I forgot to explain why Silver is featured in the story. I know that in the canon, Silver comes from the future, but I decided not to follow canon and instead let him be a Mobian who lives in the same timeline as Sonic and the others.
By the way, how many are excited about the upcoming Sonic X Shadow Generations? I'm going to buy it as soon as I can and then stream it during that same weekend.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic the Hedgehog characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 4: Scareclaw-ing Much?
Tails and Cosmo got to stay in Chuck's old loft in the garage that had stayed empty for a few years after he passed away. Tails looked forward to introduce his girlfriend to his favorite human and vice versa, but now they were going to visit Chuck's tombstone as soon as they found the rest of their friends. The loft looked almost the same as it did when Tails left Earth, except there were new tiny gadgets that Chuck started working on but never got to finish.
Tails slept soundly on his side of the bed, but the other side was empty. Cosmo stood in front of the work desk staring at the green Chaos Emerald in the darkness. The gem was going to be installed in the X-Tornado first thing in the morning. She couldn't shake off the odd feeling she got before when Tails got to keep the Chaos Emerald.
Cosmo took the magical gemstone and brought it closer, a gentle light illuminating her face. She could still feel its mysterious power like it was resonating with nature itself.
'What is this power?'
Tails' eyelids fluttered when he woke up and realized his partner wasn't next to him. "Cosmo…?"
Said seedrian put the Chaos Emerald down on the desk and hurried back to bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"No, it's okay…", Tails yawned and wrapped his arm around her waist once she crawled under the covers. "What were you doing…?"
Cosmo considered keeping her suspicions a secret, but if she was correct then the others would figure out in due time, so there was no point of hiding it. "I think something is different with the Chaos Emerald…"
"The Chaos Emerald?" Tails blinked confusedly, his brain slowly waking up from its slumber. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know how to explain it…", Cosmo mumbled. "But I can feel the power of earth residing deep within the Chaos Emerald."
"Power of earth?" Tails arched a brow. "You mean the Chaos Emerald contains power of an element?"
"Yes", Cosmo nodded.
"I believe you, but it's kinda preposterous", Tails retorted. "The Chaos Emeralds have never indicated they have the power of an element before. Why would one suddenly do it now?"
"I don't know. I didn't feel it before when we fought the Metarex, so something must have changed when Chaos Control brought us to Earth."
Tails was perplexed. He wanted to examine the Chaos Emerald right away, but it was late and he didn't want to wake the others up in case it got quite noisy. "If what you say is true, then it's urgent we find the other Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Eggman discovers their power and harness them to make his robots even stronger."
Cosmo nodded and soon fell asleep in her boyfriend's safe embrace. Tails covered her with his two tails before he closed his eyes and resumed his dream.
XXXXXXXXXX
Many students were still rattled after yesterday's events, but they had to attend class if they wanted to ace the upcoming exams before summer vacation that was a few months away. No one wanted to spend half a vacation with make-up exams and extra homework.
Mikoto, dressed in a new and clean school uniform, checked her locker where she found her schoolbag she left behind. All her stuff was there except the notebook she used for chemistry. That was left behind in the laboratory when she and Aria evacuated the building, so she had to go and retrieve it during lunchbreak.
A soft tap on her shoulder brought her out of her trance. Her headphones were over her ears, so she hadn't heard the person coming over to her. She turned around and faced a smiling Aria.
"Good morning, Miko", Aria greeted.
Mikoto read her lips, but she still removed one side of her headphones to properly hear her. "Good morning, Thorndyke-san."
"Please, just call me Aria", the blonde insisted. "It feels odd being addressed so formally."
Mikoto flushed lightly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry… Aria-san."
Aria giggled sweetly, happy to finally being able to communicate with the blackette. "I had fun texting with you last night."
"R-Really?" Mikoto blinked in surprise.
The Japanese girl told her caretaker about Aria's friendly approach and asked them for advice. Masato and Akane insisted she should give this friendship a chance. Shadow said nothing about the matter and silently retreated to his bedroom after dinner.
Mikoto took the initiative to send a message to Aria after she changed into her nightgown. She hesitated for a long time with her finger hovering above the send button, but she bit her lip and touched it. She feared for the worst when her smartphone rang for an incoming message. Aria kindly responded saying she was happy to receive a message from her. After that, the girls had a long chat until Mikoto pointed out they had school the next day.
Aria nodded with a sweet smile. "Do you feel better communicating through texts?"
Mikoto nodded and turned her eyes away. "Yes… It's easier without looking straight in the eyes."
"I get it", Aria nodded. "If you ever need a break or something, let me know."
Mikoto felt odd. Somebody else besides her caretakers was being considered of her needs. That was a first. Well, not exactly because Shadow was now living with her and so far he had been quiet and only interacted with her and her caretakers when he needed something. Speaking of, said ebony hedgehog left shortly after breakfast for an "annoying" meeting with the other Mobians as he had described it.
Mikoto slowly put her headphone back on her ear, trying to hear her own thoughts instead of getting drowned by the noise around her. "Thank you… I appreciate it."
Aria smiled, figuring Mikoto's hearing couldn't take much more of the buzz in the corridor. She would have to rely on texts now.
Aria's two best friends stopped several feet from the duo, very confused over the fact that their blonde friend was talking to the unapproachable blackette.
"What is Aria doing?" the male wondered.
His female friend pushed her glasses up her nose. "She's talking to the infamous lone wolf who always avoids people whenever they want to talk to her."
The boy frowned lightly. "Then I guess Aria was right when she said Mikoto helped her evacuate yesterday… But then she went looking for her for whatever reasons."
"Perhaps we should seize the chance and talk to them", the chocolate skinned girl suggested.
"I agree!" the reddish haired boy nodded and waved his hand. "Hey, Aria!"
Aria heard her friends and gave them a wave as they came closer. Mikoto noticed them and bowed swiftly to the blonde before she went off to her classroom. Aria watched her with concerned eyes, but decided to let her go for now.
"Good morning, Thomas, Cindy", Aria greeted her friends.
"Where did Mikoto go?" Cindy wondered when she noticed the blackette was already gone.
"She needs some space before class", Aria explained.
"Space?" Thomas arched a brow.
Aria didn't want to tell her friends anymore without Mikoto's permission. "It's up to her to tell you when she's ready."
"It sounds to me you two became friends", Cindy pointed out.
Aria's face erupted into a big smile. "That's because we are friends!"
Thomas' jaw dropped a few inches in disbelief. "Huh? When'd that happen?"
"It's a long story", Aria replied. She checked her smartphone and saw there was one minute left before class. "I'll ask Miko by text and we see if we can talk during lunchbreak."
XXXXXXXXXX
The Mobians gathered in the Thorndykes' garage where Tails informed them of Cosmo's suspicions about the green Chaos Emerald. With Helen's permission, who worked from home, Cosmo attempted to activate the Chaos Emerald and manifest its power to control earth on a small part of the huge garden.
"Nothing's happening…", Silver mumbled while he sat on the grass drumming his finger on his knee.
Shadow leaned against the base of a tree, hiding under the shade, with his arms crossed and scoffed at the scene. "This is a waste of time."
"Now, now, Shadow", Sonic spoke up. "You know this is important. We need to find out if the Chaos Emeralds really contain power of different elements as Cosmo suspects."
Cosmo sighed as she gave up. Now that she tried using the Chaos Emerald, she could definitely sense the power of earth deep inside the gemstone, but it didn't respond to her wishes. "I can't do it", she murmured as she walked back to the group. "I can sense the element, but it doesn't want to work with me."
"So, the Chaos Emerald does contain the element of earth, but you cannot activate it which is really strange…", Tails hummed as he wrote down some notes on a clipboard. "Hey, Shadow, a quick question."
"What?" Shadow murmured.
"Did you notice anything strange when you used the Chaos Emerald yesterday?" the two-tailed fox wondered.
Shadow rewinded his tape of memories from yesterday's battle. He had used the Chaos Emerald the same way he had done previously on Mobius. Nothing appeared out of ordinary when he fought Dr. Eggman and Kon-King. "No."
"Has somebody else besides you guys touched the Chaos Emerald?" Silver wondered, referring to Shadow, Tails and Cosmo as they were the only Mobians who had touched the green gemstone so far.
Sonic hummed loudly and lightly chewed on his bottom lip before he got a light bulb idea. "Hey, Shadow!"
"What now?" Shadow growled.
"Lighten up, wise guy", Sonic commented sarcastically. "Did Miko touch the Chaos Emerald when she found you?"
The ebony hedgehog nodded. "She personally gave it to me the same night I ended up in her garden."
"Did she mention if anything changed in her garden?" Tails asked, ready to write down notes related to this subject.
"She said this morning some of her withered flowers were suddenly healthy again", Shadow replied. "She hadn't used any new fertilizer, so she has no idea what made them fresh again."
Tails scribbled down key words on his clipboard before he tapped the edge of the pencil on his lips, a pondering expression covering his face. "Hmm… Could this mean there's something in Mikoto's garden the Chaos Emerald reacted to?"
Silver got an odd thought. "What if the Chaos Emerald reacted to Mikoto when she touched it?" There was an awkward silence as Sonic and Tails gave the silver hog a deadpan stare. Silver cold sweated at their glares. "C-C'mon, guys! It was just a joke!"
"Of course it was a joke, Silver", Sonic mumbled unamusingly. "Humans don't have Chaos Energy like we do. If they did, then Dr. Eggman would've been ten times stronger and use that energy to boost up his robots."
"Which is why he wants the Chaos Emeralds", Tails nodded. "He needs them to cover his weakness and use them to create the ultimate machine to enslave us and rule Mobius."
Cosmo and Shadow were silent while the others argued back and forth. They were thinking of different possibilities of how other species that had no ounce of magical power could have affinity with magic items. Cosmo wasn't a Mobian, but she had the power to bend earth at her will because she was a plant-based creature. Even so, she was restricted from the earth magic inside the green Chaos Emerald.
Shadow didn't know much about the Chaos Emeralds other that they possessed a mysterious power that could grant the user any wish if they collected all seven gemstones. They were never mentioned by Dr. Gerald, at least he hadn't heard about them from the doctor whenever he was around, so there was very little known fact about them. He had vague memories from the times scientists conducted experiments on him, but he remembered one particular thing. The scientists pumped different types of blood into his veins to see if they would either clash against one another or mix into an entirely new blood type. Some people had extremely rare blood group which either helped them heal faster thanks to large presence of antibodies or made them less immune to diseases.
What if you took blood groups and added Chaos Energy to the equation? Earth and Mobius were once the same planet until an unknown cataclysmic event split said planet into two and ended up in different dimensions with their own separate timelines. There was a tiny possibility there were a handful of humans that had blood cells that resonated with Chaos Energy.
"Silver could be right", Shadow spoke up, bringing the argument to an abrupt end. "Would it really be strange if there were humans who have remnants of Chaos Energy in their systems after thousands of years of evolution?"
The Mobians were silent as they processed his theory. Tails scribbled something down on his clipboard. "Thousands of years… Evolution…"
Sonic shrugged amusingly with a loud snort. "C'mon, Shadow! There's no way humans have Chaos Energy-"
"Shadow has a valid point!" Tails called out, interrupting his big brother figure. "Think about it; Earth and Mobius were once the same planet before they split apart by mysterious circumstances that are still unknown to this day. What if the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald existed back then too?"
"And because the Emeralds left the planet, humans here forgot how to channel their Chaos Energy so that energy faded away in time the less they used it", Cosmo added. "But just maybe, for some individuals, Chaos Energy never left their blood and was transferred to next generation."
"So, you're saying Silver and Shadow could be right that there are few humans who still have Chaos Energy without knowing it?" Sonic wondered.
"It's just a hypothesis right now", Tails stated. "We need to ask some of our human friends to use the Chaos Emerald and see if this theory is correct."
Silver jumped up on his feet and brushed some grass off his fur. "We can ask Aria and Mikoto when they're back from school. In the meantime, let's go look for Blaze and the others."
"I agree", Cosmo nodded, worried about her friends. "They could be in danger right now as we speak."
Sonic started warming up by stretching his arms and legs. "Then let's get down to business! You guys fly with the Tornados, I'll cover the ground. You coming with us, Shadow?"
The black Mobian turned away from his fellow Mobians with a frown. "No. I'm going to look for the Chaos Emeralds."
"Fair enough, you do you", the cobalt hedgehog shrugged.
"Oh, I almost forgot giving you guys your communicators!" Tails gasped in realization. He hurried back to the garage and dropped his clipboard before he ran out with three personalized smartwatches. "Here, take one each. That way, we can communicate and report our findings to each other."
"Sweet! Thanks, Tails!" Sonic smiled and took the obvious dark blue wristwatch and strapped it on his left wrist.
"These will help us a lot", Silver nodded and grabbed his bright blue smartwatch.
Tails skittered to Shadow with a black and red smartwatch. "This one's for you, Shadow."
Shadow stared at the watch for a mere second before he sighed and took it. "I'll use it, as long as no one prank calls me."
Sonic snickered as he thought of trying to prank call the edgy hog at some point in the future. Shadow immediately glared at him which shut the fast hedgehog and whistle an innocent tone.
"I'll fly with the X-Tornado and search north", Tails informed his friends.
"Then I'll go west", Sonic threw a thumb over his shoulder.
"I will fly out to the east and look for any signs out in the ocean", Cosmo nodded.
"Looks like I'll take south", Silver shrugged.
"I can fly you to the border first, Silver", Cosmo proposed.
"That'll be a huge help, Cosmo", Silver nodded with a smile. "I can't run as fast as Sonic and I have a limit on how long I can use my telekinetic power at once."
"Shadow can be on standby and come help us if one of us ends up in trouble", Tails suggested. Said hedgehog snorted coldly.
"That sounded like a yes to me", Sonic chuckled. "Welp, gotta go! See ya all later!" With that said, he ran off at the speed of sound. Tails and Cosmo took off with the Tornados with Silver sitting behind the seedrian.
Shadow watched the planes until they blended with the sky. He remained in the garden for a few minutes before he skated off to go on his own little quest to find the Chaos Emeralds.
XXXXXXXXXX
Lunchbreak was one of the worst hours for Mikoto. She couldn't stand the buzz in the cafeteria, so she always ate outside in a quiet gazebo hidden within the school premises. She opened her lunchbox that Akane had prepared that morning and began eating after saying her little prayers.
She received a text from Aria minutes ago asking if she could join her for lunch and introduce her friends. Mikoto didn't feel ready to associate with the blonde's friends yet, so she wrote back saying she needed a little more time to prepare herself. Aria took it well, but she still wanted to eat lunch with her. After giving her a clumsy description of her location, Mikoto resumed eating and drank green tea from a thermos. She spotted something moving in the corner of her eye and looked up seeing Aria smile widely at her.
Aria gave her a wave while carrying a paper bag in her other hand. "Hi, Miko. I'm glad I found you."
Mikoto didn't have her headphones on as the noise outside didn't bother her the same way as indoors. "Hi, Aria-san."
Aria sat down across from her and packed up her lunch consisting of sandwiches and a bottle of melon soda. "I didn't know there was a gazebo here."
"I found it sometime after I began first year here", Mikoto explained while holding a rolled egg omelet with her metal chopsticks. "It's peaceful here. I like it."
Aria looked around surveying the area. The gazebo was surrounded by trees, bushes and some flowerbeds that Mikoto took care of when she needed to relax after tough hours in class. Plucking weeds helped distracting her and she even watered them if she came across the school janitor and asked him if she could help out.
"It's so clean", Aria commented as she stared at the bench. "There's no sign of vandalism."
"People barely come here since it's hidden by the nature", Mikoto shrugged.
The two girls continued eating their lunch in silence and remained in the gazebo for the rest of the lunchbreak. The spring wind caressed them like a warm hug from Mother Nature. "It's hard to believe we're almost done with our second year of high school", Aria spoke up.
Mikoto nodded while she listened to the chirping birds. "Just one more year left…"
'And then I will be free…'
Aria turned to the blackette with curious eyes. So far, Mikoto had been taking the conversation well and didn't show signs of anxiety. "Have you decided what you want to do, Miko?"
Mikoto sighed through her nose while she aimlessly stared at the ceiling of the gazebo. She had so many plans for her future, but she knew what Aria actually meant by her question. "I want to keep making ointments and remedies."
"Remedies?" Aria blinked confusedly.
"I like making ointments with herbs and flowers I grow on my own", Mikoto explained, not realizing she was talking about her secret hobby. "I want to help people feel better after they get hurt."
Mikoto always looked so uninterested so it was fascinating to Aria hearing about her hobby. It was especially thrilling since she and her mother loved tending to their garden and use their flowers to make their own tea. "So, you want to be like an apothecary like that worldwide famous light novel series?"
Mikoto's eyes brightened as she recognized the light novel the blonde described. "You read 'The Apothecary Diaries' too?"
Aria could see the light returned to the blackette's eyes. Mikoto usually had a depressing and cold aura so people didn't want to interact with her.
'I guess people misunderstand Miko because she's different.'
"I read the manga online", Aria replied to the question. "The art style is nice and I love the mystery about it."
"I read the manga too, but the light novel brings more depths to the story", Mikoto explained enthusiastically. "I've got the whole collection."
"Really? Then can I borrow the first volume to give it a try?"
Mikoto got caught off guard. Last time somebody asked her to borrow something from her was back in Japan when she got tricked by a so-called friend who just used her for their own gratification, taking advantage of how naïve she used to be. After a confrontation that resulted with suspension due to a fist fight and getting lectured by her father, she isolated herself from other children and refused to get herself involved with anyone else.
She drummed her fingers on her thighs, glancing cautiously at Aria whose smile never dropped. She felt like she could trust her for now, so perhaps she could borrow her copy of the first volume. "Sure… If you promise to return it."
"Of course I will!" Aria nodded with a big smile. "It's your book after all!"
Mikoto felt her tense shoulders relax slightly by the verbal promise. She could only trust those words when the blonde really gave her copy back. She blinked when she heard an unknown ringtone. Aria grabbed her smartphone from her cardigan and checked whatever was sent to her. The ebony haired girl saw how large Aria's eyes grew as she stared at her phone. "What is it?"
Aria turned her smartphone to her classmate and replayed the video. "Look at this video from Kentucky!" The cameraman moved their smartphone hastily, but Mikoto could still see the silhouettes of something red, pink, beige and a little blue. The four creators were being chased away from the city by a mob yelling profanities and names at the alien creatures.
"Could they be Sonic-kun's friends?" Mikoto wondered.
"It must be!" Aria nodded determinedly. "I'm calling Tails right away! I've got his phone number for emergency like this!"
That reminded Mikoto of something important. She forgot to buy a cell phone to Shadow so they could communicate directly with each other, especially after what occurred the other day with Dr. Eggman attacking Station Square.
XXXXXXXXXX
Speaking of, Dr. Eggman was still upset after yesterday's humiliation, but he got over it when he too came across the video of Knuckles' group being thrown out of a big city in Kentucky. The mad scientist chuckled while stroking his moustache.
"This is perfect! With Amy and Cream separated from their friends, I can capture the girls and hold them hostage so Sonic can free them in exchange for that Chaos Emerald Shadow has!"
"But, Dr. Eggman, Knuckles is with them", Orbot pointed out. "He's a formidable opponent."
"Yeah, not to mention a muscle-pack!" Cubot added.
"Maybe, but he doesn't perform well when he's distracted", Dr. Eggman cackled before he snapped his fingers. "The cards!"
Like on command, Decoe walked to him with a small tray carrying his cards. "Here you are, Dr. Eggman."
Just like last time, Dr. Eggman had a hard time choosing the appropriate robot, so he let his computer make the decision. It shuffled among every available card until it displayed the picture of a crow robot with large and sharp talons.
"Looks like the computer has selected EX-10 Scareclaw", Bocoe spoke up.
"Ah, Scareclaw! How comical!" Dr. Eggman laughed. "Kentucky is known to be a cultivating state with tons of fertile soil! Scareclaw will make phenomenal job acting like a scarecrow frightening away pests!"
XXXXXXXXXX
When Amy, Cream, Cheese and Knuckles woke up the next day after Chaos Control, they found themselves in the state of Kentucky. Surprised by the revelation of being back on the same planet they visited a long time ago, they tried looking for some help. The girls naively believed people would remember them from their last visit, but lots of time had passed by since so many humans forgot about their existence and chased them away.
The little group traveled aimlessly by foot until they exhaustingly stumbled upon a ranch. They encountered a kindhearted farming family who provided them shelter and food. The head of family recognized the Mobians from when he was a child. Apparently, Sonic rescued him when the horse he rode on went out of control. Bobbie Joe let the Mobians stay in exchange of helping him out on the fields until they could catch a ride to Station Square.
Bobbie Joe's wife showed the Mobians how to gently harvest vegetables while the man himself went out to the large grain fields. Amy and Cream enjoyed digging in dirt and do something relaxing. Knuckles however felt quite restless and it was shown by the way he violently pulled a cluster of red radish from the fertile soil.
"This is ridiculous!" the red Mobian snarled and threw the radishes in a basket next to him. "We should be looking for the Chaos Emeralds, not plucking vegetables!"
"Quit complaining, Knuckles!" Amy shouted back, wearing a straw hat to shield her head from heatstroke. "It's the least we can do for the family who let us stay the night. Besides, this is fun and very meditating."
Cream nodded, she too wearing a straw hat. "I agree, Amy. This is fun!" She pulled a cluster of radishes and dusted off the dirt. "I can't wait to try them!"
"Chao chao!" Cheese the Chao chirped eagerly as he flew next to the rabbit Mobian carrying a basket with vegetables.
Knuckles grinded his teeth, but he held back his growl and continued plucking radishes. Bobbie Joe's wife came over and put a cowboy hat on his head. "Be a little more gentle when you pull them from the soil, Knuckles. And wear this hat so you don't get heatstroke."
Knuckles flushed lightly, embarrassed that he was being treated like a child. He was nineteen years old for Chaos' sake. Still, he couldn't be rude toward somebody who cared for his wellbeing. "Thanks, ma'am… I'll be careful."
Amy and Cream snickered quietly but turned swiftly away when Knuckles glared at them. The echidna sighed tiredly and moved on with his task when he noticed the silhouette of a large cloud covering the plot. Amy and Cream gasped in fear when everyone looked up and saw an enormous robot crow flying in the sky.
Cream dropped her basket, spilling all vegetables she and Cheese had harvested, and held onto Amy's dress, sensing danger emitting from the artificial animal. "Wh-What is that, Amy?"
Amy wrapped her arms around the scared rabbit while she glared at the robot. "Stay close, Cream and Cheese!"
"Chaoo…", Cheese whimpered as he forced himself into Cream's safe arms.
Knuckles ran to the front of the girls to shield them from the giant crow. The air current emitting from the crow ruffled the plants of the garden which worried the farmer wife. Dr. Eggman hovered in front of his robot with Orbot and Cubot accompanying him again.
"Ho ho ho! I found you before Sonic and his friends did!" the madman laughed maliciously.
"Eggman!" Knuckles growled aggressively. "What do you want?"
"Well, I've come with a brilliant plan to kidnap the girls and hold them for ransom and only let them free in exchange of that Chaos Emerald Shadow and his friends have!" Dr. Eggman revealed his plan.
"Mr. Shadow is here on Earth too?" Cream blinked, relieved to know they weren't the only ones stuck on Earth.
Amy's eyes lit up in joy. "Does that mean Sonic is here too?!"
"If you think you can kidnap any of us, you're dead wrong!" Knuckles yelled and bumped his fists against each other.
Dr. Eggman smirked amusingly and floated away from his robot's path. "Good luck fighting EX-10 Scareclaw! ATTACK!"
Scareclaw screeched before it started flapping its wings, creating strong and large currents that threw up dirt and all harvested vegetables. The Mobians crouched down to the ground and grabbed onto the soil to not get blown away, their hats flying off with the wind. Bobbie Joe's wife took cover, but she was mostly worried about the garden. "No! Not here! The vegetables will be destroyed!"
"Stay down, Mrs. Farmer!" Amy shouted as loud as she could through the violent wind.
Knuckles growled and used his spiked knuckles to crawl toward the cackling robot crow. "C'mon, I can beat that feathery brat…!"
"Knuckles is very resilient", Orbot pointed out.
"Then Scareclaw just has to use another weapon", Dr. Eggman cackled. "EX-10 Scareclaw, it's time to use your trumpet beak!"
Scareclaw quit flapping its wings and opened its large beak revealing a massive speaker. The robot started blasting ear-splitting noise that forced every mortal being to cover their ears. Dr. Eggman was out of range so he didn't get affected, but he did bring along a pair of earplugs that he put in his ears.
"Ah, good silent noise!" Dr. Eggman hummed in relief.
"Um, Doc, you've got any spares for us?" Cubot wondered.
"Cubot, we don't have ears!" Orbot told his fellow robot.
"Really? Then why can we hear things?" Cubot asked.
Orbot sighed. "We have microphones in replacement for ears."
Amy, Cream and Cheese bit their lips as they endured the screeching nose as much as they could. Bobbie Joe's wife seized the opportunity to run back to the house with her hands over her ears. She had to contact the authorities of this disaster.
Knuckles bit his bottom lips so hard he drew blood. "IT'S TOO MUCH!"
"AMY!" Cream screamed in pain. Her ears were extra sensitive to loud noises, so this was torture to her.
Amy growled and raised up without covering her ears. "THAT'S IT!" She summoned her Piko Piko Hammer and threw it like a boomerang at Scareclaw's speaker. The hammer struck the speaker, so the dreadful came to a slow end. Scareclaw blinked its optics as it sensed something was stuck in its open beak.
That gave Knuckles room to recover from the noise. "Great job, Amy! Now it's my turn!" He dashed toward the crow that landed on the ground and used one of its wings to reach for the Piko Piko Hammer. He roared as he threw a fist on one of Scareclaw's legs and broke its claws off.
Scareclaw shrieked in pain and quickly flew up before it could lose its balance and crash on the ground. "Come back here, you oversized chicken!" Knuckles yelled after it.
"You're gonna regret that, Knuckles!" Dr. Eggman shouted. "I've got one more trick up on my sleeve! Scareclaw, grab Amy!"
Scareclaw chirped and flew toward the pink hedgehog. Amy yelped and ran away as far as she could. She tried looking for cover, but she didn't want anything in the ranch to get ruined because of the robot. She screamed when cold claws caught her and lifted her up from the ground. "HELP!"
"Amy!" Cream screamed in fear, cuddling Cheese in her arms.
"Chao chaoo!"
"You coward!" Knuckles roared. "Let Amy go!"
Dr. Eggman removed his earplugs. "What did you say, knucklehead?"
"He asks you to release Amy, Doctor", Orbot informed him.
"Why should I when I need her for my ransom plan?" Dr. Eggman snorted. "Scareclaw, grab Cream next!"
"Leave her out of this, Eggman!" Amy growled as she flailed in Scareclaw's grasp. While Scareclaw closed its beak and bent toward Cream, Amy managed to free one arm, so she summoned her hammer and started banging the robot's leg. "Hey, get away from Cream, you bucket of bolts!"
Scareclaw cawed as Amy's hammering. It stopped going for Cream and turned its head down at the pink hedgehog it held in its claws. "Run, Cream!" Amy shouted.
Cream nodded and ran away from the garden while Knuckles rushed toward the robot now that it was much closer to the ground. He took a leap and uppercut Scareclaw's beak. "Take this, birdbrain!"
Scareclaw screeched in pain as the force of the punch threw it backwards crashing to the ground. Amy closed her eyes to avoid getting dirt on them while she fought to get herself free. "Hang on, Amy! I'm coming!" Knuckles yelled as he rushed to the fallen robot.
Dr. Eggman cackled and threw a grenade at the red Mobian. "I don't think so, Knuckles! Catch this!"
Knuckles stopped on his tracks when the grenade exploded and released a strong light that blinded him. "A flash bomb!" He heard Amy's screams, but it took a moment for him to recover his eyesight. Once the light died down, he gasped Scareclaw flew away with Amy still in its grasp.
"Amy!" Cream screamed worriedly as she came back from her hiding spot.
"Chao chaooo!" Cheese shrieked in fear.
"COWARD! Get back here!" Knuckles snarled and chased Dr. Eggman and his robot in hopes of saving Amy.
"Sorry, but Amy is with me now!" the madman retorted. "I'd rather have both girls, but one hostage is better than none. So long, Knuckles!"
"Bye bye, suckers!" Cubot laughed and waved his hand at the Mobian.
"I must say this plan worked brilliant, Doctor", Orbot commented.
"Of course it did!" Dr. Eggman cackled victoriously. "And we got here before Sonic and his friends too! A win for Dr. Eggman today!"
His laughter fell short when Scareclaw was out of nowhere attacked by a rain of bullets. The robot shrieked by the sudden assault and Amy held onto the claw to make sure it wouldn't drop her.
Dr. Eggman panicked and steered his Egg Mobile to the side as the X-Tornado zoomed right past him and his assistant robots. "I think you just jinxed yourself, Eggman", Cubot commented nervously.
"SonIIIIC!" Dr. Eggman growled angrily.
Knuckles stopped in his tracks and smiled in relief when he saw the jet plane. "Tails! Sonic! Silver!"
Sonic and Silver jumped off one of the X-Tornado's wings and went into action. Sonic's body glowed thanks to the power-up of one of his Rings. He rolled himself into a ball and performed a Spin Attack, breaking off one of Scareclaw's wings. The robot cawed as it lost altitude and fell toward the ground. It lost its grip on Amy so she too fell through the air, but she was caught by Silver's telekinetic powers who levitated not too far from her.
"I got you, Amy!" the silver hedgehog shouted.
"Thanks a lot, Silver!" Amy smiled widely.
Scareclaw crash-landed on the ground with its detached wing lying meters from it. Sonic landed safely and grinned at the sparkling machine. Knuckles caught up to him, relieved to see his friends. "Hey, Sonic!"
"Yo, Knuckles!" Sonic greeted. "Care to finish this?"
Knuckles smirked and eagerly bumped his fists. "Gladly! This turkey nearly ruined the ranch where we got shelter! It's time for payback!"
Scareclaw flailed to sit upright, but before it even had a chance to stabilize itself on its single leg, Knuckles punched hole after hole on the armor while climbing up the robot until he jumped onto its large beak. Scareclaw's optics zoomed in on the echidna as Knuckles pulled his fist back. "This is for the kind ranch family!"
He punched a large hole between Scareclaw's optics. He grabbed a handful of cables and ripped them apart causing the robot to malfunction. Scareclaw's optics rolled around while its frame began sparkling even worse. Knuckles jumped off the robot and ran away with Sonic before the robot exploded right behind them, scattering scorched debris everywhere.
"NOT AGAIN!" Dr. Eggman screamed furiously.
Sonic smirked at the fuming madman. "Sorry, Egghead! Looks like your bird hatched too soon from its egg!"
Dr. Eggman growled at the insult and slammed his fist on his Egg Mobile. "You rodents! Don't think your luck will last for long! It will run out before you know it! And I'll get my hands on the Chaos Emeralds before you!"
"Yeah, remember that, you nuisance!" Cubot shouted as Dr. Eggman steered his Egg Mobile back to his secret headquarters.
"Dr. Eggman will have a glorious victory once he obtains the seven Chaos Emeralds!" Orbot nodded.
Sonic and Knuckles watched the retiring enemy and his lackeys leaving behind the remnants of Scareclaw. Silver had lowered himself and Amy to the ground so the pink hedgehog now dashed to her blue hero. "Sonic!" Sonic let out a puff of air when he was embraced by her strong arms. "You're okay!"
The blue hedgehog laughed sheepishly and softly pushed Amy back, gently holding her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm fine, Amy. What about you?"
"I'm fine now knowing you're here, Sonic", Amy nodded, her eyes glittering in joy. "I was honestly a little scared thinking I'd never see you again."
"You doing good, Knuckles?" Silver wondered.
Knuckles nodded with his arms crossed. "Yeah, and it looks like we all ended up on Earth again."
XXXXXXXXXX
The Mobians went back to the ranch and helped Bobbie Joe and his family clean up the mess Dr. Eggman and his robot had made before it was time to depart to Station Square. The farmer's wife gave Cream a big warm hug and caressed her head.
"Take care, sweetie-pie", the wife said and planted a kiss of Cream's forehead.
Cream giggled by the touch and smiled back. "I will. Thank you for everything."
"Chao chao!" Cheese chirped happily.
Bobbie Joe walked to Amy with a basket of vegetables. "Here, take this with you. They're as fresh as they can be and can be cooked for dinner tonight."
"Thanks a lot, Bobbie Joe!" Amy smiled widely. "I can't wait to try them!"
"Well, is everybody ready to go back to Chris?" Sonic asked.
"Count me out", Knuckles spoke up. "I'm gonna go look for the Chaos Emeralds."
"Alright, bud", Sonic nodded.
Tails jumped down from the X-Tornado and hurried to Knuckles with a purple smartwatch. "Here, Knuckles. You can use this to communicate with us whenever you need help."
Knuckles grinned softly and took the communicator. "Thanks, Tails. I'll call you guys if I find something."
"Let's stay in touch and once we're close at going home, we'll gather by Chris' place", Sonic informed the red Mobian who nodded in response.
"Cosmo and Shadow are waiting for us there right now", Tails nodded.
"Wow! So, that means everybody is here!" Amy smiled.
"Well, we haven't found Rouge or Blaze yet", Silver pointed out. "We don't know if they are even on this planet."
"I'm sure they are if we are here", Cream said.
"Chao chaoo!"
Amy, Cream, Cheese and Silver climbed into the four seats of the X-Tornado with Tails taking the front seat. Sonic held onto one of the jet plane's wings as the aircraft lifted up from the ground. Knuckles watched his friends take off until the X-Tornado melted into the colors of the sunset. With a determined gleam in his eyes, he adjusted his cowboy hat he got to keep as a souvenir and took off on his personal journey.