x
Secco inhabitants were now thronging the streets of the once-flooded city. "We are grateful for your heroism," said the Secco elder. "You saved our Planet Egg and our planet. We shall do our best to bestow upon you the thanks you deserve by holding a festival today in your honor! A parade, music, dancing, and a feast to show our thanks!"
Sonic gave out an impressed whistle. "Sounds good to me!" he said.
"Me too!" agreed Amy. " 'Specially the feast part!"
Grace practically beamed. "Mom! Dad! We're famous!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Well, I wouldn't know about that," said Creecha. "We help others because it's the right thing to do, not for fame and glory. Try not to let it all go to your head."
"Trust me," Tom added. "Been there. Done that."
"Sounds like fun, Tails," said Chris.
Tails was a little nervous. "I'm not so sure I'm gonna like this..." he said.
Soon, the festival began. Everyone in the crowd was dancing, and a parade of giant wooden ships moved slowly down the street. One of them was carrying the heroes. "They certainly go all out," Chris observed.
Sonic agreed. The Secco elder was dancing on a high platform as one of the inhabitants suddenly tossed Sonic into the air in celebration. "That's it!" said the elder. "Now everybody!"
The next thing Tails knew, he was the next one to get tossed. Same with Amy. Soon everyone was being thrown into the air. "Why are they throwing us?" asked Chris, surprised.
"Don't knooow!" said Sonic, suddenly bouncing back up.
They were actually bouncing on a giant trampoline. "Haha!" the elder laughed joyously. "This is how we honor heroes!"
Grace was laughing happily. "I love it!" she said. "It's like bouncing on our trampoline back home!"
Soon, Cosmo and the others showed up. "There they are!" she said.
"Look what I have!" she called, holding up an object.
Even though he was bouncing, Sonic saw what it was. "A Chaos Emerald..." he said. "Who found it?"
"I did," Knuckles instantly replied, " 'cause I wasn't too busy partying with the locals."
Tom was offended. "Dude," he said. "We were dealing with Metarex earlier."
"Wow, that looks like fun!" said Cream.
"Chao chao!" Cheese agreed.
"Yeah, if you wanna feel like a yo-yo..." Knuckles scoffed.
"Why are they bouncing you like that?" asked Cosmo.
"It's for getting their Planet Egg back!" answered Chris.
"It's a token of their appreciation," added Sonic.
"I'm appreciated enough!" Tails objected.
"I can't take much more!" Amy added.
Cosmo was happy. "This is so wonderful," she said, looking down at their recent find in her hands. "I can't believe that we already found one."
"That means we only have 6 more to find, doesn't it, Cosmo?" asked Cream.
Twilight glanced down at a list she'd written beforehand. "Yep. Looks like it," she said. "Once we have all 7 of 'em, it's game over for the bad guys."
The elder just so happened to overhear them. "You down there," he called, "friends of the heroes! Let us honor you too! Throw them here!"
Soon, the others were all bouncing on the giant trampoline. "Come defy the forces of gravity!" the elder cheered.
"I'm actually a big fan of gravity," said Knuckles, waving a hand.
.................................................................................
Unbeknownst to them, Dr. Eggman had been watching the whole thing via spy drone. "So nice of Sonic and his friends to find the Chaos Emerald for me!" he laughed. "Let's see... What sort of strategic strategy should I come up with to take it from them?"
"Aren't all strategies strategic?" asked Cubot.
"Not Dr. Eggman's," Orbot answered. "His strategies lack strategies the way his tactics lack tact."
"And his thinking lacks thought," added Bokkun.
Suddenly, Eggman pounded his hand on the console before turning to his hench-bots. He had ended up overhearing everything. "Since the 3 of you are so brilliant, why don't you come up with a plan?" he challenged. "But whatever you do, do not disappoint me!"
That foreboding threat got through to his robots. Suddenly, Orbot and Cubot were grasping at their heads. "Uh... I- I've got a headache all of a sudden!" said Cubot.
"Me too!" added Orbot. "I can't concentrate right now! It's unbearable!"
"I think I need to lie down for awhile!"
"Awww, you have headaches?" Eggman mocked, earning a nod from his robots. "Guess the doctor's gonna have to operate!"
The hench-bots froze as Eggman pulled out a bunch of different tools and ended up chasing them around the cockpit of the ship with a large, wooden hammer. "Get back here!" he demanded.
Bokkun sweat-dropped at the sight before him. "I'm gonna go check on the, uh... the thing!" he said.
With no one looking, he descended an elevator into the room below. He'd rather put some space between him and Eggman's wrath anyday. Upon arrival, he breathed a sigh of relief. " *Phew* I got away before he could grab me," he said.
However, this ended up turning sour when a hand suddenly grabbed him from behind and dragged him backwards. And before Bokkun knew it, he found himself staring into the face of a certain bat. "Rouge!" he exclaimed.
"Hi there," she said. "I just dropped by to ask if you'd do me a little favor."
"I'd have to be totally batty to do any favors for you!" Bokkun objected. "Ha! Just wait'll I tell Dr. Eggman you-"
"Really," Rouge interrupted, hushing him as he swatted her hand away. "You don't wanna do that, do you? Your little secret might get out."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Bokkun protested.
"Oh no?" Rouge said, pulling out a heart-shaped locket. "Does this look familiar?"
Bokkun's face turned pink at the cheeks upon seeing it. "Yeah..." he said. "It's mine..."
He tried grabbing at it by lunging at it, but Rouge simply stepped out of the way, leaving Bokkun tumbling to the floor. "I checked out the picture inside," she said. "She's so pretty."
Bokkun was now really scared at what would happen if his secret came out. "Please don't say anything!" he begged. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, I promise! Just please, don't tell anybody, please!"
"Hmhm..." Rouge smirked. "Good boy."
.................................................................................
Unbeknownst to all, something was surfacing from underground. "Ribbit."
.................................................................................
In the meantime, Eggman was still chasing his robots around the cockpit. "Please, Doctor!" pleaded Cubot.
"You worthless metal moochers!"
"I'm too young to be dismantled!"
Just then, Bokkun returned to the cockpit. He was really nervous because of what Rouge dragged him into. "I hate to do this..." he muttered before yelling out, "Hey, Dr. Eggman!"
That got his attention. "Yes?" he said.
"I just got an idea," Bokkun said.
Eggman knelt down as Bokkun whispered something into his ear. A grin appeared on his face as he stood up. "Excellent!" he laughed. "One of the most brilliant plans I've ever come up with!"
"Except that I came up with it!" said Bokkun.
"Are you contradicting me, Bokkun?" Eggman asked.
Orbot and Cubot were relieved. "We're off the hook!" said Cubot.
"I never thought I would be glad that Bokkun's around," Orbot agreed.
"But it was my plan!" Bokkun was objecting.
"And now it's mine," Eggman replied.
.................................................................................
Rouge was finished spying on the Crimson Egg through a pair of binoculars and left. Meanwhile, Knuckles was walking alone. "I don't care if it's an honor or not," he said. "Nobody tosses me around."
Just then, he looked up to see the Eggmobile flying over him. "Wait a minute," he said. "That looks like..."
Suddenly, the Eggmobile crashed. "Eggman!" Knuckles exclaimed.
He ran over to the crater Eggman landed in. The doctor was coughing before he looked up. "Knuckles, it's you!" he said, standing. "What good fortune! Ah, finally, someone who can help me!"
Knuckles was surprised at Eggman's change in mood. "Help you?" he said. "Not a chance!"
"Oh Knuckles, please, you have to hear me out!" Eggman pleaded. "My ship ran out of power and crashed on this desolate planet. If I don't find a way to leave, I'll be trapped here the rest of my life! It's my fault! I'm getting what I deserve!"
"Come on, now. Cool it," said Knuckles, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I just got so carried away with wanting to take over the universe," Eggman said. "I was evil, and greedy... It's true! I wanted planets and entire galaxies all to myself, but if I get off this rock, I'll never turn a moon into a devastating weapon or block out a planet's sun again, I swear! If only I had a Chaos Emerald. I could leave here and start my new life as a good person!"
Of course, Eggman was faking the whole thing, but Knuckles didn't realize this.
.................................................................................
Later, the party long over, Knuckles told everyone else, who were all at the shore, about Eggman's proposition. To say that they were shocked and disbelieving about it was nothing new; they knew the type of person Eggman was, after all. "You want to let Dr. Eggman use the Chaos Emerald?" asked Sonic.
Knuckles nodded. "He's promised to abandon his evil ways if we help him out," he said.
Everyone sighed and/or shook their heads. "We heard that before," said Tails.
"Tails is right, Knuckles," Chris agreed.
"Dr. Eggman is always saying he'll abandon his evil ways," Cream added, "but he never does!"
"And yet every time, he somehow gets you to believe him," said Amy, who was rubbing her backside, which was sore from all the jumping.
Knuckles lost his temper. "Well I wasn't asking your permission!" he snapped as he made his way to Cosmo.
Before Grace knew what was happening, a strange feeling came over her. It was a feeling that caused her to stand protectively in front of Cosmo with an arm in front of her, something that didn't go unnoticed by Wallflower. "If you're gonna hurt Cosmo, I'm not gonna let you lay a hand on her!" she said.
But all Knuckles did when approaching them was reach around Grace and take the Chaos Emerald from Cosmo. "I'm the one who found this Emerald, so I'll do what I want with it!" he said.
He started to leave, only for Sonic to hold him back. "I can't let you do this Knuckles!" he said.
"You're gonna have to fight me to stop me!" said Knuckles.
"Yeah, I know," replied Sonic.
Cosmo couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Sonic! Knuckles!" she exclaimed. "What are you two doing?"
Knuckles didn't answer. He just placed the Chaos Emerald on a nearby rock as he prepared to fight Sonic. "Ready?" he asked.
"Ready!" Sonic answered.
It soon started, Cosmo watching in dread as she got her answer. "They're... fighting..." she said.
Knuckles launched a flying punch at Sonic, only for the hedgehog to dodge, causing Knuckles to punch the ground instead. Sonic took this opportunity to land a flurry of punches at Knuckles, only for the echidna to block them with his free fist. As the clash continued, Cosmo looked on in worry just as Grace came racing over. "We've got to do something to stop this fighting!" she said. "Hey...!"
But no one seemed to listen. The rest of the Guard was keeping an eye out for any other Metarex. "Do these boots make my legs too skinny?" Amy was asking.
"They look just fine, Amy," Cream answered.
"Chao chao chao chao," added a blushing Cheese.
"You wanna go take the X-Tornado for a spin?" Chris asked Tails.
"Sure, why not?" the little fox answered.
"Excuse me," Cosmo asked, "shouldn't we stop Knuckles and Sonic?"
Grace agreed with her. "If not, things are definitely gonna turn ugly," she said.
"Uh, nah," Tails answered. "This is how they work their problems out."
"Yeah, they do this all the time," Chris agreed.
"They'll just fight until they get tired of fighting," Amy added, rubbing her injured backside once more.
Cream nodded. "It's not a big deal," she said.
"Chao chao-chao," Cheese added.
"I just don't understand these creatures..." Cosmo said quietly to herself.
"Well, guess what, Cosmo," Grace said in reply. "Sometimes, I don't understand them either."
Looking behind her, Cosmo saw the fight become more violent. Knuckles lunged towards Sonic repeatedly, only for the hedgehog to dodge each time. "I can't take it anymore!" Cosmo exclaimed as she ran forward.
"Cosmo, wait!" Grace called, running after her.
Sonic stopped at a small ledge just as Cosmo hurried towards him. "Please stop it!" she begged.
Sonic immediately leapt off the ledge just as Knuckles punched at it. "Watch out!" Grace yelled as she yanked Cosmo back and hugged her close, shielding her from the rocks with her own body.
The two cringed as rocks flew around them. Grace looked behind her, breathing a sigh of relief before looking down at Cosmo. "You okay?" she asked.
Cosmo was more focused on the fight in front of her. "This isn't right," she said.
"Hey Cosmo," said Amy, "I wouldn't get too close if I were you."
Meanwhile, from behind a rock, Eggman was watching the ongoing fight. "My plan worked perfectly!" he said to himself. "He left the Chaos Emerald unguarded."
He began crawling closer to the Emerald. "No one will even know I was here!"
However, Bokkun flew over him, nearly blowing his cover. "Hi, Dr. Eggman!" he waved.
Eggman tried not to notice him. "Maybe if I ignore him, he'll disappear-"
However, he ended up crying out in surprise as he found Bokkun standing right in front of him. "You forgot your lunch!" said the robotic bat, producing a banana. "If you wanna conquer the universe, you gotta stay healthy, you know!"
Eggman quickly covered his mouth. "Quiet, or they'll discover me!" he warned.
"Sorry about that, heheh..." Bokkun chuckled nervously.
"Go to the ship and don't come back!" he ordered.
"I won't, Dr. Eggman!" said Bokkun as he flew off.
Rouge lowered her binoculars, having seen it all. "That kid's gonna be really useful," she said. She was feeling rather pleased with herself.
Soon, Eggman had nearly reached the Emerald. "At last, a Chaos Emerald!" he said triumphantly. "Nothing can stop me now!"
Unfortunately for him, Amy stepped right between him and the Emerald. She was hefting her hammer and had a smirk that the mad doctor had learned to fear. "That's what you think," she said, "but you're wrong."
"I-I... can... explain...!" Eggman said desperately, beginning to panic.
Amy just slammed her hammer down, forcing Eggman to scoot back. "Yipe! Watch where you swing that thing!" he exclaimed.
Soon, he found himself surrounded by the rest of the team, including the Guard. "How wonderful to see you all again!" he said.
AJ and Sunset were not amused. "Can anyone care to explain why my and AJ's geodes are black for some reason?" asked Sunset, gesturing to said geodes.
Sonic and Knuckles didn't know what was going on, still engrossed in their fight. They were currently in a shoving fight when Sonic looked up and saw his enemy surrounded. "I had a pretty good feeling we'd be seein' his ugly mug," he quipped.
Sure enough, there he was. "Eggman!" said Knuckles as he approached him. "What are you doing here?"
"You mean me?" Eggman asked, as if he didn't know what Knuckles was talking about.
Amy just looked at the reader as if to say, "Here it comes..." as Eggman picked up his banana. "I-I was just about to consume this delicious banana!" he said, peeling it and eating it. "Tasty!"
Grace only had one thing to say about it: "Liar."
"I know exactly what you're doing here, Eggman," said Amy. "You went to Knuckles because you knew he'd have pity on you and he and Sonic would fight about it, so you could go behind their backs and steal the Chaos Emerald!"
She slammed the top of her hammer down near the Chaos Emerald as she said this, causing Eggman to cower. "Eggman, is that true?" Knuckles asked.
"No, of course not!" said Eggman desperately. "She's lying, Knuckles!"
Amy just raised her hammer high above her head, ready to attack. "Payback time!" she said.
"No, Amy," said Knuckles as he lifted Eggman out of the way just as the hanger came down, setting him down on a rock.
"I know I can always count on you, Knuckles," said Eggman.
"Knuckles, you have got to be kidding me!" said Amy, full of disbelief. "How many more times are you gonna fall for Eggman's tricks? Think about it!"
Knuckles thought about all the times Eggman took advantage of him, only to reveal his true colors when the time was right. "Seriously, Eggman's never gonna change," Amy finished.
"Eggman says he's seen the light," Knuckles insisted otherwise, "and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and help him get off this planet!"
Eggman nodded as Knuckles jumped down from the rock. "Here we go again..." Sonic muttered as Cream and Cheese approached him.
"Eggman lied before, Knuckles," Cream insisted, "and now he's lying again!"
"I'm giving him the Chaos Emerald," Knuckles insisted.
Unbeknownst to all, Rouge was eavesdropping on the conversation. "You're gonna have to go through me to get it!" Amy challenged.
"Is that so?" Knuckles replied.
Immediately, Sonic darted in front of Knuckles, putting out a hand to defend Amy. "But first, you'll have to go through me!" he said. Sure, he was aware of Amy's obsession of him, but he still cared for her.
Pinkie found it rather cute. "Awww," she said.
Rainbow just slapped a hand over Pinkie's mouth. "Don't give her any ideas," she said simply.
"You got a deal!" Knuckles agreed.
"Let me at him!" Amy demanded.
Cosmo was horrified at what she was seeing. This is terrible! she thought as she hurried towards them. They shouldn't be fighting with each other!
She rushed up to Sonic and Knuckles before they could start fighting again. She had to stop this before it was too late! "Stop fighting, you two!" she pleaded. "We have to focus on the bigger crisis threatening all of us! If all we do is argue and fight, how are we supposed to band together and save the universe?"
"Out of the way, Cosmo!" Knuckles demanded.
"We don't want you to get hurt," Sonic added.
Cosmo fell back, devastated as the rivalry continued. A hand on her shoulder got her attention. "You okay, Cosmo?" said a voice from behind.
Cosmo turned to see that it was Grace. Saddened, she just shook her head as she buried her face into Grace's side, her arms wrapping around the older girl. "Maybe I was wrong," she said quietly. "Maybe they aren't the heroes I thought they were."
Grace returned the embrace, hands running through her hair and rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. "You made the right choice in asking them for help," she assured her. "They are the heroes you always thought they were."
Cosmo looked up. "Really?" she asked. "How do you know this?"
Grace nodded. "It's just that... sometimes... stuff like this happens," she added. "There are some heroes that don't always agree on the same thing depending on what it is. I know this because I was warned by Mom during my training that we'd often run into stuff like this."
She looked down at her, red-pink connecting to cyan-blue. "But in the end," she said, "the heroes will somehow find a way to make amends. Just like before, Knuckles will find out the truth: the hard way if need be."
Cosmo smiled a little. "You almost sound like a grownup when you talk like that," she said, "and you're still a kid."
Grace smiled back. "Well, you learn a lot as you grow older," she said. "And for me, it was no exception. Just like Mom, in some cases, I'm a quick learner."
Cosmo silently giggled, already feeling a lot better. She was about to say something else when suddenly, the ground began rumbling. "What now?" Eggman asked, looking around in dismay.
Suddenly, a giant hand scooped up Grace and Cosmo and rose into the air. It was attached to an even bigger robot- the 3,000 Egg Mars. It turned its giant head towards Eggman, revealing Orbot and Cubot piloting it. "Dr. Eggman! We're sorry we kept you waiting!" said Cubot.
"We're here to rescue you!" added Orbot.
"Metal meddlers, I don't need rescuing!" Eggman protested.
The Egg Mars turned to face Eggman, his emblem flashing on its chest. "Bokkun told us you were in trouble," said Cubot.
"A jam," added Orbot.
"A predicament," put in Cubot.
"What did he say?" asked Eggman.
"He told us that nobody fell for your plan to steal the Chaos Emerald," Orbot answered.
The Egg Mars extended its free left hand to Eggman. "I wouldn't go far as to say nobody fell for it," said the mad doctor as he climbed upon it. "Knuckles certainly did."
Just as quickly, Eggman covered his mouth, realizing too late what he just said. "I knew it!" AJ exclaimed, snapping her fingers.
Sunset was shocked and infuriated. "No wonder our geodes are black!" she said. "He was using dishonesty and apathy to get what he wanted for his own benefit!"
Knuckles was shocked as well. He'd been played! Again! "I don't believe it..." he said. "Eggman!"
"Sorry, Knuckles," said Eggman as the hand lifted him into the air. "What can I say?"
"Hate to say 'I told you so'..." Sonic quipped.
"Well," said Rainbow, "I got no trouble in saying it: I told you so!"
"You tricked me!" Knuckles growled.
"That's right," Eggman confirmed as he climbed off the hand and joined Orbot and Cubot in the cockpit before typing on a keyboard. "But now you'll give me the Emerald or I'll crush your friends in the palm of my giant metal hand!"
Eggman held out his fist as he made the threat, and the Egg Mars did the same, indicating motion control. "This is a much better plan than the last one," Cubot quipped.
"Your microphone is still on, Cubot," Orbot reminded him.
When the Egg Mars' right hand opened slightly, everyone was surprised to see Grace and Cosmo in there. While Cosmo looked scared, Grace felt the same way, but she was keeping it hidden since she was more focused on getting herself and her friend out. But banging and pushing on it wasn't exactly working out so well; she wasn't a medalbender, let alone an earthbender. "What do we do?" asked Cream.
"Chao chao?" added Cheese.
Chris, Tails, and Creecha also saw this. "Come on, guys!" said Chris, racing forward.
The two were shocked at what they saw. "Grace!"
"Cosmo!"
They ran towards the Egg Mars while Rouge snuck up near the Chaos Emerald (at this point, it was left unguarded once more). "Now's my chance," she said.
"Put them down, Eggman!" Knuckles demanded.
"Don't think so," replied Eggman.
"Give us the Chaos Emerald," put in Orbot. "Then we'll drop them! I-I mean put them down gently."
Tom didn't say anything, but glared at them, giving off a cat-like snarl to show how ticked off he was. Meanwhile, Rouge feasted her eyes on said Emerald. "Hello, beautiful..." she said.
But just as she was about to take it, the ground started rumbling. "Not again," Larry grumbled when he took notice.
Rouge also noticed. "What's going on here?" she asked, confused.
Suddenly, both she and the Chaos Emerald were thrown into the air by a huge frog-like Metarex called Metarex Jumpee, getting the attention of everyone else nearby. "It's a Metarex!" exclaimed Chris.
As the Chaos Emerald fell, Metarex Jumpee extended a dagger-like tongue and devoured the artifact, licking its lips afterwards. Twilight could hardly believe what she saw. "It- It ate that thing as if it were a fly!" she almost spluttered.
Rouge was most displeased. "That frog's a jewel hog," she said as she flew off.
"Gaahh!" Eggman exclaimed, staring down Metarex Jumpee. "That thing ate the Emerald! Alright, boys! Annihilate that amphibian and the Emerald is ours!"
"Whatever you say, Doctor!" said Cubot.
Standing to its full height, the Egg Mars dropped the girls and ran towards Metarex Jumpee. While Tom was able to leap up into the air and catch Grace, Knuckles did the same and caught Cosmo. They both landed on the ground, Tom absolutely livid. "Wait'll I get my hands on that thing!" he growled. "No one messes with my daughter and gets away with it!"
"Are you OK?" asked Knuckles.
"Forget me!" Cosmo replied. "Get the Emerald!"
Metarex Jumpee prepared itself for a fight. The Egg Mars collided with the giant Metarex frog. With a press of a button, Orbot made the robot's right hand turn into a drill that attempted to penetrate Metarex Jumpee's armor. No damage was done, however. "Whaah!" Eggman exclaimed. "The drill isn't working!"
"Its armor is too strong!" added Cubot.
"What's that thing made of?" asked Orbot.
Then, using its tongue, Metarex Jumpee flipped the Egg Mars onto its back by the drill, causing the pilots to get thrown out of their seats. "We just got a tongue-lashing!" said Eggman.
"I don't think we can beat it, Dr. Eggman," added Cubot.
"I have a plan," said Orbot. "Let's let Sonic and the others take care of it."
Eggman was having none of it. "Get this thing back on its feet and keep battling!" he ordered.
Then, Metarex Jumpee began talking: "You who disturb the order of the universe! Ribbit! You cannot have the Chaos Emeralds. You misuse their power. Ribbit! We are the only ones who should possess the Emeralds."
"Says the guy who's kind is going for galactical domination!" Junior snapped with a glare. "That sounds hypocritical coming from the likes of you!"
"Really. I'll take a stab at seizing it anyway!" Eggman replied, the Egg Mars standing back up. "Stand still, so I can make a frog kebab!"
The Egg Mars reached behind itself and unraveled a large sword. Then, it thrusted it toward Metarex Jumpee, who jumped high into the air to avoid it. Before landing, it used its tongue to trap the Egg Mars' right arm. It used its left hand to grab Metarex Jumpee's tongue, only for said tongue to send out an electrical current that shocked the Egg Mars and its occupants. Then, the Egg Mars exploded, sending Eggman and his hench-bots into the air Team Rocket style. "I think that frog just skewered us!" Orbot said as they disappeared into the sky.
Metarex Jumpee retracted its tongue. Knuckles charged towards Jumpee with his shovel claws, but he didn't even make a dent in its singular eye. All the Metarex had to do was turn its head to shake off Knuckles. Not even Sonic's spin dash could damage it. And the same went for Tom's attempted attack. Rainbow, AJ, and Sunset struck at it with their lightsabers, but they didn't make a scratch either. Metarex Jumpee's tongue impacted into the ground several times near the heroes, but they luckily dodged them. "I cannot allow you to deter me," it said as its tongue retracted. "I have a mission. I have come for the Planet Egg."
"Do you think they can stop it?" asked Cream.
"They have to!" answered Cosmo, panicking. "If it captures the Planet Egg, the whole planet will flood again!"
"Calm down, Cosmo," said Wallflower, rubbing her back. "I'm sure we'll think of something."
Amy turned to Cosmo. "We're open to suggestions, Cosmo," she said.
"Don't worry, guys," said Chris, catching their attention. "I've got an idea."
Meanwhile, Metarex Jumpee turned around and started to leave. However, the heroes cut it off. "We're not done with you yet!" said Sonic.
Spikes protruded from 6 holes from Metarex Jumpee's chin and chest. It leapt high into the air and nearly crushed the heroes, but they managed to leap out of the way in time and get to the others. "Oh man, how do we stop this thing?" asked Knuckles.
"Hey Metarex!" a voice called. "Over here!"
It was Chris, who was standing in the crow's nest of a ship that was resting on the sand holding something in his hand. Cosmo was shocked when she recognized what it was. "He had the... the Planet Egg," she stammered fearfully.
Sure enough, he was indeed holding it. Metarex Jumpee turned to face him. "So..." it said, "you have been hiding it from me!"
"If you want it, come get it!" Chris taunted as he pulled on a rope, extending the ship's sails.
"You will regret this!" Metarex Jumpee vowed as it gave hot pursuit to the ship, rolling across the sands.
"We have to do something," said Cosmo.
"Maybe Chris knows what he's doing," said Amy.
"But still..." Cosmo insisted.
"I'm not waiting to find out!" Knuckles said as he ran after Chris.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Sunset called as she raced after him.
"You know what?" said Sonic. "Somethin' tells me this plan involves the cannon!"
He ran the other way. "Come on, Tails!" he called.
"Way ahead of you, bro!" Tails replied as he flew after him.
Meanwhile, Metarex Jumpee still chased after Chris. Alright! He fell for it! he thought.
He held up the Planet Egg. "Ha! Come catch me if you can!" he taunted as he waited, timing his part. "Closer... Closer... Now! Sonic!"
With that, he leapt out of the crow's nest, much to Cosmo's surprise. However, he bounced back up on a trampoline in the ship. "Of course! The Heave-Ho Festival!" Cream remembered.
"Sonic, catch!" Chris called as he threw the Planet Egg with all his might.
Metarex Jumpee looked up at the Planet Egg sailing through the air.
.................................................................................
On the ship, Sonic stood prepared as the Sonic Driver was activated. As he ran inside the barrel and laid down on the spinning platform, Tails's voice could be heard over the intercom: "Connecting energy from the energy chamber to the main cannon! Pressurizing the energy within the cannon's electrical ducts! Okay, ready, Sonic?"
"Do I really have to go through with this?" asked Sonic. He almost sounded bored. Almost.
"Get serious, Sonic!" Tails insisted. "We've got Secco's Planet Egg, the Chaos Emerald and the whole universe at stake!"
"Alright!" Sonic replied, standing up. "Here it goes!"
He started to spin, charging the cannon.
.................................................................................
Meanwhile, Knuckles and Sunset both charged towards Metarex Jumpee. They scaled it and leapt into the air, Knuckles catching the Planet Egg first. However, they were both soon binded by Metarex Jumpee's tongue. "Hey! Let us go right now, Metajerk!" Sunset demanded, banging on the tongue with her fist.
However, it only served to get them both electrocuted, much to everyone's horror. Chris, who was clinging to the mast, saw all this.
.................................................................................
Luckily, Sonic and Tails were already on the scene. "Hold your position steady, Sonic," said Tails. "Metarex target straight ahead!"
The targeting computers locked on to Metarex Jumpee. Then... "Sonic Power Cannon, fire!"
After charging energy, the Sonic Drive launched Sonic at Metarex Jumpee. In a direct hit, Sonic plowed through it, making it explode. "Oh yeah!" Chris cheered.
Now free, Knuckles and Sunset feel to the ground, a little winded after their electrocution. Knuckles was alright, but Sunset was looking a little hurt. Wallflower and Twilight instantly ran ahead of everyone over to her. "Oh my gosh, Sunset!" Wallflower exclaimed.
"Sunset, are you okay?" Twilight asked.
Darn it. Now I know how Luke Skywalker felt when he got hit with Darth Sidious' lightning, Sunset thought.
She looked up at her friends as they helped her sit up. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm just gonna... get some rest for a while until I'm all better again."
"You sure about that?" asked Wallflower.
Sunset nodded. "Totally sure," she said. "After all, I've handled much worse."
Everyone else soon caught up with them. "Knuckles!" exclaimed Cosmo.
"Are you okay?" Cream asked.
"Yeah," Knuckles answered, "and I think the Planet Egg is okay too."
Suddenly, the Planet Egg popped and deflated, much to Cosmo's shock and Pinkie's obvious amusement. "What the-?" Matt said, confused.
"I didn't do it!" Knuckles interrupted.
"Is that a... beach ball?" asked Amy.
Grace snorted. "Yeah. It is," she said. "I can tell."
Creecha glanced at her. "Something tells me you've got something to do with Chris's little plan, right?" she asked.
"Maybe?" Grace said, giggling a little.
Creecha rolled her eyes. "We'll talk about this later," she said.
Tails flew down from the Typhoon and hugged Knuckles. "Glad you and Sunset are alright, bro," he said.
Knuckles smiled down at Tails, returning the contact. "Thanks to you, little buddy," he said, patting his head.
"Totally," Sunset agreed, reaching out to scratch Tails behind the ear. "Thanks for the save. We owe you one."
"Sonic!" Chris called.
Sonic leapt up to the crow's nest where Chris was and the two did a high-five. "Yes!"
"We did it!" Tails cheered as he flew up to them, he and Sonic laughing as they shared a hug.
.................................................................................
Later that evening on the ship, which now had flowers everywhere, Knuckles was kneeling down, looking at Sonic and Chris. "I owe all of you a really big apology," he said.
"We're not gonna hold it against ya, Knuckles," Sonic reassured him. "You made a bad call, that's all."
"I guess so," Knuckles acknowledged, "but... how could I let Eggman fool me?"
"Eggman knows he tricked you once before," Chris answered, "and it worked again."
Knuckles just grumbled. Grace smiled sympathetically. "It's okay Knuckles," she said, patting his shoulder. "I made the same mistake once. In the end, you just gotta be careful on who you place your trust. That's what Mom told me."
"Trust me," Creecha confirmed. "We all made the same mistake at one point or another."
Knuckles didn't reply. "Don't feel bad, Knuckles," said Cosmo. "You have a very trusting heart, and you want to believe that there is good in everybody. Because like me, you have a dream that everyone in the galaxy will unite one day."
"Uh, thanks for looking at it that way, Cosmo," said Knuckles with a nod as he stood up.
To say that he was a little surprised at her words was an understatement. "Who knows," he said as they held hands. "Maybe that is the reason."
"I think it is," Cosmo agreed.
Sonic smiled. "That's a nice way of looking at it, Knuckles," he said. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're a sucker."
That got the others laughing as Knuckles turned to Sonic. "I'm gonna-"
"Let's start searching for the other Chaos Emeralds," Tails chuckled.
Creecha just laughed softly at the scene before her as they all headed back to the Blue Typhoon. Glancing to her right, a fond smile crossed her features when she saw Sonic give Tails a piggyback ride to the ship, said fox leaning forward to rest on Sonic's head and letting out a happy, satisfied purr. Tails really deserves to act like a kid, she thought. He often acts so mature, like he's already grown up or something. I guess starting out as a hero when you're a kid really causes you to sacrifice your childhood for the sake of helping others. It can get pretty exhausting after a while. But at least there's people out there like me and Sonic who can take time to give them a childhood to enjoy. In the end, they deserve it.
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Back in the Crimson Egg, Orbot and Cubot were sitting in the ship's cockpit feeling depressed. "What number failure was that, Orbot?" asked Cubot.
"I lost count somewhere around 50," Orbot answered.
Eggman was pretty ticked off at the situation. "Whatever number failure that was, it better be the last!" he said. "I'm tired of you tin cans ruining everything."
"It's not our fault!" Cubot protested. "It was Bokkun's plan!"
"And he's the one who gave your position away and told us to save you," added Orbot.
Eggman grunted. "Wait until I get my hands on him!" he yelled.
.................................................................................
Meanwhile, Bokkun was sitting cross-legged on the floor and sulking. Rouge was standing nearby. "Aww, don't feel bad, sugar," she said. "You did everything right. It'll work out next time. There will be a next time, won't there?"
"Not for me!" answered Bokkun.
"Really?" Rouge challenged, holding up the locket again. "You sure?"
Bokkun blushed in embarrassment. He knew that as long as Rouge threatened him with whatever secret he had in that thing, there wasn't a thing he could do about it. "Whatever you say..." he said woefully, doodling the ground with his finger. "I'll do whatever you want."
As Rouge smirked and poor Bokkun cried, the Crimson Egg left Planet Secco's atmosphere and flew away.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
