Penny couldn't explain how it happened, but it seemed that Tails had somehow led the Blue Typhoon near a wormhole. It felt weird to her... she didn't like it.
Knuckles' voice came over the radio. "All right, Tails, everything's tightened up and good to go, you can take off whenever you're ready!"
"Roger!" Tails answered.
Everyone stared uneasily at the wormhole in front of them. Blaze was the first to speak. "So way beyond that gravity pull there's an even deeper part of space called the Intergalactic Cloister?" The purple cat asked curiously. Tails frowned. "I'm no expert, but it sounds pretty accurate to me."
Cosmo nodded in agreement.
Chris looked at Sonic. "Something bothering you?" He asked. Sonic turned to Chris, Kat, and Penny. "I've been thinking." He said.
Chris, Kat, and Penny stared at Sonic curiously.
Sonic continued. "Everyone back home must be worrying an awful lot about you three these days. I feel like we oughta get a way to get you, Kat, and Penny back, Chris."
Penny looked stunned at Sonic. "But..." She began.
"How can you say that?!" Chris cut in. "You think Kat, Penny, and I could just abandon you to battle those Metarex alone?! There's no way!"
Penny looked down. Was Sonic really saying it was time to say goodbye and actually go back to the world she was born in? She didn't want to go.
Finally noticing Penny's upset expression, Sonic smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Kat grinned. "Of course Chris is right!" She said. Beside her, Hiro looked slightly relieved that they didn't have to send Kat back home just yet.
Chris smiled at Sonic and Silver. "And besides, don't forget I'm eighteen now. Which means I get to be your chaperone so that you won't get into too much trouble."
"Chaperone?" Silver asked.
"That's right!" Chris smiled at the two hedgehogs. The three laughed. Penny only sighed in relief. Chris walked up in the driver's section next to Tails and moved the Blue Typhoon to the wormhole. "Typhoon laser shields activated!" Once the laser shields were up, the Blue Typhoon slowly made its way towards the wormhole. Cream did the countdown. "8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Here we go!" She said.
Penny looked worriedly at Sonic. "We're gonna make it, aren't we?" She asked him. Sonic smiled reassuringly at her. "We will." He said, taking her hand and squeezing it firmly.
However, as they drew near the wormhole began to distort them. Penny whimpered, awkwardly falling down to her knees as her body felt like it was flexing.
Thinking she was the only one who was experiencing, Penny looked around to see everyone experiencing the same thing as well!
"Creepy..." Amy muttered, her voice echoing due to the distort.
"I feel really weird..." Tails groaned. His yelp echoed as he clutched his face.
Penny moaned in dizziness. "What's happening..." She muttered, clinging to Sonic. It was all too much for her, and in the end, she blacked out.
Sonic groaned as he opened his eyes. The distort had finally stopped, and everything seemed to be back to normal. He looked around the ship. Everyone else seemed to be knocked out. "Is everyone okay?!" He asked. Everyone slowly opened their eyes and nodded.
Sonic looked down at his side to see Penny still passed out. He started to panic. "Penny, wake up!" He said, shaking her shoulder gently. "C'mon, Pen!"
She groaned. "Sonic..." She muttered. Sonic sighed in relief, grasping her in his arms. "Don't scare me like that again..." He muttered, hugging her.
Penny looked stunned for a moment but hugged back. "I'll try not to..." She said with a weak smile.
"Where are we?" Tangle asked.
"Seems like we're inside the wormhole!" Whisper answered.
"It looks so strange..." Amy said.
"Strange isn't the word for it!" Tails said.
Cosmo stepped up, her eyes wide. "We're in the cloister..." She said.
"We made it!" Chris and Kat said in sync.
Silver nodded. "Now we've gotta get to the other side!"
Sonic nodded in agreement.
Tails drove the Blue Typhoon slowly and carefully through the cloister. Knuckles frowned. "This place is more twisted than I thought!" He mused.
"Twisted is right!" Tails said. "That's space debris from surrounding planets left around in space!"
"Looks gross if you ask me." Blaze said, frowning in disgust.
Penny was about to ask Sonic a question when everyone around her gasped. Penny looked up to see vines surrounding the ship.
"What's the matter, Tails?" Cream asked.
Tails zoomed in on the scanner and frowned. "I think we're trapped." He said.
Trapped was right. There were strange weeds around the ship, holding the Blue Typhoon in place. Soon, Penny found herself working alongside Cloud, Kat, Blaze, Tangle, Hiro, and Whisper on top of the Blue Typhoon, freeing the ship with gardening tools. Man, she never admitted it before, but now she was happy about the weeding job Ella taught her all those months ago!
"My sister Galaxina and I used to love gardening," Cosmo said as she helped rake through the weeds. "It's great therapy!"
"Yeah," Knuckles grumbled in annoyance. "Cutting through unidentified space gunk really does it for me!"
Amy glared at Knuckles. "Just shut it and cut it!"
Penny looked over at Tails, who was using a strange utensil to cut off the weeds. "Hey, Tails, watcha doin'?" She asked curiously.
Tails smiled at the human girl. "A laser power weed wacker! I made it when I used to help Ella with her gardening! Now tackling stubborn weeds is a breeze!"
Amy popped up, holding her hand. "Well, hand it over!" She said bossily.
"Huh?" Tails asked. "But I..."
"We've got a better idea!" Chris suddenly said. Penny turned to her younger brother. Sonic and Silver were there, too, and they were wearing Chris's inventions... the Power shoes. Sonic and Silver jumped on top of the Blue Typhoon and together they cut through the weeds that were trapping the ship.
"He's using your power shoes to cut through the vines! Brilliant, Chris!" Whisper said, smiling at Chris. Chris nodded.
Soon, Sonic landed next to Penny, and Silver landed next to Blaze and shot a thumbs up. The Blue Typhoon was freed, and it was now time to continue.
"That wasn't too hard!" Sonic said, playfully elbowing Penny, who giggled.
"They might not be so easy!" Cream whimpered, pointing ahead of them. Penny and Sonic turned around to see strange objects growing right in front of them.
...
"Perfect. Their ship cannot leave now. As for this moment, those fools are conveniently stranded inside the cloister! What fun!" Dark Oak laughed wickedly at the news.
"Send me!" One Metarex pleaded.
"No, your honor! Grant me the honor of destroying them!"
Dark Oak said nothing but looked up to the sound of yelling and the clamping of feet. A yellow Metarex dashed into the room, showing off his muscles by smashing around at the technology around them, yelling triumphantly as he did.
"This task requires strength! It is I who should go!" The yellow Metarex bragged, holding a huge object in his hands that was quite heavy for the average person. "Yellow Zelkova!"
"Zelkova, enough of this foolishness!" Dark Oak growled. "I will indeed send you to dispose of those meddling fools! But I warn you... I want that hedgehog destroyed!"
"I shall not betray your trust, Master." Yellow Zelkova growled, throwing away the heavy object, which landed to the ground with a heavy crash. He darted towards the exit, his dark green cape fluttering around him as he ran. As soon as Zelkova left, Dark Oak excused himself, leaving two of his men behind. They glanced at each other as the first one began speaking. "How could the Master choose that buffoon? Zelkova?" He asked.
The second Metarex shrugged. "It is not for us to decide, Naucious. We must wait and see."
...
"They just came out of nowhere!" Amy muttered as the Blue Typhoon crew stared out at the strange tall rocks blocking their path. Sonic frowned. "Another dirty Metarex trick!"
"Looks like we're not going anywhere." Chris frowned. "Great!"
"Chris is right," Cloud said with a frown. "I don't see a way out of this!"
Tails frowned, looking at Cosmo. "Wait a minute! We can't give up that easy! We just gotta put our heads together!"
"Yeah!" Cosmo smiled.
Knuckles raised his fists and tried to smash through the rubble trapping them, but they were too strong for him to break through. He yelled in pain as he fell to the ground.
"Knuckles!" Penny yelped, her eyes wide.
"That worked well..." Knuckles grumbled, wiggling his hand. After a moment, a crashing sound was heard through the rubble. Penny frowned. "Do you guys hear that?" She asked worriedly.
"Chris, Kat, Penny, something's coming!" Cream whimpered.
"Yeah, something big!" Chris frowned.
After a few heartbeats and a few falling columns later, a yellow Metarex appeared in front of the team.
"We have to be ready!" Amy frowns, and Sonic nods in agreement.
Penny yelped as the ground shook underneath her, and Sonic got in a protective stance in front of Penny. She yelped as the Metarex smashed a column, and it landed with a crash in front of them. The Metarex stood there, laughing as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the galaxy. Knuckles glared at him. "What's so funny, big guy?!"
"You will find out soon enough, my friend!" Zelkova growled in between fits of laughter.
Knuckles growled. "Well, let's hear it, tough guy!"
"My name is Yellow Zelkova, and my mighty ruler Dark Oak has sent me to destroy the hedgehogs! Nothing will stand in the way of my task! Sonic, Silver, and all who stand with them are doomed!" Zelkova roared, picking up the fallen column.
Penny stared there behind Sonic in fear as the column smashed right in front of them. Kat, Chris, Tails, Cream, Cheese, Tangle, Whisper, CLoud, and Hiro ran, yelling. Penny and Cosmo stayed for a moment behind Sonic, Silver, and Knuckles.
Sonic quickly turned to Penny and the rest of the team. "Quick! Get back inside the Blue Typhoon!"
"Come on, guys!" Tails yelled, and he and the rest hurried inside the Blue Typhoon. However, Penny stayed with Sonic, her face struggling to keep calm as she held a club in her sweaty hands. Sonic frowned at her. "Penny, you too!"
Penny paused. "But Sonic..."
Sonic glared at her. "This isn't Eggman we're dealing with, get inside!"
Penny winced at his stern tone and slowly nodded. Blaze ran up to the girl and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the Blue Typhoon. From the window of the ship, she could view the whole battle between Knuckles, Sonic, Silver, and Zelkova. She didn't know what they were doing to stop him, but whenever they jumped, her friends landed in front of the Blue Typhoon, and Zelkova barged right into the ship, making it move. Penny and the others screamed in fright from the impact.
"What are they doing?!" Penny yelled as another smash hit the ship. "Are they protecting us, or smashing us?!"
"I think both!" Tangle yelled over the rumbling.
Penny turned her attention back to the fight. Her eyes widened when the yellow Metarex smashed Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver aside with the column.
"Oh, no!" Penny cried, frozen in terror.
Her terror was short-lived as Sonic finally got up, and he and Knuckles started taunting the Metarex. The ship started rumbling again.
"We have to do something!" Cream cried. "That awful monster is going to smash him!"
"Chao Chao!"
Penny's eyes widened with fear as Sonic fell off the column. "Sonic!" She cried. She winced as the Metarex readied its final blow on him...
... but sighed in relief when she saw Knuckles holding the column. To her shock, Knuckles had the strength to throw the column and the Metarex far ahead.
"Knuckles could do that?!" Blaze looked stunned. "I mean, I know he could, but..."
"Believe me, I find that too stunning to believe in myself," Kat said, shaking her head at the battle.
Knuckles smirked. "Now that's done!"
However, his victory was short-lived, and he growled as Zelkova emerged from the trap unharmed! Penny's eyes widened once again as Zelkcova pushed Knuckles back first into the dirt with incredible strength.
"Knuckles!" She cried, and Cloud patted her shoulder, though he too was feeling nervous.
"Is he okay?!" Cream asked.
Penny watched as Zelkova started stomping towards Knuckles, who tried to regain himself. To her relief, Sonic and Silver sped Knuckles out of the way before he got hit. Zelkova smashed into the columns and created his own little game of dominos. One by one, the columns smashed to the ground.
To Penny's curiosity, Knuckles, Sonic, and Silver then began taunting the Metarex, and once again they seemed to be leading the Metarex right at the Blue Typhoon, and its passengers yelped as the ship started moving left and right. Cosmo and Penny clung to each other, screaming in fear.
"What are those two doing?!" Amy asked. "Are they gonna battle that thing or aren't they?"
As soon as she spoke, the Blue Typhoon moved again. Everyone yelled in fear.
...
Zelkova soon had enough of Knuckles. Sonic, and Silver's taunting. He glared at them at the top of the Blue Typhoon. "Get down here!" Zelkova growled.
Knuckles smirked at Sonic. "I think we've kept him waiting long enough!"
Silver nodded. "It's showtime!"
The three glanced down at Zelkova, who acted like he was starting to be a little confused. "I've had enough of your games!" He snarled.
"Get ready, Tails!" Knuckles yelled, ignoring Zelkova's bragging. Sonic smirked. "Time for Sonic Power Cannon!"
Zelkova looked confused. "Sonic what?" Zelkova asked.
Knuckles smirked. "Later!" He said, walking away.
"What are you doing?!" Zelkova yelped, panicking that his opponents were leaving so soon. "You think you could fool Zelkova?!"
...
"Prepare the main cannon! Activate the energy link! Increase pressure! Power level set! Okay, Sonic, get in position!"
"Here it goes!" Sonic smirked, and he started spinning.
"Target locked on bullseye!" Tails said.
Penny watched from the ship as Tails shot at Zelkova. Sonic sped right at him, smashing Zelkova down through the columns.
"Direct hit!" Tails cheered. He and Penny gave each other victory high fives. "Now to break down those rocks! Knuckles, ready?"
"Yup!" Knuckles said. "Let's charge up!"
Penny smiled as she watched Sonic, along with Silver who had just joined him, saw their way through the barriers. They crashed to the ground. At Sonic's okay signal, Tails started the engine and started driving the ship through the barrier and past Zelkova, who growled at them. "We will be back! Mark my words, we will destroy you!"
"Sure," Knuckles smirked. "You bring it on, Metal Looser, and we'll be waiting for you! And give the boss man our regards!"
"Thanks to Sonic and Knuckles, we made it through that cloister with hardly a scratch!" Cream smiled happily.
Penny frowned as the Blue Typhoon flew through the now clear wormhole. She couldn't help but worry something worse was going to happen next. "We made it this far," She thought. "But who knows what will happen when we get out there?"
She said nothing more as the Blue Typhoon exited the wormhole.
