Sonic: Roses and Acorns 2-Mending the Heart

by Masterob

Summary:

The initial threat of Eggman has been neutralized. Right now, Mobotropolis intends to rebuild. But a gang war mixed with Eggman's potential return ruins that, plus threats of an off-world visit. Meanwhile Sonic and Sally work to patch up old differences, with Amy's help. More on Sonic's past with his friends too.

The big crossover continues within the MHA: Enter the Spider story.

Chapter 1: Manners and Rules

Mobotropolis, a beacon of authority to the citizens of the Planet Mobius. Ruled by the Acorns for Generations. Very few could penetrate its defense, but when it happens, the results are catastrophic.

It had been a week since Sally Acorn and her son Manik had moved in with Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose and their daughter Sonia.

Acorn castle was in shambles, thanks to the treacherous Ixis Naugus, and his allies from The Deadly Six. Thankfully Sonic was there to stop the evil wizard, while his friends and allies put a stop to the Deadly Six.

Prior to this, Sonic and his friends had also put a stop to plans from the nefarious Doctor Eggman. While the evil scientist was able to escape, his artillery was lost, and he would once again need to start from scratch.

Not that The Doctor minded too much, to him it was a typical cycle. Not his favorite, but one he had grown accustomed to.

Due to Sally being without a home, Amy Rose was kind enough to offer her home to Sally, even if it proved to be slightly awkward for Sonic.

While the week hadn't been too bad, Sonic did notice a few notable changes being made. The first one being Amy, as expected, not showing any sign of the rose Sonic gave her. A rose that Sonic said meant true love. Amy believed the symbolism would be too much for Sally, and removed it to make Sally feel comfortable.

Due to Sally being there, Sonic and Amy cancelled some plans to go on trips, just so the Queen and her son could grow accustomed to the home, and with familiar faces.

Fortunately Sonic's home had a spare room for Sally to sleep in, though the first few nights, Sally and Amy would spend more time together, and even indulged in a slumber party at least once.

So far it wasn't too bad for Sonic, but he feared it could get worse. And get worse it would.

One afternoon, Sonic had returned home from a run. "Hey Amy! Got any lunch ready?"

"It's in the kitchen!" Amy called from her room. "Also Sally has some company over!"

"Company?" Sonic went into the kitchen to spot just who Amy meant. "Oh...oh boy..."

Presently in the kitchen were Antoine, Bunnie, Rotor, Jewel, Tangle, Whisper and Nicole. Each of them were joined by Sally of course, with Manik and Sonia present as well.

"Oh Sonic, you got home fast," Sally said.

"Was it that fast?" Sonic asked.

"Maybe not," Sally said. "Anyway, Amy just cooked some food. It should be in the microwave."

"Sounds good to me," Sonic said as he walked toward the microwave. He felt strange however, as if he was being given dirty glances.

It wasn't off as Antoine, Nicole, Jewel and Tangle seemed to bear ill will toward Sonic, even Manik was giving his father angry glares. The only thing that could make this more uncomfortable for Sonic is if Fiona and Lanolin were there as well. Fortunately neither were present due to them not being official Freedom Fighters at the moment.

"So...any update on the castle?" Sally asked.

"Lanolin's working as much as she can," Tangle said. "She's rallying as many volunteers as she can for it. It might take a while before it's finished though."

"Traveling has not been safe lately either," Antoine said. "Ze last shipment sent to Mobotropolis was interrupted."

"By who?" Sally asked.

"Rough and Tumble," Bunnie confirmed.

"We were able to capture and interrogate them," Whisper said. "It turns out that Clutch has them at his employ."

"Him again?" Sally lamented. "What does he want now?"

"We heard rumors that there's a bit of a spat between Clutch and Breezie," Tangle said. "Though I suppose they barely count as rumors, they've always been rivals."

"Great, just what we need, to be caught in the middle of a gang war," Sally said.

"It's an ideal time for them to do such a thing," Nicole said. "Word of the castle's destruction has likely reached far and wide. Which means those in the criminal underworld would logically take advantage."

"Very sneaky bunch," Bunnie said. "This could be trouble."

"Who are these two?" Sonia asked. "Are they strong? Or dangerous?"

"Not particularly," Sally said. "But they do have money and power."

"So do you," Sonia said.

"Can't you just arrest them?" Manik asked.

"It's not that simple," Sally said. "The likes of Clutch and Breezie know how to skirt around the law."

"How? You're literally the law, Sally," Sonia said.

"I can't decide everything," Sally said. "If I forced everyone to obey my word and my word alone, I would be no different than Robotnik. Ruling means being as responsible as possible."

"So basically, with Great Power comes Great Responsibility," Sonia said.

"Pretty much," Sally said. "Peter's much wiser than he acts sometimes."

"I still say it's easier to just put a stop to their criminal activities in a swift manner," Manik said.

"Like what? Finding their Headquarters and blowing it up?" Sonia asked.

"Yeah, something like that," Manik said.

"...I was joking," Sonia said.

"Yes, we can't just blow it up, Manik," Sally said. "That would be illegal."

"Mother, you're the Queen," Manik said. "Just make it legal."

"It's not that simple, Manik," Sally said. "You can't just go around blowing up public property."

"You used to do that all the time though," Sonic said as he sat at the table with his food. "I remember how many of Eggman's factories you blew up in hopes of hurting his progress. Not sure how much damage it did in the long run but-"

"Sonic, in case you have not noticed, zis is official Freedom Fighters business," Antoine said. "If you are not a Freedom Fighter, you do not need to be here."

"Antoine, in case you have not noticed, this is my house," Sonic said. "I don't need to be a Freedom Fighter or have business to be here."

"He's got a point. This is Sonic's home, and it would be improper to..." Sally noticed something about the plating. "Sonic, isn't that too much food on one plate?"

"It's fine, I can handle it," Sonic said. "It's just pasta."

"Just pasta he says..." Antoine commented.

"You're going to make a mess," Sally said. "Amy just cleaned. And where's the coaster for your drink?"

"It's right here," Sonic said as he lifted his glass of water up. "See?"

"That coaster looks damaged, the water's going to go through," Sally said. "At least put a tissue underneath to help."

"Look, Sally," Sonic said as he positioned himself comfortably. "I don't think you should-"

"Elbows off the table!" Sally scolded. "Honestly, in front of the kids? You're setting a bad example."

"Yeah daddy," Sonia said as she placed her elbows on the table. "You're corrupting my impressionable mind."

"Sonia..." Sally warned, prompting Sonia to sit back properly. "Seriously Sonic, set a better example for the kids."

"Sally, you're doing it again," Sonic said.

"Doing what?" Sally asked.

"You're being bossy," Sonic said. "Seriously, this is my home, I think I can behave how I choose. I don't go to your castle to tell you what to do."

"Way to bring the castle up so casually," Tangle said. "The one she no longer has."

"You know what I mean!" Sonic stated in frustration.

"Sonic, there's no reason to shout," Sally said.

"Sally just wants to help," Jewel said. "She's repaying the kindness Amy showed by making sure this home is in tip-top shape."

Sonic quickly glanced around the kitchen, "Yeah, sure..."

"Uh, maybe we should lay off," Rotor said.

"Yeah, ah think Sonic knows what he's doing, he lives here after all," Bunnie said.

"We must not impose on his lifestyle," Whisper said.

"I'm not imposing, I'm just making sure he doesn't do anything he shouldn't," Sally said. "It's what Amy would want after all."

"This is stupid," Sonic picked his plate and drink glass up before leaving. "I'll see you outside."

"Make sure you don't track more dirt when you come back in!" Sally called, then heard the door slam. "Was that too much? That might have been too much."

"Well you were kind of nagging him," Bunnie said.

"I don't mean to nag, I just want him to be well behaved," Sally said, unaware of another guest entering. "Sonic can unfortunately be a little dense, and I'd like for Amy's hard work not to be for nothing."

"That so?" Came Amy's voice as Sally turned around.

"Oh, hi Amy," Sally said. "You just missed Sonic."

"Yeah, I figured," Amy said. "So, you don't want my hard work to be for nothing?"

"Of course, you just cleaned, and I believe this home should stay cleaned," Sally said.

"Well then, mind explaining this?" Amy asked while holding up a pair of Sally's boots. "Notice something about these?"

Sally could see some dirt on the shoes, the chipmunk now feeling awkward "Oh...yeah..."

"I also noticed some dirt from the others," Amy said as she glared at the other Freedom Fighters. "Including your shoes, Antoine."

"Impossible, I keep myself well tidy," Antoine said.

"...I'm really sorry Amy," Sally said.

"Sorry isn't enough," Amy presented Sally with a broom and a dustpan. "Also...you left a mess on my stove."

Sally glanced over and saw that she spilt some sauce. "Oooh."

"Clean up, you can start in the living room, then I want this kitchen looking nicer than it did before your friends got here," Amy said.

"Yes, of course Amy," Sally said as she left the room and went to sweep.

"Hey, you're not taking advantage of Sally, are you?" Tangle asked.

"...Out," Amy said.

"Huh?" Tangle replied.

"You, and Antoine, and Nicole...OUT!" Amy ordered as she pointed to the door.

"...How uncouth," Antoine said as he left with a dejected looking Tangle.

Meanwhile Nicole got in Amy's face, the lynx looking untrusting of Amy, "Sally is not your slave. If I find out you've been treating her as such-"

"Nicole, leave my house, or I will make you leave," Amy said.

"Fine..." Nicole began walking off. "But remember, you and Sally will never have what she and I have."

"That's fine by me," Amy said, to which Nicole got frustrated and left.

Given how awkward the situation was, Rotor took it upon himself to speak up, "Amy, we're sorry if we're causing you any trouble."

"We just wanted to see Sally," Jewel said.

"I completely understand, and I do appreciate the four of you for being more respectful," Amy said. "I know Sally's work as Queen is important, but I don't think my home is the best place to do this. If you want to visit for fun or just want some cookies, then that's fine. But business visits tend to be tense. You have been here just about every day since the castle closed down, and it's only been a week."

"Truth be told, it's not just business," Jewel said. "We just really miss Sally."

"I know, and it's sweet how much you love her," Amy said. "But you don't need it to be business, just come to spend time with her. Aren't you her friends? Don't you just have fun?"

"We like to have slumber parties," Bunnie said. "Ain't that right, Manik?"

"Don't remind me," Manik lamented. "Seeing a bunch of girls your age giggling like teenagers seems weird."

"Oh don't act like you don't enjoy them," Bunnie said. "Especially all them girls gushing over how handsome you are."

"You are quite adorable, Prince Manik," Jewel said.

"I don't think I've been to many of those slumber parties," Amy said.

"We can fix that," Bunnie said. "I say, we round up some friends fer a big slumber party. Sally's friends, yer friends, everyone's friends!"

"Try getting some friends from Earth too," Sonia said. "I bet that would be fun."

"I'll think about it," Amy said. "I need to be sure Sonic would be okay with it. This week hasn't been easy on him. On one hand, I feel really bad for any stress he's gone through over this."

"It would be good to make sure he's okay with all this," Bunnie said.

"But, on the other hand, I'm not too fond with how he's handled things either," Amy admitted. "I know this hasn't been the easiest experience, but Sonic is just so stubborn sometimes that he makes things worse than they need to be sometimes."

"He and Sally just need to find a compromise," Rotor said. "It's only been a week since she moved in. That's not enough time for them, especially if Sally's been bugging him about things she's guilty of herself."

"I gotta set them both straight," Amy said.

"We'll wish you luck on that," Bunnie said as she stood up. "Well, we should make our leave. We already relayed some information to Sally, we can talk more later."

"How is the castle going?" Amy asked.

"Until we can fix this problem regarding Clutch's gang and Breezie's, it might take a while," Rotor said.

"It's a gang war," Sonia said. "Something Uncle Spidey deals with."

"Oh yeah, he told me all about guys like The Kingpin, Hammerhead, Mr. Negative and The Hood," Amy said. "The difference is those four actually have abilities of their own to back up their strength. Meanwhile Clutch and Breezie aren't that strong on their own."

"Well, rumor is that they're building a strong enough army," Bunnie said. "Clutch may have Rough and Rumble, but we hear that Scourge and Surge have been spotted in Casino Park."

"Ah, Casino Park, I remember going there during an old adventure, it was fun," Amy said. "You remember that too, don't you Bunnie?"

"Oh yeah! During the whole Neo Metal Sonic thing," Bunnie said. "It was right after you tried getting Sonic to marry ya or something."

"Yeah, I remember Sally being annoyed, Johnny too. Fun memories," Amy said, the girl happily reminiscing before snapping out of it. "But anyway, I do wish you luck. If I can help against Clutch or Breezie, just let me know, and I'll introduce them to my hammer."

"Will do, hon," Bunnie said. "Be seeing ya now."

"Bye Amy," Rotor said.

"I'll keep your bakery running great," Jewel said.

"Until next time," Whisper said.

The group had left the house, leaving Amy thinking more about her old adventures. Dangerous, yet simpler times.

"So, Casino Park, Neo Metal," Sonia said. "Sounds like another fun story for me."

"Yeah, but it's a big one, I don't know if I can tell it by myself," Amy said.

"Did you finish telling her that other story?" Manik asked. "About getting stranded on Earth?"

"Yeah, I did leave some things out, but later I can tell Sonia more about what happened when we got back to Mobius," Amy said. "I'll definitely tell you all about Neo Metal."

"Not just that..." Sonia said. "I'm curious about one other story."

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"One where daddy was a werehog, I think," Sonia said.

"Oh yeah...that was quite an adventure as well," Amy said as she thought about that time. "We made some really good friends too..."

Suddenly it sounded like Amy was sniffling, this immediately worrying Sonia and Manik.

"Mom?" Sonia asked. "What's wrong?"

"Is it allergies?" Manik asked.

Amy shook her head, "Sorry, it's just...some things happened and..." She glanced once more at the kids, unsure how to explain it. "I'll tell you when the time's right. Right now I should talk to Sally."

"Alright," Sonia took Manik by the hand. "Come on, let's go see daddy."

"What for?" Manik asked.

"Just come with me," Sonia said as she pulled her brother along with her, the two rushing past Sally who was still sweeping.

"Missed a spot, Sally," Sonia said as she pointed to a dirtier section of the floor.

"Oh, thank you dear," Sally said as Sonia led Manik outside. "She's definitely in a hurry."

"She went to see Sonic," Amy said as she came into the living room.

"Oh, okay..." Sally stopped sweeping for a second. "He's not happy, is he?"

"Well, your friends did give him a hard time," Amy said. "I'm okay with you inviting everyone over. I know you miss them and I know how much they miss you. It's only been a week and they felt some strong withdrawal symptoms."

"It's just hard for us, we're almost always together," Sally said.

"I get it, sort of," Amy said. "I've gone weeks, even months without seeing my friends. There was a time I only saw Sonic a few times a year, which shortly became once a month before I finally caught up to him. Tails I only see once in a while. I can even go months without seeing Knuckles. I miss them but I'm used to not being around them for a long period of time."

"I remember how scarcely I used to see you as well," Sally said. "I missed you so much."

"Feeling's mutual," Amy said. "Still, if you're going to bring your friends over, please make sure they behave. Now thankfully most of them were behaved. But it definitely could have been worse, especially if Fiona and Lanolin were here too."

"...I miss them," Sally admitted.

"Lanolin I understand, she's your protege," Amy said. "But why exactly do you miss Fiona? She gets on your nerves a lot."

"She does, but I just can't ever stay mad at her," Sally said. "It's like being mad at your pet for making a mess."

"...You see Fiona as a pet?" Amy asked.

Sally awkwardly cleared her throat, "That came out wrong."

"Let's just move on then," Amy said. "If you like Fiona, well that's fine. You know her better than I do, so you must see a softer side to her."

"I feel like only Tails sees that side, I just catch glimpses of it," Sally said.

"Well, if you really miss Fiona, you could just go to Tails's place, she's currently staying there," Amy said.

"I should, I miss Tails too," Sally said.

"You've been here a week yet the way you work, it's like you never left the castle," Amy said. "You really need a break, working too much is not good for your health."

"I can't just not work, my Kingdom needs me, now more than ever," Sally said.

"Sally, you can't take care of your Kingdom if you don't take care of yourself first," Amy said. "An afternoon off isn't going to hurt. Sonic and I really want to travel to some places with Sonia, and we'd love it if you and Manik came along."

"I don't have your speed," Sally said. "Not that it matters, Manik can't run too long without his asthma acting up."

"We can work around that," Amy said. "Worse comes to worse, we use the Warp Rings, or Chaos Control. Sonic doesn't like using those too much, especially the latter. But we can make an exception for you. Besides he just likes going to these places to relax and take in the scenery. It would do you some good to take it in as well."

"Well..." Sally said.

Amy got in close to the chipmunk's face, looking her straight in the eyes in a slightly intimidating fashion, "I'm not asking. We're doing this, and if you try to weasel out of it..."

Amy raised her hands near Sally's cheeks, the chipmunk covering her face to shield herself, "Okay, I'll go!"

"Good..." Amy pat the girl on the head. "It'll be fun, I promise. Plus, Sonia would be so happy if you came."

"I suppose that's important," Sally said. "Anyway, I should get back to sweeping."

"I can finish up here, just clean up in the kitchen," Amy said. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised that you left a mess, you're usually better than that."

"I guess I'm having an off day, I was just so happy to see my friends again," Sally said.

"I don't blame you," Amy said as she took the broom. "And later, try to talk things out with Sonic, make sure things are okay between you two."

"Sure," Sally said as she left into the kitchen.

Amy tapped her chin for a moment, "I do wonder how everyone's doing. Especially Tails."

Meanwhile at his house, Tails was seen working on a newer invention. The fox genius sat in the living room while his wife was seen sewing a dress.

As they worked, Fiona walked by, the girl comfortably dressed in a large T-Shirt as she walked to Tails's side while sipping on a beverage.

"Hey Tails, what'chu up to?" Fiona asked.

"Jewel contacted me recently about building some little helper robots to assist at The Restoration," Tails explained. "These should help with the castle repairs."

"Finally asking you for help?" Fiona asked. "I'm surprised it took them this long."

"Jewel said she wanted to reach out sooner, but Lanolin was determined to handle everything herself," Tails said. "But they've run into some trouble lately, so Lanolin had no choice but to accept my help."

"Lanny's always been a bit stubborn," Fiona said as she sat by Tails.

The boy could smell something odd about her as he suspiciously glanced at Fiona, "Is that an alcoholic beverage?"

"Just say 'beer', genius," Fiona said. "And yeah, it is."

"Fiona, you know we don't allow that type of stuff in the house," Cream said. "Skye might find some."

"Don't worry, I keep it in a cooler in my room," Fiona said. "Skye knows better than to go through my stuff."

"Still, I really don't think you should be drinking," Cream said.

"It's fine Cream, I got this," Fiona said as she took another sip. "Besides, I've seen those wine bottles. At least one of you probably gets down to it yourselves."

"That's more Cream, I try not to drink," Tails said.

"Also, wine is much better than beer," Cream said. "And I only drink it on occasion, responsibly too."

"And I can drink beer responsibly," Fiona said. "Come on, when Peter Quill was at the castle the other day with his circus group, he and that Raccoon guy were having a few beers."

"Fiona, calling them a 'Circus Group' is very rude," Cream scolded.

"Also, they're responsible with their drinking," Tails said.

"Peter Quill? Responsible?" Fiona asked. "Didn't he nearly get you all killed a few times during the whole Metarex thing? That's what Sally said."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Tails said. "Besides, Quill's grown a lot since then. He's still a goofball I admit, but when it comes down to it, he's one of the most reliable people you could know."

"Well, I am an expert on maturing and growing as a person, that's how I became the responsible woman you all know and love," Fiona said as she took another sip. "So I guess that makes me just as good, if not better, than Peter Quill."

"Fiona, you're great in your own right," Tails said. "You don't need to compare yourself to anyone else."

"Such a sweet talker," Fiona said as she rubbed Tails's head. "Still, you said everyone ran into trouble. What trouble?"

"Rough and Tumble have been showing up to wreak havoc," Tails said. "Apparently Clutch is trying to take advantage of the castle's weakened state."

"Clutch? They're having trouble with Clutch?" Fiona asked. "He's not even that intimidating. He got his ass kicked by Sally once in like ten seconds flat."

"Well he's operating from behind the scenes," Tails said. "It's also believed that Breezie might try to take advantage too."

"Did someone say Breezie!?" Came Mina's voice. The girl stepped into the living room, wearing a tank top and skimpy shorts.

"Yo, Mina..." Fiona greeted. "Come join the party."

Mina propped herself next to Cream and leaned over the girl's lap to focus on Tails, much to the confusion of the rabbit girl.

"So, what's this I hear about Breezie?" Mina asked.

"Nothing concrete, but she is believed to be causing trouble and trying to rival Clutch for control due to the castle's destruction," Tails said.

"Ooooh, that's gotta suck," Mina said.

"There are also rumors that Scourge and Surge have been spotted around Casino Park," Tails said.

"Finally something on Scourge," Fiona said. "Boy I can't wait to put that prick in his place."

"Breezie also means Ash," Mina said. "So that's two guys to teach a lesson to."

"We'll send them both packing," Fiona said.

"Maybe Mina will," Cream said. "But you, Fiona, are not part of The Freedom Fighters. So don't go out and do anything you shouldn't."

"Oh Sally won't mind if I help," Fiona said. "She's a pal, she'll understand."

"Uh-huh..." Cream replied. "How much have you been drinking exactly?"

"Neither of you girls need to worry," Tails said. "Once I speak to Sally, I'll go handle this myself with the other Freedom Fighters. The ones that still have their employment."

"Well Tails, do you have any suggestions on how I should get back on Sally's good side?" Fiona asked. "I can't work with the Freedom Fighters, and I wouldn't dare go to The Restoration, especially with Whisper around."

"Have you ever considered making up with Whisper?" Cream asked.

"Cream, she tried to kill me," Fiona pointed out. "She even gambled on my life at Mobotropolis. If it wasn't for Tails, I'd probably be dead now."

"Whisper was not going to let you die, she's not petty like that," Tails said.

"Tails, you're a sweet guy and all, but you don't know Whisper like I do," Fiona said. "She's very petty, and holds grudges. She's never fully forgiven Lanolin over that whole Mimic situation. She hates her old hometown for whatever reason. She's even more mistrusting of others than Sally is. Sally at least will give the person the time of day to speak, something Whisper wouldn't even consider."

"That is a good point," Mina said. "Whisper is the only person who makes Sally's paranoia seem like a minor misunderstanding."

"Can't you work things out with her?" Cream asked.

"I doubt it, she's never liked me," Fiona said. "I'd be better off just avoiding her."

"You can't avoid her forever," Tails said. "If you want to be part of the Freedom Fighters again, you need to make peace with Whisper."

"How can I make peace with someone who tried to kill me?" Fiona asked.

"Well remember this Fiona," Tails began. "There was a time where you tried to kill us."

"Huh? I never tried to do that," Fiona said.

"Yes you did! When you were with The Destructix!" Tails said.

"Hey, the only one who actively tried to kill any of you was Scourge," Fiona said. "Me and the others aren't like that."

"I'm pretty sure you all tried to kill Shadow during the Black Arms Invasion," Tails said.

"That's Shadow, no one likes him," Fiona said.

"There's also Wolverine," Tails said.

"He can take it," Fiona said.

"You even went after Leon Kennedy," Tails said. "All things considered; it's a miracle you weren't killed yourself."

"Well, I never tried to kill you specifically," Fiona said. "I didn't even try to kill Sonic, and I freaking hate him."

"You encouraged Scourge to kill Sonic," Tails said.

"So? That's not the same as trying to do so myself," Fiona said.

"Let me try another example," Cream said. "Now Fiona. As you know, a lot of Sonic's friends have attempted harm on him. Like Knuckles."

"Yeah, he went after me and Sonic the first time we went to Angel Island," Tails said. "Also, Amy made friends with a robot named Gamma despite him trying to kill Sonic."

"Sonic and Shadow became friends even after Shadow tried to blow up the Earth," Cream said.

"Silver attacked Sonic a few times," Tails pointed out.

"And this is just Sonic, there's plenty of people on Earth who had second chances given to those who tried to do away with them," Cream said.

"Spider-Man has been willing to forgive," Tails said. "And the Saiyan Goku, that-"

"Okay, I get it already," Fiona said. "I don't get why Sonic forgives, probably because he doesn't take anything seriously."

"Wow..." Cream responded.

"You Tails, you're just too pure and nice," Fiona said. "It's both your most admirable trait, and your biggest weakness. Spider-Man's a hero, he has to forgive. Goku...I don't know much about him, but he seems just as dumb as Sonic."

"Maybe try to be nicer when talking about Goku," Mina said. "If Frieza ever tries to take over this planet, and I've heard rumors about that, Goku will be the one to come and protect us."

"Better yet, Sonic will," Cream said. "Regardless of who invades, Sonic will be there to save us. The same Sonic who forgave you, Fiona."

"That's right," Tails said. "Sonic forgave you despite what you did, Fiona. I think you can work on forgiving Whisper."

"...I'll talk to her when I'm ready," Fiona said.

"I suppose that's all we can ask," Cream said. "Just remember, you have friends here too, and we care deeply about you. Whether you're a Freedom Fighter or not. Just try to be on your best behavior, okay?"

"Only for you, Cream," Fiona said.

"That's what I like about this place, it's such a loving family," Mina said as she plopped herself down more across Cream's lap while happily glancing up at Tails. "It helps having a strong and capable man keeping things in line."

"Uh, thanks Mina..." Tails bashfully said. "But it's really because of Cream that things are going so well. She looks out for me like I look out for her."

"And for me," Mina said as she gently brushed her hand against Tails's arm.

"Me too," Fiona said as she happily leaned against Tails.

Cream looked mildly annoyed at the moment, especially having a mongoose across her lap. "Okay...how about giving me and Tails a bit of space. I have some chores for you girls."

"Chores?" Fiona glanced at her bottle. "Well, I am still feeling a bit buzzed so-"

Cream yanked the bottle away from Fiona, "Drink some coffee to sober up, then go mop the kitchen. You left quite the mess in there."

"Well that's what happens when you have such a firm grip on the jars you tighten," Fiona said.

"Just go clean up," Cream ordered, to which Fiona reluctantly went along. "Then I need you to mow the lawn."

"What about my allergies?" Fiona asked.

"You don't have allergies, now march," Cream ordered. Fiona did not wish to test Cream's patience so she just went along with it. "Mina, I need to go into town to pick up some groceries, having another person to carry the bags would be helpful."

"Ah see, you need muscle," Mina said as she got up to flex her arm. "I can totally help with that."

"Good to know," Cream turned her attention to her husband. "Miles, will you be fine while Mina and I go shopping?"

"Yeah sure," Tails said. "If you happen to stop by the hardware store, could you pick up some new hammers? My old ones are deteriorating."

"That's no trouble at all, dear," Cream said. "Let's go Mina."

"Right behind you, Cream," Mina said as she followed the girl.

"I love how take charge Cream can be," Tails said as he went back to work.

Outside Skye and Melody were seen tossing a disc at each other, the two noticed their respective mothers heading toward a car.

"Mom, where are you going?" Skye asked.

"I'm going shopping for a bit with Mina," Cream said as she sat in the driver's seat. "Your father's working inside and I asked Fiona to do some chores. If you can, try to keep an eye on her."

"Okay mom," Skye said. "Should I do anything?"

"You can keep playing," Cream said. "Just be careful with that disc."

"We will," Melody said.

"Be good while I'm out Mel," Mina said. "Remember to listen to Tails, alright?"

"Not a problem for me," Melody said.

"We'll be back soon," Cream said. She started the car and began taking off. "Bye kids."

"Have fun," Mina said as the car drove away.

"Bye Mom! Bye Mrs. Prower!" Melody waved off.

"Bye Mom! Bye Miss Mongoose!" Skye said.

"Heh, you're so formal talking to my mom," Melody said.

"You're the same with mine," Skye said.

"Yeah but my mom's so laid back, she doesn't care that much about manners," Melody said.

"Neither does mine, she probably won't even care if you call her by her first name," Skye said.

"Well she's the lady of the house," Melody said. "My mom isn't. Neither is Fiona for that matter."

"Anyway, looks like dad and Fiona are going to be busy for a while themselves," Skye said. "I wonder what type of chores Fiona's supposed to do?"

"You might get your answer," Melody said as she gestured to the fox.

"Where's that stupid lawn mower?" Fiona asked in irritation as she looked around outside.

Skye flew over to the fox lady, "Need help, Fiona?"

"Huh?" Fiona turned to Skye, her mood lightening up a bit. "Oh hey hon. Just looking for the lawn mower. Your mother wants me to mow."

"How much?" Melody asked as she looked around. "This place is pretty isolated. Your parents moved five miles south of Emerald City where there's nothing but grass."

"Mom likes a more secluded life, it's how she was raised," Skye said.

"Seems like everyone was raised that way," Fiona said. "I like the happy medium from Knothole."

"Well with my parents' speed, Emerald City might as well be three steps away," Skye said. "Anyway, I can help you with the lawn mowing. I know what mom usually wants."

"I'd really appreciate that, thanks," Fiona said.

"Also, you should probably change," Melody said. "That shirt doesn't seem good to mow lawns in."

"Right, guess I'll just borrow the fashion sense of the Prower boys," Fiona took the sweater off, leaving herself in nothing except her fur. "Alright, lead the way squirt."

As Skye helped out Fiona, Tails had come outside as well.

"Is Fiona here?" Tails asked.

"She's with Skye, he's helping her with the lawn," Melody said.

"Oh, I came out to help her get started, but it looks like Skye has it under control," Tails said. He noticed the flying disc on the ground. "Playing with this toy again?"

"Yeah, it's really fun," Melody said. "Skye is great at catching it, no matter how far or high I throw it."

"He's one talented kid," Tails said. "Thanks for playing with him this past week. He gets lonely sometimes. Usually Sonia is the one keeping him company."

"Well she's with her brother, which is understandable," Melody said. "Besides, it's fun for me too. I don't have any brothers or sisters, and I don't have a lot of friends. Closest is probably Lara, but she's usually doing her own thing."

"She is a teenager after all, so it makes sense," Tails said.

"Also, I really appreciate you and Mrs. Prower letting me and my mom stay here," Melody said. "I hope we haven't been a bother."

"Tch, no way," Tails said as he rubbed Melody's head. "Your mom's a good friend of mine. I also like having you around, you're a good kid with an adorable smile."

"Me? Adorable?" Meldoy began to blush. "You're so nice, Tails. Like a cool big brother."

"It's nothing really," Tails said while bashfully rubbing his nose. "I'm glad I-"

Suddenly Melody hugged the fox tightly, "Being around you makes me feel less lonely somehow. I don't know how much longer me and my mom will stay here, but I really want it to count."

"Well, you two can stay here for a good long time," Tails said as he returned the hug. "And even if you have to go back to Knothole or Mobotropolis, that doesn't mean you can't visit. If you're ever lonely, my door's always open."

"Thanks..." Melody began to tear up a bit, making Tails worried.

"What's wrong?" Tails made the girl look up. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know...I just feel so..." Melody wiped her eyes and hugged Tails harder. "I just feel safer around you, and it makes me happy."

Tails was still confused, but just as empathetic as he hugged Melody tighter as thoughts ran through his mind, "I don't know why, but I don't want to let her go. Has her life really been that lonely though? I gotta do something for her and Mina."

He then got a video call on his watch, much to Melody's confusion, "What's that?"

"I'm getting a call," Tails said. Melody was curious to see who was calling, so Tails bent down to allow Melody to ride piggyback style before he answered. "You got Tails."

A familiar blue robot appeared on the screen, "Hey Tails, it's me, Rock."

"Rock?" Tails recognized the name. "Mega Man!?"

"The one and only," Rock said.

"Hi Tails!" Roll called.

"Roll says 'hi'," Rock said.

"I heard," Tails said. "Hi Roll!"

Roll came on the screen as well, "It's nice seeing you again. And...oh, who's she?"

"You remember Melody, she's Mina's daughter," Tails said. "She and her mom are staying over for a bit."

"Hi," Melody said.

"Wow, you two look like father and daughter," Rock said.

"That's a compliment in my eyes. Of course I'd have to be really lucky to have a daughter as beautiful as this girl," Tails said, earning a bashful blush from Melody. "So, what's up?"

"We're just calling to check in on something," Rock said. "We have reason to believe that Doctor Wily has been communicating with Doctor Eggman."

"Yikes, that sounds bad," Tails said. "Is this just speculation or is there proof?"

"I saw them having a video chat the other day," Mega Man said. "Wily got away and I've been searching for him for days. We just want to be sure he didn't escape to Mobius."

"Not that I know of, but I'll let you know soon," Tails said.

"Thanks, and if you see Sonic, give him my regards," Rock said.

"Will do, see ya," Tails said as he hung up.

"Was that a robot?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, his name's Rock, some people I know call him Rockman," Tails said. "But many call him Mega Man. It depends on who you talk to."

"They both sound like cool names," Melody said.

"Yeah, but it sounds like he and Roll are having trouble, I might need to relay this to Sonic," Tails said. "For now, I should get back to work."

"Before you do, how fast can you go with me on your back?" Melody asked.

"Heh, I'll show you," Tails revved up his namesake. "Hang on!"

Tails sped away with Melody on his back, the girl cheering with excitement. Tails enjoyed this as well, being able to give a girl more reason to smile was well worth it in his mind.

Meanwhile in her car, Cream was fast approaching Emerald City, with Mina looking back toward the house, "You think Fiona will be fine? She did seem a little beer happy."

"Miles and Skye are there, they'll keep an eye on her," Cream said.

"I guess, my little girl will help too of course," Mina sat normally. "Gotta say, Mel's been really happy since we started staying here. I only intended to stay a couple of days to make sure Fiona was alright, but she really took to life there. So we ended up staying longer."

"It's fine, I don't mind having you two around," Cream said. "Melody does seem really happy. Especially around Tails."

"Well she hasn't had a stable life," Mina said. "She was either traveling with me, or staying at the castle with Sally. Either way I wasn't that active of a mother. I tried to be, but I had to make money for us. Be it through my singing or hero work. Melody's been pretty lonely because of that. Since staying at the house, she's seemed a lot happier."

"Yeah, you've been around more," Cream said.

"It's not just that, she has other people around too," Mina said. "You, Fiona, Skye, and Tails. Especially Tails. Mel grew up without a father, so the closest she has to a father figure right now is Tails."

"Well Tails does seem to like having her around," Cream said. "You know, once you go back home, you can still drop Melody off with me and Tails if you need babysitters. Skye really likes having her around, so I think it will make everyone happy."

"I'll consider doing that, thanks," Mina said, the girl now experiencing personal thoughts running through her mind. "If only Cream knew. Well, I'm glad Tails really cares about Melody. I still want to tell him that he's actually her father, but do I need to? They're already getting along so well, I don't need to make things complicated. Then again, Melody does want to know. So confusing."

At the Restoration, Lanolin was seen checking off a list. As she did so, Charmy had flown over to the girl.

"Yo Lanolin, slight problem," Charmy said.

"Is it Rough and Tumble again?" Lanolin asked.

"Not this time..." Charmy showed her a video. "This was left at the scene."

Lanolin checked out the video, with an image of Scourge coming on screen.

"Hey, Restoration Losers, if you're seeing this..." Scourge gestured to some injured volunteers, courtesy of Surge zapping them. "Yeah, seems like you ain't never getting that castle fixed. Let this be a message from Breezie and from Yours Truly. The Acorns are done! They aint never coming back to powah! Not as long as I'm here!"

"Hey Scourge, check out the losers that decided to show up," Surge said as she gestured to Rough and Tumble.

"Catch you'se losers later, me and my girl here gotta teach a lesson to those chumps," Scourge dropped the device he recorded with, only one thing being heard. "Hey I gotta message for you dickheads to send back to Clutch!"

"Wait! Don't!" Rough pleaded.

"We were only doing our jobs!" Tumble pleaded.

Lanolin placed the video away as she grumbled in annoyance, "Rough and Tumble were annoying enough, but they could be dealt with. Scourge and Surge on the other hand..."

"Scourge and Surge?" Came Espio's voice as he walked over with Vector. "Is there something to worry about?"

"They're causing trouble too, courtesy of Breezie," Lanolin said. "This is getting out of hand."

"How did Breezie get those creeps on her side?" Vector asked.

"I have no idea," Lanolin said. "Scourge is a bigger mystery. This isn't even his Zone. Why doesn't he just go back?"

"What's there for him to go back to?" Charmy asked. "I think he lost a lot of respect when he got sent to that prison."

"Still, this is getting out of hand," Lanolin said. "At this rate, we might need backup."

"You mean like Sonic?" Vector asked.

"No! Absolutely not!" Lanolin said. "We can find someone else."

"To be fair, Sonic is the only one strong enough to fight those maniacs," Charmy said.

"What about you guys?" Lanolin asked. "You're strong! You can handle it!"

"We can do our best, but we can't make any promises," Vector said.

"What about getting Mighty and Ray to help?" Lanolin asked. "Or Trip! She's been traveling with them lately."

"That could help," Espio said.

"Also, we need more volunteers," Charmy said. "A lot of the old ones got roughed up pretty badly.:

"Uh...let me think..." Lanolin said as she pressed her fingers to her temples. "We just need someone, anyone who can help."

"There's always Khan," Espio said.

"Khan?" Lanolin asked. "You mean Ken?"

"He did offer to help Sally," Vector said. "If we talk to him, maybe he can lend us his branch of The Freedom Fighters."

"Would that work?" Lanolin asked.

"Ken seems very loyal to Sally," Espio said. "Plus, one of his team members was with the Knothole Freedom Fighters."

"Oh yeah, Dulcy the Dragon," Lanolin said.

"Dulcy would be happy to see Sally again," Charmy said.

"Alright fine, we'll set off for The Dragon Kingdom then," Lanolin said.

"I suppose I should return to check on my daughter," Espio said. "But what of this place?"

"It's fine, Jewel should be back from her meeting with Sally soon," Lanolin said. "She'll have Tangle and Whisper with her, so they'll help her out too. Once they return, we'll be off."

"Speaking of volunteers, what about Tekno?" Charmy asked. "Is she helping too?"

"She should be around," Lanolin said. "She's got her own Freedom Fighter group, though it's pretty small."

"If you need more assistance, there is always Cassia and Belle," Espio said.

"Or Sticks," Charmy said.

"No way, I don't trust Sticks to be anywhere near this place," Lanolin said. "Last time she freaked out because she thought this was some secret government controlled facility."

"Isn't it technically government owned?" Charmy asked.

"This place is for volunteers to help with this planet's safety," Lanolin said.

"Yeah, but Queen Sally funds it," Charmy said.

"Ugh, I don't have time to argue this," Lanolin said. "Just be ready to move."

"Sure, okay," Vector said. "Come on boys."

The Chaotix left to do their thing while Lanolin pulled a picture out of her pocket. The picture was of her and Sally during one of the castle's Gala Events. "I hope I'm making you proud, Sally." She put the picture away and went back to work.

That afternoon, Sonic, Amy and Sonia had gone on their run. They were not alone of course, as Sally and Manik had accompanied them.

Amy carried Sally on her back while Sonia carried Manik, the latter looking embarrassed about being carried by his little sister.

They traveled slower due to Sally having to be carried, but arrived at a location just fine.

"And here's our stop for the picnic," Amy said as she placed the blanket out. "A place we like to call, Marble Zone."

"I get it, it has Marble and feels like it's own unique world," Sonia said. "The architecture sure is different."

"Yeah, it is," Manik began checking the pillars. "I wonder what civilization may have lived here?"

"Explore a bit, and you might uncover something," Amy said.

"Just um...watch out for the river of lava," Sonic warned.

"Lava!?" Manik asked.

"Don't worry, we're not near any lava, we picked a safer spot," Amy said.

"...I'll stay here for the time being if you don't mind," Manik said.

"Lame," Sonia replied.

"Sonia, be nice," Amy said as she grabbed her picnic basket. "Manik, I got you a nice ham, salami and Swiss cheese sandwich packed with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. You get your protein and your calcium. Among other needed nutrients for a growing boy."

"I don't care about that nutrition stuff," Manik grabbed the sandwich. "But you do make some good food. It's not Royal Castle Worthy, but decent enough."

"Manik!" Sally scolded. "Amy made that for you, be nice!"

"Sorry mom, you too Amy Rose," Manik said.

"It's no trouble dear," Amy said.

"I remember passing through here sometime after I left Mobotropolis. Good memories," Sonic said as he took a bite out of a sandwich. "Eggman was attacking the place, but still, good memories."

"Sonic, don't talk with your mouth full," Sally scolded.

"Hey don't start," Sonic said.

"Sonic, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full, it's rude," Amy said.

"Ugh, I don't get what the big deal is," Sonic said.

"It's table manners," Sally said.

"Like what Ella taught," Amy said.

"Oh right, that thing with the forks," Sonic said.

"That was such an interesting evening," Amy said. "From table manners, to baseball."

"Baseball?" Sonia asked. "What's this about baseball?"

"You remember when I told you about Diamond Stadium?" Amy asked. "Where we had that martial arts battle?"

"Oh yeah, you mentioned baseball then too," Sonia said. "Such a tease."

"Well kick back and I'll tell you the story," Amy said.

"Make it fast, we didn't come to lounge around," Sonic said.

"Oh be patient, Sonic," Amy cleared her throat. "So, it started sometime after I came back from my martial arts tournament with Jacky."

Several years prior, while spending time in Station Square yet again, many of Sonic's friends had spent time looking for the Chaos Emeralds. They had already found four prior to Amy's return. Now with the fifth one, Tails was using the one he got from Amy to help him search for the final two.

He was joined by Bunnie Rabbot as the two traveled together to find the emeralds.

During their travels, the two spotted Diamond Stadium. Feeling curious, the two went inside and beheld something amazing.

Tails and Bunnie were at awe of the place, Tails getting excited enough to fly off while Bunnie explored the field.

"Boy howdy, this is one of the fanciest places I've seen in mah whole life," Bunnie said as she glanced at the stands. "Seats as far as the eye can see. Imagining them filled with fans seems like a dream."

Tails looked around until he spotted a man who looked to be trying to start an engine. He flew over to check on the man. "Excuse me, mister!" The man didn't seem to hear, prompting Tails to speak again. "Mister!"

"Huh?" the man looked down to see Tails just standing there.

"A talking fox!?" the man asked in disbelief. "Wait, are you a child with a mutant quirk!?"

"Huh?" Tails shook his head. "No, I mean, yes, I mean...it's a long story. Sorry for startling you. I was just looking for something here. The stadium is very beautiful."

"Oh, thank you," the man said. "Diamond Stadium has the best turf in the world. I've been shining it for years."

"Tails!" Bunnie called.

The man turned to the girl, "A talking rabbit too? Do you know her?"

"That's Bunnie, she's my friend," Tails said. "Bunnie! Over here!"

"Tails!" Bunnie marched over to the boy. "You shouldn't be talking to strangers."

"Oh, well..." Tails glanced at the man. "He seems really friendly, so it shouldn't be so bad."

"Still, just be careful, you never know with some folks," Bunnie turned to the man. "No offense, mister."

"It's fine, it's only natural to look out for kids," the man said. "You seem like a very responsible young woman."

"Thank you Mr..." Bunnie asked.

"Alfred Butler," The man introduced.

"Well it's good to meet you, Alfred," Bunnie said. "Do you run this place?"

"Sort of, I've been maintaining it for decades," Butler said. "Unfortunately, today will be my last day."

"That so?" Bunnie asked.

"The Diamonds, the team that uses this stadium, are moving to another stadium with an artificial turf," Butler said. "Unfortunately that means this place will be demolished."

"Well, sorry to hear that," Bunnie said. "Anyway Tails, we should be going."

"Wait, I gotta know something first," Tails pulled a Chaos Emerald out. "Mister, have you seen any emeralds that look like this?"

"Tails!" Bunnie scolded. "Don't just pull something like that out."

"It's fine, we can trust him," Tails said as he focused on the man. "Any information will do."

"Sorry kid, I can't say I've seen anything like that," Butler said. "Aside from a big one I've seen on TV."

"That doesn't help," Tails said.

"Sorry kid, wish I could tell you more," Butler said.

"It's fine, thanks for answering," Tails turned to Bunnie. "We should keep going."

"Yeah, best we-" Suddenly a net was thrown over her. "HEY!"

"Huh?" Tails found a net thrown over him as well, same with Butler. "Who's doing this!?"

"Ha! Ha-Ha!" Came the familiar cackle of the robotic chicken known as Scratch. "Got you!"

The badnik was joined by Grounder and Coconuts, the latter taking the moment to gloat, "I knew following you'se two around would be a good idea!"

"Now we can take that Chaos Emerald for ourselves!" Grounder said.

"Not happening!" Bunnie tore through the net with Tails. Unfortunately, Grounder was quick to pull Butler in while holding his drill near his head.

"Your choice, give up the emerald, or he pays the price!" Grounder warned.

Scratch pulled out a radio, "Doctor Robotnik! You might want to come to Diamond Stadium! We have ourselves some hostages!"

Meanwhile at Chris's house, Ella was seen teaching everyone some table manners.

Sonic was present at the house along with Amy, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Sally, Antoine, Rotor, Ryo, Nozomi, Beat and Gum.

Jacky and Sarah had returned to the road for the time being, but promised to be around just in case their assistance was needed as well.

"Let's start with the appetizer," Ella said. "Which fork and knife should we use?"

"These two?" Amy asked, gathering the correct ones with Cream and Cheese doing the same.

"So simple," Sally said as she grabbed hers. "All those Princess lessons can really come in handy."

"Aw, such smart children you all are," Ella said.

"Why are we learning this stuff exactly?" Sonic asked as he casually ate an apple.

"Yeah, it's boring," Beat said as he picked up a random fork. "You use this stuff to prop the food into your mouth. It's the simplest thing in the world."

"Come on, these are good manners to learn," Chris said. "Don't you two want to be proper?"

"Not really," Beat said.

"Same, I'd rather just be out looking for the Chaos Emeralds again," Sonic said as he took a large bite out of his apple. "Seems like a better use of my time than this."

"Master Sonic, you are exhibiting terrible manners," Tanaka said.

"I have to agree," Ryo said. "Sonic, you were so much more well-mannered when eating in Japan. Has the American lifestyle already gotten to you?"

"Well Sonic and his friends have made frequent trips to this country," Nozomi said. "Plus a lot of their friends are American. Of course, I speak as a Japanese girl who was influenced by a Canadian lifestyle."

"Hey, I get that some manners are important, but learning about different forks and knives seems a bit much," Sonic said.

"Geez Sonic, you have not changed at all with your table manners," Sally said.

"What does that mean?" Sonic asked.

"Remember this? Two Doggies with the works?" Sally asked.

"You're still on that?" Sonic asked.

"You shoved two overly topped chilidogs into your mouth!" Sally said. "You did so at least twice a day! Three times if you were lucky!"

"So?" Sonic asked.

"What do you mean 'so'!?" Sally reacted. "Are you that clueless as to how bad your manners are!?"

"No yelling at the table!" Ella scolded.

"I'm not yelling!" Sally loudly insisted. "I'm just saying that-!"

Ella slammed her wooden spoon near Sally, freaking the chipmunk out. "I won't ask you again, young lady! No yelling!"

"...Sorry ma'am," Sally said.

"How dare you speak to ze princess zat way! Why I should..." Antoine felt a cold chill as Ella glared a hole through his soul. "Continue eating my delectable meal. With ze proper utensils of course."

"Wow, she's strict!" Nozomi said, with Ryo agreeing.

"As for you two!" Ella focused on Sonic and Beat. "If you show bad manners, you will be excused without dinner!"

"Yes ma'am," Beat said.

"Sorry about that," Sonic said.

"Ella laying down the law as usual," Chuck said. "I must wonder where Tails and Bunnie are? It's late. They'll miss dinner."

Emerl picked up the fork and knife as well, "Proper utensils."

"Very good," Ella said.

"Mwahahaha!" Came the voice of Bokkun as he flew into the kitchen.

"Do we not have ze security?" Antoine asked.

"I have a message from Doctor Eggman!" Bokkun said.

"Such bad manners!" Tanaka scolded. "How dare you disrespect this home!"

"Who cares about manners? Only Royal Snobs do," Bokkun said.

"Hey!" Sally retorted.

Bokkun turned the TV on as Eggman appeared on screen, dressed in completely unusual gear.

"Is that Eggman?" Beat raised his sunglasses. "He looks like a baseball player."

"That's because I am!" Eggman said as he grabbed a bat. "I, Doctor Eggman, am coming to you live from...Diamond Stadium!"

"Diamond Stadium?" Chris asked.

"What is that?" Sally asked.

"A baseball field," Chris explained. "Home of the Station Square Diamonds."

"Baseball?" Ryo asked.

"That's right! And I have some guests!" Eggman gestured to Butler, the man being held hostage by Scratch, Grounder and Coconuts.

"Who is that?" Rotor asked.

"He's not the only one you should be worried about," Eggman said as he gestured to Tails and Bunnie, the two facing off against Orbot, Cubot, Bocoe and Decoe.

Eggman showed off a baseball, "I'll pay you back everything with this white ball!"

"What does that mean!?" Sally asked.

"You'll see soon, Susie!" Eggman said before turning the tv off.

"It's Sally!" the girl shouted in annoyance. "My name is not that hard to remember!"

"This bot will not hit a thousand baseballs," Bokkun said.

"Hit?" Sonic asked.

Suddenly Bokkun pulled out a bat and started hitting baseballs at the group, prompting them to dodge frantically or duck for cover.

Suddenly Ella grabbed Bokkun by the head, "Knock it off!" She then threw Bokkun far out of the window, to everyone's amazement.

"Wow, that's a strong throwing arm," Chris said.

"This looks like a trap. We should call for help," Sally grabbed her communicator. "Nicole, call Spider-Man."

"You got it, Sal," Nicole said as she dialed.

"And where did you learn to speak so casually like that!? "Sally asked.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Sal," Sonic said, earning an eyebrow raise from the girl. "You call Spidey, I'll let Johnny and Dash know."

Sonic sped away as Amy grabbed a phone, "I should get Jacky. He shouldn't be too far."

"Alright, Let's do it, to it!" Sally said. "Let's go team!"

Sonic immediately dashed off, looking for his friends before heading to the stadium.

Chuck got into his car and drove himself, along with Chris, Tanaka, Emerl, Cream and Cheese toward the stadium.

Amy dashed off toward the stadium as well, then noticed a familiar car coming along. The car was driven by Jacky, with Sarah in the passenger seat. Amy wasted no time leaping into the car.

"Wow, here already?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I'm that damn fast," Jacky said. "Come on, let's go play ball."

It wasn't long before Sally realized she along with Rotor, Antoine, Ryo, Nozomi, Beat and Gum were left behind.

"Hey! What about us!?" Sally shouted. "This was NOT coordinated well!"

"I don't think we need to be there," Ryo said.

"I'm the leader of this operation!" Sally said.

"Says who?" Beat asked.

"So I need to be there!" Sally continued, then noticed a cab. "A taxi!"

"A taxi? They're still running this late?" Ryo asked.

"Also, no roof?" Beat asked. "Man, even for an American taxi that's so unusual. But it's also so freaking dope!"

Sally ran to a man wearing a blue shirt and an orange hat while also sporting sunglasses. "Excuse me sir! This is your taxi, correct?"

"Got that right, you need a ride?" the man then raised his sunglasses. "Also, are you a squirrel?"

"No, I mean, yes, I mean...my mom was a squirrel but...ugh, that's not important," Sally said. "Can you get us to Diamond Stadium?"

"Sure, hop in," the man said.

"Thank you sir," Sally said as she gestured everyone along.

"No need for formalities," the man said. "Name's BD Joe, but you can call me Joe."

"Sally, we need money," Ryo said.

"Oh yeah, how far away is this place?" Beat asked.

"Furthermore, do you charge by the mile? Or how long it takes?" Nozomi asked.

"Just tell me, how much you got?" Joe asked.

"About twenty dollars," Ryo said.

"Hm, little less than my usual rate," Joe joked. "I kid, that's enough to cover it."

"That would be great, we're in a hurry," Sally said as she sat in the passenger seat.

"Sally, you're supposed to sit in the back," Ryo said.

"It is kind of cramped though," Beat said as everyone squeezed in.

"Might be easier if this seal dude came up front," Joe said.

"I'm a walrus," Rotor said as he took Joe's advice and switched places with Sally. The girl was now between Ryo and Nozomi while Antoine was squeezed between Beat and Gum.

"Now buckle up," Joe said. "We'll be there in two minutes."

"Oh, is the stadium that close?" Nozomi asked.

"Not even a little," Joe said as he immediately revved his engine. "Let's ride!"

"Hey wait-" Joe took off at incredible speeds, taking Sally by surprise. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

"HELL YEAH!" Beat cheered as the car sped ahead.

Meanwhile at the Stadium, Eggman and his forces still had Tails and Bunnie cornered.

"I'm kind of disappointed that you two are the ones I ran into," Eggman said. "A puny fox and his robot rabbit pal."

"Puny? I beat you at Station Square and on the ARK!" Tails said.

"Yeah, but what have you done lately?" Eggman taunted.

"You watch yerself!" Bunnie warned. "Tails here is more than enough to take you down! Especially with me by his side!"

"Who even are you?" Eggman asked.

"Figures you wouldn't remember me," Bunnie said. "Why should you care about the lives you've ruined!?"

"This is ridiculous, I don't have time for any of this!" Eggman used a claw on his machine to attack. "Just hand over that Emerald!"

As Eggman went to grab the Emerald, Knuckles had shown up and punched the claw, taking everyone present by surprise.

"Tails, are you alright!?" Knuckles asked.

"Knuckles!" Tails said in glee. "I'm fine, thanks!"

"Boy are we glad to see you," Bunnie said.

"Huh?" Knuckles turned to the girl. "Oh right, I remember you. One of Princess Sally's friends."

"Sure am, name's Bunnie Rabbot, just in case y'all need a reminder," Bunnie said while playfully winking at Knuckles.

Knuckles nodded and turned to the nearby villain, "Long time no see, Doctor Eggman."

"You..." Eggman uttered in disdain. "So, Knuckles arrived before Sonic."

"Tails, Bunnie, you two should go," Knuckles said.

"You won't need to!" Sonic's voice called. The hero zipped around and stopped near his friends. "Hey, how's it going Knuckles?"

Knuckles had no response, other than a light yet cocky smile.

"Sonic, so good to see ya Sugar Hog," Bunnie said.

"So, you're here already Sonic, not surprised at all," Eggman said. "I was hoping to have the Emerald before you arrived." He saw more coming. "Seems like you have more than enough players."

Not only did those in Chuck's car arrive, alongside Amy with the Bryant siblings, but so did Johnny Storm and Rainbow Dash.

"Is he wearing a baseball uniform?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sure is," Johnny gestured to his jersey. "Good thing I stopped by and got this."

"The Human Torch! You're here!" Chris said. "And, you have a Yankee shirt?"

"Of course, gotta rep my hometown," Johnny said as he extended his vest.

Peter then came through a portal, generated by Twilight Sparkle.

"Here you are," Twilight said. "Diamond Stadium."

"Thanks Twi," Peter said as he looked around. "What a place."

"Yo Spidey, glad you made..." Johnny raised his eyebrow. "Dude, are you wearing a Mets shirt?"

"Well yeah, I'm from Queens," Peter said.

"Uh-huh..." Johnny replied. "You guys ain't no Yankees though."

"Both your teams pale in comparison to mine," Eggman boasted.

"You wish," Peter said. "So, is everyone here?"

Suddenly they heard some loud car driving. They turned around and saw BD Joe speed in with his taxi, all while looking proud of himself.

"Told ya I'd get you here fast," Joe said as everyone stepped out of the car, looking very dazed.

"That...was...awful," Sally lamented.

"Best taxi ride ever!" Beat cheered.

"I knew we were forgetting someone," Chuck said.

Tanaka, wearing a Diamond Jersey, walked over to the taxi driver, "Thank you for getting the rest of our group here." He pulled out his wallet and handed twenty dollars over to Joe. "A tip for your service."

"Wow, talk about a lucky break," Joe said, then took a look at the evil doctor. "Hey wait, I've seen you on TV. Ain't you the guy who sold those crummy Sunshine Balls? Man, that thing was a total bust, I'm surprised your ass ain't in jail."

"You can thank Doctor Doom for that," Eggman said.

"Where is Doom!?" Johnny asked.

"In Latveria, you can go say hello if you want, Johnathan," Eggman said. "Victor will be very happy to see you."

"I told you not to call me Johnathan!" Johnny warned.

Chris ran over to check on Sally, the boy kneeling beside her, "Are you alright? Sorry, I should have made sure you were with me."

"Don't worry honey," Sally said as she rubbed Chris's head. "I'm here, that's all that matters."

"For how long?" Eggman taunted.

"Enough of this!" Sonic said. "Eggman, what do you even want!?"

"To introduce you to my robot team!" Eggman said as he gestured to some oncoming robots from a flying saucer as they began to surround the heroes. The robots in question resembled baseball players, all having the team logo 'Eggs' imprinted on them,

"Amy, Nozomi, I'm scared," Cream said.

"Don't worry, we're here for you," Amy reassured as Nozomi knelt beside the girl in a protective manner.

"Time to teach you all about baseball," Eggman said as the rest of his robots joined him to pose.

"Huh? Wait, you can't mean to say you want to play baseball," Tails said. "There's no way-"

"We'll make you eat your words!" Chuck said, confusing Tails.

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Sally asked.

"Chuck?" Eggman turned to Sonic. "Don't you have a relative by that name?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Sonic asked.

"I will have you know that in addition to being an inventor, I am quite fond of baseball," Chuck said. "With a ball and bat, we will properly communicate."

"Guys, this stadium isn't meant for playing right now!" Tails said. "You're going to ruin the turf!"

"Why is that annoying fox cub getting all worked up?" Decoe asked.

"He's always like this, such a blabbermouth," Scratch said.

"Oh shut up you tin cans!" Tails shouted. "This turf means a lot to Alfred!"

"Who?" Johnny asked.

"That fellow over there," Bunnie said as she gestured to the man in question.

"It's fine, this stadium is going to be destroyed anyway," Butler said.

"I know you!" Chuck said. "Alfred Butler! I read about you in the papers! The only man that Emer Johnson has complimented!"

"It was a long time ago," Butler said.

Chuck began getting emotional, "To play in this stadium is such an honor!"

"Uh, what is going on?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Who knows? Just some geezers reuniting," Johnny said.

"Mr. Storm, Ms. Dash," Cream said. "That wasn't nice!"

"Don't call me 'mister', I'm not an old man," Johnny said.

"Don't call me 'miss' either, save that stuff for Rarity," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well if you have your players, let's start!" Eggman said.

"Start what?" Amy asked.

"Let the First Chaos Emerald Competition begin!" Chuck said.

"Actually it's the Diamond Stadium Cup Baseball Tournament!" Eggman said.

"...Baseball?" Knuckles asked.

"I saw this coming a mile away," Chris said.

Tanaka began stretching. "One, two, three, four!"

"Baseball?" Sonic asked. "Sure, why not?"

"This is not what I expected," Jacky said.

"Could be fun," Beat said.

"So are we playing too?" Cream asked.

"Seems like it," Amy said.

"Whoo! Baseball!" Joe said as he went to take a seat.

"I'll sit this out, I'm not very athletic," Twilight said while leaving the others to their planning.

"What is Eggman planning?" Chris asked.

"He seems like a runner," Chuck said, much to Chris's confusion.

"So...let's decide who goes first with Rock-Paper-Scissors!" Eggman said.

"Pretty sure the visiting team bats first," Johnny said.

"Won't that mean Eggman's first?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Let's strike him out," Johnny said. "Then hit nothing but homeruns."

"Hold it, I'm against this!" Knuckles declared. "Are you really wagering a Chaos Emerald against this? This is insane."

"I'm with Knuckles on this," Sally said. "Now isn't the time to be playing baseball. We should be focused on detaining Robotnik and finding the last few chaos emeralds."

"What a pair of wet blankets," Eggman said.

"Yeah, don't bum everyone out," Chuck said.

"You're both so lame," Amy teased.

"Very lame," Cream agreed with Cheese nodding.

"Seriously!?" Knuckles asked.

"I will ground you both!" Sally warned.

"You two are examples of disgraceful samurai," Tanaka said.

Knuckles and Sally glanced at each other in disbelief before focusing on the others.

"You've all lost your minds!" Sally said. "Peter, reason with them!"

"You both suck," Peter said.

"You airheaded buffoon!" Knuckles shouted.

"Knuckles and Sally are cowards," Emerl said.

"HEY!" The two shouted.

"Listen, I'm afraid I also agree with Sally and Knuckles," Ryo said. "This just doesn't seem-"

"Ryo's lame," Beat said.

"Shut up!" Ryo shouted. "I'm just saying-"

"You three have no balls," Johnny said.

"Guess you guys just aren't man enough," Rainbow Dash said.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Knuckles shouted. "I'll show you man enough! I'll hit a homerun every time I'm at bat!"

"This is stupid," Sally said. "Also, I'm a girl. I don't need to be man enough."

"And I am not going to be swayed by petty insults," Ryo said.

"Guess a certain someone lacks true honor," Gum said. "Way to disgrace our country Ryo."

"...You know what!?" Ryo looked just about ready to lose his patience. "Fine...but don't blame me if this backfires!"

"Come on guys, don't give in!" Sally said. "This is ridiculous! Antoine, back me up here!"

"Oui, zis is ridiculous," Antoine said.

"You're such a suck up, Ant," Rotor commented.

"Come on Sal," Sonic said. "You always talk about being a great leader. Prove it? Or, are you all talk and no action?"

"All talk!?" Sally looked ready to snap.

"Try it Sally," Nicole said. "Don't be a wuss."

"NICOLE!" Sally shouted in annoyance as she turned to the still smug hedgehog. "Sonic...I swear, if Robotnik wins and takes the emerald..."

"Your first mistake is acting like you guys already lost," Jacky said. "Instead of worrying about losing, just go out there and prove why you're winners!"

"Yeah, let's play ball!" Johnny cheered.

With Decoe at the Umpire position, Chris was first up to bat while Sally looked on in pride. "He looks so cute in his uniform."

"I'm ready!" Chris said, the boy ready to knock it out of the park.

Unfortunately he got three strikes and an out really quickly, prompting him to sadly sit by Sally while she comforted the boy.

"It's alright honey, you did your best," Sally said while gently rubbing his hand.

"Yes! Keep it up!" Eggman encouraged.

Tails was next up to bat, Sally once again gushing, "Aw, he looks cute too!"

"Such a handsome little fellow," Bunnie said.

"...I really want to hug him right now," Sarah commented, earning an eyebrow raise from Jacky.

"You can count on me!" Tails said as he prepared.

The robot batting extended his arms and flung the ball past Tails.

"Strike!" Decoe declared.

"Umpire! That's not fair!" Tails shouted.

"Yeah, what are you blind!?" Johnny shouted.

"It can't be helped if he has long arms," Decoe said. "My standing is final."

After Tails was Amy, who had her hammer out and ready.

"Hey! Isn't that against the rules!?" Coconuts shouted.

"It can't be helped if she can summon a hammer," Peter said. "Them's the rules, monkey boy."

The pitcher threw the ball, to which Amy was able to connect and send it flying.

"Alright Amy!" Jacky cheered.

Johnny whistled in amazement, "She's got one hell of a swing."

"Amy is very used to hitting things," Knuckles proudly commented.

Unfortunately one of the robots threw another, resulting in the ball being caught just before it left the stadium.

"Batter out!" Decoe said.

"Aw..." Amy said just as she reached first base. "No way!"

"Oh that's bullshit!" Peter shouted.

"Language, this is a family game!" Eggman scolded.

"Hey pal you can't tell me what to say!" Peter said. "So kindly go fu-"

"Spider-Man!" Chuck called while gesturing to Cream. "Need I remind you there's children around?"

"...Okay fine," Peter said. "Seriously, screw Eggman."

With three outs, the Diamonds and The Eggs switched positions, with Amy being pitcher.

"I'm so much better at pitching than batting," Amy said. She threw the ball so hard she accidentally destroyed the batter. Since it still counted as a bean, the batter was moved to another base as Amy sheepishly apologized. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize to the robots, Amy," Sally said. "They're with Eggman, they're soulless."

"Yeah, Gamma was totally soulless," Peter sarcastically reminded. "I bet Emerl hated that one too."

"Whatever happened to Gamma?" Cubot asked.

"He was destroyed," Orbot confirmed.

"Oh...that's sad, he seemed nice," Cubot said.

Ryo replaced Amy and pitched himself. As he did, a robot tried to steal base, to which the catcher, that being Bunnie, threw the ball toward Tails so he could tag the robot.

Unfortunately the robot had leapt over Tails and landed safely on the base. "SAFE!"

"This is ridiculous," Tails said.

"Tails! Stay on the base!" Johnny called. "Cream, you too!"

The next robot managed to hit a homerun ball, which Eggman commented on. "It's going out of the park!"

Sonic was fast enough to run to the top of the jumbo tron and catch the ball. "Got it!"

"Alright, Sonic!" Sally cheered.

"It's still a homerun," Decoe said, confusing Sally.

"Yes, it doesn't count if you catch the ball out of the fence," Chuck said.

"Man, rules suck," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, next time Dash, fly up and get the ball," Peter said. "Don't just stand around doing nothing."

"Hey! Sonic had it!" Rainbow Dash said. "Not my fault the rules exist."

"Some athlete, I figured you'd know what the rules would be!" Peter scolded.

"You wanna go, Parker!?" Rainbow Dash warned.

"Hey! No fighting!" Amy scolded.

"Shove off, Rose!" Rainbow Dash warned.

"Dash, Peter, chill!" Johnny said. "Save it for Egghead over here!"

When it was Sally's turn to bat, she swung once and accidentally let go of the bat, prompting it to fly toward an unsuspecting Nozomi. "OW!"

"Oh my Gosh!" Sally shouted in embarrassment. "Nozomi, are you okay!?"

A dizzy Nozomi did a thumbs up while in a daze, "I'm fine, O bāchan!"

Amy stifled a laugh upon hearing what Nozomi said.

"Get off the plate, Cindy!" Eggman said.

"Stop getting my name wrong!" Sally shouted as she angrily stormed off.

Next was Amy back at bat. The robot who pitched to her got destroyed immediately when she swung.

"Sorry about that..." Amy said while on First Base, with the robot looking irritated.

"Starting to think she did that on purpose," Jacky said before smirking. "That's my girl."

Ryo tried swinging at bat, but he himself got struck out. He angrily whacked the ground with the bat, "Dammit!"

"Get that sore loser off the plate!" Eggman called.

Ryo aimed the bat toward Eggman, "Just wait, you'll get yours too."

Knuckles knocked the ball out of the park at his turn, to which Decoe looked annoyed, "Unfortunately that's a homerun."

Knuckles happily ran around the bases while smirking at the praise he got.

"Damn, he meant it when he said he'd get a homerun," Johnny said.

When it was Rainbow Dash's turn, she focused heavily on the ball, ready to do what she had to do. Just as the robot pitched, she heard someone shout, "SWING!"

Rainbow Dash swung early and got a strike, much to her annoyance. She angrily turned her attention to Grounder, who had distracted her by shouting.

"Ha, she fell for it, what a dimwit," Grounder laughed.

"Uh...Grounder?" A nervous Orbot said.

"I bet she has the IQ of uh...of uh...sack of tomatoes if she fell for that old gag," Grounder said, unaware that Rainbow Dash was standing next to him while holding the bat menacingly. The moment he turned to face her, he was greeted with several aggressive bat strikes as he cried out for mercy.

"Uh...Dash!?" Johnny called. "Hey, babe! You gotta chill!"

"Wow she's short tempered," Peter said.

"Hey um...who invited the media?" Beat asked while gesturing to a reporter named Scarlet Garcia. "Wait, is this on TV?"

"Well superheroes and a sinister supervillain are here, so it's to be expected," Gum said.

"Man..." BD Joe said in the stands while sitting by Twilight. "This is getting better by the second."

"I'm really worried, I hope Peter will be okay," Twilight said.

"You two dating?" Joe asked, prompting a blush from Twilight.

"Geez, why does everyone ask me that?" Twilight wondered.

Johnny blew a whistle to get everyone's attention, "Let's get another batter. Chuck, who's up!?"

"I have someone perfect in mind!" Chuck said.

Moments later, Cheese was at the plate, the little chao holding the bat and ready to go.

"Uh...why are we letting that tiny little creature bat?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He's going to get wrecked."

"Actually, I see this as an advantage," Peter said.

The robot threw the ball, though no matter how many times he did so, it counted as a ball rather than a strike.

"Four balls, that's a walk!" Decoe declared as Cheese went to first base.

"You idiot!" Eggman shouted.

"Way to go, Cheese!" Johnny cheered. "Aright, who's next!?"

Cream went up to bat as well, though just as the robot was about to pitch, the girl called his attention.

"Mr. Robot...could you go easy when pitching?" Cream while flashing sparkly eyes. "I'm not very good at this."

The robot grew nervous as it dropped the ball, letting it roll toward Cream as she walked it gently whacked the ball and ran to the next base.

"Thanks Mr. Robot, I love you!" Cream called.

Tails's eye twitched upon hearing that.

"Loving a robot, using her feminine wiles?" Antoine commented. "I hope zis girl isn't showing signs of being a harlot."

Nozomi's eyes turned red as she turned toward Antoine with a crack of her neck, then immediately lunged at the coyote. All that was heard throughout the stadium was pain inflicted due to a foolish choice of words.

"So...who's up next?" Johnny asked.

Emerl went to bat, though just as he swung, he let the bat go as it went flying toward Sarah. "OW!"

"Emerl! Copy Knuckles! Not Sally!" Johnny called.

"Hey!" Sally shouted.

Knuckles himself was up to bat and hit yet another homerun.

"You freaking rock, Knuckles!" Johnny cheered. "Hell yeah! That ties us up!"

"Hey guys, look!" Chris said, pointing out all of the people watching from the stands.

"Was this because of that reporter girl?" Bunnie asked.

Sonic went again, choosing to bunt the ball and immediately run to first.

"Nice work, Sonic!" Johnny cheered.

"Nice work!? Sonic, you're fast, you should have been able to get a bunch of homeruns at once!" Sally said.

"Great that you believe in me, Sal," Sonic said. "But it's fine."

"Fine how!?" Sally asked in disbelief.

Bunnie was next and managed to hit the ball hard enough to get to first as well, with Sonic rushing to second. "Dang, was hoping for a homerun like Knuckles got."

"End this with the next bat!" Eggman shouted, startling his robots.

"Oof, Eggman's pissed," Johnny said. "Okay Chuck, we need someone good because-"

"Go get'em Chris!" Chuck said, much to Johnny's confusion.

"Bro what the hell!?" Johnny asked. "Now isn't the time for nepotism!"

The ball was thrown once, to which Chris got a strike. "Ugh, I'll never hit the ball this way." Another ball was thrown, another strike was called.

"This was a mistake," Sally said. "Bad enough we could lose, but now Chris is going to blame himself."

"Time out!" Sonic called. "Chris!"

"Huh?" Chris walked over to Sonic.

"What's up with you, Chris?" Sonic asked as friendly as he could. "You just need to hit the ball with the bat."

"The ball's moving too fast though, I can't hit it," Chris said.

"Says who?" Sonic asked. "You can do anything. It's not limited to baseball either. You can take on any challenge, and it starts with you swinging your bat."

"Yeah, alright," Chris said as he went back to bat.

Sonic ran over to Sally, "Hey, Chris really admires you. Try to cheer him on if you can."

"Huh?" Sally turned to the boy. "I suppose...yes, alright."

Sonic nodded with a wink and ran back to his base, "Time in!"

Sally focused her attention on the boy, "Chris! Just do your best!"

"I got this...I won't let anyone down," Chris said. The moment the robot threw the ball, Chris had swung, falling over in the process.

"Strike!" Decoe said.

"...Figures," Chris lamented.

"Chris run!" Johnny called as a robot followed the ball that Chris hit. "That Umpire's a filthy liar, run!"

"I resent that!" Decoe said as Chris ran.

Fortunately, despite the plays, Chris made it to first base, allowing Sonic to make it home and score the extra point.

"Sonic! I did it!" Chris said, earning a smile and thumbs up from Sonic.

"Playtime's over!" Eggman pressed a button as a nearby robot detached its head and flew on top of Sonic's head.

"What in the world?" Sonic asked.

"Oh no! My robot's acting out of its own volition!" Eggman fake panicked. "At this rate, it's going to explode!"

"Explode!?" Chris asked.

"Robotnik, what are you up to!?" Sally shouted.

"Dammit!" Sonic tried prying the robot off. "I think Eggman's trying to get this game called off!"

"Eggman, do something! Now!" Rainbow Dash warned.

"Sorry, no can do, we can only pray," Eggman said.

"Screw this!" Sonic ran around the field, trying to shake the robot off. "So stubborn!"

"Sonic! Jump!" Knuckles called.

"Uh, okay!?" Sonic leapt into air as Knuckles charged after him. "Hey wait! Don't do anything stupid!"

Knuckles managed to punch the robot, with an explosion following.

"Sonic!" Sally shouted in panic.

Fortunately, she had nothing to worry about as Sonic and Knuckles fell from the air unharmed.

"Thanks Knuckles, you're a lifesaver," Sonic said.

"Ugh! No matter! That emerald is still-" Eggman felt something thrown at his head. He turned and saw Ryo with a baseball.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Ryo threw the ball again.

"Moron, you really think that's all it will take to..." Eggman noticed Bunnie charging up a laser.

"Like it? Tails modified it fer me!" Bunnie said. "This is from him and me!"

She then blasted Eggman away, keeping everyone safe from his wrath.

"Well that takes care of that," Sally said, then heard applause all around her. "Huh?"

People in the stands were clapping and cheering, all of them happy to have seen such a great baseball game.

"Our adoring public," Johnny said. "Ladies! Line up single file if you want an autograph! Or a little bit more."

"Johnny!" Rainbow Dash angrily shouted.

"Chill babe," Johnny said.

"Stop calling me 'babe'!" Rainbow Dash said. "You and I aren't together!"

"Then why are you jealous?" Johnny asked while flashing a snarky grin.

"...I hate you," Rainbow Dash said.

"Aw..." Amy gushed at the interaction. "Young love."

Chris looked to be relieved that everyone was safe, and that the Chaos Emerald had not been taken.

"Chris!" Sally ran toward the boy, taking him by the hand. "You did so great honey! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, I can't believe I actually hit that ball," Chris said. "Sonic's advice worked out."

"Seems like it," Sally glanced at the hedgehog as he waved at some people in the crowd. "He's so unusual. He's usually immature and kind of annoying. But he's also so good with words when he needs to be." She glanced at the nearby Peter who was talking with Twilight. "Maybe being around superheroes is helping. Even if these heroes are immature at times themselves."

"I guess Sonic just does what he wants," Chris said, then noticed a man talking to Alfred and Chuck. "Hey, it's the Diamond's Manager, Emer Johnson!"

"Oh, he owns this stadium, correct?" Sally asked.

"I believe so," Chris said.

Meanwhile Sonic was seen hanging around Jacky.

"Glad you were able to make it," Sonic said. "You came by fast."

"You're not the only one who prides himself on his speed," Jacky said. "They don't call me the Blue Flash for nothing."

"Well it's great that you were able to come," Sonic said. "I hope this isn't an inconvenience to you."

"Of course not, I'm always there for my buddies," Jacky said. "Besides, Amy needed me and well...ugh, this is kind of embarrassing to admit."

"What is?" Sonic asked.

"You guys are going back home soon, right?" Jacky asked, earning a nod from Sonic. "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to see you all. For all I know, you'll find those last two emeralds tomorrow. Then, you'll be on your way back home to Planet Mobius."

"Guess so," Sonic said.

"I may not be able to see Amy after that," Jacky said. "Traveling with her the last couple of months was great, and I really enjoy her company. She's like a spunky little niece."

"Seems like Amy's made quite an impression on you," Sonic said.

"She sure has, that's one special kid," Jacky said, then turned to Sonic. "Make sure you appreciate her. A girl like Amy doesn't come along very often. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone with that much love in their heart."

"Yeah, Amy's really nice," Sonic said, the hedgehog now glancing at the girl. "She's always got that team spirit."

"How are things with that Chris kid?" Jacky asked.

"He's doing well," Sonic said.

"His mother's friends with Pai I think, or at least they know each other," Jacky said.

"Yeah, his mother's a famous movie star," Sonic said. "Unfortunately she isn't around much, so I think he's lonely."

"Man, all the money in the world can't replace that type of empty void," Jacky said.

"I think Sally's trying to fill that void," Sonic said.

"Guess the Princess wants more subjects, huh?" Jacky teased.

"Sally may be bossy, but she does genuinely care," Sonic said. "She just needs to channel that care better."

"Well, she should probably take a tip or two from Amy," Jacky said.

"Yo!" Joe got on the field to greet everyone. "That was a kickass game! Man, didn't expect this much excitement. I'm glad that little squirrel got me to drive here."

"I'm a chipmunk," Sally corrected.

"Thanks for driving them," Peter said. "Just be mindful of how you drive. You don't want to get pulled over."

"Don't worry, I've been at this for a long time," Joe said. "Go to San Francisco, say my name, and I bet half the town knows who I am."

"Funny, that's my hometown," Jacky said. "I have heard rumors of crazy taxis and stuff. Guess it wasn't an exaggeration."

"Well, I should get back, unless you all need a ride," Joe said.

"Anyone got another twenty bucks?" Beat asked.

Back in the present, Sonia was very engrossed with Manik looking just as interested.

"So what happened next?" Manik asked.

"Since we brought so much attention back to Diamond Stadium, the manager changed his mind about demolishing it and revamped it," Amy said. "Hence our little tournament sometime later."

"That's amazing," Sonia said. "I'd love to meet Chris one day."

"It might take some time, he's very busy these days," Amy said. "He took over his father's business, but he does want to make time to see us too. I'd love to introduce him to the two of you."

"It'd be nice to see everyone," Sally said. "Ryo, Nozomi, Jacky, Sarah, I'd even take time to see Beat."

Sonic got on his feet and stretched a bit, "I'm ready to explore."

"Same here," Sonia stood up. "Come on Manik."

"Uh, where are we exploring exactly?" Manik asked.

"The Marbles, where else?" Sonia asked.

"But...what about the lava?" Manik asked.

"I'll keep you safe," Sonia took Manik by the hand. "Come on, you wanted to learn more about this place. Plus, I've always wanted to explore with you by my side. It makes it fun."

"Well...okay," Manik said.

"Come on then," Sonia said as she pulled Manik along.

"Hey, easy," Manik said.

"Meet you in the field, girls," Sonic said as he sped off.

Amy wiped away some dust from the take off, "What an excitable bunch."

"Yeah..." Sally said while looking to the side. "Amy, was I too bossy?"

"A little I'll admit," Amy said. "But I know you just have everyone's best interest in mind. It's just that, we're so used to doing our own thing, and not used to authority."

"I get it," Sally said. "I just worry that something's going to happen to you one day. I also want you to be your best possible selves."

"It's sweet of you to do that, just look for a common ground," Amy said as she stood up. "Come on, let's explore."

"Sure but, about that lava," Sally said.

"Hey, trust me Sal," Amy said as she took her friend's hand. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"...Okay, I trust you Amy," Sally said.

"Let's do it, to it," Amy said while winking at the girl.

"Uh, yeah, let's do it, to it," Sally said as the two went to explore together.

Off near Mobotropolis Castle as everyone worked hard to fix it, Shard appeared nearby to observe from a distance.

"Looks like things are getting better," Shard said. "Still, to think Naugus did all this." He then felt a strange presence. "I think Nicole's coming back. I should leave before she spots me. I'm still not quite ready to talk to her." Shard leapt off the castle as worries flashed through his mind. "Geez Sage, of all the girls you could have started a rivalry with, why did you have to pick the only girl who could understand me? What a bother."

Shard dashed off, eager to see more of the world for the moment, before the sinister Eggman would plot to destroy it again.

Chapter 2: Cruise Blues

The morning skies spread over the home of the Hedgehog Family. Sonic slowly opened his eyes and turned to the side. Instead of seeing Amy there however, he was alone.

Curiously Sonic got off the bed and went downstairs. Upon doing so, he could smell something being cooled. Given how good the smell was, he immediately knew it was Amy.

He leaned on the wall next to the kitchen door, as devious thoughts began to pass through his mind.

"I think Amy is due for an early morning surprise," Sonic said while smirking to himself. He carefully opened the door as to not arouse attention and then immediately sped inside and pulled a lucky lady into his arms. "Hey Ames, why don't we cook up something else together?"

Sonic was too engrossed with his prank that he didn't even notice that it wasn't Amy he was hugging from behind. A second later, he noticed it was Sally he had in his arms, the two exchanged eye contact for a second and then freaked out as they separated from each other.

"S-Sally!?" Sonic asked in disbelief.

"Oh my...you haven't held me like that since we were married," Sally said while trying to hide her face and her blush. "I forgot how comforting it was."

"Wait, but how can you be in here if...?" Sonic turned to the stove and saw that Amy was indeed there, the girl looking just as curious. "Huh?"

"What...was that?" Amy asked. "Were you planning to surprise me like that?"

"Kind of..." Sonic said.

Amy just stared a bit longer before laughing out loud. "Oh my God, that's so funny Sonic! Wow, you sounded to confident too with your corny line. Uh, not that it wasn't sweet and I do appreciate the thought but I think you could have led with something better. Of course I would have gone along with it regardless since-"

"Okay, can we move on to another topic?" Sonic asked. "Sally's in the kitchen."

"Uh, yeah?" Amy said.

"Why?" Sonic asked. "Why is she near where we cook food that we need to eat so we can live?"

"Geez Sonic, I know Sally isn't the best cook but you can be a bit nicer about it," Amy said. "Besides, she's in here because I'm teaching her how to cook."

"I'm hoping to improve my skills, this way whenever you and Amy go out together, you don't have to worry about coming home to cook," Sally said. "I'll make sure you have a good meal waiting for you."

"Uh that's nice I guess," Sonic said.

"Sonic, show a little more faith, will ya?" Amy said.

"Right, sorry," Sonic said. "Anyway, is there anything I can eat now?"

"I already made you some waffles and left them on the table," Amy confirmed.

"Oh good..." Sonic curiously glanced at them. "They weren't part of Sally's lesson, right?"

"No, I waited to make sure you had something to eat so I can teach Sally with less stress on her mind," Amy said. "And also, no more cracks about Sally's cooking. You're going to demotivate her."

"It's fine, I don't blame Sonic for worrying," Sally said. "I've tried cooking him breakfast once, and he nearly threw up."

"That I remember," Amy said. "I was still Manik's nanny, and you decided to cook for Sonic, Tails and Knuckles."

"That was such a nightmare," Sally lamented.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Amy insisted.

"Like I said, Sonic nearly threw up," Sally said. "It was so humiliating. All I wanted to do was something nice for the boys and that whole mess just had to happen."

"Sally, don't fret," Amy said. "Just let me handle your training, and you'll be cooking like a pro in no time."

"Good luck with that," Sonic said, then found himself under Amy's glare. "I swear I didn't mean anything by that!"

"Sonic, if you want me to keep cooking for you, then I suggest you watch that tone of yours," Amy warned. "Be mindful of Sally's feelings!"

"I will," Sonic reassured.

"Good," Amy turned to her friend. "Now Sally, let's try this again."

Sonic sat by the table and began eating his waffles. He looked over to Amy and Sally as the girls continued cooking. He was happy to see Sally making an effort, but deep down, he was just as nervous about the idea of Sally cooking.

It wasn't long before Manik and Sonia woke up as well and made their way into the kitchen.

"Am I seeing things? Or is mom trying to teach Aunt Sally how to cook?" Sonia asked.

"I can't imagine this ending well," Manik said.

"Hey, enough of that," Sonic said. "Sally's trying, and that's all that matters."

"Besides, if anyone can teach Sally how to cook, mom can," Sonia said. "She's a pro at teaching things to others. Especially when it comes to cooking in her bakery."

"I just hope we're not chosen to be the experiments," Manik said.

"Geez bro, have some faith in your own mother," Sonia said.

"Oh, so would you eat something my mother made then?" Manik asked.

"If she wanted me too, and told me she did her absolute best," Sonia said. "Because I love my Aunt Sally."

"Well I love living," Manik said.

"Ugh, you're so immature," Sonia said, then called to her mother. "Hey mom, where's mine and Manik's breakfast?"

"Sally's cooking it," Amy said.

Sonia's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh...really now?" She nervously looked around, noticing that eyes were on her. "Well, that's fine, I believe in Aunt Sally."

"Well, it was a nice life while it lasted," Manik said.

"Bro...!" Sonia scolded.

Sally of course had second thoughts. "I don't know Amy. I don't want to risk poisoning the kids."

"I'll be there to make sure you get it right, and the kids will gladly have whatever you try to cook," Amy reassured.

"What if I refuse?" Manik asked.

"Manik!" Amy scolded, sending a piecing glare to the boy's soul.

"Unless you want mom to ground you, or worse, I suggest dialing back the sass, big bro," Sonia suggested.

"Ugh, fine," Manik said. "Death by food poisoning can't be as bad as death by hammer."

Not too long later, Sonia and Manik were served their food. They each had an omelet, with buttered toast on the sides. Despite their hesitation, they each took a bite from the omelet.

"Well?" Sally asked. "Did it taste good?"

"Of course it did," Amy glared at the two. "Right kids!?"

"Amy, wait, I need their honest answer," Sally said, then focused on the two. "Well? How is it?"

Sonia placed her fork down. "It tastes a little burnt, and there's too much pepper for my liking. But it's actually not too bad."

"Mine tastes a little undercooked, but it could have been worse I suppose," Manik said.

"Wow, how earnest of you, Manik," Amy sarcastically commented.

"It's fine Amy," Sally said. "At least it's something."

"Sal just needs a little more practice," Sonia said.

"Okay, I feel motivated," Sally said. "My goal is to make something so good, the kids will have a look of pure bliss in their eyes."

"That's the spirit, Sal!" Amy said as she pat her friend on the back. "We'll resume practice later. Right now, I have some chores to do."

"Can I help with anything?" Sally asked.

"Sure, come with me," Amy said as she talked things over with Sally.

"I'm going to go play my games," Manik said as he got up off the table.

"You're always playing those games or reading comics," Sonic said. "Don't you want to do anything else?"

"Like what?" Manik asked.

"Just something," Sonic said.

"Well, when you have an idea, you know where to find me," Manik said as he left.

Sonic sighed in worry, "I gotta do more for that kid."

"We'll think of something," Sonia said as she grabbed the dishes. "For now, I'm going to make a little less work for mom and Sally."

"That's my girl," Sonic said as he took his plate to the sink as well.

Meanwhile with Tails, he was polishing his Tornadoes, making sure they were nice and shiny.

"Gotta keep you all in tip-top shape," Tails said. "You never know when I'm gonna need you."

Mina was watching TV in the living room alongside Fiona, who was having yet another drink.

"Fi, you really gotta dial back on the drinks," Mina said.

"I don't tell you how to live your life, so don't tell me how to live mine," Fiona said.

"Okay, your call," Mina said. "Seriously though, they can really really cause some trouble."

"I said I'm fine!" Fiona said. "Just focus on your little TV show."

Mina shrugged it off, but not without some worry.

Not too long later, there was a knock on the door, to which Fiona gestured to it. "Answer it."

"Why do I have to?" Mina asked.

"Because I said so," Fiona said. "Answer."

"Tc, bossy," Mina said as she answered. "Sticks?"

"Oh it's you, the one Mongoose with those songs containing hidden messages," Sticks said.

Mina furrowed her brow in annoyance, "That was one time, and it was because of Naugus, not me."

"Yeah, yeah," Sticks said. "Where's Tails?"

"He's in his workshop," Mina said. "He's pretty busy, so is this going to take long?"

"You don't need to know," Sticks said. "Can't have anything going back to Queen Sally now can I?"

"I'm not a gossip," Mina said.

"Who's at the door!?" Fiona called.

"It's Sticks!" Mina said.

"Ugh, why!?" Fiona lamented.

"Oh right, the traitor is here too," Sticks said. "You just can't trust anyone these days, can ya?"

Fiona got up to call her friend, "Yo Tails! That stupid badger is here!"

"Sticks?" Tails came into the living room. "Wow, didn't expect you to be here."

"Hey Tails, just letting you know that there are rumors going around," Sticks said.

"What kind?" Tails asked.

Sticks glanced at Mina and pulled Tails aside to keep it a secret, much to the girl's annoyance as she left.

"Rumors of a gang war," Stick said. "Breezie and Clutch have been fighting for territory. They're also messing with the Freedom Fighters and whatever it is they're doing."

"I thought I heard rumors about that," Tails said. "Thanks for confirming it. But how did you find out about it?"

"You know those Lightning Bolt Society guys?" Sticks asked, earning a nod from Tails. "Apparently they got that info from Rough and Tumble. The two have been going to Meh Burger a lot and they ain't too quiet about what they do. That Dave guy found out and now those Lightning Bolt morons want in, but they don't know who to side with."

"Well I can't say I'm worried about the Lighting Bolt Society," Tails said. "But this could be a headache for Sally."

"It ain't even Sally I'm worried about, this could affect the people too," Sticks said.

"Come on Sticks, I know you're just as worried about Sally," Tails said. "You know she loves you."

"Exactly, that's why I can't be around her," Sticks said. "That girl really knows yow to go for the heart. Every time I see her, part of me wants to call her mommy. It disgusts me."

"I won't get into that," Tails said. "Anyway, do o want to come in?"

"I can't go in there, that Mongoose and Traitorous Fox are in there," Sticks said. "I know they're in league with Sally!"

"Cream made some fresh cookies," Tails said.

"...I'll stay for five minutes," Sticks said. "But the moment those girls try probing my brain, I'm out."

"That's fine," Tails said. "Come on in."

Elsewhere, Lanolin was see leading her team to team Dragon Kingdom. She was of course joined by Vector, Charmy and Espio.

"Teaming up like old times," Charmy said.

"Yeah, old times," Lanolin said as she and her team made their way to the front doors of Monkey Khan's palace.

As the walked, the passed by members of the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters, known locally as The Shijin Warriors.

"Check it out, it's Dulcy!" Charmy said. "Hi Dulcy!"

"Hey Charmy!" Dulcy greeted.

The other warriors greeted them as well, those being Jian the Tiger, Bunker the Tortoise and Cinder the Pheasant.

"Here to see King Monkey Kahn?" Jian asked.

"Yes," Lanolin said. "We're hoping to work on an alliance with him, as he himself once offered."

"Right this way then," Jian said. "Only you however, the rest must wait here."

"That's bogus!" Charmy said.

"It can't be helped," Lanolin said. "Just wait for me."

Lanolin went inside the building while the others remained outside for the time being.

"Hey, Espio," Cinder said. "Are you going to pass by your old village?"

"Yes, I would like to see my daughter and see how er training is coming along," Espio said.

"It's coming along remarkably well, you would be proud," Jian said.

"As expected from my child," Espio said.

Inside, Lanolin had gone to look for the King. "Your highness? It's Lanolin the Sheep! Queen Sally's protege!"

A door had opened as Ken stepped through it, "Lanolin?"

"Yes, I'm...I'm..." Lanolin couldn't help but notice that Ken was wearing only a towel, and had damp fur. What she truly noticed was his well toned abs, this sending the sheep girl into a spiral. "I...you...wet..."

"Forgive me, I had just stepped out of my hot tub," Ken said.

"Hot indeed..." Lanolin said as her mouth watered, before snapping out of it. "I mean...I'm here to make a deal with you. As you know, Queen Sally's castle was destroyed thanks to that dastardly villain Naugus. Efforts to rebuild have been made difficult to due to gang activity from Breezie and Clutch. It would mean a lot to Sally if you offered your assistance."

"Well I would love to help Sally. But I would rather make this deal with her," Ken said. "After all, this is a matter of utmost importance, and she should be around to finalize the details.

"I agree whole heartedly!" Lanolin said as she bowed to the King. "Thank you so much Ken! I promise I will work things out! I'll go straight away and-"

"Don't leave so soon," Ken said. "You came all this way, at least ty to enjoy the sights of my Kingdom. I would love to have you as the guest of honor."

"Sir, you flatter me, but I really must get going," Lanolin said.

"But I insist," Ken said as he gently stroked under her chin. "I would love to get to know you so much better."

Lanolin's face turned from her serious, cold demeanor to a goofy love struck smile as she began to drool a bit. "Yes sir, if that's what you desire." She shook her head again. "I mean...Espio did mention wanting to see his daughter, so-"

"Oh, you brought guests?" Ken asked. "Then you definitely must stay. I will treat you all with Royal Decor!"

"Okay, thank you for your hospitality," Lanolin said.

"It is my pleasure," Ken said as he bowed to Lanolin.

Once again, Lanolin began to feel flustered, "I'll let the boys know." She then went on her merry way, leaving Ken satisfied.

"She truly is a dear," Ken said. "Sally picked a perfect protege. And it sounds like whatever issues they had were resolved. I'm happy to hear that."

He then felt some arms wrapping around him from behind, courtesy Li Moon, who was also in only a towel. "My King, how long will you keep me waiting?"

"Ah, Li Moon, forgive me," Ken said as he turned to the girl. "Sally Acorn's protege, Lanolin was just here. We were working out an agreement to use my assistance for the trials ahead. It seems Sally is struggling."

"Ooh, sounds interesting," Li Moon wrapped her arms around her lover. "Tell me more about this plan, and about this cute little sheep girl."

"Certainly," Ken said as he led Li Moon back to the hot tub.

Lanolin had come out, looking incredibly pleased, "Ken's willing to help!"

"That's great news!" Vector said as he rubbed Lanolin's head. "I knew you could pull it off!"

"Thanks boss, but he won't finalize anything until he speaks to Sally," Lanolin said.

"That shouldn't be too hard, we know she's living with Sonic, just go visit her," Vector said.

"I want to, but I kind of want it to be special," Lanolin said. "I haven't seen her in a week, if I see her, I need to show her that I really miss her."

"Uh...one week isn't really that long," Vector said. "You've gone weeks without seeing Sally before."

"Yeah, and I hated it," Lanolin said. "Why do you think I was so eager to help out when Robotnik was causing trouble before?"

"We'll work those details out later then," Vector said. "Anyway, what's the plan now?"

"King Monkey Khan allowed us to stay for a bit," Lanolin said. "I imagine that Espio went to see his daughter."

"He sure did," Vector said as he looked to the distance. "Jian took him."

"That's nice," Lanolin said. "It must be nice being a parent."

"When you're dealing with someone like Charmy, you get a perfect idea of what being a parent is really like," Vector said. "Stressful."

"I heard that." Charmy commented, to which Cinder began laughing.

"How is Sally?" Dulcy asked. "I haven't seen her in months. I really miss her."

"She's fine, just stressed out from the castle's destruction, thanks to Naugus," Lanolin said.

"Man, if I were there, I'd make Naugus regret crossing Sally," Dulcy said. "But it sounds like she handled it."

"Only because Sonic showed up," Lanolin bitterly said.

"He did!? That's amazing!" Dulcy said. "I knew a silly divorce wouldn't keep Sonic away from Sally. Those two are meant for each other after all."

"Well you know that, Jewel knows that, Tangle knows that, Nicole wholeheartedly believes that, even if it hurt her to admit it," Lanolin said. "Even The Human Torch and Rainbow Dash know that. The only one who doesn't know that, is Sonic himself."

"I still don't get how he and Sally split up, I thought they were happy together," Dulcy said.

"Well all did," Lanolin lamented.

Elsewhere, Epsio was watching over his daughter Selma, with Jian right beside him, keeping him company.

"Has she been fairing well?" Espio asked.

"She takes on all trials without fear," Jian said. "I truly believe she is someone special."

"When the time comes, I will take her in myself and finish up her lessons," Espio said. "When that time comes, I will also be able to fix all of my mistakes."

"You made no mistakes," Jian said. "Your daughter is amazing."

"Thank you," Espio said. "But, I must ensure her skills are up to par."

"Well as you can see, there isn't much she cannot handle," Jian said. "So...it sounds like Queen Sally had trouble."

"You don't know the half of it," Espio said.

"Then tell me the half," Jian said.

Later in the day, Sonic and his family took yet another trip, this time to the Aquatic Ruins.

"This place is familiar," Sally said.

"You've been here before," Amy said. "In fact, not too long ago, you sent Knuckles and a group on a mission here."

"Oh yeah, they had a run in with Sticks," Sally said. "Rouge was not happy."

"Well there's no mission this time," Sonic said. "Now, we can enjoy the sights."

"There's no lava here, right?" Manik asked.

"Just water," Amy said. "Though if you ask Sonic, water is more dangerous than lava."

"Hey, I know I'm not the best swimmer, but I'm not that afraid of water," Sonic said.

"You certainly were on that cruise," Sally said.

"It wasn't the water that bothered me," Sonic said. "It was being stuck on that boat for months."

"Sonic, it was one week," Amy said.

"It felt like months," Sonic insisted.

"What's this? A potentially embarrassing story about daddy?" Sonia asked, much to Sonic's annoyance.

"Oh yeah, grab some food and we'll tell you," Amy said.

"Sweet!" Sonia grabbed a sandwich. "Manik, you want anything?"

"You got chips?" Manik asked.

"I didn't pack chips, I packed baby carrots," Amy said. "I wouldn't want you or your mom getting chubby."

Sally and Manik looked equally embarrassed.

"Sit down with me," Sonia pulled Manik next to her and passed him a sandwich. "Spill, what happened to daddy?""

"Well it started some time after that baseball game," Amy began.

Many years prior, vacation time had come for Chris Thorndyke. His father believed he and his guests should go out exploring and seeing incredible sights. Their plan was to travel north and see the Glaciers. They would be using a family cruise ship to do so.

Chris was seen sunbathing on deck in his bathing suit, with Sally right next to him doing the same with a bikini of her own, both of them wearing sunglasses to boot.

The trip would take a week, and after three days, a certain someone was not having it anymore.

"What do you mean four more days!?" Came Sonic's voice from nearby.

"Ugh...is he complaining again?" Sally asked as she tipped her sunglasses.

"Chris!" Sonic ran to the boy's side. "Level with me, did I do something to offend you somehow!?" He desperately grabbed onto the boy. "I promise I'll mend my ways! You just gotta tell me what I did that was bad!"

"Sonic?" Chris nervously said.

"I'm begging you! Let's go back home!" Sonic pleaded while his eyes watered. "Station Square! Yokosuka! Anywhere but this boat!"

"Sonic, would you knock it off!?" Sally scolded. "What's with you!? I've never seen you behave like this! Even you should know better than to act this way!"

"Sally!" Sonic grabbed the girl by her shoulders. "Was this your idea!? Did I do something bad that you never forgave me for!? Was it because I left Mobotropolis!?"

"What are you going on about!?" Sally asked. "This whole thing was Mr. Thorndyke's idea!"

"Can't you do something!?" Sonic pleaded as he got on his knees before the now freaked out chipmunk. "Please! I'll do anything! Just get Chris to take me back home!"

"Sonic, I know you can't swim but you're safe on the boat!" Sally said. "There's plenty of things to do on this ship! Go occupy your time!"

"This place is too small!" Sonic sped around the ship in a frenzy. "I can't take it!"

"Geez Louise!" Sally said in disbelief.

"This is a different side to Sonic," Chris said.

"Yeah, it is," Sally said. "I'm kind of worried, I've never seen Sonic this freaked out."

"Should we go back?" Chris asked.

"What's the point? We're already halfway there," Sally said. "It would take the same amount of time to go back as it would to get to the Glaciers."

"Still, maybe one of his friends can fly him home?" Chris said. "Can't Tails summon his plane? Or maybe The Human Torch or Rainbow Dash can fly him back."

"Don't, Sonic does not need special treatment," Sally said as she laid back on the chair. "Let him get this nonsense out of his system. He'll be fine by the end of the day."

"Okay, if you say so," Chris said as he laid back as well.

Nearby Peter was seen by a pool while Johnny played Poker with Beat, Amy, Antoine and Ryo.

Johnny laid down his cards, "Boom! Full House!"

"I fold," Beat said as he placed his cards down.

"Same here," Ryo said.

"Oui," Antoine added.

"Ha! Ain't no light waiting to carry any of you home," Johnny said as he was about to pull in the chips.

"Not so fast," Amy placed some cards down as well. "Read'em and Weap!"

"Wow, a Royal Flush, great work Amy," Ryo said as Amy took the chips.

"Guess Sally isn't the only Royalty on this boat," Amy said while grinning at Johnny. "Better luck next time, Human Candle."

"Oh, haha, real funny," Johnny placed down more chips. "Double or nothing, squirt."

"Make it triple," Amy said.

"Ha, I like how you think," Johnny said as he grabbed some cards.

Nearby Sonic was seen zipping around, causing a wind gust that nearly blew the cards away, much to everyone's worry.

"Was that Sonic just now?" Beat asked.

"Ugh, he's been like this since the cruise started," Amy said. "I should think he can handle being on a boat for a week."

"Guys like Sonic need to run," Johnny said. "But this boat's too small, it's probably messing with his vibes."

"That's just silly," Amy said. "Still, I do feel bad for him. Maybe he just needs a big hug from someone who will gladly tell Sonic that everything will be okay." The girl began blushing slightly as she held her hands to her cheek. "I would be personally happy to do that for him."

"Yeah I don't think a hug from you will make him feel better, kid," Johnny said, this irritating Amy. "A boy like that needs a woman, not a little girl."

"Excuse me, if anyone needs a woman to make a man out of a boy, it's you," Amy said.

"I won't turn down that offer," Johnny coyly said. "Now enough with this annoying crush, the way you act when Sonic's around is so weird. Show some dignity."

"Hey everyone," Came Sarah's voice, the woman wearing a tight blue bikini that showed her figure off well, including her toned abs mixed with her long legs and slightly muscular arms. "Got room for more?"

Nozomi also appeared, the girl wearing a modest but cute swimsuit that still showed off her legs quite well, "I brought soda."

Gum walked over in a bathing suit bikini of her own, the girl not caring much about being there. Even more that her swimsuit was smaller and showed off a bit more skin "I need some sweets."

Johnny couldn't help but drool at the sight of the three girls, to which Amy noticed and side eyed the boy.

"Hey guys," Peter said as he landed nearby. "What'chu up to?"

"We're playing cards while Johnny here is taking in different sights," Amy said.

"Sights like what?" Peter asked as he turned to see the girls in their bathing suits, notably Sarah. "...Homina, homina, homina."

Vanilla also showed up in a skintight one-piece bathing suit alongside a much more modest Cream. The older rabbit winked at the superhero duo, "Hey boys."

"Hi mommy..." Johnny said as he focused on one particular part of Vanilla.

Cream however found this funny, "She's not your mommy, Johnny. But she could be if you want her to."

"I think I want her to be," Johnny said while still eyeing a now bashful Vanilla.

"Hey man, you can find your own mommy!" Peter said. "I saw her first!"

"Well she came to me first!" Johnny argued back.

Amy shook her head in annoyance, then turned to Ryo who was awkwardly looking away, Beat who was coyly glancing from behind his sunglasses, and Antoine who had hearts in his eyes.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight walked beside Johnny and Peter, seeing the two gawking at the other girls. The two then grabbed the drinks on the table and poured them down the shorts of Johnny and Peter, causing them to freak out.

"HEY!" Johnny leapt to his feet.

"THAT'S COLD!" Peter shouted as he too leapt to his feet.

Rainbow Dash laughed at their expense while Twilight coyly smirked.

"Man, I wish Pinkie Pie were here to see that," Rainbow Dash said.

"Shame the other girls couldn't come," Twilight said.

"It was only people that Chris knew unfortunately," Rainbow Dash said. "We'll introduce the girls next time."

"That sounds like a good idea," Twilight said.

"Hey Cream," Nozomi said as she knelt beside the girl. "Let's go play in the pool."

"That sounds fun," Cream said.

"Chao!" Cheese said as he floated around Cream.

"Okay, let's...huh?" Nozomi saw Emerl nearby, the robot wearing a floating tube. "Uh, Cream, I don't think Emerl should be going in the water. Water and robots don't go well together."

"Oh, right," Cream turned to Emerl. "Sorry, you can't come swim with us."

"No swim?" Emerl asked.

Cream could almost hear some disappointment in his voice, then turned to Nozomi, "Can we do something else?"

"Whatever you want," Nozomi said. "As long as your mother's okay with it."

"Cream is free to do as she pleases, so long as she follows the basic rules of the boat," Vanilla said.

"I will mama, plus Nozomi will be there with me," Cream said.

"You know me, I would never let anything happen to Cream," Nozomi said, then took the girl by her hand. "Let's go."

"Yay! Come on Emerl!" Cream said as Nozomi left with her.

Across the ship, Jacky was looking out to the sea, the man joined by Bunnie shortly after. "You look distracted."

"Who me?" Jacky asked. "It's nothing."

"So, enjoying the cruise?" Bunnie asked.

"Yeah, especially more than a certain hedgehog," Jacky said, gesturing to Sonic just as he ran by, leaving only the wind behind.

"He's probably bored," Bunnie said. "Tails seemed bored too. Ah saw the boy in his room working on some gadgets instead of having fun."

"He just needs some motivation," Jacky said as he pulled away. "Let's go figure something out."

"Sure thing," Bunnie said.

That night, Chris gathered everyone around to discuss the Sonic situation.

"Sounds like a real problem," A clearly drunk Chuck said.

"Grandpa, are you thinking straight?" Chris asked.

"Of course I am," Chuck said. "Do I look like I'm only feeling good because I had too much to drink?"

"Honestly gramps, you look like you had one mojito too many," Jacky said.

"Well pardon me," Chuck said, then laughed a bit before falling asleep.

"How irresponsible," Amy said.

"Honestly, it's such a bad influence for the kids," Sally said.

"How? Chris, Cream and Tails know better than to do something like that," Jacky said.

"Right...well it could be a bad influence on Emerl," Sally said as she gestured to the robot.

"Sally, he's a robot, he can't-" Jacky glanced at the robot. "Emerl! Don't! You can't drink! It will short circuit you!"

"Short circuit?" Emerl asked as it held a bottle.

"Put that down!" Cream scolded, to which Emerl obeyed.

"Well at least Chuck's enjoying himself," Bunnie said. "Unlike a certain hedgehog, and fox."

"Me?" Tails asked.

"Y'all are working way too hard, you gotta just have fun," Bunnie said.

"I don't know, is it a good idea to relax and be lazy?" Tails asked.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Chris said.

"Ugh, why is it so hard for boys to be grateful for anything?" Amy asked.

"Not all boys struggle," Johnny said. "I saw a great view today that-HEY!" Johnny freaked out as Rainbow Dash poured another drink down his shorts. "That's not funny, Dash!"

"You looked hot, and I gave you my drink," Rainbow Dash said in a sarcastic tone. "Be grateful."

"Rainbow Dash, that's not what I had in mind," Amy said. "Please be nice to Johnny, he's at least having fun."

"That seems like a weird way to enjoy yourself," Tails said. "It just feels counter-productive."

"You shouldn't say that Tails," Cream said. "Chris's father went through a lot of trouble to give us this boat. You could try to have fun with us."

"Well, I want to..." Tails said.

"Do you really!?" Amy asked as she got close to Tails. "Are you really trying? Or are you as stubborn as Sonic!?"

"Well..." Tails nervously replied.

"Amy, don't bully Tails," Sally warned.

"I'm not bullying him!" Amy shouted. "I'm just telling him to have fun!"

"If Tails wants to work, let him," Sally said. "Hard work is good, it means Tails will be a great success in life."

"He needs to have fun!" Amy insisted. "A vacation is a time to do everything your heart desires."

"Then let him work if he wants to!" Sally said. "Honestly Amy, you can be so bossy."

Amy got in Sally's face, looking ready for a fight, "Who are you calling bossy Miss Royal Pain in the Butt!?"

"The bratty little hedgehog that's really starting to get on my nerves!" Sally warned.

"Hey, no fighting," Ryo said. "Come on, this isn't the time or place for it."

"Look, it's possible that Tails is just bored," Jacky said. "I can help the kid out if he wants."

"I don't want to be a bother," Tails said.

"Nonsense, in fact, I bet Twilight could help too," Jacky said.

"Who me?" Twilight asked.

"You're like this Friendship Wizard, aren't you?" Jacky asked. "Use that fancy Equestrian Magic to sprinkle some fairy dust and fix this."

"...That's not how my magic works," a very irritated Twilight said.

"To be fair, I'm kind of bored myself," Rotor said. "I'm just not good at vacationing."

"Geez, is work all you guys think about?" Amy asked. "Even Peter's been focused too much on his web fluid."

"You talking about me?" Peter asked.

"Tell me about it, he seems eager to go back to New York," Twilight said.

"Hey, it's a dangerous place," Peter said.

"Excuse me, but we still have one problem," Chris said. "This ship might be too small for Sonic. He's going nuts."

"Tell me about it, he won't stop freaking out," Sally said. "I don't suppose anyone has any suggestions?"

"I have one," Antoine said. "We toss him overboard and go on with our vacation."

This idea just earned Antoine some glares from everyone, promptly freaking the coyote out.

"Here's a better idea, how about we toss you overboard?" Jacky said, this obviously worrying Antoine.

"Come on, let's not make these kinds of threats," Ryo said, then side eyed the coyote. "Even if Antoine deserves it."

"Hey!" Antoine shouted.

"This is silly," Sally turned to her pad. "Nicole, do you have any soothing music to play for Sonic?"

"Yes, I will play it from the MP3 file that I do not have," Nicole said in an almost arrogant tone.

"Was that...are you being sarcastic with me!?" Sally asked in disbelief.

"Who me? No way Sal. I would totally never do that," Nicole said.

"Nicole! Who's teaching you to speak like this!?" Sally asked.

"Really liking your A.I. friend right now," Peter said. "Nicole seems like my kind of girl."

"Thank you Peter, you are my homeboy," Nicole said. "Fo' shizzle."

"Stop talking like that!" Sally demanded.

"Man Sal, perhaps you're the one who needs to relax more," Nicole said. "I should find soothing music for you instead."

Sally looked around in disbelief as everyone seemed to chuckle at what was happening.

"Rotor, can you fix Nicole?" Sally asked.

"I don't think I can fix this problem," Rotor said.

"Well that was interesting, but there's still the problem with Sonic," Ryo said. "He needs to quell his hyperactive behavior."

"I can't blame Sonic honestly," Beat said. "Like, Chris, don't get me wrong, I'm stoked you invited me and all. But this place feels too restrictive. Some lady yelled at me for roller blading. That's my whole thing."

"There should be a roller rink somewhere on this boat," Chris said.

"Roller rinks are too restrictive," Beat said. "Now the rails on the stairs is where its at."

Sonic ran by again, taking everyone by surprise.

"He's still at it," Tails said as Sonic ran by once more. "He's harder to Control than Chaos."

"Sonic! Stop running so much!" Sally ordered, to no avail. "Such a bother."

"Run?" Emerl asked.

"Don't you copy Sonic," Sally warned.

"I got this," Amy walked in Sonic's path and held her hand out. "STOP!"

Sonic stopped just before Amy, the hedgehog looking confused. "Huh?"

"Do you hear me?" Amy asked.

"Y-yeah," Sonic replied.

"How old are you, Sonic?" Amy asked.

"I'm going to be sixteen soon," Sonic confirmed. "Why?"

"That means you're old enough to understand what's happening," Amy said as Sonic spazzed out a bit. "Sonic, you are a leader to us, and a hero to many. As such, you are an inspiration to us all and should remain that way. So what if you're stuck on this ship, surrounded by water and can't run around for a week? It's no big deal."

"For once I agree with Amy," Sally said.

"This seems a bit harsh though," Tails said.

"Sonic, your selfishness is causing everyone trouble," Amy said. "Stop being so bratty and get a grip!"

Sonic glanced once at Amy and walked off, seemingly okay. Before long, he was on the floor and in despair.

"He's sulking!?" Amy asked in disbelief.

"This is so weird, Sonic's never like this," Sally said.

"Come on Sonic, you're better than this, bro!" Beat said.

"I feel so bad for him," Ryo admitted.

"This is so abnormal," Tails said.

"He needs to man up already," Jacky said.

"Sonic, my main hedgehog, get a grip," Nicole said.

"Enough with the slang already!" Sally scolded.

"Fo shizzle," Emerl said, much to Sally's annoyance.

"Uh...I'll call my father," Chris said.

"Don't," Jacky said. "If we just give in to Sonic's weird antics, we're not doing him any favors."

"Seems kind of cruel to keep him there, though," Rainbow Dash said.

"He'll get over it," Jacky said. "We'll just have to keep trying."

"Why are you so adamant about this?" Rotor asked. "If Sonic wants to go home, he should be able to."

"Look, before this trip, Tanaka told me about how it's important for everyone here to take time to relax," Jacky said. "Something about a warrior needing rest and whatnot. It's good for his body and mind. Basically the same kind of thing Akira and I had to learn."

"Akira is even more hard headed than Sonic though," Sarah said.

"Yeah, in hindsight, he needed this trip too, shame he couldn't make it," Jacky said. "Still, Tanaka seemed worried about Sonic. Our blue buddy has been searching day and night for these Chaos Emeralds. I know you all miss your home, but a week to enjoy some of the best that Earth has to offer isn't going to kill you."

"That's a very good point," Amy said. "Plus, it's nice just hanging out when it's just us. Not having to worry about The Chaos Emeralds, or Doctor Eggman, is such a nice plus."

"Exactly, so let's help Sonic enjoy his well earned vacation!" Jacky cheered.

"Yeah! Let's do it, to it!" Bunnie said.

The following day, Sonic was still on edge, the hedgehog feeling very twitchy as he stood with his friends.

"Man...he is not looking so well," Johnny said. "He looks like he's ready to snap."

"Come on, I bet he's gotten better since yesterday," Tails said.

Ryo seemed worried himself, then noticed something nearby, "Check it out, some people are water skiing."

"Wow, that looks like fun," Bunnie said.

"That's a cool sight, isn't it Sonic?" Tails asked, then noticed his friend near the edge of the boat. "Sonic?"

Sonic was seen sitting while hugging his knees, the hedgehog at his wits end.

"Christ Almighty..." Jacky rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Hey, at least he's not getting too desperate," Johnny said.

Suddenly Sonic ran around and jumped off the ship, landing several kilometers away.

"Sonic!" Rainbow Dash flew out into the water to find her hedgehog friend.

"Man, this is just rough," Beat said.

"Look, let's just try going to the pool," Tails said. "I think Nozomi and Gum are there. We just need Sarah."

"I'm here," Sarah said, the girl wearing only her bikini top with her jeans. She bent over to focus on Tails. "So, how are things with Sonic?"

Tails began blushing as Sarah's cleavage from her tight bikini top was not too far from his face, prompting him to awkwardly turn away. "They could be better."

"Homina, homina, homina..." Peter said. He then felt ice down his pants and ran off, courtesy of a certain girl. "Stop doing that, Twilight!"

"Sorry, you just seemed so hot," Twilight coyly said.

Sarah picked Tails up, the boy now blushing even more as he was face to face with her cleavage, "You've been couped up in your room this whole trip. It's time you and I started to bond."

"Y-yes mom...I mean ma'am!" Tails said as Sarah carried him off.

"You're cute, I love you," Sarah said as she hugged a very happy Tails close.

"That lucky son of a bitch," Johnny said.

"Ahem..." Vanilla said as she latched onto Johnny's arm, the woman herself wearing a bathing suit which showed off her feminine features. "Let's try watching our language, shall we?"

"Yes mommy," Johnny said as he left with Vanilla.

"Why does Johnny keep saying 'mommy' to my mama?" Cream asked. "Does he really want to be adopted?"

"It's a long story, Cream," Ryo said, the boy feeling awkward himself. "Just...try not to focus on it."

"Okay...but what about Tails and Miss Sarah?" Cream asked. "Is Miss Sarah adopting Tails?"

"I think Tails just wants a bit of mommy milk," Beat joked, this earning him a whack in the leg from Sally.

"Don't say that!" Sally said.

"What? Jealous that Tails has a new mommy that isn't you?" Beat asked.

"Hey, I never claimed to be Tails's mother. I'm only sixteen, I'm no one's mother," Sally said as she took Chris's hand. "Let's go sweetie, my favorite suntan chair awaits."

"Okay mo...y favorite Princess," Chris nervously said as Sally led him away.

"...This shit's just getting weird," Jacky said.

"Language!" Cream scolded, earning a sheepish reaction from Jacky.

Sarah sat on a chair in her bikini while glancing up at the skies. She wasn't alone as Tails was sitting right beside her, trying to resist the urge to fix something.

"Tails, you're too tense," Sarah said. "You're too young to feel this way, you should be enjoying life."

"I know, but I'm too used to working," Tails said.

"Come on, you didn't always work, did you? Especially when you're friends with a chill guy like Sonic?" Sarah asked. At that moment Sonic sped by and leapt off the ship once more. "...Normally chill at least."

"Dammit Sonic!" Rainbow Dash flew back out.

"Sarah, how do you relax?" Tails asked.

"I just try to take my mind off of things," Sarah said as she pointed to the sky. "Try looking up at the clouds. Try to figure out their shapes, that could take your mind off of things."

Tails did as requested and looked up at the sky. He seemed curious at first as the clouds slowly started taking the shape of various planes. Within moments however, they started to look like fighter planes, ones that were getting closer and closer. Much to close for the fox boy's liking.

Tails suddenly began to panic as the clouds continued hovering above and within moments, he yelled out in fear, this action startling Sarah.

"Tails! What's wrong!?" Sarah asked.

"Sorry, I thought that cloud was going to turn into a plane and attack," Tails said.

Sarah blinked in confusion as she looked back up at the skies. "You have quite the active imagination."

"Maybe I should go back inside," Tails said as he was about to leave.

"Oh no you don't," Sarah pulled Tails onto the chair with her and sat him between her legs and laid back while hugging the boy back first against her bare skin. Tails felt something firm yet soft as he realized just where he placed his head on Sarah's body. "You're staying here and keeping me company. I don't want to hear any arguments about it."

"Yes ma'am," Tails said, the boy feeling both thrilled and nervous.

"Just relax..." Sarah said as she allowed herself to mellow out while rubbing Tails's head. "And just think of peace and tranquility."

"Peace and tranquility," Tails repeated as he glanced back up at the skies, focusing less on the clouds and more on the blue. "Very peaceful..."

Rainbow Dash had returned Sonic to the ship and set him down near a rusty old anchor. "Now, for the last time, stop jumping off the ship! Do you want to drown!?"

"Hey Rainbow Dash, anyone ever tell you that you're fast?" Sonic asked.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash replied.

"With your speed, I bet you can get anywhere in an instant," Sonic said.

"Well yeah, I'm one of the fastest people on this planet," Rainbow Dash bragged. "I can do a Sonic Rainboom, not many can do that."

"I bet you could take me anywhere in an instant," Sonic said. "Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Chicago..."

"Chicago?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What for?"

"Windy City. The wind and I are pretty tight after all," Sonic said.

"Makes sense," Rainbow Dash said.

"So, how about it?" Sonic asked. "Pick a place and let's fly there. Then...we could have ourselves a good old fashioned race, just like you've always wanted to. What do you say?"

"What do I say?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"Oh Johnathan, could you apply this sunscreen on my bare back?" Vanilla was heard saying.

"Oh hell yeah!" Johnny was heard saying.

Rainbow Dash's eyebrow twitched as she turned away in annoyance, "I need to be alone right now."

She immediately flew off, leaving Sonic alone, to which the hedgehog panicked as he tried running after her, but immediately running out of ship. The hedgehog then fell to his knees in dismay. "No...come back!"

At this point, Sonic was feeling desperate, and as such, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy," Sonic said.

"Sonic, mon ami," Antoine said as he placed his arm around Sonic. "You poor boy, I know how much it is you are suffering, but I want you to know zat-"

"Shut up Antoine," Sonic said as he stormed off.

"Perhaps he is not ready to be hearing my manly advice," Antoine said as he left. "His loss."

Tails continued sun bathing with Sarah. The boy looked slightly behind him to see that the girl was dozing off. Tails did like this bond, but he also felt a little strange being this close to Sarah when she was only in her bikini.

He carefully got off of her and grabbed a book he had nearby. He intended to stay just in case but he did want to pass the time.

"Hey Tails!" Sonic said as he ran over.

"Shh..." Tails gestured to Sarah. "She's trying to sleep."

"Sorry," Sonic said. "So...how are you handling this?"

"I'm doing fine," Tails said. "I'm more worried about you. Since the trip started, you've been ancy."

"Yeah, I know," Sonic said. "There's just so much to worry about back home. Like say...the Tornado."

"The Tornado?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, not just mine, but all of yours too," Sonic said. "The Tornado 2, The Cyclone, the X-Tornado. We didn't fly any of them here, did we?"

"No, we just took the boat," Tails said.

"That's a shame," Sonic said. "You see, machines are like people. They get lonely."

"How?" Tails asked.

"You see how Sally is with Nicole," Sonic pointed out. "And there's also Cream with Emerl. They brought their machine friends, but the Tornados, well they're so used to being around you that being away is probably eating at them."

"Oh no, you're right!" Tails said as the boy began to panic. "I can't believe I left the Tornados behind! I'm such a terrible person!"

"Heh, it's working," Sonic said as he sped off.

"Tornados! Please forgive me!" Tails cried. "I would never abandon you! I love you all so much! I promise that I will come back and-"

"Tails?" Sarah asked as she woke up. "Why are you shouting?"

"Sarah!" Tails leapt onto the girl. "We gotta go back home!"

"Ugh, I was worried you would end up like Sonic," Sarah lamented. "Tails, I know this is taking some getting used to but-"

"The Tornados miss me!" Tails claimed.

"...Eh?" Sarah asked in confusion. "The Tornados?"

"Yeah!" Tails said. "They're so lonely!"

"The Tornados...as in the planes," Sarah said in disbelief. "You think they, the planes, are lonely."

"They are! That's why we need to go back! They'll miss me!" Tails pleaded. "Please help me go back Sarah!"

"Tails, machines can't get lonely," Sarah said. "If they did, my brother's car would probably be lonely right now too."

"Machines have feelings too!" Tails said. "Just like Nicole! And Emerl!"

"Tails, honey," Sarah gently stroked his face to soothe him. "Nicole and Emerl feel because they're A.I. Now I'm not the biggest expert on this type of thing, but I know you're smart enough to know that your planes don't have actual feelings. Where would you even get an idea like that?"

"Sonic told me," Tails said. "Just now."

"Why would he...?" Sarah quickly realized what happened and grew irritated. "Ugh, that boy. How desperate can he get!?"

Meanwhile Amy was seen looking up in awe as Sonic flashed a confident and flirtatious smile at her.

"Hey Amy...you're looking great today," Sonic said while casually pressing his hand against a wall that Amy was leaning against while maintaining eye contact. "It's great to see such a pretty face."

"...Is this a dream?" Amy asked in disbelief.

"Hey come on, you know I can't keep my eyes off of you," Sonic said in a cool and flirty tone. "Especially when you swing your hammer around. You look super cute doing that." He then turned away in shame. "Unfortunately being stuck on this ship limits how often I could see your bravery, such a shame. The beautiful speed figure that is you, Amy Rose."

"Don't worry, I got you covered Sonic!" Amy said and started swinging her hammer.

"That's awesome Amy! Keep it up! I just love it!" Sonic said as he slowly snuck away. "That was way too easy."

As Sonic kept walking, he bumped into Sally, taking the Princess by surprise.

"Oh, Sonic," Sally said. "Wow, you're actually not running for a change."

"Even I need a break," Sonic said.

"Well use that break and try to relax," Sally said. "Your running is driving me nuts. Actually, it's driving everyone nuts."

"Sorry, I just can't help but think about trying to get home," Sonic said. "Don't you miss home?"

"Of course I do," Sally said.

"So, couldn't you ask Chris to call his father to take us back home?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, as much as I want to find those Emeralds and return to Mobius, Chris's family did go through a lot of trouble to get us this vacation," Sally said. "Besides, I do like spending time with Chris. The poor boy really needs someone to watch over him, and I'm fulfilling that role quite well if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, you are doing great, it's such an admirable trait you have, Sal," Sonic said.

"Oh um, thank you," Sally said, the girl feeling flustered by the compliment. "But my point remains, you're staying on this ship."

Sonic could tell he nearly had Sally, so he went with one final plan, "I gotta say Sal, something about you is different from when I last saw you years back."

"Different how?" Sally asked.

"For starters," Sonic gently grazed her cheek. "You've gotten so much prettier since then."

Sally's face began turning red, "P-p-prettier!?"

"Oh totally," Sonic continued. "Your eyes sparkle, your hair's so flowy, you're just absolutely stunning. Plus I really love how you take command of a situation. Your combat style is just...Way Past Cool. You're a brave and beautiful lady, Sally Acorn. I feel lucky to call you my Princess."

"B-Brave...? B-Beautiful...?" Sally couldn't handle such kind words and immediately fainted after hearing them.

Sonic glanced down in confusion, and quickly looked around to see if anyone was nearby. He gently picked Sally up in his arms and looked for a place to comfortably lay her on.

"How can I use this to my advantage?" Sonic wondered as he began to look for a soft resting spot. "Ugh, I can't believe I said 'Way Past Cool', like some kid in an old commercial."

Peter passed by Amy as she swung her hammer around, the girl really getting into it and not even noticing that Sonic left. Peter didn't know what was going on, he was tempted to ask when he saw Gum and Nozomi walk by, the two still in their bathing suits.

Peter also noticed that the bottom of Gum's suit looked more like a thong compared to Nozomi. Figuring that Amy would be fine, he opted to follow Gum and Nozomi to wherever they were going.

Eventually Sonic found a place to lay Sally down, the boy relieved to have fixed this problem. "There, that should do it." He turned and spotted Chris with his grandfather nearby. "Oh, hey Chris, Hey Chuck."

"I was wondering where Sally went," Chris said. "What happened to her?"

Feeling devious, Sonic came up with a convincing story as to what had happened. "Well you see, Sally's been overworked."

"Overworked?" Chris asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid she's having a hard time with her relaxation, and fainted under the stress she's been under," Sonic said in an almost dramatic tone. "And that's not the worst of it. Poor Amy has lost it."

"Lost it?" Chuck asked.

"She's out there swinging her hammer like a woman possessed," Sonic said as he fell to his knees. "That poor girl, she must hate being stuck on this ship too! I can only imagine how Tails must be feeling too! He's been on edge lately as well!"

"Uh, what should I do?" Chris asked. "Should I call my father and have him send a helicopter?"

"Yes, it would be the easiest way to get everyone off this boat," Chuck said.

Sonic grinned in satisfaction as his plan was working. Unfortunately Amy happened to pass by with Cream and Bunnie by her side.

"Did Sonic really tell you that?" Cream asked.

"Yes, he said I looked the cutest whenever I swing my hammer around," Amy gushed. "Oh whatever shall I do?"

"That was sweet of him to say," Bunnie said. "Yer a lucky girl Amy. Ah sure wish Sonic would look in mah direction like that sometimes."

"You've got your own admirers Bunnie, but I don't blame you for wanting Sonic, he's such a dreamboat," Amy said as she passed by Chris, Chuck and Sonic, the latter slowly crawling away.

"I'm so happy for you, Amy," Cream said.

"Y'all might get some wedding bells soon," Bunnie said. "Sally's gonna be mighty jealous."

"She sure will," Amy said. "Wonder where she is?"

Sonic slowly crawled away back toward the deck. He then came across a pair of feet. Looking up, he spotted the disappointed glare from Sarah with Tails hovering right next to her.

"Uh...hi?" Sonic nervously greeted.

"SONIC!" Sarah and Tails shouted angrily in unison.

Some time passed by, and everyone was getting closer to the Glaciers. As such, the air got much colder, and everyone had to dress warmly.

"There you go Chris," Chuck said as he gave his grandson a jacket. "Make sure you keep that on."

"Thanks grandpa," Chris said.

"Yo," Beat said as he walked over with Gum, Ryo and Nozomi. "The weather's gotten chilly, hasn't it?"

"Unfortunately it means no more bathing suits," Nozomi said. "Shame, I really liked mine, but I'm glad I got to break it in."

"Mine gave me too much attention," Gum said. "And for whatever reason, that purple hair girl keeps glaring at me."

"I think it's because Spider-Man seemed interested in you," Chris said.

"Lucky me I guess," Gum said.

"Speaking of romantic interests, how are Amy and Sally?" Beat asked.

"Are they still mad?" Ryo asked.

"Well Sonic did play with their emotions," Chuck said.

"I'm very disappointed," Ryo said. "I'll admit that Sonic can be ill mannered at times and a bit rude, but he's also a very considerate person."

"Well it has been a few days," Chris said. "Maybe things are better?"

"Nah man, the thing with girls is that they can hold one hell of a grudge," Beat said. "You know how sensitive they can be."

"...No Beat, how sensitive are we?" Gum asked, causing worry for Beat.

"Uh..." Beat tried to think of something to say.

"Yes Beat, how sensitive are us girls?" Nozomi asked, the girl feeling slightly irritated.

"Oh boy..." Beat turned to the only other teen. "Help me Ryo."

"Sorry, but growing up, I was told to always pick my battles wisely," Ryo said.

"Look, no need for quarreling," Chris said. "I bet Amy and Sally are over it."

"Uh..." Chuck glanced nearby at Sonic as he held onto a poll in fear with Amy and Sally down below and waiting for him.

"Come down here Sonic, didn't you say you like it when I swing my hammer around!?" Amy asked in a tranquil fury. "You can't stay up there forever!"

"No! Not the hammer! Please!" Sonic begged from up top.

"I order you to come down, Sonic!" Sally shouted, the girl less restrictive with her anger. "Your princess commands you! Come on! Where's that loyalty you said you had toward me!?"

"Look, I'll apologize!" Sonic insisted. "I swear I will!"

"And how will you do that!?" Amy shouted, the girl dropping the act and banging her hammer on the pole to knock Sonic over. Her hits were hard enough to shake the ship, startling everyone that was nearby, aside from a still angry Sally.

"Ah! Amy! Don't!" Sonic pleaded. "Sal! Get her to stop!"

"Oh what's wrong Mr. Big Brave Hero?" Sally asked. "You're not scared of getting beaten up by a girl, are you?"

"That's sexist!" Sonic shouted.

"Says the boy who plays with a girl's feelings!" Sally accused.

Nearby Tails is seen nervously clutching to Sarah, "Amy's really mad huh? Sally too."

"It's Sonic's own fault," Sarah said as she gently rubbed Tails's head. "Promise me you will never mess with a girl's heart."

"That won't be tough, I could never get girls like Sonic can," Tails said.

"Oh don't be so modest," Sarah said, as she glanced to a rabbit near her brother. "You may have more admirers than you think you do."

Cream was seen nervously clutching Jacky's leg along with Cheese. "Is Mr. Sonic going to get hurt?"

"I can't lie to you kid, he's probably going to get his butt kicked," Jacky said. "Never let a guy lead you on like Sonic did with Amy or Sally."

"Okay, I won't," Cream said, then briefly glanced at Tails. "Would he ever do that?"

Nearby, Johnny was seen calling out to the hedgehog, "Sonic! Rule One of Dating. Don't let the other girls meet each other!"

"You pervert!" Twilight kicked Johnny in the knee, causing the flame user to yelp out in pain. "Guys like you and Sonic are all the same! Leading on girls like Amy, Sally and Rainbow Dash!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Johnny asked in disbelief.

"You know what I'm saying you charcoal covered jerk!" Twilight shouted.

"Hey I'm not talking that from some grape haired dork!" Johnny said, earning himself a kick to his other knee. "God Damn!"

Nearby, Ryo was glancing in worry, "Uh...should we help?"

"It's better to stay out of it, young man," Chuck said.

"But Amy's going to wreck the ship," Beat said. "Man, girls are such a pain."

Seconds later, Beat was on top of the pole as well, right next to Sonic.

"Why'd you climb up here!?" Sonic shouted in disbelief. "Get your own pole!"

"I panicked dude!" Beat said as he nervously looked down at the angry girls. "Come on! Can't you girls take a joke!?"

"Remember Amy, me and Nozomi call dibs on Beat!" Gum declared. "You and Sally can have Sonic."

"Time to teach these naughty boys a lesson!" Amy shouted as she hit harder.

Ryo glanced in worry, "That's quite unfortunate."

"They will calm themselves soon," Chuck said, then noticed something on the side. "But look, that is quite a sight, isn't it?"

Chris and Ryo turned to see a whale emerging from the ocean and sprouting water.

"Wow, it's a whale!" Chris said.

"Outstanding," Ryo said.

Tails was also amazed by what he was seeing, "Isn't that cool, Sarah!?"

"It's amazing!" Sarah said.

"Amazing!? Zis is horrifying!" Antoine said. "What if it crashes into us!"

"It wouldn't do that Mr. Antoine," Cream said.

"It's Mr. D'Coolette young lady," Antoine corrected. "And what makes you so sure of zat?"

"Because that would be silly," Cream said.

"Ah oui, great logic," Antoine sarcastically said.

"Just enjoy the sights, Antoine," Tails said, then turned around. "Look, there's even another whale!"

"Wow, it's huge," Peter said. "And made entirely out of metal too."

"Metal?" Johnny asked. "Since when are whales metal? And able to fly?"

"...That's not a whale," Jacky said. "I think that's Eggman."

"Eggman!?" Tails asked in disbelief.

Indeed it was Eggman on his ship, having emerged from the water, "What's this!? You're out on a cruise!? How dare you not be back in Station Square where I could properly destroy you!"

"And how dare you have fun when we're not!" Bocoe said.

"What nerve! I say we trash their party!" Scratch declared.

"You've gotta be freaking kidding me," Johnny lamented. "You know, even Doctor Doom takes vacations!"

"He does?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know, probably," Johnny said. "What else would he do when he's not plotting his revenge against Reed?"

"I was wondering what you guys were up to! Honestly I'm surprised you found us all the way out here!" Sonic said from nearby. At the moment, Amy was seen sitting on his back with her hammer on her shoulder.

"Man, talk about determination," Beat said with Gum pressing her foot on his back.

"Earlier I sent one of my robots to your house, and he reported that you weren't there!" Eggman said. "It really hurt his feelings!"

"Please, like robots even have feelings," Sally said, earning a flew glares from everyone. "What?"

"Why would you say that in front of Emerl!?" Cream scolded.

"Yeah Sal, that was a dick thing to say," Nicole commented, earning more ire from Sally.

"I will find whoever taught Nicole how to speak like this, and throw that person off the ship!" Sally shouted.

"Excuse me, we have more important matters to worry about," Nozomi said as she gestured to Eggman.

"Yeah! Like you lot never seem to stay in one place!" Eggman said.

"Don't you use that as an excuse," Sally said. "Me and my team have been holed up in Knothole, and you never came close to finding it."

"...What's Knothole?" Eggman asked.

"Huh? It's our secret base!" Sally said. "The one on the edge of the-!"

Bunnie rushed over and covered Sally's mouth, "Y'all wanna invite him over or something!?"

"I swear that squirrel is always saying the weirdest things," Eggman said.

Sally pulled Bunnie's hand down to shout in a surprisingly whiny tone. "I'M! A! CHIPMUNK!"

"Wow...her voice is higher pitched than I thought," Peter said.

"I heard that, Parker!" Sally warned.

"With that girl's anger, it's amazing that this team hasn't self-destructed already," Orbot said.

"I'm more amazed they even let her stay on the team," Cubot said. "She seems quite annoying."

"Do you two WANT to die!?" Sally warned.

"ENOUGH!" Eggman shouted and focused on his foe. "Sonic! I plan to unleash my pent up feelings against you!

"Sounds fun to me! Bring it on!" Sonic said.

"Don't talk like that when it's obvious you're fleeing from me!" Eggman said.

"Man, this is trouble," Peter said. "We gotta get rid of Eggman."

"Iceberg!" Johnny warned.

"Johnny! That wasn't funny the first time, it's not funny now!" Peter shouted.

"No seriously!" Johnny pointed to the structure. "Iceberg!"

Fortunately the ship seemed to stop, much to Chris's worry.

"Hey! Who stopped the ship!?" Chris asked.

"Mr. Thorndyke! We've reached the glacier!" The Captain said. "It's very beautiful!"

This prompted everyone to fall over in annoyance.

"Now isn't the time for that!" Chris called.

"Maybe you geniuses haven't noticed the giant talking egg to your left!" Peter said.

"It's technically port!" The Captain called.

"How about I port you an ass kicking!" Peter called.

"Peter!" Twilight scolded.

Sonic looked ready for a fight as he leapt onto the ice. "Okay! Glacier or not, this is a better advantage than being on the ocean!"

"Enough of your bragging!" Eggman said. "Now behold as I show you something interesting! My Egg Fort has a secret! Now! Combine!"

"Bang!"

"BaBang!"

"BaBabang!"

"Scram! Combine! Egg Fort II!"

Johnny looked on in disbelief, "This is some Power Rangers stuff."

"You mean Super Sentai," Peter said.

"Don't be a weeb, dude," Johnny said.

"Weeb?" Chris asked.

Sonic was seen running along the glacier, "Stop stalling and try to attack me!"

"Sonic!" Eggman called. "You should know, you're going nowhere fast!"

"Huh?" Sonic noticed that he was running in place due to slipping on the ice. "No way!"

Eggman immediately blasted Sonic, sending him flying in the air as he kept firing, essentially juggling Sonic above the ice.

"Sonic!" Chris shouted in worry.

"Sonic! Just hang in there!" Amy called.

"Someone's gotta help him!" Sally said.

"I got this!" Johnny activated his fire and flew at Eggman. "Time to bring the heat!"

Rainbow Dash flew by Johnny's side, ready to fight as well. "Let's see you take us both on, Eggman!"

Suddenly some water from below blasted the two, causing them to fall. The whale from earlier had knocked them off balance, leaving them stranded in the water.

"It's c-c-c-cold!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Doesn't seem cold to me," Johnny commented.

"Sh-shut up!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "How did you even g-g-g-get knocked out of your f-f-f-flame form!?"

"I have no idea," Johnny said.

"Peek-a-boo," Eggman sent a massive blast in their direction, which went over their heads.

"Ha! You missed!" Johnny bragged.

"Uh...Johnny?" Rainbow Dash gestured to a massive wave coming their direction.

"Oh...shit," Johnny lamented as he and Rainbow Dash were swept away and then slammed face first onto the glacier.

"Well that didn't go well," Jacky said.

With Eggman having focused on Johnny and Rainbow Dash, this gave Sonic a chance to breathe and catch up. "Okay, running on the ice isn't helping."

"Sonic! Take it slow!" Ryo called. "If you can't run, try something else! If anyone can figure it out, it's you!"

"Yeah Sonic! Turn it around and reduce this Egg into an Omelet!" Jacky cheered.

"You got this, Sugar Hog!" Bunnie cheered.

"You all know you can just go and help, right?" Peter said, earning himself some irritated glances. "Seriously, don't be so lazy."

"Don't make us throw you off," Sarah warned.

"You people are irritating!" Eggman aimed his gun at the ship. "I'll just destroy you all first!"

"Wait! Let us compromise!" Antoine said. "You can take Spider-Man!"

"You fucking suck, you croissant eating jackass!" Peter shouted.

"Language!" Vanilla scolded.

"Hey you're not my mom, lady!" Peter said. "Only Johnny's dumbass calls you momma."

"Peter, we're in danger, and I don't think the last thing anyone wants to hear are your petty insults!" Twilight said.

"Too late, that's what's happening," Eggman said. Just before he fired, he saw someone latch onto his ship, and crying too. "My messenger robot!?"

"It's that annoying little thing," Jacky said as he gestured to a crying Bokkun.

"Let me inside!" Bokkun begged.

"What's with you?" Scratch asked. "Why are you so scared!?"

"I pulled a dirty trick, and now she's mad at me!" Bokkun said.

"Who is?" Orbot asked.

From the distance, a plane very familiar to Tails was flying in.

"Guys! It's the X-Tornado!" Tails pointed out.

"Huh? Who's flying it?" Amy asked.

"Hold up you little brat!" The housemaid Ella called as she flew in on the machine.

"Ella?" Chris asked.

"Wait, the maid?" Jacky asked in disbelief. "Since when can she fly a plane like that?"

"Oh, I taught her how," Chuck said.

Sally glanced at Chuck in curiosity, "You did? What for?"

"I was bored," Chuck said, earning a look of disbelief from everyone on board.

"Can you teach me next?" Beat asked.

"No one else is flying that plane except for myself and Tails!" Sally said. "No questions!"

"...You're not the boss of me," Beat said.

"Change X-Cyclone!" Ella called as she adjusted the gear. "Set up!" She then flew in full force at Eggman." Cyclone Kick!"

Bokkun moved out the way as Eggman's robot took the full brunt of the attack.

"Not again!" Eggman and his robots shouted as they got knocked into the distance, with nothing but a twinkle remaining.

"Looks like Team Eggman is blasting off again," Peter joked.

"Peter, put a sock in it," Twilight said, much to the boy's annoyance.

Ryo looked up in disbelief, then turned back to his friends, "So...that's how it ends? Ella is the one who defeats Eggman? Just like that?"

"Seems like it," Sarah said.

"...Wow, heroes really can come from anywhere," Ryo commented.

"She just earned more of my respect," Rotor said.

"She's actually really talented," Sally said. "Maybe I could enlist her somehow."

"No Sal," Bunnie said.

"No?" Sally asked. "But she clearly knows what she's-"

"She's a maid, she's fine as she is, don't bring her into our wacky world," Bunnie said. "Whatever we saw, I'm pretty sure it was a one time deal. Now, let it go."

"Ugh, fine, but it seems like such a waste," Sally said.

"Yo! Sonic!" Jacky called as he held a Life Ring. "Do you need assistance!?"

"I got it!" Sonic jumped from where he was back onto the boat. "Thanks though."

"What about Johnny and Rainbow Dash?" Cream asked.

"We're here," Johnny said as he flew up with Rainbow Dash by his side. The two looked very dissatisfied with how that went down.

"We sucked, didn't we?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, big time," Peter said.

"PETER!" Amy scolded, startling the boy.

"Just kidding, you two did fine," Peter nervously said as he avoided Amy's angry gaze.

The pink hedgehog went over to the duo, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Duh, of course not," Rainbow Dash said. "It'll take more than that to keep us down."

"Yeah, we're good kid," Johnny said as he rubbed Amy's head. "Next time, the win is ours."

"That was exciting," Sonic said. "Felt good to get that out of my system."

"Hey Sonic," Chris said. "Since Ella's here and she has the X-Tornado, I guess you could leave early if you want."

"Oh yeah, I guess so," Sonic said.

"But, consider this," Ryo said. "Even all the way out here, you found something exciting."

"Yeah, life's full of surprises, it helps to give things a chance," Sarah said.

"Which is what we've been trying to tell you all trip," Jacky said. "Even all the way out in the ocean, you had a good fight with Eggman. Plus, you learned about something you need to work on to get by better."

"I guess," Sonic said.

"This reminds me of what my grandmother would tell me," Nozomi said. "When we're young, we're full of energy. We want to do so many great things, so sitting around makes us restless. But when you're older, we can't do all that we must, but it's fine, because God gives us time to think instead. A chance to reflect on all the good and bad things we've done in life."

"That's really enlightening Nozomi," Amy said.

"But what does it mean?" Antoine asked.

"I think it means that as fast as we move, sometimes we need to take time to think," Nozomi said. "That's why we go on vacations. It gives us a chance to recharge and reflect, so by the end of it all, we come back better than before."

Sonic took a moment to reflect on that as he sat under a pole, finally taking a moment to relax.

Some time later, everything seemed back to normal, Tails was busy on the tornado, and called out to his friend.

"Hey Sonic, I fixed the X-Tornado," Tails said. "Do you still want to go home?"

Sonic thought about it for a second before shaking his head, "Nah, it's not often we get to go on a cruise. Come join the party."

"Tails! We're going to play volleyball!" Sarah said. "I want you on my team."

"Cream's going to join you!" Johnny called. "She REALLY wants to team with you. The little rascal."

"Johnny, that's not funny!" Cream scolded.

"Okay, I'm coming!" Tails said.

"I call next," Sonic said. "I definitely want to cream Johnny and Dash."

Back in the present, Sonia looked very engrossed while Manik looked confused.

"Was father really that juvenile?" Manik asked. "Also, how did that old maid actually pilot a plane? That just seems so...wacky!"

"Lots of things in life can be wacky," Amy said. "You just learn to roll with it."

"But yeah, I was that bad," Sonic said. "I just hate being stuck in one place. But it taught me to kind of slow down a bit. It allows me to appreciate life more."

"So, can I go on a cruise then?" Sonia asked.

"Can you stay in one place?" Amy asked.

"I can try," Sonia said. "If worse comes to worse, I'll make Tails take me home."

"Uh-huh..." Amy commented.

"One more thing," Manik said. "Father...you flirted with mom and Amy for your own gain?"

"Oh yeah pops, what was that about?" Sonia asked.

"Like I said, I got desperate," Sonic said.

"It's fine, I know your dad meant everything he said in hindsight," Amy said. "Right Sonic?"

"Eh..." Sonic replied, then found himself under Amy's glare. "I mean...sure! I love the way you swing that hammer!"

"You tell him, mom!" Sonia cheered.

Amy smirked to her daughter, then noticed that Manik seemed bothered by this as well. Amy worried it would not go over well with the boy.

"I bet Sonic really did believe that Sally was amazing too," Amy said. "Right Sonic?"

"Huh?" Sonic noticed Manik, then Sonia, then Sally. "Uh yeah. You're amazing Sally."

"Thanks..." Sally said.

"Well anyway, I'm done sitting, I wanna run," Sonia pulled Manik with her. "Exploration!"

"Sonia! Wait!" Manik called.

Amy giggled to herself, "It's so cute how much she loves spending time with Manik!"

"It's a dream come true for her," Sally said. "Manik loves it too, even if he doesn't like showing it."

"I'm kind of worried though," Sonic said. "Is Manik really happy with this exploring? I'm worried about him being too stationary. He's gotta move around more."

"I'm well aware, which is why I hope these trips help," Sally said. "But, then what happens when my castle gets fixed?"

"Even when it does, we can work something out," Amy said. "Hasn't it been great just not thinking about work?"

"Amy, even at home I'm working," Sally said. "Honestly I wish I could be now."

"Sally, come on, you don't want to basically mirror my mistakes," Sonic said. "I let my stress get to me back then, don't let it get to you now. You deserve to be happy too."

"Exactly," Amy said as she gently placed her arm around Sally. "Spend time with us, we love you."

"...I suppose I should live up to my example..." Sally still had her fears. "I just hope I can pull it off."

Back at Mobotropolis, as Nicole oversaw the construction of the castle with Tangle and Whisper beside her, she was greeted by by Jewel.

"Nicole, you have a message," Jewel said.

"For me?" Nicole asked as she checked it over. "Hello?"

"Nicole, it's me, Mega Man," The robot introduced.

"Mega Man? This is a surprise," Nicole said.

"Yo Rock!" Tangle greeted. "What's happening!?"

"Tangle..." Nicole said in annoyance, then focused on Mega Man. "Is there a reason you called?"

"Tails told me you ran into trouble, thanks to Eggman," Mega Man said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Right now we're rebuilding, but we may need allies," Nicole said. "Can you stand by?"

"I'll do my best," Mega Man said. "If you see Sally or Sonic, give them my regards."

"Yeah, sure, I'll talk to Sally," Nicole said. "I'll see you later."

Nicole hung up, leaving Whisper intrigued, "Mega Man would be a valuable asset. He has proven himself a good ally."

"I'll speak with Sally about it when I can," Nicole said. "Assuming Amy Rose won't cause trouble for us during the next meeting."

Whisper glared slightly at Nicole, not too thrilled by her response, then noticed Bunnie nearby holding some beams. "Bunnie, do you require assistance?"

"Ah got it, but Antoine might need help," Bunnie gestured to the coyote.

"Zis stupid piece of wood!" Antoine shouted as he pushed.

"I will assist you, Antoine!" Whisper said as she went to help her friend.

As Nicole glanced ahead, she felt something strange and immediately turned around. "Is someone there!?"

Shard had quickly hidden, much to Nicole's confusion.

"I swear if Robotnik has a spy..." Nicole muttered. "Especially that annoying little girl of his..."

Shard walked off, glancing back once more, "It sucks. Much as I want to speak with you, it's easier said than done. Especially after what my family has done to yours. But I will make this right, mark my words."

Shard flew off, leaving the construction under way.

Chapter 3: Uncertain Bonding

That evening, the Roses and Acorns had returned home after yet another successful picnic, and a fun story that was told.

"I still say I can handle being on a ship," Sonia said.

"Sonia, we'll talk about this another time," Amy said.

"I can have a boat built and we can sail the seas here," Sally said. "We can take the South Sea toward Holoska and see the Glaciers of this world."

"Holoska? What's that place like?" Sonia asked.

"Very cold is the best I can put it," Sally said. "It's a good place for sea food."

"I dare you to try the Canned Horror," Sonic joked.

"You think that name scares me, old man?" Sonia asked. "I'll take that dare."

"Please don't, it's not pleasant," Sally said.

"I still like the idea of another cruise," Amy said, then turned to Sally's son. "Would you like one Manik?"

"I guess," Manik said. "I wouldn't know what to do though."

"You'll figure it out," Amy said. "Also, thanks for coming, I really like it when you can join us."

"Sure, I really enjoyed your food, so that's definitely good motivation to come," Manik said.

"Aw, you're sweet," Amy kissed Manik on the cheek, earning a small blush from the boy. "I love cooking for you, it always seems to put a smile on your face."

"Well after this morning, I cherish your cooking even more," Manik said,

"Hey!" Sally shouted, this startling the boy. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Uh...nothing?" Manik nervously said.

"If it's any consolation Sally, I will still eat your food," Sonia said. "I bet you'll do better tomorrow."

"Thank you honey," Sally said as she kissed Sonia on the cheek, earning a big toothy grin from the girl. "I'll satisfy your hunger my on my own one day."

"And I will show you the appreciation you so desire," Amy said.

"Hey!" Manik shouted.

"Well speaking of food, I should whip up some dinner," Amy said. "Sonic must be hungry."

"How can father eat so much?" Manik asked.

"He's always been like that," Amy said. "Guys like him have large metabolisms. They can't help it."

"Will that happen to me?" Manik asked.

"Hard to say," Amy said. "You seem to be on a good diet though. You're skinny at least, though you could use a bit more food in your belly. It feels like you eat too many small portions. Which I guess makes sense considering your noble lifestyle, but I think you could use a bit more food. Something I will start tonight."

"I don't suppose this includes cake, does it?" Manik asked.

"Manik, you don't need to have cake," Sally said.

"You're one to talk," Manik replied, immediately regretting it the moment his mother glared down at the boy. "I mean...yes mother."

"Watch your tone, kid," Sally warned as she did an 'eye on you' gesture.

"Cake does sound nice," Sonia said.

"We can have cake tomorrow when we can burn off the sugar," Amy said. "Let's just have a nice dinner before bed. We can even watch a movie together."

"Ninja Mime!" Sonia declared.

"No more Ninja Mime!" Manik lamented.

"It's fine, we can watch something else," Amy said. "Peter gave me plenty of movies to pick from."

"I'll make the popcorn," Sonic said.

"Need help?" Sally asked.

"I...got this under control," Sonic insisted.

"Oh, alright then," Sally said as she returned to where Amy was. She took a seat next to the girl, who kindly placed her own hand on Sally's.

"Just kick back for a bit," Amy said.

"Yeah, sure, of course," Sally said as she focused on the TV, hoping to just sit back and enjoy the movie.

Meanwhile at Tails's house, Sticks was still present and enjoying some food that Cream made. She was eating at the table with Tails himself, along with Mina, Fiona, Melody and Skye, with Cream still serving food.

"I gotta say Cream, you're one amazing cook," Sticks said as she gorged on some of Cream's macaroni, making a mess in the process. "I haven't eaten this good since the week that Amy stayed on Bygone Island with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles."

"Why were they on Bygone Island?" Skye asked.

"Some monster named Lyric was causing trouble," Sticks said. "Sonic helped put a stop to him."

"I'm glad Sonic agreed to help," Melody said. "He's such a nice guy."

"I wish I could say that it was completely in his control," Tails said. "But, I did have to trick him onto the island."

"Do tell," Fiona said as her mouth etched into a sinister smile.

"It's nothing I'm proud of," Tails said. "I suggested to Sonic that he explore Bygone Island, but it was an idea that Sally had given me. She wanted to deal with Lyric, but she needed Sonic's help. Sonic wasn't just going to go to the island just because Sally said so. So I had to play my part in getting him there."

"One more reason I don't trust Sally," Sticks said. "When she did come to the island, she tried taking over the place."

"No she didn't," Mina said. "She offered you protection."

"Same thing," Sticks said. "So the rest of us sent her packing. That girl may seem nice, but she's a total sneak, and a Royal Pain in the Pajamas."

"Ease up, Sticks," Tails said. "It's not like Sally told me to deceive Sonic, she just asked me if there was a way to convince him. Ultimately I suggested tricking him, an idea even Sally wasn't completely on board with."

"So you used your superior intellect to get that moron into doing what you wanted him to do," Fiona said. "I'm really proud of you, Tails."

"Fiona, please don't refer to my friend as a moron," Tails said.

"Yeah, Sonic's cool," Sticks said. "Free as the wind, doesn't let anyone tell him what to do. He's living the dream, just like me. Shame you two can't try living the dream."

"Like what? Being homeless and having nothing?" Fiona asked. "Been there, done that. I'm not going through that again."

"Same, I don't mind traveling, but having a home to come back to is really nice," Mina said. "Plus, being away from my friends for so long is way too difficult for me."

"Don't you go on tour for your brainwashing music?" Sticks asked.

"First off, my music doesn't brainwash people," Mina said. "Second, yes I do travel a bit, but it's still not the easiest thing to do. I'm amazed that Sonic could be away for such long periods of time like he does."

"Starting to think he never really liked any of us," Fiona said.

"Can we not talk about Sonic?" Tails asked. "Come on, it's rude to gossip like this."

"Fine, let's insult Amy," Fiona said.

"Hey, you watch what you say about Amy Rose," Sticks said. "She's the smartest person I know. Absolutely no one comes close to her in intelligence."

Fiona and Mina immediately gestured to Tails while glancing at Sticks in disbelief.

"Tails is smart too, he knows how to build machines," Sticks said. "Thing is, I'm not that fond of machines."

"But Miss Sticks, dad told me you fly his plane," Skye said. "He taught you how."

"You don't gotta call me 'Miss' kid," Sticks said. "And yeah, I did ask Tails for lessons just in case I needed to fly. But I just don't care much for technology."

"Tails is still the smartest person though," Fiona said.

"He's probably smarter than Mister Fantastic," Mina said.

"I doubt that," Tails said.

"...Wait, who's Mister Fantastic?" Sticks asked.

Fiona raised her eyebrow in confusion, "You know, from The Fantastic Four!?"

"The Fantastic Who Now?" Sticks asked.

"Johnny Storm's group!" Mina said.

"..." Sticks just stared in confusion.

"The superheroes!" Fiona said.

"Like Spider-Man?" Sticks asked. "He's my favorite, he seems like a wild kind of guy. Same with Wolverine, that man's a wild animal for sure."

"That's great, but what about Johnny Storm?" Fiona asked.

"The Human Torch," Mina said.

"Uh...wait, is it the guy that's made out of rocks?" Sticks asked.

"That's Ben!" Fiona shouted.

"Same group though," Mina said.

"...I still don't know who these people are," Sticks said.

"You've literally met them!" Fiona shouted. "Remember when The Planet broke apart!?"

"Ooooooooh," Sticks said. "Still doesn't ring a bell."

"What the f-?" Fiona grabbed her head in annoyance. "There are so many things wrong with you!"

"Says the traitor," Sticks said.

Fiona was about to lunge when Mina stopped her, "Ease up Fi!"

"Look, it hardly matters," Tails said. "If Sticks values Amy's intelligence over everyone else's, that's her right."

"Exactly, like how it was smart of her to get Sonic away from Sally Acorn as soon as she could," Sticks said.

"Oh dear God..." Tails lamented.

Fiona glared hard at Sticks, "Run that by me again."

"Sonic was all wrong for Sally, but thankfully, Amy pried him away, and now Sonic no longer has to worry about a possessive lunatic like Sally Acorn," Sticks said. "Good thing Amy used her feminine wiles to pull Sonic away."

Fiona once again looked ready to pounce but Mina made sure to hold her back as she glared at Sticks.

"You're aware that Sally has a son, right?" Mina asked. "Have you considered how he felt about his father leaving his mother to be with another woman?"

"I feel bad for the kid and all, but he could have just as easily left too," Sticks said. "Amy's kind enough to adopt."

"Oh...you stupid little..." Fiona looked even more irate.

"Okay, enough of this," Tails said. "Sticks, I know you don't mean what you said. I know deep down, you really do care about Sally. She cares about you after all."

"Every time I'm around Sally, all she wants to do is put me on a leash," Sticks said. "Her pops said it best, to her I'm basically a pet."

"King Acorn doesn't know what he's talking about!" Fiona said. "Personally, I see you as a pet at best, but Sally doesn't. If you keep disrespecting her like this, then it ain't gonna end well for you missy."

"You think you intimidate me?" Sticks asked. "I know how Sally's kind works. They shower you with fake love and fake kindness. Then, at a moment's notice, they trap you. Just like Sonic was before Amy set him free."

"Sticks, Sally isn't like that," Tails said. "I've stayed at her castle where she doted on me, and I turned out okay."

"Oh please, every time Sally was around, your self confidence took a hit," Sticks said. "It got so bad that back when you thought Sonic died, you completely fell apart! I didn't see much of your adventures before Bygone Island, but something about your time there was memorable. You still had some spunk in you. Everyone I talked to said you were kind of shy but still had some confidence in your abilities. Then Sally put that leash on you and you turned into a one of her boot lickers."

"Sally acted like a mother to me," Tails said. "I grew up an orphan, so I was happy to have someone like Sally trying to fill that motherly void."

"I grew up an orphan and I turned out just fine," Sticks said.

"What is it with you weirdos acting like having no family and no real home is no big deal?" Fiona asked. "That type of shit can be traumatizing."

"We're just tough enough to handle it," Sticks said. "Fact is that Tails could handle it, but Sally made him codependent."

"Sticks, if I was codependent on anyone, it was Sonic," Tails said. "Sally made it easier since she stayed in one place."

"Right, before that you had to chase after Sonic, and it helped shape you into a better man," Sticks said. "It's because of that influence that you're not worse off than you are right now."

"You're so full of shit," Fiona said.

"Says the traitor," Sticks said.

"That's it!" Fiona was about to lunge again but this time Cream stepped in.

"Enough!" Cream shouted. "Sticks, I'm happy to have you here, but I do not appreciate your comments. Do not speak of the divorce that Sonic and Sally had so lightly, and please show Sally a little more respect. Hard as it is to believe, she loves you very much, and you know it. So drop the conspiracy theorist mumbo jumbo."

"Glad you're on my side, Cream," Fiona said.

"Oh I got something to say to you too, Fiona," Cream said. "I appreciate you wanting to stand up for Miles and Sally, but trying to pick a fight is not the way to go. I also do not appreciate your negative comments regarding Amy. Lastly, please mind your language in front of the children!"

Fiona glanced at Skye and Melody, then felt awkward, "Sorry kids. Please don't mimic my bad words."

"Yes Fiona," Skye and Melody said.

Sticks got up off the table, "I guess I should leave then."

"Sticks wait," Tails said, then heard a thunder clap. "Huh?"

Everyone looked out the window to see some heavy rain falling.

"Wow, it's pouring a lot," Tails said.

"Well that's going to make it hard to get home," Sticks said. "Oh well, time to-"

"Sticks, it's not safe," Cream said. "Just stay here until the storm passes."

"I don't wanna cause more trouble," Sticks said.

"Come on Sticks, don't end the night like this," Tails said. "It looks like it's going to rain a lot, so you might as well stay the night."

"Stay!?" Mina and Fiona asked in disbelief. One glare from Tails shut them up.

"Sticks, please stay," Tails said. "You can spend time with Skye and Melody."

"If Mina's okay with Melody doing that," Cream said. "She is the parent."

"It's cool, I trust Tails on this," Mina said. "Just no conspiracy stuff."

"What do you say, Sticks?" Tails asked.

"Well, I suppose I can," Sticks said. "I can quiz them on survival, so if they ever get lost, they'll know what to do."

"Sounds fun!" Melody said.

"Yeah, let's do it," Skye said.

"Alright, with me two you," Sticks said as she led the kids away.

Mina glanced at Sticks in annoyance, with Fiona looking frustrated. Tails grabbed each girl by a hand to focus their attention on him, both of them immediately flustered by the gesture.

"I know Sticks seems like a pain sometimes," Tails said. "But she's much nicer than can appear. Please try to get along."

"...Fine," Mina said while turning to hide a blush.

"Only for you," Fiona said, also trying to hide her blush.

"Why don't you two grab a snack? I have some chocolates, it might calm you down," Tails said.

"Oooh, chocolate!" Mina said as she ran to the kitchen.

"Hey, don't hog them all!" Fiona said as she followed.

Tails was relieved to have handled this, then felt Cream wrapping her arm around his back, "I love it when you take charge like this."

"I can take charge all day and night," Tails said.

"Then I expect you to take charge of me tonight," Cream teased.

"...At this rate, we're going to end up with more kids," Tails said.

"Fine with me," Cream said. "I love you Miles."

"Love you too, Cream," Tails said as he turned to kiss his wife. "Come on, I'll draw us a nice bath."

"Oooh, someone's daring," Cream said as she followed Tails into the bathroom.

In The Dragon Kingdom, Ken was seen showing Lanolin to her room, "This is where you will be staying tonight. I hope it is to your liking."

Lanolin looked around in amazement, then turned back to Ken. "I appreciate this, but you don't have to go through this trouble."

"We've been over this, you stayed later than expected," Ken said. "Rather than going all the way back, it's easier to just let you stay the night."

"Well it is daytime in Mobotropolis," Lanolin said.

"I am aware, but you look quite tired," Ken said. "Even at the light of day you seemed exhausted. Plus, I imagine that Espio isn't ready to part with his daughter."

"It wasn't that light out when we got here," Lanolin said. "But I suppose we can stay for Espio's sake."

"That's the spirit," Ken said. "I will have my maids bring you something more comfortable to wear. If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me."

"Of course," Lanolin said. She took a look around. "I will say, this is a really nice room. But I hope you know that I would have been fine in a hotel. I could have even camped out."

"You are precious to Sally, I would never treat someone so close to her with a lack of hospitality," Ken said. "Besides, a beauty such as yourself deserves the finest accommodations."

Lanolin turned away while blushing, "Beauty huh? Well, that's nice of you King Monkey Khan."

"Back to formalities are we?" Ken asked.

"Sorry, force of habit," Lanolin said.

"Lanolin," Ken walked over to the girl and tilted her head to make eye contact, "I know things have not gone well with you and Sally. I trust however that things will go back to normal in due time. Until then, you are welcome to stay here as well. My Freedom Fighters, The Shinjin Warriors, could use someone of your caliber."

"I appreciate the offer," Lanolin said. "But I don't know if I can be a part of any team that isn't affiliated with Sally. She's been my inspiration for being a Freedom Fighter ever since she saved my life almost twenty years ago. I'll figure things out."

"Well like I said, you can stay here until you do," Ken said. "The spot in my Shinjin Warriors is always open too, even as a temporary position. Broadening your horizons could make for great experience, and you can return to Sally a better warrior."

"Thanks," Lanolin said. "I really appreciate your kindness, Your Majesty."

Lanolin then wrapped Ken in a hug, surprising the King for a moment. He gently returned the hug, hoping to calm Lanolin's nerves. Deep down he felt some guilt, as most of what he was saying was just to get her on his side and further favors for his Kingdom.

Meanwhile Lanolin felt very secure in Ken's arms, she felt briefly vulnerable and she liked it. Much as she wanted this feeling to last, she eventually had to pull away.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me," Lanolin said.

"It's fine, what's a hug between friends?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, of course," Lanolin said, then turned around to further hide her blush. "I'll just get settled."

"Of course," Ken said as he made his leave. Oddly enough, he did seem to genuinely enjoy Lanolin's company, the sheep girl feeling the same, only on a higher scale.

"Why does he have to be so handsome...?" Lanolin wondered to herself.

She laid on the bed and thought everything over, and hoped that things were fine with Sally. She really missed her Queen, and desired her company.

She then heard a call coming in on her pad, so she pulled out a Pad. "Lanolin here."

"Lanolin, it's me, Nicole," the Lynx greeted.

"Nicole?" Lanolin focused on the girl. "Do you need something? Is everything alright at the castle?"

"We're fine, I just wanted to check up on your progress," Nicole said. "You went to the Dragon Kingdom, correct?"

"Yes, I just met with King Monkey Khan," Lanolin said. "He insisted I stay the night."

"Night?" Nicole remembered the time difference, "Oh, that's fine then. If anyone needs sleep, it's you. Besides, I trust Espio is happy seeing his daughter."

"He is," Lanolin said. "I'll try not to be gone long though. Especially with the castle under construction."

"It's fine, Tekno is running things in your absence," Nicole said.

"That's good to know," Lanolin said.

"I've also made contact with Mega Man," Nicole said. "Actually, he's online right now."

"Mega Man?" Lanolin asked. Seconds later she saw the Blue Bomber on screen.

"Hello Lanolin, still serving Princess Sally?" Mega Man asked.

"She's Queen now," Lanolin corrected. "And yeah, sort of."

"I'm hoping to make my way to Mobius soon," Mega Man said. "Once I finish up some stuff here on Earth. I know Sonic and Sally had some trouble, and I bet they need some help."

"Well Robotnik's done, but rumor is that The Metarex is coming back," Lanolin said. "We'll need help with that."

"The Metarex?" Mega Man asked. "Yikes, those guys are bad news. Might need to contact Samus Aran and Star Fox as well."

"We already got assistance from Ratchet and Clank," Lanolin said. "As well as The Guardians of The Galaxy."

"That's great, at least your planet will be better protected," Mega Man said. "Anyway, I gotta catch up more with Nicole. See you later."

"Yeah, see ya," Lanolin said as Mega Man hung up.

"Always such a fascinating boy," Nicole said.

"Well he made some good points," Lanolin said. "We should make contact with all previous allies from The Metarex days. Like Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four."

"We'll consider that too," Nicole said. "I wouldn't mind seeing Peter again."

"I wouldn't mind seeing Reed Richards," Lanolin said.

"Well I'll leave you to your rest," Nicole said. "See you soon."

"Yeah, see ya," Lanolin said as she laid back in bed. "What a pain."

The following morning on the other side of the world, Sally's cooking lessons had resumed, courtesy of Amy.

"Now remember, cooking is a type of science," Amy said. "Just balance carefully."

"Right...balance carefully," Sally put some spice in the soup. "How is that?"

Amy tasted it, "A little too strong, but you're getting there."

"Hey Ames," Sonic walked in. "Uh, is Sally cooking again?" Sonic asked.

"She's getting better," Amy said. "Anyway, I left you some oatmeal in the fridge. Warm it up."

Sonic felt slightly disappointed. Normally he would be happy to wake up to a meal that Amy specially crafted for him. Nowadays he feels like an afterthought. "So, any plans today?"

"I don't know yet," Amy said. Not too long she got a phone call and picked up her cell, "Yeah? Oh hi Tails!"

"Tails?" Sally asked.

"Keep practicing," Amy said as she left the room. "I can talk, what's up buddy?"

Sonic glanced at Sally, almost awkwardly, "So...still cooking?"

"Trying to," Sally said. "I want to make something nice for Manik and Sonia."

"Well it's good to work on those skills," Sonic said. "How is Amy as a teacher?"

"Strict, but fair," Sally said. "I'm used to getting instructions, so I tend to learn well."

"You always had a knack for learning things," Sonic said. "Gotta say, you adapted to our life here pretty well."

"I did?" Sally asked. "I don't know, I feel out of place."

"You're fine," Sonic said. "Sonia's really happy that you and Manik are living here."

"Honestly, I like it too," Sally said. "I almost want to stay and never leave."

"Wow, that's a big ambition," Sonic said. "If you like living this life better, you should."

"I can't just abandon the throne," Sally said.

"Isn't there a way?" Sonic asked. "You've always wanted to live freely but it feels like something is shackling you."

Sally shook her head, "My job is to make sure everyone else lives freely. That is my duty as a Queen. My feelings do not matter."

"How could you say that!?" Sonic asked.

"It's fine, really," Sally insisted. "I do enjoy being Queen, I'm able to help so many people."

"You should be helping yourself," Sonic said.

"If only..." Sally muttered.

Outside, Amy seemed even more ecstatic, "A picnic in Seaside Hill!?"

"Yeah, I feel like Sally should see her friends again," Tails said. "I'm going to contact Mobotropolis and see who can come. I also want to see if I can get Sticks to like Sally too."

"Sticks is a hard sell, are you sure you're up to the task?" Amy asked.

"I gotta try, for both their sake," Tails said.

"Alright, hopefully it works out," Amy said. "Try to invite Knuckles and Rouge so they can bring their daughter. I think Manik and Sonia would love to see Lara again."

"You got it," Tails said as he hung up.

Amy peeked into the kitchen, "We're going to Seaside Hill to see Tails and some friends, so both of you grab some sunscreen."

Once Amy left again, Sally and Sonic glanced at each other in disbelief, "Seaside Hill!?"

Elsewhere Shard was seen flying around and hovering near where Clutch's base was as he gave orders to Rough and Tumble.

"I don't want to hear excuses!" Clutch shouted. "Make sure you get the goods before Breezy does!"

"But last time, Scourge and Surge beat us up!" Rough said.

"Come on, you two can handle a couple of misfits, can't ya!?" Clutch asked.

"They're strong misfits," Tumble said.

Shard shook his head in shame and flew off, "Lame."

It wasn't long before the Rose and Acorn Family had arrived at yet another picnic spot, one very familiar to the adults.

"Seaside Hill..." Sonic said. "Boy was this the start of a grand adventure."

"Sure was," Amy said. "Our first big adventure since returning to Mobius."

"What about the stuff you did with my mom?" Manik asked.

"I mean more exploring and running into danger rather than going out to look for danger," Amy said.

"Besides, Sonic effortlessly defeating Snively wasn't that big," Sally said. "Everything else after that was pretty minor until now."

"Aside from meeting Scourge for the first time," Sonic said. "Oh, and that stuff with The Quantum Dial."

"I'm curious about Scourge and that other thing," Sonia said. "But I'm more curious about why you were at Seaside Hill."

"We'll tell you," Sonic said, then noticed a group coming in from the distance. "Actually, looks like you'll have plenty of people to tell you."

"Oh, are they actually coming!?" Amy asked.

"They sure are," Sonic said as he gestured to the distance. "Check it out."

Walking over were a few groups. The first one was Tails, Cream, Skye, Melody, Sticks, Fiona and Mina. The second group was Knuckles, Rouge and Lara. The third were the trio of Bunnie, Tangle and Jewel.

"I see Sally!" An excited Mina said. She immediately sped over to the Princess.

"Hello Mina," Sally greeted. "How are-?"

Mina then took Sally into a hug, "It's been way too long, Sal! I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Yeah, you too," Sally said as she returned the hug.

"Sal..." Fiona greeted as she walked over.

"Hey Fiona, long time no see," Sally said.

"Too long," Fiona replied.

"Okay, let's not beat around the bush," Mina pulled Fiona over. "Group hug!"

"Uh..." Sally felt a bit awkward. "Right, group hug."

"Group hug!" Tangle ran over and wrapped her tail around everyone.

"What a touchy-feely bunch," Sonic pointed out.

"It's cute though," Amy said. "These girls haven't seen each other in so long."

"It's only been about a week," Sonic said. "I've gone weeks at a time not seeing you or Tails, and months without Knuckles."

"Well everyone's built differently," Amy said. "Let's try not to be too judgmental."

"Sally girl!" Bunnie went to check on her friend. "Good to see ya again."

"Hi Bunnie," Sally looked around. "Is Nicole here too?"

"She's working back at the castle with Antoine and Whisper," Bunnie said.

"Have things improved? Or are Clutch and Breezy still causing trouble?" Sally asked.

"Unfortunately they're still causing a ruckus," Bunnie said. "But we're getting it under control."

"A ruckus?" Rouge asked as she walked over. "Having trouble at the castle?"

"Clutch and Breezy are at war with each other and Mobotropolis repairs are getting caught in the crossfire," Bunnie said.

"So that's the big issue then," Rouge said. "Well worry not, if anything I can contact Omega and he can help with the castle repairs."

"That would help," Sally said, then noticed another visitor. "Sticks! You're here too!"

"Don't even think about trying to hug me," Sticks warned. "I ain't playing your game, Princess!"

"Queen," Mina corrected.

"Even worse!" Sticks said. "I'm just here for the picnic."

"Who invited you again?" Fiona asked.

"I did," Tails pointed out. "Come on, we all need a break from whatever's stressing us out. Cream baked a lot of cookies, Amy has her food, and I think Knuckles brought some fruit grown on Angel Island."

"Not just grapes, right?" Sonic asked.

"Come on, I don't eat grapes all the time," Knuckles said. "Unlike you with chili dogs."

"I don't eat those all the time either!" Sonic said.

"Boys, don't start," Amy scolded.

As the adults spoke, Lara got the attention of Sonic's kids. "Hey! Sonia! Manik!"

"Lara!" Sonia hugged the older girl. "It's so great to see you again!"

"You're looking well," Manik said.

"I feel well," Lara said.

"How's life on Angel Island?" Sonia asked.

"Exciting, I'm still discovering new things, and I got so many lessons from Tikal," Lara said.

"Tikal? Isn't she dead?" Sonia asked.

"That's a bit of a harsh way to put it," Lara said. "She's a spirit that lives in The Master Emerald."

"Oh right, a spirit," Sonia said. "So like a ghost then?"

"Gh-gh-gh-ghost!?" Manik asked in worry. "Uh, she can't leave the island, can she?"

"Of course, but she has no reason to," Lara said.

"Oh good," Manik said. "I mean...good for her I guess. Not that it means much to me."

"...You're such a wuss," Sonia teased, much to Manik's annoyance.

"Hey! I'm not gonna take that from-!" Manik was interrupted when Melody greeted him with a hug.

"Manik! How's my Prince doing!?" Melody asked as she hugged tightly.

"M-Melody!?" Manik said while blushing. "Hey! Let go!"

"Aw, how cute," Sonia said. She noticed someone at the corner of her eye, and spotted a very shy Skye.

"Hey Sonia, it's been a while," Skye said.

"Yeah, sure has," Sonia said. "Man, you missed something big last week."

"I heard all about it from Melody," Skye said. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Nah, I'm practically invincible," Sonia bragged as she flexed her arm. "Nothing can harm me."

"You're so full of crap," Manik said.

"GHOST!" Sonia shouted, startling Manik.

"Where!? Where..." Manik slowly turned around to Sonia as she flashed a peace sign.

"Ha, gotcha," Sonia teased.

Manik lunged at Sonia and put the girl into a headlock as he began to noogie her, "You're such a little punk."

"Hey! Let go!" Sonia shouted as she struggled to break free. "Don't make me zap you!"

"Hey you two, settle down," Amy warned.

The two broke away, but not without sharing glances of suspicion at each other.

"Such an excitable pair," Rouge said. She then bent over to speak to Manik. "So my little Prince, how has it been living with Sonic and Amy?"

Manik was seen blushing the moment he spotted Rouge's cleavage, "Just...peachy."

"That's nice," Rouge said as she rubbed his head. "I'm glad you're doing well."

"Y-yes, of course," Manik said.

Melody huffed in annoyance as she looked away.

"By the way, is Lanolin around by chance?" Sally asked.

"Last ah heard, she and The Chaotix went to The Dragon Kingdom," Bunnie said. "Probably to talk to Ken."

"That's interesting," Sally said as she began thinking about the girl. "I hope everything's going well."

"She's doing everything she can to make up fer her mistakes," Bunnie said. "Say what you will, but Lanolin will always rectify her mistakes."

"Of course, she's a Diamond Cutter," Tangle said. "And an amazing teammate."

"She's definitely a hard worker," Fiona said as she placed her arm around Sally. "You got nothing to worry about, Sal. With Lanny at work, she might get Ken to help with the repairs."

"I hope he doesn't mind," Sally said.

"He won't, besides we all know he has the hots for you," Fiona said.

Sally began blushing hard from that statement, "Fiona! That was not appropriate!"

"Ah, me saying dumb stuff, and you getting mad," Fiona said. "Just like the good old days."

"...Why do I like you so much?" Sally asked.

"You do seem to like people who are hard to deal with," Knuckles said. "Like Sonic."

"Okay, you know what, Knucklehead?" Sonic began.

"Boys, come on!" Amy said. "Look, we were just about to tell Sonia a story."

"Another one?" Tangle asked. "Which one is it this time? Oh! Let me guess! Is it the one on Planet Wisp?"

"No, not that," Amy said.

"The one with the Phantom Ruby?" Rouge asked.

"Not that either," Amy said.

"Gonna tell her about Lyric?" Sticks asked.

"No...it's about an adventure that started right here in Seaside Hill," Amy confirmed. "Many years ago."

Fourteen years prior, Sally Acorn was overseeing some Freedom Fighter business. There had been a little bit of trouble lately, and it's been stressful for her.

"Princess?" Antoine said as he got Sally's attention with Bunnie and Rotor by his side. "Is something bothering you?"

"A few things are," Sally said.

"Worried about being Queen?" Bunnie asked.

Sally shook her head, "I told my father I wasn't ready to take the crown. He wasn't happy but agreed to hold it off until I was."

"It is a big responsibility," Bunnie said. "Waiting another year or two couldn't hurt."

"Besides, King Max is still fit enough to rule," Rotor said. "It's fine if you're not ready Sally."

"I feel like I should be, but I can't keep this world in line," Sally said. "I thought driving away Snivley would be enough, but it wasn't. I thought handling the Quantum Dial would be enough, but it wasn't."

"That was so big, everyone needed to take part," Rotor said.

"Things just got worse when those imposters showed up," Sally said.

"Y'all mean that creep Scourge, right?" Bunnie asked.

"Sonic sent him packing," Rotor said.

"And now this warning from Robotnik," Sally said as she held a letter. "It's not even addressed to me, so I don't know why that stupid robot delivered it here."

"He tried leaving a bomb, again," Antoine commented. "The fuel."

"Don't worry about old Eggman. If anything, we'll call Sonic, especially to warn him," Bunnie said. "Plus, the Freedom Fighters ain't weak. We discovered another group in Downunda recently, and there might be more. All of them can help take down Eggman."

"Freedom Fighters all over the world," Rotor said. "Like Ari's group, and Lupe's Wolf Pack."

"Plus, our little Tails," Bunnie said as she gestured to the boy.

Down below he was seen talking to Fiona Fox about his inventions, "This allows me to detect the Chaos Emeralds faster, pretty cool huh?"

"Uh, yeah, it's very cute Tails," Fiona said, the girl clearly disinterested.

"Do you want to see my plane?" Tails asked.

"I've seen it," Fiona said.

"Oh right..." Tails said. "Well how about-?"

"Tails, you're sweet and I love your enthusiasm," Fiona said. "But I really get the feeling you're trying to flirt with me."

"Who me? No way!" Tails said. "You said it yourself, you're too old for me. I just thought I'd share my awesome feats, should keep us busy for years to come."

"Tails, forget about me, I'm not the one for you," Fiona said as she pat him on the head. "I am flattered, but you're better off with someone your age."

Tails looked dejected as he sat down on a chair.

Above, Bunnie felt sympathy for Tails, "Poor boy, he needs someone his age."

"He doesn't need to rush it," Sally said.

"Sally!" Mina came running into the castle. "Someone's outside!"

"Huh? Who could be outside?" Sally asked.

"They look like Overlanders, but with weird costumes," Mina said.

"Costumes?" Sally asked.

Everyone went outside to spot an interesting bunch. Six Earthlings, three superheroes and three magical girls.

"Where are we? How did we get here?" The familiar Spider-Hero said.

"Sorry Peter, I miscalculated," his wife said. "Good thing Spike is around to watch Mayday, but still."

"Peter Parker!?" Sally asked.

Peter turned to face the Princess, "Sally Acorn? Wait, we're on Mobius?"

"Holy shit," Johnny Storm said.

"Peter!" Sally ran to check on the hero. "Johnny, Rainbow Dash."

"Don't forget my wife Twilight," Peter said. "As well as Logan and Fluttershy, who you met at my wedding."

"Of course," Sally said. "It was worth going to Earth again for that event."

"Golly," Bunnie said. "To think I'd see you again, Peter Parker."

"You too, Bunnie," Peter said, then noticed Mina coming over with Tails, Fiona, Mighty and Ray. "Sup?"

"Peter? Johnny? Dash?" Tails said.

"Hey buddy, you've gotten bigger," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well I am eleven now," Tails said.

"Man, you grew up way too fast," Rainbow Dash said. "If Sarah were here, she'd be so proud of you."

"She didn't come?" Tails asked.

"I'm afraid not," Peter said. "Twilight warped us here by accident."

"Though the fact that she warped us to Mobius is a big deal," Logan said. "I'm still amazed by it."

"You and me both," Twilight said.

"It was also because of Doctor Strange," Rainbow Dash said. "Two strong magicians together means a lot."

"Well, regardless, how have things been with you, Peter?" Sally asked.

"Not so great, some stuff recently went down with the superheroes," Peter said. "What about you?"

"I just got a warning from Robtonik," Sally said as she showed it off. "I need to find Sonic."

"Hey if Robotnik's giving you trouble, we got time to help," Johnny said. "Feels like perfect timing."

"Yeah, it's like fate that we're here," Fluttershy said.

"I can't ask you to help with Robotnik," Sally said. "I don't want to burden you."

"Burden?" Johnny asked. "Pfft, kicking that guy's ass is fun. You gotta let us in on this, Sal!"

"Yeah! Let us fight Robotnik!" Rainbow Dash said.

"...Well, it would be nice to have help," Sally said. "Especially with a three day deadline."

"Alright, first thing's first," Peter said. "Where is Sonic?"

"I'm not sure," Sally said.

"I can find him on the Tornado," Tails said. "Sally, why don't you come with me?"

"Okay," Sally turned to Bunnie and Antoine. "You two come as well."

"Oui Princess," Antoine said.

"You got it, Sally girl," Bunnie said.

"If we split up, we can find Sonic faster," Twilight said. "I'll take Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Peter, you go with Johnny and Logan."

"Good idea," Sally said. "Mighty, Ray, mind escorting Twilight and her friends? Make sure they know how to get around and avoid the dangerous places."

"Of c-course, Princess Sally," Ray eagerly agreed.

"You got it," Mighty turned to Twilight and her friends. "Let's go ladies."

"Be courteous too, Twilight is also a Princess," Sally warned.

"It's fine," Twilight said. "Mighty, Ray, lead the way."

"Follow us," Ray said as he and his friend sped off with the Equestrian Girls right behind them.

"Alright, I'm going to go find Amy," Peter said.

"...Dude, Eggman? Trouble?" Johnny said. "You can play tea party with Amy later. We gotta find Sonic."

"Yeah, and who knows how to find Sonic no matter where he is?" Peter asked.

"...You serious?" Johnny asked.

"Damn right," Peter said. "We find Amy, we find Sonic."

"That could work, but don't drag her into anything dangerous," Sally said, then turned to the walrus beside her. "Rotor, mind escorting Peter?"

"Sure thing Sally," Rotor said as he got on his hover quad. "Let's go boys."

"You got it," Johnny said as he and the others followed.

"Mina, Fiona, keep an eye on things here," Sally ordered. "Tails, let's go."

"Sure," Tails said. "Oh, and maybe we should find Knuckles so he can help too."

"Good thinking," Sally said.

"Don't he guard that Emerald though?" Bunnie asked.

"Oh yeah..." Sally called out. "Dulcy!"

Moments later, Dulcy flew in to greet the Princess, "Yeah Sally?"

"Come with us to Angel Island, we might need you to guard The Master Emerald for Knuckles," Sally said.

"Sally, that might not work," Tails said. "Knuckles is very protective and doesn't really trust anyone."

"It's worth a try," Sally said, then grabbed her handheld. "Nicole, show me coordinates of Sonic's most frequent locations."

Nicole's hologram form popped out of the pad, "Certainly Sally. Showing all possible routes."

"She's so cute," Mina said while earning a glare from Fiona.

"Come on!" Sally ordered as everyone made their leave.

Of at a coast near the beach, Amy was seen looking at a newspaper, the girl looking displeased.

"I wonder where Sonic is?" Amy asked. As if almost by fate, a gust of wind blew away the paper. Cream flew to grab it but narrowly missed, but fortunately Cheese was able to grab the paper instead.

"That was close," Amy said as Cream and Cheese landed.

"Amy, please be more careful, it's our only clue," Cream said.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Amy commented. "I'll put it somewhere safe."

"We should probably go back..." The wind came strong again and nearly blew Cream away. Fortunately Big the Cat was able to catch the girl with his fishing rod and pulled the girl safely back onto the dock.

"Wow! Nice catch, Big!" Amy said, much to Big's pleasure. She then glanced once more at the paper, showing what looked like Sonic running off with a Chao and a Frog.

"Froggy..." Big sadly said.

"Chocola..." Cream responded.

"Hey, cheer up! We'll find them for sure!" Amy cheered.

"Find who?" Came a voice from nearby. Everyone turned to see Peter walking over. "Hey gang, how's it-?"

"Peter!" Amy rushed over to hug the hero, nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa!" Peter said as he stumbled back. "Wow you're strong!"

"Man, she missed you dude," Johnny said as he stepped into view.

"Johnny!" Cream flew over with Cheese to hug the man.

"Ha, I'm popular," Johnny said as he hugged the two.

Logan was the last to come out, the man looking confused, "Huh..."

"Peter!" Amy pulled back as she looked up in wonder. "When did you get here!?"

"A little while ago, Twilight warped us here by accident," Peter said.

"We heard there was trouble, and went to look for Sonic," Johnny said.

"And since you usually know how to find him, we figured we'd come and find you," Peter said.

"Wow, and you knew where to find me?" Amy asked.

"Well, sort of," Peter said. "We did need a guide."

"I hated having one but Sally's orders," Johnny said.

"A guide, who?" Amy asked.

"Ahem..." Rotor made his presence known. "Hey, I just wanted to drop our Earth Friends off."

"Thanks Rotor, we can take it from here," Peter said.

"Before you go Rotor, there's some interesting development that I think you should be aware of," Amy showed off a newspaper. "Check it out, according to this picture, Sonic kidnapped Froggy and Chocola."

"Sonic did what?" Rotor asked.

"Froggy?" Johnny asked before remembering something. "Wait..." He glanced at the nearby cat. "Big? Hard as this is to believe, I almost didn't see you there. That frog is yours, right?"

"Froggy is my friend," Big said.

"Right, you searched all over Station Square to find him after he swallowed a Chaos Emerald," Johnny said. "Still, Sonic stealing something? It wouldn't be the first time he got framed."

"I know Sonic would never do such a thing," Amy said. "But I still need to confront him about this."

"Why are you looking for Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked.

"Trouble with Eggman, we wanted to find Sonic and let him know," Johnny said.

"Well help us find Froggy and Chocola, and we'll look for Sonic along the way," Amy said.

"...I gotta look for a frog and some weird thing?" Logan asked.

"They're called Chao," Peter said. "And yeah, you do."

"You look familiar," Amy said.

"You may have seen me a few times on Earth," Logan said. "For example, during Peter's wedding."

"Oh yeah, how is Twilight?" Amy asked.

"Great, she's on this planet too so we might run into her," Peter said. "We just need to hurry and get things done. I miss my daughter."

"Got any pictures?" Amy asked.

Peter pulled some out and showed them off, "Get a load of these. Cute, isn't it? I got so many."

"Aw, so adorable," Amy said. "Tell me all about it on the way to Froggy, Chocola and Sonic!"

"No trouble at all," Peter said.

"Come on! Let's get going!" Amy said as she ran ahead with the others. Big nearly got knocked over in the process but he too ran off, leaving Rotor behind.

"I should let everyone at Mobotropolis know," Rotor said as he got back on his hover quad.

Elsewhere Twilight along with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were looking for any signs of Sonic while Mighty and Ray guided them, but to no avail.

"Ugh, where could Sonic be?" Rainbow Dash asked. She turned to Mighty and Ray. "Where does he usually hang out?"

"Wherever he wants," Mighty said.

"Green Hill is one of his favorite places, but we just searched there," Ray said.

"He really is free like the wind, isn't he?" Fluttershy asked.

"That does sound like Sonic from what Peter described," Twilight said. "And you too, Rainbow Dash."

"Got that right, but it hardly helps us now," Rainbow Dash said.

"Maybe that nice bat lady can help us?" Fluttershy said.

"Bat lady?" Rainbow Dash turned and spotted someone familiar. "Rouge?"

Nearby they could see Rouge sneaking into a base, this raising some suspicion from the others.

"What's Rouge doing here?" Twilight asked.

"Maybe she lives here?" Fluttershy suggested.

"I doubt it," Rainbow Dash said. "Where Rouge is, trouble is never far behind."

"Let's follow her, quietly," Twilight suggested.

Rouge had snuck down into a secret base, stopping before a door. She quickly input a password and took a quick look around the room.

"This must be it, I finally found Eggman's secret treasure!" Rouge said.

Unknown to her, Twilight and the others were carefully observing to see what the bat girl was up to.

"Treasure?" Fluttershy asked.

"Right, I forgot this girl loved jewels and stuff," Rainbow Dash said. "She's just like Rarity in a way."

"Let's sneak over," Ray said.

As they got close, they dashed inside just before the door closed while observing from a careful distance.

Unknown to them, a robot had activated and began scanning the area.

Rouge was seen inputting a code near a pod, hoping to find the treasure she was searching for.

"Should we do something?" Fluttershy asked.

As Rouge activated a nearby pad, she saw that pod was opening. Upon glancing at it, she spotted someone she couldn't believe. "Is that?"

"Shadow!?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief, loud enough to be heard. "Uh...whoops."

Suddenly the nearby robot began opening fire at Shadow, the hedgehog immediately jumping in to protect Rouge before going after the robot.

"Rouge!" Rainbow Dash ran in with the others by her side.

"You? Aren't you that Rainbow girl from Earth!?" Rouge asked.

"Yeah, I'm Rainbow Dash," the girl said. "Also, nice suit, you and Twilight match."

"Let's stay focused!" Ray said as he gestured to Shadow. "Who is that!?"

Shadow was zipping around the room as the robot tried to shoot him. Shadow then charged in, with the robot ready to fight as well when Rouge jumped in to keep the two separated. "Hey, hold up!"

Risky as the move was, both Shadow and Omega were able to stop fighting briefly as Rouge made sure the two stayed separated.

"First thing's first," Rouge turned to Rainbow Dash. "When did you get to Mobius? Is anyone else from Earth here?"

"Just Johnny, Peter and Logan," Rainbow Dash said.

"Logan?" Rouge asked.

"Wolverine, a friend of ours," Rainbow Dash said. "Do you remember him?"

"I might have seen some files from G.U.N.," Rouge said.

"Well to answer your other question, we came here on accident," Twilight said. "Long story."

"Now we're looking for your friend, Sonic," Fluttershy said. "Have you seen him?"

"Not for months," Rouge said. "Also, Sonic isn't exactly a friend of mine, just someone I know."

"This is bad," Ray said. "Eggman's about to launch an attack, we need to find Sonic and soon."

"Eggman..." the robot spoke up. "I must eradicate him. I will eradicate all of his robots!"

"Who's this guy?" Rainbow Dash. "His color scheme looks so familiar."

"I don't know," Rouge turned to the robot. "Who are you exactly?"

"I am E-123 Omega," the robot said. "Take me to Eggman, I must get my revenge."

"Did someone build you to kill Eggman?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He left me here to rot," Omega said. "I will not stop until he is destroyed."

"Wow, a badnik that's actually on our side," Mighty said. "So rare."

"I want to know more, but first..." Rouge said as she turned to her old friend. "Shadow, is it really you?"

"Do I know you?" Shadow asked.

"Huh?" Rouge raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Shadow, it's me. Rouge. Don't you remember?"

"Rouge?" Shadow asked.

"We were on Earth together," Rouge said. "Don't you remember anything? Space Colony ARK? The Eclipse Cannon? Maria? Sonic?"

Shadow placed his hand to his head, "I don't know..."

"No way, does he have amnesia?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Looks like it," Twilight said. "Still, didn't you say he fell to Earth? How did he end up on Mobius?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Rainbow Dash said.

"So, I think I understand the situation," Rouge turned to Omega. "You're mad at Eggman for locking you in this room." She turned to Shadow. "And you, you can't remember anything? Can you?"

"What now?" Mighty asked.

"I think Princess Sally needs to be alerted to this," Twilight said. "Mighty, Ray, you two should return to Mobotropolis."

"What about you?" Ray asked.

"We'll stay with Shadow, Rouge and Omega," Twilight said. "Just until we fully understand this situation."

"Then it's settled," Rouge pulled Shadow and Omega close to each other. "Now make up you two so we can start looking for Eggman together!" She turned to Twilight and the others. "All of us."

"Huh?" Twilight asked.

"Aw yeah baby, this makes us a team," Rouge said, ready to go on an adventure.

Elsewhere was a detective agency building for a group called The Chaotix. It was headed by Vector the Crocodile, who was sitting in his office and listening to music.

Next to him was Jewel the Beetle, who was filing some paperwork detailing a few requests, and a majority of bills. She wasn't alone as Lanolin the Sheep was helping out as well, the girl already on her fourth cup of coffee.

Espio the Chameleon stood quietly in a corner with Whisper the Wolf opposite of him.

Not too long later, Tangle the Lemur came inside with a bag of donuts, "Snack time!"

"Plop'em here," Vector said as he gestured to the table.

Tangle placed the snacks down, then turned to her friends, "Hey Jewel, Lanolin, how are things?"

"Not good, the bills are piling up," Lanolin said. "We really need to cut back on electricity."

"We already have the lights off all night, and even most of the day," Tangle said. "At this rate, we'll have to get rid of electricity entirely."

"Probably water too," Lanolin said. "No more warm showers."

"That is repulsive," Espio said.

"Well unless we get work, we're kind of screwed here," Lanolin said.

Moments later, everyone heard a loud buzzing as Charmy burst through the door while carrying a package, "It's here! It's here!"

"Whoa!" Vector shouted as Charmy crashed into him, startling the girls aside from Whisper. This resulted in the package flying into the air.

Fortunately Espio was quick to use his kunai to pin the package against the wall, though Vector was still clearly annoyed by Charmy's antics.

"What's the matter with you!?" Vector scolded.

"Honestly," Jewel said.

"It's here! We've got work!" Charmy said.

"Work?" Vector asked. Suddenly a radio fell out of the package with Vector scrambling to catch it.

"I've heard good things about you, I require your detective services," The voice said. "I can pay handsomely."

Vector, Charmy and Tangle saw nothing but money in their eyes as a relieved Jewel and Lanolin were thrilled to know that there was hope for their money situation.

"This is perfect, we can finally pay some of these bills," Jewel said. "Before deadline too."

"I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this," Espio said.

"Indeed, who is this person? Why should we trust him?" Whisper asked.

"You two are way too cautious," Vector said. "Besides, you know our policy. We never turn down work that pays."

"Yup! It's Policy!" Charmy said.

"Besides, these bills aren't going to pay themselves," Jewel said. "I'd rather not lose another business."

"Plus the lack of money is why Bomb and Heavy left," Charmy said. "We can't lose more man power."

"Alright, Jewel, you stay here and keep an eye on things. Radio one of us if you hear from more clients," Vector said. "The rest of you, with me!"

"Yes sir!" Charmy said.

"Right behind you boss," Lanolin said.

"Roger," Espio said.

"Come on Whisper!" Tangle pulled her friend along. "It's mission time!"

With that, The Chaotix were finally on the case.

Off in a desert area, Sonic was seen running through the fields at lightning speed, the hedgehog just enjoying life.

As he ran, Tails and Knuckles had flown in on the Tornado, with the group of Sally, Bunnie and Antoine, each of their own hover quads following.

"There's Sonic!" Tails pointed out.

"Oh good, we found him," Sally said. "Come on."

Tails hovered his plane near his friend, to which Sonic was quick to notice. "Yo Tails! Long time no see!"

"Sonic! We have an emergency!" Sally said as she hovered by the hedgehog.

"Oh hey Sal, you're here too," Sonic looked behind. "And I see guests."

"Howdy Sugar Hog!" Bunnie said.

"Hey Sonic! Check this out!" Tails said as he gave Sonic a letter. "We found it in Sally's castle!"

Sonic took the letter as he ran backwards, reading in the process as a hologram of what appeared to be Eggman began speaking.

"Guess what Sonic Heroes!? I've finally developed the ultimate weapon! In three days, I will conquer the world! Think you can stop me!?"

"Hm, sounds like an invitation to party," Sonic said.

"Or a trap," Sally said.

"Party, trap, who really knows?" Sonic asked. "But it does sound fun."

"Fun!?" Antoine asked. "Zere is much wrong with you, Sonic!"

"What should we do?" Tails asked.

"No worries, we've got this one," Knuckles said.

"Sonic, would you help us?" Sally asked.

"Think I'd miss out on this?" Sonic asked. "It's time to crack that Eggman wide open!"

"Loving the enthusiasm!" Bunnie said.

"Well it would be wise to go after Robotnik regardless," Sally said. "So I suggest that we meet up with the other Freedom Fighters and-"

"No time for that!" Sonic said as he pulled Sally's wrist and dashed off with the now frightened chipmunk.

"Sonic!? What are you doing!?" Sally asked in fear as Sonic pulled her over to carry the girl bridal style.

"Sal, you gotta just go with the flow, I'll show you how!" Sonic said as he dashed off while holding the girl.

"Sonic, this is too fast!" Sally shouted in fear as the hedgehog picked up the speed. "Yaaaaaaaaah!"

"Sonic's got the right idea," Bunnie activated her jet thrusters and pulled Antoine alone with her. "Let's fly!"

"Wait! I am not..." Antoine was pulled ahead at incredible speeds. "SACRE BLEUUUUU!"

Tails and Knuckles got off the Tornado as well, with Tails setting it into autopilot to return home as he and Knuckles raced after Sonic.

The Sonic Heroes were about to go on their next adventure.

Chapter 4: Amazing Sites

In the present time, Nicole was walking through Mobotropolis, keeping a close eye on all of the repairs being done.

Things were behind schedule due to the gang wars, but that did not stop her determination.

"Yo! Nikki!" Tekno called as she made her way over.

"Greetings Tekno, anything to report?" Nicole asked.

"I got some shipments lined up, but reports of Scourge and Surge surfaced in the area," Tekno said. "I can barely take one of them. Two is way out of my league."

"I'll arrange for some bodyguards," Nicole said. "I've contacted Mega Man. Perhaps Mighty can help too and Ray. Or The Chaotix."

"Hey I'll take Superman if you have him," Tekno said.

"Contacting Superman would be very difficult," Nicole said.

"I know, we're not that lucky," Tekno said. "I'll just stick around until someone's ready."

Nicole then received a call from her communicator, "Back so soon Rock?"

"I'm just about done here, gotta do my usual tango with Wily now," Rock said. "You still need my assistance?"

"If you don't mind," Nicole said.

"I'll be there soon," Mega Man said. "Should I contact The Fantastic Four as well? Or Samus?"

"No need, we don't want to get too carried away. If we need them I will contact them as well," Nicole said.

"Alright, I'll keep you posted," Mega Man said and shut the communicator off.

"Nikki, we probably could use The Fantastic Four," Tekno said. "Or Spider-Man, he's capable."

"To my knowledge, things are difficult on Earth, it's better that Peter stays where he is needed for now," Nicole said. "Besides, Mega Man should be enough. I will still contact Mighty, Ray and The Chaotix."

"Fine by me," Tekno said. "I need a drink."

"Refreshments are inside," Nicole said as Tekno left. She focused back on the castle. "Soon Sally, it will be done."

At The Dragon Kingdom, Lanolin is seen glancing at the night sky with Ken by her side.

"It sure is lovely, isn't it?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, it is," Lanolin said.

"So, will you be leaving by dawn then?" Ken asked.

"I have to, I'd like to stay longer but Sally needs me, and I don't want to let her down," Lanolin said. "So it's best if I leave as early as possible. Given the day and night difference, it might be better to leave when I have daylight to my advantage."

"I can join you soon enough, I just need to ensure that things will be taken care of here," Ken said.

"Thanks," Lanolin turned her attention to Ken, a look of wonder in her eyes. "This will make Sally really happy. After that Chaos Sonic incident, I definitely need to get back in her good graces."

"Well, that wasn't a terrible idea," Ken said. "It just needs work."

"It's been totally scrapped, so very little chance of that happening," Lanolin said.

"A metal Sonic to call your own though," Ken said. "Quite the advantage."

"Funny, there was another Metal Sonic called Shard, I haven't seen him in years," Lanolin said.

"Yes, I remember him," Ken said. "I seem to recall him either associating himself with the wolf twins Lyco and Leeta, or that clumsy Lynx, Larry."

"Oh yeah, not many people know about that little group," Lanolin said. "Sally trusted me with that secret."

"And me too, I feel lucky," Ken said. "I guess I am quite skilled at getting girls like Sally to talk."

"I bet she would have really liked you, if it wasn't for Sonic," Lanolin said. "Between you being a King, and a warrior, you two would have made a good match."

"Perhaps, but what does Sonic have that I lack?" Ken asked.

"She loves his freedom, because she wishes she had it," Lanolin said. "I wish she'd let Sonic go, but I guess it's hard to forget about your first love."

"Perhaps," Ken said. "Well, I must be off."

As Ken left, Lanolin glanced back at the skies above, "Life is weird sometimes."

Back at Seaside Hill, Sonia was very engrossed with the story.

"Wow, so just like that, the troops were deployed," Sonia said. "Four teams going out at once."

"It wasn't even by design," Sally said. "I just intended to rendezvous with Sonic so we can do a bigger strategy. But Sonic knew there was no time like the present."

"Plus we had a deadline," Sonic said. "Made more sense to just go for it. An adventure like that was too exciting to hold off because of little details."

"Still, before I knew it, so many of us were going after Robotnik," Sally said. "I expected Amy to go off like she did, but I didn't expect that Shadow would be there. I still thought he was dead."

"We all did," Amy said.

"Then there's The Chaotix," Sally said. "That was a pleasant surprise, especially when I first met Tangle, Whisper and Lanolin."

"The real fun part was seeing how our Earth friends adapted to Mobius," Cream said.

"It's cool hearing about them being there, but also kind of a letdown," Sonia said.

"Huh? How so?" Sally asked.

"Wouldn't it have been more exciting if it were Ryo, Beat, Jacky, Sarah...you know, all your non hero Earth friends?" Sonia asked. "Like, what has Ryo been up to? Did he find the guy that killed his father? Or Beat? Is he still sticking it to the man? Or how about Jacky? Is he still doing that tournament?"

"If you want, there are still plenty of stories about them," Amy said. "Like the time your dad raced against Jacky and Chris's uncle, Sam Speed."

"Or the time Eggman was a substitute teacher at Chris's school," Tails said. "Then he tried again at Ryo's school."

"There's also the time we met Thomas Rogan and his buddy G," Sonic said. "Of course, that one wasn't as fun. They thought me and my friends were creatures created by an evil doctor named Curien."

"Another evil doctor?" Sonia asked. "Geez, first Eggman, then Doom, how many more are there?"

"Well there's Doctor Octopus," Amy said. "One of Peter's enemies."

"The doctors at Umbrella," Rouge said. "They left quite an unfortunate legacy behind."

"And Doctor Neo Cortex, arch enemy of a friend of ours named Crash Bandicoot," Tails said.

"Crash? I thought it was his sister you were friends with?" Tangle said.

"Well yeah, I was close to Coco," Tails said.

"Just how close, little foxy?" Rouge teased while winking at the boy. "We all know you were quite popular with the girls before you settled down. Judging by your company, I'd say you still are."

"Come on Rouge," Tails said, the boy turning away and blushing while Cream, Mina and Fiona furrowed their brows at the bat. "Coco's just a friend, just like the other girls I knew."

"Oh yes, I bet Krystal was just a friend," Rouge teased. "Or Roll. Or Yuffie. Or-"

"Okay, Rouge, you made your point," Amy said.

"Uncle Tails does seem to like older girls," Sonia said. "He was flirting hard with Fiona."

"That part might have been exaggerated," Tails insisted.

"Not quite little foxy," Fiona teased. "I have a good memory, and you were all over me. It was cute."

"Can we move on?" Tails urged. "Sonia, there are plenty of other stories about our Earth friends if you'd really like to know."

"I would, but for now, I really want to stick to the current story," Sonia said. "But I am also curious about one other thing."

"What's that?" Tails asked.

"How come Mighty and Ray didn't stick around with Rouge's team?" Sonia asked. "They probably would have been better teammates to have than three girls who didn't know Mobius that well."

"If we sent Rainbow Dash and her friends back alone, they probably would have gotten lost, and we did need to speak to Sally," Rouge said. "So Mighty and Ray were the best choices."

"Well speaking of the, why aren't they here too? Especially Ray?" Sonia asked. "I haven't seen Ray-Ray in forever, and I'm so disappointed by that!"

"I'll let him know you feel that way," Bunnie said. "Ah bet he'd love to see you too."

"Besides, this isn't the end of Ray and Mighty's story," Knuckles said. "A lot can happen within three days."

"Why would Robotnik warn you anyway?" Manik asked. "Wouldn't it be easier for him to work in silence?"

"That's just not how Eggman rolls," Sonic said. "He loves the attention."

"If Eggman weren't so narcissistic, he probably could have conquered the world a lot sooner," Amy said. "Seems like a lot of villains fall victim to that mentality. Take Albert Wesker. According to Jill, he could have won sooner if he didn't let his power go to his head."

"Jill?" Manik asked.

"A friend of Peter's," Amy said. "Nice lady."

"It's a family trait for sure since Snivley tends to let his success go to his head," Sally said. "Then he slips up."

"And Doctor Wily, as Rock can attribute," Sonic said.

"Or even Andross's henchmen," Tails said. "As Krystal told me."

"I bet Krystal tells you a lot of things," Rouge teased.

"Ugh, Rouge!" Tails scolded. "Come on, I'm happily married, why bring this up?"

"It's fine Miles, I don't mind knowing girls liked you," Cream said. "It makes me that much more relieved that you chose me over all of them."

"By luck..." Mina bitterly muttered.

Cream turned to Mina, "Did you say something?"

"It's nothing, just some babbling," Mina said.

Cream raised her eyebrow, then focused back on the group, "Let's just resume the story for the kids."

"Yeah, tell me everything," Lara said as she had her journal out.

"Okay, so it all started here in Seaside Hill," Amy said.

Years in the past, Seaside Hill instantly became a popular place of exploration for various individuals.

Sonic and his team had rushed onto the area, taking a moment to stop to take in the sights.

"Man, what a nice breeze," Sonic said as he placed Sally down.

"This place looks like it'd make for a good vacation spot," Tails said.

Bunnie set Antoine down as she looked into the distance. "It sure does look pretty."

"Hey, let's focus here, we're under a time limit," Sally said. "Robotnik is planning an assault in three days, we need to find out where he is."

"We'll find him," Sonic said as he looked around. "Probably soon, look!"

Nearby they could see an army of robots marching along the beach.

"Wow, so many of Eggman's robots," Tails said.

"I can handle them," Knuckles said as he slammed his fists together.

"Let's make a plan first," Sally said. "First we should-"

"I call first dibs!" Sonic said as he sped away.

"Oh no you don't!" Knuckles said as he chased after Sonic.

Sally grumbled in annoyance, "Come up with a plan..."

"Sally," Came Nicole's voice from the pad. "Perhaps it is wiser to go with the flow regarding Sonic. He is much more familiar with fighting Robotnik than the rest of us."

"Ah agree with Nicole on that. Them boys have the right idea," Bunnie took to the air as she readied her canon. "Let's clean house!"

"But..." Sally groaned in annoyance. "Things can never be simple."

"Well they're getting it done fast at least," Tails said. "We are on a deadline."

"Honestly it'd be wiser to avoid unnecessary fights," Sally said.

"Hey, less robots means a safer Mobius," Tails said, then extended his hand. "Come on, let's fly. You too, Antoine."

 

"Oui, just do not fly too fast," Antoine said.

 

Tails agreed and then flew off with both Sally and Antoine.

 

They weren't the only ones at Seaside Hill, as Amy had just arrived alongside her friends and the Earth Heroes.

 

"Oh dude, this place looks awesome!" Johnny said as he marveled at the sight. "We should totally catch some rays here."

 

"After we find Chocola," Cream said.

 

"And Froggy," Big added.

 

"Oh yeah, we'll totally find them too," Johnny reassured. "Just make note of this place so we can visit it again in the future."

 

"Yeah, we got it," Peter said. "Now come on, let's get to work."

 

"Just be careful navigating through this place, I heard a rumor that the ruins tend to move without warning," Amy said.

 

"Damn, that's weird," Johnny said. "Dash would probably find that interesting. Hopefully she's found Sonic by now."

 

"Hopefully Mr. Sonic's not in trouble," Cream said.

 

"He ain't the one you gotta worry about," Logan said as he gestured to some Egg Pawns. "We got some guests."

 

"Okay, time to show what I've learned!" Amy dashed over and hit a few robots with homing attacks, taking them out instantly.

 

"Whoa, that's one of Sonic's moves!" Peter said. "Amy's gotten good with it."

 

"We've all learned some neat tricks, watch," Cream said. She crouched down and within moments, began to spin and take off toward some robots.

 

"A spin dash?" Johnny asked, before beaming with pride. "My little rabbit girl's growing up!"

 

Big whacked a robot with his fishing rod, then gestured to the others, "Better hurry."

 

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Logan said as he dashed in to destroy some robots as well.

 

"Let's kick ass!" Peter shouted in motivation.

 

"Bro, not in front of Cream," Johnny said.

 

"...You sound like such a dad," Peter said.

 

"And you're literally one yourself," Johnny pointed out.

 

"Okay fine, let's just go," Peter said as he and Johnny went to help.

 

Meanwhile, Shadow's team was seen coming into Seaside Hill as well.

 

"Are the five of you ready?" Rouge asked.

 

"Oh yeah, I was born ready!" Rainbow Dash bragged.

 

"Let's just try to be careful," Twilight said. "We don't know what we'll find out there."

 

"It's nothing to worry about," Rouge said.

 

"Um, I see some robots," Fluttershy said as she gestured to the distance. "Are they dangerous?"

 

"They resemble Eggman's robots, so I wouldn't bank on that," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"Warning, immediate destruction if distracted," Omega said.

 

"Was that a threat?" Rainbow Dash asked.

 

"I believe he's referring to the robots," Rouge said. "Come on now, let's be off."

 

"Hope you lot can keep up with me," Shadow said as he sped away.

 

"Hey! Don't you try to ditch us, Ultimate Gloomy!" Rainbow Dash said as she followed.

 

"Let's go," Twiligth said as the other ran ahead.

 

The group sped through Seaside Hill, Shadow fully determined on his goals while Rainbow Dash tried her best to race against him.

 

"Think you can keep up?" Rainbow Dash bragged.

 

"Pfft," Shadow sped ahead to leave Rainbow Dash behind. "Amateur."

 

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash flew ahead while the others tried to keep up as well.

 

"Come on, like we need Rainbow Dash being a show-off," Twilight lamented.

 

"Nothing wrong with a little spirit," Rouge said.

 

"And it makes her happy," Fluttershy added, not that it made Twilight any less worried.

 

"Well let's just hurry before she or anyone else gets hurt," Twilight urged as the group ran ahead.

 

Meanwhile The Chaotix had finally arrived at Seaside Hill as well.

 

"Yeah! Beach time!" Charmy cheered.

 

"Dang it, I should have brought a bathing suit," Tangle said.

 

Lanolin whistled at the two, "We're not here to go to the beach! In case you dorks forgot, we still have a case to solve!"

 

"What do we even do here though?" Vector asked.

 

"Before you do anything, I need to test your abilities," the voice in the radio said.

 

"Abilities huh?" Vector asked. "Bring it on then!"

 

"What is it that our client requests from us?" Espio asked.

 

"I want you to locate ten hermit crabs that are spread across Seaside Hill," The voice said.

 

"Ten!?" Lanolin asked. "Well, that can't be too bad, it's a giant beach."

 

"Finding hermit crabs will not be that easy, they are very timid creatures who hide their presence well," Whisper said. "A fitting task to train a detective."

 

"Seems silly to me," Lanolin said, the girl growing irritated as she could still hear Charmy and Tangle hyped up about a beach trip in the background. "Will you two take this seriously!?'

 

"Look, if the client wants us to do this, then we have no choice," Vector said. "It's a simple job, we can handle it."

 

"Sure, if you say so, Boss," Lanolin said.

 

"Let us be on our way," Espio said as he and the group minus Tangle and Charmy left.

 

"TANGLE! CHARMY!" Lanolin called.

 

"Ugh, guess we gotta get to work Charmy," Tangle said.

 

"Beach trip later then," Charmy said.

 

"Heck yeah!" Tangle cheered as she and Charmy ran ahead to fulfil their mission.

 

Back with Team Sonic, the hedgehog and his friends had come across another mess of villains.

 

"There they are!" Sonic said.

 

"Eggman's robots!" Tails pointed out.

 

"Leave them to me, Sonic," Knuckles said as he rushed in to attack with his power punches.

 

Sally had caught up as well, spotting the robots being destroyed by Knuckles, "Alright, we're making good time at least. Hopefully this can end sooner than later."

 

"More are coming!" Tails said as he gestured to more oncoming Egg Pawns.

 

"I have an idea," Knuckles said. "Sonic, Tails, ready to try out that move?"

 

"The one where you take the lead?" Sonic asked. "Sure, why not?"

 

Knuckles grabbed both Sonic and Tails in his hands, much to the confusion of The Freedom Fighters.

 

"What is it zat zey are doing?" Antoine asked.

 

Knuckles rushed in to attack the robots while using Sonic and Tails as boxing gloves. "SHIFT ROCK!"

 

With his power mixed with the endurance of his friends, Knuckles took out a bunch of Egg Pawns at once, to the amazement of the group near.

 

"Whoa! Them boys sure are tough," Bunnie said.

 

"That looks so dangerous though," Sally said. "What if Sonic and Tails get hurt?"

 

"They're not hurt though, they're fine," Bunnie insisted.

 

"But crazy," Antoine said.

 

Sonic leapt away from Knuckles to call Sally over, "Coast is clear!"

 

"That was insane!" Sally rushed to check on Sonic. "You're not hurt after that, are you?"

 

"I'm fine, nothing I can't handle," Sonic reassured.

 

"Well, okay, but just be careful," Sally said. "We still don't know what to expect out here."

 

"All part of the fun," Sonic said, then immediately dashed off.

 

"Hey wait!" Sally groaned in annoyance. "I swear that hedgehog is always making me worry about him!"

 

"Logically speaking, you have no reason to worry," Nicole said. "Sonic can handle a few robots, and he's very durable."

 

"I still don't want him to get hurt," Sally said. "But if he's fine then I guess that's okay. Within reason at least."

 

"Better not dawdle," Bunnie said as she rushed ahead.

 

"Hey don't you leave me behind too!" Sally called as she went to catch up.

 

The group rushed through Seaside Hill, and while Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were able to get through the obstacles just fine, Sally and Antoine needed Bunnie to help them keep up with the trio of speedsters.

 

"More enemies!" Knuckles pointed out.

 

"We got this!" Tails said as he took to the air. "Sonic! Knuckles! Thunder Shoot formation!"

 

Sonic latched onto Tails's ankles while Knuckles did the same with Sonic as Tails used his abilities to destroy the flying robot enemies.

 

"Yowza, we should try something like that," Bunnie said.

 

"No way!" Sally scolded. "That'll kill me for sure!"

 

"Oui, I am much happier on ze ground!" Antoine said.

 

"Hey! Keep up, slowpokes!" Knuckles said as he ran ahead.

 

"H-hey! Don't just leave us!" Sally called.

 

"Come on!" Bunnie grabbed Sally and Antoine and sped to keep up.

 

"Bunnie, toss Sally over!" Sonic said.

 

"Wait, what!?" Sally asked as Bunnie threw her with no hesitation. "Bunnie!"

 

Sonic managed to catch the princess and ran with her in his arms. "You should consider investing in something that lets you travel fast."

 

"I suppose so," Sally said. "But what though?"

 

"You'll figure it out," Sonic said.

 

They then leapt across a shoreline and landed by some moving structures.

 

"These ruins seem to move when you get close to them," Knuckles said.

 

"I heard of something like this," Sally said. "Supposedly it's to protect some island secret. But no one's able to figure it out."

 

"Another fun mystery for us," Sonic said as he kept speeding ahead.

 

They dashed down a large marble path, giving all of them a nice view of the ocean, even in their speed.

 

"Well I'll be, what a pretty sight," Bunnie said. "It's so nice getting out of the castle once in a while."

 

"Next time, you should join me during my test flights," Tails said. "It'd be nice to have some company."

 

"Oh? I'm invited?" Bunnie teased. "And here ah thought that spot was reserved for Fiona."

 

"Uh..." Tails turned away in shyness. "She barely notices me."

 

"Got a crush there, buddy?" Sonic asked.

 

"It's nothing, really," Tails said.

 

"Doesn't seem like nothing," Knuckles coyly pointed out.

 

"Let's just focus please," Tails said. "We need to stop Eggman!"

 

"It's all good, you do what makes you happy," Sonic said as he sped off with the others. "Meanwhile, it looks like we're in for a nicer surprise."

 

The group landed in the middle of some ruins as an army of robots rushed over to attack.

 

"Watch out!" Sally warned before Sonic set her down.

 

"Tails, Knuckles, let's go!" Sonic ordered.

 

Knuckles grabbed Tails by the ankles as Tails grabbed Sonic, spinning both around and releasing them into the air. Tails then kicked Sonic into his ball form.

 

"BLAST AWAY!" Sonic shouted as he took out all the robots in the blink of an eye.

 

Sally couldn't believe the teamwork on display, and neither could Antoine.

 

Bunnie however, was ecstatic. "Y'all are constantly finding ways to impress me!"

 

"Heh, thanks," Sonic said with a wipe of his nose. "Let's keep going!"

 

Meanwhile Shadow's team was seen was making their way through Seaside Hill. Eventually they came across a group of Egg Pawns.

 

"Here they come!" Shadow warned.

 

"Omega, attack them!" Rouge ordered.

 

"Eggman's robots, must be eliminated!" Omega said as he began blasting them. "Annihilation!"

 

More robots came in from behind, to which Shadow took a moment to take them out with his homing attack. "That's how it's done."

 

"Great work boys, let's keep at it," Rouge said.

 

"I see more robots!" Twilight said.

 

"Tch, leave that to me," Rainbow Dash said as she dashed in to immediately destroy them with quick kicks.

 

"She's pretty fast herself," Rouge said. "Almost as fast as Shadow."

 

"Almost!?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. "I can go way faster than Shadow!"

 

"In what reality?" Shadow mocked.

 

"Watch it pal!" Rainbow Dash warned.

 

"A good rivalry is always healthy," Rouge said. "Now let's be off, we still have much to explore."

 

Amy's team were also making short work of the robots, with Amy standing over some fallen heaps of metal.

 

"Alright, who's next!?" Amy boasted.

 

"Think they're all done," Johnny said. "Alright, onward!"

 

Meanwhile with The Chaotix, Espio was quick to pick up the fifth hermit crab further down the line of where they started. "Five down."

 

"Five more to go! We're halfway there!" Tangle said. "Wow, this might actually be a cinch."

 

"Not quite," Whisper said as she gestured to some nearby robots.

 

"Robots!?" Lanolin asked in disbelief. "Is Robotnik behind this!?"

 

"Robotnik? You mean Doctor Eggman?" Vector asked. "Oh boy, we might have stumbled into one of his evil plans. What now?"

 

"You will continue your mission," The voice said. "Doctor Eggman is a key part of all this. Destroy any of his robots and stop his reign of terror."

 

"Wait, so now we gotta fight Eggman's robots!?" Tangle asked in disbelief. "That feels like a bit much!"

 

"Hey I'm all for putting a stop to Robotnik's evil plans," Lanolin said. "He and his nephew have caused this world too much trouble. I'm going to help annihilate him in anyway I can."

 

"I shall be more than happy to assist," Whisper said as she aimed her gun at an Egg Pawn. "The reign of Robotnik ends soon!"

 

With a shot, she destroyed the robot as Espio rushed in with some shuriken to take down some flyers.

 

"Let's go boys!" Vector said as he bashed through everything.

 

"Yeah! Destruction!" Tangle said as she whacked everything with her tail. "We kick butt!"

 

It wasn't long before Sonic and friends had made their way past Seaside Hill to it's famous Ocean Palace, the sight being a breathtaking view for the group.

 

"Whoa, a sea palace!" Sonic said.

 

"Looks like Eggman's robots are here too," Tails noted.

 

"I'm ready to take them all out!" Knuckles declared.

 

"Just be careful," Sally urged as they rushed through the palace, taking out every enemy in the way.

 

"Eggman may be a trouble maker," Bunnie said as she blasted the robots. "But he sure picks the most beautiful places to invade."

 

"That's the point," Sally said as she blasted a robot with a plasma rifle. "That mad scientist just wants to ruin the world's beauty in favor of his roboticization plans, and that terrible pollution."

 

"Of course, now let us be joining our allies," Antoine looked around. "But, where have zey gone?"

 

"What a wild ride!" Knuckles shouted as he, Sonic and Tails ran off a ledge and toward another piece of land.

 

"Hey!" Sally called, then felt her wrist grabbed by Bunnie.

 

"Time to keep up," Bunnie said as she flew off with Sally and Antoine.

 

Sonic and his speedy friends zipped across the Ocean Palace with Sally and the others struggling to keep up. The only thing that slowed Sonic down was either him stopping to clear robots out of the way or him wanting a moment to take in the scenery.

 

One such thing that caught Sonic's eye were a group of turtles and what they had with them. "Check it out, that turtle is swimming with a block on his back!"

 

"Yeah, I see it," Tails said. "That must be really heavy."

 

"Better that he carries it than us," Knuckles joked.

 

"What's wrong? Can't handle a little weight?" Sonic teased.

 

"I can handle more than you," Knuckles snapped back.

 

"Guys, wait up!" Sally said as Bunnie flew her over, with the chipmunk girl needing to catch her breath. "You're way too fast for me, Sonic."

 

"I thought girls liked it when their men are fast?" Knuckles sarcastically commented.

 

"What does that have to do with...?" Sally's eyes widened in annoyance. "Knuckles! That isn't funny!"

 

"Was that a joke?" Tails asked.

 

"Uh, it's nothing Tails!" Sally frantically insisted.

 

"Knuckles here is just being an old blockhead," Bunnie said.

 

"Point is, let's try not to separate," Sally said.

 

"Hey I'm offering to carry you, but last time you vomited," Sonic said.

 

"I just got a little dizzy," Sally said. "I can handle it."

 

"Alright, once more is the charm," Sonic said as he took Sally in his arms and leapt away with Bunnie helping Antoine followed after with Knuckles and Tails.

 

Meanwhile Amy's team had arrived at the Ocean Palace as well.

 

"Wow, what a beautiful white palace," Amy said.

 

"Amy, we're not here to sightsee!" Cream scolded.

 

"Chill Cream, don't turn into Sally," Peter said.

 

"Mama told me to be a responsible young lady like Princess Sally is," Cream said.

 

"Plus, we're technically on a deadline," Johnny said, then looked around. "But to Amy's point, this place is damn nice. I gotta bring Dash here."

 

"Later, we need to hurry," Cream said. "We need to find Chocola."

 

"Froggy too," Big said.

 

"Slight problem," Logan said as he gestured to some Egg Pawns.

 

"Oh my Gosh, there are so many bad robots!" Cream said.

 

"Wow, you're right," Big said. "I know what to do."

 

"Got an idea big guy?" Peter asked.

 

"There's something I practiced with Amy and Cream, I think we should try it out," Big said.

 

"Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea!" Cream said.

 

"What is it?" Johnny asked.

 

Big then whacked the two girls toward the robots, destroying the beings but freaking Johnny out.

 

"Cream! My baby girl!" Johnny shouted in disbelief. "Big! What the hell! You're gonna hurt her!"

 

"...Did you just call Cream your baby girl?" Peter asked.

 

"Yeah? So?" Johnny replied. "Shut up!"

 

"We're fine," Amy said as she stood up and dusted herself off. "It's a new trick I've been practicing. I trained a little with Knuckles and he taught me something similar. So I taught it to Big."

 

"Not bad," Peter said. "Anyway, let's boost."

 

Shadow's team was traveling through Ocean Palace as well by this point.

 

"An ancient civilization built on the sea..." Shadow commented.

 

"This place is really beautiful," Rouge said.

 

"Primary Target is Eggman!" Omega said. "Don't forget it!"

 

"To Rouge's point, this place is amazing," Twilight said. "I'd love to explore it and learn about whatever civilization lived here."

 

"Sounds boring," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"Rainbow Dash, you read Daring Do books, which has this sort of thing," Twilight said. "You also admire Indiana Jones!"

 

"Pfft, when it gets to something that either of them did, let me know," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"Ugh," Twilight said as she flew ahead with the group.

 

With The Chaotix, they had found the tenth hermit crab near the entrance to the Ocean Palace.

 

"Alright, that's ten crabs," Vector said, then spoke to the radio. "That good enough for you?"

 

"Not yet, I have another task," The voice said. "If my calculations are correct, you should be close to a palace near an ocean. There is a lost chao there. Find and rescue that chao."

 

"A chao? No sweat," Tangle said.

 

"No sweat? It's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack!" Lanolin said.

 

"It will not take us long," Whisper said.

 

"Indeed, now let us get moving," Espio said.

 

"Hold on," Vector said as he gestured to some robots.

 

"They're asleep, let's try to sneak up on them," Espio said.

 

"Okay!" Charmy shouted.

 

"What are you doing!?" Vector shouted. "Be quiet!"

 

This unfortunately woke the robots up as they aimed their weapons at the group of detectives.

 

"Dammit," Lanolin said as she immediately began blasting the robots with a laser pistol.

 

"Charge!" Charmy and Tangle shouted as they too destroyed some robots, and further delayed their goal.

 

Things seemed to be going smoothly as Sonic carried Sally, running at a more comfortable speed for the girl. They came across another path after a large jump when they heard some rumbling.

 

"Anyone hear that?" Bunnie asked. "It sounds like an Earthquake or something."

 

"Behind us!" Sally called as she gestured to a rolling rock.

 

"What's with that rock!?" Knuckles asked.

 

"It's coming this way!" Tails warned as everyone began running.

 

"Let's hurry!" Sonic said as he ran off with the rock just barely behind him. "Come on! It's getting closer!"

 

Sally began freaking out as the rock got closer, "Sonic! Faster! Faster!"

 

"Not the first time Sonic's probably heard that," Knuckles said, earning an eyebrow raise from Sonic and an annoyed glance from Sally.

 

"Will you hush up!? Especially around Tails!?" Bunnie scolded.

 

"Don't worry, we just gotta make this jump!" Sonic said as he leapt over. Upon doing so however, two more rocks started rolling down.

 

"Now there's two rocks!?" Tails asked.

 

"Guess it had friends," Knuckles said.

 

"Fly faster, Bunnie!" Antoine shouted in worry as Bunnie flew him away from danger.

 

Fortunately they reached the end of the path and landed somewhere safe and away from the rocks.

 

Sally leapt out of Sonic's arms as she nearly began to hyperventilate. "That was too close."

 

"Man that was cool, it reminded me about some guy that Rainbow Dash told me about," Sonic said.

 

"Sonic, there isn't anything cool about almost dying!" Sally scolded.

 

"Chill Sal, we're safe now, aren't we?" Sonic asked.

 

Sally was about to argue Sonic's point, but immediately gave up, "Whatever, let's just keep going."

 

"Mwahahahaha!" Came an evil laugh. Everyone looked up to see Eggman in a flying bird machine. "Enough of your futile efforts! You'll just make fools of yourselves!"

 

"Robotnik!" Sally shouted.

 

"I think you got that backwards doc," Sonic said.

 

"We'll see who's backwards!" Eggman said as he fired at the group. Each of the speedsters grabbed a non speedster and ran for cover.

 

"Man, he's one stubborn scientist!" Sonic said as he placed Sally down safely.

 

"We'll put a stop to him!" Tails said as he set Bunnie down.

 

"Got that right, let's get him!" Knuckles said after releasing Antoine.

 

Everyone chased after Eggman, trying not to lose sight of him in the process.

 

Meanwhile Amy and the others had gotten toward the end of the palace, the group having a much easier time.

 

"Those turtles were so big," Amy said.

 

"It must be fun to swim like that," Cream said.

 

"When I find Froggy, I'll bring him here to go fishing," Big said.

 

"Fishing does sound relaxing right about now," Logan said. "Guess you and Torch here have the same idea regarding coming back to this place."

 

"I want to come back too, it looks too pretty to just rush by," Amy said.

 

"Hopefully when it's less dangerous," Johnny said as he noticed an Egg Flyer coming his way. He aimed his fingers like a gun and blasted the mechanical being. "There are way too many of Eggman's robots here."

 

"Given how many destroyed robots we've seen, it might be safe to say that Sonic's been through here," Peter said.

 

"That means we're getting closer," Amy said. "Come on!"

 

"You little brats!" Eggman shouted as he flew by. "If you don't leave, I'll destroy you too!"

 

"Doctor Eggman!" Amy called. "You're up to no good again, aren't you!?"

 

"You shouldn't cause so much trouble!" Cream scolded.

 

"That's a no-no, doctor," Big said.

 

"Come on, let's bring the bastard down," Logan said as he and the others went after him.

 

"I have no time for you," Eggman said as he boosted away.

 

"Get back here you creep!" Johnny shouted as he flew after Eggman with the others in pursuit.

 

Meanwhile with Shadow's team, they were seen trying to flee from a rock similar to what went after Sonic.

 

"Well you got what you wanted Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded. "Happy!?"

 

"Happy? I'm thrilled!" Rainbow Dash said as she happily avoided the rolling rock. "This is fun!"

 

"FUN!?" Twilight asked in disbelief. "You're crazy!"

 

"Emergency alert, evacuate immediately!" Omega said.

 

"We're doing that already!" Twilight shouted as the group landed not too far away.

 

"Oh my," Fluttershy took a breath. "I haven't flown that fast since the bunnies at my cottage escaped through a hole in the fence."

 

"That was close," Rouge said, then noticed something on the ground nearby. "Ah!"

 

"What's wrong!?" Twilight asked.

 

Suddenly Rouge was seen with a Green Chaos Emerald in her possession, "A Chaos Emerald! And it's all mine!"

 

"That was lucky," Rainbow Dash said. "That thing can really come in handy, especially with Shadow around."

 

"Me?" Shadow asked.

 

"Yeah, you know? Chaos Control!" Rainbow Dash said.

 

"...Let me see," Shadow grabbed the Emerald, much to Rouge's annoyance. "I feel power...it's coursing through me...!"

 

"Yeah, that's the power of Chaos!" Rainbow Dash said. "In a good way too."

 

"Chaos...CONTROL!" Shadow saw that everything around him was completely frozen in place. The hedgehog looked amazed by what he was seeing. "This isn't just my speed, is it?"

 

He looked once again at the Emerald as some memories came back to him, at least ones specific to the emerald. He then quelled the power and brought everything back to normal.

 

"Well?" Rainbow Dash asked.

 

"...Omega, hold onto this," Shadow said as he gave the Emerald to the robot.

 

"Hey!" Rouge shouted. "I found it first!"

 

"Chill Rouge, we need that Emerald in case things get really bad," Rainbow Dash said. "You can play with it later."

 

"Of all the nerve," Rouge commented. "Playing with an Emerald, how uncouth can one be?"

 

Fluttershy giggled a bit, "She reminds me so much of Rarity."

 

"Yeah, both are way too fascinated with jewelry and junk," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"Jewels are not junk!" Rouge scolded.

 

After taking a moment to get to safety, they came across more trouble.

 

"Great, more nuisances!" Eggman said as he flew by.

 

"Eggman!?" Rainbow Dash said as she glanced at the doctor, "Where'd he come from!?"

 

"Primary Target Detected, destroy Doctor Eggman," Omega said.

 

"You must be Omega..." Eggman muttered, then spoke aloud. "Is that anyway to treat your creator!?"

 

"Doctor Eggman?" Shadow asked in confusion.

 

"Shadow!?" Eggman asked in disbelief. "Not you too!"

 

"We're coming for you, Doctor!" Rouge said.

 

"Not likely," Eggman said as he flew off. "Honestly, trying to reform your team without me will result in a half baked failure."

 

"Stop him!" Twilight ordered as the group continued pursuit.

 

Meanwhile The Chaotix had found the lost chao, and seemed satisfied with the result.

 

"Man, that was quite an adventure," Tangle said. "So many giant turtles."

 

Whisper noticed something to the side, and spotted Eggman in his Egg Hawk flying away. "Look!"

 

"That's the evil genius, Doctor Eggman!" Espio said.

 

"Doctor who?" Charmy asked.

 

"...Seriously!?" Lanolin asked.

 

"I knew it was him!" The radio said. "Don't hesitate to destroy him if you want to get paid!"

 

"Affirmative," Whisper said as she followed.

 

"A self proclaimed evil genius scientist," Espio said. "This may not be easy."

 

"Well he's in the way of our rent money, so let's get him!" Vector said as his team gave chase.

 

"Hey pal! I owe you for what your crummy nephew did to my old home!" Lanolin called.

 

"I haven't even seen Snivley in years!" Eggman shouted. "His problems are not mine!"

 

"I'll make them yours!" Lanolin said as she and the others chased down Omega in vain.

 

Despite the efforts of the four teams, none of them could track down Eggman. The mad doctor managed to make his escape from the ocean civilization and flew off.

 

Sonic's team was the first to spot him and immediately ran off, their presence noticed by Shadow very briefly.

 

"Huh?" Shadow asked. "What was...?"

 

"Hm? What's wrong?" Rouge asked.

 

"I thought I saw a hedgehog," Shadow said. "Except it was blue."

 

"That's Sonic!" Rainbow Dash said. "I bet he'll jog your memory. Let's follow after him!"

 

"But, what about that other man?" Shadow asked. "That Doctor Eggman. Who is he?"

 

"Eggman doesn't ring a name?" Rainbow Dash asked.

 

"What about his real name? Robotnik?" Rouge said. "Does Robotnik ring a bell?"

 

"Robotnik..." Shadow had a brief flash, but it led to nothing. "I don't remember."

 

"Time is wasting," Omega said. "We must pursue Eggman."

 

"...Yeah," Shadow said as he joined the others.

 

Meanwhile in Grand Metropolis, Sonic's team had just arrived after tracking Eggman to this location.

 

"Golly, what a place," Bunnie said.

 

"It looks like Eggman escaped into this city," Knuckles said.

 

"He could be anywhere," Sally said.

 

"We'll find him, and show him the real power of teamwork!" Sonic said. "Let's go everyone!"

 

"Right, let's do it, to it!" Sally said.

 

Everyone jumped onto a ramp that seemed to accelerate them without anyone having to run.

 

"Whoa, this is cool!" Tails said as he slid across the ground.

 

"Finally, I can keep up with you, Sonic," Sally said, then nearly lost her balance.

 

"Careful," Sonic said as he helped Sally maintain her stance.

 

"I'm fine, thanks," Sally said as she found her balance. "Alright, this works better."

 

Bunnie took a look around, "So what in the heck is this place anyway?"

 

"It looks like an automated energy plant," Tails said.

 

"That must mean the red stuff going through these pipes are energy," Sonic said.

 

"Robotnik must be siphoning it for his army," Sally said. "We gotta stop him! Let's hurry!"

 

It wasn't long before Amy's team stumbled into Grand Metropolis themselves as they stood on top of a building.

 

"Did I travel through time?" Peter asked. "Feels like I'm back in Nueva York."

 

"Amy, are you sure Mr. Sonic is here?" Cream asked.

 

"No doubt about it!" Amy said. "The red string of fate tells me so."

 

"Red string of what?" Johnny asked.

 

"Then it must be so," Cream said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

 

"Seriously, what red string?" Johnny asked.

 

"It's a love metaphor," Amy said as she dashed off. "Let's go!"

 

"That girl has so much potential to be a cool little badass and she says the corniest things," Johnny said.

 

"Put a sock in it," Peter said as he followed after Amy.

 

"Bruh!" Johnny said.

 

"Best not waste any time," Cream said as she left, with Logan and Big following.

 

"Love ya Amy, but I will never understand you," Johnny said as he flew off too.

 

Meanwhile Shadow's group had arrived in Grand Metropolis as well.

 

"Wow, this place looks more advanced than even Wakanda," Twilight said.

 

"This must be where Doctor Eggman might have gone," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"So that Eggman is behind all of this," Shadow said. "He seems like a troubling person."

 

"Yeah, he's a jerk, like you just saw," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"Whatever it takes, his treasure's mine! I'll take Eggman out if I need to," Rouge said, then turned to the others. "Any objections?"

 

"Of course not," Omega said.

 

"You do what you want," Rainbow Dash said. "Let's just go."

 

They went on the blue road that boosted their speed.

 

"Oh my, I feel so fast," Fluttershy said. "What a neat road."

 

"Eggman must be siphoning energy from the city," Omega said. "The red conent in those tubes is what is helping power this road."

 

"What an interesting genius mind," Shadow said as he continued down the road.

 

Lastly, The Chaotix had arrived in Grand Metropolis as well.

 

"Why are we here?" Lanolin asked.

 

"Because now for the real test, all of you are about to enter Eggman's territory," The Radio Voice said. "Are you ready?"

 

"Not too late to change your mind," Espio said.

 

"Why do you think we're here?" Vector asked. "How else are we gonna make the rent?"

 

"Taking down Robotnik will be a nice bonus for all of us," Whisper said.

 

"Yeah! Let's party!" Charmy cheered.

 

"Time to risk getting brutally killed by robots because we're poor to the point that we're about to lose our home!" Tangle said.

 

Lanolin glanced at Tangle in disbelief, "Why!? Why would you say that!?"

 

"Let's just focus," Whisper said.

 

"Yeah, focus up already Lanolin!" Charmy said.

 

"Can it!" Lanolin scolded.

 

"Look, we'll be fine," Vector said. "We just gotta trust our gut. That's all. Now let's go!"

 

"Eager? Good? Now, I want you to wipe out the robots in this city, at least eighty five of them" The robot said.

 

"...You want us to what!?" Lanolin asked.

 

"No use arguing with The Client," Vector said. "Besides, with our skills, we'll be done in no time."

 

Lanolin sighed in worry as she followed her team to do their duty.

 

Later on, Sonic's team was seen climbing out of power plant as energy rose toward their level.

 

"Hurry! Quick! Hurry!" Antoine pleaded as Knuckles helped him up.

 

"That is some dangerous looking energy," Tails said as he flew up with Bunnie.

 

"Almost there!" Sonic held Sally as he leapt out of the plant just in time. "Whew! That was a close one."

 

"Yeah, but we're safe," Sally said as she looked back at the plant. "That's a lot of power though."

 

"Tell me about it, how did Eggman get so much energy?" Knuckles asked.

 

"Large source of power detected," Nicole said. "An unusual amount of energy is being stored nearby."

 

"Nearby where?" Sally asked.

 

Sonic checked around before seeing something that arouse his suspicions. "Check out that case!" Sonic rushed over to pry it open, spotting something interesting side. "A Chaos Emerald!"

 

"You found one!?" Sally asked. She walked over with the others, spotting the Blue Emerald in Sonic's possession. "That's what Robotnik was using to power this Plant!"

 

"Yeah, lucky we found it, huh?" Sonic said. 

 

"I'll say," Bunnie said. "Anyway, we should vamoose."

 

"Yeah, before more robots show up," Sally said as the group made a run for it.

 

They weren't the only ones nearby as a familiar group traversed the factory. Within moments, Sonic's path was blocked by a familiar girl.

 

"Gotcha, my darling Sonic!" Amy said.

 

"Huh!? Amy!?" Sonic shouted in disbelief.

 

"Sonic!" Johnny greeted. "Finally found you. But it looks like Tails and Sally found you first."

 

"Johnny!? Peter!?" Sonic glanced at Logan in curiosity. "Wait, which one are you again?"

 

"Call me Logan," the man said. "Now, we got some questions for you."

 

"It has to do with Froggy and Chocola," Cream said as she held out a picture. "They were taken, and the person in this photo looks an awful lot like you, Mr. Sonic."

 

"Me? I didn't take Froggy or Chocola," Sonic said.

 

Sally glanced curiously at the picture, "It does look like you. But after that incident with Shadow, I've learned to never jump to conclusions. Plus you're not one to kidnap pet frogs or innocent chao."

 

"Someone must be setting Sonic up," Tails said.

 

"For what though?" Johnny asked. "If it was a Chaos Emerald, that's one thing. These are pets though."

 

"Maybe Froggy swallowed another Chaos Emerald?" Sally said.

 

"He didn't, after last time, I looked over Froggy's diet much more closely," Big explained. "So he couldn't have swallowed a Chaos Emerald."

 

"Well we don't know anything about them," Bunnie said. "We'll keep checking through."

 

"Thanks, we appreciate that," Amy said.

 

"Also be careful," Sally said. "We ran into Robotnik not too long ago."

 

"So did we, he gave us the slip though," Johnny said.

 

"We'll get him later," Peter said.

 

"For sure, that old doctor's going down," Bunnie said as she readied her cannon.

 

"Oui, he is indeed going down," Antoine said. "He is going all ze way down."

 

"Well, if that's all, we should be going then," Bunnie said.

 

"Hold on, there's still one more thing," Amy gestured to the blue hedgehog. "I have something very important to say to you, Sonic."

 

"Uh, sure, what's that?" Sonic asked.

 

"This time...there's no way out of marrying me," Amy said with a snarky grin.

 

Johnny, Sally and Antoine furrowed their brows at the girl while Peter stifled some laughter. Tails, Cream and Logan looked confused while Big and Knuckles watched on curiously.

 

"No way Amy!" Sonic said.

 

"But can't you see it's fate!?" Amy asked.

 

"Amy, knock it off. Now's not the time for games!" Sonic scolded.

 

"Are you playing with her heart again, Sonic?" Knuckles said.

 

"Can it, Knucklehead!" Sonic scolded.

 

"Amy, we're on a deadline," Sally said.

 

"Sorry, but this time, Sonic's all mine," Amy said as she glanced at the now nervous hedgehog. "Well?"

 

"Amy, can't this wait or something!?" Sonic asked.

 

"Just one date at least," Amy got in close to the blue hedgehog, this making him feel nervous. "Pretty please, Sonic?"

 

Sonic began sweating profusely as his nerves started getting the better of him. In an instant, he  immediately ran off, leaving everyone behind.

 

"He's so shy," Amy said.

 

Logan turned to Peter and Johnny, "Is this normal?"

 

"Yeah, kind of," Peter said.

 

"I was hoping she would have grown out of that by now," Johnny said.

 

"Well, we should go too," Tails said.

 

"Wait!" Cream flew over to the boy. "You'll keep an eye out for Froggy and Chocola..." Cream glanced at at the boy with sparkly eyes. "Won't you Tails?"

 

"Uh...of course, sure Cream," Tails reassured. "You got it."

 

"Aw, thank you," Cream said, then kissed Tails on the cheek. Her face immediately turned red upon doing so and turned around quickly. "Okay, that's settled. Let's go Amy!"

 

Cream immediately flew off, with Amy turning to the others, "See you later."

 

Amy left with Big, Logan and Peter. Johnny however glanced briefly at Tails.

 

"Don't you play with that girl's heart, dude," Johnny said, then flew off as well.

 

"...What just happened?" Tails asked, the boy blushing himself.

 

"Just the result of you being the cutest little fellow on Mobius," Bunnie said as she playfully pinched Tails's cheek.

 

"Hey!" Tails pulled away. "Come on, let's fly off already!"

 

The others shrugged it off and followed after the fox boy.

 

"Oh my, I've never seen Tails act so shy," Cream said.

 

"Well you did kiss him on the cheek," Johnny said. "Also Cream, try not to grow up too fast," Johnny said.

 

"Uh...sure, okay," Cream said.

 

"Well Sonic didn't take Froggy or Chocola, not that I'm surprised by that result," Amy said. "But then who took them?"

 

"We won't find the answer just standing around," Peter said. "At the very least, we know that Sonic's going after Eggman with Tails, Knuckles and The Freedom Fighters. Let's do our part."

 

"You got it," Amy said and followed the others.

 

Meanwhile The Chaotix had just finished up their latest mission.

 

"Great work, those Golden Turtle Robots are not easy to vanquish," The robot voice said. "They're made of the finest steel after all, with pinpoint accuracy against their targets, including fast ones."

 

"How do you know that?" Lanolin asked.

 

"Uh...just basic research," the voice said.

 

Vector seemed suspicious at how nervous the voice just sounded.

 

Meanwhile on top of a high platform , Rouge spotted The Chaotix on the other side. She did not look too pleased.

 

"Hey, who are those creeps over there?" Rouge shouted upon seeing them.

 

"Who them?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Are they enemies?"

 

"They might be!" Rouge said. "Probably spies for Eggman himself!"

 

All the while Espio had a bad feeling as he gestured everyone to be quiet.

 

"What's up, Espio?" Vector asked.

 

Whisper had also heard the commotion, "We have guests it seems."

 

"Identify yourselves!" Espio said as he turned around.

 

"Just whaddya think you're doing here?" Rouge shouted.

 

"Rouge, you're being a little mean," Fluttershy said.

 

"Can it, I know what I'm doing!" Rouge said, then focused on The Chaotix.

 

"Who's this broad?" Vector asked.

 

"Our client's adversary, perhaps," Espio theorized.

 

"You mean the bad guys!?" Charmy asked

 

"Whoever she is, she's way too loud and obnoxious," Lanolin said.

 

"She seems to have a robot with her," Whisper said. "One of Robotnik's models no doubt."

 

"But who are those Overlanders?" Tangle asked. "One of them looks like a rainbow."

 

"Ha, rainbow, what a sissy," Charmy said.

 

"You guys don't fool me. I know what you're after!" Rouge shouted. "Better stay outta my way!"

 

"Rouge!" Twilight scolded, then walked over to the others. "Please forgive my friend, she's-"

 

Whisper aimed her gun, "Do not make any further steps. Failure to comply will result in termination."

 

"Uh..." Twilight nervously stepped back. "I really don't want to fight."

 

"I do!" Rouge said.

 

"Why are you acting like this!?" Twilight asked.

 

"Yeah, when did you turn into Knuckles?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Wait, are you two dating now?"

 

"Huh? What makes you think that?" Rouge asked.

 

"It's just that, couples tend to rub off on each other," Rainbow Dash said. "Twilight's been way more witty and sarcastic ever since she married Peter. Except she's not as funny."

 

"Put a sock in it," Twilight said.

 

"Did that girl say 'Knuckles'?" Charmy asked.

 

"That's a name I haven't heard in a while," Vector said.

 

"Explain who you are!" Espio said.

 

"You first! You're the suspicious ones!" Rouge said.

 

"You're walking around with a robot that was, for all we know, probably built by Doctor Eggman!" Lanolin said.

 

"I have no loyalty to Eggman," Omega said. "I will terminate him, and anyone who is in my way!"

 

"We're not with Eggman Robotnik either," Tangle said.

 

"Tangle, no one calls him that," Lanolin said. "It's one or the other."

 

"Look, if you're not with Eggman, we have no problems with you," Rainbow Dash said. "We're looking for Eggman too."

 

"Actually we were also looking for someone named Sonic," Twilight said. "Sonic the Hedgehog to be precise."

 

"Sonic the Hedgehog?" Whisper asked. "I have heard that name before."

 

"Yeah, we know a lot of people who know Sonic," Tangle said. "That yellow Flying Squirrel, that Sungazer with the helmet on her head, in fact a former member of The Chaotix knew him. Some guy named Mighty."

 

"We've met Mighty!" Rainbow Dash said. "And Ray! That Flying Squirrel!"

 

"How is Mighty doing?" Vector asked.

 

"Great, he's working with Princess Sally Acorn," Twilight said.

 

"THE PRINCESS!?" Lanolin shouted in excitement before clearing her throat. "I mean...good for Mighty."

 

Espio and Whisper merely glanced at Lanolin in confusion.

 

"Anyway, since they're not causing trouble, we should go," Twilight said. "Right Rouge?"

 

"...Fine, but I still don't trust any of you!" Rouge said as she flew off.

 

"That's fine, we don't trust you either," Lanolin said.

 

Omega had also left as Fluttershy bowed to the group. "Forgive us."

 

Twilight was about to leave when she called out, "There's three other humans like me, if you see one wearing a spider suit, that's my husband. Make sure he's alright."

 

"A human?" Tangle asked. "Wait, you're not Overlanders?"

 

"I don't know what that is," Twilight said.

 

"She's talking about some humans that live on Mobius," Rainbow Dash said.

 

"Oh, I didn't know any humans besides Eggman lived here," Twilight said.

 

"They mostly stay in hiding, things were tense between Overlanders and Mobians once," Lanolin said. "You might see a few if you pay close enough attention."

 

"Well thanks for enlightening us," Twilight said. "We'll be off now."

 

Twilight and Rainbow Dash left, leaving only Shadow behind.

 

"You alright there buddy?" Vector asked.

 

"...Yeah," Shadow said, then left as well.

 

"What a troubled looking hedgehog," Vector said.

 

"A hedgehog you say?" The voice asked.

 

"Yeah, with black and red color scheme," Vector said.

 

"I've heard of that hedgehog, be wary of him," the voice said. "Be wary of all of them."

 

"Uh...sure," Vector said. "Alright boys, let's move out."

 

The troubles in Grand Metropolis seemed to be over, but the journey was still long.

 

Chapter 5: Taking Risks

Back in the present, Mega Man and Roll were seen on a ship to Planet Mobius.

"Why did we take a ship?" Roll asked. "Can't we just use a Warp Ring?"

"The machine is down," Mega Man said. "Besides, this is fast enough."

"I hope so," Their friend Proto Man said. "It should be fine, we got enough food and water for all three of us."

"Proto Man, we don't need food or water," Mega Man said.

"Maybe, but I like having the option," Proto Man said.

Mega Man activated a pad, "Rock to Nicole, we're on our way to Mobius."

"That's good," Nicole said as she stood by Whisper and Antoine. "Let me know when you get here."

"We'll be there soon," Mega Man said, then disconnected.

"Having Mega Man here will help," Whisper said. "But what about any others? Like Ratchet?"

"Oui, and Star-Lord," Antoine said. "Zey were already here."

"They're around, but keep in mind, if Dark Oak returns, we'll need all the assistance we can get," Nicole said. "With the castle destroyed, we're vulnerable to attack."

"The process should speed up," Whisper said. "Antoine and I managed to get into contact with the Desert Raiders."

"Oui, and with ze Shinjin Warriors coming, that will boost our defense," Antoine said.

"Perhaps afterwards, we can get into contact with Lupe and Undina again," Whisper said.

"As well as Barby," Antoine said.

"Excellent," Nicole said. "Well done."

"Nicole!" Mighty ran over. "There's more trouble from Rough and Tumble. Ray and I are going to help!"

"No, not you," Nicole said. "I need you and Ray on standby for Scourge and Surge."

"What about Rough and Tumble?" Mighty asked.

"I'll deal with them myself," Nicole said. "Antoine, Whisper, watch over the town."

"Yes ma'am," Antoine and Whisper said as Nicole left to handle the problem.

Meanwhile at Seaside Hill, Sonia was giggling at everything she heard thus far.

"I can't believe it," Sonia turned her attention to Cream. "Did you really kiss Uncle Tails on the cheek like that?"

"Well, yeah..." Cream said as she sheepishly rubbed her head. "That was the most forward I've been."

"So that must have been when you two realized that you were meant for each other and vowed your eternal love," Sonia said.

"Eh, it wasn't that easy," Tails said. "I was definitely flustered by Cream's advances, but I still held out hope regarding Fiona. What can I say? I really liked older girls at the time."

"You sure did," Fiona wrapped her arm around Tails. "And I'm flattered. I really am."

"You're not the only older girl," Mina inched closer to Tails as her breasts were pressed close. "Isn't that right, Tails?"

"Uh..." Tails nervously said.

"Ahem..." Cream got their attention. "I would suggest you two dial it back before someone gets hurt."

Not wanting to irritate Cream, Mina and Fiona pulled away.

"You're so popular, huh Tails?" Melody teased.

"I guess," Tails nervously said.

"But now I gotta know," Sonia said. "Hey Rouge, why did you pick a fight with The Chaotix?

"I mistook them for treasure hunters," Rouge said. "I got a little competitive."

"A little? You looked ready to knock us off a platform," Tangle said.

"Things happen," Rouge commented.

"Geez mom, you were not taking it, were you?" Lara asked.

"Absolutely not, your mom does not do things halfway," Rouge said.

"And dad, did you really run away from mom like that?" Sonia asked.

"She freaked me out when she asked me to marry her," Sonic said. "At the time, I was not good with commitment."

"Amy, were you really like that?" Manik asked.

"A little," Amy said. "What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic."

"That's why we love ya," Sticks said.

"Well Johnny didn't," Amy said. "But then again, Johnny always hated when I was like that. Other than that, he was actually really nice to me. I never understood why exactly."

"I think it's because you remind Johnny of his sister, so he has a bit of a soft spot for you," Sonic said. "For some reason, seeing your affectionate side just rubs him the wrong way."

"He thinks it made you less cool or something," Tails said. "Given how many fangirls he gets, he just associated you with one. I guess in his mind, your romance is your worst quality."

"Weird, since it's a core part of me," Amy said.

"More like you're just loving," Sally said. "It's not always romantic. It can be friendly. That's why Johnny was drawn to you. I think he liked the idea of pure love reaching him, especially in that time of his life."

"Well this has me realizing something," Amy said. "I have to make peace with Johnny. It'd be nice to have my friend back."

"In time," Sonia said. "Now, what happened next?"

"Well some time passed and we ended up in Casino Park," Sonic said.

"You mean where Breezy is?" Manik asked.

"At the time, we didn't really know Breezy that well," Sonic said. "So there was no danger from her. Only Eggman."

"What happened next?" Sonia asked.

Years back into the past, the Sonic Heroes continued their journey.

Within a day of leaving Grand Metropolis, Team Sonic had arrived in a new city that resembled a giant casino.

"Well isn't this a welcome sight?" Sonic said.

"Wow, it's lovely," Bunnie said. "What is this place?"

"The sign says Casino Park," Tails pointed out.

"I've heard of this place," Sally said. "I know a fashion designer from here."

"You mean Honey, right?" Bunnie asked.

"She really wants to do a fitting for my coronation, if that day ever comes," Sally said.

"I've been curious about that actually," Sonic said. "Are you going to be Queen?"

"I feel like I should, but I'm afraid of the responsibility it holds," Sally said.

"If you're not sure you're up to it, then don't do it. No one's forcing you," Sonic said. "Live life how you want to."

"Thanks for the support, but I can't just think of myself," Sally said. "My family has always watched over Mobotroplis. I do want to be Queen, but I'm not ready to be."

"It does not help that her father is quite impatient with her decision," Antoine said.

"Yes, my father expects me to make a choice soon," Sally said.

"Don't worry about him, just go at your pace then," Sonic said. "At least see the world first, this way you know more about these places and how to help people if you need to. It might make your decision easier."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Sally said. "Traveling around Mobius with you has been a great experience so far. So I guess it does come in handy."

"We should travel more often, I'd love to show you some places," Sonic said. "Some new cities are being built too, it's amazing."

"You have such an interesting lifestyle," Bunnie said. "Ah bet life is a breeze."

"Pretty much, unless Eggman attacks," Sonic said. "Somehow I always just run into that."

"That worries me, I don't want you getting hurt," Sally said.

"Relax, not like anything he creates can catch me," Sonic said.

"The only thing that can catch up to you is Amy," Knuckles teased.

"Right..." Sonic shook his head in exhaustion. "Amy sure doesn't give up that easy."

"Looks like Cream won't either," Bunnie teased while glancing at Tails. "Guess our fox boy stole our little rabbit's heart."

"Please don't start," Tails said.

"Let's just hurry and get through this place," Knuckles said. "I hate how bright it is here."

"What's the rush? We got time," Sonic said. "Who's feeling lucky?"

"Just a reminder that Eggman's deadline is in twenty four hours," Tails said.

"Fine by me, let's go," Sonic said as he and the others ran ahead.

"Weird how this place is like a giant casino," Tails pointed out.

"The buildings and roads are part of a giant pinball table," Knuckles noticed.

"That's pretty cool," Sonic said.

"Cool? It looks dangerous," Antoine said.

"Looks fun to me," Bunnie leapt below. "Let's see how much speed we can gain!"

"You're speaking my language, Bunnie!" Sonic said as he too jumped onto the pinball road.

"Ugh, if those robots don't kill us, the city will," Sally lamented.

The group began sliding down the road, avoiding as many of Eggman's robots as they could. At least the Freedom Fighters were because Sonic, Tails and Knuckles took time to lay waste to them as well.

Bunnie managed to get in a few shots as well as she went further down the Pinball Road until they reached the end of a road.

"Is ze entire city like zis?" Antoine asked.

"Just this part, down below it's pretty normal," Sonic pointed out.

"Well zen, let us..." Antoine looked over the edge and began to scream in fear. "Sacre Bleu!"

"My goodness!" Bunnie said as she also looked overhead. "We're really high up!"

"That means we need to be careful," Tails said. "Rather, anyone that can't fly."

"Which is me!" Antoine said. "I did not agree to such a thing like zis!"

"Chill out Antoine, you handled yourself well in Grand Metropolis," Sonic reassured. "Besides, you're a knight, aren't you? Knights are brave, and I know you've got it in you to be brave too."

"Me? Brave?" Antoine asked.

"You're a knight for the Royal Family, that counts for something, right?" Sonic asked. "Sally wouldn't let a coward into her guard."

"Sonic's right, I have absolute trust and faith in you Antoine," Sally said.

"Well...if ze Princess believes," Antoine stood his ground as he put on a brave face. "Zen I will brave the perils of zis city and help put an end to Robotnik! Now, let us march!'

Antoine marched ahead toward the main road, this earning a chuckle from Bunnie, "He's so cute when he's like this."

"Seems annoying to me," Knuckles said.

Bunnie glared at Knuckles for the comment, "You watch yerself, mister!"

"Antoine means well, Knuckles," Sally said. "Give him a chance."

"If you say so, let's just hurry up," Knuckles said. "I need to get back to my island."

"Dulcy's watching over it, remember?" Sally asked.

"That's what worries me, I really don't know if she's up to the task," Knuckles said. "Unfortunately I had no choice. It's better than leaving no one there."

"Dulcy can handle it, now let's hurry," Sally said, then checked her pad. "Nicole, is there a safe route we can take?"

"Sorry Sally, I do not have enough sufficient data to say for sure," Nicole said.

"Guess we'll just have to wing it," Sonic said. "Let's go!"

Meanwhile Team Rose had just arrived in Casino Park as well.

"Wow, and I thought Las Vegas was flashy," Johnny said. "This place is amazing!"

"Gotta hand it to Mobius, it has amazing cities so far," Peter said. He then noticed a sad pink hedgehog. "Amy, what's wrong?"

"I'm still thinking about Sonic, I thought I had him," Amy said.

"I can't believe Mr. Sonic just ran off like that," Cream said. "He must be really..."

"Shy?" Amy asked.

"Uh, sure...hehehe..." Cream nervously replied.

"Amy, forget about Sonic for a bit, and have fun," Johnny said. "Let's go to a casino and try our luck at Poker."

"No offense Johnny, but you're not very good at Poker," Amy said. "If we played for real money, you'd be deep in the pits."

"...Am I really that bad?" Johnny asked.

"Dude, you suck," Peter said, much to Johnny's annoyance.

"It's fine, because I have a new plan," Amy said. "Once we find Eggman, we'll find Sonic too!"

"Seriously Amy?" Johnny asked. "What about Froggy and Chocola? Cheese probably misses his buddy."

"To Torch's point, Sonic didn't seem to know about those two," Logan said.

"It's fine, I still want to spend time with him, and we can look together," Amy said.

"It'll be fun," Big said.

"Plus, Cream here could get a second chance at her foxy dreamboat," Peter said.

"H-Hey!" Cream shouted while flustered. "I was just being nice to Mr. Tails, that's all."

"Cream, he's like two years older than you," Johnny said. "You don't need to call him 'Mister'. Weird enough you still refer to Peter as Mr. Parker."

"How is that weird!?" Peter asked. "Don't be a moron!"

"Who you calling a moron ya goofball?" Johnny asked.

"Clam it boys, and let's focus," Amy said. "Cream and I need to find our true loves, so let's go!"

"AMY!" Cream shouted in annoyance as she and the others pursued the girl.

"Gotta say, this place reminds me of Casinopolis," Amy said.

"Oh yeah, it's so bright and pretty," Cream said.

"The city that never sleeps," Big said.

"You're thinking of New York, buddy," Peter said.

The group rushed across the giant pinball road, with Amy being the first to try out the pings.

"Wow, this is kind of fun!" Amy said as she maneuvered around the area.

"There's so much to do here!" Cream said.

Peter carefully crawled up the building side, the hero curious about the layout. "Who designed this place anyway? Does Sally know about this? Then again, I don't even know if her jurisdiction reaches this far."

"Whoa..." Johnny flew over the city area. "Damn, this is high. I know casinos are all about the risk, but this is ridiculous!"

"Robots nearby!" Logan warned.

"Guess Eggman's here too," Amy pulled out her hammer. "Fine by me, that just makes things faster."

"If Eggman's here, then Mr. Sonic might come by too," Cream said.

"Of course, my heart is never wrong when it comes to Sonic," Amy said. She then dashed in and whacked the robots with her hammer. "Now to clean this city up!"

Johnny blasted a bunch of robots one by one with his fire, "Try to keep an eye out for our Equestria Girls too!"

"We will!" Amy reassured as she whacked the robots again. "Time for a new high score!"

Meanwhile, Team Dark had also arrived at Casino Park, with Rainbow Dash being immediately enamored.

"Whoa! This place is huge!" Rainbow Dash said. "Colorful too! Just like me!"

"It's so pretty," Fluttershy said. "I love Mobian culture."

"It does look nice," Twilight said. "You think Sonic's here?"

"Probably, Johnny too," Rainbow Dash said. "Especially with all the danger around."

"I do hope those others are fine," Fluttershy said.

"What others?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You mean Sonic?"

"No, those six creatures from before," Fluttershy said.

"You mean those guys we met in Grand Metropolis?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, the ones Rouge picked a fight with for reasons I still don't understand," Twilight said.

"Meh, I still say those guys were definitely up to no good," Rouge said.

"You sure you're not jealous because that sheep girl has a bigger rack than you?" Rainbow Dash teased.

"Oh grow up," Rouge said. "At least I have something to show."

"Hey, I got a nice pair too, they're just short compared to Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said.

"Rainbow Dash!" A flustered Fluttershy said while subconsciously covering up.

"Enemies detected over two hundred meters ahead," Omega said as he readied his guns. "Initiating Battle Mode."

"Let's go!" Rainbow Dash said as she and the others rushed ahead.

Hey! Wait for me!" Rouge called as she followed.

Shadow looked around with some interest in his eyes, "Cool city."

"Our top priority is Eggman, don't forget that," Omega said. "No time to waste."

"Geez Omega, you're way too serious," Rouge said.

"Let's at least also try to keep an eye out for Sonic," Twilight said. "He might have come through here."

"I hope Logan and the boys are here too," Fluttershy said. "They might be in danger."

"They can handle themselves," Rainbow Dash said. "Knowing them, they're probably more worried about us than themselves."

"How is Peter as a husband?" Rouge asked. "Does he meet all the right requirements?"

"Well he's thoughtful, he always checks on me, he's a provider, and a great father to our daughter," Twilight said.

"But how is he in bed?" Rouge asked.

Twilight's eyes widened in disbelief, "Rouge! That is hardly appropriate!"

"Can't blame a girl for asking, he's a very sexy looking boy after all," Rouge said.

"Hey! Don't get any funny ideas about my man!" Twilight warned.

"Me? I would never," Rouge said, then turned to another. "What about you, Rainbow Dash? Did you get any closer with Johnny Storm?"

"Johnny and I are friends, nothing more," Rainbow Dash insisted.

"Well that's surprising, you two look like such a cute couple," Rouge said.

"Hey, let's focus on what we need to do and not whether or not I'm dating Johnny," Rainbow Dash said.

"If you say so," Rouge turned to Fluttershy. "What about you dear? You got a man too, right?"

"Yes, Logan," Fluttershy said. "Great husband and father to my daughter."

"How did such a sweetheart like you end up with a gruff like Wolverine?" Rouge asked.

"Logan's just rough around the edges," Fluttershy said. "Sometimes boys like that just need a girl to help soothe them."

Something about that statement caught Shadow's attention, as a brief image of a blonde girl flashed through his mind, causing him to wince.

"Shadow? What's wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Shadow shook his head, "It's nothing, let's just stay focused. We need to find Eggman. I'd like to ask him a few questions before Omega terminates him."

"Sensors indicate that Eggman is not too far from this location, increase urgency," Omega said.

"Fine by me," Shadow said as he and the others went to find Eggman.

Team Chaotix had also arrived in the city, and the first thing Charmy did was try to fly off, not that Vector allowed him to. "Let me go! Let me go! I wanna play!"

"Me too! Me too!" Tangle said as she also tried to run off, despite Lanolin and Whisper pulling at her tail.

"Will you knock it off!" Lanolin shouted as Tangle eventually gave up, as did Charmy.

"Gotta say, this place is fancy," Vector said.

"Where there is light, there is shadow," Espio said. "Be on your guard."

"On that note, any sign of the six individuals from Grand Metropolis?" Whisper asked.

"No, it seems as though we put a large distance between ourselves and them," Espio said.

"They mentioned something about Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn, right?" Tangle asked. "Imagine if we run into them while we're here!"

"Forget that hedgehog and The Princess," the radio voice said. "Your job is not yet done!"

"Hey, show some respect when talking about Princess Sally Acorn," Lanolin scolded.

"Easy Lanny, we can't afford to get fired if you tick off our client," Vector said, then spoke to the radio. "Sorry about that. We're here in Casino Park, what's next for us?"

"Here is your next mission," the voice said. "Disguise yourself and infiltrate the city. Your goal is to collect two hundred rings. This is a test of luck."

"...You want us to gamble?" Lanolin asked.

"How odd," Whisper said.

"But, it is what our client demands," Espio said. "Let's be off."

Later, Sonic and his team were seen traveling down Bingo Highway. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles maneuvered around like it was a game while Sally, Antoine and Bunnie were a bit more careful.

"Sally, when you become Queen, please fix zis city so it is not a giant death trap," Antoine said.

"Oh don't be a spoil sport," Bunnie said. "Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are having so much fun. Why take this from them and some others?"

"I really don't think this type of thing should be encouraged," Sally said. "Especially knowing that Amy might be somewhere around here."

"What makes you say that?" Antoine asked.

"It's like Peter said, who else but Amy could find Sonic so easily?" Sally said.

"Hey if she comes by, maybe we can convince her to stay with us this time, just to make sure she's safe," Bunnie said.

"I'd rather she just go home," Sally said.

"Or she can come with us," Antoine said. "To be our bodyguard."

"Antoine that's a terrible idea," Sally said.

Eventually they reached the bottom, with Sonic calling Sally over. "Come on! There's more to explore!"

"Sonic, we're on a deadline!" Sally reminded. "Robotnik has a base in The Bullet Station, which is in the middle of Rail Canyon!"

"Don't worry, it's not too far from here, and we got time," Sonic reassured. "We've got this Sal, so stop worrying so much."

"Stop worrying he says..." Antoine commented.

"I just want this done and over with," Sally said.

"She's got a point, Sonic," Tails said. "This place is fun, but it's not going to be here if Eggman takes over. Once we put a stop to Eggman, we'll come back and really enjoy a good time here."

"I get what you mean," Sonic said. "Besides, this place will be better once Eggman's robots are sent packing."

"We can even bring Sally here, and maybe snap her out of her finicky nature," Bunnie said.

"Finicky!?" Sally asked in disbelief.

"Sounds good, let's run!" Sonic said as he and the others dashed off.

"Hey wait! I'm not finicky!" Sally said as she and the others continued on.

Meanwhile Team Rose had just taken down another mess of robots, with Amy finishing the last one off with a hammer smash.

"This has been pretty easy so far," Amy said. "There aren't as many robots as we thought."

"Sweet, maybe we'll have time to hit a casino," Johnny said. "Who's up for a bit of gambling?"

"Johnny, there's literal kids here," Peter said. "Then again, Amy does clean you out in Poker."

"Clam up," Johnny said. "I bet I can make ten times what I've lost in the past."

"Johnny, I'd love to make you look silly, but I'd like to find Froggy and Chocola first," Amy said. "Now let's hurry and-"

"Up above!" Logan said as he gestured to a flying vehicle.

Up above, a trio of trouble makers were desperately fleeing from a scene with bags of money hauling off the edge.

Unfortunately the driver, a purple creature, had crashed his ride onto a platform.

"No! My Queen!" The driver shouted as he checked his ride. "Are you okay my precious?"

"I'm fine," A green duck said.

"Not you ya moron!" the driver shouted in annoyance.

Amy face palmed in annoyance, "Oh great, it's these guys."

"You know them?" Peter asked.

"The duck is Bean the Dynamite, the big guy is Bark the Polar Bear..." Amy gestured to the driver. "And then there's the big leader, Nack the Weasel."

"It's Fang the...!" the robber turned his attention to the nearby Amy Rose, the man looking curious. "Have I seen you before!?"

"It's me, Amy Rose," The girl said as she pulled her hammer out. "You know, Trip's friend!"

"Trip!?" Fang's eyes widened in worry. "Wait, I remember you! You're that crazy broad with the hammer!"

"Whoa, it is her," Bean said. "Amy Rose, or as I like to call her, Shouty Hammer McPain."

"Don't make me turn you into a pancake!" Amy warned as she aimed her hammer.

"Are these guys thugs?" Johnny asked.

"Fang definitely is, especially after what he did on North Star Island," Amy said. "He and Eggman made my friend Trip work with them to turn all those cute critters into Badniks!"

"Hey it's good money!" Fang said.

"That wasn't very nice of you to do," Cream said.

"Very not nice," Big added.

"Oh wow!" Bean ran over to Cream, the duck looking excited. "You're just about the cutest little bunny rabbit in the world!"

"Oh um, thank you," Cream said.

Bean turned his attention to Fang, "Hey boss! Can I keep her!? I'll feed and walk her!"

"Hey bud, Cream's not some pet to adopt," Johnny said.

"Cream?" Bean asked. "Weird name, I think I'll call her Jorge instead!"

Without another word, Johnny kicked Bean away, sending the duck flying. "Freaking dumbass."

"Well that takes care of one," Peter glanced at Fang. "Now for you-"

"So long, suckers!" Fang threw a smoke bomb and immediately flew away on his Marvelous Queen.

Peter waved the smoke away and pursued Fang, "Hey get your purple ass back here!"

Amy also waved the smoke away as she glanced at Bark, "Why do you still hang around him? I know you're better than that!"

Bark had no response other than turning away in silence.

"We'll talk later Bark," Amy turned to the others. "Let's get Fang, and Bean too while we're at it."

"Bean's such a stupid name," Johnny said as he and the others followed Amy.

Sonic's team were on their way out of the city, when they came across a familiar foe.

"It's Eggman!" Sonic pointed out.

"You should have fun while you all can!" Eggman taunted. "After all, we only have one day, and we know who's going to win!"

"Don't count on it, Eggman!" Sonic said.

"Why don't you come here and try bragging like that to our faces" Knuckles said.

"What are you even planning anyway, Robotnik!?" Sally asked.

"You'll see, little Woodchuck," Eggman said as he flew off. "Ta-ta!"

"I'm a chipmunk!" Sally shouted.

"Don't let him get to ya," Bunnie said as she led Sally away. "Come on, let's keep going."

"Give me a second," Sally sat down on a giant poker chip. "I need to clear my head. This place is exhausting."

"Stay if you want, the rest of us could just go ahead," Knuckles said.

"Wait!" Sally got back up. "Never mind, I'll press on."

Sonic felt worry for Sally, he knew she was going to push herself too hard. "Actually Knuckles, I see a bunch of robots nearby. Let's take some time to smash them so they won't threaten anyone else."

"Fine by me," Knuckles said.

"Sal, you take a break," Sonic said. "Knuckles and I will take care of business."

"Not without me, you ain't," Bunnie said. "Come on, let's get rowdy!"

As the three left, Tails took a moment to sit by Sally, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'll be fine," Sally insisted. "I just need to catch my breath."

"You do just zat Princess, I shall stand guard," Antoine said as he stood nearby.

"Thanks Antoine," Sally said, the girl taking another breath. "Tails, do you really do this type of thing on a regular basis?"

"Yeah, it's fun!" Tails said.

"It's so dangerous," Sally said. "For your safety, I think you should dial it back."

"I'll be fine," Tails said. "Sonic would never let me get hurt."

"Sonic..." Sally shook her head in worry. "I know you trust him, but he's just so unpredictable."

"That's the fun part of life," Tails said. "The unpredictability."

"Regardless, I really think you should find your thills at the castle," Sally said. "I'd be too worried about you if I knew you were doing this dangerous stuff."

"Hey, I'm okay so far, we all are," Tails said. "Plus, like I said, Sonic's there with me."

"Well, what will you do when Sonic's not there?" Sally asked. "Can you take care of yourself then?"

"Sure...I mean, I think I can," Tails said.

"Tails..." Sally gently rubbed the boy's head. "I just don't want anything bad happening to you. I love you too much to risk that."

Tails felt slightly flustered by Sally's kind words. "Uh, thanks Sally."

Meanwhile Amy was seen dusting her hands after she finished dealing with Fang, with Peter leaving the purple creature hanging upside down on a web.

"That'll teach you to be naughty," Amy said.

"The police have been notified," Peter looked over the edge. "Assuming they can get up here."

"This isn't over! I'll be back!" Fang shouted.

"Oh shut up," Amy said as she made her leave.

Cream picked up Fang's bag, "We should put this somewhere the money can't be stolen."

"Chao!" Cheese called, the creature sensing something.

"What is it?" Cream asked.

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese said as he opened the bag.

"Cheese, the stuff in there doesn't belong to us," Cream said. "You shouldn't...oh my...Amy! Johnny! Everyone! Come here, quickly please!"

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Look," Cream held out familiar Yellow Gem.

"A Chaos Emerald!?" Amy asked.

"Whoa, those things are super powerful, right?" Peter asked.

"Hey! I stole that fair and square!" Fang shouted. "Put it back right now you jerks!"

"Ah shaddap!" Peter called, then glanced at the Emerald. "We can't leave something like this here. If someone finds it, it could be catastrophic."

"Good idea, we need to be responsible," Amy said. "Cream, hold onto that Emerald."

"Right," Cream said.

"...Your idea of responsible is giving it to a little girl?" Peter asked.

"Cream can handle it," Johnny said.

"...Alright, but remember Cream, that thing has power," Peter said. "And with Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility."

"Where'd you get that from, a fortune cookie!?" Fang shouted, to which Peter webbed his mouth shut.

"Moron," Peter commented.

"Come on, let's go," Logan said as the others left, with Fang trying to shout in anger.

"What a dope," Amy said as she and the others passed by a ledge

Logan looked to the side and spotted a certain someone, "There he is!"

Floating nearby was Eggman. "You guys again!?"

"Dr. Eggman!?" Amy asked.

"Him again," Big said,

"Don't you kiddies know it's past your bedtime!?" Eggman asked. "Someone ought to tuck you in!"

"How about I burn your stupid mustache off!" Johnny warned.

"Just try it you fool, soon you will all suffer by my hands!" Eggman said. "Especially you, Spider-Man. I detest you most of all!"

"Join the club, they play golf on Wednesdays," Peter quipped.

Eggman snarled and flew off.

"Geez Parker, yer good at getting people to hate you," Logan said.

"It's a blessing and a curse," Peter commented.

"If it makes you feel any better Mr. Parker, I don't hate you," Cream said.

"Aw, you're sweet," Peter said as he rubbed her head.

Cheese flew in to hug Peter, to which Cream commented, "Cheese really likes you too."

"Well I like Cheese," Peter said as he rubbed the Chao's head.

"Question, who named him?" Johnny asked.

"I did, why?" Cream asked.

"Uh, no reason," Johnny said.

Cream seemed confused a second, but shrugged it off. "Now what?"

"Let's follow Eggman's direction," Amy ordered. "Come on!"

Meanwhile as Eggman flew off, he heard someone calling out to him.

"Doctor!" Rouge said, the woman standing by a platform with her team.

"So, finally decided to show yourself again?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't have time for you," Eggman said. "Begone!"

"Wait, hold on!" Shadow called, this getting Eggman's attention. "Tell me, Doctor! What was I doing asleep on that base? And what about my memory?"

"Your memory? Hmph, what memory?" Eggman asked. "You have no past to remember!"

"No past!?" Shadow asked.

"What are you talking about!?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, I believe our time is up," Eggman said as he flew off. "I'll see you again soon."

"Hey! Come back!" Rainbow Dash called, the girl seemingly confused. "No past? what does that mean!?"

"I'd like to know myself," Shadow said. "Come on!"

Eggman grumbled in annoyance as he flew away. "How many of these fools are trying to follow me? This could negatively affect my plans."

"Dr. Eggman!" Vector called.

"Ha! Found him!" Tangle said. "Give up, Eggman! We've got you now!"

"My robots!" Eggman grumbled in annoyance. "You've made quite a mess here. I'll accept your apologies and payment with your lives."

"The only one who's life is in danger, Doctor," Whisper aimed her gun. "Is you!"

"Want some...? Come and get it!" Vector boasted.

"We're not afraid of you," Lanolin said.

"On guard!" Espio said.

"Guard on!" Charmy said.

The group went in to battle against the many robots that Eggman sent. Between their combined strength, speed and cunning, The Chaotix destroyed the robots while Eggman fled the city, on his way to his base.

Some time later, Team Sonic and The Freedom Fighters had arrived at Rail Canyon.

"Tails. how much time we got left!?" Sonic asked.

"We have until sunset!" Tails confirmed.

"That's about an hour away," Sally added.

"No time to lose!" Sonic said. "Tails! Knuckles! Sally! Bunnie! Antoine! Give it all you got! Full speed ahead!"

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles grinded the rails while Bunnie flew Sally and Antoine overhead as they got closer to their location.

"Wow, check out that view!" Sonic said.

"So many canyons!" Tails commented.

"Keep your eyes on the rails!" Knuckles warned.

Antoine began hyperventilating. "Too high! Too high!"

"You think they'll be okay?" Sally asked.

"You worry too much," Bunnie said.

"It looks so dangerous though," Sally said. "Take Tails, what if he falls?"

"He can fly, Sally," Bunnie reminded.

"Oh...yeah," A sheepish Sally said. "But what about Knuckles and Sonic?"

"Tails can save them," Bunnie said. "Now stop worrying and let's focus on finding Eggman!"

Suddenly the rails in front of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were destroyed. Fortunately the three were able to leap to safety.

"Dirty trick," Knuckles said.

"Come on, there's a lot of rails, let's not waste time!" Sonic said.

"Careful, it's easy to get lost," Tails pointed out.

"We'll be fine, now let's move!" Sonic said as he and the others continued on.

As Bunnie flew her friends, she noticed some oncoming trouble. "Watch out! Armored trains!"

"I bet they wanna race!" Sonic boasted.

"Sonic! Be careful!" Sally urged.

Sonic did his signature nose wipe and sped ahead, unafraid of the danger.

Meanwhile Team Rose is seen grinding along Rail Canyon as well with the Super Trio doing the same.

Big began sniffing something. "Hmm... I smell Froggy."

"You what bro?" Johnny asked in disbelief.

"Chocola!" Cheese shouted.

"Cheese says Chocola is close!" Cream said.

"That's good, we're getting warmer," Peter said.

"All right, let's go!" Amy declared.

Peter looked below, "Wow, this high up. Are there any roads?"

"Not that I know of," Amy said.

As they continued grinding, some armored trains were approaching.

"Looks like a Rhino is heading this way," Big said.

"Rhino!?" Peter frantically asked.

"Ignore them!" Amy said as she and her friends kept grinding along.

"This place is weird," Johnny said as he opted to fly.

"I see some flying robots!" Peter leapt up to attack.

"I got this!" Amy leapt to attack as well, taking down the robots.

"Peace of cake," Johnny blasted the remaining robots with his fire.

"Try not to get too distracted," Logan warned. "This place ain't safe!"

"Yes sir!" Cream said as she had Cheese destroy some robots.

Team Dark and The Elements were also grinding through the Canyon.

"Eggman energy detected. Ground base up ahead," Omega said.

"Good, let's hurry," Twilight urged. "Hopefully we can get some answers."

"Yeah, like what Eggman meant by Shadow having no past to remember," Rainbow Dash said.

"I wonder what the doctor really meant?" Rouge asked.

"We must capture him first. Let's go!" Shadow ordered.

Everyone grinded along the rails, though Fluttershy was the most visibly uncomfortable, with Twilight also feeling uneasy.

"Where's the ground!?" Twilight asked. "What kind of place is this!?"

"This is quite the engineering feat," Shadow said.

"Amazing," Rouge added.

"We are heading straight for that terminal," Omega pointed out.

"Hopefully there's ground," Twilight said.

"You'll be fine, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "Come on, Sonic might be around here! Johnny too!"

"Let's go," Shadow ordered.

Eventually The Chaotix also arrived at Rail Canyon.

"This is gotta be Eggman's base," Vector said.

"Sweet, getting closer to ending this!" Tangle said.

"Security is tight around here, so watch your backs," the radio said.

"Just the way we like it!" Vector said.

"Uh, since when?" Lanolin asked.

"Cool! Danger!" Charmy added.

"All right, let me take point," Espio said.

"I will cover you," Whisper added.

"Here's your next mission," The radio said. "Infiltrate the terminal station located in the middle of this base!"

"On it," Lanolin said.

"Watch out! Rhino!" Charmy warned as an armored train passed by.

"Keep moving everyone!" Vector ordered.

"The rail!" Lanolin warned at the destroyed structure.

"Dirty trick!" Vector grabbed Lanolin as Espio grabbed Whisper and Charmy grabbed Tangle to bring the girls to safety. "Don't stop now!"

"Yes sir!" Espio said.

Later on, Sonic's Team were seen getting closer to their destination as they passed by Bullet Station.

"It's getting creepy around here," Tails said.

"That's because we're getting closer to the center," Sonic pointed out.

"Looks like we're heading in the right direction," Knuckles said.

"Someone remind me to have more roads installed here," Sally said.

The group found solid ground and began moving ahead. As they did though, the ground below them gave away.

"Whoa!" Sonic shouted.

"Yaaah!" Sally screamed just before Sonic grabbed and saved her. "Whoa, thank you Sonic!"

"No trouble," Sonic said as Bunnie set Antoine down.

Knuckles looked around the area, "A tunnel?"

"Wonder how long this is?" Tails asked.

"Let's stay ahead of the train!" Sonic said. "Come on!"

"Right behind ya!" Bunnie said.

Sonic took out some Egg Pawns on his way to the front with the others behind him and fighting as well.

Eventually Sonic found something of interest. "There's the engine! Knuckles! Can you destroy it!?"

"I got this!" Knuckles said.

"Wait, hold on!" Sally warned. Too late, the engine was destroyed and as a result, they all flew out of the cave from the train's explosion. "SONIC!"

"Hey it worked, right?" Sonic coyly pointed out as he grabbed Sally and landed toward safety. "Come on!"

"Hey wait!" Sally urged. Sonic however sped ahead.

Eventually Sonic's team came across a giant mechanism, this piquing their curiosity.

"An internal mechanism for a giant cannon!" Tails said.

"Let's try firing it," Sonic said.

"You wanna WHAT!?" Sally asked in disbelief.

"Sonic, that's not a good idea!" Knuckles urged.

"Please listen to Knuckles!" Sally said.

"What would we fire anyway?" Bunnie asked.

Seconds later, all six of them were fired out of a cannon with Sally and Antoine screaming for their lives. Even Bunnie was overwhelmed.

"Whoa! This is too intense!" Knuckles shouted.

"But fun!" Sonic said.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Sally shouted as the team flung into the distance.

Meanwhile Team Rose was approaching Bullet Station as well.

"It sure looks dangerous," Cream said.

"So many cannons," Big said.

"Come on, let's see what they got!" Amy said.

"Amy wait!" Peter urged. "Don't be reckless!"

"Reckless? This Amy's fun," Johnny blasted some robots. "She can be a real action girl when she puts her mind to it!"

"Follow me!" Amy said as she leapt into a cannon.

"...The hell is she doing?" Logan asked.

"Last one in sucks!" Johnny said as he went into a cannon.

"Oh screw you!" Peter said as he and the others joined.

"This is making me nervous," Cream admitted. Suddenly all of them were fired from the cannon and into the distance.

"I feel so aliiiiiiiiive!" Johnny shouted in excitement.

"This was a terrible idea!" Peter shouted in fear.

"Oh don't be such a Sally!" Amy scolded.

"Hey!" Peter protested.

Team Dark also arrived at Bullet Station.

"I see a base up ahead," Shadow said.

"Here we go," Rouge commented.

"Prepare to infiltrate," Omega said.

"I see robots!" Rainbow Dash said.

"No trouble," Shadow quickly blitzed them. "Let's go!"

"I will also destroy Eggman's robots!" Omega began blasting any that he saw.

"Wow, he really hates those robots," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well Eggman did mistreat him," Twilight said as she used her magic to blast some flying ones. "So it makes sense."

The group continued on until they came across a giant cannon.

"Looks like this has been fired a few times," Shadow said.

"It looks fun, let's get in," Rouge said.

"Are you crazy!?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

It mattered little, as all fo them were fired out of the cannon, much to the fear of Twilight and Fluttershy.

The group landed on the other side of their destination, each of them looking dizzy.

"I hope you're happy, Rouge," Twilight said.

"I've never been happier in my life!" Rouge commented.

"You like thrills that much?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No! Look!" Rouge said as she held a white Gem. "A Chaos Emerald!"

"Where did you find that?" Shadow asked.

"Right here, just now," Rouge said as she hugged the gem. "I feel so lucky! This Emerald is all mine!"

"Whatever," Shadow said as he stood up. "Let's hurry, come on!"

Team Chaotix also came to the Bullet Station.

"Alright, we're here," Vector said. "Now to find Eggman."

Espio noticed a familiar group up ahead, "Behold!"

Standing not too far away were Mighty and Ray, alongside a friend of theirs, that being Trip the Sungazer.

"This must be Eggman's base," Mighty said. "Come on, let's infiltrate for Princess Sally."

"Right," Ray and Trip said.

"Hey Mighty!" Vector called as he ran over. "Mighty! Is that you!?"

"Huh?" Mighty turned around. "Vector!?"

"Hey, how's it going!?" Vector pat the Armadillo on the back. "It's been too long since we've seen ya!"

"All good Vector, how about you?" Mighty said.

"Another day, another dollar," Vector said.

"You know these guys?" Trip asked.

"Yeah, they're my old teammates, The Chaotix," Mighty introduced each of them. "Vector, Charmy and Espio." He then noticed the girls. "But, I don't know them."

"Some new recruits that joined after you left," Vector said and introduced each girl. "Meet Tangle, Whisper and Lanolin."

"Hey girls," Mighty said. "Uh, where are Bomb and Heavy?"

"They left," Vector said. "It's just us, and our accountant Jewel."

"So, who are these guys?" Charmy asked.

"This is Ray, I met him when we got trapped on Eggman Island with Sonic," Mighty said. "This girl is Trip, she's a friend we met in our travels. She knows Sonic too."

"Again with Sonic, that guy's been getting around," Vector said.

"Have you seen him?" Espio asked.

"No, but we are on a mission to either find him or find Eggman," Mighty said.

"An order from Princess Sally," Ray said.

"Princess Sally!?" Lanolin got in close. "You know her!?"

"Yeah, I w-work with her," Ray said.

"...You are so lucky," Lanolin commented.

"Have you had any luck finding Sonic?" Whisper asked.

"No, we were helping some Earthlings, but no luck," Mighty said.

"Earthling?" Vector asked.

"They look like Overlanders," Ray said. "Only th-they're actually from their h-home planet."

"Funny, we ran into some Overlanders recently," Tangle said. "They were traveling with a bat, a robot and a moody hedgehog."

"Wait, you met them!?" Mighty asked. "Three girls with bright and colorful hair!?"

"One that resembles a rainbow?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, that's them," Charmy said. "Do you know them?"

"They're some friends Sally made when she got stranded on Earth after a malfunction from one of Eggman's machines," Mighty said.

"We are familiar with that," Espio said.

"You ran into Rouge and Shadow?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, they picked a fight with us for no reason!" Tangle said.

"I'm not surprised, I heard that bat girl constantly tries to rob Knuckles," Mighty said.

"Knuckles the Echidna?" Espio asked. "That takes guts."

"I hate to interrupt, but we do need to do this mission for Princess Sally," Trip said.

"Any chance we can help?" Lanolin asked.

"You are working for me!" The radio shouted. "Leave those others be!"

"...That voice sounds familiar," Mighty said.

"Focus! Unless you dimwits don't want to get paid!" The radio shouted.

"Who you calling a dimwit!?" Charmy asked.

"Okay, settle down," Vector turned to the others. "We'll chat later."

"You got it," Mighty said. "Ray, Trip, let's go!"

With those three off, Vector turned to the radio, "What now?"

"Keeping toward the center, and hurry, you've already wasted a lot of time!" The radio said.

"We'll have to find a shortcut," Charmy said.

"Where?" Vector asked.

Before long, they were all fired out of a cannon, much to their terror.

"I HATE YOU CHARMY!" Lanolin shouted.

Later on Sonic's Team Came Across a giant mechanism.

"Sonic, look!" Tails warned.

"Scanners indicate a large amount of weaponry ahead," Nicole said.

"Thanks, we're on it!" Sally said as she went to help Sonic.

"So, that thing is loaded with Eggman's weapons," Knuckles noted.

"Eggman, you're finished!" Sonic said.

Sonic and his friends dashed after the Egg Albatross, unknown to them though, they weren't the only ones after it.

Peter spotted the machine as well, "That's one of Eggman's!"

"You think there's something weird in there?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, probably," Johnny said.

"Cheese, you'll be reunited with Chocola very soon!" Cream said.

"Froggy, too?" Big asked.

"Let's get him before Sonic does. Then he'll be head over heels for me!" Amy said.

"No! Go back to being fun Amy!" Johnny said.

"Dude, shut up," Peter said.

In addition, Shadow's team was nearing the Albatross.

"I see a giant robot bird!" Rainbow Dash said.

"We got Eggman!" Rouge said.

"Capture him first, I need answers. Then you can have your revenge, Omega," Shadow ordered.

"Affirmative," Omega replied.

Lastly, The Chaotix reached the Canyon and spotted the giant mechanism.

"That must be..." Espio said.

"One of Robotnik's!" Lanolin said.

"Whadda we do now?" Vector asked.

"Dr. Eggman's secret weapons must be aboard that ship. Destroy it before it reaches the canyon!" The Radio ordered.

"Piece of cake!" Vector said.

"This is perfect!" Lanolin said. "Princess Sally will find out, and she'll be so happy!"

"You're so weird," Charmy said.

"Shut up!" Lanolin scolded.

"Let's hurry!" Vector said.

Meanwhile Sonic and his team were destroying part of the machine already, with Sonic hitting various homing attacks.

"Keep at it!" Sally ordered as she cleared away some oncoming robots with a blaster gun.

Knuckles punched several away as well, "Stupid machines!"

As Sonic attacked, Amy could see this from a distance.

"There's Sonic!" Amy called. "Hey! Sonic! Over here!"

"Amy, focus on the fight!" Johnny said as he blasted some robots.

Amy wasn't the only one who spotted Sonic, as Rainbow Dash could see him too.

"Sonic!" Rainbow Dash tried calling, but to no avail. "Ugh, this place is too big!"

"Focus on him later, let's take this machine down!" Rouge said.

"Good thing Sonic's helping us," Twilight said as she blasted the robot. "Even if he doesn't know it yet."

"Not just Sonic," Rainbow Dash gestured to the air. "I think that's Johnny!"

"Johnny?" Rouge turned around. "Oh my, it is. And...Amy Rose?"

"Amy? What's she doing here!?" Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance.

"Come on, let's be happy," Twilight said. "We need all the help we can get."

"Out of the way!" Charmy shouted as he and his team passed Team Dark.

"Not those guys again!" Rouge shouted. "Hey! What are you up to!?"

"Our job" Lanolin called as she ran ahead.

"Grrr, those annoying pests!" Rouge said.

"...Why do you hate them again?" Twilight asked, then noticed more people pass by. "Mighty! Ray!"

"Talk later, Twilight!" Mighty called as he went in pursuit.

"I saw a girl with them," Fluttershy said. "She looks cute."

"Focus should be on annihilating Eggman," Omega said while firing.

Amy tried reaching Sonic, but he was moving too far ahead, as was the Egg Albatross. "Come on! We're almost there!"

As they ran, Cream pointed to the side, "Look!"

Fang was flying over with Bean and Bark. "Hey you thieves! Give me my back my gem!"

Johnny blasted the Marvelous Queen, sending it flying forward in a haste.

"How did he escape!?" Peter asked in disbelief.

Fang's team flew even past Sonic, much to his surprise.

"Was that Fang?" Sonic asked.

"What's he up to?" Knuckles said.

"Great, more problems," Sally said, then noticed the albatross get damaged. "I think there are other people here."

"Where?" Antoine asked. "All see is some bat, a crocodile and...Amy Rose!?"

"Amy!?" Sonic looked to see Amy running toward him. "Guys! Run! Quick!"

"Geez, you scared of her or something?" Knuckles said.

"Shut up!" Sonic said as he dashed in after the Albatross.

"Almost got it..." Shadow said nearby as he readied his powers. "Chaos..."

"Uh, Shadow?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not now!" Shadow said.

"But Shadow! Look!" Rainbow Dash said. "Either I'm seeing things, or you have an evil twin I don't know about!"

"I said...huh!?" Shadow looked to see an oncoming Android that resembled him. This freaked Shadow out for a second, the hedgehog then powering through and unleashing his ultimate attack. "CHAOS SPEAR BARRAGE!"

Shadow destroyed what was left of the Egg Albatross as it went crashing to the canyon, much to everyone's surprise.

"What in the world?" Sally asked. "Who did that?"

"Something strange is happening," Tails said.

"Worry later," Knuckles said. "Eggman landed nearby, come on."

Team Sonic rushed over to the crash sight where they spotted what looked like an unconscious Eggman.

"Is he...dead?" Antoine asked.

"I wouldn't exactly be sympathetic if he was," Sally said.

Suddenly a spring toy popped up with a voice recording of Eggman laughing.

"Mwhahaha! Once again, you fools have been tricked!" The Fake Eggman boasted.

"It's a fake?" Tails asked in disbelief.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sally shouted in frustration.

"From these canyons, watch as I conquer the world with my air fleet!" The Fake Eggman said as large ships covered the skies. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Drat! A trap to stall for time!" Sonic said.

"What now?" Sally asked.

"We gotta head toward one of those ships!" Sonic said. "There's a forest in this direction, it'll be our fastest way through!"

"You think it'll work?" Bunnie asked.

"Better than just sitting around, come on!" Sonic ordered as he along with Knuckles, Bunnie and Antoine ran off.

Meanwhile Tails was seen inspecting the fake."It's not a typical Eggman robot... "

"Tails?" Sally asked.

"I'm coming," Tails said as he helped Sally across.

Suddenly an evil voice was heard. "All lifeform data... successfully copied!"

Meanwhile Team Rose had arrived and spotted the fake Eggman copy as well, with the head popping out and laughing.

Amy angrily shook her fist and started stomping around, "Hey! It's just a stupid copy!"

"That's bogus," Peter said.

"Froggy! Where are you?" Upon not seeing him around, Big felt some despair. "Oh...Let's go home."

"Hey man, don't give up," Johnny said. "We'll find him."

Meanwhile Cheese looked depressed himself.

"Cheese, what's wrong?" Cream asked.

"Chocola-Chao," Cheese said.

"Chocola..." Amy realized. "And Froggy! That's it!"

"What's it?" Johnny asked.

"Eggman took them, there's no doubt about it!" Amy said. "He probably intentionally framed Sonic just to pit us against him!"

"Why would Doctor Eggman want Froggy and Chocola?" Cream asked.

"I'm not really sure, but we're not gonna let him get away with it," Amy said. "C'mon, let's get outta here!"

"What about Fang?" Peter asked.

"I think I saw him retreat toward the forest," Johnny said.

"Fine, two birds with one stone, let's go!" Amy said as she led the others away.

The sinister voice was heard again, "Data copied...Spider-Man."

Eventually Team Dark had arrived as well, spotting the fake Eggman.

Omega shook his fist in anger at being deceived while Rainbow Dash kicked the fake.

"Piece of garbage," Rainbow Dash said.

"Guys..." Twilight gestured to Shadow, who was staring at the Android copy of himself. The hedgehog looked less than himself.

"Shadow?" Rouge asked in worry as Shadow stared deeply at the fake.

"Is he okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"...I think I know what's wrong," Twilight said. "It might be connected to his memories."

"Hey," Shadow said, getting everyone's attention. "Come on. Let's go."

"Sure thing," Rainbow Dash said as she and the others followed.

The same voice was heard, "Ultimate Lifeform Data, has been copied!"

Lastly Team Chaotix showed up, seeing the destroyed Eggman robot, and the fake laughing which served to irritate Whisper.

"I thought he was finally dead," Whisper bitterly said.

"Next time," Espio reassured.

"Good job, everyone!" Vector said. "Guess that Eggman was a fake after all."

"Of course it was!" The radio shouted, then reeled back once everyone got suspicious. He quickly changed the subject. "Listen carefully... there's a jungle just to the north of here. Go there immediately!"

"Should we wait for Mighty, Ray and Trip?" Tangle asked.

"NO! Go there now!" The radio said.

"Wow, you're so bossy," Tangle commented.

"Do you want to get paid or not!?" the radio shouted. "Go!"

"Let's just be on our way," Vector said as he left with the others.

"You know what?" Charmy said. "Our client sure seems to know a lot about this Dr. Eggman guy."

"Definitely an agent," Espio said. "Or... a relative, perhaps?"

"It better not be Snivley," Lanolin said.

"Maybe," Vector turned back at the fake. "Strangely enough, I had the same weird feeling about our client's real identity. It could be you-know-who..."

As The Chaotix left, the fake Eggman finally took shape as the liquid metal formed Neo Metal Sonic.

"Those fools," Metal said.

Things were getting even more intense as of now.

Chapter 6: Echoes from the Past

Coming in from space was a ship that had just briefly homed the trio of Mega Man, Roll and Proto Man.

"Here we are, back on Mobius," Mega Man said.

"It's so nice to be here again," Roll said.

"Looks peaceful, at least for now." Proto Man said.

"It will be even more peaceful once we put a stop to whatever bad thing is happening here," Mega Man said as he spoke to a radio. "Nicole, are you there?"

"Mega Man?" Antoine spoke into the radio. "I trust you have landed?"

"Hi Antoine, I did," Mega Man said. "But where's Nicole?"

"There was an emergency, she went to take care of it," Whisper said. "Come to Mobotropolis, we will fill you on."

"On it," Mega Man said, then turned to his teammates. "Let's go."

"Right behind you," Roll said as she and Proto Man followed after Rock.

Unknown to them, both Scourge and Surge were nearby, the two sinisterly glancing at the trio.

"Should we kick their ass?" Surge asked.

"Not yet, let's just keep an eye on them," Scourge said. "Once they lead us to something good, then we'll kick their ass."

"I like how you think," Surge said as she and Scourge walked ahead.

At the picnic, Sonia just stared with her mouth agape.

"So...first thing's first," Sonia turned to Cream. "Jorge? What was that about?"

"I'm not sure," Cream said. "I never understood Bean's mindset."

"Second, a Casino?" Sonia asked. "The place that Uncle Tails is banned from?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Tails asked. "I only got in trouble for counting cards once!"

"You really should not have been at a Casino at such a young age," Fiona said.

"Give me a break, it's a fun place," Tails said. "It reminds me of the time Sonic and I went to a Casino at Night during our first adventure as a duo."

"Yeah, we gambled on some Rings quite a bit," Sonic said.

"Sonic, that almost sounds irresponsible," Mina said. "Wasn't Tails like...eight?"

"I think it was younger," Fiona said. "Maybe six or seven."

"Let's not focus on that," Sally said. "All in all, it wasn't too bad going to Casino Park. Despite the danger, I had fun. Hearing about all this reminds me how much fun it was to just explore with Sonic."

"Did you explore much with him?" Sonia asked.

"I was too busy to do it often," Sally said. "And honestly, sometimes I was afraid to. I never liked Sonic exploring either, because I kept worrying he would get hurt. I couldn't handle that."

"That's nice of you Sal, but I can handle some danger," Sonic said.

"Yeah, I won't deny that," Sally said as she happily glanced at Sonic. "I do love your bravery. Even when I'm really scared, I just feel a little bit safer around you sometimes."

"It was fun having you explore with is," Tails said.

"So...when does Sally explore with you all usually?" Sonia asked.

"When the world is at stake," Tails said. "Sally tends to treat these things like missions than just having a good time. Which is understandable, but half the fun of saving the world is just enjoying the ride."

"It's hard for me to enjoy things sometimes," Sally said.

"Hey," Sonic placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're capable of smiling once in a while, even during those adventures. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Sally's face turned a bit red, then she looked away from Sonic. "Thanks."

Knuckles looked suspicious upon seeing that, and even Rouge raised her eyebrow.

"Well isn't that nice," Tangle said. "Finally some common ground between Sonic and Sally."

"It's what we've all been asking for," Amy said.

"I am confused though, what about that Shadow android?" Sonia asked. "Why was Shadow so worried?"

"Probably because he was cloned," Manik said.

"Uh, it gets a bit deeper than that," Rouge said.

"I am curious as to what else happened, especially if it involves Ray," Sonia said. "Because hearing about Ray again was nice. Like, really, really nice. I love Ray, he's a sweetheart."

"...He's okay, I guess," Skye jealously commented.

"I miss Ray too, I gotta go give him a big hug soon," Sonia said.

"He'd love that," Amy said. "In fact-"

Tangle's radio went off, to which the girl checked, "Sorry, I gotta take this quickly." She spoke into the radio. "What's up?"

"Hey Tangle! It's me, Tekno!" The Canary Girl said.

"Oh hey Tekno, what's up girlfriend!?" Tangle asked.

"Peep this, Nicole just got into contact with Mega Man recently," Tekno said. "She's trying to get him to come help!"

"Mega Man's coming?" Sonic asked. "Awesome."

"Tangle, ask Tekno when he'll be here, and if Nicole's doing okay?" Sally asked.

"Sally's here, she wants to know when Mega Man will be here," Tangle said.

"Well he left some time ago on one of his fancy ships," Tekno said. "He's probably here right now. Antoine and Whisper are here so they'll play host."

"Okay, and what about Nicole?" Tangle asked.

"She seems to be doing okay, but I think she's trying to handle some trouble from Rough and Tumble," Tekno said.

"Oooh...that's rough," Tangle said.

"Tangle, may I have the radio?" Sally asked.

"Of course," Tangle said as she handed it over.

"Tekno, it's Sally," The girl introduced. "Are Surge and Scourge still causing trouble?"

"Hey Sal," Tekno greeted. "I think they're still roaming around, but Lanolin did go see Monkey Kahn, which means we'll get protection soon. We might get more Freedom Fighters all around the world."

"I heard about Lanolin. But okay, thank you for keeping me up to date," Sally said as she returned the radio to Tangle.

"Anyway, we're at a picnic and talking about how Sonic and Sally had three days to save the world," Tangle said. "See ya."

Sticks furrowed her brow in suspicion, "Can that AI girl do much?"

"Nicole's highly advanced, she'll protect us," Sally said.

"I agree," Jewel said. "Nicole can handle anything."

"And if she can't, we'll protect her," Bunnie said.

"I'm glad," Sonia said. "So...about that story, what happened next?"

"After the fight at The Bullet Station, we made our way toward a forest," Amy said.

Years into the past, Team Sonic were seen making their way toward the forest Sonic had mentioned earlier.

"This must be the place," Sally said.

"I know this area," Tails said. "We call it The Frog Forest. It's such an unusual but interesting place."

"What's unusual about it?" Bunnie asked.

"You'll see," Tails said.

"It's so pretty," Sally commented. "Still, we need to hurry. I don't know what Robotnik is planning but given that he needed a distraction like that, it must be something big.

"There's no way off the hook this time, Eggman!" Sonic said as he and the others rushed into the forest.

Tails took a moment to look back, "You think Amy followed us here?"

"Probably, she's never too far away from Sonic," Knuckles said. "The fact that she and the others helped us against Eggman not too long ago really proves that she can hang in there."

"She does have some superheroes by her side," Sally said. "Still, she's quite adamant on following after Sonic."

"I am more curious about some others," Antoine said.

"Oh yeah, didn't you say you saw a bat before?" Tails asked. "Was it Rouge?"

"Who?" Antoine asked.

"Rouge, the bat lady you met on Earth," Tails said.

"We met her in that tournament fer the Chaos Emerald," Bunnie said.

"...Oh, oui, I remember her now," Antoine said. "She worked her feminine charms on our little fox pup."

Tails began blushing in annoyance, "She just got lucky, that's all!"

"Rouge being around is surprising," Sally said. "I hope she's not our enemy again. She's worked with Robotnik before."

"That's because she was a spy for G.U.N.," Knuckles explained. "Unless G.U.N. Agents live on Mobius now."

"Well last time I was on Earth, I had a chance to speak with Rouge's friend, Agent Topaz," Sally said. "I think she said she wanted to come to Mobius at some point. I get the feeling she just wanted to spend time with Rouge again, they're good friends after all."

"So did you take her on her offer?" Sonic asked.

"Not yet, I've been too busy trying to build my own resistance group here," Sally said.

"It's coming along nicely," Tails said. "We've got plenty of warriors at the castle, plus some from another country in Downunda."

"Oh yes, Barby's sweet," Bunnie said. "Her friends are really nice too."

"I heard of another group known as The Diamond Cutters," Sally said. "Mercenaries who have more often than not fought against Robotnik as well, and Snivley too."

"Oh yeah, ah heard they have some strong weapons," Bunnie said. "No one knows what powers them though."

"I'd like to get my hands on one of them, just to see the secret," Tails said.

"I think I know who you mean," Sonic said. "Didn't we see some of them during that Quantum Dial mess?"

"Yeah, very briefly," Sally said. "I remember a Lion, an Ocelot, a Monkey, and Octopus and a Wolf. I didn't get to speak to them much."

"Wish ah could have, they seemed really nice," Bunnie said. "Fer mercenaries at least."

"Well they fought with us," Sally said. "That's all that matters to me."

"There's others like Lupe and that Ari guy," Tails said. "They seemed nice too."

"It's been too long since I've seen Lupe, I hope she and The Wolf Pack are safe," Sally said.

"And Ari too, he's a nice fellow," Bunnie said.

"Nice? He lied to us!" Antoine said.

"I won't deny that he was sneaky, but he was trying to save his team from Snivley," Sally said. "We put that behind us at least."

"I gotta know one other thing," Knuckles said. "Antoine, earlier you mentioned a Crocodile. Was anyone else with him?"

"So much was happening zat I did not have time to be noticing," Antoine explained. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just figured it could have been someone I met once," Knuckles said.

"There's one other thing that has me worried," Tails said. "What about Fang? We saw him earlier, didn't we?"

"Oh yeah, it's been a while since we've seen him," Knuckles said.

"We should keep an eye out in case we run into him again," Bunnie said.

"I'll add it to our list of objectives," Sally said as she input the data.

"He's probably in this Forest too, come on," Knuckles said as the team ventured deeper in.

As they ventured through, Sally immediately found out why the Forest had its name. "Is that a giant frog!?"

"Careful not to startle it," Sonic warned. "They can control the weather here."

"Control the weather!?" Bunnie asked in disbelief.

"Sacre Bleu!" Antoine said. "How could zey do something like zat?"

"Not sure honestly," Sonic said. "I've seen a lot of strange things in my travels. Sometimes, I just learn to roll with things."

"Well the frogs here certainly ain't the only things that are big," Bunnie said as she observed the flora. "There's certainly a lot of big flowers. That tree is enormous too."

"Zis place is nice and all, but we must be on ze lookout for Robotnik," Antoine said.

"Of course," Sally grabbed her scanner. "Nicole, any sign of enemy robots?"

"A fleet is on their way to your position," Nicole said.

Within moments, robots with hammers were seen making their way over, joined by a larger robot with a bigger hammer.

"Hammer?" Knuckles asked.

"I wonder if Eggman got this idea from Amy?" Tails suggested.

The Heavy-Egg Hammer slammed its weapon down at the group, causing them to leap away just as the other robots ran in to attack.

"Sonic! Tails! With me!" Knuckles said as the two leapt onto Knuckles's fists. "SHIFT ROCK!"

Knuckles threw his teammates and destroyed two robots as he dashed in to annihilate the third.

Tails then flew Sonic up and the hedgehog hid the Heavy-Egg Hammer with a few homing attacks to weaken it, allowing Knuckles to jump in and punch it in the chest to knock it over.

"Great job boys!" Sally cheered, then noticed more trouble. "I see some flying enemies."

"Ah got this one!" Bunnie began blasting three out of the four out of the air, but unfortunately missed the last one.

Fortunately Tails was quick to fly in and kick the robot into a nearby tree.

"Great job, honey!" Sally cheered. "Come on, let's not stick around!"

"Right behind you, Sal!" Bunnie said as the group delved deeper in.

Meanwhile, Team Rose had arrived at The Frog Forest as well.

"What is this place supposed to be?" Johnny asked.

"Looks like a rainforest," Peter said. "Let's hurry before Eggman trashes the place."

"You all ready?" Amy asked.

"For Chocola," Cream said.

"And Froggy," Big added.

"And for robot smashing!" Johnny said as he sent a fireball at a group that immediately destroyed them. "Hell yeah!"

"Traveling through the Forest, not ideal for me," Peter said.

"Hey it'll be fine," Johnny said. "Swinging around a jungle place shouldn't be too different than the city. Just watch out for trees there, Tarzan."

"...I think you mean George," Peter said. "Tarzan isn't a clutz."

"Same thing," Johnny said.

"Jungle survival ain't that bad, it just require common sense and good survival instincts," Logan said. "I don't suppose either of you city boys got that survival instinct?"

"I can survive a lot better than you, old timer," Johnny said.

"Put yer money where yer mouth is, then," Logan said.

"Speaking of money," Johnny turned to Amy. "What's the currency here? I found this at the Casino place." Johnny showed off a coin. "It looks so unusual."

"Oh, that's a Mobium," Amy said. "It's typical currency we have here on Mobius."

"A Mobium?" Peter asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious. Why is the currency named after the planet?"

"It's possible the planet was named after the currency," Johnny said.

"Still, it's like calling our currency an Earthium," Peter said. "Is there anything else?"

"I heard about something called 'Robotnik-Bucks'," Amy said. "But that's probably just one of Eggman's scams."

"Wouldn't be surprised," Peter said. "So only one form of currency across the whole planet? Pretty odd considering Earth has Dollars, Yen, Pesos and all that other stuff. Twilight even came across something called 'Gil' once."

"Mobius having one form of currency isn't that weird in the long run," Johnny said. "Some currency is universal."

"What does that mean?" Amy asked.

"In some parts of the galaxy, they have something called 'Units'," Johnny said. "Some planets call them 'Credits', but they're still the same thing. It's a type of currency shared across all of them. Like if a Kree from Planet Hala went to Skrullos for stuff, that Kree can use Credits and the Skrulls would accept it."

"Wow, that's neat!" Amy said. "You know a lot, Johnny."

"Well I am an astronaut," Johnny said. "Me and my family like exploring space. I've had more time to do so after graduating UA. Sometimes I get to pilot. Mostly whenever Ben needs a break."

"Exploring space sounds like so much fun!" Amy said. "You're lucky you have those resources, Johnny."

"I guess I am," Johnny said.

"Ever since visiting Earth, I have been curious about other planets," Amy said. "I'd like to see them someday."

"Well just be careful, some of these places are not friendly," Johnny said. "The Kree from Hala aren't exactly friendly. And my family aren't exactly good buddies with Skrulls."

"Well there are other places, right?" Amy asked. "I bet we can find something fun in no time."

"Things from outer space can be a blessing or a curse," Peter glanced down at his hand as he clenched it. "Sometimes you never know which one."

"Well we know our friends here are blessings," Johnny said. "And right now, we should focus on protecting this planet. Afterwards, I'm going on a tour."

"That sounds fun, if you'd like, I can take you to Northstar Island," Amy said. "I have a friend that lives there, she'll be so happy to meet you. But, fair warning, she's a bit shy."

"I can handle talking to a shy lady. Why some would say that I really know how to..." Johnny flamed on. "Light up a conversation."

"...Lame," Peter said.

"Your face is lame!" Johnny retorted.

Suddenly some robots flew by, focusing their sights on the team below.

"Cheese, get ready to fight!" Cream ordered.

"Chao!" Cheese said.

Johnny smirked at the robots, "Bring it on!

Team Dark had arrived next, immediately trashing some Egg Pawns upon arrival.

"Guess Eggman's here too," Rainbow Dash said as she stood over a fallen robot. "Man, is there any place we won't run into his stupid robots?'

"When Eggman attacks, the whole planet knows," Rouge said. "It's so inconvenient."

"One more reason for us to keep going," Twilight said. "Everyone ready?"

"I will find out just who I truly am," Shadow said as he led the others.

Twilight turned her attention toward Rouge. "Shouldn't you say something?"

"Me?" Rouge asked.

"Well yeah, you and Shadow know each other, don't you?" Twilight said. "You worked with him during that Space Colony ARK incident."

"I really don't know what to tell him," Rouge said. "He doesn't remember a thing anyway."

"Isn't there anything you can say?" Twilight asked.

"He barely talked to me when he did have his memory," Rouge said. "The only thing I really know about him is that he was really close to a girl named Maria."

"Hm..." Rainbow Dash made her way over to Shadow as he stood over a fallen machine. She knelt down next to the hedgehog to speak. "So, Shadow..."

"What is it?" Shadow asked.

"All of this adventuring, fighting these robots, Eggman, everything," Rainbow Dash said. "Doesn't any of this ring a bell?"

"Can't say that it does," Shadow said.

"What about me? Don't you remember me?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Or at least Rouge?"

"..." Shadow turned away from the girl.

"Come on dude, don't start with the silent cool guy act," Rainbow Dash said. "Even I can tell you're worried and that something's bothering you. It's the same look Peter has when he tries to hide his own feelings."

"Who is Peter?" Shadow asked.

"Spider-Man, do you remember him?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How about Jacky Bryant or his sister Sarah? Or Tails? Or Knuckles? Or Johnny? What about Amy? From what I've heard, you at least seem to respect her."

"Amy?" Shadow asked. "I don't know an Amy. Or, I don't think I do..."

"Man, no memories at all?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What about Sonic?"

"...Sonic..." Shadow grabbed his head as he felt a surge of pain. "That blue hedgehog..."

"You're getting there," Rainbow Dash said.

Shadow shook his head, "Sorry, I don't remember anything else. It's all a blur."

"That's fine, at least you tried," Rainbow Dash said. "It's cool though, we'll help you out."

"Very well," Shadow said. "That is...appreciated."

"Until then, let's keep smashing robots," Rainbow Dash said. "I bet that'll jog your memory."

"It does relieve stress," Shadow said as he charged. "Let's go!"

Team Chaotix were the last to arrive in the forest.

"Alright, we're here," Lanolin said. "Now what?"

"This is your next mission," the radio said. "There are huge frogs in this jungle. Once they begin to croak, it will rain and you will be spotted easily. Get through the jundle without being detected by the frogs.

"A test of stealth is it?" Epsio asked. "No trouble at all."

"Maybe for you and Whisper," Lanolin said. "But, we got a certain pair who make way too much noise."

"Who could that be!?" Charmy asked.

"Yeah, those people need a stern talking to!" Tangle said.

Lanolin grumbled in annoyance, "Let's just try to get through as quietly as possible."

"YEAH!" Charmy and Tangle shouted.

"BE QUIET!" Vector scolded, loud enough for a frog to hear as it began ribbiting.

"Smooth move Vector," Charmy taunted.

"Yeah Vector, what gives?" Tangle asked. "This is supposed to be a stealth mission."

"Why you..." Vector looked ready to thrash the two loudmouths.

"Let's try that from the beginning, shall we?" The Radio said.

Team Sonic ventured further into the Jungle, with Knuckles keeping his guard up.

"Are you sure it's safe around here?" Knuckles asked.

"We should be fine, as long as we try to avoid the frogs," Sally said. "Rain isn't bad but it can be very distracting."

"Robots incoming!" Bunnie warned as she fired at the creatures.

Sally grabbed a gun from a destroyed robot and opened fire as well, "Let's keep pushing through!"

"On it!" Sonic said as he used his speed to destroy the robots. He came across a few flying ones, then called out to his little buddy. "Tails!"

"On it!" Tails said, then picked Sonic up to throw him toward the robot.

Suddenly the spikes began to stick out, much to Sonic's worry. "Whoa!" He positioned himself to kick off the robot without touching the spikes. "That was close!"

"I got this one!" Tails grabbed some rings and threw them at the robot to destroy it.

"What was zat!?" Antoine asked.

"Fake rings I made," Tails said. "Not too different from some of the Power Rings we've come across, only with a negative effect."

"Great invention, Tails!" Sally said as she blasted the second robot with Bunnie blasting the third one.

One robot dashed toward Knuckles, which he swiftly defeated with a punch. He then took out two others that tried to ambush him. "Let's keep moving."

As they walked along, a robot was knocked near their direction. Sonic turned and spotted some familiar faces, "Check it out! Mighty and Ray!"

"Mighty and Ray!?" Sally noticed the two nearby taking out some robots. What made her curious was seeing a third girl. "Who's she?"

"Wow, I think that's Trip!" Tails said.

"Trip huh? That's a nice surprise," Sonic called out. "Mighty! Ray! Trip!"

Trip was the first to notice the others, "Mighty! Ray! I see Sonic! I also see Tails and Knuckles!"

Mighty turned his attention to Sonic, "Well I'll be. Hey Sonic! You treading through alright!?"

"Sure are!" Sonic said as he and the others went to meet with Mighty. "This place is nuts, isn't it?"

"Yeah, so many evil robots," Mighty said.

"I'm glad you boys are doing okay," Sally said. "I see you've been fighting hard."

"Oh yes, all for you P-Princess!" Ray said.

"P-P-Princess!?" Trip said before hiding her face behind her helmet.

"Trip, it's cool, Sally's friendly," Mighty said, then turned to Sally. "Forgive her, she can be really shy."

"It's cute," Sally lightly lifted Trip's helmet. "Thank you for fighting, your service is appreciated."

"Y-yes, of c-c-course, P-P-Princess Sally!" Trip nervously said.

"Geez, you stutter worse than Ray sometimes," Mighty said.

"Hey!" Ray scolded.

"Anyway, let's keep clearing the forest," Mighty said. "There's a lot of animals here, and we want to create a place where they can be safe."

"By the way, have you seen any humans here?" Sally asked.

"Humans?" Trip replied.

"Overlanders," Sally emphasized. "Have you seen any?"

"I think I saw some at the Bullet Station," Mighty said. "Three females, along with a suspicious looking trio."

"Did you get a good look at them?" Sally asked.

"Things were moving too fast, so I couldn't get a better look," Mighty said.

"I see," Sally replied. "Well thanks for keeping us alert."

"Of course," Mighty turned to Knuckles. "Good to see you again, Knux."

"Right back at you," Knuckles said.

"By the way, I ran into The Chaotix recently," Mighty said. "They have some new recruits. Mostly girls."

"The Chaotix huh? Sounds interesting," Knuckles said. "That actually might explain why Antoine thought he saw a crocodile."

"Keep an eye out, they might have come this way," Mighty said.

"We will," Knuckles said. "Alright, let's split up."

"Good luck with everything on your end," Sally said.

"Same with you, Princess," Mighty said as he and his team left.

"That was a nice surprise," Sonic said. "So, you ready to keep going, Sal?"

"Yes, let's," Sally said.

Not too far away, Team Rose also ventured further inside the Jungle, with Big looking ahead.

"I wonder if Froggy is here in the jungle?" Big asked. "I feel like he's near."

"Gotta say, this place is kind of cool," Johnny said as he glanced at all the trees. "I wish Reed, Sue and Ben were here. This world's one of a kind."

"It is pretty neat, huh?" Amy asked. "It makes adventuring here all the better."

"Shame what Eggman's trying to do," Johnny said. "But hey, I'm used to seeing big threats on alien planets I've visited."

"Don't worry, once this is over, you can explore Mobius to your heart's content," Amy said. "Later you can bring your family too."

"I'd like to also bring my nephew, but he might be too young for this right now," Johnny said. "Definitely in the future though."

"Hey, hurry up!" Logan called.

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," Johnny said as he followed along.

Amy walked along and spotted a flying robot, "Look in the air!"

"I got this," Peter was about to attack when spikes came shooting out. "Whoa!"

"Oh careful, that robot has spikes!" Cream said.

"So like a porcupine, huh? Time for long distance," Johnny blasted the robot with his fire. "Boom!"

"Nice work," Amy said.

"Amy, you can do something like that, right?" Peter asked. "Make yourself all spikey?"

"It's easier when I don't have my hair tied up," Amy said as she removed her headband to let her quills flow more freely. "It's not my preferred way of attack, if anything I can prick someone but my hammer is much more effective."

"Wow, you look so pretty with your quills down," Cream said.

"Aw, you're sweet," Amy said.

"Cream's not wrong," Johnny knelt by Amy. "I bet you got guys surrounding you."

"Some boys maybe, but my heart belongs to Sonic," Amy said as she fixed her quills up. "He and I are going to get married one day."

"Gotta say, you're pretty confident about that," Johnny said. "Just watch out, life isn't always kind."

"I'm aware," Amy said.

"Sonic's quite the guy, he's probably got other girls vying for him," Johnny said. "Some are pretty close to him too."

"I'm aware of that too," Amy said. "But until that day comes, I'm staying optimistic."

"Have yer crush if you want, just don't do anything foolish," Logan said. "Last thing you want is to put yourself in a position that will endanger you both."

"I know that risk all too well," Amy said, then flexed her arms. "That's why I've been training to get stronger. These rings on my hands aren't just for show after all."

"Amazing how you can be so girly and tomboyish at the same time," Johnny said. "Then again, even Rainbow Dash has her girly moments, so I guess there's some balance."

They heard some ribbiting nearby, which got Big's attention. "Froggy?"

The frog however was a forest frog, who's ribbiting caused a bit of rain.

"Not Froggy," Big said as he pulled out his Umbrella.

Peter used his webbing to make a quick Umbrella as well while Johnny controlled his fire, mostly for the girls.

"A little something to keep you ladies dry," Johnny said.

"Thanks Johnny, you're a real gentleman," Amy said. "Just like Sonic."

Johnny furrowed his brow and shortened the fire umbrella to only shield Cream.

"Hey!" Amy shouted.

"What? You wanted me to be like Sonic," Johnny teased.

"Oooooh, you're such a pain sometimes!" Amy said.

Not too far off, Team Dark were seen making their way through the Jungle as well.

"Whoa, that's a lot of water," Rainbow Dash said.

"It's a swamp, so be careful," Rouge warned.

"I'd rather just be careful of those frogs," Twilight said. "Imagine making rain using croaks."

"It's so fascinating," Fluttershy said as she glanced around at the plants and the trees,. "The Flora and Fauna in this world are incredible!"

"Too bad it's so dangerous," Rainbow Dash said. "Also, frogs should not be controlling the weather. Good thing they're not in Equestria, I would have been out of a job."

"We still need to get through this place," Shadow gestured ahead. "To that tree."

"Oh my..." Fluttershy noticed the giant tree that Shadow was gesturing to. "So amazing..."

Lastly The Chaotix were heading through the Jungle, relieved to have been done with their last task.

"We made it, it wasn't easy though," Vector said.

"It was easy for me and Whisper," Espio said.

"Don't be a show-off," Vector warned, then spoke to the radio. "What now?"

"Here is your next mission," The Radio said. "There are many chao living in this forest. Find them and protect them from Eggman."

"Why are we protecting chao?" Lanolin asked.

Tangle gasped in shock, "Lanolin...how could you say that!? Do you WANT Eggman to hurt those adorable chao!?"

"That aside, chao are mythical creatures, and are believed to be descendants of a powerful God," Espio said. "Eggman may want to capture them for their connection alone."

"I heard of that story," Whisper said. "It had to do with the lost Echidna tripe."

"That is correct," the radio said. "I...I mean, Eggman himself unleashed that same powerful creature on another planet many years ago. It was thanks to that rotten...I mean, heroic blue hedgehog Sonic that the world was spared."

"Sonic again?" Tangle asked. "Wow, he really gets around."

"Well you were given your assignment, now get to it," The radio said.

"This whole thing better be worth it," Lanolin said. "We should charge this guy for every odd job we have to do."

"Let's worry about that later and just focus on what we have to do," Vector said.

"Guys, I found a chao! In the tree!" Charmy said.

"That was fast," Whisper said. "Hurry Charmy, retrieve it!"

"You got it!" Charmy said as he flew up to the tree. Upon looking, he felt very disappointed. "Never mind, it wasn't a chao!" He pulled out the Cyan Chaos Emerald. "It was this weird rock!"

Whisper's eyes widened in disbelief, "Is that a Chaos Emerald?"

"A Chaos what?" Tangle asked.

"I remember these things from a fighting tournament years ago," Espio said. "It was one of my earlier encounters with Sonic. These gems are believed to hold mystical power, the same type of power I've even seen Sonic make use of."

"Incredible power huh?" Vector asked, then heard a gun cock. He turned to see Fang aiming his cork revolver at him while Bean and Bark stood by his side.

"Alright, hand over the Chaos Emerald, and no one gets hurt!" Fang warned.

"Speaking of that tournament," Espio turned around. "I never expected to see you again, Fang."

"Huh? Wait, you're that ninja from years ago!" Fang said in disbelief.

"I remember him too!" Bean said. "Should we beat him up!?"

"I suggest you leave, before you yourselves experience your own pain," Whisper warned.

"What do we do?" Bean asked.

"We take the Emerald!" Fang said. "We can take them! Now charge!"

A few seconds later.

The Chaotix are seen walking away and having left Fang, Bean and Bark immobilized on the ground.

"I'll...get them...for this..."

Later Sonic's Team had finally made their way through the jungle, though as they neared the edge, they came across some familiar faces.

"Look it's that hedgehog," Shadow said.

"Wonder what the big rush is all about?" Rouge asked. "Those guys are probably going to get in my way and make trouble."

"Yo! Sonic!" Rainbow Dash called. "Up here!"

"Huh?" Sonic looked up and saw some familiar faces, including one he hadn't expected to see again in his life time. "No way..."

"Hey, isn't that...?" Knuckles asked in disbelief. "But, didn't he...you know?"

"Ah recognize Rouge, but who's that robot?" Bunnie asked. "And that other hedgehog?"

"I don't believe it," Sally said. "It's Shadow! He's alive!"

"Wow, guess I'm not the only one who dies hard," Sonic teased.

"Long time no see everyone, too bad you came all this way for nothing," Rouge taunted. "We'll take it from here."

"What'd you say!?" Knuckles asked while raising his fist.

"Rouge, please don't pick anymore fights!" Twilight scolded.

"Censors locked on Eggman," Omega said. "Non compliant intruders will be destroyed!"

"Omega, you too!?" Twilight asked. "We're not here to pick a fight! Let's try avoiding that please!"

"Sorry, but if they're obstacles in our way to finding Eggman, then we're going to have to ask them to give up the chase," Rouge said.

"Like hell we will!" Knuckles warned.

"Yeah, don't you know? We have a date with Eggman too!" Sonic said.

"Is that so?" Shadow smugly asked. "Well then, it'll be a date to DIE for!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Sonic said as he prepared for a fight.

Shadow leapt down with Team Dark, looking ready for a showdown.

"Shadow, what are you doing!?" Tails asked. "Don't you remember us!?"

"Am I supposed to?" Shadow asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Knuckles asked.

"He has amnesia," Rainbow Dash said. "Shadow, we shouldn't be fighting! We gotta find Eggman!"

"You yourself said that fighting would jog my memory," Shadow focused on Sonic. "And I need to know more about my past!"

Shadow and Sonic collided, the shockwave nearly knocking everyone over.

"Alright, that's it!" Knuckles looked ready to attack, but Omega got in his way. "Step aside before I turn you into scrap metal!"

"Sensors indicate you are strong," Omega said. "But not strong enough to oppose me."

"As if!" Knuckles punched Omega in the chest and dashed in to attack again, but was blasted back.

"Well, I guess there was a fight after all," Rouge said.

"Rouge!" Tails stepped toward the bat. "I'm here for my rematch!"

"Rematch?" Rouge recalled what happened a few years ago. "Oh yes, I guess that kiss was too much for you, huh?"

"You made me look like a fool!" Tails said. "Do you know how embarrassing it was to lose like that!?"

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it," Rogue playfully pinched Tails's cheek. "You were just so cute."

"Hey!" Tails pulled away as Bunnie stepped forward.

"Listen here now, I'm gonna need ya to stop teasing this poor boy," Bunnie said.

"Who's teasing him?" Rouge asked. "I'm just having fun."

"Look, call yer boys off," Bunnie said as she gestured to the fighting Sonic and Shadow, then Knuckles and Omega. "We ain't got time fer this."

"You try controlling a pair of hot heads," Rouge said.

Rainbow Dash turned to her magical friend, "Twilight, can't you stop them or something!?"

"They're hard to keep track of," Twilight said as she tried following Sonic and Shadow. "They're so fast!"

Sally pulled her pad out, "Nicole, any suggestions on slowing Sonic down? Or Shadow for that matter!?"

"This data is beyond my capabilities," Nicole said. "Truth be told, I do not believe I can analyze anything useful regarding Shadow. He is a mystery."

Shadow got knocked near the edge, but then dashed in and knocked Sonic into Knuckles, leaving both on the ground.

"Hey watch it, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted.

"Not like I did that on purpose!" Sonic shouted back.

As Shadow was about to approach the two, Sally stood in his path.

"Shadow! Stand down!" Sally warned. "That's an order!"

"An order?" Shadow asked.

"I am The Princess of Mobius, and I am your direct authority!" Sally said as she pointed right at Shadow. "I am not asking, I am ordering you to stand-!"

Shadow then grabbed Sally by the wrist and began squeezing, "Order...?" Some images flashed through his head as he squeezed tighter.

"Hey! Let go!" Sally tried pulling away but Shadow only squeezed tighter, causing a lot of pain for the girl. "Unhand me!"

"Shadow! Let her go!" Sonic warned.

Shadow began breathing hard as images of men with guns flashed through his mind.

"Find the hedgehog! That's an order!"

"An...order!?" Shadow felt his anger rising at he glared at Sally. "Here's what I think of your order!"

Shadow seemed to be readying a Chaos Spear when he took a strong punch to the face from Sonic, this freeing Sally from his grasp as she fell to her knees.

"Shadow! What's the matter with you!?" Sonic angrily asked.

"I..." Shadow looked around in a slight panic as he began to nervously step away. "I gotta go!"

Shadow leapt off, leaving his team behind for a moment.

"Shadow! Wait up!" Rouge said as she followed.

Omega glanced at Sonic and Sally before following as well.

Sonic helped Sally to her feet, "You okay Sal?"

"I think so," Sally said, the girl feeling shaken up. "What just happened though?"

"I'm not sure," Sonic said. "Shadow was not like himself though."

"It's been like that since Rouge found him in a pod," Rainbow Dash said.

"You said he lost his memory," Sonic said. "How much of his memory exactly?"

"Well he doesn't remember what happened on Earth," Rainbow Dash said. "I don't even know if he remembers that girl, Maria."

"I can't believe he's alive, I thought he died?" Sally said. "Sonic, you said he fell."

"He did," Sonic said. "I thought he was dead too. Guess he survived in the end."

"I'm feeling a bit out of the loop here," Bunnie said. "Just what is the actual story with this Shadow person?"

"You remember the Sunshine Ball thing, right?" Sally asked. "It existed because of what Robotnik did to the moon. That was when Sonic and Shadow first met."

"...Right, ah think I'm remembering that story," Bunnie said.

"I also am remembering ze Sunshine Balls," Antoine said. "Zat Shadow though, he is not like many others we have met."

"He might be a danger if left alone," Sally said. "Once we stop Robotnik, we need to find an detain Shadow somehow."

"Detain might be much, but I would like to get a few words with him," Sonic said.

"Well until then, we should be off," Sally said.

"Hey wait, what about your arm?" Sonic asked. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'll be fine," Sally insisted as she held her arm. "The mission comes first."

"Sal, please, just take a rest first," Sonic said. "If you go out there while you're hurt, it might come back to bite you."

"Well...alright," Sally said. "Just for a bit though."

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Sonic asked. "How about some fruit?"

"No, I'm okay," Sally turned to the three human girls, "Twilight, I hate to ask, but can you and your friends keep an eye on Shadow?"

"Of course," Twilight said. "I'm sorry it came to this."

"Man, those three and picking fights," Rainbow Dash said. "First The Chaotix, now Sonic."

"They ran into The Chaotix too?" Knuckles asked.

"Amy's out there, ah hope they don't run into her," Bunnie said.

"She's with Peter and the others, they'll protect her," Sally said.

"Peter?" Twilight asked. "I should go find him too. Come on girls."

The Equestria Girls pursued Shadow's group, leaving Sonic and his team to rest for a second.

"Shadow..." Sonic couldn't help but wonder how this would change things.

Elsewhere in the Jungle, Amy's team had just run into The Chaotix.

"More overlanders?" Lanolin asked as she noticed Peter and the others. "What's going on?"

"Vector, our mission," Whisper reminded as she gestured to Cream.

"I got this," Vector said as he focused on the group before him. specifically Amy. "Excuse me, young miss. I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in being asked on a date," Amy said.

"A date!?" Vector shouted in annoyance. "You really think I would flirt with some brat like you!?"

"Hey lay off the girl dude," Johnny said. "We're busy, if it isn't important-"

Whisper aimed her weapon, "I would not move if I were you."

"That's right!" Tangle said as she also looked ready to fight.

"...You do not want to do this," Johnny warned.

"That will be for us to decide," Whisper warned.

"Now hand over that chao you have, nice and easy," Espio warned.

Cream held Cheese close to her, "Were you the ones who took Chocola-Chao!?"

"Who!?" Vector asked.

"It's not nice to tease my friends!" Big warned in an atypically angry tone.

"You six are starting to piss me off," Logan warned. "Take a hike, or I will turn that sheep girl's wool into a new sweater for my daughter."

Lanolin held her hair defensively, "You barbarian!"

Charmy looked between the two sides excitedly as he made a declaration, "Yeah, time to rock and roll!"

"This could end so easily if you just give us the chao!" Tangle warned.

Logan unsheathed his claws while grinning at The Chaotix, "Come and get it then."

Tangle's eyes widened in disbelief, "How...how did he do that? Can Overlanders do that now? Could those girls have done it?"

"What girls?" Peter asked.

"You do not intimidate us," Espio said. "You will fall to us!"

"Dream on," Amy said. "There's no way we're going down to a bunch of loser skirt chasers like you!"

Whisper checked her weapon to make sure it was properly loaded, "I don't know if I have much in my arsenal, but I will try."

Vector shot a fireball at the group that Peter blocked with his webbing, "I don't think so."

"Was that a web?" Tangle asked. "Like a spider!?"

"Nice fire, my turn," Johnny's body lit up. "FLAME ON!"

"GAH!" Lanolin shouted in disbelief. "HOW!?"

Espio flung his shuriken while Whisper fired her weapon, to which Amy deflected both attacks with her hammer.

"My turn!" Amy slammed the hammer down to knock The Chaotix off balance.

"I'll stop he!" Charmy flew in to sting Amy but Cheese rammed the bee out of the air.

"Good job, Cheese!" Cream cheered.

"Geez, where did Eggman find these minions!?" Tangle asked.

"Eggman!?" Amy asked in disbelief. "What makes you think we're working for Eggman!"

"Yeah, we hate Eggman!" Johnny said.

"Well I hate...I mean..." The Radio spoke up. "Enough! That Chao is not what I require!"

"Wait, so this Chao isn't part of the protection list?" Lanolin asked.

"No, it belongs to that little girl," The Radio said.

Tangle turned to Cream, "That's your pet Chao?"

"Yes, his name is Cheese," Cream said.

"Ooooh," Vector sheepishly replied. "Sorry about that, we thought you were Eggman thugs sent to capture chaos."

"You picked a fight with us because you thought we were kidnapping chaos?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, we thought you were the bad guys," Charmy said. "Easy mistake, right?"

"Easy mistake!?" Peter asked. "Next time you're confused about something, maybe don't walk up to a person and pick a fight like that!"

"Seriously you asked for Cheese in such a threatening way," Johnny said. "You sounded like thieves."

"Was it really that threatening?" Espio asked.

"Perhaps a little," Whisper said, then bowed to the others. "We apologize for the misunderstanding."

"Yeah well don't do it again," Peter said. "By the way, what's this about some girls earlier?"

"We ran into Overlander Females," Charmy said. "They were with a robot, a black hedgehog and a bat with boobies. Big boobies too! Bigger than Lanolin's!"

"Charmy! What the hell!?" Lanolin shouted as she covered up.

"A bat and a black hedgehog?" Peter asked. "Sounds like Rouge and Shadow. But Shadow's dead, isn't he?"

"You figure that out, we have a job to do," Lanolin left. "Let's go everyone."

"Wait, have you seen a hedgehog named Sonic around?" Amy asked. "He should be traveling with a two tailed fox, an echidna and Princess Sally Acorn."

Lanolin's eyes widened, "Princess Sally Acorn!?"

"We have not seen Sonic or Princess Sally," Espio said.

"Well thanks...wait," Amy glanced at Espio. "I feel like I know you from somewhere. Have we met?"

"Possibly," Espio said. "What is your name?"

"Amy Rose," The girl said.

"Amy Rose?" Espio took a second to remember. "Wait...were you in a tournament for the Chaos Emeralds? Along with Knuckles the Echidna, Tails the Fox and some bandits named Nack, Bean and Bark!?"

"Yeah, I was!" Amy said. "Oooh, now I remember you! You're Espio!"

"Wow, this is truly a surprise. I almost did not recognize you," Espio said. "Last we met, you were wearing a green shirt and a pink skirt. Your hair was also loose."

"Times change," Amy said. "Looks like you have new friends."

"We are detectives, The Chaotix," Espio said. "We're on a case right now."

"Detectives? And you couldn't even figure out this chao was a pet?" Peter asked. "I wouldn't even trust you guys to find my remote control."

"Peter, be nice!" Amy scolded.

"Well we should be going now," Lanolin turned around and muttered. "Hairless ape."

Peter furrowed his brow while contemplating something.

"Let's hurry, we need to find Chocola and Froggy," Amy said.

"If you don't, hire us to help!" Charmy said.

"Buzz off!" Peter said.

"...That sounds discriminatory," Charmy said, then shrugged it off. "Oh well..."

Later on, Sonic and his team were seen heading towards a castle of sorts.

Antoine was seen shivering as he caught sight of Hang Castle, "What...what is zis place?"

"Sonic, you sure this is the right way?" Tails nervously asked.

"I saw Shadow and Eggman head this way. This has gotta be the right way," Sonic said.

"You think they could be working together again?" Sally asked.

"I doubt it, but I wouldn't put it past them," Sonic said. "Let's explore this place."

"But it's so spooky here!" Tails lamented.

"Oui, I do not think zat Shadow or Robotnik would want to come here," Antoine said.

"Speaking of Shadow," Knuckles began. "What if what we saw earlier...was his ghost!?"

Tails and Antoine huddled with each other as they screamed in terror.

"Stop it, Knuckles!" Tails pleaded.

"Oui, zat is not funny!" Antoine also pleaded.

"Knuckles, knock it off!" Sally scolded as she took Tails to hug him close.

"Don't scare the boys!" Bunnie also scolded as she gently stroked Antoine's arm.

"Like it's my fault they can't handle some..." Knuckles turned around to see a creep spirit, this freaking him out. "GHOST!"

Sonic used his wind to send it away, "Wuss."

"Shut up!" Knuckles shouted.

Team Rose were seen near the castle grounds, and were not too comfortable.

"I think we're lost," Big said.

"This place is creepy!" Cream commented as she nervously looked around.

"I'm with Cream, we should leave before she completely freaks out!" Johnny nervously said while trembling at the building. "Just the sight of that castle has her legs trembling!"

"No they're not," Cream said.

Johnny then hugged Cream close, "Stop being so hysterical Cream! It's no big deal! It's just a castle!"

Cream furrowed her brow in annoyance, "Johnny, can you please stop this? You're being very silly, and not very heroic like."

"Don't worry Cream, I'll protect you from the ghosts!" Johnny declared.

"We can always call Ghostbusters," Peter said.

"Shut up Parker," Logan said.

"Come on, you guys! Don't you want to find Chocola and Froggy?" Amy asked. "We can do this."

"I've gotta get tough for all of us," Big declared.

Team Dark was seen exploring the castle.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Rouge asked in confusion.

"Affirmative," Omega said, then turned around. "Human Females, do not fall behind."

Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash were seen dragging Fluttershy over.

"Please! I don't want to be here! I want to leave!" Fluttershy said in terror.

"Fluttershy, it's just a castle!" Twilight said. "We've been through the Everfree Forest, we've seen worse!"

"If anything, just do what Pinkie would do," Rainbow Dash said. "Giggle at the Ghosts."

"R-Right, Giggle at the Ghosts!" Fluttershy said while nervously laughing. That feeling did not last. "I really wish Logan was here..."

Rouge then noticed that something was bothering Shadow. :What's up? Something on your mind?"

"Well..." Shadow was about to say something, but shook it off. "Never mind! Let's go." He ran ahead and began to think to himself. "That blue hedgehog like me. What did the doctor say about my memory? And just who am I?"

Meanwhile Team Chaotix were seen heading over as well, still feeling foolish about what happened in the Frog Forest.

"Talk about a huge misunderstanding," Espio said.

"It was shameful," Whisper said.

"Yeah, we sure made fools of ourselves," Vector said.

"Nothing new for you, Vector!" Charmy taunted.

"What!?" Vector shouted. "You were the one who jumped at the chance-!"

"No time for arguing! Now's the time to be on guard! It's very mysterious around here!" The Radio said.

"That's an understatement," Lanolin said, then turned around in annoyance. "Tangle, can you please let go?"

"Sure..." Tangle nervously looked at the castle while holding tight.

"Let...go...off...me..." Lanolin warned, to which Tangle backed away. "Come on, it's just a silly castle."

"I see a ghost," Charmy said, this freaking out Lanolin and Tangle.

Whisper shook her head in annoyance, "This will be a pain."

Back in the present, Manik spoke up. "Are there a lot of ghosts in this story?"

"Tch, afraid of ghosts Manik?" Knuckles asked. "Not very brave."

"Says the one screaming every five seconds," Sonic said.

"Those were warrior cries!" Knuckles said. "Listen, I've been through Pumpkin Hill and I fought King Boom Boo. I can handle some silly ghosts."

"Didn't Johnny mostly handle King Boom Boo?" Tails asked. "With Rainbow Dash too?"

"Put a lid on it!" Knuckles warned.

"Hey! Watch it!" Fiona warned back.

"Don't make us slap the hell out of you!" Mina warned as well.

"Hey, grow up you three," Sonia scolded, then turned to her mother. "So, did you run into ghosts?"

"Well, we did run into a few," Amy admitted. "We'll just skip to the end. Big had just found a second Chaos Emerald. The Silver one. Then that's when we spotted Eggman."

In the past.

"You mustached monkey! Give us back Froggy and Chocola!" Amy shouted as her team chased Eggman.

"Also I'm burning this castle!" Johnny shouted.

Shadow also noticed from a distance, "Omega, is that Doctor Eggman? The real one?"

"Sensors are jammed, cannot verify if that is the real Eggman," Omega said.

"Wow, great timing dude," Rainbow Dash said.

Vector also spotted the scientist, "There's that mustached buffoon!"

"Buffoon! I am the greatest..." The Radio cleared his voice. "I mean, stop him!"

"This is going to cost you extra," Vector said.

"A lot extra!" Lanolin said.

Lastly Sonic and his team spotted Eggman.

"That better be the real Robotnik," Sally said.

"I think he's heading toward one of his ships," Sonic said. "Let's follow him and end his plans!"

"Right behind you!" Sally said.

The plan to defeat Eggman was drawing nearer.

Notes:

Part two of all this. Less Castle, more exploration.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Roses and Acorns