9/25/23

"Manic!" Sonic said.

"Let me go, we're about to be blasted!" Manic said.

"What? What are you talking about? Man, you must have been dreaming."

"I was dreaming about Destructo coming after us."

"Hey, you don't have to dream about that - let's go get it."

Later.

"So where's the big De-?" Sonic asked.

"Looking for me?" Destructo asked

"Hey demon, wanna go one-on-one? Or double up against the gauntlet?" Manic asked.

"I'd love to teach you two some respect but... I'm in the mood to see if we can finally kick it on the gauntlet."

"Cool! Let's do it to it!" Sonic said.

"Hang on, I've got something for ya'! Check this out..." Destructo said and fired a red laser at a wall.

"Whoa, I've never seen anything like that before!" Manic said

"I wrote the software myself. I, I got something even bigger for you later but, download this first. If you want it..." Destructo said and Sonic pushed the button.

"Downloading." Sonic said.

"One file downloaded. Install... Installation complete." Bot said.

"Wanna test it?"

"Oh yeah!" Manic said and they turned a corner in their airship.

"Oh c'mon guys, you wouldn't." Destructo said and Sonic fired a blue laser at his airship and destroyed it. "C'mon on guys. That wasn't very..." he said and she fired a blue laser at his airship and destroyed it.

"I like it!" Sonic said

When Sonic and Manic thought they had got rid of Destructo, he reappeared.

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny. Just for that, I don't think I'll share the rest of my new software." Destructo said.

"Aw, c'mon!" Sonic said

"New software? What is it?" Manic asked.

"Okay, I'll give you a clue. No more lamer castle walls. I created a whole new level." Destructo said.

"Cool!" Sonic said.

"But first, there's something I wanna show you..."

"Oh, great!" Manic said and Destructo launched a huge bullet.

"Man, he really got us." Sonic said.

"Yeah but he's sending us the download! Excellent."

"Downloading!"

"One file downloaded. Install." Bot said

"Affirmative!" Manic said as Sonia entered.

"Oh goody. More game." Sonia said.

"Hey!" Sonic said. "Don't worry, I'm just passing through."

"Install complete. Activate play?" Bot said.

"That's a big affirmative."

"Nice shot Destructo. A nice game background!" Manic said.

"Uh oh yeah! Killer software!"

"Word is, you guys did some good work too. I'm on Robotnik's cargo ships." Destructo said.

"Thanks. It's gonna be months before he gets back to chasing us!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Ha, ha, ha!"

Suddenly Robotnik appeared chuckling.

"You fell for it, oh this is rich!" Robotnik said.

"You guys want something to eat? ...Oh my God!" Sonia said and a laser was fired back at Sonic and Manic causing them to be paralyzed then disappear leaving their eye masks on the floor.

"It's Robotnik!" Sonic said.

"Argh!"

A few minutes later.

"Sonic, Manic!" Sonia said and put on one of their eye masks.

Meanwhile Sonic and Manic briefly floated.

"What happens when the ship's gone?" Manic asked.

"Who cares? It's just a game!" Sonic said.

Suddenly, they fell and screamed then land on their backs.

"You don't get it yet, do you hedgehogs? You're inside the game! And if I destroy you in here, you're gone forever which is, by the way, my intention." Robotnik said as Sonic tapped her foot.

"Do you believe this guy?" she asked then dashed away and landed on the front of Robotnik's airship.

Robotnik electrified her for a few seconds and then let go. Then she fell and he laughed.

Then Sonic ran up to Manic.

"So, what do ya' think?" she asked.

"Not good!" Manic said.

Then Robotnik launched another laser towards them and cracked a part of the ground behind them, causing them to fall forward. Then they got up, started to run and he laughed.

"This will be delicious!" he said.

Meanwhile.

"Oh, oh. Cyrus. It just drew them inside." Sonia said and Cyrus attached the wires back together.

"This is the last download and it's not good. I didn't even know this could happen." Cyrus said.

"What?"

"Robotnik's pulled them into the game."

"Well why don't we just pull the plug?"

"No! If you pull the plug, they've got no path back! There it is... what an ingenious program. But I think I can reverse it..."

"Can we get Sonic and Manic out?"

"No, get Robotnik IN! I can put someone in the game and if they get inside this control room, they can pull Robotnik inside! Of course it'll take a good pilot!"

"I'm in!"

"Well while you're in the game, I'm gonna try and find Robotnik's satellite dish. If I disable it, he loses control and the game's over!" he said and she put on her headgear. "You ready?"

"Do it."

Meanwhile Sonic dashed around a loop with Manic hanging on to her as Robotnik chased her in his airship.

"Dude, how long do you keep up this pace?!" Manic asked.

"I don't know, but we're not giving up!" Sonic said.

Suddenly Robotnik fired a large missile towards them.

"Oh no, concussion impact missile right on our tail!" Manic said.

"Reversing course, hold on!" Sonic said then sprinted several times around another loop avoiding the missile which ended up hitting a wall next to him.

A few minutes later.

"I think we lost him." Sonic said.

"It's his game Sonic, I don't think we can lose him!" Manic said.

Then Robotnik entered.

"That's correct hedgehogs!" Robotnik said.

"Well that's not exactly fair, is it?" Sonic said, grabbed a hold of Manic's arms and dashed away.

"Sonic dude, try a super spin!" Manic said.

"Good idea bro!" she said, spun in circles and suddenly started getting dizzy.

"Oh, bad idea..."

"A big yep on that."

Then Robotnik hit a laser around them that had them surrounded by fire and they screamed.

"Trapped." Manic said.

"One more concussion impact missile and my Hedgehog troubles are all over." Robotnik said and tried sending another bullet but suddenly, his cargo ship began spinning out of control in the air.

Then, Sonia arrived as a pilot, flying in her airship.

"Go sis! Horray!" Manic said and they jumped up and down celebrating.

Then Sonic grabbed Manic's arm and ran away trying to escape the missiles that Robotnik was trying to send at him and managed to hide behind a rocky wall.

"How rude..." Sonia said.

"Sonia, over here!" Sonic and Manic said and stepped into Sonia's airship.

Meanwhile Cyrus was looking through his binoculars.

"It's gotta be there somewhere... Ha! Got it!" he said

Back with Sonic, Manic and Sonia.

"Yo, this message should get us into the control room." Manic said as Robotnik chased after them via his cargo ship.

All of a sudden, Sonia's airship disappeared, they fell and landed on the ground.

"That's not my favorite ride." Sonic said.

"Here it comes." Manic said and Robotnik kept shooting.

Sonic grabbed Manic and Sonia's arms, and started running again heading for the control room.

"Not that way!" Robotnik said.

"I had to make this one, Robotnik may get sucked into the game!" Sonia said

"Okay, but you better hurry! Here he goes!" Sonic said.

Then Robotnik came forward in his cargo ship.

"Goodbye hedgehogs!" he said and pushed a button causing a huge bullet to be launched from the front of his ship.

"Wuh oh..." Sonic said.

Back with Cyrus.

"Game over Robotnik!" Cyrus said and cut the wire for the virtual reality game.

Suddenly, Sonic, Manic and Sonia appeared back in their world.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"Cyrus must have found Robotnik's satellite dish!" Sonia said.

Back with Robotnik.

"Oh, so close! Next time hedgehogs!" Robotnik said.

Back with Sonic, Sonia and Manic.

"Well, that's the last of the cargo." Sonia said.

"Great. Well, what do we do with these cargo ships?" Manic asked.

"We give 'em back! We'll call this advantage hedgehogs!" Sonic said?and they played Castle Conquest against each other.

"Auto pilots failed to respond on the cargo ships. Collision imminent." Bot said.

"No! Hedgehogs!" Robotnik said.

"Oh yeah, we did it!" Sonia said.

"Alright!" Manic said.

"Game over butt-nik!" Sonic said.

Three months later.

It had been three months since Sonic, Sonia and Manic beat Robotnik and found their mother.

They had gotten their castle back and were happy.

Aleena had said Sonic was the oldest and next in line for the throne.

Sonic was surprised but said she'd do what she could for them all.

She wasn't sure if they had really ended Robotnik.

She had heard that someone like him was out and doing things and didn't like the way it sounded.

She was in her room writing something and wasn't sure what they would think.

When she was done she tapped it to her door and packed up.

Soon she was all set and ready.

"I have to do this. If he's not really gone, Chaos help us." she said, opened the window and jumped using a Sonic Spin.

Meanwhile Aleena was standing there watching and knew Sonic had done this for home but was worried.

Later she was with Sonia and Manic reading the letter.

"At least she kept her medallion on." Sonia said and they nodded.

A week later Sonia and Manic went to visit Knuckles to find out he had followed Sonic.

They were shocked but relieved she had someone with her.

One year later.

Shadow was at Mystic Jungle looking for some cover while intruding on the entrance of Eggman's Facility and reached for his communicator watch on his wrist.

Then Infinite leapt from stone pillar to stone pillar finding a spot to attack him.

"Hey, you! I know you can hear me! You're captain of Squad Jackal, aren't you?! Your squad was useless! Go clean up their mess already!" Eggman said over the radio.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it... You. You destroyed my squad. I'll show you why they call me the ultimate mercenary! Take" Infinite said. "THIS!"he said and charged at Shadow who activated Chaos Control. "What?!"

Then Shadow attacked Infinite with a roundhouse kick, launching the jackal in the air, and slammed him down with his two fists, making him fall to the ground. Shadow delivered the final blow to Infinite with another roundhouse kick, launching him into another stone pillar, where Infinite could be heard groaning as he struggled to get up from getting easily thrashed by Shadow and his chaos powers.

Then Shadow stepped on top of a nearby stone, looking down at Infinite.

"Worthless. Don't show your pathetic face around me ever again." he said and teleports away to continue his mission.

"I... I'm shaking... Me? Me... Afraid...?!" Infinite said. "Ugh. Pathetic?! Me..." he said. "He's calling ME weak?! No...! I am not weak. I'm... I'm not. I'm not weak! I AM NOT WEEEEAAAAK! URRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGH!" he said and got up.

Later Eggman's laboratory Infinite was putting on a mask, and showing off the finalized Phantom Ruby prototype on his chest. A red aura surrounded the jackal as he spread his arms out.

"That day, I gave up my own unsightly face. And I let go of the old me, the one that was so weak, so that I could become stronger. And then, at last... I obtained the power. The power to make all yield to my will. I... was... REBORN!" he said.

A month later.

"I've only become what I am because of you, yet you don't remember. But I suppose that's the way it goes. It simply means that the old me was too weak, too pathetic to remember. And now, you've become nothing more than an insect, waiting to be crushed underfoot." Infinite said.

"What?" Shadow asked upset.

"Thanks to this limitless power I've obtained, I have become unstoppable! Take THIS!" Infinite said and the Phantom Ruby was activated.

"Whoa!" Shadow said and was soon at a Virtual Reality. "Ngh." he said panting and annoyed. "What? Where?" he said. "I'm... back here? No. Is this an illusion!?" he said upset.

"This is reality, Shadow. Your reality. I didn't expect to see you come back alive, but you must admit, it was a truly wonderful show, wasn't it? Hahah... Oh, this power, before we've even tuned it! Just as I thought, it is unrivaled! Not even Sonic will be able to stand against me now! HahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Sonic!? What are you plotting?" Shadow asked upset and heard an explosion. "What-is this?!" he asked shocked. "Stop! Where do you think you're going, Infinite?!"

"HAHAHAHA! HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha..."

"Shadow?! Shadow! Finally, the connection's back! What're you doing?!" Rouge said upset.

"Rouge?" Shadow said.

"Ugh, forget it! Get away from there as soon as you can! There are explosions going off all over! The facility's about to collapse!"

"Rgh! Withdrawing now! What's the meaning of all this?" he said upset and heard another explosion.

A few months later.

"Shadow, We've got a report from the Intelligence Division. They've located an unknown base of operations, that seems to be totally outside the chain of command for Eggman's Army. There's a large-scale troop presence. Suspiciously large for a place with no strategic value." Rouge said.

"I can't imagine the doctor would do something like that without reason." Shadow said upset.

"No kidding. And there's a rumor going around that ol' rotten Eggman has been developing some kind of new weapon, so..." she said upset and was cut off.

"Yeah. Looks like this won't be your garden variety recon mission."

"Do it to it, Shadow. Omega went on ahead of you, so you can link up with him on-site." she said happy.

"I'm more than enough on my own. I'll handle things my way."

"Omega said the same thing. You two go together like Chili and hot dogs!" she said and giggled.

"Cut the chatter. I'm on my way." he said upset.

At Enemy Territory.

"Hahah. The world's most powerful robot is no more a challenge than Crabmeat. As I suspected, this power is without peer. It is the ultimate strength! Ah, and still more wonderful, a not-so-tall, dark and brooding guest has arrived. I've been waiting for you, Shadow." Infinite said.

"Tell me what you did to Omega." Shadow said upset.

"Weaklings like him are of no consequence. Come now, Shadow. Our long awaited reunion, and still you spout such nonsense."

"I don't know you. And the only thing of no consequence around here is that big mouth of yours."

"Hahah. Ah, I suppose you would think so. Ohohoh yes. Hahah... HAHAHA! I am Infinite. You say you do not know me and yet, I remember you so very well. To you, it was simply another in a long list of Eggman bases you tore down without a second thought."