A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late update; writter's block hit me by surprise the other day. =P Anyway, this chapter's a bit longer than the other one. Plus, the girls meet the rest of the crew. Wonder how they'll react. o.o Just read and find out! ;)
Chapter 4: Blue Blur
After a while, the plane finally arrived at Empire City. The metropolis was one of the most popular cities in the country, and was filled with skyscrapers and tall business buildings. In fact, the tallest building in the city was about 210 feet high, and several other buildings were close to this height as well. The city was also known as the "Concrete Jungle", thanks to its myriad alleyways and busy streets that made it one of the most congested metropolises in the world. The group had no choice but to land in West Park, since the closest airport was about a mile away, and it would've taken too long to get to the city. Tails slowly pushed down on the handle, and the plane descended down on the grassy field.
"Well, here we are girls: Empire City!" Tails said happily as the plane landed. Knuckles jumped off first and grabbed Buck, leaving room for Tracy and Donna to get out. Tracy came out first without any trouble, but Donna's foot slipped when she tried to slide down. She almost fell, that is, if Knuckles hadn't caught her.
"Woah!" She yelped.
"Woops, careful now!" He said as he caught her.
"Heh, thanks." She said as she felt her cheeks heat up, and pulled a strand of hair out of her face. The Echidna chuckled. Tracy walked around a bit, Buck's leash in hand. She then crossed her arms and said;
"You know, this place looks a lot like New York Central Park back home." Donna heard this and examined the surrounding area.
"You know, you're right; it does. Pretty weird…"
Tails hopped out of the vessel as well and joined the group.
"It's actually the capital of the world, which would explain all the skyscrapers." He explained. The girls nodded and stretched their legs. Being in a plane for several hours had taken its toll. After all, they were used to walking from place to place all the time.
"So, what now?" The red-haired girl asked.
"We should get to City Hall. Sonic and the gang are waiting for us there." Tails replied.
"Alright, let's get going!" Donna said eagerly. She then started walking into a random direction, marching like a soldier in training. The others starred at her with a blank look. The teen continued for about ten meters, then turned around and walked back over to the group. She stopped in front of her teammates and motioned her hands around.
"Eh… why don't YOU guys lead the way, cause… I have NO IDEA where we're going…" She admitted, laughing nervously as she rubbed her neck.
Tails chuckled and pointed toward the North side of the city.
"It's about twenty blocks down Main Street. We'll be there in no time."
Tracy and Donna nodded, and Buck lifted his paw and woofed happily, as to signalize he was ready. The team proceeded toward Main Street, and down to City Hall.
"Where the heck are they?" The cobalt Hedgehog whined as he paced back and forth in the hallway of the building.
Beside the teen critter, sat three other Hedgehogs: two pink females and one green male, a young beige Rabbit and a blue and yellow Chao. One of the pink Hedgehogs, who was a slightly lighter color shade than the other one, was Sonic's number 1 fan, named Amy Rose. The young girl was a very optimistic, kind and sweet girl, who would do anything to help her friends. However, she tends to get rather violent sometimes, especially when Dr. Eggman threatens Sonic, or if any of her friends are in danger. All in all, she was considered a sweet, hyper active kind of girl.
The other pink Hedgehog was Sonic's sister, Sonia. Since Sonia was raised by aristocrats, she tends to be somewhat of a spoiled, snooty girl. She constantly worries about the condition of her hair and clothes and hates getting dirty. Although she may seem selfish, she is generally kind hearted and helps those in need, and doesn't hesitate in taking on any threat or challenge thrown at her.
The green, spiky haired Hedgehog was known as the team rebel, little brother, and expert thief, called Manic. Manic, unlike his siblings Sonic and Sonia, was raised by a group of thieves when he was young. The boy was a master in pick pocketing and hacking computer networks, as well as fixing mechanical devices. Out of the three teens, he was the 'laid-back' one, and has a bit of a wild side to him.
The little Rabbit, on the other hand, was one of the youngest members on the team, being only six years old, and went by the name Cream. Cream was a princess-like figure; she's polite, follows her manners and very friendly. She is also very brave, and never afraid to go out on adventure. She is a bit naïve however, since she is still very young. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her friends, and blue and yellow colored Chao, named Cheese.
Sonic stopped and started tapping his foot impatiently, groaning in annoyance and gazing at his 'imaginative' watch on his wrist. Tails and Knuckles were supposed to have met them in the main hall of the building several minutes ago, but unfortunately, hadn't arrived yet.
"Bro, chill already! They'll be here soon." Manic said, trying to calm his brother down.
"Manic's right, I'm sure they're on their way." Amy said, standing beside Manic, who was sitting on a chair, and gazed up at the clock above the main desk.
Suddenly, they heard door open, and two figures appeared in the hallway.
"Finally!" Sonic grinned triumphantly as he walked over to Tails and Knuckles, followed by the others. He lightly tapped the Kitsune on the back.
"Hey guys, about time ya showed up!" He said, laughing. "Anyway, Sonia and Manic, this is my ol' buddy, Tails." Sonic looked toward his siblings, and ruffled Tails' hair. Tails groaned and glared at Sonic. He unfortunately failed as his lips twisted into an amused smirk. "Tails, this is Manic…" Sonic continued and motioned his hand toward the pink and green Hedgehogs. "…and Sonia."
"Nice to meet you both." Tails said handing out his hand.
"You two, lil' bro." Manic replied, shaking Tails' hand. The Fox chuckled as the emerald colored Hedgehog's statement.
"Knuckles, it's nice to see you again." Sonia said softly as she hugged the crimson Echidna. Knuckles chuckled as he felt his cheeks heat up.
"It's g-good to see ya t-too, heh…" He stuttered as the two broke away and he gazed in the young Hedgehog's eyes.
Meanwhile, back outside, the girls were about to enter the building, when Tracy hesitated. Donna looked back at her cousin and raised a brow.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Tracy twiddled her thumbs as she looked down at Buck. The young pup sat there beside her, looking back at the curly-haired girl with his big brown and blue eyes. (He had one blue eye and one brown eye.)
"Dee… there's something about this place… like… well, like I've seen these people before, but…"
"Déjà-vu?" Donna asked. Tracy scratched her head.
"Well… it feels like it… but…" She then shook her head. "You know what, never mind. It's probably just my imagination."
The teen shrugged and they went inside.
"Anyway, where have you guys been? We've been waiting for nearly half an hour." Amy said, grabbing Sonic's arm and lightly tugging him toward her. (I forgot to say: Sonic and Amy are a couple in this story.)
"Yeah, did something happen on the way?" Cream asked politely.
"Chao chao!" Cheese added, flailing his arms around as if he was puzzled. Tails scratched his head nervously, and Knuckles showed the same worried expression as the Fox.
"Well, actually…" Knuckles hesitated; he was pretty sure he and Tails were gonna have a lot of explaining to do once they saw Donna and Tracy in their world. After all, it was nearly impossible for humans to be transported here, unless an energy flow somehow caused a warp to be created between the two worlds. Unfortunately, even Knuckles didn't know how these things worked.
Suddenly, the group saw three other figures walk into the building. Tracy and Buck looked around at the paintings located on the walls and walked over to the other side of the main desk, not noticing the other critters. Donna immediately noticed the animals and greeted them with a smile.
"You guys must be Knuckles and Tails' friends." She said, walking over to them. She held out her hand. "Nice to meet you all."
The critters, everyone beside Tails and Knuckles, looked at Donna like she was an alien. Donna's smile slowly disappeared as she awkwardly took her hand away from the group.
"Um… was it something I said…?" She asked worryingly.
Amy snapped back to reality and shook her head.
"Uh, well, no. See, the thing is-" the Hedgehog was cut off by Tracy
"Hey Dee, where are Tails and Knuc- WHOA!!!" She yelped as she saw the rest of the critters. Buck started growling and howling at them. Cream and Cheese yelped and ran, hiding behind Amy. Tracy starred in astonishment at Sonic: She remembered him from the dream she had the previous night.
"Buck, calm DOWN already!!" Donna shouted as she went over to the pup, kneeled next to him, and clamped his jaws shut. Buck's growls were muffled due to his mouth being held shut by the elder teen, but he eventually stopped. Donna took her hands away from the dog's face and stood up as he sneezed. She scratched her head, looking toward the group of animals.
"Eh… sorry about that. He isn't used to… uh… strangers." She explained, trying hard to use a proper term than 'animals', as to not insult the team.
"Hey, it's alright." Sonic said, giving Donna a thumbs up. Donna smiled and looked toward her cousin. Her smile turned into a frown as she realized Tracy was starring at the blue Hedgehog. She snapped her fingers in front of her face, and Tracy shook her head.
"Huh? Wha?"
"What's up with you?" Donna asked her.
"Uh… n-nothing…" She replied. 'Wow… this is awkward…" She thought, looking down in embarrassment.
Manic chuckled as he looked at Knuckles and Tails, crossing his arms.
"So, I'm guessing this is the reason why you two are late?" He asked. The two laughed.
"Pretty much."
"Well, I guess we should explain, but first, introductions, please?" Sonia said.
"Oh, right!" He motioned the girls toward him, and they stood beside him.
"Alright then: Girls, this here's Sonic, Sonia, Manic, Amy, Cream and Cheese." He said, pointing to each of the critters as he said their names. They all waved at the girls. Knuckles then did the same for the girls. "Guys, this is Donna, Tracy, and Buck." The girls then waved back and Buck woofed at them. Donna then rubbed her arm.
"I guess we've got some explaining to do, huh?" She asked the group. Amy smiled at them. "Well, it WOULD help." The Hedgehog then noticed Cheese and Cream still hiding behind her.
"Guys, it's okay, they won't hurt you." She smiled sympathetically at the young Rabbit. Cream looked at Amy, looking worried. She then looked at Donna and Tracy. Tracy smiled at her and waved.
"Hi there. You must be Cream, right?" She human girl asked politely. Cream returned the smile and nodded.
"Yes, nice to meet you, Tracy." She replied as she went over and shook Tracy's hand with her little paws. Buck then trotted toward her and sniffed her, then proceeded to licking her on the cheek. Cream giggled at this, and the rest of the group chuckled. Cheese made a 'Chao chao' noise and clapped his hands together, which indicated he was happy. Sonic then looked at Donna. "So, how'd you girls get here, anyway?"
Donna chuckled. "Well…"
END OF CHAPTER 4
