Phantoms of a Wish: Fallout of the N-Sphere

PROLOGUE: Awakening of the Worlds

"It's been a month since I fought Captain N. A month since I was shown visions of the terrible future that I went back in time to prevent... the future that led me to become Captain N... to detonate the N-Sphere.

It's been a month since I defeated my future self... A month since I had to watch a feud tear apart Stacey and Shaylene... more than they already were. A month since I made the conscious choice to use up my only chance to travel back in time... A choice I made to stop the women I love most from fighting and killing each other...

So, I guess in reality, it's been 5 months since the second activation of the N-Sphere. In those months, I've once again trained my friends in their skills, now using the knowledge I gained from Captain N to my advantage, and I've told them about the N-Sphere and what it's done. Like before, monsters have appeared around our town and the surrounding area. But as I've started discovering, the N-Sphere's effects have radiated much farther than the first activation. And I had to re-live watching my best friend break down after nearly being raped by her classmate.

I've started stumbling across blogs and websites filled with statements from people claiming to have seen monsters… Some even referring to them as creatures from Nintendo games. But the odd thing is that I'm only seeing these reports online. No news reports or anything. I'm thinking only those of us who carry the Miyamoto Gene can see the creatures.

I'm really starting to wonder what other effects the N-Sphere is having on our world, but I guess my friends and I will find out as time goes on…"

CJ and Shaylene were sitting in his room. He had his laptop open and was scanning through various pages about recent monster sightings.

"Wait a minute… What's that?" Shaylene asked, pointing to a set of pictures. CJ clicked on the post and read it.

"Do you see this picture?" CJ questioned. Shaylene looked at it. "I… I swear this is a real-life Toad Town…"

"I'm sorry… What?" Shaylene asked, shocked.

"Real… Life… Toad… Town…" CJ repeated.

"Where?" Shaylene questioned.

"I'm not sure." CJ said. He kept reading the post. "Um… okay, so the post is from a Toad who lives in Toad Town. It says the Mushroom Kingdom and surrounding areas are in the Bermuda Triangle."

"When are we going?" Shaylene questioned.

"Gimme a sec. I'll just jump online and book a flight to a land in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle that no one knows exists." CJ said sarcastically.

"Obviously someone knows it exists or we wouldn't be seeing stuff about it." Shaylene retorted.

CJ titled his head a bit and lowered his eyelids, shooting Shaylene a gaze equivalent to saying "Thank you Captain Obvious".

"No shit, Sherlock." He said. "I know that the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom obviously know their home exists. I'm talking about normal people. People who aren't Koopas and Goombas and Toads. If these lands were visible to everyone, it would be all over the news."

"True." Shaylene said. "Well, there goes that dream."

"Not quite." CJ said. "We know it exists, we could figure out how to go there."

"Here's a question, though… If residents of the Mushroom Kingdom are aware that they're on Earth, and they're posting about it online, how has the media not gotten wind of it?" Shaylene questioned.

"I have a feeling there's magic at work." CJ replied. "Or it's a side effect of magic."

"Wait… More important…" Shaylene paused. "How in the heck did the Mushroom Kingdom become real?"

CJ sat there for a moment, pondering.

"The N-Sphere." He suddenly realized. "What if it's bringing my stories to life? In their entirety?"

"So…? What does that mean?" Shaylene questioned.

"The Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, Dream Land…. All of them are real places." CJ said. "And they've all fused with Earth."

"Whoa… Dude… What?"

CJ stood up, walked over to his closet, and pulled out a red accordion folder. He opened it up and pulled out a large folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and laid it out on his bed.

"Look at this. It's a map I made a while ago. One of Earth and its Nintendo lands." CJ stated. "And the Mushroom Kingdom matches up perfectly. Right in the Bermuda Triangle."

"So what about the other lands?" Shaylene questioned.

"If the rest of them match up with my map, then Dream Land should be in the Indian Ocean, equal distance from both India and the Arabian Peninsula… Sonic's Earth and Corneria should be islands off of the coast of South America… and Sauria would be a decent sized land mass in the center of the Ring of Fire." CJ explained.

"What about Hyrule and the other lands of The Legend of Zelda?" Shaylene wondered.

"I made them all part of Haverhill and the surrounding area." CJ stated.

"So you're telling me that we actually live in Hyrule?" Shaylene questioned.

"Yeah. Pretty much." CJ responded.

"Are… Are you gonna tell everyone else?" Shaylene asked.

CJ held up his hand, aglow with the Triforce of Power. "I think recent events kind of obligate us to let everyone know what's going on."

Shaylene looked down at her hand, aglow with the Triforce of Wisdom.

"Yeah… you have a point." She agreed.

A short time later, CJ and his friends, including Alex, Aubrey and Jennette were gathered at his house. He had his laptop connected to his HD TV, and was showcasing some of the recent posts he had found online.

"What's going on?" Aubrey questioned.

"Some of you are gonna recognize some of what I show you." CJ explained. "All of you are going to be shocked."

"How so?" Alex asked.

"Let's start with this." CJ said, showing the first post. "Who recognizes this place?"

"Wait a minute… Is that Toad Town?" Stacey asked, shocked.

"Yup." CJ said. "Toad Town, Peach's Castle, and all of its inhabitants."

"When are we going?" Stacey inquired.

"You too?" He questioned.

"Wait… Who else said it?" Stacey asked. Shaylene looked at her and made a small smile. "Oh…"

"But that's not all." CJ said. He pulled up another image, showing a small town square with a gallows, an two story pub and inn, a small house, a two story shop, an alleyway and a few other buildings, all spray painted with graffiti.

"Rogueport too?" Shaylene asked.

"Yeah." CJ said.

"What else has become real?" Dayan questioned.

"Well…" CJ paused for a moment. He then began scrolling through several posts, which were all struck a chord of familiarity in someone's mind. "Flipside… Mushroom City… Bowser's Castle… Flower Fields… Yoshi's Island… Isle Delfino…" He then opened another set of posts. Dayan's eyes widened. "Green Greens… Peanut Plains… Celestial Valley… Onion Ocean… Volcano Valley… Castle Dedede…"

"Dream Land?" Dayan gasped.

"Yes." CJ said.

"How is all this possible?" Danielle wondered.

"You're really questioning that after the events that have transpired over the past few months?" CJ retorted. "I think the N-Sphere is at work here."

"But how?" Dayan questioned.

"I don't know." CJ said. "It gave us our powers from my story and brought creatures from these fictional worlds into our world. It's not much of a stretch to say that it brought these worlds themselves to life."

"What other worlds besides the Mushroom Kingdom and Dream Land have come to life?" Janelle asked.

"I'm getting to that." CJ replied. "And Dayan, you're going to enjoy this part too." He pulled up another set of posts, showing several areas inhabited by anthropomorphic animals as well as humans. Dayan gasped. "Mystic Ruins… Angel Island… South Island… West Side Island… Central City…"

"Sonic's Earth…" Dayan muttered in shock and awe.

"There's more." CJ said. He pulled up another set of posts, showing a futuristic city on a small isolated island, and several lush, prehistoric looking locations inhabited by various dinosaurs.

"Is that…?" Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Corneria City and Sauria." CJ stated. "Yes."

"Okay. This brings up an important question." Dayan said. "Why haven't we seen any news reports on this?"

"The public doesn't know." CJ said. "From what I gather, only inhabitants of these worlds and those of us with connections to these worlds can see them. Anyone can see the posts, but without the ability to actually see these lands, the general public is more than likely to believe these posts to be nothing more than fiction or role-playing."

"Even the government?" Alex questioned.

"If they can't see these lands, then yes." CJ said. "And there's a final set of posts and pictures to show you guys." He pulled up one last group of posts. Everyone looked at the pictures and was mostly confused. Jennette gasped at the familiarity of everything she saw.

"CJ… Is that?" She paused. "And why… Why don't you look surprised, Shay?"

"She's seen all this." CJ said. "When I first discovered it."

Dayan, Alex and Stacey all pointed to a different picture.

"Isn't that… the Bridge of Eldin?" Dayan asked.

"And that looks like Clock Town." Alex stated.

"Isn't that the snow place from Twilight?" Stacey asked, referencing Snowpeak from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

"Yes, yes and yes." CJ replied. "Among many other locales… Kakariko Village… Gerudo Valley… Horon Village… Lynna City… Ordon Village… The Lost Woods… and of course, Castle Town."

"Hyrule's come to life as well." Shaylene explained.

"In the background of the Lost Woods… Is that Kenoza Lake?" Jennette asked.

"To those without our abilities, yes." CJ stated. "To us… It's Lake Hylia. Hyrule, Holodrum, Labrynna, and Termina have all fused with Haverhill and the surrounding area."

"Where are all the other lands?" Aubrey asked.

"The Mushroom Kingdom is in the Bermuda Triangle. Right in the center." CJ explained. "Dream Land is in the Indian Ocean. Equal distance from both the Arabian Peninsula and India. Corneria and Sonic's Earth have both formed small islands off of the coast of South America. And Sauria is in the center of the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire."

"What about the regions of Pokemon?" Janelle questioned.

"That's the strange part." CJ said. "They don't seem to have come to life. And this all seems to be a product of my stories. I've written Pokemon characters into my fanfics before. But yet, the regions of the Pokemon games didn't appear in our world."

"What if the N-Sphere's effects haven't finished manifesting themselves?" Jennette wondered.

"It's a possibility, but I doubt it." CJ responded.

"So… I assume we're going to explore these worlds?" Dayan asked.

"We are." CJ replied. "Dayan: You and Danielle take Sonic's Earth. Alex, I want you and Aubrey to check out Corneria and Sauria. Stacey and Janelle, can you handle Dream Land?"

"Kirby?" Janelle asked. "Hell yeah. Right up my alley."

"Shay, Jennette and I will head to the Mushroom Kingdom." CJ said. "Shay, Stacey and I can handle Hyrule and the surrounding lands once we've all returned from investigating the other realms… For obvious reasons." He held up his hand, aglow with the Triforce of Power. Stacey and Shaylene looked down at their hands, aglow with the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom respectively.

"How are we gonna get to all these places?" Stacey questioned.

"If my hunch is correct, I'll show you." CJ said. "Everyone follow me." He then led everyone out through his kitchen and downstairs into the basement.

"CJ… why are we going into the basement?" Alex questioned.

"Just bear with me." CJ responded, as he led his friends deeper into the basement. "If I'm right…" He pushed on a section of wall and everyone, including CJ, gasped as the wall opened, revealing a secret hall. "Bingo." He led everyone down the hall which soon led them to a large chamber, filled with various computers, machines and a wall lined with various bottles of what looked like potions and potion ingredients: various liquids, powders, plants, leaves, sticks and various other things.

"What is this place?" Stacey wondered.

"A lab of sorts." CJ said. "I had never written it into a story, but it was an idea I had devised. My own personal lab under the house. Complete with a system to monitor all the other realms, as well as…" He pointed to the farthest wall. Lined up along the wall were a green sewer pipe, a glowing white circular pad on the floor, a door built into a golden ring on the wall and a door built in the shape of a star. "…quick ways to access all those realms. A Warp Pipe to Toad Town, a Warp Pad to Corneria City, a portal to Angel Island, and a Warp Star Door to Dream Land."

"This is surreal." Dayan said.

"And everything else that's happened over the past few months isn't?" Alex questioned.

"Of course it is." Dayan responded. "You know what I meant."

"Are you guys ready?" CJ questioned.

"About as ready as I'll ever be." Danielle said.

"And you guys all know where you're going?" CJ asked.

"D and I are off to Sonic's Earth." Dayan said.

"Aubrey and I are headed for Corneria and Sauria." Alex stated.

"Janelle and I are visiting Dream Land." Stacey added.

"And Shay and I are going with you to the Mushroom Kingdom." Jennette said.

"Yup." CJ responded. "Let's move out, team."

One by one, everyone entered their respective gateways. Alex and Aubrey stepped onto the Warp Pad and vanished in a beam of light. Dayan and Danielle stepped through the ring door, and Stacey and Janelle stepped through the Warp Star shaped door.

"You girls ready for this?" CJ asked. "If you thought our lives were different before, this is going to make everything up to this point seem normal."

"I'm not sure how ready I am for that." Shaylene said. "Things have been pretty scary and weird… I don't like the thought of them potentially getting worse…" CJ reached over and grabbed her hand, holding it tight.

"You've got me." He stated. Shaylene smiled. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise I'll protect you."

"So will I, sis." Jennette stated. "We're in this together. All of us."

"Now, let's go. We've got a kingdom to pay a visit to." CJ said. The three jumped up onto the edge of the Warp Pipe's opening. Jennette jumped into the pipe first. "Together?" Shaylene nodded, still clutching CJ's hand. "1… 2… 3…" As he said "3", the two jumped hand in hand down the pipe.

The three soon emerged from a green pipe in the center of a bustling city, in an alleyway between a library and post office. Moving around the town were human-like creatures, all with various colored spotted mushroom caps atop their heads.

"I can't believe we're actually standing in Toad Town." Shaylene gasped.

"Neither can I." CJ stated.

"So… what do we do first?" Jennette asked.

"I guess… we pay a visit to Her Royal Highness." CJ stated. He and the girls walked a little further through the town, where they quickly reached the town square. At the north side of the square was a large stone wall. Built into the stone wall was a blue door with a golden star marking on it. The three walked through the door and were soon standing before a tall white castle with red roofing. Standing outside the front door were two of the Mushroom capped people, known officially as Toads, but referred to as "Mushroom people" by many.

CJ walked up to the guards in front of the castle.

"Excuse me, I'd…" The guard interrupted CJ.

"Right this way, sire." The guard said. "The ladies as well. The King and Queen have been awaiting you."

King? Queen? CJ wondered. He motioned for Shaylene and Jennette to come over to him. They walked over to him and the three of them walked into the castle. They walked into a large room. A staircase lined the rounded walls on both sides of the room, leading up to a large red door with a golden star on it. On the first floor, directly below the star door was an identical door. Standing in front of the door on the first floor were two Toads. On the second floor, a Toad stood on the left side of the door, and on the right side was a red-shelled turtle that stood on two legs, using its other two legs as arms.

The walls of the room were a light blue, and the floor was checkered with black and white tiles. On the left and right side of the first floor of the room was a small red door. CJ stopped and looked at the turtle standing opposite the Toad, somewhat confused.

"Ah, Master CJ. Good day." A Toad said, stepping out of the door on the second floor. He was more dignified looking than the rest of them. His mushroom cap was tan with brown spots and he had a white mustache and glasses. He wore a purple vest, red bow tie, and white pants. In his hand he carried a small wooden staff topped with a tan-spotted brown mushroom. The Toad, named Toadsworth, walked down the stairs and greeted CJ and the girls. "The Queen has been waiting for you. Right this way." Toadsworth started walking back toward the stairs, with CJ and the girls right behind him.

"Why is there a Koopa Troopa guarding that door with a Toad?" Shaylene whispered. "And who is the Queen? I thought the Mushroom Kingdom was run by Princess Peach…"

"I have no idea…" CJ said. Toadsworth led the three through the Star Door and down a long, red carpet lined corridor to another Star Door, guarded by two Toads. The door swung open and Toadsworth walked CJ and the girls into a large throne room. The floor was covered in red carpet, and the windows were covered with fancy red drapes. Sitting at the end of the room in the two thrones were the King and Queen.

The Queen was a blond-haired, blue-eyed young woman. Maybe in her late teens or early 20s. She wore an elegant pink dress, sapphire earrings and an emerald brooch.

Sitting in the King's throne was a large creature that looked to be a cross between a turtle and a dragon. He had scaly tan skin on his arms, legs, torso and mouth area. His shell was green, as was the scaly skin around the upper part of his face and head. His shell was covered in spikes, and he had two curved horns on his head, as well as red hair down the middle of his head.

"I present to you… King Bowser Koopa and Queen Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom." Toadsworth said.

So that part of my stories came to life… CJ thought.

"Good afternoon, CJ." Peach said.

"Afternoon, Your Highness." CJ said.

"You know you don't need to be so formal with us, CJ." Bowser said.

"The guards informed me that you've been expecting me." CJ said.

"Yes." Peach said. "We sent a messenger Koopa to Hyrule early this morning to find you. Judging by what you just said, I'm going to guess it never reached you."

"No. It didn't." CJ stated. "What's going on?"

"That's the thing…" Bowser said. "We don't really know. All we know is that something's not right. The Royal Magikoopas have spoken of visions of trouble over the land, but no one can identify exactly what the trouble is. Just that it's within our kingdom… Or at least preparing to enter."

"Have you checked on the well-being of the Star Spirits? What about the Star Rod? The Dark Star? What of neighboring kingdoms such as the Beanbean Kingdom?" CJ questioned.

"The Star Spirits and Star Rod are safe within Star Haven. The Dark Star is deep below the castle, in a well-protected chamber." Peach said. "There have been no traces of the Crystal Stars since the defeat of the Shadow Queen, nor is there any sign of either the Cobalt Star or the Dark Stone. And the Dream Stone was changed into the Dream Coin and is harmlessly generating coins on Pi'illo Island."

"So… if this evil, or what we're assuming to be evil, were to go after any power source, it would likely be either the Star Spirits and Star Rod, the Dark Star, or they would try to search for any trace of the Crystal Stars." CJ said.

"That's the theory." Peach said. "But there have been no reports of anything going after any of the power items. Nor any real reports of any trouble anywhere in the kingdom, aside from the usual stuff. Odd small crimes here and there... theft, robbery, things like that."

"Though I've been hearing talk among the Koopas that they've seen creatures from Hyrule and other lands wandering around. More than usual. And not the normal things like Hylians, Gorons, Cornerian pilots and citizens, or animals. Things like Poes, Bokoblins, and what they believe may be robots belonging to Dr Eggman." Bowser said.

"Hmm... have they caused any trouble?" CJ questioned.

"No." Bowser said. "My Koopas are just saying that they're just snooping around the Koopa Kingdom."

"Interesting." CJ said. "I wonder if they're looking for something. Is there any kind of powerful treasure hidden away in Castle Koopa?"

"No." Bowser said. "The only treasure that's even been in the castle is the Koopa Stone, which has been passed down in my family for generations. And that's in my possession." Bowser reached into his shell and pulled out a round dark stone. "This has been passed down from Koopa king or queen to Koopa king or queen since the beginning of time. I was given this by my father, and he was given it by his father Morton. It's the source of our magic."

"Could it be that these creatures are looking for the Koopa Stone?" CJ asked.

"Of course." Bowser said. "But as long as it's with me, they're not getting it."

"CJ... What if these creatures are all working together?" Shaylene questioned.

"Are you suggesting that Dr Eggman has employed creatures from more than just Sonic's Earth?" CJ responded.

"What if it's not just Eggman?" Jennette questioned. "What if the other evil overlords from the other realms are involved as well? What if they're all working together?"

"We had better get in touch with the others and see if they've discovered anything." CJ realized. "Peach... Bowser..." CJ and the girls bowed. "It was nice to see you. I'll see you another time."

"Don't be a stranger, dude." Bowser said. With that, CJ and the girls exited the castle and headed back toward Toad Town.

Meanwhile, in Dream Land...

Stacey and Janelle were sitting atop a large hill, under a decent sized tree. Walking up the hill were two small round creatures: One was a pink ball with red shoes, and the other wore a dark blue cape, silver mask that covered his round body, blue shoulder pads and navy blue shoes. At his waist, or what could be assumed to be his waist, was a golden sword. The pink creature was the video game hero known as Kirby, and the other was MetaKnight, a character who was known sometimes as Kirby's ally and sometimes as his enemy. From what Stacey and Janelle were seeing, it appeared that Kirby and MetaKnight were friends.

"Hello." Janelle said, cracking a small smile.

"So what brings you here?" MetaKnight questioned, with a Spanish accent.

Stacey and Janelle looked at each other.

"We can't tell them that they're from video games that just came to life, and we're exploring their world..." Stacey whispered.

"So... what do we say?" Janelle replied. It was then that Stacey's cell phone started ringing.

"Hi hun." Stacey answered cheerily.

"Hey. Have you guys heard of anything weird going on in Dream Land?" CJ questioned from the other end.

"No. We just met up with Kirby and MetaKnight." Stacey replied. "Why?"

"Bowser and Peach told us about creatures from the other worlds snooping around near Castle Koopa." CJ stated.

"How are we supposed to introduce ourselves to these guys?" Stacey whispered into the phone.

"You're the Sages of Fire and Water from the Kingdom of Hyrule." CJ answered. "You've been seeing creatures from other realms in the kingdom, and the Sages have split up and gone to the other worlds to try to figure out what's going on."

"Is that how you guys introduced yourself to... wait... Peach AND Bowser?" Stacey questioned.

"They're married. Just like my stories." CJ said. "And no... They knew who we were. I'm a bit surprised Kirby and MetaKnight don't know who you guys are."

"Is everything okay, Your Highness?" MetaKnight questioned Stacey.

"Nevermind. I heard that." CJ said from the other end of the phone.

"I gotta go." Stacey responded. "I'll talk to you later." She then hung up.

"So... Janelle, Stacey... What brings the Sages of Fire and Water to Dream Land?" MetaKnight asked once again.

"We've been seeing creatures from the other lands appearing more frequently in Hyrule lately." Stacey said. "And not just the friendly ones."

"I see..." MetaKnight said. "It just so happens that the same has been happening here in Dream Land. There have multiple sightings of Lizalfos, Peahats and even Bokoblins and Moblins throughout the kingdom. Some business owners have even reported having their places attacked by these creatures."

"Is it just Hyrulian creatures?" Janelle asked.

"No." MetaKnight replied. "We've seen Goombas, Koopas, Boos... even what we think are robots, possibly created by Dr Eggman."

"That can't be good..." Stacey said. "But the Mushroom and Koopa Kingdoms are allied. Why would Koopas be attacking the other lands?"

"They don't seem like normal Koopas. Nor do the other creatures from the Mushroom Kingdom." MetaKnight said. "They seem as if something's controlling them."

"I think the important question is: Who's behind this?" Janelle wondered. "And are the other lands having the same problem?"

Meanwhile...

Alex and Aubrey were walking through a large bustling city on an isolated island. Flying overhead were numerous advanced looking airships. They walked toward the center of the city until they reached a large building with a sign outside that read "Cornerian Defense Fleet HQ".

"Here we are." Alex said. They walked inside and were quickly greeted by a humanoid green-eyed fox, garbed in a red shirt, silver vest and green pants.

"The Sages of Earth and Wind in Hyrule." The fox, Fox McCloud, greeted. "We've been expecting you."

"We?" Alex asked. "As in the rest of the Star Fox team?"

"No." A new voice echoed. "We have been expecting you, Young Sages." Alex and Aubrey gasped as a nearby garage opened and four dinosaurs stepped out... A Mammoth, a Pterodactyl, a Protoceratops, and a Nodosaur... Known on their homeland of Sauria as a SnowHorn, a CloudRunner, an EarthWalker and a ThornTail.

"We have been seeing creatures from Hyrule around Sauria." Said Tricky, the EarthWalker and King of his tribe.

"Not just Hyrule." Said the Queen CloudRunner. "But the other lands as well."

"So... why have you been expecting us, specifically?" Aubrey asked.

"Because it's not just the creatures plaguing us." Belina Te, the SnowHorn, said.

"What do you mean?" Alex questioned.

"We sense evil emanating from the Force Point Temples." The ThornTail said.

"And my EarthWalkers have reported sensing an evil presence around Krazoa Palace as well." Tricky said.

"When they first sensed the evil in the Temples, they came to me." Fox said. "But when they mentioned the creatures from Hyrule... and the other worlds... I expected a visit from CJ. Or if not him, I expected he would send other Sages in his stead."

Wait... They know CJ? Alex wondered.

If all this just started, how do they already know CJ? Aubrey thought.

Alex pondered for a moment. "CJ's off investigating something in the Mushroom Kingdom. Fox... have their been any unusual creature sightings here in Corneria City?"

"No. Everything appears to be isolated to Sauria." Fox said.

"Hm... We need to let CJ know about this." Alex said.

"Agreed."

Somewhere on Sonic's Earth...

Dayan and Danielle were standing in a field, not far from a small town.

"So... what now?" Danielle asked.

"I'm not really sure." Dayan said. In the distance, they noticed three humanoid creatures walking toward them. The first was a blue hedgehog, the second was an orange two-tailed fox, and the third was a red echidna wearing a pair of large white gloves with spiked knuckles. The three creatures quickly reached Dayan and Danielle.

"The Sages of Ice and Forest..." Sonic the Hedgehog said.

"What are you guys doing here?" Tails the Fox questioned.

"You could sense it, couldn't you?" Knuckles the Echidna asked.

"Sense what?" Dayan questioned.

"The Master Emerald." Knuckles responded. "It's been reacting to something lately. I think it senses evil."

"What kind of evil?" Dayan asked.

"I wish I knew." Knuckles said.

"I've been monitoring an old factory of Eggman's for a while, and I've seen increased activity lately." Sonic said. "Enough to cause concern. I've also seen creatures from Hyrule, the Mushroom Kingdom, Dream Land, and even Sauria around."

"Strange... I wonder what could be causing all of these creatures to be appearing in lands that aren't their homelands..." Dayan said. He thought for a moment. "Thanks for letting us know. I think we should get back to CJ and let him and the others know what's going on."

"Good luck." Knuckles said.

Within a short time, the Sages were all gathered back in the basement lab.

"What's the news, guys?" CJ questioned.

"According to Knuckles, the Master Emerald has been reacting to some kind of evil. And Sonic's seen activity at one of Eggman's factories. Creatures from Hyrule, the Mushroom Kingdom, Dream Land..."

"MetaKnight mentioned the same thing in Dream Land." Stacey added.

"Aubrey and I met Fox and the Saurian Gatekeepers in Corneria City." Alex said. "The Gatekeepers mentioned that they sensed evil coming from the Force Point Temples."

"As I suspected." CJ said. "Peach said the same thing has been happening in the Mushroom Kingdom. We're gonna have a lot of work ahead of us trying to figure out who or what's behind this."

"They're all gathering at Eggman's factory." Dayan said. "He's probably behind it."

"Maybe." CJ said. "But it's more than just his robots. It may be bigger than just one video game villain. But why don't you guys all head home. I'll do some more digging into this and see what I can figure out."

"Ok. Good luck, dude. Let us know what you find." Dayan said.

"Will do." CJ said. With that, everyone headed their separate ways.