Spike and Sonic were currently following the Koco as it was searching for some parts, Sage then teleported in front of them once again.
"Again huh?" Spike asked ready for another conversation.
"What are your end goals?" She asked them, Spike looked confused for a moment but Sonic figured it was something else.
"It varies, sometimes its a spinning sign or a giant ring" Sonic started listing off but was interrupted.
"I don't think she means it like that Sonic" Spike said as he figured it wasn't the case.
"He is right? What do you both want to accomplish?" She asked again.
"Oh! Then it's gathering the Chaos Emeralds and save our friends." Sonic said now understanding, Spike looked down and thought it over on what he wanted.
"And your sure that is wise?" She questioned." Kinda the story of my life." Sonic said casually.
"And the voice that commands you two, what if it is leading you to disaster?" She questioned again.
"If they wanna start trouble, we'll stop them to." Sonic told her.
"You certainly make it sound simple. But your arrogance will be your undoing." She said coldly and Sonic was getting annoyed.
"Look either stop getting cryptic and tell us what's going on or skedaddle" Sonic told her, and she shook her head.
"There would be no point." She said disinterested, she then turned to Spike.
"What about you? What do you want to accomplish?" She asked him, Spike came out of his thoughts and regained focus and looked at her.
"I just want to prove myself, to show everyone that i can do big things, no one expected me to do stuff this grand before, saving our friends may be what i need." Spike explained and Sonic nodded as he told him that before.
"So you wish to strengthen yourself? To make yourself strong enough to protect the ones you care about?" She questioned.
"Yeah, if i do this.. i think this will finally put my doubts to rest." Spike said confidently.
"An interesting goal, i hope you find what your looking for then." She said before teleporting away, Sonic looked confused on what she meant by it, they then noticed a Koco with a part.
"Nice going! Let's go find Tails!" Sonic told it.
"Yeah, let's go!" Spike said agreeing before they started to run off again.
Sage was in Cyberspace talking with Eggman once again.
"I have identified two possible scenarios for your escape" She told him.
" About time! Tell me." Eggman ordered.
"for the first one, after reviewing your campaign history, i have found one of the options is to create an alliance with Sonic." She explained
"What?!" Eggman asked extremely mad.
" Together you stopped the ARK, overcame Neo Metal, You.." She tried explaining but was interrupted
" I don't wanna hear it! Those alliances were purely out of desperation!" Eggman told her.
"But time is running out!" She said worried.
"I don't wanna hear it! What about the other option?" Eggman asked, she sighed sadly as he said that and told her the other one.
"My other scenario is to ally with the dragon that's been with Sonic, he's been able to move in and out of here just like Sonic, he might be able to help." Sage explained.
"Interesting.. even though he's working with Sonic, he could be able to help, but that's for later, keep looking for other options, i have to think it over." Eggman said before taking off in his pod, Sage sighed sadly.
"Your tenacity is legendary, but i do with you'd reconsider" She said sadly hoping he would agree to them.
Spike and Sonic had met up with Tails after they found him again, they were all heading to a bridge of somekind, Tails looked down sadly again and Spike noticed.
"Tails? What's wrong?" Spike asked worried, Sonic turned around and noticed it as well.
"Sonic.. am i a burden to you?" tails asked and Sonic was surprised at that.
"Wow, and how did you come to this well thought out concern?" Sonic asked.
"Whenever there's a crisis i'm either running away or on the sidelines, your always rescuing me when all i do is follow you around." Tails explained to him, Spike looked at him sadly, he felt the same way many times before.
"I know how you feel Tails.." Spike said sadly.
"Really?" Tails asked surprised.
"Whenever something bad happened at home, i often was always on the sidelines as well... i never got to fully help out, nor did i get many moments.. i always often felt afraid when these happened..." Spike said sadly recalling what's happened, sure he stopped Sombra and helped in reforming the Changelings, but they were never as big as what Twilight and the others have done.
"You got put on the sidelines as well? feeling afraid and alone?" Tails asked confused and Spike nodded.
"It happened so often.. i felt like i was a burden to my friends as well, they say that i'm not and i'm always helping.. but i still always felt like i wasn't" Spike told him.
Sonic looked sad knowing that they both had felt that way before, really makes him seem like this is something he's always wanted to do.. prove himself. Sonic then decided to Speak up.
"Hey who was it who stopped Eggman from blowing up station square? who broke me out of prison? Who saved me from the deadly six's trap?" Sonic asked trying to motivate him.
"I... then i'm wildly inconsistent.." Tails said upset, he then turned to Spike.
"Do you really think they look down on you? it doesn't hurt to have help, it's a part of growing up you guys." Sonic said with a smile, Spike and Tails looked confused before he continued.
"Tails, you've got brains like Eggman, speed like mine, and can fly with your butt." Sonic told him, he then looked at Spike.
"Spike, you can breath fire, you can fly ,you've used the emeralds power, do you think any other dragon has used the Emeralds? No, it's because you showed the courage to keep going, you helped look after people before, you have way more ahead in your life. It's a part of growing up." Sonic told him.
"Spike and Tails looked at eachother again, they felt that was what they needed to be told and then turned to him
"When did you get so insightful?" Tails asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, i haven't seen you like that before." Spike said with a chuckle, he then laughed a little.
"I have my moments" Sonic said with a smile, Tails then turned to Spike.
"I'm glad to know i'm not alone in feeling this way, thank you Spike" Tails said with a smile.
"No problem buddy, when the time comes, we'll help eachother out." Spike said and Tails nodded in agreement, and they high fived eachother and laughed.
The Koco from before had came back and tried to tell them something, Tails looked at it and got the information.
"It says the bridge is out." Tails told them, Spike looked over the gap and saw a switch.
"Don't worry i got it." Spike said before taking off to the other side.
Spike flew across the gab and landed on the other side. he saw the switch from before and placed his hand over it, and the bridge started to come down. The Cyan emerald appeared once again and Spike laughed as it was that easy, Spike happily grabbed it and put it away. Sonic and tails caught up and looked at him.
"Great job Spike" Sonic said with a smile.
"It was honestly way to easy" Spike said with a chuckle with them laughing as well.
They went over to the last cannon with the Koco, it made the finishing touches on it to make sure it's all done, it then finished and started jumping around happy.
"They say that this was the last of the defensive measures." Tails explained.
"Way to go! your hero will be thrilled at your hard work!" Sonic said with a smile and Spike nodded in agreement.
The Koco looked happy knowing that.
"Thank you.. my hero.." was all Spike heard before the light came from it again and it fell flat lifeless again, they all looked sad knowing it's gone now.
Sonic then turned to them.
"And i'm proud of you two, don't forget that." Sonic told them.
"We won't" Tails said with a smile.
"Yeah i know we won't" Spike said happy as well. Tails then decided to speak up.
"When this is all over, i think i need to be alone for a while. I can't grow into my full potential if i fall back on you or Spike" Tails told them" If that's okay!" Tails said a little worried on what they would say. Spike and Sonic laughed and walked up to him.
"Don't worry bro, you do what you need to! We'll be here for you." Spike said with a smile.
"Your free to go your own way, i guess you just grew on me faster then i expected" Sonic said gladly, Tails looked happy at that.
"Are you saying i outpace you?" Tails asked and Spike chuckled at that.
"Yeah don't push it. It takes some getting used to but, here's to reaching new heights partners" Sonic told him holding out his hand. Spike and Tails both took it laughing all the while. Sage was listening all the while.
"Such a beautiful friendship, a family born of love and not genetics. Everything i want.. i wish i never saw this, it would be so much easier to accepting the future where they were simply enemy's" Sage said sadly, she recalled the times she spent with her creator, it remined her of what a father could be like to her. She looked at the sky with hope flashing blue all the while, hoping one day she'll get a family.
After the talk Spike and Sonic proceeded to get the White Emerald which was on top of a large structure in the air, they took a long way up their but eventually made it to the top. They unlocked the vault and the emerald came into their hands.
"That makes 6" Spike said putting it away.
"Yeah, one more, let's see if tails found anything again" Sonic said starting to run off
"Yeah, let's go!" Spike said before flying off carrying Sonic as they left
They then caught up with Tails as he was near a large door.
"Tails, you okay?" Spike asked landing on the ground, he then turned to them and nodded.
"I'm fine, thanks' guys. I've been studying this door while you two were exploring the island. It sounded like it was unlocked from the inside!" Tails said looking at the thing.
"How did that happen?" Spike questioned.
"I think if you simply go to that panel over there? I think it will react to the Cyber Energy stored in your bodies." Tails explained and Spike nodded as he understood it.
"Great, sounds easy enough." Spike said with a smile.
"There's no telling what's on the inside. but i'm betting it's important, you guys can approach whenever your ready." Tails told them and they nodded.
"We've seen just about all this island has to offer, i think it's best we get going now." Sonic said walking up to it.
"Yeah i agree, let's go." Spike said going up to it as well.
They opened the door and proceeded to walk inside the place, they soon came upon a large panel of somekind.
"What is this? "Spike asked confused and Sonic sighed.
"Pinball, let me handle this one." Sonic told him. Spike nodded and let Sonic do his thing.
This in Spike's opinion was worse than what happened on Kronos, the score was ridiculously high and Sonic had to keep running the ball on the same place multiple times, the score kept ramping up more and more before it finally reached the top, Sonic then had to bring the ball itself into the top of the thing which took even longer. but eventually he finally got it all and the ball disappeared.
"Finally!" Spike said grateful.
"I'm into pinball at times, but i never want to go for a score that high again." Sonic said annoyed.
"Agreed!" Spike said as they started to walk out.
The volcano then started to shake violently, it then burst out spews of lava and rocks from the top, and a large flow started coming down from the way in and down a path into some clouds. When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that the Titan from before was hiding in the place, waiting for the next fight.
Spike and Sonic caught up with Tails.
"Whatever you did triggered an eruption! And the lava burned away the cloud bank and revealed.. something." Tails said looking at the thing.
"Hey i know my fair share of pinball machines, i know one when i see one. were those originally part of the old ruins?" Sonic asked.
"If they are then they sure have a lot of surprises that's for sure." Spike said confused on why they could make such a thing during such a time. Tails then turned to them.
"Sonic, Spike, that Titan down there.. do you two really plan on fighting that? even with the Emeralds that thing is.." tails said with worry.
"Keeping you, Amy, and Knuckles trapped. So yeah, we're going to take it down." Sonic told him.
"Yea, we've beaten the last two, this one should be no different." Spike said agreeing.
"I gotta ask Spike, what was it like for you using the Emeralds? How did it feel?" Tails asked.
"It felt.. incredible, everything i felt, felt like power, it was like nothing could stop me from finding my flame." Spike said recalling the last times he used them.
"Sonic said that you kept growing after each use of the Emeralds. what if it happens again?" Tails asked worried, Spike thought it all over, wondering what will become of him if he continues. but he decides that no matter what happens, he'll always be willing to face the future.
"Then i'll make the most of what i can. nothing will bring me down as long is a never give up." Spike said ready to face the future.
"We'll if your sure of it, then go for it. just be careful." Tails told them, Sonic looked at him with a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll be with Spike to make sure everything's okay, sit tight Tails, we'll take the last one down and get everyone back to normal!" Sonic said with confidence.
"He's right, don't worry. Come on Sonic, let's go!" Spike said before running off with Sonic following behind.
"One more to go, let's do it!" Sonic said serious as they continued.