X Marks the Spot: Pt 2
The plane came in for a landing at a small air strip near the Emerald Coast. The Tornado pulled forward until the catch rope on the runway snagged its wheels bringing the plane to a slow stop. The four mobians hopped out of the aircraft and slowly took in their surroundings.
"Wow. That jungle looks really neat." Amy exclaimed. "I'd love to go and explore the place."
"Well, it looks like nobody's disturbed my workshop since we were last here." Tails replied. "I'll see if I can get this thing refueled."
"But Tails, you still need to make some repairs to the wing." Knuckles pointed out running his hand along the dented lower wingspan. "It's gonna take some time to get this thing fixed."
"Sounds like a job for you two big and strong boys." Amy commented, fluttering her eyelashes. "Sonic, would you be a dear and run into town to pick us up some refreshments?"
"Huh, I hope Station Square has a chili dog stand open at this hour." Sonic shrugged, springing onto the railroad tracks and racing on down the line. "Up over and gone." As the blue blur disappeared from sight, Amy looked up into the clouds above them.
"Hey, that's strange I've never seen a cloud bank that looks like a giant rock before." Amy said, her eyes going wide. "In fact, I don't think that's a cloud at all."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Knuckles replied, looking up. "Oh, that's just Angel Island."
"WHAT!? Knuckles, what the heck is Angel Island doing here?" Tails fluttered in a panic, looking up at the giant land mass almost over their heads. "And how is the island in the air if the master emerald is broken?"
"Huh? Oh… That's just the backup generators. They kick in whenever the emerald is removed or destroyed." Knuckles replied. "The island probably floated back up when the hidden palace absorbed enough energy through its solar panels."
"Geez, it's a good thing that island doesn't come crashing down on a land mass." Amy sighed with relief. "But what is the island doing over the Mystic Ruins?"
"Oh that's easy." Knuckles replied. "Whenever the emerald is removed, the island docks itself above the spot it first rose from."
"Well at least, we don't have to worry about that thing crushing us." Tails commented, walking out of his workshop with a box of tools. "Now, would you two stop your chattering and lend me a paw over here?"
"Oh, darn." Amy sighed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to get my new set of gloves dirty."
The blue blur ran through the streets of Station Square, zipping around cars and moving about with no regard for traffic lights or crosswalk signs. Every eye seemed focused on the city's celebrity visitor who kept drawing attention to himself without any regard for self or common sense.
"Bummer, looks like there isn't any chili dog stands open." The hedgehog sighed. "Looks like I'm just gonna have to settle for burgers like everyone else." Sonic zipped into a fast food restaurant coming out with two bags with golden arches on the sides. It was just then that he heard the loud scream of a siren as flashing lights appeared on the horizon.
"Looks like I got some unwanted attention." Sonic stared in disbelief. "What the heck… is that a formula one racecar!?" Without any farther warning, he took off leaving a blue trail behind him as the red racecar zoomed towards his target.
"Attention, Station Square command. This is Officer Sam Speed." The driver of the car stated into his radio. "I am currently in pursuit of blue mobian hedgehog guilty of several traffic violations and jaywalking."
"Copy that, Officer Speed." The voice came over the radio. "Continue pursuit and await backup."
"Copy that, Gold Leader." He replied turning his radio off. "Sorry, sir. But when a speeding mobian runs rampant on MY highway, the king of speed is gonna turn him into roadkill." Reaching down past his glove compartment, he ran his finger along several notches carved into his dashboard. With the names of several different animals written below each notch. The words: Speeding Mobian Roadkill Count were written above the carved notches. "Time to put another notch in the old dashboard." He smirked pulling a lever that said 'Super Fuel'. "Another day, another arrogant fuzzball Sam Speed is going to put behind bars."
The car took off like a shot zooming passed the unsuspecting blue blur pulling in front of him. "HEY! That's no fair!" Sonic yelled angrily. "No one is allowed to juice and jam faster than I do." Pulling every ounce of reserve speed into his feet, he jumped ahead and landed on the nose cone of the formula one racecar.
"HEY! What are you doing, get off of there!" Sam Speed yelled angrily. "What if any of the kids' reading this try to copy what you're doing!?"
"Given the average age of Sonic fanboys living in their mom's basement, I don't think any of them are going to try this." The hedgehog replied.
"Wow, has it really been ten years since Sonic X came out?" Sam asked, his eyes going wide. "Boy, do I feel really old now. We've been doing this gag longer than the target audience has been alive."
With that little exchange over, Sonic raced forward barely outpacing the rocketing car. Sam Speed followed Sonic through the twists and turns of the roads and back alleys of Station Square for nearly an hour. Finally, the car's engine began to knock and sputter; Sam looked down at the gauge in horror.
"Oh, you got to be kidding me!" He yelled out. "How can I be out of fuel this quick?" The car sputtered to a stop and Sonic kept running until he came to an adorable little mobian girl standing in the middle of the street.
"Excuse me, Mr. Sonic." The cheery eyed little rabbit said to him. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."
"Huh? Cream, is that you?" Sonic asked, surprised. "I didn't know you live in Station Square." He bent down to talk to her. "Sure, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to say to Sonic, that I am really really sorry for this." She frowned. "And I hope you can forgive me some day."
"Forgive you? For what?" Sonic asked confused. "What are you talking-?" BONG!
When Sam Speed stepped out of his car, he walked up to find an unconscious Sonic the Hedgehog laying on the ground with a mobian rabbit standing over him with a dented frying pan.
"Okay Mr. Speed, he's all yours now." Cream stated. "You can take him to Chris."
Meanwhile, at the abandoned Emerald Coast missile, Dr. Eggman was going through several old trunks full of clothing and other objects. Throwing shirts and socks in every direction as he rummaged through the containers.
"Dr. Eggman, may I inquire as to what you are doing?" A-ko asked him.
"Well, this is my vacation from villainy. So, I thought I would try a few new things out." Dr. Eggman explained. "There are so many wonderful hobbies I wanted to try, but Uncle Julian didn't approve of my leisure activites."
"Oh, really? What kind of hobbies are you interested in trying?" B-ko asked him, curiously. "Skydiving? Bottle Cap Collecting? Childrens' Card Games?"
"Actually, I always wanted to try ballet." Eggman suddenly came out of the storage room in white tights and a pink tutu. "So what, do you boys think? Could I get the lead role in Flicky Lake?" Both of the robots eyes turned into red X's and they collapsed.
"Idiot sight does not compute. Does not compute."
"404 Error: Too ugly, too ugly."
"Everyone's a critic." Eggman snapped going back into the storage room. "You're just both jealous that I'm beautiful." Just then, a black villain chao blew into the window, ruffling through his messenger bag.
"Dr. Eggman. Hey, Dr. Eggman. The message you left at the Metropolis Zone said you'd be here." Bouta-kun exclaimed pulling a flyer out of his pouch. "I came to tell you that the wrestling tournament you wanted to go to is going to be held in Station Square tomorrow."
"What!? This is perfect." Eggman exclaimed from the other room. The sound of his changing clothes quickly filled Bouta-kun's ears. "Instead of ballet, I shall try something far more manly. I shall enter the tournament myself and the world shall know the power of…" Eggman stepped out of the back room wearing wrestling boots, a red and yellow luchador mask, a far too small speedo, and tank top wrestling trunks that let his whole hairy gut hang out to the point Bouta-kun could see the lint in his belly button. "El Gordo Grande." He exclaimed. "So, what do you think?"
"AHH! MY EYES!" Bouta-kun cried in terror flying into the bathroom, putting his face under the sink and turning on the faucet directly onto his eyes. "I can't wash out the image. I can't wash out the image. It burns!"
"I think I need to work on the costume." Eggman replied with a sigh.
"Look he's waking up." A voice said as Sonic began to return to consciousness. "You're really going to get a chance to meet your hero, Chris."
Sonic's eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring at the paneled ceiling of a rich family's house. The first thing that entered his vision was the sight of Cream and a human boy he didn't recognize. Cream almost seemed to have an apologetic look on her face, while the boy appeared to be extremely pleased with himself.
"Oh wow, Sonic the Hedgehog. This is so cool." The boy exclaimed dancing around the room with delight. "I finally got my own superhero for my birthday, just what I always wanted."
"I'm really happy you enjoy your present, Master Chris." Ella declared. "Because Miss Cream went through a great deal of trouble to bring him here."
"Ugh, I feel like I got hit in the head with a frying pan." Sonic stated rubbing his quills with his hands. "Okay kid, two questions" Who the heck are you? And why the heck did you bring me here?"
"You're my birthday present and you're the coolest one I ever got." Chris hugged Sonic so tightly that the blue blur's eyes almost bolgged out of his skull.
"Too. Tight. Choking. Me." Sonic stuttered his words as he pushed Chris away. "Look kid, I'm happy it's your birthday and all, but kidnapping people is not the way to celebrate."
"Mr. Sonic, you mean I did something wrong?" Cream asked as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm so sorry but I just couldn't stand to see Chris sad."
"I don't care what you think. You're my birthday present." Chris screamed angrily, shaking Sonic back and forth violently. "I'm not going to lose my new present right after I just got it."
"What in the world is going on out here?" Mr. Tanaka yelled as he and Vanilla came out into the living room. "Is that Sonic the Hedgehog? Master Chris, what have you done!?"
"No, I won't give him up." Chris screamed, shaking Sonic even more violently. "He's my birthday present. Mine mine mine."
"That does it, Chris Thorndike. You are the brattiest, most spoiled, childish crybaby I've ever met." Vanilla declared angrily rolling up her sleeves. "And it high time somebody had the grapefruit to do something about it." Stomping over to the screaming and whining brat, Vanilla sat down turned him over her knee. Picked up a nearby flyswatter and proceed to apply the wire end to the business end of Chris Thorndike.
"SHE'S HURTING MASTER CHRIS! MR. TANAKA, DO SOMETHING!" Ella shouted.
"Ella, someone is finally doing something." He replied with a dry smile. "And it's about time that somebody had the guts to do it."
"Good grief, no wonder Cream turned out so nice and polite." Charles Thorndike exclaimed. "That settles it, I think we found a new babysitter for Chris."
Sonic stood up scratching his head and asked "Would somebody please tell me, what is going on here?"