Everyone was getting ready to fight off the Egg Fleet, but then Mammoth Mogul stepped forward.
"Hear me, O base and unbearable curs!" Mogul calls out to the Mobians just as blue planes appear beneath him and the other convicts. "You are assailed within and without! Relent to my command, and you may survive!"
"Shiny!" Bean says as he looks beneath his feet.
"Um... didn't you get sent into those Egg Grapes before everyone else?" Y/n asks the magical mammoth.
The mammoth tries to respond, but can't before a blue light starts to cover his body.
"I built this city with a contingency for you, too, Mogul," Nicole says, her form slowly disappearing.
Then Mogul and all the criminals and villains vanish, presumably now in a new prison where they couldn't escape.
"You teleported Mogul in mid-rant! And you, Y/n, made him at a lost for words!" Sonic tells the the Holo-Lynx and human. "You two rock!"
Y/n chuckles a bit as he rubs the back of his head while Nicole and Sally high-five.
"You thought of everything!" Sally tells her.
"I am the most advanced AI there is," Nicole states.
Suddenly, lasers hit the barrier above as Nicole starts to nearly completely vanish.
"Nicole!" Y/n and Sally call out to the AI in fear.
"Do not worry, Sally, Y/n. I am fine. Really," Nicole assures the two. "I just have to reroute the power that would support my form to the shields. Dr. Eggman isn't holding back with his barrage."
"Oh, Nicole... It's not fair!" Sally tells the AI. "You've given us so much, and you can't even keep your body for long."
"Only until I can spare the energy," Nicole says, almost gone. "I will always be around. I'll always be near."
And with that, NICOLE completely deforms, leaving Sally with some tears in her eyes. But her face didn't hold sadness. It held anger and determination instead.
"What now, Sal?" Sonic asks. "I've filled my plan-making quota for the year."
"I trust Nicole to keep us safe for a good while," the princess says. "We're all too rattled from the invasion to do much right now."
"If we could do much of anything right now, anyway," Elias corrects. "Nicole took the time to craft us a city for us. Everyone should go out and find their new homes."
Elias wraps his arms around his wife and daughter, smiling at them both.
"Try to relax. Keep your loved one close to you," he continues. "And be thankful we have them again."
Then Elias turns to Sonic and Y/n.
"And finally, you two will get some medical attention before you do anything."
"But--" Sonic gets cutoff.
"That's a double-order, mister," Sally says. "You don't see Y/n complaining, do you?"
"Complaining only makes the pain worse..." Y/n states quietly.
"Jeez. Double-teamed," Sonic groans. "They're more relentless than Eggman's barrage..."
Sonic and Y/n then began making their way to... wherever the medical station was as the Blue Blur continued to complained.
"Just because I got roughed up a bit doesn't mean I need any special treatment..."
"Heh. Since when didn't you enjoy getting special treatment?" a familiar voice asks the hedgehog, making Sonic and Y/n turn to see...
"Rotor?!"
"Dude, are you--?!"
"Dr. Quack says I'll be up and around after some therapy," the walrus assures the two. "That's what I get for catching a few hundred pounds of rock with my back."
"I'm so sorry, Rotor," Sonic apologizes. "I should have been fast enough."
"No worries, Blue," Rotor smiles. "I got to play the action hero for once, y'know? But... It's Charmy I'm concerned about."
Rotor points to where Charmy was, who was with Espio, Saffron, and Dr. Quack.
"Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"
"Sure! Erm... one-two-buckle my shoe! Heehee!"
Sonic goes over to check up on the bee by talking to Quack while Y/n stayed back with Rotor.
"Hey, Y/n?" Rotor calls to the human.
"Yeah, Rotor?" Y/n asks.
"What happened to your Chaos Gem?" Rotor asks Y/n.
"I gave it to Knuckles," Y/n answers. "There was... something that I couldn't control, and I can't risk having it with me anymore."
"Really?" Rotor asks. "If you want, when all of this is over and I'm all better, I can take a look into it if you want."
"You'd do that?" Rotor nods, making Y/n smile. "Thanks, Rotor."
"It's no problem, Y/n."
Two men then walked up to Rotor and picked the mat he was on, picking him up as well and walking off with him.
"I'll see ya around, pal!"
"See ya, Rotor!" Y/n waves the wulrus off. "Feel better soon!"
Y/n watches Rotor get taken away, probably to a more comfortable place to rest, with a smile on his face and crosses his arms. Then he looks up at the sound of lasers striking against his new home's shields, irking the human as he growls.
"That's getting annoying real fast," he says, a few green sparks crackling around him before they fade.
He then turns and walks away to find Dr. Quack for a quick check up on himself. However, as our heroes take this temporary moment to relax, old but familiar foes prepare for a dark goal.
Angel Island...
On Angel Island, a white echidna is seen in front of the Master Emerald with Locke nowhere in sight. Below was Scourge and Anarchy, the former looking rather bored, who were kept as watch. However...
"Yo, Finitevus!" Scourge calls out to the white echidna. "We might have a problem!"
"Explain," Finitevus orders.
"Mister-Bobble-Head-Without-A-Body himself, Dimitri, or whatever his name was, is gone," Anarchy answers, terribly bored. "He's probably gonna tattle on us."
"Excellent. I was hoping he would take the initiative and flee from us," Finitevus states. "I assure you two that everything is going according to plan."
"Oh, yeah? Alright, then," Scourge says. "You're the spooky-creepy mastermind."
Finitevus only smirks as he turns back to face the Master Emerald, grabbing it with his hand which starts to cover the massive gem in black energy.
"Go to them, Dimitri. Tell them everything if you so desire," Finitevus says. "You cannot stop the return of Enerjak."
The echidna starts to laugh maniacally as the dark-colored energy coming from him starts to cover the Master Emerald more and more. Below, Anarchy could only roll his eyes. Why couldn't he be the one to destroy everything?
New Mobotropolis...
On a large tree branch in New Mobotropolis, Sally and Y/n are seen sitting next to each other as Bunnie and Antoine sit nearby.
"This place is... something else," Y/n says as he looks down at the city below. 'I wish Danny could be here to see this...'
"It looks almost exactly like I remember," Sally states. "It's everything I've been fighting for since I was little."
"Ah wouldn't know 'bout the city, Sally-Girl, but it sho' is a sight to behold now," Bunnie, who has never been to Old Mobotropolis before, says in wonder.
"Eet would being even nicer if Eggman would stop blastering ze shield," Antoine, terrified at how high he was, says shakily.
"We've all come so far, fighting out of a forest valley against impossible odds... thinking we were orphans..." Sally trails off.
"Heh. I didn't even know what I was getting into when I came here," Y/n says with a laugh, making Sally giggle a bit.
"Ah was just a li'l ol' farm girl for the longest while," Bunnie says.
"Oui. And I-I w-was ze crowding craven," Antoine says, trying not to look down.
Bunnie only giggles as she stretches her cybernetic arm towards her husband.
"Craven Coward", Sugar-Twan," the cyborg rabbit states. "And Ah've always known you to be brave deep-down."
She wraps the arm around Antoine and pulls him towards her, making the Mobian smile as he wraps his own arm around his wife.
"Et tu positif?" Antoine asks in French.
"Sho' Ah'm sho'," Bunnue smiles. "Y'think Ah'd have married you otherwise?"
The two hug each other, making Y/n smile at the sweet scene.
"And Sally would'na let you in on all those missions if'n she didn't think so either, right?"
"That's right, Bunnie," Sally assures. "I took it all into consideration when I led us into Eggman's city. When I led us..."
Sally looks up at the sky, seeing the lasers hitting the shield above and getting her friends' attention.
"Back when I wasn't the acting monarch... or the heir-apparent, or had to get married, or had all the formalities to deal with..."
"Sally?" Bunnie calls to her friend. "Is the cannon-fire getting to ya?"
"You okay?" Y/n asks, placing a hand on Sally's shoulder.
Sally looks over at Y/n for a few moments before gaining a smile and standing to her feet, nearly making Y/n fall off the branch.
"Bunnie! Do you remember what you wanted to be when you first joined the Freedom Fighters?" the princess asked the country-girl.
"Ha! I sho' do!" Bunnie says. "I wanted nuthin' more than to be yo' royal hair-dresser!"
"I hope you haven't completely written off that aspiration," Sally says and grows a smirk, "because I have a favor to ask."
Meanwhile...
On Snively's flagship, the midget himself is seen talking with his uncle over the comms.
"This is taking too long, you miserable little runt!" Eggman says. "I'd do it myself if I wasn't readying my new battle suit! I've given you the entire Egg Fleetn Snively!"
"I'm working on it, Uncle," Snively tells Eggman.
"THEN WHY AREN'T THEIR SHIELDS DOWN YET?!"
Snively goes to give a snarky response to his uncle before bullets hit the windows in front of him, making the man jump in surprise.
"We're under attack?!"
"No damage, sir," a red Badnik tells Snively. "Targeting lone enemy craft... Target acquired!"
Before the Badnik could do anything else, Snively's eyes widen in shock.
"Hold your fire!" he says with urgency, looking at the one who opened fire. Then he goes to a small communicator and speaks into it. "Hope?!"
"That's right, half-brother, you jerk!"
Outside, a small blue plan is seen flying around as a young blonde piloted it.
"We only got to know each other for a few weeks, but you were family! I trusted you!" Hope fires more bullets at the passing ships. "I took your advice and went to the United Federation to see if it was right for me! But then I came home to Knothole... and it was gone! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Tears begin to roll down the girl's cheeks as Snively only listens to his half-sister's words.
"I can't bear to show my face to the Mobians now. I trusted you over them! They took me in, and I left on your advice!" Hope yells at her brother. "So I'm going back to the human and Outlander cities! I'm going to become the best engineer ever! And then I'm gonna help kick both Eggman and your butts! Then maybe then our family name will he worth something!"
Snively watches his half-sister fly around, his eyes never leaving the plane as he had no words.
"Nominal damage to the hill, sir," the Badnik says. "We still have an all-weapons lock on the target! Command to fire, sir?"
Snively said nothing as he looked at Hope, tears in his eyes as he did his best to hold a stoic pose and expression.
New Mobotropolis...
Back inside the reformed Nanite City, Tails and his family is seen watching the shield above tank every hit from the Egg Fleet.
"Incessant bombardedment aside, thus may turn out to be a blessing in disguise," Adameus says to his family.
"Dad?" Tails questions.
"Our people needed a shake-up of this magnitude to get them ready for the shift in thinking," Adameus tells his son.
"Be careful, Adameus," Merlin warns his brother. "The monarchy might be wound tight enough to snap at any would-be reformer."
"Don't worry, Merlin," Rosemary tells her brother-in-law. "My husband won't steer us wrong."
"Thank you, Rosemary," Adameus tells his wife.
"I believe in you, too, Dad," Tails tells his father. "I'm on your side, no matter what!"
"Another reason for my concern..." Merlin says to himself.
Suddenly, everyone's attention is brought back towards the shield as something heavy and powerful slams itself against it. All of their eyes widen as they see Eggman, in his Egg Destroyer, slamming his mech's ball-like hands into the shield.
"COME OUT AND FACE ME!!!" he orders, still hitting the shield over and over again. "You stole that city! From me! It's mine! And I want a rematch, Y/n! STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR STUPID SHIELD AND FIGHT ME!"
Eggman then aims his laser cannons at the shield and opens fire, only to do nothing.
"I conquered and destroyed your first city! I toyed with you as you built your little forest getaway, then burned it to the ground! I've terrorized the lot of you for all of your pitiful lives!" the mech steps back as multiple missiles fire at the shield, but barely put a scratch on it. "You cannot rob me of my final victory! I WON'T ALLOW IT! Now get out of there so I can conquer you again!"
"Hey, Eggman!"
Looking down, Eggman sees Sonic and Y/n, who was still shirtless with ripped jeans, walking out of a small opening in New Mobotropolis' shield. They look up at him with smirks.
"You enjoying your little tantrum?" Sonic asks.
"Or do you plan on shooting at anything else today?" Y/n asks as well.
"Ohhoho! I knew you two wouldn't dissapoint!" Eggman says with a laugh. "But your Chaos Energy readings are lower than our last encounter, Y/n. And you didn't last very long in our fight either, Sonic. You're fools to face me alone!"
Sonic rolls his eyes as Y/n crosses his arms.
"My Egg Beater was meant to outclass the both of you, and this one is even mightier! Neither of you can overcome me now!" Eggman declares, pounding a fist against his mech's chest.
"Yeah, we figured as much," Y/n and Sonic say in unison.
Y/n then clones himself as the rest of the Freedom Fighters soon make an appearance, shocking Eggman.
"But how can you handle this?!"
"Freedom Fighters! Chaotix!" Sally comes out with a new, shorter haircut. "ATTACK!"
Everyone charges forward as Sonic laughs.
"I like this plan!"
All together, Knuckles and Vector are teleported up to Eggman's mech's right arm by some of Y/n's clones, the clones joining them. Then Mighty, with two more of Y/n's clones, leap up all around the Egg Destroyer and land powerful punches to its armor, tearing it apart as Knuckles, Vector, and the clones of Y/n start tearing apart the right arm.
"You should'na riled us, Dr. Eggman," Bunnie tells the mad genius as she turns her arm into a laser cannon. "On the other hand... Ah've been savin' this for a special occasion!"
She fires a laser blast at the Egg Destroyer while some Y/n clones unleash attacks of their own, fueled with Chaos Energy. The attacks land and tear apart the mech even more as Eggman cries out in terror.
"NO!!!"
"Heavy hitters are done, Sal-Gal!" Bunnie tells Sally.
"Second line! Move in!" Sally commands the "second line".
Then, along with more clones of Y/n, Julie-Su, Antoine, and Espio run in and start attacking as well. Eggman tries to fend them off, but every attack he sent was countered by Y/n's Chaos Clones.
"For all your smarts, Doc, you totally miscalculated us," Sonic says as he walks up to the slowly crumbling Egg Destroyer. "Did you really think we'd just roll over and give up?"
Tails, with Ray, flies up to the now exposed Eggman and tug at his mustache and goggles.
"Did you think I was the only hero on Mobius? I can handle just about anything you dish out," Sonic continues. "But on the rare occasion I can't, my friends always can!"
Amy and Y/n's clones rush at the nearly torn down Egg Destroyer, slamming Chaos Energy-infused attacks into the mech which sends it toppling over on its back. Eggman begins to crawl out of the torn open hole in his pilot chambers as Sonic walks up to him.
"Face it, Eggman," Sonic smirks. "You don't have a leg to stand on."
"AUGH! SHUT UP!" Eggman barks at the Blue Blur.
Y/n walks up next to Sonic who has his arms crossed over his bare chest.
"You said this was all a game to you," Y/n says to the evil scientist. "Well, we've chosen to press "Continue"."
"Game on, Robuttnik," Sonic says with a smirk as Sally walks up next to the hedgehog and human.
"You're trespassing on royal grounds," the princess tells Eggman. "As princess, I order you to retreat back to New Megaopolis."
"You won't get away with this!" Eggmaj declares. "Egg Fleet! FIRE!"
Everyone looks up into the sky to see missiles rocketing towards them, only for a nanite shield to be made around them and tanking the blast. Then Nicole manifests herself outside of the shield, making Eggman and everyone else turn to her.
"My friends are showing you more mercy than you deserve, Doctor," the AI tells Eggman. "I highly recommend you retreat."
Eggman growls as a flying Badnik swoops down to him and he gets on top of it, flying away as he says one last thing.
"You'll regret this, miserable vermin!" Eggman tells the Freedom Fighters. "I was just toying with you before! Now it's war! I will annihilate you all!"
Y/n laughs a bit as he unfolds his arms from his chest, looking at Sally and Sonic.
"If all that was "toying" with us, I hate to see his "war"," the human says.
"You gotta give him credit, though," Sonic smirks. "He knows how to make an exit."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know when to make it," Sally jokes.
"New 'do for the occasion?" Sonic asks, looking at Sally's new hair.
"A little something symbolic," Sally informs, floofing up her hair a bit. "Just to show I've got my heart and mind back on the right track."
"Wow. I've never known you to be so girly," Sonic says playfully.
"Well, I think it looks nice," Y/n says with a smile. "It looks good on you, Sal."
"D'oooh..." Sally blushes as she pushes some hair behind her ear.
"Of course you would, pal," Sonic snickers. "So... about that kiss I saw earlier...?"
Sally and Y/n blush as they look at each other, only for Y/n to turn to Sonic with an angry look on his red face.
"SONIC!"
Sonic laughs as he dashes away, Y/n hot on his tail which makes everyone who watched laugh. Sally was among them as she watched the two speedster run around in a chase, a smile on her face. But she couldn't help but wonder... What do Y/n's lips taste like?
_________________________________________
Our heroes live to see another day as they begin their new lives in New Mobotropolis. But a bright future is far from the horizon. A new foe appears outside, as one starts to be made on the inside! Will our heroes save the day? And what of Sally and Y/n's blooming relationship? Find out, next time on Only Human!