The ring deposits you all safely outside the base and seals up afterwards. Neo Metal Sonic doesn't chase after you, which is something of a mercy.
What's significantly less of a mercy is the sky - it's gone dark and ominously stormy, though the clouds spark not with lightning, but with that same green Chaos Energy you've been facing this entire fight. Worse still, there are now far, far too many robotic planes filling the sky - the Egg Fleet seems to go on endlessly, as far as you can see. Though perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the Neo Metal Sonic Fleet.
Sonic and friends arrive shortly, looking pretty banged up but otherwise still healthy enough to make it here, though they stare up at the sky with obvious concern.
"O...kay, this is definitely not what any of us were expecting."
"We will have to take the fight to them, it seems."
"Easier said than done, I'm afraid... I'm not sure how to pinpoint their leader's exact location to send you all with a ring..."
A jolt of green lightning flashes across the sky and Neo Metal Sonic's voice rings out.
"I expect to see you onboard my fleet in one week's time. That includes you, my loathsome copy."
It seems you don't really have much of a choice. For now, tend to your wounds and try to regroup; you've earned a break after today.
The Eggman we fought was a robot, though we didn't realize until he was extensively damaged, and then he just sort of... stopped. It's quite likely the Eggman of this world is deceased.
[It makes him wonder how aware the fake Eggman was of himself, or if he was another layer being controlled by this strange "Neo Metal Sonic". The mechanical beings in the group quite clearly possess wills and souls of their own. It makes Lucifer uncomfortable thinking about.]
I couldn't tell you if a creation of his took control of the situation or not.
[Tails frowns. He's not really sure how to feel about that. Eggman caused all of this (presumably? how long has the fake version of Eggman been parading around?) but even so...]
Well, we don't really have much of a choice. It seems like we need to prepare, and I'd rather not wait around for him to come to us.
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[It makes him wonder how aware the fake Eggman was of himself, or if he was another layer being controlled by this strange "Neo Metal Sonic". The mechanical beings in the group quite clearly possess wills and souls of their own. It makes Lucifer uncomfortable thinking about.]
I couldn't tell you if a creation of his took control of the situation or not.
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[Tails frowns. He's not really sure how to feel about that. Eggman caused all of this (presumably? how long has the fake version of Eggman been parading around?) but even so...]
Well, we don't really have much of a choice. It seems like we need to prepare, and I'd rather not wait around for him to come to us.
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I'm afraid we likely don't have much in the way of time, anymore. To prepare, or to understand what's happening.
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[He offers a tight smile.]
I'm here to help. However much I can.
[He's certainly going to need to recover a bit more first, though.]
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