Be One World, Be The Light

Chapter 10: Reunions

What? A new update already? What blasphemy is this? Well, my fellow readers, I have some free time and wanted to give you good people so more content. So, from this point forward, expect new chapters every Monday and Friday!

Another thing I wanted to address really quick. In this continuity, I'm not taking events from the IDW story line. So, just takes place within the games and nothing more. But that's not to say I don't enjoy the IDW comics. I really love them and have big respect to Ian Flynn for his writing. With that clarified, let's get into chapter 10!

A cold night, a lucid moon, heaven's eyes shine in the black as a divine watchful mother. The darkness was perfect, a visual silence that gave a revered awe. Mephiles basked in this darkness, becoming one with the shadows. In a way, the darkness served as a blanket of protection. Others feared the dark. But Mephiles embraced the comfort it provided. This darkness would one day claim the world in full, leaving no trace of the light any longer. Dark Gaia may have failed to plunge the planet into forever blackness, but Mephiles had no Light Gaia to stop him.

Mephiles knew he was never meant to exist. From one timeline to another, his existence was the result of an accident. His other half was long gone. Once in perfect harmony till that dreadful day they were forced apart. Arbitrary, Mephiles was judged before he was even aware of himself. He knew nothing but pain, forced into this terrible existence, only to be locked away within a minuscule prison for years.

He longed to be reunited with his other half, to be complete once more. He was empty without Iblis and would stop at nothing to be reunited. His erasure was a paradox, yet here he was, determined to not relive history a second time. His eyes slowly scanned through the night air, two Chaos Emeralds absently floating by his side. From the very shadows that basked him in the night, his two clones simultaneously returned to his side, each holding a single Chaos Emerald.

The clones faded away, their dark energy returning to the original. Mephiles glanced down at two new Chaos Emeralds, marvelled by their appearance. His hivemind connection to the clones allowed him to witness recent events from afar while he hid away. With four of the seven Chaos Emeralds within his grasp, the end goal was approaching.

"Blaze," Mephiles hissed. "You cannot keep me from what is mine. I deceived you once. I will do so again."

His lifeless eyes faced towards the sky, watching with glee as the storm continued growing stronger. "Gather as many allies as you like. It will make no difference. You will experience a fate worse than death."

Without another word, Mephiles slowly harnessed the Emerald's negative energy, feeling the raw power merge with his own. Their positive energy tried in vain to fight him, as if the Emerald's themselves were fully aware of what was to come. Mephiles fought through their futile attempts to rebuff his power, forcing their Chaos energy to merge with him whole. As the rush of power fuelled him with elation, Mephiles threw up his head and cackled once more, the maniacal laughter becoming one with the storm's howls.

Silence descended upon the group call. All sets of eyes focused on Sonic, patiently waiting for the hero to elaborate on his last comment. Sonic continued staring towards the night air, a look of unease filling his eyes. Shade stood closely by his side, concerned by the lack of response that followed.

Slowly growing impatient, Shadow took charge of the situation once more. "So, are you suggesting there's more than one Mephiles?"

The blue hedgehog finally returned focus on the group call, nodding softly in return. "I think so. It wouldn't be the first time we've fought against clones. Touchy subject, I know, but Shadow-"

"Don't fret about it," Shadow calmly assured. "Look, whether Mephiles is one or many, it doesn't matter. We have a job to do."

Sonic nodded in return. "Did you guys manage to get your other Chaos Emerald?"

Shadow moved the camera back ever so slightly, allowing Rouge to peer her head into frame. She softly shook her head, brief despair filling her teal eyes. "Mephiles got to it before we could. Sorry, Big Blue."

"There's something else," Shadow suddenly spoke up, his stern voice grabbing everyone's attention. "Before Mephiles left, I tried to get some answers from him. He…"

The Ultimate Life Form slowly trailed off, forcing himself to turn away. The others expressed their concerns, noting the hesitant silence that followed. Shadow, while not a sociable person, very rarely found himself stumped for words. Mephiles' cryptic statements caught him by surprise. Rouge grabbed his attention out of the camera's frame, offering an encouraging nod.

Returning focus, Shadow continued on. "He was talking about how we never met in this timeline before, whatever that means."

Rouge took over the conversation. "Then he mentioned how we don't have any memories of meeting him before. It gets worse. Mephiles started talking about something called the 'Flames of Disaster'."

Confusion plastered over everyone's faces. All except for Silver, who gawked at the last comment. Flames of Disaster. He swore those words were ringing a bell, a sense of déjà vu filling his mind. He searched for equal reactions from his friends, but none of them seemed to mirror his feelings.

"There's more," Shadow added, locking eyes with the feline standing closely by Amy's side. "He claims you have something of his, Blaze."

A confused expression laced Blaze's features, her golden eyes sparking with great concern. Her brows softly twitched, her eyes alone holding so many ambivalent emotions. "I don't have the faintest idea of what it could be. If it were the Sol Emeralds or Jeweled Scepter he desired, Mephiles would have returned to my world long ago."

As she trailed off, Blaze placed one hand to her forehead, concentrating through her clouded vision. Memories of her first conflict with the dark being continued to haunt her greatly, recalling his first words. "Wait, there was something. "Iblis will be free," that was what he had said to me."

Iblis. Another sense of déjà vu hit Silver like a freight train. That name. Thinking about it all was beginning to give him a headache. He softly clutched one hand to his head, trying to make sense of why these names felt so familiar.

"Who or what is Iblis?" Rouge questioned.

"I do not know," Blaze admitted with a light shrug. "But if Mephiles has made no attempt to return to my world, that must mean the whereabouts of this Iblis are unknown to him."

"That means he must think you know something about it," Amy suggested, looking to her friend for answers. "Think carefully, Blaze. Are you absolutely sure?"

It took all of the princess' willpower to avoid expressing her frustration, unappreciative at the suggestion she couldn't remember her own life. But Blaze knew Amy meant no malice in the question, merely seeking answers. She softly nodded with confidence. "I am positive."

As the others discussed their theories, Sonic raised his hand to speak. "There's something else, guys. Does anyone remember when I told you about the time I was King Arthur?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Are you still on with that?"

"It's true!" Sonic exclaimed. "But it doesn't matter. Look, Mephiles knew about my time in Camelot. Same with Arabian Nights. Even if I was making it up, how could he know about that?"

Shade vouched for Sonic's claim. "It is true. Mephiles spoke with confidence. There was no mistaking his words. He is aware of events that even I did not know about."

Amy gawked at the echidna's claim, beginning to question how the dark being could know so much about her boyfriend's adventures. A part of her felt guilty for doubting Sonic's reasoning over missing their date, but she pushed the sense of dread to the back of her mind. Right now, she needed to be focused. "There's still something I don't understand. If he is after this Iblis, what do the Chaos Emeralds have to do with this?"

When no one else answered, Espio potelitly spoke up with a theory of his own, piecing together a possible conclusion. After all, he was a detective for a reason. "Perhaps this Iblis is sealed away by a prison only the power of the Chaos Emeralds can breach."

Vector added onto the possibility. "But that still doesn't explain why he was in Blaze's dimension to begin with."

The countless questions and the lack of answers that followed threatened to drive everyone insane. Their only hope to seek answers was to question Mephiles himself. He would inevitably return to claim the other three Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic took charge of the team, eager to reunite with his friends. "It doesn't matter how or why Mephiles is doing what he's doing. What matters is stopping him."

Amy nodded in agreement. "Sonic's right. We still have three of the Chaos Emeralds. Let's meet up before Mephiles comes back again."

"Then let's not waste time," Shadow stated, holding up the green Chaos Emerald once more.

Sonic shifted focus towards his best friend's perspective. "We'll swing by and pick you guys up."

"No," Knuckles abruptly said. "If you bring that Chaos Emerald back here, those creatures might come back. I can't risk the Master Emerald getting taken too."

The blue hedgehog frowned, as did some of the others. Before he argued, the young scientist suddenly spoke up in the echidna's defence.

"I have to agree with Knuckles," Tails hesitantly said. "It's not just the Master Emerald. Marine has the Sol Emeralds too."

Sonic's expression softened, still concerned Tails was holding himself responsible for the earlier battle's events. He wished the young scientist stopped this self-pity, but now was not the time to discuss their own personal problems. His grin swiftly returned before anyone took notice of his brief sadness. "We'll meet you guys at Amy's house."

"Keep watch of the Sol Emeralds, Marine," Blaze added. "We cannot risk their capture as well."

Marine waved a dismissive hand. "Don't fret, mate! They're safe with us!"

"We'll watch over her and meet you guys as soon as we can," Knuckles spoke up.

Blaze silently thanked the guardian for his aid. With everyone in agreement, their goodbyes were said and their respective cameras switched off once more. Sonic finally released the huge sigh he suppressed for so long, lowering his arm with heistance. His free hand found itself resting softly against his face, massaging his temples to ease the growing stress.

Shade took notice of his disheartened stance, stepping forward with concern. "Is something on your mind, Sonic?"

"Just tired," Sonic reassured, pretending to glance at his communicator to avoid her gaze. "It's pretty late."

Doubt filled Shade's eyes, but she decided not to press the matter further. "Shall we get going?"

Sonic nodded. "Let's do it."

He waited for Shade to place her hand against his shoulder before raising his arm, summoning the power of the Chaos Emerald once more. "Here we go. Chaos Control!"

"Come on, let me have a gander!"

"No."

"I just wanna look!"

"Look with your eyes, not your hands."

Marine pouted as Knuckles refused to move out of the way, shielding her from touching the Master Emerald. To accommodate for the cold weather, the young captain now donned some of Tails' clothes. An orange puffer jacket resided over her usual outfit with a matching beanie covering her head. Being from a tropical land, Marine was not built for the harsh winter of the Chaos Dimension.

Growing bored of waiting around for the others to come back, she took interest in the giant gemstone resting within the living room, marvelled by its size and beauty. The urge to touch was strong, but the mighty guardian protecting the Master Emerald was stronger.

Knuckles blocked her way, both arms folded over his chest while his gaze refused to leave her. However, a hint of interest forced his eyebrows to raise. "Does Blaze have a Master Emerald in her world?"

Marine cocked her head, curiosity replacing her annoyance. "Huh?"

"Like the Sol Emeralds but bigger," Knuckles explained, spreading his hands apart to emphasise his point.

The gears in Marine's head warped for a moment, her face twisting adorably as she thought long and hard. "I don't think so. Why?"

Knuckles shrugged. "Just wondering."

Marine frowned, hoping the conversation would lead somewhere. Tails had since taken to sleeping on the sofa. At Knuckles' insistence, the young fox tried to get some rest for a while till it was time to leave. She tried to engage in conversation with Knuckles, but the echidna clearly was not one for socialising, choosing duty over pleasure.

Marine stretched out to one side, curiosity filling her innocent eyes. She pointed forward. "Hey, what's it doing?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

"I'm being serious!" Marine exclaimed. "Just took a gander, would ya?"

The guardian sighed, steadily growing more annoyed by her demands. He never thought he would prefer Sonic's presence for once. Nevertheless, he quickly glanced back to humour her pitiful attempt to deceive him. Upon locking eyes with the Master Emerald, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. A startled gasp escaped his open mouth, forcing the echidna to take a step back. Subconsciously, he threw out one arm to shield Marine from potential danger. The small commotion caught Tails' attention, slowly stirring from his brief slumber.

The glowing outline of a silhouette emerged from the Master Emerald, like an angel itself had come to grace them. The blinding light that followed forced the trio to shield their eyes. Through the gathering light came the form of a princess, young and strong. She moved forward with gentle strides. The light faded away in seconds, allowing the Master Emerald to return to its subdued state. The trio remained frozen in place as the female echidna smiled with one hand placed above the other.

As she came closer, it was quite evident her ancient clothing was not equipment for winter conditions, yet she showed no signs of coldness at all. She wore a tank top-like garment and a traditional tribal skirt with triangular patterns, alongside a golden armlet on her right arm, a golden necklace and a tiara-like band atop her forehead. White-strapped sandals covered her feet. Like most mobians, she wore white gloves. Her dreadlocks and left arm were wrapped with white bandages.

Knuckles swallowed the excessive saliva forming in his mouth, barely able to force out a whisper. "Tikal."

"Hello, Guardian," Tikal warmly greeted, bowing her head lightly with respect. "It is great to see you again."

Awestruck by her reappearance, Knuckles struggled to find his words. Their paths had not crossed since she left with Chaos to live in peace. Tails mirrored the echidna's reaction, questioning whether this was lack of sleep forcing him to see illusions. The princess' attention shifted towards the young scientist, softly nodding in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Tails," she greeted. "My, you have grown considerably."

The fox muttered out a barely audible whisper. "H-h-hello, Your Highness."

"That's not necessary," Tikal kindly reassured. "You may call me Tikal."

While the two friends continued to gaze in awe, Tikal slowly shifted her gaze towards the young racoon. Marine hid behind Knuckles' large frame, carefully peeking out. She had her fair share of encounters with ghosts back in the Sol Dimension. None of them ended well.

Tikal offered a gentle, reassuring smile. She moved down onto one knee, allowing their eyes to meet on the same level. "Do not be afraid, little one."

The voice did not enter through Marine's ears but arrived directly in her head. While still frightened by the ghostly figure, Marine cautiously stepped from around the frozen Knuckles. Her instincts were urging her to run before the ghost took her soul. But the kind eyes of Tikal subdued her fear. She sensed no ill intentions from the ghostly figure, and based on the reactions of her friends, they seemed to be familiar with her already.

Marine tugged on Knuckles' arm. "Is she your Shelia?"

Broke from his trance at last, he peered down with confusion, unfamiliar with the term. "My what?"

"Nevermind that!" Tails quickly exclaimed, bringing attention back towards the new presence. "Tikal, we never thought we'd see you again."

She slowly stood up to full height, approaching the young fox with care in her movement. "Chaos and I have been at peace for a long time. But I still have my connection with the Master Emerald. I am free to cross the boundaries between your world and the Heavens."

Concern suddenly crossed her expression, masking her kind demeanour. Her gaze locked with the protector of the Master Emerald, captivating his attention right away. "Guardian, I am afraid I did not come bearing good news."

Snapped back into reality, Knuckles hardened and focused on her warnings. "What's going on?"

The female echidna briefly glanced towards the nearby window, watching as the darkness threatened to claim this beautiful world for good. "The balance of time itself has been disrupted. Everything is in peril. It is not just your world that is in danger. The fabric of time itself may be destroyed."

Horror crossed Knuckles' gaze, steadily growing nervous by her warnings. "By who?"

She returned her focus. "The one you have come to know as Mephiles."

Tails piped up. "You know about Mephiles?"

Tikal nodded once more. "My bond with the Master Emerald has allowed me to see things that should not be seen. Mephiles is not of your world. Or of your timeline for that matter."

Confusion filled the air around them. The trio of friends exchanged glances, uncertain of where the princess was going with her cryptic warnings.

Knuckles spoke up once more. "Tikal, I don't understand."

"It is difficult to explain," Tikal admitted with a small sigh. "Things are not what they should be. Everything that is happening right now was never meant to be. It is the result of a catastrophic incident."

The guardian paused with uncertainty. The cogs in his head could practically be seen turning.

Tails, using his own intellect, appeared to understand the explanation. He softly raised one hand. "Do you mean… Like the multiverse theory?"

Marine turned around with equal interest. "Like in comic books when characters go to another universe and find themselves?"

"Precisely," Tails nodded, awaiting for an answer. "Is that right, Tikal?"

The princess softly chuckled at their childlike explanations, reminded of the youngest members of her tribe. "Not as such. I am afraid words cannot explain it clearly enough. But I can show you what was meant to be."

She moved to one side, outstretching her hand towards Knuckles. "Guardian, if you allow me to do so, I can explain everything by parting my visions to you," her expression briefly hardened before he accepted the proposal. "But I must warn you. You may not like what you will see."

Knuckles hesitated to accept the offer, understanding the great concern filling her gaze. If there was truly no going back after this, he silently questioned whether or not he could withstand the visions. But he wasn't the guardian of the Master Emerald for nothing. Ancient Gods, robot overlords and aliens could do nothing to break the indomitable willpower he wielded.

With an assertive sigh, he marched forward. "Show me."

Tikal softly nodded, outstretching her hand for him to take. He delicately allowed his namesake to rest within her palm. "Close your eyes, Guardian. Focus on me and nothing more."

Knuckles obliged, concentrating to block out the world around him. The storm's howls, the creaky floorboards and the Master Emerald's soft glow, all pushed to the back of his mind. Nothing else mattered at this moment. A whisper captivated his attention, a white glow appearing before him. Tails and Marine silently watched the events transpire, too unnerved to say anything. Out of instinct, the young racoon held Tails' hand. He returned the gesture, silently comforting her as well.

The visions softly cleared, revealing tall trees of sombre peeking green, their tops a round as if drawn in mathematical precision. Knuckles gazed at them for a blessed moment. The black-cradled ground below captured his interest, serving as the eyes that watched all the galaxies in the dominion of the world. Then there were voices, thousands of whispers speaking at once. The voices raised up as if on ever spread wings.

"Nothing starts until you take action. If you've got time to worry, run!"

Sonic? What was he doing here? Who was he talking to?

"If the world chooses to become my enemy… I will fight like I always have."

Shadow? The world was becoming his enemy? For what reason?

"To kill someone to save the world… Is that really the right thing to do?"

Silver? Who was he trying to kill to save the world? Why was he questioning it? Did he try to kill an innocent?

The tall trees vanished. In their place formed blood skies, surrounding the beautiful world in despair. A deep sense of heat settled in his bones, the air around him becoming thick and humid. His lungs began to ache from breathing in the dense air, his skin drying up. More voices echoed in all directions. His breathing intensified, rapid breaths beginning to escape his tightened burrow.

"If we don't take this chance, the future will remain exactly as it is."

Blaze? What future? Was she trying to help Silver save his world again?

"This creature will consume all existing timelines. And time itself will collapse and disappear into nothingness…"

Doctor Eggman? What creature was he talking about? Time itself collapsing?

"Just as a flower comes from a seed, or a chicken comes from an egg, everything has an origin. You need to find the being originally responsible for this catastrophe."

That voice. Was that Mephiles?

The visions changed once more, plunging the whole world into darkness. But in that darkness, a haunting silhouette covered the echidna. He hesitated to raise his gaze, but when he did so, he wished he hadn't. Within the darkened skies, the silhouette of a hawk-like figure towered above him with an overwhelming presence, looking down at the echidna with haunting eyes. Knuckles froze, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

His breathing accelerated, pure terror clawing at his throat. The colossal dimensional being howled, its sickening roar bringing the mighty guardian to his knees. Knuckles tried to force his body to move, but his limbs were unresponsive. His mouth hung open in silent screams. His bones felt like jelly, feeling his legs about to give out. The giant being howled once more, unleashing its might to consume the world in forever darkness. Knuckles could do nothing but gawk as the world around him faded away into nothingness.

"IBLIS!"

Knuckles' eyes threw open, a terrified yell reverberated throughout the room. He flung himself backwards, colliding against the nearest wall with enough force to briefly shake the foundations of the house. Tails and Marine exclaimed with worry, immediately racing over to the terrified guardian as he slumped against the ground.

His eyes took in more light than expected, every part of him frozen as his thoughts desperately tried to catch up. Rooted in place, Knuckles felt his stomach twist, his hands flying to clutch his chest. All life drained from his face, looking as white as a ghost.

"Knuckles, are you okay?!" Tails called out, shaking his friend's shoulder with concern.

The echidna did not respond, lost in a deep trance. His skin tingled, heart rapidly beating within his chest as his breathing grew tighter. The lights were on, yet nobody was home. Tikal held position, wearing a look of sorrow for her indirect actions.

Marine waved her hand frantically in front of Knuckle's lifeless eyes. "You there, big guy?"

She snapped her fingers, the sharp clicking finally bringing the echidna back to reality. His namesakes trembled, eyes still wide like saucers. Despite the freezing temperature, sweat formed down his dreadlocks. Desperately trying to understand what he just saw, he slowly brought his gaze to the princess standing before him.

"Tikal," Knuckles whispered, his voice shaky and low.

Tails placed his hand softly on the older warrior's arm. He kept his voice low, unwilling to cause further distress. "What did you see, Knuckles?"

The once mighty guardian was no more, becoming a former shell of his glory self. In place was nothing but pure terror filling his viloet eyes. "Tails… We're not meant to be here."

The young fox tilted his head with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, mate! Stop talking in riddles!" Marine pleaded, eager to know the truth.

Knuckles' gaze shifted between his friends, silently asking for the princess' blessing. With a simple glance, he understood her answer. Her eyes spoke the words she didn't need to say. Breathing softly to compose himself, he hesitantly spoke. "Tails… You aren't going to believe this."

As the night sky drowned the world in darkness with an approaching thunderstorm threatening to quench the planet she cocooned in black, a flash of light briefly illuminated the surrounding forest. Team Rose and Team Chaotix reappeared outside the home of Amy Rose. Everyone let go of each other's hands, taking a moment to adjust to the aftermath of Sol Control.

"That wasn't fun," Amy groaned, one hand pressing softly against her quills. "But I can't believe that worked."

"It is my first time travelling with others," Blaze explained, tucking the Sol Emerald safely within her pocket once more. "I apologise if the experience was discomforting."

"It's okay," Silver kindly assured. "You get used to it."

Blaze swifty took a moment to study her surroundings, her eyes needing a moment to adjust to the darkness. Despite her initial doubts about using the Sol Emerald to travel back, it appeared to have worked, albeit with some minor discomfort from the others. Confirming they were back at Floral Forest Village, she swiftly returned her gaze to the chameleon beside her. "The Chaos Emerald?"

Said Chaos Emerald was held securely within the detective's grasp. "Right here."

Charmy ascended closely by his partner's side, both arms thrown tightly around his chest. In place of his usual orange vest was a black leather shearling jacket. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, silently wishing he had his teammates' tolerance against the sub-zero temperatures. "S-s-so c-c-cold!"

One step ahead, Amy handed him her thermos. "There's more inside."

Without hesitation, Charmy swiped the thermos and almost drowned himself, gulping down the warm beverage. A relieved sigh escaped his chocolate stained mouth. "Delicious!"

Blaze crossed her arms, shifting her focus towards the future warrior standing closely by her side, taking note of the unusual silence. "What's on your mind, Silver?"

He peered back, clearly deep in thought. His hood concealed most of his facial features, though he made an effort for their eyes to meet. "Huh?"

"You've been awfully quiet since we got off the call with Sonic," Blaze stated as a matter of fact. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, that," Silver briefly glanced away, rubbing one hand over his arm. "It's.. Silly."

She unfolded her arms and approached, mindful of her own steps while doing so. Her voice softened ever so slightly. "Talk to me."

Silver returned his gaze, barely masking his surprise by the brief kindness in her voice. It was surreal to hear her drop the princess tone, allowing her true self to shine. Trusting her generous offer, Silver elaborated. "I've been thinking about what Sonic and Shadow said. The things Mephiles said to them… It sounds so familiar."

A look of askance formed across her face. "In what way?"

"Flames of Disaster, Iblis, the whole timeline thing," Silver echoed. "I swear I've heard it all before. But… I can't remember."

Blaze held her composure well, but even he noted the subtlest shift in her eyelids. Through the intensely calm and reserved exterior, her eyes held the smallest hints of concern. She studied Silver with care. His smiling exterior contrasted with a lifetime of hurt and loss he barely kept under the surface. "Silver…"

"There's someone coming," Big announced, pointing towards the treeline nearby.

All sets of eyes followed the cat's finger, spotting the faint outline of three figures approaching from afar. Espio tucked one hand over his wrist, preparing to draw his weapons if necessary. Blaze mirrored his actions, the flames of her soul gathering in her hands. The three figures closed the distance between them, revealing Team Dark making good use of their name.

Rouge gave a friendly wave to the team. "Long time no see."

"Hey, you guys made it," Amy greeted with solace. However, her eyes immediately dashed over towards the dark hedgehog's bandaged shoulder. "Shadow, are you-"

"It's just a flesh wound," he quickly said, dismissing the concern.

While Rouge briefly frowned at her partner's usual abruptness, she quickly scanned around the small team. "Where's Sonic?"

"Someone call for a handsome hedgehog?"

Everyone's attention shifted once more, relaxation filling their eyes as Sonic and Shade approached the team from the snow-covered road. The former tucked the Chaos Emerald back inside his quills, the gap between them closing as they approached.

Amy breathed a sigh of relief, greeting the blue hedgehog with a friendly hug. Sonic briefly winced at the gesture, but noted how loose and gentle she was being, nothing akin to her old over affectionate embraces. Her head softly buried against his shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

Sonic smiled, a flash joy of lacing his features. He softly returned the gesture, patting his hand delicately against her shoulder. He leaned back, locking eyes with her own. "It's good to see you too, Ames."

The rest of their group held mixed reactions. Most of the team held gentle smiles. Espio and Blaze maintained their stoic demeanours, though the latter forced herself to contain the grin that threatened to lift the edges of her mouth. Omega's lifeless eyes said nothing and Shadow forced himself to glance away into the darkness.

As Sonic delicately let her go, he joined eyes with the others. "Everyone here?"

"Everyone but Tails, Knuckles and Marine," Rouge explained, relying on her enhanced echolocation to search the trees for more visitors. She softly shook her head, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. "We should have forced him to come with you."

"You know Knucklehead," Sonic replied with a small shrug. "When he's got his mind on something, it's hard to change it."

"I'll talk to him next time we're together," Shade offered.

Sonic nodded with appreciation. He shifted focus to Blaze and Silver, approaching the friends from other worlds. "How are you guys holding up? Hey, is that my hoodie?"

"Oh, sorry," Silver said bashfully, pausing to remove the hood from his head once more, freeing his head quills from their tucked in position. "You can have it back."

Sonic held up his hand with a gentle chuckle. "Keep it. It suits you," his eyes averted towards the princess, taking note of her wound. "You good, Blaze?"

The feline softly nodded. "It is not as bad as it looks. But thank you for your concern."

With no reason to stand around and freeze to death outdoors, everyone prepared to retreat inside the home for warmth. As everyone followed Amy, Rouge suddenly froze in her steps, her ears stretching up with interest. Amongst the storm's howls was a faint rumbling, the powerful roars of a high-velocity aircraft filling the air. The tremendous shear quickly became unstable. While the heavy blizzard masked the noise to the untrained eye, nothing could escape Rouge's enhanced hearing. She abruptly halted in her tracks, the action catching Shadow's attention.

"What is it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Something's coming," Rouge explained, pivoting around to find the approaching source.

Her declaration caught the attention of the team, who stopped just short of entering the house. Everyone swiftly returned to her side, following her gaze towards the night air. Omega marched forward, even as his nonfunctional arm lingered by his side. He scanned through the darkness. Even as the snow smeared his red orbs, there was no mistaking the approaching aircraft.

"Warning: Doctor Eggman approaching," Omega stated. "Identifying aircraft: the Egg Carrier."

A brief flash of lightning illuminated the air around them, the spark of blue revealing the large vessel descending before them. The heavily armoured warship bearing the Eggman emblem on the side descended down before them, holding position just several hundred feet above them. The heroes immediately took position, readying themselves for a fight.

While the ship held position, the hanger opened up and dropped several pods through the storm. The pods broke open, unleashing Eggman's forces. Egg Knights took command of Egg Pawns and Egg Hammers, ordering them to take position. As several more pods collided with the ground, newer models revealed themselves. Egg Gunners and Egg Lancers, more advanced models that lacked the traditional design of the doctor's forces, appearing more humanied and slimmer.

Sonic whistled with interest. "Those are new."

"Like what you see?"

Everyone collectively shifted their gaze towards the sky. The good doctor himself towered above them, resting comfortable within the Egg Mobile. The glass dome shielded him from the storm. Orbot and Cubot stood on either side, though were more along for the side than anything. Guarding the doctor were two E-2000s, holding formation within the air.

Sonic frowned, placing one hand to his hip. "Twice in one day, Eggman? That's a new one."

"Actually, it's two AM," Eggman corrected, glancing at his wrist watch for confirmation. "It's a new day, Sonic. Your last one at that!"

Chuckling at the idle threat, Sonic smiled. "As much as I would love to do our usual song and dance routine, we're kind of busy here. So, let's get this over with."

Eggman briefly frowned at the comment. Sonic loved their countless battles, always relishing in the fun. Almost offended by the dismissal, Eggman groaned. "I was having a good night's sleep until Lock, Shock and Barrel over there decided to visit!"

Rouge rolled her eyes, silently making a note to smack Shadow. Her attention was focused on Omega, forced to press her whole body weight against his working arm. The robot was itching for a battle, the endless number of opposing forces pushing him into battle mode.

Amy softly growled, holding out her hand and snapping her fingers. Her trusty hammer appeared within her grasp. "Looks like someone needs another clubbering."

"We don't have time for this!" Silver exclaimed, hastily rushing forward and restraining several of the Egg Pawns. With a tight squeeze, the robots were crushed into pieces, scattered around into the snow.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Omega raced forward and punched the nearest Egg Knight directly in the face, separating its head from its body. The remaining forces retailitied, racing forward into battle. The heroes charged, splitting up into small teams to avoid overwhelming forces.

Sonic pounced onto an Egg Hammer's namesake, allowing it to lift him into the air. Using the added momentum, he bounced forward and cupped himself into a ball. With his signature Homing Attack, he destroyed one robot from the next, all the while avoiding gunfire raining towards him.

Amy furiously smashed her giant hammer against the Egg Pawns that dared to approach, launching them directly into the night air. Big stood closely by her side, using his raw strength to pick up and throw the robots away with ease. Omega suddenly raced past them, thousands of bullets bursting from his built-in arm cannon. The Egg Hammers incredible durability withstood the gunfire for a while, but the ultimate E-Series Robot persisted on and gratefully worn them down.

Rouge took to the air with some difficulty, nimbly avoiding the arterial of the newer models' weapons. Her powerful kicks sent them sprawling through the area, all the while she hurled Heart Bombs from the air. The explosions forced the robots to spread across the area, creating more breathing room. Shadow overtook her, determined to finish Eggman for good this time. He hurled a single Chaos Spear towards the Egg Mobile. One of the E-3000s threw up its shield, tanking the force with ease. Shadow repeatedly pressed his feets against the shield, determined to punch through it with his raw strength. The second E-3000 prepared to intervene, only for a telekinetic force to restrain him and throw him towards the ground where Shade was waiting.

The echidna warrior sliced through the robots, their armour no match for her powerful blades. Seeing the Egg Knights as their enemy's commanders, she made haste to cut down the golden robots, theorising the rest of the forces would become disorganised without direct commands. To her surprise, destroying Egg Knights caused several of the Egg Pawns to self-destruct. A fatal flaw on the doctor's part. As her blade sliced through another Egg Knight, Blaze finally unleashed her flames, incinerating the robots that dared to challenge her fire. Despite her wound, she gracefully avoided several attacks, using her flames as a makeshift shield. She fought as still as possible, unwilling to put excessive pressure on her wound.

As several of the Egg Gunners surrounded Espio, the detective suddenly disappeared from sight, becoming one with the wind. The Egg Gunners indirectly shot each other in the confusion. By the time their sensors became aware of what was happening, Espio materialised back into existence, hurling several shurikens in all directions. The weapons hit their mark, piercing through their weak armour with accurate precision. Charmy overtook his fellow teammate, teasing the Egg Pawns by pulling down his eyelid while giving them a raspberry. Angered by the taunt, they raced forward. As they closed in, Charmy suddenly raced around the robots, repeatedly driving his stinger into armour, forcing them to break apart into several pieces.

Vector grabbed one of the Egg Lancers arms before biting through its torso. He spat the pieces from his powerful jaws, followed by hurling the destroyed robot towards its fellow teammates. Reinforcements raced forward from the darkness. With a loud snicker, Vector breathed in deep, filling his powerful lungs with incredible force. He threw his head forward and roared. The vibrations of his loud voice forced the robots to shatter, their systems overloaded by the sheer volume of the crocodile's singing.

In no time at all, the robots were nothing more than scattered parts. The heroes suffered no casualties, regrouping in the centre of the forest. Eggman gawked, swearing his latest models were sufficient enough to overwhelm the group of friends.

Sonic calmly dusted his hands with a smug grin. "Two wins in one day, Eggman. That's a record."

"Winning is fun, Eggman. You should try it," Big kindly suggested.

Sonic threw both hands to his mouth, struggling to conceal the snickering that threatened to escape. The same could not be said for Charmy, who fell back first onto the snow, breaking into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Even Shadow briefly grinned at the innocent comment. Eggman's eyes widened at the unintended insult, gritting his teeth with anger.

"Boss, maybe we should consider this a losing streak and call it a night," Orbot calmly suggested. "You can always try again tomorrow."

"Why? It's not like he ever wins anyway," Cubot added.

Eggman threw his furious gaze to the robot. "What are you talking about?! I've beaten Sonic before!"

"When?" Cubot asked.

The doctor paused, silently cursing his assistant droid for adding insult to injury. Before long, he snapped his fingers with conviction. "I beat Sonic and the others when I tricked them into finding the treasure of the Babylonians! Ha, there!"

Orbot innocently raised his finger. "Wasn't that the treasure that turned out to only be a carpet-"

"Will you stop doing that?!" Eggman barked, shoving the two robots away to a reasonable distance. His tinted glasses scanned the dashboard, desperately searching for his next move. A grin formed under his proud moustache, spotting the giant button that threatened to unleash the ace up his sleeve. "Let's see how you like this!"

He reared back his arm, preparing to slam the giant button. Sonic and the others readied themselves for the next wave, only to gawk in confusion to what followed next. An unusual energy brushed against their bodies, the sensation feeling oddly familiar. The air distorted, rippling like waves. From all directions, circular gateways opened up throughout the air. Dark energy and smoky outer edgers filled the borders, creating an unsettling feeling within their bones. Before anyone questioned the unexpected outcome, their feet suddenly began to leave the ground. Strong gusts of winds pulled them towards the portals.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried out, desperately searching around for something to grab onto. "Eggman, what did you do?!"

"That wasn't me!" Eggman exclaimed, noting his hand stopped short of pressing the button. Orbot and Cubot clutched onto their master for dear life. For once, Eggman did not shove them away. He screamed in horror as the Egg Mobile was forcefully pulled inside one of the portals.

"SONIC!"

Even as panic filled his lungs, Sonic followed the cries for help, watching helplessly as Amy disappeared inside the gateway, her distant screams faintly tingling his ears. "AMY!"

Without gravity, speed was no good. He frantically searched around, spotting one of the lifeless Egg Hammers floating idly by. Pushing aside his own panic, Sonic pressed his feet onto the robot's metallic structure, using the momentum to propel himself towards the same portal. He too vanished from sight, but the rest of his friends were soon to follow.

Rouge desperately tried to descend towards the ground, but could do nothing to escape the powerful force. As her wings tired out, she felt the full force tug her towards the sky. Panic filled the bat's eyes, terrified to find out what lay on the other side. Momentary relief filled her expression, feeling two arms wrap themselves tightly around her waist. Her head turned, watching as Shadow held her close. She longed to escape the portal's gravity, but mustered a grateful smile for her partner's comfort. How Shadow could hold his composure this well in a crisis remained to be seen. Omega trailed closely behind, his heavy structure slowing the portal's hold over him. In little time, Team Dark entered another portal.

Silver held a firm grip on Blaze's wrist, refusing to let go. Her legs dangerously dangled close towards one of the portals, threateningly pull her inside with the slightest touch. Cyan energy swarmed around his body, forcing all telekinetic powers forward in a futile attempt to escape the portal's grasp. From the corner of his eye, he could only watch in despair as Shade, Big and the Chaotix were dragged through another portal. Only the two of them were left now.

"Silver!" Blaze called out.

"I got you, Blaze!" Silver yelled with assurance. "Just hold on!"

"Silver," she spoke more calmly, unwilling to allow him to die with her. "Let me go."

Awestruck by the suggestion, his eyes widened with disbelief. Shaking away the initial shock, his demeanour hardened. "No! I'm not letting go. If we both go inside, so be it! But I'm not letting you go in there alone."

The princess briefly gawked at the conviction in his voice. No matter what she said or did, he refused to release the death hold over her wrist. A smile casted over her muzzle, even as their potential end was coming. He almost mirrored her expression, but before he could do so, the extensive pressure he put himself under finally gave out. Cyan energy died within the air, forcing the two of them to enter the final portal. Seconds after they disappeared, the portals faded away, disappearing as if they were never there. The heroes of this world were no more.