x
Back on Earth in Station Square, Chris' family were in his lab standing before the abandoned portal: his mother Lindsey, his father Nelson, his grandfather Chuck, his friends Danny and Frances, and his girlfriend Helen. "Christopher went to Sonic's world!" Lindsey exclaimed, understandably worried. "Well, we have to bring him back! Right now!"
"I don't think we should try to operate his machine, Mrs. Thorndyke," said Frances.
"Only Chris understands how it works," added Danny.
"I can't risk tampering with it, Lindsey," Chuck warned. "If I damaged it in any way, Chris might be trapped in Sonic's world forever."
Lindsey was frustrated. "But we can't just leave him there!" she insisted.
At that point, Nelson showed up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We have to trust our son," he said.
"But…" Lindsey tried to protest.
"Chris knows how to take care of himself," Nelson said, "and you know it's never wise to underestimate a Thorndyke."
Knowing that her husband was right, Lindsey cried into his shoulder. Chuck nodded as Helen rolled forward in her wheelchair. "I'm sure Chris wil try to communicate with us, Mrs. Thorndyke," she said. "We'll stay here at the lab and let you know right away if we hear from him."
"Thank you, Helen," said Nelson. "Please do."
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, the Blue Typhoon was cruising through deep space. It was pretty peaceful. Everyone was currently gathered on the bridge. "You detected one of the Chaos Emeralds?" asked Cream.
"Are you sure about this, Knuckles?" Amy added.
"Yes," Knuckles answered. "There's no doubt about it. I was in the engine room a few minutes ago when I saw the Master Emerald reacting to something. It must have been an Emerald!"
"About time," said Sunset. "And here I was thinking that it's been like… what, a few hours ago?"
"Wouldn't say it was that long," replied Dorothy. "Besides, you heard Knuckles."
"Check for a planet nearby," Amy said to Tails.
Tails did so by pulling up a map, which appeared in the middle of the group. "Let's see…" he mussed.
"There's one," said Chris, pointing to a spot on the map.
"That's Planet Secco," said Cosmo.
"And according to my galactic guidebook," said Sonic, who was currently reading CosmoNav, which was a planet guide, "it's dry as a bone."
"Tails, we're gonna land on Planet Secco and find that Emerald!" declared Amy. "Let's go!"
Tails was disappointed. "I'm supposed to give the orders…" he said.
"Just do it," Amy insisted.
………………………………………………………………………
Soon, the Typhoon was approaching Secco, the Matter Emerald glowing intensely. "According to the scope, there's a lot of water on this world," said Tails as they entered Secco's atmosphere.
Sonic was immediately nervous. "Oh no," he said as they broke through the cloud layer. "We can't land here. There's gotta be some kind of mistake."
"Tough luck, Sonic," said Knuckles, chuckling. He was clearly amused.
"Knuckles, not helping," said Shari.
The Typhoon extended its stabilizer fins and descended toward the watery surface below. "Splashdown!" Tails announced.
It wasn't long before the Typhoon landed on the watery surface. As everyone was later climbing into small one-seater submarines on the runway, Sonic was looking frantic. "You must have made a wrong turn, Tails!" he insisted, holding up his guidebook. "The guidebook says this planet's dry."
"Don't blame me, Sonic," said Tails, climbing into his submarine. "Sounds like your galactic guidebook's seriously out of date."
"But there's way too much water here!" Sonic said, scared out of his mind. "I hate water…"
"Don't sweat it, Sonic," said Chris, who was welding two of the submarines together. "I have a way for you to stay dry even when you're underwater. You're not afraid of submarines, aren't you?"
Sonic just sweat-dropped. "Launch the subs!" Tails ordered.
With that, the subs moved forward and fell into the water. Creecha and Grace were tagging along with Chris and Sonic, who wasn't looking too good at all. Uh-oh, Chris thought. Sonic's looking pretty seasick. Lucky for me we're riding in separate compartments.
Creecha was using her waterbending to create an air bubble around herself and her daughter as they stood on the submarine. Just then, Grace spotted something. "Chris, heads up!" she said, pointing ahead.
Sure enough, they saw a group of fish swimming directly towards them. As Grace and her mother held on, Chris was able to steer the dub away from the fish, but doing so sent them into an uncontrollable spiral.
………………………………………………………………………
In the meantime, everyone else had made it to land. "Are you sure the Chaos Emerald is nearby?" asked Amy.
"I couldn't be surer," Knuckles answered.
"What makes you so certain we'll find it here, Knuckles?" asked Cosmo.
"Because I've got a natural knack for finding things," Knuckles replied as he pulled out his shovel claws. "I'll show ya."
Promptly, he began digging on the beach in search of the Emerald. Sunset shrugged. "Eh, since he's doing it, we'd better get to work as well," she said, taking off her backpack (she and the other girls have brought theirs along for the trip) and digging into it.
"With what?" Rainbow asked. "Our bare hands?"
"Not really," Sunset chuckled as she pulled out a sack that was filled with something.
Matt had to rub his eyes to see if he was dreaming. "How on earth did you manage to fit a sack like that into that backpack of yours?" he asked, surprised.
"Magical backpacks," Sunset answered, opening the sack. "They can fit pretty much anything. Except spaceships."
Shari snorted in laughter. "Really?" asked Matt, raising an eyebrow. "Except spaceships?"
"Hey, even magic has its limits," Sunset said, pausing to look at him before getting her focus back to the task at hand.
After digging into it, she pulled out several shovels. "Long story of how I brought these along," she said. "But in the meantime, we'll be using them. Heads up!"
Upon saying that, she threw the shovels at them. Most managed to catch them, others got out of the way, and Tom was unfortunate enough to get hit in the stomach with the stick part. One nearly hit Dorothy until Lightning caught it and gave it to her. Then, he proceeded to catch two shovels at once just as Butch showed up. "Sha-yoink!"
"Um, shovel please," he said.
"Nu-uh," Lightning answered. "I need both. Because when this one gets tired, I'll use the other one."
Shanti and Dorothy were just getting started when a loud *WHAM!* got their attention. Looking behind them, they saw Butch grumpily walk past with his shovel- that had an imprint of Lightning's face on it. "Long story short, Dorothy, your boyfriend's an idiot," he said bluntly as he passed them.
The two girls glanced at a dizzy Lightning, who had a red imprint of the shovel on his face before he fell face first into the sand. "Keep an eye on this for me, will you?" asked Shanti as she handed Dorothy her shovel and left. "I'm gonna go find Starlight."
Cream pulled out a small rake and a sand bucket. "Why don't we dig for the Chaos Emerald too?" she offered.
Cosmo agreed. The two were soon hard at work, but all they unearthed were some seashells. "This is gonna be a long day," said Amy.
"You don't think Sonic and Chris have run into some kind of trouble, have you?" asked Cosmo.
"Wouldn't be surprised," answered Cream.
"Yeah, same with Creecha and Grace," Wallflower added with a little chuckle. "Wouldn't be the first time any of us had run into trouble."
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Chris's and Sonic's sub finally emerged with a dizzy Grace and a panting Creecha. "Well, that was unexpected," the latter said.
Grace didn't reply. She was shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness. The hatches opened, and Sonic popped out, also panting. "Sorry…" Chris apologized as he also got out.
"It's okay," said Creecha. "None of us saw those fish coming, whatever kind of fish they are."
"Well I may not be a genius," said Grace, "but I don't think they're your typical normal fish. They looked completely different."
"Huh. Now that you mention it…" Creecha mused thoughtfully.
Chris looked around. "Where are we?" he asked.
Creecha also looked around. "Well, I don't know," she said. "But wherever we are currently, I don't see the others; we must've gotten separated from them."
"Hey, look!" Chris exclaimed. He was looking ahead and pointing at something.
There, on the island, was a large tower. "Let's go check it out," said Grace.
Before anyone could object, Grace jumped into the water and swam to shore. Creecha just shrugged as she and the others followed. Luckily, they weren't that far from the island, so it didn't take long for them to reach it. Chris was helping Sonic in the meantime. "Sonic, come on," he said. "You're safe now."
Grace was going ahead looking around when suddenly she felt herself getting pulled back. "Get and stay behind me!" was all Creecha said as she pulled her swords out and glared at the threat in front of them.
Peeking from behind her, Grace saw what the threat was: several fish-like Metarex known as Metarex Gillmans. "They're Metarex!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Yeah," Chris agreed, "and whoever sent 'em here designed them especially for the water!"
"Right," Sonic confirmed as Chris let him go. "I bet their boss stole the Planet Egg and turned this place into a water world. I knew there was somethin' fishy goin' on."
The Metarex Gillmans suddenly dog-piled all 4 of them, only for Creecha and Sonic to toss them aside. Soon, Sonic was punching and kicking them while Creecha was swinging her swords around with skilled precision, cutting them into pieces. "Run while you two have the chance!" Sonic called.
"And let you two handle it on your own?" Grace objected as she ran into battle. "Nu-uh, I don't think so." And she proved so by aiming a big rose thorn at one, getting it in one shot.
"I'm not afraid either," Chris added. "I've got a black belt in karate now."
Sonic was surprised. "You know karate?" he asked.
Even the Metarex Gillmans looked confused. "Tanaka gave me martial arts lessons," Chris said confidently. "I'll chop through these fishy freaks and turn 'em into sushi!"
He approached the Metarex Gillmans and punched one. But problem? It wasn't even fazed. "Missed by a few centimeters, man!" Grace called after destroying another one by encasing herself in a thorny shield and literally bursting through it.
Chris then attempted to kick at it, but it didn't reach either. Sonic kicked at it with ease. "Quit kiddin' around, Chris!" he said.
"I'm not a kid!" objected Chris, now being chased by the Metarex Gillmans.
"Get goin'!" said Sonic. "We'll take care of 'em!"
"Don't you want me to help you?!" Chris asked.
"That's OK," Sonic answered, casually holding back a Metarex Gillman before shoving it away. "Leave the fightin' to the experts, Chris."
No wonder Sonic doesn't believe me, Chris thought as he kept running. I have the skills of an 18-year-old, but the strength of a 12-year-old! Maybe I can stop these things with a surprise counter-attack!
Stopping, he finally succeeded in punching a Metarex Gillman. However, all that did was injure his hand, which now began swelling up. "Aahh!" he yelled, running in short circles in pain.
Grace had just gotten done with piercing through another Metarex Gillman with a thorn when she heard the yell and glanced behind her. "Chris!" she exclaimed, immediately rushing to his aid.
The Metarex Gillmans took this as the perfect opportunity to strike. However, Sonic pushed Chris into the water and immediately used his spin dash to launch them all away while Creecha sliced through them. "Get help!" Sonic ordered.
But what he, Creecha, and Grace didn't know was that something was coming up from behind them. Chris only noticed after making it back to the submarine. "But Sonic…" he tried to say.
"Get in that sub and get goin'!" Sonic interrupted.
"Look behind you!" Chris finally said.
Standing right behind them was giant Metarex- Gillman's Boss, who roared at them. Noticing, Creecha quickly acted by picking up Grace with her telekinesis and throwing her into the water before she and Sonic were picked up and thrown into the water themselves. A surprised Grace surfaced not too far from the submarine. Good thing I learned how to swim, she thought as she swam over and climbed on.
"Mom? Sonic?" she called.
At that, Creecha surfaced, spitting out water and getting her hair out of her face. "We're fine, sweetheart!" she called. "But you and Chris might want to get to the ship and get help!"
Just then, Sonic surfaced in a panic. "Just don't panic!" Chris called.
A large device emerged from the tower and aimed itself at the two. It fired out a tethered net, ensnaring them. "They got them…" Chris said quietly.
The tethered net quickly withdrew, hoisting Creecha and Sonic into the air. "Are you two okay?" Grace called.
"We're fine," Creecha called back. "Now I know what it's like to be a fish caught in a net."
"Just you and Creecha hold on, Sonic!" Chris called. "We're comin' for ya!"
However, a fresh troop of Metarex Gillmans leapt into the water. "Go before the Metarex get you!" said Sonic.
"We won't leave you!" Chris objected.
"You have to!" Sonic insisted as the Metarex Gillmans closed in on the kids. "If they catch you, neither one of us will survive!"
Chris tried to protest again, but this time, Grace interrupted them. "They're right, Chris!" she said, trying not to break down. "If we stay, we'll no doubt get trapped as well! But if we escape from here, there's a chance we'll get help!"
Just as the Metarex Gillmans climbed onto the sub, a wave of water washed them away and threw them against the tower. Creecha had used her waterbending on them. "Go! I'm giving you a head start!" she said. "Go back to the Typhoon and get help! I'll stall them for as long as I can!" Just because Creecha was in a net didn't mean that she was defenseless.
Knowing that they were right, Chris finally relented. "Alright, we'll go," he said as he climbed into his submarine.
3 more Metarex Gillmans leapt onto the submarine just as he closed the hatch and were about to get Grace until Creecha sent them flying off with a well-aimed water whip. This gave Grace time to open her hatch and climb in, but not before looking back just as Creecha then encased a bunch more Metarex Gillmans in ice. "Don't you and Sonic worry, Mom," she said, her voice breaking a little. "I promise we'll come back for you."
Creecha smiled. "I know," she said simply.
Smiling a watery smile back, Grace climbed into the submarine. At that moment, Chris drove away, shaking off a few more in the process. "You and Creecha hang in there, Sonic," he said to himself as the kids submerged.
Sonic and Creecha watched as they left, Creecha smiling. I'm just glad they're safe, she thought.
………………………………………………………………………
Back at the Typhoon… "Sonic and Creecha were captured?" Tails was asking.
"Yeah," Chris answered as he was climbing into one of the spaceships, "but I'm going back to rescue them."
"By yourself?!" Tails exclaimed. "There's no way!"
"Trust me," said Chris. "I know what I'm doing, Tails."
"No you don't!" Tails argued.
"I do!" Chris insisted.
Tails took a few steps forward. "But what's your plan, Chris?" he asked.
"I'll fly to where Sonic and Creecha are and I– Uh… I don't know," Chris said dejectedly. Tails had a point.
"I knew it," Grace sniffed, trying not to cry. "I… I knew you didn't have a plan in saving them. I don't have one either, and now I don't know what we're gonna do. You and I both know it crystal clear. And now thanks to your overconfidence, Mom and Sonic have now been abducted and I don't know what's happening to them and… and…" Trailing off, she fell on her knees (her legs having given out) and sobbed into her hands, no longer able to hold it in.
Chris felt regret sting him in the heart. He knew Grace was right. Twilight, who happened to come in at the time because she forgot her water bottle, instantly ran over to Grace and wrapped her in a hug. "Don't worry. We can save Sonic and Creecha if we use teamwork," Tails said, rubbing Grace's back comfortingly. "There's no reason for you to go in all alone, okay?"
"OK," Chris agreed, climbing out of the craft. Now he really felt bad. Especially with how Grace was handling it right now.
Grace just looked up as she calmed down and nodded, not bothering to say anything. Twilight was wiping away her tears with gentle hands when Tails's communicator buzzed. "This is the Blue Typhoon. Over," he answered.
………………………………………………………………………
Tom and Amy answered from an underground room on the island, surrounded by mysterious people. "It's Amy and Tom," she said. "We're calling from under the island."
"I have some bad news about Sonic and Creecha," Tails said.
"They got captured, didn't they?" Amy said.
"How'd you find that out?" Tails asked, surprised.
"Me and Tom just made a whole bunch of new friends," Amy answered. "They saw the Metarex capturing them."
"We gotta go rescue 'em, Amy!" said Chris.
"Is Grace okay?" asked Tom.
"Not really," Twilight answered. "She isn't hurt physically, per say, but she's taking the whole thing pretty hard."
"Can't say I blame her," Tom sighed.
"Me and Tom will take care of it, Chris," Amy said. "These folks will show us where Sonic and Creecha are being held. When he sees me coming, his heart will start pounding faster than my hammer!"
Oh boy, Tom thought, face-palming.
………………………………………………………………………
" 'Thanks for saving me, Amy.' 'My pleasure, Sonic.' 'Amy, you're the most beautiful girl in the universe.' 'Oh Sonic, really?' 'Now I see what a fool I've been for waiting so long, Amy! Will you marry me?' 'Oh, Sonic! Of course I will!' "
Tails, Chris, and Twilight were all cringing as they heard everything. Despite her tears, Grace couldn't help but giggle. "Talk about obsession," she said.
"Welcome to Amy's world," Tom grumbled.
"Um, excuse me?" said Chris.
"Is that you, Sonic?" Amy asked.
"No, it's me, Chris!" exclaimed Chris, exasperated. "We have to rescue Sonic and Creecha right away, Amy!"
"What do you mean 'we'?!" Amy snapped, making Chris jump. "I don't need a chaperone!"
"Whoa, take it easy, Amy!" said Tom. "All he's doing is snapping you back to reality!"
Chris backed off, a little startled. "O- Okay," he said.
"Tails, me and Tom will need some time to set Sonic and Creecha free," said Amy. "Pick us up in the X-Tornado in an hour. Got it?"
"Sure, Amy," Tails answered. "Will do."
With that, he hung up. "Need any help getting the X-Tornado ready?" asked Chris.
"I don't think so, Chris," Tails answered. "Why don't you go take a rest. You might want to wash up a bit, too."
Confused, Chris wiped his face and saw that, indeed, he was a little dirty. "What about me?" Grace yawned, tired from the emotional strain from earlier.
"You too," Tails replied. "You definitely need a nap or something."
Grace could only rub her eyes before falling against Twilight's side. Twilight smiled as she just picked her up and moved her so she could give her a piggyback ride to her room. "Come on, Grace," she said as she left. "Let's get you to your room."
Later, once he got cleaned up, Chris was laying down in bed, left to his thoughts. I learned so much in the past 6 years, he thought. I got self-confidence when Tanaka taught me self-defense. Grandpa gave me flying lessons, and helped me get my pilot's license. I even got a part-time job after school so l could get work experience. But now it's like I'm back where I was 6 years ago.
He thought back to what Sonic had said earlier: "Leave the fightin' to the experts, Chris."
Chris sighed as he closed his eyes. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come after all, he thought.
As he drifted off to sleep, memories of his past adventures and stories of what the Christian-Equestrian Guard had done and been through over the years came flashing through his head. Sonic and the others don't need my help, he thought. They all have incredible powers. Every time we get into trouble, one of them jumps into action and saves the day… and I just stand there watching. I want to help, but what can I do? Even Cream and Cheese can do more than I can. Same with Grace, and she's 8 years younger than me.
As Chris rolled over, his eyes opening, he sighed in defeat. I might as well face it– I'm totally useless, and I should've stayed home, he admitted to himself.
Then, he thought back to when that photo of him and his Mobian friends fell to the floor thanks to that gust of wind. "I'm coming…" he said after he picked it up.
But something told me that Sonic was in danger, he thought. That's why I had to come here. I had to.
"Yep. There was a good reason for you to come here," said a voice from beside him.
Chris looked over to see Sunset standing beside him, leaning against the wall. She was glowing all over, and her hair was flowing all celestial-like. Chris was surprised to see her. "What're you doing here?" he asked. "Are you dead or something?"
Sunset chuckled. "Not really," she said. "I'm just currently taking a break from looking for the Chaos Emerald with everyone else, so I decided to pass the time by meditating. Whenever that happens, my spirit likes to float around and explore. I'm the adventurous type, you know."
"Oh. Must've forgotten about that," said Chris, rubbing his neck.
"That's okay," Sunset said, waving a hand. "It's been a while since you've last seen this. Forgetting something is quite common."
The two chuckled before Sunset looked at him. "So, with that aside," she said, sitting next to him on the bed, "I'm willing to bet that you're feeling the way you are because of what happened earlier."
Chris jumped, surprised. "How'd you find that out?" he asked. "I didn't even tell you."
"Mind reader, remember?" Sunset giggled, tapping her head. "Plus, I could feel your negativity from, like, at least a mile or two away."
"Oh right," Chris realized, rubbing his neck. "Forgot that too. No offense."
"No worries," said Sunset. "None taken. And for your information, you're not useless."
"Really?" Chris asked.
" *Pfft*, of course not," Sunset scoffed. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You are useful, just not in the way you think you are."
"What makes you say that?" asked Chris.
"Because you're part of a team," Sunset answered. "And in a team, people are good at a whole bunch of different things. Some are good at leading while others are good at strength, brains, making others smile, being the heart of the team– all that stuff. You can help out others by using all that science stuff you've learned over the years because you got a pretty smart head. You're still needed here, whether you have powers or not."
Chris was silent as he took it all in. "And besides," Sunset added, "was there ever a time that you thought up of ways to help Sonic back home?"
Thinking back, Chris realized that Sunset did have a point there. He thought back to when he and Helen were once at a roadside café back home…
………………………………………………………………………
"Are those your new designs, Chris?" asked Helen.
"Well, they're… just some ideas," Chris answered a little nervously.
"Let me see," said Helen, now curious.
Chris handed Helen a blueprint. It appeared to be for a ring barrier and a shoe that resembled Sonic's trademark ones. "Hm… interesting," Helen mused as her eye caught one of the plans. "... What's this?"
"It doesn't have a name yet," Chris answered, "but if it works, it could help Sonic get energy whenever he needs it out in space."
"And this?" Helen asked.
"Those are speed shoes," Chris answered. "The soles are made from a special compound that helps the shoe grip the ground while at the same time producing–"
Helen giggled. "Maybe they're all silly," said Chris, seeing her reaction.
"I think they're all wonderful," Helen replied.
"You do?" Chris asked, chuckling.
Helen nodded. "I do," she answered.
………………………………………………………………………
Chris bolted up in bed as he realized something. He glanced at Sunset, who gave him a wink. "You know what, Sunset? You're right," he said. "I have learned a lot in 6 years, and Sonic does need me. I can help him."
"Atta boy," Sunset grinned, ruffling his hair. "That's what I like to see. Now get that brain of yours to work with any ideas that you can come up with. I'll be with everyone else looking for the Emerald."
Chris smiled. "Thanks, Sunset," he said.
"Anytime," Sunset replied, patting his shoulder as she disappeared.
Encouraged, Chris got out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and sat down at his computer.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, as 2 Metarex Gillmans patrolled the outside of the base, Amy and Tom spied on them. Several Secco inhabitants were standing behind them, along with a Secco elder. "This is the only entrance," he said. "I'm afraid it will be impossible to reach your friends."
"Creecha isn't just a friend," Tom said looking down at his wedding ring, which he had hanging on his necklace next to the cross symbol. "She's my wife."
"We'll get in," Amy reassured them.
"How?" asked the elder.
"We'll use a little friendly persuasion," answered Amy.
"Yeah. Emphasis on 'friendly persuasion'," Tom said, making quotation marks with his fingers.
"I warn you– those guards are vicious," warned the elder.
"So are we," Amy replied, bringing out her hammer.
With that, the two charged headlong towards the Metarex Gillmans.
………………………………………………………………………
Sonic and Creecha, meanwhile, were tied to a line of a giant fishing pole, which was being managed by Gillman's Boss. He was taunting them by raising and lowering them above a giant aquarium, from which a shark emerged. "Now that looks nasty," said Sonic.
"Appearance wise, definitely not like the sharks from back home," said Creecha.
The shark leapt out of the water and tried to eat them. Luckily, they were able to swing themselves out of the way. "Watch it!" said a scowling Creecha.
"Hey, pal," added Sonic. "If you're hungry, let's order a pizza!"
"Sonic!" called a familiar voice.
Amy and Tom were running up the stairs inside the base. Amy was hammering several Metarex Gillmans out of the way while Tom covered her back by getting those that were trying to sneak up on them.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, back at the Blue Typhoon, Grace woke up in her room to find something on the floor next to her bed. Picking it up, she recognized it as her mother's necklace. It must've fallen off her neck during the last fight! she thought. I have to help her!
At that, a speaker on the wall came on. "Grace, I might need some help just in case things go south," said Tails. "You in?"
Grace pushed a button next to the speaker, allowing her to respond. "Count me in, Tails," she said. "I'm on my way."
With that, she grabbed Creecha's necklace and slipped it into her pocket. She ran out of her room and headed towards the bridge. Upon arrival, Tails ran over and pulled open a hatch, revealing a chute that led from the bridge to the hangar. The two descended the chute and landed inside the X-Tornado, which had just been positioned underneath. Grace leapt out the plane and landed on the wing, tying a rope around it and her waist so she wouldn't go flying off. Tails landed inside the pilot's seat and prepared for takeoff. "Okay, guys," said Tails. "We're coming to get ya."
An elevator moved the X-Tornado forward, then up a shaft that led to the runway. One by one, palm trees that were lining the runway folded back. "Begin launch sequence!" said Tails.
A mechanism gripped the front wheel of the X-Tornado as Grace hung on tight, getting into position. "Catapult ready… Launch!" Tails said.
As the engines ignited, the catapult propelled the X-Tornado forwards, allowing for a quick takeoff.
………………………………………………………………………
Chris was still at work drawing up some ideas in his room as the X-Tornado came flying past his window.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Amy came hammering down the door to the room Sonic and Creecha were being held captive in. She was panting a little when Tom arrived shortly after, also panting. Man, she's pretty fast for a hedgehog, he thought to himself.
Just then, they noticed their targets. "Creecha!" said Tom, happy that she was still in one piece.
"There's my sweetie!" Amy exclaimed.
Sonic sweat-dropped as Amy ran towards them. Creecha just giggled as Tom ran ahead and, by jumping onto the edge of the aquarium with perfect balance and using it as a launch pad, managed to land on the pole. "Let's get you out of there," he said.
He held onto the rope holding his wife with one hand and, using the other hand lined with sharp claws, he cut the rope and with great strength lifted Creecha out. As he jumped back onto solid ground and got to work with untying her, Amy leapt in to hug Sonic. However, with Sonic swinging back and forth, she ended up missing and falling into the aquarium, much to Tom's amusement. Even Creecha couldn't help but giggle a little as Amy surfaced. "You're supposed to catch me!" she said angrily.
"Oh, sorry…" said Sonic sheepishly.
Tom laughed even more as he finally cut Creecha free of her ropes. "Amy, his arms are currently tied to his sides," he said. "How do you expect him to catch you if his arms are tied?"
"He's got a point," Creecha agreed, rubbing her arms as she stood up.
A shark then popped out behind Amy. "Amy, look out!" Sonic exclaimed.
However, Amy just whacked it with her hammer without even looking. Then, she leapt out of the aquarium and landed next to Gillman's Boss before hammering the Metarex away from the fishing pole. "Come on, guys!" she said. "We got a plane to catch!"
With that, she ripped the fishing pole from its post and, followed by Creecha and Tom, ran down the stairs, causing the still tied Sonic to bounce behind her. As they continued to descend the spiral staircase, they ended up having to stop as the Metarex Gillmans surrounded them. "Amy!" called a voice.
Creecha recognized it instantly. "That must be Tails!" she said.
Amy hammered a hole in the wall, then all 3 of them leapt through and towards the water, Sonic in tow. They landed on top of the passing X-Tornado. "Nice catch Tails!" Creecha complimented.
"Thanks!" Tails replied. "I'm heading back to the Blue Typhoon!"
"Roger!" said Amy.
Meanwhile, Sonic was being pulled through the air by the plane's speed. "Now that I'm free, how about untying me?" he said.
"Already on it!" Creecha said as she carefully headed towards him.
As they flew away, the tower fired several flipper-shapped missiles at them. However, Tails was able to dodge all of them. "Missed me!" he taunted.
"Oh no!" Amy exclaimed.
Tails, Amy, and Tom looked behind them. To their horror, Creecha was gone. And not only that, though the missiles missed the plane, one of them succeeded in cutting the rope holding Sonic. "Sonic!" Tails exclaimed as his brother, still bound, and Creecha began free-falling towards the ocean.
Unfortunately, Creecha couldn't fly; she and Tom had forgotten to get the ropes holding her wings. "I think I need to work on my balance on a moving plane!" she said.
Sonic was feeling very annoyed. "Next time you want to rescue us, don't!" he said.
Knowing what she had to do, Grace first cut the rope holding her. Then, she jumped off the plane, heading straight for her mother. "Mom!" she called, getting her attention as she was trying to untie Sonic before they hit the water. "I think you dropped this during the fight earlier! You might need it!"
She threw down the necklace, Creecha managing to catch it. "Thanks, sweetheart!" she called as she slipped it on, immediately starting to glow.
As soon as Grace deployed her butterfly wings and flew off, a jet swooped in nearby. "Hey, Sonic!" said a voice.
Sonic smiled. "That's Chris!" he said.
"Try these!" said Chris, firing a pink glowing object at him.
It ended up colliding with his shoes, transforming them as the two landed in the ocean. The X-Tornado turned around, Grace getting back on with Tom's help. "Where is he?" asked Tails.
When the giant water plume cleared, Tom was the first to spot something. "Guys look! Down there!" he said, pointing.
And there was Sonic, hovering over the water's surface with his arms now unbound. Beside him, Creecha was standing on the blue surface, her necklace glowing and her white dress sparkling, her long, pale green hair flowing behind her. Her necklace was glowing white, and her alicorn wings, now free from the ropes, spread out, the sunlight catching their sparkles. To Tom, she was a sight to behold. "Wow," said Amy, amazed. "How's he doing that?"
"I don't know," Grace answered, "but however he's doing it, it's amazing!"
The X-Tornado and Chris's spaceship were now flying side-by-side. "Thanks for the lift, pal!" said Sonic.
"They're Hover Shoes, Amy!" said Tails. "Now that's an inventive invention!"
"Thanks, Tails," said Chris happily.
"Guys, look!" said Amy, pointing ahead of them. "More Metarex on the way!"
Sure enough, Gillman's Boss and a huge troop of Metarex Gillman's were approaching Sonic and Creecha over the water. As Sonic used his new giver shoes to skate towards them ala Shadow, Creecha was running alongside him on the water. "Now that I can stay dry," said Sonic, "those fish heads are washed up!"
"That's right, Sonic!" Creecha replied, flashing out her swords. "Now let's turn 'em into cybernetic fishsticks!"
Expertly, they knocked away rows of Metarex Gillmans, Sonic with his new shoes, and Creecha with her combined swordsmanship and waterbending. Gillman's Boss fired an array of missiles at them, which hit the water around the heroes, who ended up respectively hovering and surfing on the resulting wave. Just like a friend of mine once said: "Cowabunga, dudes!" Creecha thought, supporting a confident grin.
Gillman's Boss fired lasers out of its mouth and attacked them with flipper missiles, but Sonic and Creecha dodged them all. They blew right through the missiles and directly targeted Gillman's Boss. "Ready Sonic?" Creecha asked.
Sonic nodded. "Here we go!" he said.
Sonic went into his trademark spin-dash while at the same time, Creecha threw a big amount of water at it, turning the water into a big icicle. They hit it– right on target! The giant Metarex finally exploded. The others cheered as they looked on, Sonic smirking. "Couldn't have done it without ya, Chris!" he said.
Chris nodded. Then, Amy spotted something below. "The Planet Egg!" she exclaimed.
An intensely bright glow could be seen as said object sunk under the water, the entire planet being enveloped in light. "Mission accomplished!" Tails cheered.
As a result of the Planet Egg's restoration, the water began receding. The Secco inhabitants watched with happiness and relief as the receding water revealed a futuristic city. "Our planet's returning to normal," said the elder.
………………………………………………………………………
Back on the island, Cosmo was sleeping peacefully on a sand dune, finally waking up to see Wallflower practicing with her lightsabers. Upon taking a break, Wallflower took notice. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty," she waved. "I was wondering when you would wake up."
"I must have fallen asleep," said Cosmo.
"Yep. You most definitely have," Wallflower replied, nodding. "Been asleep for sometime now. In the meantime, we kept digging for that Emerald and, as you can see in front of you, still haven't found it yet."
Sure enough, a bunch of holes could be seen. Everyone else was standing around feeling tired from all the digging they did. And Knuckles himself was still digging. "Why wasn't I woken up?" asked Cosmo.
"Because you were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you," Wallflower answered. "And besides– Hey, I don't remember there not being any water here."
Sure enough, the water had definitely receded. Just then, Cheese noticed something glowing in the distance. "Chao chao chao chao!" he exclaimed, pointing in the direction he saw it.
"Cheese," asked Cream, "what's the– You found it!"
They raced towards the object. "Wait up!" Cosmo called as she hurried after them.
"Come on guys!" called Wallflower as she hurried alongside Cosmo. "I think Cheese has found it!"
Everyone raced after them. Soon, they were all standing over the glowing object– the blue Chaos Emerald. Knuckles joined them a moment later.
Meanwhile, once they landed, Sonic happily felt the solid ground under his feet. He now had his normal shoes on and was holding his hover shoes in a type of canister. "This feels fantastic! Back on solid ground!" he laughed. "These shoes are great! Hold on to 'em for me, will ya?"
He tossed the canister to Chris, who caught it. "If you like the shoes," he offered, "I got some other stuff you can try."
"Will do!" replied Sonic, giving Chris a thumbs-up.
Chris returned it with a wink. Creecha and Tom happily hugged their daughter. "We're so proud of you Grace," said Creecha. "You made the right call today."
Grace smiled. "Thanks Mom," she said.
Then, she and Chris laid eyes on each other. "Hey Chris," Grace said, "about earlier, sorry for snapping at you."
"It's okay," said Chris, "because you don't have anything to apologize for; the way you acted because of what happened to Creecha was totally understandable. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I got pretty overconfident out there because I thought I had it under control. But really, I just wanted to prove myself– that I could be more useful to you guys. That ended badly. But in the end, Sunset made me realize that I could be useful by using the skills I developed by becoming a scientist. Glad I didn't quit after all."
Grace smiled. "So I guess we're good?" she asked.
Chris smiled back. "Definitely," he said as they both shook hands.
Creecha and Tom watched the whole scene fondly; their daughter had really come far. Rainbow skidded to a stop next to Sonic. "Glad you're okay, pal," she said.
"Me too," said Sonic. "Come on; I'll race you and Chris back to the Blue Typhoon!"
The 3 were soon ready. "On your mark… get set… GO!!!" said Sonic as he suddenly sped off.
"Hey!" Rainbow yelled as she chased after him. "Cheater! I wasn't ready yet! Get back here!"
Everyone looked on as Sonic ran ahead, traversing the rocky desert atmosphere of Planet Secco.
ns 15.158.61.40da2
