Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road Again ❯ True blue ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter 25: True blue

The next day, the crew woke up to see a new day. The RV was parked in a safe place somewhere in Nevada, away from Las Vegas now, and after the last adventure, things were calm. Sonic opened his eyes from his restful sleep, and he opened the curtain slightly to see the sunlight. But there was none. He saw only a cloudy sky, gray and misty outside. He laid his hand on the glass of the window, and it felt cold. It was still the early morning. He shrugged, yawned, stretched, and then he kicked his green blanket off. He slipped on his red sneakers, and then he suddenly noticed that his friends were not seen. He looked in the passenger chair, but Shadow was gone. He looked at the sofa, but Tails was missing. He looked above, but Knuckles was not in the bunk bed. The RV seemed too quiet, and so he stood up from the driver's chair to step outside. He came outside of the RV, stood still, and he let a moment of silence pass by with a breeze.

"Where is everybody?!" Sonic asked, and to answer, the crew jumped out of nowhere.

"Surprise, Sonic!!" They shouted, all their voices in one, happily greeting him.

"What is this?" Sonic asked, astonished when he fell backward to the ground.

Knuckles helped him stand. "Why, it's your birthday, silly." He said, chuckling.

"What?" Sonic asked, and everyone nodded in his crew. "I forgot." He said, quietly.

"I can never forget, my true blue hero!" Amy squealed with joy, hugging him.

"HEY! Let me go! I've got rights!" Sonic struggled until he was free, and then he saw the picnic table. He then noticed everyone wearing colorful party hats, even Metal-2.

"The things I do…" Metal-2 said, and he shrugged when Sonic looked at him.

Then Shadow blew on a blowout. "Ha, now it's time to make a cake!" He said.

"Do you really think it will be that easy?" Rouge said, "Tikal is the baker around here."

"I will do it with gladness." Tikal assured them, and so it was all settled.

"Here, Sonic, a hat for you." Tails said, and he placed it on the hedgehog's head.

"Pancakes for breakfast!" Tikal called from the RV, and everyone came in to enjoy it.

Sonic was still very surprised about it being his birthday, him forgetting and his crew remembering it, but he tried to settle down to have his breakfast. His heart was pounding with unexpected excitement, and it was good. The team finished breakfast, and before leaving the area, they decided to have the birthday cake at the RV Park. They gathered around at the table outside.

Sonic sat down with Tails, and after blowing out the candles, the crew clapped and cheered for the special blue hedgehog. It was the first time he ever had a birthday on the road, and it was great. Tikal cut the cake in pieces for everyone, and Amy served them while Rouge brought some napkins. Knuckles closed on eye, looking at his piece of cake. The red echidna saw that the green frosting decoration on the chocolate cake was in the shape of an Emerald, and he grinned.

"My Emerald!" Knuckles shouted, happily, and the others looked at him, oddly.

"Uh…I think I'll go sit with Shadow." Rouge teased, slightly moving away.

"Rouge, don't go playing hide and seek with me!" Knuckles said, and then Amy had an idea.

"Hey, yeah!" Amy said, excited. "After the cake, we can play it. Good idea?" She asked.

"Okay, but who is going to seek, and be It?" Tikal asked, and everything looked at the leader.

Sonic grinned. "Not It!" He said, and then he looked at Tails, who sat beside him.

"Well, I'm not It." Tails said, and then he looked at Shadow, who was sitting next to him.

"I'm not It, either." Shadow shook his head, and then everyone looked at the robot.

"Metal-2's It!" They pointed toward him, and then Metal-2 became confused.

"I do not compute." Metal-2 said, and then Tails stood up to explain for the robot.

"It's easy, Metal-2. We go hide, and you have to seek until you find us."

Then Metal-2 nodded with understanding. "Processing…. Complete." He said, "I understand how hide and go seek is a game shared with friends and family for fun and amusement."

"Right!" Tails said, "Now, are you ready to try it, Metal-2, please?" He asked.

"Affirmative." Metal-2 replied, and the answer made everyone glad.

"Okay," said Rouge, "While we hide, you cover your eyes, and don't peek."

"Understood." Metal-2 said, and he covered his eyes with his hands. The crew leaped to their feet, all going in different directions of the park, and Metal-2 kept his eyes covered. After he finished counting according to what Tails told him, the robot turned with seeking eyes.

"Functioning or not, I am coming!" The robot called before he began to search.

Metal-2 flew over the park first, seeking carefully and silently. It was his killing abilities that made him able to seek them so well, but as you know, Metal-2 would never harm the team. He first found Tikal behind a rock with Rouge, then Knuckles in a tree, Freeway in a nearby bush, and Shadow was found on top of the RV, and then he finally found Sonic. If you are wondering where the blue hero was hiding, I will say that he was hiding under the picnic table, finishing his piece of birthday cake, happily. But something was wrong when Amy Rose was still missing.

"Where did she go?" Sonic asked, "Did anyone see where she went?"

"No." The others shook their heads, and they became a little worried about her.

"AMY!" They called, and after a moment of waiting, they heard nothing but the wind.

"That does it," Sonic said, "We're going to look for her. Go in teams and find her."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Knuckles saluted, and then he ran with Shadow, while Tikal went with Rouge to help. Sonic turned to the robot, and he led the way to begin a search.

Sonic noticed how the clouds in the sky became darker, and so there was a storm on the way. He felt a little disappointed for a storm to be on his birthday, but for now, he put that thought aside. He set his mind on finding his missing friend; to make sure she was safe and well.

"Hey, Amy!" Sonic called, and Metal-2 did the same after him. "Amy!" He called.

"Come out wherever you---ARE!" Sonic yelped as he suddenly fell into a pit.

"Wait, I heard Amy squeal!" Metal-2 said, turning to see Sonic, but he was gone.

"Metal-2, it was just me!" Sonic called from the dry pit below.

Metal-2 looked down, and he saw the hedgehog unharmed. "You? Oh, well, come out." He reached down for Sonic, and the blue hedgehog gripped the robotic hand. Metal-2 pulled Sonic out of the pit, and back onto firm ground where he belonged. He brushed the dust off.

"Whew! Thanks, Metal-2. But right now, we better find Amy before a storm shows up."

"Acknowledged, Sonic." Metal-2 said with a nod, and then they continued searching.

Sonic ran ahead of Metal-2, and then he hopped onto a rock, scanning the area with his green eyes. "Hey, Amy, come on out of hiding!" He called, and then the girl hedgehog was heard.

"Oh, Sonic!!" Amy called with delight, running to him, and Sonic gulped as he blushed.

"Wait a minute!" Sonic shouted, but Amy already caught him with a hug.

"My sweet hedgehog!" Amy happily giggled, and then everyone saw her safe again.

"I am NOT your sweet hedgehog!" Sonic said, blushing a bright red, seeing the crew watching.

"How pathetic." Shadow snorted, and he stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head.

Sonic slipped out, and then he leaped into the air for freedom. Amy was still smiling at him, the crew was fighting laughter, Metal-2 was silently standing, and Sonic was blushing again. Then with no warning, it suddenly began to rain. It came out of nowhere and very suddenly.

"Whoa, a shower!" Sonic said in surprise. "Return to the RV, guys! Let's go!" Then the crew began to follow the blue hedgehog back to the RV, but Amy slipped, falling to her knees.

"Ouch!" Amy gasped as she fell, but she was unharmed. She covered her head because of the cold rain, and she closed her eyes. Then she suddenly felt the rain stop. She looked up to see. "Metal-2!" She said with gladness to see the robot standing over her to be a high-tech umbrella.

Metal-2 stood with his arms open, shielding the hedgehog from the rain, helping her.

"Thank you, but where did this rain come from?" Amy asked, still keeping her head covered.

"It came from the sky." Metal-2 answered her question, simply.

"I know that! But why is it attacking us like this?" Amy asked, closing her eyes again.

"I do not know, but I cannot blast it to end it." The robot replied.

Amy laughed at this, but Metal-2 did not understand the humor of it. The two returned to the RV with the others. It was dry and warm inside the RV, and while the crew drank some hot chocolate, they watched the rain from the windows, and each one of the friends snuggled under a soft blanket. When Amy and Metal-2 returned, the girl hedgehog told them what happened.

"Good work, Metal-2." Sonic praised him with a smile, thanking him as well.

Before Metal-2 could respond, Amy spoke. "You're so nice! Thank you!" Then she surprised everyone there, especially Metal-2 himself when she kissed the robot's cheek.

Metal-2 was frozen, unable to move at first, and then he turned his head slightly. Although he was a robot, Sonic and his friends were almost positive to see Metal-2 blushing.

After this, Sonic enjoyed the rest of his birthday with his friends on the road, and when the rain was calm, they drove out of the area to move on in their adventure together.

= = = = =

Meanwhile…

The large black truck of Dr. Eggman stopped outside a laboratory building, somewhere in Nevada. The scientist did his best to follow the RV's path, but he later lost track of it in the storm and rain. He stopped there to relocate it, and to think of another plan to destroy the hedgehog. Metal Sonic was restless about something, and so he walked back and forth in the room, while Chaos stared at the window, watching the raindrops falling down.

"Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day." Chaos poorly sang to himself.

Metal covered his ears. "Silence, and quit talking to yourself!" He said, angrily.

"I'm talking to the rain!" Chaos said, not bothering to turn to the robot.

"That's my point! You are water, you puddle!" Metal snorted, turning away.

"Ooh, what a grouch." Chaos said to himself, and he continued watching the rain.

Just then, Dr. Eggman entered the room. "Everything will soon be in place for my new plan." He said, "But I must still work on this project. In the meantime, you two go find that RV!"

"Aw, do I have to?" Chaos asked, childishly, and then Metal dragged him to his feet.

"That is our orders, and you must comply!" Metal said, firmly. "Let's go!"

"Hey, don't forget my umbrella!" Chaos whined, and he was able to reach it before the robot pulled him outside the door, and out of the building.

The rain instantly began pouring down on them when they came outside. Chaos opened his umbrella for protection, but Metal did not seem to worry about it. They disappeared in the fog.

= = = = =

Now heading east, the RV with the crew made a stop in a town, somewhere in Arizona, where the RV had to be refilled, and they were also low on propane. They refilled the RV, and then they parked it in a safe place. After that, they needed to find propane. Sonic hardly knew the town of Flagstaff, but he was sure to find a place to refill the propane tank. It was night, and Sonic never would of dreamed of him looking for propane on his birthday, but as you know, he looked at it as an adventure. He is the hedgehog who loves adventure, and with him in it, it cannot be better.

Sonic told them his plan. "Okay, guys, we'll head out and find the propane. Girls, you watch the RV while we're gone. If anything happens, call for us, or if you can't call, just scream a lot."

"That's easy for Amy to do, but I can take care of myself." Rouge said, proudly.

Tikal nodded, smiling calmly. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine." She said.

Amy stepped over to Sonic, concerned. "It's scary out there. Be careful, Sonic."

"I will. Everyone knows I'm best at traveling on my two fast feet." Sonic grinned, and after waving his hand to the girls of his crew, he ran to seek, and the others followed to help.

"Well," said Rouge, "Now we better vote on who will be the leader for now."

"Great idea." Tikal agreed, and she passed a paper and pencil to Rouge and Amy.

"This is neat." Amy said, and she wrote down her vote, smiling with one eye closed.

After they finished, Rouge gave the papers to Tikal. "Tell us the votes." She requested.

Tikal held the papers, and she began to tell them one at a time. "All right, here's how it went. One vote for Amy…one vote for Rouge…and…" She stopped with a confused look on her face.

"What is it?" Amy asked, and then Tikal pointed down at Freeway, who stood close to her.

"It's only a deer hoof print." Tikal answered, and she held up the paper for them to see. The girls laughed when they saw it, and Freeway simply joined them, unsure of what else to do. "And the last vote is for Tikal." The female echidna said, and she blushed when Rouge looked at her.

"Hmm, it's a tie vote. I guess we could take turns." Amy suggested.

Rouge shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm the head for now while they're gone, and that's final."

"But it was a tie!" Tikal said, disappointed in her voice.

Just then, they heard a voice. "Where's the pie?" It asked, and it was Chaos. The girls gasped in shock, and they turned to face Metal Sonic and Chaos. They were back and very dangerous. Tikal backed away as Chaos came near, and he suddenly caught her.

"Let me go, you monster!" Tikal screamed, and she struggled in vain for freedom.

"Oh, you don't know what's at the end of the rainbow, my sweet." Chaos chuckled.

"No," Tikal said, "I am not your sweet! Let me go, and get your slimy hands off!"

Rouge quickly came into action, and she jumped toward Chaos, kicking him on the head with her boots, and then the enemy collapsed, very dizzy, and Tikal was free again, unharmed. The female echidna was still very frightened, and when Rouge saw Metal Sonic coming toward her, the bat took Tikal by the hand, and she ran for safety. Amy took Freeway, and she followed after Rouge. Chaos sat up, still dizzy, and then Metal Sonic lifted him to stand up.

"Get them!" Metal commanded, giving him a hard push.

Chaos went around in a circle twice, and then he began to follow after them with Metal. The girls of the team came to a restroom building, and seeing it as a hiding place, they went inside the ladies room, shutting the door after them before Metal and Chaos arrived.

"Aha!" Metal said, pointing. "Those rats are trying to hide from us, but they failed."

"No, Metal!" Chaos stood in the robot's path to the door. "You can't go in there!"

Metal angrily crossed his arms. "Why not?" He asked him.

"Can't you read signs?!" Chaos asked, and he pointed toward the door's sign, which said: Ladies.

"Of course, I can read in any known language, but you cannot!" Metal pointed.

"But I can look at the picture," Chaos said, "This one has a short person with a dress--"

"Get out of my way!" Metal snarled, and he pushed Chaos away from the door and to a small water fountain, which Chaos caught to break his fall to the ground. Metal entered the building.

"Oh, well, I did warn him." Chaos said, and then he looked up as he counted. "One…two…ten…" And before he could finish, women's screams were heard, and then Metal came rolling out the door until he fell onto his back, on the dusty ground. Chaos came to the robot, and he looked down at him, shaking his head. "I warned you." He said.

"Why, you little--" Metal yelled, but before he could strike, police cars were heard.

"Uh-oh! The cops!" Chaos gasped in fright, and he escaped with Metal in time. The robot retreated for only one reason. It was Dr. Eggman, and he called for the robot to return.

= = = = =

A short time later, the males of the team returned to the RV, and they were glad to see no one harmed and the RV was safe. They came back with the needed propane, and so they were set.

"Well, did everything go okay here?" Sonic asked the girls.

"It was fine, but Metal and Chaos showed up, looking for trouble." Rouge reported.

"What?!" Sonic asked in surprise and anger. "Where are they now? Did they hurt anyone?"

"No," Amy answered, "But Chaos scared Tikal. She is fine now, though."

Tikal only nodded her head, trying to smile at her friends. She was quiet, but unharmed.

"We don't know where they are now, but they're gone." Rouge told the hedgehog.

Sonic was silent for a moment while gazing up at the stars, and then he turned to his crew. "We better keep moving." He said, gently. "Everyone, inside the RV. We're leaving." The team followed Sonic back into the RV, and then they were on the road again, traveling together.