MOBIUS REBORN
I – INTRO
So calm. So serenic. No sound. No nothing. But then something strange happened. Light shot forth from behind revealing all too familiar faces. Lighthead, Gore, Lighgresonic, …even the once dreaded Ivo Robotnik. Just like always, he fought back at his foes but something was different. They all knew what he was up to, one step ahead and were much tougher. Every attack handed to them was carefully countered as they all seemed to work together.
"Revenge is such an exploitable thing, rodent." It had been about a year since he had heard him.
Realizing he had no chance, Sonic began to give chase and look for Knothole. He kept his eyes pealed for the tree stump but soon found it removed and blocked. Frantically, seeing his enemies from both past and present nearing his location, he gave away once again this time looking for the great oak slide but soon as he neared it, he found it charred and in splinters. Lighgresonic had just blasted it. Sonic then just decided to run to knothole through the forest and hope to lose them but after each time he glanced back, they were able to keep up. LS was flying overhead while everyone else, Lighthead, Gore, Robotnik held onto Warp whom was using his warp ability to keep up. Why was Warp with them? Nothing seemed to make sense.
Finally, seeing huts in the distance, Sonic ran through the Great Forest as fast as he could without hitting any trees. There was a sense that arriving at Knothole would relieve him of everything while another sense told him leading them to Knothole would lead to doom.
Once he arrived, he quickly found that everything appeared normal except that no one was around. It was deserted. He called out. The eerie wind his only answer. The look out tower, empty. Mess hall… empty. Upon walking out from the mess hall, everything suddenly appeared radically different. Knothole was in ruins, the sky a deep red. This can't be right, he thought. A moment ago, everything was blue and Knothole was perfectly fine. How could things have suddenly changed? He already knew it wasn't a dream, even though it was all surrealistic. It was somehow real. His level of alertness nullified it being a dream.
All of his foes from both past and present circled around him, all eager to see one thing. His death. The site of Knothole now reminded him of how Knothole was when it was destroyed by Lighthead's SMDCs awhile back. A raging inferno. A very distinct smell combination of smoke, sulfer and copper filled the air. He had no idea what to do.
Then it hit him. Literally. LS had struck him with some type of blast from this energy infested self into his back, penetrating through, blood flowing. Then it was Lighthead… then Gore, Robotnik and everyone else present… everyone else that had a meet in with him and disliked him and wanted to see him die. They all seemed to enjoy and savior this moment. To see the hated hedgehog helpless more than ever yet they didn't gloat at all. In fact, no one spoke. There was no laughing. No other sound other than the wind and attacks. This made him realize something. That he was already dead. This wasn't a reality… but it wasn't a dream either. Just then, like how the light came from behind in and instant, it receded ahead of him in an instant. He now knew that he was dead from the explosion from the Eraos Emerald. What had just happened was some type of enactment.
Back on Mobius, three years have past since the destruction of the Master Emerald/Eraos Emerald and the Floating Island with Sonic and Lighthead. During this time, they had managed to get over it but still with mixed feelings. This was especially with Tails, now 13 years old, whom always looked up and idolized him. They were no longer in Knothole but in a renewed Mobotropolis. Knothole still existed but now served as a back up place. Just a year ago, they had completely moved back in, transforming it to the city they once knew. The roboticizer was destroyed and replaced with fountains of water, recreations centers and the works. The city of Mobotropolis was inhabited once again but now with mobians instead of robot patrols.
Since the destruction of the island left with nothing to guard, Knuckles spent the days treasure hunting, an old pastime he had. This led to an important discovery. The discovery of Nate Morgan's original chamber used to escape the torment of the War over Mars. Within it, mystical prints of the chaos emeralds existed explaining their nature and behavior Anyone could use them if they knew how, it stated. Amazingly, the evolution into the Eraos Emerald was also stated. Much of it they already knew except for one thing. "After the Eraos Emerald is brought to life, it will only be a matter of a few days before all the chaos emeralds are destroyed and when they are, they will not go down with a whimper but a bang. Each emerald will have the power of literally destroying a planet. After this happens then the Eraos Emerald will destroy itself." Fortunately, the theory was ruled out. It had been long enough as there was no disturbance from the chaos emeralds indicating such a catastrophe since it no longer existed.
II – DISCOVERY
Currently, daily routine consisted of keeping the city pretty much active. They were well respected since they had known Sonic the most and appreciated their efforts against the wars. Even now, three years later after the events of Master Chaos and the Eraos Emerald they had moved on and accomplished a lot but still an empty place in each of their hearts was a place for Sonic.
"Hey Rotor!" Knuckles called out. He jumped up the side of building of his workshop and climbed up to his location on the top floor. Conveniently, the window was open so he could just go right in.
"You know I hate it how you do that." the purple walrus said not looking.
"Yea but this time I think I found something worth checking out."
"Ok, what is it and where did you find it?" Knuckles handed him the device. It was some type of computer component.
"I'm not sure. That's why I came to give it to ya. I found it in the desert." Rotor took the device and held it up, staring into it.
"It looks like some type of storage unit. I'll check it out later. Right now I'm busy working on the power grid."
"Alright. I'll be out." Five long hours later, the walrus finished his blue prints for a power grid and turned to see the device Knuckles had given him.
"Might as well see what thing is." Rotor hooked up the device to his computer to see what information may lie on it.
"Its just a bunch a encrypted source code… Fortunately Nicole is handy in this field." Rotor then hooked up Nicole adjacent to the computer and device.
"Processing… Estimated time left 6.7 hrs"
"Thanks, Nicole. Well… I guess I'll come back in the morning."
Once Rotor had awoken the next day, he walked into his lab to see what Nicole had translated. To his surprise, it was successful but that wasn't what got his attention.
FLIGHT INITIATION
TERREBOTS DESTROYED ISLAND LOCATION 31.1034 MILES/ HYPOTENUSE FROM GROUND COMPUTING VELOCITY V=VO + AT
ARRIVAL COMPLETE IN 1.2 SEC
EMERALD LOCATED UNDERGROUND
It was somehow a database or log of everything that was happening with someone. Master Chaos perhaps? Rotor scrolled down and read more…
INCOMING SUBJECT VELOCITY 326 MPH/580 KMH INTERIOR DIMENSIONAL UTILIZATION COPLETE UNDERGOING ATTACK;
DAMAGE RATIO: (0.00016%)
It had to be Master Chaos… when Sonic was able to get a hit in finally. Rotor scrolled down futher…
ERAOS EMERALD LEVEL REACHED!
ATTEMPTING A DESIRE
… DESIRE MET… ERROR… ERAOS EMERALD COPY IN INSUFFICIENT LOCATION… LOCATED ON PLANET BELIUN AT CENTER OF UNIVERSE 2,143,455 PARSECS AWAY FROM CURRENT POSITION
"Sally!" To anyone around, it sounded like an attack of some sort. Tails and Bunnie accompanied Sally as he quickly ran to Rotor's lab on the 3rd floor.
"What is it Rotor?" They both said, panting. He pointed to the line "attempting a desire." They gasped.
"Oh my… that's… that's what he wished for. Sonic told me he thought he made a wish before we said goodbye."
"Yes. It very much looks like he did."
"But he was killed or so we hope. No sign of that bot since."
"Not until now. This device is some type of storage unit manifesting that information. Nicole was able to translate the original encryption."
"Is it possible for us to get it? Maybe even use it to wish Sonic back?" The question penetrated deep. There was no one in the room unaffected. Rotor in his mind loved the idea, but didn't show it.
"There's no way we have the technology to get to the center of the universe which according to the log is about 7 million lightyears away. As much as we all want Sonic back doesn't factor risk in this."
"Wait. What about the Supremor? Lighthead's old ship." Tails' question struck the walrus silly. Then he gave a reply.
"I forgot all about that thing. It would need repair though."
"How much?"
"About six months worth."
"Ok then. We'll call in a meeting tomorrow and declassify the information."
* * * 4 Hours later * * *
The meeting took place at around 9:00 in the morning within a building adjacent to where everyone slept which was more like a hotel now. Many familiar faces took place like Tails, Bunnie and Antoine. Several others had joined since the tragic day one year ago.
"Ok everyone. You're probably wondering why you were called here. The reason is this. Rotor…"
"Good morning. Recently as in just yesterday, we have recovered a vital piece of information thanks to Knuckles. This information has come from this." Rotor held up the storage cell. "This is from Master Chaos whom as you should know was a major threat about 3 years ago. Yesterday, his personal computer logs were extracted and we translated them and we have learned that there is now another Eraos Emerald out there. A copy of the original. This is believed to be what he wished for during the time he had it." Shock consumed everyone.
"Now we do plan to get it but it will involve risk. The Eraos Emerald is located on Beliun, a supermassive planet in the center of the universe. To get there, we will use the Supremor, Lighthead's original ship used to attack us. It is in need of repair but in 6 months time, I think it will be operational once again. We'll most likely need the chaos emeralds to power it because I don't think the sun will be sufficient after we are out of range. If you are interesting in taking part, get in touch with me."
"Thank you Rotor. First of all, I need to say that this mission is NOT to wish back Sonic… but to restore order. If any other creature gains that emerald with evil intentions it could as you well know, spell disaster. We're not taking chances with it remaining there."
"Princess Sally, what other proof do you have of the second Eraos Emerald's existence? Other than Master Chaos' log."
"There is no further evidence but we know a Beliun exists. Confirmed by Nicole."
"Why do you say you don't want to wish back Sonic?"
Sally held back a tear. "I did not say that but that its not the primary mission." Everyone still remained unconvinced that was so.
III – PREPARATION
Finally the preparation phase had begun. Rotor had spent a great deal of time working on the Supremor, using older models from the Robotropolis days to repair and make adjustments. Everyone else was told to scour the planet for the 7 chaos emeralds which was also no easy task but since now the kingdom consisted of much more than just a dozen and half or so, now consisted of thousands and it took much less time. Thousands of self claimed mobians took part in the search. They only had to locate one where then they could use that to track more. They grew in intensity when nearing other chaos emeralds. This only lasted a week, but there were only a handful of mechanics available to work on the Supremor. Rotor was the most skilled of them.
Adjustments had to be made all around the Supremor. The hull was damaged with several openings and rusted metal had to be replaced. Much of the interior as well. Also during this period of time, a stellar warp mechanism was created that could be used to to transport the Supremor much more efficiently.
Finally, after 6 months of preparation it was now ready for launch. The scheduled launch was now only a week away. Final tweaks remained and were taken care of. Another meeting was held - this time on the subject of the mission and everything to expect in the mission. Everyone expected Sally to give a great speech but Rotor was up first.
"Greetings everyone. As you are all aware, I am finished with the reconstruction of the Supremor. Here is what you can expect in this long and tedious mission. The trip there will be a long one. Its expected to take over a month. Fortunately, it could have been much longer if not Rotor installed a new hyperspace mechanism, which would be the length of our lives. This hyperspace mechanism will allow us to jump distances between stars almost instantly. Now, this happens every 37.8 seconds but we won't notice it and it will happen approximately 80,000 times which is the number of stars between us and Beliun. The result, about 35 days. During this period you will be maintaining the ship. Once we arrive we will begin our search for the Eraos Emerald.
"Now the planet is massive. Nicole has indicated that it is twice the size of Jupiter… about 171,600 miles in diameter. That's also 12x bigger than the RSupremor or 20% the size of the sun. Just to give you some perspective. The gravity will amazing be about the same here if not lighter. Despite the mass of the planet, it isn't nearly as dense. It could be easy to sink in the ground but so far we're not too sure of the texture. Its also trinary star system. Meaning that there are 3 stars orbiting eachother hence making it a trinary star system. The night will be very short. About an hour. The mechanics haven't been worked out entirely."
"Thank you, Rotor. Now, I would like to address more reasoning behind this mission. Were are mainly seeking the Eraos Emerald. It is likely we will come across other inhabitants that could be hostile. We're not certain. The launch will be at noon exactly one week from today. Bring anything you want as there will be plenty of room onboard and definitely be prepared in case of problems. No one is sure exactly what to expect. Rotor and I will keep you posted." At that point the meeting was over and the inhabitants of the newly rebuilt Mobotropolis returned to their homes.
The day before launch had everyone aroused in anticipation. It was difficult to sleep. No one knew of what was to come and so the fear of the unknown played a big part now.
Finally morning came. The 5 ½ mile wide Supremor was positioned upright with giant pillars holding it up. The sun revealed its shiny metallic surface as it beamed it back into space. The residents who were planning to take part of the mission gazed at it, as they had been doing so for months monitoring Rotor's progress were always amazed how exactly it would fly with its massive structure. They would find out in only a matter of hours.
As time approached the ever slow moving deadline of noon, the residents secured their belongings within huge supply units. Beds, dressers, computers, couches, chairs all made their way to an elevator on the side that went straight up into the Supremor. Everything else was taken up by hand. It was like and airport, only there was one plane or craft. Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie and Antoine had their stuff taken up separately as they were considered 'essential.' Even tho they denied it, they were often well respected as such they were mainly responsible for restoring peace once again. Only one thing remained now.
It was finally time to launch. The Supremor blasted its thrusters downward, propelling it into the sky slowly at first but then picked up more speed. Everyone was braced for the acceleration and knew it would be over soon. Like a rocket, it left a trail but much more wider and thicker. The site that held it was torn apart by its engines. Debris was everywhere, charred. Everyone not going was at a safe distance. There were roughly 150 people onboard. Antoine, as usual, did not have very high comfortable level with this. Once the Surepmor was high into the air, the trail tapered off… signifying it was now in space. So far… so good.
IV – SPACE TRAVEL
Meanwhile, 93 million miles away from the Supremor a much larger version of it stayed still, orbiting the sun closely. Gore was now assuming control over it with Orlo at his side. In the past three years Gore did very little work around the RSupremor so it had weakened a bit over the years, not significantly but there were no upgrades and little maintenance. Dr Lighthead, Gore's main influence, was gone and this was a direct result from it. Howerver, Gore had a new trainee whom was acquired at Lighgretron. His name was Vinius Exscer. Gore's arsenal had more than doubled than before. His fascination with sharp objects was overwhelming now. Currently, he was toying with the Sword of Acorns, still trying to uncover its secrets. He had been successful so far, now able to emit a beam from it but it took concentration.
Yet… in amidst all of this, something caught Orlo's eye on the radar screen. Something large was moving towards them. Orlo quickly printed out the readouts taken by what computer systems still functioned and ran as fast his short legs could take him to Gore. He was still playing with the Sword of Acorns. Gore took hold of the handouts, analyzing them. It showed a blip getting gradually closer. Not to their exact location but closer nonetheless. He then swung the sword angrily yet wildly, nearly slicing Orlo's head off. He shrieked and cowered in fear.
"Wh-What is it?"
"The Supremor. They actually got the Supremor working again. Quickly Orlo, we're going to follow them!"
"Yes.. of course!" Shortly afterward, the RSupremor broke from its orbit and fired off, in pursuit of the Supremor that they originally had. From its massive size, the RSupremor had obtained a couple asteroids each half the size of the moon now orbiting it due to its gravitational pull. It wasn't monstrous but noticeable
Back on the Supremor, Nicole took complete control and in navigation. Once it was in a certain range to the sun, a little alarm went off signifying that a jump would take place and to brace for it even though they wouldn't be affected. A minute later the Supremor disappeared from view and instantly appeared near another star. They were protected from its heat in result of many of Rotor's modifications. This process lasted for awhile and everyone onboard knew to expect this for the next month.
A basic routine began to follow. Everyone stayed with the normal schedule of waking up when they deemed it was morning and sleeping when it was considered night. ¾ of this time was free time. The rest was spent maintaining the Supremor and making sure it was up to date, that there were no leaks or need of repair. Their food storage was plentiful and expected to last up to 3 months in case of any failures or miscalculations. Everyone knew there was risk, but ignored it. Because of the grown boredom in Mobotropolis and virtually no activity for 3 years, this was the result - a mission to retrieve a supposed second copy of the Eraos Emerald.
Almost everyone… It was now day three.
"Ze outside! Ee keeps appearing and zee disappearing! What is to be going on?" Antoine hadn't changed a bit and it still often took more than one attempt to explain the procedures to him.
"Antoine, it's the ships internal hyperspace at work. Don't worry about it." Was Rotor's reply.
"Not to be worrying. Not to be worrying, Rotair." Rotor just shook his head like usual and walked towards Sally whom was tinkering with Nicole.
"Whats going on, Sal?"
"Something seems wrong. Nicole's screen keeps fizziling in and out."
"It must be the magnetic storm. It'll pass."
"How far are we from home now?"
"We're about 71 trillion miles from home."
"Oh my…" Sally was taken back. The number overwhelming her. "What is that in light years?"
"About 12. We have a long ways to go."
The days came and went. Even though they weren't days, they knew if they still kept track, knowing the date/time, they could keep themselves acclimated. Once it got to the 2nd week new dangers became more apparent in their path. One of the stars programmed in their route was actually a black hole or collapsed star. Nicole had calculated the activity of a black hole on their current route. If they got too close, they would be pulled in. Nicole was able to calculate all of this and made the necessary adjustments. Once they got to the closest point of the black hole, they observed it with much curiosity before the next warp would take place. There was a solid ring of light and gas surrounding it, distinguishing the point of no return. Antoine as usual was finicky and tried desperately to pay no attention. Once the time for recharge was up, the warp reactivated and sent them to their next star, continuing the process.
From then on, normal routine continued. It seemed to always look the same outside, yet they were always moving. But then… now 3 weeks into the mission witnessed something very wrong. An explosion rang outside, rocking the Supremor slightly. Nicole quickly scanned for failures and found that a meteor had crashed on the side, damaging the stellar warp mechanism. Due to their proximity to the star, it wouldn't be long until the star's gravity got the best of them and burnt them to a crisp.
Nicole displayed several lines of text indicating exactly what was damaged and then in audio, "16 minutes until stellar corona." It was clear that they had to repair the thing and fast.
Knuckles, Tails and Rotor were suited up and equipped with a special kind of eye glass protection. Without it, they would be instantly blinded. Transmitters allowed them to stay in touch with Sally and eachother. They had to use a smaller craft to get to the site of where the damaged mechanism was as it would take far too long to walk there.
"This better be easy. I know nothing about repairing whatchmacallits."
"Just leave it to me, Knuckles. I'll take care of it. You two are basically for support in case something goes wrong as you'll most likely need me again."
Shortly after, the craft descended and parked itself on the exterior of the Supremor. Rotor already knew what to expect and what to do. He made his way down with Tails and Knuckles close behind, making their way to the mechanism.
"Eleven minutes, fellas." Sally said through the transmitter, retriggering the pressure. Rotor worked furtively on the apparatus, adjusting several components inside it. It was trial and error to him. Knuckles and Tails could only hope he got done in time.
After what seemed like an eternity, it was confirmed to be working now and they quickly got back with 4 minutes to spare. Once unsuited, the jump activated and blasted them to the next star.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being followed. Even though the ship was monstrous in comparison, it was stealthy but it wasn't going at the same rate the Supremor was so it would be longer before Gore and Orlo to arrive. Gore spent most of this time with the Sword of Acorns and other weapons, enhancing his skill with each, sparring with Exscer. Orlo would simply watch and comment every now and then but mostly tried to stay out of his way. It was not a good sight to see Gore mad as he had witnessed it before. Orlo spent his time mixing potions, doing what he did best even though they never came to much use. There were some potions he had able to cure, stimulate power and put to sleep. And of course there were deadly poisons. He had all this secured away. Gore never payed attention to it, not that Orlo had any evil intentions but Lighthead always had an interest. Now, Orlo was just plain bored.
Now on their final week to Beliun, excitement and anticipation soon grew steadily amongst the Freedom Fighters. Just a few more days… They had undergone the final jump and now would just simply have to fly there. It was no where in sight but Nicole knew where it was and proceeded as usual.
Once half way there from the sun.. there was still another surprise waiting for them. An attack had begun.
Several small fighters appeared out of nowhere, randomly attacking the Supremor. At first thought it seemed to be no real threat but more and more fighters kept decloaking. They were still no match for the Supremor. Guided missile systems destroyed any fighters and disruptor fields repelled them away if they got to close. Even tho it was no challenge, it was the most excitement all week. All was left was a clear sailing to Beliun…
V – BELIUN
"Wow! Just look at it!" exclaimed Tails. The planet resembled Jupiter in many ways. The colors, the stripes, the size… Everyone was happy to finally see their destination as it grew in size as they neared it. Around the planet surrounded several large moons—too many to count.
"One hour until touchdown." Everyone got ready for the arrival, anticipating a harsh climate. However one thing was already noticeable. The gravity. It was harder to move around.
Finally, after descending through the atmosphere, they were able to land. As it came to a stop with the engines' roar dying down, everyone became silent, looking out windows studying the planet. Then their attention was drawn elsewhere.
"Attention fellow Mobians! We have reached our destination!"
The crowd of 150 cheered.
"Yet be informed, as I have both good and bad news. First- you will not have to be suited up. We have confirmed with Nicole that the atmosphere contains the necessary elements of oxygen and ozone to breathe regularly. We apologize for further delay as I know you want to get out there but it was important that our sensor bot was able to discern the appropriate attire when we do go out there. So far, all readings have indicated that its about relative to Mobius but there is one major difference as I'm certain you have noticed and accounts as the bad news. The gravity is stronger. 1.6 times to be exact. This is more than we originally anticipated and it may be little while until we are accustomed to it."
Once the time finally came, the Freedom Fighters finally got off the Supremor, making their way on to a smaller craft suited for exploration around the planet claimed to be at the center of the universe. The planet itself was quite bare. Most of the terrain was rocky, bearing a light tannish color. There were no trees but there were lakes of what appeared to be water. Even there was no sign of life where they were presently located didn't mean none existed. In fact, they were almost sure that it did exist.
Gore continued his descent, gaining speed rapidly. He had always wanted to make the RSupremor go this fast but Lighthead never allowed it. Now it was going at brink speed. Finally, the sight of Beliun came into view for them as well…
Getting around was the hardest part as they set off. The craft had to fly abnormally low due to gravity. This made it give off more energy than normal but this was expected. The chaos emeralds did their job. Hours passed on.
"Do we know where the Eraos Emerald is?"
"No. But we do know its here and we're sure of it." Little did they know that they were now in the same position Lighthead was when he met Snively in search of the Master Emerald.
"Hey look! Civilization!" cried Tails.
"Yes and they're attacking us." was Sally's call. What appeared as missiles shot forth, glowing an intense green and leaving a trail behind. Few were eluded but many hit straight on. If it were Mobius, it would be easy to wing it but the gravity had taken over and sent it barreling to the ground.
The crash sent a ton of soil into the air as metal slammed into dirt It ripped apart much of the ship. The ship was badly damaged but no one was harmed. Escorts of alien like creatures quickly surrounded the craft, armed with some sort of advanced weaponry. They were small and yellowish green. Their skin was rough and their heads were hunched. Everything they said was unrecognizable.
"Is everyone okay?"
Everyone nodded.
"Can we repair it in time.?" Sally questioned to Rotor while tinkering with Nicole.
"I'm afraid not." Was his worried tone. Sally played with Nicole some more finally asking, "Can you translate what they're saying, Nicole?"
"Translating..."
"They say – Visitors from another land! Quickly, we must take them to be orfeased. It is apparent that they are part of Gwervu's forces. If any of his forces makes it past us, the war will not be on our side."
"Search – orfeased."
"Orfeased is the Beliun method of taking out all the insides of whomever they find and replacing it with a thick purple substance said to grant immortality. It is a requirement amongst their god."
"Screw that. We can take them."
"Knuckles, wait!" but it like always, too late. He jumped out ready to attack. His strikes overpowered them, slumping them down to the beige soil. Their blasts were easily out maneuvered. The others decided it was safe to also come out and followed Knuckles carefully. After reaching a high point in the terrain, they were able to spot what appeared to be a city not too far away. Buildings leapt to the sky for what seemed miles. The site was exhilarating.
"Could the Eraos Emerald be in the city?"
"No," said Knuckles holding up the chaos emeralds. "They indicate that's its this way which is good because we want to avoid conflict as much as possible. Something tells me they're not in a good mood. We may have arrived in the middle of a war."
"Quickly, Orlo! You're coming, aren't you?"
"Yes.. of course!" Orlo hid his fear of Gore as best he could and struggled to keep up with him whom was on his way to the Xavant.
"We don't have any time to lose! We need to get to the Eraos Emerald before they do! Just think of the power!" Gore said as he climbed into the Xavant. Orlo jumped in, trying to minimize time.
Orlo laughed evilly. Then, the doors of the Xavant closed, and doors outside opened allowing it to vacate the RSupremor.
Knuckles lead the group away from the towering city, using the chaos emeralds as guides. Each member of the core freedom fighters held one tightly. They shined brightly when they were brought in close contact with other emeralds and the Eraos Emerald would surely bring the life out of them once in range.
Each step took them a little closer. They all could tell they were going the right way. Sometimes they had to adjust their path slightly to continue the hoped gradual increase in intensity. But it wasn't easy. The path was sometimes arduous with valleys to cross. After traveling for such a long time, a much needed break was taken. All supplies taken were set aside for an hour break.
"This war with these weird aliens is crazy," said Tails looking for somewhere to sit down. In the distance could be seen large explosions with buildings crackling apart and fires engaging.
"I know. It makes me wonder what this is about though actually, we're the aliens here. If we were to find out, we'd need one of them to question and then translate with Nicole." Answered Sally, playing with Nicole.
"Yea, that's not really a fun thing to look for. Besides, our main focus is finding the Eraos Emerald. Everything else is of little or no concern."
"But what if the Eraos Emerald is somehow tied in with the war? What if that's what they're fighting over?"
"If they were, one of them would have it. I'm pretty sure none of them do or may even know about it. If they did, we'd most likely not exist by now by some desire that's incomprehensible with results. We have to keep looking."
"That's odd. There's no wind." A couple chaos emeralds that were set on the ground began to move along the ground as if wind were blowing them like leaves. They picked up in speed and took off into the air, as if some force beckoned them.
"Oh no! The chaos emeralds! QUICKLY! STOP THEM!" The others felt the same pull and tried the same thing but they were snagged quickly before they could do the same, except one that Tails snagged. It ripped from his grasp, joining with the others where they met in a ferocious rippling light effect in the distance. The remaining 4 emeralds were placed in a knapsack which was carried by Knuckles. As they approached closer to where the emeralds went, Knuckles could feel the tug from the force on the emeralds.
"Its definitely the Eraos Emerald."
"But whats going on? Why is it attracting them like this?"
"Can't say. It is the most powerfullest gem in the universe, so anything goes." With more further steps towards the sight where a crater could be made out, the knapsack's fabric was no longer strong enough to withstand the awesome force of the Eraos Emerald and sent them towards it at great speeds.
"There go the last of them!" It was only half a mile away now… But then suddenly laser fire erupted, literally to greet the pack of 50 freedom fighters… about 6 were killed on the spot.
"What is that?"
"It can't be! It looks like the Xavant!"
The Xavant lowered itself down and a loudspeaker with Gore's voice amplified spoke, "That's correct. This is the Xavant, echidna. Did you miss me? I missed you... torturing you. I managed to follow you over here without getting detected. The Eraos Emerald will be mine!"
"They always say that…"
"There's no time… we have to hurry!"
Everyone ran as quickly as they could to the crater where the Eraos Emerald lied. Bunnie and Tails took to the air as the others used their feet. If Sonic had been there, he'd be there in no time. Knuckles and Tails were the first to arrive where they saw Gore descend rather awkwardly, obvious that he was in a hurry as well.
"I don't think so." Knuckles took out a remote bomb he was carrying and threw it, embedding itself in the Xavant. Albeit the explosion wasn't strong enough to completely destroy it, it did make it stop in its track and crash to the ground. They were now all an equal distance from the Eraos Emerald. The door to the Xavant opened, and a frustrated Gore took off running and with all his might jumped into the air, but was caught by Knuckles whom tackled him in mid air with them both crashing to the ground.
"Foolish echidna. I'm tired of you and your over endearing friends. Once I have the Eraos Emerald… you will be finished!"
"My friends?! Boy you need to get out more often! Its been a good 3 years and you still haven't changed."
"I am not as irrational as you!" Gore held out his hand, and from the Xavant, his most famous axe came forth lured to his hand. By this time, Tails had caught up with them and flew to the Eraos Emerald but was caught off guard by Orlo whom was just a little taller than him. They each wrestled, trying to overpower eachother.
"What in the?! Why aren't also effected by this gravity?"
"It pays when your home is the sun.." said Gore as he wacked Knuckles with the butt of the axe and prepared a lethal blow but was kicked away as Knuckles quickly recovered.
Once the others arrived, already seeing Knuckles and Tails engaged in battle, they weren't sure what to do. Gore was apparently not in the mood for a scuffle and withdrew a weapon that had Sally on edge. The Sword of Acorns. Her eyes begged for it.
"There's no point in even trying to resist. I have captured your Supremor… or should I say Lighthead's Supremor but since he's not around it belongs to me."
"The people inside do not!"
"Ah that's too bad. They'll make a great crew. I have a new trainee onboard there right now who is nearly skilled as I am. He knows the art of every weapon as I so escape would lead to their death. However, he lacks in one thing… this!" Gore held up the Sword of Acorns. "I have utilized its powers and really no longer need my axe but its still part of me. This however is my new main instrument of destruction! Behold" Gore brought forth the sword parallel with the ground, triggering a blast killing off several more of the Freedom Fighter team resulting in gasps and means to fight to the bitter end. Anger built up, especially in Sally. She wanted that sword back so much and to see someone with such evil intentions who had killed her father use the sword that way made her blood boil with rage.
"That was just a taste. I could charm you all day with this power but I won't." But then something abnormal happened, and yet no one foresaw. A resident of the Beliuns had taken hold of the Eraos Emerald and ran off with it during the discussion. Orlo was the first to notice.
Gore instinctively threw the Sword of Acorns at the fleeing inhabitant. A grin crept up to Gore's face as it circled and fatally wounded him with a clean cut through the neck. Gore then made an astonishing jump to where he was that no one was able to match. The sword, now tainted with the blood of the green zombie like being rested in his left hand while the Eraos Emerald, gleaming with uncertain power was in the other.
"NO! He has it!"
"Heheheh. This will be too easy."
In no time at all, every type of medieval weapon used to inflict damage imaginable appeared like a dome all around the opposing team. Orlo shrieked in horror, afraid of what Gore's power would cause. He knew this was just the beginning. The grin on Gore's face was wicked as his hands were raised into the air; the objects waiting for his command. And then it came. Tens of thousands of sharp objects, each different in their own way raced downward, penetrating into the ground. Knuckles, Tails, Rotor, Sally, Bunnie and Antoine had only moderate difficulty dodging them while some of the others weren't prepared and suffered. After the attack, their numbers were severely limited. From about 40 down to 12. Still, even with all the bloodshed, Gore was not the least bit satisfied. Everyone of them he recognized was still alive.
"Hah. Lets see if you can survive an even bigger attack!" but when Gored tried to wish for it, it didn't happen. He had forgotten about its limitation. This was their chance. Knuckles used this time to glide up to Gore, clocking him in the jaw, releasing the Eraos Emerald. It rolled to the foot of Orlo. He already knew what he wanted. He wanted Lighthead back to set things the way they were. He was tired of Gore. He was tired of his non stop gloating and violent methods. After Gore finished recovering, he looked up to the sight of his boss who was confused. Everyone else was speechless to see the Eraos Emerald bring back a life.
Everything in Lighthead's mind raced as he tried to remember what had happened and what was now going on. He knew he wasn't on Mobius or on Lighgretron but then he saw Orlo with the Eraos Emerald. Now it made sense. He had just been revived or wished back.
"Lighthead…" was Gore's words.
"Yes Gore. I am back." Gore's sight turned from Lighthead to Orlo. In fact, everyone was now staring at Orlo. The Eraos Emerald warming his hands to its touch, changing colors from the chaos emeralds bonding with it. No one knew what this meant at all but the power hunger was far from over. Orlo was afraid. He had no idea what to do next. Everyone was staring. It wasn't until Knuckles tapped him on the shoulder causing him to jump that the gaze turned elsewhere. Knuckles swiped the Eraos Emerald and wished for Sonic in one simple thought. He instantly materialized from above and fell to the ground. Sally rushed to his side.
He opened his eyes. "I have one major headache…" A hug was his reply. "Welcome back."
"What on earth? Where ARE we? How did I get back?"
"The Eraos Emerald. Its a long story. I'll explain later. Right now, we have to find the Supremor." Sonic then quickly became aware of Lighthead and Gore gazing at Knuckles with the Eraos Emerald.
Then a sight of absolute horror that no one could have expected happened. From the same spot just only 30 seconds after Sonic materialized, materialized Master Chaos. Knuckles, dumbfounded, could only stare just like everyone else.
"Impossible! I didn't wish for him!"
"That maybe true, but you still do not know the mysteries of the Eraos Emerald. "
Sonic was the most afraid. He knew what his power was capable of. It was uncomprehendable. He could control more than just three dimensions but six plus his intelligence matched no one else in the universe.
"I took you out last time and I'll take you out again!"
VI – BATTLE
Master Chaos appeared right before Sonic, thrusting forth a punch that sent him a great distance before stopping.
"I underestimated your abilities then but do not underestimate me."
"Oh, its gonna take a lot more than some sucker punch to take me out."
"Gladly. " Master Chaos repeated his process of using the extra dimensions to seemingly move extra fast, sending Sonic in a frenzy. There was nothing anyone could do but just watch. It greatly disheartened everyone watching except Lighthead and Gore whom had no care but they did care if Master Chaos got the Eraos Emerald. That's all they wanted. That's what everyone wanted.
After what seemed to be eternity, Sonic began to show little signs of activity or fighting back. His attacks were always blocked and countered. Then it happened. Master Chaos initiated some type of finishing move, a punch that had gone right through him. Little sound escaped Sonic's mouth as he slumped to ground, dead once again.
"NO!" Sally gripped the Eraos Emerald tightly, tears swelling up. The sight was unbearable.
"Why?! All this… and he's just gone again!" Master Chaos gazed up at the princess, clutching the Eraos Emerald and trembling. It was apparent he was now going to go after it. He raced through the alternate dimensions, undetectable through the lower class three dimensional beings, aiming to snag the Eraos Emerald. Except he couldn't. A barrier blocked his way. It set off an effect. Again and again.
Suddenly, it came crystal clear to Rotor. Sally was wishing for the barrier to protect her and everyone else but not only that, she had done this multiple times. Before, the Eraos Emerald would only allow 1 wish or desire for each subject.
"Sally, wish for Sonic to be back."
"What?"
"JUST DO IT!"
From the bloody corpse, he was… he rose forth, completely healed and back in action. Using the element of surprise, he slammed into Master Chaos from behind sending him tumbling down a cliff. The appearance was satisfying but everyone knew it wasn't the end of it.
"How.. how did I get back again?"
"We don't know. The Eraos Emerald is acting freaky." And it was. Each of the chaos emeralds embedded continued to pulsate while still attaching itself. They were almost fully embedded now but that wasn't what was now taking on the full attention. From out of nowhere blasted forth the Megaplex which was instantly recognized by Lighthead, Gore, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. It was the Rwervium's ship. Shortly after, smaller ships broke off, allowing them to come closer and land. They wasted no time making their way to where the Eraos Emerald was.
For once, Lighthead was exuberant to see their presence. The previous two times were clouded with uncertainty and doubt, fear of the unknown. There were two factors. If they had gotten the Eraos Emerald they would be able to go home to their appropriate time. If Master Chaos were to win, the universe would be his and everyone would be destroyed. He wasn't sure of what the outcome would be but he did know that everyone wanted it for various reasons and it'd be hell before everything was resolved.
Master Chaos still found it impossible to get to the Eraos Emerald. He then stopped and looked up to see the Star X Conquerors preparing to invade. He already knew who they were. The C.H.A.O.S part of him told him so. He raised his right robotic hand to the their direction, releasing a powerful chaos bomb out from his palm. It was only 3 dimensional so was limited. As suspected, they still had the ability to maneuver through dimensions 4 and 5. The chaos bomb missed and detonated on a moon, several hundred thousand miles away. Shortly after, they crashed on the planet, freeing themselves when their ship landed just like an egg coming out of its shell when dropped.
Like before, they spoke telepathically, "We have come for the Eraos Emerald."
The next thing to happen was right on Lighthead's mark. He predicted that Master Chaos would immediately begin battling with them and he did. Gore did nothing but stare and admire the sword he was holding. Everyone else just watched as Master Chaos began battling it out with the Rwerviums altogether. Master Chaos spent most of his time in the 6th dimension where they could not detect him. Even though Master Chaos had the edge, the Rwerviums would not go out so easily. They had strength in numbers. They still had in the billions. Their leader, the Star X Leader gazed upon them commandeering the Megaplex. It was easy to tell he was tired of these foolish games. He had wanted to go back to his time for centuries and this perhaps would be the time he had been waiting for so dearly along with the others. All that stood in their way was Master Chaos but he was no easy enemy. He knew just about everything in the universe to go along with his 6th dimensional structure. His IQ level unimaginable. It was apparent that an alliance would have to be made if anything was to go in their favor. Fortunately no effort would have to be put into that. The Freedom Fighters, all of Lighthead's team banded together and joined the Rwerviums.
Lighthead didn't know how he was now fighting a former creation of his father's but he certainly knew why. He knew this was never meant to be, or had it? Then again, he never did have a close relation with his father to really know. Gore was also amongst those fighting, using the Sword of Acorns and swinging when given the opportunity. Orlo cowered in fear. He wanted to contribute but worried about getting in the way. In fact, there was little anyone could do. Much of the battle took place in a realm parallel to the third. It was impossible to tell what was going on. There would be various times when Master Chaos would appear but not for very long. It was very difficult to get a hit in for the 3rd dimensionals but that didn't stop them from trying.
"Stupid creation of my fathers! What does it take to kill you?!" Master Chaos apparently heeded his word and stopped his attacks.
"There is still little you understand about me, Ivius Lighthead. Albeit, part of me is creation of your father, part of me is also creation of you."
"You're still mostly my father's arrogant creation."
"You know very little of your father. You're father's ambition of light had engulfed him in the wildest of desires. It was he whom killed your mother simply because he did not want her to know his intentions. The lighthat you have ontop of your head may be yours… but the light bulb is not."
Lighthead was speechless. How could that be? He had built everything himself. It made no sense…
"The Lighgretronians may be very knowledgable about technology but when it comes to family roots, they know nothing."
"But why are you seeking to destroy everything?" asked a curious Sally.
"One of you has the tool to destroy me."
One by one, the Rwerviums fell. Their forces falling like flies. No one was able to get to the Eraos Emerald. It had a protective shield disallowing any contact. The chaos emeralds continued to fuse into it, glowing less. No one knew of what the result would be, except Master Chaos whom was trying his hardest to get to the Eraos Emerald. Suddenly, a different glow surrounded it and the ground began to shake. This signified that the bonding was complete. The Eraos Emerald shimmered brilliantly yet was different. The barrier let down. Master Chaos effortlessly took hold of it, raised it into the air and his calculations were as predicted. It could no longer fulfill desires.
"What on earth is it doing? What happened to it?" Only Master Chaos could answer these questions but he didn't speak. Instead, he let out a fit of rage. A wave of pure singularic energy erupted, killing various beings it came in contact with instantly. Most were Rwerviums.
"Quite the temper tantrum." Then, while still clutching the Eraos Emerald, he exerted a undiscernable amount of pressure, shattering it. The pieces clinkering as they hit the rocky tan ground. Everyone was in awe, bewildered what he was upto. They knew he was mad. Master Chaos then stared at the RSupremor. It was a great distance away. All they could do was watch as Master Chaos maneuvered the RSupremor so that the bedlam cannon was pointing at the planet itself and humming to life. His plan now obvious.
"He's going to destroy zee whole planet!" cried Antoine.
"Incorrect. I must destroy the only hopes you have of destroying me."
They were bewildered. What did they have that he was so afraid of?
"He must mean Sonic."
"How can he possibly be able to control the RSupremor like that, boss?" asked Gore, ready for the explanation.
"He's still partly C.H.A.O.S. He still has access to everything the RSupremor offers. As for the tool, I have no idea."
"Won't you also be killed along with us?!" cried out Sally, trying to reason with Master Chaos.
"Fiery the angel spell. Deep thunder roll around their shores, burning with the fires of org."
Instantly after chanting those words, like a response, the pieces of the Eraos Emerald began to vibrate and lifted into the air, from which reformed the new Eraos Emerald. The one with chaos emerald bonded into it. Tails picked it up. Master Chaos remained focused on the RSupremor.
"Sonic! I know how you can stop him!" Tails held up it up, "use this to beat him!" Everyone then knew Tails' plan, except the Rwerviums.
The Star X Leader examined the newly formed Eraos Emerald, looking over it closely.
"Is this what you had back in your time?" asked Tails.
"It looks different."
"Yea. I'm guessing that the way the chaos emeralds bonded into it altered it, making it not hand out wishes." Tails handed the emerald over to Sonic. It was warm.
Sonic held it firmly.
"Hurry! The cannon is nearly fully charged!" Lighthead yelled, restoring anxiety. He was the only one who knew but he had a knack for knowing. There was no physical indication yet.
Raising the Eraos Emerald above his head… Sonic activated it just like he would with the normal chaos emeralds.
Master Chaos was taken back. He couldn't believe to see this again. Last time it was only for the smallest fraction of seconds. Now the sight was clear. He was still blue and his spines were much longer now. He was Eraos Sonic once again.
Master Chaos waited. Waited for it to wear off or give way violently but it never did. Eraos Sonic delivered the first blow. Master Chaos had no way of preventing it from happening. Eraos Sonic was too fast. In fact, when leveled up with the Eraos Emerald, it doubles your dimensional complexity. Eraos Sonic was now also 6th dimensional. The Star X Leader looked furtively for the Eraos Emerald but it was nowhere to be found. It had vanished. Everyone else could only watch as the battle seemed favored toward Sonic but like before, only a fraction of the battle was visible.
"This time, you won't come back." Eraos Sonic uttered, his voice the same as before. Master Chaos was sent flying a great distance before colliding with anything.
"You still do not understand the abilites I possess."
"Quit your babbling!" Eraos Sonic went after Master Chaos again but this time found himself unable to hit him.
Master Chaos glowed oddly, the Eraos Emerald mysteriously in his hand. Blinding light took the place where Master Chaos stood. He was like his own sun. Once the light subsided, he appeared somewhat different. His metal plating was now a deep red instead of blue. Everything else was black. Realizing the transformation was complete, he let the Eraos Emerald roll out of his hand, knowing there was no longer a need for it.
"The name is now Master Eraos!" Just the name gave it a ring of terror. Figuring this may get ugly, he appeared before Sally and the gang instantly with word of the wise.
"This is going to get worse before it gets better. I suggest hi tailing it outta here before something radically bad happens." Sally nodded.
"Just promise me not to die this time. We'll be trying to recover the Supremor and everyone onboard."
"How're you going to get up there?"
"The Rwerviums can give us a hand."
"Good luck, Sal."
"Good luck, Sonic. I want to see you again."
"I'll make sure of that." They kissed. Unknown to both of them, Nicole fell out of her pocket. It landed in sand, not distracting either. Moments later, Sally waved goodbye and joined with everyone else, whom were boarding on a miniplex the Rwerviums had. That is, everyone except Lighthead and Gore, whom were left behind expediently.
Sonic then noticed Nicole. She was off. "Ah great. Sal never leaves behind Nicole. Now I gotta babysit it."
"Gore, what did you use to get down here?"
"The Xavant." Gore pointed to a trail of smoke rising over a hill. "Problem is, it got busted up when I tried to land."
"I might be able to fix it. Lets go. ORLO! We're moving out!"
"Yes sir!" Orlo removed himself from hiding and followed.
Eraos Sonic stared at Master Eraos. "Alright. Lets get this thing over with, shall we?" He said nothing in reply. Eraos Sonic went straight at him with spin dash but it was avoided.
"Great. Its pointless to attack head on." Master Eraos paid no attention and instead had about 20 chaos bombs materialize out of nowhere.
"What?! No way?! How can he possibly do that?" Upon command, they then targeted Eraos Sonic and with lightning speed. Most were blocked and send reeling in random directions but a few detonated on impact, igniting an enormous explosion, shaking the entire planet. No one else was in harms way. In fact, Master Eraos didn't even wait for the dust to clear before attacking again as he knew he was still alive. Using his newly opened dimensions he now had access as he was now a 12th dimensional figure, he attacked Eraos Sonic from all angles at once. The final hit had sent him barreling into the planet itself, creating a hole several hundred miles deep.
"Aw man. This is insane. How can I beat him when he does that? Waitaminnit. I know how he made those chaos bombs come out of nowhere." A grin resurfaced on Eraos Sonic's face. He made a clone of himself appear before him. It was done effortlessly. Only through thought. Being fused with the Eraos Emerald was like being a living Eraos Emerald. They both had the ability to make things appear spontaneously or do whatever they desired. The power they each contained was enormous and only limited to the imagination. Only problem was, Master Eraos' imagination was completely more advanced than Sonic's.
With a new plan in hand, Eraos Sonic made a few more clones while still in the hole.
"I know he's expecting me. So I'll just have 'me' go up there and please him. Heheheh." He sent the clone up the hole to the surface and while this happened, he took another route out.
"Ah. Here you finally come." Master Eraos rammed the clone from the side. The attack was so powerful, it had sent the clone to one of Beliun's moons. A small explosion followed shorty after signifying impact.
"HA! Think again." Eraos Sonic used all his might to attack Master Eraos. The attack was definitely something he hadn't anticipated. Thousands of Sonic like clones immediately started attacking. The effect it had was more than enough to please Eraos Sonic.
But Master Eraos wasn't going to let a few clones hamper his plans. In fact, they were easy to take out because they were all 3 dimensional. They were not eraos level. He took out half with just basic combat and then finished off the rest with an expanding spherical singularity. Eraos Sonic was easily able to avoid this because it was limited to 3 dimensions. It was like simply stepping aside but parallel to every other dimension.
Not thinking clearly, Eraos Sonic made an energy shield appear around Master Eraos. He imagined unbreakable and impossible to get through. Unfortunately, it only covered up the 6th dimension. It was impossible to imagine past the dimensional complexity. Master Eraos appeared outside of it and began to manipulate it, making it bigger. Eraos Sonic completely didn't think of changing other attacks. The hyper sphere turned extremely luminous, glowing an intense white.
"Behold pure quantum energy!" It was then sent in Eraos Sonic's direction. Once the hyper sphere got close enough, it unraveled, separating all around and flying off into random directions, completely missing the target. They both knew what they were doing.
"A nice attempt but this is how its done." Master Eraos did the same thing except this time it was 12th dimensional. There was no way around it. The hyper sphere itself was about as big as a house. It glowed with white like the last.
"And whats amazing is how this works." Master Eraos swifty gave the hyper sphere a kick. It bounced around furtively before coming to rest.
"I'm already tired of this!" Eraos Sonic imagined the hyper sphere made out of plastic. He easily burst through.
"Excellent. Now… lets see how well you can manipulate my creations when you can't even see them!"
* * *
"That's it! Right there," exclaimed Sally as she showed the Rwervium leader, Solreleus, what appeared to be the Supremor. It was externally attached, so it wouldn't be a problem to get inside. The ship made its way effortlessly to the Supremor and docked. Once it came to a stop, the search began.
However, they wouldn't be alone for long. Their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed. Exscer was anxious to test out his new skills he had learned from Gore. It had been three years. He was confident his training would pay off. The Xavant was also on its way, containing Lighthead, Gore and Orlo.
Lighthead took control of the Xavant while Gore played around with the Sword of Acorns, examining it for nicks and Orlo mixing a new potion. He didn't say what he was mixing. Lighthead would ordinarily ask what he was up to, but right now he was busy.
Once the Freedom Fighters arrived in the Supremor, they quickly found the captives imprisoned within a green gelatinous substance. It was apparently released from above and imprisoned them. They were all immobile, stuck to it like super glue. Some completely embedded in it. Exscer then appeared before them from jumping from a catwalk above.
"Ah, Its great to finally meet you. The Freedom Fighters is it right? Gore has mentioned a lot of you to me. The name is Vinius Exscer. How you were a thorn when we need the Master Emerald, how you were reluctant when Star X Conquerors wanted to destroy your sun… it annoyed me greatly." His appearance was massive yet still deceiving. He was a little more muscular than Gore and taller. His skin tone was yellow, like Gore and his outfit more armor driven. In both hands he was wielding a SM Clavicor, an old fashioned weapon of war Lighgretronians used to bear. "Your comments of us Rwerviums are false." Solreleus spoke telepathically. "We merely want to return home. You have avoided the truth for far too long."
"NO! You were the ones who threatened to destroy our home world!" With a fit of rage, he leapt forth, looking for battle where he soon received one. Solreleus fought on, using the inner dimensions as key. Amazingly, Exscer was able to keep up with quick reflexes. They seemed evenly matched.
"Now's our chance guys. We have to figure out how to get them outta there." Said Sally. "I'll see what the best method is to get them out…" she looked down her vest pocket to pick up Nicole but quickly noticed she wasn't there.
"Oh no…"
"What is it, Sally?" queried Rotor, noting her facial expression grim.
"I must have left Nicole back on Beliun. I bet it's still with Sonic."
"That's not good…"
"I'll just have to hope… anyway… Rotor do you know of a way to free them?"
"I'm afraid I have not the slightest." Rotor walked over to the goo. "I can definitely say that's its much worse then the mega muck Robotnik used to use on Sonic back in the day.
Rotor's thoughts were cut short as Exscer realized his hopes with destroying the Star X Leader were more difficult than first realized. It was too powerful. Instead, he went for Sally whom was an easier target. He grabbed her from behind taking hold a hostage like hold.
"Get your hands off of me!" That was her initial reaction. She struggled to break free but was unable to find a weakness.
"I will kill her now unless you agree, Mr Solreleus to never threaten to take from our home world again."
"Do what you wish with her. I have no care. My forces will deliver the jewel needed to get us back to where we belong." Everyone was taken back from this. At first it seemed like it was on their side now no one knew… but Sally didn't need its power, but just that one moment. Using that split second that no one expected, she reversed the hold and kicked free. He was only pushed back slightly, but it allowed for enough time.
"You'll pay for that. I'll kill each of you."
"I have no need to be here anymore."
"No! Wait!!" It was too late. Solreleus disappeared. Knuckles stepped up, ready to assist to Sally.
* * *
Meanwhile, Master Eraos was hatching a new plan. Keeping all his attacks on the 7th dimensional plane and higher. Attacks came all around. Unpredictable and without warning. They all happened extremely fast, however there was little fraction of it where he had to cross into the 6th dimension in order to inflict harm. Eraos Sonic knew this, but could do little with the information. There was simply not enough time to recover to attack back in time.
Not knowing what else to do, Eraos Sonic summoned forth a dark light bomb into his hand. The same thing Lighthead used on he and Knuckles when they first went on their ship. The metallic sphere fit into his hand perfectly.
"You do not know the power you're a utilizing."
"Why don't you ever just shut up and die?!!" Eraos Sonic threw the bomb with all his might towards the omnipotent foe. Master Eraos deflected it, as if it were a rubber ball. The bomb then landed on one of Beliun's moons and self destructed. Everything nearby caved in towards it but only for a very brief time. The result after was a very deformed sphere of a moon that then quickly broke apart, not able to keep its new shape.
"Your limitations with knowledge you have will be your downfall. Sentience is power of the imaginable sort of which the mind thrives upon. I have the sentience of an unimaginable sort that you would never be able to comprehend."
"Do you ever stop yakking?!" Eraos Sonic decided to attack straight on but was caught off guard by an invisible force that sent him back slamming into the ground. Eraos Sonic picked himself up, gazing forth at Master Eraos. Had he really done any damage to him? His appearance was still the same. Only minor nicks were on his superior armor. On the other hand Eraos Sonic found himself bleeding from multiple wounds on his body. There was no way to self heal more than once.
Something then caught the attention that was under his right leg.
"Nicole? Sal never leaves you behind." She was turned off. "I guess Sal wanted to save batteries. Better get you back to her. I don't stand a chance against this guy anyway." Eraos Sonic then gazed over at Master Eraos. He was still. Unmoving.
"Why isn't he attacking me? Oh well. Now's my chance." In no time at all, he appeared within the Supremor. It was the Solar Processing Plant where a beam descended from a circular room down for what seemed miles. The same place where he first fought Gore. The retriggered memories sent shivers down his spine. How he was wounded and managed to get he and Knuckles off the Supremor before it impacted. It was hell.
A flicker within the central beam caught his attention. Then there was another. The normal white began to turn yellow and grow in size before returning normal again. From within, a shape conforming to his own formed engulfed with the yellow light.
"LighgreSonic!"
"I can tell you missed me, former. You don't look so good." An attack sent Eraos Sonic into the wall of the room, rumbling the rest of the foundations inside.
"You don't stand a chance, LighgreSonic. Not with me in my eraos form." Eraos Sonic attacked LS with an uppercut that even he was not fast enough to block. He was sent towards the ceiling and managed to shatter the diodes creating the central beam. He was quickly electrocuted before falling back on to walkway.
"Oh don't get up." Eraos Sonic was tempted to kick him off and into the oblivion of whatever was below but decided against it. A smirk crossed his face as a plan developed.
"Later, LS. Give my regards to MC for me!" and with that, he was gone.
* * *
Exscer gazed forth at his two combatants whom had stepped up. Sally and Knuckles. To him, they seemed less than a threat, but they moved faster than first anticipated. Their movements disallowing strikes, however, Exscer knew they couldn't keep it up forever. Everyone else present just watched. Except Antoine who couldn't bare to.
In one attempt. Knuckles was able to distract allowing Sally to get a hit in.
"That's it. Enough of this." He positioned the clavicor aiming for Sally's heart holding it like a spear.
"Sally! Look out! He's gonna throw it!" But it was too late. The lance like staff now being thrown like a javelin pierced through the air and into Sally's side. Everyone in the room was overtaken to see the precious monarch taken down as such.
Then, as if in reply to the ghastly onlook, Exscer summoned the staff back to him with Sally. She rolled along the floor, blood flowing.
"Don't worry, Sally. I'll--*" Knuckles was cutshort by the electric shock of Lighthead whom was accompanied with Gore and Orlo.
"Well, well, Excer. I am impressed. Do you plan to finish them off?"
"I have permission to?"
"But of course."
"That voice…" Sally said to herself. "Its Gore." Exscer raised the clavicor high into the air.
"NOOO! SALLY!!!!!!" Suddenly her eye pupils and iris vanished, leaving only white.
"What's this?!" The Sword of Acorns in Gore's hand began to vibrate before forcibly removing itself from his grip. It soared into the air. Exscer brought his weapon down as fast as he could, hoping it wasn't too late. But it was. The sword landed into Sally's hands where she instantly blocked the lethal blow.
"How can this be?!" With another swift attack, he was disarmed. His weapon landing harmlessly on the floor to the side in two pieces. During those seconds he stared at his most reliable weapon lie in ruins, Sally impaled the Sword of Acorns into his chest, puncturing the heart. He quickly doubled over, gargling uncomprehensible words and collapsed. Her eyes returned to normal and she released the sword, letting it clank on the metal floor.
"I can't believe I just did that. That wasn't me controlling the sword… it was…Daddy…" No one dared argue with her.
"Sally… your side." She looked over to see that the stab wound was no longer there.
"You're going to pay for killing my trainee." Gore's voice rang out, echoing.
"You're going to pay for capturing people of ours."
"Ah, Exscer's doing. I let him take care of the RSupremor while I went after the Eraos Emerald. But since that no longer matters…"
"What matters is the captives…"
"This substance they're in reminds me Robotnik's 'mega muck'" said Rotor, analyzing the substance.
"That's correct, walrus. It was I who created it." Orlo said as he walked over with Gore and Lighthead at his side. "When Lighthead had made his first trip to Robotropolis, he had stumbled the 'recipe' if you will of how to create it. He then relayed them to me where I took note and made my own version, liking the idea. Of course, that was long ago."
There was a blue blur. He was back to normal. "Hey guys. Sorry I'm late."
"SONIC!" Sally ran over and hugged him.
"You left this, Sal." Sonic handed over Nicole.
"I know. I'm so glad you got her. So is Master Chaos gone?"
"I'm afraid not. I'll have to explain… later… wha?" Sonic then noticed Exscer whom was by far dead and Lighthead, Gore and Orlo stared forth, unsure of what course of action to take next. Amazingly, instead of fighting, they chose to bolt off into the unknown caverns of the RSupremor.
"We'll explain later as well. We still need to figure out a way to free them." Sally placed the Sword of Acorns in a sheath and threw it around her back along with Nicole.
* * *
LighgreSonic awoken to the sound of metallic footsteps. He was already severely injured. Several fractured ribs, arm, leg. He could hardly move.
"There's no escaping me now."
He looked up to the sight of Master Chaos. "You have got to be kidding me…"
"Not this time will you flee. Not this time will you make a mockery of me." A blade extended down from his left arm. It was Robotar's blade.
"Not this time…" With a very swift and intense action, his head was sliced off. It fell down into the oblivion below. The bodily fluids trailing behind. Just moments later, Master Chaos gave a swift kick into the rest of the body, sending into the wall, where it then fell too.
"At last… Sonic the Hedgehog is no more and Beliun will be destroyed." He was gone.
"I'm afraid there's very little I can do to free them, Sally. The substance has knocked them out because of its fumes and if they aren't removed within another 5 minutes, they're all done for."
"So there's nothing we can do?"
"The only other way is to try to forcibly remove them but chances are that will result in tearing their skin open. If that occurs, it will be very difficult to stop the bleeding." Sally stared at the victims of Orlo's first concoction, uncertain of what action to take. It seemed that either way they could die. "I'm sorry guys," was her last words to them. They had served her well since the rebirth of Mobotropolis. It was a shame they would have to be left to die.
"Sal, what do we do now?"
"We have to get the Supremor free from the RSupremor, Sonic."
"I'll go check out the control panel."
"Thanks, Rotor." Knuckles and the others stared out of a window, looking at the giant mass that was Beliun. Little did they know what was happening down there.
Solreleus now took hold of the Eraos Emerald, gleaming with all its glory. On their way up to the Megaplex, they were met with attacks from the inhabitants whom obviously knew about the jewel and its powers. Little did they know it was no longer capable of that. Their attacks were ignored. Once onboard the Megaplex he was greeted by numerous of his loyal subjects and was well respected.
"You have the Eraos Emerald, master?"
"Yes. I obtained it from the earth of Beliun. It rematerialized after the one named Sonic returned back to normal. With it, we can now return back to our regular time." Within moments, the Eraos Emerald was placed in the proper place needed.
"Prepare to activate…"
"Gore, what are the Freedom Fighters planning?"
"It appears that they intend to take the Supremor back with them once again. Its what they used to get here. Also, the bedlam cannon has resumed charging up."
"Great… Master Chaos is still alive then. He probably intends to blow up Beliun. As for the Freedom Fighters. reroute all power away from the Supremor and disable its power. After that, let me know. I want to give the Rwerviums a going away present."
"Right, boss."
"Sally. I've found the control panel. Problem is, its dysfunctional. As a matter of fact, the whole interface is dysfunctional." At that moment, nothing but dim lights remained. There was a jerking sensation and next thing they knew, a great force in one direction. The Supremor was now on a one track ride to the Megaplex and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
"We must have detached!"
"Yea, but we've also lost all power. I'm willing to bet they're the ones involved with both things." Immediately following those words, there was a flicker inside the room, followed by a slight warp in space. Then Master Chaos appeared. Sonic's eyes shrank. The same could be said for Master Chaos but he had no eyes.
"I saw you die. Impossible. Back on the walkway." A smirk crossed Sonic's face, indicating victory.
"I see you're not all knowing afterall."
"Everything was the same. DNA, everything!"
"What you killed was a clone of me made by Lighthead. I have to thank you for it. He was really starting to get under my skin…"
"Then you shall die now!" Master Chaos charged with all that he had, Robotar's blade extended. Time slowed down to a crawl yet there was no time to do anything. Eyes were covered. Sonic could only brace himself. What seemed like an eternity was put to rest. No harm was done.
Sonic lowered his guard to see the very sharp edge merely grazing his skin in a horizontal fashion. Master Chaos appeared to be trapped. Unable to move. Frozen in one position. Frozen in time. Sonic fell backward, frightened of the appearance. No one knew why this was the case.
"Sonic?" A light shrug was his response.
"How on earth…" No one knew the answer. Instinctively, Sally picked up Nicole eager to find out the reasoning behind this. Nicole ran a scan. Once finished, the results were well unexpected.
"Nicole, whats going on?"
No response.
"Nicole?!" There was a few seconds before she finally began to speak.
"Sally, it is time you learn the full truth. Master Chaos is my twin self."
Jaw drops.
"But a higher version. We're built of the same exact material. He and I were both created by Ubunan De Gruke. We were his finest in nanocomputer creations. We were one. We made up his supercomputer on Lighgretron. Then one day disaster struck. An attack from creatures above, eager to tear apart the sun for its fuel. Something happened. I was separated from C.H.A.O.S with one of his superior living vital chip processors in my memory banks. I then was later customized and rebuilt by Ubunan. Repaired into the form of a portable computer. Since then, C.H.A.O.S has been jealous of my new found task, serving a greater purpose within only a fraction of the size. He wanted to destroy me but he couldn't so he did the next best thing. He banished me into space. I was placed into a pod and aimed into deep space where I floated for great period of time before landing on what you call Mobius where you later found me."
"Wow… Why hadn't you told us before? We always wanted to know of your origins."
"It was more safe not to. You simply did not need to know."
"Then how did you stop Master Chaos?"
"He triggered an automatic response mechanism I never knew I possessed. It allowed me to freeze all his operations within. This is only temporary but when it wears off, he will be back to his original self of only Robotar. No prior knowledge of CHAOS or Master Chaos or even Master Mold will exist anymore.
"But that shouldn't be of the greatest of your concern. We're about to crash into the Rwervium's Megaplex."
All they could do was brace for impact. There was a violent sound followed by an intense shake that no one could withstand. No one was left on their feet. Once the shaking ceased, the sounds of metal against metal continued on for what seemed forever before finally resting.
"Is everyone alright?"
Seconds later, Master Chaos deforms… "melting" into the form of Robotar. The appearance of those he barely recognized was enough to knock him out onto the floor.
"Poor guy. Must've overwhelmed him." Was Sonic's take.
VII – WAY HOME
Shortly after, Solreleus appeared along with a few other Star X Conquerors eager to know what was going on.
Sally spoke, hopeful to get their approval, "Its not our fault. Dr Lighthead had detached us from his main mothership because he anticipated we'd use it."
Solreleus replied telepathically as usual, "We know. Do not worry. It will have no effect with the time travel jump. In just moments now, we will release the powers of the Eraos Emerald to take us back to our proper time."
"Wait a minute… Won't we be affected too?"
"Yes. I am sorry… but there is no other way now. We will activate in only a minute now."
A sudden one great feeling engulfed them. They were going to go into time and there was no way around it. All those they knew whom were still on Mobius would be gone. It'd be several million years into the future. But alas… what had to be done had to be done…
Eventually the minute expired and the time warp opened up. The effect lasted for a brief time. It was like being pulled and crushed. Then there was a rippling sensation. Once it was over, everything settled down. Oddly, the Megaplex no longer had the Supremor crushed into it. Beliun was no longer there.
"What on earth? What happened?!"
"You are now 70 million years into the future. This is our correct time period."
"But how are we gonna get home?!! We're stuck here!"
"I'm afraid there was no other way. Anyone else outside of this ship is forever gone. Back in the past. Beliun no longer exists." Only Sonic, Sally, Tails, Knuckles, Rotor, Bunnie, and Antoine were on the ship.
"I can't believe it…"
"Its okay, Sal… We'll get over it in time."
"But don't you see? So much time has gone by. We're 70 million years into the future. Everything is radically different. A lot can happen. There's no telling how Mobius is now. It could be either well populated, flourishing with those of our kind endearing their freedom… or it could a wasteland… barren with no one."
Moments later, the door opened letting Solreleus in. He appeared joyed with his newfound time. Yet there was something else about his smirk.
"I may not be able to help you with getting you back to your time, but we don't need this anymore." He handed over the Eraos Emerald to Sonic. The sight of it again, brought joy but uncertainty to him. He had forgotten all about it.
"Hey! That's it! Maybe I can do chaos control!" Everyone was afraid of this tactic.
"Sonic, there's no way you'll be able to teleport us all to Mobius. We're talking 7 million lightyears."
"Yea, but this is no chaos emerald. This is the Eraos Emerald! And it wouldn't be any ordinary chaos control. It'd be an Eraos Control!"
Sensing the confidence in Sonic's plan, the idea soon became plausible and possible. It was after all, worth a try.
"You know, Sonic… if we stop short ANYWHERE in space or come up to far up above the surface, we'll be squashed. It has to be exact and hitting that mark won't be easy."
"Maybe not but I definitely want to do this rather than stay onboard this vessel the rest of my life." Everyone agreed. Solreleus and a few of his minions watched on.
"But I do not know if I weel be liking zis."
"Get a grip Ant. You'll live. Hopefully." He then cowered.
"Everyone ready? Other than Ant of course."
"Ready Sonic." Was Knuckles reply. Everyone grabbed each other's hand. Bunnie held a firm grip on Antoine whom was on the end. Sonic was on the other end. With his free hand, he held up the Eraos Emerald. It shimmered brilliantly. Each chaos emerald showed itself in a spectacular way. Their traits. Their powers. Their light. All in one.
"ERAOS CONTROL!!!"
Stars zoomed past on each side. Light rushed forward. Soon afterward, the appearance of Mobius appeared. It grew big. Filling up all field of vision very quickly. Then, once thought they were at the right spot, Sonic let go of the emerald. The teleportation couldn't have been anymore perfect. They were on the ground. It was deserted. There was nothing. No trees. No water. Nothing.
"How… How can this be?"
"Its 70 million years into the future, Sally. Lots could have happened during that time."
"Waitaminnit, everyone…" Sonic stopped and looked to see the ground. I recognize these hills. This was the Great Forest. Robotropolis was just right over these…" Sonic's expression said it all. Everyone quickly ran up to see what he saw and were too taken back by the sight. It was Mobotropolis… or what was left of it half buried under sand. Parts of buildings protruded from it.
"Mobotropolis… its in ruins. Again."
"Hold up, Sal. Mobotropolis?"
"When you were gone, we tore down Robotroplis… restoring it to the former Mobotropolis it once was."
"How long was I gone fore?"
"Three years. What could have happened?" Rotor surveyed the surroundings and came up with an answer.
"A whole lot of nothing." He took Nicole from her and fiddled around, scanning various rocks and the sand they were on. There's no signs of any natural disaster. No asteroid. No nothing. Its like they all just vanished at some point. Almost like nothing but their disappearance since when we left.
"Its also quite noticeably hotter but that wouldn't be the cause. Whatever it was… it happened just over 20 million years ago. According to the readouts and sand levels." In response… wind picked up… blowing sand all around.
"We have to find shelter." Sonic managed to take them to a nearby building in the deserted ruins flooded with sand of Mobotropolis. It was a small circular building that seemed to be designed against wind resistance. However, because of erosion and constant sand storms, they were relatively close to the ceiling.
"Do yall think we could find a body?" asked a curious Bunnie, also curious about the reasoning behind this.
"Not if they decayed millions of years ago. This planet is now a disaster. Desert temperatures are everywhere. I wonder how much water there is now because much of it may have dried up. But anyway, I think people died because of the gradual increase in temperature and were unable to adapt. Either that or some plague."
"Can I see Nicole for sec, real quick?"
"Sure Sonic." He handed Nicole back over. Sonic then looked at Nicole's internal clock. It read 19:05 with a date of February 17th 3240.
"That's crazy. Nicole says its 7:05 and its February…"
"That doesn't mean anything. Just add about 70 million years to that."
"Ah. It wouldn't do anygood to ask anyone what the year is now then, would it?"
"If you can find any locals. Be my guest." The wind continued to whip against the cement structure, signifying leaving was not the best idea.The rest of the day was spent contemplating about what may have happened and what they were going to do.
The next morning, no one awoke to the sound of birds chirping or the tapping of rain drops or warm rays of the sun. Instead was the strong roar of the relentless, continuous wind. None of them slept all that well. Sonic stared into the Eraos Emerald he still had. Its light illuminating the insides. It was hypnotizing. Not long after, Sonic stood up full of energy.
"Waitaminnit, guys. Remember how we always said we were always trying go get off this planet? To escape from it? Maybe our people went to the new Mobius or Mars." Suddenly Sonic's thought gave way to lots of questions and possibilities.
"That actually seems probable."
"I could always just Eraos Control again." Antoine was already freaked out. Everyone else welcomed the idea.
"But it'd have to wait as I'm still burned out."
"Of course. Teleportation isn't something I'd want to risk."
The next day, Sonic was ready to do it again. Everyone agreed that it'd be better than where they were now as it was radically different than it was before. Like before, Sonic held up the Eraos Emerald while holding on to the others, tapping into its power.
This time it was much more instantaneous. They all found themselves in a lush green environment similar to how Mobius had been or what wasn't already taken over. They were in a forest and it reminded them of the Great Forest. Once they emerged from the forest it was a sight to behold. Flying vehicles that looked way more advanced took off into the air. Structures leapt to the sky, piercing into the atmosphere. It was a city and it was monsterous. There was no pollution. It was nighttime. Luminescent rings of blue, white, yellow and red circled around the new Mobius like Saturn. It had to be Phobos, one of Mar's moons.
"This is unbelievable."
"That's an understatement."
"Guys… I think we found our new home!"
