...welp, I warned ya'll this chapter might be late.
In my defense, it took me til last night to FINALLY finish the end-chapter, and I did try to update last night but then Archive went down and...
Yeah.
Crossposting is fun until one of the websites go down.
So anyway this chapter might be a little rough.
Especially our end-chapter at the bottom.
But tis done!
As I mentioned, this chapter has a focus on characters other than the Eds this time!
So if you don't care about anything else but the Eds' story.
Well, first off, tough shit.
And as for the second off, I'll explain it all at the bottom.
Enjoy the chapter, ya'll.
Eggman sighed as he walked through the Experiments' Wing of his New Cathroda base.
It was nice to be home, it truly was…
But he was behind.
On nearly everything.
Multiple notices and bills sent from various Tomoko Empire cities, including another request for armor and weaponry for Albion.
If Kragok doesn't stop trying to start wars, he's going to find himself permanently removed from his position.
Perhaps it was time to replace the insane echidna…
Eggman sighed to himself, shaking his head.
"Focus, Ivo." He scolded himself, crossing his arms in thought, "As insane as Kragok is, he's still undeniably still a High Councilor of that damn Dark Albion Council. Remove him too soon, and potentially lose Albion."
How that psychotic idiot gained such control in so little time still evades him, but he doesn't have the time to theorize about that.
Eggman hummed under his breath as he slid the visor on one of the doors, peering inside.
White and gray walls surrounded a brown and tan owl, who was laying limp on the ground.
Or… she was, until she heard the visor move.
She shot to her talons and flung herself towards the door, a feral look in her eyes.
She screamed something incoherent as she banged her hands on the door and little window.
Eggman, being well-versed in incoherent ramblings, sighed at the Owl's continued claims of blame.
"Susanna, you know I've done nothing to you." He told the owl, who screamed again, "All that I have done is left you within that room."
She screeched, sounding almost entirely feral now.
Something about it made Eggman's blood run ice cold, but he ignored it as usual to send the former gang leader a sharp glare.
"Down." He commanded, and the owl let out both whimpers and growls.
She looked conflicted as she stepped away from the door, split between obeying and continuing to attack the door.
"Oh, you are so very close." He faked a grin, hating how the owl leaned back at his tone, "Just a bit longer, and you'll be perfect."
The owl chittered to herself in mild fear, skulking away from the door and back to her spot on the ground.
As he stepped away from the door, he pushed his jacket sleeve down, revealing a machine on his wrist.
He pressed a button on the machine, a formless keyboard appearing before him.
"'12:33, Deciember 23rd; The Cobalt Traffickers, Day Two. Nega seemed to have set up multiple different types of obeyance keys in the Cobalts' minds, their mental states having deteriorated in a matter of 37 hours.'" He quietly repeated to himself as he typed, "'We all knew that Nega often used the group to gather bodies and souls for his wretched Constructs, but I don't think anyone realized he was planning on using them. Not even the Cobalts' themselves.'"
It was horrifying how quickly the cunning and skilled group devolved into violent, animalistic husks of their former selves.
It was alarming too, considering that one of them still roamed the Cosmic Highway.
He blinked at the ceiling, before adding, "'Personal note, acting like Nega is starting to make me feel sicker than usual. I think I should reconsider Rouge's offer to comb through the remains of the Magic Zone…'"
Eggman slowly moved to the next room, sliding open the visor to-
"HOLY-!"
Eggman slammed the visor shut within seconds, letting out a violent retching sound.
He slid slightly on the door, hands clamped firmly over his mouth as he gagged.
"Why is it always those ones that take these damn resorts!?" He managed to hiss between heavy breaths and nearly throwing up.
After a moment of near-hyperventilation and trying desperately not to puke, he cleared his throat.
Gulping down bile, he slowly straightened and stepped away from the door.
He silently pressed the red button next to the door number and walked away.
"'12:36, Deciember 23rd; Cobalt Trafficker member: Reggie the Beetle of the Cloudy Zone, has been found dead.'" He added to his notes, "'I am hoping this was purely suicide and not… anything he set up in case of insubordination. Have computer analyze cameras to confirm cause of death before making any decisions."
He gulped again as he stopped at another door, reaching up to the visor…
And slowly pushed it.
The room within was white and gray.
And the lioness within was patrolling the room on all fours.
She was still alive.
"'Personal Note:'" Eggman hesitated again, an odd look on his face as he closed the visor and continued past the other two rooms, "'I think it's time to talk to Starved of the Steampunk Zone, Hero of the ID Zone, and Labrat of the Flight Zone.'"
He gulped once more, thinking about… those experiments.
"'I think it is time they know about The Empress' Experiments.'"
"…Why are you knocking?"
"It's called 'being polite'… May I come in?"
Eggman waited for a moment, knowing full-well that Cyclops was questioning his manners.
Yes, this was his base, but that doesn't mean he's going to barge into his… visitor's room unannounced!
…Or was this because of their last few fights?
The cyclops, whose name he believes is Gargarensis, looked very confused when he had repeatedly wiped the fucking floor with him-
Don't brag or rub it in, you moron. Focus.
"What do you want?" The undead, somehow exhausted-looking, cyclops questioned after a moment, sending him an irritated glare.
Eggman hummed, hearing that it was just barely a question.
Oh, this is going to be a great conversation…
He entered the half guest bedroom-half prison cell, seeing the cyclops watching him.
Eggman resisted the urge to snort at his attempts of intimidation and instead bluntly stated, "I need some of your blood."
"Why." The cyclops half-growled out, making Eggman hum.
"I need to see how much divine DNA you have." He explained simply, making the Cyclops scowl.
"I told you-" He started, growling as Eggman started to sigh, "Don't you dare interrupt me!"
"4th and 2nd generation divine DNA is an odd mix that needs a proper look-through." Eggman explained, ignoring the sharp glare sent his way, "It's for both of our safety more than anything else."
Gargarensis glared still at the overlander for a moment, hands clenched tightly.
Eggman half-glared back, lifting himself off the ground to look the cyclops in the eye.
"Listen, I know you thought I'd be easy to trick or use or whatever the fuck it is you wanted from me." Eggman started, barely stopping himself from snapping at the cyclops, "But I am genuinely trying to help you achieve immortality and godhood."
He leaned in with a sneer, though it looked more like a very angry scowl, "So do us both a favor, and-"
Eggman teleported away from the cyclops as he tried to stab his trident through the scientist's chest.
Gargarensis found himself slammed into an empty wall by one of those 'magic blasts' instead, Eggman still floating at eye-level despite the distance between them.
The two glared at each other, Eggman growling lowly.
"Stop being so fucking difficult," Eggman snarled, his voice almost seeming to echo, "Before I decide that you and your attitude aren't 'worthy' of Mobian Godhood!"
"Oh, and you have other options?" The cyclops seethed, pushing himself off the wall with a scowl, "You have stated before that the search for a 'proper' test subject has been nigh impossible."
"All I need to replace you is some gullible demi-god from your world!" Eggman snapped, making Gargarensis scoff.
"You say these things as if the gods will allow you to steal their kin." He stated, making Eggman laugh.
"You nearly destroyed your universe, and yet nobody's come to try and take you back!" Eggman pointed out, "And Sonic still has that pathetic hero at his aunt's! The gods don't care about their so-called 'kin'!"
Gargarensis bristled at the no-doubt mention of that Atlantean, before snapping-
"All that gods care about is power! They ignore mortals in favor of their own power! Their them-forsaken egos!" Eggman cut off, magic sparking around him as he grew angry, "Don't you think those before I had not tried other universes before!? That they hadn't tried using demigods or weak gods to give us something besides our negligent god and a single echidnan spirit?!"
More and more magic sparked and swirled around Eggman, his opaque glasses tinted red from how bright his eyes glowed behind them.
The lights flickered wildly as Eggman flew back into Gargarensis' face, the lenses of the glasses entirely red.
"Do you have any idea how old this project truly is?! How long Eldritch has tried to create stable gods?! How long they've tried attracting other universes' lesser or exiled gods!? How many souls have been lost in these experiments?! In these searches!?" Eggman yelled, gesturing wildly, "Centuries of work! Of research! Of failed projects and ideas! And you want to know what Chaos though of all this!?"
Eggman punched the punching bag he'd placed in the room, throwing it through multiple of the metallic walls, before pulling at his mustache with a loud groan.
Gargarensis had been watching this… this anger with as neutral of an expression as possible.
Though, he couldn't stop his face from twisting upon seeing the hole in the wall.
How powerful was this bastard…?
But still, this was very interesting.
This place had a centuries-long search for gods.
And it was clearly something of a sensitive subject for the man before him.
Perhaps even for this place itself.
He watched as Eggman let out a hiss, clearly trying to calm himself down.
"Chaos has done nothing." The overlander mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard, "Our iteration of Tikal has done more than Chaos, and she cannot hold a temporary physical form without assistance."
Gargarensis silently huffed, seeing no humor or use in this worthless-
"And if we don't find some way to stabilize our void soon, it may start to destabilize the other voids with it. We don't need a multiverse apocalypse on our hands." Eggman admitted, unaware to how Gargarensis jolted in recognition.
His eye widened, realizing instantly what had caused his vision. His insight into the foretold 'End of All Worlds'.
It was this world.
…Perhaps he could use this.
"Not long ago, I had foretold of a 'End of All Worlds'." He stated to the man, who sighed.
"You and that damn fox cult both." Eggman visibly rolled his eyes, "So the wide multiverse knows, hm?"
Well, that certainly worked…
Gargarensis sent the scientist a glare, making Eggman snort.
"Ah, yes." The man chuckled, "I had forgotten that you and your allies' warning had been ignored in favor for some lost children. Not that they would have taken your warning seriously. Apocalypses are already common enough in the Mobian Zone, let alone how often they must happen in the wider multiverse."
Eggman finally stepped back onto the ground, stating, "I believe you would have been ignored, no matter the circumstances-"
"How do you expect to stop this apocalypse?"
Again, not quite a question.
Eggman was silent, hands tapping as he asked himself what the answer was.
Gargarensis' irritation shifted slightly, having not expected the scientist to go silent.
"I…" Eggman tried to start, but found himself unable to properly answer.
The room was near-silent, bar the distance sound of mechanical grinding.
Eggman's wrist beeped, making the scientist hum.
He turned on his heel, silently moving towards the door.
"…I will send someone to repair this room." He stated, turning his head back slightly, "And as for your question…"
Gargarensis scanned over what he could see on the man's face, seeing…
Uncertainty.
Eggman turned away fully, hands twitching over the communicator as he stated, "As things stand, we cannot stop the apocalypse. Not without assistance."
"You speak as though that is an impossibility."
The door was shut before the scientist could answer, but the hole in the wall allowed a mumbling of, "If you're as wise as you seem, you'll remain here long enough to discover how impossible it truly is."
Sonic whistled to himself as he laid upside-down on the gray-blue couch, flipping through stupid holiday movies and dumb news channels-
"Hey, go back!" Tails piped up, making Sonic pause, "Channel 246 was Winter Festivities!"
"It was the second one, lil' bro." Sonic sighed, making Tails groan in disappointment, "I know, I know. But you know how bad the sequel was."
Tails, who was wearing black socks and oddly puffy-looking gloves, reached for the remote in Sonic's hands.
Sonic leaned as best he could, sitting upside-down.
Tails leaned further, as did Sonic.
"Boys, Thaeif just called," Uncle Chuck's voice rang into the room, the older hedgehog stepping by the living room with some boxes, "She wants-"
Sonic yelped as he lost his balance, tumbling forward and nearly slamming into the coffee table on the way down.
Tails laughed in victory, having swiped the remote from his brother while he was falling.
Uncle Chuck leaned over to look at his nephew better, quietly chuckling.
"Sonic, Thaeif wanted your help with that outsider Amy brought in." He told, making Sonic groan.
He lifted his head from the carpet, whining, "Do I have to?"
"She says she won't make chili dogs for the Winter Feast if you don't." Uncle Chuck told, making Sonic slam his face back into the carpet.
"What?! That's not fair!" Tails complained, looking horrified at the idea.
Sonic groaned a third time, slowly getting off the ground with an annoyed look, "Is Rouge at least home?"
Uncle Chuck let out a hum in thought, shifting the box in his arms before saying, "Not to my knowledge, but I believe Vanilla and Cream just got home from the Southern Baronies."
"Better than being there with Auntie by myself." Sonic grumbled, before waving, "She say how long she'll need me for, or…"
"She told me she'll send someone to grab your stuff later, so I'd assume you'll be there for a while."
"Great."
Tails' eyes twitched between his uncle and brother, before sighing, "Does Sonic have to go? I mean, I can go without Winter Feast Chili Dogs this year…"
Sonic waved a hand, trying his best to smile, "It's fine, Tails. It's not like you aren't coming over tomorrow!"
"You better head off, Sonic. I have a feeling Thaeif may have found something." Uncle Chuck's eyes twinkled slightly, making Sonic snort.
He ruffled Tails' head, before nudging his head into Chuck's.
Chuck placed a hand on the back of Sonic's, keeping his head connected with his.
"I already texted Sally and Rouge, and Rouge said Thaeif was in a good mood this morning." Uncle Chuck mumbled, making Sonic hum.
"So Auntie must've found something good, gotcha. Thanks, Uncle Chuck." Sonic sighed, lowering his shoulders in relief, "Tails' present is the orange-wrapped one, and he's already got yours. I'm half-packed, but all the other stuff and the presents are under my bed, and… you mind grabbing my guitar when you guys head out too? I think playing is Dark's new stress-reliever."
"Guitar for Dark, the red stress ball for Fleetway, and the white fidget cube for Super?"
Sonic snorted, "Grab the skull spinner too, Dusk says he'll be home for the holidays."
"Got it. Be safe, Sonic." Uncle Chuck requested, closing his eyes as Sonic sighed.
"It'll only be a day." He weakly protested, before his smile fell and he closed his eyes too, "I'll still be careful though. Set up the alarm when I go?"
"Of course."
The two hedgehogs parted, smiling again as if nothing had happened.
Tails slowly slid off the couch, already reaching into the secret cabinet for their alarm.
Sonic snatched a small wristband from its charging stand, sliding it underneath his glove before waving.
"See you guys tomorrow night! Love ya!" Sonic grinned, slipping on his shoes before speeding out the door.
π
The odd bat woman hummed as she rushed around her strange kitchen, practically tossing pans into closed ovens.
A rabbit-like woman stood just before the kitchen, watching the sight with an eternal deadpan.
What seemed to be the rabbit woman's daughter held her mother's hand, watching the bat with quiet giggles.
"Oh, that's why we visited Granny-ma!" The little rabbit realized, her mom letting out an emotionless laugh.
"Every year with your aunt, I swear." The monotone rabbit shook her head, her words implying fondness.
"Wh- Vanilla!" The bat woman started to protest, making the two rabbits laugh again.
Arkantos wasn't sure how to feel about these beings, or why he was in this house.
The bat- Thaeif was it? -said that her nephew would be over for some 'tests'.
Whatever that meant…
Perhaps he should not have trusted that pink hedgehog-
"So, what's with the new outsider?" Vanilla questioned, making Thaeif chuckle.
"Outsider, 'nilla." Thaeif corrected, making Vanilla's brow twitch slightly-
Wait, why did the fur around that brow just crack-?
The little rabbit gasped, hands clenched together as she exclaimed, "Is he the one Amy was talking about!?"
"I wish!" Thaeif laughed, before shaking her head, "No, this one is one Amy said Sonic would like. A project if you would."
The little rabbit giggled again, turning her innocent gaze to Arkantos.
…oh, this one is a child.
"Hi!" The little rabbit waved to him, her mother turning his emotionless gaze to him.
"Hm." She hummed, her brow again twitching and leaving small cracks in the fur, "She said Sonic would like this one? Our overly paranoid Sonic?"
"Oh, I don't believe it either." Thaeif chuckled, waving a gloved hand for emphasis, "This one is trustworthy at least. Talks about that apocalypse the Foxes were talking about."
Arkantos' eyes widened.
They knew of the 'End of All Worlds' Apocalypse?
But how?!
"That apocalypse?" Vanilla questioned, a small frown causing cracks to appear around her mouth, "The one Arai told us about?"
"The exact one. It doesn't line up with Tails' prophecy from a few days back, but-" Thaeif started to explain, Arkantos having leaned in slightly to hear better-
"Hi!" The little rabbit repeated, having suddenly appeared in front of him.
He startled back slightly, having not expected the little rabbit to appear in front of him so quickly.
Or… at eye-level for that matter.
How was she doing that?
The little rabbit's ears fluttered, keeping the girl in the air as she giggled again, "My name's Cream the Rabbit, mister! What's your name?"
"…You should not be so quick to trust strangers." He mumbled, but Cream only laughed.
"But mister! If we don't trust strangers, runaway strangers will be too scared to come here!" She gently argued, slowly landing back onto the ground and smiling up at him, " Besides, my mama says that a lot of strangers are friends that you don't know yet! And Auntie just said you were trustworthy anyway!"
Arkantos blinked at the small child, unsure how to respond to… that.
"…I am Arkantos, the… former head admiral of the now-destroyed Atlantis." He formally introduced himself with a slight bow, making Cream gasp.
"Oh! Can I introduce myself again, please? I didn't know we were using titles!" Cream requested, making Arkantos slowly nod.
The little rabbit cleared her throat, before grabbing the edges of her dress and curtsying, "My name is Lady Cream of the former House of Rabbot!"
Arkantos blinked at the girl again, before glancing over almost desperately at the two mobian ladies.
Thaeif was making little cooing sounds at her youngest niece, while Vanilla let out an emotionless chuckle.
She knelt to her daughter, adjusting her curtsy into a bow, "He's not a knight, dear. Bow for modern titles, curtsy for nobles and knights."
"Sorry mama!" Cream giggled yet again, "Did I do good on my introduction?!"
"As perfect as you, my darling." Vanilla complimented, though there was still no emotion to the older rabbit's voice, "But remember, you should include my and your father's names to humans and overlanders. Other Mobians know of the House of Rabbot, the humans and overlanders don't."
"Okay, mama!"
Thaeif stepped over to Arkantos, letting out an amused sigh as she explained, "One of my nieces, the queen of the kingdom we're in, is planning on inviting Cream for her first ball next year. So, she's practicing her courtly manners."
"I… see."
The two stood silently for a moment, Cream and Vanilla's voices having quieted in their talk of court manners.
"…Do you have children?" Thaeif questioned, making Arkantos jump, "Your mumblings of 'stranger-danger' reminds me of myself when my Rouge was young."
Arkantos glanced away, feeling a bit nervous around this odd bat, before a knocking made Thaeif gasp.
"Oh! And here I was, thinking my threat didn't work!" Thaeif laughed, ignoring the emotionless-but-still-annoyed look on Vanilla's face as she walked to the door.
Arkantos let out a sigh of relief, before Vanilla let out a still monotone chuckle.
"Oh, don't feel relieved just yet. Thaeif always remembers unanswered questions." Vanilla warned, making Cream giggle at her side, "Believe me, she won't give up until she gets answers."
"It's how mama and Auntie and Uncle Chuck became best friends!" Cream chirped, Vanilla placing a hand on her daughter's head with a small, still emotionless chuckle.
Vanilla rolled her eyes, the smallest twitch of a smile yet again causing cracks to form.
Arkantos watched the cracks creep through the fur, before slowly fading away again.
What was that?
"…I wouldn't advise staring at one's curse, former admiral." Vanilla stated, a hint of irritation in her voice, "Especially one as severe as my own."
Arkantos jolted, fake coughing into his hand as he looked away, "I-! I apologize, I hadn't realized."
"I suppose cursed-based manners aren't something taught in universes such as yours." Vanilla told, that hint of irritation turning into a mild distortion of the rabbit's voice, "Chaos below knows they aren't taught in most Mobian Zones."
"Holy shit, who's Vanilla pissed at?" An unfamiliar voice whistled as he entered the house, "I'm pretty sure Sal can feel that all the way in Mobotropolis!"
Thaeif and an odd blue hedgehog stepped back into the room, the bat sending her friend a look.
Her eyes twitched between Vanilla and Arkantos, before she sighed, "Vanilla, he may be from a universe where curses aren't even common."
Vanilla let out a huff, cracks rapidly spreading along the edges of her eyes and over her throat, "Well, one should still be polite and not stare."
Arkantos glanced away, feeling guilty and more than a little embarrassed.
Well, he's already lost a potential ally in this place.
That blue hedgehog was eyeing him suspiciously as well, eyes narrowed as he practically glared at him.
"…Well, I should go visit setting up dinner." Thaeif chuckled, tapping Vanilla's arm as she passed, "Come help me real quick, 'nilla?"
Vanilla send Arkantos a glare that made the cracks snap, white fragments and fur coming off of her face, but…
She winced, her hand immediately moving over the crack.
The hedgehog let out a slightly panicked hiss, his hands sparking slightly with magic.
But Vanilla took a deep breath and composed herself, the emotionless mask causing the cracks to recede.
She quickly followed Thaeif to the kitchen, leaving Arkantos with the hedgehog and the rabbit child.
Cream smiled, skipping over to the hedgehog and chirping, "Hi Sonic!"
Sonic smiled too, ruffling Cream's head before glancing over to Arkantos with a frown.
"…You were wondering about the stupid cracks, weren't you?" He half-asked, getting a silent nod, "Yeah, side-effect of Aunt 'nilla's curse. Too many emotions, and those cracks'll literally tear her apart."
"What!?"
Sonic shrugged, as if such a curse was normal, "Yeah, long story, not allowed to tell it around Cream-"
"But Sonic-!" Cream started to protest, but was cut off as Sonic threw her onto his shoulders.
"Aunt 'nilla's rules, Cream." Sonic chuckled, before turning serious again, "But yeah, not pretty. She's really nice, just don't do… you know, literally what you just did."
"Oh great." Arkantos groaned into a hand, making Sonic hum.
He tiled his head slightly, as if he was trying to get a good look at him, before tilting to the other side.
"I like him, Sonic!" Cream piped up, as if it would save the man from Sonic's judgement, "He's got two formals in his title and knows about some apocalypse Tails' family's cult was talking about!"
"He knows about what!?" Sonic jolted, glancing over to the man, "Please don't tell me she's talking about that apocalypse one! Chaos below, tell me she's talking about the incomplete prophecy!"
"Incomplete prophecy?" Arkantos questioned, making Sonic groan.
"The one that goes 'Day, Night, Dusk, Dawn…'" Sonic simplified, making Arkantos gasp.
"The Moirais' prophecy!? You received it as well!?" He realized, gesturing slightly as he questioned, "What do you mean it was incomplete!? Is there more to this prophecy that we do not know!?"
Sonic stared at Arkantos for a very, very long time.
"Uh-oh." Cream squeaked, "Sonic, I think he meant the apocalypse one-"
"Yeah, thanks, I get that, Cream." Sonic groaned again, "Okay, let's focus on why I'm here before we get into all that."
"I believe that may be best, your aunt had mentioned some 'tests'-" Arkantos started, before Sonic cut him off.
"Uncle Chuck said Thaeif found out something about you, not that I'd be doing some dumb tests!" Sonic exclaimed, Cream fluttering off his back as he threw his hands into the air, "Oh goddamn it!"
He turned towards the kitchen, yelling, "You're a prick, Auntie!"
"Where do you think Rouge got it from, Sonic?" Thaeif laughed back, making Sonic yell.
Arkantos watched Sonic seethe, unaware to the little rabbit stepping beside him.
"Auntie likes tricking people." She chirped, once again startling the outverse man, "Sonic and Sally get tricked by Auntie a lot, but Sally never gets mad like Sonic does! Mama says Uncle Chuck and Queen-Aunt Alicia were the same way!"
Arkantos eyed the child skeptically, before asking, "Queen-Aunt?"
"Sally's mom!" Cream stated, as if this was common knowledge, "Mama says she and Knuckles' mama got taken by the void, kinda like Rouge's papa, Amy's cousin, and Mister Eggman once said he thinks his cousin's in the void too!"
…What.
Arkantos stared at Cream, unable to process what this child just told him.
"And… what of the other parents of your cousins?" Arkantos reluctantly asked, making Cream hum.
"Mama says all my not-uncles were mean, and Sonic's mama left Sonic behind and never came back." Cream told, tapping a hand on her chin, "And Mister Eggman isn't a cousin, or an uncle, so everyone but Auntie call him 'unlabelable' family. Auntie likes calling Mister Eggman her brother, but mama says she only does it to annoy him."
Arkantos felt so, so very confused.
"…I forgot how talkative children can be." He mumbled, instead of acknowledging… any of that.
"Alright, let's head outside." Sonic finally grumbled, having apparently surrendered himself to his fate, "Pretty sure Auntie banned magic testing in the house. Cream, remember the rules?"
"Stay out of the ring and watch!" Cream exclaimed, making Sonic smile.
He ruffled her head again, telling her, "That's it."
Sonic then glanced back at Arkantos, looking slightly amused, "You asked questions and got answers, now come on. Sun sets in a few hours, and I'm like 90% sure we're gonna spend an hour of that cleaning the ring."
Arkantos slowly followed after the two, questioning what he has gotten himself into.
##################################################################################
"Mandy. Did. What?!"
Vegeta and Goku watched as the eldest Briefs daughter started to seethe, near-white fists somehow turning whiter from being clenched.
Vegeta chuckled in amusement at his adopted child's anger, while Goku…
"Hey, Vegeta? Was telling Ruby about all that a good idea?" Goku whispered, but flinched as Ruby whipped her soulless black eyes over to him.
"I am going to fucking kill her." Ruby hissed, summoning her axe and swinging at the air, "And after that, I'm going to find that sorry excuse for a leader and-"
"Don't forget you're legally dead, Ruby!" Bulma called from a few stories up, leaning out her study window, "You can't do anything until you and Max clear all that up!"
Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, before groaning.
Vegeta snorted this time, getting Ruby's vicious glare set on him.
"I swear to Kami-slash-Dende-slash-the Kais, Vegeta…"
Goku sidestepped away from Vegeta, just in time for Vegeta to taunt, "Coward."
"BITCH! "
Ruby shot at him, the two starting to fight in the middle of the yard.
"Hey- HEY!" Bulma yelled, "EITHER USE THE GRAVITY CHAMBER, OR GET OUT OF THE YARD!"
Goku quickly flew up and in to Bulma's office, ignoring his longtime friend's protests and-
Ended up on the floor, having caught his foot on the windowsill.
"…Seriously?" Bulma deadpanned, making Goku groan.
"Ruby makes me uncomfortable, okay?!" Goku whined, making Bulma sigh.
"So she's different, now!" Bulma started, before pausing, "And, you know, not dead."
Goku winced at the reminder, but Bulma ignored that.
"That doesn't mean you should treat her like she's dangerous!" Bulma gestured in Goku's face, making the saiyan nervously laugh, "And you know what we'll do if you set her off-!"
"I know, I know! No talking about students, or protégés, or being called dangerous, or pasta loyalists, or void demons! Whatever those two are!" Goku waved his hands frantically, ignoring Bulma's muttering of 'Creepypasta Loyalist, Goku', "But I don't get why she didn't just go to her friends! Why they aren't allowed to know that she's alive! Why we're not allowed to tell anyone she's alive!"
Bulma frowned at Goku, eyes trailing out the window again.
Vegeta and Ruby's fight had apparently been cut short by Trunks and Max, who were excitedly telling them about something.
She sighed again, shaking her head.
Goku blinked at the reaction, not knowing what to think.
Bulma watched as Ruby huffed at something, ruffling her brothers' heads with a small smile.
Vegeta wiped blood off his chin, a proud glint in his eye as he watched his children.
"Ask her yourself, Goku." Bulma told her friend, who sputtered before being waved off, "Now get out of my study!"
...Oh hey! There's the other friends from Chapter 5's end segment!
I'm not taking plot-related questions at this time, but I'll take theories if you got 'em!
So... about the second portion of my explanation.
If you don't particularly care, I'll state here that I AM skipping October's update for a bit of a break.
To those people, I hope ya'll have a great September/October, and I'll see ya'll in November!
And to those who need/want to explanation...
Okay, so I know this story started VERY heavily focused on the Eds and Eddy's mother, but the near-pure focus on them is about to end.
Because this story isn't just about the Eds.
It's about Gargarensis' desire to become a god, and how Eggman's acquired project may do just that.
It's about the 'mystery' of the feral Cobalt Traffickers, and how it may effect the Zones of the Cosmic Highway.
It's about Rouge and Sonic questioning those of the wide multiverse.
It's about the stories of those within this Mobius, runaways, refugees or Eldritch-born.
It's about the stories within the Cosmic Highway. (Many of which being heavily-inspired by others' stories and WILL be credited properly.)
It's about the stories of the Multiverse.
It's about an incomplete prophecy that nobody can seem to decipher.
In a couple of chapters, Arc 2 will end.
And when Arc 3 begins, we will start to focus on the other individuals in the story.
Not saying I'll be cluttering this story up with various stories (and various fandoms).
Instead, I'll be creating One/Two-Shots on the side, and some end-chapter segments may be each one-shot's starting point.
But I WANT to tell all these stories, and so many of them have important reasons to exist.
I'll probably have a system set up so you can find where each one/two-shot lies for the timeline, but that's complicated stuff I'll get to later.
For now though, I just want to thank everyone who has read and liked my story thus far.
Thank you to those who have favorited my story thus far: HanayoLover50, coolosus1, damnlastwords, and dragonko340, the final being my one and only follower, and I hope you all like the story moving forward.
Have a great September, and an even better October/Halloween.
I'll be back in November for the next chapter.
(My mental health is... doing something for sure.
I'm not sure if I'm getting better or worse, but I am changing.
We'll see which direction I go this time.
Oh, and by the way.
I was wrong.
Age of Mythology Retold is a fantastic remake.
My only complaint is the new voices, but that's a simple mod-fix.
Highly recommend.)