Final Waltz by Suprhot, 2WEI.
Kids by MGMT.
Home by Good Neighbours.
~~~

The World Robotisizer buzzed. Electric green vines twisted around the holographic globe and brought the lights to flickering hums. The tremendous glass cylinder shook and Sally stumbled back, eyes glassy and mind praying.

"Sally!"

The princess turned and found her FF's stumbling through the once sealed entry doors. At a struggle, they squeezed the Master Emerald by prior to slipping in afterwards. A multitude of coloured eyes landed on the Robotisizer, growing wide and small.

"Were we too late?" Bunnie asked.

"For-?"

The humming, towering machine sparked with electric lime and Eggman brought his robust vehicle to the floor, murmuring and cursing.

"Of course you are!" He spat.

With Sonic carefully approaching the doctor's side, Sally rolled her eyes. "We almost were. We- how'd you guys get here?"

"Snively gave us a rather...on the nose hint." Shadow, stepping to the forefront of the group, explained.

"We went looking for the others then." Rouge added.

"Ugh, move!" Knuckles huffed and with Mighty and Ray's assistance, pushed the Master Emerald closer to the World Robotisizer.

"We thought you two would try something stupid, so we thought we'd come to help." Amy winked, resting against her hammer.

"What're you doing?!" Eggman snapped.

"It's too late." Sally's shoulders dropped. "Nicole's already...."

"We're still kickin' aren't we?" Sonic grinned. "Not too late ye-."

And he was slapped away by a vicious claw with another squeezing Tails and Antoine before tossing them aside. Shadow and Amy charged but with the ground abruptly shaking, they were all set off balance. The room flashed red, an eerie hissing echoed from the Castle beyond and a steel orange moustache peaked through the doors gap.

"W-what is that...?" Cream trembled.

"You're not the only ones with backup." Eggman seethed, greedily smiling.

"Sniv-?" Rouge tried, but the same wall with the doors slipped apart in half, creating a much grander entrance for the terrific machine.

The glass window at the red domes front creaked open. "Not quite!" A spherical ruby robot wagged his finger.

"We looked for 'im but he seems to be gone!" Cubot scratched his head.

"Shame. Leaving just before my victory." Eggman tapped his fingers together.

"As if!" Sonic scoffed just as a tremendous, checkered wrecking ball smacked down where he'd just been seconds before.

Amy was quick to keep him steady from behind, distracted in doing so for Eggman to ascend. Sally summoned her swords and barrelled to him with Bunnie, but a colossal shield with yellow star crushed into the metal floor before them. Rouge hurried to Knuckles for him to grab her hand, spin and throw her towards the Eggmobile- where a claw met her and smacked her aside.

"Get the Master Emerald attached!" Tails demanded, joining Mighty and Ray.

"Attached?" Sonic and Sally echoed.

"The folks we saved told us Eggman was up to something. So, we realised you'd need our help. If Nicole's really in that thing, the Master Emerald should help!" Knuckles hurriedly explained.

"So she'll be okay?!" Sally cheered.

"Hopefully. If we got here in time." Shadow reasoned, pointing to the Eggmobile lowering itself into the gigantic robots dome.

Orbot and Cubot slipped into the smaller machine and bowed behind Eggman's outstretched hands and gleeful cackle. Blue glass snapped down and the wrecking ball crunched through the floor, lifting with a roaring whoosh prior to slamming back down. Bunnie stumbled back against Antoine and Cream squeaked, stretching her large ears to flap- pushing her upwards. Omega's arms broke out in a blitz of raining bullets against the shield, but with it storming towards him, Shadow leapt and rolled with the robot away.

"You fools!" Eggman roared. "My Empire will come to be! The harder you fight the greater my victory!"

Sonic frowned and, taking Amy's hand, swerved between clashing swords, impending shields and rolling balls. An alien pain spread through his fingers and teeth and his eyes felt like they were on fire. Not now.

"Blindly follow your leaders! That's fine! See where that gets you! You are nothing against my Egg-Beater!"

"Shut up!" Sonic yelled, flipping into a sphere for Amy to whack him across the room.

Sally felt him tap against her sword, so, like a golfing club she rolled him towards Tails. The fox paused in connecting the M.E briefly, bouncing his brother between his namesakes and with a grin passed him onto Knuckles.

Eggman hungrily grinned, hands trembling over the machines yoke. "Perfect."

With a yell from the red guardian, Sonic sped through the air. The doctor calmly brought up his shield, momentarily shaking as a ferocious hit slammed against the steel. Dust scattered and poured down to the floor, revealing Sonic standing on the painted star and holding his head.

"Your futile actions amuse me." Eggman spoke almost curiously, bringing the steel plate closer as Badniks (although not a great amount) began creeping in.

"You should've realised this was over when I revealed the World Robotisizer."

Sonic spat red. "Keep talkin', I ain't done yet."

Faded green eyes. Black mist. Pointed ears. Staggered teeth and claws. Eggman chuckled- the kid had really started to lose it.

"You were finished the second I stepped foot in Mobotropolis all those years ago. Look at them."

And he did. He watched as Bunnie and Antoine went back-to-back. Snarled as Shadow, Rouge and Omega attempted in protecting Tails and the Master Emerald. Clenched his fists as Amy dropped to a knee- distancing herself from Eggpawns with her hammer and Sally and Mighty shielding Ray and Cream.

"Admit it, rodent. After all these years, we've become accustomed to each other. I know your tricks. You've reached your limit."

Sonic moved his hand from his mouth, showing a snarky smirk (but there was something...unnerving in his eyes). "Like you said, right? We'll do this dance 'till one of us kicks the bucket. But I can assure you, I'm nowhere near at my limit." He lowered into a runners stance.

"Limit?" He repeated in a scoff. "I haven't even ran yet."

Almost like a black flash and he was gone, leaving the dented shield empty. With a bang he collided with the glass, falling back with a dark misty trail. He swerved between the Egg-Beater's legs- easily dodging the descending wrecking ball.

"How's the Master Emerald doing buddy?!" He yelled.

Green sparks burst from where the Master Emerald was tied to the World Robotisizer and Tails stepped back. "Getting there! Need more time!"

"With all these Badniks I think we're running out of it." Shadow remarked.

Sonic flicked his nose. "Not a problem."

"It kind of iz!" Antoine argued.

On her way to him, Sally brought Cream to Amy prior to bumping against Sonic's side. Briefly, she observed his darker fur and pointy teeth. He'd been similar in the past but this was-

"Just who I wanted to see." He winked, scooping her up.

"Got a plan? He's not getting in your head is he?"

"Ha! As if." His eyes said other, wondrous things.

"And I was thinkin', if we re-route his World-doohickey to his Badniks- it'll short circuit that instead right?"

Sally blinked. "That...could work. If he's distracted long enough."

"Don't worry about that, dudes obsessed with me!"

"Oh Sweet Gaia...." She rolled her eyes, pecked his cheek and leapt out his arms to relay the plan to Tails.

Sonic swerved to face the wrecking ball rolling for him, thus, he jumped and ran backwards atop it. With arms crossed, he feigned a yawn and expertly rushed up it's chain.

"When're you gonna get it through your head, Eggy? I'm just too fast to be caught!"

"Maybe." Eggman admitted, tilting the machine's left arm at an angle to make the speedster slip towards him.

There, pale green eyes met dark red. "But perhaps, eventually, I can drive you to be just as insane as I am."

The red dome twisted for the glass to show Sonic's own tired face staring back at him. Fur almost as dark as Shadow's, eyes close to glowing and teeth akin to a beast. He reached but froze at staggered claws trying to tear through his gloves. Chaos.

"Hide it all you want. They'll see what you really are sooner or later."

Below, Tails and Sally yelped as the glass cylinder started to crack. Amy swung a Badnik towards Rouge, but before the bat could land a hit it weirdly froze.

"You and I both know this same repetitive cycle will go on for years. So, tell me, what will you do when they see what you've become? When you're alone and can barely stand?"

Shaking his head, Sonic took a deep breath and reopened his eyes- revealing a glorious emerald green. He cracked a smile and flicked his nose.

"The best I can."

"What-?!"

Green light washed out the red and glass shattered in the midst of an electrifying explosion. The hologram of Mobius fizzled and some of the FF's flew back from the burst. The others observed Badniks freeze, hiss and crumble in overrun parts. Lights flashed, hummed and burst and Eggman gave a desperate, strangled cry over the dust clouds.

"Sally!"

Where-?

"On it!"

And when it simmered down, Sonic was reaching out a hand. Rouge carried Sally to him and let him pull her up. The pairs hands squeezed before they looked at shrunken red and black eyes with immeasurable pride and glee. Grinning and standing oh so proud. Eggman really hated the colour blue.

"To quote-." Sonic held up a finger. "'You've been beat. You've reached your limit.'" He crouched with a smirk so...confident it set Eggman's teeth grating against each other.

"I'll leave the speeches about 'overcoming evil' and 'winning the war' to Sally. I'm pretty settled with 'nyah nyah I win'."

"No...." He could hear them whispering and excitedly gasping below.

The Princess stood behind him, against her sword with unwavering pride. His Badniks were no more. This castle...damn it...she'd take it back.

"He's still out there." He hissed to her, glasses sliding down.

"My Badniks didn't come just here. Some went to save that traitorous coward. Took GUN by surprise. Snively escaped. Towers was safe, of course, with his silly group. But he's alive. Free." Hand over half his face, he lowly chuckled.

"Did your family really lose their lives just for him to escape?"

Sally's eye twitched and swiftly, giving a yell so powerful it broke her voice, drove her sword straight through the glass and into his control deck. The arm carrying the wrecking ball dropped as sparks spilled out the layout. Sonic quickly scooped his partner up and jumped as Eggman began tapping away in a panic.

Their friends met them at the bottom, Sonic set Sally down and he turned to bring Eggman with them- but the Eggmobile was out. Awkwardly, it hissed and shakily tumbled towards the open wall. Sonic went to follow, but the Egg-Beater collapsed and Eggman, Cubot and Orbot vanished behind.

"NO-!"

And Tails was at his side, exhausted but relieved, taking his hand. "It's okay. We stopped him."

"Stopped him? How? He got away and-."

"His World Robotisizer's finished." Sally rubbed at her eyes before facing the group.

"His Badniks are done. Thanks to our joint efforts with GUN today, we finally managed to put an end to Eggmans horrible reign. He's lost a great deal today, even barely managing to get out alive. Until we catch him, we can celebrate knowing we have won today. Not only now, but for the foreseeable future we pushed Eggman and his Empire way back! Radios will freely give news and curfews in cities can seize and people can return to their villages and towns! We've undone his hold on us and we'll never let him get back to this stage again!"

"So it's over?" Knuckles' shoulders dropped in exhaustion.

Sally smiled. "Thanks to all of you. I...truthfully, didn't really think we'd get to this point for years. But you all never gave up. As long as we have hope, the one thing Eggman can't take from us, I've realised we can't be stopped. So, thank you, my Freedom Fighters for your bravery and determination to see this to it's end."

"We've always got your back, Suga'." Bunnie winked.

"I can't believe we won." Amy giggled, clapped and threw her arms around Sonic. "Oh, Sonikku we did it! Yay!"

"We did well." Shadow nodded, getting a nudge from a smirking Rouge.

"I can finally bring the Master-."

"Oh Chaos! Right! Nicole!" With the breath leaving her lungs, Sally stormed towards the demolished World Robotisizer, tugging the holo-lynx's device out.

"So, we re-wired the thing's route to take out his own stuff- but why the Master Emerald?" Mighty quietly asked.

"Hopefully to back Nicole up to save them." Knuckles replied, watching the Princess in concern.

"Sally-Girl? Everythin' okay?" Bunnie reached for her best friend.

"Miss Sally?" Cream stepped closer to Tails, nervously pulling at the hem of her dress.

"Nic?" The trembling chipmunk whispered, eyeing a black screen.

"Please be there. We...we got to you in time, right?"

-"N.I.C.O.L.E. I had it made for you."
-"What can they do?"
-"To offer assistance. When you're older you may find yourself needing some."

Tears reached the corners of her eyes and she pressed her forehead to the device, mouthing a silent plea.

"Sal'."

Green eyes met hers. Worried and sympathetic. Usually they made her feel so...ready no matter how 'in her head' she got. But now....

"Th-they aren't answering me." She hiccuped. "Were we too s-slow?"

Amy brought her hands to her mouth with small, glassy eyes. "Oh Nicole...."

"They fought valiantly." Shadow tried to console.

"They shouldn't of had to give themselves up!" Sally snapped, cheeks soaked.

"No one should! Not soldiers, agents, Tig Stripe o-or Peckers!" Her arms went wide.

"Not my parents! My home! Sonic's-."

"Sal'."

Dirty gloved hands squeezed her own and she took a breath, feeling a terrible wave of guilt and shame.

"I'm sorry. I know you were just trying to help, Shadow. And th-this is a cause for celebration. I just...I'm sick of everyone I know giving themselves up all the time."

Sonic's grip went lighter and she met his face. Right. He'd went and tried to do the same thing before too. She was loudly against it but he did anyway. With Eggman out in the world...would he do so again? Would he put himself on the frontlines and offer up his life?

Would she even be able to be there and go through it all again if he did?

"Sally." Tails redirected. "It's...we've all lost people, but we've also all found each other. The ones we've lost would be so proud of us, and happy we found a new family."

"That's right!" Amy snapped her fingers. "They'd want us to keep going, no matter what! They'd want us to have full lives."

"And not one in zeh fear." Antoine added.

Sonic chuckled. "We only live once, Sal'. We gotta make the most of it. Ups and downs and everything in between." He directed her face to N-I-C-O-L-E.

"Nic' gave themselves up so we could keep going. We gotta make it count. For them and everyone else who couldn't stand with us today."

"We wouldn't be 'ere without 'em, Suga'. This day goes to them as well." Bunnie gave her best friend a squeeze.

"Besides, maybe the Master Emerald did do something. Nicole could still be in there, they might just need repairs." Tails reasoned.

Sally wiped her eyes and chuckled in embarrassment, clutching the little device close to her chest. "I give a speech about hope and look at me."

"Sometimes you need a reminder yourself hun, that's okay." Rouge shrugged.

"I...thank you, all of you. Let's...I won't become hopeless yet. Tails is right, Nicole could still be in here. And the world still needs us. Eggman and Snively, although with very little, are still out there. Our job won't be over until they're both behind bars."

"Good, I'm itching to get out of here." Mighty stretched.

"You said it." Sonic shivered and scooped the Princess up.

Perhaps, Sally pondered, she'd be able to stand at his side next time. Mobius needed someone like him, she knew, so maybe she could be what he needed too.