That morning, Penny waited outside the adult pool where she first met Sonic. She couldn't believe that in a few more hours, she would have to say goodbye to her family.
She felt the rushing of the wind, and soon Sonic was standing at the other end of the pool, smiling at her.
The two stared at each other for a while.
"Morning, Penny!" Sonic smiled at her.
"Good morning, Sonic." Penny said, smiling softly.
"How's it going, Pen?" Sonic asked gently. "You doing okay?"
Penny nodded softly, clutching the arm that held Shadow's bracelet. "Yeah... I can't believe that...you know..."
Sonic nodded, completely understanding how she was feeling. Hoping to make her feel better, the blue hedgehog smiled at her. "We could go for a run later!" He suggested.
Penny smiled again. "Sure, Sonic."
...
"Personally, I don't see why it's such a problem if time suddenly comes to a stop." Amy said as she and everyone else sat together at the Thorndyke table, eating breakfast. "If I don't get older, I won't get any wrinkles!"
"But Amy, don't you think you'd get bored if you were forced to live in the same day over and over again?" Vanilla asked, surprised at Amy's comment about time coming to a stop.
"And if you don't get any older, you'd never get birthday presents!" Cream pipped up.
"I didn't think of that." Amy said.
Penny noticed that Chris was looking glum. He stood up and grabbed his bag. "I've got to meet Kat so we could go to school," He said. "Later!"
"Have a great day, son." Mr. Thorndyke said.
Penny looked down, then stood up herself. "I've got packing to do." She said, walking off. "I'll be with you guys later."
The thirteen year old rushed up the stairs, closed her bedroom door, and sank to the ground, burying her head in her knees. This was too much. Too soon.
...
"Hmm." Chuck grunted as he finished what he was doing on the machine. "No good."
"I wonder what we're doing wrong!" Tails said, looking at the machine in worry.
...
"On TV they said that time's gonna stop if they don't go home!"
"I know it's important and all, but it'll be lonesome without them. I don't want things to go back to the way they were before Sonic came!"
Chris looked down. "For the first time we met, it seemed like Sonic and I were meant to be friends. Right from the start, we've always looked out for each other. Now, what if Sonic gets in trouble and I'm not there to help him?!"
He would've continued thinking painful thoughts about all of this, when the sounds of engines flying up ahead startled him.
...
Eggman and his robots seemed to be in a jiffy. They were just minding their own business when to their surprise, the government started attacking them!
"I wonder why our radar systems didn't detect that fleet." Eggman groaned, rubbing his head.
"Unfortunately..." Bocoe gulped.
"We unplugged the radar! We wanted to watch TV!" Decoe explained to Eggman, who looked like steam was coming out of his ears and nose.
"This base needs more electrical outlets!" Bocoe added.
To their surprise, Sonic and Silver jumped right in front of them. "They're not fighting fair, Eggman. They've got you totally outnumbered!" Sonic said.
"I wonder why..." Silver said curiously. "I don't think the government would launch an attack if they were the ones who ordered us to cause Chaos Control and go home."
Eggman looked at them. "They may have me completely surrounded with thousands of robotic attack craft, but I possess the one weapon that could easily defeat them all! Which is my super superior brain!"
However, they were interrupted when a missile landed in front of them. When the dust cleared, Sonic zoomed up with Silver next to him. "It doesn't take a big brain to see you're in trouble! You should leave!"
"I agree." Silver said with a nod.
"Doctor Eggman never admits defeat!" Bocoe said. "Especially when he looses!"
Hearing the sound of a missile, Eggman and his robots screamed in panic, but luckily Sonic grabbed the missile and tossed it at an upcoming aircraft.
Bocoe turned to Eggman. "You would probably pick me in the compressors for saying this, but I think you should listen to Sonic and Silver! This situation is hopeless!"
Decoe nodded. "Even an ego maniac needs to be realistic sometimes!"
"No way!" Eggman growled. "I'm going to stay right here and hold my ground until there's no ground left to hold!"
Sonic and Silver smirked. "We'll stop those robots for you!" He said. "But first you have to leave!"
"Forget it!" Eggman said, but soon realized his mistake when he and his robots were fired away by more missiles. Sonic smirked at them. "Silver and I will give you one last chance, Eggman!"
"Never mind Dr. Eggman!" Bocoe said, his eyes wide.
"Just save us!" Decoe cried, folding his hands and looking at the two hedgehogs. "Pretty please?!"
Sonic and Silver rushed to attack the missiles.
...
Rouge the Bat grunted as she crawled through the air vent in the Capitol Building. She stealthily landed on the ground, and gasped in surprise when the wall broke down, and Knuckles appeared from the dust.
"You're taking this breaking and entering business way too literally." Rouge said with a small shake of her head.
"How did you get here?" Knuckles asked curiously.
"Rouge! Come in! What's happening in there?!" Topaz's worried voice came through the radio. Rouge answered. "Relax, Topaz, I ran into Knuckles. I'll let him tag along if he promises to be a good boy!"
Topaz sounded panicked. "Rouge, some renegade agents are holding the President in his office! He's in danger! You two have to slip in and free him, fast!"
"Roger." Rouge nodded.
"Good luck, Rouge."
"Who needs luck when you have talent and beauty?" Rouge smirked.
...
Knuckles and Rouge had finally made it into the President's office, knocking out the goons as they entered. Rouge smirked at the President. "I hope you don't mind us dropping in!" She said.
The President smiled. "No, not at all!"
"Mr. President!" Topaz gasped as she entered the room.
"I'm fine." The President reassured her. "Thanks to them." He nodded his head towards Knuckles and Rouge, who smiled at Topaz.
Topaz softly smiled back.
...
"I told you I don't need your help, hedgehogs!" Eggman snapped after he froze up every government ship.
Sonic and Silver shrugged.
"But since you tried to save me, here's a little present for you!" Eggman announced, tossing Sonic an object. Sonic curiously looked at the small box.
"What's that?" Silver asked.
Sonic shrugged.
...
"We called off the commander, Mr. President." The cop called the President.
They had just found out that it was the Commander of the Army who had planned the attack on Eggman and sent those agents to hold the President hostage. After cuffing the commander, they led him out.
The Commander snarled as he was led away. "Tell the President I'm not sorry!" He snapped. "This country used to be strong, but now it's on the brink of disaster, thanks to his support for Sonic and Silver. You'll see! You'll see!" He snapped as the cops led him off.
...
"He's got a point." Rouge told the President once the call ended. "Sonic's okay, but sometimes he and Silver could be real troublemakers."
"I'm no Sonic nor Silver fan, but it was Eggman who caused Chaos Control and sent us here! It's all Eggman's fault our worlds joined together and we got in this mess!"
Rouge looked at him. "I guess it doesn't matter who is to blame. The important thing is to try and set things right again. We can worry about settling the score with Dr. Eggman once we make it back to our own world."
"We have to act at once!" The President said. "The past isn't important! What's at stake now is our future! All of you and Penelope Thorndyke must return to your world before time comes to a stop!"
"We won't be going anywhere unless Tails and Professor Thorndyke finish their machine."
...
When Sonic and Silver returned to the garage to show Tails what Eggman had given them, the little foxes' eyes lit up. "This is the last part we need!" He said in excitement. "All we have to do is put it in the machine and we're set!"
"Let's test it out and make sure it works." Chuck urged.
"It looks like we did it, Chuck!" Tails smiled happily.
Sonic and Silver chuckled. "With Eggman's help." They both said at once.
...
Chris: This is the worst day of my life. My sister is leaving with Sonic. And soon, they'll both be gone. Forever. And we'll never see each other ever again.
Penny smiled softly as she got in the car with Kat, Blaze, Cloud, Hiro, Vanilla, and Cream in Ella's car. After a dozen of hugs and goodbyes from her mother and father, the girl felt she was all set to go back with Sonic and the others.
Chris sighed as he felt the car move. "Sonic is my best friend, and my sister too. It's not fair!
...
Last night...
Sonic and Penny stood outside with each other.
"Hey, Sonic." Penny said, looking at him.
"Yeah, Penny?" Sonic asked her.
"Do we really wanna go back to your real world?"
"Well, we don't have a choice. As long as I've got places to run and explore, I'll be happy."
"I'm glad to hear that." Penny said softly.
The two stared at the Eggmoon reflecting in the pool.
...
Soon, they made it to the meeting spot. Knuckles was in front of the machine, waiting impatiently. A camera man recorded the whole thing in the background.
Penny placed her suitcases to the ground, and smiled at Kat, Danny, Francis, and Helen. "Thank you all for your kindness." She said, tears going down her eyes. "I'm going to miss you."
Cream ran up, along with Cheese.
"Bye, guys."
"We'll miss you!" Helen said. Penny sniffed and hugged Hellen tight. Then Kat, then Danny, and Francis. "We wish you didn't have to go." Francis said.
"Time to see if this machine works." Chuck said, looking at Tails.
Tails nodded. "Yeah!"
He pressed the button, and alarms on the machine rose, and a swirling portal opened in the machine. However, the more quickly it was started, the faster it drained down.
"We don't have enough power!" Chuck gasped.
"What do we do?" Tails asked. "The other Emeralds are still missing!"
Chris looked curiously relieved.
"You could use one of these!" Sonic suddenly said, popping a red Chaos Emerald from his quills. He hopped off the Tornado and zoomed over to Tails, handing it to him.
"Great!" Tails said in excitement. "We have enough power now!"
"All right, Tails, let's power up!"
"Here it goes..." Tails said, pressing a button. Penny plugged her ears a little as the sirens on the machine wailed. A bright light came from the machine, and slowly, the light expanded, collecting all of the animals from Sonic's world and transporting them from Earth to Sonic's planet.
"I guess it won't be long before we're all back home, guys." Amy said.
However, after Eggman and his bots flew in the portal, the machine dimmed.
Cloud and Hiro dropped their suitcases in surprise. "What happened?" Cloud asked.
Hiro shrugged. "Tails! What's going on?!" He called back to them.
"Why did it just shut off?" Amy called.
"We can still go back home, can we?" Cream asked with worry. Cheese chaoed in response.
Chuck sadly shook his head. "There was a power burnout. We don't have enough energy now to send the rest of you back."
"I'm not giving up yet!" Tails said, determination in his voice. He started tinkering with the machine.
"Tails." Chuck said.
Tails looked at him. "If I make some adjustments, I could draw even more power from the machine!"
Chuck nodded. "It's worth a try."
Hearing an engine, Penny turned around to see her uncle Sam right by her. He shot her a small wink and a smile, and Penny felt more tears coming down her cheeks. However, after Sam said his small goodbye to her, he zoomed off.
"He didn't even get out of the car!" Amy said.
...
"Maybe it's time for me to hang it up." Sam said as he drove off. "There's not another competitor out there like Sonic. When he steps through that gate, I'll loose the greatest challenger I ever had. Good luck, Sonic. And thanks. Take care of my niece."
And he drove off.
...
"That was the fastest good bye I ever seen." Amy said.
"I think he just broke another world record." Ella joked.
They laughed.
"Chuck." Tails said. "I think it's fixed."
"Let's give it a go." Chuck said.
Tails nodded. He pressed a few buttons, and once again the alarms started wailing, and Penny saw a wave of electricity race up to space, where Space Colony Ark was. Penny yelped as the intense power raged down on the machine.
"That light..." Chuck gasped.
"It's from Space Colony Ark!" Tails cried.
"Shadow..." Penny muttered.
"Now we have all the power we need!" Chuck smiled. "Excellent work, Tails!"
"You did great, buddy!" Sonic smiled at the fox. The two shot each other thumbs up. "Thanks!" Tails smiled.
Tears swelled up in Chuck's eyes, and he grasped the fox in a hug. "I'm going to miss you." He said. "Take care of my granddaughter."
Tails smiled softly. "Yeah. I will. Goodbye, Chuck. You've been a great teacher. And an excellent friend."
"We made these for you, Cream and Penny." Helen said softly as she, Kat, and Francis gave Cream and Penny flower crowns. "We know how much you two love flowers."
"It looks great on you." Francis added.
"You like it?" Danny asked.
"I love it!" Penny sobbed, catching Danny in a surprise hug. He hugged back.
"Thank you all!" Cream sobbed. "I love it! But not as much as I love you!" She sobbed, clinging to Hellen and crying.
Hellen burst into tears.
Kat and Hiro looked at each other.
"Hiro..." Kat began.
Hiro smiled softly at her. "I'll miss you." He said. He grasped Kat in a hug, and she cried on his shoulder. Once they were done, Kat turned to Blaze and Penny.
"Penny..." Kat muttered. "You've been a great friend. You too, Blaze."
"Thank you..." Penny whimpered, hugging her.
"Yeah." Blaze whispered, hugging Cat.
"Don't cry, Ella," Amy said softly to the maid. "Or you're going to make me cry, too." Ella looked at her and held a cactus. "Don't worry. I went to the plant store and bought myself a cactus to take care of. I named it Amy. After you."
"That was sweet of you, Ella." Amy said. "Thanks. Thanks for taking care of us. You and Mr. Tanaka made us welcome."
"It was our pleasure." Mr. Tanaka smiled. "I wish you could stay longer."
"Here." Ella said, handing Amy a small notebook. "This might help you to remember me."
Amy gasped, and flipped open the first page. "You wrote down your favorite recipes so I could make them when I'm back home! Oh, Ella!" Amy sobbed as she clung to Ella's skirt. "Ella! What would I do without you?!" Amy sobbed.
"I don't know!" Ella sobbed.
Penny looked at Chris, and smiled. "Well, little brother. I guess this is goodbye." She smiled. "Thank you for everything. Take care of my cat for me."
"Yeah." Chris said with a small smile. "Mom and Dad wanted to give you this." He took out a small box and handed it to her. "Mom and Dad say not to open this until you get to Sonic's world."
"Thank you, Chris!" Penny sobbed, clinging to her little brother. "I love you all!"
"We can't keep the gate open long!" Chuck called. "You have to leave immediately! Before there's a power failure!"
After a warm hug goodbye to her family, Penny stepped next to Knuckles and Sonic, and watched one by one as her new friends took turns going through the portal.
Chris stood in front of the machine, emotions flowing through him as he thought his last good byes to his friends. Especially his sister.
"Take this before I change my mind." Rouge said as she handed Topaz a jewel. "When I saw it at the jewelry store, I had to get it for you. It was a steal!"
Topaz smiled softly as she slipped the gem in her pocket, and watched as Rouge gave her a soft nod and walked into the portal.
Topaz sobbed, and Mr. Tanaka put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Penny looked at Knuckles, Sonic, and Silver. "You guys ready?" She asked.
They nodded. Knuckles turned to Sonic. They walked up to the portal. Penny turned around. "Thank you for everything!" She called out to them.
Knuckles smiled at Sonic and Silver. "Soon, we'll be back home! Back home."
Sonic smirked.
"Let's go." Knuckles said. Silver grasped Penny's hand. He and Silver walked through the machine, with Penny in tow.
Soon, they were home. The white light dimmed behind them.
It was over.
