When You Wish Upon a Star

"Oh when you wish upon a star, all your dreams come true."

"What's that from?"

"Oh, it was from a film I saw on Chris's world. Had a talking cricket in it."

"I thought animals on Earth didn't talk."

"Well, it was a cartoon…or anime? Tanaka liked one, Chris liked another, but-…"

Tails was barely listening at this point. He didn't know why he was here. Why he hadn't headed off with Sonic to foil Eggman's latest scheme, overriding the hedgehog's inevitable protests that he didn't need help. He didn't know why he was still here with Cream, Amy and the Chaotix as they had a get-together under the stars. Certainly there was a divide already as he lay on the tree trunk fiddling with his latest gadget as the others enjoyed the view and the cakes Vanilla had provided.

"If only there were shooting stars though," Cream continued, turning her conversation with Amy back to the topic at hand. "Maybe we could make a wish again."

"Wish? What wish?" Charmy asked, buzzing down to the rabbit. "What do wishes have to do with stars?"

Cream's eyes lit up. Cheese said "chao." Rolling his eyes, Tails increased his focus on his nanobot.

It had been a year. A full year since the metarex had arrived on this world. A year since they'd chased off after them. Months since that chase had ended, since they'd arrived back home. A year since Cosmo had come crashing down.

"Wishes work better with shooting stars," the fox heard Cream say. "But normal stars work as well. Especially if they're bright at night."

"Chao!"

Tails kept his attention focussed on his gadget, ignoring Espio's snide comment and Amy's retort that he shouldn't hurt Cream's feelings. He ignored Vector trying to patch things up and instead make a mess of things. He didn't know why he was here before, he didn't know why he was here now and if he was still here a second after Vanilla called Cream home (pretty much the sign for everyone to call it a night. Or at least Vector for some reason…), then he'd be one surprised vulpine.

"I know," Tails heard Amy say. "Let's all make a wish!"

"Chao!"

Oh, for goodness sake…

Tails couldn't concentrate. He felt out of place. Sonic didn't need him. He'd gained a year since Cosmo first came down, yet if someone asked how old he was, the answer would be well beyond his biological age of eight. He felt…torn. Like he wasn't sure whether it would be 'with it' to hang around in a group with interests that ranged from ninjitsu to tea parties. Maybe that was why he was focussing on his gadgets so much these days. Machines didn't judge you. And why his current interest was in nanotechnology. Something to be like plants. Big things from small beginnings.

Or maybe he just missed Cosmo. Maybe that was why he was here in the middle of the night. Maybe he missed her, and he was trying everything to help alleviate the pain from that.

"I wish…I wish that Sonic would one day marry me!"

Charmy snorted. Cheese claimed it was a good wish. Vector started saying something about marriage but stopped short. Tails wasn't sure if it was the last or the first wish of the group though, but he hoped-…

"Hey Tails, do you have a wish?"

…that they'd forgotten about him.

The fox looked down from his branch, seeing the eyes of the gang looking back up at him.

"Come on Tails, make a wish!" Cream exclaimed, echoing Amy's statement.

"Ahh…no thanks," said the fox awkwardly. "I wouldn't know what to wish for."

"Oh, but it's easy," Cream exclaimed. "Just choose the brightest star, and wish for the thing you want most in the world. It'll surely come true."

"I'll pass," Tails said, a little more forcefully.

"Hey, come on spoilsport," Amy said, looking at him with the look in her eyes that seemed to come every time she took out her hammer. "We all made a wish. You have to make one too."

"Right…right…"

"Just anything. Whatever you want most."

Tails fell silent. He knew what he wanted most. What he wanted more than anything. What he wanted so much that just thinking about it was enough to make him want to get to the Blue Typhoon, fly to the galactic core and embrace the silence of the galaxy. Maybe the metarex had the right of it. Maybe if Cosmo was doomed to die, then having their plan succeed would prevent him from missing her every single day.

"I've got an idea…" Tails murmured eventually. "But I'll pass on making it."

"Ah, but Tails…" Cream whined. "Why?"

"Because I don't make wishes I know can't come true."