SONIC RESURGENCE

by DarkShadowGames451

AU! Elements of the games, SatAM, Underground, OVA, and the Sonic X Anime apply into one separate universe. The villainous Dr. J. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik has teamed up with a powerful sorcerer that plans to take over the world of Mobius. Sonic must team up with a group of Freedom Fighters under the command of a royal princess straight from Sonic's mysterious past.

9. Chapter 8

Review Responses:

To Boss Teal: That's the idea. Chemistry is fun when there are two people who work well with each other.

To Void Reader: Antoine being injured during training with his father was a way to limit how many characters could appear in a chapter. Yes, Solaris' separation is in fact different in this story.

That's all for now, on with the show.

---

Sand Blast City, Great Desert, Acornia

"...They are the local militia that my father was talking about. They are the Desert Raiders." Sally stated impassively.

Sonic and his friends looked at each other, not knowing who the team was even with the name that Sally gave.

"...Desert…Raiders?" Amy echoed.

"You got that right, little lady." Spike said, giving Amy a flirtatious wink before turning to Sally. "We're a Freedom Fighter group like the ones from Knothole. One of the best in Acornia."

Spike walked up to Sally and Bunnie with his usual swagger as he said, "Speaking of ladies, how are you two doing? It's been a while since we've met up like this. Did ya miss me, Sarah?"

Sally saw the way that Spike placed his hand on her shoulder and glanced at the smug porcupine. Such an act had internally forced her to refrain from slapping him across the Desert Raider's face, so Sally simply shifted her shoulder to avoid the teen's touch. This action did not go unnoticed by Bunnie, Amy, the rest of the Desert Raiders, and surprisingly, Sonic himself.

"Just fine," Sally said evenly, setting her own personal feelings aside. "And as I told you before, Spencer, it's Sally."

Spike flinched mockingly, feigning heartbreak while keeping up the same energy.

"Ouch! You wound me with your cold words! But come on, you have to admit that there's still a soft spot for ol' Spikey deep down." The porcupine teased, much to the irritation of Sally.

Sally simply rolled her eyes, not paying him any attention.

Bunnie then took over the conversation to decrease any tension, saying, "Nevur mind Sally-Girl, Spike. Whut is yawl doin' ovur in Acornia territory? Ah thought yawl went back tuh Shamar."

Sonar then stepped forward to them while speaking softly, "Um, well, Miss Bunnie, we c-came back here because o-of a distress call we've received from Lord Lightfoot. We were a-able to intercept the c-call since we were nearby."

Bunnie nodded, saying, "Okay. It's good tuh say you, Sophie— Ah mean, Sonar."

Sonar simply smiled, but none seemed to have noticed the undertone of anxiety and guilt that were present on her face. Tremor remained silent but nodded to the two original Freedom Fighters members. Spike, noticing how close Sally was to Sonic, turned to the azure hedgehog with a bit of a so-called "macho" antagonistic aura surrounding him. Sonar glanced at Spike with a worried expression, but then grew shocked at the realization of whose presence they were in.

"I haven't seen you around my turf before. What are you supposed to be, anyway?" Spike said with pride etched in his voice, initially unaware of who he was speaking to.

Sonic grinned while he pointed to himself using his right hand's thumb, saying "Heh! Whatcha see is whatcha get! Just a guy that loves adventure!"

While Sally and Bunnie shook their heads as they pondered how oblivious Spike could get, Sonar gasped as her timid personality shifted into that of an excited tween.

"Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh! Spike! Don't you guys recognize who they are?" She said excitedly as she went over to Spike's side. "That's Sonic and Tails ! They saved Station Square a few years back, remember?"

Spike and Tremor, looking at Sonar, then to Sonic and his friends, staggered a bit before composing themselves in a humble manner.

"Oh ho ho, snap! No way!" Spike said, letting his inner fanboy out as he pointed to Sonic.

"Yeah, way." Sonic smirked casually, extending his hand forward. "What's up?"

Spike quickly took his hand, seemingly honored to shake his hand, saying, "Dude, you have no idea what this means to us. You're like our inspiration."

Tails had also gotten a handshake from both Sonar and Tremor, but couldn't help but to ask, "Really? How so, if I may ask?"

Tremor, making himself known, said, "...All of us Raiders came from broken homes in Shamar, so we ran away together as our own family. At the time, attacks from foreign forces were prevalent. As children, we used to listen to songs about Sonic's feats and adventures. We felt inspired, as somebody our age was doing something to make a difference. Your fight against that crazy scientist gave us hope and the drive to be heroes like Sonic. So, we formed our own team and became Freedom Fighters, much like the ones like Knothole."

Amy formed stars in her eyes, saying, "Wow! That sounds like an amazing story."

She then turned to Spike and said, "Thank you for saving me, Spike."

Spike winked at Amy, saying, "Anytime! it's all in a hero's work, after all."

Amy blushed, not out of interest in Spike, but rather the kind of attention she had gotten out of the porcupine, unlike the kind she would get out of Sonic. Sally scoffed inwardly in disgust alongside Bunnie while Sonic glanced at Spike flatly. The group set their sights on Knuckles, who cleared his throat loud enough for everybody to hear.

"I hate to dampen everybody's festive mood but we shouldn't forget why we're here." Knuckles stated evenly.

"Oh yeah," Sonic remembered, turning to the Freedom Fighters and his friends. "On our way here, Knux detected one of the shards here."

"Really? That's great news!" Tails said. "Where is it from our current position?"

Closing his eyes Knuckles concentrated on the pulse of energy from the shard. He turned southeast and opened his eyes.

"This way," Knuckles pointed.

Tails pulled out the Miles Electric while turning on the locator designed around the Chaos Emeralds.

"Oh wow! According to my locator, our first Emerald is around twelve miles from the city." The twelve-year-old fox said.

The word Emerald caused the Desert Raiders to pause themselves before each one of the Raiders giving each other various expressions.

Spike's face formed a rare expression of seriousness, Tremor tilted his head to show his small red eyes in a greedy manner, but Sonar's worried and ridden exterior told them, no, pleaded them not to go through with the thought.

Needless to say, the fennec's pleading expression was blatantly ignored.

"Say, are you guys looking for something?" Spike asked with an seemingly innocent and interested undertone.

Sonic was about to respond, only to be cut off by Sally.

"We're looking for a mystical relic. Similar to that of the Deep Power Stones. Our coordinates traced it back here somewhere." Sally explained in a rather semi vague manner as she took out NICOLE again. "And according to Tails and NICOLE's readings, it is twelve miles southeast of Sand Blast."

"That's around the Sand Blast Oil Refinery." Tremor answered. "You would need special authorization to access the refinery."

Bunnie then suggested, "Why don't way go an' ask Lord Lahtfoot? Maeybe thuh Baron could allow us temporary access."

Spike held out a hand, saying, "There's no need, Buns. It just so happens that we have honorary personnel badges that allow us to get inside, no sweat."

"That's perfect! You guys should come along with us! With extra eyes and sets of hands, finding the Chaos Emerald should be a whole lot easier!" Amy said excitedly.

Sonic's friends got excited while the blue hedgehog gave Spike a thumbs up for his resourcefulness. Bunnie and Sally remained impassive, but if one were to look close, one could see Sally's mood continue to sour.

"That's a great plan," Knuckles said. "Except that even with the X-Tornado, all of us are not going to be able to fit. How are we going to get there with this problem?"

Spike responded by asking them with a coy grin, "...So tell me, when was the last time you were in a set of wheels?"

Sonic, his friends, and the Freedom Fighters all looked at each other, which only made the porcupine's smirk grow even larger.

The Great Desert, Fifteen Minutes Later

From a distance, a red SUV came driving on the road through the Great Desert. The vehicle was akin to an old Jeep Wrangler. Driving the car was Spike, with Knuckles sitting in the middle and Tremor in the far right of the passenger side, followed by Tails, Bunnie, and Amy sitting in the middle row, and Sonic sitting next to Sally in the back. The heat would have been a problem for our heroes, but fortunately, the air conditioner function still worked, providing comfort during the drive.

During the drive, the Desert Raiders decided to have a conversation with Team Sonic and Amy with Sally and Bunnie remaining quiet for the most part.

"So, Big Blue," Spike said. "Tell us, what do you think about our sweet ride?"

Sonic nodded, saying, "It's pretty cool. This looks pretty vintage, though."

"Yes, sir! The De-Buggie is a few of her kind." Sighed Spike. "Tremor and I found her beat up in a junkyard over in Old Megapolis. We were working on her for a few months ever since. It took a while, given the kind of old tech we were dealing with,"

"She's our pride and joy." Said Tremor.

'That's quite impressive for the both of you to be able to uncover and restore a vehicle this old." Tails complimented. "Especially one that predates Mobians."

"Oh? You know what this is, little man?" Tremor asked.

"A super old sports utility vehicle. And judging from the model, it seems to be a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Though, I cannot for the life of me find the name of the distributor because of how old it is." Tails answered casually.

"Ah, so you're a gear head too." Spike figured. "It's nice to see another fellow engineer other than us two. I can see why Sonic hangs around with you. I wouldn't blame him."

Amy added her two cents, stating, "Tails has always been the tinkerer of our friend group. There's nobody who can outmatch him when it comes to inventing."

"D-Does your adversary m-make robots too?" Sonar questioned softly. "Wouldn't he automatically have an edge?

Although most people wouldn't be able to hear her, Tails did and said, "Actually, yes. Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman does have his advantages, given his mysterious revenue and resources to create bigger and numerous machines, my technology's quality counters his machines. He may have experience, but my ingenuity outclasses his experience."

"R-Really?" Sonar asked, interested in Tails' self-analysis. "C-Can you tell us about some of y-your inventions?"

Smiling, Tails answered, "Okay. There was this time when we thought Sonic was sent to his death in space. This was around the time when the ARK was going to fall. Eggman and I had our final bout. At this time, I was using a blue plane called-"

"-The Tornado 2," Sonar answered with a bit of enthusiasm. "That was said to be the first vehicle you've built from scratch and is the most frequent of vehicles you've piloted. It has a wingspan of 5.7m, a length of 3.7m, and a height: 2.1m! It has a 25mm machine gun attached to it, and its maximum speed is currently unknown! However, The Tornado 2 was said to be faster than any biplane created in recent history. And-"

She paused a bit when Tails glanced at her weirdly. Not that he was creeped out, but rather how astounded he was that the fennec knew about the plane he built. Tails wasn't the only one, though. Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles were curiously staring at her, which caused her to blush red all around her muzzle out of embarrassment.

"Hehehe… Sorry, I-I did it again!" Squeaked the fennec as she covered her face.

Spike couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly before saying, "Aw, geez! Guys, don't mind Sonar. She's not exactly a full-on social butterfly. She tends to ramble and mutter whenever she's either excited or interested in something before turning into a fully ripe tomato."

"S-Spike!" Whined the fennec.

Sonic waved off the comment saying, "Hey, I get it. When Tails was still followin' me, he used to be shy about every little thing. Shoot, I ain't so sure if he has gotten over his fear of light-"

"Sonic, stop!" Tails said loudly in a similar vein.

This got a laugh out of everyone, even Sally despite her mood. Both foxes recovered from their equally shared embarrassment with Tails continuing the story.

"Long story short, I used a feature that can transform the Tornado 2 into a mech formation called the-"

"-Cyclone," Sonar said out of habit before quietly apologizing.

"Right, and I used you know, that, and essentially took down Eggman on the Ark, on his turf, with nothing but my mech and my wits." Tails finished.

"Wow…" The fennec marveled. "Weren't you scared at all?"

Tails shook his head, saying, "Not at the time. By that point, the only thing that was on my mind was taking down the doctor. So I did."

Blinking for a moment in silence, Tremor said, "...Dang, kid. That's hardcore."

Amy then said, "Let's move on from this topic. I don't want to be reminded of that memory."

"Same here." Sonic said, "Don't know about y'all, but I ain't particularly thrilled to look back on how I was shot into space in a capsule to my near imminent doom."

Both Bunnie and Sally had to freeze their own thoughts to process Sonic's last comment. Sally in particular, found herself in the middle of her stomach forming a pit of dread at the thought of her friend being thrown into the vacuum of space on a one-way course to death.

'What kind of trouble could he have gotten himself into in the past twelve years!?' Sally shouted mentally as he held her head suppressing the urge to groan.

Tremor, looking at Knuckles, who also was quiet for a while, turned to the echidna to engage in a different conversation.

"Hey, tough guy. I haven't seen your face with these guys before. Who are you, what's your story?" Tremor questioned.

Knuckles answered without making eye contact, "...There's not much to say about me. I'm simply upholding my duty."

"Your duty?" Spike jumped in. "What, do you work for a guard or an officer?"

"...I'm a guardian of sorts. That's all you need to know." Knuckles stated neutrally, ending that conversation on his part.

"Hmph. Aren't you the life of parties?" Muttered the porcupine.

"Oh, don't mind him. Knuckles doesn't exactly socialize with a whole lot of people." Amy said to Spike. "There's not a whole lot of opportunities for him to do so either. He can get a bit skeptical towards those he doesn't know well."

Tails added, "But he's a part of our team. To put it in a way that you can understand, his role is much like Tremor."

"So Mister Knuckles' attribute is toward s-strength and power?" Asked Sonar.

"That's right," Sonic said. "In my opinion, Knux here is second to none when it comes to strength. To me, he's gotta be one of, if not, the strongest thing walkin'."

Knuckles rolled his eyes before saying, "How about we shift the focus away from me. Tell us more about Sand Blast City."

From there, the Desert Raiders took turns explaining the history of the city. Team Sonic (plus Amy) that Sand Blast City was originally a small settlement of survivors of the coup held in Old Mobotropolis. From there it became a safe haven where victims of the raids could go and stay. After hearing the brave endeavors of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, the Great Desert Colony and Knothole eventually came into contact with one another and began an alliance that grew into a large network with other parts of the Mobian Alliance. Following the example of Knothole, the Great Desert Colony formed their own militia known as the Sand Blasters in order to fend off the Ixis Warlock's army. And during the Day of Reckoning, which was when Naugus was pressured into hiding, the Sand Blasters (led by Great War veteran Jack Rabbit) were tragically killed on the day with his comrades. During the restoration of Acornia, the king's funding aided the colony in the construction of a new metropolis. And in honor of the brave soldiers who gave their life for a noble cause, it was named Sand Blast City.

While the others were busy absorbing the information, Sonic couldn't help but notice Sally's shift in mood and attitude. The Mobian chipmunk had her arms crossed, and though she wasn't peeved, the way that she was glancing toward the window with a slightly disgruntled expression signified that she did not want to be there. And the azure hedgehog recognized it.

Sonic would have spoken to her if it weren't for Spike asking him a question.

"Well, that's enough history lessons for today. Say, Blue, I've gotta ask this because we're dying to know. What's the secret to your speed? Are you born with it, or is it the shoes that make you go fast?" Spike questioned.

"Eh, it's a genetic thing. Always had it, ya know?" Sonic explained with a shrug. "Why don't you answer me this, Spike. How are you faster than the average Mobian?"

Grinning, Spike answered cryptically, "Let's just say that I know how to pick my footwear."

Sonic nodded before Amy joined back in the conversation.

"Oh, I got one too! Spike, how did your team and the Freedom Fighters know each other?" Asked the pink hedgehog. "You guys seem to know each other more than professionally."

Sally's mood only dampened further, dreading the answer Spike was going to provide. Fortunately for Sally, Spike gave a short answer without many details

The porcupine explained, "Ah… That. See, we've met the Knothole Freedom Fighters a few years back before the Day of Reckoning. We were assigned by our home town's government to aid them in combat during an attack there. After a few more times of running it to each other in different parts of the Mobian Alliance, our times found the time to get to know each other better and work together. We ended up hitting it off as close allies in the end."

Of course, the azure hedgehog knew that there was more to the story. He could tell given how the porcupine used his diction and the way Sally acted whenever he was around. Amy too sensed this tension, drawing her own conclusion to what was going on.

'...They totally had to have dated at some point. There's no way Spike would act so casually personal and flirty with Missy while she obviously doesn't take too kindly to his advances.' Amy thought skepically, glancing her eyes at the mirror that showed Sonic and Sally sitting.

Tremor, not being the one for awkward tension, decided to make his move to relieve said tension.

"Why don't I lighten up the mood? We installed a state-of-the-art stereo a week ago." Tremor stated as he began to turned the knob, shifting to different radio stations with different music. "Any requests?"

Before anybody reacted, Sonar and Amy both jumped up and said, "Ooo! Can we listen to Breezie and the Songbirds?"

The teal fennec and pink hedgehog turned to each other, asking at the same time, "Wait, you like Breezie? I like Breezie too!"

"Breezie and the Songbirds are my favorite group ever! I love their single, Can you feel the sunshine. I could listen to that for days!" Sonar admired, while Amy giggled.

"That's a great one, I'll admit. I have that one at home as a record. But my favorite will always be Sweet Dreams! Oh, it so romantic!" Amy swooned, collapsing her hands while sighing in delight.

While the others couldn't make out the two girls' common interest, Sonic paused when the words "Breezie" and "Sweet Dreams" flew out of Amy's mouth casually. His mind twisted and turned, allowing darker thoughts to invade his heart, allowing bitterness and anger that was deep inside of the hedgehog to slowly surface in the form of a colder expression.

And much like himself, Sally observed this change of attitude just as quickly.

'...Huh? What's the matter with him, now? I haven't seen this side of him at all. He's so…cold. It's like Sir Jules is back from the dead.' Worried the princess of Acornia.

"Hey, Big Guy, would you play Sweet Drea-" Amy was about to ask only for Sonic to interrupt.

"...Yeah, how about no?" Sonic said in a cynical voice. "Like, no offense girls, but I'd rather not listen to sappy mush today. You can listen to anything from that group. Anything. But not that song. Not while I'm around. Okay? Okay."

As the vehicle stopped, everybody turned to Sonic, who wondered what was going on. The others were taken by surprise by his sudden change of attitude. Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Sally were the most concerned, finding his sudden negativity unnerving and startling.

Sonic, not liking the scenario, asked, "Huh? Hey, now! Whatcha stoppin' the ride and lookin' at me for?"

"...Dude," Spike asked, dropping his egotistical tone in a seemingly genuine caring way. "Are you okay?"

"What? What do ya mean? Of course, I'm fine." Sonic said casually.

"Are y-you sure, Mister Sonic? I-I didn't mean to make you u-upset if I did." Sonar stuttered guiltily.

The blue hedgehog waved his hand frantically, saying, "What? Oh, no-no-no-no! You didn't do anythin' wrong at all! I just…well…"

Amy came in asking, "What is it Sonic? You can tell us anything if there's something on your mind."

Sighing, Sonic said, "Just forget I said anythin', okay? Could you just avoid that song, please? Sweet Dreams brings up a lot of feelings that I'd rather not feel."

"Loud and clear, man. Don't worry, we're nearly there." Spike said as the SUV started up again, driving the rest of the way while the song "Diamond in the Sky" for the rest of the way, lightened up everybody's mood.

Sand Blast Oil Refinery, Great Desert, Acornia

After showing their badges, the Desert Raiders were able to bring Team Sonic (plus Amy) and two of the Freedom Fighters up to the place they desired.

"Ladies and gents, welcome to the refinery." Spike announced with pride.

The Sand Blast Oil Refinery was much like other refineries, being what one would call a metal jungle covered in pipes and silos used to move and suck up oil to be refined and stored to be used as fuel for machines and vehicles. Among the miles of pipes, scaffolds and ladders there were at least a few buildings where workers of the refinery checked in and out of, with their higher ups watching from the top story floor of each of them. There were of course watchtowers for security guards to look over the refinery in case of an emergency or break-in and a few vehicles and machines like trucks, forklifts and oil tankers were all around the place. The most recurring sight though was the Sand Blast City emblem on the buildings, tanks and silos.

"Wow, I never thought I'd be visiting a place like this before." Amy said aloud.

The porcupine smirked, asking Sonic and the rest of his friends, "You impressed?"

Sonic smirked, saying, "This place is pretty big and all, no doubt. But this ain't no Oil Ocean Zone."

"I second that," Tails said. "Chemical Plant was a lot more dynamic in size too."

Tremor shrugged, saying, "Fair enough. Dealing with a fat lunatic would make guys like you numb to sights like this."

Knuckles, closing his eyes, began to sense the energy of the shard and said, "I'm picking up a stronger pulse from the shard. It's definitely here. But it's underground in the far east of this place."

Pulling out the Miles Electric, Tails said, "My device says that the Chaos Emerald is underground too, but on the far west."

"So that means…" Amy started.

"...We're gunna have tuh split up." Bunnie finished.

Almost out of impulse, Amy swiftly pulled Sonic into a hug and said, "I'll go with Sonic!"

Sonic stared at Amy flatly before pulling the girl off of him.

"...Actually, why don't you go with Knuckles and help him find the shard?" Sonic offered.

"What!?" Amy screamed. "Why? I thought you like my company, Sonic!"

"I do… but… hold on." Sonic started before pulling the girl aside so only they can hear each other. "Look, Amy, somethin' doesn't sit well with me about these guys."

"Huh? W-What's going on?" Stuttered quietly the pink hedgehog, looking confused.

"Don't ya think that all this is kinda strange? Think about it, Amy. Spike and his crew just so happened to not be present when the Phantoms were taken down, show up after we've done the heavy lifting."

"...Well…"

" Then we tell them that we're lookin' for somethin' and it just so happens that they had exactly what we needed to help us on this mission. Ain't that a little too convenient? And that's not even considerin' the tension between Sally and Spike."

"Ah ha! I knew it! This is about that Missy girl!" Amy whispered loudly, placing her hands on her hips while narrowing her eyes accusingly. "You were wondering if she was still single!"

"What? What are you-, Amy that's not what I'm suspicious about! Focus! All that I'm sayin' is that whatever that is about to happen, it's not gonna be good. I can feel it in my quills." Sonic said seriously.

"Now I don't want to be separated from you! What are we gonna do then?" Amy questioned, now becoming more concerned with the ordeal.

"Look, I'm gonna need ya to trust me on this. Knux is the only one who can sense the Master Emerald, right? I don't know how strong that Tremor guy, but I ain't takin' no chances. With you, Bunnie, and Knuckles, ya'll can deal with him in case things go bad."

Amy was taken aback by how articulate and logical Sonic's plan was, which to her, seemed to be out of character for him. It wasn't like him, not at all.

"But what about you? What are you going to do?" Asked the card reader.

Sonic then stated, "I'm gonna tag alongside Tails and Sal with the poser and Sonar. He's obviously not what he seems either."

"But Sonar's a sweetheart! ...She wouldn't-" Amy denied, only for the azure hedgehog to cut her off.

"I'm not saying she would agree to it, but that doesn't mean that she's not involved. Regardless, we gotta be ready for anythin'." Sonic concluded.

Amy glanced at Sonic's serious position, noticing the hardness of his sually carefree posture.

"Okay, Sonic. I'll be careful. But can you please tell me what's going on with you?" Amy questioned. "You're not acting like yourself. You've never been this tense on an adventure."

Sonic turned away from the fourteen-year-old girl, stating in a semi-dark tone, "A lot of things can change a person in a short span of time. Three months ago opened my eyes to that."

And with that, the two came back to the group to sort out teams. While Knuckles, Bunnie, and Amy was paired in a group, Sonic, Sally, Tails, Spike, and Sonar formed another. The whole gang ended up going to one building where they found an elevator to the underground. Once they entered it and made it to the lower section of the building. From there, two hallways went along the complex.

Upon being in the hallway, Sally stopped everybody to grab their attention as she took out NICOLE's computer. A hologram of the complex appeared.

"Okay, so we're here," Sally pointed at one part of the map that indicated their position. "And according to Tails' device, the Chaos Emerald is all the way over here. So, we should be able to collect it by simply going through the linear route."

Everybody nodded at her logic, which Knuckles added, "It seems reasonable. I'm roughly sensing the shard's presence. Judging by that hologram on the opposite side, its the same distance."

"If that's the case, let's meet up back here as soon as we're done collecting the jewels. If anything goes wrong, send out a distress signal."

"Right!" Everyone nodded.

"Okay, good look everybody." Sally said before everybody parted to their divided teams.

With Knuckles, Bunnie, Amy, and Tremor

After seven minutes of walking, the small group went through three corridors as they followed Knuckles. Of course, Knuckles walked ahead to get a feel of the Master Emerald shard's presence. During this time, their was a silence that didn't sit well with Amy. This was due to her knowledge of a potential threat that may or may not occur because of the Desert Raiders. So, she decided to start a conversation with the others aside from Tremor himself.

"So…Bunnie, right?" Amy started. "I don't mean to pry but I was wondering… well, you know? Your…limbs?"

Bunnie simply waved her off in a friendly manner, saying, "Psssh! Yore fine Amy-girl. Mah arm an legs don't bother may anymore. What happened was that Ah took uh lickin' from an earlier mission gone wrong uh few years ago. No, ma'am, Ah was in uh bad state. Ten years ol' with broken limbs. Not tuh mention that thay had parts o' Ixis crystals contaminating them."

Amy gasped in surprise, recalling what Bunnie said about crystalization.

"Oh no! That's horrible!"

"Thuh job isn't sumpn that Ah like tuh go into detail 'bout. Fortunately, Ah was taken tuh safety by mah darlin', Sugar-Twan. Wheyun Ah was brought back tuh our ol' HQ in Knothole, the doctor said that Ah wasn't gonna make it. Tuh this day an' at thuh time, thayure is no known cure for them who was crystallized, a thuh curse would have spread all around mah body an' sucked out all uh thuh life that Ah had. Out of options, Charlie reluctantly chose tuh sever one of mah arms an' mah legs an replaced them with cybernetic limbs." The rabbit explained.

"Oh, you poor thing. I'm sorry you had to go through that at a young age. You must have had a pretty hard time adjusting to the change." Amy empathized.

Knuckles, who was listening, mentally sent his empathy towards the cyborg for her tragic experience.

Bunnie nodded, "Oh, it shore was oh real challenge tuh git use tuh. But Mama didn't raise no quitter, Ah wasn't gonna give up since people needed may. Mah friends didn't treat may no difernt, neither. Wheyun Ah wuz learnin' how tuh use mah new limbs an' thanks tuh them who cared an supported may through thick an' thin, Ah eventually found mah place on thuh team as their heavy hitter. Ah also learned what it truly means tuh be beautiful. Cuz ain't nothin' purdier than uh girl with uh mind an' uh heart her own."

Amy smiled at her story, saying, "That was an inspiring story, Bunnie. I can see why Cream looks up to you so much. You're a great role model."

"Aw, thank yawl so kindly Amy-girl. Keep that sweet-tawkin' up an soon you'll bay roundin' up all thuh boys." Said the rabbit with a sly tone at the end.

Bunnie and Amy giggled with each other, enjoying each other's company.

While Knuckles was busy rolling his eyes at the sound of the girls, Tremor was right behind him, buying his time while in his own thoughts.

'That's right, tough guy. Keep searching. If what my gramps said was true, then whatever your kind is nearby, there's treasure. Treasure that is mine for the taking! Hehehe!' The mole mentally cackled while pushing his shades to his face.

---

With Sonic, Sally, Tails, Spike, and Sonar

Tails, Sonar, and Spike were walking together with Sally and Sonic trailing behind them. Why so? Well, Tails wanted to give his best friend space given his recent attitude. It was different and the young fox could see it in plain sight. Tails could also see that the princess was uncomfortable whenever she was near Spike, which, to him, explained why she was walking next to Sonic instead of everybody else.

Then there was also the case with Sonar. For some odd reason, she acted a little too meekly. He could understand if one was to be socially awkward, but her mannerisms came off as if she was trapped, unable to scream for help. During the car ride, Tails recalled her stealing glances at him before turning away abruptly. At first, he didn't pay any attention to it. But looking back at it, her eyes looked as if she was trying to reach out to him. Her eyes screamed, "Please, help me! I'm scared."

Tails snapped out of his thoughts as Spike and Sonar spoke to him.

"Hey, T-man! What does your little doo-hickey say? Are we there yet?" Spike asked, walking next to Tails.

Tails smiled, saying, "Not quite yet, Spike. We still got about eighteen meters left."

"Fair enough," Spike shrugged.

Sonar kept her head down low, looking at the ground as she walked with the red fox and the porcupine. Her ears were drooping low, and she clenched her hands together on her chest with her heart growing ever so heavy with each step she took.

Glancing at the girl, Tails asked, "Is something the matter, Sonar? You're looking kind of down."

Spike, catching this, quickly formed a small glare at the girl before returning to his usual smug self with a land over Sonar's shoulder.

"No sweat it, T-man. Sonar's a-Okay! Isn't that right?" The porcupine glossed over, but stained the word "right" with a bit of a forceful undertone.

The look and the tone that Sonar felt caused her to flinch. Nonetheless, Sonar smiled meekly. Tails caught this, mentally storing the moment to address later.

Meanwhile, Sonic had his own conversation with Sally, who was currently yearning for the mission to be over.

Concerned with his friend, Sonic walked beside Sally while whispering, "...Hey. What's with the long face, Sally? You're about to see what a real Chaos Emerald looks like."

The princess turned her head towards the azure hedgehog, feeling a pang of guilt at the sight of an empathetic Sonic.

Sally sighed, "...I guess my enthusiasm lost its luster halfway through here. I'm sorry if I'm dragging the journey down for you."

"No sweat it, Princess. I'm still all for the adventure!" Sonic reassured her with a smirk and a thumb up.. "...Can I ask you somethin'?

Sally smiled lightly, nodding as she said, "Of course. Ask away, Sonic."

"...That schmuck up there," Sonic said, pointing at Spike's back. " You seem to know him more than you let on. Ya'll were involved at one point, am I right?"

Sally shifted uncomfortably, which Sonic expected. The hedgehog nodded as a result with his fists on his hips.

"Yup, I figured as much." He concluded.

Giving the teenage boy a tiresome smile, Sally awkwardly asked, "Was it that obvious?"

Sonic wagged his finger with a knowing smirk, stating, "Basically, but I ain't gonna judge you for it. I've been around the block, ya know?"

Sally facepalmed, sighing in embarrassment, "Ugh! Gosh, this is embarrassing…"

"There's nothin' to be ashamed of, Sally. But I am questionin' your taste in guys, though. All I get outta this "wise guy" is that he's a big jerk who likes to hear himself talk." Sonic quipped.

Sally was torn with her friend's comment. She didn't know whether to feel offended or laugh at Sonic's comment. In the end, it didn't matter since Sonic's mannerisms caused the girl to giggle. Sonic smiled at his handiwork.

"Thanks…I needed that." Said the princess. "I don't suppose you could return the favor?"

"Me?" Sonic asked, pointing to himself. "As in, what about me?"

"Well, there's no other blue hedgehog that I know outside of your uncle. And obviously, Sir Charles isn't here." Sally humored before her tone shifted into a soft and gentle one. "What was going on back there in the SUV? About that song?"

Sonic grimaced, being reminded of "Sweet Dreams". Sally peered into his emerald green eyes and could see a sorrow that mirrored her own in terms of romantic affection.

"...Ollie. What's wrong?" Sally whispered with concern.

Despite feeling odd whenever the chipmunk called him by his supposed birth name, Sonic shook his head while saying saying, "It's like I said before, I got some history with that song. It ain't a good one either."

"Can you tell me more about it? You don't have to keep this hurt inside if you could talk about it." She offered, only for Sonic to deny her request again.

"It's fine, Sally. Just forget about it, okay?" Sonic asked, putting on an optimistic grin to cover up his bitterness and sadness. "Wouldn't want to burden you with my problems."

Sally's face fell, slightly dejected at Sonic's answer. Sonic, not waiting to make her feel sad, quickly followed up on his previous comment.

"H-Hey, now!" Sonic said abruptly, taking Sally out of her sad state. "...U-Uh, what I meant to say is that I'll tell you one day when I'm ready. You just have to trust me on this and give me some time. I promise."

Smiling at this, Sally walked up to Sonic and boldly poked his chest, saying, "Alright…That's fair. But I'm holding you to that promise, Ollie."

Dust of pink spread on Sonic's muzzle from the way Sally spoke to him. He quickly turned away from the chipmunk while saying, "Er, o-okay?"

'...That was weird.' The blue hedgehog thought to himself.

Sonic watched as the chipmunk giggled at his shy antics and walked forward enough for him to watch her bring her hands behind her back with a happier sway to her walk. Sonic smiled and proceeded to follow, walking next to Sally, feeling better about himself as well.

---

With Knuckles, Bunnie, Amy, and Tremor

The group made it through another corridor, which finally led to a room where a familiar gem gleamed. Another Master Emerald shard lay at the center of the room.

Amy, happy that their search was over, pointed at the shard as she stated the obvious.

"There it is! About time!" The pink hedgehog cheered.

"An it's worth thuh wait, too. It shore is a purdy lookin' rock."

Knuckles smirked as he proceeded to move forward to claim his second piece of the Master Emerald. But just as he was about to reach for the rock, a familiar voice echoed throughout the room.

"Gotcha!"

All of a sudden, the Master Emerald shard was placed into a high-tech container in the shape of a cube while a violet construct cage made up of purple light formed around Amy and Bunnie.

"What the–!?" Amy cried.

"What in tarnation!?" Bunnie swore in confusion.

"Finally, now I got you right where I want you," Tremor said, causing Knuckles to turn around to the mole.

"...You! You're behind this?" Knuckles asked.

"You got that right, echidna. This was all my doing." Tremor said, spreading his arms out in ownership as he devilishly grinned at his handiwork. "Not bad for a street urchin, huh?"

"Trevor Burrow, chew no good treacherous snake! Yawl best git tuh explain yerself right now!" Bunnie growled.

The mole laughed at her direction, brushing off her command saying, "You can bark orders all you like, Rabbit, but as long as that magical cage is on and running, you can do jack squat."

Tremor then pushed the glasses up as the right side of the arm was glowing the same color as the cage. Knuckles noticed and narrowed his eyes in anger.

'Damn him! He was planning this for the get-go! But why?' Pondered the guardian.

"I don't understand! I thought you were on our side! The good side!" Amy said. "How could you be doing this?"

A snort escaped his nose as Tremor responded with another question of his own.

"Your side? That's a killer! What if I told you that everything you knew about us was a total lie?"

---

With Sonic, Sally, Tails, Spike, and Sonar

Meanwhile, Sonic's group made it on the other side in a similar room. In the middle sat one of the seven Chaos Emeralds.

While Tails, Sonic, and "surprisingly" two of the Desert Raiders remained unphased, sparkles formed in Sally's baby blue eyes as she marveled at the gemstone that was on the ground.

"I-Is that what I think it is?" Sally turned to Sonic.

Sonic nodded as he casually picked up the cyan-colored diamond cut gemstone.

"Yup, this is one of the Gems of Miracles. A Chaos Emerald." Sonic smirked as he held it to Sally.

"Oh my gosh, it looks so beautiful!" The princess gushed as Sonic placed it in her hands. "I always read about these in scrolls and manuscripts. Never in a million years have I thought I'd be holding one in my hands. …Though, I wonder why they are each a distinctly different color if they are emeralds."

Sonic shrugged, saying, "Beats me,"

Tails jumped into the conversation, saying, "I'm still scratching my head about that too. If I had to guess, I'd say they each carry a different hue based on the seven colors of light Chaos Energy is capable of producing."

"Amazing," Said Sally. "...To think that I'd not only discovered the Deep Power Stones of Drood Henge but also come into contact with one of the legendary Gems of Miracles."

Tails and Sonic smiled, with the young fox telling her, "You'll get used to it, Princess. As long as you stick with us, you'll be in for more adventures and experiences like this."

Sally smiled at them and nodded.

Just then, the ground glowed a brilliant violet, as a barrier blocked the door of the gang's only way out. Everybody that wasn't Spike or Sonar looked at the ground, alarmed by the random phenomenon that was occurring.

"Sonic, what's happening?" Tails asked.

"I-I don't know!" The hedgehog responded.

Sally recognized it and stated aloud, "Oh no! It's an incantation! The floor is cursed with Ixis Magick!"

But before anybody could do anything, chains wrapped around their arms, feet, and for Tails' case, his two tails. This caused Sally to drop the Chaos Emerald in her hand. And so, the chains continued the bind them, they ended up constricting them to a nearby wall, completing the process. Sonic, Tails, and Sally struggled to break free.

"Ngh! Ugh!" Sally grunted before giving up. "...Tt's no use! These chains aren't budging."

Tails tried to do so as well, but to no avail. Shifting his head, he turned to his best friend on his left side.

"Sonic! Can you get yourself free?" He asked.

Sonic tried generating his power through his body to break free, only to feel himself weakening.

"...Ugh! I…I can't. It's like I'm bein' drained like a battery."

"That's the idea, Blue Boy,"

The three bound heroes looked down to see the everso-smug Spike the Porcupine with his guilt-ridden accomplice, Sonar the Fennec. Staring closer, Sonic, Tails, and Sally were shocked to find Spike holding the Chaos Emerald that they were looking for.

"Spike, what in the world do you think you're doing!?" Sally shouted.

Spike snorted, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm obviously doing my job."

"...I called it!" Sonic stated in an accusative tone. "You had set us up right from the start!"

"Bingo!" Spike said, pointing to the azure hedgehog with a snarky one-liner. "We have a winner!"

"...But that can't be true. You said that you were Freedom Fighters that help the people!" Tails shouted in denial, looking at Spike, but mostly at Sonar.

Sonar could only whisper quiet apologies while Spike snickered at the naivety of Tails.

"Oh puh-lease! Do you honestly buy all of that crap? I mean we did legit try the hero route, but where did that lead us to, huh? Destitute, broke, not even a single thank you! We got nothing in the long run! Nobody even remembers our names!" Ranted the porcupine.

"Well, what did ya expect?" Sonic said, rolling his eyes over Spike's sob story. "Did ya think stoppin' bad guys and helpin' people was a nine-to-five job with a reasonable payroll? I don't make a cent doin' what I do! I do it 'cause I want to do it, 'cause I can do it, and 'cause it's in me to do it."

Spike made a hand puppet, childishly mocking Sonic as he said, "Yeah, yeah, blah, blah! I figured that you're "selfless hero" shtick was stupid volunteer work a long time ago. So my crew and I decided to become a covert work-for-hire service for the underground. …We may have had a hand in some questionable stuff in the past, but that honed our skills in the long run. That Dandelion side hustle with Opossum racked up some serious cash for us a few years back if I do say so myself."

The mention of the flower rang bells in the princess' head, causing her jaw to drop.

"...No, you didn't!" Sally begged. "Spencer, please tell me you're joking!"

Spike shook his head and said, "Sarah, babe. I don't joke when it comes to cash. You should know what kind of shitty life I had in the slums during wartime to figure that out."

"So that justifies working with scum like Clutch "Opossum" Didelphis!?" Sally shouted back. "You've just admitted to aiding in a criminal's outings in selling drugs to children! Do you know how many cases of them were hospitalized because of the symptoms of the Lemon Sundrop Dandelions!?"

The information alarmed Sonic and Tails all the while Sonar kept her head down in shame. Once again, Spike didn't care in the slightest.

"...And? So what? It's not a big deal. The sauce had a little kick to it and the twerps ate too much. It's not my fault the parents didn't reel in their intake. Besides, the brats made it out fine!"

"Spencer! Half of those kids who entered that Source damned amusement park over in Empire City were bedridden in hospitals! While one half those patients suffered massive brain damage, nightmarish visions, and hallucinations, and showed early signs of contracting NIDS, the other half died! From overdosing! The mortality numbers were in the hundreds!"

"To hell with those brats, Sarah!" Spike fired back, causing everybody to flinch. "I don't give a rat's ass! It's always everybody else! It's never about me! It's never about Trevor! And it's about never Sophia! I've tried to do the right thing! To be a hero and help people, but we were either rejected or overlooked because we were orphans! Nobody gave a shit about us, always worrying about themselves instead! All of that do-gooding ever taught us is that we can only rely on each other and ourselves! So we do what we have to do to make it by any means necessary! The rest of the world be damned!"

Sally glanced at her ex-boyfriend, saddened by how low he had fallen.

Tails and Sonic could only glare down at the prickly porcupine, with the hedgehog asking, "Okay, so what happened next, pal? You obviously got juiced up with some mystical mumbo-jumbo you got from a mysterious third party."

Spike formed a devious smirk, saying, "Well, you just answered your own question. Go on and take a wild guess."

Sally gasped in realization, "...No! You couldn't possibly be in league with him!"

Spike grinned, saying, "...Yeah. That's right! I'm in the big leagues! We're working for-"

---

With Knuckles, Bunnie, Amy, and Tremor

"-Lord Naugus himself." Tremor finished, shocking Amy and Bunnie.

"What!?" Amy screamed. "You're in league with that creep!?"

"How could you three? Yawl wuz uh Freedom Fighter, uh soldier with thuh same dream! You've fought along with us fahwar thet cause!" Bunnie screamed in blind rage and betrayal.

"That was all a part of an ongoing infiltration operation." Tremor explained while suppressing the urge to laugh. "Operation Eavesdrop. We were to make a name for ourselves as a faux militia to gain enough notoriety through acting rescues and incursions against the Phantoms in order to seek the attention of other factions such as the Knothole Freedom Fighters. If possible we were to form an alliance with these factions, gain as much personal information and any sort of leads to, lets say, the next big plan of attack or large counterattack against my lord's army. We would then report back to him and continue with our cover intact."

"Hmph. I see, you and the other two are double agents then." Knuckles concluded. "I knew something was off when I realized the Master Emerald shard and the Chaos Emerald were underground. Your friends found both of them before we did which explains why everything seemed so convenient. You and that oversized needle bush were setting us up from the very beginning."

Tremor said, "That's right. And now I get to enjoy the best part of it! Taking you down!"

Knuckles brought his fists up, asking, "Not that I mind a fight or anything, but what's your beef with me outside of your mission?"

"I was told that in ancient times, echidnas had a knack for finding treasure. And judging from what I found and the little bit of information that I got from you, that shard is priceless. It's all the more reason for me to take it from you!" Tremor said, with his trowel-like blades out, ready to cut and slice it's target.

Growling at the mole, Knuckles stated, "Over my dead body!"

"That's the idea! Let's see if that hedgehog's words hold true about your strength!"

And like that, Tremor and Knuckles started their fight with fists and claws being thrown at each other.

---

With Sonic, Sally, Tails, Spike, and Sonar

"I can't believe you…" Sally said in a quiet rage. "To be willing to work under a mass murderer like Naugus!"

"I know I'm not hearing you talk! You're the daughter of a guy who waged a war that not only sacrificed his people but murdered many on the opposing side!" Spike countered. "Nonetheless, the boss saw something that nobody else did. Greatness and potential. Worth! We were valuable!"

Spike was interrupted by chuckling. That initial chuckling turned into laughter. Everybody turned to see Sonic laughing in Spike's direction, confusing the others except for the fuming porcupine.

"What the hell are you laughing at!?"

"Hahahaha! Ha, ha, sorry! I just find it hysterical that you think a creep like Naugus cares about a sucker like you. Heh heh heh!" Sonic said, cracking a wild grin.

Sonar's jaw dropped at the hedgehog's blatant disrespect despite his disposition.

"...Sonic!" Sally hissed, trying to shut him up.

"What did you say!?" Demanded the porcupine.

"What, did I touch a nerve? Sorry, buddy, I'd care more if I didn't hear you admit that you're a petty criminal that's mad at the world because you think it owes you everything. What's really pathetic is that you resort to work for the lowest of the low as an excuse for your own negative qualities." Sonic verbally jabbed.

"Oh, I know you're not talking with your broke ass!" Spike spat. "You may have fame and street credit, but you got nothing else to show for it! Everything that you've done was simply charity work for the man that will eventually turn on you! I'm not only getting fortune for my grind but power beyond all belief!"

Sonic simply shook his head, saying, "Is that what that old coot sold to you? Spike, buddy…Didn't you just say earlier that you guys only rely on yourselves? If that's the case, you're not only a huge numbskull, but also the biggest hypocrite. You willingly sold your soul to a wanted terrorist! Dragging two others into your selfish need for material gain! Do ya honestly think that Naugus will deliver what he promised to ya? Especially considerin' what kind of person you are?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Spike exploded. "You all fell for my trap! I caught you here and tied you up there, and I have this Emerald! You lost, and I won!"

Sonic kept a cocky grin as he said, "...Yeah! Keep tellin' yourself that! Whatever helps ya sleep at night!"

As the hedgehog was struggling to break free, he turned his attention to Sally and Tails.

"I could use a plan of action right about now, guys! These chains are drainin' my power!" Sonic grunted in a harsh whisper.

"I-I can't reach my Tempest Bracers…And I can't feel my tails." Tails said as he also struggled in bondage.

Sally, as she felt the Ixis Magick trying to go into her body, felt a familiar power surge within her being. Being a scion of the Source of All, a surge of a hidden power began to manifest. From there, Sally was surrounded by a purple aura and glowing particles. And before everybody knew it, a bright purple flash covered the room.

Spike and Sonar covered their eyes, only for them to look back to see Sonic, Sally, and Tails out of their chains, standing in opposition to Spike and Sonar.

Sonic and Tails stood, looking at themselves and each other.

"Woah, we're free!" Tails marveled.

"Talk about a game-changer!" Sonic quipped before inspecting the area, "I wonder what's that about?"

Sally looked at herself in awe, getting familiar with the sensation that she only experienced one other time. But much like that time, the power that she felt left as it appeared.

'...That was…the Deep Power Stone's magic.' Sally thought before turning her sights on Spike.

"What the!? How?! How did you escape!?" Spike ranted. "That was Ixis Magick! None of you should have the power to negate it!"

"Does it matter?" Sonic said as he began to stretch his arms and legs. "You're in for a thrashin' off a lifetime. Might as well give up while ya still can, otherwise, things will only get ugly from here!"

Spike snorted and readied himself for a confrontation as he said, "You think your hot shit, huh? Well, fine then! Bring all three feet of you so I can smack the shit out you!"

The porcupine then turned to Sonar and said, "Come on, Sonar! Back me up here!"

The twelve-year-old girl hesitated, with the conflict of morality versus loyalty weighing on the fennec. Fear was also a factor that came into play, keeping her from making a decision.

"I-I…" The girl stuttered.

"Damn it! Get your ass over here and help me, you stupid brat!" Spike swore, forcing her to reluctantly get into battle position.

And so, Sonic and Tails vs Spike and Sonar started.

---

With Knuckles, Bunnie, Amy, and Tremor

Knuckles was currently on the defensive, dodging and weaving through the slashes and thrusts that Tremor attempted to perform. Knuckles jumped back to gain distance, only for Tremor to leap at him. Of course, Knuckles cartwheeled out of the way, leaving a large hole on the ground.

'For a large guy, he's pretty agile. Though, not as fast as me. I better play it smart if I'm going to land any clean blows.' Knuckles thought as Tremor spoke to him.

"Tch! What's this? I didn't take your kind to be cowardly! …Though, I cannot be too surprised. Judging from your appearance, your people were the ones who hightailed it to the sky. Afraid of facing the outside world. And your actions make that perfectly clear."

A vein appeared on his forehead, invoking the echidna's rage.

"GRRR! You're going to regret those words!" Knuckles growled before leaping at Tremor.

"Finally!" The mole said in satisfaction, resuming the fight.

Meanwhile, Amy was busy trying to escape her shared prison with Bunnie. She summoned her hammer with her magic and swung against the bars, only to be sent to the ground from a short burst upon the collision.

"Omph!" Amy said while landing on her behind. "Ow…! Why won't this thing break!?"

"Amy, thuh cage is made up uh Ixis Magick. It's very tricky stuff tuh deal with. Usually, yawl would need sumpn strong enough tuh break solid Ixis. But this cage looks lahk its made tuh contain sumpn an or sumone remotely. Ah reckon thet sum sort uh object is tied tuh it." Bunnie explained.

Getting up, Amy asked, "So what? We do nothing? Knuckles needs our help! We can't just sit here helpless while this greedy slimeball tries to tear him to shreds!"

Bunnie brought her real hand onto her soldiers, saying, "Ah don't lahk thus no more than you do, sugar. Believe may, you an Ah got that fiery spirit of uh fighter. But thus kind o' magic is too complex tuh force our way out. Thuh best thang tuh do is believe in yer red friend."

Sighing in defeat, Amy let her hammer disappear as the girl watched the red echidna go on the offensive.

---

With Sonic, Sally, Tails, Spike, and Sonar

A blur of orange and blue circled and danced around the room with Tails and Sonar engaging in combat in the center. To be quite honest Sally didn't know what to make of it. However, during the altercation, she did notice that Sonic was significantly slower than what he showed off.

For example, while Sonic got in a few punches and kicks on Spike, while Sonic jumped to get another attack in, Spike used his horizontal Spin Attack which acted as a shield and a barbed weapon, sending Sonic skidding to the ground as he returned to his feet. Looking closer, Sally could see a few cuts, scratches, and bruises on his body and face while the azure hedgehog started to look fatigued.

Because of this, Sally took out her computer, allowing NICOLE to materialize.

"NICOLE, run a diagnostic on Sonic's life data. He's moving much slower than normal." Sally instructed.

Nodding, NICOLE formed a hologram of a page that contained information about Sonic, including his vitals, powers, and abilities that she scanned during the first week in New Mobotropolis.

"...Problem detected," NICOLE announced with a frown. "Oliver's stamina and natural power have been reduced to fifty percent."

Sally groaned in frustration, "Ugh! Curse that hideous troll and his tainted magic!"

NICOLE stated, "I am also detecting an energy source equivalent to three Power Rings. It is coming from the enemy's shoes."

Hearing this, Sally realized what Spike meant when he spoke about his "speed". It was Naugus' doing! He gave him special shoes to give him super speed that he was able to handle! That's how Spike saved Amy! And since Sonic's speed was mostly drained, this gave the porcupine enough of an advantage to go toe-toe with the hedgehog.

"Should we intervene, Princess?" NICOLE inquired, waiting for Sally's order.

Sally hesitated, but judging from the grin on Sonic's face, Sally decided to wait. And during the rodent's fight, a familiar cyan gem dropped from a fast-moving orange blur.

"...Not yet. For now, let's work on supporting him if necessary. I'm going to retrieve the Chaos Emerald while everybody is distracted. Be sure to protect Sonic or Tails."

NICOLE nodded, allowing Sally to run forward to claim the cyan gem.

Meanwhile, Tails was busy dodging and weaving the attacks of the fennec on the offense. What Tails was beginning to realize was how Sonar fought. Being a type of fox, she was agile and swift for an average Mobian at pique physical condition. Sonar specialized in hand-to-hand combat, mainly in pressure point combat or the art of dealing fast and precise blows that immobilize the desired target.

Tails decided to go for the attack with Super Tails Swipe. Before the attack could touch her, Sonar sprung up to the air with a front flip. The girl then tried to go for a few jabs towards one of his arms, only to be blocked by both of Tails' tails.

"Sonar, you have to listen! We don't have to do this!" Tails pleaded, only for the hold to be broken by her.

She continued her assault, attempting to strike the red fox's solar plexus, shouting, "Yes I do!"

Tails moved to the side, avoiding the strike and rolled into a Spin Attack. While doing so, he said, "No, you don't! And you know in your heart that what you're doing isn't right!"

The fox cartwheeled out of the way of the attack while Tails ricocheted from the wall across from her location and used that force to make his way back to the teal fennec. As he glanced at her dead in the eyes, the intensity in her eyes wavered with an undertone of guilt. The youngest member of the Prower spoke to her once more.

"What you're doing is pointless! You're helping a guy who's done nothing but hurt everybody he came across! And Spike seems to only be in this for profit and clout. …But I can tell that you're different from him and the other person. You're better than this, you're better than them." Tails said.

For a moment, Sonar's expression softened up from Tails' sincere words.

"...I'm s-sorry, Tails. But I have to d-do this. You don't understand," Sonar said with a shaky voice. "I don't have a choice, I don't have a say in this."

Shaking his head, Tails said, "But that's not true! We all have the power to decide things. We-

"NO, I CAN'T!" Sonar shouted, startling the young fox as he watched the girl quiver with a few tears falling from her face. "I-I can't go against Spencer. H-He and Trevor are the only people I have. They're m-my family. Besides… if I did talked back, Spike would-"

Sonar paused as she quickly covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. Tails' eyes hardened before widening with the same kind of revelation.

"...Sonar. Did…Did they hurt you?" Tails whispered in concern. "Are those two hurting you when no one is around?"

Sonar looked down, letting the tears pour down on her eyes in silence.

"Sonar…" Tails whispered, trying to reach her with a few steps.

"...You don't understand. You-you just don't." She repeated. "They'll do something horrible if I act out of line. I have to follow through like a good girl."

She would have continued to grieve over her own sorrow, only for Tails to take a hold of her hand with both of his, squeezing it gently.

"It's okay," The boy said with an empathetic tone in his voice. "I may not have exactly been through your experience, but I know what it is like to be treated badly. To feel like you're less than what you are. There may have been times where you were rejected by the world, with no one there to save you. But there's still a chance to make things right. You have a chance! Sonic, Sally, and I, we can help you!"

As he lets go of the vixen's hand after his intense speech, saying, "...Even so, I won't force you or make you do anything that you don't know what to do."

Confused at this, Sonar asked, "Why? Aren't we supposed to be enemies?"

"That's what Spike said. That doesn't mean it's a fact." Tails corrected. "I followed Sonic for most of my life, but I knew that I couldn't simply rely on him for everything. Not to mention that there were times when he was wrong. In the end, it was my choice to follow him, and I made the decision to come into my own as an individual. It's all about who we choose to be. Now, what kind of person do you want to be, Sonar?"

Sonar began to weigh her options on the situation she was in. On one hand, she loved her friends. Spike and Tremor, no, Spencer and Trevor were the only people she recognized as brothers. In the beginning, it was her and them against the world. So, her love for them was unconditional. However, the moment when they quit as a legitimate militia that served the people was when she began to notice the dark road she watched her brothers walk down on, dragging her in it. Both wanted money and power, disregarding what they originally fought for out of petty grudges. Due to this, they got involved in criminal activities, much to Sonar's dismay. Whenever she said anything, physical and verbal abuse took place. This caused her to develop a timid personality out of fear. And the fear increased ever since Naugus appeared.

Then, Sonar turned to see Spike fighting and hurting the person that they admired the most. Their inspiration! Everything that they all promised to be like morally! What they stood for, being squandered and spat on over envy and arrogance!

Sonar's fear and anxiety turned into a righteous fury that began to burn into her eyes. Her face hardened in determination as she turned back to Tails and opened her mouth with her answer.

She knew what she had to do.

---

With Knuckles, Bunnie, Amy, and Tremor

The fight between the two brawlers raged on. Knuckles managed to land serious blows on Tremor's torso and upper body. Meanwhile, cuts and bruises were inflicted upon the treasure hunter's face and arms, courtesy of the trowel blades that Tremor had. But nothing too severe to leave any permanent scars on the red hero. Needless to say, Tremor was an opponent that did force Knuckles to try in the fight. Needless to say, Knuckles still held back as a precaution his father instilled in him.

In amidst of their heated battle, Knuckles went for a roundhouse kick towards Tremor, only for Tremor to grab the echidna's leg with the intention of breaking it. Seeing this, Knuckles quickly brought his two large hands together and smashed it into the purple moles' head, allowing him to escape Tremor's grasp.

Bunnie and Amy, who were still held captive in the cage made out of Ixis Magick, cheered on for the guardian.

"You can do it, Knuckles!" Amy shouted.

Bunnie followed by saying, "Yeah! Give him a good lickin' for me, sugar!"

Recovering from his daze, he wiped his mouth, only to see blood drawn from him.

'...Damn him! Damn that little runt!'

Growling in rage, Tremor lunged at Knuckles, punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Then, he grabbed the echidna by the throat and threw him all the way to the cage's bars, sending volts of Ixis electricity through him.

Much to the horror of the rabbit and pink hedgehog, a painful scream escaped from the red brawler. Knuckles was forced to the ground on his knees, with every part of his body screaming in utter agony. He was towered by the triumphant-looking Tremor, who possessed a haughty grin on his face.

"I'll admit, echidna. You're not too bad of a fighter," Tremor admitted. "You got a few hits here and there. I had a decent time. …It's a shame that it had to come to this. But once a wise guy gets in the way of major profit, well… It's nothing personal. Though, it's still kind of a letdown. Sonic spoke highly of you, but you're all hot air. Without my kind of strength and power, you're weak."

After that, Tremor went in for the finishing move by trying to stab Knuckles with one of his blades to the dismay of Amy and Bunnie. When this took place, time-shifted to where movement slowed in Knuckles' perspective. Looking dead ahead, Knuckles immediately got up and grabbed the blade with one hand in a tight grip. From there, a green aura surrounded Knuckles, healing his injuries before fading. Upon the green energy vanishing, a red aura replaced it with sparks of crimson lightning surging through Knuckles' hands.

"What!?" Shouted the mole as he tried to pry his blade off of Knuckles, only to fail. "Hey! Let go! I said let go of me, you freak!"

In response, Knuckles applied more pressure to his grip, which began to crack the trowel-like blades, severely hurting the mole. This was due to the cries and groans of pain that came with Knuckles' actions. The agony became so unbearable that it forced Tremor down on his knees, pleading for the pain to stop. Upon looking into Knuckles' eyes, he could see the unbreakable will and spirit burning from within.

In a chilling yet calm tone, Knuckles asked, "...Do I look like I need your power?"

The last thing Tremor remembered before being rendered unconscious was his shades reflecting a faster-moving crimson fist blurring straight at his face, sending a massive shock wave that shook one side of the facility.

As a byproduct of this action, the Ixis cage disappeared, allowing Amy and Bunnie to finally be free of their mystical prison. Both of them called for Knuckles, but couldn't see him due to the smoke blocking their sight. However, as the smoke cleared, Knuckles emerged, with both a shadeless and knocked-out Tremor, and the shard of the Master Emerald. And for once, he smiled at the two females as he spoke to them.

"Mission accomplished. Now, let's meet up with the others."

---

With Sonic, Sally, Tails, Spike, and Sonar

Blurs of orange and blue continued to dash into each other, clash, and circle, making it indescribable to those who were observing the spectacle with the naked eye. But, if one were to peer at the same speed, the battle became more clear.

Sonic, albeit tired, was still fighting against a Spike who wasn't exactly as fatigued as Sonic, but was exerting much more of effort than most when dealing with Sonic.

Upon dealing with a strong punch in the face, Sonic was sent in a three hundred and sixty-degree spin, before making a sliding recovery. Spike tried going for a haymaker, only for Sonic to perform a kick while backflipping in place, sending the porcupine backward to the ground on his back. Spike immediately got up from the attack. However, he quickly became aware of Sonic's starting to get out of breath. The damage he sustained during their fight has only numbed but was still there to correlate with his fatigue.

Spike laughed, goading, "That's it? …This is what the great Sonic the Hedgehog is capable of? Hahaha! Wow! I'm starting to question the boss's fat pharmacist of a partner. He's gotta be pathetic if you're such a pushover."

"Oh please! Ya think I was takin' you seriously? You're just some faker that relies on some fancy juiced-up hand-me-downs, hocus pocus nonsense, and cheap tricks." The azure hedgehog snorted. "If you used to be a fan like ya said you were, then you know that I'm just gettin' started!"

Eyeing Sonic up and down, Spike scoffed at his former idol.

"Getting started? And they say I'm delusional. Blue Boy, you look like you're about to fall over! Give it up, Sonic. I won, I'm the better man. As long as I got the Chaos Emerald h-" Spike was about to rave before he realized it was gone.

"W-What the!? Where did it go!?" Spike panicked before a certain princess caught everybody's attention.

"Ahem!" Sally said, clearing her throat mockingly. "Are you looking for this, Spencer?"

Sally then took out the cyan-colored Chaos Emerald out of the pocket of her vest with a devilish grin on her face, much to the shock of the porcupine and the relief of Sonic. Composing himself, Spike smirked as he set his sights on Sally.

"Sar-, I mean, Sally! Babe, do you mind if I can take that off your hands? I can make it worth your while~." Spike stated, wiggling his eyebrows like the scumbag that he was.

Resisting the urge to vomit, Sally simply placed it back into her vest and said, "Not on your life, you disgusting pig."

Seeing red, Spike charged at Sally using his Speed Shoes, only to be sent backward by a light blue barrier in the shape of a bubble. Sonic and Spike turned to see NICOLE appear right beside Sally, glaring at the porcupine intensely.

"Scanning complete. Name: Spencer Pierce. Alias: Spike the Porcupine, Code Name: Agent Sharp. Affiliation: Freedom Fighters (formerly), Team Sandstorm, Phantom Army. Threat Level: Extremely High (Personal). Elimination Protocol on standby. Awaiting command, princess." NICOLE stated coldly with her hands cloaked with light blue electricity.

Spike took a few steps back, starting to let fear slip in from the sight of NICOLE.

'Shit! I forgot about that crazy holo-chick she had on that computer.' Spike mentally swore.

Smirking at his reaction, Sonic said sarcastically, "Congrats man, you managed to even tick off a computer AI. Mad props."

Shaking his head, Spike decided that he didn't care anymore. It was now or never!

"To hell with that! I'll fight all of you if it means that I'll get what I deserve!" Spike shouted, readying himself to perform another attack.

"Spencer, that's enough!"

Everybody turned their heads up to see Tails carrying Sonar as they descended to the middle of the two sides. Sonar stood in front of Spike with her arms spread out, blocking the porcupine's path. Spike noticed a change in her demeanor. It was much more confident, braver. Determined. …He did not like it.

"Sophia? What do you think you're doing!? Why haven't you continued the mission!?" Spike gritted, demanding an explanation.

"Spencer, listen to me!" Sonar pleaded. "This has to stop! We can't be spending our days like this anymore!"

Spike's eyes dilated in shock.

"What are you going on about, Sophia!? We're so close to our goal. Our new life, no poverty, money, it's almost in our grasp! This is our last job before being set for life! Why would you want to stop now!? Do you want to go back to living in the slums again! Is that the home you want?" He asked, glaring at her.

"...Last job? Last job!?" Sonar said softly before the anger inside her boiled over, causing her to snap. "That's what you and Trevor said last time, and the time before that, and the time before that! Why can't you EVER wake up for once?"

Spike grew quiet, stunned at the fennec that was shouting at him.

"Home isn't a bag with a mobium sign! Nor is it being seen on a computer screen in some stupid building! It's being with the people that matters the most! The only reason I followed you two was because my house wasn't home to be! You and Trevor were! You guys are like brothers to me! And I admired you guys the most for being strong and supportive of me and the people around you no matter how bad people treated either of you! You cared about others regardless! But ever since we stopped doing good things for people, both of you changed! You turned into selfish petty crooks, pushing me into the mix of every little heist you pulled, never taking my feelings into account! We inadvertently became the very thing we fight against! And I'm sick and tired of it!" Sonar screamed at the porcupine.

"...Well? What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry?" Spike fired back. "I got us in the game so we could eat! To have decent clothes to wear! So we could have a place to bathe, and have a place to sleep at night! Okay? Trev and I did the best we could with what we had!"

"No, you didn't!" Sonar countered. "You two couldn't hold a job because you two wouldn't get a hold of your temper and couldn't stop harassing the customers! And that's your problem! You want the world to cater to your needs but demand things like you're entitled to them because you're poor! In the end, Spencer, you, and Trevor are the ones who got us into this mess out of your selfishness. Just like you got us trapped, working for that evil wizard."

"And what are you trying to say?"

Sighing, Sonar said, "...For the love of Chaos, Spencer! Haven't I spelled it out enough? I. Cannot. Do. This. Anymore! This heist! All of this criminal garbage? This is not worth it! I never wanted to do this in the first place!"

Just like that, the fennec started to make her way toward Sonic and the Freedom Fighter's side, only for Spike to grab her by the wrist.

"Hold on, you ungrateful bitch! What makes you think you can just walk away from me!? After everything Trev and I bust our asses doing for you!"

Sonar glared at Spike, jerking her wrist out of Spike's grip, saying, "Because I can! I have a choice, and I'm making it whether you're with me or not!"

With anger overtaking his mind, a loud slap echoed throughout the room. Everyone's eyes widened with the swift motion of Sonar hitting the floor upon being sent three feet away from Spike. The porcupine stared at the unmoving girl with a cold and uncaring gaze with his right hand trembling slightly.

Sally, on instinct, ran through the force field to Sonar's aid while calling her, "Sophia!"

Tails also did so, flying next to Sally with concern and worry in his eyes. However, Sonic simply stood there, reminiscing on the way Spike raised his hand at Sonar. It took him to the time he fought the being made of negative Chaos Energy.

When he fought Nazo.

Sonic remembered himself being in a similar position that he was now. And Tails was in Sonar's place. The being raised his hand similar to the face of Tails. The fear, oh, the fear in the boy's face had forever been implanted in the hedgehog's mind. The tearful gaze and the cutting off of his name before being sent to near oblivion began to replay over and over in the mind of the Blue Blur. Despite these factors, none of them set off the hedgehog…

Not until Spike uttered these next words.

"Tch. Worthless brat. Who needs her anyway?" Spike muttered.

As if some kind of mental line has metaphorically snapped, a wall containing all of Sonic's hidden rage, frustration, and urge to maim began to seep out of the cracks of his mind. These thoughts and desires manifested into power, which turned into a dark chaotic energy that was amplified by cyan Chaos Emerald. This gentle darkness turned Sonic's azure fur into a dark blue hue while a navy aura color surrounded his body.

The menacing partial transformation caught the attention of everybody present, especially Spike, who eyed the hedgehog's sinister dark green eyes.

Sally, who watched the spectacle, whispered, "...Sonic?"

Spike uttered a single sentence, saying, "What the f–"

At the speed of light, this darker Sonic disappeared and smashed his left fist into Spike's cheek, making the porcupine skip on the ground three times, like a rock skipping on a pond. He landed on his two feet, forcing himself to stop. The Desert Raider wiped off his cheek, realizing that Sonic drew blood with a single strike.

'...W-What? What just happened? I didn't see him coming!' Spike wondered, standing up.

"Stings, doesn't it?"

Spike whipped his head around in the direction of the voice, only to be kicked two meters away.

From there, a dark blue blur chased after him mid-air and kicked him three different times in a chain attack before sending him downwards in a Bounce Attack. When Spike landed, he felt like he got the wind knocked out of him as he gasped for air.

Struggling for a moment, Spike eventually got out of the hole he found himself in, crawling on his hands and knees before standing up once again.

"T-this can't be happening…" Spike muttered as his confidence was thoroughly beaten out of him. "That spell weakened him. He should be spent by now! Where the hell did this power come from!?"

The porcupine did not have to ponder, as Sonic, in his new semi Dark form, appeared in front of him.

Spike took a step back like prey realizing it was spotted by its predator.

"S-S-S-Stay back! I don't want any more trouble!" Spike said, utterly fearing for his life.

"Trouble you say?" Sonic said tilted his head with a vicious grin on his face. "I'm sorry, but I missed the part where that's my problem. You've gone and found some right here!"

Spike began to see stars when he was struck by a backhand from his former idol.

"You found some trouble when you double-crossed us!"

Another smack across the face was delivered by Sonic, with Spike now having matching marks on his cheek.

"You found some trouble when you had us all chained up!" Sonic continued as his voice started to grow darker and more sinister.

That time, Sonic punched his gut, bringing Spike to his knees.

"You found trouble when you took my powers and decided to attack my friends!"

Sonic administered a swift roundhouse kick to the side of the porcupine's head, sending him to the same wall he trapped everybody on before falling back down on the floor. Spike mustered enough strength to sit up as Sonic walked up to him and glared at him.

"And you found some trouble when you went out of your way to hit a little girl."

Sonic found himself grabbing the Desert Raider leader by the throat and slamming him to the wall again.

"What makes you think you weren't gonna find anything, Trouble Man?" Sonic questioned rhetorically.

Spike squirmed, and clawed at Sonic's hand, trying to desperately lessen the hedgehog's grip around his neck.

"I can't stand cowards like you. You take the easy way out to get what you want, only blame others for your own folly when life doesn't go your way. To stoop so low to pray on the defenseless really pisses me off! Give me one good reason why I should show you any kind of mercy!?"

Spike could feel the grip on his neck tighten as the rage in the hedgehog continued to rise. At this point, fear had overwhelmed him. He had betrayed his former idol, betrayed him, and enraged him. He had turned into Sonic nearly unrecognizable. Where was the fun-loving Blue Blur? Where was that carefree smile that signifies safety? This wasn't Sonic. This was a monster, a beast that he summoned in place of the hedgehog. And now, he was about to pay with his life.

"...You...y-you can't…do this!" The porcupine gasped, staring into the eyes of his enemy in terror. "...This…T-This…isn't you! Y-You don't do t-this!"

During all of this violence, Tails, NICOLE, and Sally watched from the background while holding their breath. Neither female could believe that Sonic was hiding such hostility within him. However, Tails suspected this, given how odd Sonic acted since he started the journey. At this moment, the sound of Spike's desperate gasps for air interrupted their thoughts.

Sally, looking back at Spike, then back at Sonic, couldn't stand the horrible sight any long.

This had to end.

"OLIVER!"

Sonic, snapping out of his near-murderous rage, turned back to see Sally's pleading and distraught face. His eyes then darted to Tails and NICOLE, who was tending to Sonar's unconscious body. His focus went back to Sally.

"...Huh?"

"...Stop, Oliver! That's enough, you've made your point." She pleaded. "You're going to kill him!"

Sonic continued to stare directly at the princess, as she implored again, "...Please. Let him go."

Sonic, realizing what he was going to do, lessened his grip on Spike and tossed him back to the wall. Relaxing for a bit, his fur returned back to normal with the gentle darkness vanishing. Relieved that it was over, Spike passed out, letting the damage and stress finally overwhelm him.

Sonic grabbed the unconscious criminal and dragged him across the floor with an indifferent expression on his face, walking to the others.

Tails, walking to his friend, asked, "...Sonic? What was that?"

Sonic, not having anything to say, shook his head in silence. He turned to the princess and softly spoke to her.

"How is she?" The adventurer questioned, disregarding the previous moment entirely.

Sally then turned to NICOLE, who looked at the two. The AI answered for Sally, stating, "Sophia's to be breathing regularly. It appears that the backhand was so intense that it rendered her unconscious, mostly like causing a concussion due to the force exerted by it. Given the proper treatment, she should make a speedy recovery within three to four hours."

"Good." Sonic nodded before looking at Sally. "Do you still have the Chaos Emerald on you?"

Sally nodded back and pulled the cyan gemstone from her pocket and handed it to him.

"Okay. Let's head back to Knuckles and the others, okay?"

Sally and the others nodded and left the room to regroup in the hallway.

---

Back In the Main Hallway

Once everybody made it back to the hallway, Sonic's group met up with Knuckles' group, happy to see that everything turned out fine.

Sally and Bunnie hugged, glad to see that both were alive and well.

Amy, being Amy, ran up to Sonic, shouting the hedgehog's name overdramatically in an attempt to hug him. But Sonic simply shrugged her off, much to her, Knuckles, and Bunnie's shock.

Amy asked, "Sonic? Sonic, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

The hedgehog simply stated without looking at the pink-furred girl, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Bunnie, clearly seeing that Sonic was acting off, questioned, "Are you shore yer fine, Sugar-hog? You don't seem like it."

"Positive," Sonic stated, not holding his mood up for debate.

Knuckles could, not wanting things to escalate, pulled out his shard Master Emerald shard as a sign that he did his job.

"I got mine, and found that the mole was setting us up so that his buddies could swipe the Chaos Emerald from us." Knuckles explained.

Sonic nodded, saying, "I know, I had a feelin' that most of them were shady. Fortunately, Tails got Sonar on our side. I took care of the pri-, I mean, Spike."

Knuckles, looking at a beaten-up Spike and Sonar being knocked out, asked, "I get Spike being knocked out, but why is Sonar?"

"...Spike happened." Sonic said briefly in a gruff manner. "That's all that I'm sayin' on the matter. She'll be fine, thankfully."

The echidna nodded out of respect, not uttering another word. Sonic took out the cyan Chaos Emerald and called everybody's attention.

"Alright guys, everybody get near me. I'm about to get us out here! …It's gettin' too stuffy for my taste." Sonic announced.

Knuckles, Amy, and Tails understood what was going to happen and did so. Sally and Bunnie, meanwhile, were confused.

"Uh, sugar?" Bunnie said as she pointed to the elevator behind them. "Thuh elevator is behind us."

Sonic smiled for the first time in a while, saying, "There's no need for that snore fest. If we're leavin', we're doin' it in style!"

Sally and Bunnie nodded to each other and walked over to Sonic in style. With everybody and everything collected, Sonic raised the cyan Chaos Emerald in the air.

"Hold on tight! Chaos Control!" Sonic shouted.

As a bright light formed from the gemstone, the light cloaked the people and whisked everybody away, warping them back to the city.

---

Sand Blast City, Three Hours Later

Needless to say, the mission was an overall success. Thanks to the efforts of Team Sonic, Amy, and the Freedom Fighters, they not only obtained the Master Emerald shard and collected their first Chaos Emerald.

Upon returning back to Sand Blast City, the gang informed the events in the refinery to the baron, which prompted Lord Lightfoot to immediately call the nearest officers. Two hours later after waiting while the two criminals were reviewing medical attention along with Sonar, members of the Royal Guard of Acornia came and took Spike and Tremor away, with a notable knight that was familiar to Sally and Bunnie.

He was a Mobian mongoose who was roughly the same age as King Maximillian with the height of Amadeus Prower. He had braided black hair with bits of gray stands on them, bushy black eyebrows, a chrome suit of armor with red accents, and a broadsword with a scabbard.

This was the war veteran, Arthur Mongoose.

Sally nodded to the knight, greeting him by saying, "Good Afternoon, Sir Arthur."

"Princess," The man stoically bowed. "You have done you and your kingdom an honorable service once more by apprehending these traitors."

"Thank you, however, it was not by myself nor do I deserve the credit," Sally stated, turning to Sonic and his friends, "It was Oliver, or Sonic, and his friends. They made it all possible."

Sonic smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Amy bowed while holding the tips of her dress. Tails saluted with a bright smile on his face. Knuckles simply nodded in acknowledgment. Staring at all of them, Arthur immediately recognized the faces of Amadeus and the late Sir Jules within Tails and Sonic. Realizing this, Arthur praised them.

"I see…You, children, have the Guard our thanks." Arthur said as he approached Sonic and Tails. "And I see that the rumors are true to their words. Oliver, Miles, both of you have done exceptionally great things that are bringing great honor to your parents and forefathers. I will be looking forward to your future endeavors. Keep up the good work."

Before he turned to leave, Bunnie asked the mongoose, "Wait! What bout Sophia? Her situation-"

"-Under normal circumstances, she would be immediately sent to the Devil's Gulag for treason and conspiring against the crown," Arthur explained after holding his hand for Bunnie to pause. "However, given the report that had been received, the king has decided that she'll be monitored and questioned in a special holding cell until the Parliament and his majesty makes the next decision."

Everybody, albeit relieved, still feared for the young fennec. However, Sonar accepted her faith wholeheartedly, content that her choice gave her a chance to prove herself as a decent person rather than being dragged to hell by her "brothers". By the end, Sonar asked to say her goodbye's to the others which Arthur granted.

Sonar turned to the group and apologized on Spike and Tremor's behalf.

"I-I know this sounds selfish b-but…" Sonar stuttered, bowing her head down while crying. "P-Please forgive my stupid brothers! I know what t-they did was wrong but I-I swear, they weren't always like that! They were sweet and kind, but they got bitter toward the world and people's happiness! …They just wanted to be happy so badly that they didn't realize what true happiness was."

Everyone stared at each other, empathetic towards the poor. Even when departing from those two, she still had to be responsible for them. In spite of all the things that they said and did to the girl, Sonar loved those she considered to be her brothers unconditionally.

Amy stepped forward and gave Sonar a great big hug, letting her know that it was alright. Each member of the group agreed to let go of their issue with the Desert Raiders, allowing everybody to move on. Before Sonar left, she called for Tails.

"T-Tails!"

Hearing his name being called, the inventor turned to Sonar, responding.

"Yes? What is it, Sonar?"

Suddenly, the male fox was pulled into a hug with the girl whispering into his ear, "Thank you, for everything. You're my hero."

Those words had caused Tails' little heart to flutter in a way he hasn't experienced before. He didn't have time to process this however as Sonar broke off the hug and walked towards the Royal Guard. She waved at her friends, old and new, farewell, leaving with the Royal Guard, who left in their truck.

Tails awkwardly waved before turning back to his friends with a tinge of pink on his muzzle. And from the way that Sonic, Knuckles, and the girls were looking at him, he knew what he was in for.

"Uh...Hi?" Was all that the fox could say.

Sonic, seemingly returning to his carefree self, said, "Hey buddy. Ya lookin' a little rosy on the cheeks there."

"W-Who's cheeks? Mine? W-Well, of course! We're in such a habitat where your cheeks get such a way! Hehehe!" Tails reasoned.

Knuckles, in a rare moment, chuckled at Tails' expense.

Amy, collapsing her hands together, cooed, "Aw~! This is so sweet! Tails' has finally got himself an admirer~!"

Tails blanched out, waving his hands frantically, saying, "W-What!? No! Come on, guys! It's nothing like that at all! Besides, I'm not old enough to be thinking about that kind of stuff!"

"Oh, shush liddel man! You're as red as an apple! Thayure's no need tuh bay ashamed bout likin' sumone, it's uh part uh growin' up!" Bunnie chimed in with a grin of her own.

Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Tails sighed in defeat. Sonic chuckled before being greeted with a heated glare by Amy, who had her hands on her hips.

"GAH! Uh...why are ya givin' me that look for?" Sonic asked, slightly scared.

"Sonic, I can't believe that you've kept something so important from me a secret! I thought we were close!" Amy accused him while pointing a finger at his face.

"Huh?" Sonic intelligently responded. "What are ya even on about, Amy? I mean, we're friends, I wouldn't keep anythin' from ya. At least, I don't think I did."

"Oh yeah? Well, why didn't you tell me that your real name was Oliver!" Amy questioned sharply, causing everybody to sweatdrop as they watched Sonic and Amy argue, or Amy freaking out over the topic accurately.

Sally, tending to her thoughts, wondered. '...Well, that's one gem down. Six more to go. …Speaking of stones, I can't believe power came back. I thought for sure that I used up all that the Deep Power Stone had when I destroyed Naugus' castle back then. So how did I do it? Did it really fade away, or is it deep within me? …I don't know. Maybe Daddy or Sir Charles can help me with this.'

Sally then turned to Sonic, who was being chased by Amy while the others watched in amusement. She shook her head and went back to Bunnie, stopping Tails from being teased too much.

A little while later, everybody was preparing to head back to New Mobotropolis as they were gathered near the X-Tornado. Nearby was Sally, who was still busy in her thoughts regarding the events under the refinery.

Her mind wandered back to Sonic. Specifically, when he somehow turned dark blue and began beating Spike to near death out of a fit of rage.

'...That is something I need to talk to Sir Charles about. That darkness that shrouded him, wasn't Sonic. He was too cruel, angry, and…sad. It was like he was a completely different person. Oh, Ollie. What's going on with you? What are you keeping from us? From me?'

Sally snapped out of her thoughts when she was approached by Sonic, who waved at her.

"Yo, Princess! I've got a favor to ask ya." Sonic said.

"Oh?" Sally uttered, cocking an eyebrow. "What is it, Sonic?"

Sonic nodded as he took out the cyan Chaos Emerald and extended it to Sally, much to her surprise.

"The Chaos Emerald?" Sally asked, tilting her head. "What about it?"

"Hang on to it for me," Sonic insisted.

Sally was taken aback by his response. From the way he looked and how his gesture was, Sally's mind ran wild given how he was essentially giving her one of the most precious gemstones of all time to her. She knew it was only platonic, but the chipmunk couldn't help but blush a little on her muzzle.

"W-What? Me?" Sally stuttered before composing herself just as swiftly. "Uh, why are you giving this to me? Not that I'm against it, of course?"

Sonic responded casually, "Well, that's obvious. When I saw how excited you were holdin' it, I figured that it became somethin' of meanin' to ya. And how you managed to keep it safe proved how much I can trust ya with one. Besides, this is the first Chaos Emerald that you've ever seen and held. If anybody deserves to keep this Chaos Emerald, it's you, Princess."

Sally's heart thumped in her chest faster than normal, absolutely awestruck at Sonic's words to her. The fact that the hedgehog had faith in her and trust in her to the point where she had his blessing to keep one of the legendary Gems of Miracle meant the world to her.

"You mean it?" Sally asked hopefully, wanting to be reassured.

Sonic grinned and gave her a thumbs up, "Of course! I wouldn't be askin' if I didn't."

Smiling wholeheartedly, Sally took the cyan Chaos Emerald off of Sonic's hands and into her own. The auburn-haired girl smiled, looking at the gem that reflected her face from of its surface.

"I-I don't know what to say." Sally stuttered. "Sonic… Thank you."

Sonic turned back towards the direction of the ship, saying, "Don't think much of it. I'm just bein' me. Think of that Emerald as a gift. Now, let's get goin'! We don't need to keep the others waitin'!"

Sonic walked back to the jet plane after finishing the sentence. As those words entered Sally's ears, she realized that they were about to depart soon. Putting the emerald back, she followed Sonic back to the jetplane, content that their mission had been accomplished.

Devil's Gulag, Forbidden Zone, Acornia

If one were to go further out of the Great Desert, which is beyond the Great Canyon, one could find two places. One option being Drood Henge, an ancient sight that was the birthplace and the resting place of the Deep Power Stones.

And the second option, would be the most dangerous and one of the most fortified areas of the kingdom. Going to a specific and cryptic path of the Forbidden Zone would lead you to the Devil's Gulag, which was a maximum security prison complex, home of the most notorious criminals known to Mobian-kind.

The building itself spoke for itself. a veritable fortress, situated atop a tall spire in the middle of a stretch of ocean and surrounded by a ring of active volcanoes. The lava flow continually heats the water to a boiling 220 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing any escape by sea, and gives the place a hellish atmosphere.

Within the building was a complex of cells that were filled with some of the most vile Mobians imaginable. And now, there were two new inmates.

Sharing a cell was Tremor and Spike, who both wore orange jumpsuits while. After making a speedy recovery thanks to the medical treatment in Sand Blast, the two were immediately taken to the Gulag as orders of the king. They were stripped of whatever they were wearing (outside of Tremor's glasses) and were thrown in the cell in no less than an hour.

While the mole was busy doing push ups in an attempt to train himself, Spike was in the corner, still processing the kind of punishment he received from Sonic in that darkened state he was in. It shook him to his very core, feeling that phantom pain of every slap he took from the hedgehog.

Speaking of punishment…

Slow steps echoed from the cell they were in. They were drawn out, soft, yet ominous. And with each step, the air around the cell became…colder.

Wait, colder?

Tremor stopped and felt the chill, turning to Spike.

"Hey, did it get colder here or what?" He asked. "Aren't we still in a hot ass canyon?"

Spike, getting up, noticed this too…then heard the footsteps get closer.

"Yeah… and I hear footsteps-" The porcupine suddenly paused as he instantly recognized what was happening. "...Oh shit."

"What, what's wrong Spence?" Tremor asked as he saw the fear in his eyes. "Is it a guard?"

"No…But I wish it was." Spike said in horror. "And I now realized that we are down right screwed."

"Right you are, dear child."

Both of them turned around with dread filling their entire bodies. Standing in front of them was the Ixis Warlock, shrouded in shrouds with his red and emerald green eyes peering down on them.

"B-Boss!" The mole and porcupine shouted, only for the troll to silence them with a soft shush with his finger.

"The two of you have failed me for the last time." He said with a cold and unforgiving tone. "Not only have you allowed the Chaos Emerald to fall into the enemy's hand, but you have once again proven your uselessness to me by losing your most valuable asset to them!"

At this point, Spike and Tremor were begging for mercy as they spewed out reason after reason.

Tremor complained, "This echidna came and he used these freaky voodoo powers on me, and-"

"I-It wasn't our fault!" Spike cried. "I-It was Sonic and his groupies! They filled Sonar with crap-"

Refusing to hear any more nonsense, Naugus used magic to bind their mouths closed.

"Silence! I've grown tired of your excuses! I've seen everything through my viewing orb. It was your arrogance and ignorance that became both of your undoing! You prioritize your pride over the mission at hand, and thanks to your hubris it has cost me the Emerald!"

Apologetic sobs escaped from the boys as tears flowed down from their faces. But the troll did not pay any mind to it, as both of his hands began to burn in blue Ixis Magick.

"Your fear, your anguish…. I can smell it from the both of you like a poisonous bog. But I know that you understand what shall come next, my gullible proxies. You will learn your place, even if I must show you the blackest pits of hell! Misery will be your teacher, and I….WILL BE YOUR SALVATION!"

Muffled screams of two inmates briefly filled the cell with a dim flash of light filling the room. However, like a flash of lightning and roaring thunder, it vanished as quickly as it arrived. And once again...there was absolute silence.

To Be Continued…

---

Author's Note: Jesus Christ! Forty-Four pages! Two fours, everyone! I never thought I'd say this but I've beaten my record of thirty-two pages. This is the longest thing that I've ever written! Ever! I don't even know how many words this chapter has, excluding this and the Review Response! Crap, I'm taking a break from writing stuff like this! Also, today is the first day of college and I'm buckling down for the semester.

Once again, I thank UltimateDemonBeast65 for the help with the chapter and lines for Naugus. He's a natural as both Naugus and as King Max.

Now, for trivial stuff. Spike the Porcupine's personality is based on Archie Sonic, Rex-splode from the Invincible story (both comic and cartoon), and a bit of Boom Sonic (Roger Craig Smith's voice). He's supposed to be all of the negative traits of Sonic exaggerated.

Sonar is based on a female Izuku Midoriya and a Tails that hasn't been fully confident and has a dormant desire for independence. Don't worry, she's not a damsel in distress. At least, that's not my intention with her.

And Trevor Burrow? Well, the initial idea was for his personality to be similar to a brick with a bit of Juggernaut from the X-Men comics but I ended up with… well, a thug who's a bit superstitious. I don't know-how, it just ended up that way.

Also, Dark Sonic is canon in this. How? An alternate version of Nazo Unleashed occurred, which means that the Dark transformation is important.

Speaking of which, the Deep Power Stone from SatAM is also canon because most of the events in SatAM happened. I won't list out which until later. This goes for a few of the storylines too.

Anyways. I got to go. I'm tired. Put your thoughts, questions, comments, and concerns on either in PMs or leave a review. I like both. Let me know what your favorite parts of this really long chapter are. I would like to know. Tell me what I need to improve on in the future too. Feedback is important to me. Also, who do you ship as a pairing so far? I like to read your opinions and reasoning for fun. Other than that, I'll catch ya'll later!

DarkShadowGames451