Author's Note: Here's one of the last updates I'm uploading before my break. I know I finished another break a short while ago, but something personal happened recently, so I'm getting used to the changes happening around my house. It's nothing bad, but it's gonna take some getting used to, so I just need a little time. Thank you for understanding.

Sorry this took a while. I was very busy, but now, I'm glad I could get to this before my next break.

The song featured here is "Working Together in Harmony" from the original Sonic Underground show.

After this, the next chapter will be focused on Scarlemagne and Aleena.

Let me know what you think. Any and all comments are welcome.

13 YEARS AGO

After narrowly escaping a three-tailed Deathstalker, Lio carried his baby daughter into the forest where he stopped in front of an abandoned building with an eyeball painted on it and plants overgrown through it. He looked down at his crying daughter who's hand was that of a purple jaguar.

"My life just got saved by a baby." Lio said just as Kipo stopped crying. He allowed her to hold onto his finger with her jaguar paw, but stopped once her claws began to sink into him. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out."

"Lio?"

Lio gasped when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. He turned and saw a certain purple hedgehog woman walking out of the building weakly. The two of them smiled seeing each other.

"Aleena. You're okay."

"It's so good to see you." Aleena said. "Wait. Is that…"

"Yep. Meet Kipo." Lio introduced his daughter to her. She laughed seeing the kind hedgehog woman approach her gently.

"How precious." Aleena said. "Here. I've got someone I'd like you to meet too." She returned to the building and came back out holding a basket. Inside, there were three baby hedgehogs; one blue, one pink, and one green. "This is Sonic, Sonia, and Manic."

"They're beautiful." Lio said. He watched as Kipo and the hedgehogs exchanged laughter. They were already getting along. "What happened, Aleena?"

"I wish I knew." Aleena replied. "My beautiful children were born, and moments later, the entire burrow fell to pieces, literally. I kept my children close safely, even when I saw the Mega-Monkey that rose from what was left."

"You… You saw the Mega-Monkey?" Lio asked with eyes wide open.

Aleena nodded. "I was too weak from giving birth to do much, so all I did was stay close to my sons and daughter until my strength returned. Then, I found this basket, and I've carried them around since then. But enough about me, Lio. I'm just glad you're okay. Us, our children, your wife, and my… Wait." She looked around. "Where are Song and Hugo?"

Lio frowned. "That's… a very complicated question. You see…"

Suddenly, a loud, rumbling sound was heard. And before anyone could react, they were all scooped up by the mouths of giant warthogs.

PRESENT DAY

"I can't believe Scarlemagne smoked Ratland." Benson said looking around the fiery remains of the beloved amusement park for both humans and mutes.

"Aw, man!" Dave shouted. "Now, I'll never get to ride the heart-swallowing, spine-crackling, knee-dislocating teacups!"

"Dave, you were never going to ride that." Manic said.

"Yeah, I was."

"I'm so sorry, Dave." Kipo apologized. "If I could've turned into the Mega-Jaguar, I could've saved Ratland."

"Don't beat yourself up over it." Sonic said.

"He's right, Kipo." Sonia agreed. "You heard your dad. We have to find the Chevre Sisters first before you can go Mega."

"There's nothing you could have done." Wolf said.

Benson knelt down with a can of cheese whiz which he sprayed onto the ground. "This is for you, Ratland. Oh, it's just too much."

Just then, a van appeared suddenly and stopped in front of the gang. The driver's window opened up showing Amy the Rat and the engine opened up revealing Brad.

"Bonjour! And welcome to Vanland!"

"It's a work in progress, but we have one ride. It's this."

"Well, it's better than nothing." Tails said.

"Oh, it's good to see you guys got away." Sonic said.

"Yeah, just barely." Brad said. "Apparently, Scarlemagne does not like mutes mixing with humans."

"Ratland was just a beautiful dream of ours." Amy the Rat sobbed. "All species welcome."

"But it's okay." Brad said. "Because now, our work, our home, and our car are all the same thing."

"Good to see you two make the best of a bad situation." Amy Rose said.

"Can we take you anywhere?" Amy the Rat asked.

"Actually, yes." Kipo said. "We're trying to get to the Chevre Sisterhood. They need to help me control this." She pointed at her jaguar paw.

"Oh. I'm so glad you said something." Brad said. "I noticed, but I didn't want to be rude."

"The Chevre Sisterhood." Amy the Rat said. "Oh, you mean the blind goats. We've only heard of them. They're very mysterious, and they are the students of the even-more-mysterious Oracle of Delphius. We can't take you to them, but we can get you close."

"Works for me." Sonic said using his super speed to get into the van. Everyone else followed while Benson paid the rats with his cheese.

"OH, IT'S OFFICIAL! MY FAVORITE VANLAND RIDE IS VAN: THE RIDE!" Dave shouted as he stuck his head just outside of the passenger door window during the drive. Suddenly, the van stopped and Dave was thrown just out of the van.

The van was parked in the middle of the forest right in front of the eyeball-painted building.

"Here we are. Eyeball Woods." Brad said.

"Remember, you don't find them. They find you." Amy the Rat advised.

"Thank you very much." Sonia said leaving the van with her friends. Once they were all out, the rats drove the van out of the woods and out of sight.

"So what do we do now?" Tails asked. "Just sit here and wait?"

"Not sure if you noticed, but I'm not a 'waiting' kind of guy." Sonic said.

"I'm sure the Chevre Sisters will find us in no time." Kipo said.

All of a sudden, two large mouths picked everyone up. They belonged to giant warthogs who caught everyone by surprise and carrying them in their mouths. The only one left was Mandu, who took Wolf's Deathstalker stick and chased after the pigs.

The pigs carried everyone in their mouths until they both stopped walking. They dropped everyone letting them be covered by purple saliva while laying on the ground.

"AH! GROSS, GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!" Sonia panicked wiping the saliva off of her.

"Calm down, sis." Manic said. "We knew we'd have to do some dirty jobs when we started this."

"Nobody said anything about having to swim in PIG SPIT!"

"Wait. Look." Sonic said pointing ahead.

Everyone turned to see three goat ladies in robes standing over a vat of hot cheese. They looked as though they were in a trance repeating the same chant over and over again.

"Feta, gouda, chevre, fromage. Feta, gouda, chevre, fromage. Feta, gouda, chevre, fromage."

Everyone kept watching until the medium-sized goat walked over to Kipo. She got close to her face before touching it with her cheese-covered hoof.

"The cheese tells me we have a visitor!"

"The cheese told all of us that, Florabel." The oldest goat said. "It doesn't have a special relationship with you."

"We all heard it. The cheese is being pretty loud today." The short one said touching everyone's faces and leaving cheese on them. "And it's screaming that she brought friends!"

"The cheese is so wise." Dave gasped happily.

"No way." Wolf said keeping the shortest goat from touching her. "Rule number 93 of the surface: don't trust anyone who talks to cheese."

"Does that rule come from personal experience?" Sonic asked. "If so, I really want to know more about your adventures."

"Well, you may not trust them, but I do trust my dad." Kipo said. "He and Aleena sent us here for a reason."

"Did we have to get sent here by pig mouth?" Sonia asked.

"Forgive us for Bornak and Webber," the medium goat said, "But travel by pig mouth is the only way to keep our location a secret."

"There are literally hundreds of other ways." Tails said.

"I think it's time to get introductions out of the way." The oldest goat said. "I'm Ida. These here are my sisters, Florabel and Bev."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kipo. This is Sonic, Sonia, Manic, Wolf, Mandu, Benson, Dave, Tails, and Amy. And we're here because you three can train us."

"Train you?" Ida asked.

"Train for what?" Florabel asked.

"There's a train?" Bev asked.

"Oh. I thought you knew. Or that the cheese would know? Doesn't matter. I'm here because my dad, well, both my parents actually, made part mute. Part Mega-Mute. Well, part Mega-Jaguar, actually. Let me start at the beginning."

"It's gonna take a while." Sonic said.

Once Kipo was done explaining the whole situation with the Chevre Sisters, everyone was left in silence.

"Oh, young lady," Florabel said, "That sounds like a lot of responsibility. Are you ready?"

"To learn how to do all that?" Kipo asked. "Yes!"

"And we're all set to help her." Sonic said.

"It's supposed to be a dangerous transformation." Manic said. "Can you help with that?"

"Of course." Ida said. "But first…"

"Cheese!" Bev bleated.

"We make cheese!" Florabel cheered.

"We're gonna make cheese?" Dave asked excitedly.

"We're gonna make cheese!" Bev repeated.

"What?" Kipo asked.

"Didn't you hear Kipo?" Wolf asked. "People are counting on her, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic. She needs help now. We don't have time for cheese!"

"It's okay, Wolf." Kipo said. "It is a little bit weird…"

"It's very weird." Sonia pointed out.

"But if I have to make cheese to start training, I'll do it." Kipo said.

"And if I have to eat that cheese, I'll do it." Dave said.

"Well, if we have to." Sonic said. "So where do we start?"

"We just need Kipo, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic with us." Florabel said. "The rest of you have to wait outside."

"Why?" Tails asked.

"This is a journey they must go on alone." Ida said.

"To make cheese?" Amy asked.

"Sacred wisdom." Ida said. She and her sisters guided Kipo and the hedgehog siblings into their hut. The others tried to follow, but they were all blocked by the two giant warthogs.

Inside the hut, Kipo and the hedgehogs looked around the intense-looking kitchen.

"Wow. It's cheese-making heaven in here." Kipo said. Bev reached up a nearby shelf and grabbed two cans of herbs which she then gave to Kipo. "What are these for?

"You just put the herbs in." Florabel said guiding Kipo to the cheese pot. "You must evenly distribute them while the curd cooks. Just a pinch at a time. Herbs in, herbs out. Herbs in, herbs out."

"Oh, that's it? That's all I have to do?" Kipo asked.

"We'll do the rest." Bev said. "It's easy, dear."

"And what about us?" Sonic asked. "What can we do?"

"Oh, that's easy too." Ida said. "Just activate your magic talismans, whip out your instruments, and play some music."

"That's it? We just have to play music?" Manic asked.

"Yep. And don't stop playing, no matter what." Bev said.

"But don't start singing just yet." Florabel said. "We want to be able to understand each other without mixing up our words."

"Um… Okay." Sonia said. She and her brothers held up their pendants and summoned their respective instruments. "So what kind of music do you girls want to hear?"

"Just play whatever music feels appropriate." Bev said.

The hedgehogs looked at each other and shrugged before deciding to go along with it. They played jungle music that began to pick up once the goats walked around quickly. The Chevre Sisters rushed to add in ingredients to the cheese while bumping into Kipo. They kept reminding her to keep on going adding the herbs as she was instructed.

"Herbs in, herbs out."

Just then, one of the goats dropped a jar on Kipo's head making her drop one of the herb cans into the cheese curd. She reached down to grab it, but it was so hot, she had to pull her hand back out. That's when she noticed the jaguar fur over her arm. They then passed ghost peppers to each other accidently hitting Kipo in the eyes. When she opened them, the revealed purple jaguar eyes.

"Whoa, hold on." Sonic said starting to stop playing his guitar. "Kipo's in…"

"She's fine. Just keep on playing." Florabel said. "No matter what."

Though the hedgehogs were still unsure, they kept going while the Chevre Sisters continued to cause accidents around Kipo. They blew the fire to make it burn bigger causing her jaguar arms to grow. Kipo almost slipped on water, but then, a jaguar tail sprouted from her back.

"Ooh. The milk is curdling." Bev said walking to pick up a plate full of knives. "Time to cut the curd." She quickly spun around so hard, the knives flew out of her plate and toward Kipo. Suddenly, jaguar ears took place of her human ones allowing her to be more aware of the knives and helping her dodge them in time.

After a while, the Chevre Sisters stopped. Ida then turned to Sonic, Sonia, and Manic happily. "I'm so proud you three are able to follow instructions. You can stop now."

"Oh, good." Sonic said stopping his music with his brother and sister. "Because… WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU GIRLS THINKING?!" He rushed over to Kipo showing half of her body being changed into a purple feline's. "You may not have noticed this, but Kipo is half-jaguar now!"

"What?!" Wolf asked. She and the others ran into the kitchen after finally getting past the pigs. "What did you do to our friend?!"

"Is something wrong, dear?" Florabel asked Kipo.

"YES!"

Everyone regrouped just outside of the hut. All eyes turned to Kipo who strained at the sight of her jaguar parts.

"I still don't get how or why all this happens." Kipo said. "And if I can't figure that out, I can't become a Mega-Jaguar and help everyone who's counting on me!"

"Yeah. What's the big deal?" Sonic asked. "We came here for help, but instead you made us play music while Kipo turned into a half-jaguar."

"Also, she smells like cheese." Manic said.

"Good." Florabel smiled.

"That's what we were going for." Ida said.

"Including the smell." Bev said.

"WHAT?!" Kipo asked loudly.

"Sorry to put you through all that," Florabel said, "But we needed you to see that the jaguar is always there to protect you."

"That's why I threw knives at you." Bev said.

"So wait. You mean you did all that to Kipo on purpose?" Sonia asked. "How do you even know how the jaguar would react?"

"You're ready to hear the tale." Florabel said. "Kipo's father and the hedgehog's mother were on the run looking for shelter. They had to abandoned the burrow where you were all born. They wandered into our forest and we welcomed them in. We had questions, of course, but they all seemed to be answered by our teacher, the Oracle of Delphius. They asked us for guidance, so the Oracle had us make cheese."

"Is that your solution to everything?" Benson asked.

"The Oracle tells us that our family has the unique ability of tyromancy, divination by cheese." Ida said. "That's why he took us in and began teaching us about our gifts. And helping Lio and Aleena make cheese for their children was the perfect way for us to practice our craft. That very night…"

After some time cheesemaking, Kipo's jaguar arm reverted back to human. Lio smiled at that.

"It went away!"

"Yes, because she feels safe." The Oracle of Delphius said approaching him and Aleena.

"Do you have an answer for my children too?" Aleena asked. "Sonic seems to run faster than anything else I have ever seen. And when they were all born, these strange pendants showed up from their chests in the shape of musical instruments."

"Hmm. It may have to do with how they were born." The Oracle said. "Tell me, was there anything special about the babies' birth? It could explain how they were all able to be born at the same time."

Lio and Aleena looked at each other before the former replied. "There was… something special."

"I see then." The Oracle said. "Sisters, I need the cauldron."

The Chevre Sisters moved all the cheese supplies away leaving a bubbling cauldron. The Oracle threw a handful of spices in resulting in a smoke that entered his anteater snout. His eyes began to glow and he gasped in horror.

"Oh, no! I don't believe it!"

"What? What's wrong?" Ida asked.

"It's… It's monstrous." The Oracle said. "I see, horrible futures. Disastrous. Apocalyptic. They're passing through my eyes by the hundreds."

"What?" Lio gasped sharing worried looks with Aleena. "How?"

"It's unclear, but one thing is for certain. There is one future where our world is at peace."

"How?" Aleena asked.

"It all depends on the children. Whatever you did seems to have given them a touch of destiny that they all share. And now, they are the deciding factor to either save the world or destroy it. Not now, but years in the future, the children will reunite and they must bring peace between humans and mutes. It's the only way to lead to that peaceful future."

"That's a lot of pressure." Lio said.

"Wait. What do you mean 'reunite'?" Aleena asked.

"They cannot stay together. Not yet." The Oracle answered. "If any one of these kids meet up with another before it's time, then they will be vulnerable to evil forces who will wish to manipulate the prophecy into whatever they desire."

"All the children?" Aleena asked looking sadly at her sons and daughter. "But… that means…"

"I'm sorry, Aleena." The Oracle said sullenly. "It's the only way. Separate the kids. I'll even decide the right places where you have to leave them. Take solace in knowing that they'll at least be raised happily."

A tear escaped Aleena's eye as she gave her kids each a kiss. "All right. I have to give them their best chance, so I'll do it."

"What about me and Kipo?" Lio asked. "Do we have to separate too?"

"No. Already, your daughter identifies you as her father, and without your care, she will become a jaguar no matter where she goes. And you can't keep her above-ground either. If she stays up here, the jaguar will be the dominant side. If you want her human side to remain in control, you need to foster that yourself. In a burrow."

"We can't go back to our burrow." Lio frowned.

"There are other burrows." The Oracle said. "Find the one marked with the clover. That's where she must stay until the time is right."

"How will I know when the time is right." Lio asked.

"Trust me, you'll know. And when she has to become a jaguar and she reunites with the hedgehog children, send them back this way. My students will take over from there."

"Us, sir?" Florabel asked.

"I cannot remain. I need to go and investigate my visions. And I fear I will not be here when the children return. Don't worry. You'll have years to practice your craft. By the time they get here, you will have everything that they need."

Ida smiled. "Thank you, master. We will make you proud."

"You already do." The Oracle said before turning to his visitors. "Good luck. And may the forces of Chaos guide you to the Age of Wonderbeasts."

"The Age of Wonderbeasts?" Sonic asked.

"That's what the Oracle called the good future." Florabel said. "The one you all have to guide the world toward."

"So that's why we were separated." Sonia said. "It was our best chance."

Kipo smiled softly before noticing that her left arm was slowly transitioning back to a human arm. She gasped excitedly. "It's going away! But why won't it go all the way?"

"Breathe deep." Ida instructed. "Now, think about being safe with your father and do the 'herbs out' motion."

Kipo closed her eyes and remembered all the happy moments she shared with Lio. Making constellations out of little lights in their home. Laughing around the crystal caves. Playing music. Feeling nothing but happiness, Kipo pulled her arms in. "Herbs out." Suddenly, all of her jaguar parts retreated back into her body and she was back to her full human self. "It worked!"

"How did it work?" Tails asked in astonishment.

"The gesture helps you ground and focus you." Florabel said.

"Try again." Ida said. "When you do 'herbs in' think about needing that jaguar. When you do 'herbs out', remember how it felt to be safe with your dad."

Kipo closed her eyes remembering the knifes thrown at her and the fire that almost burned her. "Herbs in." She released her jaguar arms. She then thought back to her moments with her dad again. "Herbs out." She reeled in her jaguar parts once more.

"Kipo, you did it!" Wolf cheered.

"Wait. Then what's with the music being played?" Sonia asked.

"The four of you are connected by a force that none of you can fully understand." Florabel said. "You think it's just a coincidence that you all happened to be born at the exact same time or that the prophecy seems to revolve around you? The Chaos Force affects you all in different ways such as Sonic's super speed or Kipo's ability to turn into a Mega-Jaguar. But the one thing that connects you all is the music that play in all your hearts."

Kipo gasped. "That's right. The dream I had before all this started. We were all playing the same song."

"When the music between you plays, it helps all of you work in total harmony." Ida said. "And you will need harmony to save the humans and guarantee the Age of Wonderbeasts."

"That's a mind-blow." Sonic said. "You know, I feel kinda musical right now. Is now the right time to play a full song?"

"Sure." Bev said. "We don't see why not."

"What do you say, pals?" Sonic asked his friends.

"On it." Kipo said.

"Count us in." Sonia said.

With everyone in agreement, the hedgehogs conjured up their musical instruments and started playing. They began the song with harmonious chorus sound.

Kipo Underground:

Oooooooooh. Ooooooooooh

Sonic:

When there's a job to do

You've got to pull together as a team

Kipo Underground:

Ooooooooooh

Kipo:

When to fight. When to wait

Everyone must communicate

Kipo Underground:

Oooooooooh

Kipo Underground:

Working together (together)

That's how it should be

Working together (together)

Just you and me

Working together

Whooooaaaa

In harmonyyyyyyy

Whoa

Bababa

Babababababa

Bababa

Babababababa

Working together

Whooooaaaa

In harmonyyyyyyyy

Whoa

If we'd all work together, everyone

In harmonyyyyyyyy

Whoa

Sweet harmony

Harmonyyyyyyyyyy

The song ended with an applause given by the Chevre Sisters.

"Beautiful." Bev said. "I especially liked the scatting. It was catchy."

"Does this mean I'm ready to become the Mega-Jaguar and save my people?" Kipo asked.

"Let's consult the cheese, shall we?" Ida suggested.

"Feta, gouda, chevre, fromage. Feta, gouda, chevre, fromage."

Kipo Underground gathered back in the kitchen watching the Chevre Sisters chanting over the pot of cheese they were dipping their hooves in. As soon as their eyes glowed blue, they each spoke.

"If you wish to save your people and your parents, you must indeed become the Mega-Jaguar."

"But the beast within you is strong. Too strong. If you become the Mega, you will lose yourself to it."

"What?" Kipo asked. "But what about herbs in, herbs out?"

"And all that talk about us harmonizing with Kipo?" Manic asked.

"It isn't enough. Once you become a Mega, you will lose sight of everything that makes you human."

"But your path is not set in stone. You can prevent this future. Together, you must find something tangible that binds you to who you are at your core."

"A core that's on the outside. An anchor."

"An anchor will guide you out of the beast."

"The cheese has spoken."

The three broke out of their trance and returned to the kids.

"But who am I at my core?" Kipo asked. "I used to be Kipo, happy-go-lucky girl from the Clover Burrow. But I'm not even from the Clover Burrow. If I don't know where I'm from, how am I supposed to know who I am?"

"Then start at the beginning." Bev suggested. "Oh, that sounded smart. Did I say that?"

"That's right." Sonic realized. "Kipo, Sonia, Manic, and myself. We were all born in the same burrow. It's where our parents are from. That must be where we need to go."

"That's actually good thinking, Sonic." Sonia said. "Why did Lio and our mother leave their burrow in the first place?"

"They didn't tell us." Ida said.

"Well, do you know where it is?" Kipo asked.

Florabel dipped her hooves back in the cheese and her eyes started to glow blue again. "The cheese can't make out where it is exactly, but it tells us of one individual. One man who knows where it is. But be warned. If you go looking for this man, you'll be risking so much."

"We have to take that risk." Sonic said. "Who do we have to look for?"

"They call him… Eggman." Florabel answered before removing her hooves.

"Eggman?" Wolf asked. "That's a strange name."

"This coming from a girl called Wolf." Sonic replied.

"Hey. I didn't pick that name."

"Then we have our objective." Kipo said. "We find this Eggman guy, he'll lead us to our parents' burrow, we'll find that anchor, and we'll rescue our people. Simple enough."

Dave scooped handfuls of cheese from the pot and fed himself with them. He stopped when a thought entered his head.

"Wait. Where did you guys get the milk?"