x
After getting a much-deserved break thanks to Cosmo's clever party idea, the team was now ready to get back to the business at hand. The ship was now repaired, and everyone was well-rested and refreshed. Right now, they were at a nearby wormhole– the same gravity field that Red Pine and his army were sucked into. Knuckles was in the Master Emerald chamber, working on tightening a nut. "That should do it," he said upon finishing, wiping his brow.
He then got into contact with Tails over the radio. "All right, everything's tightened up and good to go," he said. "You can take off whenever you're ready."
"Roger!" Tails replied.
………………………………………………………………………
When Knuckles arrived at the bridge, everyone else was gathered there. "So way beyond that gravity pull, there's an even deeper part of space called the Intergalactic Cloister?" asked Amy.
"I'm no expert," answered Tails, "but it sounds pretty accurate to me."
"Chao," said Cheese nervously.
"Are you scared of what may be in there, Cheese?" asked Cream. "I'm sure Tails knows what to do."
"This ship was designed to travel through black holes safely," said Tails. "So we'll definitely make it through in one piece."
"I sure hope so," said Topsy. "Because if even one misstep happens, we'll all share Red Pine's fate."
"But if we go to the Metarex through there, will we be able to come back at all?" asked Knuckles.
"We'll be fine, Knuckles," Tails reassured him.
"I guess so," said Knuckles, still a little uncertain.
"If we don't do anything to stop them, the Metarex will destroy the galaxy," said Cosmo.
"That's right," said Chris. "We have to go."
At this, everyone fell silent, looking around. Confused, Chris turned to Sonic. "Uh, guys? Something bothering you?" he asked.
"I've been thinking…" answered Sonic. "Everyone back home must be worrying an awful lot about you these days. I feel like we oughta think of a way to get you back there, don't you think?"
Chris was surprised. "But… how can you say that?" he asked. "You think I could just abandon you to battle those Metarex alone? There's no way!"
There was a moment of consideration among the group. Tails was concerned, and Chris' eyes shimmered. "... Yeah, I guess you're right," said Sonic.
"Sure I am!" said Chris. "And besides, don't forget, I'm 18 now, which means I get to be your chaperone, which means you won't get into too much trouble."
"Chaperone?" asked Sonic.
"That's right," Chris replied, the two sharing a laugh.
………………………………………………………………………
Later, Chris was with Knuckles in the engine room as the Master Emerald glowed brightly.
………………………………………………………………………
The Blue Typhoon was now flying towards the wormhole. "Typhoon laser shields, activate!" said Tails.
A shield was projected over the entire ship.
………………………………………………………………………
"We're entering the Galaxy Corridor now," said Cream, "in 10, 9…
………………………………………………………………………
"8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"
………………………………………………………………………
By now, the ship was near the wormhole. "Here we go!" said Cream.
………………………………………………………………………
Soon, the wormhole began to surround them. "We're gonna make it… aren't we?" asked Amy.
Chris nodded. Sonic picked up Tails and climbed into the captain's chair, setting the little fox in his lap with his arms wrapped around him from behind. Tails was surprised at this, but accepted the contact nevertheless. It felt quite nice actually. Wallflower sat down with her back to the wall and beckoned Cosmo to come over. Once she did so, Wallflower pulled her into her own lap. Cosmo accepted this greatly, with Grace and Creecha coming over to sit with them. Shortly after, the wormhole began distorting them. "Freaky…" said Amy.
Chris looked confused at what was going on. "I feel really weird…" said Tails.
Gasping in shock, he lifted a paper that just said "Super Ultra Mega-Wave Propulsive Engine." Soon, the whole ship was flexing with the motion, but it managed to stay together. "What's going on?" asked Chris.
Tails looked like he wasn't feeling so good. Seeing this, Sonic pulled him closer into him, nuzzling his head against his own as his embrace around Tails tightened. "It's okay, little bro," he said. "You're safe. I got you. We're all gonna be okay." He kissed Tails' forehead as he worked on keeping his little brother's attention away from the dizziness.
All Tails could do was nod before he eventually passed out, falling unconscious in his older brother's safe, secure embrace. Everyone else soon followed suit.
Sometime later, Rainbow was the first to wake up, cringing. "Boy, that was a dozy," she said as she slowly sat up and rubbed her head. "I haven't felt this way since the time we traveled through that weird space thing to find the original homeworld of Zeb's people back at my old home galaxy."
She looked around her. The flexing of the ship had fortunately stopped, but the exact location was unknown. "Where are we anyway?" she asked no one in particular.
Curious, she decided to look out the window. What she saw made her run over to Fluttershy and shake her shoulder in an attempt to wake her. "Fluttershy! Fluttershy, wake up!" she said. "We're here!"
Fluttershy found herself roused awake by Rainbow's shaking. "Huh?" she said, rubbing her head. "Where?"
Rainbow shrugged. "That's what I was wondering myself," she said.
Soon, everyone else was waking up. "Everybody OK?" asked Sonic.
"Kind of," answered Robyn, rubbing her eyes.
Cream was trying to wake up her Chao, who had especially been hit by the effect. "Cheese, wake up! Wake up!" she pleaded.
Sonic then looked down at Tails and nudged him, waking him up. "You OK, little bro?" he asked.
All Tails could say at first was, "Ugh…"
Sonic understood; Tails was probably still feeling a little woozy from that wormhole. He continued nuzzling him and gave him his water bottle to drink from, hoping it would help him. Amy was shaking her head to help alleviate her dizziness. "Where are we?" she asked.
No one knew the answer. They decided to head on over to the window to find out. Arriving there, Sonic picked up Tails and lifted him up to his shoulder so that he could see a little better. Looking out, they could see that they were inside what appeared to be a giant cave-like area. "It looks so strange," said Amy.
"Strange isn't the word for it," said Tails.
"We're in the Cloister," Cosmo realized.
"We made it!" Chris cheered.
Sonic smirked. "Now we gotta get over to the other side," he said.
As the ship flew on, it passed by what appeared to be giant roots. Knuckles joined the others in the bridge, taking a turn in placing Tails on his shoulder as well. "This place is more twisted than I thought," he said.
"Twisted is right," agreed Tails. "That's space debris from surrounding planets left behind to float around in space."
Amy was disgusted. "Yuck. Looks gross if you ask me," she said.
"Blech," Sticks agreed.
Suddenly, the Typhoon was slowing to a halt. "What's the matter, Tails?" asked Cream.
Heading back to the captain's chair, Tails pulled up an overhead map of the Typhoon and scrolled in on one of the engines. "I think we're trapped by those root things," he said.
"In that case," said Wallflower, cracking her knuckles, "let's head on out. We've got some gardening to do."
However, two people were missing. "Wait a minute, where's Uncle Butch and Uncle Lightning?" asked Grace.
"Ugh, probably still knocked out," answered Matt. "I'm gonna go wake 'em up."
But shortly after he said that, loud screams reached their ears. Lightning was running and tripping over himself, frantically brushing his tongue with his paws. "Oh, Dorothy, forgive me!" he was saying.
Butch was taking it the worst, however. "UGH! I'VE BEEN KISSED ON THE EAR BY A MALE CAT!" he exclaimed, running around in circles. "I HAVE MALE CAT GERMS! GET HOT WATER! GET SOME DISINFECTANT! GET SOME IODINE!"
"I'm not even gonna ask about that," said Creecha, face-palming.
"Okay, okay, quit your screaming, boys," said Shari. "Let's get to work."
Cosmo looked up at Grace in confusion, who just smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
………………………………………………………………………
Outside, the gang got to work on extricating the Typhoon from the roots that scratched the ship. They were using tools such as sickles while Buzz-saw was making some good use of his buzzsaw to cut through the roots a lot quicker. "My sister Galaxina and I used to love gardening," said Cosmo. "It's great therapy."
"Yeah, sure," replied Knuckles sarcastically. "Cutting through unidentified space gunk really does it for me, too."
"Just shut it and cut it!" said Amy.
In the meantime, Tails was using what looked like a long pole-like object to cut the roots. "What's that you've got?" asked Amy.
"A Laser-Powered Weed Whacker," Tails answered. "I made it when I used to help Ella with her gardening. Now tacklin' stubborn weeds is a breeze!"
"Well, hand it over!" demanded Amy, extending her hand.
Tails was hesitant. "Huh? But I–"
"We've got a better idea!" said a voice.
And there was Chris and Sonic running towards them. Chris was in his spacesuit, and Sonic had on what looked like another new pair of shoes. When he leapt up into the air, they projected saw blades underneath them, and by gliding along the ship, Sonic was able to cut apart the roots with ease. "He's using your power-up shoes to cut the vines," said Cosmo.
Chris nodded. Sonic continued to glide along, causing the roots to fall in piles. Once that was done, he landed. "Well, that wasn't too hard," he said, dusting off his hands.
"They might not be so easy!" said Cream.
She was pointing at giant stalagmites, which had suddenly risen in the path ahead of them.
………………………………………………………………………
Dark Oak was feeling rather pleased with himself. "Perfect," he said. "Their ship cannot leave now. As of this moment, those fools are conveniently stranded inside the Cloister. What fun!" He laughed as he finished.
His generals, who were with him at the time, were eager to be the one to face Sonic and his friends. "I employ, Master," said Pale Bayleaf. "Send me."
"No. Grant me the honor, O Mighty One," objected Black Narcissus.
Oak looked up at Yellow Zelkova, who was eating some spicy curry. Then, he rushed forward and destroyed some machinery before lifting others into the air. "This task requires great strength," he said. "It is I who should go! Yellow Zelkova!"
"Yellow Zelkova, enough of this foolishness!" reprimanded Dark Oak. "I will indeed send you to dispose of those meddling fools, but I warn you: I want that hedgehog destroyed!"
Yellow Zelkova was excited. "I shall not betray your trust, Master!" he promised.
He threw down the machinery and happily ran out of the room as Dark Oak's chair descended into the floor. Pale Bayleaf and Black Narcissus weren't too impressed with the choice. To them, Yellow Zelkova was an idiotic buffoon of a general who didn't know how to use his own brain. "How could the master choose that buffoon Zelkova?" asked Black Narcissus.
"It is not for us to decide, Narcissus," said Pale Bayleaf. "We must wait and see."
………………………………………………………………………
At the Galaxy Corridor, everyone was stumped by the sudden stalagmite growth. "They just came out of nowhere," said Amy.
"Another dirty Metarex trick!" said Sonic.
"Looks like we're not going anywhere," said Chris. "Great."
"Chris is right, you guys," said Tails glumly. "I don't see a way out of this."
Suddenly, he perked up. "... Wait a minute!" he said. "We can't give up that easily! We just gotta put our heads together!"
"Yeah!" agreed Cosmo.
Knuckles let his fist fly at one of the stalagmites. However, upon contact, a shock flew through his body and he fell to the ground. His punch didn't even do anything. "Are you okay, Knuckles?" asked Tails, heading over to him.
"Ugh," Knuckles grumbled, shaking his hand. "Uh… That worked well." His tone had a hint of sarcasm in it.
Tails looked down, depressed. "What's wrong, little buddy?" asked Knuckles. "Depressed that I failed to get that blockade cleared?"
Tails nodded. Knuckles just smiled sympathetically before pulling Tails in for a hug. "Don't worry," he said. "I promise we'll find another way."
Tails smiled back and returned the embrace. In the meantime, Creecha decided to give it a try herself via her earthbending. However, it only resulted in her getting shoved back by the effort, causing her to slide to the ship backwards and hitting it back-first. "Ha, ha," Butch chuckled. "Tough rock: 1, Earthbender: 0."
That only caused him to receive a water-whip to the face. Then, AJ stepped forward. "Alright, all y'all stand back," she said, getting ready. "I got this. This is the job for a Master Earthbender."
She ran forward and jumped, intending to move the stalagmites herself. But a loud *CRACK!* caused everyone to wince, Rarity and Pinkie in particular. "Are you OK, AJ?" called Creecha.
AJ just stumbled back, dizzy and hurt. "Never mind," she said before falling backwards into Pinkie's arms.
Suddenly, something could be heard coming. Knuckles looked up as a few pillars began falling. "Chris! Something's coming!" said Cream.
"Yeah," agreed Chris. "Something big."
Sure enough, more pillars fell, revealing Yellow Zelkova as he ran into the scene, laughing. "What's so funny, big guy?" asked Knuckles.
"You will find out soon enough, my friend," Yellow Zelkova replied, laughing.
He was several times larger than the group, who were ready for a fight– Sonic especially. One last pillar fell in front of them as the Metarex General stepped into view. Knuckles stepped in front of Tails, an arm in front of him. "Well," he said, "let's hear it, tough guy!"
"My name is Yellow Zelkova," said the Metarex General. "My mighty ruler Dark Oak has sent me to destroy the hedgehog. Nothing will stand in the way of my task! Sonic and all who stand with him are doomed!"
He lifted up one of the giant rock pillars into the air and threw it on the ground in front of them, breaking it. "Quick! Everyone get back inside the Blue Typhoon!" said Sonic.
Everyone did so, Pinkie and Rarity bringing AJ to the medbay to recover. Rainbow and Sunset stood ready to fight alongside Sonic and Knuckles. Amy was readying her hammer but… "Amy, you too!" said Sonic. "Same with Rainbow and Sunset!"
"But why?" asked Amy.
"Because this isn't just Eggman we're dealin' with!" said Sonic. "Now get inside! I don't want any of you getting hurt!"
"If you say so, Sonic," said Amy, putting away her hammer.
The three girls ran back to the Typhoon. "This oughta be fun…" said Sonic, watching as Yellow Zelkova hoisted another pillar.
"Looks like we're gonna need some ammunition," said Knuckles.
However, he had difficulty trying to lift a small chuck of broken pillar. "You weakling!" laughed Yellow Zelkova, lifting a second pillar into the air with little effort.
"Whoa," said Knuckles, surprised. "He's not foolin' around."
Yellow Zelkova threw the pillar like a spear at Sonic and Knuckles. While they were able to dodge it, it ended up striking the Typhoon, scaring its occupants. The Metarex General laughed again and twirled the other pillar above his head. "Ready when you are," said Knuckles to Sonic.
"Then let's do this!" said Sonic.
They nodded and raced towards Yellow Zelkova, who threw another pillar, which they also dodged. Knuckles pulled out his shovel claws and slashed Yellow Zelkova with them, but the Metarex General was completely unharmed. "Perhaps I should show you how it's done!" he said.
Knuckles knew this wouldn't end well. He only had time to utter a brief "Uh oh…" before Yellow Zelkova swung another pillar at him with all his strength, sending him flying into the air. "Knuckles, no!" cried Sonic.
Then, Yellow Zelkova threw the pillar at Sonic, hitting him. The pillar slammed into the Blue Typhoon, pinning Sonic between a rock and a hard place– literally.
………………………………………………………………………
The Typhoon shook from the impact, everyone watching in horror. "Oh no! Sonic!" cried Amy.
Wanting to help his brothers, Tails silently snuck out while they weren't looking.
………………………………………………………………………
Once outside the ship, Tails flew to where Knuckles was thrown, finding the Echidna winded and hurt. Noticing that his little brother wasn't in the ship with everyone else, Knuckles gave him a questioning, concerned look. Tails responded by just holding out his hands to him. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes said it all: he wanted to help them. Nodding in reply, Knuckles took Tails' hands and allowed the fox to lift him into the air and carry him back to the Typhoon. After placing Knuckles down, Tails went to where Sonic was pinned by the pillar and, with a lot of tugging and pushing, managed to get the heavy rock off him. Poor Sonic was also winded by his own attack, but felt better when he saw his dear little brother right beside him. Noticing Yellow Zelkova charging at him with another pillar, Sonic hugged Tails close. "Sonic, there's no way we can beat him," said Knuckles. "He's too strong for us."
Sonic agreed. "Big boy may be strong," he said as he gently pushed Tails away to Knuckles, "but there's one thing he's not: speedy."
Yellow Zelkova the pillar down at Sonic's location, but no hedgehog was found underneath. "He has vanished!" he said.
A whistle caught his attention. He looked up to see Sonic standing on the other end of the pillar. "You gotta be quicker with that if you wanna keep up with me!" he said.
"I'll show you, hedgehog!" replied Yellow Zelkova, shaking the pillar in an attempt to rid the hedgehog.
However, Sonic hung on. "You come down from there!" yelled Yellow Zelkova, attempting to slam the pillar against the Typhoon.
………………………………………………………………………
Inside the ship, everyone was horrified and concerned. "We've got to do something!" exclaimed Cream. "That awful monster's gonna smash him!"
"Chao chao chao!" Cheese agreed.
At that point, Grace looked around. "Hey, where's Tails?" she asked. "He was here with us not too long ago."
"I think I know where he went," answered Creecha, looking out the window.
Everyone was alarmed. "Are you kidding me?!" exclaimed Fluttershy fearfully. "He's gonna get hurt!"
"I know," said Creecha, "but I think it'd be best if we let him do what he needs to do. He knows what he's doing. After all, Sonic's the one that raised him and taught him everything he now knows. If anyone can help Sonic and Knuckles in their hour of need, it's Tails."
………………………………………………………………………
Finally, Sonic fell off the pillar and collapsed to the ground, Tails luckily catching him. Seeing Yellow Zelkova getting ready to slam the pillar onto them, Sonic hugged Tails close to him and turned around so that he was bodily shielding him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the harsh (and no doubt deadly) blow that was to come, but it never came. Opening his eyes, Sonic saw that Knuckles had caught it and was now lifting his end up, protecting both of his brothers. The struggle was on. "So, you think just because I'm little, I'm no match for you, is that it?" the Echidna challenged.
"I think that should be obvious, my friend," answered Yellow Zelkova.
"Well, you're wrong… my friend," replied Knuckles, straining as he struggled to keep the rock pillar from crushing his brothers.
"We shall see how wrong I am after I have pulverized you and the rest of your tiny team!" said Yellow Zelkova. "Give up! You cannot win!"
At that, Knuckles snapped. "OK! That about does it!" he said. "Take that, Meta-dope!"
With that, he threw the pillar, and Yellow Zelkova, with all his might.
………………………………………………………………………
Everyone was shocked at what they just witnessed. "Did he really just do that?" asked Chris in awe.
"Oh my," said Cosmo, amazed.
………………………………………………………………………
Yellow Zelkova landed on the ground, and the pillar pushed him farther down. Knuckles approached him. "That's done," he said.
He stopped, however, when Tails held his wrist. "I don't know, Knuckles," he said. "I don't think this is over yet."
Sure enough, Tails was proven right when Yellow Zelkova pushed the pillar out of the ground and climbed out of the hole. "Your comrade is right," he said. "Not quite, my friend!"
Knuckles was surprised. "What…" he stuttered. "But that can't be…!"
"Now we will see who will destroy who!" proclaimed Yellow Zelkova.
Luckily, Knuckles had time to throw Tails into the air for safety as the Metarex General rammed into him, causing him to slide backwards along the ground.
………………………………………………………………………
"Knuckles!" exclaimed Chris.
"Is he OK?" asked Cream.
"He'll be alright," said Creecha confidently. "He's a lot tougher than most people give him credit for."
………………………………………………………………………
Knuckles slowly stood up, injured by Yellow Zelkova's attack. He was unaware of the Metarex General charging at him again. "Prepare to meet your doom!" he said, laughing.
He was expecting a quick victory. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for a good-sized rock to hit him in the face, stopping his advance. "Hey!" said a voice. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
And there was Tails, hovering in the air and glaring at the Metarex General. Said General was confused at his appearance. "Another one?" he asked.
"What's the matter?" asked Tails tauntingly in reply. "Never seen a two-tailed fox that can fly before?"
"None of your business, freak!" said Yellow Zelkova, now charging at him.
Tails flinched inwardly at that familiar insult, but he held his ground (well, more like held his air because, you know, flight and all that) and continued to glare at him. "Two things," he said sternly. "First off, the name's not 'freak'! It's Miles "Tails" Prower! And secondly, I'm sick and tired of watching you bash around my teammates like they're ragdolls! We may be small, but we can take you on! As for my appearance, I'm proud of who I am, no matter how many people say otherwise!"
With that, filled with love and determination for his brothers, he curled into a spin dash of his own, knocking Yellow Zelkova back several feet. In the meantime, he had given Sonic enough time to scoop Knuckles out of the way just in time. "Right on time, guys!" said the grateful Echidna.
Enraged, Yellow Zelkova charged at Tails again, but the fox simply flew up and out of the way, causing the Metarex General to run into a pillar, which fell and hit the next one, which hit the next, and so on like some sort of domino effect. Sonic landed on a plateau, a chuckling Tails landing next to them as the pillars kept falling. "This is gonna take some fancy footwork," said Sonic.
"Got any ideas then, bro?" asked Tails.
Sonic smiled. "I do, in fact," he said.
Beckoning the two over, he whispered something in their ears: "Now Knuckles, you go over there… [whispering], and I'll… [whispering], and Tails, you'll… [whispering]. Got it?"
Tails giggled. "Got it," he said.
"Got it," Knuckles chuckled.
The three nodded to each other and left. It was time for Team Sonic to put their plan into action.
Meanwhile, Yellow Zelkova was searching for them. "Where are they?" he asked. "How can I destroy them when they move so quickly?"
Suddenly, a whistle sounded out. "Catch me if you can," said a voice.
Yellow Zelkova ran at Sonic's direction, only for the hedgehog to jump out of the way. "What's the matter, buddy?" he taunted. "I thought you said it was big bad demolition time!"
Tails leapt over Yellow Zelkova and landed on the other side of the giant Metarex General. "Come and get me!" he taunted.
"You asked for it!" exclaimed Yellow Zelkova crossley.
He drove towards Sonic and Tails, but the two brothers leapt out of the way, causing Yellow Zelkova to collide with the Blue Typhoon. Due to his bulk, the ship budged and shook violently. "You and that fox freak show yourself, hedgehog!" he yelled, standing up.
"Hey, over here!" called another voice.
It was Knuckles, who was dancing and taunting at him: "Naa-na na-naa-na, naa-na na-naa-na…"
"Are you toying with me?" growled Yellow Zelkova.
He charged at Knuckles, but the Echidna dodged, causing the Metarex General to strike and move the Typhoon, its occupants crying out in fear while Grace and Cosmo had a death grip on each other. "Alright," said Sonic. "Let's do this, guys."
The three nodded. "Hey, what are you waitin' for, big fella?" Sonic taunted.
"I think he's chicken!" said Knuckles.
"Come on, chicken boy!" laughed Tails. "We're ready for ya!"
Yellow Zelkova was furious. "You mock the great Zelkova?!" he roared.
He charged at Sonic, then Tails, then Knuckles. The three dodged them all, and the ship was moved in three different directions, terrifying the occupants.
………………………………………………………………………
Amy was confused. "Hey! What are those three doing?" she asked. "Are they gonna battle that thing or aren't they?"
"Oh, they're battling it all right," said Lightning, chuckling. "Sometimes, there's something called taunting your enemy until you get under their skin. That's exactly what they're doing."
………………………………………………………………………
Grinning, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles stood idly by as Yellow Zelkova charged at them again. "Your clever taunting has come to an end!" he said.
"Yeah, whatever!" replied all three brothers.
With Sonic grabbing Tails in his arms, the trio leapt out of the way as Yellow Zelkova struck their ship, moving it again. "Your foolishness grows more wearisome by the minute," he said. "Will you fight me or not?"
"Sure," said someone from above. "We'll fight ya."
Yellow Zelkova looked up to see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles standing at the front of the Blue Typhoon. "Then come down here," he said.
"I think we've kept him waiting long enough," said Knuckles to Sonic. "What do you say?"
Sonic agreed. "It's showtime," he said.
Tails also nodded in agreement. Yellow Zelkova cocked his head in confusion. "I've had enough of your games," he said. "Your pathetic attempts at victory are at an end." He laughed.
Knuckles just looked at Tails. "Tails, get ready!" he said.
Tails was confused for a second before it finally hit him. "Of course!" he said. "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"
He pulled out his communicator. "Sunset. Sunset, come in!" he said. "Do you read me?"
A second later, Sunset's voice came out the other side. "Loud and clear, Tails," she said. "What is it?"
"It's time," Tails answered. "Time for the Sonic Power Cannon! Get it ready!"
"Wait," said Sunset. "You mean I get to…?"
"Yep," Tails replied. "It's your lucky day. Sonic needs me on this one, so you're taking control."
He couldn't see it, but Sunset was clearly smiling from the other end of the communicator. "Yes!" she exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much, Tails! I promise I won't let you down!"
Yellow Zelkova was confused. "Huh? Sonic what?"
"Later," said Knuckles as he left with a handwave.
Now Yellow Zelkova looked panicked. "What are you doing?" he asked frantically. "You think you have fooled Zelkova?"
………………………………………………………………………
Sunset was chosen to help out with the plan thanks to her past experience with ships. Having not only built, fixed them and their weapons, but also flown and operated them as well, Sunset gained a lot of knowledge with that sort of thing from early on in her childhood. Now the excited girl got to work on getting the cannon ready. "I've always wanted to try this out," she said eagerly. "Preparing the main cannon! Activate the energy link!"
The Sonic Power Cannon appeared. Knuckles pulled a lever, and the Master Emerald began glowing. "This is gonna be fun!" he chuckled.
………………………………………………………………………
Sonic and Tails ran down the barrel of the Sonic Driver. "Increase pressure in the main detonator!" said Sunset. "Power level set! Okay, Sonic, you and Tails get into position!"
The two landed on the spin platform. "Here goes!" said Sonic. "Ready, Tails?"
"Ready when you are, Sonic!" replied Tails. "Let's do this!"
The brothers both started to spin, charging the cannon with energy.
………………………………………………………………………
Sunset typed on a keypad. "Deactivate safety trigger!" she said. "Target locked on B for bullseye!"
The targeting computer locked on to Yellow Zelkova, who was still confused.
………………………………………………………………………
Then… "Launch Sonic Power Cannon noooww!"
The Sonic Driver charged with energy and shot Sonic and Tails at Yellow Zelkova. "What is happening?" he exclaimed. "The light! It's too bright! I cannot see! Where are you, Sonic? I thought you were brave. Show yourself! I command you!"
Sonic and Tails just pushed Yellow Zelkova through the pillars.
………………………………………………………………………
"Direct hit!" Sunset cheered with a laugh. "Now to break down those rocks! Ready, Knuckles?"
………………………………………………………………………
"Yup! … Let's charge up," said Knuckles. "… Master Emerald, can you hear me?"
He stretched out his hands to the Master Emerald, which began to power the engines. "Give us… all your power!" Knuckles chanted.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Yellow Zelkova was smashed against a rock as the pillars kept falling. "No!" he exclaimed helplessly. "The barriers! They mustn't!"
After finishing clearing a path, Sonic and Tails landed on a plateau, their energy having worn off. "Goodness," said Tails, dizzy as he knelt down on his knees, holding his stomach as if he were sick. "That was intense. Can I ask you a question, Sonic? How do you keep your lunch down at times like this?"
"Sorry," answered Sonic, rubbing the little fox's back, "but there's just some stuff you can't even tell your best friend."
He then spoke into his communicator. "Start the engines, Sunset!" he said.
"Roger that, Sonic!" Sunset replied. "Let's get you and Tails picked up and then, we'll finally be outta here!"
"You will not get far," Yellow Zelkova promised as he watched the Blue Typhoon freely advance. "The great master Dark Oak has more in store for you! Mark my words, we will destroy you yet!"
………………………………………………………………………
"Sure," Knuckles replied as if accepting the challenge. "You bring it on, Meta-loser, and we'll be waiting for you! And give the boss man our regards, huh?"
………………………………………………………………………
Seeing the Blue Typhoon approach, Sonic stood up, picking up a dizzy and tired Tails with him. "I heard what you said earlier," he said.
Tails perked up a bit. "Really?" he asked. "How much?"
"Every single word," Sonic replied. "And I just gotta say: I'm so proud of how you handled yourself out there today."
Tails smiled. "Thanks, Sonic," he said before letting out a cute yawn. He reached out his arms and wrapped them around Sonic's neck while burying his face into the crook of Sonic's neck and shoulder.
Sonic chuckled. "Just get some sleep, bud," he said. "You'll be up and about again in no time."
Tails sighed deeply before relaxing into the embrace of sleep. Sonic smiled down at his sleeping little teammate of a brother when he looked up. Seeing that the ship was here, he headed towards it when he heard two voices call out. "Sonic!"
"Tails!"
And there were Amy and Cosmo, standing outside on the ship waiting for them. As soon as Sonic landed next to them, Amy wrapped him in a hug, being careful since he had a sleeping fox in his arms. "You're both OK!" she said, keeping her voice down.
"Is Tails going to be okay?" asked Cosmo anxiously as she joined the hug.
Sonic nodded. "He'll be okay," he said. "He just used up a lot of energy today before and after using the cannon, so he'll be sleeping it off for a while. I'll get him to his room later."
As they headed inside the ship towards the bridge, the Typhoon flew onwards through the Galaxy Corridor, moving up and down.
………………………………………………………………………
Everyone on the bridge was happy. "Thanks to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles," Cream cheered, "we made it through that Cloister without hardly a scratch!"
"Chao chao!" Cheese agreed happily.
Eventually, the Typhoon reached the other side of the Galaxy Corridor, which was also a wormhole. "Good going, gang!" said Sonic, who was sitting against the wall with a sleeping Tails in his lap.
Knuckles was sitting next to them, gently scratching behind Tails' ears with his fingers, causing him to purr. "Thanks for the save, little buddy," he said.
Tails smiled in his sleep. Sunset, who had once more taken on the role as temporary captain until Tails was feeling more energized, immediately began making the preparations for the next wormhole crossing. "Get ready, everyone!" she said. "We're about to cross into Metarex territory!"
Yeah, we made it this far… Chris thought, but who knows what'll happen when we get out there.
Cosmo just braced herself for what was to come as the Blue Typhoon exited the Galaxy Corridor.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
