A/N: Welp, here we are, everyone. The final entry in the Angel Nocturne story arc. I gotta say, it's been fun writing these past few chapters. After the emotional roller coasters of Chapters 31-33, it's finally time the Resistance got their chance to strike back. Only, they didn't expect to be taking down the Nocturnus Clan. Let's see how the final part goes down, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks to Infinite's Ruby once again, now let's get on with the show! :)

Suggested Music:

(1) Death Egg Mk. ll - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 OST

(2) Magolor Phase 1 Theme - Kirby's Return to Dreamland OST

(3) Change - Steven Universe: The Movie OST

(4) Open Your Heart - Sonic Adventure OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show!


Angel Nocturne: Part 4

Above the skies, heroes and villains are proving who's the strongest. But a humble person like Vanilla the Rabbit chose to sit near her home. There was a bench near her cabin in Floral Forest Village, which she sat thinking about how the battle is going. Part of her was nervous that Cream and G-merl would be mercilessly killed by the Nocturnus Clan, but the optimist in her heart kept telling her to believe. She was well aware of Cream's previous adventures with Sonic and the others, and she also knew G-merl was there to protect her. But her mind was rambling, trying to pick a side to her internal debate.

As she sat alone, she heard someone creak the front door open.

Stepping outside was none other than Chocola, who flew up to his owner's lap and sat down, cuddling beside her stomach. Gazing into her eyes, the chocolate-colored Chao smiled and pressed his hands together.

"Chao, Chao," Chocola spoke as if to tell her everything was going to be okay.

Vanilla, who didn't know what he was saying, could tell by Chocola's gestures that he tried to reassure her. From there, she let out a soft laugh and patted the Chao's head, making him close his eyes in satisfaction.

"You're right, Chocola," Vanilla spoke softly. "Cream and G-merl are both brave; they're my children. But I can't help but worry about them."

She looked up at the beautiful night sky, the darkness was illuminated by billions of stars. The moon was shining bright.

"Cream, G-merl, please come home safe," Vanilla said, as she lost herself in the night.


Deep within the citadel, G-merl, Cream, and Big raced through a crowd of Marauders and blew them away with ease. G-merl teleported behind a few echidnas and tapped them on their shoulders.

"Peek-a-boo! I see you!" G-merl playfully mocked the soldiers, as he knocked them out cold.

Cream flew through the air and kicked several Marauders in their faces.

Big, using his super strength, picked up soldiers and tossed them over his shoulders. Once they landed on the ground, they fell unconscious. He grabbed his fishing rod and regrouped with his friends. "I don't like this place. It's scary. I remember being here."

"Me too, but don't worry, Mr. Big," Cream held the cat's hand. "We'll be okay. G-merl, are the Chaos Emeralds around here?"

"They should be close," G-merl replied.

The three of them walked down a hall, listening to the beeping of the emerald tracker. As they walked closer, the beeping was faster and faster. Eventually, it made a solid sound, indicating that the Chaos Emeralds were close by. Turning to the right, the heroes were met with a striking sight.

All seven emeralds surrounded a suspicious device. It was a silver machine with gold details on it. On the very stop sat a massive green ball of energy.

"Oh, shiny," Big gushed over the energy orb.

"W-what is that?" Cream inquired.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out," G-merl answered. "Let's grab those Chaos Emeralds before-"

A dark voice interrupted the Gizoid. "If you value your lives, you'd step away from those emeralds."

The gang turned around and saw Metal Sonic with his claws extended.

"Oh, for Chaos's sake," G-merl rolled his eyes. "After getting captured by Synergy, Eggman has the nerve to send you after the Chaos Emeralds? When's he going to learn to quit?"

"I am programmed to follow the Doctor's orders, no matter how ridiculous they seem," Metal Sonic replied. "Do not interfere with my mission, G-merl, or else, you will-"

WHAM!

A blast of Chaos Energy shot Metal Sonic forward. The robotic doppelganger tumbled across the floor before he landed in front of Cream and G-merl. The heroes looked up and saw a newcomer arriving at the entrance…

…it was Synergy.

"I knew it wouldn't take long for the three of you to arrive," Synergy scoffed. "Emerl, welcome back to Nocturne. I'm glad you've brought guests with you. Especially you, Big."

"Synergy, please," Big bowed his head. "I know Dr. Eggman tricked you and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Please don't do this. You know this is wrong."

"Wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. The fact that you said in that video you hope you'll never meet someone like me!"

"That was before I met you."

"What?"

"You showed me that you're not an evil robot. When I accidentally fished you out of the water, I thought you were going to hurt me. But after I showed you how to fish, you seemed to enjoy it. Yeah, you lied to me and tried to hurt me a few times, but I didn't leave you because I knew there was good in you. That's why I wanted to take you around the world. It was to show you that there's more to life than working for a mean man like Ix."

Synergy was silent.

"I know you're a good person, Synergy," Big smiled. "Don't let Eggman and Ix turn you into someone you're not."

The Gizoid stood alone, looking at the Warp Topaz on his hand. He thought about what the cat said and clenched his fists. "I'm sorry, Big. But after what I saw, I cannot forgive you so easily."

Metal Sonic jumped up. (1)

"If all four of you wish to die for your friends, then come!" Synergy hollered, as he charged into battle.

G-merl pushed Cream and Big out of the way, as he was tackled by Synergy and pinned against the wall.

"Are you kidding me!?" G-merl snarled. Synergy threw a punch, but at the last second, G-merl teleported, reappearing behind Synergy. He grabbed Synergy's arms and flew upward. Then, he divebombed to the ground, slamming Synergy into the concrete. "Don't make me do this, Synergy! You're better than this!"

"If I had a nickel every time I heard that today," Synergy rolled his eyes, sucking himself through the Warp Topaz's portal. He showed up behind G-merl and slapped him across the cheek.

"Leave him alone!" Cream shouted. She and Cheese ran forward and attacked Synergy at full strength. Surprisingly, the rabbit was quick enough to evade all of the robot's punches. And with the help of her bulky friend, she was able to trap Synergy; Big wrapped his arms around him.

"I don't want to hurt you, Synergy," Big pleaded.

"Get off of me!" Synergy snarled, as he broke free of Big's grasp and shot him in the chest with Chaos Spears. He then rushed towards Cream with his arm pulled back. But as soon as he landed the hit, G-merl's fist blocked him.

"No one touches my little sister!" G-merl flipped Synergy over and held him down, giving Cream and Cheese a chance to strike. The two of them exchanged fiery blows until G-merl fired an uppercut against Synergy's back.

As soon as the Gizoid fell towards the ground, G-merl and Cream pulled their arms back, landing a double-fisted uppercut. Synergy landed against the wall. The two combatants exchanged a fist-bump.

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic was going for the emeralds. Before he could touch them, Big wrapped Metal Sonic's leg with a fishing string.

"I don't think you should be doing that," Big said.

"Let go of me, you idiot!"

G-merl punched Metal Sonic across the face. "Hey! That's my friend you're talking to!"

"Enough!" Synergy shot a Chaos Blast that blew Cream, G-merl, Big and Metal Sonic away from the machine. All four of them landed against the wall, laying on their backs.

"G-merl, I hate to suggest this, but what if we worked with Metal Sonic to stop Mr. Synergy?" Cream suggested. "Fighting each other won't work, so we might as well work together."

"Smart idea, Cream," G-merl nodded. "Hey, Metal. Wanna help us fight Synergy?"

"Negative," Metal Sonic replied. "My programming shall not allow me to work with puny fighters like you. I shall stop Synergy myself."

Metal Sonic charged up his boosters and glided towards the Gizoid. But he was sucked into a wormhole and appeared behind Synergy. From there, the Chaos hybrid was ruthless with his attacks, as he made sure to unleash his fiery rage. Finally, he grabbed Metal Sonic, spun him around, and slammed him against the same wall everyone else was at.

"I shall stop Synergy myself," G-merl mocked his enemy. "How's that working out for you?"

"Fine," Metal Sonic rubbed his arms. "You win. We shall work together to stop Synergy."

"Glad you see it my way, buddy," G-merl tapped Metal Sonic's head. "Let's do it to it, everyone."

Getting up, the four teammates stood side by side before continuing their battle with Synergy. (1s) (2)


"Are we done talking?" Knuckles pounded his fists.

"I guess so," Shade answered.

"I know so," Imperator Ix clenched his fist, twirling his scepter. "You're going to stop me, aren't you? Come on, show me what you're made of."

Knuckles and Shade prepared for their showdown with Imperator Ix.

The battle ignited once the Shade attacked first. Having a mindset on revenge, she lashed out at her former master with her Leech Blades. But instead of hitting him in the face as she planned, her master deflected most of her blows with his scepter. But she managed to pierce his body armor and land a scratch across the helmet. Imperator Ix leaped back and slammed his former general against the ground. Knuckles shouted in concern, as he leaped up and slammed the ground, creating a shockwave. Imperator Ix lost his balance for a brief moment. To which, Knuckles tackled him and pinned him to the ground, landing thousands of punches on the echidna's face.

"You're gonna pay for what you've done, Ix!" Knuckles snarled, landing more blows. "You killed most of my people and now you have the nerve to hijack the Master Emerald!?... TWICE!?"

"Impotent runt," Imperator Ix sparked electricity on his hands, stinging the echidna off of him. "Need I remind you that it was Synergy that made this possible. If you should be yelling at anyone, it's him. I'm simply fulfilling my goals."

Shade clashed her blades against his scepter. The two of them fenced around the shrine.

"Of course you'd throw your own creation under the bus!" Shade grunted, kicking her master's chest. "It shows that you care for no one except yourself!"

"Why would I care about a generic war machine? Yes, he did make this happen. But why does it matter in the end? I know the Resistance will destroy him, but even that won't matter because I'll destroy them too."

The two echidnas continued their brawl.

"It's such a shame you chose the wrong side, Shade," Imperator Ix chuckled, blocking her attacks. "I would've loved to see you rule by my side."

"I don't know if you've ever been in a fight before, Ix," Shade punched her old master's face. "But there's usually not this much talking!"

"You're right… there isn't."

Imperator Ix slammed his staff against the ground, sending a tsunami of energy on top of Shade. She felt like glass being slammed against the ground because she swore she heard her bones crack as soon as she impacted the stone beneath her. Knuckles helped her up on her feet before the two of them rushed into battle. Throwing a grenade at Imperator Ix, Shade blinded him before the two echidnas fired an uppercut, sending the leader flying into the air.

"Take this!" Knuckles shouted, as Shade cupped her hands together and boosted him into the air. Knuckles pulled both of his fists back and drilled into the overlord's stomach. They crash-landed against the ground; Imperator Ix felt the most pain. Suddenly, Knuckles punched the white echidna, but Imperator Ix jumped up and tackled the echidna. The two of them fell down the stairs of Shrine Isle.

"Knuckles!" Shade cried with concern, as she quickly rushed down the steps.

Once the two echidnas stopped, they rolled across the grass.

Imperator Ix was the first to get up, so he approached Knuckles and grabbed him by the dreadlocks, holding him tight. "If you value his life, Shade. You'd stop at-"

Shade was too quick and landed a kick across the white echidna's forehead. "Nice try, Ix! You're not doing that to me!"

Helping Knuckles get up, Shade tapped his shoulder and sneered at her old master.

Imperator Ix growled. "I grow tired of this! DIE!"

Sending bolts of electricity merged with beams of energy, Imperator Ix prayed to the Mobian Gods above that he'd kill both echidnas in an instant. But of course, they didn't listen to him because Knuckles and Shade deflected every single blast and tackled the overlord. Sharing untamed hits from left and right, Knuckles and Shade were sure they could win if they kept this up. But to their surprise, Imperator Ix teleported away from them. He appeared behind them and blasted them with a ball of cyan energy.

But Knuckles and Shade landed on their feet.

"Persistent little pests," Imperator Ix scoffed. "No matter how hard you try, you can't defeat me! I am immortal! I can never be vanquished!"

"Did he just call himself God?" Knuckles whispered to Shade's ear.

"You're surprised?" Shade inquired.

"It's worthless," Imperator Ix announced. "Both of you are powerless against me. Well, you'll be more powerless once I do this."

With the snap of his fingers, Imperator Ix teleported on top of the Master Emerald. From there, he summoned green sparks of electricity from the gemstone.

"Using the Master Emerald's power, huh?" Knuckles clapped his fists. "I'm so gonna rip him a new one!"

"Come and face the inevitable!" Imperator Ix fired sparks of Chaos Energy at his foes.

The two echidnas rushed forward.


On the battlefield, Sonic, Tails, and Amy battled their way through hordes of masked echidnas and robots. They eventually came to a stop once they met Tangle, Whisper, Silver, Blaze, and Jewel. They weren't in trouble. In fact, they were dealing with a small fraction of bad guys. Even though it was obvious they didn't need backup, the colorful trio decided to help them anyway. When Sonic curled into a ball, Amy slammed him into a group of Marauders, as Tails finished things off with his Arm Cannon. Silver and Blaze used their powers to send Gizoids into their doom whereas Tangle, Jewel, and Whisper scared off their enemies; they were fighting so hard that some of the Marauders retreated.

Soon, everyone regrouped.

"Phew!" Tangle wiped her sweaty forehead. "I'm glad things are working out in our favor, but man! I. Am. Beat!"

"So, after we get the Chaos Emeralds, what's our plan?" Blaze inquired. "Are we going to destroy Nocturne or somehow send it back to the Twilight Cage?"

"I don't think there's a way we can do the latter unless we wanna abuse the Master Emerald," Sonic shrugged. "We could blow it up. That seems to be our solution to almost everything."

"Or maybe we could use Chaos Control?" Tails suggested.

"Hmm?" Sonic and Amy raised their eyebrows.

"Sonic, remember how you and Shadow used Chaos Control to stop the Ark from crashing onto Mobius?" Tails asked. "What if we do the same for Nocturne? Of course, we'd have to wait until Knuckles and Shade disconnect it from Angel Island."

"Using Chaos Control could work," Sonic stroked his chin. "I'll go Super Sonic and send this city out of here!"

"Wait, what if you get killed?" Amy gasped.

"No, I won't, Amy. I go Super Sonic most of the time and I come out fine. I'm tired, but fine."

"That's not what I mean. When you and Shadow used it to get rid of the Biolizard, Shadow was nearly killed. We thought he was dead, but he came back years later. What if you meet the same fate as Shadow or worse… what if you actually get killed?"

Sonic placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Ames, calm down. I'll make sure I come back. I promise. Besides, we have some time to sort this plan out."

"Sonic's right," Silver chimed in. "Knuckles and Shade haven't reported in yet, so they must be searching for the Master Emerald. That, and we need G-merl's team to get the Chaos Emeralds. Speaking of the two teams, I hope they're okay."


In the citadel, the unlikely alliance between G-merl, Cream, Big, and Metal Sonic was working…

…to an extent.

The teamwork between managed to weaken the Gizoid for the most part, but thanks to the Warp Topaz, Synergy got the upper hand. He exacted his revenge upon Big, G-merl, and Cream, but he also made sure he let Metal Sonic suffer the wrath of his rage. The robot had suffered a lot in the past few days, so he wanted to unleash his anger upon those who wronged them. The Resistance prevented the return of the Nocturnus Clan and the Eggman Empire tried to turn him into a slave. With fast-paced punches and heavy jabs, Synergy blew all four combatants away from him.

G-merl landed on his feet, catching a wounded Cream in his arms.

"You okay, Kiddo?" he inquired.

"I'm okay, G-merl," Cream replied. "I'm not hurt too bad, thankfully. How are we going to stop Mr. Synergy? He's too strong for all of us."

Big rolled near his friends whereas Metal Sonic was bashed against the wall.

G-merl cracked his fingers. "I know the real Synergy is still inside, so we're gonna have to get him out. Cream, Big, huddle up. I have an idea."

Metal Sonic ignored the three combatants and boosted into Synergy's chest, pounding him into the wall. But thanks to the magic gemstone, Synergy reappeared behind Metal Sonic and homed in onto him; he homing attacked him three times before punching him against the ground.

"Once I'm finished with you, the Eggman Empire and the Resistance shall suffer my wrath!" Synergy growled.

"Once I collect those Chaos Emeralds, I'll rip you to shreds!" Metal Sonic retorted.

Metal Sonic and Synergy continued their fight, as the others came up with a plan.

Cream, Big, and G-merl stood together, watching Metal Sonic throw Synergy onto the ground. The Gizoid landed near the three heroes ad quickly got up. Clenching both of his fists, he shot a Chaos Spear at Metal Sonic and headed towards the others. (2s) (3)

"For the Nocturnus Clan, you shall perish!" Synergy announced.

The black/yellow robot glanced at both of his friends. Sharing a nod, their plan was put into motion.

Synergy landed on the ground and threw an armada of punches at them, but all three dodged in sync and moved to the side. Synergy geared towards G-merl, throwing the same amount of attacks at him, but despite moving fast, he couldn't land a single hit. Frustrated, he attempted to attack him one more time before G-merl teleported, reappearing behind Synergy. But even then, G-merl kept dodging Synergy's attacks.

"Hold still!" Synergy shouted.

Cheese tapped the angry mech on the shoulder, waving with a smile.

"Come here!" Synergy clapped his hands, trying to squish the Chao. Cheese flew back to his best friend, as Synergy attempted to attack her as well. But just like G-merl, Cream nonchalantly sidestepped in all directions. Cream suddenly placed her foot out when she saw Synergy run forward. He tripped on his feet, landing towards Big. "I know you'll be easy to hit!"

Synergy couldn't be any more wrong.

Like the others, Big was agile enough to dodge every attack landed by Synergy. He was even fast enough to evade the Chaos Blasts and spears.

Metal Sonic leaned upward, wondering what the others were doing.

Synergy clapped his hands, forming a ball of Chaos Energy. It didn't take him long to shoot it at all three combatants. G-merl nodded to Cream and Big once again before all three of them moved away from the energy ball.

"Fight back!" Synergy hollered, extending his Chaos Claw. G-merl and Cream moved away from it. "Why won't you all fight back!?"

"Because there's nothing to fight for, Mr. Synergy," Cream replied.

"What!? You're not going to fight for your world? For your team?"

"That's not what we meant," Cream answered with a low sigh, dodging another attack. "We're not going to hurt you. Even though you're being very mean, we're not going to fight you anymore."

"Why!?"

"Let me ask you something, Synergy," G-merl chimed in. "How did you end up in the Sylvania Castle Zone? Do you remember?"

"I-I don't know! The last thing I remember, the island was being sucked into a black hole in the sky. I was struck with a bolt of lightning and I was awakened in a different location."

"And have you ever wondered why Ix and the others haven't come to find you?"

Synergy stopped throwing his attacks. "W-what!?"

"If you claim you're so important to Ix and the others, why didn't they come for you?" G-merl inquired. "They're your family, right? Why didn't they look for you?"

"They… they…" Synergy couldn't think of a response. "I-I'm sure they looked for me. It's just that… they were probably… doing… something else."

G-merl shook his head. "No, Synergy… they didn't come looking for you. Well, they might have, but if they did, they certainly didn't bother to fix you. Even though you were awakened on accident, it was the first time in decades where you felt alive. Yes, you did have a desire to find the Nocturnus Clan, but you stuck around with Big, the others, and I for a long time. We took you in for a bit, taught you about how our family works, and showed you places around the world. Would the Nocturnus Clan ever do something like that? I don't remember them doing that."

Synergy was frozen.

"Synergy, I'm not going to sugar coat this," G-merl continued. "But to Ix, you're just scrap made to do his bidding. I was the same way… now, look at me. I have a family and friends who care for me… you can have that too. I'm going to force you to become friends with us again, but you have a choice. You can either say with a family that doesn't care for you, or you can go where the wind takes you." (3s)

The Chaos hybrid didn't say a word. He registered everything that was heard and unclenched his fist. The Warp Topaz stopped glowing and he looked at it. Closing his eyes, he pressed his hand against his chest and shook his head.

G-merl, Cream, and Big approached him.

"Synergy," G-merl continued. "We-"

SNATCH!

"What the!?" G-merl raised an eyebrow, as everyone looked to the right. Metal Sonic snatched all of the Chaos Emeralds and placed them in a metal case. Glaring over at his enemies, he waved them goodbye before taking off.

"Metal Sonic's getting away!" Cream cried.

"You and Big go after him, I'll catch up!" G-merl said.

The rabbit and the cat took off in an instant.

Both Gizoids were left alone.

"You have to make a decision, Synergy," G-merl told him. "Stay with the creators that want to destroy everything you saw, or help us save the world you saw for three days?... Whatever you choose is up to you."

The black/yellow Gizoid chased after the cat and the rabbit.

Synergy was left alone, pondering his thoughts. He stared at the Warp Topaz one more time before he closed his eyes. Internally, he said, Am I really doing the right thing?


"Knuckles, Shade, you two might as well give in. You're powerless against me!" Imperator Ix cackled, as he continued firing sparks of Chaos Energy at his foes. Shade was the most injured from the blasts, as Imperator Ix held the biggest grudge against her. Knuckles was able to take the heat, but even he was running low; he was getting tired. The red echidna watched as Shade was flung against the tree. Imperator Ix raced to her location, grabbed her, teleported back to Shrine Isle, and held her up by her neck. "Such a disappointing display. I taught you better than this, Shade."

"Let her go!" Knuckles demanded.

"Poor choice of words, Knuckles."

With that, Imperator Ix chucked the orange-furred warrior over his shoulder.

"SHADE!" Knuckles bawled with fear, as he landed a punch across the overlord's face, and took to the skies. He glided around faster than light, hoping to reach Shade before she fell off the edge of the shrine. Luckily, he caught her just in the nick of time. Setting her down, he observed her coughing. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," Shade coughed.

"Grr! It's hopeless! He has control over the Master Emerald! There's no way we can beat him!"

"I didn't come back just to see you quit. There has to be a solution," Shade replied, getting up. "And I think I thought of a solution."

"What is it?"

"Knuckles, you can control Chaos Energy, correct?"

"Yeah. Granted, I haven't gone super in a long time if that's what you're asking."

"Knuckles, I hate to suggest this, but if we want to defeat Ix. You're going to need to use the Master Emerald's power. I'll provide a distraction; you use the emerald's power and finish things off."

"What!? No, I'm not doing that! What if he kills you?"

"If I die… I'll die knowing I forgave myself for my mistakes," Shade smiled.

Knuckles froze. He was hesitant about the plan.

"Knuckles," Shade spoke softly, holding his hand. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," Knuckles mirrored her gesture.

"Then trust me enough to pull this off. If I die, it's been an honor working with you… and it's been an honor being your friend."

While he was still skeptical of the plan, Knuckles nodded in agreement. He and Shade fist-bumped before they jumped back to the shrine. Imperator Ix sat and waited for them.

"Back already?" the white echidna laughed. "Have you come to surrender yourselves?"

"Remember the plan," Shade whispered to Knuckles before she turned her attention to Imperator Ix. "Let's finish this!"

Unleashing her Leech Blades, Shade tackled her master and the two rolled down the shrine's stairs. Shade kicked her former master off of her and he crashed into a tree. But Imperator Ix swiped his scepter, smacking Shade across the face.

As they fought, Knuckles approached the Master Emerald. "Okay, Master Emerald. I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you. I needed to help my friends with a deadly war. But now, I'm back. And I need to make things right. I've got someone who needs me, so let's make this quick."

The red echidna closed his eyes and widened his arms.

Shade landed three punches before she was blasted in the chest.

Knuckles recited Tikal's prayer, "The servers are the seven Chaos."

Imperator Ix slammed Shade against the dirt.

"Chaos is power… Power enriched by the heart."

Shade blinded Imperator Ix with a smoke grenade and landed an uppercut.

"The controller," Knuckles opened his eyes and his pupils were glowing green. "Is the one that unifies the Chaos!"

Imperator Ix smacked Shade to the side, glaring at the red echidna. He was sparking with Chaos Energy.

"NO!" the overlord shouted with fear. Twirling his scepter, he rushed up the stairs. "That emerald is mine!"

KRAKOOM! (4)

A streak of green lightning struck down on the overlord which sent him flying onto the grass, landing beside Shade. The latter jumped up and moved to the side, looking to see if Knuckles was okay…

…he was more than okay.

A burst of green lightning jumped off of the shrine and it landed on the ground, revealing itself to be Knuckles. His pupils were green, and his fists were blowing energy of the same color. He smiled at Shade before he glared at his opponent.

Imperator Ix was stunned.

"I'm gonna give you one more chance," Knuckles clapped his fists. His voice echoed as he spoke. "Get off my island!"

Round two of the fight began when Imperator Ix fired a blast of cyan energy at both echidnas. With his invulnerability, Knuckles deflected the blast and stretched his neck. Rushing forward, Knuckles landed powerful uppercuts and punches across the overlord's face. He slammed his knee into his chest and tossed him towards Shade. Placing her goggles on, the orange-furred combatant volley kicked her old master, sending him crashing against the stairs.

Imperator Ix growled and shot more cyan energy balls at both echidnas.

Knuckles and Shade shielded themselves, as they leaped into combat.


The battle took a turning point thanks to G-merl's plan because the Resistance was fighting their way through enemies with ease. This time, Team Chaotix and Team Hooligan regrouped with the rest of the Resistance and assisted them in their invasion. Sonic, Tails, and Amy worked together to form a tornado that had the colors of their fur. They sent Marauders flying into the air, leaving Charmy to thunder shoot Espio and Vector into them.

Landing on the golden floor, Espio took advantage of his ninjutsu and disarmed multiple soldiers.

"It's working," the chameleon smiled. "We can win this!"

"Espio's right!" Tangle leaped into the conversation. Joining her were Whisper and Jewel. "The Resistance is gonna win! Let's assemble and finish this off!"

"Don't get too excited," Amy calmed the lemur down. "We still need to wait for G-merl and Knuckles. I hope they're okay."

"Don't worry about them, Amy," Sonic smiled, roundhouse kicking a Gizoids Guardian. "I know both teams and they're awesome! In other words, I know they'll be okay."


Knuckles and Shade resumed their battle, but Imperator Ix snapped his fingers and commanded his own spark of Chaos Energy. Shooting it forward, he hoped it would stab Knuckles through his heart. Before the guardian could deflect the blast, Shade jumped in front of him and took the blow for herself.

"Shade!" Knuckles shouted in concern.

The orange echidna tumbled across the dirt, bumping into a tree.

Her eyes were closed, and her body laid motionless; she was unconscious.

Knuckles clenched his fist. "You'll pay for that, Ix!"

"Even with that boost of power, you'll never defeat me! I'm too powerful!"

"Sheesh, you boost your ego so much, I might as well call you Sonic 2.0," Knuckles snarled, as he lunged forward and punched Imperator Ix's face.

Before the overlord could hit him, Knuckles blocked it and counterattacked. This procedure happened at least five times. The guardian was done with this mess, as he picked up Imperator Ix and tossed him away from the shrine. As the overlord flew in the air, Knuckles glided towards him and slammed his fists against his chest, sending him against the ground.

Imperator Ix, face first, landed on the ground.

Knuckles teleported beside the overlord, ready to fight, but Imperator Ix ducked below another punch and shot another blast of energy.

Knuckles' back hit the stairs.

"Give it up, Knuckles," Imperator Ix smiled evilly. His white eyes stared into Knuckles' soul. "You may have the upper hand, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna beat you," Knuckles moaned sarcastically. "Come up with some new material, buddy."

"You dare interrupt my sentences?"

"You dare show up to my island and hurt my friends!?"

"You dare talk back to me!? I am your ruler; I do not need to be treated with so much disrespect!"

"Oh, shut up!" Knuckles launched a heavy uppercut against Imperator Ix's chin.

As the fight continued, Shade slowly opened her eyes. She stretched her arms and cracked her back. As she watched the fight, she took a deep breath and wondered how she was going to help her friend.


"Tails, look out!" Ray called out, as he jumped on top of a Marauder and punched him. But because of the squirrel's lack of super strength, the echidna grabbed him and slammed him against a debris pile. Ray screamed as the soldier pulled his arm back. But luckily, Tails jumped in and rescued him, knocking the soldier town with his twin tails. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Tails smiled happily.

The power couple that was Mighty and Ray rode around on the latter's Extreme Gear, as they boosted into the enemies and blew them out of the arena.

Nack drove around on the Marvelous Queen. Bean and Bark stuck to the ground. The former was tossing bombs and the polar bear showed off his barbarian-level strength. Bark clapped his hands against a soldier's head, dazing him. He finished it off by firing an uppercut.

Bean, using his beak, pecked against a Gizoid in the eye.

Mighty and Honey arrived beside the green bird.

"Never thought I'd say this, but nice work, Bean," Mighty smiled. "For once, that annoying duckbill you call a mouth came in handy."

"Wait, what'd you call me?" Bean inquired. "Did you just say I'm a duck? Dude, I'm a woodpecker!"

"Wait, what? I thought you were a duck."

"No, that's what Ian Flynn and Archie Comics want you to think. Wow, I can't believe everyone here thought I was a duck! You're all full of speciesism!"

The duck angrily walked away, leaving Mighty and Honey to share a confused glance. The cat folded her arms and tapped her toes.

"What?" Mighty shrugged. "I thought he was a duck."

Meanwhile, Team Dark cleared out an army of Marauders with the assistance of Diablon. While the commander's drone took off in a heartbeat, fighting more enemies, the three agents met up with the rest of the Resistance.

"Have you guys heard anything from Knuckles and/or G-merl?" Espio inquired.

"Funny, we were about to ask you the same thing," Rouge smiled.

"We haven't heard a word from them," Shadow responded.

But just then, Metal Sonic came racing by the battlefield with the case full of Chaos Emeralds.

"Metal Sonic?" Sonic rubbed his head.

G-merl, Cream, and Big raced past them.

"Metal Sonic must've taken the emeralds!" Tails exclaimed.

"I'll get em'!" Sonic cracked his knuckles, as he ran down the pathway.

"Wait for me!" Silver chased after.

Shadow looked at Rouge. The bat let out a soft chuckle.

"Go," she said.

With a nod, Shadow skated after the two hedgehogs.

"At least we know what happened to G-merl's team," Amy said to Tails. "But what's happening with Knuckles and Shade?"


Knuckles fought bravely against Imperator Ix, using every ounce of the Master Emerald's power to save his island. With two jabs, an uppercut, and an overhead punch, Knuckles felt the power of the Master Emerald running through his veins, but he didn't feel as powerful as he was before. Because of how much energy he's been wasting, the red echidna realized that he needed to hurry before he transformed back to normal. But he wasn't the only one who knew this.

Huffing and puffing, Imperator Ix glanced up. "I can sense the Master Emerald's power; it's leaving your body by the minute. Soon, you'll be back to your old, weak self."

Knuckles panted, cracking his fists. "I still got some fight left in me."

"But not for long."

Imperator Ix recovered from his fall and ran towards Knuckles. Grabbing each other's hands, the two struggled to push one another off of the shrine. Knuckles' eyes started to turn back to their natural color and the green sparks were returning back to the Master Emerald. Its guardian gasped with worry, as he continued tussling with Imperator Ix.

"You thought you could scare me with this power, Knuckles?" Imperator Ix taunted. "You don't scare me. But you could scare my other enemies in the Twilight Cage."

Knuckles grunted, "W-what?"

"Join me, Knuckles. We're echidnas, right? Shouldn't our species stay united?"

Knuckles shook his head. "Yeah, we're not going through that trope again!"

Kicking Imperator Ix in the stomach, Knuckles knocked him into the air with a spinning back fist. The overlord fell, back first, onto the ground. Before the red echidna could make another move, the power of the Master Emerald left his body. (4s)

"Huh?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow, looking at the Master Emerald. "N-no!"

WHAM!

A bolt of cyan lightning struck Knuckles down.

Imperator Ix was left standing. He laughed. "I have to admit, you gave me quite a scare, Knuckles. But not even the Master Emerald could outmatch my power. Face it, Knuckles, you and your futile Resistance are nothing. You will all fall before my hand. Is there anything you wish to say?"

The red echidna smirking heavily. He began to laugh.

"Your defeat is humorous to you?" Imperator Ix raised an eyebrow.

"Did you really think I was going to use the Master Emerald to beat you?" Knuckles grinned, wiping his lip. "No, that was just to soften you up."

"What do you-"

"HARGH!" Shade came out of the blue and slashed her foe's battle armor with her twin Leech Blades. She slid beside Knuckles and glared at Imperator Ix. The white echidna's armor was damaged, and he grew tired. He looked at both echidnas, as they shared a nod and a smile.

"Your clan is on the decline," Knuckles clapped his fist.

"And vengeance will soon be mine," Shade chimed in.

Both echidnas finished their rhyme, "The tables have turned for Imperator Ix!"

The overlord raised both of his eyebrows. "What? That doesn't make any-ARGH!"

Knuckles and Shade threw a double-fisted attack, sending their opponent flying into the air. Imperator Ix fell over the shrine and landed on the grass. Laying on his stomach, he realized he couldn't take more of this and looked up at both echidnas. The two stood in front of the green gemstone, waiting for him to get back up.

But Imperator Ix threw in the towel. "This… isn't… over!"

Using his Warp Belt, he teleported away from the shrine, leaving both echidnas alone.

"No… it is over," Shade nodded with a sigh. She then smiled and turned to Knuckles. "Just to let you know, I'm never doing a rhyme like that ever again."

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Knuckles smirked, folding his arms.

"I think Rough and Tumble are rubbing off on you."

"Don't tell Sonic."

"No promises."

Both echidnas approached the Master Emerald, taking in its shiny, green glow.

Knuckles placed his hand on the gemstone, closing his eyes. "Stay back, Shade. And hold on tight when I say so. Master Emerald, I know you're mad at me for leaving you, but I need you to listen… Nocturne has merged with Angel Island, the home of our enemies from the past. I need you to help me separate the two islands. Can you help me?... Can Tikal help me if she's in there?"

The Master Emerald answered the guardian.

"Thank you," Knuckles replied. "I promise. Once this is over, I'll return to you… okay," he let out a deep breath. "Let's do this."


Meanwhile on the battlefield, Sonic, Shadow, Silver, Cream, and G-merl chased after Metal Sonic, who planned to take the Chaos Emeralds back to his masters. But as he escaped, a fishing wire wrapped around his leg. The three hedgehogs, the rabbit, and the Gizoid stopped in their tracks, wondering what happened. Soon, they looked over their shoulders and saw Big yanking on the fishing pole.

Metal Sonic lost his balance and was pulled to the ground. As soon as he landed, the silver case flew out of his hands. Silver caught it while Sonic and Shadow spin dashed into Metal Sonic. G-merl and Cream landed beside Big and Silver.

"Nice catch, Mr. Big," Cream smiled.

Big laughed.

Sonic and Shadow roughhoused Metal Sonic before they slammed the robot against a broken pillar.

"What's the matter, Metal?" Sonic smirked. "Not in the mood to fight?"

Shadow had a Chaos Spear in his hand.

"Hand over the Chaos Emeralds," Metal Sonic demanded. "Or I shall-"

SLASH!

Espio jabbed a kunai threw Metal Sonic's chest. "That will be enough from you."

With his systems shutting down, Metal Sonic fell to the ground, lying motionless.

Everyone in the Resistance, except Knuckles and Shade, approached everyone else.

"Hmph," Shadow closed his eyes, smiling slightly. "You stole my shot, Espio."

"I guess you'll have to be quicker next time," Espio replied with the same gesture.

Vector squinted his eyes, watching Marauders and Gizoids retreat. "Wow, take a look at that, boys and girls! We got them on the run!"

"Yeah! Get out of here, you phonies!" Charmy called.

"That'll show them not to mess with us," Ray smiled. Mighty nodded. "But what happened to Knuckles and Shade? Are they okay?"

Suddenly, Amy's Miles Electric went off. She answered it and Shade was on the other side. "Shade, thank goodness! I was about to call you! How are you and Knuckles doing?"

"We're fine, but you're gonna want to brace yourselves."

"Why?" Sonic inquired. "What's going on?"

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Nocturne began to shake as if an earthquake was happening. Everyone on the battlefield struggled to keep their balance. The Rookies jumped down on the ground, holding on tight. G.U.N. troops retreated back to their battleships. The ships took off and flew away from the island. As for the Resistance themselves, they did the same thing the Rookies did and hung on tight.

"What's happening?" Mighty called.

"I don't know but hold on!" Amy replied.

Everyone held on tight, as Nocturne began to shift to the right. It moved further and further until it finally stopped. The Resistance lost their balance and fell on their sides. But once they got back up, Tangle pointed to a beautiful sight.

"Look!" she shouted.

The Resistance and the Rookies jumped up, looking to the far left…

…Angel Island stood in the moonlight, free from Nocturne's control.

Smiles were printed on everyone's faces. They got even more excited once they saw Knuckles and Shade gliding towards the island. Landing on the floor, everyone gathered around the echidnas and showered them with cheers and chants.

"Way to go, Rad Red!" Mighty playfully punched Knuckles' arm.

"Nice work, you two," Espio smiled. "A fine display of skill."

"Go Knuckles and Shade!' Ray cheered.

"Awesome!" Charmy clapped his hands.

"You two lovebirds make a good team," Vector patted both of their backs. "Perhaps Mighty and Honey could learn from you two."

"Shut up, Vector," Honey folded her arms.

"Thanks, guys," Knuckles nodded. He noticed Gadget, Fuchsia, and Corvin in the distance. "Gadget, Corvin, Fuchsia, are you guys okay? I'm so sorry I wasn't there before! I didn't think G.U.N. would come after you! I'm so sorry!"

"No worries, Commander," Gadget shook his leader's hand. "We're just glad G.U.N. let us out to help out."

"But now, we're exhausted," Corvin yawned. "Let's get out of here."

"Well, you're in luck," Espio smiled. "Our ride has arrived."

Thanks to Captain Rex, another Restoration Shuttle landed on the edge of the city. The captain himself opened the door and waved to his teammates. "All aboard!"

Sonic turned to his team, "Guess that's my cue. You guys get out of here; I'll take the Chaos Emeralds and send this place out of here for good."

"Hold on," Amy patted his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Trust me, Ames. I'll be back."

Silver handed the blue hedgehog the suitcase. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Silver," Sonic winked.

"Let's get everyone on the ship, first," G-merl chimed in.

"Right," Sonic nodded.

Everyone ran towards the shuttle.


Inside the citadel, Synergy stood in the same stance he did before when suddenly, an injured Imperator Ix entered the room. He was wounded, panting, and struggling to stand on both of his feet. The Chaos hybrid approached his master.

"Lord Ix, are you all right?" he asked.

Imperator Ix shoved Synergy off of him. "Get off of me! I'm fine!"

The echidna approached the window, seeing that all of the heroes were leaving on the shuttle. "They're leaving!? After all that they've done!? No, they won't be getting out of here alive! Project: Synergy, I thought I told you to kill them!"

"I-I apologize, Master," Synergy replied nervously. "I was about to kill G-merl and the others, but I couldn't… they… they… they wouldn't fight back. It wouldn't be fair for me to fight if they wouldn't."

"Useless!" Imperator Ix howled. "Useless piece of scrap! There's a reason why I kept you in that underground tomb!"

Hearing that last sentence, Synergy's eyes widened. What did his master just say?

"W-what?" Synergy inquired. "Master, what as that last part?"

"I made the right choice keeping you stuck in the Sylvania Castle Zone. Granted, you made all of this possible, but even now, you still disappoint me."

"You knew I was locked in the tomb?"

Imperator Ix was silent. He explained, "A few years ago, I sent a squadron of soldiers to Mobius. They were collecting the Chaos Emeralds, so I can bring Nocturne back and rule the world. As they ventured through Sylvania Castle's tomb, they reported seeing a Gizoid that looked just like you. Here's a shock, it was you. They suggested repairing you, but I told them no. Why? Because you were a Gizoid that could easily be replaced. I replicated your powers into two Gizoids named Charyb and Scylla. But even they couldn't meet my standards. Such wastes of scrap."

"But… I was part of the family."

"Pardon?"

"The Nocturnus Clan is my family. Why didn't you bring me back?"

"You consider me and the clan your family?" Imperator Ix laughed as if he was told the funniest joke. "You're such a fool. I think of my soldiers as family, but you? A mere Gizoid like you, family? Ha-ha, you're just scrap made to do my bidding. If you fail, I throw you away. Gizoids like you can always be replaced."

Synergy was frozen hearing all of this. He couldn't believe that Imperator Ix really was evil. G-merl was right, Big was right, Knuckles was right…

…everyone was right about him.

"Since you're too useless to fight the Resistance," Imperator Ix walked towards the machine that housed the Chaos Emeralds. He pressed a button and a gemstone popped out a capsule. Inside it was a Chaos Emerald, but it was orange. He took the emerald out of its chamber and walked out the door, leaving his minion behind. "I'll deal with them myself."

Once he left, Synergy cupped his hands over his eyes. Guilt roamed around his body.

He got down on his knees and slammed the ground.

"What have I done?"


Outside, Sonic, G-merl, Knuckles, and Silver helped everyone aboard the Restoration Shuttle.

As they helped their friends aboard, the blue hedgehog turned to the black/yellow Gizoid, smiling. "Yo, G-merl."

G-merl turned to Sonic. "What's up?"

Sonic let out a soft chuckle. "I'm not one to dwell on nostalgia, but I gotta say, this whole adventure with Synergy reminded me of when I first met you as Emerl. The moment we met each other; you were just a soulless drone who knew nothing about life. But when we showed you around, you turned out to be a cool guy… when you died, I was sad because I lost a good friend… but now, I got him back and he looks cooler than before."

"I'm flattered, Sonic," G-merl replied. "But is there a point to this?"

"I guess I feel bad we didn't get to spend a lot of time together since you got your new body," Sonic replied, helping Amy on board. "I was wondering if we could hang out sometime. You, me, Amy, Cream, whoever. Try to make new memories together, y'know? Am I sounding too weird?"

"Not at all," G-merl nodded. "I'd love to go on more adventures with you."

As the two exchanged a fist bump, they saw that everyone was on board.

"Good luck, Sonic," G-merl shook the hedgehog's hand. "Come back safe."

"I will," Sonic smiled. But as he grabbed the Chaos Emerald case, his ears flickered; he heard something in the distance. Everyone else heard it too. It was a grunt followed by a whooshing sound. G-merl, Knuckles, and Silver stepped out of the shuttle and stood by Sonic, getting a closer look at what was coming.

Tails, Amy, Tangle, Whisper, and the Chaotix squinted their eyes. They gasped.

Imperator Ix stood in the far distance, holding the orange Chaos Emerald in his hand.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" he huffed like a savage animal.

"You," G-merl snarled softly, clenching his fist.

"Ah, you gotta be kidding me," Sonic moaned. "I'll hold him off, you guys get out of here!"

G-merl patted Sonic's shoulder before he grabbed him by the chest and tossed him inside the ship.

"G-merl, what are you doing!?" the blue hedgehog shouted.

"The right thing," G-merl slammed the shuttle's door shut. He grabbed the Chaos Emeralds and flew into the distance. In a few seconds, he landed in front of Imperator Ix. "IX!"

The white echidna stared at the Gizoid.

"Do you remember me?" G-merl snarled. "Because I remember you!"

Imperator Ix squinted his eyes, analyzing the Gizoid's features. His eyes widened and he chuckled. "Project: Emerl… I remember you. You caused the Argus Event. You're the one who caused Nocturne to be banished into the Twilight Cage."

"Why? Was it because I was a powerful Gizoid? Is that why you're mad at me? Did it ever occur that the Mobian Gods were mad at you for being a grade-A jerk!"

"Enough of this nonsense!" Imperator Ix snarled. "It's time I finish this fight between me and the Resistance."

"Wrong, Ix! This battle isn't between you and the Resistance. It's between you…"

A hand placed itself on G-merl's shoulder.

"And us." A voice spoke.

END OF CHAPTER 37


Angel Island has been separated from Nocturne, but that doesn't mean the battle is over. The Angel Nocturne story arc may be over, but there's one last battle that needs to be fought. G-merl's making one last stand against Imperator Ix. But he's not alone because someone else has joined the battle. Who is this person? How will they help G-merl in this fight? Find out as the climax concludes in...

"Chapter 38: Dear My Friend".

Ha-ha, you all thought it was gonna be called Angel Nocturne: Part 5, didn't ya?


POST-A/N:

Even though I am not a fan of Steven Universe, I have been listening to some songs from the movie thanks to a friend. I figured "Change" would be a perfect song to use for the fight against G-merl and Synergy.

The final conflict between Knuckles and Imperator Ix is inspired by Sonic Universe: Knuckles Return. There is a scene where Knuckles summons the power of the Master Emerald to take down Dr. Finitevus (who inspired the character of Imperator Ix, but you can tell who didn't take that very well. Thank you, Penders).

The orange Chaos Emerald was an idea that came to me because I was dusting the shelf I keep all of my Jazwares 3 Inch Sonic figures in and as I was cleaning Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Super Silver, I remember there was a factory error with one of the Chaos Emeralds. Instead of being cyan, it was orange. So, I decided to use that as the source for the story's true final battle. They later re-released the Super Pack with the cyan emerald, but I'm not spending over $100 on it on Ebay.

Charyb and Scylla are two Gizoids you find towards the end of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. I hate the former because he's in a water level that drains your power points in the first half. Luckily, I made Sonic and Amy unleash my fiery wrath on that guy. I figured I'd squeeze in a reference to them in this story. They actually showed up in the very first Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb, but only those who read that story would barely remember.

Response to Guest: The big finale has arrived, but let's see if the Resistance can handle Imperator Ix in the next chapter!

Response to TheLostEternity: G.U.N. may be full of themselves in this story, but they did come around in the end. Let's hope they don't backstab the Resistance again. Originally, it was just going to be G-merl, Cream, Big, and G.U.N that arrived for the fight, but I figured others should come along. Poor Ray, he's gonna require an explanation. You bet the teasing is gonna continue. Let's hope Team Eggman stays behind bars this time. Thank you so much for your comments yet again. You're awesome and I really hope you're doing well out there :).

That's all I have to say, everyone! Thank you all so much for reading! Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all for the final battle!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)