This very fic takes place after the "Successor of Anti-Life" epilogues (the epilogues at end the storyline which is already sequel to "Beyond the Edge" and O.R.A.C.), Sonic Prime (all 3 seasons), Sonic Forces Overclocked (fan sequel of Sonic Forces, alternate continuity to the IDW comic run), Sonic Archie comics (forcefully rebooted into the IDW run due to lawsuits), and more. Spoilers from included and/or represented works abound. Please read this fiction carefully.
One day, Sonic the Hedgehog is rushing around the Green Hill zone, as usual. Suddenly, the Green Hill briefly tinted purple repeatedly, a bit longer and longer each time. AT first, Sonic ignored the the tint. But as he run around more and more, the tint became more frequent and notable.
"What? The Green hill is... shifting?"
Not too long after, the tint lasted longer, came more frequently, and disorientated the Blue Blur. Sonic didn't expect his world to be shifted, and while he did carry on, the landscape just get weirder and weirder.
"Weird. This world's acting strangely right now."
Sonic slowed down, and listened. An illusionary noise is around all of Green hill, and then the landscape went back to normal.
"Hmmm... something's strange is taking hold... I must get to Tails!"
Sonic then rushed back to Tails and his workshop, but suddenly... *Phantom Ruby effects*
"Whoa!" And Sonic drops down mid-field.
Not long after, the hedgehog got up, only to find several hexagonal crystal pillars in the landscape.
"What the!?" Sonic is baffled. "Isn't that... Phantom Ruby?! But we dealt with it some time ago!"
Sonic then ran back, evading the pillar as well.
"I've never seen these... columns before. It's lavender-ish, and almost lustrous." Sonic commented. "Gotta go tell some friends!"
Phantom Ruby kicks in again, not long after the initial effect, and Sonic floats out. And then back, with Sonic falling down.
"How did the Phantom Ruby recover so fast!?" Sonic is shocked. "Oh no, I have to get to my friends! Oh, the land went back to normal, but the sky's wrong! It's red!"
Sonic rushed back, instantly weirded out by what's happening. Meanwhile...
"My workshop! It's breached!" Miles 'Tails' Prower reported to Shadow the Hedgehog about his workshop, Tails' Lab. "A big palm tree pierced through!"
"The big palm tree... I've never seen a palm tree this large." Shadow commented.
"Yeah, and I hope my tools are fine..." Tails is still scavenging his tools.
A short while later, as Tails confirms his main tools and various devices are intact, Sonic arrived at the workshop.
"Tails! I've stumbled upon some crystal lavender-ish hexagonal pillars rising on the grounds, and then they disappeared!" Sonic reported to Tails. "And I also was... this red sky above!"
"My lab is ravaged by a big palm tree!" Tails replied. "Thanks goodness most of my tools are intact... but no! Cyclone is broken!"
"I also saw what looks like Eggman's ideal buildings if he beat Sonic for good." Shadow recalled what he saw. "I was strolling around with Rouge and Omega, until they disappeared and the buildings surrounded me. I was in Green Hill."
"I can feel the Phantom Ruby. We dealt with it and Infinite, when Eggman conquered almost all of this world." Sonic recalled. "I'll need the Chaos Emeralds and Sage, just in case. Oh, but I have to ask Eggman for her, while the Emeralds... uh..."
"Chaos Control, teleport. I can bring the Chaos Emeralds. All seven of them. Eggman, however... It's complicated." Shadow thought about it. "That being said, it's a good time we call our friends."
"Well, in a jiff!" Sonic rushed away to call his friends.
Soon enough, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Team Chaotix (Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee), Big the Cat and Froggy, the Wisps, the Resistance members... especially the Avatar, and finally... Chip. The Light Gaia.
"I'm suprised you actually woke up again. Never thought you'd come out of dormancy just because of... Phantom Ruby?" Sonic is surprised he's able to recruit Chip.
Tails and the Resistance explained what happened with the Phantom Ruby and theincident where Eggman conquered almost all of the world thanks to Infinite. Then Sonic explained what happened with Starfall Islands. Chip is baffled at what went on while he was off.
"Ok, I have got the 7 Chaos Emeralds. However, we can't use it yet. Can't be so reckless if we're being watched." Shadow revealed the Emeralds.
"Uh, so much happened since I fell unconscious and parted ways." Chip admitted. "At least I can trust you. You helped me beat Dark Gaia, and you still have-"
"There's a lot going on here. We are here to gather, team up and anticipate whatever's happened to not only Green Hill, but our world!" Sonic explained. "Someone's using the Phantom Ruby repeatedly to drastically mess with the world a few times, even though I didn't notice until I caught on the pillars!"
"As I travelled today, Sonic's right. The world's suddenly been changed back and forth." Shadow agreed. "The Phantom Ruby have been abused again. But I feel there's something else helping it. And those two things are controlled by someone now."
"As such, sorry for the abrupt reunion." Sonic apologized.
"No need to apologize. I was asleep all the time after we parted ways." Chip nervously replied.
"Sonic, the Angel Island is flooded. And littered with remains of the destroyed Badniks from the past." Knuckles reported.
"Some of the palm trees grew way too fast and too big." Amy reported.
"The Resistance headquarters... overrun by robots from Starfall." Espio reported. "We and the Resistance knows Starfall Islands incident from you, Sonic."
"Traces of the previous incidents we dealt with... scattered across the world, as if straight from the past." Shadow reported. "And... the crystal pillars you mentioned, Sonic. Seems like they were everywhere."
"By the time we dealt with the robots, the sky's turned red." Charmy reported.
"I can't believe foreign things and the past are littered into the present-day world..." Blaze sighed. "I bet Eggman's going nuts on this."
"Speaking of that egg-head... Why don't we ask him about the current state of this world?" Sonic suggested. "Having a history dealing with his plans, I know what to expect. Oh, and this isn't the first time anyone's thought about the two of us working together."
So the party visited Eggman Empire, where the Blue Blur saw a panicking doctor followed by a cyber girl.
"This is wrong! This feel wrong! I don't know what to do, daughter!" Eggman terrified over the state of the world. "What will happen to Eggmanland!? What will be of my empire if this world end!?"
"Eggman! Sage! We need your help!" Sonic called. "We have recruited our friends to deal with this ongoing incident we currently barely even knows of!"
"You again. Asking for my help?" Sage noticed the party. "Sure."
"Sonic! What's going on with this world!?" Eggman responded. "Don't tell me this world is ending!"
"I'm not even sure exactly what's going on. It seems the Phantom Ruby may be wonky right now, hences the reality shift!" Sonic then proceeded to recap what's happened in the party perspectives.
"I see. Very well." Sage sighed. "Not even Cyber Space is safe. In fact, it's... halfway corrupted. Filled with... something even I shouldn't see."
"My name is Chip. But in actuality, I am Light Gaia, though I doubt you really know me well." Chip revealed himself to Sage. "Unless, you're-"
"I have records of his databases, so I know a little bit about you, Light Gaia." Sage recalled. "My name is Sage. Nice to meet you."
"I suggested we have three headquarters for us for dealing with this incident." Tails suggested. "First is the Resistance's original, second is my workshop, and third is... your place, here."
"We could talk all day, but there's risk that this world gets destroyed." Sonic added. "And it could get destroyed any time. So we gotta prepare fast!"
Sage nodded, while Eggman suggested naming this alliance as Team Superstars.
"Superstars? Team Superstars?" Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles) are surprised. "Sure, we are epic together, but why superstars?"
The Avatar nodded.
"I think it's an pretty appropriate name, considering... everything." Amy agreed.
"Agreed. Eggman, you know what to do." Shadow gotten the gist. "Help us with this incident, for this world's fate lies in our hands."
"Deal." Eggman accepted. "Orbot, Cubot, come here!"
And so, Sonic's party formed an alliance with the Eggman Empire, forming the Team Superstars. The three HQs are established: in Resistance's HQ, in Tails' Lab, and in Eggman's lair.
Meanwhile...
"Sonic! A phantom hedgehog is stalking us!" Classic Tails called Classic Sonic.
The formerly 8/16-bit blue stopped to listen, and his classic friends quickly arrived.
"This world is acting weird, and a phantom hedgehog..." Classic Knuckles reported.
They, Trip the Sungazer, the Classic Chaotix and inhabitants of the Northstar Islands, whose place ravaged by the effect of the Phantom Ruby... and something else. Classic Sonic yelped.
"The world's breaking down. Poor world..." Classic Amy feels sad.
"I don't know the nature of this incident, except that it may be powered by the Phantom Ruby." Classic Tails then examined. "I think you should ask Robotnik. He may very well help us, despite-"
"Yeah yeah yeah... I'll go with him." Classic Knuckles chuckled. "Let's go, we have things to do!" *jumps up and fly*
Classic Sonic and Classic Knuckle led the party to Doctor Robotnik, who's attacked by what's known as the Eggforcer.
"I have never known d-d-d-defeat! I am not defeated. I am not weak, I am not weak, I AM NOT WEAK, I AM NOT WEAK... I AM NOT WEAK...!" Said the Eggforcer as it corners Robotnik.
"Help me! HELP ME! HEDGEHOG!" Robotnik screamed.
Cue Classic Sonic doing a spin dash to the Eggforcer, destroying it and saving the doctor.
"What's going on?" Classic Knuckles questioned.
"This world's decaying! My system's overloaded with foreign stuffs!" Robotnik panicked. "I can't contact the far side of this world!"
Classic Sonic facepalmed, expecting Robotnik to have gotten around this beforehand.
"No time to waste. We have to survive and do something!" Classic Tails told the doctor. "We've been against you for so long, but guess we'll have to work together this time. Something's breaking this world down."
"And nobody knows what these crystals are." Classic Knuckles added. "These don't look like anything we've ever seen before."
Suddenly, the Phantom Ruby effected all of the Classic timeline. All floated out. *drops down to the hard ground*
"Ugh..." Classic Knuckles is fuzzied. "This space... huh, feel normal."
Turns out, the place came back to normal... with the exception of a wizard from a distant world.
"Where am I?" Said her.
"Who are you!?" They have no idea.
But the wizard quickly recognized Classic Sonic, even though she never met him.
"Sir Sonic!"
The voice shook Classic Sonic up.
"Who are you, sorceress?" Classic Tails questioned the wizard. "And this ain't your world, miss. I am sorry."
"Beings from a distant world, and dear Sir Sonic..." The wizard bowed. "Gawain too... Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Merlina the Wizard."
"Merlina? The Wizard?" Classic Knuckles finally got it. "So, you're from..."
"The world where King Arthur were." Merlina continued.
"We kinda heard about Excalibur tales, but... Merlina? Why's your name like that?" Classic Tails questioned.
"My grandfather, Merlin, created an illusory King Arthur, and then the... it's a long story, and you'd be horrified of me if I told you the full truth." Merlina replied.
"Ok, mistress! We've got work to do!" Dr. Robotnik exclaimed.
"Ok then. I want to save my world and let the kingdom be in peace." Merlina told the gangs her problem. "Presently I am stuck in this strange world. I want to go back and..."
"Save everything?" Classic Amy heard it.
Then suddenly, Phantom Ruby effects hit the entire timeline, and everyone floated out. Merlina screamed in horror.
"SONIIIIIC!" Classic Tails got yeeted.
Classic Sonic spins out of control, as everyone is being sucked into a decaying rift, away from their version of the timeline.
At the same time, Team Superstars is sucked out of their time as well.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Sonic, Shadow, Silver and Eggman screamed.
Everyone is sent to a decaying rift, into a place seemingly unknown. The reality here sudders, and an imagery of a hedgehog resembling Sonic has appeared in the middle. An evil laughter can be heard from the imagery to across space-time.
And then the timeline explodes.
"Welcome to the Shatter. Welcome to my domination."
Sonic and co. falls down, joined by Classic Sonic as everyone falls down to a colossal rift.
"Welcome to your new suffering. Welcome to physics' freakout"
Both parties fall down to the rift.
"Welcome to your final wish. Welcome to your blackest nightmares. Welcome to your doom."
Amidst the shit, the imagery arrived at the void.
"Sonic and friends, welcome to my ultimate destiny." The hedgehog mocked everyone. "I'll get back at you all for my lack of existence prior! All of you! ALL! OF! YOU! MULTIVERSE!"
The hedgehog emerged, and floated to the rift everyone fell.
"I'll shatter the multiverse. One by one, you'll be subject to a new horizon of madness and insanity. Because you deserves it. It doesn't matter how fast you runs. You cannot escape me. You can never escape me. You will never be, try as you might. In the end, it is me who is the one, because... with the overclocked Phantom Ruby and the Paradox Prism... there's nothing I can't do."
A mothership fly past the hedgehog with invisibility, not yet aware to the full extent of what's happening.
"Scratch it. I repeat: There. Is. Nothing. I. CAN'T. DO!" And then the the hedgehog had an evil laugh.
It has begun!