A/N: Just a head's up, everyone. My school has currently extended its Spring Break to two weeks. Yep, you heard that right folks. This means that my online classes won't start until March 30th. So, this shouldn't affect me too much considering a majority of my homework is finished, so I can work on this. But I can also have time to work on my Batman Stop Motion film, "Cuffed". So, with this being said, thank you all so much for 145 reviews on Awakened. From this chapter onward, the story will enter the final battle. Chapters 34-38 will include the climax of our story before Chapters 39 and 40 reveal our conclusion. What will happen? Let's find out.

Suggested Music:

(1) Goodbye - Disney/Pixar Cars OST

(2) Iblis - Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show!


Resistance: Locked Up!

"ArghArgh, my head… what happened?"

Knuckles the Echidna: Commander of the Resistance woke up with a blurred vision. He couldn't make out where he was, the only colors he could see were cyan, gray, blue, and yellow. Tapping his head a few times, he rubbed his eyes to clear his eyesight, and he blinked twice. His vision started to clear up, but he saw something he didn't expect to see: Sonic and Tails were locked in a jail cell together, protected by a cyan-colored electric force field. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up and saw he was in another cell with the same gate.

"S-Sonic?... T-Tails?... Argh," Knuckles slowly woke up, rubbing his head.

He looked to his left and saw Shade with her arms folded; her eyes were closed.

"S-Shade?"

The orange echidna opened her eyes and took a breath of relief.

"Knuckles," she said, pulling Knuckles up on his feet.

Sonic and Tails noticed that their friend was awake too.

"Knux, you okay?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Knuckles moaned, rubbing his eyes one more time. "Where are-whoa!"

The echidna looked outside his jail cell and noticed at his entire team was locked up.

Espio, Vector, and Charmy were locked up with Mighty and Ray.

The Hooligans shared a cell.

Tangle and Whisper were locked up with Silver and Blaze.

Team Rose had their own cell.

And lastly, Sonic and Tails shared one too.

"W-where are we!?" Knuckles slammed his fists against the gate, his hands got an electric shock. "We're not on Prison Island, are we?"

"No," Espio replied. He sat in a meditating position. "This is a G.U.N. containment facility in Central City. We're underneath their actual HQ, but this area is a supermax containment area that houses the most dangerous criminals. Lucky for us, we're notplaced with some of the other criminals."

"Where's Commander Tower?" Vector grunted. "I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!"

Speaking of the devil, the G.U.N. commander himself entered the room. He was followed by two soldiers and Brenda: the freelance writer from Empire City and the one who's been banking her buck on the Synergy crisis. She had a video camera in her hand.

Commander Tower shook his head. "You guys are in a heap of trouble."

"Hello, world," Brenda talked to the camera. "The name's Brenda, your friendly neighborhood freelance writer. Today, I'm sitting here with the Resistance, who have been locked up for housing a wanted criminal. I'm just as shocked as you guys are. I thought the Resistance were people we're supposed to look up to."

"Hey!" Amy snarled. "We're still the good guys! If you give us a chance to explain, we can come to a compromise!"

"Oh, you hear that, folks?" Brenda pointed the camera towards Amy. "We got ourselves a fighter. She must be the diva of the Resistance. Meow!"

"Diva!?" Amy whipped out her hammer. "I'll show you a diva!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy, Amy!" Sonic panicked. "That's not gonna solve anything!"

"Commander Tower, let us explain," Shade spoke.

"And you are?" asked the Commander.

"My name is Shade the Echidna: Former general of the Nocturnus Clan. I may not have tagged along with the Resistance much, but they told me everything they've done with Synergy."

"Nocturnus Clan?"

"That's the mysterious group those Marauders came from, Sir," one of the soldiers said. "Remember the incident that happened a few years ago?"

The white-haired general nodded. "Yes, I remember those guys. You say you were their general?"

"Former general," Shade replied strictly. "I do not associate myself with them anymore."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you worked with them. Why should I trust someone who's part of an evil organization?"

"Hey," Sonic interrupted. "You didn't give Shadow a chance before he proved himself as a hero. Why can't you do the same for Shade?"

Commander Tower turned to the blue hedgehog. He glared at him before he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry to do this, Resistance. Believe me, it pains me to do this. But for allowing Synergy to run loose and housing him for a long time, you are to stay in these cells for a total of six months."

"SIX MONTHS!?" Tangle gasped heavily. "I can't stay here for that long! What am I gonna eat!? Where am I gonna sleep!? Who's going to visit Jewel? Who's going to eat Ron's chili dogs! Oh, the horror! Have mercy on my soul!"

"Commander," Whisper said softly. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but you hired the Diamond Cutters and I to infiltrate one of Eggman's bases. I've been with the Resistance for a while and let me just say, it's not what you think."

"I remember you," Commander Tower replied. "But I don't need an explanation. I already know you guys tried to keep a wanted robot in your clutches. With that, I have no choice but to keep you here. And speaking of which, where is Synergy?"

"He's gone," Amy replied with a snarl. "Eggman did something to him and he went rogue. He stole a magic gem and disappeared."

"What about that other robot that was with you? What's his name, G-merl?"

Team Rose exchanged a worried glance.

"We don't know where he is," Amy spoke, closing her eyes.

"He's just as guilty as you all are," Commander Tower nodded, turning to the soldiers. "Send a search squad and locate G-merl. But don't hurt him, I want him here alive."

"Please… don't hurt G-merl," Cream said tenderly.

"We won't," Commander Tower began to walk out of the room with the soldiers and Brenda. "Try not to do anything reckless while I'm gone. I'll be back later with your dinner."

"Wait!" Sonic yelled. "Give us a chance to explain!"

The door shut behind the commander.

Sonic moaned and kicked the wall. Tails sat down on his metal bed.

All Big could do was sit on his rear with tears in his eyes.

"Eggman didn't hurt Synergy… I did."

Amy and Cream turned to their friend. Everyone else listened.

"What are you talking about?" Mighty inquired. "It wasn't your fault. All of us didn't stop Eggman."

"It's not that, Mr. Mighty," Big continued. "The moment I met Synergy, I said that we would become best friends. I didn't know he was one of those robots those evil echidnas made. I didn't recognize him… all I wanted to do was make him see the world as I do. A place to be free… happy… a place where you could follow your heart and try new things… the past three days have been fun, and I was happy to see Synergy change. But he was right… I am a liar… if I had told him about his people sooner, I wouldn't have gotten us into this mess and Mr. G-merl wouldn't be gone… I'm sorry, everyone."

At that moment, the cat tucked his face into his arms, letting out his true sorrow.

Amy, Cream, and Cheese gathered around him, comforting him.

Froggy jumped on his owner's head.

"Hey, Big… come on, man," Charmy said softly. "Don't cry… we don't wanna see you cry."

The Resistance listened to the cat release his guilt. They wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but they figured it would be best if he got all of his emotions out before they said anything. Instead, they sent their condolences in spirit.

Amy, Cream, and Cheese hugged him.

"Big, don't cry," Amy rubbed the cat's back. "It's not your fault."

"Don't worry, Mr. Big," Cream smiled, wiping a tear off the cat's cheek. "We'll get out of here soon. We can save Synergy together… and you don't need to blame yourself for what happened to G-merl. That was Synergy's doing, not yours. Besides, nobody knows G-merl better than I do. I'm sure he'll come back for us…" the rabbit suddenly let out a low sigh. "At least… I hope so."

Cream looked over and saw a guard that was guarding the door.

She gently tapped on the wall. "Excuse me, Mr. Guard?"

The soldier turned to her. "Yes?"

"Can I make a phone call? There's someone I need to talk to."


In Floral Forest Village, a village close to Night Carnival…

Vanilla the Rabbit washed the dishes alongside her Chao, Chocola. The brown Chao sang happily, as he cleaned the dishes with a yellow towel. The rabbit chuckled at the Chao's whistling before she heard the phone go off. Turning the sink off, she walked towards the wall phone and answered the call.

"Hello?" she said.

The voice on the other side was Cream.

"Oh, thank goodness. Cream, it's been a while. How's your world adventure going? How's everyone doing?"

Cream told her about her current situation.

"WHAT!?" Vanilla gasped with fear, causing Chocola to be startled by it. "Oh, my goodness, honey! Are you okay!? Do you know how frightened I am! Cream, stay where you are! I'm coming to get you!"

Before Vanilla took off, Cream told her to wait.

"Huh? What is it, Dear?"

Cream told her what happened between G-merl, Dr. Eggman, and Synergy. As Cream told the story, Vanilla's petrified mood turned into a feeling of sadness. She was close to G-merl but not as close as Cream was. She felt bad that the Gizoid took off, thinking everything was his fault.

"G-merl's gone?" Vanilla asked, listening to the rest of the story. "The poor dear… I'll contact G-merl before I leave and come to get you, okay?"

Cream thanked her mother.

"I love you too, Honey. Goodbye," Vanilla hung up the phone and stroked her hair. She then walked towards her Miles Electric and placed in G-merl's name.

She waited for a response.


~G-merl's P.O.V. (1)

What have I done?

What did I do?

Did I just… no, that wasn't me back there, right?

I was under Synergy's control back there. It wasn't my fault. I was just exposed to Synergy's power that my systems were corrupted, and I went crazy. That's all that happened…

…so why did I run away?

Because that was me back there. Regardless if I was mind-controlled or not, that was still me. I hurt Sonic and my friends, I allowed Synergy and Eggman to escape, I was throwing my friends around like chew toys, I let Synergy use the Warp Topaz, and… I hurt Cream.

Cream. My little sister. The one who's been there for me since Day One. The one who's taken care of me just as much as I took care of her. After everything we've done, I had the gall to not stop myself from hurting her. You'd think she'd be the one person I wouldn't touch if I ever went crazy, but no. Even when I was corrupted by Synergy, I still attacked her… and I don't know how I can make amends for that.

How would you make amends for hurting someone? I doubt an apology would help. That's like punching someone in the eye on purpose and you say it was an accident. That's not how it works! I nearly choked the life out of my own best friend.

If Tails hadn't stopped me, I would've become the monster I once became when I was Emerl.

So, I know what all of you thinking, where did I go exactly?

Well, I hear from Sonic that Green Hill is a good place to go to when someone's feeling depressed, so that's where I went. Night fell on top of the zone and I could see half the moon on the horizon. The water was crystal clear and fishes were swimming about. The cold wind blew against the grass that brushed against my feet. I kept walking down a long grassy path with my head hung low. Once in awhile, I'd look up and see a family of rabbits wrestling in the dirt. Their mother would come and break up the fight so they wouldn't hurt each other.

Heh, it makes me wonder what would happen if Vanilla was at the fight. If she saw me choking Cream, she'd banish me from the family, telling me to never return so long as she lives.

Speaking of which, I received a message from her. Gotta say, I am nervous to hear this message, but I'd feel even worse if I ignored it. So, I played the message, and this is what I heard.

"G-merl, it's Vanilla. I heard about what happened between you and Cream in the Mystic Ruins. She told me everything from you helping Big change this Synergy character to you protecting a village invaded by robots. I have to say, I'm happy to see you and Cream fighting together. Even though having Cream out on the battlefield concerns me, it warms my heart to know she has someone like you watching her back…

"…but not only am I worried about Cream as of this moment, I'm also worried about you. She told me you were under Synergy's control in the Mystic Ruins. She told me how you went crazy and harmed everyone. If I were there, I would have scared, but I would have also understood why that happened. Synergy mind-controlled you. That wasn't you back there. Cream told me that you nearly choked the life out of her, but Tails stopped you. You took off, afraid. Afraid that you might hurt someone else…

"…G-merl, there's no reason to be afraid. What happened back there was beyond your control. You couldn't do anything to stop yourself. And your friends feel the same way. Cream, Tails, Sonic, Amy, everyone you know loves and cares for you, G-merl. Seeing you leave like that left made them worry about you. They need you. You're part of their family… you're part of our family

"…If you're out there, G-merl. Please come home."

The message ended.

I stopped and took a good look at the moon. I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating, but as I lost myself in the moonlight, I saw a montage of times Cream and I were together. I saw a time where we were picking flowers, helping Vanilla chop down firewood (I might have gone overboard that day), a time where I Cream and Tails trained me to ride an Extreme Gear, and a time where Cream and I watched a beautiful fireworks show on Sonic's birthday. All of those were fun times.

But even after that message and the montage, I still felt guilty for what I've done.

Taking a seat on a nearby platform, I looked up at the moonlight and asked myself…

"How can I make up for what I've done?"

~END OF P.O.V. (1s)


"Doctor… Doctor, wake up… Doctor?... Doctor… DOCTOR, WAKE UP!"

"GAH!" Dr. Eggman gasped heavily when he heard Cubot's loud holler. He looked around him and realized he was surrounded by trees. He sat on top of the grass and noticed that the sky was a lot closer to the ground. "What the!? Where am I?"

The mad doctor suddenly gazed his eyes forward, seeing Rough and Tumble. The two skunks stood next to Metal Sonic and all three were awestruck by something in front of them.

"What are you idiots looking at?" the doctor shouted, as he looked forward and gasped. He slapped Dr. Starline's shoulder, causing him to wake up.

"Huh? What's happening?" Dr. Starline mumbled, as he followed Dr. Eggman's finger, looking at what he's pointing at. His face went pale. "What the?"

Synergy stood on top of the Master Emerald with the Warp Topaz in his hands. The seven Chaos Emeralds kept floating around his body. The villains looked around, noticing that they were close to Shrine Isle.

"Are we on… Angel Island?" Dr. Starline gulped. "This is an incredible discovery! The location of the Master Emerald is right in front of us!"

"This would be more exciting if he wasn't here," Dr. Eggman motioned to Synergy. Both doctors jumped up, joining the others by the shrine.

Synergy clenched his fist. "That video… that video you showed me, Doctor. There was a scene in there where Imperator Ix wanted access to the Master Emerald. He retrieved it, thinking it could help bring his people back to Mobius… but Sonic and the others stopped him. Knuckles stole this gemstone away from him, forcing the clan to stay in the Twilight Cage."

The doctors shared a glance.

"So?" Dr. Eggman shrugged. "They failed to get the Master Emerald, big deal. What does this have to do with us being here!?"

"Since you're the one who helped me find the truth about my people," Synergy replied, turning to the scientist. "I want you to experience a groundbreaking return." (2)

"Return of what?" Dr. Starline asked.

Synergy refused to answer verbally; he'd rather let his actions do the talking.

The Chaos Emeralds causally rotated around his body, but a few seconds went by and their rotation went faster. The speed of them started to increase until green sparks appeared on Synergy's legs. Both doctors and the skunks raised their eyebrows, as they watched the Master Emeralds blink its glowing light. Synergy clenched his fist, feeling the War Topaz's power run through his circuits. He slowly lifted his arm in the air, letting the villains observe the spirals on the gemstone rotate. To them, it looked like they were watching an optical illusion, but what they were about to witness was definitely no illusion.

The Chaos Emeralds, glowing their respective colors, continued revolving around the Gizoid. The velocity of their swivels increased higher and higher, and the Master Emerald shined a powerful light. Green sparks ignited on Synergy's body, as the Gizoid felt great power enter his systems. He clenched both of his fists, as the black spiral on the Warp Topaz spun at a faster acceleration.

Synergy looked up into the night sky; thick, black storm clouds were in his sight. Suddenly, he shot a massive ball of energy from his magic gemstone into the sky. Amazed, Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline moved back, watching the portal stop once it reached the tip of a cloud.

A large vortex formed in the sky. It was as big as the entire island.

"Is the Warp Topaz supposed to do that!?" Dr. Eggman asked.

"I-I don't know!" Dr. Starline replied with a stutter.

"What do you mean you don't know!? You're the one who built the darn thing!"

"I didn't build it, I found it!"

"Oh, same difference!"

Synergy struggled to keep the portal at normal stability, the over surge of power threw him off balance. But his determination and rage kept him going. In other words, he kept the portal opened but as he did so, he slowly pulled his arm back.

"I can't take much more of this!" the egg-shaped scientist snapped. "Metal, destroy him!"

Metal Sonic obeyed. It was difficult for him to charge forward because electric fields from the Master Emerald kept shooting at him. But since he was programmed to mimic Sonic's speed, Metal boosted through the projectiles until he approached the Gizoid. But to his surprise, Synergy smacked the robot to the ground with a golden spear. But a bigger surprise was that it didn't destroy him. Instead, Metal tumbled to the ground, landing beside his creator.

Rough and Tumble swallowed nervously.

Orbot and Cubot hugged one another, shaking with agony.

Synergy continued pulling his arm back; he looked like he was pulling something out of the portal. Dr. Starline could tell because he part chunks of dirt fall from the portal and into the ocean. The platypus squinted his eyes and adjusted his glasses, trying to identify what the object is.

His answer came to him. Disturbance and discomfort ran through his veins.

Synergy brought down a large structure with tall buildings and a massive citadel at the hub of the city.

That city was known as…

…Nocturne.

The homeworld of the Nocturnus Clan has returned to Mobius thanks to its former resident. Years ago, Imperator Ix attempted to use the Master Emerald to move Nocturne back to Mobius. Now, one of his greatest creations continued his legacy. Synergy yanked and pulled on the city one more time before he brought it close to Angel Island. Surprisingly, the width and height of the island mirrored Angel Island, but the buildings stood taller than some of the trees. Using the Master Emerald's power, Synergy was able to combine the two islands together, making it one single landmark.

Everyone in the Eggman Empire was frightened. They didn't want anymore with this, so they took off running, screaming. Metal Sonic, reluctant to retreat, followed his master.

"Leaving so soon?" Synergy snarled, as he created a portal below Team Eggman's feet.

The villains fell through the wormhole and landed on top of a tan-colored concrete ground. They moaned, rubbed their heads, and looked up. Gasping heavily, they found themselves at the front door of Nocturne's citadel. Large pillars on the side (ones that looked like echidnas) lead to a giant structure with a blue energy ball connected to two pillars on the very top.

Suddenly, dark shadows emerged from the pillars and stared at the villains. They were the Marauders; echidnas wearing black armor with blue symbols of their clan. Thousands of soldiers ran towards the villains and aimed their weapons at them, demanding to know who they were.

But before they could fire, they were halted by the appearance of an old friend: Synergy.

The Gizoid stepped into the portal, causing the Marauders to stop.

"What's going on out here!?" an elderly voice shouted.

A Mobian creature wearing a purple, black, and gold cloak slowly bypassed the crowd of soldiers and stopped in front of the robot and the villains. The Mobian was an echidna with white/greyish-blue fur all over his body. In his hand was a golden scepter that resembled the moon.

His named was Imperator Pir'Oth Ix.

"What's the meaning of this?" Imperator Ix demanded, as he turned to face his former creation. His eyes widened. "Impossible… Project: Synergy?"

"Master," Synergy took a bow. "I apologize for being late with my return. I've been lied to by my old enemies of yours: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shade the Echidna, Knuckles the Echidna, and the rest of the Resistance. All you wanted to do was restore our clan, but they stopped you… so, I have come to help you bring our people back."

The leader of the clan turned to his soldiers. A smirk painted on his face.

"Why, yes," Imperator Ix replied. "All I wanted was to bring the Nocturnus Clan back to Mobius, but everyone was against me. What monsters! Now, thanks to you… we can restore our people and rebuild our city!"

"Yes, Master!" Synergy nodded. "And I want to help you do that!"

"Good," Imperator Ix suddenly turned to Dr. Eggman and the others. "I remember you. You thwarted my plans before. You survived then, but you threw it all away now."

Dr. Eggman, Dr. Starline, Rough, Tumble, Orbot, and Cubot shivered. Metal Sonic stood, ready to fight.

"Take them to the dungeon!" Imperator Ix demanded.

The soldiers captured the Eggman Empire and dragged them to the citadel.

Synergy approached his master.

"Now then," Imperator Ix smiled. "Let's move on with my plans, shall we?"

Imperator Ix and Synergy shared an evil cackle. (2s)


Back in the G.U.N. Prison Facility, Sonic leaned his head against the wall. Since he and Tails' cell was connected to Team Rose's cell, he leaned against the window and watched Cream comfort Big. Amy was also leaning against the wall. If there wasn't a glass window blocking them, their heads would be touching. The blue hedgehog was bored out of his mind, but he figured that running rampant could cause more harm than good. But thankfully, Brenda wasn't here to harass them anymore.

Amy sighed before she looked over Sonic's shoulder, noticing that Tails has his arms folded over his legs. He seemed more distressed than anyone else. The pink hedgehog recalled the one conversation she had with Tails in Resistance HQ. She also remembered telling Sonic that Tails needed to talk to him. With a single nod, she gently knocked on the window, getting the hedgehog's attention.

"Sonic,"

"Huh? What's up, Ames?"

"Remember when we were in the Mystic Ruins, I said that Tails needed to talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, why?"

Amy motioned to Tails. Sonic followed her motion, noticing Tails' expression.

"Talk to him, Sonic. He needs you."

The Blue Blur nodded and smiled, as he jumped up and sat next to his best friend.

"Hey, little buddy."

"Hmm? Oh, hey, Sonic," the fox rubbed his eyes.

"Amy says you wanted to tell me something. What's on your mind?"

"I've actually been wanting to talk with you for a while, but due to our current situation, I wanted to hold it off until the time is right."

"Well, seeing as how we're not going anywhere soon, I figured now might be a good time to chat. So, what's going on, Tails? What'd you want to talk about?"

The fox's heart pounded like a drum. He couldn't believe this moment was finally happening. Throughout the entire escapade, he wanted nothing more than to express his thoughts. He told Amy about his dilemma in Resistance HQ, but it has been quite some time since then. Now that they're stuck in jail, Tails took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth.

"You know that I went solo during the war, right?" the fox began.

"Yeah, why?"

"Did I ever tell you why you went solo?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well… after Infinite and his crew defeated you, I tried to rescue you, but I was knocked out by Zavok. When I woke up, I was inside the hospital of Resistance HQ. I found out that Knuckles was forming a team to fight against the Eggman Empire. I tried to convince the team that you were alive, but they kept telling me to move on and help them fight Eggman. I spoke with Knuckles one day and asked him if I can venture out on my own to find you. Surprisingly, he said yes, and I left."

Sonic heard Tails sigh before he continued the story.

"I spent a few months venturing on my own. I stayed away from several battles between the good guys and Eggman's empire; however, I helped some civilians escape from Eggman's clutches. It didn't take long for me to discover Omega in the streets of Green Hill City. I tried to repair him, but I didn't have enough equipment to fix him. Suddenly, Chaos showed up. Now, keep in mind, this was Chaos 0 that was coming towards me. Now, you'd expect someone who fought Chaos 4 to fight Chaos 0, right?"

"I'd say so, I know you took down Chaos 0," Sonic replied.

"No… instead, I turned my back and screamed your name. My body was shaking, my heart was pounding, and my hands were clammy. I couldn't believe I cowered away from Chaos like that. I remember fighting him in his fourth form as well as Dr. Eggman when I was younger. How could I not take on Chaos 0? It didn't take long for that other you from a parallel dimension to show up. He didn't talk much, but he and I 'worked together' to find you."

"Why did you say, 'worked together' with quotation marks?"

"Because we didn't work as a team. No, he did all of the work. He fought the Egg Dragoon and took care of all the Badniks while all I did was cheer from the sidelines and I don't know why. I could have easily taken down several Egg Pawns, but instead, I let the other Sonic do it. I felt like I was just a kid again; a kid who didn't know anything about combat. It was embarrassing!...

"…It's even more embarrassing because even when we found you, I still didn't do anything to help the Resistance. All I did was find a faulty article on the Phantom Ruby and I encourage the Rookie to use the prototype he found to stop the sun from crashing down on Mobius. Then, I followed little Sonic through the Iron Fortress until we met up with you and the Rookie. That was the moment Eggman revealed his Death Egg Robot…

"…Even though the contraption was just another remake of the Egg Nega Wisp, I didn't do anything to help. You, little Sonic, and the Rookie fought off the robot and I just supported you from the sideline! I'm an experienced Freedom Fighter who's been alongside you for a long time! Why on earth would I stand around like an idiot and do nothing!?" the fox fell silent after a slight outburst. He panted three times before his equanimity returned to him. "Which brings me to now. Ever since the war ended, I've felt like a nuisance to everyone, thinking they could all do better without me."

"Tails, that's not true. You've been helping a lot."

"It doesn't feel like it. A few days ago, I mindlessly snapped at you for wanting to fight Synergy by yourself. I know you were injured, and you knew that I didn't want you to risk your life again, but I was being obnoxious. All I wanted to do was make sure a repeat of your encounter with Infinite didn't happen again. I wanted to go with you because… I wanted to redeem myself for messing things up. So far, I haven't made up for anything…

"I allowed Synergy to escape into Soleanna and he destroyed the first Tornado. I also allowed him to destroy the Miles Electric that was tracking him down. And instead of volunteering to go with you to find Silver in Wave Ocean, I just stayed behind and repaired my faulty machine. A machine that I should've kept safe in the first place. And to make matter worse, I couldn't protect Synergy from Dr. Eggman. It's obvious Eggman tricked him into thinking we were the bad guys during the Marauder Incident, and I wasn't fast enough to stop him. If I had just gotten to Synergy before that happened, we wouldn't be stuck in this mess…

"And then there's a few moments ago: G-merl going berserk. Instead of fighting G-merl, I should have just looked for his data chip. That way, the fight could've ended sooner. But like an idiot, I found myself being thrown around like a chew toy."

"Granted, we were all thrown around like chew toys."

"I know that, but I should've been faster when it came to finding G-merl's personality chip. If I had found it sooner, none of us would be injured, none of us would be arrested, and G-merl wouldn't be gone. Because of me, Cream feels horrible. Because of me, Big feels guilty. Because of me… we lost… we lost, Sonic. We lost Synergy, we lost Eggman's location, we lost everything… how on Mobius can a dope like me make up for that?"

When the fox finally finished, Sonic the Hedgehog was nothing but stunned.

It took him a laborious amount of time to register all that was said.

And as if Sonic wasn't stunned, the rest of the Resistance was too. They heard and felt everything. Each of them exchanged the same glances, as they turned to a depressed two-tailed fox, who buried his face in his arms.

Sonic leaned against the wall, not knowing what to say. He knew Tails would doubt himself over certain situations, but he didn't think the fox would bottle up all of his problems to the extreme. Not only was it not good for him mentally, but it's put an effect on his friendship with Sonic. Speaking of which, the hedgehog was still formulating a proper response.

He didn't want to start with a joke since that would make things worse. But he also wanted his response to be helpful and encouraging. Sharing a small glance with Amy, Cream, and Big, the Blue Blur smiled and cracked his fingers; he had his answer ready.

"I'm sorry if this was too much for you," Tails replied. "But I just wanted to get things off my-"

Before he could finish, Sonic immediately hugged his little brother, showering him with nothing but affection. Tails was stunned by the situation he was in, as a few tears dropped down his eyes. He slowly wrapped his arms around the hedgehog, holding him tight. He released a few more tears, as Sonic rubbed his back.

Everyone in the prison watched them hug and shared the same smiles.

Sonic released his best friend and patted him on both shoulders. "It's okay, Tails… We all have those times were we feel small and worthless. Moments where you mess things up and don't know what to do. But that doesn't mean you should go into despair because you have done some good. Throughout this adventure, you've helped us fight Rough and Tumble, you've tracked down G-merl in Windmill Village, you tried to help Shade when you first saw her again, and you even supported the idea of changing Synergy into a good guy."

The fox sniffed before he smiled.

"You shouldn't feel horrible for making mistakes because you're not alone," Sonic smiled. "Everyone in this room, including myself, has made mistakes. And they all know that they can forgive and help each other in times of helplessness. And this is what we will do now too. We'll always remain by each other's sides, and no matter what happens, we stay together and help one another, because that's what being friends is all about."

"Tails," Shade added. "Take it from someone who's had experience with this. Sonic couldn't be any more right. We all have times where we're lost and alone, but you have to remember…" she shared a glance with Knuckles. "You have family and friends that can help."

Everyone agreed with the orange echidna.

"Eww, this friendship stuff's making me sick," Nack coughed.

"Oh, shut up," Bean replied. "Don't ruin the moment."

"Even though Charmy can be a little turd," Vector chuckled. "He's someone I can rely on."

"And Vector may smell like a skunk, but I can count on him too," replied the bee.

"Exactly!... HEY!"

Everyone laughed at Vector and Charmy's banter.

Sonic looked at Tails.

"How are you doing, Tails? You feel better?"

"Yeah," Tails replied. "I feel-" the fox was about to say he felt better, but he was distracted by something in the distance, a television screen. However, the TV was showing a news report. A news report that was centered around Angel Island and Nocturne. Recognizing the latter, Tails jumped from his seat and approached the wall. Team Rose was confused by his gesture, so they looked at the TV and had the same reaction: scared.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Sonic inquired. He looked at the TV and his eyes widened. "Uh, oh. Knuckles, Shade, everyone! Look at this!"

The Resistance watched the news broadcast.

"Wait," Knuckles squinted his eyes. "Is that Angel-"

FLASH!

"Arrgh!"

The echidna fell on his knees, feeling a strong course of pain through his head. Everyone gasped with worry, as they watched Shade help the echidna on his feet.

"Knuckles," Shade said with concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's the Master Emerald," Knuckles rubbed his head. "It's calling to me… it's saying that Nocturne and Angel Island are combined together."

"W-what!?" Shade whispered, flabbergasted. "How's that possible!? How is Nocturne back!?"

"I thought we destroyed that place!" Amy said.

"Wait, Nocturne?" Silver inquired. "What's Nocturne?"

"It's the place I was raised," Shade replied. "It was my home when I was part of the Nocturnus Clan. It was banished to the Twilight Cage 4,000 years ago because of a supernatural occurrence. I don't understand how it could be back."

"Did Synergy do this?" Whisper inquired.

Tails snapped his fingers. "Last time we saw Synergy, he had the Warp Topaz and the Chaos Emeralds. That means he used the Master Emerald's power to bring Nocturne back!"

"That jerk!" Silver slammed his hand against the door, getting an electric shock. "We go through the trouble of changing him and he does this!?"

"Easy, Silver," Blaze said. "Remember, Dr. Eggman tricked Synergy into believing the Nocturnus Clan were good and we were the bad guys. His anger is understandable; however, he needs to be stopped. What's our plan?"

Before the commander can discuss the plan, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega entered the room.

"What took you guys so long?" Sonic snarled.

"Sorry," Rouge rolled her eyes. "We had to sit through a long G.U.N. lecture. Sheesh, I felt like I was in college."

Shadow and Omega quickly entered override codes into each cell, freeing the members of the Resistance.

"Yes! Sweet freedom!" Bean cheered, kissing the ground. "Pleh! The concrete tastes like concrete!"

"Commander Tower's letting us go?" Tangle asked. "Awesome! I knew he'd come around! It's just like my comic books; the government realizes the heroes are good guys and decide to help them!"

"Not necessarily," Shadow answered. "G.U.N. doesn't know we're setting you free. We saw the news."

"I APOLOGIZE FOR MY BEHAVIOR," Omega nodded. "I THOUGHT I WAS FOLLOWING LOGICAL ORDERS, BUT AFTER SEEING THE RETURN OF NOCTURNE, I REALIZE THAT I WAS WRONG. I AM SORRY."

"It's cool, Omega," Amy winked with a thumbs up. Everyone and herself turned to Knuckles. "So, Commander? What's the plan?"

Knuckles shared a glance with everyone. He clapped his fists and grinned. "Huddle up, everyone. Amy and I have an idea!"

Nack gulped, whispering to Bark. "Just when I thought we were getting out of here!"

END OF CHAPTER 33


Holy cow! Looks we like we got some good news and some bad news. Good news is that the Resistance were able to get out of jail thanks to Team Dark. The bad news is, Imperator Ix and the Nocturnus Clan are back! That's right, the man who's been seen throughout most of G-merl and Synergy's flashbacks has finally returned to Mobius. Now that he has the Eggman Empire in his clutches, he has big plans for world domination. Will the Resistance stop him in time? Will they save the Master Emerald? Can they restore Synergy to his good side? Find out as the final battle begins in...

"Chapter 34: Angel Nocturne: Part 1"


POST-A/N:

My original plan for the climax was to have Synergy take over the Eggman Empire in Metropolis, but I thought that would make it seem similar to Operation: Big Wave from Sonic Forces. So, I decided to have something else. Since Imperator Ix and the Nocturnus Clan are mentioned throughout the story, I figured why not have them serve as the, for lack of a better term, final boss of the story. We'll see seeing how our heroes go toe-to-toe with them.

I really hope that Sonic and Tails scene was worth the wait. I had it proof-read by Infinite's Ruby as well as a few of my other friends on here and I am happy with the final result, but seeing as how this subplot was introduced way back in Chapter 4. I figured having the Resistance in jail would give the perfect opportunity for Sonic and Tails to have their talk. Rather than have Tails share his problems in the past, I figured I'd show him going through more problems in the story such as the G-merl incident and letting Synergy get corrupted, so that way, he can add more to his story. I hope it was worth the wait. I know my good friend, TGN, was looking foward to it.

Even thought I expressed this with Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb, which triggered an annoying Guest reviewer (rolls eyes), but I wasn't happy with how Tails has been treated as of late. SEGA needs to make him like his IDW counterpart, where he can actually do stuff. I have a similar tangent about Shadow in the POST-A/N of Chapter 34.

Response to TheLostEternity: Thank you so much for reading Chapters 31 and 32, it really means a lot. Hopefully, Synergy will come around and see the error of his ways. You're right, G.U.N. is filled with a bunch of idiots. They've always been a shady corporation. But let's hope they can come to their senses during the fight on Nocturne.

As always, thank you all so much for reading! Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)