-Chapter 104-
The Rescue
Techno Base
In his office, Robotnik was issuing orders to Grimer and Snively.
"Ready immediate hedgehog countermeasures," he ordered. "Set security to max. Sonic is on his way with Knuckles, and neither of them are going to be happy."
"I tried to tell you that once he found out the truth, the echidna would be pissed," Snively said matter-of-factly.
"Shut up, Snively!" Robotnik snapped. "Now, get the Roboticizer ready. We'll need more Robians."
"Yes, well…" Grimer began awkwardly, "about that, sir. We've only succeeded in making seven. The Roboticizer needs to cool down before we make anymore."
"Only seven?!" Robotnik shrieked. "We've been at this for a week, and we've only made seven?!"
"I warned you it was an older model," Grimer pointed out. "Making more than one Robian a day causes severe overheating."
Robotnik put a hand over his face, breathing deep and slow. "Okay... alright, fine. We can make do with what we've got."
"Technically we have six, since you gave one of the Robians to Agatha…" Snively began.
That got him a hard whack on the head.
"You're not helping," Robotnik snapped before beginning to input commands into his glove. "The minute Sonic and his cohorts get into the base, we hit them with everything we've got. Even they can't handle a literal army of Badniks."
"Need I remind you they destroyed an entire hoard of Motobugs?" Snively asked.
"Or that they have a dragon now?" Grimer added.
"I'm mixing it up, alright?!" Robotnik bellowed. "Besides, even if they do succeed, it'll buy us enough time to completely refuel the Egg Utopia. Now go!"
They scrambled to obey.
-X-
Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighters had arrived outside the Techno Base, seeing a sizable building reminiscent of Citadel Robotnik before them. Floating above, fuel lines attached, was a sizable flying battleship. It was reminiscent of a Death Egg, complete with a massive rendition of Eggman's face emblazoned across the front. Dulcy landed next to the group, looking grim. Kat's face matched hers.
"The entire area is crawling with Badniks of every caliber," Kat reported.
"Eggman's pulling out all the stops," Hope deduced.
"I suppose after Knuckles' threat, he's aware of just how badly he screwed up," Antoine mused.
"He can throw everything he's got at us," Sonic piped up. "It's not gonna stop me."
He looked at the base and Egg Utopia with iron determination.
"I won't let Floral Forest become another Shēngcún," he vowed. "I'm saving Cream's folks and the rest of the villagers, even if it kills me."
"Sonic…" Kat cut in, meeting his eyes. "Do not go down that path. Do not go Dark."
"I won't," Sonic assured.
"We'll see what we can do to their numbers from the air," Dulcy said, Kat translating. "Maybe we can even the odds."
"Be careful," Sonic warned.
"And give 'em hell," Knuckles added.
Dulcy nodded before taking off with Kat in tow.
"What's the plan, Sonic?" Chris asked.
"No telling how long before the Egg Utopia's fueled back up, so don't waste time smashing every Badnik you see," Sonic said. "We cut a path through the base, find the last Emerald, then we board that crate and take it down."
"What I wouldn't give for Tails' Miles Electric," Hope sighed.
"It's probably either in some big mech, or powering this place," Keith theorized.
"Give me a minute," Knuckles told them.
He closed his eyes, focusing his senses and reaching out for any sign of the Emerald.
"Oh, yeah…" Chris recalled. "I forgot he could do that too."
"I got it," Knuckles reported. "It's in a mech, alright. Our least favorite recurring robot."
"Let me guess, Metal Sonic?" Sonic offered.
"Got it in one," Knuckles confirmed.
"That makes things harder, but doesn't change what we gotta do," Bunnie remarked. "Let's do it to it."
"That's my line…" Sonic muttered.
As they headed in, Hope turned to Knuckles.
"So, how do you do it? Sense the Emeralds on your own and all that. Is it a Guardian thing?"
"Yes and no," he answered. "It's just a sixth sense I've always known. They say the best treasure hunters can 'feel' what they're looking for this way. (1)"
"And Kat can do it because...?" Keith prompted.
"Hell if I know," Knuckles admitted with a shrug, "She's developed faster than even I did."
"Maybe the Master Emerald just likes her," Chris suggested.
"Who knows?" Knuckles replied.
Alarms began blaring as robots of all shapes and sizes began pouring out of the base. They all readied for a fight, Sonic rotating his shoulder.
"It's showtime," the hedgehog declared.
The clash was magnificent, energy balls, laser shots, fire shields, blue lightning, and dragon fire exploding all across the base. When they were faced with approaching Egg Hammers, Sonic perked, an idea forming. He darted over to Knuckles, whispering the idea into his ear. Knuckles listened, a small smile forming.
"That's crazy," he mused. "But it just might work."
"Let's do some damage!" Sonic exclaimed.
The Egg Hammers closed in, massive tools at the ready. Sonic tucked into spinball mode, and much to everyone else's surprise, Knuckles grabbed him and picked him up, the curled-up hedgehog whirling around his fist like a blue boxing glove. When the hammers swung, so did Knuckles, blue fire mixing with Chaos lightning in a brilliant explosion of light and power. The Egg Hammer utterly exploded, a small wave taking out at least seven more behind it. The others watched, somewhat dumbfounded.
"Okay…" Keith began, "just to make sure my glasses work, Knuckles just used Sonic as a boxing glove to take out that huge hammer-bot, right?"
"Yyyyep," Chris confirmed.
"Wow…" Keith let out. "I can't tell if that was totally insane, brilliant, or both."
"Well, they say madness and genius are two sides of the same coin," Hope mused.
The fight continued, the group plowing their way to the door. Once they got inside, Dulcy landed in front of the door, creating a wall of fire to block off the entrance.
"We'll keep these guys from outflanking you," Kat told them. "Tear this place apart and find the villagers!"
They hurried ahead, checking every room and getting nothing. Eventually, they came to the end of the hall, entering to find themselves faced with the Roboticizer. Knuckles immediately began fuming, fists clenching. They approached the machine, Hope spotting a remote. She picked it up, giving the button a push. A holographic image shimmered on, revealing a struggling Kat.
"So that's how he did it," Sonic realized.
"It was a dirty trick, no doubt about that," Chris mused. "But I gotta hand it to Eggman. It's a very convincing hologram."
Knuckles held out a hand to Hope. Realizing what he wanted, she gave him the remote, which he promptly crushed in his fist. The hologram fizzled out, but it wasn't enough for the echidna.
"I need to smash this thing," he insisted. "So if there's anything you want to do first, do it now."
Hope went over to the Roboticizer, prying open a panel and pulling out multiple circuits and components.
"This thing is totally out of date…" she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "Oh well. It's better than nothing."
"Just take what you can," Sonic told her.
After stashing multiple parts, Hope pulled back. "Okay, you're good."
With a yell, Knuckles charged at the machine. He began tearing it apart, tearing wires, ripping out paneling, smashing parts over his knee, and utterly destroying the table. He was at it for a good few minutes, the others watching as the Roboticizer was reduced to scrap. Eventually, he stopped, panting amidst the carnage.
"Feelin' better, sugar?" Bunnie asked after a minute.
Knuckles nodded. "Much better."
They heard something like a buzzsaw going off, and whirled around to see a spinning blue figure cutting through the door.
"Sacre bleu!" Antoine exclaimed.
"It's Metal!" Keith shouted.
Sonic got in front of the group and braced, just as the door flew open to reveal Metal.
"I knew I'd find you here, Sonic," the robo-hedgehog remarked. "Unlike last time, I have no intention of just letting you walk."
"Ooh, scary," Sonic said sarcastically. "I'm wetting myself as we speak."
Metal charged at Sonic and the hedgehog caught him.
"Get out of here and find the Egg Utopia!" he ordered his friends. "I've got my lesser doppelganger!"
His friends hurried away, leaving Sonic to face his metal counterpart alone. Metal Sonic stepped back, venting harshly as he clenched his fists and focused.
"Get a load of this!" he shouted.
The silver Chaos Emerald swirled around him before phasing into his chest. An explosion of power ripped through the lab as Metal's eyes turned yellow and he was surrounded by a golden aura. Sonic grinned in excitement, clenching his fist.
"Now we're talkin'!" he exclaimed. "Show me what you've got, Metal!"
"I'LL CRUSH YOU!"
They clashed hard, gold and blue light clashing as the two collided like pinballs. They bounced all across the room, colliding in brilliant explosions of color and power. It was pandemonium, Sonic and Metal locked in a stalemate as they tore apart the room in their wake.
"At this rate, we'll be at this all day!" Sonic shouted.
"Then let me kill you so we can end this escapade!" Metal snapped.
Sonic began wracking his brain, trying to come up with an idea. Suddenly, he got one. It was a longshot, but he prayed to Aurora it would work.
"Eggatha! Get out of here!" he screamed.
Metal's reaction was instantaneous. His attention turned to the door, searching for his companion. Said attention was quickly diverted when Sonic's hand plunged into Metal's chest, grabbing the silver Emerald.
"Thank you kindly," he said with a grin.
"You dirty, rotten-!" Metal shouted.
"All's fair in love and war, Metal," Sonic retorted.
Sonic yanked and Metal's optics flickered, the bot crumbling to the ground as Sonic pocketed the last Emerald.
"And baby makes seven."
He headed out of the room just in time to hear an alarm go off, along with the building shaking. His communicator went off, which he answered.
"Sonic!" came Keith's voice. "They're done with refueling. The Egg Utopia's going active!"
"Get back to Kat and Dulcy!" Sonic ordered. "Destroy everything in your way!"
As he ran, Sonic switched to Kat's frequency. "Kat, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear," Kat replied.
"Tell Dulcy to meet me on top of the base! I need a ride!"
"Copy that!"
Sonic raced to the top of the base, the others already gathered there.
"Alright Sonic, how are we getting up there?" Bunnie asked.
"We aren't," Sonic told her. "I am."
Antoine blinked. "You're going to storm the Utopia by yourself?"
"Yep," Sonic confirmed. "Metal's down, almost all of Eggman's robots swarmed us here. All that's up there is Eggman and the villagers. I'll get them outta there, take the ship down, and be back in Knothole in time for Comedy Chimp."
"You shouldn't go up there without back-up," Antoine insisted. "It's a terrible-"
"Antoine…" Sonic cut him off, his voice serious and his back straight. "I have to do this. I need to do this."
Seeing Sonic's demeanor, Antoine nodded, stepping back. At that moment, Dulcy landed.
"Alright, let's hurry!" Kat insisted. "That thing's launching and will be out of range soon!"
Sonic hopped on, and Dulcy flew at full speed as the Egg Utopia ascended.
"Hang on, everyone," he muttered. "I'm coming."
Egg Utopia
Inside, radars were going off as Grimer came running over to Robotnik.
"Sir, we've got something approaching fast!" he informed him.
Robotnik brought up the screen, seeing Dulcy flying at them with Sonic on her back.
"He's still coming?!" the doctor punched out the screen in a rage. "I hate that hedgehog!"
"Your orders?" Grimer asked.
"I'll deal with it myself," Robotnik decided. "Ready my escape route."
"Running away?" Snively deadpanned. "Of course you are."
Robotnik glared at him, threateningly holding up a pair of scissors. Snively recoiled, covering his head and shutting up.
"I want the Robians loaded up, as well as any Mobini we have onboard," he ordered. "And bring the Chao carer. She may still be of some use to me."
-X-
Outside, Dulcy was nearing the Utopia. Sonic stood up on her back, tensing his legs and preparing to jump.
"Keep that radio on you," Kat told him. "You need something, just say the word and we'll be there."
Sonic gave her a thumbs up before jumping into the air and performing an aerial Boost, jetting for the Utopia. He ended up piercing right through the outside plating, landing in what looked like a maintenance hallway.
"Okay, the first step is getting the villagers outta here. All of them."
He took off at top speeds, looking through all of the lower levels. He eventually came across a brig area, numerous capsules there. The prisoners inside perked up.
"It's Sonic!" one exclaimed.
"He did come!" said another.
"Is this everyone?" Sonic asked.
"They took a few of us, eight in total," the first prisoner told him. "Everyone else is here."
Sonic nodded. "Alright. I'll find them. But first, I'm gonna get you outta here."
"Over there," a third prisoner pointed to a lever marked "Eject". "The cube robot tried to pull it and Robotnik told him it would release all our pods down to the surface."
"That's Cubot for you," said Sonic. "He lacks the basic intelligence for... pretty much everything."
He darted over, grabbing the lever. "Brace yourselves for freedom!"
With that, Sonic threw the switch. Panels opened and every single pod dropped. Sonic looked through one of the panels, seeing that large parachutes began opening, slowing the descent of the pods.
"Okay, that's step one down. Now for step two."
He hurried through the ship, stopping when he heard Eggatha's voice from a nearby room.
"Be careful with that. It's delicate equipment, and hard to come by."
"Sorry, Lady Agatha."
Sonic's blood ran cold at the robotic monotone he heard.
"No…" he managed. "I can't be too late again…"
He rushed to the door, opening it to find Eggatha and Coco in the midst of packing her things, no doubt to evacuate. Coco turned to Sonic, the hedgehog seeing the colors and knowing instantly who this was.
"Alert!" the robo-rabbit declared. "Hedgehog, Priority One!"
"Override AR-113," Eggatha cut in.
Coco relaxed. "Override initiated. Resuming previous orders."
He got back to packing as though nothing had happened. Sonic began breathing heavily, clenching his fists.
"Damn it…" he managed. "DAMN IT!"
He began sparking, the lightning flickering between blue and black as he staggered out of the room, leaning against the wall as he pulled out his stress ball and began squeezing. Eggatha cautiously peeked out.
"Sonic?" she let out. "You're... not turning into a shadow monster, are you?"
"No!" Sonic spat, much harsher than he intended.
Eggatha flinched and Sonic cursed, holding up his hands.
"No…" he sighed. "No, I'm not."
The sparking faded as Sonic composed himself. "How many?"
"Seven, including Coco," Eggatha replied.
Sonic blinked. "Wait… the others said eight were taken."
"Miss Vanilla," Eggatha nodded. "She's not a Robian. Coco traded his life for hers."
Coco paused packing for a second, then resumed. Sonic heard a chirp, seeing Pitch peeking out of Eggatha's hair and putting two and two together.
"Uncle Ivo agreed for the sake of Chao care, as you can see," Eggatha went on. "But I promise you, Sonic, Miss Vanilla's okay. You haven't failed."
"Where is she?" Sonic asked.
"She's being loaded up onto an escape vehicle with the Robians and Mobini," Eggatha told him. "I'm taking my own so I can collect Metal."
"And Coco?"
"He's my new lab assistant. He'll never see field duty as long as I'm around. Now hurry up and go. Cream needs her mom more than ever now."
Sonic nodded and prepared to speed off, but stopped and turned to Coco.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time, Coco," he told him. "But your wife is going home, where your daughter is waiting. Your sacrifice wasn't in vain. You saved your family."
He sped off at that. Coco remained frozen for a moment, life flickering in his optics. After a minute, the episode ended and he got back to work.
-X-
Sonic headed for the cargo bay, seeing a single large capsule which he guessed contained Vanilla and the Mobini. Before he could get to it, however, a large mech crashed down in front of him. It was a giant, metal frog, one that had the Egg Mobile implanted in its head.
"And here you are," Robotnik mused. "Inconvenient as always."
"You won't stop me from taking Miss Vanilla home, Eggman!" Sonic roared. "Now get the hell outta my way!"
"I'm afraid I'm not done with her yet," Robotnik said. "Nik requires the best of care, and she is the best."
His own Chao popped up from the doctor's lap, chirping happily. Sonic blinked in surprise.
"Uh... why would a Chao be drawn to a creep like you?" he shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You want info on Chao care, get a book!"
He launched at Robotnik, and the frog let out a loud ribbit, a spiked mace-like tongue lashing out. Sonic jumped up, leaping onto the tongue before slamming down in spinball form onto it.
"Oho, someone's angry," Robotnik chuckled. "Upset that you failed another village?"
"Shut up!" Sonic snapped.
"I'll take that as a yes," Robotnik said simply. "It seems that despite your claims at being the fastest thing alive, you were still too slow."
Sonic ground his teeth in anger. "You have no idea how close you are to getting your ass kicked even harder, fat man."
"Oh enough posturing, Sonic," Robotnik scoffed. "Don't pretend like you'd actually let yourself go down that path."
"I don't have to go Dark to beat you senseless!"
The tongue lashed out again. Sonic dodged before launching a Spin Dash right into the frog's mouth. The frog slammed its mouth shut, and Sonic began rattling around in there, leaving massive dents in the metal. Then, the mouth exploded and the spiked tongue went flying. It ended up colliding with the massive capsule, severely cracking it and ripping some of the top machinery out.
Sonic gasped as the frog collapsed. Robotnik emerged in the Egg Mobile, pressing a button on his glove controller and calling in another mech. This one was humanoid with a small speared head with one eye larger than the other, and a large body. There were discs on the sides with a set of arms that both ended with three spiked clawed hands. In the middle of the body was a large black panel and at the bottom was a set of boots. The robot was mostly colored blue with orange stripes. Its head and claws were gray, and it had a blue jet-pack attached to its back.
"Any ruler worth his salt always has his backup plan," Robotnik gloated as the Egg Mobile plugged into the mech's middle before picking up the capsule. "So long, Sonic!"
He took off. Sonic gritted his teeth before focusing, the Chaos Emeralds in his pocket glowing before emerging and spinning around him. His spines turned golden and his clothes turned white, the hedgehog taking off after the flying mech.
"Don't think you're getting away that easily, Eggman!" he shouted.
Robotnik turned his head, seeing Super Sonic approach.
"Of course," he sighed. "Well, I still don't have to beat you, Sonic! All I need to do is run out the clock until your Super State runs out! How satisfying it will be to see you explode in the vacuum of space…"
The robot swung its arms, unleashing several orbs that fluttered toward him. Before Sonic could react, one opened up, closing around him and trapping him inside for a moment or two. However, a quick burst of Chaos energy shattered the orb, freeing the hedgehog once more.
"You're only prolonging the inevitable!" he shouted.
Rather than answer, the robot fired a sweeping laser from its eye. Sonic took a direct hit and was knocked back for a minute, before focusing his power and shooting through the beam.
"Gotta do better than that!"
Robotnik kept up the pressure, Sonic struggling back and forth against the beam for a bit before rapidly spinning and shooting through.
"No, no, no!" Robotnik shouted. "What is it going to take to beat you?!"
"You're never gonna beat me, Eggman! You can try all you want, but there's one true fact about the world. The good guys win, and the bad guys lose!"
Sonic blasted through the robot, which began sparking before exploding, sending the Egg Mobile flying away helplessly.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Robotnik screamed, shaking his fist angrily. "You haven't seen the last of me, Sonic the Hedgehog!"
Sonic wasn't listening, more focused on the plummeting capsule. The parachute deployed, and to his horror, there was a long tear through it. He darted down, grabbing the bottom and desperately trying to slow its descent even as he felt his Super power fading.
"No!" he screamed. "No, not now!"
In desperation, Sonic grabbed onto the large crack in the side of the capsule, pouring his power into it. The capsule exploded, dozens of mobini and flickies dropping, as well as Vanilla. The blast threw Sonic back, his power spent. Despite this, Sonic went into a power dive to catch up to the plummeting Vanilla, reaching out for her and managing to catch onto her hand.
"I've got you!" he yelled. "Don't worry!"
"That's all well and good." Vanilla replied. "But who's got you?"
Sonic blinked before looking in all directions, realizing their predicament. He might have caught Vanilla, but they were still free-falling to the ground from the stratosphere with no landing strategy.
"I'm… gonna chalk that up to poor planning," he managed.
Vanilla then pulled him closer, flapping her ears like big, furry wings. "Luckily, you saved someone with flight capabilities."
Sure enough, the more she flapped her ears, the slower their descent became (2). Sonic looked around, somewhat awestruck.
"Well… didn't see that coming," he remarked.
"It's been a while since I've flown, but it's like riding a bike," Vanilla told him. "You never forget."
Suddenly, Sonic's radio crackled.
"Sonic? What was that explosion?" Kat's voice came. "Are you alright?"
After facepalming at forgetting the radio, Sonic answered.
"Vanilla's capsule went bang, and we're in free-fall. Care to swoop in?"
A draconic roar answered his question for him. Dulcy came diving for them, Kat standing on her back and offering a hand to help. Sonic caught the hand, Kat pulling him and Vanilla onto Dulcy's back.
"We saw all the capsules go down just outside the base," Kat told him. "The others are already getting everyone out and Warp Ringed back to Floral Forest."
"Good," Sonic relaxed.
"So... did you get everyone?"
"No…" Sonic sighed. "Seven were roboticized before we got there. Including Coco."
Kat's face fell at that.
"My husband and the other six will be saved," Vanilla cut in. "I have faith in that."
She turned to Sonic, gently taking his chin in her hands. "I have faith in you."
Sonic managed a smile at that.
"In the meantime, Coco's safe as Eggatha's assistant. But... what're we gonna tell Cream?"
"That he's gonna be late coming home, but that he's always thinking of her," Kat offered. "And he can't wait to hold her again."
"She'll know that even as a Robian, he still cares," Vanilla added. "I saw it in his eyes. He's still in there."
"Then they're all still in there," Sonic realized. "We can get them out. In the meantime, someone wants to see you, Miss Vanilla."
Floral Forest Village
Villagers poured through Warp Rings into the ruined village. As Sonic stepped through with Vanilla, she made a beeline for the Chao Garden. Pulling a key identical to Cream's from her dress, she opened the gate. The kids inside turned towards the door, all of the bunnies cheering at the sight of the adults.
"Mom!" Caleb screamed.
He and his sisters rushed forward, hugging another snow-white rabbit. The others did the same with their parents, and then Cream saw Vanilla.
"Cream!" Vanilla exclaimed. "Oh, my precious girl…"
"Mama...?" Cream let out, jumping to her feet with tears in her eyes. "MAMA!"
She tackled her mother in a hug. Cheese and Chocola nuzzled both rabbits happily as Sonic and the others looked on. Helen sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye. After a minute, they parted, Cream looking around.
"Mama, where's Daddy?"
Kat slid off Dulcy's back, approaching Cream. The young rabbit looked up at her as the girl placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a warm, sympathetic smile.
"Your dad is staying with a friend of ours for a while. He's sorry he can't come home yet, but he wanted you to know that he loves you very much, and he can't wait to see you again."
Cream smiled, wiping her eyes.
"Your dad's a real hero," Sonic told her as he ruffled her ears. "I can see why you're so brave."
Cream giggled at that.
"I'm sorry about your village," Hope sighed. "You guys lost everything."
"We can always rebuild," Caleb's mother cut in. "Material possessions are replaceable. Lives, on the other hand, aren't."
"Well said, Rita," Vanilla said.
Already, the villagers are beginning to assess the damage, taking stock of what was left and what could be fixed. As they did, Vanilla turned to Sonic.
"I appreciate everything you've done for us, but I have one more request, if you don't mind," she asked.
"Name it," Sonic assured.
"Take Cream with you back to Knothole," Vanilla requested.
Sonic tilted his head, confused. "Are you sure?"
"The village isn't safe for her at the moment, and a construction site is no place for a six year old," Vanilla explained. "With you, she'll be safe, and I believe her presence will also be of great benefit to you."
Sonic rubbed the back of his neck. "I… haven't really been in the best place for a while, I'll admit that much."
"I heard what Robotnik said back on his Utopia," Vanilla told him. "We all battle inner darkness sometimes, and one thing i've learned is that you shouldn't face the darkness alone. And sometimes…" She gestured to Cream, who was talking with Kat as she introduced the bunny to Dulcy. "A small piece of pure light can go a long way."
Sonic nodded, seeing her point.
"Alright," he decided. "We'll take her in."
Vanilla smiled. "Thank you, Sonic."
With that, Sonic went over to the others, explaining Vanilla's request.
"Miss Vanilla wants us to take Cream?" Bunnie asked.
"She can stay with me," Helen suggested. "My mom loves rabbits."
"Great idea," Sonic agreed.
"Guess this means we'll be coming by Knothole more often," Danny suggested.
"Just to visit, of course," Frances clarified.
"You're welcome to stop by whenever," Sonic assured.
He turned to Dulcy, Kat translating for him. "So Dulcy... what're you gonna do now?"
"For now, I'm going back to the Nest," Dulcy replied. "I've been gone far too much as it is, and will have much to answer for. At the same time, Robotnik isn't a problem that will just go away. When I find the time, I'll talk to the people of Yurashia and get them to join our cause. The world could always use more Freedom Fighters."
"Well, if you ever need help, feel free to drop by," Sonic assured before pointing to Kat. "Though I suggest going to her first, so the language barrier isn't a problem."
"Perhaps we should also take language courses so it won't be one at all," Dulcy suggested.
"Yeah, that works too."
They all shared a laugh.
"Bye, Dulcy," Kat said. "It was nice meeting you."
"Until we meet again."
Dulcy took to the sky, disappearing into the sunset.
"Well," Sonic began, "another day, another Eggman plot foiled. Let's go home, team."
Knothole, two weeks later
Cream and Cheese had acclimated well to life in Knothole. That day found them in Freedom HQ, watching their favorite program, The Next Show. On screen was a furry purple monster with beady blue eyes and a big orange smile.
"Y'know what I like to do best, boys and girls?" he asked. "I'd like to dance! Dancing's lots of fun and it's good exercise! Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you dance with me?"
He started doing so, the rabbit and Chao following his movements.
"Oh man, The Next Show!" Chris exclaimed. "I remember this. I can't believe it's still ongoing."
"You kidding?" Hope remarked. "It's a timeless classic for children, like Poppy Parkway."
"Or Magenta's Mysteries," Kat added.
Sally turned to Sonic, seeing him smiling while bobbing his head to the music.
"Having Cream over is the best thing that could've happened, Sonic," she mused. "You've been lightening up more than I've seen you in weeks."
"What can I say, Sal?" Sonic replied. "Cream's a nice kid and easy to get along with. You can't help but like her."
Sally smiled, putting an arm around him. "That you can't."
Author's Note:
(1): Taken from Archie's explanation of the ability. It also explains why Rouge has a similar ability.
(2): Yep. Here, Cream got her flying ears from her mom.
And that's it for this one. What awaits the Freedom Fighters next? Stay tuned to find out.
Please R&R. Until next time!
