Hey, guys! Man, I've had a rough time at work lately. I thought I was getting piled with more and more work, and it turns out that I really was. Apparently, people kept getting moved from inventory picking (which is what I do) to working in shipping, leaving me all alone. I mean, WTF? I know I'm one of the best in my department, but I want the title out of genuine hard work, not out of necessity. *sigh*

Anyways, I have an announcement at the end of this chapter that will affect the story's rate of progress, so stick around at the end.

I don't own RWBY or Sonic. Enjoy!

Forest of Forever Fall, Egg ARK

Alarms blared through Eggman's base as the army of Atlas attacked, causing chaos inside. Dark Pawns kept running back and forth in the halls, panicking in a comedic fashion before getting shot down by Atlesian Knights.

In the inner section of the base, Eggman typed furiously into a console. "Activate drones 15 through 60! Shut all blast doors!" He turned to Orbot and Cubot. "You two! How far have they gotten?!"

"The Atlesian army has infiltrated multiple routes, Doctor," replied Orbot calmly. "And they are steadily advancing."

"Cloakin' shield's been disabled, and power's gettin' drained away." Cubot glanced at Eggman. "Boss-man, Ah hate to say it, but we should probably skedaddle."

"Evacuate?!" Eggman cried out as he slammed his fists on the keyboard. "I'm Doctor Eggman, the one to take over this world and remake it as my own! I will never retreat!"

"But Doctor, if we stay, we will surely be taken into custody, and everything you have will be dismantled. If we leave, we can survive, and come back with even greater forces!" Orbot pleaded, both out of concern for Eggman and himself.

Eggman's eyes went back and forth over the screens, typing rapidly. "Well, there is the benefit of running to fight another day."

"It isn't the first time, either!" put in Cubot.

"Shut up, you bucket of bolts."

"No, I think you should stay, Doctor," a female voice called out from the entrance. Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot turned to the source, and were very surprised to see-

"Rouge?!"

The white bat gave a smile and a wave. "Hi there, Eggy. Long time, no see~."

"How in blazes did you get in here?!" Eggman demanded, starting to worry for his safety.

She giggled softly. "Doctor, your security net is so full of holes, it couldn't catch a whale."

This was not true at all, of course. Thanks to the virus Aeromi planted in Eggman's computer systems, many things did go wrong with his operations. However, even the "Smart" A.I. couldn't make anything that could get past Eggman's security. Thankfully, his base wasn't built to defend against intruders from the inside, and a few breaching charges borrowed from the Atlesian military didn't hurt.

"Grrr… What are you doing here, you dirty thief?!" Eggman growled angrily.

"Why Eggman, I'm insulted!" said Rouge. "Didn't you know? We're fighting each other!"

"She has a point, Doctor," commented Orbot.

Eggman pulled out a small laser pistol and pointed it at the bat. "So you came to challenge me in my own base alone?"

"Not alone." Winter Schnee stepped into the office. "Doctor Ivo Robotnik, you are under arrest by the authority of the Atlesian military." She held up her sword. "Call off your robots. If you come quietly, we don't have to turn this into an execution."

"Oh, there's going to be an execution all right… Yours!" Eggman fired a pink bolt at the two, but Winter blocked it with her sword, deflecting it into the ceiling. He tried to fire again, but a bullet from one of Rouge's pistols hit the laser gun, making Eggman drop it.

"It's over, Doctor. You're fighting a battle you can't win." Winter narrowed her eyes. "There's no shame in surrendering."

Eggman was now sweating profusely, stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. He glanced over to his hover pod, just 10 feet away. If he could reach it, he would be safe to escape and activate the self-destruct of the base. But there was no way that Rouge and Winter would allow him to even move that direction.

Suddenly, Winter's radio crackled to life. "Commander Schnee! Hostile contacts coming in from the south! It's the White Fang!"

"What?!"

"They came out of nowhere! They're- aaagh!" the soldier's voice cut out. The base rumbled slightly, making Rouge and Winter lose their balance and stumble a bit.

Eggman, taking advantage of their distraction, raced to his pod at a speed that would even impress Sonic. He strapped himself in and pushed a few buttons, causing the machine to come to life. Two panels opened up in the front, and two missiles got into firing position pointing at Rouge and Winter. "Gahahaha! What was that about fighting a battle I can't win?!" He pushed a button, firing the missiles at them. "Get a load of this!"

Rouge quickly shot one missile while the other was intercepted by a small white Nevermore summoned by Winter. The two explosions knocked them back and filled the room with smoke. Winter propped herself on an elbow and looked at Rouge. "Are you okay?!" she shouted due to the hearing loss caused by the explosions.

"I'm fine though my ears hurt!" she shouted back, holding them. As a bat, her hearing was more sensitive than the other Mobians. She looked around the room. "Where did Eggman go?!"

Winter carefully stood upright and scanned the room. It was a complete mess, thanks to the missiles that Eggman launched at them. However, Orbot, Cubot, and the megalomaniac himself were nowhere to be found. "He got away," she ground out, furious at herself for getting distracted.

More explosions rocked the base. "We'd better get out of here, too!" Rouge got up from the floor and headed to the exit. "If the White Fang is attacking, the army needs support!"

"Right!" Winter put the matter of Eggman's escape out of her mind for now. There would always be another chance to put him away for good.

That is, if he didn't release Dralux first.

Outside, Eggman's Egg Pod hovered next to a Bullhead. "If you were one of my underlings, I'd give you an F in efficiency! But you get an A+ in perfect timing."

Roman Torchwick, leaning from the Bullhead, rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I always thought appearance matters most, anyways. Are you sure about leaving the base to them?"

"I don't like it, but my secondary facility is much closer, and can be more effective in the long run. The Grimm in this area have also all been cleared out, so there really is no point in me staying here," said Eggman. "Besides, this location is clearly not a secret anymore."

"You got that right…" Roman sighed. "At any rate, I just got orders from my… employer. She wants us to bide our time and don't make any reckless moves at the moment. Not until she gets back."

"Hm… So where is the fire witch, and when will she get back?"

"Sir, we should go now, the Atlesian army is sending reinforcements," the pilot Faunus said to Roman.

"Alright then, Perry. Move us back to the hideout." He looked at Eggman. "No more than a week. See you later, Egghead."

As the two separated, Eggman had a feeling that his alliance with Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall would be hazardous to his health. "I'd better get my own backup plans ready..." he muttered to himself as his pod blasted off towards Mountain Glenn.

Somewhere in the Kingdom of Haven

Cinder Fall walked up a small pathway, her heels clicking softly on the stone. The landscape surrounding her differed greatly from the Forest of Forever Fall. There were no plants to be found, no trees or grass or flowers. Just bare rock and purple Dust crystals that glowed softly in a feeble attempt to make the area less dreary, and in fact, gave the land more of an evil aura.

Most people would want to get away from such a place, but for Cinder, this was the only place where she truly felt at home. It was the solitude she liked, for there was only one other person to share it with in this place.

She looked up at the end of the path, seeing the other person. A woman with white hair was gazing at the land, her cloak wrapped around her shoulders. Sensing the other woman's presence, she turned around, showing Cinder her pale face and red eyes. "Welcome, my apprentice," she said softly.

Cinder kneeled before her as a sign of subservience and respect. "Mistress Salem." She smiled at the other woman. "It's been too long."

Salem nodded. "Indeed… I have heard much about your achievements in Vale. Soon, the emptiness in you will be fulfilled, my dear."

"Until then, I'll let this hunger fuel my desires," she said, rising. "However… I have a feeling that our partnership with Dr. Eggman needs to be rethought."

"What are your reasons?" Salem asked, curious.

"Simply put, he's too focused on the other Mobians, and his plans for Dralux are remarkable shallow, with no regard for what happens after he destroys his nemesis, Sonic," Cinder said with disdain.

Salem crossed her arms. "I take it you have a backup plan?"

"Yes, Mistress." With that, Cinder explained to Salem what her plan was. When she was finished, the pale woman gave an evil smirk. "I would expect no less from you. You have my permission and my blessing. Go forth and do what must be done."

As Cinder left, Salem once again looked out upon the hellish landscape, her red eyes glowing with a sinister light. "Ozpin… Your days of peace will be brought to an end soon enough…"

Thanks to the appearance of Salem, I think I might have a way to make this story somewhat canon. If the experiment works, great. If it doesn't, thank goodness I plan to rewrite this story anyways.

Alright, I have something important to say to you guys. I will probably have to stop writing for a while. My hand, which I injured in a car wreck about a year ago, still hurts (And having to pick up the slack from everyone else is a huge contributing factor). After going to several doctors, I found out that I have a ligament tear in my left thumb that didn't heal properly, so I need surgery. I'm sorry to do this to you, but it's something I have to do. This story, as well as my Zelda one, is now on hiatus. I don't know when I'll be able to type again, but I'm not abandoning my stories, not by a long shot. So thank you for reading, and I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I can!