In the heart of the Palmtree Panic Zone, the wreckage creaks softly as it settles after its impact. From first appearances, it seems that no‑one could have survived the impact. But the four involuntary passengers find fortune smiling on them, though whether they'd see it that way is another question entirely.
Deep in the heart of the twisted wreckage, a purple dragoness stirs painfully. Ugh… pain… all over… yet somehow… in one piece… That was quite a ride… lucky to be alive. Slowly, Lilac opens her eyes to see a razor‑sharp spike just an inch from her nose. Yelping loudly in surprise, Lilac whacks her head hard against the twisted metal plate behind her as she pushes away from the spike. "Ow… as if I didn't hurt enough already…"
Rubbing her head, Lilac turns her attention to her surroundings. Sensing no immediate danger, she attempts to get up, only to find her legs pinned beneath what's left of a girder. "Well, this isn't good… Bunnie? Sally? I need a little help."
"Help might be a bit tricky," Sally replies.
Lilac looks to the sound of the chipmunk's voice to find Sally also pinned down ten feet away. "Ah, yeah, I see why," she sighs, noting the torn panels pinning Sally immobile.
"Ah ain't much better off," Bunnie informs, hanging tangled in a mass of wires and cables in the middle of what used to be an open expanse of starship, but is now a dimly‑lit sarcophagus. "Ah would try to free myself, but every move just pulls it tighter."
"And with no Power Ring, I cannot manifest," Nicole informs, her miraculously undamaged handheld resting beside Sally.
"So, we're stuck here until the others come and rescue us," Lilac concludes.
"Yeah," Bunnie confirms.
"Pretty much," Sally agrees.
"Well, that's just fantastic!" Lilac spits sarcastically. "At least this time I'm not being electrocuted by a psychotic alien warlord," she adds rather more quietly, hair whips twitching angrily.
"Well, that's somethin' good, right?" Bunnie asks, a little confused.
"Understatement of the millennium," Lilac sighs, calm again after her brief outburst. "Where's that glow coming from, anyway?"
"The Chaos Emerald above you that's just out of reach," Sally answers.
Lilac looks above her to see the faintly glowing cyan gemstone. "A cyan emerald?"
"Correct," Sally confirms.
"Weird," Lilac comments. "Also, I think I can get it, if I use my hair whips."
Pushing herself as upright as she can, limited as she is by the awkward angle her legs are pinned at, Lilac stretches her hair whips to their limit. Searching by feel, she locates the Emerald and slowly begins to work it free. Sweat runs down Lilac's face due to the effort required, but her toil is successful, the Emerald landing next to her with a clatter.
Lilac collapses from fatigue. "That… was… I can't… wow," she pants.
"You OK?" Sally asks.
"Yeah," Lilac assures. "Just… was a lot… of effort… s'all… Awkward angle." A few deep breaths later, and Lilac has recovered. "So," she continues, picking up the Emerald, "how do you use this thing?"
"Zey should have found ze Emerald by now," Antoine mutters, pacing across the bridge of Sky Patrol once more.
"Chill, 'Twan!" Sonic dismisses, relaxing in the captain's chair. "I'm sure they'll call any second."
"'Chill', he says," Antoine mimics mockingly. "It is easy to be ze chill when it is not your belle amour on zat decaying monstrosity…"
"OK, OK," Sonic concedes. "We'll call them and find out everything is alright. Alright?"
"Alright," Antoine agrees.
Sonic twists around to sit in the chair properly, then taps the appropriate buttons on the control panel. "Huh."
"Are you having ze problem?" Antoine asks.
"I can't get through to them," Sonic reveals. "Can't even pick up Nicole's tracking signal."
"Zat is worrying," Antoine observes.
"Probably just a glitch," Sonic assures. "I'll get Tails to look at it."
"Look at what?" Tails asks as he enters the bridge.
"The radio's not working," Sonic explains.
"Oh, that," Tails replies. "I've already checked it: it's working fine."
"So why can't we get through to Sal?"
"We're about to go and find out."
"Who is?"
"Me, Carol, and Amy."
"What?" Sonic asks, surprised. "I should be going down there!"
"Amy doesn't want you there," Tails reveals. "Seems she's still upset over your little escape at breakfast. Anyway, I just came to fetch Antoine: we'll need both the Tornado and the Twister on this trip."
"So, I can come too?" Sonic asks.
"I'm in ze agreement with Amy," Antoine decides.
Sonic makes to object, but decides against it. "Fine," he relents, slumping in the captain's chair again. "Just… don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Looks who's talking," Tails teases. "Come on Antoine: the quicker we get down there, the quicker we'll know they're OK."
"Nearly got it… Come on… Come on… Almost… Gah!" Lilac slumps back down, exhausted by her attempts to tap into the Emerald's power. "It's no use… I can't tap it."
"Few can," Sally assures.
"If only this was the Water Elemental Crystal," Lilac sighs. "That I can use. I'd have hydrocut us all free in seconds."
"Elemental Crystal?" Bunnie asks.
"They're something that exists on our world," Lilac explains. "In a way, they're a bit like the Chaos Emeralds, as they're a source of seemingly unlimited power. However, to use one, you must have an elemental affinity that matches. I have Water affinity, so I can use the Water Crystal, but the Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth Crystals are inert to me."
"They sound pretty useful," Sally observes.
"They are," Lilac agrees. "They're also incredibly dangerous. I've seen what happened to someone who allowed herself to be consumed by the Fire Crystal's power: it wasn't pretty. But that was nothing compared to what one of my own kin did to get his hands on all five. Shang Tu may look rebuilt, but there's still a lot of work to do before life returns to normal for everyone…"
"When ya say 'one of your kin'…" Bunnie prompts.
"Another dragon," Lilac explains. "But not one from Avalice. I don't know what planet he's from, or if he's the only one, but what I do know is, while he is my kin by way of species, he is not my kin by way of anything that matters. At least he's now safely locked away, never to terrorise the Origin Kingdoms or the Gotoshi ever again."
"Can we talk about somethin' happier?" Bunnie asks.
"Sorry," Lilac apologises. "Guess it did get a bit heavy there…"
"It's OK, sugar‑dragon," Bunnie assures. "We all got our dark stories. Ah just figured it's time for a lighter tale."
"Oh, there is something I want to ask about," Lilac remembers. "Chili dogs: are they any good?"
"Depends on what sorta food you like!" Bunnie answers. "Me, I like 'em. Sugar‑Sal, on the other hand…"
"Oh, don't remind me!" Sally chuckles. "That first time… oh boy…"
"Not so keen, I take it?" Lilac asks, intrigued.
"It didn't help that the first dog I ever had was one made by Sonic," Sally explains. "He likes them spicy. And I mean really spicy…"
"Come on girl," Bunnie encourages. "You can't leave it hangin'!"
"Alright, I'll tell," Sally smiles. "I was a little nervous initially, but I have to admit, it smelled really nice, though the spiciness did tickle inside my nose. After some encouragement, I took a bite. At first, it was delicious: loads of flavour, nice and juicy. But after I swallowed, the spice hit. Hard. It felt like a volcano erupted in my mouth! As for my reaction… let's just say it was less than dignified."
"It was quite a show," Bunnie continues. "I'll never forget that face!"
"I'm just glad no‑one got a picture of that!" Sally laughs. "How much water did I drink? Two, three pints?"
"Just the two," Bunnie reminds. "Woulda been three, but you were guzzlin' so fast a load of it went dahn yer front instead!"
"Sonic was of course disappointed, but he got over it when he saw me looking like I'd just been hit with a barrage of water balloons," Sally recalls.
"I'm not sure if I want to try them anymore now," Lilac thinks aloud in contrast to how amused she's looking.
"Ah, you'll be fine," Bunnie assures.
"I hope so," Lilac replies. "It's just I'm used to Avalician cuisine, which can be spicy, but it's always done delicately, for flavour. I'm not sure if I can handle something as potent as one of Sonic's chili dogs. And yet, I can't help but be curious."
"Ya won't regret it!" Bunnie assures.
The trio falls silent for a few moments, content to relax in the pleasant atmosphere.
"Someone's coming to get us, right?" Lilac asks.
"If ah know ma sugar‑Twan, he's on his way right now," Bunnie assures.
"Good," Lilac nods. "While we wait, want to hear one of my funny stories?"
"Sure," Sally agrees.
"This one is from before we became global heroes," Lilac begins. "We were just a couple of thieves, stealing to survive. Luckily, the Kingdom Stone temple has, or more accurately had, regular events where the rich folk would show up and do rich people things. And they don't tend to notice a few crystals going missing occasionally…"
"Oh boy, this doesn't look good," Tails observes as the Tornado flies over the gaping hole in the decaying Death Egg MkII, Amy and Carol riding on the top wing.
"Zut alors!" Antoine exclaims over the radio, following Tails in the Twister. "Do you think zey were in zat section?"
"I can't detect any life signs on the ship itself," Tails reports. "We'd better get down to the surface."
Five minutes later, the Tornado and Twister find the mangled wreckage crash site. Landing beside it, Amy and Carol hop off the Tornado and immediately start looking for a way in.
"Hold on girls!" Tails calls as he climbs out of the Tornado. "Let T‑Pup go first!"
Amy and Carol step back to allow T‑Pup to approach the wreckage. With Tails guiding him via remote control, T‑Pup begins to cut a path through the wreckage large enough for everyone to follow. After T‑Pup, Tails is first into the wreckage, with Amy, Carol, and Antoine following.
"…then I tried to open the crate, and wouldn't you just know, it had locked itself!" Lilac continues. "Carol wasn't too impressed I'd got us both trapped, and understandably so, as it meant we'd have to give up what we stole. And if I'm honest, General Gong was a bit mean keeping us locked in there the rest of the day. But it wasn't too bad really. We had a couple of guards tending to us, and it was quite warm and surprisingly comfortable, even if I was Carol's futon for a few hours. And I did manage to keep enough crystals to buy Carol a colossal plate of sushi to make up for my mistake. But yeah, the whole affair was quite embarrassing for me. We were laughing about it the next day though."
There's a moment's silence, then Bunnie and Sally burst into laughter.
"It's like something from a sketch show!" Bunnie remarks.
"Or some budget sit‑com!" Sally adds.
"Hey!" Lilac retorts playfully. "Mid‑range sit‑com, please!"
After a few moments, the laugher dies away, the trio feeling very relaxed despite their predicament.
Bunnie's ears prick. "Hey, do you two hear that?"
Sally and Lilac focus on their hearing. "It sounds like… cutting?" Sally ventures.
"Could it be Eggman?" Lilac asks. "This used to be part of his ship."
"He wouldn't be that precise," Sally explains.
Suddenly, a door‑sized section of wall collapses inwards with a clang. "Hi there!" Tails greets. "The rescue party has arrived!"
"An' jus' as ah was getting comfortable!" Bunnie jokes.
Tails, T‑Pup, and Antoine make quick work of freeing Bunnie, while Amy's precision hammer swings release Sally from her bonds. Carol however decides to take her time with Lilac, starting by sitting on the girder pinning the dragon's legs, arms folded, wearing a disapproving look.
"Hey Carol, glad to see you," Lilac greets, feigning innocence. "Could you give me a hand? Or, more accurately, a claw?"
Carol simply raises an eyebrow.
"OK," Lilac sighs. "I should have talked to you before volunteering."
"Did you at least find out the risks before?" Carol asks sternly, tracing her fingers over the girder.
"Sort of," Lilac answers. "I mean, I volunteered, then researched the risks, but that's still a good thing, right? I at least prepared myself for the possibilities, although I didn't really expect to be trapped in a piece of falling spaceship, and… you're not really bothered, are you?"
"Nah," Carol admits, dropping the serious act in favour of her trademark cheeky grin. "After all, you did say you'd be on the next mission after the Thunder Plains Zone. Were you at least cautious?"
"Yes," Lilac lies.
But Carol isn't buying it.
"…OK, I admit I might have tried to jump a gap that was a little too wide for me to jump…" Lilac sheepishly admits.
Carol rolls her eyes. "Whatever am I going to do with you," she sighs in amusement.
"You could cut the girder and set me free," Lilac suggests.
"I dunno," Carol muses, admiring her claws. "Think I might go enjoy the nice weather outside for a bit first."
"You can't be serious," Lilac replies flatly.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in an hour or two," Carol assures, getting up to follow the others out of the wreckage.
"Wait, you're actually leaving me here?" Lilac asks, surprised. "But‑"
The girder moves as Lilac sits up.
"…you've already cut the girder and set me free," Lilac realises.
"Sorry, couldn't resist teasin' ya!" Carol grins.
Lilac flops down with a sigh, feeling a little embarrassed at how easily Carol tricked her.
"See ya outside!" Carol chuckles as she follows the others out of the wreckage.
Lilac mumbles incoherently in response.
Meanwhile, in Efrika, Dr Eggman has recovered the grey Chaos Emerald. However, his celebrations are short‑lived when he gets an alert from the Avalon Egg Army.
"So, those rodents think they can just waltz into my domain?" he asks himself after reading the message. "They may have gotten in, but they won't be getting out!"