Jesus Christ, I am out of it today.
I nearly forgot to set up the update, completely forgot that I work tomorrow (irregular day, tis Dominic's fault again.), been mentally drifting for like 90% of the day...
Ugh.
anyway, hey ya'll.
So... August huh?
School's about to start again.
And I... might end up skipping October like I said I might.
It all depends on school and how recent events at home go, but I might genuinely skip October's update for a little break.
I mean, I probably should've taken this break after I finished Arc 1, pre-written or not, but I had to stay on track for reasons to be revealed at the end of the chapter.
So uh...
Enjoy, ya'll!
And thanks for 675+ views!
I'm so excited to see so many people new and old visiting my bizarre hyperfixation story!
(Oh, by the way, this chapter is like 85% lore, so be ready)
Eddy slowly blinked awake, letting out a yawn as he sat up-
"You're a really heavy sleeper, you know that?"
And then he blinked, seeing the white bat look up from her notebook.
She was laying on a teal bean-bag chair that he's pretty sure wasn't there last night…
Eddy stared at her, his sleepy mind struggling to comprehend what was going on.
"Okay, so, apparently there was a meeting yesterday that I completely missed. My bad, guess I got a little too distracted with looking for formal stuff with Sonic and Sally." Rouge admitted, placing her notebook back into her hammerspace and getting to her feet, "But Ames and Eggy apparently stopped by, though… they weren't really focused on the meeting. Something about Tails sending Amy for some reason? Worked out for me though. Amy said she heard a lot of yelling and something about Prime promising that… Multiverse Council to find you guys. I think everyone thinks you're either dead or worse."
Eddy blinked again, almost squinting at Rouge now.
"…How'd you get in my house?" He asked after a moment, making Rouge snort.
"Teleported in. Figured one of you would be awake. We have a deal, remember?" She reminded the half-asleep boy, who stared at the bat.
And then Eddy shot to his feet, eyes going wide.
His friends groaned at the sudden motion, Double D slowly sitting up with a disgruntled expression.
"Wait, the Council was yelling?!" Eddy exclaimed, making Rouge reluctantly nod, "Did your friend say what they were yelling about?!"
"Frustration, fear, denial…" Rouge smirked at the last one, "Amy says she believes she saw a change in leadership too."
"Huh?" Double D's eyes widened, throwing the blankets off of him as he stood, "A-A change in leadership!?"
"Amy said it was some big-headed kid with a swirl for-"
"JIMMY NEUTRON!" Eddy half-gasped, half-laughed in shock as he shook the somehow sleeping Ed in excitement, "HE DID IT! HE ACTUALLY FREAKING DID IT!"
"H-He took the World Belt's leadership from Mandy?!" Double D gasped, shoving Eddy slightly as he spoke, "B-But how!?"
Rouge huffed, placing a hand over Eddy's mouth, "Like I said, Amy wasn't there to watch the meeting. Eggy might know something, but knowing him…"
Eddy shoved Rouge's hand off his mouth, a huge grin spreading on his face.
"Who cares how she got canned!?" He exclaimed, letting out a laugh, "Mandy's been de-throned! And by someone who doesn't think we should be villains! I bet we'll be de-villained the moment we go home!"
"Which isn't until after the holidays, remember?" Rouge reminded with a sigh, "Mandates are as mandates come, even if we've already taken Susanna down."
"Oh man!" Eddy rubbed his hands together with a mischievous chuckle, having not heard the bat, "We've only been gone two days! Imagine what'll happen after we're gone for two weeks! Or two months!"
Double D let out a sigh at his friend, before shaking his head.
"Thank you for telling us this, miss…" Double D blinked, two realizations hitting him at once.
Rouge snorted at the confused expression on the hatted boy's face.
"Teleported in, and my name is Rouge." She answered, making Double D nervously hum, "It was written all over your face, hun."
"Well, I appreciate you telling us about yesterday's meeting, but could you leave so we can wake Ed?" Double D asked, making Rouge chuckle.
"I need more info to keep the-"
"Neutron's not really bonded to Timmy and Danny, they were just lying so Mandy couldn't get a bug up her butt every time he went out to help them." Eddy told without a second thought, making Rouge hum.
"Bonded?" She raised a brow, Double D quietly sighing as he started to wake Ed, "What the hell does that mean?"
"Bonded. Like their universes are connected in some weird 'my magic's kinda the same' sorta way." Eddy told, "The Disney Crown is full of those, but the only other ones I can think of is Dimmesdale and Amity Park."
"And those are the worlds of 'Timmy' and 'Danny'?"
"Timmy and Danny are apparently cousins through some weird 'his mom's cousin's cousin' thing or something like that?" Eddy scrunched up his nose, "I don't remember."
"Timmy and Danny are connected through their great-grandparents, Eddy! Related through blood, though fairly distant!" Double D corrected, "Their two universes are connected through the matter of being intertwined around each other! There's another universe known to be in the mix, but they had always claimed their third was Retroville!"
"And… how'd you boys find out they were lying?" Rouge hummed, making Eddy smirk as he gestured to himself.
"Oh please! Like they could trick me-!" Eddy started to brag, before Double D sighed.
"It was Ed." He deadpanned, much to Eddy's annoyance.
Rouge blinked, staring at the still-sleeping teen with a raised brow.
Eddy groaned, crossing his arms as he rolled his eyes, "Alright, so Ed realized it first. But I would've found out first if Ed hadn't!"
Rouge chuckled to herself, leaning on the wall as she shook her head, "You boys are odd. I like that."
Eddy and Double D glanced over to Rouge with a raised brow, Ed abruptly sitting up with a blink.
He was silent for a moment, before looking at his friends, "Guys, why's the weird bat-lady in our room?"
Rouge let out a quiet laugh, a soft smile spreading on her face.
"Yeah. Yeah, I like you boys." She mumbled to herself, "The perfect project."
She then shook her head, sending the boys a two-finger salute before teleporting away…
And just as quickly reappearing, sighing as she grabbed the bean bag chair.
"Tails would leave a bomb in my shoe if I left this here." She mumbled, before teleporting away again.
Eddy stared at the spot where Rouge had been, before scoffing.
"What a weirdo."
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Marylin hummed as she finished off the pancakes, setting the plates onto the table and collecting some odd berries from the fridge.
They almost looked like blueberries-
A shifting sound caught her attention, and she glanced over at the three boys with a smile.
"Good morning, boys!" She chirped, "I have pancakes and eggs if you're hungry!"
"Pancakes!" Eddy and Ed exclaimed, Double D perking up too.
"Why, thank you, Ms. McGee!" Double D took a plate and grabbed a few pancakes and a hard-boiled egg with his fork, "May I have some carambolo please?"
"Er… yes, just…" Marylin hesitated, wracking her mind to remember what the heck a carambola was, "Give me a moment, sweetheart."
As Marylin turned back to the fridge with a slightly confused look, Double D let out an excited sound.
"Oh, I can't believe the variety of fruits in this world! I never imagined I could find chontoduro or feijoas in a typical grocery store!" Double D laughed in excitement, making Eddy stare at him.
"You know, you scare me sometimes." He told his friend, before digging into his syrup-drowned pancakes.
Ed grinned as he dipped his pancake into a small bowl of gravy, watching the gravy slowly drip back into the bowl.
He then took a bite, letting out a happy sound.
Double D shuddered at the sight.
Marylin glanced away from the fridge, shaking her head at Double D, "I'm sorry Eddward, but I don't think we have carm- caramb… that fruit."
Double D raised a brow at Eddy's mother, before realizing his mistake, "The starfruit, Ms. McGee."
"Oh!" Marylin gasped, before nervously laughing, "Right! I'm sorry, I didn't know it had another name!"
Eddy rolled his eyes, looking to his friends and beginning to ask, "So, what's the-"
"Eddy, don't speak with your mouth full." Both his mom and friend scolded, making him groan.
After a second, he tried again.
"So, what's the plan for the day?" Eddy asked, making his mom hum.
"Well, I was thinking of heading back out into town to do some more shopping." His mom told, "Maybe find a part-time job for the time being."
"A job?" Eddy's face twisted, and Double D sighed.
"Eddy, we spent over half of our funds yesterday." Double D pointed out, "If your mother doesn't find something to increase our trifling reserves, we'll run out before the end of the week!"
Eddy groaned, stabbing his pancake with his fork, "So what are we gonna do, huh?"
"I'm not going to amuse you for two weeks, Eddy." Marylin stated with a dangerous tone, making Eddy gulp, "I trust you and your friends to find something to do."
"Perhaps we should visit the museum!" Double D offered, "Mother and father are under the impression that our trip is for educational purposes, so we would need to go eventually anyhow!"
Eddy groaned again, ready to reject the idea on the matter of it being boring-
"I'll give you two-thousand yen if you go." Marylin sighed, making Eddy grin.
"To the museum!" He exclaimed, slamming a hand on the table and lifting his other to point…
But he felt something soft squish underneath his hand.
His face twisted, realizing he'd just pounded a hand down on his breakfast.
The soft, syrup-soaked pancake had splattered across Eddy's shirt and the table, just barely hitting his friends and his mom across from him.
Double D and Ed let out snickers and repressed laughter at the sight, even as Double D had to wipe away the splatters of the former pancake from himself.
Marylin quietly chuckled to herself, shaking her head.
"Sweetheart, you really ought to watch what you're doing." She told Eddy, who groaned as he removed his hand from the mush and stared at it, "Also, you're helping me clean this up before you go."
"Yeah, alright." Eddy grumbled, much to his friends' amusement.
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Double D hummed as he looked over the map he'd grabbed, leading them to the museum.
Eddy grumbled as he reluctantly followed, his hand still feeling slightly sticky from the syrup.
Ed looked around as he walked, barely avoiding running into yet another pole.
The streets of Station Square were a bit busy, people rushing around with bags in hand.
Clearly, the oncoming holiday had the residents of the town slightly frantic.
As the holidays typically do in most worlds, actually.
But still, they eventually came up to a sand-colored building with dormant hedges across the yard.
It was a two-story building with an appearance that almost reminded Double D of a Grecian Temple…
There were large signs in front of the museum, stating that admission to most portions of the museum would be free until the end of the year.
Double D stopped his friends, gesturing to the museum and turning onto the stone-lined pathway.
"I still think this is stupid." Eddy huffed, throwing a hand into the air, "There's no museum in the multiverse that's actually interesting!"
"You never know, Eddy!" Double D told, before stepping inside and-
"That's a big robot." Ed blinked as they looked up at the inactive robot in the foyer.
The robot was boxy with a domed-shaped head, its middle looking similar to a prison.
It was a standard-looking robot, besides the fact that it was almost 20 feet tall.
It stood in the middle of the museum, stairs set along the sides of the robot and leading to the upstairs exhibits.
…Man, how many rooms were there in here?! A hundred?!
What the heck could all these rooms even be for!?
…Maybe for more robots like this one?
Eddy blinked at the robot, before sighing in defeat.
"Fine, Sockhead. You win." He huffed again, glancing around the museum, "Where we heading to first?"
Double D continued to stare at the robot for a moment, before stepping towards the plaque just before the ropes around it.
"'Our original Robotnik took so many far before their time, and paid the ultimate price for his sins against mobian-kind. Our Eggman is not cut of the same cloth, even if some aspects remain the same. Multi-Zone identities mean nothing in the face of personal identity and individualism.' 'This robot was rebuilt and donated by Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' of the Tomoko Empire.'" Double D read out, before looking up at the robot again.
Hm… Now that he was really looking at it, there was a few miscolored spots on the robot that had been filled in or patched by a different quality material.
Unnoticeable from a distance, but almost impossible to miss upon getting closer.
He couldn't help but wonder if that was some sort of metaphor…
"Hey! Double D!" Eddy's call cut into his thoughts, seeing the shorter boy tap his foot on the ground impatiently, "Which exhibit are we heading to first?!"
Double D hummed, before gesturing to the first exhibit on the left.
"We'll start here, and go clockwise until we return here." Double D told his friends, before gesturing upstairs "After that, we'll head upstairs and go counter-clockwise until we've gone through every inch of this museum!"
Eddy looked frustrated for a moment, before glancing at the robot again.
Ed, on the other hand, was already zoning out.
Double D sighed, knowing he'd have to do a lot to keep Eddy and Ed interested.
But who knows?
Maybe this world's history might just catch their interest?
"Shall we get moving, fellows?" Double D smiled to his friends before starting forward, Eddy dragging Ed as he followed after.
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Ed laughed as he play-fought with Eddy, the two imitating the image of a fight on one of the walls.
Double D hummed in worry as he wrote down his notes on the Great War exhibit.
The weaponry settled along the walls were very intriguing, considering the odd mix between modern and what seemed to be late-medieval.
Some of the old treaties and declarations were odd in their wording, some of which unfortunately written in Japanese.
Or… perhaps that was more like a convenience?
Father had wanted him and his companions to learn Japanese before their holiday season…
But that wasn't the point.
A war between Mobian and Overlanders that lasted almost a hundred years…
That was awful worrying, especially with the statement that the war had not truly concluded yet.
Only delayed.
'In conclusion, the Mobian 'Great War' is finished in all matters but formally. There may be a basis for political conflict, especially in the seemingly spiteful 'United Federation' country-'
"I'm gonna beat you with a hammer and eat your marrow, terrible beast from the realm of hades!" Ed told, making Eddy fake-gasp.
"Oh no! Don't kill me, you… sucker!" Eddy grinned, sliding out from underneath Ed and pulling the tall boy's legs out from under him.
Ed thumped to the ground with a solid sound, running on top of Ed and cheering.
"And the winner is the 'Acorns'!" Eddy announced, making fake cheering sounds as he bowed to an imaginary audience, "Thank you, thank you! You're too kind!"
A few people quietly laughed or clapped at the scene, not that any of the Eds noticed or cared.
Double D sighed with a fond smile, shaking his head as he called to his friends.
"Ed! Eddy! I'm heading to the next exhibit now!"
Ed abruptly got to his feet, grabbing Eddy by the stomach and grinning to Double D.
"I guess the 'Feds' got their second wind, huh Eddy?" Double D chuckled, much to Eddy's annoyance.
"'…The war ended when Robotnik attempted to harness the powers of the void for himself, and the Freedom Fighters were forced to defeat him using the powerful and dangerous powers of the Chaos Emeralds." Eddy read, sharing uncomfortable looks with his friends, "It is not unknown that the blue blur co-leader of the group, Sonic the Hedgehog, would end up in a coma while his body recuperated from the Void Overload that occurred afterwards. Sonic the Hedgehog should have never woken up from his coma, but the perseverance of a chosen never seems to abide by such absolutes. He would wake months later, with rumored side-effects plaguing him in the weeks afterwards. A clear warning against using the Chaos Emeralds for anything other than true emergencies, and that using such things is more suitable for a noble sacrifice than to be a Deus-ex-Machina.'"
"Oh goodness…" Double D breathed as he wrote everything down, "That's… that's horrible."
Ed blinked at a nearby stand, seeing the odd machine underneath a glass box.
Eddy took a step away from the plaque, looking unusually somber.
"Double D, that's Rouge's cousin." Eddy pointed out, making Double D wince at the reminder, "The guy we saw yesterday. The one we thought was the Coalition's."
"I realize that, Eddy." Double D quietly sighed, looking up at some of the photographs of the carnage of the Robotnik War, "I… I wonder if the Coalition's Mobius had gone through all this?"
Eddy let out a harsh scoff, looking away from one of the images.
It was a picture of Rouge and her cousins when they were younger, alongside a pink hedgehog, a red creature Eddy couldn't recognize with mitten-hands, a walrus, a half-mechanical bunny, and a coyote.
Little Rouge sent the camera a peace sign, as did Sonic and a laughing Sally.
Underneath it was a label that said: 'The Freedom Fighters, circa 3230'
They all looked… so happy.
Happy, despite the war that they'd gone through.
Happy, despite what they were about to go through.
Could…
Could he live with himself if Double D or Ed went into a coma just to save him?
To save their world?
"I kinda doubt it." He grumbled, trying to ignore the weird feeling in his chest.
Ed leaned over the rope sightly, trying to get a better look at the thing in the glass box.
But he could only read the plaque.
'To our dear Nicole, who we were never able to truly reawaken, thank you for your services and your assistance. And we hope your soul rests in peace, wherever it may lie.'
"Cool!" Ed exclaimed, looking over each and every salvaged Robotnik robot in the room, quickly drawing them into Double D's notebook as best he could.
Eddy and Double D were looking at a half-destroyed, gross-looking statue of this zone's original Robotnik, which had a small sign placed just before the rope.
'Throw something at me! The nastier, the better!'
Eddy had been glaring at the statue as if it would make it blow up, while Double D had been silently grumbling something as he similarly glared.
But upon reading the sign, the two boys nodded to each other as they rushed over to Ed and reached into his coat pocket.
Ed blinked at his friends as they both took out some old, moldy food.
Double D resisted the urge to gag as he threw it at the statue, hitting it in the chest.
And then frantically doused his hand in hand sanitizer, having completely forgotten to get gloves before reaching in.
Messy, messy, messy-
Eddy smirked as he spun his arm in a circle to wind himself up, getting ready to throw it…
And it landed on the statue's ugly face, making Eddy laugh.
"Bull's eye!" He cheered, making a few other people cheer or clap as well.
Eddy grinned at the praise, while Double D blushed.
Then, Double D's notebook was shoved back into his hands, Ed now focused on finding something to throw at the statue too.
Eddy grinned as Ed rustled through his pockets, while Double D chuckled in approval as he examined the pages.
Double D nodded at the drawings, before starting back towards the first robot and taking down more notes.
Eddy chuckled as he waited to see what Ed would pull out of his hammerspace, unaware of the people around them waiting for the same thing.
Ed gasped to himself, grinning as he began to pull at something…
Eddy didn't notice how he wasn't the only one leaning forward in anticipation, anxiously waiting to see how the teen would deface the statue.
After a moment of struggling, Ed let out a grunt and threw an anchor at the statue.
It slammed into it with a loud *CLANG*.
The statue's head was thrown off its body and onto the ground, cracking in half upon impact.
Eddy let out a victorious laugh, high-fiving Ed.
The gathered crowd let out loud cheers, startling the three boys for a moment…
Before they grinned, Eddy kicking one part of the head back into the statue.
Oh, that felt good.
'…so the chosen, although seeming to be a bloodline cause on the surface, is more so attached to an overlander/mobian and their void magics. The generational 'Chosen' lines, such as the Hoos family, is purely coincidental.'
"…So Rouge and her cousins are… what, heroes twice over then?" Eddy questioned, still looking a little confused and frustrated, "This 'chosen' stuff makes no sense!"
"Sometimes magic just… doesn't make sense." Double D sighed, closing his notebook as they looked the portraits on the wall.
Pictures and drawings of the past Chosen lined the walls, the pictures of the last and current their focus.
The previous set were… odd.
Odd… and strangely familiar…
A white bat with deep blue eyes had an arm over the shoulder of a cream rabbit with orange around her eyes and on the ends of her ears, the blue hedgehog with furry brown-gray eyebrows and the start of a mustache beside them grinning.
A red echidna with golden rings around her spines held the hands of a squirrel-chipmunk with a regal blue crown and similarly blue dress, the two nobles smiling gracefully in the photo.
"…So, that's definitely Rouge and her cousins' parents, right?" Eddy snorted, though Double D didn't see the amusement in it, "Man, that's gotta be a lotta pressure."
Double D glanced over at Eddy, who looked… oddly thoughtful.
"I mean… think about it. They're second-generation of this 'Chosen' thing." Eddy pointed out, "Heck! We just saw that Rouge's family is always a part of the Chosen! That's…"
He trailed off, though Double D knew what he meant.
While his friends talked, Ed had staring at the photo of the current chosen, finally blinking before dragging his friends over to see it too.
Rouge, her cousins, pink hedgehog, an oddly familiar red echidna, a weird black and red hedgehog-
"Wait, their Eggman's a part of the chosen!?" Eddy exclaimed, seeing the villain standing to the side with a serious expression, "What the heck?! I thought he wasn't even from this wo- zone!"
Double D scratched his head, confused at the picture too.
"I suppose that red… echidna, I believe they are?" Double D started, glancing over to Eddy, "He might just be a second-generation as well."
"What the heck is wrong with this place…" Eddy groaned into a hand.
"The chosen are chosen through the fates of what's to come and what will never to be!" Ed told, making his friends stare at him in utter confusion.
They shared a confused look, before shrugging.
"Whatever you say, Ed."
"Let's keep moving, shall we?"
Ed's 'wise words' flew over his friends' heads as they started towards the next exhibit.
Eddy leaned over the rope fence with an interested look, Double D 'ooh'-ing over the painting.
It was a painting of something called a 'Cosmic Highway', which was a gathering of road-like paths leading to large ring portals.
The background was various shades of blue and purple, the roads each having a different texture and style to them.
He wasn't sure how to feel about the 'Prime' path being lined with gold, but…
"Huh." Eddy mumbled after a moment, Double D's eyes twitching to him, "You know, I never thought I'd like art."
Double D grinned, making Eddy scowl.
"Don't ruin this for me, Sockhead." Eddy cut his friend off before he could even start.
"Look at me, guys!" Ed called to his friends, a few gasps making them whip their heads around.
"Ed!" The two boys exclaimed, seeing their friend perched on top of a statue like a bird.
The statue was of the royal squirrel-chipmunk chosen, clearly made for the royal in memorium.
And Ed was standing on it.
"Arf, arf!" Ed flapped his arms, wobbling as he tried to keep his balance.
"Ed! Get off that thing!" Eddy ordered his friend, jumping over the rope to stabilize the statue.
"Ed, you can't- You can't act like this, Ed! Not here!" Double D exclaimed, shoving his notebook inside his hat as he gestured downwards, "Now get down from there this instant!"
"But guys-" Ed started to protest, before leaning a bit too far and tipping over with the statue.
Double D yelped as he rushed over to help Eddy pull the statue back up, Ed slamming onto the ground and groaning.
A few other figures ran over to help them stabilize the statue.
After a moment of the statue trying to pull one direction or another, it stabilized.
Everyone in the room let out relieved sighs.
Double D whipped his head over to Ed, who flinched.
"Edward…" He started, Eddy scowling beside him as they moved towards their friend.
Eddy huffed as he waited for Double D to finish writing, more than a little bored with the 'plant room'.
Like it wasn't the exact same thing as the last seven-!
He could feel a tugging on his wrist, making him sigh.
"Stop tryin' to get away, Ed." He told his friend, who wilted.
Eddy had tied a string to his and Ed's wrist, to prevent the tall boy from getting into any more trouble.
"But Eddy! I wanna go look at what the palm tree says!" He protested, making Eddy groan.
He stepped over to Ed, making him cheer as he rushed towards the palm tree-shaped plaque.
Eddy crashed onto the ground at the sudden movement, forcing a few people to have to jump over him as he was dragged across the room.
"'Did you know that palm tree leaves make the best healing tea in Mobius? According to a study, palm tree leaves have the best healing prop… properties of any other non-magic tea.'" Ed read, before grinning, "Man, am I a great reader, huh Eddy?"
He paused, not seeing Eddy standing behind him, "Eddy?"
Eddy groaned from the ground, slowly getting to his feet with murder in his eyes.
"You're lucky that security guard's still watching us, or I'd hit you with that sign." He threatened, which Ed didn't react to.
The security guard stood not-so-subtly at the entrance to the exhibit, glancing over to them every couple of seconds.
…Actually, thinking about it, didn't they see that guy when they first walked in?
Why's a door-guard-guy watching them and not an actual guard?
Is there something he's missing?
Eddy blinked at nothing, before shaking his head.
Nah, he's just bored.
"Finished!" Double D called to his friends, pulling a notebook to his chest with a sigh, "Isn't nature wonderful?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've gotten my fill of nature, thank you." Eddy huffed, "How the heck a museum can have seven rooms for just nature is beyond me…"
"Actually, this is the ninth exhibit-"
"Stop proving my point, Sockhead."
"Okay, I think I found something scarier than Mandy." Eddy gulped, as did Double D.
The hatted boy was paler than a sheet, Eddy looking not too far behind his friend.
"Make sure you get all of this down, Sockhead. I'm pretty sure Teruya mentioned these things before." Eddy commanded.
Double D nodded as he wrote with a shaking hand, almost wishing they hadn't entered this exhibit.
The drawings and pictures of these 'Void Beasts' were terrifying!
Deceptive creatures who would eat you whole with their stomach-mouths, magic-searching monsters who were taller than most trees and could throw entire forests…
He can't imagine anything worse!
There was a screeching sound as Ed sprinted back into the-
Wait, back?
Eddy looked at his wrist and saw that Ed had undid the knot at some point between the last exhibit and this one.
"Ed, what on earth-" Double D started, but yelped as he and Eddy were dragged into the next room.
He dropped them in front of a large sign, which on the top read-
Eddy and Double D somehow paled further, the latter reading out the sign with a horrified stammer.
"'M-Memorial of… o-of those killed by Void Constructs or related allies. Last updated… Aprill 3236.'"
"That's a big list." Eddy breathed, seeing that the memorial sign was far larger than the one in the Constructs room, "D-Do they got whole Zones listed in this thing-?! Oh god, that's a lot of people under Bug."
Wait, why do the Zone Cops have a segment-?
Wait, what the heck do they mean 'forced suicide'-?!
Wait, does that say Teruya-No-Zone-!?
"Oh my lord…" Double D gasped, hands whipping over his mouth as he felt tears gather in his eyes, "T-This is…"
Ed whimpered, making Eddy and Double D exchange slightly sickened looks.
Eddy gulped down any bile, and as much fear as he possibly could.
Notes first, freak outs later.
"…Write down everything." Eddy stated, making Double D jolt, "I… I wanna see if… m-maybe we can ask Neutron if we can… We…"
Eddy glanced back at the sign, seeing what's probably Teruya's dad under forced suicide.
"…We gotta do something about this."
Eddy let out an unstable breath, as he stumbled out of the Zone Cops exhibit.
He's pretty sure if he saw any more of those jerks' crimes, he'll end up hit something.
Or break something.
That picture of that 'Zobotnik' guy looked awfully punchable…
"…You didn't know any of this, did ya?" The security guard tentatively asked.
The guard had slowly moved closer to the three as they moved, horrified, through the last few exhibits.
In fact, neither one of them noticed how those who had witnessed their shenanigans before were watching them with sad or sympathetic looks, knowing that another is discovering the true horrors of the Cosmic Highway.
The security guard stepped beside the teen, who let out a long sigh.
Eddy found himself sliding onto the ground, hand on his head as he admitted, "Not a thing."
He felt empty as he stared at the ground, stammering, "I… I-I didn't know it'd be…"
"This bad? Listen kid, no part of history is actually good." The security guard sighed, "My pops… grew up here all his life, and he thought they'd had it the worst. But then my ma came here after… after Iblis collapsed."
"Collapsed?" Eddy looked over to the guard, who sighed.
"A long time ago, a zone called Iblis had some timeline problems." The guard told, taking out an old photo from his wallet and showed it to Eddy, "Its leader was someone named Princess Elise, and the princess was in love with a blue hedgehog. That love led to Iblis falling apart."
Eddy stared at the image, which seemed to be of a beautiful city with the words 'Solianna - 2006' on it.
"A… A Sonic?" He asked, handing the picture back, "But if this was a while ago-"
"Not all zones are synced, kid." The guard interrupted, "Iblis was… I dunno, Ma said it was 30-somethin' years ahead before it collapsed? Time gets a little weird when you got closed zones."
Eddy resisted the urge to snort, knowing that the multiverse really wasn't any better.
"A neighbor of pops took my ma in, since she lost… pretty much everyone she knew in the panic, and eventually met my pops." The guard chuckled, "He said he didn't sleep for a week after hearin' my ma's story. Said it scared him nearly to death."
"…There a point to this story, or…" Eddy asked the guard, who laughed.
"My point is, history is always fucked up in some way. It ain't just this place or some of the other zones." He grinned, a golden tooth shining in the light, "Some histories are worse than others, but that's just how it is. History's a dirty thing. Nowhere has got a clean history…"
The guard then snorted to himself, "Not unless they got a tyrant erasin' all of that to look good. It's not common-common, but it still happens a lot."
Eddy slowly nodded, despite not really understanding still, before noticing his once again pale friends step out of the exhibit.
…He'll try and figure all that out later.
He's not gonna need to know this now, so-
Eddy was pacing back and forth, his face shifting between expressions as he tried not to scream.
Double D furiously wrote in his notebook, feeling his blood boil.
Ed was staring blankly at the wall, looking slightly murderous himself.
Most of the room was watching them, watching as the boys grew angrier and angrier.
The security guard raised a brow at the three boys, watching as Eddy finally exploded.
"THAT SON OF A-!" He screamed, startling nearly everyone else in the room, "I SWEAR IF I EVER-"
"Holy shit." An overlander in the room whispered, though the boys didn't hear.
Instead of scolding Eddy, Double D let out quiet grumblings that also sounded awfully murderous.
Another glanced over to her twin, both chinchilla teens watching the trio in shock, "Th-They didn't know- They didn't know!"
Ed's blank expression was turning into genuine rage now, a scowl slowly forming.
"How didn't they know!? Isn't this kind of stuff common knowledge now!?" An elderly man hissed to his wife, who clenched her hands together.
"D-Darling, you… y-you know there are still some zones that… that still believe those lies." She whispered, making her husband frown.
Eddy gestured about as he seethed, looking ready to throw something or punch through one of the signs.
"Be as angry as you want, boys." Another woman mumbled, adjusting her eyepatch with a sad sigh, "Hell knows I almost destroyed this room all those months ago…"
In particular, he was tempted to destroy the picture in front of him.
It was an image of two Sonics shaking hands with smiles, their particular versions of Eggman standing behind them.
The only differences in the picture were that this zone's Eggman's jacket was longer and had stars and swirls along the deep red edges, and…
And the eyes.
On the right, Sonic's green eyes were sharp and visibly glowing.
On the left, the Coalition's Sonic-
Those within the room watched as Double D's pencil cracked in his hand, Ed's hands shaking from being clenched.
As Eddy cackled almost psychotically, already planning Prime's demise.
"Hey, do…" The elderly woman whispered to her husband, "Do you think these boys are from… beyond?"
Double D scowled as the pencil bent in the iron-like grip, writing almost fast enough to light the page on fire.
"Holy fuck, I hope so." Someone blurted out, startling the couple.
Quite a few people nodded in agreement, watching the three enraged boys.
"I believe," Double D finally hissed, snapping his friends to attention, "We may have found a target far, far more important than Kevin."
Eddy and Ed shared malicious grins, and those within the room found it hard not to smile.
Eddy was face-down on the bench just before the stairs, Ed and the security guard chatting it up while Double D went over the last exhibit in his notes.
This place has been a freaking roller coaster.
Eddy groaned to himself, feeling exhausted just by his own emotions.
Who knew emotions could be exhausting!?
…His mom, probably.
"…Eddy, are you alright?" Double D's voice made Eddy slowly lift his head up, seeing worry on his friend's face.
"Double D, this world is ᶂư- ugh, effed up." Eddy told, groaning over the unintentional censor, "I think the next time I see Prime, I'm just gonna end up trying to kill the ɓᶏś- jerk."
Double D frowned, glaring as he glanced to where that picture was.
"Believe me, Eddy." He told, his voice firm as he practically growled, "Ed and I will be having the exact same issue ourselves. I certainly won't be kind when we tell the others about our findings."
"Good." Eddy smirked maliciously, the two sharing a spiteful nod as they glanced over to Ed, "Hey, Ed! Sockhead's done!"
Ed blinked as he looked away from the security guard, before waving at his friends.
"Guys! The guard guy says there's a movie theatre near here!" Ed called, making Eddy and Double D exchange looks.
Eddy then shrugged, "I mean… a movie after all this sounds good."
"Something to take our minds off of the… distressing things we've learned today." Double D told, making Eddy snort.
"Man, your parents are gonna be so confused when they see your notes." Eddy snickered, as did Double D.
Ed threw his friends onto his shoulders, taking off with a laugh.
The security guard waved as they left, chuckling at the odd outsiders.
"Such good kids." He found himself smiling as the Eds slowly left his vision, "A little crazy, but so's the Chosen."
He then frowned, glancing over at The Exhibit again.
"I wonder if they can really help us." He mumbled, hating the hope that those three boys had brought, "If they can really bring Prime down? If they can help us take down the Zone Cops?"
He glanced back down at the bottom floor, seeing the short kid staring at the giant Robotnik robot's plaque.
His green eyes shimmered slightly as he watched the kid, his pupils trying their best to glow-
"Bradley! We got a porcupine kid having a panic attack over by the Constructs Room!" His co-worker exclaimed into his walkie-talkie, making him sigh, "On it, Max!"
He watched as the kid followed after his friends, unable to help the hopeful sigh that escaped him.
"Good luck, boys."
"Computer! Send messages to Kragok of Albion, Jet and Wave of New Cathroda, and Alcole of Trenoil that their presence is needed at 15:45 tomorrow afternoon! And make absolute certain it says afternoon!" Eggman yelled as he and his subjec- guest teleported into his New Cathroda base, ignoring the stunned, but slightly irritated look the cyclops was sending him.
He stepped towards the closest computer, quickly typing out a message to Beauregard…
-If he's remembering correctly, they need more weaponry alongside the usual rations-
…And a final warning to be sent to Lord Hood of Mercia.
"…Attack once more, and you will find yourself promptly removed from Regent Princess Amy's council and in my Experiment's Custody." He read aloud to himself with a smirk, "Perfect."
He sent the message out, before turning back to the cyclops…
…Who he never got the name of.
Hm.
Does it particularly matter much right now?
They will need to get started if he's going to get everything done.
…Chaos below, he's going to spend the Winter Festival working again, isn't he?
"Now, shall we get started?" He asked, making Gargarensis growl.
"Shall you explain what, in the name of the gods, that 'we' are doing?" He seethed, making Eggman chuckle.
"Well, we need to see how proficient you are with void magic." Eggman explained, starting towards the room's exit, "Or… well, with this universe's magic at least. We can work on the matter of our void later on."
"What in the name of-" Gargarensis started to growl, before cutting himself off as he quickly stepped in front of the man, "What madness are you speaking of?! Void magic!?"
"The harnessing of the void, yes." Eggman sighed, simply stepping around the cyclops, "I only have so much time for this, so I'd prefer that we talk on our way to the training center."
Gargarensis glared at the man, before following behind with a scowl and a raised brow.
"Training-" He started, but-
"For your magic and void harnessing." Eggman cut the cyclops off with another sigh, "I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't have much time today."
Gargarensis let out another growl, sending the man another sharp glare.
"How do you expect to… 'prepare me' for this project-" He started, cutting himself off as the man opened his mouth to interrupt again, "Don't you dare interrupt me again!"
Eggman hummed instead, raising a brow underneath his glasses.
"-If you are busy with other matters?" Gargarensis finished, making Eggman hum again.
"Well, we're not working on the project quite yet." Eggman told, "Ascension in your universe may be a clear-cut thing, but it seems to be far more complicated in mine."
Eggman glanced over to Gargarensis, who… looked a less irritated.
"Complicated, hm?" He half-asked, making Eggman shrug-
Wait, no.
Be professional, you moron!
He fake-coughed into a hand, nodding in confirmation, "Our sole god had created many fake or false gods in the past, many of whom still torment us and their 'mother' zones to this day."
"The mother what."
Eggman stopped in his tracks and blinked for a moment, before groaning into a hand, "Mother of Chaos, I have to explain how Mobius functions to an outverser…"
The cyclops watched as Eggman pulled a hand over his face, before sighing.
"Okay. Okay, do you know anything about the concept of multiple timelines?" He started, making Gargarensis hum.
"Timelines…" He repeated, seeming to mull over the word before closing his eye, "Do you perhaps mean the matter of multiple variations of Gaea? I have… overheard of such a concept before."
"Oh thank chaos." Eggman sighed in relief, almost seeming to collapse on the spot, "Okay, so our Zones are of the same sort. The same Mobius, just with differences that vary between extreme and minute."
Gargarensis seemed to muse over the idea, before returning his focus to the overlander, "What does this have to do with those 'false' gods?"
"Ah, right." Eggman cleared his throat, returning his focus to the topic at hand, "So within the universe of Mobius, There are thousands of zones- and before you ask; each zone has their own individualized 'name', ours is Eldritch and the Sonic at your odd 'Multiverse Meeting' is known as Sonic Prime- and Chaos has himself spread between almost all of them through a… *ahem*, 'simple' 'God of Destruction' avatar. But overseeing thousands of zones is, frankly, impossible, so Chaos tried to create new gods to assist…"
"…Hm." Gargarensis hummed to himself, watching the odd man flip through his files, "Perhaps tricking this one will not be as simple as I had hoped."
They were standing in the middle of… something the human had called a 'Training Center', and…
Gargarensis found himself scowling, his hands clenched into fists.
Oh, what was the point of all this?!
Was it even possible to ascend without intervention from the gods?!
If it had not been for that cursed Atlantean-
"Okay." The man suddenly spoke, closing the file as he turned his attention to the Cyclops, "I believe I know the best way for us to know how to start with all this."
"Oh?" Gargarensis gritted his teeth as he spoke, sarcasm and frustration no longer hidden away, "And how is that?"
The man took off his jacket, hanging it on the metallic wall- where did that hook come from-?!
"A quick fight." The man hummed, stretching himself out, "I'll have my computers analyze the fight, and I'll organize its findings into the best method for Mobian Godhood preparation."
…He has to be joking.
Gargarensis found himself half-glaring at the human before him, questioning the 'scientist's' sanity.
Eggman blinked at the stare, eyes shifting underneath the opaque glasses, "Do, er… do you need a weapon?"
"A trident will do." Gargarensis stated, eye narrowed to the human, "I have a feeling this 'computer' of yours will not have enough time to watch my movement."
Eggman let out a snort, shaking his head as one of his drones brought in a metallic trident.
"What is so funny?" Gargarensis practically snarled, making Eggman sigh.
The man shook his head, before situating himself.
He seemed to lock eyes with the cyclops, eyes glowing brightly underneath the opaque glasses.
Something about it…
Gargarensis found himself slightly… off-put by the glow, especially as the man's hands began to similarly glow.
Eggman smirked as he spun a finger in the air, drawing something into a glowing circle, "Oh, you'll understand in just a minute."
Hello my fucking favorite villains!
So our next chapter won't follow the Eds, but instead will be (semi) focused on Age of Mythology's 'Rise of the Trident' Antagonist and Protagonist, Gargarensis and Arkantos!
...Yeah, I know nobody knows these characters and probably don't care about them. But these are my hyperfixation characters, and I can do whatever I want with them!
Only problem being that chapter 10 is... currently not finished.
Yeah, so I have the three chapters after this already written, but I wrote all these chapters just before Christmas last year and didn't really have a real 'plot' planned out for it.
Hell, I thought it'd be another long but abandoned project that could have been a good postable fic!
But, you know, here we are!
My point though, chapter 10 is still being worked on as of posting this.
If not on August 31st/September 1st (Or the 30th because fucking... Labor Day sucks ass and I won't remember), then I promise it'll be up on or before the 4th.
Because the next chapter is the first of (hopefully many) chapters focused on the AOM (and Main Sonic cast), just in time for the release of Age of Mythology: Retold!
...Which may or may not be a flop, so maybe don't pre-order it and just buy the original instead!
Age of Mythology's campaigns has its' issues, but the Rise of the Trident one is fantastic in my opinion!
They're just missing the little lore pieces from the dialog they removed and they'll be golden!
...And a lot of character interaction and development, but you can't expect miracles from a real-time strategy game with two or three cutscenes a scenario.
Okay, ramblings over.
Hope ya'll enjoyed the lore-filled chapter and weren't too annoyed at it all, and I'll see you guys at some point between Aug. 30th and Sep. 4th!
(Oh also, uh... the mental heath update? And the trip my sister, her fiance, and my best friend planned?
Mental Health is getting better ish? And the trip was to an amusement park/major lake! Was fun and we found Wii Party U finally!
Also sorry again for the long end chapter notes, I think this is a way I've been coping recently with the issues and lack of proper social activities.
Love ya'll!)