A/N: Special thanks to TGN, SharpDragonKlaw, Alexandria Prime, and Infinite's Ruby for dropping another review on this story and special shoutout to Lovingh3art for leaving a favorite to this story. Another credit goes to Infinite's Ruby, who not only helped me with this chapter, but she agreed to help with this whole story. We're not sure how long this'll be, but we're hoping it does well enough to continue. Thank you all for taking us to Chapter 3!

Also, I meant to say this in the previous chapter, but there is a poll regarding a popular Sonic character on my profile. Make sure you guys look at the question and vote on your choice.

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all other related properties belong to SEGA (IDW Characters belong to SEGA & IDW Comics)

Without further ado, enjoy the show!

Suggested Music:

(1) Gaia Manuscripts – Sonic Unleashed OST

(2) Meta Knight's Revenge – Super Smash Bros. Brawl OST

(3) Theme of the Resistance – Sonic Forces OST

(4) Egg Hawk – Sonic Heroes OST

(5) Fist Bump (Double Boost Ver.) – Sonic Forces OST

(6) Full Speed Ahead – Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity OST

(7) Main Theme – Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Remastered OST (Credit Goes to YouTuber: Hatokman)

My Name is Synergy

While Sonic and Metal make a fascinating discovery, Tails and his team were making their way down the same pathway that Sonic and Eggman journeyed through. They're not sure if the those two went this way, but because of how linear the temple's design is, they didn't see another reason to ignore the designated pathway.

The two-tailed fox was using his tails to fly over some of the broken pillars; the yellow flying squirrel was following him. Mighty and Amy, lacking the ability to fly, had to stick to the ground.

They hopped over a few pillars before the pink hedgehog tripped on one of them. She fell on her face and moaned.

Mighty jumped over a block and placed Amy's shoulder around his neck, helping her up on her feet.

"Careful, Amy," he said. "Watch your step."

"Thanks for the warning," Amy said sarcastically, she brushed off the dirt on her red velvet dress. "This place is disgusting! Look what it's doing to my clothes!"

"Well, what do you expect from an abandoned tomb? Fine dining and sanitary hotel rooms?"

"No!... but those would be a lot better than this!"

"Calm down, Amy," Tails said. "We've been through worse."

"I know we have, but this is disgusting!"

Tails and Mighty rolled their eyes and continued searching for Sonic and Eggman. Ray moved his eyes high and low, looking for any clues that may lead him to his goal. Much to his surprise, he eventually found something in the form of footprints; three sets to be exact.

"Hey, guys! Look down there!" he pointed to the tracks below. Everyone gathered around them and inspected them one by one.

"This one looks like Sonic's!" Amy smiled, she wrapped her arm around Tails in excitement.

"And this o-one l-looks like E-Eggman's!" Ray flinched when he said Eggman's name.

"But... who does these tracks belong to?" Mighty pointed to the mysterious third set of footprints, the ones shaped like a robot's boot.

"Did something follow them down here?" Amy asked.

"That wouldn't be possible." Tails stroked his chin. "These footprints are dry, Sonic and Eggman's tracks are wet. If anything, something was down here before them. We better get a move on before they find out what it is!"

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, as they ran down the trail of footprints, unaware of what Sonic has found underground.

(1)

"Synergy?" Sonic said to the mysterious Gizoid. He stroked his chin and eyeballed Metal Sonic with a confused yet intrigued look. He tapped his foot three times before nodding his head. "Sounds fancy,"

"What kind of ridiculous name is that?" Metal Sonic inquired.

The green/blue robot known as Synergy stepped forward, motioning towards the metal hedgehog. "I will admit, the name sounds ridiculous when I first heard it. But once I found out what I'm capable of, I realized that the name made sense. It still sounds a little weird, but hey, what can you do?"

Sonic and Metal glanced at each other. It was obvious the two were confused as to why this person was trapped down here for a long time. They both inferred he was locked in her for a while because of how much mud, dirt, and injuries he has on his body. They both faced him again and prepared to ask more questions. Particularly Metal Sonic, who was intrigued that his power was able to supercharge a broken robot.

"How did you get down here?" he asked.

"If I were to, be honest, I don't remember. That last thing I recall was sitting by the campfire with my colleagues. Then suddenly, there was this black hole in the sky, and I was struck by lightning!"

Both hedgehogs stared at one another again. No matter what answers they got, they were still confused.

"Black hole in the sky?" Metal said.

"Struck by lightning?" Sonic jerked an eyebrow above his head.

"It sounds crazy, I know," Synergy shrugged his shoulders. "But it's true! I was camping out in the Mystic Ruins with... them!" he pointed at the picture to this left.

The duo of hedgehogs looked in the direction the Gizoid was pointing at. They were looking at the same picture of the Knuckles Clan declaring war on the Nocturnus Clan. The blue blur stepped forward and analyzed the right side of the picture, admiring all of the Gizoids painted in that picture. What got him the most was the fact that Emerl and Shade were standing next to Imperator Ix. Synergy walked closer to the picture and stood next to Sonic, not too close, but close enough to send chills down the hedgehog's spine.

The robot stroked the picture with his fingers, accidentally getting some paint and charcoal on his fingers.

Metal admired the painting as well, drawing his own conclusions about Synergy's origins. "You came from the Mystic Ruins?"

"Yes, I did. I was built and programmed by-"

"The Nocturnus Clan!" Sonic cut off the Gizoid's sentence.

"Oh, you know them?"

Sonic gave a cocky whistle before smirking. "I remember those losers came down to Mobius to steal the Master Emerald one time, but my friends and I kicked sent them crying to their mommas!"

"If by losers, you mean a highly technologically advanced civilization responsible for several world breaking achievements? Then yes, that's them."

"The same group of echidnas with technology that could be beneficial towards my master's goal of conquering this planet." Metal Sonic snapped his fingers; he drew his conclusion. "If you're here, then that means it's possible some of their technology has been hidden away."

"Don't be ridiculous, bucket head," Sonic chuckled. "When they showed up here, my friends and I destroyed all their stuff!"

"But it's likely they hid some of it away before they were banished into the Twilight Cage. If Synergy's alive, then that means there could be more technology hidden around our world."

What are these two talking about? Synergy said in his mind. They're acting like the Nocturnus Clan have died... did they?

Synergy shook his head before backing away from the picture. "Listen, fellas, I thank you both for waking me from my slumber. It sounds like I missed a lot, so I must go see what's happened since I've been gone. I bid you both a good day."

"Not so fast, Synergy," Metal Sonic raised a finger, causing the Gizoid to pause his progression. "I've seen your kind before; my master has worked with two Gizoids like you. You're very valuable." (1s)

"Well, someone once told me I'm only worth two cents. I wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or an insult."

"Not that kind of valuable! I meant to say you can be very useful for the Eggman Empire. If you work with my master, you can help him achieve his goal in ruling the world."

As Metal told Synergy about how valuable he is, Sonic was mimicking Metal's voice by dubbing over him silently, making funny movements with his hands and face.

Metal Sonic, who knew Sonic was mocking him in the background, ignored him and finished talking to Synergy.

"You can really be an assist to the Eggman Empire,"

Synergy gazed into Metal's red eyes for a quick moment before shaking his head. He was displeased about this offer. "Sorry, uh... Metal Sonic, was it? You seem like a nice guy,"

"He really isn't!" Sonic shook his head, folding his arms.

"But I'm not interested in working for someone else. I'm programmed to live and serve under Imperator Ix. I have my own agendas of ruling the world, but I appreciate your offer. I bid you good day."

"Oh... you think I was making an offer?" Metal Sonic chuckled. "That's cute. Look here, I'm in no mood to negotiate, you're coming with me!"

"Watch your tone there, Sonic rip-off, you don't want to do this!"

"Come on, Metal, don't be a jerk!" Sonic called out.

"Enough!" Metal Sonic raised his fist. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"

He lunged his metal fist right at Synergy's face, thinking one punch would knock the Gizoid out cold. But Metal Sonic couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of landing a punch, Synergy caught Metal's hand and trapped it in his clutches.

Sonic stood back and clenched his fists, ready for a possible fight.

Synergy sneered close to Metal's face and stared into the robot's soul. "Metal Sonic skill move: successfully copied." Synergy landed the same blow Metal tried to give to him, forcing him to skid across the ground on his chest. The robot then turned to Sonic and saw that he was ready for combat.

"You know, Synergy," Sonic grinned. "You sounded nice at first, but as soon as you said you have your own plans for world domination, the good feeling sadly went away. In other words, I'm gonna jack you up!"

"Show me what you can do, Sonic the Hedgehog!" (2)

Sonic and Synergy charged at each other and began to fight. The former kicked the latter straight in the face and homing attacked him into a wall. Sonic flew backward into the air and homed in on Synergy again and again and again. All Synergy did was bump against the wall with every blow, trying to find time to copy Sonic's skill moves.

Sonic spin-dashed into Synergy one more time before shouting, "I can do this all day!"

"So, can I!" Synergy finally dodged Sonic's spin attack and rolled across the floor. His blue eyes began to glow a lime green color, meaning he transferred Sonic's Spin Dash ability into his system. "Have a taste of your own medicine, hedgehog!"

Synergy curled into a ball and started revving up a boost of speed. He accelerated around the room before he bumped right into Sonic, who was also in his ball form. The two of them ricocheted off of the walls, homing attacking into each other with all of their strength.

Bump. Hit. Bounce. Hit. Both fighters were in an action-packed brawl.

Their fight soon ended as soon as two Chaos Spears blasted them out of orbit. It was Metal Sonic, who looked to be more ticked off than he was before. His eyes were on fire and the oil that ran in his veins boiled like blood. He wasn't going to let a day like this be ruined by a blue rat and an arrogant Gizoid, so he joined the fight.

Priority number one for him was apprehending Synergy, so he assaulted him first.

Synergy leaped over Metal's claws and homing attacked the mindless drone in the back.

Sonic leaped up, and overhead punched him in the face. Synergy tripped and fell on his knee because of that. Sonic was about to hit him again, but Synergy dodged the attack and copied Sonic's overhead punch.

He kicked Sonic across the face, slammed his knee against his chest, and chucked the hedgehog straight out the cavern's door with a spinning back fist.

Metal Sonic woke up and tackled the blue and green robot from behind, flying in the same path Sonic flew out of.

The three of them landed in the water in the crystal caves, giving them more room to fight each other. All three brawlers jumped up with their quick reflexes and continued fighting.

Punch after kick after jab after volley kick, all of these attacks were flying across the room from one fighter to another. All three of them were equally matched for each other. Nobody knew who was going to fall on the floor and who would be the one walking away.

Synergy landed a strong uppercut on Metal.

Sonic hook punched Synergy.

The Gizoid straight punched Sonic.

A Chaos Spear exploded when it touched Synergy's back.

Sonic homing attacked both Synergy and Metal Sonic.

The watery caves became nothing but a battlefield.

Synergy grabbed both Sonic and Metal and slammed them against each other, right before the top half of his body spun around. At first, he was going slow, but now he was going faster and faster. Sonic's stomach pushed his food up to this throat, hoping he would cough up his lunch while Metal Sonic's eyes jingled up and down like bells.

The two of them were released from Synergy's grasp. They fell right into the water, landing on top of each other.

They jumped up on their feet, the fastest thing alive wanted to work out a battle plan. "Metal, I hate to say it, but we need to attack him from both sides, we can take him out together!"

"I take no orders from you!" Metal angrily punched Sonic and sent him diving into the water. His jet boosters shot out a wave of fire that sent him flying into Synergy. But the Gizoid jumped over the metal doppelganger and plunged straight into the water, submerging his whole body underwater. (2s)

Metal Sonic ran five steps forward and looked for his new enemy.

He scanned every inch of the water around him, but he found nothing in sight.

Sonic stood across from Metal and did the same thing.

"Where did he go!?" Metal shouted.

"I don't know!" Sonic shouted. "You're the one who lost him!"

"I lost him!?"

"Yeah! You just had to attack him!"

"Don't give me that load of crud, you were planning on attacking him too! He said that he had his own agenda for world domination! Knowing you, you were going to be totally on top of that!"

"Of course, I would! Everyone on Mobius has had to deal with Eggman reawakening Chaos, using the Eclipse Cannon to blow half the moon apart, and not to mention breaking the world apart, unleashing Dark Gaia in the process! Synergy's just one more threat I've got to stop before anyone else gets hurt!"

Blub. Blub. Blub. Bubbles rising out of the water stopped Metal from retorting against the hedgehog. He, along with Sonic, turned his head, looking down in the left direction. More bubbles popped out of the pool, making a popping sound. But these weren't just ant normal bubbles coming from the bottom of the water, they were something else. What could they be?

Sonic and Metal stood back, getting as far away from the bubbles as they could.

Each of them stood into a fighting stance, trying to prepare themselves for Synergy's next attack.

Blub. Blub. Blub. Water splashed into the air and waves started to brush against both Sonic and Metal Sonic's legs. The former's fur was soaking wet, water trickled down over Metal Sonic's metallic body.

Just then, something sprouted right out of the water. It splashed nothing but fresh liquid all over the crystals. Sonic and Metal Sonic jumped back and landed on their feet, looking up to see one of the strangest things they've ever seen a Gizoid do. Synergy came out of his hiding spot with a new look and a new power. He resembled a mix between himself and Chaos, still wearing his distinctive armor, though this has become just as malleable as Chaos' own liquid body. To top it all off, Synergy's mouth grew a lethal set of jaws. He roared as loud as a lion as soon as he saw the faces of his two enemies. He extended his three claws and swiped at the air, trying to strike fear into the souls of his attackers.

Sonic's eyes widened when he saw this sudden transformation. A Gizoid that had the ability to change into a Chaos form? How could that be? "W-what the!?" he shouted, his jaw dropped. "Since when can Gizoids do that!?"

"He seems to have activated some kind of Chaos Emulation," Metal said. He slapped his knuckles together, ready for a fight, despite how surprised he was to see Synergy's new power. "No matter, I'll deal with him myself!"

"Metal! Again, I really hate to say it, but we must team up in order to beat him! Gizoids can't copy the abilities of two people at a time! We need to strike him from both sides!"

"Like I said before, I take no orders from-Argh!"

Synergy crushed Metal Sonic's body with his fist. He swatted at Sonic, but he missed. Sonic landed back down and helped Metal up on his feet. Something he would never do, but if he wanted to stop Synergy from planning his quest for dictatorship, he had to team up with one of his deadliest foes. Metal accepted Sonic's hand and felt himself being pulled off the ground. He nodded at the hedgehog and cracked his metallic fingers.

"How about we do this your way," Metal Sonic said.

"Good idea!" Sonic gave a thumbs up to the robot.

Synergy roared again. Sonic and Metal engaged into combat with the oversized monster.

(3)

Green Hill City: A decently-sized quaint town that resembled a lot of cities such as Empire City and Central City. Built in a blocky hill landscape with layered soil, colored in diverse shades of green and brown grass on top of the hills, like how the landscape it's built upon was structured. Placed alongside a lake and a river, Green Hill City had multiple islands housing several buildings near the central city area. The biggest attraction of the city was a long, narrow bridge that was colored red titled the Red Gate Bridge. The attention grabber ran across the whole city, helping pave roads to get to other islands inaccessible by walking on land.

Following the Eggman's devastation on the city during the Phantom Ruby War, the location went from a timid town to an all-out war zone, with various Death Egg Robot Sentinels, Badniks, Super Badniks, and other robots swarming the city, running amok. Property damage is seen no matter what section of Green Hill City is shown to one's eye.

While the place was still damaged, there were those who stayed behind to clean it up.

One of those individuals was riding inside of an elevator. The pipes clanging inside of the shaft kept the person up during a tiring afternoon, along with a cup of coffee he had in his hands. The rattling caused by the elevator made tiny drops of coffee touch the lid with the tip of its liquefied fingers. The person pressed his lips against the tip of the lid, feeling the warm, luscious beverage run down his taste buds. He removed himself from the taste of his coffee and took a deep sigh, looking forward to the end of the day where he would go back to his home.

The individual inside the elevator shaft was the Commander of the Resistance himself, Knuckles the Echidna.

He wished for nothing more than to go back to his humble adobe in the clouds; Angel Island, where he wanted to sit down on the top of Shrine Isle, watching over the Master Emerald. He also wanted to have a chance to talk to both Tikal, who he hasn't seen in a long time. He would have liked to Chaos as well, but he knew that the water god didn't talk to anyone ever since he found out Dr. Eggman used the Phantom Ruby to clone him. Knuckles shook his head after thinking about that Chaos clone, as he looked down at his coffee mug, he took another sip.

Suddenly, the elevator decided it wanted Knuckles to leave, so it stopped right where he wanted to go. The silver doors open with a swooshing sound, allowing Knuckles to walk out into Resistance HQ.

As soon as he got to the large catwalk, he looked over the railing and observed many soldiers of the Resistance carrying cargo boxes, talking amongst themselves, re-loading their Wispons, and sparring with their friends in marital arts combat. Knuckles nodded his head in satisfaction and walked down the stairs, greeting many soldiers that came his way.

"Afternoon, fellas," he greeted with a wave.

"Good afternoon, Commander Knuckles," said a purple beaver.

Knuckles walked off the stairs and walked down the room, he respectfully smiled to other fractions of the Resistance.

"What's up, Commander?" said a green female cat.

"Hey, how are you?" Knuckles waved.

"What's going on, Commander Knux?" a purple bird walked up to his commander and fist bumped him. Knuckles fist bumped back.

"Good afternoon, buddy,"

A red bear and a black dog walked up to the commander and high fived him. They both said, "Hello, Knuckles!"

"Hey, guys!"

Knuckles watched as more soldiers passed him. He waved to the last few before he found someone he's been looking for. It was a light brown male dog wearing boots that looked like Dr. Eggman's, a black and white military jacket, and a military hat that matched the same colors as his jacket. A golden anchor was printed on the top. To finish his attire, he had a thick black mustache that curled against his nose. He was chatting with an orange cat and a brown bear.

"Captain Rex," Knuckles called, he moved his finger in a "Come here, please" motion.

The dog looked over his shoulder and saw Knuckles walking towards him. He quickly jerked his head back to his friends and started geeking out. "Oh my gosh! Commander Knuckles called my name! Be cool guys! Be cool!"

He ran to his boss and walked alongside him. "Captain Rex, reporting for duty, Commander Knuckles!"

"What's the status on Operation: Reconstruction?"

"Yesterday, Fox Squad and I helped Professor Pickle re-build Spagonia University. He's looking forward to the day his students come back to class."

"That sounds great! Anything else?"

"Honey the Cat wants you to come over to her Fashion Studio in Empire City. She wants to show you the prototypes of those Resistance hoodies she teased a while back."

"Tell her I'll be there later. Do you have any intel on Eggman's leftover facilities?"

"We recently cleared out all of Eggman's bases in Green Hill, Mystic Jungle, and Metropolis. Some of our other squadrons are looking into the rest of South Island and Westside Island. But we can say that if we keep up this momentum, we'll liberate Mobius of Eggman's robots in no time!"

"That's what I like to hear, Captain! Oh! Is the Resistance here for our meeting today?"

Captain Rex gave a nervous sound; he rubbed the back of his head. "Sadly, not everyone is here, sir."

"What do you mean?"

"Team Dark had to do something for the G.U.N and Sonic, Tails, and Amy are chasing after Dr. Eggman. Said something about him kidnapping a rabbit and some animals."

"Understandable. I hope they rescue those critters in time. Thanks, Captain."

"No problem, boss!"

Before Knuckles walked into the second room, he stopped for a quick moment to ask one more query. "Wait, hold on a second, Captain Rex! One more thing!"

"O-oh, what's wrong, sir?"

Knuckles looked around to see if anyone was listening to him. No one wasn't paying attention. He leaned into Rex's ear and whispered this: "Were you able to get into contact with… her?"

"Rouge, sir?"

"No, not her. I mean… her?"

Rex took a second to think about what Knuckles was trying to say. He snapped his fingers and shook his head. "No, sir. She hasn't responded to any of our messages."

Feeling disappointed, Knuckles nodded his head. "Thanks, Rex. I appreciate your help." he patted the captain on his shoulder before walking into the Meeting Room.

"You're welcome, sir," Rex said. He suddenly gripped his shoulder and squealed. "OMG! He touched my shoulder! I'm never washing this jacket again!" (3s)

Knuckles opened the door and entered the main room of Resistance HQ, the room that had a large monitor that showed a map of Mobius on the screen. 99% of the map was blue, symbolizing land that belonged to the Resistance while only 1% of it was red, meaning it was land that belonged to the Eggman Empire.

As he walked in the room, he saw the only remaining members of the Resistance communicating with each other. Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee, and Silver the Hedgehog were all sitting by the table, laughing at a funny story the green crocodile was discussing with them.

Knuckles sat himself down at the far end of the table, he placed his cup of coffee down and cleared his throat. "Attention, everyone!... I need your attention, please!"

Nobody listened to a word the leader was saying.

"Excuse me, guys? Hello?"

Everyone just kept talking.

"Hey! Shut up!"

The Resistance stopped yapping their mouths and hushed themselves. The various eye colors faced Knuckles and waited to see what he wanted to say. Their ears were wide open, and smiles ran across their faces. Knuckles cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

"Good afternoon, everyone,"

"Good afternoon, Commander Knuckles!" everyone said politely.

Knuckles looked down at a clipboard in front of him and pulled it beside his chest. "Welcome back to Resistance HQ. Today is… let's see here," he read the clipboard filled with a list of Resistance activity since the conclusion of the war. "Today's Day 56 of Operation: Reconstruction. First off, wow, I can't believe we've made it this far. I'm extremely proud that we've been cleaning up our planet for that many days, and it's all thanks to you guys, keep up the good work!"

The Resistance nodded their heads and smiled. Espio and Silver fist-bumped each other while Vector and Charmy high-fived.

"But despite our efforts to clean up the streets, Dr. Eggman has been out there making more of a mess than he did during the war. Luckily, I have a plan to apprehend him and fix our planet at the same time. We're going to split up around the world and help the civilians rebuild their homes. Here's what I thought out last night,"

Knuckles walked to the monitor and typed on the keyboard, pulling up a map of Mobius. "Team Chaotix, there's a rumor that there's a hidden Eggman base between Station Square and south of Metropolis. Your mission is to head over there and burn it to the ground!"

"Not a problem, Knuckles," Vector grinned. "We'll be back before you can say 'Team Chaotix!' "

"Team Chaotix!" Charmy giggled, he was being a smart aleck.

"I was talking to Knuckles, smart aleck!"

"Silver," the commander continued. "Soleanna's had reports of Badnik sightings for a bit. Could you head over there and check things out?"

"Sure thing, Knuckles!" Silver saluted with a smile. "I came here to save my future. I won't leave until peace has been restored!"

"That's what I like to hear! All right, Resistance, move out!"

Team Chaotix and Silver jumped out of their seats and bolted right out the door, ready to fulfill their dreams of returning things to the way they were. Knuckles waved them goodbye and watched as the door slammed shut. This gave him the chance to do something he's neglected to tell the Resistance about for a while, what could it be? He walked over to the monitor screen and went into the home page. From there, he scrolled through the various apps he had on his computer until he found communications. He clicked on the icon and scrolled down through his list of contacts.

Sonic.

Tails.

Amy.

Espio.

Vector.

Charmy.

Shadow.

Rouge.

Unknown Number.

He pressed his fingers against the mouse, clicking on the anonymous label. He was suddenly greeted to a black screen with a silhouette of the person he's trying to call. He waited and waited, praying to God that the person on the other side would give him an answer. Unfortunately, he was greeted to the déjà vu; a recorded message.

"You've reached the number of Unknown Caller. Please leave a message, and the person will get back to you as soon as they can. Thanks, have a great day!"

After hearing the beep, Knuckles spoke, "Hey, it's me again… I'm about to head over to Empire City to observe some Resistance themed merchandise. It wasn't my idea, but Honey the Cat insisted she'd brand her own clothing based off our team. Said it would help people support reconstruction… anyways, I was calling because… if you're not busy, would you mind coming down to Resistance HQ in Green Hill City? I was hoping we could get a chance to catch up… I'll um… talk to you soon… goodbye."

He hung up the phone and let out a low sigh. He sat back down by the table and drank his last sip of coffee. Why won't you talk to me?

(4)

Synergy's Chaos Emulation swatted his arms at both Sonic and Metal, smacking them both right into the wall of crystals. Pieces of shiny objects shattered due to the impact and sprinkled all over the ground. The hedgehog and the robot landed on the ground on their stomachs, using their agile acrobatics and reflexes to get back on their feet.

Metal Sonic flew around Synergy and blinded him with an armada of missiles, providing a distraction so his teammate, for now, Sonic can spin dash the Gizoid. Sonic did just what he planned to do and nailed Synergy right across his face. He did the same thing as soon as he landed on his toes. Metal Sonic glided around the watery monster just in time to avoid an octopus-like arm with three fingers. He activated his Black Shield just in time to protect himself. Sonic ran up the walls, jumped off, landed on the top of the shield, and homing attacked Synergy's forehead.

Metal de-activated his shield and fired one mighty uppercut up Synergy's chin, hearing the monster wince in pain.

"Ha-ha! Say goodnight, gruesome!" Sonic grinned, diving himself into Synergy's chest, giving him a taste of another Spin Dash.

"Don't get too excited!" Metal ducked below Synergy's next attack; a single swat with his arm. "He's not finished yet!"

"He will be once we deal with him!"

Sonic and Metal punched and kicked Synergy's monster-sized chest one last time before they backed away, evading his fists hitting the ground. They re-grouped with one another and stood side by side, they were ready to end Synergy's reign of terror, despite the fact he hasn't done any harm above the surface. (4s)

"Ready for this, Metal?"

"I'm going to regret this."

The blue hero of Mobius and the robotic copycat suddenly leaped up in the air with a spiral and faces one another. They focused their power into one of their hands, slowly pulling them back as if they were doing a slow-motion shot for a movie. Normal speed returned to them as soon as they slapped their hands together with a high-five. In mid-air, the three of them Spin Dash before they suddenly rocketed through the air, leaving a cloud of smoke in the shape of their spheroid states, thus greatly amplifying their combined speed. (5)

Sonic's main plan of attack… was the Double Boost, a move he did with a Rookie when he joined the Resistance. Specifically, the time they raided the Arsenal Pyramid in Green Hill Zone.

Sonic and Metal boosted through the crystals, shooting them directly into Synergy's chest.

Left. Right. Up. Down. Synergy's face was being blown from all directions. He lacked time to react to the trick up Sonic and Metal's sleeves. He attempted to copy their moves and put them to use through his own means, but because of how fast the hedgehog and the robot went, his copying abilities failed him.

After one more final strike to the face, Synergy fell right out of his Chaos Emulation and returned to his normal form. He landed smack in the middle of the water, feeling the water that splashed onto the ceiling fall on top of him.

The Gizoid was now defeated, Sonic and Metal have won the fight. (5s)

When they both landed on the floor, the latter walked up to the defeated Gizoid. He still wanted to take him to his boss, so he decided that it would be best to arrest him now before anything else happened. But just as he got a foot closer to him, his fur-covered counterpart stepped in his way.

"Get out of my way, loathsome copy. That Gizoid possesses technology which will benefit my master's goal of conquering this helpless world!"

Sonic shook his head defiantly. "No way, Metal! Even though this Gizoid's a threat to Mobius, I'm not going to let you take him back to your boss, so that he can be used for Eggman's schemes!"

As the two argued, Synergy tenderly put his hands on the ground, pushing himself up on his knee.

"Move, Sonic! Or I'll make you move!"

"Ain't gonna happen, Bucket-Head!"

"Don't bother troubling yourselves," Synergy spoke in a tired tone. "I can help myself up."

Metal smacked Sonic across the face and sent him tumbling into a pile of broken crystals. He then punched Synergy in his chest, watching him fall on his knees.

"You're coming with me; your powers will be a great advantage to the Eggman Empire. Besides, I'm sure my master would be able to assist in your goals in world conquest."

"That's a cute offer, but I refuse. No one tells me to come with them!" Synergy growled. "I have a master, one who allowed me to use my power for a purpose. I'm not letting a weak-willed moron hinder my true potential!"

"Cry me a river! I won, and you lost, you're coming with me!"

Synergy growled one last time before he suddenly snickered. From there, he started laughing, laughing maniacally yet silently. Metal Sonic, confused, raised an eyebrow.

"What are you laughing at?"

"First off, I thought of a funny joke. Second, the only reason you won is because," Synergy suddenly jabbed his hand straight into Metal Sonic's chest, ripping into his circuits with his green-colored hands.

Appalled by Synergy's sudden act, Sonic gasped and got up on his feet, landing in a squatting position.

Synergy then pulled out the only reason Metal was able to win; A shiny red Chaos Emerald. Metal Sonic felt part of his systems shutting down, particularly his upgraded systems. He felt his power decreasing by the minute, as he slowly lowered himself onto his knees. His eyes glitched and his body shook like a maraca.

"Of this!" Synergy kicked the de-powered robot into the water on his back. He held the red emerald in his hand and analyzed its shiny texture. "A Chaos Emerald. I haven't seen one of these in a long time."

Sonic stood upward and clapped his fists against each other. "Hey, Emerl-Re-Color! Put that down!"

"You put up a good fight, Sonic. I will have to warn the Nocturnus Clan about you once I find them again."

"Listen, moron! The Nocturnus Clan are gone! They're trapped in the Twilight Cage!"

"You sound like you're speaking the truth, but I prefer to see things with my own eyes. Farewell, Sonic the Hedgehog… oh, just in case you get any ideas about following me."

Synergy rolled into a ball again and copied Sonic's Homing Attack. He lunged himself at the hedgehog, who jumped over the Gizoid, crashing against the wall. Synergy came flying back towards him again, but all Sonic did was duck underneath him, the Gizoid whacked the wall again. Sonic kicked Synergy out of his ball form and watched him skid across the water.

"Wow, your aim's as terrible as your design!" Sonic joked. Synergy, in a spin ball, charged at Sonic again, but he hit the wall twice.

He landed back to where he was originally and chuckled. (6)

Sonic raised an eyebrow, curious as to why his new enemy was laughing until he figured it out. The walls of the caverns slowly began to shake, making a roaring sound that sounded like someone snoring. The caves roared louder and louder, as multiple shards of crystals, joined with large pieces of rubble, collapsed into the water. Sonic quick-stepped side to side, avoiding as many boulders and shards as he could. His speed didn't save him, unfortunately, as he felt his head the main target of a large rock. He fell on the ground and felt many more rocks, pebbles, and crystals pile on top of him. Soon enough, he was completely covered in debris, giving Synergy the chance to walk away with the Chaos Emerald. (6s)

"Phew! Glad that's over with," Synergy began walking towards the door, leading to the tomb he was trapped in for so long. "One Chaos Emerald down, six more to… go?" he looked down at his hand and noticed that the red gem was no longer there. "What? Where did it go?"

He checked the water below him in case he might have dropped it, but he couldn't find the emerald anywhere. "Did I drop it in the water?... No? Where is it?"

There was only one place he didn't check; the pile of rubble he buried Sonic in. He glanced up and the big mess he made in the caves. There was no possible way he could find the emerald in there, but he needed to try, otherwise; he would go back to Imperator Ix empty handed, something he didn't want to do. He moaned and facepalmed himself, as he walked over to the rubble and started picking up the rocks, tossing them to the side piece by piece.

Pick up. Put down. Pick up. Put down. He did this to all the rocks for what felt like hours when it was actually a few seconds. He was impatient about finding the emerald because he didn't want to return to his clan looking like a loser. He picked them up and put them down again, when suddenly, he heard the voice of a female.

"Sonic!? Is that you down there?" it was Amy Rose.

Synergy jerked his head over his shoulder and gasped, he became paranoid.

Someone was coming down, possibly a friend of Sonic's, meaning he needed to act fast. Otherwise, his clan would shun him for coming back with no Chaos Emeralds in hand. Synergy tossed the rocks over his shoulder, ignoring the sound of them splashing into the puddles of water. He started muttering to himself, trying not to panic.

"Come on, come on, come on! Don't fail! Don't fail! Don't fail! Where is it? Where is it!? Where is it!?"

"Hey, I hear someone's voice down there," Mighty the Armadillo's voice came closer to the cavern.

"No, no, no, no!" Synergy whispered, getting more scared that someone other than Sonic might discover him and possibly stop him from his quest. "Darn it! Where is the darn Chaos Emerald!"

"Hey, who's down there?" Tails' voice reached the entrance of the cavern.

Synergy placed his hands against his head, trying to calm himself down. He panted and panted until he finally decided to give up. He jumped off the rubble and ran across the water, tripping and falling into the mud in the process.

"Sonic!?" Amy called again.

Synergy pushed himself up and bolted right out the door, making his way to the exit.

Tails, carrying Amy, flew down from the waterhole in the ceiling along with Ray, who was carrying Mighty. All of them landed in the water and looked around the semi-beautiful environment. They would have appreciated the scenery a lot more if it didn't look like the aftermath of a fight. All four of them glanced around their area, looking for any signs of their blue friend.

Mighty's foot accidentally hit something on the ground. He turned his eyes to the object and jumped back as soon as he saw that he hit Metal Sonic. Ray walked up to him and looked down at well, letting out a quick gasp.

Tails entered the circle around Metal Sonic and stroked his chin. "Metal? What's he doing here?"

Amy, walking around the caves, gasped with a worried tone. She cupper her hands over her mouth because she noticed the pile of rubble in front of her, worried that Sonic was underneath there. "Sonic!" she shouted in worry. "Are you okay!?"

Mighty, Ray, and Tails ran behind Amy and jumped onto the rock pile, tossing, flipping, chucking, and throwing rocks all over the place. The armadillo punched the rock pile, creating a couple of cracks in the pile. He tossed them to the side until he found Sonic's arm sticking between two rocks.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I found him!"

Tails and Mighty worked together and pulled Sonic out of the rubble with all their might. As soon as they got him out, Amy and Ray took note that the blue blur was covered in black bruises, mud, and dirt. His fur was soaking wet and his eyes were closed. A red Chaos Emerald was clutched in between his fingers. He took it from Synergy when he kicked him out of his ball form. The yellow-orange fox took the emerald out of Sonic's hands and tossed it to Ray before he wrapped Sonic's shoulder around his neck.

Amy did the same thing for the other side, assisting Tails in carrying him down the rock pile. Mighty and Ray helped carry Sonic to the bottom, as they all laid him down on solid ground. Mighty gently pushed everyone to the side, trying to give Sonic some room, as he laid his ears against the hedgehog's chest.

Bu-bump. Bu-bump. Bu-bump. Sonic's heartbeat was still active.

Mighty released a calm sigh, as he leaned back up and informed the others. "He's okay."

Everyone took a breath of relief, but they were still worried about his injuries.

"Let's get him back to my house," Tails wrapped his brother's shoulder over his neck. Amy did the same thing. "He needs rest."

"Stupid Metal Sonic," Amy snarled. "He's going to pay for this!"

(7)

Pant. Pant. Pant.

Come on, Synergy, come on!

Run. Run. Run.

What am I going to do? What are they going to say!?

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

I really hope no one's following me! Come on, think happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts!... Gah, happy thoughts aren't working!

Synergy ran into a corner of the temple and tripped on his own feet. He fell on the ground, but he got up and continued running. He prayed that none of the voices he heard noticed that he was trying to escape. He prayed that he wasn't being followed and he prayed that his clan wouldn't punish him for coming home with nothing to give to them. He ran and ran down the temple until he came across a nearly broken wall.

He pulled his fist back and punched straight through the wall, the blazing sunlight blinded his blue eyes.

The robot dashed across the grassy fields, ignoring the beautiful scenery that he's missed for a millennium. He rubbed his eyes and screamed into the air, scared of the consequences that he'll suffer through as soon as he gets home. He stopped dead in the middle of his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

The temple's exit was empty, nothing but pitch-black darkness illuminated by the sun was standing inside the exit. Synergy backed up a few steps and rubbed his head, scared. He was frightened of what happened in there. He thought he won that fight, but after losing the Chaos Emerald, he lost a bit of confidence within himself. He stopped backing up again and paused, his hands shaking, his body trembling with anxiety. He didn't know what to do next. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. He was lost… or so he thought initially. He may not have anything to give to Nocturnus Clan, but he wanted to see if they were still alive. Sonic kept telling him that he defeated them some time ago, but he wasn't sure if that was true or false. It was at that moment where he decided to head back to the place he came from; the Mystic Ruins.

He ran down a pathway of grass, jumped in the air, and blasted off through the skies, hoping to reunite with his people. (7s)

END OF CHAPTER 3

Sonic's been injured, and Synergy has escaped. Could things get any worse? But hey, at least Sonic managed to steal back a Chaos Emerald, right? Unfortunately, Synergy's still out on the loose, planning to reunite with the Nocturnus Clan so they can take over the world. Or at least, that's what he thinks. What will he find out when he gets to the Mystic Ruins? Will Sonic recover and stop him in time?

Find out as Synergy explores a new world in "Chapter 4: Into the Great Wide Open"

POST-A/N:

I don't want to spoil who Knuckles was calling during his scene, but I will drop a small hint. The character is based on an obscure Sonic character. One, who cannot make another appearance because of legal issues SEGA went through.

Synergy's Chaos Emulation is based off the powers of the Gizoid from Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. The Gizoid, in that series, had a Chaos Emulation and a Knuckles Emulation. Something Synergy will have in the course of this story.

Special thanks to Infinite's Ruby for helping me with some of the dialogue exchanges here. You should all check out their stories. They're awesome! The Illusionary Resistance, The Wolf and the Jackal, and Hidden Doubts are some of my favorites from them.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts down below. I'm the Sensational SpiderDom321, and I'll see you all next time!