Sonic: Roses and Acorns

by Masterob

Taking place in the Hero Academia: Enter the Spider storyline is the origin of Sonic the Hedgehog in this continuity. Sonic and his family reminisce about the past, and all of the heroic hedgehog's greatest adventures alongside his friends Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Sally. Features references to other franchises, especially within Sega.

16. Trust Unknown

The following morning, everyone was awake and ready to start their day, which included missions being handed out by Lanolin, as per orders from Sally.

Lined up in front of the castle were the three groups that were ready to embark on their recon missions in hopes of finding Eggman and his team.

One group, standing on the right was the duo of Espio and Juie-Su. One group on the left was the trio of Lanolin, Antoine and Bunnie. Right in the middle was the trio of Tails, Fiona and Whisper.

"Another day, another mission," Fiona said, preparing for what's to come.

"I'm ready to go," Tails said, seemingly excited for what's to come.

Sally was standing in the front, pacing in front of her personal soldiers while reading off her orders. "Alright, so I have some basic notes for the three of you to follow as you head out for your assignments" She turned her attention to the only duo. "Espio, Julie-Su, I need you to head by the Aquatic Ruins. Some robots were spotted there by some scouts a few weeks back, we want to make sure Robotnik isn't attempting to use anything there to his advantage."

"Sounds good to me, Sally," Julie-Su said, Espio nodding in agreement.

"Alright, Lanolin, I need you to take Bunnie and Antoine to The Old Chemical Plant," Sally said. "Can you handle that?"

"Of course my Queen," Lanolin said, saluting Sally. "I won't let you down."

"Exuzez moi, but is she leading myself and Bunnie?" Antoine asked.

"Well, you and Bunnie are suited for your roles, just like Lanolin is suited for hers," Sally said, earning a smug grin from the sheep girl.

"Uh, Queen Sally, you know zat I am forever loyal to you, and I will always fight hard for ze Acorn Family..." Antoine glanced in frustration at Lanolin. "But a mission like zis...it requires some...good planning, and Lanolin is..."

"Antoine, I know you and Lanolin don't always see eye to eye, and I get it, you two have butted heads before," Sally said, placing her hand on the proud sheep girl's shoulders. "That being said, Lanolin's grown well over the years. She's been fighting hard since her first big mission against Neo Metal, she held the fort down during the Phantom Ruby incident, and has always kept things under control whenever I was away for a while."

"But Queen..." Antoine insisted.

"And please do not bring up the Duo thing, that was her only big mistake, and she's grown from it," Sally said. "You've grown so much yourself Antoine, you of all people should understand what personal development is like."

"I suppose so..." Antoine said.

"Queen Sally knows best, and I have this under control," Lanolin said, standing tall among her peers.

"I should hope so," Antoine said, glaring slightly at Lanolin.

"Alright, lastly," Sally focused her attention on the trio of Tails, Fiona and Whisper. "I need you three to go to Seaside Hill. A big place like that could have just about any hiding spot."

"Actually Sal, I was thinking the three of us should go to Casino Park," Fiona said.

"Once again, you mention a desire to go to Casino Park," Whisper said. "Are you taking this seriously or are you looking for an excuse to goof around."

"No, Whisper, I am not looking for an excuse to goof around," Fiona said, clearly annoyed by Whisper's accusation. "I'm suggesting Casino Park because that's a good place to get information on certain people. Given some of the shady stuff that happens, it's a perfect breeding ground for crooks."

"She has a point, haven't Sleet and Dingo been around there?" Tails asked. "If we find them, we could find out more about Eggman's plan."

"Huh, that's actually a good point," Sally said. "Alright, change of plans. You three head to Casino Park, just make sure you're careful about not getting spotted."

"I can blend in. Tails has super speed and can fly. Whisper...well she's quiet, which is my favorite thing about her," Fiona said, earning a glare from Whisper. "What? It's a compliment, honest."

"Just get moving, and try to maintain some harmony," Sally said, before glancing at Lanolin and Antoine. "All of you. Please."

"We'll do our best," Fiona said.

"So long as it is a team effort," Antoine said.

Sally groaned in annoyance, "Just please, take care of yourselves. I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"Don't worry about a thing, Sally girl," Bunnie reassured. "You can count on us to get the job done."

"I'll do my best to keep the peace," Tails said, offering a thumbs up. "You can count on me to lead this mission to success!"

"Good, radio me if there's trouble, and if it gets too dangerous, retreat," Sally said. "This is a recon mission first and foremost, I don't want you fighting any unnecessary battles."

"We'll be fine, Sal," Fiona reassured. "This recon thing won't take us too long. We'll be back in a day or two."

Tails summoned his X-Tornado, using the plane's autopilot to land near him and his team as he flew up to the pilot seat. "Might not even take that long. We'll be in and out. No problem at all!"

Fiona sat behind Tails, "Time to ride in style."

Whisper sat toward the back, making herself comfortable, "I am ready to go."

"Alright, strap yourselves in and prepare for take-off," Tails said, both girls obliging.

"Please be careful!" Sally called. "Don't do anything reckless! And stay together as much as possible! There's strength in numbers!"

"We got this Sal, you know I would never let you down. We'll be back soon!" Tails revved up his engines, ready for takeoff. "Yeah! Let's save the world, Freedom Fighters!"

"Someone's eager," Fiona commented as the plane took off. "I get the feeling that Tails had a really fun night."

Sally waved the trio off, worry still pounding in her heart but feeling some sense of hope, "I hope they'll be safe."

"Tails is a strong boy," Bunnie said. "He's proven himself time and again, hasn't he?"

"Oui, you said it yourself, he fought bravely against Robotnik the first time you met him in that Earth City," Antoine said.

"He did break down during the Phantom Ruby incident," Lanolin pointed out.

"He thought Sonic was dead, that's why," Bunnie said. "If heaven forbid something like that happened to Sally, you'd feel the same way."

"...We're wasting time, let's go," Lanolin said, marching off.

Antoine furrowed his brow once again, "To think we need to work with that child."

"That's a bit harsh Antoine," Sally said. "Remember what I said about-"

"I have remembrance of what you said, Sally," Antoine interrupted. "Regardless of how well Lanolin has done, she still has not fully earned my respect. Many of her accomplishments were thanks to Tangle and Whisper. She cannot do anything alone, and she cannot lead properly."

"I know..." Sally admitted. "Believe me when I say that I know she's a bit weak in some areas, and I admit, she can be a bit bossy. That's why I put her with you two. I know you'll keep her safe, and I know you can handle her behavior."

"Why don't you just tell her zat she is not good?" Antoine asked. "We've known her for many, many years now, she is not a capable leader. Why do you still let her believe that she is?"

"The reason she wanted to become a Freedom Fighter is because I inspired her," Sally said. "I have to believe in her the way she believed in me. I can't do anything that would emotionally hurt her."

"Sally, yer sweet, but you can be too protective of others," Bunnie said. "It's going to do more harm than good."

"Just humor me a bit, please?" Sally said. "I'll make it up to you."

"You do not have to do such a thing," Antoine said. "As your Knight, it is my duty to protect zis Kingdom. And as your friend, I want to keep zis you, your son and this Kingdom safe."

"I really appreciate that," Sally said. "I appreciate both of you."

"It ain't nothing, sugar," Bunnie said.

"Oh, are your kids here?" Sally asked, looking behind. "Should I go get them?"

"We already said good-bye," Bunnie said. "Belle gets a bit emotional when she sees her parents leaving fer a bit, so we kept it private."

"Do not worry, she has Jacques, he is a good brother to his sister," Antoine said.

"Manik could take a lesson or two from Jacques then," Sally lamented.

"Antoine! Bunnie!" Lanolin called, readying a car. "Let's go, we're wasting time!"

"I...am going to lose it with that girl..." Antoine lamented.

"We'll be back soon," Bunnie said, bidding her farewell to her friend.

With that trio driving off to the Chemical plant, that just left the remaining two for their mission.

"Espio, if you want, you can bring the Chaotix with you," Sally said.

"That's fine, if this is stealth then myself and Julie-Su are enough," Espio said.

"We'll be back in no time," Julie-Su said, turning to her ally. "Let's go."

"Roger," Espio said, dashing off with his partner.

Sally was left alone, fortunate that things were off to a good start, but she feared how long it would last.

"I can really go for some coffee," Sally said, turning around and coming face to face with Jewel. "Oh my."

"Good morning my Queen, I couldn't help but overhear your desire for some coffee," Jewel said. "Would you like regular? With milk or cream? Any sugar? Or perhaps you would like a different variety such as espresso, cappuccino or macchiato?"

"Jewel, it's fine, I can get it myself, you don't need to go through any trouble for me," Sally said.

"It's never any trouble serving you, actually it delights me," Jewel said.

"You're a sweetheart, Jewel," Sally said. "But if you were in the middle of something-"

"I am capable of multitasking, and you are my number one priority," Jewel said. "I have to go to Amy's Bakery anyway, and I know how much you enjoy anything that comes from there."

"Well, if you're going to the bakery," Sally began. "Any chance you can get me some donuts too? Oh and maybe some fruit tarts while you're at it. And some-"

"Um, Queen Sally? While I would normally never deny you your wishes, I believe you told me that you were trying to cut back on the sweets," Jewel reminded.

"...Right, sorry, I just need something to relieve stress," Sally said.

"Well...I suppose I can get you a donut, you deserve a treat for being such a loving Queen," Jewel said.

"Just don't tell Amy, she's the reason I try to cut back," Sally said. "I don't want to gain weight again, I'm still a bit flabby from the last time."

"You look fine, so that's one coffee with cream and one plain donut," Jewel said.

"Can it be chocolate" Sally asked.

"...Alright, if it will make you happy," Jewel said, then flew off. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I gotta get her a nice vacation somewhere, I should ask Tangle since she and Jewel are really close," Sally said to herself before heading inside.

In her castle, she could immediately spot Sonia running past her, leaving a windy trail with Amy in pursuit.

"Sonia! Please don't run in the castle! You're going to knock something over!" Amy called.

Sally couldn't help but smile, despite how rowdy Sonia was, something about her excitable nature was endearing to her.

"You look happy," Sonic said, getting Sally's attention.

"Oh, um, yeah..." Sally said, nervously fixing her hair.

"Did Tails go on his mission?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, he just left on the X-Tornado," Sally said. "He should be flying to Casino Park."

"Huh, interesting," Sonic said, turning to the direction of where the plane went. "Hope they let him in after that incident."

"Yeah, he mentioned that he got caught cheating in poker, or rather it seemed that way but it was a mistake that Breezie blew out of proportion," Sally said.

"I wasn't there for it, but we both know Breezie would do that," Sonic said. "I never liked being there, Breezie was always very scummy and not a pleasure to be around."

"I don't blame you," Sally said. "Honestly, Casino Park wasn't my idea. Fiona insisted that it was a logical place to look for bad guys. Tails did mention Sleet and Dingo."

"Good call," Sonic said. "Tails should have no trouble, those two aren't exactly that tough compared to him."

"I'm hardly worried either, Tails is a very capable fighter, and I trust Fiona and Whisper to back him up," Sally said. "So, how was your night?"

"Alright, I appreciate the room," Sonic said. "Sonia loved it for sure."

"Good, I'm glad you were all comfortable," Sally said, the girl feeling even more awkward. "How are things in the castle? Did you eat breakfast?"

"Me and the family had some waffles," Sonic said.

"Waffles? That sounds tasty," Sally said.

"Well, it was nice to have a little variety this time, last night I ended up with a Chili Dog," Sonic said.

"Huh? Don't you like those?" Sally asked.

"I do, but I don't want to eat it all the time," Sonic said.

"Did you tell Nicole?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, and it went as well as you could have imagined it," Sonic said.

Sally groaned in annoyance, "Figures. Sorry you're going through this."

"It doesn't bother me, but it did bother me knowing Sonia got upset over it," Sonic said. "I don't mind helping out when you need me, but I am going to draw the line if this starts affecting my daughter."

"Of course, I perfectly understand," Sally said, still feeling awkward. "You can leave this castle any time, just so you know. Remember my offer from last night, I can get you a hotel or something. Or you can just not inconvenience yourself. Robotnik is our fight, not yours."

"Even if I wanted to leave, and I'm not saying that I do," Sonic clarified. "Amy and Sonia wouldn't want to. Amy loves your company, and Sonia likes being around you and Manik."

"Well, I do like having them around as well," Sally said, feeling a sense of joy. "They make me happy after all. Amy has that energetic attitude, and such a beautiful smile that melts my problems away. Sonia's just a bundle of joy, one that I hold close to my heart."

"Yeah, they are great girls, and they mean everything to me," Sonic said, then awkwardly scratched his nose. "I'll just leave it at that."

"Hey, you're allowed to brag a bit, you don't need to hold that side of you back," Sally said. "I'm glad that they make you happy. You deserve to be happy, you're a hero after all. A model example of what a Freedom Fighter should be."

"I'm not a Freedom Fighter, Sally," Sonic said. "I'm just me."

"You've always fought for Freedom and Justice though," Sally said. "Even if you're not in the group, you're still one of us. You'll always have a spot in The Freedom Fighters."

"Sally, I'm not..." Sonic shook his head. "No offense, but I feel like even after all this time, I don't think you ever really understood me. I'm not a hero, or a Freedom Fighter, I'm just me."

"Sonic, really, I don't mind it if you brag a little, I want you to be comfortable here," Sally said. "Just be yourself."

"I want to be, but I really need you to understand who I am as a person," Sonic said. "Did you really not learn anything about me from our years of being married?"

"Huh? Of course I did," Sally nervously said. "You like to run, and you like wide open spaces. I also know that you dislike authority and rules, as evident by you not wanting to attend any of the royal galas or balls. Which is fine, you're just rebellious, and I've always found that attractive about you. You're a loose cannon who can't stay in one place, you just gotta always be on the move and never quit!"

Sonic shook his head in annoyance, "Sal...I feel like you're getting things twisted up. I didn't go to those galas and balls because I hated authority, I just didn't feel like being in front of a crowd."

"Hey, I totally get it, you felt constraint so you couldn't show off," Sally said. "And if I just-"

"Sally! That is NOT what I'm trying to tell you!" Sonic shouted, getting some unwanted attention. "It's like you have this false image of me that you never let go of! Am I still that little kid to you? The little brat that I feel like I've grown out of being!? I am NOT who you think I am Sally! Why don't you get it by now!?"

"I...I thought..." Sally was getting nervous, despite her best attempts, she could not help but upset Sonic. Thoughts of panic raced through her mind as she held her head, trying to contain her emotions. "I can't do it, no matter what I do, I can't make him happy. It's my fault, I keep driving him away!"

Sonic grew nervous, "Hey, Sal, you alright there?"

"Get a grip Sally," the Queen continued to fight her racing mind, doing her best to maintain her emotions. "Don't cry, don't show sadness. A Queen does not show tears!"

"Sally!" Sonic knelt before the Queen, hoping to snap her out of it. "Hey Sal!"

Suddenly Nicole materialized in between the two, a furious look on her face, "Back away from her!"

"Whoa!" Sonic took a step back, taken by surprise at Nicole's outburst as the Holo-Lynx checked on the Queen.

"Sally! Sally are you alright!?" Nicole checked on the girl, placing her head on her head. "Sally! Talk to me!"

"I...I can't show it..." Sally began mumbling, feeling the pressure.

"Sally!" Nicole faced the Quen toward her. "Sally! It's me!"

"...Nicole?" Sally asked, finally snapping out of her funk. "Nicole!"

"Oh thank goodness," Nicole said, bringing Sally in for a reassuring hug. "Don't worry, I'm here for you, sis."

Sonic stood in confusion, not even sure what to make of the situation. One minute Sally seemed fine, the next she was on her knees and in visible pain.

"Queen Sally!" Came Jewel's voice, the Beetle flying in while holding a donut and some coffee. "Nicole, what happened to her?"

"Another panic attack," Nicole said. "Can you get Sally to her bed? She needs to lie down a bit."

"Of course!" Jewel said, handing the pastry and beverage to Nicole as she assisted Sally. "Come on my Queen, you need some rest."

"I can't rest, I have work to do," Sally said, trying to pull away.

"Queen Sally, I'm sorry, but I must insist that you rest!" Jewel scolded.

"Please Sal, just lie down, I can take over," Nicole reassured.

"Alright...I'll do my best," Sally said, leaving with Jewel, both girls passing by Tangle, Knuckles and Rouge, the latter two looking confused while the former looked worried.

"What's going on?" Knuckles asked.

"Looks like Sally had another panic attack, she tends to get those from time to time," Tangle said. "It's the stress of being Queen."

"Poor dear," Rouge said.

Tangle hopped toward the adopted Acorn girl, "Nicole, did you see what happened?"

"Yes, I saw everything," Nicole said, glaring slightly at Sonic. "She was fine until someone opened his mouth."

"Who me?" Sonic asked.

"Who else stresses Sally out more than you do?" Nicole bitterly pointed out. She turned her attention to Tangle, handing over the Donut and Coffee. "Keep these refrigerated, Sally will want them when she wakes up."

"Sure," Tangle said, taking the snacks all the while glancing at Sonic. The hedgehog could see a bit of disappointment in her eyes just as the lemur left.

"Hey, did everyone leave on that recon thing?" Knuckles asked.

"Yes, they left earlier," Nicole said. "Sally mentioned places like The Aquatic Ruins and The Chemical Plant as places she wants explored."

"Aquatic Ruins huh? Who went there?" Knuckles asked.

"I believe that was Espio and Julie-Su," Nicole explained. "Do you wish to accompany them? Having more eyes could help."

"Beats just waiting around the castle," Knuckles said, then turned to Rouge. "Wanna come?"

"Oh sure, the Aquatic Ruins has a lot of great treasure...I mean, I am quite worried about our friends," Rouge said.

Knuckles raised his eyebrow at his wife, "You're going to multitask, aren't you?"

"I'm capable of it," Rouge said.

"Do what you wish, but remember, this is a serious development," Nicole said.

"Let's go Rouge," Knuckles said, running off with the treasure hunting Bat Girl.

"Here's hoping things go well," Nicole said, about to make her leave.

"Hey, wait, up," Sonic called just before the girl left. "Listen, about Sally...I had no idea that would happen."

"So that makes it okay for you to stress her out?" Nicole asked, angrily clenching her fist. "Is that it, Sonic?"

"I wasn't even trying to stress her out!" Sonic said. "I was trying to explain something to her and, she just freaked out. I didn't know she got panic attacks. I know she always stresses out about silly things but-"

"SILLY!?" Nicole angrily got in Sonic's face. "There's nothing 'silly' about this!"

"I'm not saying this is silly, it's just that..." Sonic wasn't sure how to explain this, he was genuinely confused and frazzled. "Look, I didn't mean to upset Sally. I'm just trying to get her to understand who I am as a person."

"We already know who you are, Sonic," Nicole bitterly said. "You're a free spirit who seems to do just about whatever he wants to do! Whether it's running across the plains of Mobius, going off into space, or, more importantly, breaking my sister's heart! You've already hurt her enough Sonic, or is that not enough for you?"

"Okay, you're making it seem like I want to hurt Sally," Sonic said. "I have no reason to do so! Sally just gets stressed out over nothing."

"...You really irritate me Sonic," Nicole said, trying not to explode. "Much as I would love to tear you apart, I need to take over since Sally, thanks to you, is not mentally capable right now fulfil her role as Queen."

"Nicole...I..." Sonic tried pleading.

"I'm not in the mood for your nonsense, Sonic," Nicole said, turning away. "I would much rather you just vacate from my presence. I do not wish to continue verbally debating with you."

"But Nicole," Sonic said.

"Sorry, was I using big words? Is that why you're still trying to talk to me? Let me dumb it down for you," Nicole condescendingly stated as she turned to Sonic with complete malice. "Stay the fuck out of my way. I'm done with you."

Before Sonic could continue, Nicole vanished into the grid, leaving the hedgehog alone and frustrated. Once again, he just couldn't reason with any of Sally's friends.

"To think, Nicole and I were good friends once..." Sonic lamented. "Really wish I had that back."

As he sulked, he felt a gentle hand placed on his shoulder. Sonic turned toward his loving wife who was standing right beside him, "Something bothering you?"

"It's noth..." Sonic shook his head, he knew he couldn't hide anything from Amy. "Okay, a little."

"Let's go talk in private," Amy suggested.

"What about Sonia?" Sonic asked.

"She's being distracted by Mighty and Ray," Amy said, gesturing to Sonia now racing with the duo. "They told me they can take her outside for a bit to run around and get her energy dwindled."

"If they don't mind, then it's alright with me," Sonic said.

"Great, let's go outside," Amy said, gesturing Sonic out the door.

Sonic wasn't the only one feeling let down. Down the hall as Nicole was on her way to check, a twinge of hurt ran through her body.

"Damn you Sonic, this is not what I wanted between us," a tear had come to Nicole's eyes. "Long ago, you were a trusted friend. Now, you're just so distant. What is it about us that drove you away? Why weren't we enough for you?"

Nicole wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to maintain her composure.

"I can't fall apart now, Sally needs me," Nicole said, her face brimming with determination. "And I will not let her down." In an instant, Nicole went into the network, to do a quick scan of Mobotropolis.

Meanwhile at Eggman's base, Scourge and Surge were throwing darts at crude drawings of Sonic, Sally and many of their friends.

"Rosy's a nut, but her drawings perfectly exemplifies everything I feel about Sonic and those Freedom Fighters," Scourge said.

"Freedom? More like, Free-Dumb," Surge commented.

"Ha! An ever bettah name for those dumbasses," Scourge said, throwing a dart right between the drawing of Sonic's eyes. "Their days are numbered. First thing I'm gonna do is find that poser Sonic and stomp his face into da ground, right in front of his wife and kid!"

"You should totally steal his wife too while you're at it," Surge said, throwing a dart at a crude drawing of Whisper.

"Heh, that'd be the perfect way to rub it in more," Scourge said, throwing a dart at a picture of Sally. "Bonus if I get that ex of his too."

"Does Sonic even care about Sally Acorn?" Surge wondered, throwing a dart at a picture of Tangle.

"How should I know?" Scoruge said, throwing a dart at a picture of Amy. "First chance he got, he went to that pink fangirl. Still, getting in bed with a Queen, kind of has my respect for dat. Even if it is Sally Acorn."

"Isn't that what you basically did to Alicia?" Surge asked, throwing a dart at a picture of Lanolin.

"Pretty much, Alicia's freaky in bed, but she ain't exactly someone I want to spend that much time with," Scourge said. "I need a girl who's fun, that's why I liked Fiona."

"Oh yeah, wasn't she your favorite?" Surge asked.

"Totally, badass chick who chose to be evil. Loyal too, she did everything I said, like a good follower," Scourge then threw a dart at a picture of Tails. "At least until that dumbass fox ruined things."

"Leave Tails to Kit," Surge said, throwing a dart at a picture of Cream. "Maybe the little guy can handle Fox Boy's little wifey too."

"Gotta say, really hope old Egghead really does extend this plan to Earth," Scourge said, throwing a dart at a picture of Spider-Man. "I'd love to wail on those so-called heroes."

"Don't forget those Earth Buddies," Surge said, throwing a dart at a better made picture of Jacky Bryant. "Huh, that one was drawn well."

"I think Rosy finds him cute or something, says he's second only to me," Scourge said. "Like that's even possible, who the hell is second to me!?"

"I haven't seen anyone near your level," Surge said.

"And that's why you're my new favorite," Scourge said, shifting his eyebrows at Surge. "The two of us can really cause some mayhem."

"Do I really want to be your favorite though?" Surge teased. "What makes me better than Fiona?"

"For starters, you can actually keep up with me," Scourge said. "Fiona was loyal, and I was cool stopping once in a while for a bit of fun, but having a gal keep up with me is even bettah. Helps that you ain't as crazy as Rosy."

"Me? Not crazy? That's new," Surge joked.

"Okay, you're a little nutty, but the good kind," Scourge said. "Less of a nutcase and more energetic."

"Heh, you have a way with words," Surge said, then noticed a certain someone nearby leaving in his hover bike. "Where's that weasel guy going?"

Scourge took note of Fang, seeing the Hunter setting off on the Marvelous Queen. "Yo! Weasel!"

"If you're talking to me, I'm not a weasel, I'm a jerboa!" Fang corrected.

"Didn't ask for a biology lesson, Nack," Scourge said.

"And my name's Fang! Nack was an alias I used to hide from the cops!" Fang corrected.

"Fang, Nack, Jerboa, Weasel, Sniper, Hunter, really don't give a damn," Scourge said.

"What do you even want?" Fang asked.

"First off, where do you think you're off to?" Scourge said. "Egghead send you on a mission, or are you flaking out?"

"You're one to ask, considering you two took quite a detour yesterday," Fang said.

"Just curious, if you're going off, either we're finally doing something, or you're giving the finger to Eggman and his plans," Scourge said. "I'm fine with either."

"If you must know, I have some business to attend to," Fang said. "I'm running low on funds, and until Eggman starts his plan, I'm scrapping the bottom of the barrel."

"Going to rob a place?" Surge asked. "Need a bit of extra muscle?"

"I can handle this alone," Fang said.

Scourge took a look around, "That would explain why your gang's not here."

"They're not my 'gang', Bean and Bark are just two people who won't stop following me around," Fang said. "Honestly, whoever called us 'The Hooligans' is just being a wise guy."

"Bet it was Sonic who started that," Scourge said.

"Wouldn't put it past him. I really can't wait to be rid of that blue pest," Fang said.

"And that Princess," Surge said.

Fang felt the memory of pain down below, "Yeah, her too."

"And that pink nutjob," Scourge said.

"Right...that one," Fang said, feeling uncertain, a feeling that did not go unnoticed.

"You sounded pretty worried," Surge said, Fang sweating a bit. "Did she traumatize you as well?"

"Uh...sort of," Fang said. "Look, I gotta go before Eggman or one of his robots spot me leaving."

"Bettah hustle then," Scourge said.

"Catch you later, probably," Fang said, speeding off on the Marvelous Queen.

Surge rubbed her chin, then glanced at Scourge, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Screw Eggman's rules?" Scourge asked.

"Big time," Surge said, generating electricity. "Let's juice and jam."

"Heh, you stealing that blue dipshit's lines now?" Scourge asked, powering up as well.

"It sounds better when I say it," Surge said.

The two sped off, though this did not go unnoticed by Sage, the girl listening in nearby.

"How bothersome, I shall alert father about this," Sage returned to the inside of the base to alert Eggman to potential treachery.

Far off, Tails had landed the X-Tornado just a mile away from Casino Park, keeping it hidden near some trees. The fox had jumped out of the plane, joined by Fiona and Whisper as the three of them walked toward their destination.

"There it is, Casino Park," Tails said, gesturing to the town. "Just as busy as always."

"Probably hasn't changed much over the years," Fiona said.

"It's a lot fancier than Casinopolis, that's for sure," Tails said. "I'd say it's like the Mobian version of Las Vegas."

"Las Vegas?" Fiona asked. "Oh right, a city from Earth, right?"

"Right, it's a good place to gamble," Tails said. "But none of that for now, we have a job to do."

"How are we going about this?" Whisper asked.

"We'll need to gather some intel, see who's likely seen Eggman or someone he's worked with," Tails said. "One thing I'm banking on is the likelihood that Scourge might have been around here."

"Wouldn't put it past him," Fiona said. "I'm expecting to see him here too."

"Here's my plan," Tails said. "Whisper, I need you to stick to the sidelines and keep an ear out for any rumors. If you hear anything, contact us immediately."

"Of course," Whisper said.

"Fiona, since you're naturally good at blending in with crowds like these, maybe you can ask around yourself, using discreet tactics and all," Tails said.

"Exactly what I had in mind," Fiona said.

"Try to avoid Breezie if you can," Tails said. "She will make a big deal out if it if she spots any of us."

"Not just her, Honey too," Fiona said. "She does like hanging around places like this after all, looking for some poor sucker to turn into a model."

Tails shuddered a bit, "Those are some bad memories. She tricked me into modeling a dress once."

"You look cute in dresses though," Fiona said.

"No...I...do...NOT!" Tails emphasized, getting a laugh out of the older fox. "Seriously Fiona?"

"Sorry Tails, I don't mean to laugh at you," Fiona said. "Okay, maybe a little, but it's my way of showing affection."

"That could be why you do not have many friends," Whisper said, earning a glare from Fiona.

"This coming from the wolf who needs the company of Wisps to feel less lonely," Fiona said.

"Easy Fiona, those Wisps belonged to her friends," Tails reminded. "Besides, she has Tangle."

"I'd rather have no one than have Tangle," Fiona said, earning a glare from Whisper.

"Watch your tongue," Whisper warned.

"Easy Whisper, Fiona didn't mean it," Tails said, calming the wolf down before turning to the fox. "Fiona, I really need you to try not to antagonize anyone."

"No promises," Fiona said.

"Fiona!" Tails warned.

"Oh alright, we'll likely split up in the city, that way we won't need to see each other," Fiona said.

"For once, I agree with you," Whisper said. "The less we see of each other, the better we shall both be."

"How now, that's not a Freedom Fighter mindset," Tails said, holding his hand out. "Come on, show some team unity. Remember who we're doing this for. We're doing this for Sally, someone you both love and care about."

Fiona huffed in annoyance. Tails had her there, she could not deny the main reason she puts up with the others, "Fine...only for Sally."

"Yes, I too wish to please Sally," Whisper said. "After all, she gave me a home in her castle."

"Come on," Tails still had his hand out. "Freedom Fighters!"

Fiona put her hand out as well, "Freedom Fighters!"

While hesitant, Whisper also put her hand out, "Freedom Fighters."

Suddenly a fourth yellow hand was put out, "Freedom Fighters!"

Tails, Fiona and Whisper curiously glanced at the fourth person, spotting a very familiar Mongoose.

"Mina!?" Tails asked.

"That's me!" Mina said, winking while doing a peace sign.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Fiona shouted in annoyance.

"I came to do the recon mission with you three," Mina said.

"I thought you didn't want to come!" Fiona said. "I figured Lanny ticked you off too much to want to come."

"Oh no, I did want to come, my mind was already made up," Mina said. "I just didn't want to put Sally in an uncomfortable position. Besides, I technically don't work for Sally. I'm kind of a freelancer, like Tails is."

"You do work for Sally, you pretty much need her say so if you want to do hero stuff," Fiona said.

"Oh come on, this isn't like on Earth where they're super strict about that stuff, Sally's way more flexible," Mina said.

"It's Sally, when is she ever flexible?" Fiona asked.

"Look, it's fine," Mina said. "If Sally gets mad, it's on me. I just want to do my part to help. I know Casino Park really well, I'd be a great asset to the team."

Fiona still looked unsure, so she turned to her fellow fox, "Well Tails? It's your call."

"Mine?" Tails asked.

"You're the leader here, do you want Mina on the team?" Fiona asked.

"Bear in mind that Sally may not be pleased with your choice," Whisper said. "Even if I believe that Mina would be a great asset."

"Thanks Whisp," Mina said, winking at the Wolf before focusing on Tails. "Well?"

Tails shrugged it off, "I guess you can stay, you did come all the way out here."

"Aw, thanks Tailsy!" Mina said, hugging the fox, the boy's face placed between her breasts, taking the two other girls by surprise. "You're such a sweetheart!"

Tails struggled a bit before Fiona quickly separate the two. Tails's face was as red as Fiona's fur, the fox lady herself feeling secondhand embarrassment. "Let's dial it back Mina, don't want to give anyone the wrong idea."

"Sorry, I got excited," Mina said, turning to Casino Park. "Come on, we have a mission to get to. Let's do it, to it, Freedom Fighters!"

"Yeah, of course, do it, to it..." Fiona said, awkwardly glancing at Tails, the boy strangely turning away. "You alright there Tails?"

"I need a minute!" Tails said, seemingly crossing his legs.

Fiona's face turned even redder once she realized what was happening, "Whisper, go with Mina."

"Shouldn't we wait for Tails?" Whisper asked.

"...Whisper," Fiona walked over to speak into her ear. "He's busy, now move your ass!"

Whisper opened her eyes, glaring right at Fiona, "Watch your tone when speaking to me."

"Then do what I tell you to do!" Fiona shouted. "Keep in mind that I was in The Freedom Fighters before you, I have seniority."

"You lost that when you betrayed the team," Whisper said.

"Don't start with me on that shit! Not like it affected you personally," Fiona said. "You were still in The Chaotix when I left. Tails was the one who got hurt and he's over it."

"Tails wasn't the only one hurt," Whisper said.

"Fine, I probably hurt Sally too, but she's over it as well!" Fiona said. "Just get moving already! I'm not going to tell you again!"

"I warned you to watch your tone," Whisper said, getting in Fiona's face, the fox not backing down.

"Ahem..." Tails said, getting both of their attention. "Sorry about that, I'm better now. Let's head into the city in teams. Whisper, would it be okay if you go with Mina?"

"Certainly," Whisper said, obliging Tails's orders.

"Fiona, you're with me," Tails said.

"Yeah, whatever," Fiona said, still glaring at Whisper.

"Hop on my back, Whisp," Mina said as Whisper obliged. "Hang on tight."

Mina sped off with Whisper, Fiona grumbling in annoyance, "I am so getting Lanny back for lumping me with that trauma holding nutjob."

"Uh, Fiona, not to be rude, but you have a lot of trauma yourself," Tails pointed out. "Shouldn't you be empathizing with Whisper? Not shunning her?"

"Hey she doesn't give a damn about me, why should I give a damn about her?" Fiona asked.

"If you want everyone to like you, then you need to open up more, and you tend to push everyone away," Tails said. "I know you have trust issues, but that doesn't mean you have to make an enemy out of everyone. It's like you're giving up before you even try."

"I don't care about anyone else though," Fiona said. "I have you, I have Sally, that's enough for me."

Tails sighed in frustration. Much as he would like to continue and try to get Fiona to understand, he had a task to complete. "We'll talk about this later, come on."

"Yeah sure," Fiona said as Tails carried her off by her wrists.

Back at the castle, Sonic was explaining everything to Amy, "I just hoped to get Sally to understand me a bit more, and I guess I lost my temper a bit and startled her. I didn't mean to cause her stress, but she stresses me out too much."

"I see..." Amy said.

"Wow, great Ryo impersonation," Sonic teased. "Seriously, this is why I can't talk to her sometimes. When we do, things happen, she gets into one of her moods, her friends hate me and I become the bad guy."

"Since when do you care about being the bad guy?" Amy asked.

"Amy, this is a lot different than...okay it involves royalty but still!" Sonic said. "This is harder to just brush aside. Usually when I have a problem, it's easy to come to you, Tails and everyone else I care about. But Sally...she's so different. She's a part of my life I just can't get rid of."

"Not that you want to, right?" Amy asked.

"Well..." Sonic awkwardly rubbed his head.

"Sonic, she's your ex-wife and the mother of your son!" Amy reminded.

"And that's the problem! I can't be rid of her because I can't change the past!" Sonic said. "Quite honestly, sometimes I wish I never married Sally."

"Don't say that!" Amy scolded.

"It's true though, you were my true love, you always were," Sonic said. "That's why I picked that rose for you. Not just because purple is a nice color."

"I know why Sonic, but..." Amy shook her head, "Let's not talk about this right now. I don't feel comfortable discussing this while we're visiting Sally."

Sonic furrowed his brow, "Seriously? You don't even sound like yourself now."

"Sonic, I know you don't like compromise, but sometimes, you gotta do things you don't want to do," Amy said. "We'll discuss this later, but I do need you to make peace with Sally."

"Alright fine..." Sonic said, following Amy into the castle.

Unknown to them, Nicole had emerged from nearby, the Lynx having heard all this while checking the town. "Wow...so you never did care." Nicole once again felt tears come to her eyes. "Just what were we to you, Sonic?"

Once inside the castle, Sonia was seen sitting and chatting with Mighy and Ray.

"So, how long were you two friends with my dad?" Sonia asked.

"As long as we can remember," Mighty said. "We didn't always travel with him though, but when we did, things got fun."

"Were you two close?" Sonia asked.

"Kind of, I am one of the very few who can match his speed," Mighty said. "And Sonic respects anyone who can keep up with him."

"Well, he has exceptions," Ray said. "Some of his Earth friends d-don't have super speed."

"And he respects Aunt Sally," Sonia said.

"Does he?" Mighty asked, then got a whack from Ray.

"Of course he d-does!" Ray scolded. "Sonic respects everyone, it's just easier to rel-late to him if you can c-catch up to him."

"Daddy can be like that, but Sally must have been special if she got him to slow down," Sonia said. "Even for a little bit."

"Yes, Sally is very sp-special," Ray said, a hint of a blush on his face.

"Someone's looking shy," Sonia teased.

"What? No I'm not!" Ray insisted.

"Sure..." Sonia said, then noticed her parents. "Hey mom, dad, over here!"

"Did you have fun with Mighty and Ray?" Amy asked.

"Tons, they're really fast, so that makes them awesome," Sonia said.

"Your daughter's a very radiant kid, Amy," Mighty said.

"I'm glad you think so, and I hope she wasn't much trouble," Amy said.

"Of course not, she's adorable," Ray said, rubbing Sonia's head, earning a big grin.

"Of course she is, she's my little girl," Amy said, affectionately pinching Sonia's cheeks "Just about the cutest little girl in all of Mobius!"

"Uh, mom..." Sonia nervously looked around. "Kind of embarrassing me in front of dad's cool friends."

"It's fine, you're very l-lucky, Sonia," Ray said. "A lot of us didn't have p-parents growing up."

"Yeah, you got two great parents who look after you," Mighty said. "So I don't blame them for wanting to dote on you."

"Kind of wish I had that type of affection," Ray admitted.

"Aw, you have friends like us, Ray," Amy said, pulling the squirrel into a hug. "And you're always welcome in my home if you need a nice place to stay."

"Uh, th-thanks Amy," Ray said, feeling a bit flustered.

Sonic couldn't help but smile, seeing Amy being so compassionate toward others reminded him why he fell in love with her in the first place. But it also reminded him of the hard road he took to get there, and he would be reminded more in mere moments.

"Queen Sally, please!" Came Jewel's voice, everyone turning to entrance of the main hall. "You just had a panic attack, you need rest!"

"Jewel, I can rest when I'm done with my work," Sally said, coming into the room. "Right now, my Kingdom needs me, and I can't slow down for anything."

"But my Queen, think of your mental health!" Jewel pleaded.

"All I care about are my subjects, if I need to sacrifice a bit of my mental stability then..." Sally caught view of Sonic in the room. Once again anxiety began to flood her mind, fear of potentially upsetting him again affecting her psyche. Then, Sally's heart started beating and her mind started racing, the girl feeling very distraught and a bit lightheaded.

Sonic wasn't oblivious to this; he could tell Sally was about to freak out again. More so, Amy could sense the panic attack coming as well. Fortunately it took one little hedgehog to snap Sally out of it.

"Aunt Sally!" Sonia leapt into the Queen's arms, nearly knocking them over, though Jewel was quick to catch her.

"Easy there, Sonia!" Jewel scolded. "You almost knocked Queen Sally over!"

"It's...fine..." Sally said, slowly calming down as she hugged Sonia tightly, keeping the girl as close as possible. "My little Rose just wants to see her Godmother."

Sonic felt relieved, knowing that his daughter prevented a crisis. Given how angry Nicole was for one panic attack, he knew she would destroy him if a second one happened.

Sonia pulled away from the hug, gently stroking Sally's cheek, "How's the most beautiful Queen in the galaxy doing this fine morning?"

"Just...fine," Sally said, blushing a bit from the compliment. "My you're quite forward."

"Well you're like a starting line, because my heart races when I see your beauty," Sonia said in a playfully flirty tone.

"Uh...that's really nice of you to say," Sally said, then briefly glanced at Sonic. "Does he say this type of stuff to Amy? Lucky her."

"Alright, no more flirting with the Queen," Amy said, pulling her daughter off and setting her down. "You're going to get her all flustered."

"Not my fault she's a radiance of beauty, shining like the bright morning sun over the dawn of our despair," Sonia said.

Amy raised her eyebrow in confusion, "Have you been reading my romance novels again?"

"Ugh, you know I hate reading, it's boring," Sonia said.

"Sonia, you read Sally's scrolls," Sonic said. "Also reading isn't boring."

"I read those scrolls because it has cool stuff about you and your friends," Sonia said. "Books just put me to sleep, how can anyone just sit back and read a bunch of tiny text?"

"Hey, you'd be amazed at the type of adventures you can find yourself on while reading," Sonic said.

"Come on dad, don't be the lame parent, be the cool one!" Sonia said.

"Sonia, don't call your daddy 'lame'," Amy scolded.

"I'm not, I'm just saying he shouldn't be," Sonia said.

"To be fair Sonia, I don't mind reading a book sometimes," Sally said. "It can be quite fun."

"That's because you're intelligent, Aunt Sally, so you get more out of reading," Sonia said. "It doesn't really apply to us simpler hedgehogs."

"Sonia..." Amy and Sonic said in a deadpanned scolding tone.

"Thanks honey, but you're intelligent too," Sally said. "Maybe you just need a good role model to teach you the fun of reading. Like Tails, he's perfect."

"Sally, I read too," Sonic said.

"Hm? Oh, I know, but she might need more than comic books," Sally said. "Nothing against them, Manik likes reading those too, but Sonia needs an actual book."

Sonic was about to say something, but feared he would stress Sally out again, "Ugh..."

"Let's move on, shall we?" Amy said. "Why don't we go and find Manik."

"He's not available right now, after breakfast he's supposed to get some tutoring," Sally said.

"Ooh! That's actually my job today!" Jewel said, levitating. "I will go and make sure he has what he needs."

"Thank you," Sally said. "Meanwhile I should go about my business."

"I still don't think you should, my queen," Jewel said. "Nicole said she can handle it for now, you should just rest."

"Jewel, I already told you, I don't need rest, I need to do my job," Sally said. "You tell Nicole that-"

"She can continue," Amy interrupted, getting Sally's attention. "You, Sally, need to sit down for a bit."

"Amy, I can't, I'm way too busy," Sally said.

"Sally, it's not good to jump back into work after panicking," Amy said. "Take the day off."

"A day!?" Sally asked. "That's way too long Amy."

"One day is too long for her?" Sonia asked.

"One hour is too long for her," Sonic commented.

"Ahem, we can do without that type of remark, thank you," Jewel scolded, Sonic looking away in annoyance while Jewel focused on the chipmunk. "Queen Sally, please listen to Amy. Nicole can run things, she has experience watching over the city."

"I...just cant, I don't want to dump that workload on her," Sally said.

"You know she doesn't mind, please Queen Sally," Jewel implored.

Sally thought about it briefly, the girl shaking her head, "Sorry, but I can't."

"Sally, don't make me unleash my secret weapon," Amy said.

"S-secret weapon?" Sally nervously asked. "Wh-what secret weapon?"

"Sonia..." Amy called to her daughter.

The young hedgehog took Sally by her hand, looking up at the Queen with sparkling eyes, "Could you keep me company, please Aunt Sally?"

Sally began to sweat, her heart beating miles an hour at the sight of this adorable little hedgehog in front of her. The same type of charm that makes her mother such a good friend, and her father someone that Sally truly loved, all bundled into one.

Without another word, Sally sat on the couch in defeat, "I suppose a short break wouldn't hurt."

"Thanks Aunt Sally," Sonia said, kissing the chipmunk on the cheek. "I love you."

"Too...cute.." Sally couldn't resist the urge, she pulled Sonia into a really strong hug. "I love you too, my little Bean."

"Bean?" Sonic scratched his head in wonder.

"Wow, Queen Sally really loves Sonia," Mighty said. "Makes sense, she's adorable. Who wouldn't love her? Right Ray?"

"R-right, Sonia's very cute," Ray said.

Sonia winked at the duo, "Thanks boys." She then sat comfortably on Sally's lap. "Too bad Manik's not here to make this family feel whole. Hopefully those studies don't take forever."

"That reminds me, what about you?" Sally asked. "Are you keeping up with your education?"

"Tails helps with that, he explains things in a way that's not super boring," Sonia said. "Speaking of Tails, is he out on that mission?"

"Yes, everyone left this morning," Sally said. "I am a bit worried though. Espio and Julie-Su should be fine, but Lanolin's team and Tails's team I'm not too confident in."

"What's wrong with Tails? He's smart," Sonia said. "He is one of the original Freedom Fighters after all, isn't he?"

"Not original per say, but he was considered among the top six with myself, Rotor, Bunnie, Antoine and..." Sally glanced briefly at the only male hedgehog. "Sonic..."

"Tails and your daddy are not full members of the Freedom Fighters, they're just reliable allies," Amy explained.

"Just like Ray and myself," Mighty said. "We do our own thing, but when Queen Sally needs us, we're not too far away."

"She does a lot for us, it's the l-least we can do for her," Ray said.

"I appreciate your assistance," Sally said. "I know being a Freedom Fighter is a demanding task, and I am grateful for all those who serve me and my Kingdom, either Full Time or Part Time."

"The fact that so many people willingly fight for you must mean you're well-loved as a Queen," Sonia said. "That's a lot of trust they have for you."

"It is, I just wish they trusted each other," Sally said. "Between Antoine not trusting Lanolin, then Fiona and Whisper practically hating each other, I just don't know how successful they'll be in their missions."

"Answer me this, do you trust them to get the job done?" Amy asked.

"Well...I want to trust them," Sally said. "In fact, the reason I'm not too worried is because I know Bunnie will keep the peace between Antoine and Lanolin. And I know Tails will keep the peace between Whisper and Fiona."

"Bunnie knows how to reason with Antoine, and she knows how do deal with Lanolin's stubbornness, while Tails has Fiona's trust and Whisper's respect," Amy confirmed. "So you're right to feel that way."

"The key to trust is communication, so long as they can properly coordinate their plans, it should go smoothly," Sally said.

"Communication is important, but sometimes trust just comes from faith," Amy said. "You have faith in Bunnie and Tails, and for good reason. Because they've shown they can handle certain situations. But, I know that hasn't always been your strong suit."

"I'm aware of that," Sally admitted. "My worries have clouded my judgement in the past. It's just hard to not consider the downside."

"Faith isn't disregarding what can go wrong, it's believing that something can go right," Amy said. "I've had to take chances myself. I know they can go wrong but I have to believe it's the right call."

"Like when you broke dad out of jail," Sonia said.

"Exactly, that took trust too," Amy said. "Tails and I needed help, and we had friends we could trust to help us."

"Did you finish telling Sonia all about that?" Sally asked.

"They sure did," Sonia said. "From Shadow framing daddy, all the way to the two of them working together to defeat that monster and stop the ARK from crashing to Earth."

"That was a scary experience," Sally said.

"And that you kissed Spider-Man," Sonia said, earning a blush from Sally.

"Yeah, I did..." Sally reluctantly admitted. "It was just an innocent kiss, and I wasn't the only one who did it."

"I know, mom and Aunt Rouge kissed him too," Sonia said. "He must be quite the handsome hero if pretty girls want to kiss him."

"Spider-Man had a lot of girls that were into him," Amy said. "Before he married Twilight, he's gotten the attention of other superhero girls, and some of his wife's friends, and some martial artist ladies, even a former police lady he met in a city full of monsters."

"Monsters?" Sonia asked.

"Let's skip over that story for now, not like any of us were there," Sonic said. "Plus, it's kind of tragic."

"I've heard tragic, Cream did tell me about Ryo's father," Sonia said.

"That I remember all too well," Sally said. "Poor boy, I've never seen him so down."

"Things weren't easy for Ryo after that," Amy said. "Not to mention our own problems weren't over, in fact new problems were starting."

"Like what?" Sonia asked.

"It started a few days after we got back," Amy said. "We had already paid our respects to Iwao-sensei. While Ryo went looking for answers about what happened; Tails, Rotor and Sally were still trying to figure out how to get us home."

Seventeen years prior,

Meanwhile at The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Nick Fury is seen fuming over recent developments, "What do you mean no one's found Doctor Robotnik yet!? How hard is it to find a fat man with a mustache!?"

"That doesn't exactly narrow things down, Fury," Tony Stark said, the man standing beside Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and G.U.N. Agents, Topaz and Rouge. "From what Rouge here told us, Eggman is quite a sneaky-"

"Eggman?" Fury asked.

"That's Robotnik's nickname," Tony said.

"Nickname? You getting chummy with him, Stark!?" Fury asked.

"Actually that name was made by Sonic to insult Eggman, a few in my world call him that as an act of defiance," Rouge said. "Of course he calls himself that too, so I guess it's more of a villainous alias by this point."

"Eggman, Robotnik, I don't give a damn what he's called, I just want him found!" Fury said. "Seriously, how'd you let him out of your sight, Stark?"

"Honestly, even I'm impressed," Tony said. "That guy's one slippery old man. I hoped to give him chase, but between some damage my suit took and using so much energy to help Sonic and Shadow stop the ARK from crashing into the Earth, my options were pretty limited."

Fury grumbled and focused his attention on the bat, "You, girl with the rings."

"My name is Rouge," the bat corrected.

"Whatever, you worked with, Eggman, tell me, what is he planning next?" Fury asked.

"I don't know, he didn't say," Rouge explained, yawning a bit. "Honestly, I don't even know why I'm here, I'm pretty sure I sent in my resignation to G.U.N."

"You want to be here as an agent, or a prisoner?" Fury asked.

"Sir, that's a bit much," Topaz said.

"Really now? Because last I checked, she worked with that old bastard," Fury said.

"Under government orders," Tony said, gesturing to Natasha. "Or are you going to arrest Black Widow here for all the times she had to be our double agent."

"He's got you there, Fury," Natasha said, much to the man's annoyance.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of G.U.N., it's their fault a lot of this happened in the first place after all," Tony said.

"Wait, how is it our fault?" Topaz asked.

"This started because of what happened fifty years ago, when members of G.U.N. were sent in to kill everyone on the ARK, including a young girl no older than twelve," Tony said. "I know that's not directly on you but I don't know what G.U.N. has done to rectify something like that."

"If you even tried to at all," Clint said.

"If you're talking about Maria Robotnik, I can assure you that Commander Tower is aware of that, and is actually disgusted by the actions back then," Topaz said. "We would never make a mistake like that again. That's why he took over, to prevent such a thing from reoccurring."

"Well, you have a lot to make up for, so make sure G.U.N. knows to watch it's step," Tony said. "Be lucky my protégé isn't here to tear you a new one. He was pretty disgusted himself."

"You mean Spider-Man?" Clint asked.

"Who's Spider-Man exactly?" Topaz asked.

"He's the man behind that handsome voice you heard rallying everyone on Earth to support Sonic and Shadow," Rouge said. "Such a big heart too, you can't help but route for him."

"He's okay at best, still a pain in the ass who doesn't always follow orders," Fury said.

"What's there to worry about? He's a smart boy," Rouge said. "He'd be more than happy to find Eggman too. Though last I heard, he was helping some poor boy find the man who killed his father."

"Wait, what's that about?" Tony asked.

"I went by Japan to check on Spider-Man yesterday, he mentioned that he's looking into finding a man from China who came to Yokosuka, Japan and killed the father of a young boy," Rouge said.

"So instead of letting the police handle it, he's gotta stick his nose in someone else's business," Fury said.

"Fury, that's what heroes do," Tony reminded. "Let Peter do what he has to do, I can find Eggman. For all we know-"

"Colonel Fury!" Maria Hill called. "A rocket just launched from one of Robotnik's old bases. It's heading toward the moon."

"It's WHAT!?" Fury shouted.

The following day, Tails along with Rotor, was working on Nicole's pad under Sally's supervision. Of course she had little to really input, both repairmen worked very well on this device.

"Tails is a lot smarter than I expected, his first time working on Nicole and he figured her technology out relatively quickly," Sally rubbed her chin in wonder. "He's got potential to be an amazing scientist, once we get home I'll see if I can enroll him in an academy or something, see if he can get certified early."

"Just a few more tweaks and...there," Tails said. "Nicole should be able to pick up Chaos Emerald Energy readings. With this technology, we can find them even faster."

"Wow, you handled most of that yourself, really impressive work, kid," Rotor said, rubbing Tails's head.

"It was nothing, once I figured out how Nicole worked, it was a cinch," Tails said, the boy proudly rubbing his nose.

"You really did most of it alone?" Sally asked. "Nicole, can you verify your new functioning?"

"Chaos Energy Detected, 50 miles down south of this location, Sally," Nicole said.

"That's impressive," Sally said. "And fifty miles too?"

"I can probably do more, but I won't ask too much out of Nicole," Tails said. "I don't want to overwhelm her."

"Statistically speaking, it is likely that I will be able to contain much more information, possibly worldwide," Nicole said.

"I can probably pull that off, but let's start with some baby steps," Tails said. "We just need to let Sonic, Amy and Cream know."

"Where are they?" Sally asked.

"Sonic went for a walk I think," Rotor said. "Cream's with Nozomi and Amy just went into town with Ryo."

"Ryo...I really hope he's doing alright," Sally said, glancing at the door. "It's only been a few days since he lost his father."

"Spider-Man promised to look into it, didn't he?" Tails asked. "Justice will be served."

"Something tells me Ryo isn't too patient, not that I blame him," Sally said. "I just hope he doesn't get himself into any trouble."

In town, while on the search for any clues regarding Lan Di and his men, Ryo and Amy had bumped into a young man fixing his motorcycle.

"Excuse me, Naoyuki," Ryo said.

"Yeah, what's up?" Naoyuki asked.

"Do you have a second to speak?" Ryo asked.

"Sure, is anything wrong?" Naoyuki asked. "How are you feeling anyway? You know, after what happened to your father."

"I'm getting better, I have friends helping me through this," Ryo said, gesturing to Amy.

"Maybe you can help us," Amy said. "The day that Ryo lost his father, did you happen to see any men with Black Suits around?"

"Sorry, I don't think I have," Naoyuki said.

"Would you have any idea who might know?" Ryo asked.

"Try Sakuragaoka Gossip Gaggle, they're always yacking near the payphone after all," Naoyuki suggested.

"That's a good idea, thanks," Ryo said. "Come on Amy."

"Thank you," Amy said, doing a peace sign before following Ryo.

"Interesting girl," Naoyuki said, then focused back on his bike. "Ryo sure made some interesting friends."

"Sakuragaoka Gossip Gaggle?" Amy asked. "What exactly is that?"

"Some girls who like gossiping about everything," Ryo said, getting close to his destination. "There they are right there."

"Oh, and there's a payphone, just like that boy said," Amy pointed out.

Ryo approached the two ladies, "Excuse me, Kondo-San, Mishima-san."

A woman in a yellow jacket turned her attention to the boy, "Oh, hello Ryo." She turned her attention to Amy. "Oh, you're that girl who likes shopping around here."

"That's me, Amy Rose," the girl replied.

"Such a nice girl," Mishima said.

"If I may ask, the day my father died, did you see any men in black suits?" Ryo asked.

"You mean when it was thundering?" Kondo replied. "No, I can't say I haven't."

"I see..." Ryo said, feeling a bit worried that his search wasn't going anywhere.

"Did you notice anything strange at all, ma'am?" Amy asked.

"Not that I can recall, perhaps Sumiya-san might know," Kondo said. "She knows just about everything that goes on around these parts."

"Alright, I'll try asking her, thank you," Ryo said, quickly making his leave.

"Ryo, don't just run off without me!" Amy called, then turned to the ladies. "Thank you for your time."

"It's no trouble, and please keep a look out for Ryo, times like these must be hard on boys his age," Amy said.

"Of course," Amy said, going to check on her friend.

Ryo tried taking a quick look around the district he was in, feeling a bit of irritation, "Where could she be?"

"Ryo!" Amy called. "Hey, Ryo."

"What is it?" Ryo asked.

"I know you want to find the man who killed your father, but don't go off in such a haste, otherwise you'll get all turned around and go nowhere," Amy said.

"Sorry, I just need to find Sumiya-san," Ryo said, then spotting the woman sweeping in front of her house. "There she is."

"Alright, let's-" Amy noticed Ryo running ahead already, the girl sighing in annoyance. "He's so impatient. But, he does want answers for what happened to his father, so it would be rude of me to berate him for that."

Amy ran over to Ryo, the boy having already asked his usual question, "Did you see any men in black suits the day my father died?"

"Sorry, I haven't, but I did see a black car," Sumiya said. "It ran over a poor cat. I think it's kitten was nearby too, little Megumi was crying with it."

"That sounds familiar," Amy recalled that shortly before leaving the house that day, she and Ryo spotted a girl with a homeless kitten. "It was so sweet of that girl to take care of that cat. Too bad she said something about her mom not allowing her to take the kitty home."

"Did anything else happen that day?" Ryo asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, Yamagishi-san took a terrible spill at the corner by the park," Sumiya explained. "He looked like he was dodging a speeding car, poor man injured his back in the process. If I had to guess, it may have been the same car that hit that poor cat."

"I see, thank you," Ryo said, then immediately turned toward the town. "Okay, I think I'm getting somewhere now."

"Ryo, wait up!" Amy said, following the boy. "Don't leave me behind."

"Amy, I appreciate that you want to help, but you are not obligated to," Ryo said. "Why don't you go back home? I can handle it from here."

"No way, you're still grieving and I'm not leaving you alone at a time like this," Amy said. "There's nothing to do at home anyway. Sonic's off exploring, Cream's helping Nozomi at her shop, Tails, Rotor and Sally are working on something science related, Fuku won't let me spar with him because he got hurt one time."

"To be fair, you did knock him out with a single punch," Ryo said.

"I didn't mean to, I even held back," Amy said, recalling what happened the day prior when one punch knocked the wind out of poor Fuku, to the amazement of all her friends. "I just want to practice my martial arts. Jacky and Sarah said I have potential to be in one of those fighting tournaments."

"That's great, maybe you can practice on your own then," Ryo said. "I have to find out more about that man."

"I know Ryo, but-" Amy was interrupted when an elderly woman caught their attention.

"Excuse me, but could either of you tell me what that nameplate says?" the woman asked, gesturing to the nameplate in question.

"Yes, it says Tajima," Ryo explained.

Amy took a look as well, squinting her eyes, "My kanji is still beginner level, but I think Ryo's right."

"That's a shame, I'm trying to find the Yamamoto residence, but my eyesight is really bad," the lady said.

"I can keep an eye out for it," Ryo said. "Why don't you go to the park up ahead, if I find it, I will come and get you."

"Or me, I'll help too," Amy said.

"You're both so kind, thank you for your generosity," The woman said.

"It's no trouble at all ma'am," Amy said, doing a peace sign pose. "I gotta go help Ryo, see you later."

"Until then," the woman said.

Amy walked to catch up to the boy she was traveling with, glancing up at him with some admiration, "That was really nice of you, Ryo. Offering to help that elderly woman."

"It wasn't any trouble," Ryo said.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh earlier," Amy said. "You know, about leaving you alone."

"Hm?" Ryo stopped in his tracks to glance at Amy. "You didn't say anything negative."

"Maybe I thought it, but I guess I'm just a little worried about you," Amy said. "You suffered a big loss, one I can't relate to. While yes, I did grow up without parents, it's been so long that I was just used to the idea. You grew up with your father and he was taken from you. I couldn't understand that type of loss."

"It's not comparable, fact is that we both lost our parents, just at different stages in our lives," Ryo said. "But I do appreciate you wanting to relate to me. You do not have to though."

"It's more that I've seen how some can be when they lose someone they love," Amy said. "That's why that mad scientist tried destroying the planet. He was grieving over someone he loved. Even Shadow, that other hedgehog, he was feeling the same way. He wanted humanity to suffer because he loved his friend, a girl named Maria. It's a miracle that me, Jacky and Sarah were able to talk some sense into him, but...to see that lost look in his eyes."

"Are you worried that will happen to me?" Ryo asked. He knelt beside his friend, "Listen, Amy. It's true that I am very much burdened by the death of my father, and I will admit I haven't been in the best mood. But I need you to know that regardless of how I feel, I know that I am not alone. I have you, Sonic and your friends from Mobius. I also have Ine-san and Fuku-san. I lost a family member, but I will not forget who I still have in my life."

"Aw, you're sweet," Amy said, briefly rubbing Ryo's head. "That's the kind boy that took in me and my friends."

"It's no big deal," Ryo said. "Truth be told, one of the hardest things about that day, wasn't just how I felt, but seeing Cream's reaction. For a girl so young to see something so terrible. I am very grateful to Nozomi for stepping in and being that emotional support for Cream that I don't think I could have pulled off."

"I'm sure that Cream was scared, but by now, I think she's more worried about you," Amy said.

"I know, that's why I have to be strong, so she doesn't feel so scared," Ryo said. "We both know that she misses her mother, seeing my father dying may not have eased those worries."

"She does miss her mom, but Cream is a lot tougher than she looks," Amy said. "It's sweet how much you worry, you're going to make a great father yourself one day."

"Me?" Ryo said in surprise. "Well, that's kind of you. That will be quite a while though, I haven't even graduated, nor do I have anyone to share the bonds of parenthood with."

"What about Nozomi?" Amy asked.

Ryo nearly fell over at the suggestion, "N-Nozomi?" A hint of a blush appeared on his face. "No way, I can't do that. She's a friend, nothing more."

"Sometimes friendships can blossom into something more though," Amy said.

Ryo nervously looked around, hoping to find any sort of distraction, "Uh...wow, that's quite an unusual looking bird."

"Ryo, are you seriously trying to use a bird to-" Amy glanced up, spotting something unusual. "Wait...that's a Flicky."

"A what?" Ryo asked.

"A bird from my world," Amy said. "It's not from the Egg Carrier though, even if it was, how would it have come to Japan?"

"Well, some birds do fly for hundreds of miles, though covering the entire Pacific Ocean would be quite the feat," Ryo said.

Amy looked around and spotted more creatures, including what looked like a chicken. "Is that a Cucky?" She looked again, spotting a penguin. "And a Pecky? What's going on?"

"This looks unusual," Ryo said. "Do you think it has to do with Chaos Control?"

Amy gestured the creatures over to her, "It's possible. It might not be safe for some of them. You wouldn't mind if I took a few home, would you?"

"That's fine, you go on and let Princess Sally know, I'll go check in on Yamagishi-san," Ryo said.

"Will you really be alright on your own?" Amy asked.

"I'll be fine," Ryo reassured. "This is a bit more important anyway. Princess Sally needs to know about this new development."

"Alright, I'll be back soon," Amy said, making her leave with the animals. "Come on little guys."

Ryo noticed a few more coming in from the alley, including a tiny walrus, pig and squirrel. "I wonder who or what else may have come?"

Amy had returned to the Hazuki Estate, quickly making her way inside the house, "Hey everyone, you're not going to believe what I found!"

"And you're not going to believe what's on TV," Tails said, gesturing to the screen.

"The villainous Doctor Eggman, in a move that surprised the world, has restored the moon to it's previous shape," came a reporter named Lois Lane. "It was a surprising move that this villain who once threatened the world has offered to repair the moon, completely free of charge, at least according to the Armored Avenger, Iron Man."

Tony appeared on Screen with his helmet off to do a quick explanation to the viewers, "Recently, Nick Fury got a video call from Robotnik, or Eggman, whatever you wanna call him, seemingly apologizing for destroying half of the moon. This is his way of making it up to everyone. His rocket fixed the moon, surprisingly in ten minutes. Even I gotta admit, that's impressive."

"Tony Stark!" a girl called. "Betty Brant from the Daily Bugle. Does this mean that Eggman's turning over a new leaf?"

"I can't be sure, he did seem empathetic and remorseful on the ARK when he found out about what happened regarding his Grandfather's plans, and the death of his cousin. If he's turning over a new leaf, then good on him, but until then, we will remain diligent."

"Also, a question from my boss..." Betty said, almost lamenting. "Is Spider-Man working with Doctor Eggman?"

Tony furrowed his brow in annoyance, looking right at the TV Monitor, "Hey, Jameson, do me a favor, and give it a rest already!" He placed his helmet back on, "No more questions, I got work to do."

"But wait! My boss wants a direct answer!" Betty said.

"Ask Spider-Man yourself," Tony said, immediately flying off.

The reports focused back on Lois, "We here in the Daily Planet would never slander a hero who clearly wishes to do well, unlike certain individuals in New York. Regardless, it does seem like a mystery as to why Doctor Robotnik did this favor for planet Earth. Is it genuine remorse? Or a shallow apology? I will be on the case as always, and I will not rest until I get the answers."

Tails looked amazed by what he heard, "Eggman's scientific genius is incredible. The fact that he fixed the moon in almost no time."

"I gotta admit, that was nice of him to do," Rotor said. "Maybe helping us on the ARK did change him. Maybe he's going to be good from now on."

"...I'm not sure, he's played nice before, then started a Coup against my father," Sally said. "I still don't trust Robotnik."

"I don't fully trust him either, but who knows, maybe he really is changing," Amy said.

"You can't be serious," Sally said.

"All I'm saying is that if Eggman really does want to change, then we need to encourage it," Amy said. "Hopefully he does and this isn't some trick. But I'd like to think that he can change if he really wants to."

"You're way too nice, Robotnik will never change," Sally said.

"Hm, kind of wish Sonic were here, I'd like to hear his input," Tails said.

"He'd agree with me," Sally said. "Sonic's a smart guy, even if he doesn't always act like it. Knowing him, he'll come straight here and talk things out with me, then we can look into it ourselves."

"We'll be there to help him out too," Rotor said, then noticed something unusual. "Oh, Amy, what's with the little guys?"

"Little guys?" Sally asked, finally noticing the creatures, along with Tails.

"That's what I came to tell you about, these Little Critters just appeared in town," Amy said. "I think they came here through Chaos Control."

"Oh no, it's getting worse," Sally said. "Soon all of Mobius may end up on Earth."

"Check it out, it's being talked about on TV too," Tails said.

"In other news, strange creatures began appearing all around the world," Lois said, showing off some of the Mobian Critters. "Reports across the globe confirm a strange species of animals. No one quite knows what it is. Some believe it's just a new quirk metamorphosis, others believe it could be alien and-"

"Help!" Came a voice on TV. "Help, I am in needing of help!"

"Sally...doesn't that voice sound familiar?" Rotor asked.

"It shouldn't...should it?" Sally asked.

Come into view was a familiar Coyote in a blue jacket, who immediately spotted a camera. "Please, I am in needing of your assistance! I must find my Princess! I must find Princess Sally!"

"Sally, do you know that guy?" Tails asked.

"Oh my Gosh, it's Antoine!" Sally said in disbelief. "He's one of my childhood friends, and one of my family's knights."

"He's a knight?" Tails asked, glancing on screen at the panicking coyote. "Aren't knights supposed to be, you know, brave?"

"I'll admit he's a bit skittish, but he is very skilled with a sword," Sally said.

"He just needs a confidence boost," Rotor said.

"Still, where could he be?" Sally wondered.

"I don't recognize the city," Tails said. "Is Ryo here?"

"No, but Fuku might be," Amy called down the hall. "Fuku-san! Can you come here for a second!?" Upon getting no answer, Amy called again. "Come on Fuku, you can't still be mad about yesterday! I didn't even hit you that hard!"

"Maybe he's not here," Rotor said.

"Wait, I think this was the same background from when Iron Man was being interviewed," Tails said. "Isn't Iron Man from the same city that Peter lives?"

"That's right, but what city was that again?" Sally asked.

"I think Peter mentioned growing up somewhere in Queens," Amy said. "We should ask him the next chance we get."

"Hopefully soon, I'm very worried about Antoine," Sally admitted.

"I'll call Peter right now," Amy said, grabbing her phone. "It is an emergency after all."

Off at Musutafu, Peter was seen watching the story alongside Johnny, Rainbow Dash and Sonic, all of them having noticed from a TV Store.

"What do you make of this, Sonic?" Johnny asked.

"It's a bit unusual," Sonic said. "Eggman is not one to do nice things for no reason. But, I can't imagine what he would have to gain from any of this."

"I've seen guys do 'good deeds' just to distract the public from whatever 'bad deeds' they're really doing," Peter said.

"What a load of crap this guy is," Rainbow Dash said.

"So, what's the plan?" Johnny asked. "Do we go and bust him?"

"We don't know where he is," Peter said.

"Don't worry, Eggman is not one to hide in the shadows too long, when he does something, he lets everyone know it's him," Sonic said. "That guy's ego is too big to be subtle."

"You know him better than we do, if anyone can figure him out, it's you Sonic," Peter said. "If you need our help, you know where to find us."

"I appreciate that," Sonic said, then heard something ringing. "Is that a phone?"

Peter pulled out his phone and answered, "You got Spidey."

"Peter! It's me, Amy!" the girl said.

"Hey Amy, anything wrong?" Peter asked.

"Probably, for starters, any chance you caught a news story about the moon?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, apparently Eggman fixed it," Peter said. "We're all skeptical, Sonic too."

"Sonic's there with you?" Amy asked. "That's perfect, if you see him, tell him to keep an eye out for Little Creatures from my world."

"Your world?" Peter asked. "Are you talking about the Chao?"

"No, little animals...like actual animals more than humanish creatures like us," Amy said. "A few of them were warped through the delayed Chaos Control affects."

"More are coming from your world now?" Peter asked, this concerning Sonic.

"Seems like it, also I think a friend of Sally's ended up in your city," Peter said.

"Wait, one of them is in New York?" Peter asked.

"I think so, his name is Antoine, if you can find a way there, that would be a big help," Amy said.

"Well it's not exactly a quick trip, but thankfully I know a magical girl," Peter said. "Plus even New York isn't out of Sonic's reach."

"Thanks," Amy said. "I gotta go now, Sally might need my help, and Ryo definitely still does."

"I'm looking into what happened to his father on my end," Peter said. "How is Ryo handling it though?"

"Still very sad, but doesn't want to open up," Amy said.

"He's stubborn, just like I am," Peter said. "Stay on this."

"I will, I promise," Amy said. "Bye-bye Peter."

"See ya," Peter hung up and turned to Sonic. "So, Amy knows, and I'm guessing the rest of your friends do too."

"Sounds like it, but what was that about creatures from my world coming over?" Sonic asked.

"Might be the delay, same delay that brought Sally, Big, Rouge and Rotor here," Peter said.

"Also, what was that about New York?" Johnny asked. "And Sally's friend?"

"Amy said his name is Antoine," Peter explained. "That he might be in New York."

"Antoine?" Sonic asked, taking a second to remember. "No way..."

"You know him?" Peter asked.

"I haven't seen him in about five years," Sonic said. "He aspired to be a Knight for Sally. Problem is, he was a bit cowardly. Of course he was only thirteen when I last saw him, so maybe he grew up a bit."

"Thirteen? Uh, in your world, is that an excuse?" Peter asked. "Amy's twelve and she's braver than most men I know."

"I should go find him," Sonic said.

"Alright, then...huh, is that a Mobian?" Peter asked, gesturing to an adult rabbit lady nearby. The woman looked quite confused, and very concerned.

Everyone else turned to the girl, Sonic being the only one to recognize her, "I don't believe it."

"Wow, gotta say, whoever that rabbit is, she's kind of cute," Johnny said, earning a slight glare from Rainbow Dash.

"She's a rabbit," Peter said.

"And you made out with a hedgehog, chipmunk and bat," Johnny said, much to Sonic's annoyance.

"That wasn't making out!" Peter shouted. "Those were innocent kisses!"

"Yeah, sure thing dude," Johnny said, further annoying Peter.

Sonic was quick to greet the rabbit girl, "Vanilla?"

"Hm?" Vanilla turned to greet the young hedgehog, a smile forming on her face. "Sonic! It's so good to see a familiar face!"

"I'm happy to see you too," Sonic said. "When did you get here?"

"Just recently," Vanilla said. "It was so strange, one minute I'm out looking for my daughter, and the next, I was here. Where is here?"

"Planet Earth, in a country called Japan," Sonic said. "We were warped here through Chaos Control, thanks to Doctor Eggman."

"Chaos Control?" Vanilla asked, slightly confused. "Well regardless of the details, I am happy to see you. I don't suppose you know where my daughter could be."

"She's safe, she's with Tails and Amy at the home of one of our Earth Friends," Sonic said. "Two of my childhood friends are with her too, and they're great with kids."

"So, she's really safe!?" Vanilla asked, hope ringing in her voice. "Can you take me to her? I really miss my daughter."

Sonic turned his attention to the three heroes, "I want to take her, but I am worried about Antoine, and whatever it is Eggman is up to. I hate to ask, but can one of you take Vanilla to Yokosuka?"

"I got you, bro," Johnny said, walking over to Vanilla. "Sup? Name's Johnny Storm. I'm a human, but I'm not like the others, I'm Fantastic!"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Johnny Storm," Vanilla said. "My, you're quite handsome, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Johnny boasted, much to the annoyance of Peter and jealousy of Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, hot shot, this lady said she misses her daughter, move your butt already," Rainbow Dash said.

"Chill babe, I got this," Johnny said.

"And don't call me 'babe'!" Rainbow Dash, thoughts running through her head. "Not that I hate it...wait what am I thinking!?"

"I'll go find Twilight, and get into contact with Tony," Peter said. "Dash, you can go with Johnny."

"Yeah, sure," Rainbow Dash said, turning to the rabbit. "Name's Rainbow Dash by the way."

"And I'm Peter Parker," Spidey said. "You have a cute daughter by the way. I'd like to have kids one day, and I hope they're as well behaved as Cream is."

"Thank you dear," Vanilla said.

Johnny picked Vanilla up into his arms, "Ready to fly?"

"Fly?" Vanilla asked.

"Flame on!" Johnny said, activating his flames, worrying the rabbit.

"Sir, I think you're on fire!" Vanilla said, now feeling unsure about being carried by this man.

"It's cool, it can't hurt me, or you," Johnny said. "That's what makes me Fantastic."

"Just move already," Rainbow Dash said, extending her wings.

"Is this normal for humans?" Vanilla asked.

"Not really," Johnny said, taking off. "Hang on tight!"

"Wait-AAAAHHHH!" Vanilla screamed in terror as Johnny flew off.

"Slow down, Torch!" Rainbow Dash said, flying after the two.

"...Dumbass," Peter said.

"He's quite energetic," Sonic said, then turned to Peter. "Hey, good luck on your end."

"You too," Peter said, thwipping away.

Sonic sped off to figure everything out, while he wanted to believe that Eggman could change, he knew deep down how unlikely that was.

Meanwhile Eggman himself was at one of his secret bases, the man holding out some plans and reading over them, making any needed changes.

"Hey boss, we heard about what you did for the moon," Scratch said, the robotic chicken walking over to his boss alongside the other robots. "That was a really nice thing you did for the humans."

"Who knew you could be so kindhearted?" Bokkun asked, the little imp robot floating over. "Does this mean you're going to change your ways?"

"And perhaps, finally give us a much needed vacation?" Orbot asked.

"A vacation sounds nice," Decoe said.

Eggman placed his plans down, all while glancing at his robots, "Oh sure, I'd love to give you some time off. Maybe you can take my ships too! Fly across The World! The Galaxy! The Universe!"

"Golly, do you mean it?" Scratch asked.

"That's so amazing," Grounder said.

"And here we thought you were a miserable old man with no love in your heart," Cubot said.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT CHANGING!" Eggman shouted, startling his robots. "And you aren't getting any vacation time either! You're robots! You don't need to relax your bodies! You don't get tired!"

"Maybe not physically," Orbot said. "But mentally we're-"

"If you feel mentally incapable, perhaps I should give you a few upgrades to keep you in check!" Eggman threatened. "Perhaps a loss of whatever free will I allow you to have!?"

"No, no, that's quite alright," Orbot nervously insisted.

"We'll back off," Grounder said.

Bocoe sighed in sadness, "So much for my plans to go to Paris."

"But if you'se is not changing, why'd you'se fix the moon for the people on Eoith?" Coconuts asked.

"Yeah, that was a really nice thing," Bokkun said.

"You think I did it for free?" Eggman asked. "Pfft, the people of Earth have another thing coming. Nothing in life is free, and they're going to realize that really soon."

Back in the present within Acorn Castle, Sonia came to realize something, "Oh, I know why this story has to do with trust. No one knew if trusting Eggman was a good idea, right!?"

"That's part of the story," Amy said. "But there's more to it than that."

"Really?" Sonia asked. "What more could there be?"

"You'll see soon, Sonia," Sally said. "But let's just say that some very valuable lessons were learned on that day."

"Heyo!" Tangle said, holding out a donut and coffee. "Sally, I got your snack and drink."

"Snack!?" Amy asked.

"That's right, one chocolate donut, right from your shop," Tangle said. "It's what Sally wanted after all."

"Uh..." Sally noticed Amy glaring at her, the Queen shaking her head. "There must be some mistake, I didn't ask for a chocolate donut."

"Hm? Sure you did, Jewel said so," Tangle said. "She said you wanted a donut, the one in Amy's shop. You specifically wanted chocolate, so I went and got you chocolate."

"Uh, Tangle...?" Sally nervously said, seeing Amy's glare intensify. This made everyone around a bit uncomfortable.

"I think you even asked for sugar in your coffee, you must have had quite a sweet tooth this morning," Tangle said, unknowingly making things worse for Sally.

"Wow she's dumb," Sonia mentally insulted.

"Tangle, I really don't know what you're saying," Sally said, still trying to avoid Amy's glare.

"Ahem, Tangle," Jewel took the donut and coffee. "Perhaps we can wait until later, Sonic and Amy are in the middle of a story.

"Sweet, I wanna hear!" Tangle said while leaping up and landing on the couch next to Sonic. "Alright, story time!"

"Give me a second," Amy stood up off the couch. "On your feet, Sally."

"Yes ma'am," Sally said, standing up.

"You want that donut? You're gonna have to earn it," Amy said. "You and me, twenty laps around the castle."

"Uh...wait, isn't that a bit much?" Sally asked.

"Move it!" Amy ordered, startling Sally into jogging, with Amy following.

Jewel couldn't help but feel confusion, "What is it about Amy Rose that even Queen Sally seems to fear?"

"That's not fear, it's respect," Sonic said.

"Eh, seems like a little bit of fear to me," Tangle insisted.

"Both work," Mighty said. "Plus, Sally might be gaining a bit of weight anyway. Ray here said that her butt tends to jiggle."

"MIGHTY!" Ray shouted in annoyance.

"Dude, can you not say that in front of my daughter?" Sonic said.

"It's fine, I know that boys talk about girls's butts and boobs," Sonia said, causing her father to go wide eyed. "I heard all about it since Fiona Fox and Johnny Storm don't really pay attention to whoever overhears conversations."

"...I am going to destroy those two," Sonic declared.

In his room, Manik was reading a book. He then heard something placed on the table, then turned to see that Nicole had delivered him some snacks and a drink.

"I brought you some chocolate milk," Nicole said. "I know that's your favorite. I even brought you some cookies."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Manik said, grabbing a cookie.

"Manik, I just want you to know that...I love you," Nicole said. "I love you very much."

Manik looked a bit surprised by how random that was, "Uh, I love you too."

Nicole walked over and embraced Manik in a hug, gently rubbing his head. "My precious nephew, you will always be important to me, no matter what anyone says."

Manik blushed a bit from the contact, but this also made him worry. Nicole has always been kind but she was rarely like this around him. "Nicole, is there something bothering you?"

"No, because I have you in my life," Nicole said, gently caressing Manik's head. "You, and your mother. The two people that I love the most."

Manik had a strange feeling something strange was happening. For now, he just allowed Nicole to shower him with affection.

While at Casino Park, Tails had landed on top of a building, hoping to be out of sight from people down below. "Alright, here we are. Time to go into stealth mode."

"Stealth mode? Fiona chuckled. "You're such a dork."

"Hey!" Tails said.

"I'm just messing with ya," Fiona said. "Come on, you know me better than that."

"Alright," Tails looked around the park. "I hope Mina and Whisper are fine."

"So long as Whisper doesn't screw up, we'll be good," Fiona said.

"...Okay, before we do this, can I ask you something quickly?" Tails began.

"What is it?" Fiona replied.

"Why do you hate Whisper?" Tails asked. "Every time I come to Mobotroplis, you and her just seem to hate each other. You've known her for years now, why is there still hostility?"

"Tails, everyone hates me, I'm a traitor, remember?" Fiona said.

"But that was so long ago," Tails said.

"Well they haven't forgotten," Fiona said. "Whisper for sure still hasn't. Given her personal experience with traitors, in her mind, I'm probably no worse than Mimic."

"You are not as bad as Mimic was," Tails said.

"What difference does it make?" Fiona asked. "She hates me and that's the end of it."

"Fiona, you're giving them reasons to hate you, because of how rude you can be," Tails said. "I know you can be nice, you're nice to me."

"Because you're precious to me, that's why," Fiona said, gently caressing Tails's cheek with the back of her hand. "Not a day goes by that I don't regret hurting you like I did. I don't know how Miles Prower, but you managed to work your way into my heart."

"Fiona, that's really nice of you to say," Tails replied. "But I've forgiven you for it. I think you need to forgive yourself."

"Your forgiveness is enough for me," Fiona said. "Let's focus on why we're here."

"Alright, but I don't want to forget about this," Tails said.

"Stubborn as always," Fiona rubbed Tails's head. "That's why I love you."

Tails bashfully looked aside, then spotted someone familiar, "No way...is that Fang?"

"Huh?" Fiona turned and spotted the Jerboa, who seemed to be looking over his shoulder every few seconds. "Damn, you're right."

"Let's follow him," Tails said.

"You got it," Fiona said, working with Tails to follow their culprit. "Wonder how Mina is doing?"

Mina and Whisper were in their second of the city, Mina keeping her head down while Whisper stuck close to the shadows.

"Anything so far?" Whisper asked.

"No, just a bunch of people, no one in particular...no way," Mina said.

"A villain?" Whisper asked.

"Worse..." Mina gestured to a familiar mongoose. "It's my asshole ex-boyfriend."

"Huh?" Whisper noticed the appearance of Ash, the mongoose walking up the road, seemingly on his way somewhere.

"That's interesting, but we must...Mina, where are you going?" Whisper asked.

"Give me a few minutes," Mina said, closely following her ex while Whisper begrudgingly went with her.

Trouble seemed to be looming in the distance for the team, all the while they are close to uncovering what they need for their fight to maintain Freedom.