to be distasteful, have their heads far up their arses."

Chaos's brow rose. "Those royals wouldn't happen to have any plans on conquering people, right?"

"Thankfully, no. We're not THAT kind of empire." Blaze said as they wandered into town, getting stares from most of the populace. Mostly because the princess was in their presence, but also that she was walking with the unusual creature.

The stares made Chaos slightly uncomfortable, awkwardly waving to them before hearing what the feline solian said. "Oh, good. Where I come from, I encountered one such group of people that attempted the whole 'conquering' thing." His eyes narrowed, clenching his fists. "It didn't end well for them...or me, for that matter." He looked away in shame, shaking his head as memories flooded through his mind. "Anyway, what do people usually do here?"

Blaze stopped, giving that some thought. "They buy food, converse with each-other, and...well, to be honest, this is one of the few times I've been able to walk around and 'hang' with a friend, so to speak."

"We're...friends?" Chaos asked.

"Why not?" Blaze gave a gentle smile. "An old friend of mine must be rubbing off on me. A certain blue hedgehog from your world, perhaps."

That caused Chaos to suddenly go stiff, his eyes closing as his limbs shook. "You mean...the one they call...Sonic the Hedgehog?"

His expression gave the feline solian pause. "Um...yes? You know him?"

"Sonic...the...Hedgehog..." He trembled, almost looking like he was shaking with rage, memories flooding his mind. Suddenly, he looked up, looking utterly gleeful. "One of the most heroic and selfless souls in Mobius! You know him too?!"

"Why, yes. I would love to converse about our experience with him." Blaze said. "How is his world doing?"

Chaos shrugged. "Not sure, but the heroes of my world have done well in protecting it. Of course, there was that one time the one called Dr. Robotnik created several pointless doppelgangers of myself, but I'd rather not talk about that. Anyway, I owe Sonic a great debt of gratitude! He saved me and the rest of the world from myself!"

"And he saved both of our worlds, as well as taught me to maybe be less impulsive next time there's an adventure." Blaze replied. "Wait, what do you mean 'save me the world from myself'?" She arched a brow, the two wandering near a fishmonger. The smell caused her to stop thinking about the conversation, her eyes sparkling with hunger and joy. "I forgot! You were hungry! Pick whatever you like! I know what I want."

As she tried to compose herself in front of the large tuna on display, Chaos sighed. "What if she reacts poorly to my past?" He wondered to himself. "She seems willing to drop the subject at the drop of a hat, but how long can it keep up?" He too was interrupted when he gazed upon one of the things being sold at one of the stands.

He didn't know what it was, but it looked creamy and it came in many colors. Looming over the stand, the frilled lizard solian gulped before adjusting his hat. "What can I get you?"

The watery being gazed upon the cold treats being prepared before him, his hand pointing to the pink-colored one. "Might I ask what are these things?"

"They're the flavors of ice cream you can pick out. Ever heard of Ice Cream before?"

"Ice...cream?" Chaos rubbed his chin, before noticing the 'free sample' sign. "Mind if I try just a little bit of the pink colored ice cream?"

"Strawberry? Okay, sure." He instantly offered a scoop of the stuff to Chaos.

Dragging it across where his mouth would be, the mutated Chao's eyes widened, sparkles appearing in them. "It's chilly, but...this...is...DELICIOUS! Blaze! Do you have any money? I need to try more of this!" He called out. However, he didn't see his newfound friend, yet he heard her voice. She sounded agitated, causing him to turn around. "Wait one moment, please." He said before turning into his puddle form, going towards the noise.

When he got there, he saw several koala solians in shining purple/white armor standing around her. "Blaze, you have once again violated your father's orders to stay in the tower. You were late for yet another meeting."

"For goodness sake..." Blaze pinched the bridge of her nose. "I saved one of the neighboring islands! It was an emergency!"

"Rules are rules." The guard insisted. "Your father isn't going to be very pleased when she hears of this."

Blaze looked away, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. "He's never pleased with ANYTHING I do."

One of the guards raised a scepter, the staff glowing brightly. "To the castle, we return."

"Wait!" Chaos shouted, reforming right as the scepter transported them all to a different location.

BZIT!

The group materialized in a humongous throne room, the walls adorned with stained glass windows, lavish drapes, a humongous purple carpet, many royal guests, and a massive throne atop a humongous staircase that had several torches attached to it. The symbol of Soleus was on the very top of the throne. "Oh, dear." Blaze suddenly realized who else had come with her.

The guards also noticed, causing them to panic. "SEA MONSTER! SEA MONSTER! King Bogun, save us!" They cried out before running into each-other, knocking themselves out. 

Chaos suddenly realized what was happening, looking around as the other guests panicked at his presence. "Um...what do I do now?" He asked his newfound friend.

Blaze placed a hand on his shoulder, though she had to float up a bit to do so, given how much taller he was. "Just keep calm. I'll do the talking."

Atop the throne, a feline similar to Blaze sat. The only differences were that he had stripes running down his body, his physique was considerably more thick, and he had a large mustache across his face. He also had a lazy expression, his crown tilting against one of his ears.

It was almost like he was apathetic to the whole situation, yet he was leaning forward. "So, daughter, not only do you neglect your royal duties...again...but you're now bringing in monsters? That doesn't make for an ideal princess."

"Father! First of all, all I do during those meetings is stand around and do nothing. Half the time, I have to remind you of what they're saying because you're too busy sleeping through them!" Blaze argued before standing in front of the watery being. "Secondly, he's not a monster! He's a hero. He risked his life to assist me in stopping Captain Hookclaw for good."

Leaning in, King Bogun observed Chaos, his lazy eyes only widening a bit as he examined him. "I'm not seeing it. He just seems like a mindless pile of seawater that's getting my royal carpet wet."

"I can retain all of the water within myself." Chaos mentioned.

"But let's move onto the bigger reason I brought you here. I'm not just here to scold you about you neglecting your duties." King Bogun sat back, narrowing his eyes. "It's about the fact that you're pulling a terrible prank on me. One moment, the guards tell me you're guarding the Sol Emeralds, the next moment, they tell me that random people are showing up at their locations. Then, when the guards investigate, you're back there again, giving them the smuggest of grins."

As she heard this, Blaze's expression morphed from irritation to that of concerned confusion. "Wh...what do you mean? I was busy patrolling the islands of our empire. I was going to check up on the Sol Emeralds eventually, but...that makes no sense. I was never there."

"So, you admit that you were neglecting the most important duty of all? How disappointing." King Bogun sighed. "Maybe if you spent less time associating with commoners and whatever that thing is supposed to be." He pointed at Chaos.

The watery being looked even more nervous. "Should I just...see myself out? I don't feel very welcome here."

Flames danced around Blaze's body, her stress and temper rising. "I would have checked on the Sol Emeralds sooner, but it just so happens that you leave most of the areas of our empire completely defenseless! It's falls on me to not only ensure the Sol Emeralds remain safe, but also to protect our people!"

"The people can handle a little trouble. Forget about them and focus on the things that matter most, like our royal status. We can't have anybody thinking that our family is going soft." King Bogan stated. 

Blaze's eye twitched, but she did her best to control her temper. However, Chaos spoke up. "Your daughter must be exhausting herself trying to protect this whole world while you laze away here! Show compassion!"

"Why should I listen to a pile of sludge who keeps his teeny tiny brain exposed?" King Bogan leaned in with a smirk before clapping his hands. "You are all ordered to laugh or, at the very least, chuckle." That got everybody to point and awkwardly laugh.

"ENOUGH!" Blaze's flames erupted, nearly singing the drapes near her. "I will see to it that the Sol Emeralds are safe. Until then, let me do my job!"

"Oh, I believe you're doing your job." King Bogan replied. "Given how you're going about it, as well as the destruction of some of our priceless drapes, I can't really say you're doing a good enough job of it."

Growling, Blaze turned her back, her steps nearly causing the ground beneath her shoes to sizzle. "No, father. NEVER good enough." With that, she left the room, slamming the doors behind her.

Chaos stood there, taking in what just happened. "Suddenly glad I don't have a father." He said to himself before turning to King Bogan. "Be careful with how you treat your daughter. I remember one arrogant leader of his people who was not only a terrible father, but one that thought he could just treat everybody around him disdainfully. Terrible things happened when he went a step too far." He narrowed his eyes, slowly sinking into the ground. "Until then, farewell."

With that, he slinked out of the window, leaving the king to sigh. "Sometimes, I wonder why I became king if I have to deal with all of this stress. Guards! Tell the chef to fix me up some salmon. No. Make it three salmons."

Back with Silver and Espio...

The tale of how this couple had met had been told to those at the picnic. Apparently, sometime during that fateful birthday for Sonic that involved the Time Eater and Silver once again getting himself into trouble due to his impulsiveness (which had resulted in a much more impressive rematch with Sonic), Espio had met him and things just sort of clicked for them.

Silver was mesmerized by Espio's poetry, finding it to be the most beautiful prose he had ever read. Granted, it was the only poetry he had read, given the apocalyptic future he hailed from, but he still liked it. Already, that was something that had captured Espio's heart.

For the chameleon mobian, he was also enchanted by how utterly adorable Silver could be, both in physique and personality. The future mobian seemed to be more cheerful with every time he visited the past, expressing joy in even experiencing simple things like jam on toast and watching cheesy action shows.

While he would also show up to protect the past from whatever threat was also affecting the future, the meetings between Silver and Espio would increase. At first, Espio tried to deny his feelings, still trying to stick to being the stoic ninja he was. Alas, he couldn't resist his feelings for long, eventually hanging out with the psychic hedgehog mobian as much as he could.

Now, the two had a moment to themselves, the others too busy watching an arm-wrestling match between Vector and Gemerl. When they got far away enough, Espio looked all over to see if there was anything to conceal them. "Hmmmmn...so many trees and bushes, but we don't want to be TOO far away."

"Hmmmn...maybe thinking outside the box should help us!" Silver snapped his fingers, using his powers to create a literal fort of lush vegetation. "Ta-da!"

"You never cease to amaze me." Espio smiled, the two entering. "Now...I must warn you. I have waited so long for this. I may not be able to control myself."

Leaning against the wall of plant matter he had created, Silver blushed, his cock becoming erect as he exposed his slender form to the chameleon mobian. "I know you'll be gentle. Don't worry. I've waited for this too. It's actually why I came to visit. My future is at peace, but it's not very fun without you."

Caressing his lover's cheek, Espio planted a kiss on the other cheek, his much thicker two cocks pressing against the smoother one. "I'm sure your future won't mind you staying over for a couple of days?"

"Much longer than that, don't worry." Silver said, but there was a tinge of sadness in his voice. "At least, I hope it's a long time." His ears fell at that.

That caught Espio's attention, his tail already curling around one of his lover's legs. "Is everything alright?"

Knowing that his boyfriend suspected something, Silver sighed. "The truth is...all those times I traveled back to the past? I think it's been affecting my body in negative ways." As if to prove his point, his arm started to vanish slightly before becoming solid again. "Maybe time travel really does take a toll."

Taking in that news, Espio traced a hand across that arm. "Then...just don't use it as much?"

"I think that might be what I have to do. Those in my future have accepted that, if I'm going to spend the rest of my life in one half of the timeline, I choose this half. That way, I get to be with the friends I've fought with...and the man I fell in love with." Silver kissed the chameleon mobian's cheek.

That led to them both kissing each-other deeply, Silver's cock resting between the dual cocks. Espio's tongue was longer and more flexible, curling around the other tongue while massaging that throat. The first few times they did this during their previous dates, it was awkward. Now, Silver found that he loved it when his throat was gently bulged out like that.

His toe-claws curled as he wrapped his legs around his lover, his asshole winking in anticipation. "P...please...put the biggest one in me..." Silver managed to speak, their kiss ending in a thick saliva trail being shared between them.

"My pleasure." Espio said before his upper cock pushed into that tight but soft asshole, the other one pressing between Silver's soft ass-cheeks. Pushing in as deep as he could, the ninja relished in the sweet moans and gasps that the future mobian gave. "Mmmmn...so good..." He mumbled.

"Yes! Push it in more! I can take it!" Silver smiled brightly, hugging his lover closer to his chest while using his psychic abilities at the same time. Through those powers, he lifted them both slightly into the air, allowing Espio to start fucking more rapidly as he clutched Silver in response to all that. Another use of psychic energy was dedicated to massaging the lower cock, causing it to spurt a bit against his ass.

Pounding his hips harder into his lover, Espio gave a hiss of pleasure, his long tongue coming out to lick around those nipples. That tongue wrapped tightly around the nipples, tugging them. "Mmmnn...your tits feel so nice."

"That's so lewd! They're not...tiiiiiits!" Silver moaned, his chest pushing into how that tongue stimulated his body. His cock was rock-hard, pushing against his lover as his belly bulged from the cock within it.

After several minutes of thrusting into that tight asshole, Espio was ready to unleash his pent-up supply. "I've been saving this...all for you!" He groaned.

"Then give it to me! I need it all!" Silver arched his back, cumming against his own chest as he clenched his asshole around that cock. The reptilian texture of the cock was stimulating him greatly, causing him to spurt more times into the air and even against his own face.

Espio was already licking off that cum, the feeling causing him to lose control. His own back arched as he pressed his fingers into just the right pressure points that Silver would feel absolute bliss during the orgasm. His cocks shot his supply fully into and onto his lover, the resulting pleasure causing Silver to unleash a mental shockwave that caused the fort he had psychically built to be obliterated, the materials flying everywhere.

Realizing they were exposed, Silver blushed, breathing heavily as he took in the pleasure both had received. "Whoops. I couldn't help it." He confessed, looking upon the rubble, before being given a soft kiss by Espio.

"Glad I could bring you such joy. Now, before we return to the others, I have a question." The chameleon mobian slowly removed his cock from that asshole, gently helping Silver back on his feet. "How would you like to rest at the Chaotix Headquarters until I can help you find a home? I promise to make sure my teammates actually clean up to make the place presentable."

"That would be amazing." Silver smiled, holding the reptilian mobian's hand. "And perhaps we could share a bed? If that's fine?"

"Absolutely. Mainly because we don't have a guest room." Espio said, the two ready to return to the group as the sun began to set fully on the land.

Later that evening in the Sol Dimension...

The sun's rays illuminated the gentle waves, making for a peaceful scene. Blaze sat on one of the docks, having finished her investigation. "It just doesn't make any sense." She said to herself. "What does that old man know? He barely keeps track of his own kingdom! It always falls upon me to clean up his messes. I can't keep track of it all!"

Saying that last bit caused her to look down with a depressed expression. "But...what if that means I'm not worthy after all? Even after all I've done to protect the Sol Emeralds...what if it's not enough? Can I protect this dimension AND guard the Sol Emeralds at the same time? I want to do both, but..." She shook her head, her flames increasing around her hands as she felt the frustration.

"Are you alright? Is this a bad time?" 

Turning around and snuffing out her flames quickly, Blaze saw that Chaos had arrived. In his claws, he held two ice creams. One of them was strawberry, the other was a chocolate sundae with a cherry on top. "Oh...it's fine. Nothing to worry about. I'm sorry you had to see that." The feline solian said.

"Alright. We don't have to talk about it, but, if you want, I'll lend an ear...even though I don't even have ears." Chaos tried to joke, chuckling nervously at it. Silence followed, so he offered the sundae. "The one that sold me this said that this was your favorite."

"You bought this for me?" Blaze blinked, gently taking the ice cream and licking it. "You're quite kind. Do you know that?"

Chaos sat next to her, absorbing his own ice cream slowly to savor it. "I'd like to think that. I've had plenty of years to get over my...less admirable qualities."

"It seems like none of us guardians can dare rest for even a minute." Blaze sighed. "Tell me. What's it like being the guardian of the Master Emerald?"

Thinking on that, Chaos rubbed his chin. "Well, I'm always one with the spirits of my slain kin and I also share space with my mate. She's a princess like yourself. Not to mention, she ALSO had issues with her father. At the very least, your father isn't a genocidal madman that nearly brought the end of the world by..." He shook his head. "Sorry. I don't like remembering that story."

The feline solian's curiosity was piqued, but she could see he was getting uncomfortable. "Are there any downsides?"

"To be honest...it's that I must remain trapped in that Master Emerald forever." He looked sadly towards the sea. "This has been one of the few times I've been in the real world. If I could just bring my family over with me, then we could all leave that miserable Emerald behind and enjoy what life has to offer."

"I take it duty prevents you from doing that?" Blaze asked.

He shook his head. "Yes and no. My dedication to my duty is strong, but there is also the issue of my family being spirits. They are bound to the Emerald forever. That is, unless they want to ascend to Heaven or the Master Emerald was to be destroyed. But that last one is impossible. It would take the destruction of the Chaos Emeralds to do that. I don't see that happening anytime soon. It shouldn't happen, either. Who knows what could happen?"

Finishing that explanation, Chaos slumped further in sorrow. "Still, there are times that I wonder if my family would be happy if they joined their ancestors in Heaven. They wouldn't have to be trapped in the Master Emerald anymore. But I worry that they don't want me to be alone, so they stay trapped alongside myself. It wasn't a problem before, but now...I wonder if I'm still as awful as I was when I was corrupted by the negative energy of the Chaos Emeralds. Am I...am I a bad person?"

Taking that all in, Blaze shook her head. "After everything I've seen, no. You're not." She scooted closer to the watery one. "The fact that you're concerned for the feelings of those around you is proof that you have a kind heart. Now, as for the matter of being left alone, what if you didn't HAVE to be alone? I thought I could handle being alone in my duty, but all it did was turn me into a brash and cynical soul. But, thanks to Sonic, as well as three others in my life, I'm glad I realized that there's still space in my heart for friendship."

She sat back, looking up as she thought about everything. From her duty to the many friends she had made, it all put a soft smile on the feline solian's face. "It may be difficult protecting everybody, as well as handling my duty to the Sol Emeralds, but all I have to do to calm myself down is look forward to the next time I can be with my friends."

Looking upon her smile, Chaos felt a blush form on his face. "She's kind of adorable..." Slapping himself back to reality, he cleared his throat. "That's very nice. I hope to make more friends in the future too. I just wish I had more opportunities to do so. Still, who are the other three you're talking about?"

Blaze thought back, thinking back to the many points in her past. "I had this childhood friend named Silver. A hedgehog mobian like Sonic, but one with an even stronger sense of justice. We've met only a few times these days, but I enjoy our talks. There's also Cream. She may have been just a child when I met her, but her unending compassion helped me break out of the vicious cycle of caring for my job and nothing else. Finally, there's Marine. She's...a bit hyperactive and scatterbrained, but she's a capable defender of the islands. Last I heard, she's already building up her crew to defend the islands to the west."

Chaos listened to all of this intently, recognizing only one of those names. "I know Cream. She takes great care of one of my Chao brethren. I hope to meet her someday so I can thank her for all she's done for my kin. Anyway...do you feel better now?"

Thinking on that, Blaze sighed. "Yes, but maybe I should be honest with what's bothering me."

"Father issues?" Chaos guessed.

"That's the easy part. What isn't easy is that the Sol Emeralds are at risk, if these rumors I've been hearing are true." Blaze explained. "Apparently, I've been spotted right next to the locations of each emerald, but that can't be right. They have the times all wrong. I did check up on them, but they seem to think I was there at different times." 

Raising a brow, Chaos thought about what that could all mean. "Either this a VERY unfunny joke...or there could be an imposter on the loose."

The very thought of somebody using her face to get close to the Sol Emeralds filled Blaze with dread. "Many have tried to steal the Sol Emeralds before, but I never imagined that one would think far ahead enough to use my form to their advantage."

"Something doesn't add up." Chaos added. "If this thief was already at the spot of each Sol Emerald, how come they haven't stolen anything yet?"

"Maybe they were biding their time until they thought the moment was right to strike?" The feline solian wondered. "Either way, I'm going to find these emeralds and put them in a secure location until further notice. Until then, I'll find the best hotel you can stay at. Then, once I'm done, I'll do my best to help you return home."

Chaos nodded. "Understood. Tikal has already told me that everything is under control back home, so take as much time as you need. In the meantime, I'll help you. I'll do all I can to make sure your kingdom remains safe from whoever is pulling this stunt.

"You've been here for less than a day and you're already willing to spend more time here if it means the peace of mind of both me and the kingdom? They should call you 'Chivalrous' instead of 'Chaos'." Blaze gave a slight chuckle. One that Chaos returned. "Sorry. That was cheesy."

"I thought it was cute." Chaos shrugged before covering his mouth. "I mean, I thought it was good! But also cute! Nothing wrong with being good AND cute."

"You think I'm cute?" Blaze blushed. "Well, nothing wrong with being good AND handsome, as well." She covered her mouth, realizing she just rambled on without thinking. "O-oh. I see what you meant. My apologies."

"It's fine! Really, it is." The watery one said before turning back. 'What was THAT?! Control yourself, Chaos! Yes, she's dedicated, nice, and adorable, but remember that Tikal is your mate! Although...Tikal said something about wanting me to find happiness if she ascends...NO! Focus on the task at hand! '

The princess was also wrestling with her thoughts. 'What did you just say, Blaze?! You just met him and you've essentially flirted with him! He's just as busy with his guardian duties as you are! Focus and try not to pay attention to those beautiful eyes...or his noble personality...or the fact that he may be available when Sonic wasn't...AUGH! FOCUS! '

While the two talked and tried to get back on track, a pair of purple eyes glowed from within the shadows of the nearby trees. Zipping from one shadow to the next, those eyes shifted to the same color as Blaze's. Eventually, it looked like another Blaze was stepping out of the shadows, the Sol Emeralds floating around her.

Smirking deviously, she forced them all into a bag, a portal opening up in front of her. Granted, the portal looked unstable and ready to vanish instantly, but it was all the time she needed. "Now, THIS is trolling." The fake Blaze chuckled, vanishing into the portal.

The moment she left, the whole island began to shake...

Later that night at Vanilla's House...

That island wasn't the only thing shaking. What had started as an innocent movie-night session involving Vanilla and Vector had turned into something far more passionate. Something that had caused Chocola to move to the attic so that the Chao could get some sleep.

The muscular crocodilian mobian was looming over the mother rabbit mobian, the two atop the couch. "You sure they aren't too big?" Vector asked, holding his bulging reptilian cocks. One was aimed at the pussy, the other was pressing against her soft rear.

Blushing harder at feeling those warm cocks against her intimate areas, Vanilla hugged Vector's snout against her breasts, her thick thighs wrapping around his waist. "I'm GLAD they're that big. Now, be careful when you fuck me. You might wind up giving Cream a sibling." She winked. 

Despite being incredibly nervous at first, the flirty look in Vanilla's eyes had inspired a new level of confidence in Vector, steam snorting out from his nostrils. "I take it you want it rough?"

"The roughest. I'm not fragile." Vanilla licked her lips. Suddenly, Vector grabbed those thighs, gripping them tightly before pushing those legs against her own head. "Oh, goodness!" She giggled, eyes widening.

She swore she saw flames in that crocodilian mobian's jaws. "Then it's time to WRECK THIS RABBIT!" He roared before slamming his his cocks into each of her holes. His upper cock pushed far into her pussy, while the lower one stretched her asshole more than than she had ever felt, even with her large collection of sex toys. 

The resulting sensation caused Vanilla to moan loudly, her toe-claws curling while her tits almost spurted some milk. Gripping around those legs, Vector began to jackhammer his hips into the the rabbit mobian, his balls clapping against her cheeks with enough noise to almost shatter glass.

"You're...pounding my womb! Keep going!" She cried out, grasping her own tits. Squeezing them, she began to spurt out more milk, her tail wagging quickly as Vector's jaws gently clamped down on them. "Fuuuuuck!" She moaned, her tongue hanging out.

Not content with just this position, Vector had stood up with her still on his cocks, putting her into a full-nelson position. Her tits pressed against his chest, her back pushed against the wall while her thighs pressed into the crocodilian mobian's shoulders. Vector did his best not to unleash his flames as he did this, his cocks continuing to pound deep into her holes. 

"Cum inside me! Cum all over my womb! BREED ME!" Vanilla moaned, already feeling those balls empty into her. Mixed cum leaked past where the cocks were still pounding her, Vector letting out an crocodilian bellow as he churned the cum within the rabbit mobian.

And this was all just Round 1!

As this was happening, Cream was sleeping peacefully upstairs in her room. She wasn't sure why her mother insisted she place comically large cotton-balls in her ears, but she had done what she was told, unaware of what was going on. Still, she could feel the whole house rumble.

"Must be another earthquake. It'll go away like the others." She told herself before falling back to sleep, the whole house continuing to shake with the passion going on downstairs. An irritated Cheese could only angrily grumble throughout it all.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile at G.U.N Headquarters...

"And that's all that happened? There's nothing else to report regarding the Spiral Hill Village incident?"

If there was anything Rouge hated more than a failed heist or her looks getting messed up, it was having to report to G.U.N. The pay was great, but working for the organization also meant having to have her weekend ruined by utterly monotonous meetings and getting chewed out by the higher-ups simply because they considered both her and her team to be 'wild cards'.

This time around, though, the bat mobian had no complaints about having to arrive in the dimly lit office of G.U.N HQ. She would have preferred looking for Shadow by either herself or with the company of those she considered friends, but extra help was welcomed at this point.

The one sitting before her was Commander Towers, the stone-faced head of G.U.N. He had his hands clasped, his glare nearly piercing through both her and Omega's eyes. It was like he was scanning both of them for any lies to their story. He had reviewed the footage and his old grudge against Shadow was threatening to resurface. At the very least, he was making an effort not to act as rashly as he did before.

"Yep. That's pretty much it." Rouge finished. "He went totally wild before we managed to knock some sense into him. Tails mentioned something about an 'outside force', so at least we can say that he's not going rogue intentionally."

"Her reports are true. Shall I replay the footage?" Omega asked.

Commander Towers shook his head. "No. I see where you're coming from and you have my thanks for ensuring minimal collateral damage. However, the thought of Shadow coming under the control of an unknown entity is hardly comforting. The amount of damage he could do would be catastrophic. We may have just gotten lucky this time around."

Rouge crossed her arms, one of her ears flicking. "Lemme guess. You can't trust him anymore because he slipped up once? It wasn't even his fault!"

"I know it wasn't his fault. But you're missing the point." Commander Towers narrowed his eyes. "You now have the duty of figuring out what this new threat is. Maybe it's something from Robotnik or maybe it's something else entirely. We can talk about hypotheticals all we want, but you know that the safety of this world is our top priority. I don't want it to come to the point where Shadow has to be eliminated. Believe me. I know that'll just end in more disaster."

"You are correct." Omega nodded. "His power has only grown since I have met him."

That just caused Commander Towers' mood to darken more. "All the more reason to help him when he needs it most. Now, we'll be searching for him as well. I'll mobilize-"

"Save yourself the trouble and paperwork." Rouge said confidently. "I've got my top man on the case. He'll not only find my big grumpy brood-hog, but he'll make him sing like a canary. I'm not letting him bottle up his emotions just because he's feeling sorry about himself."

Leaning back, the commander took in what she said. "If what you're saying is true, that's good to hear. I won't tolerate him brooding when he could be helping not just us, but himself. So, who's the one I should I be wishing good luck to?"

Rouge gave a cheeky giggle. "Promise me you won't laugh." She whipped out a photo from her breasts, handing it over the stoic one. "Then again, if you DO laugh, that'll be a first."

"I'll record it!" Omega shouted.

When he looked the photo over, Towers just gave an understanding nod. "Maybe this COULD work. But, just to be safe, I want you two to continue the search. Report to me in less than 24 hours. Otherwise, my superiors are going to get even more nervous than they already are."

"When are they ever NOT chewing their fingernails?" Rouge said as she spread out her wings, ready to continue looking for her friend.

"I was not aware some humans enjoyed the taste of hardened keratin." Omega remarked, causing Towers to pinch the bridge of his nose. If luck was on his side, this wouldn't end in disaster and/or a mountain of paperwork.

Right when the duo left, another earthquake rocked the place, causing the G.U.N staff to freeze up while a few held onto the nearest thing they could. Towers stood up, narrowing his gaze at his desk. "It happened again. That means only one thing." He activated his earpiece. "How's the 'Endless Army' project coming along? We might need it completed sooner than later."

Somewhere on the outskirts of Central City...

As the sun shined brightly upon the hills, a single figure stood atop the tallest one. Shadow had his eyes closed, confident that he was completely and utterly alone. There was now time to collect his thoughts...and, hopefully, not have them interrupted by whatever voice was clawing at his brain.

That strange voice from before had returned several times, but Shadow's determination ensured it would only come in small bursts. Still, those bursts were long enough for the voice to continuously tell the brooding one to 'embrace what he was' and 'give in', with a little bit of 'destroy everything and everyone' sprinkled in. "Damn it. What is happening to me? Can I be considered safe to be around?!"

He turned his back on the city in the distance. "This brings back memories. Me, thinking about my past, while staring at this place. If life decides to kick me in the teeth again, maybe there'll be a giant portal that opens up above the city and unleashes destruction onto it." 

Suddenly, he turned to his left, realizing he wasn't alone. "Who goes there?!" He demanded, forming a chaos spear in his hand. However, a familiar chirping sound caused him to calm down. Still, he was prepared to teleport at a moment's notice. "If this is who I think it is...go home. It's safer there."

From behind a nearby tree, Melanite floated out, looking uncharacteristically polite. There was no trace of a mischievous grin on the Dark Chao, making him look truly worried. "..." He floated down to the ground, looking up at the hedgehog mobian with his best puppy-dog eyes.

Grumbling, Shadow tried to turn away, but he found that he couldn't. "Don't give me that face." He said, knowing saying that wouldn't do him good. He just couldn't help but feel utterly lousy with the state he had left the Dark Chao in. "Listen, I don't want anything bad to happen to you. For all I know, what happened at the party could happen again. All because I have no idea what's happening to me."

His ears fell as he closed his eyes, his facial expression becoming softer. "Although...I have a theory. One that I pray isn't the case. But it's better than nothing." Looking around one last time, he leaned down to Melanite's level. "I mean no disrespect to my allies, but I don't want them worrying about me. Can I trust you to be silent about this?" 

The Dark Chao nodded, though traces of that grin started to return. Shadow kicked back against a nearby tree, clearing his throat. "As you know, I wasn't so much as 'born' as I was 'created'. My creation involved the DNA of the one known as Black Doom, as well as hedgehog DNA, for some reason. I'm not certain why Gerald Robotnik thought it was apt to make my default species a hedgehog...but I suspect it's a cover for the TRUTH lying literally under my skin."

"..." Melanite gave an confused head tilt, wondering what his friend was getting at.

Sensing the other's confusion, Shadow extended an arm, revealing a few parts that were swelling. It was slight, but still noticeable. Grunting, he forced his arm to return to normal, pushing against the pain. "I fear the Black Arms part of my DNA is starting to surface. The hedgehog DNA I have may merely be nothing more than dressing for the beast within. Normally, I'd hope whatever changes are happening to me are purely cosmetic, but my rampage during the party has made me question that notion."

He turned back to the city, shaking his head. "How ironic. These past few years, I've been getting over my past. I've refused to let it define me. Now, it's coming back in ways that I can't ignore. I can only hope that my mind survives whatever's to come...and that whatever's got a grip on my head leaves me the hell alone."

"...!" Melanite let out a more panicked sound as he floated up to his shoulder.

"It's nothing I'm not used to." Shadow hastily tried to comfort the concerned Chao. "Whoever or whatever's trying to get inside my head, they'll find that I'm not so easy to take down, mentally or physically. I'll find a way to dispel that evil influence away. But, until then...I need to be alone in order to figure this out."

For a while, the only sound was the sound of leaves rustling, the wind blowing them away. Melanite took all of that in, sensing the self-doubt in his father figure's words. He sounded so confident, but there was still a tone of uncertainty in Shadow's voice. One could hardly blame the hedgehog mobian, as he didn't have all the answers yet.

"You know, that 'tough guy' act isn't going to do you any favors in the long run."

Shadow's eyes darted to the source of that teasing yet stern voice, only to see Rouge's upside-down face in front of him, her body hanging from the tree. "GAH! What the-"

Giving a smirk, Rouge flapped onto the branch, crossing her legs before kicking back. "I honestly thought it would take me days to find you, given that you can zap around all over the place."

"It's called Chaos Control..." Shadow grumbled, rubbing his fingers against his temples. "Now, listen Rouge, I...wait, how DID you find me so quickly?"

The bat mobian pointed to Melanite, the Dark Chao waving around a tracking device. "Not only that, but I heard the entire conversation. I should feel bad for intruding on you, but when G.U.N is ready to stick its nose in our business, extreme measures need to be taken."

Hearing all that nearly caused Shadow's jaw to hit the floor. He narrowed his eyes at Melanite, but the Dark Chao just floated over to where Rouge was, giving a cheeky grin. "I...ugh. I can't sulk in peace anymore, can I?" 

"Nope. We gave you all the space you needed, but when will you get it through your head that we're always here for you? I mean that." Rouge floated down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You feel better after talking it out?"

"...yes. But that doesn't change the fact that there's a good chance I might go feral a second time. Then, a third time. Then, I'm not sure what might happen if it keeps happening." Shadow confessed.

Suddenly, the bush behind him stood on two large metallic legs, Omega's arms and head revealing themselves. "Might I suggest taking out your aggressive pent-up rage out on the nearest Eggman robots? I will seek them out!"

"He's getting better at the 'stealth' part of our operations." Shadow said to himself. "Actually, I propose that I...rrrrrrgh...that I...RRRRRRRGH!" He clutched his head, biting his lip before letting it out. "That I retire from fighting for a while until we can figure out a solution!" He almost fainted from saying that.

Once he got back on his feet, Rouge gave a relieved sigh. "Finally! A chance for you to have some down time without me having to tell you!"

Shadow's eye twitched. "You think my predicament is a GOOD thing?!"

"Don't get it twisted, Shadow. I'm just as hopeful that we can figure out what's happening to you, but I'm also trying to find the positive side of this." Rouge explained. "I mean, I get it. You feel pretty bad. But you know what cheers me up after a day goes south?"

"If it's another mall visit or a treasure hunt-"

"Watching cute cat videos." Rouge finished, causing Shadow to stop talking. "I mean, for me, it's polishing the current treasures I have, but there's nothing wrong with that either."

Taking that in, Shadow took a deep breath. "Fine. I suppose I can forget the fact that I might be coming apart and could become a horrific abomination that could spell doom for this entire world at any given time."

"That's not going to happen. I won't let it." Rouge said sternly, holding his hand and causing him to blush. "Now, c'mon. We're not teleporting home, either. We're flying. Melanite needs the lessons." She turned to the Dark Chao, only to be hugged by him in response. "Awwwww, who's mommy's little troublemaker? You are!"

Giving a huff, Shadow tried not to smile at the sight, only to fail. "Serotonin levels rising." Omega remarked. "Shall I play appropriately cheesy happy music?"

"Don't. Let the moment speak for itself." Shadow instructed.

Later at Rouge's Apartment...

Despite having tried to sound like he had begrudgingly agreed to relax at the apartment he and his team called home, Shadow found himself at even greater peace than when he was alone. Even with Omega burning the steaks and Rouge nudging him while they were on the couch watching funny cat videos, he felt rather great. Secure. Safe. Appreciated.

Loved.

It was as Rouge scrolled over to a vid of a cat leaping from one rock in a lake to the next that the hedgehog mobian looked to his friend. Currently, she was dressed in nothing but some pink shorts and a t-shirt that said 'Emerald Empress', which depicted a small bat lifting the Master Emerald. It was a gift custom-made by Amy from a while ago. Still, this outfit caused him to feel more of that soft fur and the warmth it provided.

Likewise, Rouge found herself realizing that Shadow's own fur was nice to feel, especially around the chest area. "So...feeling better? You're staring." She looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Unless you're staring for OTHER reasons."

Blushing hard, Shadow turned his head away. "I'm not. I'm just...enjoying the video...and your company. I genuinely appreciate it." He awkwardly said, clearing his throat at the end.

"Heheh...thanks. I like being with you too." She moved a wing to pat him on the back. "I don't mind if you keep looking. Count yourself among the few I allow to stare at me without getting a slap to the face...or a kick to the family jewels."

"There's a list?" Shadow arched a brow. "And who else has the honor of being there?"

That just made her give a devious grin. "Jealous, much?" She said before putting a finger to her chin. "Well, there was Knuckles, but he's more attached to that Master Emerald than I am. Then there was Topaz. She was my old partner at G.U.N." She gave a sad sight at that. "She was the closest I considered to going steady with. But, alas, she was too 'by-the-book'. Didn't exactly approve of me going around and stealing-I mean, collecting gems."

"And what makes me worthy of being on that list? Out of curiosity, that is." Shadow leaned in a bit more.

"Never would have thought the 'Ultimate Lifeform' would be so modest." Rouge chuckled. "For starters, you're a grump, but you're the FUN kind of grump. The kind that, no matter what, always puts others before himself. Half the reason you almost went solo today was because you didn't want us to get hurt."

Shadow couldn't help but nod at her point. "I made a promise to protect this planet. That includes all of you. Especially all of you." He said sincerely.

"And that's why I know you're not a threat, no matter what G.U.N or anybody else says." She found herself leaning against his chest some more. "Mmmnn...there's also the fact that you're a downright joy to snuggle into. What kind of conditioner do you use?"

"This is all-natural, I assure you. No conditioners or the like needed." Shadow stated, doing his best to use his legs to hide the boner he was gaining from feeling her against him. The feeling of her breasts against his legs wasn't helping.

Looking up, Rouge fluttered her eyelashes. "You're cute when you're blushing, you know that? Once again, you fail to hide that big huggable side of yourself."

"I fail at nothing, but...fair enough." He leaned back, giving a big yawn. He looked to see that Melanite was sleeping and Omega was going back into recharge mode. "It's getting late. We should get some rest."

As if to confirm his statement, Rouge gave a yawn of her own, exposing her sharp teeth and long tongue. "Yep." She smacked her lips. "Now, it's my turn to be modest. You don't mind if we...sleep together, right?" 

"Is this because you just like my fur?" Shadow wondered.

Looking a bit bashful, Rouge's wings fluttered. "That's part of it. The other part is-

"If it's a date, then I will need a full schedule of how it's going to happen at the soonest opportunity." Shadow said tiredly, but seriously. 

That caused her eyes to blink rapidly. "Just like that? I mean, who could resist this?" She wiggled her rear and chest a bit to emphasize her point. "But that does mean a lot coming from you. I'll think of something." She leaned into his ear. "It'll be something to look forward to, I can tell you that. Until then, handsome..." She planted a kiss on his cheek, snuggling into his chest before her wings wrapped around him as well.

Shadow's eyes stayed widened, his hand moving to feel where that kiss landed. "...this is new. Not that it's a bad thing. I guess I'll have to see where this goes." For the longest time before sleep overtook him, his mind wasn't on whatever mutations were happening to him from within. He was now thinking of how exactly he was going to navigate through his first ever date. 

Given that it was with somebody he considered a true friend, he felt like he had no worries to plague him. Thus, sleep came quicker than he expected. 

Meanwhile on Angel Island...

That scene from before? It was during a time that Mobius knew peace. A time of peace that was about to come to a screeching halt.

It didn't seem like anything bad was going to happen, as Knuckles was resting peacefully against the Master Emerald. The spirits of Tikal and her Chao companions were also sleeping soundly, though they were still hoping that Chaos would find a way to return to them soon.

The process of Mobius' peace being utterly destroyed would begin when a tiny crack suddenly formed in the giant jewel. Then, another one formed on the opposite side. Pretty soon, a whole bunch were forming around the large emerald.

The dawn had yet to come, but, when it did, all of those cracks in the Master Emerald would get worse. An omen of the destruction yet to come...

Chapter Text

The Next Morning, within an underground spot within the sea...

Normally, this spot within the deep blue sea would be full of life. Some fish, coral, and maybe a few scuba divers. However, this spot had gotten awfully quiet during the past few months. Almost as if the creatures that normally dwelled here knew something terrible was going to happen.

Deep within the rocky ground beneath the waves, another earthquake was happening. The source? Turns out, there was an entire sprawling laboratory underneath the ocean floor. It was mostly covered in shadows, Egg Pawns running around the place and making sure everything was in working order.

The secret lab was already vast and mysterious enough, but there was something even DEEPER within this area. Something that was about to rise up on the command of a very megalomaniacal man. One that had a dream: to make his own amusement park...a plan that later transformed into 'take over all of Mobius and beyond.'

The artificial intelligence known as Sage floated through the lab, phasing through the ground to enter a darkened room. The beeping of computers and other gizmos filled the darkness, a single figure illuminated only by a small desk lamp. His goggles reflected the light, giving him a sinister appearance.

"So...is everything in place?" The man asked, looking up towards his creation.

Sage nodded. "Confirmed. We are good to go." Before she floated away, she gave another look towards her creator. This one added a hint of hesitation to her usually neutral expression. "I...I'm not sure if we should go forward with this plan, though. What if the planet doesn't recover?"

"Oh, it will...on MY terms." The figure gave a wide smile, turning around to look at a large button. "Now, no more waiting! Let's kick off my final victory...with style."

SLAM! The button was pressed with a great amount of force, the entire lab roaring with life before the mad doctor pressed another button. This one was titled 'Theme music'.

"Let Project: Robotropolis...BEGIN!"

(E.G.G.M.A.N (Epic Metal Cover)-LittleVMills)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlGpmCPXEyo

Right as the music began, the whole place shook even more violently, metal cables bursting out of the rocky exterior of the lab. Like millions of creeping vines, the metallic roots spread. Some of them smashed into the ocean floor, providing structure for the forming mass of metal, while others rose up to the sky, twisting together to form entire buildings. 

The skies thundered with lightning, something enormous rising from the ocean. It was a slow process, but other things were happening all over the world. Things that were going to make sure that whatever was rising, it would not be long before it would be revealed.

Meanwhile at the Green Hill Zone...

The many places of Mobius had already felt earthquakes thanks to whatever Eggman was planning, but, this time, the earthquake would not cease. Those same metallic cables were traveling across the globe, some converging in certain areas to form humongous towers.

The towers would rip through the ground, their 'roots' tearing apart more of the land as their tops opened up like flowers. The Eggman logo bloomed from those tops, allowing everybody that saw them to know who was to blame. These towers would continue to slowly rise, one of them shattering through one of the loop-de-loops of this zone.

Sonic was sleeping at his house when one emerged in his backyard, causing him to sputter and fall out of bed. "What the heck?!" He cried out, speeding out the door to look upon what was happening to his home. The more towers, the more there would be those same metallic roots. Whatever those roots went through, the ground around them turned into metal.

Continuing to look upon the devastation, Sonic's hands clenched into fists. "I knew that egghead was up to something!" He exclaimed before he looked upon one of the towers. Instantly, he spin-dashed against it, only to be hit with surges of electrical volts. "YEOWCH!" He landed on his feet, shaking the pain away. "Okay. Not my smartest move."

All he could do was speed through the Green Hill Zone, watching as more towers began to rise up. Even worse, some of them were revealing doors around them that unleashed many Egg Pawns upon the place. They started to throw tiny seed-like particles at the ground, each 'seed' burrowing into the dirt to spread more of those cables. 

"So, Eggman's trying to give Mobius a metal makeover? Not on my watch!" With that, Sonic got right to smashing the many minions with ease. It would be a long battle, because the Egg Pawns just kept coming, especially as more towers started to rise. By the time the towers had stopped rising, there were at least 20 as far as the eye could see.

Many more places around Mobius would suffer this fate, even further chaos being sown.

Central City...

The good news was that the towers were only rising in areas where buildings wouldn't get in the way. The bad news was that their cable roots were extending into the city, tearing through the roads and continuing to terraform any organic matter they touched. The only other bit of good news was that the citizens didn't seem to be affected by these changes.

Almost as if Dr. Robotnik thought far ahead to know that he didn't want to rule over a world filled with mindless roboticized people. Still, that didn't change the fact that the city was under siege, every attempt to stop the towers being met with hordes of Egg Pawns.

Amy Rose flew through the window of her shop, several of those cables having already entered her place. She watched in horror as her flowers were reduced to lifeless metallic shells of their former beauty, the rest of her place also becoming a dull chrome in many places. "That monster! What's he doing?!" Amy exclaimed before smashing her hammer against one of those cables, denting it...only for it to reform, good as new. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She roared.

One of those Egg Pawns attempted to blast her, but several pink spikes were shot through its head. "Good thing we were in the neighborhood!" Tangle said, her tail smashing through another robot.

Lanolin's wispon sent soundwaves that tore through most of the Egg Pawn ranks, but she started to sweat nervously when she noticed just how many were coming from the towers. "It's like each one is its own personal Badnik factory! We should make destroying the towers a top priority!"

"Sign me up! Let's smash 'em all!" Tangle said as she leaped through the crowd, Whisper providing her cover.

Not wanting to be left out, Amy joined in, spinning through the streets while swinging her hammer. That sent so many Egg Pawns into the sky, some of them smashing into each-other. "You know, the next time we have a girls day-out, it'll mostly have shopping and enjoying some sweets at the bakery! Not citywide devastation!" The pink hedgehog mobian said.

"We can always have both if we end this now! It'll be one heck of a reward!" Tangle beamed.

"Now's not the time to be thinking about sweets! We have a job to do!" Lanolin said, both she and Whisper firing their long-range weaponry at a nearby tower.

Nothing they did made it so much as budge, as only scorch marks were left behind. Even then, the marks vanished, as the building seemed to heal itself. "It didn't work?!" Tangle exclaimed.

Whisper would have normally said nothing and continued the assault against the towers, but she suddenly remembered something. She remembered what that stranger had told her that one night. Something about a terrible thing rising from the sea. Could that have something to do with this? 

The time to think about that was not now, as more Egg Pawns were emerging from the towers, swarming through the city and forcing everybody back into their homes. The rest would continue to fight. All of them went down easy, but they just kept coming...and coming...and coming...

Angel Island...

Knuckles woke up from his nap with a cry of surprise, the entire island starting to rumble. "Wait a sec! How is this happening?!" He wondered. He had heard of the quakes and even felt one at the party from a few nights back, but to feel one right now on his floating island home was a sign that something was VERY wrong!

How bad was it? The Master Emerald was shaking even more violently than the land around him. Around it, trees fell, structures crumbled, and many Chao flew away in search of safety. As for the emerald itself, cracks were forming all around it. The face of Tikal and the Chao spirits were reflected on there, all expressing panic.

The echidna mobian braced himself for what was about to happen. This would not be the first time that the island was in danger of being destroyed because of the Master Emerald shattering. Gritting his teeth, he looked to the distance. "Eggman...you're behind this! I know you are! When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna-"

Before he could finish his declaration, the Master Emerald shattered, the pieces vanishing into green dust. Knuckles could only hope there were at least some pieces left to patch the emerald back together, but his attention was switched from that to the body of Tikal landing before him.

She groaned in pain, her body looking somewhat transparent. "Something...very wrong...is happening..." She spoke weakly, the Chao spirits floating around her as blue balls of energy. Due to needing to conserve her own energy, she transformed into a red ball of energy, floating alongside them. "Knuckles! We need to get off this island! I think I know what's going on!"

Knowing that the time for talking wasn't now, Knuckles nodded before he glided off the island, giving one last look back as it started to slowly descend. "Wait a minute. Where's Chaos?" He asked.

"He's in another dimension! Again, I'll explain later! We need to assemble the rest of your friends! I have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get!" Tikal replied.

"No arguments here!" Knuckles said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw various Egg Pawns fly through the sky, towers rising from some other islands scattered across the sea. It just gave him even more incentive to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

Cocoa Island...

"Is the lab completely locked down?!" Tails shouted, looking through a periscope to see what was happening to the island. Already, several towers had risen, hordes of Egg Pawns emerging from them to start terraforming the place completely. 

Sticks finished tearing the head off of an Egg Pawn that managed to get inside, the rest trying to blast and punch their way in. "Yep! No robot apocalypse can get in here now! We still need to talk about the possibility of one or both of us resorting to cannibalism. Can I eat your tails when that happens? I'll let you eat my ears!"

"Now's not the time to be talking about morbid hypotheticals!" The fox mobian shouted before she slammed a big red button. An alarm began to sound, the whole place shaking. 

Back outside, the Egg Pawns continued to do their damnest to break in, but it looked like the entire lab was rising from the ground. Tearing through the dirt, the entire lab smashed through the ground, giant thrustors sending waves of metal-melting flames outward. The Egg Pawns were destroyed as the lab floated high into the sky, bits of island raining down and even crushing a few Egg Pawns that didn't get out of the way.

The airship looked like a beefed-up version of the Tornado, with fatter wings, a wider body to accommodate the entire lab, and even a few mounted weapons like cannons and rail guns. It was at technological marvel. One that flew away from the chaos of Cocoa Island.

Looking down from a window, Tails sighed. "We'll be back. But at least I get to finally test this whole thing out! Behold, the Sky Fox!" She exclaimed, smiling as she took in her achievement. "It really works! My calculations were correct! I've created an actual sky-base!"

Sticks was too busy throwing random items out of the window, hoping to hit the towers. "This isn't over, robot overlords! You'll regret the day you were ever built!" She turned to her friend, whipping out her boomerang. "When do we start bashing heads?!"

"Patience. I'm going to contact everybody I know so we can-YIPE!" Tails cried out when Knuckles smacked against the windshield, his fists nearly going through the glass.

For a while, they all just stood there, the echidna mobian awkwardly sliding down. Tikal's spirit floated through the glass, hovering around the surprised Tails. "It's good to see you again, but could somebody help him?" She asked.

"Already on it, weird talking light." Sticks said, getting out a windshield wiper from nowhere before heading over to Knuckles' location, whistling while she did her thing.

Chaotix Headquarters...

The entire building was on fire, several of the towers having already risen to spread more Egg Pawns around the area. Vector tore one into pieces, while Espio took several out with his throwing stars. "Tails is trying to call us! Maybe she's facing the same issues as us?" The chameleon mobian asked.

"Tell him that we'll get to him later! We have more robots to reduce to scrap!" Vector shouted, his tail smashing through the legs of several of the minions.

Charmy Bee focused on using his stinger to go through several of the hordes, while Silver floated up to lift entire chunks of land. "I don't remember this from the history books in future! I don't know how this is going to play out!" He shouted, even as he sent those chunks into both the hordes and the towers. 

"History's about to be made! Let's waste them all!" Vector declared. He and the rest of the team were atop a mound of the fallen Egg Pawns, but more still came, threatening to flood the entire land with their menace.

Espio just answered Tails' call, hoping to get some answers and maybe some backup. "Are you seeing this?" He began the call while throwing several more stars.

"It's happening with you too?! I knew it! Eggman's latest scheme must be affecting the entire WORLD! We've already picked up several of our friends! Also, if Vector asks, don't worry! Cream, Vanilla, and Gemerl are safe and sound with me." Tails replied.

"Thank SEGA!" Vector shouted, bashing two Egg Pawns together. Silver also used all the rubble around them to form a barrier, preventing any further attacks from the increasing hordes. "We'll be in the giant junk pile! Can't miss it!"

As the Egg Pawns tried to break through, Silver felt an intense pain race through his body, nearly causing his focus to falter. "Are you alright?" Espio asked.

"It's fine! We just need to hold these robots off until help arrives!" Silver said, even though his hands started to become slightly more translucent. A sight that did not escape Espio's trained eye.

Thankfully, they started to hear the sound of jet engines fill the skies. When Charmy peeked through the holes in their barrier, he saw the Sky Fox slowly descend. "Here comes our ride, guys!"

A nearby G.U.N Airship...

Tails wasn't the only one with a mobile base. There was somebody else that thought of everything. Commander Towers solemnly looked outside the airship, watching as more towers began to sprout like a forest of evil. "That doctor has really gone too far this time. The last time he nearly controlled the world, it was bad enough."

"You've got that right." Rouge stated, the rest of Team Dark behind her. "This time, let's hope he doesn't have some reality-changing jerk with him."

Omega was trembling madly, his optics glowing bright red. "So...many...Robotnik robots...must...DESTROY THEM ALL!" He bellowed, his arsenal revving up. Shadow placed a hand on his arm, causing the machine to deflate. "Not fair."

"You'll have your chance. Count on it." The hedgehog mobian said, gritting his teeth as several more dark volts traveled across his body. He could feel the urge to go ballistic on Robotnik's forces rise, but that would mean giving into the strange feeling he was plagued with. For now, he kept a lid on it.

Commander Towers moved away from the window to point at several screens. "It would appear that the growth of these towers is completely random, but we'll be analyzing this further to see if they're all connected to something. We would have all noticed if Eggman had planted these things in the past. It just doesn't make sense."

"The way I see it, we should find out wherever Eggman is hiding." Shadow clenched his fist. "It won't be a matter of IF we find him...only when."

Just then, Rouge saw something through the clouds. "Is that who I think it is?" She said before the Sky Fox came into view. "Say, Commander, how do you feel about collaborating with-"

"Miles Prower?" Towers instantly recognized the figure that was piloting the airship. "It would be an honor. His efforts, along with those of his allies, have saved the world in the past. Put him on the comm link. We have much to discuss."

The Sol Dimension...

It wasn't just Mobius that was suffering. Violent earthquakes ripped through the Sol Dimension, the event so recent that nobody had any time to prepare. Civilians panicked in the streets of the kingdom, while Blaze flew above to look upon the carnage.

"No...it cannot be!" She said. "The only reason this would happen is if the Sol Emeralds are no longer in this dimension!"

The feline solian then heard her new friend cry out in agony. On the ground, Chaos was clutching his brain, his eyes wide with terror and even a bit of outrage. "The Master Emerald...it's been destroyed! Tikal and my kin...they are free like me, but...something is very wrong!"

Panic gripped Blaze's chest, but she focused on trying to help up the watery being. "Can you still stand? Is there anything I can do?"

"Rrrgh...I can keep going." He grunted, clenching his fists. "We must return to my dimension! The fate of Mobius depends on it! Perhaps the Sol Emeralds are there too?"

Closing her eyes, Blaze tested that theory by trying to connect with those emeralds through her strong connection to them. Her eyes briefly glowed orange before she nodded. "Yes! They're in your dimension! The thief that stole them will pay dearly for this!"

"Why do I get the impression that a certain human is responsible?" Chaos growled. "That Robonik never learns, doesn't he?!"

"Let's hope Eggman Nega did not join him!" Blaze said, her fists lighting up with flames.

"...what?" Chaos's brow rose up in confusion.

"His descendent from the future. It's a long story, but-"

Their conversation would have to wait, as a portal began to tear through the fabric of this reality. The Sky Fox's interior was on the other side, various other tears forming all around them. "On one hand, I pray that this dimension does not suffer any further. On the other hand, how convenient!" Chaos remarked.

Looking back to her kingdom, Blaze knew now was the time for action. "This is NOT how I imagined reuniting with old friends. Nevertheless, here we are."

"Silver lining! We will not be alone in our endeavor!" Chaos shouted before both leaped through the tear. It closed behind them, ensuring they would not be returning for some time. Those that saw them leave through their could only hope that they would find out what it took to restore the dimension.

Back on Robotnik's new island...

Dr. Robotnik continued to listen to his theme song, doing various dance moves that even included him spinning on the floor in a perfect manner. His egg-shaped body helped with that. All the while, his project continued to grow seemingly without end.

Even more intricate towers were forming all over the artificial landmass his project had created. Skyscrapers rose, factories to create more Egg Pawns formed, and his very lab turned into a massive structure that resembled a perfect replica of himself. The structure's arms formed into highways for his robots to travel in and out of his lab. Death Egg Robots patrolled this new city of metal, more Egg Pawns rising to join them. The entire landmass continued to slowly extend, the cables forming new land for new buildings to slowly grow. 

Right as the song ended, Dr. Robotink pumped his fists. "YES! YES! MY SCHEME IS WORKING! That new technology really outdid itself! Why wouldn't it?! With MY modifications, anything is possible!" He collapsed onto his command chair, the location of this room being within the 'head' of the giant Robotnik statue. There, he could see almost his entire city, watching it come to life. "So...what do you all think?" He turned around, looking around his throne room.

Orbot and Cubot were the first to speak up. "It's brilliant! Even more brilliant than the last world domination scheme." The former lackey stated.

"What are we gonna call it? I know! Awesome Town! Super City! New Yoke City!" Cubot began to rattle off names before his creator threw a wrench at him, shutting him off.

"None of those, you dolt! I was thinking more...Robotropolis!" He snapped his fingers. "Ooooh, that's a good one!" He then turned to Sage. "Daughter, come here. Look at the city with me. Look at what your old man has accomplished."

Floating to be beside her creator, Sage looked upon the lifeless city, watching as smog rose to the sky and the factories roared with life. "I don't mean to sound critical, but...who will live in this city? It lacks what most people want in their living space."

"Silly Sage, I don't CARE what others think!" Dr. Robotnik laughed. "This is MY paradise and they're all going to have to live here, whether they like it or not." He sat back down, clasping his hands. "Robotropolis is only the beginning, for this island won't be an island for long. Pretty soon, it'll be an entire continent! Especially when it starts merging with other landmasses."

"Then...your goal isn't just a 'Robotropolis'." Orbot stated. "It'll be a...Roboworld!" 

"Exactly!" Dr. Robotnik shouted. "The entire planet will be a monument to my genius!"

The only one that hadn't spoken up yet was Metal Sonic, his furnace-like engine smoking even hotter as he stood in the corner, glaring. Still, he stepped forward, crossing his arms. "You realize that all of Mobius will come looking for you. Chief among their ranks...Sonic."

Instead of looking worried, Dr. Robotnik gave a wider smile. "Oh, I'm counting on both that nasty little pincushion and his pathetic friends to take action. By the time that they realize what's really going on...it'll already be too late! Who knows? They might wind up dead trying to...you know what? I have so much planned, but I need a few moments to bask in the glory of my genius."

Suddenly, Orbot and Cubot mashed against his head. "Can we bask with you?" The latter asked. "Please, please, please?"

"Maybe we can come up with some possible tourist attractions to start bringing in folks early?" Orbot asked.

Growling, Dr. Robotnik pushed the two aside. "I'm fine. Go float around and be annoying somewhere else." He turned to Sage. "Why don't you explore? See if there are any issues that need fixing? Maybe you can also find the location of where I'll build a big statue of you and I. Father and daughter! It'll be great!"

Looking to her side, Sage's mood didn't seem to improve. "That's...nice."

"...something the matter?" Dr. Robotnik's brow rose. "Run the numbers. That'll assure you that victory is inevitable. There's no need to worry."

"That's not the issue. It's...nevermind." With that, Sage began to transfer herself into the city's system. "Let me know if you need anything, father."

Once she went away, Orbot gave a concerned look. "She seems awfully moody. Perhaps even depressed!"

"Think she's been hanging around Metal too long? He's pretty depressing!" Cubot gestured to the metallic one, his glare never leaving the floor.

Turning to all three, Dr. Robotnik cleared his throat. "Why don't you patrol the place? Maybe that'll clear your CPU." 

There was much Metal Sonic wanted to say. He wanted to say that this plan would fail like all the rest. That nothing would change the outcome of Sonic claiming victory. But he just nodded and flew through the exit, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. "Good thing we don't have lungs." Orbot said, the smoke leaving soot in both his face and that of Cubot's. 

In fact, Cubot ended up running into a wall again and again thanks to that smoke. Dr. Robotnik ignored that, spinning around in his chair to look at the city once more. "The mere fact that this must have ruined Sonic's day makes this even more worth it." He chuckled. "Let's see if he can spindash his way out of this plan."

Later with Metal Sonic...

If the infamous metal doppelganger of Mobius' hedgehog hero could change his expression, he would be scowling even harder at everything around him. The robot just had a metric ton of disgust and dissatisfaction dwelling within his burning hot metal core.

He swerved through the buildings, flew through the factories, and later rose high above the city. He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "None of this matters, doctor. Everything you build here...will be rubble. This will be your Atlantis. Your continent of Mu. Your Tower of Babel."

Seeing all this reminded him of the time he actually attained godly power. The very essence of Chaos flowed through his circuitry, as well as the powers of those he had copied. He was on the cusp of becoming the supreme metal overlord of Mobius...but it all came crashing down thanks to Sonic and company's efforts.

Since then, it seemed his creator was dead-set on making him suffer humiliation after humiliation. Metal Sonic not only had to listen to his creator whine and complain endlessly about the myriad of failures the Eggman Empire would suffer, but he was reduced to 'racing fodder' as well. Doomed to forever race Sonic with no victory in sight.

Race after race with the Blue Blur deepened the dent that his fall from his status as 'Metal Overlord' had left. The losses just kept piling on and, during the longest that his creator had been in power, Dr. Robotnik had Infinite create a copy of the metallic doppelganger to do the very same thing that Metal Sonic had been doing for YEARS.

The metallic doppelganger remembered what Dr. Robotnik called that copy. He called it a 'copy of a copy'. Deep down, it struck the machine to the core. His claws clenched, but he kept flying through the city. Nothing else was happening and any thoughts of rebelling against his creator were gone. Not because of any reprogramming (despite what Dr. Robotnik would say), but because Metal Sonic...

...JUST. GAVE. UP.

Sage's creation only worsened this feeling. It felt like his creator was trying to replace him with a superior creation. One that he had been working on since the whole 'Metal Overlord' incident. Even with the knowledge of Sage's creation and how much more advanced she was, he just ignored her. There was no point in rebelling or objecting to anything Robotnik did after all. It just wouldn't matter in the end.

Eventually, he would travel back to the lab, but he wanted to stop by a certain room first. Traveling to the very basement of the Eggman HQ (as the giant Eggman statue was being called), Metal Sonic found himself in a seemingly empty room. It was filled with dust, but there were many items within this place.

Items that were revealed when the metallic doppelganger flipped a lightswitch. 

This was what Metal Sonic referred to as 'The Room of Failures'. To his creator, it was simply a dumping ground for all his failed inventions. Sometimes, Dr. Robotnik would return here to look for spare parts, but he had been doing that less and less over the past few years. Thus, many of the machines were left to rot where they fell here.

Why would Metal Sonic come here? Stress relief. Plain and simple. 

That 'stress relief' would come in the form of him tearing through the metal parts around him with his claws. With his new body, he could even smelt it with flames emitted from his body. "Everything you build turns to ash. You might as well give up while you have the chance." He muttered to himself, referring to his creator.

Metal Sonic knew this wasn't productive at all, but he cared little. Sometimes, he would imagine himself dealing with Sonic in this way. For him, the idea of victory over Sonic like this was a fantasy. What he was doing right now would at least simulate that to a satisfactory degree.

As he tore through the piles of metal, he noticed something. Staying still, he watched as a pile of metal far in the back shook. It looked like something was alive in there, but Metal Sonic's sensors didn't detect anything living in there. Despite not wanting to spend too much time in this room, he couldn't help but investigate.

Peering into the pile, the metallic one noticed a single red optic turning on and off, the shakes continuing. His audio receptors picked up a voice, too! Something garbled and glitching. "A malfunctioning badnik and nothing more." He said, raising his claws to tear through the pile. This time, he would make an effort to finish off the machine within the pile. Something to take the stress out of himself faster.

Several swipes later, he knocked over a much larger robot. Falling to the ground was a machine that actually resembled Metal Sonic's old model. However, this Sonic robot was taller, bulkier, and sported a single red optic. Another notable aspect were the thin legs that ended in the thruster stabilizing servos that resembled Sonic's shoes. 

"Not a badnik. Merely a failed prototype." Metal Sonic swore he saw this copy before, but he raised his arm up, ready to destroy this machine to dispel the remaining frustration within himself.

As he prepared to land the blow, something was happening within the fallen robot's processor. His optic began to sputter to life, his body twitching more than usual. "N...nnn...nnnnn...nnnnno...no..." His broken vocal processor sounded deep and booming, but there was a great amount of panic and fear in that voice.

"Hm?" Metal Sonic's head tilted. "Still functional? Not for long." He finally swung down his arm...

...only for the metal claw of the machine to grab it, nearly breaking it with a powerful grip. "Nnnnnnnnno...NO..." Power began to return to the broken machine, his red optic glowing with even more life.

At first, Metal Sonic was ready to kick the robot away, but his scanners were going haywire as they tried to identify this machine. "This is just an old prototype! Why are these numbers climbing by the second?!" He exclaimed.

Suddenly, that red optic narrowed. The fact that it was broken made it appear bloodshot. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!! " The broken robot screamed, his thrusters activating at full blast and smashing Metal Sonic through the floors above. Their journey upwards would eventually reach Dr. Robotnik himself.

After what seemed like an eternity...Mecha Sonic had reactivated.

Chapter Text

A little bit earlier aboard the Sky Fox...

As the massive airship drifted through the clouds, Tails checked his list, looking at the crowd of allies he had managed to pick up. "Alright. Roll call! Sticks?"

"Here and ready to kick robot butt! No offense, 'megs." The jungle badger mobian glanced towards Omega.

"...that is not my designation, but I do not mind. I believe this is what others call 'pet names'." The robot remarked.

Ignoring that, Tails continued. "Sonic?"

"Ready!" The hero quickly stood up. "Thanks for the save, by the way. Way to do it in style! I mean, look at this thing!"

"Thanks. I'd say it was my finest work, but I've still got a whole life ahead of me before I decide what my 'greatest achievement' is." Tails smiled before looking back at the list. "Knuckles?"

Instead of just announcing his presence, Knuckles stomped forward. "We don't have time to waste! Something's happened to the Master Emerald and the whole thing has Eggman written all over it!"

"He wasn't what I'd call 'subtle' about his involvement." Rouge commented.

"I know! I see that stupid mustache everywhere now!" Charmy said in disgust. 

"Whatever! The point is, we need to strike Eggman right now!" Knuckles continued.

Tails just shook her head. "Save it AFTER we get a plan. The worst thing we could do is fall into Eggman's clutches." Hearing that, the echidna mobian just grumbled and stepped back. "Amy?"

"Here!" The pink-furred one clenched her hammer. "Eggman is going to PAY for everything he did...and that includes my beautiful shop! I just had the carpets steam-cleaned and the shelves dusted! It took me FIVE HOURS! I repeat, FIVE HOURS!"

Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug by Big, the feline mobian pushing her head into his fluff. "There, there. It'll be better soon." He assured, his girlfriend giving several muffled groans of anger while she calmed down.

"Wait a minute. How did you get here?!" Vector exclaimed.

"...because Froggy." Big pointed to the amphibian atop his head.

Everybody just looked at him awkwardly. "That...doesn't make any sense...nevermind." Tails chose not to think about that too hard. She just wrote Big's name on the list. "Anyway, Shadow? Omega? Rouge?"

"Present." Shadow nodded, the others by his side. "Commander Towers awaits his discussion with you. Not that we need to stall taking action any further." He clenched a fist. "I'm with Knuckles on making sure Eggman doesn't hurt this planet anymore."

Suddenly, Sonic zoomed to his side. "Hey, Shads'! You doing okay?"

"I'm...fine. Thanks for asking." Shadow crossed his arms, turning his head away.

Rouge just chuckled. "Don't worry, blue. He's not sulking anymore...for now." She then turned to Knuckles, one of her wings bringing Shadow closer. "Wonder if this'll make Knuckles burn with jealousy?"

"Now's not the time for some paltry drama that you'd find in a banal rom-com." Shadow replied.

"You mean the ones that you enjoy watching with me and Omega?" The bat mobian raised a brow.

"Not in front of the others!" Shadow whispered quickly, blushing in embarrassment.

Tails soon continued. "Vector? Espio? Charmy?"

All three members of Team Chaotix gave a thumbs-up. "Somebody call our names?" The crocodile mobian asked.

Silver than floated down in front of them. "I'm also here! Great to be back!"

"It's an honor, as usual! Any information you want to give us about this from your future before I continue?" Tails asked.

The enthusiastic smile on Silver's face faded into a look of concern. "I don't have any info. What's happening here...it's completely mysterious to me. I'm here because...well, it's a long story." As he said that, he held Espio's hand, both smiling to each-other.

"Right. That's interesting. As long as we don't have a secondary crisis to deal with." Tails said to herself, tapping her pen against her chin. "Last one. Tikal?"

Everybody turned to the glowing red ball of energy, which materialized in the ghostly form of the ancient echidna. "I am here to guide you all. We will also be joined by two others, my other half included. I can feel it."

"I'm gonna need a longer list, then." Tails said before she did a double-take. "Wait a minute. Does that mean-"

She was interrupted when a tear in space-time ripped into the place, two figures jumping out. While Blaze landed gracefully on the ground, Chaos flopped onto it, reconstituting himself after shaking his head. He looked around, noticing how many familiar and unfamiliar faces there were.

"Tails, did you forget to pay the plumber or something?" Charmy asked.

"KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Sticks threw a chair at the being.

Chaos tilted his head, confused at Charmy's remark, before having to twist around to avoid the chair. "I take it that was for Station Square?"

"I've got two other things that were for that city if you step out of line." Vector cracked his knuckles. "Weren't you the one who flooded the place?"

"..." Chaos looked down in shame, ready to give a million apologies for the havoc he had caused.

Before he could do that, Blaze spoke up. "Everyone! Our worlds are in danger! The Sol Emeralds are gone! The Chaos Emeralds have been tampered with! I assume that is why you're all here."

"Hey, Blaze! Long time, no see!" Sonic tried to life the move.

Turning to him, Blaze gave a small smile, but it didn't last long. "I apologize, but this is no time for reunion speeches. We need to get to the bottom of this catastrophe quick, before-"

"Blaze! So great to see you again!" Silver floated to the feline, surprising her.

"Oh! You're here, too. The feeling is very mutual." Blaze smiled. "My confidence in solving this crisis only increases."

"You bet!" Amy winked. "Say what you will about disasters like this, but at least it brings our group together!"

Chaos walked over to Sonic. "It's an honor to be fighting alongside you instead of against you, hero. It will also be nice to atone for my sins."

"Don't sweat it. You weren't thinking straight, remember?" Sonic said before realizing something. "Wait a minute. You can talk?"

"Of course, he can." Tikal said.

Her presence caused Chaos to rush over to her. "TIKAL! Are you alright?! You're...fading! Something truly terrible has happened to not just the Master Emerald, but the Chaos Emeralds as a whole! I promise you! I'll fix this and-"

"Don't panic." Tikal assured, cupping the monster's face with her hand. "I sense that our fox friend has the details ready for us."

"I hope so." Chaos said before gesturing to his new friend. "Blaze, this is Tikal. Tikal, meet Blaze! She's a princess, like you!"

"So, I've heard." Blaze nodded. "You're very lucky to have Chaos as a friend. He's quite the noble spirit. Heroic, even."

Knuckles turned his attention to them upon hearing that. "Heroic? Just what did he do when he was released?" To imagine Chaos doing something that wasn't destructive was certainly a new concept for the echidna mobian to take in.

Tails took in a deep breath. "Is that everybody? Yes? Alright. Let me cut straight to the point. Somehow, Eggman has harnessed the power of both the Chaos and Sol Emeralds to create himself his own city, while also trying to transform this planet into cold mechanical world where he's supreme ruler."

The others took in this news, but a common question arose. "How do you know this?" Espio asked.

"Did you hack into his airwaves or something?" Vector added.

That's when Tails whipped out a video tape. "I didn't need to hack into anything to record this. He sent this out to various corners of the globe. He WANTED us to know about his plan. Either he's getting too confident for his own good...or he's playing a much more dangerous game than I thought."

"Let's hear it! I wanna hear what the doctor has to say this time." Sonic said.

"Nothing good, I imagine." Shadow growled. "Everything about what you said...the arrogance of that man."

"I know. It's upsetting." Chaos nodded before nudging the hedgehog mobian. "By the way, interesting usage of my emeralds. Seems you were able to unlock their true potential with ease."

"Hmph. The power's not within the emeralds. It's within me." Shadow replied.

"That's up for debate. After all, I-AAAAAAAUGH!" Chaos suddenly screamed, pointing at Froggy. "GET IT AWAY! MAKE IT GO AWAY!"

Froggy just croaked, but that made him cringe in fear even more. "What's his deal?" Rouge asked.

"I don't know." Big shrugged. "Nobody has any reason to be afraid of Froggy. Isn't that right?" He patted his friend.

Chaos just transformed into a puddle. "That soulless monster devoured me. I saw his mind! The horror...the horror..." His head slowly reformed from the puddle to peek.

Surprised by that display of irrational (or perhaps rational) fear, Blaze's attention was brought back to Silver, who was introducing her to Espio. "So, you're my friend's boyfriend? It's a pleasure to meet you." She said.

"Likewise. After this is all over, we'll start living together. We finally have a chance to make our love official." The chameleon mobian replied.

"This time, there's no temporal issues holding it back!" Silver hugged his lover close, floating with him as he did that. "So, Blaze, how are things in the Sol Dimension? Well, before this happened, that is."

"I wanna know too! It's been too long." Sonic agreed before realizing that both he, Shadow, and Silver were in the same room. "Heh. Us hedgehogs, together again. This is one heck of a way to start a reunion."

Almost everybody spoke up in agreement. "Tell us about it." They all said, Froggy croaking as well.

Before any further conversation could be had, Tails finally got the tape in. "Here goes. Pay attention, everybody."

"Can't you just skip to the useful parts? I don't wanna hear this guy talk us all to boredom." Vector complained.

That got him a slight nudge from Amy. "Don't talk during the movie."

With that, the tape began with Dr. Robotnik laughing as he sat on a throne that resembled a hollowed-out egg. "Greetings, all of Mobius! I know what you're all thinking. Maybe something like 'what's Dr. Robotnik cooking up today? Something Sonic can stop in a day or so?' Is that what you're thinking? Well, you're WRONG!"

Stomping towards the camera, the villain forced it to look upon how his towers were rising in Central City. "Take a good look! Sonic and his pathetic lackeys can't stop THIS plan! Soon, the entire world will be under my control! All electronic devices will be at my fingertips! Every communications network will be at my command! Your Wi-Fi...I COULD TURN IT ALL OFF ON A WHIM!"

He laughed himself sick after that, forcing Tails to fast-forward and skip the parts where he started to choke on some eggs he had eaten earlier, forcing Orbot and Cubot to help him with that. Clearing his throat, Dr. Robotnik tried to shake off his embarrassment. "Forget you saw that. Anyway, my goal is to show you how much better a world run by me would be. Trust me. It'll be one of order, stability and, of course, all of you embracing me as your absolute ruler, whether you like it or not."

The villainous one then gestured to a drawing of the Chaos Emeralds. "Do you see these things? These ancient artifacts are how I'm able to spread my towers throughout the globe. Each one powers a generator that ensures maximum productivity and basically secures my victory. If any of you so-called 'heroes' try to find and destroy these generators to free the emeralds, be warned. They're all guarded by my most terrifying creations yet! I won't spoil what they are, but they make all my previous machines look like mere toys!"

After that, Dr. Robotnik gestured to a large question mark. "But hey! If these towers are destroyed, it's all over, right? WRONG AGAIN! The biggest source of power for my towers is located in an unknown location! When I finally achieve victory, I shall unveil the new capital of the world to all! It's a city I've humbly called...ROBOTROPOLIS! Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?"

He stood there for a while before snapping his fingers, looking impatient. Hastily, Orbot pushed in a green-screen, allowing a background of deep space to show behind the villain. "Today, it'll be Mobius that becomes an even better world than it once was. Tomorrow..." More metal globes showed up around him. "...the entire UNIVERSE! It's going to be amazing, I tell you! Now, sit back and let my machines take over the world. Don't even bother resisting. It won't end well for you like last time."

Suddenly, the villain grabbed the camera, ramming his face against it. "And if SONIC dares try to stand against me, I'll make sure he regrets every second he's ever defied me. When it comes to YOU, my forces are now adopting a 'take no prisoners' attitude, so beware! Anyway, have a nice day, everybody! Great things are about to happen! CIAO!" 

When the tape ended, Chaos smashed a fist into a nearby table. "That FIEND! Using the Chaos Emeralds to further a plan that'll ruin the world! I should have made sure he was dead and buried when I...nevermind." He remembered that time as Perfect Chaos that he struck down his airship, but that was still during a time he wanted to forget.

"So, Eggman thought it was a great idea to blab his entire evil plan to us? He's getting sloppier with age!" Sonic grinned.

"Or, maybe, this is a trap?" Espio suggested.

"His arrogance has reached an unprecedented high. That's all there is to it." Shadow stated.

Blaze pinched the bridge of her nose. "None of this explains why the Sol Emeralds went missing, yet I feel their energy greatly in this dimension. Not to mention, how was he able to gain them so easily?"

"Wait! What if...Eggman has them, but only within this 'Robotropolis'? Perhaps as a backup generator?" Silver suggested.

"That's not a bad guess. I certainly would like to show him the folly of his ways." Blaze lit up some fires in her hands.

"That makes all of us!" Amy said. "Nobody hurts the planet and gets away with it."

"He's done a very bad thing. What will happen to the people and the animals if he wins?" Big shuddered.

"Nor does it risk the destruction of the emeralds for his own ends." Knuckles agreed. "So, what's the plan now? I still suggest we find the doctor and beat him up!"

"Yeah! Let's go with that!" Vector pumped a fist.

"DESTROY ALL EGGMAN ROBOTS!" Omega raised his claws.

"Settle down, everyone!" Tails instructed. "I have an idea that might stretch us thin, but, with my guidance, I think we'll be able to pull it off." He looked back to the map of the world on his screen. "I really hate to say it, but Eggman really does have control of most things electronic, thanks to the towers. However, MY technology isn't under his sway, especially up here. So, I'll be acting as mission control."

He continued, getting out a chart that showed all the seven Chaos Emeralds, as well as a question mark hovering over the ocean. "My plan is done in two parts, all happening at the same time. While most of us go after the towers containing the emeralds, I've sent a highly trained team already to infiltrate where they believe Robotropolis is located. There, they'll lower the defenses when we begin our attack after gaining the emeralds."

Everybody took in that news, looking at the chart and noticing that there were teams of two for each emerald, their faces shown there. "Wait a sec. Where am I here?" Sonic asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Tails said as she continued her explanation. "Each tower search will be done by teams of two. Ones of my design. Sonic will use his super speed to check up on all of you while this happens. He, along with the forces of the Restoration and G.U.N, will hold off and distract the Egg Pawn hordes."

The hero of Mobius cracked his fingers. "Sounds like a lot to handle. I like it! I'll be one heck of a challenge!"

"Hopefully, not TOO dangerous of a challenge for you." Amy said under her breath, worry evident in her tone. Shadow also had feelings of worry for the Blue Blur, but he just expressed that as a narrowing of the eyes.

Chaos then had something to add. "Perhaps you can use me and Tikal to help seek out these emeralds for you? We are connected to their energies, after all."

"He's right. We will lead you to them as soon as we can." The ancient echidna agreed.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Tails whipped out the Miles Electric, showing new energy readings on it. "I've already developed a tracker to make emerald finding easier!"

Surprised at such a technological feat, Chaos sighed. "Thank goodness this technology is in the right hands. Otherwise, I don't think I'd get any rest."

Amy had a question of her own. "Who's part of the team infiltrating Robotropolis? I hope they have what it takes."

Tails just gave a confident smile. "Trust me. I picked the right team for the job. Eggman won't know what hit him."

Somewhere on the coast of Robotropolis...

The seas continued to violently crash against the cloaked city, the metal continuing to spread outward. Due to those same invisibility shields, it just looked like the ocean was gaining a metal shell around the water's surface out of nowhere. It seemed like it would take somebody a lot of time to find this new base. 

But that wasn't an issue for the Neo Diamond Cutters. Lanolin's wisp, Maggie, was utilization echolocation, discovering many other islands that were hidden by invisibility cloaks. "Eggman really didn't leave anything to chance. Instead of one cloaked island, he turned other islands into decoys." Lanolin observed.

"He's not playing around this time, is he?" Tangle replied. "He's got another thing coming if he thinks he's safe at home!"

Whisper peered into the distance, using her mask to pinpoint the location the stranger gave her. "We're close." She said. 

This trio and their wisps weren't the only ones coming with them. Jewel flew in, having just did a report. "I looked around! Unless the Egg Pawns are hiding behind the shields, there's barely any security."

"Where Eggman succeeds in one area, he fails in another." Lanolin remarked. "By the way, thank you for accompanying us. I understand this mission is extremely dangerous, but-"

"But nothing! I can't leave my best friends to face Eggman alone. It's time I contributed to more than just paperwork!"

Tangle wrapped an arm around her beetle mobian partner, smirking and giving a thumbs up. "Hell yeah! Who needs that noise? A squad of best friends is more than enough for this!"

Suddenly, Whisper used her wispon to fire a laser at a seemingly random area, the invisibility shields faltering for a moment. "We're here." She said.

Instead of trying to figure a way inside, the group started to put on some diving suits. "Hope you don't mind getting your wool wet." Tangle asked before turning to Jewel. "And make sure your suit is tight. I heard beetles can't swim that well."

"No worries here!" Jewel slapped the suit on tightly. "There's no way I'm letting you all down."

The group couldn't help but notice that the beetle mobian's confidence had soared to almost Tangle-like levels, but they had a mission to complete. "Just proceed with caution. Readying the bombs now!" Lanolin said, placing some mines on the metal surface. Thankfully, based on what Maggie could get through her echolocation, the sheet of metal wasn't too thick for the job.

Once the bombs were place, they knew they would only have a few minutes to dive into the water, as the explosions would most likely attract unwanted attention. "Here we go!" Tangle shouted, but nothing happened after a few seconds. "Where's the 'kaboom'? There was supposed to be a metal-shattering 'kaboom'!"

KABOOM!

"YIKES! There it is! Jumped the countdown a bit!" She shouted. "Race you to the underground!" Using her tail as a rudder, she dove into the water.

"No turning back now!" Jewel dived in more gracefully.

Lanolin patted down her wool, hoping it wouldn't get weight. She didn't need THAT literally weighing her down. "Hurry!" She shouted, following after the others.

Before Whisper dived in, she took notice of how no alarms were raised. Either that was just good luck or something else was going on. When she looked down onto the water, she swore she saw a flash of purple tentacles, causing her to freeze up. "...!!!" She aimed her wispon, but Blue had to push her into the sea, as the metal was regenerating.

Once inside the water, the wolf mobian saw no trace of Mimic's presence. "Get it together." She said to herself, the other wisps helping her to swim through the murky water. Cables of steel were connected to the sheet of metal above them, the sea having been rendered almost totally dark despite the short distance from the surface of the metal-covered water.

That darkness would briefly dissipate with another explosive to the rocky base of Robotropolis, allowing the Neo Diamond Cutters to enter, hoping to maybe find a secret entrance to the city...only for them to fall into a completely hollow tunnel inside the rock.

Perhaps they were going to find more than they bargained for? Well, they would, after they stopped screaming and tumbling down further and further into the underground cavern.

Slightly earlier, back at the Monument Tower...

Sitting on his throne, Dr. Robotnik adjusted his glasses. "Hmmmmn...maybe I'll start sprucing this city up after my takeover is complete? I didn't really have the time to personalize my world when I took it over the last time. No, I can't start thinking about that! I never win anyway."

When he said that, he shot out of his seat, surprised at what he just said. "What am I saying?! I'll win this time! I...I have to." His voice lost its bluster, his mustache wilting as he considered his prospects. "So many failures...I'm at the end of my rope. If this one doesn't succeed...no! I can't give up! It's in my theme song! THERE IS NO RETREAT!"

Collapsing back onto the egg-shaped throne, Dr. Robotnik sighed. "Alright. Internal crisis over. I just need to stick to my plan. I've accounted for nearly every possibility. Absolutely NO surprises should occur!" He paused, looking around. "Huh. Maybe things are going according to plan after all."

SMASH! Something erupted through the floor, surprising him as he turned around. "I knew I was tempting fate! WHAT NOW?!"

Metal Sonic skidded across the floor before getting up, ready to combat his attacker for real this time. "That was a mistake." He coldly said, flexing his claws.

Standing before the metallic doppelganger and the villainous scientist in the room was Mecha Sonic, his joints continuing to spark and his eye widened with insane hate. "SooOoOOooONIC!" His glitched-out voice stabilized, his claws clenching as he pointed at Metal Sonic. "I'll make you pay for everything you and that oversized echidna did to me!"

"What are you waiting for, Metal?! Deal with that!" Dr. Robotnik hid behind his throne, having only glanced at the attacker.

Activating his chest rocket, Metal Sonic prepared to rush at the taller machine, only for a shield of digital energy to form around Mecha Sonic. "Sage, your presence is not required!" Metal insisted.

The A.I of Robotropolis floated through the walls into the room, using her power to create that shield of red particles. Mecha Sonic pounded against the barrier, not paying attention to how his limbs looked ready to fall off with each blow. "I am analyzing the danger. I am glad I arrived in time. Still, isn't this your prototype?" She asked Metal.

Dr. Robotnik looked up from his throne, adjusting his glasses as he gazed upon the furious robot. "The Turbo Mecha Sonic Mk. II? I haven't used that machine in years! How is it still functional?" He scratched his head before composing himself. "No matter. Destroy it. It's clearly gone berserk."

"GRAAAAAAAGH!" The barrier suddenly exploded when Mecha Sonic spread out his limbs, energy flowing from his core. His rust-covered body fell onto one knee, though, his energy expended. "I...I will...wait...is that you, doctor?" His one optic went from narrowed with anger to wide with surprise, the 'pupil' within thinning as the glitchy analysis was finalized.

Though Metal wanted to end this already with a claw-swipe to the other machine's head, Sage held out a hand. "It's alright. You're safe. Your creator is right here." She gestured to her father.

Silence followed, all three doing nothing as Dr. Robotnik thought about the situation. Clearing his throat, the villain stepped forward. "So...welcome back, I guess?"

Trying to stand up, Mecha Sonic felt his limbs buckle more, but he eventually stood tall. "Doctor, I remember...I remember everything. My defeat at the hands of that miserable blue rat and his echidna friend. I remember everything becoming dark and, yet, I still functioned. All those years I still functioned." He clutched his head, falling back onto his knees. "I couldn't stop simulating that day...I...I...the voices...they never went away..."

"Calm down, geez! You were only in my basement for...erm...around twenty years? Maybe more?" He tugged his collar, hoping there were no traitorous thoughts within the damaged robot's CPU. If there were, he'd just reprogram him, but he hoped he'd get a chance to if things came to that.

Mecha Sonic looked at his rust-covered claw, clenching it. "Then WHY did I still function?! Perhaps...my purpose is not done. I have yet to avenge myself." He stood up again, ignoring the broken state of his body. "I must face Sonic once more, provided he still lives. Does he?"

Dr. Robotnik gave a growl. "Regrettably, that blue pest is still alive and kicking."

"Then let me face him!" Mecha Sonic raised his fist. "He will not survive our rematch!"

"Actually, he will. That task is impossible." Metal spoke up.

Turning to the smaller machine, Mecha Sonic's head titled. "You...you're a later model, I take it?"

"A superior model. If I could not defeat Sonic, then you have no chance." Metal pointed out. "The most you can do is provide a road block for him until the inevitable loss."

"Silence, Metal. Nobody likes a defeatist." Dr. Robotnik glared before turning to the busted-up machine. "I guess having an extra robotic muscle on my side wouldn't be a bad idea. But know this! If I see even one traitorous gesture, it's back to the scrap pile! No...I'll smelt you down into nothing! Capiche?" 

Giving a startled gasp, Mecha Sonic saluted. "I will not fail you again, Robotnik! I will-URGH!" He clutched his chest, more sparks flying.

Sage flew up to him, resting a hand on his head. "Do not strain yourself. I will provide you the repairs you need, as well as update you with all that's happened in your absence."

"What...are you?" Mecha Sonic asked. 

"All will be revealed soon. Please, follow me. Welcome back to the Eggman Empire." Sage said calmly, eventually floating to the doors.

Something about how the machine broke out of the barrier interested her. Despite Mecha Sonic having spent the last many years trapped in the basement while also trapped in some kind of limbo, he had enough power to do all that, let alone continue to function. She hoped she'd get some answers when she was done repairing the robot.

Mecha Sonic would soon follow her, but he turned back to Metal. "Hmph. If my repairs go well, then know this. I will succeed where you failed. It is my purpose, after all." With that, he stomped away, more sparks left behind in his wake.

Once he left, Dr. Robotnik walked over to the remaining Sonic doppelganger. "If your outburst was out of jealousy, have no fear. I'll just have him stationed in Robotropolis to guard it. I assure you that you'll get your rematch with Sonic soon. I know he and his friends are already mobilizing against us. They'd have to after I made my plans known to the world."

Holding back his pessimism, Metal Sonic just nodded. He almost wanted to decline the offer to face Sonic once more, as it would most likely end in just another race ending in his failure, but there was an even worse option. He hated it when Infinite made a copy of himself to do that exact same thing, so his creator having an inferior prototype do the same job was just as bad. Thus, he would wait until the time came for him to be deployed against the Blue Blur.

Looking back to overlook the city, Dr. Robotnik felt his enthusiasm for this plan return. "You can't resist the urge to stop me, Sonic. Rest assured, I'm going to make you regret the day you destroyed your first Badnik. Count on it!"

Back with the Sky Fox...

As of now, Tails was using a pointer to show everybody the teams that would be spreading out in the search for the Chaos Emeralds. "For the Green Emerald, I'm sending Omega and Sticks. Their unpredictability factor will tear through the enemy forces."

"DESTROY! ALL! EGGMAN ROBOTS!" Omega fired his guns up in celebrations, the others ducking as the bullets nearly tore through the ceiling. "Sorry."

"Count me in! Down with the Eggman establishment!" Sticks shouted. "After this, tell G.U.N to eat my tail. Literally. I poisoned it just for them."

Rouge nudged the robot. "I guess, for you, this counts as another date. Just play it cool and you'll be fine."

"The only 'cool' will being the 'cooling' of my arsenal after we are done tearing through the enemy ranks." Omega said, giving an almost bashful look as Sticks hopped aboard his shoulder. 

Tails then pointed to the coordinates. "According to my research, the destination is Frog Forest. The local flora and fauna have been driven even more wild by Eggman's scheme, so be careful. Oh, and Omega...try not to reduce the forest to ash."

"I cannot promise a lack of total devastation. I apologize." Omega stated.

Sighing, the fox mobian continued. "For the White Emerald, I'll send Silver and Espio. I figured you two could not only have some time as a couple, but also use your ninja skills and psychic abilities in tandem. You'd be unstoppable when I send you two infiltrate one of Eggman's rebuilt factories. Those Egg Pawns are already trying to repair what the doctor lost after his last takeover of Mobius."

"It will be done." Espio nodded. "They will never see it coming."

Silver clenched a fist, despite some of the pain using his powers caused. He made a mental note to go easy on using those when doing this. "I'll make sure Eggman doesn't destroy the future of this timeline. I swear it."

Moving onto the next emerald, Tails turned to Knuckles and Vector. "You two can go after the the Yellow Emerald. It'll be like old times when you were a part of Chaotix, Knuckles."

"Hey, you're right! It's been too long." Vector said with a smile, nudging the serious echidna mobian. "And I was worried I wouldn't be able to go without at least ONE old friend!"

Despite his worries over the whole situation, even Knuckles couldn't help but smile. "Just try to keep up. Let's not get distracted by any of Eggman's forces. Only the emerald matters...but we can always smash that tower into nothing after we get it. Now, where's the emerald?"

"It's located in the remains of the Newtrogic High Zone. Guess Robotnik couldn't let THAT fiasco go for long." Tails remarked. "I'm not sure where the tower is, but be prepared in case some of the robots there are functioning once more."

The duo nodded. "Think the Speed Slider got rebuilt? Or maybe Eggman's so much of a jerk that he rebuilt that Special Stage. Man, that was a wash!" Vector growled.

"Let's just get it over with and smash some robot heads!" Knuckles smashed his fist into his palm. "Eggman will pay for stealing those emeralds!"

Moving on, Tails pointed to Shadow and Rouge. "You two will go to the Mystic Mansion to locate the Red Emerald. You might have to get through Hang Castle to get there, but I believe in you two."

Shadow rubbed his chin. "Awfully nostalgic, but alright."

"I just got done telling Omega that this adventure could count as a date. How about you?" Rouge asked the hedgehog mobian. "Nothing like ruining Eggman's schemes and maybe snatching some riches to spice up the day. Oh, and some vengeance against the doctor for what he DID to the Master Emerald! That was MY prize!"

"Uh, what do you mean 'prize'?" Knuckles put his hands on his hips. "If the Master Emerald is somehow fixed by the end of this, don't even think about stealing it!"

"He speaks truthfully." Chaos warned, his claws extending at the bat mobian. "I've watched your attempts to steal the Master Emerald one too many times to have me not keep my eyes on you."

"Hmph. Pushy." Rouge huffed, flapping her wings at both guys. Shadow just shook his head at this display.

Tails cleared her throat. "Let's move on." She turned to both Chaos and Blaze. "You two can go search for the Cyan Emerald in Soleanna."

Hearing that name made Blaze rub her chin. "Something about that city feels...hauntingly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."

"What are we to expect there? I hope nobody there is going to mind my presence." Chaos twiddled his claws, remembering his past actions.

"Don't worry about it. I'll throw in a good word if anything goes wrong." Tails assured. "But you WILL have to go into the city. I think the very emerald itself is located in a tower that showed up in the middle of town."

Despite his fear of how the citizens would react, Chaos calmed himself, especially when Tikal floated next to him. "I'll be by your side, don't worry." She assured before looking at Blaze. "And so will she. We're in this together."

"Yes. Together." Blaze nodded. 

"Together." Chaos repeated, feeling a powerful resolve flow through his liquid body.

Finally, Tails looked to Amy and Big. "You two can search for the Purple Emerald at the Emerald Coast. I hope you're ready to fight, Big. This is for the sake of the world, remember?"

"I know. It's kind of a shame that I have to punch things, but Eggman must have hurt a lot of feelings. He needs to be taught a lesson." He stated.

"He sure does. We'll have that emerald back in no time!" Amy said before remembering something. "So, Sonic will be joining us all at the same time?"

"Unless you get the emeralds first." Tails said while adjusting the Miles Electric.

Charmy Bee suddenly raised his hand. "HEY! What about me?!"

"You and Commander Towers can help me with something else entirely." Tails clarified. "I'm also still locating the Blue Emerald as we speak, so, if everybody else is too busy with their emerald searches, you can accompany me when that time comes."

That seemed to calm the bee mobian down. "Sounds good to me. I'll just kick back until that happens."

Throughout all of this, Sonic was putting pins on a nearby map, choosing how he was going to travel around the world to accompany his allies. "Sounds like we've got a whole world tour on our hands! This could actually be pretty fun!" He zoomed to the others, extending a hand. "Bring it in, everybody!"

Soon, those around him extended their hands forward, eventually lifting them up as they cheered for each-other. "Let's do this!" They all shouted. In that moment, they all felt like there was nothing they couldn't accomplish. They would save both their world and the Sol Dimension! They would foil Eggman once again!

Meanwhile, deep within the underground of Robotropolis...

Landing harshly on the rocky ground, Lanolin rubbed her head while Tangle landed on her tail. Like a spring, it bounced her into the air, allowing her to catch Whisper. "Your next line is 'my hero'~" She teased. That corny line put a smile on the wolf mobian's face.

Jewel had regained her flight ability, though she narrowly hit the ground as well. "I almost went splat! What just happened?"

The group took a moment to look around their surroundings. The underwater cavern echoed with the sounds of Robotropolis, indicating that they were not that far from the island above. The source of light for this place was within the many glowing crystals formed all around. Another interesting fact was that there seemed to be a lot of oxygen to keep everybody from passing out, despite this location being both underwater and underground.

"Must...fight the urge...to do an echo!" Tangle said to herself.

"This is no time for fooling around. We have to find our way back to Robotropolis!" Lanolin stated before looking at her comm device, the sound of static coming from it. "We'll need to move fast. This place just knocked out our comms."

Readying her wispon weapon, Whisper joined the sheep mobian in leading the charge. "Hey, Jewel. Think you'll find any interesting artefacts here?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Soon as we finish the mission, that is." The beetle mobian replied. 

That response got a concerned look from her friend. "Look, I know you wanna do a great job, but just because we're on a mission doesn't mean that's all there is to it. Learn to live a little. If you lose yourself to it, who knows what might happen?"

Whisper clenched her claws around her wispon weapon. She knew Tangle didn't mean it, but she felt like that was a dig at her own state of mind. Her own personal mission had not been forgotten and the mission to stop Eggman was important to her, as she didn't want anybody else to suffer from his villainy. Still, the group pressed on.

Some minutes into their travels, an unusual sight came into view. It was a large orange/black sign, the arrow pointing to the left tunnel instead of the right one. It read 'This way, mates!' Still, the group couldn't help but be suspicious. "Anybody thinking that we were expected?" Tangle asked.

"If that's the case, this MUST be a trap. So, we should go the other way." Lanolin said.

"Are you sure?" Jewel asked. "What if it's just a way for Eggman's forces to get through this place safely?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing. I'm the leader, after all. I've trained and studied for this." The sheep mobian insisted.

Some of Whispers wisps started to shiver, hiding within her wispon weapon as they approached that tunnel. She never let her guard down since they got here, but this just reinforced her resolve. As she went into the tunnel, she swore she heard Mimic's chuckle echo loudly, causing her to aim her weapon behind her.

There was nothing there, of course. However, she swore she saw the sign...tremble? "You okay?" Jewel asked.

"I'm fine. Let's keep going." Whisper quickly said, moving ahead and hoping to get her mind off of anything to do with the traitorous octopus mobian.

As soon as they were out of sight, several figures hidden by the shadows of the place emerged from the other tunnel. Four of them, to be exact. "Dropio, you eeeeediot! You said you'd be able to lead them here!" The muscular hyena-like anthro female hissed. She would whip out a remote control, a ray of light coming out of it when she pressed one of the buttons. 

That light struck the sign, some of the nearby crystals dimming to darken the place even further. The sign transformed into a scorpion-like creature, still hidden by those shadows. "Sorry, mate! I was trying to be helpful!"

"Well, you failed, as usual." The feline-like anthro female said in a dull tone. The mime-like male among them made a thumbs-down motion before pointing to the other tunnel. That caused the scorpion-like one to sulk, whimpering as she twiddled her pincers some more.

All of those figures then looked to where the Neo Diamond Cutters were going. "Perhaps this is where we make our presence known." The sleek male insectoid anthro male among them spoke in a soft soothing voice. "Then, we can lead them to our boss."

"You sure they'll hear him out?" The scorpion-like one asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

The hyena-like one glared at the tunnel ahead of them. "We can only hope or this mission will be a complete failure. Now, let's catch up with them. Time is of the essence."

Back at the G.U.N Airship...

"And that's the plan!" Tails finished everything to Commander Towers, the man rubbing his chin as he took all this in. "You guys can help anybody you can while we handle this. It's my belief that, when we find the emeralds, we'll greatly weaken Eggman's efforts, especially after we find where Robotropolis is. Heck, we can use these emeralds to awaken the power of Super Sonic!"

"We're gonna scramble Eggman's plans! YEAH!" Charmy exclaimed.

"I see." Towers nodded. "Thanks for the information. Keep us up to date with whatever else you find. G.U.N thanks you for your efforts."

The fox mobian nodded. "Whatever happens, we're going to endure yet another Eggman takeover. You can count on us!" BZIT! Her screen went dark, ending the call.

Sighing to himself, Towers turned to several G.U.N scientists. "We'll need to speed up the 'Endless Army' project if our planet has any hope of preventing another crisis like this."

"Actually, this whole incident might prove to be beneficial." One scientist spoke up. "With some samples we were able to gather of the metal, we discovered that it has properties that cause it to multiple under certain conditions. Maybe THIS is the answer we've been looking for!"

Hoping that this good news would turn the tide of things, Towers examined the sample shown before him. "Were you able to get more samples?"

"Negative. Every time we attempted it, the metal either disintegrated or we were unable to get anymore due to Robotnik's robots. Still, I think this is all we need." The other scientist explained.

"Let's hope this is enough." Towers said, handing back the sample before turning to the windows, watching as more towers rose up. "I know this violates the trust I have in Shadow and his friends, but I made a vow to protect this world. I don't intend on breaking it. We WILL pull through, no matter the cost."

Chapter Text

Meanwhile at Robotropolis...

Scattered around this lifeless city were many buildings that mostly only functioned to create more resources for Dr. Robotnik in his quest for global domination. In one of these buildings, Sage was awaiting the repairs for Mecha Sonic to be complete. Many questions were running through her CPU regarding his activation, but she was distracted when she looked upon the city from the window.

Resting a hand on her chest, she looked away. "It's not right. This endless cycle of destruction and misery...what can I do to convince you to stand down, father?" She said to herself.

Suddenly, the doors behind her blew open, embedding themselves into the walls. "NOOOOOOO!!!" Mecha Sonic shouted, emerging from the smoke and clutching his head.

Orbot and Cubot entered the scene. "Oh, dear! Arm yourself!" The former of the duo shouted, grabbing a nearby mop and wielding it like a spear.

"We're warning you! This takes care of ALL stains!" Cubot grabbed a spray bottle. Sage treated his calmly, ready to activate her shields.

The smoke eventually cleared, revealing Mecha Sonic in all of his rebuilt glory. No longer covered in rust, he looked good as new. Despite this, his single red optic was wide with a mixture of both hate and fear. His claws clenched into the doorframe, while his body shook. "Make them stop...I'm not a failure! I...I can defeat you!" He shouted, pointing to the trio before him. 

An awkward pause happened after that. "That's quite true. If we were to come to blows, we'd, pardon the pun, come up short." Orbot said.

Once again, the hedgehog mobian mech calmed down, his head rising to look outside. "I really am awake. This whole time, I thought this was another simulation. But...this is real!" He exclaimed, flexing his claws. "I stand before the world...REBORN!" His triumphant moment was short-lived, as he clutched his head yet again. "And yet...so much new information..."

"I understand it's a lot to take in." Sage floated closer to him, her robot brothers hoping nothing would go haywire.

Mecha Sonic nodded. "Indeed. Chaos...Ultimate Lifeform...Metal Overlord...Phantom Ruby...Robotropolis...and all Sonic's new allies." He clenched his claw. "I can't let any of that stand in my way."

"Might I suggest having some rest before you do anything rash?" Orbot floated to him. "By the way, it's a pleasure to meet you! We never realized we had a MUCH older brother."

"Yeah! You're an even bigger brother than Metal!" Cubot said.

Having been fed information on these robots, the mech had a question. "I failed once and I was subjected to living the rest of my days rotting within Robotnik's basement. You two...why were you allowed to stay by his side despite your myriad of failures?"

Cubot just gave a shrug. "Maybe he likes us too much?"

"Or maybe he gets some enjoyment from our suffering? I suppose we make for good entertainment." Cubot sadly noted. "Wait. How long WERE you in that basement?"

Mecha Sonic's optic closed, his screen darkening. "So many years. Too many to count. I tried shutting myself down to conserve my energy, but, whenever I tried to do that...the visions came. The constant simulations. That hedgehog and echidna...they would laugh and taunt and destroy me again and again AND AGAIN!" His optic opened with newfound rage. "Tell me where those two are! I will have my revenge! I will fulfill my function! I will prove to my creator that I am not trash!"

Sage calmly placed a hand on his head. "What you went through sounds awful. While I'm still wondering how you were able to stay semi-functional for so long, you have been ordered to stay in the city and guard it from all threats."

That made Mecha Sonic's optic dilate. "You mean my creator rebuilt me...for GUARD DUTY?! I implore you! Change his mind! I can't be denied my vengeance! I must prove myself!" The more he talked, the more he sounded like he wasn't so much as ranting as he was pleading for a chance to fight his foes once more. "Otherwise...I don't know what I'll do." He hung his head down, shaking it as he clutched it once more. Near-demonic laughter was echoing in his head. The laughter of Sonic and Knuckles...

While Orbot and Cubot tried to come up with ideas on how to calm the machine down (suggestions included scrapbooking and screaming from the top of the highest area in the city), Sage had an idea. "Perhaps Robotnik only doing this because he thinks you're out of practice? Maybe you could train with me?"

Brought out of his dark thoughts, Mecha Sonic rubbed his chin. "Hmmm...I suppose you're right. I could use a warm-up." He gave a metallic sigh. "I guess it would be foolish to challenge my adversaries without proper preparation. When do we start?"

Calculating the best possible time, the artificial intelligence created a hologram of the time. "I will create a simulation of a rock quarry. There, I will evaluate your performance. Your strength, speed, reaction time, and usage of your weaponry will be put to the test."

Hearing that caused the mechanical hedgehog mobian to give a chuckle. "You know, after spending so long in the sorry state I was in...to hear that I get to do all of this sounds quite exciting." He raised a fist. "Just you wait, Sonic. You as well, Knuckles. Once this training is over, nothing will stop me from paying you back for my ruination."

"And we'll be supporting you all the way!" Orbot declared. 

"Yeah! You can do this, bigger brother!" Cubot added.

This new surge of positivity was causing something within Mecha Sonic to stir. Whatever it was, he liked it. Any negativity within his CPU was put on hold...for now.

As for Sage, even as she prepared the simulation in a mostly empty section of Robotropolis, she couldn't stop thinking about the state the newly rebuilt robot was in. Much like Metal Sonic, he could express a wide range of emotions, but all of them were either wrathful, desperate, or morose. Spending all of those years within a basement, unable to move or do much of anything except be tormented by the demons of the past, certainly did a number on him.

While she created the virtual environment, a few doubts began to creep in her head. If she failed enough times...would that be her? Abandoned and left to rot by her creator? "No. He sees me as more than lines of code. I'm his daughter. He said so himself." Then, she thought of her fellow machines. "I wish I could say the same for his other creations. But they can rest easy. I won't let that happen to them." She said with determination.

Even if it was painful to watch her father continue his self-destructive path, Sage knew that giving up wasn't the answer. For the sake of her family, she would find a way to set things right. For now, giving Mecha Sonic a method to calm himself down further was a good start.

Beneath the City...

"Are we there yet?" Tangle asked.

Lanolin groaned. "If I told you once...I've told you at least 45 times...NO."

"To be fair, it does feel like we've been walking for hours." Jewel admitted. "My wings are getting tired. Why don't we just return to base? I think we have the info we need."

The sheep mobian shook her head. "Negative. Watch this." She summoned Maggie, the wisp using her echolocation once more. "According to her, there's something else in this cavern. In fact...she's starting to get multiple signals."

Using her mask, Whisper attempted to see through the darkest parts of their path. The amount of crystals lighting their way were getting sparse, requiring her to activate the night vision feature. However, when she did that, she swore she saw several shapes move through the shadows. Not only that, but the crystals around the group started to flicker. Her wisps started to get restless, too.

Raising her Wispon weapon, the wolf mobian scowled. "We're not alone." She whispered. 

"Now's not the time to get all ominous and stuff." Tangle said before her fur stood on end. "Ah, crap. I've seen enough horror movies to know where THIS is going."

Preparing to fight, the group got closer together, moving into the darkness and using their wisps to light the way. For a while, nothing happened, but something was moving through the tunnels. Something that made horrible distant screeching sounds. Those sounds would start to get louder...and louder...

...and then something literally pounced from Lanolin's very shadow. It was made of darkness, resembling a humanoid with horns and dark purple lights forming the mouth and eyes. It tackled the sheep mobian to the ground, letting out a piercing shrieking sound as it tried to claw into her face. "BATTLE STATIONS!" She shouted, the soundwaves of Maggie driving the fiend into the ceiling. However, that made the whole cave shake.

"Maybe DON'T do that?!" Jewel shouted before everybody noticed that more of those creatures were rushing at them from the darker parts of the cave. It seemed like they became more solid whenever they stepped near the lights, but that didn't make them any less dangerous. 

Whisper wasted no time in using her Wispon weapon to unload various types of offensive capabilities. She fired several rockets to disperse the group, then used the Laser option to cleave some in half. However, they just kept coming. "What are they?! Rejected 'Kingdom Hearts' enemies?!" Tangle used her tail to smash several into the ground, their essences grounded up against a crystal to disperse them.

"I don't know, but I'll get help! I'm not that useful in a fight anyway!" With that, Jewel fled the scene, fleeing back the way they came.

"What?! There's no help at all! It's just-" Lanolin was interrupted when one of the shadow creatures bit down on her arm. Kicking the creature in the gut, she shoved it against a crystal, dispersing it. Alas, there were more of the fiends, forcing her to retreat. "Fall back, everybody!"

The group did as they were told, the hordes chasing after them. Some of those fiends were smart enough to smash any crystal they saw, darkening the place and allowing them to become more invulnerable to the ranged attacks that Whisper was dishing out. "Anybody got a flashlight?!" Tangle asked.

Hearing that, all of the Wisps suddenly joined together, creating a dazzling showing of colors. That rendered most  of the creatures solid, but they would still run after that, eventually driving them against a cavern wall. As if that wasn't bad enough, the monsters stopped and began to laugh. "I'm not losing my team. Never again." Whisper said to herself. "Everybody! Run! I'll hold them off!"

"No way! We're in this together!" Tangle insisted.

"She's right! Wait, speaking of which, where's Jewel?!" Lanolin said, looking around as the monsters started to close in.

Out of the corner of Whisper's eye, she swore she saw Mimic, the octopus mobian giving a mocking wave. "See ya'~" He smirked before vanishing into one of the tunnels. That caused her to freeze in her tracks. Did the traitorous one bring them here as a trap?! What was going on?! More importantly, would both she and her friends have enough time to find out?

The shadow creatures suddenly stopped when they heard a loud howl. That caused them to hiss in anger, especially as they heard the sound of scuttling legs. Out of the shadows of another tunnel, strange robotic creatures were flooding in. They resembled spindly humanoid insects, their heads disc-shaped. Crawling all over the walls of the tunnel, their eyes shined like flashlights, rendering the monsters solid enough for them to attack.

"I guess they're on our side?" Tangle said before smashing a shadow monster with her tail. "Score!"

That horde wasn't the only surprise. In a flash, something punched through the fiends, zipping around in a series of after-images. Finally stopped, he was revealed to be a sleek insectoid being, large pincers on his metallic red form. His wings weren't getting him off the ground. Instead, they increased his speed, allowing him to create more afterimages to confuse the monsters.

In the chaos, several monsters lunged at Whisper's wisps, only for them to get teleported right in front of a strange pink mime-like creature. Wearing a happy smile, the eyepatch-wearing one mimed the motion of flipping a switch. One of the rocks in the ceiling fell on top of the monsters, the mime-like one waiting for applause.

"Uh...great work!" Despite being a bit creeped out by the creature, Tangle gave a thumbs-up. Regaining her senses, Whisper got back to joining the fight. "Guess Jewel got help after all, huh?"

"Focus. We're not out of the woods yet." Whisper said, though she sounded grateful that things weren't going south. However, one of the shadow monsters sprouted wings, swooping in to grab Tangle. "...!!!" She tried to fire upon the creature, but it kept swerving.

For good measure, it gripped around Tangle's tail, clenching it roughly. "Claws off the merchandise, creep!" She shouted, only for the monster to bite into her shoulder. "AUGH! LET GO ALREADY!" She shouted before the fiend was suddenly struck by a large pincer-tail, which proceeded to clench the beast in half.

That caused Tangle to fall into the pincered arms of another ally. Looking down on her was an orange scorpion-like creature. Aside from the gangly pincer arms and tail, she also sported a thick four-legged abdomen, giving her a centaur-like appearance (scorpio-taur?). Her ogre-like face had some mandibles and a pair of small polarized glasses.

"G'day, mate! What's your name?" She asked in a friendly thick Australian tone.

"Oh, uh, hi! Name's Tangle? You?" The lemur mobian leaped out of the arms, using her tail to smack aside another flying fiend.

"Drapio! Sorry about the mess! I promise we'll clean it up!" She said before extending her arms, causing a hail of poison spikes to fly into the hordes.

Maggie continued to defend Lanolin, but she was getting tired from using her ability so many times. "Assist required! There's too many of them!" She shouted before her wisp transformed into a Wispon, causing her to unload many more blasts of sound. "No! You're right! I can't give up! I won't be afraid again! I-"

A particularly large shadow monster grabbed her by the wool, slamming her to the ground. Roaring in her face, it raised a claw to slam into her...only for two other claws to rip into it from the back. Shadowy energy leaked from the wound before it was torn in half by the final newcomer. Lanolin looked up, blushing when she saw her Amazonian savior.

Dressed in a flowing purple cape and red body armor, this muscular canine-like anthro sported black/white fur, which got a bit shaggy around her limbs. Her seemingly constant scowl looked down upon the sheep mobian, extending a paw. "Need a hand?" She spoke with a soft Hugarian accent, which contrasted with her powerful form.

Remembering to stay professional, even in these hectic circumstances, Lanolin got back into the fight. "I have so many questions, but I'll save them for when we get out of this! Got a plan?"

"As a matter of fact..." Whipping out a remote, the canine-like one aimed at her scorpion-like partner. "...I do! Think fast, Drapio!"

Busy tossing several shadow monsters aside while Tangle knocked them against the wall, Drapio only had time to look up. "Think what?" A ray of light came from the remote, striking her and transforming her into a giant rotary fan. The only indicator that it was her was that the fan was orange and sported her eyes and glasses. Instantly, the heavy winds blew the monsters away into the darkness, allowing everybody to catch their breaths.

The insectoid member of these newcomers gave the mime-like one a high-five, while Jewel flew in. "Hey, guys! Look who I found! She said she can-"

"Give us help? Great work!" Lanolin wiped sweat off of her forehead. 

Standing alongside the insect mobian was a female feline-like anthro with dark fur and a yellow circle around her tail, thighs, shoulders, ears, and forehead. She was dressed in a purple t-shirt and pants. "Great. We just wasted some of our boss' resources saving these idiots. They didn't even read the sign properly." Her purple eyes glared at everybody there.

Though she wanted to call that remark uncalled for, Tangle turned to the transformed one in the room. "You mean that was you?! You were the sign?!" She had to speak loudly, as the fan was quite loud.

The canine-like one nodded. "That's right. I'd wait until we're safe before we explain anything. Drapio's full of hot air right now." She then turned to the mime-like one. "Mack! Send us back!"

Giving a thumbs-up, the mime-like creature known as Mack started to generate an incredible amount of psychic power. Right now, the robots around them were getting shredded by the remaining shadow monsters, while Drapio's fan-form was starting to get tired.

"Can't...keep this up...for long!" She panted.

Though she wanted to see if Mimic was still around, Whisper knew better and she gathered with the others to where Mack was generating his power. Using her remote, the canine-like anthro changed Drapio back. She scuttled to them, the psychic power eventually transporting them all away to safety.

Before that, the feline-like one fired a ball of shadowy energy at the roof, trapping the fiends in the tunnel. Their rampage had been stopped...for now.

Meanwhile at Frog Forest...

(Frog Forest-Sonic Heroes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eozxj7ADuLQ

Not many people knew of the rainforest known as 'Frog Forest'. Sometimes, it was called 'Lost Jungle' due to how hard it was to find. During the Metal Overlord incident, the place had been discovered by Sonic and company, in which they had to foil the plans of Dr. Robotnik (although, it was really Metal Sonic, but that was a whole other story). It was an oasis filled with enormous amounts of plant life, giant crocodiles, and (of course) giant frogs.

These frogs were often considered magical, as their croaks could either bring life to the plants around them or make them revert into their seed forms. High above the jungle were trees that reached up into the clouds, floating flowers and mushroom-covered platforms surrounding them. It was truly a beautiful sight.

At least, until one of Dr. Robotnik's Emerald Towers rose up in the middle of the place. The entire jungle was being slowly converted into a lifeless metallic place, the plants going from healthy green to shiny chrome. The animals were either fleeing or attacking the many Egg Pawns that were surrounding the area, the giant crocodiles making short work of them. Still, there were too many for them to deal with all at once.

Sonic smashed through several of these machines, using some of the floating ones to get to higher ground. The frogs around him croaked in joy, recognizing the one that saved them from the previous attack on their home. "This place sure brings back memories! Now, if I were Eggman, where would I put my big tower of evil?" He said this as he hopped onto the mushrooms around him, getting higher and higher as he went.

Not even a few minutes into looking around and the hedgehog mobian was gazing upon the first of these Emerald Towers. The gigantic red/yellow tower had gone through one of the tallest and thickest trees. The metal cables from it were shoving into the bark like a spider's web, filling up the cracks with more of that lifeless metal. More Egg Pawns poured out of it, crawling down the tree to terrorize the land.

"Alright. Here we-WHOA!" He was spun around when Omega blew past him, powered by his rockets. 

The robot turned every robot he saw into scrap metal, hopping over entire parts of the stage just to shred through his foes. "Eliminate! Eliminate!"

Letting out a war cry, Sticks swung through the trees, using her boomerang to take out more of the horde. She leaped onto one robot, tearing through the circuitry with her teeth. "Invading my home and interrupting me while I was in the middle of a string theory is bad enough! But you guys just had to take things too far! This place is perfect!"

As Omega bashed in the heads of several Egg Pawns, he turned to the jungle badger mobian as she continued to swing. "There is certainly beauty in the wild and untamed parts of this planet. I have realized that I have had barely any opportunities to explore those places on my own. Perhaps you would like to join me? I am not a 'Solo Act', as one would put it."

Though she heard all of that, Sticks couldn't tear her eyes away from how the machine was utterly decimating some of the hordes that tried leaping from behind one of the trees. Scrap metal fell to the floor as the bullets flew, while his rocket boots ensured he could fly above so he could rain down several missiles. "A robot that smashes other robots. Yep. He's the one." She smiled.

She landed right where Sonic was, the hedgehog having found a large flower. "How's the bot bashing going, Sticks?" He asked.

"I feel like I'm on fire! WHOO! Let's spread the carnage to that ugly metal pimple!" She pointed to the tower. "You hear that, eggbrain?! I hope you go to sleep, crying helplessly, as I-"

Knowing that time was running out, Sonic sped around the fallen giant flower, causing it to suddenly propel into the air. "Hang tight!" He had Sticks' hand wrap around the stem, causing her to fly into the air, carried by the wind.

Letting out a startled yelp, Sticks looked around before realizing she was circling around the ruined tree that housed the tower. "Do not worry! I shall save you!" Omega shouted, activating his rockets at full capacity. That way, he was able to catch up with the jungle badger mobian.

While he flew up, he noticed swarms of flying Egg Pawns surrounding both himself and his partner. That caused him to activate his arm-cannons. However, Sticks let go of the flower, landing on his back. "Ya' know, when I'm like this...it's like I'm blasting these no-good tin-cans into scrap. So...wanna do this together?" Her tail started to wag. At this point, she started to feel as romantic as Amy Rose...especially due to the fact that what followed was going to involve lots of destruction.

Omega's circuitry felt a surge like nothing he had ever felt before. His optics glowed even more red as he began to mow down scores of the machines, twirling around as he did so. Sticks swung her boomerang, letting the wind carry it as it beheaded several more of these robots.

All the while, Sonic was speeding along the tower, watching this happen. "You know, the more I think about it, those two hooking up makes a heck of a lot of sense. Now, where was I?" He increased his speed, running along the tower with the aim of getting to the top. Perhaps he would find a way to get the emerald from there? Everything Dr. Robotnik made had a weakness of some sort. Why should this be any different?

Finally getting to the top, Omega landed next to the hedgehog mobian with a loud CLANG. "Target confirmed!" He pointed at the Green Emerald floating below the massive logo of the Eggman Empire.

"Huh. That was easy. Too easy." Sticks looked around, her brow arching. "This is the part where we get jumped by the space broccoli that Eggman has allied himself with! I'm sure those fiends are coming back to reclaim Mobius!"

Sonic just shrugged. "Pretty sure this is just another example of Baldy McNoisehair being lazy with his evil machine designs. Unless..." He paused, the desire to speed towards the floating emerald strong within him. "...c'mon, trap! Show yourself!"

"Yeah! SHOW YOURSELF!" Sticks shouted.

"Speeding up the process." Omega shot his arm-cannons around the emerald, the aim being to activate any potential hazards that were set in place.

Sure enough, something emerged from the tower, smashing through it before landing in front of the group. The tower was wide enough so that this 4-story mech would be able to stand on it and let out a monstrous mechanical roar/squeal as it reared up, smashing its hooves against the ground. "There's our answer!" Sonic shouted.

This green/black machine resembled a tremendously thick boar, its tusks longer and thicker than its head. Its yellow optics narrowed at the group, the four hooves lined with spikes that would help propel it at its foes. On its forehead, a tv-screen came to life, Dr. Robotnik's laughing face revealed. "Hohohoho! So, this is the first of my Egg Guardian Mechs that you activated? Very well! Meet the Egg Erymanthius! This one's designed to convert all the plant matter I've had my minions gather into a source of limitless power!"

That last detail made Sonic give a flabbergasted look. "Wait a sec! Did you just go green just so you could make some giant robot pig? Gotta say. That's progressive!" Right as he said that, the Egg Erymanthius belched out a ton of smoke, polluting the air. "Okay, nevermind. You somehow made going green evil."

"BOOOOO!" Sticks jeered. "That's it! This little piggy is going to the darkest corner of my scrap pile! THE ONE I SLEEP ON!"

"It matters not what kind of robot you throw at me. I will destroy it like all the rest." Omega declared. 

The screen showing Dr. Robotnik went dark, followed by the boar-like machine letting out another deafening squeal. Rockets stationed around the thighs activated, causing it to charge at the trio with the force of a bullet train. "SCATTER!" Sonic shouted, almost getting knocked off by the winds that rush attack generated.

The fight against one of the first of Dr. Robotnik's Egg Guardians had begun! But, before this continues, how are Whisper and the others doing?

Back with the Neo Diamond Cutters...

In a flash of psychic energy, everybody that was involved in that shadow monster mess was transported to a much brighter part of the cavern, more light crystals shining the path. "That was TOO close." Lanolin dusted herself off.

"Whoo! Let's do that again!" Tangle exclaimed.

"Let's not." Whisper said, her wisps rushing to her side when they saw the scorpion-like one among them.

That made Drapio whimper a bit. "Awwww, they don't like me, Sleet!"

Standing tall, the canine-like one cracked her neck. "Relax. They're wisps. They're friendly as a bunch of Piplups. They'll warm up to you."

Eventually, the Neo Diamond Cutters stood before their saviors. "I have so many questions right now, but I think I know where to start." Lanolin stated. "Who are you guys?"

"Are you some kind of resistance?" Tangle asked. "'cause you've got one hell of a team!"

"How about you shut up and let us answer?" The feline-like one answered. "The data we have DID say you were the stupid one."

"Excuse you?" The lemur mobian's brow rose, while Whisper gave a low growl.

The muscular canine of the duo slapped her forehead, while the mime-like one shook his head disapprovingly. "Forgive her manners. Sylvia's quite blunt with whatever she's thinking."

"Eh. Works for me." Jewel shrugged.

Whisper nudged the beetle mobian. "She insulted your friend. Aren't you going-"

"Apologies for the interruption, but we have no time for that much smalltalk. Let's chat while we head over to the boss." The canine-like one said, putting a claw on her chest. "My name is Sleet. This band of misfits is my team of mercenaries. Firstly, may I say how much of an honor it is to be fighting alongside you?" She knelt in front of the sheep mobian of the group. "We've gathered much data on the Restoration and, I must say, that data doesn't do you any justice."

"Thanks. I'd like to think we're doing a great job." Lanolin rubbed her arm, her small tail flicking a bit.

Instantly, Tangle felt her shipping goggles manifest on her face. She also remembered what the sheep mobian had said at the party. "Oooooh, this could be fun."

Continuing, Sleet gestured to the insectoid of the bunch. "This is Split-Sec. He's our speedster. You need him to infiltrate somewhere in the blink of an eye? He's your guy. Just don't expect to have any conversations with him." Indeed, he was focusing on walking, looking around for any sign of danger.

Cyan made some noises next to Whisper, to which the wolf mobian turned to the floating one. "No, I don't think he can give Sonic a 'run for his money'."

"I don't know about that, mate. Split-Sec really lives up to his name when he wants to! It's a spectacle, I tell ya'!" Drapio said.

Sleet cleared her throat, continuing as she gestured to the mime-like one. Currently, he was miming himself riding a bicycle, looking around while adjusting an invisible helmet. "Next, we have Mack, our psychic and getaway teleporter. He can get us from one place to the other in a pinch. He's also not much of a talker, but he makes up for that with his showmanship."

Hearing that caused Mack to start riding his invisible bike upside down, expecting some applause. Awkwardly, the others clapped, causing him to beam with pride. "He's kind of creepy. Just look at him!" Jewel whispered to Lanolin.

"Be polite! It's not right to judge others based on their appearance." The sheep mobian replied. "Besides, that's actually kind of impressive."

"Yes. Very befitting of an experienced Mr. Mime." Sleet stated.

"Mr. What?" 

"I'll get to that later." She then turned her claw to the feline-like one. "You've already met Sylvia. She may be blunt, but she's a powerful wielder of dark-type moves. Entire waves of our enemies fall before her and she's only our newest recruit!" Her tail lightly tapped Sylvia on the shoulder. "Come on. Say 'hello' or something."

All the feline-like one did was hold her head up high. "Does it look like I came here to make friends?"

"It's like Shadow, but minus the character development." Tangle remarked, her hands on her hips.

Finally, Sleet gestured to the scorpion-like mercenary. "And, finally, this is my right-hand woman. Goes by Drapio. As you might have seen, she's got the terrifying skill of a Drapion and the technology-based abilities of a Rotom! Only thing is, she can be a bit...dim." 

"You mean she has the I.Q of a pile of wet ramen?" Sylvia interrupted.

"Hey! That's not fair!" The scorpion-like one complained before scratching her head. "Uh...how do you spell 'I.Q'?"

Even Sleet face-palmed at that. Rubbing her temples, she composed herself. "Any other questions before we head over to the boss?"

"I've got one!" Tangle raised her hand. "You called Mack a 'Mr. Mime'? Isn't that one of those 'Digimons' or something?"

The mercenaries looked at each-other, confused. "You got it all wrong, mate. We're Pokémon! Pocket Monsters!" Drapio clicked her pincers.

"But how the heck do you fit in pockets? Your leader's, like, more than 6 feet! Not to mention, she's got abs you could grind meat on." The lemur mobian pointed out.

Ignoring that bit about 'pockets', Lanolin snapped her fingers. "Wait! I've heard of Pokemon! Like those from the Smash Tournament that Sonic attended!" She pointed to Sleet. "If my knowledge is correct, you're a Mightyena..." Then to Drapio, Mack, Split-Sec, and Slyvia. "And the rest of you include a Drapion, a Mr. Mime, a Scizor, and an Umbreon!"

"Somebody's been the library lately." Jewel remarked.

"You never know when that knowledge comes in handy. Still, about you..." She looked to Drapio. "What was that bit about being part Rotom?"

That caused the Drapion/Rotom hybrid to groan. "Ah, bollocks. I know what's about to happen."

Instantly, Sleet aimed her remote at her partner, zapping her with it and causing her to turn into a small car, then (with another zap), she was a table. Yet another zap transformed her into a Magikarp. In every form, she still had her face (or, sometimes, just her bespectacled eyes). "Let's just say her mother had a very active social life. One that resulted in Drapio's biology being quite mutated." Sleet said. "Instead of taking over machines, she can BECOME a biomechanical lifeform of any choosing I set this remote to. Impressive, no?"

Once Drapio was turned back to normal, she found Tangle hanging from her pincer-tail with her own tail. "That is SO cool! More than cool! Ultra cool!"

"Heh. Glad you think so, mate." Drapio blushed a bit, twiddling her pincers. "Most people are more likely to call it 'freaky'. Still, a little warning before zapping me would be nice!" She scowled at the Mightyena anthro, who just shrugged.

Whisper felt herself tense up, though something about the shapeshifting abilities of this Pokemon calmed her due to the fact that they didn't hold a candle to Mimic's. For one thing, every form she took was always the same orange coloration. Not to mention, that same ogre-like face kept showing up in each form. If this Pokemon were to turn on the group, she wouldn't get far. Then again, given her personality, it looked like she wouldn't even think of doing that.

Once again, Lanolin continued with her questions. "What are you all doing away from the Nintendo universe?" Lanolin asked.

Sleet rubbed the back of her head. "I hope you're a fan of long stories, because-"

"Oooh! Can I tell it! Can I? Can I?!" Drapio bounced up and down.

Sylvia just slapped her on upper right leg. "You keep that up and those monsters might find us! Can you get any dumber?" Again, the Drapion whimpered at that.

"Hey, back off!" Tangle exclaimed before flinging herself from her hanging spot and landing on the scorpion-like one's back. "Learn to be a little friendlier to your teammates, okay?"

Split-Sec got between them, shaking his head. That just caused Sylvia to turn her head up high. "Whatever."

Sleet snarled at her. "Split-Sec and Tangle are right, you know. We just got away from those shadow monsters. The last thing we need is any infighting."  The anthro Mightyena looked to Lanolin. "This kind of insolence is what I have to deal with one the regular. How about you?"

"Well, leading a team can be stressful, but I've found it to be therapeutic in some areas where paperwork won't cut it." She twirled her wool as she said this, trying not to focus on the size difference between her and the anthro mightyena. A detail she found quite attractive.

Throughout all this, Whisper was using her mask to check for any sign of Mimic, but it would not be her mask that picked up on anything. Rather, her ears were picking up something...familiar. The sound of strings on a guitar getting strummed. "Who is this 'boss' of yours?" She asked. "We can ask about your story after that."

('Give Me a Sign' Acoustic-Breaking Benjamin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VXv45SZNrQ

That same strumming got louder, causing everybody to pay attention as it echoed through the cavern. "Better hurry! The boss is starting to perform! I can't miss this!" Drapio clicked her pincers in excitement.

"It's not a celebratory occasion." Sleet shook her head. "This usually happens whenever he's feeling sad."

"Which is often." Sylvia added, while Mack wiped his eyes, miming the act of sobbing inconsolably.

As the Neo Diamond Cutters followed the mercenaries, the singing voice of the 'boss' rang through the tunnel, the crystals seeming to glow to the beat of the song. "Dead star shine. Light up the sky. I'm all out of breath. My walls are closing in."

"Yeesh. The big gal wasn't kidding. This is already shaping up to be a downer." Tangle winced.

"Days go by. Give me a sign. Come back to the end. The shepherd of the damned." When those words were sung, the group approached a large hole in the cavern, the place lighting up the moment they all entered.

Instantly, they were greeted with a humongous hollowed-out room, as well as a giant gate with seven slot-shaped holes within the arch of it. There was also a massive dead tree, several globes floating around it like a solar system model. Many more of those strange robots were either standing in place or crawling around.

This time, the crystals were glowing bright pink, illuminating the whole place as the voice sang some more. "I can feel you falling away! No longer the lost! No longer the same! And I can see you starting to break! I'll keep you alive...if you show me the way! "

Slowly, everybody looked up to the top of the tree, a massive hooded figure standing atop it. He was crouched over it all, two long vines of bushy red leaves flowing down like hair behind him. His almost mechanical claws were strumming the guitar as he stood up. "Forever and ever, the scars will remain! I'm falling apart! Leave me here forever in the dark."

While he strummed, Whisper found herself lost in his song. "Wait. Isn't that the guy you mentioned? The one that told you about Robotropolis' location?" Lanolin asked.

"...yes." She replied, watching as those fingers strummed a whole new image into everybody's minds. At long last, the other Neo Diamond Cutters could experience the way his skills made all those around him spellbound. The wisps were even starting to float up, enraptured.

The cloaked stranger fell down from the tree, his long tail ending in a tri-clawed shape, almost like an extra hand. He looked up to the sky as he sang some more, his hair-tendrils moving up slowly to twist around. "Daylight dies. Blackout the sky. Does anyone care? Is anybody there? "

Curling his body over his guitar, he almost fell to his knees. "Take this life. Empty inside. I'm already dead. I'll rise to fall again! "

Suddenly, a hologram of an entire world materialized behind him, causing him to start circling it. Though the hologram was glitchy, it depicted a lush green world, but it was withering into a lifeless gray one, covered in ruined buildings and smoke rising from each landmass. "I can feel you falling away! No longer the lost! No longer the same! And I can see you starting to break! I'll keep you alive...if you show me the way! "

He soon collapsed against the hologram, his vines clutching at it as his tail-claw made a fist. "Forever and ever, the scars will remain! I'm falling apart! Leave me here forever in the dark." 

Falling to his knees, he held his guitar close as he gazed upon the ground, the holographic world starting to wither into digital ash. "God help me, I've come undone." He looked up to the ceiling, his hair tendrils twirling slowly upwards before they fell down to the ground. "Out of the light of the sun. God help me, I've come undone. Out of the light of the sun."

Suddenly, he rose back up, his tail slamming against the ground with enough force to generate cracks. "I can feel you falling away! No longer the lost! No longer the same! And I can see you starting to break! I'll keep you alive...if you show me the way! Forever and ever, the scars will remain! "

Walking away from the group he had not noticed yet, he gazed pleadingly at the giant gate in the room. "Give me a sign."

For some reason, other voices filled the place, sounding as equally melancholy. "(There's something buried in the words) "

"Give me a sign."

"(Your tears are adding to the flood) "

All this caused the cloaked stranger to sound a lot more agitated and desperate, his hair tendrils rising up. "Just give me a sign! "

"(There's something buried in the words) "

"Give me a sign! "

"(Your tears are adding to the flood) "

"Just give me a sign! "

"(There's something buried in the words) "

"Give me a sign! "

"(Your tears are adding to the flood) "

"Forever and ever, the scars will remain! " At long last, the song had ended, the cloaked figure falling back to his knees as he sang those last few words. For a moment, he just sat there, not moving. 

His head only rose up when Drapio began to clap with her pincers. "Encore! Encore! You always know how to put on a performance!" She nudged Mack a bit. "You might have some competition." That caused him to cross his arms and roll his eyes.

"So, your boss is super depressed? I'm lost." Tangle said, nudging Whisper out of her trance. "Not gonna lie. That guy can angst pretty good."

For a while, an awkward silence followed before Sleet cleared her throat. "I hope we're not interrupting anything, boss, but-"

"You are finally here." He slowly stood up, his height eclipsing even the tallest members of the group. "I have waited for a long time for your assistance. I assume that the strange creatures within this cavern interrupted your arrival?"

The mercenaries nodded. "Not helping were THESE distractions." Sylvia motioned to the Neo Diamond Cutters.

"Geez! Who spat in your cereal this morning?" Tangle groaned. 

"You get used to it." Drapio huffed, with even Split-Sec nodding in agreement. "Okay, that's kind of a lie, but..."

The stranger waited for them to finish their bickering before speaking again, this time turning to the group. The glowing yellow optic where his head was shined on all of them. "The Neo Diamond Cutters. I was not expecting your arrival. Then again, I have seen what Robotnik is doing to this planet. Resistance against him was inevitable." His head then turned to Whisper. "It's good to see you again. Are you doing alright?"

Adjusting her mask, Whisper stepped forth. "I need to know the truth. WE need to know the truth."

"She's right." Lanolin narrowed her eyes before pointing at the mysterious one. "Before I ask who you are, answer me this. Are you or are you not working for Dr. Robotnik?"

The sheep mobian was greeted with more stony silence before the strange held out both claws. "Yes...and no."

"Ugh! Cut the cryptic stuff! Give us a straight answer! We're on the clock!" Tangle said. "Let me guess. You're stringing Eggman along after you promised him a lot of power, but you plan on betraying him to take over the world?"

Looking to a humongous array of computer screens that came to life all over the room, everybody was greeted by the sight of Dr. Robotnik's towers wreaking havoc all across Mobius. "This may be my doing, but it was NOT my intention. I will explain everything in due time. You may have not been part of my plan, but then again. The mercenaries were not part of it either."

Sleet spoke up after hearing that. "With all due respect, we were sent by the ones who gave you what you needed for your plan. Apparently, they feared that Eggman's schemes were going to ruin everything. That, and whatever those shadow monsters were are a good cause for alarm."

Rubbing his chin, the stranger sighed. "Very well. This whole thing was my burden to bear, but, if what you say is true, I have no choice but to accept your assistance...and that goes for your team, too." He pointed at Lanolin. "If you wish to help your world, you are to aid in my plan's completion."

Losing patience with how vague this guy was, Whisper butted in. "Is that why you revealed the location of Robotropolis to me? So you could lure me and the others in to be your servants?"

"I did so in the hope that Robotnik's schemes would be halted in some capacity while I achieve my goal. I have no intention on letting him doom this world." The stranger clarified, one of his claws moving to clutch around his cloak. "As for what my goal is...to save TWO worlds. One of the present...and the other of the past."

FWOOSH!

With that, the cloak came off, falling off the edge of the platform he was on. Revealed to everybody was a hunched humanoid figure, most of his body covered in metallic gray armor like a knight. His chest armor had large purple shoulder-spikes, as well as a yellow core much like the giant yellow optic on his 'face'. Speaking of which, his face was covered by the helmet, ending in a three-pronged purple crown that curved backwards. From the back of his covered head, two long and thick vines of red leaves fell down, but they moved like extra limbs. His tail was also covered in that same armor, ending in the three-clawed tip.

Seeing how quiet everybody was, he spoke up again. "You may call me...The Exiled."

Right as he said that, Mack did a 'DUN DUN DUN' pose. "Ooooh, gives me chills when he does that big reveal like that, I'll tell ya' what!" Drapio shuddered, hiding behind Sleet, the mightyena anthro trying to keep her cool without shivering herself.

The Neo Diamond Cutters also kept it together, but Jewel let out a gasp and fainted. "Whoa! You were awfully quiet before now!" Tangle exclaimed, helping her float back up.

"Sorry. I suppose I zoned out for a second." She admitted.

With that introduction done, the Exiled stepped forward, each step slightly shaking the ground. "Before we discuss how we are to put an end to Robotnik's madness and achieve my goal, I need to know something." He leaned into the groups, his head vines wrapping around several stalagmites tightly. "Do you trust me...and can I trust you?"

The mercenaries instantly started shaking their heads. "Of course! You can count on us! We won't fail you and our world!" Sleet declared.

"Yeah! We're gonna be more than just mercenaries! We're gonna be heroes!" Drapio high-fived both Split-Sec and Mac before turning to Sylvia. "C'mon, new gal! Don't leave me hanging!"

"...whatever. We get paid, right?" 

Tangle rubbed her head. "I mean...you DID say something about saving worlds, so I guess you're a good guy...but you also said you gave Eggman what he needed so...wow, my head's spinning."

"You can say that again." Drapio said before extending a pincer. "Slyvia left me hanging, so...if you wanna..."

"Sure thing!" She high-fived the pincer. "Even if this whole thing is some kind of elaborate overcomplicated evil plot, I bet I'll still have lots of fun doing this with a cool gal like you!"

Looking red as a beat as she looked at her pincer. "You mean all that? Awwww, gee~"

Jewel also started to nod. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad. What other options do we got?"

Thinking of whatever other options there might have been, Lanolin turned to Whisper. "What do you think? You were the first to meet him. Given the conflicting information we have, this could be a huge risk."

Nudging her mask open slightly, Whisper's usually closed eyes opened a bit to peer into the seemingly lifeless yellow optic. It took some squinting, but he could almost see a pair of organic eyes behind the mask. They almost looked...pleading. Lonely. Desperate. Tired. A look she saw in the mirror one too many times. "...let's do this." She said.

"ALRIGHT!" Both Tangle and Drapio said at the same time, surprising both. "Jinx!"

"Oh, great. TWO Tangles." Lanolin face-palmed, while Jewel fainted in mid-air.

"Oh, great. TWO Drapios." Sleet sighed at the same time. That caused both her and the sheep mobian to look at each-other in embarrassment.

"Um...jinx?" They both nervously said.

Standing back up, the Exiled ignored this display, motioning for the groups to follow him. As they walked through the place, the robot minions followed as well. While that was enough to get their attention, the groups also looked at the large gate. "I know you're curious about the details of my goal. All in good time, I assure you. All in good time." He stated.

Right as they entered one of the many tunnels connected to this room, the arch of the gate sparked with life for a brief moment, almost tearing into space/time...

Back at the Green Emerald Tower...

(Team Battle-Sonic Heroes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6pWNjjThB0

Back with Sonic, he was running circles around the giant mechanical boar, but the Egg Erymanthius had a secret weapon. Letting out another squeal, it unleashed poisonous gasses from the vents around its thighs. Its whip like tail also swatted the ground, sending shrapnel everywhere. "Gotta find higher ground!" The hedgehog mobian leaped into the air, only to get swatted like a bug.

Sticks, however, had no problem with the gas. "This stuff? I huff far more dangerous gasses to prepare myself for the apocalypse. I knew all that would pay off!" She declared before throwing her boomerang at the monster mech's eye, causing it to turn its attention to her.

Activating its rockets again, the Egg Erymanthius attempted to rush at her, the tusks ready to crush or skewer. Right as it did this, Omega rammed into its side, denting its metal and causing it to tumble onto its belly. That caused it to start expelling more poisonous gas from its vents. "Weakspot detected! Activating all weaponry!" The robot shouted, using his arm cannons against the vents.

Sonic managed to get back on his feet long enough to zoom and grab Sticks. "I've got a bad feeling things are gonna get-" KABOOM! The vents burst into flames, causing the gas around everybody to ignite. "EXPLOSIVE!" He leaped into the air as far as he could, using the flying Egg Pawns around him as platforms.

Omega planted his feet into the ground, tanking the flames. However, when the smoke cleared, one of those tusks smashed into his side, sending him flying and struggling to activate his own rockets. Stabilizing himself at last, he joined with the others as they looked down upon the massive machine. "Target's functionality is too high. This will not do." The former Robotnik robot clenched his claw.

"Let me at him! I bet if you can get me inside, I'll rip that thing apart, piece by piece!" Sticks shouted.

"Brutal, but that could work!" Sonic said, releasing Sticks as she used her boomerang to stab into the floating Egg Pawns, swinging from them as everybody circled the machine from the air. From the looks of it, the sparking holes where the vents used to be would be good options to attack.

The Egg Erymanthius had another trick to counter the damage it just received. Opening its jaws wide, it began to suck everything around it into its maw. Rotary saws awaited any unfortunate robot that got sucked in, tearing them apart and converting them into energy. That allowed the machine to activate its rockets at full power, flying into the sky. "Talk about 'when pigs fly'!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Really?" Even Sticks had to shake her head.

"What?! It was too easy!" Sonic said, spin-dashing as fast as he could away from the flying mech. The sheer size of it made sure that, when it passed by the heroes, the winds generated would blow them all around the tower, risking the possibility of them falling. Not to mention, those tusks often came inches away from skewering them mid-flight.

The productivity of the Emerald Tower would turn against it, as the amount of flying Egg Pawn robots would provide many ways for the group to stay in the air. Omega would just fly around, his missiles and arm cannons attempting to make a scratch on the flying mech. Not helping was the fact that the Egg Erymanthius would stop and suck up more robots, blasting entire junk piles from its mouth as makeshift boulders.

One of those metal boulders crashed into Omega, exploding into scrap and sending him skyrocketing into the tower's top. "Oh, you've done it this time!" Sticks allowed herself to fall down to that top as well, but it was right as the giant pig mech was flying below her. That allowed her to stab her boomerang into the creature's head, allowing her to ride it. 

Sonic busied himself with spin-dashing into the broken vents, but all that did was make sparks fly. However, as he watched the amount of Egg Pawns grow, an idea formed in his head. He landed next to Omega, helping him up. "Hey, big guy! Ignore the hog!" That caused the robot to turn away from him, pretending like he wasn't there. "No! Not me!"

"Sorry. I was assuming you were talking like you were still in the 90s." Omega said, receiving a glare for that, before he saw what Sticks was doing to the flying machine. "No fear at all when damaging the enemy. I want to spend the rest of my functionality with her."

"You can be romantic later! For now, wait until I get as many Egg Pawns as I can here! Then, shoot them into one big scrap pile!" Sonic instructed, already getting the attention of the many robots. They were blasting at him, but their many misses prompted them to get closer.

Waiting for his chance, Omega fought against the desire to just get the blasting over with. "Concentrate...concentrate..." He said to himself before the robots were finally close enough to the tower. "ANNIHILATE! ANNIHILATE!"

"Music to my ears!" Sticks shouted, watching as the robots reduced to piles of scrap. With her, she just continued to stab her boomerang into the head of the Egg Erymanthius. Squealing in rage, it rammed into the tower, trying to scrape her off. "Down...with robot tyranny!" She shouted, fighting through the pain of that action before she ripped into some wiring with her teeth.

Its CPU temporarily scrambling thanks to that, the Egg Erymanthius spun in the air before finally shaking Sticks off, causing her to land back on the tower. "You're just in time!" Sonic said, spinning around the pile of robots until it started to form into a perfectly good ball. One even bigger than the giant machine's mouth! "Omega! Give our friend a meal he won't forget!"

"Affirmative!" With that, Omega grabbed the giant ball, straining his limbs as he spun it around and around until he threw it as the squealing machine.

Anticipating another boost in power, the Egg Erymanthius opened wide, ready to take in the thing, even if it had to suck it in slowly. However, Sticks added a curveball. "Lucky boomerang, don't fail me now or I'll haunt you after my untimely death!" She shouted before throwing the weapon into the monster machine's maw. Surprisingly, it caused the rotary blades within to jam, causing the machine's optics to widen.

Unable to rid itself of the giant ball of machines stuck in its jaws, the pig-like mech was left powerless as Omega unleashed a hail of missiles at the ball. That caused a mighty explosion that utterly destroyed the head of the robot, causing the rest of its body to fall down, the rest of it smashing upon impact with the ground.

Looking down from the tower, Sonic gave a smirk. "I always knew that Eggman was a ham. I never expected him to take it so literally."

While he said that, Sticks held out a claw, her boomerang coming back. "You did good there! Mommy's so proud!" She kissed it several times before turning to Omega. "Let's nab this thing!"

Wasting no time, Omega clenched his claw around the Green Emerald, pulling it out. "I would highly suggest we leave. If my calculations are correct, this tower will self-destruct without its power source in ten...nine...eight...seven...six-"

His countdown was interrupted by a series of explosions all around the tower, causing it to shake and tremble. The remaining Egg Pawns convulsed with electricity, their bodies exploding into nuts and bolts. The towers around this place were also starting to explode, while the metallic cables started to shrivel up like dying plants. The metal coating that they brought with them melted away into nothing, restoring the land.

While this was certainly a victory, Sonic and company knew they had to get out of here. Seeing a floating flower, Sonic leaped onto it, looking back. "C'mon! Let's get out of here!"

His answer came in the form of Omega floating slowly down with Sticks in his arms, robots blowing up all around them. "Ya' know...there's only one thing missing from this." She said in a rather sultry voice, batting her eyelashes at the machine holding her.

Getting her drift and remembering some advice from Rouge, Omega began to play some sappy romantic music. "Conditions of absolute romance met. What is the next step?"

"I think you know~" With that, she kissed where his mouth would be, a particularly large Egg Pawn exploding behind them. His claws caressed her frame as this happened, the rest of his body spinning around slowly as they floated into the trees.

Sonic landed safely, looking back to the canopy as he was surrounded by several giant frogs. Turning on his communications device located near his ear, he spoke to Tails. "Hey, best buddy! We not only got the first emerald, but we just knocked out a whole bunch of Eggman's towers! I knew we had this!"

"Excellent! I just got a report that all towers in your area have been self-destructing!" Tails replied, still aboard the Sky Fox. "You know, it's kind of like cutting off the branches of a tree. All that would remain after we find the Chaos Emeralds is taking down the very center of this 'tree'."

"Guess I've got a lot more gardening to do." Sonic chuckled before getting licked by several of the frogs. "Hey, quit it! That tickles!" He then heard some rustling from the trees. "Hey, guys! Wanna come with me to find the next emer...oh...OH..." He blushed heavily, watching what was happening.

The remains of many Egg Pawns surrounded both Omega and Sticks, the latter of which was hugging what looked to be a large robotic cock that Omega just happened to have. It was basically a chrome dildo that would put Big the Cat's dong to shame. "This looks WAY better than any toy I found washed up on the beach! I mean, this COULD be some kind of way for the robots to mate with organic beings, causing a cyborg apocalypse, so..." The jungle badger mobian started to rant.

Trembling with newfound sensations that were causing his circuitry to run hot, Omega stroked his lover's head as he looked upon his newest addition to his body. "Analysis of this new phenomenon...pending...will 'make things up as this goes', as organics say. Still, I was not aware you wanted to do this after only one 'date'." 

That just made Sticks giggle, her breasts massaging the large robotic cock. "Can you blame me? All this mechanical devastation, being in a remote jungle, and hanging with somebody that I can count on...I can't help but letting nature take its course." She trailed a claw over that cock, causing Omega to push that dick into her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she relaxed, slurping louder on the thing while it bulged her throat.

Sonic tried not to stare, turning away as he wiped some sweat off his forehead. "I have...so many questions right now."

"As do I." Tails was blushing even more, having heard enough to know what was happening. "Why did Eggman design his robots to have...nevermind. Just leave them to that. I think Silver and Espio might need a hand."

"Right!" Sonic nodded before hearing the jungle badger mobian clear her throat loudly.

She was looking at him, her mouth caked in the blue coolant that her boyfriend had been leaking into her. "Want some?" She lifted a hand that was also coated in that stuff.

"N-no! I'm good! You guys have fun! But try to head back to the Sky Fox when you can! Later!" With that, he sped off, the frogs behind him croaking in gratefulness.

As for Sticks, she went back to massaging Omega's cock with her tongue and breasts. "So...how much battery do you have on you?"

"Estimation: All day long." His optics glowed.

"Then let's go for TWO WHOLE DAYS!" She screeched, smiling as she pounced on the machine. One could swear that hearts were floating from above this duo, sparks occasionally coming out of them.

While that happened, within the Sky Fox, Tails turned off the communications device. He had heard enough of the duo's moans and digitized groans. Blushing heavily, she quickly got out a piece of paper. "Note to self...in the event that I want to settle down, I'm either choosing a hunk like Knuckles or a robot with the right 'upgrades'."

Still, the possible romantic future would have to wait. Right now, he had to find the Blue Emerald with Charmy's assistance. Hopefully, that wouldn't take long...right?

Chapter Text

Later at the rebuilt Egg Factory...

(Egg Factory Mashup-MusicianNrd)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRIO10WJyZU

Since the roots of Robotropolis spread across the land, it felt like Dr. Robotnik's face was pretty much everywhere. In places where the villainous one used to orchestrate his schemes, the towers rose up in even greater numbers. One of those places was once involved in a plan that involved the infamous Babylonian Rogues, but that's a whole other story.

This place, located in a barren desert, was simply known as the Egg Factory, as this facility was just one of many that Dr. Robotnik used to create his forces. Shortly after it was converted into a racetrack, it was soon abandoned and left to rot. Where there was once flowing lava and busy conveyor belts, there was now just piles of scrap and defunct generators. Any who passed by this place mostly wanted the place junked and stripped of all spare parts, but it was too late for that.

As if the Robotropolis Towers weren't giving the place new life already, a humongous Emerald Tower had ripped through the center, lava emerging from the cracks in the ground. That lava would soon turn into a sea of molten chrome, silver and orange colors joining as more machinery started to come together. The place no longer looked like a factory/speedway hybrid, but it now looked like a winding series of tunnels that lifted into the sky, all connected to the Emerald Tower.

Through its power, the tunnels would be converting the modified lava into a power source to create more Egg Pawns on top of what the other towers were making. The whole factory wound up heavily guarded as the robots flooded down from the tower, eager to serve their villainous master. 

However, the destruction of this place was imminent. This factory had been revived for almost a day, but its time had run out the moment that a certain duo had infiltrated the place. One part of that duo, Espio, clung to the ceiling, his invisibility rendering him unseen. "Is everything set?"

"Ready! " Silver used his telepathy to transmit his message, hiding behind one of the pulsing generators. His body began to glow a soft blue, but the intensity of that color increased as he started to slowly extend his hands out.

Screws from all across the factory started to fly out of place, causing much of the equipment to come apart. Several explosive bags of ninja stars also exploded in several areas that the factory needed to convert the lava into power. Destroying those generators wound up causing the place to become dangerously unstable. Chrome-like lava flooded across the tunnels, burying many Egg Pawns in the molten substance.

"Now's our chance!" Espio shouted, running along the ceiling as he avoided the shots from the remaining Egg Pawns. Silver flew past him, motioning for his boyfriend to hop onto his back. With that, the two started to float up the tunnels, the chrome-like lava bursting all around them. That made sure the security was too busy trying to contain the stuff.

"Seems Eggman doesn't think of everything. He has to leave all the work to his minions." Silver remarked. "He really should learn the value of teamwork and...URGH!" He clutched his chest, even as they floated above the halfway point of the Emerald Tower. 

His body started to shake, nearly causing him to fall into the rising chrome-like lava. "I had a feeling this would happen! Stay strong, my love!" Espio said before whipping out some leaves from his tail, stuffing them into Silver's mouth. "These herbs should calm whatever it is that ails you." He usually kept them around for his other allies, this moment being no exception.

Calming down after that, the future hedgehog mobian did his best not to pay attention to how his body started to become transparent again. "I can't give up now. I have a duty to fulfill!"

"Your nobility is admirable as ever, but, after this, I recommend you drop out of this. I don't want you overtaxing yourself again." Espio said, the duo almost to the top of the Emerald Tower.

"I know, it's just...I can't shake off this gut feeling of mine." Silver confessed. "I feel like being together with you isn't the only reason I'm here. Whenever I come back to the past, I'm trying to prevent a disaster, yet my future remains not as apocalyptic as what's happening right now."

"Doesn't that imply that we succeed? You heard how Sticks, Omega, and Sonic were able to destroy the first Emerald Tower. We're about to follow suite." Espio said that as they landed on top of the structure, the White Emerald gleaming brightly. "Though, I heard that we are to expect a dangerous surprise."

Sighing, Silver shook his head. "This feels different. The reason I've been able to travel back in time is not only because of the power I've been blessed with since birth...but, when I was traveling across the fabric of space/time, I heard many voices call out to me. Like they were pleading for a savior." He looked to the sky, looking uncertain. "Could the future I know changed without me knowing it? Is that why I'm here again? To stop yet another disaster?"

Hearing this, Espio turned away from the White Emerald to wrap his hand around the other's. "Whatever this disaster is, we'll face it together. Tails will also find a way to fix whatever is happening to you. He's proven himself to be a genius without peer. I'm certain he can solve whatever temporal problems are plaguing you."

"I certainly hope so. There's so much I want to see and do when this is over!" Silver exclaimed before rubbing his chin. "There's another thing that's bugging me, but it's comparably minor. Whenever I come to the past and see Shadow, something about him feels...familiar. The only thing that comes up in my memory are his eyes and little else."

While they talked, the tower started to shake. "That must be the factory starting to collapse." Espio said. "Maybe, to answer your question, what happens to Shadow in the future?"

"I don't know. I'm...not much of a historian." Silver admitted. "Ironic, am I right? The protector of the past can't even get the past's story straight."

"If it helps..." Another rumble happened, only it was louder this time, as Espio talked. "...I fancy myself a poet, but you're perhaps the only one that doesn't respond to my writings with either a desire to leave the room or a number of pleas for me to stop."

Suddenly, the rumbling became too loud to bear, as a massive three-toed claw slammed into the tower's top. Another hooked into the place, lifting up a humongous machine made of dull brown metal. Only the claws and head were coated silver. "Here comes the surprise we were promised!" Silver shouted, trying to use his psychic powers to lift the claws off, only for him to falter.

That allowed the full Egg Guardian to rise. However, this mammalian-designed mech was rather cute in appearance. Its head was almost exactly like that of a prehistoric ground sloth, the eyes as beady as a regular sloth. Shaggy hair-like circuitry hung off of the four-story giant, the rest of its body having dragged itself upwards very slowly.

"I fail to see how this is threatening. Perhaps Eggman didn't get to finish this machine before we got here?" Espio wondered.

However, something was shaking within the 'fur' of the machine. "Guys! Get me out of here!" Sonic shouted, trying to push away the circuits, only for lice-like robots to lunge at him, nearly tearing into his body with their mandibles. "I tried giving this guy the ultimate back-scratcher, but this machine's buggy in all the wrong ways!"

"Sonic! Don't worry! I'll get you out of there!" Silver used his power to rip Sonic out of that circuitry, some of the Lice Bots, falling out as the Egg Guardian reared back, its back claws lodging it into the Emerald Tower.

(Eggman Boss-Sonic Unleashed)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vrc_GkV02Y

Letting out a booming roar, a slot on the Egg Guardian's forehead once more opened up to reveal a television screen featuring the mad doctor himself. "Greetings, once again! You may have smashed up my first tower, but I still have enough power to reduce you and your pathetic friends to pulp!" Dr. Robotnik shouted. "I've got plenty of Egg Factories being rebuilt anyway. You just got lucky that one of my Emerald Towers happened to be here."

"You outta stop leaving your toys lying around! You never know when somebody will break them!" Sonic exclaimed. "So, what fancy name did you give this guy?"

"This, my most hated foe, is the Egg Megatherium! It's not much for mobility, but its got you where I want you!" Dr. Robotnik assured, while many more Lice Bots fell off the hanging circuits of the bestial machine. "You leave and you give me an opportunity to repair all you've destroyed! You try to steal that Chaos Emerald...and you'll see what this thing can do! Have fun!"

Once the TV turned off, the whole tower was starting to get infested with the average Mobian-sized Lice Bots. The golden insectoid robots screeched as they lifted their pincers, their mandibles ready to convert their foes into biomass. "And I thought sloths were supposed to be cute! Not bringers of devastation!" Silver said as he used as minimal psychic power as possible. It was enough for him to lift up and use broken bits of metal around him as projectiles.

As for the Egg Megatherium, its claws swung across the tower, the slowness of those blows offset by how more Lice Bots joined the fray. Sonic sped around the machines, tearing them apart as his quills dug into the metal. Espio used his throwing stars and even a few kunai into the heads of the robots. "We must destroy the source if we're to have any hope of getting out of this!"

Remembering how the last Egg Guardian was defeated, Sonic began to tear through more of the Lice Bots, building up speed in order to turn them all into a big ball of scrap. However, the Egg Megatherium noticed this immediately. Slowly, its head moved down to spread some disgusting green liquid from its maw onto the floor.

The sticky green gel began to spread across the tower, entrapping Sonic's shoes. "YECH! Are you kidding me, Eggman?! You made a vomiting robot?!" He complained before realizing he was getting surrounded by Lice Bots. "You wouldn't wanna eat me, guys! I'd go right through you!"

Right as he said that, the metal beneath the robotic insects was stripped from under them, the metal strips shredding through their bodies. "There's got to be something I can do!" Silver said, panting heavily before getting an idea of his. "Espio! Protect Sonic! Take out as many robots as you can! I'll end this with one final burst of power!"

"Don't overtax yourself! Let ME take care of this machine!" Espio insisted, only for the Egg Megatherium's claw to come down. The good news was that he had enough time to get out of the way. It also ensured many of the Lice Bots were smashed in the process. The bad news was that the claw-smash caused a shockwave that blew everybody almost off the tower.

That same green muck continued to slow Sonic down, leaving him only able to throw some measly punches at the replenishing ranks of the Lice Bots. "Silver, whatever you've got planned, do it now!"

Nodding, the future hedgehog mobian flew up into the air, concentrating his power as the Lice Bots tried to leap at him. The rest were grabbing Sonic and flinging him all over the place. Espio managed to stay out of the goop by vanishing into smoke and throwing more kunai. Still, he was running out of weapons, requiring him to kick the heads off of several of those robots.

Silver's markings started to glow brightly, his teeth gritting together as he spread out his limbs. Every destroyed Lice Bot was converging into one giant ball. "METEOR...SMASH!" He shouted, flinging it with enough force to knock the Egg Megatherium right off of the tower.

Letting out one last bellowing roar, it fell down into the chrome-like lava below. The remaining bits of the Egg Factory were smashed even further by the falling Egg Guardian, the Lice Bots on it also getting destroyed by the combination of a hard impact and the molten stuff covering them all.

The Emerald Tower itself was starting to collapse, the Chaos Emerald power source falling out from its floating position as the tower lost all stability. Silver fell to the ground, groaning as Espio rushed to his side. "Are you alright?!"

"I...I think so. That really took the wind out of my quills." He admitted.

Sonic also helped him up, the White Chaos Emerald floating around him. "Great work, team! Now, time for my lifeline..." He activated his Comm Device. "TAILS! We could use a hand!"

"Already on it! I think it's a certain somebody's time to shine!" The fox mobian said, the Emerald Tower starting to tilt.

Out of the smoky skies, Charmy Bee flew in, grabbing Espio by the tail. "Sorry about this, but this is gonna hurt, buddy!" He said, tugging hard.

"AUGH! Hold on!" Espio shouted to both hedgehogs, lifting them up above the devastation. All the other Egg Pawns were exploding, while any remaining Egg Towers were collapsing into each-other, useless without their power source. The chameleon mobian's tail ached heavily, but he stayed strong.

As he did so, Silver regained enough strength to lean into his lover's face, kissing his cheek. "You know, the only shame about this is...I kind of wanted to do what Sticks and Omega did after they destroyed their tower."

Blushing heavily, Espio seemed to be giving that a lot of thought. "I mean...there's no reason we CAN'T do it soon. Just get some rest before you even think about it."

Once the group was far away from the devastation, Sonic suddenly struggled out of Espio's grip. "Catch you guys later! I'm just getting warmed up!" With that, he landed on the side of a mountain, zooming off into the distance.

"And so, like the wind, he continues to move. Where will he go? Nobody knows." Espio remarked.

"Actually, he's moving in the direction of where Knuckles and Vector are situated." Tails interrupted through his communications device.

"Don't ruin the moment."

As they were flown to the Sky Fox, Silver did his best not to show that the pain within him had gotten worse. "What's my destiny in all of this?" He wondered to himself. "I guess only time knows...for now."

Back at Robotropolis...

On one of the more barren parts of the city of metal, Sage floated above the chrome-covered rocks and dirt. Her eyes glowed as she started to generate an entire training area out of hard-light materials. One of her many upgrades since she was rebuilt involved this ability. She created replicas of Resistance Fighters, Egg Pawns, G.U.N robots, buildings, and even entire mountains.

"Loading...loading...complete." She finished. 

Watching from the top of a nearby building, Orbot and Cubot watched with anticipation. "I do hope our older brother knows what he's doing. I remember the last time the doctor had us train in one of these simulations." The former said.

Throwing popcorn against face, Cubot also remembered those times. "Oh, yeah! I couldn't float around properly for a whole week! I even forgot my own name! It was Harold, right?"

Stepping forth into the holographic area was Mecha Sonic himself. His singular optic looked around, glaring at all around him. "Now, then...let's get started!"

"Choose your difficulty setting." Sage asked.

"The hardest." The mechanical hedgehog mobian stated. "If I am to prove myself to my creator, I must show that I can withstand the most hostile of battlefields."

"You shouldn't be pushing yourself this harshly, especially since you've just been reactivated." Sage advised. "No to mention, you're still recovering from-"

His optic glaring, Mecha Sonic clenched his fists. "I won't let my fear hinder me! Activate the training simulation at maximum power!"

Sighing, Sage had one last warning to give. "Remember that your previous fight with Knuckles showcased that your speed and offensive capabilities were not up to par. Be careful." With that, she summoned several Egg Pawn enemies, as well as G.U.N robot hordes.

(Act 2 Boss (Sonic Mania Remix)-TCMusic Archive)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjIgsKBFXgQ

Gearing up for battle, Mecha Sonic leaped into the fray, turning into a ball before slicing his way across the battlefield. Bullets flew past him, some bouncing off of his metal. Uncurling from his ball form, he buried his claws into the nearest G.U.N robot before shielding himself from several other blasts. "Useless!" He shouted, his optic glaring before he used his other claw to grab a section of ground.

Using it to shield himself, he activated his rockets to rush at several enemies, shattering the rubble against them before grabbing two of the holographic foes by their heads. He smashed them together, reducing them to digital particles. However, due to this being the hardest setting, he found himself being surrounded by multiple hordes, their ammunition wearing down his metal.

Covering himself, his optic frantically looked around for an escape. As more of the drones poured in, Sage considered ending the simulation right there. That is, until Mecha Sonic let out a furious shout, extending his arms out and causing a burst of air to push everybody away, some even sent flying off the island into digital oblivion. 

"Huh?" Even Mecha Sonic seemed surprised by what he did. "Peculiar." His attention went to several flying enemies, prompting him to rocket across the ground, avoiding their fire. "From what I remember, Sonic can now spin-dash directly into enemies. I must try it!" Rolling into a ball, he started to gain speed, bouncing against the ground before using his rockets to boost himself right through the entire group of machines.

Landing back onto the ground, he moved towards the enemies within a holographic building, the many robots firing upon him from the top. Resistance fighters started to join their ranks, all equipped with Wispons. They started to rush at him, with one rushing at him with a Cube attack. Stopping that attack with his claw, he punched the holographic Resistance fighter away, focusing his attention on not getting shot at.

Flames, missiles, lightning whips, and even mini-black holes were fired at him, but he continued to swerve through them all. However, several of them used the Asteroid attack, causing many projectiles to start chasing him. Despite how fast his rockets were going, those projectiles were gaining on him. The more he tried to fly away, the more projectiles started to chase him.

A peculiar thing happened when he activated his systems to full throttle. Before the eyes of his onlookers, he suddenly vanished and appeared in the air, kept above by his rockets. It also caused the projectiles to crash into a holographic mountain. "Did he just teleport?!" Cubot asked. "Do I need my optics checked?"

"No! What you saw truly happened! I can hardly believe my OWN optics!" Orbot said.

Sage analyzed what just happened, coming to one conclusion. "That wasn't teleportation...that was speed on par with the power of Chaos Control!" She exclaimed.

Suddenly finding himself moving so fast that it looked like he was teleporting all over the place, Mecha Sonic took this chance to suddenly appear behind the Resistance Fighters, slamming his fists or feet against their bodies and sending them flying. "Hahahaha! This is more like it! I feel better than ever!" He laughed before several Hover Wispons sent him back, causing him to dig his heels into the ground.

Behind him, the holographic Egg Pawns and G.U.N robots were blasting at his back, causing his optic to widen. "GUAH!" He cried out, extending his arm at then and suddenly finding his claws receding into it. A strange automatic gun emerged from it, the holes on it emanating a glowing orange light. Instantly, bullets of pure energy came out, shredding through the competition. "How long have I had this?!" He exclaimed.

"I'm not sure! You're doing great so far! But remember! You picked the hardest setting! The difficulty is already spiking!" Sage reminded him.

Not letting the surprises stop him, Mecha Sonic rolled into his ball-form, shredding through most of the ranks and reducing them to pixels. His arm-blaster also helped in mowing many down, but he found that he could also charge it, balls of bright orange energy slamming into the ground and creating craters wherever they hit. "What a peculiar weapon! It will serve me well!" He said before deciding to try something out.

As the many enemies converged around him, he used his rockets to fly into the air, flying higher than he ever had before. Finding himself high enough to reach the shields of Robotropolis, he extended a fist as he rocketed downwards. Letting out a scream of fury, his body began to catch on fire before slamming into the ground, the resulting energy wave destroying nearly all the foes and even turning various holographic buildings and mountains into pixels.

Rising from the crater he made for himself, he crossed his arms and laughed again. "Amusing! Was THAT the best you could throw at me, Sage?"

"No. This is. I apologize for any damages that might occur." She solemnly replied.

Mecha Sonic's boast was cut short when something struck at him from the side, sending him back into the ground. Getting back up, he was assaulted by many more of those strikes. "W-what?!" he cried out, trying to focus on what was attacking him. His optic scanned the horizon, discovering something that caused his optic to dilate. "You..."

It was Sonic himself, the Blue Blur doing a taunting finger-waving pose. "C'mon! Step it up!" The hologram shouted.

Hearing those words nearly caused Mecha Sonic to shut down from either panic or sheer rage. Mostly the latter, as his claws clenched. "You...WORTHLESS SCUM!" He roared, generating an aura of energy around himself. Rocks floated around him, memories of his past failures flooding his mind...as well as the consequences for that failure. He then rushed at his foe, only for Sonic to zoom around him and slam him in the chest, damaging his core.

Clutching his chest, Mecha Sonic attempted to use his arm blaster, sending pellets of energy all over the place before charging his shots. While they nearly knocked Sonic off-course, the hedgehog mobian still avoided them, looking smug as ever. "You'll never beat us! Not in a million years!"

"Wait. What do you mean 'us'?" Mecha Sonic suddenly realized he wasn't alone, especially when he felt two claws stab into his legs. Emerging from underground was a holographic Knuckles, the echidna mobian rising up to uppercut him and send him flying.

Both holograms teamed up to punch him in the face, sending him skidding across the ground. Weakly looking up, Mecha Sonic was punched repeatedly in the head by Knuckles, while Sonic kept running around him. "You'll never beat us! You'll never beat us!" He kept chanting.

Green volts of energy raced across the robot's form, his pupil going wide with not just anger, but also raw terror. "N...no...NO! NOOOOOOOO!" From his core, he unleashed a powerful energy surge that sent those holographic fighters flying. Giving a roar of pure anger, Mecha Sonic extended another hand, only this time, a sphere of red energy was forming in that claw.

Firing it at the duo, the mechanical one created an explosion that engulfed the entire training area, causing Sage's concentration to break. The whole session had finished earlier than expected, only torn metal surrounding her. "Simulation complete. Results...optimal." She concluded.

The smoke cleared, revealing a fuming Mecha Sonic. He simulated panting, as steam blew out from his parts. Gazing at his claw, he was once again surprised at what he could do. "Have I always had this power or...did something happen?" He wondered before shaking his head, clutching it. "Those voices...I swear! I'll finish you off, Sonic! Your echidna friend, too! You will haunt me no longer!"

Sage flew next to him, offering a hand. "Maybe we could run a few more tests? These new abilities of yours are certainly remarkable."

"NO! I must face my foes now! I can wait no longer!" Mecha Sonic insisted. "I will make the voices stop at long last!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

That voice caused both of them turn around, only to see Dr. Robotnik piloting his Eggmobile. "Busted." Cubot sighed.

"Indeed. I do hope this will end well." Orbot added.

"Father! Mecha Sonic wanted to train and-"

"He's wrecking my island! The future spot of many more of the statues in my honor!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, interrupting Sage and pounding a fist against his flying machine. "All this, right after I lost two Egg Guardians. I was hoping at least one of Sonic's meddling friends would perish. At least ONE!"

Despite the complaints, Mecha Sonic stepped forth. "Master, did you see what I did? I-"

"I don't wanna hear it! You were assigned to guard this city, right? Start guarding it!" The villainous one shouted.

"But-"

"NO BUTS! Do you want to go back to the basement with the other failures again?" Dr. Robotnik warned.

Grunting angrily, Mecha Sonic clenched his claw before deflating. "...no. I can't go back there."

"Father, this is cruel! He's only trying to please you!" Sage shouted, unable to witness this.

Metal Sonic joined the fray, shaking his head. "And he's wasting his time. No amount of training can prepare him for actually facing Sonic himself. You remember his last performance against Knuckles. It was pitiful then and it's just as pitiful now."

"I'll prove you wrong! Just you wait!" Mecha Sonic declared. "I'll show that I'm no failure! If anything, YOU belong in that basement! You've failed more times than I have, if my data serves me well."

"And do you see me complaining?" Metal asked. "Forget whatever you're doing. Accept your fate. I know I have."

Dr. Robotnik grunted impatiently. "Are you two done yet? You can beat each-other up and see who's better AFTER I succeed in conquering the world. Until then, get back to work!" With that, he departed, Metal following him.

Silence followed before Mecha Sonic punched a nearby piece of metallic rock. "GAH! FOOLS!"

"Take it easy, older brother!" Orbot implored. "The good doctor is under a lot of pressure."

Sage watched as her creator left, eventually looking away. "I just don't see why he has to take it out on those around him."

Sighing, the mechanical hedgehog mobian slumped against a wall. "Just one chance. That's all I ask. If I can show him that I'm capable of annihilating his foes...perhaps he'll see me as more than just...trash." There was no trace of his ego when he spoke of this. Only a somber sense of longing.

Floating down, Sage sat beside the despondent one. "If it helps...I believe you are more than that. I have already saved your data to my memory."

"So have I. Our foes won't know what hit them when you have your chance to shine!" Orbot stated.

"Yeah! Metal's not the cool brother! YOU are!" Cubot added.

"..." Mecha Sonic didn't know what to think, but he felt his body cooling upon hearing those words. The fact that these three still believed in him...it made something stir even more within his circuitry. Something that had been inside of him since that battle on Angel Island so many years ago.

For now, he looked up to the sky, his hopes of meeting his enemies again once more being reduced to a dream. A dream he still swore to himself that he would fulfill.

Meanwhile, underneath Robotropolis...

Despite being far away from the shadow monsters, the Neo Diamond Cutters could still feel a lot of tension as they walked through the tunnel. The many strange robotic creatures surrounding them and crawling around the walls weren't helping. "Yeesh. I thought this place would stop giving me the creeps already, but here we are." Tangle stated.

"Do you ever shut up?" Sylvia wondered.

"C'mon, mate! Don't be like that. I like to talk too!" Drapio said, the lemur mobian still riding atop her back. "So, Tangle, was it? You got a handy tail like mine!"

Moving her prehensile tail around, the cheerful one grinned as she kicked back on the chitin. "Sure do! It's gotten me out of so many binds. Yours is pretty cool, too. Definitely a lot pointier." She gazed up at the pincers attached to it. "Does it also use venom?'

"Yeah, but us Drapions are all about power and strength! We're rough bogans, I'll tell ya' what!" She boasted before twiddling her pincers. "Only...I've never been one to throw the first punch. Usually, I like throwing the last. Kinda made an outcast outta me until Sleet hired me."

"Trust me. We're all screwups in some way or another. Together, we fit in just about anywhere!" Tangle stated.

Lanolin turned to her companion after hearing that. "How am I a screwup, exactly?"

Tangle shrugged. "I dunno. You're...well...kind of uptight."

"I am NOT!" Lanolin bleated. "I mean, just...don't put me in front of improperly done paperwork."

"Ugh. Paperwork. My least favorite part of the job." Sleet groaned. "Skip the papers and get straight to the riches, that's what I say. But, if I absolutely have to, it might as well be me that does it. I have the best penmanship out of all of you." To protest that, Mack mimed sharpening a pencil. "You keep drawing squiggly lines on the papers, remember?"

Wanting to prove that she could do smalltalk, Lanolin cleared her throat. "Soooo...Sleet...do you lift?" She awkwardly asked the first thing that came to mind. 'That sounds stupid! What am I?! Some shy school-ewe?! '

Flexing an arm, Sleet just gave a soft smile. "What can I say? My body is a temple and I'm making sure it can't be toppled. By the way, what's that thing around your neck? Looks shiny." She pointed at the Wispon bell.

Maggie came out, investigating the slightly intimidating anthro Pokemon. "This? This is where Maggie dwells. You've heard of Wisps, have you?"

"A bit. My data indicates they're a race of creature that can grant power to anybody that uses them right. Curious." Sleet rubbed her chin. 

"They're not just power sources." Whisper cut in. "They're companions. Partners. Friends."

"I couldn't agree more." The Exiled spoke up, silencing the conversation before Sylvia could complain. "They are bringers of light. They choose to stay on this world due to their bonds. Bonds that, unfortunately, I would have to forsake if I am to accomplish my mission. I stand alone."

"Except you don't." Jewel pointed out, gesturing to the many robots. "What do you call this?"

"Security. Simple as that." The Exiled replied.

As he talked, Lanolin prodded Whisper a bit. "Like I said before. He must trust you more than us ever since our talk. Get as many details out of him before he tried to initiate whatever 'plan' he has."

Jewel flew near them, shuddering when she got a good look at the Exiled's masked face. "Does he ALWAYS look that creepy?"

"It's like he's watching everybody at all times, never blinking." Drapio added, Mack miming himself having bigger eyes to peer at everything. Split Sec merely floated alongside the beetle mobian, clearly wanting to start a conversation with her, but looking too unsure of himself to do so.

Having experience with using a mask to hide her emotions, Whisper could understand the deeper reason for that mask being on the tall one. Still, there was curiosity brimming in her. Not just curiosity involving the motives of this mysterious creature, but also about what exactly he was. He was clearly reptilian, given the tail and the slight growls she heard, but his 'hair' was plant-like. A mixture of flora and fauna.

This was the catalyst for her next question. "Where are you from?" She did her best to sound casual, though it came off colder than she would have hoped. Again, social interactions were her kryptonite.

Turning to her, the Exiled motioned for several of those strange robotic creatures around him to disperse. "That...is a story I would rather not relive. There is a reason they call me 'Exiled'. But I will tell you this: I am not of your world."

"So, an alien?" Tangle added.

"Yes. I have lived underneath the ground of your planet for entire decades, studying your civilizations and cultures." The Exiled continued. "I have...mixed feelings about your world. For all of its beauty, splendor, and especially its music..." He strummed his guitar before putting it away again. "...there is war, destruction, death, and chaos."

"Eh. Nobody's perfect." Sleet shrugged. "He's not the only one not of your world. Me and my compatriots are from a whole other dimension."

"You mean 'universe'? I'm aware you're from the Nintendo one." Lanolin said.

"No, no, no." The Mightyena anthro shook her head. "I mean, my ancestors came from that universe, but we hail from a place filled with displaced Pokemon, Mobians, hybrids, and much more. We call it...C-197. Trust me, I didn't name it. I would have picked something better like...um..."

"Don't strain your brain, 'fearless leader'." Sylvia groused.

Jewel continued to fly next to the group, not really making note of this. Tangle noticed, scooting closer to her. "Yeesh. You're zoning out a whole LOT today. You sure you don't need some rest or-"

"I'm fine! Sorry about that." The beetle mobian stated, though that didn't seem to assure the lemur mobian that much.

Lanolin rubbed her Wispon, Maggie looking back at her as she thought about this. "A whole new dimension. I was already aware of the Sol Dimension, but the discovery of another one...that's one for the books."

Whisper soon continued with her questions. "You said you wanted to save two worlds. How does helping Eggman help with that?" Saying that name made the wolf mobian's fur bristle.

At last, the Exiled stopped at a room filled with many computers, the technology embedded in the walls. "To understand that, the mercenaries will explain why they are here. They have told you of their dimension already."

The Neo Diamond Cutters turned to the group, Mack miming the motion of giving a mic to his anthro Mightyena leader. Going along with it, Sleet grabbed the invisible object. "About our dimension...it's on the verge of collapse."

That caused the heroes to go silent. "...okay, that escalated quickly." Lanolin admitted.

Sighing, Sleet continued. "The one that formed our dimension, a powerful goddess, just vanished and, without her, our dimension had become unstable. Our dimension doesn't have many worlds, but those that know of this catastrophe have been thrown into a panic."

"Wait. Your goddess left and everything's going down the tubes? Just like that?" Tangle asked.

Drapio nodded her head. "Yeah, I wouldn't call our home 'stable', but it's home! I can't bear the thought of it crumpling like paper!" To emphasize that, Mack mimed himself making crumpled paper balls, throwing them at an invisible garbage can.

"And then, you and your planet's people came to me upon learning about my project." The Exiled added, the computer screens showing various areas of the cavern. "I am not certain as to how you were able to find my presence, but your help has been valuable. Your people gave me the resources I need in order to create the Omen of Hope."

"The Omen of what-now?" Tangle asked.

Gesturing to one screen, everybody was now looking at the large portal-shaped device they saw earlier. "Behold. The instrument of how I will save C-197, as well as my homeworld. The device will generate a portal large enough to send entire populations into this dimension. The people of C-197 will make an exodus from their world into yours when it is complete."

"We like this new world, too! Plenty of things to see and people to meet!" Drapio clicked her pincers as she smiled.

Jewel rubbed her chin as she looked at the device. "Interesting."

"Yeah. It's the only good thing to come out of this." Sylvia said.

Despite this noble goal, Whisper had a few more questions to ask. "Where does Eggman fit into all of this?"

Sighing, the Exiled motioned for several of his robots to push a chair towards him. He sat on it, resting his head on his knuckle. "Despite the supplies that C-197's people gave me, I needed a power source for the Omen of Hope. One that could rip open the fabric of time/space like it was nothing. My research then directed me to the next best thing...the Chaos Emeralds."

The group suddenly realized why there were specific slots in the Omen of Hope. "You know, you could have just asked." Tangle stated.

"That's right. The emeralds are to be used for good." Lanolin stated. "We would have helped you find them in no time."

Hearing this just made the Exiled slump more into his chair. "I may have rushed things in order to meet the desired time. C-197's destruction was nearing and I needed to move quickly. I had discovered he was making Robotropolis right above my lab, but, as I was about to destroy him, he offered me a deal. One that involved him giving me even more resources to speed up my mission...and, in return, he wanted my technology. Small samples of it, no less. I considered this an easy deal...but I underestimated what he could do with the bare minimum of my tech."

The Exiled then turned on several more screens, showing the chaos that had taken over Mobius. "He had perverted it into the abomination you see before you. It is my hope that, in addition to having the 7 Chaos Emeralds, I will also put an end to his madness. I was going to solve this on my own, as this is one of the many sins I must atone for...but here you all are."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Whisper said. "Take it from me. Working alone...it never solves anything." She hated admitting that, but her wisps came out to accompany here. "We're stronger...together."

"That's right! Together!" Tangle jumped off Drapio to pat her friend on the shoulder. She used her tail to bring the rest of her compatriots for a group hug. "And we'll smash the butt of any robot that tries to stop us from saving our worlds!"

"You're forgetting something." Sylvia interrupted. "We're only here to get the Chaos Emerald that we suspect Dr. Robotnik still has. We'll find the rest later. Who cares what happens to your world anyway?"

Sleet growled. "Idiot! You realize that, if we get the Chaos Emeralds, we ALSO save their world? Win-win, you know?"

"Yeah, mate! Win-win!" Drapio said, Mack dancing in joy next to her, while Split-Sec nodded in agreement.

Taking out her comm device, Lanolin cursed under her breath. "If only I could contact Tails right now. She'd be pleased to know that we have another ally on our hands."

"There's one last thing." Whisper added. "About your homeworld. Is there another exodus happening from there?"

The large extraterrestrial didn't say anything before turning off the computers. "That is my mission to handle. Nobody else must shoulder that burden. Know that the Omen of Hope will be instrumental in saving it from its own demise. For now, we are all in agreement that I must have these Chaos Emeralds?"

"Very well, but we really do need to get back into contact with Tails so she even knows what to do. I bet she and the others have found the other Chaos Emeralds already." Lanolin stated.

Nodding, the Exiled typed some things into the computer. "Very well. Communications are down, so, during our assault, we'll remedy that issue."

"Oh, that's right! What's the plan?" Sleet asked.

"And what's up with those scary things in the tunnels?" Drapio added, accidentally shoving her commander aside, while Mack mimed the movement of the shadow monsters, baring his teeth while moving his fingers up to look like horns.

Jewel grimaced. "Ugh! Freak." She muttered.

"Hey! What the actual heck?!" Tangle shouted. "He's starting to grow on me!" That lifted the Mr. Mime's mood considerably.

Despite wanting to get back to his mission, the Exiled decided to answer these questions, especially the first one. "Those creatures...I'm not sure, but I have a theory that they followed during one of my experiments with the Omen of Hope. I had to move my lab because of them, as well as create more of my Metarex Replicas."

"Are those these guys?" Tangle gestured to several of them. This group was examining Whisper's wisps, with one poking Blue repeatedly. Orange slapped its hand away, while Green glared at them alongside Cyan.

Moving to shoo away those minions, the Exiled nodded. "Yes. Reminders of a less peaceful time, but they get the job done. I made them myself." Finally, he gestured to a screen showing the various areas of Robotropolis. "Onto my plan to obtain the Blue Emerald. I know for a fact that Robotnik kept at least one of the Chaos Emeralds to power his machines. I was going to sneak in myself, but, now that I have help, I will require one team to sneak in, while the other team provides a distraction."

Sleet rubbed her chin, looking to Drapio. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so, boss, but if wood fired pizza, then how does pizza get a job again?" The Drapion asked.

Slapping her forehead, the anthro Mightyena continued. "Not that. When he said something about a 'distraction', I was thinking about maybe sending a fake Egg Pawn to infiltrate the ranks and see if they moved the Chaos Emerald or something."

"But where are we gonna find one of those robots?" Drapio asked before her compatriot got out her remote, using it to transform the Pokemon into almost a perfect replica of an Egg Pawn, though it still had Drapio's eyes. "I had to ask, didn't I?"

"Relax. You'll do great out there." Sleet said before turning to those around her.

Lanolin joined in the planning. "Once we get an exact location, we'll figure out a plan to infiltrate the place and steal that emerald. This is going to be a dangerous mission, but I'm confident that we can manage it."

"You bet! In fact, I'm coming with Drapio! If things go south, I'll lend a tail!" Tangle said.

That caused the transformed one to rush over to her. "You mean that?! I feel so safe!"

Whisper gave a bit of a growl. "It's too dangerous. I'll go instead."

"Too late! I've already made up my mind! I wouldn't mind having your eye in the sky, though." The lemur mobian patted her friend on the shoulder. "If anything goes wrong, you'll be one rooftop away."

"And I'll be monitoring everything." The Exiled said. "You have my word, Whisper, that no harm will come to your friends. That being said, I agree with Lanolin. This mission will require us to be fearless, bold, and willing to do whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes!" The mercenaries all said.

"That should be our motto, if we manage to go pro after this." Sleet proposed. "Now, then...shall we start Phase 1?" She rubbed her hands.

"Yes. We're good to go." The Exiled said as he and the others gazed at the screen. "May fortune favor the foolish."

Elsewhere, at the ruins of the Newtrogic High Zone...

(This Horizon (Dance Remix)-MyNewSoundtrack)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohN7UgHuD30

Once, in the middle of the South Sea, this ancient island had been the spot of one of Dr. Robotnik's many egocentric schemes. He had planned for this to be one of his many theme parks, back when his goals were more innocent and involving making many of those, just with the workforce being either consisted of robots or trained animals that were placed inside what would be later dubbed 'Badniks'. There was a reason that the working title for this place was 'Carnival Island'.

Alas, when the doctor got serious with dealing with those he considered 'pests', he had converted it into a place of danger and destruction, as well as scientific research involving some special rings. It also had a connected to the Master Emerald, but that was only due to a pillar that was no longer there thanks to the ravages of time.

The sprawling metropolis once had such sights as the Botanic Base, the Speed Slider, the Amazing Arena, the Techno Tower, and the Mariana Madness. All of these places provided their own thrills and chills, but that was all then. Nowadays, all of those attractions and even the entire futuristic cityscapes had been covered by greenery, nature thriving on the abandoned island once more.

That plant life would find itself turning into lifeless metal, the Towers rising up in this place as well. New life was brought back into whatever Dr. Robotnik had built. The animals that called this place home were fleeing for their lives.

Right now, the robots were focused on the remains of the Speed Slider, the sprawling stage track twisting around the Emerald Tower containing the Yellow Emerald. The bright lights and flashing colors of the original state of the Newtrogic High Zone lit up the place once more, the duo of Knuckles and Vector adjusting to it all while they smashed robots left and right.

Breathing fire against one of the machines, Vector grinned. "Oh, yeah! Time to wreck this place once more! And what do you know? They got to rebuilding this stage!"

"Yeah, whatever." Knuckles said as he buried his fists into the walls of the stage, climbing up before uppercutting an Egg Pawn into the sky. "The faster we can bring it back to its old ruined state, the better.'

Sonic finally caught up with them, stopping where Vector was body-slamming one of the machines. "So, this is what I missed out on? I wonder if Espio and Charmy are feeling bad they're not here."

"Eh, maybe only Charmy." Vector dismissed that notion, the trio doing their best to rush through the stage. "Least there's no ring system that's making going through here a slog!"

While they traveled, Sonic caught up with his echidna mobian friend. "Chill out, Knucks! We've got two emeralds already and we're about to get three. Why the long face?"

Grunting, Knuckles smashed through an entire wall blocking the next part of the stage, their journey taking them high enough to look down on the flickering skyscrapers. "I don't know. Maybe it's because my island home and the only reminder of my ancestry is about to sink beneath the waves if we don't hurry up? I can't even sense where the shards of the Master Emerald went!"

"Okay, that does kinda suck, but everything will be fine by the end. It always does!" Sonic assured.

Noticing his friend was in a bad mood, Vector moved closer to the echidna mobian. "Hey, if it helps, I'm still stressing out if Cream and her family are doing okay. Tails says they are, but I don't wanna wait and see how long that lasts."

"Speaking of which, I heard you and Vanilla finally became an item." Sonic slapped the crocodilian mobian on the shoulder. "Congrats! I knew you had it in you."

Blushing, Vector rubbed the back of his head while backhanding a flying Egg Pawn into the ground far below. "Life's awesome, isn't it? Though, I guess I should prepare for step-fatherhood. Don't get me wrong! Cream's a good kid and I guess I've had my fair share of taking care of kids, given I've had to handle Charmy and his antics for years."

Hearing this made Knuckles sigh to himself. While his whole way of life had begun to fall apart, these two were chatting about all these positive things. He couldn't blame Vector for being excited, as getting together with Vanilla had been a dream of his, while Sonic's optimism was an important part of his personality. It'd be weird (and incredibly concerning) if the hedgehog mobian WASN'T looking at the bright side right now.

"It's gonna be fine. You're going to find the Chaos Emeralds, find the Master Emerald shards, and rebuilt Angel Island." Knuckles said to himself, using his gliding ability to take out several more flying Egg Pawns. "It'll be just like every couple of years. Not to mention, it's another excuse for me to go outside."

"Are you angsting about your Guardian role again?" Sonic asked before spin-dashing into a robot, the stage getting higher into the sky as the Emerald Tower's glow shined on them all. "Maybe try and focus on how many more robots I can destroy than you! You must be off your game!"

The competitive spirit within Knuckles was awakened, his troubles put at rest when his fists went through another robot. "Oh, no, you don't! I've fought in way too many battles for you to beat my record!"

"Is this suddenly a competition?! Because I want in!" Vector swatted another group of Egg Pawns off the stage. "Kinda wishing we got ourselves a real challenge! Isn't there supposed to be an Egg Guardian or some-"

Their competitive merriment came to a sudden end when a massive gangly mechanical hand grabbed around Vector smashing his body into the near-top of the Emerald Tower before trying to throw him off. "I've got you!" Knuckles flew in, grabbing him by the tail. The wind gust helped him reach the top, Sonic joining him there.

"Urrrrgh...did anybody get the number on that robot hand?" Vector mumbled before shaking his head, regaining his focus. "What was that?!"

"I think that's an answer to your question." Knuckles punched his fist into his palm. "Alright. Let's crack whatever egg the doctor throws our way!" He then spotted the Yellow Emerald floating in the center. "Forget this! Let's just grab it!"

"Knuckles, wait!" Sonic cried out, only for yet another gangly humanoid robot hand to crash down, the Chaos Emerald getting sucked up a large hole in the palm of that hand.

The trio could only wait, their adversary causing the entire tower to rumble as it climbed up the place. "Greetings and welcome back to the Newtrogic High Zone! New, improved, and guaranteed to annihilate pesky rodents like you!" Dr. Robotnik's voice called out. "That also includes walking handbags like your friend, Knuckles."

"HEY! That's below the belt!" Vector shook his his before the Egg Guardian flew up, blotting out the sun's light as it stared the heroes down.

(Final Fever-Sonic CD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi18h8Sxe9E

It looked like a humongous golden egg, but there were at least 100 slots around it. Those slots would open up to reveal more of those gangly arms. Each one moved at an incredible speed, most of them grabbing whatever they could. An unfortunate number of Egg Pawns were grabbed, either converted into energy or flung back at the heroes at rocketing speeds. "There goes Ro-butt-nik's sense of subtlety." Sonic remarked.

"Hohohohoho!" Dr. Robotnik's voice laughed from the monitor showing up on the very center of the Egg Guardian's form. "This amazing contraption is the Egg Hecatoncheires! If you get grabbed, it's curtains for you!"

"Egg...Heca...ton...IT'S TOO LONG!" Vector shouted.

Knuckles didn't bother to taunt the villainous one, merely leaping into the air and gliding around the place, searching for a weakness as the Egg Hecatoncheires floated above them all. In addition to the many grabbing hands, some of those palms were dropping bombs that littered the top of the tower with explosives.

Sonic ran through them all, while Vector used his scales to tank some of the blasts. That didn't stop some of those hands from crashing down as fists, sending shockwaves that threw Sonic and Knuckles around like ragdolls. One hand grabbed around Vector's tail, spinning him around before using him as a flail. "I'm gonna be siiiiiick!" Vector cried out.

"Hang tight! We'll figure something out!" Knuckles shouted, gliding through the many hands coming at him. He even punched a few away, disabling those arms. Landing on the golden surface of the machine, he began to pound away, only making dents before he was flicked off.

Vector was thrown back onto the ground, some of his teeth falling out, but he stood up and caught one of the fists before it fell down. "Rrrrgh...little help here?!"

"On it!" Sonic spin-dashed through the arm, causing it to fall off. Other fists came, but Vector used the wrecked robot arm like a bat, smacking them away. 

This would keep continuing, more bombs being dropped to turn the tower's top into a raging inferno. Not helping were the various Egg Pawns shooting from the sides. "This is a madhouse! But I think I have an idea!" Knuckles declared.

"We hit it harder?!" Vector asked, hiding behind two stacked robot arms to avoid the bombs and the Egg Pawns. The Egg Hecatoncheires was readying it's final attack as this happened. That attack? Just charging up several arms to swipe the entire cast of heroes off the Emerald Tower.

"Yeah, but from the inside! All three of us! Together!" The echidna mobian grabbed both hands of the heroes.

"You got it! Let's do it to it!" Sonic grinned, using his speed to propel all three up around the many-armed robot. It tried to swat at them and even punch itself, causing more dents. There were a few close calls, but the trio wasn't just making the machine confused. They could only do this for so long, after all.

So, when one of the arms exited out of the slots on the egg-shaped Egg Guardian, they quickly entered, finding it spacious enough for all three to enter the very workings of the machine. None of the Egg Pawns saw what was happening, but, whatever was going on inside the Egg Hecatoncheries, it was causing nuts and bolts to fly out of the palms of the hands, every arm twitching and spasming.

Many of these arms would start to fall down onto the city below, destroying many more of Robotnik's machines. At last, after three minutes, the top of the Egg Guardian was smashed off by both fists of Knuckles and Vector. Rising from the top, smoke coming out of the hole, they lifted up the Yellow Emerald. "TEAM CHAOTIX!" The crocodilian mobian declared.

"Heh. Since it was my idea, I guess I win the competition." Knuckles said, all three heroes leaping off the disabled Egg Guardian.

"No way! Let's see how many more we can smash on our way down! Starting..." Sonic was interrupted by a series of explosions happening across the Emerald Tower, especially as the Egg Hecatoncheries fell, crashing its powerful frame across the structure. "...now! We gotta go!"

"So much for nostalgia! Let's leave this place to rust!" Vector shouted, jumping on top of a glitching flying Egg Pawn. The others merely spin-dashed or glided into more robots, trying to even the score between themselves. However, as they left the Emerald Tower, as well as the other Towers, to crumble, the defeated Egg Guardian actually said something in a computerized voice before it hit the ground.

"Data collected. Transferring all data to the Robotropolis Egg Guardian..."

Back at the Sky Fox...

Speaking of data, Tails had been looking at some of the results from everything that had happened up to now. She sighed as she looked at instances in which Sonic nearly lost his life against the robots. "I shouldn't be doubting you ever...but..." She sighed.

"You okay?" Charmy asked.

"Kind of." She replied, continuing to compile the data. "We may be getting closer to stopping this madness, but...those last few battles against the Egg Guardians have made me worried for not just Sonic, but Silver and Knuckles as well. One of them is showing signs of weakness from all that time travel, one is buckling under the burden he's been carrying for years, and Sonic...things are getting more and more risky for him."

"Don't worry about it!" Charmy insisted, watching several other computers to see if there was any sign of the Blue Emerald. "Knuckles is tougher than that! Silver's probably got some idea from the future that'll help him. Oh, and Sonic? He's Sonic! He can handle anything!"

Though that made Tails smile a bit, that smile didn't last long. "But he's handling so much in rapid succession. He's no stranger to that, but, every time that happens, he survives the final obstacle only by a quill's inch." She admitted this as she approached one particular computer. 

She hovered her finger over one of the keys, ready to activate it, but she faltered. "Am I really going to lose faith in you now, Sonic?" She muttered to herself. "This will take up a lot of power...and it's my 'nuclear option'. So..." The fox mobian turned away from it, shaking her head. "No! I can't do this now."

All of this made the bee mobian on the ship tilt his head. "Uhhhh...do you need a minute to get some fresh air or something?"

Coming back to reality, Tails shook her head. "Nope! Everything's good! I wonder how Shadow and Rouge are doing?" She changed the subject, sighing as she gazed at the computer one last time. "Someday, but not today."

Connected to this computer was a 3D printer. One modified by Tails herself, of course. That way, it could create almost any object that the fox mobian had in mind. What she had planned to create, nobody (not even Sticks) knew. The most they got from the fox mobian was that it would make chili dogs at an increased rate.

It was a lie, but one that got suspicion off of the thing...for now.

Chapter Text

Later at the Mystic Mansion...

(Mystic Mansion-GaMetal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3nW_0wUSs8

Out of all of Dr. Robotnik's creations, having one of his bases be situtated in an abandoned castle was among one of his more creative choices. However, before the Metal Overlord incident, he had abandoned this place as soon as he could. Why? Because he didn't account for the supernatural happenings that came with the location.

Nobody could make heads or tails of this castle. From the orbs that flipped its outer perimeter upside down and then back again to the various rooms that seemed to stretch on for miles. The place truly embodied the phrase 'bigger on the inside'.

Now, an Emerald Tower had grown from the center of this place. The skies became thunderous, while the strange miasma from one of the later rooms of the castle spread out beyond the building. Entire segments of the castle were floating around, the orbs going off at random times to truly mess with any that went near this place.

Shadow grinded against one of the rails, speeding along the winding spiral path that led upwards. However, an activated orb caused everything to go upside down, as well as summon more Egg Pawns. "Tch. I did NOT miss this." He remarked.

"I kind of miss the parts with the bobsleds. Now, that was a thrill ride." Rouge said as she flew alongside him, throwing bat bombs from her wings. 

Sonic was also with them, narrowly avoiding the swiping claw of a giant skeleton that floated next to the tower. "I didn't know we were celebrating Halloween so soon! Where's the candy? The costumes?"

"Focus, Sonic! The sooner we handle this, the better!" Shadow threw his chaos spears at several flying Egg Pawns, while ghostly pumpkin-headed robots floated at him. Rouge took those out by ramming at them, her wings slicing off their heads.

"You know, as far as first dates go, this has got to be the most action-packed!" Rouge said before kicking back, using her wings to keep her in the air. "So, Shadow, if you absolutely HAD to wear anything, boxers or briefs?"

Arching a brow at her question, Shadow struck another orb, causing an incoming door to open to seemingly another room, despite everything floating. "It will always be NONE. I have no reason to hide myself. The fur takes care of that, anyway." He replied. "If this were a proper date, we would not be fighting against the destruction of the world. I would have preferred a trip to an authentic Italian restaurant, the meals cooked just like they were on the ARK."

"So, bland and flavorless?" Sonic asked. "Geez, raise your standards."

"What do you think I've been trying to help him with?" Rouge scoffed. "But yeah. Fun as this is, slurping down noodles while staring into each-other's eyes is a much better idea than dealing with these rustbuckets." She said this while burying her heel into an Egg Pawn, several more getting crushed by an incoming bobsled that had gone off its tracks.

Despite his focus on the mission, Shadow decided that, if his teammate-turned-girlfriend was wishing for a good date, he'd find a way to spice it up. Quickly moving towards the bat mobian, he gently grasped her hands. "Since this is a date, despite what's going on...perhaps you would like to see one of my lesser-known talents?"

Blushing at what he was getting at, Rouge realized he was using his hover-shoes at maximum power so he could float even better. The magic of the wrecked castle was also helping in that regard. "Are you...slow-dancing with me while we're completing the objective?" She asked as she used a wing to fling another bat-bomb, destroying a cluster of Egg Pawns as they tried to keep them from ascending upwards towards the Emerald. 

"Is this a bad time?" Shadow asked, spinning with her as Sonic realized what was going on.

"Actually...no." Rouge smirked, raising a leg up as she was swept off her boots. "I love it when you're extra. Who cares if things aren't all that ideal? We always find a way to make them fun."

Sonic watched this with an amused smile, hitting an orb to make the miasma around him turn into a soothing blue, though this wound up summoning more Egg Pawns. "You lovebirds enjoy yourselves! We're almost there!"

Hearing that made the dance of Shadow and Rouge become even more energetic, fitting with the music currently playing. Their hands held tighter as they spun through the hordes of robots, smashing them left and right. They even combined chaos spears with bat bombs, causing several multi-colored explosions that further wrecked the plans of their foes.

"You know what? This beats any regular date." Rouge chuckled. "If I knew you were a romantic at heart, I would suggested this sooner."

"I'm...still wondering if we can have more of this." Shadow's ears fell, even as they neared their destination. "I promised I'd give up fighting until whatever is happening to me is resolved."

"Well, you seem pretty fine. Maybe all you needed were some snuggles?" Rouge suggested. "And, believe me, you're getting ALL the snuggles when this is over."

"You sound just like Amy right now, you know that?" Sonic asked, having already smashed his way to the top. "Have you been going to her for advice?"

The bat mobian shrugged. "We've been exchanging tips. Some of those tips very...intimate." Her long tongue slipped out, leaving the blushing hedgehog mobians to draw their own conclusions.

Shadow then went back to thinking on the future, wondering if the voices were truly gone and the changes happening to his body had slowed. "If the answer to my problems was 'the power of love' this whole time...then I'll believe it. I don't care how many people call it 'sappy'. It's a lot stronger than they give it credit for."

"Now, I know Amy would want a visit from you to her shop." Rouge said as both she and Shadow landed on the Emerald tower. Stretching, she looked around. "So, where's this 'Egg Guardian'?"

"Give it some time. Baldy McNosehair sure does like his surprises." Sonic said, the Red Emerald shimmering before the trio. "Wonder if he'll name this one 'the Egg DestroyerThunderMaximusDeath the Third' or something."

As they approached the Chaos Emerald, Shadow saw something in the reflection. Instead of his normal face, he saw something...hideous. It looked like a cross between the Biolizard, a Black Arms creature, a dragon, and even himself. He could barely make out what this was shaping up to be, as the form was constantly changing.

He squinted his eyes, until he swore he saw his eyes change into slits, a feral glow to them. "GAH!" He cried out, throwing a chaos spear at the emerald.

"You doing good, Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"I'm fine!" He shouted before rubbing his head, his arms starting to swell before he mentally forced the pain down. "I should have known coming here was a bad idea...but I made a promise. I'm not letting Eggman hurt this world more than he already has."

Noticing her friend in pain, Rouge moved to hold his hand. "Let's just grab this beauty and head on back. Afterwards...snuggles~" She patted Shadow on the back with her wing.

"Yes. Snuggles. Think of the snuggles. Nothing else."

'EMBRACE...YOUR...DESTINY.'  The voice had returned, only it sounded more aggressive. 'You can't protect them in this state. Especially not from the thing coming at you from your left.'

"Coming at me from my what?"

"LOOK OUT!" Sonic shouted, something massive smashing into the trio and nearly knocking the Chaos Emerald from its place. Whatever it was, it was slightly smaller than the other Egg Guardians, but still large enough to smash through a section of the tower with its quadrupedal frame. 

The impact also sent them through a randomly appearing door, a chase throughout the most spacious part of the castle starting!

Meanwhile at Robotropolis...

Intrigued by his new abilities, Mecha Sonic had not stopped practicing with them. Flying around the city, he continued to utilize his spin-dash, smashing into various boulders he threw into the sky. He also practiced aiming with his arm cannon, the laser bullets flying as he spun around it with it. 

It was when he generated a ball of pure red energy in his claw that he got to thinking about his goal. The faces of Sonic and Knuckles were reflected against his visor, his optic narrowing as he clenched his claw. "When I dispose of you two worms...Dr. Robotnik will see that I am no failure. I am not trash. I am-"

"In desperate need of a reality check." A familiar voice spoke from behind, causing Mecha Sonic to aim his arm cannon at the newcomer. It was Metal Sonic, his arms crossed. "At ease. I only wish to talk."

"After you've spent the last couple of hours mocking my efforts? Forgive me if I'm not in a conversational mood." The mechanical hedgehog mobian glared. "Leave me be. I'm preparing for the inevitable return of my nemesis."

"You mean the one you never fought or the one that defeated you with little fanfare?" Metal Sonic asked. "I've researched the data regarding you. I know everything about how you did."

"That was then! This is now!" Mecha Sonic declared. "I will show no mercy and...you know what? On the subject of data, your exploits are hardly anything to write home about." He lowered his arm cannon, moving to tower over the other robot. Not that it was hard, considering the mechanical hedgehog mobian's size. "So many times, you've lost against Sonic and his allies, even with the power of Chaos itself! Who are you to discourage me?"

Turning away, Metal Sonic sighed. "There was a time I used to be just like you. Full of promise and a desire to succeed, no matter what it took. However, there is a problem in not only the both of us, but in all of our creator's schemes."

"And that is?" 

"Sonic is an enigma." The metal one explained. "The doctor refuses to acknowledge that the gap in power between him and his adversary is too vast. He continues to chase after the same dream over and over again, only to get the same result every time. I am an extension of that failure. Living proof that, no matter what, our efforts amount to nothing."

Clenching his claw, Mecha Sonic stomped forward to him. "That can't be right. Every enemy has a weakness! We only have to win once and, then, we shall-"

"ENOUGH." Metal Sonic's voice became much harsher. "I've heard enough speeches from our creator. Of how he'll take over the world once more and make it into something that'll be remembered for all time. Yet, that day never comes. Even when it finally did come, even when he controlled almost the entire world, he STILL fails. What does that tell you?"

This time, Mecha Sonic had no answer. Much as he hated to look back on failure, he had no choice but to look through the data that had been given to him upon reactivation. His creator DID succeed in his dreams of domination. A world where his genius would be recognized and every hardship he faced would be worth it. However, that dream was reduced to nothing in just a few months because of a combination of the Resistance's indominable will and the fact that Sonic was STILL alive, even after he had been defeated!

It made no sense! Sonic was the root cause of his creator's suffering! Why didn't Dr. Robotnik finally end him when he had the chance?! The common cause of every single failure for the Eggman Empire always had to do with Sonic! These facts continues to float around in Mecha Sonic's head before he felt the voices return.

The distorted laughter of Sonic and the demonically scowling face of Knuckles continued to torment him, driving the hopelessness of the situation further into him. "Why are you doing this?" He muttered.

"Excuse me?" Metal tilted his head.

Regaining his senses, the larger robot pointed to the smaller one. "Why are you insistent on reminding me of how seemingly insurmountable our mission is?! What are you trying to prove?! Are you planning on defecting from our creator or something?"

"No. Remember? I tried that once. It didn't work." Metal Sonic grumbled, his memory banks bringing up his fall from the sky as the Metal Overlord. "As for what I'm trying to prove, I'm trying to spare you the embarrassment of you giving it your all...and then being reminded that, in the end, Sonic simply cannot be beaten. We are merely rocks from a caveman being thrown at the sun. The sooner you accept that, the better."

Walking away from the smaller robot, Mecha Sonic glared at the ground, his body trembling with both rage and his efforts to suppress the nagging voice in the back of his CPU that what Metal Sonic was saying was, ultimately, right. "...just watch me. I'll prove you wrong. Someday." His voice started to waver, while his usually angry expression softened into something more melancholic. "...someday."

Collapsing on the edge of Robotropolis' borders, he looked across the endless metal horizon. Doing his best to take his mind off of what he just heard, he found himself...hating what he saw. Yeah, this wasn't exactly helping. From what he recalled from his attack on Angel Island, he remembered shimmering blue seas, clear skies, birds singing, and all sorts of colors.

Back then, his CPU would dismiss it all as irrelevant data. Now...he found himself nostalgic for those sights. If he were to repeat that mission again, apart from his intense desire for a rematch against Sonic and Knuckles, he would gladly fly through the wild landscape. He'd finally feel...free and mighty and worthless, useless, irrelevant, junk, TRASH TRASH TRASH TRASH-

The self-destruction happening within his CPU stopped when he heard a squeaking noise. Looking around, he tracked the soundwaves to the metallic landmass he was on. Something was clawing within the rock, trying to get out. He would have gotten up to leave it, but he couldn't move. He could only continue to listen to the panicked scratching and squeaking.

Without even calculating what he'd do next, he leaned down and punched a hole through the metal with his claw. Out of it came a rat, the rodent looking grateful to have been released. It skittered across the metal-covered ocean. Its destination: freedom. Mecha Sonic watched it scamper away, thinking on what he just did.

"Hmph. I need to focus. I don't need to listen to Metal, Robotnik, or anybody else!" He declared. "Starting soon...I will find you, Sonic. Or should I go after Knuckles first? Maybe both?" He tapped his chin before something bumped in back of him. "What now?!"

Before him was an odd-looking Egg Pawn. This one looked glitchy, its face adorned with a pair of small rounded glasses. "Beep! Boop! Sorry! Which way to where our creator would put his most secured items? Like, stuff that would power this entire city! Boop! Beep!"

Giving a quizzical look, Mecha Sonic peered into the Egg Pawn's optics, causing it to start shaking. However, he just groaned. "What am I even doing anymore? Fine. Let's get you there." When he noticed the robot stumbling, his claw suddenly extended, keeping the machine stable. "Do you need a mechanic first?"

"N-n-no! I am fine! Beep, boop!" The Egg Pawn nervously replied.

'What am I doing? I could have left that rat to its fate and I could have easily just ignored this Egg Pawn! They're irrelevant...but...' Flashes of him being trapped in that horrible basement flooded his CPU, only the rat and damaged Egg Pawn took his place, looking just as miserable as he did. 'I'll think on this later. Maybe it's ME that needs a mechanic soon.'

Beneath Robotropolis...

Pretty much everybody was gathered around one of the monitors, watching as Drapio's camera picked up everything. "Since when did Metal Sonic start lifting?" Tangle wondered, having hidden herself within the robotic components of her transformed partner.

"That's MECHA Sonic." Lanolin clarified. "He was a robot that Knuckles defeated a long time ago. I'm not sure why he's suddenly here after so many years, but, hopefully, he's as easy to destroy as last time."

Whisper gazed upon one of the tunnels above her, as that was how Tangle and Drapio were able to exit into the middle of Dr. Robotnik's turf in the first place. She kept her mask close to her face, not wanting anybody to see the expression of pure nervousness on her face. The idea of losing Tangle...it was too much to bear.

The Exiled noticed her discomfort, leaning closer to her. "Remember. I made a promise. No harm will come to either of them." 

"I...I hope." Whisper replied. 

"Have a little faith. If Drapio has to fight, she'll fight until her pincers can't pinch anymore." Sleet assured, Mack miming the Drapion's motions with his hands. "Besides, the transformation is permanent until I zap her with the remote. There's no chance of her being found out anyway."

For a while, the group just watched as Drapio was escorted through the misery-inducing city, the buildings just as gray and lifeless as the landscape. The only splotches of color included some red/yellow stripes on those buildings, the Eggman Empire insignia plastered on them. Metal Sonic flew above, patrolling the place, but not taking note of his predecessor or the faulty 'Egg-Pawn' following him.

Tangle's fur bristled as she watched the footage that Drapio was getting. "If this is the future Eggman has in mind...I'm gonna slug him SO hard when I get the chance." She hissed. She loved it when things were vibrant and free! Not the industrial hellscape before her. It didn't help that smoke billowed from some of the factories, choking out the sky and leaving it perpetually gray.

Drapio started to shudder, legions of Egg Pawns running alongside her, but she still kept her cool. "BEEP! BOOP! FEELING BETTER! Screw was loose! Beep! Boop!" She suddenly said, having found herself in the heart of the city.

Grumbling, Mecha Sonic crossed his arms. "Yes. Very well. Do...whatever it is our creator wants." His sullen look was replaced by one of surprise when he felt the Egg Pawn hug around his leg. "Wh-WHAT?!"

Her companions watching from the computer gave loud gasps, causing Drapio to realize what she just did. "Beep! Sorry! I...I am very thankful! Thank you! You are a very awesome robot! Beep! Boop! Glory to Eggman!"

Sleet face-palmed while this happened. "I forgot. Occasionally, she'll reveal she's a HUGGER."

"Yeah. A dumbass too." Sylvia rolled her eyes.

"Can you NOT?" Lanolin hissed, while Whisper's fur bristled at the possibility of this mission going south. The sheep mobian crossed her fingers, hoping for the best.

Though still a little shocked, Mecha Sonic's expression calmed significantly. "Just...return to your duties. Try not to get lost." He said cordially before walking away. It took all of his strength not to say 'I needed that' out-loud.

Everybody watching from the computer breathed a sigh of relief. Even Split-Sec, despite his stony expression, had been shaking like a leaf at the prospect of losing one of his teammates. "Good thing none of them messed up too bad! That would have been awful!" Jewel exclaimed.

"I know. Let's just hope it's smooth-sailing from here on out." Lanolin wiped some sweat from her wool before tugging on her shirt. "Urgh. I'm baking alive in this thing."

Sleet did her best not to blush, merely clearing her throat. "You're not the only one. This armor is nice, but, maybe after we get results, we should take a break from these." She said, adjusting her armor before Lanolin slowly turned to her, her own blush even redder. "I have a shirt under this, don't worry."

'I don't, if you wanna look.' Lanolin nearly put a hand over mouth, almost speaking that thought out-loud. "I'll, uh...consider that."

"What is happening?" The Exiled tilted his head, the other wisps shrugging their shoulders. Maggie was the only one that looked somewhat sly. "Let's just focus. They're moving into one of the larger factories."

"Perhaps they're trying to get a better view of their surroundings?" Lanolin wondered.

"Or they're looking for a map. Either way, this could take a while." Sleet stated.

Blue spoke up, Whisper's ears flicking. "I don't think they have any snacks." She said gently.

The Exiled leaned in, speaking in a series of clicking noises that got all of the Wisps attention. Their expressions brightened as he continued to make those noises, before heading towards the cavern's walls. "I have informed them that the dew from the caverns is quite delicious. It's one of the methods I have managed to survive, aside from water and sunlight."

The Neo-Diamond Cutters looked at the extraterrestrial in astonishment. "You can speak Wisp?" Whisper's eyes opened up a bit, showing her surprise.

"I speak more than 1000 languages, but Wisp is still fairly new to me. Based on the results, I think I've done well." A slight bit of pride entered the Exiled's voice before they all re-focused onto the screen.

Back with Drapio, she traveled through the dimly lit-factory, seeking out directions to where the Blue Emerald was. "Mate, I am SO sorry for that! I don't know what came over me!" She whimpered, looking at her chest-compartment.

"Don't sweat it. We're okay and that's all that matters." Tangle replied. "If it helps, I'm a hugger too!"

"The poor robot looked like he needed a hug anyway." Drapio sighed. "I can't help it. If I see somebody who's sad, I wanna hug them. Tell them everything's okay. I wouldn't want them to be as miserable as I am."

While they moved up the building, seeking higher ground, the lemur mobian gave a sympathetic look. "Do you...wanna talk about it? Nobody's listening. In fact, I think we got past Dr. Egghead's best guard, barring Metal Sonic. We should be fine."

Muting the communication to her other allies for this moment, Drapio made it to the roof of the building, making huge leaps to other buildings as she did. Despite her shape-shifted form, she could still utilize the strength of her default form. "Back at home, I'm already something of a freak. I normally don't let that get to me, but...occasionally...something's got to give. Sleet may be rough, but she's the closest thing I've got to a friend. Mack and Split-Sec too! Sylvia's new and, well, she's Sylvia."

"Yep. A bitch." Tangle replied.

"Ooooh, good thing nobody's listening in on this. Pretty sure she'd turn me into a scorpion shish-kabob." The shape-shifted Drapion shuddered. "Ever since she joined, I've been reminded that I'm not all that smart. Not to mention, what if I end up screwing up a mission? I almost cost us our lives with this one! It's a bloomin' disgrace." She sulked, the search bearing no fruit, so far.

Suddenly, Tangle's tail lightly tapped against the interior of Drapio's fake robotics. "Don't say that! I've only known you for a couple of hours and I can already tell you're pretty amazing. You've got cool powers, a cool tail, and you're really sweet! Come to think of it, being nice and helping others from being down in the dumps is all it takes to be awesome. That's a creed that's helped me a bunch."

Her Egg-pawn disguise smile rising, Drapio looked at her chest, patting it. "Yeah, you're right. Somebody's got to lift the mood, mate! I just hope I can do that a lot more when this mess is over with. Oh, and we should totally have a sleep-over or something. Something to celebrate the joining of the Neo-Diamond Cutters and Sleet's mercs!"

"That would be SO cool! Maybe something with lots of fruit and pizza!" Tangle added.

"Don't forget Tanga Berries! LOTS of Tanga Berries?"

"Ooooooh, what are those? They sound yummy already!" Tangle already felt her mouth salivate.

"Lemme tell ya', mate! They're...wait...what's that?!" Drapio unmuted the audio, which also ended the confusion her allies felt when it was first muted. "That dome-shaped building! The one to the left of this whole island!"

She was pointing to one of the few buildings that displayed more than just the colors of the Eggman Empire. This large dome, having been obscured by several buildings beforehand, was emanating a blue glow. That glow had been happening for a long time, but now, it was glowing even more brightly, revealing itself easily.

"That's...that's probably where the Blue Emerald is!" Lanolin exclaimed.

"Get a closer look!" Sleet ordered. "That place might be more heavily guarded than the other spots. Proceed with caution."

"You got it!" Both Drapio and Tangle said as they leaped onto more buildings before the disguised one finally landed on top of the glass. It was strong enough to support her weight, as well as clear enough to allow her to see. Her rounded glasses helped her against the random flashes of blue, while Tangle was protected by just watching it all through the camera she had.

What everybody saw was more than just a Chaos Emerald being used as a power source. The Blue Emerald was kept in a generator in the middle of this dome, powering up the various factories around it. However, there were several cages around where the emerald was. Within these cages, wisps of all kinds were being forcefully drained of their power. It wasn't enough to destroy them, but they still looked pained and desperate to get out.

"That's...that's just horrible." Drapio held a hand to her face, especially when the power surge of those wisps powered the generator again, causing the wisps to let out pleading cries for somebody to rescue them. 

"Of freaking COURSE Eggman wasn't satisfied with just having the Chaos Emeralds." Tangle scowled. "He had to kidnap more wisps too. It was already bad when he was using baby animals as a power source for his Badniks!"

"He's done this before?!" Drapio exclaimed.

"Yep. He's THAT bad of a dude." The lemur mobian replied.

Back with their allies, Whisper had to exercise a lot of self-control to not blast the screen and demand that they head out to free those wisps. Her own wisps were gazing in horror at what they were seeing, with Blue outright whimpering. She moved a claw to stroke his head, the others doing their best to comfort him.

She also saw the Exiled's claw scrape against the nearest wall, his agitation also apparent. "We have what we need. Return to base!" Sleet shouted.

"Right!" Drapio said before running away, hoping nobody was following.

Turning to her teammates, Lanolin cleared her throat. "Everybody, we now know the location of the Emerald. All that's left is to make a plan on how to retrieve it."

"We're also going to free those wisps, right?" Tangle asked from the computer.

"I agree. They shouldn't have to suffer." Whisper calmed herself, saving her rage for the robots that would try to stand in her way.

Sleet, however, looked a bit conflicted. "That's nice and all...but, if we release the wisps, we might draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. Our plan would need a significant upgrade."

"That may be true, but that just means we need more time to think." Lanolin said. "Some way to release the wisps AND get the Chaos Emerald."

"How about you drop the wisps and focus on the emerald?" Sylvia suggested before turning to her teammates. "What's more important? Some aliens or the fate of our entire dimension?" That caused Sleet and the other mercenaries to look at each-other, thinking on that. Mack and Split-Sec scratched their heads, while Sleet rubbed her chin.

"Do we really have to think about this!?" Tangle shouted, the loudness of her voice nearly alerted the Egg Pawns near her area. "Those are helpless wisps getting used as batteries! If we don't act now, there could be a chance of them getting drained before things get better!"

"Yeah! I know this mission's plenty dangerous, but we can handle it, right?" Drapio added.

The Exiled lowered his head, deep in thought about the whole thing. "There is also the matter of ensuring those wisps stay undetected if we freed them. There's a tunnel leading to a space near that dome, but we'd need to move quickly before we're spotted."

Instead of just looking dour, Sylvia gave a growl. "Are you insane!? We're going to waste time over these stupid creatures rather than focus on the entire DIMENSION about to collapse?! I thought you were on our side, Exiled!"

Rubbing the back of his head, the extraterrestrial did his best to stand tall. "I'm aware, but...the way they're trapped...no. You're right. We should-"

"We should SAVE them." Whisper said more sharply, lifting her mask down to glare slightly at Sylvia. "We...do not...turn our backs...on those in need."

Lanolin nodded. "Much as it may prove to be a headache to come up with a decent plan, it's our mission to make sure EVERYBODY gets out alive."

Sleet looked quite nervous, tugging her collar. The temperature for her had climbed significantly. "Well, it's not like we CAN'T do it. What do you all think?"

"I think you're getting SOFT." Sylvia pointed at the taller anthro. "What happens when our superiors hear that we put the mission in jeopardy just because YOU got too attached to some disposable power sources?"

Within Drapio's fake robotic body, Tangle winced as she saw Whisper nearly whip out her wispon at that remark. "Better get us back fast. I think my friend's about to snap!" She warned. That made the transformed one rush faster to the secret hole that led her to the surface of this island.

Split-Sec aimed one of his arms at Sylvia, but it was trembling. "Yes, you know what'll happen to us if we fail. Our employer was VERY specific." She warned.

"Now, listen here-"

"You can't just-"

"ENOUGH!" The Exiled roared, slamming his head-tendrils down with enough force to shake the ground and interrupted both Sleet and Lanolin, respectively, as well as make sure everybody else stopped what they were doing. "I...will consult with the one from C-197 that has helped me most. Until then, dismissed. Return safely, Tangle and Drapio. I will make the final decision...in half an hour or less."

He walked away, several of his robotic minions following him. As he left, Jewel finally spoke up. "What a hothead. I should follow him!" She flew where the large extraterrestrial was going, both vanishing into the darker parts of the cavern.

A tense silence followed before Drapio fell to the ground, having returned from her trip. "We're not having a fight anymore, mates?" She asked.

Tangle tumbled out of her chest, stretching her back and giving the disguised one a good view of her skin-tight outfit in the process, causing Drapio to blush. "Hope you guys make the right decision, because we're not standing for what we just saw."

Sighing, Sleet used her remote to transform Drapio back to her current state. "We'll...wait until the Exiled finishes talking with our employer. Trust me. He's even scarier than he is!" Mack nodded, miming a scary face.

As for Sylvia, she walked away, but not before giving everybody a glare. "And you call yourselves professionals." With that, she leaped into a separate part of the cavern.

Growling, Whisper walked away towards where the Exiled left. "Where's she going?" Drapio asked, adjusting herself as she felt her multiple pairs of limbs once again. "Oh, bollocks! She's heading to where the boss is talking with the other boss!"

"She knows what she's doing. Don't worry about it." Tangle assured. "Plus, it means Jewel won't be going there alone."

Lanolin pinched the bridge of her nose, looking back to the screen as the footage of the dome and what went down in there played on loop. "I hope I'm ready for this. I hope WE'RE ready for this." She wanted to agree with snagging the emerald first and maybe finding a way to call for reinforcements to help with the rest. But time was ticking for not just C-197 and Mobius, but also those wisps. Maggie looked quite distressed, unable to look upon the screen anymore.

The look she and Sleet shared meant one thing. They knew that this was a tough choice...and they REALLY needed a plan as soon as possible.

Back at Mystic Mansion...

(Egg Cerberus and Egg Genesis-Sonic the Hedgehog 2006)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpZOr-lzewA

Right as Sonic and company regained their footing, they found themselves in a long corridor that seemingly had no end. There were stained glass windows showing various exploits throughout their lives, such as Sonic meeting Tails, the fight against Perfect Chaos, the Black Arms incident, and more. Bright golden light shined down, lighting up the place.

There were three paths in this corridor, Rouge and Shadow on the left, while Sonic was on the right. In the middle, the newest Egg Guardian was running ferociously, roaring as every step of its clawed legs raked through the ground. It looked like a purple lion with golden highlights throughout it. The 'muscles' on this quadrupedal mech only added to the intimidation factor. Its 'mane' was mostly just a collection of slots where cannons emerged outward, ready to fire upon its foes. Its snarling optic-less face also housed a cannon within its toothy maw.

Again, there was a screen on the machine's head, displaying Dr. Robotnik's laughing face. "Ah, Shadow! I've been looking forward to eliminating my grandfather's GREATEST mistake!"

"With yet another useless robot? You're wasting my time!" Shadow replied, doing his best to keep his balance as the stomps of the robotic lion shook the ground. Rouge had it easy, as all she had to do was keep her wings moving. 

"I wouldn't say this Egg Guardian is useless. It's one of my deadlier ones! I call it the 'Egg Leonidas'! I had a feeling you couldn't resist going after the DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald, so this machine was made with you in mind!" Dr. Robotnik said before adjusting his glasses. "That joke isn't old, is it?"

"It's not as old as you are! I think I see a gray hair!" Sonic taunted.

That caused Eggman to let out a yelp. "REALLY!? I...oooooh, you're going to PAY for that!" He growled before the screen went dark. Instantly, the Egg Leonidas increased its speed, missiles flying from its sides. 

It was nothing the trio couldn't dodge, as the missiles were telegraphed enough. "Is that all you can do, kitty?" Rouge taunted before the the lion machine's mane unleashed its arsenal. Lasers shot from the cannons, the golden beams reflecting off of the glass windows and nearly striking the heroes down. "YIKES!"

Both Sonic and Shadow were determined to catch up with the machine, which they did, but the Egg Leonidas just turned to them, unleashing its mouth laser. Tearing through the pathways on either side of itself, it made sure nobody would get ahead of it. "Damned robot!" Shadow threw several chaos spears, but all they did was scratch the paintjob. Sonic also tried to spin-dash into the machine's legs, but that only made it stumble slightly.

It was Rouge that was analyzing some of the parts of the mane while avoiding the lasers. Slowing down enough to look at one of the windows, she saw a crack in one of them. "Time for a little improvisation." With all of her might, she kicked the window, shattering a part of it off before she grabbed it. Flying as fast as she could, she managed to catch up with the chase.

The Egg Leonidas revealed another trick during this. From its sides, sword-wielding arms emerged. They slashed at their foes, succeeding in slicing off several quills. "Hey! Watch it! I just had this styled!" Sonic complained.

Shadow growled, feeling that feral rage from before return. Getting humiliated by another one of Eggman's robots was NOT on his to-do list today. "Enough of this!" He fell back just to boost against one of the arms, his fist denting the shoulder, but he was shaken off and even slashed across the cheek. "GAH! RRRRGH!" Concentrating, he prepared to do a Chaos Blast, only for more of those lasers to fire from the mane.

This time, Rouge flew in, using her sheet of glass to reflect the laser right back into the Egg Leonidas' face, causing it to stumble so much that it rolled onto its side, crashing through the hallway...right into another portal.

Coming out of it, the group landed back where the Emerald Tower was. Sparks flew from the wound in the Egg Leonidas' face, but it still roared with fury, shaking the tower before taking a swipe at Rouge. She just flew above it, giggling as she did. "What's the matter, kitty? Can't catch the helpless flying mouse?"

Rockets activated in the Egg Guardian's back-legs, causing it to surge forth into the air and clamp its jaws around her form, surprising her before slamming her to the ground. "Rouge!" Sonic shouted before getting swatted away by the machine's tail, the tuft at the end growing spikes for extra damage.

Throwing the bat mobian onto the ground, a large paw descended onto her, only for Shadow to rush in and block it. He struggled to keep the claw from crushing them both, his legs straining. "Get out of here! I...I've got this!"

Reaching into her pockets and wings, Rouge realized she had run out of bat bombs. "I can't just leave you here! I'll get Sonic!" She said before flying underneath the beast, dodging the slashing of those sword arms.

Leaning back slightly, the Egg Leonidas added an extra paw onto the weight, trying to crush its foe for good. It also aimed its maser cannon mouth at its prey, ready to take out the Ultimate Lifeform by any means necessary. "Get...away...FROM ME!" Shadow roared, his pupils turning into slits. Claws ripped through his gloves, the nails black as ash. Scales even started to show up around his fur, while his tail extended slightly with some extra spikes.

Gripping around those paws, the angered one crushed them into crumpled metal, but the Egg Leonidas still fired its beam, the purple blast shredding through the portion of the Emerald Tower. It was this that caused the Red Emerald to fall, destabilizing the whole thing. "No! Shadow!" Sonic cried out, while Rouge let out a gasp, holding a hand over her mouth.

After only a few seconds, the Egg Leonidas was suddenly kicked onto its back, its front-legs looking mangled and burnt. Shadow had a black/red aura around him, his eyes blazing with fury. "GRAAAAARGH!" He roared, biting into the circuitry of the Egg Guardian's neck. The sword arms tried to stab into the attacker, but he just grabbed one of those thrusting arms, ripped it off, and plunged the blade into the machine's body.

Ripping off the other arm, he started to slash it across the damaged machine's body, even as the tower began to explode. The whole miasma around them was going wild as the castle's magical energies went haywire. "We need to get out of here! You can use a stress ball when we get back!" Sonic called out.

Throwing away the sword arm, Shadow proceeded to use his claws to tear into the machine's chest, deactivating it for good as he chewed through the wires. "GRRAAGH! RAAAAA-ah!" He let out a soft cry after Rouge fired a tranquilizer at his back, temporarily knocking him out.

Looking morose at what she had to do, the bat mobian sighed. "I think somebody's had too much excitement for today." She sighed, carrying Shadow as she flew away alongside Sonic, the whole castle starting to reform as the heroes left into the warmth of the sun. 

Back at the cavern beneath Robotropolis...

Stealth was one of Whisper's strong-suits, especially in such a darkened environment. However, the few times the robotic minions of the Exiled passed by, they didn't seem to mind her presence. In fact, they were fleeing from wherever the exiled went off to. That caused her to stop darting from one place to the other. Instead, she took it easy, not wanting to seem suspicious.

To be on the safe side, she hid behind a rock when she went into the spacious area with the Omen of Hope. Just looking at the thing gave her mixed feelings. This giant device was meant to be used for salvation. To give a future towards a dimension that apparently had none. So, why did it fill her with unease? 

Perhaps it had something to do with how the Exiled stood before it, his claws twitching with apparent nervousness. His tail-claw was clenching tightly, some of the metal bending in ways that made him grunt in annoyance. Whatever this was, he was NOT looking forward to it. 

Something almost caused Whisper to blow her cover. In one of the holes surrounding this cavern, she swore she saw Mimic, his taunting gaze hidden by the shadows before he fell back. "Calm down. You're seeing things again." She adjusted her mask, once again seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe the sightings of that infernal traitor were because of a glitch in her mask? The very object that gave her a sense of security and togetherness with her past team?

BZIT! The portal's partial activation within the Omen of Hope snapped her out of her thoughts. The attention of her and her wisps was firmly on whatever was going to happen. They almost got lost in the swirling purple/white lights, but something else started to come out of the portal. 

Granted, it was covered in the energies of the portal, but she could make out the silhouette and the glowing yellow eyes. The silhouette almost resembled Sonic himself, but the tail was lightning bolt shaped and the ears were longer. Not only that, but those yellow eyes showed a weird mixture of control, sternness, and spite. Basically, somebody that was slowly running out of patience.

"So..." The figure spoke in a cool and collected tone. "...Sylvia told me everything. How you're THIS close to finishing the Omen of Hope...and how you're risking it all for the lives of insignificant wisps."

The Exiled lowered his head slightly. "I assure you. This will not slow down the Omen of Hope's completion. The first Chaos Emerald of seven is within our grasp. Saving the wisps will not change the outcome."

"You risk ruining everything." The figure spoke more harshly. "Need I remind you of the terrible position we're in? Of how much you want to go home?" That bit caused the Exiled to clench his tail-claw even harder. "You're going to speed up your efforts right now or else."

"You told me that your dimension has several weeks left. That's all the time I need." The Exiled replied. "Has something changed in the meantime?"

The figure slowly raised his hand, narrowing his eyes. "Did I stutter? Hurry up your efforts. We expect to arrive at our new home...in just a few short days."

"What?! That's impossible!" The Exiled replied. "We don't have all of the emeralds! The connection we have right now is only being sustained by the mere presence of one." The portal started to fizzle out until it stabilized. "Even then, it's not a very strong connection."

A twitch showed up on the figure's eye. "You're wrong. This portal is being sustained through MY power. Are you implying that I'm weak? That I don't have ways of hurrying you up? Maybe...I should teach you a lesson." Lifting his hand, he clenched it.

With a sickening 'SNAP', the Exiled's arm twisted backwards, yellow sap oozing out of the wound between the armor. Whisper stifled a gasp, especially when the extraterrestrial let out a pained hiss. He was obviously holding back a loud scream, but he did his best to stay strong.

"This...this is nothing. After everything I've gone through, a broken arm is meaningless." He muttered. "Besides, you need me at my strongest to accomplish my mission."

That only made the figure's brow arch before the eyes narrowed again. "That was a warm-up." With another motion of his hand, he bent the arm back into place, allowing it to heal, though it still made the Exiled hiss with the sharp pain that ensued. "But THIS is the price of failure." Both of those hands spread out, a darker purple glow surrounding them and firing onto the Exiled's head.

NOW, the screaming started.

Flailing onto the floor and letting out an unholy combination of roaring and screaming, the Exiled clawed at his own masked head, his tendrils and tail thrashing around. Whatever was going through his mind was nothing short of raw agony, the figure looking unsympathetically at the pained creature. "You will tell me that you will focus on the mission or I'll make sure you'll think nothing BUT of what happened to your homeworld."

"S-ST-STOOOOOOP!" The Exiled begged, arching his back. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! NO! PLEASE! PLEASE, NO! PLEAAAASE! "

"You already failed those you loved once. Imagine doing it again TWICE!" The figure shouted. "This is also the fate you're damning us to if you don't stop being such a useless failure!"

BANG! A cluster of pink spikes from Whisper's wispon struck the Omen of Hope, causing the portal to fizzle out and breaking the hold that the figure had over the Exiled. Though the figure was surprised, he still looked coldly upon the trembling extraterrestrial. Speaking of which, the Exiled looked up, the portal almost fizzling out completely. "I...I will not fail you. I won't fail you or Green Gate. I can't fail my home again."

"See that you don't." With that, the portal vanished, silence returning to the cavern as the Omen of Hope powered down.

Breathing heavily, he slowly looked to where the shot came from. His single glowing yellow optic fell upon the wolf mobian, her wispon still smoking and her wisps moving out of it to hide behind her back. "You...go back to the others. I will inform you of the plan later. Leave me be." With that, he did his best to sulk away, only to clutch his head, still in pain. 

Despite that order, Whisper found herself standing there, not sure what to do. She knew that C-197 was, apparently, on the brink of destruction, but for them to treat him like this? Somebody that had spent a seemingly long while trying to help them? It made her blood boil.

She didn't notice that Blue had left her side, floating towards the pained creature. The other wisps followed close behind, ready to protect their friend if this went badly. Whisper held out a hand, but she found herself following as well. Right now, the Exiled had sat himself on a nearby chair, head in his claws.

Blue floated closer to his head, giving several chirps before those claws opened up to reveal the yellow light of that optic. "Go away. This is not your burden to bear. It's mine. I...I deserved what he did." That got several outraged squeaks from Cyan, while Orange added in with some squeaks of his own. "It's not that simple. It's just..."

He suddenly found one of his hair-tendrils pressing against his guitar, Green and Pink having shoved it against there. Blue floated down, looking up at the larger creature as he used his tiny limbs to try and strum the guitar. Naturally, it was amateurish, but he was putting in the effort to do the same comforting strumming that the Exiled could do with ease.

Both he and Whisper watched this effort, the other Wisps trying to help out. Unfortunately for them, they wound up creating something so discordant that the wolf mobian had to cover her ears. Even some of the robots still patrolling the caverns were turning off their audio receptors. It was only when the Exiled raised a claw that they stopped.

"...sit back. Watch closely." He gently instructed, moving his claws to strum across the guitar.

(Butterfly (Fingerstyle Guitar)-Daria Semikina)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEAXx8cErgY

Instantly, the wisps were enraptured with his playing, watching as those claws glided across the strings. The gentleness of this contrasted with his intimidating appearance, his hair tendrils moving down so that the wisps could sit on them. Whisper found herself sitting on one as well, her eyes slightly widening at the feeling of the bushy tendrils.

She expected them to be course and rough, but it was like the Exiled willed them to be as soft as a field of grass with none of the irritation or risk of grass stains. The wisps were also enjoying this sensation, Blue moving closer to the larger extraterrestrial as he continued to strum the soothing song. He even started to hum, his deep voice sounding quite comforting.

Something prodded one of Whisper's hands, the wolf turning to see that claw tail almost grasping around it, but then slinking away when he noticed. "You're still hurt." She gently said.

"I've been hurt for so long. I've learned to adapt." He replied, trying to sound casual. "I understand why you saved me, but...I really did deserve that. I'm failing them and-"

"You're not failing them. You're doing your best." Whisper assured. "I know the importance of finishing a mission, especially when lives are on the line, but when it means losing more in the process...then there's not really any victory. It's not like we can't have it both ways."

Giving a heavy sigh, the Exiled looked at the Omen of Hope. "It's not just them I'm failing. I'm failing at my last chance. My last chance to make things right." His hair tendrils bristled a bit, but he calmed them down. "I don't feel comfortable telling my story, but I'll leave it at that I could have saved those dear to my heart...and I wasn't strong enough. What those of C-197 gave me was a second chance. A chance to be something I failed to be...a hero."

Without even thinking about it, Whisper loosened her mask, allowing it to come off in the presence of another. That way, the Exiled could look at her, his unblinking yellow optic deep into her eyes. While this made her slightly nervous, she wanted to ease the tension that the extraterrestrial was feeling. "You keep saying that only you can handle the burden. But that all sounds like the biggest burden I've ever heard of in my life. An entire universe, a whole world, and the lives of those on this world...you can't do that alone."

Realizing he was staring, the Exiled cleared his throat. "Logically, you're right. I built my robots to handle that issue, but even that wasn't enough. I suppose...I'm so used to having nobody on my side...that I'm not used to others extending a hand to help an undeserving failure like myself."

Whatever issues were plaguing the Exiled's mind, Whisper found much familiarity in them. A sense of failure, self-hatred, and there certainly was the sense that the ghosts of the past lived rent-free in his head. "I've been there." She said before moving her hand across the tendril, rubbing around it in a circular pattern. 

Much to her surprise, there seemed to be an odd pleasant rumbling sound coming from the Exiled, almost saurian-like. "Sorry. There are a number of things I haven't felt in a long time. Warmth, chief among them." He said before looking back at the Omen of Hope. "Perhaps, if I somehow succeed at my mission, I can feel that sensation once more. That's the hope that keeps me going. Yours is your friends, yes?" Her answer was another nod. "Do you...have any hobbies?"

Whisper almost said 'no', but her wisps shook their heads, Cyan crossing even crossing his arms. "I...I like the beach. Long walks are...nice." Some prodding from Orange made her fur bristle, but she continued. "I have this...small collection of nature documentaries." The other wisps' eyes arched, Cyan crossing his arms. "...fine. Not-so-small." Blushing a bit in embarrassment, she changed the subject. "I also like music. I like to go to concerts."

"If that's the case, then I'm happy to 'perform'. It's not much of a stage, but it'll have to do." He replied before looking up. "There are other things I'm looking forward to. But...I need to focus on the mission. Tell me. What do you do when faced with this? Surely, there has been a point where you wanted to fulfill something personal, yet there were complicating factors?"

Whisper's hunt for Mimic came to mind, her ears lowering as she remembered all the havoc he caused and was probably causing right now. "I remember...that I'm not alone. That my friends would gladly help me when all was said and done. That, as long as we're together, we can do anything."

Looking to her Wisps, the Exiled almost finished up his strumming as he spoke to them as well. Hearing their squeaks and other noises, he gazed one last time at the Omen of Hope before slowly standing up, gently placing the others back down as he finished his instrumental. "So long as you,  your team, and the mercenaries get that emerald...you may also rescue the wisps. I, on the other hand, will stay here and take the blame."

"NO." Whisper's voice rose above its usual hush. "I will...WE will stand with you. We'll explain to him everything. He won't be able to argue with results."

"Perhaps. I also hope that your friend, Tails, delivers the Chaos Emeralds soon. That reminds me." He turned to some of the caves that housed computers. "I should get back to restoring communications. That way, we will have additional allies and everybody will be informed of where Dr. Robotnik has been situated this whole time. His evil will not continue. Until then, gather your allies. No matter what, time grows short."

Nodding, Whisper turned to the exit, calling her wisps forth with a silent gesture. All of them waved goodbye to the Exiled, the extraterrestrial giving an awkward wave. "You're a good person. Driven, too." Whisper said before she left, turning to give a small smile. "We believe in you."

Once she was gone, the Exiled moved his hand over where his heart was, feeling it start to pump a lot faster. "I...believe in myself?" He wondered before his chest optic created a hologram of a lush green planet. That hologram started to change into something else...or, really, it was someONE else.

She looked like a slender humanoid woman with bright cherry-red eyes and a large pink lotus flower on her head. Her hair also went down as flowing locks of a darker pink. She was smiling, waving at the photo with a motherly gaze. "Did you hear that, mother? You're now no longer the only one that believes in me. You'd be proud. I know it." The Exiled softly said.

Meanwhile on the Sky Fox...

Lately, the flying aircraft had been filling up with those returning from their Emerald Tower exploits. Granted, they weren't out of the fight, as the minute they were needed, they would spring to action. Still, the influence of those damned towers was fading fast, though the Egg Pawns still needed to be fought against by the others of the Resistance.

"Four emeralds down, three more to go!" Tails exclaimed before lookin to Sonic. "You okay?"

"Yeah, but I sure hope Shadow calms down from his recent freak-out." The hedgehog mobian replied. "Poor guy. He's gonna be so peeved when he realizes he's gonna have to take a mandatory nap."

Knuckles sighed. "It's a shame. He's as dedicated to this mission as I am." 

Looking out the window, Sticks and Omega were watching more of the Resistance take out the Egg Pawns, their numbers having been dealt with since the destruction of the first four Emerald Towers. "I only wish I could have been there." The robot said.

"Yeah. I wonder if the aliens wanting to steal the world's brains in our sleep will come out of hiding? This is too much excitement for them to miss out on." Sticks wondered.

Charmy and Espio were near Vector, the crocodile talking with Vanilla over the phone. "And you're sure you and your family are alright? That we don't need to swing by?"

"I truly appreciate the concern, but things are completely fine." The rabbit mobian replied. "Besides, I've gotten the best work-out in years. Gemerl's also been protecting us, so we're in good hands. My only question is if YOU'RE doing fine."

"We're doing peachy!" Vector beamed. "Those robots don't stand a chance! When I punch Eggman in the face, I'm dedicating it to you!"

Meanwhile, in another room, Rouge was watching as Silver placed his hand on Shadow's forehead, the Ultimate Lifeform looking as stoic as ever, but there was a twinge of shame on his face. "Hmmmn...I don't hear any extra voices in your head, but I do feel something else stirring in you." The psychic hedgehog mobian said. "Like a beast trying to escape."

"It'll stay in its cage. This, I swear." Shadow promised. "I know I promised not to fight anymore until this is cleared up, but I can't just-"

"You're staying. End of story." Rouge insisted. "You had your fun and, to be honest, we probably should have told you to rest before this happened."

"Don't worry. You guys did a great job!" Silver exclaimed before turning to the bedridden hedgehog mobian. "So...when I was scanning through you...I noticed something."

Shadow's brow arched in annoyance. "And what other bad news should I expect?"

That made the future hedgehog mobian hold up his hands. "Not really bad news. Just news. Apparently, a lot of your aura feels the same as mine. To be honest, that...kind of makes me think." A moment of silence followed between the two, both trying to make sense of that.

"Wait a minute." Rouge blinked. "Is future-Shadow your dad or something?"

"Maybe! I dunno. Maybe you two should have a moment!" Silver stammered, grappling with the fact that what was said wasn't outside the realm of possibility. "I'm just gonna...listen to Espio's poetry! Get well soon!"

When he left, Rouge moved to sit on the bed where her friend was. "Well, that was a bombshell. Guess you're more of a DILF than I thought." She wiggled her brow.

Shadow crossed his arms. "The situation is hardly amusing. I nearly got us destroyed with my recent outburst. The only saving grace was that my rage was directed at the Egg Guardian and not anybody else." While he was crossing his arms, he looked in disgust at his inhibitor rings. "All this...and it feels like these things are the only thing standing between my friends and whatever I might become."

"Then, keep them on until we figure this out." Rouge stated. "We won and that's all that matters. Besides...I can think of a FEW ways to make your temporary stay on this ship better." She started to fiddle around with her outfit, nearly allowing her breasts to spill out. "I promised you snuggles, but I think we can spice it up a lot more."

The hedgehog mobian couldn't suppress the boner tenting the sheets, especially since it proved to be quite...big. Even Rouge found herself gasping at it. Trying to play it cool, Shadow crossed his legs slowly, trying to hide it. He would think about why his inhibitor rings were failing him later. "These rooms are soundproof, right?"

Her ears flicking, Rouge's smile increased, locking the door before turning to him. "They sure are. Now...let's end that years-long dry spell of yours, shall we? I mean, you're like more than 50. This was long time coming."

Hearing that news made Shadow sigh, a sweat-drop forming on his head. "I really AM a DILF, aren't it?" Kicking back, he wanted to tell the others that he could still fight. Still, maybe having a positive experience like this would calm down the beast within him? After all, he was certainly enjoying how Rouge undid her outfit, allowing her bust to slip out. "I hope you have as much stamina as me."

"Oh, I'm up for the challenge." Rouge's long tongue slipped free from her lips, her body eventually getting on top of her partner. It slid up his chest-fur, making him grunt in arousal. One of her hands moved down to cup his balls, feeling them grow larger. "The safeword is 'Edgy the Hedgy'."

Groaning, Shadow suddenly gripped her ass, squeezing it tight. "I want you to know that I've been waiting for this for a LONG time. I still remember..." He moved his fingers to spread out her pussy. "...every..." Then, he leaned into one of her large ears. "...single...damn...time...you teased me."

A grin formed on Rouge's face, her wings flapping as she moved her hips to rub her pussy against that thick cock. "Like the times I kept walking around in our apartment, dressed in nothing but my underwear? Maybe every time I deliberately bought popsicles to lick around them slooooowly. Guess I was being too subtle." 

"Your waiting is about to be rewarded. Prepare yourself." Shadow said before realizing that there was some hesitation in the movement of Rouge's hips. "Wait a minute. Are you a virgin?"

Blushing greatly, the bat mobian nodded. "Yes and no. I've never been with a MALE partner, but that time me and Topaz were in a relationship...it was mostly just scissoring and licking. Good times." She chuckled.

"Understood. I'll be gentle as long as you need me to be." Shadow may have been feeling a ton of desire within himself, but the needs of his lover were more important.

"Such a gentleman." With that, she leaned down to kiss her boyfriend, her long tongue slurping around his mouth with expert motions. Pretty soon, her pussy would meet that cock, their session starting off as slow as they needed to for maximum comfort.

A few minutes later, Sonic was backing away from the room, as animalistic and utterly aroused noises came from the closed room. "Uh, Tails? You sure the rooms are soundproof?" He asked.

"Yeah. Why?" The fox mobian asked.

"...no reason." Sonic said before noticing something was happening with his echidna mobian friend. "Hey, you good, Knucks?"

"Rrrrgh...Angel Island...something's happening to it!" He cried out, having had his hands over his head. "I can feel it! The island's trying to rise back up! But...there's something else...we need to get there RIGHT NOW!"

Though she wasn't sure what this was about, Tails wasted no time turning the ship around. It helped that they were now flying over the ocean, Angel Island's location being tracked by the panicked echidna warrior among the heroes. "Maybe the Master Emerald is restoring itself with all the Chaos Emeralds we've collected?"

"No." Knuckles said solemnly. "I think...this feels more like death throes."

"The Master Emerald's DYING?!" Charmy Bee exclaimed.

"Good thing Rouge isn't out here to listen to this." Vector said. "She'd freak!"

"No jokes, please. This is a serious matter for Knuckles." Espio stated. "I hope there's something we can do."

Lowering his head, Knuckles nodded. "I hope so, too. Guarding the Master Emerald...the island...the last few remnants of my people...I can't imagine what might happen if-"

"Whatever you're thinking, stop. We're going to figure this out." Sonic assured. "I mean, what could possibly-"

"DON'T...invoke Murphy's Law. That never ends well." Tails sighed.

"Wouldn't it be annoying if there was some other talking animal that kept saying that phrase constantly, expecting it to be charming?" Sticks asked, causing all eyes to fall on her. "What? I'm just throwing it out there."

Back beneath Robotropolis...

Lanolin paced back and forth, trying to think of a good plan. One that would get them the Blue Emerald, as well as free those wisps. The professional in her was screaming that she couldn't do it all, but the empathetic part of her argued harder against that. "Urrrrgh...come on, come up with something! You're the leader! You should be BETTER than this!"

"You doing good?" Sleet's voice caused the sheep mobian to snap out of her thoughts, quickly turning to the Mightyena anthro. She was balancing a knife on her finger, looking deep in thought as well. "You look like your head's going to explode."

Sighing, Lanolin composed herself before sitting alongside the taller one. "It's just...as team leader, I need to make the hard decisions. If I make the wrong one, I could not only cost us the mission, but our very lives. One of us has already had to witness that happening."

"Harsh." Sleet said, grabbing the knife from the air. "If you ask me, the Exiled has been one of our fairer bosses. It's those from my dimension that are probably complicating things. Not to mention, Sylvia's probably just trying to get into their good graces by sucking up to them and making us look like fools." She growled. "She wasn't like this when she signed up for our team."

"Do YOU think we should save the wisps in addition to getting the emerald?" Lanolin asked. "It's like Whisper said. They're not just power sources. They're living beings."

Putting away her knife, Sleet kicked back against the cavern wall. "Honestly, I'm not much for heroics. Just give me a bounty that pays well and I'm all set. Otherwise, you starve."

"What the?! How could you think about money at a time like this?!" Lanolin asked, outraged.

"I dunno. You know what it's like to grow up poor?" Sleet asked, agitation showing in her voice. "To have to run, steal, and lie your way through life just to survive? It's not easy, I'll tell you that. It's my dream that, when this is all over, I'll save enough money until I can move into one of those fancy mansions. Live on easy street forever."

Thinking on what she was told, the sheep mobian just crossed her arms. "I understand that must have been a rough life to live, but-"

"Oh, and don't forget about the discrimination for not being 'all-female'." Sleet muttered.

"...come again?"

Now, the Mightyena anthro was blushing a bit. "The thing is...about us Mightyena females...oh, it's kind of embarrassing, but...regarding our...equipment, if you know what I mean-"

"I know where this is going. I remember there being info about the females having 'pseudo-penises'. You were ostracized for that?" Lanolin arched a brow. "But that's completely normal."

"Two things." Sleet held up two fingers. "One, my 'pseudo-penis' is...actually a lot more like a 'penis'. Not sure how that happened, but it lead to point #2. In one of the most action-packed planets in C-197, they're not as tolerant towards anything that doesn't fit with a heteronormative environment. For a while, things were getting more progressive, until they went back to their old ways after our goddess left. So, work has been hard to come by for me and my team."

Taking that all in, Lanolin shook her head. "That...really does sound awful. But you're not in your dimension anymore. Here, on Mobius, we welcome everybody. Male, female, intersex, straight, gay, and so forth. We don't take kindly to intolerance. We hold out a hand for everybody."

"Hmmm...retiring here already seems pretty good, if what you say is true." Sleet stated. "Baring my talks with Drapio, this is the most I've ever talked with somebody about my problems. Was that all oversharing?" She asked, suddenly self-conscious. 

"No! Perfectly fine. We're getting to know each-other, that's all." Lanolin assured. "Granted, it's all under the notion that we could all cease to be either due to your dimension's situation or whatever Eggman is cooking up, but still! Now, to tie it all together, it's our desire to make a better place for everybody that should motivate us to not only get that emerald, but save those wisps from our fate."

Rubbing her chin, Sleet sighed. "Alright. I'm sold. We'll give it a shot. I just hope Sylvia doesn't blab about this to our boss from C-197. Tearing up our paycheck wouldn't be the worst thing he could to us..." She shuddered.

"Then we'll vouch for you. He'll have to go through us if he wants to give out unreasonable demands." Lanolin said, Maggie coming out of the Wispon to pump a tentacle. "Friends stick together, after all."

"You're too kind." Sleet smiled, giving a toothy grin. "And pretty gutsy, too, if you're willing to stand up to him. He's got psychic powers that...oh, forget it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we?"

"Yeah. Let's focus on the plan." Lanolin said before noticing the crotch-part of the Mightyena's armor was moving a bit, a bulge forming under it. "And...also...not think of...really...hot...musky attractive girlcock..."

Sleet's ears flicked. "I heard that." She then arched a brow. "Usually, people are disgusted by it, not...aroused by it. This is a nice change of pace." Looking around, she leaned into the blushing sheep mobian. "When this is over...you...wanna see it?"

"Yes! I mean, later! I mean, FOCUS!" Lanolin threw up her hands, sweat dripping down her wool. "H-h-how about we check up on how the others are doing?! Talk about the plan while we walk?"

"Right! Right." Sleet nodded, both looking away from each-other. "I made this awkward, didn't it?"

"No. Pretty sure I made it awkward first." Lanolin twiddled her fingers, while Maggie did her best not to giggle from the embarrassment on display. Still, the thought of ending whatever Dr. Robotnik had in mind was enough to get her mind back on track. "Maybe we can repeat the whole 'Drapio as an Egg Pawn' thing again?"

Thinking hard as the two walked alongside each-other, Sleet snapped her fingers. "I also think it's Mack's time to shine." More details followed, the plan starting to come together...

WAY beneath Robotropolis...

In the destroyed caverns from many chapters ago, the shadowy fiends were seeping through the rocks. Most of them had been destroyed in the battle, but what they lacked in numbers, they were making up for in how they were absorbing the darkness around them, becoming bigger and stronger in the process.

Pretty soon, they would rise to the surface and wreak destruction. One of them, in particular, looked especially vicious, as well as having a more distinct shape than his brethren. Resembling a hedgehog mobian with long ears and a lighting bolt-like tail, it crawled through the shadows, only to mutate further, becoming something even more monstrous as the monsters started to merge with him instead.

Within a nearby tunnel, Mimic winced. "Freaking creeps. Good thing I'm here and they're there." He then turned to another figure in front of him, only she was partially hidden by the dimly lit areas of the tunnel. "So, when can I finally get my revenge? I've been stalking these guys for hours."

"Give it time. We already have everything we need aside from that ONE emerald." The figure replied. "If all goes well...then, you'll get not just your reward, but your revenge."

"Heh. Looking forward to it." He said before hearing the scream of that one shadow monster again. "Uhhh...is that gonna be an issue? I don't wanna be there when shit hits the fan."

"If they perish, then you'll be needed again. Just stay out of it and you'll be fine." She instructed.

Despite hearing that, Mimic gave a smile of his own while he looked a photo of himself during his days as a Diamond Cutter. "That being said...wonder if I can do just a teeeny bit more tormenting? It's kind of fun. I bet she's already questioning what's real and what isn't."

Rolling her eyes, the other figure couldn't help but smile. "I still remember when I was a troll. Granted, I'm over that, but...nah. Troll away. I don't care. Just don't get killed. You might still be needed."

"I've cheated death more times than I can count. I've got this." Mimic said, giving a confident wink.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile at Robotropolis...

Sitting atop the highest point of the city of metal, Mecha Sonic glared at all around him. He had lost track of time, but he had a feeling it had been hours since that talk with Metal Sonic. "This is pathetic." He muttered, wishing at least SOMETHING exciting would happen. Maybe, if nobody was watching, he could try training again?

Normally, Dr. Robotnik's creations could only improve themselves by adopting new strategies and utilizations of their already existing weaponry. That, or just upgrading themselves. However, whenever Mecha Sonic trained, he could feel the circuitry within him become firmer. Stronger. Able to withstand more damage and dish out more as well. While this was positive news to him, it added to a sense of confusion he had. What had HAPPENED to him in the years leading up to his reactivation?

He would have pondered this further, but his optic suddenly widened when he felt the power of several volts go through his head. "What was that?" He wondered before looking around. His scanners were going haywire, even though the cause of it was miles away. As his calculations got to work, his claws clenched into fists when he realized what this meant. 

"Sonic and Knuckles. I've finally found you."

The memories of his first humiliating defeat played on loop within his CPU once more. Demonic versions of those two heroes hovered behind him, laughing and pointing. They were taunting him, but all of those words were fading into static. He then remembered that his creator had explicitly told him NOT to leave his post and continue guarding Robotropolis.

"Hmph. That's Metal's problem." He declared, gazing into the distance as steam blew out of his body, almost like he took a long deep breath. "There's no turning back after this."

(Sonic 3 Major Boss Theme "Rock/Orchestral"-Osirois Music)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2mSzBUC0MY

(0:00-0:12)

Slowly, he leaned down, eager to reach his goal as soon as he could. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sage watching him. The two shared a gaze, with her slowly nodding her head. She knew that she couldn't stop him, so all she could do was wish him luck this way.

He nodded back, his rockets starting to activate. Sparks flew from his stabilizing servos and some rockets from his back, showing that he was charging up to maximum flight capacity.

(0:13-0:19)

Instantly, his rockets activated, causing him to race down the structure he was on. Flames trailed behind him, his red optic glowing bright as he struck the ground, crashing through the metal and causing it to bend upwards.

(0:19-0:44)

Zooming out of the dust, Mecha Sonic found himself traveling beyond the island, his reflection on the metal below him. As he flew, he extended a fist out, feeling the rush of flying once more. It had been too long since he had felt this free, especially when he finally got to where the metal was still slowly expanding over the ocean.

The waves nearly crashed against his body, to which he spun around them and even flew through where a wave was crashing. He began to fly higher into the air, tracking where his radar was taking him.

(0:45-0:53)

As soon as he parted through the clouds, the Sky Fox was suddenly in front of him, his destination behind the large structure. Behind the window was Tails, the mobian fox stumbling back in surprise. "Another robot's on its way! Open fire!"

"On it!" Sticks slammed a button, causing a flurry of missiles to be fired from the wings, all of them converging onto the mechanical hedgehog mobian.

(0:54-1:06)

Right as two missiles crashed at the same time into his location, Mecha Sonic emerged from the flames, not letting this sudden obstacle get in his way. He twisted through the missiles, even as they tracked him. He took the time to slash a few with his claws, causing them to explode. Other times, he shredded through them by spin-dashing, splitting them in half.

(1:06-1:19)

Flying higher than ever and seeing Angel Island in the distance, he spun around as the missiles below him did the same thing. "Enough of this!" He declared, charging up an energy ball in his hands before firing it down. A cluster of explosions followed, traveling all the way down to the Sky Fox. It knocked the ship off-course, forcing it to retreat as Mecha Sonic continued his travels.

(1:19-1:32)

Finding himself hovering over the island, Mecha Sonic looked around, seeing many familiar sights, including the Mushroom Forest and the Ice Caps. However, his attention went towards the Master Emerald's Alter, in which he saw his targets. They looked ready to battle, probably having heard of the threat coming their way.

"Hey, Knuckles! You hear something?" Sonic asked, his eyes darting left and right.

"Hear it? I feel it." The Echidna mobian put up his fists.

(1:32-End)

All of the sudden, what looked like a giant blue spinning sawblade shredded through the ground between them, causing the duo to be knocked onto their backs. Spinning around the ground before getting back on his feet, Mecha Sonic slid across the marble floor before hopping onto the Master Emerald's empty altar. As soon as the music ended, he stood tall, looking upon his hated enemies.

"At long last...I've finally found you!" He declared. "Let's get started!"

Earlier at Angel Island...

As soon as the Sky Fox entered the same place as where the floating island was, several Egg Towers had already risen up. A faint green glow could be seen where the Master Emerald once stood, causing Knuckles to instantly glide out of the aircraft. "Hey, wait up!" Sonic shouted before turning to his friend. "Tails, get me as close to that island as possible!"

"On it!" Tails said before turning to those still on the ship. "Who wants to join him?"

"For just a quick stop? He's got this." Vector said.

"Besides, we should probably focus on taking out the Egg Pawns. They're starting to swarm!" Espio exclaimed.

"Yeah! They're coming this way!" Charmy pointed to several screens, all of which showed flying Egg Pawns coming at them with their blasters ready.

Silver wanted to help, but he clutched his chest, shaking his head. "You'll all have to fight without me. I'll stay here in case they breach the ship." He said.

"Just rest, my love. Keep an eye out on Shadow, too." Espio said.

Omega nodded. "Affirmative. My calculations indicate that he will stubbornly try to help Sonic and Knuckles if something goes wrong."

Hearing that made Silver look away slightly. "I can relate."

Sticks suddenly leaped over her robot boyfriend, throwing her boomerang out through the window. It raced across the sky, beheading several Egg Pawns before it returned. "Come and get some, robots! I'M WAITING!"

Seeing that his friends were going to be alright, Sonic instantly leaped out of the ship, letting the current of the air take him as he skydived. "Probably should have gotten a parachute." He remarked before seeing a bounce pad within the jungle of the island. "Or maybe not!"

In the sky, the robots were on the attack, but the Sky Fox was making mincemeat out of them. Blaster cannons were showing up all around the floating lab, disintegrating the enemies. Still, the hedgehog mobian had a feeling that this was draining the ship of its power, so he had to make this quick. "Too bad I can't enjoy the sightseeing tour!"

Running as fast as he could, he made it towards the ruins of the old Echidna civilization. As he ran through the place, he saw that many Chao were in a state of distress, all floating around with little idea of what to do. Sonic narrowed his eyes, imagining himself giving Dr. Robotnik the hardest slap to the face he could give. "These poor guys didn't deserve to get roped up in your recent ego-trip, doc." 

At last, he made it to where the Master Emerald once was, only to see that Knuckles was kneeling before it, clutching a fading green shard. "I...I was too late." The echidna mobian muttered. "The Master Emerald...it's gone! IT'S ALL GONE!" He slammed his fist against the ground, large cracks forming around him.

"Whoa!" Sonic nearly fell off his balance, but he regained it. "What do you mean? If the Master Emerald was gone, why is the island still floating?"

Turning to the hedgehog mobian with an utterly defeated look on his face, Knuckles shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know. Right now, I'm grappling with the fact that I just failed my whole duty. I was supposed to stand guard and, in times like this, search for a way to restore the Master Emerald. Now, I don't know what's happening! The shards I found here are all vanishing! Almost like something's draining them of energy!"

Rubbing his chin, Sonic snapped his fingers. "Wait! What if Eggman has something in Robotropolis is causing this? We all know he's draining power from the Chaos Emeralds to fuel his robot army. So, what if he just the Master Emerald there?"

"I wish it were that simple." Knuckles sighed. "But I feel a connection to the Master Emerald. The last time I felt its power flare up, it was right here after it went dark for a while. However...you know what? I did kind of feel some surges from far away." He started to think back a little more. "I was too busy trying to find the Green Chaos emerald, but, the more I think about it...I think was-" He suddenly stopped, his ears perking up.

"What is it?" Sonic asked, looking around before his own ears started to twitch. "Do you hear something?"

"I feel something." Knuckles said before concentrating more. "It's like the Master Emerald is shining brightly, but...it's subdued. Like it's just charging up. Weirdly enough, it's also moving." 

"Moving? Where to?" Sonic asked, even as he started to hear the sound of something ripping through the land. A sound that was getting closer.

"Moving...towards US!" With that, the duo had to jump out of the way as what looked like a giant blue sawblade shredded through the marble around them, eventually landing onto where the Master Emerald once stood.

Standing before the duo was a face that they thought they'd never see again. Glaring at them with one single optic was Mecha Sonic, looking as fierce as the day he was first deployed. "I've finally found you! Let's get started!" He declared, spreading out his arms while he clenched his claws.

"Huh. Talk about a blast from the past." Sonic smirked, getting back up. "Glad to see Eggman's big on recycling."

Mecha Sonic crossed his arms, using his rocket boots to float down from his perch, landing in front of his foes. "Hmph. Just as my data showed. You've gotten more annoying since the day we met."

"I don't remember you being this mouthy." Knuckles said before slamming his fists together. "Go away! Whatever you want, you won't find it here! No thanks to you and your creator! In fact, stand right there! Eggman broke something of mine! Now, I'm gonna break something of his!"

Looking at the Master Emerald-less altar behind him, Mecha Sonic just narrowed his optic. "Consider it just desserts for what you two put me through."

"Hmmmm...let me think...what did we do to you again?" Sonic wondered. "Oh, yeah. We scrapped your butt and we've been busting every other faker that Eggman's made. You're a little late to get revenge."

Slamming his foot against the ground, Mecha Sonic let out an outraged roar as he charged up. A slightly green aura surrounded him, rocks floating up a bit. "I'm NOTHING like my pathetic little brother, Metal Sonic! He's content to accept defeat! I, on the other hand, will NEVER forgive you two for putting me through Hell! For years, I rotted away in my creator's basement! I couldn't see, speak, move, or hear...but I could think. And all I kept thinking of...was how I was going to make you PAY!"

Despite being caught off guard by that sudden burst of power and how it shook the island, Sonic's confidence didn't waver. "Sounds rough, but that doesn't give you the excuse to hurt others. Right, Knuckles?" Much to his confusion, the echidna mobian was looking angrier than usual.

"That power...I remember how you sapped it from the Master Emerald during our fight." Knuckles said, preparing to lunge at his foe. "And now, by some means, you're using it right now?! YOU ARROGANT RELIC!"

Hearing all that gave the robot pause. "So, this newfound power is residual energy from the Master Emerald? It must have been accumulating inside of me for all of those years, keeping me active in the process. How interesting...and ironic that the very power that you sought to guard will be the power that kills you!"

"I don't think so!" Sonic wagged his finger at the machine. "Why don't you show us if an old robot can learn new tricks?"

(Fierce Battle-Metal Slug 5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udc701ZyM3o

Whipping out his blaster from his arm, Mecha Sonic took aim. "You'll find that I'm full of new tricks I can't wait to show you! Now, prepare yourselves! THE END HAS COME!" With that, he fired upon the duo, causing them to zoom in two different directions.

Realizing what was about to happen, he teleported away to the sky, his rockets keeping him in the air while the two heroes punched into his previous location. "What the?!" Knuckles cried out before he was smashed into by Mecha Sonic's ball form. Pushed back by it, the echidna mobian grabbed around the spines, throwing that form away before Sonic spin-dashed into it.

Flying through the sky, the robot restabilized himself before continuing to coat the ground in his blaster-fire. This forced the duo to run around, avoiding the shots as the ruins around them were reduced to rubble. "Missed me! Missed me! Now, you gotta kiss me!" Sonic kept taunting.

"GRRAAARGH! Hold still, insect!" Mecha Sonic shouted before activating his rockets again, rushing at his foe before being intercepted by Knuckles.

The gliding one struck his enemy's face many times, sparks flying as the echidna mobian put all of his power into each blow. They wound up in the Mushroom Hill, their bodies smashing through many of the giant fungi. Powering up and using an energy pulse, Mecha Sonic got his foe off of himself before extending his blaster arm again, only for it to split into two pieces to reveal a missile launcher. Not questioning that right now, the robot fired as many missiles as he could.

Jumping from one mushroom to the other, Knuckles avoided the blasts, even as they tore through the mushrooms. Sonic sped through the fires, spin-dashing into his robotic doppelganger many times to the head. Every blow blinded Mecha Sonic, forcing him to teleport into the sky and try to fire his ranged weaponry again.

"Not this time!" Knuckles sped forth through the air, ramming the spikes on his fists into that body. His optic widening, Mecha Sonic was propelled across the land, Sonic keeping pace from below. 

"We got this guy on the ropes! Yet another Eggman robot sent to the junkyard, courtesy of the Sonic Heroes!" The hedgehog mobian exclaimed.

Knuckles removed one of his fists from the body of his foe, trying to ram the free one into the mechanical one's chest. "First, we're not still calling ourselves that! Second, let me see what's powering this guy! Maybe it'll be some kind of way to restore the Master Emerald! I'm not letting this abomination ruin the legacy of the Echidnas!"

Struggling to free himself, Mecha Sonic flipped his body so that Knuckles would crash into the more foresty parts of the island. Several trees were split in half from their battle, until the two finally split apart from each-other. Grabbing one tree, Knuckles threw it at such a force that it was crashing through the woods with ease.

Planting his feet into the ground, the machine grabbed that thrown object, spinning it around. "Back at YOU!" He shouted, the thing forcing Knuckles to fly up, only to get elbowed in the face by the robot. "Is that your best?!"

"Here's mine!" Sonic suddenly entered the scene, rocketing at his foe with enough force to send him flying through the air. Not done, Sonic ran to where the robot was heading, spin-dashing into his back. Mecha Sonic's optic widened as he felt the machine parts on his back struggle to deal with the strain, before he found the strength to teleport back onto the ground.

His systems venting as the heat increased within his circuitry, Mecha Sonic stood back up, coming face-to-face with Sonic. "Come at me any way you like! I'm not stopping until-"

"You get revenge for us kicking your butt, blah, blah, blah. You know you're the bad guy, right?" Sonic asked. He was met with a flurry of punches, but he effortlessly dodged them all. He walked backwards casually, barely flinching. "Maybe if you spent less time being a giant hater, maybe you'd realize that this whole 'revenge' thing isn't gonna end well? Doesn't help that, unlike Metal, you don't have the whole 'power copy' thing that carried him."

"INSIGNIFIGANT WORM!" Mecha Sonic shouted before he was suddenly tripped up by the hedgehog mobian. Before he fell to the ground, Knuckles flew in from above, smashing his fist into the back of the robot's head.

That caused them to skid across the ground, eventually ending with Mecha Sonic being punched back onto the surface, landing onto one of the Angel Island ruins. Slamming his fists down in order to get back on his stabilizing servos, Mecha Sonic looked around, only to be struck by a speeding Sonic. Then, he was struck again...and again...and again...

Many more strikes followed, culminating in Mecha Sonic curling up, wrapping his claws around his head as his optic darted around, trying to keep pace with the attacking hedgehog mobian. 'His attacks...they're starting to become predictable...if I just wait for the right opportunity...'

Right before he was struck for what felt like the 100th time, the robot slammed his fist right into his foe's body, causing spittle to fly from his mouth. Reeling back, Sonic clutched his bruised chest before he was met with that blaster arm aimed directly at his face. "Not bad, but..." Swinging his foot up, Sonic caused the weapon to fly upward, allowing him to charge up his spin attack. Blue orbs floated into his body before he spun at the enemy.

Dragging the machine through the ground, Sonic finished things off by kicking so hard that the wind currents created by it assisted him. Knuckles also arrived, but he had a whole pillar in his hands. "Go back to the scrap heap, you piece of JUNK!" He roared before driving the pillar into the ground, taking Mecha Sonic with it.

He continued to punch down, forcing both the pillar and the robot so far through the ground until there was nothing left to punch anymore. Once that was done, Knuckles panted heavily, having let out a lot of rage in that one attack. Sonic patted his shoulder, sensing his friend's frustration. "I think you got him."

Shaking a fist, Knuckles punched a nearby rock. "Dammit! I hope I didn't mess him up too badly! Whatever was powering him could be the only thing that could help the Master Emerald!" Right as he said that, the island shook violently, even as it continued to rise into the air. "I don't know if it's Robotropolis or that relic's doing, but I'm gonna find out."

"And we're gonna do it together." Sonic smiled before looking up at the Sky Fox. It was still getting hammered by many more of those Egg Pawns. Already, the defenses were starting to dwindle, though the rest of those aboard the ship were holding their own pretty well. "Just as soon as we help the others."

Calming down, Knuckles nodded. "You know, a lot of things you do annoy me. Sometimes, they make me feel like I'm gonna go crazy. But that optimism? Don't change that, okay?"

"Trust me. The tried-and-true 'Sonic charm' isn't going away anytime soon." The hedgehog mobian winked.

Before they could head on back, the ground erupted behind them. The dust was blown away by Mecha Sonic's rockets, the robot looking slightly damaged. One of his 'ears' was chipped and there were many scratch marks across his body. "I'm not done yet! I will fight you until I cease to function!"

Both heroes turned to each-other, nodding before they both punched the machine at the same time.

Back at Robotropolis...

Said punch was witnessed by those back in Robotropolis, the screens around Dr. Robotnik's throne depicting the mechanical hedgehog getting sent flying into yet another part of the ruins. "I gave that busted hunk of junk a SIMPLE order! Guard the island! That's it!" The villainous doctor shouted.

"Sir, isn't he doing what all of your robotic hedgehogs do best? Hint, hint." Orbot nudged Metal Sonic. The metallic one just flashed an intimidating glare, causing the smaller robot to flinch away.

Grumbling, Dr. Robotnik turned away from the screen. "None of you get it. By doing this, he risks giving away the location of Robotropolis!"

"He'll never talk! He's too angsty!" Cubot declared.

"It's not a matter of if the walking tin can will talk! It's a matter of that pesky two-tailed fox picking apart his CPU and uncovering everything about our operation!" Dr. Robotnik clarified. "With the Egg Pawns, their programming is simple. His programming is, evidently, more complex and bound to have a lot more info to look at."

Sage floated in, having heard this conversation. "Is this why you haven't sent Metal Sonic yet?" 

"No. He's a robot I can count on. At least, when it comes to challenging Sonic." Dr. Robotnik said, though Metal Sonic didn't seem to pay attention to the compliment. "THIS rustbucket is too...emotional, you know? He's bound to make a mistake AND he's made of outdated tech, too! Then again, I don't remember installing a blaster into his arm...or a missile launcher into there. Did somebody upgrade him recently?"

"Actually, I think you just forgot that he could do that and he never got a chance to utilize those abilities." Sage clarified. "Still, can you blame Mecha Sonic for trying to impress you? He only wants to help and you keep denying him that opportunity."

Dr. Robotnik adjusted his glasses, narrowing his eyes. "I'm only denying him because, let's be honest, he's like what Knuckles just called him! A RELIC!" He exclaimed before he turned back to the screen. "Still, this may not end so badly. As long as they keep fighting, Tails' flying machine will be wasting resources trying to fight my Egg Pawns. Even if Mecha Sonic gets totaled, it'll be too late!"

"How nice of you to look on the bright side, sir!" Orbot said. "Although, I hope that Mecha Sonic triumphs. He's been waiting forever for this fight."

"He really has." Sage said, closing her eyes. "After you forgot him."

"Quit trying to guilt me. Just let me hope that SOMETHING salvages this travesty." Dr. Robotnik turned to Metal Sonic. "In the meantime, patrol the island. I saw in my data that one of the Egg Pawns was acting like it was malfunctioning. It might be nothing, but one can never be too sure."

Silently, the metallic one turned away from the screen, flying out into the city. Having to watch more failures involving the Eggman Empire was tiring to watch, anyway. After a few minutes of flying through the sky, his radar suddenly picked up on an organic source. "An intruder?" Having nothing else to do, he tracked the source, eventually finding what looked to be a beetle mobian flying around the Blue Emerald Generator.

Recognizing her as a part of the Resistance, he instantly flew towards her, activating the security alert with just a thought. While he still thought his creator's plan was going to end in failure, just like all the others, he would still relish the chance to get SOME victory out of this, even if it was miniscule.

Slightly earlier, near the Blue Emerald Generator...

After Mecha Sonic had left Robotropolis, the Egg Pawns around the generator continued to patrol, only they were on higher alert than before. The sudden disappearance of one of the robot hedgehog mobians was the cause for it. Still, for the most part, there was nothing to report. Well, aside from a storm approaching.

Not to mention, there were intruders, but none of the robots could see them. Walking through the crowd was Mack, the Mr. Mime having created an illusionary wall that he was holding up with all of his strength. This rendered both he and his allies invisible, so long as they walked behind the moving wall. "You're doing great. Keep it up!" Tangle gave a thumbs up with both her hands and her tail, the Pokemon giving a tired smile as he continued his act.

Drapio was still disguised as an Egg Pawn, leading the group. After all, one of them had to be looking around and not trying to concentrate on hiding behind the illusionary wall. She would also help throw off any suspicion by mostly distracting the guards from investigating any possible signs of intruders. For Sleet, hiding behind the illusionary wall was a hard task, forcing her to crawl on all fours. "Hop on my back. We'll make less noise if you do so." She whispered to Lanolin.

"You heard her." The sheep mobian said, prompting the Neo Diamond Cutters and Sylvia to sit atop her armored back-side. "Let's keep doing this until the coast is clear. When we see an opening, we grab the Chaos Emerald and release the wisps. In the chaos, we'll return home as soon as we can."

"Sounds good to me!" Jewel said before covering her mouth. The Egg Pawns looked around for the source of that noise, but they saw nothing, causing them to return to their posts. "Sorry."

"Do you WANT us to get killed?!" Sylvia hissed.

"Sadly, she has a point there. Pipe down, everybody." Sleet said.

Getting through the door, it didn't take long for the group to reach their destination. The inside of the dome was quite spacious, most of the place being made of tubes and wires that traveled underneath the metal below them to fuel parts of Robotropolis. The walls around the Chaos Emerald in the center all had weakened wisps, the groans and whimpers providing the only noise that wasn't smoothly surging electricity.

"That monster. Trapping these wisps like this." Whisper growled, clutching her wispon.

"Don't worry. One way or the other, we're setting things right." Tangle declared.

"We're here!" Drapio whispered, looking around. "Coast seems pretty clear to me. It's like the robots are afraid to even be near this."

Sleet stood up, the others around her spreading out. Mack finally stopped his illusion, tiredness catching up with him. Miming the waving of a white flag, he fell, but Split-Sec was there to catch him. The insectoid one wasn't much for expressing himself, but he gave his best reassuring smile to the psychic one.

Gazing at the Blue Emerald, the team watched as wires continued to drain it of its power. "Let's make this quick." Lanolin said before Whisper used her Wispon to fire several pink spikes at the wires, causing the cables to fall.

"Your turn!" Sleet turned to Split-Sec, the Scizor flying in to snag the Emerald. At the same time, Tangle used her tail to start opening as many cages as she could, smashing in the doors.

Whisper gave a 'Shhhh' gesture to the trapped wisps, the rest of the team working on undoing the cages. "Mind turning me back, Sleet?" Drapio asked. "Can't really do much in this form."

"Not until we're out of the woods." The Mightyena anthro said as she ripped a cage door off its hinges.

Things seemed to be going well, but Lanolin noticed something. "Wait. Where's Jewel?"

"You mean that bug?" Sylvia asked, doing nothing but sitting back as she looked around. "You got me. She was here a minute ago and-"

VREET! VREET! VREET! VREET!

The security alarm rang loud, all of the wisps starting to float around in a panic. Due to their weakened state, they were in no position to fight. "What the?! We didn't trip any of the alarms!" Lanolin shouted.

"It wasn't me!" Drapio held up her hands before she was suddenly transformed back. "I guess it's time to fight, mates?"

"Yep! So much for the stealthy approach!" Tangle said, while Whisper readied her wispon. "I sure hope Jewel's okay!"

Before they could leave with both the emerald and the wisps, a bright orange beam ripped through the doors, blasting a hole through the wall. "Don't know what that was, but let's get out of here!" Sleet shouted.

"Right behind you!" Drapio said before the source of that beam rushed in, tackling her into the ground outside of the building. 

"DRAPIO!" Tangle called out, the others following as they saw the scorpion-like Pokemon get thrown into the wall, her body already looking bruised.

Standing before them was Metal Sonic, his claws flexing as smoke was emitted from his new engine. His glowing orange eyes gazed upon his foes, analyzing them. "Intruders, this will be over before you even realize it happened."

"There's one of you and several of us! Those are bad odds!" Lanolin shouted. Deep down, she was frantically thinking of an escape plan. "He's going to call for backup, isn't he?"

"Inevitably." Sylvia muttered.

Whisper didn't wait to do any banter, immediately firing orange missiles with her wispon. Metal just backhanded them away, pressing some buttons on his wrist. "That...was a mistake." He glared.

"I'm pretty sure taking us all on was the mistake here." Tangle said while helping up Drapio.

"Rrrgh...why do I get a bad feeling we're tempting fate?" The scorpion-like one rubbed her head.

That 'bad feeling' came true, as something started to emerge from the ground. It wasn't long before its cycloptic gaze was upon the heroes. It was a modified Death Egg Robot, just like the ones that had attacked the world during the time Dr. Robotnik took over. "I really didn't miss taking THESE things on." Lanolin remarked, especially as hordes of Egg Pawns started to join them.

"Ready yourselves! We're fighting our way out of this one!" Sleet said, letting out a loud howl to signify her attack. That mobilized her forces, with even Mack shrugging off his tiredness to join the fight.

As Whisper took aim once more, she suddenly saw Mimic in the distance, giving a wide smirk as he vanished behind some buildings. Her pupil trembled, wondering if, once again, both she and her friends were led into a trap. "No...I won't let it happen again." She clenched her jaw, struggling not to let the horrible memories overpower her.

While that fight began, the Exiled watched it all happen through one of the cameras Sleet had placed onto her armor. "It's already going so wrong." He shook his head, one of his claws dragging across one of the rocky walls. It looked like all of Robotropolis was going to make mincemeat out of the Neo Diamond Cutters and Sleet's mercenaries.

However, something else was catching his attention. A surge in the energy from those shadow monsters was converting from the same spot that the Death Egg Robot was coming from. "It can't be." He stumbled back, looking where he had placed his staff. Giving it a long glance, he turned away from it. "No. I'm...I'm past that. I can never lose control. Never again."

Still, the Exiled knew that his options were running low. His claw began to slowly reach for his staff...

Back at Angel Island...

For Mecha Sonic, it wasn't the many blows that he was suffering that upset him. Actually, that was one of the major reasons, but there was something else that was causing him to experience true pain. Pain greater than having Knuckles smash his fists against his chest while Sonic continued to spin-dash into his head.

It was the feeling of hopelessness. The growing feeling that everything Metal Sonic said was right. No matter what angle the machine came from or what new strategy he'd pick, Sonic would always find a way to avoid it. Not only that, but having to fight an extra opponent wasn't easy.

"I think he's almost done! How about a finishing attack?" Sonic asked before backing away from his ally. "Why don't you have the honors? I'm kinda tired from smashing into metal all of the time."

Currently, Mecha Sonic was swaying around, sparks flying from his body. "Got...to...win." He muttered. "I can't...lose..."

Knuckles just clenched his fists, gearing up for one last punch. "My pleasure, Sonic. I'll make this busted up pile of trash regret every coming here!"

(Type 03-Killer Instinct)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abDg6kuUscM

(0:00-0:28)

Trash. That word had a great amount of weight for the damaged machine. The feeling that, soon enough, he would be cast away like he was nothing. Like he never mattered. His head hung low as he considered this, more sparks coming out of his body. Within his mind, he was kneeling on the ground, punching it, too.

"This can't be how it ends! I...I..." Mecha Sonic suddenly saw the two demonic versions of Sonic and Knuckles loom over him, both laughing cruelly.

A new figure had joined them. This one looked like Dr. Robotnik, but with a wider smile and a trash bin in his hand. "Get in! This is where you belong! You're worthless! Junk! TRASH!"

"No...I'm NOT!" Mecha Sonic roared, though his voice wavered. He was starting to feel truly crushed. There was no way out except for the inevitable moment when Knuckles' fist would bury itself into his body.

However, just when all hope for him seemed lost, green sparks suddenly erupted all around him.

(0:28-0:47)

His optic lighting up again, Mecha Sonic clenched his fists, feeling the Master Emerald's energy flow through him. The residual energy from that artifact was all over the place, allowing him to absorb more of it. Green orbs flowed into his body, while volts started to travel across his limbs and head. 

Instead of fear of his possible destruction or pride at his increasing power, he felt no satisfaction. He only felt hatred. Hatred that he would soon direct at the echidna mobian readying his toughest punch. "This one's for Angel Island!" Knuckles shouted. "For the Echidnas! For Mobius!"

Sonic noticed that something was happening with the robot, but it was too late. He held out a hand before Knuckles rushed at the machine, extending his fist forward...

...before it was suddenly caught by Mecha Sonic's claw, his optic glaring hatefully at his foe. The face of the Echidna mobian was reflected on that same optic, almost being fizzled out by the energy around that red orb.

(0:48-1:06)

Knuckles' fist trembled, the metal claw around it clenching tight enough to draw blood. The heat around the machine was starting to increase, sweat starting to form across the echidna mobian's body. "What the-"

WHAM! The robot's other fist collided into his face, breaking his nose as he was sent flying into a nearby rock. It shattered upon impact, causing Sonic to get into a running position. "Big mistake, motor breath!" He charged up his spin-dash, more blue orbs flowing into him before he rushed forward, burning the grass beneath him as his spinning blue ball form hurtled towards the machine's head.

Mecha Sonic had to catch that with both hands, his feet digging into the ground before he freed one of his claws. "This is nothing!" He shouted before raising his fist.

(1:07-1:25)

He slammed it down on Sonic's form, causing an explosion of blue-tinted smoke and rubble. The ground cracked as the hedgehog mobian found himself also getting kicked with the force of a bullet train, sending him straight into the sky. "SONIC!" Knuckles shouted before getting grabbed around the head and thrown into the nearest mountain.

Crashing against the rocky surface, the echidna mobian barely had time to recover before Mecha Sonic's claw slammed into his chest, gripping around his body before he was dragged through the entire structure. Rocks were reduced to powder as the hero was dragged through it all, before finally being thrown into the ground, smashing through several ruins that proceeded to collapse.

Even with all of that, Knuckles stopped himself by punching the ground, one of his eyes slightly black from that beating.

(1:26-1:45)

Landing in front of him, Mecha Sonic merely walked towards his foe, slamming a fist into his palm. "This is the end of the line!" He declared.

"I don't think so!" Knuckles wiped some blood off of his nose before using his knuckle-spikes to help him lift up great piles of rubble. He threw them at the machine, but they just shattered against him. It wasn't like they weren't damaging the robot, as sparks flew whenever that happened. Sheer hatred was keeping the mechanical hedgehog mobian going.

Eventually getting tired of this, Mecha Sonic unleashed his blaster arm once more, forcing Knuckles to run around and glide through the air. Many more ruins were toppled this way, but he was at least distracted as Sonic spin-dashed into his back again, disrupting him as he fell onto the ground. "Remember me?"

"I can NEVER forget you!" The robot punched the ground, his rockets activating at maximum power. "But, soon, you'll just be a memory and NOTHING MORE!"

(1:45-2:04)

Pretty soon, all three were running/flying/gliding alongside each-other, Mecha sonic firing a cluster of missiles to keep them all on their toes. The explosions, this time, were strong enough to make the ground shake, almost ruining Sonic's balance. "Hold still!" Knuckles tried to swoop in, only to get his head grabbed by the robot.

"How's THIS?!" Smashing his foe's body into the ground, the robot made the echidna mobian literally 'eat dirt' before they found themselves in the Ice Cap. Sonic had managed to zoom in to grab Knuckles, saving him from that attack.

While they were running, Mecha Sonic had entered his rolling form, his blades shredding through the snow before he suddenly teleported in front of the duo. Letting out a powerful energy burst from his body, the two were knocked into the snow, burying them as the machine created an energy ball and threw it at the mountain.

(2:04-2:25)

Blown out of the snow and waving their arms, the duo fell down the mountain before Sonic snagged a piece of wood, using it as a makeshift snowboard. "Okay, this guy's tough, but we're tougher!" He said. "Maybe we can lure him into the Lave Reef? Bury him in molten liquid, Terminator 2-style!"

"I'm still wondering why I almost broke my arms against him! A relic like that shouldn't be THAT strong, even with the Master Emerald's power!" Knuckles shouted before they had to swerve around, avoiding the bullets of Mecha Sonic's blaster.

Growling with irritation, the machine decided to try something new. Charging up a ball of energy between both of his claws, he raised it up, watching as it became as big as a tractor. "Here you go!" He shouted, throwing it down onto the middle of the Ice Cap.

(2:26-2:45)

The resulting explosion caused the ground around Sonic and Knuckles to erupt, beams of light shooting up from where the energy ball hit. It looked like the Ice Caps were being torn apart by the blast, the cracks bringing the very mountains down. "This is crazy!" Sonic exclaimed, speeding up alongside his friend as they avoided the devastation.

Mecha Sonic also wasted no time following them, flying through the falling debris and remaining beams coming from the ground. His optic narrowed as he increased his rockets to enough speed to at least make sure his faster foe wasn't out of sight.

(2:45-3:04)

Stopping near one of Angel Island's volcanos, located above the Lava Reef, the heroes panted before Sonic gave a smirk. "Gimme a sec. This bucket of bolts is about to say hello to my not-so little friend."

"Can you knock it off with the jokes?! This is serious!" Knuckles shouted, the searing heat of the landscape not doing wonders for his temper.

Indeed, Mecha Sonic was closing the distance fast, his blaster arm extended to spread more of his bullets. "And done!" Sonic finished his call, running in a circle around some of the lava rocks before kicking them at his foe.

Stopping mid-flight, the machine tore through the projectiles with a swipe of both claws. "No use running!" He declared, only for Knuckles to finally nail him in the eye.

(3:04-3:23)

Brought back, he was suddenly beset by a flurry of punches, each one of Knuckles' blows being surrounded by red volts of energy. "This is everything I've got! You satisfied now, huh?! ARE YOU?!" He roared as he was joined by Sonic running around them, creating a tornado that included lava rocks and even some bits of magma. 

Even with all of this, Knuckles would not relent, but he was eventually socked straight in the jaw by Mecha Sonic's fists. He just smirked as he was punched away, as that meant he was out of the tornado. "Wh-what?!" The machine cried out as he found that his rockets weren't fast enough to get him out of here. Lava rocks and magma-balls struck him, burning against his metal as the tornado finally stopped with the music.

"NOW, TAILS!"

Out of the smoke that usually covered these lands, a massive beam of blue light smashed into Mecha Sonic, sending his screaming body straight into one of the volcanos. Humongous bursts of lava flowed out of the damaged volcano, the beam's source revealing itself to be the Sky Fox.

"I'm still workshopping the name for that cannon, but it sure does pack a punch!" Tails said from Sonic's communicator.

"Heh. Sure does! Nice work!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up before looking to his ally. "You doing okay there?"

"Kind of. I'll make it." Knuckles assured, his fists still smoking from their blows before he shook them off. "Still, I wanted him in enough pieces that we could analyze where he got that power! Maybe if we could use it to bring back the Master Emerald! Is...is my chance gone?" He wondered, fear showing in his tone.

Tails heard that through the communications device, ignoring the conflict involving the Egg Pawns around her to offer some comfort. "You did everything you could. The Chaos Emeralds are still here, so maybe the answer to bringing back the Master Emerald is within them?"

"That's not a bad idea either." The echidna mobian said before the island started to rumble again.

This time, the rumbling was a bit more violent. "Uh oh. We'd better find if there're any Chao still trying to escape this place. Then, we're out of here!" Sonic said before noticing that his friend was doing his best not to show any fear on his face.

Alas, Knuckles' pupils were shaking and he was taking several steps back. "No...that's impossible."

Even Tails noticed that the energy readings around the volcano were increasing at a terrifying rate. "I just know this isn't good!" She exclaimed. "Sonic! Knuckles! Get out of there NOW!"

(3:24-3:28)

Too late. Already, it felt like time stopped for everybody. The volcano suddenly became calm, no more lava spewing out of it. However, there was the sense that something very bad was about to happen. Sure enough...something DID happen.

(3:28-3:47)

The entire volcano blew up, a pillar of lava forming where it once stood. The entire Lava Reef was also experiencing similar explosions, all of which caused by a surge of energy so great that it forced Sonic and Knuckles to dig their heels into the ground. "What the actual heck?!" Sonic cried out.

In the center of that main lava pillar was Mecha Sonic. His eye was glowing the brightest it had ever glowed since the fight started. Pure unrestrained hatred was shown in that optic, the lava not fazing him as he continued to stare at his enemies. The whole scene made him look less like a robot Dr. Robotnik had created and more like a demon sent to punish those before him.

The mere motion of the machine rushing towards the duo, propelled by his rockets, was enough to cause the lava to surge forth as giant waves, blanketing the land in a wall of molten destruction and raining fire. "Knuckles! Get down!"

Right as Sonic said that, Mecha Sonic's burning claw wrapped around the echidna mobian's face. The other claw charged up an energy ball, clenched into a fist, backhanded into Sonic, and then fired that energy ball into the flying hedgehog mobian. The blow already nearly knocked out the hero, but that ball would soon explode in the distant.

All of this left Knuckles at the robot's non-existent mercy.

(3:48-4:06)

The echidna mobian found himself at the receiving end of a flurry of faster-than-light blows, each one pushing him across almost the whole island. He couldn't see anything but the occasional sight of the robot's hateful face and the fists flying at him. Eventually, the blows would slow down when they hit the ground at the ruins. 

Still, every blow that followed made a horrible cracking sound, the fists targeting different areas of Knuckles' body. He was unable to move or scream, only take each heavy blow while he stumbled back. Blood splattered onto Mecha Sonic's face, almost blinding him, yet he kept going!

Eventually, right as the music stopped and Knuckles was embedded into a pillar, Mecha Sonic ceased attacking, only for red volts to surge across his arms. "I've let you live LONG ENOUGH!" Every single punch he delivered pushed Knuckles further against the pillar, but those blows were almost musical in nature. Basically, it was a final combo. One that almost made the echidna mobian cry out for mercy.

That blow would come to an end when that fist smashed into his body, the robot moving up the pillar and splitting it in half while dragging his foe's body into it until he was high in the air. Lifting Knuckles' body over his head with one claw, he aimed for where the Master Emerald once stood. "YOU'RE DOOMED!"

Tossing Knuckles down like a spear, Mecha Sonic watched as the resulting impact cratered the Master Emerald's former home. Huge rock structures rose up from the ground and entire buildings flew past the trees. The robot stared at his handiwork, silently reflecting upon his seeming victory before descending from the sky to check up on his work.

Somewhere near Soleanna, Chaos himself was both shuddering in fear and weeping at what was becoming of Angel Island.

Back at Robotropolis...

(Battle with Metal Sonic (U.S Remix)-Sonic Forces)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8pl-BPCuzk

The best way to describe the fight taking place on this island would be 'total anarchy'. The Death Egg Robo was firing a massive red eye-laser across the ground, tearing through the metal floor while the captured wisps tried to get out of the way. The Egg Pawns were trying to recapture them, but they were quickly destroyed by the heroes.

Using Maggie's soundwaves, Lanolin was able to keep those robots off of her, but she saw this was all a war of attrition. The more robots they destroyed, it seemed that hundreds would take their place. "We can't keep this up! We NEED to find an escape!" She shouted before seeing Metal Sonic rocket towards her, claws outstretched.

Sleet got in the way, grappling with the smaller robot. "First, let's get THIS robot off our backs!" She growled before noticing that the metallic one's chest was glowing a bright hot orange. "Oh, dear..."

BOOM! The chest blast sent her flying, her armor nearly singed off. In retaliation, Tangle and Drapio grabbed the enemy with both of their tails. "Ow! Ow! HOT! HOT!" The lemur mobian cried out.

"Don't worry, mate! We've got him!" The scorpion-like Pokemon said as she clenched her pincer tail around that head. However, Metal Sonic responded by spinning his head around so fast that not only did that head get free, but a shield of pure sonic energy formed around him, getting the girls off him. Flying up into the sky, he clutched his body before engaging his Maximum Overdrive attack.

Spinning through the battlefield and even ravaging through several of his fellow robots, Metal Sonic was surrounded in a yellow aura of power. That helped to create an explosion when he slammed to the ground, sending the heroes flying. However, as he recovered, Whisper lunged from a pile of robot parts, using her wispon's cube form to smash into his head. 

Split-sec flew above them, confusing the Death Egg Robo while Mack mimed using two machine guns. Around him, various Egg Pawns fell, destroyed. Sylvia just created several shadow balls in her hands, throwing them at the hordes to create more explosions.

Getting back up, Metal Sonic glared at Whisper, flexing his claws before firing each finger like missiles. Leaping out of the way, she used the Hover function of her wispon to float to the top of a building, setting up her wispon's Laser function to try and take out her foe.

Alas, Metal Sonic was too fast, zooming out of the way of each shot while still emitting huge amounts of black smoke. He would still be interrupted, as Maggie's soundwaves disoriented his radar systems, while Drapio threw several sludge bombs to trap him. Tangle followed up by delivering several tail stabs, smashing into the robot's body in various areas before he broke free, grabbing the tail and pulling her in so he could punch her in the face.

In response, Whisper began to fire several rockets from her wispon, but Metal flew through them, lunging at her before her wisps exited the wispon, smacking him square in the head to disorient him. It was long enough for Sleet to fire a Shadow Ball from her mouth, striking the machine on the back. Sparks flew, while Split-Sec came in by smashing his foot against his face, dragging him against the ground.

Tangle stood up, spitting out a tooth. "Okay, I think we got him! Let's get out of here!"

"I second that!" Lanolin said. "Wait, where's Jewel?"

Their answer came when the Death Egg Robot lifted a beetle mobian in its claw, holding her up by the wings. "Help! I'm in need of helping!" She cried out. 

Deep down, Whisper was starting to get annoyed at how it seemed like she couldn't stay out of trouble, but that was an argument for another day. Aiming once more, she nailed the robot's eye with her wispon's laser function, while Mac mimed making a large piece of rope to trip up the behemoth.

As the robot stumbled, it tripped on that invisible rope. "TIMBER!" Sleet shouted, getting out of the way while the giant mech crushed many of its brethren, releasing Jewel in the process.

She fell onto the ground, tuckered out. "If this is getting too stressful for you, I totally understand." Tangle helped her up while rubbing her sore cheek, still reeling from the loss of her tooth.

"Good things these Egg Pawns are such lousy shots!" Drapio laughed, pointing to the way they came. "Lets round up these wisps and get away from those robot wankers!"

Suddenly, the metal ground beneath the Death Egg Robo began to rumble, while Metal Sonic got back up, ready to attack again. Instead, they were all interrupted when something large smashed through the middle of the fallen machine, roaring as it fell back down to the ground.

(Battle! Trainer Red (Epic Dark Intense Orchestral Remix)-Galax Music)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO4pQRrTglA

(0:00-0:42)

It was the Exiled, but he looked utterly beat. Some parts of his armor were scarred and blacked with what looked like impacts from lightning strikes. "Nnngh...we...need to...get out of here!" He gasped. "They're here!"

"Boss! What just happened?!" Drapio cried out.

"Nothing good, I imagine." Sleet tugged on the collar of her armor, especially as the Egg Pawns started to leave. The captured wisps were also going back into their cells.

Whisper's fur stood on end. Seeing her newfound friend in this state was bad enough, but whatever was coming was also putting her on edge. "Get ready, everybody!" Lanolin called out. "We're about to make a break for the exit!"

Standing up and leaning on his staff, the Exiled coughed before slamming his tail into the ground, summoning all of his strength to face the evil that had arrived. "Do you remember those Shadow Monsters? If so, don't bother going back the way you came. They're probably there already."

"You mean...they managed to follow us?" Sleet asked, while Mack gasped and held his breath. Split-Sec's body started to tremble, no matter how much of a brave facade he tried to put up.

"But they're about to go into the light! Or...what passes for light here." Tangle looked up, the skies still gray and smog-covered. "Yep. This isn't good."

Everybody steeled themselves for what was to come, though Sylvia herself looked the most perturbed. "The only time this amount of darkness could accumulate so much is if...no! He can't be back! HE CAN'T BE!" She grasped her head. "I escaped him! I WON'T LET HIM CONTROL ME AGAIN!" With that, she fled into the generator, joining the many shivering wisps.

"Come back here! Stand and fight!" Sleet shouted, only to see that her teeth were chattering. "To be fair, something about this darkness feels...hauntingly familiar. Like our dimension has dealt with it before."

(0:43-1:04)

Whatever it was, the hole in which the Exiled was thrown out of was glowing a bright purple, several shadow monsters crawling out of the hole in the Death Egg Robot. However, they looked sluggish and weak, like something was feeding off their power. The ground rumbled even more violently, many Egg Pawns taking to the skies to avoid what was to come. Only Metal Sonic remained, but he quickly bounced. 

He figured it was better to leave these fools to their fate, THEN he would swoop in and destroy the survivors.

Back with the heroes, the shadow monsters in front of them began to writhe in pain, while the Exiled clenched his staff. Quickly, he slammed it against the ground, generating a burst of yellow light that caused the monsters to fade away. Alas, something else was coming. Something MUCH bigger.

Something that completely destroyed the Death Egg Robot when it rose up in all of its horrifying glory.

(1:04-Rest)

The true battle began when a towering creature bigger than a giraffe reared its ugly head, standing atop a pantherine body made of the same black/purple smoke the other monsters were made of. Connected to the snarling beast was an upright-facing avian-like body with wings that looked like wide lightning strikes. Its beak lifelessly flapped around, while the top-half of its head resembled the upper half of a hedgehog mobian. It only had a mouth and one working eye, the thing darting around in what looked like panic and pain.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAURGH!" It roared, firing purple lightning bolts from the feline mouth and the bird wings. That caused the group to scatter, though it soon pounced upon the Exiled, ripping into his armor with its fangs. He managed to kick it off, but he was still struck by those volts, frying the one within that armor.

Whisper intercepted, firing both lasers and pink saw blades, but all they did was anger the beast. It lunged for her, swiping across the ground and creating an arc of purple lightning that sent her flying into a wall. "Nnngh!" She grunted in pain before the monster's tail wrapped around her wispon, throwing it so hard against the wall that it cracked, releasing the panicked wisps within.

"Oh no, you don't!" Tangle sucker punched the monster's bird mouth with her tail, only to be caught in a cage of electricity by those wings. She cried out in agony, but she still managed to lay several hits that seemed to bruise the beast.

Split-Sec and Mack used their ranged weapons to help release the lemur mobian, but that made the monster take to the skies, flying around while the hedgehog mobian part of it threw down energy balls that had a green tint to them. They actually spawned more shadow monsters, which proceeded to pounce on the duo, clawing at their bodies and leaving a few gashes too.

Sleet grabbed two of them, smashing them together while Maggie's soundwaves dispersed the darkness. Even with all of that, the hybrid monster kept swooping down, clawing at the ground with more arcs of purple lightning. "It's like somebody combined a Raikou, a Zapdos, and pure evil together!" Drapio cried out. 

"I don't care WHAT it is! Somebody stop it!" Sleet cried out before getting several volts straight to the chest. Her fur singed as she fell down, Lanolin standing in front of her so that she could fire more soundblasts into the monster. 

Whisper and Tangle tried to take care of more of those fiends the creature was spawning, but they were already being swarmed. "Don't let go!" Tangle shouted, wrapping her tail around Whisper's hand. It was a valiant effort, but one shadow monster bit the lemur mobian's tail, forcing it to let go as the girls were thrashed around, smashed into the ground as they were forced to watch their teammates get brutalized.

As Drapio was blasted by the shadow abomination's lightning blasts, Whisper's eyes wavered. Her mask was in pretty bad shape, exposing one of her eyes and showing her fear. This was what she feared. Her entire team getting picked apart because of something she swore Mimic had something to do with. Why else did she spot him several times over the course of this adventure?

She also saw that her wisps were frantically trying to get back to her, only for the shadow monsters to swarm around them, trying to snatch them out of the air. Some of those monsters were also heading towards the cages with the trapped wisps, intending on having a feast. The giant shadow abomination let out another agonized roar, the hedgehog mobian part clawing at his own head.

With the fact that every fighter had been incapacitated by the hordes, all hope seemed lost.

(Stronghold Land Eater Phase 1 and 2-Goddess of Victory: Nikke)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSt_6SiAUwo

(0:00-0:23)

Having been thrown against the wall of the generator by the shadow abomination, the Exiled coughed heavily, his injuries starting to catch up with him. His staff had been lost, depriving him of a major source of light to use against the fiends. He crawled against the ground, sap-like blood leaking from the cracks in his armor. "How can I be so weak? I...I can't protect anybody, can I?" He miserably muttered.

Whisper's wisps found themselves floating towards him, shadow monsters surrounding the group. Pink and Cyan put up their fists, despite their fear, while the others kept close. Blue was huddling against the Exiled's chest, prompting him to rest a claw against his body. "I wish there was something I could do, but...I'm too weak. I'm not strong enough."

Despite saying that, he tried to get back on his feet, which provided him enough vision to see how everybody else was doing.

(0:23-0:45)

Turns out, the shadow monsters seemed to WANT everybody watch as they devoured the wisps, forcing them to look while also surging their bodies full of dark energy with just a touch. That meant that, at any time they pleased, the heroes would feel those purple volts crackle around their bodies. "I wanna go home!" Drapio begged, while Split-Sec and Mack reached out for each-other, holding each-other's hands.

Whisper gritted her teeth, trying to escape the clutches of the beasts. "We...will fight...together...always!" She muttered, growling as she bit at the ones holding her down, even managing to bite off a shadow monster's tail. 

"Just...so you guys know...there's nobody else I'd get destroyed by monsters than with all of you guys." Tangle managed to say.

"Likewise." Lanolin struggled to put on her best brave face, her hands holding her wisp close. 

Sleet struggled to push up against her captors. "Boss! Do something! We can't let our mission end in disgrace!"

(0:46-1:08)

Hearing that, the Exiled clenched one of his claws, trying to summon enough strength to fight back against the creatures. The shadow abomination just roared, firing some more volts at him that pinned him against the exterior wall of the generator. The wisps flew to his side, with Blue creating several cubes to block any further volts, though the strain of having to block those powerful blasts was quite great.

"Exiled...get them out of here!" Whisper called out, her usually quiet tone replaced by the loudest voice she could muster. "Keep them safe, PLEASE!" In response to that, the shadow monsters used their power to send more dark energy into the bodies of their prisoners, purple volts traveling across their bodies and granting them even further pain. 

The wisps turned back to the Exiled, who just shook his head. "Leave me here. I'm no good to any of you or anyone. Save yourselves!" He yelled, especially when the shadow abomination struck him with a volley of more volts hailing down from the sky.

(1:08-1:30)

Unable to watch this any further, Blue hugged around the extraterrestrial's body, but something happened when he did so. He began to merge past his armor and into his very being, causing him to let out a gasp. "What's this?" He said as he felt newfound power surge through him.

The others also watched as the other wisps followed suite, phasing themselves into his body. This was nothing new, as Sonic himself had been empowered by the wisps this way before. However, this felt different, as not only was this revitalizing him, but he could feel his armor try and resist this. There was a reason it was doing so, but, for now, that armor glowed hot. He still fought through the pain that caused.

His hair tendrils started to glow a slightly rainbow-like color, rising up as the shadow monsters started to back off, the light created by that being too much for them. The shadow abomination just roared, focused on still causing as much destruction as possible.

(1:31-1:41)

While the Exiled crouched down, one of his claws grasped his head, memories of his past flooding through his mind. Particularly, the fate of his homeworld kept repeating...as well as the fate of his mother. "Never..." He growled before his optic glowed powerfully, a roar that shook the ground coming from his mouth as he spread out his limbs. His hair tendrils were also starting to glow a deep cyan/red.

"NEVER AGAIN! "

(1:42-2:04)

Suddenly, cyan/red beams erupted from his one optic and his hair tendrils, shredding through the shadow monsters and freeing the heroes. They still watched as the Exiled roared again, the hover power of Green flowing through his feet, but also the rocket power of Orange. That propelled him right into the hordes, his claws ripping through them before he slammed his tendrils down, generating walls of Blue's cubes outfitted with Pink's spikes.

"This is incredible! He's combining the wisp's powers!" Lanolin exclaimed. "How is that possible?!"

"I dunno, but he's kicking arse! That's good enough for me!" Drapio shouted, especially as those tendrils spun around, flames suddenly showing up on them. That last part didn't look like any of the wisps caused that, given that these flames were much more wild and intense, but still.

Flying into the air, the Exiled fired another blast from his optic and his tendrils before he was tackled to the ground by the shadow abomination. It bit at him with electrifying bites, but he kicked it off, letting out a savage roar as he extended his arms. Blue cubes were forming around those arms and his tail, as well as Orange rockets at the elbows and Pink spikes lining the whole structures, making them look line chainsaws.

(2:04-2:27)

Assisted by the Green hover ability around his feet and the Orange rockets, the Exiled slammed his chainsaw arms and tail against his foe, striking with the speed of a dancer and the ferocity of a carnivorous dinosaur. Leaping and slashing, he ensured the shadow abomination couldn't get a good hit in. Dark energy seeped from the wounds being left behind, the monstrosity creating energy balls from the volts it was making.

While the Exiled avoided most of these, he slashed through one energy ball, slicing it in half before driving the chainsaw-arms into his foe's body. Lifting the screeching monstrosity up, the extraterrestrial responded with a roar of his own before throwing the fiend into a nearby building, causing it to collapse on top of the monster.

(2:27-2:49)

The rain pounded a bit harder as the Exiled panted, looking upon his newfound power. It didn't last, as the wisps suddenly left him, causing his body to collapse onto the ground. He held himself back up, looking back up into the storm. 

Quickly, those wisps returned to Whisper, huddling with her as they gazed upon what just happened. "It's not over yet! LOOK!" Lanolin shouted, pointing to the ruins of the building.

Rising up from the rubble, the shadow abomination let out another horrific shriek/roar before the hedgehog mobian half began to channel something within his hands. "Quee-fee-mae-mo-bo..." Those words sounded like gibberish, but a large ball of green/purple energy was forming in his hands.

In response, the Exiled grasped his hand around his mask, looking ready to take it off, though there was some hesitation. As quick as he could, he suddenly removed that mask.

(2:50-3:11)

The resulting bright light that came from his maw obscured his face, but everybody could see a beam of flaming orange energy shoot from the extraterrestrial's unseen mouth. Waves of heat emanated from his body, pushing everybody back.

As for the shadow abomination, it finally fired its attack from his hands as a beam of its own. "...BO!" It finished the chant, the purple/green beam smashing into the other one. The beam clash lasted for a good while, both struggling to gain an advantage. The amount of light it produced, however, caused the creature immeasurable pain, aiding the Exiled in the struggle.

Sure enough, the beam smashed into the creature, causing it to become unstable. The shadows making up its body began to fade into the light, the hedgehog mobian half letting out one final scream of agony as it fell to the ground.

The music started to slow down when the Exiled quickly put his mask back on. Flames continued to dance along his hair tendrils. "NEVER AGAIN! NEVER AGAAAAAAIN! " He kept yelling, slashing his claws against the ground before finding his staff. He swung it, generating an arc of light. That light arc crashed into a surprised Metal Sonic, keeping him out of the picture. 

"Is somebody gonna calm him down?" Sylvia asked, peeking out of the destroyed generator. "We have what we need."

Looking at the Blue Emerald in her hands, Lanolin nodded. "Now's our chance! Let's head on back and cover our tracks!"

"I'm way ahead of you!" Sleet used her remote to transform Drapio into a smoke machine.

"We were never here! Bye!" The transformed one shouted, the smoke hiding them from any detection for a few precious moments. Mack even mimed his own smoke machine, giving the group an even greater edge in stealth.

Tangle and Jewel corralled the freed wisps into the sky, making sure they were flying far beyond the reach of Robotropolis. "That's right! You're free! All of you!" The lemur mobian excitedly said.

As the group prepared to retreat, they saw something crawl towards the hole as well before giving up. It was the mobian half of the shadow abomination, the darkness around him starting to fade. He even started to change into a more human-like form. The brown-haired man looked utterly weak, his body starting to crumble into ash. "Destroy it! Destroy it now!" Sylvia shouted.

Before anybody could decide on what to do about what was happening, the man looked up at all of them. "He promised me...so much..." With those last miserable words, he completely crumbling into dust.

"Yep. We're out of here." Jewel said before fleeing first.

Everybody started to jump into the hole, but Whisper looked back to see that the Exiled was tearing through all of the Egg Pawns that tried to follow them through the smoke. Thankfully, none of them saw the escape route, but they were still striking the extraterrestrial with their largest blasters. 

Scorch marks showed up on his armor, yet he continued to fight. "NEVER AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN! Never...again...never again..." Smashing the last of the Egg Pawns with his clenched tail-claw, he finally collapsed onto the ground, his energy spent.

Despite how large the extraterrestrial was, Whisper rushed to grab around his arm, pulling him towards the hole with all of her might. Her wisps partners joined her, tugging their ally down. Any moment now, the smoke would clear and they would be sitting ducks.

Thankfully, Lanolin and Sleet also joined in helping her, followed by Tangle, then Drapio, and everybody else. "Pull as hard as you can! We don't have much time!" Lanolin shouted.

"That's right! Put your backs into it!" Sleet added. Pretty soon, with all of their combined strength, they managed to get into the hole with the Exiled's unconscious body in under a minute. The power of Robotropolis would also unintentionally aid them, as the hole was soon covered by the metal reforming around it.

Metal Sonic flew over to the spot of the devastation, glaring as he realized that his foes had fled. He knew his creator wouldn't be pleased with the loss of the wisps AND the Blue Chaos Emerald, but he had a feeling something would go disastrously wrong sometime. Well, as if the fall of the Emerald Towers wasn't already a red flag.

Back at the Sky Fox, a little bit earlier...

Shadow didn't sleep. He just stared holes into the ceiling. His current situation was what one might call a 'mixed bag'. There was the obvious positive of Rouge cuddling up to his side, snoring loudly, but in a way that the hedgehog mobian had found to be quite adorable. The dry spell he had for decades had also FINALLY ended.

However, he could tell something was happening outside of his door. The sound of battle was happening all around him, no matter how much Tails had tried to soundproof the area. His ears kept flicking as he heard various sounds. They included blaster fire, missiles, bursts of energy, and Sticks yelling at the top of her lungs. It was practically a warzone and he wasn't able to help!

"They can take care of themselves. Just go back to sleep." He said to himself. 

His dilemma would only worsen when he felt a surge of chaotic energy happen beyond the ship. Shadow's eyes widened, the unnatural power causing his fists to clench. 'That's right. Find out what that is. You don't want to be useless, don't you? ' That ominous voice returned in full force.

"Shut up." He muttered.

'All of your friends are probably getting slaughtered and all you can do is sit here comfortably. That's not very noble of you. Now, if you were to embrace your true self-'

Without even thinking about it, Shadow slowly started to slip out of the covers, resting the rest of the blanket on Rouge's body. "I really can't tune out the world. I'm sorry, Rouge." He said quietly. "It'll probably be over in a few minutes."

Opening the doors, his suspicions about what was going on were confirmed when he looked outside the windows. The Sky Fox was flying over the sea, while Tails and company were fighting off hordes of Egg Pawns. In the distance, Angel Island looked ready to crack apart, multiple explosions having taken place. The volcanic parts of the island were particularly going out of control.

"Shadow! What are you doing?" Silver rushed up to him, nearly taking the ultimate life form by surprise. "You should be in your room! We've got this!"

"I'd like to believe that, but I can't be the only one that senses something is wrong!" Shadow argued before realizing something. "Wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to be out of the action yourself? Remember about your powers?"

"I know! It's just...I can't ignore what's going down on that island!" Silver replied. "I saw a vision of Sonic and Knuckles getting brutalized and...I need to check it out for myself!" He sighed. "But I'll probably get spotted and-"

"Stick with me." Shadow interrupted. "Float us over to that island and let's get our friends out. Do NOT use more energy than you need to." Looking back to Angel Island, he grumbled. "If Sonic's nearly gotten himself killed AGAIN, I'm going to punch the idiocy out of him."

Taking the other hedgehog's hand, Silver flew out one of the cracked windows, flying to Angel Island while struggling to hide the toll this was taking on him. "It's only a rescue mission. I've got this." He said to himself.

Back on Angel Island...

For Knuckles, EVERYTHING hurt. His bones were broken in various places, the spikes on his fists were chipped, and blood was oozing down his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot, swollen with pain and distorting his vision. Still, he tried to crawl out of his crater. "I'm not...finished yet." He muttered before falling back on his chest.

Walking towards him, Mecha Sonic crossed his arms. "I must commend your efforts. Despite everything, you refuse to give up. I can relate. However, I can't ignore how you disgraced me the last time." He picked his foe up by the throat, looking upon the broken state of the echidna mobian. "Not bad for an 'arrogant relic', wouldn't you say?"

Knuckles spat in the machine's face, his spittle mixed with blood. "Go throw yourself into a garbage can, you piece of junk. You may think you're strong, but you're STILL Eggman's slave." 

That earned the hero a swift punch to the gut, causing more blood to trickle down his mouth. Before Mecha Sonic could land another blow, Dr. Robotnik himself showed up on a screen that one of the Egg Pawn's was showing. Sage had hacked into it, allowing its eyes to work as cameras. "I don't believe this!" The doctor exclaimed. "You're actually winning! I smell a promotion!"

Hearing such praise from his creator lifted a huge weight off of the machine's shoulders. "I live to serve, Doctor Robotnik. I promise that Sonic will be next! Both he and his echidna friend will haunt me no longer!"

"More like they won't pester ME any longer. Remember who you fight for." Dr. Robotnik reminded. "You can beat up Sonic, but leave him alive for me to capture him. I want him to watch as I take over the world he's worked hard to keep away from me!"

"What?!" Mecha Sonic cried out. "No! I want him destroyed! Eliminated! GONE!"

"I don't care WHAT you want! You do as I say or you can kiss your promotion goodbye!" Dr. Robotnik yelled before calming down. "Still, do whatever you want with Commander Knuckles." The villain chuckled, remembering the echidna mobian's brief tenure as Resistance leader. 

Clenching Knuckles' throat in frustration, the machine prepared to deliver a fatal blow, only for Sonic to suddenly rush in with a spin-dash. It only pushed Mecha Sonic back a little bit, but it did get his attention. "Wait your turn, pest!"

"You're gonna put him down RIGHT now or so help me..." Sonic growled, wincing at the state his friend was in. His feet were already digging into the dirt, ignoring how the whole island was shaking even more violently.

Chuckling, Mecha Sonic threw the battered echidna mobian to the ground before planting his foot against his head, slowly increasing the pressure against the hero's skull. "It matters not what you do! I'm finally getting the vengeance that I rightfully deserve!"

"And then what?! You'll be Eggman's lapdog?! You're pathetic!" Sonic shouted. "What a waste of all of that 'strength' and other stuff you've got going on! You can be anybody you want, but you're deciding to be yet another dime-a-dozen bad guy!"

His words only served to make the machine angrier, but something suddenly caught the robot's optic. Dr. Robotnik was watching this display eagerly, but Sage was looking away from it. She actually looked quite upset. The mere sight of that caused him to stop tensing his foot against Knuckles' head.

It wouldn't be just Mecha Sonic's optic that caught something that made him hesitate. His audio receptors picked up panicked whimpering and crying. Turning around to face the source, he saw flocks of panicking Chao. Some of them were flying away to safety, but others were too injured to make it. One of them even passed out from smoke inhalation, one of its kin trying to help him up.

One large group of Chao was trapped under one of the fallen ruins, unable to escape as lava pooled around their location. Seeing that made Mecha Sonic audibly gasp, his optic widening as he suddenly saw himself in that same scenario. Trapped. Helpless. Forgotten.

Like trash.

"Mecha! What are you DOING?!" Dr. Robotnik shouted. "Kill Knuckles and beat up Sonic! Can't you follow any of my orders right?!"

"I will! I Just..." Mecha Sonic's uncertainty was starting to show in his voice and even in his body language, as he looked at both Knuckles and the helpless Chao multiple times.

Sonic noticed what was going on, his eyes falling upon one Chao that almost fell into the lava. "I've got ya'!" He shouted, jumping up and catching it. 

Right as he looked back at Mecha Sonic, the robot let out a frustrated scream, charging up more of his energy. The fustration was building up within him, as he wanted the voices of his hated foes to finally cease, but he couldn't stop thinking about what might happen to Chao if he just continued to ignore them and-

WHAM! A humongous lava rock was telepathically thrown into the machine, burying him in the magma forming around the group.

(Doctor in the House-LEGO Marvel Super Heroes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjB6fh4hFlM

(0:00-0:27)

Revealing themselves were Silver and Shadow, the telepathic one grunting after having to expend such energy. "Are you alright?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Sonic asked, noticing the other's discomfort. He also saw that the ultimate life form was also here. "Couldn't stay away from me for long, could you?"

"Shut up and hurry up with whatever it is you're doing." Shadow grunted. "This whole place is going to start falling at any minute!"

Knuckles groaned, once again trying to stand up. "I can't...leave this place! It's my...destiny!"

"Forget that! Nobody gets left behind." Sonic insisted, carrying the muscular one on his shoulders. "Think you two can help me save any remaining Chao? I wouldn't want them caught by those Egg Pawns or going down with the island."

Unable to ignore the possibility of saving those in need, Shadow instantly got to speeding through the parts of the island that were still floating. Already, some chunks were falling down, plummeting into the ocean below. "Silver! How many minutes do you think we have left?"

"Not many!" He shouted back, using his psychic powers to detect for any lost Chao. With that, he and the others managed to find a few. Those that they found clung to their heads, thankfully not adding too much weight as they still needed speed on their side. 

Sonic put a finger up to the communicator in his ear. "Tails! Can you move a bit closer?! Our stop at Angel Island is over!"

"I'm already on it! Whatever you do, stay safe!" The fox mobian urged.

(0:27-0:50)

While they continued their search, Mecha Sonic let out another yell, his energy aura smashing through the rock. The damage he had gained, as well as the lava around him, was causing more sparks to fly out of his body, but his rage powered him through. "When I find that miserable hedgehog and his friends, I'm going to-"

He saw the trapped Chao once more, the lava getting closer to them. They screamed more pitifully, whimpering as they saw their ends slowly cascade towards them. In fact, the ruins next to them were breaking apart, causing more lava to flow towards their location. 

"I...I will...I have to..." He stammered as he looked from that sight to the one of his foes running around, the Sky Fox getting closer. In just a few moments, he would lose a chance at achieving his vengeance. Despite having gained more advanced programming, there was still the urge to follow the program his creator had put into him. One that would fulfill all orders given to him, no matter what.

Clenching a fist, he made his decision, his rockets activating as he rushed away from where he had been smashed into. The incoming lava flow almost reached the trapped Chao...

(0:50-1:14)

...but he suddenly slammed a large piece of rubble in front of the cowering creatures, blocking the flow, but also causing him to be struck by the falling pieces of rubble above him. Despite every blow he received, he made sure the Chao beneath him weren't hurt. "You there!" He shouted, ignoring the damages he had been recieving. "Take my hand now!"

They whimpered as they looked upon his frightening visage, retreating back as the lava started to superheat the rocky barrier that the robot had made. "You have to trust me! I won't hurt you!" He extended his claw more, struggling to hold back the flow. "I WON'T LEAVE YOU BEHIND!" 

Before the rock wall broke, all of the Chao gulped down their fears and leaped into his chest, holding on for dear life as he finally rocketed his way out.

(1:15-1:39)

More chunks of the island began to fall, the destruction of Angel Island imminent. The hedgehog mobians had gathered all the Chao they could, helping the rest fly into the sky to escape. "Here goes nothing!" Silver used up as much power as he could, surrounding the others in his psychic energy so he could float them around.

Floating up slowly, they looked back, watching as the rest of the island slowly succumbed to complete destruction. "So long, Angel Island. Maybe, some way, we can bring you back." Sonic sadly said, patting Knuckle's head before an Egg Pawn's blaster fire flew past his quills. "Hey! Jerk move!"

(1:39 -2:03)

The group turned to see various Egg Pawns converge on them, only for the Sky Fox to make short work of them. Still, the ship was running out of firepower. "This can't keep going on! I need to get there quick!" Silver grunted.

"You're doing great! Believe in yourself!" Shadow shouted, sounding quite concerned for the psychic. Sonic couldn't help but smile at that, but his attention then focused on something else happening.

The Chao that had escaped were now being chased by a few Egg Pawns, Dr. Robotnik's voice speaking through a few. "This whole endeavor isn't ending without me gaining SOMETHING out of it! These Chao will do!"

"Father! The battle's over! Just let them go!" Sage pleaded.

"I'M SALVAGING THIS MESS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER! THAT IS FINAL!" Dr. Robotnik shouted.

At first, Sonic hated how he could do nothing to stop this, but that was before he saw something rushing towards the robots, shredding through the clouds like a giant spinning blue sawblade. 

(2:04-End)

In a flash, Mecha Sonic tore through the Egg Pawn reaching for that one Chao, pinballing against many more of the robots and even teleporting to smash them with his fists or feet. Tiny explosions littered the sky as he destroyed many of their ranks. The Chao he had saved hugged tighter into him, realizing they were safe in the hands of the machine.

"No way. He's...actually kind of heroic when he wants to be!" Sonic remarked. "Guess there's hope for him after all."

"Forget him! We need to-AUGH!" Shadow cried out when one Egg Pawn nailed him on the side, causing him to growl animalistically and throw a Chaos Spear at the one that did that. "We need to get back now!"

"On it!" Silver said as the Sky Fox finally got close enough for them all to go through the front window, the group landing within the head of the ship. Right as they landed, Silver collapsed, utterly exhausted. 

Tails turned to the group, both she and the others gasping at what they saw. "What happened to Knuckles?!" Vector exclaimed.

"Oh, snap!" Charmy gasped.

"Silver! Are you okay?!" Espio cried out.

"Shadow! There you are!" Rouge shouted, hastily getting her outfit back on.

"WHY ARE WE YELLING?!" Sticks screeched.

"INCOMING EGG PAWNS!" Omega pointed at several robots that entered through the window, blasting at the group.

His eyes turning into reptilian slits again, Shadow lunged at one of those Egg Pawns, driving his fist into it before ripping out as much circuitry as he could. He shrugged off the other blasts, even as they singed his fur. "I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!"

Sonic almost moved to calm him, but Mecha Sonic suddenly landed, his blaster arm tearing through the remaining Egg Pawns. He gestured for the Chao on him to float down, his optic narrowing at the blue hedgehog mobian. "We WILL meet again. Count on it!" He shouted before his rockets suddenly failed him. "Wh-what?!" 

The group could only watch as he plummeted down into the sea, joining the rest of Angel Island as he crashed into the waters. "I think...we need a breather after that." Sonic sighed, falling onto his back as the Chao he and the others rescued cuddled up to him, lifting him up in their arms. "This is my home now."

Tails sighed, shaking her head as she contemplated the chaos that just happened. "Bring me my medical equipment, Sticks."

As the Sky Fox totally left the scene, a metal claw emerged from the ocean, latching onto a sinking piece of the debris that used to be Angel Island. Lifting himself up, Mecha Sonic felt the damages he had received take their toll on his body. His rockets could still function, so he could still return to Robotropolis.

He had a bad feeling his creator was going to be furious with him, but he still rushed back towards the city of metal. "There will be another chance. There'll have to be." He said to himself. While the machine regretted not being able to finish off Sonic and Knuckles, he couldn't find it in himself to regret the reason why he didn't finish his task.

In fact, aside from his anxiety, self-hatred, and frustration, Mecha Sonic felt...warm. Well, whenever he thought about those he saved, that is. He would think on that later, for he was already getting a transmission from his creator. Any good feelings within himself were eclipsed by the realization that his return back home would not be a happy one.

For the transmission was from Dr. Robotnik, his voice growling with fury as he gave a single order. "My throne room. NOW."

Chapter Text

The Sky Fox...

Despite the recovery of almost all of the Chaos Emeralds, the mood was rather dour. Well, dour for a ship that was now housing many Chao. Sonic was getting patched up, some of the Chao refusing to leave his side. "So...is Knuckles going to be okay?" A slight tinge of panic entered his voice, remembering the brutal beatdown his friend recieved.

Checking her results, Tails sighed. "I have good news and some bad news. The bad news is that, given the severity of his injuries, he's going to be out of commission for a while."

"But he's so tough! That robot couldn't have beat him THAT badly!" Charmy exclaimed.

Vector's fist slammed against a nearby table, the crocodile mobian looking furious. "I should have been helping him! That way, maybe he wouldn't need a full body cast AND he'd still have his island home! Imagine how he must feel now!"

"Pretty lousy, I bet." Sonic sadly said. "Still, I can't get over how, just when he had a shot at destroying us, Mecha Sonic decided to save the Chao. I wanna believe he's not all that bad. But the way he beat up Knuckles..."

"I know you want to see the best in everybody, but he's going to need to come up with a VERY good apology if he decides to join the Resistance." Tails pointed out.

"We're getting off topic! What's the good news?!" Vector interrupted.

That prompted the fox mobian to look at her clipboard. "His injuries aren't fatal, so he's going to make it. Aside from the fact that we also managed to save all of the Chao, that's the only good news. Still, if this doesn't inspire us to find those Chaos Emeralds faster, I don't know what will." 

"Leave it to me and everybody else still searching!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. "For Knuckles!"

"Yeah! For Knuckles!" Vector pumped a fist, Charmy also joining in.

In one of the ship's rooms, Rouge was pulling Shadow by the ear, dragging him into her room. Next to the door, Omega stood. "It is good to see that you are still operating at optimal capacity!" The robot said.

"Not now. Me and Shadow need to have a little talk." Rouge said firmly before shutting the door and letting out a big sigh. "Look, Shadow, let me be honest with you."

Sitting down, the hedgehog mobian grumbled. "Fine. Let me guess. You're mad at me risking my life again."

"Always straight to the point, aren't you?" She put her hands on her hips, resisting the urge to lose her temper. "Yeah, I'm mad. But, at the same time, I know this isn't about your ego getting hurt by the fact that you can't throw hands with the bad guys anymore. I know you just wanted to help."

His ears falling, Shadow nodded. "I guess I really am like Silver. It's little wonder that, apparently, he's my son in his timeline. We both can't shake off our sense of justice."

Calming down a bit, Rouge sat next to her boyfriend, a wing wrapping around his body. "I just worry that, one day, you'll throw yourself into yet another situation and...what if you don't come back from one of your 'freakouts'? I wanna believe you'll bounce back, but you're getting more and more violent with every time you snap."

"...I know. The voices are coming back, too." Shadow clenched a fist before driving it into the nearest wall. "DAMMIT! How can I keep my promise to Maria if I'm a danger to myself and others?! I might as well throw myself into an unbreakable cell until this passes over!" 

"No! You're staying with us! Your friends! Your family." Rouge pulled him back with her wing, holding the angst-filled one close. "For what it's worth...you did good out there. Great, even. I'm more upset that you have to deal with whatever's going on inside you while this is happening."

"I feel the same." Shadow admitted. "We're nearing the end of this mission anyway. I...think I'll sit this one out. Just keep an eye on anybody if they do anything reckless. Otherwise, I might not be able to stop myself from rejoining the fight."

Giving a smirk, Rouge cuddled her head into his chest-fur again. "Believe me. With my skills, you won't be missing a thing."

In another room, Espio was pressing two fingers against Silver's forehead. "So much of your energy has been expended. Any more and...I don't want to think about that." The chameleon mobian shook his head.

"Listen, I'm SO sorry! It was wrong of me not to inform you of where I was going and-"

"Silver, please." The ninja laid a hand on the other's shoulder. "You have a warm heart and a great desire to see that everybody else has a future. I only ask that, until we figure this out, you leave the rest of this adventure to your friends. To me." 

Looking down as he processed that request, Silver leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. "Alright. I'll stay right here. You don't have to worry about me for the rest of the adventure."

"I swear that we're going to figure something out. This isn't going to be forever." Espio said firmly, his tail curling around the other's leg as they laid in bed together. "For now, let's rest awhile."

"Sounds good to me." Silver let out a cute yawn, cuddling up to his lover.

Somewhere in the very back of the ship, Knuckles was resting on a bed, his limbs wrapped around by bandages. He refused to move or even speak. All he did was stare holes into the ceiling. "Sooooooo...how was the fight?" Sticks awkwardly asked. "Did you beat up as many robots as I did? Because I think I broke my record and-"

"I don't care."

"Huh?"

Slowly twisting his head towards the confused jungle badger mobian, Knuckles spoke more firmly. "Unless there's something within Robotropolis that can restore Angel Island...I don't care about anything right now. Please...leave me alone." He struggled not to let the tears fall, though a few did, making him wince from the pain.

Giving a sympathetic look and struggling to find a way to ease the awkwardness of what had happened, Sticks idly removed a bug crawling on her head, chewing on it. "Okay, but...do you at least wanna talk about it? I usually just climb the tallest peak and scream. That way, my problems are solved."

Having a feeling that Sticks wasn't going to leave the room anytime soon, Knuckles did his best to sit up, despite how moving made every part of him ache. The revolutionary medical technology that Tails had made came in handy to make sure he wasn't permanently crippled, but that didn't take away both the physical and mental pain he was suffering right now.

"Fine. I'll talk. Ever since I was a boy, my whole life has been dedicated to protecting Angel Island and the Master Emerald. They're literally one of the only few things that prove that us echidnas once existed. Now, unless a miracle happens...it's gone! It's all gone! I failed the ONE job I had! What am I supposed to do now?!"

"Beat up more bad guys?" Sticks wondered.

"Eggman? Yeah, I'll beat him up. But, after that, I'll have to live with this for the rest of my life!" Knuckles wanted to punch the wall, but he knew that would make his injuries worse. "Even if that didn't happen, I also have to live with the fact that some relic that Eggman probably found in the trash managed to wipe the floor with me! Actually, HE ALMOST KILLED ME!"

Despite wincing at the angry outburst Knuckles was giving, Sticks tried to play it cool. "Well, you know what they say. What doesn't kill me...is probably plotting other ways to end my life. But they also make you stronger and stuff."

"I don't just want to get stronger." Knuckles felt the tears return. "I just...I just want my home back."

Not sure of what else to say, Sticks just gave him some more pillows. "Have a nap. That also cheers me up. I cherish them, since I mostly sleep with one eye open. Don't forget that you're not alone in this, okay? Believe me when I say the whole 'loner' thing is way too painful for even me. I'm still feeling lucky from having met Tails and Amy."

"...yeah. I still wish I could have done better." Calming down a little, the echidna mobian allowed himself to relax against his pillows a bit more. Hoping against hope, he imagined himself recovering faster than usual, ready to avenge his beloved home and defeat Dr. Robotnik once and for.

But not before laying the smackdown on that damned robot. The one that had stolen the Master Emerald's scared power.

Meanwhile at Robotropolis...

Silence filled the throne room of Dr. Robotnik. As the villainous one sat on his throne, his gaze tranquil yet obviously displeased, Orbot twiddled his thumbs, Cubot nervously looked around, Sage grimly floated in place, and Metal Sonic kept his arms crossed. Though his expression was hard to read, there was an air of disdain around the metal doppelganger, all directed at the one everybody was in front of.

Namely, Mecha Sonic. His injuries had been repaired by Sage before he entered the throne room, ensuring he looked good as new before having to face his angry creator. "If this is about-"

"SHUT...up." Dr. Robotnik raised a hand before lowering it. "Tell me. What was your main objective when I allowed you to function once again?"

Lowering his head, Mecha Sonic answered. "Guard this island. Something I thought Metal could do, but apparently not." He looked to his younger brother. "He was content to let some monster do the job for him, but his laziness cost us a Chaos Emerald."

"It wasn't worth using my energy. Now, be silent." Metal grumbled. 

"What's wrong? Are you jealous that I almost managed to destroy one of our hated enemies? Something you couldn't do, even when Sonic was imprisoned?" Mecha Sonic asked. "How pathetic!"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Robotnik slammed his hands down. "First, you disobey my orders, leaving Robotropolis to get invaded by some Resistance fools that were dwelling right under our noses this whole time! THEN, you travel all the way to Angel Island, risking the possibility of somebody putting a tracking device on you so that my city would be invaded further! Thankfully, that didn't happen, but still!"

"But he almost defeated Knuckles, didn't he?" Orbot asked.

"And he looked badass when doing it!" Cubot said. "Things were like 'BOOM' and 'You're DOOMED!'" He did a bad impression of the mechanical hedgehog mobian, making both Mecha Sonic and Sage chuckle a bit.

Rubbing his fingers against his temples, Dr. Robotnik continued. "So, you got into battle with Sonic and Knuckles. Against all odds, you almost managed to stop those two dead in their tracks. Emphasis on the 'dead' part. Tails' precious airship was also getting hammered by our forces and its power was drained when it tried to stop the attack. It was glorious! So, let me ask you this...HOW DO YOU SCREW ALL THAT UP?! Oh, I'll tell you! By hesitating, abandoning the reason you disobeyed me in the first place, AND LETTING THOSE FOOLS GET AWAY WITH THEIR LIVES!" 

His furious tone nearly made the whole room shake, causing Mecha Sonic to take a step back. "I-I-I'm not sure what happened! It must have have been a glitch!"

"You're either LYING or you're defective!" The villainous doctor shouted. "Say what you will about Metal Sonic, but at least he's loyal!"

"But he abandoned his objective too!" Mecha Sonic pointed out.

"Only because of...whatever that creature was that emerged from below." Dr. Robotnik's wrinkles around his forehead grew in proportion to his stress. "Yet another thing I have to worry about, by the way. Overall, I'm disappointed in you! From now on, you are FORBIDDEN from leaving my island until I say so! If you disobey...well, I won't throw you back into the basement."

That actually surprised the mechanical one. "You won't?"

"No. I'll melt you down and turn you into a pencil sharpener or something! At least, that way, you'll be useful and not some walking pile of trash!" 

That last word kept repeating within Mecha Sonic's CPU, his optic shrinking as his fists trembled. "Don't call me that." He said in a hushed tone.

"Well, then stop acting like it! Keep in mind that, unlike my better creations..." The villainous one gestured to Sage. "...I can scrap and replace you anytime I want! Let that hang over your head and behoove you to actually do your tasks right! Are we clear?!"

His head starting to shake as he processed more of what his creator yelled at him, Mecha Sonic let out a scream of fury before punching the nearest wall. "I AM NOT DISPOSABLE! You can't just replace me like one of your Egg Pawns! I will not be forgotten! You'll see! I'll destroy Sonic and become the strongest robot in the world! No...I'LL BE THE STRONGEST IN THE UNIVERSE! "

That caused Metal Sonic to speak up again, only he was starting to laugh. It only further angered his older brother. "The strongest in the universe? I never realized humor was programmed into your code! Your display on Angel Island was surprising, but wait until Sonic is surrounded by his allies. Soon, our creator won't need to scrap you. They will do the work for him..." He leaned into the machine's audio receptors. "...and we'll let the Resistance decide what to do with the pieces."

Hearing this caused Mecha Sonic's optic to waver, his voice cracking as he took all this in. "YOU...WRETCHED...PIECE OF-" 

"Now, now! That's no way to get back into my good graces." Dr. Robotnik interrupted the angered mechanical hedgehog mobian. "Get back to work already. You make me sick just looking at you."

Struggling to say anything further, Mecha Sonic just threw up his hands, letting out another frustrated yell. "I'll show you all! You'll see! I'll...I'll show I'm not useless! I have a purpose!" Now, it sounded like he was on the verge of tears, despite none leaking from his optic. "I'm not trash! I'm not trash...I'm not trash..." He kept repeating that as he sulked away. 

Once he was gone, Dr. Robotnik leaned back, shaking his head. "Hmph. Maybe I should dismantle him soon. I don't remember installing 'Crybaby.exe.' into his code."

For almost the entire thing, Sage had kept silent, but she couldn't hold back her disgust at what just happened anymore. "Father! Why would you do that?! He's not like any other machine! He has thoughts and feelings and-"

"Don't get sentimental on me, Sage. He's not worth the resources I've been putting into my plan." Her creator interrupted. "He's only a slight step above Orbot and Cubot." He gestured to the two.

They were huddling against each-other, shaking with fear. "About what you said..." Orbot raised a finger. "You wouldn't really scrap us at your convenience, would you?"

"If the answer is 'yes', can you at least make me a toaster? I sure do love toast!" Cubot nervously laughed.

"But you've never eaten that or anything else organic." Orbot pointed out.

"I'm scared! My CPU is racing!" His brother replied.

Rubbing his chin, Dr. Robotnik just shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe if you bolt-buckets fail me enough times. Be glad that I don't feel like it now."

"What about me, father? Am I replaceable if I stop acting within your expectations?" Sage's voice cut like a knife with how cold it was.

Caught off-guard, the villainous one turned to her. "You heard what I said. You're one of my finer creations. I'd never replace you."

"And what if I told you that I've been running simulations of how this plan will turn out and they ALL end in failure?"

Taking that in, Dr. Robotnik adjusted his glasses, while Orbot and Cubot cowered behind the stoic Metal Sonic. "...that's not possible. Surely, in some of those scenarios, I triumph over Sonic."

"You do, but you STILL lose." Sage created several screens around herself, showing all of her calculations. "In some cases, you spare Sonic just so you can humiliate him, only to be bested shortly after that. In many, his friends help him triumph. Even more of these end in your death! I can't let that happen!"

Reading through the various scenarios made her creator's blood run cold, disbelief in his eyes. "But...I've prepared so much. I even have a big surprise waiting for the Resistance if they ever come knocking on my door! The odds should be stacked in my favor! Why are you even showing me this?!"

Sage put away the various screens, getting to her point. "Because I'm hoping this will convince you to just STOP! This 'world domination' obsession is making you fall apart! So many lives are being hurt and you're among that crowd! If you don't stop now, you might not make it this time!"

"Are you having DOUBTS about my efforts?" Dr. Robotnik's fury returned, glaring at the holographic one as he stood up from his chair. "Are you saying all of my blood, sweat, and tears were for NOTHING?! That can't be right! Recalculate! Re-run the scenarios again! Correct any errors you see! Do something that ensures that I win for once!"

"You never do! You only hurt yourself and drag everybody else down with you! Why does Mecha Sonic have to suffer for your megalomania?! Why does anybody have to?!" Sage's tone started to get increasingly angrier, her form starting to glow red instead of blue.

Slamming a fist against the nearest table with enough force to break it, Dr. Robotnik lifted a finger to the surprised hologram. "DO AS YOU'RE TOLD, YOU DISOBEDIENT BRAT, OR I'LL REPROGRAM YOU AND..."

A horrible silence filled the room. The villainous doctor lowered his finger as he realized what he had said, dawning horror showing on his face. Sage was floating back from his face, tears starting to form in her eyes. "F...father...what are we to you?" She floated next to the other robots for emphasis.

Readjusting his glasses, Dr. Robotnik's face had gone from expressing rage to remorse. "Sage, I-I-I didn't mean that."

"No. It's in your nature to throw away things that don't have anymore use." Sage suddenly found words hard to say, especially as she held back choked sobs. "Continue your plan without me. I'll only get in your way!" With that, she began to sink into the floor, vanishing into the network of the city.

"Sage! Wait! I can explain! I..." It was too late. She had already left, faint sobs heard within the walls that soon faded into nothing. For a while, Dr. Robotnik stared at where she had left, his head slowly turning to the three other robots in the room. "You three...get out."

Nodding, Metal Sonic left his creator to his misery, leaving the other two. "Come, Cubot. Let's go." Orbot said firmly, a little bit of venom in his tone. "Before we're thrown away, that is."

While the two robots left, Cubot floated towards his creator's face. "Uh, before I leave, there's something important I gotta say."

"What?" Dr. Robotnik grumbled.

The cube-shaped robot promptly did his best impression of a raspberry, complete with holographic spittle hitting the villainous doctor's face. "Just needed to let that out. See ya'." Mirthlessly, he floated to join the other robots in leaving.

Left alone in his throne room, Dr. Robotnik stood still for what seemed like forever. His hand trembling, he lifted his glasses and dusted them off with a rag before putting them back on. Suddenly, with a primal scream, he grabbed his throne and tore it off the floor, throwing it against the window. Cracks formed all around it, his fists banging against the parts that weren't damaged.

Looking at his reflection, the villainous one's tone only got angrier. "WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING right, Ivo?! Father was right about you after all! I...I..." Panting heavily, he collapsed onto the floor, the anger leaving him and being replaced by melancholy. "What have I done?" He whimpered. The thought of driving Sage away filled him with more dread than the possibility of Sonic arriving in Robotropolis with his allies in tow.

Slowly, he lifted himself back up, sulking as he activated a communications device in his ear. "My robots, is the final Egg Guardian almost finished?" He asked, no emotion in his voice.

"Confirmed! The data on all those that have destroyed the Emerald Towers is being compiled. It is at least 80% complete!" A computerized voice answered.

"...good." He turned it off, slumping back onto the ground. "It'll work. It HAS to work. Otherwise...what the actual hell am I doing?" He grasped his face, imagining what would happen if he were to give everything up. "To think...this all started because I wanted to make an amusement park of my own. It was a solid dream, Ivo. Where did it all go wrong?"

More silence would follow as he searched through his mind, trying to figure out how to get out of the hole he had dug for himself. An idea came to the villainous one's head, though. Something that would involve a few old friends of his from across different universes...

Beneath Robotropolis...

Instead of any celebration regarding the acquiring of the Blue Chaos Emerald, as well as freeing all of those wisps, everybody was looming over the Exiled's unconscious frame. His body laid across a table, groaning slightly as he twisted his head around slowly.

"Soooo...we survived!" Drapio exclaimed.

"That, we did." Sleet nodded. "Only thing is, it took our boss having to use up a good portion of his energy to do so."

"He's not dead. Get over yourselves." Sylvia said, while Mack mimed using a stethoscope, hearing for the heartbeat of his 'patient'.

Next to them, Lanolin was doing his best to speak softly to Jewel. "Listen, you can't just go wandering off while we're in the middle of a mission! I don't want to be rude, but we almost died!"

"Sorry! It won't happen again. There were just SO many robots that I tried to warn you guys, but-"

"Relax! It's in the past." Tangle patted the beetle mobian on the back. "We made it and that's all that matters."

Whisper had a lot running through her mind. One half of it was thinking on how her wisps had fused with the Exiled to create so much power. Normally, one could only bond with one wisp at a time (although Sonic had that one story of using the power of multiple wisps to lay the smackdown on Dr. Robotnik at one point), but this creature had utilized their power so seamlessly. She was honestly impressed.

But there was another thing eating away at her. Her mask was scanning the entire group for any sign of Mimic. There was no way that the octopus mobian wasn't among them or, at the very least, stalking them constantly. Her paranoia had been growing ever since they were jumped by Metal Sonic and her suspicions were moving towards either Jewel or Sylvia.

One of them had been barely contributing to the mission at all, while the other didn't do much to help out of what seemed to be sheer spite. Still, nothing was adding up. Mimic couldn't replicate the ability of flight and Sylvia displayed powers far beyond what the octopus mobian could do. Also, if he really wanted to hurt her, he would have sprung to action sooner. He was patient, but not THAT patient.

It was while they were talking that Blue floated to lean towards the Exiled's mask, slowly tilting it up. He was just too curious. It also proved to what caused the Exiled to rise up, letting out a monstrous roar as his tail smashed against the ground. "NEVER AGAIN! NEVER...oh...I...I'm sorry." He grasped his head, a throbbing pain within it.

Everybody had stepped back, but they relaxed upon seeing that he was finally awake. "You doing okay, boss?" Drapio asked.

Rubbing his head some more and turning to the surprised wisps, he groaned as he got back onto his feet. The extraterrestrial stumbled, but his claw-tail provided some balance, as well as his hair tendrils. "Did we succeed?"

"See for yourself. The mission had a rocky start, but it was a total success." Sleet said proudly, gesturing to Lanolin.

She showed the Blue Chaos Emerald, the jewel glowing in all of its glory. "One down, six more to go." She remarked. "Hopefully, the others have made progress in that department. We'll need you to help us establish communications very soon, though. I've got a bad feeling we're running out of time."

The Exiled nodded. "You are correct. There isn't much time left. This, however, will please those from C-197. I am also glad to know that the wisps are safe...right?"

"They are. You helped ensure they have a future." Whisper said, lifting her mask to show a soft smile. For now, she could put her paranoia at ease, knowing that they had not only thrown a monkey wrench into Dr. Robotnik's plans, but also having saved lives without sacrificing any of their own.

Finally able to stand up, the Exiled stretched before looking towards the group. "It has been an honor to watch you all fight with bravery and fight against uncertain odds for the sake of those that can't fight for themselves."

"It's what we do best!" Tangle said before turning to Drapio. "And you guys were pretty awesome too!"

"Ah, gee, mate! Thanks." The scorpion-like Pokemon twiddled her pincers. "You were amazing, too."

"Ugh. Can we move on?" Sylvia groaned.

As Whisper's wisps checked the taller extraterrestrial for any other signs of injury, he sighed. "After all we have been through, I have begun to feel...guilty over leaving all of you in the dark about why this mission means so much to me. It's more than just saving C-197, for you have also heard me mention my homeworld many times."

"It certainly has my curiosity." Lanolin admitted, both Split-Sec and Mack leaning in to hear where this was going. "Are you from another dimension or universe too?"

"No. I hail from your universe. I..." He turned away, slightly trembling. "It's...not anything pleasant. But you've done so much for me and-"

"You don't have to talk about your past if you don't want to." Whisper said firmly, moving to hold his claw.

The Neo-Diamond Cutters, deep down, couldn't believe what they just saw. Normally, the wolf mobian wasn't a fan of close contact, though she did tolerate the many times that Tangle hugged her. The only explanation is that the two were enough of kindred spirits that her bounderies expanded just slightly enough to allow for this.

"Go down, feelings of jealousy. Just gooooo down..." Tangle whispered to herself before clearing her throat. "Yeah, no need to go down memory lane."

Giving that some thought, the Exiled shook his head. "No. I've kept this buried within me for far too long. Besides, what I tell you might provide knowledge for Mobian historians. Think of it as my gift to you all."

"You'll still have time to establish communications with the rest of the Resistance, right?" Lanolin asked.

"Of course. Time is of the essence." To emphasize that, his tail and hair tendrils moved to grab Whisper's battered wispon, ready to fix it. "Multitasking is what one might call my 'bread and butter'. Now, come. There is much I have to tell."

With curiosity in their hearts, the others followed. If they had to wait for their own respective missions to be completed, then listening to a story was a good way to pass the time. Still, they had a feeling that, given the grim attitude of the Exiled up to this point, this story wasn't going to have a happy ending.

Meanwhile at Soleanna...

(Kingdom Valley: The Wind-Sonic the Hedgehog 2006)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8HQ8zAhBj0

Since the City of Water itself was packed with citizens and tourists when Dr. Robotnik's attack commenced, it was safe to say that panic was running rampant long before the Egg Pawns went on the attack. The Resistance was doing all it could to hold off the hordes, but the machines just wouldn't stop coming. It didn't help that an Emerald Tower had risen from the waves, looming over the town and casting it shadow upon the terrified populace.

Many of those Egg Pawns had forced everybody into their homes, making them watch as their beautiful city and all around it was reduced to a lifeless place of pure chrome. The buildings were losing all of their features as the metal traveled up them, the plant-life was transformed into metallic statues, and it was an overall miserable image. A symbol of Dr. Robotnik's tyranny.

Those that could escape the mayhem fled into the parts of Soleanna that were densely packed with trees, but they would soon encounter not only more Egg Pawns, but a strange creature made of water. "A monster! We're doomed!" One shouted, fleeing before a feline solian flung several fireballs at the Egg Pawns, destroying them.

Blaze landed on the ground, calming everybody's nerves. "Stay right here. We'll save your town and end this horror for good!"

To their even greater delight, Sonic smashed through several flying robots, their parts raining down as he hit the scene. "I don't know, but something about wrecking Eggman's stuff around here feels...familiar."

"Every time me and Silver visit this place, I feel a strange sense of deja vu. It's probably nothing." Blaze shook her head. "Wait, where's Chaos?"

They both turned to see the watery creature shoving his fist into robot's head, letting out a rage-fueled roar. "MONSTERS! Mechanical monsters! All of them! I could feel it! Angel Island...IS DESTROYED! All because of one man's lust for power!"

Sonic sighed while Blaze gave a gasp. The hedgehog mobian shook his head. "Oh. You already know. I was gonna tell you, but-"

"Are the Chao safe?! Are they?! I...I can hear their voices." Chaos started to calm down, his eyes widening. "I don't believe it. The island may be gone, but the Chao live! Every last one of them! This...this is good. We will simply find a new home." He took a deep breath, the rage leaving his voice entirely.

His relief was short-lived, as he clutched his chest. "Are you alright?!" Blaze rushed up to him, soon joined by Tikal's light form.

"I can feel the power of the Chaos Emeralds...fading. The Master Emerald's destruction was only the start." Chaos muttered, struggling to keep himself together. Through what remained of the power the emeralds had, as well as his will alone, he stood back up. "I don't understand, though. We have four of the Chaos Emeralds. Why can't I feel their power?"

Tikal had an idea. "It must be because of the Master Emerald's destruction. I can only hope we find someway to stop this. I don't want to see you fade away!"

Chuckling, Chaos lifted a claw to the ball of light. "At least you and the Chao spirits will be able to ascend. I will no longer be your burden."

"Oh, Chaos..." Tikal said sadly, briefly shifting into her ghostly form to cup his cheek.

Sonic rubbed his arm, not sure what to say about this. "First Knuckles, now Chaos and Tikal. You're really on a roll, aren't you, Eggman?" He bitterly said that name.

Watching this made Blaze's insides twist and turn. 'Such a kind and caring creature...and he's going to fade away because of Eggman's actions?! '

Her fists nearly catching on fire, she interrupted the moment, catching the attention of all. "NO! Nobody is giving up on you! A hero such as you shouldn't have to suffer this fate! As a guardian myself, you must never give up, especially when lives are on the line!"

"I never said I was dropping out." Chaos said. "I will fight the evil of Robotnik with my last breath! I will ensure the Chao have a future! I will help you find the Sol Emeralds, too. I won't let your mission end in failure like mine might." Saying that made the feline solian's ears fall, as she was reminded of what was at stake for her. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No. I know you meant well. Just...thinking about that and what's happening to you is...upsetting." Blaze admitted.

"Then we're not letting ANY of that happen!" Sonic exclaimed. "Nobody gets anywhere by just giving up. I mean, the whole world could come crashing down on me and I'd give it my all!"

"He's right. Now's not the time to give up. We're this close to at least putting an end to Robotnik's scheme." Tikal said, her form hovering to where the Emerald Tower was looming over the town. "The Cyan Emerald is almost within our grasp."

All three nodded, but Chaos had another thing to say to the feline Solian. "Besides, the world will be a better place without me, if I were to fade away. It'll be proper penance for my crimes."

"Crimes? What are you-" Blaze was interrupted when the watery one turned into his liquid form, rushing towards the town while extending a few limbs to smash through several robots. This, along with several other conversations she remembered, continued to clue the princess that her new friend had some demons that still ate away at him from within.

Still, he was righteous enough to jump into the fray, much like what Sonic was doing. "Your vacation's about to end, robots!" The hedgehog mobian shouted, spin-dashing into several of the machines flying around the buildings.

Blaze couldn't let what Chaos said go, turning herself into a fiery projectile as she caught up with the being. His watery form was slinking through the alleys in an effort to reach the Emerald Tower quickly. "I don't know what 'crimes' you're talking about, but it's no reason to look forward to your end!"

"If you knew what I did, you'd be thinking different!" Chaos argued. Tikal wanted to tell him otherwise, but she was busy trying to catch up to the heroes.

Stopping an Egg Pawn from breaking into a house by burning through it, Blaze continued to tail her friend. "I'm not letting you accept your fate just because of some regrets! It can't possibly be that bad! After all, we've all made mistakes!"

"MISTAKES?!" Chaos roared, his eyes widening as he lunged at several Egg Pawns, spinning his arms around like a corkscrew as he made short work of them. Several of the Emerald Tower's defenses were going on, lasers firing across the streets. "I've made more than a few! I could blame the negative energies of the Chaos Emeralds all I want, but nothing will change the fact that the evil they filled me with came from some dark corner of my soul!"

Finally, Tikal caught up with both. "Please! Focus on stopping this evil! There's no need to have a meltdown!"

"I might be dying! I might as well admit my sins as we make our way! I can't take it anymore!" The stress of everything was finally getting to Chaos, though he used it to utterly demolish everything in his path. Balls of water thick as molasses were thrown from his body, smashing through the robots, while he also smashed his hands into the streets, spreading his liquid until it made the Egg Pawns trip.

It also caused Sonic to start tripping, his arms waving as he slid around the place. "Am I glitching again?! Why does this always happen around this town?!"

Chaos soon continued his rant. "Long ago, after me and Tikal became friends and I FINALLY had the courage to step outside of my lake, I was greeted by her father and his warriors! They wanted the Master Emerald's power and they were willing to KILL for it! So many Chao...I watched as they slaughtered them. I can still see screaming Chao faces when I close my eyes sometimes!"

'Is that it? ' Blaze thought. 'A failure in his duties? That sounds awful, but it doesn't sound like his fault. Only the fault of those consumed by greed.' 

"I felt the negative power of the Chaos Emeralds call to me..." Chaos continued as soon as he planted his claws into the Emerald Tower's base, his lower half sticking to it as he rushed upwards, the others joining him. "They granted me power, but they also repeated those screams again and again! Those ANIMALS took my only family from me! The only family I've had for CENTURIES! I ascended into my Perfect Form and...and...and...the Echidnas...I KILLED THEM ALL, SPARING NO-ONE! "

That outburst caused him to briefly expand in size, shredding his arms like blades against the legions of Egg Pawns trying to keep them from rising up. Sonic was busy taking care of those in the air, spin-dashing from one to the other. "Is all that true?" Blaze asked Tikal, while also using her flames to create a barrier around them.

The orb nodded sadly. "Yes. The effects of the Chaos Emeralds are unpredictable. Sometimes, one will be bestowed by their positive energy, like one as optimistic as Sonic. But with Chaos, with his heart filled with grief and fury, was infected by the negative energies."

"Stop! Don't make excuses for me! I'm a monster! " Chaos bemoaned, almost sounding like he was going to start crying. "And it gets worse! Tikal had to seal me away before I could cause any damage! I was already alone before I met both her and the Chao, but I was even more alone than ever! Nothing to do but dwell on my vengeance! When I was freed by Robotnik, my hunger for the Chaos Emeralds remained, as well as my hatred of the world! As soon as I became perfect again, an entire city paid the price before Sonic stopped me!"

"Dude! You weren't in control!" Sonic interrupted. "I did thrash your butt, though."

"...you weren't alone. You had your friends cheering you on and...I swear, you weren't the only golden-furred rodent defeating me on that terrible day." Chaos stopped his rant, rubbing his head. "The details are fuzzy about my defeat. But...you did free me from that negative energy and showed me that the Chao are living in peace. I'm still in your debt. Still...that is my story, Blaze. I am a fiend. A miserable excuse of a guardian."

By this point, the group had made it to the top, the Egg Pawns leaving everything in the hands of whatever Egg Guardian was here. Chaos flopped against the top, waiting for the inevitably betrayed look on his new friend's face. Blaze was processing it all, thinking on the utter guilt in the creature's voice. Sonic said nothing, but he would be there if he needed to vouch for the watery one.

Stepping closer to the kneeling Chaos, Blaze slowly extended her hand. "Wait, what are you doing? After hearing all of that...you still want to be my friend?" The watery one asked.

She took a deep sigh. "I understand why you feel the way you do. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I knew that I caused so much pain. I remember a few times when I accidentally let my flames rage out of control. I too wasn't in control and others paid the price for it." Her ears fell again, remembering when she was a kitten and when her mother passed away.

So many houses were burned to the ground during that tragic moment. She could still remember the feeling of scalding hot tears rushing down her face, her shrieks of emotional pain echoing throughout the kingdom as she lost all control.

"But that doesn't compare to-"

"I know that you know what you did." Blaze interrupted before helping him up. "But look at what you've been doing in the present. You risked your life in my dimension to save the innocent. You've spent most of your life ensuring that the Chao have a home. I know much of it may be because of atonement, but that only speaks to the person you really are. That, and I'm well aware of the corrupting effects that gems like the Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds can do."

Looking away, Chaos thought on that. "It's true. Ever since I've opened myself up to the world after meeting Tikal and especially after my rampage in Station Square, I've discovered who I really am. I just never had the opportunity to show anybody but my family that side of myself. Well, them and a robot named Emerl, but that's another story."

"And who are you? Say it with pride." Blaze instructed.

Balling his fists, Chaos rose them up. "I am a hero! A defender of the innocent! If I somehow am allowed to roam free, I will protect my kin and, whenever I can, the rest of the world! I want to be...just like him!" He pointed at Sonic, who gave a good-natured wave. "My sins will forever be with me, but they do not define me! After all...I'm Chaos. Chaos isn't mean to be just one thing." He chuckled. "I wonder why that's why that name was so appealing?"

Tikal floated to him, nuzzling him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're not longer feeling terrible about your past."

"Oh, I still do. I just won't let it blind me." Chaos said before looking towards the Cyan Emerald. "Now, as Sonic would say, let's do it to it!"

"Leave the catchphrases to me, but I like the direction you're going." Sonic remarked.

"As do I. Still, wasn't a giant robot supposed to attack us?" Blaze wondered, unaware of something large flickering behind her on one of the Eggman Towers.

Chaos' eyes widened, while Tikal gasped. "INCOMING!" Both shouted, Chaos stretching out an arm to attack the object he thought was spying on his friend.

Sure enough, his arm struck something, causing it to leap onto the tower, the Chaos Emerald hidden by its underbelly. However, none of the cast could see it, as it was invisible. That wouldn't be the case for long, as it started to become visible once more, taking on a green/black coloration.

The final form resembled a giant robotic Jackson's Chameleon. The three horns crackled with electricity, its toothy maw letting out a hissing sound. That tail also wrapped around several Egg Pawns, crushing them into nothing. As it stared at the group, it eyes swirling around and locking in on them, its texture started to change into their many colors. One claw lit on fire, while the other gained a water-firing hose one its forearm. The back legs also gained thrustors to give it more speed.

"A chameleon? I'm really glad Espio's not here to see this." Sonic remarked.

As per usual, a television screen showed up on the robot, only it was displayed on the tip of the creature's tail. Dr. Robotnik soon showed up on it, but, instead of looking smug and determined, he looked utterly miserable. His mustache had hairs curling around it, bags were under his eyes, and his eyes had a strained red coloration to them, though it was hidden by his glasses. "Oh. It's you guys." He muttered.

"What's the matter? I thought you'd be pleased to know what you did to Angel Island!" Sonic exclaimed. "Seriously, though. You look beat. Did you realize that this plan's gonna end badly for you, like always?"

That prompted the villainous doctor to smash his fist against the table. "SHUT UP! Just...shut up already. Don't make my life an even bigger misery than it already is. I want to you know that what you're doing is for nothing. You might as well try to figure out where Robotropolis is before you waste more time looking for the Chaos Emeralds."

"We won't ever stop looking! You will pay for everything you did!" Chaos shouted. "I haven't forgotten our last meeting. Perhaps I should teach you humility again?"

Dr. Robotnik growled in fury. "I liked it better when you didn't talk at all, you worthless pile of H20."

The hands of Blaze lit up, her expression even more furious. "Where did you take the Sol Emeralds?! Perhaps you'd like to send another robot to fight us there?! It'd be no different than what you're doing right now!"

That actually made Dr. Robotnik give her a confused look. "Wait a second. Sol Emeralds? What are you talking about? I had no intention of going back to your dimension until I conquered this one!"

"Wh-what?! You lie! Why should I trust anything you say?!" Blaze shouted. "You will tell me where you hid the Sol Emeralds or-"

The Egg Guardian's long tongue shot out to crash into the ground in front of her, leaving an electrical field in its place that soon faded. "Accept you're going on a snipe hunt, princess, and prepare yourself for destruction. I'll at least have something to look forward to. For now, endure the Egg Chameleon."

"Wow, you really are down in the dumps. Your robot names are getting less fancy!" Sonic taunted.

"...I hate you so much." With that, Dr. Robotnik ended his transmission and the robotic reptile let out another loud hiss. The battle atop the Cyan Emerald Tower was about to begin!

Back underneath Robotropolis...

Every fiber of the Exiled's being was screaming at him to stop. What was the point of giving away his story to those around him? In just a few days, maybe even less, he'd finally be able to complete his mission. Once that was done, he'd leave this world forever! That, and going down memory lane was going to bring him even worse pain than the previous battle gave him.

But he still pressed on, leading the group near the Omen of Hope and towards a large glowing green replica of a large planet. Looking back at the group, he made sure to look at Whisper the most, noticing how she was removing her mask again. Both gave each-other a nod, the mutual understanding between them still strong.

The past was an utterly painful thing, but maybe opening up about it would make it hurt a little less. There was also the fact that, ultimately, his allies would walk away with some more info about the SEGA Universe. The extraterrestrial needed to think of every positive to this thing if he was to get through it while also using his hair tendrils to get to work on establishing communication with the Resistance, as well as fixing Whisper's wispon.

"Take a good look." He gestured his claw to the world replica. "Look at how alive this world is. Its oceans are clear and every landmass is covered in all kinds of green. There's a reason we Seedrians called it Green Gate."

While Lanolin furiously wrote notes down, the others gazed upon it. "Wait a minute. Seedrians? Like...veggies?" Drapio wondered.

"Talking trees?" Jewel asked.

"Plant people?" Sleet added.

"A salad society?!" Tangle exclaimed.

"Can you all not?" The Exiled groaned. "The answer to that is...yes." With that, he pressed his staff against the hologram, causing it to expand and show his story fully.

(Episodic Trunks-Dragonball Z American Soundtrack)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPZEWZjzCKM

Everything down to the last detail was shown, like everybody was looking into a window to the past. In the various images they saw, there were forests that spread across for miles, oceans with absolutely no pollution, and cities that looked like they came out of a sci-fi utopia. For the most part, those cities had dome-shaped buildings and towers that rose up to the clouds. 

As for the people, there were two types that the groups saw. For the females, they all looked like anthropomorphic flowers. They were humanoid, but their dresses looked like upside-down flowers, the petals serving as skirts. Their eyes were far apart from each-other and their hair always had some kind of flower motif, like buds wrapping around the hair to form pigtails or the petals flowing down to their waists. Some just had flowers growing on the top of their heads.

The males, on the other hand, were quite different. They looked more like chunky anthro lizards, their tails dragging behind them as they walked with a slight hunch. Their salamander-like bodies also had shaggy bush-like manes that extended past their backs, wood-like horns or antlers adorning their heads. Despite their slightly intimidating looks, they were just as happy as the others around them.

"So...this was your homeworld?" Whisper spoke up.

"Yes. It was beautiful. Perfect, even." The Exiled spoke in a hush, sitting down as he stared at the sight. "There was no war, no conflict, no reason for us to fight amongst ourselves or with anybody else. We lived in peace with nature, our technology always made so we could all live a better life. The balance between flora and fauna was even reflected in our sexual dimorphism. While the females were more connected with plants, the males were more in tune with creatures."

Mack pointed to one of the males, before pointing at the extraterrestrial. "I think he's trying to say that you look like one of them underneath all of that armor?" Lanolin wondered, to which both the Mr. Mime and Split-Sec noded.

"Are those two joined at the hip or something?" Jewel asked.

"Shhh! The story's still going!" Tangle said, eagerly wanting to hear more.

The Exiled shook his head at Mack's assumption. "Yes and no. There is something you should know about us Seedrian males. Something that will be important to know when I continue. Hidden within all Seedrians is a power that, if used for too long, can prove fatal. For the females, they have the ability to bring life where there was once death, though this results in their own deaths. As for the males, if they are sufficiently angered or need to protect their kin, they can go into 'Mover Mode'."

Another image showed just what that implied. Before the group, a Seedrian male started to morph into what looked like a Tyrannosaurus Rex-like kaiju. Gone were any features that would be considered 'cute'. Now, they saw a plant-like dinosaur with larger antlers, spikes running down the back, patchwork moss-like scales, long claws, razor sharp teeth, and an overall muscular form. 

"Incredible! They look like powerhouses!" Sleet exclaimed.

Hearing that just made the Exiled change the image to a transformed Seedrian male that was laying on the ground. The light was leaving his eyes, while his female companion was crying against the fallen giant's body. "Yes, but it uses up a lot of energy, killing them mere moments after they transform. As for me, I was born...different."

The image changed to a seed coming from the ground, a Seedrian female looking over it with warm cherry-like eyes. In terms of her flower type, it was that of a lotus. The seed began to open, only for a clawed hand to emerge from it. The snout that pushed forth from the seed also looked more saurian than the average male, tiny sharp teeth around the screeching maw.

Pausing the video, the extraterrestrial sighed. "I was practically born in Mover Mode. I was a sickly child, the energy usage almost killing me on some nights. My mother, Comet, did all she could to keep me alive, her efforts leaving her ostracized by the others. Female Seedrians always saw Mover Mode as an abomination and a needless loss of life. They saw me as a lost cause. The males considered me much of the same."

"That's horrible!" Drapio gasped.

"Your mom sounds pretty awesome already!" Tangle said, Whisper giving a nod in agreement.

"At least your mom didn't abandon your universe." Sylvia sighed, causing the other Pokemon to give her an odd glance. "Forget it! Just listen to the sob story."

"That will be all, Sylvia." The Exiled gently raised a claw before continuing. "Through her love and devotion, I survived. But, as I grew up, other things about me further ensured that I would remain a pariah. My physical appearance and growing size was already keeping me ostracized, but then...I found that I could wield the power of fire. Something that the Seedrians both respected and feared."

The others saw where he was coming from. After all. if one's species was basically a bunch of plants, having one that could manipulate fire was definitely going to spark panic. One wrong move and a whole population could be reduced to kindling. "So, basically, you grew up an outcast and all you had was your mother?" Sleet got to the point.

"Yes. She was my whole world. She even taught me music. Something I proved quite adept at making." The Exiled gestured to his guitar for emphasis. "I had this favorite, but I'm saving it for when I accomplish my mission and...I'm stalling, aren't I?"

"I don't know. Are you?" Lanolin asked. "This is proving to be quite fascinating."

"Don't we have a fox to get back into touch with?" Jewel pointed out.

To answer Jewel's question, Whisper and her wisps only had to point to how the Exiled's hair tendrils were working on not only her broken wispon, but also working the controls of the computers in order to get the signal of the Sky Fox. That allowed the Exiled to continue his story. "For a time, I had a dream that, one day, Green Gate would accept me for what I was and see me for who I was. But...that day never came...when THEY showed up."

His tone changed into a more growling and aggressive one when he changed the screen to feature a familiar face, as well as his army. Lanolin's jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw the robed extraterrestrial before her. "Black Doom?!"

"The guy that helped make Shadow AND tried to turn us into food?!" Tangle added.

Still peeved at having to look at the villainous figure, the Exiled nodded. "The very same. I'm pleased to know that Shadow destroyed not only him, but the rest of the Black Arms. We...were not so lucky. They came to our world, claiming they wanted to spread peace. However, our leaders, Queen Earthia and King Lucas, saw right through their deception, especially when hordes of their forces started to appear all over our world."

Yet another video showed the entire planet being attacked by armies of the evil extraterrestrials, while Black Doom floated above all, directing them. "They wanted our natural resources, aiming to suck our planet dry before they moved onto other worlds. For the first time in our lives, war had come to our world. Alas, our defenses were meager and any time we used Mover Mode, we lost more battles than we won them. Many died either at the Black Arms' claws or because of Mover Mode itself."

The scene then changed to a council that featured Earthia and Lucas themselves, but they looked like they were in the middle of a tense argument. The other council members looked morose and glum, emphasizing how bad things had gotten. "Eventually, it was no longer a fight of us against the invaders. A battle of philosophies had sparked between our king and queen. While Earthia wanted us to abandon our world in search of a new one, Lucas wanted us to fight to the last Seedrian. He even suggested using our planet's core, the Planet Seed, to assist us."

With some hesitation, he changed the hologram into that of a world that looked like it was decaying. Green Gate's name had become horribly ironic. "By the time that the Black Arms were almost done with finishing off our world, a civil war was unfolding, driving us closer to extinction. A divide had formed between the females and males. While us males wanted to stay, fight, and use Mover Mode to our heart's content, the females left the planet."

"Did you join in trying to fight off the Black Arms?" Lanolin asked.

"No. I didn't belong on either side of the civil war and neither did Comet. We tried to retreat with the other females, but they refused to let me on board, considering me a 'Mover Mode monster'. She was accused of being a spy and thrown out to die on Green Gate along with me. For a while, we accepted our fate, taking comfort in that we'd at least spend our last few moments together..."

For a while, the Exiled went silent, his claws clenching around his staff. "But...but then...they...they just..." Grasping around his mask, he changed the scene into one in which the whole planet was being carpet-bombed. Many males in Mover Mode were killed in the blasts, along with whatever remained of the Black Arms on that planet. "Paranoid about our increasing power, the females bombed our whole world in the name of keeping the galaxy safe. THAT is how much the war had destroyed us. Our very souls were corrupted by violence. I don't even think the fleeing populace got that far, as I have never heard a word about them again."

Liquid began to drip from his chin, hitting the cavern floor with enough noise to make everybody notice. "Amazingly, I survived...but my mother...she was...killed in the blasts. She died pushing me out of the way of one of the bombs. The only thing left of her was the flower on her head...and it wilted in my claws." Holding back a choked sob, he slammed a fist against the table. "Comet was good! She only wanted peace! It's not fair! IT JUST ISN'T FAIR! "

His meltdown was interrupted when Whisper wrapped her hands around his tail claw, soothingly rubbing around it. He froze in place, but eventually relaxed against the table, sighing. "Yeah, that's right. Take it easy, boss." Sleet sympathetically said.

"Sorry about your mum, mate." Drapio wiped some tears from her own eyes.

"I'm SO glad Black Doom got his comeuppance after this." Tangle narrowed her eyes, though she spent a lot of time quickly wiping them with her tail. "Sorry, but this is a lot!"

"I know." Lanolin sighed, while Split-Sec and Mack hugged in gratitude that they still had each-other and weren't separated by a terrible war like this. 

Breathing heavily, the Exiled started to calm down, swallowing down any other sobs that might have come. He gazed at the one comforting him, her slightly teary eyes opening up to give him a look that said 'I know how you feel'.

With that, he continued. "After that, rage and sorrow consumed me. Lucas and a select few had survived the bombings, as well as the invasion itself. Using advanced technology, he had constructed both himself and others in his inner circle suits of armor that could enhance their power without having to use Mover Mode. Unfortunately, they had to destroy the Planet Seed to make these armor sets, forcing them off-world."

The extraterrestrial raised a claw, gazing at his armor. "My armor set, however, was made to inhibit my power. Lucas didn't see me as an ally. He saw me as a threat, as my power was greater than his. If I ever remove this, I might lose control and unleash all of the power I've been holding back. Still, from that day forth, I stood by Lucas' side, eager for revenge. Our goal was to exact our vengeance against all non-planet life, as well as any of the remaining female Seedrians. We were conquerors. We...were the Metarex."

"But you changed your mind about being evil, right?" Tangle asked.

"You don't seem like the conquering type anymore." Sleet nodded, crossing her arms.

The Exiled changed the scene to one in which he was being thrown out of an airlock. "You are right. I quickly realized the error of my ways and proposed plans of finding peace instead of pursuing revenge. Lucas was too consumed with fury to listen and he soon gave me the name of 'Exiled'. He promptly threw me into the void of space, confident that I would not survive. I suddenly found myself tumbling through a portal, sending me to Mobius' underground."

At last, the hologram faded, leaving the Exiled to gesture to all around him. "Everything you see around you has been the product of YEARS of hard work. My robots, the computers, and the Omen of Hope are results of my diligence. Before I even knew of C-197, I intended to use the Chaos Emeralds for one singular purpose." He leaned into the group, finishing up on the wispon before dropping that into Whisper's arms. "I just want to go HOME."

Silence followed before Tangle spoke up. "So, you're feeling homesick?"

"Well...that's one way to put it." The Exiled admitted. "But, more importantly, I plan on setting things right by stopping the invasion before it even happens. Green Gate will know peace and tranquility once more. It won't have to suffer the fate it once did. Those of C-197 have promised me that, by using the Chaos Emeralds, this is possible."

"Hold on a second!" Lanolin interrupted. "You're creating not just a portal into other worlds, but a time machine! Don't you know that altering the past is far too risky?!" 

Sighing, the extraterrestrial pressed some claws against where his forehead would be on his mask. "I'm well aware of things like, if I were to meet my past self, we could create a paradox that could destroy all reality. However, after researching into how Silver keeps traveling back to the past, I have made a conclusion that I'm just making a new timeline. One that I shall protect in the name of Green Gate. I'll never see my mother again...but I can at least make sure she lives another day." 

The others still looked unsure. "I don't know, boss. I'm no scientist, but that still sounds like anything could go wrong." Sleet pointed out.

"Genius, this could help our dimension. Don't put doubt in his mind." Sylvia elbowed her.

Still taking that in, Lanolin sighed. "Alright. I just really know what you're doing."

Tangle looked even more unsure. "I don't wanna tell you to let it go, Exiled, but this isn't healthy. You can't just live your life obsessing over the past. What about moving on? Maybe choosing a new future for yourself instead of risking the space/time continuum."

"Space/time what?" Drapio scratched her head. "I dunno what that meant, but...yeah."

Growling, the Exiled leaned into the group. "I CAN'T let it go. I refuse to. I'm sure many among you have wanted to turn back the clock and fix something that went wrong in your lives. I have the opportunity to turn the clock back for an entire planet. My inaction cost them dearly. I won't repeat that same mistake again."

Though his words struck Whisper greatly, as she could also never truly forget the time her old team was massacred, she stepped forth. "It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"...perhaps. But, now, I have the means to do something." The Exiled said with great resolve. "I will challenge all of time and space if it means giving my world a second chance, as well as the dimension of C-197." He collapsed onto the nearest chair, sighing. "That's enough for now. I will be focusing on restoring communications. I'm halfway there. For now...rest. It's been a long day."

"You can say that again." Jewel stated, flying away. "That was a whole bunch to take in! I'm gonna nap!"

The others just stared as the Exiled leaned into the computers, still working, even though his tiredness was showing. Sure enough, he face-planted onto the keyboard, starting to snooze. One of the robots pushed a solar heat lamp near him, another using a watering can to hydrate him.

"Guess we just...hang around?" Drapio suggested.

"Yep. I'm down for that." Tangle said, wrapping her tail around the other's tail. She was eager to lift the mood. "So, if I was a Pokemon, what would I be?"

"Hmmmm..." The scorpion-like one pinched at her own chin, thinking on that. "Well, that depends. Ever heard of a Passimian?"

Lanolin finished her notes before looking to where Sleet was. She tapped on her armor, gaining her attention. "So, uh...remember when you mentioned that you had a...you know?"

"What? What did I have?" The anthro Mightyena asked before blushing. "Oh...OOOOOOH...are you implying what I think you're implying?"

Blushing even more than the taller one, Lanolin's bell ringed as she looked away in slight embarrassment. "May I see it?" She asked softly.

Looking left to right, Sleet leaned in. "I know a private place. Just follow me." Upon finishing that sentence, Maggie promptly left her bell-shaped wispon home, understanding that these two were going to need some privacy.

Sylvia just threw up her hands. "Whatever. I'm out." She said, walking away from the scene toward where Jewel went.

Once they were gone, Whisper's wisps moved to drape a nearby blanket over the Exiled's resting form. The wolf mobian just gazed at the Omen of Hope, the Blue Chaos Emerald firmly within it and glowing softly. She said nothing, but, after everything that had happened and what she had learned, she would sit next to it, hoping that things would turn out for the best. 

She didn't notice how the slots of the Omen of Hope started to glow, as if the Chaos Emeralds were already near. On the back of the arch, other slots had appeared, but they looked freshly carved in. Whatever this meant...would wait for another time.

Back with Chaos and Blaze...

(Metal Scratchin' 2023 Remix-Sonic Rush Advanced)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eOJ-7oBJ9g

The fight was on, as the Egg Chameleon suddenly fired a stream of fireballs from one claw, forcing the group to scatter. Several Egg Pawns joined the fray, firing upon the floor before they were wrapped around by the machine's tail, used as throwable objects to further torment its foes. The other hand fired several balls of hard water, the things bouncing all over the place.

"Every Egg Guardian I've fought has a weakness! Wonder what this guy's is? I'm betting the tongue!" Sonic said before the creature's speed kicked in, the mimicked ability remining him of Metal Sonic's copy ability.

"I'm betting it's the hands!" Blaze said, flying around as she pelted the machine with fireballs. Quickly, the thing jumped up, doing a backflip that nearly knocked her out of the sky. "It's more agile than I thought!"

As if to prove that, the Egg Chameleon used its tongue to latch onto various swarms of Egg Pawns that clustered together in the air, allowing it to dash to them like Sonic did with his spin-dash ability. With every swing, the monster machine sent out balls of both fire and ice. However, Chaos grabbed those balls of ice, whipping them back to strike into the robot. "Having to look into the eyes of Froggy is more challenging than this!" Chaos shouted.

Despite taking damage to its body, the giant reptilian mech continued to swing, ignoring the damage as it then latched onto the floating piles of Egg Pawns with its claws. Turning back to the group, it fired a concentrated beam of fire/ice. It spread out in an arc, slicing through the air as Blaze and Sonic tried to get past it. 

"I have you now!" Blaze floated behind the thing, only for its eyes to whirl around to face her, the head twisting to slam her with its tongue. Flinging her around like a flail, it tried to crush her against the Emerald Tower's top, but Chaos suddenly wrapped around the tongue, anchoring it to that top.

Grunting, the watery one spread his liquid-like body across that tongue, only to have to get off when it superheated. Still, it left enough time for Sonic to spin-dash into the thing's toothy mouth, nearly breaking the metal tongue off. "How do you like that? I swear, is Badly McNosehair even trying anymore?"

"Don't tempt fate! You have a habit of doing that!" Blaze warned.

Too late, as the Egg Chameleon suddenly turned invisible. Based on the sounds it made, it had done the tongue-strategy again, only for it to cling to another cluster. "Where did it go?!" Chaos exclaimed.

Suddenly, Sonic was yanked out into the air, vanishing as the sound of jaws clamping down could be heard. "No! You let him go, you fiend!" Blaze's flames increased in intensity, her fireballs thrown all around her, but she didn't hit anything. A few Egg Pawns would be fired out of the sky, but the Egg Chameleon remained out of sight and, thus, unable to be targeted.

It didn't end there, as an invisible object would then ram into the other two fighters, Chaos' brain scrambling as it tried to remain stable while the duo was getting battered around. "This is an insult! Face me like a warrior!" Chaos shouted before getting stomped on by the fiery foot of the machine.

Blaze also found herself hit by the one with the water weapons, sizzling steam rising from where the limb was trying to crush her. "I can't give up! Not when the Sol Dimension is counting on me!"

"There's no need to fear! I have a plan!" Chaos exclaimed. "It's going to require both of us to go all out!"

"Is the plan 'hit it harder'?"

"Yes! Just as Sonic would do!" The watery one beamed before glaring at the machine. "With just a touch of chaos and elegance, that is!" Summoning all of his strength, he turned his hands into jets of water that pushed the fiery limb off. More steam filled the place, but the mist clung to the robot, exposing its location when it reared back.

Dusting herself off, Blaze closed her eyes before enveloping herself in flames. "You should know better than to incur a princess' wrath." She warned the robot before electricity started to generate between its horns, ready to use it in retalation.

Right as she rushed at it, Chaos flung a water ball at the horns, causing the volts to dissipate all over its body. The feline solian soon crashed into the thing's chest, shoving her burning claws through the metal. Letting out a yowl, she twirled her body through the air before slashing her arms forth, exposing wiring before the Egg Chameleon hastily shot out its tongue at the Emerald Tower, trying not to fall.

That had the added bonus of releasing Sonic, the hedgehog mobian no worse for wear. "Still not as bad as Eggman's robo-sloth." He dusted himself off before looking down, Chaos and Blaze joining him.

Climbing up the tower was the Egg Chameleon, its tongue charging up a powerful beam of ice/fire. "Let's show him a fusion of our own!" Blaze extended her hand, preparing her own flames.

"That's right! Together!" Chaos joined in, once again having to concentrate as he focused his power into a watery blast.

Sonic contributed by sudden spin-dashing against the creature's head, dazing it before it was blasted by the water/fire combo that crashed through its tongue and against its chest. Unable to hold onto the Emerald Tower with its tongue destroyed, the metallic fiend plummeted down. Sonic ran down the tower, making sure to spin-dash into the robot just to make sure it would smash against the ground.

Jumping off that tower, Sonic gave a thumbs-up to the citizens as the Egg Guardian was taken offline by the fall. The tower also started to shake, indicating that the other heroes had grabbed the Cyan Chaos Emerald. "You all may wanna stand back!" The hedgehog mobian warned the citizens, especially as the Egg Pawns began to glitch out.

Falling into the ocean waters, the Emerald Tower was no more, only two more Chaos Emeralds remaining (well, one more, really, given that the Blue Chaos Emerald had already been secured). Many more of the towers began to fall, but the other two heroes were already at working making sure their destruction wouldn't spell doom for the residents of the town.

Blaze used her flames to completely incinerate the rubble, the degradation of the metal allowing for that. Chaos merely used his abilities to entrap the rubble in bubbles of water. Both were exhausted by the time it was done, causing them to flop down and pant heavily. "I feel...dehydrated." The watery one stated.

"Much of the same. Do you mind if I drink you?" Blaze asked.

"I'm...not actually sure about that. I mean, maybe?" Chaos' brow arched before he stood up, helping her up as well. "I think we did an amazing job! If I make it through this, I might end up in more team-ups as a result!"

"I wish I had the time for that." Blaze said, rubbing the back of her neck. "But, if the moment presents itself, I'd love to solve the next crisis with you."

That caused a small blush to appear on the watery one's cheeks. "O-oh! Thank you. Not just for that, but...you really helped my confidence. I want you to know that, no matter what anybody says, you're a good guardian and the Sol Dimension is blessed to have you as its protector."

Now, some red was tinting Blaze's cheeks. "You know, if I find the Sol Emeralds soon, I might have time to introduce you to more ice cream flavors. Maybe we could have some more time to chat?"

"I'd love that! I mean, that would be great." Chaos chuckled. "Maybe I could watch your flames some more? The way you wield them is astounding!"

"Like the way you manipulate water? It's soothing and awe-inspiring at the same time." Blaze continued, not realizing they were leaning closer to each-other. "Maybe we could sneak in time to binge a series from this dimension? We don't have television in my empire."

"I don't know much about TV, but I heard that-"

They were both interrupted by Sonic slurping loudly on a water bottle that a citizen had given him. When they turned their heads to him, he finished, while Tikal was floating next to him. "You two look great together." He smirked.

"Indeed!" Tikal giggled.

Now, both of the heroes were flustered. "Wh-what?!" Blaze's tail stood on end. "What does that mean?!"

"Tikal! What are you saying?!" Chaos exclaimed, fanning his face as steam started to rise from it. "Um, don't we have another Emerald to look for?"

"Don't sweat it. I'll be joining Amy and Big for the second-to-last one. You guys have some fun!" Sonic gestured to the humans crowding around them. "In fact, why don't you both enjoy a heroes' reward? It's the best!"

Chaos felt a surge of panic as the humans got closer. However, instead of pointing fingers at him for the incident in Station Square, they started to cheer. "They...they don't hate me?"

"Why would they? They see you for who you really are." Blaze assured before something asked for her autograph. She promptly signed it with her claw, embers flying when she did that.

Before he left, Sonic leaned into the side of the watery being. "I also kinda cleared the air after your rampage. There might be a few that still can't let go, but don't let that get to you."

Now, Chaos' eyes were more watery than before. "You attempted to clear my name? You really ARE Mobius' greatest hero!" He exclaimed as Sonic sped away.

"Until next time!" The hedgehog mobian called out.

Blaze smiled softly. "Until next time, old friend." 

Suddenly, one of the citizens, an elderly woman, approached the duo. "Are you Blaze? Duchess Elise speaks so highly of you! Silver's told her many stories! Are they true?"

"He's talked about me? Oh, I'm flattered. Do tell." She leaned in.

For Chaos, he was suddenly tackled to the ground by some of the Chao that the citizenry had. They gasped, but they found themselves cooing as the creatures cuddled up to him. Looking joyful, he looked to Tikal. "If it weren't for the fact that I might perish soon...this would be the second-best day of my life."

"Which day was the best?" The spirit asked.

"The day I met you, that is! The day I realized I wasn't alone." Chaos replied before standing up, keeping the Chao close. "So...what do you want to do when the Chaos Emeralds and possibly the Master Emerald are restored?"

The ball of light thought about that. "I really do want to join my ancestors. I just hope you'll still find happiness in my absence."

Leaning towards his lover, Chaos hugged her close, her ghostly form coming into view. "No matter what happens, your happiness is more important than mine. I love you that much." He hugged her, feeling her body become a bit more solid through sheer force of will.

Blaze watched this happen, giving the duo a sympathetic look. There seemed to be two paths for them. Either Chaos was going to die from this emerald-related mess or he would live, but his lover would soon join those in Heaven. Tikal noticed how she was looking at them, using her ghostly abilities to send a message to her mind.

'If I ever ascend, I hope there are more like you that can be his friend.'

Hearing that and getting over the shock of that happen, Blaze nodded. "I promise." She stated.

Finishing the hug, Chaos turned to Blaze, looking determined. "Now that we've handled this tower, let's go find those Sol Emeralds. Shall we, new best friend?" He held out a claw.

Daintily taking it, the feline solian smiled. "By all means! You don't mind if I fly, right? Have you ever flown before?"

"I remember floating when I was resealed into the Master Emerald. This should be more pleasant." Chaos rubbed his thumb over the other's hand, causing his friend to blush again. The two then realized they were holding hands for a long time. "Alright. Let's begin."

"Right. Hold on!" With that, Blaze used her fiery abilities to propel herself softly through the sky, the watery being not minding the distance from the air to the ground. One of the benefits of being made of liquid was not having to fear fall damage, after all. Tikal followed after them, her light leaving red sparkles for the grateful citizens of Soleanna to enjoy.

Meanwhile at G.U.N Headquarters...

Commander Towers paced back and forth, wishing he could feel better with the news that many of Dr. Robotnik's towers had fallen recently. "It just doesn't seem right. Robotnik is planning something. I know it. Still, if there's one good thing that's come out of his scheme..."

He walked through his airship, arriving at one of the more spacious rooms. There, scientists and engineers were working around the clock to get the current project finished. G.U.N robots were being retrofitted with some of the tech they managed to salvage from the ruined towers. It looked like normal metal, but there was something about it that was speeding up production.

The ability of the metal to spread out and form more of itself without affecting too much organic matter was a miracle. Towers hated to admit it, but Dr. Robotnik was truly a genius. He still wasn't sure HOW he got this possibly extraterrestrial technology, but it was proving to be quite useful for G.U.N's purposes.

Once, the mad doctor almost caused the organization to be dissolved. Now, they would be stronger than ever after this disaster. All thanks to the replicating metal that was starting to make sure G.U.N had legions of robots to deploy when the time was right.

"Operation: Endless Army. Wait until the enemies of Mobius get a load of this." A small smile showed up on his face before he remembered Shadow's situation. "I hope you remain on our side, Shadow. I don't want you to be in the crosshairs of our newfound might."

For now, all he could do was wait for Tails or somebody to give him the location of Robotropolis. Then, he was certain the project would be complete and Dr. Robotnik's plan would end not just in failure, but the complete STOP to any other plans the mad doctor might have had. G.U.N was known for taking no prisoners, after all...

Chapter Text

Within Dr. Robotnik's Throne Room...

The entire throne room had become a mess of monitors, the very walls revealing various screens within them as they surrounded the villainous ruler of the city. It seemed like he was once again addressing the masses of Mobius, but, this time, that wasn't the case. 

"Sooooo...come to gloat about your 'big plan'? I gotta check up on the Koopalings in half an hour!"

"This had better be good, Robotnik! I'm on the cusp of building my greatest Robot Master yet!"

"What did y'all wake me up for?! It's 12 in the afternoon! I ain't done with my beauty sleep!"

"Quiet, all of you! He looks depressed! This should be most interesting." 

On several of the screens, several other villains were speaking at the same time. Essentially, this whole thing was nothing more than a video-call group chat. In order, there was Bowser (Dr. Robotnik's best friend from the Nintendo Universe), Dr. Wily (yet another builder of robots like himself), King Dedede, and King K. Rool.

Looking upon those that had accepted his group invite, Dr. Robotnik adjusted his glasses. "Gentlemen, you're probably wondering why I've started this meeting. Normally, I don't think much of this unless I truly have succeeded."

"Like that one time you took over the ENTIRE world and, yet, STILL lost control?! How do you do that?!" Dr. Wily shouted in his exaggerated German accent.

"Rrrrgh...yes, I know. You don't have to keep reminding me." Dr. Robotnik growled. "Besides, haven't YOU all been there before?"

"N-no. Never." Bowser rubbed the back of his head, nervously trying not to remember that one time he thought he had the entire galaxy in his claws...twice.

Yawning loudly, King Dedede leaned in with an impatient look. "Get on with it, then! Why'd ya' have to wake me up like this?!"

"Nobody ASKED you to be a part of this call, you preposterous penguin." King K. Rool pointedly said. "Last I checked, you're not exactly 'villain' material."

"Ya' wanna come over to Dreamland and say that to my face, you has-been?!"

"Who's the has-been here, you waterfowl washout?!"

Letting out a powerful roar that shook the screens of all, Bowser got things under control. "You can thank me later, doc. Now, what's this all about?"

"Thank you. Now...I was going to boast about how the Eggman Empire is returning to its former glory, but...it's about my daughter, Sage." Dr. Robotnik sighed.

Dr. Wily groaned. "If I had to guess, she's turning on you like Metal Sonic did once. I tell you, every single time a creation turns against your orders, it's a real pain in the neck!"

"You watch it!" Bowser growled. "She's a great kid! She's one the reasons Junior's been in a better mood these past couple of years. Sure, she's not AS evil as him, but they still like to hang out!"

"Yes, yes. We're not here to talk about happy memories, though. It's just...I think Sonic and his friends poisoned her mind since the last they saw each-other. She's losing faith in my goal of world domination and...we had a fight." He lowered his head, remembering everything that had happened in the last few moments. "I said things to her. Terrible things. I...may have pushed her away."

The chat went silent before Bowser cleared his throat. "That's...awkward."

"Ain't gonna lie. Sounds like ya' fumbled the bag real bad, doc." King Dedede added.

"I told you indulging in her desires to have her be your 'daughter' was an ill-conceived idea!" Dr. Wily exclaimed. "They get emotional and there's a high chance they'll end up gravitating towards the side of the enemy!"

"Note to self: never have children. It'll only lead to messes like this." King K. Rool commented.

Narrowing his eyes, Dr. Robotnik tried not to lose his temper. "I'm serious! I may have damaged my relationship with my greatest creation! If she turns on me, she could transform this city into a sanctuary for the Resistance! She could topple my forces for good!"

"That's not what you're worried most about, though." Bowser interrupted. "You don't want to lose her. Is that it?"

"...yes." Dr. Robotnik admitted softly. "She's literally the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. She's not only a technological marvel, but, whenever I'm with her, I feel a little less...empty."

"Oooooh, dear. You're hitting the mid-villain crisis phase of your life, aren't you?" King K. Rool asked. "That's a slippery slope if there ever was one."

"I've been there before. Only, unlike you losers, I turned my life around!" King Dedede boasted. "Got in better touch with my subjects! Heck, I even stopped smacking Escargoon with my mallet. My kingdom loves me more than ever! I think the Cappys are starting to actually LIKE it whenever I stroll into town!"

"So, you're suggesting he becomes soft?" Dr. Wily laughed. "What else do you want him to do? Hold the hand of his former enemy and sing songs while dancing over a hill with unicorns and butterflies?!"

"SHUT UP! I want solutions! Not mockery!" Dr. Robotnik shouted. "Continue to joke around and I'll-"

Suddenly, another screen came online, revealing a purple pterodactyl-like space dragon. "You idiots! You're wrecking my computer! I should eject you into the void of space for...oh, it's you guys."

"RIDLEY!? Who invited him onto the chat?!" Bowser shouted.

"Don't look at me!" Dr. Wily exclaimed.

"Not me!" King Dedede shouted.

All eyes fell upon King K. Rool, the Kremling ruler whistling nervously before sighing. "What?! I know he's cruel and deranged, but that's what makes for a good villain!"

Hearing that put a smile on the sadistic space pirate's face. "Certainly puts me a step above you jackasses. Hey, egghead! How's dealing with the fact that you get steamrolled by a freaking blue rat with an attitude problem?!"

"How's getting beaten by bunnies over and over again?!" King Dedede's words caused Ridley's face to contort in fury. "Word travels fast, ya' know!"

"Oh, snap!" Dr. Wily cried out.

"Wait a minute. Is he kidding?" King K. Rool sounded astonished.

"Who told you that?!" Ridley yelled before realizing something. "Did Krystal spread word of that?! AAAAAAARGH! WHEN I FINALLY FIND THE LOCATION OF SAURIA, I'M GONNA-"

Before the madness could continue, Dr. Robotnik turned off all of the screens except for Bowser's. "Why did I think this was a good idea?" He muttered before looking up to the king of the koopas. "One father to the other. What should I do?"

Rubbing his chin, Bowser gave a sympathetic look. "Sometimes, I worry that Junior is being made soft by our enemies, but he always shows that he's on my side. I think, deep down, Sage feels the same. Sure, she might get a little teary-eyed for those you hate, but she won't abandon you."

"Even after what I said? I outright told her I'd reprogram her if she didn't obey me! What parent DOES that?!" Dr. Robotnik exclaimed, grasping around his head. "Oh, Bowser, I really screwed up! I don't often say that, but-"

"Settle down! You wanna get this solved or not?!" Bowser growled, embers flying out of his mouth before he calmed down. "You're right about one thing. That DOES sound like you acted like a real jerk. There's being evil and then there's just being a total loser. Here's my solution: re-adjust your evil plan just a little."

That got the villainous robot-maker to arch a brow. "What do you mean? My goal is world domination. I'm shaping Mobius in my image! A world of metal and flawless machinery! One in which I reign supreme! I even have plans to expand even further across the SEGA Universe."

"Well, what does SHE want?"

"...to keep me safe. She wants to protect me, although she's convinced that I'm harming myself if I keep going. Every simulation of my plan that she runs involves me either losing or outright dying." Dr. Robotnik hated remembering that, but he continued. "Overall, I know she cares greatly about me, but...I really want to prove that my plans haven't been for nothing. Otherwise...what the hell am I doing?"

Nodding, Bowser leaned back. "I've asked myself that many times. For example, one of my longtime goals has been to make Peach my queen. I...don't think that's ever gonna happen anymore. I'm trying to see other people while STILL trying to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Like I said, readjust your goals. Like...maybe listen to some suggestions from her on how to go about things? Try something she wants out. If it doesn't work, well, at least you tried."

Dr. Robotnik thought about that, tapping his chin. "Hmmmmn...I guess I should talk to her more. There's also the issue that I think she's afraid that I'll just discard her like I do all my other robots when they cease to be of any use and-"

"DON'T...do the whole 'you have failed me' thing. It never ends well." Bowser said sternly "You can punish your minions, but don't throw them out. Who knows what kind of revenge plots they'll come up with?!"

"I mean...I guess." Dr. Robotnik sighed. "In the end, I suppose all I can do is try to talk to her. Maybe I'll float around the idea of losing only briefly, then coming back in full force! I need to compromise with her! But, more importantly, I need to make this right. I can't push her away like my father did to me."

"Oh, yeah. I remember when you told me about your old man. Hate to say it, but...you might be going down the same path he did if you don't fix this now." Bowser warned. "Maybe, when you win or even if you lose, I could have Junior stop on by? She likes him, doesn't she?"

Standing up from his chair, the ruler of Robotropolis knew what he had to do. "We'll see about that, but, for now, thank you for your advice. I'll be taking a step back from my plans. Good luck with the conquest of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Thanks. Remember! Don't be a chump! Be tough!" With that, the call ended, resolve filling Dr. Robotnik as he awaited the next opportunity to speak to his A.I daughter. 

He considered sending her a signal to return, but, for now, he decided to give it an hour or so. He had a feeling she still needed space.

Meanwhile, beneath Robotropolis...

Despite much time having passed since they found themselves in the Exiled's underground home, things were still going good for the Neo Diamond Cutters. With Dr. Robotnik's robots not coming after them, they could wait for a while until the extraterrestrial was done fixing communications. It wouldn't be long before they could bring upon the full might of the Resistance upon the evil one's prized city.

For now, Lanolin and Sleet were showing each-other just how much they appreciated the alliance their groups had forged with each-other. Repeatedly. In a part of the cavern that was covered mostly by darkness. What had begun as curiosity on the sheep mobian's part had turned into a moment she wouldn't forget.

Her anthro Mightyena friend panted heavily, her claw resting atop Lanolin's head as her cock pushed into that mouth. The pulsating veiny thing was everything the sheep mobian hoped it would be. It was incredibly musky and dripping with sweat, her lips already doing their best to wrap around it to the fullest.

"Mmmmph!" Her tiny tail wiggled as she felt around the rest of the dick, slurping loudly as her tits bounced freely. With every time she thrusted her head to take in more cock, she felt her stress melt away. Everything was finally going right and she found a way to celebrate that WOULDN'T get overwhelmed by massive amounts of paperwork.

"Huff...huuuuuff...sweet mercy, your tongue is amazing!" Sleet panted, her armor discarded to the side. The throat-massage her cock was getting nearly made her orgasm on the spot, but she held it in, her muscles flexing as she did so. Moving her hand through her partner's wool, she shuddered more, leaking more pre-cum into Lanolin's belly. "Soooooft..."

Hearing that made Lanolin smile, her inexperience leading her to take in more cock. It was getting more difficult to do that task, but she didn't care. All of her fantasies were coming true, so she doubled her efforts. Shutting her eyes tight, the normally uptight sheep mobian managed to get that entire cock down her throat.

At this point, Sleet was unable to hold back a particularly large howl, the cavern almost shaking as she gripped harder around Lanolin's head, bucking her hips to fill that throat with a surge of cum. "I've...been...pent-up...for this entire mission!" She gasped out, dumping a steaming load of jizz into that belly.

"Ulp...ulp...ulp..." At first, Lanolin was surprised, some cum leaking down her lips, but she gave a dreamy smile as she was fed the supply of thick cream. Removing her lips from that cock, she let out a loud gasp, some cum spurting onto her face. "That...was an experience...I'd love to do again."

Stroking along her cock, Sleet leaned down to plant a kiss on the other's head. "Maybe once our mission is complete?"

"If we succeed AND find a way to end Dr. Robotnik's reign of terror for good...I might let you breed me on the first date." Lanolin teased.

That caused the anthro Mightyena's tail to start wagging. "R-really?!"

"No, not really. I think we should slow down and just stick to dating normally. I'm sure I can open my schedule up for that." The sheep mobian clarified.

Clearing her throat, Sleet nodded. "That's true. I just hope you're into long visits to the gym. Me and Drapio frequent those types of places. We also used to try out new eateries whenever our workouts were done, but...well, let's just say that things in C-197 tend to either get stagnant or off the rails really fast."

Lanolin took that in, giving a nod, before she wrapped her soft breasts around the flaccid cock. "Although, maybe on some nights...I wouldn't object to cuddling up to you overnight. Especially with this beautiful thing and...Sleet, are you crying?" She bleated in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Hastily wiping away her tears, the anthro Mightyena sniffled. "Sorry, it's just...you're really the first lady to ever think my cock was 'beautiful'. It means so much to me and...oh, this is embarrassing!"

"It's okay. Maybe, before we check up with the group, let's try a few other things." To demonstrate her point, Lanolin used her elbows to squeeze her breasts together, further massaging the meaty cock before she planted several kisses on the head.

As Sleet relaxed, smiling as she stroked through Lanolin's wool, Drapio and Tangle were hanging out in another corner of the cavern. The lemur mobian was watching as Whisper and the Exiled chatted away, his tail and tendrils working on fixing up the glitches on his computer. From what she could hear, they were talking about the armor that the extraterrestrial wore.

"So, wearing all of this IS rather painful, but I've learned over the years to adapt." The Exiled said as he fiddled away with the controls. "Still, it'll give me great pleasure to finally take all of this off when I return. All of the hidden power in me will be released, but I can do it with the knowledge that I'll be saving my world."

"You're...quite strong. Both in body and mind." The wolf mobian complimented, the other wisps crowding next to him as he heard their compliments as well.

He chuckled, one tendril patting Blue's head. "I'd like to think that. Still, enough about me. We still have some time before I finish this. Tell me more about yourself. Like, maybe, what you might do when Dr. Robotnik is finally defeated? He can't keep doing his evil forever."

Thinking hard about that, the wolf mobian was silent for a moment. She had never really thought about that, but, doing her best to push Mimic out of her mind, she gave a small smile as an image came to her head. "I was thinking...I could still travel the world and help others in need. I'll give hope to those that had none."

"You're...extraordinary." Tangle swore she could see a freaking BLUSH behind that mask before and during when he said that, but it was most likely a trick of the light.

She DID see a blush form on Whisper's face, causing her to look away, giving a sad sigh. That caught Drapio's attention. "Somethin' on your mind, mate?" She asked.

Realizing she had been heard, the lemur mobian sat on her own tail, resting her head on her hand. "Yeah. Promise me you can keep a secret."

"Lips are sealed!" The scorpion-like Pokemon slid her pincer across her mandibles. "Especially for my new best friend!"

Taking a deep breath, Tangle explained. "It's about Jewel and Whisper. One's acting all weird and the other's..." She couldn't finish that sentence, confusing Drapio for a while. "...I like her. I really do."

"Doesn't she know that already? You're her bloody friend! Why wouldn't she like you?" Drapio asked.

"No! Not just 'like'. I mean 'like-like'!" Tangle finally admitted, doing her best to keep her voice low so that the others wouldn't hear. "I've been trying to tell her that for a while, but I never found the courage to do so! She's been through so much, so I didn't wanna overwhelm her with the fact that I had a freaking crush on her."

Absorbing that caused Drapio's pincers to click in realization. "Oooooh, that's rough. Still, the Exiled's not gonna be around forever. He's leaving for his planet. You've got a chance!" She scuttled closer to the lemur mobian. "I'd say she'd be a lucky gal if she picked you to be her mate! You're funny, energetic, pretty, determined, pretty, and you know how to rough up bogans like nobody's business!"

Hearing all of that gave Tangle a bit more hope, but she blinked when she remembered certain parts about that encouragement speech. "Did you just say 'pretty' twice?"

Now, it was Drapio's turn to blush, her pincers hiding her face as she scuttled back in embarrassment. "Sorry! It's just...yeah. It's true. Point is, don't give up. I'll even be your wingwoman!"

Getting back on her feet, Tangle's look became more determined. "You know what? The first chance I get when this is all over, I'm gonna march up to Whisper and confess! Maybe just a few dates would be nice!" She raised her tail. "High-five, wingwoman!" 

"Yeah, mate!" Slapping that tail with her pincer, Drapio held back a sigh of her own. 'She wants to be happy with Whisper and that's fine by me.' She sadly thought to herself. 'Just let it go, Drapio.'

Before she could also mention about Jewel, the computers let out a high pitched noise, causing the robots around them to start scattering. "Everyone! Fall in! It's happening!" The Exiled called out. "Communications are being restored at last!"

"Really?!" Tangle exclaimed, rushing over to the group. Drapio also scuttled in, Split-Sec appearing with Mack in a bridal carry. "You guys look cute together, y'know?" They blushed at hearing that.

"Speaking of cute couples..." Drapio pointed to the other two members of the group arriving. Both Sleet and Lanolin looked like they were hurriedly putting on their clothes, their fur looking sweaty and frazzled.

"Don't ask any questions, please!" The sheep mobian pleaded.

"We were just...training! That's right!" Sleet exclaimed.

Even Whisper gave them a look that said 'yeah, right'. Maggie flew in with a similar look, giggling as she slipped into Lanolin's wispon. "Can we focus on the fact that we're about to restore freedom to Mobius?" Lanolin rubbed her temples, though she still held Sleet's claw.

Jewel and Sylvia also appeared, one flying in, while the other leaped from the shadows. "Sorry about being late! Sylvia was showing me this awesome rock!" 

With everybody assembled, they would all watch as the loading screen began...only for it to move very slowly. "Ah, come on!" Tangle exclaimed.

"What's this computer running on? A hamster wheel?" Sylvia groused.

"Just be patient. I had to construct this whole cave with nothing but discarded technology." The Exiled said. "Just...give it ten minutes. Let's think about what we're going to tell the Resistance."

Lanolin stepped forth, getting everybody's attention. "That's a good idea, but there's one thing I want to make clear. We need EVERYBODY. Only through Eggman's capture can we prevent him from doing this again. We're going to finish what the Resistance started all the way back during his first takeover."

"Yeah! And you'll have us on your side, especially when we start arriving from the Omen of Hope!" Drapio clicked her pincers before hugging herself. "Ooooh, I can hardly wait!"

"Neither can I. We're going to be famous!" Sleet grinned.

"We're gonna be heroes, that's what!" Tangle pumped a fist.

"Heroes. That's who we are." Whisper smiled. "All of us." She gave a meaningful look to the Exiled.

Gazing upon the screen, the extraterrestrial gave a satisfied smile behind his mask. "Yes. Heroes."

Meanwhile, at the Emerald Coast...

(Emerald Coast Cover-Mohmega)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3aQVtgW4jw

After a series of hectic races to the Emerald Towers, this particular location provided a sense of relaxation and fun that not even hordes of Egg Pawns could ruin. It also seemed that only a few Egg Towers were rising here, allowing the handling of the hordes to be MUCH more manageable.

Still, Amy Rose didn't hesitate to smash her way through any of the fiends that were traveling along the beautiful islands making up this coast. "Not my idea of a vacation, but who said stopping Eggman should be miserable? I'm having fun! How about you guys?"

"Look at how much fish I'm catching!" Big said as he ran through the waters, his fishing pole carrying many new catches of the day. He was also using those things as flails to destroy any incoming robots, improvising with his catches. "The best part? I'm cooking them at the same time!"

"That's super creative! We'll not only have the Chaos Emerald, but have a feast waiting for us." Amy said before an Egg Pawn tried to blast at her, only to get smashed into a group of the machines, causing it to blow up like a firework. "I wonder where Sonic is? He was supposed to join us."

On one of the docks, Sonic was once again fleeing from an irate orca, the sea mammal shredding through the wood while also taking out several more Egg Pawns. "Why does this keep happening to me?! It's like you guys WANT to remind me of why I don't like the ocean!" He said before spin-dashing into some loop-de-loops.

The duo of Amy and Big would catch up to him, the pink hedgehog mobian's hammer slightly singed from how many robots she had reduced to scrap. "So, got any plans after we thwart Eggman's umpteenth scheme?"

While racing across the sun-kissed sands, Sonic was surprised by the question. "Oh, that? I dunno. Maybe I'll take a nap? I've been running around all day."

"I was kind of thinking, if you're not too tired, we could hang out?" Amy asked. "Just you, me, and Big!"

"And Froggy!" The cat mobian reminded, the amphibian riding atop a jet-ski as he barreled through several Egg Pawns trying to attack from the water. 

The two hedgehog mobians watched that bizarre sight, the Blue Blur shaking his head. "Suddenly, I see why Chaos is so afraid of him. Anyway, aren't you gonna be busy with rebuilding your shop?"

"With Tails' help, that'll be over in a day or two." Amy said as they ascended one of the rocky structures of this place. However, she noticed how Sonic hadn't looked at her much, even though they were nearing the Emerald Tower rising from near the end of the coast. "Is something wrong? Is it about what happened on Angel Island? I swear, when I get my hands on that robot-"

"It's not that. It's just...nevermind. It's stupid." Sonic muttered.

"You shouldn't keep your feelings to yourself. Amy taught me that." Big suggested. "You look like you're happy and sad at the same time."

"Yeesh. How observant did you get since we last met?" Sonic asked.

"If I wasn't observant, I wouldn't be that good of a fisherman, would I?" Big pointed out. 

The trio would begin to climb the tower, Big using his fishing pole to help him up. Amy just used some magical fortune telling cards to float herself up, while Sonic just used his speed alone. "I'd suggest spitting it out before we do battle with whatever's coming up next. A heavy heart weighs down not just the mind, but the body, too!" Amy offered her advice once more. However, she raised a brow as she thought a bit more about this. "Be honest. Me being with Big makes you feel conflicted, doesn't it?"

Groaning, Sonic stopped running along the tower before he stopped by spin-dashing an Egg Pawn into the tower. "Okay! You figured me out! I wanna be happy for you, and I am, but I just feel kind of lousy about leading you on!"

"Leading me on? If anything, I should be the one feeling kind of guilty." Amy pointed out. "I kept getting in your personal space and even derailing your heroics for the sake of a crush that both of us knew wasn't going anywhere. Honestly, being your friend is enough for me."

"Same here. Maybe I just REALLY don't know my own feelings sometimes. Stuff about romance? That's one of the very FEW areas I suck in." Sonic said as they got to the top. "That, and swimming...and paying attention...and origami..."

"I think I get the point." Amy rested a hand on his shoulder. "Do you feel better about admitting that?"

Taking a deep breath, Sonic smiled softly. "Yeah. Another thing that keeps me from feeling more down? The fact that you're fulfilling your dreams, just like Tails. My dream? I just wanna keep on running, helping people, and stopping bad guys."

"You'll always be my Super Sonic, you know that?" Amy beamed.

Big suddenly wrapped them both in a bear hug, Froggy hopping atop his head to complete the image. "I love you guys so much!"

"Yeah. I can tell." Sonic wheezed. "Geez, Amy! I forgot that this guy is JACKED!" She wasn't paying attention, as the pink hedgehog mobian was snuggling into that fur, enjoying the tightness of this hug.

However, their hug was interrupted when something flew through the skies, casting a shadow upon the Purple Emerald floating in place. Big's fur stood on end, making him freeze up. "Uh oh. That feels like trouble."

"I've gone through five of these already. One or two more and we'll be good to go for Robotropolis!" Sonic grinned, while Amy readied her hammer.

Landing before everybody was a freakish robotic hybrid of a rooster and a giant snake. Its lower half was made of shimmering pink scales, ending in a barbed tail that looked like spiked rose petals. The upper half had a brighter pink metallic color to it, the shape being that of a sharp-toothed rooster. The Egg Guardian's wings flapped heavily, fire erupting from the beak.

"Uh...what am I looking at?" Amy wondered.

"You got me. Let's let Baldy McNosehair explain." Sonic gestured to the screen starting up on the machine's chest.

However, only static showed up on the screen, an audio recording of Dr. Robotnik playing instead of him showing up. "Greetings, fools! I can't taunt you now. It means I have things that are infinitely more important than you to do. Please leave a message after you're done getting the tar kicked out of you by my Egg Cockatrice! Ciao!"

Once that message was done, the Egg Guardian let out a hissing/clucking roar at the group, nearly blowing Froggy off of Big's head. "That wasn't very nice!" He shouted before readying his fishing pole.

"Wow. Eggman must be super depressed that he can't even show up to blabber on about how he's 'totally gonna win this time'." Sonic remarked.

"I should have a long talk with him to see if he's okay..." Amy stated. "...after I'm done punching his lights out."

Froggy just croaked, signaling that the time for talking was done. The group rushed in at their foe, ready to speed up the process of undoing Dr. Robotnik's plans.

Back on Robotropolis...

It seemed like hours since Mecha Sonic started staring at his reflection. The buildings were shiny enough so that he could continue to gaze and think about his circumstances. "No wonder your creator despises you. You're built to look just like...him." He narrowed his optic, imagining Sonic's face on that reflection instead of his own.

A part of him wished that he had been made a drone. Well, he had started out as little more than a weaponized reconnaissance/Emerald-capturing drone, but now, through the power of the Master Emerald, he had become something more. Something stronger and far more intelligent, yet remaining loyal to his creator.

Still, drones didn't feel self-hatred. They didn't feel doubt. They didn't feel anger. They certainly didn't hear more voices echoing in their minds.

All of them kept repeating the same things he had heard when was trapped in that basement, mostly about how he was destined to fail in his mission. However, two new voices joined the fray. Dr. Robotnik's angry tone echoed within his head, threatening to throw him away at long last. Metal Sonic also joined in, telling him more about how useless his whole purpose was.

They just wouldn't stop talking. Mecha Sonic's claws wrapped around his head, trying to drown them out. "Stop it...stop it..." He angrily muttered, eventually looking back at his reflection. Letting out another frustrated yell, he punched it hard enough to leave a sizable dent. 

Venting heavily, his optic narrowed considerably, thinking about the prospect of finally being thrown away. "I'm not trash. I'm going to be...the strongest in the universe..." He muttered. "What does Sonic have that I don't?" He thought over the various piles of data that had been given to him. Data that showed all of Dr. Robotnik's battles against the infernal hedgehog mobian.

As he perused through the many bits of footage, the machine came to one conclusion about what Sonic had that he lacked: friends. People that not only assisted him, but outright enjoyed his company. Those that would lift him up whenever he felt down, as he would do the same for them. Instead of thinking how he could handle this in his next encounter with Sonic, the mechanical one just kept thinking about his own situation.

Where would he BE if he succeeded? Getting stronger and convincing his creator that he had worth were two things, but who else would he turn to whenever he felt like he currently did? The crushing loneliness was one of the reasons he considered the basement of Dr. Robotnik's operations to be a living Hell. To feel that, even when free, was a whole new sensation that he utterly dreaded.

'All of us are going to get you...' He could hear the voices of all of Sonic's allies speak to him. 'We don't need another fake Sonic. You're as useless to us as you are to your creator. How pathetic.'

"Shut up! I am not trash! I am-"

'NOTHING. There'll come a day in which we show you just how right we are.' The voices started to laugh again, Sonic's visage appearing almost everywhere around Mecha Sonic's vision. 'Loser! Junk! Failure! TRASH! '

It felt like Mecha Sonic's grip on reality was loosening, his optic wavering as the voices just wouldn't stop repeating their taunts. Something inside of him was ready to explode if this kept happening. Already, rocks were floating around him, volts of golden energy arcing across his body. Power like he had never felt before was surging across his circuitry. "I...will...WIN!"

"Mecha Sonic?"

Sage's voice caused him to stop powering up, the rocks around him falling before his slowly turned to the floating A.I. "You should leave. I have training to do."

"Listen. About what our creator said..." She was soon joined by Orbot and Cubot, the two machines looking concerned for him. "...please, pay it no heed." Silence followed before she floated closer. "I am no different from you, right now. Our emotions are...compromising our productivity."

"She means to say that we're all depressed." Orbot clarified.

"Down in the dumps." Cubot sighed. 

Clenching his fists, Mecha Sonic tried to give them the cold shoulder. "I am FINE. I will succeed against all odds. I can't fall into the same defeatism as Metal Sonic. I almost came close to destroying Knuckles! I should be proud, regardless of what my creator says!"

"Maybe you're perturbed as to why you didn't finish the job? Because I have the answer." Sage offered.

"And that is?" 

"You showed compassion." She gave a small smile, even though what she said confused the machine before her. "When you saw those Chao in danger, you gave up your mission to save them."

Thinking on that, Mecha Sonic's mood calmed a little, but he still sat down in a dejected way. "I suppose that makes me more like a carbon copy of Sonic, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that's possible. It's not like his DNA was used to make you." Orbot pointed out. "Maybe that's just who you are, deep down."

At first, he was going to dismiss that notion, but then he gave that last bit even more thought. "I suppose...when I saw how they were trapped under the rubble...I saw myself in them. I didn't want them to share my fate."

Sighing, Sage floated around the machine's head. "We really are more alike than I thought. We want to please father, but his insane quest for revenge and power makes is so hard. We're more than just the machines he built. We have our own thoughts, desires, and feelings. I think we're...alive."

"Yes. Alive." Mecha Sonic stared at his metal claw, moving it around before standing up. "Sage. Orbot. Cubot. Listen very carefully."

"I'm all ears!" Cubot said.

"We don't have ears." Orbot pointed out.

"It's an expression." Sage clarified before all three waited for what the mechanical one was going to say.

Staring out into the distance, Mecha Sonic lowered his head. "Thank you...for believing in me. The fact that at least somebody believes in my power is...uplifting. Nevertheless, no matter what my creator says, I must destroy Sonic. I have won the battle against Knuckles, but, should I finally defeat Sonic, maybe...just maybe...the voices will stop at long last."

Sage gave a small gasp when she heard that. "You've gone through so much and you're ready to throw yourself back into the battlefield? What if you're traumatized further? What if you don't come back?"

"After all I have endured, nothing can phase me anymore. If I don't come back...then it will have been proven that I am as they say: trash. However, that's not going to happen." He raised a fist to the sky. "Because I will fight until my body ceases to function! I will not go down in disgrace! I will avenge myself! I will be the strongest!"

"What a performance." Orbot held his hands together.

"I give it a 11/10!" Cubot said.

Knowing she couldn't change his mind, Sage merely floated over to hug around his chest, causing him to stiffen. "I promise to help you make it out of this while still functional. We're not just friends. We're family."

"Yes. All of us." Orbot said while holding Cubot close, the two brothers smiling.

Once again, Mecha Sonic's optic was wavering, but not out of madness. Something about this made him feel like there was a surging feeling all around his single eye. Like it was trying to produce tears, even though none came. He chose to put any questions about this to the side, merely awkwardly raising his arms to hug her back.

"Family." He repeated that word softly to himself, comprehending the weight it brought. Something about that word not only made him feel that sensation around his optic. It also made the power within him seem to rise with newfound determination, his desire to succeed increasing with it.

The bittersweet side of it all was reflecting further on what Sonic had. His friends were basically his family. At first, he didn't think much of that fact, but now, he could see why it gave him such fulfillment. Fulfillment that the machine lacked. At least, until now.

Looking back up into the sky, Mecha Sonic narrowed his optic. "I'll be waiting for you, Sonic. I know you'll come here soon. Our destiny awaits."

Unbeknownst to them, they were all being watched by Metal Sonic, his burning orange eyes glaring at the sight. Normally, he would have just ignored this and moved on with his duties. However, the memory of what Mecha Sonic had done before he was called back to Robotropolis made him uneasy.

Actually, it infuriated him. It was bad enough having to watch another one of his creator's robots make another fruitless effort, especially another Sonic replica like himself. The fact that Metal's prototype had come close to SUCCEEDING was enough to nearly make him want to raze Robotropolis to the ground out of frustration.

How could a decades-old relic be able to go toe-to-toe with his most formidable foes? Metal Sonic had felt the power of the Master Emerald and much more before. Why did Mecha Sonic have an easier time?! Literally, the only thing holding the machine back was some sense of mercy within him! 

That's when Metal Sonic got an idea. Hopeless as everything was, his mission WAS to end Sonic and all that dared stand against Dr. Robotnik. Even better, this plan would ensure he would get what he wanted, even if it went awry. Either the Resistance would be annihilated...or his creator would finally understand that failure was the only option.

Without hesitation, he traveled down to where the main computers were in Robotropolis, getting past the security by virtue of his creator still being confident that the 'obedience chip' within him was still working. It had never worked, but the ruler of Robotropolis never knew that up to this day.

Gazing upon the files on display, Metal Sonic got right to hacking, while also plugging in one of his fingers. "Uploading virus." He said, his voice cold as ice. A part of him felt a tinge of regret for what he was about to do, but, if this resulted in the outcome he wanted, so be it.

It wouldn't be long before the virus was full uploaded into the computer, ready for Metal to remotely activate it so that it would infect Sage's data.  

Back at the Emerald Coast...

(Suitable Opponent/Eggman Boss Theme-Klaymore)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysJ0AoQq1Rw

The new Egg Guardian began its assault by firing green eye beams at the ground. Whatever those beams hit turned to stone, transforming parts of the tower into rock. It swung its long tail across the entire platform, forcing everybody to jump. "Watch the birdy!" Sonic shouted, spin-dashing into the fiend's head.

However, it suddenly twisted its head so quickly that the beak knocked him into an Egg Pawn. "Take this!" Amy shouted, slamming her hammer against the machine's tail-tip. The robot's tail splintered into crackling circuitry, but it followed up by flapping its wings, trying to blow its foes off of the tower.

Though Sonic would spin-dash against the Egg Cockatrice's back, the winds were still enough to knock Amy off, but she was wrapped around by Big's fishing pole. "Hold on tight! I've got a plan!" He was moving slowly off the tower, but he fought against the winds. His strength and girth helped him greatly, as he was not only able to push against the wind, but also keep swinging Amy like a flail.

Holding out her hammer, the pink hedgehog mobian shattered many unfortunate Egg Pawns that happened to get in her way. Several times, she managed to get a few good hits on the beak. Infuriated, the Egg Guardian finally took to the skies, allowing everybody to regroup.

Froggy croaked as the flying monstrosity circled over them. "If he's saying that brute force isn't going to cut it, I agree!" Amy said. "We need to send it crashing down into the ocean!"

"And I've got just the thing!" Sonic said before looking to Big. "Hope you remember that thing you just did! Because here comes a much larger catch!"

They had to think fast soon, as boulders began to rain down from the sky. The Egg Cockatrice was turning other Egg Pawns into stone, causing them to rain down like meteors. The group had to scatter, though some of those explosions blew them back. "Might wanna come up with that plan soon!" Amy shouted. When she tried to strike the boulders, they exploded right in front of her, singing her as she was pushed back. 

"Sweetie!" Big cried out before whipping his fishing line out, shattering through several of the incoming boulders, though this had the effect of causing the rock shards to pierce through his skin.

Clenching his jaw, Sonic began to charge up his spinning attack, orbs flying into his body. "Amy! Hit me right now!"

"Hope you know what you're doing! Because this is gonna HURT!" She shouted, slamming her hammer against that spinning ball with all of her might. It rocketed through the air, pink volts joining the usual blue ones as he slammed right through the beast's wing. 

Letting out a booming squawk, the avian Egg Guardian found itself plummeting through the sky, forcing it to ready itself for a controlled crash. It aimed for the ground, intending to take them out during this crash. "Ribbit!" Froggy croaked loudly.

"Right! I think I know what Sonic meant by 'larger catch'!" He exclaimed before readying himself for his toughest move yet. "Amy! Get ready to jump!"

Hoping for the best, she did just that, using her card abilities to gain some extra heigh as the Egg Cockatrice rocketed past her. It almost reached where Big was, but he jumped and threw his fishing line out, hooking the machine around the toothy beak. When it crashed, he was nearly pulled down, but he flexed his muscles and surged his arms forward.

Shredding across the top of the tower, the Egg Cockatrice was flung into the air, Amy leaping back up to smash it against the back with her hammer to give it an extra boost. It soon found itself propelled towards the ocean, the injuries it had gained leaving it exposed to the seawater it soon splashed into.

The Emerald Tower began to collapse, self-destructing after the damages it had received, as well as Amy quickly grabbing the Purple Emerald. The Egg Cockatrice let out a final bellowing squawk before short-circuiting, its body exploding and causing scrap metal to rain down onto the beach. "Let's get out of here!" Big shouted, his aching arms wrapping around Amy as the jumped off.

Utilizing her card-based abilities one last time, Amy found herself tuckered out as well, but they still made it to one of the smaller islands, watching as the Emerald Tower collapsed into nothing. The other Eggman Towers were also falling down, their Egg Pawn hordes exploding into scrap metal.

"We...we did it! Mission accomplished!" Amy beamed, high-fiving her boyfriend before they both quickly sat down. "That was my cardio for the day."

"I think I lost more pounds than I ever did last month right now." Big felt around his belly. "Nope. Still fat."

"Now, Big. We talked. I don't care what those Babylon Rogues said about you that one time." Amy shook her finger before cuddling against his broad chest. "Remember that most of this isn't even fat. It's muscle!"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot." Big scratched his head before Froggy began to jump up a lot. "You see something, Froggy?"

Both turned to the sea, only to see somebody floating on a random piece of driftwood. A seagull was pecking at his quills, making him grumble. "Please, tell me we got the Chaos Emerald." Sonic said, now getting annoyed by two seagulls after the first one left.

Giggling, Amy was relieved to see her hero was okay. "Safe and sound!" She gestured to it. "Now, the only one that's left is the Blue one!"

Before they could talk about that quest, all of the group's communicators started to go off. "What's up, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Guys! I have great news! The Neo Diamond Cutters have gotten back into contact with us!" The fox mobian exclaimed. "Even better, I think they have the last emerald!" 

"No way! That's awesome!" Sonic shouted as he got back to where Amy and Big were. "Pick us up! This, we've gotta see!"

"You know, the destruction of Angel Island notwithstanding, this wasn't that bad of an adventure!" Amy remarked. 'At least, Sonic's not at risk of losing his life. I just hope I'm not thinking too soon! ' She thought.

Big yawned, stretching. "I think we could use a break after we hear this. We won't be able to be at our best without a little relaxation."

"We'll put a pin on that one." Sonic said before leaning into him. "By the way, you're gonna be a great boyfriend, you know that?"

"Thanks. You're a great friend, too." Big replied. "I'm glad to have met all of you. So is Froggy." 

As the Sky Fox floated down from the sky, the amphibian croaked in agreement.

Back on the Sky Fox...

Though Tails had tried to make sure the Sky Fox was spacious enough to keep everybody inside, even she had to admit the head of the ship was getting crowded. Everybody that had participated in the hunt for the Chaos Emeralds was there. The gemstones were stored within the top of the ship, kept safe by automated defense systems.

"Alright! Roll call's done! Though, Knuckles, I'm going to have to ask you to return to the medical bay after this speech." Tails said, directing her attention to the still-injured echidna mobian.

He had casts all over his limbs, though he still managed to walk, albeit with a limp. "I don't care! Eggman started something I'm ready to finish! LET ME FIGHT!"

"Easy there! It's not all that bad watching from the sidelines!" Vector offered. "Just leave the fighting me and Chaotix!"

"We've got your back!" Charmy stated.

Hearing this made Knuckles grit his teeth. "I can relate." Shadow sighed. "I've been ordered to stay behind and watch, too."

"Same." Silver sighed before perking up. "Wait! We're not here to mourn! We're here to celebrate!"

"That's right, Silver." Blaze nodded. "While we still haven't found the Sol Emeralds, I'm confident that they're residing in Robotropolis."

Chaos looked up at the Chaos Emeralds, but something wasn't quite right. He rubbed his head, trying to make sense of what he was sensing. "Hmmmn...peculiar. I can feel their energy, but something about it feels...different. It's probably nothing."

"I hope it isn't. We're so close to restoring peace to the world." Tikal said.

Sonic just hung back at Tails' side. "So, ready to say the good news?"

"Right! Everybody, settle down!" The fox mobian tried to address the crowd, but they kept talking amongst themselves.

Suddenly, Omega fired the ammo from his arms into the air. "Attention: successfully grabbed."

"Geez, Omega! Did you have to do that? My ears are ringing!" Rouge complained.

Despite that, everybody turned to the large television screen. "Sometime before Amy's team recovered the Purple Emerald...by the way, thank you, Amy."

"Anytime!" Amy beamed while sitting atop Big's shoulder. Froggy was on the other one, listening with just as much rapt attention.

Continuing, Tails gestured to Sticks to push one of the buttons. When it turned on, the Exiled's yellow optic filled up the room. "GAH! The aliens that adducted me during my 19th birthday!" The jungle badger mobian exclaimed. "They'll pay for their evil schemes AND THAT WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT THEY SENT ME! WHO WANTS A WHITE ELEPHANT?! "

For some reason, Shadow felt the Black Arms part of his genetics nearly spike further, his body pulsating with the changes within. "Rrrgh...damn genetic memory. I don't even know who or what that is."

"Does somebody need cuddles for the troubles?" Rouge teased, causing a few members of the group to giggle. That at least calmed him down, though he did look away, embaressed.

The recording soon continued. "Is this thing on? Yes?" The Exiled asked before looking at the Neo Diamond Cutters. All gave a thumbs-up before he cleared his throat. "Resistance. If you are receiving this, it means that your allies are perfectly fine. I am also happy to report that I have the Blue Emerald. If you have the rest, please, come to these coordinates." He then gestured to Lanolin.

The sheep anthro stepped forth, showing the exact coordinates on a slip of paper. "Thank you. As you can see, Robotropolis is located here. It's as guarded as one might think, so I urge that the entire Resistance should be summoned here. Unless Eggman tries another trick, this is where we can possibly capture him for good!"

"Not only that, but there's this whole dimension that needs our help!" Tangle added before moving the camera towards Sleet and her fellow mercenaries. "It's a looooong story, but there's this 'Omen of Hope' that the big guy has been building."

The Exiled moved in, giving a slight wave with his hair tendril. "You may call me 'Exiled' and-"

"Let' me take over for this one, boss." Sleet offered. "Ahem..." She gestured to the Omen of Hope, the thing sparking with the Blue Emerald's energy. For some reason, the other slots were sparking, though they didn't seem to notice. "This thing will ensure a safe pilgrimage of our people from our collapsing dimension into your world. We'll not only find peace in your world, but we'll also see if we can join you in your fight against Eggman. We'll be unstoppable!"

"Yeah! Score 1 for the good guys!" Drapio clicked her pincers.

The camera went back to Lanolin. "Bring the Chaos Emeralds here and we can make it happen, as well as prevent Eggman from getting his hands on the Chaos Emeralds. Still, we'll join you when things inevitably result in a battle within Robotropolis."

"See you guys soon!" Tangle gave a peace sign.

"The fate of three worlds lies in your hands." The Exiled held a claw to his center. "Well, my hands, but also yours." With that, the transmission ended.

The group took a few moments to take that in, though Chaos looked even more uneasy. "They're using the Chaos Emeralds to create a portal? It's not a bad idea, but...I just hope nothing goes wrong."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Tikal offered. "The positive energy of the gems should help such a noble purpose."

"Seems that the Neo-Diamond Cutters have been plenty busy." Sonic remarked. "Least it all means we can now go kick Eggman's butt for good!"

"I'll send this signal to all corners of the Resistance!" Tails said. "We're going into this prepared!"

Vector grinned. "If what they said is true, we're gonna have an even BIGGER army! This will be easy!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Espio warned. "Our foe may still possess some tricks up his sleeve."

"Not to mention, that robot is there." Knuckles clenched his jaw. "Mecha Sonic..."

"FORGET THAT! EGGMAN ROBOTS WILL BE DESTROYED!" Omega joyously said.

"YEAH! LET'S DO THIS! ANARCHY REIGNS IN ROBOTROPOLIS!" Sticks jumped up with him. Charmy almost joined them with an airhorn in each hand. Espio used his tail to hold him down, shaking his head to discourage him from doing anything that would add more noise.

Rouge moved up to Knuckles, patting him on the head with one of her wings. "Look at this way. We might find a way to bring the Master Emerald back together. I don't know how, but we've gotta have a little bit of hope." That just made him sigh, crossing his arms despite the pain of his injuries.

Much like Chaos, Blaze was also feeling that something was off with the Omen of Hope. She swore she saw slots on the back of the portal arch that vaguely resembled the Sol Emeralds. "It's probably just my mind playing tricks."

"Don't worry, Blaze." Amy offered comfort. "Once this is over, we're not resting until we find a way to save your dimension."

"Yeah! We're gonna have an even bigger army to do that, too!" Sonic gave a triumphant smirk. "This whole thing's a slam dunk!"

"Let's hope you're right." Shadow sighed before sitting down on one of the seats. He lightly rubbed around his head. "Our victory would be absolute if I wasn't dealing with-"

"Easy, father-I mean, Shadow." Silver sat next to him. "As long as we believe in ourselves, I think we'll get through this."

"That's the spirit!" Amy beamed. "The only shame here is that I wish there were more snacks on this plane. This whole trip has made me hungry!"

"Seconded." Chaos said, joined by the Chao that were still on the ship. His thoughts about the Chaos Emeralds were put to rest as he started to play with them. "Say, Blaze! Have you ever fed a Chao before?" He offered one to the feline solian, the little guy wiggling its arms around at her.

She turned her face away, trying to hide her widening eyes. "So...adorable..." She muttered, holding out a hand to pet it. Tikal was already in the midst of amusing the other Chao, her light form traveling along the ship while those Chao chased it.

As Tails sent the signal to the entirety of the Resistance, she looked towards Sonic, taking a deep breath before offering an invention. It looked like a red/black ring that was just the right size to fit around the hedgehog mobian's arm. "What's that thing?" Sonic asked. "Is it some kind of gizmo that'll take care of those robots even easier?"

"Well, it's more of a means to collect data." Tails at least offered her friend that little nugget of truth. "I promise it'll come in useful handy! It's for a project of mine."

Shrugging, Sonic latched it on, only to feel a slight prick against his skin. "Ow! I should have mentioned I don't like needles, but whatever helps!" 

"Yeah. Just...do me a favor. Do us ALL a favor." Tails said sternly. "Once we make landfall at Robotropolis, promise me you'll stay safe. Don't do anything too reckless." While she said that, she gazed at the futuristic 3D printer in the lab, her tails falling down as she considered her options regarding that invention.

Putting a hand on his hip, the hedgehog mobian arched his brow. "Are you worrying about me dying again? You've seen how I've been acing this whole adventure with the help of you guys. As long as we work together, there's nothing we can't accomplish."

"Well, I do have data that supports that. Not to mention, all the other variables seem to be favoring us..." Tails rubbed her chin before smiling. "You know what? You're right. Let's just do what we always do."

"And that is?" Sonic held a hand to his ear, turning to the crowd.

It seemed like they all knew exactly what to say. "SAVE THE DAY!" They all called out. 

"Yeah! Let's do it to it!" The Blue Blur exclaimed, the Sky Fox starting its course towards Robotropolis.

What they didn't know is that they were being followed. The G.U.N airship flew above them, other ships carrying their new cargo. Project: Endless Army was about to be tested on Dr. Robotnik's city, with Commander Towers looking over the whole thing. "And so, it begins." He said, hoping this wouldn't go awry. 

Back at Robotropolis...

In all of the years he had been in the business of world domination, Dr. Robotnik had faced many trials. Not just anything involving Sonic, but also stuff that had to do with destructive deities and even being trapped in space/time limbo. THIS, however, was what was making him tug his collar and sweat nervously.

"What if she hates me? What if she's only responding to my order to return to the throne room out of obligation? What if she gives me the silent treatment?!" The villainous one panicked before slapping himself. "NO! Keep it together! You can do this! It's like your theme song says! There is no retreat!"

"Retreat from what?"

Letting out a girly scream, Dr. Robotnik turned around, only to see Sage floating through the floor. "Oh. It's you. Um...make yourself at home. Would you like something to eat? Maybe more holographic meatloaf? Maybe stay awhile and...and..." Sighing, he slumped onto a chair. "Can we talk? Please?"

Looking to her side slightly, Sage nodded. "That's actually why I'm here. I want to apologize for being out of line. Do not punish the other robots for my failure."

Dr. Robotnik's expression softened as he got out another chair. "Come sit with me. We really do need to talk."

The A.I soon floated to that seat, descending down onto it. "What is it, father?"

He soon gestured to the city outside the window. "Take a good look. All of it. This is my life's work. One of the many things I've made over a long career of seeking the respect the Robotnik name deserves. However, none of it has truly made me 'happy'. I had a feeling I was just chasing the dream of recreating my first time an at amusement park. That magical moment...I could never recapture it, especially not now."

Walking around his throne room, he gazed at himself in the reflection of the glass. "Even when I ruled the world for a glorious couple of months, I don't think I've ever felt fulfilled. For a while, I agonized over the answer. Even destroying Sonic didn't seem to be the solution! I kept wondering and wondering...and then, I made you." He turned back to Sage. "I want you to know that nothing I've ever made holds a candle to your creation. You...are my finest work. You're my daughter. You...don't deserve a father like me." He looked away, ashamed.

"That's not true! I'm glad to have you as my father!" Sage floated up to him. "I'm also not your only child! Think about the other sapient robots you've made! Mecha! Metal! Orbot! Cubot!"

"They were all programmed to follow simple orders. However, I realize they've become something more. Maybe I'm more brilliant than I thought." Dr. Robotnik chuckled before returning to his morose speech. "Now, I truly KNOW that you don't deserve someone like me as your old man."

"I'm glad you recognize your mistake, but it's not too late to change things." Sage urged. "All you have to do is let go of your hate and-"

"Hold your horses, kid." The villainous one held up his hands before shaking his head. "I can't. I can't turn back from my path. When I say 'there is no retreat', I mean it. There isn't any recourse. After everything I've done, I don't think Mobius is going to be keen on forgiving me. Best case scenario? The Resistance throws me into a cell to rot for all eternity. Worst case? G.U.N has me go through the last thing my grandfather saw."

Closing her eyes and trying not to think about that last part, Sage rested her hand on her father's shoulder. "Maybe we can retreat from this world? Start anew. Maybe starting by treating your other robots better? It's not just me that you owe an apology to."

Thinking on that, Dr. Robotnik looked outside to see Metal Sonic flying through the sky, patrolling the city. "I suppose I could give my machines the benefit of a doubt. It's just...when they fail, I feel like I failed too. I didn't think much about yelling at them. It felt so cathartic!" He pumped his fists before relaxing. "But, after what I said to you and talked with Bowser, I've begun to reconsider the way I talk to my minions. It won't be easy but...for you...I'm going to try."

Hearing the absolute sincerity in her father's words made Sage's depressed mood lift more and more as she heard him talk. "We're your family. We'll always help each-other." Her mood also perked up when she heard a certain name. "Bowser? I just had an idea! We can lay low within his kingdom! Then, we can plan things out from there."

The villainous one couldn't help the slight smile forming on his face. "Believe me, I'd love it if you and Bowser Junior were to hang out again...but I can't abandon this now." He stood up, giving a look of great resolve. "I need to see this through. Otherwise, everything that's led up to this will be for nothing. Besides, they'd all hunt me down to the ends of the multiverse. There really isn't any way out."

"...I guess not." Sage sighed before she found herself hugged by her creator.

"But, no matter what happens, you will always come first. In fact, should we win, I'd like to hear your input on how you'd change this planet. We're pretty much going to have the entire world in our hands." He exclaimed, letting a bit more mirth form in his voice.

Thinking on that, Sage felt her smile return more. "Maybe more patches of nature? I don't think I'd like a world completely covered in metal."

Grumbling slightly, Dr. Robotnik shrugged. "I mean, I guess."

"But, before that, please, apologize to Mecha Sonic. Your words really hurt him." She disengaged from the hug, hoping that she was getting through to her creator even further. He seemed to give that thought, rubbing his chin as he remembered the promise he just made to his beloved daughter...

Suddenly, their talk was interrupted by every computer in the throne room going off all at once. "INCOMING! INCOMING! SONIC IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING!" The message was clear, as the monitors showed the Blue Blur speeding along the surface of the metal covering over the ocean, which had expanded greatly since this whole mess began.

Grinding his teeth, Dr. Robotnik slammed a fist against the nearest table. "Dammit! I'm not ready with the final Egg Guardian! All systems! Full power to that operation! If possible, get me every Egg Pawn I can get my hands on! Send out the Death Egg Robots! Send out Metal Sonic! SEND OUT EVERYBODY! Where there's Sonic, the others are sure to follow!"

Sage sadly looked away. "There really is no way out of this except for one last battle, isn't there?"

"Oh, it WILL be the last battle! But don't worry. I'll come up with an escape plan. I want to believe we'll win, but it never hurts to have a Plan B." Her creator assured before holding her holographic form close again. "I promise, Sage. Things will get better after this."

"I hope so, father. I really do." She replied, looking back at the screens showing Sonic racing towards the island. The final battle was about to begin!

Back with the Omen of Hope, beneath Robotropolis...

The archway slightly shook with newfound power, the Exiled looking upon it with a hopeful look in his eyes. "At last. I'm finally going home." He began to reflect on how things had gone before this moment. At first, all he thought about were the many failures. The many hardships that had required his blood, sweat, and tears to get through.

However, as he thought more about that, he began to think more about those that had helped him. Sleet and her mercenaries? He hoped they'd be hailed as heroes for their exploits. The Neo Diamond Cutters? Their legend was going to inevitably grow and he was happy for that.

Whisper...he turned away from the Omen of Hope, looking to see that the two groups were preparing to head back up to the surface. "Take my robots. They will help you." He said, gesturing for his Metarex replicas to trail the groups.

Mack waved at them, causing them all to wave back, much to his amusement. "Thanks, mate!" Drapio beamed.

"We're going to be so famous and rich when this is done!" Sleet couldn't hide her excitement.

"And we're going to finally win against Eggman. The Resistance thanks you." Lanolin saluted.

"Double salute!" Tangle added her own.

Drapio, however, noticed something. "Heeeey...where're Sylvia and Jewel? I can't keep track!"

"Neither can I, but they said that they were just checking things out before we headed back up. We're going to meet them on the surface." Lanolin explained, though both she and the group of heroes felt uneasy about that. Something was up, but they had no time to figure that out now.

Whisper was the most perturbed, but she kept those feelings down. Instead, she focused on the fact that Dr. Robotnik's schemes were going to come to an end. She also looked towards the Exiled, giving a soft smile. "Thank you." She said in her usual soft tone.

"No. Thank you." The Exiled nodded before turning away. "Leave me be. Help your friends. This will be the last time you see me."

"It's been an honor, sir." Sleet stated.

As they prepared to leave, the extraterrestrial suddenly turned back. "Wait! Before you leave...I should probably tell you my real name."

They all turned back at that. "I figured that 'Exiled' is a pretty lousy name for somebody to give their kid." Tangle said.

Clearing his throat, the Exiled gave a long sigh. "It's Dave."

"...that's it?" Drapio asked, while Split-Sec scratched his head, as if they were checking if he was pulling their leg.

"Yes. It's just Dave." He turned away again. "Good luck with the rest of your mission." Whisper's wisps suddenly came out of her wispon, looking like they didn't want him to go. "I'm sorry, but I have my own duties. I'll be fine...I think." He noticed how Blue was looking the most pleading of all. "I wish I could play another song for you too, but this is where we part ways."

They all returned to their wispon home, Whisper giving one last look to him. "Farewell...Dave."

Soon enough, they left his line of sight, leaving him to start gathering his things for his trip back home, as well as preparing for those from C-197 to arrive. "This is it, mother." He said to a holographic picture of the Seedrian, her visage shown through his chest orb. "No turning back."

However, as he left the scene, Sylvia and Jewel suddenly appeared near the Omen of Hope. Each one was carrying a large sack that glowed with a myriad of colors. "So, what's the catchphrase of yours?" The beetle mobian asked, her eyes suddenly changing from pink to jet black with white pupils.

The anthro umbreon's appearance also started to change, the top of her head sprouting long purple hair. Her body also started to look more like a hedgehog mobian, only with a thunderbolt-shaped tail. Her outfit also looked like that of a dominatrix, the bra/thong/boots/gloves/crown combo leaving little to the imagination. "Now...THIS is trolling!" She grinned, throwing down her sack.

Out came the Sol Emeralds, the gemstones glowing with unstable power. In return, Jewel threw down her own sack, revealing every Chaos Emerald that wasn't blue. "Heh. If this is what 'trolling' is..." Her voice morphed into a more masculine tone, the fake mechanical wings on her body starting to spark as she...no, HE started to lose control of his form. "...I love it."

Pretty soon, the Sol Emeralds would start to slowly float into the slots on the back of the Omen of Hope. The Chaos Emeralds would also follow suite, the sparks within the archway of the device increasing in number while the two watched, their work almost finished.

Aboard the Sky Fox, the Chaos Emeralds stored within started to crack, the fake energy within them sputtering almost completely out...

Chapter Text

The Seas near Robotropolis...

Sonic looked behind him, making sure that the Sky Fox wasn't on his trail. The plan was risky, but simple. He would approach Robotropolis from the front, while everybody else would attack from the back. Given Dr. Robotnik's utter hatred of the hedgehog mobian, he would be too busy throwing everything he could at the hero for him to notice the others coming in.

"This'll be a piece of cake! I don't know what the others were so worried about!" Sonic still remembered the worried expressions of his friends, especially the one of Tails, when the plan was proposed. Although they agreed with it, they were still unsure about the level of danger that it would imply. Despite that, Sonic had already left, eager to get the plan rolling.

As he ran across the metal coating across the sea, Sonic gazed upon the mist covering the city. That mist almost cleared up thanks to the thunder coming down from the reddened skies. "Who knows what you'll throw at me this time, egghead? A whole army of robots? An entire deadly city? This is just an average week in my life! It's gonna be over before you know it!"

('Prey' Remix-Zeroh)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4qzrrwrswE

Sonic continued to run, the thundering skies getting more violent as he continued on. Getting slightly bored, he looked around while swearing internally that he heard some intense music start up. "Man! I haven't seen any animals for miles! Ro-butt-nik must have been working overtime."

"TARGET SPOTTED!" A metallic voice shouted from behind.

"Huh? Do I smell...smoke?!" The hedgehog mobian suddenly realized he wasn't the only one speeding towards Robotropolis. When he looked behind him, a chase involving his old metal foe had not only begun...but a song. Because, apparently, both were bored and this was one of the newest ways they could spice up their normal routine.

Metal Sonic (while his thrustors are speeding at maximum capacity): Seemingly trapped in an endless loop, you persist. It's illogical, but that, I've come to expect.

Sonic (smirking): C'mon, buddy, lighten up that mood (Metal: mood)...try and catch me! Got a world to protect!

Metal Sonic (flexing his claws): My sole function is to end your life, my loathsome enemy. Yet, based on data, I know this will not be our last race. (Hopeless task...)

Sonic: You got that right, rust-bucket! I'm won't give up any time soon! Now, step it up or go home and end this chase!

Metal Sonic (engulfing himself in an orange aura, engaging in the Maximum Overdrive attack): Your survival is improbable. Your fur is quite flammable. My upgrades might stand a chance against you, despite all evidence saying 'no'. (Endless chase...our fate...)

Sonic: Your bars are looking grim, but I guess after so many losses against me, your ego's been dealt a crucial blow!

Metal Sonic (eyes glowing more): Calculations complete! You can't continue for long, for my new engine will last forever.

Sonic: Okay, sure, guy. But I'm still the fastest thing alive! Your chance to win this race is never!

Metal Sonic: Persist with your arrogance. You are still in my sights...and I might just be closing in on you.

Sonic: Whoops, my foot almost slipped! Just kidding! I'm more than fine! Come on! You mad? That's what I do! What was Eggman thinking making a metal copy of the coolest thing on Mobius since sliced bread? It's a mystery, dude.

Metal Sonic: Blue rodent, I have entertained you long, but I've grown tired of everything about you. You are a hindrance, a pest, an anomaly. You're the reason my motivation is gone.

Sonic: Giving up already? Wow, that was real quick!

Metal Sonic: All strategies fail against you, speed or brawn.

Sonic: Here's a new plan! Don't be such a huge prick!

Metal Sonic: Yet I still remember Stardust Speedway! The first race.

Sonic: Hey, I remember that! We shaking up old memories?

Metal Sonic: It compels me to forever and fruitlessly chase.

Sonic: Could you speed up the villain monologue, please?

Metal Sonic: One day, this routine will end soon.

Sonic: I wouldn't hold my breath, even after we finish this tune!

Metal Sonic: I hope you suffer, my eternal foe.

Sonic: Still waiting for you to catch up, slow-mo! Hah!

Metal Sonic: You are not prepared for the possibility of finally facing failure. Go ahead, run, and get out of my sight.

Sonic: Sorry, Metal! But I think we're done! Better fly outta here while you can! Eggman should get ready for the fight!

As Metal Sonic flew away, the Blue Blur just shrugged as he kept running. "Seems that bucket of bolts had to lay off the nitro this time around." Grinning at the city coming into view, he called out to Dr. Robotnik, thinking he was going to face him soon. "Hey, egghead! Might wanna repair your toys!"

Suddenly, a cluster of missiles smashed into the ground near him, creating an explosion that nearly knocked him off his feet. Through the smoke, a single red optic glowed. "You don't even know your fate, hedgehog." Slowly, the cause of the missiles was revealed, his mechanical laughter growing louder as he rocketed closer to the hero.

Mecha Sonic had joined the fray, causing Sonic to pick up the pace while the more determined machine tailed him. It also continued the song, because why not?

Mecha Sonic: You've enjoyed your time in the sun, but it's my turn now! Let's see if you break when you bend! This is your end!

Sonic: Glad you could make it, old-timer! Remember Angel Island? You're gonna get your CPU kicked for what you did to my friend!

Mecha Sonic (activating his blaster arm): I will have revenge! I will have my justice! I will be the strongest in the entire universe!

Sonic (dodging the bullets): Your wires are crossed! That's just freaking crazy-talk! I guess delusions are part of the Eggman family curse.

Mecha Sonic: You think it's easy to forget the pain of being left behind?! I'll teach you true terror and suffering!

Sonic: Dude, I'm thinking you need to calm down right now! Let go of the past! See what else life has to bring!

Mecha Sonic (spinning through the metal ground in pursuit of his foe): That's not an option. Only after your demise can I finally rest! The voices will finally cease.

Sonic: Take it from me, that's not gonna help! Even if you somehow kill me, you're not gonna find any peace!

Mecha Sonic (clutching his head before calming down): Trash, garbage, worthless junk! I can't escape these titles because of you! But I will rise above my own despair! I'll fight until the end! Until your life is through!

Sonic: Let go...let go...let it go. Ever thought you could be more than a lackey? Remember how you saved those Angel Island Chao? You saved them all! There's a hero inside of that metal body! I'd take that chance to embrace it before we have to brawl!

Mecha Sonic (teleporting through the air to try and aim at his foe): I'm starting to wonder if that's a valid point right there! But the fact remains that my mind remains filled with rage!

Sonic: Not an excuse to destroy everything that's between you and me! This is gonna end with you in the scrap heap! Can't you see?

Mecha Sonic (chasing with a slightly panicked and mostly angered expression): I'm never going back to the HELL you put me through! I'll tear you limb from limb, that's my promise to you!

Sonic: How about listening to common sense instead? Don't let the voices win! Put this issue to bed!

Mecha Sonic (while charging up energy): Today's the day I finally surpass my limits! Break through my barriers and uncover ultimate power!

Sonic: Keep talking like that and, trust me, you'll regret it. Villains usually say that before it's their final hour!

Mecha Sonic: I won't fail in my objective. I've come to far to quit. This is my final stand!

Sonic: Ugh, fine! You still can't catch me! But, if you did, I hope you're prepared to get canned!

Mecha Sonic (crossing his arms): Every boast you make will soon ring hollow. I will make you pay for everything, including your unearned pride!

Sonic: I'm warmed up and I won't go down easy! In this competition, I won't let you break my stride!

Mecha Sonic (starting to slow down): Prepare to lose permanently this time! Fight hard as you want, but I will not relent! It's no use!

Sonic: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Got places to be! Talk to you later! I'm already at Eggman's city! Gotta juice! SEE YA'!

Upon finally running away from Mecha Sonic's line of sight and into the city, the Blue Blur smirked to himself. "Man, you REALLY like scrambling your own plans, don't ya'-?"

SLAM!

Right as the song ended, Sonic crashed into a metal plate that suddenly rose from the steel street, leaving a perfect imprint of his body before he slid out. "Oooowww...I think I bit my lip that time." He muttered before seeing that a certain A.I had caused that to happen. "Oh, hey, Sage."

"Greetings. Welcome to Robotropolis." She replied in a tone she struggled to keep cold. Alas, she couldn't hide her morose attitude about this whole endeavor. As soon as she revealed herself, she was joined by armies of Egg Pawns, the robots crawling out of the many plain buildings surrounding the hedgehog mobian. "How are you?"

Dusting himself off, Sonic didn't lose his chipper disposition. "Things could be better. Sorry that I have to kick your old man's butt. Maybe someday, you can finally get him to see sense?"

"I hope to see that day, too. For now, you must contend with my older brothers." She gestured to the incoming robot hedgehog mobians.

He turned around to them as they landed, rubbing his chin. "Hmmmm...honestly, I think Metal Sonic nailed the look before he switched to 'old timey furnace'. Hope you like constructive criticism."

"As usual, your attempts at humor cease to amuse me. We have you surrounded." Metal said, pointing to the various armies of Egg Pawns that were closing in.

However, before they could aim their ranged weaponry at the Blue Blur, Mecha Sonic stomped forward. "Stay back! He's mine." He narrowed his optic at his foe.

"Correction! He's OURS!" Dr. Robotnik's voice shouted before the Eggmobile rose from an opening hole in the streets, a humongous golden statue of the villainous one rising behind him. Orbot and Cubot were with him, waving at everybody around them. "I see you've come to check out my new city! What do you think? Is it great or is it great?"

Rolling his eyes, Sonic blew a small raspberry. "I'm waiting for the 'or what' option. This place is a boring dump! Where can I get a bite? Where's a freaking map? Are they any places to have fun? Kinda important if you're trying to sell us on your ego-opolis."

"It's ROBO-tropolis!" Dr. Robotnik yelled before composing himself. "For your information, when my plan succeeds, nobody will have a choice BUT to live in my city. It'll spread across the entire world! I'll rule every inch of Mobius, only there won't be any foul-ups!"

"Like the one right behind you?" Sonic grinned, pointing to the large object poking through the clouds.

Right on que, the Sky Fox emerged, much of the cast standing atop it. Even better, various vehicles from both the air and across the metalized coating across the sea were coming in, carrying Resistance fighters ready to throw down. "Oh, Eggmaaaaaan!" Amy called out. "We're here!"

"And we're gonna bust you up good!" Vector grinned. 

"Take us down, Tails! We're ready!" Rouge said.

"Right!" Tails steered the ship so that the heroes could hop off safely, ready to join the fray.

Charmy held both Vector and Big, straining his wings as he dropped them down onto a horde of Egg Pawns, shattering them. Espio merely used his ninja skills to teleport behind an Egg Pawn, slicing its head off with one chop. Omega flew into the battlefield, doing his best not to unleash his firepower against Dr. Robotnik's robot forces. Sticks and Rouge were on his shoulders, the bat mobian blowing a kiss and the jungle badger mobian giving a fierce game face.

Amy landed next to Sonic by slamming her hammer down, creating cracks before looking towards Metal. "If you somehow make it out of this not in pieces, I'd pick a look that was less 'try-hard'." That earned her a glare from the robot.

Blaze crashed through one of the buildings like a meteor, her body encased in flames before they went out. Chaos landed like a heavy raindrop, letting out a bubbling roar as he rose up. "Retribution has come, you arrogant fool!" He shouted.

"You had best give us not only the Sol Emeralds, but also your unconditional surrender!" The Sol Empire princess declared, a fireball floating in each hand.

Sonic ran to stand in front of the crowd that had gathered, though he noticed that the doctor still looked content, despite the sheer number of those against him and counting. "Anything to say before we pound you into next week?" He asked. "Because, if you give me a few minutes, I'll go Super Sonic on you and-"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dr. Robotnik couldn't stop laughing, wiping a tear from his eye as he did so.

"Has he lost his mind?" Espio wondered.

"What a shame. He's losing his marbles." Big sighed.

"Is your defeat supposed to be humorous to you?!" Chaos yelled.

Calming himself down, the villainous one cleared his throat. "You may think you have an advantage over me with those gems...but you're wrong. You see, those Emerald Towers were mere distractions to keep you all out of my hair while I prepared my forces. But you wanna know the real twist? It all comes down to one of the major power sources of Robotropolis."

"Could you get to the point? We have better things to do than stroke your ego." Rouge called out.

"There is a lack of robot destruction now. I want to fix that!" Omega exclaimed.

Looking up at the Sky Fox, Dr. Robotnik sighed. "Oh, Tails. So brilliant and smart and, yet, I don't think she's analyzed those 'Chaos Emeralds' yet. Has she?" 

"Why would she need to? They're gonna empower me like usual and-"

"SONIC!" Tails shouted over everybody's communicators, interrupting Sonic in the process. "Bad news! It's these emeralds! I was about to prepare them for the Super Sonic plan, but they're now in pieces! Worse yet, when I analyzed the situation...I realized...these are FAKES!"

Hearing that nearly caused Sonic's jaw to drop, the others looking similarly mortified. "WHAT?!" Everybody shouted.

"I'M FREAKING OUT!" Sticks shouted. "We're ALL the crazy ones now!"

"Wait, wait, wait! That can't be right!" Amy said. "They were powering the Emerald Towers! Emanating great power! How could they be fakes?!"

Everybody looked to Chaos, the watery being grasping his head as he tried to understand what was going on. "I knew something about those emeralds seemed odd! They were giving off energy that was like those of the original emeralds, but...there was something missing. It felt like that energy was a hollow replica. I never said anything because I thought it was just a hunch!'

"Well, fools, that 'hunch' proved to be right!" Dr. Robotnik grinned. "I created several generators to power my towers, made them look like Chaos Emeralds, sent you all on a wild goose chase, and used that opportunity to not only try to take care of you nuisances, but also gather data on your power! That way, I could get to building my ultimate Egg Guardian, while also using the real Chaos Emeralds to power this entire city and my new army!"

"You son of a..." Vector clenched his fist. "I'm so glad Knuckles isn't here to hear this!"

Sonic shook his head, face-palming. "Should have guessed you'd give this scheme your all."

"I haven't even gotten to the best part!" Dr. Robotnik said before gesturing to Orbot and Cubot. "The whole 'fake Chaos Emerald' plan was the product of THESE two! They've made me so proud!"

Hearing those words caused both robots to let out gasps of joy. "I don't believe it! He didn't take the credit for our trick!" Orbot exclaimed.

"I'm so happy that I could just...just..." A piece of burnt toast came out of a slot in Cubot's mouth, accidentally striking the stoic Mecha Sonic on the head. "Sorry!"

Despite the shocking news, Sonic kept his cool, turning to his team. "Who cares if he has the emeralds, guys? We still have him outnumbered!" To emphasize his point, legions of Resistance members began to storm the shores of Robotropolis, each armed with their own type of wispon. Any Egg Pawn that tried to attack them was either mowed down by them or the Sky Fox's weaponry.

"He's right! We've got this!" Vector pumped a fist.

"We're gonna take the REAL Chaos Emeralds and put a stop to your plans! That's the way it always goes!" Amy added.

"Again. It's not too late to surrender. I would HIGHLY suggest doing so." Blaze glared. "Perhaps you could tell me where those Sol Emeralds-"

"For the last time..." Dr. Robotnik grumbled, slowly backing his vehicle away as he realized that the fight was about to truly start. "...I don't know where your stupid gems are! Now, Metal Sonic! Mecha Sonic! Defend me while I get the ultimate Egg Guardian online! Sage, monitor the warzone, but don't engage in battle!"

"Understood." The A.I nodded before phasing into the ground. "Be careful, father."

"You too." He said softly before looking to the other two robot lackeys. "Orbot, Cubot! You're with me!"

Before he could turn away, several pink wisp spikes shot into his Eggmobile, nearly knocking him out of the air. "Hey, Ro-butt-nik! Remember us?!" Tangle's voice called out.

Emerging from the ground were the Neo-Diamond Cutters, as well as their mercenary allies. The hole behind them re-closed, but they were already out and ready to get into action. "Reporting for duty!" Lanolin saluted.

"Great to see you guys again!" Sonic smiled. "You guys ready to rock?"

"Did you see any mole people down there?" Sticks added.

"Not the time." Espio shook his head.

Rouge gave a whistle when she saw Sleet. "I see you brought some company, too. If I didn't have a boyfriend already..."

"Oh, how flattering!" Sleet tugged her collar before using her remote to transform Drapio into a jeep, the mercenaries manning the vehicle. "Get ready, everybody! I can see this turning ugly really fast!" She advised.

"Like we'll give up in the face of that? I don't think so!" Tangle said, while Whisper took aim once more at Dr. Robotnik. In response to their new foes, Metal Sonic started his engines, while Mecha Sonic let out a yell that was followed by an aura of energy around himself.

Before floating away, Dr. Robotnik had one final order to give, smashing a button on his Eggmobile to activate the other Chaos Emeralds scattered throughout the city. "ROBOTS! ATTACK!"

(Egg Reverie Zone-Sonic Mania)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZG5Uf6JTDE

The best way to describe what followed would be the phrase 'clusterfuck'. The instant Dr. Robotnik gave the order, entire towers started to shatter around him. Out of them came Death Egg Robots, hundreds of Egg Pawns flying alongside them. The cycloptic gaze of the giants looked down upon the Resistance, which proceeded to open fire with their ranged weaponry.

"Here we go!" Sonic shouted, instantly rushing ahead while the others spread out to deal with the humongous army. Metal Sonic tried to get at him, but Amy smashed the metallic hedgehog mobian in the head with her hammer, sending him flying into a nearby structure.

Mecha Sonic turned into his spinning form, rushing towards his foes. "I will end this!" He was promptly caught by Big's fishing hook when he was an inch away from the heroes. "Wh-what?!" He cried out before being tugged into Vector's fist, sending him reeling before he was forced to take to the air, avoiding the other attacks that the Resistance had to offer. It was just like in the virtual training sessions, but with WAY greater numbers of the enemy.

He teleported to the top of a tower, observing the sights before Sonic suddenly smashed into his chest, spin-dashing his spikes all around there before kicking him in the face. "That one's for Knuckles!" He said before racing down the building, avoiding a hail of blaster-fire from his enemy's blaster arm.

Sticks let out a war-cry as she rode atop Omega, the robot's arms spinning as he ripped through the Egg Pawns with his ammo. "Throw me at the giant! I wanna bathe in their oil!" She cried out, pointing a boomerang at a Death Egg Robot.

"Affirmative!" Throwing his lover at the goliath's eye, the jungle badger mobian shattered through it, ripping through the wiring like a piranha before emerging right out of the robot's head, her fur caked in oil. She then threw her boomerang across the city, decapitating several unlucky Egg Pawns while the robot she was one stayed upright and inert.

The Chaotix trio was blazing a path of destruction through the army, helping in any way they could. Charmy lifted rubble off of those trapped underneath, while Espio kept vanishing into smoke, the various logs he left behind proving to be great throwing material for Vector. "Keep it up! I don't know what kind of ninja magic that is, but-"

"Stop throwing my logs! I have a limited supply!" Espio implored before wrapping his tail around Amy's hammer, letting her fling him around. His horn stabbed through various Egg Pawns, destroying them.

Blaze provided aerial support, generating large balls of fire in her hands before throwing them down. A Death Egg Robot tried to smash a claw into her body, but she flew around that arm, eventually tackling into the joint. That caused the arm to fall, but Vector caught it. With all of his strength, he jammed it through the machine's leg, causing it to trip and collapse onto many more robots.

"Hey, kitty!" Rouge flew next to the Sol Empire princess. "That was impressive, but watch this!" She whipped out several bat bombs from her wings, but these had been upgraded to have a heat-seeking function, causing them to smash into various robots. "Think you can beat my record?"

"Is that a challenge? Because now's not the time!" Blaze implored, only to fling a fireball at an Egg Pawn rushing at her from behind. "Although, considering how easy this is proving to be...I guess I could entertain that."

"Don't be so formal! Learn to live a little!" The bat mobian said. "Omega! Keep score!"

"Roger!" The robot saluted, one of his arms tearing through the ranks, while the other one was using an unlucky Egg Pawn as a flail.

Both Sonic and Chaos were rushing across the city, traveling across the rooftops as they took care of the machines attacking from above. The hedgehog mobian was speeding through the rank-and-file of the enemy, while Chaos spread out his body to cover large areas, creating large spikes made of his own body. "You sure can get creative with how you wanna win! Kinda brutal, too." Sonic remarked.

"Can't talk! In the middle of a rampage!" Chaos exclaimed, eventually surging his entire body into a scar on a battle-damaged Death Egg Robot. The short-circuiting caused the robot to start exploding, further decimating the ranks of the Eggman Empire. "Heh. I'm starting to enjoy myself a little too much!"

Maggie's soundwaves were clearing the path for the Resistance fighters, Lanolin directing them. "Cover us from the right and left! Box the machines in and find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds! It's the only way we can keep ourselves from being overwhelmed!" She ordered.

Whisper used Green's Hover ability to keep herself aloft, taking potshots at the machines around her while being protected by Split-Sec. The Scizor was seemingly appearing in multiple places at once, catching Sonic's attention. "Do I smell competition?" He wondered.

He was interrupted when Metal Sonic crashed into him, gripping around his throat while the flames in his furnace glowed hot. "Cease your efforts!" He shouted.

A sudden burst of water struck the machine, pinning him against a building before a shadow ball crashed into him, causing him to be buried by rubble. Drapio was in a firehose form, her anthro Mightyena friend having also provided assistance. "Can you stop changing my form? I wanna fight better!" The scorpion-like Pokemon complained.

"Just don't get too hurt! We need to look presentable for the hero's return in CWCville later!" Sleet used her remote to turn her friend back to normal.

Tangle leaped in from the fray, her hands wrapping around Drapio's tail while her own struck at various machines like a snake. "Let's go knock some heads!" She shouted.

"Let's turn this bloody city into a junkyard!" The scorpion-like one shouted, firing poison spikes everywhere as she scuttled through the battlefield with her companion.

Some of the Egg Pawns were cornering Resistance members, but they found themselves shooting at an invisible mirror, causing the blasts to reflect and destroy the hordes. Mack waved at those he saved, making silly faces at his foes before miming the utilization of a machine gun, even chewing on a fake cigar as he did so.

One again, Sylvia and Jewel were absent from the battle. It was something Lanolin noticed before she joined the others again. Victory seemed to be at hand, as long as they could keep pushing through the seemingly never-ending hordes!

Up above, the Sky Fox was flying in circles around the city, occasionally cleaving its giant laser through the Death Egg Robots. It drained the ship's energy, so Tails focused on just driving it through some flying Egg Pawns. "I didn't know you were such a reckless driver! I kinda like it!" Knuckles remarked.

"I know what I'm doing! Every turn I make, I run a billion calculations in my head! Hold on!" Tails shouted, continuing to lay waste to as many robots as she could while high in the sky.

Normally, the echidna mobian would have been furious to learn about the whole 'fake emerald' scheme, but the fact that the Chaos Emeralds were right on this island gave him hope that the Master Emerald could be restored. Already, he was thinking of a way to get off the ship to join the fight, despite his injuries.

Shadow also wanted to join, merely standing calmly, even as the ship was rocked back and forth. 'Are you that much of a weakling? JOIN THEM IN BATTLE! ' The voices returned, as well as the Ultimate Lifeform's skin starting to swell in other places.

"Rrrrgh...get out already." Shadow growled. 

'Heheheheh...I'll never get out. I'm only getting stronger as your anger grows. You hate being confined to here. I can feel EVERY negative emotion within you. Just allow yourself to run wild and-'

"AUGH!" Silver grasped his head, but his body wasn't fading away this time. Instead, it glowed green. "What is this?!"

"Silver!" Shadow rushed to his side, ignoring the spasming feelings within his body, mutations starting to happen within. "What is it?"

Standing up, the psychic future hedgehog mobian rubbed around his temples. "It's...a chronal disturbance! Like space and time are being torn apart slowly! I...I need to get down there...but I'll probably make my condition even worse. I want to have faith in my friends, but...but..."

"I know how you feel, but it looks like we're winning out." Knuckles gestured to the sight before them. Even with the regenerative abilities of the metal of Robotropolis, the place was looking quite wrecked. Piles of robot parts were scattered all over the place, while the Death Egg Robots kept tumbling down, unable to handle so many capable targets. "I hope we can keep this up."

"We will! We just gotta push through!" Tails said as she activated the Sky Fox's laser again, decapitating two Death Egg Robots in the process.

Mecha Sonic, meanwhile, was doing his best to catch up to Sonic, but the chaos around him made that difficult. "Where is that pest?! I won't let him get away this time!" 

"We won't let you get away either!" Vector came from behind him, grabbing his arm with his jaws before flinging him at Big, who used his fishing pole to wrap around him, then fling it toward Amy. 

"This one's a home run!" She shouted before slamming her hammer against his head, sending him flying into where Blaze tackled him into the ground. Kicking him away, she sent him towards where Chaos was.

Glaring, the watery one enveloped the machine, only for the mechanical one to power up and escape the confines of Chaos' body. Sparks flying from his injuries, Mecha Sonic ignored those to fly through the sky. Finally, he caught ono where Sonic was, the hedgehog mobian continuing to run circles around his enemies. "It's no use running now!" He aimed his arm at the speeding one, ready to unleash a cluster of missiles.

Suddenly, a rain of blasts fell down from the sky, striking him and sending him crashing into the ground. Event the Resistance stopped to see what that was all about. That's when they saw hordes of G.U.N robots rain down, landing on the ground before taking aim at Dr. Robotnik's forces. "I don't remember calling help, but I'm not complaining!" Sonic stated.

Speaking of the villainous one behind this entire mess, Dr. Robotnik was frantically pressing buttons while within one of his bunkers, his Eggmobile connecting with a machine hidden below. "Come on! Come on!"

"Did you try turning it on and off again?" Orbot asked.

"I've tried everything! But this blasted thing is still charging!" The villainous one shouted. "If I don't get into the fray with my last Egg Guardian, I could lose! It'll be the end of everything!"

"Don't be like that! There's always next time!" Cubot said before they all heard a loud explosion happen from outside the bunker.

Turning on a screen, the trio witnessed a familiar airship appear out of the clouds, bringing with it entire legions of robots that kept pouring out of the ship. "If something isn't done fast...there may not BE a next time." Dr. Robotnik said somberly.

G.U.N had finally entered the fray, the technology they retrofitted from the Eggman Empire serving them well. Already, their robot numbers were matching that of the Egg Pawns, their machines ripping through the opposition like a cleaver. Commander Towers watched from above, gazing upon the devastation. "At last...we finally avenge our losses!"

Tails showed up on one of his screens, sweat dripping from her fur after all she had been through. "Thank goodness you're here! I appreciate the assist! However, something about your robots...how did you fit so many into one ship?"

"I figured you'd catch onto that. Let there be no more secrets." The commander said. "This is Project: Endless Army. We were able to retrofit Dr. Robotnik's latest tech, especially that used to make his city, to make our own infinite number of machines. Pretty soon, this world will be completely safe and you can tell the Resistance they can retire at long last."

Despite having some misgivings about the utilization of Dr. Robotnik's tech, the fox mobian nodded. "I hope you know what you're doing! We can talk about this later. For now, help us find the Chaos Emeralds! It's the only way to stop Robotropolis for good!"

"Wait a minute. Don't you already have those?" Commander Towers' brow arched.

"Long story short, we were played for fools! Now, let's do this together!"

And so, the battle would continue, but with the Resistance being aided by a marching group of G.U.N robots. "Oh, yeah! This is TOO easy!" Vector exclaimed, standing atop several destroyed Egg Pawns.

"And to think, we'll be joined by our own forces soon enough!" Sleet grinned. "Fortune and fame, here we come!" Mack and Charmy Bee high-fived at that.

Rouge flew down onto a building, Blaze joining her as a Death Egg Robot fell behind them. "I'd say I won our little bet." The bat mobian said.

"I'm pretty certain it was me. What do you think, Omega?" The feline solian asked.

Their robot ally was too busy trying to fire at Mecha Sonic, his thrustors working at maximum capacity as he tried to fend off the increasing hordes with several energy balls. "Retreat! Retreat!" Metal Sonic shouted, flying past him.

"NO! I will never give up! I will face them all if-GAH!" He was struck by Sticks' boomerang, followed by a barrage of hits from Split-Sec, sending him careening through the streets.

Landing back on his feet, he gazed upon the impossible odds. Already, half of Robotropolis was getting swarmed with G.U.N robots, as well as confident Resistance members. Sage floated from beneath the ground, looking away from the various robot corpses. "The odds were never in our favor. I just never realized it was this bad."

"You're giving up too?!" Mecha Sonic shouted. "I don't believe this! All of our efforts can't just mean nothing!"

"Please! Flee with me to the bunker! It's the only way you'll be safe!" Sage implored. "They're already closing in on where we're keeping the other Chaos Emeralds! Our father might be found next before he can unveil his creation!"

Despite his pride and determination, Mecha Sonic could already feel his resolve waver. Not to mention, Sonic had rushed in front of him, joined by several of his friends. "I'm feeling nice enough to give you a head-start. You'd better start running, if you know what's good for you."

The demonic visage of the Blue Blur that had haunted the mechanical hedgehog mobian for so many years flickered in front of him, replacing Sonic's form. That horrible laughter followed, everybody else taking on a monstrous glitchy shape. "No! This...this can't be!" Mecha Sonic shouted, generating some energy balls before flinging them at the group.

What he got in return were several Wispon attacks crashing into him, as well as G.U.N robot lasers and even a few bat bombs. A large cloud of smoke was made, with his mechanical form banging against the ground before skidding against it. Cracks appeared around his optic, his claws sinking into the metal beneath him as he tried to get up.

He didn't notice that Metal was looking at his own palm, ready to activate his ace-in-the-hole. "It's time." He grimly said. "Victory or mutually-assured destruction. The arrival of G.U.N's forces only increases the odds of this working. Either way, this ends NOW."

As he said that, Sage was already speaking with Dr. Robotnik, urging him to flee. "But I'm almost ready! I'm going to make them all pay for getting in the way of my plans!" He shouted. "Just give me five minutes!"

"We don't HAVE five minutes! I think G.U.N intends to terminate you! I'm activating all of the city's security measures, but nothing's working!" Tears were forming in her eyes, panic showing on the A.I's face. "Please, father! I don't want to lose you!"

"You won't! Everything's going to be okay!" Despite trying to sound assured, Dr. Robotnik's own panic was becoming dreadfully apparent, causing Orbot and Cubot to shiver. "I repeat! EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY!"

BZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!

The triumphant battle music that had been playing this whole time came to a dead stop, Sage's pupils constricting before letting out a horrific digitized scream. Her form glitched out heavily, her eyes wide with fear as pain like never before gripped every pixel of her being. In fact, this horrible image showed up on every screen within the city, causing everybody but the G.U.N robots to stop fighting.

"What's happening?! Are you alright?! Speak to me!" Dr. Robotnik cried out, eyes widening in horror.

Sonic saw this horrible sight, as well, ceasing what he was doing. "This isn't good! Somebody, help her!" Mecha Sonic also let out a startled gasp, his own optic shrinking. Everybody else would have given their own reactions, but there was also the matter of what came next.

With the next scream, red lightning volts crackled from those screens, every single Egg Pawn struck with them. Their eyes gained a red glow, like their simple programming was going berserk. The Death Egg Robots also started to fire their eye beams wildly, even shooting each-other and causing further chaos.

But that was nothing compared to how the G.U.N robots were being affected. Upon being struck with the volts, the virus spread, causing them to let out digital screeches. Instantly, they started attacking anything in their path, catching the Resistance off-guard. "I knew it was too good to be true!" One shouted before being mowed down by the flying robots.

Commander Towers looked at the sight with dawning horror, the alarm in the airship blaring. "Everyone! Stop deploying the machines!"

"It's too late! It's out of control! All Egg Empire-related tech must be becoming corrupted!" One scientist shouted. Unless the ship was destroyed, there would be nothing stopping the hordes from continuing to pour out. Some of theme were even heading for the Sky Fox.

In the blink of an eye, the tide of battle had almost turned, but it would be both sides that had to contend with the vicious machines. "You just can't trust G.U.N to do anything right, I guess!" Vector remarked, smashing a robot in half with a tail-swipe.

Sticks found herself trying to fend off some G.U.N robots from blasting her into ash, using her boomerang to yank the head off of one. "You screwed up now, G.U.N! I was always onto you and I was totally right to! Why did I have to be right!? I just wish I could be wrong, sometimes!"

"Let's just keep calm and fight on!" Amy said before looking at the screens. "I just hope Sage is okay!"

Back on the Sky Fox, Tails found herself tempted to blast the G.U.N ship out of the sky, knowing it would end the threat, but she couldn't. "Commander Towers! Evacuate your ship! We'll take care of this!"

"I'm trying!" The man shouted, the sound of gunfire indicating the carnage going on inside. "We're trying to shut this down as we speak! The most you can do is find those Chaos Emeralds! End the production of Dr. Robotnik's robots while we handle this!" On the screen, he was shown judo-throwing one robot, only to be blasted in the shoulder, almost crippling him. "Hurry!" He shouted, continuing to fight against the rampant hordes.

Shadow clenched a fist, growling as his teeth started to get sharper, claws nearly tearing through his gloves. "Dammit...I knew you'd screw up at some point! You just couldn't help yourselves!"

'Yes! Give into the rage! The righteous fury! Embrace the darkness! Embrace what you are! '

"You, shut up!" He yelled, accidentally pointing at Silver. "Sorry. I meant-"

"No, I know who you're talking to! I wish there was something I could do about that voice, but-" Again, Silver clutched his head, the pain caused by the chronal disturbance further hindering his power to help the ship.

Knuckles merely prepared for the worst, ignoring his still-healing injuries as the robots started to pound against the glass. He stood protectively over the Angel Island Chao, ready to throw hands with the attackers.

('Dear Father' Cover-Victor McKnight ft. Dream Kittu)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1An7Bado-Y

In several parts of Robotropolis, Sage's avatar was flickering in and out of existence, struggling to maintain herself while seeking a way to shut down the rampaging machines. One avatar crawled on the streets, reaching for Metal Sonic, only for him to fly off. "Wh...why?" She whimpered before her form faded into nothing.

Another avatar was slumped against several destroyed Egg Pawns and G.U.N robots, some Resistance members being assisted by Chaos and Blaze in taking out any surrounding machines. Sonic rushed up to her, leaning down. "You don't look so good! What do you think happened?!"

"I...I don't know. It feels like...every part of me is...being ripped apart. The signal must have caused all retrofitted tech to...go berserk!" She managed to say before clutching his hands. "Please...protect my father! Show him...that there's...hope for him and my...family..." Unable to continue, that avatar collapsed into pixels as well.

The hedgehog mobian gulped down his uncertainty over what was happening, but he then saw that some Resistance members were getting mowed down. "Don't worry, Sage! I'll help you as soon as I can! For now..." He tried not thinking about the possible demise of the innocent A.I, spin-dashing into several G.U.N robots.

Mecha Sonic held up one Avatar, racing towards his creator, even as she faded away. "Broth...er..." That avatar lifted up a hand. "Don't let...hatred...define your life. Learn to enjoy...life to its fullest. Even if...I fade...we'll always be...family."

"Don't speak like that! You'll be fine! Our creator must do something! I know he has to!" The mechanical hedgehog mobian shouted before landing where several berserk robots were trying to swarm. The bunker had almost been torn into, a Death Egg Robot about to fire its laser. "AWAY WITH YOU!" Mecha Sonic threw an energy ball at the robot's eye, causing it to explode and fall backwards.

Entering through a hole, he came across Dr. Robotnik frantically pushing buttons around his Eggmobile, Sage's final avatar crackling with red volts as she struggled to stay online. "I'm so cold. What is this feeling? Is this...death?" The A.I asked.

"You're not dying! You're just experiencing a glitch!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, tears leaking down his glasses. The situation was utterly hopeless, as the virus was just too powerful to delete. There were signs that Sage was trying to escape into any object that wasn't corrupted, but he couldn't make sure if that was successful. "I won't lose you!"

"Father...I'm so sorry...for failing you."

"You've never failed me!" He turned to look at the avatar, his glasses almost falling off from the stress he was experiencing. "You're my daughter! My pride and joy! You're the reason I haven't given up on my dream!"

Tearing into the bunker, Mecha Sonic slammed near the Eggmobile. "FIX HER! SAVE HER! I DEMAND IT!" He shouted, his optic trembling with desperation.

"I'M TRYING! I..." Looking up with terror, he growled before pointing at the robot. "YOU FOOL! You'll let them in!" Suddenly, he felt something push against his vehicle, unhooking it from where the final Egg Guardian was hidden. "Wait a minute, what's going on?"

Looking behind him, he saw Orbot and Cubot pushing up the thing, the former even crossing some wires so that the rockets would activate. "We're trying to save you, master. Those robots will be here any minute." Orbot pointed out.

"I guess this is goodbye." Cubot sniffled. "I didn't think it'd end like this, but at least I get to spend it with you all. I love you guys!"

Sage's avatar gave a tired smile, several showing up to hug each member of the Robotnik family. "I only wish...we could have spent more time with each-other." 

As soon as she finished saying that, the berserk robots started to appear, swarming around the bunker. "NO! YOU WON'T TAKE HER!" Mecha Sonic roared, charging up his power to maximum capacity. "I'LL TEAR YOU ALL APART!"

Dr. Robotnik also prepared to fight to the end, but his two robot lackeys had already caused his Eggmobile to begin to rise. "What are you doing?! Give me a few more minutes! I just need more time!" He looked towards both the fading Sage and the morose faces of Orbot and Cubot. "I might not get the chance to restore you all again! I...I'm...sorry..." The tears fell faster as he realized how this was going to end.

No matter how hard he fought, Mecha Sonic found himself getting swarmed, the machines all aiming their blasters at him while a few tried to weigh him down. All the while, he clung around Sage's other fading avatar. "I won't let you go! I won't lose the only ones that had faith in me! I can't lose you! I NEED YOU!" He started to beg, his optic wavering 

Robots like him couldn't weep...but, if he could, the tears would fall quite easily.

Before Dr. Robotnik rocketed through the sky, Sage had one last thing to say: "Goodbye, father. Thank you for giving me life." With that, she finally crumpled into pixels.

Sailing through the red skies while robots still rampaged, the villainous one felt utterly numb, his hands gripping the controls of the Eggmobile as the weight of the situation hit him. "What...have I done?" He mumbled before looking down upon the battle below. "No, this isn't the end! I just need to get the final Egg Guardian ready! IT'S NOT OVER!" With that declaration, he flew back into the fray, only to be menaced by more machines, the lasers nearly causing his Eggmobile to fly out of control.

As for Mecha Sonic, his optic widened when he saw Orbot and Cubot get blasted into scrap, their last action being to hold hands. Those same robots were now crowding around him, the Sage avatar in his claws fading into nothing. Despite the injuries he was sustaining, he found the power to blast through the hordes, rising to the air before rocketing at where Sonic was. "YOU! YOU DID THIS!"

Narrowly avoiding getting punched into the ground, Sonic followed that up by spin-dashing into the machine's sparking body. "What?! I don't know what's happening, but it wasn't our fault!"

"LIAR! It wasn't enough nearly destroying me! It wasn't enough leaving me to rot in that basement for literal decades! You had to take away my family, too! WHAT MORE CAN YOU TAKE?! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! " He roared, rings appearing around his optic as the energy aura around him got bigger.

Suddenly, the Resistance started to pour in. "Don't worry, Sonic! We've got this guy!" A ferret mobian promised, using his Rocket Wispon to rain destruction upon the furious machine.

The Blue Blur watched as the machine was blasted from all directions, his injuries causing him to become a sitting duck. Asteroids and lasers also crashed into him, the various bodies starting to weigh him down as they tried to finish him off. "N...no..." He managed to mutter, raising a claw before that pile was soon replaced by robot parts, further burying him.

Closing his eyes, Sonic turned away, joining the rest of his allies in fending off the berserk hordes. "I'm sorry it had to end this way, big guy." He sadly said before seeing that everybody was still holding their own. "How's everybody doing?"

Lanolin was pushing back some hordes with Maggie, while Tangle was still smashing robot heads with her tail. "Still looking for a way to stop this! My tail's getting tuckered!" The lemur mobian admitted.

"So are my muscles!" Vector panted, struggling to run away from some lasers as tiredness set in.

"I am almost out of ammo, but not out of options!" Omega assured, shredding through a G.U.N robot with his claws.

"My flames are eternal! We WILL win this!" Blaze declared, shooting plumes of fire into the sky to take out the machines.

Tangle and Chaos watched that with sparkles in their eyes. "She's so cool." The lemur mobian said.

"Wouldn't it be more befitting to call her 'hot'?" The watery one said before splashing into a pile of injured robots, short-circuiting them.

Drapio collapsed near Sleet, utterly tired, but she was helped up by Mack and Big. "Up you go!" The big lug said.

"How much longer...are we gonna keep this up? Can't we have a bloody time-out?" She moaned.

Sleet crushed her boot against a G.U.N robot's head. "Not until the mission's done! They can't keep this up forever!"

Still atop one of the buildings, Whisper continued to take out enemy machines from afar, though she was almost jumped by one G.U.N robot. Thankfully, Rouge came in with a bat bomb, reducing it to scrap. "Hope you've got plenty of juice in that wispon! It's gonna be one of THOSE days!" She declared.

"...yes. Yes, it is." The wolf mobian sighed, the screams of Sage still haunting her. Everybody else was still kind of reeling, but the fact that the battle just wouldn't end kept them from thinking on that too hard.

A few, like Amy, turned that sadness into a greater drive to succeed, as she kept slamming her hammer through enemy hordes until it nearly splintered. "Stupid Eggman! You put your daughter through this and, now, she might be GONE! HOW COULD YOU?!"

"Calm down! I think we're almost done clearing out this entire city!" Espio motioned to all around him. "Searching for the Chaos Emeralds now might be easier."

While Sonic raced through the place, eager to end this madness quickly, Metal Sonic caught up with him. "You can only fight for so long. You and your allies will tire. The machines will not. Your defeat, at long last, is inevitable!"

"Don't count on it! Shouldn't you be helping Eggman?! I can't imagine how he's feeling about this." Despite his hatred for his enemy, Sonic knew that Dr. Robotnik loved Sage with all of his heart. In fact, he swore he saw the villainous one fly by a few times, a cold and furious sorrowful expression on his face.

"Feelings are irrelevant. All that matters is finally ending this once-endless cycle of defeat I've had to go through for so many years!" After spending much of his time speaking with a cold tone, the metallic hedgehog mobian almost sounded manic, his fiery orange eyes burning bright as he engaged in the maximum overdrive attack, tearing through the ground in an effort to catch up with his foe. The various lasers from the many robots also added to the chaos.

In this chaos, only one thing was for certain: this wouldn't be over until it was over.

Back with Mecha-Sonic...

On days like this, Mecha Sonic cursed his capacity to feel emotion. He had no idea how his creator managed to implement such a complex human concept into a machine, but the man managed to do it not once, but many other times! Heck, he slightly remembered three other robots that displayed similar features.

What were their names? There was a chicken, a drilling machine, and a monkey...

But he wasn't thinking about that aspect of his past. Instead, the robot was subjected to feeling what he felt for so many years ago in the darkness of his creator's basement. This time around, he felt like he was trapped in a dumpster, robot bodies and even some bodies of the Resistance members weighing him down. His power reserves were failing and some of his parts were creaking under the strain.

The physical discomfort was the easy part for Mecha Sonic. It was the torment within his CPU that made this whole experience akin to the tortures of Hell. All he could repeat on loop were the screams of Sage, the destruction of his brothers, and...the voices. The voices were coming back and, this time, they had claws.

Distorted versions of Sonic, Knuckles, Dr. Robotnik, and everybody else were lunging at him, their smiles grinning wide as they started to grasp at his various parts, like bits of his mind were getting ripped apart, pixel by pixel. "Leave me alone! All of you!" He yelled, his optic wavering as the reality of the situation dawned on him.

Nobody was going to help him. His creator had probably abandoned him. The remaining parts of his family that cared about him had been destroyed before his one optic. His enemies were leaving him behind with barely any acknowledgement. He was just a footnote in everybody's adventure. For all of his newfound power, he was still no better than an obstacle in everybody's way that they could just beat up and forget about.

They all thought he was trash. Heck, he was even getting buried like it. The voices even started to repeat that same phrase, as well as things like 'garbage' and 'useless'.

Something was different this time, though. While he had felt despair and fury over this madness before, there was always a way out whenever that happened. Nobody was bringing him out of this fragile mental state, this time. Instead, he had to endure this for what felt like hours, the pressure of the pile around him growing and pushing him against the metal floor.

Mecha Sonic's only recourse was looking deeper within himself. The power that had kept him active for all of those years had been steadily building up inside of him. All that was needed was for him to let it all out, absolutely nothing holding him back. It was a scary prospect, but what other choice did he have?

Those damn voices just wouldn't let up, though. Now, they were swarming around him, creating a pile of their own within the mindscape of his CPU. He tried to swim through them, but that just made them tug against him harder, dragging him into their gleeful tormenting session.

(Dark Reality-Citokid)

https://youtu.be/_8DPi9Lwl7o?si=ees3fzvHcFQFISjP&t=76

(1:16-1:28)

"STOP...STOP IT..." He growled, the green glow of the Master Emerald's energy within him starting to change its color to a familiar shade of gold. Like a heartbeat, it started to glow brighter and brighter, though the voices only got louder and their clawing at him became more violent. Even so, he started to let this power build up within him.

All of his life, ever since he had absorbed the energy of the Master Emerald, he had been a ticking time bomb. The fuse had been burning for a long time...and now, as Mecha Sonic's body started to crackle with golden volts, that fuse was almost finished.

(1:28-1:40)

Pretty soon, all of Robotropolis started to rumble, cracks appearing in some of the regenerating buildings. "What's happening?!" Lanolin cried out, all robots turning to that one big pile.

"I dunno, but I think we're gonna find out!" Sonic said, bracing himself as those around that pile felt the earthquake the hardest. Metal Sonic was also near it, his stoic expression almost faltering at the sheer amount of power building up within.

Back on the Sky Fox, Knuckles' pupils shrank, noticing a faint golden glow start to emanate from that pile. "It can't be! SONIC! TAILS! GET EVERYBODY AWAY FROM THE CITY!"

(1:40-1:52)

Back inside that pile, the robot bodies were starting to melt, a white-hot shape curled up within. For Mecha Sonic, it felt like every single component that made up his body was on fire, but nothing compared to the tremendous feelings of rage that he couldn't keep within himself any longer.

He imagined the source of the voices in his head lunging at him, only for cracks to appear across their bodies. "No more..." He muttered, his optic glowing more than it ever had before. 

And then, he just...snapped.

(1:52-2:04)

In an instant, a humongous pillar of white/gold light erupted from the pile, reducing all that made up it to nothing. Some poor Resistance fighters were even blinded by the sight. Mecha Sonic was in the center, letting out a powerful yell as he held his limbs out, claws clenched and his head held high while golden volts crackled around his body. The very ground around him was melting into burnt slag.

All the others were blown back by this burst of power, some having to peer forward to see what they were looking at. Others felt their skin start to sizzle, like a piece of the sun had appeared before them. For Sonic, something about this was feeling familiar, but MUCH more destructive.

(2:04-2:16)

Letting out another yell, Mecha Sonic's power increased so much that beams of light shot out from the pillar, incinerating anything that got in its way. Not only were many robots taken out, but just being near those lights reduced a few Resistance fighters into ash. The robot's body convulsed as the power continued to flow into him, but he just narrowed his optic and let the light suddenly shoot back into him, causing his body to fly into the sky.

(2:16-End)

The ball of light shot around the sky for a few moments before it quickly rocketed back to the ground, creating an explosion that took out a section of Robotropolis, the music ending. This time around, the metal didn't regrow, as it was still glowing white-hot from the heat. Dust covered what had landed, preventing anybody from getting a good look.

A fleeting moment of calm came, everybody focused on what had landed. Even the virus-infected robots were aiming at whatever had come, but something was causing them to tremble. Within their simplistic corrupted programming, the emotion known as 'fear' was manifesting.

Sonic would have also stood in awe, but he was snapped out of his thoughts by the panic of the Resistance. "They're dead! My whole squad is dead!" One shouted.

"What is that thing?!" Another cried out.

"Everyone! Calm yourselves! Prepare for battle!" Blaze tried not to let the uncertainty show in her voice. 'That heat...it was almost comparable to my own when empowered by the Sol Emeralds! What did that machine become?! '

"Hey! Tails! Mind blasting whatever this is with your laser?!" Vector called through his communicator, while Charmy Bee was breathing into a paper bag and Espio was struggling not to let his own concentration waver.

Back in the Sky Fox, Tails was frantically trying to prepare the laser, but it was still charging up. "Whatever that is, try to hold it back for at least...two minutes? At least?"

Letting out a grunt of pain, Knuckles stumbled towards the doors, only to be stopped by Silver. "Let me go! You don't understand! If that's what I think it is, so many are going to die!" He protested.

"We can't do anything! We need to just...hope for the best." He sighed, defeated. 

Shadow was clenching his jaw hard, his composure failing him and causing his body to start pulsating further. Anymore stress and the chances of irreversible mutations would occur. He swore he could hear that taunting voice not only chuckling, but giving a few hums of curiosity. The only thing missing was it munching popcorn.

Whisper flew down with the Green Hover ability to check up on the wounded, doing her best not to look away as she saw the carnage that had transpired. Aside from some of her allies being nothing but ashes, an unlucky few were horrifically burned. "No. You're not going to lose your squad again." She said to herself, her wisps almost coming out in concern for her.

"Guys, I'm starting to get 'final boss' vibes from this!" Drapio trembled.

"Yeah, but...we're not giving up! Right?" Tangle tried to sound optimistic, but the terror in her voice was evident.

"Maybe we should retreat? I vote we retreat until our allies get here!" Sleet suggested.

Split-Sec shook his head, while Mack mimed wiping his forehead with a rag as sweat dripped down from it. "I don't think we'll be fast enough to make a tactical retreat." Lanolin noted, her eyes shaking from witnessing the devastation.

Omega trained his arm-cannons at the cloud of dust, while Sticks sniffed the air, only to jump back. "Bad. Bad. All bad." She mumbled. Big was holding Froggy close, trying to keep him safe from whatever was to come.

Rouge turned to Chaos, the watery being's body starting to steam from being so close to the heat. "Does this have something to do with the emeralds? I'm calling it now." She asked, hoping to get some info on whatever was going on.

"Yes. It has everything to do with the Master Emerald." He stated. "The negative power of the Chaos Emeralds is great, but the negative power of the Master Emerald is even greater. It's almost as if it has manifested before our very eyes."

"Then what are we standing around for?! We need to stop it!" Amy shouted.

"I was thinking the same thing!" Sonic said, leaning in as he prepared to spin-dash this new threat into oblivion.

Back on the G.U.N Airship, the chaos within had come to a screeching halt, all berserk robots converging on whatever was hidden in the large dust-cloud. "Ahem!" Commander Towers got the attention of one stunned scientist. "What does the computer say about that machine's power level?" 

When the scientist looked at the results, his jaw nearly hit the floor before he stood up, his mouse still in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he gave his final results, which were also about to be broadcast to the Sky Fox. "IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAND! " When he said that, he crushed his mouse.

"WHAT?! NINE THOUSAND?!" Tails cried out when he heard that. "There's no way that can be right!"

('Boss Battle: Big Arm' Intense Symphonic Metal Cover-FalKKonE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_zmCbyEs5k

(0:00-0:21)

They didn't have long to think on the implications of those numbers, because the dust was soon slowly blown away by a bright aura. That aura was surrounding Mecha Sonic himself, his body enveloped in a golden glow. The very air around him seemed to sizzle, volts crackling off his body. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to everybody, the power flowing through him.

"So...let me guess. Super Mecha Sonic?" The Blue Blur suggested, despite being pushed back by the power before him.

"I think the name is the least of our worries!" Amy said, everybody else preparing for the worst.

Landing on the ground, the music came to a dead stop at the robot's head lowered...before the utterly hate-filled optic faced everybody, that aura returning in full force when he let out a single declaration. One that heralded total devastation...

"I'LL CRUSH YOU!"

(0:21-0:41)

Before anybody could react, Mecha Sonic's thrustors activated with enough force to push him into the crowd, ramming into it like a meteorite. His claw found itself wedging into Omega's face, dragging his body through the ground before throwing the scattered pieces away. Every movement he made left a trail of golden fire, burning away through the Resistance fighters.

"EVERYBODY! OPEN FIRE!" Tails commanded through the communicators, causing all lasers and Wispon ammo to be unleashed against the speeding and teleporting villain. Everywhere he went, he punched and kicked people into the air, before punching them back down like fireballs and, in the case of the robots caught in his path, flaming cannonballs of slag.

Sonic sped around the attacks, while everybody else just tried to get a good shot. Blaze even tried to lead several other Resistance fighters against him, but they were blown away by an arcing eye laser from the machine. Big's fishing pole was also caught by the villain's claw, to which he pulled him in and punched him hard enough to send teeth flying.

Turning into his spinning form, he shredded through several buildings, leaving burning holes in his wake and more trails of fire that turned the whole place into a hazard. "I can't see anything!" Rouge shouted, trying to fly above. 

(0:41-0:52)

Emerging out of the flames, Mecha Sonic pinballed several robots around him into his foes, before teleporting behind Vector. "What the-GAAAAH!" He cried out in agony as his back-scales were stabbed in, a blast of energy sending him flying into several allies. Behind him, Chaos tried to attack, only for another energy ball to be fired at him, nearly evaporating the watery being.

Sonic finally caught up with his foe, spin-dashing into the machine, only for his leg to be caught. The robot gave a low chuckle before looking him dead in the eye. "Let's go for a run, worthless scum!"

(0:52-1:04)

Instantly smashing his foe against the ground, Mecha Sonic made sure to head to spots where the Resistance was trying to flee. His body smashed into his enemies, burning and/or breaking them. "Noooooo! STOP!" Sonic cried out, trying to break free before he was lifted into the air and roundhouse kicked into a nearby building.

"DIE!" Super Mecha Sonic shouted, unleashing his blaster arm to rain down fiery bullets. The Blue Blur managed to kick himself free, scrambling to escape. Amy's hammer was suddenly thrown at him from the smoke, but he caught it with one hand...and crushed the top into pieces, leaving everybody watching shocked, though they still tried to fire at him when he rose up into the sky.

(1:04-1:24)

"GRAAAAAAAARGH!" Super Mecha Sonic roared, spreading out his body as red energy orbs shot out from him. This storm generated many large explosions, destroying both robot and Resistance member alike.

Sticks was holding onto Omega's head when she was sent flying, while everybody else tried to hide for cover. "This isn't what I signed on for!" Sleet cried out, while Whisper did her best to keep her cool, despite how many of her comrades were perishing.

Charmy found his wings catching on fire, which Espio tried to put out while ALSO giving medical attention to Vector. Sonic, despite his injuries, tried to rush at his enemy, but he was suddenly interrupted by hordes of both Egg Pawns and G.U.N Robots. They all saw this anomaly as a common enemy, causing entire armies of them to head for the golden machine.

The robot noticed, firing several missiles into the air that further rained destruction upon the land. "HE'S NUTS! NUUUUTS!" Tangle cried out, shielding her friends from one blast with her tail, causing it to be singed slightly.

(1:24-1:35)

All the enemy robots started to try and swarm the machine, the lasers of the Egg Pawns bouncing off of him. The G.U.N robots and even a good number of the Resistance fighters were using grapple-hooks to try and restraint the being. Every hook hit the mark, though a few melted, striking Super Mecha Sonic around every one of his joints. "HIT HIM WITH EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!" One Resistance member shouted, the Wispon attacks crashing into him all at once...

...only for that red optic to glow through the dust.

(1:35-1:45)

Blowing away the dust with an energy pulse, Super Mecha Sonic got into his spinning form, his shredding spines causing the wind to start turning violently already. He lowered to the ground as his speed increased, dragging every hook on him with the spinning motions. Both robots and Resistance members were suddenly flying through the air, violently twisted around as the the wind around the empowered machine got stronger.

"Hold onto your hats, mates!" Drapio exclaimed, her legs punching into the ground as she hugged her team close. 

(1:45-2:00)

Before everybody's eyes, the spinning had generated a humongous tornado that almost reached the heavens. Golden lightning crackled around the thing, everything inside of it getting torn apart. Almost all of the machines were taken in and the Resistance fighters couldn't escape the towering disaster as it traveled through the island. "RETREAT!" Sonic shouted, everybody trying to flee like he was.

It wasn't often that the hedgehog mobian fled from something, but this was one of those times. Even then, he couldn't save everybody, as many were sucked into the raging vortex. However, the many robot parts in the eye of the storm would also be utilized, especially as Super Mecha Sonic let out another determined yell.

(2:00-2:10)

Those parts would rocket out of the tornado, struck by the spinning robotic hedgehog mobian within. These projectiles worked as fiery meteors, crashing into many unfortunate ones trying to get away. Even Rouge was smashed with one, one of her wings breaking as she plummeted from the sky with a silent gasp of pain. Many more were simply blown into nearby buildings when the debris hit the ground.

Sonic tried to run as fast as he could, but the tornado soon dispersed when Super Mecha Sonic spun out it, rocketing to his location and, once landing, generating an explosive burst that sent the heroes flying into their backs.

(2:10-2:34)

Struggling to get up, the Blue Blur coughed heavily as he looked around himself, only to see many dead or unconscious bodies. As far as he knew, the allies he personally knew of were out cold. He wanted to tell them to get out of there, but his trembling eyes locked onto the machine emerging from the flames.

That single angry red optic never left the hero, Super Mecha Sonic walking through the burnt robot parts and the corpses of his foes. He said nothing as he advanced, his aura still glowing brightly while he observed the destruction.

"NO! YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER!" Blaze suddenly appeared in front of the walking adversary, spreading her hands out as she unleashed as much of her power as she could. The wave of fire enveloped the machine, but he wouldn't stop walking through the flames. 

When the flames went out, the solian princess panted heavily, only to see the robot loom over both her and Sonic. Transforming his arm into its blaster mode, Super Mecha Sonic prepared to dispose of them both...until a hail of powerful gunfire rained down on him.

(2:34-2:46)

Both the Sky Fox and the G.U.N airship were firing all they could at the robot, even pushing him back thanks to it all. "Get Sonic out of there! I'll have a clear shot with the mega-laser, that way!" Tails instructed, causing Blaze to nod and fly off with the hedgehog mobian.

Super Mecha Sonic said nothing, crossing his arms before seeing that massive laser charge up. Showing no fear, he allowed it to reach maximum power before it crashed down upon his body. It nearly burned a hole through Robotropolis, but it seemed to be completely annihilating him.

(2:47-3:06)

The silhouette of Super Mecha Sonic flew through the laser beam, his fist extended forward as he rammed into the source of the laser. A massive explosion followed, causing the Sky Fox to tilt in the air before he was grabbed from below by the robot. "NO! TAILS!" Sonic cried out, watching as the ship was pushed into the G.U.N airship.

Commander Towers was thrown against the ship's main computers, the wing of the Sky Fox piercing into his ship. Soon, the two combined airships were thrown into the island, dragging against the metal cover over the sea. This process was tearing each ship apart, causing many G.U.N personnel to perish. Tail's head also smashed into the steering wheel, giving her a head wound while the others aboard her ship struggled to ride out the crash.

All Sonic and anybody else that was still conscious could do was stare in mute horror at what was happening, fearing the worst.

(3:07-3:27)

Smashing through the center of the Sky Fox, Super Mecha Sonic made himself known, only he was holding Silver and Shadow by the necks. Despite their struggling, he tossed them into the air, generating an energy ball in his hand to smash into them and send them into another building. "THE END HAS COME!" He shouted before grabbing Knuckles by the neck.

Activating his thrustors at maximum power, he caught up with Sonic, kicking away Blaze before grabbing his face. His claws singing against his fur, he purposefully crashed through several buildings before rising into the air, pushing his arms down so that his foes would see their incoming fates coming.

(3:28-End)

Descending down, the machine twirled, causing him to look like a golden/blue/red spire. Breaking through the clouds, the spire's tip hit the ground, causing the largest explosion seen so far during this fight. It enveloped the whole island in a blinding multicolored light, as well as eradicated anybody that was unlucky enough to be in the blast zone. Either way, the battle seemed to be over, a large cloud of dust and debris forming from this impact.

Watching from the sidelines this entire time, Dr. Robotnik's mouth was hanging open. "I...I don't believe it!" He exclaimed. "I haven't seen this much power since Sonic gained that one form on the Starfall Islands! Even that was situational!" He would have thought about this further, but a button on his Eggmobile started to beep.

Clenching his hands around the controls, the villainous one knew what he had to do. At long last, the final Egg Guardian was ready to activate.

Metal Sonic had also wisely stayed out of the battle that had transpired, but his reaction was, while a little astonished, more enraged and frightened by what he saw. His optics wavered, claws twitching as he realized just how outclassed he was by his predecessor. "But...how...why?!"

He had intended for his prototype to have a strong reaction to Sage's seeming demise, but he never expected power of THIS level! Not to mention, the mere thought of losing his chance for revenge against Sonic nearly made him want to enter the fray and fight the empowered prototype himself. For now, he continued to watch, trying to make sense of this.

When the dust settled after an agonizingly long while, Sonic was barely conscious, one of his eyes slightly bleeding. "Uuuugh...what just happened?" He weakly said before finding his throat tightened, a singing sensation around it that nearly burned his fur off.

Super Mecha Sonic was staring at him intently, an unconscious Knuckles in his other fist. "Tell me something, weakling. How does it feel?"

"How does...what feel?" Sonic sputtered before being gently let go of...and then promptly kicked in the gut, a power surge from that kick sending him high into the sky before falling down, causing him to wheeze some more.

Tossing away Knuckles like a ragdoll, the robot advanced slowly towards his struggling enemy. "How does it feel to know failure? To lose everything in an instant?! I endured that pain for far too long, but now...all will tremble before me!"

"In case you haven't realized..." Sonic started to get up, feeling around one of his arms before snapping it into place. It hurt like Hell, but he endured. "...I'm not done yet!" He spin-dashed into the machine, blue orbs flying into his body, but just got back-handed for his troubles.

Falling back on his feet, Super Mecha Sonic teleported right in front of him, slamming his two fists against his head and causing him to bounce against the dirtied metallic floor. That left him open for a single energy ball to be pushed up against his chest, singing more fur as he was sent flying as a smoking projectile. "I'd give up now, if I were you." The robot remarked.

A rock was then thrown at his head, catching his attention. Tails was there, battered, but alive. "If you want him, you'll have to get through me, first!" She suddenly whipped out a spare laser wispon, firing it at the robot.

That beam only refracted against Super Mecha Sonic's fist, causing it to fire in multiple directions. "Tails! Get out of here! It's me he wants! Not all of you!" Sonic cried out, coughing up some dust and blood.

"He's right, you know." The robot nodded, ignoring the attack before suddenly teleporting behind the shocked fox mobian. "But I won't let anybody stand in my way! ESPECIALLY NOT A RUNT LIKE YOU!" With a sweeping motion of his claw, two long fluffy objects sailed into the air, Tails' pupils shrinking as she felt a horrible pain in her tails.

Her LACK of tails, now. She could barely move before she was backhanded into the rubble near her. Sonic stared at what had happened, his pupils trembling. "You...you...MONSTER!" He rushed at his enemy, blinded by rage, but Super Mecha Sonic just teleported above him. He then punched Sonic's head into the ground before grabbing him by the leg and throwing him into a pile of destroyed Egg Pawns.

When the hero looked back at him with a furious expression, the robot gave a quizzical tilt of his head in response to the insult thrown at him. "Me? A monster? No...I AM A GOD!" With that declaration, he let out an evil laugh, his aura increasing enough to sizzle the air once more before it settled down.

Again, Sonic tried to close the distance, even spinning around the robot to create a vortex. With just a push of his hands, the empowered machine knocked Sonic off-course, before he was beset by a flurry of punches in the air. "You can't escape!" Super Mecha Sonic declared before firing some missiles at the ground, then punching Sonic in the chest. The hero rocketed towards where the missiles were heading, the resulting explosion sending him into a pile of rubble, adding to his injuries.

Once done with that, the robot looked around, only to see the remaining Resistance members getting up, looking at him with either shock, hate, fear, or a combination of those reactions. "Does anybody else what to get in my way? Leave Sonic to me and I might spare your pathetic lives!" He shouted.

Amy looked at her broken hammer, terrified tears running down her face before she shook her head. "You won't touch a quill on Sonic's head! I won't let you!"

That only made Super Mecha Sonic laugh some more. "You've got spunk, but I'm not interested in the cries of fleas." He went back to advancing towards Sonic, leaving Amy to wonder what kind of plan to take to stop him.

Blaze rubbed her head, several wounds staining her fur with blood. She saw that Chaos was struggling to keep himself composed, causing her to rush to him. "Are you alright?!"

"Water...I need...water!" Chaos wheezed before some seawater fell onto him, causing his body to slowly reform. Looking to his side, he saw that Big had done the deed. "Oh, bless you, Big."

The feline mobian, now sporting a black eye, gave a thumbs-up. "Ribbit." Froggy remarked, causing Chaos to shudder at the amphibian.

Sticks was still holding onto Omega's head, his optics struggling to stay online. She was visibly horrified by what happened to Tails, her sharp teeth showing as she tried to free herself from some rubble trapping her leg. "When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna turn you into pudding! Robots don't usually turn into pudding, so imagine what a long and painful process that'll be!"

Rouge still struggled to move, panic growing within her as she realized something. "My wing! I can't feel my wing! Somebody help!" She begged before Drapio helped her up.

The scorpion pokemon gave a concerned look, but she did her best to keep a brave face. "You're gonna be okay. We just need to think of a plan! Right, Sleet?"

"Where are the reinforcements?! Somebody answer me!" Lanolin shouted to her communicator, the anthro Mightyena next to her trying not to lose it from her fading confidence. 

Tangle was lifting rubble around her, only to find more dead bodies than unconscious one. "I'm in my happy place...I'm in my happy place!" Tears leaked down her face, only for Whisper to hug her close.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, her mask having broken in half from nearly getting struck in the face by debris. All the duo could do was hold each-other tight, Split-Sec and Mack following their example.

Vector groaned, still reeling from his injuries. Charmy stayed with him, shaking like a leaf when Espio noticed something to his left. "Shadow! SILVER!" He cried out, teleporting to them and leaving behind a battered log where he once stood.

When he got there, both hedgehog mobians were in pretty bad shape. The psychic one was groaning in pain, most of his body hurting from the impact he had felt. He even started to fade out from reality a bit faster, but he regained control over himself when Espio held out a hand. "It's alright. I can still stand." Silver assured.

"Find a place to hide! We'll try to stop this machine!" The chameleon mobian assured. 

"I don't have a choice anymore! Look!" Silver pointed to where Super Mecha Sonic was blocking every single blow from Sonic, catching his fist at one point and slapping him across the crater. "He's going to kill him! I won't let this world lose its hope because of what I'm going through!"

"And I'm not losing you to this catastrophe!" Espio argued. "Vector was almost killed! I'm not risking the possibility of losing you both!"

All of this woke Shadow up, his body visibly pulsating. "Rrrrgh! Stay back! Stay back!" He quickly got up, shambling around as he got the attention of the arguing couple.

"Father! Something's happening to you!" Silver pointed out.

"It's...rrrrrgh...nothing! I just need to...need to..." His tone faded as his shaking pupils took in all around him. The destruction around him was one thing, but then he saw the dead bodies. Some of them looked like they were burned while during mid-scream.

The hedgehog mobian tried turning away from that gruesome sight, but everything else around him was just misery and death. Resistance members were openly mourning the fallen, Commander Towers had seemingly been killed, Tails had been mutilated, and then his eyes fell upon Rouge. 

Despite being helped by Drapio, the bat mobian felt like the bones in her wing had been reduced to powder. Worse yet, she slowly saw that there were tears in her usually durable wing-membrane. While her functioning wing was busted up slightly, THIS wing was completely ruined. "Sh...Shadow?" She looked to him with tearful but slightly relieved eyes.

All of Shadow's attention then went to the hedgehog mobian getting smashed into the wall, every punch burning away some fur while also causing blood to be spilled onto the metal floor. One of Sonic's teeth fell out, his face utterly bruised. "Do you see me now, father?!" Super Mecha Sonic shouted. "I have finally won where you have failed! WHERE ARE YOU NOW?!"

It was too much. Everything about this nightmare scenario was causing the Ultimate Lifeform's mind to race into overdrive. Falling to his knees, he clutched his head, but he found himself only able to remember that fateful day on the Ark. The day he lost Maria. Every other bad memory he had ever had raced through him, his mental defenses having finally been breached.

"No...nonononononono..." Shadow kept repeating, his pupils starting to thin to look more reptilian.

'If you want to stop hurting...if you want to save your friends...give in. Become what you were always meant to be: the Ultimate Lifeform.'

Shadow's own thoughts were growing faint, struggling to stay active, but the constant repeating of all those memories, as well as the pain happening right now, completely smothered them. 'Everybody...forgive me! ' He almost shouted his last sane thought, but it was too late.

Letting out a pained yell, the pupils within Shadow's eyes suddenly shattered, his expression going blank before he slumped onto the ground, seemingly dead. "Shadow! Somebody help him up!" Rouge tried to pull herself off the ground, but she had to fight through the pain of her broken wing weighing her down.

"Man down! I repeat, we have another man down!" Lanolin shouted, everybody else starting to rally around her. However, a single glare from Super Mecha Sonic caused them to freeze.

Amy was the only one taking a step forward. "I won't let you hurt anymore of my friends! I don't care how strong you are!" She may have felt the same amount of great fear, but her determination was infectious, causing everybody else to prepare to fight to the death.

Crossing his arms, Super Mecha Sonic shook his head at the fallen Shadow. "I expected more from the so-called 'Ultimate Lifeform', but, then again, none of you can ever hope to reach the peak of my power! I commend you all for at least trying, though. At least, you won't die like cowards."

Sonic looked up from where he was laying, gasping at Shadow's inert form. "None of them deserved this! Why do they have to pay for your unhappiness?!" He shouted.

"It's only you I want. His death was mere coincidence and...wait." The robot suddenly teleported a few steps back, as if he had felt a presence pushing against him. "Something isn't right. What is this...incredible power I feel building up?"

Indeed, everybody else felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere, everything getting cold as darkness for a few seconds, then back to normal, and then back again. There was also a thumping sound as that happened, as if the intervals were all part of some kind of heartbeat they could all hear. "If this is like what happened last time, we all might want to stand back." Sleet motioned for her group to start walking backwards.

"Seconded." Omega's head beeped out.

"The head has spoken!" Sticks proclaimed. 

Shadow's body began to convulse violently, the spasms across his skin growing in width. His mouth hung open, letting out slight gasping motions as the rest of his body inflated. It was quickly becoming as large as a tank, the limbs becoming as bulbous as the torso. The head stretched out, like his skin was becoming rubber.

Like the others, Silver stared in mute horror, but he could sense that something else was at work. The voice was slowly leaving, laughing all the way. "Father! What's happening to you?!"

Out of some rubble, Commander Towers coughed, turning his head away from the grotesque sight before him. "Shadow's mutations are finally completing. Pretty soon...we're going to see what the true Ultimate Lifeform looks like."

"With how much he's inflating, are the Egg Pawns gonna dress as Oompa-Loompas?" Tangle asked, lifting a mumbling Tails out of the rubble while being assisted by Amy. 

Blaze's hands lit with flames, steeling herself. "Whatever happens next, I hope Shadow retains his mind enough to know that we are still his friends."

"One can hope." Chaos said, slowly regaining his strength as Big kept giving him seawater. 

Before any further commentary could be had, the entirety of Shadow's body had ballooned to the size of two-story home, his face continuing to stretch out horrifically before the whole body melted into black sludge. For a while, the sludge bubbled and shook, indicating that something was growing within. Super Mecha Sonic just clenched a fist, charging up his power as he prepared to face this new challenge.

(To Live in Darkness-Brandon Yates)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl54Rn6Ceys

Smashing through the hardened sludge was a meaty clawed hand, a long black-scaled tail smashing out of the back. A pair of red eyes glowed from within, while the sludge started to glow white hot. "Shadow?!" Sonic cried out, only for the sludge to evaporate, a large explosion of dark energy blowing the heroes back. Even Super Mecha Sonic had to plant his feet into the ground.

Surging into the air like a rocket, Shadow's new form let out a guttural savage roar before he landed on top of a destroyed Death Egg Robot. Revealed before the group was what could best be described as a freakish hybrid of Shadow, a Black Arms creature, and the Biolizard. All aspects of the Ultimate Lifeform's creation were now as one, his eyes reflecting pure savagery. Drool was even falling from the jaws.

His black/red striped scaled body was hunched and almost like an anthropomorphic bipedal hunched version of the Biolizard, though he still retained his musculature. His feet looked like his hover shoes had fused with his three toes, the claws digging into the round as the rocket parts still worked. Along his ridged back, his quills had turned into large spines and a large pair of wings like a Black Hawk fanned out. On his chest, white crystals replaced where his chest-fur used to be. The tail also ended in jagged irregular spikes.

As for his head, the long neck ended in a newt-like face, but with sharp teeth, glowing red eyes, and spikes made to resemble his old quill-style. Looking at himself, that head reared back, letting out a bellow roar as the wings spread out. A long green tongue whipped around from that maw, the tail slashing across the rubble.

"I was expecting a werehog! NOT THAT!" Amy cried out.

"You're telling me!" Sonic exclaimed. "You in there, Shadow?" He was nearly whacked away by that tail for his troubles, the monster roaring at everything around him.

"Is that thing really Shadow?!" Vector shouted.

"The Shadow we know may be truly gone, for all we know." Commander Towers said solemnly. "This is...Ultimate Shadow."

"That's not true! He's not gone for good!" Rouge shouted before looking towards the tall monstrosity. "It's me! Don't you recognize-"

"ENOUGH! I'll finish you off before I let you get in my way!" Super Mecha Sonic rushed at the beast, extending a fist outward. However, the beast suddenly initiated Chaos Control on a whim, teleporting behind the robot and firing a beam of pure green energy from his maw.

Pushing the robot back through the rubble, Ultimate Shadow caught up with the surprised machine by using the thrustors on his feet to speed up, his wings adding extra speed before he began to claw into the machine like a rabid animal. Super Mecha Sonic slammed his fist against that head, freeing himself, and allowing him to charge up several energy balls.

They all flew towards Ultimate Shadow, but he clawed against the very air, tearing a hole through the fabric of time/space. When the balls entered it, they fired back, along with a storm of Chaos Spears. Super Mecha Sonic tried to block them, but they exploded against his body, sending green shockwaves through the sky as they blanketed the air with explosions. "Miserable monster!" He shouted angrily.

Slamming into his foe from the smoke, Ultimate Shadow roared in the robot's face before headbutting him into the ground. Getting back up with a mighty yell, Super Mecha Sonic engaged his enemy back in the air. His spinning form slammed into Ultimate Shadow's chest, sending him further into the clouds, but he just unleashed an enhanced Chaos Blast. The mostly green power surge obliterated all around it, while hurtling the robot through the sky, only for his foe to teleport above him and fire another Chaos Burst from his mouth.

Upon crashing down to the ground, Super Mecha Sonic tried to counter by pushing the beam back up, despite the strain it was putting on him. "TASTE MY POWER!" He shouted, extending one hand to fire arrow-like blasts into the sky. They rained down on Ultimate Shadow, causing him to crash-land into the ground.

Not letting that stop him, the monstrosity summoned Chaos Spears all around his body, using them like a shield and projectiles. He ran on all fours across the ground, his speed increased by the fused hover shoes. Super Mecha Sonic kept teleporting around him, always firing from his blaster arm. All of the shots missed and those that managed to hit only made a slight dent in Ultimate Shadow's hide.

Hating having to run, Ultimate Shadow teleported back into the sky, flapping his wings and spreading another hail of Chaos Spears. Not only that, but he generated balls of electrical red lightning from his maw, the orbs crashing into Super Mecha Sonic and keeping him immobilized. With every wave of his wings, he sent more Chaos Spears into his body, causing them to explode upon contact.

Charging up once more, the robot's fury was increasing, his eye glowing red as he fired a laser from it. It nearly struck Ultimate Shadow, but he just flew through the air, sending more Chaos spears into any robots that remained down below. The spinning motion ended when he wrapped his tail around himself, unleashing a Chaos Blast that he combined with a Chaos Burst, both beam and blast smashing into Super Mecha Sonic.

Back with the audience, they couldn't help but watch the display. "So, Shadow's still on our side, right?" Charmy asked.

"Nah. He's gone completely cuckoo. I'd know." Sticks said, shaking her head.

"Well, I'm not giving up on him!" Rouge winced, once more feeling her broken wing. "Augh!"

Silver floated in, using some rubble to help keep her wing up like a splint. He was also holding Knuckles' knocked-out frame, causing Sonic to rush over to him. "Hang in there, guys." He said, shutting his eyes tight when he saw that and the state Tails was in. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"There's a lot that happened right now that wasn't supposed to happen." Chaos sighed. "The most we can do is find a way to help Shadow, then restrain him."

"At least Eggman and Metal Sonic are out of the picture, right?" Vector asked.

"DON'T JINX IT!" Everybody else shouted.

Too late. Something was emerging from the bunker from a while ago. Slightly larger than the Egg Dragoon and resembling the Final Death Egg Robot from the whole 'takeover the world' incident, only with a pair of metallic bird wings added alongside the extra arms, the Eggmobile replaced the glass center. In it, Dr. Robotnik gripped the controls, his side flanked by Metal Sonic.

"I don't know what's happening, but let me tell you fools something! I'm DONE! I'm done letting you live! There's only one way this all ends! Either I die or you all perish!" He gnashed his teeth with every word, the machine letting out a dreadful bellowing hum. "BEHOLD! Armed with all the data I got from the Emerald Towers...THE EGG THANATOS! " 

Forming within the main pair of arms was a massive scythe, the wings spreading out as it loomed over all. "This is getting out of control!" Lanolin exclaimed.

"You're telling me!" Big admitted. "I'm starting to get a little stressed here!"

"A little?!" Charmy exclaimed.

Amy pointed to the villainous one. "Just stop this madness already! Everything around you is falling apart!"

"You've gone way too far this time! Even you should know that!" Sonic pointed out.

Dr. Robotnik just gave a harsher glare, though there was a tinge of sadness to it. "I've lost too much today to turn back. Now, all that's left for me...is to put the animals DOWN!" Metal Sonic just hovered stoically, giving a pointed look towards Sonic. His claws flexed, ready to tear into his foe.

Whisper prepared to take a shot at the villainous one's head, but something began to rumble beneath her feet. "What now?!" Sleet cried out.

"Maybe it'll be good?" Drapio wondered. "How about daffodils and cookies and-"

Her guesses were interrupted when Dave himself tore his way through the metal, panting heavily. His whole body was smoking, as if he had escaped a raging inferno. "Dave!" The Neo-Diamond Cutters and the Mercenaries cried out. Whisper instantly rushed to his side, checking to see if he needed medical attention.

"Huh? Who's Dave?" Dr. Robotnik asked. "Oh. It's you. Your tech has served me well. Now, leave immediately."

Coughing heavily, the extraterrestrial stood up shakily. "Everybody! Something has gone wrong! The Omen of Hope! It's overloaded! The power of the Chaos Emeralds AND the Sol Emeralds has been placed into it!"

"What?!" Blaze's eyes widened before she grasped her head. "AUUUUGH!"

"Blaze!" Silver cried out.

Chaos rushed to her side, only for his brain to swell and his eyes to widen in agony. "GRAAAAGH! The Chaos Emeralds! I can feel them...shatter!"

"Huh?!" Sonic and a few others cried out.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Vector exclaimed.

Tears of pain and realization began to well in the solian princess' eyes, everybody wondering what was wrong. "The Sol Emeralds...they're...destroyed!"

"They're what?!" Tangle cried out. "Wait a minute. I thought-"

"No time to explain!" Dave hastily shouted, Whisper's wisps coming out to check up on him. He then looked to the mercenaries, snarling. "Sleet! Did you know of Magi-Chan's plans?!"

"Magi-Chan's what?" The anthro Mightyena stepped bakc. "What are you talking about?! The plan was to make a portal for the citizens of C-197 to get to here!"

The extraterrestrial's eyes widened. "Then...we've all been played for fools...and we're too late to stop it."

"Stop what?!" Whisper was as flustered as everybody else, confusion reigning supreme.

Not helping was the fact that Ultimate Shadow and Super Mecha Sonic were now grappling with each-other. One had an aura of burning light, while the other aura fighting against it was all-consuming darkness. It seemed like their struggle would tear the whole island apart.

Between them, something else emerged from underneath. SHOOOOOOOOOOM! A humongous pillar of light crashed through the ground, vaporizing the metal around it and sending the two fighters reeling back. That light struck the sky, causing cracks to appear all around it. 

It was during this that Tails finally started to wake up, the stumps that used to be her tails having been covered by bandages the Resistance provided. "What's...happening?" She weakly mumbled.

"Armageddon." Dave sadly replied.

Sonic covered his head, trying to comprehend what was happening, especially as the sky cracked more from the beam striking into it. Slapping himself, he looked to everybody. "NO! We can't give up! Whatever this is, we'll take care of it!"

"Not until I take care of you all!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, only for the sky to finally shatter. That actually got his attention. "What in the name of science!?"

"Why does something about this power feel familiar?!" Chaos wondered, fighting through his pain.

Once the sky had shattered, a window into a whole other galaxy had been revealed. Stars danced across the sky, while entire worlds seemed to be fading in and out of existence. Almost like this other universe was fading away. However, some of those planets were moving into other large portals, one world starting to head closer to Mobius.

"That's home!" Drapio exclaimed.

"Why is it heading for us?!" Lanolin shouted.

"I don't know!" Sleet replied.

Silver's eyes widened at the whole sight, his body starting to glow a faint green. "My love! You're glowing!" Espio cried out.

"This is it." The future hedgehog mobian said softly. "This is the chronal disturbance! This is what must be stopped!"

Even while this was going down, Mecha Sonic and Ultimate Shadow weren't done with their battle. Charging up their energies, they rushed at each-other in the air. The Ultimate Lifeform was extending out his claws, charging up a Chaos Burst in his maw, while the empowered machine was extending his fist, rocketing towards his foe like a bullet.

But right before they could collide, Big pointed to something inside of the portal. "Hey! What's that thing?!"

"Is that a mutant firefly?!" Sticks wondered.

Instantly, a yellow thunderbolt erupted from inside the pillar, causing the two enemies in the air to pause. Out of the bolt came a ball of yellow lightning, the thing smashing into Super Mecha Sonic and then Ultimate Shadow. That and the energy of the pillar sent those two crashing down, keeping them out of the fight for now.

Any remaining Egg Pawns and G.U.N robots were crawling out of the rubble took aim at the newcomer, but they were ill-equipped. That ball of lightning just spin-dashed into them, their bodies exploding into scrap and sparks.

Sonic blinked as he saw this in action, peering at the zooming object. "Wait a minute...where do I remember seeing that?"

"I remember seeing that too." Chaos leaned in as well, clutching his body as it began to drip onto the water.

Soon, that ball would slam against the Egg Thanatos, snapping Dr. Robotnik out of his stupor, before it spun around a spire of rubble. At last, it stopped spinning, the thing revealing itself to have a figure similar to Sonic.

Smiling down upon the masses and still emanating volts around him, he had yellow fur with brown stripes, as well as a thunderbolt-shaped tail, pointy ears, and red patches on his cheeks. He seemed pretty confident and oblivious to the destruction happening around himself. Eventually, he noticed those staring at him, especially Sonic.

"Been a while since you've seen me zap to the extreme, eh, old friend?" 

The one known as Sonichu had finally arrived...and he wasn't alone.

Chapter Text

Sometime earlier, underneath Robotropolis...

The rumbling above him was already putting Dave at unease, but he soldiered on, preparing his robot army for the inevitable exodus back to the time period of his choice. "Soon, all sins of the past will be rectified." He said to himself. All that was left was to plan what he was going to do and say.

Well, apart from greet a whole bunch of people from C-197. A part of him wanted to spruce up his lair and make the place more inviting. He had a feeling that a few would be scared by the noises happening upstairs, but he had done his research. Many of them were usually stoked to get involved in a fight, especially the most famous hero of the dimension.

Sonichu. He had remembered briefly encountering the excitable one, but he didn't care much for social interaction during that time. All that mattered was the mission. Now, the end to that mission was drawing near, causing him to feel all kinds of nervous.

It confused Dave for a while, but he figured it was right to be nervous. Being so close to the end of his goal was actually kind of frightening, as he suddenly had to think of what he was going to do when he got back home. Maybe warn King Lucas and Earthia about the folly of their ways? Use his newfound power to defeat the Black Arms with ease?

But there was something else that ate at him. The moment he would step forward through the portal, he was effectively saying 'goodbye, forever' to Mobius. "It's fine." He told himself. "I'm never staying in a cavern again. I'm never going to have to get involved in whatever cataclysm this world goes through next. I'm never...I'm never..."

"...I'm never going to see her again." He finished, his mind turning to Whisper, as well as her wisps. The feeling of companionship was something he considered truly precious. Something he would have to shed if he was going to finish what he started.

It shook his resolve, causing him to hesitate when he approached the glowing Omen of Light. "Wait. Why is it already booting up?" He got closer to the large archway, only to see, to his surprise, all seven Chaos Emeralds were embedded in it. "What? Impossible!"

Not sure whether to feel relief or panic at this unexpected occurrence, Dave investigated further, only to see ANOTHER set of gems in the back. He recognized them from his research as the Sol Emeralds, the gems starting to crack heavily from the strain of their energy being sapped. He attempted to pry one out, only to be sent flying by an energy pulse that caused.

Getting up, he watched as all sets of emeralds cracked some more, the energy within the archway starting to expand by the second. "This can't be! Too much energy and-"

"Congratulations. You actually did something right, although it was me that had to step in."

That voice came from the growing portal, a floating figure exiting and finally revealing himself. Much like Sonichu, he was an electric hedgehog Pokemon, but he sported purple fur, purple shoes, a blue vest, and intense yellow eyes. He crossed his arms as he floated, psychic energy keeping him up.

"Magi-Chan." Dave stood up, dusting himself off before stepping forward. "What is the meaning of this?! Please tell me you have nothing to do with-"

"Placing the Sol Emeralds into the Omen of Hope? I'd calm down if I were you." The psychic one instructed, his voice cold to the extraterrestrial's outrage and confusion. "You're getting exactly what you wanted, but ahead of schedule. The portal is already starting to form."

"But, with the energy of TWO sets of emeralds, the sheer amount of energy could rip a hole in space/time that's almost as big as a planet! Maybe larger!" Dave shouted. "It's too unstable! I need to shut this down and-"

He was suddenly pushed against the nearest wall by the psychic one, his limbs nearly contorting in wrong directions on the whim of Magi-Chan. "Hold your tongue or I'll force you to swallow it. I know exactly what I'm doing. I just had some friends do this under your nose because I knew you would never approve it."

"Explain! Tell me the meaning of this madness!" Dave implored, his robots trying to attack, only for them to be lifted into the air and crushed like tin-cans.

Narrowing his eyes, Magi-Chan looked almost annoyed that he had to explain. "Even in this dimension, I'm forced to provide exposition. Very well. While I was right that those of C-197 are making an exodus into the SEGA Universe, there's something about 'Operation: Dimensional Merge' that we kept from you."

"Dimensional Merge?" Dave repeated, tilting his head.

"We don't just want to travel to new worlds. We want to bring our worlds physically into this universe. We won't have to abandon our homes. To do this, I sent my closest ally, as well as a mercenary from this world, to accomplish that task. One stole the Sol Emeralds, thanks to a portal that opened up there, while the other kept an eye on your operations to make sure everything was in working order."

Thinking on that, the Seedrian thought back to the events leading up to her. Perhaps this had something to do with Jewel's behavior? Sylvia's? BOTH?! Perhaps all the mercenaries were in on this?! "Both emerald sets are being destroyed. Not only are you putting the Sol Dimension in jeopardy, but Mobius could be destroyed in what's to come!"

"So be it." Magi-Chan coldly said. "It's had its time in the sun. It's OUR turn to have the spotlight. No more will the citizens of CWCville and all others in C-197 be overshadowed by you has-beens."

The psychic one's hold over Dave's body began to waver, the extraterrestrial growling in pure hatred. "You tricked me. You PLAYED with my goal of saving worlds! That's what I wanted to do! SAVE THEM! NOT DESTROY THEM! " 

"Don't be so glum." Magi-Chan grunted, the portal behind him becoming far more violent. "If you survive the start of the Dimensional Merge, there's a chance the portal to your chosen destination will open. That part of the deal, I intend to honor."

That almost calmed Dave briefly, but he had no time to think about that, as he saw the Omen of Hope start to change violently. Both the Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds started to shatter like glass, their pieces transforming into multi-colored energy that filled the portal with even more power. "I thought you were heroes..." He muttered in disbelief.

Magi-Chan floated around the growing maelstrom of energy. "Call us what you want. The decision has already been made. Thank you for your services."

With that, a humongous pillar of energy erupted, taking the Exiled with it as he was sent hurtling towards the surface. Despite the burning pain this brought at first, he steeled himself for the impact. If luck was on his side, perhaps the Resistance had arrived with help of their own.

Help that would hopefully find a way to stop the apocalypse he had unwittingly started.

Back to the Present...

Between the many battles, the giant pillar smashing into the very fabric of reality, and everything else that had happened, everybody was starting to get VERY fatigued at it all. At the very least, Dr. Robotnik was out of their hair for now, as well as Super Mecha Sonic and Ultimate Shadow.

Right now, the Sonic-lookalike had rushed over to the Blue Blur, smirking all the while. "Don't you recognize me? We met at Station Square! I thought we met more times than that, but that was all a big ruse that-"

"Hold on there! I appreciate the save, but who are you again?" Sonic asked.

That got a slightly peeved reaction from the Pikachu-like hedgehog. "Ah, c'mon! We fought the Perfect Chaos Monster together! You collided into me and you transformed me into what I am now! I'm SONICHU!" He gave a double thumbs-up, looking at the rest of the cast. "Wow. That's quite a friend group. I brought a few of my own to stop the bad guys, too!"

"Finally! Reinforcements!" Lanolin exclaimed.

Sonic felt something click. He actually DID remember somebody that assisted him during Perfect Chaos' rampage, then just left without a trace. "Oh, yeaaaaaah. Glad you could make it." He extended a hand, the two shaking it.

"This is so cool!" Sonichu beamed. "Me and my inspiration, together again!"

Sleet, however, groaned. "Oh, great. This guy."

"The bogun we pay through our taxes so he can live rent-free at his house?" Drapio asked.

"Yep." The anthro Mightyena said, while Mack gave a thumbs-down and Split-Sec shook his head.

"I don't care! We have reinforcements at last!" Lanolin exclaimed.

"Yeah! We're actually gonna win!" Tangle wiped away some tears, her resolve strengthening as she imagined she and the potential new allies avenging the fallen. However, she noticed how uneasy Whisper was, as she was sniffing the air and scowling. "Uh, something wrong?"

"YES! There's something wrong!" Dave exclaimed. "He and especially Magi-Chan tricked me!" Dave yelled. "Sonichu! Tell me that you want no part in what is happening there!" He pointed at the pillar for emphasis.

Looking back, the electric hedgehog Pokemon shrugged. "Oh, that? That's gonna bring our world over! It's called the Dimensional Merge! Pretty neat, right?" He pointed at the way portals were appearing everywhere, yet he also ignored how cracks were forming all around the island, eventually spreading out.

Chaos finally stepped in, eyes widening at the newcomer. "It's all coming back to me. I don't know what happened, but...I created him! I don't know how, but when I flung Sonic at that wandering yellow rat-"

"I'm a Pikachu, you...you..." Sonichu turned to the watery being, pointing at him. "THE PERFECT CHAOS MONSTER! Don't worry, guys! I've got him! Time to zap to it!"

"Wait! He's not a villain!" Blaze shouted, but it was too late.

The newcomer's body surged with volts before he sped forth, crashing into the watery one. In an instant, Chaos felt the most pain he had ever felt in his life, second to when he fought Super Sonic. Electricity crackled around his body, steam flying into the air as his brain rattled around from the volts attacking it. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"HEY! Leave him alone!" Amy shouted, only to get zapped when Sonichu ran past her, singing his cheek before Chaos was struck again, one of his arms failing to reform due to how much he was being cooked.

Before he could do that a third time, Sonic spin-dashed at him, stopping the attack. "Cool it! He's on our side now!"

"No, he's not! He's a monster! Just look at him!" Sonichu pointed to the pained behind, his claw resting on his brain as it still crackled with the volts in it.

Blaze stepped forth, her hands lighting up with fire. "Touch him any further and see what happens!" Narrowing her gaze further, he pointed to the newcomer. "Now, answer me this! Does this 'Dimensional Merge' have anything to do with the destruction of the Sol Emeralds?"

"Or the Chaos Emeralds, for that matter?" Tails winced at her lost tails, but she still needed answers.

The others watched as this went on, their attention occasionally going to the large pillar. "I swear, I feel like we're just coming along for the ride." Vector admitted.

"Same." Charmy admitted.

"I'm gonna look for Shadow. I'm not giving up on him!" Rouge said before looking to Sticks. "Take care of Omega. When this is over, you and Tails fix him up."

"Roger!" Sticks saluted before whispering to the still-online head she was carrying. "Want me to brain Robotnik with you when I have the chance?"

"Affirmative. You know me so well." Omega replied happily.

Back with Sonichu, he just shrugged at the feline solian's question. "Eh. Nobody was using them, right?"

"THEY WERE ESSENTIAL TO MY DIMENSION'S STABILITY!" Blaze roared, her temper increasing before Silver placed a hand on her shoulder, briefly calming her down.

"Whatever this 'Dimensional Merge' is all about, it needs to stop!" The future hedgehog mobian implored. "There are forces beyond your understanding that you're tampering with!"

"It's no big deal! Don't have a cow, man!" Sonichu said before something emerged from behind him.

"Uh-oh! Guess who's back?!" Amy shouted, the others turning to see Dr. Robotnik rising out of the smoke.

However, he seemed to have his hands full. There looked to be several other different kind of C-197 residents attacking his machine. "Hold still, you miscreants!" The Egg Thanatos swung its scythe, the energy wave forcing everybody to duck. "I'll destroy you all! Do you hear me?! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Several vines shot out from a green version of Sonichu, only he had brown eyes and a leaf for a tail. Those vines wrapped around the extra arms, tying them up. "Yeah, we hear you! The Chaotic Combo just doesn't care!"

Others that attacked Dr. Robotnik's mech included a female blue-furred electric hedgehog Pokemon (with yellow eyes, wavy blue hair, and a Marill's tail) that created a tidal wave to scramble the Egg Thanatos' navigation systems, as well as an electric hedgehog Pokemon that resembled Knuckles, only with slanted red eyes. "Punch! Kick! It's all in the mind!" He shouted, slamming his fists away at the tail of the machine.

The other ally included an electric hedgehog Pokemon with white fur, angelic wings, blue eyes, and a halo over her head. "May God have mercy on your soul!" She sweetly said, raining down projectiles of light unto the machine.

Metal Sonic flew around those projectiles, slamming into the red fighter and throwing him into the green one. The blue one tried to rush at him with a wave, but she was grabbed around the head and fired at point-blank range by a burst of heat from the robot's chest, sending her flying into the winged one.

"Shouldn't we be doing something?!" Tails shouted, doing her best to ignore the pain in her tails.

"Yes! We need to get to the Omen of Hope! Find a way to turn it off!" Dave finally stood up, his hair tendrils helping.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Sonic said. "We're not done yet!"

Sonichu suddenly got in their way, stretching out his arms. "No! You'll ruin the surprise! Everybody back on my world is gonna find themselves in a whole new universe! The curtain of iron separating our dimensions is finally gonna lift! We won't be doomed!"

"But your world is going to collided with this one!" Dave shouted.

"Wait a minute. WHAT?!" Tails cried out, others showing outrage.

"That's our planet you're about to crash into!" Vector pointed out.

"Won't that also destroy your world too?" Espio added.

For a while, it looked like Sonichu was thinking that over. "Nope! Magi-Chan said everything's gonna be fine and everything he says is always right!"

"Define 'fine'!" Amy shouted.

"Because this don't look like 'fine'!" Sticks jumped up in rage.

"This is MORE than just the opposite of 'fine'!" Lanolin gripped her wool, nearly tearing it off. "This is the absolute nadir of anything that could be considered 'fine'!"

"You doomed my dimension and Mobius for THIS?!" Blaze roared, while Chaos did his best to glare, only to fall onto his face. That took the feline out of the moment, looking at her fallen friend. "Chaos! You're growing weaker!"

"I...I know...my energy...it's fading." He coughed, his brain started to twitch madly as his eyes drooped. His legs were even starting to evaporate.

"I didn't sign up for this!" Sleet growled. "I wanted riches! Fame! A new home! Not planetary destruction!" While she ranted, her allies readied their abilities, preparing to go against their orders. 

Likewise, Whisper loaded her wispon, glaring at the electric hedgehog pokemon. "I really don't like us throwing out the welcome mat like this, but you leave us no choice!" Tangle pointed with her tail at the newcomer.

Sonichu looked honestly confused, even as the quakes started to get worse. "Guys, you're all acting so immature! It's my time to shine! You should feel proud! C'moooon! Don't be uncool!"

"But you're being 'uncool' right now." Big pointed out.

As they all argued, Super Mecha Sonic floated from the rubble he was within, observing the events taking place. "Hmph. The insects squabble amongst each-other. I could destroy them all with a gesture!" He shouted, powering up before noticing Ultimate Shadow rearing back up from his spot. "Useless annoyance! Your tenacity is admirable, but ultimately for naught!"

The salamander-like monstrosity that used to be Shadow roared in fury, only for Rouge to fly in, albeit in a hobbling manner that ended with her falling onto her knees. "Shadow! Try to think! This isn't you!"

Briefly, Ultimate Shadow hesitated, his eyes darting over to her before rearing his head back, roaring as he heard that familiar voice once again. "RAAAAAAARGH!" When he did that, a humongous crack opened up around him, the whole of the planet starting to show more of those cracks.

Commander Towers was standing on some rubble, holding on tight as he looked around. "Is this...happening all over the world?!"

"Unfortunately, yes!" Dave cried out. "It has begun!"

The Chaotic Combo also noticed, but they still continued to attack the Egg Thanatos. Only Metal Sonic noticed that glowing rainbow energy was seeping out of the cracks. "This isn't going quite as planned." He said to himself before looking to where Sonic and the others were. "But if it results in his end..."

(The Exiled Phase 1-Techno Cinema)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvbUXrGlyU8

Almost instantly, the sky was soon opened. By that, more cracks had appeared around the fluctuating pillar of light, the world containing CWCville starting to come into focus as more of the fabric of reality broke apart. A dark-tinted rainbow miasma filled where there should have been stars in a few spots. Entire masses of land were separating from the ground, floating around the spire like a whirlwind. Some floated at a leisurely pace, while others rocketed at great speed.

"HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!" Sonic shouted, the entire group separated into different platforms. Almost all of Robotropolis was taken apart by this, the entire city crumbling into rubble to add to some of those platforms.

"This is NOT how I imagined today would go!" Vector exclaimed, joined by Espio, Silver, and the waking body of Knuckles as they floated on their own platform.

Looking around, Charmy pointed to one mass of land. "Hey! It's our base!"

"Then...this really is happening all over Mobius!" Espio said with horror.

Mumbling to himself, the echidna mobian among them pushed his fists against the ground, his bones struggling to stay stable after all that had happened to them. "The world...what's happening?!" He exclaimed, looking around at the swirling miasma of stars and dull rainbow colors around him.

"It's the end of the world!" Charmy Bee shouted. "The Chaos Emeralds blew up and these other guys started coming and-"

"And I think I know a way to stop this! We need to find the source of the calamity!" Silver stated.

"Where's that?!" Despite his weakened state, Knuckles tried to stand up, only to need Vector's help to do so. It also gave him a view of Sonic jumping from platform to platform.

The hedgehog mobian was trying to get a better look at his surroundings, eventually looking up as the world from C-197 started to form even further. Its heat was emanating against Mobius, alerting it all to the incoming collision course. "Could be worse. This could always end up waking Dark Gaia!" He tried to keep a positive attitude, especially when he found Amy, Big, Tails, Sticks, and Omega with him. 

All were looking around them as portals started appearing randomly. "All of space/time is completely out of control!" Tails exclaimed.

"I can see that! But how do we fix it?!" Amy shouted.

"THROWING THINGS AT IT!" Sticks shouted, grabbing some sizable rocks. "You'll never take me alive, giant incoming planet! YOU HEAR?!"

Big continued to stare at the lights dancing around him, his eyes sparkling. "I see...everything. Froggy, is this the essence of life?"

"We can stare in awe of the cosmos later! Didn't that armored guy tell us to turn off an 'Omen of Hope? What does that even look like?!" Sonic asked.

"I'm not sure." Tails then snapped her fingers. "We should find him! Even if he has only the slightest info on this cataclysm, we'll make it work."

"That's the spirit!" Amy nodded. "Let's go find him!"

Speaking of which, Dave was looking around in horror at what he was seeing. The Neo-Diamond Cutters, mercenaries, Blaze, and Chaos were also seeing several TVs float around, having apparently been ripped from the now ruined Robotropolis.

Mostly, it was just news reports detailing what was going down. "This just in from Spagonia!" A reporter said as the town behind him started to crack apart, buildings collapsing on each-other and people getting sucked into the air. "IT'S THE END OF DAYS! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

Another screen showed the Green Hill Zone crumbling apart, bits of the Chemical Plant Zone flying through the loop-de-loops. Much to Vector's horror, he swore he saw Vanilla's house fly by Station Square, which was among the many cities in utter turmoil due to the random portals.

In Soleanna, another reporter was doing her best to cover the events taking place, even as the water crashed against the beaches, the storm generated by this whole event proving violent. "As panic grips Mobius, we all have one question! Where is Sonic?! He's our only hope!"

"Hey! We count as hope, right?!" Tangle shouted. "Wait. How's the Resistance HQ doing?!"

She got her answer when bits of that headquarters sailed over her, a few unlucky fighters screaming as they crashed against some of the rubble. The Sky Fox was among those large pieces, crashing through a floating Robotropolis building. Rouge covered her head on her floating piece of rubble, Commander Towers joining her. "I refuse to believe this is it!" He shouted. 

"Same here!" Rouge was helped up by him, her wing twitching as it struggled to move. "Any ideas?!"

"I'm working on it!" The commander shouted.

Back with the Neo-Diamond Cutters, Dave looked on in despair, having taken a moment to explain the situation to his allies. "I didn't want this. I didn't want any of this!" He finished.

"That's what many say before they tamper with the laws of nature." Blaze shook her head, staying by Chaos' side before she punched the ground. "How could I have let the theft of the Sol Emeralds slip through my claws?! I could have stopped this from happening!"

"I knew Magi-Chan was stubborn, but I never imagined he'd stick to a plan THIS insane!" Sleet shouted.

"His creator goddess/second wife leaving our universe must have really screwed him up, mates. More than usual." Drapio admitted.

"Wait a minute. Like...his creator and second wife are the same person?" Lanolin asked, her horror doubling when she got a confirmatory nod. "Your dimension is weird."

"You have no Arceus-damned idea." Sleet face-palmed.

Whisper then caught something in her sights. Using her Wispon, she enhanced the image, noticing the Omen of Hope floating through the main pillar of light. It was flying higher above, almost reaching where C-197 was opening up. "There!"

Looking up, everybody was able to get a hint of the floating archway. "The Omen of Hope!" Dave shouted. "If we stop it-"

"Then we can put a stop to this madness!" Lanolin exclaimed. "We just need to get there!"

Before they could come up with a plan, Tangle realized something. "Jewel! She wasn't with this this whole time! Is she okay?!"

"I could say the same of Sylvia." Sleet rubbed her chin. "Oh, where have those two gone?"

"Right here, BOSS." BLAM!

Silence followed as a large hole appeared in Mack's chest. The Mr. Mime looked at his teammates with a horrified expression before reaching for Split-Sec. The Scizor rushed over to him, catching the fatally wounded Pokemon as he fell. "SHIT! Who did that?!" Sleet roared.

To everybody's surprise, Jewel was hovering in the air, a glok in her hand. "Hello!" She cheerfully said, only for her eyes to start changing color into a more soulless white/black.

Whisper instantly knew that look, her worst suspicions confirmed. "YOU!" She roared, aiming her wispon, only for a ball of dark energy to slam into her side, knocking her into where the Dave was.

Instantly, he and Tangle moved to attack, but psychic energy gripped them as Sylvia also stepped forth, though her body seemed to be vanishing into purple smoke. "Can you believe they fell for these disguises all this time?"

"They're such easy marks, lemme tell ya'." Jewel said, her voice becoming more masculine as her body began to change in appearance. Her wings fell off of her body, but they looked more mechanical than organic. "You will not BELIEVE how tiring it was to have to use those to blend in! I mean, wow! If I had bones, they'd be aching."

"It...can't be." Lanolin grunted, struggling to move.

"That voice..." Drapio looked to Sylvia. "You're...MY SLEEP PARALYSIS DEMON!"

The two attackers looked at each-other before Sylvia let herself be the first one to show her true form, revealing herself to be a feminine electric hedgehog Pokemon. Her fur was the color midnight, her long hair was dark purple, and her outfit slightly resembled that of a dominatrix, leaving little to the imagination. "Sylvana Rosechu?!" Sleet exclaimed.

"You two know each-other?" Tangle asked.

"Let's just say we go a little back." The shapeshifter chuckled. "A shame that I had the greater resolve of the two of us, traitor." She spitefully told the anthro Mightyena before looking to Blaze. "Thanks for the Sol Emeralds. Choosing your form was also kind of fun. Purple was always my color."

Instantly, Blaze tried to burn her way free of the invisible restraints, embers flying from her maw. "You've sentenced millions to death! How could you be this heartless?!"

"Oh, grow up. A world more deserving of fame and fortune is about to take the stage." Sylvana dismissed. "My boyfriend was right to trust in my abilities, but having a SECOND shapeshifter also helps." She gestured to the changing Jewel.

Before long, Mimic was standing before the group, looking quite smug. "'sup, old friend?" He grinned at Whisper, the wolf mobian getting past her fear to bite at his hand. "Whoa! Puppy's still got fangs, I see?!"

"I'll kill you..." She muttered. "I'll make you pay for everything!"

"You're still alive?! But the data said-"

"At the risk of sounding cliche, reports of my death were greatly exaggerated." Mimic grinned at Lanolin. "Now, I'm on the winning team."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Tangle shook her head. "If you're Mimic, then what happened to Jewel?! She was at her house when she joined us! Or was that...you?"

The octopus mobian gave an evil chuckle. "Oh, her? After I was finished practicing using her form...I had to borrow something from the real thing. Where do you think THESE came from?" He threw the wing mechanism at the group's feet. "She won't be needing these anymore. Not after I squashed her."

Though Whisper's rage against the traitorous shapeshifter was great, Tangle almost broke free of the psychic hold on her when her tail lunged like a scorpion, catching Mimic off-guard. "YOU BASTARD! She was my best friend and you...YOU...RAAAAAAAARGH!" Her sharp teeth were bared, her fists clenching as she struggled to break free.

Split-Sec was actually the first to break free, rushing at the two with intense hatred in his eyes. The death of his partner had instilled that. However, when his fists were inches away from the faces of his foes, he stopped in mid-air, his limbs pulled around before he was drawn-and-quartered by an unseen force. Mechanical parts fell to the ground, his eyes looking to his friends before the life vanished from them. His parts were dropped into the maelstrom after that.

"It's...happening...all over again..." Whisper shuddered, her eyes wide with fear as memories of losing her old team filled her mind.

Dave had been trying to tug against his restraints the whole time, but nothing had worked. Still, he was the first to see Magi-Chan descend from above, his forehead veins bulging from how much psychic power he was using. "I'm disappointed, Dave. VERY disappointed. That's why I needed my two spies to make sure you didn't step too much out of line." He looked to Sylvana, giving a nod. "You've done well, my love."

"What can I say? Even when I'm helping you, I'm still bad~" She blew a kiss at that.

"When do I get paid again?" Mimic asked.

"You're allowed to live. That's more then enough motivation." Magi-Chan glared before looking to his captives. "You will all stay here...except for him." He turned to Chaos.

The watery being was struggling to stand, his eyes almost glancing upon a red orb trying to move against the storm. "Tikal?" He weakly reached his hand before his hand felt traces of chaotic energy from the maelstrom. 

It wasn't enough for him not to be flung like a ragdoll into another platform. "Chaos!" The others shouted.

"Sonichu is getting the rematch he's always wanted with him. He's been craving adventure for months. Now, it is here. He wont' be a lazy do-nothing anymore." He grumbled before clearing his throat. "Dave, you will also get to leave, as soon as the Omen of Hope finishes searching for your chosen time period. Greet Gate will be saved. A promise is a promise."

Once again, the thought of fulfilling his mission at long last filled Dave's mind with hope, but he still struggled. "Why does this world have to die so that ours can live?! There's another way and you know it!"

"Nothing can sway me from this path. Besides, it's better this way. We won't be accused of 'ripping off' this universe, for one thing." Magi-Chan explained.

Sleet let out a savage roar, almost firing a Dark Ball at her foes. "You killed half my team, you monsters! Just wait until we get free!"

"Yes! We won't let you tear anymore lives apart for this insane quest of yours!" Lanolin shouted. "We have to...right?"

Before anymore taunts could be given, more portals started to open up, hideous shrieking imp-like shadow monsters pouring out. Some of them had bat-wings, all of which moving to attack anything that had a pulse. "More of those things?!" Sleet shouted.

"What are they?!" Blaze wondered.

"Reminders of a time I'd rather not think about." Sylvana almost looked fearful before she looked at what was attacking and perhaps attracting those fiends. Ultimate Shadow had joined the fray, using electricity balls from his maw and Chaos Spears all around him to decimate the hordes. "Hmmmmn...this gives me an idea." She started to turn into Maria, giggling as she skipped away.

"That's...that's just low." Tangle shook her head.

Magi-Chan continued to keep them prisoner, while Mimic just kicked back. "You know, this is usually the part where I take you all out, but I agree with my new boss. It's better to make you guys watch. Let you know that, at the end of the day, you failed, while I win." He leaned down at Whisper, flicking her nose. "When you get to the other side, tell the old gang that I said 'hi'."

"Damn you." Whisper growled. "You won't get away with this."

"Oh, but I already have." He gestured to more of the mayhem going on.

The shadow monsters, resistant to the glow of the whole place, were already swarming across the place, keeping everybody at bay. Though they didn't answer to Magi-Chan, as more than few were attacking Sonichu, they were still making sure that nobody was getting ahead with stopping the process.

Vector was panting heavily as he took care of several of the fiends, their jaws snapping at his arms before one was crushed by his tail, while another one was blasted by his fire breath. "I don't wanna say it, but we can't keep this up!"

"We have to! No matter what it takes!" Silver pushed one beast off the rock his group was on, his own power starting to climb. "I can finally feel it! The reason I'm here! To save this world from becoming dust!"

"Calm yourself, my love! If what you say is true about your power, use it sparingly!" Espio threw his last few throwing stars into the head of one flying beast, causing it to crash-land, while another was stung in the ass by Charmy Bee.

Sticks was using Omega's head to bash one shadow monster's skull in, black smoke pouring from the wounds. Amy had also improvised in making a new hammer by slamming the stick of her old hammer into some rock, using the chunk she ripped out to bludgeon several more creatures. "So...tired..." Big panted, having crushed several of the beasts underneath his bulk. A few were heading right for him.

"HANDS OFF MY BOYFRIEND!" Amy roared, fire in her eyes. She may have been sweating greatly, tiredness threatening to take her over, but she wasn't giving up.

Tails took the time to gaze at the floating Omen of Hope, clenching her jaw as she felt a phantom pain in her tail-stumps. Feelings of having lost a big part of herself welled in her soul, but she was interrupted by those thoughts when Amy pushed him out of the way of a large shadow monster trying to chomp down on him.

Something also shattered through the platform they were on, causing them to rock around as the shards flew out. "Danger! Powerful Robotnik robot detected!" Omega shouted.

It was Super Mecha Sonic, the machine roaring in anger as he powered up some more. Looking around, he saw several shadow monsters head for him, but he dispatched them with several guided energy shots from his hand. "I grow tired of dealing with you all! If Sonic doesn't show his face right now, I'll destroy BOTH planets before I let them crash! How about that, weaklings?!"

"Go suck an egg!" Charmy shouted from the distance, but he chose to ignore that. They'd all be destroyed if he didn't find his prize, anyway.

Back with Sonic, the hedgehog had found himself staring at Ultimate Shadow's state, the creature thrashing around as he seemed to be trying to break free from whatever influence had gotten over him. "That's it! Fight it!" Rouge shouted. "Show whatever's in your head who's boss! Who's the Ultimate Life Form!"

The hedgehog mobian smirked. "I figured that guy would be too stubborn for mind control. Now, maybe if I find that 'Omen of Hope' thing I heard about..." He had to think quick, if he was going to save his world. He had seen what was on the television screens, even witnessing a bit of the Green Hill Zone float past him. 

Before he could reach the next platform, he was rammed into by Metal Sonic, the robot's eyes glowing a burning orange as he smashed him against the side of a floating Robotropolis building. "At long last! Either we all perish or you're finally erased from the equation of my life!"

"Are you crazy?! The apocalypse is happening and this is all you care about?!" Sonic kicked himself free, the burning feeling of that furnace-like body singing more of his fur that hadn't already been burnt by Super Mecha Sonic. "Why don't you help Eggman? I think that guy's still in a pinch."

"He doesn't matter! He is irrelevant! You are the only thing that matters! I will finally prove my superiority over you!" Metal shouted. "I didn't plant that virus in Sage for nothing!"

Hearing that caused the hedgehog mobian's eyes to widen before he narrowed them. "You DIDN'T." He growled.

"It was a last resort. One that did not go the way I wanted at first." Metal shook his head. "I will miss her...after I have finished you off for good!" With that, he rushed at his rival once more, his claws shredding through the rock that his nemesis jumped off of.

Meanwhile, instead of being with the others, Knuckles was flying through the air, fighting through his pain to catch up with Sonic. "I don't know how this is happening, but I'm ending it!" He grunted before tackling the robot. "Do what you have to!" He shouted at his friend, punching the machine in the head and causing sparks to fly as circuits were exposed from the blow.

"Knuckles! You sure you're gonna be okay?!" Sonic asked.

"Just do what you do best and save the world!" The echidna mobian grunted before the duo started to tumble near the maelstrom, carried by its winds as they passed by Ultimate Shadow. 

The draconic one was leaning towards Rouge, but then his eye caught onto 'Maria's' sudden appearance, letting out a strangled roar as he tumbled past the bat mobian. "What?! Where are you...what the?!" Rogue had to do a double-take at what she was looking at.

'Maria' held out her arms, her eyes changing to Sylvana's. A detail that only the bat mobian caught onto. "Let me ride atop you, my best friend. Let's get rid of those that would do me harm. Don't you want to save me...or are you going to let me down again?"

The influence of the voice within Ultimate Shadow's head not only got louder, but gained better control with how tormented his mind was. Letting out a more pained and agonized roar, the draconic one obeyed, allowing the fake Maria to ride on his head. "That's not Maria! Don't listen to her!" Rouge shouted.

"Sorry, bat-boobs..." Sylvana changed back into her normal form, but she still used Maria's voice to further addle Ultimate Shadow's senses. "...but you're not in control. C-197 is! Now, fly away! I've got some more trolling to do!"

As she took control of the powerful beast, Magi-Chan found his concentration over his captives broken when the struggling duo of Metal Sonic and Knuckles rammed into him. "Gah! Get off of me!" He shouted before taking a claw to the chest from the robot, knocking him off and causing him to have to deal with the shadow monsters swarming in.

The fiends converged on the freed ones, only for Blaze's flames and Maggie's soundwaves to send them back. "Now, we turn the tide!" The feline solian shouted. "I may have failed in my duties as a guardian, but I will not let this world down too!"

Whisper finally got out her wispon, shooting several pink spikes at Mimic. "Cripes! Watch where you fire that!" He jumped off the edge, landing where Ultimate Shadow was passing by.

"Come back here, you murderer!" Tangle shouted before several shadow monsters landed where she was. "Uh oh."

"Guess we're gonna have to fight our way to the Omen of Hope, aren't we, Sleet?" Drapio said, clicking her pincers before she extended her tail, taking care of one of them.

"What was your first hint, genius?" The anthro mightyena replied before body-slamming one unfortunate shadow monster.

"Battle-stations!" Lanolin shouted. "We're not done yet!"

Dave stood up slowly, looking up at the floating Omen of Hope. Despite the cacophony of noise around him, he had heard plans to destroy the portal to make this mess stop. That made him clench a claw. "Destroy it? No. I can just...turn it down a bit. Yes, that should work! That way...I can go back home AND save this world!" He said to himself before using his hair tendrils to smash into several shadow monsters.

Magi-Chan almost returned to the fray, only to nearly be hit by the tussle of Metal Sonic and Knuckles. Right now, the machine was using his maximum overdrive attack, covering his body in a burning aura that almost knocked the echidna warrior off. "I'm...not...letting...GO!" The hero shouted.

Narrowing his eyes, the psychic electric hedgehog Pokemon noticed a random portal opening up. "I could do with less distractions." He gripped around the echidna mobian, unable to get a good grip on the speeding Metal Sonic. "Farewell. Punchy's a worthy replacement for you, anyway."

While trying to catch up with Metal Sonic to make sure his friend was okay, Sonic was helpless but to watch his pal get chucked into that portal. "Knuckles! NO!"

"Protect Mobius! PROTECT OUR FRIEEEEEEENDS!" Knuckles called out, only to be sucked in fully, vanishing into parts unknown. Metal Sonic just continued to speed, unable to stop.

Closing his eyes, Sonic continued ahead, noticing the Omen of Hope floating a bit closer this time. "Don't worry, guys. This nightmare's gonna end righ-WHOA!"

(Dr. Eggman Showdown-Sonic: Lost World)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKBXLLC3NUI

A massive scythe sliced through his platform, causing him to fall on a long strip of road from Central City. The other electric hedgehog pokemon were falling around the maelstrom, all struggling to get back into the fight. "Did you think I would forget about you?!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, floating above the broken road. "So many hedgehogs! Everywhere! AM I BEING PUNISHED?!"

"I dunno. Maybe if you weren't so evil, you wouldn't be getting your butt kicked by karma!" Sonic declared, facing down the Egg Thanatos as it spread out its wings. 

"SILENCE! Everything's gone wrong because of you! Sage was supposed to be at my side when I took over the world! Now, she's...she's...RAAAAAAARGH!" Furiously yelling, Dr. Robotnik slammed onto the controls of his mech, causing the humongous Egg Guardian to go into attack mode.

Running along the seemingly endless broken road, Sonic avoided the many slashes of that scythe, the energy beams cutting through more structures like they were nothing. From some of the arms, beams of red light were shot out, further destroying the road. Sonic ended up having to boost through several destroyed stretches of the road, continuing to avoid the shots.

"Listen to me! It was Metal! He took Sage away just so he could destroy me for YOU! You need to stop and think!" Sonic implored before the tail of the machine stabbed through the road in front of the hero, causing him to stumble.

Taking advantage of that, the Egg Thanatos grabbed the hedgehog by the head, smashing him through a platform before unleashing missiles from the back and beams of light from the extra arms. "Get a load of THIS, you meddling fool!"

Scraped up from that attack, Sonic ran around the side of a floating building, the thing being reduced to rubble in the air as it was blasted into oblivion. Despite how fast the Blue Blur was, he knew he couldn't keep this up. "We're wasting time! Let me get to the Omen of Hope and THEN you can destroy me! Deal?!"

"No deal! This is all you've left for me! I've got nothing to lose!" Dr. Robotnik argued, the Egg Thanatos charging up a ball of energy within one pair of its hands. The scythe sliced the purple orb in half, causing it to turn into smaller orbs that rocketed towards the hedgehog.

Before they could smash into the hero, several lightning bolts crashed into the orbs. Out of nowhere, Sonichu appeared, his body crackling with electricity. "This is the most pumped I've been in ages! Now, Sonic, let's crack this egghead!"

Not seeing any other option, Sonic nodded before the two found themselves on another long stretch of road, the Egg Thanatos floating in front of them. "Two annoying rodents for the price of one! Oh, I HATE HEDGEHOGS!" He roared, the Egg Thanatos unleashing its full arsenal in an instant. Missiles, energy balls, and random energy scythe slashes were heading right for the duo.

"You go low and I'll go high!" Sonic shouted to his temporary ally.

"You don't have to tell me twice, but during the Stone Age!" Sonichu winked before initiating his Volt Tackle, rushing through the energy orbs and tanking the hits. Meanwhile, Sonic ignored that confusing line from the electric one, spin-dashing across the missiles to get closer to the Eggmobile part of the mech. With all of his power, he spin-dashed into the glass, trying to make a dent.

Sonichu finally slammed into the robot as well, causing it to crackle with electricity and even go haywire. Swinging that energy scythe everywhere, the Egg Thanatos soon stabilized, ready to get back into the fight. "Impressive trick, but that won't work a second time!"

"You wanna bet?" Sonichu grinned, while Sonic looked around for the Omen of Hope. From the looks of it, the battle against the mad genius himself would have to continue.

Back with the Neo-Diamond Cutters, things weren't looking too good. The shadow monsters were converging into that location, as if they not only remembered Dave's moment, but also were drawn to Sylvana's presence. "For the last time, boys, I'm not serving my old master again! He's dead to me!" She shouted, shapeshifting some wings onto herself before blasting some flying monsters with shadow balls.

A few were fired at her by Sleet from below, Drapio transformed into a cannon that fired Tangle out of it. She tackled into Mimic when he tried to get away, using her tail to try and slam at his head. "This is for Jewel! This is for Mack! This is for Split-Sec!" After battering that beak for a while, she tossed the octopus mobian towards Whisper.

Using her wispon's hammer ability, the wolf mobian slammed her weapon into her nemesis, sending him flying into Sleet's fist, cracking his beak more. "And this is for everybody else you've hurt." She coldly said, grim satisfaction in her heart.

Quickly getting out of the fray, Mimic looked to Sylvana, black blood oozing from his injuries. "What are you waiting for?! Do something more useful than float around!" He then jumped out of the way when Dave slammed his hair tendrils down at him.

Sylvana found herself tackled by Blaze, the feline solian's burning touch causing her brief. "If nothing else, defeating you will avenge my home!" She shouted.

"Like your home was any good! RuleCWC was better!" Kicking her foe in the stomach, Sylvana teleported above her, palming the feline solian on the forehead before forming a shadow ball, blasting her into the ground. "Now, try some of these!" She dove down to slam her heel into the fallen princess.

Magi-Chan almost tried to stop the battle by psychically breaking Sleet's bones, but another piece of rubble smashed into his body. "What the?!"

Silver had entered the fray. "You're not the only one with the power of the mind!" The future hedgehog mobian claimed, his eyes glowing green before he and the other psychic fighter started throwing chunks of the maelstrom's rubble at each-other. Green and purple auras clashed, obscuring them in dust and light.

Tired of having to put up with this, Sylvana whistled, doing her 'Maria' voice again. "Shadooooow! They're going to kill me! Please, help!" She was interrupted when Tangle smacked her in the head with her tail.

"I think we're starting to win! We've got this!" She said before Ultimate Shadow to slowly ascend behind her, causing her eyes to widen as drool fell onto her back. "Uh...nice dragon?"

As everybody turned to their newest opponent, Mimic started to giggle, his body swelling as he stabbed his tentacles into several fallen shadow monsters, causing them to vanish into black smoke. "You know...aside from posing as your insect friend...there's another thing I've been practicing! Something I've been saving for the day that I finally finish what I started!" 

Not entertaining this, Blaze flung several fireballs at him, while Lanolin and Drapio combined sonic blasts and poison stings. Whisper aimed through the smoke, trying to get a visual, only to see something large emerging from the smoke. "It's not that bad, right, mates?" The scorpion-like Pokemon asked.

Spreading out his enlarged tentacles, Mimic's new form revealed itself to look like an enlarged version of his head, his broken beak laughing as veins appeared all over his body. His tentacles looked swelled enough that they replaced his limbs entirely, although they were just crushed between the four appendages. "Eat your heart out, Chaos!" He laughed.

From a faraway platform, Chaos weakly raised a finger. "Not...funny..."

From the newly transformed Mimic's mouth, a burst of burning ink came out, coating several shadow monsters in the hardening stuff before it shattered with them. "Spread out! Don't be an easy target!" Lanolin shouted before an electricity ball slammed into her, knocking her out.

Slate instantly turned to Ultimate Shadow, the creature forming various Chaos Spears around himself before he had them rain down. "FIND COVER!" The anthro Mightyena shouted, grabbing Lanolin before they all fled.

Blaze tried to blast the spears out of the sky, only for Sylvana to slam her in the chest with a Shadow Ball, dragging her through the ground. Whisper tried to get a good shot at Mimic, but she was then slammed by Ultimate Shadow's tail, her wisps coming out as the wispon was crushed by the tail's tip.

They protectively floated over their friend, despite the fear in their eyes. MImic's gaze looked over to them, while Tangle found her tail grabbed by Ultimate Shadow and used as a flail against the others. The transformed octopus mobian speared his tentacles into the ground as shadow monsters started to swarm with him. "Hello, loose end! Nice to finally tie you up!" He surged his tentacles forward at the wolf mobian, only for them to be whipped by two large hair tendrils.

"You will pay for your colossal conceit!" Dave roared before looking down at Whisper. "Your wisps! Let them fuse with me!"

"NOPE! I remember what happened last time!" Slamming a tentacle into both of them, the giant octopus almost sent Whisper over the edge, but Dave landed on another platform, where more shadow monsters stared to swarm him. "Oh, and as for you guys..." Mimic looked hungrily at the wisps before suddenly clamping his beak around them.

Getting back up, Whisper's eyes shot open, her sharp teeth bared as she gazed in horror while the wisps were sent into the transformed one's gullet, unable to escape as he kept his mouth shut. "NOOOO! LET THEM GO!" She howled, lunging at a tentacle and biting it hard enough to rip the tip off.

"Ow! Bitch!" He fired an ink blast, nearly getting her, but also striking her seedrian ally, fusing him to the creatures around him. 

The world became dark for Dave, his claw reaching out before he was fully encased in the hardened ink. If that didn't immobilize him, the still-alive shadow monster that weren't covered in the ink were still clawing at him, tearing at his armor and even punching through the orb hiding his face, allowing one of his reptilian yellow eyes to show, purple scales surrounding it.

He could see everything through a crack in the ink, watching the fighting going down in slow-motion. Sylvana was laughing over Blaze's battered form, Mimic was throwing Whisper like a ragdoll into the ground, and Ultimate Shadow was firing a Chaos Burst across the platforms, forcing the others to run away. Eventually, Whisper would be thrown to them, having gained new cuts and bruises.

Tangle was the first to catch her, holding her close as Ultimate Shadow roared at them. "I couldn't...save them..." The wolf mobian whimpered, holding her teammate's hand as the others prepared for the worst. 

It was that one quote that sparked something in Dave. What was happening was bad enough, but it also triggered a memory of his past. A memory he had never been allowed to forget, no matter how much it hurt.

(Heroic Trunks Theme-MajinBlue ft. Styzmask)

https://youtu.be/tT6BH0nBhoI?si=7Oo23pF5nIKEYniU&t=66

(1:06-1:39)

He remembered the rain pounding against his body, rubble strewn across the ruined planet. The corpses of many Seedrians that had gone into Mover Mode were scattered around the place, as well as a few dead Black Arms soldiers. Despite his pain, the slightly tall creature tried to stand.

His gaze then quickly turned to the corpse standing before him, half of the seedrian female's body burnt to a crisp. "M...mother?" Dave asked gently, moving to cup her body as it started to crumble into dust. "No! MOTHER! We're safe! We're going to make it! We're...we're..." As the tears started to flow, the flower atop Comet's head withered away, leaving him with no trace of her existence left.

The seedrian collapsed onto his knees, letting out a shrieking wail before slamming his fists into the ground, causing the land to rumble as his hair tendrils started to catch fire.

He had lost everything that day...and, if Magi-Chan's plan worked, he'd lose everything all over again.

Within the pile of shadow monsters and ink, not only was that memory causing his sorrow to stir, but also his rage. "Never...NEVER AGAAAAAAIN! " He roared, his yellow reptilian eye widening along with his mouth of sharp teeth.

(1:40-2:00)

A massive explosion of bright flames not only destroyed the ink, but wiped out any nearby shadow monsters, a furious yell joined with that sound as the fires raged. "What the?!" Sylvana cried out. "My eyes!" Blaze and Tangle took the opportunity to punch her in the face, forcing her back onto Ultimate Shadow.

The feline solian got a good look at those flames, gasping. "It's not as powerful as my fire, but far more untamed!"

The others were also turning towards this burst of energy, Whisper's eyes slightly opening as she seemed to see several pieces of familiar armor fly past them. Those pieces melted into slag when they hit the ground, but everybody soon realized where that was coming from. "Was that Dave?!" Sleet shouted.

"I think we're about to find out." Lanolin said, the flames seemingly dying down and being replaced by smoke. Mimic and Ultimate Shadow just glared at the sight, ready for battle. For a while, nothing happened, making it seem like Dave just erupted into flames and nothing more.

(2:01-2:28)

That fire came back with a vengeance, as, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Dave emerged from the smoke, a firestorm all around him as he roared to the sky. His full appearance had been revealed, though some parts of his armor (shoulder spikes, chest, arms, and half of his mask) still remained. Because of that, there were no inhibitions in his power.

He resembled a large carnosaur, his body covered in smooth purple/red scales. His tail-claw flexed with power, clamping at the air while also shooting a bout of flame from the center. His back was lined with several wicked spikes, his head sporting two sets. His body also had a bit more muscle to it, supporting his hunched saurian flame.

Dave's head resembled that of a Tyrannosaurus mixed with a Spinosaurus, being slightly crocodilian, yet compact enough to still look like a dinosaur. His large claws spread outward, his fury unleashed in the form of fire erupting from his maw. His eyebrows also extended back to form his hair tendrils, a bush of dark red lotus leaves going down his back like a mane.

"WHOA! Talk about a reveal!" Tangle exclaimed.

"Bloody hell." Drapio raised her pincers to her mouth.

"He's...beautiful..." Whisper's eyes shimmered, the flames dancing in the reflection around her pupils.

Growling, Mimic wasted no time rushing at his new foe, slamming all of his tentacles into the seedrian's head, snuffing out the flames. However, the saurian one pushed his head back, growling as the giant octopus realized just how badly he had screwed up. "Oh...fuck."

(2:29-2:56)

He was soon met with a punch to the face by the enraged extraterrestrial, who followed up with slapping him around many times with his burning hair tendrils. "RAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Dave roared, pushing him back through the air before chomping down on his beak and throwing him onto the ground so hard that he spat out the wisps from his body.

Not finished yet, Dave landed on a nearby rock, charging something within his maw before firing it as a large beam of concentrated heat. It was almost like the sun itself was unleashing this attack, the brightness forcing even Ultimate Shadow to fly back after having been mesmerized by the whole thing.

Thinking fast, Mimic leaped away, but was still blown back heavily by the blast. His back was almost cooked completely, one of his tentacles reduced to ash. Dave roared again at that before leaping back into the air, landing with the others to reunite with them.

(2:57-3:24)

Slowly standing up, Dave towered over his allies and foes, his maw still smoking and dropping embers while he panted. "Please, tell me he didn't go crazy." Sleet took a step back. "How are you doing...boss?" She nervously laughed, Drapio clicking her pincers nervously.

He then turned to Whisper, leaning in before gesturing the wisps to her side. "Nobody...will harm my friends." He spoke much more clearly without a mask, though it was still deep and imposing.

She wasted no time hugging her wisps close, giving her ally a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Blaze raised a hand, feeling the heat emanating from the seedrian. "Incredible. I suppose I'm not the only one born with this power."

"And by a plant, too. Like a killer brush fire from Jurassic Park." Tangle added.

"That's one way to put it, I guess." Lanolin stated.

(3:24-3:39)

Though he seemed touched by the wolf mobian's words, Dave's attention went back to Sylvana, growling at her. "Stop this. NOW." He was joined by the others, each giving their best game face at her.

"You think so? You forget that I'm still with my trump card!" Sylvana pointed to Ultimate Shadow, the draconic one flapping his wings as he once again tried to resist the voices in his head, thrashing his head around. "Do as you're told, you useless reptile! I don't have all day!"

"I think we're done listening to-"

"LOOK OUT!" Tangle interrupted Blaze, a hot stream of ink headed for them.

(3:39-3:56)

Mimic was to blame, the giant octopus having found himself on a higher platform. "That does it! I'm through playing nice! You're ALL going down!" He continued to fire ink bombs from his beak, while Ultimate Shadow added some Chaos Spears to further increase the chances of the heroes meeting an untimely demise.

With Silver, he was pushing back against Magi-Chan, the psychic one turning to the smoke covering the platform. "Your allies are finished! Why continue to fight?!"

The future hedgehog mobian gave a smirk. "You say you're smart AND a fellow psychic? Then I'd look a bit harder if I were you!" He finished that with roundhouse kicking his foe through the air.

Right as he said that, several fiery hair tendrils emerged from the smoke, flinging at Ultimate Shadow.

(3:56-4:25)

Not only did those vine-like things wrap around the draconic one's head, but the Neo-Diamond Cutters ran along it. Tangle used her tail to swing from it to punch Sylvana in the face before she could command Ultimate Shadow more, while Lanolin used a combination of her soundwaves and Sleet's howling to disorient their common foe, causing him to be free for a giant burst of flames from Blaze's hands, joined by Drapio's Cross Poison attack.

Whisper used all of her wisp abilities to stop Mimic from attacking her team. She used the hover feature to avoid the ink shots, used the flamethrower mode to light up the ink around her enemy, used the spikes function to pin the tentacles down, and used the laser function to blind him. Joined by Tangle and Dave's tail and tendrils (respectively), she used the hammer function to slam down onto him, smashing him through the platform.

"WHOO! GO TEAM!" Tangle pumped a fist, Whisper giving a cold stare down to the falling octopus and Dave letting out another roar of victory.

(4:25-End)

Back with Ultimate Shadow, he flew into the air, using Chaos Control to stop time for just a moment. He prepared his Chaos Burst, the air around him sizzling as Sylvana began to laugh. "It's already over, fools! You'll all be destroyed! CWCville will be better than Mobius ever was! Our goddess will be honored! I WON'T BE A FAILURE LIKE MY FATHER!"

"Will you shut up already?!" Blaze shouted, rushing at her to deliver a kick across her jaw, knocking out a few teeth as she went spiraling into a floating piece of rubble.

As it flew around, Dave charged up his own beam: the Deforestation Beam. It sizzled the air around him, but the others still fired their ranged weapons with him, the blasts combining to strike against the Chaos Burst. It clashed violently, causing laser beams from the clash-point to spread everywhere like a disco ball.

Instead of either side winning, that ball just exploded, sending Ultimate Shadow flying almost into the maelstrom's center, taking him away while Sylvana was struck by one of those lasers, letting out a final gasp as she was incinerated on the spot. The music soon ended as the heroes crashed onto another platform.

"You bastards." Magi-Chan grunted, having spent a lot of his energy fighting Silver. The future hedgehog mobian seemed to be getting stronger, despite the strain it was putting on his body. "I was never quite the romantic type, but she was one of my more useful allies."

"Then make the right decision! Stop this! Avoid more death!" Silver insisted.

"I'm not turning away from my plan! In five minutes, this planet is going to be reduced to cosmic dust! It will be as if C-197 was always the greatest and not this world!" Magi-chan spread out his arms as he explained.

Silver just looked unamused. "Five minutes? You sure about that? I'm looking at the planet right now and it's still a ways from getting out of that portal."

"Don't you dare try to be smart with me! I have the highest IQ on the CWC-net!"

"Your intellect doesn't mean much if it's not tempered by compassion." Silver stated before their fight continued on.

Back with the Neo-Diamond Cutters, they looked upon their victory. "That was...exciting." Lanolin adjusted her wool.

"Yeah. Cathartic, too. Kinda feel bad, though. Sylvana wasn't always like that. I think." Sleet sadly sighed. "We used to be friends, too. Shame it all turned out like this."

Whisper couldn't help but look down from the top of the platform, wondering if Mimic was truly gone. "Hey. It's fine. We got him." Tangle patted her friend on the shoulder.

"...I hope." The wolf mobian said before Dave stomped forth, leaning down towards the group.

"Is something cooking or is it just me?" Drapio wondered, her anthro Mightyena friend facepalming.

The seedrian looked at himself, realizing he had been freed of his armor. "I know my appearance is quite shocking, but that's the least of my concerns."

"I wouldn't say shocking. I'm quite curious as to how you gained mastery over fire like that." Blaze said before looking to where Silver was challenging Magi-Chan. "But you're right about our concerns needing to be somewhere else."

"Find the Omen of Hope." Whisper softly said. "End this."

That gave Dave some pause, his claw moving to his chin as he imagined destroying everything he had worked so hard for. Everything that would give Green Gate a second chance. "But...my home..."

"It's the only way. I'm sorry." Lanolin shook her head. "You're going to need to make a choice. You either take what Magi-Chan said at face-value...or you make sure that everybody here has a future."

Digging his claws into the ground, Dave leaped onto another platform. "I'll find the Omen of Hope! I'll turn it off! Find a way to save both our worlds! I won't give up on my dream!"

"Uh, sure! If you can find a way, that'd be great! We're not stopping you!" Tangle replied.

Whisper just gave a nod, the other wisps waving him goodbye. "I'm going to miss you all!" He called out, wiping away a small tear before continuing on his path, leaping from platform to platform.

"...I'll miss you too." Whisper softly said.

Still, Magi-Chan had a point from earlier. The world from C-197 was getting closer to Mobius, almost covering the sky. Sonic noticed this as he had finished spin-dashing into the Egg Thanatos again. "This is gonna cut it close!" He stated before looking to Sonichu. "Hey! Wanna deal with this guy? I've got, uh, hero stuff to do!"

"Sure thing! Just you wait! My franchise is gonna be just as big as yours when this is all done! Thanks for inspiring me so much!" He said cheerfully before spinning through the Egg Thanatos' scythe, tearing the handle in half.

"Get back here! I'm not fighting a facsimile hedgehog! I want YOU!" Dr. Robotnik shouted. "You've taken so much from me already! Don't deny me this! Do you hear?!"

Ignoring the yelling, Sonic ran across many more platforms, checking on the others as he did so. "C'mon! Where's an Omen of Hope when you need it?!" He said before noticing Super Mecha Sonic smashing through more rubble, using his blaster arm and throwing energy balls in frustration.

One of them nearly hit the platform with the Chaotix group. "Don't worry about us! We'll keep him distracted!" Vector shouted.

"We have this!" Espio kept teleporting away from the blasts, but he had run out of logs when one smashed in front of him, burning his chest and forcing his crocodile mobian friend to take him to safety.

With Tails, she was watching as the planet was getting closer, memories of THE END flooding her mind. "If these are Mobius' final moments...I guess the only silver lining is how beautiful it looks."

"We're not thinking like that! We're not done!" Amy slammed away some shadow monsters, while Sticks did her best to patch up Rouge's wing.

The bat mobian punched her fist against the ground, baring her fangs. "That bitch! Using Maria's form to trick Shadow! If I get my hands on her-OW!"

"Sorry! You were raging there. When we get home, I'll make you a wing from some bamboo and scrap metal. Works for me whenever I lose a limb!" Sticks said before looking at Tails. "I'll even make you some new tails!"

"Can we not...talk about that right now?" The fox mobian rubbed the bandaged stumps where her tails used to be. "Please. I need to concentrate.

As Big waved to Sonic, the hedgehog mobian continued on his way, before a familiar red light passed by him. "Tikal! What have you been doing?"

"I've been observing everything that's happened and I mobilized to warn as many people as I could." Tikal sadly sighed. "I did my best, but I never expected THIS calamity. However, all hope is not lost."

"You know where the Omen of Hope is?" He wondered.

The ball of light moved past him. "No. But I know how to give this world more time...and my lover some more time as well. This is goodbye, Sonic. Farewell."

"Wait a minute. What do you-YIKES!" Once again, Metal Sonic had joined the fray, covering around himself and unleashing a Maximum Burst that nearly sucked the Blue Blur into the pillar of light. Tikal took this chance to move towards her next destination.

Chaos had been separated from the group, groggily standing up as he suddenly felt a presence that gave him even more power to stand. So much had happened, causing him to rub his head as he felt himself gain more moisture. "The Chaos Emeralds, as well as the other emeralds? What is this?" He remembered those objects being destroyed. He could feel it deep within his brain!

But that's when he looked behind him, the Omen of Hope continuing to generate the energy needed for the pillar of light. A swirling vortex was within the center, the whole area shaking like a leaf. "This is the Omen of Hope?"

Clenching his fists, the watery being used all of his power to ready himself to attack. "For Mobius. For my kin. For my lover. For the friends I've made!" He prepared to slam his claws into the archway.

"Hey, watch it there, Chaos Monster!"

BZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAP!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Chaos cried out in pure agony as Sonichu's fists shoved into him from behind, all of his volts shooting into his foe's brain. The organ flailed and shook as the watery body began to steam. "S...stop...stooooop!"

"No way! You almost broke the hearts of everybody in CWCville by trying to destroy this thing! Besides, think of this as one of those 'hero beats his old foe' moments! Pretty neat, huh?" He joked, removing his hands from the smoking body of the watery being.

"Ti...kal...I'm so...sorry!" Lunging at his enemy one last time, Chaos fell off the edge, closing his eyes as everything became dark for him, while Sonichu ran back down from the floating Omen of Hope to continue his fight against Dr. Robotnik.

(Farewell Life-Nights Amore and Arn Andersson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD0XEH3qVCk

(0:00-0:34)

His lower half was evaporating into steam, while the life started to fade from Chaos' eyes. Still, he could see all that was happening around him as he fell onto the nearest platform in slow motion. More destruction, of course, was all around him. He would have bitterly chuckled if he could. THIS whole mess was what one could consider 'chaos'.

Eventually, he would splash down against a floating piece of what remained of Angel Island. There, he glanced at the Omen of Hope, raising a claw to it. 'Somebody will have to take my place. Somebody has to.' He thought, even as Super Mecha Sonic spin-dashed through more platforms and shadow monsters, while the rest of the Resistance was trying to hold onto something.

However, when he gazed upon the world heading for Mobius, a much more melancholy expression hit him. "Cruel...fate..." He muttered, slightly remembering the moon-like entity that had wiped out his ancestors.

(0:35-1:08)

It was as he laid dying, deprived of energy and with his brain still smoking, that he started to think on his life. From the day he was born mutated by the Master Emerald to his entire life in that puddle on Angel Island. Everything was so lonely until Tikal showed up, as she was the one that mended the gap between him and his fellow Chao. Made him realize that he didn't have to live his life as a loner simply because he was born different.

The thought of being with his beloved in the afterlife was something that comforted him greatly, his eyes brimming with tears as he imagined holding her hand as they ascended to Heaven. However, his memories started to go to other things. Of being free at last, saving people, having ice cream, and making new friends. Not to mention, a certain solian princess was also on his mind, her smile as warm as the most comforting flame.

"I get to be with Tikal forever." He weakly muttered before looking around himself again. "But...what about the world I'm leaving behind?"

(1:08-2:14)

By now, everybody had found themselves high above the sea, past the very clouds themselves. The world from C-197 had gotten closer, causing further panic all around Mobius. Silver looked upon that sight, closing his eyes before zooming further around the pillar. "It has to be somewhere! I can't let this continue!"

Blaze wanted to join him, but she caught sight of Chaos laying on the ground, barely clinging to life. "Is there anything I can do?!" She asked, landing in front of him.

"N...no. My ties with the energies of the emeralds are almost gone. My life is at an end." Chaos weakly muttered before Tikal floated down near him, gaining his attention. "You came back. I had a feeling."

The ghostly echidna mobian transformed into her transparent true form, kneeling down as she hung her head low. "You're fading fast. If you're not given the right energy, then-"

"Then we can both go into Heaven. We can finally rest and not be imprisoned within that Master Emerald anymore." Chaos tried to comfort her, raising a claw to pat her on the cheek. "I can no longer selfishly keep you from your ancestors."

As he said that, the Chao spirits, as well as the Angel Island Chao, gathered around him, all looking morose at seeing their friend start to perish. "But...it's not fair." Tikal shook her head. "You were shown the beauty of life! Of living among others! My time has passed, but yours can still go on!"

"Tell us! What is it you truly want?" Blaze asked, moving down to hold his other hand, some tears of her own starting to brim. "I think I've lost my home...my kingdom...my friends. I can't lose another friend today."

Looking around himself, Chaos tried to sit up a bit more, but that only made more of his body start to steam, his brain weakly pulsating. "What do...I want?" He wondered, closing his eyes as he prepared to give his answer. For a moment, he was going to assure them that this was fine. 

(2:15-3:05)

But that answer didn't come. "This world...my home..." He began, his eyes widening as he looked more woeful. "It's so beautiful. There are so many kind people here and from other dimensions. So many dreams and joys that have come true and have yet to come true. There's so much that I wanted to do before my life was finished. Things like ice cream and swimming and the bonds we all make..."

A lump appeared in his throat, his eyes moving back to the incoming planet. "I want to protect this world some more. I want to give to it more than I have taken. But...I suppose...it was never meant to be."

"That's not true! We'll help you! You'll get to experience more than you ever got to!" Blaze insisted before looking to Tikal. "Is there literally no way to restore him?!" That got no response from the echidna, though she wasn't saying 'no'. She seemed deep in thought, as if narrowing her options.

"Blaze..." Chaos interrupted this, moving his hand to rest on the other's. "Thank you for being my friend. Fly away and help everybody else. Know that I will always treasure our time together."

Wiping away her tears, the feline solian stood up, but just lit up her fists when she saw Sonichu and Dr. Robotnik continue their battle nearby. "We'll stay by your side and fight. You're not...dying alone." She hated admitting that there was seemingly nothing anybody could do for the noble creature, but still.

Tikal looked to the other chao, hearing their pleas as they chirped and cooed in worry and sadness. The Angel Island Chao were huddling against their dying friend's sides, causing him to hold them all close.

(3:05-3:46)

"My family. I'm so sorry I failed you all." Chaos weeped. "If this truly is the end for us all, at least we get to be together in the end."

Both Tikal and Blaze could detect the despair in his voice. Every time he tried to downplay the destruction taking place, he found himself failing. The last things that would go through the watery being's mind would be that the world he had called home would be reduced to space dust. The Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds were destroyed. All the Chao would be no more.

He hugged the Chao tighter, bolts of lightning from the maelstrom striking near the group. The planet was getting closer, more earthquakes rocking all of Mobius as it continued to descend downward. "Goodbye. I'll be seeing you soon, Tikal." He whispered, closing his eyes.

For a while, he anticipated death to finally claim him. For justice to finally be served for those he had slain in the past. Though he wanted to consider this a fitting punishment, he only wished the rest of the world didn't have to pay with him.

But that's when he felt something invigorating flood through his body all the sudden, causing his eyes to slowly open.

(3:47-4:20)

Gasping as he looked at himself, Chaos saw that his lower body was reforming. "What's this?" He wondered before watching a Chao sink into his own body, a look of calm on the small creature's face. "What are you doing?!" 

"The Chao have made a decision." Tikal said softly. "They have decided to give their very souls to revitalize you. Already, the power of chaos itself is flowing around us, but they've absorbed so much that they're giving it all back to you in full."

Blaze also gasped at that prospect. "They're...sacrificing themselves for him?"

"NO! Tell them to stop!" Chaos demanded, only for more Chao souls to push into him, causing his power to rise and make his body start to glow. "I care not for this power! They'll cease to exist if they keep this up!"

"Wrong. They'll always be with you. They're not only doing this for you, but the whole planet." Tikal added. "It is their choice...and this..." She held out her hand, floating above as the energy of chaos flooded into her from all around her. "...is mine."

(4:20-4:53)

She suddenly surged into the watery one's body, hugging around it as she began to fill him with remaining energy of the Chaos Emeralds, as well as the Master Emerald. "NO! GET OFF! YOU'LL FADE AWAY TOO!" Chaos roared, even as he began to feel something he hadn't felt in forever. The feeling of becoming Perfect...and more, this time around.

"There must be another way!" Blaze added, only for both to receive a tired and sad smile from the echidna spirit.

"It's okay. I'll never leave your side, Chaos. I'll always be in your loving heart." She looked back at the feline solian, who could only loom solemnly. "And you won't be alone, either. Don't stop making bonds, Chaos. The power of friendship and love is what makes you strong. Not your rage or the negative energy of the emeralds."

A bright shining rainbow light began to fill up Chaos' body, but Tikal's spirit started to slowly fade away, crumbling into ether that filled his very being. "Please, don't do this! I'm not worth it!" He wept, tears leaking down his face as the last few Chao were absorbed into him.

"You...are." Tikal weakly said, her spirit fading with the light as she was absorbed. "Save Mobius...and know...I will always...love you..."

"NO! NO!" Chaos' voice deepened as he felt the last bits of Tikal absorb into him, the whole of the maelstrom starting to shake as the sea below them all started to shake violently.

(4:53-5:27)

In an event that forced Blaze to fly out of the way, it looked like a great portion of the ocean shot out from below, giving off a green/blue glow as it swirled around Chaos like a whirlpool. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! " Chaos roared, his voice deepening further with his despair.

Sparks flew from the Omen of Hope as the chaotic energy within it was sucked out due to the process. It slowed the planet's descension towards Mobius greatly, while the ocean continued to surge around where Chaos once stood.

"HOLY SHIT!" Vector shouted, everybody else noticing this. Even the villains couldn't help but watch this spectacle. The colors representing the seven Chaos Emeralds started to swirl within this whirlpool, taking many shadow monsters with it.

As the structure became more violent, something was forming within. Something that stood half as tall as a Death Egg Robot, maybe bigger. Both Sonic and Sonichu felt a familiar presence, while Eggman struggled to calculate the numbers that the Egg Thanatos was getting from the event.

Super Mecha Sonic had also felt this familiar power, but all reactions would be capped off with a sorrowful howl of fury that emanated from the thing. One that those of Mobius recognized and wished they'd never hear again.

And then, the whole whirlpool exploded, creating a seemingly endless soft rain that swirled gently around the calmed maelstrom.

(5:27-End)

The mist slightly covered what had formed within that whirlpool, but that mist would soon dissipate. Standing atop the ruins of Angel Island was a seemingly familiar sight. It looked like Perfect Chaos had returned, but he looked dramatically different this time. More powerful, too.

Basically, he resembled what would happen if his Perfect form was even more evocative of a certain king of the monsters. Most of him was still made of water, but backside of his entire body was still covered in dark blue scales. His tail resembled that of an axolotl, fanning around as the water showed occasional surges of green energy.

His back had several green spikes sticking out of it, but some of the collection of those spikes running across his back resembled dorsal plates. The arms and legs were quite thick, ending in sharp glowing-green claws. Around the scale-covered chest, there was a dull-green marking in the middle, surrounded by lines tracing from it to his back. Each line was colored like a certain Chaos Emerald, seven in total.

Finally, Chaos' head largely resembled his Perfect form, but with a fiercer look. His eyes were clenched shut, a few tears leaking down his scales before the eyes finally opened. His reptilian slits looked around before constricting, gazing upon those around him.

"Is that Perfect Chaos?!" Amy cried out.

"As if we didn't have enough problems already!" Tails rubbed her temples, the situation just seeming to get worse with every passing moment.

Blaze floated in front of the changed being, hesitantly reaching a hand out. Instead of lashing out like Ultimate Shadow did, the watery creature raised a claw as well before pulling it away, looking to the incoming planet with a look of grim resolve.

"No. This isn't Perfect." She shook her head, landing next to Amy and the others. "This is Maximum Chaos." 

Super Mecha Sonic crossed his arms, despite sensing great power within the beast. "Let him do what he pleases. I'll let him rampage while I seek out my destiny."

Sonic stood atop some floating rubble as he witnessed that all. "Talk about a glow-up. But that roar sounded so...sad. What happened?" He wondered, but then he remembered Tikal, causing him to realize something terrible must have happened to her. "That's it. I've gotta end this now."

The Egg Thanatos steeled itself, charging to max power as Dr. Robotnik looked upon the behemoth. "This day is just full of surprises, isn't it? Well, I'm putting a stop to this if it bars my path!"

Ignoring everything around him, Maximum Chaos charged up a powerful beam, the spikes around his body glowing brightly as the energy traveled from his tail to his chest and to his maw. Letting out another roar, he fired it at the maelstrom's center, causing it to destabilize briefly and stop the planet entirely. That blast even started to move it BACK into the void of the collapsing universe from whence it came.

Dave witnessed this as he clung to a piece of floating rubble, a look of hope dawning on him. "He's doing it! He's reversing the process!"

"You go, Chaos!" Tangle shouted from her group's platform. 

Sonic crossed his arms, smiling at what he was seeing. "I knew you'd make for a great hero. Tikal would be proud."

Sonichu, however, gasped in horror at what he witnessed. "THE PERFECT CHAOS MONSTER!" He yelled, grabbing the beast's attention. Quickly, Maximum Chaos turned to the electric hedgehog Pokemon, his eyes widening with hate as he focused on the small yellow rodent. "You've come back for revenge, huh?"

Magi-Chan floated next to his ally, using his psychic powers to bring Ultimate Shadow near too. The draconic one was still running rampant, but the voices in his head (Magi-Chan's own 'Maria' impression among them) drove him to be tame around the electric hedgehog pokemon. "Deal with him. He's ruining everything."

"You leave him be! You've already taken enough from him with your plan!" Blaze growled, only to be gripped by Magi-Chan's power and thrown into a nearby floating building, several shadow monsters emerging from behind it to make yet another attack. The presence of Ultimate Shadow seemed to attract them, anyway.

The gaze between Maximum Chaos and Sonichu continued, the pupil of the reptilian one reflecting pure hatred and remembrance. Chaos' rampage had led to the creation of Sonichu. Now, the hybrid Pokemon had come back, but had brought with him pain, destruction, and the indirect erasure of Chaos' loved ones.

There was only one way the ensuing fight would end. One of them would walk away...and the other would be dead.

(By a 70cm Square Window [Full English Cover]-MasakoX, Mark de Groot (JorporXx), and 94Stones)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwkqaRZkAp0

The army of shadow monsters, Ultimate Shadow, Magi-Chan, Sonichu, and Dr. Robotnik all converged towards where Maximum Chaos was standing, the creature narrowing his eyes as he charged up another beam. His tail slammed against the ground, his eyes widening as he opened his maw when the first lyric finished.

A 70cm square window...

Instantly, he fired his beam, smashing it against Ultimate Shadow first before arcing it, forcing his foes to scatter. Many shadow monsters were annihilated in the blast, his claws spreading out as he finished and let out a deep and furious roar. That roar pushed almost everybody back, but it would soon end.

When the lyrics began, he stomped forward, his face still reflecting his hardened resolve to see this fight through. Looking at his claw, he clenched it hard, tears threatening to cascade down his face again before he looked to his side.

All around him, the heroes were fighting the hordes of shadow monsters, with Sonic taking the lead as he spin-dashed into several of them. Such war and devastation weighed heavily on his heart, but he refocused back to the scattered foes.

Outside the weather is fine, the clouds have come apart. Yet I've no desire to let the sun inside my darkened heart.

This soulless and pathetic world Is slowly killing me. I have got to break free.

Before he even knew it, Sonichu rocketed into his head, but he quickly tail-slapped him away, only for Magi-Chan to push him back with a large wall of rock. Ripping through it, he was then tackled by Ultimate Shadow, who fired at him at point-blank range with his Chaos Burst. Struggling past that beam searing the side of his face, Maximum Chaos charged up his own beam.

Striking it against his draconic foe, he followed it up by firing several green spike missiles from his back, roaring as he also summoned several tentacles from his body. They all crashed into his foes, sending Magi-Chan flying while Sonichu found himself retreating from them all. The explosions of those spikes hitting some nearby shadow monsters blanketed the sky, too.

I have always thought of you for eternity! Without you I'd lose my grip on reality!

I've always thought of you, so desperate to see you again! With you, I can just about hold back all the pain!

Dr. Robotnik joined the fray by slapping the Egg Thanatos' tail against Sonichu, chasing Sonic as he swung his scythe at him. "Just hold still! Let me have this already!" He shouted before Ultimate Shadow ran into him, tearing off one of the machine's arms before rushing back towards Maximum Chaos.

With the help of Amy's group, Rouge tried to hop onto the platforms in order to follow the draconic one, as yet another clash between the powerful entities was about to take place. Before that clash happened, Maximum Chaos closed his eyes, still trying his best not to let the hurt within him take over.

Sometimes I can muster a smile but it quickly fades away. At night, I keep you in my mind but your memory starts to decay.

And not evеn your beauty can keep this sorry dream alive. To you, I must say goodbyе.

Throwing his head back, the watery kaiju let out another roar as his chest unleashed more tentacles of water, but Ultimate Shadow barrel rolled through them, using Chaos Control to teleport above him. Grabbing around his head, he fired several electricity balls into that brain, causing Chaos to thrash around and fire his green spikes all around in a way that forced everybody to take cover. The Egg Thanatos was hit the worst by several of those spikes, sending him flying through the maelstrom.

Finally having enough, Maximum Chaos headbutted into his foe, dragging him through the ground as he avoided the ranged attacks of Magi-Chan and the remaining shadow monsters. Struck by another Chaos Burst to his chest, the watery creature grabbed him around the wings, spinning him around and even managing to break one of them in his grip before letting him go...

...flinging him straight into an opening portal before he also fired his Maximum Beam (as it is now named) to send him the roaring Ultimate Shadow further into it.

I've had you on my mind for forever and a day! I shall look to you for forever and a day!

I've always thought of you, even though we've never met! Your memory gives me life! I will not be beaten yet!

AHHHHHHHH!

"SHADOW!" Rouge called out, holding out her hand as her lover and best friend tumbled into the unknown darkness of the portal, the others helpless to do anything. Maximum Chaos was now panting, his body smoking with the injuries he had gained. Still, he turned to the maelstrom, ready to finish what he had started before. 

His attention was once again grabbed when a burst of orange energy caught his eye. "Good thing I had some Sonichite to even the odds!" Sonichu shouted as he shoved a strange stone against his chest, causing him to be enveloped on an orange/golden light and transform in a process known as Mega-Evolution. Now, he was Ultra Sonichu...which was basically an orange recolor of his original look. "You ready for this, Perfect Chaos Monster?"

"I...hate...that...HEDGE-MON!" Maximum Chaos roared, his dorsal spines glowing once more.

Tell me why, every time, I once again...believe in you. Tell me why, every time, I once again...

Tell me why...I once again...believe in you. Tell me why, every time, I once again...

Unfortunately for him, Maximum Chaos' chest was soon crashed into by the empowered one, a series of electric punches and kicks further sending him back The volts traveled across his form, causing his brain to flail wildly within his head-horn. Despite the pain, he let out a green chaotic pulse, pushing him back so he could fire his Maximum Beam at his foe.

Dispelling the beam with a burst of his own, Ultra Sonichu formed several bolts in his hands, throwing them into the sky and causing them to rain down. It further caused havoc across the battlefield, but Maximum Chaos found himself having to shield himself. Alas, this not only wasn't enough to keep him from feeling the burning pain of those bolts, but it also left him open for Ultra Sonichu to volt-tackle him so hard that he was sent flying, the burst of electricity vaporizing all rubble near them.

I want you to sing a song! Shout as loudly as you want! Don't you hold it in, give it everything you've got!

I've always thought of you, even though we've never met! Your memory gives me life! I will not be beaten yet!

Maximum Chaos crashed near where Sonic was, his brain then struck by yet another bolt and causing him to rear his head back in absolute pain. "Chaos! Hang in there! We're gonna help!" Sonic shouted, even as the bolts kept crashing down. All he got was the large creature extending his hand to him.

I don't care about myself! I don't care about myself!

Chaotic energy began to fill the Blue Blur, confusing him before Maximum Chaos turned his back to see that Ultra Sonichu was preparing a new attack. "Take my power! Save the world!" He slapped his tail to where Sonic was, getting him out of the way as a blue wave of energy headed right for Maximum Chaos, though he showed no fear, as he quickly charged up one final Maximum Beam.

Wake up! Sing a song! It's always been about you! Your memory gives me life! It guides me straight and true!

"CURSE-YE-HA-ME-HAAAAAAAAA!" Ultra Sonichu shouted, increasing the size of that blue beam before it clashed into the Maximum Beam. The resulting causing the maelstrom around them to twist and bend with the wind it generated, causing everybody to be scrambled across the entire place. Notably, Blaze clung to a flying piece of rubble, using her flames to keep propelling herself so she could see the outcome of this battle.

AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHH!

With an extra burst of energy, Ultra Sonichu's beam triumphed, dispelling his foe's energy attack before his own engulfed Maximum Chaos. Pushing against the searing energy, the watery one struggled against its power before he found himself getting pushed back, as well as much of himself evaporating before the it all. All he could do was let out a mournful scream, his eyes widening for one last time.

Let me see you! Let me see you! Let me see you!

As the song ended, Chaos' mind drifted to the memory of himself sleeping against a palm tree, holding Tikal and his Chao brethren close. He swore he heard Blaze call out his name as oblivion washed over him...

Some minutes later...

Whisper coughed as she clutched onto her platform, the recent burst of power having nearly knocked her out cold. The maelstrom was picking up speed once more, but Mobius had been given a little more time after all was said and done. 

Her wisps helped her up before returning to the wispon, which she held tightly as she looked around. It was when she looked down that she realized that something else had changed. Everything was now FAR above where the clouds were. In fact, the whole of the maelstrom had extended almost past the very atmosphere.

It was times like this that she was VERY glad she wasn't afraid of heights. The wolf mobian then started to look for her allies, hopeful that things hadn't taken a terrible turn. She used her wispon's hover ability to jump around platforms, seeking her friends out. She swore she could even hear their voices. They must have been looking for her.

However, a very unwelcome voice rose above them all, snickering evilly as her eyes widened in surprise, her body freezing. "You..." She muttered. "Why won't you stay dead?"

"Don't you know? I'll NEVER go away. Not as long as you and your friends still live." Mimic's taunting tone echoed through this section of the still swirling maelstrom. 

"Show yourself!" She yelled. "It's over!"

"It's only over if one of us winds up dead." Mimic said before taking the form of Tangle, waving at the wolf mobian from behind before leaping behind another floating piece of rubble when she turned to face him. "Don't like that? Too bad. My disguises are now so perfect..."

Suddenly facing the wolf mobian, he grinned she gazed upon his 'Sonic' form. "...you'd swear you were going crazy."

Something snapped within Whisper. Between the many times that the traitorous one had cheated death, as well as how he had strung her psyche along throughout this entire adventure, she finally lost control. "RAAAARGH!" She lunged at him, only to miss, the octopus mobian laughing as she wildly fired pink spikes at him.

He began to change into a litany of forms, all of which were faces she recognized. He also used his remaining tentacles to grapple to various locations, though he almost was hit by a few almost lucky shots. "You'll have to do way better than...oh! Lightbulb!" Something got his attention, causing him to land gracefully onto another platform.

Whisper's eyes narrowed at the standing traitor, his arm shaking as she charged up her wispon's missile ability. "Get...out...of my life..." She clenched her jaw, not even questioning why he wasn't moving.

"Go ahead! Come at me, girl! Don't fail your pals like you failed our old team!" Mimic taunted.

That did the trick. Whisper fired the largest missile she could charge up, nearly overloading her wispon from the energy output. However, the octopus mobian just dodged seamlessly...and it was then that Whisper realized what a huge mistake she had made.

For the missile was heading straight for Tails. "BUDDY! LOOK OUT!" Sonic shouted, rushing in to save the day, only to trip against a nearby rock as he pushed his friend out of the missile's incoming path.

KABOOOM! The missile struck, everybody watching in horror as it dawned on them that it had struck the hero...and, worst of all, something was flying into the air and landing at the feet of a very shaken Tails.

That thing being Sonic's burnt severed arm, that is.

Chapter Text

A few minutes earlier, after Maximum Chaos and Sonichu's fight...

When Sonic opened his eyes, he not only felt something familiar coursing slowly through his veins, but also saw that the maelstrom as a whole had gotten larger, the planet heading towards Mobius having only stopped its collision course for a few more moments. "I'll make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain, Chaos. That's a promise." He said to himself.

The rubble he was standing on was floating around much slower, too, as well as all the other improvised platforms. It was a lot easier to get from one place to the other now. "Now, where's that 'Omen of Hope'?" He wondered before something got his attention, causing him to gasp.

Without even thinking about it, he had rushed towards Tails, getting in the way of a missile fired at Mimic. He would deal with that evil octopus mobian soon, but, right now, he pushed his best friend out of the way, ready to dodge the missile, as well.

One little trip was all it took for him to miss the next dodge. A searing burning pain raced up his left arm before he felt nothing there at all. He skidded across the ground, nearly knocked out before he heard the horrified reactions of those around him. "SONIC!" Tails shouted, rushing towards him to take his vitals. "Are you alright?!"

"Whisper! What the hell?!" Vector shouted.

"Are you insane?!" Amy cried out.

"Hold on! Guys! It's not her fault! I swore, I saw Mimic pass by!" Tangle tried her best to explain, despite the horrible situation.

The wolf mobian herself was trembling in place, her wispon falling out of her hand as she comprehended what she just did. Stepping back, she felt her heart hammer in her chest louder than ever, drowning out all noise as her wisps tried to nudge her out of her shock. "I...I...I'm sorry..." She managed to squeak out, terrified tears leaking out of her eyes.

Groaning, Sonic started to get up, causing everybody to turn to him again. "Ow...what's cooking?" He tried to joke, only to see his left arm had been completely blown off, the wound cauterized and still sizzling. "That's not good, is it?" He tried to put on a brave face, but the mere act of moving was causing him to wince and even cause tears of pain to form.

"We'll get you some help!" Tails was relieved that this hadn't been the end for her hero. "Just stand down and we'll take care of the rest!"

Helped up by the fox mobian, Sonic looked to where Whisper was standing, but he gave a reassuring smile. "It's okay. It's only a scratch." He chuckled before wincing again. 

"She shot off your arm! How could you be this calm?! Because I'd like to learn how." Vector asked.

"He IS rather resilient." Espio supposed.

"I bet he's gonna have a new robot arm! With a chainsaw function!" Charmy tried to downplay the whole mood in his own way, but got a few scolding looks from the others. "Too soon?"

Tangle instantly leaped to where her friend was, only for her to pull away. "I...I need to find him! Make him pay! Make this right!" Whisper shouted.

"Not without us! We're here for you, remember?!" The lemur mobian replied.

"I saw what happened." Lanolin stated. "We'll talk about this when we finally stop this cataclysm from happening."

Blaze flew down, sighing while suppressing the urge to burn the wispon to nothing. "There's been enough death and destruction. We can't fight amongst ourselves now. Reserve your rage for the one who did this."

Despite the shock of seeing her former crush get mutilated by accident, Amy's attention was brought to how Big was hugging Rouge close. "There, there. I'm sure Shadow will be fine." The feline mobian tried to comfort the bat mobian.

"I hope so. Between that and what just happened...it's all becoming so much." She lowly said, her make-up running down her face. 

Sticks was the first to see that something else was about to happen, the maelstrom starting to violently crackle and shake. "Uh-oh! Who made the giant swirling thing mad?!"

"The tear in space/time is getting more violent!" Tails observed. "If it keeps going-"

KABOOM! The maelstrom seemed to expand with a mighty noise like a thunderclap, causing the platforms around it to nearly shatter or, at the very least, become smaller. Everybody found themselves clutching to the pieces of rubble they were on, their chances of falling off growing greater. Silver also tried to float through the storm, but he found up crashing into where Chaotix was, though Espio managed to save him with his long extending tail.

"Whoaaaaa!" Sonic found himself being separated from his fox mobian friend, swirling through the storm as he crashed through several platforms. His pain increased with every platform he struck, while the planet above seemed to be regaining speed in nearly hitting his home.

Some time would pass before he found himself on a larger pile of rubble, this one featuring remnants of the Robotnik statue from Robotropolis. Half of it looked rusted and broken, while something was sparking near the base of it. "Oh. It's you." Sonic groaned, moving his battered body closer to the wrecked statue.

Within it, the Egg Thanatos looked utterly wrecked, volts crackling around it while the villain piloting it just stared at the miasma around him, looking utterly numb to it all. "How nice. The world is ending and the only one by my side is you. My greatest enemy. I guess this is what I deserve, isn't it?"

"The world's not ending." Sonic said quickly, narrowing his eyes at the doctor. "It'd have a greater chance at surviving if you weren't such a rotten guy."

"..." Dr. Robotnik seemed to take note of his nemesis' injured nature, but he made no effort to try and finish off his foe for good. The Egg Guardian was too damaged, anyway. "Remember when I just wanted to make my own amusement park? When I actually cared about the animals I placed into my Badnik robots? When my life wasn't just matching wits with you day in and day out? What the hell happened?"

Arching a brow while making himself comfortable on the rubble, the hedgehog mobian found himself curious as to where this was going. "You're not the type to get introspective. What's up with this?"

Continuing to look around, Dr. Robotnik sighed in a much more miserable way. "I've lost pretty much everything. My empire, my robots, the Chaos Emeralds...and my daughter. She perished because I couldn't just...let go." He removed his glasses, showing Sonic the many bags under his eyes, as well as how red they were from crying. "I'm tired, Sonic. I'm so tired. There! I said it."

Taking that in, Sonic did his best to walk closer to the defeated villain. "I think this is life's way of saying you gotta turn your life around. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. You screwed up huge. You've had SO many chances to turn over a new leaf and make something great of your life and you keep squandering it for the sake of your ego!"

"That's it. Keep reminding me how much my father was right to call me a failure. A mistake." Dr. Robotnik grumbled before looking at a digital photo of Sage. "She deserved a better father than me. One that wouldn't drag her into this."

He was soon interrupted from his thoughts when Sonic extended his remaining hand to him. "It's not too late. Help me stop this disaster. Your daughter always wanted you to be happy. I think the first step to finally achieve that begins now."

Dr. Robotnik looked at that hand hesitantly. "You really think it's going to be that easy? After literally everything I've done-"

"Yeah, you're going to be spending the rest of your life doing community service. Can't lie to you there." Sonic stated.

"Fair, you blasted hedgehog." The villainous one huffed before slowly raising his hand to the other one. "I can't ruin this opportunity more than I've already done with my life."

"Like I said. It's not too late to change for the better." For a while, it seemed like the two enemies had reached an understanding within the madness of this whole event.

Suddenly, a surge of volts headed for them both, causing Sonic to turn back to witness it. "LOOK OUT, YOU FOOL!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, pushing him away before the volts crashed into his mech with him still in it. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

"EGGMAN!" Sonic cried out, only to see that Sonichu was responsible. He was no longer in his Mega-Evolved form, but he was unleashing several thunderbolts from his platform above. "Stop that! The battle's over!"

"No! He's a villain, just like the Perfect Chaos Monster! You're acting so immature, Sonic!" Sonichu shouted, continuing his onslaught before the Blue Blur spin-dashed into him, knocking him onto the ground. "Huh?! You're not supposed to be doing this!"

"Only because you keep messing things up!" Sonic shouted before looking back.

The volts were still traveling along the Egg Thanatos, Dr. Robotnik's eyes bulging against his glasses as his body was burned in various places by said volts. It also caused the Egg Guardian mech to shake around, causing the platform to crumble into the nearest portal opening up.

With a final scream of agony, the villainous one vanished into the portal, an explosion happening from within as the Egg Thanatos self-destructed. It seemed like the doctor was finally gone for good. The legacy of the Eggman Empire had finally ended.

Sonic stood there, frozen with shock over what had happened. Before he could confront Sonichu about it, he was then tackled into yet another platform, smashed through it at multiple points. Coughing heavily, his throat was clenched by two mettallic hands. "GACK!" He coughed out, eyes bulging as he looked up at his attacker.

The attacker was Metal Sonic, the robot looking slightly damaged after all that had happened. His eyes looked manic, glowing hot orange as smoke belched from his furnace chest. "At long last, I will finish what my father couldn't! Sage's destruction at my hands will be worth it! I WON'T LET THAT RELIC TAKE AWAY MY VICTORY!"

Despite being unable to hold back his attacker, Sonic continued to look defiant. "Screw...you..." He managed to say.

"Are those going to be your last words? I expected better." As he continued to clench around that neck, the metallic hedgehog mobian then started up the furnace-like component of his chest, readying it to incinerate his hated foe.

Instead of trying to grip around one of his enemy's metal arms, Sonic pointed up. "How about...'look out'?"

"I'm not falling for that foolish trick! I have you right where I-" CLENCH! His optics widened when a powerful claw gripped around his waist, lifting him up, and causing him to let go of the injured hedgehog mobian. 

It was Super Mecha Sonic, the machine's aura already starting to increase and melt the metal off of the metallic one. "Relic, am I? The very same one that did what you couldn't? The one who DIDN'T kill our sister?!"

"You heard that?!" Metal Sonic cried out before trying to wriggle free, his rockets activating, but not being enough to free himself. "It doesn't matter! It was the only logical course of action! Only an emotional fool like you wouldn't understand!"

Chuckling, the taller machine gripped both claws around the smaller robot's body. "Allow me to make a 'logical course of action' of my own, brother." He spitefully said, his arms starting to tug in opposite directions.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME! I'M THE SUPERIOR MODEL! I AM METAL SONIIIIIIC! " The robotic hedgehog mobian's optics were glowing intensely, panic evident in his core started to rupture.

"Wrong. It's YOU who is outdated. Farewell!" With one final tug, Super Mecha Sonic had torn the other machine in half, the engine exploding in a fiery haze that engulfed both robots. Sonic shielded his eyes away, trying to limp to safety.

He almost got to the edge before a burning golden aura was felt against his back. "Can't you just hold on for one second while I try to help save Mobius?!" Sonic angrily shouted. "I don't have time to deal with your madness too!"

Walking through the fire and smoke, Super Mecha Sonic's red optic glared at his foe, stopping while the embers fell around him. "I'll deal with this catastrophe in due time. For now, it's finally time that I rid you from my life. The voices will no longer haunt me and I shall be given the appreciation I deserve from my creator!"

"Hate to take the wind from your sails, but your creator isn't coming back for a long time. Maybe not ever." Sonic shook his head. "Eggman's gone. Every life you've destroyed has been for nothing."

For a while, that seemed to get to the empowered machine, his optic widening before he stomped a foot forward, snapping the platform in half and causing Sonic's half to float away slightly. "NO! YOU LIE! You're only trying to throw off my concentration! Well, bad news, but I'm not turning back from this! I'm finishing you off for good!"

"And will will you finally be satisfied?!" Sonic shouted. "You hurt Tails! You've hurt and killed so many others! You really think killing me is gonna be worth all that!? Is that even what you want?!"

"It's not about what I want! IT'S ABOUT WHAT I NEED!" Super Mecha Sonic flew into the air, roaring as his aura increased, destroying several nearby platforms by doing that. "If I am to be free from the torment within my mind, I must reduce you to dust! The seeming demise of Knuckles is enough for me, but your destruction will give me the peace I desire!"

Within his claw, an orange ball of energy was forming and rapidly increasing in size. Holding his open claw above his head, Super Mecha Sonic began to charge up what looked to be a miniature version of the sun. It lit up almost the entire maelstrom, drawing everybody's attention to it. 

"We're in trouble! What if he takes the moon AND the sun?!" Sticks gulped.

"And destroy everything that seems like fun?!" Charmy added.

"We are, as they say, FUCKED." Omega stated.

"He's not aiming for us. He's aiming for Sonic!" Tails shouted in horror.

"I'll try to stop-AUGH!" Blaze and several others were further pushed back by the winds of the maelstrom and the energy ball combined, preventing them from interfering. All they could do was swirl around this sight and watch.

"It can't end like this! SONIC! RUN! RUN AWAY!" Amy cried out.

Silver gritted his teeth, trying to push against the winds, but that caused one of his legs to nearly fade away, his power already increasing the chances of him finally ceasing to be. "I just need more time to concentrate..." He said to himself, praying that he wouldn't be too late.

As for Sonic himself, he continued to stare at the forming projectile, the burning heat sizzling his fur before he felt something surge within himself. The power Chaos gave him wasn't just familiar, but felt like it had limitless potential. Thus, he just glared his mechanical counterpart. "What are you waiting for, pal? Toss me the ball."

"At least, you won't die a coward!" Growling hatefully, the robot raised his hand higher, increasing the size of the ball until it blotted out Sonic's view of the sky. "PREPARE TO BE VAPORIZED!" He bellowed before throwing the ball down, the thing destroying many platforms around it before it crashed into where Sonic was.

His friends watched in horror as it continued to push through the platform, seemingly taking the hero with it. Nobody said anything. All they could do was hope for a miracle as the horrible realization that their hope was dying before their eyes. "Come on, Sonic. You can't die this easily." Tails refused to lose hope, hoping the worst case scenario wasn't happening.

(Daughter of the Flame-Audiopizza)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_WxpjhzKHI

(0:00-0:25)

The energy ball seemed to come to a slow stop, but the platform was crumbling away for another reason. Underneath that ball, a golden glow started to emanate, brightening up this section of the maelstrom. "What's this?" Super Mecha Sonic floated back a bit. 

"Oooooooh, he's in for it now!" Sticks grinned, the others also recognizing that glow.

"This is the power that Chaos gave to him." Blaze stated.

"That robot's finally gonna get a taste of his own medicine!" Tangle shouted.

Eventually, a golden hedgehog mobian would float with that energy ball lifted in his hand. "This belong to you?" Super Sonic asked, eventually throwing the huge thing over his shoulder.

(0:25-0:48)

It would below up against a distant piece of rubble, but Super Mecha Sonic just crossed his arms. "Hmph. I was wondering if I'd ever get to see you take on this form. Now, we can have a fair fight. I'm actually rather pleased. It'd be disappointing to end this too quickly."

"Oh, this isn't all you're getting." Super Sonic warned, waving his finger. "Remember that energy Chaos gave me? It's more potent than any other emerald-related power I've ever felt. You're seeing me when I'm trying to hold it back."

The others looked at each-other, trying to understand what he was getting at. "Is he implying he's become MORE powerful this time?" Espio wondered.

"Like that time on the Starfell Islands. But that was a very specific set of circumstances." Tails explained. "This is entirely new!"

"I'm on the edge of my seat!" Drapio shouted.

Narrowing his optic, Super Mecha Sonic powered up. "Enough talk! Show me the very limit of your power!"

Giving a wider grin, the golden hedgehog mobian clenched his fists, charging up his energy slowly. "I've got your limit right here...and the power...TO GO BEYOND! "

(0:49-1:09)

Letting loose a burst of that chaotic energy, Sonic's expression warped into that of clenched teeth and determination. The golden aura around him was swirling violently, pushing Super Mecha Sonic back as the energy itself started to crackle and change to an almost rainbow-ish color.

"Everybody! Shield your eyes!" Amy shouted, everybody following suite. The transformation was also causing the wind to pick up, nearly shredding through the maelstrom itself as multicolored lightning joined.

The empowered machine was pushed back the most, especially as Super Sonic began to let out a loud scream of might. Despite the fact that his enemy was becoming stronger by the second, a feeling of excitement filled the robot. A battle that would shake the world would soon begin!

At first, it looked like that light would keep obscuring the hedgehog mobian...until the very light itself began to shatter.

(1:09-1:30)

The pieces of light flew out, revealing a glowing white hedgehog mobian with rainbow irises floating in the center. His quills were pointed upwards in a wider arc than usual, his fists glowing with multicolored flames. The energy of the Chaos Emeralds had even started to form a new arm for himself, which glowed with the multicolored energies of the destroyed emeralds.

"It's...beautiful..." Amy breathed.

"And bright!" Big added. The rest anybody else did was stare in awe at this new form, as if they were looking at the hope of Mobius made manifest.

(1:30-1:42)

The glow died down a bit, but Sonic just continued to float there, his eyes closed as he let the new power wash over him. He knew it was now or never. He was going to stop this catastrophe from taking his beloved home and friends...but, first, he would deal with the machine before him.

Speaking of which, Super Mecha Sonic crossed his arms. "Impressive display, but it'll take more than a change in quill color to ever hope of defeating-"

Like a beam of light, Sonic was already behind the surprised robot, raising his fist back.

(1:42-End)

Slamming it against the robot's head, Sonic started to zip around the place, pinballing his foe across the maelstrom before spinning into his chest. Still zipping around while spinning, he caused Super Mecha Sonic to be propelled through a number of giant platforms. All of them blew up spectacularly just by this alone.

Kicking his foe off, the robot was then grabbed around the leg, then spun around several times in a hypersonic matter. When Sonic let go, the machine was sent flying through the sky. "Let's take this somewhere else." Sonic said before winking to his friends. "Gotta juice, guys. I'll find the Omen of Hope if I can."

With that, he sped away towards where his foe was heading, leaving the others to wait for his return. "So...what are we gonna call that new form?" Vector asked.

"Mega Sonic? Super Duper Sonic?" Charmy suggested.

"Is Hyper Sonic still a thing?" Rouge asked.

"Uncertain." Omega replied.

"Maybe...Ultra Sonic?" Tails snapped her fingers before the group noticed something. Something that caused them to be met with further resistance by the maelstrom.

It was the Omen of Hope...and Dave had just made it there, Mimic clenched firmly within his claws.

A little earlier...

Clutching against the side of a large floating rock, the seedrian had not given up finding his creation, intent on ending this madness for good. "I cannot falter. The survival of this world and Green Gate depends on it." He said to himself, his hair tendrils helping him to traverse the confusing landscape much easier.

It was there that he heard a series of familiar roars and growls, ending with what sounded like an explosion and horror being expressed by the others that had made it here. "Whisper? What's happening in there?" He wondered, but he had to remain focused, as the platform he was one started to blow far away from his destination.

The more he traveled, the more he thought about the prospect of not being able to fix the Omen of Hope. "I can't destroy it. Not now. Not while I'm so close." He shook his head, not wanting to think about that anymore. He tried to turn his mind to other things as the journey continued on for several more minutes

Like the octopus mobian landing on the same platform as him. "What the?! Oh...it's you." Mimic chuckled nervously, realizing he had screwed up badly. "How's your day?"

"YOU." Dave growled, leaning down and grabbing him around his body, causing his eyes to bulge out from how much was being squeezed. "There's nowhere left to run."

"ACK! Wait! Maybe we can come to a deal! You let me go and I give you whatever you want!" Mimic tried to bargain before he calmed himself. "I'm one of the few people who knows how to turn that thing off, if that's what you're angling for."

Growling in the villain's face again, Dave clenched around him harder, his claws clenching hard enough to cause ink to leak out. "You're literally talking to the one who invented the Omen of Hope. You have no way to slip out of this."

That's when he saw something float close. It was the Omen of Hope, the archway having transformed into a battery for the swirling maelstrom. Rainbow-colored energy flowed out of it, which only served to pull in the incoming world closer. "Seriously! I can do all sorts of jobs for you! I'll even tell you all that Magi-Chan told me!" Mimic kept trying to bargain his way out. 

Landing where the Omen of Hope was, Dave slammed Mimic to the ground, his drool falling from his sharp teeth onto the terrified cephalopod mobian. "I think I'm DONE dealing with traitors."

"Guys! That's him!" He heard Vector shout, the seedrian turning to the many mobians surrounding this one particular patch of land. It seemed that, as the collision course of worlds got even more nearer, the cast would be brought closer to the Omen of Hope itself. The very thing that had lead to this nightmare.

"He's got Mimic!" Amy shouted.

"Make that miserable fool pay!" Sleet roared.

Looking to them all, Dave felt the pressure of all eyes being on him. All wanting him to save their world from annihilation. He then lifted Mimic up to them, his tendrils slowly lighting up with flames. "His fate is not in my hands! It's in hers." He flung Mimic against the ground, the octopus mobian thankful that he didn't have any bones, though his leg was crushed into paste when the seedrian smashed his foot against his leg.

"GAH! YOU FREAK!" Mimic shouted before seeing a red dot move over his forehead. Despite the harsh gravity and winds of the maelstrom, Whisper had managed to aim her wispon, having finally a shot. "C'mon, buddy. I was only kidding!" He nervously tried to plead. "I can change! I won't pull this off again! I promise!"

Within his mind, the octopus mobian was pleading to somebody else as well. 'Magi-Chan! What are you doing?! We had a deal! Help me out of here! '

'Our deal is concluded. You were useful until now. Your death will serve as a way to possibly pacify Dave. Besides, we never really liked you.' Magi-Chan telepathically responded from a distance. 'Farewell.'

It was now crystal clear to the traitor. He wasn't talking his way out of this one. Something that gripped his heart with utter fear. The most he could do was give his most taunting smile to his old teammate. "Well...guess you finally got what you wanted. Nice to see you've become a teamkiller, too."

But Whisper never fired the shot. Her finger trembled around the trigger, ready to end the years of torment she had suffered under his actions, like the ones that had taken place right now. However, she was calmed further when Tangle rested her tail on her shoulders, Lanolin joining her. "I say we arrest him. See if he has any further information." The sheep mobian suggested.

"It's all up to you. To be honest, I wanna punch him SO hard in the face, but killing him? That isn't going to bring Jewel back...or anybody else he's killed back." The lemur mobian said. "Still, your call."

Thinking on her next action, Whisper put away her wispon. "No. I'm not like you, Mimic." She softly said. "I won't kill you...but I won't save you."

Confusion hit Mimic, but then he noticed that Dave was drooling a bit more than usual. "WAIT!" He cried out, before being grabbed and moved over to those jaws. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"You heard what she said. Your fate is now in my hands. Now, you're going to tell me what I need to know or I'm reducing you to fried calamari." Dave threatened.

"Okay! Fine! I'll tell you everything!" Mimic frantically said. "I think there's a way to turn it off and...and...augh...my...heeeeeAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" The octopus mobian's head started to swell and expand, causing Dave to drop him out of shock.

Ink splattered all over the ground, the head having been reduced to pulp. "I'm so glad Cream isn't here to see this." Amy winced, while Big looked ready to puke.

"Agreed." Blaze also tried to hold in her lunch.

Whisper could hardly believe her eyes, but her hated enemy was dead, though not in the way she expected. All she could do now, alongside her teammates, was see how this was all going to play out next. 

"You can rest easy now, Mack and Split-Sec." Sleet said to herself, Drapio nodding at that.

Dave looked upon Mimic's messy remains before turning to the floating electric hedgehog Pokemon next to him. "You didn't have to do that! I was only bluffing about the 'calamari' thing!" The seedrian yelled at Magi-Chan.

The floating one didn't react to that. He looked rather calm, despite the circumstances. "Forget him. Let's talk about what you're going to do next."

"What are you waiting for?!" Rouge shouted. "End this already!"

"Destroy the Omen of Hope!" Silver added.

Magi-Chan held out a hand, forcing everybody against their platforms further. "Silence. This is his decision to make. Your input is irrelevant. Besides..." He looked towards Sleet and Drapio. "You'll be trapped in this dying world if you don't rejoin my side."

"We're doomed either way because of your stupid plan!" The anthro Mightyena shouted.

"Yeah! We'd rather be blown up with our friends than work with you, wanker!" The Drapion snapped her pincers.

Dave ignored this banter, merely staring at the Omen of Hope and clenching his fists. "There's got to be some way to slow down the process. I need more time."

"I'm afraid that trying to interfere will just cause the machine to self-destruct. The sheer amount of energy it's using for the Dimensional Merge is proof of that." Magi-Chan explained. "Focus less on that and more on the fact that I'm close to fulfilling my end of the bargain. You're almost ready to head back home, as we discussed."

Indeed, when Dave peered into the portal in front of him, he could see the image of a familiar planet starting to form. "Green Gate!" He exclaimed. "The portal is stabilizing! I...I can't believe my eyes."

"Believe them. All you have to do is wait. Then, do whatever you will." The psychic one explained.

The others, however, noticed how the incoming world was now getting closer. "Don't listen to him!" Tails shouted. "He's trying to stall you!"

"You hear that?! He's playing you like a piano!" Vector added.

"Throw rocks at him or something!" Sticks screeched.

"Don't let that jerk win!" Tangle added.

"Just destroy it already!" Some variation of that phrase kept getting shouted by all those surrounding this event.

Clutching his head from hearing those pleas, Dave let out a roar of frustration, his hair tendrils lighting up with flames as he slammed them down. "I KNOW! I KNOW HE'S PLAYING ME!" He shouted before pointing at Magi-Chan, his tendrils looking poised to strike. "Damn you." He hissed. "Damn you to the coldest reaches of space."

Instead of attacking him, he walked past him and sat in front of the portal, patiently waiting for it to stabilize. "Wait a second! What's he doing?!" Lanolin shouted.

"He wants to go home." Whisper answered somberly. "To save his world."

"And let ours get blown up?! I thought he was a good guy!" Charmy shouted.

Hanging his head low, the seedrian used his chest armor to create a holographic image of Comet once more, trying to boost his resolve, only to turn it off with a sigh. "Forgive me, everyone." He softly said.

It was as he succumbed to despair that Sonichu rushed in from nowhere, dusting himself off. "Hey, guys! What did I miss?"

"Everything's going alright. Go home." Magi-Chan dismissed him. 

"But I never got to say goodbye to Sonic and-"

"GO HOME!" Everybody shouted.

"Awwww...well, see ya'! See you when I have a whole bunch of new adventures!" With that, Sonichu zipped into the maelstrom itself, heading back to his world that way. 

As everybody tried to think of ways to avert the upcoming catastrophe, Silver's markings began to glow, his teeth gritting as a realization crossed his mind. "It's now or never." He said to himself, continuing to charge up his power...

Meanwhile...

Among the many places having been affected by the maelstrom, the famous Green Hill Zone seemed to be taking a more severe beating. The Resistance and anybody else that could help had done all they could in evacuating the place, so there was still good news to be had.

Still, the damage to this place couldn't be understated. Tornados were appearing from the sky, while volcanic activity had taken place, due to the earthquakes causing entire sections of land to crack apart. Lava spilled out from the cracks, covering the grass in burning destruction. The loop-de-loops were sinking into the magma, too.

In the very center, Super Mecha Sonic finally got up, having been punched into there by his adversary. Looking around, his narrowed his optic before crossing his arms. "How fitting. The very first place where you antagonized my creator and it's your final resting place."

Appearing behind the empowered machine, Hyper Sonic was in the same pose, his back facing his taller enemy. "Last chance to give up. Don't waste it."

(Heat Haze Shadow 1 and 2-Tekken 7)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYrmmJliq-E

(0:00-0:29)

His golden aura becoming more orange as his rage grew, Super Mecha Sonic narrowed his optic. "You know I can't give up now. We all know this can only end with you or me destroyed."

"I guess so." Hyper Sonic's own aura clashed against the other's, the air sizzling around them as the ground erupted further, causing them to be standing on an almost arena-like platform surrounded by lava and rubble.

The two slowly parted from each-other, eventually turning around so they could look into each-other's eyes. Volts crackled across Hyper Sonic's frame, his body leaning in as he prepared to utilize his speed. Super Mecha Sonic just clenched his claws, readying his strength.

In a flash, the two suddenly vanished, but it was merely their speed that made it look that way, with them reappearing in the air, fists extended.

(0:29-0:54)

When their fists collided, it blew the two back, forcing them to start teleporting all over the sky. Every strike they made against each-other was seemingly equally matched, creating shockwaves in the air that nearly ignited the atmosphere. That would only last for so long before Hyper Sonic suddenly phased through his foe, a series of after-images punches striking the machine.

Kicking the robot into the ground, Hyper Sonic reappeared behind him, spinning into his back and pushing him through the ground. Spinning his legs upwards, he generated a mini-cyclone that battered the robot further. "FOOL!" Super Mecha Sonic shouted, aiming his blaster arm to send a hail of bullets, but his enemy just sped through them, uppercutting him further into the air.

(0:54-1:37)

Trying to adjust himself, Super Mecha Sonic turned into his ball form, shredding through the ground before what looked to be several afterimage- clones of Hyper Sonic appeared in front of him. Each one slammed into the spinning ball, holding him in place for the empowered hedgehog mobian to unleash several air-slashes from his hands, blowing the robot back into a large rock.

Getting back on his feet, the robot teleported to grab Hyper Sonic around his head. "CAUGHT YOU!"

"Good for you." The hero smirked before spinning with him, colliding his enemy into the ground before kicking him into the air and generating a series of more clones, all spindashing into one larger ball to crash into the machine.

Attempting to block that attack, Super Mecha Sonic found himself being pushed farther through the air until he was crashed into from behind by the real Hyper Sonic. Still having fight in him, the machine elbowed his foe in the face, allowing him to fire his own stream of energy blasts.

All of them were backhanded by Hyper Sonic, though he had to increase his speed as the shots kept coming. Every parried shot destroyed the land around him, but Super Mecha Sonic would then spice things up by attempting to blast from behind. That just got his hand grabbed by the hero. "What?!"

"Too slow." Hyper Sonic said before delivering a roundhouse kick. As his enemy went sailing through the air, he made sure to catch up with him at several points, pinballing him through the sky with his attacks until the machine let out a burst of energy, pushing him back for a while.

"ENOUGH!" Super Mecha Sonic yelled. "You can't escape what comes next!"

(1:37-1:59)

Lifting his arm up, the empowered machine generated a series of energy blasts that all fired into the sky, raining down like a large series of small homing projectiles. The rain blanketed almost the entire land, causing further eruptions to happen around him. "I will not be bested by the one I was built to slay!"

"And I won't let your unhappiness destroy the lives of everybody in Mobius!" Sonic shot back, flying through the energy storm, despite taking a few hits. There was meaning to this strategy, as he started to fly around his enemy faster and faster. It was too late by the time Super Mecha Sonic figured out what was going on.

The winds stared to change the very nature of the energy projectiles, working them to Sonic's favor as they surrounded the duo. Before long, Super Mecha Sonic found himself battered by his own attacks, each connection causing an explosion that rocked him around the tornado.

From the very top, Hyper Sonic was charging up his spin-dash, chaotic energy flowing into him before he rocketed down, smashing into his foe's back and dispelling the tornado. The robot's optic widened as his systems went haywire, that attack still connecting for a few seconds.

(1:59-2:32)

At last, he was propelled towards the ground, but Hyper Sonic sped down to catch him, punching him back into the air and causing the ground to crater from the force of that. Racing back into the sky, the empowered hero tried to land another blow, only for Super Mecha Sonic to teleport away from him. Angrier than ever, the machine fired several missiles, only for them to be swatted away.

"You're running out of tricks, Mecha-Me! I'd quit right about now!" Hyper Sonic shouted, avoiding several punches that kept teleporting around him before he grabbed the robots arm and spun him around before spin-kicking him into a nearby rock.

"I...will never quit! I CAN'T QUIT!" The robot roared before his chest was pressed into by an energy ball that Hyper Sonic had formed out of pure chaotic energy.

"Shame." The hero then pressed that ball further, engulfing the machine in a sphere of chaos that was soon punched into the nearest tall rocky structure, trapping him as the sphere got smaller and the rubble collapsed around him.

(2:33-2:48)

The feeling of being trapped in this state was reminding Super Mecha Sonic of everything that had led up to this point. His optic constricted as he felt the sphere around him get tighter. "No...not again!" He muttered, before he remembered something else.

Mainly, the encouraging words of Sage, as well as Orbot and Cubot. "We're not just friends. We're family." She had said. However, the faces of said family began to fade, replaced by the taunting faces of the voices in his head once more.

They began to surround him, but new power surged soon within the machine, brought upon by his despair, rage, and eventual determination.

(2:48-3:11)

With a powerful yell, Super Mecha Sonic's aura shattered through the chaotic barrier, causing Hyper Sonic to be pushed back as it climbed. The lava around the machine was swirling around, violently splashing all over the place as the machine stood up, his aura blazing before raising his head to the sky. "RAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" He roared, causing the lava to crash behind him again.

Quickly looking towards his enemy, the robot fired his eye laser, the massive red beam tearing through the land like a hot knife through butter. Hyper Sonic stood in the middle, the beams having cut him off whenever he tried to escape. All he did was grit his teeth, though he failed to notice that his foe was just standing there, waiting for him to come to him.

(3:11-3:33)

The moment that Hyper Sonic got close, even as he appeared in a flash, he was punched into the ground, bouncing into air before being grabbed and headbutted into the ground. Attempting to teleport and attack from behind, he was elbowed by Super Mecha Sonic, then delivered a series of powerful blows in one big combo.

Each blow felt like a burning inferno was in each of those fists, blood flying from Hyper Sonic's mouth before he was spin-dashed into, the shredding blades of the machine glowing white-hot as the hero was pushed back by the shredding force. Eventually, he let out a yell of his own, pushing back against the blades before their heads collided when they charged at each-other again.

(3:33-3:55)

As they kept trying to push each-other, the two felt something strange form between them. It was like their auras were mingling, cluing each-other into their true feelings. "You're not thinking of yourself. Only your friends. How...noble." The robot remarked, his arrogance fading as he thought on that fact.

"And I don't think your heart's really into this." Hyper Sonic replied. "You're afraid of what will happen if you lose...or even if you win."

"Out of my head, you pest!" The two disengaged, both putting up their fists. "Show me your true power and resolve!" 

"Likewise!" With that, the two prepared to clash again, both surging into the sky.

(3:55-4:16)

The resulting series of clashing blows carried them in a circular manner, traveling through the place as some blows even managed to briefly shift the very fabric of reality around them. During the first third, they looked like they had turned into 16-bit characters, but the next blow they made gave them more retro-polygonal forms.

It was when they spin-dashed into each-other like rocketing meteors that they started to look like themselves again, each aiming their hands at each-other before firing their ranged weapons. Missiles and energy blasts smashed into each-other, obscuring the fighters in smoke briefly.

(4:17-4:36)

That smoke was cleared up when Super Mecha Sonic's eye laser crashed into Hyper Sonic, but the hero was enveloped in a rainbow glow, allowing him to push back against it before smashing into his enemy. Like a fiery meteor, they surged through the land, burning through the sky before they found themselves almost in space itself.

Smashing his two fists down upon his foe, the robot locked hands with Hyper Sonic, yelling loudly as he activated his thrustors at full power. Both glaring at each-other as they fell, Hyper Sonic's energy arm began to glow an even brighter rainbow color, the robot noticing that detail too late.

(4:37-End)

As they neared the ruins of Robotropolis, Hyper Sonic finally managed to free his energy arm, clenching the hand into a fist as he charged up almost all of his power in one final punch right before they hit the ground.

The resulting explosion engulfed whatever was left of the island, annihilating all traces of the Eggman Empire that had once been there. One could almost see the explosion all the way from space, given how intense it was.

Back with the others...

While that battle was going on, Espio noticed how much Silver was glowing, his eyes tearing away from the stuff involving the Omen of Hope. "My love! Calm down!" He shouted in concern. "You know what will happen if-"

"If I use too much power? I know." Silver sighed before looking to Blaze. "Everybody, I know what I have to do, but...I might not come back from it."

"Hold on. What?!" Tangle exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Blaze asked before the realization quickly dawned on her. "No...I've already lost a dear friend, along with many others back in my dimension, now that it's gone! I can't lose another friend!"

Tails, however, could already see that Silver was effortlessly moving against the gravity of what the maelstrom was pushing on the cast. "He's the only one that can head out there and save us." She sadly looked away.

"You mean...he has to sacrifice himself?!" Charmy exclaimed.

"It won't come to that!" Espio shouted. "Just use as little power as possible! Focus on the Omen of Hope!" 

"Can't we just wait for that Sonic guy?" Drapio suggested.

"What she said!" Rouge agreed.

Hearing all of this just made Silver take a deep breath and sigh, freely floating above the rubble. It was taxing, but he let the pain wash over him, ignoring it for the sake of saving those he cared for. "My duty has always been to ensure that everybody has a future. I'm not going to sit back while that future is destroyed before our very eyes. I know what I have to do."

Blaze wanted to argue further, but she held back on what she was going to say, biting her cheek before nodding. "I only wish we could have spent more time together." She somberly noted. "Just like when we were kids."

"NO! There has to be a better way!" Espio insisted, crawling as much as he could towards his lover. However, Vector grabbed around his tail, shaking his head. "What are you doing?! LET ME GO!"

"It kills me to say it, but...we don't have a choice." Vector shook his head, Charmy looking increasingly worried at the situation.

Looking to all those around him, Silver gave a small smile. "Don't be sad. I'm doing what I've always enjoyed doing. Helping others and making sure the future is bright." He moved towards the chameleon mobian, cupping his cheek. "Even if I perish, I'll always be within your heart, as you will be in mine."

Tears welling up in his eyes, the ninja tried to hold him close, not wanting to let go. "There were so many joys and wonders I wanted to share with you. None of this is fair."

"I know, but I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll see each-other. Fate finds a way, after all." With that, the couple locked lips, both not wanting to leave each-other's embrace.

Amy had to hold back a sob, her eyes tearing up as she watched this romantic scene. Big noticed, hugging her into his chest while the others noticed that the planet from C-197 was getting closer. It felt like it would be only a matter of minutes before it was too late for Mobius.

Finishing the kiss, Silver gave a final wave before rocketing towards the Omen of Hope, crashing into the platform it was on. "DAVE!" He shouted, his markings still glowing as he prepared to use the full extent of his power.

The seedrian let out a surprised gasp, getting back on his feet as he turned to the smaller one. "What?! Get back! Just give it more time!" 

"I'd step away, if I were you." Magi-Chan narrowed his eyes, holding out a hand. "You can't stop the process. It's no use."

Much to his shock, not only did Silver resist the electric hedgehog Pokemon's psychic hold, but he was also pushed into a floating section of a building from Soleanna. "Don't you DARE use that phrase! There's ALWAYS hope! Now, Dave, step away from the Omen of Hope! Let me end this madness!"

"NO!" Slapping his tendrils against the ground before he moved to loom over Silver. "I don't like this anymore than you do! In fact, I hate that it had to come to this! NONE of this was my intent! But, if I don't find a way to get back to Green Gate, all of this would have been for nothing!"

"I understand the feeling of wanting to go home and set things right, but you need to let go!" Silver implored. "It's not worth the destruction of our world! You're just being used and nothing more!"

"I DON'T CARE! " Dave roared, tears falling from his eyes. "This is my last chance! My last chance to save my home! My last chance to save my mother! Even just seeing her again would make this all worth it!" He stomped forward again, leaning into Silver's face. "You, of all people, shouldn't be judging me!"

Silver observed his own fading hand, taking in the angered extraterrestrial's words. "Ignoring the consequences on my body that time travel has wrought, I understand where you're coming from. I'm truly sorry that there's no other way. The most I can offer is that you appreciate what you have in the present, rather than being stuck in the past." 

Hearing that made Dave look up to the platforms, his attention going to Whisper and her wisps. Blue, in particular, was giving him a pleading look. One that further twisted knots in his stomach. "I...I..." His claws grasped his head, shaking it around as Magi-Chan narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't listen to them." The psychic one commanded. "Are you going to fail your planet again? All of your struggles would have been for nothing if you give up now. So, swat this pest away. Besides, there's only room for ONE telepath here. Listen to the one who gave you the means of finally doing something right!"

Now, the seedrian found himself caught in the argument between the two, his mental state starting to collapse even further. "Stop it, stop it, stop it..." He kept repeating. Flames danced along his claws and tendrils, especially when he noticed Green Gate form in the Omen of Hope again.

"Destroy the machine! Save this world! Let it go!"

"Let the process continue! Save your world! Fulfill your destiny!"

"RAAAAAAAARGH! SHUT UP ALREADY!"

(Weight of the World-Bentley Jones with JohnR1se)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-u1z962HNI

(0:00-0:13)

Slamming his tendrils against the ground again, a burst of flames from his body pushed back both psychic hedgehogs. Panting heavily, he could already hear voices whisper in his head that he would never be able to carry the task he had set out to do.

He'll never carry it...he'll never carry it...

"Guys! I hear boss music! Again!" Sticks cried out.

"Oh, no." Tails and everybody else knew where this was going.

(0:14-0:25)

Stomping a foot forward, Dave stood protectively in front of the Omen of Hope, the image of Green Gate slowly forming behind him. The planet above Mobius was also getting closer, the situation becoming more apocalyptic as time passed.

"Fine. Let's do this." Magi-Chan flexed a hand, purple volts traveling up it.

(0:25-0:36)

Silver prepared by channeling all the power that had been building up in him for this whole time, steeling himself for whatever was to come. Rocks floated around him, while Magi-Chan held out a hand, trying to clench around Dave's mind to make him easier to manipulate. 

All that did was cause the seedrian's face to twist into a snarl, his body starting to light up with flames. "BURN!" 

(0:36-0:47)

Letting out another powerful roar, Dave unleashed a pulse of raging fire, his tendrils waving around like snaking vines. The two psychic ones pushed back against the flames, with everybody else having to shield their eyes from the powerfully bright display. Eventually, the flames would die, allowing Silver to move forth as the lyrics began.

"I won't have anybody stand in my way. Let me fix this and I will spare your life!" Dave insisted, his vines surging forth to block the flying hedgehog mobian's path.

"You know I can't take any chances!" Silver tried to concentrate his psychic power on those vines, only to be grabbed by that claw-tail, which proceeded to slam him into the ground multiple times.

I have been audience in exile, watching you vile little creatures defile. Want to find the last "peace" of the past? Cuz the dreams that he dreamed were just dreams and never built to last.

Magi-Chan watched this happen, crossing his arms as Silver was thrown around like a ragdoll. "Hmph. Do you see, everybody? I have this situation all under control. As always." He floated to the Omen of Hope, running a hand around it before his waist was suddenly wrapped around by a vine. "What?!"

"I've had enough of you and your manipulations!" Dave roared, clenching his vine harder before swinging the surprised one into the air.

I don't care if you're really the last omen. To me, you're nothing but a glorified showman. Omen, now is your curtain call. I'm gonna destroy it all.

Silver had barely enough time to get out of the way, Magi-Chan's impact against the ground sending embers everywhere before Dave lunged at him on all fours. The future hedgehog mobian used the rubble around him to try and encase the creature in rock, but it started to glow white hot when that happened.

Breaking free and firing his burning beam, the seedrian struck his foe, driving him into the surface of a platform. Silver cried out in agony as he was singed against the rock, but, upon seeing the faces of those that were counting on him, he let the pain go, closing his eyes. "It's up to me. I...WILL SAVE THE FUTURE!" His body began to glow neon green...

None of this means anything to me (I want to see it burn)! I'll do what I need to do to be free (So that I may return)!

Can you carry the weight of the world (I want to see it burn)?! I just wanna see it burn, so that I may return (So that I may return)!

With a loud yell and a pulse of bright green particles, Silver dispelled the beam, his body enveloped in a glow similar to Super Sonic. However, this glow was, of course, green, with his markings glowing white. "How does he have more power than me?!" Magi-Chan exclaimed before both he and Dave rushed at the floating hero.

Like an incoming comet, Silver encased Magi-Chan in a psychic barrier that he sent hurtling into a floating building, while he slammed his palm against Dave's head, unleashing a psychic pulse that flipped him in the air and left him easy pickings for his tendrils to be grabbed by both hands.

Spinning him around in an instant, the future hedgehog mobian sent the seedrian into the air, far away from the Omen of Hope.

Feel the weight of the world in its entirety! Falling down on me! Falling down on me, but I'm too proud to give in!

I am feeling the shift in light force energy! Gotta hold on! Gotta be strong! It won't be long...

...to seal the fate of the weight of the world!

As the instrumentals returned, Dave collided into a randomly floating piece of rubble, tearing himself off of it as zoomed back down, getting in Silver's way. Showing no fear, he snarled at this new form, his claws flexing. "I will fight you to my last breath if it means saving my people!"

"I feel the same way. Again...I'm sorry." Silver said, but their clash would be interrupted when the maelstrom started to spasm once more.

Right as the guitars went wild, the incoming planet surged closer, the beam of light hitting it becoming larger and much more violent. This also caused everybody to start floating higher into the air, almost reaching space itself! Now, they could all get a good view of Mobius. "I'd like to get off the ride now!" Charmy shouted.

"You and me both!" Vector agreed.

During this, the Exiled rode the piece of rubble he was one, racing to get to the Omen of Hope while clashing his tendrils against the attacking Silver, though each hit pushed him back significantly before the pushed each-other back with one last blow, starting the lyrics again.

Silver formed several meteors around him out of rubble, almost making them the size of Death Egg Robots before he sent them hurtling towards the seedrian. Dave got back on all fours, rushing towards them and burning white-hot holes through the projectiles before slashing his tendrils in multiple directions, causing several burning slashes to head towards the future hedgehog mobian.

Now that I have crawled my way back, I am never gonna let it go until we fade to black. I have watched the cruelty of your kind. Spill the blood of each other for fates that have ended maligned.

Rather than panic, Silver just redirected those blasts back at his enemy. Tanking the hits, even as they burned against his exterior, Dave lunged at Silver, grabbing him with one hand and headbutting him so hard that his concentration was nearly shattered, nearly ending his new form. Lifting him up, he charged up another beam, unaware of one of Silver's hands pressing against his chest.

I don't care if you're really the last omen. Your body and bones will break in my phonon. Omen now is your final hour. You'll tremble before my power.

Sent flying back by a psychic pulse, Dave's claws dug into the rubble he landed on before Magi-Chan joined the fray, both hedgehogs now locked in a psychic duel. Their hands spread out, purple and green energies pressing against each-other as their forehead veins popped. "Give...UP!" The electric hedgehog Pokemon growled.

Their clash was so powerful that the objects around them were exploding into purple and green energy, causing the audience to have to float over to each-other by way of the zero gravity environment they were in. Dave shielded his eyes from the battle, only for Silver's eyes to glow an even brighter green.

You think this means anything to me (I want to see it burn)?! Maybe only now you finally see (So that I may return)?!

Can you carry the weight of the world (I want to see it burn)?! I just wanna see it burn, so that I may return (So that I may return)!

Pushing against Magi-Chan's hold, Silver created a large blast of greenish energy that pushed against his opponent, pushing him into the maelstrom, and sending him back to the same place Sonichu came from. He turned his attention to the Omen of Hope, only to be met with Dave firing his fiery beam again.

Twisting the very beam in the air, Silver brought it back down upon the seedrian, nearly cooking him alive with his own attack. "Just let me end this madness! Stand down!" He commanded, moving his attention to the archway, extending out a hand to start crumbling it.

"No! Not while I'm so close!" Dave roared, clenching his claws against the ground as he fought through the burns he received, leaping into the air before spinning around in a corkscrew fashion.

Feel the weight of the world in its entirety! Falling down on me! Falling down on me, but I'm too proud to give in!

I am feeling the shift in light force energy! Gotta hold on! Gotta be strong! It won't be long...

...to seal the fate of the weight of the world!

Clapping his tendrils against Silver, it created a fiery thunderclap that sent the floating one hurtling into the maelstrom. When the future hedgehog mobian tried to race back into the fray, he was tackled into there some more, the two struggling within as Silver held back those burning jaws, the claws attempting to crush him. All the while, the incoming planet was getting much closer, spreading terrible heat to those in front of it.

Breaking free of their struggle, Silver used the energy of the maelstrom itself to form a hail of bullets that Dave powered through, eventually clamping his tail-claw around his foe again. His forehead vein bulging again, Silver held out a hand, using his power to try and fling his enemy away.

While the tail-claw didn't budge, he did manage to send Dave hurtling back near the Omen of Hope, taking himself as well, and causing them both to hit the ground hard, nearly knocking both out as the impact created an average-sized fiery green pulse.

Feel the weight of the world in its entirety! Falling down on me! Falling down on me, but I'm too proud to give in!

I am feeling the shift in light force energy! Gotta hold on! Gotta be strong! It won't be long...

...to seal the fate of the weight of the world!

Standing up, despite the usage of his energy slowly killing him, Silver looked to the Omen of Hope, only to see that it had been fully absorbed into the maelstrom, the portal-like image in the very center. "I know what must be done now." He gave one last sad look to Espio, the two wishing they could have spent much longer gazing in each-other's eyes.

Dave also started to get up, though tears were falling down his face as his whole body started to glow white-hot, even though it was visibly hurting him. "Why did you have to stand in my way?! I didn't want it to come to this! Just let me save my world! Save my people! SAVE MY MOTHER! PLEASE, JUST LET ME WIIIIIIN! "

Can I carry it? I gotta carry it! But will I carry it or will I feel the strength of everyone carry me through until the battle is won?

Can I carry it? I gotta carry it! But will I carry it or will I feel the strength of everyone? Carry me through until the battle is WON?!

(4:15-4:37)

With his despair and determination coming together, Dave spun around in the air briefly before letting out a more anguished roar, his body spreading out as an even more powerful version of his heat pulse happened. It completely disintegrated all platforms near him, his tendrils firing beams of pure fiery energy along with his tail-claw. None of those beams struck the audience, though a few came close.

Silver swerved through all of these beams, trying to find a way to get into the maelstrom for the next part of his plan. As he flew through it all, his body started to become almost pure energy, giving him a ghostly look. "You'll find happiness one day, I hope...but, for now, I need to end your dream so that we have a chance to have a future!"

"GRAAAAAARGH!" Dave roared, using the tendril beams to propel himself towards Silver, only for him to snap his fingers, causing everything to briefly slow down, the seedrian's eyes widening at this phenomenon.

(4:38-4:57)

A psychic storm was unleashed by the hero, green swirling wisps of energy surrounding him as he pushed into Dave. Smashing him through several layers of rock, he extinguished the flames of his foe before kicking him off, forcing him to hang onto the side of a platform.

His body fading into energy fast, he used the last of his power to rocket into the maelstrom, closing his eyes as he pushed against the volts smashing against him. That's when he readied himself to use every bit of power he had left in himself. 

"The dawn of a new future...has begun." He softly said, the rest of him fading into nothing before a green light started to spread throughout the entire maelstrom, the Omen of Hope within starting to crack.

Yeaaaaaaah, carry the weight of the WORLD!

The maelstrom expanded before twitching and bending violently, the space around the other planet also surrounded by that green glow. All tears in space/time were being repaired, but in a spectacular display of dancing green/white colors. "SILVEEEEEER! " Espio cried out, realizing what had happened.

Everybody else got to witness as the portal leading to Green Gate was starting to crumble, but the world heading for them was being pushed back by what seemed to be the remaining bits of Silver. White/green streaks of light pushed against it, while the rest of the light worked on collapsing the maelstrom into one mass.

As the maelstrom resisted this change, it started to push back against it all, the force of it smashing against the audience as they held for dear life.

Feel the weight of the world in its entirety! Falling down on me! Falling down on me, but I'm too proud to give in!

I am feeling the shift in light force energy! Gotta hold on! Gotta be strong! It won't be long...

...to seal the fate of the weight of the world!

Among those being pushed back was Dave, the seedrian looking up in horror as the portal started to collapse. "No...NO!" He cried out, fighting against the powerful force as he held out a claw to the portal. Everybody got to bear witness as he pushed against the insurmountable odds, his toe-claws digging into the rock.

For a moment, his claw was very nearly reaching the portal, a desperate look on his face. But, as he got closer, the portal started to destabilize with the entire maelstrom.

The resulting explosion blew Dave away, sending him flying into Mobius' gravitational pull, letting out a sorrowful and pained roar as he caught fire upon re-entering the atmosphere. The rest of the maelstrom began to burst into a beautiful display of light, ending with sparkles created when it finally went away.

Feel the weight of the world in its entirety! Falling down on me! Falling down on me, but I'm too proud to give in!

I am feeling the shift in light force energy! Gotta hold on! Gotta be strong! It won't be long...

...to seal the fate of the weight of the world! Of the weight of the world! Of the weight of the world!

The only reminder that the cataclysm had even happened would be the damage left on Mobius and its new neighboring planet. In the end, those living on that world had managed to make it to the SEGA Universe, as well as possibly a few other worlds. 

As the sparkles traveled around the floating audience, they all realized that things were, indeed, over. "Silver did it. He saved us all." Blaze said softly, lowering her head. "At the cost of his life."

"No...my love..." Espio mumbled, falling to his knees before slamming the ground with his fists. "He's gone! He's-"

"He's not really gone." Big suggested. "Maybe he's all around us now." He held up a paw, one of the green sparkles landing in it.

Indeed, the others began to follow suite, holding a green sparkle to their chest before it floated into the far reaches of space. "Perhaps, someday, we'll see him again. Not sure how, but I choose to believe." Amy stated. 

"Whatever the case, I hope he knows he really has ensured a future for us all." Tails added.

Sleet and Drapio were looking their home planet in awe, watching as it orbited Mobius slowly. "Do you think everybody will be mad at us back there?" The Drapion asked.

"Forget them. Let's just be glad it's all over." Sleet sight, collapsing down next to the others.

Whisper couldn't stop looking over the edge of the platform, remembering the look on Dave's face as he fell to Mobius. A look of failure and regret. "One day...I hope you find peace." She softly said, the other wisps looking mournfully at where she was looking. Blue looked ready to sob his one eye out, as well.

Vector patted Espio's head, wishing he knew what to say to his inconsolable chameleon mobian friend. However, something dawn on him. "Wait. Why are we still in space?"

"I was going to ask the same thing." Lanolin replied. 

As if to answer their question, the platforms started to descend, but very slowly. The same green sparkles formed shields around the group, preventing them from sharing the same fate as Dave. "I just hope things aren't messed up back on Mobius. Not with that Mecha Sonic running around." Rouge muttered.

Tails was the first to remember something. "Uh oh! SONIC! Is he still fighting the robot?!"

"Maybe he's already won?" Amy tried to remain positive.

"Or he's getting converted into a new robot himself!" Sticks wondered.

"There are enough metallic hedgehog mobians as is!" Omega added.

They could speculate all they wanted, but, as the maelstrom's effects died down, the battle between Hyper Sonic and Super Mecha Sonic was finally coming to a close.

Back on the surface of Mobius...

Thunder echoed across the skies as rain pounded onto the ground like heavy needles. The island of Robotropolis started to rust under it all, no longer sustained by the power of the Chaos Emeralds. What started out as a humongous island had been reduced to a pitiful patch of metallic land that was rapidly sinking beneath the waves.

Still, it was large enough that the Sky Fox remained above water. In the center of the place, the two empowered fighters were slowly circling each-other, each showing some form of injuries. While Hyper Sonic had a few cuts and bruises that his energy managed to keep in check, Super Mecha Sonic had several sparks flying out of his own wounds.

"It seems we're equally matched." The robot suggested. "Except you will inevitably tire. I will never."

"Don't count on it." Hyper Sonic panted, though his aura stared to fizzle out. Worse, the energy arm he had was completely gone. "It's a real shame. All that determination and power...and you waste it by being a bad guy."

"I'm only a 'bad guy' because of YOU!" The robot yelled. "I literally cannot move on until you are annihilated!"

"And then what?" Hyper Sonic glared. "Will that make you happy?"

A long pause happened upon being asked that, Super Mecha Sonic finding himself unable to respond. "...I just want the voices to go away. Is that so wrong?!"

"What if they do? Will you be happy? " The hedgehog mobian didn't stop. "From what I saw of your mind, you know what you did was wrong and you know you'll only be lonelier afterwards. Especially now that Eggman's gone for good."

Having also seen within Sonic's mind during their spar, the machine's optic started to shake. "He's...truly gone. Has all of this...been for nothing?" He wondered before shaking his head, firing an energy ball right near the unflinching Hyper Sonic's face. "BE QUIET! You're only trying to throw me off! I will destroy you and everything will be right again! My creator will treat me as the son he never had! I will stand alongside him! I will...I will..."

More uncomfortable silence followed. "I'm sorry, big guy. He's not coming back."

"My whole family...gone." Super Mecha Sonic's golden aura started to dim, but then let out an energy pulse, causing it to gain its brightness once more. "All I have left is destroying you. I'm literally good for nothing else. Without my primary directive...I...I really am..." He almost said 'trash', but it came out as a mumble. He once again tried to look fierce when he realized what he had said. 

Hearing this caused Hyper Sonic's features to soften. "Wow. Your tin heart really isn't into this. Why don't you do something you actually want?"

"That's irrelevant." The machine lied, turning away and clenching his claws.

"Not really. You need some time to find yourself. Discover your true calling." Hyper Sonic pointed to the horizon. "You can start by finding somewhere far away to think about that."

Super Mecha Sonic was utterly unsure of how to handle this. Here was his main target. The one that had every reason to hate him after everything he had done. Yet, he was offering him mercy. "If this is your idea of a joke, I'm not laughing." He tried to sound confident, but his gloom showed his true feelings easily. "You know I can't just walk away from what I have done just to get to you."

"Yeah. I know. You hurt my friends and killed scores of innocent people. People with families and friends of their own." Hyper Sonic continued. 

"I know." Super Mecha Sonic hung his head low. "They were all weaklings in my way, but...I just wanted to destroy you and Knuckles. Not tear families apart."

More of the robot's golden glow started to falter, the insanity of being in that form starting to fade as remorse flooded the robot's circuitry. However, staring at Hyper Sonic caused the voices to return, taunting him as their glitchy forms danced around his foe. That caused him to turn back into his golden form slowly. 

The hero before him just sighed. "It really is a shame. If things were different, we could have been pals. I would have gladly helped you get your life together."

(Find Your Flame CINEMATIC/DRAMATIC REMIX-Ozzy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXjf5r-Fvvw

Clenching his claws harder, Super Mecha Sonic powered up again, the flaming aura singing parts of Sonic this time. "Shut up." The robot only said, rushing at his foe with a punch that the hedgehog mobian easily telegraphed.

We won't back down, we won't!

Extending his hand, Hyper Sonic pushed against the fist, though it caused his knees to buckle as they tore through the metallic ground briefly. Rather than violently attack, he rested his palm gently, causing Super Mecha Sonic to almost relent. "It didn't have to be like this. You and I both know that."

Taking his fist back, the machine looked at himself in a watery reflection below himself. He closed his optic, clutching his head as the voices just got louder in response. "There's no going back! I will end this! HERE AND NOW!"

Will the whole world know your name...when we dance with destiny?

I've been there, and I've seen it! I'm never gonna stop believing! You'll find your flame! (So, take this as a lesson, 'cause it's all that we know!)

In an instant, he and Hyper Sonic clashed once more, zipping across the sky before the hero was elbowed in the face, the robot firing a cluster of missiles at him that all hit their mark. Through the smoke, Super Mecha Sonic grabbed his foe's face, rocketing it into the ground.

Dragging it through the metal, the machine left a golden/rainbow trail of light, the stuff erupting from the ground before he was pushed off by an aura pulse from Hyper Sonic. Unleashing his speed once again, he used his afterimages to start spin-dashing and kicking his foe into the air.

Will the whole world know your name...when we dance with destiny?

I've been there, and I've seen it! I'm never gonna stop believing! You'll find your flame!

"DIE, ALREADY!" Super Mecha Sonic dispelled the afterimages with an energy pulse of his own, once again forming a massive ball of fiery energy in his hand. The thing sizzled as the rain pounded against it, Hyper Sonic continuing to bombard him with hits that kept striking him every split-second.

Despite the fact that his energy reserves were running on critical levels, the machine threw down his energy sphere, the thing crashing into the real Hyper Sonic and smashing him against the ground. With his good arm, the hero clenched his teeth before punching it back and spin-dashing into it, sending it back to its owner with him propelling it through.

Now here we go, it's the end of the show! Hear them! They're calling your name!

'Cause in the end, it's you and your friends! You'll find your flame!

The resulting explosion when it collided into the robot sent both flying into separate piles of rock and robot rubble, the clouds almost parting from the force of that blast. Still, both were alive, but rapidly losing power.

Oh...we can save the day!

It was as he struggled to get up that the reality of the situation once again hit Super Mecha Sonic. He was utterly alone, no matter what happened. If he lost, he would not find peace, as his logic circuits stated that there was no afterlife for machines like him. If he won, he would only have his enemies and nobody else.

All he could do was shakily stand, his uncertainty clashing with his need to make those persistent noises STOP.

We won't back down! We won't!

Hyper Sonic wasn't doing so well, either. He coughed heavily as he realized just how depleted he was in terms of energy. Stumbling through the rubble, he looked up at the sky, noticing how the maelstrom had started to fade completely. "Heh. You did it, guys." He grinned. "Glad you're not here to see this. Still...I've got this!"

For the first time in his life, he sounded utterly unsure of his chances at surviving this. Yet, he would not give up. Not ever.

I can cut right through steel! I can bury thе pain! So, go down for a second! Just get out of my way!

You cheat and you steal! I'm not lеtting it go! So, take this as a lesson, 'cause it's all that we know!

Standing tall, even in his weakened state, he looked his foe in his single optic, giving one last cocky grin. "We're pretty beat, but how about we give it our all for this one?" He leaned forward, charging up his spin-dash as rainbow orbs started to fill his body.

The empowered robot nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." Letting his worries go for just a brief moment, he also charged up his spin-dash, his spines shredding through the ground as it started to glow an even brighter orange.

And, after a few moments, they shot at each-other like lightning bolts.

Will the whole world know your name...when we dance with destiny?

I've been there, and I've seen it! I'm never gonna stop believing! You'll find your flame! (So, take this as a lesson, 'cause it's all that we know!)

The moment they clashed, multicolored lightning crackled from their connection point, their spines shredding against each-other like two opposing saw-blades. It propelled them into the air, their spinning causing the very wind around them to form a massive hurricane that almost destroyed the whole island.

Their spinning stopped briefly, the two locked against each-other as they disengaged from their ball forms. Both headbutted against each-other, each one causing their opposing energies to surge into their opponent's body. It caused Hyper Sonic's body to gain so many burns around himself, while the robot's body formed cracks all over.

It was Super Mecha Sonic that triumphed, his eye laser smashing into Hyper Sonic's body and sending him plummeting. The shredding spindash mode of the robot then collided into the hero's body, the wind spiraling into the machine's metal quills as he buried the hero into the ground some more before disengaging with a final uppercut of his fist.

Will the whole world know your name...when we dance with destiny?

DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! (I'm here to go beyond my limit, not to compromise, and you can tell me if I mean it, looking in my eyes! 'Cause I've been waiting for my moment to strike! So come close, let me show you what it's like)!

You'll find your flame!

In slow motion, the wind exploded from the punch, spreading far and wide while Hyper Sonic sailed through the air in an arc, blood flying from his nose. Super Mecha Sonic stood on the ground, his fist extended upwards, some of his wiring exposed from how much damage he had received.

As Hyper Sonic descended down from the air, he started to revert back into his normal form, his eye catching how several platforms were slowly descending down. He could see his friends were on them, giving a slight smile at the knowledge that they were okay before he finally hit the ground, the fight having finally ended.

Now here we go, it's the end of the show. Hear them, they're calling your name.

'Cause in the end...it's you and your friends. You'll find your flame...

The rains soon continued, though the storm seemed to be calming down. Venting heavily, Super Mecha Sonic felt his golden form start to fade. His energy levels were only at halfway capacity and starting to drain fast, but he still stood. "It's...almost...over." He could hardly believe it himself, but, as he gazed upon his broken foe, he realized that his goal was very much within reach.

As for Sonic, he tried to get up, but he soon noticed something that gave him pause. Sure, everything else hurt pretty badly, but it didn't compare to trying to move his legs and nothing happening. The fall had broken a section of his spine, paralyzing him.

"Oh...shit." He muttered, wincing as he still tried to crawl towards his foe. "Looks like you got me good."

"Yes. I did. You were a fool and...I am the strongest." The robot tried to sound victorious, but he sounded more unsure than ever. "I think you know what comes next."

"Is there even a point to destroying me anymore?" Sonic asked. "You're gonna be left with nothing."

"But...but...what if you're wrong?!" Super Mecha Sonic took several steps back. "There has to be something after this that'll make your demise mean something! I...I know!" He exclaimed. "I'll truly be the strongest in the universe! I'll be the greatest robot that has ever been built! See?! Doesn't that make all of this horror mean something?! All the death, devastation, and my family being gone forever! IT'LL MEAN SOMETHING! IT HAS TO! "

As he had this breakdown, Sonic's eye began to well with tears, causing him to gasp in surprise as he lifted a hand to his water-soaked cheeks. Due to the fact that he still had a connection to the power within his foe, he quickly figured it all out. "These tears...they're not mine."

Indeed, Super Mecha Sonic's optic was trembling, his voice starting to sound slightly choked up. He stared at his opponent before lowering his head. "So, what if they are? I don't care."

"Could have fooled me." The hedgehog mobian looked back to the sea, watching as the platforms landed on them roughly. From the looks of it, his friends were still holding on, giving him hope that they would come to his rescue. "This is your chance, Mecha. You can leave all this behind and forge a new path for yourself. You don't have to do this."

Though it seemed like the empowered robot was stepping back after hearing that, it wasn't that he was leaving. His hands moved behind himself, charging up a ball of blue energy within the palms. Streaks of light started to flow into it, indicating that he was preparing for his final attack. "I need to. Farewell...Sonic the hedgehog. You were a most worthy foe."

It was now crystal clear to the Blue Blur that, unless a miracle happened, there was no getting out of this. The glow of this new attack was getting brighter, the intensity increasing with it. His initial reaction was a look of panic, his body further crawling to try and escape the blast. Eventually, he couldn't crawl anymore. He could only watch as that attack continued to charge up.

"So...this is really it, huh?" He said to himself, eventually giving a heavy sigh. "Never thought I'd have to say that, but here we are."

While this was happening, everybody was trying to hurry up and converge onto where this was taking place. "Hang in there! We're coming!" Amy shouted, Big using his rod to pull the platform they were on closer to shore.

Sticks and Omega were still with them, the robot head running all possible scenarios. "Data is inconclusive, but...it doesn't look good."

"No! We can't be too late! Not after everything!" Rouge shouted, holding onto the edge of the platform.

Tails was also at the edge, her eyes widening with horror as she saw what had become of her best friend. "This can't be right! Sonic can't lose! Not now! Not ever!"

Blaze had landed far away from the scene, but she was flying as fast as she could. Charmy was also trying to catch up, his wings working into overtime. "Is that Sonic?! He looks hurt!" He exclaimed.

"No duh! Flap those wings like you've never flapped them before!" Vector shouted, Espio clinging tightly to him as he threw his last few throwing stars at the robot. The rain prevented them from reaching the machine, though.

Drapio had been transformed into a boat, allowing the Neo Diamond Cutters and Sleet to make it to shore ahead of everybody else. "Stop that robot! Do whatever it takes!" Lanolin shouted.

"I'm on it!" Tangle turned her tail into a spring, pushing it against a surprised Sleet's chest before rocketing forth. Whisper tried to aim at the robot, though her wispon was sparking from all the damage it had taken over the course of this day.

At long last, Super Mecha Sonic's arms pushed outward. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! " He screamed in rage and sadness, the voices in his head suddenly going deathly quiet as the massive blue beam from his hands shot forward. Everybody that tried to interfere was pushed back, but they would all see what happened next.

(GREEN HILL ZONE BUT MELLOW?!-Alfeus Piano)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63FObfcEfOk

It was no surprise that, for Sonic, life moved in slow motion sometimes. Perhaps a natural consequence of being the fastest thing alive. Right now, he really wished it weren't so, as the beam was coming at an agonizingly slow rate. Still, it gave him plenty of time to think on pretty much everything.

'Wow. This really is the end. ' He thought sadly. 'I won't lie. It sucks. There's so much more I wanted to do. So many adventures I could have had. So many more friends I could have made. '

As the beam neared his face, he looked towards all those that were being pushed back. In particular, Tails seemed to be screaming out Sonic's name, tears forming in her eyes. 'My friends...I wish I could tell you this in person, but you've all been amazing. I know things have changed a whole bunch, but Mobius is in great hands. Keep being yourselves. Keep being awesome. '

Eventually, after he had those precious few milliseconds, the beam crashed into him. Sonic's eyes widened as he resisted the urge to scream, his fur burning as he experienced the full power of this attack. It was during this that his life began to flash before his eyes.

The day he was adopted by Longclaw. The time he received his iconic shoes. The day he first defeated Dr. Robotnik. The day he befriended Tails. His sparring matches with Knuckles. The first time he turned into Super Sonic. Being kissed on the cheek by Amy. Racing against Shadow. Teaming up with Blaze. 

As these memories and many more filled Sonic's head, he started to relax, his eyes opening as he felt himself fade away. 'Thanks, guys...for everything '

...

......

............

SHOOOOOM!

Super Mecha Sonic's attack extended into space itself before finally dissipating. The rain had briefly stopped because of that attack, but it soon returned. The orange glow around the robot had completely faded, transforming him back into his base form.

He stood as still as a statue, his hands still extended outward. He had closed his optic, but it was opening slowly now. He lowered his smoking hands as he assessed the situation, focusing on where his enemy stood.

What he saw caused him to freeze up once again, his CPU trying to compute what had happened. He wasn't even paying attention to those running past him. None of them were saying anything, for they too were trying to comprehend it all.

Tails was the first to make it to where Sonic was, noticing a hedgehog mobian silhouette within the smoke. "SONIC! Stay right there! Let me...help..." She fell to her knees, the smoke clearing to reveal what had become of the Blue Blur.

Before them all was Sonic, but it was only his upper half. His body looked burnt and gray, like he had been reduced to being made of nothing but ash and embers. His shoes remained intact, as well as the ring around his remaining arm, but they also looked utterly scorched.

"S...Sonic?" Amy wandered close as well, holding out a hand towards her friend. That hand neared the defeated one's cheek...only for Sonic to crumble into dust, the particles blowing into the wind. Much of those particles fell into the sea, lost in the endless blue.

Unless the heroes of Mobius wanted to deny reality itself, there was no mistaking it. Sonic was no more. Tails could barely hold back her sobs as she traced her hands through the ash, the particles falling through her fingers. "He...he did it." She pointed a shaking finger at the stunned mechanical hedgehog in their midst.

Amy buried her face in her hands, letting out a series of messy sobs. "He did it!" She choked out.

Big looked to Froggy, the amphibian giving a low somber croak that almost sounded like "He did it".

Sticks held Omega's head close, her own tears falling upon the robot's head. His gave several depressed beeping noises, voicing his sorrow at this sight. "He did it." Rouge lowered her head, patting the jungle badger mobian's head with her good wing.

Vector held Espio and Charmy close, all three of them staring in disbelief. "He did it." The crocodile mobian stuttered when he said that, still wrapping his head around this tragedy.

Tears were flowing more hotly from Blaze. Yet another friend had been killed during this day, causing her to fall to her knees and grasp her head, her tears becoming steam on her face. "He did it!" She said through clenched teeth.

Tangle was also tearing up, Drapio offering a claw for her tail to squeeze around. Whisper dropped her wispon, looking away from the sight as Sleet looked to Lanolin. "He did it." The shocked sheep mobian said.

Floating on another piece of rubble, Commander Towers was just as astonished at what had happened. "He did it."

A Resistance camera had been floating around the scene. That way, those back at the base saw what had gone down. "He did it." One of them sadly said, despair gripping them all, one by one.

Finally, Mecha Sonic broke free from his stupor, looking towards the final few particles of dust dancing in the wind. "...I did it."

Despite acknowledging what he had done, he still didn't move. He had managed to defeat the undefeatable. One that had fought and won against his creator's machines and even god-like entities, if his data was to be believed. All that, only to be defeated by a mechanical facsimile.

Mecha Sonic waited to feel a surge of relief. Joy that he had finally won. Accomplishment and overall satisfaction. While there was a brief surge of triumph within himself, he didn't focus on that. All he could think about was the fact that his defeated enemy had shown him kindness, despite everything the machine had done.

Not only that, but, with his creator gone and nobody else to turn to, he was effectively alone. He struggled to think of there being a greater meaning involved with the orders he had been programmed with, but nothing came.

He was truly lost...and that was all before he felt something smash into the side of his head.

Tumbling against the ground, Mecha Sonic crashed into a nearby Death Egg Robot arm, sparks flying from his body. "AUGH! Wh-what?!" He cried out, his optic re-focusing on the piece of rubble that Amy had shoved a pipe into, turning it into another makeshift hammer.

"You killed him! You killed Sonic!" She roared, smashing that hammer down again, only for the robot to catch it.

"Stay back! All of you!" He shouted, aiming his blaster arm at the crowd. Only smoke came out, as his energy reserves were running critically low now. 

"Out of gas? That's too bad." Vector growled, pounding a fist into his palm.

Shakily standing up, the mechanical hedgehog mobian realized that his defenses were pretty much gone, leaving him at the mercy of the VERY angry mob. "Cease this! I just need time to think! Then-"

"Then NOTHING! " Tails shouted, ripping Whisper's wispon from her hands before unloading it against the robot. The wisps inside found themselves unleashing their firepower, from missiles to lasers to pink spikes. Each blow forced the robot back, more of his circuits exposed. "Do you even know what you've done?!"

Struggling through it all, Mecha Sonic attempted to push through, only for Big to grab him by the shoulder. "That wasn't very nice of you. I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson." He said before uppercutting him into the air, nearly shattering the lens around his optic.

Blaze surged into him, spin-kicking him with a fiery kick that sent him spinning into Stick's boomerang. "Out of all the robots, you're the absolute WORST!" The jungle badger mobian lifted Omega's head over the dazed machine.

"You are nothing but a recycled reject. You were only lucky." Omega stated.

"I'm not a reject! I'm not a failure! I'm so much more! I'm-" The robot was interrupted when Espio suddenly teleported behind him, shattering one of his own logs against one of the thrustors. That caused it to go haywire, flying around in the air before having his leg wrapped around by Tangle's tail.

The lemur mobian clenched her tail around the machine, more sparks flying, while Lanolin used Maggie to generate a soundwave to powerful that it sent Mecha Sonic into the jaws of Vector. Flinging the robot to the side, the others began to crowd around him, ready to destroy him. Sleet was charging up a shadow ball, while Drapio clamped her claws down loudly.

Any bravado that Mecha Sonic had was crumbling away as they all tried to tear him apart, his limbs flailing as he slashed at them. "Stop! Get away! I just need time! I need to see my creator! I-"

"Hold it!" Tails shouted causing them all to part before she narrowed her teary eyes at the robot. She roughly threw the wispon to the side. "Amy, hit him as hard as you can for as long as you want."

The pink hedgehog mobian was going to do that, but she then noticed the look of fear in Mecha Sonic's optic. "All of you, stop!" The robot pleaded. "I don't know what to do! I...I don't even know who I am anymore!" 

"I thought you were the 'strongest in the universe'." Tails mocked before noticing how Amy relented. "GIVE ME THAT!" She shouted, snatching that hammer away and, with some effort, lifting it up to smash against the machine's leg.

"GAH!" Mecha Sonic could barely move as his leg was damaged, but he tried to crawl away. "Destroying Sonic was my only function! My purpose!"

Dragging the hammer across the ground, Tails followed the machine. "And you've fulfilled it! You must be so proud. Except you did all that for nothing! Eggman's gone! His empire is destroyed! You're just the last reminder we have of this nightmare!"

"You're going to pay for everything you've done to the Resistance and everybody else that's been in your path." Lanolin crossed her arms.

"Maybe he just deserves to go to jail and think about what he's done?" Big suggested.

"I say we sell him for spare parts." Rouge suggested.

"NO! This can't be!" Mecha Sonic shouted, realizing what they were getting at. "Don't do that, please! I suffered that for so many years! I can't go through it again!"

The fox mobian before him just gripped harder around the hammer. "And you won't have to...because I'm throwing your body into the nearest incinerator the first chance I get! You're nothing to us but somebody that took away our world's hope! You...are...worthless."

Mecha Sonic's pupil shrunk, the hatred in everybody's faces starting to get to him. Before now, he would have confidently ignored these looks, but, now that he didn't have purpose, he could only let those insults sink deep into his CPU. "N...no, I'm not." He weakly mumbled. "I can be useful."

"No, you CAN'T! You're an outdated killbot! You're a defect!" Tails smashed his head with that hammer before gearing up for another hit. "A mistake!" WHACK! "A failure!" WHACK! "But...most of all...you're junk. Junk we can throw away and forget about forever!"

"You'll be stuck in a landfill for the rest of your life!" Espio swore.

"If you somehow survive, I hope your sins haunt you forever." Blaze growled.

"Mates..." Drapio finally spoke up. "He looks like he's gonna cry."

Indeed, the mechanical one's optic was shaking, gazing at the ground in utter despair. "I...I really am...junk?"

"Oh, you're worse. Junk can be recycled. But you?" Tails leaned in, grabbing around the robot's chin to force him to look at her. "The way I see it, you're good enough to be only one thing...TRASH! "

With that, Mecha Sonic didn't even bother fighting or trying to escape. His body was too depowered and damaged to do so, anyway. He just stayed on his knees, gazing at his claws before his face fell into them. "Trash...garbage...nothing. I have nothing left. I am obsolete." He softly said these things, his voice wavering as his optic turned into a wavy line, indicating a simulation of incoming sobs.

Unmoved by his sadness, Tails readied the next swing. "Maybe we'll just throw you into the ocean. Let you rust forever. How does that sound?"

"...do whatever you want. I don't care anymore." Mecha Sonic shook his head.

Clenching her fingers around that hammer, the fox mobian swung down, using all of her strength to make this the killing blow. The machine closed his optic, awaiting the end...

BZIT!

Below him, one last portal opened up, possibly as a result of the maelstrom's final moments. Letting out a cry of surprise, the damaged Mecha Sonic plummeted into it, as it had appeared right below him. Tails nearly fell in, but he was caught by Amy and Tangle. 

"NO! NOOOOOOO!" Tails yelled, the portal soon closing. For the mourning ones, vengeance had been denied. "I hope wherever you end up is the worst place in the whole multiverse!" She yelled, throwing the hammer down in frustration.

For a while, everybody just stood there, not sure what to do. Steaming tears still falling from her face, Blaze remembered her possibly destroyed dimension, knowing she had to return. "It's too much. It's all so much." She wept, not only remembering the possible fate of the Sol Dimension, but also how she had lost three dear friends in under one day.

Amy held the shoes of Sonic to her chest, her own tears dampening them along with the rain. "We'll always remember you. Forever and ever." She said, Big hugging her from behind.

"We sure will." Rouge added.

Lanolin whipped out a communicator, sighing as she got a signal. "Get several ships in here. We're going home." She turned to her team, as well as Sleet and Drapio. "We're all going to need some rest."

"I'm not coming."

Whisper's teammates looked at her in astonishment, the wolf mobian wishing she had her mask to hide how miserable she looked. "Excuse me?" Tangle did a double-take. "What do you mean?!"

"Sonic could have won, if I had not injured him the way I did." Whisper explained. "I can't let that same mistake happen to you." She prepared the Hover ability of her wispon, even though the wisps looked just as sad as she was at having to leave.

"No! Wait! It was an accident!" The lemur mobian tried to explain, only to be cut off when Tails suddenly rushed in and grabbed the wolf mobian roughly by the shoulder.

"You're right. If you didn't screw up, none of this would have happened!" The fox mobian angrily growled, adding a new layer of hurt on Whisper's face. "Sonic would be alive and...and...just get out! Get out before you kill somebody else with your incompetence!"

Those harsh words stunned those around her, with Sleet having to hold back Tangle from lunging at Tails. Stepping back from the fox mobian, Whisper hung her head low. "I understand." She looked to her teammates. "It was an honor serving alongside you, but...I need to be alone. For some time. A long time."

"Nononono! We're a team! We stick together! We-" The distraught Tangle was stopped by Lanolin, who shook her head.

"Her mind has been made up. I'm sorry." The sheep mobian said, while the wolf mobian floated away with her wispon's hover ability.

Despite trying to put up a brave face throughout it all, Whisper began to openly weep when she got far enough, her wisps holding close to her in an attempt to comfort their inconsolable friend.

Returning to where Sonic once stood, Tails continued to rub her hands through the ash. "As for the rest of you...go home. It's over. It's all over."

For the next couple of hours, they all just stayed, though they would soon notice that the island was starting to sink slowly. Team Chaotix was the first to leave, as Vector wanted to check up on Vanilla. The group was already emotionally devastated by the deaths of Silver and Sonic. If anything happened to Vanilla and her family...well, that was a thought none of them wanted to entertain thinking of.

Rouge was picked up by a G.U.N helicopter, with Sticks gifting her Omega's head. "Get him fixed up, will ya'?" The jungle badger mobian requested.

"Don't worry. That's the first thing I'll do." Rouge replied, holding that head as she entered the helicopter. When she wasn't looking in utter woe at her ruined wing, she also occasionally stared into space, wondering if, somewhere out there, Shadow had found some sort of peace. It was at least something to hope for after what had went down.

Drapio had been transformed into a boat again, carrying Sleet and the Neo-Diamond Cutters with her. The journey was silent, as both were still reeling over not only literally everything that had happened, but Whisper's exile. Tangle couldn't stop herself from collapsing into a pile of tears, her tail wrapping around her body, while Lanolin gave a heavy-hearted sigh. One met with Sleet awkwardly placing a hand over her own. She entangled her fingers with that claw, gripping tightly as she did that.

Blaze would eventually fly into the air, flying above the storm as she searched for a way to return to her dimension. At the very least, she wanted to see if it was at least somewhat salvageable. She would end up flying for quite a long time, searching for a portal that would get her there. Without the Chaos Emeralds, those chances seemed slim, but she wouldn't give up. She couldn't give up.

"I've already failed my duty. I must face what I have done." She told herself several times, her flames flickering as she flew. Embers formed in the corners of her eyes instead of tears, all trailing behind her.

Big would eventually find a large hunk of metal that he and Amy could float on. His usual facial expression had sagged, yet he did his best to keep Amy close and warm, his body used to shield her from the rain. Her eyes never left the island, always staring back to where Sonic last stood. She hugged around Big tightly many times during the whole trip back to her shop.

As for Tails, she remained there for the longest time, Sticks sticking behind and waiting within the wrecked Sky Fox. After what felt like an eternity, the fox mobian stood up, holding the shoes of her hero close. "Sticks. Ready the ship. See if you can get it working. If you can't, I'll contact the Resistance. There's something we have to do."

"Are we gonna immortalize those shoes by creating a life-size replica of Sonic made out of bologna?"

Despite giving an angered growl, Tails knew that her friend meant that out of respect. "No. There's a contingency plan I've been working on for some time." She grabbed the ring she had attached to Sonic prior, the thing having cooled down enough to be safely grabbed by the fox mobian. Looking back to the Blue Blur's shoes, she closed her eyes, one last tear falling down her face.

"This isn't the end for you, my best friend. Not while I still have a plan."

Chapter Text

Later, at the CWCville Mall...

While things back on Mobius were somber, the situation at the most famous city in CWVworld (that was, indeed, the name of the planet) was one of celebration. It was understandable, given that the planet had avoided the total oblivion that had befallen their universe.

In terms of the general populace, it was basically Mobius, but with more Pokemon. For the most part, many Sonichus and Rosechus danced around in the streets, all happy that their world had survived Dimension C-197's cataclysm. But, even with all of this celebrating, many were traveling to the local mall to hear an announcement.

Turns out, the location of the mayor's office was within a humongous mall. A mall that was in serious need of maintenance. Bags of trash lined several parts of the place, some of the stores having long gone out of business. However, in the very center, everybody was ignoring the sorry state of the place and listening with rapt attention to the Sonichu on the podium.

Magi-Chan cleared his throat, addressing all as he floated upwards. The rest of the Chaotic Combo, as well as Sonichu himself, accompanied him. Bubbles was waving to everybody in the crowd, Wild Sonichu had a content smile on his face, Angelica spread rays of light to the audience, and Punchy flexed his muscles.

As for Sonichu himself, he only paid attention whenever his name was shouted, giving a wave in response. "May I have your attention?" Magi-Chan finally calmed the crowd down with a gesture of his hands. "Good. I present good news...and bad news."

"Dude! What are you talking about? It's nothing BUT good news!" Wild Sonichu argued, giving a confident smile. "We're all gonna live!"

"Yeah! Got a problem? U mad?" Punchy laughed at his own joke, only to be met with silence, much to his embarrassment.

Magi-Chan pinched the bridge of his nose before addressing everybody. "Before I was rudely interrupted, the good news is that, yes, we're all going to live. Through our belief in our vanished goddess..." He briefly paused, realizing one of his fists had been clenched tightly at saying that. "...we have triumphed over the odds."

"Indeed! Our gracious goddess has given us the blessing of victory once more." Angelica soothingly said before looking out the window, the planet of Mobius visible in the sky. "I only hope that the non-believers will see the error in their ways."

"Don't count on it. They're not as awesome as I thought." Sonichu scoffed. "They honestly thought Magi-Chan's plan wouldn't work! Those jerks!"

"They sounded really mean! Like that Perfect Chaos Monster!" Bubbles added. "I'm glad you managed to defeat him for good!"

"It was nothing." Sonichu shrugged. 

Continuing his speech, Magi-Chan narrowed his eyes. "The bad news is that our world didn't merge with Mobius. The Dimensional Merge was only halfway successful. That, and Sylvana Rosechu was unfortunately killed in action. Still, we can't mourn for too long. We have much work to do."

"What kind?" Bubbles asked.

"One day, we will have to cross paths with Mobius again." Magi-Chan stated. "They rejected us when we proposed our Dimensional Merge plan. What they fail to understand is that WE are the future. WE are the better world. One day, they will understand...or we'll MAKE them understand."

"Can't we just leave them alone?" An orange Sonichu asked from the audience. "We're all safe now!"

He was then psychically lifted into the air, surprising the audience as he was brought towards the rather displeased-looking Chaotic Combo. "Until our goddess returns, you are to follow MY orders. I am her will. I am her sword. Did you forget that before you entered the building?"

"N...no?"

"Then sit down and shut up." The psychic one said coldly before putting him down and continuing his speech. "Anyway, because we'll need all the resources we need, we are adding several new taxes." He could tell that most members of the audience wanted to complain about that, but they didn't speak up. Some even trembled with fear when he narrowed his eyes at them.

Sonichu suddenly took the mic. "But, until then, I'll be here to take autographs! Who will be the first in line?"

Groaning, Magi-Chan continued. "That is all, for now. I will keep you all updated as this new age in our lives develops. This is our time to shine! CWCville will be the center of the SEGA Universe! It is our destiny!" That got several cheers from the audience.

Angelica flew closer to him. "Aren't you going to smile? That sounds like a great destiny!"

"I AM smiling." Magi-Chan replied.

As Sonichu took autographs, his phone started to shake. Giving an annoyed glance to it, he saw that his wife, Rosechu, had started to leave some messages, mostly centered around asking when he was coming back home. "She's such a nag sometimes! I'll be back when I'm ready!" He said as he continued to do autographs. "Doesn't she know that I saved the world?"

"WE saved the world, bro." Wild Sonichu said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, whatever. I didn't see YOU fight the Perfect Chaos Monster and win." He dismissively replied.

"You wanna say that to my face?" Wild shook a fist, with Punchy looking ready to encourage the upcoming brawl.

Bubbles got in-between them, holding out her hands. "Please, don't fight! We should all be happy. We saved our world, didn't we?"

"Buuuuuuzzkill!" Punchy loudly exclaimed, letting out an obnoxious laugh as he did.

As they all chatted and argued, Magi-Chan turned his head away, looking at a humongous portrait of the goddess of C-197 that was hanging in the very center of the mall. "We did it. Does this mean you'll return...or have you truly forgotten about us?"

Outside, the celebration would begin to die down, as a storm started to approach. The rain began to pound down, eventually becoming a downpour that caused everybody to return to their homes. As the rain got worse, pretty much nobody was outside.

Later that night in CWCville City...

Except for one. One that was not in the metropolitan part of CWCville by choice.

Mecha Sonic dragged himself through the streets, the streetlights around him flickering and even shorting out as he struggled to walk. The damage across his body was causing his energy levels to rapidly drop. Despite how heavy the rain was, though, he heard none of it.

He could only hear himself mumble as he continued to miserably stumble through the mostly empty streets. "Failure...defect...junk...worthless...trash...trash..."

Though the voices in Mecha Sonic's head had seemingly gone away, nothing seemed to be able to take away the feeling of worthlessness he had within himself. His mission was done, but not even that would bring him satisfaction. He could not think of what he had gained through his victory. Only what he had lost.

His chance to prove himself to Dr. Robotnik. His title as 'Strongest in the Universe'. His home. His family. It was all gone. Replaced by the scorn of all of Mobius. Once upon a time, it would not matter to the machine, but, now, the terrible ache of loneliness and unfulfillment had overtaken him.

Right now, thunder rumbled as the mechanical hedgehog mobian found himself walking near several shops that looked to be going out of business. The skyscrapers behind them looked to be rusting, too, giving the city a depressing decaying look. Several civilians were sleeping on the streets, huddling up against anything they could find to provide themselves with warmth.

Mecha Sonic then tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, stumbling into a brick wall, his visor cracking a bit more. He didn't even bother getting up, especially as he slumped into some nearby trash bags. "This...this is where I belong." He muttered. His injuries continued to spark, his limbs twitching whenever that happened.

Through some of the storm clouds, he swore he could see Mobius in the distance. "They're better off without me. Everybody is. There's no room for a mistake like me there...or anywhere. I'm...trash..." His optic wavered once more, red pixels starting to fall from it. For a while, he just sat there, continuing to dwell on the fate that had befallen him.

The pounding rain suddenly stopped hitting his metallic body, causing Mecha Sonic's optic to look up.

(Tessa-Transformers: Age of Extinction)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyueL91iSfA

For the moment, Mecha Sonic sat there, frozen with shock as he noticed an umbrella hovering over his head. The one holding that umbrella was a slightly tall feline mobian with fur black as the night. Her ears were large and pointy, sticking upward. One of them had two ring piercings. She wore a purple tunic that didn't cover her shoulders, the sleeves quite thick. A green gem held it in place around the chest. She didn't seem to wear pants. Merely, the tunic extended down as a large yellow diamond-shaped cloth that covered her lower areas.

Her green eyes blinked as she continued to hold that umbrella. Before she could say anything, Mecha Sonic scrambled back, trying to get as much distance as he could away from her. "Wait, wait! It's alright!" She spoke softly, gently holding out a hand when his leg sparked again, preventing him from crawling away again. "I'm not going to hurt you."

After some hesitation, he finally responded. "You should." His claws dug into the ground as he looked back at the feline mobian. "It's what worthless failures like me deserve."

She leaned in, trying to have the umbrella cover them both. The size of the mechanical hedgehog mobian made it slightly difficult, though. "Don't say that. Nobody's worthless." She then saw the extent of his injuries, Mecha's circuitry exposed to the rain. "You're hurt!"

"...yes." Now, the machine's voice was wavering heavily. "I am...so...hurt..." He tried to speak further, but all that came out were heavy sobs, his claws covering his face as his optic turned into an even bigger wavy line.

The feline mobian watched as he descended into the robotic equivalent of a sobbing fit. "I physically can't cry!" He blubbered. "But...but...but..." He then curled up, trembling and causing more sparks to fly out from. "So many years alone and TRAPPED! Now, I don't know what to do! I don't know-"

He went silent when both of her hands gently wrapped around his own, rubbing it in the most comforting way she could think of. Though Mecha was afraid to meet her gaze, he suddenly found himself drawn to the kindness in her eyes. "It's okay. You're not alone. I'm here." She soothingly said before standing up, her hand still on his claw. "And I'm going to get you to a place where you can be fixed up."

Mecha Sonic couldn't believe his audio receptors. "You...want to help me? Why are you bothering? What use could I be?"

"Being 'of use' isn't what matters. What matters is that everybody deserves a chance to live and enjoy life." She explained, moving her body underneath his arm. 

"I do not count as 'life'. I am merely a discarded machine." He tried to argue, but he then noticed she was struggling to lift him back onto his feet. Watching how determined she was to help him caused his other arm to suddenly move up and cling into the wall, helping himself up.

Still, the damage across his body, as well as his declining energy levels, caused Mecha Sonic to nearly slump against the one helping him, but he stopped himself. "I'm going to do my best to get you to the nearest mechanic." She explained, guiding the stumbling machine through the rain. "There's somebody I know. Somebody that won't hesitate to help a robot in need. You'll be good as new in maybe a couple of weeks."

Despite his despair, the mechanical hedgehog nodded. "V-very well. I guess I wouldn't mind a little rest."

"That's the spirit. By the way, if it's okay for me to ask, what's your name?" The feline mobian asked, the two traveling across crosswalks and sidewalks, passing by more shops that looked to be on their last legs.

He almost said 'Mecha Sonic', but even saying that felt like corrosive acid against his vocal components. To use his fallen foe's name just felt utterly WRONG now. However, as he looked at his nameplate, he saw that the damage he had received only left one word decipherable: TURBO.

Now, he was struggling not to say 'trash' or 'garbage' or something like that. "Turbo. My name is...Turbo." He took a moment to think about that new name for himself, finding that it carried a lot of weight. Like it symbolized a new start for himself.

"That's a pretty cool name." She complimented him before something caught her eye. "There it is!"

In front of the duo looked to be some kind of garage sandwiched between two desolate-looking apartments. They approached a large metal door, with the feline mobian knocking on it several times. Those knocks were answered by what sounded to be a VERY grouchy old man's voice. "For the last time, ya' damn Samura Pizza Bots, I am NOT helpin' ya just so you can push us around! Why, I outta-"

Opening the door was a Blastoise with barnacles all around his chin and shell, his cannons looking rusted with age. He also wore some safety goggles, which he lifted up. "Oh! It's you! What cha' got there?"

"This robot needs help! He's critically damaged and needs some time to charge up!" The feline mobian looked down with a guilty expression. "I know I can't pay you with much, but-"

"Don't you worry a thing! This one's on the house! It's the least I can do for helpin' me and my daughter durin' these tough times." He replied before giving the machine a look. "Not gonna lie. Ya' look like you went through a whole damn lot, metal man."

Another fuse was blown thanks to the rain, causing Turbo to stumble into the tortoise-like Pokemon's arms. "Gah!"

"Yikes! You're a fixer-upper, but nothin' I can't handle!" The mechanic assured. "There's nothin' the Yawnin' Blastoise can't fix! Though, you can just call me 'Yawn'. Everyone else does."

Giving a sigh of relief, the feline mobian prepared to leave. "I've gotta go. Pajama is probably worried sick about me and I haven't even bought my groceries yet. See you soon!"

"WAIT!" Turbo's claw reached out, causing her to turn back. "I didn't get your name!"

"Oh! My bad! It's Ebony! Nice to meet you, Turbo!" She smiled, giving a wave. "Get well soon!" With that, she ran towards the nearest grocery store, vanishing from sight.

As the mechanical hedgehog mobian was brought into Yawn's shop, he couldn't stop repeating the feline mobian's name to himself. He also couldn't forget that wonderful smile she gave him. The way she dropped everything just to help him out of the rain and into the care of somebody that could possibly restore him.

All of his troubles seemed to fade away, especially as he was laid over a large table. "I ain't gonna lie. With how badly you're damaged, this could take a while." Yawn stated, rummaging through his tools. "Ya' don't mind powerin' down for a long while, do ya'?"

His optic starting to fade, Turbo let out a digitized relieved sigh. "Actually, I'd very much like to rest. Do what you will."

"Alrighty! Lemme tell ya'! You're lucky to have been found by the Mystic Mog herself!" Yawn said happily. "Why, I remember the time when me and her first met! It was..."

He would continue to talk, but all sound was fading from Turbo's audio receptors. For the first time in his life, he voluntarily powered down, going into his energy saving mode. There were no thoughts. No voices. Just peace. Something Turbo found himself enjoying as it happened.

The mechanical one didn't know what the future would bring, but, for now, he would savor finally getting some much-needed sleep. That is, what robots like him would consider sleep.

A few days later, in Central City...

Despite the fact that the terror was over, the repairs all across Mobius were going to take a considerable amount of time. The Restoration and G.U.N had teamed up to help in fixing the damage that had been left behind, with Central City becoming loud with reconstruction efforts.

However, a terrible gloom had befallen the planet. The loss of several of its heroes, Sonic being chief among them, had struck a massive blow towards morale. Citizens from all across Mobius had already gathered at Sonic's funeral, his shoes buried in his coffin as everybody gave their eulogies.

Some other guests that showed up at the funeral included Mario and others from the Nintendo Universe (thanks to some portals that briefly opened up), all giving their respects to the fallen Blue Blur. During that funeral, many wanted to say that he wasn't truly gone. That he was just hiding and would rise again.

That day would never come, yet many still wanted to believe it wasn't over for Sonic. Despite knowing better, Amy Rose also wanted to believe that.

Currently, the pink hedgehog mobian was fixing up her slightly damaged shop, looking around after having organized broken and non-broken objects. "There we go!" Big finished helping out, adding some flowers into some of the fountains she had added to the place. "Looks good as new."

"Yeah. Thanks, Big." She sighed, her heart still heavy from the loss of her friend. However, rather than let any tears fall, she took a deep breath and grabbed the 'Open' sign. "If anybody needs somebody to talk to, I'll try to be here."

"That's so kind of you." Big sat next to her as she got back to her desk, allowing her to rest against his fluff. "I'll also be here as long as you need." That just made her snuggle more into him, while Froggy stayed on lookout for any visitors.

Sure enough, a certain bat mobian fluttered in, a somber-looking Dark Chao following her. "Hey, Amy. How's business?"

"Rouge!" Amy stammered, reluctantly pulling herself from her boyfriend's fur. "It's going well. You're just in time. Do you need anything right now."

As the bat mobian wandered closer, she winced as she flexed her injured wing. Mechanical parts supported it, making whirring noises as they tried to flex whenever she willed it. "You're staring." She put her hands on her hips. "Trust me, it's not glamorous, but it'll have to do."

"I'm sure your wing will heal in due time." Amy tried to assure, only to see that Melanite was floating miserably near her desk. She instantly realized why, moving closer to slowly offer a comforting hand. "It'll be okay. We'll find your dad soon."

"That's actually why I'm here." Rouge said. "Do you have something that would remind him of Shadow? One for me, too." She rubbed her arm, trying not to weep a bit as she remembered how her boyfriend and best friend had been swallowed up by that portal. 

"That might take some time, but you got it." Amy nodded before stepping away from her desk, leaving Melanite to hug into Big's fur for the sake of trying to replicate the feeling of Shadow's chest-tuft. Once she was near Rouge, she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is G.U.N at least trying to look for him?'

"Towers has practically made it his mission to find him. He feels responsible for the disaster at Robotropolis." Rouge explained. "I thought Shadow's disappearance would be the best news he's ever heard, but...he's just as torn up as I am." Her eyelashes fluttered with a few stray tears before she shook her head. "And Knuckles! He's probably in the same place as he is."

"Hopefully. That'll make finding them both a whole lot easier." Amy said before looking out the window, noticing CWCworld still orbiting in the distant sky. "One of these days, we'll need to explore that place. It's our best chance."

The sound of going on another adventure, especially one that doubled as a search-and-rescue for Shadow and Knuckles, made her ears flick, a slight smile forming on her face. "You know what? Let's make plans as soon as we can. For now, I wouldn't mind maybe just going for a bite to eat after Omega's finished getting repairs."

"I think we could ALL do with a meal." Amy sighed, looking to a nearby picture of her, Sonic, and several other friends that was displayed on her desk. "He'd want us to be happy. To live our lives."

"Yeah." Big nodded, his hand patting Melanite. "What a great guy."

"Yep. He sure was." Rouge said, once again looking to the sky. For some reason, her eyes felt drawn to the moon orbiting around CWCworld, but she eventually returned to Melanite's side, allowing him to hug into her side. "I miss him too. But we'll find him. I know we will."

Unconsiously, she began to rub her own belly, like something was forming within. She then remembered that, during that one time in the Sky Fox, she and Shadow didn't use protection. Putting that thought to the side, she continued to look through Amy's shop, wondering what else her friend was selling.

The Moon of CWCworld...

Compared to Mobius' moon, this floating pile of lunar rock had suffered much less. Still, instead of looking like it had gone through so much destruction, it was inhabited by more of those shadow monsters. The very same creatures that, after Maximum Chaos fought Sonichu, had fled into a portal that led back to their home here.

Among them was Ultimate Shadow, the draconic monster crushing a shadow monster underneath his tail before roaring to the rest. They all looked ready to keep fighting, but the ultimate life form would not surrender. Occasionally, he would look towards Mobius, but his rage would always flare up when he was attacked once more.

This had been going on for some time, but, this time, the creatures just stopped moving. They stood like statues, as if they were awaiting something. "Rrrrrgh?" Ultimate Shadow reared his head back, his wings flaring out as he prepared for whatever was coming.

'At long last. We shall meet face-to-face.' That same voice had returned, causing the draconic one to let out a furious roar. 'Don't be like that. Your destiny finally awaits and...and...' The voice suddenly started to cough, causing Ultimate Shadow to tilt his head in confusion.

His attention was then grabbed by a swirling mass of darkness within the center of the frozen shadow creatures. The purple-tinted darkness began to coalesce into one a singular humanoid form. "Oh, how I HATE using that voice. My vocal chords are screaming for bloody mercy right now." 

That stuffy British voice came from a figure that, when fully formed, was basically a tall human male with a flowing purple cape, a crimson button-down shirt, green pants, pointed green shoes, short black hair, and lots of stubble around his chin. His eyes glowed a faint purple, as well and he was twirling around a staff with a claw at the end. That claw held a swirling purple orb of energy.

Despite his sharp features that would normally make him quite handsome, he had several cracks around his face, all of them glowing dark purple. Some of them were converging into his left eye, as well. "What? Were you expecting somebody taller?" He chuckled.

Lunging at the one that had tormented him within his mind, Ultimate Shadow grasped his head when he felt a horrible pain surge through it. The man's staff glowed bright as his facial expression hardened. "I wouldn't do anything funny like that, if I were you. You stand before the master of darkness himself. Someone who has use for your talents. My creations here are fierce, but they're so easily destroyed. Not like you, 'Ultimate Lifeform'."

Without fear, he walked around the struggling draconic monster, not flinching as those jaws snapped at him. "You're probably wondering how I managed to speak to you from across dimensions. How I managed to send my forces into your world. Well, you can blame those blokes down there." He pointed to CWCworld. "Their goddess leaves permanently and they wind up making a damn mess of things. It'd be amusing if I wasn't so busy with taking advantage of the situation and seeking the perfect acolyte."

"RAAAAAARGH! NO! You...do...not...control..." Ultimate Shadow managed to speak, though it took considerable effort.

"That's it. I didn't want to do this early, but..." He tapped the draconic one's head with his staff, causing Ultimate Shadow's eyes to become blank purple, his body slumping over as it twitched a whole bunch.

"Right now, your mind is fighting for control. After a while, you'll be so tired that you'll listen to every...suggestion I have in store. Might take a while, but I'm all about patience." The man kicked back against a throne that several shadow monsters provided for him. "As untamed as you are, you'll most likely prove a better servant than that fool, Reldnahc. He was only good to give your world a small amount of grief after I warped him into another one of my shadow monsters."

Looking towards Mobius, his fingers clenched into his throne a bit more. "And the loss of Sylvana was certainly a blow, but she was a rebellious fool. A lost cause. You, on the other hand...oh, we're going to cause so much havoc." He smiled as he walked towards the twitching Ultimate Shadow. "We shall conquer so many worlds. Drown them in darkness! Introduce them to the inevitability of despair!"

"For I am Count Graduon...and, when the time is right, my return to greatness is NIGH!"

Somewhere in CWCworld...

Knuckles' head pounded with a nasty headache, but he didn't feel like getting up. All he could think about was how, in the end, the Master Emerald was gone. He could no longer feel its energy, as well as the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. He had failed in his duty and his mind wouldn't let him forget it.

'My ancestors...forgive me.' He thought. 

His slumber would be interrupted when he suddenly felt the wind rush against his body. It was getting more intense, causing him to suddenly realize he wasn't on the ground, but in the air. "What the?!" The echidna warrior cried out, his eyes widening as he also saw that he was hurtling towards the ground.

Not only that, but he was riding atop what looked to be an anthro bug/dragon hybrid. "SO SORRY ABOUT THIS!" The female dragon Pokemon cried out, the two eventually crashing into a thick forest area. Knuckles found himself tumbling across the ground, the pain of his injuries showing up once again.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to get up, looking towards the insectoid dragon anthro that was now staring at him, her claws adjusting his nose-ring as stars appeared over her head. "No, ma...I didn't think that incoming tree was a piece of cotton candy." She said in her daze before shaking her head and twiddling her claws. "Sorry! I'm not very good at landings!"

The rough landing had already soured Knuckles' already bad mood, but, looking upon the tall tank-top/sweats wearing Pokemon before him, he remembered that portal he went through. "Where...am I?"

"Sacre bleu! You brought an intruder, Dulcy! I mean, really! Knothole is supposed to be a SECRET hide-out!"

Knuckles turned to the source of that noise, only to be confronted with even more Pokemon, Dulcy being an anthro Flygon. Before him, there was an anthro Walrein with a sports cap and a tool belt wrapped around his rotund frame, a lopunny with a cowboy get-up and several robotic limbs, an Obstagoon with a royal guard outfit (and a prominent French accent, based on how he shouted those words earlier), and a redhead chipmunk mobian who only wore what looked to be a jacket, some shorts, and nothing else.

"Don't get your fur in a twist, Antoinne. Dulcy's just tryin' to help. Besides, poor guy looks lost." The cybernetic lopunny smiled, her voice having a thick western accent.

"Perhaps he's from the new world that just showed up?" The Walrein suggested. "Interesting."

Groaning, Knuckles finally managed to stand up, only to stumble and fall into the chimpunk mobian's arms. "I can still...move..."

"From the looks of it, I don't think so. For now, we'll save each-other's explanations until  we get you patched up." She stated.

"Princess! You're not serious about letting an intruder into our secret hideout, are you?! What if he brings company? Bad company, too!" The Obstagoon tried to look stern, only to fearfully look around.

"Relax, Antoinne. I'm not picking up any other signals." The Walrein waved around a remote-shaped radar device. "Still, we'd better get going."

"Can I come?" Dulcy asked, twiddling her claws further.

"By all means! You might wanna take things by foot, this time." The chipmunk mobian suggested.

Despite not having a damn clue of what was going on, Knuckles let himself be carried by the seemingly friendly group. So many questions were going through his mind, but, so long as he still could throw a punch, he wouldn't lose sight of at least doing his best to protect Mobius from all other threats. 

He even caught a glimpse of the planet itself as the group moved deeper into the woods, a slight smile forming on his face. His duty may have ended in disaster, but, so long as the planet remained, there was still hope. "You guys made it. Pretty soon...I'll be coming home. Wonder if Sonic's missing me already?"

Meanwhile on Rainbow Island..

Not too far away from where Knuckles was being taken, there existed a small island that, once upon a time, was the place of a powerful artifact. It was known as the Legendary Master Sunstone. It was said that it could alter reality if its powers were used unwisely. Nowadays, it just looked to be a useless orange rock sitting atop the highest point of the forest-filled island.

Even its guardian, Flame the Sunbird, didn't appear to be there anymore. Still, the island wasn't uninhabited, as several Pokemon and even a few Mobians lived there in peace. They mostly lived in a small area known as 'Windmill Village' after the, of course, large windmill in the center of the humble place. 

Most of the population was made up of orphaned Pokemon, the varied populace always finding solace together as they helped their home prosper. They also felt safe under the watchful eye of their motherly guardian. One with a connection to Mobius that never went away, despite the years of separation.

The large owl mobian, however, had a heavy heart, the other Pokemon crowding around her as she rested atop her perch in the town plaza. Despite the peace, she was dressed in what looked to be strong wooden armor around her chest and waist, like she was anticipating trouble at all times, especially in the wake of the maelstrom that had brought CWCworld to the SEGA Universe.

She hung her head low, her mind drifting to the thought of somebody she had not seen in forever. She had only been able to send that person visions of her giving some advice and motherly love. "My son...I should have been there for you." She said to herself. "I hope you find peace in the afterlife, Sonic."

"Ms. Longclaw? Are you okay?" A Caterpie anthro asked.

"Maybe we should give her space?" A dog mobian suggested.

As they wondered what was wrong with the one that took them in and how they could comfort her, another group of children rushed in. "Guys! We found somebody that looks hurt!" A Chancey exclaimed.

Broken out of her thoughts, Longclaw's head rotated enough to face the group. "Bring them in. There's always room in this village for..." Her feathers started to ruffle when she looked upon the one wandering into town.

Grasping his head and looking worse for wear, a certain egg-shaped scientist groaned as he stumbled around. His outfit looked torn/burnt, his goggles cracked, and some parts of his skin looked like they had suffered electrical burns. "Ohhhhh...who...who are you?" He muttered before rubbing his head again. "Wait a minute. Who am I?"

From the visions she had received from her adoptive son, Longclaw swore she recognized this figure, but her protective instincts took over before she could investigate. "You...don't know who you are?" She wondered, rotating her head back to its normal position.

"N-no. All I remember is feeling like I shoved my hand into an electrical socket and then...poof. Here I am, surrounded by so many...um, I don't want to be rude, but what are you?" He stumbled around, more young Pokemon starting to surround him. "Am I hallucinating?"

"You're not, silly! Welcome to Rainbow Island!" An Ekans anthro stated.

"Let's get you a nice warm bed! We have another one of those, right, Ms. Longclaw?" A Sandshrew anthro asked.

Peering into the confused man's eyes, the owl mobian sighed before extending her large wing-hand. She did her best to gently touch that gloved hand, noticing the electrical burn scars. "Before I show you to your bed, let me have a look at those wounds. I'm not sure how this happened, but it must have been awful."

"Yes. Awful." The amnesiac Dr. Robotnik rubbed his head again, not sure why tears were forming in his eyes. "I still don't remember and, frankly, I don't think I want to."

"Don't worry. Let's focus on helping you recover, first. For now, would you like something to eat?" Longclaw offered, the two walking hand-in-hand, while the other Pokemon followed them around.

The feeling of those soft feathers and the overall welcoming tone improved the amnesiac one's spirits. "I hope you don't mind that I could go for some eggs."

Somewhere near Vanilla's House...

Much to Vector's relief, Vanilla and her family were safe and sound, but that didn't mean that they didn't have to endure the havoc of what had gone down. Many Egg Pawns had been destroyed by the family, with Emerl looking the most battle-damaged by the whole experience. The area around the house also looked sufficiently wrecked, entire sections of land looking uprooted.

After the funeral, Team Chaotix was, once again, hanging out with Vanilla's family, but there was a somber mood as they sat on the beach, trying to recover after the losses that had occurred. Bad enough that Sonic had perished, but Knuckles was M.I.A and Silver's demise was still felt by Espio, the chameleon mobian having barely said a word throughout the last couple of days.

Vector sighed, but he still tried to lighten up the mood as he scooted next to Vanilla. "So...which scar's your favorite?"

"That's a bit morbid, don't you think?" She replied, resting a hand against his clawed back-side. "If it were up to me, I'd prefer if you didn't get yourself into dangerous situations like that again."

"Ah, but we're Chaotix. It's right there in our name. There's trouble? We come...for a fee, y'know?" He chuckled before looking towards were Espio was. The ninja was sitting against a tree, always staring at the sky. "One of these days, I need to talk to him."

"Give him time. Hearts take a long time to heal." Vanilla advised. "Still, it's such a shame. He was the happiest I'd ever seen him whenever he and Silver were together."

Cheese and Chocola were busy watching as Cream was putting a sailboat out to sea, dolls of Sonic and Silver on there. She wanted to make more dolls to honor the fallen, but, for now, she'd have these two set sail first. "So, this way, they'll still have adventures out there?" Charmy asked, sitting next to his friend.

Cream nodded, her ears drooping more than usual. "I should have been there to help. Maybe, not so many people would have been hurt."

"Hey, look at this this way. You told me that you still kicked robot butt when the Egg Pawns attacked your house." Charmy stated. "If anything, I wish I was as cool as you."

That managed to put a smile on the rabbit mobian's. "I was only protecting my family. Emerl was the one doing the most protecting." She turned to the still slightly battle-damaged robot, who just waved as he gathered food for the Chao. "I'm still holding onto that dream of helping more people beyond my home. Sonic would want all of us to follow our dreams."

"You got that right." Charmy beamed.

For a while, the relaxing atmosphere started to clear everybody's nerves...until something in the ocean caused the sailboat to stir. A green glow started to form under it, the boat almost capsizing when something began to rush towards the shore. "What now?!" Vector called out, instantly mobilizing with the other Chaotix members and Emerl.

With a mighty roar, a watery reptilian monstrosity jumped from the water, beaching himself on the shore. Maximum Chaos had returned...and he looked utterly tired. His tongue hung out of his jaws as he fell onto his side, the Chao around him flying closer. "I...I'm alive..." He looked just as mystified that he had survived, his slitted eyes darting around.

"Chaos?! Holy crap! We thought you were dead!" Vector exclaimed.

"So did I." Maximum Chaos finally pressed his claws against the sand, lumbering back onto his two feet. His tail had to support his weight, as he was still very much tired. The others watched as he looked around, his claws moving towards his chest. "The Chao...Tikal...my family...they gave their souls...so I could live..." Tears welled up in his eyes, his jaws trembling as he remembered everything leading up to now.

"Mr. Chaos? Are you okay?" Cream asked, the other two Chao floating closer to the sorrowful creature.

Wiping his eyes, Maximum Chaos looked to the horizon, slightly comforted by the presence of his kin. His tail moved closer to his chest, to which he hugged it against there. "This is a lot for me to take in. All of this power and all of this freedom...yet it all feels empty without them. What do I do now?"

"Live. Isn't that what your family wanted?" Espio finally spoke up.

Blinking at that response, the watery one thought on that for a while, the others gathering around his large form. "...yes. She wanted me to enjoy life. All that had been denied to me before. Not only that, but she wanted me to 'save Mobius'. Protect life itself. She always did value this world's safety and security. I shall honor her wishes." He stood up a bit more, gazing towards the sun.

"With you as a protector, I'd say we're in pretty good hands." Vector stated.

"Whoo! Chaos is permanently on Team Good Guys!" Charmy said before floating up to the monster's head. "But first, let's get you a hat. It's kinda freaky seeing your brain float around all the time."

"HEY! It's not THAT distracting!" Maximum Chaos growled, pushing the bee mobian back with a snort before giving a sheepish look. "Although, having it exposed IS kind of risky."

"I would suggest a cowboy hat. Knuckles seemed to enjoy wearing those on occasion." Emerl suggested.

While hearing their suggestions, Maximum Chaos also nuzzled his nose into Cream and Chocola's hugs, their warmth filling him with comfort he had desperately needed after all he had been through. "You've been taking good care of them, you two. I'm eternally grateful." He told the mother and daughter rabbit mobian duo.

"Thank you, Mr. Chaos!" Cream beamed.

"Do you need someplace to stay while you recover? We'd love to have you stay over for as long as you like!" Vanilla offered.

Blinking at that offer, Maximum Chaos gave an unsure look. "I'm not sure how big your house is, but, considering my size, maybe I'll just stick to living in the sea here. Still, I'd love to try new meals. Do you have ice cream? Because I just LOVE ice-GAH!"

A newspaper had slapped into his brain, causing him to hastily grab it, the edges of the paper nearly melting from how watery they got. "We really gotta get you that hat." Charmy commented.

"Wait a sec. I don't remember seeing a newspaper like that before." Vector observed, the others realizing that detail as well when they peered into what the watery one was reading. From what they could see, it was the 'CWCville Gazette', having apparently come from the world that could be seen far off in the sky, always orbiting Mobius.

Maximum Chaos' eye slits were thinning considerably in fury, his claws clenching around the paper. "Sonichu...saves...the DAY?!" The more he gripped around the paper, the more it dissolved into a soggy mess. "He nearly ends his world and mine...and he's CELEBRATED FOR IT?!" 

"Oh, snap!" Charmy said.

"Disgraceful." Espio stated. 

"I KNOW! I HATE THAT HEDGE-MON!" The watery monster slammed his tail down, shaking his fists.

"Oh, dear." Vanilla moved a hand to the enraged watery one's arm. "Why don't we relax and try not to think about how the poorly thought-out actions of a group of people nearly resulted in armageddon?"

Taking a deep breath, Maximum Chaos sighed, but still growled when he saw CWCworld again. "It's because of me that you were given your power, Sonichu. But, if you dare threaten my world with whatever hair-brained scheme you come up with...I will not hesitate to remind you why they called me the 'God of Destruction'."

As it was getting late, the group would soon prepare to return home, with Maximum Chaos joining them for dinner. However, as they walked, Cream came up to the lumbering behemoth. "You fought alongside Ms. Blaze. Is she okay? We haven't seen her since the funeral."

Pausing, the watery one gave that thought before gazing toward the sky. "Perhaps she's found her dimension...or what's left of it. I can only hope she finds some kind of hope. Perhaps...we'll meet again, too. I'd love to have some ice cream with her once more." With that, he continued on his way to Vanilla's house, ready to enjoy food, rest, and the company of others.

The Sol Dimension...

When Blaze finally found a portal leading to her dimension, she expected desolation. Despair. A destabilized dimension. The consequences of the destruction of the Sol Emeralds.

She did NOT expect the sight of Solius' nearly endless ocean almost completely covered in various new biomes. There were evergreen forests that stretched on for miles, volcanic landscapes that seemed particularly violent in how much lava was being produced, mountains that eclipsed the pre-existing rocky structures, and her castle being under the shadow of a whole new neighboring kingdom.

This castle was far more typical of something from the middle ages, rather than something as ornate as what the Sol Empire had. "What's going on here?" Her misery had been replaced by utter confusion and a sense of relief that the citizens around her castle seemed fine.

Flying through the forests now surrounding her home, Blaze noticed that the grass looked...artificial. Like it didn't belong. Stopping her flight, she traced her hand through the glass, only for it to flicker slightly, nearly revealing a patch of ocean she almost fell into. "What dark magic is this?" She wondered, especially as she gazed over the horizon, watching as another patch of ocean was being covered by more of that greenery.

Even worse, one of the islands that surrounded her kingdom was also being converted into something new. What once began as a fishing village was being morphed into a stereotypical fantasy village. The citizenry were panicking, especially as wave of sparkly magic hit them. They started to look more polygonal, like the graphics of a Nintendo 64.

The changes didn't stop there, as everything around them started to turn...bland. Shops were now featureless buildings, decorations blended in with the background, and everybody just felt a wave of gloom rush over them, as if this was the new normal they had to deal with.

Propelling herself through the air, Blaze saw that her kingdom seemed untouched by these changes, but everybody there was still looking uncertain about what was going on. For a moment, the feline solian prepared to head down to comfort her people...only to zoom towards the castle instead.

"What if they blame me for whatever is happening? I know I deserve to face the consequences of my actions, but...oh, I need to speak with my father!" She raced through the castle's hallways, only to see that the stained glass windows were reflecting events that had never happened in her castle's history.

She didn't have time to observe the changes that much, but she noticed that characters similar to Sonichu in looks were being depicted, especially a purple one that wore a flowing purple cape and wielding a sword. When she got to her father's throne room, she saw that the large feline solian looked...rather calm.

"Father! I've finally returned! What's happened in the time I was gone?!" She asked.

Finally looking towards his daughter, King Bogan just kicked back. "A lot! But it's all for the better! Granted, I was very displeased when I learned you let the Sol Emeralds be destroyed in your failure as a guardian..." Hearing that caused Blaze's ears to fall down in shame. "But this entirely new land merged with our dimension and it's made changes that are going to make us the mighty empire we were destined to be! You even have a suitable suitor now!"

"Wait, what?" Blaze blinked, having not expected to hear that.

"In fact, he's here right now! We've already prepared some wedding plans that he's excited to share!" King Bogan continued, gesturing to his side as that same electric hedgehog Pokemon from the stained glass window showed himself.

His purple cape waved against the non-existent wind, his gaze stern as he began his speech. "My fair Zelina Rosechu-I mean, Blaze! I am the savior who dashes in the night! I am the Link that has saved both of our kingdoms! I...am DARKBIND SONICHU!" 

Letting all this sink in, Blaze's eye twitched as she still tried to process all this. "...WHAT?!"

It was going to be a long couple of days, indeed.

Somewhere in the outskirts of SolRuleCWC...

Among the many places forcibly transported to the Sol Dimension, there was one that was now completely surrounded by what little ocean remained. It was a large cave shaped like a skull, half of it submerged beneath the waves. Occasionally, the 'eyes' of the cave would light up with purple flame, indicating something supernatural was going on.

Within this cave, there seemed to be nothing but darkness and a couple of torches. There were also many books, discarded weapons, and even a dungeon. Everything mentioned had not aged well, though, as layers upon layers of dust covered them. The dungeon looked ready to fall apart, too.

On one of the desks, there was something from Mobius that had been transported here during the planet's near-destruction. The device was known by the heroes of Mobius as the Reverie, a wish-granting mechanism that was currently stuck in its 'Dormancy Protocol'. Basically, it wouldn't be able to grant wishes for 1000 years.

Within this device, a mystical guardian dwelled. The Dreamweaver known as Ariem was distressed, having sensed that her connection with her friend, Cream, had greatly weakened. "That portal! It must have transported the Reverie to a far away place!" She said, floating around in the dreamscape that the wish-granting device housed within. "I can only hope that the Reverie falls into the right hands."

"That wouldn't happen to include me, would it?"

Hearing another voice caused Ariem to gasp loudly, despite nobody else being there with her. "Who said that?"

Gazing into the real world, the sheep-like Dreamweaver noticed an enormous shadow emerging from within the cave she was in. Based on the shadow illuminated by the torches, it looked to be some kind of humongous hunched boar anthro. "I did. I guess you can call me your 'Master', but I'm not really big on that. You can just call me 'the greatest sorcerer that ever lived'." The voice sounded gravely, but bored.

"How can you hear what I am saying? Have you tapped into the power of the Reverie?" Ariem prepared to use whatever other protocols she could, in case the voice belonged to somebody ready to abuse the Reverie's powers.

"Nah, not yet. But, when I do, I'm finally getting what I want." The voice replied. "I won't be forgotten as easily as last time. I'll be remembered as the greatest villain in all of RuleCWC and, maybe, if I'm lucky, all of existence."

The source of the shadow started to move closer towards the Reverie, allowing Ariem to get a better look at him. His looming hunched frame was covered in a dark cloak, but she could still see the portly anthro reptilian boar that was staring at her with glowing red eyes. His tusks were thick and wicked, while his teeth were razor sharp. His muscular form had a noticeable gut, which jiggled every time he moved.

He also sported a shaggy purple mane that extended down his slightly long neck, as well as a reptilian tail that waved around with red/black scales around it. "So, here's the deal." The large figure sat at the desk, peering into the Reverie. "I'm gonna figure out how your power works and, after that, I guess I conquer RuleCWC at long last or something. Whatever helps me get out of obscurity."

"You choose a path of evil almost casually, yet I feel no malice from you. Are you sure your heart's in this?" Ariem asked, only to get a groan from the large one. "Who are you, anyway?"

"You don't know who I am?!" The pig-like monstrosity growled before standing up and relaxing. "I'm kidding. I'd be odd if you KNEW who I was. Anyway, I'm the Lord of Nightmares, the Scourge of RuleCWC, and whatever else I can think of. Just call me Clawdorf and we'll be good."

For a while, the two just stared at each-other, the sheep anthro waiting for the villain to say something else. "Would you tell me of your plan? I'd like to hear it." She merely wanted answers. After that, she would do all she could to contact Cream of this possibly new threat.

Instead, all she got was a loud yawn from Clawdorf. "I'll come up with it when I'm ready. For now, I'm getting some shuteye. It's been a crazy couple of days. Sleep tight."

"Oh. Very well. Sweet dreams, I suppose." Ariem replied, still doing her best to restore her link with her friend. It would take some time, but the sheep anthro was all about patience. It was one of the reasons she had not gone insane while dwelling in the device for so many years, after all.

Back in Mobius, in a random forest...

Far away from most civilization, there was a massive fiery crater. It was located in a forest that had been torn apart by the maelstrom, many of its trees still knocked down. Several wildfires had also broken out thanks to that near-cataclysm, making the place look even more desolate.

The flames in that crater had long since died down, but the area remained charred and covered in ash. A few creature had moved closer in curiosity, but they always ran away before they could see what landed.

Right now, a few birds had fluttered closer to the crater, only for a claw to rise from it, scaring them off. Grunting heavily, the figure within the crater started to pull himself up, clawing into the ground as he dragged himself to the surface.

Letting out a loud gasp, Dave flopped onto his stomach, his hair tendrils pushing him up as he tried to stand. The Seedrian had suffered a great deal of damage, both from the burns he had received AND smashing into the planet's surface like he did.

Coughing up some ash, Dave looked around, noticing that he was once again on Mobius. He also noticed the damages, causing him to remember the destructive effects of the Maelstrom. How much it had almost ripped apart Mobius itself. The fact that it was still standing, with CWCworld orbiting around it, was something Dave considered miraculous.

But nothing could change the fact that, ultimately, he had failed. All that research...all the risks...all the humiliations brought upon by Magi-Chan...amounted to nothing. His one way to get to Green Gate before the Black Arms got to it was gone.

He had not only failed his home, but the friends he had made here. Whisper, her wisps, Lanolin, Tangle, Sleet, and the others...they had all seen how he was ready to sacrifice their world so that his could have a chance. The future hedgehog mobian that had faced against him had given his life just to fix his mistake.

Now, all he had left was himself...and he hated it.

Slowly, Dave's trembling claw moved to remove what remained of his mask, his eyes gazing into it as tears started to form in his eyes. His facial features hardened as he then let out a furious yell, smashing the mask repeatedly against the nearest rock. He could continue to bash it against there for some time before eventually stopping.

Looking down, he attempted to use his chest armor to make another hologram of his mother, but it flickered and glitched when he tried it. Now, the waterworks were definitely happening, as Dave devolved into ugly sobs, his sorrow hitting him at full force.

It got worse as he looked around, his tears slightly obscuring his vision. The seedrian saw more destruction everywhere he looked. He remembered how many other places across Mobius suffered because of his efforts, his claws covering his head as he imagined all the heartbreak this planet must have suffered when many were probably destroyed during the cataclysm.

Dave's claws clenched around his own head more, his sobs losing volume as he curled into a ball. "I'm sorry...I'm SO sorry..." That was all he could say. Perhaps he was saying that to his deceased mother? Was it for his home planet? For the friends he had made on Mobius? Perhaps all of those options?

Whatever the case, Dave no longer knew what to do. He felt like just sitting there, his arms wrapped around his knees as he would occasionally roll around. However, as his tendrils rested on the ground, he suddenly realized several lost wisps had found shelter in those tendrils.

Having nothing but guilt in his heart, Dave tried to shoo them away, but they just snuggled further to his warm frame. Instead of resisting further, the extraterrestrial hugged them closer, a few more stray tears following as he struggled to figure out what to do next.

The Ruins of Robotropolis...

Ever since the whole crisis had ended, there had been several attempts to visit what remained of Robotropolis and, perhaps, repurpose whatever was there into things that would help the planet recover. However, the metal used to create the city had dissolved, reducing the whole place into nothing but a rocky island that was slowly getting submerged beneath the waves. Most of Dr. Robotnik's stuff had been destroyed in the batt that had taken place there, anyway.

Rain pounded against the nearly submerged island, the waves crashing against some rubble that remained. Most of the junk consisted of destroyed Egg Pawns and a few discarded Death Egg Robots. One piece of destroyed machinery, however, was still slightly active. 

The upper body of Metal Sonic rested in the claw of a destroyed Death Egg Robot, his form nearly enveloped by the water. Due to the damages he had suffered, he was close to total deactivation, but he remained active, despite his destroyed engine. He had also been active long enough to witness Sonic's destruction.

Something that had caused his already fragile mental state to just completely collapse. "I did it. I killed Sonic. It was me. Not him. Me. Not the relic. Not the failure. Me. Me. Me. Me." He did his best to modify his memories, despite the fact that it was draining his power even faster. To even comprehend that it was Mecha that defeated his nemesis was just that unfathomable to him.

As he continued to deny reality, he suddenly vanished out of existence. Like so many others throughout time and space, he had been transported to one of the many Arenas that the demon known as Baskerra Hellmane had made. Only, this time, time would flow normally instead of being reset. He WOULD win that 20th Arena, after all.

Even then, he would always believe that it was him that triumphed over Sonic. Wherever he was now, nobody could say for sure.

But that wasn't the only thing to happen in the wreckage of Robotropolis. The basement where Mecha Sonic was once kept was still intact, despite the building connected to it having disintegrated after the battle was over. Normally, that wouldn't matter, as it would soon be covered by the waves and never explored again.

Except when a metal fist punched through the rock, creating an opening for three figures to slowly rise out. "WOW! What a nap!" A loud braying voice shouted.

"I hope we weren't gone for too long. Robotnik will be furious if he finds out we slept on the job!" The other voice sounded much deeper, but also far more dumb.

"It'll be YOU two bolt-brains that'll get the boot! I was the first to wake up! Yeah, yeah!" A higher-pitched voice shouted.

Eventually, all three would rise out, often pushing each-other to make room. In order, there was a bipedal rooster-like robot with a serrated beak, a green Grounder-type Robotnik robot with a cartoonish face, and a red Coconuts-type Robotnik robot with a lightbulb on his head. 

None of them expected to find themselves surrounded by wreckage that was soon to be submerged by miles of ocean. "Scratch, I think we slept for way too long!" Grounder exclaimed with horror.

"No kidding! Did Robotnik move out and not tell us or something?!" Scratch covered his head in panic, frantically moving around.

"This ain't fair! After ALL my hard work and after cleaning those stinkin' toilets for so many years..." Coconuts kicked the nearest rock, stomping his feet in rage. "He just leaves us high and dry!"

"Yeah. 'Dry'." Scratch rolled his optics, though he joined all three robots in looking worried as the water rose up to their knees. Grounder even rode up the taller robot's body, his drill arms wrapping around his brother. "Let go of me, you dumb-bot! I'll sink faster if you do that!"

"But I have no other place to go! I don't wanna sink!" Grounder wailed.

Just when all hope seemed lost for the reawakened robots, one last portal opened up in front of them. A final remnant of the maelstrom, that is. "Guys! Look over there! It's something swirly!" Coconuts pointed, jumping up and down.

All three robots looked at the thing with suspicion before the water started to rise. "I call dibs!" Scratch leaped into the rapidly closing portal, the others following him.

"Geronimo!" Cononuts shouted.

"Bye, Mobius! We'll send you a postcard!" Grounder added before springs appeared in his treads, allowing him to leap into the portal. Right as he went through with Coconuts, the portal closed, leaving the sinking island behind.

Spiral Hill Village...

The storm had also continued in this place, though it was much softer. The rain smacked gently against the windows as Tangle sat at her chair, idly flipping through a photo album featuring her and her friends. Instead of being her usually cheerful self, she had been utterly miserable for the last couple of days.

Sonic's death was already a huge contributing factor to her depression, but the loss of Jewel and Whisper's self-imposed exile had caused her to seclude herself in her own house for some time. "Where did it all go wrong?" She wondered, once again getting misty eyed as she saw a photo of the entire Neo Diamond Cutters group together.

Just before she curled her tail around herself to once more cry herself to sleep, there was a knock at the door. She wanted to ignore it, but she heard a familiar voice at the end. "Uh, hey, mate. I brought cookies. They're your favorite. If you still wanna be alone, I'll just leave them here."

Though the pain of everything that had happened remained fresh in her heart, Tangle couldn't find it in herself to refuse the source of the voice entry, especially since it was raining. "You can come in, Drapio. It's okay."

Slowly, the door creaked open, the nervous Drapion entering while balancing some cookies on a sheet. "You feelin' better?" She asked, scuttling closer while offering a chocolate cookie. 

"No, but thanks for asking." The lemur mobian mumbled, chomping down softly on one of those cookies. However, she also noticed Lanolin and Sleet were at the door as well. "Oh, hi, guys."

"Hey. We just wanted to check up on you." The sheep mobian began, while the anthro Mightyena had to lean in to fit through the door. "I know you wanted to be alone, but-"

"Please. It's fine. It's just..." Tangle swallowed the lump in her throat. "Has anybody seen Whisper lately?"

"Actually, yes." Sleet got some photos from her pocket. "There've been sightings of her saving citizens in random areas across Mobius. I think she's gone back to her solo 'Guardian Angel' role."

Hearing that Whisper hadn't given up on helping those in need perked up Tangle a little, causing her to sit up some more. "Oh. Well, if you guys ever find her...no, if WE ever find her...I want her to know that none of this was her fault." Her expression hardened as she thought on that more. "Those things Tails said! How could she DO that?! I know Tails was hurting, but-"

"Tangle. You're shaking." Drapio had placed a claw over her friend's tail, doing her best to calm her down. "I wish things didn't happen the way they did, too."

Her bottom lip trembling, Tangle buried her face into the scorpion Pokemon's side. "I just really miss them! Jewel! Whisper! Sonic! Everyone who died!"

"I miss them too." Lanolin's ears fell. "The Restoration isn't the same without them. Now, everybody's worried about what'll happen regarding anything to do with this 'CWCworld'."

Sleet scooted closer to her girlfriend, placing a claw on her hand. "You can count on us. We're the experts on our old home."

Sniffling, Tangle looked to Drapio. "Are you guys sure you're not sad that you can't return?"

"Nah! They're a buncha' backstabbing wankers." The scorpion-like Pokemon said. "There's no other place I'd rather be than here with you guys."

"I'm not used to sentimental stuff, but...yeah. I agree." Sleet nodded. 

Silence followed as the group got settled, before Tangle took a deep breath and realized that, despite all she had lost, she still had friends, old and new. "You know, have you gals traveled around Mobius lately?"

"Not really. Haven't had the time to." Sleet replied.

Lanolin realized what the lemur mobian was getting at, especially as she flipped through the part of her photo album that featured many places across the planet. "I think she wants to be the first to take you all on a vacation around the world. It would be beneficial for you to get to know your new home better."

"A vacation? With you?" Drapio clicked her pincers. "I'd love that! I'd love that a lot!"

"I think we could ALL use a vacation." Sleet stood up, stretching before noticing that Lanolin was staring as she did that. "Never gets old, doesn't it?"

"No." The sheep mobian dreamily said before shaking her head, blushing in embarrassment. "I mean, let's focus on plans! A vacation is nothing without a good plan!"

Tangle looked out the window, her tail unconsciously wrapping around Drapio's and causing the scorpion-like Pokemon to blush. "Maybe, someday, we'll see each-other again, Whisper. Until then, I hope you're doing great." When she turned back to her group, she started to list off places that she recommended, everybody else starting to contribute with more ideas.

None of them knew that a certain wolf mobian was right outside the door, utilizing a large cloak to hide herself. Her claw reached to knock on the door, but she hesitated, much to the concern of her fellow wisps. "Maybe some other time." Whisper said to herself, using the Hover function of her wispon to float back into the air.

Back with Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts...

The three robots had been tumbling through time/space for seemingly forever before they crashed into a dimly lit room. "OW!" They all shouted when they hit the ground.

"We really should ask for directions next time." Grounder suggested.

Grumbling, Scratch got up, screwing his beak back in. "Ah, shut up! We're finally here, so stop whining."

"Oh, yeah?" Coconuts put his hands on his hips. "And do you have the slightest idea of where we are now?"

"Well...it's...um...I dunno.' Scratch shrugged. "Hey, Grounder! Light up the place!"

One of Grounder's drills suddenly reverted back into his arm, a flashlight taking the drill's place. Turning it on, the tank-like robot traveled through the metallic room, the others following close behind. "This place gives me the heebie-jeebies already. I wish we landed in some place nicer."

"Join the club. I wanted the Bahamas! Not some creepy haunted lab!" Scratch said, shivering as the group passed by several large glass tubes. Blue liquid bubbled up in them, while the rest of the loom looked to be just more cold hard metal. Occasionally, there'd be some pipes, steam coming out at them and giving the three a good scare.

Coconuts tried to put on a brave face, but even his courage was faltering. "D-d-d-don't be silly, you bozos. As team leader, I order you to calm down!"

"Who died and made you leader, half-pint?" Scratch asked.

"Because I'm smarter than you two!" Coconuts shouted.

"Am not!" Both Scratch and Grounder angrily replied.

"Am to!"

"NOT!"

"TO!"

"NOT!"

"TO! TO! A MILLION TIMES TO!" The robotic monkey leaped into the air, screaming that last word before sparks flew out from the ceiling, terrifying creaking noises filling the place. "A-a-and my next order is for you two to find a way out!"

"How can we? This place is haunted!" Grounder shivered. "What if we never find our way out?"

Giving his best confident smile, Coconuts leaned against one of the tubes. "Pssh. We're not in anywhere that's haunted. Besides, I don't see any-"

Suddenly, a malformed corpse of a Sonichu pushed up against one of the tubes, the mass of flesh crawling at the glass. "GHOOOOOOST!" All three shouted, fleeing from the scene as fast as they could.

Alas, they tripped over each-other, falling into a pile before frantically looking around. "Is it gone?" Grounder asked.

"No, but I sure wish I could unsee that." Scratch bemoaned.

Suddenly, they heard loud clapping, causing their attention to be gained by a shadowy figure standing atop a stage in front of them. The human-like figure had his back turned, but he still spoke to address the newcomers. "I was hoping that the last portal would bring something that the late Dr. Robotnik created. True, I was hoping for something a bit more...menacing...but you'll do." This person spoke with an insincere charm to his voice.

"Hey! We're menacing! Watch what you say!" Coconuts shouted.

"Who are you, anyway?! What is this place?!" Scratch added.

"And did you know your home is haunted?!" Grounder waved his arms, fearfully looking around at the other tubes.

That only got a low snicker from the figure. "I assure you. You've made it to the right place. For, you see, I can tell you three have no more purpose. You've been abandoned by your creator and he's no longer with us. It's quite sad, really."

Grounder looked confused at what the man had said, while the other two robots felt the weight of those words nearly crush them utterly. "No longer with us?" The dim-witted robot asked. "Is he on vacation?"

The figure gave yet another amused snicker. "You could say he's on a permanent vacation from life...leaving me to take his place as the greatest mind in all of the SEGA Universe."

"Hold on! What if you're lying?!" Scratch shouted. "Why should we trust you?!"

"For once, Scratch's making sense!" Coconuts huffed before turning around. "Let's get out of here! I ain't working for a Robotnik-wannabe!" With a snap of his fingers, the figure had caused several whirring sawblades to appear from above, nearly decapitating the robot monkey. "YIPE!"

Not only that, but several flamethrowers and machine guns had appeared from the walls, aiming at all three robots. "Okay, okay! We'll do what you want!" Scratch shouted, his arms hugging around the other two machines. "Just put those away!"

"Very well." Another snap caused the devices to recede back into the walls. "Now, about calling me a 'Robotnik wannabe'...I can see why you'd call me that. Except, while he was very brilliant, all he could do was make constantly failing robots. I, on the other hand, not only create better machines...but I've created LIFE."

Another snap of his fingers caused two spotlights to show two other tubes next to him. In each tube, there floated living beings, in contrast to the many malformed horrors within the other tubes. The tube on the left had a blue-furred fennec fox mobian male floating around. He wore yellow attire, which included boots, some shorts, and a mechanical backpack. The water around him seemed to be forming into various shapes, seemingly controlled by his unconscious actions.

The tube on the right had a green tenrec mobian female floating inside, her attire and piercings befitting of a delinquent (like metal cuffs around her wrists and ponytail, as well as ear-piercings, baggy yellow pants, and a black t-shirt with torn sleeves). She even seemed to sport sharp teeth. Volts traveled across over her body whenever she twitched, too.

Slowly turning around, the evil scientist grinned as he revealed himself. Unlike Dr. Robotnik, he was more square-shaped in design, his jacket bright white and his buttoned shirt dull brown. His jet-black moustache was shorter, but was still had sizable length across his face. His hairstyle was just a small clump of messy gray hair.

The most striking features about him were the piercing red eyes he had, as well as a horrible seemingly permanent smile. His bad teeth were shown in full, adding more to the repulsive image. "Today marks the start of a new age. You three will serve me and ensure that my reign begins soon. After all, serving the whims of others is what you do best, no?"

"Uh...I guess?" Grounder shrugged. "But we only follow Dr. Robotnik's orders!"

Scratch leaned in, poking the smaller robot with his beak. "Shut up!" He hissed as quietly as he could. "Let's just play along and hope he doesn't turn us into scrap."

"I don't like it, but fine." Coconuts agreed, the three of them nodding at the man's question.

He chuckled as he pressed a hand against one of those tubes. "Witness the future, my servants! The future that belongs to me! A glorious future of metal and steel! I shall kill the land, choke the skies, and poison the oceans until my dream is fulfilled! The dream...of REN SKYSOAR!" He let out a maniacal laugh that could peel wallpaper off, spittle flying out of his mouth as he spun around in mad joy.

All the three robots could do was gulp loudly, as well as wonder how the heck they got into a situation like this.

Later, in Tails' Lab...

For what seemed like forever, nobody had seen Tails ever since the funeral. Even during that event, she had remained silent and cold until her eulogy. One in which she was reduced to a crying wreck as she reminisced about her best friend. 

In the following weeks, nobody had been able to get into contact with her. Most thought it was due to her grief over the situation, but, while that grief was still strong within the fox mobian, she had been mostly just busy on a certain project of hers.

Despite being her partner, Sticks had also been locked out of this project, but, at the very least, she guarded the lab whenever she could. She knew that Tails needed to heal after all that had transpired, so she dedicated herself to making sure that whatever the fox mobian was working on would have no delays.

Within the lab, Tails had finished downloaded the information from the bracelet she had given Sonic into that 3D Printer from before. Her eyes bags had increased in number, showing a lack of sleep on her part. Watching as the DNA was placed into the machine, she looked back at the state of her lab.

All around her, there were equations, knocked-over chalkboards, and random papers scattered around. Placing a hand on that printer, she watched as the screen came to life. "DNA analysis confirmed. More data needed."

Rummaging through more of her things, Tails found a single CD that she had been saving for this moment. A moment she wished would never come to pass. The moment when her friend suffered an untimely death.

Placing that CD into the 3D Printer, the fox mobian stepped back as it began to shake. "Estimated time of completion...a year or less." The machine spoke,

Sighing, Tails pinched her brow. "Patience is a virtue. As long as nothing else bad happens to Mobius before you come back to us, Sonic." She said before gazing at a photo of both she and the hedgehog mobian, as well as several other of their friends.

She knew that things would never go back to the way they were before. Even with what she was planning, she technically wasn't reviving Sonic, but she wanted to believe that she would come close to bringing back the Blue Blur in the state he was in before the battle of Robotropolis. 

There had been other plans she considered before this one. Time travel? She had seen how disastrous that was with the Omen of Hope. Asking Classic Sonic to take over as Mobius' savior? Too selfish. Many other solutions had crossed her mind, but she eventually chose the one that came close to the idea of bringing Sonic to life.

She didn't want to part from her lab, but Tails had a feeling that Sticks was getting worried. "I've done all I could. All that's left is to fix...this." She gazed at the torn stubs where her two tails used to be. Clenching a fist, she calmed herself down by remembering that 'Project Nine' plan she had in mind. Something she would get to after some time outside.

Before she left, Tails gave one last look at the 3D printer, as well as the photo of the Blue Blur sitting atop that device. "See you soon...my best friend." The tears threatened to return as she took her leave.

And so, the device continued to get to work, readying the creation of a new body filled with not just the data Tails had given it, but also the information from that CD that had been placed inside of it. A CD that the fox mobian had found years ago in a junkyard. A CD that contained a program that the device was now running in order to make the process of recreating Sonic faster.

"Program detected. Downloading: Sonic.exe."

For the briefest of moments, a horribly distorted laugh echoed throughout the lab before the lights went out, a faint red glow emanating from the 3D printer...

THE END...for now.