Knocked down and half conscious, Cody wearily motioned his hands and took in the mess of grass that mixed in with all the dirt and metal debris that rained in the area after the lair's implosion. In his head, he knew something else was here. There just had to be. But after being forcibly pulled lord knows how many feet up from the Earth and crashing straight to the ground like a slab of meat being prepped for the grill, it was hard to blame him for being reluctant to jump straight into another round of pain and hurt in such quick succession.

Maybe if I keep my eyes closed, it'll go away.

It was a joke, but as he groggily trudged his eyes open, he sincerely hoped whatever was there would just get the hint and leave.

But when he first feasted his eyes to the ghoul, a strange mix of emotions raced in him. Yes, there was fear and terror. But also…

…That was a freaking mecha.

"Holy shit," he jumped straight into standing position while his eyes sparkled in awe over the towering sight. "A mech, an actual mech. Holy crap!"

Mokona had just woken up when he was inundated with Cody's misplaced glee. "Mokona, look, a real life sized mecha!"

"Oh, that thing's totally gonna kill us!"

"But it's so cool!"

"Hey, hey," Loudred slapped the boy's back. "This is exciting and all, but we've got a job to do."

The large Pokemon gestured ahead. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, the experienced heroes that they were, had already charged head first into battle. It was obvious what the rest of them needed to do next.

"Right, got it," Cody nodded a little too enthusiastically before he returned to his feverish fanboyism. "This is so nuts," he breathed. "Maybe if we're careful enough, we can salvage it and make it pilotable. Oh my gosh, I would pilot the shit out of—"

"Will you be serious for once?!"

Here we go again.

They were separated for so long, Cody almost forgot about his unwanted companion. He rolled his eyes, took a deep breath, turned around, and readied himself to perform yet another terrible display of so-called "teamwork".

But with that face in front of him, how could he possibly fight back?

Alakazam was an absolute mess. Red and frazzled from frustration, the Pokemon who usually carried himself in a more haughty and stern poise was now on the verge of tears. For the first time, Cody saw it. He looked exactly what Loudred tried to paint him as.

A scared little kid.

A sudden thought came to him. Sonic and the others were already up ahead, but they were down one very important member.

"Hey," he started carefully. "Where's Amy?"

It was like a switch flipped right in the psychic Pokemon's head. Just one utterance of her name set him off. In a surprising turn of events, he completely ignored any sense of irritance towards the Keyblade Wielder and ran off, intent on venting his anger on the stupid creature his friend's stupid kidnapper unleashed on them.

The remaining trio were at a complete loss of words. All they could do was share a single quick glance between one another before they too charged off into battle.

Al slung countless slews of Psybeams and Psyshocks and whatnot. Anything to vent off all the mental stress he accumulated in just the past couple of minutes. As blast after blast bounced off of the behemoth like insignificant stones, his outburst looked no more than just that; sloppy and chaotic attacks with no rhyme, reason, or results. And it wasn't just his efforts. The entire assault looked just like that. Everyone just charged head on with no real plan of attack.

The mech loomed silently like it was still in the process of learning what retaliation was. This was their early battle handicap because before they knew it, its digital cyclops eye blinked open and a threshold of missiles clanked out from its newly unsheathed launchers that encircled its neck and shoulders. The mech itself remained barely mobile, and yet, it was already doing more than enough damage to bring cause for worry.

As small bouts of explosions blew up throughout the grounds, the majority of the group had no choice but to pull back. All except Sonic of course. He sped off throughout the mess and deftly slid and zoomed past blast zones long before the missiles hit their targets, even boldly leaping and bouncing off of them. He launched him into a spiraling trail around the ghoul's own skyscraper sized body.

Sonic ran along the mech like a twisting corkscrew. Each time he found himself on a new body part, he bounced right into his signature Homing Attacks as he tried to hit as much damage as he could while he had the chance. All the while, the ghoul's eye darted and fidgeted around erratically. The once mostly immobile robot now swung itself wildly as it desperately tried to force this mangy rodent off of it.

Sonic was eventually flung away. Tossed several feet across the field, he forced himself into a screeching skid and stopped neatly besides his familiar group of comrades. With its sole inconvenience now far and away, the mech resumed its crazed missile launching, now much more intense than before.

"Don't suppose you could try that a few more times?" Cody pondered.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Sonic smirked before once again charging forwards.

Unfortunately, things were not quite that simple. The ghoulish cyclops blinked again while it focused on Sonic's trail. During the last round, it would've been impossible for it to even figure out where Sonic was headed in time to detect him. But just as planned, the speedster's pace was impeded just enough from the heightened missile launches for its self defense functions to kick in.

The mech raised its bulky arms into the air before slamming them to the ground. The cascading tidal wave of shifting dirt and rocks forced Sonic to retreat lest he wound up being caught in earthquake crevasses. He made attempts to restart his spurt, but the same pattern kept repeating.

"Mighty confident back there, weren't you?" Knuckles grumbled.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you doing better."

"How are we supposed to even get close enough to touch it?" Cody bit his lips.

Tails peered into the distance towards the bot's head. He had closely examined its movements during Sonic's full on assaults. As intimidating as it was, this mechanical giant's programming was a lot simpler than he thought.

"The eye," he pointed. "It needs to calibrate the area for targets before it decides on what to counter with."

"So we stab it in the back then!" Mokona shouted while he pantomimed a violent pound towards the ground.

"Not exactly," the fox shook his head. "Its head is a dome, so it's likely it can move its eye around in all directions wherever it can sense an approaching enemy. Probably even above it."

"So you're saying we have to strike it at opposite ends then," Cody said.

"Exactly!" Tails motioned to both sides of the mech. "Sonic, Knuckles, and I will hit it at the right. You guys can go to the left."

"How do you expect us to dodge these things though?" Cody glanced uneasily at the raining missile flurry just ahead of them. Even then, they were only a few volumes away from just straight up screaming out their words by how deafening the constant detonations were.

"You're pretty good at dodging," Sonic answered. "You might be able to make it."

Cody blinked. "H-huh?!"

"He's right though," Loudred laughed. "That's the one thing you're good for." Even with all the noise, Loudred's tone and volume felt the same as it ever was.

"I can't get through all this just from dodging. Are you guys insane?! Besides, that's not gonna stop you guys from getting hit. We need a better plan of ac—"

"Oh shut up!" Alakazam shoved the geek's back forwards. "I'll handle things. Mokona, you can do that weird shield thing or something. Just move already!"

Whether he was mentally prepared for the task or not, Al had already forced him into the field of attack. Just like Sonic suggested, he slid past the blasts much easier than he could have ever expected to. Perhaps it was the fear and adrenaline that carried him. More realistically, it was probably Al's assistance. The Pokemon did his best to telekinetically stall the impact of as many missiles as he could, just long enough for the group to pass safely. Mokona acted as a shield buffer as he created a translucent celestial forcefield from out of his red gem whenever the blasts were ready to set off.

It was just as Tails described it. Forced to split its attention between two far off target groups, the dreaded ground slam never came. After much effort, both teams were sided at opposing ends of the mecha and delivered full throttles of attacks towards it in its vulnerable state. It looked as if the battle had been figured out and won. But of course, the Egg Ghoul had one more trick up its sleeve.

Its one giant eye, which shook furiously in place while its systems failed to decide on a target, started to blink like it was on the verge of a breakdown. And during its chaotic episode, the eye split off into two.

The mech bent over and crashed its palms to the patches of ground at both its left and right and clawed around for good measure. The groups were caught off guard and found themselves falling over in scratches, just barely missing even more fatal wounds from the mech's rigorous scraping.

The mech was back up and standing tall. That blow was just enough time for it to resume its previous missile circus. As they escaped, the two teams converged together. They all exchanged the same faces of worry and determination. They couldn't just keep running away like this. They knew they almost had it right there.

"Try more sides this time!" Cody shouted as loudly as he could.

It was worth a shot.

They halted their retreat and turned back as they scrambled around in all different directions. Al and Loudred took the left, Knuckles and Mokona to the right, Tails took to the skies, and lastly, Cody and Sonic stood boldly in the front. Or at least it should have been the two of them.

Sonic felt a glint of light at the corner of his eye. It was an emerald. It appeared all the Chaos Emeralds became scattered around the zone during all the confusion, and Eggman was already on his way to collect the powerful stones with four emeralds already resting neatly in his Eggmobile.

He frowned. He definitely couldn't let this slide.

Sonic made a sharp turn away from the fight and completely ignored Cody's confused cries.

"Where are you going?!" He shouted helplessly.

A loud crank sounded from above which caused the frail fighter to jump. He looked upwards and saw the domed head craned down towards him. Tails threw bombs from above, damaging the monster's surveillance system in the process. Its eyes frantically sped across the surface and struggled to focus itself. It seemed like they had it down this time, but Cody could see right through it. The eyes weren't just glitching. They were morphing. They were attempting to multiply like they had done before.

He gulped before readying his Keyblade and charging forward. If they wanted to win this fight, they would to have to get this done as soon as possible before things got worse.

Meanwhile, right as Eggman was about to snatch another Chaos Emerald, Sonic grappled the front of his Eggmobile with both the one gem and the other three he had yet to search for in hand. The doctor and his vehicle stammered and clattered around in shock.

"You!" Eggman roared.

"Yes me," Sonic replied. His verbal encounters with his arch enemy were usually a lot more tongue and cheek and full of snark, but there was a distinct tinge of irritantance in the hedgehog's tone. "I've gotta admit, after that video message and nabbing all the emeralds from right under my nose, I was already pretty annoyed. But now we've got all this…" he gestured to the Egg Ghoul. "...this nonsense going on and, you know what? How about you just hand the rest of the emeralds over, tell me where Amy is, and we'll just let today go past us. Okay?"

"You think you can get out of this that easily?" Eggman sneered.

He slammed on to his dashboard and allowed the electrical tendrils from before to rise out from beneath his ride and towards his foe. In the end however, it was the furthest possible thing from a wise choice. With Sonic's speed and reflexes, he snaked around the carrier, causing the entire vehicle to shake and fizzle in a frenetic frenzy. Eggman wailed while Sonic did his best to maneuver around the mess to grab the emeralds from the cockpit.

Back at the ghoul fight, things got uncertain. It wasn't just the mecha's eye that fidgeted now; the entire mech jittered sporadically. Its inner systems struggled so hard to track down a target, it was on the very cusp of overheating. The machine was breaking down, yet this was clearly its most dangerous form. The parts were malfunctioning and attempting to attack anything and everything in a last ditch effort to follow its programming. The six of them were giving it their all to take it down, but the mech's sudden swings and twitches were almost as lethal as its missiles and ground poundings from earlier.

The reverberating eyes intensified. At this point, the pupils bounced around randomly across its spherical projector. It was doing its absolute damndest to lock on to anything, but ironically, now that its foes were forced to move and dodge around, it had an even harder time zeroing in on someone. The closest thing to a stationary target wasn't even in its general vicinity. Off in the near distance, the Eggmobile twisted and twirled around in the air, unable to stop its predicament and unable to advance.

That one would have to do.

In a final attempt to reboot its system, the Egg Ghoul shot out a single missile towards the distant target. Eggman was already having trouble controlling his ride from the crazed mechanical tendrils and the hedgehog that forced them into their insanity. But with the added intensity of the missile blast blowing around, it was impossible to keep things afloat. Heck, it was impossible for his precious vehicle to even survive. He crash landed right at the very edge of the large gaping hole that had formed from his lair's demise. His arch nemesis on the other hand wasn't as lucky.

Sonic desperately held on for his dear life. His fingers were already at the brink of slipping. And he knew that a certain mad doctor was going to make the situation even worse for him.

"Well look how the tables have turned!" Eggman grinned.

Sonic frowned. "I don't suppose you're here to help?"

Of course not.

With a simple kick, Sonic was sent falling down into the pits of the Earth.

Eggman turned around towards the battle in triumph. The Egg Ghoul may have gone awol for a second there, but it seemed like it was a well worth sacrifice. Having managed to reset even a semblance of its primary settings, the mech regained its hold against the gang who'd lost their key formation during the chaos of the moment. He grinned. Perhaps it was time to end this once and for all.

"Egg Ghoul!" He shouted with deep intensity. "Get ready to fill everything with darkness NOW!"

The ghoul's eyes blinked rapidly before once again morphing back into one. It slid rigidly to the topmost part of its axis and glowed an ominous plum shade. Small swirls of black haze started to encircle the sky. In no time, those same swirls formed into massive black storm clouds that filled the grasslands with a grim and stormy scene. Eggman couldn't stop shouting delightfully. He was just inches away from victory.

If only he'd realized what seven pieces were now nowhere to be seen.

A brilliant golden streak erupted from out of the makeshift abyss. Sonic was not the only one to have fallen. The Chaos Emeralds had met him at the bottom and the same powers that helped bring the Egg Ghoul to life in the first place were now his as well.

The darkening skies were met with a clash of glowing luster as Sonic immediately flew his way over to the tip of the mech, slamming down on its ominous eye and head.

This was exactly the opening the rest needed. Now preoccupied with Sonic's interference, the rest were left to resume their concentrated attack formation. Loudred and Knuckles took to the left. Tails and Mokona took to the right. And Cody and Alakazam…

The two made a quick glance at one another. There was a strange sense of understanding between them that wasn't been there before. Whatever happened to Al in their short time apart, his whole demeanor was changed. He was no longer a strict and stubborn perfectionist who yelled at any little sign of weakness.

Just a strong and determined kid.

Cody smiled and gave a quick nod. The two charged forward.

The mech quivered and shivered in irregular spasms. While it had returned to its normal programming for just a brief moment, it hadn't received enough recovery time to properly cool down. Now forced back into a compromising position, even more intense than before, the machine was at its very limits.

There was a thunderous click; a dangerous sound that normally followed with explosions. Only this time, it wasn't flames and frying metal that spewed around in the air. It was the very essence of darkness that was used to fuel its body. The black mass fluttered and sauntered around aimlessly in the air as they made their last grasp at the world before fading out all together. The gloomy skies were no more, and the bright shine of the setting sun embraced the now peaceful fields of Green Hills.

All Eggman could do was pound on the ground and cry.

oOo

"Aaaaaaaaamy! Hey Amy!"

Sonic wasted no time to launch into his search party mode. After losing his "Super" form and returning to his normal blue hue, he made a mad dash back into the ruined underground lair and sped around checking and double checking every nook and cranny for any sign of his friend.

He was quickly joined by the rest of the crew who also searched high and low for the spunky pink hedgehog. The sun soon set and their search grew dim. The frantic and panicked search dissipated to a sluggish crawl. It was just Sonic and Al who still rushed around flipping over every metal plate and stone.

Cody, Loudred, and Mokona looked at each other nervously. Sure this wasn't their world and sure they hadn't known her long enough, but they'd already realized how futile this search was and how upsetting it was going to be to break the news to their new friends.

She was dead. Definitely.

Well, they don't know the true answer just yet, so just bear with them for a bit.

Cody tiptoed over to Sonic. The normally lively speedster's efforts weren't as energized as they once were. Perhaps he too had begun to realize the horrific possibility and was slowing down to take it all in.

Cody gave an awkward cough before wobbling his words. "Hey… Sonic…About Amy, I don't think—"

"It looks like I'm gonna have to let you guys finish this job."

Cody blinked. "Huh?"

Sonic turned around. It wasn't a look of sadness or desperation but one of trust and admiration.

"You guys aren't from this world, are you?"

Well, that was unexpected.

"No offense," Tails laughed hesitantly. "But you weren't exactly the best at hiding it."

Well…shit.

"You think she's in a different world now?" Cody asked.

"Well, yeah," Sonic nodded confidently. "I know Amy. She's not the kind of girl who'd go down that easily. But I'm pretty sure this whole cosmic world hopping stuff is more your thing."

"And you trust us enough to find her?"

Sonic cocked his head almost pleadingly. "Well, will you?"

"We'll find her."

An unexpected voice rose from beside him. Cody was so used to Alakazam brushing off any and all inconveniences to their main goal that he jumped over hearing his response. And even more shocking was how tall the Pokemon stood his ground; his eyes burning with the deepest determination and vigor.

Sonic smiled. He marched on over to a nearby pile of rubble and rummaged around carefully before pulling out and tossing over a large weapon; Amy's prized Piko Piko Hammer.

"Give this to her when you see her. She's probably gonna need it. And uh…" His voice lowered and he scratched the back of his ear. "Could you tell her I said sorry?"

"I'll tell her you're going on that date with her when she gets back," Al responded as he clutched the hammer tightly.

Sonic grinned. "Right."

"Hey, guys!"

Everyone turned around. While they had their little chat and epiphany, Knuckles had gone and retrieved the emeralds that followed Sonic down this ravenous hole much earlier.

"I finally managed to find all of the—"

Something weird happened. Like magnets near their medium, the Chaos Emeralds began to rumble excitedly in the echidna's arms before flying out of them entirely. They floated around in the air, formed a perfect circle, and gleamed bright beams of chaotic light into one another. The energy between them grew and grew until they reached their peak and slew a pounding force of mystical energy onto the surface below; the very platform that once held the hellish Egg Ghoul.

It was a mark in the shape of a keyhole.

The three anthropomorphic mammals admired the formation in awe and confusion. The Keyblade Crew on the other hand, while still clueless at the true intent, were already certain of what needed to be done next.

Cody was just about to do his thing when he was interrupted once more by Alakazam's uncharacteristically soft spoken voice. "Hey…

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting this whole time."

I'm sorry; the two words Cody never would have expected to hear from the guy. In the past, he would've taken this moment to gloat and laugh, but now things were a little different. There was no need to swallow up any pride. It was time to start over.

"Hey, it's alright," Cody replied. "I'm sorry that I've been a bit of a—"

"You don't have to do that," Al shook his head. "Let's just keep working and fighting together. Side by side. Okay?"

"...Right."

With a content smile, Cody lifted up his Keyblade and let the world be engulfed in light.

oOo

Amy's body slammed to the floor. The mechanical tendrils had been long replaced with rope and twine, but that didn't mean she was free to run and escape anytime soon.

"Let go of me this instant!" She screeched. "Who are you people? If you don't untie me right now, you're gonna regret it!"

The girl who'd gone to the cruel effort of tossing the prisoner into this new world pinched her own nose furiously. "Oh gross, what the hell is that smell?" Heather scowled over at her partner, Ashley. "Go be useful and throw some water at this disgusting rat."

"Excuse me?" Amy gaped. "What did you call me?! Say that again to my face!"

With a quick flip of Ashley's wand, a zipper magically appeared over the hedgehog's mouth, shutting her up for good. All Amy could do was grunt and struggle helplessly on the ground.

"Hmph," Heather flipped her hair, displeased that the other witch prioritized a different annoyance. "I bet you're used to snorting down garbage like this, huh?"

Maleficent could only shift her eyes away from the vexing bickering that was bound to brew between her two apprentices. She had more important things at hand.

"I suppose he wasn't a complete failure if he managed to grab one of the princesses," she murmured to herself. "But the fact that he fell so pitifully, not even by the sole hands of the Keybearer." She sharpened her eyes as she made her exit. "Obviously, I will have to vet my accomplices much more carefully."

Maleficent faintly strolled through the endless corridors of the castle, as if she were the very apparition who haunted the desolate halls. As she made it to the deepest reaches of the walls, she passed by an eerie row of containers, four of them housing maidens who lay motionless like idle dolls…

…A pink haired ninja girl in magenta red garb…

…A blonde child in an elegantly white witch uniform…

…A pig-tailed kid with a head that felt comically big for her body…

…A girl in pink with a form that resembled both lioness and simian in shape…

…And in a room just beyond this hall was where a gothic teenager in teal and black laid sleeping. A boy her age watched over her still form with an unreadable expression.

There will be more Total Drama elements soon, I swear.