A/N: Again, sorry for the delay in updates. Work continues to be a hot mess alongside outside factors. Plus, I'm trying my best to get this project done, yet I'm not even at the climax. Either way, we're about to close out another arc shortly, so it's time to see how Mario, Sonic, and their friends will fare in pursuit of the final Chaos Emerald. Let's get to the next chapter of New Brotherhood...
Also, the chapter title is a reference to what is arguably the best (and most popular) Mario and Sonic fanfic out written by Azurixx. If you've never read it before, you really should do so!
Disclaimer: The Mario and Sonic franchises belong to Nintendo and SEGA, respectively. This fanfiction is a crossover project for entertainment purposes.
Chapter 58: When Heroes Unite
"And... yeah. I believe that's everything that happened to us. Unless I'm missing something," Luigi turned to his angelic partner.
"No, I think we touched all the major points," Tails bobbed his head. "Then again, if you have anything else to say, go right ahead."
"I think I'm good. Grambi?"
The Nimbi king inaudibly shook his head. The trio who was associated with the Brotherhood Bracelets told the whole story to their friends with Mario and Sonic jumping in on occasion to include their previous meetups. From the beginning, they were heroes from different worlds who somehow crossed paths with each other and shared a tragic part of their lives. As they had trouble moving on or accepting the truth, the moment when Luigi and Tails reunited with them changed their outlook, even if it was for a brief interval. But none of them expected their reunion to be the start of something new and revolutionary despite how dangerous the concept was.
How Luigi and Tails learned about the perils their siblings might encounter was a questioning factor. When the secret came out, they not only promised to live up to expectations, but they executed with persistence.
They had saved their friends from the heated eruption at Mt. Yuruvius.
They vanquished Metal Sonic and Metal Tails in the Forest of Illusion's Ghost House without anyone noticing – aside from the latter.
They avoided a massive explosion at the summit of Shiver Mountain.
In all three of those cases, Luigi and Tails aided Mario and Sonic to come out with a Chaos Emerald in the end.
The other Emeralds were acquired without the Guardian Angels – one was stolen from Larry and another from Eggman's lab in both of their breakouts at Bowser's Castle. Of course, the very first Chaos Emerald in their collection was thanks to Professor E. Gadd for finding one prior to meeting Sonic.
For Peach, Daisy, Amy, Cream, and Cheese, they understood why they didn't get burnt to a crisp at Yurarin Isle.
"Now it all makes sense," Peach took in the revelation. "At first, I was either dreaming or hallucinating that we floated high in the sky. Once we landed safely, I wondered what even happened."
"I almost forgot about that. I mean, I prayed for miracles to save us from disaster, but I never thought it would involve you," Amy admitted to Tails and Luigi.
"That's amazing how you were able to carry all of us out of the scary volcano. But I was sad how none of you were able to reveal yourselves in front of us," Cream sadly complained.
"Aw, Cream, you don't know how badly Luigi and I wanted to talk to you all again. We really did. But we had to abide by the rules in the heat of the moment. No pun intended," Tails quickly added.
"None taken, little buddy," Sonic chuckled, giving him a small noogie above his bangs.
"Hey, cut it out!" Tails giggled. To be fair, watching the two partake in their typical shenanigans hit the Sonic team with a touch of nostalgia. They knew how strong their bond was since they became a dynamic team to stop Eggman. On other days when they're not saving the world, they're just two dudes fooling around and having fun.
Meanwhile, Daisy softly punched Luigi in the arm in a somewhat joking manner.
"Ow!" he complained, rubbing his bicep.
"You silly goose. I can't believe you had to hide your face from moi," Daisy pouted.
The plumber angel couldn't tell at this point if she was being dead serious or humorous. He cautiously responded, "I-I'm sorry, mi fiore. I didn't mean to-"
"Luigi, I'm kidding! Sort of... I still can't believe you would sacrifice yourself! I mean, I don't blame you for taking the initiative, but... you don't know how badly my heart ached that day when Peach explained the news to me."
"I know. It's just... when Mario was in deep trouble, Bowser really seemed intent on getting rid of him. But I know how badly the kingdom reveres him. He has saved our world and Princess Peach numerous times without failing. He would do anything to make sure the world doesn't submit under Bowser's reign or whoever desired control. If he died, then I don't know how the Toads and everyone else would react. They would likely be devastated, and the Mushroom Kingdom – plus its neighboring realms alongside other kingdoms – would never be the same."
"Oh, fratello," Mario sighed, pulling the taller man in a one-arm hug. "What you described was the same way we all felt when we held your funeral. So many visitors gathered around to mourn your loss. Even your partners from the Waffle Kingdom attended the event. I mean it when I say that everyone in that funeral home, including Wario and Waluigi, was distraught to lose an amazing guy like you."
Luigi blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Really," Mario reiterated.
Then, Luigi lowered his right eyebrow. "So, what the hell was that all about in Shiver Mountain?"
"They got over your loss much quicker than me. Those idiots wanted to grab a Chaos Emerald for the sake of another get-rich scheme."
"Mamma Mia. I can't say I'm astonished," Luigi groaned, garnering a few laughs from his friends. Even Polterpup yipped before he jumped into his arms and constantly licked his owner's face. "Ah! Easy, boy! Settle down!"
"Is that really your pet dog?" Silver asked.
"Yeah, it's a long story. Trust me, I don't want to bore all of you with another long explanation."
"Oh, that stuff about helping Mario and Sonic wasn't boring at all!" Amy smiled. "It's a genuine surprise to know how much you guys contributed to the Chaos Emerald hunt when we were all unaware of it."
"Yeah, I must say, Tails has held his own in many adventures with us," Knuckles backed up the fox. "From what I heard, you're also a pretty capable fellow in your journeys against that hotheaded Bowser."
"Heh heh, uh, thanks," Luigi scratched the back of his head. "When I first met Tails, he told me all about you. Now that I get to meet you in person, well, it's quite a pleasure. At the same time, I'm trying to relish it in."
What he didn't explain was how everything fell apart as their cover was now publicized to their friend groups. Although several folks back in the Mushroom Kingdom remain oblivious of Luigi's time in the afterlife and in the current world, he was partially ecstatic to see Peach and Daisy again. At the same time, he was intimidated by how Grambi and Queen Jaydes might handle the situation afterward.
"We're pretty much one and the same when we first encountered Mario as well," Blaze mentioned. "Although we didn't know much about you, Mario and the princesses were kind to tell us about you and your heroism."
"Oh yeah! Isn't it true that you battled against some spooky ghosts?" Charmy exclaimed.
"Yeah. I mean, that's also when I adopted Colombo."
"Arf! Arf!"
"Wow! That's pretty cool!"
"You don't seem like the kind of guy who's afraid of everything," mused Espio.
"Oh, believe me," he shook his head at the purple chameleon, "if you were with me in any of the haunted mansions, I'm sorry to say that I would blast your eardrums from my shrilling screams."
"Regardless, if you managed to help your brother give that ugly, giant turtle a smackdown, then it's no doubt you're a solid contributor to the team! You're a national hero for taking a hit!" Vector commended.
"Th-Thank you, but I kinda don't want that memory to be replayed in my head."
"Oh, my bad."
"It's okay. I'm just... I'm speechless at what unraveled before us."
"Same with me. I felt really useless watching Sonic do the bulk of the work against Eggman. Yet I couldn't bear to live with the thought that he was going to perish in front of my own eyes. Fast forward to today, I can't imagine seeing all of you here. I genuinely thought I was living in a dream, yet it's real," Tails sighed.
"You can keep dreaming all you want, but you're standing with us, foxy," Rouge smirked.
"U-Um... Yeah, so... What was I saying again?" the fox stuttered, losing his train of thought for a bit.
"I must say, for the record, it doesn't feel the same to roam through Mobius and protect the world from evil without a key member of ours. Although it could've been Faker, things felt empty, for lack of a better term," Shadow admitted through his stoic expression.
"So, are you saying you would miss me if my spirit left this world?" Sonic teased the Black Blur.
Huffing, he responded, "Don't inflate your ego, hedgehog. Your fantasy won't come true."
"You would still miss me though, and I bet you wouldn't save the world unless I had something to do with it."
"Sonic, shut up," Tails nudged his arm.
"Hey, I'm just joking around, bud!"
"Just stop it before he's the one who kills you."
"I'd listen to the angel if I were you," muttered Shadow.
"Alright, alright! I'll zip my lid!" Sonic gave in, performing the gesture across his mouth.
"Okay, okay, I think we've had enough dawdling around for ages," Luvbi interjected. "We need to refocus on what's at stake hither! In case any of thee art not aware of the drastic events that took placeth, we hast to locate the intruders of The Overthere!"
"Aye, Luvbi is correct," King Grambi stated. "I'm afraid we weren't very careful withal our approach to help thee when I allowed Luigi and Tails to returneth to the Mushroom Kingdom. Because of the Sibling Signal they received on their Brotherhood Bracelets, we assumed Mario triggered the cue. At the timeth, things were a little rough to vaguely explain. But that was when the Guardian Angels faced off against the impostors known as Metal Mario and Metal Luigi."
"Metal Mario and Metal Luigi?" Peach repeated.
"Wait a minute," Rouge narrowed her eyes. "You don't think they have a correlation to Metal Sonic and Metal Tails?"
"No, thou art right. Dr. Eggman and Bowser devised the Metal Sonic and Metal Tails robots along with the metallic copies of the Mario Bros. E'en worse is the fact that they stole a Chaos Emerald from mine possession."
"I'm sorry, what?" Daisy did a double-take.
"Yeah, that's exactly my reaction! What?!" Knuckles bellowed as he approached the elderly ruler. "You're telling us that you had the seventh damn Chaos Emerald this whole time with you?! Why in the world would you even-"
"Knuckles! Knuckles! Now is not the time to act belligerent!" Tails defended the Nimbi, spreading his arms out in front of him. "Listen, we can explain the details later. But at this point, this is trivial compared to the current problem! All that matters is that we have to get the last Chaos Emerald for you guys!"
"We also need to save the Nimbis from the invaders!" urged Luvbi.
"Although it's too late to turn the tide of our unexpected get-together, we wilt need some extra manpower to taketh on Bowser and Eggman's newest forces," Grambi pleaded. "The question is, wilt thou art willing to help us?"
Mario was the first to instantly step up with a face full of determination. "I'm in."
Sonic was quick to hop on the bandwagon. "Count me in as well, Mr. Nimbi King!"
"Me three!" Amy grinned.
"I want to help as well!" Cream volunteered.
"Chao! Chao!" Cheese chirped loudly next to her.
"Arf! Arf!" Colombo yipped with excitement.
"If it means anything to assist our new friends to get them back home, I'll go as well!" Peach announced.
"And if Peach is in, then so am I!" Daisy yelled.
"That leaves the rest of us, and I'm also going on board," Silver clenched a fist.
"You can add me to the party," Blaze nodded.
"We got this!" Charmy, Vector, and Espio simultaneously chanted.
"Alright, I guess I'll join the fray as well. But if anyone pulls any punches on me, don't be flabbergasted if I give you a knuckles sandwich!" the echidna warned everyone.
"Come on, Shadow. You don't want to be left behind, do you?" Rouge gazed at her Team Dark partner.
Closing his eyes, he simply uttered, "I just want to go home as soon as possible, so I'll put aside everything to get the last Chaos Emerald."
Luigi and Tails were blessed to gain support from their lifelong pals. It gave them a boost of confidence like they were flying high on cloud nine, and that's not counting the sea of plentiful clouds that roamed through the blue heavens.
"It'll just be like old times again. Right, Weegie?" Mario looked up at his taller sibling.
"Right indeed, Mario," Luigi mirrored his grin.
"I can say the same with you, pal. Only this time, everyone gets to join the fun!" Sonic beamed, stretching his fist out at the angelic fox.
Tails was quick to complete the fist bump. "Like you've said on occasion, let's do it to it!"
Finally, everyone set off toward the sectors of The Overthere, resolute to hunt down Eggman's plumbing team. But while the humans and Mobians retraced their steps from outside the shrine, Grambi held Luigi, Tails, and Luvbi back for a moment.
"Father, how wilt Mother taketh the tidings now that the Guardian Angels are nay longer clandestine? She is definitely not going to let this slide very easily," whispered Luvbi.
"Aye, I am aware of how temperamental she can art. After all, she is mine wife. I know how tight this predicament is, but I wilt figure it out eventually. Luigi, Tails, don't e'en think about taking the blame again, especially thee," Grambi directed at the green-hatted Guardian.
"But, King Grambi-"
"Nay buts. I hast already heard thy reasoning, and I am stagnant on where I stand about an apology. I am taking the responsibility into mine own hands, and I am not going to let Jaydes strip thy roles because of some ill-fated notoriety."
"You're very generous, sir," Tails showed his appreciation despite feeling guilty. "If anything does happen to us though, I just want to thank you again for this opportunity. Never would I ever think I would get to see my friends again, let alone Sonic."
The king nodded in acknowledgment. "Go on without me for a moment. I wilt catch up on the chase. Find Rebbi, Yebbi, and Blubi. They might art gathering and defending the poor Nimbis out thither."
"Aye, let us not waste any more timeth!" Luvbi shouted.
Tails and Luigi agreed as they followed the Nimbi girl, catching up to the heroes. Grambi quickly pulled out a cell phone and immediately called the first contact on his device. He waited patiently until the tone stopped ringing.
"Hello? Grams?"
"Yes, it's me, dear. I need to tell thee something very crucial."
"Well, please make it short and straightforward. I don't have a lot of free time at the moment."
Grambi sighed heavily. It was now or never to tell her the truth. He didn't hesitate nor even think about lying through the call. It had to be relayed to her.
"So, thou definitely aren't going to liketh this, but hither is what happened..."
Within a matter of minutes, Luigi, Tails, and Luvbi managed to catch up to Mario, Sonic, and the large group. They began backtracking to the Rainbow Bridge where they met up with Whibbi once more. He heard a few rumors that MM and ML were spotted past the bridge and toward the first sector of The Overthere. Without any other leads, they decided to go back to square one.
Although serious matters were at stake, the gang still couldn't help but soak in the reality of how the man in green and the two-tailed prodigy were by their sides for the first time in over a month. Luigi and Tails had regularly spent so much time with their respective comrades that they were practically unbreakable. Everyone stuck together like glue. They worked well like a well-oiled machine. No matter what stood in their way, the heroes felt strong when they resonated with each other. Their chemistry fueled them up and made them believe anything can be done when they were together.
Mario and Sonic were, without a doubt, prime examples. Although they had saved their own worlds by themselves, they couldn't take all the credit. Various scenarios required some extra support to bring them hope, energize their souls, and do whatever it takes to stop Bowser and Eggman. Whenever they had Luigi and Tails by their side like they've done many times, both the red and blue protagonists found new life in their hearts. The Guardian Angels played a key part in their arduous adventures, and now they were one step away from accomplishing their objective.
"Come on! This way!" Mario led the humongous group to Sector 3, the same location where the thou-knowest-what rested.
"Augh! Get aroint from me!" they all heard a raspy groan.
From a distance, Mario spotted a horde of Nimbis desperately seeking cover, flying aimlessly around the clouds. Within the escape party was a red sage with pink-hearted wings, a brown mustache, and a spiked piece of hair in the shape of a lightning bolt. He was currently battling a massive army of Memory clones of Mario and Luigi. But alas, he was in serious trouble as they tackled the red-clad elder.
"Sir Rebbi!" a young Nimbi cried out.
"Hie on without me! Flee to safety!" Rebbi grunted as his head plopped.
"Thou heard the sire! We hast to run!" another angel shouted.
"B-But..."
"Nay timeth to contemplate! Move!"
The Nimbis felt bad to leave the adult sage behind, but it seemed like they had no other choice. Mario wasn't going to let him suffer any longer though.
"Guys! Let's pry those robots off of him!"
Everyone nodded as they lunged forward into the fracas. While some members like Luvbi, Silver, Blaze, Cream, and Cheese tried to pull them off Rebbi, others went into direct combat.
Peach used her Heart Power to stun-lock them. Amy smashed some figures with her hammer. Daisy gave a pair of whacks with her orange parasol. Shadow employed a Chaos Spear to launch them off Rebbi's body. Knuckles pummeled a trio of Memories in one fell swoop. Mario and Luigi used their jumping abilities and even their metal mallets to smash the small foes into tiny pixels. Sonic teamed up with Tails for a double spin dash, curling into a blue and yellow ball of speed and force. They tumbled into them like a set of bowling pins.
"Good work, little buddy! We didn't need to split up to bowl over them!" Sonic gibed.
"For sure! We gave them a nasty strike to their faces!" Tails laughed.
"Hey, spare the sports terminology and help us get Rebbi up!" called Luigi.
"See, you got the hang of this, Luigi!" the Blue Blur gave him a thumbs-up.
"Sonic!" Mario hissed, swinging his hammer backward at a Memory M who was grabbing his shoulder.
"Okay, okay! Be right there!"
Once the area was clear of MM and ML's subordinates, Rebbi was lifted by the Mobians, giving him a moment to breathe.
"Heavens almighty... And hither I thought the Skellobits were far more dangerous to fight against," Rebbi wheezed.
"Rebbi! Art thou okay?" Luvbi checked for injuries or scrapes.
"Luvbi! Thou art back again!"
"Of course I am! Did those robotic fiends ambush thee?"
"Aye, I'm afraid I was outnumbered by them e'en though they were smaller than me. I couldn't let the young Nimbis be tortured by them after what Metal Mario and Metal Luigi hast done to them earlier. And pardon me for the oxymoron, but speak of the devil – Master Luigi! And... Master Mario... Oh, well, this is awkward..."
"We can explain later," the red plumber narrowed his eyes. "For now, let's catch up to the Nimbis who flew away. Do you happen to know where our doppelgangers went? It's seriously important."
"And do you know where Blubi and Yebbi are?" Luigi asked.
Rebbi sighed in desperation. "As far as I remember, they art trying to corner the escapees, and it's likely predictable that they're rushing to Sector 1 at the very beginning – just a cloud and a hair aroint from the end of the Overthere Stair."
"That's all the hints we need! Let's get to backtracking!" Vector clenched his fingers.
"By the way, what happened to the king?"
"He's safe and sound," Luigi assured Rebbi. "Tails was able to free us from his chambers."
"We rushed outside when we heard they stole the final Chaos Emerald from him. Not only that, we're here to save you and the other angels!" the fox explained.
"I understand. Thank you for thy kindness. I'm a little roughed up at the moment, I cannot lie. Although I'd doeth anything to get up and save mine fellow brethren, mine body is telling me otherwise."
"Then I wouldn't worry about exacerbating your current state. Maybe you should head to the Rainbow Bridge where Whibbi is," suggested Rouge.
"Or you can head all the way back to Grambi's shrine," Espio also offered.
"Good suggestions. I feel terrible to put this in thy hands, but I currently lack the strength and vigor to carry on," said Rebbi.
"Doeth thou want me to escort thee back?" Luvbi sulked.
"Only if thou don't mind."
"Not at all. Heroes," the white spirit turned to the cluster, "avenge mine father and the other sages! Save the Nimbis and get that Chaos Emerald back!"
"You can count on us!" Charmy winked.
"Exactly what he said!" added Cream.
"Alright then. I bid thee good luck. Luvbi?" Rebbi turned to her.
Grambi's daughter nodded as she fluttered by his side. With the angels temporarily out of the picture, Mario, Sonic, and their friends traveled forward into the next sector, hoping to find the metal brothers before it was too late.
"Ack! Watch thyself, Blue!" Yebbi hollered loudly, leaning back from a laser that nearly shot him in the head.
"Stop thy nonsense this instant or thou wilt regret it!" Blubi threatened the adversaries.
The first sector was where the blue and yellow sages guided a portion of the Nimbis away from MM and ML. Unfortunately, Eggman's relentless minions tracked them to the edge of The Overthere, striving to recapture them. As a last-second resort, the Nimbis were instructed to flee to the stairway towards the outer limits of the afterlife dimension. Blubi and Yebbi stayed behind to keep them far away from the young spirits.
"Foolish. You should be the ones to surrender under our power. Let us not dawdle for too long, capisce?" Metal Mario huffed with his eyes glowing crimson.
"Seriously, it's not that difficult to obey such an easy task," Metal Luigi added, cocking his cannon once more to load up a charged laser.
"So, are you going to back down now?"
"Never!" Blubi and Yebbi snarled.
"Very well then. You leave us no choice," ML prepared to fire the shot.
"Says you, impostore!"
Metal Luigi paused and turned around only to spot the bottom of a brown shoe. It landed directly on his steel nose, and he fell onto the small shrine's floor. His entire body was knocked down and restrained by the real plumber. Even Colombo wanted the clone to taste his own medicine as he gnawed violently on his metal shoe.
"Gragh! Get off of me!" ML roared.
"I don't think so!" Tails flew over both Luigis before he landed a hard punch to his face. His teammate barely got out of the way for him to land the hit, but the fox's attack had repercussions. "Ugh! Crap, probably not my smartest move," he began shaking his right hand.
Metal Luigi found a window and managed to push Luigi off his body. He also wrestled his foot to send Colombo flying away while also shoving Tails to the ground.
"Metal bro! You okay?" MM came up to him. "I managed to neutralize those stupid spirits for a bit."
"I wouldn't say we're entirely neutralized," Yebbi grumbled, bound up in ropes while back-to-back with Blubi.
"We should've known you irritating rascals have escaped our rope traps back in the main shrine. How'd you even get out?!"
"That's none of your business," Tails snorted, tempting to pull out the box cutter he secretly stashed.
"Luigi! These robots hast been up in our wings for too long. I'm afraid we've failed thee," Blubi grimaced.
"Oh, I wouldn't think that just yet. I've got more forces with me. It's not just Tails, Colombo, and me," Luigi glared, aiming his unnerving, blue eyes at the impersonators.
"You think your deadly stare will intimidate us?" MM scoffed.
"No, but all of us might change your mind."
"So what? You have a stupid, transparent pooch to give us bite marks? As if that'll dent our skin!" ML snickered. His offensive remark only made Colombo seethe.
"You may be a pair of strong foes developed by Eggman, but we all know that his Badniks are no match for the real deal. Guys?" Tails snapped his fingers.
In a matter of seconds, everyone appeared right next to Colombo and the Guardian Angels.
Shadow, Rouge, Silver, Blaze...
Knuckles, Vector, Espio, Charmy...
Peach, Daisy, Amy, Cream, Cheese...
And most importantly, their older brothers. Mario and Sonic.
Everyone stood or flew as they peered at the enemies. Metal Mario and Metal Luigi did not anticipate the large gathering, but they held themselves in check.
"Okay, so you have an army. But you're probably as useful as the Nimbis who can't even survive a piece of plywood being thrown at them," Double-M sneered.
"Sooner or later, you'll be joining us back at Bowser's dungeon. Only this time, every single one of you fugitives will never see the light again. I'm certain our lords will be happy enough to end your lives while everyone else spectates in horror!" Double-L laughed inanely.
"First, it was you filthy youngsters who took the fall. Soon, the older ones will join you. None of you will be standing or breathing for much longer."
"We'll see about that," Mario tightened his red cap.
"If we were able to take down Metal Sonic and Metal Tails, then we can do the same to you," Sonic clenched his teeth.
A robotic beep emitted from Metal Mario, tapping his shoe for a moment. "Hey, Double-L. You hear something?"
The taller bot looked around like he was clueless, except he was catching his ally's drift. "Hmm... Actually, it's pretty calm and quiet... except for maybe-"
Metal Luigi never bothered to finish his sentence as he saved the powered-up shot from his arm cannon and released a huge beam at the protagonists. Everyone ducked, flew, or ran away from the blast as it split the team down the middle. From there, the battle was on.
Even though it was two robots against a giant squad of eighteen, the metal brothers were neither fazed nor scared to fight them all at once. To make it more evenly matched, they summoned more reinforcements, releasing Memory M's and Memory L's from their chest compartments. They grew in size and were much larger than the Memory clones the heroes had faced before. Meanwhile, MM and ML took turns spamming shots at the humans and Mobians.
"Mario! You focus on them with Sonic, Tails, and Luigi! We'll handle the Bowser Memories!" Peach called.
"Sounds like a plan!"
"Ruff! Ruff!"
"I think Colombo wants to help us," Luigi stated.
"Okey-dokey then! Let's-a-go!" Mario jumped high with confidence.
The Chaotix stormed out first with Charmy, Espio, and Vector throwing out punches. The bee and the chameleon knocked down two different Memory M's and squashed a pair of Memory L's with their feet. Vector had a few clones hanging onto his tail, but he managed to slam them onto the clouds, the force sending them away like a Boo fleeing from the light.
"Yeah! That'll teach those bozos a lesson!" Vector pounded his fist.
"Don't celebrate just yet. We've got more to stop before Mario and Sonic can get the Chaos Emerald!" reminded Espio.
"Speaking of which, here they come!" Charmy spotted as he and his comrades prepared for the next wave.
Stalling a quintet of Memories, Silver gave Blaze, Cream, and Cheese their window to attack. Blaze set the two to her left on fire while Cream threw her Chao at the remainder, forming a chain reaction to bonk the heads of two more. Silver raised his hands down and kicked a Memory M off the clouds.
"I'll try my best to keep more of them at bay! Just don't panic or let your guard down!" directed Silver.
"You doing alright there, Cream and Cheese?" Blaze checked the status of her friends.
"We're doing okay, Miss Blaze! We're right here all the way!" Cream maintained her positive attitude.
"Chao! Chao!"
Daisy was able to block a Memory M jumping right at her, opening up the umbrella to make it bounce back. Closing it, she then golfed it deep into the skies like she was going for a hole-in-one. Peach wanted to cook up a storm, so her frying pan was taken out again. The pink princess got a piece of a Memory L on the left hip. She swung to her right to repeat the same action and dented its blocky head.
"Whoo-hoo! Nice hit there, Peach!"
"Same to you!" the blonde replied before realizing another pixel was heading their way. "Hey, look out!"
"Oh, shoot!" Daisy screamed before swinging the parasol. "Nice catch there, bestie."
"Ugh! Don't mention it!" she pounded a Memory M with the cooking utensil.
Shadow rallied a high kick to the chin of a Memory L, pushing it back to set up Rouge's follow-up incursion. She drove her high heels into the back of its head. The enemy fell flat onto its stomach, but not before a Memory M swooped in to avenge the fallen. Grunting, the bat circled in the air before zooming right at the red copy. She was about to send a punch, but instead Rouge tricked it by stopping momentarily and immediately whacking it with her wings. The off-timing strategy worked, and Shadow continued with a powerful spin-dash. He couldn't help but smirk at both his strength and his teamwork with Rouge.
"More auto-bots are coming our way!" Rouge pointed.
Shadow returned to a serious expression and nodded. "Right! Let's take them down!"
Knuckles was tough to extend his spiked hands and fight off a Memory M that attempted to push him off the shrine's ledge. Despite no arms or hands, the clone stifled the echidna and overmatched his brawn. Out of the blue, Amy ran forward to help her friend, slamming the pixel out of the way. Knuckles had some breathing room but didn't get a chance to exhale when a Memory L was about to pounce on the pink hedgehog. In return, he jumped forward and perforated the green replica until it disintegrated into cubes.
"Whew... Thanks for the save, Knuckles. I actually didn't see him!"
"Hey, you scratched my back just recently. Felt like returning the favor."
"Whoa! Look out!" she cried before swinging her trusty hammer.
"Oh yeah! How do you like that, jerk?!" Knuckles taunted as he crumpled another replica.
While everyone else was defeating the Memory robots, it was a death match between Metal Mario and Metal Luigi versus the true Mario Bros., the Inseparable Duo, and Luigi's Polterpup.
"Get a load of this, Mario!" MM fired a burst at his counterpart before flying in with fists of fury.
"Is that the best you can do?!" the red plumber narrowed his eyes and pushed forward. Both of the mustached men traded punches and kicks while they did their best to dodge the other's attacks. A few sidesteps here and there, but Mario outmaneuvered his copycat as he swung his leg across the robot's shins. Although his foot twinged, he ignored the minor pain and proceeded to jump-kick the enemy in his chest. Double-M flew backward but was caught by his mechanical brother.
"You're definitely going to pay for that! MM, get some revenge!"
While Metal Luigi focused on his own copy, Metal Mario returned his focus to the red hero, sending out another wave of Memory M's and L's to distract him. Luckily, Colombo leaped in and gnawed one of the pixels, shaking them rapidly from his mouth before spitting it out. He hurled the Memory like a frisbee as it crashed into the clones. Appreciating his help, Mario nodded before he rushed up. Ducking the incoming lasers, he performed a triple-jump and smashed his head with his shoes. Metal Mario became stunned for a moment, and he didn't have enough time to react when Sonic barged in as a speeding ball of cobalt blue. The hedgehog wrecked his exterior with scratches all over his chest compartment. Metal Mario tried to resist the onslaught but to no avail. Sonic did some successive spin-dashes, crushing Eggman's robot so hard that he almost could've fallen through the clouds.
Luigi grabbed his mallet and used it as a temporary shield, holding it diagonally in front of him while Metal Luigi pushed against the tool. The angel was slowly losing his grip, but he fought back valiantly as ML stumbled. As he lost his balance, Luigi flapped his wings and delivered an uppercut swing to his jaw. He flung high into the sky at the best time possible. From there, Tails was already airborne. Once Metal Luigi was in proximity, he assaulted him with a few spin-dashes before whacking him with his namesakes. The robot began free-falling before Luigi gave him one last smack with his hammer. His trajectory sent ML right at Metal Mario the moment he was about to get up. Both androids crashed into each other as they hit their heads against the shrine's wall.
The collision was very rough that two vital objects spilled out from their chests. ML lost the Emerald Detector, and MM lost...
"The last Chaos Emerald!" shouted Tails.
"Someone grab it, quick!" Luigi wheezed.
"Don't worry! I got- OW!" Sonic hissed.
Mario gasped as he saw the hedgehog get shot in the hand. He hurried over to his friend. "Mamma Mia! Are you okay, Sonic?!"
"Ugh... I'm okay. I-OW! Never mind! That stings, man!" he squeezed his fingers to numb the pain.
Mario turned around and growled furiously at the metal brothers. Double-M was the one who had his cannon out. It was pretty obvious he prevented the Blue Blur from taking the prizes.
"I'm sure you don't want to suffer the same fate as him, do you? Or rather, you don't want to get blasted in the heart again? Only this time, you won't have a hospital to rest in or a doctor to heal your wounds. I'll gladly finish the deed that Bowser failed to do."
"Mario!"
The Italian glanced back where his brother called him. Although Luigi didn't say anything afterward, they stared at each other in the eyes for a brief period. Using their brotherly connection, they figured out what has to be done. While Mario looked defeated, the duplicate couldn't help but chortle evilly.
"Ha! I should've known you wouldn't live up to your heroics. You're just an inferior version of me, a pathetic shell of a man who only cares about eating strawberry cake and pasta every day. How do you even live by yourself knowing you're so useless? Hell, you're so useless that you killed your bro-"
What Mario did next not only shocked Sonic, Tails, and the rest of the gang who witnessed the scene before them, but it stunned the automatons, too. Mario took his metal hammer, ran just as fast as the speedy hedgehog, and walloped Eggman's creations to the moon. He glared at them until they were no longer in sight. Mario didn't bother going for the Emerald Detector or the red gem. Instead, he went back to Sonic, glimpsing at his injured hand. He quietly examined it before gently applying pressure.
"Mario," Sonic uttered, causing the plumber to peek up. He remained stoic on the outside but incensed on the inside.
Peach cautiously walked up to the party. With their friends lingering in the back, they stayed quiet as the awkward silence remained intact. She kneeled in front of the two heroes.
"Mario," she whispered to him. "Let me heal him."
While the plumber stayed silent yet irate, he nodded his head and allowed her to work her magical powers. She gave Sonic an energizing aura as if he gained a brand-new power. His hand didn't feel sore or burnt anymore.
"Man, it's like I never got wounded in the first place. Thanks, Princess!" he gave her a thumbs-up.
She kindly smiled before it faded away. Everyone turned their attention to Mario while Luigi and Tails freed Yebbi and Blubi from the ropes.
"Mario? Are you okay?"
Eventually, Mario exhaled through his nose, the insulting words still running in the back of his mind. He was guilty of many things, but he was already convinced that Luigi's death was not his fault. It took Mario a long time to accept that statement. After all, Luigi was the one who made the fatal choice of saving him. He wasn't going to let Metal Mario's speech get into his head.
Later, he shifted his gaze back to Luigi. He had some unfinished business to take care of. Walking slowly to him, the taller man caught him from his peripheral view. Before he could even let out a word, Luigi gasped when Mario embraced, taking in his presence once more and hiding his face as it cradled next to his right shoulder.
"I'm sorry, mi fratello. About what I said at the house, I didn't mean to make you upset."
Luigi frowned. Despite what was shared back then, he wasn't going to take his words seriously. It was definitely a complicated situation, and their emotions were all over the place. While he had a feeling Mario would react in such a way, he knew the older man actually wasn't mad. Regardless, they were on bad terms the last time they spoke before the whole Guardian Angel dilemma developed. To an extent, that moment was a blessing in disguise. He got to see his sibling once more, and they reconciled. Not only that, but they also got to rejoin their old pals and team up like they did in the old days. Luigi was grateful for all of this. He may be scared of the possible consequences moving forward, yet what mattered was that his brother was safe and sound. The same thing went for Tails, Sonic, and the rest of the gang.
Finally, the green-hatted spirit returned the physical gesture, squeezing his arms tightly around his back. "It's okay, Mario. I forgive you. And I'm sorry, too."
Mario pulled back, peering up with puffy eyes. "Don't be. You know what's best between right and wrong. Let's just forget it and move on."
Luigi concurred, expressing a small smile beneath his mustache.
"Excellent work, heroes!" Blubi fluttered over to the party. "Thou managed to recover the Chaos Emerald and bring peace back to The Overthere!"
"I also want to hand thee mine thanks for thy courage! Although we wilt need some timeth to rally the Nimbis and comfort them after the invasion, at least we don't hast to worry about Bowser and Eggman's fierce minions," said Yebbi.
"And here it is," Tails leaned down to grab both the detector and the glimmering jewel. "The seventh Chaos Emerald."
Sonic reached out as his little buddy passed it to him. Smirking at the artifact, he stuffed in his quills with the purple one he kept for a while. He followed with a friendly fist bump. "Thanks, pal! Now we're just one step away from returning home!"
"Aw, I'm not gonna lie, but the longer we've been here, the sadder I feel that we have to leave this beautiful place," Cream moaned.
"Me, too, Cream. It's really been an honor to spend some time with everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom. All of you were nice to let us stay here while helping us find the Chaos Emeralds," Amy mentioned.
"I know we've only been here briefly, especially after we've been stuck at Bowser's Castle for a long time. But you know, it's a great feeling to have some trusty people by our side to assist us," praised Silver.
"Indeed. I thought we were doomed when we found out Eggman teamed up with Bowser. It was also bad how they managed to get ahold of our Chaos Emerald that we used to transport here," sighed Blaze.
"You still have that one, right, Mario?" questioned Charmy.
"Sure do!" Mario pulled it out of his overalls.
"So then, what do we do now?" Espio scratched his head.
"Yeah, and how do we get back to the Mushroom Kingdom?" Vector played with his gold chain.
"I'm pretty sure Queen Jaydes might use her powers to handle that. But that's something we'll have to worry about later," Luigi mumbled.
"Why is that?" Rouge tilted her head.
"Yeah, why waste more time here?" Shadow crossed his arms.
"I think I know why..." Tails hesitated.
Knuckles stood next to his friend, glancing curiously at the kitsune. "What exactly does that mean? Are you guys in trouble or something?"
"I guess you could say that," Luigi gulped.
"Oh, dear... You don't mean it has to do with the fact we know about your secret, is it?" Daisy realized, putting the puzzle pieces together.
"Well, I think we wilt hast to settle this by returning to the king," Yebbi recommended.
"I know the scenario is unforeseen based on everything that unfolded," Blubi cleared his throat. "But I strongly feel we might hast to hear from Grambi about what wilt happen next. Additionally, Queen Jaydes wilt likely give out her two cents."
"Arf..." Colombo whined, nudging his head next to Luigi.
"I know, boy. But we'll have to face the music here. We can't turn back the clock or hide from the truth. Whatever happens, we'll have to deal with it," reassured Luigi.
"And we'll be with you all the way. We won't let you take all the heat," Mario told him.
"Same here. We got your backs," Sonic nodded, pulling the fox into a one-arm hug.
Tails appreciated their support. "Thanks, guys. It really means a lot."
"So then, should we make our way back now?" asked Peach.
There was a lot to unpack here, but one thing was certain. The heroes now had possession of all seven Chaos Emeralds. Although it will take some time to have all of them in the same place and at the same time, the humans and Mobians were able to relax knowing they have outfoxed Bowser and Eggman once more. Yet there were tons of lingering thoughts that plagued their minds. One of which was whether the Koopa King and the evil scientist had a new trick up their sleeves. Currently, that's not the main problem. At this point, they united together to stand strong with the Guardian Angels as they prepared for a potential rude awakening.
END OF CHAPTER
Another chapter down in the books. Even though we're not exactly out of The Overthere yet, we have another glaring situation to encounter. What will be the fates of Luigi and Tails? Will Mario, Sonic, and their other friends be affected? How will Queen Jaydes and King Grambi settle the elephant in the room? What happened to Metal Mario and Metal Luigi?
So many questions, yet I can't answer all of them now. Until then, I'll do my best to crank out another chapter before the end of the year. If not, I guess I'll see you in 2023? When this story will be... about six years old? Sheesh.
Regardless, thank you all once more for taking the time to read this crossover up to this moment. Until we meet again for Ch. 59 of New Brotherhood, this is TGN, signing off.