A/N: Sorry for the month-and-a-half delay, folks! In part it's justifiable because I spent some of that time writing Wrath of a Hero (it's a great oneshot, give it a read!), but as for the rest of the time, I've been a little bit lazy, so... that's on me.
The day after I posted the last chapter, a guest let me know that he or she couldn't read the special text formatting I included, each character appeared as a box with an X through it. So I replaced the special text with normal text and the notice concerning it in the ending author's notes. Now I know why I haven't seen it in anyone else's stories.
Also, I want to shout out Bakuganman; my story inspired him to write "Sonic DxD", a crossover between Sonic and the anime High School DxD. I can't describe how amazing it feels that my story has inspired other people to write their own stories as well. Feel free to give Sonic DxD a read!
I also want to shout out DarkRumplesGirl; I had been reading her stories "The Biggest Adventure" and "Dreams Do Come True" for quite some time now, so you can imagine my surprise when she favorited and followed my story. Show her some love and check out her stories!
I would consider this episode a filler for the most part, except for the fact that this is the first episode the Egg Fort II appears in, so it's loose canon.
I feel like I've really improved with characterizations lately, most noticeable in Sonic himself. Let me know what you think.
Also, that you guys so much for pushing this story past 100 follows and favorites! Those are some really crazy numbers, and it wouldn't be possible without your support.
Thank you to Voidkeysoul, Dragonfly Shadow, GRRGRR8492, DarkRumplesGirl, smary4writer, gerokai951, and FaithMcKoy for favoriting and following since the last chapter!
With that being said, let's get on to reviews and what matters most: the story!
SuperTailsFan0812
Oh my gosh! That was an emotional chapter :( And also, I didn't expect it to be today. I was getting ready for bed so i am writing this review while still half-asleep.
Anyways, This chapter was a perfect chapter to express The friendship between Amy and Chris.
The start of the chapter was very good. I liked when Chris and his friends were watching Lindsey do her shots for the movie.
I loved the scenes with Chris and Tails.
The emotion when Sonic and Tails were talking when Tails got grabbed by the ghosts was so emotional amazing that it made me tear up a bit.
I loved how Amy gets comforted by Chris too. That one nearly made me cry too.
Poor Amy for accidently hurting Chris.
Dark Sonic! Dun Dun Dun!
Poor Chris. Get well soon!
This is your best chapter yet and I can really really tell that you put so much effort into.
I loved this chapter as always and I will see you in chapter 19 (AKA 20)
-SuperTailsFan0812!
The show didn't really explore character relationships between Chris and any character other than Sonic, except for Tails and Helen on occasion. I really enjoyed writing the Chris and Amy scenes, especially the original scene after everyone was captured.
I like adding warm and fuzzy moments in chapters wherever I can, as well as emotional ones. They really add to the story in the best ways.
I too think it is one of my best chapters. It was worth the effort!
Ieju
Yes! A new update! Huzzah! Awesome! Amazing! Outstanding!
Sonic Colors references aside, the moment I saw this, I came in at a speed that would make Sonic nod in approval. So Dark Sonic, huh? Yes! And we don't have to wait until Teasing Time. My fingers are crossed for him to become a semi-regular thing in this. Also, does this mean that Sonic has used the form before?
Anyways, pizzas on the new update!
In my headcanon, yes, Dark Sonic has existed before. Perhaps I will document it in a future story. And yes, Dark Sonic will appear again in this story. Fingers crossed!
GuardianDragon98
I started watching My Hero Academia last month. I'm caught up with the latest season and, I can say with confidence, that it is an amazing anime. I agree that we could use another Sonic anime, one that's as well written as MHA. But what would you think of a CROSSOVER between Sonic and My Hero Academia?
Sonic sneezed and a chill went up his spine... it's back! His Sonic Sense :D And I see you also included a little Dark Sonic here. Loved it :D Keep up the good work!
My brother finished watching through My Hero Academia as well recently. I've been busy, so I haven't had time to watch past the first season yet. Deku reminds me of a well-written Chris, more or less, and All Might is a little like Sonic.
I actually haven't considered a Sonic and MHA crossover. But now that I think about it, they could work really well together. And apparently it does - as of now there are only twelve Sonic and MHA crossovers on the whole site, one of which has 23 chapters and well over 700 reviews! It's called "Footwork" by herecomestheboom in case you're interested.
I knew you'd like Dark Sonic. ;) And I'm so glad I could finally find a spot in this story for the extremely underrated Sonic Sense! Both need to be used more in future Sonic media.
Animation Adventures
I never really enjoyed creepy stuff as a kid, so this one was never a favorite of mine.
I liked how you focused on the bond between Amy and Chris this time around. And I like how you addressed the way everyone sorta drifted apart in the Sonic Adventure adaptation, assuring us that they wouldn't split apart. Personally, I always thought it was weird that Amy was a kid with her own apartment.
Great job as always!
The bond between Amy and Chris was my favorite part of working on that chapter. And I'm not going to say much else on this, but Amy is not going to have her own apartment in this story; she will stay at Thorndyke Mansion. The only times her apartment was shown was in episodes 27 and 50, if I recall correctly.
Guess
first review
It was pretty good.
The only problem at the time was that I can't read the parts about the riddle and the ghosts dialogue as they just show up as symbols of square with x inside.
second review
I came back and notice that I can now read the words that I original can't read. Must of been the font as I also noticed the note about the font has been remove.
The riddle was an improvement over the original with the answer not as obvius.
I totally didn't realize that some people might have difficulty seeing the text. I've had emojis display as boxes with X's in them. I wonder if it's limited to mobile users? In any case, now I know why I haven't seen anyone else use that formatting.
As for the riddle, "Appears under the moon, disappears under the sun" felt too bland yet too obvious, so I wanted to so with something more subtle. I tried to give it an Old English vibe too.
D.J. Scales
Why do I get the feeling that this chapter was a shoutout to one of Shadow's previous enemies? Was that the plan or pure chance? Either way I'm hoping the next chapter gets the plot rolling again.
It actually wasn't the plan. I was just going by one of the Sonic X episodes, which, by the way, you should totally see. Then you can know what to expect for future chapters. And yes, this chapter will advance the plot a little bit.
The Green Seer
Hello! This had always been one of my favorite episodes of the anime, which is weird because I don't watch horror stuff, but I like reading it. I would say it was overall a good episode and not much changed except some altered dialogue and new scenes. I like Amy and Chris' interactions here, it clearly shows how much more mature and experienced Amy is but still young and easily frightened. And her being a good, encouraging sister to him was cute.
I loved the Dark Sonic bit. I was kinda disappointed that there wasn't a fight, but I can't blame the ghosts. I've thought about wanting to see that appear in the games; it could be an amazing character arc for Sonic and even built upon the lore of the universe. Unfortunately, Sega would never have the guts to do it, so I have to settle for fanfiction.
Chris breaking his legs was ouch. I understand that possessed Amy would not pull punches but wow, that escalated quickly. Luckily he will spend his wheelchair days on a luxury cruise. Can't wait for that!
For whatever reason, the characterizations of everyone in the 2010s Sonic games seems to make them roughly three years older than their characterizations in the Dreamcast era, which is vastly superior. I do like how Amy has matured in Sonic Forces. I really liked writing scenes with her and Chris. It's almost a shame that her characterization in fanfiction is way better than the games. I've always preferred Lisa Ortiz as her voice rather than Cindy Robinson, who somehow makes her sound like Minnie Mouse (no offense).
I knew I had to include Dark Sonic in this chapter. I'm sure Sonic was itching for a fight, but he wasn't fully dark like he was in episode 67. And yes, we need more Dark Sonic in the games and even the comics, only Ian Flynn doesn't seem to consider him canon. Well, I do.
Even if humans can run faster than Mobians depending on the situation, there was no way Chris could outrun a possessed Amy Rose. And there was no reason she should have stopped for that long as Chris was flipping the talisman. He needs a vacation for sure! In fact, everyone does!
DarkRumplesGirl
As a fan of Sonic the hedgehog I do enjoy the Sonic X series, and yes the Japanese version is so much better. But I will admit I'm usually sceptical about reading any fanfiction from this specific fandom world. And the reason why is mostly when people basically just say the old script word for word, fastpaced storytelling, and... Chris. He was hard to watch in the series most of the time, and usually people amp that personality up in their tales. But in this case, I couldn't have been more wrong. I've read only a few chapters, and I. Am. Sucked. In. It feels like I am truly watching a reboot anime made by the creators of Sonic. That is how well you have nailed the characters, and yes I see the changes. But that's ok, because you did it in such a way that it IMPROVES them, and makes them new and fun. Just like how each game is different. Kudos to you, and I cant wait to read on.
Thanks for your review!
I've seen both versions of the anime at least twice (and the Metarex Saga once), and the Japanese version is far superior. Though, I will admit, this is one of the better anime that 4Kids dubbed.
I've seen my fair share of people "rewriting" Sonic X verbatim, with the only change being the addition of a Mary Sue OC. A lot of them didn't make it past three or so chapters, but those that do are quite predictable.
The conception of this story existed several months, maybe even a year before I started writing it. I wondered if I wanted to devote my time and energy to such a massive project that would break the mold. In the end, I'm glad I did. I've never had so much fun writing a fanfiction as I have with this one.
After I finish with all the Season 1 episodes, I'm going to go back and revise the first thirteen chapters. The first eight need the most work, as they are below my current standards. I'll let everyone know when the updated chapters are out.
Also, I'm really enjoying Dreams Do Come True! I didn't think I would get hooked into a story where a human OC becomes a Mobian and gets powers, much less one in which said OC is paired with Shadow. I don't know how you do it, but you definitely had my attention with the similarities with Sonic X in the first story, and the mystery villain in the second. I've placed my bets on who it may be. I can't wait for the next update! :D
the humble
i have an idea for after all the episodes of sonic x are done by you! maybe you can make a story where sonic and co meet end up on planet popstar in dreamland and meet kirby and his friends and foes! great idea isn't it. also after cosmo dies in your fanfic can you have cream confront tails and mend his broken heart please?
I've not considered a Sonic and Kirby crossover, but that idea does sound intriguing. And while the climax of the Metarex Saga is still a long way off, I'll keep that idea in the back of my head.
dbehi1
remember when you had a idea for a sonic x story where the metal virus hits station square? i love that idea! you should do it!
Yeah, I really want to turn that idea into a story; I just don't know how to start it. I have bits and pieces of scenes I'd like to include in the story. It's like a literary connect-the-dots puzzle, if you will. I'm sure I'll think of more scenes for the story. Any and all ideas are welcome.
Disclaimer: Wait, it's all the bottle episode? Always has been.
Chapter 19
Episode 20
The Second Egg Fort!? Chris' Relaxing Glacier Cruise
Relax
The Egg Fort – March 17; 11:34 AM – Third-person POV
Four long months had elapsed since the blue eyesore known as Sonic the Hedgehog had sunk the Egg Fort.
Since that fateful day, Eggman had launched near-weekly attacks on Station Square in some last-ditch effort to defeat Sonic while he licked his wounds. Of course, he had to ration what robots he used, so these assaults were miniscule compared to everything he dreamed of utilizing against Sonic.
Most of the time, he went after Sonic himself exclusively, leaving the Thorndykes alone. He would deal with them another time. Other robots he had deployed were scavenging the land and sea for Chaos Emeralds. No other signals for Emeralds had turned up since the one Sonic had found a few months ago.
Of course, it went without saying that the pesky pincushion consistently put an end to his plans with ease, mostly because a lot of these missions weren't very well thought out on account of his perilous predicament miles under the Pacific's surface. He was basically throwing away metal at this point.
Furthermore, he was forced to remain on the move, as well as stay under the military's radar at all times. It wasn't easy until a month ago, where Eggman brilliantly moved the Egg Fort out into international waters to make the search difficult for the scavengers.
Not once would Eggman have ever thought that such a large ship would eventually become claustrophobic. It was an outrage. Food and supplies were rapidly diminishing, and Eggman would have been practically bored to tears if it weren't for the Eggnet's new compatibility with the Internet. The situation was deteriorating by the minute. Just yesterday, the Egg Fort's main engine gave out, and the systems shut down, causing the whole ship to lose power. At his depth, the ship gradually became colder.
Eggman swore that the first thing he would do when he finally surfaced was destroy Sonic once and for all. The only reason he hadn't been able to surface and do that this whole time was because he lacked the resources to ascend high enough in the water. The ship was only able to hover for a few hundred feet above the sea floor at most. Simply put, it wasn't made for undersea travel.
Now, Decoe and Bocoe were once again attempting to fix the ship's engine. As it was, everything else in the ship remained intact thus far, and Eggman, who was bundled up in a winter coat, was pleased to be informed that there was no known hull breach.
The two hench-bots had run a diagnosis of the functionality of the secondary engines, the automatic door system, and the control console in the bridge. Short of opening the airlocks, everything was in working order, and the ship was now running on backup power. Only the main engine had burned out.
"The primary engine has been repaired, Doctor," Decoe reported upon entering the bridge a few hours later.
"About time," grumbled Eggman as he straightened up in his command chair. "Ignite the auxiliary engines."
In three swift keystrokes, Decoe activated the ignition sequence for the secondary engines, which roared to life.
"Auxiliary engines activated," reported Decoe.
"That's a good sound," said Eggman. "We may be getting somewhere. Now, fire up the main engine!"
After another three button presses, Decoe pulled the lever to initiate the ship's largest thruster, but there was no sound to be heard.
"Still nothing?" growled Eggman. "I thought you told me you fixed it."
"I calculated an 84% chance everything was under control," Decoe said. "I will consult with Bocoe concerning this issue."
He rose from his seat at the console and strode toward the door that led out of the bridge. But just as he reached it, it slid open to reveal Bocoe who was just returning from the engine room.
"There has been an unprecedented breach in the hull," he reported.
"I thought you said there wasn't a breach," Eggman groaned. He didn't know how much more bad news he could take.
"It has not been detected until now," Bocoe continued. "The section of the Egg Fort closest to the primary engine has snagged on a small piece of coral, rendering the primary engine inoperable despite numerous attempts to repair it."
Eggman sighed dejectedly. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"That's it," he said, rising from the command chair. "Pack your things; we're leaving now."
"So we could have abandoned the Egg Fort this entire time?" asked Bocoe in surprise – or rather, as much surprise as a robot could muster.
"Where will we possibly go, Doctor?" added Decoe.
"My old base," Eggman spoke. "The ones the Americans destroyed." He started for the door. "Even my backup plan has its own backup plan."
"What about the Badniks?" Bocoe asked.
"Oh, they're staying here to continue fixing up the ship, though I doubt they'll get any more headway than you. Now let's go. The sooner we're out of this tub, the sooner we can invade civilization."
It took only an hour for Eggman and his hench-bots to pack everything they needed for an estimated three-day trip across the Pacific Ocean to his former headquarters. They took off in a shuttle; ironically, it was designed for underwater travel whereas the Egg Fort wasn't. That was a flaw he aimed to amend in his future mobile headquarters.
A cruise ship – Thu March 17; 7:40 PM – Chris' POV
Shifting my position in my wheelchair, I watched Sonic run past me through the lounge room for what must have been the fiftieth time. His claustrophobia had taken full effect.
For context, we were embarking on a glacier cruise that departed directly from Station Square, and was bound for the glaciers of the Alaskan panhandle.
Dad was the one who said we should go. After he heard of the unfortunate accident I was in a week ago, he took some time out of his work to organize a cruise to lift our spirits and make me feel better. And we weren't on just any old cruise ship. We were on one of Dad's three spare yachts, since he wasn't using this one in particular. Besides, he told Grandpa that the glaciers were especially beautiful this time of year.
Of course, Amy had hit me hard enough for me to need a wheelchair. My legs still ached, letting me know they were still there, but my headache was recovering quite nicely, if not gone completely.
It was either Grandpa or Sonic who helped me into and out of my wheelchair wherever it was time for bed. Ella had made a cake to help me feel more at ease, and Cream even made me another flower crown. I really missed standing on my own two feet. This must have been what Helen had to go through every day of her life.
To this day, Amy still felt sick about what she did every time she saw me in my wheelchair, even though it wasn't really her at all. At some times, she kept me company out of sympathy, and offered to help out with anything I needed, but most of the time, she kept her distance out of fear that she would accidentally cause more harm than before. This lasted until Sonic and Grandpa talked to her about it, and assured her that it wouldn't happen again.
I, on the other hand, saw Amy and her hammer in a whole new light. I still flinched any time she pulled that thing out. I found myself telling myself that she wouldn't hurt me, that she was a friend. The ghosts had already been taken care of. Yet that didn't stop me from having nightmares of them for a few nights.
The wheelchair I was using was the same one my dad used to use for a while. He too had a leg injury, but that was before I was born. A heavy machine part had fallen onto his leg when he was in the garage helping Grandpa with something. Fortunately he was able to recover quickly. For whatever reason, Ella thought we should keep the wheelchair "just in case." Good thing we did.
Thanks to the support of my friends and family, I gradually became accustomed to the wheelchair. It wasn't anything fancy like Helen's wheelchair; it was an ordinary wheelchair that could be controlled manually.
Only a few days later, the day before the cruise, Tails had gotten the idea to outfit my wheelchair with a defense mechanism, "just in case we run into Eggman," he had said. Now, with the press of a button mounted at the top of the wheelchair's right armrest, I could project an energy shield around myself, for as long as I was holding onto the button. I didn't know how he even accomplished it, but I decided not to ask questions.
The ship had a doctor who had been doing a great job giving me daily checkups to see how my legs were recovering. Buth he and Grandpa believed that I would be able to walk again by the time the cruise was over.
Sonic seemed pretty chill about the whole cruise despite his vocal expressions about not being too keen on being on a ship for an extended period of time. However, things started to head downhill with him, and now, four days into the cruise, he had completely lost it.
When he wasn't frantically running around the ship, he was begging me to get my grandpa to turn the ship around and take him back to shore. Once he even contemplated leaping off the ship all the way to shore, however far away it was. And the worst part of it all was that I couldn't blame him. Sonic was born for speed, and needed vast areas to roam. He didn't seem to like being bottled up like this.
Though he did slow down long enough to have supper, he couldn't help but continue his hurrying around the ship. Try as he might, nothing could get his mind off of getting off the ship.
Grandpa was off to who knows where, playing a leisurely game of billiards. He didn't seem as concerned about Sonic as the rest of us were. On the other hand, Amy, Tails, Cream, Cheese, and I were gathered in the ship's lounge room, resting off supper. Cheese was resting on Amy's lap, fast asleep. The plush couch was so inviting, but I sadly wasn't able to sit in it because of my wheelchair, and besides, my friends insisted I shouldn't get up.
"Hey Chris?" Tails spoke, breaking the thoughtful silence, "what else is there for us to do on this ship? I mean, I don't really want to feel too lazy, but…"
I couldn't blame him for feeling that way either. He was naturally busy with his projects, and probably missed working with them back home. But he wasn't all work and no play either, so we still had a lot of great times playing video games and stuff together.
I was about to answer him when Amy beat me to it.
"Are you bored already?" Amy sounded mildly surprised. "There's so much to do on this ship!"
"Not to be rude, Mr. Tails," Cream piped up from next to the fox, "but Mr. Chris' father let us use this ship out of the goodness of his heart, so we can use it to our hearts' content."
Tails looked a little flustered. "I… it's not that I'm ungrateful, it's just that… well…"
"It's because you're not tinkering with your projects, isn't it?" Amy said tenderly.
Tails looked down at the luxurious carpet that spread throughout the room. "Yeah…" he sighed.
"You know you're going to get right back to them in no time, right?" Amy continued. "Besides, it's not every day you get to go on a cruise like this, you know."
Sonic raced through the room again, buzzing close enough to my wheelchair to blow my hair around. It made me jump, figuratively more than literally. I turned back to the others.
"This isn't like him, is it?" I asked.
"No," Tails replied, only now beginning to show signs of worry. "I mean, Sonic was never the kind of guy to stay in one place for a long time, but this, though…" His voice trailed off.
"Okay, that does it," Amy said, somewhat irked at Sonic's behavior this whole trip. She set Cheese down next to her and stood up. "I'm going to have a talk with him."
"I've noticed that Sonic seems to run through this room at least once every sixteen seconds, so he should come back through right about… now."
True to Tails' prediction, Sonic passed through the room, and Amy held her hand out to stop the hedgehog. Sonic stopped on a dime inches from her face.
"Okay, that's enough," she said. "Sonic, we need to talk."
"U-uh… okay…?" Sonic stuttered. It was almost funny how intimidated he was of Amy.
"I'll be right back," she told us as the two hedgehogs exited the room, Amy's grip firm on her crush's arm.
Curious as to how Amy would deal with Sonic's heightened anxiety, I rolled my wheelchair toward the doorway, and stopped it right behind the corner. I didn't normally eavesdrop, but I still wanted to know how Amy would diffuse the situation.
"Sonic, how old are you?" she was saying. I was mildly surprised by the question that she used. Maybe she was trying to make a point.
"F-fifteen," came the shaky reply.
"Do you realize you are breaking character?" she continued. "You, Sonic the Hedgehog, are the main character of this fanfiction, and people look up to you as a hero. If this immature behavior keeps up, the author's not gonna get as many good reviews as he is now."
"I-I get it," Sonic squeaked. "You don't have to–"
"No, no, you don't get it," Amy interrupted. "Your franchise's thirtieth anniversary is coming up, and I'm not about to see you act out of character like this now, or, and I might regret saying this, have people ship you with Mary Sue OCs or even Shadow of all people. So this is why you need to calm down and relax, okay?"
I could hear Tails behind me cautioning me to come back and rejoin them, but I blinked in surprise. Out of character? Mary Sue OCs? I honestly had no clue what she was going on about. I wanted to ask, but something told me it was probably better for me to stay out of this. Most likely it was a personal thing between Sonic and Amy.
Amy spoke again after a pause. "Okay, maybe I was a little harsh on you there. After… after everything you went through…" She said that part hesitantly for some reason. "…I should have seen this coming. But my point still stands." Her voice became cheerier. "The cruise is gonna be over in just ten more days, and then you can set foot on dry land again, okay?"
Sonic began to speak, but Amy cut him off.
"No buts! What you need, Sonic, is a little TLC. Take it easy for a while. In fact, why don't you get some rest right now?"
I figured I had heard enough, and besides, I heard what sounded like Amy making her way back into the adjacent hall, so I turned my chair around and rolled back to Cream and Tails before I was discovered.
"Uh…" I started, having found my voice after that commotion. "Did you hear that? Wh-what was that all about?"
"I think Sonic feels like he's a prisoner," Tails answered, nervously fiddling with one of his tails in front of him.
"Why?" I was incredulous. "The cruise is great!"
"Chris, you need to remember," Tails said, his baby blue eyes making direct contact with my own, "Sonic thinks differently than the rest of us. Even I have a hard time deciphering him sometimes."
"But what… what was Amy talking about, with franchises and authors?"
Tails shrugged. "Maybe it's… a hedgehog thing?" he guessed. "I asked Amy the same thing before, but she won't say anything. It's kinda weird."
"Is Sonic gonna be okay?" I asked, glad to change the subject. "'Cuz I've never seen him act like this before."
"Me neither," Cream half-whispered, cradling Cheese who was now in her lap.
"Did something happen to him to make him act this way?" was my next question. Curiously, Tails looked like he was unsure of how best to answer it.
"Well, uh… yeah, kinda…"
He looked somewhat relieved of the awkward position I had put him in when Amy returned to the lounge. She couldn't help another sympathetic glance at me in my chair, and I really wished I could walk again.
"Alright, I just put Sonic to bed," she announced, "Now we'll have some peace and quiet for at least a few hours. I hope he'll be able to survive the rest of the cruise."
I hope we'll be able to survive the rest of the cruise, I mentally added.
"Hey Amy?" Tails spoke, getting up and walking over to the pink hedgehog before she had a chance to take her seat once more. "I need to tell you something. Private."
The two walked to another group of unoccupied chairs in the lounge, where they began to have a whispered conversation. I only caught part something about me bringing something up before the rest became inaudible. So as not to eavesdrop, I decided to make conversation with Cream.
"Do you like the cruise, Cream?" I asked.
"Oh, yes!" she beamed. "It's lots of fun, and your father was so kind to lend us one of his yachts. You should tell him thank you when we get home!"
My dad… That gave me an idea…
"Yeah," I said. "I definitely will."
It was about then that Amy and Tails finished with whatever they were talking about and walked back toward us. Judging from the solemn expressions they now bore, it looked like they had something important to say.
"Okay, Chris," Amy started, her eyes fixated on mine. "I think it's time you knew something really important about Sonic, and this is gonna answer a few of your questions, okay?"
"So did something back then happen to make him… crazy like this?" I asked.
Tails nodded slightly. "You know how Sonic has hydrophobia?" he asked.
I nodded, and heard Cream shifting her position on the couch next to me. Evidently she too was worried about Sonic. Either that, or she already knew what Tails was telling me now.
"Well, he also has claustrophobia," continued Tails as he sat down on the vacant spot of the couch closest to me. "He doesn't cope well with tight spots most of the time, which I think is one of the big reasons why he likes to run around a lot."
"Was he always like this?" I asked.
"As long as I can remember," stated Amy as she leaned against the arm of the couch. Again, I found myself longing to sit on the couch with them, but I knew I couldn't.
"The time I found out he was afraid of water was when he almost drowned in the Labyrinth Zone, and I rescued him," reminisced Tails.
Then I realized; something wasn't adding up here.
"But he isn't anywhere near the water!" I realized. "As long as he doesn't fall off the ship or anything, he should be okay!"
"Normally you'd be right," Amy said, "but this is where his claustrophobia comes in. We found out he has some sort of… disorder. What did the human doctors call it, Tails?" she asked, looking to her friend for an answer.
Tails closed his eyes to think. "Uh… PTSD...? Post-traumatic stress disorder… I think."
My eyes widened. It was worse than I thought.
"What happened?" I dared to ask, now concerned for Sonic's safety.
"It was back during the war we were in," Tails began. His voice was now more sobering; it sounded like a topic that made him uncomfortable, but for my knowledge, he found it necessary. "A new villain who was working with Eggman defeated him in a fight and… and captured him, where they took him up to a space station and… and…"
Tails' voice was pained. He didn't want to finish. He couldn't.
Cream scooted closer to the distraught fox and leaned in for a comforting hug, which he returned. I, on the other hand, was left hanging, wondering what Eggman could have possibly done to break Sonic.
"Wh… what did Eggman do…?" I asked. Amy walked over to me and lowered her voice so as not to make Tails more upset than he already was at reliving the painful memory.
"He took advantage of Sonic's fears," Amy told me, almost as reluctantly as Tails. "I really don't wanna say it, but... he... actually tortured him for six months…"
I was shocked at this revelation. I… I had no idea…
"It may have been more psychological than physical, but still…" She took a breath. "He even tried to brainwash and roboticize him, but you know that Sonic has always been tough. Like he told us after he got out, all he needed was his free will."
I was left speechless. Sonic had been tortured for six months?! That explained why he wanted to get off the ship so badly. Being in an enclosed space surrounded on all sides by water – that must have triggered some severe flashbacks in the poor hedgehog.
"But how did he escape?" I asked.
"Well, let's just say he's not the only hero on Mobius," Tails spoke up, having recovered from his emotional ordeal. I was pretty sure he was referring to himself and the rest of Sonic's friends, but there was still a great deal I didn't know about the war they fought.
My gaze shifted to Cream, who was returning to drawing on a piece of paper with some crayons. I remembered the idea I got when making small talk with her.
"I think I need to call Dad," I said as I pushed my chair to face the lounge's exit. "Maybe he can send a helicopter to get Sonic back to land. I know Sonic would want that."
Tails smiled as he hopped off his seat, landing on the ground, and made his way over to me. He took hold of the wheelchair's handlebars and pushed me toward the lounge's exit. He may have been short, but he could somehow still reach the handlebars. And that wasn't even mentioning how strong he was to be able to push both my weight and the weight of the chair.
"I can see why Sonic likes you a lot," he said. "I've seen you two together a ton of times, and…" He shyly rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the way he looks out for you, and you looking out for him… what can I say? You two are kind of like brothers."
"But I thought you and Sonic were the ones who are brothers!" I chuckled, blushing a little from the compliment. "I mean, you get along really well too."
Now it was Tails' turn to chuckle nervously. It took him a moment to think of something to reply with.
"Sonic is gonna thank you once he finds out about the helicopter," he said. "Just watch. For him it'll be a breath of fresh air." I could only imagine…
As Tails turned the corner and took me toward the staterooms at a pace that would have been faster if I had rolled myself there, I thought back to his compliment. If he and Sonic were like brothers, and the former considered me and Sonic to also be like brothers… then did that mean…?
I couldn't help but smile inwardly at the knowledge that our ties had strengthened even more after our talk today.
The cruise ship - Boys' stateroom – Fri March 18; 9:44 AM – Chris' POV
I slowly opened my eyes, the sound of whirring blades beating the air bringing me into wakefulness. I may have felt groggy, but I was able to quickly recognize it as the sound of a helicopter. We were well offshore, so how could there be a helicopter here?
Then it hit me: that was the helicopter I sent for yesterday!
As the room came back into focus, I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked over at the bottom bunk across the room, which was formerly occupied by Sonic. The sheets were thrown back, as if he had bolted out of bed in a hurry. This was further evidenced by the door being left ajar. Sonic must have been really eager to get off the ship.
I noticed movement from the top bunk, and Tails' namesakes twitched as he slowly sat up and yawned.
"Wha… what's that noise…?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"I think it's the helicopter," I said. "The one Dad said he was gonna bring."
Tails cast his gaze at the open door, and gave a bemused smile. "Looks like Sonic was eager to abandon ship."
"Yeah," I agreed, before glancing over at my wheelchair which was resting nearby. I became wide awake as I realized something.
Sonic had been the one who usually got me into and out of my chair to and from the bed ever since the accident. But now that he was fully distracted by the helicopter, I knew he would momentarily forget all about helping me into my chair. It was probably a new habit that slipped his mind.
"Oh, you need help?" Tails asked, realizing the same thing himself. "Hold on; I'll be with you in just a second!"
After neatly making his bed, he spun his namesakes and lifted himself down to the ground, where he slipped on his sneakers. I was fortunate to never have to see him or any of the other Mobians without socks for the most part; that was something most Mobians were very self-conscious about.
Once he was done, Tails began to position the wheelchair closer to my bed. He gave me an apologetic smile.
"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, figuratively sweatdropping. "Sonic's a bit eager to go, he must have forgotten to help you into your chair."
"It's okay," I shrugged. "But, uh… are you sure you can do this, Tails?"
"Sure, I can do it," he answered. "I've seen Sonic do it a few times before; I think I know what to do."
So I inched myself closer to the edge of the bed, and, at Tails' signal, gave him my hand. Normally Sonic was able to simply lift me into the chair, but Tails was younger and physically not as strong as Sonic, so it was understandable that he wasn't confident in carrying the weight of my entire body.
The young fox held the chair still as I carefully helped myself into it. I was a little nervous when it was time to get my legs into position, but fortunately, they didn't hurt as much as I thought when I sat down. Grandpa still didn't want me walking, though, but he said that would only last for roughly another two weeks.
"Okay, I think I'm good," I said as I made myself comfortable. "Thanks for helping me."
Tails smiled. "No problem."
But then I realized I was missing something. "Wait a minute… I think I need to change first."
"Nah, don't worry about it yet," Tails shrugged. "We should probably see Sonic off first. You'll have time to change afterward." He was right; it wasn't like anyone else was going to see me in my pajamas.
It had been a struggle to change without standing out of my chair. My shirt was no problem, but Grandpa was worried at first that I couldn't change my pants because I wasn't able to stand on my own. I ended up surprising him by changing my pants without moving my legs much. The only thing I couldn't do easily was reach down to put my shoes on and tie the laces, but that was something Sonic had taken upon himself to do. The only problem was, he had other priorities he was busying with at the moment.
Fortunately, Tails was there to help me with my shoes. As I watched the kit tie the laces, I felt a twinge of jealousy that most Mobian footwear didn't need laces. How were they able to fit so perfectly? Sure, Tails' sneakers had fasteners, but that didn't answer the same question for some of the others.
I turned my chair to face the door and slowly pushed myself toward it. Tails went ahead of me, opening the door wider so I could leave the room.
As I followed Tails out of the stateroom, I was surprised to see that Amy and Cream were already out in the hall, talking quietly between themselves. Cheese wasn't with them, so I assumed he was still sleeping. He tended to be an extraordinarily sound sleeper; even Ella's vacuum couldn't wake him.
"Oh, good morning, Mr. Tails!" Cream greeted upon noticing us. "You too, Mr. Chris!"
"Morning, Cream," said Tails. "Did the helicopter wake you up too?"
"Yeah," replied Amy as I reached over to shut the door the moment she gestured to it. "Your door was open when we came out here. I assume that was Sonic and not one of you guys?"
"We should go see what's going on," I urged, and we started down the hall.
"Yeah, that was definitely Sonic," Tails answered Amy's question.
"The way he threw his sheets back," I remarked, "I kinda wanted to see how fast he left his bed."
"Oh, believe me," Tails said with a laugh, "you wouldn't be able to get that on video. The only thing you'd get is a blur and that's it."
A few minutes later, we arrived at the ship's helicopter pad, which was located at the back of the ship. It was a wide open area, not far from the pool and lounge chairs.
"See Sonic anywhere?" Amy asked as she glanced around, squinting at the bright sunlight.
"Um…" Tails lifted himself off the ground with the aid of his namesakes, using his hand as a visor as he looked around. "I'm not seeing him yet– oh wait, there he is! He's right next to the door."
Right as Tails was saying that, the helicopter's side door slid open, and a ramp descended to the ground. A few personnel descended the ramp to flank whoever was stepping out of the helicopter. I could hear them motioning for Sonic to stand back. The person who emerged was not at all who I was expecting.
"Mr. Tanaka…?" Tails sounded as confused as I was as he landed next to us again.
"What's he doing here?" I suggested.
But that wasn't all. Behind him, at least eight people were also descending the ramp, one of which used a walker. All of them were senior citizens. No one had told us we were going to carry additional passengers.
Tanaka turned to us, hopefully going to answer our burning questions.
"Ohayō gozaimasu, voyagers!" he formally greeted us after bowing. I wanted to explain to my friends that that formally meant "good morning" in Japanese, but I didn't want to interrupt.
"Good morning, Mr. Tanaka," I replied. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, but it looked as if the butler continued speaking.
"I know you all have questions, so I will try to answer them as efficiently as I can." He beckoned to the elderly people, who were making their way over to us and examining my friends. I didn't look at them, but I hoped they wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
"These men and women are from the Silver Star Retirement Home in Station Square," explained Tanaka. "Mr. Thorndyke has arranged their flight here at his own expense. He has been informed that Master Sonic's mind is overexerted, so these people are here to coach them in the art of relaxation."
"Ho-hold on!" I interjected. "I thought Dad was sending the helicopter to pick up Sonic!"
But Mr. Tanaka would not be moved.
"Even our Supersonic Samurai needs his rest," he stated. "His mind has been made weary from your countless expeditions, and panic only further exerts him. In fact, the master has made clear that the rest of you could use mental relaxing as well. Rest does a soul well. It restores energy to the body. A rested body will allow Master Sonic to defeat Dr. Eggman with greater ease than if it were allowed to grow weary."
All the while, I cast worrisome glances at Sonic, who looked like he was bored, not to mention cheated. He probably knew what rest was, but I took it Mr. Tanaka didn't know about the war and Sonic's PTSD.
"Now, I must be on my way," he concluded. "Au revoir. Enjoy the rest of your cruise."
Turning around, he walked back up the ramp, and Sonic watched with crestfallen eyes as the ramp was withdrawn into the helicopter once more. The door shut, and the helicopter's blades spun rapidly as it lifted off the ground. I had to cover my ears; I was never around helicopters at close proximity.
As the helicopter flew away, I rolled my way over to the hedgehog and lightly patted his back, making sure to not accidentally prick myself on his quills.
"Are you okay, Sonic?" I asked. He barely turned to look at me.
"Guy thinks I don't know what rest is?" he complained. "He knows I do it all the time back at your place. What's so special about here?"
"Well, uh…" I fumbled. "Maybe…"
"Your dad misunderstood you, is what I think," Sonic said, taking me aback. "You told him I hate being cooped up on this thing, right? You told him to take me back?"
Sonic looked ready to continue on a potential rant, but instead sighed. He started pacing rapidly.
"I dunno how they're gonna help me relax, but… they don't know I hate water. And tight spaces. But both at the same time? I mean… could it get any worse?"
"Well, maybe Dad and Mr. Tanaka know best…?" I tried to helpfully supply.
"Maybe, but… Thing is, they don't exactly know me the way you do." He stopped. "I just gotta go somewhere that isn't a moving island. Catch you later!"
With that abrupt end to the conversation, he dashed off. I had to grip the armrests of my chair tightly to avoid being blown over by the strong force of his departure. I frowned. He was worse off than yesterday.
"You're Christopher Thorndyke?" came a voice from behind me that made me jump. I turned around to see one of the elders extending his hand to me for a shake.
"Y-Yeah, that's me," I said, accepting the handshake. I didn't do very well around strangers, especially adults. I kind of felt… intimidated, maybe? Plus the fact that I had almost forgotten I was still in my PJs didn't help.
"I'm lucky to have lived this long, to be able to see real space aliens with my own eyes," the man marveled. "Not only that, but meet them too. That's not something that happens to just anybody. And young man, you must be really lucky to have them living with you."
Deep down, I was like, What just happened?
The cruise ship – Fri March 18; 10:20 AM – Chris' POV
I impatiently glanced down at my white pieces, waiting for my opponent to finally move one of his black ones. He unfortunately seemed to be taking his time.
Over the next half an hour, we all found ourselves engaged in various activities with the seniors – after, of course, I changed into my daytime clothes. I was relieved that not too many of the seniors had seen me in my pajamas; they were too busy ogling over my increasingly antsy friends. While it wasn't as bad as that day in the mall, it was still enough for Amy to ask them to give them some space.
Though this was not at all what Sonic, or any of us, had been expecting when the helicopter arrived, I found relaxing with the elderly people to be paying off. Right now, I was playing a game of chess with the man who complimented me and my friends earlier. I learned that his name was Mr. James, and that he was a Vietnam vet. Meeting one of them was, to me, a high honor.
As I closed my eyes for a moment, I could only hope that Sonic and everyone was having as much fun as I was. To be precise, it was fun until it took longer and longer for Mr. James to make his moves. We had only advanced about seven moves each in the last five minutes.
"Mr. James, uh... how much longer?" I asked. "It's been like two minutes."
"Patience, young man," he chided in his deep voice. "It is dangerous to make any move in haste. As Davy Crockett once said, 'Be sure you are right, then go ahead.'" He looked over his pieces again, then continued. "Too many people in your generation are always rushing around to get things done, never stopping to count the cost beforehand. But when they get to be my age, they'll wish they had known better."
I found that his words resonated with me. It was something to take in my stride. By not looking before leaping, not only would I get myself in trouble, but it would imperil others as well.
As I stared thoughtfully at the two pawns that Mr. James had captured, I found myself wishing I had this nugget of wisdom back when I claimed the first Chaos Emerald. I wished I had it when we were going to Silver Valley. There were several warning signs then that I was somehow oblivious to. Other situations, though, were completely out of my hands.
At the sound of soft, steady breathing, I looked up, and was astonished to see that Mr. James had drifted off to sleep.
"Are… are you sleeping…?" I gently spoke. The war veteran's eyes fluttered open once more.
"Oh, I did it again, didn't I…" he muttered to himself, before his gaze met mine. "Forgive me; I've been dealing with narcolepsy for the past two years." He looked back at the chessboard. "Now, where were we…?"
At last, after another brief analysis of the layout of the pieces, Mr. James moved his knight. This time, I too studied my pieces hard before moving my bishop. While my opponent spent more lengthy periods of time analyzing the board, the game seemed to progress faster than before.
"Checkmate," Mr. James announced not even five minutes later. I was left flabbergasted.
"H-how… wait... how did you do that?"
"I studied every possible outcome," Mr. James stated. "One must never make his moves in haste. Patience is key, not just for chess, but for every aspect of life." A smile spread across his face as he folded his hands. "That's how I became the undefeated chess champion at my retirement home."
I understood now. This man was absolutely right. Sometimes I had been doing things too quickly. In fact, my whole generation was guilty of doing things too quickly. Though it seemed to contradict Sonic's way of life, I could see how both Sonic and Mr. James were right at the same time. It wasn't about how fast I got things done and made decisions; it was how well I could do them fast.
If this was Mr. Tanaka's idea of relaxation, it wasn't so bad at all. Not only was my body and mind at ease, but I was learning adages and pieces of wisdom as well.
However, I was surprised to learn that all my friends had different reactions to their experiences when we met back at the dining room for lunch. I would even say they looked exasperated.
"Hey, guys," I greeted as Tails pulled one of the seats away from the table to make room for me and my wheelchair. "How did it go?"
"Mr. Tanaka said it was supposed to be relaxing," Amy huffed. "Well, I had to listen to someone tell me about his own love life the moment he overheard me talking with someone else about Sonic."
Tails cocked a brow. "That… doesn't sound bad," he said in confusion.
"No, you don't understand," Amy pressed. "This guy got the impression that other girls are into Sonic too."
I opened my mouth to respond, but realized that it could be true. Sonic was quite the celebrity, both on Earth and on Mobius. But judging by the context, Amy probably meant love.
The pink hedgehog rested her head on her hands. "I get that Sonic isn't ready for romance yet, but he's still taken. I don't want anyone else beating me to it."
"Well, uh…" I fumbled for what to say. "I'm... sorry it didn't work out for you. Uh, maybe it was all a fluke?"
"Maybe…" sighed Amy.
"I didn't really relax either…" lamented Cream, and I sat up straighter, wondering why Dad's plan was suddenly backfiring. "I talked to a nice lady, but she kept forgetting everything I was telling her, and we were saying the same things over and over."
"You had it easy," Tails added. "I got to go look up at the clouds... Sonic and I used to do that a lot back home. But then one of the clouds looked like the X-Tornado, and..."
"Are you homesick, Mr. Tails…?" Cream realized. "Because Mr. Chris says we have nine days left!"
"I'm not–" Tails tried to deny it, but sighed. "Okay, yeah, maybe I am a little homesick. I guess I'm just not used to long vacations like this."
"And how about you, Chris?" Amy asked from across the table.
"It… was actually pretty relaxing," I recalled. "I got to play chess with a war veteran, and learned some really cool stuff about patience and not being too hasty." Admittedly, there were more than a few delays to the game, but I didn't want to bring them up to the already downcast conversation.
"And where's Sonic?" Amy impatiently added, now standing up. "I haven't seen him since the helicopter left."
"Last I saw him, I think he ran off to his room," I said. "I… I hope he's not getting worse since last night."
"He better not be," Amy said with a hint of determination. "Your dad did this with him in mind, you know."
"But I'm still worried about him," I insisted. "I don't think he even came out of his room yet since the helicopter left."
Amy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Think I should have another talk with him?"
"No," Tails said, raising one of his hands slightly. "I think he needs some time to himself for a little bit. He was so excited to leave, and now… his hopes are crushed. I… I think you know that feeling, when… uh, I don't know if it's my place to say this, but remember those couple of times when he agreed to go on a date with you and he stood you up? You know how you felt then?"
Amy's eyes widened in realization, and I too had an idea of where the kitsune genius was getting at.
"That's kind of how he's feeling now," he continued. "He feels bottled up, nowhere new to run for the whole cruise. And now he just learned he has to stay here for the whole rest of the cruise – I think that did it for him."
"I…" Amy was speechless for a moment. "Tails, you're… you're right. I didn't think about it that way before."
"Yeah," I agreed. "So what do we do? We can't just let him be; he's gonna go crazy if we do that!"
"If we let him have his alone time, then Mr. Sonic will get used to the cruise, right?" Cream piped up with optimism.
"I hope he will, Cream," Amy replied. "A bored Sonic is the worst kind of Sonic. Ask me how I know."
The cruise ship – Sun March 20; 1:34 PM – Sonic's POV
For the past couple days, ever since the arrival of the old-timers, I had been working on some sort of plan to get everyone to turn the ship around. Yes, Amy had told me to hang on for just ten more days (now seven), and yes, she was right about me needing a rest, but I just couldn't. I was itching something fierce for a change of scenery,
I had stayed in the room I shared with Tails and Chris for most of the past two days, working on my plan, and just chilling in front of the TV, something I didn't often do. Whenever I was out and about, I tried to act casual, so as not to arouse anybody's suspicions. I did take part in a few of the activities they were hosting and attending, but my mind wasn't really into it. All I wanted was dry ground.
This morning, I had settled on the ancient method known as guilt-tripping. Now guilt-tripping was not in my nature, and it was something I would never condone. Besides, being sly was kind of an underhanded tactic, but I was left with no other choice. Another week on the ship was way too long for me.
In my head, I reviewed my list of potential "victims". Cream would be too easy, so I ruled her out right away. She knew as much as everyone else did that I wanted out, but she wouldn't be able to convince the others in turn.
Normally Tails wouldn't be very hard to convince, but the thing was, we shared an incredibly strong brotherly bond, and for the most part, he was able to read me like a book. Simply put, he knew me too well; he would know when something was up with me.
Amy would be on the difficult end of the spectrum; I learned from experience that she was not easily moved, and no way would I want to provoke her into bringing out her hammer. It was also worth mentioning that she was the one who told me to relax and be patient for the remainder of the trip, so she would only repeat what she said if she were to find out that her words didn't settle with me.
And then there was Chris, the odd one out, and not because he was the lone human in my open circle. He always did seem to have some strange fascination with me, even over my other friends. But the thing that isolated him from my plan was I couldn't find an easy way to convince him into turning the ship around. On the surface, it seemed like it would be such an easy task, except he would think I would be going insane. Therefore, I decided that he couldn't be a witness to my little scheme.
So I was casually strolling the ship, looking for anyone on my "hit list". I passed by a few of the elderly people on my way, but I didn't really have the time for long conversations. I wasn't rude, so I did strike up some small talk whenever one of them spoke to me first. They were pretty nice, and I knew Chris' dad and butler had some good intentions, but… they didn't really know my claustrophobia. Perhaps no one had ever told them.
As I stepped out onto the outside decks, I felt a slight shiver roll through me. The air was gradually getting colder, a sure sign we were approaching the glaciers. Though, there were none to be seen yet to the best of my knowledge, but there was the occasional iceberg.
I found Tails on one of the promenade decks, standing on tiptoes and peering over the railing out at the open water. His tails perked as I approached, and I told myself to act casual.
"Hey Tails," I started, leaning against the railing next to him. "You know what happened with the, uh, cloudgazing thing the other day?"
Tails nodded, albeit with a slight hint of confusion. "Yeah…?"
"What are the odds that one of the clouds looked like the X-Tornado?" I too looked out over the water. There was no land in sight. "Anyway, I hear that you miss tinkering with your projects. Well, to be honest… I kinda feel homesick myself. Landsick, more like," I added with a forced grin.
"The cruise is over halfway done now, Sonic," Tails reminded me. "Do you think you can hang on for the next week?"
"I tried," I said. "Believe me, I gave it my all. But the thing is… well, Amy's right. With the war and all, this was kinda a bad idea for me." Here I struggled to keep a straight face. "We gotta go back."
Tails deadpanned. "Did you even get to chat with the senior citizens that much?"
"A little…?"
"Because you're the reason why they're here, Sonic," reasoned Tails. "Chris' father did this for you."
"I know, but relaxation isn't my middle name, lil bro. I gotta be honest with you, I can't remember the last time before this that I was stuck in one place for this long… well, besides… you know. And… and we also need to make sure your planes aren't rusting or anything."
Immediately after I said that, I realized I blew it. Tails' eyes widened enough for me to realize my mistake.
"Are you guilting me…?"
I immediately took off running. I didn't want to deal with any consequences of what I just did. And the mixture of shock and hurt in my best friend's voice… I couldn't get it out of my head. Now he was suspicious, but it was too late for me to think about that. I was in too deep already to fix that, and that was further punctuated when I almost literally ran into Amy. I kid you not, it was a worst-case scenario.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed, flailing her arms to keep her balance. I took her hand to steady her, only to be rewarded with an inquisitive and somewhat annoyed glare.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, mister?" she demanded.
It took me more than a few seconds to think of an excuse, and when dealing with Amy, that was never a good thing.
"Uh, I-I'm just… on my way back to my room to… uh, get some seasick pills…?"
"Staterooms are that way," Amy said, pointing in the direction I had just come from. This was bad. She didn't take the bait, mostly because my delivery was improvised, not to mention weak.
Amy placed her hands on her hips. "Something tells me that's not what you're really up to, Sonic the Hedgehog," she stated firmly.
"I… I…" I couldn't get enough time to think of a new excuse, because sooner or later, she would pull out her hammer, and then…
…and then a new thought crossed my mind.
"I just… wanna look my best, 'cuz this cruise is mondo romantic."
I inwardly choked as I was saying that. However, I was mildly surprised to see that Amy blinked in surprise. I honestly didn't expect that response. Was she taking the bait?
I continued. "You're… you're the cutest thing I know, and… and I love that you're gifted with a past cool hammer to fight with. Every time you swing it, my heart beats a mile a minute, no joke."
My winning streak ended there.
"...What are you getting at...?" she asked.
I started to stutter. I honestly hadn't thought this far, and I wasn't really good at dealing with all the mushy love stuff.
"Why would you start talking about my hammer all of a sudden?" Amy pressed.
I started to leave, but knew the pink hedgehog wouldn't like it one bit if I strayed too far from her without giving half a decent answer.
"It's been a little while since I saw you using it," I said, which was a lie; she used it just two weeks ago. "And since there's no Eggman or anything, you could train some more with it here… maybe? You know he's gonna come back sooner or later, so you wanna be ready for him, right?"
With those words, I was able to make my momentary escape, finally able to take a breather after rounding a few corners so that Amy couldn't easily find me. I wasn't kidding when I predicted she would be immovable when it came to convincing her to agree to turn the ship around.
Then I felt a sense of remorse as I remembered something in hindsight. I should have convinced Amy that I really was seasick. But then again, that probably wouldn't have worked too well, especially since she was right in front of me and would have been able to tell that I wasn't green. However, it wasn't too late to still tell Chris or Cream, though.
"Sonic! You get back here right now!"
Uh-oh… Now I've done it…
The cruise ship – Sun March 20; 1:46 PM – Chris' POV
Icebergs dotted the ocean as the yacht gradually approached the glaciers. As I watched them pass by us below, I was glad that we had a skilled captain who could navigate them with ease.
Grandpa had told me that the captain said we were going to see the glaciers today, so I had rolled out onto the promenade deck, where Tails was, and we were watching the icebergs. To think that only a small part of them stuck out of the water, and the rest was looming just beneath the water's surface.
A shiver rolled through me, and I bundled myself together a little more. The weather was beautiful, if a bit chilly, and there were only a few small clouds in the afternoon sky. I was already wearing an extra shirt and pair of pants, since it was cold out. Since Station Square was situated in southern California, it rarely got snow, so freezing weather was not something I experienced a lot back home.
From what I had heard, Sonic had gotten into a bit of drama with Amy just minutes earlier. I didn't ask Tails about it, but I was about to when Grandpa stepped onto the deck. He reached out and handed me my winter coat.
"Here you go, my boy; you'll want to wear another layer," he said as he too looked out at the sky. "The captain said temperatures are expected to drop into the twenties by evening."
"Thanks, Grandpa," I said as I leaned forward and slipped it over my head.
"How about you, Tails? Are you good?" Grandpa asked the kitsune next to me. He shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm good," he answered. "I don't really need a coat unless temperatures dip into the teens."
Grandpa nodded. "Alright. But that reminds me, I never thought you would need a coat because you have fur, but I guess I'm wrong about that. I'll get you a new coat, and, actually, I should get coats for the rest of your friends as well."
Tails blushed slightly and held up his hands. "Chuck, you don't have to–"
"Nonsense, Tails," Grandpa grinned, playfully ruffling the fox's fur. "I want to make sure you have everything you need, even if you don't think you'll need it. Believe me, you'll thank me if one of the Chaos Emeralds ends up somewhere cold and you have a coat."
"Grandpa," I spoke up, and he turned to face me. "Is… is Amy still mad at Sonic?"
"Oh, she is," Grandpa said, his expression changing with the conversation. "Last I heard, she has him trapped on top of the mast. Something to do with guilt-tripping."
"He guilt-tripped her?" I repeated in disbelief. Tails nodded.
"What he did was wrong," he said. "I mean, just moments before, he tried to guilt-trip me too. I think he wants to get off the ship even more than before." He rubbed behind his head. "I think I may have accidentally set Amy off because, well… I told her about it afterward."
"Grandpa, are you gonna do anything about Sonic and Amy?" I asked.
"Chris, she's next to impossible to defuse when she's like this," he explained. "We've both seen it. For now, I think it's best that we let the situation play out on its own, but if it goes too far, I can take care of–"
"Mr. Chuck!" came an excited child-like voice, which heralded the arrival of Cream as she ran up to us with Cheese in tow. "Mr. Chuck, I think I saw a whale!"
"A whale, huh?" repeated Grandpa.
"Yes!" she exclaimed "Come quick! There might be more!"
"Chao chao-chao!" added Cheese as he flitted ahead of her.
"Okay, do you have my camera?" Grandpa asked.
"No, Mr. Chuck," Cream responded. "But I can get it for you!"
"Do you know where it is?"
"Yes, Mr. Chuck! It's on top of your dresser in your room!" she responded with a smile as she and Cheese took off. Grandpa couldn't help a smile of his own.
"She's a keeper," he mused.
I found that distraction a welcoming one. Now I made sure to keep my eyes peeled for whales.
I turned to look at Tails, who also was looking out over the water for any sign of the massive sea mammals.
"Do they have whales on Mobius…?" I found myself quietly asking.
"Yeah," he said. "We have orcas. And I may not be a wildlife expert, but I think we have blue and humpback whales too."
Cream and Cheese returned a few moments later, faster than I thought, and gently handed the camera to Grandpa. It was at this moment that an orca surfaced at a considerable distance from the boat.
"Guys! There's one!" I called to the others, pointing in the direction of the breaching animal.
"I know! I know! Just give me a second!" he said as he fumbled to remove the lens caps. Fortunately, he got them off in time to hold it up and snap a picture of the orca, moments before it descended back into the ocean.
"That whale was huge!" Cream exclaimed.
"Chao chao chao!" agreed Cheese.
Tails pointed to another part of the water, a little ahead of where we were traveling. "I think there's another one over there!"
However, his excitement changed to a look of regret and worry as he lowered his arm.
"Um… that's not exactly a whale…"
I found myself feeling the same way. It looked far too large and metallic to be any living thing. In fact, we could see three "whales" slowly emerging from the ocean, each of them being a different shape.
"Oh no, I hope that's not who I think it is," moaned Grandpa. But I knew no amount of denial could make us shake the feeling of dread that was already forming in the pit of my stomach. Four months of uncertainty had come to fruition.
"Oh no…" whimpered Cream as she and Cheese clung to Grandpa, who did his best to comfort them.
"How did he even find us way out here?" wondered Tails.
"For once, can we enjoy a vacation without Eggman ruining it?!" I exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Chris," Tails apologized. I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that he didn't know this was going to happen, but I was too busy staring up at the massive ships. By now they had risen completely out of the water. They were so big, we could hear the water droplets dripping off of them back into the ocean, even over the noise of their engines that reverberated across the entire ocean.
Is this the price we have to pay for being his enemy?
"Sonic the Hedgehog, I have found you at last!" his gravelly voice boomed over the loudspeaker.
I shuddered. Believe me when I say I did not miss having him around.
"I had to come all the way out here and look for you since you and your friends had the nerve to take not one, but two vacations while I was rotting under the ocean for the past four months. Four months! That is far too long for you rodents to remain free."
Even though I already had several encounters with Eggman, and knew his game by now, I still found myself cowering back in my wheelchair at his threats. Tails sensed this and moved close to my wheelchair. He gave me an assuring glance and nod to tell me he had my back, and reached out to place one hand on one of the handlebars, ready to wheel me away at a moment's notice. At the same time, Grandpa stood in front of Cream and Cheese in a protective stance as they peered out from behind each of his legs at the three massive ships Eggman was piloting.
"This magnificent state-of-the-art Eggman Empire technology is known as the Egg Fort II," he said, introducing his craft. "It has risen from the ashes of the original Egg Fort, which is now deemed inoperable thanks to your infuriating antics. Now prepare yourselves for a full-course helping of my revenge!"
"Hey, long time no see, Eggy!" Sonic quipped as he too ran out onto the deck, having escaped Amy for now. "And thanks for stopping by! You really know how to spice up a cruise, don'cha? Hope you brought some firework– whooaah!"
He had leaped off the deck toward the Egg Fort II as he was saying this, but even with his friction-proof sneakers, he almost couldn't stick the landing on the iceberg he had landed upon. He had almost fallen into the ocean. That was quite a risky move.
"Initiate Egg Fort II merge sequence!" announced Eggman over his hot mic.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cream starting to inch away, anxious to get away from Eggman. Grandpa took note of this.
"I think you have the right idea, Cream," he mumbled.
The whole time, my eyes were locked on the Egg Fort II as its three different-shaped components began moving together. They locked together with two loud metallic snaps, followed by a hiss of steam. It was incredible watching a spaceship's docking system in real life after seeing something similar in Star Wars.
"Chris, don't forget you have a shield," Tails reminded me. "You may need it if things get rough."
"Y-Yeah, thanks…" I replied, still not looking away from the ship.
It had only taken a measly sixty seconds for the entire process to be completed – a lot faster than I had been expecting.
"Take your pick, hedgehog," Eggman taunted. "Cold water, or cold metal?"
In response, Sonic cockily rubbed his nose. "I prefer a hot fight and past cool victory for me, thanks!"
Eggman's large laser cannons turned on Sonic and the glacier he was standing on.
"Hmph. Have it your way."
With those words, the turbolaser guns opened fire at Sonic and the glacier he was standing on. I didn't get to see if Sonic was able to dodge the lasers, for Tails had wheeled my chair away from the Egg Fort II and took off running. For someone as small as he was compared to my wheelchair, he was both fast and strong. My heart was pounding like a piston now, and I had to hold on to the chair's armrests to secure myself due to how fast we were going.
"Chris, the shield!" Tails panted.
Without a moment's hesitation, I found the button and jammed it down, and a lime-colored energy shield materialized around the chair, completely surrounding it and me. I quickly glanced back to see that Tails wasn't protected by the shield like I was.
I wasn't a moment too soon.
Not even two seconds later, the shield took the full impact of a stray turbolaser. I had looked up just in time to see it; the green laser was much larger up close than I thought. It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to scream.
The moment it hit, there was a sharp electronic buzz as the shield immediately shorted out and shut down, having been overwhelmed by the laser's direct hit. The impact jolted me out of the chair, and I landed on my stomach. Even though I still couldn't use my legs, my hands broke the majority of my fall.
"Chris!" Tails shouted in alarm as he quickly made his way over to me.
I looked up as several more lasers struck around us, all of them too close for comfort. Tails used his strength to lift me into a sitting position against the wall, then, to my surprise, bodily picked me up off the ground. He wasn't lifting me by the arms. He was carrying the weight of my entire body.
"Wha…?"
"It's too late to get you back in the chair," the young fox explained as his tails began to twirl rapidly behind him.
In the next moment, he was propelling us forward at a brisk pace, faster than I could run for sure. He rounded a corner, taking us deeper into the ship. It was weird, looking down and seeing the ground moving so quickly just two feet beneath me. It was also astounding how Tails had the strength to carry me for quite a distance. The exertion was already showing, though; beads of sweat started to appear on the kitsune's forehead. I took it Tails didn't often carry 77-pound boys back on Mobius.
I eventually had to close my eyes against the strong current caused by our forward motion. However, I didn't remember seeing anyone else in the halls. I guessed that the ship's crew were working on getting everyone to safety. I began wondering if Grandpa and Cream and Cheese managed to escape safely.
"You're gonna be okay," Tails told me with an assuring smile – or so I imagined he had one, if I had been looking.
I was too frightened to respond immediately. All I could think about was what just happened, and what was happening now. There had to be a reason Eggman was attacking us today. He was not only a true villain, but he was a bully as well. He had chosen now of all times to exact his revenge.
As the ship shook from one of the lasers' impact, I tried to reassure myself that my friends would never give up no matter what.
"Did you bring any Chaos Emeralds or Power Rings?" I asked after I had found my voice.
"No Chaos Emeralds," Tails told me, "but I always carry rings just in case."
I felt us round another corner. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"Back to your room," was the strained response; Tails was running low on energy. "It's on the other side of the ship."
Another minute of flying later (it was a large ship), I felt us slowing down, and Tails touched down on the ground. Only then did I open my eyes to see that we had arrived at our room. The fox was panting and shaking from the exertion, struggling to keep me off the ground. I knew he could probably set me down to get the door open himself, but I didn't think he would be able to pick me up again, and I would have some difficulty crawling to the bed.
"Tails, I just heard– wait, why is Chris not in his wheelchair?"
"Hey Amy, c-can you get the door?" Tails requested, grunting under the strain of my body as Amy ran up. "A laser knocked him out of the chair, and I… I can't put him back; it's… too late."
"Oh…" Amy looked more distressed now than she was before. "Because I just heard Eggman say he's gonna send some Badniks to round us up to be roboticized!"
Oh no. That was the last thing I needed in my current state.
"What?!" Tails exclaimed, his grip on me nearly slipping again as Amy got the door open.
"Oh here, let me help!" volunteered Amy as she ran over to assist Tails, who shifted over to carry my legs while Amy supported my back. They carried me through the door and toward my bed.
"Where's Cream?" I asked. "And Grandpa?" I hadn't seen them escaping, so I had no clue as to their whereabouts.
"I just got Cream to her room safe," Amy said as she and Tails set me down on my bed. They were very gentle with me despite the urgent situation. "Chuck is busy making sure all the seniors are safe too."
Once I was settled on the bed, Amy pulled out her hammer and made her way back to the doorway. I hadn't seen her use it since the day I needed a wheelchair, so it was understandable that I jumped in surprise at the sight of the weapon.
"We need all hands on deck to stop Eggman, so Tails, get what you need and come help us," Amy requested before she disappeared from the room.
"Okay," he promised, now panting from having carried me for so long. It must have felt really good for him to finally be relieved of the burden.
The young fox went over and lifted his satchel from next to his bed, the one that contained the rings for Sonic.
"Are you okay?" he asked between breaths. "Do your legs hurt or anything?"
"A little…" I responded after a moment's inspection, "but I… think I'm okay." Truth be told, they did ache a little, and still felt sore; just yesterday I tried to walk again, but still couldn't stand yet. The doctor had told me that my left leg was healing faster than my right, and I would be able to walk again in a week.
"That's good," Tails said, giving me an easygoing smile. "Think you can be okay by yourself while we're fighting Eggman?"
"Yeah…" I said, even though I didn't know how true my own statement would be in a few short minutes.
Tails slung the ring satchel over his shoulder and turned to the door. "Okay. Stay here, and don't let anyone in until I give the all-clear, okay?" As an afterthought, he added, "I'd ask you to lock the door too, but, well… you can't move, and I don't really have the time to get the key right now."
That was unfortunately true. It was a risk he had to take.
Tails held the doorknob on his way out of the room. "If all goes well, we should send Eggman packing in less than ten minutes."
With that, there was a click as Tails closed the door, followed by the sound of running footsteps that faded away into silence. I didn't even realize how quiet it was, even though I knew there was a raging battle outside.
But that raging battle wasn't limited to the confines of the cruise ship's outer decks. No, there was a storm brewing within my thoughts as well. There was an uneasy feeling in my chest about the whole ordeal I was involved in.
The whole day had suddenly turned upside down, just like that. Since my friends arrived, this hadn't been the first time, either. I could recall several instances in the past where my fun time had been interrupted by this man. My trip to Silver Valley, the resort opening, the hunt for two of the Chaos Emeralds, Black Friday shopping – even at school. I wasn't even allowed to go on a simple vacation now without Doctor Eggman showing up at some point.
I found myself asking the same question I had always asked myself whenever one of these situations arose.
Is this the cost of having aliens as friends? Friends who are unique and support me and love me and care for me in ways that most humans never usually do?
With these friends, I had made a unique and dangerous enemy as well. In fact, Eggman and I were enemies at first sight. While it wasn't as obvious now, he still hated my guts, all because I got the first Chaos Emerald and earned my friends a victory. I barely even knew what Chaos Emeralds were, and even now it felt like luck that I was able to obtain it.
It seemed like such a small matter at the time, but I quickly learned that it was anything but. In fact, that one incident led to Eggman holding a powerful month-long grudge against me personally. Now he hated us all equally, but held a special loathing for Sonic in his nonexistent heart. Although, there were some times when he would pick on the weak, just because he could. And right now I was especially weak.
Though, I wasn't the only one Eggman considered to not be as big a threat as Sonic. The hedgehog had told me that Cream, Amy, and sometimes Tails had been held prisoner by him sometimes. Regardless, he had promised to protect them, and extended that promise to me as well. He took such good care of me during Eggman's grudge.
It was deathly quiet all around me. I could only lay there and hope for the best. I didn't even feel like going on my phone, even though I had left it on my nightstand right next to me.
The ship rocked ever so slightly from the impact of the numerous laser blasts. There was no alarm or anything, so I took it we weren't sinking. That would be the case if Eggman wasn't aiming at the ship.
I was starting to get hot already, so I sat up and unzipped my coat before slipping it off before setting it at the foot of my bed. I hadn't planned on going back to my cabin this soon.
I strained to hear the sound of the fight outside. Surprisingly, I was barely able to hear anything, partially because the yacht was huge, and I was on the other side of it from where the Egg Fort II was. Fortunately, I didn't see anything out the window from my bed, nor could I hear any noise from out in the hall–
Tap tap tap.
My heart raced. I thought the Badniks hadn't made it this deep in the ship. But now that I got over the initial scare, it had sounded like a soft knocking instead.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"It's me," came an airy high-pitched child's voice. "Can we come in?"
I would have said yes in a heartbeat, but Tails had just told me not to open the door to anyone unless he gave the all-clear. But against my better judgment, I shrugged it off.
"Yeah, sure," I responded. "Door's unlocked."
The doorknob turned slowly before the door swung back on its hinges, revealing a small rabbit and her Chao friend as they meandered into the room. Cheese promptly flew back to shut the door behind them.
"C-Can you please lock the door too?" I asked.
"Chao!" Cheese agreed as he did just that. How they were able to do that and other complex tasks with their stubby little arms, I had no idea.
"Did Amy tell you not to leave your room too?" I asked.
Cream fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at her shoes. "She did," she admitted, "but I didn't want to be alone in there. It's scary with Dr. Eggman outside."
"Yeah," I agreed. Deep down, I didn't want to be alone in my room either.
Having finished with the door, Cheese flitted over to my bed to check up on me. I watched him fly up and down the bed a few times, thoroughly scanning me. Satisfied that I was okay, the Chao returned to Cream's side.
"Where is your wheelchair, Mr. Chris?" Cream asked, also approaching to check up on me.
"One of Eggman's lasers almost hit me," I recalled. "I flew out of the chair because it hit the shield. Tails brought me here. He said he didn't have time to bring my wheelchair because of Eggman."
"Oh no…" Cream whispered. "I hope your wheelchair isn't broken, Mr. Chris."
I froze. I hadn't even thought of that possibility. I was about to respond when I finally became aware of the sound of the battle from outside. It was mostly the familiar heavy laser sounds from the Egg Fort II, as well as the tiny explosions of destroyed Badniks.
"It sounds like there are a lot of robots out there," Cream nervously remarked as she made her way to the window, Cheese joining her.
"Yeah," I agreed. "Did you see any of them when you were in your room, or hear any?"
"No, I didn't," she responded as she stood on her tiptoes to look out the window.
I propped myself up on my pillows so I could strain to see out the window as well. It was in vain, as Cream and Cheese were taking up a lot of my view of the window, but it was still worth a shot.
"See anything…?" I quietly asked.
"No, I don't," Cream reported as she turned away from the window. "I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
I could wholeheartedly agree with her on that. Some of the worst dangers were ones that remained unseen until it was too late.
My thoughts shifted to the elderly people. "I think I heard Grandpa is making sure everybody is safe?" I didn't know for sure, even though Amy had just told me minutes ago, but I just wanted the clarification because Cream had been with Grandpa.
"He is," the bunny confirmed as she made her way back toward my bed. "He and the ship's crew are helping them go somewhere safe. But…" Cream started to become worried, and Cheese moved in closer to try to comfort her.
"But what?" I pressed.
"Miss Amy said Dr. Eggman is going to turn us all into robots," Cream spoke, voice trembling slightly. "If he does… the crew will be the first to go, and that means we can't go anywhere!"
"It's not happening," I tried to reassure her. "Sonic's out there; he'll make sure Eggman's robots don't come anywhere near us." I wasn't used to being the one to give comfort instead of receiving it, but Cream was younger and a little more timid than I was, so it was the right thing to go. At the same time, I was trying to comfort myself as well.
Bang bang bang!
"Let me in! Let me in!"
It was Grandpa.
I motioned for Cream to get the door, even though she was already on her way over. The doorknob was almost too tall for the short rabbit, but she was still able to reach it; plus, she had Cheese helping her.
She had barely gotten the door open when it flew back on its hinges, causing Cream to jump back in surprise. Grandpa hurriedly entered the room, pushing my wheelchair in with him. I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing it was safe and undamaged.
He was about to say something to me when his eyes rested on Cream.
"Wait, Cream? What are you doing in here?" he panted as he stopped in the middle of the room and let go of the wheelchair.
I watched the rabbit and Chao as they closed and locked the door behind Grandpa. "They wanted to come in. They didn't want to be alone," I answered. Cream nodded.
"Oh, okay," Grandpa said, even though he was unsure it was a good idea. "Anyway, Tails told me to get in here with your wheelchair; he was kind enough to move it off the deck so it wouldn't get shot at."
"Thanks," I replied.
"Mr. Chuck, what's happening out there?" Cream piped up.
"Badniks everywhere," Grandpa hastily explained. "They almost got me, but Tails and Amy are holding them off."
"What about Sonic?" I queried.
"He fell in the ocean, but last–"
"What?!" I exclaimed, and Cream, Cheese, and Grandpa all looked at me in surprise. "But he can't swim, and- and the water's freezing out there!"
"I know. Hold your horses, Chris. Tails pulled him out as I was leaving. He should be fine."
No. I couldn't hold my horses. Sonic couldn't have been fine. I certainly wasn't fine, not after learning the reason he had a deep-seated fear of water earlier in this cruise. Cold water was way worse than normal water, mostly because of the risk of hypothermia. If Sonic caught cold, then… I didn't want to finish that thought.
Back when Sonic and Tails went to space to liberate our cable and Internet from Eggman's Super Sweeper, I had learned that Sonic could withstand the cold of space, but not the cold regions of Mobius' lower atmosphere – or Earth's, for that matter. I wasn't about to see Sonic die of hypothermia. He was my best friend. I didn't want him to go out in that way.
Cream, on the other hand, wasn't anywhere as alarmed as I was, but was still concerned nonetheless.
"Did Mr. Sonic get a ring?" she asked Grandpa.
"Not while I was there, no," Grandpa responded. "I know Sonic knows about it, but he can't get close enough to the ship because of how slippery all the icebergs are." Another explosion jolted the ship. "If I had known this would happen, I would have packed ice cleats for him."
Out of curiosity, Cream wandered back toward the window, but Grandpa stopped her.
"Stay away from the window, Cream," he warned. "I don't want Eggman knowing we're in here. If he finds out, it could be curtains for us." He turned toward me. "Chris, do you want to get back in your wheelchair now?"
"Y-yeah, yes please," I answered as I sat up more.
"Okay. Cream and Cheese, can you get the wheelchair closer?"
"Okay, Mr. Chuck!" Cream happily agreed as she and Cheese prepared to move the wheelchair, which was at least a head taller than she was.
It didn't take as long this time to get me settled in my chair as it did when Tails loaded me into it a few days ago, but it was probably because Grandpa was strong, not to mention he had help. Even though Cream and Cheese could not fully lift me, they were still glad to help, and I appreciated their effort. Granted, my legs were still a little pained from the rough landing on the deck earlier.
Once I was secure, Cheese fluttered down and came to rest in my lap, much to my surprise. I was awed into speechlessness. Cheese rarely did this, especially with me.
"Aww…" cooed Cream, as Grandpa warmly smiled at the adorable sight. "He likes you…!"
I had only seen Cheese sit on Sonic's lap once before, but most of the time, he tended to hang around Cream, and sometimes Amy. But for the Chao to choose to spend time with me… it was a wonderful feeling.
However, that magical moment was cut short by a tremendous explosion outside, one so bright it lit up the sky. Cheese sat up, and we all instinctively looked at the window. Already the glow was dying down, but otherwise there was nothing more to see.
"I think they did it," Grandpa spoke with optimism.
"Then that means Sonic must have damaged Dr. Eggman's ship!" Cream deducted as she made a break for the door.
"Wait!" I called just as Cheese was about to follow her. "There might still be Badniks out there!"
"Right," agreed Grandpa. "Let's wait for the others to tell us it's safe. If Eggman really is down for the count, then it's only a matter of time before we can leave again."
Over the next two minutes, there was only silence. No one really had anything to say to anyone, and the moment seemed to grow a little more awkward over time. Grandpa still didn't let Cream near the window yet, because of the possibility of there still being robots outside.
Soon we could hear the sound of approaching footfalls on the carpeted floor outside. There was no metallic sound to them, so we could all breathe a little easier.
There was a quick knock on the door, and Tails' voice called, "It's safe to come out now."
Grandpa, who was closest to the door, didn't need to take more than three steps to get there and open it. Tails and Amy were standing there, and they too entered the room. Cheese flew off my lap to personally greet them.
Tails' gaze shifted from the happy Chao over to Cream, a confused look forming on his muzzle. "Wait, Amy, didn't you tell Cream not to leave her room?"
"Yeah. What are you doing in– ohh, I think I know why. Were you alone in your room and just wanted some company?" Amy tenderly asked.
"Mhm," Cream said, gaze downward. "I won't do it again, Miss Amy."
"Hey, it's okay," Amy comforted the downcast bunny. "If anything, it was my fault. I was having second thoughts on sending you to your room alone. But hey, we're all alive, so… no hard feelings!"
"I hate to butt in," Grandpa butted in, "but what's the situation out there? We assume Eggman's been dealt with?"
"Yup!" Tails replied. "Thanks to the ring, Eggman has been sent packing!"
That reminded me of something…
"And we took care of all the robots as well," added Amy. "It wasn't anything more than the usual Badniks. I already let the crew and passengers know it's safe, so… everything's back to normal now."
"No damage to the ship?" Grandpa inquired.
"None that I know of…" Tails thought for a moment. "Though, I should ask Sonic about it; he had a better view of the outside of the ship than I did."
I became increasingly worried for Sonic. Was he okay? The way Tails and Amy were talking, he must have been okay, but was he really okay? It was quite a scare for me when I heard he had fallen into the ocean. There was no way he could have escaped that without painful memories.
"We're going to see him again, aren't we?" Grandpa asked in an almost matter-of-fact way. "Eggman, I mean."
"Now that he's come out of hiding, we can count on it," Tails stated. "But we'll be ready for him no matter what."
"You tell 'im, Tails!" came Sonic's voice as he entered the room with the rest of us in the blink of an eye. He was still a bit damp from when he fell in the water, but he wasn't as soaking wet as I thought he would be. He probably had a chance to dry himself off with towels.
"S-Sonic!" I exclaimed. I knew everyone had told me that Sonic was okay, but I had wanted to see him with my own eyes. "You fell in the water…"
"No big deal," Sonic shrugged with a mixture of confidence and assurance. "Tails got me out, and we kicked his butt like usual."
"But Sonic, it is a big deal!" I pressed. I could feel myself becoming emotional with relief. I didn't care if anyone else saw me right now. "Tails and Amy told me what happened to you… and why you hate water… P-please don't scare me like that again, Sonic!"
Sonic, who at first seemed taken aback by my emotional state, came over and gently patted me on the back.
"Hey, it's okay, Chris," he spoke softly. "I'm still here, and we all made it in one piece, and that's that matters."
To everyone, he said, "I just did another quick sweep of the ship, and I can tell you that you guys are good to go. No robots anywhere, no stowaways. Time to kick back and relax."
"Say that again, Sonic?"
"Huh?"
Ames had a knowing smirk. "Did you say what I thought you said, Sonic?"
"Well, why not, Ames?" Sonic grinned. "It was a lot of hard work bashing those bots, so I say we earned ourselves some well-needed R&R."
"I think I know now why you were trying to guilt us earlier," Tails pointed out. "It wasn't just you wanting to run on dry ground. You missed fighting Eggman too, right?"
"Yeah. Really bad," Sonic admitted, scratching behind his head. "Sorry about the, uh… the guilt-tripping. I just missed dry land way too much."
"Do you still want us to turn the ship around?" Grandpa asked.
"Nah," Sonic declined. "You're right, Tails. Nothing rejuvenates the mind like winning a battle with Eggman. After all… it's not every day you get to go on a cruise like this."
Amy smiled. Sonic had finally taken her counsel to heart. As for me, Mr. James wasn't the only one who had wise words for me to learn.
Different people tended to relax in different ways. Mobians tended to be more productive in general over humans, which may have explained why Tails was feeling bored a few days into the cruise.
It was somewhat intriguing and unusual that Sonic, who could sleep just about anywhere, from trees to rooftops, had trouble staying still on a ship for even a few hours. At the same time, though, I had to forgive him for that; he was inbred with the passion for speed, so he was normally restless, never staying in one spot for long, it seemed.
It didn't take eight senior citizens for Sonic to relax, even though their trip was not in vain. It took a mad scientist. I would never have guessed that was possible. Eggman had succeeded where Dad had failed.
Now that Sonic had the joy of combat with his arch-nemesis, he could ease his weary mind and rest to his heart's content. For him, defeating Eggman really was the best way to relax, with a fresh victory under his belt.
The next week would be no trouble for us.
A/N: And that's Cruise Blues! Sorry it took so long; when I got to the scene where the helicopter landed, I had accidentally forgotten to include Chris' wheelchair, so I had to rewrite a good 500-word chunk of the chapter.
The events happening toward the end of the chapter is kind of experimental; I wanted to try writing a "background battle", a battle not shown from an active POV.
I knew I had to include Amy breaking the fourth wall; I've seen my fair share of comments about that. I feel like it's okay to break the fourth wall as long as I do it sparingly (like, no fewer than maybe five chapters apart each) and it doesn't affect the plot. As per the original anime, the only characters who would break the fourth wall are Sonic, Amy, Eggman, and the Chaotix.
Unfortunately, I'm not going to rewrite "Fast Friends" or "Little Chao Lost" in Chaos on Earth, as both are fillers, and I can't think of ways to make them canon. The only remotely canon elements in both episodes are Jerome getting fired, which I can reference later; the race itself, which is mentioned in episode 23; and everyone visiting the Chao colony, which is mentioned in episode 32. The events are canon in this story's universe; they just won't be written here. Maybe if I come up with more ideas, I could write a series of Sonic X oneshots that include these episodes, as well as episode 14 which I skipped over earlier. I hope you understand.
The same thing goes with episode 24; I have something different planned for that slot. More on that next chapter...
The next chapter, like this one, will also be heavily edited. Except for episodes 25 and 26, most of the episodes in the Chaos Emerald saga seem like they were hastily written, and are therefore riddled with inconsistencies.
Next time: Chris' parents' anniversary gets even more exciting when an all-out battle royale breaks out with the sixth Chaos Emerald on the line! Don't miss it!
