Once the blinding light was gone, Star Butterfly fainted and felt to the ground, letting the gauntlet slip off from her hand. Tom kicked it away out of fear as the rest of the group began to check on her.
"Star!", Sonic desperately cried.
"Wait, don't touch her!", NiGHTS suggested in a rushed tone.
"D-did it work?", Star asked, grasping to Sonic with two of her right arms.
"Worth a shot.", Meta Knight said, midly unsure, before turning his focus in comforting Star over the pain she had to face. "It's over...it's ok."
Giana, too curious to see if it really worked, decided to go outside and spot a certain part of the terrain that used to be corrupted with a black goo, and tentacles sticking out like they were ready to grab the unlucky soul that was curious enough to get near it. For her shock, it was disappearing. Judging by Tom's audible happiness, the living victims also were getting back to normal.
"WOOHOO! It actually worked, guys!", Giana cheered.
But it was too late to cheer, as they had a big threat right above them. The Sanctuary II ripped the sky and shooted a missile that blew Giana away. Then, multiple missiles flew, destroying the base and sinking the gang to the underground. Star held out most of the debrees threatening to crush her teammates, while the Amazons were stuck on some of them.
"I can't breath! I can't breath! I can't breath!", Coraline desperately cried as she tried to get out.
"Nope. Out of suit.", Dipper said, as he, Pacifica and Mabel got out of their damaged suits.
"Guys and Girls! Get the heck outta here!", Star pleaded, as the War Trio tried to help the Amazons escape off the debrees.
"Please, hurry up!", Cornet cried.
When they finally got off, everybody breathed in relief. Sadly, that didn't allow them to pay attention to Star's cry of warning, and a flood began to engulf them. Giana was the only one nearby to answer the call of help.
Meanwhile, in the sewer system, Tom ignited a flame in his hand to look around and see what was going on.
"Sonic?", he tried to call out.
Thankfully, he realized he had the gauntlet with him, still. Unfortunately, he realized...that there was a dark, demonic bunch of hordes to make company in the tunnel with him.
"Crap.", Tom said under his breath, before taking the gauntlet and running to the direction opposite to the army.
In the surface, the Sanctuary II beamed 2014 Zalgo to the ground, allowing the same year's Frisk to meet up with him.
"Dear.", Zalgo greeted his soldier.
"Yes, master? So...this is the future. Well done.", past Frisk said, shifting her eyes back to their wide-open, creepy shape. "Thank you. They didn't suspect a thing."
The past Zalgo planted his demonic axe on the ground and took his helmet, placing it on the top of the axe's handle.
"The arrogant are blinded.", Zalgo stated. "Now, please find the stones for me."
"And what will you do?", past Frisk asked.
"Wait.", Zalgo said and, although a little bit annoyed, past Frisk didn't speak agains't it, and went to find the Stones by herself.
Suddenly, something strange happened to past Chara, who was about to go in her way to ask something to the actual Frisk. A SOUL shard, extremely similar to hers, appeared. The other half of Frisk's SOUL but...slightly tainted in black. Curious to test it, she emoved her own SOUL and allowed the other one to enter inside her.
Her consciousness, personality...memories...were all different now. Now, she was still physically the Chara from 2014, but internally, she was the original Chara, who everyone though that died from sure when Zalgo sacrificed her. But her SOUL was trapped in her original timeline until the stone was destroyed.
"Come on.", she said, extending her hand to Frisk, who was shocked. "It's really me. We gotta stop him, and I got alot to explain."
…
"Come on...wake up, buddy!", NiGHTS said to a unconscious Sonic in the ground. "Don't you dare get sleepy on me here."
"W-what happened?", Sonic asked after jolting back to unconsciousness.
"Well, we messed with time and it's biting us.", NiGHTS replied.
Soon, NiGHTS, Sonic the Hedgehog and Meta Knight look to discover that the Zalgo from 2014, who learnt about the success of his plan the Multiverse Initiative's equally successful attempt to reverse, arrived on their Earth.
"What he's doing?", NiGHTS questioned.
"Nothing.", Meta Knight answered.
"Where are the Stones?", it was Sonic's turn to ask.
"Somewhere in this mess.", NiGHTS answered, unsure. "At least he doesn't have them."
"Let's keep it like that.", Sonic said, cracking his fists, determined.
"This is a trap.", Meta Knight pointed out, ironically careful.
"Nope, don't care.", NiGHTS said, getting as equally determined as her hedgehog ally and frenemy.
"Okay, as long as we all agree.", Meta Knight agreed, before summoning both his part of the Twin Overlord and the Galaxia from 2013. "Let's give him a proper ending."
The trio went together to face the younger version of the demon that tormented their lives, took everything they loved and half of the group of universes they were supposed to protect. They knew they weren't really enough to kill him, but they had to try.
"You couldn't live with your failure. And where that path took you? Back to me.", 2014 Zalgo coldly taunted them. "I thought if I corrupted half the multiverse, the other half would understand, be kinder to me. But you showed me that's impossible. As long as they lose something they love, there will always be those who are unable to accept reality. Those who resist."
"Yup. We're all stubborn.", NiGHTS agreed with no reluctance.
"I'm thankful. Because now, i understand what I must do. I'll destroy the multiverse down to it's last world.", past Zalgo continued, standing up and putting on his helmet. "And then...with the Stones you bought for me, create one. That accepts me, that doesn't know the process, only the result. A grateful universe."
"Born out of blood!", Sonic angrily pointed out.
"They'll never understand it. 'Cause none of you will be able to tell them.", Zalgo said, in a cruel, cold voice, before being attacked by NiGHTS and Meta Knight together.
Meanwhile, Giana tried to rescue the War Trio and the Amazons of the Galaxy from the flood, and Tom still ran from the invasors with the new Infinity Gauntlet on his hands, until he spotted 2014 Frisk, whom he still thought to be the actual Frisk.
"Oh, hey...nice to see you.", Tom said, in a calmer and chillier tone, handing the gauntlet to her.
"Zalgo...I have the stones.", past Frisk announced.
"WHAT?!", Tom cried in disbelief, right as the actual Chara and Frisk busted in.
"Stop.", Chara demanded.
"You're betraying us?", past Frisk cried in disbelief.
"She's not the Chara you know anymore...", Frisk announced. "But we can end this pacifically."
"No...we can't.", past Frisk refused.
"Yes, we can. She is right.", Chara said. "Please, listen to her."
"Yes, you can change. You are me. Please, break free from this.", Frisk pleaded harder. "This is not your mind, you are brainwashed."
"He won't let me.", past Frisk explained, before drawing a sword made out of her SOUL's determination on Chara.
But before she could kill her a second time, Frisk regretfully but immediately jumped in and stabbed her past self in the heart, as she cried one single, black tear. When her SOUL came out, she stabbed it to pieces, so she could never come back, allowing Tom to pick the new Infinity Gauntlet safely.
Unfortunately, in the three-on-one battle on the surface, there was no luck for the heroes. NiGHTS and Meta Knight's attempt at a collaborative attack were twarted by Zalgo, resulting in the jester losing her consciousness, and the Knight of Dreamland was overpowered, and about to be killed by the sword forged to kill Zalgo. But before it could happen, Galaxia began to float off from the ground, hitting Zalgo in the process before coming back to it's new owner...Sonic the Hedgehog.
"I knew it!", Meta Knight cried in joy, before getting kicked away by 2014 Zalgo, who proceeded to battle Sonic.
Despite not using a sword that often, Sonic was already mastering it and using it well along with his speed, holding easily agains't Zalgo with summoned thunders. But when Zalgo removed his helmet, he used it to stab Sonic's leg and knock Galaxia out of his hand. He used his demonic axe to create a nasty dent on his speed shoes and threw him across the battlefield. The injuries made the hedgehog actually struggle to get up.
"In all my years of conquest...violence...slaughter...none of it was out of hate.", past Zalgo stated. "But I'll tell you now...what I'll do to your stubborn...stupid little worlds...I'll enjoy it. Very, very much.", he finished, cruelty and venom dipping in his voice as he smiled sadistically.
When Sonic finally got up, he was not only facing past Zalgo, but his entire armada, ready to destroy the Multiverse. He was determined, but outnumbered...if he had to go down, he preffered doing it with a fight. It seemed hope for the Multiverse was over, and it, now, had to accept and bow down to a new ruler.
...that is...until a crackling came on his communicator.
"Sonic, can you hear me?", a familiar, girl teenager sounding voice Sonic didn't hear in five years said, and he looked around, feeling sure he heard a ghost. "Sonic, it's Lapis. Can you hear me? On your left."
Sonic was sure a prank was being played on him, bu he still turned to his left. There was a yellow portal forming and...oh my god...is that really...? was everything on his mind.
It was actually them. His friends and allies Tails, Ly and Rayman, okay and ready for a fierce fight. They shared a look like as Knuckles came in five of the seven Chaos Emeralds, and Lapis soared on the sky with her water wings. More and more portals popped in the sky, bathing the battlefield in a hopeful, golden light for the heroes...that didn't really please Zalgo.
On one of these, Garnet descended it, visor-less at first, before summoning her pair of visors and her gauntlets. Liddell and Pucca joined in, along with their leader, Kebako, who de-summoned her single-eye holographic visor. Then, Cream the Rabbit and Cheese came in through the former's parasol hook. She looked alot more hopeful and shiny than when she lost her consciousness, and age didn't seem to hit her, along with everybody else.
The previous heroes overlooked in shock as Rayman began to chant, summoning the army of Teensies from his homeworld. The portals now was taking armies to the battlefield: the Delta Warriors, Lancer and Roulx came back with the army of Darkners, Dedede came in with Waddle Dees, the Halberd came in with the Meta-Knights. Amy Rose landed next to the Darkners, her two Chaos Emeralds and Piko Piko Hammer prepared.
The ship of the Genies came in, Eclipsa and a army of Monsters and Mewmans from Mewni came in, Bismuth guided Ib through her hand, Maria came in, transforming into her own Punk form.
NiGHTS was jolted back to consciousness by Owl and...Will and Helen. Joyful to see them back, she offered both of her hands, which they all knew what meant. They held hands and did a dual dualization: two NiGHTS, controlled by different people, which shocked Steven and Amethyst, two witnesses of the scene. Meta Knight reunited with the Delta Warriors, managing to recover his Twin Overlord. They were not alone, they had heroes to back them up!
"Is that everyone?", Garnet calmly asked, after reuniting with Eclipsa.
"What, you wanted even more?", Eclipsa asked, mildly surprised.
Out from the rumble of the former Multiverse Initiative HQ, came a fireball, which was actually Giana in her Punk form, opening a hole. She was caught by Star Butterfly, who was also carrying the rest of the Amazons of the Galaxy, and the War Trio.
Finally, Sonic smiled in relief before turning a serious glare to the battlefield, as many, incalculable heroes joined his side. That was it, the battle to define the fate of the multiverse. It was ALL, or NOTHNG. They HAD to give their best, no matter what!
"MULTIVERSE!", Sonic screamed, before summoning Galaxia to his hand. "...assemble."