A day had come and gone, and it was time for another adventure for the family of Hedgehogs. Sonic, Amy and Sonia were seen speeding through Sonic's favorite spot, that being Green Hill Zone.
"This place always makes me feel so nostalgic," Sonic said. "It's one of the first places I saw when I left Westside Island."
"Yeah, you always seemed to be drawn back to this place some way or another," Amy said. "I don't blame you, it's such a beautiful place."
"And the loops are fun too," Sonia said.
"It is beautiful, and fun, and one of my favorite places on this planet. I remember that it nearly got wrecked by Eggman once though," Sonic said.
"Oh yeah, it was when Infinite showed up," Amy said, recalling that time. "It was really hard on a lot of us."
"Sure was, I mean this poor place," Sonic said. "Because of Eggman, this place at one point started looking more like Sand Hill, with giant worms coming out of the ground and stuff."
"Ew, that sounds freaky," Sonia said.
"It was, thankfully after we drove off Eggman and Infinite, we were able to get to work fixing this place," Sonic said. "Took a few months but what matters is that we handled it well and everything was back to normal."
"I do love how you always point out the positives in life," Amy said.
"Gotta see it glass half full," Sonic said.
"So, Green Hill," Sonia said. "The place where you really started your adventuring days. Basically your Level One...or were your adventures with Aunt Sal closer to that description?"
"I see those as more of a tutorial, a warmup so to speak," Sonic said. "I mean, yeah we had trouble with Eggman then too but that got handled pretty fast. Anything else afterwards was just keeping Eggman away from the castle, but it just felt episodic. When I left, that's when I felt like I was on a journey."
"And that's when you met mom, Uncle Tails and Uncle Knuckles," Sonia said.
"Well I associate Emerald Hill with Tails since that was the first stop on our buddy adventure. But yeah, solo wise, it started through this place," Sonic said. "Eggman was capturing a bunch of critters to turn into Badniks, so I took it upon myself to free them."
"Using life to power machines, something Eggman once considered when he had that roboticizing plan of his," Amy said.
"Yeah, he never actually did it but he planned to take over Mobotropolis with that type of device," Sonic said.
"So, after you stopped him, you just hung around for five years before leaving?" Sonia asked.
"Basically, I wanted to keep everyone safe, but over time the King's defenses got so great that there wasn't much I needed to do," Sonic said. "Plus, aside from Sally and some other kids I grew up with, there wasn't too many people to talk to. I mean, they were there but I never really knew what to say. As a kid I just liked talking about being this grand hero and stopping Eggman, but once that was accomplished, I wanted to figure out what else to do in life. So after a while, since Mobotropolis was safe, that's when I made my move."
"Did you tell Aunt Sal or any of your friends?" Sonia asked.
"Yeah, I let them know I'd be leaving," Sonic said. "I mean, I wasn't going to say good-bye to friends...well say friends but they always felt more like Sally's friends than mine. Antoine never really liked me much, Rotor was cool but I never felt close. Bunnie is probably the closest I had to a friend among Sally's. In fact, she's one of the reasons I tried going on my own."
"Bunnie helped you realize that? How?" Sonia asked.
"Well, some nights she and I used to catch up under the stars, I told her that I wanted more out of life and that I had dreams of seeing the world," Sonic said. "I mean, we fought so hard to liberate Mobius, but in the end, I didn't know much about it. She told me to just follow my heart, so I did."
"Bunnie's always been such a friendly girl, seems like she could get along with just about everyone," Amy said.
"She's got those cool cybernetic parts too," Sonia said. "They almost look real."
"That's a story on its own, talk to Bunnie and she'll tell you about her own encounter with the roboticiser," Sonic said.
"Must have been scary for her," Sonia said.
"It was, but she takes that memory and uses it for strength," Sonic said. "That determination is what helped turn her into Mobotropolis's top fighter. They definitely didn't need me around."
"So, what was it like when you told Aunt Sal?" Sonia asked. "How did she take it?"
"Sally...lets see how can I describe it?" Sonic thought for a second, wanting to think of the best way to talk about this situation. "She was not too supportive."
"Wow...really?" Sonia asked. "That's a bit surprising."
"I mean, you know how protective she can get," Sonic said. "She's always worried about someone or something."
"Oh totally, when she babysits me, she always freaks out if I'm gone for more than five minutes," Sonia said. "Sometimes it just takes seconds for her to worry about me, like wow."
"She doesn't mean to be a pain, but she also doesn't seem keen on seeing things from a different perspective," Sonic said. "She has this need to be right all the time and always know more than others. That can really get on a person's nerve."
"To be fair, Sally is willing to admit she made a mistake and tries to correct it," Amy said. "Unfortunately being a Princess stresses her out a lot, I keep telling her to take a break, but she's afraid leaving Acorn Castle, she's worried that it would be conquered if she left."
"Sally really needs a break though, not just for her, but for Manik," Sonic said. "He needs to see more of the world too, especially if he's gonna be King one day."
"Plus he's a little uptight sometimes," Sonia said.
"Thing is, Sally is just too stubborn sometimes, she doesn't like change and she doesn't like risk," Sonic said. "When I told her I was leaving, she did everything she could to talk me out of it. Eventually she gave in, thanks partially to Bunnie since she talked some sense into her, but wow it was a struggle trying to explain why I needed to go."
"At least you pulled it off, otherwise you wouldn't have met mom or any of your friends," Sonia said. "Still, how did Aunt Sal get so overprotective?"
"Sally's been through a lot, I mean between that scare she had as a kid with Eggman, plus years of Eggman trying to conquer the Kingdom, plus everything else that's happened, she's just worried about things going downhill again," Sonic said. "We've had a few close calls since then, which has only added to Sally's worry."
"These close calls are part of your adventure on Earth, right?" Sonia asked.
"Yeah, right after Eggman got us stuck on the planet," Sonic said. "Which wasn't too bad because it was a new place to explore."
"Can you tell me more?" Sonia asked.
"Of course, now where was I...?" Sonic said, recalling the past.
After the showdown Kanawaga, it wasn't long before the gang was back in Yokosuka, Ryo having introduced Tails and Amy to where his home was.
"This is where I live," Ryo said.
"Wow, it's so pretty here," Amy said. "You have a lovely garden."
"Thank you, my housekeeper works hard to maintain it," Ryo said, then gestured to the other building. "That there is our dojo. It's where my family practices martial arts, and where my father trains his students."
"You're a martial artist?" Amy asked. "Well that explains your kick to Scratch."
"Scratch?" Ryo asked.
"That robotic chicken from earlier, his name is Scratch," Amy said.
"Right, the robots," Ryo said. "Truth be told, that's the first time I've seen one up close, usually they're reserved for big businesses."
"Must be interesting businesses. Those robots are used for good though, aren't they?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, mostly," Ryo said.
"Mostly?" Amy asked.
"Ryo!" came the voice of Nozomi, the girl stepping outside. "Oh good you're back, and you brought Sonic and Cream home too."
"Is this a friend of yours?" Amy asked.
"That's Nozomi, we went to school together," Ryo explained.
"Wow, not only did you bring them back safely, it looks like you brought some new friends as well," Nozomi said.
"I'm Amy Rose," the girl greeted with a courtesy bow.
"Call me Tails," the young inventor greeted.
"Sonic and Tails were able to stop whatever was plaguing town, alongside another friend of theirs," Ryo said.
"Calling Knuckles a friend might be a bit of a stretch," Sonic said. "Great guy to have by your side in a fight but not exactly a close buddy."
"He still managed to help, and with the Pros on the scene, that should be taken care of," Ryo said. "But that scientist may have escaped."
"If I know Eggman, he'll be back," Sonic said.
"No doubt, but we may have another issue," Tails said. "For starters, how are we gonna get back home?"
"And what about The Chaos Emeralds?" Amy asked.
"The Chaos Emeralds?" Ryo said.
"Why don't you all come inside," Nozomi said. "You can introduce yourselves to Ryo's father, along with Fuku-san and his maid Ine-san."
Once inside the house, everyone had introduced themselves while Ryo apologized to his father for worrying him, the elder of the family being fine so long as his son was fine.
After that was settled, Ine went to work on some food while Iwao took Fuku to the Dojo for some training.
Meanwhile everyone had made themselves comfortable, Sonic sitting to himself, Amy and Tails sitting by Nozomi, Cream and Cheese sitting by Ryo.
"Would you all mind explaining what these Chaos Emeralds are?" Ryo asked.
"Well, putting it simply, if you can gather all seven, the world is yours," Amy said.
"That's a bold claim," Ryo said. "Are they a rare type of power source."
"You could say that," Amy said. "Honestly there isn't much we know about them, but they can be very useful in the right hands, or dangerous in the wrong ones."
"Eggman was using them for a nefarious plot when Sonic foiled it, but the power of the emeralds ended up warping us all to this world," Tails said.
"Through a special ability called 'Chaos Control'," Amy said.
"I see, and you don't know where they are," Ryo said.
"I'm afraid not, they could either be in this world or back home," Tails said. "If they're here, then we can use them to go back, but if they're not.."
"That means we're stranded in this world," Amy said.
"They're here," Sonic said, gaining a look of curiosity from his friends.
"How can you be so sure?" Tails asked.
"Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling they're in this world," Sonic said. "Worth looking into at least."
"Yeah, we've got nothing to lose," Tails said.
"How would you find them?" Nozomi asked.
"I built a device not too long ago that helps me track down The Emeralds, but it's still in a prototype phase," Tails said. "The only other reliable way to find them is with Knuckles since he has a special connection to the Emeralds."
"Which means you need to find Knuckles," Ryo said. "But he doesn't want to be bothered."
"Tough, if he can get us back home, he's going to have to pull his weight on it," Amy said.
"Too bad he went off on his own, I mean I know he's a loner but I figured even he would want some friends in unfamiliar territory," Tails said.
"Knuckles grew up by himself, he's used to being away from others," Amy said. "But, I do agree that he should have put that aside for the time being."
"Should we try to find Mr. Knuckles?" Cream asked.
"We might have to, but I'll try on my end," Tails said.
"Alright, let's split up, I'll go find Knuckles and you try using your radar," Sonic said. Without another word, he sped off, leaving everyone behind again.
"Is it me or is he always in a hurry?" Ryo asked.
"Sonic knows when to slow down but when he's motivated, he becomes unstoppable," Tails said.
"I get worried every time he speeds off, he doesn't know this world well enough yet," Ryo said. "Plus, it's nearly nighttime."
"Sonic likes exploring new places, he'll be fine," Tails said.
"He's like the wind, wild and free," Amy said. "Still, sometimes I wish he'd stop leaving us behind."
"If anyone could catch up to Sonic, regardless of how far he runs, it's you Amy," Tails said. "I get what you mean though, even I worry about Sonic leaving me behind the moment I'm not fast enough to keep up."
"That will never happen, Sonic wouldn't leave his little buddy behind," Amy said. "If anything I have to work harder, I can't marry Sonic if I can't catch up to him."
"Marry?" Nozomi asked.
"Well yeah, Sonic is my true love, and I know one day we'll be together," Amy said.
"I'm pulling for you," Tails said.
"Aw, you're sweet," Amy said, rubbing his head. "Anyway, we should try to do what we can on our end."
"You and I can search on the Tornado," Tails said.
"What can I do? "Cream asked.
"You should probably stay here where it's safe," Tails said.
Cream looked disheartened to hear that, "Aw, but I wanna help."
"I know you do, but looking after you and trying to find the Emeralds would be tough to do," Tails said. "You're better off staying with Ryo."
"It would be faster if Tails and I looked on our own." Amy said.
"If you want, I can take you to the arcade," Ryo suggested. "There's lots of games there."
"That sounds like a great idea," Tails said. "Amy and I won't take long either, we'll be back before you know it."
"Okay, I'll stay then," Cream said.
"Think of it this way, if for whatever reason Doctor Eggman returns, you can help Ryo keep his house safe," Amy said.
"She is very fast, and strong for her age," Ryo said. "With this type of power, she might have potential in martial arts."
"Think you can teach her a little?" Amy asked.
"I'm still learning myself, I don't think I would make for a good teacher," Ryo said. "She is welcome to try and learn alongside me with my father, that is the best I can offer."
"I'll think about it, but I really don't like fighting, I only do it to keep my friends safe," Cream said.
"Martial arts isn't just about fighting, it's a way to clear your mind through mental discipline," Ryo said. "But if you don't want to, that's understandable. It's not for everyone."
"It's good for stress relief though," Amy said. "For me, there's nothing like wailing on a punching bag when doing my boxercise."
"Perhaps you can spar with Fuku, he could use the practice," Ryo said, in an almost teasing manner.
"I'll think about it," Amy said, heading toward the door. "Well, the skies await, let's go Tails."
"Right behind you," Tails said, following Amy.
Back in the future timeline, Sonia was still into the story as the family was moving through Green Hill Zone, passing by one of its loops.
"So that's when you started to explore more of their world?" Sonia asked.
"A little, I did start out small," Sonic said. "One of the first places I visited was Tokyo, and boy was it something."
In the past once again, Sonic sped through Tokyo, the Capital of Japan. Sonic took a second to take in the sights and needless to say, he was impressed. The city was bright and the buildings were huge. He could even see a huge mountain in the background, one that oversaw the city before him.
"This place is amazing, is all Earth architecture like this?" Sonic wondered. He sped toward the city, stopping just before to walk through.
It was crowded but no one paid Sonic any mind, they were all just doing their own thing. Sonic took a look at all before him, the large signs, many detailing a bunch of heroes that worked around here.
One such hero caught his attention, a big, buff man with blonde hair. Sonic saw a name, written both in English letters and Japanese kanji.
"All Might?" Sonic scratched his head. "Big title."
"Coming through!" Came a voice. Behind him was a boy on roller skates speeding through. What immediately made him stand out was his glasses, big lenses and full of personality as he grinded some nearby rails, much to the annoyance of some nearby people.
He wasn't alone as a few others were seen following, including a girl who only seemed to wear a large shirt to cover herself, along with a hat on her head. This one was in front of the others as they skated past.
"Rudies..." came the voice of a nearby civilian, the term confusing Sonic.
"Rudies?" Sonic looked ahead and decided to follow this group of strangers.
They had gone to a nearby skate park, performing tricks and stunts on their skates, grinding rails and flipping overhead. A few of them seemed to also be spray painting the area, leaving a mark only by the name 'GG'.
"Man, what a day, we got a lot done," the lead boy said. "Thought for sure that cop was gonna nab us though."
"Not even close, Beat," the lead girl said. "We left those posers in the dust."
"And all just because we want to create art," Beat said. "I mean, no one seems to mind the graffiti, actually they were digging it. We brought personality to that neighborhood, I guarantee that some of those neighborhood kids are going to want to spread that, fight against the oppression.
"It's also about being the best," the girl said.
"Being the best is great and all Gum, but don't forget our roots," Beat said. "We need to show the world that you should never be afraid to be yourself, that freedom of expression is a human right. People these days can be so uptight that they forget that you gotta have fun in life. Going through like a cog in the machine, that just isn't the way to live."
"Cog in the machine, huh?" Sonic said to himself.
"Yo, Beat, is that a porcupine?" Gum said, now noticing Sonic.
Beat turned around, confused by the sight, "Wow, if it is, it's huge."
"Should we chase it off?" Gum asked.
"Give me a second," Beat made his way over. "Yo! Uh, animal dude!"
"He mean me?" Sonic wondered. "Hey, sorry for intruding, I saw you skating by and I got curious."
"Oh, so you talk, guess you're one of those humans that look like animals or whatever," Beat said.
"Uh, actually I'm just a hedgehog, not human," Sonic said.
"Oh, so the other way around," Beat said. "Well nice to meet you, they call me 'Beat'."
"Sonic," the hedgehog greeted.
"Whoa, that name's so dope," Beat said. "So, we catch your eye?"
"A little, you made quite a scene skating through town," Sonic said. "Some of the citizens seemed annoyed at you, said something about you being a 'Rudie'."
"We get that a lot, never let it bother us," Beat said. "Honestly we wish they'd lighten up a bit, people here can be so uptight."
"Well I'm new to Japan so I can't really comment," Sonic said. "I only really met one local, and he seems nice, bit reserved but a kick-butt martial artist."
"You'll find a lot of famous martial artists here, when you get a chance, look up a guy named Akira Yuki, he's an assistant at some nearby dojo and has moves," Beat said. "I think he's overseas with his buddy Jacky Bryant, another kickass martial artist, and a racer."
"Sounds fun," Sonic said.
"So, you here to see friends or just passing through?" Beat asked.
"It's a long story, I'm just making the most of things and exploring more of this country," Sonic said. "Maybe even this world."
"You got ambition, I respect that," Beat said. "If no one's holding you back, then explore to your heart's content, that's the beauty of being free after all."
"Appreciate that, well I'll leave you be, I want to explore more of this place," Sonic said. "Wish you luck on your desire of expression. Just make sure you pay mind to other people, don't want to give them more reason to hate you."
"Pfft, should we care what they think? Not like they give a crap about people like us," Gum said. "You do what you want, and we'll do what we want. The Graffiti Gang doesn't take orders from anyone."
"Chill Gum, he's just being friendly," Beat said, turning back to Sonic. "We'll be careful, don't worry about us. Have fun exploring, in spite of it's flaws, Japan's a pretty cool place to be sometimes. Keep living free, Sonic."
"Catch you later Beat," Sonic said, immediately speeding off, leaving a gust of wind that knocked everyone over.
"Whoa! That's some speed!" Beat said. "A dude like that can go anywhere in the world with that type of power."
"Kind of weird that he was just here keeping an eye on us, you don't think he's some pro that the government sent in to stop us, do you?" Gum asked.
"No way, I don't know much about that guy, but for some reason, he just seems too cool to do something like that," Beat said. "Anyway, I'm hungry, wanna grab a burger or something?"
"Fine by me," Beat said, then called to the others. "Let's go everyone!"
Back in the present, Sonia seemed even more amazed by what she heard. "Wow, you met an actual gang of kids who spray graffiti everywhere?"
"Yeah, The Graffiti Gang, simple but to the point," Sonic said.
"I can't condone what they do, I understand Freedom of Expression but Graffiti is still an improper thing to do," Amy said. "Remember one thing Sonia, vandalism is not a good thing."
"Yeah, I can't condone what those kids did either, at the time I probably should have said more but I wasn't too sure about Earth laws," Sonic said. "I just gave them friendly advice to not bother people, and they did take it to heart, kind of. They maintained that rebel attitude but tried to be more constructive with it."
"Think you can teach me how to skate?" Sonia asked.
"Sure, if you'd like," Sonic said. "There's lots of things I learned on Earth that I'd he happy to show you one day."
"After you left town, did you see the heroes again?" Sonia asked.
"Not immediately," Sonic said, recalling years ago. "Though I did hear that The Human Torch spent time looking for us. In fact that night, Cream could have sworn she saw some fire in the skies."
Years ago, as nighttime came, Cream saw what she initially thought was a comet. "Wow, pretty."
"Where are you?" Johnny said, flying overhead. "I could have sworn they came this way. How hard can it be to spot a speeding hedgehog?" He took a moment to think it over. "Actually that's a dumb thing to say."
Back in the future, Sonia was seen laughing, "Did he really say something like that?"
"I think so, he did bring it up in conversation once when he admitted to looking for us," Sonic said.
"Well what else happened?" Sonia asked. "Did you see him again? Did you see those Rudies? Did Aunt Cream learn the Hazuki style? There's gotta be more-" Suddenly her stomach began growling, much to her embarrassment. "I guess I'm hungry."
"Oh right, we were going to Tails's place for lunch," Sonic said. "We should hurry before we're late."
"Pfft, when are we ever late?" Sonia asked.
"You'd be surprised how often I find myself minding my own business before realizing I had to be somewhere," Sonic said.
"Yeah that'll happen," Amy said. "Come on."
The three sped off to the Prower House, located on the edge of a forest not too far from Emerald City. It was not too big but comfortable enough for the family that lived there to reside.
Sonia immediately sped up to the door, banging on it excessively, "Uncle Tails! It's us!"
"Sonia! Stop banging on the door like that!" Amy scolded.
Moments later, the door was opened by the lady of the house, the lovely rabbit, Cream Prower. "Sonia dear!"
"Auntie Cream!" Sonia hugged her mother's best friend. "How's it going?"
"Going great dear," Cream said, patting Sonia's head. "Sonic, Amy, you made it!"
"We're not late, are we?" Sonic asked.
"No, you're just in time," Cream said, letting them inside. "Tails and Skye should be in the homemade workshop, I'll go and grab them. Meanwhile make yourself at home."
"Sure thing," Sonia said, running over and leaping onto a couch. "There, perfectly relaxed."
"Sonia, I told you that when coming into Cream's house to take your shoes off," Amy said, having done so herself. "Cream doesn't want dirt tracked in the house, OR her couch!"
"Right, forgot about that," Sonia said, pulling them off.
"Honestly, even back home I tell you not to walk around with shoes," Amy said, taking her daughter's shoes. "It's just improper."
"Honestly, I really don't get it, I mean Aunt Sal is fine with shoes," Sonia said.
"Sally had maids that clean up everything, so I'd rather you not track too much dust," Amy said.
"Alright, fine," Sonia said, laying back.
It wasn't long before Tails had come from his workshop, wiping some dust off his fur, "How's it going Hedgehog Family?"
"Uncle Tails!" Sonia leapt over to hug the fox, nearly knocking him over.
"Whoa, I swear you get stronger with each hug, Sonia," Tails said.
"Got that right," Sonia said, leaping down and flexing her arm. "I've been doing push-ups, lots of them."
"Sure seems like it," Tails said. "With a grip like yours, you really are Amy's daughter. Match that with Sonic's speed and you're brimming with awesome potential."
"Hear that daddy? I've got awesome potential," Sonia said.
"That's my girl," Sonic said, then walked over to Tails. "Yo buddy."
"Hey Sonic," Tails said, fist bumping his best friend. "Glad you could make it."
"You know we would never turn away a chance to hang out with one of our favorite families, especially when the mother of that family is cooking," Sonic said.
"Yeah, no one would turn away the cooking of a good wife, speaking of which," Tails turned to his best friend's wife. "Hey Amy, how's it going? How's life?'
"An adventure," Amy said.
"That's awesome," Tails said. "You three travel so much these days, you've probably discovered a lot of great places over the years."
"We sure have, we'd love to tell you all about it too," Amy said. "Oh, where's Skye?"
"Hm? He was just behind me," Tails turned to see his son poking his head from behind a door. "Skye, come say hello to Sonic, Amy and Sonia."
Shyly, Skye walked out, waving to the Hedgehog Family, "Hello."
"Skye, my main buddy," Sonia said, holding her hand up. "Gimme five."
Skye obliged; the contact weaker than Sonia would have liked but she was cool with it. "Build anything neat in the workshop?"
"Sort of, dad's been showing me how to tweak a plane," Skye said.
"Gonna be a pilot like your dad?" Sonia asked.
"Well yeah, that sounds fun," Skye said. "I'm already able to fly on my own."
"Skye really picked up the flying at an early age, he's also got a keen interest in learning repairs and building," Tails said.
"Soon Skye and I will be doing our own adventures, just like you and daddy did back in the day," Sonia said. "I'll be the hero and Skye is my faithful sidekick."
Tails playfully glared at Sonic, "Telling everyone I was your sidekick?"
"You were never my sidekick, you were my chosen adventure buddy," Sonic said. "Knuckles was more of a sidekick."
"Ha, if only he were here for that one," Tails said. "Still, I didn't mind being a sidekick, they usually tend to grow well because they have good heroes to help them with that."
"You didn't need me to help you grow, you had it in you to do just that," Sonic said.
"Well having a reminder or two really helped in my life," Tails said.
"Dad's been telling me about some of your adventures," Sonia said. "Just recently he told me about the time you first went to Earth."
"Oh yeah, when she was visiting Sally, she came across some old documents about our past and wanted some clarification," Sonic said.
"You saw Sally recently? How's she doing?" Tails asked.
"Same as always, working hard and trying to be a single mother," Sonic said.
"What was it like when you saw Manik? I know he can be a little...grumpy," Tails said.
"I mean, he was a tiny bit respectful, more than usual," Sonic said.
"I don't like being around Manik, he's too mean," Skye said.
"Skye, that's not a proper thing to say," Tails scolded. "That's Sonia's brother."
"But he keeps calling me a 'peasant'," Skye said.
"He calls everyone that, I know it doesn't make it any less annoying but it's just how he is," Sonia said.
"We've been thinking about ways to help Sally and Manik, they need a break from all that Royalty stuff," Amy said.
"Good luck, Sally's basically glued to her work, and Manik's taking after her in that department," Tails said. "I mean, when was the last time Sally even hung out with her friends? Maybe she needs a boyfriend, I mean the last time she seemed happy was when she was with Sonic."
"I highly doubt I made her that happy," Sonic said, Tails immediately regretting even mentioning his best friend's ex-wife.
"Don't say stuff like that," Amy scolded.
"Right, sorry, not an appropriate thing to just say," Sonic admitted. "Anyway I don't think Sally's tried looking for a new potential husband."
"Who's even good enough for her?" Sonia asked. "She's a badass Princess after all."
"Sonia, please use better language than that," Amy scolded.
"Still, the best guy for her was daddy, after him who could even come close? Someone like Shadow?" Sonia asked.
"Pretty sure Sally hates Shadow," Sonic said.
"She doesn't hate him, she just finds him a bit irritating because he's always so gloomy," Amy said.
"I can't really remember the last time I saw Shadow smiling," Tails said.
"Still, no way he's good enough for Aunt Sal," Sonia said.
"Food's ready!" Cream called from the kitchen.
"Talk about this later, right now, it's chow time." Sonic said.
The group had gone into the kitchen, Cream preparing assortments of food from baos, to chili dogs, to mashed potatoes and all types of different assortments.
"Wow, tasty," Sonia said.
"I got a few recipes from Earth, especially from Ryo," Cream said.
"You still keep in contact with him?" Sonia asked.
"Of course, he's my friend after all, he acted like a big brother when I lived with him." Cream said.
"I heard that Mom, Dad and Uncle Tails had to leave you with him at points," Sonia said.
"Yeah, but it wasn't too bad," Cream said.
Back to several years ago, as both Amy and Tails left, Ryo knelt beside Cream, "How long have you known your friends?"
"I met them a long time ago when Mr. Sonic saved me and my mother from Doctor Eggman," Cream said. "Since then me and Amy became really close, like my big sister. Mr. Sonic would also keep an eye out for me and take care of me, even bring me out for some of his runs, including pretty flower fields."
"Sounds like Sonic and Amy are good role models for you," Ryo said. "What about Tails? Or Knuckles?"
"I don't talk to Mr. Knuckles much, but he's usually very nice to me," Cream said. "Mr. Tails is really nice too, and he's also really smart. He can build a lot of amazing things."
"That's rather impressive considering how young he is," Ryo said.
"He's only eight, he's two years older than me, but that's never stopped him from being really brave," Cream said.
"Wow, ten years younger than me but ten times smarter," Ryo said. "That's probably an understatement too."
"A child prodigy, sounds incredible," Nozomi said. "His parents must be so proud."
"Parents...they must be so worried about you and your friends," Ryo said.
"Actually, I don't know any of their parents, they don't talk about them," Cream said. "They all live by themselves."
"Even Tails? At his age?" Ryo asked.
"He never told me about his parents," Cream said. "Neither did Amy or Mr. Knuckles. I think Mr. Sonic mentioned his mother once, but he never went into detail."
"I can't believe they live alone," Nozomi said. "Cream, you don't live alone, do you?"
"I live with my mother," Cream said, the girl becoming saddened. "She must be so worried about me now. I wish there was a way I could see her."
"Don't worry, once Sonic finds those Chaos Emeralds he mentioned, you'll be back home in no time," Ryo reassured.
"I hope you're right," Cream said.
"Why don't we just go into town for a bit," Nozomi said.
"Is that alright? What about the trouble earlier?" Cream asked.
"I don't think it will be a big deal if we explain what happened, Sonic might be in trouble for using his powers but I don't think Cream will be at risk," Ryo said. "Just try not to stand out."
"Kind of hard since she's a rabbit," Nozomi said. "Even in a superhuman society like this one, certain things still stand out."
"I know, but I don't want her to feel trapped here," Ryo said. "If things get too bad, we'll bring her back home."
"Wait, let me get a hat for her at least," Nozomi said. "It might help bring less attention, plus it's very pretty."
"What about Cheese?" Cream asked, gesturing to her friend.
"You can bring him along, though creatures like him are harder to explain," Nozomi said. "Might be better if you hold him like a doll or something."
"If I may ask, what exactly is he?" Ryo asked.
"He's a chao, cute little creatures from my world," Cream explained. "I've been taking care of him since he hatched."
"Interesting, your world is full of wonder," Ryo said.
"There's lots of neat things, I want to explore more of it one day," Cream said. "When I get older, I'm going to travel more with Mr. Sonic and his friends."
"Traveling is always healthy, gives you a chance to explore the world," Ryo said. "I don't really travel myself, but when I go into town, I see people from other parts of the world, including China and America."
"Are those places like here?" Cream asked.
"Not quite, China has similarities to us in Japan," Ryo said. "But America is a whole different place, you'd be amazed how different this world's cultures are."
"Tell us more about yours if you can, we'd love to compare," Nozomi said.
"I'd be glad to," Cream said.
In the skies above, Tails and Amy were searching around, hoping to find Knuckles as they ventured out of the city.
"I really hope we can convince Knuckles to help us out, even with your invention Tails, more hands is always more useful," Amy said.
"Convincing him to help might be troubling, but given that he's the Guardian of the Master Emerald, maybe this falls as one of his duties," Tails said.
"I just wish he wasn't so stubborn; it makes me worry about him," Amy said.
"Knuckles is tough, if anyone can take care of himself, he can," Tails said. "Right now we just need to focus on also finding the Chaos Emeralds so we can get everyone home."
"I hope the Explosion didn't leave any lasting damage to the area," Amy said. "You think anyone else could have been transported to Earth?"
"Well anyone nearby probably...though I don't know how far the Blast Radius reached," Tails said.
"I just hate that Cream was part of this, she's probably so scared without her mom," Amy said.
"Same, I really hoped we could rescue her," Tails said. "Thankfully Ryo and his family are really kind."
"Yeah, lots of kind people here, like that boy who tried to help me," Amy recalled. "I hope he's alright."
"Yeah, me too," Tails said.
Back in the future, Sonia had to wonder, "Did the Chaos Control reach more of the planet?"
"Oh yeah, big time," Tails said.
"Tell you after lunch, eat up," Sonic said, his daughter obliging.
Meanwhile at the Castle of Acorn, Manik is seen swinging around a wooden sword, practicing a few techniques under the watchful eye of Antoine D'Collette.
"Very good Manik, but don't focus too much on ze power, focus more on ze technique," Antoine said, demonstrating what he meant. "Like zis."
Manik attempted to copy, nearly getting it but not quite, "Am I getting close?"
"Of course, you are improving each time," Antoine said. "Soon you will be able to do zis flawlessly."
Manik grumbled in annoyance, "I'm improving too slow, I need to be be stronger now!"
"A seed cannot grow into a tree in one day," Antoine said. "You will improve, but you much practice ze patience."
Manik groaned in annoyance, "Do I even have what it takes? Like wouldn't it be easier to just use those laser swords my mom has?"
"If you cannot handle zis sword, those swords would be too much for you," Antoine said. "Why are you in such a hurry to get strong? You are young, you have time."
"When my father was my age, he was off fighting Robotnik, I have to be better than him," Manik said.
"To be fair, your father is...what is a nice way of saying it..." Antoine thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, your father is a freak of nature."
"Even so, he's very powerful, and I guess me and my mother were too weak for him to bother with," Manik said. "So I'm going to make him regret leaving us behind."
"To be fair, it had nothing to do with power, things just did not work out with Sonic and Queen Sally," Antoine said. "I do not understand how that could be possible, Sonic is very lucky that the Queen even deemed him worthy of marriage but that is their choice. But I know this is very hard on you, everyone was disappointed when they split up."
"Except Amy Rose, she certainly seized her opportunity, the skank," Manik said.
"It is none of my business, but perhaps you need a moment to recollect yourself," Antoine said. "Like I said, you are doing fine at your pace."
"Fine isn't enough!" Manik shouted. "I'm going to be King one day, I have to be able to protect this Kingdom, mom did back in the day, alongside Rotor, yourself and Aunt Bunnie. Can't you understand that?"
"Believe me, I understand very well why you are eager," Antoine said. "But remember, there is more to being King zan being strong."
"Huh? What does that mean?" Manik asked.
"You will understand, for now go take a break," Antoine said.
"Uh, sure" Manik said, placing his wooden sword away.
Antoine rubbed his chin in worry, "So young, yet so full of pressure. That boy needs closure with his father if he is to grow, too bad he pushes him away. Alas, I am not cut out for certain things, perhaps Bunnie would be better suited, she always has a way of getting through to him."
Manik made his way into the mess hall, looking for a bite to eat. While there he spotted some chilidogs, the boy looked tempted but turned away. "I refuse to eat such filth."
He heard some laughter and turned to the side, seeing a young Mongoose girl, "Think you're too good for that type of food?"
"Melody? What are you doing here?" Manik asked.
"My mom stopped by to see your mom, so I came to see my favorite prince," Melody said. "By the way, have you gotten even more handsome since I last saw you?"
"Not in the mood for your flirting," Manik said, grabbing some pasta. "I know what you want, you just want me to date you so that you grow up to become Queen."
"Aw, you're always suspicious about other people, just like your mom," Melody teased.
"It's helped her so far," Manik said.
"Has it really? I heard that she's made enemies because of that," Melody said.
"Rightfully so, she could always detect deceit, that's what makes her a great Queen," Manik said.
"You are such a mama's boy," Melody teased.
"Huh? No I'm not!" Manik insisted.
"Right, sure..." Melody said, making her leave. "Anyway, I just wanted to see you, but call me sometime. I can ease that tension right off of you."
"That girl is so weird," Manik said, taking a bite. "Wonder if Sonia's like that with boys she likes? Eh, not like I care about her."
"Achoo!" Sonia sneezed, to the worry of her mother.
"Catching a cold?" Amy asked.
"I don't think so..." Sonia said, looking out the window. "Why is Manik suddenly on my mind right now? I hope he's doing alright."
At the Gazebo near the Acorn Castle mess hall, Sally was sitting with her best friend Bunnie Rabbot, the two joined by the duo of Tangle and Whisper, as well as Mina Mongoose.
"It feels like it's been so long since we all sat together," Mina said.
"Mina, it was last week," Sally said. "You weren't gone that long."
"Bunnie wasn't here last time though," Mina said. "She was off saving the day somewhere."
"Hardly, I went patrolling with Antoine because someone thought they spotted that creep Walter Nagus," Bunnie said.
"I heard he's been around somewhere," Mina said. "Still after the Castle of Acorn."
"He certainly hasn't given up, not that it matters, he's never taking this place away from me," Sally said. "This belongs to my family, and soon it will be my son who takes the throne."
"How is he doing lately?" Mina asked. "I heard he's been seeing his sister more."
"He has, Sonic and Amy drop Sonia off from time to time, she loves spending that time with her big brother," Sally said. "I just wish he wouldn't take her for granted."
"Ah think he loves her, Sal," Bunnie said. "He's just trying to figure some things out in life and it's hard."
"It shouldn't be hard, like why can't he just be honest about his emotions?" Sally asked.
"Are you really one to talk about that Sally?" Bunnie pointed out, getting a sheepish reaction from the Queen.
"Well...okay maybe I can be the same, but I want better for Manik," Sally said. "I don't want him to end up like me, I'd rather he be more like his father."
"Don't get carried away, yer a great role model in that he wants to be King just like you," Bunnie said. "Well, yer a Queen but same thing, just different genders."
"Yeah, he just needs to be more open," Tangle said.
"Is Sonic open with his feelings though?" Mina asked. "I mean, he's always been a bit aloof himself."
"He has, only Amy's been able to get him to open up," Sally said. "Something I could never do."
"Getting Sonic to open up isn't too hard if you know how to talk to him," Bunnie said.
"Considering I'm his ex-wife and I never really learned how really makes it no wonder that he and I aren't together now," Sally said.
"It's not too late, even if yer not married you can still show him that you care," Bunnie said. "Honestly I think Sonic still cares about ya, just not romantically."
"Yeah, he's a good friend to have, and I know even now if I needed him that he'd be there," Sally said, the girl blushing a bit. "I feel terrible saying this, it's like I'm still in love with him."
"Are you?" Tangle asked.
"Does it matter? He's with Amy, and he's happy, which is the most important thing," Sally said. "I just want to make things right with him again someday."
"You'll get that chance," Bunnie said, patting her friend's hand. "And we'll be there for ya."
"Thanks, you girls are the best," Sally said.
"Sally!" Came Rotor's voice, the handyman of the Freedom Fighters running in.
"Rotor, what's wrong?" Sally asked.
"Some camera drones spotted something," Rotor said.
"Is it Nagus?" Sally asked.
"Worse, it might be Robotnik," Rotor said. "Or at least some robots."
Sally's eyes widened in worry, "Great, like one problem isn't enough."
"Should we call Sonic?" Rotor asked.
"No, if it's just some robots we can handle it," Sally said. "We've done so before."
"I'll go check it out," Bunnie said.
"Yeah, you and me!" Tangle said, springing away as Bunnie flew off.
Whisper stood up from her desk, "Shall I join them, Queen?"
"Later, first would you mind checking on Manik? Make sure he's somewhere safe," Sally said.
"As you command," Whisper said, making her leave.
Mina stood up as well, "Are you sure you don't need Sonic? You know I can find him in a flash."
"Mina, even with your speed, finding Sonic isn't easy," Sally said. "It's fine, I don't want him or Amy to worry about me."
"But if he finds out he's going to worry anyway," Mina said.
"If it's really Robotnik, or even Nagus, then I'll consider it, for now let him be with his family," Sally said.
"You say that like you're not his family too," Mina said, making her leave. "But I'll take your advice."
Sally sighed in disappointment, "I'm not though, but I can protect his family here."
"Wow...how sad," Came the voice of Fiona Fox, the woman making her way over and placing her foot on the now empty chair previously occupied by Bunnie. "Big, strong Queen wallowing in self-pity."
Sally groaned in annoyance, "Fiona, do you enjoy acting like such a...well, you know."
"A bitch?" Fiona finished. "It's alright, you can say it."
"I'd rather not," Sally said.
"Well to answer your question, I do take some pleasure out of annoying you and those moron friends of yours," Fiona said. "But, I also do it because I want you to snap out of this stupid self-pity you place upon yourself, like seriously, half the time I see you lately you're moping about such dumb shit. Where's the badass queen who would constantly take the fight to whoever? You always showed guys like that overzealous Robotnik, that creep Nagus, even my 'ex-boyfriend' Scourge who's boss."
"This is a bit different, Fiona," Sally said. "This isn't a problem I can physically fight."
"Fine, be that way," Fiona said, stepping back. "Just so you know, I think you're better than this Sally, even when we were at odds I always respected you because you stood up for what's right. Please, try to be that Queen again."
"...I'll do my best," Sally said.
"You better," Fiona said. "Anyway, given that Egghead scientist might be showing up, you need me to do anything?"
"Stay on the outskirts of town and keep an eye out," Sally said. "Just please be careful and try not to get hurt."
"Aw, it's sweet when you worry," Fiona teasingly remarked. "But seriously, you know I'm better than that."
Sally groaned as Fiona made her leave, "That girl is such a headache."
Down in the mess hall, Manik had finished his food, "Not bad, could use some more powered cheese but-"
"Prince Manik," Whisper said, her sudden appearance startling the Prince.
"Are you out of your mind woman!?" Manik shouted, cowering the moment Whisper glared at him. "I mean...yes Whisper?"
Whisper still maintained a glare, but eased up on the eye contact, "There may be trouble afoot, come with me, it's your mother's orders."
"What's wrong?" Manik asked.
"That sinister doctor," Whisper said.
"Doctor? You mean Robotnik? Manik asked. "Just last week it was Ixis Nagus, is this a coincidence?"
"I am not sure, for now, come with me," Whisper said, Manik obliging.
Back with Sonia, the girl once again felt worried, "Daddy, Aunt Sal is strong right? She can take care of herself, can't she?"
"What's bringing this about?" Sonic asked.
"You and your friends are strong, it's how you were able to adapt to that new world," Sonia said. "Sally doesn't have powers like you, or mom, or the heroes on Earth like Spider-Man and The Human Torch."
"Well yeah, she doesn't, but she's resourceful despite that," Sonic said. "You don't need to worry about Sally, if anything she worries enough about you."
"Yeah, I guess," Sonia said.
Despite this, Sonic looked outside the window himself, "Why does it feel like I should be worried though? Maybe it's nothing. Sal, if you need my help, you will come to me, won't you?"
Amy also looked a bit worried, "Maybe it's just my imagination, I know Sally had trouble last week, but it got resolved fast, whatever comes her way, she can handle it. I believe in my friend."