Sonic Apocalypse

Chapter 53 - Ambushed

The chatter emanating from the Alliance continued to be the only sounds that filled the barren atmosphere of the war torn city. Silver had just recently had a premonition that was quickly erased from his mind by some inconceivable force, a premonition he couldn't quite explain mostly thanks to the said force that was interfering with the process. Perhaps something, or someone, was manipulating his psychic mind, hindering his abilities to detect the incoming threat which had eventually lead them to be removed from his conscience entirely. It was an odd event to say the least, but the fact of the matter is that something particularly deadly was heading straight for them, with the enemy in question possessing powers capable of manipulating someone as strong as Silver.

With the Alliance wrapping up their plans on how they're going to strike back against the Empire, and completely unware of the aforementioned threat, Sonic gave a round of applause, commemorating his comrades and the advice they had gifted him with.

"So that's the plan then?" inquired Knuckles.

"Sure is!" replied Sonic with an approving smile. "I want to thank each and every one of you guys for all your help. We couldn't have done this without you!"

They all cheered and returned the favor, filling the room with the biggest amount of joy anyone who weren't named Dr. Eggman had in several months.

"Well...what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!" Sonic had insisted on getting the job done as soon as possible, the war had gone on for nearly a full year after all. It was time for it to end already.

"I'll fire up the shuttles nearby!" said Tails as him and the group of teammates he was appointed with headed toward the flight of Imperial shuttles that were oh so conveniently located.

The once quiet air was quickly filled the sounds of roaring engines and people trying to talk over them so their voices could be heard. But soon afterwards, an even louder sound went off right in the same area where the Alliance were prepping themselves. It was a massive explosion caused by none other than Metal Sonic, who appeared to have gotten a makeover. He now sported a dark black hull that reflected the sunlight, along with glowing red stripes forming across both sides of his head, striking through the both of his eyes. They also covered his body, quills and hands which had given a never before seen apperance that made him more intimidating than ever before. The Alliance were confused at first glance but the horrible reality had soon become very clear to them; Metal Sonic had now possessed new abilities courtesy of the Phantom Ruby. That explosion was caused by the red cubic projectiles that Infinite had used against them numerous times.

Jaws had plummeted to the floor as their eyes grew with more fear the longer their gaze stuck to the newly upgraded machine. But there was no time to waste on being scared, Sonic and the others had a job to do, and they weren't going to let Metal Sonic get in his way, even taking his newfound powers into account.

Sonic, once intimidated, decided to poke fun at Metal Sonic's new appearance. Whether or not it'd end up being a regrettable decision would be decided soon enough.

"Nice makeup. Are you using it so that you won't look like a trash can anymore or what?"

"You never take anything seriously do you?" retorted the agitated robot. "No, this "makeup" is not some gloss to make myself look pretty, it is simply a result of my fusion with the...Phantom Ruby."

It was certain now. Metal Sonic had become stronger than anyone could ever anticipate. A huge wave of concern washed over the Alliance. Several questions were on their mind, all of which had lead to the uncertainty regarding just how powerful Metal Sonic had become. Is his power equal to that of Infinite's? Is he even stronger? Weaker? Is he aware of all the abilities the gemstone posseses? Does he know how to use them? Either way, they all had a big problem on their hands and it was gonna take a whole lot of effort in order to cleanse themselves of it. So they easefully tossed away all of the unanswered questions that plagued their minds, fuelled their intimidation and channelled their focus on the battle at hand. It was time to put all of that prior strategizing to good use.