A/N: I just wanna let ya'll know I wrote the below author's note while I was writing this chapter (a week or two ago) and yes it had been months between this chapter and chapter 26- I have been working on it since, writing the final chapter now!

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Hey guys, just letting you know that it's been ages since I worked on this story (as you can probably guess) and at this point I'm just wanting to get it done. However, I'm still doing my best to write with passion, I won't let this story down just to get it out of the way. That's why it's been taking so long, and I apologise for such lengthy breaks between the chapters. This one will probably be uploaded soon after Chapter 26, but in reality, I haven't touched this story for months, and I don't have the energy to go through and make sure every little detail is perfect, so I would also like to apologise if anything is inconsistent. I'm tired, and I want to move on to more personal works, but I'm still going to give this story my all, it only has 3 chapters left (including this one) so please be patient with me, I will get it done, it's just taking longer than I originally thought.

Sorry for the lil rant, now onto the story! I hope you guys enjoy, it's gonna be a long one lol (and sorry if it's really repetitive, I tried my best ;^; )

Sonic's eyes were wide as he watched their final foe transform before his very eyes. The praying mantis-styled robot's body grew larger as layers of metal moved smoothly into place; resembling something more of dragon scales while still holding the shape of the insect; long thin wings sprouted from its back, now free from the metal casings that had become its armour, and reached up towards the tall ceiling; its legs were now much longer, making the robot tower over the two heroes, and they both cringed as they realised its legs were now much thicker than before. The pinchers on the front had grown in size as well, and now seemed much sharper, the limbs more flexible and moving almost like snakes in the air, poised and ready to strike.

The transformation reminded the blue hedgehog of a praying mantis and a dragon, if the two creatures were to ever combine. It was something he hoped nature would stray far away from, but he wasn't going to show his concerns to his sworn foe.

Placing a hand on his hip, the hedgehog raised his head, taking in the now much taller mechanical creature, a smile taking hold,

"Ya know, for someone who claims to hate animals, you sure love designing your bots after them." He quipped, "So hypocritically cliché, since you think organic life is weak."

Eggman growled in response, the head of the mantis-dragon tilting forward, "Shut up pest!"

He pressed some buttons, and the robot lunged into action, the pinchers racing towards the two heroes. Sonic and (Y/N) jumped out of the way, the claws barely missing the blue blur as he ran around the room, taking in the situation. He caught a glimpse of the (a/t), who was also studying the robot's new design. They had to think of the fly if they were going to get out of here alive.

The pinchers lifted off the ground, leaving small creators in the ground, and the two came to the same conclusion; this thing was far too big too fit in Eggman's warehouse without damaging the place.

As if to prove this thought, the robot spun on its six legs, its wings clipping at the lights that dangled from the ceiling, shattering the bulbs. Sonic held a hand over his head, protecting himself from the shattered glass that fell to the floor. A large scrapping sound was then heard as the back of the robot hit the wall, causing it to crumble and debris to fall to the ground.

(Y/N) was covering her ears from the sound, the terrible scrapping coming to a halt as the robot now stood between the two. Its head twitched, before sending a pincher towards the (a/t). Sonic ran ahead but was stopped as the other came crashing down in front of him. He dodged it, running around just as the other pincher lifted off the ground, the (a/t) struggling in its claw. The hedgehog growled to himself, glancing around the area in an attempt to come up with a plan to free her; and spotted (Y/N)'s grappling hook laying in amongst the rubble. She must have dropped it when the pincher grabbed her.

The hedgehog made a run for it, grabbing the weapon in a swift motion, spinning on his hand to face the robot once again. It was lifting the (a/t) up towards its head, where Eggman sat hiding behind the armoured eyes. He smirked to himself, taking off towards the large legs of the insect. The robot responded by attacking the hedgehog, sending pincher after pincher towards him, crushing the floor behind him. Sonic was confused for a moment, wondering how the big bot could be sending the same limb at such high speeds, when he looked up and realised the back of the robot had opened, unleashing another two of the annoying projectile pinchers. Great, more things to dodge, Sonic liked a challenge.

The hedgehog chuckled to himself, grabbing the hook, and pulling it from the gun. He started to run in a pattern, keeping an eye on which pincher was were. Soon enough they had all attacked, crashing into the ground once more and Sonic moved quickly, wrapping the cord of the grappling hook around the three robotic limbs, tying them together.

"That won't hold them long." He mumbled to himself, turning his attention back towards (Y/N), who was now being held in front of the mad scientist, "But it should be long enough to regroup."

Sonic leant down, before spinning himself into a ball. He propelled himself up through the air and straight into the fourth pincher. The (a/t) let out a cry as it crumbled around her. The claw ripped from the arm of the bot, loosening it's hold around (Y/N), and the hedgehog took the opportunity to swoop in and catch her before they went crashing into the ground.

Sonic steadied the (a/t), who shook her head and gave him a small smile. He returned it, before turning his gaze onto the elephant in the room,

"We need a new plan, and quick."

"Agreed."

Just before the two could think of plotting, they heard a twang as the other three pinchers broke free from the grappling hook. The two heroes jumped into action, dodging the flying limbs as they crashed into the floor, walls, anywhere that the two dared to stand.

"At this rate, the whole place is gonna crumble." The (a/t) shouted, still not sure what to do, "It could work in bringing Eggman down, but I don't know where my family are."

"Tails will!" Sonic responded, before touching his ear, "You hear that bud? Where's (Y/N)'s family?"

There was a moment of no response, before the fox's voice came through. It sounded glitchy, like it was now struggling to reach them through the many levels of the base, though the hedgehog guessed it had to do with the now very destructive robot they were facing.

"Near-ly ... o-ut." His voice was distorted as he mentioned something about rewiring an elevator, "Sil-ver nea-r entra-nce."

"Thanks bud." Sonic said, giving the (a/t) a glance, "Lets keep this bot busy until they're out, yeah? Then we'll bring this place to the ground! Or... The underground."

"Okay... But what about us?"

The two are still dodging the large pinchers, the room becoming more and more damaged as they bounce off walls, and the (a/t) was only just now wondering how they were meant to resurface. The hedgehog gave her a knowing smile as they landed next to each other,

"I'm the fastest thing alive, we'll be fine."

(Y/N) smiled at him, while it wasn't exactly a plan, she knew better than to doubt Sonic the Hedgehog. If he was confident they'd get out, then she'd trust him.

"Alright, let's do this then."

Instead, they froze, realising that the pinchers had stopped raining down on them. The two turned their attention back onto the robotic insect-dragon-thing, it was now standing differently, crouched down and wings spread out over its back. It resembled something similar to a peacock showing off its feathers, however the wings were transparent and gross, and the missiles that sat below them weren't very pretty either. The pinchers were back to being poised in front of the insect's chest, aside from the one that Sonic had destroyed earlier.

The two shared an annoyed huff, before giving each other the thumbs up. They already knew how this was going to go.

At once, the heroes took off, running in opposite directions as the missiles launched. Loud crashes boomed throughout the room as the projectiles just missed the hedgehog and (a/t). Sonic took off up a wall, leading the missiles into the very foundation that kept this room standing, while (Y/N) ran under the robot. Together, they used the explosions from the missiles to throw off the big bot's balance, causing it to stumble around the room. One of the missiles, barely missing the (a/t) by an inch, struck one of the six legs that kept the mantis propped, propelling it into the adjacent wall. A mix of cement and metal crumbled beneath the assailant as it tried to catch itself, clawing at what remained around it in an attempt to right itself. More debris fell, large cracks spreading out from the now gaping hole.

Sonic and (Y/N), now standing next to each other again, shared a worried glance. The building was crumbling far quicker than they thought it would. They watched as the cracks spread out across the room, the floor. They didn't have much time to get out.

"Tails." Sonic said, hand up to his ear, "Is (Y/N)'s family out yet? This bot is doing more damage than we expected."

"Negative." Tails responded, a worried twinge in this voice, "They're two floors away from the top. They'll still have to run through those hallways as well, Silver's waiting outside for them."

There was a loud rumble as the robot tried to push up on the wall, and failed, crashing back down and taking what was left with it.

"We're running out of time." Sonic said, an urgency now in his voice as his eyes darted around the room, trying to think of a plan, "Get Silver to meet them halfway, if anything goes wrong he can use a shield or bubble or something with his powers to protect everyone."

"But-"

"Tails, there's a little girl involved." Sonic said, catching (Y/N)'s attention, "The warehouse has taken a beating from this bot, it won't be standing much longer."

"What ab-out yo-" Tails' voice started to become static as the ceiling began to crack.

"I'll be fine! Just get (Y/N)'s family out of there!" Sonic yelled, hoping the fox could hear him.

"S-oni-!"

Static took hold of their earpieces, and the two heroes stared at each other.

"Don't worry." The blue hedgehog said, "Tails will get everyone out safely."

(Y/N) gave a small nod, holding her hands tightly in front of her muzzle. She was worried about everyone, hoping they hadn't gotten too carried away with their battle plan. Please let no one get hurt during this fight...

"(Y/N)." Sonic's hand rested on her shoulder, and she jumped, her (e/c) eyes staring up at his, "I need you to focus. They'll be fine, Silver will protect them."

He was trying to sound reassuring, but there was still a look of worry in his eyes as well. Was it for her family, or for the situation they were in now? Standing in the middle of a slowly collapsing room.

"We need to focus on getting out of here." He said, turning his eyes to the ceiling as the bot crashed back down once again, "We don't want to be buried down here."

The (a/t) nodded, gripping her fists in determination.

"Where's my grappling hook?" She asked, searching around for her weapon.

Sonic gave a weak smile, rubbing his quills awkwardly, "I uh... Kinda wrapped it around three of the bot's claws and it... May have broken somewhere."

(Y/N) raised a brow towards him, before rolling her eyes and responding with a huff. That was her only weapon, what was she meant to do without it? Sonic raised his hands in defence,

"Hey, it was either that, or your life. I'd do it again."

"Alright, well what should we do then?"

The hedgehog smirked, glancing around the room as a plan formed in his mind. He pulled the (a/t) to the side as the large mantis struggled to it's feet, its legs making loud clanging sounds as it worked on catching it's balance. He turned to the other Mobian, who was still, rather patiently, waiting to hear the plan.

"I can deliver most of the blunt force needed to knock the bot into more walls." The hedgehog said, pointing towards himself, and then the robot, "You should do your best to distract it for me without getting hurt."

"That way you can keep attacking it without being stopped." (Y/N) said, a smile on her muzzle, "Okay, let's do this."

The heroes bumped fists; the plan now set in motion. Before they split, however, the (a/t) quickly grabbed the hedgehog by the shoulder and planted a quick kiss on his lips,

"Good luck, and don't die." She said.

Sonic blinked in surprise, before a determined look entered his eyes and the smirk widened on his muzzle. The two took off towards their designated spots, the (a/t) running towards the big bot, and Sonic in the other direction.

Here goes nothing.

(Y/N) dodged the large limbs of the praying mantis bot, noticing that it's head was moving around more erratically. Was it looking for them? If so, she was about to give it what it wanted. She slid under one of it's claws and straight into Eggman's line of sight. The bot's head snapped into place immediately while the (a/t) waved her arms,

"Come and get me you rotten egg!" She yelled.

"Why you-!" A large claw came crashing down towards the (a/t), but she dodged it with ease. Another claw came down, and then the third. She jumped out of the way, grabbing onto the thin limbs and swinging herself over and under each attack. This would definitely be a lot easier if she had her grappling hook.

Meanwhile, Sonic had snuck back towards the cells, now standing on the top floor of the cellblock. He watched as the robot swung at the (a/t), each sickening strike of the claws against the ground sending waves of worry through him.

Calm. Sonic closed his eyes. Calm down. She can do this. You know she can.

He smiled to himself, before kneeling to the ground, hands in position. Here's hoping everyone else is safe, because they've run out of time. He spun up into a ball, the world around him becoming a blur as he stayed in place; building more and more speed, energy. Finally, he caught traction with the ground and took off, bouncing over the ledge and into the air. Flying. He hit the robot with a loud crash, and the mantis let out a screech as it tumbled into another wall, pulling most of it down as it fell.

"Curses!" Eggman yelled, scrambling to get the robot back onto its feet.

This time it didn't take as long, and Sonic had to dash off again before he could be seen. The (a/t) watched him go, before getting back into position, waving her arms and shouting at the evil doctor. Eggman growled to himself, clearly seeing the trap, but unable to do anything about it.

The robot raised its pinchers again, this time sending all three at her at the same time. (Y/N)'s eyes widened, barely managing to dodge the attack. Eggman smirked to himself, pulling the claws away and striking again. The (a/t) yelped, jumping out of the way of the first claw. She growled to herself, before taking the opportunity that immediately opened up to her. The second claw crashed down, and she swung around the limb, landing on top of the claw.

The third one came down, and Eggman couldn't stop it from severing the limb from its body. The robot screeched again, stumbling back as Sonic struck it once more, the twang of the limb snapping as it fell into another wall. Eggman tried to catch himself, but the two claws got buried below the debris; the robot couldn't move.

Sonic stood next to the (a/t) again, the two laughing as they heard Eggman yelling and cursing from the cockpit.

"Let's end this yeah?" Sonic said, giving the (a/t) a thumbs up, before he curled into a ball again.

(Y/N) nodded and watched as he spindashed through the neck of the robot, cutting its head from the rest of its body. The robot's limbs powered down, it fell limp into the wall and Eggman came crashing towards the floor, the mantis head bouncing a few feet before coming to a complete stop.

The two gave another fist bump as the final wall started to crack more under the pressure, and the room started to shake. Parts of the ceiling gave way and crashed around them as the two celebrated their quick victory. Then, a loud rumble sounded above them, and Sonic gave the (a/t) a look,

"Guess it's time to go." He said, scooping her up in his arms.

(Y/N) nodded, but as the hedgehog started to run around the room, looking for a way out, she found herself wondering how they were meant to escape. Her eyes scanned the ceiling, and she remembered just how deep underground they were. If this room was collapsing, then there was no doubt the rest of the place was as well. How were they meant to get up through the levels if they're coming down?

Her eyes widened as a loud 'boom' sounded from above, and the floor above them started falling through the ceiling. They were trapped, Sonic's speed wouldn't save them from being crushed.