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  "description_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Chapters 43-53.<br /><br />Tails, Knuckles and Silver/Blaze&#039;s stories come to a close. It&#039;s almost over...</span>",
  "writing": "Sonic GeneX: Doomsday\nArc 4 - Heroes Rise Up\nChapter 43 - World Beyond Doomsday\nStage 21 - World's End\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"You know, every world will have its test. (have its test)\nDon't blame for what I have become!\nYou know every world will come to end. (come to end)\nAnd I'll create your final rest!\n\nI can taste the day, (taste the day)\nSavor night, (savor night)\nScream your dreams,\nAs you dare to fight, dare to fight!\" - With Me; Sonic & The Black Knight\n\nPreviously on GeneX…\nSonic had faced his fears within the Dream Temple. With renewed perspective, he set out in search of the Lost Ones' fortress on Chip's instructions.\nGUN had gathered a number of heroes, and got them together on a GUN Warship, hoping to launch a counterattack on the Lost Ones. However, the Lost Ones caught on and attacked them first.\nNow, our tale continues...\n\n\nWith the Lost Ones attacking GUN's Warship, the heroes aboard were doing their best to defend the bridge. This included Team Rose, who were busy battling a squad of loskels and loskulls. Cream flew about directing Cheese while Big cast his fishing line to catch and swing some of the creatures around. Amy smacked a floating loskull away with her hammer and growled. \"Don't underestimate us! We're not afraid of you!\" she shouted, charging the next enemy with her hammer. \"...We're not?\" Big asked nervously. \"We'll be okay if we stay together!\" Cream reassured him. They heard a shout across the room, and saw Tommy the porcupine getting surrounded by loskulls. They couldn't spot the boy's friends at the moment, so Amy led the charge to the rescue, swatting away the creatures in her path with the Piko Piko Hammer on the way! Big's fishing line grabbed a loskull and hurled it aside while Cream flew past it, placing herself between the monsters and Tommy. \"L-leave him alone!\" she shouted. \"Why wouldst mine allies depart?\" Cream froze as she heard the alliteration in Tommy's voice. \"N-not him again!\" she squeaked as Tommy grabbed her, transforming into Loskeletor in front of the surprised Amy and Big! Lospecter appeared next to him and created a portal, through which the skeleton tossed Cream! Cheese was quick to chase after her, while Amy and Big charged past the loskulls furiously. \"We won't let you take her again!!\" Amy shouted, lifting her hammer in an attempt to strike Loskeletor, only to be sidestepped and tumble into the portal! Nervous, Big hopped into the portal behind her. \"Hold on, Froggy! Yaaaah!\" he wailed. Lospecter closed the portal and spotted Tommy, Katie and Chet as they were entering the hall, waving at them. \"Good news, kids, we got the insurance policy we came for, so I'm taking my toys and headin' off to take that pesky blue blur off the board!\" the ghost announced, creating a new portal in the floor, through which he and the other Lost Ones escaped! Tommy let out a sigh, nervously clutching his Wispon while Katie and Chet looked around anxiously. \"...Where's Amy?\" Katie asked. \"I got worse news... That wasn't all the Lost Ones. We still got work to do...\" Chet groaned.\n\n\nSonic had run from the Dream Temple to Station Square, where he'd been told the Lost Ones had raised a fortress. Demon Island, the fortress in question, was long gone by this time, and Sonic was unsure where to go after a brief look around. \"Maybe I shoulda asked for more details...\" he murmured, stopping when he heard someone call \"Dad!\" He turned to see Juice running up to him, panting a bit. \"Glad I found you again! I kinda got turned around after warping out of a mess with Pepper and Casey and...that doesn't matter! They'll call me if they can find Skye and his dad.\" he said with a relieved chuckle. Sonic crossed his arms. \"You sayin' Tails is missing? Ahh... But I guess we got more important things to worry about right now. Can't lose track of the bigger picture after comin' this far...\" he murmured. \"Did someone lose track of something?\" Lospecter's voice caught the hedgehogs' attention, the ghost floating up through a manhole cover. He smirked at them. \"Papa, baby... Oooh, but where's mama? Oh, dear, whatever might have happened to her?\" he laughed, taunting them. Juice growled. \"What are you saying?? Ha! I'm just fine so mom's just fine!\" he laughed. Lospecter held up his single Chaos Card, idly twirling it. \"For how long, I wonder? Kinda stuck in an awful, awful place. And I'll neeever tell ya where it is.\" he taunted. Sonic shrugged. \"You're just words, then. Let's go, Juice-\" His son didn't listen, angrily charging at Lospecter. \"You give her back, right now!!\" he yelled. \"Hey! Wait!\" Sonic gasped, leaping after Juice as Lospecter produced the Chaos Key! Sonic stumbled into his son, and the pair tumbled into the portal Lospecter had created! \"Enjoy the sneak preview, hedgehogs! You won't live to see it happen to your world!\" the ghost laughed as the portal vanished, leaving Sonic and his son trapped...on another world entirely!\n\nThe world around them was in utter ruin. It seemed like the place they were standing in might have been a city once, but the buildings were smashed, and on top of that, the ground itself was broken into pieces, chunks floating away slowly into space. It was a dead world. \"Is... is this what happens to the worlds the Lost Ones conquer?\" Sonic wondered, looking around with shock. Juice had more of a horrified expression. \"I think... this may be what happens if the Lost Ones get a world's Gaia Wellspring. Starr sent us some info about this... The wellsprings are the source of all the life energy in a world. Maybe not...ALL worlds... Junior had some comments about that. Hey, Junior! Maybe he'd know how we can get outta here!\" Juice babbled, producing his ProwerPhone. Sonic looked a bit skeptical. \"You don't think maybe we're out of range?\" he asked. Juice laughed. \"Range, that...that's not how it works. If we can't get through it's 'cuz of interference. This thing can communicate across worlds!\" he explained. Sonic nodded, and felt his fur pelted by rain. Looking around, he saw the Doomsayer standing by some sort of dark corridor, a shadowy portal. The Doomsayer lowered his hood to show Sonic's own face. \"This is destined... I proved it. I've seen this future, again and again. No matter how events have changed, this does not.\" he said, his voice a raspy whisper. \"I'll never let this happen to our world! You hear me?!\" Sonic shouted, only for the Doomsayer to shrug and step back through the dark corridor, the portal vanishing behind him. Juice tapped his dad on the shoulder. \"Who ya shoutin' at? Look, we got through!\" he said, holding up the ProwerPhone to show Lucky Jr. on the screen. \"What's goin' on? Where on Earth are you...?\" Junior asked.\n\n\nElsewhere in this ruined world, Amy, Cream and Big were exploring, looking for some way back to their own world. Amy hopped over a chasm that had been broken right in the street, while Cream flapped her ears and helped Big past it, with some effort. \"What happened here? ...I wanna go home...\" Big groaned, looking around at the devastation in all directions. Cream landed beside him and hugged Cheese close. \"Wh-what do you think will happen to us, Amy?\" she asked nervously. Amy turned to her friends with a shrug. \"Well, the good news is, we seem to be alone. No Lost Ones or anything. So let's keep positive and look for a way outta here!\" she said, raising her fist confidently. Little did they realize that they weren't along. Watching Amy through a sniper's sight, Nack the weasel crouched atop what was left of a somewhat tall building. Bean was talking to Bark close by. \"Can't believe we got banished out here after I did so well blowin' up those foxes!\" he complained. \"We ain't banished yet. If we can get the jump on Sonic when he comes for them, we just might be able to get home.\" Nack stated. A robot pushed past Bark, earning a growl from the polar bear. This robot was Jolt, the electric Egg Pawn. \"I don't get why they lumped me in with you rejects! I know how to draw Sonic out, watch this!\" he shouted, firing up his jetpack to fly after Team Rose! \"Wait, ya idiot!\" Nack growled, forced to watch as Jolt flew past Team Rose, separating Amy from Cream and Big with jolts of electricity crashing between them! \"I'm here to capture you in the name of Eggman!\" the robot declared, only for Amy to summon her hammer and glare menacingly at him. \"Just what I need... Something to work out my stress against!! Rrrraaaaa!!\" As Amy charged at Jolt, the robot flew out of her way in a bit of a panic. \"H-hey, I ain't ready! Uh, I mean... Yeah! Come and get me, slowpoke!\" he stammered, flying off and leading Amy away from her friends. \"Oh, wait! We should stay together!\" Cream gasped, attempting to follow after them with Big behind her.\n\n\nSonic and Juice had discussed their situation with Lucky, Junior and Whisk. \"Hate to say it, Sonic, but world travel isn't as simple as just running where you wanna go.\" Lucky told him, \"Without another method of travel, the only way would be creating a corridor of darkness. And you gotta let darkness in your heart to be able to do that...\" he concluded. That was how the Doomsayer managed to get to this world, and leave. Sonic shook his head. \"Well, I'm not about to give in to darkness. That's how a version of me became the Doomsayer.\" he figured. \"We'll keep trying to come up with a solution from this end!\" Whisk told them. \"We'll call if we think of anything!\" Junior added. Juice nodded. \"Well, thanks guys. I guess we're off to find our own way back...\" he figured, hanging up the ProwerPhone and glancing at his father. Sonic had a thoughtful look on his face. \"Kinda reminds me of gettin' stuck in Null Space... But me and Felicia...err, Fera, were able to Double Boost on outta there.\" he murmured. \"That...won't work here.\" Juice sighed. Before they could talk more, the ground started to shake around them violently! Sonic looked to see cracks forming in the street they were standing on. \"Time to get movin' kid!\" he shouted, grabbing Juice by the arm and speeding away as the ground crumbled where they stood, giving way to a bottomless chasm below! Sonic stopped at some stable ground and looked back, watching as a whole building fell down into the growing chasm. \"This world's so dead, even the ground is decaying! We can't let this happen anywhere else!\" he growled, Juice nodding in agreement. \"But where should we go?\" he questioned. Sonic pointed to a large building a distance away, a stadium by the look of it. \"Let's try there first. C'mon!\" he suggested.\n\nOn the way to the stadium, Sonic and Juice came across Cream and Big, who were nervously searching for Amy after they'd been split up. \"Hey! I didn't know you guys were here, too!\" Sonic remarked as he ran up to them. Cream had a look of relief upon seeing Sonic. \"This is great! You'll get us out of here, Mr. Sonic!\" she said happily. \"Ah, but what about Amy?\" Big babbled. This got both Juice and Sonic looking around anxiously. \"Yeah, what about mom?\" Juice murmured. \"Is she around here?\" Sonic asked. Cream nodded. \"She chased Eggman's robot and we got separated. I hope she's okay...\" she said. Sonic let out a sigh. \"Eggman again? He just can't stand bein' upstaged, he's gotta take ALL my attention...\" he groaned, \"Don't worry, I'll find Amy!\" he said confidently, turning to start his search of the area. However, they heard a motor, and glanced overhead to see Nack soaring past them via the Marvelous Queen. \"Call off the search party, chumps! We already caught your annoying girlfriend!\" the weasel taunted. Big's eyes widened. \"I have a girlfriend??\" he babbled, causing Nack to slap his own face in annoyance. \"Urgh, the rest of ya know who I meant!\" he grumbled. Sonic glared up at him. \"We don't got time for your games, Nack! If we don't stop the Lost Ones, our world's gonna end up just like this!\" he shouted. Nack shrugged. \"Ain't nothin' I can do about that! I'm lookin' out fer number one! Now, if you'll excuse me, Bean and Bark aren't exactly the best company for my guest!\" he snickered, pointing his gun and firing a few shots at Sonic's feet before zooming off ahead of them with his vehicle! He seemed to be heading right for that same stadium. \"Let's meet up there, guys! I'll go on ahead!\" Sonic shouted, dashing off! \"Oh! Th-there he goes...\" Cream murmured. \"Who's my girlfriend? I still don't get it...\" Big babbled. Juice shrugged. \"Never mind. Let's get moving!\"\n\nAlthough he was in a hurry, Sonic's attention was grabbed by an Eggman capsule sitting conspicuously in the street. Just in case some poor creatures were trapped in there, Sonic leapt onto the button hoping to open it...but it didn't open! As Sonic's feet rested on the button, Sonic could feel something was different about the locking mechanism. He tried a couple times to stomp in the button, but no dice. \"Hmm... Gah, this is probably just here to distract me! I bet there's not even anything inside it!\" Sonic groaned, leaping off and resuming his run towards the stadium. It sure was a strange place for an Eggman capsule to be, though...\n\nThe stadium wasn't about to host any kinds of events anytime soon; The audience seating had collapsed and crumbled. In the center of the field was Amy, tied up and sobbing while Bean and Bark stood guard. Sonic sped onto the field, finding the pair of goons in his path. \"Whatever you did to make Amy cry, you're about to regret it!\" he shouted, swerving to avoid bombs tossed from the dynamite-loving duck as he approached! \"Hey! Hold still! C'mon, why can't I get him like his foxy friend??\" Bean shouted. Sonic leapt in close and swatted a bomb back at Bean with a homing attack, the short fuse not quite short enough to blow up on the hedgehog! \"Oh no!!\" Bean wailed as the explosion sent him flying! Bark tried to block Sonic next, grunting as the hedgehog spin-dashed right into his gut! He tried to grab hold and toss Sonic back, and initially seemed successful, but Sonic was quick to launch back into a homing attack and whack him in the head, giving him enough pain to think about that he sat down whimpering and rubbing his lump! At about this time, Cream, Big and Juice arrived, huffing with exhaustion at having chased down Sonic. \"Hey...where's the cute yellow robot?\" Big asked, seeing only Bean and Bark licking their wounds. Sonic didn't care, and went to untie Amy. \"Shh, don't cry. It'll be okay...\" he said softly. \"Hey! What the heck?! What are ya doing with an imposter, Sonic!?\" Amy's voice startled the group as they turned to see her at the entrance. Somewhere in the crumbling world, Amy had left Jolt crushed into pieces that were drifting into space. But here in the stadium, Sonic stood confused. \"Huh? Th-then who's this?\" he stammered. \"Only the greatest act-or to ever grace the stage of your demise!\" cackled Loskeletor as he transformed from the fake, tied up Amy and tried to grab Sonic! However, Cheese was quick to zoom in and knock his skull around backwards! \"Gaaahh! Must thee meddle yet once again!?\" the skeletal Lost One snarled!\n\nAt this point, Nack showed himself, floating over the center of the field in his hover bike. \"Dang it, I leave you guys with a simple job...\" he groaned. Loskeletor started running for the exit while readjusting his skull on his bony neck. \"The scheme hath come unraveled! I leave these knaves to you, bounty hunters! Dare not fail this time!\" he growled as he made his escape. \"Heeey, I succeeded beautifully last time!\" Bean complained as he sat up, his feathers singed black from the explosion. Sonic was joined by his son and Team Rose, and the group looked pretty confident as they stood in front of the trio of hooligans. \"I think you guys would do better to give up and join our side!\" Sonic offered. \"Unless ya wanna end up like that Egg Pawn!\" Amy warned, clutching her hammer. Bean and Bark glanced up, watching Nack lower the Marvelous Queen slowly. \"Already told ya! I'm lookin' out fer my own interests! Need I remind ya, you're the so-called hero who let Station Square drown, the whole world blow to pieces, Eggman take over, old man Gunner take over... Should I go on?\" he asked mockingly. \"Oh, and what have you done to prevent that stuff??\" Juice snapped, \"At least my dad tries!\" Team Rose chimed in their agreement. \"Right! It's better to fail trying than just let things happen!\" Amy shouted. \"We won't just let the world end up like this!\" Cream added. \"Quit being mean!\" Big finished. Scoffing, Nack pulled a lever on his vehicle. \"You can't do nothin! You'll be stopped here... 'Cuz I got some fancy upgrades from Dr. Eggman to finish ya with! Ha!\" he chuckled, his vehicle transforming before their eyes! It grew jet wings, revealed big threatening guns, and slid an armored windshield around the cockpit to protect Nack! It was now...the Eggxellent Queen!\n\nSonic took off to draw Nack's fire as his upgraded vehicle started shooting, and Amy followed after him. This left Bean and Bark with the others, and the duo weren't ready to quit the fight yet, either. Bark snarled and charged ahead, so Big stepped in his path to defend the much smaller Cream and Juice. \"Leave my friends alone!\" he warned, blocking his incoming attack with his fishing rod! Bark started to pull at the rod, trying to disarm the cat, when Froggy hopped from Big's head onto his! Grossed out and panicking, Bark backed off and tried to shake the frog off, stumbling backward! Meanwhile, Bean produced more bombs with which to threaten Cream and Juice. \"Stay back, miss! I'll protect you!\" Juice shouted, stepping forward with a Wispon clutched in his hand. Bean chortled and faked him out with a smoke bomb, then leaping over the smoke to hurl the real thing! \"Look out!\" Cream cried, diving to push Juice to the floor while Cheese flew at the bomb and kicked it back! Bean gulped. \"Not again...\" he whimpered, caught up in another explosion! All the while, Sonic led Nack in circles, evading the rapid-fire bullets from his \"Eggxellent Queen.\" The stronger engines made it just fast enough to keep hounding Sonic and prevent him from getting too close. \"It's over, hedgehog! I have the high ground!\" Nack taunted, only to suddenly spin as something struck his wing! \"Gahh! What the...!\" he righted the vehicle and looked to see Amy catch her hammer. \"Someone's gonna pay for using my face to trick Sonic!!\" she growled. \"Yeah, right! My armor's too tough for your toy hammer to hurt it!\" Nack taunted. That was when Amy pulled out a much larger, more imposing-looking hammer! \"I'm not toying around! Hiiiiyaaa!!\" she shouted, spinning the hammer around a couple times before giving it a mighty toss! It lodged itself between the vehicles guns and cracked the armor, sending sparks shooting out of the damaged area. \"This can't be happening!!\" Nack wailed as the Marvelous Queen started to explode around him!\n\nSonic caught Nack as he fell from the wreck, and tossed him among the battered group of his friends. \"All right, now you three can play nice from here, or we can leave ya behind.\" he told them. Nack coughed up some smoke. \"Ughh... Naw, forget it, we'll find our own way...\" he insisted, \"Ain't never workin' with no goodie goods...\" he groaned. Sonic shrugged. \"Well, we tried. Any ideas on gettin' outta here, guys?\" he asked Amy's group. They frowned. \"We were hoping you'd know...\" Amy said. For the moment, they were all stuck...\n\n\nBack in the world of GeneX Prime, the group of Lucky, Whisk, Lucky Jr. and Lara the echidna found themselves face to face with Lospecter as they wandered Central City in search of the friends they'd been split up from. \"C'mon, you were some of the last cats to see the fox boy. Just tell me where he poofed off to, and I'll let ya all go on your Merry Christmas way.\" Lospecter said with a smirk as losoar bats surrounded them. Whisk shrugged. \"You know as much as we do.\" she stated. \"Yeah, we can't manage to contact them either! We thought YOU got 'em!\" Lucky said accusingly. Lospecter shrugged. \"Aw, well, too bad. And don't bother teleporting this time. We've got the whole city covered lookin' for fox boy. Since you were so cooperative, though, I won't harm ya. Fall might, though...\" he snickered, pointing the Chaos Key at the ground. A rope fell down from above, smacking Whisk on the head. \"Grab on, quick!\" While Lucky's group looked up to see who said that, Lospecter opened a portal under their feet, and Lucky fell in with his son! \"No! Come back!\" Whisk shouted, flying in after them! Lara, however, had grabbed the rope, and was being air-lifted to safety by Booster the Reindeer! \"Guess I'll be on my Merry Christmas way now!\" she shouted, waving to the growling ghost. \"Oh, no no! Santa, you're about to be on MY naughty list! Chase 'em, ya dumb bats!!\" Lospecter shouted. As if they could catch a reindeer from the North Pole. Lucky and his family, on the other hand, fell out of the portal and into a world they had seen through the ProwerPhone. \"Ohh...no. This is the world Sonic's trapped in!\" Lucky realized.\n\n\nRecorded here: The final message from Jolt's voice chip. \"Gaaahh!! Such...an inglorious end! It...can't be! Avenge me...Egg Pawn army! Ughh... I shoulda been a... doctor. I coulda went CLEAR and zapped folks... Agghh... Remember meeee...\"\n\n\nChapter 44 - Light in the Dark\nStage 21 - World's End\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\nThe heartless, Keyblade, and other Kingdom Hearts concepts are (c) Disney & Square-enix\n\n\n\"If you want to take it to an even higher level,\nAll you gotta do is say the word, you know I'll follow.\nIf you wanna take it to an even higher level;\nI don't, I don't bite.\nIf you want to make it happen, nothing's impossible.\nAll you gotta do is say the word, the walls will crumble.\nIf you want to make it happen, nothing's impossible.\" - Don't Think Twice; Kingdom Hearts 3\n\n\nLucky kicked a rock, watching it lift off the ground and start to slowly float away. \"Gravity seems weird here...\" Junior murmured. Well, gravity seemed normal enough for them, but the broken pieces of the world, not so much. Lucky let out a heavy sigh. \"This world is in just the kind of state we tried to prevent by stopping Chaos Hearts... Why does it always feel like no matter what I do, it just doesn't matter?\" he wondered, thinking back on how every one of his past accomplishments seemed to be overturned sooner or later. His efforts against Despair, winning the Chaos Sword, saving countless worlds... It felt like he couldn't get a lasting win. Whisk patted his shoulder. \"Hey, for all we know, this world was doomed anyway. Don't dwell on it.\" she told him. He gave her a slight smile, but it turned to a \"Meee-yow!\" as losol and lospirits surrounded them! Whisk clutched her wand and went on the offensive. \"Freeze! Thunder!! Take this, ya dumb slimeballs!\" she cried, moving fast to clear an escape route for Lucky and Junior! \"Yeesh, they're just as bad as the heartless, too!\" Lucky said as he led his son through the path Whisk had cleared for them! Junior pulled the ProwerPhone from his pocket and attempted to dial out. \"Hello? Juice? You'll never guess where we are...\" he stammered as his friend answered the call. \"Huh? Aw, no, they got you, too! Right, we're close to this big stadium...what's left of it.\" Juice told him. Lucky looked around the landscape ahead, seeing \"what was left\" of dozens of structures ahead of them. \"Great, great, very helpful...\" he sighed. Whisk's wings carried her close behind the cats, keeping her wand trained on the creatures behind them. \"Well, hurry and find 'em, before more monsters find us!\" she gulped.\n\n\nSonic's group was also dealing with a swarm of Lost Ones as they attempted to exit the stadium. Amy's hammer smacked a loskel to pieces while Big swatted a flying loskull with his fishing rod and Cream directed Cheese to run interference. \"I guess now that Nack's plan went bust, the Lost Ones are tryin' to just overwhelm us!\" Sonic figured, dashing around in an attempt to draw the creatures to chase him. Juice, meanwhile, had dialed another number, getting into contact with Starr. He'd explained their situation to her, and she glanced back at her companions thoughtfully. \"Feels a lot like what the Lost Ones did to Shadow and my dad. They wanna divide us and keep us away from what they're plotting.\" she said. Sonic zipped next to his son, leaving his pursuers in the dust. \"What's that? Shadow? You got Shadow there? Put him on!\" he said, taking the phone from Juice and tapping his foot a bit impatiently. \"What is it, Sonic?\" the black hedgehog asked. \"I was lookin' for some flying base the Lost Ones had raised before I got trapped here...\" Sonic explained. \"Demon Island.\" Shadow told him, \"I saw it when I got back from the ARK. We're already in pursuit.\" he stated. Sonic stared at the screen blankly. \"Demon Island... Oh... 'Kay, good luck then...\" he babbled, tossing the phone back to his son and dashing off to deal with the lost ones in their way. \"You guys are a nuisance! Sonic Wind!!\" he cried, his special blue wind attack blowing through the area and causing several of the slimy creatures to splatter! Big held his gut, looking a bit sick. \"These monsters are gross...\" he groaned. \"Sure are...\" Cream sighed. Amy clutched her hammer tightly, a fierce look in her eyes. \"Where's the creep that used my likeness without my permission!? I'm the only Amy that gets near Sonic!!\" she roared. Juice watched her nervously. \"Ahh... Mom can really get...mad...\" he stammered. \"No kidding...\" Cream sighed.\n\nAt this point, Lucky, Junior and Whisk were arriving, pursued by their own ghostly foes. Sonic sped into action, joining Whisk in battling them back with magic and speed while the others gathered together and mainly watched. \"I wish we could help against the slimy and ghostly ones...\" Cream sighed. If they weren't careful doing so, they would be corrupted into Lost Ones like Corky and Cuthburt, so it was best to leave those with magic, chaos and distance attacks to handle it. Lucky groaned from the sidelines. \"If I just had access to my Keyblade...\" he lamented. Lucky Jr. had been chosen by the same Keyblade after Lucky's future demise, and the presence of both of them had created an issue preventing either of them from summoning the Keyblade. Junior nodded. \"If we had the Keyblade, we might be able to open a pathway back to our own world, never mind fighting.\" he stated. Lucky wasn't sure about that; He'd never received proper training and he wasn't sure they could traverse worlds without a vessel. At any rate, Sonic and Whisk made quick work of the losol and lospirits, giving the group a bit of breathing room to rest and consider their next move. \"So, what're you in for?\" Sonic asked Lucky's group, not that it really mattered. \"Lospecter's looking for Tails. Ah, your Tails, not the Miles that Whisk and I used to travel with, hehe...\" Lucky babbled. Whisk explained further. \"Apparently we're some of the last people to see him before he kinda...vanished.\" she stated. Cream looked especially worried, but Amy placed an arm around her cheerily. \"Chin up! If Lospecter's looking for him, that means the Lost Ones didn't get him!\" she pointed out. Sonic smiled at that, too. \"Alright, now, half of us have experience exploring different worlds, so let's figure this out and get back before that goofy ghost finds him!\" he said.\n\n\"Wait! ZIM BESEECHES YOU!!\" The group was startled by the yell of the diminutive Zeti, who ran up to them, leaping over holes in the street on the way. Lucky crossed his arms. \"Zim again?! Is there any world he won't follow us to?\" he grumbled. \"Bah!! You are the one who constantly follows ZIM!\" the Zeti shouted, pointing at Lucky and Whisk accusingly. Big covered his ears. \"He's loud for a little guy...\" he mumbled. Sonic gave a shrug. \"Well, if he's stuck here, he might as well tag along...\" he stated, only for Zim to give a superior laugh. \"Haha! Stuck here? You forget about Zim's awesome dark powers! I will create a path of darkness to take us from this place!\" he announced, surprising the group. \"Really? That's kind of you, Mr. Zim.\" Cream smiled. \"I don't think he's gonna help us for free...\" Amy sighed. A safe bet. Zim jumped up on Big's head so he could be taller than everyone. \"Listen well! Zeke and Zim fled our doomed world in search of safety, but instead this world started to fall apart around us! We were chased by terrible creatures, and although Zim knows where to meet his dear friend, even I am not amazing enough to traverse the dangers alone! So, if you measly yet capable fools escort Zim back to Zeke, then we will take you with us out of this crumbly place!\" he announced. Whisk smirked at him. \"So, you're scared and want us to walk you to where Zeke is?\" she translated. \"Exactly! I mean... ZIM FEARS NOTHING!!\" Zim shouted, which caused Big to swat him off his head in retaliation for hurting his ears. Sonic nodded, figuring this was their best way out. \"Alright, where do we start lookin' for Zeke?\" he asked. Zim pointed to a volcano beyond the city, which itself was crumbling and leaving a fiery crater behind. \"...Do we NEED this Zeke?\" Junior gulped. \"What we don't need is two of you, dumb cat!\" Zim snapped, remarking at how similar Lucky and Junior looked.\n\nAnd so, their journey to the volcano began. Of course, the trip wasn't without dangers. Aside from the fact that the world itself was randomly breaking into pieces and one could never know how safe any place was to step, they also had to deal with occasional swarms of Lost Ones. They didn't seem to have remained after the world's destruction, so Lospecter must have sent these forces to this world after Nack's failure. Since much of their group wasn't equipped to deal with the Lost Ones, they tried to avoid them as much as possible, but at one point they found someone stranded on a floating chunk of what was once ground, who was busy defending himself against lospirits and losohsts with Chaos Spears. It was Spiny the Porcupine, who had also escaped their world with Zeke. \"No, no, I won't be rescued by Sonic! Leave me to die!\" he shouted. \"Okay.\" Zim shrugged, starting to leave without him. \"We're not going to do that!\" Cream protested. Whisk nodded, and flew up, casting spells at the Lost Ones! \"No, leave me! I'll save myself!\" Spiny growled, only to be caught in Sonic's arms as the hedgehog leapt up there, and then carried him back to safe ground. \"Aaargh!! Put me down! You smug, superior son of a-\" Sonic dropped the ungrateful porcupine on the ground with a thud. \"Ow!! Wait, I'm not through!\" he growled as Sonic dashed off to help Whisk fight. Amy stood over Spiny with a glare. \"Are you gonna be a problem??\" she asked with an intense stare. \"Ahh, uhm... No, ma'am...\" Spiny murmured, giving a little pout. Lucky chuckled softly watching him. \"He's like Scourge, but wimpy.\" he joked, only to yelp as Spiny tossed a Chaos Spear at him! Amy then bonked the porcupine on the head with her hammer. \"Ackk... End me...\" Spiny whined.\n\nWhat was left of the volcano was actually oddly cold. Though a warm glow came from the lava seeping out of the cracks in the earth, the lifeless state of the world had robbed even the lava of its warmth, seemingly. Or perhaps, it was the work of the Lost Ones. In any case, Zeke was found passed out within the volcanic crater. \"Oh, horrors! My only friend has perished!!\" Zim cried. \"We're not that lucky.\" Lucky sighed. The group started towards him to see what his condition actually was, when someone dropped from the sky, right onto Cream! \"Aaahh! Get off me!\" the rabbit cried, struggling with someone who...looked exactly like her! \"Loskeletor again!\" Amy gasped. \"Where?\" Big questioned, not getting it. The two Creams pushed each other apart, and everyone stared a bit nervously. \"How do we tell them apart? N-no offense to either of you.\" Spiny stammered. The two rabbits pointed at one another. \"She's the fake!\" they cried at once. Zim growled in annoyance. \"You! Winged cat! Blast them both! They're in the way!\" he ordered. \"How long and you still don't know my name??\" Whisk complained. \"Calm down, we'll figure this out!\" Sonic assured the group. All the while, Juice and Junior stood at the back. \"Ever feel kinda redundant?\" Juice asked. \"Naw.\" Junior said, busy texting their friends via the ProwerPhone. In the meanwhile, Cheese fluttered between the two rabbits. After examining each, he flew into the arms of the one on the left. \"Heh, see? Cheese would know!\" Sonic grinned. Loskeletor cackled softly as his disguise started to melt off his bones. \"It matters not. For this ploy was a mere diversionary tact. Take heed of our surroundings, my feckless friends...\" he sneered, raising a skeletal hand to direct their attention to the veritable army of Lost Ones that had taken positions around the crater! They were trapped!\n\nIt was around this time that Zeke's eyes finally opened, and he started to stir. At the same time, Whisk positioned herself in the center of the group. \"Alright, everyone! There might be a lot of us, but I'll try and teleport us all to safety! Get ready!\" she shouted. However, before she could do so, she was struck hard in the head from behind...by Zeke! \"What in the heck are you doing!?\" Spiny shouted. Zeke's body was cloaked in darkness, and his eyes glowed yellow. \"Zeke? That's not...my name... I am Xezek. I am darkness!\" he roared. Sonic looked at him with a groan. \"As if we needed another problem. You guys know that dragon, eh? Get him back to his senses!\" he said to Zim and Lucky, \"I'll try and handle our other problems. Hey, bonehead! Can ya turn into me?\" he shouted, catching Loskeletor's attention. \"Come close enough, and I might acquire the means!\" the skeleton snarled. While Team Rose spread out to defend the unconscious Whisk from incoming Lost Ones, Spiny nudged Lucky toward Xezek. \"Well, fix him! You heard your beloved hedgehog!\" he snapped. Lucky glanced back at him. \"Me? Hey, he's your 'brother' too! And he's YOUR friend!\" he said to Zim. The Zeti actually seemed agreeable, and charged at Xezek. \"Give Zeke back, you weird heartless!\" he shouted, only for Xezek to slap him aside as he got close! \"This world... Only darkness. Except you... Your light burns too bright. It must be snuffed out!\" he snarled, making Lucky and Spiny back away slowly as Xezek stomped towards them. \"Really wish I had my Keyblade...\" Lucky whimpered. \"Dad! Watch out!\" Junior ran up and stood by his side, raising his fists, \"You don't have to fight the darkness alone!\" he said. Looking at him, Lucky smiled and nodded. \"Right! Let's do this!\" he grinned. \"Good luck, idiots. I'll be holding off the Lost Ones.\" Spiny shrugged.\n\nSonic sped around Loskeletor, drawing his laser eyes while Team Rose and Juice kept busy trying to repel the incoming Lost Ones. Amy's hammer reduced a loskel to bones, and Big's fishing line found itself whirling a loshark about, smacking it into other Lost Ones as he twirled it. Cream was left directing Cheese as a diversion while Juice used a Wispon to repel the creatures as best he could, but the less solid monsters kept coming closer. This was when Spiny stepped into the center of the group. \"Must I do everything? Watch your heads, kids, I've a lot of shots to account for... Spear Storm!!\" Chaos Spears erupted from the spikes on Spiny's back, and he controlled them to spiral around the group, protecting them from the approaching Lost Ones! \"Thanks, mister!\" Cream smiled. \"Don't... Don't make me into a hero! Just figure us a way out of here!\" Spiny grunted. During all this, Lucky was sent flying with a \"MEEEE-YOW!!\" as Xezek tossed him like a ragdoll. Junior held his stomach like he was the one injured. \"Agh! D-dad! Careful!\" he grimaced, watching as Zim scurried past him. \"No one throws ZIM!\" he shouted. Xezek responded by kicking him away this time. Lucky stood up shakily. \"Much tougher without my Keyblade... But I won't give up!\" he grunted, gasping as Xezek flew above him and blew fire his way! He stumbled back, scurrying clear of the flames. \"Zeke! I know you're in there! You don't wanna do this!\" he stammered, Xezek making an odd face at him in response. \"Okay, maybe you do... No, I won't believe that.\" Lucky reaffirmed, standing up tall. \"You're my brother, Zeke! I know there's light in you somewhere! I'll draw it out of your heart!\" he said confidently. Xezek snarled, and Junior gasped. \"Dad, get down!\" he whimpered as Xezek dove towards him!\n\nWhisk started to stir, and glanced around drowsily. \"Wh-what happened? Ugh, aw, buttercups...\" she groaned, getting up on one knee. A bright light caught her attention, and she briefly shielded her eyes before adjusting to it. Within the light, she saw Lucky, grappling against Zeke. The light started to fade, and Zeke blinked a few times, staring at Lucky. \"What the heck? What are you doing here!?\" he stammered, and then yelped as Zim kicked his shin. \"How do YOU like being kicked around, huh? Huh??\" the Zeti shouted. \"You little...\" Zeke growled, as Lucky stood back and relaxed. \"Good to have the old Zeke back, heh!\" he joked. Meanwhile, Sonic was aggravating Loskeletor as he ran circles around him faster and faster. Even turning his skull completely around on his bony neck, Loskeletor couldn't keep up with him. \"Wretched fleeing fool! Thy fate is sealed! Still your feet!\" he snarled. Sonic smirked. \"Dropping the curtain on you, Shakespeare! Sonic Wind!!\" he cried, his energized whirlwind surrounding and overwhelming Loskeletor, making him wail in protest as he melted into a puddle of inactive slime! Lucky and Zim had quickly gotten Zeke up to speed in the interim, so the dragon made use of the darkness still within him and summoned a corridor of darkness. \"Next stop, back home! Everybody in!\" he announced. \"Anywhere's better than here!\" Spiny shouted, leading the charge through the dark portal. Big and Cream followed, with Amy and Whisk covering them. \"Hurry up, everyone! Before those monsters chase us through!\" Amy cried, swatting a losoar aside with her hammer! Juice, Lucky, Junior, Zim, Zeke and finally Sonic all retreated through the portal, and on the other side, they found themselves at Sonic's destination; They were on Demon Island, somewhere to the rear of Despair Castle.\n\n\"Wait, this can't be right, this island's a wreck!\" Zeke murmured in confusion. \"If only it stayed that way...\" Amy sighed. Sonic looked around, and saw the Doomsayer emerging from the nearby forest. \"Look out!\" he warned, gathering everyone's attention. The Doomsayer scoffed, and removed his hood to show Sonic's face, shocking those in the group that didn't already know. \"Hey... There's two of him...\" Big said to sum it up nicely. The Doomsayer nodded. \"Yes, and no. I am what he will become. There's a reason for my prophecies, and it is that I have lived them. The Prower will die... TAILS will die. And you won't be fast enough to save him...\" he said, pointing to Sonic. \"That's what you say!\" Sonic replied. The Doomsayer shrugged at his attitude. \"You'll see. His death will seal your fall to darkness. A domino effect, after which you lose another friend. And another. You can't avoid becoming me...and once you do, you'll realize how futile it all is. The world...the multiverse...must end!\" he declared, a violent rain starting to fall around them just before the Doomsayer sped off at sonic speed! Amy and Juice looked at Sonic with deep concern. \"It isn't true...\" Amy whimpered. \"It won't be true.\" Lucky said, placing a hand on Sonic's shoulder, \"Because Sonic has us to light his way back from the darkness.\" he smiled. Sonic smiled back, while Zeke, Spiny and Zim collectively gagged. \"That's enough mush! Let's get out of here! I'll catch you dweebs on the flip side! RAWR!!\" Zeke shouted, flapping away as Spiny and Zim followed him.\n\nIn the volcanic crater, Apocalos emerged from a corridor of darkness. He stood over Loskeletor's splattered remains. \"Alas, poor William. I knew him well...\" he said, holding the Scepter of Despair over the slime in a ceremonious fashion. \"I grant thee a demonic rebirth... Arise, my lost child... Regain your immortal form!\" A dark shadow was cast over the slimy remains from Apocalos, and a clawed hand rose from the puddle, rising! Loskeletor let out a pained gasp as he reassembled himself, this time his skeletal form a bit larger and more powerful-looking than before! Apocalos grinned wide, baring his fangs. \"So long as I survive... The lost are eternal...\" he whispered.\n\n\nChapter 45 - The Stolen Sol Emeralds\nStage 22 - Chaos Shrine\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"What am I doin' now\nBy comin' back for more?\nIs it me,\nOr have I been here before?\n\nI want to go somewhere,\nThat we can explore.\nJust take me away from here,\nTo somewhere that's nowhere near.\n\nSo take me back in time,\nTo another world,\nWhen you can be mine.\nWe don't have to worry,\nWhen you're by my side.\nThere's nothin' I don't know.\nThere's nothin' to decide,\nApart from where we want to go.\" - Back in Time; Sonic R\n\nPreviously on GeneX…\nSilver and Blaze left the desert by sneaking aboard a ship that Eggman Nega was stealing from Eggman's base. They escaped that ship before its destruction, and found their way to Eggtopia, where they helped Sonic fight of Dr. Eggman before the Doomsayer emerged and caused Sonic to fall down into the Forest of Dreams. Silver & Blaze escaped along with the Hurricane, which was being piloted by Lara with Juice also aboard. When we last left them, they had seen the Doomsayer's identity...\nWhere the heck have they been for 20 chapters???\nNow, our tale continues...\n\n\nBlaze and Silver had reunited with Marine after Riley (aka Spy) had landed Mia's flying cab near the Hurricane's landing area. \"Hurry up! We gotta find my dad!\" Juice said hurriedly. However, Lara was getting a call on her ProwerPhone. \"Juice, I think we have more important matters. Your dad can handle himself...even if he is...\" her voice trailed off. \"The creepy dude in the hoodie.\" Marine finished. Silver thought this revelation over. \"He must be Sonic from the future! We should track him down!\" he suggested. Blaze looked at him grouchily. She still didn't have all the Sol Emeralds. However, it was hard to argue that a future Sonic's knowledge could prove invaluable. So, they left Juice and Lara to join their friends entering Omochao's Battle Factory, and set about their search for the Doomsayer.\n\nThey went on a wild goose chase for a time, but eventually the Doomsayer thought to humor them and make an appearance. \"I understand you're looking for me.\" he said as they met near the Mystic Ruins. Silver gave his hood a psychic push to make sure it was Sonic. \"Where did you come from? The future? An alternate world?\" he asked. The Doomsayer shrugged. \"Same difference. You should know as well as I, Silver, that the future cannot be saved. How many do-overs have you had to endure since your time-hopping quests began?\" he questioned, \"Don't waste your time looking for me. Take solace in each other during your final moments...\" Before they could question the grim Sonic further, he sped away, taking his ever-following rain storm with him. \"Well, that was a bust. Shall we get back to the Sol Emeralds?\" Blaze sighed. \"Think the last one might be up there??\" Marine asked, pointing with alarm as Demon Island passed overhead!\n\nWhile they thought about how to get up to Demon Island, which certainly seemed suspicious enough to check out, they were distracted by the spectacle of Shadow Arcangel being torn apart by the massive tendril from the island! \"Gaia, Chaos and Solaris! Th-that was brutal!\" Silver exclaimed. \"Blaze, did we just watch people die?\" Marine asked shakily. Blaze was silent, unsure. While they were distracted, a set of robotic claws sneaked behind Blaze, and Silver and Marine turned as she screamed with alarm! The cat dropped to the floor while the six Sol Emeralds were pulled by the claws to the Egg Mobile of Eggman Nega! \"You've done so well for me, princess! Wait, there's one still missing! Ugh, the Lost Ones must still have it!\" the scientist grunted in frustration, \"Oh, well, I'll go fetch it myself!\" he said, starting to fly the Egg Mobile toward Demon Island straight away! However, Silver, Blaze and Marine were quick to leap onto the side of the Egg Mobile, clinging tightly to it! \"You're not getting away with those Emeralds!\" Blaze shouted. Nega growled, and started spinning the Egg Mobile to try to shake them off. \"Where'd you learn to fly, doc? Here, let me!\" Silver shouted, reaching his glowing hand toward the controls and seizing them with his powers, fighting against Nega's shaky flying and steering on a straighter course towards Demon Island! \"How dare you! You're not qualified to operate one of these machines! Cut that out!\" Nega shouted. \"Streeeeewth, I'm gonna hurrrrrl!!\" Marine whined, the Egg Mobile zooming shakily toward their destination! Once they were over the island, Nega shook the vehicle hard, and the trio fell off of it! Silver was forced to catch Blaze and Marine, placing them gently on the floating ground as Nega started to cackle, making his escape!\n\nNaturally, Blaze took off after Eggman Nega immediately, with Silver and Marine close behind. However, their pursuit was halted as Nega flew over a patrolling swarm of Lost Ones, mainly losol and losolanterns. \"Out of our way!\" Blaze growled. \"Hey, Mr. Mustache just got to fly right past these creepos! Why aren't they chasing him?\" Marine complained. Silver gulped as he noticed more Lost Ones surrounding them. \"They might not want to go near his Sol Emeralds, but they sure want us!\" he said with alarm, raising his hands to grab some creatures with his psychokinesis as they approached! Blaze threw some fire at the approaching losolanterns, but there were too many for the two of them to handle on their own. Fortunately, they were far from the only ones on the island. \"Chaos Stinger!!\" Crash ran up holding Zipp, pointing his stinger at some losol as the hornet fired Chaos shots from it! Talon flew up and slashed his glowing talons at some of the losolanterns, and Conan landed on the other side, his Chaos Wings turning back into a cape as he touched ground. He drew a Chaos Card, summoning an icy blast to freeze several of the slimy losol solid! Lastly, Vortex arrived to decimate the rest of the Lost Ones with his Chaos Inferno beam. Behind them, Emily, Bolt, Sonata, Gideon and Capricorn followed, all the survivors of Shadow Arcangel. \"Whew! Thanks, cobbers! 'Ol Captain Marine nearly had to bust out her secret battle moves... an' then they wouldn't be a secret! Yeah...\" Marine babbled. Blaze and Silver thanked them as well, but they couldn't stay long. \"We need to get back on Nega's trail. He took all the Sol Emeralds...\" Blaze explained. The experiments glanced at one another uncertainly. \"There'sss no time to aid them. Massster sssacrificed himssself in order for ussss to get Gideon to cure thesssse creaturessss.\" Vortex stated. Gideon nodded in agreement. \"Somehow...\" it murmured. Sonata looked at Marine searchingly, the unicorn frowning to himself. \"You guys go on, then. I'll help them out.\" he offered. This alarmed Bolt, and he tugged Sonata's arm. \"N-not without me!\" he stammered anxiously. Silver shrugged. \"Any help would be appreciated.\" he murmured. \"Ugh, don't slow us down...\" Blaze sighed. And so, the trio was accompanied by the unicorn and the shelled creature. Capricorn watched them leave with a sigh. \"Without my powers, I'm no good to anyone...\" Despite that, she started to follow after them. Silver and Blaze seemed more welcoming than Team GeneX any day...\n\nBlaze could sense the Sol Emeralds to a degree, and she followed those senses to the entrance of a golden shrine. This was one of several pieces of the world that the Lost Ones had pulled up and added to Demon Island; It was the Chaos Shrine from the Mystic Ruins. What use the Lost Ones could possibly have for the shrine that once held the Chaos Tailbands and Shadow Chaos, none could say, but the door was open and it was apparent to Blaze that Eggman Nega had gone inside. \"D-do you think it's d-dangerous in there?\" Bolt stammered. Blaze rolled her eyes. \"Yes, so stay out here if you're scared.\" she said bluntly. Marine stood tall. \"Ha! I'm not afraid of any spooks in there!\" she declared, \"...especially since there's more spooks out here...\" she added with a whisper. Sonata nodded, observing her. \"Don't worry, Bolt, I'll be right here with you...\" the unicorn promised. Blaze shrugged, lighting a fire in her hand to brighten up the entrance room as she led the way inside. They looked around to find a chamber covered in tarnished gold. There was a staircase leading down directly ahead. \"Seems like there's only one way to go...\" Silver murmured. Blaze nodded, leading the way down the staircase to find the long hall that would lead to the tailband chamber. She gasped upon seeing what was in store for them in that long hallway; jellyfish creatures composed of the same watery substance as Chaos! They were moving in erratic patterns as though something had riled them up. \"Yes, I think Eggman Nega was here...and woke up the guards!\" Blaze stated. \"They're Chaos Guardians!\" Capricorn told them from higher up the staircase, \"Beings created by Astra to help guard the Chaos Relics! Be careful!\" the former Zodiac warned!\n\nSilver tried to grab the guardians with his powers, but it was no use. \"They're resisting my powers...and I don't see anything else to use!\" he gulped. Blaze leapt ahead, evading the stinging tentacles of the Chaos Guardians and then giving them a flaming kick to their watery heads! The flames were doused by their water, but the force of her kick still seemed to do a little damage at least. But she was knocked back by another guardian's tentacles! \"Unnhh! Well, ferret, you followed us, you know these creatures, do you know how to beat them?\" she asked Capricorn. The ferret shrugged. \"Without magic? I have no idea!\" she exclaimed. Nervous, Bolt drew most of his body into his shell, unable to draw in his full head due to the bolts sticking out of it. Sonata looked from Bolt to the jellyfish creatures and then to Silver. \"I have an idea! Bolt, we need to build a charge!\" he said, giving his friend's shell a kick! As Bolt's shell started to spin, he cried out with alarm, and sparks started to fly from the bolts on his head! Unfortunately, the shell simply passed under the floating Chaos Guardians. \"Silver! Guide his shell!\" Sonata cried. \"Ah, of course!\" Silver gasped, dashing into the swarm of jellyfish to get close to the sparking shell! One of the guardians wrapped its tentacles around him, and he yelped in pain from the stings, but his eyes and hands glowed, grabbing Bolt's sparking shell and lifting it into the air as it continued to spin! The shell soared through the hall, shocking each Chaos Guardian as it struck it, and the electricity caused the creatures to shriek and back off, one by one! Silver was freed, and carrying Bolt along with him, he led the others through the hall toward the door at the end! \"Watch out, Nega! You can't run!\" Silver cried. Blaze rubbed her head, looking uncertain. \"My senses are off... I'm not sure we're in the right place...\" she murmured.\n\nThey arrived at the main room of the shrine, where a dizzy Bolt sat down as Sonata sang softly to calm him and stop him from sparking. The room contained a stone pedestal that once held the Chaos Tailbands and a wall of hieroglyphs written in an ancient echidna language, likely the Raisol language. \"The text on the wall describes the events that led to the tailbands being placed in this shrine... The origins of Apocalos and the Darkseeker.\" Capricorn stated, \"The Zodiac Council was well aware of all of this, of course...\" she added. \"Careful! We're not alone...\" Blaze warned, pointing at three figures walking up onto the stone pedestal. \"Team GeneX?\" Bolt murmured. \"Not quite!\" said the hornet in the group; Zapp the hornet! \"You can call us Dark Team GeneX!\" Thrash the rhino sneered. Vanitas the chameleon looked down at the heroes with a smirk. \"What did you think you were looking for in here? A golden treasure? A shadowy water demon?\" he snickered. Seeing the three Darks, Marine backed away a step, and Sonata placed a hand on her shoulder. \"I know you've been hiding your growing fears... It's okay to be scared.\" he said softly. Silver looked at the Darks apprehensively. \"Wait, never mind what we're doing here, what are you three doing here?\" he asked. Zapp twirled a pair of guns in his hands. \"You guys were out of the way up to this point, but now you're on the wrong island.\" he sneered. \"The Lost Ones want all you hero types eliminated so their plans can't be wrecked.\" Thrash added. Vanitas' hands glowed with Chaos energy as he sneered at Silver and Blaze. \"We don't really care about their plans. We just can't stand our weaker halves, always obeying 'Master Bucky.' And clearly, you're working with them...\" he said, glaring at Sonata and Bolt, \"So, we'll wipe you all out!\"\n\nThrash charged into the fray first, and Silver quickly picked him up and threw him against the wall with his powers! \"Finally, some normal opponents!\" he chuckled. \"I'll show ya 'normal!'\" Zapp growled, his guns glowing with dark energy before firing shadowy bullets at him! Silver stopped those bullets in midair, but the dark energy burned brighter and started pushing back against his psychic grip! \"You guys might wanna stay out of the way!\" Silver said to Sonata, Bolt, Marine and Capricorn as he attempted to redirect the bullets. While Blaze leapt into action against Vanitas, Sonata tried to lead Bolt to a safe corner, only to run into a groaning Thrash. \"W-where ya think you're goin?\" he growled. Marine got in front of the experiments and held out her arms. \"L-leave 'em alone, or you'll have to face Captain Marine!\" she warned. \"W-what's she doing?\" Bolt stammered. \"Volunteering for first thrashin'!\" Thrash snarled, holding onto his hat as dark energy collected in his horn before shooting out as lightning and zapping the raccoon! \"Aaaaahh!! C-crikey... I didn't know he c-could do that!\" Marine whimpered, doubled over in pain. \"Stay down, girl!\" the rhino warned. However, Marine struggled back to her feet. \"N-no... The cobber's right, I'm scared... But I can't hide behind Blaze forever. I won't watch another world go through what mine did!\" she shouted. Watching her, Bolt's bolts started to spark, and he growled a bit. \"She's right... If I stay in my shell, I could...lose Sonny...\" he whispered, suddenly hobbling past Marine and throwing a punch at Thrash! \"Ha ha!! What was that!?\" the rhino laughed, \"You wimps are gonna be too easy!\" he sneered, firing more dark lightning at Bolt, only for it to be absorbed by his bolts! The creature growled angrily at him, his whole body sparking. \"Y-you... just MESSED UP!!\" he roared, expelling that lightning from his bolts and giving Thrash a mighty shock! \"Alright! Let's gang up on 'em!\" Marine shouted, the \"wimps\" surrounding the stunned Thrash!\n\nThe stone pedestal was dragged into a black hole summoned by Vanitas' Chaos Hole ability. It was hurting the structural integrity of the room, but Blaze was fast enough to avoid getting pulled in, and the white chameleon was forced to close the hole before it became forceful enough to start pulling his allies in. \"Fine, the easy way won't work. I've got other tricks, though...\" he sneered, heading after Blaze. Feeling the pull of the black hole gone, Blaze turned to face him again, creating fireballs in her hands. \"I just want to know if you've seen Eggman Nega or the Sol Emeralds!\" she shouted. Vanitas cracked his knuckles. \"Don't care enough to keep track! The Lost Ones just knew that intruders would wanna check this place out, and that's why we're here! Now I give you... Dark Chaos Inferno!!\" He launched a huge beam of dark energy towards Blaze, which also had a flame trail snaking around it! Though the flames wouldn't bother the princess, she leapt to evade the darkness, and as she ran to continue avoiding the beam, the room shook from its impact against the walls! \"You're going to bring this chamber down on top of us!\" she warned. Vanitas stopped his attack and took on a karate stance. \"Oh, fine, you have disarmed me with your logic. Now we fight hand-to-hand!\" he said. Blaze doused the fire in her hands and ran to engage him in the fair fight she expected, but that was a bit much to expect. \"Dark Chaos Camouflage!\" His body seemed to change into pure dark energy, and Blaze's initial kick went straight through him! Vanitas smirked, grabbing her arm and starting to give her a swing...but then her entire body burst into flames! \"Light cuts through shadow!!\" she shouted as Vanitas released her, recoiling like a vampire exposed to the morning sun!\n\nOverall, the battles seemed to have come to a bit of a stalemate. Zapp had especially gotten frustrated, his bullets unable to strike Silver fast enough, even charged by darkness. \"Fine, I won't even bother shooting at you!\" he growled, pocketing his pistols and somehow producing a rocket launcher instead! \"Time to bring down the house!!\" he shouted, firing a rocket at the back wall behind him so Silver couldn't stop him! The ceiling started to crumble, and Silver quickly tried to hold it up with his powers! \"Agh!! W-we gotta get outta here!\" he shouted. Thrash and Vanitas growled and ran for the exit, followed by Zapp. \"Enjoy your tomb!\" the chameleon shouted while Blaze and the others rushed to Silver's side, not wanting to leave him behind. \"Wh-what do we do now?\" Marine stammered. \"We get YOU out first!\" Capricorn suggested. There wouldn't be time even for that, however, as the floor suddenly caved in underneath them! As his friends screamed and started to fall around him, Silver glanced down and zoomed down after them, grabbing Marine and Blaze with his powers as fast as he could to slow their descent! They landed in a chamber below the tailband chamber...apparently the Chaos Shrine was larger than it appeared! The crumbling ceiling above plugged up the hole they'd fallen through, meaning they would have to find another way out. Capricorn and Sonata stumbled to their feet, and found Bolt wobbling around on the back of his shell, so they helped him up. Blaze looked around, and then turned to Silver with a sigh. \"Thanks for breaking our fall, Silver... I think I sense the Sol Emeralds down here, so...that cave-in may have been fortunate.\" she murmured. There was a single door leading out of this chamber. They would have to see where it leads...\n\n\nVanitas, Zapp and Thrash had no trouble passing the Chaos Guardians and returning to the entrance. \"Easy breezy, scratch one batch of heroes!\" Zapp laughed, pleased with himself. \"We weren't supposed to trash the place...\" Thrash grumbled. \"Yes, and I'm sure the big bads would prefer bodies to possess, but who really cares what they want?\" Vanitas scoffed. The three of them suddenly cried out as they were lifted up by the ankles by powerful vines, and Loscream dropped from the ceiling, hanging the trio in front of his pumpkin face! \"We could almost forgive your sloppy work... If you had actually killed those heroes! But you fools merely let them into the basement!\" Loscream told them, the fire in his pumpkin shell burning blue! \"H-hold on!\" Thrash yelled. \"Y-yeah, we'll make it right!\" Zapp stammered. Vanitas crossed his arms. \"Don't cower! It's not like we have our own souls for them to steal anyway!\" he huffed. Loscream grinned at them in a wicked manner. \"Oh, you will make it right...in a way. Tell me, if you don't have souls...how is it we were able to bring back other Darks... Mephiles, Soleil, Aries? Ohh, you poor fools... You can't have your own bodies without having your own souls!\" As the giant pumpkin finished speaking, the three Darks' eyes widened, and they struggled against his vines, shouting in protest! Zapp and Thrash were tossed in Loscream's gaping mouth first, while Vanitas tried a last-ditch escape! \"Dark Chaos Camouflage!!\" Making his body an intangible shadow, he fell out of Loscream's grip...but directly into his jagged pumpkin mouth! \"Noooo!!!\" he cried as the blue flames enveloped him the same as his brothers! Loscream cackled and turned towards the Chaos Shrine's hall. \"No escape...for anyone!!\"\n\n\nChapter 46 - Underground Emeralds\nStage 22 - Chaos Shrine\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"You've got to face your fear to overcome it.\nCan't keep your head in the sand or run from it.\nShow what you're afraid of,\nExactly what you're made of.\nJust take a big deep breath and face your fear.\" - Face Your Fear; Sonic Underground\n\n\nFear is a very common emotion. It doesn't take an emotion-sensing horn to know that. But it helps. Sonata the unicorn could very much tell that those around him were feeling varied levels of dread and anxiety as they began their exploration of the Chaos Shrine's basement. Marine and Capricorn were both understandably anxious being two individuals with no special powers trapped on an island filled with monsters and enemies. Bolt was nervous about the possibility of being separated from the only person he trusted, Sonata. Silver was concerned that the Doomsayer might be right, and nothing he could do would actually save the future. Blaze wasn't certain what she had left to fear after losing her home, but she still felt a definite unease. And Sonata? He was afraid their group might be trapped. A fear that might lessen with the discovery they were about to make, but wouldn't go away completely. What they discovered was one of the six Sol Emeralds, abandoned on the ground, resting against the wall. Blaze picked up the yellow gem and looked around cautiously. \"This is one of the emeralds Nega took... He got down here, somehow.\" the feline murmured. Sonata sighed. \"Then, there must be a way back out?\" he reasoned. \"Maybe, maybe not...\" Capricorn stated, looking less than confident. Marine looked at the emerald in Blaze's hand. \"Why would he just toss the gem after he nicked it?\" she wondered. Silver had a notion. \"He might have run into trouble down here... Which means we've got more than just Eggman Nega to worry about...\" he stated. Blaze clutched the emerald tightly. At least they knew they were in the right place.\n\nHeading into the next room, they found several different pathways ahead. Capricorn cleared her throat. \"Erm, I know you want to look for those emeralds, but... Maybe we should secure an escape route from this place first?\" she asked. Blaze shrugged. \"You can look for an exit if you wish. I need to track down those emeralds...\" she insisted. \"Why don't we split up, then?\" Silver recommended, \"We could find the emeralds or the exit faster.\" he stated. Bolt grabbed Sonata's hand nervously. \"S-split up?\" he whimpered. \"Good idea, cobber! I'll keep an eye on Blaze!\" Marine announced. Capricorn shrugged and looked at Silver. \"I guess I'm with you...\" she murmured. As they split off into three groups, Sonata and Bolt nervously set out into one of those hallways together. It was dark, and spooky, and the fear Sonata was sensing from Bolt was making him uneasy as well. \"Relax, relax, see? There's nothing to fear here. Look!\" he said, approaching a statue of a Chaos Guardian. \"It's just made of stone!\" he said, tapping his knuckles against it while turning to give Bolt a cheery smile. The shelled creature's eyes widened and he started to stammer and point behind Sonata. \"Hm? Oh dear...\" the unicorn gulped, sensing that fear turning to terror. The statue was glowing behind him, and the stone dissolving away as the statue transformed into a real Chaos Guardian! As Bolt and Sonata saw it, their screams filled the basement, and Blaze could hear it...but she had her own problems. As Marine hid behind her, they found red-eyed demons resembling former agents of the Covenant of Despair! \"Not sure what this is about...but they're in our way!\" Blaze growled.\n\nSilver and Capricorn had picked a much more peaceful path. To the point that Capricorn had time to get a bit lost in thought. \"Ever since Bucky restored me to life... Memories of my old, pre-Zodiac life have been returning, bit by bit...\" she stated thoughtfully. \"That sounds like good news...\" Silver murmured, keeping a steady eye on the path ahead. Capricorn scratched her head. \"Weirdly, I still can't recall my real name. Just little things. A church... My father was rather religious, I think. I remember my mother, too... She was in the church choir, lovely singing voice. I remember hearing her sing Amazing Grace...very beautiful...\" she sighed, eyes closed, \"Their names escape me, too...\" Silver glanced at her sympathetically, \"You'll remember. Don't worry. But watch out now...\" he warned, noting a Chaos Guardian floating down the hall toward them! It clutched the cyan Sol Emerald in its clutches, and its whole body glowed with its power! Capricorn stepped back. \"You be careful, too, Silver!\" she said. The guardian swung its free tendrils at Silver, leaving a gash in the wall when it missed him and struck it! Silver knew he couldn't grab the guardian itself with his powers. \"Maybe I can...\" he grunted, trying to tug the emerald from the creature's clutches with his psychokinesis instead! The guardian tugged back, giving Silver trouble, so Capricorn tossed a broken piece of the wall at the jellyfish to distract it! It released the emerald and reached its tendrils for her, but Silver lifted her out of the way with his powers, and with the Sol Emerald in hand, started to race down the hall with the ferret! \"We need Bolt and Blaze back! It's no use fighting Chaos Guardians like this!\" he shouted, hoping they'd find the others along their way...\n\nSonata and Bolt had it a bit worse, dealing with several Chaos Guardians chasing them through the hallway they had chosen. Fortunately, Bolt was capable of fighting back, and with Sonata there to kick his shell, he gave the guardians that surrounded them a good dose of shellshock, meaning his shell was electrified in this case. This seemed to work well enough until a guardian carrying the blue Sol Emerald arrived on the scene and caught Bolt's shell in its tentacles, squeezing him as he glowed with Sol energy! Bolt cried out in fear, unable to move in the jellyfish's grip! \"H-help me, Sonny!\" he wailed, but Sonata's path was blocked by additional Chaos Guardians, and there was little the empath could do against just one of them. \"B-bolt... Please, you have to be the one to save me!\" he pleaded, backing away as the guardians approached him. \"I c-can't!\" Bolt whimpered, eyes shut tight. \"You can, Bolt! You are the one of us who is strong... I was only made to give strength to others, by helping them realize their truths...\" the unicorn stated, gasping as the tendrils on the guardians started to lift him up! \"B-bolt!! You can save me, y-you have to let go...let your power free!\" he cried desperately. Bolt's eyes opened, and he saw his friend in mortal peril. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly expelled a powerful electric discharge from his body! \"Noooo!! Sonataaaa!!\" he screamed, grabbing the Sol Emerald as his shock stunned the guardian into dropping him! Landing on his feet, he charged the other guardians, electricity erupting from his body and jolting them into dropping Sonata! The guardians fled, and Bolt howled in rage and despair, throwing a tantrum as his friend lay on the floor. \"Hush, hush, Bolt...don't you cry...Listen and I'll sing you a lullaby...\" The sound of Sonata's soft, gentle voice caught Bolt's attention, and he sniffled as he started to calm down. \"Y-you're hurt...\" he mumbled. Sonata sat up slowly and shook his head. \"You saved me...\" he said with a sweet smile.\n\nBlaze and Marine ducked into yet another side path in the maze of hallways in order to shake their demonic pursuers. What they found was a hall with a largely missing floor, possibly resulting from the Chaos Shrine being carelessly lifted and combined with Demon Island. Marine peered down to see red eyes peering up from the abyss. \"I think I found where them drongos came from...\" she murmured. Across the chasm, the sparkle of a green Sol Emerald caught their attention, resting on what remained of the floor on the other side. \"Of course...\" Blaze sighed, looking for a way across. There were stalagmites rising up from the chasm, pretty much the only environment she could use. But demonic bats were flying up from the abyss as well, dark reminders of Despairs former aerial troops! Blaze glanced at Marine. \"Wait here, we're going to try another path...in a minute!\" she said, leaping for the stalagmites and kicking off the tip to jump for the next one! The demon bats rose from the chasm and turned to chase her, but Marine caught some of their attention with a well-tossed rock! \"Fair dinkum toss Captain Marine! Err... Now what?\" the raccoon babbled, backing away nervously as the bats charged towards her! Blaze bounced off one of the bats before landing on the ledge and picking up the Sol Emerald. \"That's two... Gah! Marine!!\" she gasped, looking back to see her friend leading the demon bats in circles as she shouted in a panic. A fire started to flicker around Blaze like an aura of anger. \"Leave her alone!\" she shouted, leaping back into the air and kicking the demons down into the abyss as she bounced off of them, grabbing and swinging off the stalagmites as she made her way back to the other side! \"Ha ha! Yer in for it now, mates!\" Marine laughed as the angry Blaze approached.\n\n\nDemon dogs and bears, other common Despair agents, were guarding the fifth Sol Emerald, the white one. Eggman Nega approached them in his Egg Mobile. \"Away with you, beasts! That's mine!\" he growled, a bit of frustration in his voice. The demons snarled at him, clearly not open to negotiation nor receptive to threats. Nega flipped some switches on his vehicle, and a sort of laser weapon popped out of either side of the Egg Mobile while a long arm snaked out of the bottom! The lasers pelted the demons, knocking them back while the arm extended out and reclaimed the Sol Emerald! \"You can catch me off guard, but you won't outwit me! Those emeralds are as good as mine!\" the doctor sneered. \"Good luck getting this emerald from me!\" Silver's voice caught Nega's attention, and he turned to see him and Capricorn approaching from one direction, the hedgehog casually holding the cyan emerald. \"Silver! Whew, there you are!\" Sonata's voice came from another direction, and he was carrying the blue emerald as Bolt followed behind him. \"Big-stache! We gotcha surrounded! Surrender yer booty to Captain Marine!\" the raccoon shouted next, talking like a pirate. She and Blaze were coming from yet a third direction, all the paths converging on this central chamber where a mural of Chaos decorated the back wall. The demons snarled and ran off into a fourth hall, leaving Eggman Nega alone with the group. \"How good of you all to clean up after me.\" Nega snickered. Blaze folded her arms, looking quite unamused. \"Unless you want us to tear your vehicle apart, you'd better give those back now!\" she warned. Of course, Nega cooperating was about as likely as the demons cooperating.\n\nNega turned his lasers toward Blaze. \"The creatures down here impeded my progress, but with a slight tweak to my weapons and this lovely purple Sol Emerald, I was able to turn the tables on them! How much more powerful will my lasers be with two emeralds, hm?\" he snickered as the long arm attached to his vehicle lifted up to hand off the white emerald to the doctor. Blaze rolled her eyes. \"All of this is just so you can harness the emeralds' power to run away...\" she said. Nega growled a little. \"Not just to run away! When I find a nice monster-free world, I'll use the power of the Sol Emeralds to conquer it! I will rule over every corner of the multiverse that I can get my hands on!\" he declared. Marine pointed behind him. \"Not if that thing gets ya!\" she stammered. \"Pah! The old 'look behind you' trick!\" Nega scoffed. However, the Egg Mobile was suddenly grabbed by a pair of strong, black arms! As Eggman Nega yelped in alarm, his Egg Mobile was tossed aside, the Sol Emeralds dropping to the ground! Standing there was a red eyed creature resembling Chaos. \"Ah! Oh no!\" Silver gasped, \"We're on Demon Island! The darkness here takes the form of demons, and those demons can take the shape of any dark soul that set foot here! Like...Shadow Chaos!\" While Silver was busy explaining that, the demon Shadow Chaos had absorbed the two Sol Emeralds, becoming bigger and stronger! It then whipped its elastic arms around the room, snatching the other four emeralds, and transforming further! It became a large creature with a whiplike tail... Shadow Chaos 6! But it would be more accurate to refer to it as Demon Chaos. Blaze stood up from the creature's emerald-stealing attack and growled. \"I don't care what this thing is! Cough up those emeralds! Right now!\" she shouted, only getting roared at in response!\n\nDemon Chaos whipped its tail at the group, and while Blaze dove under the tail attack, it whipped back up and struck the ceiling, causing a bit of a cave-in! The falling rocks fell toward the crashed Egg Mobile, forcing Nega to ditch it and take cover with Bolt and Sonata, all of them trapped behind the collapsed roof! \"Strewth! There goes spike-head and the sea turtle!\" Marine gasped. \"We're fine! Watch yourselves!\" Sonata shouted. Silver picked up a stray bit of rubble with his powers and tossed it at Demon Chaos, but the monster hopped out of the way like a frog, dodging the attack! \"How do we get the emeralds out of that thing?\" he wondered. That was a good question. \"Well,\" Capricorn mused, \"A creature like this was historically weak to ice. Too bad Pisces lost her powers, and her life...\" she said, feeling useless. Blaze covered herself in fire. \"This one's a creature of darkness...so I'll fight it with light! Pin it down, Silver!\" she shouted, dodging the tail and giving chase to the hopping demon! Silver grabbed more of the rubble from the cave-in, moving it with his mind to try and block Demon Chaos' movement! \"He's remarkably quick in this tight space...but he can't get away!\" he growled. Soon, the demon was pinned between two floating boulders, and Blaze approached, burning brightly! The demon recoiled, snarling as it blindly whipped its tail at her! \"Taking those emeralds was a mistake! You're gonna give them back...now!!\" she cried, leaping into Demon Chaos! The onlookers gasped as Demon Chaos splattered, the black fluid seeming to surround Blaze! \"No!\" Silver yelped, afraid she'd be crushed by the blackness. Instead, a bright light burned through the dark, and Demon Chaos evaporated away, leaving Blaze holding the six Sol Emeralds in her arms!\n\nWith the tension fading, Marine knocked on the wall of rubble blocking them from Nega and the experiments. \"Oy! You lot trying to dig out from that side?\" she called. \"The structure's integrity is insufficient. We could be crushed in another collapse.\" Nega stated. \"...Does that mean I shouldn't dig them out?\" Silver wondered. \"We'll escort the doctor out of the shrine.\" Sonata told them. \"Ruh-really?\" Bolt stammered. They were kind of stuck together. It was unsafe to dig, and Nega's Egg Mobile was buried. \"I'll need your brawn as much as you'll need my brains if we're to find an exit now.\" the scientist sighed, hating to admit it. Blaze nodded in Nega's general direction. \"I guess there's no choice. Just remember, if we learn you harmed our friends, you'll have to answer to me, Eggman Nega!\" she warned. Capricorn looked around on their side. \"It's not like we know any way out either. Any ideas?\" she asked. Marine snickered. \"I'll lead us out! She'll be apples!\" she smiled. Silver looked to Blaze, who seemed to have something on her mind. \"What's up?\" he asked. \"I sense the last Sol Emerald... Somewhere deeper...\" she murmured, starting toward the next hallway. Marine shuddered a bit. \"Th-that emerald was eaten by a big nasty monster...\" she recalled. Silver shared her worry. They'd barely escaped said monster the last time they met. However, Blaze continued onward, determination in her eyes. \"I am the guardian... This is my duty...\" she murmured. \"You're more than just that to us, Blaze.\" Silver said, to which Marine nodded. She didn't acknowledge them, continuing onward, her single-minded hunt nearing its end. She knew success wouldn't bring her absolution...but her world was dead. What else was left?\n\n\nUp above, Loscream strained his vines, trying to lift the rubble that had covered the Chaos Tailband chamber. \"It's outta your tentacles, Luna.\" said Lospecter as he phased through the nearby wall. The large pumpkin tried to swat him with a vine. \"What do you want??\" he snarled. Lospecter knelt against the wall, yawning. \"Boss man has me doin' everything on account of me having the Chaos Key. Old lord of the castle needs his minions, and you were the last one to see 'em, soooo... Where'd ya leave Despair, hm?\" he asked. Loscream glanced at him, a sinister flicker of light in his carved eyes. \"They DID try to flee from us...\" he said darkly. Lospecter nodded. \"Well, that about settles it. We're trading places. You can't get downstairs too easily anyway. Besides, you've a score to settle with the owner of the Chaos Claws...\" the ghost said, lowering slowly towards the ground, \"So, go help Howler get 'em back. I'd give the old wolf a joke name but I mean, Howler?? Ah ha ha ha...\" he chuckled as he started sinking down through the floor. Loscream clenched his jagged pumpkin teeth, snarling. \"The Chaos Claws... My claws, my curse... Yes, I'll take care of the fool who dares wear them...\" he growled, turning and heading back down the hall towards the shrine's exit, past the Chaos Guardians. The Chaos Guardians rested scattered all over the hall, limp and lifeless, for even as powerful as they were, they were no match for Loscream. Nor had Despair been, nor had Dark Team GeneX. How then would Knuckles the echidna fare...?\n\n\nChapter 47 - Absolution\nStage 22x - Flame Core\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"And who knows what of our future?\nWe can all try to change the past.\nOnly you know if you'll be together tonight...\n\nCause every night I will save your life,\nAnd every night I will be with you.\nCause every night I still lay awake,\nAnd I dream of an absolution.\n\nCause every night I will make it right,\nAnd every night I will come to you,\nBut every night it just stays the same,\nIn my dream of an absolution.\" - Dreams of an Absolution, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006\n\n\n\"Losss... Lossss...\" The ominous whispers could be heard echoing through the cavern, the area that Chaos Shrine's basement had led Blaze to. The exact purpose of that basement was difficult to determine, but now they were passing into the depths of Demon Island, and in the shadows they could see ominous figures. \"Lost Ones... I'm not sure we should keep going...\" Capricorn said nervously. \"Nothing's going to stop me...\" Blaze grumbled. Marine, however, was more hesitant. The figures in the dark looked familiar. The raccoon gulped. \"C-cobbers?\" Stepping a bit closer, the figures in the dark became clearer to see. They were koalas, reborn as Lost One zombies. They were Marine's friends, the Coconut Crew! \"Stay back!\" Silver warned, \"This has to be a trap... They know we're here!\" Blaze was still determined to press on, but in front of her, the Doomsayer stepped out of the darkness. \"Sonic? Out of my way!\" she shouted. The Doomsayer removed his hood, indeed he was Sonic. \"You asked me where I was from. I am from one version of this world's future, one of many futures I have been witness to.\" he said, holding up a hand to feel the rain that even followed him underground, like sorrowful tears from the atmosphere around him, \"No matter how I tried to alter the past, the Lost Ones always prevailed. I lost count of the attempts...all the times I watched my friends fall. The only way is to join the Lost Ones. Their apocalypse is inevitable.\" he said. Silver growled. \"No! I won't believe that! I know I've had to fix the past quite a few times myself... but there has to still be hope! Giving up...becoming THIS!?\" he shouted, motioning toward the Lost Coconut Crew, \"...Sonic wouldn't agree with that either. I don't know what happened to you, but you aren't Sonic anymore!\" he cried. The blue one nodded. \"I am only...the Doomsayer!\"\n\nWhile they were distracted, they suddenly felt a lack of floor under them. \"Have a nice trip! Don't worry, I'll send the emerald you're looking for right over!\" Lospecter's voice drew Silver's attention, and he also looked to see his friends falling down into a portal while he was safely floating above it. \"Blaze!! No!\" he cried, diving into the portal after her! He wasn't quite fast enough to catch them, but he used his powers to slow his friends' descent, softening their landing onto the rocky ground below. Blaze looked around the place they found themselves, a volcanic crater. \"F-flame Core? This is Flame Core... How can this be??\" she stammered. \"The Chaos Key can open a path to ANY place!\" Capricorn explained. Any place, true, but not any time. This had to be an alternate dimension. Silver looked up to see the portal vanish. \"The Doomsayer was a diversion to trap us... This place... Didn't I see this place in the Time Eater's crazy White Space?\" he recalled. Marine looked at the lava flowing around the rocks they were standing on and gulped. \"Right, well, that's enough sightseeing. Can we go home now?\" she whimpered. Another portal emerged close by, and out of it stepped a familiar foe. It was the turqoise skinned vampire-esque demon, Losipher. \"After fleeing me like cowards, it is my understanding that you pitiful creatures are looking for me? Or rather, you're hoping to take back the power I devoured...\" he sneered, the portal vanishing behind him. Losipher had swallowed the red Sol Emerald back in Blaze and Marine's own dimension, and nearly devoured them as well. Now, to complete the Sol collection, they would have to fight him again!\n\nBlaze clenched her teeth. Their chances didn't seem good if their last run-in with Losipher was anything to go on. But she had to try. Fortunately, Silver wasn't preoccupied trying to protect numerous other people this time. He glowed with psychokinetic energy, and reached out with it, making Losipher gag as he grabbed the Sol Emerald inside him and wrested it up through the demon's throat and out of his mouth! \"Hah! I got it!\" he laughed. \"That was super-gross...\" Marine groaned. Seeming to not even feel pain from all that, Losipher seized the floating emerald in his hand, pulling against Silver's power! He laughed at them softly. \"Take a good look. This rock will do you no good!\" he sneered. Blaze gasped as she looked at it. The emerald's red glow had faded, and it looked like an ordinary stone! \"What have you done to the emerald's power!?\" she shouted. \"Feasted on it!\" Losipher cackled, \"Ask your friend...\" he said, pointing at Capricorn. They glanced at her, and she rubbed the back of her head. \"Ophiuchus promised the Lost Ones the world in exchange for leaving the flow of time the way he wanted it... He had Chaos scientists in the future work with the Lost Ones, and they created...the Sol Emeralds. By transforming the Chaos Emeralds. They are the enduring, fiery soul of the Chaos Emeralds...fiery like the Earth's core...\" she said. Losipher released the lifeless emerald and let Silver take it. \"We devour souls... The protective layer of Chaos energy was removed so that the emeralds could be a power source for US!\" he declared. Blaze glared at Capricorn. \"You knew this??\" she hissed. Capricorn sighed. \"I believed our deal was necessary... Ophi made me believe it...\" she said. Losipher scowled at them. \"Now you can all die just as that snake did!\"\n\nLosipher reached back into his throat and pulled out a sword, which burst into blue flames. \"Stop doing that!\" Marine shouted, grossed out again. Capricorn stood in front of the raccoon, raising her arm protectively. \"Stay back!\" she warned Marine. Losipher pointed his blade at the ferret. \"Why so hypocritical? You said it yourself. You and Zodiac willfully aided us. Just because your foolish leader's plans fell apart doesn't mean you shouldn't expect us to claim the world we were promised. Stand down, Zodiac failure...\" he hissed, stepping towards her. She backed up a step, along with Marine, but Capricorn mostly stood her ground. \"I am no longer Capricorn of the Zodiac Council. I am an ordinary person again. And though I can't yet remember my name... I will protect those weaker than me, with my last breath if necessary!\" she shouted. Losipher raised his blade. \"So be it...\" However, as he swung his arm, the blade didn't move with him! Silver held it in the air with his psychokinesis. \"Don't forget us! We'll protect them, too!\" he shouted, Blaze positioning the other six Sol Emeralds on the ground around the lifeless emerald during Losipher's distraction. \"Perhaps the other Sol Emeralds can reawaken this one...\" she murmured. Their colorful lights glowed, but Losipher simply laughed at them. \"You know... I'm not one for laughter... But the more you deny your fate, the more delicious your utter despair will be once I strip you of your souls. I crave such suffering! And now, I shall satiate that craving...\" his eyes glowed red when he turned to Blaze. Red like the Sol Emerald he'd drained. He unhinged his jaw, and with a strangely mournful roar, he started to inhale forcefully, seemingly trying to suck in the Sol Emeralds!\n\nThough Capricorn felt the need to move Marine back, the force of the inhalation really wasn't enough to lift anyone. Blaze collected the Sol Emeralds into her arms quickly, protectively holding them against Losipher's inhale. Instead of getting the emeralds, he seemed to suck up their color, their very power, and before their eyes, Losipher started to grow and transform! Massive wings. Long, sharp claws. More fangs than his mouth could handle. Endless tentacles that seemed to both replace his legs and also wrap around most of his body. Losipher was a nightmarish, demonic beast, and he roared at them like a beast! The four Mobians backed as far away from him as they could, but any escape was blocked by streams of lava! Blaze found herself holding gray, lifeless emeralds, but there was no choice. \"I... have to believe. If these emeralds are an enduring, burning soul... I can reignite them!\" she cried, eyes glowing with fiery power! As Blaze's body heated up, the Sol Emeralds responded, starting to glow faintly once more! She was lifted off the ground as Losipher watched, snarling at her. The Sol Emeralds vanished in a dazzling burst of light, and Blaze emerged, her fur pink, her coat red, a powerful glow surrounding her. She had transformed into Burning Blaze! Silver floated up beside her, lacking in emerald power, but still ready to support her any way he could. \"That's impossible... I've taken everything...all of the emeralds' despair!\" Losipher snarled. Blaze scoffed at him. \"You should know that souls are made of more than despair... There's fiery passion! And vengeful rage! These flames...they will avenge our world!!\" she declared. Losipher snarled. \"I am filled with Sol energy... See if you can even harm me!\"\n\nTentacles lashed out for Silver, Blaze and their friends, forcing the burning and psychic ones to fly out of the way! Capricorn and Marine scrambled about on the ground, trying to avoid getting grabbed. \"We could sure use something to defend ourselves with!\" Capricorn shouted. Silver sent the sword he'd wrested from Losipher clattering to her feet, and though the blade was burning with Ghost Fire, she carefully took the handle. \"Well, beggars can't be choosers... Tentacles off!\" she shouted, slicing at one of those tentacles as it reached for Marine! The raccoon sighed in relief, only to gasp in alarm as the severed tentacle started to change its shape! It was a slimy likeness, but it shifted into the form of Mitch the weasel, whom Losipher had devoured at the jungle! He started to chase after Marine, and she screamed in alarm as she fled from him! \"Gross gross gross gross!!\" she yelled as Capricorn followed, trying her best to protect her. Since the ferret was watching over Marine, this freed up Silver and Blaze to focus more on Losipher. \"He must have a weak spot...\" Blaze murmured, speeding towards the beast while avoiding his flailing tentacles! His clawed hand swiped at her when she got close, and though her super form was resistant to damage, he was still able to grab her and toss her away, not bothered by her flaming body either! Silver was between two tentacles, struggling with his powers to push them back. He had to focus hard, because Lost Ones were resistant to his power. \"Aaaahh!! I-I'm in trouble!\" he groaned. Seeing this, Blaze flew to him and lifted him to safety, the pair fleeing pursuit from the writhing tentacles! Losipher gave a smug snarl. \"You can't even get close...and your power will burn out before long. I am unstoppable... I am death!\"\n\nThings were getting particularly rough for Marine and Capricorn. Every time the ferret sliced a tentacle, another of Losipher's devoured souls manifested. Hope the raven, Zazz the Zeti, some stray Battle Birds. \"Blimey, would you stop doing that!?\" Marine shouted as these slimy ghosts surrounded her! \"I don't know what else to do!\" Capricorn cried, turning to strike down one of the slimy Battle Birds with the sword, only to see it start to regenerate on the spot! Blaze had dropped Silver near the edge of the rocky foothold, and seeing the others in trouble, she left him and raced to them, blasting through Zazz and Mitch first, reducing them to puddles of burnt slime! Blaze seemed to be taking the pressure off, but the tentacles were also growing back, and tried to grab for the helpless Marine! \"Nooo!\" the raccoon cried, ducking and holding her head to brace for the end. When it didn't come, she looked to see Capricorn wrapped up in the tentacles, her body and limbs held tight! She groaned and dropped the sword! \"R-run, Marine... Aaah!!\" she groaned. \"Capricorn, no!\" she sniffled. The ferret looked back at her. \"That's not...my name...\" she said, closing her eyes, \"My name... is Felicia... Don't worry...I've been dead before.\" Though Blaze tried to go after her, Hope and the Battle Birds surrounded Marine, forcing the fiery princess to choose. While she saw to Marine's safety, Losipher pulled Capricorn, or Felicia, to him, and with his jaw unhinged like a snake, he quickly devoured her! \"Try finding a cure for that...\" the demon snarled, roaring as his broad wings flapped! His gloating roars were interrupted by a fiery boulder being flung into his mass of tentacles, making him howl in rage and turn to the culprit; Silver the hedgehog was lifting what earth he could out of the lava flow! \"You won't take another soul! We'll finish you here!!\" he shouted.\n\nThere was no time to mull over the significance of Capricorn remembering her name. Felicia, it was the name Fera had taken during her amnesia. There are no coincidences...but perhaps this mystery would forever go unsolved. What wasn't a mystery was the depth of anger felt by the trio as they stared down Losipher. Even Marine was through running at this point, picking up the sword Capricorn had dropped, even though it was a bit heavy for her. The demon laughed at their bravado. \"You couldn't defeat Iblis, and you can't defeat us. It must play out in your mind every night, princess... The despair of leaving your friend alone in that ruined world. Too bad he cannot remember. But we are privy to time's secrets, yes...\" Losipher said, taunting Blaze. Silver tossed another ball of flaming rock at the demon, who swatted it aside with his clawed hand! His tentacles were spreading out, creeping towards him, as well as Marine, who wasn't as effective at swinging that sword as Capricorn was. Blaze floated in front of the demon, her thoughts on his words. It was true, the Silver she first knew was overwritten by a new timeline, one that didn't overwrite her as she found herself in Marine's dimension. \"I couldn't defeat Iblis... instead...\" she murmured, \"Instead... I burn with his flames!!\" she proclaimed, her burning form suddenly burning brighter, a brilliant light that stunned Losipher! \"You would tap into the flames of disaster?! Desperate fool! I will consume Iblis as well!\" he roared. Blaze seared off towards him, burning right through any tentacles that tried to grab her! \"Only I can play with fire...\" she said, twirling a mighty kick into the demon's head, \"...without getting burned!\" Silver and Marine raced closer, worried for their friend, but they stopped and gawked as Losipher let out a howl of pain, and light enveloped them both!\n\nIt should have ended there. Blaze collapsed, the Sol Emeralds dropping around her. Losipher should have been destroyed, but the puddle where he once stood began to churn. Losipher's enraged voice howled, and the mass of slime split apart into a thousand smaller Lost Ones, resembling losol slimes with Losipher's fanged face attached! Before they knew it, the mini-Losiphers had surrounded Silver, Blaze and Marine! \"Crikey!! He really is invincible! We're done for!\" Marine cried. Blaze had put all her power into that last attack, and she was just collapsed on the ground, seeing the demons approaching and starting to feel that it was indeed over. \"It can't...end like this...\" she panted, clenching her teeth and shutting her eyes. Silver looked around. As hopeless as it looked, it was all up to him now. \"No, I won't give up! We're getting out of here!\" he shouted. The mini-Losiphers hissed and chuckled in amusement. \"You... cannot... escape... Die... now!!\" their voices chanted, speaking slowly and with effort, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be deadly to touch. Silver reached out his hands, glowing with psychokinetic energy. One by one, he lifted up the Sol Emeralds, and guided them back to their group. \"Sol Emeralds! I know we've asked a lot of you, but help us just this once more!\" he cried. \"It's... too... late!!\" Losipher hissed, his scattered pieces leaping to attack the trio! The Sol Emeralds flashed just in time, and the pieces of Losipher crashed into each other, finding no Mobians and no Sol Emeralds to devour. Instead, Losipher's segments recombined, and returning to his default form, he glared up at the dark sky and wailed in fury!\n\nBlaze found herself falling, plummeting in the sky wherever the Sol Emeralds had sent them. Silver was frankly lucky to get the emeralds to transport them at all, given his lack of experience with them. The others could be anywhere, and Blaze was oddly at peace. As long as the Lost Ones didn't get the emeralds or her soul, she could accept it if her end was here. But as she reached that conclusion, she was suddenly caught in someone's arms, Silver's arms! She held onto him tightly, a wave of relief washing over her to see him okay. Marine was holding on to his ankle as the hedgehog floated across the cloudy sky, carrying his friends to safety. \"We made it... but... the Sol Emeralds are gone.\" Silver sighed. The emeralds aided them, but where they went afterwards was anyone's guess. They wouldn't be of any use to anyone now. Blaze continued to hold him, even cuddling him a bit. \"It doesn't matter, Silver... What matters is we're still here.\" she said softly. She had pursued revenge all this time, but in that moment where she nearly lost even more, she finally realized what was truly important. The Lost Ones still had to be stopped, of course; But they'd never defeat the Lost Ones if they forgot what they were fighting for. \"Ay, mates!\" Marine shouted, \"Any chance for us to find land soon? My arm's gettin' tired!\" she grunted. Silver nodded. \"Hang in there a bit longer...\" he said. Truthfully, he didn't want this moment to end, with Blaze in his arms. Although his memories of their original timeline together had faded, there was still always a nagging feeling deep within him. A failure, a profound loss. But at last, they were together, safe for the moment. That nagging feeling was gone... Replaced with a realized dream. Absolution.\n\n\nChapter 48 - Return to Despair Castle\nStage 23 - Despair Castle\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"Our castle is a massive force,\nA stronghold of power.\nMy armor stays unbreakable,\nIn battle every hour.\" - Knight of the Wind, Sonic and the Black Knight\n\n\nPreviously on GeneX…\nKnuckles and Violet teamed up with their friends to find Chaos Emeralds in Giant Jungle. They were attacked by Losipher and the Deadly Six, but they were rescued by Shadow warping them away. Knuckles still hasn't found all seven Chaos Emeralds, but he is carrying the Master Emerald with him.\nHowler took one of those Chaos Emeralds back at Wisp Mine, along with a capsule full of Wisps to experiment on...\nNow, our tale continues...\n\n\nKnuckles, Violet and their allies ended up at the old Resistance HQ, where Sally Acorn was holding the line with the Freedom Fighters. Shade had made it there as well, and everyone was relieved to see each other okay. \"If anyone needs rest, Bunnie has prepared the barracks.\" Sally told them as they gathered in the main war room. Ray and Daisy both yawned. \"Show me a bed, I'm ready to pass out...\" the skunk sighed. \"Could someone carry me?\" Ray mumbled. Mighty lifted the squirrel up to sit on his shoulders. \"Come on, let's get settled.\" he smiled. Patch followed the trio, skipping energetically. \"Hee hee! You babies! I could go for hours!\" he laughed. Once they had left, Knuckles looked to Sally. \"Any chance we can get a report on the situation? We've been out looking for the Chaos Emeralds.\" he said. Sally nodded, waving in Uncle Chuck from the next room. \"We've been monitoring the Gaia Wellsprings. If the Lost Ones get hold of them, our world dies.\" she explained. Chuck nodded. \"Apparently, a spirit named Tikal placed a powerful protection on the Wellsprings, but it won't last forever. Our intel shows the barriers are weakening as we speak.\" he said. Rouge and Omega were standing behind Knuckles, having joined up with his group after losing track of Shadow. \"Should we head out to defend these Wellsprings, then?\" she asked. Chuck frowned. \"We'd never be able to defend all seven of them. No, we need a solution to the problem of the Lost Ones. If we can defeat them, all of them, then the Wellsprings will be safe/\" he stated. \"Oh, you make it sound so easy...\" Violet groaned. Shade nodded in agreement. \"Guess we really need those Chaos Emeralds...\" she figured. \"Oui! We have great needings of emeralds!\" announced Antoine at the doorway, accompanied by Bunnie and Rotor. \"Good to see ya made it, Knuckles...\" Rotor smiled.\n\nIt was time to recap what they knew about the locations of the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles held up the two he'd managed to recover, the blue and yellow emeralds. Rouge held the white emerald, admiring it. \"Shadow had procured the fourth emerald before we parted ways.\" Omega told the group. Shade nodded. \"I happened to run into a girl named Lara... She wanted me to inform you that Tails has an emerald, too. I guess we can trust her, she was with one of Santa's reindeer of all things...\" she stated. Lara was looking for her allies from her own time, but she knew her father was out searching for the Chaos Emeralds, too. She made it her business to know. At any rate, Uncle Chuck had more information. \"The green emerald was in Station Square. Eggman had it at first, but I think it's in the Lost Ones' clutches now.\" he stated. Rotor folded his arms. \"I checked out the mine before I left. Aside from a bunch of Wisps being missing, I also found residual energy from a second Chaos Emerald, separate from the one you guys found...\" he told Knuckles. The echidnas glanced at one another knowingly. \"Howler must've taken them. Which means the Lost Ones have the rest of the missing Chaos Emeralds!\" Knuckles concluded. Sally held up her handheld computer. \"Nicole, bring up our intel on Demon Island...\" she asked. \"Projecting, Sally...\" Nicole replied, displaying a hologram of the reformed island for all to see. \"Ugh, not this eyesore!\" Rouge groaned. \"Those creepy Lost buggers are holed up in there.\" Bunnie reported. \"We would be launching the attack, but, uhhh... I am thinking we have no way up there!\" Antoine said with a sheepish shrug. Violet stared at the projection of her former home, an intense look in her eyes. \"I can get us in... So, who's going?\" she asked.\n\nPatch and Daisy were a bit more shaken up by losing Mitch than they'd care to admit, and Mighty and Ray were worn out in their own way, so they wouldn't be going. Most of the Freedom Fighters had to remain to defend the base, as well. They had to keep hold of whatever strongholds they could get. Rouge and Omega were quite willing to go to Demon Island, though. \"I'm sure my boss would want me to check it out...\" Rouge had said. \"And this has NOTHING to do with hunting the Chaos Emeralds, of course?\" Knuckles replied smugly. Shade was joining them as well. She seemed pretty attached to Knuckles, Violet had noticed it back at the mines. Sally and Rotor also volunteered to go. \"My princess, what will we do without you to be leading us?\" Antoine asked her. \"I wish you'd stop calling me that...\" Sally sighed, \"While I'm gone, Sir Charles is in charge. Help him with his important research, Antoine, Bunnie.\" she asked them. \"Make sure to wake up Dulcy now and then, too. She's not the best lookout...\" Rotor mumbled. With the group determined, prepped and ready, Violet led them all outside. It was fortunate for them that Demon Island had altered its course, and was now passing over the city. \"Well, you're the expert. How do we get up there?\" Shade asked. Violet grabbed her and Knuckles by the hands. \"First, everyone join hands...and then let me concentrate...\" she stated. Their hands all linked, Knuckles feeling kind of silly as he stood there looking up at the island. \"We gonna start singing?\" he grumbled. \"Shush!\" Violet snapped, focusing her energy. A darkness surrounded the seven of them, and they all vanished, reappearing in the forest of Demon Island. \"Recalibrating sensors!\" Omega babbled. \"That was a lot of ceremony for a simple teleport!\" Rouge scoffed. \"If you think it's easy, you do it next time!\" Violet grumbled. \"I'll pass...\" Rouge murmured, taking a walk to look around.\n\nBy now, they were far from the only ones on Demon Island. Their group's point of arrival just missed being in the path of Punchy as his group fled Lost One pursuit, meaning Violet missed out on a reunion with her sister. Sonic and Lucky were unfortunately on the other side of the island, and also unavailable to help them. Shadow and Silver were also in the vicinity of the island, but like the other groups, one could argue they were \"lost.\" Knuckles did come across Copter and Gemini, however. The pair had left their group alone at Fred's grave for the time being, and were trying to assess their situation. And maybe just be alone together for a bit. Sally was the first to call out to them. \"Gemini and Aries?? Ophiuchus isn't here, is he?\" she asked nervously. The snake had controlled her before, making her serve as Virgo. \"Ahh... No, Ophi's gone. Toast.\" Copter reported, \"And don't call me Aries...\" he added. Gemini waved to Knuckles. \"Hey there... Glad to see you're hanging on. We were just thinking about storming the castle, but... Kinda been through an emotional and physical wringer...\" she said. Violet noted how Copter and Gemini were holding hands. \"Hmm... You two, huh?\" she said with crossed arms, giving Copter an intense look, \"...You better treat her right!\" she warned. Copter blushed and nodded, while Sally and Rotor exchanged confused glances. \"They used to date...\" Rouge informed them. Violet found herself blushing at that fact being broadcast. \"Alright, alright! We're gonna storm the castle ourselves, right, Knuckles??\" she asked. \"Uhh, yeah. These two love birds can take it easy for now!\" the echidna teased. \"Everything's not about us dating!\" Copter groaned. As most of the group started toward the castle, Omega stayed back. \"Sensors detect emerald energy in the island exterior. It could be Shadow.\" he stated. Rouge looked back at him and nodded. \"Send him our support, Omega!\" she smiled. The robot started off on his own, hoping to find their missing friend. Gemini stood up at the same time. \"Alright, better get back to the others. Before rumors start spreading...\" she sighed. Copter nodded in agreement. \"How long have our friends secretly been shipping us, anyway?\" he grumbled.\n\nViolet led the group to Despair Castle, the most likely place to find Howler. Hoping to take their enemies by surprise, Violet led them to a secret entrance to the castle, a side passage that was less likely to be guarded. \"Never thought I'd be back here again... It's kind of surreal.\" Violet said as they started into the dark passageway, the castle walls cracked and water damaged but otherwise quite familiar. \"Don't get the warm fuzzies for the bad guys now...\" Rouge told her, sounding a bit condescending. \"She's had a couple years to rejoin Despair and she hasn't, lay off Rouge!\" Knuckles pointed out. \"I find it hard to imagine anyone feeling nostalgic for this place...\" Sally added, looking around with a shiver as they made their way through the castle's creepy, lonely halls. Violet ignored all this talk, and pushed open the hidden door at the end of the secret passage. They found themselves within the training maze that Despair's new recruits used to have to navigate while evading hostile instructors. \"Oh...shoot...\" she murmured. \"Did you actually get lost??\" Shade asked. \"We'll see. Never did spend a lot of time in this maze...\" Violet murmured. The telltale voices of Lost Ones could be heard among the winding corridors of the maze. Sally turned to Rotor. \"Wispon, please!\" she requested, the walrus handing her a red one. Knuckles and Shade got equipped with their Chaos Relics in preparation as well. \"Well, nobody was expecting this to be easy...\" Knuckles sighed. \"I can make it easy. Those walls don't go all the way to the ceiling...\" Rouge smirked, flapping her wings and flying up out of the maze! \"...She's coming back to tell us the way out, right?\" Rotor asked. Knuckles shook his head. \"She's probably trying to find the emeralds for herself...\" he said with a sigh.\n\nThe Chaos Relics generally would lessen the threat of the Lost Ones considerably. However, the maze soon turned around their group, and most of them found themselves trying to find the others again, alone. Only Sally and Rotor managed to stick together, and the pair kept each other covered as they proceeded back-to-back through the maze. Any time some slimy creature would pop around a corner, either Sally would toast it with fire from her Wispon, or Rotor would pelt it with small meteor projectiles from his. \"How are we gonna find the others, Sal?\" Rotor gulped. Sally held Nicole to the wall, the small computer producing a tiny laser that left a precise mark. \"First off, we avoid getting lost...\" she murmured. Elsewhere in the maze, Shade was being menaced by creatures dashing from hall to hall, avoiding her sight and her Chaos Gauntlets. \"I know you're here... Quit hiding!\" she warned. There was raspy chuckling, taunting her. She turned towards the voices, and was suddenly overtaken by fear as she gazed into the burning red eyes of a skeletal canine...the remains of Basker! Violet was in a similar situation not too far away, screaming as Eddie the hyena and Anubis the jackal's skeletal Lost One forms approached her from either side! \"I never knew you guys could get more terrifying!\" she gasped, watching Eddie's skull rattle as he let out a hissing laugh! Violet tossed some dark flames at the skeletons, but it only seemed to cause them to ignite with Ghost Fire! \"Oh no!\" she gasped. It was then that shining bolts whizzed through the hall and struck Eddie and Anubis, causing their bony bodies to collapse! Violet saw Shade pointing the Chaos Gauntlets at them, a bit of a rattled expression on her face. \"Come on, let's find the others fast!\" she panted, Violet nodding and leaping over the burning bones to join her!\n\nKnuckles decided that if Rouge could cheat, so could he, and using his Chaos Claws, he climbed over the walls and quickly found the exit. Waiting for him at the exit was a nightmarish mass of vines, growing from the frightful gourd known as Loscream. The pumpkin's face was lit ominously in the dark, a wide jagged grin menacing the echidna. \"There you are... I see you!\" Loscream bellowed in a singsong manner. Knuckles raised his claws fists, glaring at the Lost One. \"Guess I'm gonna have to do some gardening before I find the castle's master!\" he shouted. The vines started snaking around the area, slowly covering the room completely. \"Those are my claws... How did you overcome my curse? Ahh, Astra, that devious witch...\" Loscream grumbled, both of them recalling back when Gemini braved the Lost One Hive to recover a piece of Loscream's body to enable the older fennec to synthesize a cure for the curse. A curse which was driving Knuckles a bit mad for a while, but he was now fully freed from. \"You were responsible for that, huh? All the more reason for me to carve ya a new face with these claws!\" Knuckles yelled. He then felt something wrap around his ankle, and yelped as he was lifted upside down by the vines! Loscream laughed at him, his hollow face burning with ghostly blue flames! \"Claws or no claws, you are my next feast! Your soul will be delectable!\" Loscream cackled. Knuckles struggled a bit, looking at the flaming pumpkin below. \"Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass!\" he grunted, swinging himself up and swiping the claws at the vine holding his ankle, cutting himself free and gliding off in search of a safe spot to stand! \"Poor mortal... You can't escape me!\" Loscream snarled!\n\nAs soon as Knuckles landed on the ground, he was forced to swat and slice more vines as they attempted to grab hold of him! \"Back off, ya big weed!\" he growled, trying to cut himself some breathing room. \"This is what it's come to? Now we're fighting vegetables?\" sighed Rouge as she flew close to the scene. \"I thought pumpkins were fruit??\" Knuckles murmured, \"I mean- You gonna watch or help?!\" Rouge seemed to just kick back in the sky for a moment, earning a frustrated groan from Knuckles. \"Alright, alright. If I must!\" Rouge said a bit jokingly, flying over and lifting Knuckles by his left arm. \"Alright, now get me over to the pumpkin head!\" he told her. Loscream responded by blowing blue flames in their direction, forcing Rouge to back off! \"Are you sure its even safe to attack this thing?!\" she grunted, straining to both carry him and avoid the vines trying to grab for them! Fortunately, they wouldn't have to fly too long, as Sally arrived and burned away a mass of vines on the floor with her Wispon! \"Over here, quick!\" she called. Knuckles and Rouge both dropped onto the safe spot, but Loscream's vines were growing back fast! \"Gotta get to the root of the problem, I guess...\" Rotor murmured. Violet emerged next, teleporting herself and Shade into the area with dark magic. Loscream just smiled at this. \"Good, more souls to devour...\" he sneered, quickly grabbing the unprepared Violet and Shade! \"Aaahh!! Who put this here!?\" Violet cried. Sally and Knuckles quickly took out the vines holding them, and then Shade pointed her Chaos Gauntlets at the pumpkin! \"I'm not your lunch!\" she growled, blasting him with bolts from the gauntlets! Loscream groaned and recoiled, stunned enough for the others to charge forward! Sally's flamethrowing Wispon cleared the vines, while Rouge lifted Knuckles into the air, enabling him to go into a glide and slam claws-first into the pumpkin while Shade continued to pelt him with bolts of energy!\n\nThrough teamwork, and the combined power of two Chaos Relics, Loscream's ghostly fire was extinguished and his body was reduced to what was best described as pumpkin guts. They all took a brief moment to catch their breath. \"Well, if this hero business doesn't work out, maybe we could still get work as paranormal exterminators.\" Sally said with a slight smirk. \"No thanks...\" Rouge groaned. Violet pointed to the door Loscream had been blocking. \"We'd better keep moving! Those emeralds aren't gonna recover themselves!\" she stated. Knuckles nodded. \"At least Howler's unlikely to be any worse than this...\" he murmured. Not long after the group left the training area, Lospecter floated over to the mass of gooey pumpkin remains. \"Well, that's unfortunate...\" he shrugged. Apocalos emerged from the shadows of the room and stood over the remains as well. \"Unfortunate that these petty souls persist in resisting...\" he said, raising a hand toward the remains as slime streamed from his feet and fed into the pumpkin guts. A shape started to form, and at first the slime molded to resemble Luna, the wolf who fought against the Doomlings with other heroes so many centuries ago. \"R-rex...\" she pleaded, \"Please, put an end to this! Release the souls you have taken! Y-you have to...\" Rather than listen, Apocalos balled his fist, and Luna screamed as the slime swallowed her, reshaping her back into a massive pumpkin as her former allies watched. Lospecter patted the top of the pumpkin head as it finished reforming. \"Good as new! Loony Luna!\" he snickered. Loscream swatted his vines at the ghost in irritation, while Apocalos turned away, a serious look in his glowing eyes. \"It's too late, Luna... Much, much too late...\" he sighed.\n\n\nSomewhere in the castle, Howler stood with the two Chaos Emeralds in each hand. In front of him was a machine, attached to the Wisp Capsule he'd taken from the mines. One Wisp was funneled from the capsule into a smaller capsule as Howler inserted the Chaos Emeralds into slots on the machine, and placed his hand on a switch. \"You may not belong in this world... But we'll see if you can be of use...\" he smirked. A dark furred rabbit in a lab coat stood behind him, observing nervously. \"Please, sir, I need more time on the machine! It may not be safe!\" the scientist warned skittishly. Howler glanced back and grinned as he threw the switch. \"I hope it isn't. Besides, time is a commodity we do not posses.\" he grunted, stepping back from the machine to observe the show. Sparks flew from the Chaos Emeralds as their energy was fed to the capsule holding the lone Wisp, supercharging it with power! Its single eye seemed to bulge in its socket, and its tentacles flailed wildly as it screeched in an alien language! The scientist looked on in horror, backing away as the Wisp railed against its prison, cracking the glass of the capsule! The light of the emeralds soon faded, and Howler stepped over, detaching the capsule from the machine to examine its contents. \"The alien is alive, you see?\" he sneered. The scientist let out a relieved sigh, but then gasped as Howler held the capsule toward him! \"Now, let the experiment really begin!\" the wolf cackled, popping open the capsule and setting the supercharged Wisp loose! It charged at the scientist, who screamed in fear as Chaos and Hyper-go-on energy both filled him at once, and Howler dropped the capsule callously on the ground, folding his arms and watching the transformation with a sadistic smirk...\n\n\nChapter 49 - Hyper-Peons\nStage 23 - Despair Castle\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"Better fear me better run away,\nCause this battle's just begun.\nEnchanted whisper in your evil ear.\nCan you hear the words I've won... I've won, I've woooon.\" - Through the Fire, Sonic & the Black Knight\n\n\nBooster the reindeer flew over Despair Castle, carrying Lara on his back. They looked down at the ominous structure, the reindeer gulping nervously. \"You sure you want me to let you off here?\" he asked. Lara looked around the island. \"Aurora, Starr, Chopper, Juice and Lucky are on this island. Seems like my father is here, too. This is probably the right place for me to be.\" she said. Booster lowered to the front of the castle, dropping the echidna off at the main gate. \"I hope you'll be alright. There's something very not right about this place...\" he murmured. Lara hopped off his back and looked at him seriously. \"If I can ask you for one more favor, I'd like you to find the rest of my friends. If Skye's time travel plan doesn't work, we'll need to be united to save our future here.\" she requested. Booster rubbed his head awkwardly. \"You want me to transport a group? That might be a bit much to ask for one reindeer...\" he mumbled, \"Ah, but you're a good kid! I'll see what I can do! Stay jolly...ah, if ya can!\" he said before rising into the air and flying off, leaving Lara on her own. She glanced at her ProwerPhone briefly, thinking about calling someone to meet up with her. \"They're all with their parents... I'll make do.\" she sighed, glancing at the castle gate. She was sure walking in the main entrance was probably a bad idea, but the castle didn't even exist in her time, so there was no way she could be aware of any alternate entrances. \"This is the only place I could see worth checking out, so no sense putting it off. Let's see if I can get this gate open...\" she sighed, hoping that there would be friends rather than foes waiting beyond it...\n\n\nWhile making their way through the castle, Violet happened to pass by her old room. Though her life here was over, she couldn't help taking a look inside. Nostalgia can be a complex emotion. It can make a bad situation feel comfortable in its familiarity, or a less bad situation seem terrible based on how you were feeling at the time. Since the castle had spent time underwater, all the objects and furniture in the room had been displaced and waterlogged. Her mattress leaned against the bed frame, her old uniforms were tattered and smelly, and a picture frame was on the ground, broken glass surrounding it. Violet carefully lifted the frame, seeing a picture of herself with Patch, Daisy and Simon after a day of training. Sally was glancing over her shoulder. \"Do you...need a moment?\" she asked. Violet placed the picture on the nearby desk calmly. \"My life was very dark, and I was vulnerable enough for Howler to take advantage. I'm glad I've moved past the hate I used to feel back then. It is a shock to see my room like this, though...\" she said. Knuckles silently nodded, and they were about to leave when a shadow of Howler appeared at the door! \"Your life was dark, and I gave you family. Your betrayal will be your destruction!\" the shadow declared. Shade wasted no time sending a blast from the Chaos Gauntlets through the shadow, but Howler simply laughed as the shadow vanished. \"Well, he knows we're here. His dumb cloak reminds me of the guy who killed my tribe!\" she growled. Rotor poked his head in from the hallway, looking a bit frantic. \"G-guys, I think I've found some of those Wisps that went missing! Get out here quick!\" he stammered. Knuckles let out a growl. \"Alright, time to relive MY memories of this castle...and kick some Despair butt!\"\n\nReturning to the halls, they glanced where Rotor was pointing to see Despair agents fleeing from Wisps. Something definitely seemed off about them, and when the Wisps caught the agents, it became more apparent. Their bodies burst into colorful energy, and though retaining their Mobian shapes, they started to move in erratic, crazed manners, as though controlled by the Wisp powers! \"I take it this isn't supposed to happen?\" Rouge asked sarcastically. \"Something's focused and concentrated the Hyper-go-on energy, and it's making both the Wisps and their hosts go nuts!\" Rotor concluded. \"Turning those guys into Hyper-Peons...\" Knuckles mused. \"So, now we know what the Darkseeker did with the Wisps he kidnapped...\" Shade growled. They didn't really have time to gawk over this any more, as the \"Hyper-Peons\" came charging towards them! Violet had to warp herself out of the way quickly as a blue one charged her way at the speed of a laser, passing where she'd stood and smashing through the door to her former room! Violet reappeared behind Knuckles. \"Any idea how we stop them??\" she yelped. A darker blue peon stomped towards them, his feet and fists morphing into cubes periodically, leaving square imprints in the stone floor as he approached! Knuckles clashed his Chaos Claws against his cubed fists, straining against the transformed Mobian. \"Unnngh!! Tough guy, huh?!\" he growled. An orange Peon rocketed wildly into the cube-fisted one, and the Peons repelled each other and smashed into the walls, cracking them worse than they already were! \"Move! Let's hurry before they collapse this hallway!\" Sally shouted, leading the group in fleeing past the crazed Mobians as fast as they could go!\n\nUnfortunately, just running past the Hyper-Peons would not be an option. The hallway was a bit long, accommodating quite a few Despair Agent rooms, and the tight space made it hard to keep avoiding the fiends. Shade turned back and attacked the weak walls with carefully aimed blasts from the Chaos Gauntlets, deliberately collapsing the ceiling behind them to discourage Peons from following and surrounding them. \"That's great, got any ideas to get past those??\" Rouge grumbled. A burning red Peon approached, as well as a yellow one sparking with electricity, and more in various colors were coming behind them! Sally grabbed the Meteor Wispon out of Rotor's hands, aiming it along with her Burst Wispon. \"Same energy, so let's see if this works!\" she shouted, clenching her teeth as she charged ahead, firing meteors and blasts of flame at the oncoming enemies! It certainly seemed to have some form of effect, as they swerved to avoid the blasts, crashing against the walls as they passed Sally! Knuckles charged in to protect the others, blocking the lightning-peon's approach with his claws, though it meant he'd get a bit jolted! \"Aaaarghh!! Get back!!\" he yelled, fighting to repel it! This left the fire-peon, and Violet tried to hold it back by striking it with dark lightning! \"We gotta...get outta here!\" she grunted. Sally turned and zapped each Peon with her Wispons while they were held still, and the energy seemed to stun them, causing them to collapse! \"You got any more of those guns, tusk-face?\" Rouge asked Rotor. He chuckled awkwardly. \"Kinda had to leave most of the weapons with our forces on the ground...\" he murmured. It didn't matter, Sally was more than willing to cover their escape. \"Just keep moving! I'll knock them out as we go!\" she shouted.\n\nAfter escaping the hall, it wasn't too difficult to get to the castle throne room. In fact, it seemed a bit too easy from there, as though enemy forces were deliberately held back. When they arrived at the throne room, it quickly became apparent why. Upon what was left of the throne sat the Darkseeker, and close by was a capsule full of crazed, supercharged Wisps. In the center of the room, tied to a chair, was Lara. \"...Hi, Dad.\" she said a bit awkwardly. Knuckles looked over the scene with a raised eyebrow. \"Dad? Excuse me?\" he grunted. Rouge's attention turned to the machine in the corner, which the Wisp capsule was once inserted into, and the Chaos Emeralds were still attached to. \"Keep 'em busy, guys, I'll be riiiiight back...\" she smirked. Standing up, the Darkseeker pointed between Rouge and the emeralds, sending a powerful bolt of black lightning crashing there to get his point across. \"How disappointing for me. I'd hoped to see more emotion once your daughter reunited with you. It will feel hollow when I mold her into one of my servants!\" he said to Knuckles. Lara struggled against her bonds, growling. \"You're nuts! I'm gonna kick your ass!\" she shouted. \"She IS my daughter!\" Knuckles stammered. \"Well, let's untie her, then!\" Violet said, caring little for the Darkseeker's plans. The hooded wolf stepped to the capsule, opening up the top and guiding a single Wisp out using jolts of dark energy to keep it under control! \"Such insolence. You all should thank me. The merging of Chaos and Wisp energy should destroy the Lost Ones.\" he stated. \"Before or after you kill everyone else on Earth? We know all about you now, Howler!\" Sally pointed out. Howler sneered at them. \"Enough pointless chatter. We've a family reunion to witness!\" he cackled, sending the Wisp off toward the captive Lara!\n\nA crazed Black Wisp flew into Lara, and she started to change into an echidna-shaped mass of black energy herself! An explosion followed, destroying the chair under her as she gave an agonized shriek! \"The black Wisp is a Bomb Wisp! The transformation is unstable!\" Rotor shouted. Lara staggered toward them, holding her head, apparently trying to resist exploding again. Howler watched with a sadistic smirk. \"The power I've given her will destroy her. Consider that my revenge, guardian!\" he said darkly. As Lara approached, Sally and Rotor moved away. \"I could stun her, but I don't know it'll help...\" Sally murmured. Lara exploded again, letting out an agonized scream as the Wisp energy reconstituted her body. It wouldn't be able to restore her too many times. Shade looked to Sally. \"Do it, try to knock her out!\" she said desperately. Knuckles was taking in the situation, trying to come up with a solution himself. Obviously punching the Wisp out wasn't going to work. The Chaos Relics wouldn't be much help either. He saw Rouge attempting to sneak over to the Chaos Emeralds again, and he realized that the emeralds had to be involved in the unstable transformation. He pulled out the Master Emerald. \"Howler's been up to his old mad science again. Maybe the Master Emerald can nullify the Chaos energy involved!\" he suggested. Sally had struck Lara with her Wispons, but that only seemed to detonate Lara faster! \"Do it, Knuckles! We're low on ideas, here!\" she cried. Nodding, Knuckles set the Master Emerald down and looked to his struggling daughter. \"The servers are the Seven Chaos... Chaos is power, enriched by the heart. The controller serves to unify the Chaos... Master Emerald! Please! Stop the Chaos energy that's bonding my daughter to that Wisp!!\"\n\n\"Hello, gorgeous!\" Rouge purred, reaching out for the Chaos Emeralds inserted in the machine. She was too preoccupied with the gems, but Howler was much more vigilant, and his black lightning zapped her, sending her flying and tumbling away from the jewels! \"Next time, I will make it a lethal strike!\" he growled, turning his attention towards Knuckles next. He wasn't about to let him ruin his plans for the Wisps. But before he could get too close, Violet stood in his way. \"Where are you going? Don't you want to watch the family reunion you set up?\" she asked, glaring at him. Howler's glowing red eyes gave her an even more intense glare. \"Stand down, worm. You think yourself capable, trained by the mighty Fera. But I was the one who trained her. And my teacher was time itself. Centuries. You will fare no better than your friend there.\" he growled, motioning to Rouge, who was struggling to get back to her feet. Violet frowned. \"True, I probably can't beat you...\" she admitted, \"But I only have to delay you!\" she added, firing a beam of dark energy from her hand, which Howler just seemed to catch with his own hand! \"Good luck with that!\" he snarled, his hand giving a little push, and turning the beam back on her! Violet jumped back as the beam crashed at her feet, and then started to run as Howler followed up with his dark lightning! Meanwhile, Knuckles was focusing as best he could, trying to guide the Master Emerald to do what he needed. Cracks started to form as the emerald strained. \"Knuckles! I-it's no use! The Master Emerald can't deal with alien energy!\" Shade warned. \"If she's my daughter... I won't let her down!!\" Knuckles grunted. The Master Emerald flashed with bright light, and another explosion came from Lara! When the dust settled, the Master Emerald was in pieces! However, the black Wisp flew free, and Lara collapsed on the ground, quite exhausted, but alive.\n\nKnuckles ignored the broken Master Emerald, rushing to Lara's side. \"Hey, kid? You okay?\" he asked with concern. While he was distracted, Howler wasn't letting up in his attack on Violet, cutting off her escape with jolts of black lightning from each hand, striking at either side of the echidna! Before he could hit her directly, Violet tried warping out of the way. \"Predictable responses. Your training was pitiful!\" Howler snarled, turning around and grabbing her by the throat as she emerged behind him! \"Agh!!\" she choked, struggling in his grip! \"Maybe you were just a pathetic leader!\" Sally's voice caught Howler's attention, and he turned while still holding on to Violet's neck. \"Fancy yourself a leader? How are you doing, girl? Have you managed to gain any ground? Or are you struggling to just protect your own?\" he growled, making Violet gag as he strangled her. Sally's eyes narrowed, and she pointed the burst Wispon at him. \"We're about to take this castle.\" she said with conviction. Howler scoffed, and threw Violet straight at Sally, taking her off guard! Both girls tumbled to the floor, and with Rouge looking a bit battered as well, Howler seemed poised to take them all out. \"No one can defeat me! Do you have any idea how long I prepared for every possibility? I will destroy you, the Lost Ones, everyone!! This world will belong to me!!\" he snarled, gathering dark energy in his hands in preparation for a lethal attack! It was then that Knuckles rose back to his feet. \"Hey, Howler!\" he shouted, drawing the wolf's attention, \"You still gotta go through me, first!\" he smirked. Rotor had taken Lara out of the way so she'd be able to recover safely, and Knuckles was free to focus his attention on the Darkseeker. \"Alright then, guardian!\" Howler snarled.\n\nHowler unleashed the dark energy he'd built up as a powerful beam, and to get out of the way, Knuckles used the Chaos Claws to climb the air itself and rise above it! He then deactivated the claws and went into a glide as Howler chased him with the beam for a moment. The wolf stopped firing and growled. \"You have the final Chaos Relic that I was never able to locate! Its power surprised me, but that is the end of your advantage!\" he shouted. \"We also have this one!\" shouted Shade, rushing up to give Howler a direct strike from the Chaos Gauntlets! It knocked him back a bit, but he retaliated with a quick burst of darkness, knocking her back as well! \"I never needed the Chaos Relics! The powers of darkness are more than enough!\" he snapped. Knuckles landed between him and Shade, and gave Howler a couple clawed jabs to the gut! \"You tried to kill my daughter, you tried to kill my friends, now shut up and see how you like it!\" he furiously growled, his claws stuck in Howler's chest. The wolf groaned, but grabbed Knuckles' arms and forced him back, jolting his body with dark lightning! \"This flesh is already dead, you fool. My soul housed in the Despair Seal keeps it going. I am, as always, immortal!\" he sneered, letting the illusion cast over his body fall away for a moment to reveal his rotten corpse holding Knuckles' arms, eyes glowing demonically as he stared down the echidna. Knuckles stumbled back, looking at the zombie Howler with a bit of shock. \"So, you're as ugly outside as inside now!\" Violet grunted, joining Shade at Knuckles' side. Sally and Rouge approached as well, helping to surround Howler. \"You overplayed your hand, wolfie!\" Rouge smirked. Sally nodded. \"Now we know your weakness!\" she stated, glancing at the Despair Seal on his wrist. \"And we've got you too outnumbered to beat us, now!\" Knuckles grinned.\n\nHowler looked around, defiance in his glowing eyes. \"Pitiful creatures, clinging to your belief that you can actually come out of this day alive. You've overlooked a key detail...but I haven't.\" he said, slowly starting to smile in a very unsettling manner. Knuckles raised an eyebrow. \"What detail? Ah, never mind! You're just trying to get in our heads!\" he growled. \"Let's get him!\" Shade shouted, and as they moved to go after him, Howler responded by warping out of the way, reappearing next to the machine with the Chaos Emeralds! He picked up the emeralds and started towards the Wisp capsule while everyone looked around for him. \"I'll explain it to you, since it makes no difference now.\" Howler stated, drawing their attention, \"You see... You've lost the ability to stop the Chaos Emeralds!\" They gasped, and Rouge glanced back at the broken pieces of the Master Emerald. \"Hurry up and fix it!\" she shouted. \"I can't fix it right now. The Master Emerald gave everything it had to power through the Wisp energy, stopping both it and the Chaos energy.\" Knuckles explained. Howler smashed open the Wisp capsule while clutching the two Chaos Emeralds. \"Right you are! Which means there is nothing you can do to stop me! I...will be a god!!\" he declared as the emeralds glowed, drawing in the crazed Wisps, all of them flying into Howler's body! Lara rubbed her head and stood up slowly at this moment. \"What happened? ...What's that light?\" she murmured. Rotor was watching Howler's transformation with shock and horror. \"Not good, not good! No one's ever absorbed multiple Wisps before! Let alone Chaos-crazed Wisps! Who knows what'll happen now!\" he stammered. Howler was starting to grow as the Wisps gave him power, and Sally knew what they had to do. \"Retreat! We can't stay here! Hurry!\" she shouted, leading the group in fleeing the throne room. But would it even be possible to escape Howler now?\n\n\nChapter 50 - Final Despair\nStage 23x - Ruined Castle\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"I will be the one to set your heart free, true!\nCleanse yourself of evil spirits that got in you!\n\nWon't be frightened, I'll stand up to all the pain and turmoil.\nJust believe in myself, won't rely on others!\nFreedom will be waiting when serenity is restored.\nThis is my planet, I shall not surrender!\n\nWon't be frightened, I'll stand up to all the pain and turmoil.\nJust believe in myself, won't rely on others!\nGet this power to wipe out the havoc and anarchy.\nThis is my planet, gonna fight...\" - Unknown From M.E, Sonic Adventure\n\n\nColorful energy was tearing Despair Castle apart as Knuckles, Violet, Lara, Shade, Rouge, Sally and Rotor all bade a beeline for the main gate. A chunk of the ceiling crashed down among the group, scattering them as they shouted in alarm! \"Wh-what's going to happen?? We couldn't even beat any of those guys with ONE supercharged Wisp in them!\" Violet stammered. \"We need the Master Emerald pieces!\" Rouge shouted, glancing back. Knuckles grabbed her arm. \"Now is not the time! This castle is coming down!\" He was right, as more chunks of the ceiling crashed down around them! Rotor covered his head as he dashed for the gate. \"I'm, ahh, n-not cut out for all this runnin!\" he huffed. Another piece of the ceiling was about to land on him, but Violet warped to him quickly, and then warped him to safety! \"Everyone, hurry!\" she cried. Behind them, a massive fist smashed through the castle wall, briefly shifting into a blue cube shape, and then a gray boulder before shifting back into a colorful clawed hand, which started to tear the wall open, revealing the massive shape of Howler attempting to chase them, his body covered in a rainbow of Hyper-go-on energy! \"After beating Howler as a giant ink blot, I never thought I'd have to face him as the rest of the paint set!\" Knuckles shouted, knocking away some rubble with his Chaos Claws as he stayed at the back of the group, thinking he might have to cover their escape. \"We...are...Despair Wisp!!\" Howler roared, twin lasers firing from his eyes to cause further damage throughout the castle! Sally grabbed Knuckles by the arm this time, urging him to join the others. \"You can't fight him here! Let's go!\" she told him. Nodding, Knuckles followed her lead to the gate.\n\nExiting the castle, Knuckles found the others blocked from going too far by Apocalos himself! \"Well, if it isn't the other big bad!\" he growled, pointing his claws at the toothy Lost One. Apocalos gave a light chuckle. \"You appear to have bitten off a bit more than you can chew. If you need help, the Lost Ones will gladly provide assistance in destroying the traitor Howler. He stole one Chaos Emerald and hid the other from us.\" he stated, not seeming particularly surprised at the betrayal. Violet scoffed at the Lost One. \"We'll never work with you! Rather than trade one monster for another, we'll find a way to beat both of you!\" she shouted. Howler gave a shrug, lightning striking behind him as he chuckled softly. \"Do as you like. I'm a patient immortal. You can destroy one another for my amusement. If either side comes out alive, their souls will feed my ambitions. Oh, yes, I'll be watching you... Best of luck.\" he said in his raspy voice, vanishing as the lightning struck once again. \"Great, he's gone, can we get clear of the castle like, NOW??\" Lara shouted, pointing back to show the central spire was crumbling as Howler's head burst out of the roof, the Wisp power causing him to grow to gargantuan proportions! Shouting in alarm, Knuckles and the others ran to put more distance between themselves and the castle, so that the collapsing rubble and the clouds of dust wouldn't harm them as the raging Howler, or \"Despair Wisp,\" tore the former headquarters of the Covenant of Despair apart! Nothing would put the castle together again after this kind of destruction. Rouge watched the castle being destroyed with utter misery in her eyes. \"The pieces of the Master Emerald are buried under all that!\" she whined. Knuckles nodded in agreement. \"And they may be the only way to win this...\" he realized.\n\nIt was debatable if this was about to be the greatest danger any of them had faced so far that day. The Clock Tower explosion was pretty dire, and Losipher might have killed them all had Shadow not warped him away. Still, their luck sure felt about to expire, and it seemed best not to throw all their eggs in this battle-basket, so Knuckles suggested going it alone. \"Howler wants me the most anyway. I can give you all the chance to escape and form another plan.\" he told them. Sally frowned. \"I don't like it at all, but you're not wrong.\" she sighed. Shade glanced from the very anxious Lara to Knuckles, and arrived at a decision. \"You're going to make it, Knuckles. Even if you'll be too stubborn to let me go along, you'll still have my help.\" she said, taking off the Chaos Gauntlets and handing them to him, \"I'll remain with our daughter, and keep her safe...\" Knuckles and Lara both looked a bit stunned. \"OUR daughter??\" Knuckles stammered, taking a good look at the two girls side by side. Lara did have mostly red fur, but looking close, Knuckles could see hints of orange in her hair and quills. Also, she had her mother's eyes. Knuckles started to blush. \"I...should've realized...\" he babbled. Shade blushed as well. \"So, we know you'll be back, because she's here from the future.\" she winked. \"I-it doesn't necessarily work like that...\" Lara stammered, but Knuckles had equipped the gauntlets, and the claws over top of them. \"I WILL make it back!\" he promised, turning to start towards the Despair Wisp. As he started to go, he soon found Violet walking beside him. \"What are you doing?\" he asked. \"I've gotta settle things with Howler, too.\" she smirked. Rouge stepped to Knuckles' other side. \"And you'll need help reassembling the Master Emerald!\" she smirked. Knuckles sighed, then smiled. At this point, he couldn't see doing this without them, anyway. \"Come on, then!\"\n\n\nThe collapse of Despair Castle was quite the spectacle, and was noticed across the island. Even Shadow, Kosmo and Starr, who were more to the edge of the island, couldn't help but stop and observe the destruction. \"Wonderful, I didn't want to have to go back in there, anyway.\" Kosmo sighed. \"Wh-what the heck is that thing destroying the castle??\" Starr pointed. Shadow's eyes narrowed, observing the colorful giant smashing the area. \"Another ghost of the past...\" he murmured, turning away, \"It's a distraction. The real enemies are busying themselves somewhere...\" he grunted, not wanting to lose perspective on the real dangers.\n\nElsewhere, Copter and Gemini were also watching the destruction, joined by their friends once again. \"I guess Knuckles found Howler...\" Gemini stammered. \"He's not exactly hiding...\" Adam murmured while Evelyn and Timothy just watched the scene in shock. Copter growled softly and spread out his arms as he stood between Gemini, Chopper, and the danger in the distance. \"Let him come! Let 'em all come! No one's layin' a hand on my family!! Hear me? Come closer and you'll see what happened to Ophiuchus!!\" he shouted. Gemini placed a hand on his shoulder, giggling softly. \"My hero...\" she said playfully.\n\nPunchy and Rainbow thought they'd found a bit of peace after having fought their way past countless Lost Ones. They'd been separated from their friends, but Heather and Guard would take good care of them. However, the sight of the colorful giant set Punchy off. \"Howler, you giant ego!! Didn't get enough last time!? I'll come right down there and give you a taste of Dark Punky power again!! Lemme at him!!\" he shouted, starting to stomp off toward the ruined castle! Rainbow followed along angrily as well. \"He's stealin' my look, too, One! And I owe him a slap for my sister!\" she yelled, eager to join Punchy's attempt to get involved in the fight before it's too late!\n\nSonic was rather close to the action. In fact, bits of the castle almost landed on his and Lucky's heads. \"Meee-yow!! The sky is falling!!\" Lucky yelped. \"Get to safety! I'll take care of the glowy giant!\" Sonic shouted, only for a familiar laugh to catch his attention. \"Now, now, Sonic! Your fight's with me, not Howler!\" Glancing away from the castle, the group saw the Egg Mobile hovering in the air! \"Uhh, could you come back later, Eggy?\" Whisk whimpered. Eggman sneered. \"I'm confident our friend Knuckles will wrap things up here. Don't you want to know what I've got in store next, Sonic?\" the doctor snickered. Amy stepped forward with her hammer. \"We'll hold him...off?\" she gasped as Sonic took off without waiting for her to finish speaking, chasing Eggman into the woods! \"Hey!! What about the big monster, Sonic!!\" Amy shouted. \"Maybe we could help Mr. Knuckles?\" Cream suggested. Lucky gulped. \"I think we'd get in the way...\" he murmured.\n\n\nNo one else would make it to help. It was all up to Knuckles, Violet and Rouge to put a stop to Howler, the \"Despair Wisp.\" They crept through the rubble that was left of Despair Castle, and approached the giant glowing wolf, who glared down at them with hatred. \"You pathetic fools! You think your puny Relics are a match for our power?!\" Despair Wisp roared. Knuckles looked up at him and raised his fists. \"Guess we'll find out, won't we?\" he said, glancing at Rouge and giving her a nod. The bat took off in another direction while Knuckles started shadow boxing in Despair Wisp's direction, sending energy blasts from the Chaos Gauntlets his way in order to distract him while Rouge began her search for the Master Emerald pieces! Despair Wisp really didn't seem affected by the attacks, beyond annoyance. He glared down at Knuckles and fired cyan lasers from his eyes, forcing both him and Violet to rush out of the way! Knuckles kept the gauntlet blasts coming, his goal being to keep Howler distracted. \"Maybe I just gotta hit ya in the right spot!\" he shouted tauntingly. Despair Wisp balled his claws into a fist, and morphed that fist into a gray Quake ball, slamming it down towards Knuckles! He leapt up high and started to climb the sky using the Chaos Claws, escaping the crushing blow Howler gave to the rubble below! \"Hold still, you red insect!\" the Despair Wisp snarled. Violet warped atop his spherical fist, catching his attention. \"Maybe the Relics don't bother ya, but how about this!?\" she yelled, striking him in the chest with a beam of dark energy fired from her hands! His hand changed back to normal, and grabbing her in his massive grip, he tossed her in the air, opening his mouth wide as if to swallow her!\n\n\"Hang on!\" Climbing up using the Chaos Claws, Knuckles was able to take hold of Violet's hand before she could fall into Howler's gaping mouth. However, a violet void appeared in his mouth, and started to pull them in with the force of a black hole! Violet's grip on his hand was quickly slipping! \"He's too powerful! What do we do?\" she shouted. \"We get down from here and take that power away!\" Knuckles grunted. Nodding, Violet used her dark power to warp them away, prompting the frustrated Howler to shut his mouth and stop the void. \"Where are you hiding, pests?\" he growled, looking around to see Rouge digging through the rubble. She lifted out a chunk of the Master Emerald, her eyes lighting up. \"Come to mommy...\" she purred. \"So, that is your pathetic plan? As if it will save you!\" Howler bellowed, balling up his other fist and morphing it into a mass of pink spikes before swinging those spikes towards the bat! However, after his spiked hand passed by, he could see no sign of Rouge, not so much as a skewered body on the spikes. A few feet away, Rouge burst out of the ground, brushing dirt out of her hair. \"Whew, good thing I came prepared with my Pick Nails.\" she sighed, having burrowed underground to survive. Despair Wisp responded by transforming both hands into yellow drills! \"Try to escape from this!!\" he growled. \"Hey, Howler, I'm the one you want!\" shouted Knuckles, who was hanging from the Chaos Claws at eye level to the giant, over to his left. Howler glanced at him and scoffed. \"I want you all! But since you insist, I'll start with you...\" Before Howler could finish speaking, though, Knuckles had started to swing his body, detaching the claws from the air once he was ready to go into a glide! He pointed the claws right at Howler's eye as he soared towards him!\n\nThere was a bit of a cyan explosion right in Howler's face as Knuckles collided with his attempted laser defense! Rouge and Violet didn't have time to check on him as they gathered up the Master Emerald shards. \"Good thing they all stayed fairly close together for once!\" Rouge sighed. \"I hope the Master Emerald has had enough time to recover after it was used on Lara earlier...\" Violet murmured. The pair of them hastened to reassemble the emerald, while Knuckles tumbled to the ground close to them, groaning in pain while Howler clutched his eye. \"Now... We will destroy you all at once...\" the Despair Wisp snarled. Violet looked at Knuckles with concern. \"You okay?\" she asked. He staggered to his feet, approaching the Master Emerald. \"Hold him off... I need to appeal to... the Master Emerald.\" he grunted. Violet and Rouge nodded. \"Don't let me down, tough guy!\" Rouge told him as she and Violet charged after Howler, both of them tossed away by a blast of ivory lightning, the villain smirking as he reveled in the notion of tearing them apart while Knuckles watched. He grit his teeth, knowing he had to focus. \"The servers are the seven chaos... Chaos is power, enriched by the heart... The controller serves to unify the chaos...\" Howler wasn't letting up, striking Rouge with his laser eye, and bombarding Violet with black bombs. Their desperate cries gave Knuckles pause, but he knew the only way to help them. \"Master Emerald, I beseech you... I know there's a great power in your way... But I need you to stop the emeralds' energy...one more time!!\" The Master Emerald started to glow brightly, working with all its might! The glow caught Howler's attention, and his limbs started shifting into various colored forms in his panic. \"No... NO!! You cannot...take this power...from me!! The world is mine...MINE!! I earned it! I worked centuries for it!! I will not be denied!!\" he shouted, howling in his defiant rage!\n\nAll of the Wisps flew out of Howler as he shrunk back down to his natural size, and those Wisps scattered off to escape their tormentor. Howler collapsed to his knees, panting in exhaustion and generally looking defeated. The Chaos Emeralds rolled away from him as Knuckles started to approach, pausing to look for Violet and Rouge. They were battered quite a bit, but the two girls seemed okay as they also started to approach Howler. The Master Emerald had also shattered again, but Knuckles couldn't worry about that now. \"All that time. All those centuries you talk about... Why, Howler?\" Knuckles asked, \"Why did you never once try to move past your hate and learn to live with, and maybe even love, other people?\" It wasn't just Howler, either. Ophiuchus, Mephiles, Apocalos, for whatever reason with as much time as they had on their hands, their only conclusion was selfish violence. Howler looked up and scoffed at him. \"This may shock you, island boy, but there's nothing to love. There isn't really such a concept, and it is naïve to think otherwise. All people, all beings live with hate in their hearts, and they always will, and it will always drive them to destroy! They are the ones that should be destroyed!\" he shouted, holding his side and groaning in pain. Violet crossed her arms. \"That's a load of garbage and you know it! Otherwise, you wouldn't have exploited peoples' bonds to build your army! We were like a family! And I spent years trying to save the family I found with your Covenant! And I succeeded!\" she shouted. \"He isn't worth the breath, hun.\" Rouge sighed. Howler smirked. \"And what brought your family together? It wasn't love, it was hate...for humans!\" he pointed out. Violet looked taken aback for a moment, but she shook her head at him. \"But only love could keep us together after the hate had passed. Looks like you'll never understand that, though.\" she sighed. \n\nHowler growled in pain as his arm was forcibly tugged up, and a clawed hand grabbed for his Despair Seal! \"It was quite a show, and I thank you for subduing this traitor! Now, watch what becomes of him!\" said Apocalos, lightning crashing behind him as he tore the Seal off of Howler's wrist and crushed it in his clawed hand! \"Noooo!!! Y-you can't, you... You monster!!\" Howler cried, terror flashing in his eyes as his body rapidly deteriorated without the Seal's power! He let out a mournful, miserable howl as his rotted corpse crumbled into dust before the eyes of his enemies! \"I hate to agree with Howler, but that WAS monstrous!\" Rouge gasped. Knuckles raised his fists, glaring at Apocalos as a thunderstorm raged around him. \"Kill a guy when he's down... You guys are nothing but cowards! I wanna settle this now!!\" he shouted. Violet gulped as she looked around. \"This might not be the best time...\" she murmured, pointing out motion amidst the castle rubble. Various Lost Ones were rising up through the cracks, and Apocalos laughed softly at them as they were being surrounded. \"You know full well he was already a corpse. But you, we offer eternal life...as Lost Ones!\" he sneered. Rouge had picked up the two Chaos Emeralds, and now looked around for the best escape route. \"Well, it's been fun, Knux, but I gotta fly!\" she said, flapping her wings and taking off! Knuckles growled and then sighed. \"A reckoning is coming!\" he grunted, turning and hurling several blasts from the Chaos Gauntlets to knock out any creatures in his way so that he and Violet could start to run! They could see Punchy and Rainbow approaching the castle as they fled. \"Aw, One, we missed the action!\" Rainbow sighed. \"No we didn't!\" Punchy grunted, pointing to lospides and loskulls chasing after Knuckles and Violet! \"We can catch up later, green! Let's shake these guys and find our friends!!\" Knuckles shouted. The battle with Howler was over, but the war was still just starting...\n\n\nGator's Crazy Adventure!!\n\nIt took Gator a while to figure out where he had to go to contact 2BIT. Each world BIT Squad used to watch over still had a Nexus Point through which the Squad could be contacted via Blocky. In this world, that Nexus Point just happened to be one of the places he'd already visited. \"It was the island!\" No, Gator. \"It was the Eggman island!\" No island, Gator. It was the spot where he'd been run over by the train. \"You really hate me, don't you, narrator?\" I don't make the rules, I just work here. (I totally make the rules.) Fortunately, the train wasn't running anymore due to \"Zombie Apocalypse Conditions.\" This left Gator all the chapters he needed since his last appearance to figure out how to access the Nexus Point. To be fair, it did involve a complex sequence of tapping bricks in the tunnel. \"Why can't you be easy, phone call?! Obey me!! I am INFINITY BIT!!\" After losing his temper and getting into a bit of a brawl with the wall, he somehow punched in the right code. A set of bricks pulled back to unveil a magic screen, and the polygonal form of Blocky could be seen. He appeared to be aboard a green pirate ship. \"Hey!! You took my ship! Mutiny! Orrr...hey, can you pick me up?\" Gator asked. Blocky beeped a couple times and turned his cubical head. \"Boss! It's Gator. Should I hang up, blip boop?\" he asked. \"If you hang up, I'll, I'll...cry...\" Gator whined. \"What could Gator want now?\" Approaching the screen, a certain light blue fox emerged, twirling a space blaster on his finger, \"Sorry if I've been hard to reach! Been having some adventures!\" he chuckled. Gator noticed some wooden chests behind the fox, implying that he may have taken his ship to more worlds than one. \"Well, I've had one CRAZY adventure! Narrator, help me tell the story, it's a doozy!\" Wha... I don't have time to retell fifty chapters now! I'm leaving! We'll have to catch up with these guys near the finale!\n\n\"Huh... Fifty chapters? Isn't that usually the end?? Oh boy, I get the feeling things have gone to pot without me to play god...\" - 2BIT\n\n\nChapter 51 - Friends or Foes?\nStage 24 - Chemical Plant\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"No such thing as fate for those who speed.\nA path out of time instead of just livin' it.\nSo many things erased before they begin.\nHopes un-dream instead of what could have been.\" - Seven Rings In Hand, Sonic & the Secret Rings\n\nPreviously on GeneX…\nAfter participating in a bit of a tournament and then battling the Covenant of Despair, it seemed Tails' group had gone on a wild goose chase after the same Chaos Emerald Skye had brought back from the future. However, Alpha had managed to snag it during the confusion of Despair's attack, and when Loscream's forces surrounded them, Fera warped Tails, his kids and Alpha to safety (while Pepper, Minnie and Whisk warped the others present for the tournament out of danger separately).\nRaven the Divine has largely been sitting out the action ever since Xezek's demise, feeling resentful that their so-called allies let him be destroyed.\nShadow Arcangel was destroyed on the approach to Demon Island, and the passengers have been stranded on the island ever since, including Team GeneX and Conan the raccoon.\nInfinite the jackal was sent by Apocalos to settle old scores and bring the Doomsayer prophecy to fruition by killing Tails once and for all.\nNow, our tale continues...\n\n\nTails, Fera, Melody, Skye and Alpha had all managed to reach Tails' Central City Workshop safely. They'd been unable to get into contact with the others, however, because every time one of the ProwerPhones rang, a startled Alpha shot the device out of a fox's hand, thereby wrecking it. Now they had no phones. \"Tell me again why we don't just take this dumb robot apart?\" Skye grumbled. \"Yes, I also would like to know.\" Fera growled. Tails shrugged. \"He's already come in handy nabbing the Chaos Emerald. He may not be very smart, but I think everyone deserves a fair chance.\" he stated. Alpha was spinning in a nearby chair like a child while he said that. \"Robots don't get dizzy! But they do get woozy! I'm gonna throw up!\" he shouted. The door to the workshop opened, and everyone looked that way apprehensively, but it was just Cosmo. \"Hey, she was at the tournament!\" Melody recalled. Cosmo sighed in relief. \"Everyone feared the worst when we couldn't contact you, but I thought checking here would be wise.\" she smiled. There was a bit of catching up to do for them; Skye explained that before coming to the Workshop, they'd looked for his time machine only to find the whole place they'd left it missing. Cosmo explained what their friends had learned; that Demon Island was back in the sky and assimilating other pieces of the world into itself. \"So... the time machine is most likely up there.\" Fera mused, \"Do you suppose the Lost Ones intend to use it?\" Tails shook his head. \"We'd probably already know if they were time traveling. They might be trying to lure us...\" he murmured. \"Can we go outside and play in traffic, daddy?\" Alpha asked, seeming bored. Cosmo glanced at him. \"So, why don't you destroy that robot?\" she asked, making Tails groan softly.\n\nTails called the Tornado via remote, and while they waited for the plane to arrive, they discussed who was going along. \"True, we could all go if I used both planes, but we're flying into enemy territory and I don't want to split my focus piloting a second plane remotely...\" Tails had stated. No one else among them had enough flight experience to fly themselves. \"I'm going up there...\" Fera stated, \"I have things to settle. A past to reconcile...\" she sighed. It was clear there wouldn't be a seat for Cosmo, and she sat herself down by one of Tails' workbenches. \"At least it should be fairly safe here...\" she murmured. Melody looked at her and nodded. \"I'll stay and keep you company. We'll keep each other safe!\" she smiled. Skye had to go anyway. He hugged his sister tight. \"You be careful on your own...\" he told her. The plane wasn't that far, and it soon arrived. As they all headed outside, Alpha tried to climb onto the plane's wing! \"Vroom, vroom! I wanna horsy ride!\" the deranged robot cried. Tails frantically tugged the robot away from his plane. \"You're too heavy for wing-walking! You'll have to stay here!\" he told him. \"Aw, boo!\" Alpha whined. With Cosmo and Melody keeping an eye on the robot, Tails got into the cockpit with Skye taking a seat behind him. Fera sat herself on the wing. \"Be prepared for anything! Remember, they want you dead desperately!\" she warned the foxes. Tails nodded. \"Can't let that happen. Too many people are counting on me!\" The plane started to take off, and as they took to the sky, Alpha soon caught up to them via his jetpack! \"Come back blue horsy! You're not the boss of cheese!\" he shouted. Skye looked at the robot blankly. \"Oh...goodie...he's coming after all...\" he murmured, not sounding too thrilled.\n\nSomehow, they landed on Demon Island without too much trouble. Or perhaps their arrival was part of the Lost Ones' plan. Either way, the plane was left on the outskirts of the forest, and as the group started to explore, they soon came across the survivors of Shadow Arcangel's destruction who were still together, who had themselves met up with Guard, Heather, Illusi and Aurora. \"Well, Tails is still alive. Guess I owe you a soda, Vortex!\" Zipp mumbled. \"I'm not in the mood...\" Vortex sighed. Alpha was kept busy annoying Crash and Talon, which left Tails and Skye to chat with the others, hoping to recruit help. In the meanwhile, Fera found herself alone with Illusi. \"....I saw an illusion of you.\" Fera told him. Illusi had no words. Instead, he held out his arms for her. She hesitated at first, but moving past that hesitation, she hugged him tightly, tears streaming from her eye as she tried to hide it in his neck. Illusi gently patted her head. \"You've been holding this in a long time, haven't you, child?\" he said softly. \"Shut up!\" Fera choked. For a moment, she was home, safe with him. Her pride wouldn't let her fully embrace the moment, but she got pretty close. While she dried her tears, Tails was talking to Conan and Emily. \"Time travel? There's an adventure I've yet to embark upon...\" the raccoon mused. Tails nodded. \"If we play it right, we can stop everything terrible that happened today!\" he explained. Conan glanced at Emily. \"All that and more...\" he mused, \"Allow us to accompany you.\" he offered. \"Ahh... S-sure.\" Tails babbled. Unfortunately, they weren't able to convince anyone else to go, most considered it a fool's errand. However, Aurora handed Skye her ProwerPhone. \"I'm gonna catch up to my parents. I think you may need this more than me.\" she told him. They glared at Alpha. \"Just gotta watch that one...\" Skye murmured. Through all of this, Gideon silently watched. It was especially focused on Skye and Aurora. \"...I fear these children's time...is nearly up...\" it whispered.\n\nSo, they set out with Conan and Emily added to their party. One of the first things they noticed was the ruins of Despair Castle, but that didn't much surprise them considering the island's prior stay under the sea; They'd be more surprised if the castle had been in one piece. With the ProwerPhone helping them track the location of Skye's time machine, they followed the signal, and found themselves passing by the Chaos Shrine, which gave both Tails and Fera pause. \"This is where I got the tailband the first time... How'd it get up here??\" Tails questioned. \"Uh, Cosmo already told us the island was assimilating places...\" Skye reminded him. Fera growled, stepping to the open door. \"The traumas of my past just have to follow me everywhere. Well, screw you, Gunner! I don't care what's in there!\" she scoffed, turning away from the building with a snarl. Emily tilted her head. \"I have a lot to learn about, don't I?\" she murmured. Conan nodded. \"I can tell the story of when I infiltrated this shrine and found it empty...but that's basically the whole story right there.\" he murmured. The group continued on, leaving the shrine in their memories, and soon the ProwerPhone led them to the most industrialized location assimilated into the island. Tails gasped to see it. Tubes of blue and purple, transporting pink liquids into giant vats. \"This is Eggman's Chemical Plant!\" he realized. It wasn't exactly the site of his first adventure with Sonic, but it was the first place they really started to work together, helping one another escape the clutches of Grabber robots as needed. Alpha jumped up and down, seeming a bit excited. \"Honey, I'm home!! Where's my cookie?\" he babbled. Fera looked at the vats the chemicals were being pumped into, and growled softly. The vats were full of slime. \"Seems like they've converted this facility for their own purposes...\" she growled.\n\nIt wasn't important to worry about what the Lost Ones wanted with a Chemical Plant. It was more important to get to the time machine. As the group began exploring, running across some of the piping, they noticed that ghostly Lost Ones were rising from the slime vats. In horrifying numbers. Conan clutched the deck of Chaos Cards, watching anxiously. \"They...don't seem interested in us, do they?\" he whispered. The spirits rose high into the sky before altering their course, heading for the rubble of Despair Castle. \"It's like they're manufacturing Lost Ones somehow... Or maybe they're powering them up?\" Tails considered. Alpha tried shooting at a few of the spirits. \"Creepy dead guys! I kill you!!\" the robot shouted as Emily and Fera grabbed onto him, trying to stop him from shooting. \"You stupid pile of broken parts! You want an army to rain down on us!?\" Fera growled. \"Yes!\" Alpha replied in a silly tone. \"I don't think the poor thing understands anything happening around it.\" Emily sighed. Fortunately, the entire army didn't come after them. However, some losharks leapt out of the vat and snapped their jaws at the pipeline they were standing on, threatening them! \"Let's get a move on before something worse jumps out!\" Skye suggested, leading the way as they ran across the pipes and arrived at one of the plant's many buildings, the purpose of which wasn't immediately known to any of them. Alpha was still trying to blast the Lost Ones as the girls dragged him. \"Bad guys! Where did you take daddy?? Put back our playhouse!!\" he shouted. Tails glanced at Alpha awkwardly. \"I think I've known him too long. That almost made some sense.\" he murmured. Conan let out a slight growl, looking around. \"I think we've been followed. Stay on your toes...\" he warned.\n\nAs they traveled across the exterior of the building, a divine dropped from the sky, landing in front of them! \"I knew it!\" Conan snapped, preparing to draw a card. It was a black divine with pink ears & tail stripes and a purple & red suit. It was Raven, Whisk's Dark. \"I'm not here to fight you. I want to tell you, using that time machine will be a big mistake.\" she said plainly. \"Why should we trust you??\" Tails asked. \"Indeed! You were with the morph who took the Chaos Sword from me!\" Conan snarled. Emily gasped. \"Wait, Conan... She made him spare your life!\" she told him. Skye and Tails looked surprised. \"Really? That doesn't sound like a Dark...\" Skye murmured. Conan started to step forward, a fierce look in his eyes. \"I don't care. We're using the machine, and it will send me back to the beginning! I'll save Emily before her death, before she can be experimented on and her memory stolen!!\" he declared, \"And you won't stop me!\" However, a bolt of dark lightning did stop his forward progress, and he turned to see an angry Fera. \"I can't have you mucking up the timeline before me! I'm going to repair my own past, so that I can have a future!!\" she growled. Alpha sat on the ground, watching intently. \"Oooh! They're doing a movie! I can't wait for the commercials!\" he babbled. Tails was beside himself. \"Fera, you can't mean that! Agh... The time machine is only to be used to stop the Lost Ones!!\" he insisted. Raven shook her head. \"It doesn't matter who gets their way, using that machine will spell disaster for all of you! You have to listen to me! Someone HAS to listen to me!!\" she cried. Fera sighed. \"We'll settle this later, Tails. Right now, I have to remove this obstacle from our path! And you hash it out with the raccoon...he was bound to betray us, anyway!\" she huffed. \"You're one to talk!!\" Conan snapped.\n\nSo, Fera charged at Raven, who leapt back and flapped her wings, hovering in the air. \"Are you kidding me!? How are you supposed to be the good guys!\" she spat, her wings starting to glow with energy as her frustration grew. Fera created dark flames in her hands, ready to counter what Raven would throw at her. \"Never claimed to be 'good,' so shut up!\" she shouted, tossing those flames only for a magic wind to blow from Raven's wings and put that fire out! She tried instead to zap Raven with dark lightning, but the divine vanished only to reappear behind her! Raven caught Fera in a headlock and tried to hold her still. \"Listen to me! I'm trying to tell you something important!\" she grunted. Fera managed to elbow her in the gut, and then shifted their weight, tossing the winged feline over her head! \"You may have tricks, but I have training! I would stay down if I were you!\" she warned. Raven groaned, and warped back into the air, flying a bit more shakily now. \"Maybe YOU don't deserve my help, but I want him to hear me out!\" she panted, pointing toward the scuffle between Tails and Conan. Fera couldn't actually tell which one she was pointing at, and she didn't much care. \"Help? Like your kind 'helped' us back on the Arcangel? Excuse me for being skeptical, but when people try to kill me... I repay them in kind!!\" the wolf shouted, once again sending dark lightning at the divine! Raven erected a shield of light, straining to keep it intact! \"I never tried to kill you... And I'm not like other Darks... Because a Divine can't be a being of pure darkness!\" she shouted, only to cry out in pain as Fera broke through her barrier! She fell to the ground, and Fera stared at her, tilting her head. \"That...apparently did hurt more that it should hurt a Dark...\" she observed.\n\nMeanwhile, Tails was busy taking on Conan. Much like Raven, Conan maintained the high ground, in his case using the Chaos Wing. He drew from the deck of Chaos Cards, ready to strike. \"Sorry it's come to this, but I owe Emily her life back!\" he shouted, tossing several cards towards Tails, which exploded around him! The fox leapt out of the smoke and took to the air, prepared to chase after Conan, while below Emily ran up to the two of them. \"Please, Conan! I don't want this! Come down from there right now!\" she cried. \"Stay back! I don't want you hurt in the crossfire!\" Conan shouted, holding up one of the cards to summon a whirlwind that made it difficult for Tails to stay airborne! Skye stepped up to Emily. \"Don't worry. My dad won't hurt him...he'll bring him to his senses!\" he told her. Easier said than done, Tails thought. He was pretty low on tricks after all they'd been through, but he did still have his arm cannon, which materialized around his hand as he pointed it at Conan. \"She has her life back! What about the world??\" he shouted, firing a blast as Conan tossed another explosive card, their projectiles colliding! The resulting shockwave forced them both to land, and Tails tried to keep the pressure on him with his laser. Conan dodged the shots, flicking the deck of cards from one hand to the other before producing several cards in the first hand. \"I don't share your altruism. Now, fall!!\" he shouted, holding up three cards, which each sent a different elemental energy bolting towards Tails! Flames, lightning and ice crashed around the fox, cutting off his escape! There was only one move to make. As Conan watched the elements surround the fox, he smirked, thinking he'd won. However, a light flashed, and a tail whip broke through the elemental barrier! He'd equipped a Chaos Tailband, and was looking pretty serious. \"I won't lose to you!\" he warned.\n\nWhile the battles unfolded, another being was flying overhead. Heavy wings flapped, a shadow looming over Emily and Skye. The squirrel glanced up, and could see a dragon swooping toward Skye! \"L-look out!\" she cried, pushing him aside only to get snatched up by the dragon instead! As she shrieked, Conan instantly dropped what he was doing. \"Emily!! Gah, it's you!!\" he stammered, recognizing the draconic form of Darkosmo! The morph scoffed. \"I meant to grab the foxy scientist, but I guess you'll do for a hostage, girly! Let's go somewhere more comfortable!\" he cackled, carrying Emily away as she cried out for help! Tails and Conan immediately gave chase, with Skye and Alpha quickly following. \"Aw, is the movie over?\" Alpha sighed. \"We'll have to set this aside for now. I have to save Emily!\" Conan said. Tails nodded. \"That, we can agree on!\" Fera was the last to follow after them, having decided to ditch the injured Raven. \"I guess we're taking a detour. But let's not forget we've still got things to settle!\" she grunted. As they left, Raven staggered to her feet. \"Wolf doesn't mess around... And now the morph's here. Fantastic. Maybe I should just cut my losses...\" she groaned, considering her options. She flapped her wings a bit, and started to rise into the air. \"Might as well see this through. It's better than sitting back and waiting for those slime balls to eat me. Not like there's anywhere to run to, anyway...\" she grumbled, starting after the others, albeit a bit slowly.\n\n\nAtop the Chemical Plant's buildings were smoke stacks, but they weren't spewing smoke. More ghostly spirits rose out of the smoke stacks, a very unsettling sight. And yet, atop one of these smoke stacks sat Infinite. He watched Tails and his group attempting to give chase below, a slightly amused smirk on his lips. \"So distractible. This is what emotional attachments get you. It might be TOO easy for me to accomplish my vengeance.\" he mused. \"Aww, you're gonna get bored?\" asked Lospecter as he poked his head out of the smoke stack, \"If it was really so easy, why hasn't anyone done it yet? I mean I could if I weren't so swamped. After I check on you I gotta scoop up this minion and that minion...always gettin' things ready for the boss' big bad plan!\" Infinite glanced toward him without turning his head. \"I detect an odd sort of exhaustion in your tone. I didn't think the dead could get tired.\" he grunted. Lospecter \"sat\" on the edge of the smoke stack next to him, yawning. \"I'm not dead, exactly, I'm Lost. It's like...an oddball sorta purgatory. Some of us are gifted with more sentience than others, some pretend to be sentient when really they're zombies using memory of life to trick the living. No matter what though... we can't feel like we used to.\" he sighed, almost sounding regretful. Infinite stood up, arms folded, a look of utter dispassion on his face. \"I don't need to feel. I will gladly join your efforts to purge this world of weakness and emotion, in pursuit of true power!\" he declared, starting to rise into the sky, almost like he was a spirit himself, but it was of course the Phantom Ruby's power lifting him. \"I will prove my might by ending the lives of those sentimental fools! So sit tight, and watch the show!\" he snarled as Lospecter watched him, letting out a weary sigh.\n\n\nChapter 52 - The Dark Morph\nStage 24 - Chemical Plant\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"Like a million faces, I've recognized them all,\nAnd one by one they've all become\nA number as they fall! (as they fall!)\n\nIn the face of reason, I can take no more.\nOne by one they've all become\nA black mark on the floor!\n\nIs it me, (Is it me)\nYou say (You say), you're looking for?\nLet me show you who I am and what I have in store... (in store...)\" - What I'm Made Of, Sonic Heroes\n\n\nDarkosmo flew up the side of a tall building, and the only real way to get up was to climb on strange yellow cubes. To this day, Tails had no idea what the purpose of those cubes was, but they were the only way Conan and Fera could feasibly get up there. Alpha started to fly up ahead. \"Bye bye, doggies! I must chase squirrel!\" he babbled. Conan scoffed and leapt up to the first cube. \"Let's not dawdle!\" he shouted. \"Wait, can't he fly?\" Skye pointed out. \"I don't think he's in a hurry to get his tail handed to him.\" Fera huffed. As they started their climb, Lospecter floated down towards them. \"I've got my share of stuff to do, but I thought I'd have a laugh before I go...\" he smirked. The group tried to ignore him, attempting to keep their footing as the blocky stairs turned around themselves. Tails stumbled and then started to fly to right himself, grabbing onto Skye to help him as well. Lospecter wasn't keen on being ignored, though. \"I just don't command the respect I used to. Well, see how ya like this!\" he smirked, snapping his fingers. At his command, the slimed chemicals started to rise from a grate in the ground, beginning to flood the area and chase the group as they climbed! \"This stuff will really eat away at ya... At your soul, that is! Have a good swim, kids!\" the ghost cackled, flying off! Tails gulped. \"I always hated this part! Let's move! Faster!\" he gasped. The golden cape on Conan's back changed into the glowing Chaos Wings, and he started to fly up quickly. \"Good luck!\" he shouted. \"You need me for the time machine!!\" Skye shouted. Groaning, Conan flew back and grabbed him. \"You're lucky you're not heavy!\" he complained, carrying Skye up and leaving Tails and Fera to race the rising \"lost-chemicals!\"\n\nBelow, the jaws of losharks gnashed at the surface of the liquid. Above, robots were attached to some walls, dropping laser balls down towards Tails and Fera. The wolf staggered to avoid these lasers as she leapt from cube to cube, trying to avoid falling into the approaching liquid. \"If just one thing could stop taking up my concentration, I'd thrash those machines in two seconds!!\" she snarled. Tails tried to fly his way up, but he had to land quickly to avoid the falling lasers, and to avoid getting squashed by moving cubes. \"Yeah, not sure how we're gonna get by!\" he gulped. As if in response, Alpha reappeared from the top of the building, and started shooting at the other robots on the way down! \"Bad porcupines! Leave my puppies alone!\" Alpha shouted. \"H-he's really helping us??\" Tails stammered. \"Only I can make a fur coat out of my puppies!!\" the robot added, shooting down at the losharks in a crazed manner. Fera warped herself up to a higher block and glanced down. \"I'd say to keep one eye on that one, but I only have the one to spare myself...\" she sighed. Tails flew up past Alpha and joined Fera as they neared the top of their climb. Angry, the snarling losharks seemed to somehow speed up the rising liquid! \"Doodlebugs! Ahh! I said a bad word!\" Alpha gasped, flying back up quickly. Tails was briefly worried about the increase in flooding speed, but Alpha grabbed both him and Fera on the way back up. \"Hey! Unhand me!! I won't trust my life to a machine, least of all you!!\" Fera shouted, struggling. However, they landed safely, and the liquid stopped rising just before the top. Alpha set Tails and Fera down and ran to catch up with Conan and Skye. \"But you'll trust the time machine?\" Tails replied to Fera's earlier shout. \"Ah... Wait, so are you!\" she retorted. \"Supporting my son. That's different.\" Tails replied, following after Alpha. Fera pouted, following behind him.\n\nThey found Conan and Skye at a bit of a crossroads. Skye was looking at the ProwerPhone that Aurora had given him. \"The time machine's close, we should follow the signal. We've lost the morph's trail anyway.\" he said. Conan looked around. \"I'm certain he wants to be found, and by Chaos, I'll make him regret it! With or without you!\" he snapped. Tails rubbed his chin. \"I'd half expect to find Dark Kosmo with the time machine anyway.\" he murmured. Fera sighed and stepped to Conan. \"Well, I'm not letting this fool out of my sight. He's bound to do something that we all end up regretting.\" she huffed. Conan scoffed at her, while Alpha stepped toward Skye, who hastily hid his ProwerPhone behind his back. \"H-hey there, buddy! What's up?\" he asked with a soft chuckle. Alpha turned his robotic head all the way around. \"Let's charge into battle, sarge! I'll cover you! Where's the blanket?\" the robot babbled. \"Huh?\" Skye murmured. He had to think about it a bit, but it seemed Alpha was choosing to help him. Which was good, because Tails started to follow after Fera and Conan. \"D-do you think you'll be alright, Skye? It's just, if they do find Dark Kosmo, I think they'll need my help. Keep your head down and let Alpha do the fighting, okay?\" he suggested. \"Don't worry, dad, I'll be fine. Do what you need to do.\" he told him. Conan and Fera were already leaving by this point. \"If any of you are coming, hurry it up!\" the raccoon shouted. Tails scampered after them, while Skye carefully took the ProwerPhone back out to check the tracker. \"Alright, Alpha, it's you and me...\" he murmured. \"Okay, fluffy Char!\" Alpha replied, confusing the fox a little.\n\n\nRaven had found Darkosmo first. It was a pretty large rooftop littered with smoke stacks where he had tied up Emily. \"What's the point of all this?\" Raven asked him, \"The Lost Ones will actually destroy the world, and Xezek got killed for that!\" she shouted. Emily looked at her with sympathy. \"I'm sorry for your loss. It's been a pretty awful day, hasn't it?\" she said, only for Darkosmo to cover her mouth with tape. \"Eggman is remarkably prepared for these kinds of situations, I have to give that to him.\" he grumbled, glancing at Raven, \"If only I could tape your mouth shut without you poofing away!\" he growled. Raven growled back at him. \"What exactly is wrong with you? Do you WANT those monsters to eat you when this is all over? No one's seen Zapp, Thrash or Vanitas lately, and I've got a bad feeling about them, too!\" she warned. Darkosmo morphed into her and mocked her voice. \"Ahh, I'm so scared, help me, help me! Oh won't you save my ass?!\" Then he changed back and spat in her general direction. \"Maybe you're a bit too young to know, but I tried to destroy the world before it was 'cool!' I have no love for you or the other Darks, you're no siblings of mine! I never even bothered to make up a dumb name to separate myself from my weak half, because I don't CARE! Once the Lost Ones kill the world, I'll kill them! And don't even try to get in my way!\" He then surprised Raven with a sudden kick to her gut, knocking her to the floor! \"You bastard!\" shouted Conan as he approached, \"Untie Emily this instant!\" Tails and Fera followed behind him. \"Watch yourself, Conan, he's a damn morph!\" the wolf grunted. Tails nodded. \"And he's a morph who won't listen to reason, I think...\" he said. Darkosmo snarled. \"How right you are. Now, at long last, I'll be able to take my revenge on you, Tails the Fox!!\"\n\n\"First, a hostage exchange! If you want this girl, hand over the boy!\" Darkosmo told them. However, a brief glance around the area easily told him that Skye wasn't there. \"Hold on, you split up? What is it with you idiots and splitting up? Gah, I should have seen that coming!\" the morph growled. Conan grabbed Tails by the arm, making him yelp. \"I can hand over this boy! Is he not valuable enough to your masters?\" he asked. Fera stood in his way, however. \"Try it. I dare you.\" she growled, dark energy glowing on her fingers. It didn't matter, because Darkosmo wasn't biting. \"I can kill him anytime. But if the kid goes backwards in time, it may just erase my body and put me back in the prison that is my weaker self! I need that twerp now!\" he snarled, apparently not putting together that killing Tails would take out Skye anyway, and certainly no one was about to make that point for him. \"Well, this is a waste of time! Guess I'll just kill my hostage!\" he growled, turning towards Emily only to see Raven at her side! \"You shouldn't have attacked me! Find yourself a new hostage!\" Raven scoffed, teleporting away along with Emily! \"You still have such a way with people, Dark Kosmo! Shame you haven't learned anything the way regular Kosmo has!\" Tails said with a smirk as Conan released his arm. Darkosmo glared at him, growling. \"What exactly did he learn? Compassion? Friendship? Love? Spare me! His weakness got him killed, and led to my creation! Only the strong should survive, and I'm the strongest there is!\" The morph started to glow, preparing to transform! Fera, Tails and Conan stepped back, watching and realizing that they'd have to work together if they wanted to survive this...!\n\nTails expected to see the Kosmogon again, and while he wasn't wrong, Darkosmo still managed to surprise him. The dark morph took on a larger, more terrifying draconic form, complete with three heads, three whiplike tails, and four strong wings on its back! He'd become a mutant hydra! The three heads spoke in unison, their glowing eyes glaring at each of the smaller mobians fiercely. \"They say these chemicals will do things to you... Maybe I should drop you in and see!\" the Hydrasmo snarled! Conan took to the air using the Chaos Wing. \"I'd rather see if you'll grow more heads after I cut one off, demon!\" he shouted. Fera glanced at Tails with a calculating expression. \"If there were ever a time for your Relic...\" she murmured. \"You're right!\" Tails gasped, producing both tailbands in his hands. He then surprised Fera by tossing one to her! \"You'll need a little help, too!\" he said. Fera looked at the golden band, stammering a bit. \"I...work in the dark. Not the light.\" she protested. Tails slipped the single band onto one of his tails. \"It's time you tried something new!\" he told the wolf. \"Cut the chatter, down there! As amazing as I am, there's only so much of this I can handle on my own!\" Conan shouted. Hydrasmo was chasing him through the air, between the smokestacks, blowing both actual flames and dark flames at Conan from either of his side heads' mouths. \"Lure him back low! We're not going super here!\" Tails shouted. Fera scoffed, and slipped the tailband on her tail. \"You could have. If you die, it's your own fault!\" she snapped. Tails glanced at her with a smile. \"I don't think you'll let that happen, buddy!\" he winked. Conan crashed to the ground between them, the Chaos Cards scattering out of his hands as Hydrasmo loomed over the group. \"Enough appetizer... Now for the main course!!\" his heads hissed!\n\nFera scooped up a couple of the dropped Chaos Cards as she walked by Conan. They'd need every advantage they could get if they were going to beat a morph. Two of the three heads darted down towards the canines, planning to snap them up in their teeth! But Tails and Fera gave them each a good smack with their band-powered tails! Darkosmo growled, the third head foaming at the mouth with flames! \"Cool off!\" Fera shouted, holding up one of the cards and summoning a burst of water to douse the fire! They'd managed to delay Hydrasmo long enough for Conan to start moving again, but he was hurt and they needed to draw the morph's attention away or he'd likely be killed. Fortunately, help arrived as Raven landed on top of his middle head! She gave him a kick, and his left head turned to snarl at her. \"What kind of idiot are you?! Want them to erase you? Have you put back in the body-box you came from?!\" he snapped. \"Maybe. I don't know! I know I don't want the world you and those monsters offer!\" she replied, flying up a bit to avoid the flames spouted from the head glaring at her! Fera vanished in a burst of black energy, getting up on the hydra's back! \"Hit me here, I dare you!\" she smirked. Hydrasmo started to flap into the air, trying to shake her off as she held on! Tails followed after them, trying to find a good opening to strike the morph in some way. \"Keep hanging on, Fera! He can't hurt you back there!\" he shouted. \"I'll hurt somebody!!\" Darkosmo shouted, \"Or I'll make somebody do it for me!! KOSMOS!!\" As the three heads flailed about, the six glowing eyes shot out beams that would darken the mind of anyone struck by them! Tails took cover under the morph to avoid them, but Conan could barely move! To protect him, Raven teleported in front of him, taking the attack! \"Well, that does me no good...\" Conan gasped as he saw Raven turn his way, a crazed look in her eyes!\n\n\"Conan!!\" Emily had come back, and in her concern, she'd given her position away to the crazed Raven. She snarled, her eyes swirling with rage! Conan had to act fast. He grabbed a card and held it up. \"Buzz off, birdbrain!\" he shouted, summoning a strong wind that blew Raven backward! During the distractions, Tails managed to fly up onto Hydrasmo's back with Fera. \"Hopefully Conan and Emily can manage without us. Now, how are we gonna knock out this morph?\" he asked. \"You're asking me?? You're the one who's done this before!\" Fera snapped. The three heads were all turned to look at them. \"Why don't I put an end to this very simply?\" those heads hissed. Before Tails and Fera could act, they were suddenly grabbed by the long tails of the morph wrapping around their bodies! Hydrasmo then took to the air again, flying off the roof and over a large vat of slime-mixed chemicals, filled with hungry losharks! \"One of us needs a plan, fast!\" Tails shouted. Darkosmo cackled in triumph. \"My plan is to watch you both be shredded by sharks! Then, I'll take my time ripping apart your puny little friends!\" he roared. Fera reached her hand towards Tails. \"Do you trust me?!\" she cried. The morph dropped them, and Tails grabbed her hand as they started to fall. \"Completely!\" Tails cried. Gritting her teeth, Fera first tossed her remaining cards upwards, creating a series of explosions to conceal them from view! \"Hey! I want to watch!!\" Darkosmo snarled. High above, Tails and Fera reappeared through a dark warp, and they started to plummet towards the distracted morph at high speed! \"This is like...\" Tails started, \"...A Double Boost!!\" Fera finished. Darkosmo heard them and looked up, but it was too late to stop their descent! \"Wait, NO!!\" he roared as the duo spun around, smacking him forcefully with all the might of the tailbands channeled into their tails at once!\n\nThough Darkosmo tried to fly, his draconic form was too heavy to make up for the force of the impact, and he roared defiantly as he plummeted into the chemicals, the losharks leaping out and diving back onto him in order to enjoy their meal...of his soul. Tails grabbed Fera's arm again before she could fall, and with all the might his two tails could muster, he started to fly them back to the rooftop. There, they found a slightly disoriented but otherwise back to normal Raven, as well as Conan and Emily working together to finish collecting the Chaos Cards. \"Well, I think we've got maybe a few minutes before a Lost-Dark-Kosmo bursts out of there and comes after us, so it might be good to run and find Skye now.\" Tails told them. Raven nodded. \"I'll port out anyone who wants to join me.\" she said, \"Best to get far away from this place...\" Conan stood up with the full deck and nodded. \"Emily and I will join you... I think... We'll make up for lost time in our own way.\" he said, glancing at her. Emily smiled warmly. \"I'd like that.\" she said, hugging him. \"Aww...\" Tails said with a soft chuckle before turning to Fera. \"I'm still going with you...\" she said, making his ears droop briefly at the implication. \"However...\" Fera added, \"I've decided not to alter my past. Something about what doesn't kill you making you stronger, I suppose. And what do I want, to be weak?\" she asked, starting to walk away. Tails tilted his head as he watched her. \"Besides...\" she added, \"We'd never meet, and then what would you do without me?\" she smirked, glancing back. She then offered him her fist, and smiling broadly, Tails gave it a bump with his. \"Alright! Let's get a move on, buddy!\" he said cheerfully. Raven stepped over to Conan and Emily, warping them away as Tails and Fera set out to find Skye...\n\nSoon enough, they found Skye and Alpha. \"Everything okay, dad?\" Skye asked. Tails nodded. \"More or less. Any luck with the time machine?\" he asked. Skye chuckled awkwardly. \"Well...\" he murmured, glancing at Alpha. Fera glared at the robot. \"Ohh, you broke it and made this whole trip for nothing. Well now I'll smash you!\" she snarled. \"No, don't!\" Skye cried, blocking her, \"...he IS the time machine now.\" Fera's one eye notably bulged, and Tails' eyes widened in surprise, too. \"Whaaaat?!\" they shouted at once. Alpha's head popped open, and an odd antennae and satellite dish popped out. Also, a hatch on his chassis opened, revealing the two identical Chaos Emeralds installed. Skye rubbed his head awkwardly. \"The Lost Ones had trashed the machine when I got there, so I... I kinda used Alpha for replacement parts...\" he explained. Alpha raised his arms in reverence. \"I have transcended! I have seen the ultimate truth!\" the robot declared. \"Err... Y-you have?\" Tails asked cautiously. Alpha suddenly did a disco pose, pointing up in the air. \"The ultimate truth of dance! Feel the power!!\" he shouted, starting to spin and groove as his speakers played some music Tails could swear he'd heard before. Skye twiddled his thumbs at that. \"Seems his... personality... is part of the soul he got from GeneX energy being used in his creation.\" he murmured, \"But don't worry! I control the time travel element using the ProwerPhone, he can't control it!\" he assured them. Fera let out an exasperated sigh at that. \"So, now that we have it, what do we do with it?\" she questioned. Tails looked thoughtful. \"Anywhere in the past we go, the Zodiac Council would notice us...\" he stated, \"...except for one place, that's so temporally messed up that they'd never notice!\" he realized. Skye tilted his head. \"Ah, really? Where to, then?\" he asked. Tails chuckled softly. \"Well, I guess you might call it... A Time Collision!\"\n\n\nChapter 53 - Return to the Labyrinth of Eras\nStage 24x - Time Collision\n\nNote: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?\nGeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.\n\n\n\"I wanna fly high,\nSo I can reach the highest of all the heavens.\nSomebody will be,\nWaiting for me so I have gotta fly higher.\nGotta keep going!\nEverything is a brand new challenge for me.\nI will believe in myself!\nThis is the only start for me.\" - Believe in Myself, Sonic Adventure\n\n\nBefore our tale continues, we briefly return to the destroyed world that Sonic and a few friends were trapped in, and escaped from. Exactly when this scene is taking place, who can say, but between some crumbling buildings walks the Doomsayer, bringing the rain with him as he goes. He meets an impatient Lospecter, tossing the Chaos Key in one hand while twirling his single Chaos Card in the other. \"What are we doing back in this dusty place, anyway?\" the ghost asks as the Doomsayer removes his hood, revealing himself as Apocalos. The villain smirks wide, looking behind Lospecter to see an Eggman Capsule, the kind that typically housed animals inside. This one was custom built with a special lock, and it appeared that the likes of Sonic wouldn't be able to open it merely by jumping on it. Apocalos stepped over and tapped the capsule, lightning striking the crumbling buildings behind him as he did. \"You didn't peek, did you?\" he asked Lospecter. The ghost shrugged. \"Should I have? Is there something interesting in this package?\" he asked. Apocalos chuckled softly. \"I am leaving nothing to chance. Our plans should be unstoppable, but should those so-called heroes manage to gain an advantage on us, I'll need you to recover this capsule.\" he told him. Lospecter laughed softly. \"If they gain an advantage, it'll be because they took my key and I can't pull back the capsule!\" he said, tapping the key with the card. Apocalos looked at him with a lightly frustrated sneer. \"You seem to have forgotten the powers of the relics. It isn't the key's power to summon, now is it? You're just exploiting the key's unlocking power to its maximum potential.\" he said, starting to walk away. \"...You'll figure it out. Right now, I have somewhen to be...\" the hooded Lost One sighed. Lospecter chuckled to himself. \"Sure, what's one more job! ...Somewhen?\" \n\n\nSkye set the destination time using the ProwerPhone, and Alpha was compelled to fire a special beam from his laser hand, but this wasn't a laser. The beam opened a time portal, not unlike the ones created by double Chaos Control or by Chronokadabra. \"I guess you'd better come with us, Alpha...or else we won't be able to get back!\" Tails murmured. \"Get back what?\" the robot asked. Shrugging, the quartet proceeded through the portal, which should have taken them to the Time Collision, the point in time when Temporal Emperor Mephiles created a labyrinth out of various locations torn from across time and space. Fera had no memory of this incident; This was most likely during her Felicia choir girl days of amnesia. But she trusted Tails by now, and she followed his lead, which apparently landed them aboard the Death Egg. \"Huh, I don't remember the Death Egg being in the maze... Also is this the first Death Egg or the one Sonic was held prisoner in?\" Tails murmured. It actually resembled the latter more. How would Mephiles even know to take locations from the future? Fera looked around, some flashes of Felicia's memory coming to her from when she raced to free Sonic from his cell. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to reminisce. \"So, how do we change the future from here? Keep in mind, if you stop the Lost Ones from the past, we'll likely go back to being adversaries.\" she pointed out. Alpha gasped. \"Don't say adveries! This game is rated E for Everyone! Or, um... M for Mobians?\" the robot babbled, confusing itself. Skye scratched his head. \"Ahhh, I didn't think this far into the plan. Aren't you in this time somewhere, dad?\" he asked. Tails nodded. It was just a matter of recalling where he'd be, and how to get there...if any of that were even possible.\n\nAs they searched for a way out of the Death Egg, they noticed droplets of water falling from above. \"...Coolant leak?\" Skye asked. Tails shook his head. \"...Rain.\" he realized, as an automatic door opened in front of them, revealing the Doomsayer! He stepped forward, removing his hood, and making Tails gasp to see that it was Sonic. \"Escaping to the past won't change your fate... And I'm afraid I can no longer protect you.\" the hedgehog said, his voice still raspy and creepy. Alpha skipped around, pointing his laser at Sonic. \"My blue kitty sounds sick! Let's put him down! On the ceiling!\" the robot babbled. Fera yanked Alpha's arm, stopping his movement. \"Not now, you metal...child!\" she grunted. Tails stared at Sonic, slowly putting things together in his mind. \"Right, it makes sense. You saved me before because you're Sonic. You couldn't actually want the world destroyed!\" he said, stepping toward the Doomsayer only for Skye to tug his hand. \"Uh, dad? When I saw him take off his hood, he was the leader of the Lost Ones!\" he pointed out, remembering the encounter at the Clock Tower. Sonic nodded. \"When I started time traveling, I took the Doomsayer's name. I couldn't be Sonic, there was already a Sonic in the past...and I wasn't him anymore...\" he said, a twinge of melancholy in his voice. Fera glanced around the room slowly, noticing shadows moving amongst the machinery. \"Tails, we'd better get past this guy, quickly...\" she warned. \"Sensors detect ouchies.\" Alpha added. Tails looked around as well, and then looked at Sonic with shock. \"You...set a trap for us??\" he stammered. Sonic looked at the ground. \"The world is doomed to die. I can't save you... It's best everything ends in one quick day, rather than slowly and painfully...\" he said.\n\nAs a variety of Lost Ones began to crawl out of the shadows, Apocalos approached the group from behind, letting out a sinister laugh. \"Your friend didn't have to sell you out. Your plan was obvious, your destination predictable. There are so few points in history you can go where the Zodiac Council won't notice your meddling... Myself, I chose a date after the fall of Zodiac, where their planned history was altered and events were beyond their sight... Particularly a day when you fools would be distracted with a far more feeble threat.\" the more sinister Doomsayer explained while the group turned to look his way. \"Yeah, that's the one I remember...\" Skye gulped. Tails grit his teeth. Apocalos was right, the plan was a bit obvious in hindsight. They should have been better prepared for a trap. \"It doesn't matter! We'll still stop you!\" he snapped. Apocalos crossed his arms. \"Is that really your choice of final words? Pathetic...\" he sighed. Fera scoffed at him. \"If everything we do is so obvious, this part should be more obvious, too!\" she shouted, pulling Alpha into a close huddle with the others before using her dark powers to warp them away! Sonic quickly sped off as well, leaving Apocalos alone with his minions. \"Oh, dear child, it is perfectly obvious. Which is why I didn't come alone...\" Apocalos said to himself, a wicked smile crossing his fanged face. Elsewhere in the Death Egg, Fera, the foxes and Alpha emerged. Fortunately, an escape hatch was close by, too. After Alpha blew it open, Fera gasped upon seeing the absolute chaos outside. They were indeed within the Time Collision, as Eggman ships, ancient ruins, fiery future cities and other temporally displaced locales were mashed up into a tangle around Green Hill. The closest thing to land on for the moment was a massive uprooted tree stump from Giant Jungle, so Tails spun his namesakes and started to lead the way. \"And if you see a Chaos Emerald, leave it!\" he said. Past-Sonic would need it.\n\nSo, they needed to find someone to tell all the crazy things they knew were going to happen. Someone who could relay the information to everyone else and then, between them, they could make a plan to prevent it all. Save SPOT, save Razor, save the future, and the world. The problem was that neither Tails nor Alpha recognized the part of the labyrinth they were in at all. Alpha probably wouldn't anyway, but that still didn't help find anyone. They found themselves running along a strange cylindrical landmass with beach sand, grass and water. It was part of Lost Hex's Tropical Coast area, something Tails definitely didn't recall seeing in the labyrinth last time. Above them loomed a Bingo Highway pinball table, and in between were flying robots from both eras, as well as bits of debris from other zones. Alpha fired up at some buzzbombers as he followed the others. \"I hate beach bees! By all known laws of graviation, a beach should not be able to fly!\" the robot shouted. \"...I weirdly agree.\" Skye murmured. Tails flew up on top of a palm tree to look around while Fera glared at an approaching crabmeat robot. \"That doctor, always trapping animals...\" she growled. \"Wait! Heed me! I am Cancer, and I am trying to understand this strange time anomaly!\" the robot shouted. Fera smashed it with a dark energy blast anyway, freeing a Flicky trapped inside. \"We don't need anyone with a Zodiac sign for a name poking around...\" she murmured. Tails hurried down from the palm tree as Egg Flappers from Bingo Highway chased after him, firing lasers! \"We can't find anyone like this!\" he shouted, leading those robots on a chase to a geyser, where they foolishly crashed into the water as it shot upwards! \"Let's just keep moving. Better than letting the Lost Ones find us...\" Skye murmured.\n\nThe labyrinth was tricky to navigate, and took them across a variety of locales from throughout time and space. Eventually, they found themselves running along one of the walkways surrounding the Eggman Empire Fortress, the tower base that the doctor had used when he'd conquered the world, and the amnesiac Felicia had joined the Resistance to defeat him. Fera groaned at their arrival in this place. \"Obviously, we won't find anyone we need here. Nobody got any spoilers from traversing this maze, did they?\" she asked Tails. \"Yeah, somehow they avoided seeing anything they shouldn't...or maybe seeing someplace like this just didn't mean anything to anyone back then.\" he murmured. Suddenly, a familiar whirring noise sounded out, and a phantom creature smashed through the wall of the fortress! It was a large black shadow with clawed hands and a head resembling a mask. \"Infinite!?\" Tails gasped, moving back along with Skye and Alpha. Within the shadow, Infinite's laugh could be heard. \"Traveling in time? I suppose we all would like a do-over. I know I would like the opportunity to tear you limb from limb properly!\" he sneered, the Phantom Ruby flashing inside the shadowy phantom as its power started to manipulate the maze, creating a space to battle that was made up of pieces of several other zones! Tails, Fera and the others were forced to leap for this floating arena as the ground beneath their feet started to crumble, giving Infinite a true home field advantage. The jackal left behind that phantom shadow, letting it dissolve as he floated high above his adversaries. His maskless, scarred face glared at them. \"The Lost Ones have facilitated this reunion, and all they want in return is the same thing I want...for your time in this world to end!\" Using the Ruby's power, Infinite created a pair of long, glowing red blades that attached to his forearms, \"It will be my pleasure to be your executioner!\" he snarled.\n\nTails and Fera were both still wearing a Chaos Tailband from their earlier fight with Darkosmo. There wouldn't be time to give Tails the second one and turn him Super, as Infinite charged them with those blades straight away! They each dodged in an opposite direction, while Skye took cover behind Alpha. Infinite scoffed at the hiding fox. \"I don't need to attack you. Once I kill your father, you'll just vanish from history.\" he pointed out. \"Oh, no! History go boom!\" Alpha gasped, suddenly running around and hiding behind Skye! Infinite grunted suddenly as Tails zapped him in the back with his laser-cannon, having materialized it around his hand. \"Stop scaring my son!\" he warned. Infinite turned towards him. \"I'll give you a fright instead...\" he said, the Phantom Ruby flashing before a shadowy version of his mask emerged from it, zooming towards Tails like a projectile! The fox leapt up and started to fly away as the mask chased him, so Fera stepped in to take on Infinite for a moment. Seeing her coming, the jackal motioned with his clawed hand, and using the Ruby to manipulate the environment, caused a pillar of checkered earth to rise up beneath Fera's feet, shaking her off-balance as he rose up to meet her! \"You have no prototype Ruby to stop me now! How would you like a trip to the Sun?!\" he growled, creating a small ball of fire in the sky above the pillar! Fera shielded her eye, smirking at him. \"I prefer the shadows under the moon...\" Cloaking herself in shadows, she warped off the pillar and behind Infinite, smacking him with a strike from her Relic-powered tail! Infinite crashed into the pillar, which crumbled at his touch! He emerged to find Tails flying towards him. He blocked the fox's path with glowing red cubes, which burst into several spikes! Tails dropped down to the platform below, letting the phantom mask crash into the spikes instead. \"You both will have to do better... With Eggman's fortress close by, my Ruby can draw power from it! You can't wait me out this time!!\"\n\nInfinite rose up above the platform, and then the Phantom Ruby whirred, its power grabbing hold of and debris close by and hurtling it down onto the group on the platform below! A broken, ancient-looking statue from Death Chamber, an old-timey projector from Studiopolis, seemingly the same subway train Tails was stuck in earlier that day, the rain of projectiles were as random as they were dangerous, and they were tearing apart the platform as well, as Tails desperately flew and leapt between objects to find a steady foothold, Fera warped about, and Skye rode on Alpha's back as the robot hovered above the chaos! The platform was soon whittled to a small, unstable space, but Tails and Fera landed there safely, and looked around for Infinite. \"Where are you hiding?! Did your theory prove wrong and your Ruby run out of juice after all??\" Fera growled. Tails glanced toward Fera, and gasped to see Infinite charging her from behind. \"Watch out!!\" he shouted, diving into her, trying to knock her out of the path of the phantom blades attached to the jackal's arms as they slashed across the space where she stood! Fera gasped, underneath the fox, whom she heard scream in agony! \"T-tails??\" she stammered, looking down. Her eye widened as she saw something truly horrifying. The tail that hadn't been protected by the tailband...was now limp on the ground, several feet removed from his body. Tails held the stumpy remains of that tail, rolling off of Fera and shedding pained tears. \"A-are you...okay...Fera?\" he choked through the pain. Infinite stood over them, pointing a blade at each of them. \"Your heads are next...\" he said plainly. Fera grit her teeth, tears flowing from both eye sockets. \"You...bastard!! You'll PAY!!\" she shouted, striking at the jackal with dark lightning in a furious rage!\n\nSkye could hardly process what he was seeing, but the sharp pain he felt in his gut forced him to process it. \"D-dad!! No!\" he gasped, knowing that this sudden pain meant his future existence was being threatened. \"Sensors detect ouchies again...\" Alpha added, and Skye looked around to see flying Lost Ones closing in on their position. \"I have to...do something!\" Skye gasped. Down below, Fera was pouring all she had into the dark lightning she was striking Infinite with, but the jackal fought back with his own red lightning, the two forces clashing and pushing against one another, each trying to overwhelm the other! \"Shame, I like this feisty version of you so much better... But I owe you a reckoning for standing against me!\" Infinite snarled. \"Oh, you'll get a reckoning!!\" Fera snapped back, but her words were only words in this case. The Phantom Ruby was beating her. Tails struggled to his feet, determined to push through the pain and find a way to help, but he fell to his knee. \"Aaaahh!!\" His wound was overpowering. It was like losing a limb...it WAS losing a limb. Skye and Alpha landed beside him, and hopping off the robot's back, Skye used the ProwerPhone to activate his time travel features. \"You have to go back, Dad! Take Fera, too!\" he shouted, handing the phone to his father. \"What? Wait... Skye, don't!!\" he shouted, realizing what he was going to do. \"I don't belong here... But you and Fera...you can help save the future for everyone! Go!!\" he shouted, throwing himself between Fera and Infinite suddenly, shrieking as their lightning struck him! Fera stopped immediately, gasping. \"Y-you fool!!\" she stammered, growling before turning to help Tails to the time portal. She was a soldier. She knew when to cut her losses. \"No, Skye!!\" Tails cried as Fera carried him to the portal. The last Tails saw of his son, was Infinite running the shocked boy through with the same blade that severed his tail. Fera, Tails and Alpha vanished into the portal, while the Lost Ones surrounded the platform, Apocalos landing from above next to Infinite. \"Will this Prower's death suffice?\" the jackal asked, looking at the body on the ground dispassionately. Apocalos nodded slowly. \"Yes...\" Then, he grasped Infinite by the throat with one claw, pulling away the Phantom Ruby with the other! \"Wh-what!? B-but I served you...well!\" Infinite gagged. \"You can now serve me...with your soul!\" Apocalos sneered.\n\nAlpha, always the distractible one, abandoned Tails and Fera just outside the Chemical Plant. Fera took some time to bandage up the fox's wound, and then sat beside him on the ground, placing an arm around him as he started to sob for his son. Once Fera might have berated him for such sentimentality. Today, however, she found herself gripping him tightly with that arm, resting her head against his shoulder. \"Let it out...\" If anyone deserved a moment to cry right now, they were among them.\n\nAs Sonic chased Eggman, a time portal opened in front of him, halting his pursuit. Out of the portal, Skye's body was tossed, and then Apocalos slowly stepped out behind him, a low, sinister laugh rising in his throat. \"S-skye... No...\" Sonic gasped, dropping down beside the body and cradling him in his arms. \"Skye!\" he cried. Apocalos' laughs intensified. A tear dropped from Sonic's cheek down to Skye's nose, and the hedgehog slowly looked up at his enemy, rage burning in his green eyes. \"He's just a kid!!\" he shouted. Apocalos grinned wide, his tyrannosaur fangs sticking out. \"He was the key... The prophecy is now fulfilled. You and your friends' resolve is sufficiently broken, and the world will end...giving rise to my Lost World! To a multiverse of Lost Worlds!!\" he declared, thunder crashing around him as he laughed! Eggman observed the scene from the shadows behind, and turned his Egg Mobile away, flying into the woods with an anxious expression. Sonic placed Skye on the ground tenderly and stood up, glaring at Apocalos. \"You made up the prophecy! It's just your mind game, and I can put a stop to it!\" he shouted. \"Can you, though? I'd check in on your own child, if I were you!\" Apocalos laughed, lightning striking around him again to cover his disappearance. Eggman could wait. Sonic turned around, suddenly worried for his family...\n\nTo be concluded...",
  "writing_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Sonic GeneX: Doomsday<br />Arc 4 - Heroes Rise Up<br />Chapter 43 - World Beyond Doomsday<br />Stage 21 - World&#039;s End<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;You know, every world will have its test. (have its test)<br />Don&#039;t blame for what I have become!<br />You know every world will come to end. (come to end)<br />And I&#039;ll create your final rest!<br /><br />I can taste the day, (taste the day)<br />Savor night, (savor night)<br />Scream your dreams,<br />As you dare to fight, dare to fight!&quot; - With Me; Sonic &amp; The Black Knight<br /><br />Previously on GeneX&hellip;<br />Sonic had faced his fears within the Dream Temple. With renewed perspective, he set out in search of the Lost Ones&#039; fortress on Chip&#039;s instructions.<br />GUN had gathered a number of heroes, and got them together on a GUN Warship, hoping to launch a counterattack on the Lost Ones. However, the Lost Ones caught on and attacked them first.<br />Now, our tale continues...<br /><br /><br />With the Lost Ones attacking GUN&#039;s Warship, the heroes aboard were doing their best to defend the bridge. This included Team Rose, who were busy battling a squad of loskels and loskulls. Cream flew about directing Cheese while Big cast his fishing line to catch and swing some of the creatures around. Amy smacked a floating loskull away with her hammer and growled. &quot;Don&#039;t underestimate us! We&#039;re not afraid of you!&quot; she shouted, charging the next enemy with her hammer. &quot;...We&#039;re not?&quot; Big asked nervously. &quot;We&#039;ll be okay if we stay together!&quot; Cream reassured him. They heard a shout across the room, and saw Tommy the porcupine getting surrounded by loskulls. They couldn&#039;t spot the boy&#039;s friends at the moment, so Amy led the charge to the rescue, swatting away the creatures in her path with the Piko Piko Hammer on the way! Big&#039;s fishing line grabbed a loskull and hurled it aside while Cream flew past it, placing herself between the monsters and Tommy. &quot;L-leave him alone!&quot; she shouted. &quot;Why wouldst mine allies depart?&quot; Cream froze as she heard the alliteration in Tommy&#039;s voice. &quot;N-not him again!&quot; she squeaked as Tommy grabbed her, transforming into Loskeletor in front of the surprised Amy and Big! Lospecter appeared next to him and created a portal, through which the skeleton tossed Cream! Cheese was quick to chase after her, while Amy and Big charged past the loskulls furiously. &quot;We won&#039;t let you take her again!!&quot; Amy shouted, lifting her hammer in an attempt to strike Loskeletor, only to be sidestepped and tumble into the portal! Nervous, Big hopped into the portal behind her. &quot;Hold on, Froggy! Yaaaah!&quot; he wailed. Lospecter closed the portal and spotted Tommy, Katie and Chet as they were entering the hall, waving at them. &quot;Good news, kids, we got the insurance policy we came for, so I&#039;m taking my toys and headin&#039; off to take that pesky blue blur off the board!&quot; the ghost announced, creating a new portal in the floor, through which he and the other Lost Ones escaped! Tommy let out a sigh, nervously clutching his Wispon while Katie and Chet looked around anxiously. &quot;...Where&#039;s Amy?&quot; Katie asked. &quot;I got worse news... That wasn&#039;t all the Lost Ones. We still got work to do...&quot; Chet groaned.<br /><br /><br />Sonic had run from the Dream Temple to Station Square, where he&#039;d been told the Lost Ones had raised a fortress. Demon Island, the fortress in question, was long gone by this time, and Sonic was unsure where to go after a brief look around. &quot;Maybe I shoulda asked for more details...&quot; he murmured, stopping when he heard someone call &quot;Dad!&quot; He turned to see Juice running up to him, panting a bit. &quot;Glad I found you again! I kinda got turned around after warping out of a mess with Pepper and Casey and...that doesn&#039;t matter! They&#039;ll call me if they can find Skye and his dad.&quot; he said with a relieved chuckle. Sonic crossed his arms. &quot;You sayin&#039; Tails is missing? Ahh... But I guess we got more important things to worry about right now. Can&#039;t lose track of the bigger picture after comin&#039; this far...&quot; he murmured. &quot;Did someone lose track of something?&quot; Lospecter&#039;s voice caught the hedgehogs&#039; attention, the ghost floating up through a manhole cover. He smirked at them. &quot;Papa, baby... Oooh, but where&#039;s mama? Oh, dear, whatever might have happened to her?&quot; he laughed, taunting them. Juice growled. &quot;What are you saying?? Ha! I&#039;m just fine so mom&#039;s just fine!&quot; he laughed. Lospecter held up his single Chaos Card, idly twirling it. &quot;For how long, I wonder? Kinda stuck in an awful, awful place. And I&#039;ll neeever tell ya where it is.&quot; he taunted. Sonic shrugged. &quot;You&#039;re just words, then. Let&#039;s go, Juice-&quot; His son didn&#039;t listen, angrily charging at Lospecter. &quot;You give her back, right now!!&quot; he yelled. &quot;Hey! Wait!&quot; Sonic gasped, leaping after Juice as Lospecter produced the Chaos Key! Sonic stumbled into his son, and the pair tumbled into the portal Lospecter had created! &quot;Enjoy the sneak preview, hedgehogs! You won&#039;t live to see it happen to your world!&quot; the ghost laughed as the portal vanished, leaving Sonic and his son trapped...on another world entirely!<br /><br />The world around them was in utter ruin. It seemed like the place they were standing in might have been a city once, but the buildings were smashed, and on top of that, the ground itself was broken into pieces, chunks floating away slowly into space. It was a dead world. &quot;Is... is this what happens to the worlds the Lost Ones conquer?&quot; Sonic wondered, looking around with shock. Juice had more of a horrified expression. &quot;I think... this may be what happens if the Lost Ones get a world&#039;s Gaia Wellspring. Starr sent us some info about this... The wellsprings are the source of all the life energy in a world. Maybe not...ALL worlds... Junior had some comments about that. Hey, Junior! Maybe he&#039;d know how we can get outta here!&quot; Juice babbled, producing his ProwerPhone. Sonic looked a bit skeptical. &quot;You don&#039;t think maybe we&#039;re out of range?&quot; he asked. Juice laughed. &quot;Range, that...that&#039;s not how it works. If we can&#039;t get through it&#039;s &#039;cuz of interference. This thing can communicate across worlds!&quot; he explained. Sonic nodded, and felt his fur pelted by rain. Looking around, he saw the Doomsayer standing by some sort of dark corridor, a shadowy portal. The Doomsayer lowered his hood to show Sonic&#039;s own face. &quot;This is destined... I proved it. I&#039;ve seen this future, again and again. No matter how events have changed, this does not.&quot; he said, his voice a raspy whisper. &quot;I&#039;ll never let this happen to our world! You hear me?!&quot; Sonic shouted, only for the Doomsayer to shrug and step back through the dark corridor, the portal vanishing behind him. Juice tapped his dad on the shoulder. &quot;Who ya shoutin&#039; at? Look, we got through!&quot; he said, holding up the ProwerPhone to show Lucky Jr. on the screen. &quot;What&#039;s goin&#039; on? Where on Earth are you...?&quot; Junior asked.<br /><br /><br />Elsewhere in this ruined world, Amy, Cream and Big were exploring, looking for some way back to their own world. Amy hopped over a chasm that had been broken right in the street, while Cream flapped her ears and helped Big past it, with some effort. &quot;What happened here? ...I wanna go home...&quot; Big groaned, looking around at the devastation in all directions. Cream landed beside him and hugged Cheese close. &quot;Wh-what do you think will happen to us, Amy?&quot; she asked nervously. Amy turned to her friends with a shrug. &quot;Well, the good news is, we seem to be alone. No Lost Ones or anything. So let&#039;s keep positive and look for a way outta here!&quot; she said, raising her fist confidently. Little did they realize that they weren&#039;t along. Watching Amy through a sniper&#039;s sight, Nack the weasel crouched atop what was left of a somewhat tall building. Bean was talking to Bark close by. &quot;Can&#039;t believe we got banished out here after I did so well blowin&#039; up those foxes!&quot; he complained. &quot;We ain&#039;t banished yet. If we can get the jump on Sonic when he comes for them, we just might be able to get home.&quot; Nack stated. A robot pushed past Bark, earning a growl from the polar bear. This robot was Jolt, the electric Egg Pawn. &quot;I don&#039;t get why they lumped me in with you rejects! I know how to draw Sonic out, watch this!&quot; he shouted, firing up his jetpack to fly after Team Rose! &quot;Wait, ya idiot!&quot; Nack growled, forced to watch as Jolt flew past Team Rose, separating Amy from Cream and Big with jolts of electricity crashing between them! &quot;I&#039;m here to capture you in the name of Eggman!&quot; the robot declared, only for Amy to summon her hammer and glare menacingly at him. &quot;Just what I need... Something to work out my stress against!! Rrrraaaaa!!&quot; As Amy charged at Jolt, the robot flew out of her way in a bit of a panic. &quot;H-hey, I ain&#039;t ready! Uh, I mean... Yeah! Come and get me, slowpoke!&quot; he stammered, flying off and leading Amy away from her friends. &quot;Oh, wait! We should stay together!&quot; Cream gasped, attempting to follow after them with Big behind her.<br /><br /><br />Sonic and Juice had discussed their situation with Lucky, Junior and Whisk. &quot;Hate to say it, Sonic, but world travel isn&#039;t as simple as just running where you wanna go.&quot; Lucky told him, &quot;Without another method of travel, the only way would be creating a corridor of darkness. And you gotta let darkness in your heart to be able to do that...&quot; he concluded. That was how the Doomsayer managed to get to this world, and leave. Sonic shook his head. &quot;Well, I&#039;m not about to give in to darkness. That&#039;s how a version of me became the Doomsayer.&quot; he figured. &quot;We&#039;ll keep trying to come up with a solution from this end!&quot; Whisk told them. &quot;We&#039;ll call if we think of anything!&quot; Junior added. Juice nodded. &quot;Well, thanks guys. I guess we&#039;re off to find our own way back...&quot; he figured, hanging up the ProwerPhone and glancing at his father. Sonic had a thoughtful look on his face. &quot;Kinda reminds me of gettin&#039; stuck in Null Space... But me and Felicia...err, Fera, were able to Double Boost on outta there.&quot; he murmured. &quot;That...won&#039;t work here.&quot; Juice sighed. Before they could talk more, the ground started to shake around them violently! Sonic looked to see cracks forming in the street they were standing on. &quot;Time to get movin&#039; kid!&quot; he shouted, grabbing Juice by the arm and speeding away as the ground crumbled where they stood, giving way to a bottomless chasm below! Sonic stopped at some stable ground and looked back, watching as a whole building fell down into the growing chasm. &quot;This world&#039;s so dead, even the ground is decaying! We can&#039;t let this happen anywhere else!&quot; he growled, Juice nodding in agreement. &quot;But where should we go?&quot; he questioned. Sonic pointed to a large building a distance away, a stadium by the look of it. &quot;Let&#039;s try there first. C&#039;mon!&quot; he suggested.<br /><br />On the way to the stadium, Sonic and Juice came across Cream and Big, who were nervously searching for Amy after they&#039;d been split up. &quot;Hey! I didn&#039;t know you guys were here, too!&quot; Sonic remarked as he ran up to them. Cream had a look of relief upon seeing Sonic. &quot;This is great! You&#039;ll get us out of here, Mr. Sonic!&quot; she said happily. &quot;Ah, but what about Amy?&quot; Big babbled. This got both Juice and Sonic looking around anxiously. &quot;Yeah, what about mom?&quot; Juice murmured. &quot;Is she around here?&quot; Sonic asked. Cream nodded. &quot;She chased Eggman&#039;s robot and we got separated. I hope she&#039;s okay...&quot; she said. Sonic let out a sigh. &quot;Eggman again? He just can&#039;t stand bein&#039; upstaged, he&#039;s gotta take ALL my attention...&quot; he groaned, &quot;Don&#039;t worry, I&#039;ll find Amy!&quot; he said confidently, turning to start his search of the area. However, they heard a motor, and glanced overhead to see Nack soaring past them via the Marvelous Queen. &quot;Call off the search party, chumps! We already caught your annoying girlfriend!&quot; the weasel taunted. Big&#039;s eyes widened. &quot;I have a girlfriend??&quot; he babbled, causing Nack to slap his own face in annoyance. &quot;Urgh, the rest of ya know who I meant!&quot; he grumbled. Sonic glared up at him. &quot;We don&#039;t got time for your games, Nack! If we don&#039;t stop the Lost Ones, our world&#039;s gonna end up just like this!&quot; he shouted. Nack shrugged. &quot;Ain&#039;t nothin&#039; I can do about that! I&#039;m lookin&#039; out fer number one! Now, if you&#039;ll excuse me, Bean and Bark aren&#039;t exactly the best company for my guest!&quot; he snickered, pointing his gun and firing a few shots at Sonic&#039;s feet before zooming off ahead of them with his vehicle! He seemed to be heading right for that same stadium. &quot;Let&#039;s meet up there, guys! I&#039;ll go on ahead!&quot; Sonic shouted, dashing off! &quot;Oh! Th-there he goes...&quot; Cream murmured. &quot;Who&#039;s my girlfriend? I still don&#039;t get it...&quot; Big babbled. Juice shrugged. &quot;Never mind. Let&#039;s get moving!&quot;<br /><br />Although he was in a hurry, Sonic&#039;s attention was grabbed by an Eggman capsule sitting conspicuously in the street. Just in case some poor creatures were trapped in there, Sonic leapt onto the button hoping to open it...but it didn&#039;t open! As Sonic&#039;s feet rested on the button, Sonic could feel something was different about the locking mechanism. He tried a couple times to stomp in the button, but no dice. &quot;Hmm... Gah, this is probably just here to distract me! I bet there&#039;s not even anything inside it!&quot; Sonic groaned, leaping off and resuming his run towards the stadium. It sure was a strange place for an Eggman capsule to be, though...<br /><br />The stadium wasn&#039;t about to host any kinds of events anytime soon; The audience seating had collapsed and crumbled. In the center of the field was Amy, tied up and sobbing while Bean and Bark stood guard. Sonic sped onto the field, finding the pair of goons in his path. &quot;Whatever you did to make Amy cry, you&#039;re about to regret it!&quot; he shouted, swerving to avoid bombs tossed from the dynamite-loving duck as he approached! &quot;Hey! Hold still! C&#039;mon, why can&#039;t I get him like his foxy friend??&quot; Bean shouted. Sonic leapt in close and swatted a bomb back at Bean with a homing attack, the short fuse not quite short enough to blow up on the hedgehog! &quot;Oh no!!&quot; Bean wailed as the explosion sent him flying! Bark tried to block Sonic next, grunting as the hedgehog spin-dashed right into his gut! He tried to grab hold and toss Sonic back, and initially seemed successful, but Sonic was quick to launch back into a homing attack and whack him in the head, giving him enough pain to think about that he sat down whimpering and rubbing his lump! At about this time, Cream, Big and Juice arrived, huffing with exhaustion at having chased down Sonic. &quot;Hey...where&#039;s the cute yellow robot?&quot; Big asked, seeing only Bean and Bark licking their wounds. Sonic didn&#039;t care, and went to untie Amy. &quot;Shh, don&#039;t cry. It&#039;ll be okay...&quot; he said softly. &quot;Hey! What the heck?! What are ya doing with an imposter, Sonic!?&quot; Amy&#039;s voice startled the group as they turned to see her at the entrance. Somewhere in the crumbling world, Amy had left Jolt crushed into pieces that were drifting into space. But here in the stadium, Sonic stood confused. &quot;Huh? Th-then who&#039;s this?&quot; he stammered. &quot;Only the greatest act-or to ever grace the stage of your demise!&quot; cackled Loskeletor as he transformed from the fake, tied up Amy and tried to grab Sonic! However, Cheese was quick to zoom in and knock his skull around backwards! &quot;Gaaahh! Must thee meddle yet once again!?&quot; the skeletal Lost One snarled!<br /><br />At this point, Nack showed himself, floating over the center of the field in his hover bike. &quot;Dang it, I leave you guys with a simple job...&quot; he groaned. Loskeletor started running for the exit while readjusting his skull on his bony neck. &quot;The scheme hath come unraveled! I leave these knaves to you, bounty hunters! Dare not fail this time!&quot; he growled as he made his escape. &quot;Heeey, I succeeded beautifully last time!&quot; Bean complained as he sat up, his feathers singed black from the explosion. Sonic was joined by his son and Team Rose, and the group looked pretty confident as they stood in front of the trio of hooligans. &quot;I think you guys would do better to give up and join our side!&quot; Sonic offered. &quot;Unless ya wanna end up like that Egg Pawn!&quot; Amy warned, clutching her hammer. Bean and Bark glanced up, watching Nack lower the Marvelous Queen slowly. &quot;Already told ya! I&#039;m lookin&#039; out fer my own interests! Need I remind ya, you&#039;re the so-called hero who let Station Square drown, the whole world blow to pieces, Eggman take over, old man Gunner take over... Should I go on?&quot; he asked mockingly. &quot;Oh, and what have you done to prevent that stuff??&quot; Juice snapped, &quot;At least my dad tries!&quot; Team Rose chimed in their agreement. &quot;Right! It&#039;s better to fail trying than just let things happen!&quot; Amy shouted. &quot;We won&#039;t just let the world end up like this!&quot; Cream added. &quot;Quit being mean!&quot; Big finished. Scoffing, Nack pulled a lever on his vehicle. &quot;You can&#039;t do nothin! You&#039;ll be stopped here... &#039;Cuz I got some fancy upgrades from Dr. Eggman to finish ya with! Ha!&quot; he chuckled, his vehicle transforming before their eyes! It grew jet wings, revealed big threatening guns, and slid an armored windshield around the cockpit to protect Nack! It was now...the Eggxellent Queen!<br /><br />Sonic took off to draw Nack&#039;s fire as his upgraded vehicle started shooting, and Amy followed after him. This left Bean and Bark with the others, and the duo weren&#039;t ready to quit the fight yet, either. Bark snarled and charged ahead, so Big stepped in his path to defend the much smaller Cream and Juice. &quot;Leave my friends alone!&quot; he warned, blocking his incoming attack with his fishing rod! Bark started to pull at the rod, trying to disarm the cat, when Froggy hopped from Big&#039;s head onto his! Grossed out and panicking, Bark backed off and tried to shake the frog off, stumbling backward! Meanwhile, Bean produced more bombs with which to threaten Cream and Juice. &quot;Stay back, miss! I&#039;ll protect you!&quot; Juice shouted, stepping forward with a Wispon clutched in his hand. Bean chortled and faked him out with a smoke bomb, then leaping over the smoke to hurl the real thing! &quot;Look out!&quot; Cream cried, diving to push Juice to the floor while Cheese flew at the bomb and kicked it back! Bean gulped. &quot;Not again...&quot; he whimpered, caught up in another explosion! All the while, Sonic led Nack in circles, evading the rapid-fire bullets from his &quot;Eggxellent Queen.&quot; The stronger engines made it just fast enough to keep hounding Sonic and prevent him from getting too close. &quot;It&#039;s over, hedgehog! I have the high ground!&quot; Nack taunted, only to suddenly spin as something struck his wing! &quot;Gahh! What the...!&quot; he righted the vehicle and looked to see Amy catch her hammer. &quot;Someone&#039;s gonna pay for using my face to trick Sonic!!&quot; she growled. &quot;Yeah, right! My armor&#039;s too tough for your toy hammer to hurt it!&quot; Nack taunted. That was when Amy pulled out a much larger, more imposing-looking hammer! &quot;I&#039;m not toying around! Hiiiiyaaa!!&quot; she shouted, spinning the hammer around a couple times before giving it a mighty toss! It lodged itself between the vehicles guns and cracked the armor, sending sparks shooting out of the damaged area. &quot;This can&#039;t be happening!!&quot; Nack wailed as the Marvelous Queen started to explode around him!<br /><br />Sonic caught Nack as he fell from the wreck, and tossed him among the battered group of his friends. &quot;All right, now you three can play nice from here, or we can leave ya behind.&quot; he told them. Nack coughed up some smoke. &quot;Ughh... Naw, forget it, we&#039;ll find our own way...&quot; he insisted, &quot;Ain&#039;t never workin&#039; with no goodie goods...&quot; he groaned. Sonic shrugged. &quot;Well, we tried. Any ideas on gettin&#039; outta here, guys?&quot; he asked Amy&#039;s group. They frowned. &quot;We were hoping you&#039;d know...&quot; Amy said. For the moment, they were all stuck...<br /><br /><br />Back in the world of GeneX Prime, the group of Lucky, Whisk, Lucky Jr. and Lara the echidna found themselves face to face with Lospecter as they wandered Central City in search of the friends they&#039;d been split up from. &quot;C&#039;mon, you were some of the last cats to see the fox boy. Just tell me where he poofed off to, and I&#039;ll let ya all go on your Merry Christmas way.&quot; Lospecter said with a smirk as losoar bats surrounded them. Whisk shrugged. &quot;You know as much as we do.&quot; she stated. &quot;Yeah, we can&#039;t manage to contact them either! We thought YOU got &#039;em!&quot; Lucky said accusingly. Lospecter shrugged. &quot;Aw, well, too bad. And don&#039;t bother teleporting this time. We&#039;ve got the whole city covered lookin&#039; for fox boy. Since you were so cooperative, though, I won&#039;t harm ya. Fall might, though...&quot; he snickered, pointing the Chaos Key at the ground. A rope fell down from above, smacking Whisk on the head. &quot;Grab on, quick!&quot; While Lucky&#039;s group looked up to see who said that, Lospecter opened a portal under their feet, and Lucky fell in with his son! &quot;No! Come back!&quot; Whisk shouted, flying in after them! Lara, however, had grabbed the rope, and was being air-lifted to safety by Booster the Reindeer! &quot;Guess I&#039;ll be on my Merry Christmas way now!&quot; she shouted, waving to the growling ghost. &quot;Oh, no no! Santa, you&#039;re about to be on MY naughty list! Chase &#039;em, ya dumb bats!!&quot; Lospecter shouted. As if they could catch a reindeer from the North Pole. Lucky and his family, on the other hand, fell out of the portal and into a world they had seen through the ProwerPhone. &quot;Ohh...no. This is the world Sonic&#039;s trapped in!&quot; Lucky realized.<br /><br /><br />Recorded here: The final message from Jolt&#039;s voice chip. &quot;Gaaahh!! Such...an inglorious end! It...can&#039;t be! Avenge me...Egg Pawn army! Ughh... I shoulda been a... doctor. I coulda went CLEAR and zapped folks... Agghh... Remember meeee...&quot;<br /><br /><br />Chapter 44 - Light in the Dark<br />Stage 21 - World&#039;s End<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br />The heartless, Keyblade, and other Kingdom Hearts concepts are (c) Disney &amp; Square-enix<br /><br /><br />&quot;If you want to take it to an even higher level,<br />All you gotta do is say the word, you know I&#039;ll follow.<br />If you wanna take it to an even higher level;<br />I don&#039;t, I don&#039;t bite.<br />If you want to make it happen, nothing&#039;s impossible.<br />All you gotta do is say the word, the walls will crumble.<br />If you want to make it happen, nothing&#039;s impossible.&quot; - Don&#039;t Think Twice; Kingdom Hearts 3<br /><br /><br />Lucky kicked a rock, watching it lift off the ground and start to slowly float away. &quot;Gravity seems weird here...&quot; Junior murmured. Well, gravity seemed normal enough for them, but the broken pieces of the world, not so much. Lucky let out a heavy sigh. &quot;This world is in just the kind of state we tried to prevent by stopping Chaos Hearts... Why does it always feel like no matter what I do, it just doesn&#039;t matter?&quot; he wondered, thinking back on how every one of his past accomplishments seemed to be overturned sooner or later. His efforts against Despair, winning the Chaos Sword, saving countless worlds... It felt like he couldn&#039;t get a lasting win. Whisk patted his shoulder. &quot;Hey, for all we know, this world was doomed anyway. Don&#039;t dwell on it.&quot; she told him. He gave her a slight smile, but it turned to a &quot;Meee-yow!&quot; as losol and lospirits surrounded them! Whisk clutched her wand and went on the offensive. &quot;Freeze! Thunder!! Take this, ya dumb slimeballs!&quot; she cried, moving fast to clear an escape route for Lucky and Junior! &quot;Yeesh, they&#039;re just as bad as the heartless, too!&quot; Lucky said as he led his son through the path Whisk had cleared for them! Junior pulled the ProwerPhone from his pocket and attempted to dial out. &quot;Hello? Juice? You&#039;ll never guess where we are...&quot; he stammered as his friend answered the call. &quot;Huh? Aw, no, they got you, too! Right, we&#039;re close to this big stadium...what&#039;s left of it.&quot; Juice told him. Lucky looked around the landscape ahead, seeing &quot;what was left&quot; of dozens of structures ahead of them. &quot;Great, great, very helpful...&quot; he sighed. Whisk&#039;s wings carried her close behind the cats, keeping her wand trained on the creatures behind them. &quot;Well, hurry and find &#039;em, before more monsters find us!&quot; she gulped.<br /><br /><br />Sonic&#039;s group was also dealing with a swarm of Lost Ones as they attempted to exit the stadium. Amy&#039;s hammer smacked a loskel to pieces while Big swatted a flying loskull with his fishing rod and Cream directed Cheese to run interference. &quot;I guess now that Nack&#039;s plan went bust, the Lost Ones are tryin&#039; to just overwhelm us!&quot; Sonic figured, dashing around in an attempt to draw the creatures to chase him. Juice, meanwhile, had dialed another number, getting into contact with Starr. He&#039;d explained their situation to her, and she glanced back at her companions thoughtfully. &quot;Feels a lot like what the Lost Ones did to Shadow and my dad. They wanna divide us and keep us away from what they&#039;re plotting.&quot; she said. Sonic zipped next to his son, leaving his pursuers in the dust. &quot;What&#039;s that? Shadow? You got Shadow there? Put him on!&quot; he said, taking the phone from Juice and tapping his foot a bit impatiently. &quot;What is it, Sonic?&quot; the black hedgehog asked. &quot;I was lookin&#039; for some flying base the Lost Ones had raised before I got trapped here...&quot; Sonic explained. &quot;Demon Island.&quot; Shadow told him, &quot;I saw it when I got back from the ARK. We&#039;re already in pursuit.&quot; he stated. Sonic stared at the screen blankly. &quot;Demon Island... Oh... &#039;Kay, good luck then...&quot; he babbled, tossing the phone back to his son and dashing off to deal with the lost ones in their way. &quot;You guys are a nuisance! Sonic Wind!!&quot; he cried, his special blue wind attack blowing through the area and causing several of the slimy creatures to splatter! Big held his gut, looking a bit sick. &quot;These monsters are gross...&quot; he groaned. &quot;Sure are...&quot; Cream sighed. Amy clutched her hammer tightly, a fierce look in her eyes. &quot;Where&#039;s the creep that used my likeness without my permission!? I&#039;m the only Amy that gets near Sonic!!&quot; she roared. Juice watched her nervously. &quot;Ahh... Mom can really get...mad...&quot; he stammered. &quot;No kidding...&quot; Cream sighed.<br /><br />At this point, Lucky, Junior and Whisk were arriving, pursued by their own ghostly foes. Sonic sped into action, joining Whisk in battling them back with magic and speed while the others gathered together and mainly watched. &quot;I wish we could help against the slimy and ghostly ones...&quot; Cream sighed. If they weren&#039;t careful doing so, they would be corrupted into Lost Ones like Corky and Cuthburt, so it was best to leave those with magic, chaos and distance attacks to handle it. Lucky groaned from the sidelines. &quot;If I just had access to my Keyblade...&quot; he lamented. Lucky Jr. had been chosen by the same Keyblade after Lucky&#039;s future demise, and the presence of both of them had created an issue preventing either of them from summoning the Keyblade. Junior nodded. &quot;If we had the Keyblade, we might be able to open a pathway back to our own world, never mind fighting.&quot; he stated. Lucky wasn&#039;t sure about that; He&#039;d never received proper training and he wasn&#039;t sure they could traverse worlds without a vessel. At any rate, Sonic and Whisk made quick work of the losol and lospirits, giving the group a bit of breathing room to rest and consider their next move. &quot;So, what&#039;re you in for?&quot; Sonic asked Lucky&#039;s group, not that it really mattered. &quot;Lospecter&#039;s looking for Tails. Ah, your Tails, not the Miles that Whisk and I used to travel with, hehe...&quot; Lucky babbled. Whisk explained further. &quot;Apparently we&#039;re some of the last people to see him before he kinda...vanished.&quot; she stated. Cream looked especially worried, but Amy placed an arm around her cheerily. &quot;Chin up! If Lospecter&#039;s looking for him, that means the Lost Ones didn&#039;t get him!&quot; she pointed out. Sonic smiled at that, too. &quot;Alright, now, half of us have experience exploring different worlds, so let&#039;s figure this out and get back before that goofy ghost finds him!&quot; he said.<br /><br />&quot;Wait! ZIM BESEECHES YOU!!&quot; The group was startled by the yell of the diminutive Zeti, who ran up to them, leaping over holes in the street on the way. Lucky crossed his arms. &quot;Zim again?! Is there any world he won&#039;t follow us to?&quot; he grumbled. &quot;Bah!! You are the one who constantly follows ZIM!&quot; the Zeti shouted, pointing at Lucky and Whisk accusingly. Big covered his ears. &quot;He&#039;s loud for a little guy...&quot; he mumbled. Sonic gave a shrug. &quot;Well, if he&#039;s stuck here, he might as well tag along...&quot; he stated, only for Zim to give a superior laugh. &quot;Haha! Stuck here? You forget about Zim&#039;s awesome dark powers! I will create a path of darkness to take us from this place!&quot; he announced, surprising the group. &quot;Really? That&#039;s kind of you, Mr. Zim.&quot; Cream smiled. &quot;I don&#039;t think he&#039;s gonna help us for free...&quot; Amy sighed. A safe bet. Zim jumped up on Big&#039;s head so he could be taller than everyone. &quot;Listen well! Zeke and Zim fled our doomed world in search of safety, but instead this world started to fall apart around us! We were chased by terrible creatures, and although Zim knows where to meet his dear friend, even I am not amazing enough to traverse the dangers alone! So, if you measly yet capable fools escort Zim back to Zeke, then we will take you with us out of this crumbly place!&quot; he announced. Whisk smirked at him. &quot;So, you&#039;re scared and want us to walk you to where Zeke is?&quot; she translated. &quot;Exactly! I mean... ZIM FEARS NOTHING!!&quot; Zim shouted, which caused Big to swat him off his head in retaliation for hurting his ears. Sonic nodded, figuring this was their best way out. &quot;Alright, where do we start lookin&#039; for Zeke?&quot; he asked. Zim pointed to a volcano beyond the city, which itself was crumbling and leaving a fiery crater behind. &quot;...Do we NEED this Zeke?&quot; Junior gulped. &quot;What we don&#039;t need is two of you, dumb cat!&quot; Zim snapped, remarking at how similar Lucky and Junior looked.<br /><br />And so, their journey to the volcano began. Of course, the trip wasn&#039;t without dangers. Aside from the fact that the world itself was randomly breaking into pieces and one could never know how safe any place was to step, they also had to deal with occasional swarms of Lost Ones. They didn&#039;t seem to have remained after the world&#039;s destruction, so Lospecter must have sent these forces to this world after Nack&#039;s failure. Since much of their group wasn&#039;t equipped to deal with the Lost Ones, they tried to avoid them as much as possible, but at one point they found someone stranded on a floating chunk of what was once ground, who was busy defending himself against lospirits and losohsts with Chaos Spears. It was Spiny the Porcupine, who had also escaped their world with Zeke. &quot;No, no, I won&#039;t be rescued by Sonic! Leave me to die!&quot; he shouted. &quot;Okay.&quot; Zim shrugged, starting to leave without him. &quot;We&#039;re not going to do that!&quot; Cream protested. Whisk nodded, and flew up, casting spells at the Lost Ones! &quot;No, leave me! I&#039;ll save myself!&quot; Spiny growled, only to be caught in Sonic&#039;s arms as the hedgehog leapt up there, and then carried him back to safe ground. &quot;Aaargh!! Put me down! You smug, superior son of a-&quot; Sonic dropped the ungrateful porcupine on the ground with a thud. &quot;Ow!! Wait, I&#039;m not through!&quot; he growled as Sonic dashed off to help Whisk fight. Amy stood over Spiny with a glare. &quot;Are you gonna be a problem??&quot; she asked with an intense stare. &quot;Ahh, uhm... No, ma&#039;am...&quot; Spiny murmured, giving a little pout. Lucky chuckled softly watching him. &quot;He&#039;s like Scourge, but wimpy.&quot; he joked, only to yelp as Spiny tossed a Chaos Spear at him! Amy then bonked the porcupine on the head with her hammer. &quot;Ackk... End me...&quot; Spiny whined.<br /><br />What was left of the volcano was actually oddly cold. Though a warm glow came from the lava seeping out of the cracks in the earth, the lifeless state of the world had robbed even the lava of its warmth, seemingly. Or perhaps, it was the work of the Lost Ones. In any case, Zeke was found passed out within the volcanic crater. &quot;Oh, horrors! My only friend has perished!!&quot; Zim cried. &quot;We&#039;re not that lucky.&quot; Lucky sighed. The group started towards him to see what his condition actually was, when someone dropped from the sky, right onto Cream! &quot;Aaahh! Get off me!&quot; the rabbit cried, struggling with someone who...looked exactly like her! &quot;Loskeletor again!&quot; Amy gasped. &quot;Where?&quot; Big questioned, not getting it. The two Creams pushed each other apart, and everyone stared a bit nervously. &quot;How do we tell them apart? N-no offense to either of you.&quot; Spiny stammered. The two rabbits pointed at one another. &quot;She&#039;s the fake!&quot; they cried at once. Zim growled in annoyance. &quot;You! Winged cat! Blast them both! They&#039;re in the way!&quot; he ordered. &quot;How long and you still don&#039;t know my name??&quot; Whisk complained. &quot;Calm down, we&#039;ll figure this out!&quot; Sonic assured the group. All the while, Juice and Junior stood at the back. &quot;Ever feel kinda redundant?&quot; Juice asked. &quot;Naw.&quot; Junior said, busy texting their friends via the ProwerPhone. In the meanwhile, Cheese fluttered between the two rabbits. After examining each, he flew into the arms of the one on the left. &quot;Heh, see? Cheese would know!&quot; Sonic grinned. Loskeletor cackled softly as his disguise started to melt off his bones. &quot;It matters not. For this ploy was a mere diversionary tact. Take heed of our surroundings, my feckless friends...&quot; he sneered, raising a skeletal hand to direct their attention to the veritable army of Lost Ones that had taken positions around the crater! They were trapped!<br /><br />It was around this time that Zeke&#039;s eyes finally opened, and he started to stir. At the same time, Whisk positioned herself in the center of the group. &quot;Alright, everyone! There might be a lot of us, but I&#039;ll try and teleport us all to safety! Get ready!&quot; she shouted. However, before she could do so, she was struck hard in the head from behind...by Zeke! &quot;What in the heck are you doing!?&quot; Spiny shouted. Zeke&#039;s body was cloaked in darkness, and his eyes glowed yellow. &quot;Zeke? That&#039;s not...my name... I am Xezek. I am darkness!&quot; he roared. Sonic looked at him with a groan. &quot;As if we needed another problem. You guys know that dragon, eh? Get him back to his senses!&quot; he said to Zim and Lucky, &quot;I&#039;ll try and handle our other problems. Hey, bonehead! Can ya turn into me?&quot; he shouted, catching Loskeletor&#039;s attention. &quot;Come close enough, and I might acquire the means!&quot; the skeleton snarled. While Team Rose spread out to defend the unconscious Whisk from incoming Lost Ones, Spiny nudged Lucky toward Xezek. &quot;Well, fix him! You heard your beloved hedgehog!&quot; he snapped. Lucky glanced back at him. &quot;Me? Hey, he&#039;s your &#039;brother&#039; too! And he&#039;s YOUR friend!&quot; he said to Zim. The Zeti actually seemed agreeable, and charged at Xezek. &quot;Give Zeke back, you weird heartless!&quot; he shouted, only for Xezek to slap him aside as he got close! &quot;This world... Only darkness. Except you... Your light burns too bright. It must be snuffed out!&quot; he snarled, making Lucky and Spiny back away slowly as Xezek stomped towards them. &quot;Really wish I had my Keyblade...&quot; Lucky whimpered. &quot;Dad! Watch out!&quot; Junior ran up and stood by his side, raising his fists, &quot;You don&#039;t have to fight the darkness alone!&quot; he said. Looking at him, Lucky smiled and nodded. &quot;Right! Let&#039;s do this!&quot; he grinned. &quot;Good luck, idiots. I&#039;ll be holding off the Lost Ones.&quot; Spiny shrugged.<br /><br />Sonic sped around Loskeletor, drawing his laser eyes while Team Rose and Juice kept busy trying to repel the incoming Lost Ones. Amy&#039;s hammer reduced a loskel to bones, and Big&#039;s fishing line found itself whirling a loshark about, smacking it into other Lost Ones as he twirled it. Cream was left directing Cheese as a diversion while Juice used a Wispon to repel the creatures as best he could, but the less solid monsters kept coming closer. This was when Spiny stepped into the center of the group. &quot;Must I do everything? Watch your heads, kids, I&#039;ve a lot of shots to account for... Spear Storm!!&quot; Chaos Spears erupted from the spikes on Spiny&#039;s back, and he controlled them to spiral around the group, protecting them from the approaching Lost Ones! &quot;Thanks, mister!&quot; Cream smiled. &quot;Don&#039;t... Don&#039;t make me into a hero! Just figure us a way out of here!&quot; Spiny grunted. During all this, Lucky was sent flying with a &quot;MEEEE-YOW!!&quot; as Xezek tossed him like a ragdoll. Junior held his stomach like he was the one injured. &quot;Agh! D-dad! Careful!&quot; he grimaced, watching as Zim scurried past him. &quot;No one throws ZIM!&quot; he shouted. Xezek responded by kicking him away this time. Lucky stood up shakily. &quot;Much tougher without my Keyblade... But I won&#039;t give up!&quot; he grunted, gasping as Xezek flew above him and blew fire his way! He stumbled back, scurrying clear of the flames. &quot;Zeke! I know you&#039;re in there! You don&#039;t wanna do this!&quot; he stammered, Xezek making an odd face at him in response. &quot;Okay, maybe you do... No, I won&#039;t believe that.&quot; Lucky reaffirmed, standing up tall. &quot;You&#039;re my brother, Zeke! I know there&#039;s light in you somewhere! I&#039;ll draw it out of your heart!&quot; he said confidently. Xezek snarled, and Junior gasped. &quot;Dad, get down!&quot; he whimpered as Xezek dove towards him!<br /><br />Whisk started to stir, and glanced around drowsily. &quot;Wh-what happened? Ugh, aw, buttercups...&quot; she groaned, getting up on one knee. A bright light caught her attention, and she briefly shielded her eyes before adjusting to it. Within the light, she saw Lucky, grappling against Zeke. The light started to fade, and Zeke blinked a few times, staring at Lucky. &quot;What the heck? What are you doing here!?&quot; he stammered, and then yelped as Zim kicked his shin. &quot;How do YOU like being kicked around, huh? Huh??&quot; the Zeti shouted. &quot;You little...&quot; Zeke growled, as Lucky stood back and relaxed. &quot;Good to have the old Zeke back, heh!&quot; he joked. Meanwhile, Sonic was aggravating Loskeletor as he ran circles around him faster and faster. Even turning his skull completely around on his bony neck, Loskeletor couldn&#039;t keep up with him. &quot;Wretched fleeing fool! Thy fate is sealed! Still your feet!&quot; he snarled. Sonic smirked. &quot;Dropping the curtain on you, Shakespeare! Sonic Wind!!&quot; he cried, his energized whirlwind surrounding and overwhelming Loskeletor, making him wail in protest as he melted into a puddle of inactive slime! Lucky and Zim had quickly gotten Zeke up to speed in the interim, so the dragon made use of the darkness still within him and summoned a corridor of darkness. &quot;Next stop, back home! Everybody in!&quot; he announced. &quot;Anywhere&#039;s better than here!&quot; Spiny shouted, leading the charge through the dark portal. Big and Cream followed, with Amy and Whisk covering them. &quot;Hurry up, everyone! Before those monsters chase us through!&quot; Amy cried, swatting a losoar aside with her hammer! Juice, Lucky, Junior, Zim, Zeke and finally Sonic all retreated through the portal, and on the other side, they found themselves at Sonic&#039;s destination; They were on Demon Island, somewhere to the rear of Despair Castle.<br /><br />&quot;Wait, this can&#039;t be right, this island&#039;s a wreck!&quot; Zeke murmured in confusion. &quot;If only it stayed that way...&quot; Amy sighed. Sonic looked around, and saw the Doomsayer emerging from the nearby forest. &quot;Look out!&quot; he warned, gathering everyone&#039;s attention. The Doomsayer scoffed, and removed his hood to show Sonic&#039;s face, shocking those in the group that didn&#039;t already know. &quot;Hey... There&#039;s two of him...&quot; Big said to sum it up nicely. The Doomsayer nodded. &quot;Yes, and no. I am what he will become. There&#039;s a reason for my prophecies, and it is that I have lived them. The Prower will die... TAILS will die. And you won&#039;t be fast enough to save him...&quot; he said, pointing to Sonic. &quot;That&#039;s what you say!&quot; Sonic replied. The Doomsayer shrugged at his attitude. &quot;You&#039;ll see. His death will seal your fall to darkness. A domino effect, after which you lose another friend. And another. You can&#039;t avoid becoming me...and once you do, you&#039;ll realize how futile it all is. The world...the multiverse...must end!&quot; he declared, a violent rain starting to fall around them just before the Doomsayer sped off at sonic speed! Amy and Juice looked at Sonic with deep concern. &quot;It isn&#039;t true...&quot; Amy whimpered. &quot;It won&#039;t be true.&quot; Lucky said, placing a hand on Sonic&#039;s shoulder, &quot;Because Sonic has us to light his way back from the darkness.&quot; he smiled. Sonic smiled back, while Zeke, Spiny and Zim collectively gagged. &quot;That&#039;s enough mush! Let&#039;s get out of here! I&#039;ll catch you dweebs on the flip side! RAWR!!&quot; Zeke shouted, flapping away as Spiny and Zim followed him.<br /><br />In the volcanic crater, Apocalos emerged from a corridor of darkness. He stood over Loskeletor&#039;s splattered remains. &quot;Alas, poor William. I knew him well...&quot; he said, holding the Scepter of Despair over the slime in a ceremonious fashion. &quot;I grant thee a demonic rebirth... Arise, my lost child... Regain your immortal form!&quot; A dark shadow was cast over the slimy remains from Apocalos, and a clawed hand rose from the puddle, rising! Loskeletor let out a pained gasp as he reassembled himself, this time his skeletal form a bit larger and more powerful-looking than before! Apocalos grinned wide, baring his fangs. &quot;So long as I survive... The lost are eternal...&quot; he whispered.<br /><br /><br />Chapter 45 - The Stolen Sol Emeralds<br />Stage 22 - Chaos Shrine<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;What am I doin&#039; now<br />By comin&#039; back for more?<br />Is it me,<br />Or have I been here before?<br /><br />I want to go somewhere,<br />That we can explore.<br />Just take me away from here,<br />To somewhere that&#039;s nowhere near.<br /><br />So take me back in time,<br />To another world,<br />When you can be mine.<br />We don&#039;t have to worry,<br />When you&#039;re by my side.<br />There&#039;s nothin&#039; I don&#039;t know.<br />There&#039;s nothin&#039; to decide,<br />Apart from where we want to go.&quot; - Back in Time; Sonic R<br /><br />Previously on GeneX&hellip;<br />Silver and Blaze left the desert by sneaking aboard a ship that Eggman Nega was stealing from Eggman&#039;s base. They escaped that ship before its destruction, and found their way to Eggtopia, where they helped Sonic fight of Dr. Eggman before the Doomsayer emerged and caused Sonic to fall down into the Forest of Dreams. Silver &amp; Blaze escaped along with the Hurricane, which was being piloted by Lara with Juice also aboard. When we last left them, they had seen the Doomsayer&#039;s identity...<br />Where the heck have they been for 20 chapters???<br />Now, our tale continues...<br /><br /><br />Blaze and Silver had reunited with Marine after Riley (aka Spy) had landed Mia&#039;s flying cab near the Hurricane&#039;s landing area. &quot;Hurry up! We gotta find my dad!&quot; Juice said hurriedly. However, Lara was getting a call on her ProwerPhone. &quot;Juice, I think we have more important matters. Your dad can handle himself...even if he is...&quot; her voice trailed off. &quot;The creepy dude in the hoodie.&quot; Marine finished. Silver thought this revelation over. &quot;He must be Sonic from the future! We should track him down!&quot; he suggested. Blaze looked at him grouchily. She still didn&#039;t have all the Sol Emeralds. However, it was hard to argue that a future Sonic&#039;s knowledge could prove invaluable. So, they left Juice and Lara to join their friends entering Omochao&#039;s Battle Factory, and set about their search for the Doomsayer.<br /><br />They went on a wild goose chase for a time, but eventually the Doomsayer thought to humor them and make an appearance. &quot;I understand you&#039;re looking for me.&quot; he said as they met near the Mystic Ruins. Silver gave his hood a psychic push to make sure it was Sonic. &quot;Where did you come from? The future? An alternate world?&quot; he asked. The Doomsayer shrugged. &quot;Same difference. You should know as well as I, Silver, that the future cannot be saved. How many do-overs have you had to endure since your time-hopping quests began?&quot; he questioned, &quot;Don&#039;t waste your time looking for me. Take solace in each other during your final moments...&quot; Before they could question the grim Sonic further, he sped away, taking his ever-following rain storm with him. &quot;Well, that was a bust. Shall we get back to the Sol Emeralds?&quot; Blaze sighed. &quot;Think the last one might be up there??&quot; Marine asked, pointing with alarm as Demon Island passed overhead!<br /><br />While they thought about how to get up to Demon Island, which certainly seemed suspicious enough to check out, they were distracted by the spectacle of Shadow Arcangel being torn apart by the massive tendril from the island! &quot;Gaia, Chaos and Solaris! Th-that was brutal!&quot; Silver exclaimed. &quot;Blaze, did we just watch people die?&quot; Marine asked shakily. Blaze was silent, unsure. While they were distracted, a set of robotic claws sneaked behind Blaze, and Silver and Marine turned as she screamed with alarm! The cat dropped to the floor while the six Sol Emeralds were pulled by the claws to the Egg Mobile of Eggman Nega! &quot;You&#039;ve done so well for me, princess! Wait, there&#039;s one still missing! Ugh, the Lost Ones must still have it!&quot; the scientist grunted in frustration, &quot;Oh, well, I&#039;ll go fetch it myself!&quot; he said, starting to fly the Egg Mobile toward Demon Island straight away! However, Silver, Blaze and Marine were quick to leap onto the side of the Egg Mobile, clinging tightly to it! &quot;You&#039;re not getting away with those Emeralds!&quot; Blaze shouted. Nega growled, and started spinning the Egg Mobile to try to shake them off. &quot;Where&#039;d you learn to fly, doc? Here, let me!&quot; Silver shouted, reaching his glowing hand toward the controls and seizing them with his powers, fighting against Nega&#039;s shaky flying and steering on a straighter course towards Demon Island! &quot;How dare you! You&#039;re not qualified to operate one of these machines! Cut that out!&quot; Nega shouted. &quot;Streeeeewth, I&#039;m gonna hurrrrrl!!&quot; Marine whined, the Egg Mobile zooming shakily toward their destination! Once they were over the island, Nega shook the vehicle hard, and the trio fell off of it! Silver was forced to catch Blaze and Marine, placing them gently on the floating ground as Nega started to cackle, making his escape!<br /><br />Naturally, Blaze took off after Eggman Nega immediately, with Silver and Marine close behind. However, their pursuit was halted as Nega flew over a patrolling swarm of Lost Ones, mainly losol and losolanterns. &quot;Out of our way!&quot; Blaze growled. &quot;Hey, Mr. Mustache just got to fly right past these creepos! Why aren&#039;t they chasing him?&quot; Marine complained. Silver gulped as he noticed more Lost Ones surrounding them. &quot;They might not want to go near his Sol Emeralds, but they sure want us!&quot; he said with alarm, raising his hands to grab some creatures with his psychokinesis as they approached! Blaze threw some fire at the approaching losolanterns, but there were too many for the two of them to handle on their own. Fortunately, they were far from the only ones on the island. &quot;Chaos Stinger!!&quot; Crash ran up holding Zipp, pointing his stinger at some losol as the hornet fired Chaos shots from it! Talon flew up and slashed his glowing talons at some of the losolanterns, and Conan landed on the other side, his Chaos Wings turning back into a cape as he touched ground. He drew a Chaos Card, summoning an icy blast to freeze several of the slimy losol solid! Lastly, Vortex arrived to decimate the rest of the Lost Ones with his Chaos Inferno beam. Behind them, Emily, Bolt, Sonata, Gideon and Capricorn followed, all the survivors of Shadow Arcangel. &quot;Whew! Thanks, cobbers! &#039;Ol Captain Marine nearly had to bust out her secret battle moves... an&#039; then they wouldn&#039;t be a secret! Yeah...&quot; Marine babbled. Blaze and Silver thanked them as well, but they couldn&#039;t stay long. &quot;We need to get back on Nega&#039;s trail. He took all the Sol Emeralds...&quot; Blaze explained. The experiments glanced at one another uncertainly. &quot;There&#039;sss no time to aid them. Massster sssacrificed himssself in order for ussss to get Gideon to cure thesssse creaturessss.&quot; Vortex stated. Gideon nodded in agreement. &quot;Somehow...&quot; it murmured. Sonata looked at Marine searchingly, the unicorn frowning to himself. &quot;You guys go on, then. I&#039;ll help them out.&quot; he offered. This alarmed Bolt, and he tugged Sonata&#039;s arm. &quot;N-not without me!&quot; he stammered anxiously. Silver shrugged. &quot;Any help would be appreciated.&quot; he murmured. &quot;Ugh, don&#039;t slow us down...&quot; Blaze sighed. And so, the trio was accompanied by the unicorn and the shelled creature. Capricorn watched them leave with a sigh. &quot;Without my powers, I&#039;m no good to anyone...&quot; Despite that, she started to follow after them. Silver and Blaze seemed more welcoming than Team GeneX any day...<br /><br />Blaze could sense the Sol Emeralds to a degree, and she followed those senses to the entrance of a golden shrine. This was one of several pieces of the world that the Lost Ones had pulled up and added to Demon Island; It was the Chaos Shrine from the Mystic Ruins. What use the Lost Ones could possibly have for the shrine that once held the Chaos Tailbands and Shadow Chaos, none could say, but the door was open and it was apparent to Blaze that Eggman Nega had gone inside. &quot;D-do you think it&#039;s d-dangerous in there?&quot; Bolt stammered. Blaze rolled her eyes. &quot;Yes, so stay out here if you&#039;re scared.&quot; she said bluntly. Marine stood tall. &quot;Ha! I&#039;m not afraid of any spooks in there!&quot; she declared, &quot;...especially since there&#039;s more spooks out here...&quot; she added with a whisper. Sonata nodded, observing her. &quot;Don&#039;t worry, Bolt, I&#039;ll be right here with you...&quot; the unicorn promised. Blaze shrugged, lighting a fire in her hand to brighten up the entrance room as she led the way inside. They looked around to find a chamber covered in tarnished gold. There was a staircase leading down directly ahead. &quot;Seems like there&#039;s only one way to go...&quot; Silver murmured. Blaze nodded, leading the way down the staircase to find the long hall that would lead to the tailband chamber. She gasped upon seeing what was in store for them in that long hallway; jellyfish creatures composed of the same watery substance as Chaos! They were moving in erratic patterns as though something had riled them up. &quot;Yes, I think Eggman Nega was here...and woke up the guards!&quot; Blaze stated. &quot;They&#039;re Chaos Guardians!&quot; Capricorn told them from higher up the staircase, &quot;Beings created by Astra to help guard the Chaos Relics! Be careful!&quot; the former Zodiac warned!<br /><br />Silver tried to grab the guardians with his powers, but it was no use. &quot;They&#039;re resisting my powers...and I don&#039;t see anything else to use!&quot; he gulped. Blaze leapt ahead, evading the stinging tentacles of the Chaos Guardians and then giving them a flaming kick to their watery heads! The flames were doused by their water, but the force of her kick still seemed to do a little damage at least. But she was knocked back by another guardian&#039;s tentacles! &quot;Unnhh! Well, ferret, you followed us, you know these creatures, do you know how to beat them?&quot; she asked Capricorn. The ferret shrugged. &quot;Without magic? I have no idea!&quot; she exclaimed. Nervous, Bolt drew most of his body into his shell, unable to draw in his full head due to the bolts sticking out of it. Sonata looked from Bolt to the jellyfish creatures and then to Silver. &quot;I have an idea! Bolt, we need to build a charge!&quot; he said, giving his friend&#039;s shell a kick! As Bolt&#039;s shell started to spin, he cried out with alarm, and sparks started to fly from the bolts on his head! Unfortunately, the shell simply passed under the floating Chaos Guardians. &quot;Silver! Guide his shell!&quot; Sonata cried. &quot;Ah, of course!&quot; Silver gasped, dashing into the swarm of jellyfish to get close to the sparking shell! One of the guardians wrapped its tentacles around him, and he yelped in pain from the stings, but his eyes and hands glowed, grabbing Bolt&#039;s sparking shell and lifting it into the air as it continued to spin! The shell soared through the hall, shocking each Chaos Guardian as it struck it, and the electricity caused the creatures to shriek and back off, one by one! Silver was freed, and carrying Bolt along with him, he led the others through the hall toward the door at the end! &quot;Watch out, Nega! You can&#039;t run!&quot; Silver cried. Blaze rubbed her head, looking uncertain. &quot;My senses are off... I&#039;m not sure we&#039;re in the right place...&quot; she murmured.<br /><br />They arrived at the main room of the shrine, where a dizzy Bolt sat down as Sonata sang softly to calm him and stop him from sparking. The room contained a stone pedestal that once held the Chaos Tailbands and a wall of hieroglyphs written in an ancient echidna language, likely the Raisol language. &quot;The text on the wall describes the events that led to the tailbands being placed in this shrine... The origins of Apocalos and the Darkseeker.&quot; Capricorn stated, &quot;The Zodiac Council was well aware of all of this, of course...&quot; she added. &quot;Careful! We&#039;re not alone...&quot; Blaze warned, pointing at three figures walking up onto the stone pedestal. &quot;Team GeneX?&quot; Bolt murmured. &quot;Not quite!&quot; said the hornet in the group; Zapp the hornet! &quot;You can call us Dark Team GeneX!&quot; Thrash the rhino sneered. Vanitas the chameleon looked down at the heroes with a smirk. &quot;What did you think you were looking for in here? A golden treasure? A shadowy water demon?&quot; he snickered. Seeing the three Darks, Marine backed away a step, and Sonata placed a hand on her shoulder. &quot;I know you&#039;ve been hiding your growing fears... It&#039;s okay to be scared.&quot; he said softly. Silver looked at the Darks apprehensively. &quot;Wait, never mind what we&#039;re doing here, what are you three doing here?&quot; he asked. Zapp twirled a pair of guns in his hands. &quot;You guys were out of the way up to this point, but now you&#039;re on the wrong island.&quot; he sneered. &quot;The Lost Ones want all you hero types eliminated so their plans can&#039;t be wrecked.&quot; Thrash added. Vanitas&#039; hands glowed with Chaos energy as he sneered at Silver and Blaze. &quot;We don&#039;t really care about their plans. We just can&#039;t stand our weaker halves, always obeying &#039;Master Bucky.&#039; And clearly, you&#039;re working with them...&quot; he said, glaring at Sonata and Bolt, &quot;So, we&#039;ll wipe you all out!&quot;<br /><br />Thrash charged into the fray first, and Silver quickly picked him up and threw him against the wall with his powers! &quot;Finally, some normal opponents!&quot; he chuckled. &quot;I&#039;ll show ya &#039;normal!&#039;&quot; Zapp growled, his guns glowing with dark energy before firing shadowy bullets at him! Silver stopped those bullets in midair, but the dark energy burned brighter and started pushing back against his psychic grip! &quot;You guys might wanna stay out of the way!&quot; Silver said to Sonata, Bolt, Marine and Capricorn as he attempted to redirect the bullets. While Blaze leapt into action against Vanitas, Sonata tried to lead Bolt to a safe corner, only to run into a groaning Thrash. &quot;W-where ya think you&#039;re goin?&quot; he growled. Marine got in front of the experiments and held out her arms. &quot;L-leave &#039;em alone, or you&#039;ll have to face Captain Marine!&quot; she warned. &quot;W-what&#039;s she doing?&quot; Bolt stammered. &quot;Volunteering for first thrashin&#039;!&quot; Thrash snarled, holding onto his hat as dark energy collected in his horn before shooting out as lightning and zapping the raccoon! &quot;Aaaaahh!! C-crikey... I didn&#039;t know he c-could do that!&quot; Marine whimpered, doubled over in pain. &quot;Stay down, girl!&quot; the rhino warned. However, Marine struggled back to her feet. &quot;N-no... The cobber&#039;s right, I&#039;m scared... But I can&#039;t hide behind Blaze forever. I won&#039;t watch another world go through what mine did!&quot; she shouted. Watching her, Bolt&#039;s bolts started to spark, and he growled a bit. &quot;She&#039;s right... If I stay in my shell, I could...lose Sonny...&quot; he whispered, suddenly hobbling past Marine and throwing a punch at Thrash! &quot;Ha ha!! What was that!?&quot; the rhino laughed, &quot;You wimps are gonna be too easy!&quot; he sneered, firing more dark lightning at Bolt, only for it to be absorbed by his bolts! The creature growled angrily at him, his whole body sparking. &quot;Y-you... just MESSED UP!!&quot; he roared, expelling that lightning from his bolts and giving Thrash a mighty shock! &quot;Alright! Let&#039;s gang up on &#039;em!&quot; Marine shouted, the &quot;wimps&quot; surrounding the stunned Thrash!<br /><br />The stone pedestal was dragged into a black hole summoned by Vanitas&#039; Chaos Hole ability. It was hurting the structural integrity of the room, but Blaze was fast enough to avoid getting pulled in, and the white chameleon was forced to close the hole before it became forceful enough to start pulling his allies in. &quot;Fine, the easy way won&#039;t work. I&#039;ve got other tricks, though...&quot; he sneered, heading after Blaze. Feeling the pull of the black hole gone, Blaze turned to face him again, creating fireballs in her hands. &quot;I just want to know if you&#039;ve seen Eggman Nega or the Sol Emeralds!&quot; she shouted. Vanitas cracked his knuckles. &quot;Don&#039;t care enough to keep track! The Lost Ones just knew that intruders would wanna check this place out, and that&#039;s why we&#039;re here! Now I give you... Dark Chaos Inferno!!&quot; He launched a huge beam of dark energy towards Blaze, which also had a flame trail snaking around it! Though the flames wouldn&#039;t bother the princess, she leapt to evade the darkness, and as she ran to continue avoiding the beam, the room shook from its impact against the walls! &quot;You&#039;re going to bring this chamber down on top of us!&quot; she warned. Vanitas stopped his attack and took on a karate stance. &quot;Oh, fine, you have disarmed me with your logic. Now we fight hand-to-hand!&quot; he said. Blaze doused the fire in her hands and ran to engage him in the fair fight she expected, but that was a bit much to expect. &quot;Dark Chaos Camouflage!&quot; His body seemed to change into pure dark energy, and Blaze&#039;s initial kick went straight through him! Vanitas smirked, grabbing her arm and starting to give her a swing...but then her entire body burst into flames! &quot;Light cuts through shadow!!&quot; she shouted as Vanitas released her, recoiling like a vampire exposed to the morning sun!<br /><br />Overall, the battles seemed to have come to a bit of a stalemate. Zapp had especially gotten frustrated, his bullets unable to strike Silver fast enough, even charged by darkness. &quot;Fine, I won&#039;t even bother shooting at you!&quot; he growled, pocketing his pistols and somehow producing a rocket launcher instead! &quot;Time to bring down the house!!&quot; he shouted, firing a rocket at the back wall behind him so Silver couldn&#039;t stop him! The ceiling started to crumble, and Silver quickly tried to hold it up with his powers! &quot;Agh!! W-we gotta get outta here!&quot; he shouted. Thrash and Vanitas growled and ran for the exit, followed by Zapp. &quot;Enjoy your tomb!&quot; the chameleon shouted while Blaze and the others rushed to Silver&#039;s side, not wanting to leave him behind. &quot;Wh-what do we do now?&quot; Marine stammered. &quot;We get YOU out first!&quot; Capricorn suggested. There wouldn&#039;t be time even for that, however, as the floor suddenly caved in underneath them! As his friends screamed and started to fall around him, Silver glanced down and zoomed down after them, grabbing Marine and Blaze with his powers as fast as he could to slow their descent! They landed in a chamber below the tailband chamber...apparently the Chaos Shrine was larger than it appeared! The crumbling ceiling above plugged up the hole they&#039;d fallen through, meaning they would have to find another way out. Capricorn and Sonata stumbled to their feet, and found Bolt wobbling around on the back of his shell, so they helped him up. Blaze looked around, and then turned to Silver with a sigh. &quot;Thanks for breaking our fall, Silver... I think I sense the Sol Emeralds down here, so...that cave-in may have been fortunate.&quot; she murmured. There was a single door leading out of this chamber. They would have to see where it leads...<br /><br /><br />Vanitas, Zapp and Thrash had no trouble passing the Chaos Guardians and returning to the entrance. &quot;Easy breezy, scratch one batch of heroes!&quot; Zapp laughed, pleased with himself. &quot;We weren&#039;t supposed to trash the place...&quot; Thrash grumbled. &quot;Yes, and I&#039;m sure the big bads would prefer bodies to possess, but who really cares what they want?&quot; Vanitas scoffed. The three of them suddenly cried out as they were lifted up by the ankles by powerful vines, and Loscream dropped from the ceiling, hanging the trio in front of his pumpkin face! &quot;We could almost forgive your sloppy work... If you had actually killed those heroes! But you fools merely let them into the basement!&quot; Loscream told them, the fire in his pumpkin shell burning blue! &quot;H-hold on!&quot; Thrash yelled. &quot;Y-yeah, we&#039;ll make it right!&quot; Zapp stammered. Vanitas crossed his arms. &quot;Don&#039;t cower! It&#039;s not like we have our own souls for them to steal anyway!&quot; he huffed. Loscream grinned at them in a wicked manner. &quot;Oh, you will make it right...in a way. Tell me, if you don&#039;t have souls...how is it we were able to bring back other Darks... Mephiles, Soleil, Aries? Ohh, you poor fools... You can&#039;t have your own bodies without having your own souls!&quot; As the giant pumpkin finished speaking, the three Darks&#039; eyes widened, and they struggled against his vines, shouting in protest! Zapp and Thrash were tossed in Loscream&#039;s gaping mouth first, while Vanitas tried a last-ditch escape! &quot;Dark Chaos Camouflage!!&quot; Making his body an intangible shadow, he fell out of Loscream&#039;s grip...but directly into his jagged pumpkin mouth! &quot;Noooo!!!&quot; he cried as the blue flames enveloped him the same as his brothers! Loscream cackled and turned towards the Chaos Shrine&#039;s hall. &quot;No escape...for anyone!!&quot;<br /><br /><br />Chapter 46 - Underground Emeralds<br />Stage 22 - Chaos Shrine<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;You&#039;ve got to face your fear to overcome it.<br />Can&#039;t keep your head in the sand or run from it.<br />Show what you&#039;re afraid of,<br />Exactly what you&#039;re made of.<br />Just take a big deep breath and face your fear.&quot; - Face Your Fear; Sonic Underground<br /><br /><br />Fear is a very common emotion. It doesn&#039;t take an emotion-sensing horn to know that. But it helps. Sonata the unicorn could very much tell that those around him were feeling varied levels of dread and anxiety as they began their exploration of the Chaos Shrine&#039;s basement. Marine and Capricorn were both understandably anxious being two individuals with no special powers trapped on an island filled with monsters and enemies. Bolt was nervous about the possibility of being separated from the only person he trusted, Sonata. Silver was concerned that the Doomsayer might be right, and nothing he could do would actually save the future. Blaze wasn&#039;t certain what she had left to fear after losing her home, but she still felt a definite unease. And Sonata? He was afraid their group might be trapped. A fear that might lessen with the discovery they were about to make, but wouldn&#039;t go away completely. What they discovered was one of the six Sol Emeralds, abandoned on the ground, resting against the wall. Blaze picked up the yellow gem and looked around cautiously. &quot;This is one of the emeralds Nega took... He got down here, somehow.&quot; the feline murmured. Sonata sighed. &quot;Then, there must be a way back out?&quot; he reasoned. &quot;Maybe, maybe not...&quot; Capricorn stated, looking less than confident. Marine looked at the emerald in Blaze&#039;s hand. &quot;Why would he just toss the gem after he nicked it?&quot; she wondered. Silver had a notion. &quot;He might have run into trouble down here... Which means we&#039;ve got more than just Eggman Nega to worry about...&quot; he stated. Blaze clutched the emerald tightly. At least they knew they were in the right place.<br /><br />Heading into the next room, they found several different pathways ahead. Capricorn cleared her throat. &quot;Erm, I know you want to look for those emeralds, but... Maybe we should secure an escape route from this place first?&quot; she asked. Blaze shrugged. &quot;You can look for an exit if you wish. I need to track down those emeralds...&quot; she insisted. &quot;Why don&#039;t we split up, then?&quot; Silver recommended, &quot;We could find the emeralds or the exit faster.&quot; he stated. Bolt grabbed Sonata&#039;s hand nervously. &quot;S-split up?&quot; he whimpered. &quot;Good idea, cobber! I&#039;ll keep an eye on Blaze!&quot; Marine announced. Capricorn shrugged and looked at Silver. &quot;I guess I&#039;m with you...&quot; she murmured. As they split off into three groups, Sonata and Bolt nervously set out into one of those hallways together. It was dark, and spooky, and the fear Sonata was sensing from Bolt was making him uneasy as well. &quot;Relax, relax, see? There&#039;s nothing to fear here. Look!&quot; he said, approaching a statue of a Chaos Guardian. &quot;It&#039;s just made of stone!&quot; he said, tapping his knuckles against it while turning to give Bolt a cheery smile. The shelled creature&#039;s eyes widened and he started to stammer and point behind Sonata. &quot;Hm? Oh dear...&quot; the unicorn gulped, sensing that fear turning to terror. The statue was glowing behind him, and the stone dissolving away as the statue transformed into a real Chaos Guardian! As Bolt and Sonata saw it, their screams filled the basement, and Blaze could hear it...but she had her own problems. As Marine hid behind her, they found red-eyed demons resembling former agents of the Covenant of Despair! &quot;Not sure what this is about...but they&#039;re in our way!&quot; Blaze growled.<br /><br />Silver and Capricorn had picked a much more peaceful path. To the point that Capricorn had time to get a bit lost in thought. &quot;Ever since Bucky restored me to life... Memories of my old, pre-Zodiac life have been returning, bit by bit...&quot; she stated thoughtfully. &quot;That sounds like good news...&quot; Silver murmured, keeping a steady eye on the path ahead. Capricorn scratched her head. &quot;Weirdly, I still can&#039;t recall my real name. Just little things. A church... My father was rather religious, I think. I remember my mother, too... She was in the church choir, lovely singing voice. I remember hearing her sing Amazing Grace...very beautiful...&quot; she sighed, eyes closed, &quot;Their names escape me, too...&quot; Silver glanced at her sympathetically, &quot;You&#039;ll remember. Don&#039;t worry. But watch out now...&quot; he warned, noting a Chaos Guardian floating down the hall toward them! It clutched the cyan Sol Emerald in its clutches, and its whole body glowed with its power! Capricorn stepped back. &quot;You be careful, too, Silver!&quot; she said. The guardian swung its free tendrils at Silver, leaving a gash in the wall when it missed him and struck it! Silver knew he couldn&#039;t grab the guardian itself with his powers. &quot;Maybe I can...&quot; he grunted, trying to tug the emerald from the creature&#039;s clutches with his psychokinesis instead! The guardian tugged back, giving Silver trouble, so Capricorn tossed a broken piece of the wall at the jellyfish to distract it! It released the emerald and reached its tendrils for her, but Silver lifted her out of the way with his powers, and with the Sol Emerald in hand, started to race down the hall with the ferret! &quot;We need Bolt and Blaze back! It&#039;s no use fighting Chaos Guardians like this!&quot; he shouted, hoping they&#039;d find the others along their way...<br /><br />Sonata and Bolt had it a bit worse, dealing with several Chaos Guardians chasing them through the hallway they had chosen. Fortunately, Bolt was capable of fighting back, and with Sonata there to kick his shell, he gave the guardians that surrounded them a good dose of shellshock, meaning his shell was electrified in this case. This seemed to work well enough until a guardian carrying the blue Sol Emerald arrived on the scene and caught Bolt&#039;s shell in its tentacles, squeezing him as he glowed with Sol energy! Bolt cried out in fear, unable to move in the jellyfish&#039;s grip! &quot;H-help me, Sonny!&quot; he wailed, but Sonata&#039;s path was blocked by additional Chaos Guardians, and there was little the empath could do against just one of them. &quot;B-bolt... Please, you have to be the one to save me!&quot; he pleaded, backing away as the guardians approached him. &quot;I c-can&#039;t!&quot; Bolt whimpered, eyes shut tight. &quot;You can, Bolt! You are the one of us who is strong... I was only made to give strength to others, by helping them realize their truths...&quot; the unicorn stated, gasping as the tendrils on the guardians started to lift him up! &quot;B-bolt!! You can save me, y-you have to let go...let your power free!&quot; he cried desperately. Bolt&#039;s eyes opened, and he saw his friend in mortal peril. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly expelled a powerful electric discharge from his body! &quot;Noooo!! Sonataaaa!!&quot; he screamed, grabbing the Sol Emerald as his shock stunned the guardian into dropping him! Landing on his feet, he charged the other guardians, electricity erupting from his body and jolting them into dropping Sonata! The guardians fled, and Bolt howled in rage and despair, throwing a tantrum as his friend lay on the floor. &quot;Hush, hush, Bolt...don&#039;t you cry...Listen and I&#039;ll sing you a lullaby...&quot; The sound of Sonata&#039;s soft, gentle voice caught Bolt&#039;s attention, and he sniffled as he started to calm down. &quot;Y-you&#039;re hurt...&quot; he mumbled. Sonata sat up slowly and shook his head. &quot;You saved me...&quot; he said with a sweet smile.<br /><br />Blaze and Marine ducked into yet another side path in the maze of hallways in order to shake their demonic pursuers. What they found was a hall with a largely missing floor, possibly resulting from the Chaos Shrine being carelessly lifted and combined with Demon Island. Marine peered down to see red eyes peering up from the abyss. &quot;I think I found where them drongos came from...&quot; she murmured. Across the chasm, the sparkle of a green Sol Emerald caught their attention, resting on what remained of the floor on the other side. &quot;Of course...&quot; Blaze sighed, looking for a way across. There were stalagmites rising up from the chasm, pretty much the only environment she could use. But demonic bats were flying up from the abyss as well, dark reminders of Despairs former aerial troops! Blaze glanced at Marine. &quot;Wait here, we&#039;re going to try another path...in a minute!&quot; she said, leaping for the stalagmites and kicking off the tip to jump for the next one! The demon bats rose from the chasm and turned to chase her, but Marine caught some of their attention with a well-tossed rock! &quot;Fair dinkum toss Captain Marine! Err... Now what?&quot; the raccoon babbled, backing away nervously as the bats charged towards her! Blaze bounced off one of the bats before landing on the ledge and picking up the Sol Emerald. &quot;That&#039;s two... Gah! Marine!!&quot; she gasped, looking back to see her friend leading the demon bats in circles as she shouted in a panic. A fire started to flicker around Blaze like an aura of anger. &quot;Leave her alone!&quot; she shouted, leaping back into the air and kicking the demons down into the abyss as she bounced off of them, grabbing and swinging off the stalagmites as she made her way back to the other side! &quot;Ha ha! Yer in for it now, mates!&quot; Marine laughed as the angry Blaze approached.<br /><br /><br />Demon dogs and bears, other common Despair agents, were guarding the fifth Sol Emerald, the white one. Eggman Nega approached them in his Egg Mobile. &quot;Away with you, beasts! That&#039;s mine!&quot; he growled, a bit of frustration in his voice. The demons snarled at him, clearly not open to negotiation nor receptive to threats. Nega flipped some switches on his vehicle, and a sort of laser weapon popped out of either side of the Egg Mobile while a long arm snaked out of the bottom! The lasers pelted the demons, knocking them back while the arm extended out and reclaimed the Sol Emerald! &quot;You can catch me off guard, but you won&#039;t outwit me! Those emeralds are as good as mine!&quot; the doctor sneered. &quot;Good luck getting this emerald from me!&quot; Silver&#039;s voice caught Nega&#039;s attention, and he turned to see him and Capricorn approaching from one direction, the hedgehog casually holding the cyan emerald. &quot;Silver! Whew, there you are!&quot; Sonata&#039;s voice came from another direction, and he was carrying the blue emerald as Bolt followed behind him. &quot;Big-stache! We gotcha surrounded! Surrender yer booty to Captain Marine!&quot; the raccoon shouted next, talking like a pirate. She and Blaze were coming from yet a third direction, all the paths converging on this central chamber where a mural of Chaos decorated the back wall. The demons snarled and ran off into a fourth hall, leaving Eggman Nega alone with the group. &quot;How good of you all to clean up after me.&quot; Nega snickered. Blaze folded her arms, looking quite unamused. &quot;Unless you want us to tear your vehicle apart, you&#039;d better give those back now!&quot; she warned. Of course, Nega cooperating was about as likely as the demons cooperating.<br /><br />Nega turned his lasers toward Blaze. &quot;The creatures down here impeded my progress, but with a slight tweak to my weapons and this lovely purple Sol Emerald, I was able to turn the tables on them! How much more powerful will my lasers be with two emeralds, hm?&quot; he snickered as the long arm attached to his vehicle lifted up to hand off the white emerald to the doctor. Blaze rolled her eyes. &quot;All of this is just so you can harness the emeralds&#039; power to run away...&quot; she said. Nega growled a little. &quot;Not just to run away! When I find a nice monster-free world, I&#039;ll use the power of the Sol Emeralds to conquer it! I will rule over every corner of the multiverse that I can get my hands on!&quot; he declared. Marine pointed behind him. &quot;Not if that thing gets ya!&quot; she stammered. &quot;Pah! The old &#039;look behind you&#039; trick!&quot; Nega scoffed. However, the Egg Mobile was suddenly grabbed by a pair of strong, black arms! As Eggman Nega yelped in alarm, his Egg Mobile was tossed aside, the Sol Emeralds dropping to the ground! Standing there was a red eyed creature resembling Chaos. &quot;Ah! Oh no!&quot; Silver gasped, &quot;We&#039;re on Demon Island! The darkness here takes the form of demons, and those demons can take the shape of any dark soul that set foot here! Like...Shadow Chaos!&quot; While Silver was busy explaining that, the demon Shadow Chaos had absorbed the two Sol Emeralds, becoming bigger and stronger! It then whipped its elastic arms around the room, snatching the other four emeralds, and transforming further! It became a large creature with a whiplike tail... Shadow Chaos 6! But it would be more accurate to refer to it as Demon Chaos. Blaze stood up from the creature&#039;s emerald-stealing attack and growled. &quot;I don&#039;t care what this thing is! Cough up those emeralds! Right now!&quot; she shouted, only getting roared at in response!<br /><br />Demon Chaos whipped its tail at the group, and while Blaze dove under the tail attack, it whipped back up and struck the ceiling, causing a bit of a cave-in! The falling rocks fell toward the crashed Egg Mobile, forcing Nega to ditch it and take cover with Bolt and Sonata, all of them trapped behind the collapsed roof! &quot;Strewth! There goes spike-head and the sea turtle!&quot; Marine gasped. &quot;We&#039;re fine! Watch yourselves!&quot; Sonata shouted. Silver picked up a stray bit of rubble with his powers and tossed it at Demon Chaos, but the monster hopped out of the way like a frog, dodging the attack! &quot;How do we get the emeralds out of that thing?&quot; he wondered. That was a good question. &quot;Well,&quot; Capricorn mused, &quot;A creature like this was historically weak to ice. Too bad Pisces lost her powers, and her life...&quot; she said, feeling useless. Blaze covered herself in fire. &quot;This one&#039;s a creature of darkness...so I&#039;ll fight it with light! Pin it down, Silver!&quot; she shouted, dodging the tail and giving chase to the hopping demon! Silver grabbed more of the rubble from the cave-in, moving it with his mind to try and block Demon Chaos&#039; movement! &quot;He&#039;s remarkably quick in this tight space...but he can&#039;t get away!&quot; he growled. Soon, the demon was pinned between two floating boulders, and Blaze approached, burning brightly! The demon recoiled, snarling as it blindly whipped its tail at her! &quot;Taking those emeralds was a mistake! You&#039;re gonna give them back...now!!&quot; she cried, leaping into Demon Chaos! The onlookers gasped as Demon Chaos splattered, the black fluid seeming to surround Blaze! &quot;No!&quot; Silver yelped, afraid she&#039;d be crushed by the blackness. Instead, a bright light burned through the dark, and Demon Chaos evaporated away, leaving Blaze holding the six Sol Emeralds in her arms!<br /><br />With the tension fading, Marine knocked on the wall of rubble blocking them from Nega and the experiments. &quot;Oy! You lot trying to dig out from that side?&quot; she called. &quot;The structure&#039;s integrity is insufficient. We could be crushed in another collapse.&quot; Nega stated. &quot;...Does that mean I shouldn&#039;t dig them out?&quot; Silver wondered. &quot;We&#039;ll escort the doctor out of the shrine.&quot; Sonata told them. &quot;Ruh-really?&quot; Bolt stammered. They were kind of stuck together. It was unsafe to dig, and Nega&#039;s Egg Mobile was buried. &quot;I&#039;ll need your brawn as much as you&#039;ll need my brains if we&#039;re to find an exit now.&quot; the scientist sighed, hating to admit it. Blaze nodded in Nega&#039;s general direction. &quot;I guess there&#039;s no choice. Just remember, if we learn you harmed our friends, you&#039;ll have to answer to me, Eggman Nega!&quot; she warned. Capricorn looked around on their side. &quot;It&#039;s not like we know any way out either. Any ideas?&quot; she asked. Marine snickered. &quot;I&#039;ll lead us out! She&#039;ll be apples!&quot; she smiled. Silver looked to Blaze, who seemed to have something on her mind. &quot;What&#039;s up?&quot; he asked. &quot;I sense the last Sol Emerald... Somewhere deeper...&quot; she murmured, starting toward the next hallway. Marine shuddered a bit. &quot;Th-that emerald was eaten by a big nasty monster...&quot; she recalled. Silver shared her worry. They&#039;d barely escaped said monster the last time they met. However, Blaze continued onward, determination in her eyes. &quot;I am the guardian... This is my duty...&quot; she murmured. &quot;You&#039;re more than just that to us, Blaze.&quot; Silver said, to which Marine nodded. She didn&#039;t acknowledge them, continuing onward, her single-minded hunt nearing its end. She knew success wouldn&#039;t bring her absolution...but her world was dead. What else was left?<br /><br /><br />Up above, Loscream strained his vines, trying to lift the rubble that had covered the Chaos Tailband chamber. &quot;It&#039;s outta your tentacles, Luna.&quot; said Lospecter as he phased through the nearby wall. The large pumpkin tried to swat him with a vine. &quot;What do you want??&quot; he snarled. Lospecter knelt against the wall, yawning. &quot;Boss man has me doin&#039; everything on account of me having the Chaos Key. Old lord of the castle needs his minions, and you were the last one to see &#039;em, soooo... Where&#039;d ya leave Despair, hm?&quot; he asked. Loscream glanced at him, a sinister flicker of light in his carved eyes. &quot;They DID try to flee from us...&quot; he said darkly. Lospecter nodded. &quot;Well, that about settles it. We&#039;re trading places. You can&#039;t get downstairs too easily anyway. Besides, you&#039;ve a score to settle with the owner of the Chaos Claws...&quot; the ghost said, lowering slowly towards the ground, &quot;So, go help Howler get &#039;em back. I&#039;d give the old wolf a joke name but I mean, Howler?? Ah ha ha ha...&quot; he chuckled as he started sinking down through the floor. Loscream clenched his jagged pumpkin teeth, snarling. &quot;The Chaos Claws... My claws, my curse... Yes, I&#039;ll take care of the fool who dares wear them...&quot; he growled, turning and heading back down the hall towards the shrine&#039;s exit, past the Chaos Guardians. The Chaos Guardians rested scattered all over the hall, limp and lifeless, for even as powerful as they were, they were no match for Loscream. Nor had Despair been, nor had Dark Team GeneX. How then would Knuckles the echidna fare...?<br /><br /><br />Chapter 47 - Absolution<br />Stage 22x - Flame Core<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;And who knows what of our future?<br />We can all try to change the past.<br />Only you know if you&#039;ll be together tonight...<br /><br />Cause every night I will save your life,<br />And every night I will be with you.<br />Cause every night I still lay awake,<br />And I dream of an absolution.<br /><br />Cause every night I will make it right,<br />And every night I will come to you,<br />But every night it just stays the same,<br />In my dream of an absolution.&quot; - Dreams of an Absolution, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006<br /><br /><br />&quot;Losss... Lossss...&quot; The ominous whispers could be heard echoing through the cavern, the area that Chaos Shrine&#039;s basement had led Blaze to. The exact purpose of that basement was difficult to determine, but now they were passing into the depths of Demon Island, and in the shadows they could see ominous figures. &quot;Lost Ones... I&#039;m not sure we should keep going...&quot; Capricorn said nervously. &quot;Nothing&#039;s going to stop me...&quot; Blaze grumbled. Marine, however, was more hesitant. The figures in the dark looked familiar. The raccoon gulped. &quot;C-cobbers?&quot; Stepping a bit closer, the figures in the dark became clearer to see. They were koalas, reborn as Lost One zombies. They were Marine&#039;s friends, the Coconut Crew! &quot;Stay back!&quot; Silver warned, &quot;This has to be a trap... They know we&#039;re here!&quot; Blaze was still determined to press on, but in front of her, the Doomsayer stepped out of the darkness. &quot;Sonic? Out of my way!&quot; she shouted. The Doomsayer removed his hood, indeed he was Sonic. &quot;You asked me where I was from. I am from one version of this world&#039;s future, one of many futures I have been witness to.&quot; he said, holding up a hand to feel the rain that even followed him underground, like sorrowful tears from the atmosphere around him, &quot;No matter how I tried to alter the past, the Lost Ones always prevailed. I lost count of the attempts...all the times I watched my friends fall. The only way is to join the Lost Ones. Their apocalypse is inevitable.&quot; he said. Silver growled. &quot;No! I won&#039;t believe that! I know I&#039;ve had to fix the past quite a few times myself... but there has to still be hope! Giving up...becoming THIS!?&quot; he shouted, motioning toward the Lost Coconut Crew, &quot;...Sonic wouldn&#039;t agree with that either. I don&#039;t know what happened to you, but you aren&#039;t Sonic anymore!&quot; he cried. The blue one nodded. &quot;I am only...the Doomsayer!&quot;<br /><br />While they were distracted, they suddenly felt a lack of floor under them. &quot;Have a nice trip! Don&#039;t worry, I&#039;ll send the emerald you&#039;re looking for right over!&quot; Lospecter&#039;s voice drew Silver&#039;s attention, and he also looked to see his friends falling down into a portal while he was safely floating above it. &quot;Blaze!! No!&quot; he cried, diving into the portal after her! He wasn&#039;t quite fast enough to catch them, but he used his powers to slow his friends&#039; descent, softening their landing onto the rocky ground below. Blaze looked around the place they found themselves, a volcanic crater. &quot;F-flame Core? This is Flame Core... How can this be??&quot; she stammered. &quot;The Chaos Key can open a path to ANY place!&quot; Capricorn explained. Any place, true, but not any time. This had to be an alternate dimension. Silver looked up to see the portal vanish. &quot;The Doomsayer was a diversion to trap us... This place... Didn&#039;t I see this place in the Time Eater&#039;s crazy White Space?&quot; he recalled. Marine looked at the lava flowing around the rocks they were standing on and gulped. &quot;Right, well, that&#039;s enough sightseeing. Can we go home now?&quot; she whimpered. Another portal emerged close by, and out of it stepped a familiar foe. It was the turqoise skinned vampire-esque demon, Losipher. &quot;After fleeing me like cowards, it is my understanding that you pitiful creatures are looking for me? Or rather, you&#039;re hoping to take back the power I devoured...&quot; he sneered, the portal vanishing behind him. Losipher had swallowed the red Sol Emerald back in Blaze and Marine&#039;s own dimension, and nearly devoured them as well. Now, to complete the Sol collection, they would have to fight him again!<br /><br />Blaze clenched her teeth. Their chances didn&#039;t seem good if their last run-in with Losipher was anything to go on. But she had to try. Fortunately, Silver wasn&#039;t preoccupied trying to protect numerous other people this time. He glowed with psychokinetic energy, and reached out with it, making Losipher gag as he grabbed the Sol Emerald inside him and wrested it up through the demon&#039;s throat and out of his mouth! &quot;Hah! I got it!&quot; he laughed. &quot;That was super-gross...&quot; Marine groaned. Seeming to not even feel pain from all that, Losipher seized the floating emerald in his hand, pulling against Silver&#039;s power! He laughed at them softly. &quot;Take a good look. This rock will do you no good!&quot; he sneered. Blaze gasped as she looked at it. The emerald&#039;s red glow had faded, and it looked like an ordinary stone! &quot;What have you done to the emerald&#039;s power!?&quot; she shouted. &quot;Feasted on it!&quot; Losipher cackled, &quot;Ask your friend...&quot; he said, pointing at Capricorn. They glanced at her, and she rubbed the back of her head. &quot;Ophiuchus promised the Lost Ones the world in exchange for leaving the flow of time the way he wanted it... He had Chaos scientists in the future work with the Lost Ones, and they created...the Sol Emeralds. By transforming the Chaos Emeralds. They are the enduring, fiery soul of the Chaos Emeralds...fiery like the Earth&#039;s core...&quot; she said. Losipher released the lifeless emerald and let Silver take it. &quot;We devour souls... The protective layer of Chaos energy was removed so that the emeralds could be a power source for US!&quot; he declared. Blaze glared at Capricorn. &quot;You knew this??&quot; she hissed. Capricorn sighed. &quot;I believed our deal was necessary... Ophi made me believe it...&quot; she said. Losipher scowled at them. &quot;Now you can all die just as that snake did!&quot;<br /><br />Losipher reached back into his throat and pulled out a sword, which burst into blue flames. &quot;Stop doing that!&quot; Marine shouted, grossed out again. Capricorn stood in front of the raccoon, raising her arm protectively. &quot;Stay back!&quot; she warned Marine. Losipher pointed his blade at the ferret. &quot;Why so hypocritical? You said it yourself. You and Zodiac willfully aided us. Just because your foolish leader&#039;s plans fell apart doesn&#039;t mean you shouldn&#039;t expect us to claim the world we were promised. Stand down, Zodiac failure...&quot; he hissed, stepping towards her. She backed up a step, along with Marine, but Capricorn mostly stood her ground. &quot;I am no longer Capricorn of the Zodiac Council. I am an ordinary person again. And though I can&#039;t yet remember my name... I will protect those weaker than me, with my last breath if necessary!&quot; she shouted. Losipher raised his blade. &quot;So be it...&quot; However, as he swung his arm, the blade didn&#039;t move with him! Silver held it in the air with his psychokinesis. &quot;Don&#039;t forget us! We&#039;ll protect them, too!&quot; he shouted, Blaze positioning the other six Sol Emeralds on the ground around the lifeless emerald during Losipher&#039;s distraction. &quot;Perhaps the other Sol Emeralds can reawaken this one...&quot; she murmured. Their colorful lights glowed, but Losipher simply laughed at them. &quot;You know... I&#039;m not one for laughter... But the more you deny your fate, the more delicious your utter despair will be once I strip you of your souls. I crave such suffering! And now, I shall satiate that craving...&quot; his eyes glowed red when he turned to Blaze. Red like the Sol Emerald he&#039;d drained. He unhinged his jaw, and with a strangely mournful roar, he started to inhale forcefully, seemingly trying to suck in the Sol Emeralds!<br /><br />Though Capricorn felt the need to move Marine back, the force of the inhalation really wasn&#039;t enough to lift anyone. Blaze collected the Sol Emeralds into her arms quickly, protectively holding them against Losipher&#039;s inhale. Instead of getting the emeralds, he seemed to suck up their color, their very power, and before their eyes, Losipher started to grow and transform! Massive wings. Long, sharp claws. More fangs than his mouth could handle. Endless tentacles that seemed to both replace his legs and also wrap around most of his body. Losipher was a nightmarish, demonic beast, and he roared at them like a beast! The four Mobians backed as far away from him as they could, but any escape was blocked by streams of lava! Blaze found herself holding gray, lifeless emeralds, but there was no choice. &quot;I... have to believe. If these emeralds are an enduring, burning soul... I can reignite them!&quot; she cried, eyes glowing with fiery power! As Blaze&#039;s body heated up, the Sol Emeralds responded, starting to glow faintly once more! She was lifted off the ground as Losipher watched, snarling at her. The Sol Emeralds vanished in a dazzling burst of light, and Blaze emerged, her fur pink, her coat red, a powerful glow surrounding her. She had transformed into Burning Blaze! Silver floated up beside her, lacking in emerald power, but still ready to support her any way he could. &quot;That&#039;s impossible... I&#039;ve taken everything...all of the emeralds&#039; despair!&quot; Losipher snarled. Blaze scoffed at him. &quot;You should know that souls are made of more than despair... There&#039;s fiery passion! And vengeful rage! These flames...they will avenge our world!!&quot; she declared. Losipher snarled. &quot;I am filled with Sol energy... See if you can even harm me!&quot;<br /><br />Tentacles lashed out for Silver, Blaze and their friends, forcing the burning and psychic ones to fly out of the way! Capricorn and Marine scrambled about on the ground, trying to avoid getting grabbed. &quot;We could sure use something to defend ourselves with!&quot; Capricorn shouted. Silver sent the sword he&#039;d wrested from Losipher clattering to her feet, and though the blade was burning with Ghost Fire, she carefully took the handle. &quot;Well, beggars can&#039;t be choosers... Tentacles off!&quot; she shouted, slicing at one of those tentacles as it reached for Marine! The raccoon sighed in relief, only to gasp in alarm as the severed tentacle started to change its shape! It was a slimy likeness, but it shifted into the form of Mitch the weasel, whom Losipher had devoured at the jungle! He started to chase after Marine, and she screamed in alarm as she fled from him! &quot;Gross gross gross gross!!&quot; she yelled as Capricorn followed, trying her best to protect her. Since the ferret was watching over Marine, this freed up Silver and Blaze to focus more on Losipher. &quot;He must have a weak spot...&quot; Blaze murmured, speeding towards the beast while avoiding his flailing tentacles! His clawed hand swiped at her when she got close, and though her super form was resistant to damage, he was still able to grab her and toss her away, not bothered by her flaming body either! Silver was between two tentacles, struggling with his powers to push them back. He had to focus hard, because Lost Ones were resistant to his power. &quot;Aaaahh!! I-I&#039;m in trouble!&quot; he groaned. Seeing this, Blaze flew to him and lifted him to safety, the pair fleeing pursuit from the writhing tentacles! Losipher gave a smug snarl. &quot;You can&#039;t even get close...and your power will burn out before long. I am unstoppable... I am death!&quot;<br /><br />Things were getting particularly rough for Marine and Capricorn. Every time the ferret sliced a tentacle, another of Losipher&#039;s devoured souls manifested. Hope the raven, Zazz the Zeti, some stray Battle Birds. &quot;Blimey, would you stop doing that!?&quot; Marine shouted as these slimy ghosts surrounded her! &quot;I don&#039;t know what else to do!&quot; Capricorn cried, turning to strike down one of the slimy Battle Birds with the sword, only to see it start to regenerate on the spot! Blaze had dropped Silver near the edge of the rocky foothold, and seeing the others in trouble, she left him and raced to them, blasting through Zazz and Mitch first, reducing them to puddles of burnt slime! Blaze seemed to be taking the pressure off, but the tentacles were also growing back, and tried to grab for the helpless Marine! &quot;Nooo!&quot; the raccoon cried, ducking and holding her head to brace for the end. When it didn&#039;t come, she looked to see Capricorn wrapped up in the tentacles, her body and limbs held tight! She groaned and dropped the sword! &quot;R-run, Marine... Aaah!!&quot; she groaned. &quot;Capricorn, no!&quot; she sniffled. The ferret looked back at her. &quot;That&#039;s not...my name...&quot; she said, closing her eyes, &quot;My name... is Felicia... Don&#039;t worry...I&#039;ve been dead before.&quot; Though Blaze tried to go after her, Hope and the Battle Birds surrounded Marine, forcing the fiery princess to choose. While she saw to Marine&#039;s safety, Losipher pulled Capricorn, or Felicia, to him, and with his jaw unhinged like a snake, he quickly devoured her! &quot;Try finding a cure for that...&quot; the demon snarled, roaring as his broad wings flapped! His gloating roars were interrupted by a fiery boulder being flung into his mass of tentacles, making him howl in rage and turn to the culprit; Silver the hedgehog was lifting what earth he could out of the lava flow! &quot;You won&#039;t take another soul! We&#039;ll finish you here!!&quot; he shouted.<br /><br />There was no time to mull over the significance of Capricorn remembering her name. Felicia, it was the name Fera had taken during her amnesia. There are no coincidences...but perhaps this mystery would forever go unsolved. What wasn&#039;t a mystery was the depth of anger felt by the trio as they stared down Losipher. Even Marine was through running at this point, picking up the sword Capricorn had dropped, even though it was a bit heavy for her. The demon laughed at their bravado. &quot;You couldn&#039;t defeat Iblis, and you can&#039;t defeat us. It must play out in your mind every night, princess... The despair of leaving your friend alone in that ruined world. Too bad he cannot remember. But we are privy to time&#039;s secrets, yes...&quot; Losipher said, taunting Blaze. Silver tossed another ball of flaming rock at the demon, who swatted it aside with his clawed hand! His tentacles were spreading out, creeping towards him, as well as Marine, who wasn&#039;t as effective at swinging that sword as Capricorn was. Blaze floated in front of the demon, her thoughts on his words. It was true, the Silver she first knew was overwritten by a new timeline, one that didn&#039;t overwrite her as she found herself in Marine&#039;s dimension. &quot;I couldn&#039;t defeat Iblis... instead...&quot; she murmured, &quot;Instead... I burn with his flames!!&quot; she proclaimed, her burning form suddenly burning brighter, a brilliant light that stunned Losipher! &quot;You would tap into the flames of disaster?! Desperate fool! I will consume Iblis as well!&quot; he roared. Blaze seared off towards him, burning right through any tentacles that tried to grab her! &quot;Only I can play with fire...&quot; she said, twirling a mighty kick into the demon&#039;s head, &quot;...without getting burned!&quot; Silver and Marine raced closer, worried for their friend, but they stopped and gawked as Losipher let out a howl of pain, and light enveloped them both!<br /><br />It should have ended there. Blaze collapsed, the Sol Emeralds dropping around her. Losipher should have been destroyed, but the puddle where he once stood began to churn. Losipher&#039;s enraged voice howled, and the mass of slime split apart into a thousand smaller Lost Ones, resembling losol slimes with Losipher&#039;s fanged face attached! Before they knew it, the mini-Losiphers had surrounded Silver, Blaze and Marine! &quot;Crikey!! He really is invincible! We&#039;re done for!&quot; Marine cried. Blaze had put all her power into that last attack, and she was just collapsed on the ground, seeing the demons approaching and starting to feel that it was indeed over. &quot;It can&#039;t...end like this...&quot; she panted, clenching her teeth and shutting her eyes. Silver looked around. As hopeless as it looked, it was all up to him now. &quot;No, I won&#039;t give up! We&#039;re getting out of here!&quot; he shouted. The mini-Losiphers hissed and chuckled in amusement. &quot;You... cannot... escape... Die... now!!&quot; their voices chanted, speaking slowly and with effort, but that didn&#039;t mean they wouldn&#039;t be deadly to touch. Silver reached out his hands, glowing with psychokinetic energy. One by one, he lifted up the Sol Emeralds, and guided them back to their group. &quot;Sol Emeralds! I know we&#039;ve asked a lot of you, but help us just this once more!&quot; he cried. &quot;It&#039;s... too... late!!&quot; Losipher hissed, his scattered pieces leaping to attack the trio! The Sol Emeralds flashed just in time, and the pieces of Losipher crashed into each other, finding no Mobians and no Sol Emeralds to devour. Instead, Losipher&#039;s segments recombined, and returning to his default form, he glared up at the dark sky and wailed in fury!<br /><br />Blaze found herself falling, plummeting in the sky wherever the Sol Emeralds had sent them. Silver was frankly lucky to get the emeralds to transport them at all, given his lack of experience with them. The others could be anywhere, and Blaze was oddly at peace. As long as the Lost Ones didn&#039;t get the emeralds or her soul, she could accept it if her end was here. But as she reached that conclusion, she was suddenly caught in someone&#039;s arms, Silver&#039;s arms! She held onto him tightly, a wave of relief washing over her to see him okay. Marine was holding on to his ankle as the hedgehog floated across the cloudy sky, carrying his friends to safety. &quot;We made it... but... the Sol Emeralds are gone.&quot; Silver sighed. The emeralds aided them, but where they went afterwards was anyone&#039;s guess. They wouldn&#039;t be of any use to anyone now. Blaze continued to hold him, even cuddling him a bit. &quot;It doesn&#039;t matter, Silver... What matters is we&#039;re still here.&quot; she said softly. She had pursued revenge all this time, but in that moment where she nearly lost even more, she finally realized what was truly important. The Lost Ones still had to be stopped, of course; But they&#039;d never defeat the Lost Ones if they forgot what they were fighting for. &quot;Ay, mates!&quot; Marine shouted, &quot;Any chance for us to find land soon? My arm&#039;s gettin&#039; tired!&quot; she grunted. Silver nodded. &quot;Hang in there a bit longer...&quot; he said. Truthfully, he didn&#039;t want this moment to end, with Blaze in his arms. Although his memories of their original timeline together had faded, there was still always a nagging feeling deep within him. A failure, a profound loss. But at last, they were together, safe for the moment. That nagging feeling was gone... Replaced with a realized dream. Absolution.<br /><br /><br />Chapter 48 - Return to Despair Castle<br />Stage 23 - Despair Castle<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;Our castle is a massive force,<br />A stronghold of power.<br />My armor stays unbreakable,<br />In battle every hour.&quot; - Knight of the Wind, Sonic and the Black Knight<br /><br /><br />Previously on GeneX&hellip;<br />Knuckles and Violet teamed up with their friends to find Chaos Emeralds in Giant Jungle. They were attacked by Losipher and the Deadly Six, but they were rescued by Shadow warping them away. Knuckles still hasn&#039;t found all seven Chaos Emeralds, but he is carrying the Master Emerald with him.<br />Howler took one of those Chaos Emeralds back at Wisp Mine, along with a capsule full of Wisps to experiment on...<br />Now, our tale continues...<br /><br /><br />Knuckles, Violet and their allies ended up at the old Resistance HQ, where Sally Acorn was holding the line with the Freedom Fighters. Shade had made it there as well, and everyone was relieved to see each other okay. &quot;If anyone needs rest, Bunnie has prepared the barracks.&quot; Sally told them as they gathered in the main war room. Ray and Daisy both yawned. &quot;Show me a bed, I&#039;m ready to pass out...&quot; the skunk sighed. &quot;Could someone carry me?&quot; Ray mumbled. Mighty lifted the squirrel up to sit on his shoulders. &quot;Come on, let&#039;s get settled.&quot; he smiled. Patch followed the trio, skipping energetically. &quot;Hee hee! You babies! I could go for hours!&quot; he laughed. Once they had left, Knuckles looked to Sally. &quot;Any chance we can get a report on the situation? We&#039;ve been out looking for the Chaos Emeralds.&quot; he said. Sally nodded, waving in Uncle Chuck from the next room. &quot;We&#039;ve been monitoring the Gaia Wellsprings. If the Lost Ones get hold of them, our world dies.&quot; she explained. Chuck nodded. &quot;Apparently, a spirit named Tikal placed a powerful protection on the Wellsprings, but it won&#039;t last forever. Our intel shows the barriers are weakening as we speak.&quot; he said. Rouge and Omega were standing behind Knuckles, having joined up with his group after losing track of Shadow. &quot;Should we head out to defend these Wellsprings, then?&quot; she asked. Chuck frowned. &quot;We&#039;d never be able to defend all seven of them. No, we need a solution to the problem of the Lost Ones. If we can defeat them, all of them, then the Wellsprings will be safe/&quot; he stated. &quot;Oh, you make it sound so easy...&quot; Violet groaned. Shade nodded in agreement. &quot;Guess we really need those Chaos Emeralds...&quot; she figured. &quot;Oui! We have great needings of emeralds!&quot; announced Antoine at the doorway, accompanied by Bunnie and Rotor. &quot;Good to see ya made it, Knuckles...&quot; Rotor smiled.<br /><br />It was time to recap what they knew about the locations of the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles held up the two he&#039;d managed to recover, the blue and yellow emeralds. Rouge held the white emerald, admiring it. &quot;Shadow had procured the fourth emerald before we parted ways.&quot; Omega told the group. Shade nodded. &quot;I happened to run into a girl named Lara... She wanted me to inform you that Tails has an emerald, too. I guess we can trust her, she was with one of Santa&#039;s reindeer of all things...&quot; she stated. Lara was looking for her allies from her own time, but she knew her father was out searching for the Chaos Emeralds, too. She made it her business to know. At any rate, Uncle Chuck had more information. &quot;The green emerald was in Station Square. Eggman had it at first, but I think it&#039;s in the Lost Ones&#039; clutches now.&quot; he stated. Rotor folded his arms. &quot;I checked out the mine before I left. Aside from a bunch of Wisps being missing, I also found residual energy from a second Chaos Emerald, separate from the one you guys found...&quot; he told Knuckles. The echidnas glanced at one another knowingly. &quot;Howler must&#039;ve taken them. Which means the Lost Ones have the rest of the missing Chaos Emeralds!&quot; Knuckles concluded. Sally held up her handheld computer. &quot;Nicole, bring up our intel on Demon Island...&quot; she asked. &quot;Projecting, Sally...&quot; Nicole replied, displaying a hologram of the reformed island for all to see. &quot;Ugh, not this eyesore!&quot; Rouge groaned. &quot;Those creepy Lost buggers are holed up in there.&quot; Bunnie reported. &quot;We would be launching the attack, but, uhhh... I am thinking we have no way up there!&quot; Antoine said with a sheepish shrug. Violet stared at the projection of her former home, an intense look in her eyes. &quot;I can get us in... So, who&#039;s going?&quot; she asked.<br /><br />Patch and Daisy were a bit more shaken up by losing Mitch than they&#039;d care to admit, and Mighty and Ray were worn out in their own way, so they wouldn&#039;t be going. Most of the Freedom Fighters had to remain to defend the base, as well. They had to keep hold of whatever strongholds they could get. Rouge and Omega were quite willing to go to Demon Island, though. &quot;I&#039;m sure my boss would want me to check it out...&quot; Rouge had said. &quot;And this has NOTHING to do with hunting the Chaos Emeralds, of course?&quot; Knuckles replied smugly. Shade was joining them as well. She seemed pretty attached to Knuckles, Violet had noticed it back at the mines. Sally and Rotor also volunteered to go. &quot;My princess, what will we do without you to be leading us?&quot; Antoine asked her. &quot;I wish you&#039;d stop calling me that...&quot; Sally sighed, &quot;While I&#039;m gone, Sir Charles is in charge. Help him with his important research, Antoine, Bunnie.&quot; she asked them. &quot;Make sure to wake up Dulcy now and then, too. She&#039;s not the best lookout...&quot; Rotor mumbled. With the group determined, prepped and ready, Violet led them all outside. It was fortunate for them that Demon Island had altered its course, and was now passing over the city. &quot;Well, you&#039;re the expert. How do we get up there?&quot; Shade asked. Violet grabbed her and Knuckles by the hands. &quot;First, everyone join hands...and then let me concentrate...&quot; she stated. Their hands all linked, Knuckles feeling kind of silly as he stood there looking up at the island. &quot;We gonna start singing?&quot; he grumbled. &quot;Shush!&quot; Violet snapped, focusing her energy. A darkness surrounded the seven of them, and they all vanished, reappearing in the forest of Demon Island. &quot;Recalibrating sensors!&quot; Omega babbled. &quot;That was a lot of ceremony for a simple teleport!&quot; Rouge scoffed. &quot;If you think it&#039;s easy, you do it next time!&quot; Violet grumbled. &quot;I&#039;ll pass...&quot; Rouge murmured, taking a walk to look around.<br /><br />By now, they were far from the only ones on Demon Island. Their group&#039;s point of arrival just missed being in the path of Punchy as his group fled Lost One pursuit, meaning Violet missed out on a reunion with her sister. Sonic and Lucky were unfortunately on the other side of the island, and also unavailable to help them. Shadow and Silver were also in the vicinity of the island, but like the other groups, one could argue they were &quot;lost.&quot; Knuckles did come across Copter and Gemini, however. The pair had left their group alone at Fred&#039;s grave for the time being, and were trying to assess their situation. And maybe just be alone together for a bit. Sally was the first to call out to them. &quot;Gemini and Aries?? Ophiuchus isn&#039;t here, is he?&quot; she asked nervously. The snake had controlled her before, making her serve as Virgo. &quot;Ahh... No, Ophi&#039;s gone. Toast.&quot; Copter reported, &quot;And don&#039;t call me Aries...&quot; he added. Gemini waved to Knuckles. &quot;Hey there... Glad to see you&#039;re hanging on. We were just thinking about storming the castle, but... Kinda been through an emotional and physical wringer...&quot; she said. Violet noted how Copter and Gemini were holding hands. &quot;Hmm... You two, huh?&quot; she said with crossed arms, giving Copter an intense look, &quot;...You better treat her right!&quot; she warned. Copter blushed and nodded, while Sally and Rotor exchanged confused glances. &quot;They used to date...&quot; Rouge informed them. Violet found herself blushing at that fact being broadcast. &quot;Alright, alright! We&#039;re gonna storm the castle ourselves, right, Knuckles??&quot; she asked. &quot;Uhh, yeah. These two love birds can take it easy for now!&quot; the echidna teased. &quot;Everything&#039;s not about us dating!&quot; Copter groaned. As most of the group started toward the castle, Omega stayed back. &quot;Sensors detect emerald energy in the island exterior. It could be Shadow.&quot; he stated. Rouge looked back at him and nodded. &quot;Send him our support, Omega!&quot; she smiled. The robot started off on his own, hoping to find their missing friend. Gemini stood up at the same time. &quot;Alright, better get back to the others. Before rumors start spreading...&quot; she sighed. Copter nodded in agreement. &quot;How long have our friends secretly been shipping us, anyway?&quot; he grumbled.<br /><br />Violet led the group to Despair Castle, the most likely place to find Howler. Hoping to take their enemies by surprise, Violet led them to a secret entrance to the castle, a side passage that was less likely to be guarded. &quot;Never thought I&#039;d be back here again... It&#039;s kind of surreal.&quot; Violet said as they started into the dark passageway, the castle walls cracked and water damaged but otherwise quite familiar. &quot;Don&#039;t get the warm fuzzies for the bad guys now...&quot; Rouge told her, sounding a bit condescending. &quot;She&#039;s had a couple years to rejoin Despair and she hasn&#039;t, lay off Rouge!&quot; Knuckles pointed out. &quot;I find it hard to imagine anyone feeling nostalgic for this place...&quot; Sally added, looking around with a shiver as they made their way through the castle&#039;s creepy, lonely halls. Violet ignored all this talk, and pushed open the hidden door at the end of the secret passage. They found themselves within the training maze that Despair&#039;s new recruits used to have to navigate while evading hostile instructors. &quot;Oh...shoot...&quot; she murmured. &quot;Did you actually get lost??&quot; Shade asked. &quot;We&#039;ll see. Never did spend a lot of time in this maze...&quot; Violet murmured. The telltale voices of Lost Ones could be heard among the winding corridors of the maze. Sally turned to Rotor. &quot;Wispon, please!&quot; she requested, the walrus handing her a red one. Knuckles and Shade got equipped with their Chaos Relics in preparation as well. &quot;Well, nobody was expecting this to be easy...&quot; Knuckles sighed. &quot;I can make it easy. Those walls don&#039;t go all the way to the ceiling...&quot; Rouge smirked, flapping her wings and flying up out of the maze! &quot;...She&#039;s coming back to tell us the way out, right?&quot; Rotor asked. Knuckles shook his head. &quot;She&#039;s probably trying to find the emeralds for herself...&quot; he said with a sigh.<br /><br />The Chaos Relics generally would lessen the threat of the Lost Ones considerably. However, the maze soon turned around their group, and most of them found themselves trying to find the others again, alone. Only Sally and Rotor managed to stick together, and the pair kept each other covered as they proceeded back-to-back through the maze. Any time some slimy creature would pop around a corner, either Sally would toast it with fire from her Wispon, or Rotor would pelt it with small meteor projectiles from his. &quot;How are we gonna find the others, Sal?&quot; Rotor gulped. Sally held Nicole to the wall, the small computer producing a tiny laser that left a precise mark. &quot;First off, we avoid getting lost...&quot; she murmured. Elsewhere in the maze, Shade was being menaced by creatures dashing from hall to hall, avoiding her sight and her Chaos Gauntlets. &quot;I know you&#039;re here... Quit hiding!&quot; she warned. There was raspy chuckling, taunting her. She turned towards the voices, and was suddenly overtaken by fear as she gazed into the burning red eyes of a skeletal canine...the remains of Basker! Violet was in a similar situation not too far away, screaming as Eddie the hyena and Anubis the jackal&#039;s skeletal Lost One forms approached her from either side! &quot;I never knew you guys could get more terrifying!&quot; she gasped, watching Eddie&#039;s skull rattle as he let out a hissing laugh! Violet tossed some dark flames at the skeletons, but it only seemed to cause them to ignite with Ghost Fire! &quot;Oh no!&quot; she gasped. It was then that shining bolts whizzed through the hall and struck Eddie and Anubis, causing their bony bodies to collapse! Violet saw Shade pointing the Chaos Gauntlets at them, a bit of a rattled expression on her face. &quot;Come on, let&#039;s find the others fast!&quot; she panted, Violet nodding and leaping over the burning bones to join her!<br /><br />Knuckles decided that if Rouge could cheat, so could he, and using his Chaos Claws, he climbed over the walls and quickly found the exit. Waiting for him at the exit was a nightmarish mass of vines, growing from the frightful gourd known as Loscream. The pumpkin&#039;s face was lit ominously in the dark, a wide jagged grin menacing the echidna. &quot;There you are... I see you!&quot; Loscream bellowed in a singsong manner. Knuckles raised his claws fists, glaring at the Lost One. &quot;Guess I&#039;m gonna have to do some gardening before I find the castle&#039;s master!&quot; he shouted. The vines started snaking around the area, slowly covering the room completely. &quot;Those are my claws... How did you overcome my curse? Ahh, Astra, that devious witch...&quot; Loscream grumbled, both of them recalling back when Gemini braved the Lost One Hive to recover a piece of Loscream&#039;s body to enable the older fennec to synthesize a cure for the curse. A curse which was driving Knuckles a bit mad for a while, but he was now fully freed from. &quot;You were responsible for that, huh? All the more reason for me to carve ya a new face with these claws!&quot; Knuckles yelled. He then felt something wrap around his ankle, and yelped as he was lifted upside down by the vines! Loscream laughed at him, his hollow face burning with ghostly blue flames! &quot;Claws or no claws, you are my next feast! Your soul will be delectable!&quot; Loscream cackled. Knuckles struggled a bit, looking at the flaming pumpkin below. &quot;Yeah, that&#039;s gonna be a hard pass!&quot; he grunted, swinging himself up and swiping the claws at the vine holding his ankle, cutting himself free and gliding off in search of a safe spot to stand! &quot;Poor mortal... You can&#039;t escape me!&quot; Loscream snarled!<br /><br />As soon as Knuckles landed on the ground, he was forced to swat and slice more vines as they attempted to grab hold of him! &quot;Back off, ya big weed!&quot; he growled, trying to cut himself some breathing room. &quot;This is what it&#039;s come to? Now we&#039;re fighting vegetables?&quot; sighed Rouge as she flew close to the scene. &quot;I thought pumpkins were fruit??&quot; Knuckles murmured, &quot;I mean- You gonna watch or help?!&quot; Rouge seemed to just kick back in the sky for a moment, earning a frustrated groan from Knuckles. &quot;Alright, alright. If I must!&quot; Rouge said a bit jokingly, flying over and lifting Knuckles by his left arm. &quot;Alright, now get me over to the pumpkin head!&quot; he told her. Loscream responded by blowing blue flames in their direction, forcing Rouge to back off! &quot;Are you sure its even safe to attack this thing?!&quot; she grunted, straining to both carry him and avoid the vines trying to grab for them! Fortunately, they wouldn&#039;t have to fly too long, as Sally arrived and burned away a mass of vines on the floor with her Wispon! &quot;Over here, quick!&quot; she called. Knuckles and Rouge both dropped onto the safe spot, but Loscream&#039;s vines were growing back fast! &quot;Gotta get to the root of the problem, I guess...&quot; Rotor murmured. Violet emerged next, teleporting herself and Shade into the area with dark magic. Loscream just smiled at this. &quot;Good, more souls to devour...&quot; he sneered, quickly grabbing the unprepared Violet and Shade! &quot;Aaahh!! Who put this here!?&quot; Violet cried. Sally and Knuckles quickly took out the vines holding them, and then Shade pointed her Chaos Gauntlets at the pumpkin! &quot;I&#039;m not your lunch!&quot; she growled, blasting him with bolts from the gauntlets! Loscream groaned and recoiled, stunned enough for the others to charge forward! Sally&#039;s flamethrowing Wispon cleared the vines, while Rouge lifted Knuckles into the air, enabling him to go into a glide and slam claws-first into the pumpkin while Shade continued to pelt him with bolts of energy!<br /><br />Through teamwork, and the combined power of two Chaos Relics, Loscream&#039;s ghostly fire was extinguished and his body was reduced to what was best described as pumpkin guts. They all took a brief moment to catch their breath. &quot;Well, if this hero business doesn&#039;t work out, maybe we could still get work as paranormal exterminators.&quot; Sally said with a slight smirk. &quot;No thanks...&quot; Rouge groaned. Violet pointed to the door Loscream had been blocking. &quot;We&#039;d better keep moving! Those emeralds aren&#039;t gonna recover themselves!&quot; she stated. Knuckles nodded. &quot;At least Howler&#039;s unlikely to be any worse than this...&quot; he murmured. Not long after the group left the training area, Lospecter floated over to the mass of gooey pumpkin remains. &quot;Well, that&#039;s unfortunate...&quot; he shrugged. Apocalos emerged from the shadows of the room and stood over the remains as well. &quot;Unfortunate that these petty souls persist in resisting...&quot; he said, raising a hand toward the remains as slime streamed from his feet and fed into the pumpkin guts. A shape started to form, and at first the slime molded to resemble Luna, the wolf who fought against the Doomlings with other heroes so many centuries ago. &quot;R-rex...&quot; she pleaded, &quot;Please, put an end to this! Release the souls you have taken! Y-you have to...&quot; Rather than listen, Apocalos balled his fist, and Luna screamed as the slime swallowed her, reshaping her back into a massive pumpkin as her former allies watched. Lospecter patted the top of the pumpkin head as it finished reforming. &quot;Good as new! Loony Luna!&quot; he snickered. Loscream swatted his vines at the ghost in irritation, while Apocalos turned away, a serious look in his glowing eyes. &quot;It&#039;s too late, Luna... Much, much too late...&quot; he sighed.<br /><br /><br />Somewhere in the castle, Howler stood with the two Chaos Emeralds in each hand. In front of him was a machine, attached to the Wisp Capsule he&#039;d taken from the mines. One Wisp was funneled from the capsule into a smaller capsule as Howler inserted the Chaos Emeralds into slots on the machine, and placed his hand on a switch. &quot;You may not belong in this world... But we&#039;ll see if you can be of use...&quot; he smirked. A dark furred rabbit in a lab coat stood behind him, observing nervously. &quot;Please, sir, I need more time on the machine! It may not be safe!&quot; the scientist warned skittishly. Howler glanced back and grinned as he threw the switch. &quot;I hope it isn&#039;t. Besides, time is a commodity we do not posses.&quot; he grunted, stepping back from the machine to observe the show. Sparks flew from the Chaos Emeralds as their energy was fed to the capsule holding the lone Wisp, supercharging it with power! Its single eye seemed to bulge in its socket, and its tentacles flailed wildly as it screeched in an alien language! The scientist looked on in horror, backing away as the Wisp railed against its prison, cracking the glass of the capsule! The light of the emeralds soon faded, and Howler stepped over, detaching the capsule from the machine to examine its contents. &quot;The alien is alive, you see?&quot; he sneered. The scientist let out a relieved sigh, but then gasped as Howler held the capsule toward him! &quot;Now, let the experiment really begin!&quot; the wolf cackled, popping open the capsule and setting the supercharged Wisp loose! It charged at the scientist, who screamed in fear as Chaos and Hyper-go-on energy both filled him at once, and Howler dropped the capsule callously on the ground, folding his arms and watching the transformation with a sadistic smirk...<br /><br /><br />Chapter 49 - Hyper-Peons<br />Stage 23 - Despair Castle<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;Better fear me better run away,<br />Cause this battle&#039;s just begun.<br />Enchanted whisper in your evil ear.<br />Can you hear the words I&#039;ve won... I&#039;ve won, I&#039;ve woooon.&quot; - Through the Fire, Sonic &amp; the Black Knight<br /><br /><br />Booster the reindeer flew over Despair Castle, carrying Lara on his back. They looked down at the ominous structure, the reindeer gulping nervously. &quot;You sure you want me to let you off here?&quot; he asked. Lara looked around the island. &quot;Aurora, Starr, Chopper, Juice and Lucky are on this island. Seems like my father is here, too. This is probably the right place for me to be.&quot; she said. Booster lowered to the front of the castle, dropping the echidna off at the main gate. &quot;I hope you&#039;ll be alright. There&#039;s something very not right about this place...&quot; he murmured. Lara hopped off his back and looked at him seriously. &quot;If I can ask you for one more favor, I&#039;d like you to find the rest of my friends. If Skye&#039;s time travel plan doesn&#039;t work, we&#039;ll need to be united to save our future here.&quot; she requested. Booster rubbed his head awkwardly. &quot;You want me to transport a group? That might be a bit much to ask for one reindeer...&quot; he mumbled, &quot;Ah, but you&#039;re a good kid! I&#039;ll see what I can do! Stay jolly...ah, if ya can!&quot; he said before rising into the air and flying off, leaving Lara on her own. She glanced at her ProwerPhone briefly, thinking about calling someone to meet up with her. &quot;They&#039;re all with their parents... I&#039;ll make do.&quot; she sighed, glancing at the castle gate. She was sure walking in the main entrance was probably a bad idea, but the castle didn&#039;t even exist in her time, so there was no way she could be aware of any alternate entrances. &quot;This is the only place I could see worth checking out, so no sense putting it off. Let&#039;s see if I can get this gate open...&quot; she sighed, hoping that there would be friends rather than foes waiting beyond it...<br /><br /><br />While making their way through the castle, Violet happened to pass by her old room. Though her life here was over, she couldn&#039;t help taking a look inside. Nostalgia can be a complex emotion. It can make a bad situation feel comfortable in its familiarity, or a less bad situation seem terrible based on how you were feeling at the time. Since the castle had spent time underwater, all the objects and furniture in the room had been displaced and waterlogged. Her mattress leaned against the bed frame, her old uniforms were tattered and smelly, and a picture frame was on the ground, broken glass surrounding it. Violet carefully lifted the frame, seeing a picture of herself with Patch, Daisy and Simon after a day of training. Sally was glancing over her shoulder. &quot;Do you...need a moment?&quot; she asked. Violet placed the picture on the nearby desk calmly. &quot;My life was very dark, and I was vulnerable enough for Howler to take advantage. I&#039;m glad I&#039;ve moved past the hate I used to feel back then. It is a shock to see my room like this, though...&quot; she said. Knuckles silently nodded, and they were about to leave when a shadow of Howler appeared at the door! &quot;Your life was dark, and I gave you family. Your betrayal will be your destruction!&quot; the shadow declared. Shade wasted no time sending a blast from the Chaos Gauntlets through the shadow, but Howler simply laughed as the shadow vanished. &quot;Well, he knows we&#039;re here. His dumb cloak reminds me of the guy who killed my tribe!&quot; she growled. Rotor poked his head in from the hallway, looking a bit frantic. &quot;G-guys, I think I&#039;ve found some of those Wisps that went missing! Get out here quick!&quot; he stammered. Knuckles let out a growl. &quot;Alright, time to relive MY memories of this castle...and kick some Despair butt!&quot;<br /><br />Returning to the halls, they glanced where Rotor was pointing to see Despair agents fleeing from Wisps. Something definitely seemed off about them, and when the Wisps caught the agents, it became more apparent. Their bodies burst into colorful energy, and though retaining their Mobian shapes, they started to move in erratic, crazed manners, as though controlled by the Wisp powers! &quot;I take it this isn&#039;t supposed to happen?&quot; Rouge asked sarcastically. &quot;Something&#039;s focused and concentrated the Hyper-go-on energy, and it&#039;s making both the Wisps and their hosts go nuts!&quot; Rotor concluded. &quot;Turning those guys into Hyper-Peons...&quot; Knuckles mused. &quot;So, now we know what the Darkseeker did with the Wisps he kidnapped...&quot; Shade growled. They didn&#039;t really have time to gawk over this any more, as the &quot;Hyper-Peons&quot; came charging towards them! Violet had to warp herself out of the way quickly as a blue one charged her way at the speed of a laser, passing where she&#039;d stood and smashing through the door to her former room! Violet reappeared behind Knuckles. &quot;Any idea how we stop them??&quot; she yelped. A darker blue peon stomped towards them, his feet and fists morphing into cubes periodically, leaving square imprints in the stone floor as he approached! Knuckles clashed his Chaos Claws against his cubed fists, straining against the transformed Mobian. &quot;Unnngh!! Tough guy, huh?!&quot; he growled. An orange Peon rocketed wildly into the cube-fisted one, and the Peons repelled each other and smashed into the walls, cracking them worse than they already were! &quot;Move! Let&#039;s hurry before they collapse this hallway!&quot; Sally shouted, leading the group in fleeing past the crazed Mobians as fast as they could go!<br /><br />Unfortunately, just running past the Hyper-Peons would not be an option. The hallway was a bit long, accommodating quite a few Despair Agent rooms, and the tight space made it hard to keep avoiding the fiends. Shade turned back and attacked the weak walls with carefully aimed blasts from the Chaos Gauntlets, deliberately collapsing the ceiling behind them to discourage Peons from following and surrounding them. &quot;That&#039;s great, got any ideas to get past those??&quot; Rouge grumbled. A burning red Peon approached, as well as a yellow one sparking with electricity, and more in various colors were coming behind them! Sally grabbed the Meteor Wispon out of Rotor&#039;s hands, aiming it along with her Burst Wispon. &quot;Same energy, so let&#039;s see if this works!&quot; she shouted, clenching her teeth as she charged ahead, firing meteors and blasts of flame at the oncoming enemies! It certainly seemed to have some form of effect, as they swerved to avoid the blasts, crashing against the walls as they passed Sally! Knuckles charged in to protect the others, blocking the lightning-peon&#039;s approach with his claws, though it meant he&#039;d get a bit jolted! &quot;Aaaarghh!! Get back!!&quot; he yelled, fighting to repel it! This left the fire-peon, and Violet tried to hold it back by striking it with dark lightning! &quot;We gotta...get outta here!&quot; she grunted. Sally turned and zapped each Peon with her Wispons while they were held still, and the energy seemed to stun them, causing them to collapse! &quot;You got any more of those guns, tusk-face?&quot; Rouge asked Rotor. He chuckled awkwardly. &quot;Kinda had to leave most of the weapons with our forces on the ground...&quot; he murmured. It didn&#039;t matter, Sally was more than willing to cover their escape. &quot;Just keep moving! I&#039;ll knock them out as we go!&quot; she shouted.<br /><br />After escaping the hall, it wasn&#039;t too difficult to get to the castle throne room. In fact, it seemed a bit too easy from there, as though enemy forces were deliberately held back. When they arrived at the throne room, it quickly became apparent why. Upon what was left of the throne sat the Darkseeker, and close by was a capsule full of crazed, supercharged Wisps. In the center of the room, tied to a chair, was Lara. &quot;...Hi, Dad.&quot; she said a bit awkwardly. Knuckles looked over the scene with a raised eyebrow. &quot;Dad? Excuse me?&quot; he grunted. Rouge&#039;s attention turned to the machine in the corner, which the Wisp capsule was once inserted into, and the Chaos Emeralds were still attached to. &quot;Keep &#039;em busy, guys, I&#039;ll be riiiiight back...&quot; she smirked. Standing up, the Darkseeker pointed between Rouge and the emeralds, sending a powerful bolt of black lightning crashing there to get his point across. &quot;How disappointing for me. I&#039;d hoped to see more emotion once your daughter reunited with you. It will feel hollow when I mold her into one of my servants!&quot; he said to Knuckles. Lara struggled against her bonds, growling. &quot;You&#039;re nuts! I&#039;m gonna kick your ass!&quot; she shouted. &quot;She IS my daughter!&quot; Knuckles stammered. &quot;Well, let&#039;s untie her, then!&quot; Violet said, caring little for the Darkseeker&#039;s plans. The hooded wolf stepped to the capsule, opening up the top and guiding a single Wisp out using jolts of dark energy to keep it under control! &quot;Such insolence. You all should thank me. The merging of Chaos and Wisp energy should destroy the Lost Ones.&quot; he stated. &quot;Before or after you kill everyone else on Earth? We know all about you now, Howler!&quot; Sally pointed out. Howler sneered at them. &quot;Enough pointless chatter. We&#039;ve a family reunion to witness!&quot; he cackled, sending the Wisp off toward the captive Lara!<br /><br />A crazed Black Wisp flew into Lara, and she started to change into an echidna-shaped mass of black energy herself! An explosion followed, destroying the chair under her as she gave an agonized shriek! &quot;The black Wisp is a Bomb Wisp! The transformation is unstable!&quot; Rotor shouted. Lara staggered toward them, holding her head, apparently trying to resist exploding again. Howler watched with a sadistic smirk. &quot;The power I&#039;ve given her will destroy her. Consider that my revenge, guardian!&quot; he said darkly. As Lara approached, Sally and Rotor moved away. &quot;I could stun her, but I don&#039;t know it&#039;ll help...&quot; Sally murmured. Lara exploded again, letting out an agonized scream as the Wisp energy reconstituted her body. It wouldn&#039;t be able to restore her too many times. Shade looked to Sally. &quot;Do it, try to knock her out!&quot; she said desperately. Knuckles was taking in the situation, trying to come up with a solution himself. Obviously punching the Wisp out wasn&#039;t going to work. The Chaos Relics wouldn&#039;t be much help either. He saw Rouge attempting to sneak over to the Chaos Emeralds again, and he realized that the emeralds had to be involved in the unstable transformation. He pulled out the Master Emerald. &quot;Howler&#039;s been up to his old mad science again. Maybe the Master Emerald can nullify the Chaos energy involved!&quot; he suggested. Sally had struck Lara with her Wispons, but that only seemed to detonate Lara faster! &quot;Do it, Knuckles! We&#039;re low on ideas, here!&quot; she cried. Nodding, Knuckles set the Master Emerald down and looked to his struggling daughter. &quot;The servers are the Seven Chaos... Chaos is power, enriched by the heart. The controller serves to unify the Chaos... Master Emerald! Please! Stop the Chaos energy that&#039;s bonding my daughter to that Wisp!!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hello, gorgeous!&quot; Rouge purred, reaching out for the Chaos Emeralds inserted in the machine. She was too preoccupied with the gems, but Howler was much more vigilant, and his black lightning zapped her, sending her flying and tumbling away from the jewels! &quot;Next time, I will make it a lethal strike!&quot; he growled, turning his attention towards Knuckles next. He wasn&#039;t about to let him ruin his plans for the Wisps. But before he could get too close, Violet stood in his way. &quot;Where are you going? Don&#039;t you want to watch the family reunion you set up?&quot; she asked, glaring at him. Howler&#039;s glowing red eyes gave her an even more intense glare. &quot;Stand down, worm. You think yourself capable, trained by the mighty Fera. But I was the one who trained her. And my teacher was time itself. Centuries. You will fare no better than your friend there.&quot; he growled, motioning to Rouge, who was struggling to get back to her feet. Violet frowned. &quot;True, I probably can&#039;t beat you...&quot; she admitted, &quot;But I only have to delay you!&quot; she added, firing a beam of dark energy from her hand, which Howler just seemed to catch with his own hand! &quot;Good luck with that!&quot; he snarled, his hand giving a little push, and turning the beam back on her! Violet jumped back as the beam crashed at her feet, and then started to run as Howler followed up with his dark lightning! Meanwhile, Knuckles was focusing as best he could, trying to guide the Master Emerald to do what he needed. Cracks started to form as the emerald strained. &quot;Knuckles! I-it&#039;s no use! The Master Emerald can&#039;t deal with alien energy!&quot; Shade warned. &quot;If she&#039;s my daughter... I won&#039;t let her down!!&quot; Knuckles grunted. The Master Emerald flashed with bright light, and another explosion came from Lara! When the dust settled, the Master Emerald was in pieces! However, the black Wisp flew free, and Lara collapsed on the ground, quite exhausted, but alive.<br /><br />Knuckles ignored the broken Master Emerald, rushing to Lara&#039;s side. &quot;Hey, kid? You okay?&quot; he asked with concern. While he was distracted, Howler wasn&#039;t letting up in his attack on Violet, cutting off her escape with jolts of black lightning from each hand, striking at either side of the echidna! Before he could hit her directly, Violet tried warping out of the way. &quot;Predictable responses. Your training was pitiful!&quot; Howler snarled, turning around and grabbing her by the throat as she emerged behind him! &quot;Agh!!&quot; she choked, struggling in his grip! &quot;Maybe you were just a pathetic leader!&quot; Sally&#039;s voice caught Howler&#039;s attention, and he turned while still holding on to Violet&#039;s neck. &quot;Fancy yourself a leader? How are you doing, girl? Have you managed to gain any ground? Or are you struggling to just protect your own?&quot; he growled, making Violet gag as he strangled her. Sally&#039;s eyes narrowed, and she pointed the burst Wispon at him. &quot;We&#039;re about to take this castle.&quot; she said with conviction. Howler scoffed, and threw Violet straight at Sally, taking her off guard! Both girls tumbled to the floor, and with Rouge looking a bit battered as well, Howler seemed poised to take them all out. &quot;No one can defeat me! Do you have any idea how long I prepared for every possibility? I will destroy you, the Lost Ones, everyone!! This world will belong to me!!&quot; he snarled, gathering dark energy in his hands in preparation for a lethal attack! It was then that Knuckles rose back to his feet. &quot;Hey, Howler!&quot; he shouted, drawing the wolf&#039;s attention, &quot;You still gotta go through me, first!&quot; he smirked. Rotor had taken Lara out of the way so she&#039;d be able to recover safely, and Knuckles was free to focus his attention on the Darkseeker. &quot;Alright then, guardian!&quot; Howler snarled.<br /><br />Howler unleashed the dark energy he&#039;d built up as a powerful beam, and to get out of the way, Knuckles used the Chaos Claws to climb the air itself and rise above it! He then deactivated the claws and went into a glide as Howler chased him with the beam for a moment. The wolf stopped firing and growled. &quot;You have the final Chaos Relic that I was never able to locate! Its power surprised me, but that is the end of your advantage!&quot; he shouted. &quot;We also have this one!&quot; shouted Shade, rushing up to give Howler a direct strike from the Chaos Gauntlets! It knocked him back a bit, but he retaliated with a quick burst of darkness, knocking her back as well! &quot;I never needed the Chaos Relics! The powers of darkness are more than enough!&quot; he snapped. Knuckles landed between him and Shade, and gave Howler a couple clawed jabs to the gut! &quot;You tried to kill my daughter, you tried to kill my friends, now shut up and see how you like it!&quot; he furiously growled, his claws stuck in Howler&#039;s chest. The wolf groaned, but grabbed Knuckles&#039; arms and forced him back, jolting his body with dark lightning! &quot;This flesh is already dead, you fool. My soul housed in the Despair Seal keeps it going. I am, as always, immortal!&quot; he sneered, letting the illusion cast over his body fall away for a moment to reveal his rotten corpse holding Knuckles&#039; arms, eyes glowing demonically as he stared down the echidna. Knuckles stumbled back, looking at the zombie Howler with a bit of shock. &quot;So, you&#039;re as ugly outside as inside now!&quot; Violet grunted, joining Shade at Knuckles&#039; side. Sally and Rouge approached as well, helping to surround Howler. &quot;You overplayed your hand, wolfie!&quot; Rouge smirked. Sally nodded. &quot;Now we know your weakness!&quot; she stated, glancing at the Despair Seal on his wrist. &quot;And we&#039;ve got you too outnumbered to beat us, now!&quot; Knuckles grinned.<br /><br />Howler looked around, defiance in his glowing eyes. &quot;Pitiful creatures, clinging to your belief that you can actually come out of this day alive. You&#039;ve overlooked a key detail...but I haven&#039;t.&quot; he said, slowly starting to smile in a very unsettling manner. Knuckles raised an eyebrow. &quot;What detail? Ah, never mind! You&#039;re just trying to get in our heads!&quot; he growled. &quot;Let&#039;s get him!&quot; Shade shouted, and as they moved to go after him, Howler responded by warping out of the way, reappearing next to the machine with the Chaos Emeralds! He picked up the emeralds and started towards the Wisp capsule while everyone looked around for him. &quot;I&#039;ll explain it to you, since it makes no difference now.&quot; Howler stated, drawing their attention, &quot;You see... You&#039;ve lost the ability to stop the Chaos Emeralds!&quot; They gasped, and Rouge glanced back at the broken pieces of the Master Emerald. &quot;Hurry up and fix it!&quot; she shouted. &quot;I can&#039;t fix it right now. The Master Emerald gave everything it had to power through the Wisp energy, stopping both it and the Chaos energy.&quot; Knuckles explained. Howler smashed open the Wisp capsule while clutching the two Chaos Emeralds. &quot;Right you are! Which means there is nothing you can do to stop me! I...will be a god!!&quot; he declared as the emeralds glowed, drawing in the crazed Wisps, all of them flying into Howler&#039;s body! Lara rubbed her head and stood up slowly at this moment. &quot;What happened? ...What&#039;s that light?&quot; she murmured. Rotor was watching Howler&#039;s transformation with shock and horror. &quot;Not good, not good! No one&#039;s ever absorbed multiple Wisps before! Let alone Chaos-crazed Wisps! Who knows what&#039;ll happen now!&quot; he stammered. Howler was starting to grow as the Wisps gave him power, and Sally knew what they had to do. &quot;Retreat! We can&#039;t stay here! Hurry!&quot; she shouted, leading the group in fleeing the throne room. But would it even be possible to escape Howler now?<br /><br /><br />Chapter 50 - Final Despair<br />Stage 23x - Ruined Castle<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;I will be the one to set your heart free, true!<br />Cleanse yourself of evil spirits that got in you!<br /><br />Won&#039;t be frightened, I&#039;ll stand up to all the pain and turmoil.<br />Just believe in myself, won&#039;t rely on others!<br />Freedom will be waiting when serenity is restored.<br />This is my planet, I shall not surrender!<br /><br />Won&#039;t be frightened, I&#039;ll stand up to all the pain and turmoil.<br />Just believe in myself, won&#039;t rely on others!<br />Get this power to wipe out the havoc and anarchy.<br />This is my planet, gonna fight...&quot; - Unknown From M.E, Sonic Adventure<br /><br /><br />Colorful energy was tearing Despair Castle apart as Knuckles, Violet, Lara, Shade, Rouge, Sally and Rotor all bade a beeline for the main gate. A chunk of the ceiling crashed down among the group, scattering them as they shouted in alarm! &quot;Wh-what&#039;s going to happen?? We couldn&#039;t even beat any of those guys with ONE supercharged Wisp in them!&quot; Violet stammered. &quot;We need the Master Emerald pieces!&quot; Rouge shouted, glancing back. Knuckles grabbed her arm. &quot;Now is not the time! This castle is coming down!&quot; He was right, as more chunks of the ceiling crashed down around them! Rotor covered his head as he dashed for the gate. &quot;I&#039;m, ahh, n-not cut out for all this runnin!&quot; he huffed. Another piece of the ceiling was about to land on him, but Violet warped to him quickly, and then warped him to safety! &quot;Everyone, hurry!&quot; she cried. Behind them, a massive fist smashed through the castle wall, briefly shifting into a blue cube shape, and then a gray boulder before shifting back into a colorful clawed hand, which started to tear the wall open, revealing the massive shape of Howler attempting to chase them, his body covered in a rainbow of Hyper-go-on energy! &quot;After beating Howler as a giant ink blot, I never thought I&#039;d have to face him as the rest of the paint set!&quot; Knuckles shouted, knocking away some rubble with his Chaos Claws as he stayed at the back of the group, thinking he might have to cover their escape. &quot;We...are...Despair Wisp!!&quot; Howler roared, twin lasers firing from his eyes to cause further damage throughout the castle! Sally grabbed Knuckles by the arm this time, urging him to join the others. &quot;You can&#039;t fight him here! Let&#039;s go!&quot; she told him. Nodding, Knuckles followed her lead to the gate.<br /><br />Exiting the castle, Knuckles found the others blocked from going too far by Apocalos himself! &quot;Well, if it isn&#039;t the other big bad!&quot; he growled, pointing his claws at the toothy Lost One. Apocalos gave a light chuckle. &quot;You appear to have bitten off a bit more than you can chew. If you need help, the Lost Ones will gladly provide assistance in destroying the traitor Howler. He stole one Chaos Emerald and hid the other from us.&quot; he stated, not seeming particularly surprised at the betrayal. Violet scoffed at the Lost One. &quot;We&#039;ll never work with you! Rather than trade one monster for another, we&#039;ll find a way to beat both of you!&quot; she shouted. Howler gave a shrug, lightning striking behind him as he chuckled softly. &quot;Do as you like. I&#039;m a patient immortal. You can destroy one another for my amusement. If either side comes out alive, their souls will feed my ambitions. Oh, yes, I&#039;ll be watching you... Best of luck.&quot; he said in his raspy voice, vanishing as the lightning struck once again. &quot;Great, he&#039;s gone, can we get clear of the castle like, NOW??&quot; Lara shouted, pointing back to show the central spire was crumbling as Howler&#039;s head burst out of the roof, the Wisp power causing him to grow to gargantuan proportions! Shouting in alarm, Knuckles and the others ran to put more distance between themselves and the castle, so that the collapsing rubble and the clouds of dust wouldn&#039;t harm them as the raging Howler, or &quot;Despair Wisp,&quot; tore the former headquarters of the Covenant of Despair apart! Nothing would put the castle together again after this kind of destruction. Rouge watched the castle being destroyed with utter misery in her eyes. &quot;The pieces of the Master Emerald are buried under all that!&quot; she whined. Knuckles nodded in agreement. &quot;And they may be the only way to win this...&quot; he realized.<br /><br />It was debatable if this was about to be the greatest danger any of them had faced so far that day. The Clock Tower explosion was pretty dire, and Losipher might have killed them all had Shadow not warped him away. Still, their luck sure felt about to expire, and it seemed best not to throw all their eggs in this battle-basket, so Knuckles suggested going it alone. &quot;Howler wants me the most anyway. I can give you all the chance to escape and form another plan.&quot; he told them. Sally frowned. &quot;I don&#039;t like it at all, but you&#039;re not wrong.&quot; she sighed. Shade glanced from the very anxious Lara to Knuckles, and arrived at a decision. &quot;You&#039;re going to make it, Knuckles. Even if you&#039;ll be too stubborn to let me go along, you&#039;ll still have my help.&quot; she said, taking off the Chaos Gauntlets and handing them to him, &quot;I&#039;ll remain with our daughter, and keep her safe...&quot; Knuckles and Lara both looked a bit stunned. &quot;OUR daughter??&quot; Knuckles stammered, taking a good look at the two girls side by side. Lara did have mostly red fur, but looking close, Knuckles could see hints of orange in her hair and quills. Also, she had her mother&#039;s eyes. Knuckles started to blush. &quot;I...should&#039;ve realized...&quot; he babbled. Shade blushed as well. &quot;So, we know you&#039;ll be back, because she&#039;s here from the future.&quot; she winked. &quot;I-it doesn&#039;t necessarily work like that...&quot; Lara stammered, but Knuckles had equipped the gauntlets, and the claws over top of them. &quot;I WILL make it back!&quot; he promised, turning to start towards the Despair Wisp. As he started to go, he soon found Violet walking beside him. &quot;What are you doing?&quot; he asked. &quot;I&#039;ve gotta settle things with Howler, too.&quot; she smirked. Rouge stepped to Knuckles&#039; other side. &quot;And you&#039;ll need help reassembling the Master Emerald!&quot; she smirked. Knuckles sighed, then smiled. At this point, he couldn&#039;t see doing this without them, anyway. &quot;Come on, then!&quot;<br /><br /><br />The collapse of Despair Castle was quite the spectacle, and was noticed across the island. Even Shadow, Kosmo and Starr, who were more to the edge of the island, couldn&#039;t help but stop and observe the destruction. &quot;Wonderful, I didn&#039;t want to have to go back in there, anyway.&quot; Kosmo sighed. &quot;Wh-what the heck is that thing destroying the castle??&quot; Starr pointed. Shadow&#039;s eyes narrowed, observing the colorful giant smashing the area. &quot;Another ghost of the past...&quot; he murmured, turning away, &quot;It&#039;s a distraction. The real enemies are busying themselves somewhere...&quot; he grunted, not wanting to lose perspective on the real dangers.<br /><br />Elsewhere, Copter and Gemini were also watching the destruction, joined by their friends once again. &quot;I guess Knuckles found Howler...&quot; Gemini stammered. &quot;He&#039;s not exactly hiding...&quot; Adam murmured while Evelyn and Timothy just watched the scene in shock. Copter growled softly and spread out his arms as he stood between Gemini, Chopper, and the danger in the distance. &quot;Let him come! Let &#039;em all come! No one&#039;s layin&#039; a hand on my family!! Hear me? Come closer and you&#039;ll see what happened to Ophiuchus!!&quot; he shouted. Gemini placed a hand on his shoulder, giggling softly. &quot;My hero...&quot; she said playfully.<br /><br />Punchy and Rainbow thought they&#039;d found a bit of peace after having fought their way past countless Lost Ones. They&#039;d been separated from their friends, but Heather and Guard would take good care of them. However, the sight of the colorful giant set Punchy off. &quot;Howler, you giant ego!! Didn&#039;t get enough last time!? I&#039;ll come right down there and give you a taste of Dark Punky power again!! Lemme at him!!&quot; he shouted, starting to stomp off toward the ruined castle! Rainbow followed along angrily as well. &quot;He&#039;s stealin&#039; my look, too, One! And I owe him a slap for my sister!&quot; she yelled, eager to join Punchy&#039;s attempt to get involved in the fight before it&#039;s too late!<br /><br />Sonic was rather close to the action. In fact, bits of the castle almost landed on his and Lucky&#039;s heads. &quot;Meee-yow!! The sky is falling!!&quot; Lucky yelped. &quot;Get to safety! I&#039;ll take care of the glowy giant!&quot; Sonic shouted, only for a familiar laugh to catch his attention. &quot;Now, now, Sonic! Your fight&#039;s with me, not Howler!&quot; Glancing away from the castle, the group saw the Egg Mobile hovering in the air! &quot;Uhh, could you come back later, Eggy?&quot; Whisk whimpered. Eggman sneered. &quot;I&#039;m confident our friend Knuckles will wrap things up here. Don&#039;t you want to know what I&#039;ve got in store next, Sonic?&quot; the doctor snickered. Amy stepped forward with her hammer. &quot;We&#039;ll hold him...off?&quot; she gasped as Sonic took off without waiting for her to finish speaking, chasing Eggman into the woods! &quot;Hey!! What about the big monster, Sonic!!&quot; Amy shouted. &quot;Maybe we could help Mr. Knuckles?&quot; Cream suggested. Lucky gulped. &quot;I think we&#039;d get in the way...&quot; he murmured.<br /><br /><br />No one else would make it to help. It was all up to Knuckles, Violet and Rouge to put a stop to Howler, the &quot;Despair Wisp.&quot; They crept through the rubble that was left of Despair Castle, and approached the giant glowing wolf, who glared down at them with hatred. &quot;You pathetic fools! You think your puny Relics are a match for our power?!&quot; Despair Wisp roared. Knuckles looked up at him and raised his fists. &quot;Guess we&#039;ll find out, won&#039;t we?&quot; he said, glancing at Rouge and giving her a nod. The bat took off in another direction while Knuckles started shadow boxing in Despair Wisp&#039;s direction, sending energy blasts from the Chaos Gauntlets his way in order to distract him while Rouge began her search for the Master Emerald pieces! Despair Wisp really didn&#039;t seem affected by the attacks, beyond annoyance. He glared down at Knuckles and fired cyan lasers from his eyes, forcing both him and Violet to rush out of the way! Knuckles kept the gauntlet blasts coming, his goal being to keep Howler distracted. &quot;Maybe I just gotta hit ya in the right spot!&quot; he shouted tauntingly. Despair Wisp balled his claws into a fist, and morphed that fist into a gray Quake ball, slamming it down towards Knuckles! He leapt up high and started to climb the sky using the Chaos Claws, escaping the crushing blow Howler gave to the rubble below! &quot;Hold still, you red insect!&quot; the Despair Wisp snarled. Violet warped atop his spherical fist, catching his attention. &quot;Maybe the Relics don&#039;t bother ya, but how about this!?&quot; she yelled, striking him in the chest with a beam of dark energy fired from her hands! His hand changed back to normal, and grabbing her in his massive grip, he tossed her in the air, opening his mouth wide as if to swallow her!<br /><br />&quot;Hang on!&quot; Climbing up using the Chaos Claws, Knuckles was able to take hold of Violet&#039;s hand before she could fall into Howler&#039;s gaping mouth. However, a violet void appeared in his mouth, and started to pull them in with the force of a black hole! Violet&#039;s grip on his hand was quickly slipping! &quot;He&#039;s too powerful! What do we do?&quot; she shouted. &quot;We get down from here and take that power away!&quot; Knuckles grunted. Nodding, Violet used her dark power to warp them away, prompting the frustrated Howler to shut his mouth and stop the void. &quot;Where are you hiding, pests?&quot; he growled, looking around to see Rouge digging through the rubble. She lifted out a chunk of the Master Emerald, her eyes lighting up. &quot;Come to mommy...&quot; she purred. &quot;So, that is your pathetic plan? As if it will save you!&quot; Howler bellowed, balling up his other fist and morphing it into a mass of pink spikes before swinging those spikes towards the bat! However, after his spiked hand passed by, he could see no sign of Rouge, not so much as a skewered body on the spikes. A few feet away, Rouge burst out of the ground, brushing dirt out of her hair. &quot;Whew, good thing I came prepared with my Pick Nails.&quot; she sighed, having burrowed underground to survive. Despair Wisp responded by transforming both hands into yellow drills! &quot;Try to escape from this!!&quot; he growled. &quot;Hey, Howler, I&#039;m the one you want!&quot; shouted Knuckles, who was hanging from the Chaos Claws at eye level to the giant, over to his left. Howler glanced at him and scoffed. &quot;I want you all! But since you insist, I&#039;ll start with you...&quot; Before Howler could finish speaking, though, Knuckles had started to swing his body, detaching the claws from the air once he was ready to go into a glide! He pointed the claws right at Howler&#039;s eye as he soared towards him!<br /><br />There was a bit of a cyan explosion right in Howler&#039;s face as Knuckles collided with his attempted laser defense! Rouge and Violet didn&#039;t have time to check on him as they gathered up the Master Emerald shards. &quot;Good thing they all stayed fairly close together for once!&quot; Rouge sighed. &quot;I hope the Master Emerald has had enough time to recover after it was used on Lara earlier...&quot; Violet murmured. The pair of them hastened to reassemble the emerald, while Knuckles tumbled to the ground close to them, groaning in pain while Howler clutched his eye. &quot;Now... We will destroy you all at once...&quot; the Despair Wisp snarled. Violet looked at Knuckles with concern. &quot;You okay?&quot; she asked. He staggered to his feet, approaching the Master Emerald. &quot;Hold him off... I need to appeal to... the Master Emerald.&quot; he grunted. Violet and Rouge nodded. &quot;Don&#039;t let me down, tough guy!&quot; Rouge told him as she and Violet charged after Howler, both of them tossed away by a blast of ivory lightning, the villain smirking as he reveled in the notion of tearing them apart while Knuckles watched. He grit his teeth, knowing he had to focus. &quot;The servers are the seven chaos... Chaos is power, enriched by the heart... The controller serves to unify the chaos...&quot; Howler wasn&#039;t letting up, striking Rouge with his laser eye, and bombarding Violet with black bombs. Their desperate cries gave Knuckles pause, but he knew the only way to help them. &quot;Master Emerald, I beseech you... I know there&#039;s a great power in your way... But I need you to stop the emeralds&#039; energy...one more time!!&quot; The Master Emerald started to glow brightly, working with all its might! The glow caught Howler&#039;s attention, and his limbs started shifting into various colored forms in his panic. &quot;No... NO!! You cannot...take this power...from me!! The world is mine...MINE!! I earned it! I worked centuries for it!! I will not be denied!!&quot; he shouted, howling in his defiant rage!<br /><br />All of the Wisps flew out of Howler as he shrunk back down to his natural size, and those Wisps scattered off to escape their tormentor. Howler collapsed to his knees, panting in exhaustion and generally looking defeated. The Chaos Emeralds rolled away from him as Knuckles started to approach, pausing to look for Violet and Rouge. They were battered quite a bit, but the two girls seemed okay as they also started to approach Howler. The Master Emerald had also shattered again, but Knuckles couldn&#039;t worry about that now. &quot;All that time. All those centuries you talk about... Why, Howler?&quot; Knuckles asked, &quot;Why did you never once try to move past your hate and learn to live with, and maybe even love, other people?&quot; It wasn&#039;t just Howler, either. Ophiuchus, Mephiles, Apocalos, for whatever reason with as much time as they had on their hands, their only conclusion was selfish violence. Howler looked up and scoffed at him. &quot;This may shock you, island boy, but there&#039;s nothing to love. There isn&#039;t really such a concept, and it is na&iuml;ve to think otherwise. All people, all beings live with hate in their hearts, and they always will, and it will always drive them to destroy! They are the ones that should be destroyed!&quot; he shouted, holding his side and groaning in pain. Violet crossed her arms. &quot;That&#039;s a load of garbage and you know it! Otherwise, you wouldn&#039;t have exploited peoples&#039; bonds to build your army! We were like a family! And I spent years trying to save the family I found with your Covenant! And I succeeded!&quot; she shouted. &quot;He isn&#039;t worth the breath, hun.&quot; Rouge sighed. Howler smirked. &quot;And what brought your family together? It wasn&#039;t love, it was hate...for humans!&quot; he pointed out. Violet looked taken aback for a moment, but she shook her head at him. &quot;But only love could keep us together after the hate had passed. Looks like you&#039;ll never understand that, though.&quot; she sighed. <br /><br />Howler growled in pain as his arm was forcibly tugged up, and a clawed hand grabbed for his Despair Seal! &quot;It was quite a show, and I thank you for subduing this traitor! Now, watch what becomes of him!&quot; said Apocalos, lightning crashing behind him as he tore the Seal off of Howler&#039;s wrist and crushed it in his clawed hand! &quot;Noooo!!! Y-you can&#039;t, you... You monster!!&quot; Howler cried, terror flashing in his eyes as his body rapidly deteriorated without the Seal&#039;s power! He let out a mournful, miserable howl as his rotted corpse crumbled into dust before the eyes of his enemies! &quot;I hate to agree with Howler, but that WAS monstrous!&quot; Rouge gasped. Knuckles raised his fists, glaring at Apocalos as a thunderstorm raged around him. &quot;Kill a guy when he&#039;s down... You guys are nothing but cowards! I wanna settle this now!!&quot; he shouted. Violet gulped as she looked around. &quot;This might not be the best time...&quot; she murmured, pointing out motion amidst the castle rubble. Various Lost Ones were rising up through the cracks, and Apocalos laughed softly at them as they were being surrounded. &quot;You know full well he was already a corpse. But you, we offer eternal life...as Lost Ones!&quot; he sneered. Rouge had picked up the two Chaos Emeralds, and now looked around for the best escape route. &quot;Well, it&#039;s been fun, Knux, but I gotta fly!&quot; she said, flapping her wings and taking off! Knuckles growled and then sighed. &quot;A reckoning is coming!&quot; he grunted, turning and hurling several blasts from the Chaos Gauntlets to knock out any creatures in his way so that he and Violet could start to run! They could see Punchy and Rainbow approaching the castle as they fled. &quot;Aw, One, we missed the action!&quot; Rainbow sighed. &quot;No we didn&#039;t!&quot; Punchy grunted, pointing to lospides and loskulls chasing after Knuckles and Violet! &quot;We can catch up later, green! Let&#039;s shake these guys and find our friends!!&quot; Knuckles shouted. The battle with Howler was over, but the war was still just starting...<br /><br /><br />Gator&#039;s Crazy Adventure!!<br /><br />It took Gator a while to figure out where he had to go to contact 2BIT. Each world BIT Squad used to watch over still had a Nexus Point through which the Squad could be contacted via Blocky. In this world, that Nexus Point just happened to be one of the places he&#039;d already visited. &quot;It was the island!&quot; No, Gator. &quot;It was the Eggman island!&quot; No island, Gator. It was the spot where he&#039;d been run over by the train. &quot;You really hate me, don&#039;t you, narrator?&quot; I don&#039;t make the rules, I just work here. (I totally make the rules.) Fortunately, the train wasn&#039;t running anymore due to &quot;Zombie Apocalypse Conditions.&quot; This left Gator all the chapters he needed since his last appearance to figure out how to access the Nexus Point. To be fair, it did involve a complex sequence of tapping bricks in the tunnel. &quot;Why can&#039;t you be easy, phone call?! Obey me!! I am INFINITY BIT!!&quot; After losing his temper and getting into a bit of a brawl with the wall, he somehow punched in the right code. A set of bricks pulled back to unveil a magic screen, and the polygonal form of Blocky could be seen. He appeared to be aboard a green pirate ship. &quot;Hey!! You took my ship! Mutiny! Orrr...hey, can you pick me up?&quot; Gator asked. Blocky beeped a couple times and turned his cubical head. &quot;Boss! It&#039;s Gator. Should I hang up, blip boop?&quot; he asked. &quot;If you hang up, I&#039;ll, I&#039;ll...cry...&quot; Gator whined. &quot;What could Gator want now?&quot; Approaching the screen, a certain light blue fox emerged, twirling a space blaster on his finger, &quot;Sorry if I&#039;ve been hard to reach! Been having some adventures!&quot; he chuckled. Gator noticed some wooden chests behind the fox, implying that he may have taken his ship to more worlds than one. &quot;Well, I&#039;ve had one CRAZY adventure! Narrator, help me tell the story, it&#039;s a doozy!&quot; Wha... I don&#039;t have time to retell fifty chapters now! I&#039;m leaving! We&#039;ll have to catch up with these guys near the finale!<br /><br />&quot;Huh... Fifty chapters? Isn&#039;t that usually the end?? Oh boy, I get the feeling things have gone to pot without me to play god...&quot; - 2BIT<br /><br /><br />Chapter 51 - Friends or Foes?<br />Stage 24 - Chemical Plant<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;No such thing as fate for those who speed.<br />A path out of time instead of just livin&#039; it.<br />So many things erased before they begin.<br />Hopes un-dream instead of what could have been.&quot; - Seven Rings In Hand, Sonic &amp; the Secret Rings<br /><br />Previously on GeneX&hellip;<br />After participating in a bit of a tournament and then battling the Covenant of Despair, it seemed Tails&#039; group had gone on a wild goose chase after the same Chaos Emerald Skye had brought back from the future. However, Alpha had managed to snag it during the confusion of Despair&#039;s attack, and when Loscream&#039;s forces surrounded them, Fera warped Tails, his kids and Alpha to safety (while Pepper, Minnie and Whisk warped the others present for the tournament out of danger separately).<br />Raven the Divine has largely been sitting out the action ever since Xezek&#039;s demise, feeling resentful that their so-called allies let him be destroyed.<br />Shadow Arcangel was destroyed on the approach to Demon Island, and the passengers have been stranded on the island ever since, including Team GeneX and Conan the raccoon.<br />Infinite the jackal was sent by Apocalos to settle old scores and bring the Doomsayer prophecy to fruition by killing Tails once and for all.<br />Now, our tale continues...<br /><br /><br />Tails, Fera, Melody, Skye and Alpha had all managed to reach Tails&#039; Central City Workshop safely. They&#039;d been unable to get into contact with the others, however, because every time one of the ProwerPhones rang, a startled Alpha shot the device out of a fox&#039;s hand, thereby wrecking it. Now they had no phones. &quot;Tell me again why we don&#039;t just take this dumb robot apart?&quot; Skye grumbled. &quot;Yes, I also would like to know.&quot; Fera growled. Tails shrugged. &quot;He&#039;s already come in handy nabbing the Chaos Emerald. He may not be very smart, but I think everyone deserves a fair chance.&quot; he stated. Alpha was spinning in a nearby chair like a child while he said that. &quot;Robots don&#039;t get dizzy! But they do get woozy! I&#039;m gonna throw up!&quot; he shouted. The door to the workshop opened, and everyone looked that way apprehensively, but it was just Cosmo. &quot;Hey, she was at the tournament!&quot; Melody recalled. Cosmo sighed in relief. &quot;Everyone feared the worst when we couldn&#039;t contact you, but I thought checking here would be wise.&quot; she smiled. There was a bit of catching up to do for them; Skye explained that before coming to the Workshop, they&#039;d looked for his time machine only to find the whole place they&#039;d left it missing. Cosmo explained what their friends had learned; that Demon Island was back in the sky and assimilating other pieces of the world into itself. &quot;So... the time machine is most likely up there.&quot; Fera mused, &quot;Do you suppose the Lost Ones intend to use it?&quot; Tails shook his head. &quot;We&#039;d probably already know if they were time traveling. They might be trying to lure us...&quot; he murmured. &quot;Can we go outside and play in traffic, daddy?&quot; Alpha asked, seeming bored. Cosmo glanced at him. &quot;So, why don&#039;t you destroy that robot?&quot; she asked, making Tails groan softly.<br /><br />Tails called the Tornado via remote, and while they waited for the plane to arrive, they discussed who was going along. &quot;True, we could all go if I used both planes, but we&#039;re flying into enemy territory and I don&#039;t want to split my focus piloting a second plane remotely...&quot; Tails had stated. No one else among them had enough flight experience to fly themselves. &quot;I&#039;m going up there...&quot; Fera stated, &quot;I have things to settle. A past to reconcile...&quot; she sighed. It was clear there wouldn&#039;t be a seat for Cosmo, and she sat herself down by one of Tails&#039; workbenches. &quot;At least it should be fairly safe here...&quot; she murmured. Melody looked at her and nodded. &quot;I&#039;ll stay and keep you company. We&#039;ll keep each other safe!&quot; she smiled. Skye had to go anyway. He hugged his sister tight. &quot;You be careful on your own...&quot; he told her. The plane wasn&#039;t that far, and it soon arrived. As they all headed outside, Alpha tried to climb onto the plane&#039;s wing! &quot;Vroom, vroom! I wanna horsy ride!&quot; the deranged robot cried. Tails frantically tugged the robot away from his plane. &quot;You&#039;re too heavy for wing-walking! You&#039;ll have to stay here!&quot; he told him. &quot;Aw, boo!&quot; Alpha whined. With Cosmo and Melody keeping an eye on the robot, Tails got into the cockpit with Skye taking a seat behind him. Fera sat herself on the wing. &quot;Be prepared for anything! Remember, they want you dead desperately!&quot; she warned the foxes. Tails nodded. &quot;Can&#039;t let that happen. Too many people are counting on me!&quot; The plane started to take off, and as they took to the sky, Alpha soon caught up to them via his jetpack! &quot;Come back blue horsy! You&#039;re not the boss of cheese!&quot; he shouted. Skye looked at the robot blankly. &quot;Oh...goodie...he&#039;s coming after all...&quot; he murmured, not sounding too thrilled.<br /><br />Somehow, they landed on Demon Island without too much trouble. Or perhaps their arrival was part of the Lost Ones&#039; plan. Either way, the plane was left on the outskirts of the forest, and as the group started to explore, they soon came across the survivors of Shadow Arcangel&#039;s destruction who were still together, who had themselves met up with Guard, Heather, Illusi and Aurora. &quot;Well, Tails is still alive. Guess I owe you a soda, Vortex!&quot; Zipp mumbled. &quot;I&#039;m not in the mood...&quot; Vortex sighed. Alpha was kept busy annoying Crash and Talon, which left Tails and Skye to chat with the others, hoping to recruit help. In the meanwhile, Fera found herself alone with Illusi. &quot;....I saw an illusion of you.&quot; Fera told him. Illusi had no words. Instead, he held out his arms for her. She hesitated at first, but moving past that hesitation, she hugged him tightly, tears streaming from her eye as she tried to hide it in his neck. Illusi gently patted her head. &quot;You&#039;ve been holding this in a long time, haven&#039;t you, child?&quot; he said softly. &quot;Shut up!&quot; Fera choked. For a moment, she was home, safe with him. Her pride wouldn&#039;t let her fully embrace the moment, but she got pretty close. While she dried her tears, Tails was talking to Conan and Emily. &quot;Time travel? There&#039;s an adventure I&#039;ve yet to embark upon...&quot; the raccoon mused. Tails nodded. &quot;If we play it right, we can stop everything terrible that happened today!&quot; he explained. Conan glanced at Emily. &quot;All that and more...&quot; he mused, &quot;Allow us to accompany you.&quot; he offered. &quot;Ahh... S-sure.&quot; Tails babbled. Unfortunately, they weren&#039;t able to convince anyone else to go, most considered it a fool&#039;s errand. However, Aurora handed Skye her ProwerPhone. &quot;I&#039;m gonna catch up to my parents. I think you may need this more than me.&quot; she told him. They glared at Alpha. &quot;Just gotta watch that one...&quot; Skye murmured. Through all of this, Gideon silently watched. It was especially focused on Skye and Aurora. &quot;...I fear these children&#039;s time...is nearly up...&quot; it whispered.<br /><br />So, they set out with Conan and Emily added to their party. One of the first things they noticed was the ruins of Despair Castle, but that didn&#039;t much surprise them considering the island&#039;s prior stay under the sea; They&#039;d be more surprised if the castle had been in one piece. With the ProwerPhone helping them track the location of Skye&#039;s time machine, they followed the signal, and found themselves passing by the Chaos Shrine, which gave both Tails and Fera pause. &quot;This is where I got the tailband the first time... How&#039;d it get up here??&quot; Tails questioned. &quot;Uh, Cosmo already told us the island was assimilating places...&quot; Skye reminded him. Fera growled, stepping to the open door. &quot;The traumas of my past just have to follow me everywhere. Well, screw you, Gunner! I don&#039;t care what&#039;s in there!&quot; she scoffed, turning away from the building with a snarl. Emily tilted her head. &quot;I have a lot to learn about, don&#039;t I?&quot; she murmured. Conan nodded. &quot;I can tell the story of when I infiltrated this shrine and found it empty...but that&#039;s basically the whole story right there.&quot; he murmured. The group continued on, leaving the shrine in their memories, and soon the ProwerPhone led them to the most industrialized location assimilated into the island. Tails gasped to see it. Tubes of blue and purple, transporting pink liquids into giant vats. &quot;This is Eggman&#039;s Chemical Plant!&quot; he realized. It wasn&#039;t exactly the site of his first adventure with Sonic, but it was the first place they really started to work together, helping one another escape the clutches of Grabber robots as needed. Alpha jumped up and down, seeming a bit excited. &quot;Honey, I&#039;m home!! Where&#039;s my cookie?&quot; he babbled. Fera looked at the vats the chemicals were being pumped into, and growled softly. The vats were full of slime. &quot;Seems like they&#039;ve converted this facility for their own purposes...&quot; she growled.<br /><br />It wasn&#039;t important to worry about what the Lost Ones wanted with a Chemical Plant. It was more important to get to the time machine. As the group began exploring, running across some of the piping, they noticed that ghostly Lost Ones were rising from the slime vats. In horrifying numbers. Conan clutched the deck of Chaos Cards, watching anxiously. &quot;They...don&#039;t seem interested in us, do they?&quot; he whispered. The spirits rose high into the sky before altering their course, heading for the rubble of Despair Castle. &quot;It&#039;s like they&#039;re manufacturing Lost Ones somehow... Or maybe they&#039;re powering them up?&quot; Tails considered. Alpha tried shooting at a few of the spirits. &quot;Creepy dead guys! I kill you!!&quot; the robot shouted as Emily and Fera grabbed onto him, trying to stop him from shooting. &quot;You stupid pile of broken parts! You want an army to rain down on us!?&quot; Fera growled. &quot;Yes!&quot; Alpha replied in a silly tone. &quot;I don&#039;t think the poor thing understands anything happening around it.&quot; Emily sighed. Fortunately, the entire army didn&#039;t come after them. However, some losharks leapt out of the vat and snapped their jaws at the pipeline they were standing on, threatening them! &quot;Let&#039;s get a move on before something worse jumps out!&quot; Skye suggested, leading the way as they ran across the pipes and arrived at one of the plant&#039;s many buildings, the purpose of which wasn&#039;t immediately known to any of them. Alpha was still trying to blast the Lost Ones as the girls dragged him. &quot;Bad guys! Where did you take daddy?? Put back our playhouse!!&quot; he shouted. Tails glanced at Alpha awkwardly. &quot;I think I&#039;ve known him too long. That almost made some sense.&quot; he murmured. Conan let out a slight growl, looking around. &quot;I think we&#039;ve been followed. Stay on your toes...&quot; he warned.<br /><br />As they traveled across the exterior of the building, a divine dropped from the sky, landing in front of them! &quot;I knew it!&quot; Conan snapped, preparing to draw a card. It was a black divine with pink ears &amp; tail stripes and a purple &amp; red suit. It was Raven, Whisk&#039;s Dark. &quot;I&#039;m not here to fight you. I want to tell you, using that time machine will be a big mistake.&quot; she said plainly. &quot;Why should we trust you??&quot; Tails asked. &quot;Indeed! You were with the morph who took the Chaos Sword from me!&quot; Conan snarled. Emily gasped. &quot;Wait, Conan... She made him spare your life!&quot; she told him. Skye and Tails looked surprised. &quot;Really? That doesn&#039;t sound like a Dark...&quot; Skye murmured. Conan started to step forward, a fierce look in his eyes. &quot;I don&#039;t care. We&#039;re using the machine, and it will send me back to the beginning! I&#039;ll save Emily before her death, before she can be experimented on and her memory stolen!!&quot; he declared, &quot;And you won&#039;t stop me!&quot; However, a bolt of dark lightning did stop his forward progress, and he turned to see an angry Fera. &quot;I can&#039;t have you mucking up the timeline before me! I&#039;m going to repair my own past, so that I can have a future!!&quot; she growled. Alpha sat on the ground, watching intently. &quot;Oooh! They&#039;re doing a movie! I can&#039;t wait for the commercials!&quot; he babbled. Tails was beside himself. &quot;Fera, you can&#039;t mean that! Agh... The time machine is only to be used to stop the Lost Ones!!&quot; he insisted. Raven shook her head. &quot;It doesn&#039;t matter who gets their way, using that machine will spell disaster for all of you! You have to listen to me! Someone HAS to listen to me!!&quot; she cried. Fera sighed. &quot;We&#039;ll settle this later, Tails. Right now, I have to remove this obstacle from our path! And you hash it out with the raccoon...he was bound to betray us, anyway!&quot; she huffed. &quot;You&#039;re one to talk!!&quot; Conan snapped.<br /><br />So, Fera charged at Raven, who leapt back and flapped her wings, hovering in the air. &quot;Are you kidding me!? How are you supposed to be the good guys!&quot; she spat, her wings starting to glow with energy as her frustration grew. Fera created dark flames in her hands, ready to counter what Raven would throw at her. &quot;Never claimed to be &#039;good,&#039; so shut up!&quot; she shouted, tossing those flames only for a magic wind to blow from Raven&#039;s wings and put that fire out! She tried instead to zap Raven with dark lightning, but the divine vanished only to reappear behind her! Raven caught Fera in a headlock and tried to hold her still. &quot;Listen to me! I&#039;m trying to tell you something important!&quot; she grunted. Fera managed to elbow her in the gut, and then shifted their weight, tossing the winged feline over her head! &quot;You may have tricks, but I have training! I would stay down if I were you!&quot; she warned. Raven groaned, and warped back into the air, flying a bit more shakily now. &quot;Maybe YOU don&#039;t deserve my help, but I want him to hear me out!&quot; she panted, pointing toward the scuffle between Tails and Conan. Fera couldn&#039;t actually tell which one she was pointing at, and she didn&#039;t much care. &quot;Help? Like your kind &#039;helped&#039; us back on the Arcangel? Excuse me for being skeptical, but when people try to kill me... I repay them in kind!!&quot; the wolf shouted, once again sending dark lightning at the divine! Raven erected a shield of light, straining to keep it intact! &quot;I never tried to kill you... And I&#039;m not like other Darks... Because a Divine can&#039;t be a being of pure darkness!&quot; she shouted, only to cry out in pain as Fera broke through her barrier! She fell to the ground, and Fera stared at her, tilting her head. &quot;That...apparently did hurt more that it should hurt a Dark...&quot; she observed.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Tails was busy taking on Conan. Much like Raven, Conan maintained the high ground, in his case using the Chaos Wing. He drew from the deck of Chaos Cards, ready to strike. &quot;Sorry it&#039;s come to this, but I owe Emily her life back!&quot; he shouted, tossing several cards towards Tails, which exploded around him! The fox leapt out of the smoke and took to the air, prepared to chase after Conan, while below Emily ran up to the two of them. &quot;Please, Conan! I don&#039;t want this! Come down from there right now!&quot; she cried. &quot;Stay back! I don&#039;t want you hurt in the crossfire!&quot; Conan shouted, holding up one of the cards to summon a whirlwind that made it difficult for Tails to stay airborne! Skye stepped up to Emily. &quot;Don&#039;t worry. My dad won&#039;t hurt him...he&#039;ll bring him to his senses!&quot; he told her. Easier said than done, Tails thought. He was pretty low on tricks after all they&#039;d been through, but he did still have his arm cannon, which materialized around his hand as he pointed it at Conan. &quot;She has her life back! What about the world??&quot; he shouted, firing a blast as Conan tossed another explosive card, their projectiles colliding! The resulting shockwave forced them both to land, and Tails tried to keep the pressure on him with his laser. Conan dodged the shots, flicking the deck of cards from one hand to the other before producing several cards in the first hand. &quot;I don&#039;t share your altruism. Now, fall!!&quot; he shouted, holding up three cards, which each sent a different elemental energy bolting towards Tails! Flames, lightning and ice crashed around the fox, cutting off his escape! There was only one move to make. As Conan watched the elements surround the fox, he smirked, thinking he&#039;d won. However, a light flashed, and a tail whip broke through the elemental barrier! He&#039;d equipped a Chaos Tailband, and was looking pretty serious. &quot;I won&#039;t lose to you!&quot; he warned.<br /><br />While the battles unfolded, another being was flying overhead. Heavy wings flapped, a shadow looming over Emily and Skye. The squirrel glanced up, and could see a dragon swooping toward Skye! &quot;L-look out!&quot; she cried, pushing him aside only to get snatched up by the dragon instead! As she shrieked, Conan instantly dropped what he was doing. &quot;Emily!! Gah, it&#039;s you!!&quot; he stammered, recognizing the draconic form of Darkosmo! The morph scoffed. &quot;I meant to grab the foxy scientist, but I guess you&#039;ll do for a hostage, girly! Let&#039;s go somewhere more comfortable!&quot; he cackled, carrying Emily away as she cried out for help! Tails and Conan immediately gave chase, with Skye and Alpha quickly following. &quot;Aw, is the movie over?&quot; Alpha sighed. &quot;We&#039;ll have to set this aside for now. I have to save Emily!&quot; Conan said. Tails nodded. &quot;That, we can agree on!&quot; Fera was the last to follow after them, having decided to ditch the injured Raven. &quot;I guess we&#039;re taking a detour. But let&#039;s not forget we&#039;ve still got things to settle!&quot; she grunted. As they left, Raven staggered to her feet. &quot;Wolf doesn&#039;t mess around... And now the morph&#039;s here. Fantastic. Maybe I should just cut my losses...&quot; she groaned, considering her options. She flapped her wings a bit, and started to rise into the air. &quot;Might as well see this through. It&#039;s better than sitting back and waiting for those slime balls to eat me. Not like there&#039;s anywhere to run to, anyway...&quot; she grumbled, starting after the others, albeit a bit slowly.<br /><br /><br />Atop the Chemical Plant&#039;s buildings were smoke stacks, but they weren&#039;t spewing smoke. More ghostly spirits rose out of the smoke stacks, a very unsettling sight. And yet, atop one of these smoke stacks sat Infinite. He watched Tails and his group attempting to give chase below, a slightly amused smirk on his lips. &quot;So distractible. This is what emotional attachments get you. It might be TOO easy for me to accomplish my vengeance.&quot; he mused. &quot;Aww, you&#039;re gonna get bored?&quot; asked Lospecter as he poked his head out of the smoke stack, &quot;If it was really so easy, why hasn&#039;t anyone done it yet? I mean I could if I weren&#039;t so swamped. After I check on you I gotta scoop up this minion and that minion...always gettin&#039; things ready for the boss&#039; big bad plan!&quot; Infinite glanced toward him without turning his head. &quot;I detect an odd sort of exhaustion in your tone. I didn&#039;t think the dead could get tired.&quot; he grunted. Lospecter &quot;sat&quot; on the edge of the smoke stack next to him, yawning. &quot;I&#039;m not dead, exactly, I&#039;m Lost. It&#039;s like...an oddball sorta purgatory. Some of us are gifted with more sentience than others, some pretend to be sentient when really they&#039;re zombies using memory of life to trick the living. No matter what though... we can&#039;t feel like we used to.&quot; he sighed, almost sounding regretful. Infinite stood up, arms folded, a look of utter dispassion on his face. &quot;I don&#039;t need to feel. I will gladly join your efforts to purge this world of weakness and emotion, in pursuit of true power!&quot; he declared, starting to rise into the sky, almost like he was a spirit himself, but it was of course the Phantom Ruby&#039;s power lifting him. &quot;I will prove my might by ending the lives of those sentimental fools! So sit tight, and watch the show!&quot; he snarled as Lospecter watched him, letting out a weary sigh.<br /><br /><br />Chapter 52 - The Dark Morph<br />Stage 24 - Chemical Plant<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;Like a million faces, I&#039;ve recognized them all,<br />And one by one they&#039;ve all become<br />A number as they fall! (as they fall!)<br /><br />In the face of reason, I can take no more.<br />One by one they&#039;ve all become<br />A black mark on the floor!<br /><br />Is it me, (Is it me)<br />You say (You say), you&#039;re looking for?<br />Let me show you who I am and what I have in store... (in store...)&quot; - What I&#039;m Made Of, Sonic Heroes<br /><br /><br />Darkosmo flew up the side of a tall building, and the only real way to get up was to climb on strange yellow cubes. To this day, Tails had no idea what the purpose of those cubes was, but they were the only way Conan and Fera could feasibly get up there. Alpha started to fly up ahead. &quot;Bye bye, doggies! I must chase squirrel!&quot; he babbled. Conan scoffed and leapt up to the first cube. &quot;Let&#039;s not dawdle!&quot; he shouted. &quot;Wait, can&#039;t he fly?&quot; Skye pointed out. &quot;I don&#039;t think he&#039;s in a hurry to get his tail handed to him.&quot; Fera huffed. As they started their climb, Lospecter floated down towards them. &quot;I&#039;ve got my share of stuff to do, but I thought I&#039;d have a laugh before I go...&quot; he smirked. The group tried to ignore him, attempting to keep their footing as the blocky stairs turned around themselves. Tails stumbled and then started to fly to right himself, grabbing onto Skye to help him as well. Lospecter wasn&#039;t keen on being ignored, though. &quot;I just don&#039;t command the respect I used to. Well, see how ya like this!&quot; he smirked, snapping his fingers. At his command, the slimed chemicals started to rise from a grate in the ground, beginning to flood the area and chase the group as they climbed! &quot;This stuff will really eat away at ya... At your soul, that is! Have a good swim, kids!&quot; the ghost cackled, flying off! Tails gulped. &quot;I always hated this part! Let&#039;s move! Faster!&quot; he gasped. The golden cape on Conan&#039;s back changed into the glowing Chaos Wings, and he started to fly up quickly. &quot;Good luck!&quot; he shouted. &quot;You need me for the time machine!!&quot; Skye shouted. Groaning, Conan flew back and grabbed him. &quot;You&#039;re lucky you&#039;re not heavy!&quot; he complained, carrying Skye up and leaving Tails and Fera to race the rising &quot;lost-chemicals!&quot;<br /><br />Below, the jaws of losharks gnashed at the surface of the liquid. Above, robots were attached to some walls, dropping laser balls down towards Tails and Fera. The wolf staggered to avoid these lasers as she leapt from cube to cube, trying to avoid falling into the approaching liquid. &quot;If just one thing could stop taking up my concentration, I&#039;d thrash those machines in two seconds!!&quot; she snarled. Tails tried to fly his way up, but he had to land quickly to avoid the falling lasers, and to avoid getting squashed by moving cubes. &quot;Yeah, not sure how we&#039;re gonna get by!&quot; he gulped. As if in response, Alpha reappeared from the top of the building, and started shooting at the other robots on the way down! &quot;Bad porcupines! Leave my puppies alone!&quot; Alpha shouted. &quot;H-he&#039;s really helping us??&quot; Tails stammered. &quot;Only I can make a fur coat out of my puppies!!&quot; the robot added, shooting down at the losharks in a crazed manner. Fera warped herself up to a higher block and glanced down. &quot;I&#039;d say to keep one eye on that one, but I only have the one to spare myself...&quot; she sighed. Tails flew up past Alpha and joined Fera as they neared the top of their climb. Angry, the snarling losharks seemed to somehow speed up the rising liquid! &quot;Doodlebugs! Ahh! I said a bad word!&quot; Alpha gasped, flying back up quickly. Tails was briefly worried about the increase in flooding speed, but Alpha grabbed both him and Fera on the way back up. &quot;Hey! Unhand me!! I won&#039;t trust my life to a machine, least of all you!!&quot; Fera shouted, struggling. However, they landed safely, and the liquid stopped rising just before the top. Alpha set Tails and Fera down and ran to catch up with Conan and Skye. &quot;But you&#039;ll trust the time machine?&quot; Tails replied to Fera&#039;s earlier shout. &quot;Ah... Wait, so are you!&quot; she retorted. &quot;Supporting my son. That&#039;s different.&quot; Tails replied, following after Alpha. Fera pouted, following behind him.<br /><br />They found Conan and Skye at a bit of a crossroads. Skye was looking at the ProwerPhone that Aurora had given him. &quot;The time machine&#039;s close, we should follow the signal. We&#039;ve lost the morph&#039;s trail anyway.&quot; he said. Conan looked around. &quot;I&#039;m certain he wants to be found, and by Chaos, I&#039;ll make him regret it! With or without you!&quot; he snapped. Tails rubbed his chin. &quot;I&#039;d half expect to find Dark Kosmo with the time machine anyway.&quot; he murmured. Fera sighed and stepped to Conan. &quot;Well, I&#039;m not letting this fool out of my sight. He&#039;s bound to do something that we all end up regretting.&quot; she huffed. Conan scoffed at her, while Alpha stepped toward Skye, who hastily hid his ProwerPhone behind his back. &quot;H-hey there, buddy! What&#039;s up?&quot; he asked with a soft chuckle. Alpha turned his robotic head all the way around. &quot;Let&#039;s charge into battle, sarge! I&#039;ll cover you! Where&#039;s the blanket?&quot; the robot babbled. &quot;Huh?&quot; Skye murmured. He had to think about it a bit, but it seemed Alpha was choosing to help him. Which was good, because Tails started to follow after Fera and Conan. &quot;D-do you think you&#039;ll be alright, Skye? It&#039;s just, if they do find Dark Kosmo, I think they&#039;ll need my help. Keep your head down and let Alpha do the fighting, okay?&quot; he suggested. &quot;Don&#039;t worry, dad, I&#039;ll be fine. Do what you need to do.&quot; he told him. Conan and Fera were already leaving by this point. &quot;If any of you are coming, hurry it up!&quot; the raccoon shouted. Tails scampered after them, while Skye carefully took the ProwerPhone back out to check the tracker. &quot;Alright, Alpha, it&#039;s you and me...&quot; he murmured. &quot;Okay, fluffy Char!&quot; Alpha replied, confusing the fox a little.<br /><br /><br />Raven had found Darkosmo first. It was a pretty large rooftop littered with smoke stacks where he had tied up Emily. &quot;What&#039;s the point of all this?&quot; Raven asked him, &quot;The Lost Ones will actually destroy the world, and Xezek got killed for that!&quot; she shouted. Emily looked at her with sympathy. &quot;I&#039;m sorry for your loss. It&#039;s been a pretty awful day, hasn&#039;t it?&quot; she said, only for Darkosmo to cover her mouth with tape. &quot;Eggman is remarkably prepared for these kinds of situations, I have to give that to him.&quot; he grumbled, glancing at Raven, &quot;If only I could tape your mouth shut without you poofing away!&quot; he growled. Raven growled back at him. &quot;What exactly is wrong with you? Do you WANT those monsters to eat you when this is all over? No one&#039;s seen Zapp, Thrash or Vanitas lately, and I&#039;ve got a bad feeling about them, too!&quot; she warned. Darkosmo morphed into her and mocked her voice. &quot;Ahh, I&#039;m so scared, help me, help me! Oh won&#039;t you save my ass?!&quot; Then he changed back and spat in her general direction. &quot;Maybe you&#039;re a bit too young to know, but I tried to destroy the world before it was &#039;cool!&#039; I have no love for you or the other Darks, you&#039;re no siblings of mine! I never even bothered to make up a dumb name to separate myself from my weak half, because I don&#039;t CARE! Once the Lost Ones kill the world, I&#039;ll kill them! And don&#039;t even try to get in my way!&quot; He then surprised Raven with a sudden kick to her gut, knocking her to the floor! &quot;You bastard!&quot; shouted Conan as he approached, &quot;Untie Emily this instant!&quot; Tails and Fera followed behind him. &quot;Watch yourself, Conan, he&#039;s a damn morph!&quot; the wolf grunted. Tails nodded. &quot;And he&#039;s a morph who won&#039;t listen to reason, I think...&quot; he said. Darkosmo snarled. &quot;How right you are. Now, at long last, I&#039;ll be able to take my revenge on you, Tails the Fox!!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;First, a hostage exchange! If you want this girl, hand over the boy!&quot; Darkosmo told them. However, a brief glance around the area easily told him that Skye wasn&#039;t there. &quot;Hold on, you split up? What is it with you idiots and splitting up? Gah, I should have seen that coming!&quot; the morph growled. Conan grabbed Tails by the arm, making him yelp. &quot;I can hand over this boy! Is he not valuable enough to your masters?&quot; he asked. Fera stood in his way, however. &quot;Try it. I dare you.&quot; she growled, dark energy glowing on her fingers. It didn&#039;t matter, because Darkosmo wasn&#039;t biting. &quot;I can kill him anytime. But if the kid goes backwards in time, it may just erase my body and put me back in the prison that is my weaker self! I need that twerp now!&quot; he snarled, apparently not putting together that killing Tails would take out Skye anyway, and certainly no one was about to make that point for him. &quot;Well, this is a waste of time! Guess I&#039;ll just kill my hostage!&quot; he growled, turning towards Emily only to see Raven at her side! &quot;You shouldn&#039;t have attacked me! Find yourself a new hostage!&quot; Raven scoffed, teleporting away along with Emily! &quot;You still have such a way with people, Dark Kosmo! Shame you haven&#039;t learned anything the way regular Kosmo has!&quot; Tails said with a smirk as Conan released his arm. Darkosmo glared at him, growling. &quot;What exactly did he learn? Compassion? Friendship? Love? Spare me! His weakness got him killed, and led to my creation! Only the strong should survive, and I&#039;m the strongest there is!&quot; The morph started to glow, preparing to transform! Fera, Tails and Conan stepped back, watching and realizing that they&#039;d have to work together if they wanted to survive this...!<br /><br />Tails expected to see the Kosmogon again, and while he wasn&#039;t wrong, Darkosmo still managed to surprise him. The dark morph took on a larger, more terrifying draconic form, complete with three heads, three whiplike tails, and four strong wings on its back! He&#039;d become a mutant hydra! The three heads spoke in unison, their glowing eyes glaring at each of the smaller mobians fiercely. &quot;They say these chemicals will do things to you... Maybe I should drop you in and see!&quot; the Hydrasmo snarled! Conan took to the air using the Chaos Wing. &quot;I&#039;d rather see if you&#039;ll grow more heads after I cut one off, demon!&quot; he shouted. Fera glanced at Tails with a calculating expression. &quot;If there were ever a time for your Relic...&quot; she murmured. &quot;You&#039;re right!&quot; Tails gasped, producing both tailbands in his hands. He then surprised Fera by tossing one to her! &quot;You&#039;ll need a little help, too!&quot; he said. Fera looked at the golden band, stammering a bit. &quot;I...work in the dark. Not the light.&quot; she protested. Tails slipped the single band onto one of his tails. &quot;It&#039;s time you tried something new!&quot; he told the wolf. &quot;Cut the chatter, down there! As amazing as I am, there&#039;s only so much of this I can handle on my own!&quot; Conan shouted. Hydrasmo was chasing him through the air, between the smokestacks, blowing both actual flames and dark flames at Conan from either of his side heads&#039; mouths. &quot;Lure him back low! We&#039;re not going super here!&quot; Tails shouted. Fera scoffed, and slipped the tailband on her tail. &quot;You could have. If you die, it&#039;s your own fault!&quot; she snapped. Tails glanced at her with a smile. &quot;I don&#039;t think you&#039;ll let that happen, buddy!&quot; he winked. Conan crashed to the ground between them, the Chaos Cards scattering out of his hands as Hydrasmo loomed over the group. &quot;Enough appetizer... Now for the main course!!&quot; his heads hissed!<br /><br />Fera scooped up a couple of the dropped Chaos Cards as she walked by Conan. They&#039;d need every advantage they could get if they were going to beat a morph. Two of the three heads darted down towards the canines, planning to snap them up in their teeth! But Tails and Fera gave them each a good smack with their band-powered tails! Darkosmo growled, the third head foaming at the mouth with flames! &quot;Cool off!&quot; Fera shouted, holding up one of the cards and summoning a burst of water to douse the fire! They&#039;d managed to delay Hydrasmo long enough for Conan to start moving again, but he was hurt and they needed to draw the morph&#039;s attention away or he&#039;d likely be killed. Fortunately, help arrived as Raven landed on top of his middle head! She gave him a kick, and his left head turned to snarl at her. &quot;What kind of idiot are you?! Want them to erase you? Have you put back in the body-box you came from?!&quot; he snapped. &quot;Maybe. I don&#039;t know! I know I don&#039;t want the world you and those monsters offer!&quot; she replied, flying up a bit to avoid the flames spouted from the head glaring at her! Fera vanished in a burst of black energy, getting up on the hydra&#039;s back! &quot;Hit me here, I dare you!&quot; she smirked. Hydrasmo started to flap into the air, trying to shake her off as she held on! Tails followed after them, trying to find a good opening to strike the morph in some way. &quot;Keep hanging on, Fera! He can&#039;t hurt you back there!&quot; he shouted. &quot;I&#039;ll hurt somebody!!&quot; Darkosmo shouted, &quot;Or I&#039;ll make somebody do it for me!! KOSMOS!!&quot; As the three heads flailed about, the six glowing eyes shot out beams that would darken the mind of anyone struck by them! Tails took cover under the morph to avoid them, but Conan could barely move! To protect him, Raven teleported in front of him, taking the attack! &quot;Well, that does me no good...&quot; Conan gasped as he saw Raven turn his way, a crazed look in her eyes!<br /><br />&quot;Conan!!&quot; Emily had come back, and in her concern, she&#039;d given her position away to the crazed Raven. She snarled, her eyes swirling with rage! Conan had to act fast. He grabbed a card and held it up. &quot;Buzz off, birdbrain!&quot; he shouted, summoning a strong wind that blew Raven backward! During the distractions, Tails managed to fly up onto Hydrasmo&#039;s back with Fera. &quot;Hopefully Conan and Emily can manage without us. Now, how are we gonna knock out this morph?&quot; he asked. &quot;You&#039;re asking me?? You&#039;re the one who&#039;s done this before!&quot; Fera snapped. The three heads were all turned to look at them. &quot;Why don&#039;t I put an end to this very simply?&quot; those heads hissed. Before Tails and Fera could act, they were suddenly grabbed by the long tails of the morph wrapping around their bodies! Hydrasmo then took to the air again, flying off the roof and over a large vat of slime-mixed chemicals, filled with hungry losharks! &quot;One of us needs a plan, fast!&quot; Tails shouted. Darkosmo cackled in triumph. &quot;My plan is to watch you both be shredded by sharks! Then, I&#039;ll take my time ripping apart your puny little friends!&quot; he roared. Fera reached her hand towards Tails. &quot;Do you trust me?!&quot; she cried. The morph dropped them, and Tails grabbed her hand as they started to fall. &quot;Completely!&quot; Tails cried. Gritting her teeth, Fera first tossed her remaining cards upwards, creating a series of explosions to conceal them from view! &quot;Hey! I want to watch!!&quot; Darkosmo snarled. High above, Tails and Fera reappeared through a dark warp, and they started to plummet towards the distracted morph at high speed! &quot;This is like...&quot; Tails started, &quot;...A Double Boost!!&quot; Fera finished. Darkosmo heard them and looked up, but it was too late to stop their descent! &quot;Wait, NO!!&quot; he roared as the duo spun around, smacking him forcefully with all the might of the tailbands channeled into their tails at once!<br /><br />Though Darkosmo tried to fly, his draconic form was too heavy to make up for the force of the impact, and he roared defiantly as he plummeted into the chemicals, the losharks leaping out and diving back onto him in order to enjoy their meal...of his soul. Tails grabbed Fera&#039;s arm again before she could fall, and with all the might his two tails could muster, he started to fly them back to the rooftop. There, they found a slightly disoriented but otherwise back to normal Raven, as well as Conan and Emily working together to finish collecting the Chaos Cards. &quot;Well, I think we&#039;ve got maybe a few minutes before a Lost-Dark-Kosmo bursts out of there and comes after us, so it might be good to run and find Skye now.&quot; Tails told them. Raven nodded. &quot;I&#039;ll port out anyone who wants to join me.&quot; she said, &quot;Best to get far away from this place...&quot; Conan stood up with the full deck and nodded. &quot;Emily and I will join you... I think... We&#039;ll make up for lost time in our own way.&quot; he said, glancing at her. Emily smiled warmly. &quot;I&#039;d like that.&quot; she said, hugging him. &quot;Aww...&quot; Tails said with a soft chuckle before turning to Fera. &quot;I&#039;m still going with you...&quot; she said, making his ears droop briefly at the implication. &quot;However...&quot; Fera added, &quot;I&#039;ve decided not to alter my past. Something about what doesn&#039;t kill you making you stronger, I suppose. And what do I want, to be weak?&quot; she asked, starting to walk away. Tails tilted his head as he watched her. &quot;Besides...&quot; she added, &quot;We&#039;d never meet, and then what would you do without me?&quot; she smirked, glancing back. She then offered him her fist, and smiling broadly, Tails gave it a bump with his. &quot;Alright! Let&#039;s get a move on, buddy!&quot; he said cheerfully. Raven stepped over to Conan and Emily, warping them away as Tails and Fera set out to find Skye...<br /><br />Soon enough, they found Skye and Alpha. &quot;Everything okay, dad?&quot; Skye asked. Tails nodded. &quot;More or less. Any luck with the time machine?&quot; he asked. Skye chuckled awkwardly. &quot;Well...&quot; he murmured, glancing at Alpha. Fera glared at the robot. &quot;Ohh, you broke it and made this whole trip for nothing. Well now I&#039;ll smash you!&quot; she snarled. &quot;No, don&#039;t!&quot; Skye cried, blocking her, &quot;...he IS the time machine now.&quot; Fera&#039;s one eye notably bulged, and Tails&#039; eyes widened in surprise, too. &quot;Whaaaat?!&quot; they shouted at once. Alpha&#039;s head popped open, and an odd antennae and satellite dish popped out. Also, a hatch on his chassis opened, revealing the two identical Chaos Emeralds installed. Skye rubbed his head awkwardly. &quot;The Lost Ones had trashed the machine when I got there, so I... I kinda used Alpha for replacement parts...&quot; he explained. Alpha raised his arms in reverence. &quot;I have transcended! I have seen the ultimate truth!&quot; the robot declared. &quot;Err... Y-you have?&quot; Tails asked cautiously. Alpha suddenly did a disco pose, pointing up in the air. &quot;The ultimate truth of dance! Feel the power!!&quot; he shouted, starting to spin and groove as his speakers played some music Tails could swear he&#039;d heard before. Skye twiddled his thumbs at that. &quot;Seems his... personality... is part of the soul he got from GeneX energy being used in his creation.&quot; he murmured, &quot;But don&#039;t worry! I control the time travel element using the ProwerPhone, he can&#039;t control it!&quot; he assured them. Fera let out an exasperated sigh at that. &quot;So, now that we have it, what do we do with it?&quot; she questioned. Tails looked thoughtful. &quot;Anywhere in the past we go, the Zodiac Council would notice us...&quot; he stated, &quot;...except for one place, that&#039;s so temporally messed up that they&#039;d never notice!&quot; he realized. Skye tilted his head. &quot;Ah, really? Where to, then?&quot; he asked. Tails chuckled softly. &quot;Well, I guess you might call it... A Time Collision!&quot;<br /><br /><br />Chapter 53 - Return to the Labyrinth of Eras<br />Stage 24x - Time Collision<br /><br />Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?<br />GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.<br /><br /><br />&quot;I wanna fly high,<br />So I can reach the highest of all the heavens.<br />Somebody will be,<br />Waiting for me so I have gotta fly higher.<br />Gotta keep going!<br />Everything is a brand new challenge for me.<br />I will believe in myself!<br />This is the only start for me.&quot; - Believe in Myself, Sonic Adventure<br /><br /><br />Before our tale continues, we briefly return to the destroyed world that Sonic and a few friends were trapped in, and escaped from. Exactly when this scene is taking place, who can say, but between some crumbling buildings walks the Doomsayer, bringing the rain with him as he goes. He meets an impatient Lospecter, tossing the Chaos Key in one hand while twirling his single Chaos Card in the other. &quot;What are we doing back in this dusty place, anyway?&quot; the ghost asks as the Doomsayer removes his hood, revealing himself as Apocalos. The villain smirks wide, looking behind Lospecter to see an Eggman Capsule, the kind that typically housed animals inside. This one was custom built with a special lock, and it appeared that the likes of Sonic wouldn&#039;t be able to open it merely by jumping on it. Apocalos stepped over and tapped the capsule, lightning striking the crumbling buildings behind him as he did. &quot;You didn&#039;t peek, did you?&quot; he asked Lospecter. The ghost shrugged. &quot;Should I have? Is there something interesting in this package?&quot; he asked. Apocalos chuckled softly. &quot;I am leaving nothing to chance. Our plans should be unstoppable, but should those so-called heroes manage to gain an advantage on us, I&#039;ll need you to recover this capsule.&quot; he told him. Lospecter laughed softly. &quot;If they gain an advantage, it&#039;ll be because they took my key and I can&#039;t pull back the capsule!&quot; he said, tapping the key with the card. Apocalos looked at him with a lightly frustrated sneer. &quot;You seem to have forgotten the powers of the relics. It isn&#039;t the key&#039;s power to summon, now is it? You&#039;re just exploiting the key&#039;s unlocking power to its maximum potential.&quot; he said, starting to walk away. &quot;...You&#039;ll figure it out. Right now, I have somewhen to be...&quot; the hooded Lost One sighed. Lospecter chuckled to himself. &quot;Sure, what&#039;s one more job! ...Somewhen?&quot; <br /><br /><br />Skye set the destination time using the ProwerPhone, and Alpha was compelled to fire a special beam from his laser hand, but this wasn&#039;t a laser. The beam opened a time portal, not unlike the ones created by double Chaos Control or by Chronokadabra. &quot;I guess you&#039;d better come with us, Alpha...or else we won&#039;t be able to get back!&quot; Tails murmured. &quot;Get back what?&quot; the robot asked. Shrugging, the quartet proceeded through the portal, which should have taken them to the Time Collision, the point in time when Temporal Emperor Mephiles created a labyrinth out of various locations torn from across time and space. Fera had no memory of this incident; This was most likely during her Felicia choir girl days of amnesia. But she trusted Tails by now, and she followed his lead, which apparently landed them aboard the Death Egg. &quot;Huh, I don&#039;t remember the Death Egg being in the maze... Also is this the first Death Egg or the one Sonic was held prisoner in?&quot; Tails murmured. It actually resembled the latter more. How would Mephiles even know to take locations from the future? Fera looked around, some flashes of Felicia&#039;s memory coming to her from when she raced to free Sonic from his cell. She shook her head. Now wasn&#039;t the time to reminisce. &quot;So, how do we change the future from here? Keep in mind, if you stop the Lost Ones from the past, we&#039;ll likely go back to being adversaries.&quot; she pointed out. Alpha gasped. &quot;Don&#039;t say adveries! This game is rated E for Everyone! Or, um... M for Mobians?&quot; the robot babbled, confusing itself. Skye scratched his head. &quot;Ahhh, I didn&#039;t think this far into the plan. Aren&#039;t you in this time somewhere, dad?&quot; he asked. Tails nodded. It was just a matter of recalling where he&#039;d be, and how to get there...if any of that were even possible.<br /><br />As they searched for a way out of the Death Egg, they noticed droplets of water falling from above. &quot;...Coolant leak?&quot; Skye asked. Tails shook his head. &quot;...Rain.&quot; he realized, as an automatic door opened in front of them, revealing the Doomsayer! He stepped forward, removing his hood, and making Tails gasp to see that it was Sonic. &quot;Escaping to the past won&#039;t change your fate... And I&#039;m afraid I can no longer protect you.&quot; the hedgehog said, his voice still raspy and creepy. Alpha skipped around, pointing his laser at Sonic. &quot;My blue kitty sounds sick! Let&#039;s put him down! On the ceiling!&quot; the robot babbled. Fera yanked Alpha&#039;s arm, stopping his movement. &quot;Not now, you metal...child!&quot; she grunted. Tails stared at Sonic, slowly putting things together in his mind. &quot;Right, it makes sense. You saved me before because you&#039;re Sonic. You couldn&#039;t actually want the world destroyed!&quot; he said, stepping toward the Doomsayer only for Skye to tug his hand. &quot;Uh, dad? When I saw him take off his hood, he was the leader of the Lost Ones!&quot; he pointed out, remembering the encounter at the Clock Tower. Sonic nodded. &quot;When I started time traveling, I took the Doomsayer&#039;s name. I couldn&#039;t be Sonic, there was already a Sonic in the past...and I wasn&#039;t him anymore...&quot; he said, a twinge of melancholy in his voice. Fera glanced around the room slowly, noticing shadows moving amongst the machinery. &quot;Tails, we&#039;d better get past this guy, quickly...&quot; she warned. &quot;Sensors detect ouchies.&quot; Alpha added. Tails looked around as well, and then looked at Sonic with shock. &quot;You...set a trap for us??&quot; he stammered. Sonic looked at the ground. &quot;The world is doomed to die. I can&#039;t save you... It&#039;s best everything ends in one quick day, rather than slowly and painfully...&quot; he said.<br /><br />As a variety of Lost Ones began to crawl out of the shadows, Apocalos approached the group from behind, letting out a sinister laugh. &quot;Your friend didn&#039;t have to sell you out. Your plan was obvious, your destination predictable. There are so few points in history you can go where the Zodiac Council won&#039;t notice your meddling... Myself, I chose a date after the fall of Zodiac, where their planned history was altered and events were beyond their sight... Particularly a day when you fools would be distracted with a far more feeble threat.&quot; the more sinister Doomsayer explained while the group turned to look his way. &quot;Yeah, that&#039;s the one I remember...&quot; Skye gulped. Tails grit his teeth. Apocalos was right, the plan was a bit obvious in hindsight. They should have been better prepared for a trap. &quot;It doesn&#039;t matter! We&#039;ll still stop you!&quot; he snapped. Apocalos crossed his arms. &quot;Is that really your choice of final words? Pathetic...&quot; he sighed. Fera scoffed at him. &quot;If everything we do is so obvious, this part should be more obvious, too!&quot; she shouted, pulling Alpha into a close huddle with the others before using her dark powers to warp them away! Sonic quickly sped off as well, leaving Apocalos alone with his minions. &quot;Oh, dear child, it is perfectly obvious. Which is why I didn&#039;t come alone...&quot; Apocalos said to himself, a wicked smile crossing his fanged face. Elsewhere in the Death Egg, Fera, the foxes and Alpha emerged. Fortunately, an escape hatch was close by, too. After Alpha blew it open, Fera gasped upon seeing the absolute chaos outside. They were indeed within the Time Collision, as Eggman ships, ancient ruins, fiery future cities and other temporally displaced locales were mashed up into a tangle around Green Hill. The closest thing to land on for the moment was a massive uprooted tree stump from Giant Jungle, so Tails spun his namesakes and started to lead the way. &quot;And if you see a Chaos Emerald, leave it!&quot; he said. Past-Sonic would need it.<br /><br />So, they needed to find someone to tell all the crazy things they knew were going to happen. Someone who could relay the information to everyone else and then, between them, they could make a plan to prevent it all. Save SPOT, save Razor, save the future, and the world. The problem was that neither Tails nor Alpha recognized the part of the labyrinth they were in at all. Alpha probably wouldn&#039;t anyway, but that still didn&#039;t help find anyone. They found themselves running along a strange cylindrical landmass with beach sand, grass and water. It was part of Lost Hex&#039;s Tropical Coast area, something Tails definitely didn&#039;t recall seeing in the labyrinth last time. Above them loomed a Bingo Highway pinball table, and in between were flying robots from both eras, as well as bits of debris from other zones. Alpha fired up at some buzzbombers as he followed the others. &quot;I hate beach bees! By all known laws of graviation, a beach should not be able to fly!&quot; the robot shouted. &quot;...I weirdly agree.&quot; Skye murmured. Tails flew up on top of a palm tree to look around while Fera glared at an approaching crabmeat robot. &quot;That doctor, always trapping animals...&quot; she growled. &quot;Wait! Heed me! I am Cancer, and I am trying to understand this strange time anomaly!&quot; the robot shouted. Fera smashed it with a dark energy blast anyway, freeing a Flicky trapped inside. &quot;We don&#039;t need anyone with a Zodiac sign for a name poking around...&quot; she murmured. Tails hurried down from the palm tree as Egg Flappers from Bingo Highway chased after him, firing lasers! &quot;We can&#039;t find anyone like this!&quot; he shouted, leading those robots on a chase to a geyser, where they foolishly crashed into the water as it shot upwards! &quot;Let&#039;s just keep moving. Better than letting the Lost Ones find us...&quot; Skye murmured.<br /><br />The labyrinth was tricky to navigate, and took them across a variety of locales from throughout time and space. Eventually, they found themselves running along one of the walkways surrounding the Eggman Empire Fortress, the tower base that the doctor had used when he&#039;d conquered the world, and the amnesiac Felicia had joined the Resistance to defeat him. Fera groaned at their arrival in this place. &quot;Obviously, we won&#039;t find anyone we need here. Nobody got any spoilers from traversing this maze, did they?&quot; she asked Tails. &quot;Yeah, somehow they avoided seeing anything they shouldn&#039;t...or maybe seeing someplace like this just didn&#039;t mean anything to anyone back then.&quot; he murmured. Suddenly, a familiar whirring noise sounded out, and a phantom creature smashed through the wall of the fortress! It was a large black shadow with clawed hands and a head resembling a mask. &quot;Infinite!?&quot; Tails gasped, moving back along with Skye and Alpha. Within the shadow, Infinite&#039;s laugh could be heard. &quot;Traveling in time? I suppose we all would like a do-over. I know I would like the opportunity to tear you limb from limb properly!&quot; he sneered, the Phantom Ruby flashing inside the shadowy phantom as its power started to manipulate the maze, creating a space to battle that was made up of pieces of several other zones! Tails, Fera and the others were forced to leap for this floating arena as the ground beneath their feet started to crumble, giving Infinite a true home field advantage. The jackal left behind that phantom shadow, letting it dissolve as he floated high above his adversaries. His maskless, scarred face glared at them. &quot;The Lost Ones have facilitated this reunion, and all they want in return is the same thing I want...for your time in this world to end!&quot; Using the Ruby&#039;s power, Infinite created a pair of long, glowing red blades that attached to his forearms, &quot;It will be my pleasure to be your executioner!&quot; he snarled.<br /><br />Tails and Fera were both still wearing a Chaos Tailband from their earlier fight with Darkosmo. There wouldn&#039;t be time to give Tails the second one and turn him Super, as Infinite charged them with those blades straight away! They each dodged in an opposite direction, while Skye took cover behind Alpha. Infinite scoffed at the hiding fox. &quot;I don&#039;t need to attack you. Once I kill your father, you&#039;ll just vanish from history.&quot; he pointed out. &quot;Oh, no! History go boom!&quot; Alpha gasped, suddenly running around and hiding behind Skye! Infinite grunted suddenly as Tails zapped him in the back with his laser-cannon, having materialized it around his hand. &quot;Stop scaring my son!&quot; he warned. Infinite turned towards him. &quot;I&#039;ll give you a fright instead...&quot; he said, the Phantom Ruby flashing before a shadowy version of his mask emerged from it, zooming towards Tails like a projectile! The fox leapt up and started to fly away as the mask chased him, so Fera stepped in to take on Infinite for a moment. Seeing her coming, the jackal motioned with his clawed hand, and using the Ruby to manipulate the environment, caused a pillar of checkered earth to rise up beneath Fera&#039;s feet, shaking her off-balance as he rose up to meet her! &quot;You have no prototype Ruby to stop me now! How would you like a trip to the Sun?!&quot; he growled, creating a small ball of fire in the sky above the pillar! Fera shielded her eye, smirking at him. &quot;I prefer the shadows under the moon...&quot; Cloaking herself in shadows, she warped off the pillar and behind Infinite, smacking him with a strike from her Relic-powered tail! Infinite crashed into the pillar, which crumbled at his touch! He emerged to find Tails flying towards him. He blocked the fox&#039;s path with glowing red cubes, which burst into several spikes! Tails dropped down to the platform below, letting the phantom mask crash into the spikes instead. &quot;You both will have to do better... With Eggman&#039;s fortress close by, my Ruby can draw power from it! You can&#039;t wait me out this time!!&quot;<br /><br />Infinite rose up above the platform, and then the Phantom Ruby whirred, its power grabbing hold of and debris close by and hurtling it down onto the group on the platform below! A broken, ancient-looking statue from Death Chamber, an old-timey projector from Studiopolis, seemingly the same subway train Tails was stuck in earlier that day, the rain of projectiles were as random as they were dangerous, and they were tearing apart the platform as well, as Tails desperately flew and leapt between objects to find a steady foothold, Fera warped about, and Skye rode on Alpha&#039;s back as the robot hovered above the chaos! The platform was soon whittled to a small, unstable space, but Tails and Fera landed there safely, and looked around for Infinite. &quot;Where are you hiding?! Did your theory prove wrong and your Ruby run out of juice after all??&quot; Fera growled. Tails glanced toward Fera, and gasped to see Infinite charging her from behind. &quot;Watch out!!&quot; he shouted, diving into her, trying to knock her out of the path of the phantom blades attached to the jackal&#039;s arms as they slashed across the space where she stood! Fera gasped, underneath the fox, whom she heard scream in agony! &quot;T-tails??&quot; she stammered, looking down. Her eye widened as she saw something truly horrifying. The tail that hadn&#039;t been protected by the tailband...was now limp on the ground, several feet removed from his body. Tails held the stumpy remains of that tail, rolling off of Fera and shedding pained tears. &quot;A-are you...okay...Fera?&quot; he choked through the pain. Infinite stood over them, pointing a blade at each of them. &quot;Your heads are next...&quot; he said plainly. Fera grit her teeth, tears flowing from both eye sockets. &quot;You...bastard!! You&#039;ll PAY!!&quot; she shouted, striking at the jackal with dark lightning in a furious rage!<br /><br />Skye could hardly process what he was seeing, but the sharp pain he felt in his gut forced him to process it. &quot;D-dad!! No!&quot; he gasped, knowing that this sudden pain meant his future existence was being threatened. &quot;Sensors detect ouchies again...&quot; Alpha added, and Skye looked around to see flying Lost Ones closing in on their position. &quot;I have to...do something!&quot; Skye gasped. Down below, Fera was pouring all she had into the dark lightning she was striking Infinite with, but the jackal fought back with his own red lightning, the two forces clashing and pushing against one another, each trying to overwhelm the other! &quot;Shame, I like this feisty version of you so much better... But I owe you a reckoning for standing against me!&quot; Infinite snarled. &quot;Oh, you&#039;ll get a reckoning!!&quot; Fera snapped back, but her words were only words in this case. The Phantom Ruby was beating her. Tails struggled to his feet, determined to push through the pain and find a way to help, but he fell to his knee. &quot;Aaaahh!!&quot; His wound was overpowering. It was like losing a limb...it WAS losing a limb. Skye and Alpha landed beside him, and hopping off the robot&#039;s back, Skye used the ProwerPhone to activate his time travel features. &quot;You have to go back, Dad! Take Fera, too!&quot; he shouted, handing the phone to his father. &quot;What? Wait... Skye, don&#039;t!!&quot; he shouted, realizing what he was going to do. &quot;I don&#039;t belong here... But you and Fera...you can help save the future for everyone! Go!!&quot; he shouted, throwing himself between Fera and Infinite suddenly, shrieking as their lightning struck him! Fera stopped immediately, gasping. &quot;Y-you fool!!&quot; she stammered, growling before turning to help Tails to the time portal. She was a soldier. She knew when to cut her losses. &quot;No, Skye!!&quot; Tails cried as Fera carried him to the portal. The last Tails saw of his son, was Infinite running the shocked boy through with the same blade that severed his tail. Fera, Tails and Alpha vanished into the portal, while the Lost Ones surrounded the platform, Apocalos landing from above next to Infinite. &quot;Will this Prower&#039;s death suffice?&quot; the jackal asked, looking at the body on the ground dispassionately. Apocalos nodded slowly. &quot;Yes...&quot; Then, he grasped Infinite by the throat with one claw, pulling away the Phantom Ruby with the other! &quot;Wh-what!? B-but I served you...well!&quot; Infinite gagged. &quot;You can now serve me...with your soul!&quot; Apocalos sneered.<br /><br />Alpha, always the distractible one, abandoned Tails and Fera just outside the Chemical Plant. Fera took some time to bandage up the fox&#039;s wound, and then sat beside him on the ground, placing an arm around him as he started to sob for his son. Once Fera might have berated him for such sentimentality. Today, however, she found herself gripping him tightly with that arm, resting her head against his shoulder. &quot;Let it out...&quot; If anyone deserved a moment to cry right now, they were among them.<br /><br />As Sonic chased Eggman, a time portal opened in front of him, halting his pursuit. Out of the portal, Skye&#039;s body was tossed, and then Apocalos slowly stepped out behind him, a low, sinister laugh rising in his throat. &quot;S-skye... No...&quot; Sonic gasped, dropping down beside the body and cradling him in his arms. &quot;Skye!&quot; he cried. Apocalos&#039; laughs intensified. A tear dropped from Sonic&#039;s cheek down to Skye&#039;s nose, and the hedgehog slowly looked up at his enemy, rage burning in his green eyes. &quot;He&#039;s just a kid!!&quot; he shouted. Apocalos grinned wide, his tyrannosaur fangs sticking out. &quot;He was the key... The prophecy is now fulfilled. You and your friends&#039; resolve is sufficiently broken, and the world will end...giving rise to my Lost World! To a multiverse of Lost Worlds!!&quot; he declared, thunder crashing around him as he laughed! Eggman observed the scene from the shadows behind, and turned his Egg Mobile away, flying into the woods with an anxious expression. Sonic placed Skye on the ground tenderly and stood up, glaring at Apocalos. &quot;You made up the prophecy! It&#039;s just your mind game, and I can put a stop to it!&quot; he shouted. &quot;Can you, though? I&#039;d check in on your own child, if I were you!&quot; Apocalos laughed, lightning striking around him again to cover his disappearance. Eggman could wait. Sonic turned around, suddenly worried for his family...<br /><br />To be concluded...</span>",
  "pools_count": 2,
  "title": "Sonic GeneX: Doomsday (Arc 4)",
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