Sonic eXcluded

I do not own Sonic, Tails, Amy etc. Douglas Smicktor is my character, so you no use.


Intro:

"Miss Cream." Tanaka said, speaking to the young rabbit. "While I of course encourage you to make as much use of the Thorndyke house as possible, it would be advisable to remain indoors."
"Okay Mr. Tanaka." Cream said, smiling innocently.
"That applies to your friend Cheese as well." The butler added.
"Chao!" Cheese said, floating the air next to Cream.
"There is a lot of unwanted attention around Master Douglas, and I do not wish for you and your friends to be discovered by anyone else."

The rabbit and Chao nodded in understanding.
"I must go and find Master Chuck, it is time for his weekly swimming session, and I imagine he'll be hiding somewhere." Tanaka said, bowing to the animals, before leaving them in the room Ella had prepared for them.

When Tanaka had left, the cheerful expressions on Cream and Cheese's faces vanished, and were replaced with looks of sadness. They looked at each other, each knowing what the other was thinking. Cream sighed, as did Cheese.

"I don't want to stay inside..." Cream said quietly, opening the glass doors out onto the balcony. "I want to go outside and play..."
"Chao-ao" Cheese added, floating after the rabbit.

Cream was still looking sad as she looked out through the gaps of the balcony's barrier. But looking out onto the garden, she spotted something. Something that made her eyes sparkle, a wide smile appear on her face.


It was quiet up in Chuck's lab. Sonic was relaxing in the chair in front of the S.H.I.T., Amy was sat on a bean-bag watching Sonic, Tails was scribbling something on a little notepad, and Knuckles was leaning against the wall, listening to music from a CD player that Douglas had given him. It was something called 'Hip-Hop', which the Guardian found he liked.

The quiet mood in the lab was broken though, when the sound of children laughing was heard from outside.

"Huh?" Amy said, getting up from the beanbag. "What's that?"
"Hmm?" Tails said, looking up at the pink hedgehog, who was moving over to the window of the lab.
"Hey!" Amy said, looking out. "It's Cream and Cheese!"

Tails put the notepad down, and got up to look out the window. Looking down at the garden, Tails saw the Cream was kneeling down, couldn't see what the rabbit was doing as her back was to the lab. Cheese was hovering just above the grass, watching Cream's every move. Neither noticed the kitsune and hedgehog watching them.

"I wonder what she's doing out there Amy..." Tails said, watching the scene with a confused expression on his face.
Amy turned to look at the fox, a thought striking her. "I bet Cream's out there gathering flowers!"

Sonic opened his left eye upon hearing this, to look at Tails and Amy with interest. Knuckles continued to be in his own musical world, and did not notice the other events in the room.

"But we're supposed to stay inside." Tails said. "What's so important about going outside and gathering..."

The two-tailed fox didn't finish his sentence, a flashback coming to him at that moment.


The field was bright and green. Lush shrubs, long grass, and beautiful flowers covered the meadows all around. It was nice day for a walk, just as Tails had thought it would be. He was smiling as he stepped through the fresh blades beneath him.

He noticed, that not too far away from him, a young rabbit was kneeling down in the grass, seemingly doing something. Interested, Tails walked over. As he moved closer, he saw that it was Cream. The rabbit was humming a happy tune as she worked carefully.

"Hi Cream, what'cya doing there?" Tails asked, as he got close enough to her.

Looking over her shoulder, Cream smiled a happy, warm smile.

She then turned around and stood up, holding a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
"I'm going to surprise my Mom by making her a crown of flowers!" Cream happily stated, and the big smile on her face as she said this showed that she was very proud of what she was doing.

The flowers were a beautiful rainbow of colours. Pinks, greens, blues, yellows, all coordinated so they wouldn't clash with each other too much.


Coming out of the flashback, the expression on Tails face changed from confusion from not understanding, to sadness for not remembering.

"I guess Cream misses her Mom..." Tails said looking down at the floor.
"Of course she does." Amy said, who was looking out of the window again. "I just wish... I just wish that there was something we could do to make her feel better..."

Sonic sat back with his hands resting behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He felt bad. He had promised Cream's Mom that he'd look after Cream and Cheese, especially when Eggman had kidnapped her. He wanted to do something for her, not just to having something to do, but to keep his promise.

Sonic's eyes then drifted to a poster on the wall. It was of a lake, surrounded by flowers. Pretty flowers. The lake also seemed to be in some kind of crater, as jagged mountains surrounded it.

Sonic smirked for a brief second before jumping of hi chair, grabbing the poster, and running down the stairs from Chuck's lab, closing the door behind him.

The sound of the door closing was enough to distract Tails and Amy, who looked around the room.

"Sonic?" Amy called, but only Knuckles, still listening to his CD, was there.
"Oh boy..." Tails stated. "Douglas isn't going to be happy about this..."
"Don't worry Tails, I'm sure Sonic knows what he's doing." The pink hedgehog said, laying a hand on the fox's shoulder and smiling.
"Th...Thanks Amy." Tails said, feeling a flush coming to his cheeks, which made him look towards the window quickly
"No problem." Amy said, although she looked a little suspiciously at Tails.

'What was that about?' Amy thought to herself.


Episode 7 - P-A-R-T-Why Me?


Douglas felt ill. Not just ill, but close to the point of vomiting. It was moments like this that he regretted having taste buds and a stomach.

And a stepmother who absolutely could not cook.

Pizza with charcoal toppings, overcooked pasta, and assortment of what looked like toast cooked in a volcano, something supposed represent a lime-based refreshment that looked more sludge like.

Douglas looked at what was supposed to be a pie on his plate, but it more resembled a clay brick. Picking up a spoon, Douglas began tapping at the top of the pie, trying to crack through the top. It didn't work. Douglas then began smacking the pie with the spoon hard, a look of determination on his face. After ten hits, he looked at the spook. It was now bent out of shape, while the pie didn't have a scratch on it.

Looking shocked, Douglas quickly threw the spoon across the room, and pushed the pie aside. 'My buddy Forsaken would probably cry if he saw this...' He thought, looking at the pie.

He looked at the other 'food' on the table, and picked up the 'charcoal' pizza. 'Man this is heavy! How long did she friggin' incinerate this for?' He thought, holding it. 'You could knock a guy out with this thing!'

The door into the dining room opened, and Knuckles walked in. Or at least, started to before stopping and covering his nose.

"Hey, how ya doin' without the bandages?"
"I'm fine, but by the Ancients! What's that smell?" The Guardian asked.
"My stepmother's attempt at cooking." Douglas said, pointing to the pizza in his hand. "Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the same cooking techniques were used to created this."
"That bad?"
"You weren't at last years Christmas dinner!"

Knuckles poked a jug full of greenish liquid with his finger, which caused it to gurgle and bubbles to burst from within.

"I see..." Knuckles said, stepping back from the jug
"Look at this pizza!" Douglas pointed at the 'food' with his free hand "Not even a bulldozer could smash this thing!"

Knuckles smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "Somehow I don't think so."
"Oh yeah?" Douglas said, standing up from the table, and holding the pizza with both hands towards Knuckles. "Let's see you break through this then!"
"Alright!" Knuckles said, accepting the challenge. "Watch and learn!"

Knuckles took a small step back, pulling his right hand back. With a smirk on his face, Knuckles thrust forward, sending his fist crashing into the pizza target.

The only thing that was broken at that moment was Knuckles' pride.

The Guardian called out in pain, rubbing his right hand.

"Not even a scratch on that thing dude!" Douglas exclaimed, dropping the pizza onto the table. "My step-mom's cooking could kill off enemy armies!"

At that moment, Douglas' stepmother walked in, carrying a plat full of black, thin circle things, with a small lump of butter on top.

"Oh, your friend Knuckles is here!" Lindsay said. "Would he care for something as well?"
"Ah, I don't think he's feeling too hungry..." Douglas stated, looking at the echidna.
"Oh, it just feels so good to be back in the kitchen again!" Lindsay said, smiling. "On the movie sets, the catering department wouldn't let me cook a thing!"
'Probably because they have friggin' sense!' Douglas thought.

"Here are your buttermilk pancakes dear!" Lindsay said, putting the plate down where Douglas was sitting.
Cautiously, Douglas moved back into his seat, smiling uneasily as he sat down.
"Uh, Thanks Mom..." He said, looking at the 'pancakes' like they were plague incarnate.

Douglas picked up one from the middle of the pile, and held it in his right hand. After two seconds, the pancake crumbled downwards onto the table in a pile of ashy crumbs.

Douglas's eyes went wide, and a sweat drop appeared on the side of his head. If there were a law for crime against food, Lindsay would get a life sentence. He faked a laugh, before sighing. Knuckles continued to rub his right hand, nurturing it.

"Oh my!" Ella said, rushing into the dining room from the main hall. "I smell something burning!" The maid stopped in her tracks, upon seeing the collection of burnt, overcooked, and generally unpleasant food substances on the table, and seeing Mrs. Thorndyke in an apron covered in stains.

"Oh Ella, it just feels so good to be back home!" Lindsay said, not noticing that Douglas was stabbing into a thick soup with a fork, as if trying to kill it. "I have an idea! To celebrate, lets have a big dinner party tonight!"

Cream and Cheese poked their heads through the door, listening in on the conversation.
"And I'm sure that you'll be able to cook up something scrumptious, won't you Ella?"
"Of course Mrs. Thorndyke!" Ella said.

Douglas jolted back from the table, standing up. He was sure that something in the soup and grabbed his fork from him and pulled in down into the liquid.

"What do you think Douglas?" Lindsay asked.
"Yeah... Yeah! It's a great idea!" Douglas replied. "But if you're gonna have a part-ay, could you invite my favourite step-uncle in the whole, wide world?" Douglas said, putting on a fake 'kiddie' voice.
"Of course I will!" She said, hugging Douglas tightly. "Anything for my little baby boy!"
"If we're going to have a party tonight, this calls for some heavy duty cleaning!" Ella stated, rolling up her sleeves. "Time to clear some clutter!" She giggled to herself, rushing back out of the room.

"Wow! A party!" Cream said, smiling. "This is great! I love parties!"
"Chao-Chao!" Cheese replied, also smiling happily.

Knuckles wasn't so happy, as he grumbled something about finding a first-aid kit.

"Uh, Mom?" Douglas said, "Could you let go for a sec... Oh man!" Douglas saw his clothes were covered in the stains from Lindsay's apron. "It's so hard to gravy out of a Ozzy T-Shirt!"


"...While you're distracting the ref, I'll attack him a chair, you cover him, and we win! That's a victory in the bag!" Douglas, or 4GOT10, since he was in his wrestling gear, and talking to his tag-team partner for his match tonight.
"No problem, I'll see you later yeah?" The wrestler replied.
"Sure thing, catch ya later."

Just as one wrestler was walking away, another one was walking up.

"Yo 4GOT10!" The approaching wrestler greeted.
"Hey TMG, what's happening?" 4GOT10 replied.
"Stuart's looking for you, he's still mad at you for escaping out of the arena after you beat that robot. "
"Stuart can go to hell for all I care then! It's the last time I do him a favour!"
"Oh, so was that Topaz chick."

4GOT10 rolled his eyes. "Another member of my stalker club. Great, my day's going from bad to worse."
"How's that?" TMG enquired.
"My step-mom decided randomly to host a party for no logical reason. Not that I don't like parties mind you; I just don't like family parties! I'm just grateful she won't be cooking anything!" 4GOT10 stated, taking a drink of the Station Cola he was holding.
"So it's a big party huh?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, it's probably going to be my Mom and some of her friends of something, my step-dad left for a business trip days ago."
"Anyone else?"
"Oh yeah, the Speed King himself will be there! He's the coolest guy I know! The leader of the S-Team, and my own step-uncle!"
"Man, it'd be cool to meet him in person!"

"Why not come along then?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, the more the merrier! Ella always cooks WAY to much for parties anyway!"

Douglas would regret saying that, as just around the corner from the conversation, a man with pink-tinted glasses was listening in with a smirk on his face.


Cream frowned as she fastened the last flower onto the crown she was making.

"This crown doesn't have enough flowers..." She said, holding the crown up to Cheese, who nodded, understanding. "We'll have to pick some more." Cream decided, carefully placing the flowers onto the bed she was sitting on.
"Chao!" Cheese agreed.

With that, Cream skipped over to the door and reached upwards, taking a hold of the door handle and opening the door. Cheese flew out of the door, and waited patiently for Cream to close it after her. The Chao followed the rabbit down the hallway, and then down the main staircase of the Thorndyke mansion.

Just as Cream got to the bottom of the steps, her attention was caught by a crumpling noise coming from the living room. Peeking her head cautiously around the door frame, she saw that Douglas' step-mother, Lindsay, was standing on a chair, fixing a long fluffy decoration to the far wall from where Cream was.

"Maybe I can help decorate for the party..." Cream thought out loud, the idea of collecting more flowers now long gone from her mind.
"Ao." Cheese said in reply, which summed up the confused expression on the Chao's face.


4GOT10 came through the black curtain from the arena with a victorious smirk on his face. The plan had worked perfectly, and he (and his partner) were winners.

"Awesome! We did it!" His partner exclaimed, coming through the curtain after the purple-haired man.
"As if there was any doubt!" 4GOT10 replied. "Hey, I'd love to stick around, but I got things to do."
'And people to avoid.' He added mentally.
"Sure, I'll see you next time yeah?"
"Totally."

4GOT10, or more appropriately, Douglas, walked off, heading towards his locker-room have a shower and get changed into regular clothes. He was almost there, when he came face-to-face with someone he'd rather have dodged.

"Ah, Douglas!" Mr. Stuart said. "I've been looking all over for you."
Douglas folded his arms across his chest, unimpressed by Stuart's statement and the irritating small smile on his face.
"I know I haven't been Chief of Staff for too long, but I just wanted to say thanks." Stuart continued.
In reply, Douglas tilted his head slightly, arching a 'People's' eyebrow.
"I believe it's an honour to work with so many talented professionals like yourself!" Stuart said.

"Let me stop you right there Stuart." Douglas stated, tiring of the pointlessness of the conversation. "I don't know what your deal is, or why you're so damn interested in me, but if you don't back off, you'll find out just what it's like to have your spine turned into a Slinky."

Mr. Stuart gulped, quite worried about Douglas' threat, and knowing full well that he was probably able to carry it out as well.
"I... I think we have a misunderstanding here Douglas... Which... Which is why..." The confidence began returning to Stuart's voice. "Which is why... I want to get to know all of my wrestlers better! And that's why I'm coming to visit you and your family later today!"

Douglas' face twitched a little at hearing this but stood unfazed by the announcement. Thus creating the illusion that he wasn't bothered about Stuart's visit.

"I can't wait to meet your mother and get her autograph!" Stuart stated, waving his hand in a farewell gesture and beginning to walk away. That was, unstill Douglas grabbed his arm.

"You damn sure better be only coming for an autograph..." Douglas began saying, with a dark expression on his face. "Otherwise the only thing you'll get is a matching pair of black eyes!" Douglas then let go of Stuart, who now had a clearly worried expression on his face.
"Oh..." Douglas added. "You might as well bring your friend Topaz with you."
"Why... Why's that?" Stuart asked.
"Well, I assume you haven't brought her around here to just look pretty?" Douglas replied, smirking, before walking away and towards his locker room.

Mr. Stuart stood confused.
'Look pretty?' He thought. 'What does that mean?'


Far away from Station Square, amongst the jagged rocks and boulders of the Red Mountain region, a lone, cobalt figure stood looking at a poster in his hands.

'Man...' Sonic thought. 'This would be a lot more easier if I Knuckles' tracking and treasure hunting skills.'

The poster of the pool surrounded by flowers of course showed Sonic what he was looking for, but not the location. What made things worse, that in this area, all the mountains were the same colour of the crater the lake was in. Which either meant Sonic was close to the target, or very far away.

'Maybe it's over that tall one over there...' Sonic thought, looking at the tallest mountaintop he could see.

Rolling up the poster, and gripping in tightly in his hand, Sonic took of in a burst of speed, his familiar cocky smile on his face. Any mountain climbers would only see a sudden trail of blue rush across the rocks, before disappearing out of view.


Mr. Tanaka shook his head, carefully picking up the pot-plant on the windowsill next to the front door.
'Although I have the up most respect for Mrs. Thorndyke's accomplishments...' The butler thought. 'Her tastes in decoration and colour coordination leave much to be desired. This type of plant would be more suited for a lounge area...'

"Finally! The Douglas, HAS COME BACK, to 'Richsville'!" Douglas called as he stepped in through the main door into the Thorndyke mansion.
"How was your match today Master Douglas?" Mr. Tanaka inquired, bowing respectfully with the plant in his hands.
"Easy money!" Douglas replied.
'I presume that means he was victorious...' Tanaka thought.

"Oh Douglas darling, you're home!" Before the purple-haired wrestler could react, his stepmother had latched onto him a tight hug.
"GAH!" Was Douglas' initial reply.
Tanaka used this distraction to swiftly make an exit to reposition the plant elsewhere in the house.
"Mom!" Douglas said, now understanding his situation. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited one of my fellow grapplers from the S.S.C. to the party tonight, and my boss is coming over as well. I think he's a big fan of your movies or something."

Lindsay let go of the hug, holding her face a little over-dramatically in her hands. "That reminds me!" She said. "What am I going to wear?"
'How the heck did me telling her about Mr. Stalker trigger that reminder?' Douglas thought.
"I should've telephoned the studio to send over a gown!"
"I feel sorry for dogs!" A disgruntled voice came from the top of the stairs.

Looking at the stairs, Lindsay and Douglas saw that the voice came from Chuck Thorndyke, who was dressed instead of his usual lab-coat, in a tuxedo with a green waistcoat

"How can they stand it?" Chuck continued to grumble out-loud, as he fiddled with his tie while walking down the stairs. "This collar's killing me!"
"Yo Chuck!" Douglas greeted as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "What's up with the Double-Oh suit?"
"Mr. Tanaka says I can't wear the lab-coat to the party!" Chuck answered, but in a sarcastic way, indicating what he felt about the clothes he was wearing. "I don't see why not!"
"Listen, Chuck..." Douglas leant over to speak to the retired inventor. "Bad news, that weirdo Mr. Stuart's somehow found out about this party tonight, and he's invited himself along. I need you to find Sonic's crew and tell them to lay low until the guests leave, ya dig?"

"Well..." Chuck began said, holding his head in his hand in a thinking posture. "I know that Amy, Tails and Knuckles are all up in my lab, Sonic took off sometime in the morning, and I haven't seen Cream and Cheese all day..."
"That god damn piece of...!" Douglas was about to continue talking about Sonic, when he thought he heard the sound of children's laughter.

Looking over to the living room, where the sound had come from, Douglas and Chuck saw that Cream and Cheese were trying to place some paper-chain decoration onto the shade hanging from the ceiling.

"Okay, THAT is the kind of thing that we'll need to avoid!" Douglas stated.
"Is something wrong?" Lindsay asked.
"AH!" Douglas nearly jumped out of his boots at the sudden question. "DON'T DO THAT!"
"Nothing's wrong Lindsay, Douglas is a little nervous in case his friends are discovered during the party!" Chuck stated
"I need something to do! No, better yet, we need a plan of action!" Douglas stated, regaining his composure. "Right, this is what we'll do: Mom, you go get ready for the party while me and Chuck finish off the decorations..."

"But there's plenty of time before the party." Lindsay stated, slightly concerned about her stepson.
"Please, don't interrupt me mid-plan!" Douglas waved off the statement. "Last time it happened, I wasn't allowed to eat cheese for a month. Besides, from 'Douglas-Math' calculations on make-up time, it could take years! Right Chuck?"
"Huh? Oh, yes!" Chuck said. "Don't forget all the food that has to be prepared!"
"Oh..." Lindsay said, pretending to understand. "I guess I'll go and see how Ella's doing..."
With that said, Lindsay walked off towards the kitchen.

"Okay, change of plan." Douglas said. "We remove my Step-Mom from the plan. Now, AFTER the decoration business, we round up the furries and seal them in your lab Chuck..."
"You mean ask them to stay, right?" Chuck corrected.
"Sorry, sorry, I meant to say seal them in Chuck's..."
"That what you said!" Chuck stated.
"Excellent! Glad to see you agree with everything so far!"

"Can we please get on with this?" Chuck asked, impatiently.
Douglas nodded. "Fuck it, lets just wing it and hope for the best."
"Don't use that word!" Chuck said, glancing around him.
"What, best?"
"No! The F word!"
"Fuck?"

"YES! That word, don't use it! Especially in front of Cream!"
"Chill dude! I'm sure they swear on Mobile-us as well."
"Sonic's planet is called Mobius."
"Whatever, let's move!" Douglas stated, turning around and running into the living room.

"Just a little higher..." Cream said, as she fiddled with the ends of the paper-chain.
"Chao!" Cheese pointed out happily.
Cream looked over her shoulder. "You're right Cheese, it's Mr. Douglas!"
"Cream! Cheese! What are you guys doing here?" Douglas said worriedly.

This only got worse when Douglas heard the sound of the glass doors into the living room start to open. In a paranoia-fuelled reflex, Douglas leapt and grabbed Cream and Cheese and ducked down behind the sofa. Douglas mouthed 'shush', putting his finger on his lips, to the rabbit and Chao, listening to the person entering.
"Ah..." Ella's voice stated. "Mrs Thorndyke decorates like a little kid!" The maid then laughed, walking away out of the room.

Douglas breathed a sigh of relief. Both Ella and Mr. Tanaka knew about Sonic and his friends, so it didn't matter if she had seen Cream and Cheese. But if it had been someone else...

"Look, I'm sorry about that..." Douglas apologised to Cream and Cheese. "And I don't want to sound mean, but I REALLY need you guys to go back up to the lab and stay out of sight!"
"But the lab's boring!" Cream said, in such a polite and innocent way that it was really hard to get mad at her. "And we only wanted to help your mom get ready for the big party!"
"Ahem!"

Mr. Tanaka's chough was mild sounding, and not angry. But the unexpectedness of it was enough to startle Douglas to bolt upright, and fall backwards over the sofa.

"...What Master Douglas means Cream..." Tanaka continued talking, to draw attention away from the other human. "Is that he understands that it is very thoughtful of you to wish to help us prepare for tonight's festivities."
"What is with people freaking me out lately?" Douglas exasperatedly exclaimed, standing up. "What did you come from?" His question was directed at Tanaka.
"I had to move a plant from the lobby to here."
"The one in the white pot?" Douglas asked.
"Yes, why?"
"I put it in the dining room early this morning before I... Never mind! Do you know where Sonic is?"

Mr. Tanaka shook his head. "I have not seen Master Sonic all day, perhaps Miss Rose or Master Prower knows of his whereabouts."
Douglas slapped his hand into his face, and dragged it downwards in a sign of irritation and annoyance. "It's no wonder that S.O.H. beat the S-Team! At this rate everyone will have..."

Douglas looked down to where Cream and Cheese had been a moment ago.
"Disappeared! Where the hell did they go?"


'Master' Sonic was still racing around the Red Mountains, searching for the lake surrounded by flowers. He seemed to be nowhere near finding it, even after running non-stop for over an hour.

'How hard can it be to find some plants?' Sonic thought to himself, looking at the poster as he ran. 'Why did Chuck have this thing in his lab anyway? I thought he'd be more into physics than biology.'

Sonic shrugged his shoulders, and continued onwards, rushing past a cave entrance and down a rocky hill.

"...What was that?" A voice said, the owner of it running out of the cave. Looking around, the figure saw a blue trail lead down the mountain he was on, and disappear along a valley.

"Heh!" The figure sneered. "There's only one thing that blue, and that fast!" He spat out a toothpick onto the ground. "So Sonic got caught up in this place as well huh? And common sense screams that the rest of Sonic's goodie-two-shoes gang will be here, as well as old Doc' Robot'!"

He tilted his cowboy hat a little, and took out another toothpick from his pocket, putting it in his mouth. "I guess that's the bad news, but good news that them Chaos Emeralds are here too! No doubt all these Over Landers will pay handsomely for those gems!"

He smiled, but the smile looked more creepy than happy. "After all, I've always had the 'Nack' for these kind of things!" He then laughed at his own joke. "Ah, sometimes you're too good for yourself Fang..." He reminded himself, turning back into the cave.


"Come on Knuckles! You can't just listen to that stuff all day!" Amy complained, trying to snatch the CD player out of the Guardian's hand.
Knuckles simply held it up high above his head, out of the pink hedgehog's reach. "And why not?"
"Because I want someone to talk to!" Amy argued, jumping up to try and grab it, but failing.
"Talk to Tails then!" Knuckles suggested, nodding his head towards the fox. "He always has time to listen to you!"
"But he's been listening to something called 'Avril Latrine' for the past hour!"

"It's Lavigne!" Tails shouted over his shoulder, still listening to the music from the CD player he was holding.
"Huh?" Amy said. "You can hear me?"
Tails then pretended not to be able to hear her, with a smile on his face.
"Tails?" Amy called. "Tails!" The pink hedgehog started to get irritated. "TAILS!" She shouted.

Her call didn't have the effect she wanted, as Tails started to laugh under his breath. Amy pouted her lips, and folded her arms over her chest, annoyed that her plan wasn't working.
"It's not fair when you guys don't play along!" Amy stated.

'Well it isn't fair that I'll never be with the girl I love...' Tails thought bitterly. 'But that doesn't make us close to even.'


"ELLA! ELLA!" Lindsay Thorndyke called down the stairs.
"Huh?" Ella said, picking up the sounds, barely audible over the sound of the mixer in her hand. "WHAT?" Ella shouted back, before deciding it would be easier to remove the excess sounds. So she did, by turning off the mixer.
"I CAN'T FIND MY GREEN VERSA CHI! YOU HAVEN'T SENT IT TO THE CLEANERS HAVE YOU?"
'That horrible thing?' Ella thought 'I'd be glad to never see it again!'

"NO MRS THORNDYKE!" The maid shouted back. "IT SHOULD BE THERE!"
"WELL I CAN'T FIND IT!" Was Lindsay's reply.
Ella sighed, rolling her eyes. 'Pretty girl' She thought 'But would probably answer 'pass' when asked what her name was!'
"I'M ON MY WAY!" Ella shouted back, before leaving the kitchen, mumbling something under her breath.

While Ella left the kitchen, Cream and Cheese entered. The young rabbit smiled, skipping up a footstool to look at the contents on the central table.

"Wow! Look at all that food!" Cream stated, looking at the roast chicken, pizzas, salads, and other tasty treats that Ella had prepared by hand. "It smells so good!"
"Chao!" Cheese agreed, flying over to look at the bowl Ella had been mixing previously.

Whilst looking at the food, something caught Cream's attention. It was a large jug on white stand with buttons on it. Cream recognised it as the kind of thing that made yummy milkshakes. On the other side of the room, Cheese smiled at the sight of what seemed to be pink frosting in the bowl, and remembered how Cream's Mother used the same kind of mixing tool to make big cakes.

"We can help Cheese!" Cream announced, memories of helping her mom to cook flooding her mind. With that, Cream pressed the on button on her mixer, and Cheese pressed the big red button on the mixer in the bowl.

Let us analyse the situation here.

We have two very young and very innocent minds here, only wanting to be as helpful as they can be. However, in their haste to be helpful, they have not taken time to think of the consequences of their actions.

For instance, if you go down to the shops and buy a CD for a friends birthday without knowing what type of music they are into, you could buy them the S Club 7's Greatest Hits when they wanted Marilyn Manson's Greatest hits, and find yourself losing a friend very quickly. If you go down to the shops and buy your parents a loaf of brown bread instead of white, you may find yourself being forced to eat the bread with no butter or similar spread.

In this case, Cream and Cheese deciding to press the button they thought was the right one instead of checking, caused the mixers to stir at the maximum speed.

The sudden shock of seeing the contents being mixed fly up into the air was too scary for Cream and Cheese, who then ran out of the kitchen, screaming.

The screams caught the attention of Ella, who ventured back into the kitchen to investigate.


"For the love of Stacie Orrico!" Douglas thought out-loud to himself, as check the same floor for the tenth time. "How hard is it to locate a rabbit and a floating blob in this place?"
"AAAIIIIEEEEEE!"
"Huh?" Douglas' attention switched to the loud scream he heard. "What now?" Douglas said, more irritated than concerned. Sighing, Douglas quickly ran down the corridor, down the stairs, and into the source of the noise, the kitchen.

The Smicktor- Thorndyke's eyes went wide in shock. 'Now that ain't right.' He thought, looking at the out of control mixers.
"Ella!" Douglas exclaimed, seeing the maid crouching behind the table. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"My dinner!" Ella, covered in green and pink splodges, cried. "It's a disaster!"

Douglas quickly knelt down, and using all the stealth techniques he'd learnt from watching the A-Team, switched off the mixers. Standing up, Douglas looked at the carnage of food around him.

'Normally I'd say that something smells fishy around here...' Douglas thought. 'But I think that it smells more 'creamy' and 'cheesy'!'


Sonic whistled, looking at the rushing cascade of water falling down the cliff.
"Man, this is cool!" Sonic informed himself, taking his attention to a rickety wooden plank bridge that was strung across the gap between cliffs.

There were few solid, good planks in the bridge, which was held together by worn, aged rope. The rest of the planks were either rotten, snapped in half, or were riddled with woodworm.
'Not even a challenge!' Sonic decided, taking a step back and preparing to rush across the bridge.

"Stop!" A calm voice called out.

Sonic stopped himself, looking around him. His eyes locked onto a blue-cloaked figure, so seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"What's wrong?" Sonic asked.
The figure smiled. "Who would cross the 'Bridge of Death' must answer me these questions three, 'ere the other side he see."
Sonic smirked, folding his arms across his chest, being careful not to damage the poster he was holding. "Bridge of Death? Not very original is it?"

The figure did not reply, instead, he shrugged his shoulders a little. "Somehow, I don't believe 'An old bridge likely to collapse' would appeal to you."
The blue hedgehog blinked. "Right..."
"One: What is your name?" The figure questioned.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sonic replied.

The figure did not respond.
'Alright.' Sonic thought. 'I'll play along with this guy.'
"My name is Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Incorrect." The figure stated. "You are Prince Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, of the Royal Family of Hedgehogs, no matter how many times you neglect your royal duty."

Sonic's jaw dropped.

"Two: What is your quest?" The figure continued questioning.
"...Uh..." Sonic tried to find words in his mouth. "I'm... Looking for this lake, surrounded by..."
"Flowers, that you saw on the poster in Chuck's lab, yes yes." The figure finished the answer for Sonic. "It is not far after crossing this bridge."

Sonic said nothing, amazed by the knowledge from this person, whom he had never met.

"Three: Where is Knothole Village?"
"Easy!" Sonic quickly answered. "It's hidden in the Great Forest, back on Mobius!"
"Incorrect."
"What?"
"While it is in the Great Forest, it is not on the same planet it once was..."

"You mean..." Sonic said, piecing together the information he was just told. "The Chaos Control... Took Knothole... Here?"
The figure smiled. "Correct."
"But... But how?"
" 'Tis destiny Prince Sonic, destiny. We were all destined to visit this world, as the prophecy foretold."

"...Say what now?"
"The prophecy foretold by the Ancient Walkers, of The Chosen One."
"The what who?"

The figure pulled back his hood, revealing his aged, grey face of a fox, and soft eyes. Eyes full of wonder and knowledge.

"My name is Merlin. Remember that name Prince, when you return to Knothole. 'Tis your part in destiny to help awaken the Chosen One."
"Chosen One?" Sonic questioned, but before the hedgehog could ask anything else, in a flash of bright light, Merlin had disappeared out of sight.

Sonic stood there blinking for a moment, before shaking his head.
"Either I need to lay off the chilli-dogs, or I haven't been eating enough of them..."


Back at the Thorndyke Residence, Lindsay was putting the finishing touches to her look for the evening.

"There!" She announced to herself, fixing her blue-jewel earring in place on her left ear. "That should do." She thought, checking over herself in the make-up mirror in her bedroom. She had finally decided on a long red dress, matching pearl necklace and wrist accessory.
"Well..." She thought out loud again. "At least for my entrance!" She had picked out a couple of extra outfits to use throughout the night...

Lindsay was then distracted by the telephone on the table next to her ringing.
"Oh!" She stated. "Interruptions!" She picked up the 'phone, putting the receiver up to her ear. "Hello?"

From outside the room, Cream and Cheese peaked in to see what the noise was they had just heard.

"What's that?" They heard Douglas' Stepmother say. "The staring role!" She stood up, obviously excited by the news. "I'll catch the next 'plane out right away! Oh, wait..." Another thought came into her head. "I'm actually having a party for my step-son tonight. I'll have to leave tomorrow morning... ...Oh! I didn't realise, so start filming on location first thing tomorrow morning? No, no, I understand..."

Cream and Cheese continued to listen intently to this end of the conversation.

"You can't put a hundred-million dollar production on hold for a party..." Lindsay said. "I'll leave immediately, goodbye."

Lindsay put the 'phone down, and the look on her face showed anything other than someone who'd just been offered the lead role in a major movie.

"Oh why does it have to always happen this way?" She almost cried out. "I don't even have time to spend with my little boy!" Tears began welling up in her eyes, as she started to sniff. "I may be a great actress, but I'm a terrible mother!" She then broke down, covering her face with her hands and crying. "Oh please forgive me Douglas!" She managed to say in between sobs.

From the doorway, Cream and Cheese looked on sadly at the sight of the stepmother, wishing there was something they could do.


Flip Card 1 - Sam Speed

Full Real Name: Samuel Fair
Nickname(s): The Highway Star, The Speed King, Sam Speed
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Likes: Speed, racing, racecars, being the best
Dislikes: Anything slow, anything boring, not being the best
Identifying features: Often seen behind the wheel of the latest sports car, or his S-Team Pursuit Vehicle, wears red and white S-Team issue body suit.


Flip Card 2 - TMG

Full Real Name: Thomas Davidson
Nickname(s): The Murder Game, TMG
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Likes: Wrestling, entertaining
Dislikes: Liars, people with agendas, garlic bread
Identifying features: Short black hair, brown eyes, wrestles in Brown shorts with 'TMG' written on back, brown knee and elbow pads, brown army boots, and a brown leather mask that covers all but his eyes, nostrils and mouth.


Part 2:

Sonic hummed a tune to himself, running over and down another mountain top, leaving only a brief trail of blue as an indication of his appearance. He had no time to mess around anymore. He had to find that lake and head back home before it got too dark. It would be one of the few times in the hedgehog's life that he was actively seeking out water. Usually he did his best to avoid it.

In an instant, Sonic brought himself to a complete stop. Raising his free hand to above his eyes, his other still held the poster of his goal; he looked around him from the vantage point. At eye level, there were some more mountains, and clear blue sky.

Below him, he saw something that made him smile. A beautiful shimmering lake of crystal clear water, completely surrounded by flowers and plants of all colours and shades, some of which Sonic had never even seen before.

"YEAH!" Sonic shouted out, throwing the map up in the air and rushing down towards the lake.
In a second, Sonic was at the edge of the mass of flowers. Gently, he knelt down picked up a small white flower. He raised it up to his nose, and took a deep sniff.

To say that the scent was just what the hedgehog had hoped for was an understatement.


Back at the Thorndyke house, Douglas was still looking, unsuccessfully, for Cream and Cheese.

"Cream, are you around here?" He called, walking onto the patio area by the swimming pool. "Cheese can you hear me?"

Douglas stopped, glancing over his shoulders and then around him to see if he'd gained any response. No such luck. He then sighed, looking up at the sky, and then at his feet. His face twitched, and his hands clenched into fists, shaking slightly. Then, in one moment of uncontrollable anger, Douglas threw his head back and screamed into the air.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE MOTHERFUCKING KIDS?"

Silence followed, as Douglas continued to stare up at the sky, his chest moving up and down as he calmed himself down from his outburst.

"…Wait… I know…" He said, lowering his head back to a normal position. "The lab… Yes… Maybe they're back at the lab with Chuck… Of course… Of course that's where they'll be!"
Douglas began laughing, in short burst, each becoming longer and louder, until he was almost laughing hysterically at nothing, at which point he ran off towards Chuck's lab.

From the balcony above, Ella stepped out, and watched the purple-haired wrestler leave, unaware of the crude outburst from before.
"Oh dear… the poor boy!" She thought aloud. "I can't tell him Mrs. Thorndyke's leaving! He's in a good mood!"


A few moments later, Mr. Tanaka was putting the last bag into the trunk of Mrs. Thorndyke's pink car.
He closed it, and turned to state the obvious, but Ella grabbed Lindsay's attention first.

"Mrs. Thorndyke!" Ella said "I was going to find Douglas, but he seemed to be laughing, and I thought that telling him would only ruin his mood, and…"
"No, I understand Ella." Lindsay said, taking a hold of the worried maid's hand. "Please tell Douglas how sorry I am and apologise to Mr. Stuart and my brother."
"They'll understand." Ella replied. "You take care Mrs. Thorndyke."

Releasing the hand, Lindsay walked down the short steps toward the car.

"Don't hesitate to call me if something happens, or if Douglas needs anything." She said.
"Certainly, Mrs. Thorndyke." The butler replied, bowing gracefully.

Lindsay nodded in reply, and stepped into the back of the car. After she was in, the chauffer closed the car door, and quickly moved into the driver's seat. A moment later, the engine roared into life, and the car took off down the driveway and out of the Thorndyke Residence.

The car left behind a concerned butler and maid, fearing for the worst for the party to come.


"AHA!" Douglas shouted, pointing a finger into the lab, as he pushed the hatch open with his other hand.

He was greeted the confused looks all those in the room. Amy, who looked up from reading a magazine, Tails and Chuck, who had been previously looking at S.H.I.T data, and Knuckles, who had been looking out of the window.

"Hey Douglas…" Knuckles said, breaking the uneasy silence that followed Douglas' entrance. "Did you hear that crazy laughter? It sounded like someone high on…"
"Never mind that!" Douglas said, stepping into the room. "Where's Cream and Cheese?"
"…Weren't they with you?" Chuck offered as a reply, shrugging his shoulders.
"NO!" Douglas shouted, grabbing his hair with both of his hands. "They're running amuck around the house, and that creep Stuart's coming around to the party! If he sees wither of them then we'll all be in more trouble than soft toy in a flamethrower factory!"

"Calm down Douglas!" Chuck said, turning his chair to address him. "All we have to do is split up, and each of us will search a different part of the house. We'll find them, in no time, right?"
"Right!" Tails and Amy replied, nodding.
Knuckles smirked. 'Finally!' He thought. 'A chance to use treasure hunting and tracking skills!'
"Yes… YES!" Douglas said, releasing his hair and smiling. "Genius! Let's move out troops!"


"Attention Green Goblin, come in Green Goblin; over." The voice from the radio cracked into life.
"This is Green Goblin, receiving you loud and clear; over." Topaz, wearing casual clothes, said, speaking into the transmitter mouthpiece attached by a wire to the radio. In the driver seat next to her, Mr. Stuart concentrated on driving to the Thorndyke house.
"Subject: Mrs. Lindsay Thorndyke." The radio voice spoke again. "Status: Left Thorndyke residence approx five minutes ago. Intelligence provides reason as secured movie role, requiring immediate departure; over."
"Understood. Any other reports; over?"

"Affirmative. All other guests are scheduled to arrive…"
"From the Thorndyke house!" Topaz snapped. "Have the animals tried leaving, over?"
"Uh… Negative…" The voice replied, although sounding more nervous. "Animals last seen… Actually entering the house, moments ago… Bar Sonic, who departed early in the morning; over."
"What about Douglas?" Stuart said, eyes still focused on the road, as he watched a pink car on the other side of the road turn to the left up ahead of him.
"Any status of Smicktor; over?" Topaz asked.

"Smicktor reported to have screamed into the air, laughed manically, ran into lab building, leave lab building with all the animals and Chuck Thorndyke, and rush into the main building. Caution advised; over."
Topaz hung up the transmitter. "Weird… Could be a trap…" She said thoughtfully.
"I doubt it." Stuart replied. "They don't suspect anything. And from Douglas' reaction, he didn't expect me to be popping around today…"
"I still think this is a bad idea. Smicktor is the kind of guy to snap in a second if pushed."
"You worry too much." Stuart smirked as he spoke. "You should just worry about not damaging our little 'bug' during the party."

"Oh, right." Topaz shrugged, pulling a small black box with a red light out of her pocket. "This little guy…"
"Don't worry, we're nearly there."


"…Where's Knuckles at then?" Douglas said, speaking to the pink hedgehog.
"I saw him climb up the walls to look on the roof…" Amy started to say.
"The roof? I know Cheese has got those little wings to fly, but Cream…"
"Oh, didn't you know? Cream can fly as well, she just flaps her ears!"
"…Okay…"

Douglas' thoughts then turned to the sound of the doorbell.

"I will answer the door…" Tanaka stated, walking past Amy and Douglas.
"Okay, you carry on looking for Cream and Cheese, and remember to stay away from the living room until I give the signal!"
"No problem!" Amy replied, before skipping out of the hallway.
"Master Douglas, your friend from the wrestling is here…" Before Tanaka had finished, Douglas was up at the front door to greet his guest.

"Hey Tom!" Douglas said. "Glad you could make it!"
"No probs!" Tom replied, dressed in regular clothes compared to what he usually wore to wrestle. "Damn man! This is some place you've got here!"
"It's not bad." Douglas shrugged. "Colours could be better. Come in man, you're the first guest to arrive."
"Really? Before The Highway Star?" Tom genuinely sounded surprised.

"He arrives on time, but HIS time." Douglas explained, as Tanaka closed the front door. "He won't be that long probably…"
The sound of the doorbell broke the conversation again.
"Is that him?" Tom looked over his shoulder.
"Without the roar of a sports car engine accompanying him? I doubt it."

Tanaka opened the door again. He was greeted by the sight of a man in a suit with a dozen red roses, and a woman in a casual white top and jeans.

"I'm Douglas' boss, Mr. Stuart, and this is my friend Topaz." The man spoke.
"We've been expecting you." Mr. Tanaka replied, and motioned for the two to come in.
"You didn't invite him, did you?" Tom asked in a whisper.
"Hell no I didn't." Douglas replied, in a similar whisper.
"Coincidence?"
"Common sense says unlikely."

"Ah Douglas! Good to see you again!" Stuart greeted.
"Yeah, sure." Douglas replied, unimpressed. "Topaz, right?" Douglas spoke to the woman.
She nodded in reply, slightly apprehensive.
"Oh! Guests have arrived!" Ella said, coming out from the kitchen. "Welcome!"

"Guests? Are you having a party?" Stuart asked, putting on fake surprise.
"Oh yes! Mrs. Thorndyke wanted to have a big party tonight!" Ella continued, unaware of the odd looks that she and Stuart were receiving.
"Douglas! I'm shocked." Again, Stuart put on a painfully phoney hurt expression, so much so that even Topaz shook her head. "You didn't invite me to your little party."
"Yeah, well, it's for friends and family." Douglas replied, resisting the urge to throw him out. "Close friends and family I might add."
"You don't consider me to be your friend?" Stuart asked again.

Douglas took a few steps forward, and looked Stuart straight in the eye.
"You surprise me Stuart. I didn't think you have enough brain cells to work that one out."
No sounds came from any of the other people in the room, but collectively jaws hit the floor at that point.
"Now, I don't know your friend well enough…" Douglas motioned to Topaz, whilst talking in a voice with such a hint of sinister-ness that it seriousness could not be denied. "…To pass judgement, but I assume she's a much better person than you will ever be. I also advise you, Mister Stuart, to enjoy your stay here as much as possible; because believe me, it is your first, and last."

Douglas smirked for a second, nodding his head and turning away, walking into the living room. After his departure, a brief uneasy silence followed. Which was broken by laughter from Tom.

"Man, you got seriously punked out!" Tom laughed, pointing at Stuart, before following the direction Douglas took.
"Uh… You will have to excuse Master Douglas' actions. He is known to get very… Defensive… When his 'personal space' is invaded." Tanaka explained.
"Not… Not at all…" Mr. Stuart replied, still trying to process what Douglas had said to him.
"Please, come this way." The butler offered.

Topaz smiled, secretly happy that Douglas had put Stuart's ego in check.
"Told you so." She whispered, walking past him and into the living room.
Stuart frowned, but showed no other outward emotion.
'Oh no Smicktor…' He thought. 'You haven't won!'
Without another thought, he felt for the little black box in his pocket, and pressed the on button.


"Please! Everyone take a seat!" Ella offered when everyone was in the living room.

Mr. Stuart, still holding the roses, entered last. Because of his height, he instantly noticed a colourful paper chain over the shade of the room's hanging light.

"Uh… Interesting style…" Topaz said, looking at it.
"Do you like it?" Ella asked. "Not only is Mrs. Thorndyke a great actress, but an artist too!"
Douglas had a disgusted look on his face, not believing the stupidity of the situation.
"Contemporary?" Tom offered, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, it's nice and all, but some more browns could do wonders…"
"Oh, it's great!" Stuart lied. "I can't wait to meet her and give her my complements!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Stuart…" Ella began, sadness obvious in her voice. "But just before you arrived Mrs. Thorndyke got offered an important movie roll, and she had to leave right away!"
Douglas' attention snapped right up hearing this.
"That's really too bad…" Stuart now faked disappointment. "I was looking forward to meeting her in person." He looked at the roses in his hand. "I guess… I'll give these to you then!" Stuart said, offering the roses to Ella.
"OH! What beautiful roses!" Ella gleefully took the flowers.

Topaz rolled her eyes, moving beside Douglas. "Oh please…" She said.
"Tell me about it." Douglas replied. "Romance sucks."
"Totally." Topaz nodded in agreement.
"I'll put them in some…" Ella was interrupted by the loud sound of something breaking nearby.


In the kitchen, a cupboard opened up, and Tails popped his head out.
"Hello?" He said, wondering where the noise he'd heard had come from.
In Douglas' bedroom, Amy pulled herself out from underneath Douglas' bed, her attentions also drawn away by the sound.
"Huh?" She said, before finding that her Piko-Piko Hammer was stuck under the bed.
Up on the roof, Knuckles' also heard the sound.
"Something is rotten in the state of Thorndyke." The Guardian stated, before his attentions were caught by another sound, one of a loud car engine.
"What was that?" Ella stated, putting the flowers down on the little coffee table.

Everyone in the room moved around, looking for the source of the sound. Stuart took the time to move over to a painting of some coloured squares, and take out the little black box in his pocket. He smiled, looking at the flashing red light, indicating that it was on.

Ella walked over to the only open window of the room, and looked out. She was surprised to look out and see Chuck, amongst smashed plant pots and soil. He was visibly wincing as well. Opening his eyes, Chuck saw the weird look Ella was giving him, and instantly sprung to his feet.

"Uh, hi Ella!" Chuck said, a big, toothy grin on his face; used to mask the embarrassment he was feeling. "I was just… Leaning out the window… And… I fell out… And happened to knock over these flowers!"
"…I don't know what you're playing at Mister…" Ella stated. "But you'd better be on your best behaviour! Douglas' boss from the wrestling is here!"
"OH!" Chuck said, remembering. "I'd better come in and say hi!" He said, beginning to climb up onto the windowsill and through the window into the room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen: My Step-Grandfather Chuck." Douglas said, motioning a hand towards the man entering though the window.
There was a visible sweat-drop on the foreheads of everyone in the room.

Douglas sighed, watching Ella argue with Chuck about the ethics of using doors to enter places with. Something caught his glance out of the bottom of his eye. Two little red and yellow shoes. Ones that could only belong to Cream the Rabbit.

"AHA!" Douglas called out in victory, thus attracting attention to himself.
"What's the matter Douglas?" Ella asked. "Why did you scream?"
"Uh…" Douglas said, glancing around him. "I was just thinking… Of… The best way to execute a powerbomb! Oh yes, absolutely!"
"I must say, that this is an extraordinary painting!" Mr. Stuart said, looking at the painting he was standing next to.

Behind the curtain, Cream was holding onto Cheese, both a little frightened by the voices of strangers and crashing noises that they were hearing. Suddenly, through the window, they saw the familiar form of Sonic jump up onto a tree outside. He smiled at them, waving a bunch of the prettiest flowers that Cream had ever seen in her life. He then pointed over to Chuck's lab, indicating that he would be waiting for her there, and jumped away.

Her head now filled with thoughts of the flowers, she completely forgot about hiding, and left the safety of the curtains.

"Wow! Mr. Sonic went out and picked a whole bunch of pretty flowers just for me!" She said, walking from the curtains.

Chuck shook his head, holding it in his hand, whilst Ella and Tanaka sweat-dropped. Stuart and Topaz's jaws dropped in amazement, whilst Douglas had look of anger mixed with disbelief on his face.

Unaware of what was going on, Tom picked Cream gently by the back of her neck.
"Uh… You could have some too Mister…" Cream said to the man, a little scared at having just being picked up.
"No… No thanks…" Tom replied. "Am I seeing things, or is this giant animal here talking?" He asked, unsure.
"Talking animals! HA! What a joke!" Chuck said, trying almost to fool himself.
"Yes, that is some joke." Mr. Tanaka added.

"Hmm… Love this painting!" Stuart said to anyone who was listening to him, which no one was.
'No manual ever teaches you to deal with situations like this…' Topaz thought.

"Careful with those!" Douglas said, tenderly taking Cream and Cheese from Tom and holding them close to him. "Those are like special… Animal… Toy… Things, which my Dad, Step-Dad I mean, wants me to test out!"
"No way man!" Tom said. "I swear, I heard those things talk! Now I may wrestle like a lunatic, and I may…" Tom continued to rant, whilst Douglas whispered instructions to Cream and Cheese.
"Listen, just pretend to be toys, and everything will be okay." He whispered, to which the rabbit and Chao nodded in reply.
"…And no way is anyone gonna tell me otherwise!" Tom concluded.

"Hey hey!" A voice from outside said, diverting everyone's attention again.

Suddenly, the door to the living room flung open, and in walked a man with orange hair, with 'SPEED' written across his T-Shirt.

"Where's the party?" He asked, smiling.
"Sam Speed!" Douglas said, smiling at one of the few step-relatives that he liked. "Now the party can begin!"
'Oh great…' Ella, Tanaka and Chuck thought. Topaz showed about as much interest as Stuart did, but not nearly as much as Tom was.
"Right, this is Topaz…" Douglas introduced. "My boss Mr. Stuart, and the SCC Champ, Tom Davidson, TMG himself."

"Cool! Nice to meet a fellow champ!" Sam extended his hand, shaking Tom's.
"Dude, you are like THE man!" Tom replied.
"I hear you're involved with the Highway patrol?" Stuart asked, if only to remind people that he was still here.
"Well, I don't like to brag, but I'm the leader of the S-Team!" Sam replied.
"THAT statement is only half correct!" Chuck grumbled.

"Really?" Stuart was actually more impressed, as apposed to Topaz, who was now clearly disinterested.
"Man, Sam here drives faster than anyone, ANYONE, in the whole world! No one can touch him! That's why they call him 'The Speed King'! Sam even came up with the name himself, ain't that right?"
"Sure!" Sam replied. "A little self promotion never hurt anyone!"

The self-proclaimed 'Speed King' then entered into a full-blown laugh, only enjoyed by himself. The rest of the room looked on with a look of annoyance, apart from Douglas who just smirked, and Tom who seemed more interested.

"Let's cut the chit-chat and get this party moving!" Sam quickly snapped out of his laugh. "It's too slow!"
"And you're mouth is too fast!" Ella snapped back.
"Ha! I can't help it if I enjoy speed!" Sam said, sitting down. "I've always been fast."
"I can bet." Topaz said under her breath.
"I even beat the Doctor to the Delivery room! I was the only kid in town with a 5-speed transmission on my baby carriage!"

"Huh?" Tom said, now a little more confused about what Sam was talking about. Douglas was actually sure that he heard two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff.
"I admit it!" Sam continued. "I enjoy living in the fast lane! Even in the Supermarket, no matter how many items I have, I use the Express Checkout!"

It was now clear from the looks on people's faces in the room that they were not caring one bit what Sam was saying. Except for Douglas, who seemed to be loving it, and Tom, who was tapping his wristwatch, checking if it was working properly.

"I can't even walk my dog! I make him run!" Sam then entered into another loud laugh.
"I guess he's one of those guys who always comes first…" Topaz said, standing next to Douglas again.
Douglas looked at her, shrugging. "Somehow I don't think he'd care." He replied.
"There's only one guy who's faster!" Sam said, a look of seriousness on his face.

"Huh?" Douglas said, looking at Sam. "Faster?"
"I've NEVER seen ANYTHING that fast, but don't you worry! I'll catch up with him someday!"
"Really!" Stuart exclaimed, now very interested. "What did it look like?"
"It's weird…" Sam spoke, almost not believing (or wanting to believe) his own words. "But he looked like a big blue hedgehog! He even had spikes and…"

Sam stopped himself, when out of the corner of his eye; he noticed some blue through the window. Turning his head, he took a better look. There, sitting on a branch of a tree, was that same hedgehog who had been faster than him only a few weeks ago. What's more, the hedgehog was taunting him, waving with a cocky smirk on his face.

"HEY!" Sam stood up, pointing at the hedgehog. "THERE HE IS!"

Everyone in the room, bar Tom, who had his wristwatch pressed against his ear, turned and looked where Sam was pointing. They all saw Sonic sitting on the branch, who promptly jumped off it and out of sight. Tom then looked at the window, and saw only an ordinary tree. Everyone else in the room turned away from the window, as if they hadn't seen anything.

"THERE! DID YA SEE HIM?" Sam asked almost desperately. "That was the blue hedgehog I was talking about!"
"Sorry…" Stuart said, looking at the painting he was next to. "I was too busy looking at this wonderful painting."
"Nothing but a big old tree!" Ella said.
"I didn't see anything!" Chuck said. "Did you?" He asked the butler.
"Perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you Sir." Tanaka suggested.

"But I'm tellin' ya! I SAW IT!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. "You two saw it, right?" He looked at Topaz and Douglas.
"Sorry, but I was looking at my nails." Topaz shrugged her shoulders. "I think I chipped my nail polish."
"I was offering my medical opinion." Douglas agreed, nodding his head. "Those can be pretty nasty if left untreated!"
"You're not a doctor!" Topaz looked at Douglas.
"I can play one on TV!"

Sam rubbed his eyes with his arm, trying to blink some sense into them.
"I saw it!" The S-Team leader stated. "My eyes don't lie!" He crossed his arms, now ignoring everyone else's opinions. "That thing waved at me and ran off!"
"I don't know guys…" Tom said, stepping forward. "I mean, you all thought I was on the weed or something when I heard that animal talk!"
"Animal talk?" Sam questioned. "I didn't hear it talk, but I'm sure it could understand what I said! We both saw the same creature!" Sam assumed. "That proves I'm not crazy!" He added, smugly.
"Uh, I don't think so." Tom stated. "It that animal I heard." He pointed at Douglas holding Cream and Cheese.

"OKAY PEOPLE let's calm down now!" Douglas quickly announced, knowing that the attention was now on him. "I know we're all a bit emotional and stuff, and I apologise that my mom, step-mom I mean, can't be here for the party. I heard she had to leave for some movie…" As Douglas talked, Cream and Cheese listened in to every word. "…And didn't give any notice, so understandably I'm a little mad as well. I mean, sure, Mister Stuart and me don't see eye-to-eye, but he's a big fan of her movies, and she left before he even arrived! Rude or what?" Douglas joked a little with the rhetorical question.

"Yeah… That sounds like my sister all right…" Sam agreed.

Cream blinked, subconsciously, as memories came back of earlier that day. Of Lindsay's sadness, her crying over having to leave, of speaking out loud for forgiveness from her stepson.

That was too much for both Cream and Cheese. Angrily, Cream pushed her way out of Douglas' arms, landing on the floor.

"You're wrong!" Cream said, looking up at Douglas with the angriest look she could muster. "Your mom felt bad about having to leave and she tried to find you to say goodbye!"
Douglas titled his head, confused, as Cheese yelped at the human, agreeing with what the rabbit was saying.
"You're lucky!" Cream said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You get to talk to you're mom all the time on the 'phone! I can't even do that!"

With that said, Cream then ran out of the room, crying, with Cheese following behind her. As the door to the outside slammed shut, the humans in the room felt an uneasy silence. But Douglas also felt something else, which made him clench his hands into fists.

"Well." Tanaka broke the silence, diverting everyone's attention to himself. "I hope you all enjoyed that. I've been practising my ventriloquism act for weeks now. And if I don't say so myself I'm not half bad." Tanaka followed up his statement by coughing into his hand.
"Ah yes! This painting is stunning!" Stuart said.
"SHUT UP ABOUT THAT DAMN PAINTING!" Douglas suddenly snapped angrily, causing everyone to jump back in surprise.

Suddenly, the door from the hall opened up, and Tails ran out and through the room, followed by Amy.
"CREAM!" Tails shouted, as he headed for the door where Cream had left.
"Come here Cream!" Amy shouted, following Tails out of the room.

Another uneasy silence followed.

"…Fuck this…" Douglas concluded, turning around and leaving the room through the door to the hall.
"Uh… Did anyone of you guys see those animals run past?" Tom said, pointing to the door they had left from.
"If I had a therapist, they would love to hear about this…" Topaz muttered under her breath.
"Well Sam…" Chuck said, walking over to the S-Team leader. "It's nice of you to take time out of your 'busy' schedule to visit us, and of course, you're more than welcome to visit anytime you like."
"Yeah, well you know me! It'll have to a QUICK visit!" Sam proceeded to enter into another full-blown laugh.

"I guess I've seen enough…" Stuart stated, thankful he hadn't gone blind from looking at the awful painting. He then looked at the black box still in his hand, but sighed and put it in his pocket.
"Yeah, it's been nice being here…" Topaz said to Mr. Tanaka. "Tell Douglas I said bye when you see him."
"Of course." Tanaka replied.
"Mr. Thorndyke…" Stuart said to Chuck. "I've got to go. I have paperwork for the next big event to finalise. Send my regards to Douglas' step-mother and tell her I'm sorry we didn't get to meet."
"Sure thing." Chuck replied.


The large metal gates opened up, and the green car containing Mr. Stuart and Topaz left the grounds.

"Attention Green Goblin, come in Green Goblin; over." The voice from the radio cracked into life.
"This is Green Goblin, receiving you loud and clear; over." Topaz replied into the transmitter.
"Subject: Douglas Smicktor. Left Thorndyke residence barely a minute ago. Current location unknown; over."
"Understood; over and out." Topaz hung up the mouthpiece. "This isn't good."
"Don't worry, he can't have gone far." Stuart replied.

Back at the mansion, Sam was already in the driver's seat of his ludicrously expensive sports car.
"See you in my rear-view mirror!" Sam announced, before speeding away up the drive from the house, barely before Tanaka had even began bowing.

This left Chuck, Ella and Tanaka standing at the top of the steps before the mansion itself.
"Thank goodness that's over!" Ella stated, to which Chuck and Tanaka agreed.

They returned into the house, and back into the living room, to find Tom sat on the sofa, looking at the fingers on his hands.

"Maybe I've been working too hard…" He thought aloud. "I'm starting to hallucinate!"
"Master Chuck…" Tanaka whispered. "Perhaps it would be better to let Master Douglas' friend in on our secret."
"You're right Tanaka!" Chuck replied. "It would make things a lot more easier around here!"

The three walked over to the seated man.
"Tom." Chuck said, getting the wrestler's attention. "Listen, it's like this…"


"Man, this is crazy!" Tom exclaimed, watching Cream and Cheese helping Ella by stacking plates. "But in a cool way, ya know."
"No problem." Knuckles replied, standing beside the wrestler. "This tend to get hectic around here anyway. Today was just exceptionally so."
"It's such a relief that the only thing nuts around here is my Pecan Pie!" Ella stated, stirring the contents of a large pot. "Plus, we don't have to hide you anymore sweetie!"
"We can all be friends!" Cream happily replied, while Cheese nodded in agreement. "And it means we can help you out in the kitchen!"
"Oh, you're so sweet!" Ella added. "Your mother must miss you terribly!"

"Please don't worry. Sonic and my friends will find a way back home. Until then you can take care of me." Cream added, her eyes shining a little with emotion.
"Oh, I will!" Ella smiled, her eyes starting to water a little as well.
"Thank you Ella."
"Chao-Chao!" Cheese concluded.

"Now that we're all in on it…" Sonic said, standing beside Knuckles and Tom. "We've got the run on this place."
"You never stay around here long enough to notice!" Knuckles pointed out.
"That's not true!" Sonic replied. "I'm here to sleep aren't I?"
"Yeah, that really counts." The Guardian rolled his eyes.

Tom laughed.
"Whatever!" He said. "It's getting late, I'd better get going home. Hopefully I'll see you guys around, right?"
"No problem." Sonic winked, giving the thumbs up.
"Maybe check out the arena next time you're around, you guys would run rings around most of the roster!" Tom waved as he walked away.

Sonic turned around, to see Knuckles in deep thought, his arms folded over his chest.

"You Knuckles, what's up?"
"I think we need to talk, meet up in Douglas' room." Was all Knuckles replied, before walking off in the other direction.


"So what's the deal?" Sonic asked, looking around the wrestler's room.
"I watched Douglas leave the house after Cream's 'outburst'…" Knuckles began. "And to say he was less than happy is an understatement. The term these people use is 'pissed off' I believe."
"Right… So?"
"This is about family Sonic. Douglas' family, or should I say, lack off. He doesn't care about how his step-mom felt having to leave, and he probably doesn't care that Cream misses her mother."

"You sure?" Sonic questioned.
"Positive. There's something he is not telling us, and I doubt he ever will…"

Knuckles was interrupted by the sound of happy humming from outside. The hedgehog and echidna looked at the door, and Cream came in, holding a ring expertly woven flowers.

"Is Mister Douglas back yet?" Cream said, a warm smile on her face.
"Uh, no Cream." Sonic answered.
Cream's smile vanished into a sad frown. "Oh…" She said. "I made this specially for him… I wanted to see him wear it…"
"I'm sure he'll love it Cream." Knuckles stated. "It'll be a nice surprise for when he gets back!"
"Really?" Cream's smile returned.
"Of course!" Sonic added.

"That's great!" Cream went over to the bed, and put the flowers on it. "Now I'm going to give Ella her flowers!" And with that said, the rabbit happily skipped off out of the room.

"…Wow." Sonic stated, looking at the flowers. "That's one of Cream's flower crowns. She only gives them to the people she really likes a lot."
Knuckles shook his head. "I only hope that Douglas will appreciate this as much as we did when we first got ours."


At the other side of town, in a dimly lit bar, Douglas Smicktor was sat on a bar stool, drinking down his second pint of beer.

"Tough day 4GOT10?" The bar man asked.
"You've got no idea." Douglas replied. "It's fucked up that my work's mixed up with my private life, and all this animal bullshit as well…"
"You should watch out. There's this asshole by the name of Stuart that's been snooping around for info about you."
"Yeah, I got my eye out for him, but thanks anyway."
"No problem buddy." The bar said, finishing cleaning a glass and putting in away.

Douglas sighed, trying to block out the sounds of the bar around him, and any thoughts in his head. What Cream said had pissed him off majorly.

'Oh yes!' Douglas thought bitterly. 'I'm SO damn lucky to have a fake family to talk to. I'm SO lucky to have all the money in the world just because I got adopted. And I'm oh so VERY lucky to have no idea who my parents were, live on the streets for years, and have all this crap about how I'm supposed to live shoved down my throat EVERY DAMN DAY!'

He sighed again, taking another gulp of his beer.

'I'm sorry Chris, but it's too damn hard to forgive your parents and give them a second chance. It's not I don't trust them… It's… It's just… My whole life now… It feels so fake…The money, the house, the fame… I don't deserve it! I'm not a real Thorndyke! I shouldn't be here! Damn, sometimes… Sometimes I feel I shouldn't belong on this planet!'

Only a minute after this, back at the Thorndyke Residence, Cream was carefully placing a flower crown on Ella head. Overjoyed clapping, cheering and laughing from Chuck, Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese and Ella accompanied this.

In fact, the whole of the Thorndyke household was full of happiness. At not for the first time, it happened when Douglas was not there.



Next Episode Preview - Voice over by Douglas

"Reception problems? I wish! Eggman's latest machine is swallowing up all the satellites in outer space, and not even the Tornado can keep up with it! Can Tails and Chuck put their minds together to upgrade it, or will we be forced to watch 'Eggman TV' forever?

Next time on Sonic eXcluded: The X-Factor! Don't miss it!"


Author notes: Wow, did this episode really suck to write! It was way too despressing, you guys have no idea. But at least it's done and I can screw about with comedy in the next ep!

The Mouse of Anon- You guessed it, Sonia and Manic. There will be scenes between the SatAM and SU characters, throughout Sonic eXcluded. Some of the stuff I've got planned is pretty interesting...
Tamara941- I won't touch on the Chris death thing for a while, and the whole explination of his death won't appear 'till MUCH later, so stay tuned.
Forsaken The Blackened- Hope you like the 'Pie' reference I put in for ya!
Julie Riley/Julayla Beryl- There'll be more SatAM and SU when the next major storyline starts up, and that's all I'll say about that.

Thanks for reading, and keep reviweing!

Edited 01/05/05 for removal of lyrics