The Threat Grows
"Cream, please let Vector go." The chameleon ninja asked the enraged girl. "We don't want to have to hurt you, and we're not going to let you hurt him."
"This creep seduced my mom, Espio!" Cream snapped angrily, holding the still dazed crocodile by the gold chain as he lay on the floor. "He tricked her into selling our house, and moving here to be with him!"
"Cream, please don't do this!" Charmy pleaded. "Don hurt Vector!"
"I don't know who you are, young lady!" Mighty clenched his fists, taking a step towards Cream. "But what ever beef you have with Vector, this is not the way to-"
Trip out a hand on her husband's shoulder, and shook her head. "H-honey... no..." The Armadillo looked back at her for a moment, and then nodded his head in understanding.
"You're right, dear. We don't know what going on here." Mighty lowered his fists, and sighed. "I'll let Espio and Charmy handle it, unless I am needed."
"Cream... I didn't steal yer mom." Vector sputtered out, finally getting over the shock of being attacked by the daughter of the woman he loved. "She... she and I care about each other, a lot. And we want ta be closer."
"But why did my mom have to uproot my life, and try and control me?" Cream asked angrily, tugging harder on Vector's gold neck chain. "Why did she and force me into her happy little dream, without even asking me? I have a right to live my own life!"
"Yer mom did it because she loves you, and though she was protecting you. But what she did these past few years was wrong- I even told her ya had ta live yer own life, and ta let you go." Vector looked straight up at the rabbit girl looming over him, ready to beat the tar out of the crocodile. "But if you are so angry ya gotta beat someone up for it, pound on me instead of yer mom for it, okay? She loves you a lot, and she doesn't deserve to be hurting because she made the mistake of falling for a guy like me."
Cream looked down at the crocodile for a moment, and saw in his eyes the concern he had for her mother. The angry rabbit then let go of the gold chain, letting him drop back to the floor, and walking back towards the wall she had burst through.
"Whatever, I don't need your Chaotix crew to beat me up, just because I'm mad at you." Cream grumbled, exiting back through the door she came in. "I'm going back to my foxy boy and the rest of my friends, the people who really care about me."
After she had left, the rest of the Chaotix rushed over to Vector, and went to help him up.
"Vector, are you all right?" Mighty asked, as they all moved to help him back up. "What was all that about? Who the heck was that teenage girl?"
"Her name's Cream the Rabbit, and she's got every right to be mad at me." Vector sighed, as hew walked over to the smashed wall, in order to survey the damage. "Her mom and I have been... seeing each other, and making some plans, and we kinda left the kid out of the loop."
"I believe her reaction was... extreme, Vector. But you and Vanilla should have told her what you had planned." Espio added, crossing his arms in annoyance. "The two of you kind of just pulled the rug out from under her, and we both know Vanilla has been living in this little bubble where her adult daughter is still that sweet little girl Cream was, way back when we first met her. You and Vanilla both have some major issues do deal with that poor girl."
"Yeah, I know, Espio." Vector sighed, going over and shuffling the papers on his desk, and staring to clean up the room. "Vanilla will be here later, she and I really need to have a talk about this mess."
"Mighty, you and Trip should had back up to bed." Charmy told them, as he and Ray, and Espio went to help Vector clean up, while Espio went to get boards and tools from the garage for the whole in the wall. "I know you guys are tired from moving all of your stuff here today. Me and the others got this covered."
"Wow, Charmy, that's... very mature of you." The armadillo replied in surprise. "You really have grown up a lot since the old days."
"T-thank you, mister bee..." Trip stuttered, bowing to him and the other Chaotix. "C-come on, Dear... b-bed... s-sleep."
As Trip and Mighty headed back up the stairs, the sungazer glanced over at her husband, staring at him questioningly.
"What? yeah, I do have a crazy group of friends, I know." Mighty sighed, rubbed his arm nervously. "And they do have a habit of getting into trouble, just like Sonic's crew."
Trip raised an eyebrow at him, slightly frowning.
"What? No, I do not think they will be a bad influence on Ray!" Mighty protested. "Vector and the others have always been good and loyal friends! They'd give their lives for me, and I'd give mine for them!"
Trip smiled, and nodded in understanding.
"Thank you, Trip. It really means a lot to me that you're willing to give my friends a chance." He glanced back at her. "Hey, you didn't say a word during that whole conversation. How'd you do that?"
"I-islander lizards c-can sometimes communicate and r-read feelings without speaking them aloud. A-amy told me she found out your f-friend Espio c-can read peoples emotions with his n-ninja skills during a murder m-mystery b-birthday party s-she once had on at-train." Trip stuttered out, trying to explain. "We sungazers c-cant do that, b-but we c-can speak to our s-spouses without words, b-because the bond between h-husband and w-wife is so s-strong."
"Whoah, so that's how I know what you mean when you just look at me! I remember that even happening back when we were on the island!" Mighty replied in shock. "Wait, can you read my mind, then?"
"N-no darling, I can't read anyone's mind." She took a step forward, resting her head on his chest. "But I can open heart to you."
Smiling, the two turned around, went back into their room, and closed the door.
...
Back in the Metropolis zone 'Rouge the bat' came in for an unsteady landing on top of Naugus's lair, and entered a rooftop door to down into the structure itself. Walking through the many halls and passageways, 'Rouge' came walking into the main chamber, where the Wizard stood waiting.
"Ahhh, welcome back, my good thief." Nagus greeted 'Rouge' in a mocking tone. "How did the echidna take his 'beloved's' betrayal?"
"That Knucklehead bought it hook, like, and sinker." 'Rouge' shifted back to his true form of Mimic, removing the jet pack her had been wearing. "He's now convinced the bat girl betrayed him, though that stupid water monster threw me off the island before I could snag the master emerald."
"The emerald would have been a mere bonus prize had you been able to obtain it, no matter. The goal of throwing the guardian og, however, has been achieved." Naugus looked into his enchanted viewing glass again. "With the bat. that robot, and the Ultimate lifeform away on a mission in space, no one will be the wiser for your little deception up there."
"Glad to be of help, boss." Mimic smiled darkly. "So, most of team Sonic has been thrown off balance, what is the next part of the plan?"
"Now? Now we're going to stage some good old- fashioned princess kidnappings." Naugus declared, unrolling a spell scroll. "They are a necessary component for the spell that will take us well on our path to world domination!"
"Princess Abduction, huh? Can't go wrong with the classics!" Mimic sneered. "So, I take it the other are already on rounding up the royals?"
"Indeed, Surge, Kit, and the skunk brothers have already been dispatched." Naugus hissed, his eyes glowing under his cloak. "The maidens we need... Princess Salvatrice "Sally" Ghianda of Sabato Island... Princess Lupe of the wolf pack nation...Princess Undina of Meropis... Princess Sonia Parlouzer of Christmas Island... all these royals, all in one place." Naugus gazed upon his mirror, where the image of a grand masquerade ball appeared before him. "And I know how we can capture them, all in one fell swoop!"
...
"Cream, what in Gaia's name is wrong with you?!" Amy yelled at the teenage Rabbit girl. "How could you treat your mother like that? How could you go attack Vector?! What were you thinking?!"
The teen rabbit had comer back to the sky patrol, ready to pounce on Tails for some fun time, but found Sonic and Amy waiting for her instead. Tails had contacted the pair after she left, and they had raced back from their date in Studiopolis to intervene. Amy had taken Cream back to the pink hedgehog's room to talk, while Sonic spoke with Tails about what had happened on the bridge. Amy was not having as much luck with the rebellious rabbit.
"I can't believe you, Amy! I thought you'd be on my side!" Cream protested, barely containing her anger. "How can you support Vector and my mom! You supposed to be my best friend!"
"I am your best friend, Cream! But this isn't right!" Amy yelled back. "If you had just packed and moved to the sky patrol without any problems, I'd be behind you, all the way! But to tell your mother off like that... Cream, I know what she did was wrong, but that was mean!"
Cream sat on Amy's bed, stewing in her anger for a few minutes, before replying in a calmer tone;
"I'm sorry, Amy. I know my mom was really hurt by what I said, but she had it coming." Cream narrowed her eyes. "It was all right when I was a little girl, but once I hit junior high, mom... no, Vanilla...really started to clamp down on me. Every time I tried to listen to a boy band, she turned it off and made me listen to classical music. Every time my friends invited me to a party in high school, I was forbidden to go. The only time I ever got to do anything with anything was when we all went out to save the world." The rabbit looked away, as Amy was shocked by Cream switching to using her mother's first name. "she was smothering me, Amy. I couldn't be my own person, or live my own life. And her trying to get me to move to Seaside City with her and Vector, trying to play happy family..." Cream trailed off, tears running down her eyes, and she started to sob. "She wanted to change my whole life. And she didn't even talk to be about it, first. Why did she do that to me, Amy? Why?""
Walking over to the distraught rabbit, Amy put her arms around her, and hugged her best friend.
"It's going to be okay, Cream." The pink hedgehog reassured her. "You can stay here with us, on the Sky Patrol. Sonic and I already talked with Vector and the Chaotix, and they're willing to let this go. We can talk with your mom later, she needs time to sort herself out, and so do you." both girl sat there hugging each other, both of them sobbing now. "Don't worry, little sister. It's going to be all right..."
Meanwhile, on the bridge...
"Thanks for calling us back here, Tails. I think we averted a major crisis here." Sonic told his little buddy, as he paced the floor. "Poor Cream, this is so much for her to deal with. Amy and I had been so wrapped up in other stuff, we didn't even notice what was going on with her."
"I'm just glad you beat her back to the Sky patrol." Tails was sitting in the pilot's chair, his face buried in his hands. "If she had gotten here before you two... I think she would have tried to seduce me."
"You wouldn't have-" Sonic started, before Tails turned in his chair to give his best friend a troubled look. Sonic wanted to smack himself for forgetting his 'little buddy' was now almost a grown adult himself, with everything that entailed.
"Sorry, little bro. I often forget how grown up you are now." He laughed, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Still, I didn't think you'd want another girlfriend so soon, not after..."
Sonic trailed off, and wanted to kick himself for being insensitive again, but Tails raised as hand.
"No, it's okay Sonic, really." He shook his head. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about her ,and how much I miss her. It probably why I never asked Cream out.
Both he and Sonic knew who he was talking about...
Cosmo the Seedarian, Tails's lost love.
It was an event that Team Sonic would never forget. Around five years ago, Cosmo's ship crashed in the Mystic ruins, near Tail's workshop, the two-tailed fox had found her. She was an alien plant girl- a seediaran, a race of intelligent plants from the world of green gate. When she came to earth, Cosmo took the form resembling an islander girl about Tail's age, in order to better communicate with the she awoke, the seedarian princess had a dire warning for Sonic and his friends; her home world and her people had been destroyed by an alien invader called the metarex, and now they were on their way to earth. The Metarex invasion lasted for eight months, with Sonic and his allies working with G.U.N. and even the Eggman empire, to drive off and defeat the aliens. Cosmo stayed with Tails, who became her bodyguard and protector during the Metarex war, and the two actually fell in love. In the end, Sonic and Shadow boarded the Metarex flagship, and Slew Dark Oak in a final epic duel.
Sadly, Cosmo and Tails were attacked by a whole platoon of Metarex in the final Battle, and Cosmo sacrificed her young life to save Tails. They buried her wilted remain with honor, and all that Tails had left from her was a small seed. It was now a tiny plant that he kept in his room on the sky patrol, a monument and memory to a lost love. Tails slipped into a depression afterward, and it seemed to get only get worse as time went on. Sonic and the others tried to get him out of his funk; setting up on a date with Zooey, an islander fox from Bygone island. But that relationship didn't last long, as she got angry at Tails for obsessing over 'that damn plant'. Then, another young vixen named Fiona seemed to catch Tail's eye, and for a time, she seemed to mend the young fox's broken heart. Sadly, she turned out to be working as a spy for Eggman, and she had perished in a trap that the mad doctor had set for the young Miles Prower. Tails had seemed to back off of all romance after that, until Cream started to show interest in him this past year.
Ya know, I know she really likes you, little bro." Sonic cautioned. "But maybe with everything going on with Cream, maybe you and her should just give it some time."
"Oh, you mean like the 'time' Amy has given you?" Tails snapped at him unexpectedly, clearly annoyed by what he perceived as Sonic's patronizing attitude. "I'm sure she loves how you've been dodging and running away from her for almost two decades now!"
"Hey, this is about you and Cream, not me!" Sonic put his hands up, getting defensive. "What have I got to do with this?!"
"Maybe, maybe we've all been wasting our time, Sonic... not with fighting villains, not with being and team and being friends, that's all fine. But... what about everything else?" Tails asked, shaking his head. "What about other aspects of our lives we've overlooked, spending so much of the time we aren't fighting bad guys doing the same things over and over? Even Knuckles... what if the five of us think we're going oh so fast, but our wheels are just spinning in place.
Sonic struggled for an answer to that, when the alarm on the Sky patrol went off. Tails spun back around to the console, and began looking over the monitor.
"Hey, we heard the alarm!" Amy exclaimed, as her and Cream came running out of the back. "What's going on? Is it Eggman?" Amy almost hoped it was. The had not heard from the mad scientist in almost a year, and all of Team Sonic was concerned what he might be plotting."
"Nope, looks like an attack on Starlight City." Tails replied, firing up the engines. "Should we stop over at Angel island, and pick up Knuckles?"
"Nah, if it's an emergency, we don't have time. Besides, I can always rib him later for missing out on all of the fun." Sonic walked back, and sat down in the captain's chair. "Fires up those engines, little bro! Let's go kick some bad guy butt!"