x
After some difficulties, Sonic and the others had finally found the final Chaos Emerald. But they also found two problems: not only was there a crystallized Planet Egg, but now they were confronted by none other than Dark Oak himself, along with an army of Metarex Troopers. So to say that they were in a bit of a pickle right now was saying something. "Think you can beat me?" said Sonic.
"Make no mistake, my friend," said Dark Oak. "I do not think I can beat you. I know I will. Metarex, prepare for battle!"
At this, a rank of Metarex Troopers stepped in front of Oak. "As you can see," said the Metarex leader, "you are dangerously outnumbered, Sonic. And I warn you, for every one of us that falls in battle, there will be hundreds more that will take their place!"
I don't know why, but it's getting me thinking of that Hydra creature, thought Twilight as she stood ready, glaring at the villain.
Cosmo was scared and desperate. "Please don't hurt Sonic, I beg you!" she pleaded as Sonic placed a protective arm in front of her. "We'll do anything you want, Metarex, sir. We'll–"
She was silenced, however, by Sunset placing a hand over her mouth. "Cosmo, whatever you're about to say next," she said sternly, "please don't."
Cosmo was about to object, but Wallflower lifted a finger to silence her again. "Sunset's right," she said. "This is what Dark Oak wants from us. He wants us to give him what he wants. You have to stand up for yourself and for others. Don't let your courage melt away because of the enemy."
Twilight glared at Dark Oak. "Whatever you got," she said, drawing out her lightsabers and activating them, "we're ready for it."
Sunset and Wallflower did the same with their own lightsabers. Bob, Larry, and Junior just got ready for the fight to come themselves, their necklaces glowing. "Get him!" said Dark Oak.
At that, dozens of Metarex Troopers leapt into the air and dog-piled Sonic without warning. "Sonic!" exclaimed Amy and Cosmo.
Suddenly, Sonic frenziedly threw the Troopers off him into the wall. Dark Oak watched, impressed, as Sonic turned to him. "So, you wanna play games, huh?" he said.
Saying this, he executed a spin and launched himself at Dark Oak, who laughed and didn't move. Suddenly, he vanished just as Sonic reached him, causing the hedgehog to bounce off the wall. "He vanished!" said Amy, surprised.
"It's a hologram," Sonic replied as he landed on the ground.
The Metarex Troopers were anything but in working progress. A few of them, however, had survived the attack. "Be careful, Sonic," said Cosmo.
Dark Oak could be heard laughing as the team found themselves surrounded on all sides by Metarex Troopers– who were now beginning their approach. "This fortress will be your graveyard," he said.
"Everyone, get ready!" said Twilight. "This fight's gonna be a tough one!"
"Brace yourselves!" added Sunset.
………………………………………………………………………
Back in the shaft, Knuckles was standing on the top of the Eggmobile. "I oughta knock that egghead of yours clear off!" he said, ticked off at what the doctor did earlier.
"Now, now, Knuckles," said Eggman nervously, "let's just keep calm. We all know violence never solves anything."
"Stay still, why don't you!" added Cubot.
Orbot agreed. "Any unnecessary movements will send us plummeting!" he said, looking downwards. "And from the looks of things, it will be most inconvenient!"
Suddenly, the fortress shook, throwing Knuckles off balance. "What was that?" he asked.
His answer came when his communicator came on. "Blue Typhoon here," said Tails from the other end. "Knuckles, do you read me?"
Never had Knuckles been so satisfied to hear his little brother's voice. "Tails, what's going on?" he asked.
………………………………………………………………………
"There's a nasty battalion of ships heading straight for us!" Tails replied. "I got a bad feeling those Metarex aren't too happy about us crashing their fortress!"
"Man," grumbled Trixie. "Completely blocked off by a troop battalion. That's not how I'd want to spend my weekend."
"How can things get any worse?" asked Lightning.
And Lightning definitely shouldn't have said that. Because Cream spotted more trouble. "Tails, I'm afraid they're coming from behind, too!" she said. "They're all around us! What are we gonna do? There's no way we can beat them, not without Sonic!"
The group glared at Lightning. "You just had to say that?" said Butch, annoyed.
Lightning sheepishly giggled. "Whoops," he said.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, in the station, Chris, Grace, Rouge, and Shadow were looking out a viewport. Outside was a battleship and a large group of smaller Metarex ships. "Uh-oh," said Chris. "We're in trouble."
"You said it, kid," said Rouge.
Grace gulped as Shadow picked up his walkie-talkie. "Listen up, Shadow!" said a frantic Eggman. "In the interest of self-preservation, I'm calling off this clambake!"
Shadow was confused. "I don't understand," he said. "I thought I was to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds."
"Oh, blast the Emeralds!" Eggman replied. "These Metarex monstrosities are about to make a meal out of us!"
Just then, they became aware of a voice booming through space. "Attention intrudes," it said. "Make no effort to escape."
………………………………………………………………………
Inside the battleship was a Metarex leader who, like Dark Oak, also wore armor, but his was red instead of black. "I am Red Pine," he said. "I and my fellow three commanders serve the all-powerful Dark Oak."
………………………………………………………………………
"Great," Tails grumbled, looking up at the viewscreen. "There's three more of 'em?"
………………………………………………………………………
"In your foolish effort to undermine our mission," Red Pine continued, "you've played directly into our leader's hands. In fact, he wishes to express his gratitude for bringing him the Chaos Emeralds. Thanks to you all, we won't have to blindly scour the galaxy. We don't know how to thank you. Perhaps we'll just destroy you."
………………………………………………………………………
"Just try it, you overgrown junkyard!" Rouge challenged.
"What are you waiting for, Shadow?" Eggman insisted. "Move it or lose it!
………………………………………………………………………
"A genius like me can't afford to dawdle with danger!"
He then pressed two buttons to contact Bokkun.
………………………………………………………………………
Having been scared at Red Pine's speech, Bokkun snapped out of it when he heard Eggman over the radio: "Start ignition and begin egg ascension on the double!"
"Yes sir!" said Bokkun. "Right away!"
………………………………………………………………………
"Wait just a minute!" said Knuckles. He wasn't finished with Eggman yet.
"You wait!" Eggman replied. "I'm not about to let those metallic mutants maim me! See ya!"
As Eggman flew up the shaft, Knuckles leapt down to the X-Tornado. "Hey! Come back here!" he yelled.
Eggman didn't respond. "Now what?" Knuckles grumbled. "I don't even know how to fly this stupid thing!"
Looks like he was stuck there.
………………………………………………………………………
"I have to get back to the doctor!" said Shadow, walking away.
"No way!" said Rouge. "I'm not leaving here empty-handed!"
"Shadow!" Chris called as he and Grace ran after him.
However, Chris' communicator activated. "Chris, do you read me?" It was Amy.
"Amy, what's wrong?" asked Chris.
"We're in trouble!" Amy replied.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Sonic panted as he faced the horde of Metarex forces. Twilight was fighting alongside him alone; Sunset, Wallflower, Bob, Larry, and Junior had run off because Sunset had a plan that could help them. I trust Sunset with this, thought Twilight. I don't know what she had up her sleeve, but I trust her.
………………………………………………………………………
Grace's and Chris' eyes widened. "The Metarex!" they exclaimed, causing Shadow to overhear.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, in the Typhoon, Creecha was looking out the window, concerned at their current situation, when her communicator activated. "Mom! Mom, come in!"
The moment she heard her daughter's voice, Creecha immediately responded. "Creecha here," she said. "What is it, Grace? You sound troubled about something."
"You and the others have to help Sonic and his team now!" Grace replied. "Amy just contacted me and Chris to say that they're in a heap of trouble! They're outnumbered by about hundreds of Metarex Troopers in the fortress!"
Creecha was alarmed. "Outnumbered?!" she exclaimed. "We're on our way!"
Hanging up, Creecha turned to her friends. "Tails, you and Cream stay here on the ship and take care of the fleet outside!" she said. "Everyone else, come with me! We've got ourselves a rescue mission to undergo!"
"Finally!" Shanti cheered. "Something to get rid of my boredom!"
With that, Trixie got a portal made, and they were soon on their way.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Sonic was smashing his way through ranks of Metarex Troopers surrounding him. He was panting from the exertion as several more troopers rose up, having survived the attack. Twilight just cut them down with her lightsabers despite being tired herself. Luckily, it'd given Amy an opening to get to her ship. "Don't you and Twilight worry, Sonic!" she said. "I've got your backs! Eat this, Meta-creeps!"
Using her ship, she fired lasers at the Metarex Troopers, but four of them leapt onto her ship. "Hey! What do you creeps think you're doing!" yelled Amy crossley. "Get off my ship!"
Cosmo was looking at both Chaos Emeralds, the cyan one also being in a glass case, when she looked up and saw Amy's predicament. "Oh no! Amy!" she exclaimed. She has to help her– and fast!
As Cosmo watched Sonic and Twilight continue to fight the Metarex Troopers, she suddenly had an idea. "Maybe the code I deciphered…" she said.
She pressed a few buttons, and the cases around the two Chaos Emeralds opened. As she reached for them, an alarm sounded out, causing a sphere to close around the crystallized Planet Egg. It was then ejected from the station, but Cosmo now had both Emeralds in her hands.
………………………………………………………………………
In the shaft, Knuckles was in the X-Tornado trying to figure out how to get it started. "Where's the start button?" he asked himself. "Maybe…"
He tried a button, but nothing happened. "That's not it," he said.
He was irritated. "Ah, where's that geek Tails when you need him?" he grumbled, rubbing his head.
At one point, he looked up to see something (the crystallized Planet Egg) fall past him.
………………………………………………………………………
In Red Pine's battleship, the Metarex had seen everything. "Attention all Metarex," said a Metarex Tropper. "The Planet Egg has been ejected."
"Without the Planet Egg, this fortress is of no use to us," said Red Pine. "We must destroy the stronghold and all who dwell in it. Metarex, aim! Fire!"
………………………………………………………………………
Soon, every single Metarex ship was blasting at the Metarex station.
………………………………………………………………………
In the Typhoon, Tails had an idea. He told Cream to lower the shields so that he could fire some missiles at the Metarex army. "We gotta get 'em all!" he said.
But the amount of lasers firing at the station ended up destroying them. "Tails, the missiles have been destroyed by the Metarex lasers!" said Cream. "What do we do?"
"Reactivate the laser shield!" said Tails. "Hurry, Cream!"
"Laser shield activated!" said Cream, doing so.
………………………………………………………………………
The shields were soon reprojected, causing several lasers to bounce off them.
………………………………………………………………………
"How long do you think we can hold 'em back?" asked Cream.
"I don't know!" Tails answered. "Even with the shield up, the Typhoon can't withstand this kind of attack for long!"
………………………………………………………………………
Inside the station, Shadow, Chris, Grace, and Rouge were running down a corridor. "Shadow, wait!" Chris called. "Why can't we find a way out of here together?"
"He's only interested in doing what the boss man tells him!" Rouge replied.
Grace was shocked. "You mean that Eggman's gone to his manipulating ways to get his prize?" she asked, panting as she did her best to keep up with them.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Shadow.
"Eggman doesn't care about you," said Chris. "He only wants to use you to get what he wants. Don't you see that?"
"You're wrong," Shadow objected.
He would've continued on his way if it hadn't been for Rouge cutting in front of him. "Come on now," she said, "why else do you think he keeps you hanging around?"
"He wants to help me," said Shadow.
Rouge disagreed. "You think he's going to help you get your memory back, don't you," she said. "Have you ever stopped to think old Egghead might just be using that promise to get you to do his dirty work?" Rouge may be a jewel thief of a bat, but even she had standards.
"Rouge is right," said Chris. "You can't trust him."
"Not even in a million years," Grace added in agreement.
Shadow sighed, contemplating. "Please, I know you don't remember," Chris insisted, "but you helped us before, and I'm begging you to help us again."
Shadow looked away, silent. "Alright," he finally said, "I'll help you, but just this one time."
He grabbed Rouge's arm and fished out the red Chaos Emerald. "Watch it, bub," Rouge warned.
"That's right," said Shadow. "I'm keepin' my eye on you."
"Talk about insulting!" Rouge snarked.
Shadow didn't say anything to her in reply. He just held up the Emerald and said, "Chaos Control!"
Quickly avoiding being left behind, Chris grabbed Grace's hand and, much to Grace's surprise, moved just in time for the four to be teleported away.
………………………………………………………………………
In no time at all, the four appeared in the Egg Crimson's cockpit. "Well, it certainly took you long enough," said Eggman.
Due to having to hurry up, Chris and Grace ended up toppling to the ground. "Ow," said an annoyed Grace, rubbing the spot where her shoulder and arm connected as she sat up. "Hey Chris. Next time this happens, at least let me know before you go yanking my arm off."
"Sorry," said Chris, also sitting up.
That was when Orbot, Cubot, and Bokkun saw them. "Hey, what are they doing here?" asked Orbot.
"Huh?! How did they get in here?" added Cubot, startled.
"Ugh, those twerps again?" grumbled Bokkun. "And at a time like this?"
Grace was shocked at the insult. "Um, rude," she said, glaring at the hench-bots.
"Well, well, well," said Eggman when he saw the kids, "if it isn't Chris and Grace. Long time no see."
"Aw, great," Grace grumbled. "It's you, Eggface."
Eggman just laughed heartily. "Nice of you to drop in!" he said as Chris stood up. "I see Shadow decided to play nice and save you from those Metarex meanies. He really is an agreeable little fellow, isn't he? After all, little squirts like you two would've been no match for those guys."
Chris just glared up at him "I thought you said we were all on the same team," he said. "We should've known you'd run when the going got tough."
Eggman smiled. "Well… better safe than sorry, I say," he said. "We don't want to get hurt, do we, kids?"
"I'm not a kid, okay?!" Chris yelled, frustrated.
Shadow walked away after putting the red Chaos Emerald in a slot next to the purple one in Eggman's command chair. "Whatever you say, kid," said Eggman. "Ah, yes, another day, another conquest. Let's not waste anymore time. It's been nice knowing ya, kid!"
Chris was just about furious at the remark. "Quit talking down to me like I'm some kind of baby, will you?" he said. "I happen to be 18 years old, not that you can tell!"
Eggman was confused. "But how?" he asked. "You're still only bite-sized."
Grace just shrugged. "I'm still just as confused about it," she said. "We hadn't really figured out how it happened… yet."
"Oh yeah?" Chris challenged, sneaking a hand into his pocket. "Well we're tired of you and those Metarex doing everything you can to hurt our friends. So we're taking matters into our own hands!"
"Really," said Eggman in disbelief.
"Really!" Chris replied, pulling out a flash grenade and throwing it down.
With Eggman and his hench-bots blinded, it gave Chris the opportunity to take the two Chaos Emeralds and flee. "Come on, Grace!" he called.
Quickly, Grace jumped up and followed him. "Right behind you!" she called.
Eggman was cross when he saw what happened. "That little thief!" he exclaimed.
Arriving at a hangar, Chris pocketed the Emeralds, located a ship, and climbed inside. Grace jumped up and landed on the wing. "Activate ignition," said Chris, starting up the ship. "Hang on, Grace!"
Grace nodded, crouching down and gripping onto the wing's edge. In the meantime, Chris flew off the Crimson Egg and they both saw all the Metarex ships firing at the Metarex station. "Here we come, Sonic!" said Chris.
Determined, he flew the stolen ship through a tight enclosure of the Metarex station– the same one where Sonic, Amy, and Eggman had flown in earlier.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Cosmo was trying to escape with the two Chaos Emeralds. However, several Metarex Troopers blasted just in front of her, causing her to trip, dropping the Emeralds in the process. "Cosmo!" Sonic exclaimed, watching in horror.
Twilight, too, froze at what she witnessed. Unfortunately, some of the Troopers used the distraction to pin them down. "We're too outnumbered, Sonic!" said Cosmo woefully.
One of the Metarex Troopers picked up both Emeralds and glared at the captured heroes. "If you stubborn heroes don't accept our rule, you're all traitors," it said.
Twilight glared back. "You're wrong," she said. "We're not the traitors here. You are! Forcing the galaxy to submit to your rule? To us, it's unacceptable!"
"Unfortunately, Metarex history will not see it that way," said the trooper.
Turning to the rest, it gave the order: "Execute them!"
Just as they were about to carry out said execution, a laser blast suddenly took them out. Then, several more got the ones holding the prisoners without hurting them. Just as Twilight got back up, she saw who saved them: two spaceships that were flying above them. Amy used her ship to crash through some troopers. "Not so fast, freak!" she said.
Another spaceship was also flying above them, blasting Metarex Troopers left and right. It was a little smaller than normal, but Twilight still recognized the colors regardless. "Sunset?" she asked. "Is that you?"
She was answered by a tractor beam shining down on her and taking her inside the ship. Inside, there was indeed Sunset. "The one and only," she said. "The five of us left earlier because I figured that we could use a little extra firepower in this fight. My ship's smaller because I put in a lot of awesome abilities when building this baby, like a shrinking ability that I came up with myself."
Wallflower, who was sitting in the copilot's seat, turned and waved a brief "hello" to Twilight before getting back to work. Twilight was amazed, watching as Sunset fired fire lasers and bolts of electricity at the troopers, metal bits flying everywhere. "What can I do?" she asked.
"That's easy," said Sunset. "You can take the bottom firing station and help the boys. I've got about four of them installed on my ship. Bob's in the left one, Larry's in the top one, and Junior's in the right one."
Then, Wallflower had an idea. "Before you go," she said, "mind if I borrow your lightsabers? There's something I wanna try out."
"Sure," said Twilight, handing them to her.
Giggling, Wallflower placed them, along with her own and Sunset's, into some sort of compartment. By the pressing of a few buttons, the lightsabers were all transported to the firing stations outside: two on either side, and one on the top and bottom each. Robotic hands were holding them, and upon turning them on, they whirled them around like fan blades, getting even more troopers down. "Woohoo!" Wallflower cheered. "I was hoping they'd work! Thanks, Twilight!"
Twilight chuckled. "No problem," she said as she climbed a ladder down to the bottom firing station.
Getting inside, Twilight buckled herself up and put on a headset. She fired her first shot at a group of Metarex Troopers, getting a bullseye. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, surprised at her accomplishment. "I hadn't done this in a while, and yet I got a group of 'em on the first shot! It's like everything's instantly coming back to me!"
"Hey, hey! Look who finally joined the party!" laughed a voice happily.
It was Larry! Twilight smiled. "Hey guys," she said. "Glad I could join."
"I was about to say: about time you showed up," said Bob. "I know it was shortly after, but still…"
"I get it, Bob," said Twilight understandably. "Things were looking pretty dire at the time. So what's up?"
"Not much," said Bob. "Just shooting down the enemy. And listening to Larry and Junior having fun with it; currently, they're having a contest to see who can shoot down the most Metarex Troopers."
Sunset laughed upon hearing this. "Why am I not surprised?" she said. "Who's winning?"
"I am! But Larry's catching up fast, so I gotta hurry to stay ahead," said Junior, causing laughter to ring through the ship.
"Well, try to not shoot any of your teammates, okay?" said Wallflower.
"Don't worry, I won't," Junior assured them.
Overhearing the whole thing, Twilight chuckled happily. Suddenly, a huge explosion threw everyone off balance. "What the heck was that?" asked Wallflower.
"Yeah, what was that… crash?" asked Amy, getting out of her ship.
Sonic stood up. "They're tryin' to destroy this place!" he exclaimed.
Cosmo looked up to see the lasers striking the station. "Why would they want to destroy their own fortress?" she asked, confused.
"Especially with so many Metarex still inside," agreed Amy. "It doesn't make sense."
The Metarex Trooper, still having a grasp on the Chaos Emeralds, had an answer. "For the great and noble mission," it said, its eyes glowing red. "All will be sacrificed!"
At that, even more Metarex Troopers showed up. Suddenly, a portal opened. "Hey look!" said Junior excitedly. "Backup's finally here!"
Sure enough, Creecha stepped out of the portal, her swords out and ready. Behind her was Sticks and the rest of the Guard, all ready to fight. One look was enough to tell them of the situation. "Christian Guard, attack!" said Creecha.
With a battle cry, they all ran forward, turning the tide of the battle. "Let's show 'em what we're made of!" said Rainbow, slicing them left and right with her lightsabers while with her Force powers, grabbed the yellow and cyan Emeralds from the Metarex Tropper still holding them.
Seeing this gave the others a renewed confidence to continue the fight despite the odds. Even Cosmo gained some confidence, especially after she got a few troopers down with her powers. Grinning as she recognized her potential, she ran after her friends into the fight. Wallflower smiled as she saw her friend step up to help. That's my little sis, she thought.
She was shocked at what she called Cosmo, but really… it fit Cosmo perfectly.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Chris, with Grace on the wing, was flying down one of the corridors inside the station. At one point, Grace looked behind her. "Uh, Chris?" she said. "We got company."
Confused, that was when Chris caught sight of Shadow skating next to them. He summoned energy in his hand– the same energy that, not too long ago, had sent Chris rocketing across the room aboard Space Station ARK. Other past memories also went flashing through his mind: those of his dear friend Maria and Chris crying over his limiter. Shadow threw a couple Chaos Spears that struck the ship's engine, causing Chris to have a crash landing. Grace, luckily, hadn't been in it because the moment the engine was hit, she had jumped off the wing and, thanks to summoning her butterfly-fairy wings, was able to land safely. "Ugh. Doesn't Shadow have any respect for passenger safety?" she grumbled as she quickly recovered herself.
Dusting herself off, she turned in time to see Chris crawling out. He wasn't hurt, but he was dazed. Grace immediately felt concerned about him. "Chris!" she exclaimed, racing over to him. "Are you okay?"
Chris looked up at her. "I'm fine," he said. "No serious injuries."
Grace felt better at this, but still couldn't help but worry; that crash landing must have been rough on Chris if the end result was him being dazed. Seeing Shadow approach them, Grace helped Chris up to his feet, and the two began walking down the hall, with Chris leaning on Grace for support as Shadow followed them. Suddenly, Rouge scooped up Chris and carried him down through the shaft out of Shadow's range. Concerned for her friend, Grace followed from behind, wings fluttering behind her. "Shadow…" said Chris, shocked at what happened. "He's trying to hurt me!"
"If you let me have those Emeralds, kid," said Rouge, "I'll get ya outta here."
Chris just looked at her. "You know I can't do that," he said.
"Well, your loss," said Rouge, letting him go. "Later!"
But Rouge wasn't the one that would actually kill someone to get what she wanted; she wasn't that kind of a jewel thief. As Chris fell down the shaft, Grace followed him down. Luckily, his fall was broken when someone caught him. "Chris!" said a voice.
It was Knuckles, who was holding on by the seat belt of the X-Tornado. Chris was relieved at his savior. "Knuckles…" he said, breathless.
Grace sighed with relief as well when she caught up to them, giving Chris a gentle hug after Knuckles pulled him into the plane. It was like Rouge knew where to drop him, like she knew someone was gonna save him, she thought to herself. In a way, she's got me thinking of Catwoman.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Knuckles telling her to go up to the top of the shaft and help Sonic and the others with their situation, promising that they would meet her there. Nodding, Grace quickly flew off, her butterfly-fairy wings leaving behind sparkles in her trail.
………………………………………………………………………
Back up in space, as the Metarex lasers struck the Typhoon's shields, Tails watched a few readings greatly diminish. "I'm scared, Tails!" exclaimed Cream. "The shields aren't working! What if they beak through?"
She had a point; things were looking pretty grim for the Typhoon. "Don't worry, Cream," said Tails. "Just leave it to me! I just fired anti-laser torpedoes from cannons 2 and 3. That'll hold 'em a while."
Inside, Tails was scared as well, but he did his best to push it down. Now was not the time for giving into panic. He was the captain, and he knew that he had to pull through this attack, however terrifying it may be. I'm not gonna lose! he thought, fearful but determined. I must survive this attack for the sake of my friends!
………………………………………………………………………
In the Crimson Egg, Eggman and his hench-bots were in a bit of a pickle themselves. "Doctor, we are in a jam!" exclaimed Cubot. "Big time!"
"Without those Emeralds to protect us, we'll be laser lunch!" Orbot added.
"That's right!" agreed Bokkun angrily. "It's that Chris kid's fault!"
Then, Eggman spotted something. "What is this?" he asked, curiously. "I'm getting a reading; there's a gravity field down there."
That was something that he didn't even expect at all. "My, my," he said. "Those Metarex are just full of surprises, eh?"
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, back in the station, the fight wore on. The EGs and the Veggie boys were fighting in Sunset's ship, working well together like a NASCAR pit crew. Meanwhile, on the ground, everyone else was still battling Metarex Troopers. Lightsabers flashed, swords clashed, and abilities were seen everywhere. Finally, Grace flew out of the shaft and leapt into the fight with a Native-American styled yell. Shooting out several thorns, she stabbed several troopers before landing next to Cosmo, who was happy to see her. "Well, well," Butch teased goodnaturedly. "Look who finally decided to show up."
Grace just giggled and waved at him. Then, after she and Cosmo shared a smile, they both fought back-to-back together, getting troopers left and right. "We're gonna nail this!" said Grace encouragingly. "I can feel it!"
Meanwhile, Knuckles was flying Chris up and out of the shaft, Chris catching a glance at Shadow. As the X-Tornado came to rest at the surface above, Chris opened the hatch. "Sonic, catch!" he called, throwing the red and purple Emeralds.
At that point, Sonic had just finished off a Metarex Trooper when he saw the Emeralds. Same with Shadow, who had just shown up. Suddenly, the red and purple Emeralds began glowing. Same with the blue, green, white, cyan, and yellow Emeralds. This caught everyone's attention. "What the heck is going on?" asked Matt.
"All 7 Chaos Emeralds," answered Sunset from her ship. "They're all together."
Sonic and Shadow both dove for the Emeralds, Rouge also watching from a distance. Suddenly, there was an extremely bright light. It was so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes, and it was bright enough to be seen outside the Metarex station. Tails, Eggman, and even Red Pine all witnessed this.
………………………………………………………………………
"What is happening?" asked Red Pine.
When the glow died down, two glowing individuals could be seen. Red Pine was shocked. "They are gaining power from the Emeralds!" he exclaimed.
………………………………………………………………………
Super Sonic and Super Shadow faced each other. Sonic threw a wave of Chaos energy behind him, destroying the last of the Metarex Troopers before he and Shadow flew outside. "Hey Creecha," asked Shari, "don't you think we should be getting back to the Typhoon?"
"Thought you'd never ask," Creecha answered, looking around. "Something tells me that this place is about to get destroyed anyway. Let's go, everyone."
With that, they quickly flew out of the station towards the Typhoon.
………………………………………………………………………
Outside the station, the two super hedgehogs stared each other down. "Well, Sonic," said Super Shadow. "I see you and I have a lot more in common than I thought we did."
Super Sonic didn't say anything. He just continued to stare his opponent down. "Are you going to give me those Emeralds?" asked Super Shadow. "Or am I gonna take them from you by force?"
"You haven't got any use for those Emeralds and you know it," Super Sonic answered. "We all know you're just collecting 'em for Dr. Eggman. He's really got you fooled, hasn't he, pal?"
Enraged, Super Shadow pushed Sonic all the way through to the other side of the Metarex station.
………………………………………………………………………
Inside the Typhoon, everyone was gathering at the bridge. Cosmo was confused as she stood from the runway watching the spectacle. "What are they doing?" she asked. "Why are they glowing like that?"
Chris knew what was going on. "It's happening," he answered. "Chaos Control."
………………………………………………………………………
Outside, the Metarex Fighters opened fire on the two superpowered hedgehogs as they fought. Shadow threw Chaos energy at Sonic, but Sonic dodged it, resulting in it hitting the side of the Metarex station. Emerging out of another part of the station, Sonic blasted at Shadow.
………………………………………………………………………
Inside, massive cracks ran down the side of the station.
………………………………………………………………………
"Ugh! What now?!" exclaimed Eggman.
………………………………………………………………………
Sonic and Shadow emerged from the Metarex station. Suddenly, the entire station began warping and twisting as a massive black hole started to appear. Super Sonic and Super Shadow watched as bits and pieces of metal flew into the gravitational field. They tried to break free of the black hole, which started to consume some of the Metarex fighters.
………………………………………………………………………
Tails was surprised. "I don't think I've ever experienced gravity this strong!" he said.
Just then, Amy and Cosmo entered the bridge, followed by everyone else. "Do something, Tails!" said Amy. "We're getting sucked in there!"
And they were. Seeing this, Creecha immediately took action. "Everyone!" she said. "If any of you are near a window, get away from it now!"
No one hesitated to do so. "Twilight and AJ," Creecha continued, "you two hurry on out there and rescue Sonic in case he passes out! Knuckles, get to the engine room and get that Master Emerald working so we can get out of here! Chris, you help Knuckles! Starlight, get the medbay ready for Sonic!"
The people called to do all this nodded and ran off, Twilight and AJ hurrying as fast as they could.
………………………………………………………………………
At this point, all the Metarex Fighters were now being drawn into the gravitational field and were getting destroyed by the masses. It was even pulling on Red Pine's ship.
………………………………………………………………………
"The gravitational pull is going to destroy the ship!" exclaimed a Metarex Trooper. "We must go faster! Accelerate to full power!"
"Do it!" Red Pine agreed frantically. "Quickly! Noooo!"
But it was too late. The massive battleship was drawn into the gravitational field and it instantly exploded, killing Metarex General Red Pine and his crew.
………………………………………………………………………
In the Crimson Egg, things were getting bleak. "Don't just sit there, you good-for-nothing gadget brains!" exclaimed Eggman crossley. "Do something!"
"We're doomed!" cried Bokkun. "We're all doomed!"
………………………………………………………………………
Even Super Sonic and Super Shadow were hanging on for dear life. The Crimson Egg pulled up alongside them. "That's Eggman!" said Sonic.
As the Crimson Egg descended into the gravitational field, Shadow dove after it. He used all his power to initiate Chaos Control and teleported it to safety, his super state wearing off afterwards. Meanwhile, all 7 Chaos Emeralds fell into the gravitational field. Super Sonic was still hanging on, feeling tiredness catching up to him, but he pushed it back as best as he could. Just then… "Sonic!" said a voice.
Looking up as metal chucks rained down around him, he saw the Typhoon flying above him. As he clung to the metal chunk, he could feel his grip slipping as his tiredness began getting the best of him. Just as he lost his grip, a hand reached out towards him and grabbed his wrist just in time. Through his blurred vision, Sonic recognized a purple blob of color. Twilight… he thought. Heh… thought you guys would never get here…
As he muffly heard a familiar voice telling him to hang on, Sonic closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate as he finally blacked out, his super form also wearing off.
………………………………………………………………………
After catching Sonic and telling him to hang on, Twilight held him close and, held by the wrist by AJ, hurried off with her. Ready to get back to the ship, AJ wrapped both arms around Twilight's waist and held her tight while Twilight got an arm around AJ's shoulders. Crouching down, AJ focused on her next move. Then, judging her timing, she Force-jumped with all her strength, heading up towards the Typhoon. Twilight looked down behind her in fear at the black hole. AJ took notice of this. "Don't be afraid, Twi!" she said. "Have faith! We will make it outta here!"
Twilight just looked back up, not saying anything, but the fear in her purple-violet eyes said everything. With determination in her green eyes, AJ soared through the air, dodging any metal chunks coming at them, and landed safely on the Typhoon. Immediately, the two girls ran into the ship, breathless, with an unconscious Sonic in Twilight's arms, and immediately ran for the medbay. "Tails! Knuckles! Chris!" said AJ, speaking into her communicator. "We got Sonic! Get us outta here now!"
………………………………………………………………………
"Roger!" said Chris, typing on a keyboard. "We're on it!"
"Come through, Master Emerald!" chanted Knuckles. "We're begging you! Lend us your mighty power!"
The Master Emerald glowed intensely bright. "Our engine power's increasing!" said Chris. "Bring it up to full speed, Tails!"
………………………………………………………………………
"You got it, Chris!" said Tails. "Full speed ahead!"
Using all its power, the Blue Typhoon flew away. "It appears that I have greatly underestimated the power of these tiny warriors," said a voice.
………………………………………………………………………
Having watched the proceedings from his battleship far away, Dark Oak was impressed, but he was also surprised at the fact that there was not just one, but two creatures that could control the power of the Chaos Emeralds. "Their resourcefulness is to be commended," he said. "However, this was but a test. Soon, we shall see just how clever they can be."
He laughed evilly.
………………………………………………………………………
In the Typhoon later that night, Grace was in the kitchen getting herself a glass of water when she felt something hugging her leg. Confused, she looked down to see that it was Cosmo, who was trembling softly against her, small tears soaking into her nightgown. Grace immediately knew that something was wrong. "You okay, Cosmo?" she asked quietly, kneeling down to her (everyone else had gone to bed early).
Cosmo shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm scared."
Grace understood why. "Well, today has been pretty crazy," she said. "Not to mention intense. I don't blame you for acting this way."
Cosmo just sniffed, not replying in any way. "It's also been scary," she finally said. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep by myself tonight after that. Is it okay if I stay in your room tonight?"
Grace smiled. "Sure thing," she replied as she set her cup down on the counter. "Anything to help you out. We can have ourselves a little sleepover tonight; I've always wanted to have one."
Cosmo smiled back. "Thank you," she said, looking up at her.
"You're welcome," Grace replied before picking her up and carrying her to her room.
When she arrived, she placed Cosmo on the floor before searching through her closet for her sleeping bag and a spare pillow. Upon finding it, she laid them out on the floor and stared out the window for a while. "Are you okay?" asked Cosmo.
That snapped Grace out of her trance. "Honestly, no," she said. "Mostly because I was worried about you during the mission. When Amy told us what was going on, I immediately got concerned. My #1 hope was that I would make it over to you and help you in the fight. When I finally made it, I was glad to see that you weren't hurt."
Cosmo was confused. "You were worried about me?" she asked. "Why?"
Grace took a deep breath as she braced herself for what she was about to say, going over to Cosmo and sitting in front of her on the sleeping bag. There was no avoiding the truth now, not by a long shot. She just hoped that Cosmo wouldn't be hurt by the inevitable. "Because…" she admitted, "... the truth is… you're like a little sister to me. A little sister I've always wanted."
Cosmo was surprised and shocked upon hearing this. So shocked, in fact, that she couldn't say a word at first. "And I'm so sorry that it took me this long to realize this," Grace continued. "To realize just how wonderful you are. You're an amazing friend, and a great little sister. At first, I've only thought of you as a friend, but it wasn't until later on that I realized that I had a sibling-like love for you. What happened today only solidified that fact. And if there's any chance that you feel the same way, I–" She was interrupted by Cosmo jumping up and hugging her happily.
Her eyes misting with tears and a wobbly smile on her face, Cosmo showed that she really did feel the same way by that hug. "I do feel the same way," she said in a whisper. "Thank you… big sister."
Happy that Cosmo felt the same way she herself did, Grace hugged her back. Presently, there was a knock on the door that made them both look up. "Who is it?" asked Grace.
The door to reveal Wallflower standing in front of the doorway. "Oh, there you are, Cosmo," she said. "I was going to check on you to see how you were doing after earlier, but you weren't in your room. Overheard what Grace said and it didn't take me long to realize where you were."
"Yeah," said Cosmo. "Sorry about that. Had a bit of a sister revelation."
Grace shrugged. "So I heard," chuckled Wallflower. "Knew that Grace was going to come out with it sooner or later. I feel the same way."
Cosmo's eyes widened. "You mean… you also think of me as a sister?" she asked.
Wallflower smiled and nodded as she entered. "Yes. Yes, I do," she said as she hugged Cosmo from behind.
Cosmo was so happy that happy tears were coming out her eyes. After a while, Wallflower looked down at the sleeping bag. "Having a sleepover?" she asked.
"Yeah," Grace answered. "Cosmo was pretty shook up after what happened, so I said she could spend the night in my room."
"Well that's really nice of you to help her this way," said Wallflower. "Mind if I join in?"
The two younger girls looked at each other and smiled. "Sure," said Grace. "Why not? I might have another sleeping bag and pillow in here somewhere."
She did. While they were getting everything ready, Cosmo looked uneasy. "Something wrong, Cosmo?" asked Wallflower, having sensed it.
"Yeah," Cosmo answered. "Today really scared me."
"Same here," said Grace, plumping out a spare pillow. "I don't blame her."
Wallflower sighed. "Cosmo," she said.
"Yeah, Wallflower?" said Cosmo.
"How long have we all been your friends?" asked Wallflower as she knelt down in front of her.
"Well, uh… I don't know. I lost track," said Cosmo, shrugging. "Maybe about a few weeks or so?"
"Eh, give or take," said Wallflower, making Grace chuckle. "Have any of us ever steered you wrong?"
"Well… no, I guess," said Cosmo.
Wallflower then placed a hand on her shoulder and said these words that would forever resonate in her: "You never have to be afraid to do what's right."
The older girl moved to sit next to Cosmo. "Hey Grace," she said. "You remember that song your bio mother used to sing?"
Grace thought about it as she rolled out a spare sleeping bag. "Oh wait," she said. "You mean that one about God being on our side and never having to be afraid? Yeah, I remember that one."
"How?" asked Cosmo.
"Simple," said Grace. "Back home, my bio mom would always sing that song to me every night as a lullaby when I was a baby. Basically, the song talks about how no matter how scared we are, we can always count on God to help us through every trouble we come across in life. I never really knew the meaning of it at first, but that was when my adopted mom explained everything."
"But what if the Metarex try to kill us all?" asked Cosmo, worried.
"Come on, Cosmo," said Grace. "You can still do the right thing no matter how hard it is."
"And there are problems out there," Wallflower added. "Some are a lot bigger than getting chased down by Metarex. But in the end, they won't win. We'll always be by your side, Cosmo, and if the Metarex try to resist, we'll show them why it's a bad idea to mess around with heroes."
Cosmo felt better at this. In no time, they were ready to get some shut eye. "Goodnight, guys," said Cosmo. "I love you."
"Same here," said Wallflower.
"We love you too, Cosmo," added Grace.
Soon, all three sisters were asleep.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Sonic woke up to find himself in the medbay. He remembered what had happened beforehand and figured out how he got here. Might have to thank Twi and AJ tomorrow for saving my back out there, he thought.
Then, as he laid there in the bed, his thoughts turned to his little brother. Deciding to check on him, he sat up and got out of bed. Luckily, he didn't feel dizzy, but there on the stand was a cup of water. Beside it was a note:
"Just in case you get dizzy from standing up too fast.
–Creecha"
Sonic smiled. Always looking out for others, that girl, he thought.
After gulping down the whole glass (his throat was pretty parched up), he headed out the medbay and down the hall towards Tails' room. Arriving there, he knocked on the door and, when there wasn't a reply, opened it. Concerned, he stepped in and looked around, eventually spotting a bed with a quivering figure in it. Going over to the bed so he could get a closer look, he saw that it was Tails. He was in a pitiful state. Though he was sleeping, whimpers were escaping from his mouth and tears were leaking from his eyes. Half of his face was buried in his pillow, the tears soaking it.
As Sonic gazed at the poor little fox, a familiar brotherly instinct came over him. Knowing it all too well, he reached out and, careful not to scare him, placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him. Tails woke up and gasped at the contact, only to relax when he saw who it was. "H- Hey, Sonic," he said.
"Hey, little buddy," whispered Sonic. "You doing okay?"
Tails just shook his head, but didn't say anything. Sonic understood regardless. "It's earlier, isn't it?" he said.
"Mostly from what happened from here in the Typhoon," Tails replied, and he told him everything.
A sympathetic smile crossed his face as Sonic picked him up and carried him down the hall. Having tried not to cry when talking to his big brother earlier, Tails now had a much harder time doing so. It was only after they entered the medbay and Sonic closed the door that Tails couldn't hold it in anymore. His cries filled the room as he realized how close to death they all were. Sonic held him close and shushed him gently as he climbed into bed and laid down, adjusting his grip on his little brother so that he was laying close to him, his head nestled on his chest. After a while, Tails finally began calming down, giving Sonic a chance to talk. "I know you were scared today," he said, wiping away his tears with his thumb. "We all were."
Tails was about to say something, but Sonic placed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "But in the end, we all pushed through," he continued. "I didn't know what you were doing, but whatever it was, you did a great job in stomping your fear down so you could focus on the mission at hand. You never let it control you. And I'm so proud of how you handled yourself today."
Tails blushed, but smiled as he cuddled close to his comfort source. "I was just raised right," he said. "You've inspired me in so many ways over the years. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"No need," Sonic replied, hugging him closer. "Because having the best little brother in the universe is all the payback I'm ever gonna get."
The two laughed happily, Sonic glad that Tails was already feeling a lot better. And Tails was happy that overall, they pulled through and lived to fight another day. As they calmed down, Tails looked up at him. "Can I stay with you tonight?" he asked.
Sonic smiled. "Of course you can," he answered.
Happy, Tails nuzzled himself further into Sonic's comfort as a reply. His arms around him tightened as he hugged him closer, almost as if his big brother was a teddy bear. "Thanks," said the little fox. "I love you, big bro."
Sonic smiled, kissing his forehead and gently bumping his own against his little brother's so they were eye to eye. "I love you too, little bro," he said. "My brave captain."
Giggling, they had just gotten comfortable when the door opened. Before Tails realized it, a larger mass climbed in behind him and hugged him as well, muscular arms wrapping around him. "What's going on here?" asked Knuckles. "Having a slumber party without me? Dishonor." He was teasing them at the last part.
Tails just laughed as Sonic just rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. Knuckles smirked as he then looked down at Tails lovingly. Bringing his head down, he nuzzled Tails' cheek and kissed him there. "Way to go, little buddy," he said. "I'm also proud of you."
Tails smiled. "Thanks," he said, yawning. "I'm just glad that we're all alright. That you're both alright."
Surrounded by warmth and love from his older brothers, it wasn't long before he finally fell asleep, his appendages wrapping around a brother each. Knuckles smiled and covered the three of them up with a nearby blanket. "Same here, little buddy," he said as he drifted off as well, but not before cuddling Tails close.
Sonic smiled and leaned down to Tails' ear. "Sweet dreams," he whispered before he joined them in slumber world.
(End of Act 1)
ns 15.158.61.51da2
