Outside of Robotnik's fortress, the various Freedom Fighters stood ready to fight. They knew that there was a chance that some of them would not make it out of this alive. But this was the very thing they had been waiting years for. Cyrus then stood in front of the army, facing them, he had volunteered to lead them into battle, despite his minimal combat experience.
"Alright everybody, remember, this is our chance to give the hedgehogs a chance to destroy the evil that has plagued our world for almost as long as most of us can remember! Remember, these guys are simple robots; they march in a straight line, giving us an advantage! We can think in ways they won't, catch them off guard. But no matter the outcome, let's just give them something to be remembered by! Who's with me, who's with the Royal Family?" he announced. Everyone cheered, even as the Swatbots started coming out of the fortress. Lasers were flying from both ends of the battle.
Meanwhile, at a different side of the fortress; Aleena, Sonic, Sonya, and Tails snuck up to a small door.
"This here's Dr. Robotnik's secret passageway, simply requires an eye scan just to get through!" Dingo told them, he was still being worn as a belt around Sonya's waist.
"I knew you might come in handy!" Sonya replied. She took off the Dingo-belt off, holding his face right in front of the scanner. The scanner checked Dingo's eyes and a green light flashed.
"Welcome Dingo," said a robotic voice as the door opened. Sonya put her belt back on as the four of them all snuck in, with the door closing behind them.
"Now might not be the most appropriate time, but Manic could've opened that door without the scanner in a Mobius-minute," said Tails.
"I still think using Dingo's the better option. I'm sure Manic would agree," replied Sonic.
They walked down a gray tunnel, dead silent, staying as close together as possible, until they came to a split in the trail.
"Y'know, if you really want, I can check both out in less than a Mobius-second," offered Sonic. Suddenly, Shadow practically flew out of the tunnel that went to the left.
"Pick one, Dr. Robotnik's waiting for ya, losers!" he laughed. He zoomed down the tunnel that went to the right.
"You guys take the one to the left! Shadow's mine!" Sonic ordered he sped right after Shadow. Tails started to fly in order to follow him, and pretty soon caught up with him.
"I'm coming with you Sonic!" he said. Sonic skidded to a halt.
"You can fly?" he asked. Tails landed right next to him.
"Yeah, just a little something I was born with," he replied. He and Sonic then simply walked next to each other. Sonic had wanted ask his new friend something, and it seemed as though now would be the best time to do so.
"Guess that's what having an extra tail will do to ya. So tell me, how is it that a guy like you came to hang with the crowd my brother was a part of?" he asked. Tails told him his rather tragic story.
"I was abandoned when I was about two. Manic found me while walking the streets, and brought me to Ferrell, who had been a father to abandoned street kids like us, and taught us to be thieves. By the time I was four, I started to show real talent, I was able to make quick get-aways because of my flying ability, and could easily sneak down chimneys.
Another thing that I became well adapted with was mechanics. I was the best at fixing our gadgets when they broke down, and when I found older machines, I had this way of making them work again, even if only for a little while. I even went as far as to make little boxcars out of scrap metal parts for me and the other kids my age.
Manic, watching me as I grew and learned seemed very impressed with my skills, and often treated me with special attention, like I was a little brother to him, more so than the other members of our 'family.' One night, I was sneaking through our hideout, planning to snatch something from the fridge, when I saw Manic talking to Ferrell, in front of the kitchen. I stopped and chose to listen. What he said probably changed my life forever. He said that he would like to take me on as an apprentice.
Now Manic was a model student, we all looked up to him, and the fact he wanted me, as an apprentice was the greatest honor. A few days later, I was eight at the time, Ferrell came up to me and said on my ninth birthday, Manic would take me on as his apprentice, and I'd get to go on missions with him. I was so excited! Sadly, two weeks before what would've been my happiest birthday ever, Swatbots invaded our home. The last words I heard from Ferrell were; "Run kids, run!"
We ran in separate directions, I lost track of my friends, and was now completely alone. I wandered for some time, until I became hungry and attempted to steal an apple, but a hand caught my wrist. I looked up, and there was a hooded figure. She (there was no mistaking the girly voice) said; "You don't have to do that child." She paid the vendor who gave me a weird stare and we walked away. She asked where I had come from, and who had told me it was okay to steal.
I told her about where I grew up, and when I mentioned Manic, she covered my mouth and brought me to an alley. She pulled back her hood, and revealed that she was Queen Aleena, and Manic's mother! She told me about his siblings and why she separated the three of you. She then said that she would be happy to take me in, except that she'd be on the road too much. So, she brought me to Athair the old echidna, and he agreed to look after me, and for almost a year, he was my family, and the closest thing I ever had to a grandfather.
Sure, Aleena visited from time to time, but he was always there for me. He taught me right from wrong, and I never thought about stealing again. He gave me my own room, something I never had before. He allowed me to continue pursuing my love of mechanics, which meant a lot to me. Aleena promised that I'd get to see Manic again, and she kept her promise, and I also got to meet you and Sonya, and I guess that's how I ended up here, fighting for freedom on my hero's behalf."
"You good guys are so into sentimentality, makes me sick!" a sinister voice shouted from the ceiling. Sonic and Tails didn't have time to react before Shadow jumped in front of them.
"You're gonna pay for what you did to our brother!" Sonic shouted.
"Our brother? I only see one hedgehog in front of me," Shadow replied in a sarcastic voice. Sonic brought Tails closer to his side.
"Manic was like a big brother to this guy, therefore, he's as much a little brother to me as he was to Manic!" he answered, Tails nodded, making sure he looked tough.
"You're really into that family stuff, huh? Well, I should tell you Dr. Robotnik made me by using some of your DNA so you and I are, in some way family sucker!" Shadow announced with a hideous smile on his face. Sonic and Tails stared at him wide-eyed, their jaws almost dropping to the floor.
"Well, I better get going! Catch me if you can, not!" Shadow laughed again before zooming further down the tunnel. Sonic and Tails ran and flew, respectively, as fast as they could to catch up with him. They eventually came to what looked like a prison with a lake running in front of them. Sonic braked before falling in, and backed up cautiously. He hated water.
He was suddenly pushed in. He landed in the water with a "splash!" He looked up in time to see Shadow laughing and Tails staring horrorstruck before sinking below the surface.
"Yeah, I know your weakness, loser! That's what comes with sharing DNA! Mwa ha ha! Have a nice, soggy nap! That's two down, two to go!" shouted Shadow. Tails stepped in his way.
"Ya'll hafta get by me first!" he said, his hands clenched in fists. Shadow simply shrugged.
"Okay, he said before tossing Tails into the lake, without effort. He started to glide away slowly.
"A child tries to defeat me? Don't make me laugh! Too late!" he laughed. Then he heard a whirly sound. He froze dead in his tracks and turned around to see Tails carrying Sonic as he flew above the water.
"Surprised? So was I," said Sonic, gasping for breath.
"You can fly? But that's impossible!" shouted Shadow.
"Not quite," replied Tails. Still with Sonic in tow, he flew over to Shadow, and Sonic held Shadow by the neck with his feet, Shadow struggled.
"If you have my DNA, and you have clearly shown you share my strengths, I bet anything you share my weaknesses too!" Sonic said with a satisfied smile. With a quick move, threw Shadow into the lake, where he landed with a satisfying: "Kerplunk!" Tails set him down.
"Well, now that we've taken care of that nuisance, what say we help my mom and sis?" Sonic asked his friend. Tails nodded and they zoomed out of the prison tunnel.
Sonya and Aleena were walking along a gray tunnel, until they entered Dr. Robotnik's throne room, where he was looking at the battle below, and his back to them.
"What took you so long?" he asked.
"You mean you knew we were here?" Sonya replied in another question.
"Well, I'll confess when Shadow reported that the two he didn't harm (Yes, I know of the green one's fate.) were left on that ship as it went down I did my best not to get my hopes too high. But I waited, hoping that I would never have to deal with any of you hedgehogs again. When I saw all those Freedom Fighters gathered below my building, I knew that meant at least one of you had to still be alive. When I realized that they were waiting for me to make the first move, I guessed it was some distraction, but I went ahead and let them play their game; At the very least for my own amusement if nothing else," he said. He finally turned around, surprised to finally see Queen Aleena.
"Well, well, well, we meet again at last, Queen Aleena," he said.
"Your reign of tyranny has come to an end, Dr. Eggman!" she answered angrily.
"Eggman?" asked Sonya and Dingo at the same time.
"Yes that is my true name, just doesn't have the same sinister ring to it as Dr. Robotnik now, does it?" he confessed. Cackling, he took out what looks like a remote control, pressed a button and zapped Dingo to his regular form.
"Grab her Dingo!" Eggman ordered. Instinctively, Dingo grabbed Sonya by the shoulders. Aleena was horrorstruck as Sonya squirmed to get out of Dingo's grasp.
"Oh don't bother using your super-strength girl. I gave Dingo here an extra boost of density, making it impossible for you to get out. All thanks to Sleet, he made me an extra transformer in case I would have any need for it! And now, you're going to get robotocized! Mwa ha ha!" Eggman gloated.
"No, please don't hurt Sonya, take me instead!" Aleena begged. Suddenly, the robotocized forms of Uncle Chuck and Cyrus' father came in and grabbed her by the arms before she could do anything else to save her daughter. Eggman walked over to her, putting the transformer back into his pocket.
"Aw, that is so sweet. You can't stand to see your daughter hurt, so you're offering up yourself instead. Just like a good mother, as a reward you can watch her get robotocized, and then you'll get to go after her!" he jeered. Aleena cried, and Eggman walked over to Sonya and Dingo and looked Sonya straight in the eye.
"You know, hedgehog, you're almost easier to capture than your father was!" he said.
"M-my father?" asked Sonya.
"Yes, for awhile I worked for him, but the second I overtook Mobius, I chose to imprison him rather than robotocize him," answered Eggman before he started to walk away.
'Why did I do that, you might ask? Easy, I knew he had a wife who was pregnant, last I heard, and I hoped that I could one day capture his family, robotocize his wife and raise the child to be evil that I figured would be even better! But, all trace of the royal family disappeared. Until your blue brother started giving me trouble, I'd almost forgotten about dear old Dad. Oh, this is good this is very good indeed!" he gloated. He pressed a series of buttons on the control panel, causing a cylindrical object to rise, and then open on a side.
"Now, Dingo, put the princess in the robotcizer, there's a good boy," he said.
"Uh, boss, if I could just-"
"Dingo! Do it or I will turn you into a bug and squish you!"
"I just-"
"DINGO!" Eggman pulled out the transformer, and began to aim.
"NOOO!" shouted Dingo. He threw Sonya aside, hurled himself at the doctor, forcing both himself and Eggman to fall together into the robotocizer where it immediately began to function.
"I love ya Sonya!" was the last anyone ever heard from either of them before a series of whirrs, clicks and beeps drowned out any other noise. At the last whirr, a two headed Dingo-Eggman robot stepped out of the tube. Uncle Chuck and Cyrus' father snap to their normal mental selves and released Aleena. Outside the Swatbots slowly powered down, the Freedom Fighters cheered. Back in the room, Sonic and Tails zoomed in through the doorway.
"What'd I miss?" Sonic asked. He noticed the Eggman-Dingo robot.
"Like, I thought they were ugly before!" he joked.
"Sonic, my boy!" exclaimed Uncle Chuck.
"Uncle Chuck! I thought I lost you for sure!" Sonic replied giving him a hug.
"Not quite. I guess with Robotnik incapacitated, we robots are free!" Uncle Chuck responded as they then released each other.
"Sonic! Before he was robotocized, Eggman (that's Robuttnik's real name) said that he captured our father and had him imprisoned for years you don't suppose he's in this building do you?" Sonya blurted out.
"Looking for this?" asked a sinister voice.
Everyone turns around to see Shadow, dripping wet, throw a tall figure with a dirty brown robe to the ground.
"Who's this?" asked Sonic.
"Beats me. All I care about is that I found a chain on the side of the lake and used it to climb out. When I surfaced, I saw this guy peeping out of a cell. He was burbling; "Was that Sonic? Could that have been my boy Sonic?" I helped him out, then knocked him cold so I could bring him up here and just show you what a broken man your dad is, if that is indeed who he is!" replied Shadow. Just then he noticed the two-headed Eggman-Dingo robot.
"Well, guess I'm my own hog now!" he said.
"I should warn you, we're never going to forget what you did to Manic, and I don't know if we can forgive you," Sonic told him.
"Harumph! I don't ask for that. All I ask is you remember my name; Shadow the Hedgehog and if you ever need a dirty deed done right, look me up," Shadow answered before he zoomed out a nearby window and disappeared into some trees.
"Should we follow him?" Tails asked angrily. Aleena gently stroked his head.
"No, he is not our problem, and we mustn't seek vengeance lest it should become us," she answered. She then walked over to the figure, and helped him up. They could now see he was about her height and green as Manic.
"Ragorn?" she asked.
"Aleena? My wife?" he replied. They got watery-eye and kissed each other.
"I thought for sure you were dead!" she exclaimed.
"Believe me, there were times when I wish I was!" he answered before noticing Sonya and Sonic.
"So, I meet my children again after all these years?" he asked bending down and to hug them.
"Last time I saw either of you, you were in diapers! But where's Manic?"
"He was wounded by the guy that got you out of that cell," Sonya told him sadly.
"I know it's important that you're all having a family reunion, but what are we to do with this robot?" Cyrus' father asked, pointing to the Eggman-Dingo robot. Ragorn looked deep in thought for a moment and then smiled.
"I have an idea. Build a de-robotocizer!" he ordered.
"Yes master!" the robot replied and then proceeded to mess about with the robotocizer.
"Well, I guess that should keep it busy, come, let's see the other Freedom Fighters," said Aleena. The Freedom Fighters cheered as the hedgehogs, Tails, and Cyrus' father came out. Cyrus rushed to give his dad a hug; chants of victory filled the air.