Later in the evening, Sonic, friends, and whole Thorndyke family were supping in a beautiful dining room with sparkling crystallized chandeliers hanging over and was decorated with wallpapers of Renaissance art. The food was exquisite and delicious. Opera music was playing in the room. Tails supped his fancy dinner. "This place is totally fancy! And the food is awesome! I feel like a knight at the round table!"

"I know! I feel like a real lady being cordially invited to a royal dinner!" Cream said. Cheese chirped in agreement.

"Let's remember our table manners, dears," Vanilla reminded.

"Yes, Mama," Cream answered.

"That means you, Sonic. Feet down," Amy ordered.

Sonic who was sitting inappropriately, placed his feet on the floor.

"Also, elbows off the table, Sonic," Amy pointed out.

"Yes, Mom," replied Sonic reluctantly.

"Wow, this dining room's a lot bigger than my school cafeteria," Chris said. "It's like eating in a castle, huh, Grandpa?"

"Yes, indeed, my boy," Chuck said.

Sonic took the last bite of his meal and let out a huge belch. "Ah! That was great!" He announced. Amy kicked him. "I mean, excuse me! Heh heh!"

Robert was having a conversation with his family. "And then I said 'of course I can remove your 15 minute of your lunch hour, I'm the boss!' HA HA HA! What I say GOES!" He accidental whacked the serving dish off of his servants hands. It crashed to the floor. Robert turned around from his chair, "what are you doing? What is the matter with you? We have guests! Honestly! Clean that mess up right now!" He ordered.

The servant scrambled to clean up the mess. "Yes, sir! Sorry!"

Robert turned back around. "Teh! I tell ya! It's so hard to find good help these days!"

Nelson chuckled dubiously. "Well, maybe if you were a little, more understanding...they might take a little more seriousness..."

Robert's amber eyes glared at him like he doesn't like to be told what to do.

"Not that I think you're not a good boss, Robert," Nelson said. "I was just suggesting that maybe, you should, lighten up."

"Nelson, if I was any more softer than gelatin, I wouldn't have any employees left." Robert said. You gotta be firm to be in control. I've got a lot of stuff to teach you about being the better boss, little brother."

"Which reminds me, Christopher, you will be attending school with Carter first thing in the morning." Karolyn said.

"I will?" Chris looked up.

"Of course, I already laid out some clothes for you," Karolyn said. "Carter's school uniform should be able to fit you."

"Hmph!" Carter grunted like he didn't want to share.

"Chris is going to private school?" Chris' parents exclaimed.

"But Chris is on vacation," Amy said. "I thought all schools were out for the summer."

"Here in Solaropolis, we don't take vacations," Carter said. "We work hard."

The gang looked surprised.

"What my son is saying is that we want you to share the same experience how we Solaropolians live," Robert said. "Because of the solar powered conveniences, we got the time to finish what we started, like say, a science project or study group. We just love to be productive and get things done right away."

"Wow! These people here are workaholics!" Sonic said.

"Sounds like my kind of place to live," Tails said.

"What do they do for fun here?" Cream asked.

"We have tons of fun here, dear," Karolyn said. "There's museums, art galleries, parks, everything." She turned to her nephew. "Perhaps Carter will show you the sights on the way or after school. Won't that be fun, Carter dear?"

"Tsk!" Carter scoffed in response, chewing his steak.

Chris, Sonic, and the gang looked at each other in question.

"Is he mad at me?" He whispered to Sonic. Sonic just shrugged back in response.

"Wow! Imagine my grandson going to an all-boys' school for the first time," Chuck said.

"Hmm...I've never been to private school before," Chris said. "I wonder what'll it be like."

"What kind of school do you go to, Chris?" His cousin asked, tipping his glass of milk to his mouth.

"Well, uh...I go to elementary school." Chris admitted.

Carter snickered through the glass. "You go to public school? HA HA HA!" He cracked.

"Carter!" Karolyn hissed.

"Sorry, Mother, but it's just too funny!" Carter chortled censoriously. "Imagine, a rich kid like Chris going to public school with a pack of commoners!"

Chris felt awkward. "Commoners?" He thought about his friends.

"Yeesh! What a snob!" Amy said.

"What's wrong with public school?" Tails asked.

Nelson patted his son in the back as saying "don't pay any attention to him."

Meanwhile, Bokkun was flying through the night in the big city. He was looking tired. "Ohhh...can I go to bed now, Doctor? I've been looking around for hours!"

"No way, Bokkun!" Eggman shouted through the communicator watch. "Nobody's sleeping until we find that hedgehog!" He and his henchbots were located somewhere in the Solaropolis junkyard. He's hiding out until he hatches his heinous plan.

"He never lets anyone sleep," Bocoe commented.

"We've haven't got any rest since we were activated," Decoe complained.

"Quiet, you idiots!" Eggman snapped. "Do you want to be discovered before we even get a chance to attack Sonic? Now where could that blasted Bokkun be? He better find that blue spiky freak and his flea-bitten friends!"

Bokkun flew around in the dark estates until he came across a lit palace. He decided to check it out. He looked the window and spotted Sonic and his friends in the dining room. "Uh, doctor?" He called through the communicator watch. "I think I found Sonic and his friends."

"Well?" Eggman answered. "What are they doing?"

"Well, it appears that they're having dinner at some kind of huge fancy palace or something. I-"

"WHAT?! Sonic gets invited to dinner at a palace?!" Eggman screamed in ire. "That mangy blue rodent isn't even royalty! This is soooo unfair!" He slammed his fists down.

"Royal dining? That sounds like fun." Decoe said sadly.

"Even the king and queen likes him," Bocoe added in envy. "What a cruel world we live in!"

Eggman growled in vengeance. "I'll get you, Sonic! I'll get you yet!"

"I know what we can do; Let's go sightseeing tomorrow!" Vanilla suggested.

"Good idea, Mama," Cream said. "We're going to have lots of fun!"

"Yeah! We can do lots of shopping at the biggest malls there!" Amy said.

"And I get to go with you since after all I'm on vacation!" Ella said, arriving with the other maids with extra dishes.

"Not me. A butler's work is hardly done," Tanaka added.

"You know, you don't have to do that, Tanaka," Karolyn said. "You're our guest and we have plenty of servants."

"Don't worry about me," Tanaka said. "I just simply enjoy my job very much."

"Just make sure you be back in time at 7:30 for the charity ball tomorrow," Robert said.

"Great. Another formal party," Carter mumbled.

"Did you say something, son?" Robert said.

"Do we have to do this, Father?" Carter asked. "It's always the same thing. I don't like doing this!"

"This is not optional, Carter," his father replied. "It's our duty."

"What if I don't feel like it, huh?" Carter retorted.

"Uh-oh!" Said one of the maids.

"What's the matter?" Ella asked.

"Here we go again!" Said of the servants.

"Here what will go again?" Tanaka asked.

The rest of the family and gang turned to watch.

"Now you listen to me!" Robert said seriously, pointing his finger.

"No, you listen, Father!" Carter retorted. "I'm sick and tired of this baloney! Why do I always have to do every single thing you say?"

"Because I am your father, you do what I say!" Robert replied firmly. "I am a Thorndyke and so are you!"

"Maybe I DON'T want to be a Thorndyke!" Carter raised his voice. "Maybe I'm NOT ONE!"

"Huh?" Everyone wondered about his loud behavior.

"Please, Carter, we have guests," his mother told him softly, touching his arm. "Lower your voice, sweetie."

"Shut up, Mother! You don't tell me what to do!" Carter snapped, snatching his arm back. Karolyn was taken aback.

Everybody gasped in shock. The dining room fell silent. Hercules hissed. Ella nearly dropped the pot of soup. "Oh dear!" She gasped.

"Did...did he just snap at his mom?" Tails uttered.

"Not cool!" Sonic blurted, disturbed by the boy's awful outburst.

"Ahh!" Chris gasped in shock.

"You better watch yourself, boy!" Robert growled warningly, fists clenching. "You deliberately one step closer of getting the belt!" His son just glared at him. "I will NOT tolerate this kind of behavior anymore. You will learn some respect and responsibility. And one day, you'll see how important life is, what it takes to put others first other than yourself."

Carter grunted in frustration. "Ooh! You're impossible! You never give a darn about me! All you care about are your stupid fancy affairs! Your so-called foundations for the stupid idle people of Solaropolis!"

"Carter Elijah Thorndyke! You are deliberately draining my patience here!" Robert fumed, standing up. He was getting fed up. "Whether you like it or not, you will attend the charity ball tomorrow and you're going do it without any attitude!"

"Fine!" Carter shouted, standing up too. The chair fell. "But don't think that I won't behave! You can't always boss me around! Duh!" He folded his arms in defiance.

"That does it! Leave the table at once and get upstairs!" Robert ordered. "I'll be up to discuss with your behavior! Get out of my dining room right now!"

"With pleasure! Huh!" Carter angrily threw his napkin down and stormed out of here. "Oh, one more thing, Dad, I never did liked your charities! So you can just shove it up in your-"

"GET OUT NOW!" Robert roared.

"LATER!" Carter shouted. He stomped out of the dining room and slammed the door behind him so hard, the chandelier shook. The dining room was silent. Everyone were still shocked from Carter's disgraceful behavior. Robert angrily slumped back down into his chair and sighed in disgust. He then placed his hand on his face in shame. Karolyn sighed heavily and shook her head in disappointment. Hercules meowed questionably.

"Oh...my...word..." That was all Lindsay could say. Her hand was on her heart.

"J-just w-what was that all a-about?" Chris stuttered.

"That was...truly, just...completely unacceptable!" Nelson said with shock.

"Most definitely uncalled for!" Chuck added.

"That wasn't very nice!" Cream said. Cheese chirped in dismay.

"No, it wasn't!" Tails said.

"How very shameful!" Vanilla added.

"What a brat!" Amy added.

"That was without a doubt, the most uncoolest thing in the world I had ever seen!" Sonic stated, shaking his head in disturbance.

Ella was just as stunned. "I'll, uh, go check on dessert now!" She left the room.

"I'm telling you, Karolyn. I am this close strangling that kid," Robert said angrily. "That boy's going to get a good spanking for this!"

"Oh, Robert, that won't do," Karolyn said.

"Then what are we supposed to do? Huh? I can't take anymore of this!"

"I...I don't know."

"Perhaps, what we need is a good night's sleep," Tanaka nervously suggested. "I'm sure rest will help refresh the young boy's mind."

Nightfall came at the Thorndyke Palace. Everyone was tuning in for the night in a guest room. Sonic grabbed the a bunch of blankets. "There, that's the last one," he said. He handed it to Tails. "Here you go, buddy."

Tails took them. "Thanks, Sonic." The gang were snuggled up in little mattresses.

"Don't you want a blanket, Sonic?" Amy asked. "What if you get cold?"

"Thanks okay," Sonic responded. "I always sleep outside."

"Of course you do, Sonic," Amy said. "That's so you!"

"We get to sleep inside a palace," Cream said. "How cool is that, Cheese?" Cheese chirped in response.

"Sure beats sleeping in a hotel," Tails said, cuddling up in his blanket. "Or the attic."

"I still can't get over Carter's rude behavior tonight," Vanilla said. "His parents are so nice but their son...What kind of child would yell at their own mother?"

"Yeah," Tails agreed. "How can someone be so disrespectful to their parents?"

"I still can't believe Chris and Carter are related," Amy said. "They're so different from each other."

"I thought family members are supposed to be exactly the same," Cream said to her mother.

"Well, some are alike and some are different," Vanilla answered. "I would call this one the black sheep."

"One thing's for sure," Sonic said. "I'm glad we crashed into Chris' place in the first place. Can you imagine what it would been like if we were living with that blue-haired kid?" The gang shuddered at that thought.

"Ooohhhh! I don't even want to think about it!" Tails said. "His attitude was bad enough!"

"Things would have been so bad for us!" Amy said.

"I'm extremely glad Chris isn't like him. He was so good to us!" Cream said, cuddling up close to her mom. "Let's not forget that!" Cheese chirped in agreement.

"I'm sure whatever it is, things will turn out alright," Vanilla said. "It is likely for others who are tired or stressed out will surely act like that. He probably just needs a good night's sleep."

"I hope you're right, Mama," Cream said, drifting off to sleep. "See you in the morning."

"Good night, guys!" Sonic said.

"Good night, Sonic!" Said everyone.

Sonic stepped outside the balcony and laid on the rail like he always does. He gazed at the pretty stars and moon. It felt just like home.

Nelson and Lindsay settled in a guest room. Lindsay set her make-up on the dresser. "There, that should do it for a couple of weeks. Now all I have to do is pick out the perfect gown for your brother's ball tomorrow."

"I'm sure any gown you choose will be just perfect, Lindsay," her husband said, taking off his shoes. "Just make sure you pick a knock-out one, not that I'm trying to impress my brother...Okay, maybe I am. But still, have fun with it. Any gown you chosen is fine by me."

"You know, I'm not really comfortable about sending our son to unknown school by himself," Lindsay said.

"Why not? Chris goes to school by himself everyday. Plus, his cousin Carter will be there with him."

"Yes, but this one's a private school, I'm just not sure if he could handle dozens of preteen boys there."

"Our son's a persistent little guy. I'd say that little rascal could handle anything."

"Well, he always finds himself in a bunch of pickles," Lindsay said, pulling a small photo from her purse. "And yet, he always gets himself out of them in a jiffy." She showed the picture to her husband.

That photograph showed Chris as a baby eating and slurping the bowl of chocolate pudding he knocked over from the kitchen counter. Ella was upset in this picture. Nelson chuckled. "That's true. He always does."

There was a knock on the guest door.

"Who is it?" Nelson asked.

"It's me." A young voice replied.

"Come in." Lindsay said.

Chris entered the guest room. "Hey, Mom and Dad."

"Hello, Chris," the parents said.

Chris approached his parents, "just wanna say good night." He hugged his parents.

"Good night, Chris," Nelson answered, hugging and kissing his son.

"Sweet dreams, darling," Lindsay added, kissing him. "Rest up, you've got a big day tomorrow!"

"Good night, guys!" Chris was about the leave the room when he stopped and turned around. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Chris?" His father answered.

"What was eating Carter tonight? How come he acted so mean at the dinner table?" Chris asked.

"Huh...You know, I'm...I'm not really quite so sure, son," Nelson answered. "I don't know why Carter behaved this way."

"Did you think something happened between them?" Chris asked. "Should we worry about them?"

"Not that I know of. My brother usually just contacts me by the phone," Nelson said. "But whatever is going on, I think it's best if we not interfere."

"That's right," Lindsay agreed. "If it's family business, they will handle it. It'll turn out all right."

"I hope so," Chris said. "Good night."

"Good night, Chris," the parents chorused. "See you in the morning."

Chris left his parents' bedroom and closed the door. Maids and servants walked past him. As Chris merrily walked down the dark hallway, a angry voice was heard from next room, "...you make me so angry! You really do!"

"Huh?" Chris stopped to listen.

His cousin was in there yelling, "it's all you guys ever do here! Just to make me mad!"

His mother was at her dresser, "sweetheart..."

"Don't you 'sweetheart' me, Mother!" Carter snapped. "This is all your fault! Everything here is FAKE! A FRAUD! AN ILLUSION! I HATE THIS! I'M SO SICK OF IT, MOTHER!" Chris listened outside his door to hear what's going on.

"Carter, we are doing everything we can right now..." Karolyn said, giving up on him.

"Oh puh-lease! What do you know about caring? You'd guys never give a dang before! NOT EVER! You think everything revolves around you!"

"Listen! Your father is throwing a charity ball tomorrow for the good of the Thorndyke Industries. It is also a foundation to help those who are less fortunate and in need of guidance. It's our family tradition. A responsibility which we simply cannot turn away."

"Just another excuse to throw a fancy party for yourselves and the rich guys."

"You're not even getting the message! This is not negotiable. For once, try to be voluntary when you're participating with those affairs with us!"

"That's the thing, Mother! I'm always doing the things you guys do! You always get to decide what we should or what we should not do! What about what I want? Huh?! Is that too much to ask?!"

"I'm sorry. What do you want, Carter?"

"All I wanted was to be left alone!"

"You want some time to yourself? Well, we can arrange that. We can call up a cabin reservation, or send you to a spa for a day's vacation or two."

Carter sighed in exasperation. "That's not what I mean! You know what? Screw this! Obviously, there's no use of talking to you or Dad! I'm done here." He turned his back and walked out. "I'm going to bed! Don't wait up!" Without even saying goodnight, he stormed toward the door.

Chris was still listening at the door and was caught by surprise when Carter swung it open. "Ah!" He gasped.

Carter rudely bumped him across the shoulder without saying "excuse me". He pushed a maid aside who nearly dropped the tray she's holding. He stormed down the hallway, shoving two more servants out of his way. Chris watched him in shock, then sighed in dismay. He then turned in his aunt's room who sat on the dresser in daunt. She sniffled from the treatment received from her son. Hercules purred on her side. Chris knocked on her opened door, "Aunt Karolyn?"

Karolyn looked up. "Huh? Oh, Chris. Do come in."

Chris entered the room. "Hi Aunt Karolyn. Is everything ok?" He asked sweetly.

"It...it's nothing to worry about, sweet-face," Karolyn answered, trying to hide her sadness while tending her smooth black hair. "Your cousin and I were just, having a little talk."

"A loud talk if you ask me," Chris said.

"You heard, huh?"

"I think the whole palace heard him. What was it all about anyway?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. He's just being a little..."

"Rude? Bratty?"

Karolyn chuckled lightly. "Kind of. He's been under a lot of pressure lately. You know hard it is when your parents are working a lot and well, you might as well sign up for some other activities just to kill time. He can be pretty lonely sometimes."

"Yeah, I know how he feels. I have my grandpa, Ella, and Tanaka take care of me. Still, I'm pretty lonely when my parents are away," Chris said, rubbing his aunt's back. "If you need any help at all, you can always talk to us, Grandpa, my mom or my dad, or even Sonic."

Karolyn smiled and held her nephew. "You are a good boy, Chris! Thank you!" She kissed him on the forehead. "Your parents are lucky to have you for their son. Your grandfather must be so proud."

Chris smiled humbly as he rubbed his head in modesty. He hoped everything would be alright.