A/N: Well, then... this chapter took a lot shorter to write in my opinion. It's probably because I forced myself to write at least 4% a day. One day I wrote as much as 15%!
As Murphy's Law would have it, I forgot to mention something from the last chapter. In episode 20, did Chuck really teach Ella to fly in the X-Tornado "because he was bored"? And how on Earth did she convert it to X-Cyclone mode in mid-air to drop-kick the Egg Fort II? I'm pretty sure Tails was never that reckless with his planes, which is one of the reasons I had to change the entire battle.
Also, great news! In case you haven't heard, the sequel to the Sonic movie has an official release date! Catch him and his best buddy Tails in theaters on April 8, 2022!
Also, I have a Discord server! Not just for Chaos on Earth, but for Sonic fanfictions in general! Since I couldn't find any that were centered on Sonic fanfictions, I decided to make one. Please excuse its low activity at the moment, but I know that can change. The invite link is gpKXy8U. (EDIT: I don't have that Discord server anymore because I didn't think I had what it took to run a Discord server. Sorry about that...)
Also, on a more serious note, I'm going to be putting this story on another temporary hiatus after I finish all the Season One episodes. It's not just to expand the backlog, which is going amazingly well. No, the main reason is so that I can go back and give all of my earlier chapters a face lift. If you look at the first eight chapters in particular, you'll see that they could use a lot more work. I've already fixed the first six; they're up on AO3 right now, but you'll need an account to see them. When I'm finished with the first thirteen chapters, I will update them here all at once and end the hiatus.
Also, if sonic vs evil is reading this, I would like to kindly ask you to please stop asking my friend SuperTailsFan0812 for requests. She has clearly stated on her profile page that she does not take requests. I hope you understand.
Speaking of SuperTailsFan, we got into an extremely lengthy PM conversation. For security's sake, all the details of it are going to remain confidential, but she posted this amazing review of my story that I just HAVE to share. Here it is:
"I am very very very excited to see the next upgraded chapter of Chaos on Earth, I always get very very very hyped about it. I always love to read the chapter while am waiting for the next chapter as i like to refresh my mind about what happened last chapter too. When i new chapter comes, i get very excited and i couldn't stopp laughing in joy when i read thought the chapter."
I have never before received such a heartwarming review on my story before. Thank you so much. :)
Anyway, onto the chapter details. Of course, I'm not going to spoil anything, but I will tell you that I kept the name E-74 Weazo, even though it was known as E-74 Weasel in the backlog. Also, some major details will be changed to make this chapter more plausible in comparison to the original episode, but it will still retain a healthy flow. Lastly, I decided to keep the original episode name as the chapter name, as it seems to be the only 4Kids name that works for this story. However, an emerald anniversary is a 55th anniversary, and neither Lindsey nor Nelson have been alive for that long.
With that being said, I'd like to thank azzyofhyperdeath, Con-Man TF2, SonicX224, Oinker The Boo, and dbehi1 for showing their support since the last update!
Without further ago, let's move on to the reviews and what matters most: the story!
GuardianDragon98
And now Chris knows what happened to Sonic before he ended up in the former's world. Also, LOL, Sonic learns that guilt-tripping his friends into getting his way will never work - especially when Amy Rose figures out your plan.
I have read "Footwork" and have enjoyed it immensely... Now I'm just waiting for the next chapter to get posted.
Great work! I've also seen this story on AO3 :) Although, only 5 chapters are up.
Amy knows Sonic too well - well enough that she has a hair-trigger sensor to his changes in personality. So yeah, he can't really guilt-trip her.
I haven't read Footwork myself yet, but with 748 reviews, it must be a mind-blowing story.
Now six. I was wondering if anyone would find it :) Once there are thirteen, I will update this version of the story simultaneously with all the new chapters.
SuperTailsFan0812
YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! This was my reaction when i saw this chapter in my mail. I was also getting ready for bed.
I feel so bad for Chris being in the wheelchair on the cruise. And felt so bad for Sonic.
I loved the start of the chapter when Chris and the others were sitting.
I love how Cream comforted Tails when He told Chris about the war. I could even feel the emotion that Tails was feeling.
The Part when Tails and Chris were watching whales were well written.
The battle was super intnese and breathing taking.
The ending was quite intense and emotional. I loved this chapter so much.
Keep up the amazing work and see you in chapter 20 (AKA Episode 23)
So sorry if this review is shorter than usual.
-SuperTailsFan0812!
It was at that moment, you realized, "Maaaaybe bedtime can wait just a little bit longer." :P
Tails really did go through a lot when Sonic was captured during the war. The flashbacks must resonate through them all when they're reminded of what happened back then.
I actually kinda liked writing a battle from a backseat perspective; it was an interesting change of pace.
Here's the next chapter! :D And it's okay; your review is still plenty long.
azzyofhyperdeath
You broke the fourt wall ?! Perfectly funny ! :3
You know I had to! :)
Ieju
Every time I see that this story has been updated, I do a little victory dance!
For starters, I'm getting Avengers: Endgame flashbacks from the part of the story with Eggman.
Chris has nightmares now? Understandable, considering he got his legs broken. It's also funny yet brilliant that Amy decided to break the fourth wall in a private conversation, heh. Also when you realize that Sonic characters frequently break the fourth wall in the games to the point where it's practically non-existent, and it is fitting that Sonic and co. here should be able to do so!
Also, some years ago I could've sympathized with laces comment. So... Who's gonna tell Chris about shoes with straps? Tanaka took the helicopter? ...And Sonic's suffering continues! XD
Also, when Amy mentions girls being interested in Sonic, does she mean humans or Mobians? For the sake of my own sanity, I will assume she meant Mobians.
And... Seriously, Sonic? Guilt-tripping everyone into turning the ship around?
Anyway, I'll leave you with this while I proceed to laugh my alphabets off at Sonic acting "mondo romantic". Keep up the good work.
Time for another victory dance! :D
I've haven't seen Endgame before, but I don't think I could imagine what Eggman was going through, being stranded underwater was months.
I'm sure those nightmares will go away over time, but those ghosts were all to real for him, so they may remain in the back of his mind for quite some time.
I'm pretty sure Sonic has fourth wall insurance by this point, lol!
If Tanaka took the helicopter in the episode, it's only fair he does it here too. Sonic's suffering will never end! Mwahahaha!
*coughElisecough*
Why do I get the impression that Sonic's "mondo romantic" quote is going to be quoted by everybody from here on out? :P
Alexandria Prime
-_- You did not just have Sonic and Amy break the fourth wall, did you?
Other than that, this was a pretty great episode. Sonic of course is always paranoid after not hearing from Eggman for at least a few weeks. Why do bad guys always insist on ruining a vacation?
Hey, Alexandria! Long time no see!
Yes, I did... *takes the walk of shame*
Probably because they want the good guys to feel guilty about putting them in that situation to begin with. Even on vacation, Sonic isn't to be underestimated!
D.J. Scales
So Eggman's new ship shows up at last. Not bad and nice shoutout to Sonic Forces and the Avatar aka Rookie. Impressive.
Thanks! But the real question is, can it survive a hedgehog slamming into it repeatedly at several hundred miles per hour?
TopGun1986
OHHHHH! FOURTH WALL BREAKER! THAT'S DEADPOOL'S SHTICK!
No copyright law in the universe can stop Sonic!
humble
in chap 15 since sonic can't swim did chris pull him by the hands?
You know, that's actually a good question. That's not something I ever explained. Now that you mention it, he probably did. I'll keep that in mind when I go back to revise the earlier chapters.
Franco Almiron
I love how your story portraits your characters, but i want to know, do you plan to include characters like Silver, Omega, Blaze, Tangle and Whisper when you get to Defective Detectives?
Also i have a good idea for a crossover involving BNA: Brand New Animal, Sonic and friends discover that there is an Chaos Emerald in Anima City, which turns out to be hidden from the world by the goverment, when they get there they end up meeting Michiru who is trying to find a cure for her sickness, while also dealing with Shirou who hates them for helping humans, Eggman decides to cause some problems by attacking Anima City and decides to hire new Egg Bosses there, i think it would help having an story like that because it could adress things like how people see Mobians as heroes but Beastmen as monsters, making a nice way to introduce a dark plot.
I don't plan to add too many characters at once in a single episode, but I can tell you that it's not completely impossible that some of these characters will appear. But I will tell you now that Tangle and Whisper will not appear, as this is an AU to Sonic Forces.
Also, I like your story idea, but I don't think I'm the one to write it, as (1) I don't take requests, and (2) I've never seen Brand New Animal. But great idea anyway!
Animation Adventures
See, now this is more my speed (pun not intended). Shame that a lot of the original funny moments were taken out. My favorite part was when Sonic hid out on the top of the mast, and Amy kept hitting it with her hammer to bring it down. For some reason I always found the reactions of everyone else hilarious.
That said, I always understood Sonic's issue since they were on the water, which he is afraid of. The bit about breaking the fourth wall was weird, ngl. I think I preferred Amy's other lecture about his behavior and how they still have several days on the cruise ship.
The battle was... odd. It didn't read very well, in my opinion. You might've been better off writing the battle instead of having the characters discuss what was going on.
Next chapter is going to be really exciting, though. I can feel it with the anniversary being thrown into chaos and three different parties after the emerald. Though, can we get a promise that creepy Stewart is [NOT] going to be stalking them this time?
Sorry if this chapter didn't meet a lot of your expectations; I wanted to take it from a more serious approach. Sure, Amy is still hitting the mast; it's just not shown in the foreground.
I had to include the fourth wall bit because I saw a lot of comments from people who loved it. I will limit it to only Sonic, Amy, Eggman, and the Chaotix. I feel like it's okay to break the fourth wall as long as it's infrequent and doesn't mess with the plot. But maybe I should try to make it less obvious next time.
I wanted to try something different for the battle. Like I said in the ending notes, it was experimental. I'll most likely not do it again, but if I do start a series of Sonic X oneshots, I can write out the battle in detail.
You don't have to worry about a thing. I couldn't find room for Mr. Stewart even if I wanted to have him in.
SonicX224
Huge fan dude. Can I ask you a few questions? 1: will Eggman keep his Ships and make a Fleet of Airships comprised of the Various Egg Carriers, the Crimson Egg, the Egg Fort, Egg Fort 2, the Egg Fleet from Sonic Heroes, the Egg Fleet from Shadow the Hedgehog, the Egg Fleet from Sonic Unleashed, the Egg Cauldron, Wing Fortress, Sky Fortress, and Flying Battery? 2: will Silver Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Genesis, Metal Sonic, and Mecha Sonic from Sonic 3 and Knuckles appear? and 3: will the Chaos Rings, Time Stones, Deep Power Stones, Super Emeralds, Sol Emeralds, and Phantom Ruby appear? I'm just curious and I've seen Fan Art of Chris hanging out with Sonic and Classic Sonic
Thanks! And go ahead.
(1) Unfortunately, I don't have plans to incorporate the whole Egg Fleet in this story, what with Eggman's limited supplies compared to Mobius. The only ships that will appear here will be the Egg Fort, the Egg Fort II, and the Egg Carrier from Sonic Adventure. Though, you can't rule out the Metarex Saga...
(2) I will say that a lot of people have really wanted a Sonic Heroes adaptation arc. I'll leave it at that.
(3) There will be a new artifact or two that weren't in the original Sonic X.
And yes, I really like the fan art of Chris. He's an underappreciated character. I'll also say that I'm open to fan art of this story as well.
jurassicdinodrew
are you really sure that you can't ship Tails with Cream?, i mean those two look cute together and Cream is kind of like Amy's own version of Tails if you know what i mean, and do you think Cream will have healing powers in the future?, I don't have anything against the Tails x Cosmo shipping thing really, but i think Tails pairing up with Cream makes more sense if you know what i mean, and will there be a happier ending in this story than the cannon show had?, like maybe Chris having a device that helps him be able to travel to Mobius to visit Sonic and his friends anytime?, also... who was Cream's father?, would it be by chance Johnny Lightfoot?, also what do the think of the idea of Vanilla being a second mother figure to Chris?, good luck.
I do agree that Cream is to Amy what Tails is to Sonic, but I see Tails and Cream as friends and nothing more. No offense. And they really are cute together. :)
There will indeed be a happier ending. No details yet!
I've heard theories that Johnny Lightfoot could be Cream's father, and it might make sense, considering he was killed by Chaos at the end of Sonic the Comic, but he doesn't exist in my headcanon. I do agree that Vanilla could very well be a second mother figure to Chris. Third, if you count Ella.
Disclaimer: You have been distracted by some kind of Rick Roll and Stick Bug hybrid. Rick Bug? Stick Roll? Are ya winnin' son? I feel like this disclaimer section is malfunctioning again. Do I even brain? ...Probably not.
Emerald Anniversary
Area 99 – Thu April 28; 12:03 PM – Third-person POV
Rod Stafford glanced around the dismal facility as he followed his escorts through various security checkpoints. The National Security Adviser found the inside of the remote building was a far cry from the scorching hot desert surrounding it for miles. In a way, it was almost a relief.
He had arrived at Area 99 in secret the night before, and spent the night at a small motel conveniently located on the grounds. He was there on authority of the President to personally evaluate a groundbreaking project that would prove detrimental to the safety of the nation.
Upon inquiry, he had learned that Area 99 had since returned to full working capacity, and repaired all the damage done to the facility when Sonic broke out two alien test subjects eight months prior. Originally estimated to be just over four million dollars, the cost, in reality, amounted to close to twelve million. Most of the damage was limited to Area 99's surveillance system, but there was extensive damage to one of the biological containment and research capsules, as well as a gaping hole in the wall of the facility's missile silo's outer wall.
The scientists at the research and development laboratory no longer considered the Mobian specimens, now known to them as Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao, to be experiments; in fact, they were human in many ways, and yet still very much alien. Rod Stafford had heard that R&D oversight director Ray Browning was disappointed that he did not get to learn more about them prior to the infiltration. He had only scratched the surface of their biological makeup.
The ability of flight granted to each of the aliens was nothing short of mind-boggling. The Chao was almost always in flight whenever it was seen on the news, but Cream too could be seen flying on occasion. Browning had almost completely lost his sanity over that; the concept that went into flapping ears was too much for his logical mind.
Having cleared the last checkpoint, Stafford stepped through the door that automatically opened for him. As he held a high political office, he was given a VIP pass, something that was seldom used at the facility. Even so, he was required to pass through the checkpoints, which included a metal detector and request of his signature.
Standing just inside the checkpoint was Ray Browning in his white labcoat, hands clasped behind his back.
"Mr. Stafford," he spoke formally. "Good to see you made it."
"Dr. Browning," Stafford returned the greeting as they started walking. "I trust the project is coming along smoothly?"
"Indeed it is," Browning replied. "I will admit there have been a few hiccups here and there, provided we are dealing with alien technology, after all; but overall we are well ahead of schedule. Just one more door," he added.
"Interesting things, eye scanners are," Stafford mused as he watched Browning step up to have his irises scanned to verify his identity. "It makes me wonder why they aren't mass-produced and implemented elsewhere as well."
"These things take time to make, and besides, this model is super precise, with only a slim margin of error," Browning spoke as a green light lit up next to the door.
"F219563, access granted," the mainframe's feminine automated voice announced.
Browning stepped through the doors first, and Stafford followed a few paces behind. They walked in silence down a sub-corridor to a door marked D-3.
"Behind this door," Browning said. He opened the door and held it for the National Security Adviser as they stepped through.
Both men were now standing on a small landing, with stairs to their right leading down to the large expanse of the research and development laboratory's floor. There was a large garage door on the other side of the room, and all throughout the lab, many scientists were working on various side projects all corresponding to one major project in the middle of the room, one which took the form of the shell of a huge tank-like vehicle.
"This is it?" asked Stafford once he had surveyed the war vehicle. This was the first time he had seen the project in person; he had greenlit a copy of the blueprints he had been sent when it was initially conceived in December.
"Yes," Browning responded. "This is Project Valkyrie. Once complete, it will be mass-produced and shipped to all GUN divisions, starting with Alpha, since most of Dr. Robotnik's activity is limited to the region Alpha covers."
There was a lull in the noise as Stafford watched a few technicians solder parts onto the tank's outer armor, while others were working inside the tank itself on incorporating its controls.
"After a thorough analysis of Robotnik's E-23 robot, codenamed 'Missile Wrist,' we were able to create a replica of the compound that made up its material. Thus, we've created this prototype, to fight fire with fire, you know?"
"I sure hope you haven't underestimated Eggman's capabilities, Dr. Browning," Stafford said, looking back at the oversight director.
"Oh, we haven't," Browning said confidently, folding his arms. "My top scientists have studied his methods from previous attacks, and planned accordingly. Even something as strong as the force field around his old Egg Fort can be deactivated with a few well-placed blows."
"You seem confident in your creation," noted Stafford. "Which brings up my next question. What are all of Project Valkyrie's tested and proven capabilities?" inquired Stafford.
Browning looked back down at his work in progress. "Once complete, it will have the ability to convert from land to air travel, and will be equipped with long-range high-caliber laser armaments." He glanced at said weaponry. "Of course, it's all still experimental, as we have never worked with any form of technology on this scale before. All features are tested regularly."
Stafford hummed in interest. "Care to offer a demonstration of these laser cannons?"
"Certainly," Browning said with a nod as he lifted a megaphone off a hook on the wall and held it to his mouth. "Start test of laser armaments!"
It was amazing how fast the scientists dropped what they were doing and got to work. In a flurry of motion, they were equipping themselves with protective headgear and preparing the laser cannons. Browning lowered the megaphone and turned back to Stafford.
"We are also preparing a primary cannon to mount atop the vehicle," he said. "Its purpose will be to eliminate larger robots, particularly those in the E-Series. It's been in the trial stage for the past month now, as I'm focused on getting the rest of the tank done first."
Browning set the megaphone back on its hook and took down a pair of heavy-duty ear protectors from another shelf on the wall.
"The weapons are quite loud, especially in an indoor setting, so you'll need one of these," he said as he held one of the ear protectors out for Stafford. He accepted it and placed it over his ears as Browning did the same. "Normally we would do this outside, but the test laser is scaled down compared to the final product."
In the testing grounds below, a metal test target was being set up, and one of Project Valkyrie's cannons, which hadn't been attached to the outer hull, was being positioned in a spot in front of the target. The presiding head of the project held up his own megaphone.
"Initialize test of laser cannon in three… two… one…"
With a tremendous sound, the laser cannon opened fire, striking the target so fast that the laser beam was barely visible. The target was destroyed almost completely; hardly any debris could be seen as a result of the sudden strike.
Even with his ear protectors, Stafford flinched at how loud the sound was. He wondered how loud it was for everyone working with the cannon below them.
"That… that was quite impressive," he breathed as he watched several other technicians approach the blast zone with fire extinguishers. "With this kind of technology, we may yet have the edge we need over Robotnik's forces. When is it expected to be completed?"
"We originally anticipated June…" Browning recalled, "but like I said, we're ahead of schedule, so I'd say… oh, about two weeks, give or take."
Stafford looked Browning in the eye. "You do realize the President considers Project Valkyrie to be a national priority," he stated.
"Of course," nodded Browning as they turned to leave. "I went into this knowing full well this would decide our future in the fight against Dr. Robotnik. We're only days away from completion; then we can mass-produce it and ship it off to GUN. Our Commander-in-Chief's trust has not been misplaced. You can be sure of that."
Station Square – Mon May 9; 9:19 AM – Third-person POV
It was the early morning hours of another day in Station Square. The city had come to life once again after a dormant night, and the morning rush to work had just ended.
Today was an off day for GUN agents Topaz and Rouge. It was uncommon that those enlisted in the services of GUN received days off, but Captain Westwood said they weren't needed today, but should something arise, they would be called in.
So what better way to spend their Monday morning than chill with Starbucks at one of the roadside tables?
Much to Topaz's annoyance, Rouge told her that she would be the one to cover the bill, because she was saving her cash for something "far more luxurious and gorgeous than a frappuccino". Of course, the bat always preferred her five-finger discounts over trading paper bills, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
"I'm telling you, hon, you could not have picked a finer spot for us," commented Rouge as she stared longingly across the street. "They've got this five-star jewelry shop over there, and those necklaces in the window? Nothing short of eye candy. They really know how to get a girl's attention around here."
Topaz glanced up from her Twitter feed to follow her friend's gaze.
"Bona Fide Jewelers," she read the sign. "It's the most expensive jewelry store in the region, or so I've heard."
"Ooh, thanks!" cooed Rouge. "I'll add that to my bucket list ASAP."
Topaz bemusedly shook her head as she returned to her phone. "Once you start with jewelry, I can't stop you, can I?"
"No-pe," Rouge emphasized. "Still, it's a crying shame GUN – your GUN, that is – doesn't pay me in jewelry for all the trouble I go through. But hey, at least now I have a pretty penny to trade for them with whenever I feel like it."
She took a sip of her iced coffee, and Topaz looked up again, taking another glance at the jewelry shop Rouge was so fascinated with.
"Uh, speaking of money, penny for your thoughts on Dr. Eggman returning?" she asked out of the blue.
Rouge blinked. "What does that even have to do with money?"
"It's just an expression," explained Topaz, her deadpan look not lost on the bat.
"Haha, I'm just joking with you," Rouge chuckled. "But if you want my real thoughts, I'm not all that surprised to see him show his face around town again," Rouge stated. "I mean, I saw it coming for months, and I'm pretty sure you did too. But…" Topaz's gaze met Rouge's once again. "...if there's a chance I can keep any of the Emeralds – away from Eggman, that is – I would do it in a heartbeat."
"Of course you would…" muttered Topaz under her breath. Rouge pretended not to hear her friend's mock insult.
"Other than that, I don't really plan on interfering in Sonic and Eggman's thing," she finished.
Topaz blinked in surprise. "Wha… I thought you said you were going to work with Sonic to get back to where you're going. What happened to that?"
"To a degree, yes," clarified Rouge as she set her now-empty cup aside and stretched her leathery wings. "But I'll give it to you straight. This little nook is kind of growing on me, even with its… quirks, for lack of a better word. Don't get me wrong, I miss Mobius as much as anything, but really, I wouldn't mind making Earth my new home sweet home."
"So in other words, you don't care one way or the other what happens?"
Rouge shrugged. "Pretty much. Oh, who's that coming our way?" She suddenly pointed to a sleek black stretch limo approaching from the other side of the vehicles. It was flanked by four escort motorcycles. Needless to say, everyone was staring.
The motorcade stopped in front of Bona Fide Jewelers. Rouge hummed in interest.
"Looks like someone's got good taste in gems," she stated.
But at a closer look, she could make out a familiar man stepping out of the vehicle. Even with all the bodyguards surrounding him, there was no mistaking his identity.
"Isn't that… Nelson Thorndyke?" she asked.
"Mhm," Topaz responded. She too was wondering what he was doing at a jewelry shop of all places. He was the CEO of Starship Soft, and his household was where Sonic was residing. Normally he sent people to run his errands for him.
So what was he himself doing out here?
"Mind if I see what he's going in for?" Rouge asked, even though she was already halfway out of her seat.
"Rouge!" chided Topaz. "You're a government agent, not a stalker! I thought you knew better!"
"Please, you're addressing the world-class mistress of stealth!" quipped Rouge. "I just want to know what the occasion is, that's all. Just chill here for a sec. No one'll see me, promise."
With that, she noiselessly flapped her wings and lifted into the air, landing on one of the rooftops not far from where Topaz sat. Since everyone's attention was naturally diverted to Mr. Thorndyke, she was able to glide to the other side of the street virtually undetected.
Unfortunately, Nelson was already inside the shop by the time she found a suitable perch. Two men in suits were standing guard outside the limousine's side door. Rouge smirked, knowing they couldn't see her behind the rooftop's edge. In fact, no one on the ground could see her, which made her cover perfect. That was why she was one of GUN's best Mobian agents back home.
However, as the minutes crawled by, Rouge was gradually getting impatient. Nelson was taking his time in there. She knew she was snooping on a celebrity, which was an invasion of privacy, but she just had to satisfy her curiosity.
Finally, the door opened and Nelson emerged. Rouge got down on her stomach to listen in closer.
"Lindsey is going to love this," Nelson told the jewelers inside. There was no hiding the ecstasy in his voice. "Keep an eye out for me come next anniversary. Have a good one."
As the two bodyguards held the side door open for the entrepreneur, she quickly fished her Jewel Scope out of Hammerspace and scanned the box. Her eyes widened at the results that displayed on its LCD screen.
Nelson had just purchased a Chaos Emerald.
However, she told herself not to question how it even wound up in the shop to begin with. Things like that could be pondered later. Right now, she was just too excited at her incredible luck. She had to conceal it until after this "mission".
She leaned even closer toward the edge, as close as she dared, to listen and see if she could pick anything else up. Sure enough, Nelson did speak to the driver, but much of what he was saying was indiscernible due to the noise of the dispersing crowd, as well as his voice being muffled, since he was already halfway inside the car. However, since she, being a bat, had naturally excellent hearing, she was able to catch the word 'Hollywood' as clear as day.
Nothing else exciting happened as the limo took off, and everyone resumed their previous activities as if he was never there. Interestingly enough, not one of the humans had raised their phones to take a picture of him. She learned from her occasional eavesdropping that the Thorndykes had a strict no-photographs policy in public unless they approved of it beforehand.
Now that the fun was over, she got back on her feet. One flap of her wings, and she glided back across the street to rejoin Topaz, who had been watching the proceedings with great interest.
"You look like a preteen at a Justin Bieber concert," noted Topaz as Rouge landed next to her, eyes dazzling from her discovery.
"Mr. Thorndyke just hit the jackpot in there," Rouge spouted.
"What do you me–"
"He walked out of that place with the last thing I thought I'd see him with! Would you believe me if I told you he purchased a certain gemstone of infinite power I happen to be acquainted with?"
"You mean a Chaos E–"
It clicked for Topaz in that moment. If she had coffee in her mouth, she would have spewed it all over the metal table.
"I-I'm sorry, run that past me again?" she requested as she stood up.
"Its size, its shape, its glamorous radiance – if it walks like a Chaos Emerald, well… take one guess."
Rouge was practically fluttering all over the place as Topaz picked up the two empty styrofoam coffee cups and deposited them in a nearby trash can. Either this was pure excitement, or Rouge was having one ridiculous caffeine high.
Whatever the case, she made a mental note to remind Rouge to switch to decaf next time.
"Hold up; how were you able to see it through a sealed box?" questioned Topaz.
"Jewel Scope~" she replied in a sing-song voice, holding up said object. "This thing sees all."
Topaz had questions regarding Rouge's tool, but decided not to ask them now.
"…Right," she said as Rouge put her Jewel Scope back into Hammerspace. "Anything else noteworthy?"
"Aren't you the old lady who didn't want me snooping?" Rouge smoothly countered. Topaz grimaced at her comment; the whole 'old lady' thing got old a long time ago. "And here you are inquiring after personal information. You should be ashamed of yourself." The mock chastisement was obvious in her voice. "Buuuut if you really want to know, Mr. Thorndyke is on his way down to Hollywood with the Chaos Emerald. I couldn't pick up anything else, like where in Hollywood." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "He mentioned his wife Lindsey on his way out. He said 'she's going to love this.'"
"Oh, I think I know," Topaz stated as she looked back at the jeweler's. "If I'm seeing things the way you are, then their anniversary is real soon – I think it's today? – and Nelson is planning on gifting Lindsey Fair with… the Chaos Emerald…" Topaz slowed down as she realized what was going on.
"He has our one ticket home," Rouge added.
"We can't ruin their anniversary for that," realized Topaz.
"What if we switch it out for a fake?" Rouge asked, trying to hide any desperation she had.
"It's too late for that," stated Topaz.
"Well, whatever happens, Big Blue and the Thorndykes will find out about this, but why wait? I might as well head on over there myself and see how things pan out."
"Rouge!" Topaz exclaimed. "Rouge, you already spied on Nelson once today. You've used your one free spy pass for the day."
"Don't forget you're speaking to the same girl who pulled off several jewel heists the night we met," she countered. "Undetected, I might add."
Topaz groaned. While she was a good friend, Rouge was insufferable sometimes.
Thorndyke Mansion – Mon May 9; 9:38 AM – Third-person POV
Having gotten ready for the day, Chris and his friends walked down the hall toward the mansion's grand staircase. Yes, Chris was back on his feet at last; he had fully recovered from his unfortunate accident at Blair Castle nearly two months ago.
He was able to stand and walk on his own as soon as early April, shortly after he came home from the cruise. His grandpa had been concerned that he would require crutches or a cane, but fortunately, he didn't need either of them. While frightening, the injury was not as bad as everyone had once thought. All of his friends and family, particularly Sonic and Amy, had been keeping a close eye on him to make sure he could walk all right. Every time he told them he was fine, but he appreciated the support anyway.
Sonic was out on his morning run, like he was on most days. The others had gotten into their own morning routines as well.
Of course, they all brushed their teeth, flossed, and showered like Chris did, but unlike Chris, there was no need for his Mobian friends to change. Besides, they were used to sleeping fully dressed. While they did remove their shoes before bed, they never removed their socks; they tended to be self-conscious of that fact.
Additionally, Tails took upon himself the responsibility to charge his Miles Electric each night. With Chuck's help, he had modified it to make it compatible with Earth's technology. He told everyone that, interestingly, there were USB cables in his world too. He also went the extra mile and charged all of everyone else's phones. Sometimes, he reminded Chris to charge his phone at night when he forgot, which was common because the human boy was easily excitable.
As Chris, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Cheese neared the bottom of the stairs, they saw Mr. Tanaka starting a phone conversation. He bowed, but was facing away from the group. Chris was long accustomed to this unusual etiquette, but Cream was left confused.
"Why is Mr. Tanaka bowing to the wall…?" she whispered, looking up to Chris for an answer. Even after living at the mansion for nine months, she had never seen the butler do that before.
Amy had a look of mirth that she tried to hide. "He's not bowing to the wall, Cream," she said as she gently ruffled Cream's fur, making her giggle. "He's bowing to the person on the other end of the phone."
"Oh..." Cream said, blinking. "Okay..."
Chris nodded. "Yeah. I think he's just being polite that way."
Tanaka slowly turned to face them, whispering "He's here now," into the phone before holding it out to Chris.
"Good morning," he greeted the group. "The master is on the line for you, Master Chris."
"Thanks," replied Chris as he accepted the phone. Now it was Tails' turn to be mystified at Tanaka's unusual mannerisms.
"Master…?" He scratched his head in thought. "But, uh… isn't Chuck here? Isn't he the head of the house?"
"He is," explained Amy. "He was talking to Chris' father." Tanaka nodded his confirmation.
"Ohh, I get it now," Tails said as it clicked in his mind. "I haven't heard anyone here being called master… well, not the master, anyway."
Amy smiled. "It's fine."
While they were chatting, Chris had been catching up with his dad. They hadn't spoken since last week, even though not much had happened in the family since then.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Chris was saying. "Good thing there's no school today. … Yeah. We can be down there as soon as we can. … Okay. Bye, Dad!"
Once he ended the call, he handed the smartphone back to his butler. Needless to say, all of his friends were looking at him expectantly, curiosity in their eyes.
"So where did your dad say he wanted us to go?" Tails asked.
"Well, he wants us to go to Hollywood to–"
"Hollywood?!" Amy squealed in delight, doing a fist pump. "Yes! I always wanted to go there!" Chris knew that was true, ever since she was turned on to his mother's movies. Not only did she want to go (which was an understatement), but she was also interested to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff.
"How lucky are we, Cheese?" Cream exclaimed as she and Cheese did a little dance.
Meanwhile, Tails and Chris were practically sweatdropping. Girls…
"So, uh…" Tails tried to diffuse the situation. "What does he want us to go for?"
"It's…" Chris paused for a moment to give Amy and Cream time to settle down. "It's Mom and Dad's anniversary today, and Dad says we should head down there and celebrate it with them."
"Oh, that's even better!" exclaimed Amy. "Come on, Tails! Let's get you set up so we can go right away!"
"A-Amy, wait–"
Despite the fox's vain protests, Amy took his hand and practically dragged him out the front door. Chris shook his head, amused at her antics. The only thing scarier than an angry Amy was an extremely motivated one.
Tanaka, on the other hand, was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, having become accustomed to the other-worldly nature of his long-term guests.
"In the meantime, I shall inform Professor Thorndyke and Ella of today's plans." And with that, he stepped out of the room, leaving just Chris, Cream, and Cheese standing there.
"…But we haven't eaten yet…" Cream lamented.
Thorndyke Mansion - Garage – Mon May 9; 10:09 AM – Chris' POV
Fortunately, we did eventually eat breakfast.
After her realization, Cream had run outside with her Chao in tow to the garage, and told Tails and Amy that we still hadn't eaten yet. She was smart to do that; I knew I couldn't last the entire drive to Hollywood on an empty stomach, and neither could they.
Amy had apologized to Tails for practically abducting him against his will; she admittedly had a one-track mind. I couldn't blame her, she was finally going to go to Hollywood after all this time.
Now that our bellies were full, we were in the garage preparing the X-Tornado for the trip. Tails came down the lab stairs with the four Chaos Emeralds freshly retrieved from the Emerald chamber. It looked difficult for him to carry four Emeralds at once, especially with his unusually thin arms, but he somehow did it. He did have to set them down to open the lab door, though.
"So, I guess we just need three more now?" I asked as I watched Amy and Cream climb into the X-Tornado's rear cockpit.
"Yup," Tails replied as he opened a new compartment in the side of the plane – the one next to where we kept rations like snacks – and loaded three of the Chaos Emeralds inside. "You got it."
"Can it support four?" I asked, leaning forward to see the green, cyan, and yellow Emeralds resting in the slots designed for them.
"Well, if you recall, I just recently installed this compartment as a backup power source," explained Tails as he closed the door with a click. "With the Chaos Emerald in the cockpit already in place, these other Emeralds will grant the X-Tornado more forward motion, as well as faster lasers that can do more damage."
He glanced up at Amy and Cream as they finished getting settled in their seats and buckling in. Amy clearly looked anxious to go.
"Of course, we gotta be more careful with each new Emerald we add."
"Because they're unstable?" I queried.
"Uh-huh," nodded Tails. "These four here have had plenty of time to adapt to each other, plus they've been resting in the chamber upstairs, so they're fine. However… if we were to come across a new Chaos Emerald, and it was suddenly exposed to these Emeralds… the way I see it, their power would repel each other violently and create a destructive electromagnetic reaction." He made an "explosion" motion with his hands. "It would be like Diamond Stadium, but on a much bigger scale."
I blinked. "That… that sounds really tricky."
"Believe me, it is," Tails replied as he walked around the plane, making final ground preparations before takeoff. "Especially when I'm only going by guesswork half the time."
He was just about to fly himself up to his seat when I raised my hand to stop him.
"Wait!" I called, and his tails slowed down and flopped to the ground as he turned to look at me. "Wh-what if you do find a Chaos Emerald today… like, out of nowhere? Maybe you shouldn't bring the other Emeralds, except for the one in the cockpit."
Tails paused to consider this idea, his eyes closed in thought. I knew Mom and Dad would not be happy if a Chaos Beacon disrupted their anniversary celebration. It would be a worst-case scenario, and the consequences would be extreme.
"Chris, you're a genius!" Tails declared. I was slightly taken aback. "We don't really need these other Emeralds if we're just going on a day trip."
Beaming, he raised his hand to offer me a high-five, and I instantly slapped my palm against his gloved one. I found myself smiling widely as well, even blushing a little. I was a genius? Coming from Tails, that was a huge compliment!
"W-wow… thanks…!" I managed to say.
"No problem," Tails called behind his shoulder as he took the three Chaos Emeralds back toward the stairs. "You actually know a lot more about the Chaos Emeralds than most people give you credit for, and that includes yourself."
It was true; I didn't know too much about all the lore of the seven mystical artifacts. In fact, I had yet to see a lot of what they could do besides power machines, create Chaos Beacons, and empower Sonic to destroy Eggman's fortress.
As Tails disappeared into the lab once more, I threw another glance at Amy and Cream. Cream was smiling at the compliment Tails had given me, but Amy looked impatient and somewhat restless.
"You guys can chat later; it's time to go now!" she chided. "The sooner we go, the sooner you can see your parents again!"
She had me there.
"Yeah, sorry," I apologized. "We can go as soon as–"
I was cut short as Sonic sped into the garage, making my heart race at his sudden presence. He always had a tendency to do that. Having him live with me was awesome, but I hoped he wouldn't be the death of me as I got older.
"Hey Chris, your folks are waiting for you out front," he reminded me, thumb-pointing back toward the house.
"Okay, thanks," I replied as I walked out of the garage. "Bye, guys!"
But then I realized something. I stopped in my tracks and turned around before I could get too far.
"Wait, before I go, I have a question," I started. "Are… are you guys gonna be waiting a long time before me and my family get there?"
"We'll be fine, Chris; don't worry," Sonic reassured me. "We've got two and a half hours tops. We can sightsee and still have time to get there before you do."
"Okay, that sounds good," I nodded. "Bye!"
"Bye, Chris!" everyone behind me called as I ran across the yard to the front driveway.
Hollywood – Mon May 9; 1:14 PM – Chris' POV
Over three hours later, we had finally arrived at Hollywood. While it did end up taking two and a half hours to get there as Grandpa had anticipated, it had taken another ten minutes to find a parking spot, and roughly twenty more to be admitted in, meet up with the others, and find the office suite building Dad had said he was in.
As we walked down the hallway, I caught sight of a soft blue glow coming from the base of Tails' namesakes. It was the Chaos Emerald he had stored in Hammerspace. He had decided it was for the best if he brought it with him as an anti-theft measure, and I agreed with him.
I was sure no one else had seen the glow. I was about to open my mouth to speak when Grandpa beat me to it.
"I think this is it," he declared as he stopped in front of one of the wooden doors on our right.
Sonic gently beckoned me forward toward the door. "Go ahead and knock, Chris," he invited.
So I did. I stepped up to the door and rapped my knuckles on it a few times.
"Come in," came Dad's voice from within the room.
I turned the knob and pushed the door open. The office was nice and roomy, as well as well-decorated, just like everything else we had seen in Hollywood so far. Sure enough, Dad was standing in front of the desk at the back of the room, waiting for me. As I ran to him to hug him, I was surprised to see my cousin Matt also standing there.
"Hey there, big guy! How's my son been doing?" Dad chuckled as we embraced.
"Hi Dad! I'm doing great!" I said.
"That's always good to hear," he replied as we broke the hug. "You doing good in school?"
"Yeah," I replied.
I then turned to Matt and shook his hand. "Hey, Matt! I didn't know you'd be here too!"
"Surprise!" he grinned. "Your dad had a really hard time keeping me a secret from you guys, you have no idea."
"Yeah, we had this planned out for the past two weeks," added Nelson.
Now that everyone had gathered inside the office, Grandpa closed the door behind us. Everyone else was either glancing at Dad and Matt or looking around at their surroundings. It wasn't every day that they saw an office with such expensive furniture.
"Now you know what that one 'urgent' phone call was a few weeks back," Grandpa explained to us. Indeed, Dad had called him during movie night, and we had to pause the movie so he and Dad could talk. They talked for about ten minutes, and he had only told me Dad needed his help with a few schematics for a new ad blocker he was sponsoring, which, I took it, was partially true.
"How are you doing, Nelson?" Grandpa asked as he walked toward Dad.
"I've been getting along. Work wasn't as busy as it was last month, which is a plus," Dad replied, glancing at my friends. "And I see you brought the whole gang here too. No need for introductions; I already know who our guests of honor are. I saw their interviews back when Eggman's tower was destroyed."
Afterward, Dad got to shake hands with all of them. Like everyone else who got to meet Sonic and the crew, he too was enamored at interacting with real live aliens, but he did a better job controlling it because by now he was used to them being on Earth.
"I saw your race on TV. Great job out there, Sonic," he congratulated Sonic when he got to him. "Sorry I had to run so quickly; I got an urgent business call at the very end there."
"It's cool," the hedgehog modestly replied.
Last week, Uncle Sam raised the idea of a race with Sonic, since he was confident he could win. At first, Sonic seemed skeptical of the idea, but Sam upped the game by suggesting that all proceeds would go toward raising breast cancer awareness. Plus, Dad was funding the race, so how could Sonic say no to charity?
Granted, it was an exhilarating race. They had permission from the mayor to close off a few roads for the race, which would take them out into the desert a little ways and then back into the city. We were all there to cheer on Sonic as he crossed the finish line. We all thought it was a photo finish at first, but he was actually showing off for the crowd. In reality, he had crossed the finish line about 0.372 seconds ahead of Sam. The Mach Storm, as he called himself that day, was not one to take the L with dignity, but he did so to preserve honor and make himself look good for the crowds.
While Dad and Grandpa were catching up, I watched Ella walk over to where Matt was just finishing with some small talk with Cream.
"Mr. Thorndyke never told us you would be here," she commented. "I'm surprised to see you again so soon."
"Yeah," he replied. "I almost couldn't make it, to be honest. There was a four-car pileup on the way to the airport that was causing major delays on that route. It took me a bit to find another way there, but… here I am."
"And how are things going back in Minnesota?" Ella asked.
"Still trying to pay off college debts…" he replied. "And I still have to find a real job. McDonald's can only get me so far, but hey, I figured I should start at the bottom and work my way up." He shifted his weight to his other foot. "On the bright side, though, I managed to get a nice high-rise apartment in the city."
"Oh, you'll have to show us pictures," Ella remarked.
"Yeah, I'll send you guys some as soon as I get back," Matt said. "It's a bit more modern-looking than the mansion, that's for sure. Rent's doable, too."
"Is life hard up there?" Amy piped up, not having had much interaction with Matt since they first met.
Matt began fidgeting, something he did when he became nervous.
"Yeah," he dryly replied. "It kinda is. After four years, coming out here is like a breath of fresh air."
"Right, then," Grandpa spoke up before anyone could say anything more to Matt. "Today's the anniversary. That's why we're here, right?"
By now everyone was facing Grandpa's direction. It was amazing how quickly the room became quiet at the sound of his booming voice.
"I still can't believe I've been with the love of my life for fifteen whole years now…" Dad reminisced. "The time has really been flying."
"Do you have another plan to surprise your wife this time, Mr. Thorndyke?" Ella asked.
"Do tell," Grandpa added with a wry grin. "You know she can't get enough of your elaborate presentations."
Dad chuckled. "I sure do!" he grinned, placing an arm around Matt's shoulder. "I was discussing with Matt over the phone to see what he thought, and he helped to come up with something brilliant." He dropped his hand. "So, anyway, I was able to catch a word with Director Shaw in private today, and he told me this was going to be the last day of filming Valencia. I was worried I wouldn't make it in time, 'cause Valencia's been hit with delay after delay, as you may know."
"Well, get on with it," urged Grandpa.
"I'm getting there; just hold your horses," Dad said. "But anyway, minor spoilers for the end of the film, but it doesn't give much away. So Lindsey's character is going to be looking out at the sunset at the edge of a forest, Then Aaron Harding's character, the prince, is gonna ride onto the set on a white horse, but…" He held up a finger. "It's not gonna be him. It's gonna be me in the prince's outfit."
"I'm liking where this is going so far," remarked Grandpa.
"Though, truth be told, I haven't ridden a horse in years, so hopefully I won't be too rusty out there. So, when I get close enough, I'm going to dismount, then remove my wig and present my wife with the anniversary ring." He inhaled, then let out his breath, a smile crossing his face. "I can only imagine the look on her face when she sees that ring."
"You won't have to," Ella said.
"I love it!" Amy piped up at the same time. "It's perfect!"
The rest of us boys were also supportive of the idea, even if we didn't have the vocal enthusiasm Amy had.
"So did you talk to Aaron about it?" Grandpa asked once there was a lull in the din.
Dad nodded. "I caught him at the trailer, and he- he wholeheartedly agreed. He thinks they'll include this as a bonus feature in the DVD release." Remembering what happened the last time I watched Valencia shooting, I knew this movie would be full of bonus features.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Tails gently tugging on Mr. Tanaka's suit sleeve, and the butler bent over to listen to what he had to say.
"Are their anniversary celebrations always this over-the-top…?" he whispered.
"They are," he replied. "The Thorndykes are an over-the-top family. It goes hand-in-hand."
So far, out of all the times Dad had surprised Mom with an anniversary gift, this was definitely one of the more elaborate ideas. Last year, I heard that Dad had parachuted onto Mom's set with a priceless diamond. That was an anniversary to remember for sure.
"Do you have the ring?" Amy asked, staring expectantly at Nelson and rocking on her toes a bit. "Show us the ring!"
"He-hey, calm down, Amy, I have it right here," Dad chuckled, reaching for a box on the desk. It seemed to be a little too large for a small ring. "I don't know what gemstone it is, but the jewelers thought it was a quartz?" he added, unsure of himself.
The moment he lifted the lid of the velvet box, gasps arose from the room. Tanaka and Ella were amazed at the sheer size of the gem within, but the rest of us were surprised for an entirely different reason.
The gemstone was familiar, and for good reason.
"I… I can tell it surpassed your expectations," Dad spoke after a moment. "What do you all think?"
Ella was elated. "I… I love it–"
"Tails, no!"
We all turned at the sound of Sonic's alarmed voice to see that the two-tailed fox was holding up his own blue Chaos Emerald, just to compare it with the purple one in the box Dad was holding.
He didn't even have time for a sweatdrop or sheepish grin until it was too late.
The two Emeralds immediately sparked and began to react to each other. More gasps arose as a bridge of pure Chaos energy connected the Emeralds to each other.
"Guys, get back!" warned Sonic, even though the rest of us were already doing exactly that. He didn't need to tell me twice; raw Chaos energy was extremely hot to the touch and could prove deadly to humans.
"What's going on?!" Matt demanded. He didn't get an answer. Everyone was too shocked at what was happening; most of all Dad, who was staring at the box in his hands in utter shock and disbelief. Perhaps he never thought that the gemstone he bought would do anything like this. Sonic did say, after all, that civilization knew very little about the Chaos Emeralds, be it here or Mobius, so it was little surprise Dad was clueless.
At last the energy finished connecting with each other, and a Chaos Beacon shot upward from the middle of the energy bridge. It violently ripped its way through the ceiling with explosive power and up into the air. Where there was once a ceiling, there was now open sky filled with the raw, untamed power of a Chaos Beacon.
I was scared. I had not been expecting this at all. The worst-case scenario I had been dreading had come true.
The Egg Fort II – Mon May 9; 1:20 PM – Third-person POV
Eggman was down in the engine room, performing a routine inspection of the Egg Fort II's circuits. Even though he normally had his robots perform such a menial task, this time he took it upon himself to make sure the ship remained in perfect working order.
What it lacked in size, the Egg Fort II made up for in structural integrity compared to its predecessor. In fact, Eggman had designed it with full underwater mobility, something Eggman took full advantage of.
However, due to its compact size, the ship lacked a decent hangar bay and prison, but it still had a sturdy green screen and a small roboticizer, just like the original Egg Fort. It also had two sections that could detach from the main ship and fly independently of it. Ever since merging the three sections together, Eggman had found no need to split the ship apart again.
The past two months had not been spent in vain. When Eggman wasn't scouring the California coastline for Chaos Emeralds, he was launching small-scale attacks from his abandoned base at Station Square, all of which were unsurprisingly thwarted by Sonic. Otherwise, the hedgehog's time was spent bonding with the human boy or just running, not that he cared.
He was startled from his work by the sudden beeping sound of his wrist communicator. Someone was trying to contact him.
He set down his wrench and lifted his arm to answer the call.
"Doctor! Come quick!" came Bokkun's excitable voice from the speakers. "I think they found another Chaos Emerald!"
"What?!" Eggman exclaimed as he turned to the doorway. "Keep the radar up. I'm coming."
He ran through the ship's lobby and toward the elevator in the back. He then pressed a button on the elevator, and it slowly slid upward. Today he had been moving through the air off the coast of California instead of biding his time underwater. Little did he know that he had picked the right time to mobilize.
Eggman stumbled onto the bridge a minute later. His three henchbots turned to him from their posts.
"Chaos Emerald?!" he demanded. "Where?! Show me!"
"The sighting has been confirmed, Doctor," reported Decoe. "Less than one minute ago, there was a large quantity of Chaos energy isolated within the sector of Los Angeles designated 'Hollywood'. In comparison to a similar incident in the past, it is likely to be a Chaos Beacon."
"Hm…" mused Eggman. "I wouldn't be surprised if Tails ended up making the same mistake twice, bringing another Emerald with him." He stroked his luxurious mustache in thought. "Then again, this is the same fox who gave away the fact that an Emerald was a fake. The more things change, the more they stay the same."
"The Emeralds have been getting very much out of hand," Decoe commented.
"Should we plot a course for Hollywood, Doctor?" requested Bocoe from his spot at the ship's controls.
"Yes," Eggman said. "We are not going to let this Emerald slip through our fingers so easily. While I may not have a hangar bay, I do have more than a few robots at my disposal, all of which are designed to persuade the rodents to hand over the Emeralds."
Hollywood – Mon May 9; 1:20 PM – Sonic's POV
Everyone was shocked into silence as the Chaos Beacon tore its way through the ceiling, its tendrils of energy spreading throughout the room and wreaking havoc everywhere. It was strong enough to cause the lights to flicker and the TV to turn off. I could even start to feel the tingling sensation of my fur standing on end.
Amy was the first to recover from her shock. Without thinking, she ran over to slam the box shut in Nelson's hands. He wasn't able to do it himself; the Chaos Emerald was rendering him immobile.
The act of cutting off the Emerald's access to the open air caused the Chaos Beacon to subside almost immediately. A heavy silence filled the room as we all took a moment to calm our racing hearts and process what had just happened. I knew what had just transpired, but Ella, Tanaka, Nelson, and Matt looked the most confused.
Nelson's gaze shifted from his box to each of the surprised expressions of everyone in the room.
"…Okay, first of all, what on Earth was that?" he asked.
I gave a short smile at Tails, who was staring at the Emerald in his hand in both shock and regret, before my gaze returned to Chris' dad.
"Uh, yeah, I hate to break it to ya, Mr. Thorndyke, but what you're holding there is no ordinary gemstone."
His incredulous look was not lost on me. "Well yeah, no, I could tell just by-"
"No, I'm serious," I told him. "Mondo serious!"
Nelson seemed to inwardly cringe at my use of 90's slang, but he wasn't in the mood to care. "Then tell me how it even wound up in a jewelry store. Did they know it could do that?!"
Just when the situation couldn't get any worse, he looked up to see Tails, and the Emerald he was idly fiddling.
"And that… that one looks just like this one, but it's blue!" He became stern. "Okay, is there something you're not telling me? What's the deal with these… exploding rocks?!"
"Hey, calm down," I held out my hand in an attempt to ease his confusion. "To start with, you ever hear of the Chaos Emeralds?"
"What does that have to do with- Um, oh, okay, so this is a Chaos Emerald right here?" asked Nelson. "Because I heard vague things about them here and there, but this is my first time seeing them up close." He looked back at his own Emerald. "That, and I've not been paying too much attention to them lately."
"No worries," I replied. "So, there are seven of them altogether, right? Because of a, uh… thing, whenever two of them come near each other for the first time, they react violently." I threw a quick glance up at the smoking hole in the ceiling. "What we just saw was a Chaos Beacon. That's kinda what happens when the Emeralds come together."
Now that Matt's racing heart was calming down, he looked clearly amazed. "So I guess they really do live up to their name…" he breathed.
Wanting to get out of this increasingly awkward and phenomenal situation, Nelson glanced at his watch.
"Oh, looks like they're going to start filming again in half an hour," he declared. "We all need to get a shift on if I'm going to give this ring to Lindsey in time."
Chris was the first to start toward the door, followed by Matt, Cream and Cheese, Ella, Chuck, and Tanaka. As Nelson approached the exit to the office, he stopped and looked me in the eye.
"Do you promise that's not gonna happen again?" he asked, still visibly shaken from what had just happened. I was about to reply when Tails jumped in.
"These two Emeralds have already adapted," he explained. "You're fine," he added with a smile. It was a better answer than I could have come up with.
"Oh, well, that's good," Nelson replied dryly, as if he didn't know whether to believe that.
Chris's father shut off the light as Tails, Amy, and I left the room, and then closed the door. As he walked away at a brisk pace to rejoin the others, the rest of us brought up the rear, keeping our distance so we could privately discuss the situation.
Tails tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see that he was holding his Emerald out to me.
"Sonic… I don't wanna go through that scare again…" he admitted.
"It's cool," I replied as I accepted the Emerald and ruffled the kid's fur, making him giggle. "You were really brave back there, you know?"
"Sonic," Amy spoke up just then. "That ring is a Chaos Emerald."
"I know," I responded, becoming solemn once more. "They're not supposed to be treated like jewelry. Even Rouge knows that you shouldn't turn them into rings or necklaces or whatnot."
"But Chris' dad didn't know that," interjected Tails from between me and Amy.
"Yeah," I agreed. I let out my breath, frustration starting to mount within me. "This is a really fragile situation… not just for us, but for Chris' parents. It's not like we can just take the Emerald this time."
"I know," replied Amy. "I'm still really excited to see Lindsey's reaction to the ring, but… it's still a Chaos Emerald. If she keeps it, we might not be able to persuade her to hand it over! What if she doesn't understand? What are we gonna do?!"
"It's okay, it's okay," I gently told Amy before she could get too anxious. "We'll think of something. And I know everything will work out in the end. Though, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to check up with Chris on this."
"I think it's probably best that we wait until after the celebration before we do anything," proposed Tails.
Amy was silently pondering this before she gave her answer. "I guess."
Hollywood – Mon May 9; 1:37 PM – Sonic's POV
We had arrived at one of the studios minutes later. Nelson had told us this was the one Lindsey was going to film her final scene at.
At Nelson's request, we had all taken up hiding spots. The plan was that the scene would progress just as Chris' dad had told us. Then, after he presented the ring to his wife, Chuck would give us the signal, and we would all jump out and yell surprise. Normally this wasn't my kind of thing, but I figured there was no harm in just doing it.
We were a couple minutes away from the big moment when I became aware of the sound of heavy footsteps approaching us. I found myself looking up into Knuckles' face. Truth be told, it caught me off guard a little.
"H-hey Knux! Long time no see!" I greeted as I regained my composure.
The echidna looked rather confused. "Uh… why are you guys hiding?" he asked.
By this point everyone else had noticed the newcomer. Just like me, they were all surprised to see Knuckles here. I started to wonder how he got in without an invitation.
"It's Chris' parents' anniversary," I explained in a hushed voice as the director went through the pre-shoot checklist. "We're here to surprise his mom when his dad gives her the ring. So, uh, what brings you to our neck of the woods?"
Knuckles dug through hammerspace and fished out a familiar red gem. "This."
A new Chaos Emerald was the last thing I expected to see when I came down to Hollywood. Still, everyone around me became excited, but remained quiet so as not to prematurely give ourselves away.
"That makes six…!" exclaimed a giddy Amy.
"Where did you find it?" asked Chris.
Knuckles shrugged. "I found it back in China a few months ago. But anyway, I'm pretty sure I saw a Chaos Beacon around here half an hour ago. Did you guys–"
"Action!" called the director.
"Get down," I told Knuckles. He hesitated for a moment, but did as he was told. We all turned to see the scene unfold.
I was able to easily see Lindsey as she stepped forward. She was wearing a beautiful dress, similar to the one she wore at the castle two months ago. There was a large green screen in the background; we were told that it would be a beautiful sunset. They had to film here; they were running too low on money in their budget to film on location, which was an unfortunate setback for the production crew.
"Maybe I had been too ambitious of late," came Lindsey's regretful voice. "Perhaps it's true… that Prince Ferguson and I…" A pause. "…were not meant to be…"
The sound of gentle horse hooves filled the studio as "Prince Ferguson" rose up on his white horse. The sound caused Lindsey to look up at the newcomer.
"Ferguson…?" she queried. "Is it really you?"
Nelson dismounted wordlessly, as per the script. Then he began to deviate from the script by pulling a box from his suit pocket.
"Lindsey," he spoke, instead of using her character's name. This took her by surprise. But before she could say anything, he got down on one knee.
"Happy anniversary, darling."
I was so mesmerized that I had almost completely forgotten about something very important!
"Psst, Knux," I hissed. "Get outta here with the Emerald."
"Why–"
But it was too late, because at that very moment, Nelson had already opened the box.
All Chaos broke loose.
Without warning, the purple Emerald in the box immediately shot a beam of raw Chaos energy at the red one in Knuckles' hand, which in turn reflected a second beam at the one I hadn't even realized I was holding. In a violent display of raw, crackling energy, a huge Chaos Beacon shot into the air yet again, this one considerably bigger than the one half an hour ago.
All of us could only stare in shock as the beacon ripped a hole in the ceiling large enough to fit a few SUVs through. It was so loud, we couldn't even hear the director shout "Cut!"
As expected from a violent event of this magnitude, it caused all sorts of equipment to spark and short out. There were even several explosions, and most of us were forced to cover our ears. The lights flickered, and the electrical smoke set off the building's fire alarms.
"Everyone clear out! Now!" I shouted over all the noise.
"But what about you?" Chris asked.
"I can't!" I replied as I glanced back at my Emerald. "The Emerald's freezing me in place! I can't move!"
"The same thing happened to me a couple times before–"
"Go!" I ordered again, interrupting Tails.
The others, while a little reluctant, instantly scrambled to their feet and away from the chaos. I glanced at Knuckles; he too was locked in place by his Emerald.
I couldn't believe the luck I was having – both good and bad. I also couldn't believe that we were having the second Chaos Beacon in less than an hour. And here Tails had just promised Nelson it wouldn't happen again.
Now that I thought about it, I was super glad Chris had persuaded Tails to leave the other three Emeralds at home. A Chaos Beacon involving six Emeralds would have been absolutely catastrophic. On second thought, if they were left in the X-Tornado…
No. It was good that they were back at home.
At this rate, Eggman would definitely find us. The first beacon would attract his attention. The second would surely confirm the location of the Emeralds. He was most likely on his way over right now.
So much for a happy anniversary…
My eyes widened in surprise as I caught sight of Mr. Tanaka running back toward us. I had an idea what he was up to, and it didn't look good.
"Tanaka, wait!" I called.
"No! Don't!" Knuckles added.
But it was too late. The moment the butler touched the Emerald, he cried out in pain and instantly drew his hand back.
A Chaos Emerald when it was supercharged by a Chaos Beacon like that was extremely hot to the touch for anyone, except for the user holding it at the time. For me, I felt a little warmth, but it otherwise wasn't much different than holding a non-powered Emerald.
It took three minutes for the Chaos Beacon to finally die down, but for some reason, it felt a little shorter than that. Once the light finally faded, an eerie silence filled the studio, except for the smoke alarms that were still going off.
Where there was once ceiling, there was now open sky once again, and we could hear the crackle of a few electrical fires. Besides Tanaka, who was still wincing from his accident, no one had entered the room during the beacon, but now several security officers with fire extinguishers were swarming into the studio to put out the fires. I caught word that the fire department had been called.
As Knuckles and I started to regain our mobility, the others cautiously crept back into the room. With trembling fingers, Nelson closed the box he had been holding, and Lindsey… well, she was filled with a mixture of clashing emotions. She had been too scared to say or do anything during the beacon, but now…
"Nelson, you've really outdone yourself this time, and I thank you for wishing me a happy anniversary…" The inevitable mood swing. " …but what the blazes did that thing just do to the whole studio?!"
It took Nelson a moment to find his voice. "I-I-I… I-I'm sorry; I don't know what happened just now. Honest, I really didn't think this would–"
Lindsey raised her hand to quiet Nelson. She was not to be underestimated in the parental relationship, Chuck had told me.
"Look, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get this role?" she exclaimed. "On top of that, this is an expensive picture to make, and now we'll have to be delayed, all because of that… thing!"
"Whoa, what's going on with them?" Knuckles asked. "Wait, the kid's dad was trying to gift his wife with a Chaos Emerald? For real?"
I nodded grimly. "Yeah. This is a tight situation."
"Well, ring or no ring, we need it to get home," Knuckles spoke with determination. He started toward the Emerald, but I cut him off in a split second.
"Hey now, you can't just take their anniversary present," I chided. "That'll give us a bad name, and besides, Nelson paid some hard-earned money to surprise his wife with that thing."
Knuckles paused in his steps, unsure of what to say or do next, until a new sound filled the air – the sound of multiple large engines. I thought it was just a passing jetliner.
Oh, how wrong I was.
We all looked up to see the metal bottom of the Egg Fort II positioning itself directly over the hole in the ceiling. By now Chris' parents had finally stopped arguing and were staring in surprise at the newcomer's vehicle.
"Is that Eggman…?" Matt asked.
"Sure is," I responded. "It was only a matter of time until he showed up. Okay, listen up, guys!" I raised my voice. "Everyone take the Emeralds and run! Don't let Eggman get them!"
"Lindsey, forget all this, let's get somewhere safe," Nelson told his wife as he secured the Emerald in its box. As they took off running, Tails, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Chris, and Matt ran in another direction, while Chuck and Ella took off in a third.
Tanaka, however, was resolute. His gaze was fixated on Nelson.
"I will stay and protect my master at any price," he swore. "It is my duty!"
Stopping in his head, Nelson shook his head. "You don't know what you're up against," he called. "Besides, Chris needs you more than I do!"
Tanaka didn't even get a chance to move before Decoe and Bocoe dropped from the ship into the room. I didn't find them to be threatening at all, but knew that, in the humans' eyes, it was a different story.
"Surrender the Chaos Emeralds!" Decoe ordered, pointing directly at us.
"You don't want to make the doctor mad," added Bocoe.
Everyone except me and Knuckles seemed a little taken aback at the robots' sudden arrival. Fortunately, everyone else except for Chris' parents and butler had already made a run for it by this point.
"Here, take this and run!" Nelson called. He tossed the box with the Emerald inside to Tanaka, who nodded and took off. Nelson and Lindsey ran out of the studio in another direction.
Knuckles crashed his namesakes together. "Hmph. Never took these guys to be the fighting types," he commented.
I smirked. "Maybe we should put that to the test; what do you say, Knux?"
Bocoe turned toward us and started running in our direction. I tried not to laugh at how awkwardly the short robot was moving.
"Do not provoke us!" he warned. "We are armed and dangerous!"
"I'd love to see that," I called. "With that speed, I bet you couldn't catch an Earth hedgehog, let alone me!"
I left those words hanging in the air as I bolted through the building, leaving Bocoe in the dust. Since a fight was inevitable, I told myself to at least try not to destroy too much more of the building, which was pretty much impossible, given Eggman and destruction went hand in hand.
I could easily outrun the hench-bots in a heartbeat – they were barely faster than a running human – but there were civilians involved this time. Most of the film crew guys had already cleared out, but Chris and his parents needed the most protection.
I ran down hallway after hallway, searching for them. They could not have gone far. Did they even know their way around the facility? In the back of my head, I wondered if Decoe and Bocoe were just a diversion.
By now I figured Bocoe was completely lost in the maze of corridors. Losing him hadn't been my intention, but at least that was one less danger for me. As if Eggman's hench-bots could ever pose any danger…
During the inevitable fight, the building would suffer a lot of destruction. Knowing Eggman, there would be a lot more where Decoe and Bocoe came from. The only way we could fight without causing a lot of damage was to take it outside.
I caught a glimpse of a pair of yellow tails disappearing around a corner. In a quarter second, I caught up with my best friend. He and everyone else were still together, and still running through the halls, searching for the exit.
"Don't mind me; just makin' sure you guys are getting out okay," I quipped, until I noticed a small box in Tails' hands. "Wait, I thought Tanaka had the Emerald…?"
The kitsune started to slow down, and everyone else followed suit when they saw that we weren't following them. He looked up at me.
"He did; he told me we would be better off with it," Tails explained.
"Yeah, I gotcha," I nodded. "You gotta keep moving, though. There's no telling when Eggman will send in reinforcements."
Tails was the first to break into a run once more, and the others ran with him. I matched their pace.
"So, any clue where the X-Tornado is from here?" I asked.
Tails glanced up at some of the signs we were passing. "I think so…?" he said with some uncertainty. "Though I'm not really familiar with the layout of this place, so… I'm pretty sure we'll get there soon."
"That's the spirit!" I praised with a wink. Tails had really learned to believe in himself over all the years we had been together. "You guys juice, I'll stall Egghead!"
With that, I dashed back in the direction of the studio I had initially come from. It was a little tricky navigating the halls at such a high speed, especially when there was no trail of breadcrumbs to follow, literal or otherwise.
Something was up. With three Chaos Emeralds on the line, deploying Decoe and Bocoe wouldn't be nearly enough to claim them. I told myself to brace for more opposition, because it wouldn't be Eggman's style otherwise.
In seconds flat, I found myself back at the studio where the anniversary celebration was to go down – or rather, what was left of it.
Turns out, I was right about Eggman.
Knuckles was attempting to hold back a giant lizard robot – E-74 Weazo. I recognized it because it was one of the robots we had gained information on during that raid all those months back. Also, I noticed that Decoe was completely gone. He had probably gone to look for Bocoe or something, not that I cared. I had other pressing matters to deal with.
"Looks like I missed a lot, huh?" I said. I was only gone for like a minute and a half, and now this.
"I… urgh… had this until control until bat girl decided to show up!" Knuckles grunted under the strain of Weazo's heavy armor.
Glancing up, I caught sight of Rouge staging her own assault on the robot as well. Her kicks were doing minimal damage, if any. The moment she glanced in my direction, E-74's tail flicked and effortlessly swatted her into the wall. It then turned its giant head toward me, and I was forced to leap back as a huge fire blast emitted from its mouth. I had completely forgotten it could do that.
"How'd you track us here, Rouge?" I asked once the flames died down.
Rouge scoffed. "Uh, hello? Giant beam of light going into the sky forever? Puh-lease, something like that is kinda hard to miss."
"But I'm pretty sure it takes over two hours to drive here, am I right?" I countered.
"Do the math, Big Blue. Bats have wings." She flapped her wings once for emphasis, but was forced to fly back to avoid another tail swipe. "I know you two each have an Emerald – Jewel Scope never lies – but where's the third one?"
"Oh, that? My friends are keeping it away from Eggman right now."
I wasn't attacking yet because I couldn't quite see an opening in the fight. Weazo was somehow able to multitask and engage all three of us at the same time. It was primarily focused on Rouge, but was also keeping a careful eye on me and trying to crush Knuckles…
Trying being the operative word.
Knuckles found an opening and attacked the giant lizard robot from behind. However, it proved fruitless, as E-74 responded to his punishing punches with a tail whip that sent him into the wall, leaving a visible impression.
"It's… really putting up a fight…" he groaned as he slid down the wall in an almost cartoonish manner.
With Knuckles out of the way, E-74 turned its attention on me once more, and breathed more fire in my direction, but as with just about every Eggman robot, I was too fast and dodged with plenty of time to spare. I then leaped onto its head, but it quickly shook me off. I landed on my feet next to Rouge.
"Attention E-74!" came Eggman's voice from the hovering Egg Fort II. I instinctively looked up at the gaping hole. "Pursue the escapers and secure their Chaos Emerald!"
Immediately the robot turned and crashed through the wall like it was made of jello. It took off outside faster than I would have thought was possible from a robot of its size.
"After it!" ordered a newly-recovered Knuckles.
"Already on it!" responded Rouge as one flap of her wings lifted her off the ground, and she promptly glided after the escaping lizard.
I looked around the completely totaled studio – it would take a long time to fix – before my gaze settled on Knuckles, who was bolting toward the giant hole in the wall.
"Did you make sure everyone else got to safety?" I asked him as I ran alongside him. "Chuck, Ella, the film crew?"
"Oh yeah," he nodded. "They're way deep in the building. I'm pretty sure the robot isn't headed their way."
"Cool," I replied. "Hey, you and Rouge stall the robot while I go buy my friends some extra time, m'kay?"
Before Knuckles could protest about having to be left behind with Rouge, I was already outside. Hopefully my friends were able to cover a lot of ground by now.
If something were to happen to them, I knew Tails and Amy could handle themselves quite well. Even Cream was capable of fighting, even if she preferred not to. While Chris couldn't fight like they could, I knew he would be safe.
And Matt… I didn't know him all that well, and he had definitely never had a run-in with Eggman before, so this was entirely new to him. He would need as much protection as Chris.
Now that I was in the open air, E-74 far behind me, I ran up the wall and onto the roof of one of the complex buildings. After a moment of traversing the rooftops of the filming grounds, I caught a glimpse of the group. They were still on the move, but Chris and Matt were already showing signs of fatigue. Even after nine months of being stranded on Earth, I tended to forget that humans got tired more easily than Mobians. More than that, they were all aware of the sounds of fighting.
I leaped down from the roof and approached them once more, this time trying not to take them by surprise.
"Hey, quick heads-up, a giant robot is coming your way, and I kinda need the Emerald," I hurriedly told them.
"Uh, about that…" Matt's voice trailed off as he pointed up at the Egg Fort II, which had picked that very moment to start making its getaway. I was a little disappointed that they had lost the Emerald, but I had to make do with what we had left.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Decoe and Bocoe somehow caught up to us," Tails answered between breaths, "and they and some other robots took it from us. We tried to get it back, but they were too fast."
"I think they might already be in the ship by now," added Amy.
Not so fast, Eggman…
I immediately leaped back onto the nearby roof, took a running start, and vaulted myself off the roof once I had gained enough speed and ground. I soared through the air toward the escaping Egg Fort, but it suddenly fired a laser at me. It was hard to dodge in midair, and it ended up striking me and sending me back down to the ground. I landed on my feet; the laser didn't hurt very much, only stunned me.
I looked up at the ship as it escaped. I decided to let Eggman go this time. I couldn't win them all, and besides, the safety of my friends always came first.
I ran back toward E-74, which was now heavily occupied. Tails and Amy were now charging into the battle as well. Now the battle was five against one.
From my spot on the roof, I cockily rubbed my nose. This was almost too easy…
There were already a few dents in the robot's head and back. I appreciated all the teamwork that was going into keeping the Emeralds safe.
"Bad news," I reported once I hopped down to the ground and rejoined everyone else. "Eggman just got away with one of the Emeralds – the ring. I couldn't stop him in time. So…" I grinned sheepishly, scratching behind my quills. "…sorry about that."
Granted, the others were surprised at this development, but they were too busy fighting to respond. In fact, I knew I had to join them soon, as I was forced to leap back to avoid a tail whip.
"Uh, is this thing even taking any damage…?" I asked, scratching my head.
"Barely," Knuckles replied. "Hey, are you gonna help us or what?"
"Yeah, just looking for an opening," I replied as I looked Weazo up and down. "The neck looks like a weak spot…"
"It's surprisingly agile," Rouge replied to my earlier question as she hovered above the robot, also looking for any sign of vulnerability in the robot's armor.
Weazo reared its massive head back, and breathed a wave of fire at Tails and Amy. The former was forced to airlift the latter without warning to dodge the attack. Amy wasn't expecting it, as she gave a small yelp as she left the ground.
I finally found my opening at last, and attempted to saw off its head at the neck. As it turned out, Eggman had been anticipating me to attack it in this way; its neck was reinforced, and I simply bounced off without doing any lasting damage.
At the same time, Knuckles lunged for E-74's tail, but it saw the attack coming and swatted him into the building's wall for the second time. While I pitied him, his back was sure getting a workout.
Rouge, Tails, and Amy had to fend for themselves as I rushed over to help Knuckles up.
"This things's predicting every move we make," he groaned as I pulled him to his feet.
"Tell me about it," I agreed. "Hey, you still got your Emerald with you?"
Knuckles looked taken aback at the suddenness of my question. "Uh, yeah? What about it?"
"Can I have it for a sec? 'Cause I wanna try something with it."
As the sound of crackling flames filled the air behind me, Knuckles reluctantly pulled his red Emerald from Hammerspace and handed it over. I accepted it almost too eagerly.
"Like what?" Knuckles asked.
I became more solemn. "It's risky, but it's pretty much the only shot we've got at beating this guy."
Incredulousness merged itself with the echidna's confusion. "What are you–"
But I was already on the roof behind him before he could finish his sentence. While I was only about thirty feet up, I could get a good view of the battle. But now was not the time for sightseeing.
"Everyone back away from the robot!" I called. "I got a plan!"
I hopped back down to the ground, offered an apologetic smile to the completely baffled echidna next to me, and gave myself a moment to allow Tails, Amy, and Rouge to get to a safe distance away from us. While they were doing that, I engaged the robot, running around it and even across its long back.
"You think you can predict what we're gonna do, but I can tell ya, you ain't no fortune teller!" I taunted.
I lifted Knuckles' Emerald into the air. "See this thing? Yeah, it's a Chaos Emerald. Pretty cool, right?" I pulled out my own blue Emerald. "What's even cooler is that I have two of them! But now, let's see what happens when I use both of them at the same time!"
Landing in front of the confused robot, I raised both of the Emeralds in the air. Due to their erratic nature, I could have allowed them to carry me through the air, just like at Eggman's fortress. But that's not where I was going with this.
My idea was a lot more fun, not to mention explosive.
"Chaos Blast!"
I could feel the air around me tingle, and the fur on my arms and torso stood on end. An incredible warmth built within my core, and a massive explosion engulfed me and the robot in a bright fiery blast. E-74 was destroyed on the spot, having also combusted in the explosion.
Now that I had used up all that energy, I immediately dropped the Emeralds on the spot and collapsed onto my hands and knees, panting. Footsteps sounded around the now-quiet outdoor lot as my friends cautiously returned to check on me. Chris, Tails, and Amy all spoke at the same time.
"What was that?"
"Sonic!"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just… gimme a moment…" I wheezed. I then found the energy to lift my head a little. "There's… there's a reason I don't use Chaos Blast all that often. But this time… I couldn't find any other way around its armor."
Knuckles' emotions had completely flipped from a few minutes ago.
"That… that was incredible!" he spoke in awe.
"Th-thanks," I groaned as Tails and Chris helped me to my feet. I was a little wobbly, but I could stand.
"What just happened?" Matt asked.
"Chaos Blast," Knuckles explained, now his serious self once again. "The user draws power from a Chaos Emerald, which energizes them in the moment to unleash a powerful explosion like the one you just saw. However, it saps out all their energy at the same time."
Matt was awed, as well as concerned. "And here he just used two of them…" he breathed.
"He'll be fine," Knuckles shrugged, gesturing to me. "He's been through worse."
"Yeah, it's no biggie," I added. "All I need after today is a little TLC. And hey…" I glanced around at the other. "Even though we lost the Emerald today, it's still your parents' anniversary today, isn't it, Chris?"
"Oh hey, that reminds me," Matt spoke up. "Uncle Nelson said he was gonna have a cake tonight."
Chris, Tails, Amy, and Cream all perked up at the sound of cake, and I chuckled; I wasn't one to miss out on desserts as well.
"Oh boy! What kind is it?" Tails asked, bouncing a little in his excitement.
"I think it's a surprise," Matt answered. "I don't even know yet."
"Well, only one way to find out, right?" I quipped. "Come on, let's go get the others and give them the all-clear, shall we?"
We all set off back in the direction we had come from, back toward the wrecked studio. There were tons of other studios where Lindsey could finish filming, but a delay was inevitable.
I pulled up next to Matt. "You doin' okay? 'Cause this was your first time dealing with Eggman, and… it seems you're holding up pretty well considering you were all in danger today."
"I'm still feeling it," he replied. "I guess that's what adrenalin's like? That you don't really feel fear until it starts to wear off?" He glanced at me. "Is this kind of thing with Eggman, is this what you do every day?"
I shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."
Matt pondered this for a few seconds as we neared the gaping lizard-shaped hole in the studio's exterior wall.
"It sounds really stressful," he said. "Do you ever get a break or anything?"
"What, besides the last four months?" I chuckled. "Don't sweat it. I do catch the occasional moment of rest, but you gotta admit that this world is kinda boring without Eggman to spice it up. It's just a part of how I roll."
Matt gave a short hum, and I took it he was unsure of what to think about all that. I didn't know what he was thinking. In fact, I didn't know what his thoughts were a lot of the time. I wanted to get to know him a little better, but since he lived all the way up in Minnesota, that was a little difficult, and I didn't know where exactly his apartment was.
He always seemed a bit… closed up about that. But why…?
The party – Mon May 9; 7:18 PM – Sonic's POV
After the battle, we offered to help clean up the destroyed studio, but Nelson said we didn't have to; the staff would take care of it, and we had done our bit already.
So we hung around a bit, and I eventually started to get bored, so Tails invited us to go sightseeing for a bit. Knuckles wanted to leave and go back to wherever he was staying at, but I persuaded him to stay for the party. It took Cream to finally get him to say yes, and how could Knuckles say no to an angel like her?
Eventually the party started at six sharp, and as expected, it had all the usual Thorndyke flair. Nelson had outdone himself with arranging the preparations and decorations for the party. In fact, it was so good that Tanaka remarked that it was almost as grand as their wedding reception, which I imagined was saying a lot, since I wasn't exactly there at their wedding.
While the buffet was being set up and everything, my friends and I explained to Chris' parents the whole deal about the Chaos Emeralds. Lindsey had since forgiven Nelson for her outburst, so everything was cool once again.
Even though she had lost her anniversary ring, Lindsey's birthday was coming up within the month. Nelson had told us that he had another ring he planned on giving to her then, but because of what happened today, he would present it to her now. In return, Lindsey had a ring for Nelson as well. Even though they were supposed to be secret, Rouge had already feasted her eyes on them, and I couldn't help but snicker at her practically drooling expression.
During the buffet, we all spent time catching up on life. We told Chris' parents about all the adventures we had in the past few months, and they told us about their filming and technology projects. Lindsey said she had gotten a word from the director; he was originally going to delay the reshoot of the final scene for another two weeks on account of Eggman's attack, but since they had backup props, they could just relocate to a new studio without losing time. However, it would still do a number to their budget.
When the party started to wind down about an hour and a half later, Knuckles wordlessly rose from his seat and started to walk toward the buffet room's exit. However, I cut him off before he could reach the outside door.
"Where you off to, Knux?" I queried.
Knuckles closed his eyes. "The party was fun and all, but now I must find the last Chaos Emerald. It's out there somewhere." He opened them again, a glimpse of a confident smile forming. "We're so close to home."
"Don't forget Eggy still has one of the Emeralds," I reminded him, holding up a finger for emphasis.
"Oh, I haven't forgotten. And we'll get it back from him, just like always." I nodded my agreement, and Knuckles held out his hand. "Can I have my Emerald back?"
"Is it to keep the Emeralds apart from each other until the big moment?" I asked.
"Yeah. Might as well make the doctor's goals harder for him."
"Good idea."
"I hope you don't mind me barging in, boys," came Rouge's voice as she strode up, "but can you spare me one too?"
"No way!" Knuckles automatically blurted, before he cleared his throat to regain his composure. "I-I mean, I… I know how you are with these things, and, uh, I don't really think that…"
"But I've chaaaanged…" Rouge pouted.
"Yeah? Well, a leopard can't change its spots," Knuckles retorted.
"I'm a bat, not a leopard," huffed Rouge. "But fine. Anyway, I should fly now. The party was fine and all, but I'm going to get a head start on the last Emerald. You boys have fun."
She winked, then kissed Knuckles on the cheek. He had a thing for her, didn't he?
"See you around, Knuckie," Rouge purred before she opened the door and flew off into the night.
With a wry grin, I turned back to Knuckles, who was practically rooted to the spot in secondhand embarrassment.
"You okay, Knux?" I half-chuckled, patting him on the back. "You look kinda… red. Red's a good color on you, ya know."
"Shut up…" was all he could muster. I held back an amused chuckle.
All jokes aside, the battle for the final Chaos Emerald would soon begin… and I had to make sure I was ready for literally anything. Now, we and Eggman would be fighting tooth and claw for it.
From here on out, it was going to be all or nothing.
A/N: And that's "Emerald Anniversary"! It could have been better in my opinion. I hope it doesn't look too rushed, but at the same time, I like the improvements I gave it, especially the ending scene.
Since I'm not sure why Eggman would have programmed any of his robots to be weak to water, I had to change the entire battle scene and rewrite it from scratch.
And also, I want to remind you that Matt wasn't here just for kicks. He's setting up for the next chapter. Speaking of, I am not going to adapt the next episode, "How to Catch a Hedgehog". Instead, I'm going to write a completely original chapter featuring Matt as the main character, which will attempt to explain one part. Chris and his friends are not going to appear in this chapter. If you want a hint on what it's going to be about, think Hardy Boys and National Treasure. After this episode, I will write the two-part season finale.
Also, you may be curious about some of the things I was going to have for episodes 21 and 22 when I was going to adapt them. Episode 21 was going to be renamed "The Race", and feature some more scenes between Eggman and Jerome. Also, I wanted to have Tails geek out over Sam's new motor. But I decided to reference the events of that episode in this one. I had even fewer ideas for Episode 22, which was also filler. Mr. Stewart would still have been tracking Chris, but he wouldn't follow them in person. Also, I had its working title as "Homecoming", because everyone was heading to Tanaka's homeland, which I imagine is the island Hokkaido. I came up with a town called "Nessuisen", which means "hot springs" in Japanese. I have Google Translate to thank for that one.
Also, Mr. Stewart has effectively been removed from this chapter; he had nothing to contribute in the original episode.
Also, I have no idea why I start all my paragraphs with "also" :P
That's all for this time. The next chapter may take a little longer to write due to its nature, but I should still have it out in a month.
Next time: Matt and his college roommate track down the seventh Chaos Emerald, but they have unexpected company! Don't miss it!
