Universe 220822

Now that Team Anomaly was properly introduced, they decided to explain their plan.

With the Secret Society having Sonic captured, Opaline and pretty much Eggman at this point in the go across the multiverse, it was time to divide and conquer: Four teams, each one having a mission with the same level of importance.

Team A: Sunny, Hitch, Pipp, Young Sonic, Sunset and Amy. They'll stay here in Mobius and look after another Prism shard that has fallen in here, since Tails revealed that his shard started to act weird and pointed into a random direction, probably revealing the location of that shard.

Team B: Tails, Zipp, Izzy, Misty and Knuckles. They'll head to look after help in any friendly universe they know about, even though none of them had any idea on how to travel to other worlds...

Thankfully, though, Firefly gave her watch to Tails, as the perfect chance to open a portal to any other world. Of curse, she forgot to explain how the hell the watch works and how it opens portals in the first place, but Tails is a genius, he'll figure it out... Hopefully...

Team C: Classic Sonic, Boom Sonic, Blue Buffon, Tails X, Dr. Hooves and Firefly. Their mission is to find away to sneak inside the Secret Society's HQ and rescue Sonic, as well as other anomalies.

Of course, being his siblings, both Sunny and Tails tried to insist that they wanted to help out in rescuing him, but Boom Sonic explained two fair points: The first one? They had no idea where to look after, not even Sunny, who was trapped most of the time she was in the HQ.

The second one? The Society had something against them both. Sunny's Sonic's friend, and she was previously captured. Tails is supposed to die, and FS has reached a point where he's willing to make said Canon Event happen.

They both hated the idea of staying behind and not helping Sonic out, but they still choose to stay, just like Pipp. Speaking of her, she did wanted to go with Team C and rescue Sonic as well... But after all the crazy stuff they've been through? She has accepted that he can take care of himself.

So, even if she's worried for her boyfriend, she'll stay here with Team A and will help out on getting that shard. If getting it means she can help Sonic and stop Opaline, then she'll gladly take the job.

Finally, Team D: It consisted only on Team Dark. Their mission? Go and find Dr. Eggman, who's still out there in the multiverse as well. Hooves gave them his watch too, and since Boom, Classic and Tails X still had theirs, it was clear Team C wouldn't need that one.

With every team divided and the whole plan explained, Team C left immediately and headed towards the Society's HQ, while Team D left as well, although Shadow did made a salute with a smile to Sunny before leaving.

Sunny also said a quick goodbye to Tails and her friends, and so did Pipp, specially with Zipp, while Amy went over to hug Knuckles and wish him good luck as well. With their goodbyes said, Team B stayed on the workshop, while Team A went on their own.

They eventually reached a zone where Green Hills could be seen from far ahead, amazing the ponies and Young Sonic, while Amy sat down on a rock and analyzed their mission.

"So, our mission is to find the shard that's located on West Side Island..." Amy said, as she watched Tails' Miles Electric, since he give it to her so they could follow the path towards the shard they need to get, the she deadpanned. "At least an explanation on how to do it would've been nice..."

"Well, this is your world," Sunny pointed out. "You know it better than any of us."

"Yeah, and even though this place is awfully familiar for me, I still have no idea where the heck am I standing," Young Sonic pointed out, but he did noticed a familiar giant loop de loop in the distance.

Maybe that's why it reminds him so much of his old home before moving to Earth.

"Okay... West Side Island is a big place. Only 7 zones are accessible, but there's a high chance we can still get inside of Metropolis..." Amy muttered. "I don't think the shard would've fallen on Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant, and if it did in Oil Ocean, we're screwed..."

"Oil Ocean?" Sunset questioned. "Is it actually an ocean made of oil?"

"Yup." Amy replied.

"How's that even possible?" Hitch asked with wide and panicked eyes. "That sounds like the most unsanitary thing ever!"

Sparky on his back babbled in agreement to that statement.

"Eggman's doing." Amy replied, which made the rest deadpan, and Young Sonic even facepalmed with a groan.

"Why am I not surprised?" Young Sonic asked to the air.

"Mystic Cave is literally a cave, so it couldn't fall in there..." Amy kept muttering. "And Aquatic Ruin is also out of question... That settles it to Casino Night and Hill Top. Now, in which one it could be? No idea..."

"Well. I wasn't expecting this to be an easy task..." Pipp said with concern. "Finding a shard over places that are as big as Green Hills is like finding a needle in a hundred haystacks."

However, Young Sonic's eyes widened after Pipp said that. "I'm sorry, did you just said we're in Green Hills?!"

"Let me guess: Your Green Hills isn't like this one?" Sunny asked him with a smirk.

"No the heck it isn't!" Young Sonic exclaimed panicked. "This place looks like my old home before I moved to Earth! But if this is Green Hills in this universe... It makes a lot more of sense, 'cause in my world, is a small town, not literally a bunch of green hills together..."

"That's interesting and all, but can we reserve the chit chat for later? We still have to find the Prism's shard!" Amy pointed out with concern. "I'll suggest we could split up in the two zones, but considering you guys have no idea on how to move around this dimension, that's not an option..."

"So what? We give up that easily?" Sunset asked with a slight frown. "Isn't there anyone you can ask to about this? Give us a possible clue?"

Amy thought on Sunset's words for a moment, and then, the answer came to her mind, because she smiled.

"Now that you mention it... There might be some old friends that can help!" Amy stated with a smirk.

Vector lifted an entire desk and looked after something down there, but he didn't found it.

"Damn it! Is not here!" Vector shouted with a frown.

Charmy, who was inside a box, soon came out and shook his head a bit dizzy. "It isn't here, either!"

As for Espio, he checked inside a dresser, and he did found it, so he took out what seemed to be a giant map with detailed information about all the zones in West Side Island.

"Here it is," Espio said, as he walked back to the desk, which Vector already placed back on its place, while Team Chaotix gathered together.

Soon, Amy, Young Sonic and the ponies joined in, because Amy called Team Chaotix and asked for their help to find the Prism's shard that fell in West Side Island. They explained that they got a call from someone a few days prior about a mysterious glowing gem that's drawing attention to Casino Night.

They all thought it was just someone playing a prank on them, because the one person that called referred to them as 'The Cliotix', and that offended Vector, so he immediately hung up.

He sees his mistake now, but he's willing to help all the same now that he knows it wasn't a prank.

"So, if our agent is trustworthy, the mysterious artifact that has fallen in Casino Night has been placed in the center of the plaza..." Vector explained.

"Wow, that was fast!" Young Sonic exclaimed suddenly. "I guess this means we can go and take that thing already!"

"Is more complicated than that..." Espio pointed out, because Young Sonic was heading to the exit, but he stopped himself when Espio spoke. "They never place anything in the center of the plaza unless is for... The Deadly Deal..."

Charmy screamed in panic and hid behind Vector, while Vector's eyes widened in panic at the mention of that.

"Oh no..." Amy muttered in panic and with wide eyes.

"The what now?" Hitch questioned, feeling confused, just like the other ponies and Young Sonic.

"The Deadly Deal is an auction. You know: someone presents a product, and then a certain amount of money is offered until there is a final winner," Espio explained.

"But this auction isn't like any other one: While all the other objects offered are just like in any normal auction, the final product, always centered in the middle of the Casino Night's plaza, is a deal where you don't offer money... you offer something as valuable and expensive in return!" Vector explained as well with narrowed eyes.

"What?!" Sunset and Pipp exclaimed with panic and wide eyes.

"So is an auction where you both have to win and loose?!" Sunset asked with concern.

"Who's idea was that?!" Pipp exclaimed out loudly as well.

"Oh, but that's not the worse part..." Charmy said. "The winner of the deal has to grab the prize and then re-sell it so more deals can be made in the future!"

"No, seriously, I agree with Pipp: WHO'S IDEA WAS THAT?!" Young Sonic exclaimed loudly with wide and panicked eyes.

"If the mysterious crystal that's been placed in there is the shard you're looking for, perhaps you should find other alternatives to defeat that Opaline gal," Vector said with concern, also crossing his arms. "Is very likely that you won't ever see it again."

"Oh, no way!" Sunny exclaimed with a frown. "That thing is way too dangerous in the wrong hands and/or hooves! I don't care if there's someone out there that finds it valuable: We have to get it!"

"Well, then I really hope you have a plan to take the shard without getting killed." Espio said with a frown.

"Killed?!" Hitch said in panic, grabbing Sparky in a protective manner. "Why would we get killed?!"

"The problem of the deal isn't winning. You could literally offer anything and say it was used by Leonardo Da Vinci or something, and they'll still accept it." Charmy pointed out with a deadpan. "As long as you return the big prize? Everything else doesn't matter to the owner."

"The real problem is that if you try to get away with the prize, and the owner finds out, is Game Over," Espio explained, even smashing the table with a hand.

"Game Over?" Young Sonic asked, but when Charmy passed his own thumb over his neck, he understood what it meant, and he gulped nervously.

"So what do we do?" Pipp asked with concern and panic. "We need to get that shard, or else the entire multiverse is doomed before Opaline!"

"Well, there might be a chance, but even if we could make it work, this is your mission, you know?" Vector said, shrugging it off and smirking.

Amy frowned and facepalmed, because she knew what they wanted in exchange of helping.

"What?!" Sunset exclaimed loudly in anger. "Didn't you heard Pipp?! The whole multiverse is in danger! If we don't get that shard, then it'll be 'Game Over' for EVERYONE!"

"We deal with crazy stuff everyday, bacon-head," Espio pointed out with a bored expression. "Just because Eggman wasn't around doesn't mean we don't had things to do."

"Ugh, you guys are unbelievable..." Amy said with a deadpan, before turning around and exiting the room.

"Uh, Ames?" Sunny called out. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back..." Amy replied with a tired tone.

The rest but Team Chaotix looked at each other confused, while Vector Charmy and Espio looked at each other with complicity, because their trick seemed to work so far.

And then, Amy came back, dragging two big bags that seemed to have something heavy inside, which confused everyone else in the room, both because Amy dragged the bags like nothing, and out of curiosity on what could be inside of said bags.

Then, Amy took out from one of the bags a gigantic medal of pure gold that weighed about 500 or 600 kg. It had marked on it Sonic's name, and it also showed it was a first place medal.

The ponies' and Young Sonic's eyes widened at the sight of the medal, but Team Chaotix's eyes not only widened as well, they also made a strange sound and shifted to look like dollar symbols. They also smiled widely.

"I offer you these so you can exchange it for money. Is that enough for you to help us get that shard?" Amy asked annoyed, crossing her arms and glaring at them.

Then, Vector grabbed Amy's hand and stretched it with a smile. "Ms. Rose, you just had contracted our services!"

This made the ponies and Young Sonic look at Vector with disbelief, and Pipp even facehoofed herself.

"So you were only going to help if we payed you?" Hitch asked with a bit of anger.

"Is called 'business', Sheriff!" Charmy said with a smug look, also laying on Hitch's left side.

"Now that we have come down to an agreement: Let's get down to business!" Vector declared with a grin.

Later, that same night, the plan to get the shard was put in action.

Right now? The whole group was walking towards the center of the plaza, were The Deadly Deal would take place, and they could see the red Prism's shard being shown off inside a crystal, right in the middle of the plaza, while various chairs, a podium, and a curtain were in front.

The whole group were dressed up elegantly: The Chaotix, Young Sonic, Hitch and Sparky wearing tuxedo suits, each having a tie that matched their skin color.

As for the girls: Amy was wearing a long pink gala suit that covered her whole body, as well as long white gloves; Pipp had a long purple dress that matched her mane and purple eye-shadows; and Sunny and Sunset matched dresses themed with the sun, with golden eye-shadows.

"Okay... We're here." Amy stated with a determinate look, before looking over at the rest. "Everyone: Stick to the plan!"

The others nodded, and they all went in their separate ways: Charmy and Young Sonic went to a higher zone were they could be the eagle eyes; Amy and Espio headed to the auction were The Deadly Deal takes place; Hitch, Sparky, Vector and Pipp went to a roulette game not so far from the auction; and Sunny and Sunset went to a mini-bar near the auction as well.

With so many characters to work with, let's go by parts: First, Young Sonic and Charmy were watching after the biggest threat so far, someone that wanted to get his hands over the shard as well.

"Who's this guy we have to be careful with, again?" Young Sonic asked.

"Lemuel the Fox," Charmy whispered. "He's not only one of the most powerful fellas in terms of money, but he also has his own trouble with dangerous business. Money laundering, illegal arms sales... Things that get out of the system."

"Oh man..." Young Sonic muttered with concern. "So this guy wants the shard now... Good thing he doesn't knows what it can do."

"Yet..." Charmy muttered with concern, and that made Young Sonic gulp nervously.

"A-And how does he look like, again?" Young Sonic asked nervously.

"He's a grey fox with the most 30's look you'll ever see in your life..." Charmy replied with a deadpan. "He also has two bodyguards dressed with black tuxedo suits."

"Yeah, he's the dangerous type of guy based on that description..." Young Sonic said with concern, before his eyes widened after he realized something. "Wait a second, how did we get in here if we're kids? Or kid-looking like, anyways..."

"Casino Night is, believe it or not, an all-friendly place for anyone of any age to hang out." Charmy explained with a smile. "It doesn't matter if you're not legally allowed to enter to a Casino. You can come anyways!"

"Isn't that also illegal?" Young Sonic questioned concerned.

"It was, but the town's new owner changed that policy. Now everyone can come at any time!" Charmy explained with a smile.

"That... doesn't makes it sound any less wrong..." Young Sonic pointed out with wide and panicked eyes.

On the other hand, Vector, Pipp and Hitch were on the roulette.

So far, they decided to not bet anything, although Vector was more doing it out of self control, because he really wanted to, even though he knew it is not what they came for.

However, as Vector did this, Pipp let out a sad sigh, something that both Hitch and Sparky noticed, so they decided to walk her a bit away from the game, confusing the Pegasus, but she didn't stopped them.

Once they were far enough, Hitch looked over at Pipp. "You okay?"

"H-Huh? Me?" Pipp asked, a bit startled by the question, before chuckling sheepishly and look away. "Yeah, yeah! I'm cool! I'm definitely fine and totally not worrying about anyone in specific!"

She started to laugh awkwardly after saying that, but a deadpan from both Hitch and Sparky clearly told her that none of them believed in her.

"...It wasn't convincing, was it?" Pipp asked with concern.

"Nope. Not in the slightest" Hitch replied. "Come on, Pipp. We're friends! You know you can tell me anything."

Pipp let out another sigh, before looking back at Hitch with concern on her eyes. "...Okay, fine... I'll admit it: Yes, I am concerned... I... I know that is silly to be concerned for someone that can take care of themselves, but... I can't help it! I miss him..."

"You mean Sonic?" Hitch asked, and even though Pipp hesitated on replying at first, she still did by nodding. "Yeah, I figured. I'll be lying if I said I'm not concerned too. Sure, he's though and can kick ass like nobody, but he's still mortal."

"And now that I know he's encaged... I just can't help but feel that he needs me... Us! His friends! His... His lover..." Pipp pointed out with concern, sighing sadly again and looking away from Hitch.

"Yeah... I understand that feeling..." Hitch confessed, as he looked into another direction.

Pipp followed his sight and noticed that he was looking at Sunny and Sunset, with the former frowning slightly and looking down to the ground in concern.

"When she first left along Sonic to join the society, I felt a fear I thought I'll never feel again..." Hitch explained.

"Which is?" Pipp asked curiously.

"That something bad could happen to Sunny, and that I wouldn't be there to save her..." Hitch replied with concern and low ears.

"When did you had that fear before she left?" Pipp decided to question again.

"One time, when we were foals, Sunny went on a trip with her dad to search some stuff..." Hitch began to explain with a down expression. "She told me she'll be gone for a week only... But they both lasted a whole month coming back."

Pipp gasped and covered her mouth with a hoof after hearing that.

"I spent that entire month panicking, placing missing poster across the town, and even asking ponies to call me immediately if they got any sign of her..." Hitch continued with a chuckle. "I still remember the big collective laugh the entire town shared when they finally returned. They spent three extra weeks out because they got lost on a cave, but they eventually found an exit."

"You must have felt relief after seeing her safe." Pipp said with a smile.

"Oh, and I did. I think that's the day I realized that I liked her so much more than just a friend..." Hitch said, loosing his gaze on Sunny's figure, before sighing and get serious again. "But that day, the fear of loosing Sunny from my side forever also arrived... I mean, I always feared something could happen to those I really care for, but... Sunny was always a special case..."

"And judging by your expression, that fear only increased with time because of Sunny herself, right?" Pipp asked with somewhat a smug look.

Hitch chuckled and looked over at Pipp. "Are you sure your sister is the detective?"

"I'll say the love for mysterious stuff runs in the family!" Pipp sang the last word cheerfully, and both Hitch and Pipp shared a laugh.

"Yeah, well... You're actually right, Pipp," Hitch pointed out with concern. "Sunny tents to get herself in danger just as much as Sonic..."

However, a deadpan from Pipp told Hitch that he was baffling.

"...Okay, maybe not that much, but you get what I mean!" Hitch said with a smirk, and Pipp giggled.

"Oh, yeah, I know. We just worry for those we truly care for..." Pipp pointed out with a sad smile. "I'm honestly very worried for Zipp, too. She could be at a completely different universe right now, and if something bad happens to her and I'm not there... It worries me..."

"Well, she's got some of our friends to look out for her!" Hitch pointed out with a smile. "And even though I'm really worried for Sonic, we've seen him accomplish impossible odds. He'll find his way back home. He always does."

"For our sake and for the whole multiverse's, I really hope you're right, Hitch..." Pipp said, still concerned for her boyfriend.

"You forgot the Death Egg Titan? Or the Starfall Islands Titans? Or even the giant robot that almost crushed the multiverse last year?" Hitch mocked up with a smirk.

"Are you trying to traumatize me again or comforting me?" Pipp asked with a mocking smirk.

"Yes. My answer is yes." Hitch replied, and that made both of them laugh again.

Meanwhile, on the mini-bar, Sunny and Sunset were constantly checking on Amy and Espio, who were sitting down on the zone of the plaza were the auction is taking place.

However, beyond that, they haven't shared a single word. Sunset because she knows she's in a difficult position, since Sunny still has a grudge over her and the Secret Society. And Sunny, because of this last reason, but also because she feels betrayed and hurt.

"...I'm sorry..." Sunset suddenly said.

That made Sunny's eyes open wide, and she looked confused at the Alicorn at her side. "Uh... What?"

"I'm sorry..." Sunset replied, not daring to look at Sunny. "Sonic and you were right all along... The Society has a messed up concept, and the things they're willing to do are... I don't even know why I stayed with them after learning about the Canon... But judging by how desperate FS was to capture Sonic when he first escaped, I don't think I would've been able to..."

"And you're telling me this because...?" Sunny questioned with half a deadpan and half a glare.

"Because I was stupid..." Sunset said with a sad chuckle, and that made Sunny's eyes widen again in surprise. "I dragged you two into a trap that wasn't actually a trap! Sure, we did wanted you two to be part of our team, and sure, we knew there was a high chance you wouldn't like to hear about the Canon... But the cages part was never planned... Or at least, FS never told us about them... And I'm really sorry for having dragged you two into all of that crap..."

Sunny was surprised to hear all of this. Sure, she was still mad with Sunset for everything she just said, but... The fact that FS expelled her after she tried to help them all the same, as well as the fact that she made a whole team dedicated to save her and Sonic...

Isn't that prove enough that she wants to change? That she wants to fix her mistake?

"I won't rest until I have make it up to both of you!" Sunset declared with a determinate look. "To you, for dragging you into something you doubted you wanted to be a part of, and to Sonic, for all the crap he's going through because I visited... If I knew all of this was going to happen, I would've never had go to see him..."

Now this, this was also surprising and shocking for Sunny. It is one thing to admit you screwed up, but it is another one to apologize for stuff you had no control over.

In the end, and wether if Sunny likes it or not, not everything that happened is Sunset's fault. Yes, she still went to recruit them; and yes, she still never told them about the Canon... But FS crossed lines that not even Sunset knew that existed, and he even expelled her.

She was genuinely making her best to prove she wants a second chance, maybe not as a friend, but as somepony that fights to protect her reality and every single one that exists out there.

So, Sunny sighed and looked at Sunset at her side with a slight frown. "...I honestly don't know if I could ever forgive you. You hid stuff from us!"

"I know..." Sunset said ashamed.

"You asked us to join to your clubhouse, but then you tried to convince us that we had to let our friends die!"

"I know..."

"And you chased Sonic down across that futuristic city! Why did you do it?!"

"UGH, I KNOW!!!" Sunset groaned and smashed her face on the bar's counter. "You're just adding more salt to the wound..."

"...However..." Sunny ended up speaking, and Sunset slowly looked at her, although she still had her face on the counter. "I'm willing to give you a second chance. I may be mad with you, but I know when to appreciate when somepony wants to make up for their mistakes, like Misty did! And I know you're trying your hardest as well, Sunset."

"Yeah, well... I really screwed it up, and I'm willing to make it up," Sunset said with a little smile.

"Which is something I appreciate, and I'm willing to forgive you if you manage to prove both me and Sonic that you're taking serious this thing of 'making up for us'. Okay?" Sunny said, now smiling normally.

Sunset smiled back, then took a deep breath and nodded. "Dully noted, Sunny!"

Charmy and Young Sonic got bored on guarding up and wait for Lemuel to show up.

So, they started to play 'I spy' to kill their boredom and hopefully eventually spot Lemuel arriving to the Casino.

"Okay, let's see...." Charmy started, as he started to look all over the place to find something Young Sonic wouldn't see at plain sight. "I spy with my eye, something... red and spiky!"

Charmy was looking over at a small pyramid made of rubies that was placed over a table.

Young Sonic started to look all over the place about something red and spiky, and after a minute of looking, he finally spotted the object on the table, which made him smirk.

"You spy a ruby pyramid!" Young Sonic said with a smirk.

"Aw, come on!" Charmy complained with a frown.

"Aw, yeah! The Blue Blur reigns supreme!" Young Sonic cheered loudly.

"Don't sing so victorious yet! You still have to brake the draw now that we both have the same score!" Charmy pointed out with a confident smirk. "You'e up to spy something, mini sonic!"

"I'll show you I'm not so mini when I beat you, Bee Boy!" Young Sonic mocked back with a smirk, before looking down at the whole place again. "Now, what do we have here... I spy..."

However, as Young Sonic did this, he soon noticed a fox with the exact description of Lemuel that Charmy shared before: A grey fox that dresses up like people used to in the 30s. This fox is wearing a beret, a white shirt, a brown tie, plaid pants with suspenders so they don't fall down, and brown shoes.

Young Sonic's eyes widened in panic after he saw him. "Is our target!"

"Uh, what?" Charmy asked confused. "You forgot to say I spy––"

"No, Charmy, look!" Young Sonic cut him off, now moving his head and pointing a finger at Lemuel, who was in fact being guarded by four armed foxes that wore tuxedos. "Is the target!"

"Crap!" Charmy explained, before pressing a button on his right ear to contact with Espio and Amy. "Guys, the fish has arrived to the pond. I repeat: The Fish has arrived to the pond!"

"What fish on what pond?" Young Sonic questioned confused, but a deadpan from Charmy made him realize what the metaphor meant. "Ooooh... Yeah, he's here."

Both Espio and Amy got the signal of Charmy about Lemuel's arrival.

"Roger that," Espio informed, as both Amy and him looked at the chairs on the row at the other side of where they were sitting.

Lemuel sat down on a chair with a happy and confident smile, since he's convinced that the shard of the Paradox Prism is already his, while his bodyguards sat both at his sides to make sure nobody was either going to sit near him, nor make him any damage.

"We'll keep our eyes and ears open. Whatever he offers, we'll offer more," Amy stated.

"And remember: Charmy, Tiny Sonic. Prepare everything for Plan B in case we loose the shard!" Espio informed.

"Roger that!" Charmy replied, cutting off the communication.

Now that Espio and Amy were on their own against Lemuel, more and more Mobians began to arrive, all sitting down in the chairs around and getting ready to start the auction.

"Remind me: Why is that guy the most dangerous around again?" Amy whispered to Espio.

"He has a record of selling illegal arms and laundering money," Espio explained. "And, of course, he's one of the most powerful guys in West Side Island, in terms of money, that is."

"He must be here for the shard..." Amy muttered with concern.

"And I have the feeling he's planning to steal the shard entirely for himself..." Espio pointed out with a frown.

"Not if we can win it first!" Amy declared with a confident smirk, while Espio nodded in agreement.

Soon, a brown hedgehog climbed onto the podium, hit a hammer that was on it against it, thus starting the auction, which was going to be very close if Amy and Espio wanted to win the Prism shard.

The auction began with a replica of the Yellow Chaos Emerald, which was valued at around 300 rings, which in real money terms, is around $300,000. Neither Amy nor Espio offered to purchase said replica, and neither did Lemuel, but there were those who offered more than the initial price for it.

A piece of the original Death Egg that Sonic blew up before crashing on Angel Island was then offered for the price of 400 rings, which is $400,000 in real money.

"Who the heck would buy some Death Egg's ruble for so much money?" Amy muttered with a raised eyebrow and a bored expression.

Yet she didn't expected for half of the other mobians to actually offer more money for it, with the piece being sold around 600 rings in the end, which made Amy's eyes widen in surprise.

"They will, apparently..." Espio deadpanned with a whisper.

The next product was something a little more interesting: They offered to auction an echidna architecture stone that fell from Angel Island into the sea and was found recently. The starting price was about 550 rings, which is 550 thousand dollars in real money. Once again, much more was offered for said stone.

Eventually, the final agreement was reached: The stone was sold for 800 rings, that is: 800,000 real dollars. This surprised both Amy and Espio.

"Perhaps there is something wrong with these people if they just spent 800 rings in a rock..." Espio muttered.

"You should thank Knuckles isn't here, Espio. Otherwise? He'll brake your jaw in one punch..." Vector pointed out through the communicator, while Espio rolled his eyes annoyed.

The auction went on for at least an hour, offering silly items like springs, red star rings, star panels, goals with Sonic's face on one side and Eggman's face on the other... But they also offered other interesting products, like a green gem valued at 900 rings, or 900,000 real dollars.

But finally, and after an hour of merchandise where neither Amy nor Espio nor Lemuel offered any money, it was finally time for the main event: The Paradox Prism Shard.

Well, the guy presenting it actually referred to it as 'The Glowing Gem from Space', since it literally fell from the sky and landed not so far from this place. Still, both Amy and Espio were determined to win that shard, but so was Lemuel, who still believed the shard was his already.

"Now that we have arrived to the main event: The Deadly Deal!" The hedgehog seller announced with a smile.

Everyone participating in the Auction gasped, except for Lemuel, Amy and Espio, who all only had one thing in mind: Win the Shard at any cost.

"It's being offered by the humble price of 1500 rings!" The hedgehog seller said with a smile. "But, you know the drill, everyone: In The Deadly Deal, you offer something as valuable as the product to be auctioned!"

"Pff. Piece of cake," Lemuel muttered to himself with a confident smirk.

"So, who's offering something that must be just as valuable as The Glowing Gem from Space?" The hedgehog seller asked with a smile, looking at the rest on the seats.

Of course, Lemuel was the first one to raise his pallet, then he stood up from his place with a smirk, while one of his bodyguards stood in front of him with a silver suitcase.

Soon, Lemuel opened the suitcase and took out a giant silver medal that weighed about 900 or 1000 kg. It had Tails' face printed on one side, and the number 2 on the other side. The medal also had a message printed that said 'Nice job!' on the top of the number's side.

"I offer this giant silver medal in exchange for the Gem!" Lemuel informed with a huge smirk, which made everyone's eyes open wide, even Espio's and Amy's.

"Crap..." Amy muttered with a concerned frown. "The replica of the medal I gave you, guys, won't be enough to win this!"

"Then I'll guess we'll have to move to Plan B..." Espio stated, pressing a button on his communicator.

Meanwhile, Charmy and Young Sonic were watching the whole thing with concern.

"Crap!" Young Sonic said loudly with concern. "That Lemuel guy won the shard! And we couldn't even show our golden medal!"

Then, Charmy's communicator went on. "Charmy! The fish has won. You know what to do!" Espio's voice instructed.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Charmy replied with a smirk, before looking at Young Sonic. "Time to blow up the party. Literally!"

Young Sonic's eyes widened, but then he smirked and rubbed his hands. "I know this is wrong, but a part of me was hoping that we'll loose so I could do this!"

Then, Charmy took flight and headed towards a hidden door, then he pushed it open and approached a panel control that was inside. Said panel was made to control the lights around the casino, and Charmy quickly started to pull a lever constantly while laughing.

This made the lights of the entire place flick, which startled the people around the Casino, except for the ponies, Vector, Espio and Amy, who already knew why the light were doing that.

Knowing this was a sign to leave, the ponies and Vector immediately left the Casino, and they did just in time, because from the balcony he's been the whole night, Young Sonic launched several smoke bombs towards the ground, as they exploded and released the smoke.

This was the final sign everyone needed before finally leaving the casino, with the bodyguards grabbing Lemuel and taking him out of there at top speed.

Meanwhile, Amy took advantage of all this chaos and went over to grab the shard. Once she did so, Espio and her quickly got out of there, while Charmy stopped messing with the lights and whistled to Young Sonic, who stopped launching the smoke bombs and nodded with his thumbs up.

With this, they both left the casino as well and rushed to gather with everyone else, who snuck away to a nearby forest, as they all panted heavily from the running.

"So... Did we get it?" Hitch was the one who asked.

Amy smirked and took out the red Prism shard, showing it the group with confidence. "We hit the jackpot, people!"

At this everyone cheered out loudly, and Charmy and Young Sonic high fived for their very successful distraction, even bumping their right/left sides.

Author's Note

This has to be one of the funniest chapters I've ever written!

The Chaotix are amazing characters, and thanks to the fact that there was a very reduced cast thanks to the fact that I split everyone up, using them was a blast! Also, I'd never actually seen any auction in real life, so if I got anything wrong, well... That's on me.

Besides Sunset, there were no other universes visited in this chapter, so we're all good.

Thank you guys so much for reading! Next chapter: We're entering the warp pipe to a whole new adventure, WAHOO!