//------------------------------// // 15. Ouranos Island // Story: Sonic Frontiers x My Little Pony // by BronySonicFan //------------------------------// Ouranos Island is the last of the Starfall Islands. It wasn't as big as the other ones, and it actually looks very similar to Rhea Island... but at least this place did had rests of the Ancients' technology at plain sight, and not hidden like the previous island. The Mane 5 and Team Sonic haven't arrived to the island yet, however, since Sonic was running on the water at top speed as he tried to reach Ouranos Island, while the rest followed by flight, with Tails carrying Knuckles who carried Izzy, and Sunny used her magic to carry Hitch, Sparky and McSnips. Once Sonic reached the coast, he quickly ran on the wall and stopped once he had a good sight of the entire island. The rest arrived soon enough, landing behind him, and they all awed at the sight of Ouranos Island. However, that wasn't the only surprising thing: Blue, yellow and red lights were pointing at the sky, meaning that the Blue, Yellow and Red Chaos Emerald respectively were already unlocked from the containment towers. "It seems like Sage has been busy with the Chaos Emeralds and Cyber Space" Sonic pointed out. "This doesn't mean you have to return there... right?" Pipp questioned with concern and a worried frown. "You're kidding, right?" Sonic questioned with a raised eyebrow, before turning to face her and everyone else as well. "Last time I returned there, an ancient entity from before Equestria was a thing tricked me and took control over my body, using me as a brainless puppet that attacked you!" he pointed out a bit mad. "Do you really think I'm crazy enough to go back to Cyber Space after that?" he asked with a frown. "Yes" Tails replied with a bored expression. "Bold of you to assume you won't" Knuckles added, also with a bored expression and with his arms crossed. Sonic stared at Tails and Knuckles with a bored expression as well, and then facepalmed in annoyance, also groaning with frustration. "Look, I won't return to that place ever again... And if I do, I'll use that sunflower suit Amy gave me when I turned 23 for an entire week" he deadpanned. "Deal" Tails said with a smirk. "Now you have my attention" Knuckles said with a smirk as well. "You... never mentioned a sunflower suit..." Hitch pointed out with a smile, while Sunny and Izzy at his sides were trying so hard not to burst in laughter. "The only way I could say something so embarrassing is being drunk" Sonic replied with a frown. "Moving now to things that do matter: We have six Chaos Emeralds to collect since the last one is gonna be in the Titan for sure" he stated with a determinate look. "But we only know were are three of them because of the lights" Zipp pointed out. "How are we going to find the rest?" Sunny asked. "Sage is already doing that for us, so... I guess this is a matter of wait until she gets them all" Sonic guessed. "Okay... but if there's three of them, and we're running out of time, how are going to collect them all?" Izzy asked as well. "Well... there's three Emeralds, and if we count Sage, there's nine of us, so... we split up in teams of three?" Tails suggested. "Sounds good to me!" Zipp said with a smirk, before making a loop in the air and landing in-between Sunny and Hitch, dragging them on a side hug. "Come on, you love birds! We have an Emerald to get!" she stated with a smirk, before flying away again with a smile. "Hey Zipp!" Tails called out, and when Zipp turned to him, she barely caught Tails' watch with her hoof. "So we can stay in contact!" Tails shouted, as his watch made a beep sound in Zipp's hoof, and Sonic and Knuckles' watches did the same. Zipp smiled, and putted the watch on her left hoof. "Thanks, Mr. Prower!" she said with a smile and a wave of her hoof, before flying towards the Yellow light, with Sunny and Hitch following her by earth. "Well, in that case, Izzy and I will go with the ghost girl" Knuckles said, punching his fists together with a smirk. "I have a pending conversation with her, and I really need to punch something here before I lost my cool" he added with a frown. After that, he grabbed Izzy in bridal style, startling the unicorn since she blushed a lot, and then he boosted towards the Red light. "So, that leaves the three of us" Sonic said with a smirk to Tails and Pipp, who smiled back at him. "Let's go get the Blue Emerald and save the world!" he stated with confidence. Tails and Pipp nodded at him, and they all moved towards the Blue light, with Sonic running a bit slower than usual so Pipp could keep up with him and Tails. Sunny, Hitch and Zipp eventually reached the Yellow Chaos Emerald. The problem was that they knew little to nothing on how to remove the Emerald from the tower. "Well, this is gonna be a problem" Zipp deadpanned. "I mean, Sonic used some kind of key, but since the Emeralds are now unlocked, shouldn't they just appear on our hooves and that's it?" Hitch questioned. "No, it cannot be that easy..." Zipp said, placing a hoof on her chin. "Guess we'll never know if we don't try..." Sunny pointed out. And so, she approached to the tower, but once she stood on the platform, the Emerald immediately shone and disappeared from the capsule, then it appeared again and slowly descended until it was right in front of Sunny. She smiled, and she made her horn appear to surround the Emerald with her magic, then she walked back with her friends. "Seems like it was that easy after all!" Sunny cheered. "This place goes against everything I can explain, and its starting to annoy me..." Zipp deadpanned again, but then her eyes went wide when she thought about something. "Hey! Ghost-girl–– I-I-I mean, Sage!" she called out. And so, Sage did appeared suddenly, looking at Zipp with a curious look. "Sorry to interrupt... um... your excursion through Cyber Space, I guess? But I really need to ask something" Zipp said with a serious look. "Did Cyber Space actually interacted with our brains? Not only the ones that we were trapped in there, but also Sonic" she asked. "It was designed to catalogue neural networks, among other things, so yes" Sage replied. "Hang on..." Sunny said, stepping in the conversation. "All those locations Sonic visited, and the ones that popped up suddenly when Cyber Space connected to our world, they were pulled from our memories?" she questioned with curiosity. "That is plausible" Sage replied. "It imported the data of all your memories and applied to Sonic's surroundings so he could comprehend them" she explained. "Huh... Maybe that gave Sonic the edge to escape each time" Hitch theorized. "Since he was familiarized with the ground, escaping was pretty easy" he pointed out. "Again, that's plausible" Sage said. "By the way, now that you have called me..." she added, and then a Green light pointed suddenly to the sky. "The next Chaos Emerald has been unlocked" she added, before disappearing without saying anything else. "I know she's on our side now... but she still gives me the creeps..." Zipp said blankly. "Yeah, she keeps creeping me out as well" Hitch confessed. Once all was said and done, the trio began to make their way towards the Green Chaos Emerald. Knuckles and Izzy arrived to the tower with the Red Chaos Emerald. Knuckles did the same thing as Sunny: he stood on the platform of the tower, and then the Emerald glowed brightly, before disappearing and then appear again in front of Knuckles, slowly descending until it landed on his hand. He putted the Emerald away, and then he looked at the sky with a frown. "Ghost girl!" he called out. "Um, Knuckie?" Izzy called out. "I think you should call her by her name..." she pointed out with a smile. "But I don't remember it!" Knuckles said with a frown. Izzy looked at him with a bored expression and rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Sage!" she called out. And so, Sage appeared in front of them with a blank expression. "See?" Izzy said with a mocking smirk. Knuckles deadpanned at her and rolled his eyes, before turning to face Sage. "Look. I understand things have changed and that we have a common enemy now, but that still doesn't tells me why you protected me even when I wanted to attack you back on Ares Island!" he pointed out with concern. "I'm not even mad, I just... why? Why did you helped me?" he asked, now more out of curiosity. "Well... Sonic attacked you, even if he was mind controlled" Sage pointed out. "Even if he wasn't mind controlled, he's usually like that, and..." Knuckles began to say, before his eyes widened at what he say, and how familiar the situation felt. "Oh... oh..." he said, finally realizing why Sage saved him before. Sage just smirked a bit at him. "Since you called me, the next Emerald has been found" she said suddenly, while a Light Blue light shone in the distance, and then Sage disappeared. "That girl has a really weird sparkle..." Izzy said with a small frown, before turning to Knuckles. "Also, what's that about she attacking you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Let's just say Sonic owns me one" Knuckles replied with a smirk, before grabbing Izzy on bridal style again. And then, he boosted towards the Light Blue Chaos Emerald. The Blue Chaos Emerald was located on a strange place. Near the tower with the Blue Emerald, there was a big statue with a panel control on the bottom, and the Blue Emerald was located at the other side of a massive bridge that didn't even seemed to exist. Fortunately, Sonic, Tails and Pipp found Sage near the statue. "I believe you can proceed once you find a way to activate the starting device and power the statue" Sage instructed to the trio. "Sure would've been smoother sailing if we'd been working together from the start" Sonic pointed out, before smirking and place a fist on his hip. "But I guess I had to earn your trust first, huh?" he added in a playful tone and raising an eyebrow. That seemed to cause a weird reaction on Sage, since she didn't seemed to have words and felt nervous, with her body glitching and changing colors to white and light blue again for a moment. "Is she okay?" Pipp asked in concern, also cringing a bit to Sage's sudden glitch, that stopped after a few seconds. Sage slowly turned back and looked blankly at the trio. "Do any of you know how to activate the starting device?" she questioned, abruptly trying to change the subject. Sonic's smirk grew bigger, and then he turned to see Tails, who was moving his tails in excitement and fighting the urge to jump around excited. "I guess he can" Sonic replied confidently, and Tails was now using the keyboard and activating the statue in a matter of seconds, while Sage disappeared without saying anything else. "Wow..." Pipp said with a little smile. "He really loves all this stuff, doesn't he?" she asked rhetorically, but Sonic still nodded as a reply. "By the way, Blue Star..." she called out, and Sonic turned to see her a bit surprised when she suddenly nuzzled her head on his chest. "I... I've missed you..." she said with a worried look. Sonic smiled softly, and he kneeled to nuzzle his cheek with Pipp's. "I've missed you too, Little Pipp" he said with happiness. "This is almost over, this time for real, and I promise that once we go back to Equestria, I'll do what I promised, and I'll take you wherever you want" he assured with a smirk. Pipp couldn't help but kiss Sonic on his lips, and Sonic returned the kiss by caressing her cheek softly. "I actually don't care were you take me, Blue Star, as long as I'm with you" she said in a flirty tone, but with an honest smile. However, their moment was interrupted when they heard someone clearing their throat and they slowly turned to see Tails laying on the pane control with a bored expression. "Sorry to interrupt you, love birds, but we gotta move" Tails said with annoyance, before pressing the space bar on the panel's keyboard. Then, five small statues behind them launched laser towards a gem in the center of the bigger one, activating the big statue that created the missing bridge so they could cross to the other side and get the Blue Chaos Emerald. The trio moved to see the bridge, and Sage appeared again at their side. "The way is clear" she said, before turning to face the others. "We must acquire the Chaos Emeralds with expediency" she stated with concern. "You got it, Sage!" Sonic stated with a smile and his thumbs up, before chuckling a bit suddenly and cross his arms. "We've run into each other so many times, but I recently learned your name... well, kinda. I actually found out hearing some 'Egg Memos' about you, and yet I didn't knew you are Sage. You could've told me sooner, y'know?" he pointed out. "Yeah, instead of going all mysterious and acting so 'edgy', you could've told us your name and what was actually going on" Pipp pointed out as well. "We were enemies" Sage also pointed out. "Furthermore, my name holds no meaning" she added. "You're kidding right?" Tails questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Of course your name means something! Maybe not for us, but it does for Eggman! He didn't named you like that because he wanted, he named you like that because he cares about you. You're really important to him, if that's the case" he explained with a smile. Sage suddenly began to glitch again, since her color scheme changed at times. "You... think he cares about me?" she asked. "Sure!" Tails assured with a nod and a bigger smile. "In his own way, of course..." he added sheepishly. "Time's a-wastin'. Let's wrap this up!" Sonic stated with a determinate look. After that, he boosted away towards the Blue Emerald, and collected it as usual, except that the Emerald directly got out of the capsule with not keys needed. Once he had the Emerald, he saw a Silver light pointing to the sky and smirked. "Guess I know were I'm going next..." he said with a smirk, that faded away once he suddenly remembered the visions he had on the previous islands. The memory of his ancestors and the Owls being so desperate to protect their home, his direct ancestor dying in front of him, that vision of the Chaos Emeralds dancing around himself when he was a baby... he couldn't believe that he was destined to arrive here all the same, that he'll eventually find this place even if Eggman never discovered Equestria's existence. Yet, here he was, on the last Starfall Island, in search of the Chaos Emeralds to defeat the last Titan, and after that, defeat The End, just like that vision Tupanka had predicted so long ago. Tails and Pipp arrived and stood a bit apart from him with worried expressions. "Blue Star?" Pipp called out with concern. Sonic, however, didn't replied, and instead took a deep breath before looking on with a determinate expression. "Sage..." Sonic called out, and soon enough, she appeared at his side, so he looked at her and crossed his arms. "If I understood those visions correctly, the Ancients came from space, right?" he asked her. Sage nodded at the question, and Tails and Pipp joined the conversation after hearing Sonic's question. "And those things inside of them looked like Koco, but... they didn't seemed alive" Pipp pointed out. "Sage, do you know what the Koco really are?" Tails asked her. "We have our own theories, but we'll like to hear the actual answer" he explained. "They originated as lucky charms for the Ancients" Sage replied. "They were never designed to contain their data... their wills" she pointed out. "Yeah, but the Koco we've found do hold the memories of their creators" Sonic pointed out as well. "Maybe the Ancients changed them to do that?" Pipp suggested. "Yeah, or maybe the Koco wanted to keep their memories alive after they were gone" Tails added. "By the way... just out of curiosity: you were created by Eggman, right?" he asked to her. "Correct" Sage replied. "My base code was complied by him. However, I was created long ago, way before coming to these islands. According to the doctor, he created my program after a failed plan of stealing something that could grant his wish to create his Empire" she explained. "Hold on..." Pipp said with a small frown. "Stealing something that could grant a wish? That... sounds exactly like what happened when he tried to steal the Wishing Star!" she pointed out. "Wait, so Eggman created you after that happened?" Sonic questioned confused. "But then... why we never heard of you until now?" he asked. "Back then, I was just an AI program on his computer" Sage explained. "He wanted to create a definite AI, a program that could be the perfect sync between someone caring for him and someone loyal to him" she added. "If my comprehension is correct, he actually combined two of his previous AI's to create me... two programs called 'Metal Hitch' and 'Metal Izzy', I think" she confessed. "Oh! So Eggman really cared about those two, after all..." Tails said with surprise. "But he probably didn't wanted to keep losing them like with Metal Sonic" Sonic guessed with a frown. "So... he combined the best of those programs and created you" he finished. Sage nodded once again, and then she suddenly looked away. "Also... Several of the attacks you suffered the months following your holidays were organized by me, under his orders" she confessed again. "Eh, Eggman attacks us even using decoys, so don't feel bad or ashamed. You're just doing what he tells you to do" Sonic told her with a smirk, separating his arms. "But how did you transformed from a program on a computer into an actual girl?" Pipp asked her. "The scope of my capabilities was vastly modified once I integrated with Cyber Space" Sage explained. "But overall, Dr. Eggman is my creator" she added, glitching on that light blue-white color again. "Heh, oh man. I bet he never expected his his genius AI would advise him to work with us!" Sonic chuckled with a mocking smirk. "I put forward the scenario with the highest likelihood for survival. That is all" Sage replied, although the last part made her glitch increase, and her voice even sounded nervous. The trio looked at each other with mocking smiles at her attitude, knowing she's just playing rude and careless at compliments. Sonic then looked back at the tower where the Blue Emerald was minutes ago, and crossed his arms again, also tapping his foot on the ground. "I'm so used to using the Chaos Emeralds it's still hard to accept they are not only from a different dimension, but also from space" he pointed out. "Yes. They were central to the Ancients' power and native to their world, and they are the only thing that can awaken all the functions on the island" Sage explained. "Oh! So that civilization Longclaw mentioned on her message were the Ancients!" Tails realized. "That explains how the Emeralds ended up on Equis, and how they were found by your ancestors, Sonic" he pointed out. "The last survivors took them away to another dimension, followed by Owls and Hedgehogs" Sage added. "Eventually, the Ancients evolved, and their forms changed with time. At first, they turned into the Koco themselves, but their forms evolved until they turned into creatures you might know as... the Chao" she revealed. "Chao?!" Sonic and Tails asked in disbelief. "So... those little adorable creatures are actually evolved Ancients?!" Tails questioned. "This changes absolutely everything we believed about them!" he added with excitement. "And that explains why they're connected to the God of Destruction, Chaos: because the Chao are the Ancients!" Sonic realized. "Wow..." Pipp said. "All of this is incredibly well connected..." she pointed out. "Perhaps... that tapestry we found a while ago did predicted your arrival here" she added with a little smile. "And with me being this 'chosen one' to destroy The End, it is clear that I was going to arrive, one way or another" Sonic added with a serious expression. "So... without the Emeralds' power in Equis anymore, the islands' functions eventually shut down" Tails guessed, looking at Sage. "That is why I drew them here" Sage confessed. "I hoped to use the Ancients' technology to stop the emergence of their old foe" she explained. "And then we arrived..." Sonic said with a frown. "You didn't encaged my friends and tried to do the same with me because you were our enemy... in a way, you were trying to protect us, to prevent The End to escape from Cyber Space, even if that meant keeping us trapped there" he realized with concern. "Again, if you didn't tried to be mysterious and directly told us all of this, we could have avoided a lot of problems" Pipp pointed out with a bored expression. "I know that now... But I'm afraid we cannot change the past" Sage replied. "Perhaps you should move towards the Silver Chaos Emerald location now" she added suddenly, "Why?" Tails questioned. At that moment, Sonic's watch biped, and he pressed the button in front to answer the call. "We have the Red and Light Blue Emeralds!" Knuckles' voice spoke. "And we have the Yellow and Green ones!" Zipp's voice said as well. "Great! Then let's meet on the Silver Emerald's location!" Sonic replied with a smile. "On our way!" both Knuckles and Zipp replied before ending the call. "Huh, guess you knew that they were–– Huh?" Pipp exclaimed, turning to see where Sage used to be, because she was gone now. "I'm never getting used to her doing that all of a sudden..." Tails confessed with a bored expression. "Yeah, me neither" Sonic added. "Anyways. Let's move! We're an Emerald away, and the sake of the world depends on us now! Besides, is getting dark, and we definitely shouldn't push this for anything!" he stated. Tails and Pipp nodded in agreement, and then they all boosted towards the Silver' Emerald's light direction. The entire gang reunited near some kind of closed cave with another control panel in front. The others gave the Chaos Emeralds they found to Sonic, and he putted them away as they all walked towards Sage, who was next the control panel and facing them. "The Chaos Emerald is inside" Sage said, referring to the cave. "Your power is required to access it" she told to Sonic. "First, we've got to open that door" Sonic pointed out as he crossed his arms. "Hey, Sage" Sunny called out. "Are you good with hanging around? I thought you were supposed to be looking after Eggman while he helps us hunt down the Emeralds?" she asked. Sage turned to face Sunny. "I will be at his side when he needs me. For now, we must focus on the task at hand" she replied, then she looked back at Sonic. "Use your power to start the system. Hurry, our time is limited!" she pointed out with concern. "Don't need to tell me twice!" Sonic stated with a smirk, moving towards the panel control. One he was in front of the panel, he activated his electrical powers and started to type on the keyboard like a maniac at super sonic speed. After a while, the panel started to smoke, then Sonic stepped backwards and the panel exploded, making the door of the cave to open up and show the way towards the Silver Emerald. "Emerald number six! Here we come!" Sonic stated, adjusting his right glove and the boosting towards the cave. "So..." Zipp called out, as she stood now at Sage's side. "Earlier you said we had zero chances of winning. You change your mind yet?" she asked to her with a smirk. "No" Sage confessed. "But... I have not run a simulation on our present circumstances, either" she added with honesty. "So you're saying there maybe is a chance?" Pipp asked next. Sage shook her head and closed her eyes. "I am saying we are in a desperate situation. The threat we face is beyond imagination. They've been able to destroy thousands of planets before, and Equis is their next objective" she pointed out. "Well, if Sonic does something better than anyone is to turn anyone's desperation into hope! He won't disappoint you on that, promise" Tails said with a confident smile. "The little guy is right. Sonic may screw it often, but he knows how to turn the tables for everyone's safety" Knuckles added with a smirk as well. Sage glitched again, with a little smile forming in her lips as well after hearing all of that. Sonic reached the other side safely, and slowly but surely walked towards the Emerald. Once in front of it, he extended his hand, and the Emerald came out from the tower directly and slowly descended until it landed on his hand. Once Sonic putted the Emerald away, he noticed that the walls of this cave had many hieroglyphics around, telling both the story about the Owls and Hedgehogs friendship that surpassed generations, about a war against ponies that didn't wanted them, and of course, about the Ancients arrival and the discovery of the Chaos Emeralds. "All these years you have suffered in silence, not able to rest..." Sonic muttered with sadness. His sight stopped on a hieroglyphic that looked like Adam and Knave, looking at the sundown. Sonic smiled softly after seeing that. "But now, I will avenge you. I was chosen to destroy The End for a reason... It's time to find out what that reason is" Sonic said with a determinate look. After that, he turned to the exit of the cave, but stopped when he heard a sudden roar from the outside. "And this looks like the proper time to do so!" Sonic said with a serious expression, before boosting out of the cave.