Episode Sixty-Three: Fracturing Bonds
The Sky Patrol soars away at full speed, desperately trying to stay ahead of the Battle Bird Armada. Inside the ship, the tension is palpable. Knuckles paces back and forth, clearly frustrated with how the last battle went. Silver stands nearby, keeping an eye on him, knowing an argument is brewing.
*Knuckles: "If I had the Chaos Emerald, we wouldn't be in this mess! We wouldn't have had to run like cowards!"
Silver, already tense from the retreat, snaps back.
*Silver: (sharply) "You think brute strength is all we need? Metal Sonic's out there, and we're barely holding it together as it is!"
Knuckles steps closer to Silver, his fists clenched.
*Knuckles: (angrily) "You're not better than me! I know how to use Chaos energy just as well as you! If I had the Emerald, we'd be winning this fight instead of running with our tails between our legs!"
The argument quickly escalates, with Knuckles and Silver shouting over each other. The rest of the crew watches in uncomfortable silence as the tension in the room grows. Sailor Moon steps forward, trying to defuse the situation.
*Moon: (calmly) "Please, stop fighting. We're all in this together. Arguing won't help."
But Sailor Jupiter, standing beside Knuckles, crosses her arms and frowns.
*Jupiter: (firmly) "Knuckles has a point, you know. If we had more raw power on our side, we wouldn't have had to retreat."
Sailor Mars, still recovering from her injuries but not willing to stay silent, speaks up, siding with Silver.
*Mars: (reluctantly) "More power isn't the answer. We need strategy, not just brute force."
The division among the group becomes clear. Tails, who has been sitting quietly at the controls, finally speaks up, his voice trembling slightly from the stress of the situation.
*Tails: (quietly) "Silver's right. The Chaos Emerald is dangerous in the wrong hands, and we need to think carefully about who uses it."
Rotor nods in agreement, adding his support to Silver.
*Rotor: "We can't let emotions get in the way of making the right call. We need someone who can stay calm under pressure."
Knuckles, still fuming, glares at Silver one last time before turning away, frustrated but knowing that the argument won't get them anywhere. The tension in the room is thick, and although the argument ends, it leaves the group feeling fractured.
The focus shifts to Sonic, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Bunnie arriving at the Midesta Egg Army base. The base is in a state of disrepair, with scorch marks covering the walls and debris scattered across the ground. Broken machinery sparks and smokes in the aftermath of a battle. The group cautiously approaches, scanning the area for any sign of Sally.
*Sonic: (nervously) "Look at this place… Sally's definitely been here."
Sonic's voice is tense as his eyes dart around, taking in the destruction. His gut churns at the sight, hoping that they aren't too late. Bunnie walks up beside him, her face equally concerned.
*Bunnie: (worried) "I don't like the look of this, Sugar-Hog. What if… what if we're too late?"
Mercury activates her visor, scanning for any signs of energy or movement. Her face remains calm, but there's a hint of worry in her eyes.
*Mercury: "I'm detecting residual energy, but there's no sign of Sally here now. We should proceed with caution."
*Venus: "We need to find her, fast. There's no telling what we might run into here."
Suddenly, they hear the sound of marching footsteps — Egg Soldiers approaching from all directions. Sonic immediately moves into action, but instead of engaging in full combat, the team decides to take a more defensive approach, knowing their priority is to locate Sally, not destroy the base.
*Sonic: (quickly) "We're not here to wreck the place. Stay defensive — let's find Sally and get out of here."
Mercury steps forward, summoning her Mercury Bubbles Blast. A thick, icy fog fills the air, blanketing the area and disorienting the Egg Soldiers.
*Mercury: (calmly) "This should give us enough cover to move."
As the fog thickens, the group moves swiftly through the base, using the cover to avoid direct confrontation with the soldiers.
"Venus Love Me Chain!"
Venus generates a heart-shaped chain of orange light and swings it, ensnaring several Egg Soldiers and binding them to the ground without harming them.
*Venus: (smirking) "That should keep them out of our way for a while."
Sonic, Bunnie, and the others weave through the fog, disabling soldiers and avoiding destruction as they make their way deeper into the base. The sense of urgency grows as they search for any trace of Sally. Suddenly, the ground shakes, and the loud noise of massive helicopter rotors fill the air. A massive shadow looms over them, and they turn to see Nephthys the Vulture piloting the towering Egg Hawk mech. The fog is quickly dispersed by the machine's powerful jets as it lands heavily in front of the group, blocking their path.
*Nephthys: (mockingly) "Well, well. What a surprise. I wasn't expecting more of you to show up."
Sonic steps forward, his fists clenched, ready to confront her. But Nephthys' words immediately put him on edge.
*Sonic: (angrily) "Where's Sally?! What did you do to her?"
Nephthys chuckles, her mechanical wings unfurling as she steers the Egg Hawk closer to the group.
*Nephthys: (smirking) "Sally? Oh, I see now. I'm supposed to deal with you because she couldn't. Is that it? Sally sent you here to finish what she couldn't do?"
Her words send a chill through the group, and Sonic and Bunnie exchange worried glances. The implication that Sally failed, or worse, is hurt, sends a wave of fear through both of them. Bunnie's voice trembles slightly as she steps forward, her eyes wide with worry.
*Bunnie: (fearful) "What do you mean? What did you do to her?!"
Nephthys, enjoying the moment, pilots the Egg Hawk into an aggressive stance, the minigun housed inside the mouth of the mech locked and loaded.
*Nephthys: (laughing maliciously) "She couldn't defeat me. Your precious princess ran off, injured and weak. I didn't even have to finish her off — her body's doing that for me."
Sonic's heart drops at Nephthys' words, and Bunnie clenches her fists, horror flashing in her eyes as they imagine the worst. Sailor Mercury, keeping her calm under pressure, steps forward, her voice steady but filled with concern.
*Mercury: (demanding) "Where is she? Tell us what happened!"
Nephthys laughs again, the sound echoing through the base. She leans forward in the Egg Hawk, the giant mech casting a shadow over the group.
*Nephthys: "I fought her, yes. But she escaped before I could finish the job. She's out there somewhere… but trust me, in her state, she won't last much longer."
The cold truth of Nephthys' words hits the group hard. Sally is alive, but she's injured, possibly beyond saving. Sonic and Bunnie exchange horrified looks, realizing that every second they waste could be another second that Sally is suffering. Without another word, Sonic grabs Mercury, and Bunnie grabs Venus, lifting them up as they prepare to leave.
*Sonic: (urgently) "We need to find her! Now!"
With a burst of speed, Sonic and Bunnie launch into the air, racing away from the base at hypersonic speeds, too fast for Nephthys or her forces to follow. As they disappear into the distance, Nephthys watches with narrowed eyes, clearly frustrated that they escaped her grasp.
*Nephthys: (gritting her teeth) "Run all you want. You'll find out soon enough… she's already done for."
In the skies, Metal Sonic soars at hypersonic speeds, scanning the horizon for Sonic. His inner monologue reveals the deep hatred festering within him, twisting his every thought.
*Metal Sonic: (internally) "Sonic… my loathsome copy. You have always been the lesser version of me. I have all your powers, but perfected. Today, I will prove that YOU are the fake, and I am the real Sonic."
His mechanical eyes glow brighter as he flies faster, his mind fixated on one goal — destroying Sonic.
*Metal Sonic: (internally) "I will save the world from the curse you've placed upon it. They did not deserve what you have done to them. I will create the Metal Overlord Kingdom and save them from their flesh prisons. They will thank me when I have rescued them from your evil grip."
The clouds part as Metal Sonic speeds through the air, his resolve as cold and relentless as the machine he's become.
We return to Sally, lying in a hospital bed in Shamar. Her eyes are hollow, her body weak. She stares blankly at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting back to a happier time — her very first date with Nicole. It was a beautiful evening at Emerald Hill Park. They had watched a concert by Mina Mongoose and the Forget-Me-Knots and shared a romantic walk through the forest, which led to their first kiss. Sally's lips twitch into a small smile as she remembers how her heart raced that night as they gave themselves to each other, but the warmth of the memory fades as her thoughts return to the present. Her mind fills with the image of Nicole's sacrifice on the Death Egg — the handheld, cold and lifeless, after Nicole gave her life to stop Eggman. Sally begins to cry, her body trembling with the weight of her grief. The pain in her chest is unbearable, and the realization that her own body has failed her only deepens her sorrow.
*Sally: (sobbing) "Nicole… I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough…"
Her voice cracks as she cries harder, the emotions she's bottled up for so long spilling out uncontrollably. She clutches the bed sheets, feeling helpless, lost in the storm of her grief.
*Sally: (brokenly) "What's the point of even going on anymore…?"