Eggman and his Egg Pawns were in the city cornering a group of civilians, only for Sonic to appear in the nick of time to destroy the badniks as they had just raised their arms up to fire, causing the civilians to cheer on Sonic.
"Is everyone okay?" Sonic asked.
"We are, thanks to you. Cutting it kind of close, though, pal." Tails said.
"Yeah, that's pretty much how I roll." she said and turned around to face Eggman. "Okay, let's finish this, Eggman!"
"It will be your finish, Sonic. Behold the power of my ultimate masterpiece!" Eggman said.
Sonic shrugged and was about to attack him with his homing attack, only for it to be blocked by a mysterious figure. She managed to land on her feet, while Tails ushered the civilians down a nearby alleyway to escape to safety, and recognized the figure of what appeared to be Shadow, who, for some reason, has different eyes.
"Shadow! It's you?" she said and Zavok appeared. "Zavok!?" she said then Metal Sonic appeared. "Metal!?" she said then Chaos appeared. "Chaos!"
A mysterious figure with a red aura floated down. Sonic scoffed at the new opponent and charged at the figure with a Boost, only for him to quickly sidestep the attack and move out the way, much to Sonic's surprise.
"Huh?" she said.
"Woah! This guy is faster than Sonic!" Tails said.
The figure fired a laser from his palm at Sonic and she dodged and the latter used her Homing Attack on the figure, only to be kicked into the air and then roundhouse kicked into a building, cratering the masonry from the impact.
"No, wait! It's something else. Gotta scan him and figure this out." Tails said.
The figure fired two lasers from his palm at Sonic but she dodged. Zavok charged at her at this moment and punched at her, only for her to block the attack and roundhouse kick the Zeti, who shouted in pain as he was repulsed. Sonic then charged at the figure and jumped into the air to attack him, only to see Metal Sonic was about to attack him from the flank. Sonic used her stomp move to avoid Metal Sonic and proceeded to charge at the figure again, only for her to move out of the way. When Sonic landed on a building, Chaos appeared out of the blue about to punch her, only for the latter to block.
"What are you? How are you doing-" she said.
The figure appeared and roundhouse kicks her again while she was distracted by Chaos, sending her tumbling across the street. Eggman clenched his fist in victory.
"Nice!" he said.
Sonic got up.
"Tails! I need to know what's going on with this guy!" she said.
"I'm trying, Sonic, but these readings are all messed up! They don't make any sense!" Tails said.
The figure proceeds to roundhouse kick Sonic once again, only for her to evade the attack this time and somersault out of the way. The figure attacked her again before she could recover, causing her to be launched into a building, again with enough force to crater the masonry. Sonic then got launched into the air by the figure, who then blast lasers from his palms, and got pummeled by Shadow, Zavok, Chaos, and Metal Sonic, all in that order.
"Running out of time here, Tails!" Sonic said.
Then the figure delivered one last blow on her, slamming her to the ground in front of Tails, who looked on with concern. Sonic tried to lift herself up, but to no success as she has no strength left, and collapsed in defeat, to Tails' horror.
"Sonic!" he said.
The figure was floating down as Sonic lost consciousness with some final pained groans.
'Sonia, Manic.' she thought.
A few months later they were in Resistance HQ and Vector entered, a hand to his forehead in disbelief and sounding weary. Charmy, Espio, Amy and Silver were already gathered here.
"Eggman's army is unstoppable! Without Sonic, the people are losing hope and giving into despair." Vector said.
"Despair is a luxury we don't have." Silver said.
"I still dream that Sonic is with us. Do you think she might be-" Amy started but was cut off.
"I'm an optimist, but I'm also a realist. Sonic is gone, Amy. And Tails is... Tails has just lost it. If we're going to win we have to do it without them."
"Silver is right. We've been hoping for a miracle these past six months, but I'm afraid we have to make our own miracle." Espio said.
"Eggman's army has everyone terrified. If we want the people to rally, we have to show them that strength doesn't just come from numbers."
"Not everyone is terrified. Isn't a new recruit joining us today?" Charmy asked.
"Yes, a survivor from the city, right?"
"I'm accessing the file now..." Amy said.
Everyone turns their attention to the main monitor as she brought up the new recruit's file for them to look over.
Later Knuckles came in.
"Knuckles! What's the sitrep, Commander?" Silver asked.
"Happy to see you're all still alive. Eggman's forces have chewed through our defenses at Green Hill. And the resistance in the city is reporting that whatever it is that finished Sonic..." Knuckles said and saw everyone sad. "Sorry, I'm still not used to saying that. Whatever it is has got then running in fear." he said and the Avatar entered. "All except for this brave kid who survived the battle and made it here in one piece. Meet our newest recruit." he said and patted the Avatar on the back, causing them to grunt as they stumbled forward from it.
Then Charmy buzzed over to look them over.
"Doesn't look like much." he said.
"Neither do you Charmy, but I still managed to find a use for your pointy butt."
"Teehee."
"Here kid. Take this. We're depending on you. Ok, let's get going everybody. The world's not going to save itself." Knuckles said and gave the Avatar a Burst Wispon.
Everyone agreed.
"Alright then. This might cheer Tails up a little."
'I hope.' he thought and thought about calling Sonia but shook his head. 'Sonic would kill me is I did.' he thought as they all nodded then got back to work.
Later.
"I've just received some incredible news! Sonic really is alive!" Knuckles said.
"No way! That's excellent!" Silver said.
"What!? Oh, thank goodness! I knew it! I knew it!" Amy said.
"She's captured in the orbiting prison. My spy there says she's in a solitary confinement cell, and they've been torturing her for months." Knuckles said.
"That's horrible! We have to rescue her!" Amy said.
"Plan's already happening, Amy. I've got a squad on the way to the Space Port in the Chemical Plant to "borrow" a shuttle. C'mon, guys. Who's up for an old-school style jailbreak?"
Meanwhile it was sunset and Tails was in the city trying to repair Omega but to no avail.
"Hmm... That should have done it... I couldn't figure it out for you buddy. I'm sorry I wasn't smart enough." he said.
Suddenly, Chaos Zero appeared from a manhole and prepared to attack him.
"Whoa, Chaos! Sonic, help me!" he said and crouched in fear as Chaos started to attack, but Chaos hesitated upon hearing something off to the side.
Suddenly, Classic Sonic appeared from a portal and attacked him, saving Tails.
"S-Sonic? You're... You're alive! Wait, what? Oh.. You're that Sonic from another dimension aren't you?" he said and Classic Sonic nodded. "Right, right, right, that makes sense, I think. Do you know how you got here?" he asked and she shrugged. "Maybe the power that Eggman is using is somehow affecting other dimensions. Which might work to our advantage. I mean, everything happens for a reason, right? We need to save the world, and maybe that's why you're here. To help save the world! Either way, it's still good to see you, Sonic. Heck, it's good to see any Sonic!"
Classic Sonic looks at him, puzzled.
Later after City: Ghost Town
"Knuckles! Can you hear me?" Rouge said.
"Rouge. It's about time! How's Sonic doing?" Knuckles said.
"She's been better. They're getting ready to banish her into space."
"What? You can't be serious!" Silver said.
"Eggman's been keeping Sonic alive all this time. He's been waiting to show her his completed empire before banishing her."
"And torturing Sonic just to pass the time. That's low, even for Eggman." Knuckles said.
"Eggman got wind of our rescue plan and is moving forward with his plan ahead of schedule. The clock is ticking, boss."
"But we don't even know where she's being held captive." Amy said.
"Yes we do. Eggman rebuilt the Death Egg. That's where he's keeping Sonic."
"The Death Egg? Oh, man, that's not good." Vector said.
"None of this is good, Vector. That's why it's called "war." You all know what to do. Let's go get Sonic." Knuckles said.
Wasn't in my hands
Meanwhile in the current time Sonic was in the Death Egg sitting in a cell, her hands and feet restrained by light cuffs, as Zavok opened the door to escort her to her execution.
"This is the end, Sonic." Zavok said.
"Oh hey, sounds like the party's started. Want to let me go and join in? No? Of course not, you hate fun." Sonic said sarcastically.
The power went out shortly before recovering as the alarm rang, surprising Sonic, before her cuffs came off, freeing him
"Oh, wow. The end, huh? Let's see you try something now that I'm free." she said.
"Foolish hedgehog. Getting out of your chains does not make you free. Now come and face the inevitable."
"The only thing inevitable here is my foot kicking your butt." she said running out of her cell.
Zavok charged forward and Sonic dodged before chasing after him.
After being successfully defeated by Sonic, Zavok struggled to catch his breath before he collapsed to the ground unconscious and his body suddenly disappeared before Sonic's eyes.
"It's that sound again?" she said then some minor shaking occurred, nearly knocking her off balance. "Whoa! It's not time for thinking. It's time for running!" she said and started running and leapt off the platform she fought Zavok on.
Meanwhile the Avatar was ambushed by three Egg Pawns that corner them on the side of the catwalk leading to the shuttle launch bay. Before they had a chance to attack the frightened Avatar, Sonic arrived and easily destroyed them, saving him.
Then she landed in front of him.
"Easy there! Everything's cool." she said and helped him up. "Are you here to rescue me?" she asked and he nodded. "Can't tell you how much I appreciate it. It's been a while since I've seen a friendly face."
"Hey rookie, you still in one piece?" Knuckles asked over radio.
"Oh, sure, don't even bother to ask how I am." she said sarcastically.
"Sonic! I'm so glad!" Amy said over the radio.
"Amy?" she said shocked.
"Hold up, Amy. We're all happy Sonic is alive! But he won't be for long if he doesn't get off that egg in a hurry." Knuckles said.
"Is there an exit around here?" Sonic asked the Avatar, over what Knuckles was saying on the radio.
He pointed to a nearby Eggman Fleet shuttle preparing to depart the Death Egg's hangar on a turntable.
"Your concern is touching, Knuckles." she said and ran on ahead as the Avatar reached out after her with a surprised gasp before running after her.
Then they board the stolen shuttle and escaped the Death Egg.
Later Sonic, Silver, Knuckles, Vector and Charmy were outside Egg Gate.
"Sonic, finding you alive is the best news we've had in months! And here's the bad news. Our Intel indicates that Eggman's got a weapons factory in Green Hill, pumping out munitions for his war effort." Knuckles said.
"A factory? We can't take out Eggman's home base in Metropolis if he's got a factory supplying him." Silver said.
"No kidding. Look Sonic, I know you just got back but we're spread thin. Can you take care of this? We need that factory in Green Hill destroyed. Take the rookie with you."
"You sure about this? The kid was shaking like a leaf the whole time we were at the Death Egg." Vector said.
"That's because it's cold in space! The factory is nice and warm!" Charmy said.
"It will be when it's burnt to the ground! Sonic, you take the lead! Rookie, just make sure you take good notes." Knuckles said.
"I've got six months of payback I'm just dying to spend. This sounds like a good start!" Sonic said.
At Arsenal Pyramid
"Something is attacking inside the Mystic Jungle! Silver is fighting him... or it, or whatever. Just hurry!" Amy said.
"Guys! It's him!" Silver said.
"I'm looking forward to a second round with this guy!" Sonic said.
Meanwhile at Mystic Jungle.
"This wasn't part of my agenda, but I'm always happy to crush a hero. It keeps the rabble in line. Shows them that there is no hope." Infinite said.
"Does anyone but you believe your lies?" Silver asked.
Then they flew about, clashing with each other. In the process, Infinite dropped a Phantom Ruby prototype and eventually knocked Silver against the wall above Eggman's lab and Silver fell to the ground, weakened.
"Seeing is believing." Infinite said and flew at Silver to deliver the finishing blow, but was knocked away by Sonic just in time landing in front of Silver.
"Time to tag out, Silver! I've got it from here!" she said.
"Well, look who's back from the dead. The little blue savior. But what's that I smell? You reek of fear. Glad to see I left an impression." he said and she sniffed her own armpit.
"That's not fear. I ran all the way over here. And you haven't left an impression. I don't know anything about you! Not even your name."
"You may call me "Infinite" in the brief moments that remain to you."
"Great! See, Infinite, now we're getting to know each other! So, what's your favorite color? Do you like long, romantic walks on the beach? What's the source of your power? You can skip the first two questions if you like."
"The source of my power is none of your concern."
"Sorry, but you've just GOT to share the secret of your power with me. I insist!" she said and ran towards him.
"Your insistence is futile!" he said and unleashed a wave that negating gravity, causing them to stumble around in weightlessness.
"Sonic, you OK?" Silver asked as she floated around, unable to answer him, until Infinite flew into her and took her with him into the distance, as she yelled in pain from the impact.
While she yelled she saw all the pain she had dealt with as a Freedom Fighter, Resistance and Sonic Underground all those years ago.
Later.
"Well. You've improved since the last time. But you will still lose." Infinite said and unleashed a shockwave making Sonic wobble.
Then he threw two energy spheres at her, the second of which knocked her to the ground.
"As I predicted. You're not even worth the effort to finish off." he said and flew away and she got up.
"Rrrrrgh! I gotta figure out the secret of his power." she said.
At Green Hill.
"I failed Sonic. Well, I mean this world's Sonic... and Eggman's monster got him. But you're here now. It's like the world needs a Sonic... any Sonic, to keep things in balance. If we defeat Eggman, this war will be over. And if we can figure out the secret to his power, maybe we can get you home. Hey, the sensor is picking up Eggman! Let's hurry!" Tails said.
Later Tails and Classic Sonic hid behind a rock while Infinite held up a Phantom Ruby prototype.
"And with that, the disposal of the Phantom Ruby prototypes is complete." Infinite said and crushed the Phantom Ruby prototype with his hand.
"It was a defective model. It could only record the DNA of the one that triggered it." Eggman said.
"Only a being with my strength of will could ever activate it."
"It doesn't matter now, with the lab locked down in Mystic Jungle. Which reminds me, didn't you run into Sonic there after he escaped?"
"Yes, but he was powerless against me. There is no need for concern."
"You let the hedgehog LIVE? That is a great source of concern."
"For you, perhaps. He has beaten you for decades, yet I defeated him in our first encounter."
So I might slip again
As he heard this, Eggman's face scowled in fury at Infinite.
"Phantom Ruby prototypes? And Sonic... is alive?" Tails said.
Infinite turned his head toward Tails and Classic Sonic, who hid before he saw them.
"What is it?" Eggman asked.
"...nothing. We move forward with the plan?" Infinite said.
"Of course! When it's complete, the resistance will be erased. The world will be nothing but ashes, from which a glorious Eggman Empire will rise!
"And the resistance will yield to the Phantom Ruby's power. All will submit."
Eggman let off a low growl of agreement before Infinite flew away. Classic Sonic stood up and revealed himself to Eggman, despite Tails trying to stop him.
"What!? You!" Eggman said.
Classic Sonic hit the Egg Mobile before Eggman had a chance to react, rocking it hard enough to send him reeling slightly before he quickly recovers.
"I don't have time for this." he said then closed the glass dome over his cockpit, deployed the engines, and flew away in the Egg Mobile.
Classic Sonic followed him.
Eggman was attempting to escape in his Egg Mobile as flames licked off the back of it, but soon crash-landed, digging a good trench into the Green Hill footpath as the Egg Mobile scrapped to a halt. Eggman was heard grunting and groaning as he crashed and slid to a stop.
"Yeah! We did it!" Tails said.
"Hohohoho. Look at you fighting like you've got a chance to win. It's adorable." Eggman said and the Egg Mobile shifted suddenly, momentarily interrupting him as he recovered from it. "Almost makes me feel bad that we're never going to do this little dance again. In just three short days, my plan will eliminate the bothersome lot of you!"
"Wait. Three days? And what "plan"?"
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise!" he said and reboot the Egg Mobile. "You know what they say, the anticipation of the end is worse than the end itself. Maybe not in this case though. Mwa-hahaha!" he said and flew away in the Egg Mobile.
At Park Avenue.
"Eggman's army has broken through! They're in the city! We need to get these people out of here!" Amy said.
"Who can we send? Sonic and Silver need time to heal." Knuckles said.
"We've engaged enemy forces at Seaside Hill. We can't spare anyone!" Espio said.
"This is the 8th Unit! We're pinned down under heavy enemy fire!" soldier said.
"Man, looks like I've got no choice. Okay, rookie, I've got a tough one for you. I need you to head back to the city and save those civilians!" Knuckles said.
Later they were in Park Avenue.
"That was impressive, but we still have a lot to do!" Knuckles said.
"Great job! I knew you could do it if you believe in yourself!" Sonic said.
"Nice moves, but if you hog all the glory, how am I going to look good?" Vector said.
Before Mystic Jungle at Casino Forest
"I can't believe it! Sonic's alive! I think I used up all my wishes for the rest of my life, but it's worth it! Come on, we have to go find her and tell her about Eggman's plan. Whatever his plan is. Eggman said something about Sonic being in Mystic Jungle." Tails said.
At Aqua Road.
"The system is picking up a couple of strange readings. They're coming from the laboratory, the one where Sonic fought Infinite." Rouge said.
"It's probably another of Eggman's robots." Silver said.
"Life readings, two of them. Definitely not robots."
"Hey rookie, go to the lab and check it out!" Knuckles said.
Sure enough Avatar was outside the lab then opened it to see Infinite's lost Phantom Ruby prototype he dropped during his earlier fight with Silver outside the lab and picked it up. It glowed for a moment in their hand, amazing them, before going silent again. Shortly afterward, Classic Sonic and Tails arrived at the lab and meet up with the Avatar.
"Have we met before?" Tails asked.
Later all three entered the Resistance base and Tails flew to Sonic and gave her a hug happy to see her again.
"SONIC!" Tails said.
"Tails!" Sonic said.
"I was sooo worried. I thought you were..." he started.
"You worry too much. Look, I'm perfectly fine." Sonic said and turned to Classic Sonic. "Ah, it's been generations since I've seen you. You okay?" she asked and Classic Sonic gave her a thumbs up and a smile.
"The good news is you're safe. The bad news is Eggman said he has some plan that would destroy us all in three days!"
"Three days, huh? A lot can happen in that time."
Earlier at Sunset Heights.
"Eggman said when the plan is completed, we'll all be wiped out!" Tails said.
"I don't like the sound of that. Normally I'd just laugh at an Eggman plan, but he's already conquered most of the world so... What's this plan of his?" Knuckles said.
"Hey, I hate to butt in on your important meeting, but we're under attack! Shadow is tearing through our troops! We need reinforcements!" Vector said.
"Shadow... The last time I saw him he was fighting for Eggman." Sonic said.
"That doesn't make sense. Why would Shadow help the enemy?" Knuckles said.
"Perhaps he's being controlled by that strange power?" Silver said.
"Whatever it is, I'll figure it out!" Sonic said
Later at sunset Sonic and Super Sonic found Shadow in one of the streets.
"All right, Shadow! What's the deal?" Sonic asked but Shadow didn't answer and charged toward her, who raised her hands to her face in defense.
Shadow leapt and prepared to deliver the first blow to her.
"Chaos control!" he said and the screen flashed white, causing the Shadow attacking Sonic to be frozen in time, and another Shadow appeared to roundhouse kick the attacking him away from her, defeating him as he was sent tumbling back up the street, landing face-down on the cobblestones out cold, time resuming the instant the real Shadow connected his attack with the fake.
Sonic watched in confusion.
"Another Shadow!?" she said and the fake Shadow disappeared. "He just disappeared."
'Jesus, I've been doing this for to long.' she thought. 'I need a therapist because I think I'm going crazy.'
"That was a fake." Shadow said.
"A fake? How?"
Later they were at Sunset Heights.
"Infinite can create virtual reality projections. They have mass and form, but no heart and soul." Shadow said.
"Virtual reality? So all those familiar faces that were a part of Eggman's army..." Sonic said.
"Replicas." he said. "The problem is, they may not be real, but their powers are as formidable as the originals. According to Rouge, Infinite can create unlimited numbers of them."
"So, fight after fight, he can just keep cranking up counterfeits?"
"As it stands, there's no way we can win this."
"Of course we can win this! We always do! We just haven't figured that part out, yet."
Then they looked at each other and to her shock he grabbed her arms and kissed her.
When he let go she looked at him in shock.
"What-" she started but was cut off.
"I love you. I don't know how this is going to end so I just wanted you to know." he said.
"I thought you hated me?"
"I've loved you since the day we met. I just didn't wanna risk losing you like Maria." he said and she kissed him back then stopped.
"I have more experience with this than her. I've been fighting Eggman since I was five and a Freedom Fighter." she said and smiled. "I'll be fine. But just in case, I love you to Shads." she said and he smiled.
"Does this make us a couple for at least now?" he asked and she smiled and nodded.
"I guess it does."
"Be carefull OK?"
"You to." she said and they got to work.
Meanwhile at Capital City.
"Listen up! We just got word that Eggman's forces are undermanned at his headquarters in Metropolis!" Knuckles said.
"They're probably staging somewhere else as part of Eggman's plan. This could be our only chance to take the city." Espio said.
"Exactly! That's why we're focusing on a full frontal assault on Metropolis! I'm calling it, "Operation Big Wave"!"
"Who cares what it's called? What's important is to have a well thought out strategy." Silver said.
"I thought up this strategy in about a minute and a half. We're going in hard and fast and we're not going to stop till Eggman's army's destroyed. Sonic is busy fighting Shadow, but the rest of us can do this! We've got the strength and the spirit to win. There's no finer group that I'd want to fight with."
"Ha! Great speech! Let's give Eggman an old-fashioned beat down!" Vector said.
"They have more in sheer numbers, so the idea of a quick, focused attack isn't bad. We also have Sonic- I mean, the other Sonic- so I have no doubt we can do this! Also, if we can destroy the Phantom Ruby, we should be able to send the other Sonic home! At least I hope so... this is all new territory for me..." Tails said.
"Okay, let's head straight for Eggman's HQ! Time to save the world, people!" Knuckles said.
"More ants to crush. I wonder if this world can offer me a real challenge." he said.
The Avatar walked by, only to notice him, causing them to freeze in fear as Infinite took notice of them.
And as if to answer, the world sends me a trembling child." he said and Avatar started to back away in fear, only for Infinite to warp up next to him, shocking the latter and paralyzing them in abject terror. "Are you going to fight and die here? Or, run away in fear again?" He asked and the Avatar backed away from him uneasily, completely scared out of their mind, but then started remembering Sonic's words.
"Hey, don't be scared! This is your moment to shine!" Sonic said and the Avatar clenched their fist. "Keep going. Don't let your fear own you!"
The Avatar, with renewed confidence and a determined looked on their face, stepped up to Infinite and raised their fist against him, as if to say.
"Fine. I will teach you fear, then pain, and then... well, at least the fear and pain will end." Infinite said and threw three energy spheres at the Avatar, but the Avatar dodged them.
In the process, the Avatar dropped their Phantom Ruby prototype then glared angrily up at Infinite.
"I remember you. You ran from me before." Infinite said and the Avatar picked up the Phantom Ruby prototype, never losing their glare towards him. "You survived then, but you throw it all away now. Curious." he said and manifested several cannons aimed at the Avatar. "This will be good-bye." he said and the cannons fired at the Avatar.
The Avatar shield their face and braced for the impact and explosion, but the Avatar's Phantom Ruby prototype glinted however, causing the projectiles to pass through the Avatar and exploded harmlessly, having temporarily reversed the virtual reality for a split-second. The Avatar took notice of what happened before scowling at Infinite again as Infinite was stunned by what just happened himself.
"What!? How is this possible? It can't be... How did you?" he asked and fired the cannons again.
The Avatar jumped out of the way of the projectiles this time, but Infinite flew up to them and released an energy burst into their torso at point-blank range. The Avatar landed down on the ground on their chest in defeat. They can only attempt to look up at Infinite weakly as Infinite spoke, restoring things back to normal reality.
"No matter. They have only two days left. Let them contemplate the inevitable until I end this once and for all." he said and flew away, leaving the Avatar to watch him depart with a weakened look on their face.
Before Chemical Plant.
"Things were going well with Operation Big Wave, but then everything fizzled out when that Phantom Ruby kicked in." Knuckles said.
"That fake Shadow was created using the Phantom Ruby's power, right? Even if it's a virtual reality projection, it's as strong as the real Shadow." Silver said.
"Rouge, have you found the intel I was looking for?" Shadow asked.
"No, not yet. But I have reports that Eggman's database is located at the Chemical Plant. If we can check that out, we might find something there." Rouge said.
"That sounds like a promising lead. We have to figure out the secret behind Infinite's power and virtual reality. Tails, can you handle this?" Sonic said.
"Got it. I'll take Sonic-I mean, the other Sonic- with me and head to the Chemical Plant!" Tails said.
After they got to Chemical Plant.
"Phew, so this is where the database is. Hold on a sec, while I access the data from this computer... Okay... failed battle plans... old robot designs... wow, he's got like ten terabytes of selfies... so where does he keep the- Found it! Virtual Reality weapon. The Phantom Ruby. A weapon that takes control of people's visual and depth perception to feed false information to the brain, creating a new reality for them! Like a dream so real, if you bump yourself in it, your sleeping self will bruise? It's hard to believe. Eggman experimented with lots of prototypes, and then incorporated the final version into Infinite. If I'm reading this data correctly, then there might be a weakness. This is huge! Let's get this information back to the others!" Tails said.
Before at Red Gate Bridge
"I don't like sitting on the bench, but there's nothing to do till Tails gets back." Knuckles said.
"Way to jinx it! Metal Sonic has been spotted in the city!" Amy said.
"Is it another fake?" Shadow asked.
"Why would they bother making a fake out of something that already isn't real? Couldn't they just build more? Either way, it's getting wrecked! Let's go, partner!" Sonic said.
Later it was sunset and Sonic walked up besides the Avatar, who was panting heavily following their fight with the Metal Sonic replica.
"Hey! That was great! We were like a well-oiled machine... fighting a well-oiled machine." Sonic said and raised her fist at the Avatar.
The puzzled Avatar looked at her, who gave an approving nod. The Avatar smiled and chuckles, and proceeded to fist bump with her.
Before Green Hill at Guardian Rock.
"I got it, Sonic! I figured out a way to stop Eggman's Phantom Ruby!" Tails said.
"Great work, Tails!" Sonic said.
"Based on these readings, the Phantom Ruby requires an incredible amount of energy, which only the Death Egg can provide. We simply stop the energy transfer, and boom, the Phantom Ruby is practically useless." Tails said.
"Simply? Last I checked the Death Egg is a heavily fortified... well, Death Egg." Knuckles said.
"True. But I came up with a plan. First, we distract Eggman. While he's not paying attention, we use the Chemical Plant computer to hack into the Death Egg's weapons systems and shut it down. With no weapons, destroying the Death Egg will be a piece of cake. No Death Egg, means the Phantom Ruby is nearly useless."
"Well, you know, it's just crazy enough to work. So first we need a distraction. I'm on it!"
"No way, Knuckles. You're too easily distracted. That's not a good trait for a distraction. Plus, you're our commander! We kinda need you here." Amy said.
"How about the rookie? Eggman would never expect it. It may even throw him off a little." Silver said.
"Good idea! You got your orders, rookie. We only have one more day before Eggman's plan is executed, so let's hustle!" Knuckles said.
Earlier at Chemical Plant Network Terminal.
"I'm almost at the Chemical Plant. How's the rookie doing with the distraction?" Sonic asked.
"So far so good. We might have to stop using the nickname "rookie" if the kid keeps this up." Knuckles said.
"Next, we've got to get to the computers at the Chemical Plant and shut down the Death Egg's weapons system." Tails said.
"Perfect. I've been waiting for my turn to bust some heads!" Sonic said and smirked.
Earlier on the Death Egg.
"The Death Egg's weapon systems are down! Now is your chance! Move!" Rouge said.
"Hurry! Just destroy the Death Egg and cut off the power supply!" Tails said.
"You're making it sound like a walk in the park. This is the Death Egg!" Vector said.
"Don't sweat it. The other Sonic has this under control."
In Space the Death Egg was suffering numerous explosions around its hull before it was destroyed in a single large explosion.
At the Resistance HQ everyone cheered as they saw the Death Egg destroyed.
"They did it! The Phantom Ruby's power should be down to almost nothing!" Amy said.
At Green Hill Eggman, Orbot, and Infinite watched the Death Egg's demise on the screen provided by Cubot. Eggman was livid over losing the Death Egg again.
"Grr, those resistance pests and their clever little plots. They're like something on your shoe that you can't wipe off." Eggman said.
"It appears they have taken our legs right out from under us. Quite impressive, really." Orbot said.
"I don't have legs. Neither do you, dude." Cubot said.
"Don't remind me, dude!"
"Five more hours before the plan is executed. Infinite, let's make a tactical retreat so that we can re-mobilize our forces." Eggman said.
"And by "tactical retreat" you mean to say, "flee with our tails between our legs." I'm quite displeased about this, Doctor." Infinite said.
Eggman wasn't amused by his sarcasm about his next move.
"Shut up and just follow me." he said and roared off in the Egg Mobile as Orbot, Cubot, and Infinite flew after him.
"Mission accomplished. The Phantom Ruby's signal has gotten much weaker." Rouge said.
"This should effectively put a stop to the doctor's greatest weapon." Shadow said.
"The Sonics have made an opening for us. We can't just let that go to waste." Vector said.
"This is the moment we've been waiting for. Time to settle the score!" Silver said.
"Now that the Phantom Ruby is out of the way, we can finally smash Eggman into an omelet!" Knuckles said.
"Hey, don't count your chickens before you smash your eggs!" Rouge said.
"Rouge is right. The fact that Eggman and Infinite are still around means we can't let our guard down." Sonic said.
"I just want everyone to get home safely, okay?" Amy said.
"All right, fine. Everyone get your game face on! The target is Eggman at the Central Tower!" Knuckles said.
Later at Metropolis Sonic confronted Eggman, along with Orbot and Cubot, on one of the rooftops.
"Welcome, Sonic. Glad you could make it to your funeral! Infinite, do it." Eggman said.
"Take this!" Infinite said and created a portal.
"What is that?" Sonic asked.
As Eggman spoke, Orbot and Cubot realized the severity of the situation and scampered away in the opposite direction in absolute fear.
"Har-har. That, my spiky little frenemy, is null space." Eggman said.
"Null space?" Sonic said and signaled to Tails to go into hiding.
Tails complied, taking cover behind one of the nearby vents that provided ample shielding for him.
"It's a little something that the Phantom Ruby cooked up, a closed-off space where absolutely nothing exists! Good-bye, Sonic, my soon-to-be-eradicated nemesis. Enjoy all the nothing!" Eggman said and rocketed the Egg Mobile skyward as Infinite fired another shot before retreating backwards to safety.
The second shot enlarged the portal and activated a powerful suction vacuum in it, catching Sonic and Tails by surprise by the force of the pull. The portal started sucking everything in and Tails held onto the building piece he took cover behind while Sonic was losing her footing, unable to resist the pull from the portal. Just as she lost her footing completely and started to be pulled into the portal, the Avatar swung in and grabbed her, struggling to hold onto her for as long as they can.
"Buddy! Don't! You'll be sucked in too!" Sonic said.
The Avatar's cable broke, and they got sucked into the portal and promptly closed. Tails was in disbelief over what he just witnessed.
"But we destroyed the Phantom Ruby's power source." he said.
Then Eggman reappeared in his Egg Mobile to explain everything to him, who starred up at Eggman in total shock.
"Tsk, tsk. Since you ALWAYS destroy the power source of my weapons, I decided to learn from my mistakes. I had a back-up power source created under Metropolis." Eggman said.
Later Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, and Infinite were overlooking the Eggman Fleet. Orbot sighed in boredom. Sonic and the Avatar then arrived, having escaped null space. Orbot noticed the duo and started tapping Eggman's shoulder to get his attention.
"Excuse me? Boss." Orbot said.
Eggman finally glanced over his shoulder and spotted Sonic and the Avatar out of the corner of his eye, causing him to wheel around to face them in absolute shock.
"What!? It can't be! It's impossible to get out of the Phantom Ruby's null space!" Eggman said and knocked Orbot away in disbelief..
Infinite looked at Sonic and the Avatar with an annoyed grunt.
"Maybe by myself, but I had a little help from my friend. Something you wouldn't understand, since you don't have any friends!" Sonic said.
"Grr... This changes nothing! Dr. Eggman will still have the last laugh!" Eggman said and flew away in the Egg Mobile.
Infinite followed while Orbot and Cubot straggled along, but only after Orbot noticed Cubot looking at Sonic and the Avatar, and whacked him upside the head to tell him to follow the others.
"Maybe he'd have more friends if he didn't talk about himself in the third person." Sonic said and the Avatar gave a thumbs up, which Sonic nodded in response to.
Before Eggman Empire Fortress at Imperial Tower.
"We've got less than an hour before Eggman's plan goes down." Knuckles said.
"There's no more time. We have to break into the fortress now." Shadow said.
"Indeed, this is it- our last opportunity to bring peace back into the world." Silver said.
"But... when the battle ends, we'll have to part with Sonic- I mean, this Sonic- won't we?" Tails asked.
"Yes, if the Phantom Ruby is gone, I guess she'll be returned to her dimension." Amy said.
"Thank you for everything, Sonic. I'll never forget what you did for us."
"Save the sentiments for later. This is not over yet. We still have a battle to fight." Espio said.
"Exactly. This is our last chance. Give it everything you've got!" Knuckles said.
At the Eggman Empire Fortress the Resistance was facing the oncoming opposition from the Eggman Army. Knuckles and Sonic nodded at each other saying 'we got this' and Knuckles turned around and raised his arm. A large group, possibly a battalion of Resistance infantry at least, stood behind him, Sonic and all their friends.
"Let's go!" Knuckles said and they charged forward, yelling and shouting, and started fighting their way through the army.
Gunfire flies everywhere as the Resistance troops unleashed various Wispon firepower on the approaching replicas. Knuckles knocked out a Zavok replica.
"Take this!" Knuckles said.
Shadow knocked out a number of replicas, Silver psycho-kinetically immobilized three replicas, which the Chaotix members knocked out shortly afterwards, Amy smashed a Metal Sonic replica Silver immobilized with her Piko Piko Hammer, and Rouge kicked out some more immobilized replicas. The Resistance charged forward, easily tearing through the replicas as they advanced. At the end of the first wave was Infinite, flying and looking onwards at the approaching rabble while Sonic rushed towards him quickly.
"Hey, Infinite! Long time no see! Did you miss me?" Sonic asked.
As Infinite speaks, Sonic was joined by rest of her friends to confront Infinite together.
"Why yes, I did. I've been looking forward to finishing you and your annoying friends." Infinite said and unleashed a powerful wave of energy, knocking them back. "I trust you're all ready for oblivion? If you're not... oh well."
He was suddenly shot at, and managed to deflect some of the shots. Omega dropped down from the air, appearing before everyone, fully repaired and operational.
"What!? Who dares!?" Infinite said.
"Target reconfirmed. Extermination mode initiated. Payback INEVITABLE." Omega said.
"Omega! You've joined us!? Awesome!" Rouge said.
"Is there no end to these annoying insects? I will burn your resistance to ashes, and you along with it!" Infinite said and with a furious shout, shot a beam up into the sky, creating a replica of the sun with his Phantom Ruby prototype, to everyone's shock and disbelief.
"Whoa, you've got to be kidding. That's just a special effect, right?" Knuckles said.
"No, it's not! While we're under the Phantom Ruby's control, it's a part of our reality!" Tails said.
"Unbelievable! What chance do we have against that?" Espio said.
Then Eggman came by in his Egg Mobile.
"The sun will fall upon you all. BOOM! THE END! Your pathetic lives are over." he said and grinned viciously then the Avatar overlooked the battlefield.
Tails flew in beside them. The Avatar's Phantom Ruby prototype started to react.
"Look. It's reacting. Eggman said something about the Phantom Ruby prototypes. Let me see." Tails said and the Avatar gave him the prototype getting it to stops reacting. "Whoa, it is." he said and gave it back. "He said that the Phantom Ruby prototypes only react to the person who has activated it. That must be you, buddy! Your courage and heroism are probably what triggered it. Just maybe, if you use this, it can make that sun disappear."
The Avatar looked downward at the prototype and then onward again towards the sun.
Infinite hovered above the Resistance menacingly thanks to the glow cast upon him by his virtual sun.
"Make peace with your fate, because your lives are now over!" he said.
Then the Avatar's Phantom Ruby prototype reacted again, and the Avatar tightened their grip on it as a look of fresh confidence scowls on their face as they made up their mind to stop Infinite. Infinite flew away, while Eggman cackled madly as he prepared to watch Sonic's friends perish and seize ultimate victory.
"Mwa-hahaha! Three," Eggman said and The Avatar headed towards the sun. "two, one, zero!" he said and The Avatar dashed into the sun, prototype in hand.
Tails watched while flying.
"Buddy?" he said.
The Resistance watched in breathless anticipation. After several seconds, the sun was seen getting closer and closer, before it disappeared from the sky completely, with only a red beam falling from it. They cheered at having been saved from total annihilation.
"The sun! It's gone!" Knuckles said.
"Wh-What? What just happened!?" Eggman asked and saw the red beam falling from the sky and followed it to investigate what ruined his near victory.
Shadow smirked. The red beam was actually the Avatar with the Phantom Ruby prototype. Upon landing with their grappling hook, the prototype broke and dissolved, and the Avatar collapsed to the ground, visibly weakened from the effort. Eggman arrived in total flabbergasted disbelief when he discovered what happened.
Eggman pointed at the Avatar.
"Impossible! I thought all the prototypes were destroyed!" he said and Tails flew beside the Avatar to pick them up as the Avatar groaned weakly.
"A costly oversight, Doctor. That's why I always check and double check as any good scientist would." he said.
Back at the battlefield.
"This is the turning point, guys! Time to press our advantage and kick major butt!" Knuckles said and The Resistance forces cheer in agreement.
At Eggman Empire Fortress Sonic was facing Infinite as the latter hovered in the air over the edge of a ramp before the Central Tower of the fortress.
"Pathetic little hedgehog. Even with the Phantom Ruby weakened, I still have enough power to smash you into blue jelly. I'll show you how outclassed you really are!" Infinite said.
"I'm in a class all my own. Time to put-up or shut up," Sonic said and pointed at him. "Infinite!" she said and ran up and leapt at him.
Infinite fully charged up his Phantom Ruby prototype back to full strength.
"You're done for, Sonic. The Phantom Ruby's energy is recharged." he said and performed a powerful energy wave. "Perish, along with your useless friends!"
The Avatar intervened in the battle, shooting out their grappling hook at Infinite who dodged and glared at the Avatar, who scowled right back.
"You!" he said and The Avatar landed beside Sonic and both train their angry glares at Infinite.
"My friends got me this far, and together we're gonna win!" Sonic said.
A few minutes later Infinite was in a glitch-like state on the ground before Sonic and the Avatar after having been dealt a powerful defeat by them.
"Impossible. I cannot be defeated." Infinite said.
"Wrong, loser! The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul, and the bonds of friendship. Three things you and your counterfeit cronies lack!" Sonic said.
Then he pounded his fist on the ground in frustration at her truth, before finding himself being lifted into the air against his will.
"No, wait! I can still fight!" he said and struggled to stand up.
After a couple more strained gasps as he continued to struggle against the force working against him, Then he faded away and his Phantom Ruby prototype was dragged off to an unknown location. Sonic and the Avatar looked at each other, puzzled, The Avatar shrugged in confusion before they turned their attention forward as Eggman approached them in his Egg Mobile.
"You never fail to surprise me, Sonic. I didn't believe Infinite could lose. Victory will be so much sweeter when I defeat you. Don't think this is over yet, you blue nuisance. My plan just went into overtime!" he said.
Sonic and the Avatar landed on the ground after leaping out of the Central Tower following destroying the Phantom Ruby reactor. They waved to the incoming Tails and Classic Sonic.
"We did it! Eggman's army's is officially butt-kicked! We won!" Sonic said and tried to fist bump the Avatar, but they were interrupted by a small earthquake. "Shit!" she as the Avatar quickly grit their teeth and scowled as they looked around for the source of the interruption, unaware of a large, inhuman mech rising out of the crater behind them. "Oh, come on! Now what? Can't we ever just win and have that be the end of it?"
"Look!" Tails said.
Then Eggman emerged with a giant Death Egg Robot.
"Gotcha! The fortress reactor was just a decoy. A true winner always keeps his trump card hidden until the end." he said.
"Sonic, what's going on? There aren't less enemies! There's MORE!" Vector said over the radio.
"What?" Tails asked.
"How could there be so many?" Amy asked over the radio.
"Confirmed sightings indicate Shadow, Metal Sonic, Zavok, Chaos, Infinite... Thousands of them!" Rouge said over the radio.
"What have you done!?" Sonic asked while Classic Sonic gritted her teeth in anger.
"Mwa-hahaha! I merely incorporated the Phantom Ruby into this Death Egg Robot." Eggman said.
"But that means the Phantom Ruby no longer has a vulnerable energy supply. It's an invulnerable ruby?" Tails asked.
"A good deduction, Tails. This Death Egg Robot has... No, I have surpassed Infinite to become the complete and ultimate form. You will be crushed by this Death Egg Robot powered by the Phantom Ruby," Eggman said and the Sonics and the Avatar got into battle stances. "and in the end everything will still be just as I planned!" he said and cackled maniacally and sent out a powerful energy wave at his adversaries, nearly knocking them off-balance.
Sonic stepped forward.
"Your plan will end like all your plans do: with you sitting in a pile of busted robot parts wondering how you failed so badly. Let's get him." she said.
Sonic, Classic Sonic and the Avatar charged at the Death Egg Robot.
As the shattered shard of the destroyed core of the Death Egg Robot rain down around the battlefield, the Eggman Army replicas started to disappear as the Resistance continued blasting away as many as they can. Soon, they were all gone, leaving the Resistance forces standing alone and victorious.
"All right! We won!" Knuckles said and they started celebrating. "I knew we'd do it!" he said and they nodded in agreement.
"Piece of cake." Rouge said while Shadow looked back at her and smirked and Silver flew high into the air.
"Yeah!" Silver said.
'Where is she?' Shadow thought worried about Sonic.
"We did it!" Amy said and gave him a thumbs up.
A dog Resistance trooper helped pick up a wolf Resistance trooper.
"Are you okay?" the male dog asked.
"Thanks. Woohoo. We did it!" male wolf said.
"Alright!" male bear said.
"Yes!" female cat said.
The entire Resistance cheered for a job well done and ultimate victory over the Eggman Empire.
The core Resistance members were gathered, facing Classic Sonic who started to fade.
"I guess this is good-bye. Get home safely, Sonic," Tails said and Classic Sonic and Tails shook hands. "and thanks for everything!"
Classic Sonic gave him a thumbs up and a smile. Then she looked at the others, who also bid her farewell. Before leaving, she extended her arm to fist bump Tails and faded away smiling and waving. Tails weakly tried to grab her before she left but was too late. Sonic walked up and put her hand on his shoulder. The Avatar joined them.
"Cheer up, Tails, I'm sure we'll run into him again." she said and turned around to face the others. "Alright, guys! It's time we cleaned up the mess Eggman left this world in, and I'm not talking about those illusions he dreamed up for us! We need to fix the real world we all live in." she said and they nodded showing signs of agreement while Shadow sighed in relief.
"True dat!" Tails said and the Avatar nodded.
"C'mon, let's go!" she said and they cheered.
"Yeah!" they exclaimed.
Later the main Resistance members were at HQ sitting around, talking to each other and The Avatar watched for a while. Knuckles then entered the room.
"Finally, an end to this endless battle. Everyone can go back home and relax. There's no need for the Resistance." he said and Silver hopped down from the crate he was sitting on.
"Hold on, there's still a lot we need to do. We're just getting started." Silver said.
Knuckles nodded and The Avatar turned around to him and spoke their mind.
"What? You're leaving us? There are others who need your help? But OK, I'm not gonna stop you." Knuckles said.
"Man, the first time I saw you stumbling around, I had no idea you could pull this thing together and see it to the end." Vector said and patted the Avatar's back. "I've changed my mind about you."
The Avatar scratched their head in embarrassment and laughed a bit over Vector's remark.
"I knew you'd come through, rookie. Well, I guess you're not a rookie anymore!" Knuckles said.
"You did good out there. It's not like you just waited till the last minute to come in and act all cool saving the day." Rouge said pushing him to the other side.
Realizing she was talking about him, Omega extended his hand outwards in her direction while she winked at him. Shadow, leaning against a few crates, raised his head slightly and grunted.
"Our battle is done and our resistance has come to a conclusion, but we'll be friends forever. A single person cannot restore the entire world. We have to work together and make a diligent effort!" Tails said.
The Resistance nodded and say "Yeah!" in agreement.
Later Sonic was overlooking the City while the Avatar approached her and stood by her side, looking out at the sunset together.
"Hey, you're taking off, too? I was thinking the same thing. You gonna keep moving forward? No matter what, yeah? Heh, you and I aren't so different." Sonic said and the Avatar nodded in agreement. "See ya later, buddy!"
The two friends grinned before fist bumping. Then Sonic ran off while giving the Avatar a thumbs up. The Avatar waved back and set off in the other direction with their grappling hook, in search of another adventure.
Later Sonic was with Shadow holding her close.
"You scared the shit out of me!" Shadow said.
"I told you I'd be fine." Sonic said smiling.
"I know. But please, don't do that again."
"I'll see what I can do. But considering that Eggman is still alive, I doubt that'll happen."
He smiled and gave her a kiss while he held her close and she kissed him back.