After eight long, difficult weeks of fighting, you've finally done it. You've put an end to Neo Metal Sonic's dreams of conquest and with it, you've saved not only this world, but all worlds. Perhaps not everything is wrapped up as neatly as some of you would like, but you've done what you set out to do, and now you can breathe a sigh of relief.
In the hours that follow the immediate aftermath of Neo Metal Sonic's defeat, Tails sets about figuring out how to control the Egg Fleet and recall them to where Neo Metal Sonic had them stationed. Sonic heads out into the city - and then even further beyond - to ensure that the people are starting to regain their senses without anyone to suppress their free will anymore. Knuckles escorts you back to the base, then takes a ring to hop into the Void to let Shadow and Infinite know what's going on.
As for you all? You aren't expected to do any work, because you've done so much today. Take a load off and take the time to rest - you deserve it.
For those of you who can't wait to get home, you're welcome to grab a ring from one of your colorful friends and head straight back, but for those of you willing to take the night off and regroup in the morning, you'll find that said colorful friends have put together a party for you - or, well, they tried their best. The decorations are store-bought (or not) and simple, Sonic seems to have thought confetti is the best way to throw a party and there is so much of it getting showered on all of you the moment you walk into the room, and someone obtained a sheet cake that did not have any sort of message on it, so an awkwardly scrawled message of "THANKS FOR HELP" is written in bright green icing that clashes with the cake's soft pink and red color scheme. An attempt was made.
You're welcome to hang out here - both in the new base and in this world as a whole - for as long as you'd like. Permanently, even, if you don't have any intention of going home. After all, you've more than earned it. Sonic and friends will gladly help you figure out a way to get settled here.
If you do choose to stay for any length of time and head out into the city, you'll find that people are indeed starting to return to their daily lives. They don't really understand - or remember - what happened, but they do recognize you as someone they have some innate fondness for, regardless of how startling your appearance may be to them. The city itself has seen better days thanks to the spread of Eggman's chroma, but thankfully the natural elements are recovering from that just fine. The buildings, streets, and the like will not naturally recover, so it seems Chicago's going to require some pretty intensive rebuilding...
But for the time being, everything is going smoothly, and you've done everything that was asked of you. You're free to return home. If you do, your shard may eventually come loose and simply fall off, ridding you of both the shard and its powers. Or maybe it won't, and you'll have that memory of your time in this world forever, along with the power innate to you and the ones you can activate from your fellow shardbearers whenever you're near each other.
Congratulations, shardbearers. You've done the impossible, and maybe even formed some new bonds along the way.
( Welcome to the final log of Shardbond! With this, you have successfully navigated your way through the Sonic friendship game and no one died! Hooray!!! For this final log, you may do whatever you'd like - if you want to use this to do an immediate aftermath top level, go for it! Party top level? Sure? Post-game top level? Have fun! You want to bring a castmate in and NPC them or have someone else play them? Also cool! Generally speaking, you are now free to do what you will with the setting as a whole - your fuzzy little friends will be hard at work making sure that you all are able to get home and/or get settled just fine, and they'll also be keeping an eye out for one (1) Neo Metal Sonic. And also Infinite, I guess, unless someone wants to take that stray jackal with them but like, no one needs that. )
[ Void Archive needn't be concerned - though More certainly has his hang-ups with the brutality of their hatred, he's content to let that be... an issue to address in the following days, perhaps. If Void Archives is even staying in Chicago for that lone.
Right now, he's greeting them with a bright smile. The exhilaration of victory and freedom weighs higher than all else. ]
A beautiful exchange, indeed! Parting is a difficult sorrow, but I would quite like to make it a joyful one in which we can carry the gifts of our bonds with us figuratively as well as literally.
[ This is truly the ultimate enrichment for them. Simply existing among the people of a bustling city, with no other place to go or duties to fulfill. More doesn't know if he's ever been less tense. ]
I concur wholeheartedly. I am sure curiosity will lead us towards exciting ventures before long... but for now, I would like nothing more than to not have to worry about our physical well-being for a while.
[He's already heard about Viktor's plans to stay here, of course. This alternate version of Chicago does seem to be a fine place to live, now that the threat is over with. Lucifer prefers Los Angeles, but it's not such a bad city.]
Jayce and I have the expertise to help this place rebuild, together. Do something actually worthwhile rather than cause a hundred more well-intentioned mistakes. I...think it will be nice, to have a chance to start over.
[He's done little enough of that, with so many other engineers around!]
I think we're going to come back and visit fairly often...but I would like to stay long enough to make sure he settles in well, at least. As well as can be expected.
[ Maybe it is, it'll explain why it is a constant on a night basis of sorts - Void Archives has definitely gotten into the habit themselves, and there's something about staring up at the night sky, even if to gaze into the abyss above or watch below. Or even just to find something to read to occupy oneself and enjoy the air up on high. ]
Is that so? I imagine that it was your only way to witness other people for awhile, wasn't it?
[ They put one hand underneath their chin, keeping this pertinent point in mind - Turo had only one point of contact, the Professor. Much the same as they interacted with one singular mind at a time for such long stretches of time. ]
...though, it does remind me that I normally only saw people in real time only through the lenses of others. Or rather, the mind I was inhabiting - or entrapped in - at the time. I can't quite say it was always from above - though, there is something to it, isn't it? Whether watching the stars or other people - perhaps even moreso, now that we are free to do more than just observe others, hm?
I should spend at least a few more days here, anyway. I want to make sure Neo doesn't have any unexpected reactions to the patch I made. He shouldn't, but - I can't imagine him telling Tails if he did.
[There's obviously baggage there with the Sonic crew. Turo can sort of understand; it's not the same situation, but if they'd traveled to some alternate universe where the Professor was a good guy, he would probably still not be willing to trust him.]
Ah, I was just checking if you were still here. You didn't say when exactly you were leaving and I was worried you were going to just leave without saying anything like Shadow and Mr Wolfwood.
[What a nice place... After how busy Chicago has been, this is a welcome sort of quiet.
He actually elects to sit down on the beach and watch the waves for a bit, when it suddenly occurs to him that he hasn't seen the ocean since he was a child. Maybe Vakama will happen to come by while he's here?
Otherwise, after a bit he gets back up, and heads up that Matoran staircase to see if Vakama is by the machine.]
[Fukuda is BUZZING with excitement to see this!!! As passive and low energy as he frequently is, he's running to meet them when he spots Viktor with Jayce in tow.]
Mr Viktor, congratulations!!!
[If Jayce is here, surely their conversation went well. He then turns to Jayce;]
[ More inclines his head towards Turo, somewhere in the room with them. Is he going to name him? Absolutely not. "Turo" is not his name and "robot copy of Turo" is impersonal, so he's just... resolved to not use any names. Ever. ]
I haven't decided what exactly I'm going to do specifically. I'm going to stay here and help the rest of Team Sonic, but beyond that... For so long I guess I was just Surviving rather than properly living, you know?
[But enough about that.]
You're going back to the pokemon world I assume, Mr Turo?
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