At the Crimson Egg.
"What's going on?" Rouge asked.
"Looks like a full-blown space skirmish, and we're right in the middle!" Decoe said.
"I cannot tell yet who they are, Doctor, but I have a feeling they are not exactly friendly." Bocoe said.
"Now let's not get hysterical. It's only Shadow and his pea brained posse." Eggman said and saw hundreds of flashes in the distance.
Then he quickly learned that it was a group of pilots fighting off a group of Metarex swarmers.
In space a human man named Leon was one of the resistance fighters and several of his side's craft got shot down.
"The warships are comin' at us from everywhere!" Leon said and another craft is shot down.
"We're way outnumbered!" Human pilot 1 said over the radio.
Then a group of Metarex swarmers appeared behind Leon.
"We can't turn back. It's too late!" Human Pilot 2 said over the radio.
Then another human pilot, a girl named Molly, shot down three Metarex ships.
"I'll distract the satellite ships. You aim for the fortress and give it everything you've got!" Molly said and flew through a thick swarm of Metarex ships.
"Roger!" Human Pilots said over the radio.
The group flew toward the flagship, which was being run by Metarex General Pale Bayleaf.
Pale Bayleaf's Battleship.
"They are aimed at the mothership, sir." Metarex Trooper said.
"Then we must teach them a lesson." Pale Bayleaf said.
In space the battleship opened fire. Its lasers destroyed several more resistance craft and even hit the Crimson Egg.
On the Crimson Egg Decoe and Bocoe panicked.
"Something tells me it is not Sonic!" Bocoe said.
"This is someone a whole lot crankier!" Decoe said.
"Quit quivering, you clanking clods! We'll call on our secret weapon!" Eggman said.
In space Sonic was standing outside the Crimson Egg.
"Oh, Sonic? It seems we're in a bit of a pickle. See what you can do." Eggman said over the radio.
Sonic's eyes narrowed, and she zipped around, destroying Metarex ships left and right. One of them was about to shoot down Molly's craft, but she destroyed it. They made eye contact before she flew away. Molly was shocked at what she saw.
"Could that be Blue Wind...?" she wondered.
"Molly! You okay?" Leon asked over the radio.
"Who was that guy? She came out of nowhere!" Human Pilot 1 said over the radio.
"What next?" Human Pilot asked over radio.
"Let's follow her! We may not be the only resistance out here! C'mon!" she said over the radio and some other fighters flew back toward Pale Bayleaf's battleship.
At Pale Payleaf's Battleship.
"It appears that our enemies are more resourceful than we thought. That's enough for now." Pale Bayleaf said.
"Yes, sir." Metarex Trooper said.
"Retreat immediately. We'll be watching and when they least expect it, we'll strike again, and this time, we'll destroy them."
Then a red gleam appeared in his eye.
On the Crimson Egg Sonic returned to the outside of the ship. Molly appeared on Eggman's viewscreen.
"We are very grateful to you." she said over the video.
"Think nothing of it. Those Metarex can certainly be a nuisance with a capital N." Eggman said.
A random one ton Eggman weight fell on them to silence them. Sonic saw a planet with huge Grand Canyon-esque cracks running through it.
"This is Cascade, our home planet. My friends and I are the only ones living here now." she said over the voiceover.
Cascade.
The Crimson Egg and Molly's fleet descend toward the ruined, barren, rocky surface of Cascade, Molly's home planet.
"They've arranged a welcome reception for you at the base. I'm sure they'd be greatly honored if you come. We'll see you there." Molly said over the voiceover.
On the Crimson Egg Eggman grinned then a blip appeared on the radar.
"I'd be happy to come, now that I know there's a Chaos Emerald lying among those wretched ruins down there." he said. "See what you can find, Sonic." he said over the radio.
At the Cascade.
"I'll take a look around." Sonic said.
On the Crimson Egg.
"Be discreet. If Rouge and her sticky fingers find out there are Chaos Emeralds floating about, why, she's liable to." Eggman said over the voiceover.
"I'm liable to what, Eggy-poo?" someone asked.
Eggman sweatdrops when he saw Rouge standing there. Bokkun was cowering behind her.
"Uh-oh... Talk about busted..." Bokkun said to himself.
"You're afraid I just might snatch 'em up for myself. How can I ever convince you I'm on the level?" she said.
"Yeah. right." Eggman said on the voiceover. "Take Rouge with you, but you better keep an eye on her."
On the Cascade Sonic's eyes were drawn to a waterfall as a flashback hit her.
"Eggman doesn't care about you. He only wants to use you to get what he wants. Don't you see that?" Tails said.
Earlier.
"Of course I do. Shadow transported us to Space Colony ARK." Tails said.
"That's right. Wasn't that the home of Shadow's friend Maria?" Rouge asked.
Later still.
"We all know you're just collecting them for Doctor." Super Shadow said.
"Sonic!" someone said and she looked up.
She, Molly, and Rouge were now inside a makeshift headquarters in the rocks. A window looked out to the waterfall.
"Sorry, I just wanted to thank you. What you did... I mean, it was really incredible." Molly said.
"Yeah." Sonic said.
"No, I mean it, Sonic. How did you do it? You destroyed those ships in seconds flat! My comrades and I were really impressed, and I just-" she started and Sonic walked away, but she followed. "I just want to learn more about you, like where you learn to battle like that. You were amazing!"
"Drop it, okay?" she said and she stopped.
"Oh no! I didn't mean to make her angry."
"Don't worry, hon. She's always grumpy now." Rouge said.
"Why is that?"
"You got me. But just 'cause she's a hero doesn't mean she's Princess Charming. That strong silence just drives me batty. She used to be different and I don't know what exactly happened to her."
Molly caught up with Sonic again.
"Wait. You attacked four Metarex ships like it was nothing at all! I've never seen bravery like that before. It was like the legend of Blue Wind." she said.
"Never heard of her." Sonic said.
She nodded as she saw a hero with a billowing caps.
"Long ago, there was a great hero named Blue Wind. We called her that because she came out of the night to fight for our people and was never seen again." she said on her voiceover. "For a moment, when I first saw you outside of my ship, I thought that maybe you were him. You're a hero!"
Sonic walked away again.
"Sonic?"
"You're wrong. I'm no hero." Sonic said. "Not anymore."
"That's right! She's just out for herself now, aren't you, Sonic?" Rouge said and she stopped.
"Well, you should talk. You do just about anything to get what you want."
Rouge was appalled, and Sonic continued walking away.
With Eggman.
Eggman, Decoe and Bocoe were feasting with the other humans.
"That's right, Doctor. If you hadn't come along, who knows what could have happened?" Leo asked.
"Thanks to you, the resistance lives on!" Human 1 said.
"You're too kind. It was the least I could do for my fellow revolutionaries." Eggman said and Bokkun sipped his drink.
"You are a truly noble and honorable warrior, sir!" Human 3 said.
"Mhm!" Decoe and Bocoe said.
"Hear, hear!" the humans said.
"Maybe now would be a good time to ask about that Chaos Emerald- Oops!" Decoe said.
The hench-bots broke into a sweat. Bokkun sweatdrops.
"Ahem, perhaps you're right, Decoe. I would be ticked to continue assisting your mission, provided we find a way to, shall we say, sweeten the deal." Eggman said.
"You got it. After all, it's only fair. You've proven yourself to be a great ally, sir." Leon said.
"That's right. You deserve it!" Human 1 said.
"We don't often find like-minded freedom fighters such as yourself. What's ours is yours, sir. Ever since our planet was destroyed, we have no need for a Chaos Emerald. Passing it on to such a worthy and brilliant man would indeed be an honor."
"Comrade Leon speaks for all of us, sir. A Chaos Emerald is the least we can give for our invaluable friendship. We humbly thank you." Human 4 said.
"What's going on?" someone asked and they turned and saw Molly, Sonic and Rouge enter the room.
One explanation later...
"We're giving him the Emerald. I need you to get it." Leon said.
"If you think it's best, then I suppose we should. But we hid it so long ago, I-I can't remember where." someone said.
"Let me think... You'll need to fly to Cascade where Satellite City Industrial District once was. There's a factory there with three windows at the top."
"Then what?" Rouge asked.
"It's in a safe deposit box right there on the main level."
"Okay, we'll fly there right now." Molly said and they started to leave, but Leon took Molly's hand. "Huh? What?"
"Molly... I need you to do something else. Something really important. You'll see a small locked cabinet directly above the safe deposit box. Being me whatever files are in there."
Leon hands the key to Molly.
"I don't get it. Why would you need a bunch of dusty old files?" she asked.
"Simple. They are historical records on the Metarex invasion that just might prove useful to us." he said.
"Sure, I'm on it!"
As he watched the three go, Leon's hands tightened into fists.
Leon and Eggman exchanged glances.
With Cascade Sonic ran along the rugged landscape, with a Cascadian fighter flying alongside her.
"You wouldn't know it, but this was once a beautiful place." Molly said.
"You're right, honey; I wouldn't know. I guess I'll have to take your word for it." Rouge said.
"There was a time when Cascade was a proud and glorious planet. But that time was so long ago. Way before the Metarex came..."
The Cascade in the past was full of futuristic buildings and flying cars.
"The galaxy had never seen a greater planet. We were the mightiest of all peoples, and without superior intelligence and advanced technology, there was no telling how far our dominion could extend." Molly said. "And then in the blink of an eye, all of our hopes were destroyed. Since that first attack, we have had to fight to stay alive."
"So, they've been sockin' it to you all this time, huh? What is it those Metarex want from you anyway?"
"I guess all they want is to defeat us. Whatever else they wanted, they've already taken. There's nothing left anymore."
"Well... why don't you guys just go somewhere else? Don't you ever get tired of fighting?"
"Sure we do. But they still haven't taken our hope away." Molly said and looked down at Sonic. "The hope that soon, Cascade will be beautiful and alive again like it once was, and it will be. I'm sure it will! And with Sonic's help, I just know we'll beat them."
Rouge also looked at Sonic.
Later, Molly, Rouge and Sonic walked through a canyon with a river flowing nearby. Suddenly a giant fish leapt out of the water and menaced them. Molly stood in front of Sonic and Rouge.
"I got him!" she said and fired four rounds from her pistol to get rid of the threat.
The water behind her exploded with many more fish. Sonic and Rouge fought them.
"Come on!" Sonic said and took them safely away from the fish. "You might want to think about letting one of us walk ahead for a bit. You know, just for safety's sake."
"Plus, you're the only one of us who knows where this place is. It'd be silly to put you in danger." Rouge said.
"It's all right. The spirit of Blue Wind is with me." Molly said and let go of Sonic's hand. "Come on, you two. Follow me! The factory's over here!" she said and hurried onward. "I don't like it. My radar's tellin' me there was something extra fishy about those piranhas."
"I never thought I'd say this, but I think you're right. That attack was an ambush worse than someone I used to fight." Sonic said while Rouge watched Molly go.
"So you're saying some boob set up a booby trap, huh? Any suspects?" she asked.
"...I have my suspicions."
"You feel like sharing?"
"Come on; Molly's waiting for us. I don't want her alone in there!" Sonic said and hurried after Molly.
Rouge huffed and followed.
"Still has the hero in her but forgets." she said to herself.
Later at the mine.
The mine was relatively undamaged after the Metarex attack. Molly opened a box containing rocks, as well as the white Chaos Emerald.
"Hello! Come to mama!" Rouge said and tried to reach for it, but Sonic took it.
"Don't forget; I got my eye on you." she said.
"Oh, come on. We're on the same team, aren't we, Sonic?"
"Sure we are."
"How insulting!"
"Let's see... Here it is!" Molly said and opened the locker, only to find a time bomb.
It immediately exploded, but not before Sonic leapt her and Rouge out of the building.
"What happened?" Rouge asked.
"Someone deliberately put that bomb in the cabinet. Who gave you the key, Molly?" Sonic said.
Molly gasped.
"It was Leon!" she said and watched the burning building. "It can't be true. He would never! It can't be!"
Suddenly, a MRTX-1 warship flew directly over them.
"Well, lookie here." Rouge said and there were many other warships with it.
"Doctor, do you read me?" Sonic asked on the radio but there was only static.
"That double-crossing Leon. He and his comrades have been cooking up some nasty little deal, but they had to get Molly out of the way."
"You're wrong..." Molly said and turned around. "He'd never hurt me. Not ever!"
At the Cascade base.
"We're all a team. They'd never betray me!" Molly said over the voiceover.
Leon was communicating to Pale Bayleaf via video screen.
"I must admit, when you first approached me with your request, I was quite taken aback. You and your feisty friends have been battling us for so long, I thought you would never give up. But I understand, of course. Fighting such as this can be quite exhausting, especially when one is on the losing team." Pale Bayleaf said over the voiceover.
"That's right. Which is why we have all decided to join forces with you." Leon said.
"And the girl? I would be quite surprised if she agrees to such an arrangement." Pale Bayleaf said. "That's right. Which is why we have all decided to join forces with you." Leon said.
"She won't. But don't worry; I've sent her someplace where she won't interfere. We'll hand over Eggman as promised. Now let's get this over with already."
Someone laughed.
"I should think I should have a say in this diabolical deal." he said and they turned around to see Eggman standing in the room.
"You thought you were pretty clever, didn't you, my friend? But unfortunately, you're not clever enough." he said.
Leon pointed his pistol at him.
"Don't move!" he said.
"And you there. You work for Dark Oak, I presume?" Eggman asked Pale Bayleaf.
"You presume correctly. However, I am but one emissary of the great master. We are many." Pale Bayleaf said over the voiceover.
"Hm. Well, you and your Meta-pals may have fooled our crafty comrade here, but fooling the great Eggman won't be so easy."
"Hey! That's enough out of you!" Leon said and Eggman grinned.
Suddenly an explosion rocked the room, creating a hole in the roof. Leon and Eggman looked up to see a giant robot - and it's not affiliated with the Metarex.
"Dr. Eggman!" Decoe said.
"Our timing is impeccable!" Bocoe said.
The robot was Eggman's E-3000.
On Cascade Molly climbed back into her ship and buckled up.
"Please wait!" Rouge said and she looked up to see Sonic and Rouge.
"Don't go! You'll only get hurt!" Sonic said and she loosened her grip on the control stick a little.
'Why do I feel like I used to save people?' Sonic wondered.
Then she re-tightens her grip with all she has.
"Don't be foolish, Molly. Now isn't the time to go and get revenge on that Leon guy. It's way too dangerous." Rouge said.
"I have to find out why." Molly said.
The hatch closed, and she started to lift off into the air.
Then she took off into space.
"I don't know what those guys are up to, but they want Molly out of the way. And I'm gonna stop them somehow." Sonic said and the Chaos Emerald she was holding started to glow.
"Sonic?" Rouge said.
"I'm going. I don't know why, but I feel like I have to protect her... or something terrible will happen." she said determined.
With Eggman.
The E-3000 stood by as the Crimson Egg landed nearby. Leon and his fleet were on the move.
"Hurry up! If we let Eggman get away, the Metarex will destroy every one of us!" Leon said.
"I've had enough of this foolishness! E-3000, have a little fun, why don't you!" Eggman said.
At Cascade.
E-3000 started grabbing fighters, including Leon's and embeds them into the ground like darts.
"Ha! Bulls-eye! A crushing defeat!" Eggman said.
"You can say that again!" Bocoe said.
Suddenly giant red beam struck down around them. The Metarex fleet was upon them, including Bayleaf's ship.
"What's going on here?" Bocoe asked crosstalk.
In Pale Bayleaf's Battleship.
"It looks as if there has been a change of plans. You have not kept your word, my friend. So disappointing." Pale Bayleaf said.
"Wait! I promise you Eggman and you'll have him, I swear! I just need more time!" Leon said over the video.
"Unfortunately, patience is not my strong suit. You have dropped your end of the bargain. You lose."
At the Cascade Leon's ship was still embedded in the ground.
"No! Please!" Leon said.
"Leon, what are you saying?" Human 1 said over the radio.
"Will they let us join them? Will they?!" another human said over the radio.
"I... I don't know..." Leon said.
"How could you do it, Leon?!" someone said over the voiceover.
Suddenly, Molly swoops in. Leon looks up in surprise.
"You made a deal with them. You wanted to abandon everything we worked so hard for! What about our planet? What about the promise we made to our ancestors?" Molly said.
"We've had enough!" Leon said screaming.
Molly was surprised.
"We're too tired! We can't go on fighting like this forever!" Human 1 said.
"Every day is the same thing." Human 3 said.
"If we surrender, the fighting will be over and we'll live forever." Human 2 said.
"Please understand, I can't go on like this anymore, Molly. I'm tired. ... You wouldn't have gone along with it! I'm sorry, but it was either us or you!" Leon said.
Tears pricked Molly's eyes, and they started to fall. It appears that dream was shattered. Sonic landed on her craft's wing.
"Don't cry, Molly!" Sonic said as her tears flow freely.
"Sonic..." she said.
"I'll be there any time you need me. Just like in that story, remember?"
The Chaos Emerald in her hand glowed. Sonic leapt off her ship and, like the Blue Wind of legend, easily destroyed one of the MTRX-1 ships. Eggman witnessed this from the cockpit of the Crimson Egg.
"I'll show them... " she said. "I'll keep fighting..." she said her tears flowing again. "I'll be back one day..."
Sonic passed her by and saw her tear-stained face, but she was smiling.
She let out a war cry as she flew directly toward Pale Bayleaf's Battleship. Sonic looked on, astonished.
She looked up and saw that Bayleaf's fleet was leaving Cascade.
"I'll keep fighting too, Molly. Maybe we'll meet again someday." she said.
In an effort to avenge her, Sonic removed her necklace and leapt toward the fleet. They open fire on her, but she avoided the lasers. She completely obliterated the fleet. Rouge looked on, before looking down sadly.
Soon, the Crimson Egg left Cascade. The sun set while Rouge and Sonic stood on Cascade's surface, in front of a memorial pillar near a cliff. Rouge stood a distance behind Sonic.
"I gotta admit... That Molly chick? She was tougher than I thought." she said then thought of Maria. "Hey Sonic? You okay?"
"Sure I'm fine." she said.
"It's just... you seem to like her and all."
"Well, sure I liked her. She was a good kid. ... I just hope she'll be okay. She's all alone out there... that's all."
After a while, Sonic tossed the Chaos Emerald to Rouge and left.
"What?" she asked.
"Give that to Doctor, will ya?" she asked and dust blew around her as Rouge watched her walk away.
'What happened to her?' she thought.
"What have you done to her Commander?" she muttered.
On the Crimson Egg cockpit Eggman was also watching Sonic.
"Doctor, we are getting a message from someone. Should I connect them now?" Decoe asked.
"Quickly." Eggman said.
The transmission was activated to show a battered Pale Bayleaf holding his own damaged head/helmet. He had survived Sonic's attack.
"Your luck is running out, Doctor." Pale Bayleaf said.