"What happened here?"
"Sonic, can you hear us?!"
"Where's the Doctor?"
"Forget that, where's the wall?"
Hardly any of the muffled voices can be heard clearly over the loud ringing in Sonic's ears, nor processed by his waking mind. At least, that was the case until a shrill: "SONIC!" broke through the fuzziness in his head.
It belonged to Amy who maneuvers through the wrecked robot parts and debris that now make up the floor with surprising precision given her rush. Before he can fully regain consciousness, the trapped speedster finds his upper torso being squeezed by the pink hedgehog now at his side.
"Sonic, I'm so glad you're okay!" she says. "We heard so many explosions and when we walked in, we weren't sure if-!"
"Hey, Amy, I know you're glad to see me and all, but a little help would be nice."
"Oh, right!"
She stands up and slings her Piko Piko hammer over her shoulder. Sonic looks up, his eyes enlarging at the sight of the massive weapon raised above him.
"Hey, Ames, maybe you should-!"
Like a bolt of lightning, the hammer strikes down on the piece of metal pinning the hedgehog down, splintering it into dozens of pieces.
Despite the near heart attack, Sonic feels great relief having the pressure on his back removed. Though, he immediately finds out the debris wasn't all that was keeping him on the ground. Attempting a single step causes him to tumble forward, barely being caught in time by a worried Amy.
"You don't look too good," a voice says just a short distance ahead.
Recognizing who it belongs to, Sonic looks up to see Shadow the Hedgehog alongside Tails approaching him. Behind them, Rouge marvels at the sheer volume of destruction the earlier battle left behind, with E-123 Omega standing stationary nearby. At the entrance, Knuckles is on one knee, examining something. The look on his face looks all but happy.
"You think I look bad?" Sonic scoffs. "You should see the other guy."
"Oh, I do."
Sonic follows Shadow's gaze, spotting Eggman lying face-down on the floor two yards to his right. Lucky for him, nothing larger than a coat of dust met his backside. With his hands still shielding the back of his head, he looks up at the group of Mobians with unhidden disdain.
"I hope you're happy," he grunts, narrowing his eyes on Sonic. "I hope all of you are happy. You've ruined everything!"
"Since when was that a bad thing?" Sonic grins, being supported by Amy's shoulder.
Eggman's grimace intensifies.
"Since our Jackal friend just made off with the most powerful weapon in all of Mobius!" the mad genius answers.
The grin on Sonic's face vanishes after recalling the final few seconds before unconsciousness took over. Zero, or rather Infinite's plans for Station Square.
"Jackal?" Rouge questions. "Wait, you mean Zero?! Isn't he-?"
"EXPLAIN YOURSELF NOW!"
Knuckles' voice startles all but Shadow. The fiery echidna marches over to the small group, a grey emerald clutched in his left hand. Seeing it, Sonic frowns, recognizing it as the gorgeous gemstone Zero held in his palm, right before its life was drained right in front of him.
"What happened to this emerald?! Knuckles demands, stopping in front of the Doctor and holding up the grey gem. "Answer me! Now!"
"I did what any pioneer would do," Eggman answers. "I repurposed it into something greater. Something beyond its original function."
"WELL, FIX IT!" Knuckles barks.
"You don't get it, do you, simpleton?" Eggman grumbles. "Their life force is gone. Nada. Utterly extinguished."
"Then... my home..."
Knuckles falls to his knees, the colorless gemstone rolling from his open palm and a short way across the floor. He stares forward at nothing, too consumed by his distraught mind to think of anything else.
Sonic wishes there was something- anything he could say to help. But nothing comes to mind. Without the seven miracles he and everyone else fought so hard to obtain, Angel Island is lost for good, destined to be a blank spot consumed by the sea.
"Well look on the bright side, echidna, at least you're not alone," Eggman says, finally unshielding his head. "Soon, the whole world will follow in your island's destruction."
What happens next is too fast for most people in the room to register. Knuckles lunges towards Eggman like a fireball, his fist inches from colliding with the Doctor's fearful face, only for it to be caught by Shadow who blipped from his previous location. Knuckles snaps in the hedgehog's direction, looking as though he'll attempt a swing on him instead.
"Not yet, we need more information," Shadow explains calmly.
"Thank you, Shadow!" Eggman says.
"Afterward, you may proceed."
"Wait, what?"
"I CALL DIBS ON THE FINISHING BLOW," E-123 Omega calls out from across the room.
"Relax everyone, no one is finishing Eggman," Sonic says, retrieving his arm from Amy's shoulder to try and stand on his own. "Not that he doesn't deserve it."
"Likewise, rodent," Eggman grumbles.
"What was that thing?" Sonic questions, ignoring Eggman's comment. "It somehow managed to absorb the emerald's energy. How is that possible?"
"Anything is possible if I will it. What you're referring to is the phantom ruby. My ultimate creation. The artifact built solely to facilitate my rise as Mobius's sole ruler. Under that cursed mercenary's control, there's no telling what he'll do. The destruction he'll cause."
"How does it work?" Tails inquires. "If you're this concerned, it must have a specialized function rather than just being a power boost. At least, that's my assumption."
"You've assumed right, fox," Eggman confirms. "On a very technical level, it doesn't do anything. But you see, the key isn't what it does, it's what it makes you think it does. An object with the power to manipulate your tiny brains into perceiving virtual reality projections as material matter."
"That's... insane!" Tails blurts out, with everyone in the room sharing his shock.
"Hold on, you mean to tell me that this phantom gizmo can create fake things real enough to affect real life?" Sonic asks. "What, like some physical dream?"
"Precisely," Eggman answers. "Though, a creation of that magnitude could never work if not for the energy the chaos emeralds could provide."
"There has to be a limit of projections he can conjure," Tails suggests. "If not, then he's..."
"Unbeatable? Too bad, fox, but now the phantom ruby has surpassed all seven chaos emeralds put together as the ultimate power. However, there is a silver lining..."
"In other words, there's hope?" Amy asks, her ears perking up.
"If you can call it that. You see, the ruby was constructed to be controlled by mechanical means. Machines capable of withstanding its raw energy. But despite my previous estimates, the gem has managed to... bond with Zero's body. Its potential long-term effects could potentially prove draining of his well-being."
"In case you hadn't noticed, we can't really afford a 'long-term' solution, Eggy," Rouge chimes in.
"Well, that's all you have, bat!"
"Her name is Rouge," Shadow corrects.
Eggman rolls his eyes.
"If Zero were to overuse the ruby, it might be enough to destroy him," he continues. "But the chance of him getting to that point is practically non-existent, as he'd have to use an unfathomable amount of power to do so. And by then, Station Square, and probably all of Mobius will be destroyed. Your chances went from none to slim."
"That's all I need," Sonic says, balancing himself as he slowly takes step after step to the newly formed back entrance of the facility.
Amy frowns, knowing by now she can't stop him. So instead:
"Wait up!" she calls, walking after him.
Ready for a fight, Knuckles bends down to pick up the grey emerald, resuming his burning glare at Eggman.
"This isn't over," he declares. "I may not be able to save my home. But I can save theirs. After I'm done... I'm coming back for you."
The Doctor gulps, nervously watching as the red echidna joins Sonic and Amy in their exit. Tails curiously turns around to face Team Dark.
"Well, what are you guys going to do?"
"This is our mess," Shadow states. "Allow us to make amends."
A smile grows on the boy's face.
"So long as you can keep up."
Shadow and Rouge return his smile.
"You bet we can, kid."
"Make sure your blue friend is ready to take some notes," Rouge adds.
"LET'S GO KICK SOME A-"
"HEY!"
Everyone looks back at the front entrance. Standing there is a squad of GUN soldiers who have stopped in their tracks upon noticing the messy sight in front of them. Their hanging jaws lower even further after laying eyes on the apprehended Eggman. The one leading the pact attempts to form a cohesive sentence.
"W-w- what-"
"Contact your Commander and tell him to evacuate Station Square," Sonic tells him, taking one last look at Eggman. "We'll leave the cleanup to you guys."
Eggman frowns, his trembling fists tightening.
"I'll beat you one day, rodent. Believe me... I'll be back."
...