Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road Again ❯ Mount Rushmore ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter 13: Mount Rushmore

North Dakota proved to be a place and time the RV crew will never forget, and now, leaving it behind, they came to South Dakota, which is right below it. Shadow was driving after Sonic had worn himself out by driving in North Dakota, so they switched places. Sonic rested in the front passenger seat, and Shadow sat as the driver with the wheel and keys. The crew with them watched the windows as the RV drove passed many tall trees, which were beautiful. It appeared to be a whole city of trees with a clear blue sky above. Now with the location known, pictured and colored, we will join them inside the white RV with blue stripes, and see them.

"Hey, what's the difference between North and South Dakota?" Knuckles asked, wondering.

"That's too easy." Sonic said, "One is north and the other is south." He grinned.

"Very funny, Sonic." Knuckles said, and he was clearly annoyed at the answer.

"I think South Dakota has more water around." Rouge noticed as she watched a window.

Tikal sighed. "All I see is trees and rocks." She said, quietly to herself.

"Hey, guys!" Tails called, after he finished reading. "I found something that sounds really neat. Here, in South Dakota is a place called Mount Rushmore. I think we're close to it now."

"That sounds interesting." Metal-2 agreed with a nod of approval.

"What else does it say about Mount Rushmore?" Shadow asked, still driving the RV.

Tails pressed a few keys on his computer board, and then he read: "This epic sculpture features the faces of four exalted American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. South Dakota's Black Hills provide the backdrop for Mount Rushmore, the world's greatest mountain carving. These 60-foot high faces, 500 feet up, look out over a setting of pine, spruce, birch, and aspen in the clear western air…"

"The four famous guys in rock…" Knuckles said, and thought of himself as one of them.

Rouge watched him, and she crossed her arms. "I know what you're thinking." She said.

Just then, Shadow saw a sign ahead of them, and he told the crew. "We have just entered Keystone. That's where the park is, so I'll find a place to stop."

"So, I guess we're off to see the four famous guys in rock." Sonic said from the passenger seat with Freeway. He saw Shadow nod as a reply, and the black hedgehog drove them in the park.

= = = = =

Meanwhile…

"Metal, come home!" Chaos called again from a hilltop in South Dakota.

"You don't have to call him. He will return soon." Dr. Eggman reminded him. He sat inside the black truck, but Chaos stood outside, and he had been waiting for the robot's return.

"Oh, if anything happened to Metal, I'll never forgive myself." Chaos sniffed. While he continued watching from the hill, Metal Sonic returned, and he quietly landed beside the black truck of Dr. Eggman, but Chaos did not notice that the robot was behind him.

"So, there you are, Metal. I have been waiting for you." Eggman said.

"Of course, boss. I'm always worth the wait." Metal said, and then he winked.

"Did you get the hedgehog?" Eggman asked him, "And what about the RV? Report."

"Metal-2 is helping them. I saw him for myself. He is with the hedgehog's crew." Metal then explained, "I was in the process of destroying the RV, but he attacked me. I escaped."

"You escaped?" Eggman asked, and then the robot nodded his head.

"Yes, I escaped to return and serve you." Metal answered, which pleased the scientist.

"Very well," said Eggman, "We can track them down again, find them without being detected, and then you and Chaos will finish Metal-2. I have a plan or two for him." He grinned.

"By your command." Metal nodded, obeying. Then he turned and took Chaos by the arm as the truck's engine started. "Let's go, waterfall. We've got a job." He told him.

"Oh, Metal, you're alive! You came back to me!" Chaos cheered, happily while being dragged.

= = = = =

Location: Keystone, South Dakota…

When the crew came to a stop, they stepped outside and saw Mount Rushmore, I can tell how they looked with just one word, and that is stunned. They were so amazed and could hardly believe the spectacular view of the place, and the unforgettable sight became a treasured memory in their minds. Of course, Amy was taking pictures with her camera. The others looked on, gazing up at Mount Rushmore. Knuckles still believed that he could be up there with the presidents, one day.

"Right beside Abraham Lincoln would be just right, and fine with me." The echidna nodded.

"Enough with your daydreams of being on Mount Rushmore." Rouge sighed, angrily.

Shadow agreed. "Yeah, and besides, you're not even a president."

"No, but I would make a really good one." Knuckles said, assured with himself.

"I don't know…" Sonic said, "I think if you were, the taxes would make everyone slaves."

"What makes you say that? It's not very nice of you." Knuckles said, annoyed.

"It's a simple fact, that's all." Sonic replied, "Echidnas are known to stir up trouble."

"And guess what trouble is…" Knuckles growled, looking right at the blue hedgehog.

"Hold it!" Amy stopped the fight. "The fact is your quills could poke Mr. Lincoln's eyes."

Then Knuckles gasped. "Oh no! I would never have that happen!"

"Then I guess its back to being a treasure hunter, huh?" Sonic asked him.

Knuckles shrugged. "Yeah, it's a job nobody else wants, and so I took it." He smiled.

Shadow left them to continue talking, and he walked a little further on. Freeway followed him, and Metal-2 was watching over the RV, not too far away from the crew. Shadow did not notice Tikal with the others, so he wondered where she could have gone. He turned and looked, and then he saw her, sitting on a bench, alone and appeared to be in deep thought. Quietly, Shadow sat down beside her, to have a rest and to see how she was doing. He cleared his throat.

"Is anything wrong?" Shadow asked the female echidna, quietly.

Tikal blinked her eyes, and then she looked up to face him. She forced a smile to appear on her face. "No, I'm fine. I'm just tired, that's all." She answered.

Shadow nodded with understanding. "I see. But don't you want to look at Mount Rushmore?"

"I already did, but I had to sit down. I don't feel well." Tikal replied, quietly.

"Carsick?" Shadow asked her with concern.

Tikal shook her head. "No, it's not like that. It was just a hard day, I guess." She sighed.

Shadow wanted to ask if she would like to go for a walk with him, but he felt nervous to ask. He wanted to help, somehow. He opened his mouth to ask, but then he heard Amy nearby.

"Oh no!" Amy gasped as her eyes widened. She shook her camera, but something was wrong.

"What's wrong now, Amy?" Sonic asked her, standing with his arms crossed.

"Something is wrong with my camera, it won't work! I gotta go back to the RV!" And with that said, Amy turned and ran to the RV, and she came to the robot hedgehog.

"Is my assistance needed?" Metal-2 asked, as he stood closely beside the RV, watching.

"Metal-2, my camera is broken, I think. Please help me with it." Amy requested.

"Of course, I will." Metal-2 agreed, and then the camera was given to him. After he looked over it for a few moments, he made the needed repair, adjusted it, and then he returned it.

"It's fine again. Thanks, Metal-2, it works great now." Amy said, very grateful.

"You're welcome." Metal-2 said, and then Amy returned to the crew, to finish her pictures.

Sonic stretched his legs, warming them up in case he would run into a surprise race, and Tails was reading about Mount Rushmore on a board, nearby the blue hedgehog. Tails wrote down a few notes, saved them on his computer, and then Sonic began to run in place, restless.

"This is very interesting, Sonic." Tails said to him, "I have been reading about Mount Rushmore, and even made a folder for my laptop to save the data I have collected."

Sonic stopped running in place, and took a few breaths before he spoke. "Yeah, whatever you say, little bud. I'm glad everyone is having a whale of a time here. It's rewarding to me."

"But you like this place too, right?" Tails asked him, turning to face the blue hedgehog.

"Sure, it's really cool." Sonic replied, "There's no way I'll ever forget this area."

Then suddenly without warning, Metal Sonic landed between Sonic and Tails, armed and dangerous. Tails fell backward with shock at the sight of the robot, and it turned to attack the young fox, but Sonic quickly jumped, landing to block the attack, quite courageously.

"You will not touch him!" Sonic said, growling through clenched teeth, staring at the enemy.

"I will do more than that, hedgehog! Now, you must comply and surrender yourselves!" Metal Sonic demanded, but then he heard a voice behind him, surprising everyone.

"Resistance is not futile!" Metal-2 said, standing behind the robot villain.

"You!" Metal Sonic hatefully said to him, turning to face the other robot.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe we have something to settle, do we not?" Metal-2 asked.

"You are always wrong!" Metal Sonic said, "But I agree there is something to settle, however, you will never see the end of it!" He moved in to attack, and the two robots began to fight.

Sonic turned back to Tails, and he lifted his friend to stand. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yes." Tails nodded, but he seemed a little frightened after the experience.

Then they heard laughter behind them, and they looked up to see Dr. Eggman in his flying ship. He was wearing a thick jacket, because he was cold. The weather seemed fine to the crew, but…

"South Dakota is too cold for human life!" The scientist said, shivering. "But anyway, down to my business. You, hedgehog, will meet your end right here!" He pointed.

Sonic looked down to where the scientist had pointed. "Not what I had in mind, Eggman!" The hedgehog said. He looked up to face him. "If you think you can take me down, you're wrong!"

"Very wrong!" Knuckles added, and he stood beside Sonic. "Your game is over, Eggman!"

"Oh, but I didn't even start it, you red trouble maker!" Eggman laughed out loud.

"He's up to no good again!" Amy warned the crew, and they nodded.

"He is nothing but bad news." Rouge said, and she pointed toward the mad scientist.

"HA! You will pay for saying that, bat!" Eggman pressed a button from his ship's control panel, and then a song began to play. "I am the Eggman, that's what I am! I am the Eggman, and I've got a master plan!" He played his theme song by mistake. "Whoops!" Eggman gasped, and he quickly turned it off while the crew stared with surprise and confusion. "Well, if my first attack plan won't work, I'll go to plan B, my favorite! I shall blow Mount Rushmore to kingdom come, along with the four famous guys in rock! Farewell, knucklehead!" He laughed, escaping.

"I won't allow that!" Knuckles said, and he leaped into the air, after the ship. The red echidna thrust his sharp knuckles into a weak point of the ship, so it began to vibrate, losing control.

"Uh-oh! I think something went wrong! My ship is out of control!" Eggman said, and to his horror and disappointment, his ship went far down a cliff, but Knuckles was still with it.

"KNUCKLES!" The crew called when the ship disappeared from sight. They stood in silence, waiting for an answer, but only the wind was heard, softly blowing. They sadly looked down to the ground, but then they heard panting, and before they knew it, they saw Knuckles, alive and safe. He climbed up, and fell onto his back, exhausted from the hard climb.

"Knuckles!" They called, and ran to him with gladness. The echidna sat up, panting.

"Hey, guys. Long time no see." Knuckles said to his friends, which gathered around him.

"You were terrific, Knuckles!" Rouge said, happily, and she hugged him.

"I'm always terrific." Knuckles said, winking an eye, and Sonic shook his head.

Just then, Metal Sonic was seen, damaged and falling down the cliff after Metal-2 threw him away from the RV. Chaos came running for the falling robot, holding a First-Aid kit.

"Metal, I can save you!" Chaos called, and he ran down the hill to find the defeated robot. The crew stood together again, safe after the attacks, and they let out a shout for victory.

"Thank goodness, everything's all right again!" Amy said with great relief.

"Yeah, it was great, but for now, let's get back on the road again!" Sonic called, and they all agreed to go. "I'll race you there!" Sonic playfully challenged his friends, and they ran toward the RV, racing. To the crew's surprise, Tails won, because Metal-2 gave him a lift. They laughed at the end of the game, and then back on the road they went, heading to another adventure.