The Phantom Ruby prototype is an object that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a type of artificial duplicates of the real Phantom Ruby created by Doctor Eggman that possess similar powers as the original, but with more restrictions to their usage.

After experimenting with many of the prototypes, Eggman invented the final version that would be utilized by Infinite.^[2]

Description

Appearance

Most Phantom Ruby prototypes look exactly like the original Phantom Ruby, being magenta and icosahedron-shaped rubies with black ripple patterns across the surfaces.

Powers and abilities

Main article: Phantom Ruby#Powers and abilities

The Phantom Ruby prototypes possess similar traits and degree of power over reality manipulation and sensory deception as the original Phantom Ruby. However, most of them possess a defect that makes each prototype unusable to anyone else except the one that first triggered it. Secondly, they can only be activated by those that possess a strong will or a strong character.^[1][3]

When a Phantom Ruby prototype is pitted against another, their virtual reality manipulations will cancel each other out. If pushed too far however, the prototype will be destroyed.

History

Past

The Phantom Ruby prototypes were created by Doctor Eggman in his secret laboratory in Mystic Jungle,^[1] where the doctor conducted analyses of the original Phantom Ruby.^[4][5] However, most of them had one or several fatal flaws that proved too risky to use effectively.^[1] After experimenting with lots of prototypes however, Eggman created the finalized version,^[2] which was fused with Eggman's army commander, Infinite, whose strong will allowed him to activate it and harness its power.^[1]

Sonic Forces

In Sonic Forces, six months after the War to Take Back the Planet began, Eggman and Infinite went about destroying the remaining Phantom Ruby prototypes so they could not potentially throw a wrench in their plans. While retrieving the prototypes from Eggman's closed lab in Mystic Jungle however, Infinite ended up battling Silver the Hedgehog, who made him drop a prototype without knowing it. The prototype Infinite dropped was later discovered by the Avatar, who proved able to activate it with their innate heroism and courage.^[3]

In the aftermath of Operation Big Wave, Infinite found himself engaging the Avatar in combat in Metropolis. During the battle, the Avatar unintentionally used their Phantom Ruby prototype to avoid a killing blow from Infinite's own Phantom Ruby, much to the latter's surprise. Still, that did not stop Infinite from defeating the Avatar and leaving them to be killed by Eggman's endgame.

At the climax of the war, Infinite used his Phantom Ruby to create a virtual sun above the planet to burn the Resistance and the world with. However, Tails soon discovered the Phantom Ruby prototype the Avatar possessed. Following Tails' instructions, the Avatar made the virtual sun Infinite created disappear with their prototype, which got destroyed after its usage. Sonic and the Avatar later followed Infinite's Phantom Ruby into the Eggman Empire Fortress Phantom Ruby reactor, which housed several Phantom Ruby prototypes. These rubies were all subsequently destroyed when Sonic and the Avatar blew up the reactor.

Otherworld Comedy

In Otherworld Comedy, Eggman finds the last Phantom Ruby prototype that he forgot to discard during the events of Sonic Forces and modifies it. After that, Eggman uses his power to rewrite reality as he sees fit. Because of this, the modified prototype creates several new worlds, known as Otherworlds — one of which turns Station Square into an "Egg Field" and also alters the memory of everyone inside it.

However, Sonic and his friends are able to escape with the help of the Chaos Emeralds. They then head to the Egg Field, where by working together and turning Sonic into Super Sonic, they destroy the device that directs the energy of the modified prototype. After that, Eggman uses the modified prototype to transform into Super Eggman and engages in battle with Super Sonic.

During the battle, Super Eggman turns the Egg Field's skyscrapers into copies of Perfect Chaos and creates new Otherworlds, but Super Sonic uses the light of his aura to destroy them all. In the end, Super Eggman creates an Otherworld similar to Green Hills in an attempt to force Super Sonic to retreat, but Super Sonic destroys the world and forms an Arrow of Light, which destroys the modified prototype. This simultaneously begins to undo all the remaining Otherworlds and return everything to normal.

After his defeat, Eggman secretly reveals he had created another modified prototype as a spare, though most of its energy is gone. However, the prototype is stolen from him by the Otherworld Infinite, who leaves and is tempted to use it to regain his power. Infinite's pride makes him feel some brief doubt about resorting to the same action again as before — which lasts long enough for the otherworldification elimination to begin making him disappear. The prototype passes through his hand and falls into lava, destroying it forever. Infinite smiles and nods, as if understanding it was for the best, and disappears, having saved the world in a bizarre twist of fate unknown to anyone.

Other game appearances

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle

In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, at the end of each course, the player can see "Phantom Ruby Prototypes". While bearing a resemblance to the finalized version on Infinite's chest, these prototypes are shaped like a triangular bipyramid instead of a tetrahedron.

Trivia

• Despite the Phantom Ruby prototype's powers being described as "virtual reality", the correct term for their primary usage would actual be augmented reality, which is when another reality is laid on top of another, whereas virtual reality is when an entirely new one is made.

Gallery

Sprites

Screenshots

Gallery
Sonic Forces Sonic Forces Sonic Forces

References