When they finally made it to the next destination, it seemed as though the robot was already there. Sonic smirked as he and Penny separated, taking the robot down in different courses.

"Not a bad race, big guy!" Sonic smirked teasingly as he dodged. "But there's no way we're letting you trample that town!"

The two worked together to bring the gigantic robot down, and with one smash, it crashed. Sonic took Penny's hand and the two slipped off the rubble and landed in front of excited kids. "Tadah!"

The kids started erupting into cheers and questions. "That was so cool!"

"I thought we were gonna be goners!"

"How do you move like that?!"

"One question at a time, one question at a time," Penny giggled, ruffling the kid's fur. "He-"

"LOOK OUT!"

The kid's scream made the human girl jump, and the sound of metal meeting the ground and kids screaming told her really easily that there was a robot behind them. She and Sonic winked, and the two were about to teach yet another robot a lesson when a familiar pink hammer wielder dove at the robot's weak spot, knocking it out. When she landed, she rested her hammer on her back and tisked at Sonic and Penny.

"You two are getting sloppy."

"Amy..." Sonic stuttered, slumping a little. "Fancy meeting you here."

"What brings you here?" Penny asked, glancing at the pink hedgehog curiously. Amy poked her cheek with a closed-eye smirk. "I heard about what you, Sonic, and Tails did in the neighboring town and hurried over! I just KNEW you'd stop by here!"

"Huh..." Sonic sighed. "Word travels fast..." He shook his head and grabbed Penny. "Ah, never mind. Looks like things are under control, here. Thanks for the save! Later. C'mon, Penny."

"Sonic-"

"SONIC, WAIT! I came here specifically to find YOU!"

The two stopped running and turned to Amy, who suddenly looked desperate. Smirking, Sonic crossed his arms and pointed at the pink hedgehog. "I know. It's kinda your thing."

"Not like that!" Amy hissed, a dark pink blush appearing on her cheeks. "I mean, I'm always happy to see you, and would follow you anywhere if you'd only let me, but...OOOH!" She clenched her fists in frustration. "You get me so flustered!" She rushed up to Sonic and grabbed his hands in hers, sending him a desperate look through her bright green eyes. "Sonic...I need you and Penny to both come back to the Resistance."

Sonic stared at her in confusion. "Come back? I thought you all were done doing clean-up now that the war is over?"

"That was the plan." Amy nodded. "But we didn't account for how large the Eggman Empire's army was. The leftover robots are everywhere. Even without Eggman leading them, they're a constant threat, randomly attacking anyone they find. The resistance is working to finish the fight, by working from a centralized, organized position, we can be way more effective."

"That's a reasonable explanation." Penny turned to Sonic. "Well, how about it? Should we head back?"

Sonic waved both girls off dismissively. "Nah, pass."

"Oh, for the love of..." Amy stared at Sonic, upset. "WHY?!"

Sonic turned to her and Penny. "Penny, have you seriously forgotten already? Tails pointed out something that's been bugging me. The last group of badniks was WAY more organized."

"That's right!" Penny said, nodding. "That must've slipped my mind. I should also add, that he mentioned that there was a lack of fanfare. Usually, Eggman enters to claim responsibility, and subtlety is NOT his fort."

Sonic nodded, and he turned to Amy. "And now you just happen to hear about where we are, right in time for another super badnik to attack where we're both likely to be?"

"Yikes..." Amy cringed, realizing what they were both saying. "I haven't thought of that..." She shook her head and glared at him. "Then it's all the more reason for you two to come back to the Resistance!"

"NO." Sonic shook his head, using his 'and that's final' voice. "It's all the more reason for me to hit the road and find out what's going on! Penny can return to the Resistance if she wants to, but it doesn't feel like it's my call to return."

"You could spend weeks...or months...bouncing around settlements looking for clues!" Amy protested before Penny could say anything.

Sonic punched his fist. "Saving more folks from more badnik attacks. It's a win-win for everyone!"

"What about me?" Penny whispered.

"Sonic! Penny! Miss Rose!"

The three stopped talking and turned to the direction of a female sheep, running towards them with wide eyes. "Emergency! We're under attack!" The girl stopped in front of Amy, gasping as she fell to her knees from exhaustion. Penny's eyes widened, and she turned to Sonic and Amy. "Guys...I betcha that robot was a decoy!"

Amy nodded, narrowing her eyes and clutching her hammer. "We've got to stop the invasion before the city is overrun!"

Sonic scooped Penny in his arms and dashed off. "We'll run ahead and thin them out!"

Amy turned to the female sheep. "Do you have any kind of defense?"

She nodded, standing up and following the three. "We turned Town Hall into a bunker of sorts during the war..."

Amy nodded, narrowing her eyes. "Take me there!"

When they made it to the Town Hall, robots were already attacking the city. This gave Amy the chance to take charge...and she was surprisingly good at it. She made her way through the crowds, giving orders like, "Get all the unarmed inside! If you can fight, rally to me!" and "Get to the upper floors! Don't fire unless the Badniks have entered the square!"

A citizen turned to her with wide eyes. "Not everyone's accounted for!"

"Then pair up!" Penny gave the citizen pleading eyes. "Go door to door and bring back no more than 10 at a time! Keep low and don't forget to check your corners!"

Amy glanced behind her and nodded at the Mobian giving her a signal from the rooftop. "Incoming! Get ready!"

The robots came closer,

"NOW!"

At Amy's command, Penny and the other villagers grabbed their weapons and fired.

"First wave is down!" Amy announced, nodding at the smoke coming from the first wave of robots. Sonic turned to Amy with a smirk. "I thought Knuckles was the commander of the Resistance?"

Amy chuckled, straightening her quills. "Oh, he commanded, all right. But who do you think keeps things organized?"

"So, what's the plan?" Penny asked, staring at the two. Amy frowned thoughtfully. "This is a good defensible position, and the militia is placed well, but..."

"Too many badniks?" Sonic guessed, crossing his arms.

Amy sighed, nodding. "Too many badniks. We'll be overrun. We need to find them where they're coming from and thin their advantage so the villagers can stand a chance."

"That seems reasonable." Penny nodded.

"Shall we?" Sonic asked, lifting his hand towards Amy. Her smile brightened and she took it, readying her hammer.

"Let's!"

And in an instant, the two zoomed ahead, leaving Penny in the dust. Grumbling to herself, the girl grabbed her staff and joined the two in the battle, smashing robots instantly. Sonic tossed the pink hedgehog into the air, and she managed to take down around three robots in one strike. She safely landed in Sonic's arms, and he tossed her up again. Below them, Penny smashed around four robots with her staff, and hearing Amy's excited cheer she glanced up to see that Sonic had once again thrown the pink hedgehog into the air, cheering, "Isn't this fun?!"

"OH, YEAH!" He turned to Penny and narrowed his eyes. She'd been surrounded while trying to take them down. Moving quick he jumped into the middle of the ring, scooped the human girl in his arms, and hopped away before they fired. A moment later Amy dove down, destroying the army with one power. When she landed, she smiled at Sonic. "You know...you could do this sort of thing all the time with the Resistance."

Sonic cringed and grabbed Penny's arm, moving away. "Nope."

"AW, COME ON!"

"I already told you..." Sonic quickly tossed Penny towards another row of robots, which she destroyed instantly with one blow, thanks to her Wispon.

"You didn't even consider coming back!" Amy cried.

"I don't need to!" Sonic grumbled. He paused a moment to smash into some robots who once again had Penny cornered, and she smiled at him. "Thanks, Sonic!"

"No prob." He smiled at her before returning to his conversation with Amy. "I already know what works best for me."

Amy frowned as she smashed another robot. "Well, what about what works best for the rest of us?!"

"I'm no good at figuring that stuff out," Sonic pointed out. "YOU are. So you do your thing, and I'll do mine."

"Amy, behind you..." Penny pointed behind the pink hedgehog, and she nodded, quickly smashing the robot chicken to bits. "If you won't do it for the Resistance, how about you do it for me?"

"Can't play favorites."

"Then do it for your friends?! Egg pawns closing in. Thirty feet."

"They've got you, remember?" Sonic smiled at her as he dodged towards the action.

"DO IT FOR A CHILI DOG?!" Penny called, hoping that would work.

"Now you're talkin'!"

"SERIOUSLY?!" Amy yelped.

Sonic zoomed through the enemy attack and returned to Amy, peering ahead. "Yo, Enemy dropship just outside the village. Looks like it still has plenty aboard."

"That's not good," Penny cringed, inspecting the ship. "From the looks of it, it looks like there's no way we can get through that crowd!"

"Conventionally?" Sonic shook his head. "No." He suddenly turned to the girls, smirking. "I think it's time for a croquette bomber."

"From this distance?" Amy chuckled, readying her hammer. "You really are a daredevil."

Sonic curled up in a ball, speeding up. When he was ready, Amy pikowed him right into the center of the ship, and a second later, it exploded in front of the girl's eyes, and they stared at each other in shock. A second later, Sonic plummeted to the ground, landing with a loud clump.

"SONIC!" Penny yelped, running over to him and helping him sit up. "Are you okay?!"

"Wow!" Sonic laughed dizzily in her arms as Amy ran up. "You knocked me right into the power cell! What a shot!"

Amy suddenly frowned. "That's it for the invasion. I guess...you'll be going..."

"Yep!" Sonic nodded and suddenly began speaking in a bold, heroic manner, the sun hitting his body, casting a cool shadow and causing him to glow as he talked. "It's what I do. Just keep moving. Doing good, saving folks, and living as free as the wind. Living by my own way, my own way."

Penny glanced over at Amy, to see if she was listening. The pink hedgehog seemed dazzled by his heroic stance, and Sonic became uneasy. "A-Amy..."

"You're right."

"Huh?"

Penny glanced over at Amy, who was beaming at Sonic from ear to ear.

"I am?"

Amy nodded, catching his hands in hers. "It's just who you are...and it's all the reasons I love you. I can't change you. I don't WANT to change you."

Sonic chuckled awkwardly. "Well...It's not like it's all or nothing. You could come with me and Penny."

"Why not?" Penny smiled at her. "It would be fun! And we'll need the extra help around her."

Amy shook her head. "I can't. The resistance needs me to keep everything in order. I've been away too long as it is. But if you don't mind some direction, Knuckles went to investigate a town t the south. I haven't heard from him, so he might need your help."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n Commander Rose, Ma'am!" Sonic smirked, playfully saluting the girl. She snickered. "Don't make me slap you."

Sonic scooped Penny in his arms and dove towards Knuckles' location.