Bright blue skies were what greeted the children as Cream let them out of her villa. The smell of freshly cut grass met her nose as the kids of various species waved her goodbye as they went to play. They had only two rules to follow: don't be mean to each other, be calm and civil, and never go past the borders.

And what were those borders? Why, they were the massive 21 pillars surrounding the 400 square mile perimeter of her estate, of course! The massive black obelisks stuck out of the ground like lightning rods, proving protection from the rancid air and polluted skies outside the borders of her property. They also were the reason that there were blue skies, bountiful harvests, and fresh, clean water. Cream couldn't even begin to fathom how they even worked, but she knew this wasn't going to last. Today was the last day that timer in the sky would be there, and despite conquering over 90% of Mobius, Eggman still thought the paltry 'resistance' was enough of a threat to begin a nearly century long invasion plan, and it started with what laid outside of the the Rabbit estate.

Should anyone be foolish enough to ignore the obvious threat to their lives -and there were plenty- and go past the obelisks, they would see large swathes of land dominated by factories, all of them bearing the logo of Dr. Eggman proudly on their tallest buildings. Mixed in with these factories were decaying, dying fields of trees and grass, abandoned buildings crumbling from lack of use and the pollution weakening the structures centuries before the ravages of time could get its hands on them, and shoes and gloves as far as the eye could see. And then you'd horribly mutate from the sheer amount of pollution in the air and die. If there was one good thing about these factories, whatever their purpose was, it was that at least the dead couldn't be used by the madman anymore. You go out there for less than a minute, you're dead, end of story. There was no Golden Gate Bridge, no G.U.N outpost, and no human architecture. If there were any humans left, she pitied them; going up to Little Planet was their best hope of survival.

Here though, you were safe, you could live out the rest of your life happily before the end, and rest assured, the end was coming, and Cream bore the brunt of that weight.

Where her mother Vanilla was a thing of beauty in her heyday, easily the talk of the town despite the risk of keeling over any second, Cream took after the women during her last days, where the stress of everything falling apart ruined her mind and body. To start with

There was her daughter's depression over her friends and childhood heroes dying, with the literal fungal like growth of Eggman's factories that didn't even produce anything as far as anyone could see

Then her first real friend outside of Cheese, a certain pink hedgehog, was taken to Little Planet, and dealing with the fallout when said daughter realized how quickly humans aged compared to Mobians, took its toll on her.

And also the fact this was their last day as a free people.

Then there were the pollutants that she helped filter out of the area to make this sanctuary possible. 450 Mobians and 500 human scientists made this possible, and now this was the last bastion of green on Mobius as far as anyone knew, and Cream was going to keep it that way.

So to put it bluntly, all of that did not do her body any favors, and to say she looked like crap was like saying Eggman used to have redeeming qualities. He never did, but he had limits despite his insanity. All of this made the rabbit already pushing 85 look 5 times her age. A hunch from a bad back injury that necessitated the cane she was using to hobble, and if it wasn't for the imported filters/hearing aids to help her body manage the pollutants, her bones would be in even worse shape!

One does not decide to take in thousands of orphans and people of different backgrounds and species and expect to come out of that looking like roses, and if there was one regret the elder rabbit had amongst many others, it was not learning how in the world her mother managed to do just that, every single day!

As she watched the children play, trying her best to ignore the unease in their eyes and the shaking of their bodies, the truth decided to rear its ugly head with its deafening bell.

GONG! GONG! GONG!

"Oh dear." Every month for the past three years that blasted bell rang, and each and every time,the sheer weight of what was to come literally forced even the strongest people to their knees. Thankfully the children here were made of sterner stuff, she made sure of that. But this time, she wasn't they couldn't even withstand it! For the bell's echo this time lacked none of the fear and panic that accompanied it's ring. Every night, Little Planet, or what used to be Little Planet, hung in the air in place of the moon. And the further along Little Planet's metamorphosis was, the more intense the bell's chime became. And with how powerful the bell was this time, every child, elder, and weak minded adult, fell unconscious as far as she could see, and her own bones threatening to crack then the end was coming sooner than expected. Who knows how long they had left, it could be mere hours!

And with that sobering thought in mind, she needed to prepare. No matter how much everyone hated one another, they all deserved one last bit of happiness, together. Because before the day even ended….

GONG! GONG! GONG!

...Everyone would learn to love Eggman.


Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Mytyl was going to be so happy to hear normal rainfall again, and it seemed that Mephiles and Asimov were too, as the latter produced a dome of electricity around the three of them, altering the vibrations in the air with its current so they could hear the demon dressed as a little girl as he continued to explain what was so important about this empty room. "Seven times I have used my power to The Freedom Fighters Of Palmtree Panic. The Marauders of Stardust Speedway. The Forget-Me-Knots of Wacky Workbench!" Damn it Eggman…

"All of them sacrificed themselves to get you two here, and I do mean that literally." The two humans ignored the joy he took in that -whether it was his inner sadist or the disturbing child whose appearance he took that was influencing him, they didn't know- as he continued on. "Their love for freedom, their love for justice, their LOVE for venga-" He paused, still walking, as he got control of himself. "As I was saying, their efforts against Eggman have led up to this grand moment, their lives nothing more than mere distractions for you, the Muse, and you, the first Azure Striker, to get here."

"Get to the point." Mytyl said with utter venom as they followed the demon off of the conveyor belt and through a doorway."Some of those were literal children you conscripted, don't you dare-"

"-They were children who knew the risks." Mephiles countered, not even looking at them as he ushered them into the room. "They were a rarity, souls who slipped through the cracks of the thieving doctor's iron grip on their friends and loved ones without my assistance. I need not turn them into pawns for my cause, they were already fanatics the day they questioned the rule of ." He chuckled, sensing the utter hatred the girl was directing his way, and the apathy of Asimov. "We're here."

With a ding, the hallway they were just in faded away into something miraculous, spectacular! "This chamber was constructed by two very eager helpers, former assistants of the doctor. I figured you'd appreciate the normality on display."

"It's…" Asimov couldn't believe what he was seeing! "Colorful!" The hallway was smooth and clean like everywhere else, but it was bluish-white! Something other than a singular color! And this room still had power! He could sense that the power source from this room was separate from the building's main power grid, which powered the unnecessary green lines that formed the rims of the walls, fading in and out at intermittent intervals! COLOR! "This...it's…" It almost brought a tear to his eye. It was so plain and uninteresting by any sane person's standards, but this was a goddamn art piece compared to what he'd been living with!

"It's..vibrant." Mytyl muttered. It wasn't as bright as her sanctuary back when she was a child but it wasn't so clinical and sterile either. Granted this was a featureless hallway, but given what she lived with, she'd take anything she could get!

21 minutes later, once their eyes and bodies took a couple minutes to get used to the change in scenery, they were taken to a massive chamber, brightly lit to show the yellow walls and now red rims of the room's edges. Massive transport crates were put just about everywhere with no sense of organization, and the room had this somewhat musty smell to it. It was obvious this place hadn't been used in a while, and given how Eggman seemed to be all seeing, that was quite odd.

"Minion 2." Mephiles's voice echoed. "Bring the materials now. And don't screw it up!" He let out a vulnerable, deep suffering sigh. "That is one of the helpers I mentioned. I managed to capture one of the thieving doctor's old minions and bring him to my cause. He's….." He let out another deep sigh as the minion in question came floating in with a giant bag. "He's…."

"IMMA HERE!" The voice of a very annoying and yellow square robot shouted, loudly, at the top of his lungs. "YO, SO WHATS THE HIZZAP MEPHI-BRO?!"

Mephiles raised his hand to stop Asimov when his electrical powers spiked."Be silent and drop the parts."And lower your voice!"

"Sheet holmes!"Cubot grumbled as he gently dropped the bag and quickly assembled the device in between the time he said the word Holmes and his next sentence. "Always keepin' a robot down Mephi-sellout."

"What in the world…" Mytyl muttered.

"I.." Asimov dropped off. "I don't…" That thing in the room, it was the most Sonic/Eggman lookign thing here. "That can't…"

He could feel the human's stares on his back. "No,you cannot use your Septima on him, Asimov. Getting him to be this competent requires his vocal components to be like this, and believe me, I've tried everything. Just be glad I fixed it so that he doesn't change his voice-"

"NOT THAT!"Mytyl yelled, pointing to the object Cubot assembled in rage. "You mean to tell me that our end all, be all plan-"

"-Was a crappy looking signpost?" Asimov finished calmly as his eyes were bulging with utter fury inside his mask. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious." Mephiles countered, using his powers to bring Cubot to him and turn him off. "This is our final gambit, the last Time Warp Sign in existence!" His proclamation was met with deadpan silence, but he ignored it. "As the name suggests, this sign, which took decades to recreate, will allow us a one way trip into the past of this world."

"I see…."Mytyl muttered. "It's quite tiny." It's only 4 feet tall, for god's sake!

"So are most Mobians, and this was made for them."Mephiles responded. "Upon successfully flipping the sign, you will be imbued with Chronal Energy that will allow you to time travel at your leisure. But!" He quickly turned around. "There's a catch, however. The energy needed to send you to the past will not activate unless the object or being affected by this energy reaches a speed of at least 88 miles per hour, and stays at that speed for a maximum of five seconds. If you cannot manage that, then the energy will fade….and the sign will become useless for 30 hours."

"And only one of us can go through, correct?" Asimov asked. The speed was what he was here for after all. He was the only one left alive not on Eggman's side that could imitate that blue cyclops's speed. "Considering how bad our luck has been today, that seems like it would be the icing on the cake."

"Astute as always, Asimov." The demon's praise was undercut by the sheer anger at the situation at hand. "I had hoped to acquire two Chaos Emeralds to transport the two of you and this warehouse full of evidence and materials to a known empty safehouse in your past, but with all the energies from the other Emeralds being used to power Eggman's armada, this is the best I could do. If I had grabbed more than one, then the sheer imbalance from the generators would have fried us all, or forced Eggman awake, neither of which is an option."

Mephiles warped over to the sign, a good few feet away from it. A forcefield formed around the object of their salvation, colored blue and carrying the Eggman Empire logo on it. "This...ughh...Eggfield, CopyrightEggmanEnterprisesEggmanownsyou-" The two humans winced in sympathy. There was a reason they didn't mention regular, nondescript objects like say, a toothbrush, out loud. "-Will keep the Time Warp Sign inactive until we are ready. Thanks to the data you've given me on your various sectors over the decades, as well as my last few pawns sacrificing themselves to get this information to me, we have one other advantage in our fight. But with that comes a question…" He looked the two in the eyes, slapping Cubot off when he woke up. "Which one of you will go into the-"

"Her." Asimov interrupted, much to the two's shock. "She was young and frail in that timeline, and I'm pretty sure she didn't have anything resembling an ego." If everything went to plan, then he would have never suggested this, but this was their best chance. "If I go, my past self will probably take my story as a cautionary tale on how to better go along his destructive path, and given what you've told us about the cyclops and Eggman, that could risk the two of them working together." And there is no way past Asimov, even with his help, would be able to take on Eggman, the cyclops, and that metal copy of said cyclops, with the Chaos Emeralds at their beck and call. At worst, he'd kill Sonic, and the last thing anyone needed was for Eggman to do the smart thing instead of getting into some ridiculous contraption like that stupid gambling slot tank.

"I see." Mephiles warped to Mytyl and held out a red gemstone, one that was burning his hand. This time however, his hand was covered in a thick metal glove, so it didn't blow off his limb or something. "You remember what this is, right?"

Mytyl nodded, rubbing her head in pain as she recalled the memory. It's how she even recalled so much of her past…pasts…whatever."Oh I remember pretty well…" She patted the similarly shaped stone in her pocket.

"That's good. People usually don't when exposed to a Time Stone for as long as you have."

"We don't have much time." Asimov interrupted. "What was so important you had to wait this long to tell us?"

"Ah, yes." Mephiles warped over to Cubot and slapped him on the back of his head. With a loud yell that made all three wince despite living with tinnitus inducing rainfall for years, a holo-screen appeared in the center of the room, showing a very familiar blue creature, only shorter, chubbier, and with black eyes. It looked to be a recording, taken from what looked to be a tripod. "I'm sure you two don't need introductions to who this child is." The two humans were silent. "This is the power that these seven stones are able to produce."

"D-does he have a mohawk?" Mytyl asked in confusion. "And why does the top of his eyeball look like, a but- oh my god he's talking."

{Yeah yeah yeah check it peeps!} Asimov's eye twitched; so that's why Eggman made his version of Sonic talk like that! {This is S to the O the N the I to the C, Sonic! And I'm here to-}

Mephiles fast forwarded. "The next couple minutes are what some would call verbal self fellation."

"I didn't even think it was possible to make me hate him even more, but I do now."

"I..I think I agree with you?" Mytyl said in utter bafflement. "What era is he even from?!" She didn't even know where he was pulling out these chili dogs from, a common complaint Zonda, Gv, and plenty others had of his species, but the bright obnoxious borders and the sped up rock music stunk of a decade that had long since passed.

The footage continued to speed up as it looked like the younger Sonic was shilling some music CD that had him with a blonde human of questionable intelligence in a red dress fawning over him. It just kept going, and going, and going… "This is the only record of the significance of these stones, so bear with it."...and going… "There."

The video resumed, this time showing Sonic above a polluted cityscape. {This here used to be Metallic Madness, a total dullsville, but a nice enough place. Till ole Buttnik ruined it!} Young Sonic grinned a punchable grin as he held out all the Time Stones, which started to glow in his massive hands. {But that's all about to change; check it!}

What happened next defied everything the two humans knew about Septimas, so much so that they could ignore the obnoxious pop ballad with vocals by Sonic, that was just full of voice cracks and lyrics a 12 year old would find cool, or 'kewl!' going by the annoying bouncing words over the screen. "I can't get rid of those either; I tried." And then he exploded, as he always did when those stones activated.

But the two humans could ignore that. They saw what was going on, and more than that, they felt it. Each and every dilapidated city street, rotted tree, polluted lake, all of it was cleansed. The trees came back to life, the water turned a crystal clear blue, and the putrid brown cityscape became a bright cyan that looked like an idealistic version of a futuristic city. "I'm turning it off here." A reforming Mephiles said as the two humans crumpled to the floor."He had a sister that sounded just like him, and I assume none of you wanted to hear what that sounds like."

"N-no…" Asimov stuttered, his body shaking. "That…that actually happened!" You can't fake something like that! Every single cell in his body, every single piece of him connected to the Lifewave, he felt the rejuvenation that the city in the video underwent, as if he was reborn as well!

"I feel so fresh and re-energized." Mytyl said, as neither human noticed the change to their voices. "I feel so young again!"

"You should. The mere presence of the seven Time Stones activating is enough to activate any Time Stone in the vicinity, as well as affect their wielders depending on the morality of their usage, such as rejuvenating those that have been marred by corruption." He could sense that they got the hint as their suits unlocked all on their own, Mytyl beginning to shrink. "And with your suits no longer recognizing you, they will now be disengaged. And with no Eggnet online at the moment, your organs will stay right where they are. I think you'll find this quite desirable." He narrowed his eyes as he wanted to groan. 'That's right.' Just because he stopped the main force, that didn't mean-

"I must go." It was time for a certain lapine to hold up their end of the bargain.


Dishes and food were everywhere, the sounds of merriment having left the meeting hall a while ago. All that was left was the elderly rabbit caretaker and her Chao. looking out of the window, she petted Cheese gently, Chao hugging her to comfort her the best he could. It was almost time, she could feel it!

GONG! GONG! GONG!

The bell once again rang throughout Mobius, stopping every man, woman and child as they all looked to the quickly reddening sky overpowering the Obelisk's illusions. A strange presence imposed itself onto the animal people, keeping them frozen in fear as battleships could scarcely be seen around key points of the world. The fear was enough to make them all pass out, save for a certain rabbit and Chao, but they knew it was only a matter of time before they woke up; they wouldn't have a choice.

Cream found herself clutching Cheese for dear life, until a snap of the fingers caused her to break free. She brushed her hair from her face, catching her breath as her Chao consoled her. "It's time." As the bell kept booming, a loud, familiar laughter filled her ears, causing her features to contort into a hateful snarl. "You're late." She said to the air. Despite the fact she could barely hear her own voice now, she knew he could hear him. "Did you do it?"

"Indeed I did." The rabbit woman turned to her dining room table, where a very familiar demon was sitting atop of it with his legs crossed. "The Muse and the Azure Striker are ready. All she has to do is activate the sign and through the bureaucratic red tape your heroes set up, and this future will be no more." His eyes contained malicious mirth in them as he stared at the rabbit, so full of hate for his very existence. "How are the children? Still alive, I hope. You were so irresponsible during your first year..." Cream said nothing, Cheese burying herself in her arms so as not to look at the creature. "And now for my end of the bargain." Falsifying that ridiculous rumor with the Echidna, getting the Dark Egg Legion's help in constructing these towers, Ms. Rabbit and child were very, very naughty. "Your mother truly raised you well for such a decrepit waste of-:"

"SHUT UP!" Cream yelled, taking one of the dinner plates she had for the children and throwing it straight into Mephiles's face. It did nothing, didn't even make him flinch, and all that she got out of it was wasted time. "You have no right to talk about her in my presence! It's all your fault that this-"

"DON'TYOU DARE!" Both rabbit and Chao were forced in the air by the demon, Cream never breaking eye contact with him. "I wish for the end of things, the end of time, not this perverted zombification of eternity! Never put me and that weak, pitiful human in the same sentence, ever!" She fell to the ground in agony, only for the pain and broken bones to be healed by Mephiles. "Be lucky our contract still stands. It may be only for at least another half hour or so, but I keep my promises." He waited until Cream got back up, shuddering in pain and looking him straight in the eye. "Now then, your end of the deal, please."


"M-My body!" Mytyl couldn't stop the manic, uncontrollable laughter that escaped her lips as she basically felt all over her younger form. "Heheheheheh, m-my body!" Oh sure it was her 14 year old body which meant she was just as tall as Sonic or Gibril…or Zonda, but she was young, she was healthy! She had a full head of hair, and she didn't have a freaking mustache! And she even had her old pink sleepwear from back then! Guess the Time Stones had a thing for modesty!

The fact she had Zonda's voice however was something she didn't pick up on until just now. Her mood deflated immensely, hearing the non Asian voice coming from her own lips, bereft of any ability to sing, and whose every cadence was flat and bland. But she could worry about that later; it wasn't like she ever used her voice when she was with her brother, after all!

Asimov felt his long white hair, soft and lined with the electricity from his Septima. Clad in his black and grey body armor, he flexed his arm in front of him, appreciating the feel of actual muscle for the first time in years. "This feels AMAZING!" No more beady eyes, no more mustache! He could hear his own voice for the first time in years! Shame Kamizono's child was going to be the only one who'd enjoy their regained youth.

Cubot had the good sense not to open his mouth because the giant white haired guy was very scary. Not scary like his boss before he went all cuckoo in the choo choo, but Shadow scary!

The two adjusted to their regained forms, staying far away from each other, and by the time they adjusted to their restoration, Mephiles had returned, with 21 pitch black orbs floating above his reforming head. "I have returned with the next part of our plan." The orbs flew out and disappeared, revealing 28 items, 7 sword shaped items of different colors, 7 different colored books, and 7 golden quills. The remaining 7 were shrouded in darkness, and neither human could tell just what they were. "Mytyl. Since you were chosen to go back in time, it's only fitting you choose one of these."

Asimov raised a brow. "And what is the point of you holding on to those?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"YEAH!" Cubot yelled in a southern accent. "You need one of them Septim Tank thingies to use em, and the big guy over there looks like he don't need the power boost!"

"You're correct." Asimov said arrogantly. Whether it be a Sumeragi Glaive, An Eden Grimoire, or those feathers that reminded him of another timeline, he was far stronger than any Adept that needed their power. "The power of the Muse is incompatible with these things, you know that right?"

"Yes, but that's not the point." Mephiles said. "The point is to figure out which aspect of her is the most dominant. Use the Azure Striker to sense out her spiritual energy. Notice anything?"

Asimov turned to her, his eyes widening at the short, 4 foot tall girl. "Impossible! She-"

"SHE A FRANKENSTEIN HOLMES!" 'Mytyl' fell to the floor from the volume, her soulless magenta eyes switching to a lively angry green, a golden yellow, and back to their 'original' color as she stared at the yellow robot. "Sheeeeeeeeeeee-"

Mephiles kicked him into a crate. "The Time Stones of Little Planet barely tolerate my presence, and because the child within you helped ending two worlds, hate you even more than they do me. And yet they have given me these anchors, 21 of them, each representing your past, your present, and your futures. Whichever one you pick will be the era you will be sent to, as well as show to all of us which aspect of you is in control, and how much the Time Stones will cooperate with you."

"Impressive." Never had Asimov heard a mission briefing be so threatening without an ounce of emotion. "You hear that, right? Those stones barely tolerate your presence, and given how 25% of you is responsible for this, I assume that they will make our mission harder if you can't control that part of yourself."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Mytyl said as she walked towards the 21 objects, trying her best not to look at the 7 quills. "So I just have to pick one, right?" She said brusquely to Mephiles.

"Correct." Mephiles answered with a nod. "In addition to setting your starting point upon traveling back through time, the one you pick will grant you the Septima of the last Adept that wielded these items." He narrowed his eyes. "Keep in mind what I said about their hatred of you, and choose wisely."

A part of Mytyl shivered."Necromancy, lightspeed, explosive fire, portals…" And that was just Sumeragi's! "Sub Zero ice control, high speed and crystal production, trichokinesis…" A fondness spread throughout her body. Her eyes magenta as she reached for the blue book, only for her other hand to slap herself in the face as her legs pulled her away. "S-sorry."

Mephiles saw her eyes go back to their original gold. "Good. because if you touched that book in the state you were just in, that perverted freak whose appearance I share would be the one traveling back in time." Mytyl paled, taking another step back. "Close your eyes and focus on the aspects that make you Mytyl Kamizono. Focus on the aspects related to that, and nothing else.

"Ok." Mytyl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly approaching the weapons. 'Just think...just think…' Her memories of the past were clear as day, and yet completely hazy. And as she reminisced, the Time Stone in her gown pocket glowed, an ominous purple.

Mephiles took a step back. He wanted to see the show for himself, and did not want to spend the next few minutes regenerating.

"Remember…" Mytyl told herself as she grit her teeth and balled up her tiny fists. "Remember!" She was Mytyl Kamizono, she was Mytyl Kamizono, SHE WAS MYTYL KAMIZONO!

And soon the memories came rushing back.


Cream sat on her porch, petting Cheese on the head as the two senior citizens stared up at the bright blue sky. "It's funny, I almost miss the dark reds." She said wistfully as she saw the grass bend and mold into tar and then pavement. It was a slow, laborious process, one that she could no longer stop. "It fit Eggman to make the skies his favorite color." This bright blue sky that she saw was fake, and blatantly so. Her eyes couldn't tell, but every bone in her body and her animal instincts were saying what she was seeing was a perversion of everything beautiful.

"Momma, I did everything I could." There were a lot of struggles, a lot of heartbreak, and a lot of pain, but she fulfilled her mom's last wish: to make everyone's last moments a happy one. If they were here, they'd be fighting to the end. Tails would work with NICOLE to figure out a solution, Sonic would run with as many people as he could to get them to safety, and knuckles would destroy every building he could see, just like when Eggman caught them. She was there for everything; the parasitic growth of Robotropolis, the 'death' of the Dark Egg Legion, the corruption of the Echidnas…when those three fell, so did Mobius, and Eggman wasn't finished.

After all, how could that thing be satisfied if everyone wasn't walking a mile in his shoes?

She closed her eyes as the pipes sprung up from the ground exactly like weeds, pipes forming in the ground, slithering through the new roads like worms through an intestinal tract, as the wood on her porch formed into ice cold metal. She wished she could say she was going to see them all again, but she wasn't that lucky.

"Good luck…" And as the final gong rang, she closed her eyes, just as brown, human peach fuzz began to form on the sides of her's and Cheese's cheeks.

00:00:00

TIME'S UP


"I am Mytyl Kamizono, I am Mytyl Kamizono."

Mytyl remembered waking up on her 12th birthday, happy to finally eat something close to regular food thanks to her family's doctor.

She remembered Nori teaching her simple middle school math like Algebra V, and she got it faster than her brother did when he was taught Algebra IV when he was 8!

She remembered Lola, how curious and cute she was back when her AI was brand new, crashing into things, getting words wrong, and even learning how to cuss! She didn't know if her brother gave Lola's pod form the sense of touch back then, but it sure looked like it when Nori washed her with soap afterwards! She looked so miserable, that Mytyl couldn't help but laugh!

"I am Mytyl Kamizono, I am Mytyl Kamizono."

She remembered learning how to type, and then learning how to use a tablet, and how she much preferred using a touch screen. Her brother looked so disappointed! He could be such an old man sometimes!

She remembered GV, coming back from a terrible mission involving a deranged Adept that controlled insects, and how she...she…

"I am Mytyl Kamizono… I am Mytyl Kamizono…"

She remembered a blonde angel rescuing her from Sumeragi.

She remembered when Nori showed her how to fix a TV with a karate chop.

She remembered how GV showed her simple self defense measures, like where to taser a stranger for maximum effect, and how to escape pursuit. Oh he was so proud of her when she aced gym class afterwards!

"I am Mytyl Kamizono…Joul…I… am Mytyl Kamizono…."

She remembered when Lola got her human form after her human master swiped the mirror shard from her brother's hand. She was so innocent at that time, but even she had to give a dubious look at her brother when she saw how...form-fitting Lola's outfit was. How a teenager could deny so much and yet stay so monotone was one of her brother's amazing talents.

"I am Joull….ora..cle…. I am Mytyl Kamizono, I-I am Mytyl Kamizono!"

'Two memories...two memories!' She knew she had them, but the other was like a fading dream. Bits and pieces often came to the forefront of her mind but quickly disappeared! She never had them be so clear!

She remembered when Sumeragi's Swordsman, some weirdo kid her age in a giant chair, punched a hole in her house and kidnapped her.

"Hehehehehe…" The soulless eyes of Eden's oracle greeted Mephiles as a twisted smile came on Mytyl's face. "Worthless…primitive! You…you will…."

"Oh my god." Asimov said as he slapped his hand to his face.

"Oh come on!" Mephiles growled. "ASIMOV, GET THAT STONE!"

She remembered a purple kid GV's age in silly purple hair strapping her into a machine. It was so dark, so cold..

A glassy, pink blade nearly shot through Asimov's face, the man dodging it by just a centimeter. "She's using her Septima!"

"I can see that!"

She remembered GV fighting the silly purple haired man and...he..turned into a robot? That wasn't clear.

"GV!GV!GV!"

She remembered escaping with GV and being shot down.

She remembered Sumeragi's soldiers raiding her sanctuary when her brother was away, killing Nori in front of her.

She remembered when she met Asimov, trapped in some container and glowing blue.

She remembered him laughing maniacally as she was kept conscious when the scalpel opened her head.

Screaming..so much screaming! And he just kept laughing, and laughing, that sadistic, DISGUSTING MONSTER!

Her brother she saw her brother why did he abandon her so many dead so many dead Demerzel Demerzel hate Demerzel HATE DEMERZEL KILL DEMERZEL! KILL HIM NOW!

"ENOUGH!" Mytyl woke up at the sound of Mephiles' voice. She found herself without the Time Stone. She saw it was in Asimov's hand, and her hands were busy choking the life out of the older man. "Get off him, now!" She looked to Mephiles, who had finished regenerating.

"I… am…My..tyl…" A smile came onto her face. "Mytyl! My name is Mytyl Kamizono!" She said her name! I am Mytyl Kamizono!" She let out a gleeful giggle. "I am Mytyl Kamizono!" Oh god, she forgot how good it felt to say her own name!

"Good for you." Mephiles told her, pointing to the left. "But we have a problem."

"Huh?" Mytyl turned to where he was pointing, her jaw dropping as she saw someone that looked exactly like her, only with purple hair and wearing a blue dress, shaking in utter terror. "Is that...Joule?"

"Yes." Mephiles said. "You messed up, and went too far back." He groaned. At least he couldn't sense Zonda in either of them. She was there, but barely, which was good enough for him. She could have at least "If I didn't stop you in time, you would have been reduced to a frail child, killed by her own gifts. Go on Mytyl. Say hello to your sister."

The now 4 foot tall 15 year old girl stared at her other self. "You're real…" She had her memories of her, but it didn't feel real!

"So are you.." The other girl said with equal amazement, in that loathsome voice that wasn't either of theirs, as she walked towards her. "I have my own body back."

"I know." Mytyl said back. "It feels weird, huh?" Joule nodded. "What was the last thing you remember?"

"Xiao telling GV about where Eden's base was. We boarded a private jet to go to the Garden…" She blinked. "This isn't the Garden;where are we?" And then She saw Mephiles, and all the color drained from her face. "Z-Z-Z-Z-" And then she saw Asimov, and began to scream everyone's ears off.

"Don't mistake me for that child." As a demon, whoever messed that child up to have her confuse her gender identity for kinks and sexual identity had his kudos. That was an impressive amount of cruelty to inflict on a child. And it made it real fun to mess with her mind as the elder Kamizono killed all her precious men. Corrupting children, such a delightful pastime."But I am an ally. Search your memories, you and your twin share the same thoughts."

"My twin-" Joule's eyes widened as she got an eyeful of her past experiences. "O..oh my god.."

Mytyl watched as Joule's stomach relieved itself of its contents. "It doesn't get any easier, trust me." She watched her twin's eyes bore into the down Asimov's, and she quickly moved to stop her from choking the life out of him. "Stop it." She gently took Joule's hands into her own, and gave her a gentle smile. "It's ok, we'll fix this."

"But...but...he..he tried to kill GV!"

"He has a lot to answer for. If he didn't regret a single thing he did, he wouldn't be conscious. Trust me." She held her hands as tightly as she could, inwardly panicking. 'Did she just say what I think she did?!'

"..." Joule looked into the eyes of her twin and relaxed slightly. "O-ok..I trust you."

"Good." Mephiles's voice made the purple haired girl jump. "Because your little escapade into your own mind took far longer than expected. We only have 30 minutes left."

""WHAT?!" Mytyl yelled. "How the-" No, no!" "Alright then." Mytyl got off of Asimov and turned to Joule. "So now it's up to me and Asimov, right?"

"Her too." Mephiles said, Joule flinching when he pointed to her. "Your power is divided between the two of you. All three of you must work together."

"Ok…" Joule said, gathering her nerves. "I can't do much in this body, and I'm pretty much good for only one thing." She gave a sad smile. "That's what I have to do, right?" Mephiles nodded. "Ok!." She turned to Mytyl with a confident smile, who gave her one in return.

"Excellent." With just a snap of Mephiles's fingers, Asimov shot back up, right as rain and not gasping for air as he thought he would. "Constructing the Time Warp Sign was simple, incredibly so. What little magic remains in Little Planet recognizes the device and has granted it the power of chronokinesis. The problem that has eluded us so far is the power source, and the steps needed to place you exactly where you need to be."

"I.." Asimov took a second; suddenly breathing again after getting the life choked out of you took a bit to get used to. "I assumed I would be the power source."

"You are one of the power sources." Mephiles answered. "The other has to be something with a strong, powerful influence in the desired time period to send the target to. As I said, making the sign was child's play. Making the materials however, especially for our purposes, was not. Replicating the technology of the Sumeragi Corporation using Mobian alloys, miniaturizing it to fit into a three foot tall sign so the planet will accept it, and bathing it all in the Chaos energy that envelops this planet, all of this required decades of technological breakthrough under the nose of a semi omnipotent tyrant, and now,we have the power source...or power sources to be exact. The anchor has to be important enough to that specific era for the Time Warp Sign to hone in on the date and time you desire. A Time Stone will help with locking it in, but with how weak this particular sign is, we need more: the power of the Azure Striker, whose feats were once intertwined with the fate of this world, and the Muse, whose songs dictated humanity's course."

Mephiles continued "Your voice is that of a generation, for all the good and ill that it entails. By hearing your song, it will provide the sign the final piece needed to travel to the exact point where you can change the future."

"And that's it?" Joule asked, shaking as she came forward, still trying to process all this. "And what happens then? Will we be sent back to our old bodies in the past?"

"Yes." Mephiles answered before he interrupted Joule. "And it won't be during your captivity, either of yours. The emotional response will activate your shared Septima, and in your case-" He turned to Mytyl as Joul sighed in relief, her shaking softening in intensity. "Let your brother and his enemies know that you have yours back. It is a double edged sword, but this is the best I can do."

"Alright…." Joule took a deep breath. No more tubes, no more experiments...she could be with him again, live her life with him, Quinn, and Xiao! "Let's go!"

"Right!"

"Wait." The two turned to Mephiles. "The weapons, remember? Glaive, Grimoire, or Quill. Choose." He waited for the girls to choose, one picking a Grimoire, the other a Falcon Quill. "Neither of you want the Binding Braids?"

"So that's what they're called." Joule muttered. "No, we don't." She shook her head."

"I don't want to be anywhere near those swords." Mytyl answered hatefully, before she realized what she just said. "What was that?"

"Instinctual fear." Asimov answered. "And you should keep that fear in the forefront of your mind." Not even he was ambitious enough to mess with the power of the Binding Braids, and Eggman never touched them!

"Understandable." And if this planning was all for nothing, he'd show Asimov why he was right to fear them. Then again if everything went as planned, Mephiles would do the same. Either way, he wins. "You'll need these." Mephiles conjured up two microphones and warped them into their hands. "And you must hurry; I can feel Eggman awakening thanks to your screwup. His gaze alone could crush us under its weight, so we move this along. The Sumeragi technology built into the sign will interface with your voices, amplifying it throughout all time and space. Sing. sing with all the love and passion you can muster!" Cubot suddenly found himself face up next to the sign. "Also bring him. As unbelievable as it sounds, he'll be of great help. Get ready Asimov."

The white haired Adept closed his eyes, concentrating on the power he had kept hidden. Though still getting used to his youth, he could still feel the latent power that was given to him by the Lifewave. "Yeeeeeeessss…"

And as he did that, blue streaks of electricity flowing around him, the twins felt their minds sync, their desires so close, and yet so far apart. They understood the importance of their task, the consequences for failure, and thus with Mytyl's mind, and Joule's passion, a wordless song left the latter's lips as they began their duet. The sounds of soft, techno instruments filling the room at different pitches and tones, forming instrumentals to go along with the lyrics. 【Azure Striker Gunvolt】 Eternal Blue

The first line left Joule's lips."Eternally, we will be, in each other's memory"

As Mytyl took the next one. "Racing towards our one true destiny!"

It was a song sung by someone who looked so much like them, older, and with far more experience Out of their young lips the song sounded quite inferior, but their passion whole made up for it.

All four occupants of the room could hear the music as the song picked up, Asimov's energy gathering as Mephiles backed the hell away from the sheer amount of positive energy as the girls sang their hearts out. Their energy flowed from their bodies and into the Time Warp Sign, causing it to slowly spin.

The night is full of fear, and in the dark my dreams disappear, the screams are hard to bear, but in my mind I hear them loud and clear.

The screams are hard to bear, but in my mind I hear them loud and clear.

Now the light I see ahead of me is like a swirling galaxy,

and what I've left behind is all a distant memory.

Asimov hissed, feeling the Muse empowering him as the light from the sign began to light up the room! "I can feel it!"

If I were to know which way to go, and what our future holds,

I would be the one, your only guide forever by your side…

"YES!" Asimov shouted as the chorus picked up. "YES!"

Suddenly I feel alive, we can cross this great divide,

in a flash what was darkness turns to light!

Asimov's light overpowered the light of the Time Warp Sign, and combined with the songs of two Muses, caused it to spin faster and faster.

Eternally we will be, in each other's memory,

racing towards our one true destiny!

Faster and faster it spum, the energy overflowing the room's natural dimensions as Mephiles was reduced to a sticky paste!

The lyrics and music blended together within Asimov's mind, the man letting the tune empower him far more than he had ever felt in these past few decades! "Yes...YES! I CAN FEEL IT!" Oh he felt so young again! "Keep going, KEEP GOING!"

I can see it in your eyes, who you are is part of your disguise- A single, blurry, holographic wing, shaped like a butterfly, formed from Joule's back -when you shed a tear it's always full of doubt and compromise!

On the wind I hear your voice and it seeps into my heart- A blurry holographic wing formed from Joule's back as well, in the shape of a red bird's. -reminding me what's keeping us so far apart.

If I were to know which way to go, and what tomorrow holds- Joule held out her hands to Mytyl, the white haired girl reciprocating. -I would be the one, your only guide forever by your side...

The chorus began once more, and Asimov felt his power reach it's zenith! "I can't get any stronger than I am now! Do I do it now,Mephiles?!"

"Bind them before the sign activates!" Mephiles yelled over the music. "Quickly!"

"Oh." He could feel the song ending. "Bolts of rebellion…"

The song was coming to its end, and the memories of the two began to merge. As I climb this endless spiral staircase-

"A thunderous voice in my heart!

I'll always be waiting for you

I'll always be waiting for you

Speaks of one true law!

even if the world turns against you.

The blur surrounding their wings shattered into millions of little pixels, the electric azure luminescence of Joule's butterfly wing and the crimson hue of Mytyl's fiery mechanical wing illuminating the room with their combined colors. And just before the final chorus began…

"DO IT!"

"VOLTAIC CHAINS!"

And as the clinking and clanking of chains overpowered the slowly fading song, Mephiles tossed Cubot into the duet.


Crackling yellow pupils shot open, orange and purple fire spewing from the two sets of eyes. Dr. Ovi Kintobor, known throughout all of Mobius as Eggman, had woken up. "The song of the muse…" And what do you know, the power was out! "Too predictable, Mephiles." He almost missed the days when the demon continued to one up him, but nostalgia was the type of junk food he reserved for special occassions, and now wasn't the time. First he needed to get the power back up.

EMERGENCY POWER ACTIVATED

There we go! Now let's see what brought that trashy jpop idol out of hiding.

SEARCHING FOR FOREIGN ENERGY SOURCE

SEARCHING FOR FOREIGN ENERGY SOURCE

ENERGY SOURCE FOUND! (SECTOR 5, ZONE 6)

Right in his backyard? Oh how bold! And he even had that worthless ex-minion of his!

As he bottled up his amusement, 'tiny' pockets of the thick rain that dominated the planet increased in its density, damaging his factories beyond their ability to shield themselves, and with just a thought, well barely a thought, they were repaired. He so wanted to crush them so easily, maybe by removing the oxygen in the area,making those kids literally choke on the words of their songs, or just blow them up with the classic vinegar and baking soda trick, but alas, those were only fantasies.

VIDEO FEED ACTIVATED

|Excellent work.| The Azure Striker, two Muses instead of one and that mouthless demon all in the same room! A blinding light that was both blue and orange at the same time, not a fusion of the two, filled the feed, and the energy levels were about as high as a single Chaos Emerald! |Now Asimov, rotate the chains!|

He watched as the chains started to slowly spin, increasing in speed every two seconds before reaching speeds as fast as Zippo the Porcuhog, his old nemesis. |Focus on your own happiness, Muses! The warmth of your song will guide you through the time stream!|

"Time stream?" His mouth curled into a smile, the action causing his combination of metal and rocky skin to crack and grind together in an ear grinding cacophony. "So, they figured out how to break that spell." Sadly for them, they didn't do a good enough job!. He could at least sense that one of the Time Stones were being used, but it was as though a Hexapyle was used on him if he tried to look for it. Boomer the Hedgeturtlething and Nurples the Enchirido's final gambit worked too well, to the point even the Zone Cops were powerless to enter this fallen timeline! And here were four idiots undoing the last bit of bravery and courage this world's former heroes used against him! "~Oh E-ܓ45!~" Oh how he waited for this day, and on the eve of his conquest! First his Mobius, then Earth, then Mobius again! It was the comeback tour of the century!


"Asimov, stop it now!" The Adept dismissed the chains, revealing only the Time Warp Sign and burn marks where the girls would be. "It worked!"

"So, it's finally over then." He wished that he could have gotten his youth back as well, if only to see what he used to look like. Everytime he thought about it, he saw that electrical abomination. "Now what?" Now he falls to the ground like an idiot. He couldn't even move his limbs. The strain was that bad. "Ugghhhhh…"

"Wait a minute…." Mephiles trailed off. "No..no, no no!"

"What's…going…on?" Asimov groaned, his Septima rejuvenating him slowly but surelyf as he lifted his back up to see Mephiles was talking about. "I..don't…see…"

"OF COURSE YOU CAN'T SEE IT!" Mephiles snapped at him. "I can recognize his putrid stench anywhere!"

"Who?" Asimov was strong enough to at least get off the ground, taking a knight's kneeling position. "I take it from your reaction that it's Eggman?" So, they failed huh?

"We're still alive, aren't we?" Mephiles retorted. "No, it's one of his elite units, the one fitted with one of Eden's Septimas!"

Asimov grew tense at that, watching the demon's eyes grow panicked as his pupils darted around the room. "Where is it?!"

"IT FOLLOWED THEM YOU IDIOT!" And that's when the power came back on. "AND OF COURSE HE WOKE UP!" The final preparations required Eggman's power to be tied to the main grid! His method of shutting off the power grid should have disconnected him from even the reserve power! Unless… "The Muse…"

Asimov let out a suffering groan as the Time Warp Sign began to spin. "Of course it's the Muse." He theorized. "He's connected to the Lifewave, so the song woke him up despite all the Chaos Energy.""

{That sounds about right.}A hollow, emotionless voice said from every corner of the room. {Mephiles, Asimov. It's been a while.}

"GRAAAGH!" Mephiles smashed the ground, frying everything in the room to ash! "WE WERE SO CLOSE! SO CLOSE!" Asimov ignored the temper tantrum; the demon was doing what he was thinking.

{Ohhohohoho, Mephiles.} The demon said nothing. |You got greedy!} He let out a 'laugh' that sent shivers down every Adept on the planet. {Did you seriously think that with my genius, I couldn't have invaded Mobius all this time?}

The two's eyes widened at that as they remembered the technological prowess he displayed many times before. "You bastard!" Mephiles shouted as he destroyed the ash he made. "You knew all this time?!"

{That's right! I've been listening to you all this time, watching you plan and plot while you did the work for me! And while you were stuck on this planet, your brains were going byebye! Isn't it funny that in the 80 years you've been under my rule, you never thought about what I can or can't see? What I could or couldn't hear?} Eggman scoffed as Asimov's fists clenched, his teeth grinding in his anger. {Those suits weren't the only thing that let me control you, you know!}

"The Emeralds." Asimov realized. "That's why you had all of Earth in those seven different colors?!"

{Yeeep!} Eggman answered, sounding almost like his old self for the first half of that word. {I clone a lot of the washouts, but even they could question my rule given enough time. And while you chatted on your private network, you idiots never figured out that I was watching you the whole time! Scratch that; you literally couldn't! You were too stupid!}

Asimov grimaced. He yelled. A surge of electrical power filled the area. Now there wasn't a room anymore, and an electric dome prevened the toxic air from getting in. "And now we die, huh?" Asimov groused.

{Eh, I got better things to do.} Eggman answered dismissively. {I'll let ya do what you want; even with the full power of the Azure Striker, I still have 6 Chaos Emeralds and their controller! And you know what just one can do to you Adepts!} Asimov said nothing. {Anyhoo, I just wanted to hear myself talk! Hohohohohohohohooh!}

Asimov's eyes widened, as did Mephiles'. "Were those enuine emotions?" The latter got out.

{Huh, guess it is. I always wanted to gloat about my awesome evil plans without that half naked nature PSA barking in my ear and blowing up my robots!} He let out a nostalgic sigh before the thing came back. {Anywhoo, my pride and joy, E-ܓ45 will follow the brats into the timestream and make sure my future will remain as it is! And as for you Mephiles! rest assured, Oh E-ܓ45! will find your other half, and when I do, the power of Solaris will be in my hand!|

"HA!" Mephiles snorted as the two of them felt Eggman's presence disappear. "You can try!" Mephiles froze Asimov in place. "So, seeing as how this mission has gone as some would say, 'tits up', would you like your escape now, or continue this living death?"

Asimov paused, his snarl giving way to resigned acceptance. "Yes." He said, not a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "All this time I assumed that I could break free anytime I want, to sever my chains of enslavement" He chuckled. "Then it turns out that our 'master' had his hands on our leashes all this time." To die here and be forever away from Eggman's rule, or continue this living death with no way out, and the idea of Adept supremacy stillborn. "You know what to do, Mephiles the Dark. Sever my chains, and cleanse the Azure Striker from this world!"

"My pleasure." The room shook as a ball of purple fire formed around Mephiles' outstretched palm. "DROWN IN THE SEA OF YOUR DAMNATION! CAN-wait,"

"...What?" As a certain now dead member of Q.U.I.L.L would say, 'all the alarm bells' were going off in Asimov's head right now. "What's going on?

"Nothing. It's just… I have a better idea. Let's you and him fight."

Asimov questioned what he meant, or rather he would have-"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!" if Mephiles didn't stick the seven Binding Braids into his body.

"I have no more need for you, Azure Striker." Mephiles began, his low voice echoing in Asimov's ears as the man futilely tried to grab at him. "I honestly was going to do this whether our plan succeeded or failed, and now that it succeeded, I only promise to make this marginally less painful." Asimov's electricity fluctuated outside of his control as he suddenly found himself laying in the air, stiff as a board, and screaming in rage at the demon. "I get to destroy everything that traitor worked for, and punish you at the same time." Slowly, inch by inch, Asimov's own Voltaic Chains began to form around his body. "For as much as you loathe Eggman, you two are so disgustingly similar, from your short sightedness and egos, that I couldn't even stand looking at you."

He formed a grin on his face, filled to the brim with teeth from the roof of his mouth to the sides of his cheeks, making audible squelching noises as he morphed his flesh to make the mouth. He stared down Asimov, his hair and bow blowing in the foul wind generated by their shared demonic and Septimal energy. "You're basically him, but you're actually competent 24/7, and that fact alone disgusts me. So rejoice, I'm giving you a power rivaling that of the Septima themselves, that of your worthless shell of a future self!" He held out his hands as the chains reached Asimov's torso. "I've always wanted to try this, but I loathe haikus. So I'll just put my own spin on it." And thus he began to chant, channeling his demonic energy until it made his skin bubble. "Here we go."

A doctor's hubris, a madman's rage

Shall bring an end to this ruined age

A dragon shall burn, a human shall purge

As the people scream their final durge!

DRACONIC IMPERIO!

Mephiles laughed as the last of Asimov was quicikly wrapped up in his own immense power. "Now you shall rend this world asunder, Primal Dragon." the skeleton of a dragon began to form around the screaming, bound man, its scales and metal plating different shades of azure, the 34 foot beast matching his writhing, agonized movements perfectly. All Asimov could do was scream as his armor, shades, and hair were burnt off of his body. Each death caused by his hands ripped through his flesh and replaced it with inhuman muscle. Each life he ruined ran roughshod through his brain, killing his sense of self and replacing it with primal, draconic fury. Whether it was his mind, body, soul, there was nothing left of the former leader of Q.U.I.L.L, and his soul and powers were now forever beyond Eggman's reach, as were the concepts of heaven, hell, and purgatory.

And in his place, flying over Metallic Madness, was a massive, blue dragon of metal and flesh, with Asimov's trademark white hair as a flowing, electricity producing mane.

Mephiles let out a loud laugh and clapped, easily swatting away the lizard's attempts to kill him before disappearing. "Well, whatever happens next is up to them." He said with glee as he watched the dragon rampage, searching in vain for the demon as electrical storms wiped everything and everyone out. "But who's going to win? Eggman's shiny toy? The Azure Striker and the White Tiger? Those corrupted girls? Or the hedgehog."

He let out a laugh as he began to fade in a dark purple blaze. "Whatever it is, I can't wait to be rid of this accursed timeline!" and wake up in a world of nothing, reborn as the god he used to be! "Goodbye, Doctor!" And with that, Eggman's rage echoed throughout the planet, accompanied by Mephiles's mocking laughter as the Primal Dragon raged . The die was cast, and three new players were added to an old game. The future was uncertain, and whether a utopia of their own design, or Abaddon of either his making or Eggman's, awaited this world was all up to them.