Roleplay:A time travel trip

This roleplay is Invite-Only!

Overview
"I hope you're ready, cause here we go!" -Time Spinner performing a time spin.

Time Spinner, the meta of time itself, has agreed to take the heroes into the future, to see what fate awaits them, and what they find is a terrible sight. The world has been destoryed, countries are ruled by dictators and other such beings. Some countries have even been destroyed, and yet, some heroes still exist, they live amongst the world, and their fate is unknown.

Travel with Time Spinner to the future, learn what has destroyed the lands, what has become very cities and people, discover new weapons and powers to help your character and learn what has happened to the fate of your character in the world to come.

Rules

 * Do not auto hit
 * Do not dodge everything
 * Do not god mod
 * Please do not de-rail the plot
 * Do not jump in, this roleplay is invite-only
 * "Do try to have fun, dear."

Participants

 * NeoExlucky
 * FroZenHyBrid
 * MaverickHunterSigma

Involved characters
Time Spinner (Neo)

Neo Tranquil (Neo)

Ages Tranquil (Neo)

Ciela the Fox (Neo)

Zero Evol (Neo)

Leah the Chao-Born (Neo)

Zapor the Hedgehog (Z88)

Zak the Kirby (Z88)

Lexi the Hedgehog (Z88)

Argent Hellsing the Wolf (MHS)

Rose Hellsing the Wolf (MHS)

Monica DeLouise the Hedgehog (MHS)

Natalie Alister the Wildcat (MHS)

Athena Pyress the Ocelot (MHS)

Sigma Hale the Hedgehog (MHS)

Shari Hayoko the Hedgehog (MHS)

Yuhi Saisei the Mouse (MHS)

Future Neo (Neo)

Future Zero (Neo)

Future Leah (Neo)

Future Millie (Neo)

Future Echo (Neo)

Future Zapor

Future Zak

Future Lexi

Future Ripple Master Argent Hellsing (MHS)

Future Rose Hellsing (MHS)

Future Prairie Haruno the Fox (MHS)

Future Ikiru Shiginake the Fox (MHS)

Takeshi Shiginake the Fox (MHS)

Future Sigma Hale (MHS)

Future Shari Hale (MHS)

"The Endbringer"/"The Savior"/Future Masako Shiginake the Fox (MHS)

"Spirit of War"/Future Athena Pyress (MHS)

"The Tyrant"/Future Natalie Alister (MHS)

"Patron of Chaos"/Future Monica DeLouise (MHS)

(Don't ask, I just wanted to give the Last Lights unit unique titles.)

Future Yuhi Saisei (MHS)

Future Cheryl Valder the Bat (MHS)

Future Eradia Lockhart the Rabbit (MHS)

Soldiers of the future (Neo)

Aurum the Hedgehog (FroZen)

Future Aurum the Hedgehog (FroZen)

Part 1: Packing up and spinning out
The Tranquil home was full of hustle and bustle today. Ages and Neo stood in a large room, which had all of it's furniture pushed to the side. There was a large grey hole in the center of the room, that spun in a controlled area. Time Spinner was keeping the the hole open with some kind of meta power. Leah and Zero stood next to the couch, and Ciela leaned against leaned against a wall. "This is kind of exciting." Time Spinner remarked. "Breaking the rules, I mean. I didn't realize it was this fun."

"Oh, we've broken rules before." Neo waved. "How did Equestria fair after you and I battled the nightmare forces?"

"24 homes were destroyed, alongside destruction to part of the celestial castle, a hooffull of mailboxes were destroyed and we technically commited treason against the celestial diarchy." Time Spinner said with a smirk. "But after getting past all the blood, arguing, and pain we went through, it was fun."

"Hey move it!" A gold hedgehog looks from behind someone.

"Yeah we're going to the future!" Zapor said jumoing up and down on the couch.

"How many years is this in the future?" Zak asked.

"Somewhere around 20." Time Spinner said. "Give or take a couple of years."

"Man, I bet I'm awesome in twenty years!" Lexi said.

"Yeah, celebritory pizza! Where's Echo? She ain't gonna get any of this 3 meat pizza." Zapor said, taking a bite of pizza

"Yep, twenty years." Time Spinner said. "I was gonna go 1000 years, since that's how long it took before all evil in the world was destroyed in Equestria, but then I realized it wasn't, and you guys get stuff done quicker than we do in Equestria."

"Echo's off with Sierra, Jazz, and Sedna. Their getting their nails painted, and then their gonna go to the movies." Ages said.

"So that leaves us," the swordsman pondered. "I'm Raynard, by the way."

"Hasn't been a solid month since we dated, and she's already on a girl's night out." Zapor said.

"Whatever, let's just get going!" Lexi said.

"Just relax a bit. Time Spinner is still working, and we still need to wait for confirmation on whether or not the other guests are coming." Neo said. "Just give it time, we'll be out of here soon."

(In other words, we gotta wait till everyone either checks in, or says they're not comming. -Neo)

"Blade can't come because he's playing basketball with Kenny. And Emmy can't come since she said that it'll ruin the surprise. Which I wouldn't know. I have no idea where Leo is." Zapor said.

Aurum sits away from Raynard. "So, it's just us guys here? Huh."

"Well, Time Spinner's energy is depleted by how many people we send, so I wanted to keep the group small." Neo explained. "That, and I don't want anyone screwing up the timeline or whatever..."

"We can't screw up the timeline." Time said. "If we meet one of us in the future, then the time stream wanted us to do so. This isn't like going in the past, time can't exactly be rewritten when we travel into the future, it doesn't work like that. By that same logic, waking up and trying to decide what shirt you want to wear today is rewriting time."

(So I've decided that waiting on everyone might not be the best corse of action, since some people might be missing. So I've decided that we'll continute from part 1 on friday. -Neo)

"Oh. Luckily I'm not too keen on changing my clothes at the moment." Aurum shrugs.

"Alright..." TIme Spinner started. "We're ready. If everyone else is ready to go, we can get started."

"Well then, as a time traveling man once said," Time Spinner pulled the portal of silver swirling energy up off the ground, creating a portal. "Geronimo!"

Neo, Ages, Ciela, and Zero make their way through the portal.

Zapor hops off the couch and on to Neo's back. "Wooo! This is gonna be awesome!"

"Yeah, unless in the future we all leave our kids in some type of apacolypse." Zak said.

Lexi kicked Zak as she walked to the portal. "Come on. What bad would happen in the next 20 years?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey wait!" Yuhi could be seen running towards the portal. She tripped, diving in headfirst.

Argent and Rose, however, calmly walked up. "Hope you don't plan on heading on without us." Rose said.

Raynard stepped in with the others. He wondered what awaited them...

"Let's go you two." Aurum motions for Rose and Argent to follow before jumping into the portal.

Aurum would've seen five others heading toward them.

Rose spun around, looking around at all of them. "OmegaCorp's 'Last Lights' unit? Minus one... Monica, Natalie, Athena and... where's--"

"Masako? She reported in requesting a leave of absence. It was for medical reasons, I believe." Athena said.

"It was back in the Zue Garden... something was wrong with her... she said she was afraid to pick up her blade again..." Natalie murmured, just barely audible.

"And Vorpa... I'm assuming she's still with her?" Rose asked.

Natalie replied with a nod. "No telling how long Masako will be away from combat."

"Mm..." Rose appeared to be rather worried.

Argent addressed the other two. "And if I'm correct, we have OmegaCorp's own 'Grim Reaper' with us today. And his girlfriend, too."

"We're all here for Masako's sake. We have no idea what the hell's in her system, and we need to know why she's do damn terrified to pick up her blade again." Sigma said.

"And I'm just along for the ride." Shari said.

Aurum pokes his head through the portal. "Come on gu-Who're you five?"

"Well... you already know who I am, Aurum." Natalie murmured. "'The Tyrant' of the Last Lights unit, Natalie Alister... I'm sure I seem a lot different now than before though. I get like that whenever I activate Orochi..."

Monica stepped up. "Monica DeLouise, the Patron of Chaos, and sharpshooter for the Last Lights unit. Just a heads up, I'm not known for being patient." Monica said.

Athena addressed herself last. "Athena Pyress, the Spirit of War, and founder of the Last Lights unit. I've been a soldier my entire life, so I know what it takes to survive."

"...Me? I'm not with the Last Lights unit." Sigma said. "OmegaCorp Administrator Sigma Hale. But some people just call me OmegaCorp's 'Grim Reaper'."

"And I'm Shari Hayoko, Sigma's girlfriend." Shari said. "I don't really need some silly nickname to be threatening, I can handle myself just fine."

"Oh right, sorry Natalie. And uh..hello, my name's Aurum. Psychokinetic."

"The Last Lights unit is some of the best OmegaCorp has to offer. Our skills alone have gone unrivaled amongst OmegaCorp's ranks... however, we were also chosen because of our aptitude for Ars Magus, devices powered by Chaos that enable the user to utilize magic. But unlike the Ars Magus mass produced by OmegaCorp, the weapons we use are special and weren't tempered by normal means. These 'Arma Antīquōrum Causality Weapons' grant us unimaginable power, but as you might have noticed, it comes at a cost." Natalie said. "The one I use is Octavus Serpentum: Orochi. You've seen what it does to me... whenever I activate it, the fear of pain or death just washes away and it's nearly impossible to die... but Orochi demands bloodshed in return."

"And then there was that one time where Masako nearly slipped into a dark form that Susano'o activated..." Rose said. "I think we'd better be careful who we run into in the future. There's no telling what twenty years will do to someone."

"A psychokinetic, huh? Not really a word I see tossed around that often... any relation to Silver, by chance?" Athena asked.

"Well hurry up, you lot, I won't be able to hold thi portal open forever." TIme Spinner said as his fingers seemed to be playing with some sort of ball.

"Crap--we'll just have to figure out what's on the other side. Watch your head, guys!" Argent said, hopping into the portal, followed by Rose.

Natalie, Monica, Athena, Sigma, and Shari all followed suit.

Part 2: A bleak future
As the group made their way through the portal, they find themselves in an odd place. The building around them was nearly the same as it was when they left, but now most of the furniture and other items were locked up in glass boxes, there were also little plaques around that read some random information. The most notable thing though, was the two hedgehogs in front of the group. One of the hedgehogs, the boy, was purple and wore a brown aviator's jacket along with black pants and matching shoes. His hair was somewhat long, and he had a chao near him. The one next him, the girl, was blue and wore a long orange dress. There was a belt on her waist that held a small hammer, which was obviously used as a weapon. The two looked oddly alike and it was clear to tell that they were siblings, twins in fact.

"What...in the world?" The blue one asked.

"I don't miss." Time Spinner said. "This is the same room that we were just in, only 27 years in the future."

"Erm...if you don't mind us asking..." The boy said. "What are you lot doing in the Tranquil museum?"

"I do not know. But it is time to take selfies!" Zapor stands by the boy and takes selfies. Zak looks out the window.

"Huh." Aurum blinks and looks around.

"Tranquil... 'Museum'?" Argent asked. "I don't like the sound of this... bring me up to speed here, what happened to the Tranquil family?"

"Oh and by the way Athena, I only have abilities like him and look sorta like him out of coincidence. No relation." Aurum looks around.

"Most of the Tranquil family is no more." The girl said. "Not to long ago, Ages passed away in battle. His son, our cousin, was devestated. He couldn't believe that his father was dead. I can't even imagine what would happen if our dad died." The girl sighed. "Mom said that it wouldn't be any trouble to take him in though. We already have Angie Tranquil, Neo Tranquil's daughter, living with us, so she said it would be just fine." She raised her hand to the group. "Hi, I'm princess Fate, and that's my brother, Visor."

"Well, hey there!" Argent said with a smile.

Rose just stood there, stone-faced. She then leaned in towards Argent's ear. "Argent, don't tell me you don't see anything wrong with this..." She whispered.

"Shhh. I'm just as confused about this as you are. None of these names match the faces we remember." Argent replied in a whisper.

"....No...No!!" Zak started sobbing

"I know having a dude you know is sad.." Lexi was saying but was cut off.

"Not that!" Zak yelled. "Zapor's....the president."

Lexi's pupils grew small and she got on her knees. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Aurum facepalms. "Don't embarass yourself in front of the future kids you two."

"He's right. We need to look at the bright side." Lexi sniffed.

"Yeah, Blade's a king in two successful countries." Zak said.

"I meant don't act like idiots. But whatever." He shrugs. "So, whose your parents?"

"...I don't know what you're talking about." Fate said. "We're ruled by a monarchy and my parents are the king and queen."

"Wait...Mom sent us to find something here, right?" Visor said. "Maybe she sent us to find them? Mom's weird like that, she's a mage."

"...Tell me, is there some sort of news archive I could look through?" Athena asked.

"Ok, and who's Mom?" Zapor said, still taking selfes.

"Well...we don't know if there is, but we're sure Mom could tell you!" The boy said.

"Oh, and our Mom's name is Leah." The girl stepped in. "Leader of the council of Mobius and queen of the Chao-Born."

"Leah..." Rose trailed off.

"That sounds like a pretty heavy responsibility for one woman alone." Monica remarked. "Do you get to see her very often?"

"..Would your dad happen to be named Zero?" Aurum looks at the little girl.

"We see our mom often." Visor said and crossed his arms. "She rules in a diarchy, not by herself. Queen Millie rules as well."

"And yes, our Dad is Zero. We can take you to our parents." Fate nodded and threw something down onto the ground. "Everyone on the teleport tile."

"This place get's weirder and weirder..." Time Spinner muttered.

"Yeah, but in a cool way. I'm the president,  Blade's a king in another country, Zero finally hooked it up with Leah. How can the future be bad?" Zapor said as he got on the tile.

"Erm...don't jinx it Zapor."

"Yeah, let's wait until we see it for ourselves," Raynard quipped as he stepped onto the tile Fate set up.

"So. Where am I in the future?" Zak said as he and Lexi got on the tile.

"I expect to get some answers on the other side..." Athena said as she moved onto the tile along with the rest of the OmegaCorp personel.

"Same here." Rose said, following suit along with Argent and Yuhi.

The manages to teleport into a bright room with a fountain in the center of the room and lots of people around. "Welcome to the castle foyer." Fate said with a smile.

"Jeez, Zero and Leah jazzed it up." Lexi said. Zapor was standing around taking pictures.

"This way." Fate said as she led the rest of the group into a throne room, where a tall red hedgehog, with long hair and royal purple clothing sat on a large chair. Sitting on her left, was a purple mouse in royal blue clothing and on the red one's right was an empty chair.

"Is that Leah in the future?" Zapor asked.

"...Oh, where are our manners?" Athena said, kneeling. Natalie and Monica did the same, along with Sigma and (reluctantly) Shari.

"What are they...?" Argent questioned.

"You realize we've been given an audience with royalty, do you not? We're simply showing our respect." Athena said.

The red hedgehog walked slowly towards the group carrying a golden staff with her as she looked at the group. "Well, I'll be damnded." She said with smile. "Welcome to my kingdom, my old friends..."

"Hi Leah!" Zapor yelled, then did what everyone else was doing.

Rose met the heartwarming smile with another, happy to have found a friend in this age... she showed no resentment toward Millie, however.

"This moment is interesting." Queen Leah smiled. "I hazily remember this."

"This feels kinda weird..." Leah noted.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Queen Leah said. "You have met Queen Millie, correct?" She noted as her mouse companion walked down.

Both Neo and Zero glare at her. "Unfortunatly..."

Argent seemed to be... neutral towards Millie. He didn't like her, but she was still queen at this point in the timeline.

"Well then, there is much to disclose to you, but I'll keep this short." Leah said. "Neo is missing, Zero is general of the army, and Echo is our enemy now."

"Wait, Echo's evil?!" Zapor said, looking shocked. Then he went back and said, "I'm still cool though, right?"

"Echo..." Rose said. "Of course, it's coming back to haunt us 27 years later..."

"What about OmegaCorp? What's been happening with their Operations? And Masako, is she...?" Natalie pleaded.

"Echo turning evil is bad, I take it," Raynard said blandly.

"Basically she's a Captain America who is against America, so is that bad? Yes." Zak said.

"Echo is the most powerful being in the universe." Neo said. "Yes, this is bad."

"Omegacorp is now run by Ciel Mackenzie Hale. Albert Hale, the old leader, was assassinated. The serum that the Doctor made has enslaved Masako, and now she's nothing but a monster. As a result, the Last Lights unit has dissolved." Queen Leah sighed. "But there is hope yet. You have after all met my children."

"Yep, they sure have!" Fate said happily.

"Their name sakes...passed away recently. I'm sure you know about their deaths..." Leah said. "But there are others. Neo's daughter, Angie, is quite the fighter, and Ages' son isn't half bad either. Not to mention Echo's kingdom isn't very large anymore. My husband has retaken many cities."

"Masako..." Natalie looked down upon hearing what happened to her friend. They'd been comrades and sisters in arms since the Military Academy... they even graduated together... and now... "I promise. I will free you from this. No matter what pain you put me through, I won't stop until you find your way..." Her eyes flashed yellow for a second. "You just wait for me, 'Endbringer'."

"Hmm... so the unit's been dissolved, but the members involved are still active, correct?" Athena asked.

"Oh. But what about the rest of us?" Lexi asked.

"Like me. I'd like to know what happened to me in this timeline..."

"That...remains to be seen..." Queen Leah said. "Wasn't that long ago that I lost track of everyone. I suppose if you want a few more answers you might want to talk with my husband. I'm sure he can answer a few more questions then I could."

"I'd like to meet your husband, then." Monica said. "I wanna know what Masako's been up to lately."

"I don't understand... aren't we all connected to the System? Our nanomachines should've been tracking our location..." Natalie said. "Unless... no, something else could've happened..."

A second after she finished her sentence, an explosion was heard and a red hedgehog walked through the door. "OK, if anyone asks, I quit being a president and blew up a building."

Lexi's face: -3-' "Let me guess. That's Zapor."

"Woah! We looked weird as kids! Except me, I looked awesome!" Future Zapor stated.

"Zapor--and I'm talking to both of you, by the way... whatever you do, do not make physical contact with your other self." Athena said, appearing to be rather paranoid.

"Whatever you say, mom!" Future Zapor said with a insane smile on his face.

Aurum crosses his arms and sighs. "Where's your husband then ma'am? I'd like to speak to him."

"Kids, lead them to Dad." Queen Leah said.

Both of the kids nodded and ran down three doors, only to bump into a tall blue hedgehog in chainmail armor. "Whoa, what's this?" The hedgehog asked playfully. A small white chao could also be seen around him.

"Dang, Zero grew up." Lexi said, but as she said that an almost 5'2 blue kirby with long white hair and a ninja head band could be seen behind Zero. "Dang, Zak got bigger! I didn't even know kirbys could grow!"

"Hello Zero. Or should I say king Zero or whatever?" Aurum blinks.

"I think you can just call me Zero." King Zero said. "Well, I seem to remember seeing me at somepoint in the past, but I don't recall where."

"Well I have successfully deduced that Time Travel, is bull ****." Neo rolled his eyes.

"Neo...you're here..." Zero was surprised.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Neo asked.

"Neo..." He looked over at the other green fox. "Ciela..." He stopped and kneeled down on one leg. "I'm sorry, I am so sorry..."

"W-what do you mean?" Ciela asked. "What are you sorry for."

Zero sighed, eyed Time Spinner for a minute and spoke. "I can't tell you...spoilers..."

Future Zapor spun around. "Spoilers are bad for this movie!"

Future Zak rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he had it rough when Echo left and there is a girl following him. The good news is we have kids!"

"Kuh... 'spoilers', he says." Rose said. "I'd say he has a right to know what happened, but he probably wants us to figure it out for ourselves."

"Uh...Hate to break up this reunion but what exactly becomes of me in this future?"

"And what about me?" Natalie asked. "I mean, am I still...?"

(Natalie's afraid of Orochi [which was mentioned earlier, mind you] taking over her mind. However, she's still good in this future.)

A light blue kirby with armor feet (like Meta Knight) walks in the room (also like 10 centimeters tall) "Dad..Luther took my miwwor wand."

"...Huh. Who'd Zak have a kid with?" Aurum blinks, staring at the kirby.

"Erm...right you lot." King Zero said. "If you'll come with me, we can find...some of you...in the barracks."

Future Zapor spins around again. "Yay!!"

Kid Zapor just looked a combination of paranoid, worried, and shocked.

"Alright. Lead away." Athena said.

"What she said." Aurum points at Athena. "Lead the way."

King Zero led them to a room that was filled with many adults talking, some of them looked familair, while others did not.

"Future Lexi's off ripple training. Mainly since she doesn't want to deal with Luther. Who by the way is your son." Future Zak said.

"Yeah, who'd I marry?" Lexi asked.

"..." Aurum is looking around for his future counterpart. "Come on, where is he...?"

Zapor saw future Blade in some sort of king's robe.

"You married Kenny!" Future Zapor said.

"Ugh...I don't see him...maybe he's blocked off from view by the crowd."

"..." King Zero remains silent about Aurum's search.

Luther, a green hedgerobin (don't ask), walked in holding a mirror wand. "That's my miwwor wand!" Dylan (the small kirby)  said.

Aurum looks at Zero. "..He isn't here is he?"

"No..." King Zero toyed with the words he was looking for. "No...not here...I wouldn't exactly say you were even around anymore..."

"Yeah, you sorta left." Future Zak said.

"Oh." He looks around before walking past them rather quickly.

"He didn't just leave." King Zero said. "He turned..."

"What do you mean he turned?" Leah asked.

"It's not an uncommon thing. After Echo became evil, some of the other heroes sort of stayed with her. I mean when Time Spinner gave her the vial of the sands, everyone thought that she would come around at some point but after Echo killed Aselia, the rest of the Echo Project, and all of Lightstone, we knew she wouldn't come back. Morale got low after we lost Sonic. Time Spinner tried to kill himself after all of that happened, but suicide while you're immortal doesn't work like that. So he kind of isolated himself."

"And after Zapor realized she wouldn't come back, he sort of blamed himself and went insane. And might've had a kid with someone, none of us know." Future Zak said.

"So, some of us turned bad?" Aurum blinks.

"Some die, some live, some turn evil, some turn evil and come back, and some go insane. This is one bad movie." Future Zapor said.

Kid Zapor didn't know what he was saying. It was like he totally lost his mind.

"Well, there's certainly no getting off this train we're all on, that's for sure." A muscular grey wolf approached them, followed by a relatively built female wolf.

"So that's what I look like in 27 years? I don't look a day over 30!" Argent said.

"And I'm guessing that's me as well? Glad I kept myself in shape." Rose commented.

"Well most of us didn't really look that old when we got older." King Zero said. "Something about magic or whatever..." He paused for a minute. "Well anyways, now you lot get to help us fight Echo."

"What? Why?" Neo asked.

"Cause it's what we did when I was younger and the older version of me said that right around that point, so it had to be said." King Zero said.

"Oh joy." Aurum sighs. "Whatever."

"We...help you...because you say that you did it when you were a kid...so then the older version of you when you were a kid must have said that...and then the older version of the older version...what?" Zero's eyes swirled like slots in a machine until they brought up to X's.

"Don't try to think about it too hard, Zero." Time Spinner said. "It's better not to think about it at all, I just assume that someone's lying and be done with it."

"Right...well then, I suppose I brought you guys to the armory, so we should head there." Kind Zero said. "Though, we're already there...so help yourselves, I guess. The door right there leads to the armory and is covered in weapons of all kinds. All of which have been suited to yourselves and any allies we managed to pick up along the way." King Zero opened the door and revealed the large metallic room with weapons everywhere. There was one weapon hanging in a glass box though, it was a metallic bow.

"What's with that thing?" Neo asked. "I don't think we have anyone who's signiture weapon is a bow."

"So, these weapons for designed for our future selves? Well the ones that stayed anyway." Aurum looks at the bow with curiousity.

"Actually, one of my friends is an archer who uses an Ars Armagus longbow as her primary weapon... I don't think this is meant for her, though." Monica said.

"Hmm..." Argent kept eyeing the bow. "You think it might have something to do with the material and not the shape?

"Hm? Oh that thing?" King Zero asked. "That was Ciela's weapon."

"What?" Ciela asked. "But, I don't fight."

King Zero looked at her sadly for a second, and spoke. "You really should start fighting. Maybe if you fought you wouldn't be the way you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leah asked angrily.

"..." King Zero stayed quiet once more and talked slowly, as if he was treading on dangerous waters. "Think about it like this. She doesn't fight, but she's always covered in cuts and bruises, so where does she get them? Better yet, why did no one ask, why she always looked injured, when we all know at this point that Ciela doesn't fight."

Rose shrugged. "I figured they might've been defensive wounds. Life in the underground doesn't exactly sound, uhhh... accomodating."

Zapor stared at a missile launcher machine gun. He didn't feel like talking, nor did he pay attention.

"Wait, what does she do, then?" Zak asked.

"It's not what she does, it's what someone does to her. This entire time, Ciela has been beaten and no one ever bothered to ask her why she always ends up like this." King Zero spoke in a voice that seemed different from any voice the present Zero spoke with. This one was more mature and seemed somewhat kind.

Ciela looked down and didn't say a word.

"Oh, that's disgraceful!" Yuhi said.

"Who the hell would do that to her?!" Sigma growled.

"Scumbags!" Shari jeered.

"That's horrible..." Natalie said.

"The only person who can at this point." King Zero started.

"Please...don't..." Ciela said in a quiet voice.

"Glyph the Fox, leader of A.R.T.E and Ciela's boyfriend. Hopefully it hasn't evolved into the...lustier things yet..." King Zero mentioned. "No one told us when we were kids, we had to find out five months later...after we learned some things we really wish we didn't."

Neo and Zero looked furious. The tips of Neo's fur was already turning red, and Zero kept balling his hand into a fist and unballing it.

Ciela started crying.

Rose lifted Ciela's head up. "Get ahold of yourself! I wouldn't take that from anyone, and neither should you! Nobody should have to put up with that!"

"Man, that guy's a, and excuse my launguage, a ********************** ****** ***** ********** **************** ********** ******* sexist *********** jerk!" Lexi said.

"I agree, right Zapor?" Zak turned to Zapor, who was looking on the floor.

"I can't...it's my fault that he does those...those things..." Ciela murmered from her crying state.

"I don't care if it is or it isn't, it doesn't give him some magical right to do whatever he pleases with you. You stand up and fight, Ciela." Rose said.

"Right. And tell me one thing that you did to give him the rights to do that?!" Lexi said, balling up her fists.

"He saved my life..." Ciela sobbed. "He's the reason I'm still alive..."

"So he saves you, then turns around and treats you like this?!" Lexi yelled.

"As if you haven't grown since then. He might've saved your life, but if that's the only thing that's keeping you from fighting back, all that means now is that he thinks you're still the same Ciela from before: that you're weak and totally dependant on him. You need to show him that he has no right to take advantage of your gratitude." Rose growled.

"and use that bow to beat the everloving stuffing out of the guy." Aurum said, crossing his arms.

Ciela looked down. "No...it's different...he freed me...before I was a S-slave...and he freed me..."

"Ciela's from another country." King Zero explained. "She was sold as a slave and freed when A.R.T.E performed a raid there."

"..." Rose stayed silent for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, love, I guess you've had enough. I'll leave you alone, just go ahead and let it all out before I change my mind." She thought it over for a bit, then spoke up again. "Look, love, I'm not gonna tell you to beat him to a bloody pulp. Just take up the bow and show him that you can fight. Y'know, demonstrate on a target or something. Just don't demonstrate on his head. But... let him know that it could be his head the next time he beats you."

"Alright, now that that's done. What do we need to do to help you guys out here?" Aurum looks at King Zero.

"Well, we made the final push with you guys." King Zero mentioned. "Now that some of you guys are here our fusion forms can work again. As long as you guys are willing to fuse with some of us."

"Wait, why would we fuse? In fact, since when could we fuse? Who even came with that idea?" Zapor asked.

"You did." Future Zak said.

"I agree with Zapor. And even then who could we even fuse with?" Aurum is in disbelief

"Oh fu-..." King Zero stopped himself. "None of you know how to fuse yet..."

"No, but tell us anyway." Zero said.

"Well...we sort of...have some items that can make us fuse...and we may have once or twice used the chaos emeralds to fuse seven of us together to make something that an ancient tribe used to worship..." King Zero started. "Look, um...so using these sets of Necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, we can fuse two people together. When you fuse your powers are combined and doubled, making us very strong. Pretty much all of us have fused together before. Neo and Masako, Neo and myself, Zapor and Zak, Aurum and Argent, Rose and Masako, almost everyone has fused together at one time or another. When we used the chaos emeralds, it was myself, Neo, Zapor, Masako, Aurum, Blitz, and two others...but I forget their names."

"That sounds gross." Lexi said.

"Oh that fusion." Aurum blinks. "I've heard of stuff like that."

"We're able to perform those kind of fusions, and they're pretty powerful, though we don't have the chaos emeralds anymore, so we can't do the big one but the others will be fine." King Zero said. "Now grab you're things!"

"Pk, I'm not saying I don't want to, it's just that this'll be our problem in 27 years. And Zapor might not take it too well..." Zak leans to King Zero's ear. "..And Zapor isn't exactly a guy I wanna fuse with..mainly cuz I'd just have a Zapor hat on."

"All I brought were me and my clothes, forgot my sabre." Aurum sweatdrops.

"Right, right... but I'm concerned that there might be a bit of a problem... you're saying soldier girl's supposed to fuse with Neo and I at some point, right? Well, she ain't here. We couldn't bring her." Rose said. "It's that damn serum the doctor used on her. Have you found a cure for it yet?"

"King Zero!" A red fox suddenly barged in. "We've located Masa--I mean, 'The Endbringer'. Right now she's locked in combat with 'The Tyrant'. Should we engage?"

"'The Tyrant'? Could he be referring to me? I mean, in the future?" Natalie asked.

"Huh, Natalie wasn't your special power called The Tyrant?" Aurum glances at her.

"No, that's my title in the Last Lights unit." Natalie corrected. "Although, if the Last Lights unit has been dissolved in the future... why would we refer to ourselves by our titles?"

Aurum shrugs.

"Maybe because you guys got brainwashed by Echo and you probably only gonbh those names now." Zapor said.

"Take all the weapons you need from here." King Zero said. "Now then, it doesn't matter if we don't have Masako with us, we can only fuse all of us together if the chaos emeralds are with us, and they were destroyed by Echo a long time ago. You lot can still fuse with others. When you stopped acting like yourselves, we stopped calling you by your real name."

"Stopped acting like our--wait a minute, were we all injected with the serum at some point?!" Natalie inquired.

"Not all of you..." King Zero cringed. "Most of us did, but not all. There is no cure, exactly...but we can stop the infection." He took a breath. "It works like this, the serum infects the brain, manifesting and feeding off of emotions, and not evil ones either, ones that are somewhat good. Justice, Honor, Duty, Protection, things that would make you somewhat of a good person. There are two ways to 'cure' it. The first way is a labotomy, get rid of all emotions, get rid of the serum's effects but the cost was losing everything you are. Your memories, emotions, feelings, creativity, anything that made you alive. The second way was exposure to Dimensional energies. Special, dimensional energies." He took a breath. "You ever see the MysticDown, signs?"

"No..is it some sort of special item?" Zapor said with a sarcastic tone (video game items).

"MysticDown, is one of the most important things in your entire life." King Zero told the group. "But, I can't tell you any more than that. We need to get going."

"*sigh*, fine, what do we do. We already know that we need to beat Echo, but it can't be just that." Lexi said.

"Well, if that's all you're going to tell us, might as well head out." Argent said.

Natalie took a step forward, but was stopped by the red fox.

"Wait a minute... is that you, Natalie? You look a lot younger than I remember..." the fox said.

"Oh, and the topic of time travel never crossed your mind?" Monica sneered.

"Taking a look at your face now... is that you, Ikiru?" Natalie asked.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Ikiru said. "I am Ikiru Shiginake, faithful husband to Masako... until she succumbed to the power of The Endbringer. Fear not, lady Natalie, for I still work to free her from this fate!"

"I see you're determined... thank you for your support." Natalie said.

"Oh, and if you're worried about what you've become in this future... well, a lot happened after Masako became The Endbringer and the 'Power of Order' was disrupted. I won't go into the details, but rest assured that you and Athena are still on our side! But Monica disappeared shortly after the Last Lights unit was dissolved... no trace as to where she went."

"Well, we also have to get into Echo's fortress, fight all of the people who have turned against us, and survive, but after that, yeah all we have to do is fight Echo." King Zero said. "Now hurry along, we're gonna teleport out of here, soon."

"Masako's probably there, or near there..." Rose said.

"I wouldn't doubt it." King Zero murmered. "Now then, are you ready?"

Zapor shrugged. "Well, mainly because this is gonna be our problem in 27 yeara, we'll have to be ready,  so I guess we are.."

"Whether or not this future is meant to be is something I cannot determine. But if you plan on correcting things now, you'll need more allies, I'm afraid." A white rabbit said, approaching the group along with three others. Two of them--a bat and a mouse--seemed familiar, but the third--a young red fox with a zweihander--was new. However, he bore a striking resemblence to two faces the group had already seen.

"Hey, remember me?" Future Cheryl asked. "I know I wasn't much help last time we met, but I've gotten stronger since then! Really!"

"Whatever we did 27 years ago, it was a mistake. This isn't gonna be an easy fight." Future Yuhi said.

"Well you seem acquainted already..." the rabbit said. "I'm Eradia Lockhart. I control time by manipulating events in the timeline, but cannot change what's already come to fruition. I cannot reverse what's happened to this world, but I may take steps to rectify it."

"And I'm Takeshi Shiginake, son of Ikiru and Masako." The fox said. "My mother's still out there wreaking havoc... I don't want to kill her, but she has to be stopped."

"This future might not happen though." Time Spinner said. "Time can be rewritten, we can change this series of events."

"Then what are the chances ofnthis not happening? " Zapor asked.

"If it's possible that this timeline is a paradox, perhaps you and me should work together in the past--er, that is to say, your present." Eradia said. "Anyway, I believe Mr. 'Grim Reaper' and his wife are on the front lines, you should be able to find them after you teleport there."

"I don't know. Time can be easily rewritten, if you feel ike wearing a black shirt, and you choose a different color, none of this might happen. At the same time, if you decide to spare someone's life this could still happpen." Time Spinner stated. "Time's all just a bunch of wibbly wobbly...never mind..."

And just like that, a light flashed and the group dissappeared.

Part 3: The front lines
When the flash was over with, the group found themselves inside of a large building, which looked run down and old. The building had broken pieces of furniture and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. None of the future members of the group were there. "Where the hell are we?" Time Spinner asked.

"Is it possible that we messed up the timeline, and now we're in the different time?" Zero asked.

"No...when you travel in time, you can't cause paradoxes. We can't decide to do something differently and make someone just disappear...it doesn't work like there."

"Readings; indicate that there is a Zero about 50 miles from here." Ciela noted. "The teleportation messed up."

"Well, let's hope that the teleportation kept them together... worst case scenario would be that the teleportation scattered them. We need to find them and quickly. Ciela, are you picking up any other signatures near there?" Natalie asked.

"...Yes..." Ciela said. "A ton of life readings from around the Zero over there...and one more person in this room then there should be..."

"...So that day is today..." Murmered a voice lying on the other side of the room. Blood poured from his stomach and his clothes looked ragged and worn. Furthur inspection revealed who it was, it was the future version of Neo.

"So, wouldn't we need to know where we are, and then find them?" Zak asked.

"Neo!" Rose rushed over to Future Neo, followed by Argent.

Athena and Monica both looked at each other. They nodded, and moved in towards Future Neo's side of the room.

(Neo's death theme )

"Hi there..." Future Neo coughed.

"Wha-wwhat happened?" Ciela asked.

"Just a couple of punks..." Future Neo mumbled. "I thought I could take them on, but I just wasn't strong enough."

"Give me just a second." Leah kneeled down next to Neo. "I'll have you healed in a second."

"Always the supporter..." Future Neo whispered. "But, this blade, it was poisoned...no amount of magic can heal this. This is the end of my book."

"The book..." Neo mumbled. "'And in the end, after all of his hardships and trials, Neo Tranquil the Fox dies while surrounded by his friends.' That's what the book said..."

"Tell me something..." Future Neo asked. "Have you met Trinity Moon yet?"

"I don't know who the f.u know the rest that is, but don't you die on me, Future Neo! I have questions that only a guy who lived a life and is somewhat aged can answer!" Zapor said.

"Trinity Moon? Who is...?" Yuhi began to ask.

However, Argent quickly interrupted. "There's no time for that! Neo, I need you to keep your head up high! A mere poison is no match for the Ripple!"

"Argent, stop denying it... you know as much as I do that the poison's already set in too far for that. All we can do now is... is be here for him till the end. Now help me ease him through this..." Rose said, her voice starting to break.

"...You're right... fate can be cruel, but denying it is a fool's choice. And I'm that fool..." Argent said. "But Neo... you were never the fool. You saw danger for what it is, and you faced it head-on. You've always had my respect."

"You've been a great friend to all of us. Every trial we faced, you saw us through, and watched us grow stronger... y-you'll always be in our hearts..." Rose said, her voice still shaking.

"But we still need you to tell us... who, or what, is Trinity Moon?" Argent inquired.

"You haven't met her yet...that's good..." Future Neo smiled and laid his head down. "That's good, you'll still get to spend some time with her. Trinity Moon is one of the greatest companions we've ever had...it's a shame we lost her..." His eye lids started to get heavier. "Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm going to take a little nap. Wake me up...in...two...hours..." Future Neo's eye lids fluttered closed and just like that, he was dead.

"Neo..NEO!!!!!" Zapor started crying on Future Neo's dead body.

(Super Mario game over theme played.)

Zak patted Zapor's back, looking as if he was crying.

Tears rolled down Rose's cheeks, and refused to reverse their course. Although she knew this event would not come to fruition for 27 years, this was still Neo's fate. To her, it was just the same as losing the one she was with now.

Argent seemed to be on the same wavelength as Rose, shedding manly tears. "NEEOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOO!

Natalie put a hand on Time Spinner's shoulder. "We still have the power to change this, right? 'We carve our own fate'... that's what Masako would say... and she wouldn't want this scene to repeat itself."

"Right." Time Spinner said. "'Time can be re-written' and most deaths are not constants. Neo's certainly isn't." He looked back down at the body. "Seeing him like this though, I have to wonder a few things..." Time Spinner pulled the knife out of Future Neo's stomach. "I wonder who killed him...?"

"I wonder who he was married to." Leah blurted.

"Married?" Zero asked, which prompted Leah to point to the gold band on his hand.

"If he died, at least he died happy. He had a wife and a daughter it seems." Leah said.

Ciela looked over to a room next to this one, which looked like an old bedroom and went inside it.

"It probably helps that we were there for him in the end..." Yuhi said.

"Huh? Hey, stay close." Athena said, following Ciela. In one hand she held an HF-49 Snowstorm magnum; the other, a very large hunting blade. She wasn't going to take any chances if the enemy was still near.

The bedroom was sort of a mess, clothing and other pieces of fabric littered the floor. Sitting on the bed though, was a redwood bow and a quiver full of arrows. Ciela approached them slowly, and picked the bow up. "Why are these here?" She asked. "Neo can't use a bow..."

"Not sure." Neo said as he looked around the building. "But this was, at one point, my home."

"No clue who had it last... question is, do you know how to use one?" Athena inquired.

Ciela hesitated for a little bit as she stared at the bow. "I mean...I've read about it..." She took the bow into her hands and slung the quiver onto her back. "I...I suppose I can try it..."

"More importantly, why is there a box saying, give to members of the group, on the bed?" Lexi asked.

"Let me see that..." Athena inspected the box for traps. "If you have the aptitude for archery, just trust your instincts, Ciela. But if you're having trouble, don't be afraid to ask."

"Good point." Neo said and approached the box. He started to fumble around with a lock on the box and it opened up. He smirked, sat on the bed, placed the box on his lap and held up a piece of paper. "It's a letter from me." He said. "''Merry Christmas, I think you're gonna need these. From Santa Claus aka Neo Tranquil the Fox." ''He threw the paper to the side and looked all the items in the box. "Swords, shields, gloves, oh my..."

"What is it?" Zapor asked.

"But are they intended for anyone in particular?" Athena asked.

"Trinity Moon... she must be from Equestria, right? What do you think she's like?" Natalie asked.

"I don't know..." Leah mused. "Apparently she's one of the greatest companions we've ever had."

"I don't know..." Neo said and scrummaged through the box. "There's nothing on any of them." Neo dumped the box out on the bed, where lots of weapons and other items fell out, including a pen, a shield, a sword, a pair of gloves, two rocks, and an assortment of tools and other objects. "I have no idea what this is about."

A paper floated out of the box and landed near Lexi's feet. Lexi picked it up and read it. "Oh dang..."

"What is it?" Neo asked.

"It's a letter to Zero and the others. It said someone betrayed us and is going to kill everyone. Also, it says that Zero's $10 is in the box." Lexi said.

"...Does someone owe me 10 dollars?" Zero asked.

"I don't think that's the point." Ciela said and collected the items into the box again. "But we need to get back to the future versions of ourselves. We can figure this stuff out later."

"So, where are the future vers' of us?" Zapor asked.

"50 miles from here..." Ciela said. "It's gonna be a while..."

"Anyone notice the pen?" Leah asked. "It looks weird."

"The pen's a key." Neo said simply. "It opens up the store room."

Leah took the pen and left the room, a loud noise erupted from the other end of thee building and Leah called out. "Guys...I know how to get to the future versions of us..."

"And how's that?" Neo asked.

Leah came in, holding a red ex gear with a broom stick painted on the top of it. "Someone left these ex gears for us."

Zapor smiled. "How many of you guys know how to drive one?"

"I think I had one once." Sigma said. "It's so simple a complete moron could pick up and drive one. Just don't crash and you'll be fine."

"There's one for each of us, right?" Yuhi asked.

Zak counts all the boards, including his Formula Star. "Yeah, there should be enough."

"I had some training back in G.U.N, I know how to ride." Zero said.

"I have a little bit of knowledge about it. Though, I don't normally ride them." Ciela stated.

"I know how to ride." Leah exclaimed.

"...No..." Neo said. "No, I dunno how to ride one. I normally use the big, spaceship/mech thingie, not some flimsy board."

"These boards are interesting..." Time Spinner inspected a grey board with a pocket watch painted on the front tip. "These devices on the bottom propel the board up, keeping it in the air, while the jets on the back push it forward and can increase based on the amount of air collected and stored in the center of the board. The feeling must be similar to that of...of..."

"Flying without wings?" Zero finished.

"Exactly!" Time Spinner said excitedly.

"We'd better get started." Neo took a simple green board for himself. Ciela took a mechanical-looking board, and Zero took a blue board with black flames printed on it. Neo led the group down a flight of steps that led directly to a door which opened to reveal the ruins of Leafopolis.

Zapor grabbed a red board with a machine gun painted on it, Zak took his Formula Star, and Lexi took a board with a heart and a fist on it.I

Argent took up a board with a sun painted on it while Rose grabbed a pitch black board with white sickles for fins. Yuhi picked out a hot red board with flames painted on it. Sigma took out a board painted like some dark monster, perhaps designed after the Azure Grimoire sealed within his right arm... Shari picked out a similar board, but with different features. Natalie quickly picked a board specifically designed after one of Orochi's heads. Monica picked a blue board with jets designed like revolvers and a decal featuring dual revolvers. Finally, Athena picked out a camouflage board.

"Looks like we're just about all geared up." Athena said.

Time Spinner hopped on his board. "As an old friend of mine once said...Geronimo!" And the group raced off into the heart of the city.

Town Square was just as depressing as the rest of the ruined town, but with a bit more noise. There tents all about and people stood at all of the passways. Future Zero found the group and ushered them into a large tent with a table that held a map of the city on it. "I don't know why that happened...the teleportation tile has never messed up like that."

"Sh** happens." Shari said.

"Anyway, our briefing?" Athena asked.

"Echo is staying within a former G.U.N base on the far side of town." Future Zero said. "Problem is, this G.U.N base is heavily protected, she has hordes of monsters to protect her and several others that are more than willing to help defend her. So here's wha's going to happen. We are going to run head first into the base, causing Echo to send most of her forces our way. In the meantime, you lot are going to sneak in, and make your way to the top of the building, where you can confront Echo. The rest of us will be up there soon after you make it, and then we can take Echo down. However, I doubt that she'll make everyone fight us, so be prepared for a couple of interruptions." Future Zero pulled a file filled with papers out. "I should warn you though, there are lots of former friends that have chosen to side with Echo. Knuckles the Echidna, Blaze the Cat, Vorpa, Jazz, Aude, you name it. We have some allies too, besides those that you have met, there is also Tails the Fox and Amy Rose, who have both sided with us."

"Is there any way to subdue our former friends without killing them?" Athena asked.

"Knocking them out will work just fine." Future Zero said. "It's how I dealt with a few of them."

"So there's no point in going all out on them and exhausting ourselves before we even get to Echo. We're going to need all the energy we can save in order to stand up to her." Future Rose said.

"Ok, but first, we got something important to say. 1, Neo's dead. 2. Someone's a traitor. And 3. Neo put your $10 in here, Zero." Zapor said.

"Okay, I know, and yay, ten dollars I probably won't use." Future Zero said. "Now then, there is the energy problem, but I wont be able to help you in that area, perhaps Ciela can use the paladin device to charge the energy around you."

"That sounds perfectly reasonable! Only one problem. She has Cluckchoo chickens."Future Zapor said.

Kid Zapor just stood in a corner cradling himself, and Lexi was the next to speak. "Right..anyway, other than the energy problem, the beating the friends we used to have, and getting through a heavily armed base, all we have to dois beat Echo, right?"

"That's all." Future Zero said.

"That seems alot easier than the stuff we usually get." Zapor said. "But it's also complicated."

"Don't get cocky, kid. You weren't there when the fighting started, and we lost plenty of lives trying to take back our home! It hasn't been 'easy' for us, you idiot!" Future Sigma shouted.

"Hey, he's just a kid! You can't expect him to understand the sort of things you've gone through! For all the time you've spent on this damn planet, you should know that by now! If I knew I'd turn into such a hard*** 27 years later..." Sigma said.

"By now, 'The Endbringer' is probably weakened from the fight against my future self. If that's the case, we might be able to get past her without sustaining too much injury." Natalie said.

"Mmhm, so we do have someone keeping look out for the enemy troops, right?" Zak asked.

"Was my future self contained? Or has he become dangerous in the future?"Aurum is watching them all.

(Gah...stupid trolls...-Neo)

"We tried to contain him." Future Zero said. "But he was too powerful. He is very dangerous right now. Anyways, you shouldn't have to worry. Ciela has the technology to keep track of everything. We'll alert you if anything big splinters off and heads your way, but for smaller troops, Ciela can do that."

"...Got it." Aurum stops levitating and lands on his feet.

"Sir!" A guard opens the tent's 'doors' and speaks. "Everything is prepared for the attack."

"Good, rally the troops, we're on our way." Future Zero said, then turned to the others. "We'd all beter get going."

Part 4: Echo's new order
Zero was correct, once his soldiers started moving forward, the enemy started fighting back. There was a large force outside of the G.U.N base and many soilders fought with a variety of powers. Future Zero stayed at the back of the army, with the rest of the group. "Get to the back of the building." He said, not takin his eyes off the fight.

A wave of red flies towards a group of Zero's soldiers and strikes them down.

"Uh...That's not me." Aurum says, keeping his eyes on the flash.

Future Zero stares at where the red wave hit. "I know who it is..." He said darkly. "You lot need to get out of here. Now."

More flashes hit the soldiers and lift them up, smashing them into the ground. A black figure covered in red appears in the distance.

"Okay, I know we're supposed to get to Echo with out using all our energy, but can someone tell me how we're even sipposed to get to her?" Zapor asked.

"Uh...Zapor?" Aurum taps his shoulder. "How about we focus on following Future Zero's orders and run from whatever's taking down those soldiers? Even if it is who I think it is..."

"Let's go." Neo lead the group to the back of the building. "Okay...so where is the door?"

"I got it." Ciela said and shot a blinking arrow at the wall, causing it to blow part of it off.

"...That's one way to breach a G.U.N base..." Zero stated.

"I think I broke into a castle in a similar manner..." Time Spinner mentioned.

As the group walked into the door, Zak heard metallic footsteps. "Oh, please tell me one of you guys are wearing metallic shoes, because I am not in the mood to fight a robot."

"Hey, I'm an android. Does that count?" Sigma said.

"I wouldn't bet on that." Shari said.

"I'm sure it isn't anything we can't handle." Neo said confidently. "We need to keep moving forward."

As the group advanced, the metallic footsteps grew louder. Zapor pulled out his missile launcher, "Ok, either that thing sounds huge, or it's been really heavy."

"You've always been the optimistic one, Neo." Rose said with a smile. "You can count on us to make things right when we get back. The harder we work, the closer we'll get to preventing this future."

"Whatever's coming, you just let us handle it." Natalie said. With a blink, her eyes turned yellow and snakelike. "There's no hope for it now... hehehe..." she continued, as if the usually calm and quiet Natalie had been suddenly replaced by someone loud and cruel. She summoned one of Orochi's heads in the form of a short blade, which she began twirling around on a chain that was being summoned from some sort of hammerspace.

A red wave flashes outside as a soldier from Zero's army is sent flying past them, towards the footsteps.

"Uh...guys?" Aurum pokes their shoulders.

"...Alright, fine. We'll deal with him too. C'mon, Shari!" Sigma said, dashing back towards the conflict.

Shari nodded, following Sigma's lead.

Aurum shrugs and follows them.

The figure smashes more soldiers into the ground before looking at Sigma, Shari, and Aurum. "...!"

"Don't suppose you'd be looking for a real challenge over here, would ya?" Sigma taunted, the extra armor on his right arm detaching and reforming into a large HF blade, leaving the Azure Grimoire in his right arm exposed. "Just try not to bore me to death, okay?"

The figure lands. "Heh, guess you decided to pay a visit to the future." He sounds like Aurum. "Very well then. I'd say the same goes for you." His hands glow red and a blade forms.

"Let's just get this over with." Sigma said, stabbing his blade into the ground. He punched the side of it, unleashing what appeared to be the heads of some monster through the blade. "Hades Magnum!"

Lexi follows Sigma, Shari, and Aurum, and sees the figure. "Dang, that guy looks like Aurum."

"Lexi, that is me." Aurum facepalms.

Future Aurum grins and slashes at the heads.

Sigma rushed in after his initial attack, grabbing his blade and going straight into a roundhouse, slashing overhead with his blade, tossing it into his other hand and slamming it down, breaking apart the ground.

Future Aurum slides back, watching Sigma. His hand glows and rubble floats into the air, he throws it all at Sigma.

Sigma slashed at the debris, then jumped up into the air, the blade sliding up and backward into a scythe. He then slashed downward at Future Aurum. "Blood Scythe!"

Future Aurum's hand glows red and Sigma should feel like he cannot move.

"What the?! Oh, right, telekinesis crap." Sigma said

"I'll get this one!" Shari said, firing several shots at Aurum. They weren't conventional projectiles, but ones created by the Azure Grimoire. It seemed both she and Sigma had the same powers.

Future Aurum floats into the air, throwing Sigma at Shari. "You two aren't a match for me. Try again when you're the two I usually fight in this time."

Lexi runs up with a ripple blast in her hand. "Maybe that's because you use your telekinesis powers without actually fighting up close!"

Leah threw a blast of fire in future aurum's direction.

"Oh crap..." Neo said under his breath and threw a roundel grenage towards Future Aurum.

Future aurum grabs the grenade and throws it back at Neo before grabbing Lexi with his telekinesis and throwing her at Leah, getting his quills burned by the fire. "Why you..."

Zapor shoots at Future Aurum with his pistol. "Why you what?"

Aurum launches a red wave at Zapor and grabs the bullet. "Oh be quiet! I always thought you were annoying Zapor!"

"Get in line bro. I always thought you were a kamikaze deoosh! And you even became a full one! No offense Past Aurum!" Zapor said as he dodged the red wave (lost his goggles though) and fired more shots.

The grenade exploded near Neo, causing him to be thrown backwards a bit.

Ciela fired an arrow at future Aurum, and gave something to Zero. "Give the other one to Neo, hurry!"

Zero kneeled down next to Neo, and tried to help him with something.

Time Spinner fired a grey orb of energy at future Aurum.

Future Aurum forms a red shield is blown back a bit and he traps the arrow in a red aura and throws it to the ground.

Aurum watches. "Hm..."

Something attempts to coil around Future Aurum.

"Now, now Aurum." Came a female voice from behind future Aurum. "These are not our enemies. You do not have to treat them as such." An adult version of Echo stepped towards the group, a yellow crown sat on her head and she wore a purple robe. "I suppose you have come to defeat, but will hear my words before you attack?"

"Why would we do that?" Ciela asked.

"Because I'm afraid you have been betrayed." Future Echo said grimly.

"Say what? Speak up, huh?" Natalie shouted, retracting Orochi.

"Who betrayed us then?" Zak asked.

Aurum stops attacking and walks next to Echo. "Fine whatever. I was just havin a bit of fun." He places a mask on, now being silent. "..."

"I think it's pretty simple. The future version of Zero betrayed you." Future Echo said.

"What?" Zero exclaimed.

"Think about it. By now you've gotten the note that said someone will betray you, but who's to say that the entire group of them hasn't betrayed you." Future Echo noted. "Look at it like this, their country is run partially by Millie, our main enemy. They own most of the country, and many of us have been corrupted."

"That doesn't mean anything." Leah interjected.

"Then answer for me one question." Echo said. "Why did the future version of Neo, run away from Zero and Leah's country?"

"Unless Neo himself was the traitor. But even then he..." Aurum looks away.

"..." Future Aurum blinked.

"If Neo was the traitor, then wouldn't it be odd that he left you all of those items?" Echo urged. "I'm telling you, you all have been fighting for the wrong side. The note wasn't about them, it was about you, about your group, the ones from the past. Neo clearly wasn't the traitor, he helped you. How about the fact that Zero sent you lot head first against me, without any help from his army?"

Neo's eyes are swirling, and he now has a dark red ring on his arm. Zero is holding a light blue ring, but he has not put it on yet.

"But he tried to tell us to leave when my future self, Mr. Battle hungry crazy pants came." Aurum points at his future self.

"...!" Future Aurum's eye twitches.

"Correct, and who does the future version of yourself work for? The same person willing to stand up against Zero." Echo said calmly.

"..." Aurum crosses his arms and closes his eyes.

Future Aurum removes the mask. "Next time, think before you speak kid. You just might get more than you bargained for." He puts the mask on.

"Wait, then why did OmegaCorp side with... of course." Athena said. "If someone hacked into the Cipher, they could control all of their units through the nanomachines in their body. So when the Last Lights unit split up, they managed to disable the nanomachines in their bodies and free themselves from the influence of the Cipher."

"That doesn't explain why the others sided with Zero." Rose said.

"It does, actually. When you're facing a PMC like OmegaCorp, you'll want to side with Zero just to avoid being crushed under his bootheel." Athena answered.