[Sally's POV]
I was in my father's room, sitting down on his bed as he layed asleep in his coma. It saddened me every time I saw him like this. My father has lost so much during his life. His kingdom, his family, and now he can't even wake up. After we've seen so much loss, I can't just let him go. Doctor Quack says that the machine he and Sir Charles built might bring Dad out of his coma... but we need a Chaos Emerald to give it enough power. I know I won't be able to go look for it. I have too much to do here at home. But, thankfully I have three friends willing to do it for me.
"Don't worry about a thing, Sally. Rotor and Tails rigged up something that should make emerald-grabbing a walk in the park!" Sonic's voice tells me, making me turn to see him, Tails, and Y/n. "Or run, in my case."
"In theory, at least," Taiks said nervously. "But we won't let you down."
"We'll get that Chaos Emerald you need to get your dad out of that coma in no time!" Y/n tells me, making me smile at his optimism. "And he'll be awake and walking around just as fast!"
"Thank you," I tell the three. "This means so much to me."
"I know what it means to be missing your family... and not being able to do anything about it," Tails said, showing an image of his parents in his wristwatch as he tried to hold back tears.
And with that, the three of them left me with my father. I just hope they're able to get it in time.
[2nd POV]
You, Sonic, and Tails were walking down a hallway to the Brain Trust Lab when Sonic asked you a question.
"Hey, Y/n? Do you have any family you're worried about?" Sonic asks you. "I mean, they must be worried as heck to see that you're not there with them."
"I... I actually don't have any family," you say. "They died a while ago."
"Ah, jeez. I... I didn't mean to bring any bad memories back up if that's what happened," Sonic tells you guiltily.
"It's fine, Sonic," you tell the blue hedgehog. "You guys are my family now. That's all that matters."
Sonic smiles at this as you, him, and Tails enter the lab to see Rotor standing in front of two poles with balls on top of them, stars in the center of the red balls.
"So, you're sure these Star Posts will get us where we need to be, Rotor?" Sonic asks the wulrus.
"As sure as I can be, Sonic," Rotor tells the Blue Blur as the Star Posts activate, shining particles flowing from them.
"That works for me!" Sonic declares and turns to you and Tails. "Let's go, guys!"
"Right!" you say as Sonic and Tails step through a portal made by the Star Posts, you following right behind them.
You three enter a strange new world, filled with colorful tracks and spheres. You stare in awe as the three of you walk through the place.
"Okay, so... a bazillion Chaos Emeralds get sealed in this zone, and it's still as crazy as ever," Sonic says as he looks around.
"It's a lot more colorful than before," Tails states.
"This place is amazing!" you exclaim with a smile.
"And trippy," Sonic states. "Man, how're we gonna find any Chaos Emeralds in a place like this?"
"We should've brought Knuckles," Tails says. "He might've been able to sense--"
"Mortals..." a deep and mighty voice echoes throughout the Zone, making you, Sonic, and Tails turn to see a giant panda. "... you shall be judged by Feist."
"What the...?! What is that?!" you ask Sonic and Tails.
"I remember this dude from a long while back!" Sonic states. "Get ready to run, guys!"
"Fear not, for I judge in favor of thee," Feist tells you and your friends, making you confused.
"R-really?" you ask the giant panda.
"Yes, truly. On many occasions, I have seen you all combat my former master Ixis Naugus. And it was you, Chosen One, who sent the Chaos Emeralds into this Zone, giving me my power," Feist tells Sonic and Tails and then turns to you. "And you. You have the favor of the Master Emerald. You are rather special, considering that you are talking to a literal god."
"Is that a good thing?" you ask. "And where are the Chaos Emeralds?"
"I shaped their power and gave them new form," Feist tells you, showing seven different Chaos Emeralds. "There are now seven Chaos Emeralds. With their power, I may shape and reshape this place."
"Cool," you say. "Can we have one, please?"
"What?!"
"Mister Feist, sir... we need a Chaos Emerald," Tails tells the panda, flying up to him. "The king... er, former king is really sick, and we think we can use a Chaos Emerald to help him heal."
"Please?" you ask Feist. "We'll bring it back."
"For your efforts, I shall grant you this favor," Feist tells you, a silver Chaos Emerald appearing before you.
"Awesome! Thanks, Feist!" you tell the panda, grabbing the Chaos Emerald with two hands.
"Know this--I shall not grant another Chaos Emerald so easily," Feist tells you. "Next time, I shall challenge you as I see fit."
"Right, got it," Sonic says and dashes to the Ring Post portal. "Come on Tails! Y/n!"
"Right!" you say, taking the Chaos Emerald to the portal.
"Thanks, again!" Tails tell Feist as he, too, runs to the portal.
You three run through the portal, making it back to Mobius as you were the first to go through. Sonic and Tails followed soon after.
"You're back already?" Rotor asks you three. "Who were you talking to in th--"
"Close the portal!" Sonic orders Rotor with haste. "CLOSE THE PORTAL!"
Rotor shuts the Star Posts off, gaining a confused look on his face as he looks at Sonic before seeing you with the silver Chaos Emerald.
"You got the Emerald!" he declares.
"Yep! Now come on, guys!" you say, rushing out of the lab and to Sally's dad's room. "We got a king to save!"
Soon, you all made it back to the king's room and hooked up the Chaos Emerald to the machine that would wake him. The entire Acorn family was there to watch.
"Are you certain this will work, Doctor Quack?" the former king's wife asks the doctor.
"Lady Alicia, you're just going to have to trust me," Quack told the chipmunk.
Charles, Sonic's uncle, looks over to Tails.
"How's the focusing chamber?"
"Heating up fast, but okay," Tails stated.
You were watching the Chaos Emerald. Usually you'd be next to Sally or Sonic, but this wasn't the case. You couldn't help but stare at it. Your eyes flashed silver for a moment before Doctor Quack speaks again.
"Between my plans, Sir Charles' experience with strange mechanical/medical means, and Young Prowers genius, this should go fine," Quack says and turns to Charles. "Chuck! Pull the lever."
Crossing his fingers, the older blue hedgehog does as he's told and pullsnthe lever. The Chaos Emerald begins to glow brightly as the former king rose into the air, the same silver glow surrounding his body as you finally tore your attention from the Emerald to the chipmunk.
Everyone starred in awe and wonder before he slowly went back down to his bed. Then his eyes suddenly fluttered open.
"A... Alicia...?" he called out to his wife who smiled with glee.
"I'm here, Max," she says as she walks up to Max's bedside.
Doctor Quack pulls out his stethoscope and places it on the former king's chest, hearing his heart beat.
"Welcome back, your highness."
"How...?"
"A miracle of science and magic, sir," Quack states. "You see, with the Chaos Emerald, we--"
"No..." Max cuts the duck off. "How... stands the kingdom?"
"Knothole stands strong, Father," Elias says as he steps up with his sister.
"That's right, Daddy," Sally confirms to her father.
Max smiles at his children as his wife holds his hand with joyful tears.
"Elias...? My boy... as king?" the former king asks and turns to Sally. "And you, my Little Bean?"
"I-I'm with the Freedom HQ now," Sally states.
"Where?"
"Our old, renovated headquarters," Sally tells her father. "It's where we're fighting from now."
Sonic taps Tails on the shoulder and the young fox looks at his best friend, the blue hedgehog motioning for them to leave so the family could have their moment. He does the same thing to you.
Nodding, the three of you walk out of the room and down the hall.
"That was nice work back there, bud," Sonic tells Tails.
"Thanks, Sonic," Tails smiles. "You, too."
"And Y/n," Sonic calls to his human friend. "What was up with you in there? You were quieter than usual, and you were just starring at the Chaos Emerald."
"O-oh. I was?" you ask curiously. "I didn't realize it. My mistake."
Then a familiar voice calls out to you three.
"Hold on!"
You, Sonic, and Tails turn around to see Sally running up to you three, the Chaos Emerald in her hands.
"I'm sorry, guys! I nearly forgot," Sally says and hands Tails the Chaos Emerald. "Your uncle wanted you to bring this once we were done with it, Tails."
"Uncle Merlin?" Tails questioned. "But why?"
"I'm just returning the favor," Sally states and turns to you. "And Y/n."
"Y-yes, Sally?" you stutter a bit, making you mentally facepalm.
Out of nowhere, Sally hugs you, her head just below yours which makes you blush.
"Thanks for your help."
She then lets go of you and, with a smile, turns around and walks back to her father's room. You, however, were left with a confused face before you grew a big dopey grin.
"Alright, Romeo," Sonic grabs the back of your jacket collar, "let's go see what Merlin wants."
You only laugh stupidly to yourself as you get dragged to Freedom HQ.
Freedom HQ...
Finally at HQ, and you out of your happy trance, you, Sonic, Tails, and even Knuckles walk towards the base as Merlin stood out front.
"Uncle Merlin! Who do we need the Chaos Emerald?" Tails asks his uncle. "What favor is Sally repaying?"
"And what do you need me and the Guiding Star Gem for?" Knuckles asks.
Merlin only laughs quietly to himself.
"Patience, young ones," he says. "This old charlatan has one more trick up his sleeve. Namely, I'm going to make Tails' parents reappear."
"Mom and Dad are coming back?!" Tails asks happily.
"All we need is something to open a path to the Ring World of Argentum and something to power such an incredible journey," Merlin states.
"Hey, the Guiding Star Gem makes portals to distant lands, so..." realization finally falls on Knuckles. "Oh. I get it now."
You smiled as you walked up next to Tails.
"This is great, Tails!" you exclaim. "Looks like Sally isn't the only one getting a family reunion."
Tails smiles up at you before Merlin instructs everyone to sit down and around the Chaos emerald.
"Knuckles, guide the energies for us. Tails, reach out with your heart and you will find them. I will help keep us intact," Merlin says as he and everyone else touches the Chaos Emerald. "Sonic, Y/n... hold on to something."
You look a bit hurt since you weren't able to help, but you listen and touch the Chaos Emerald.
"Yeah, yeah. Wish I knew where my girl, Fiona was," Sonic says as he touches the gem. "She might've enjoyed this."
(This, readers, is called foreshadowing.)
The Chaos Emerald suddenly glew a bright silver color before a flash of light blinds everyone. Once the light vanishes, everyone stands up and looks around at Argentum, a ruined planet.
"Holy... this is not how I left this place!" Sonic declares.
"This is terrible..." you say.
"What happened here?" Knuckles asks, hoping for an answer.
"... oh, no..." Tails says as his eyes widen. "MOM!! DAD!!"
"Tails, wait!" Merlin calls out to his nephew and chases after him.
Sonic looks up into the air to see warships flying overhead. You followed his gaze.
"What are those?" you ask in slight fear.
"The Xorda," Knuckles answers.
"They tried to to destroy Mobius twice in the past," Sonic says.
"So, if they're here fighting..." you start.
"Then it explains why they haven't tried a third time," Knuckles finishes.
"Who are they fighting, though?" Sonic questions. "Those aren't the local Bems' ships.
"They're the Black Arms, and they're just as bad as the Xorda."
You three turn to see two adult foxes, one male and female. They wore blue and yellow clothing.
"They started fighting months ago, and it doesn't look like they'll ever stop," the male stated as Sonic smiled.
"The Prowers!"
"Hello, Sonic," the female greeted the Blue Blur. "Welcome back to what's left of the Ring World."
"Hold that thought!"
Sonic then dashed away in search for Tails and his uncle. You watch his shrink in the distance and turn to Tails' parents.
"Uh... hi," you wave at them. "I'm Y/n."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/n," Tails' mom states.
"Likewise."
Sonic immediately returns with Tails' and Merlin, setting them on the ground.
"Here we go! See what you missed, you spaz?!"
The two foxes smiled as they saw the older robed fox.
"Merlin!"
"Rosemary... it's been so long," Merlin says as he gets hugged from the back while Tails' dad shakes his hand. "I knew you'd come back for us in time."
"I helped, but a great deal of the thanks goes to your son," Merlin tells the married foxes.
Sonic smiles as he pushes his best friend toward his parents.
"Go on, you doof!"
"I'm goin', I'm goin'..." Tails said nervously as he stepped up to his parents.
"Our son..." the two said in unison as they looked down at their boy.
"Miles... you're already so big and handsome..." Rosemary tells her son as she cries with joy.
"E-everybody calls m-me... Tails," Tails smiles before he's hugged by his parents.
"Then "Tails" it is," the boy's father, Adameus, states.
"You're still our boy," Rosemary states.
Tails grows the biggest smile you've ever seen him have as he holds his family close.
"I'm never letting you go of you again!"
Sonic and Knuckles smile at each other before fist-bumping, Sonic giving the same gesture to you which you kindly return. Then the Chaos Emerald sends you all back to Mobius, a newly reunited family back together again.
Timeskip...
Later, in your room at Danny's home, you're seen sitting at a desk with a tablet lying in front of you. A stylus was in your hand before you put it down, replacing it with the tablet as you look at the person you drew.
"Maria..."
"... just who are you?"
New Megaopolis...
Shadow, with a scowl, is seen walking down a hallway before he enters a lab, Dr. Eggman and Snively there who he glares at.
"Dr. Eggman!"
"Yes, Shadow?" Eggman asks as he turns to the Ultimate Lifeform.
"You've kept Professor Gerald's diary a secret! I know you have it!" Shadow exclaims as green energy ignites around his fists. "It has the answers I need. You will give it to me. NOW!"
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Two families are now happily reunited, but trouble lurks around the corner. As Y/n begins to question who he really is after gaining more "visions", Shadow seeks the answers to who he is. Wanna know what happens next? Find out next time, on Only Human!