Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
Eggman stared at Atlas in his Eggmobile, folding his arms. "There it is… Atlas. The supposedly untouchable floating city of Remnant. And within it contains the vault for the staff."
He tapped his fingers on the dashboard. "Am I really going to do this? I mean, surely, there are some folks who don't deserve it…"
He shook his head. "No. I can't have cold feet now. I've come so far. I will do what I must…"
Kyoko was behind him, rubbing her chin in thought. "So he had second thoughts? Hmm… can't say I blame him."
She then spotted another Eggman log on the ground and picked it up after Eggman flew to Atlas.
"Atlas. Probably one of the most interesting places in Remnant. You got a giant city with Vale, a desert with ruffians in Vacuo, traditional scenery with the Arts in Mistral… and then you have a giant floating city of Atlas resting cozily above Mantle. From what I've gathered, Mantle is the slums while the higher ups live a grand life in Atlas, yet the military controls both.
I must say, I'm totally disappointed with how they handled things after I had Atlas fall. I was the one who did the deed, yet they pinned the blame on the Schnees? As far as I knew, the Schnees fled to live a better life in the Mushroom Kingdom, to start anew. I don't blame them though, Atlas totally reeks of classism.
Of course, this isn't the first time that they were hostile with someone. After Seryu Ubiquitous's trial, there were a lot of folk who still wanted her head on a pike even though it was revealed that it was an accident and Jacques Schnee-, ugh, calling him a Schnee makes me want to lose my lunch… anyway, it was revealed to the public that Jacques kept her there because he thought brain damage was "made up"... but did the upperclassmen care? Of course not, her sentence was enough to make them stir crazy.
They often sent death threats and threatened to burn down her home, heck, they were wanting Esdeath skinned alive because she was brought back into the fold. It's no wonder Seryu tended to stay a few days at the Schnee residence every so often. I don't blame her!
I feel bad that I sent Atlas to its doom… there were a few good people there. Esdeath, the Winter Ops, the Ace Ops, James Ironwood… though he's a bit debatable. I've heard he nearly killed Futaba… scoundrel.
And of course, there was the old Winter Maiden. Fria, was it? I had complete tunnel vision that I had forgotten her. That sweet old lady deserved better… but I'm sure the next Winter Maiden will carry that torch that she burned brightly.
That being said, the way they're treating the Schnees is completely unfair. They're being blamed because they "could have" stopped Atlas from falling? What would they do? Everyone was caught off guard by it, why are they getting the blame for it?
These snobby Atleasians make me sick… I can't imagine what Weiss must be feeling right now. She may be feeling either happy or bittersweet that her old home was destroyed. Granted, her mansion was blown up due to a… gas leak, as the military had covered up.
When this is over, I should probably apologize to Weiss once everything's been turned to metal. Granted, she'll be slowly consumed in the liquid metal, but what can you do?
Speaking of which, I need to get Byleth's family out of that room. It was simply meant for blackmail. I'm not really going to incinerate them, though that listening device has a switch to activate the laser the moment she spills the beans… mmm…
But where to put them? Not like the Death Egg had tons of rooms I can store them into. Ah, but that room is currently occupied by Esdeath. Why did I make it small enough for one test tube again? Oh right, apparently Pyrrha needed all the room for a project she's developing.
Ah… I'll figure it out. I doubt Byleth will spill her secrets and accidentally destroy her family. She's a lot tougher than she looks… I have faith in her."
"Hmm… I'm close to cracking the code here."
Meanwhile…
"OHOHOHOHO! That's a brilliant story, Sage!"
Sage smiled. "You're welcome. Even though the Titan smacked him around, Sonic got back up."
"He's a persistent pest, I can't say I'm surprised."
"And… speaking of Sonic, he and his friends have constantly jumped between Cyberspace off and on again."
"That sounds about right. Sonic can do whatever he pleases, after all… heh…"
"Doctor… you speak with a bit of fondness to Sonic. Don't you hate him?"
"Ah yes… I can respect the heck out of his tenacity. That doesn't mean I have to like him."
"Fair enough. Although, there is one who decided to willingly stay in cyberspace."
"Who is it?"
"Does Kyoko Kirigiri mean anything to you?"
Eggman raised an eyebrow. "Now what on earth is that detective doing in a place like this? Unless-" His eyes widened behind his glasses, recalling the interview he had with Kyoko after his failed invasion. "That sneaky little Ultimate…" He let out a genuine chuckle. "Well played…"
"Doctor…?"
"I've had a few run ins with her. Once she has her mind set on something, there's no stopping her. Heck, she's good friends with the Koopa King if you can believe it. I can't say I'm surprised that she followed me here. She probably got curious as to what I'm doing. Keep an eye on her if you can."
"Will do."
"Oh… and doctor… where are the others?"
"Ah, those three are looking for ways out of here as well. They've come up with nothing, but they'll keep looking."
"Would they… in a way… be my brothers?"
"Hmm… good question."
Sage disappeared while Eggman mulled over on what Kyoko could be doing.
"Mmm… although… if there was ever any danger, she'd throw her own neck out on the line to thwart whatever threat is facing the others… could she be doing the same for… no, that's not possible."
Outside of Cyberspace…
BGM: Just Wondering (Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories)
"Sooo, hypothetically… where do you see us in a few years from now?" Futaba asked.
"Oh, I imagine we'd be living together close by to Nyx's home in case she wants to go on a mission with all of JINXY." Jade said.
"So like, in Toad Town?"
"Yeah, or like somewhere in the Boo Woods." Jade shrugged before taking her hand. "I just know I want to be with you."
Futaba smiled. "You're not the only one." She winked before sighing.
"Something on your mind?"
"Well… it's about me being the Winter Maiden. Don't get me wrong, I love being a Maiden and such, but… apparently when Atlas gets rebuilt-"
"...Oh. Atlas's protector, right?"
"Yeah. And like, I wouldn't mind being the protector of Atlas, but… there's just a few things. As much as I don't mind the cold, I don't think I could handle being there twenty four seven. Not to mention I feel they already have a protector that is the one woman army that is Esdeath."
Jade giggled. "Yeah…"
"And then there's Ironwood himself. I know he's changed and all, but given the fact that he can be so damn stubborn and near sighted at times… not to mention that he nearly killed me… ugh, I'm still shuddering at that thought. I don't think dad wants me anywhere near him given that he's not fond of him either."
"That's… actually totally understandable."
"Like, I know he was possessed by Dimentio and dad understands that he was possessed… there was the fact that Ironwood was hellbent on taking me down before Esdeath snapped him out of his mindset… and honestly, that's a major red flag even though he's probably mellowed out like a ton."
Futaba groaned. "Uuuuughhhh! What do I even DO?"
"Hmm… well, let's look at the other Maidens real quick. There's the Spring Maiden, Raven… and I don't think she's interested in Mistral. She's more interested in staying with her family. There's the Fall Maiden, and Cinder's more interested in staying at Bowser's Castle with her family-"
"Wait, family?"
"Yeah, apparently Bowsette and Rei adopted her."
"...Holy shit. Cinder's got a bunch of siblings now. Oooof, and given that Wendy's a total diva…"
Jade smiled. "And then the Summer Maiden. I know Edelgard is currently being an empress right now, but I've heard she does check up on Vacuo every now and then. And… I think she's dating Shez. And then there's the Winter Maiden, you."
"Of course. And it's not like I hate Atlas… I think it's great, minus the classism. It's just that… do I really want to live in the arctic tundra? I'm not like Elsa who can like… put on a bikini and sunbathe while lying in thirty feet of snow in fifty below temperatures. Hell, I can say the same for Esdeath! Which, knowing her… she'd probably forgo the… bikini…"
Futaba blushed a deep red. "Aaaaand that's a mental image I need to get out of my head."
Jade laughed. "Oh you!"
Futaba chuckled. "Yeah… but still… am I overthinking this or am I totally legit for thinking this way?"
"No no, that's a genuine concern. Hmm… maybe bring it up with the Ironwoods and your father?"
"Honestly… probably for the best."
Meanwhile…
"There it is, boys." Peppy said, spotting his Arwing near a large satellite.
Nero whistled. "That satellite's a beauty."
"It's a bit suspicious if you ask me." Shadow said.
"Focus, boys. We got an Arwing to get." Nico told them as they approached the Arwing… but then a datafied arena appeared around them as Peppy's Arwing was morphed into a familiar monster that Nero was familiar with.
"Artemis, huh? I'm gettin' nostalgic already."
BGM: Lunatic Ray (Devil May Cry 5)
Illuminating Data Corruption - Data Artemis
Artemis proceeded to fire a laser barrage immediately, where Shadow flipped over them and proceeded to use Chaos Spear directly at Artemis before spin dashing into it, followed by a spin kick.
The Arwing-like wing blades that Artemis had proceeded to slash at Shadow, but he parried them as he landed on the ground while Nero jumped in and slashed at Artemis before pulling out his gun and fired together with Nico while Peppy fired with his blaster.
Artemis conjured up small lasers and fired at the group as Nero casually blocked with his sword and then jumped over and stylishly slashed at the monster in midair a few times before swinging down to send Artemis to the ground as Nero proceeded to shoot at it before landing on Artemis's stomach, then Nero backflipped as Shadow vaulted over Nero and axe kicked Artemis.
Artemis got back up, swinging the wingblades at them as Nico rolled out of the way and fired her gun… before pulling out a shotgun and proceeded to shoot Artemis in the face. Artemis responded by throwing a laser barrage at Nico, only to get kicked in the head by Shadow with a spin kick.
Nero jumped on the satellite, climbed up and then jumped off as Artemis was busy dealing with the other three. Nero thrusted his sword into Artemis's back and slid down where he saw something shiny fall out as he landed on the ground.
A White Chaos Emerald.
"Oh, how about that." Nero smirked as he picked it up as he felt a boost of energy course through him as he went into his Devil mode and launched himself, proceeding to punch the daylights out of Artemis before somersaulting into the air and then thrusted his sword into Artemis to finish it off.
End BGM
"Phew… what a rush!" Nero said as the arena disappeared and then Peppy's Arwing reappeared.
"I have to say, that was pretty cool." Shadow said as Nero put away the Chaos Emerald.
"Think I'll keep it for now." Nero chuckled.
"Hmm…" Nico approached the satellite with intrigue, taking a closer look into it. "I wonder if this big boy is responsible for the weather manipulation."
"You think so?" Peppy wondered.
"Hey Nero, think you can throw that rock high in the sky?" Nico asked.
Nero picked it up. "You mean this thing?" He wondered as he threw it as high as he could, where the satellite lit up as clouds came out of it as a lightning bolt struck the rock, shattering it into pebbles before the clouds disappeared.
"Well, shoot! I didn't think I'd be right." Nico said. "Think you can lend me a hand, Peppy?"
"Sure." Peppy nodded as the two went right to work. "Just leave that Arwing there, fellas. It won't go nowhere, that's for sure."
"Fine by me." Nero said, leaning against the Arwing while Shadow turned around and ran off somewhere else.
Meanwhile, with Penny…
"Futaba!" Penny walked over to her.
"Hey, what's up?" Futaba asked after she struck down some datafied Subspace enemies with her ray gun. Subspace is a bit concerning, if I'm being honest…
"So um… I'm a bit hot and bothered right now…"
"Hot and bothered?" Futaba looked a bit nervous while silently cussing out Miu. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"You know… I… I think I'm getting hot and bothered for Keebo, just like how you're hot and bothered for Jade." She winked.
"What? I love Jade, but I don't love her that mu-... ooooooooh!" Futaba laughed. "I get it now! You're in love with Keebo, aren't you?"
"I think so, yes! My gears are feeling mushy or… rusty or… I dunno, they feel hotter than usual!" Penny turned her back to her, sighing dreamily. "I just can't help but feel these feelings for him and-"
While Penny was rambling on, Futaba rubbed her chin in thought.
"Robot love, huh? I wonder why we don't see much of that these days…"
"AAAAAAAUUUUUGH! No, this isn't happening! There is no reason for me to go on! Whuh… WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR?!"
Futaba shuddered. "Ooooh, that's why… damn you, Zero… actually, no… damn you, Capcom."
Penny sighed happily. "What do you think I should do, Futaba?"
"Well… for starters… let's try not to have an X4 situation."
Penny blinked, tilting her head. "X4? What's that?"
"It's complicated."
With Iris and Rantaro…
"That was fifty over here." Iris said, knocking down some Grimm and Goombas.
"Fifty two!" Rantaro said, defeating some Paratroopas.
"Show off." Iris teased, causing Rantaro to chuckle while rubbing his head.
"Well, I guess this area's taken care of." He said.
Iris nodded, sitting on a rock to rest as she pulled out some jerky that she took from Nyx and ate it up. She even tossed some to Rantaro.
"Thank you!" Rantaro said, sitting next to her and eating as they both made small talk while having a little break.
Iris looked at Rantaro, softly smiling and blushing. She slowly moved her hand toward his but stopped, looking away with a frown.
The last time I fell in love with someone, he was taken away by Amon… Iris thought. I don't want to go through that again…
"Iris?"
"Huh?"
"You okay? You seem a little sad."
"Ah, just a little tired." She lied.
"Oh, is it the desert heat? I know Futaba put some clouds over us. Hmm… maybe that oasis over there will help."
"Yeah." Iris nodded as they walked together, though she separated herself three feet away from Rantaro.
With Sonic and Knuckles…
"I feel like draining that oasis was a terrible idea." Sonic said as he and Knuckles were walking with some Koco after the former drained the oasis by firing a rocket at some ancient tech, which drained the oasis, and then he had to save the Koco from some Towers.
"Yeah… I thought there would've been something down there, but there was absolutely nothing. But hey, look at the bright side, at least you didn't drown."
"Yeah, I guess when you look at it that way-"
Suddenly, the sky started to change as Sonic looked up as the whole area changed again, as it was the same time as it happened on the last island with Amy.
"Huh…?" Knuckles looked down, seeing that he was back to normal as he would see the Chaos-like Koco running toward a giant wall as lasers rained down on them, followed by tons of explosions.
Once the dust settled, and everything was back to normal, they would see some Koco lying on the ground with a huge hole in the wall.
"Okay… now I'm curious as to why they looked like Chaos."
"Your guess is as good as mine." Sonic shrugged as some Koco approached Knuckles.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Knuckles said.
"Hmm… something's not adding up…" Sonic folded his arms and looked up toward the sky. "Was there some kind of massive war we're uncovering…?"
Meanwhile, with SAPR…
BGM: Cyber Space 2-4: Hype Street (Sonic Frontiers)
"Hup! Hiyah!" SAPR fired Lasers at some Kihunters and Bronto Burts as she was running through a cyberspace area set in the New World but was also in the cold vacuum of space.
SAPR ran across the area, vaulting over a guard rail and firing Rockets at some Scarfies before she landed on the ground, some smoke coming out of her arm cannon to act as ventilation so she wouldn't overheat.
"There's no way I'll call that scientist my father… no… Pietro is my true father!" She said to herself, quickly firing some spike balls at some Phazon induced Goombas and Koopas as she found a dash track and ran across on high speeds, running over Geemers and Broom Hatters, then jumped up, her arm transforming into a drill and drilled through Egg Robos and Zebesians.
SAPR jumped over a few spike pits and then continued on, shooting down more Scarfies before she reached the portal.
"...As if I'll ever consider any of them my family!" She said as she walked into the portal to collect some Vault Keys.
End BGM
Meanwhile, with Slippy…
"Aha, there it is!" Slippy said, referring to his Arwing.
Nagisa glanced over at Dipper. "Trap?"
"Oh yeah, this definitely feels like a trap." Dipper agreed.
"I feel like we need to spring it, otherwise it's too easy." Silver said.
"Agreed." Mine nodded as they got closer… and then a digital arena formed around them, producing trees from the forest aside from a giant gap leading to the water below.
At that moment, a gnome climbed up over the Arwing.
"A gnome? Aw, it's cute~!" Mine smiled.
"Yeah, not really." Dipper readied his Beam Sword as multiple gnomes started showing up.
BGM: Tension Rising (Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMix)
Before anyone knew it, the gnomes started to morph into a giant mech-like gnome while having the Arwing being used as wrist blasters.
"What in the world…?!" Slippy said in surprise.
Not Recommended for Gardens - Data Gnomes of the Forest
"Alright, does anyone have any leaf blowers?" Dipper wondered.
"Why leaf blowers?" Silver wondered.
"Because that's how Mabel and I defeated them last time." Dipper responded as the gnome mech fired lasers, forcing them all to dodge as Mine returned fire.
"Hmm… I got a better idea." Silver said, aiming his hand at them and telekinetically lifting the giant gnome up in the air and proceeded to shake them all off, making them fly all over the place as Mine and Dipper used them for target practice until one gnome remained, making him drop to the ground.
End BGM
"Nice one!" Mine said.
"Uuuungh…" The gnome groaned as he gagged… and then proceeded to puke out rainbows. "Bleeeegh!"
"...Oh goodness!" Slippy grimaced.
Nagisa blinked. "Well… I'm… never going to see rainbows the same way again…"
"Rrrrgh!" Mine charged ahead and punted the gnome into the sky. "THANKS FOR RUINING RAINBOWS FOR ME, ASSHOLE!"
"I… uh…" Silver sweatdropped. "Well, I didn't know they were extremely motion sick…"
Once the data arena disappeared, a red Chaos Emerald appeared in front of them along with Slippy's Arwing.
"Well… aside from that really weird moment… we got my Arwing back. Nice!"
"Something tells me you've seen that… rainbow puke before." Nagisa said.
"Yeah… I… try not to think about it." Dipper shuddered.
With Weiss…
"We've fought these things in the Chaos Realm, right?" Weiss wondered, striking down a Primid.
"Yeah, I completely forgot about them until now." Blake said.
"I've heard about these guys from the Brawl tournament, but to think to see them up close is a bit… unnerving." Byleth said.
"That ghost thing was a bit much, not gonna lie." Dorothea said.
"Oh hey, you guys are here." Futaba approached with Jade. "I see you're dealing with the datafied Subspace Army as well."
"Yeah… we just helped out Falco and Gonta, and now they're going to check on Fox and Krystal." Winter explained.
"I'm… hoping it doesn't evolve into what I hope it won't…" Futaba said before glancing over at a portal. "Oh, I guess you were gonna go in here?"
"Yeah, and then they showed up." Yang said.
"Well, let's head on in then!" Futaba said as they went inside.
Once they entered Cyberspace, they quickly looked around to see they were in a desert where there were also some Karts nearby.
"Ah geez… I recognize this place." Futaba said.
"What is it?" Winter asked.
"My palace."
"Your… palace?" Weiss wondered.
"I'll explain on the way. Let's go."
At that moment, Azure flew in with Saki as Weiss hopped on Azure with Blake and Meryl while Byleth, Dorothea and Yang took Saki.
I wonder if Valka is okay… Winter thought as she hopped onto a Mach Bike as Futaba hopped on a Sport Bike with Jade riding with her, wrapping her arms around her as they all took off.
BGM: Cyber Space 2-5: Deja Vu (Sonic Frontiers)
"So… back then, I wasn't the most outgoing individual. I often just shut myself up in my room and was practically a hermit. I asked the Phantom Thieves to steal my own heart just so I could get out of my shell."
"Oh, I've heard about this." Yang said. "You were wanting to confront your own past but needed the Thieves to give you that boost, right?"
"Yeah. Because I believed I was the cause of my mother's death, thanks to Shido's fake suicide note. In reality, she was close to uncovering the truth but Shido had her silenced. Because of that, I… basically ran away from my own reality and dyed my own hair orange. At one point, I decided to stop doing that until, ya know… Eggman ousted me when I was hacking into Remnant's network. I regressed and just… went back into that hair dye business."
"I was beginning to wonder if you were starting to dye your hair black." Byleth admitted.
"Honestly, I don't blame you for thinking I was a natural orange head. But I've stopped doing that after I started dating Jade. I became my own person and because of that, I finally just… moved on from everything and just let my hair go back to normal. I even told myself I'd stop running no matter what happened… and I held to that after Fria died and I became the next Winter Maiden."
Futaba sighed. "And now here I am, driving through my own palace in Cyberspace. What are the odds…"
"Do you still have some repressed memories you haven't tackled yet?" Byleth wondered.
"As far as I know, I've moved on from it completely." Futaba said. "...So why the hell did Cyberspace pull this from my head?"
"Possible PTSD trigger?" Meryl wondered.
"Your guess is as good as mine."
At that moment, a snowflake fell and landed on Manaphy's head. "Oh!" Manaphy said in surprise.
"Snow…?" Futaba wondered. "That's weird."
"Never snowed in your palace?" Jade asked.
"Never. It was all hot, save for that pyramid over there." Futaba said, pointing in the distance. "Although, now it's more icy than normal."
"Best to keep our guards up." Winter said as they drove up toward the pyramid, finding a path that lead straight to the top as they drove/flew on up.
End BGM
As they reached the top, they saw a short raven haired woman looking off into the distance. "Who's that?" Yang wondered.
"Mom…?" Futaba spoke up as she approached, although cautiously.
"Oh dang, she's cute." Dorothea said as Byleth nodded.
"Futaba, I don't think-"
"I know." Futaba turned her head to look at Jade. "I just… need this."
Jade nodded. "Right."
Futaba slowly approached her. "Mom… is that you…?"
Wakaba turned around, softly smiling. "Futaba… look how much you've grown." She said softly.
"Is… is this really you or is this just some trick from Cyberspace?"
Futaba immediately activated her Maiden powers, aiming her hand at her. "Reveal yourself. I'm not going to-"
Wakaba gently put her hand on her cheek. "Sweetheart… you don't have to worry. It's me." She said softly, pulling her close.
Futaba's eyes widened, her Maiden powers deactivating as she hesitantly wrapped her arms around her but melted into her arms as she returned the hug. "Okāsan…" (Mom…)
"Yes, sweetie… it's me…" Wakaba smiled and looked up. "Are these your friends? You've made some good ones, especially that one." She said, referring to Jade that caused her to blush.
I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop… Blake thought.
Wakaba still smiled as Futaba closed her eyes with a soft smile. Even if she knew this was a cyberspace copy of her… it was still the mother she knew and loved.
Futaba pulled away, smiling. "I've missed you so much."
"I know you have… and I deeply apologize that I put work first. I promise you, that in some other life, we would have had the best mother/daughter bonding we'd have."
"I… would have liked that." Futaba smiled, trying her best to keep it together.
Wakaba nodded. "Do you want to spend some time with me? You know that's what you would have wanted."
"Is Cyberspace bringing out her strongest desires?" Weiss whispered.
"I… don't know…" Meryl responded.
"I… I definitely would like that."
Wakaba smiled, taking her daughter's hands. "Then let's do that. Spend some quality time together, just the two of-"
A bullet struck her forehead, a gunshot rang into the air, Wakaba leaned back with blood splattering out as Futaba's eyes slowly widened in horror. Everyone else had the same horrified reaction as Wakaba's glasses fell on the icy ground.
"M-mom…? Mom…?! MOM!" She screamed.
"Well, isn't this a touching reunion." A voice said as they all turned to see the perpetrator holding the gun.
Shido.
Shido smirked. "Hello, brat. We meet again."
I originally was going to have the fight with Wyvern happen this chapter, but I was like "Hmm, there's potentially a lot going on this chapter..." so I decided to lighten the work load a bit, especially with what just happened at the end here.
Ibuki: OH, THAT ASSHOLE.
Deadpool: Tag me in. I'm gonna turn him into a shish kebob!
Shout out to Jacob for that scene with Iris and Rantaro, and Drei for that Penny and Futaba scene, plus Futaba's palace as a Cyberspace level!