//------------------------------// // A Spot of Hope. // Story: Sonic and EQG Forces // by SonicAKG //------------------------------// The doors to the Resistance base opened as each of the members entered with defeated expressions on their faces, feeling sorry for themselves. Their one chance to take the city and possibly end the war had been a total disaster and a large amount of their army had been severely weakened. Things had taken a turn for the worst. Inside, Sonic and Shadow turned around to see the others enter in. "Oh, there you guys are." Sonic said. "Where've you all been?" Sonic's question wasn't answered right away as the Resistance members were focused on who was with him. They were shocked to see Shadow, who was supposed to be an enemy right now. "Shadow?!" Tails said with slight surprise. Before Shadow could say anything, Pinkie Pie quickly came to close and gripped his arms tightly. "All right, buster! You've got a lot of explaining to do!" She yelled as she put her faces inches from his. " Where have you been for the past months?! Why are you being a bad guy again?! What time is Gummy's favorite t.v show?!" Shadow placed his hands on Pinkie's arm and pried her away from him. "I was going to answer those questions. Except for that last one." Shadow calmly said. He then folded his arms and turned to face the rest of the Resistance, who were looking at him with uncertainty. "The me who's been working with Eggman's army was a fake. It was a virtual reality construction created by Infinite." Shadow explained. "I was trapped within it in a virtual reality illusion this whole time." "So that's what his power is." Sunset chimed in as she remembered her recent encounter with Infinite. It made perfect sense to her. That's why all of her previous enemies appeared. "That explains why we've been seeing the likes of Chaos and Zavok among Eggman's army." Amy deduced. "And it also answers the question of why all those monsters just showed up in the city to take out our forces." Twilight added. Hearing this made Sonic frown and he made the timeout signal with his hands. "Wow, back up a bit." Sonic stated. "Forces? City? What happened while I was gone?" Sonic's question made the members of the Resistance form looks of sorrow as they each looked away, ashamed of their defeat. "We launched an attack on Eggman's base in Metropolis while he was undermanned." Knuckles began in a tone full of remorse. "It was going fine until Infinite activated that Phantom Ruby of his and took out our entire operation." "What?!" Sonic exclaimed in an offended tone. "You guys launched a full-scale attack on Eggman and left me out of it?!" "That's not the point, Sonic. The point is with that Phantom Ruby, we got nearly destroyed out there." Rainbow Dash informed him with bitterness. "And this has dealt a heavy blow to our Resistance. We were lucky to regroup with what we had." Espio stated. Sonic rubbed his head, a little embarrassed by his reaction. They were completely right. "Even if they're just virtual reality projections, whatever the Phantom Ruby makes feel just as real as their counterparts. Like with that fake Shadow. That puts us at a real disadvantage." Silver pointed out. "What can we do? If Infinite can make awful monsters appear out of thin air whenever he wants, how are we supposed to handle something like that?" Fluttershy wondered. The Resistance was left stumped by her question. Suddenly, there was the sound of an incoming transmission coming from the Resistances computer, making everyone turn towards it. "Please let it be good news." Manic expressed in a wistful tone. "After what happened, we could really use something positive." Amy walked forward and clicked a key to receive it. A holographic screen that showed Rouge was then projected for everyone to see. "Listen up. I have major-" Rouge started before she noticed that Shadow was among the people she was talking to. This made her form a look of disbelief on her face as she leaned forward. "Shadow?! Is that really you?!" Rouge questioned. "What happened to you?! You didn't get brainwashed again, did you?! I thought we were done with that." "I'll explain later, Rouge." Shadow quickly answered. "Now, you said you had some major information?" "Oh, right." Rouge replied. "I was doing some digging and found out that Eggman's database is located in one of his Chemical Plants. Checking out seems worthwhile. Who knows what kind of information is stored there?" "Well, I guess every cloud does have a silver lining." Vector said in a pleased tone as he crossed his arms. "It's refreshing to hear some good news. If we can find out what's in that database, maybe it can tell us about everything we need to know about that Phantom Ruby." Twilight realized. "Exactly. I'm heading there right now and I could use some backup." Rouge stated. "I got this one." Tails volunteered. "Rarity, feel like giving me a hand?" "Me? Head to someplace called the Chemical Plant?" Rarity said with distaste. " With all those chemicals there, who knows what it could do my hair?" Rarity then found herself on the receiving end of many unimpressed looks. "Oh, excuse us, Rarity. We forget the most important thing in this whole war. It would be a complete disaster if yer hair was messed up." AppleJack said in a sarcastic tone, which made Rarity frown. She then cleared her throat. "*Ahem*. What I meant was, I'd love to accompany you, Tails." Rarity stated as she stood with confidence. "Now then, we shouldn't dilly dally. Onward to that...Chemical Plant." "That ok with you, Knux?" AppleJack asked as she turned around to see Knuckles, who was still looking pretty down with his eyes glued to the floor. "Hey, earth to Knuckles!" Charmy said loudly, which briefly snapped Knuckles out of it. "Huh? Oh yeah, sounds good." He said half-heartedly. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by AppleJack, who raised a concerned eyebrow. With the order given, Tails and Rarity exited the base of the Resistance as they headed towards the Chemical Plant. Up north, Tails and Rarity found themselves on the outskirts of a large gray factory with a giant mechanical crane at the top along with gray and yellow platforms. Smog was coming from giant yellow towers and giant tubes housing blue goop of some sort covered the era. Seeing the toxic gel made Rarity shudder. "I really hope I don't have to go anywhere near....whatever that is." She expressed with disdain "You'll be fine." Tails told her. "Sonic and I have been here before and that stuff usually stays in those containers. The only thing you'd have to worry about is the Mega Mack." "Mega Mack?!" Rarity nearly shouted before she let out a defeated sigh. "It better not leave a stain." "Over here!" Tails and Rarity heard a familiar voice shout from their left. They turned to see Rouge waving over to the two of them and quickly walked up to meet her. "Nice to see you made it, Tails." Rouge greeted the young hero. She then turned to Rarity. "And?" "Rarity, at your service." Rarity courtly greeted. "Well, now that we have our little team, let's find that database." Rogue declared as she began to walk forward. "Wait. The Chemical Plant is huge and there's a lot of ground to cover." Tails brought up. "We could be at this for a long time." Rouge let out a small laugh. "Tails, don't you remember who you're talking to? I know a shortcut that should take us to the database. Just follow me." Rouge led the two of them near a backdoor entrance. It was a large gate with two smaller containers with goop besides it. Guarding it was a small squadron of Egg Pawns. "We don't want to draw too much attention. I'll get us in." Tails said to his teammates. He pulled out a small mouse-shaped bomb with a wind up on it's back. He wound up the knob for a bit before he sent the bomb moving on the ground towards the Egg Pawns. When the bomb got near the squadron of robots, it got their attention as they looked down with curiosity. The mouse bomb then stopped moving but still kept making a wind-up noise. The Egg Pawns didn't know what to do as they each turned to each other with confused expressions. *BOOM!* A large explosion emitted from Tails's bomb, completely wrecking the Egg Pawns as robot parts were sent flying everywhere. With the coast clear, Tails, Rogue and Rarity walked out and approached the entrance. As they did, Rarity looked up and slightly frowned. "We can't even see what we're going into. Are you sure this is the right way?" She asked. "Like I told Tails, follow my lead. I know what I'm doing, sweetheart." Rouge casually said. "They don't call me the world's best spy for nothing." Rarity was still feeling a little hesitant but when she saw Tails and Rouge go inside the building, she decided to move forward. She then made her way into the darkness of the entrance. Inside, it was totally pitch-black and Rarity couldn't see a thing. This made her uncomfortable as she was worried about stepping into that ooze by mistake. "Rouge, we can't see anything. How will we know when we've arrived at our destination?" Tails quizzically said. "Don't worry about it. You'll know." Rouge simply answered. The 3 of them moved through the blackness for quite a bit. Rarity was still on the edge due to a fear of stepping into something unpleasant. As she moved to take another step, she suddenly felt that there was no ground for her to place her foot on. "What the-Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Rarity shrieked as she instantly began to fall down. The problem was, she couldn't see where which made her even more worried. Rarity heard another scream coming ahead of her and due to the sound, she figured it was Tails. "Tails! Tails!" She cried out. "Rarity! Where are you?!" She heard him yell back. "I don't know! I can't see!" Rarity answered. "Where's Rouge?!" Suddenly, a cyan light appeared, letting Tails and Rarity see that they were falling down a large tube. The light was due to the cyan rings surrounding it. Tails saw that Rouge was falling in front of him while Rarity was behind him. Now being able to see, Rarity used her ability to fly to control her landing. "Rouge, did you know about this part?!" Tails demanded as he and Rouge began to skydive. "Maybe. Maybe not." She cryptically answered. This answer made Rarity frown once more. "What made you take this path out of all the others?!" Rarity inquired, which Rouge heard from behind her. "Like I said, it's the quickest way. And besides, who likes things being too easy?" Rouge replied As the team began to fall, large blue orbs began to come out of the walls. Much to Rarity's horror, it looked exactly like that blue goop from before. "Careful, this stuff is toxic." Tails warned as he and Rouge strategically maneuvered around the orbs to avoid touching them. "No, no, no. Not happening." Rarity said with panic. She covered her entire body in a diamond-shaped dome, protecting her from the incoming orbs as they splattered against her shield. After falling for a bit more and avoiding contact with the blue orbs, Tails, Rouge and Rarity saw a platform at the end. The orbs stopped coming and Rarity undid her shield. The three of then safely landed on the tube's bottom. The team was now inside a closed off industrial center that was entirely mechanical. The background was covered with giant pumps, chemical containers, pillars, structures shaped liked buildings, chemical tube systems, rotating cylinders filled with blue goop and rails carrying cargo. It was also covered in thin red haze. Yellow pipelines with blue chemicals were interwoven and served as roads. Black and yellow hazard stripes marked many structures. The roads were plated with yellow colored metal and moved between various structures and along pipes. Thin yellow pipes with red chemicals ran in the background. Underneath, the bottom section was flooded with pink liquid. "Well, wasn't that fun?" Rouge questioned with a teasing smile as she turned back to Tails and Rarity. The latter didn't look too amused while the former simply shrugged. "Fun isn't the right word." Rarity said with a slightly annoyed tone. "Now that we're in. Finding the database shouldn't be too hard. Let's go." Tails stated. The 3 of them made their way across the long road and headed downwards on it. As they moved down, they found that the road was now taking them upward. The trio followed the path and now began to travel on a large multi-leveled platform. They easily moved past this and after they did, they found a dead-end. A large silver wall was right in front of them. However, behind them, a series of moving cubes were rotating from side to side. "We can use these cubes as a staircase." Tails explained. "We just need to wait for the right timing." "No need. I can move across on my own." Rarity said. She then floated up towards the higher platform. Back on the ground, Tails and Rouge waited for the cubes to come towards them. When they did, they formed a staircase like Tails said. "Be careful, they move even when we're on them." Tails cautioned to Rouge. "Please, this is just child's play." Rouge dismissed. Rouge jumped and moved along the shifting staircase quickly, with Tails not too far behind. The two of them were now caught up with Rarity. In front of them, was another set of shifting cubes leading to a higher platform. Rarity flew up towards while Tails and Rouge used the cubes once more. This time, they found another dead end but no other possible routes. "There's nowhere to go." Rarity realized. "Now what do we do?" "Actually, Rarity, there is a path." Tails responded. Tails moved towards a closed tubed in front of him. Using his arm cannon, he then opened it up using a shot. "We just have to move through this tube and it'll take us through the plant." He elaborated. Tails jumped in the tube and was sent moving forward at high speed while Rouge and Rarity watched. The two of them approached the tube and looked down. "After you." Rouge offered to Rarity. "Oh, I don't do well in tight spaces." Rarity said with discomfort. Rouge just formed a neutral expression and headed down the tube. After she did, Rarity looked down at it once more. It just looked so tight and uncomfortable. Definitely not the a relaxing feeling. She then let out a sigh and went in. Rarity found herself moving through the tube at an insane speed as she felt the strong wind moving across her face. She felt a few turns and twist, which made her began to feel dizzy. The whole experience was crazy and she'd never felt anything like it. Shortly afterward, she was shot out of the tube and landed on the ground. Dazed. Rarity wobbled and shook her head. She then saw Tails and Rouge in front of her. "So, how was it?" Rouge asked in a teasing manner. "I think I'm going to need to lie down after all of this." Was Rarity's answer. The team moved along a long route that led them to two floating platforms. When they moved on to them, the platforms lead them further down into the plant. While moving down, they noticed the room was redder than before. Upon reaching the floor, they noticed another route going downwards, which they followed. They reached the end shortly after, and much to Rarity's dismay, there was another highspeed tube. "Oh dear." Rarity said with a displeased expression. Tails opened the tube using his cannon again, letting him and his partners travel inside it. The tubes led them to a higher area of the chemical plant and they were shot out in the air and landed on the ground shortly after. "Please, just let that be the last one." Rarity said in a faint tone as she tried to get her balance. "That depends how much more ground we have to cover." Rouge replied. Before anyone took a step, Tails put his arms out. This was due to the fact that in front of him and the others was a large pool full of Mega-Muck. Rarity recoiled at the sight of seeing the pink liquid. "We have to be careful not to fall into this stuff. It's really tricky to get out of." Tails stated. "But there are no platforms to get us across. I know! Rarity, can you make us a path?" "Of course." Rarity replied. She then walked closer near the edge of the platform. She looked down at the Mega-Muck and formed a disgusted look. Rarity then extended her arm, making her hand glow white. Suddenly, a diamond pathway formed above the water. Seeing the jewels made Rouge's eyes light up. "Oh..."She expressed with delight. "Now that is a power." "Let's go. I want to move across this...muck as soon as possible." Rarity insisted. Tails, Rouge and Rarity moved along the diamond road Rarity made. While they were, Rouge couldn't keep her eyes off the diamonds she walked on and was mainly looking down. Rarity's path led them to edge of a platform. They each climbed up to reach the heights above. Once everyone was together, Rarity turned around to undo her diamond path. When she turned back, she saw Rouge approaching with a huge smile on her face. "You can make jewels just out of thin air?" She questioned in an impressed tone. "Well, it is my power." Rarity said in a modest tone. Suddenly, she felt herself being hugged very tightly by Rouge, much to her surprise. "Where have you been all my life?!" Rouge squealed. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." Rouge then let the confused Rarity go, while having a big grin. 'Those diamonds are gorgeous!" She gushed, which made Rarity beam. "Oh, aren't they?" Rarity responded with flattery. "It's nice to meet someone who has a good eye for beauty." "How many can you make? What size? What shapes?" Rouge eagerly asked. "I just have to put my mind to it." Rarity said. To demonstrated she formed a basketball sized diamond orb. Seeing it made Rouge's eyes sparkle with delight and her jaw almost dropped. "I think I can retire early." Rouge said with a dreamy expression on her face. "Uh, girls." Tails suddenly said, which made the two of them turn to him. "It's great you're getting along and all, but don't you also think it's strange we haven't seen any enemies around. It's almost too quiet if you ask me." Tails pointed out. "Now that you mention it, it's odd the Doctor would leave a plant with access to his database so unguarded." Rouge agreed. "Maybe he figured no one would find this place? That's why he's let his guard down." Rarity suggested. "Maybe. Or he has something in store here." Tails added. "Knowing Eggman, that's probably more likely." Rouge stated." We should keep our guard up." "This place just keeps getting better and better." Rarity dryly said. The three of them continued to make their way through the Chemical Plant as they went higher and higher due to various platforms. When they reach one platform, they noticed an EggPawn blocking their path. Before the robot could react, Rouge jumped and delivered a powerful ax kick, smashing it on the ground and leaving the path open. She and the others climbed two other slopes and after they did, a row of 3 EggPawns appeared before them. The robots aimed their guns but Rarity formed a large diamond in her hand and threw it like a boomerang. The gem sliced through the robots with ease, taking them out. Rouge watched with a look of approval. "They're beautiful and dangerous." She complimented, which made Rarity get a twinkle in her eye. Ahead of the team, a series of cubes floated around. They then formed a staircase leading downwards, which Tails and Rouge used to get descend while Rarity floated down. They then moved across from platform to platform, heading deeper into the Chemical Plant. Tails, Rouge and Rarity found themselves on ground level once more and moved along the road at the bottom. While walking on the road, Rarity noticed the Mega-Muck was closer to the ground than before. "Hey, is it just or me, or does that pink water seem...higher to the road." Rarity brought up. Hearing this made Tails and Rouge stop and examine the water. Rarity was right. It seemed nearer to them than before. "She's right." Rouge said. "What do- Rouge's sentence was suddenly interrupted by the Mega-Muck suddenly rising higher above, much to the shock of everyone present. "The Mega-Muck level is rising!" Tails exclaimed as the pink liquid reached up to his and the other knees. Rarity gasped out loud upon contact with the Mega-Muck. "No! I worked so hard to avoid this...gunk!" She shrieked. The MegaMuck level quickly rose and was beginning to envelop the team. However, before it covered their faces, Rarity used her powers to form a diamond sphere, protecting her and her teammates. "Whoa, nice move Rarity!" Tails praised. "Saved by jewels. A dream come true." Rouge happily said. The diamonds that Rarity made were see-through, allowing Tails to look up ahead and notice the edge of another platform. "Rarity, can you float us up there?" Tails requested. Using her magic power, Rarity floated the diamond globe upwards inside the Mega-Muck. Since she could see where she was going, it was a breeze for her. She carried the team to the ledge and once they were there, her diamond shield barrier vanished. Though Rarity looked displeased as part of her outfit was wet. "This stuff doesn't stain, right?" She asked Tails. "I don't think so." Tails answered, which gave Rarity some relief. The three of them traveled from the top of the shaft and headed right on another road. This time, the path led them to a path which had gaps of Mega-Muck. At the end of a path was a silver door with Eggman's insignia in red. "We're here. Behind that door, Eggman's database will be there." Rouge said. "And we haven't come across anything terrible." Rarity added. "I guess this place wasn't well guarded after all." The group was going to move forward until something jumped down from above. Upon touching the ground, a powerful shockwave was felt, nearly taking the three heroes off balance. Tails, Rouge and Rarity looked to see an Eggman robot with a brown torso and black lower half. It wore a belt that had a red Eggman insignia on it. It had red eyes along with brown feet and gloves that had black stripes on them. Its hands were white and on its chest were two exhaust pipes that emitted steam. It shoulders were pointed and square shaped with black stripes. The robot appeared to look angry as it clenched it's fist tightly. "Haven't you learned by now to not say things like that?" Rouge told Rarity, whose face had a slightly distressed look to it. "We're so close to the database. But we can't waste time with this thing. By the time we're done, Eggman could send reinforcements here and ruin our mission." Tails explained. "Then you go on ahead. You're the one who can access the database." Rouge told him. "She's right. The two of us will deal with this brute." Rarity said in compliance. Tails looked at the two of them and realized they were right. He then nodded with approval towards them. "Ok then. I'll leave it to you." He agreed. Tails charged towards the Heavy Brawler, which opened its arms in order to grab him. When Tails was a few inches away from it, he activated his arm cannon and blast it towards the ground. This sent him flying over the Heavy Brawler, much to its surprise. Tails landed in front of the door and he released a charged shot, blowing it down and allowing him to enter the data room. The Heavy Brawler turned around and was prepared to pursue Tails. Before it could go any further, a diamond wall suddenly appeared in front of it. The Brawler turned around to see Rarity with her hand extended while Rouge was now in a fighting stance. "Sorry, if you want him, you'll have to play with us first." Rouge said. She then winked at the Brawler. The Heavy Brawler hit it's fist together, indicating it was ready for battle. Rouge rushed towards the robot and released a powerful kick. The Heavy Brawler countered by throwing a strong punch, making both of their attacks collide. Rouge then unleashed a series of rapid-fire kicks, which the Brawler blocked by raising its arms. Rouge's attacks didn't seem too effective as the Brawler withstood all of her strikes. After Rouge did another kick, the Heavy Brawler undid it's guard position and raised it's fist, attempting to smash Rouge on the guard. Luckily, due to her superior agility, Rouge jumped as the robot's fist crashed to the ground instead, leaving a large dent on the floor. "This thing hits almost as hard as Knuckles." Rouge expressed with slight surprise as she was now next to Rarity. Rarity generated a diamond shard in her hand and sent it towards the Heavy Brawler. The Brawler saw this incoming and released a punch that shattered Rarity's gem as if it was nothing, much to her surprise. Rarity glared and launched three more gem shards, each bigger than the last. When they reached the Heavy Brawler, it just simply punched through all them with ease. "It's ripping through my diamonds as if they're paper." Rarity uttered in surprise. "Let's try for a coordinated attack." Rouge proposed, which made Rarity nod in agreement. Rouge jumped in the air and released a powerful whirling kick as she headed towards the Heavy Brawler. The Brawler launched a punch towards Rouge's drill attack, leaving the two of them at a stalemate. While this happened, Rarity formed a series of thinly shaped diamonds and launched them at the Heavy Brawler. Using its other arm, the Brawler defended against the gem shards, each of them breaking upon contact. Steam then came from the Brawlers exhaust pipes, making its eyes glow red. The Heavy Brawler received a sudden boost of strength as it pushed Rouge back with its fist, sending her crashing to the ground beside Rarity. The fighting machine then grabbed a handful of Rarity's diamond shard and tossed them at the two girls. Rarity formed a panicked look and ceased her attack to make a shield to block the incoming diamonds. However, due to the force, they were thrown with, this nearly shattered her shield. "Are you all right?" Rarity asked as she looked down at Rouge. "I'll be fine." Rouge answered with a slight grunt. "But he's stronger than I-Watch out!" Rarity was perplexed by Rouge's warning and turned to see the Heavy Brawler incoming with a punch through her shield. The collision with the Heavy Brawler's punch destroyed Rarity's shield. Rouge and Rarity managed to evade contact with Brawlers fist by leaping as it hit the ground, leaving another dent, though it was larger than the one from before. The Heavy Brawler turned it's attention to Rarity and brought down both of its hands to smash her. Rarity generated another shield to defend herself but it was quickly destroyed. The Brawler continued on with its assault while, Rarity was moving back. creating shield after shield. The Brawler easily got them out of its way. Doing this repeatedly was starting to feel taxing for Rarity and she began to sweat. The Heavy Brawler broke through another shield, leaving Rarity unsure if she was able to conjure another one before it attacked her. The Heavy Brawler raised it's fist to attack. However, it was interrupted due to Rouge delivering a drill kick to it's back. It didn't do much damage but it turned the Brawlers attention towards Rouge. The Heavy Brawler grabbed Rouge's leg and gave a mighty toss, sending her crashing into Rarity. The two of them were blown across a gap of Mega-Muck and landed on another section of the platform. Rouge rose from the ground and let out a groan. She was shortly joined by Rarity, who winced. Across from them, the Heavy Brawler raised it's fist in glory while steam came from its chest. "So far, we haven't been able to make a dent in that thing. It's ridiculously strong and powerful." Rouge complained. "It can't be invulnerable. There has to be something we can do." Rarity insisted. "Our options aren't looking too good. Even my hardest kicks are barely doing anything." Rouge responded. Hearing the phrase 'hardest kicks' suddenly gave Rarity an idea as her face lit up. She then looked down at Rouge's boots. "Rouge, lift your leg up. I want to examine your boots." Rarity requested. "What? Why? I get if you like the way they look, but now is really not the time for this." Rouge said. "Trust me, darling. I have a plan." Rarity confidently stated. Rouge was still confused but she did what she was told. Rarity closely examined Rouge's boot. As she did, the Heavy Brawler watched on, wondering why the two of them weren't attacking. Steam was released from it once more, making its eyes glow red. Rouge noticed this, which made her incredibly concerned. "Rarity, whatever you're doing, hurry it up. I think it's getting ready to attack." Rouge informed Rarity. "Finished!" Rarity said. "Leave your leg up." Rarity then placed her hands on Rouge's boot. Rouge's leg was then beginning to be covered in diamonds, much to her surprise and pleasure. "Oh, I quite like this." Rouge said with pleasure. "If you're hardest kicks aren't enough, then we just need something harder." Rarity elaborated. The Heavy Brawler smashed it's fist together and charged towards the duo, ready to hit them with extreme force. Rarity finished surrounding Rouge's legs with diamonds. When the Brawler got close enough, it threw a punch. In return, Rouge released a hard snap kick that hit the Heavy Brawler before it's fist collided with her or Rarity. This resulted in the Brawler being sent back a few feet, much to Rouge and Rarity's joy. "It worked!" Rouge exclaimed. "Do my other leg!" Acting quickly, Rarity encased Rouge's leg in gems as fast as she could. The Heavy Brawler was slightly dazed from Rouge's kick but recovered just in time to see Rouge heading towards it. The Brawler unleashed a right hook but Rouge ducked to avoid it. In response, Rouge sent out a kick to the Brawlers center, stunning it. Rouge then launched a barrage of kicks to the Heavy Brawler. Each hit left a powerful impact on the robot, making it flinch. Rouge ended her flurry with a flip kick, making the Heavy Brawler back up a bit. The Heavy Brawler wobbled for a while due to Rouge's strikes but managed to shake it off. Steam came from its chest and its eyes glowed once more. The Brawler was prepared to raise its fist again. However, a series of diamonds suddenly covered the exhaust pipes on its chest. The steam was unable to leave the Heavy Brawlers body and began to dangerously rumble and build up. A giant burst of steam erupted from the machine's chest, breaking the diamonds off it while also blowing it up in the air. When the Heavy Brawler was mid-air, Rouge leaped high enough above it. She then became a drill and crashed into the Heavy Brawler's chest. Rouge drilled on its torso, which also chipped the diamonds off her boots. When all the diamonds came off, Rouge stopped spinning. This pushed the Heavy Brawler downwards, headed to a pool of Mega- Muck. Before it landed in the liquid, Rarity formed a diamond chain around its leg, complete with a crystal ball. The Heavy Brawler then fell into the Mega-Muck, with the weight of Rarity's chain ball causing it to sink faster than it normally would have. "Yes. We are victorious!" Rarity cheered as Rouge landed down in front of her. "Jewels really are a girl's best friend." Rouge commented. "When this is over, you don't mind upgrading all my wardrobe with jewels, do you?" "Of course not." Rarity said. "I'm always happy to please a customer." With the Heavy Brawler defeated, Rouge and Rarity moved across the platform and entered the room Tails went in. The two of them found Tails in front of a large computer, which displayed various schematics. "How's it coming along, Tails?" He heard Rouge's voice say, which made him turn to see her and Rarity. "Whew. You guys are ok." Tails expressed with relief before he turned his attention back to the screen. "And to answer your question, it's taken me a while to access the data here. Eggman has a lot of junk here. Failed battle plans, old robot designs. A confidential folder. I don't even want to know what it's in there. Just then, Tails' eyes widened. "Found it! Virtual reality weapon: The Phantom Ruby." Tails read out loud. "Now, let's see what this says." Tails clicked on the folder and when he did, a large amount of text appeared along with designs and blueprints centered around a pink gem. "Oh, that's a nice looking gem." Rarity said with awe. "You said it." Rouge concurred. "Ok. So according to this text, the Phantom Ruby is a weapon that takes control of people's visual and depth perception to give the brain false information. This leads to the formation of a false reality." Tails said. "It's just like Shadow described to us. And it's consistent with what we experienced in the city. Or what happened to me and Silver in the Mystic Jungle." Rarity chimed in. "It says here that Eggman experimented with various prototypes until he used the final version on Infinite." Tails continued on. He began to scan the data until he let out a gasp. "I think I found something important. If I'm reading this right, then it looks like there is a weakness!" Tails nearly shouted. "This is huge! We have to get this back to the others! With this information, we can finally beat Eggman!"