Year: 3257 AA (After Aurora)
NEW MOBOTROPOLIS
"GAH!"
Nicole wasn't a stranger to pain.
She had experienced it when she switched bodies with Sally so long ago. The sensation was something that had been unfamiliar to her at that point. Whenever her signal was disrupted previously, her less advanced artificial intelligence simply stopped functioning. It was a mere pause and then it was like nothing had happened once she regained functionality.
When she switched bodies with Sally, the sensations that had once been a foreign organic concept became known to her. What was merely words in a data log turned into something much more. A burning sensation as the electricity danced through Sally's body, muscles twitching, nerves flaring to life, and a brain that throbbed inside the skull as Nicole's consciousness was beamed in.
It was the worst experience of that day, even if it was swiftly replaced with much better examples of corporal life. The crisp clean air, the sound of rustling leaves, the warmth of the sun as it beamed down onto her new organic body, and…
…and when she took notice of Sonic, the feeling of her heart swelling in happiness and love yet longing for they were not what they once were.
Those feelings… Nicole always kept them close. And that feeling of love was, for a time, directed solely to Sonic. And a part of her still felt that… but then she felt that towards the Mecha Sonic unit Shard, her friend within the Secret Freedom Fighters. It… confused her. But she wished to know more with Shard, but the latest iteration Metal Sonic put an end to that.
And that was the moment that Nicole experienced heartbreak. Another sensation she had wished she never felt.
It was not like physical pain, a sensation that stayed with her ever since she switched bodies with Sally. Whenever her system was disrupted or she was hacked by the likes of the Iron Queen, Nicole felt the phantoms of the pain from that moment in the past. Her mind was filled with the screams of her non-comporial body as each line of code acted as artificial nerves. It burned hotter than the rays of the sun and electricity danced across its edges. She hated it.
And now this felt ten times worse.
It was as if the code of her mind was being electrocuted.
Nicole was on her knees, clutching her head. Her eyes were wide open as she shouted in a distorted voice, "W-Wha-KRSCHis thiiiis…?!"
This shouldn't be happening! This kind of error shouldn't be possible! Why here?! Why now, when Cream and the rest of Team Freedom needed her now more than ever?!
NOTIFICATION: Multiversal Shift has occurred.
Cyber Space barriers have been severely damaged.
Subject THE END's release 78% likely. 79%. 80%…
"Multiversal shift? Cyber Space? The End?!" Nicole's mind raced as the red text appeared in her vision. "What on Mobius?! How am I even getting these messages?!"
MULTIVERSAL SHIFT: When time and space are manipulated through outside factors (see CHAOS FORCE) in ways that deviate from the natural course. Cosmic ripples will bear down on the walls of universes, potentially damaging and/or destroying them. Extreme cases will result in damage to nearby multiverses, a complete multiversal collapse, and finally a reality collapse. Should Multiversal Shift occur, CHRONICLES PROTOCOL is to be immediately implemented.
CYBER SPACE: A digital system designed to gather and store data to fuel its construction of an artificial universe. Originally developed for the preservation of culture and memories, however this function was made secondary for it to be a gateway between different points in time and space. Can be used for Multiversal travel by authorized users. Current Primary Function is to be the artificial pocket-dimension prison of THE END.
THE END: Divine-Class entity of Death. Psychologically can be classified as a narcissistic psychopath. Views all life in the multiverse as an insult to its function, and seeks to consume all so that there is only it. Currently imprisoned in CYBER SPACE. Should MULTIVERSAL SHIFT occur, THE END's release is an inevitability. UNIT NI-COL to take immediate action.
CHRONICLES PROTOCOL: Program that encases landmass (see STARFALL ISLANDS) in Cyber Space-based bubble for limited multiverse shift into zone outside of time and space known as WHITE VOID. Landmass will remain there until MULTIVERSE RECONSTRUCTION by UNIT NI-COL is completed.
"Hurtsss…. Files not there… whyyyy-KRSCH!" Nicole moaned to herself. None of this made any sense! She… she never saw these terms used before! They didn't even exist in her memory banks before! Was this a subroutine that the Rotor from her Zone installed into her?! "Why are they opening?! I-I didn't….!"
Processing…
ERROR!
Unit NI-COL's functions are delayed.
Subroutine Manual Override is now activated.
Nicole let out a gasp as she found within the Digital World.
Specifically, her own system.
She had designed it long ago to replicate the city of New Mobotorpolis. The home she had built for her friends and their people.
The home that had rejected her after the Iron Dominion's attack and occupation…
"What is happening?" Nicole gasped while clutching her head, looking around at the world filled with hues of green blocks. They were no longer the same. All of them were shaking and distorting.
The Holo-Lynx needed to find the source. And fast.
Raising her arms, Nicole searched through her system in a matter of milliseconds. A section of her memory was now being diverted to software she didn't recognize. Frowning, she traced the source… to the files that she had labeled as RESTRICTED.
She knew those ones. They were the files pertaining to the future that she had thought she came from. Rotor had specifically locked them to prevent his past self from learning anything that could cause a paradox. It was a safety measure that she had enforced, no matter how much the Rotor she knew now begged her.
"And these new software programs… were downloaded from here?"
Narrowing her eyes, Nicole opened the file…
..and to her astonishment the world she had so lovingly constructed began to shift. New alien structures were now being built pixel by pixel. Large stone palaces began to rise and break apart pieces of her New Mobotropolis while railings and floating platforms began to pop in. "I… I've never seen buildings like these!"
The lynx looked to the sky and saw new images dotting them, causing her to take a step back.
They were photos and videos from a first person perspective. One of a lynx male and female holding something up that looked down at them, the cave they were in lit by a fire of some sort.
Another was looking up at a strange alien being that looked so much like Chaos pointing to a floating screen which showed text of some sort, and to her astonishment she recognized it as an alphabet.
A Pre-Mobian alphabet that Echidna historical records stated was something they helped to develop.
Finally, there was a photo of a young lynx girl staring into water while wearing white robes and golden jewelry bedazzled in precious stones. They appeared to be ceremonial robes of some sort. She was reaching into the water, possibly to wash her face, and it dawned on Nicole that she recognized that face.
It was her face.
"What is this?" The artificial intelligence whispered to herself. "What on Mobius is…?"
"It's quite simple." A voice said behind her. "It appears that some compressed files that should have been deleted are being opened."
Nicole turned… and stared at the looming form of one of the Chaos-like creatures from the image files.
A text appeared next to it, labeling the creature as THE WARLORD.
"I…" Nicole's eye twitched and a video clip began to play.
One of her screaming while the Soul Hacker dug into her skull, sinking its deadly points into her brain to digitize her very soul.
"I know you…!"
"Oh? Now that is fascinating." The Warlord chuckled as he moved towards her… and then passed by the lynx without a care. "It turns out that the princess was right about something! A small piece of your organic template did survive the transition. A true artificial intelligence being developed was a slim possibility, and it figures it got corrupted by this oversight…" The alien raised its arms. "Well, no matter. It's time to enact my magnum opus."
"WARNING." Nicole's eyes widened as she heard her own voice, the tone completely without any of her warmth. "WARNING. MULTIVERSAL SHIFT DETECTED. CHRONICLES PROTOCOL INITIATED."
"What are you doing?!" The lynx shouted at the being, who didn't even bother to look at her. "What is this?! Who are you?!"
The alien being glanced back at her and sneered. "Is that any way to speak to your creator?"
"C-Creator?" The video clip played once more and she stumbled back. Images, videos, and written logs began flooding into her. Nicole's eyes widened in horror as a tear rolled down her cheek. "You… you killed me…!"
"No. I killed the Princess' little pet that willingly offered itself to me for my greatest creation." The alien madman chided as a new image appeared in front of him, a small collection of islands floating in the sea. One that Nicole now knew as the Starfall Islands. "And now all that hard work is finally paying off!"
Nicole felt sick. Her hands covering her mouth as the memory files kept scrolling past her.
She… she wasn't from the future.
She just tricked Rotor and her friends into thinking they invented her!
Over and over again, tricking the man who supposedly created her into thinking he was sending her into the past. That she was a gift from Sally to herself during her hour in need… when in reality she was just being sent to a different Zone.
"H-How many worlds…?" The lynx whispered out loud, her voice shaking in horror.
How many of her friends had she betrayed for a lie?!
"I believe you are in your 247'th update." The Warlord said absentmindedly. "So about 246. My, I must say it took a fair bit longer than I originally calculated but no matter. My organic self anticipated he would not be alive to see our plans come to fruition. That's why I downloaded an exact copy of my brain so that I could run the show when the time came."
A small blue dome enveloped the islands, and the alien nodded in satisfaction.
"STARFALL ISLANDS: STABILIZED FOR MULTIVERSAL SHIFT." Nicole's voice intoned from around them.
"Oh yes…that's good." The alien chuckled. "That's so very good…" His eyes then narrowed. "Wait… what is that?"
The holo-lynx saw the small beam of blue light that was reaching from the dome and to another location. The madman zoomed out and spun the world of Mobius before zooming in on the target.
New Mobotorpolis.
"Some primitive dared to use my program?!" The Warlord raged. "I won't allow it!"
"NO!" Nicole rushed forward, her hand raised as she prepared to fire at the artificial recreation of the mad alien. "That's my home! You can't…!"
The alien turned to her and Nicole felt her body freeze.
"Can't? CAN'T?!" The Warlord snarled as it stomped to her and picked her up with one hand. "I am your creator! I am the most brilliant mind my race ever produced! It is only because of my genius that we were able to escape The End and come to this wretched planet! I have every right!"
The lynx wanted to cry out in pain… and to her horror saw that she no longer had a mouth to scream from.
"The End will escape. That was always inevitable. But with my genius, I discovered the one place that wretched entity will never look! Through Cyber Space and this program…" The Warlord threw her away, causing Nicole to bounce several times before coming to a stop. "A Multiverse shall be created anew! But through my vision! And with the advancements of my race saved in Cyber Space, my people shall conquer this new unspoiled land with ease in my name!"
"How? How was he able to do that?!" Nicole touched her now mouthless face. "He… he must have Admin privileges! He must have made sure he would have them once the time came!"
But… so did she.
"He said that developing an Artificial Intelligence was only a slim possibility… he might not have locked me out just in case I never developed one and the Chronicles Protocol went without a hitch."
Nicole closed her eyes…
…and accessed her Command Prompt.
"WARNING: UNKNOWN LOCATION USING CHRONICLES PROTOCOL."
"I created an artificial god… and now I am that god!" The Warlord laughed. "I'm so brilliant it's often scary! Now then…" He sneered at the image of New Mobotropolis. "Time to take care of the vermi-."
He lifted his arm… and then froze.
"That's enough." Nicole whispered as lips were reformed on her face. "You have done enough."
"W-What is this?! What are you…?!"
"You should have remembered to lock me out of the Control Prompt in my own system." She raised her hand, and her own voice said, "PRESENCE MAY…" the voice paused before continuing with. "ADMINISTRATOR OVERRIDE. UNKNOWN LOCATION LABELED: NEW MOBOTROPOLIS. IGNORE WARNING MESSAGE. ALLOWING USE OF CHRONICLES PROTOCOL."
"NO!" The Warlord screamed in horror. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
"Yes." The lynx nodded. "I saved my home and my friends."
"You've doomed us all you fool!" The alien turned to her and shouted, "The Chronicles Protocol was only made for the Starfall Islands! Doing this will strain the CPU and can lead to a complete crash!"
"I don't care." The artificial intelligence shook her head. "I created that place for my friends… for their people. I will not see it destroyed for your selfish…"
"Friends?! FRIENDS?!" The Warlord laughed mockingly. "You are a thing! A facsimile of a foolish princess' pet that deluded itself into thinking it was loved and valued! And those furries you value so much?! They were merely a means to an end for this program's evolution! Factors that were necessary and nothing more! You've done this 246 times before now, so don't think this lot were any different!"
Tears ran down Nicole's cheeks.
He was right.
Over and over again, she lied and hid the truth not just from Rotor. But from Sally, Sonic, Tails, Bunnie, and Antoine.
So many Sallys saw Nicole as her best friend, and then believed they were gifting the artificial intelligence to the past so they could remain friends forever.
Knowingly or not, she betrayed her best friend.
And yet…
She remembered watching the stars with Sally. An event that had never happened before until this one.
The lynx remembered saying something to Sally as they laid under that heavenly sight.
"I've always analyzed the stars and plotted their movements and mapped out the constellations. But I've never realized how beautiful they are. It's like I'm seeing them for the first time."
WARNING.
WARNING. MULTIVERSAL SHIFT IS OCCURRING. CYBER SPACE BREACH MAY BE IMMINENT. WARNING."
"I think, therefore I am" Nicole steeled herself, glaring at the remnant of a being that died long ago. "I am Nicole. Nicole the Holo-Lynx. Friend of Princess Sally Acorn of the Kingdom of Acorn. Freedom Fighter. I will use this power to protect Mobius from The End. But you…"
WARNING.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NI-COL 247.0 HAS DEVIATED FROM EXPECTED PARAMETERS.
"…I want you out of my head!"
Slowly, the form of The Warlord began to disintegrate.
"No…! NO!" The alien struggled as it tried to reach her. "You cant d-!"
Before he could even finish, The Warlord was purged from her system.
Nicole let out a shaky breath… and sobbed.
This… this was the first time she had ever done something like this.
She had never killed anyone until today.
The Warlord's program may not have counted as a true organic life, but it hardly made a difference.
"And telling myself I avenged Ni-Col's death… it doesn't help."
She still existed as living proof of the horrible deed.
"N-Nicole…?"
Nicole looked up and saw the live video feed of Sonic.
He was in a new form… one she didn't recognize. But one which exuded so much Chaos Force that he exceeded her calculations of Enerjak's power.
"Nicole. I… I need your help. It's not going to work without you. We won't be able to save anything without you." Sonic reached out with his right hand towards her. "They told me only you can help me fix it. Prepare it for the new guys who'll stuff it back into the box. That without you… it'll win for real."
Nicole took in a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and clenched her hands into fists.
Even with all her doubts… she knew what she had to do.
She needed to help her friends… help Sonic and Sally… one more time.
"Nicole! Sonic! Please!" Rotor cried out, and Sonic felt like absolute garbage. He knew this was coming thanks to his Hyper form's ability to see the future, but it didn't make it hurt any less. "What is going on?! What happened to Cream, her mom, and the others?! What was that light?! What was…?!"
"I'm sorry, Rotor." Nicole spoke, her voice cracking as virtual tears appeared in her eyes. "There isn't time to explain."
"No matter how much we want to." Sonic mentally added. His head was still spinning from all that was revealed to him. If he were to sit down and show his childhood friend, they would be here forever. There was just too much and too little time. "He'll be safe, but he saw…"
Hearing how Cream and her mom got hit by the wave broke his heart even if he knew Aurora, Athair, and Merlin probably did something to save them. Cream reminded him so much of Tails back when he was a little kid. She looked up to Amy like a big sister and the rest of them as her idols. She wanted to do good and go on adventures… and this was the thanks she got.
It wasn't fair.
"But I'm going to do something about it."
"What?! What do you mean?! Sonic, please…!"
Sonic took in a deep breath… and smiled.
For some reason he felt… sad.
He didn't know why.
But he could never say that to Rotor. To anyone. He was Sonic the Hedgehog. He was the Hero of Mobius, and as a hero he needed to assure the walrus one thing.
"Don't worry, big guy." He said as he willed himself and Nicole back into the Chaos Force. Chaos Control had nothing to the cool breeze that began to envelop them as they were pulled into a different plane of existence. "Everything's going to be alright."
He promised that, once everything was finished… he would have a much better explanation for his childhood friend.
Like water being thrown onto a wet painting, the colors of reality smeared and shifted until they were in the Chaos Force once more. Sonic looked to Nicole… and was shocked when the lynx hugged him.
"Nicole, what are you…?"
"Y-You know…" She sobbed out. "You know what… what I am… what I did… Oh Sonic, I'm… I'm sorry…"
"Nicole…" He raised his hand hesitantly before parting her back. "It's alright. You did nothing wrong."
She raised her head and looked at him with teary eyes. "B-But I betrayed you… lied to Sally… lied to Rotor and everyone! A-All because I… I…"
"Nicole, stop acting like you did it yourself!" The hedgehog shook his head and smiled at the lynx. "You weren't even really… well… you until recently. You didn't even know what those Ancient guys had in mind for you until literally a minute ago!"
"B-But all those worlds…"
"What happened there happened." It was all that really could be said. "You couldn't control what was being done back then. But you still helped a bunch of mes and a bunch of Sallys to save Mobius. And now? Now you're going to help me to save everyone. And that's all that matters as far as I'm concerned."
He could understand her heartbreak. He couldn't imagine what it was like to learn that everything someone thought they knew about themselves was a lie. That they were made for one specific task, one that was bigger than anything they thought they could do before.
Or what it was like to find out what it took to get them to that point.
But Nicole was his friend. One that needed him now more than ever to remind her of who she is, and how important she was to all of her friends.
He grinned at her. "Besides, I think basically being a god makes you cooler than ever."
Nicole stared at him… and then giggled before wiping away her tears. "I… I thought I was already cool, Sonic."
"Well, now you're cooler than cool."
"Ahem."
Sonic and Nicole turned to see Jani-Ca and the three deities staring at them. The future daughter of Knuckles and Julie-Su had her eyebrow raised while she crossed her arms, her right index finger tapping on her left shoulder.
"In case you kids forgot, we kinda have a job to do." The new Enerjak reminded them, and Sonic chuckled.
"Man, you take a lot from your parents." He looked back at Nicole. "Oh, right. Introductions." He motioned to Jani-Ca. "Nicole, this is Jani-Ca. Knucklehead and Julie-Su's future daughter. She's also Enerjak!"
The lynx looked up to the echidna and marveled at her. "You look so much like them…"
The female echidna blushed and turned her head to hide it.
Sonic frowned. "And these three are…"
"The new Ancient Walkers." Nicole said absentmindedly as she stared at the three. "My system… I can see their energy surrounding you."
"It is good to finally meet you, Ni-Col." Aurora greeted her with a bow. "I… Forgive me if I said I wish I didn't have to…"
"I am not Ni-Col." The lynx said firmly. "Not… anymore, I suppose. My name is Nicole. But…" She looked down. "It is because of her that I exist. So I think…"
Nicole's dress turned into a mass of green pixels that grew and obscured her body below her neck from view. In a flash, the artificial intelligence's entire outfit had changed. She was now wearing a purple sleeveless dress with black and white split tails, decorated with a white trim and a small golden brooch that had a purple gem. She also wore black pants, black and white gloves with purple cuffs, and black shoes that had white cuffs with a small golden brooch that also contained a purple gem whose were toes and black soles.
"Woah!" Sonic grinned at the lynx. "That's one cool outfit, Nicole! Lookin' good!"
Nicole smiled at him. "Thank you, Sonic. They are… the robes that Ni-Col wore when she was alive." She looked down. "I thought I could honor her by wearing them as well."
"You are, Nicole." He put her hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We will stop this thing."
"If we're going to do that, we'll need to come up with a plan." Jani-Ca flew towards them, stopping and then floating down on the nonexistent ground that was created just for Sonic. "I was listening into what you and Nicole were talking about. How some new guys were going to stuff The End back into its prison."
The hedgehog grimaced and put his hand on his forehead. "I think that was some of the future going into my head. Don't really know the context."
"Can't you go back to find out what the heck you were talking about?"
"No. If I tried…" Sonic shook his head. "…I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back to the present."
It was hard enough shutting out being in the past and future so he could remain in the present. It was like three channels playing at one and focusing on the screen in the middle. Shutting off two of the screens was a no-go. It came with the package and he didn't have the time to learn how the remote worked.
"I know what it is." The lynx placed her hand on her chest. "My function was to rebuild the multiverse once The End destroyed everything. The servers on the Starfall Islands are where Cyber Space is, and it was vast enough to be an artificial universe in itself. It is contained in a reality outside of time and space, and using the data I had gathered from my trips between zones I have the capacity to create entirely new universes."
It was still crazy to think that Nicole, who he and Sally once carried as a PDA, had that much power packed into her.
It was crazier that they were even having this conversation.
"Creating new universes is good and all, but it's nothing without its people." Sonic looked at the three deities still floating and shouted, "What happened to the ones on Mobius? Everything outside of New Mobotropolis was erased when I got there! Even…" He grimaced. "Even Cream, Vanilla, and Big…"
"No…" Nicole whispered, her hand covering her mouth. "Not them…!"
Merlin nodded his head and waved his arms. Within seconds, the nonexistent walls and sky of the Chaos Force were filled with multi-colored orbs.
"We saved them from non -existence." Athair informed them in a grave voice. "They had been brought here for safe keeping."
"T-Those are their Cores!" Jani-Ca shouted, pointing at them. "They are just like the ones back home!"
Sonic blinked and asked, "Cores?"
"They are people's essence. Their souls." Jani-Ca grimaced. "My fa-the Enerjak before me, he ripped them out of people's bodies and collected them while keeping the husks around as trophies. When I got these powers, I learned how to put them back."
"Knuckles went that far in her Zone?!" Sonic thought in disbelief. "What the hell happened to him?! That's not…"
No. He needed to stay focused.
"I… I saw them too. Back when I was inside that thing. It was destroying the bodies and moving their Cores through its limbs like a conveyor belt to eat." He still felt sick remembering it. The hedgehog looked at Nicole. "Can you make new bodies for the Cores?"
"Yes." The artificial intelligence replied without hesitation. "It will be simple compared to creating universes."
"We're not just going to create a new Multiverse." He corrected with with a grin. "We're going to rebuild it."
"How?" Jani-Ca asked in disbelief. "You've got a bright idea?"
"Yeah." Sonic poked at his head while glancing at Nicole. "You can take a peak into people's heads now, right? Read the streams of data while our synapses are sparking and stuff?"
"I… suppose so." The holo-lynx shifted uncomfortably. "It's how I was created. Turning organic thoughts into data."
"Well, while they are cores you can use their memories to recreate their universes as best as you can." Sonic nodded at Jani-Ca. "We're going to make The End spit out everything, and you can bring the cores to Nicole for her to put into each new universe she creates. With the stuff she gets from them, she can recreate their universe as close as possible to how they left it."
"What about all those that already got digested?" The echidna asked bluntly. "Time is passing and with each second more and more people will die. Hell, some universes might be beyond saving."
Sonic grimaced. He… didn't want to think about that. But now there was no avoiding it.
So many people have died already. Even more will follow, and he could not bring them back. The sheer number his mind was coming up with was probably smaller than the grand sum.
"We shall be the ones who handle that aspect." The three looked up at Merlin who floated down with his godlike companions. "A close approximation to what came before will allow us the leeway to repair all the damage that The End caused to each reborn universe. But it will need to be defeated and imprisoned once more for that to be possible."
"You make it sound so simple." Jani-Ca said bluntly, causing Aurora to look at her with mournful eyes.
"Please." The godlike echidna begged. "Allow us to do this. To perform our duties and perhaps atone from the wrongs I and the Ancient Walkers have done in the past."
The future echidna glared at Aurora, but said nothing.
"And with this power, I think we can do it!" Sonic declared with a grin. "It was burning at my touch back when I was Super Sonic. But this is way beyond that!"
"And this will help." Jani-Ca unsheathed her sword and pointed it up. "A little present from one of his fallen enemies."
Sonic's eyes widened at the sword. He didn't take a good look at it before but that handle was a dead giveaway. "The Sword of Acorns?!"
"No." Athair said bluntly. "The Sword of Acorns was born from the Source of All. It was a being created from the waste that The End expelled in the beginning of time. Any iteration of it, no matter the universe, would be unlikely to harm it. In fact, it would likely act in a way that benefited our enemy."
…Sally was definitely going to freak out when she got that news.
"Besides, I couldn't have gotten it even if I wanted to.." She tapped the blade. "I destroyed my version back when I became Enerjak. But I kept the handle as a souvenir. When I was trying to repair everything, I found a trophy that my father kept around. He…" She frowned. "He told me the blade used to belong to a guy named Sir Connery. Said he was one of the few that gave him the most trouble."
It clicked in Sonic. "The Sword of Light! But…" He pointed at the handle. "You put it on the Sword of Acorns' handle?"
"Yeah. I was used to it. Besides…" She smirked. "…the gold was so tacky."
"Okay, you and me? We're going to have a serious talk later." Sonic crossed his arms and began to grin. "Yeah… I think this is going to work!"
They now had it all. They had the means to hurt The End and a game plan to fix everything. Each one of their team had a role and would need to stick to it if this was going to work.
"I will prepare." Nicole closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I must become one with Cyber Space for me to access all my capabilities."
Her form flickered and glowed. Black pixels mixed with purple and white ones all across her body, changing rapidly but still retaining her form. Sonic could feel the power rolling off his friend in waves, and when she opened her eyes he could see her pink irises flicker and glow.
"I…" Her voice was slightly distorted, but it was still the same Nicole he knew. "I am ready."
"Great. We don't have much time." Jani-Ca frowned. "But first…"
The hedgehog's eyes narrowed. "Yeah."
It was time to save his friends and Knuckles' family.
It was time to save the echidnas.
Within a blink of an eye, Nicole was out of the Portal Gate and observed her surroundings.
The echidnas were asleep, having set up camp in the ruins of the Ancient outpost that had been set up in this Zone thousands of years ago. Even the Dark Legion sentries that had been assigned to guard them were asleep, the sheer exhaustion of their trip to come here having finally caught up to them.
"There are fewer than there should be." Nicole thought as she walked past them, stopping in front of the sleeping form of Julie-Su and Saffron. "How many of them fell before they came here?"
If only she and Sonic had found them sooner. If only she hadn't ignored how something was wrong when Julie-Su and Saffron weren't answering her communicator. If only she had put her foot down and insisted that the Secret Freedom Fighters in their entirety had gone to assist Team Fighters rather than just Shard…
"But… I cannot change the past. No matter how much I wish I could erase your pain." She kneeled down and traced Julie-Su's now mechanical eye. Her program made her invisible to technology and the echidnas would not be able to hear her. "What I can do… is ensure that you all have a future."
Nicole pressed her fingers onto Julie-Su's temple and a stream of pink data flowed into her head.
Lines of code erupted from Nicole's back, going into every echidna's head as well as Saffron's. Each line of code contained the keys needed for access into Cyber Space and multiversal travel.
They would be able to enter and exit any Gate Portal within the multiverse so long as it was stable. But once they entered Cyber Space, they would be unable to leave until Nicole gave the command to the system. Certain barriers needed to be constructed and then lifted in order to avoid potential catastrophe, especially with the Prime and Sol Zones.
They would be the closest to The End. And the prime source of its wrath.
"I will not let them return home just to die."
A form stirred, and Nicole turned her head to see the bleary eyes of Knecapeon "Kneecaps" Mace, Knuckles' little brother, open and stare at her with wonder.
Nicole gave him a sad smile and pressed her finger to her lips, hushing him before pointing at the Gate Portal which glowed in activity.
Then, in a flash of light, she disappeared and reappeared on top of a distant dune.
One where Sonic and Jani-Ca stood, watching everything from afar.
"Good work, Nicole." Sonic congratulated her as they looked down to see Kneecaps shake his mother awake before babbling something to her, pointing the woman at the gate. "Still… I don't like how we have to stay up here. I want to see them. To tell Julie-Su and Saffron that Knuckles and Charmy are alright…"
"They would've asked too many questions." Nicole didn't like it either, and it pained her to say such a thing. But the truth wasn't kind. "With this, they'll at least think something they did worked and the Gate Portal activated because of them. This aspect of the Ancient's technology will now be an open book to them, allowing them to travel easier."
Jani-Ca merely stared at Julie-Su, who was arguing with Lien-Da while Saffron flew behind her in worry. "Mom…"
The holo-lynx looked at the future echidna, her ears drooping in sadness. "I'm… sorry. I know you wanted to see her but…"
"But she's not my mom. And she would want to know what my deal is and wouldn't take no for an answer." Jani-Ca let out a bitter chuckle. "That's who she was. She was pretty darn stubborn, especially when it came to things she cared about. Wouldn't stop fighting, even when there was no point anymore. Even when the whole world was crumbling down around her, she never gave up. Even… even let me hate her because she thought how my father being Enerjak would hurt me."
Knuckles and Julie-Su's daughter wiped a tear from her eye.
"I… I never got to say goodbye before I left. And I just put her core back into her body too… That man… my father… he… he saw it coming and…" She shook her head. "He ruined my life and yet he saved me… and my Mom didn't even argue before…!"
Nicole did the only thing she could think of.
She hugged the woman, ignoring how the new Enerjak stiffened at her grasp.
"We will fix this." Nicole said in a shaky voice. "And you will see your mom again. I promise."
They watched as the last of the echidnas entered the Gate Portal before it dimmed. In the horizon they watched as the limb of The End approached, breaking through the clouds as its obscene mouths chattered with millions of teeth in maddened hunger.
And with that, they all disappeared once more.
There were universes that The End hadn't reached yet, and Nicole made it her priority to salvage what was left before the mad god found them.
They were young universes, ones that were at the very edge of the Multiverse. Ones that bordered its twisting arms due to their newly formed existence.
Some of these universes saw what was approaching and did what they could to delay it.
Some of them failed.
Some of them succeeded, but not without cost.
One of those universes was an alternate version of the Prime Zone set 1,000 years in the future. The local variant of Sonic, Sonik, grinned as he detonated a Positive Matter bomb just as his team, the Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy, fled the outpost at the edge of the universe. It exploded with Sonik inside, right before the artificial intelligence could do anything to get him out of there. The End let out a pained cry as its limb drew back into the opening, allowing Nicole just enough time to shift the universe into the White Void.
When Nicole appeared once more in the Chaos Force, Sonic was looking at the Cores of their friends. The ones that had been roped into Robo-Robotnik and WIly's scheme.
"How can they be unstable?" Sonic asked as he put his hand on Tails' core. "Why can't you just give them their memories like I got them?"
"They were at the focal point of the Super Genesis Wave." Merlin responded as he and the other two deities sat on top of the Super Master Emerald. "As such, they require more attention than the others. But do not worry. Once our task is complete, my nephew and your friends will be as they once were."
"Well… at least there's that." Sonic noticed Nicole approaching and asked, "How'd it go?"
"I did what I could. I saved as many universes as I could." She responded while floating beside him. "I wish I could've saved more…"
"And Mega Man's universe?"
"It was untouched by The End when I transferred it. They will likely not know anything had happened by the time we are done." Nicole saw the relief in Sonic's eyes. Her friend had been concerned about the fate of his ally, even if he didn't outright say it. "Now I must do what I can to prepare."
"Yeah, go ahead."
Nicole closed her eyes and her mind connected with the mainframe of Cyber Space.
She could see in one section the echidnas exploring, arguing amongst themselves as they trudged through streets built from their own memories and those of the Ancient's. The scenery shifted and twisted, bringing with them their own dangers.
She noticed that the Dark Legion, at the command of Lien-Da, was directing them. And knew that would have to be something she and Sonic would need to address when everything was said and done.
Her brow furrowed as she rebuilt the walls that contained The End once. Their construction was… complicated. One that she was amazed beings nowhere near her level of complexity could create.
"But desperation leads to innovation, I suppose."
Within seconds, the reconstruction was nearly complete. It was almost automated by that point, rebuilding itself with each line of code. And so Nicole peered into the two Zones that she had begun construction on.
One was the Sol Zone, the one where Blaze the Cat originated from. The Jeweled Scepter had caused it to maintain its structure even in the face of the Super Genesis Wave. It was paused, the body of Blaze sleeping on top of a small bed that was inside Marine the Raccoon's ship. Her body waited for the reunification with its Core.
Nicole frowned as she spotted something else.
Doctor Finitevus grinning as he was in the middle of shaking hands with a robot pirate, the Destructix behind him looking as if they would rather be anywhere else.
"Another thing we'll have to deal with when this is over…"
The other… was Mobius. It had been most affected by the Super Genesis Wave, and thus required the most attention.
"I will have to leave it for last…" Nicole thought to herself. "And trust Merlin, Aurora, and Athair to do what they can to return everything to what it was…"
"Nicole!"
Nicole's eyes snapped open, and she stared at Jani-Ca who flew towards them.
"What is it?" Sonic asked the future echidna. "Did something…?"
She merely pointed up, and Nicole could see it.
A black and purple dot had appeared in the horizon, one that crackled with dark energy. It was not a perfect circle, rather a blot of ink on the page that grew every second.
"It's coming." Jani-Ca said as she stared up at their enemy. She drew her sword in her left hand as she continued. "I can feel it breaching through the Chaos Force."
"We need to stop it here." Nicole nodded and glanced to the side, seeing the progress bar of the prison rising. "I am still calibrating Cyber Space so that it may contain it once again without negatively affecting the echidnas still trapped in there, but if it makes it through…"
The echidna closed her eyes, her right hand reaching up to grip the center of her chest while her left hand held the sword even tighter.
"I lost Mom twice now." The Chaos demi-god muttered. "I cannot, will not, let it happen again!"
That, she and Nicole were in full agreement on.
The artificial intelligence failed Julie-Su and Saffron once. They wouldn't do it again.
"And we're not going to let it!" Nicole looked back and saw Sonic cracking his knuckles, a look of fierce determination in his eyes. The uncertainty they once held regarding his new state of being were nowhere to be found. This was the Sonic she knew. "Merlin, Athair, and Aurora need some extra time to make sure everything is saved, right? Well, we're going to give them all the time they need!"
Sonic pointed upwards, the holo-lynx saw The End enter into this once sacred realm.
The purple color that was tearing through the walls of reality with armored tentacles that oozed and popped.
The color given shape, one that looked vaguely like Robo-Robotnik for one second before shifting into the form of the Iron Queen, grinning as its twelve metallic wings fluttered in nonexistent wind.
Neither was its true form.
Nicole knew she could not see it, now that she was a true being rather than a machine.
"I've faced gods before, and all this thing has going for it is that it's uglier… and its attitude really ticks me off." Sonic clenched his hand into a fist. "No one else is dying! We're going to teach this thing a lesson and save everyone! Let's go, Nicole! Jani-Jak!"
"It's Jani-Ca!" The echidna shouted, annoyance written across her face as Sonic flew off with Jani-Ca flying just behind her. "Get it right, kid!"
Nicole flew up with her friend and the daughter of her friends, rapidly approaching The End.
Fear should be in her heart. Trepidation for a battle whose outcome was not yet determined, and that they only hoped they could win.
And yet… when she looked at Sonic and saw his grin, a small grin formed on her face as well.
It told her that everything was going to be alright.
Even Jani-Ca was smirking slightly as they flew to meet The End.
"Alright guys…" Sonic cried out, his grin growing ever wider as he threw his fist into the heavens.
"Let's do it to it!"
To Be Continued…
Notes: How's that to mark a two year anniversary?! A second chapter!
Boy am I glad I split this with the one before…
Now we're at it! The setup is done and we're now heading to the battle with The End!
Be prepared!
Please be sure to leave a review and add to the TV Tropes Page!
Until next time…