-Chapter 164-

Merging Disaster


Robotropolis

Eggatha and Cream were in the lab, chatting pleasantly when the door opened. Robotnik entered, visible concern on his face.

"Agatha, I need you to take Cream and get out of the citadel." he ordered.

"Huh?" Eggatha blinked. "What's going on?"

"Is Aggie in trouble?" Cream asked, holding Eggatha's skirt nervously. "I was good and didn't try and escape. I promise."

"No, Eggman Nega is what's going on," Robotnik informed them both. "He's a loose cannon ready to blow. He swears up and down that unleashing the Egg Cerberus on Mobotropolis had a pragmatic side, that it would keep Sonic and his friends busy. But I know he set the mutt loose on the city just for fun."

"He what?!" Eggatha exclaimed.

"Oh no…" Cream gulped. "My friends..."

"Oh please, I'm certain they're fine," Robotnik told her abruptly. "The Cerberus was scrapped quickly. Now, you two need to leave. I don't want Agatha around a maniac like Nega, and if Cream is hurt in the crossfire, the Freedom Fighters will slaughter me."

"Right…" Eggatha nodded. "They're probably still wary after what happened with Metal."

"Speaking of, he goes with you because at the moment, he's the only bot in a position to protect you," Robotnik chimed in. "However, he is not to be seen by anyone. Especially the Freedom Fighters."

"Of course," Eggatha nodded. "But where do we go?"

"We could go to my place." Cream suggested.

"Yes, that works," Robotnik nodded.

Eggatha blinked. "But… isn't that essentially letting your hostage go?"

"It is, and I don't care," Robotnik said firmly. "I will not have her blood on my hands. Sonic will have to collect the Emeralds either way, and at least this way, I can minimize the damage to a degree."

"But what about you, Doctor?" Metal questioned.

"I'm in too deep to turn back now," Robotnik answered. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Nega and at least try to rein him in." He looked the bot dead in the optics. "I will not be having a repeat of the Overlord incident."

Metal winced. "I don't want that either."

"Good," Robotnik nodded. "Now go. Take the spare Egg Mobile. I'll come pick you up when this is over."


Mobotropolis

Kat was examining the remains of the Egg Cerberus as the group took stock of every Chaos and Sol Emerald they had collected so far.

"Okay, five Sol Emeralds, three Chaos Emeralds," Sally listed off. "Eight down, six more for two full sets."

"Make that five more," Shadow chimed in.

He placed the green Chaos Emerald on the table with the others. The group blinked before looking up at him.

"Have you had that on you this whole time?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah," Shadow confirmed. "Hope acquired it for me awhile back. Something about 'better Chaos Control'."

"I looked into the Project Shadow files," Hope explained. "Chaos Control doesn't necessarily require Chaos Emeralds to pull off. The Emeralds amplify it, make it easier to do. That, and it doesn't hurt to have a safety net."

"But this situation takes precedence," Shadow insisted. "From everything I've heard, Chaos Emeralds are a dime a dozen on Mobius. I can always find another."

"Hey guys!" Kat called out. "Check what I found out in the wreck of that big dog!"

She came in, waving another Chaos Emerald.

"Well, that explains why it was so crazy strong and fast." Knuckles mused.

"And I think that proves my point," Shadow deadpanned.

"Pretty much, yeah," Sonic remarked. "Okay, so four more to go. Let's head back to Freedom HQ. Maybe Rotor and Porker found something."

"I can't believe how efficient you all are," Blaze noted. "It usually takes me weeks to find them all."

"That's the benefit of having friends," Sonic said matter-of-factly.

"And advanced technology that can track Chaos energy signatures," Tails chimed in. "But why split hairs?"


Knothole

The group returned to Freedom HQ, joining Rotor, Porker, and Johnny in the lab.

"Welcome back," Rotor greeted.

"We've got four more to go," Sally said. "Got anything?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Rotor confirmed. "We picked up other worldly chaos energy originating from Station Square Middle School, as well as in the Northern Oceans."

"So there's a Sol Emerald at our school?" Chris asked.

"And sunk down in the general area of Meropis." Porker added.

"Aw great…" Sonic sighed.

"Relax," Johnny assured. "We called up Deena. She said she'd swim down and get it for us. Said it was repayment for helping save her kingdom from the oil leak."

Sonic sagged in relief. Rotor turned back to the computer.

"From there, two regular Chaos signatures. One in the Sky Canyon, and one in the general area of Angel Island. Getting some interference with the latter; we can't pinpoint the exact location."

"Azure Lake," Kat and Knuckles said simultaneously.

"The interference is probably all the Chao in the area," Knuckles noted.

"Or Drake in general," Kat added.

"Alright," Sally took charge. "While we wait on Deena, Chris, you and Keith grab the Sol Emerald at the school. Kat and Knuckles will retrieve the Emerald at Azure Lake, and Sonic and Blaze will handle the Sky Canyon."

"Uh, quick question," Blaze chimed in. "Is the Sky Canyon actually... in the sky?"

"Well, it's not exactly low to the ground," Sonic asked. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Blaze said a bit too quickly. "Just wondering."

"Oookay," Sonic said flatly. "Then let's get going."

"The rest of you, scope out all known Robotnik bases," Sally ordered. "Hopefully we can pinpoint where Eggman and Eggman Nega are keeping Cream."

They all split off to do their assigned tasks.


Station Square

Chris, Keith, and Valerie quickly exited the Warp Ring, heading for the school.

"So…" Valerie began, "This just another day at the office for you two?"

"Yeah," Chris confirmed.

"Pretty much," Keith agreed. "We should find Mr. Teacher Spy. If there is a Sol Emerald here, he's got it."

"Uh... who?" Valerie questioned.

Chris facepalmed before sighing. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, of course," Valerie assured them.

"Alright…" Chris took a deep breath. "Mr. Stewart is a spy for GUN working undercover as our teacher to keep an eye on the 'child soldiers' of the Freedom Fighters."

"Basically, he makes sure we're not being too mentally affected by what we see, has us give periodic updates, and just generally looks out for us," Keith added.

"Kat nicknamed him Teacher Spy and it just kinda stuck," Chris concluded.

Valerie perked. "Wait... is that why we were able to ditch school so easily on my first day?"

Chris nodded. "More or less."

"Huh…" Valerie let out.

They head into their classroom, where they see Mr. Stewart grading some papers.

"Ah, hello there," he greeted, setting down his pen and turning to face them. "Can I help you three?"

"She knows, sir," Keith informed him.

Mr. Stewart paused, his mask slipping from teacher to a more professional appearance.

"...ah," he let out after a minute.

"Hey, my lips are sealed," Valerie promised, holding her hands up. "I know a thing or two about keeping secrets."

"I'd imagine so," Mr. Stewart replied cryptically.

"Have you found anything unusual here?" Chris asked. "Like a weird Chaos Emerald? Kinda shaped like this?"

He formed a rectangle with both hands. Mr. Stewart nodded, opening a drawer in his desk.

"As a matter of fact, I have," he pulled out the Sol Emerald. "I was going to hand it over to my superiors when I was finished here."

"Long story short, they have something to do with Eggman's latest scheme," Chris replied.

"Of course it does," Stewart deadpanned. "I expect a full report the next time you're in class."

"Yessir," Keith assured.

With that, Stewart handed them the Emerald, allowing the boys and Valerie to leave.

"Wow…" Valerie remarked. "It's like he's two different people."

"Give it a while," Chris replied. "Trust me, he's the same no matter what."

"Teacher or spy, he's Mr. Stewart," Keith added.

Valerie shrugged. "I'll take your word for it."


Sky Canyon

Meanwhile, Sonic and Blaze exited into the Sky Canyon. Blaze looked down the canyon, feeling a wave of vertigo hit her.

"Hey, S-Sonic?" she stammered. "Why... why don't we just back away from the edge, here... yeah?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. We just need to back away, hmm? Th-then everything'll be fine."

She began pushing him back until they were a safe distance away from the cliff. That was when it hit him.

"I get it. You're afraid of heights."

"N-no, that's silly! I just don't like them, that's all."

"Blaze, it's alright," Sonic assured. "We all have stuff we're afraid of. Me? I'm scared of water. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I just…" Blaze sighed. "I'm my world's monarch, and the Guardian of the Sol Emeralds. I'm supposed to be its greatest warrior and protector... and I'm afraid of heights."

"Hey, I'm the Hero of Mobius. You'd be hard pressed to know anyone on the planet who hasn't heard of me by now. And I'm scared of water. Have been since I was six."

"But-"

"But nothing. You're allowed to be afraid. You're allowed to be vulnerable. Took me awhile to learn that, but trust me, your responsibilities don't make you any less of a Mobian." He blinked. "Err... do you call yourselves Mobians in your dimension?"

"Well, yes. My planet is called Mobius as well, after all."

Sonic sighed. "Oh good. I was so worried I just screwed up that emotional pep-talk."

They shared a laugh.

"Anyway, you get the point," Sonic went on. "Just because you're a hero and have a responsibility doesn't mean you have to suppress your emotions and act like some programmable robot. Bottling up those feelings won't help anyone. Believe me, I know."

"Thanks Sonic…" Blaze sighed. "So, how do we get the Emerald?"

"Very, very carefully," Sonic said simply.

As they headed into the canyon, they soon saw several of the modified Swatbots Team Dark faced at the Metal Harbor, walking along. Sonic saw one of them carrying the Chaos Emerald they were looking for. After a minute, he grinned.

"Oh good," he remarked. "For a second there, I thought it was gonna be a simple hunt-and-grab."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Blaze asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Adventures are no fun if they're too easy. I live for stuff like this."

"You're not entirely sane, are you?" Blaze deadpanned.

"Eh, that's why I'm in therapy," Sonic stepped out into the open. "Hey! Bucketheads! I need that!"

The bots all turned to see him, their visors glowing bright red.

"Alert!" they declared. "Hedgehog, Priority One!"

They began swarming at him en masse.

"Ah, that's still a thing," Sonic mused.

"Priority One?" Blaze questioned.

"Yeah, Eggman really doesn't like me," Sonic said simply.

One leapt into the air, bringing its fists together before coming down with a powerful pound. Sonic casually darted to the side, avoiding the strike as it smashed the rock where he was standing.

"Well, you're definitely stronger than the average Swatbot. But it doesn't do you any good if you can't hit me!"

Blaze then came forward, swirling flames surrounding her hands.

"Let's see what their melting point is!"

She began jogging in place, flames licking at her heels before she charged forward, spinning into a flaming tornado that plowed into the midst of the bots.

"Impressive," Sonic began sparking with lightning. "My turn!"

He curled into a Spin Dash, launching at the bots. Fire and lightning shot all over the canyon as Sonic and Blaze darted around, smashing Swatbots left and right. By the time it ended, the bots were destroyed, and Sonic was holding the Chaos Emerald.

"See? Fun," he raised his free hand. "High five!"

Blaze stood there for a minute, looking over Sonic's offered hand. Eventually, she smiled and took the offered high five.


Azure Lake

Kat and Knuckles arrived on Angel Island, looking around Azure Lake. As the Chao happily played, the duo's attention was seized by new ruins that had begun to pop up all over, the island seemingly split down the middle.

"Uh…" Kat began, "Those are new."

Knuckles perked in realization.

"They must be from Blaze's world," he realized. "Shit... the merger's happening faster and faster. We're running out of time."

"Yeah…" Kat rubbed her head. "We better find that Emerald."

Knuckles rubbed his own head, suppressing a soft groan.

"Yeah…" he agreed.

They looked around for a bit, somewhat distracted by their growing headaches. As they were about to give up, that was when they looked to see the Chao using the Emerald as a ball.

"Y'know... I should be surprised, but I'm not," Knuckles admitted.

"Right," Kat turned to him. "You get to take their toy away."

"Why me?" Knuckles questioned.

"Because you've got the meaner face," Kat said simply.

"I do not have a meaner face!" Knuckles insisted.

"Mmm, yeah you do," Kat insisted. "You have, like, permanent scowl lines."

Knuckles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why are we even arguing here? The world's at stake. How about we both tell them what's going on and that we need the Emerald. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Right," Kat muttered. "Clearly you've never had to wrestle your swimsuit away from a Chao."

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's just get the Emerald."

As they approached, they were suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness. Before they could question what was going on, the two Guardians collapsed, out cold before they hit the ground. Knuckles ended up in the water, beginning to sink. The Chao instantly stopped what they were doing, several working together to pull Knuckles out and onto dry land. Chuckles waddled over to them, shaking them and chirping frantically. Chronic and Chails joined him, looking at the Guardians before exchanging nervous looks. Chronic chirped at Chails, and the foxy Chao quickly began digging into Kat's pocket. He pulled out her bag of warp rings, fishing out one and tossing it. A Chao sized warp appeared and Team Chronic all jumped through.


Knothole

Meanwhile, at Freedom HQ, the others had met up just as Undina arrived, placing the Sol Emerald on the lab table.

"Thanks, Deena," he told her. "We owe you."

"No trouble at all." Deena assured him. "Happy to lend my services."

Sally smiled.

"Now we just wait for Knuckles and Kat to come back and-"

It was at that moment the Warp Ring opened. Team Chronic ran through, chirping and waving their nubs to get everyone's attention.

"Whoa, Chao versions of your main trio," Undina remarked.

"Team Chronic," Sonic told her. "What are they doing here?"

"Of all the times for us to be short our Chao whisperer," Johnny remarked.

"I speak Chao," Undina told him, bending down to listen to the frantic trio. "They just keep saying something about Guardians falling."

"Guardians?" Sonic perked. "Oh, no…"

He dove through the still open Warp Ring, the Chao quickly rushing after him.


Angel Island

He arrived on Azure Lake, barely noticing the new ruins as he rushed to Knuckles and Kat's side. Drake was trying to wake them, but the poor Chao was looking a little worse for wear himself.

"Drake, what's going on?!" Sonic cried.

Drake let out a whimpering chirp, a nub rubbing his head.

"Damn it…"

"He said something's gone wrong with the Master Emerald,"

Sonic turned to see Undina standing there with the others as they came through one by one. Tails' eyes widened at the sight before them.

"Whoa…"

It was then Sonic turned to see the new ruins sprouting up around the island.

"What in the name of…" he managed.

"These are ruins from my world," Blaze revealed. "Sky Babylon. The merger's happening faster than we thought."

"And it's messing with the Master Emerald," Tails looked at the downed Guardians and the wavering Chao Prince. "As well as all those connected to it."

It was at that minute they felt an ominous shaking.

"And this is the part where the Master Emerald goes out and we plunge a few hundred feet into the sea." Sonic deadpanned.

"Wait, what?!" Blaze screamed.

"Brace yourselves!" Undina cried.

As Sonic predicted, Angel Island began a rapid plummet. Blaze was screaming the entire time they fell. Eventually, it splashed down hard. A few minutes passed before Sonic looked up.

"Everybody okay?" he asked.

A chorus of groans sounded as Locke came running in. The minute the older echidna saw them, he sighed.

"Why do you kids always bring trouble to my island?" he asked.

His eyes then locked on the two downed guardians, Drake passed out by their heads.

"Knuckles! Kathryn!" he rushed to their side. "What happened?!"

"Our latest crisis is wreaking havoc with the Master Emerald." Tails explained.

"Then fix it!" Locke ordered. "Quickly!"

Chronic zipped over to Sonic, holding up the Chaos Emerald.

"On it," he assured. "Watch over them for us."

Locke nodded. "I will. Now go."

They hurried off at that.

"Okay, two complete sets of Emeralds. Time to crack some Eggmen."


Robotropolis

Meanwhile, at Robotropolis, Robotnik overlooked several bizarre spots that were spreading across Mobius on the map.

"Nega, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "What's happening?"

"It's quite simple, Ivo," Nega replied. "The Sol Emeralds' presence on this Mobius has destabilized the dimensional barrier between this world and my world. The Sol Zone is bleeding into this reality, fusing with it."

Robotnik's eye twitched, his fists shaking slightly before clinching so tight his knuckles were white under his gloves.

"And you don't see a problem with that?!" he snapped.

"Think, Ivo!" Nega insisted. "We can use it to our advantage. As Mobius and the Sol Zone fuse together, like the cells of a single body, the resulting chaos will make it that much easier for the two of us to seize power. We can create our own dream world. A Robotnik Empire beyond this dimension! And once Sonic and his motley crew deliver the Chaos and Sol Emeralds, we will reign supreme forever!"

Robotnik mulled over the implications, the idea too enticing to turn down.

"Very well," he conceded. "We will see this mission through."

That was when they looked up, seeing the Sky Patrol cast a shadow over the city.

"And here they are, right on schedule." Robotnik noted.

"Well, we should go greet them."

-X-

As the Sky Patrol neared, they were confronted by a sizable lizard-like mecha, colored purple with some red, blue, pink, black and green. Robotnik and Nega both piloted the machine side by side.

"Sonic!" Robotnik greeted.

"And Blaze!" Nega added. "Welcome. I trust you have the Emeralds?"

"Where is she?" Blaze demanded. "Where's Cream?"

"She's safe," Robotnik put special emphasis on that last word.

"You two don't get the Emeralds until you give her back." Blaze insisted.

"Oh... Blaze, Blaze, Blaze," Nega sighed. "All this time, spending your whole life as their Guardian, and you still haven't begun to comprehend the true power of the Sol Emeralds. I, on the other hand, have spent years studying them and their might."

"Have you now?" Blaze questioned. "Enlighten me."

"Gladly," Nega grinned. "This world and ours are, in a manner, inextricably linked."

"Like two Eggmen?" Blaze asked.

"Yes. The Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds are, in a manner, like the north and south poles of a magnet. They can be used like a pair of magnets and be attracted to each other... or they can be used to repel the other. In close proximity, these emeralds call out to each other... and the combined power they give off is inconceivable."

"Which means they could be very dangerous in the wrong hands," Sonic asked. "Isn't that right, Nega?"

He was clearly having second thoughts about handing the Emeralds over. Nega just smirked.

"You're so right, Sonic," he agreed. "But then again, if you don't give us the Emeralds…"

He scowled, dropping the pleasantries before aiming an arm cannon directly at the Sky Patrol.

"You and yours are going to be in MY dangerous hands!"

"Uh-oh…" Sally let out. "What now?"

The cannon took aim directly at Blaze, and the Sol Emerald case in her hands. Before she could dodge, she was hit, the Emeralds flying out before the energy was seemingly drained from them, leaving them lifeless black stones.

"Custom handheld Chaos Syphon," Nega bragged. "Never leave the lair without it."

"Wait, what?!" Robotnik shrieked.

"Oh yes. Want to see what it can do to a Guardian?"

He took aim at Blaze.

"Stop it, Nega!" Robotnik snapped. "I didn't agree to this!"

As they bickered, Blaze got up, looking in shock at the drained Sol Emeralds.

"No…" she let out. "They've completely lost their luster…"

"Blaze, it's not the end," Sonic insisted. "If these really are alternate reality Chaos Emeralds, then there's a way to recharge them."

"How...?" Blaze questioned.

"The Chaos Emeralds turn our thoughts into power," Sally explained. "Positive emotions like love and friendship... they can be repowered that way."

Sonic scooped up the drained Emeralds, placing them in Blaze's hands.

"And the Sol Emeralds must be the same. As long as you have the power of friendship, they'll never lose their glow."

"Friendship…"

Blaze hugged them close, focusing on everyone who had helped her on those quest. They slowly began to glow, the color returning. As this was going on, Nega finally snapped. He shoved Robotnik back before aiming directly at them with the Chaos Syphon cannon, but Tails was quicker on the draw, firing a Volkan Cannon shot that destroyed the syphon before he could fire.
"Not this time!" Tails shouted. "That thing will never be used again!"

"I'd say it's time to bring in an old pro." Sonic decided.

He brought out the Chaos Emeralds, which began spinning around him as he focused. As he did that, the Sol Emeralds did the same to Blaze. As Sonic slipped into his Super form, Blaze underwent a similar transformation. Her fur turned a brilliant, glowing pink as flames engulfed her. Her coat also turned red with yellow trim.

"Whoa," Sonic remarked. "So that's your super form."

"Burning Blaze," Blaze replied.

"Super Sonic."

As they flew out to confront the Egg Salamander, Robotnik and Nega composed themselves, turning to face them.

"We're ready for you, Sonic!" Robotnik shouted. "Our ultimate mecha will crush you!"

The battle began. Much to everyone's surprise, as they fought, the area around them was suddenly replaced with a multicolored rift.

"Tails, what's going on?" Sally cried.

"The merger between Mobius and the Sol Zone is almost complete!" Tails exclaimed.

"Blaze! Can we stop it?!" Sonic demanded.

"We can try!" Blaze replied.

She pelted the Egg Salamander with fireballs as Sonic charged forward, dodging slashes from energy blades as he went.

"Agh!" Nega scowled. "Take this!"

He started attacking randomly. Missiles and lasers were fired all over the place. As one neared Sonic, he swiped his arm in front of him, creating a blue shield that sent the missile back at its source.

"Sanity has advantages, Nega!" he mocked.

Nega was basically foaming at the mouth as he pressed his attack. Robotnik was backing away slowly. Sonic and Blaze darted between attacks as the void began to fluctuate wildly, changing from yellowish-red to orange to red, and finally rippling like crazy. Eventually, the Egg Salamander was on its last legs. Sonic and Blaze prepared their final attack.

"My incredibly profound plans…" Nega lamented, eerily calm. "It was such a small miscalculation that I made. It shouldn't matter. And it's not over yet. Just give me some time, and I'll-"

"Enough of your babbling, Nega!" Robotnik snapped. "We lose! If you want to go down with this mech, fine, but I've survived too much craziness to go out like this!"

He slammed an eject button, launching out of the Salamander as Sonic and Blaze joined hands and launched at the mech, Sonic sparking and Blaze flaming on as they went.

"Ready for this?" Sonic asked.

"More than," Blaze assured.

Together, they plowed hard into the Salamander, causing the entire thing to explode in a massive ball of fire and lightning. Pieces rained down on the group as they cheered. Nega plummeted, unconscious, but amazingly still alive. Sonic and Blaze caught him, dropping him to the ground as the void faded and the world seemed to stabilize. The Sky Patrol landed as Robotnik approached them, hands behind his back.

"Good match as usual, Sonic," he said before looking at Nega with disdain. "You can do whatever you want with Nega. I may not be a saint, but that lunatic is too much of a handful even for me."

"Thanks for that," Sonic replied. "Now talk. Where's Cream?"

Robotnik held out a piece of paper.

"The coordinates to where Agatha has her," he said. "When you collect her, tell my niece it's time to come home."

With that, he departed. Hope took the paper, allowing Nicole to scan it.

"Coordinates located," she said.

"So where is she?" Sonic asked. "One of Eggman's bases? Some underground prison?"

"Floral Forest. Vanilla and Coco's place of residence."

A dead silence followed, the group exchanging looks.


Floral Forest

One Warp Ring ride later, the gang arrived at Vanilla and Coco's home. In the front yard, Eggatha and Cream were in the middle of a tea party, Coco supervising.

"More tea, Aggie?" Cream asked.

"Please and thank you."

Cream poured her a cup. As she set it down, she looked to see the Freedom Fighters standing there, taking in the sight.

"Oh!" she waved. "Hi, everyone."

"Uh... hi." Sonic managed.

"Aggie?" Hope said. "What's…"

"Uncle Ivo sent us here so we'd be out of the crossfire when you came to take down Eggman Nega," Eggatha explained.

"I must admit, it was a treat to see Aggie here," Coco admitted. "Such a sweetheart, for a Robotnik."

Hope cleared her throat.

"Speaking of which, Aggie, Eggman said it's time for you to go home. Sorry to cut your play date short."

"Aw man…" Eggatha sighed.

"I think you parked your Egg Mobile out back," Coco told her.

"Right, thanks for having me," Eggatha stood up. "Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. We should do this again sometime."

"Absolutely," Cream agreed. "Maybe don't kidnap me though."

"I make no promises."

They giggled before Eggatha ruffled her ears and took the Egg Mobile out, waving to the others.

"See you next scheme!" she called.

"Bye!" Cream waved.

With that done, Blaze walked up to Cream. She got to her knees, bowing until her forehead touched the floor.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Because of my stubbornness and pride, Eggman and Eggman Nega were able to kidnap you and use you against us."

"Aw, it's okay," Cream assured with a smile. "I know you didn't mean it. And I got to make a new friend."

Blaze looked up in surprise. "You can forgive me that easily?"

"My Creampuff isn't one to hold a grudge." Coco chimed in.

"Besides, you said sorry," Cream added. "And you're not mean like Eggman. So I forgive you."

After a minute, Blaze managed a smile. "Thanks."


Later, Nega was heavily cuffed and chained, waiting off to the side as Blaze talked to the others.

"Well, it's time for me to go back," Blaze said. "And for Nega to face his long-overdue justice."

"Do you really have to go?" Cream asked sadly.

Blaze nodded solemnly. "The Chaos and Sol Emeralds cannot exist in the same world. It would cause another crisis."

"Just know that if you need us, we'll be there," Sonic said.

Blaze smiled. "What are friends for?"

Sonic offered a hand. Blaze took it, the two grasping forearms and shaking. With that, Blaze went over to Nega, holding up his Zone-Link Generator. Nega just smirked as he looked at them all.

"This isn't the end of it, Freedom Fighters," he swore. "We'll meet again. Don't know where, don't know when. But I'll know we'll meet again some sunny day!"

He laughed maniacally, only cut off when Blaze opened a portal and shoved him through, following after. The portal closed and Sonic let out a long breath.

"Well…" he began, "This certainly made me appreciate that our Eggman has some morals."

Murmurs of consent sounded as they headed home, relieved to put this chapter of their adventures behind them.


Author's Note:

Well, that's that. And yes, I'm well aware that the Rush adaptation was short as hell. But when you have an entire crew of Freedom Fighters with over a year of experience tracking Emeralds, that's to be expected. And besides, the arc itself may have been short, but the chapters sure as hell weren't.

What will happen next? Stay tuned...

Please R&R. Until next time!