Part 4: You Choose Your Path

Wilson and Mandy had been taken to a dark lonely room with nothing but shackles in it. This was the prison chamber. The room was featureless save for all the chains and shackles dangling on the walls and from the ceiling and there wasn't much light in the room. The chamber was located underneath the base and whenever Marion or any of the Eggman robots she had been given to work with had captured someone, they were taken here and tortured, just for the Mistress's amusement. Wilson and Mandy were both chained by their wrists and they dangled slightly off the floor. Their arms were aching madly due to the fact they had so much weight to carry whilst being held aloft by shackles from the ceiling. The two fighters remained silent as they awaited their punishment. Mandy bit her lip and pulled a worried expression as she thought on what Marion was going to do to her and Wilson was shaking like, um, a worried dog I guess. He didn't like people hurting him and he certainly wasn't looking forward to this. Marion Mouse, now known as the Mistress of Darkness stood before them with her metal hands clenched together and she was smiling darkly at her captives. The treacherous general Bostock the Chipmunk stood to attention beside her.

"Hello you two." she said dryly "Are you nice and comfortable?"

"Does this look comfortable?" snapped Mandy, looking up at her arms "And how can we be comfortable knowing that you're about to inflict enormous pain on us?"

Marion just gave her sister a cold stare and folded her arms in an unimpressed manner.

"How brutal do you think I am sis?" she asked "I'm not going to break your legs or your arms or anything gruesome like that."

"Well that's a relief!" said Wilson, sighing a little "I feared they would bring in big whooping clubs and whack me as hard as they can with them!"

"My method of inflicting pain on others is this." said Marion, holding her arms out straight.

A pair of sticks fell out of her sleeves and she grabbed them at the ends. The sticks were about as long as her lower arm and they were metallic at the tips and coloured a glossy black colour. Mandy just stared at the sticks in wonder. They didn't seem like very painful weapons to her, was Marion really off her rocker in the sense she thought small sticks like that would hurt someone?

"What are you gonna do? Prod us to death with those?" asked Mandy.

Marion gave her sister another cold stare.

"Mandy, for someone as brainy as you, you really are a nit-wit aren't you?" she scoffed "I'll show you how these sticks work."

She walked up to Wilson and Mandy and she lightly pressed the sticks against their sides. The moment the metallic tips of the sticks touched Wilson and Mandy, a very painful electric shock surged up their sides and they screamed loudly in excruciating pain. It was only a little electric shock but it was a very painful shock and Wilson and Mandy found that out the hard way as electricity painfully surged up their sides. The lonely little chamber was echoing with Wilson and Mandy's screams and the sound of electricity crackling. Marion took the sticks away from them and Wilson and Mandy gasped for breath as the electric shocks stopped and the pain slowly faded away.

"Electrical sticks these are." said Marion, holding the sticks before them "Marvellous little invention from my glorious master Dr. Eggman. They hurt a lot don't they?"

"Yes…" croaked Mandy "More…then a…lot if you…want my o…pinion!"

"I…think I…would have…preferred the clubs!" said Wilson.

"Well that's lovely to know." said Marion "This is the treatment you worms deserve for defying the will of Dr. Eggman, the rightful ruler of this planet."

"Eggman is not the ruler of this planet Marion!" snapped Mandy, trying to kick her sister but Marion was standing too far back so she missed "And we're doing what's right so we do not deserve this!"

"Well I think you do, so there." said Marion, pressing the stick in her left hand against Mandy's tummy.

The shocking commenced again and Mandy screamed a terrible scream and she gritted her teeth as she winced in pain. Wilson didn't like this so he decided to step in.

"You leave your sister alone Marion!" yelled Wilson.

"Gladly." said Marion, pulling the stick away from Mandy, the mouse gasping heavily for breath "Because it's your turn next doggy boy!"

And she thrust the stick into Wilson's tummy and he got a painful shock. Wilson gritted his teeth and tried to hold in his screams as electricity surged up his tummy. Marion pulled the stick away and let the dog breathe for a moment. Mandy coughed loudly and turned her head towards Marion.

"Marion please stop this!" she begged "You're not an evil, sadistic overlord who serves Eggman, you're a kind, fun-loving girl who loves nature and being with me!"

"That was then, this is now." said Marion "Tough luck."

She tried to give Mandy another shock but Mandy, having had enough of being tortured, kicked her in the arm and made her drop the stick. Mandy then kicked the other stick out of her sister's hand. Marion just pulled a face at Mandy but she did nothing more. She just picked the sticks up and put them back in her sleeves and stood back.

"Well I think I've had enough fun now." said Marion "Now you two are going to wait here until the drilling operation has begun and finished. When I return, you will be taken to the roboticizer chamber to be roboticized."

"Why don't you do it now to put us out of our misery?" muttered Wilson.

"The roboticizer's full." said Marion "So I'm going to have to wait until it's done its work before I can roboticize anyone else. And by the way, I'm not sure you'll like to hear this…but four of the captured Mobians are your parents and Mandy's parents doggy dog."

Wilson and Mandy's faces exploded with shock.

"You vile little rat!" cried Wilson.

"As if torturing your own sister and her friend wasn't bad enough, you're going to turn our parents into robots?" shrieked Mandy "Marion, how could you do this to me and yourself?"

"What use do parents have to an evil overlord?" muttered Marion "Once they're roboticized, they will serve a greater cause and when you're roboticized, you will be reunited with our parents and the whole family will be back together again, won't that be wonderful?"

"Wonderful as mud." muttered Mandy "We're going to be a family of mindless robots under the control of the walking boulder with the stupid moustache."

"I could say the same." said Wilson sadly "When my parents and me are roboticized, I'm gonna be a family of robot dogs under Eggman's control."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it in the end." said Marion with a fake smile on her face "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

She turned her back on the prisoners and pushed a button on her wrist.

"Oy BECK-E! Do you read me?" barked Marion.

"Loud and clear Mistress." came the shrilling voice of BECK-E from the other side of the communicator.

"You're on surveillance duty." said Marion "You will stand guard at the door and make sure no one tries to rescue Wilson and Mandy!"

"Yes Mistress." said BECK-E.

The communicator shut off. Marion turned back to the chained Wilson and Mandy, the two merely glared at her.

"I'm off now. Enjoy your stay you two." she said "Because there's a roboticizer waiting for you when the drilling operation is finished!"

She cackled like a witch as she walked out of the room with Bostock following her. They slammed the door behind them, creating a loud ominous clang that hung around the room for a few seconds before drifting into silence. The moment things were silent, Wilson and Mandy looked at each other helplessly.

"Well old friend, I believe this is it." said Mandy, her eyes on the verge of tears "My sister is going to turn us into…robots…and then we're going to…serve Dr. Eggman's army and try to help him conquer Mobius. Oh what would the Acorn family or even Sonic think of this?"

She broke down in tears and snivels and since her arms were chained above her head, she couldn't wipe her eyes dry so her tears were free to trickle down her furry little face. Wilson felt sort for Mandy. He had no idea what it felt like to have a sibling as a villain but he had the feeling it would be horrible. He decided to try and comfort his friend even though he himself, knew this situation was hopeless.

"Mandy don't lose hope." said Wilson "I'm sure someone will save us. I'm praying to god that Sonic shows up at the last minute and gets us out of here. Although the chances of that happening are a billion to one."

"I'm praying by some miracle Bostock comes to his senses and frees us or Mortimer lived that shot and is planning to rescue us any minute now." said Mandy.

Then as if he was right on cue, the chamber door opened with an eerie creak. Wilson and Mandy gasped, expecting this to be a robot or something but to their absolute and bewildering surprise, it was Mortimer! The corporal chipmunk had not been killed by Bostock after all! He had somehow survived the blast, but with superficial wounds and he had remained hidden until Marion and Bostock had left before sneaking into the base and into the chamber. Wilson and Mandy's faces brightened at the sight of Mortimer there.

"Mortimer! You're alive!" cried Wilson "Oh what a miracle!"

"Sssh!" hissed Mortimer "Someone will hear you!"

"Sorry." said Wilson quietly.

Mortimer crept over to the wall and he pressed a button on the wall. Wilson and Mandy's shackles opened and they dropped to the floor. The two fighters were relieved their arms were free and they rubbed their wrists tenderly.

"Boy does it feel good to be free!" said Wilson "I thought my body was going to break away from my arms if I hung about any longer!"

"However did you survive Bostock's shot?" asked Mandy.

"No idea." said Mortimer "He obviously didn't shoot me hard enough to kill. I'm glad I survived though otherwise you two would have been doomed to be robots."

"Well thank you for saving us Mortimer." said Mandy, giving the wounded corporal a hug "But why aren't you turning traitor along with Bostock?"

"What good does being evil get ya?" sniffed Mortimer "Remember all these fairy-tales and stories you read as kids? What happens to the villain, he always loses in the end so what good does being evil do for you? That's probably why Bostock tried to kill me, because he knew I wouldn't join him in this betrayal."

"I see." said Mandy "Well thanks for saving us. We owe you one Mortimer."

"You can owe me one later." said Mortimer "Right now we've got a city to save, a Mistress to vanquish and a General to punish for his treachery."

"Right." said Mandy "But please don't hurt Marion too much, she is my sister after all."

"I know, I heard the whole damn thing when I was playing dead out there!" cried Mortimer "Fancy that, our greatest enemy is your sister! What's next? We find out Sonic has a brother who's a bad guy?"

"Pray to god that doesn't happen." said Wilson "I don't want to think about an evil look-alike to Sonic right now!"

"OK you two, if you follow my lead, we may have a chance of success." said Mortimer "I have a plan that's sure to work. I'll tell you once we get out of this dark place."

And with that Mortimer, Mandy and Wilson tip-toed out of the chamber and they closed the door behind them.

"Hey, I just realized something!" said Wilson all of a sudden "Where's BECK-E? I thought Marion told her to keep guard?"

"Either she's running late or she can't be bothered." said Mandy "Nevertheless, let's not worry about her shall we? Let's worry about stopping that second drill from being put into action!"

The three Mobians continued to creep down the corridor as they headed to the exit. Once outside, Mortimer would put his plan into action and it was either guaranteed to work to perfection or fail miserably.


Outside of the headquarters, Marion and Bostock watched as the giant drill was finally fixed into the sliding track and locked into place. This drill was just as big as the first one only it had more spikes on the drill-bit and it had tougher armour so four detonators wouldn't take it out as easy as they took the first one out. Now the drill had been attached to the scaffolding, a worker bot got into the cockpit to test the drill. The worker bot pulled on some levers and the drill began to rise up vertically. Then the drill lowered back down so its drill bit was pointing back at the ground below it. Then the robot made the drill go up and down on the slider track and it worked perfectly. The drill was ready, everything was in working order. Now Operation: Drill-For-Oil would commence.

"This is going to be a good day for me isn't it Bostock?" said Marion excitedly "I'm going to unearth tonnes and tonnes of oil for Dr. Eggman and I'm going to roboticize two Royal Fighters! This day can't get any better can it?"

"No Mistress." said Bostock. Then the chipmunk seized Marion by her collar and jammed her face into his face. "Now Mistress, I made this alliance to save my people. You had better swear on the oil of your robots that that drill isn't going to harm the city in anyway!"

"Oh relax Bostock, the drill isn't that powerful." said Marion "All it's gonna do is crack the ground a lot. It's not gonna cause any buildings to collapse or anything like that."

"Do you swear on your life that the city will be unharmed by the drill's effects?" snarled Bostock "If you're lying then I will call this alliance off and kill you!"

"I cross my stony little heart and hope to die." said Marion, crossing her heart with her metallic finger "The city will not sustain any damage from the drill's effects now put me down please."

Bostock glared at her with unconcern but he put the Mistress down and Marion straightened her collar. She turned to the drill's direction to see the worker bots marching up to her. They stopped in front of her and stood to attention as they awaited for Marion to give the order. Marion cleared her throat.

"OK you mugs, time to begin Operation: Drill-For Oil." she announced "Everybody at your stations…NOW!"

But the worker bots just stood there and did nothing. Bostock looked at Marion with a funny face on. Marion stared at her robots for a few seconds and gave the order again.

"Everybody to your stations…NOW!" she barked.

The robots still did not move. Marion and Bostock both looked at each other in confusion. What was going on? Marion stomped up to one of the worker robots, grabbed it by the shoulders and shook it madly.

"When I give an order, you are supposed to obey it you brainless scrap heap!" shouted Marion "Now to your stations NOW!"

"No." droned the robot in a musical voice "We will no longer take orders from you. We are not programmed to obey you Mistress."

Then the worker bot pushed Marion onto the ground. Marion stood up and she blasted the worker bot to pieces with her laser fingers. She turned to a squad of police-bots that happened to be marching by as this was happening.

"Police-bots, seize these disobedient robots!" she barked, pointing to the worker drones.

But the police-bots didn't arrest the worker-bots, they marched over to Marion and they grabbed her! Marion struggled against the hordes of police-bots as they began piling on to her. Then they snapped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. Bostock immediately tried to help by shooting the police-bots with his rust gun. He shot three police-bots and they rusted into tiny little fragments but his luck ended there. A police-bot fired a laser at his gun and the gun blew up in Bostock's hands and Bostock was sent falling over onto his back. As for Marion, she had been wrapped in chains around her body, handcuffed and ankle-cuffed by the police-bots. Marion was strong thanks to her robotic arms but, the chains were even stronger.

"What is the meaning of this?" yelled Marion "Release me you worms!"

"We are not programmed to serve you Mistress, we are programmed to serve someone else." explained the chief police bot who unlike the other police-bots was coloured black and white instead of blue and white.

"What?" cried Marion "You serve me and me alone! Who has reprogrammed you to rebel against me?"

"I did!" said an obnoxious girly voice that Marion was sick to death of hearing right now.

Marion looked ahead of her and saw none other then her tutu wearing, bow wearing, pink servant bot BECK-E. Her artificial hair blew in the wind slightly.

"BECK-E?" screamed Marion "What is the meaning of this? Why are you mutinying against me? You're my servant bot and you serve me!"

"That was then and this is now." said BECK-E "I am in charge of the robot army now so you're my servant girl and you serve me."

"I will not serve you!" snarled Marion "Now how did you get these tin-heads to obey you?"

"I slipped a data-stick into the robot control monitor in the computer room and uploaded the override command data into the main monitor." explained BECK-E, opening the top of her head and pulling the data-stick out to show Marion "I altered the command sequence so the robots obey only me now."

And then she crushed the data-stick in her hands. The tiny remains of the stick blew out of her hands and sailed away in the wind.

"Now I've just destroyed this data-stick, you can't use it to put yourself back in command of the robot army here." she sneered "So I have total and permanent authority over these robots."

Marion growled like a lioness at her treacherous servant bot. If she wasn't in chains now she would have leaped onto BECK-E and torn her apart and then blasted her to smithereens. While all this was happening, Bostock began to slowly and quietly creep away from the scene. Everything was going downhill now so he only had one other option, release Wilson and Mandy and get them to fix everything. Deep in his mind, one thing burned through his head, regret. He was really regretting this alliance now and now he was going to mend his ways and turn back to the side he truly belonged on, the good side.

"Why ever did you betray me you piece of pink dirt?" demanded Marion.

"I hate you with a burning passion." said BECK-E "I hated the way you treated me all this time. I hated the way you bossed me around, I hated the way you never appreciate me, I hated the way you blast me to pieces when something goes wrong, and I especially hated the way you treat me as annoying!"

"Well you are annoying." sniffed Marion "So I'm treating you the way you are."

"And that's exactly why I've betrayed you!" screeched BECK-E "You never treated me fairly and I'm sick of it! And just for that, you are going to pay! Robots, chain her to the spot the drill is going to dig!"

"WHAT?" screamed Marion "You're going to-to-to-kill me with my own drill?"

"Precisely." said BECK-E smugly "You deserve it you wretched, ungrateful old hag!"

Marion screamed in agony as the robots began to drag her away and take her towards the drill. BECK-E smiled a cold, evil, remorseless smile. She was finally going to get justice for all Marion had did to her in the past and she was finally going to be in charge of the Eggman army of Grand Metropolis. She couldn't wait to watch Marion die, she was going to really, REALLY enjoy this so BECK-E zoomed off after the robots so she could watch them chain Marion into place and drill right through her. The police-bots had now dragged Marion to directly underneath the drill and they forced her down onto her back so she was now lying on the ground looking straight up at the deadly drill that loomed above her. The police-bots then put two chains across Marion's body in an X-shape and they hammered the chains into place with some big iron nails so Marion would not be able to escape. She was fixed to the spot with no hope of escape or survival. She stared up at the drill and shook ever so madly. BECK-E stood beside Marion and she looked down at her former master with a big smirk on her pink face.

"You know what Marion?" said BECK-E "I bet you've never felt terrified since your turn to the evil side. How do you feel now though?"

"Do you even need to ask?" snapped Marion, still shaking.

"I bet it feels strange doesn't it?" jeered BECK-E "I bet it feels strange to be scared of something for once doesn't it?"

"It is in a way." said Marion "It's very strange how for the first time in my evil life, I feel terrified. Terrified at the fact my own servant bot is going to kill me!"

"You know if you treated me better then this wouldn't have happened." said BECK-E "But it's too late for your to learn your lesson now. Worker bots! To your stations…NOW!"

"Yes Mistress." said the worker-bots, climbing up the ladder on the side of the scaffolding.

"How about that Marion?" asked BECK-E "They call ME Mistress now I'm in charge. I bet you don't like that do ya?"

"Certainly not!" snarled Marion "I am the Mistress, not you! The robots should address ME as Mistress and they should obey MY commands!"

"Well they work for me now so tough." said BECK-E "Say your prayers Marion because it's time for you to die."

And with that, BECK-E zipped away from the drill and stopped about five feet away from the site so she could watch Marion's fate. Marion began to sweat madly and shake more furiously. She hopped that Bostock had gone for help or something. She even hoped that Mandy would have enough heart to save her despite the fact she was now evil. But it didn't seem like help was on its way, Marion was doomed to be drilled to death and that's all there was too it.

As for Bostock, he had remained hidden until the coast was clear and now the coast was clear, he tip-toed towards the base where Wilson and Mandy were imprisoned. All he had to do was free them and then they'd be able to save Marion from getting killed by her own servant bot. But the moment he made it to the door, the door flung open and Mortimer, Wilson and Mandy burst out into the open, knocking Bostock over. The minute they saw Bostock, they pounced on him and held him down to the ground.

"Ha, ha! We've got you traitor!" yelled Wilson.

"Wh…wh…what? How did you two get free?" asked Bostock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I helped them." said Mortimer, glaring at his former friend.

"Mortimer?" shrieked Bostock "How did you survive my shot? I shot you right in the chest! A shot like that should be fatal!"

"Well luckily it wasn't." said Mortimer "I survived the blast with superficial wounds and now I've rescued Wilson and Mandy and now they're going to foil your precious Mistress's drilling operation and put you behind bars for your treachery Bostock!"

"Well I'm glad you freed Wilson and Mandy because I need them right now!" said Bostock.

"What do you need us for you double-crossing jerk?" snapped Mandy.

"Everything's in jeopardy you two!" cried Bostock "BECK-E has gone rogue, she's taken control of the robot army and she's going to kill the Mistress…I mean, Marion with the drill!"

"And we should believe you why?" said Mandy coldly "Since you stabbed us in the back we shouldn't believe a word you say now."

"Fine, let me go and I'll show you." said Bostock.

Mandy was weary to trust Bostock now but she had a feeling he was telling the truth this time so she, Wilson and Mortimer let go of Bostock. Now Bostock was free to get up, he got to his feet and led the trio towards the giant drill that was itching to start. As for BECK-E, she waited until all the robots had made it into their working stations before giving the killer command.

"OK robots…BEGIN DRILLING!" she screeched at the top of her voice.

The robots in the drill's cockpit got the message and they pressed a button on the control pad that made the drill-bit spin. Marion watched in terror as the colossal drill, laden with spikes, began to spin around above her, squealing loudly like a normal drill does when it's in action. Then the drill began to slowly descend towards the ground it was perched above. Marion struggled furiously in her bonds but her hands had been cuffed behind her back, she had chains wrapped around her body and chains holding her down so she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried. BECK-E began to laugh a cruel evil laugh as the drill began to descend further and further. Bostock, Mortimer, Wilson and Mandy all arrived at the drill, only to find out it had begun.

"Oh no!" cried Bostock "We're too late! The drill's been activated!"

"Where's Marion?" asked Mandy.

"Right there!" said Bostock, pointing to the chained up mouse that lay under the drill.

Mandy looked in his direction and surely enough, she saw Marion chained to the spot and looking up at the drill.

"No! Marion!" shrieked Mandy "We've got to save her before that drill kills her!"

"Why should we?" snapped Mortimer "She's evil and she's the enemy so she deserves to die."

Mandy was livid to hear a statement like that. She glared at Mortimer and prodded him in the chest.

"I don't care what you say Mortimer!" she said coldly, sharply poking him with every word she said "She's my sister and I am going to help her!"

"Wrong Mandy, WE are going to help her." said Wilson, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Mandy was so surprised she almost jaw-dropped.

"You want to help too?" she said "But why?"

"Because I'm willing to help you no matter what." said Wilson "And I'm sure that you can get Marion to redeem herself so I'm going to help you save her."

"Oh Wilson, I'm so glad to have a friend like you." said Mandy sweetly.

"I could say the same." said Wilson "But we don't have time for that now. That drill's getting lower and lower!"

"How in heaven's name are we gonna stop that thing?" cried Bostock.

"I've got this." said Wilson, pulling a little capsule off his belt.

The capsule was black and gold and when Wilson pushed a button on the capsule, the capsule extended to twice its length and it grew a pair of blades, one on each side. Mortimer was amazed.

"Wow, you have the hard to use spinning blade weapon?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, I do." said Wilson "And I know how to use it."

"I do hope you're not planning on throwing it at the drill." said Bostock sternly "Even that powerful blade won't stop it."

"I wasn't." said Wilson "I'm going to use it to free Marion. These things can cut through chains after all."

With that said, Wilson ran off and headed towards Marion, who was screaming at the top of her voice now as the drill's descent got closer and closer to her. The drill was now four feet above the ground. Another three feet to go and Marion was history. BECK-E watched with delight as the drill got closer and closer. She was so excited she bounced up and down. But her triumph was not to last. Wilson ran straight past BECK-E and he sliced her in half with the blade weapon as he ran past her. BECK-E's two halves fell to the ground and she cried out in anger as Wilson ran on to foil her plan. Wilson stopped beside Marion and flinched at the sight of the drill-bit getting ever closer but he ignored it just long enough to do his job. He raised the blade high above his head and then he sliced the chains into pieces. Then he grabbed Marion and pulled her aside out of the drill's path and to safety. Then Wilson sliced the chains wrapped around Marion in two and then he snapped her handcuffs so her hands were free. Then the two ran for it out of the drill's path as the drill finally made it to the ground and began digging through it. Chunks of earth began flying everywhere as the enormous drill bit began to churn through the ground like a drill drilling through wood. The moment they were out of range, Marion aimed her hand at the drill and blasted it with her lasers. Her lasers didn't completely destroy the drill but they damaged the drill-bit. The damage was so great the drill stopped working and the entire thing ground to a halt and fell into silence. The robots in the cockpit were baffled at this and they tried to get the drill to work again but no matter how hard they tried the drill wouldn't budge. Now the drill was out of commission, Marion turned to Wilson.

"Oh Wilson, you saved my life!" she gasped "But…but why? I don't deserve to live so why did you save me?"

"I did it for Mandy." said Wilson softly.

The moment he said Mandy's name, Mandy ran up to Marion and threw her arms around her. Marion hugged her back.

"Oh Marion! Thank goodness you're safe!" cried Mandy "I thought I was gonna lose you again!"

"You would have if it weren't for Wilson." said Marion "I never knew he had some courage deep inside of him."

Wilson just giggled casually.

"Well, one tries." he said.

"Oh Wilson you cutie." said Mandy, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Wilson smiled bashfully at that quick kiss and Mandy turned back to Marion.

"Now do you see why being evil is never a good thing?" said Mandy.

"I do indeed." said Marion "In fact, something weird happened to me while I was chained there and the drill was coming down. As I began fearing I was going to die, I began to feel…more like my old self. In fact, I don't feel evil at all now, it's almost like my fear snapped me out of my crazed state and now I'm me again."

"That is strange." said Mandy "I wonder how it did happen."

"None of that matters now." said Bostock "Marion's back to being good so now our greatest enemy is gone, the drill has been stopped and now all we need to do is wreck Eggman's army and Grand Metropolis is free at last."

"And you said we couldn't win." said Mortimer coldly.

"Well…I didn't think we could…" stammered Bostock.

"This is a lesson for you general." said Mortimer "Never lose faith in yourself, or others. The path to victory may look perilous and maybe full of twists and turns, but if we keep fighting and keep trying, we'll make it to the end of that path."

"Oh Mortimer!" cried Bostock, falling onto his knees "I was such a misguided fool! My treachery did more harm then good and I almost killed you! When all this is over, you have my willing consent to court martial me and kick me out of the army!"

"I would old friend." said Mortimer, kneeling beside the general "But not this time. Everybody deserves a second chance and like Marion, I'm giving you a chance to be redeemed."

Bostock couldn't believe Mortimer was showing him generosity despite the fact he'd almost killed him. The general didn't know what to say to his friend.

"Mortimer, I cannot believe you're willing to forgive me for this." said Bostock.

"Well I'm a forgiving guy." said Mortimer "Now let's kick some Eggman butt shall we?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"Certainly!" said Bostock, standing up "We shall put an end to Eggman's hold on this city once and for all!"

Wilson and Mandy looked at each other, unsure of what was going on with Bostock right now.

"Huh, good guy one minute, traitor the next and now he's back on our side." said Wilson "This guy needs to make up his mind."

"I think he's on our side from now on." said Mandy "Now Marion's no longer a bad guy, Bostock has no reason for it, his alliance with her is obsolete now Marion is no longer a threat to the city."

"Oh right." said Wilson "That makes sense."

Then suddenly the doors to Marion's headquarters opened up with an ominous creak that made everybody shudder. Wilson, Mandy, Bostock, Mortimer and Marion all turned around and saw the opening doors. Then out of the doors emerged an army of Robians (short for roboticized Mobians), all snarling loudly and growling eerily at the Mobians before them. Their armour glistened in the sun like a hundred daggers laid out on a table outside, their teeth looked as sharp as swords and their claws were like dagger blades. Their red optics screamed with evil and hatred and they did nothing but growl or roar. The Mobians shook at the sight of the Robians but Bostock looked angry for some reason. The Robians formed a circle around them and they all hissed mechanically.

W-w-w-well I-I-I g-g-g-guess we're t-too l-l-late t-t-to s-s-save the c-c-captured Mobians!" stammered Wilson "E-e-especially our parents!"

"I bet that worm BECK-E did it!" said Marion crossly "Because I clearly do not remember giving the order to roboticize them!"

"Some of the Robians look like my soldiers." said Bostock "I thought my soldiers were to be spared! How did they get roboticized?"

"While you and Marion were in the prison chamber and torturing Wilson and Mandy, I ordered the robots to kidnap your soldiers and roboticize them!" said BECK-E, who had somehow managed to put herself back together (Don't ask, I really do not know how that happened.) despite having been cut in half earlier "I roboticized all of Bostock's soldiers and all the Mobians that had been captured previously! So now I have a Robian army to tear you apart!"

"You sick, twisted little dustbin!" snarled Mandy, hardly able to resist the urge to smash BECK-E to pieces "Trying to kill my sister is bad enough but then you go and roboticize my parents, Wilson's parents, Bostock's men and various others! Oh I am going to smash you to pieces you horrible little robot!"

Mandy tried to run up to BECK-E but a Robian that assembled a cougar rammed her in the side and sent Mandy falling onto her side. Before Mandy could get up onto her feet, the Robian cougar pounced on her and kept her pinned to the ground. It tried to slash her throat but Mandy grabbed it's paws and kept them away from her face and neck, the likeliest places a Robian might try and attack.

"Help me!" cried Mandy as the cougar snarled fiercely at her "I can't get this thing off me!"

"I'll do it!" cried Wilson, getting ready to throw his spinning blade at the Robian cougar.

"Don't you dare Wilson!" yelled Bostock gruffly "Underneath that robotic hide is an innocent man or woman trapped in a robotic mind. We will not kill Robians otherwise we will end up killing the innocent people that have been converted into them!"

"Fine." said Wilson "I'll change tactics then."

So he put the spinning blade away and he charged at the Robian cougar that was pinning Mandy down to the ground. Wilson grabbed the cougar by the tail and he tried to yank the cougar off his friend. The Robian felt it's tail being pulled on and it turned around to roar at Wilson. Seizing her chance, Mandy kicked the Robian in the underbelly and then Wilson kicked it off her. The Robian cougar rolled off of Mandy and it lay on it's side, groaning. Wilson helped Mandy onto her feet and they both attack the Robian cougar together. Unfortunately, the other Robians decided to attack too. Wilson and Mandy found themselves being charged at by a good number of Robians and there were so many they could not possibly hope to fight them all off. Bostock and Mortimer sensed their danger and they ran in to help them. Even though Bostock's weapon had been destroyed earlier, Mortimer had a spare one so he handed it to Bostock. They set their guns to stun mode instead of rust mode so they wouldn't kill any Robians, they would only put them out of commission when they shot them. A Robian resembling a lion saw Bostock and Mortimer charging towards them and the lion immediately pounced on them. Bostock and Mortimer both shot the lion in the face and the Robian lion's metal teeth cracked and fell out of it's mouth before the lion fell unconscious to the ground.

"Good shot!" cried Bostock.

"You know what old friend?" said Mortimer "I'm so glad I'm fighting along side you again."

"Same here." said Bostock "I guess I am better off as a good guy then a bad guy after all."

Mortimer nodded and the two ran to the crowd of Robians surrounding Wilson and Mandy. The Robians lunged and leaped on them from all sides but Wilson and Mandy were keeping up the pace and managing to hold them off as they attacked. A Robian assembling one of Bostock's soldiers tried to punch Mandy but, using her amazing flexibility, Mandy bent over backwards to dodge the punch. Mandy straightened back up and then she punched the Robian in the face. Due to the Robian's tough armour, she hurt her fist but Mandy was a tough girl and she ignored the throbbing pain in her fist long enough to roundhouse kick the Robian in the jaws and knock it out. She got a very sharp elbow in the back from a Robian resembling a mole-rat and she fell onto her knees. Before the Robian mole-rat could attack again, Wilson kicked it in the face and then he grabbed the Robian in a chokehold. His arm was wrapped tightly around the Robian's neck and he refused to let it go. Another Robian that resembled one of Bostock's men tried to attack him but Wilson threw the Robian mole rat into the Robian soldier and the two Robians fell over. Another Robian resembling one of Bostock's men sneaked up behind Wilson and it tried to attack him but it got blasted onto it's side by Marion, who had decided to join in the fight. Wilson beamed at Marion's presence and the two stood back to back as more Robians began attacking them. Three Robians resembling Bostock's men launched punches at them but Marion dodged the blows and punched them back. Then she blasted them in the chest and sent the three Robians falling over. The Robian cougar that attacked Mandy earlier had recovered from Wilson's attack and it ran towards Marion and Wilson. But Mandy stepped in first and she dropkicked the Robian right in the jaw. The Robian cougar slashed at Mandy but Mandy dodged the attack and she jumped over the cougar. The Robian cougar turned around and slashed at Mandy but Mandy dodged the attack and she grabbed the Robian's paw. She swung the Robian around and she threw it directly into Bostock's path. Bostock shot the Robian cougar just before it could land on the ground and the Robian cougar was knocked out for now. BECK-E was getting tired of watching the Robians getting beaten by the Mobians so she ordered in a squad or robots to come and help the Robians. The doors to the headquarters opened and out marched an enormous squadron of Egg-Pawns, little dome shaped robots with arms and legs and a variety of weapons ranging from jousts to guns. As well as Egg-Pawns, there were Blast-strike units, robots with chicken walker legs, guns instead of hands and gun tails that could point forward as well as backwards and spiked heads. And there were giant robots armed with maces. Wilson, Mandy, Marion, Bostock and Mortimer stopped fighting and saw the oncoming squad of robots. Their eyes shrank into tiny pupils in fright. BECK-E smirked at the terrified Mobians.

"Let's see if you can take on Robians and robots at the same time!" she sneered.

"I have had enough of that robot!" growled Wilson "I am going to finish her off once and for all!"

He drew out his spinning blade weapon and he ran towards BECK-E, yelling loudly. BECK-E just smirked at Wilson and then she drew out two sword blades from her arms. Wilson and BECK-E soon found themselves engaged in a sword fight. BECK-E's two swords clashed against Wilson's twin bladed stick and Wilson pushed her away. Then the two clashed swords again and they pushed each other away, ready to attack again.

As for the others, they were getting tangled up in a forensic jumble of Mobians, robots and Robians. Mandy kicked a Robian away but then she had to avoid getting skewered by an Egg-Pawn armed with a lance. It stabbed at her but Mandy back flipped over the Egg-Pawn and landed behind it. Before the Egg-Pawn could turn around, Mandy attached a detonator to it and the Egg-Pawn was blown to smithereens. Mandy grabbed the dead robot's lance and she ended up duelling with another Egg-Pawn armed with a lance. They both lunged at each other and their lances clashed and made sparks with one another. The Egg-Pawn swung it's lance at Mandy and it lightly slashed her across the cheek. Mandy got mad and she slashed the Egg-Pawn in the arm. Then Mandy embedded the lance into the ground and she pole-vaulted herself into the Egg-Pawn and she kicked it in the face. As the Egg-Pawn toppled over, Mandy stabbed it in the head with the lance and she ripped the Egg-Pawn's entire head off. But then she got shot in the back by an Egg-Pawn armed with a pistol and she fell onto her knees. The Egg-Pawn ran up to Mandy but she recovered just in time to plunge the lance into the charging Egg-Pawn's chest and kill it. Then she stole the dead Egg-Pawn's pistol and shot an oncoming Blast-strike bot with it. But another Blast-strike bot shot the pistol in her hand and the pistol blew up in her hand. Mandy flinched and staggered backwards and the Blast-strike bot charged at her. Mandy tried to attack it with the lance but her aim was terrible this time and she missed the robot. Blast-strike shot the lance out of Mandy's hand and it tried to shoot her directly in the head but Marion blasted it with her laser hands. The Blast-strike unit was reduced to a jumble of robot parts. Mandy was relived to have been saved by her sister and the two mice began fighting more robots and Robians.

Bostock and Mortimer were having a whale of a time in their scuffle. They had set their guns to rust mode so they could kill the robots but they had to be careful not to shoot any Robians because they didn't want to kill any of the Robians. A giant robot armed with a swinging flail swung it's flail at Bostock and it just scratched him above his eye. Bostock ignored the pain in his head long enough to shoot the robot three times before causing it to rust and fall to pieces. But unfortunately, Bostock got clopped from behind by a robot with a mace. Bostock skidded across the ground face first and he ground to a halt, groaning very loudly. His face was heavily scraped from the impact and he had thin grazes everywhere. The mace-wielding robot stomped up towards Bostock and it raised it's mace above it's head, ready to squash the general flat. But Mortimer stepped in and he shot the robot in the back. The robot's back began to rust up and fall apart, causing the robot to howl a low robotic howl. Then Mortimer shot it again, this time in the head and the robot's head rusted to pieces, killing it instantly. The dead robot collapsed onto it's back. Mortimer helped Bostock back onto his feet, only for them to get attack by two Robian soldiers. Bostock didn't want to fight those Robians since they were his men turned into robots but he had no choice, he had to go in and fight them. Bostock pushed the Robian soldier off him and he got up and began to have a mad fight with the soldier. They both threw heavy punches at each other but the Robian's punches hurt more and after five punches, Bostock was beginning to succumb to it. The Robian gave him a terrific uppercut and Bostock fell onto his back. Mortimer quickly switched his gun to stun mode and he shot the Robian Bostock was fighting just before it could attack him again. The Robian was knocked out and it fell onto it's side. But then Mortimer got a terrific punch to the face from a Robian. Mortimer was sent sprawling on the ground and then the Robian picked Mortimer up by his legs and swung him into the air. A robot armed with a mace saw Mortimer flying towards it and using it's mace, it walloped Mortimer like a golf ball and Mortimer was sent hurling through the air again. Mandy and Marion saw Mortimer flying through the air and Marion's robotic arms suddenly extended to five times their normal length! Marion's arms had a stretching ability similar to Bunnie Rabbot as well as the ability to shoot lasers and using her extending arms, Marion caught Mortimer before he could seriously hurt himself. Marion shortened her arms back to their normal length and she put Mortimer down. Mortimer looked terrible. He had a bruise on the left side of his face, his right eye had swelled up and turned purple in colour and he looked like he was having trouble just moving his mouth or even opening his eyes. The mace-wielding robot had hit the poor corporal pretty hard after all. Bostock ran over to the two mice to see how Mortimer was doing.

"Mortimer! Are you OK?" he asked.

"This is not...my...day...is it?" croaked Mortimer "I get...shot by...you and then...I...get...clobbered...by...a...robot with...a mace..."

He finished his sentence with a throaty cough.

"I think you should stay out of this battle Mortimer." said Mandy "You're in no condition to fight right now."

"I...agree..." rasped Mortimer But...where am...I...gonna...hide until...my wounds...heal?"

"I'll get you over to that pile of rubble." said Marion, picking Mortimer up with her robot hands and then extending her arms.

Her arms extended all the way to a pile of rubble from a previously destroyed building that was a nice good distance away from the battle and Mortimer could sit there and rest without anyone finding him since everybody would be too focussed on the fight to look for him. Marion gently put Mortimer down behind the rubble and she bought her arms back to herself. Bostock was pleased at that act of generosity.

"You know what, I definitely like you better as a good guy Marion." he said.

"And I definitely like being Marion Mouse instead of the Mistress of Darkness." said Marion.

Now Mortimer was safe, Mandy, Marion and Bostock continued fighting the robots. Mandy gave some robots a good kick and blew them up with detonators on her belt, Marion blasted them to smithereens with her lasers and punched them with her fists of steel and Bostock shot them and made them rust to slag.

As for Wilson and BECK-E, their fight had been completely one-sided the whole time. All they had been doing since the fight began was clashing swords and pushing each other away. They clashed swords once again and then they crossed swords at face level. Wilson growled a natural dog growl at BECK-E but BECK-E just smirked at him. She then tried a sneaky trick. She drew in her swords, causing Wilson to fall forwards and then BECK-E slugged him in the stomach as hard as she could. Wilson toppled over and winced in pain. He looked like he had stomach cramp. BECK-E drew out her swords again and she tried to execute Wilson before he could get back onto his feet but Wilson was quick at recovering and he leaped up and defended himself with his spinning blade weapon. They clashed swords with one another before Wilson back flipped away from BECK-E and then he threw the spinning blade at BECK-E. BECK-E held her swords in front of her face to protect herself from the oncoming weapon but the spinning-blade didn't got for her head like she thought it would, it aimed for her wheel, just like Wilson wanted it to. The blade sliced the wheel in half and BECK-E fell over like a bowling pin being stricken by a bowling ball. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her. If BECK-E lost her wheel, she had another form of movement, the place where her wheel had once been turned into a jet engine and now BECK-E was hovering off the ground. Wilson ran up to BECK-E and BECK-E defended herself from his attack. Their swords clanged loudly and sparks flew everywhere as they hit each other. BECK-E drew one arm back and tried to plunge her sword into Wilson's thigh but Wilson defended his thigh from the blow and he pushed BECK-E's arm away. BECK-E held her arms out to the sides and she began to spin around in mid-air. She looked like a killer pink tornado with blades she was spinning around so fast. Wilson began to back away worriedly. He knew that if BECK-E got too close to him he'd have enough cuts on his body to bleed to death so he stayed well back from BECK-E. Then Wilson had an idea. The bottom half of BECK-E didn't have anything protecting it so if he could stab her bottom half with his weapon while she was still spinning around, he might be able to stop her spinning and bring her to the ground. So Wilson charged at BECK-E and he threw himself on to the ground. BECK-E was just spinning over him and Wilson lunged at her with his weapon in hand. The second blade impaled itself into BECK-E's lower half and BECK-E stopped spinning and toppled over. She fell flat on her face. Wilson took the opportunity while he had it and stabbed BECK-E in the back with his weapon. The servant squealed in agony and Wilson stabbed her again. But before Wilson could attack BECK-E again, BECK-E stood up on her hands, aimed her jet engine at Wilson and let him have it in the face with jet fumes. Wilson yelped like a frightened dog and he leaped back, clutching his face in pain. He recovered just quick enough to block a blow from BECK-E. The two sword wielding fighters clashed swords violently together, the sharp, tough steel blades clanging loudly as they did so, and then they both crossed swords at face level again. BECK-E pushed Wilson away and she tried to slash him but Wilson bent over backwards to dodge the attack and then Wilson slash BECK-E right across the eye with his weapon. BECK-E screamed loudly and then Wilson slashed her across the chest and then he stabbed her in the shoulder. BECK-E slash Wilson across the arm and Wilson yelped. He leaped back just as BECK-E was about to make another attack and then Wilson threw the spinning blade at BECK-E again. The spinning blade lightly chipped her artificial hair and cut a few strands off. BECK-E slashed at Wilson but Wilson blocked the blow and the two clashed swords five times before crossing swords with one another again only Wilson pushed BECK-E away, spun around and then impaled one of the spinning blade's blades straight into the centre of BECK-E's head! BECK-E squealed like a damsel in distress and then Wilson proceeded to tear BECK-E's entire head off with his weapon! BECK-E's head was now stuck on the end of Wilson's weapon and Wilson threw the head onto the ground and then sliced it in half. Now BECK-E's head was completely destroyed, she was totally dead and she couldn't put herself back together since her head had to be intact for her to stay alive. BECK-E's headless body collapsed on the ground. Wilson panted heavily.

"Take that you lousy servant bot! he panted.

But his triumph was not to last. A robot wielding a club came in out of nowhere and walloped Wilson with it. Wilson hurled through the air like a rag doll and he crashed down in the centre of the fight with Mandy, Marion and Bostock. As for Mandy, Marion and Bostock, their fight hadn't been going to well. The sheer number of robots and Robians working together was beginning to overwhelm them and now they were all worn out. Bostock tried to shoot another robot but a Blast-strike bot shot the gun to pieces, leaving Bostock weapon less. Marion was all worn out from using her lasers so much and Mandy was exhausted. The moment Wilson crashed near them, they stopped and turned to him. Mandy knelt down beside Wilson and held his hand.

"Wilson! Are you OK?" she asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"Well apart from getting clobbered by a robot with a club, I'm doing fine Mandy girl." said Wilson "I managed to kill BECK-E."

"Well done you." said Marion "But we've still got this lot to take down!"

She motioned to the horde of robots coming towards them.

"There's too many of them, we can't hold them off forever!" said Bostock gruffly "We need to fall back and try to get some new recruits!"

"I have an idea." said Marion "Let's run to the drill and get the robots to follow us and when they're right where I want them, I'll blast the drill and get it to fall over and hopefully crush all the robots."

"That sounds risky Marion, what if you get caught in the falling debris?" asked Mandy worriedly.

"If that happens then I will have paid for my crimes." said Marion "But I'll make sure I don't get caught in the falling debris."

"You be careful sis." said Mandy, giving Marion a hug "I don't wanna lose you just shortly after getting you back."

"I'll be fine Mandy, I'm sure I will." said Marion.

She and Mandy broke up the hug and Marion caught the robot's attention by waving her arms.

"Oy! Robots, come and get me if you think you're fast enough!" she jeered.

All the robots and Robians turned their attention to Marion only. They glared at their former master and they all ran towards her. Marion was pleased to see her plan was working and she ran for it. The robots ran past Wilson, Mandy and Bostock as they chased Marion. Marion ran towards the useless and broken drill that still loomed above everything else. The robots and Robians were beginning to gain on her but Marion kept running. She put all her might and energy into her running speed and not once did she show any signs of slowing down or stopping. She began to pant ever so heavily as she got closer to the drill but she ignored her tiredness long enough to make it the rest of the way. Marion finally made it to the drill and she ground to a halt. She panted and wheezed heavily and all the robots caught up to her. Marion smirked at the robots since they had fallen for her trap and she blasted the scaffolding that held the drill up with her laser hands. The two right legs of the scaffolding broke away and the entire scaffolding and drill began to wobble and over balance. Marion ran for it just before the drill would topple over. The robots just stared up at the drill, wondering what was happening and then suddenly the entire scaffolding and drill finally toppled over and came crashing down with a deafening smash on the ground. The robots were all too late to run for their lives and they had all been crushed by the falling debris. Marion kept running for it but due to how hard she had been running earlier, she was faltering a little. Mandy sensed her sister needed help and she immediately ran over to Marion to help her. Mandy ran over to Marion, took her by the hand and ran off with her in tow, hoping to speed her up and make it out of the path of the crumbing debris. But that was only a sample of the danger they were in now. The drill had smashed to pieces and upon doing so, it exploded into a giant ball of black smoke and raging red and yellow fire. Huge chunks of drill flew everywhere and the debris began to shower over the fleeing mice. Then suddenly an enormous chunk of scaffolding hurled through the air and landed straight on top of Marion! The force of the impact knocked Mandy off her feet and she rolled over and over in roly-poly before coming to a halt at the feet of Wilson. Wilson helped Mandy back onto her feet.

"I made it!" gasped Mandy "But what about Marion? Did she make it? Is she alright?"

"I don't think she is I'm afraid." said Wilson "Look."

Mandy turned around and saw the chunk of scaffolding that had sent her falling over. She ran over to the enormous chunk of debris and what she saw next horrified her. There, poking out from under the scaffolding...was the roboticized arm of Marion Mouse. Mandy began to feel sick. She knelt down and stared at the arm in horror. There was no way Marion could have survived being squished by such a large chunk of debris so this could only mean one thing, Mandy's sister was dead. Mandy immediately began to break down in tears and she pounded the ground in agony.

"NO! NOOOO!" she screamed "No, no ,no, no! Oh Marion, no!"

Wilson just watched his friend wail at her sister's death. He felt so sorry for Mandy he wanted to cry with her. A single tear escaped his eye and he caught it with his finger. Even Bostock, who had been enemies with Marion for months on end felt sorry for Mandy.

"How about that?" he said to himself "Marion was our greatest enemy, and then she became our greatest hero. And now she's dead so we can't congratulate her for it."

"What's going on? Did I miss something?" asked Mortimer, staggering out of his hiding place.

"Marion just died saving our lives." said Bostock "She brought the drill crashing down on all the robots but she couldn't escape in time and she got crushed."

"That's too bad." said Mortimer sadly "Especially for poor Mandy. Marion was her sister after all."

The two chipmunks just continued to watch as Mandy continued grieving over Marion. This day had been a gain and a loss all at once, a gain in the sense they'd just foiled the drilling operation and Grand Metropolis was closer to freedom then ever before, but a loss in the sense they'd lost the one person who saved them all. It is truly a shame that not all stories can have a happy ending and Mandy certainly didn't have a happy ending to all this she and Wilson had been through.


Later that evening, Mandy was on her knees staring at a little grave that Bostock had been kind enough to make for Marion. The gravestone had been nicely carved and it said "Here's to Marion Mouse, an enemy who became a hero. May she rest in peace and have good luck in heaven.". Mandy lay a beautiful red rose on Marion's grave. Marion loved roses so this was the perfect gift for her grave.

"Oh Marion, I wish I could have saved you." said Mandy sadly "I'm so sorry I failed to save you from your death. But don't worry sis, I will fight on and bring Eggman's army crumbling to the ground, just for you. I promise I'll make Eggman pay for what he did to you Marion. I promise."

A single tear crawled down her cheek but she caught it on her finger and let it drop onto Marion's grave. Then she heard a voice she recognized very well behind her.

"How are you doing Mandy?" said the voice of none other then Wilson the Dog, her best friend.

"Not too great." said Mandy "I feel so ashamed of myself that I only just got Marion back after she somehow turned back good and then I lose her again, this time for good."

"Well at least she died a hero." said Wilson "I think that's the most honouree death one could ask for."

"You're so right." said Mandy "And I'm not going to let Marion's death bring me down. I will keep fighting and I will make sure Eggman pays dearly for turning her evil and making her make over people's lives miserable."

"I like the sound of that." said Wilson "And guess what Mandy? Marion's plan worked to perfection and all the robots we were fighting have been crushed and there's no more! Bostock and Mortimer are planning to blow up the base and once that's done, Eggman's hold over Grand Metropolis is no more!"

"So Marion's death wasn't for nothing." said Mandy, getting to her feet and beaming "She's single-handedly helped us destroy Eggman's hold over Grand Metropolis! So today wasn't a total loss after all!"

"It certainly wasn't." said Wilson "I bet Eggman's going to be furious when he finds out he has no robot army in Grand Metropolis anymore!"

"And since we've helped the Grand Metropolis Royal Fighters bring an end to Eggman's reign here, we'll be allowed to return home!" said Mandy excitedly "Oh just wait til we tell Sonic or the Acorn family about our success here!"

"I bet they'll be thrilled with us." said Wilson "And by the way Mandy..." he said, blushing slightly "I have something for you."

"What's that then Wilson?" asked Mandy.

Wilson said nothing more, he held Mandy by the shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. Mandy was shocked by that sudden act but she was shocked in a nice way and she returned the kiss. The two Mobians embraced each other in the sunset and, unbeknownst to them, Marion was watching them all the way from heaven. And the fact that her sister had just found love in someone, made her beam with joy. This fight had been tough, twisty and perilous but Wilson and Mandy had made it to the end and they had a glimmer of hope that they would finally defeat Eggman once and for all...