Ruby tossed and turned in her sleep. Her face was heavily contorted and her eyes darted wildly under her eyelids. Whatever she was dreaming, the stress of the past events made it not a comfortable thing.
Someone shook Ruby's shoulder, putting her her out from her predicament. Groaning, she sat up. It took her a while to remember what was going on.
Waking up in the void, fighting the fake Chaos, encountering Tails and Omega, reaching Ash Hill Zone and fighting Eggman and the Egg Dragoon. For a moment the human girl believed it was all just part of her hectic dreams. But a quick glance at the yellow, anthropomorphic fox with two tails, that had woken her up, made Ruby realize that it all really happened.
After taking over Eggman´s base Team ROT had found a living quarter the doctor apparently used to have some comfort during his time in Ash Hill Zone.
The good part was, that it meant Ruby and Tails could get some good rest as Eggman spares no expense in pampering himself. A large four-poster bed upholstered in red velvet gave Tails and Ruby a good place to sleep. And an expensive snack bar options for drinking, eating and provisions for their travels.
The bad part was, since it was made by Eggman for Eggman, it was filled to the brim with images of the egg-shaped man. Even tough Omega tore it all out of the room to experiment with it outside with his new abilities, Ruby would never forget the poster of Eggman posing in a striped swimsuit (it definitely had a part in her uncomfortable sleep).
Softly shaking her head to no longer dwell on it, Ruby asked her companion: "How long was I asleep?"
"Three hours. We'd better get going." Tails looked really eager to get moving.
Ruby, on the other hand, was not so motivated.
"Are you sure? My aura hasn't fully regenerated under that time."
"The Resistance will not linger in Mystic Jungle forever. And we don't know when the next possibility will be to get in touch with them. And according to Eggman, Sonic could be there too. I MUST get there in time and see if he really is well. That he is okay and not…"
Tails didn't finish that sentence, but his blue eyes clearly reflected what kind of worries he held. The same kind Ruby held for her friends and family back on Remnant. Right now she couldn't reach them. Tails on the other hand…
Ruby sighed softly. "Then let's go."
She rose from the bed. Leaving their brief resting place, the two of them went outside the base. Omega, after he was repaired, had stood guard there. Ruby greeted the robot, while stepping over the ash he reduced the Eggman merch into, and waited for Tails to finish some tipping into his Miles Electric. After a few minutes he was done.
"Sorry for the delay, I just activated the base's self-destruct mechanism so that Eggman wont be able to take it back."
Ruby gave the steel buildings a nervous look.
"And when will self-destruct activate?"
"Around an hour. So if we go now, we'll be outside the blast radius."
And indeed, the trio only heard the roar of the explosion long after they had left the base.
On the way to Mystic Jungle, not much exciting happened. While wandering the wasteland, whose view was only slightly better than Ash Hill Zone, some over sized Buzzbombers flew over Team ROT, but Omega quickly took them out of the sky. It didn't dwell well with the three of them that the machines where flying in the same direction they were wandering towards to. It's was a long journey, so when they finally reached Mystic Jungle, night fell. But the cool darkness of it refused to come, as it was kept a bay from a bright light and intense heat. However, it didn't come from the tropical climate, but from the mighty infernos that engulfed the jungle. Just like in Ash Hill Zone, the air was thick with smoke and ash, so Ruby and Tails covered their faces with cloth once again. The former watched the flames with a somber expression in her eyes, it was too reminiscent of the fires that were started during the fall of Beacon.
"... and more destruction. Eggman really hates the nature of your world."
"He always had visions of shaping the planet according to his ideas. Transforming it into the shape of a 'perfect' machine. During our encounter he had also talked about sending someone to burn down Mystic Jungle. If the flames are still raging here, that means the fight is still going on and we can find the Resistance here."
A glimmer of hope entered Tails´ heart. A glimmer that Omega crushed with another possibility that they had to face.
"OR THEY LOST THE FIGHT AND WE ARE WITNESSING THE LAST HOUR OF THIS PLACE."
"I'd rather not think about it. Come on, let's see if we meet any allies here."
The trio entered the burning jungle. They often had to dodge burning branches falling from the dying trees. To be more specific, Tails and Ruby dodged, while Omega just let smaller branches drop on him and he smashed bigger ones away. After several minutes the flames became less severe and the trio reached a clearing in which ruins rose.
In front of the ruins stood Egg Burners, who were in the process of setting fire to some intact bushes and young trees. Ruby immediately aimed and fired. She managed to shoot down two of the gas tank robots before the machines realized what was going on and charged at their new enemies. Omega effortlessly destroyed the Egg Burners with his new electricity powers. More gas tank robots appeared between burning logs.
"How many of these things are there? It has to be a lot to do that kind of damage to this place." Ruby dodged a few flames aimed at her and then cut the responsible Egg Burner to pieces.
"THEY ARE NOTHING BUT LACKEYS. EGGMAN HAD SPOKEN WITH SOMEONE BEFORE NOTICING US. FROM WHAT I COULD GATHER IT IS THEIR JOB TO BURN MYSTIC JUNGLE TO THE GROUND BUT WAS BEING STUBBORN ABOUT IT. WHILE I COULD BARELY HEAR SOMETHING COHERENT UNDER EGGMANS TEMPER TANTRUM AND THE STATIC OF THE BAD SIGNAL, THE TONE OF VOICE SUGGEST THAT THE UNKNOWN PERSON IS FEMALE."
Hearing this, Ruby got a bad feeling. A sense of dread gripped her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was causing it.
Tails started coughing.
"The smoke and the heat is getting worse, I think we should retreat to the ruins. We could defend ourselves better from there."
Ruby and Tails ran up the stairs of the ruins, Omega stayed a few paces behind them and fired at the Egg Burners that were coming after them. They gathered in front of the entrance of the ruined temple and shot the mechanical enemies or pushed them down the stairs. Still… the enemy forces appeared to overwhelm them. The whole stairs were filled with hostile robots.
"RUBY. TAILS. MOVE ASIDE. I HAVE AN IDEA ON HOW TO DESTROY THE REST OF THEM."
Not having to think long about to trust Omegas plan, human and mobian gathered behind the combat robot and watched how he transformed his claws into cannons. Putting their barrels close to each other, Omega charged them with electrical energy and fired one huge lighting bolt from them. His attack went downstairs and eliminated all of their enemies.
After everyone was done, Tails, Omega and Ruby turned to the ruins. The ancient temple jutted deep into the burning jungle. Its stone architecture, though riddled with cracks and creepers, defied the heat of the raging inferno. The corridor that stretched past the entrance threshold into the building was lit with glowing runes.
"Who built all this?" Ruby asked with admiration.
"An ancient clan composed of Echidna Mobians. Their civilization came to an end when their leader decided to mess with Chaos, the real one and not the phantom you destroyed. Unfortunately, most of these will likely be destroyed by the flames if this isn't stopped. Should we perhaps go through the temple complexes? We will most likely not meet anyone there, but we would be protected from the flames."
"MY SENSORS INDICATE THAT THE AMOUNT OF HEAT IS INCREASING. YOU MEATBAGS WONT LAST LONG IN THIS PART OF THE JUNGLE. I RECOMMEND TRAVELING TROUGH THE TEMPLE UNTIL YOU REACH PARTS WHERE THE INFERNO IS CALMER."
"Sounds like you're about to break up with us."
"I'LL MAKE MY WAY STRAIGHT TROUGH THE FLAMES. JUST LIKE THE ONES FROM THE INFERIOR MODEL THEY DO NOT REACH THE NECESSARY HEAT TO HARM THIS UNIT. I WILL TRY TO FIND MEMBERS OF THE RESISTANCE. THIS IS THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF OUR STAY HERE AND SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED. NEITHER SHOULD YOUR HEALTH."
"Well I guess that makes sense," Ruby said, then turned to Tails. "What do you think?"
"I… I think we should follow Omega's suggestion. While I don't like the idea of splitting up, it would actually lead to the greatest success."
"INDEED." Omega turned and marched down the stairs.
"Omega," Ruby called after him. The E-Series robot turned around. "Please take care of yourself."
Concern was clearly written on the human girl's face. Omega was very surprised by this, but replied: "THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY. I WAS MADE READY FOR INTENSE SCENARIOS AND COMBAT." At that part Ruby slightly flinched. It just sounded to much like… "YOU BETTER TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES AND YOUR SENSITIVE FLESH BODIES."
With these words, the combat robot marched into the raging inferno. Ruby turned and walked into the ruins. Tails frowned and hurried to her side.
"I didn't know you were so attached to Omega."
"I… I just have to think of a friend of mine when I see Omega. Her name was Penny."
Tails noticed the use of the word 'was' and listened with a queasy feeling.
"She was, in a way, like Omega, a literal fighting machine. Unlike him, though, she looked like a normal human girl. And behaved like that. Okay, maybe she wasn't exactly normal, but she had feelings and dreams. She wanted to learn more about the world and also make friends. She became friends with me and while her hugs were as murderous as the grip of Chaos, I was quite fond of her. But an… incident happened and she… she was ripped to pieces by her own weapons. And I don't want that to happen to Omega, or anyone at all. Of course I failed Pyrrah." Ruby's silver eyes watered. "And I don't know who else I have failed."
Tails lowered his head dejectedly. He wanted to say something comforting, but couldn't think of anything. He was a little ashamed. When he heard about Sonic and the Resistance in Mystic Jungle, he focused on his own problems and pushed Ruby´s aside. He stopped thinking about her situation and how she was feeling. She had told him that on her home and friends were in danger and she was unable to help them now. The yellow fox imagined himself being drawn to another world fraught with danger in the midst of the war against Eggman. It was a terrifying prospect and he wondered if Ruby was hiding such concerns with her eagerness for battle and her lively nature.
"Hey Ruby, I-" Click.
Tail's shoe sank into a hidden pressure plate. Ruby used her Semblance to quickly get herself and Tails to back. Where they were standing earlier, arrows shot out of holes in the wall.
"This place has traps?" Ruby felt like she had suddenly become part of one of the Tomb Raider games she liked to play.
Tails looked at an arrow buried in the ground. He picked it up and held it up to the rune light. The arrow had a metallic sheen and the Eggman logo was clearly visible on it.
"If traps were an original part of local architecture, then Eggman added his own flair."
"Why, if he wants to burn it all down?"
Tails shrugged. "Maybe he wants to built something later and wants to incorporate the ruin into it. Whatever it is, we should be more careful from now on."
They continued on.
"Tails, did you want to tell me something?"
"Oh yeah, because of what you said earlier, I-" Click.
The ground beneath the two opened up, revealing a deep pit with sharp spikes. Ruby was about to activate her Semblance again when Tails grabbed her and they both flew out of the pit. The fox mobian set the human girl down on safe ground and then landed next to here. Ruby just gaped at the little fox.
"... how were you able to carry me? I'm like twice your height!"
Tails scratched his head.
"Oh I… well I can lift heavy things. I often do it with Sonic, sometimes with Knuckels, or wear the two at the same time."
"Wow, how strong are you?"
"No idea?" They reached a staircase that led down. "I've never really tested my strength, but mobians are generally much stronger than humans. At least those without Aura and Semblance."
"My sister Yang is super strong and she-"
One of the stairs crunched down as Ruby stepped on it.
"What now?", she sighed.
The ceiling fell open behind them and a round boulder fell out. It rolled down the stairs, picking up speed. This time, Ruby made full use of her Semblance. She grabbed Tails and the two disappeared in a red and yellow cloud that sped down the rest of the stairs. The cloud got into a wide room where it quickly flew sideways, causing the boulder to roll past and crashing into a pillar. Ruby and Tails materialized. This time the fox looked flabbergasted.
"You can use your Semblance on other people?"
Ruby, who was staring at the boulder, turned to him. "What? Oh yes, I can. Or rather, I´ve lately been theorizing if my Semblance could be used in such a way. I wanted to test it earlier, but then we would have had to leave Omega behind. I´m not sure if it would work on large, inorganic beings. I wasn't even sure if Petal Burst would work on organic beings that don´t have Aura."
"Well I'm glad that's the case. Otherwise we would be pancake now. Even if it's a strange feeling to be a cloud. How does this even work? I could see everything around me but not really feel it, including my body."
Ruby just shrugged. "Eh, I just got used to it and stopped questioning it."
They continued to walk and stepped out of the building. A paved road wound like a flat, stone serpent between the huge trees. This part of the jungle was much less devastated by the fire, though flickering lights could still be seen here and there behind the flora. More ruins rose into the night sky, illuminating the surroundings with magical runes carved on their facades.
"Do you think we should follow the road?"
"I think-" In the distance came the roaring sound of fire being ignited. "I think we should definitely look into what caused this fire."
They ran as the flames grew brighter again. Something or someone now seemed to want to ignite this part of the jungle as well. As Ruby and Tails rounded a curve, they found themselves in front of a huge snake.
It was dead. Blackened flesh and deep cuts disfigured the giant reptile's scaled body, and its eyes had been burned out. Someone hadn't just killed the reptile in self-defense, they had brutally massacred it.
"I don't like this." Ruby felt her dread from earlier rising. Something was screaming at her that everything about this was bad news. And yet she still didn't have time to think about this feeling, as the roaring of fire was heard again. "I really don't like this."
She and Tails kept running and reached a clearing surrounded by trees, most of which were already burning. The two of them looked around.
"Where is-"
"So you've finally come, I've been expecting you."
Ruby's eyes widened as she recognized the calm, feminine voice. She turned around. Behind the duo stood a young woman in a red dress, decorated with golden intertwined patterns and a black Eggman logo on the hem. She had raven hair that covered her left eye. The right amber eye was left open and one could see the flaming energy emanating from the iris. A cold smile graced her face.
"Finally I can take revenge," Cinder Fall said.
"Who is that?" Tails asked the silver-eyed girl next to him. But Ruby could only stare at Pyrrah's killer. In front of her was the very person who had her friends blood on her hands, who was actually responsible for Penny's death and the massive Grimm attack.
"What... but... how?"
"Are you surprised to find me here? I would be too if the doctor hadn't let me know. I wonder how you escaped, but ultimately it doesn't matter. Because now that you're here, I can get my revenge on you for what you did to me."
"What I..." It was only now that Ruby noticed that Cinder's left arm was gone and had been replaced by a mechanical prosthesis. With it, she swept her hair aside, revealing her left eye. It consisted of some kind of black glass with a red glowing iris. The skin and tissue around the mechanical eye have been replaced with metal.
"What happened to you?" Ruby muttered, confused and horrified. Cinder stared at her, head cocked.
"What's the matter? Don't you like what you did to me? Or are you horrified that the doctor's work has undone your damage to me?"
"That was me? My… light did that to you?"
Cinder's cold and controlled expression gave away briefly to confusion.
"They didn't tell you that your..." She grinned. "You really have no idea of your potential. What a shame you'll never find out. Because now your silver eyes can harm me no more, and there is nothing you can do..." Cinder formed glowing volcanic glass sabers in her hands, "...to prevent me from cutting off said eyes. And your tiny little head alongside it."
Ruby: My situation can´t get any worse.
Cinder: I´M HERE! Gonna spread your ash across this new frontiers!
Ruby: Aaahhh! My situation just got worse!
So yeah… like some of you guessed, everybodys least favorite villainess is here. I know some wont like this development but trust me. Cinder is going to get her Karma for her… everything. And I will try to make her a better villain just like Infinite. But before I get to see the response to her being in here, lets´s see the reviews from the last one.
To ArguableReader: Omega knows how to be iconic. And I like to imagine that his over the top violent and egocentric nature partly hides one or two insecurities/fears. Your take on how languages work in fiction is very interesting and is something to think about. Some crossovers I read tackle how language barriers with characters from different worlds can play out.
I think I´m going to use both italics and bold to emphasize Infinites otherworldy nature.
I also see Sonic Heroes as one of the weaker Sonic games. The reasons why it probably was received/remebered well are:
1) The creation of the iconic Teams.
2) The return of Shadow.
3) Neo Metal Sonic
And you might be onto something with the second Team-Blast. But it will happen much later when Tails gets some… uprgades. Bit wont be a wrench tough. Hitting enemies with oversized gadgets is Amy´s specialty. As for why he already didn´t use any tools or weapons is because he wasn´t in the right state of mind. He still is overwhelmed with everything that happened, but he is becoming better.
To Guest: Glad to have that misunderstanding cleared up. And your right, it doesnt make any sense. But it is also not what happened. You should probably read the encounter between Team ROT and Eggman again, to be more precise: What he and Ruby talk about. Also time works differently in Null Space. But that is all I am going to say for now about this topic, the rest goes to much into spoiler territory. I hope everything will make sense in due time, when we reach future chapters.
To Frontiers9: 1) Ruby will become more mature and skilled (yes, including some hand to hand combat), as the story goes on. But other than that I don´t have any real plans for now. I definetly wont go the route of her becoming a broken, despair filled mess.
2) Some other fanfiction authors have made the math and the Sonic characters are older in Forces. For example, Tails is actually 12-13 years old. I mainly go with this direction because I do not like the prospect of most of the modern games just happening over the course of a single year. It makes the Sonic world feel stiff, static and unchangin, everything it´s not supposed to be.
3) Oh I have planned something alright. Just so you wait until we reach the finale.
4) One has to consider that Salems immortality comes from the essence of life, which originates from the God if Light. And since Super Forms where able to counter, neutralise or destroy godly energies/reality bending entities, I imagine that Chaos energy can damage the Essence of Life.
5) I have no idea how long exactly this story will be, but it wont be short. It will end when it is over, I don´t want to drag anything out.
6) The silver eyes would definetly work against Dark Gaia Minions, since they are incredibly similiar to Grimm. Dark Gaia himself, or the End, would be to powerful the be harmed by the silver light. The rest of Sonics evil beings aren´t really death trough darkness incarnated, so no, it wont work on Infinite or other villians. Expect maybe blinding them, since it is a really bright light.
To Monster King: Once again thank you.
To Blue Jack22: Yeah... I kind of did a gamble here. As far as I know, it is unknwon if Eggman actually knows what Gamma did or not. But I imagine that the Doctor wonderd what happened to his E-Series and recovered some footage from the Egg Carrier, which is what happened in this fanfics universe.