On this, the first day of August, spectators were gathered at the Emerald City Civic Center in the Gordon Square neighborhood of the City Center for one of the more bizarre events: auto polo, an event which Sonic and Tails had prepared for ages ago.

Aside from the usual demolition derby-esque mods, Tails had modified their 1970 Impala with special headers that had eight straight pipes poking straight up from the hood. Sonic had also done a most interesting paint job, spray-painting on slogans such as "PROWER AUTO BODY" and "KISS MY TAILS", with Tails' "twin tails" emblem substituting for that very same word. Robotnik and Snively were also competing, driving a Medium Teal Blue 1968 Buick LeSabre sedan. Opposing them was the Mushroom Kingdom, consisting of Mario and Luigi in a Light Green 1969 Dodge Polara sedan, plus Bowser and Bowser Jr. in a black 1972 Ford LTD convertible, which had a special roll cage to accommodate Bowser's massive frame. All of the cars had the appropriate flag stickers placed on the rear fenders. Sonic, Tails and the other competitors were wearing ¾ open-face Bell "Custom 500" helmets that were painted very much like their motocross helmets.

After a brief chat with the referee, all the competitors got in and fired their cars up, and since they all lacked mufflers, the sound that thundered through the Civic Center was about as deafening as a drag race or a monster truck show, the latter being a common event at this arena. The referee began the game by riding to the center of the arena on his 1978 Yamaha IT400. He took a basketball-sized ball, held it over the center of the arena in one hand, and he dropped it just as an air horn sounded, getting out of the way immediately after dropping it.

With that, the first chukker was on, and both teams screamed on towards the ball. Thanks to their Polara having the almighty 440 ci V8, Mario and Luigi were the first ones to get the ball, easily dodging away from their Mobian competitors. Robotnik and Snively attempted to block them, but Bowser and Bowser Jr. clipped the front right corner of their LeSabre and shoved them aside. While collisions weren't exactly encouraged the same way they were in demolition derbies, they weren't forbidden, either. To move the ball, the malletman in the front passenger's seat had a big-ass mallet with a heavy head and a bamboo shaft to permit some flexibility.

That aside, while Robotnik and Snively were attempting a J-turn, Sonic and Tails spun around and got after Mario and Luigi. Thankfully, their Impala had a 454 ci V8, so they could catch up to Mario and Luigi, especially considering Sonic was firewalling the throttle. Initially, it looked as though Mario and Luigi were going to get that first goal, but luckily, Sonic and Tails caught them and spun them out with a PIT maneuver. Robotnik and Snively then obtained possession of the ball, but only had it for a brief time when Bowser and Bowser Jr. T-boned them on the left rear fender. Thus, the melee continued, but ultimately, Sonic and Tails ran away with the ball and scored the first goal for Mobius. Even so, by the time the first ten-minute chukker was over, as signalled by another air horn, the Mushroom Kingdom was ahead 3-2.

In between each chukker, teams were permitted three minutes to make any needed repairs to their cars or do anything else that needed doing. Sonic and Tails' Impala had taken quite a beating.

"How are we doin'?" asked Sonic.

"Except for a couple of holes in the radiator, I don't see too much mechanical damage." Tails grabbed a white bottle with a crude label that had "RADIATOR PATCH" written on it. "I'm just glad I got my own special formula today."

Tails poured his formula into the radiator and let it sit for a short time before replacing the lost coolant. Fortunately, the formula had set properly before the next chukker was due to begin. Once again, the referee had driven to the center of the track on his motorcycle, and after dropping the ball, the second chukker was on. This time, Sonic feinted before Bowser and Bowser Jr. got the ball, and the Koopa duo ended up T-boning the Impala. Robotnik and Snively then got the ball, and thanks to some aggressive blocking from Sonic and Tails, Mobius got another point. However, the Mushroom Kingdom didn't really seem wont to give up the ghost just yet, and they continued playing aggressively, managing to tie the second chukker at 5 points. By this time, everyone's cars were looking noticeably worse for wear.

"Sonic, are you even sure we're gonna make it to the end of the match?" asked Tails.

"Hey, we ain't never not made it to the end of anything yet…have we?"

Tails just sighed and kept doing whatever repairs needed to be done to the Impala.

Soon enough, the third chukker began, and once again, it was a real automotive slugfest. Pretty much everyone in the stadium was cheering like a mob of drunken rednecks, but that was OK with Sonic. As long as he was doing something he loved in front of many adoring fans, he was cool with it. One of the more notable goals in the game occurred when Robotnik and Snively tried to get the ball, but were T-boned by Mario and Luigi, thereby allowing Bowser and Bowser Jr. to get the ball and score. Partly because of this, the Mushroom Kingdom led in the third chukker 8-6, and despite a rally from Mobius, the Mushroom Kingdom was still ahead in the fourth chukker 10-8. During the interval between the fourth and fifth chukkers, Robotnik and Snively took a brief break from repairing their LeSabre to consult with Sonic and Tails.

"Sonic, Tails, I do hope you've got a plan to beat the Mushroom Kingdom," said Robotnik. "I did say they were very aggressive with auto polo, after all."

"Well, how's your car holdin' up?" asked Sonic.

Snively shrugged. "I suppose it could be worse…"

"Then here's what we'll do: ram 'em as much as we can! If we can keep 'em from scorin' as much as possible, we might just get this one!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Tails.

Sonic gave a thumbs up. "Damn sure!"

Tails said nothing else. Though he questioned the validity of Sonic's plan, he would go along with it if it meant victory. Anyways, the fifth and final chukker got on with, and though the Mario Bros. were first to the ball, a double-team from Sonic, Tails, Robotnik and Snively caused the Mario Bros. to swerve and collide with Robotnik and Snively, thereby causing a real automotive melee when Bowser and Bowser Jr. joined in. However, Sonic and Tails backed away, got control of the ball and managed to score a point. Throughout this game, it appeared that Mobius might actually get ahead. Then, with the game tied at 10 points, Mario and Luigi got another point for the Mushroom Kingdom. However, Robotnik and Snively retaliated with a goal of their own, and with less than a minute left, the game was tied at 11 points. Then, Mario and Luigi got the ball, but Sonic wasn't about to have that. He drove straight at their Polara and hoped that his little game of chicken would have some sort of effect. However, this caused Tails to freak out…

"SONIC, LOOK OUT!"

Sonic ignored Tails' plea and kept driving. Fortunately, his little plan worked: the Mario Bros. swerved to avoid them, and once Tails had recovered from his little moment of fright, he whacked the ball out of the way. In spite of a mad pursuit by Bowser and Bowser Jr., Sonic and Tails scored one last goal, and Mobius won the game 12-11.

After the match, Robotnik and Snively went to congratulate Sonic and Tails:

"Sonic, Tails, that was some commendable driving out there!" said Robotnik. "I thought the Mushroom Kingdom was aggressive, but you proved yourselves to be more than equals to them!"

"Hey, I keep tellin' everybody: we ain't just heroes…we're Sonic Heroes!" said Sonic.

Just then, Tails tapped Sonic on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Tails?"

"Sonic…" Tails smacked Sonic across the face. "I am NEVER playing auto polo with you AGAIN! EVER!"

Sonic rubbed the spot where he'd gotten smacked. "Hey, we won…didn't we?"

"I agree with Sonic," said Snively. "Besides, this is but the first match."

Tails let out a loud, whiny growl. As much as he loved Sonic, even considering him to be his favorite person ever, the Blue Blur did make him question his life decisions sometimes.

Later that night, everybody was off to the Glitter Palace for another round of disco dancing. His spirit having been renewed thanks to Peach, Shadow decided to go tonight, but when Rouge got wind of his intent and insisted on coming along with him, he brought her along, too. By the time he got there, the DJ was spinning "Your Love" by Lime, a Palace classic. Initially, him and Rouge took a couple of spots at the bar, but then a familiar face showed up…

"Hey there, honeycakes!" said Daisy. "Wanna dance?"

Without question, Shadow got up from his stool at the bar and headed for the dance floor. Pushing a couple of partygoers aside, he proceeded towards wherever he thought Sonic might be. Given that Shadow had Hedgehog Sense, he knew that Sonic had to be grooving his ass off on the dance floor, though the sheer number of people and the booming bass, melodic midrange and harmonious highs coming from the disco's sound system were throwing him off a bit. Still, he made his way through the dance floor because this was it. Tonight was the night, and if he didn't admit his feelings for Sonic now, he might be drowning in depression for the rest of his life. After all, he vaguely recalled something about the Blue Blur saying not to waste one's precious time. Deeper and deeper Shadow went into the dance floor, until he finally found what he was looking for: Sonic. Ol' Blue had Hedgehog Sense too, so he instantly turned to face Shadow. Nevertheless, eking out every ounce of courage, Shadow put a hand on one of Sonic's shoulders.

"Sonic…may I have this dance?"

Sonic grabbed Shadow's free hand and put his other hand on Shadow's waist. "Sure thing, Shad!"

And so, Sonic and Shadow proceeded to get down with each other. Though not a big fan of disco dancing, Shadow didn't exactly have two left feet, either, and he managed to keep up with Sonic as they boogied. Somehow, the combination of the flashing lights, the rhythm of the music and the fact that the apple of his eye had accepted his offer to dance with him made the Ultimate Life Form feel hotter than Volcano Valley Zone. He just prayed that Big Blue couldn't see him blushing under all the lights. On the other hand, if what Rouge said was correct, this really was what it was like to be in love, and he wanted more. He wanted so much more that he didn't care if he ended up dying at the bottom of a pit in the blazing sun, torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike. As long as he got to spend some time with the one he truly desired, Shadow would be happy.

Though not totally sure why Shadow would want to dance with him, Sonic didn't question his offer, either. His Hedgehog Sense was telling him that there was nothing dangerous about doing so, so he decided to continue to groove with Shadow. He did, however, get a strange feeling when the DJ started spinning "Nighttime Fantasy" by Vicki Sue Robinson, more precisely the 1979 remix from the Nocturna soundtrack. Hearing the lyrics of the song made Sonic wonder if Shadow had bribed the DJ to prepare a special message for him. Soon enough, however, he pushed that thought aside and continued dancing. Besides, he thought Shadow's blood red eyes looked quite pretty under all the disco lights, and he swore he could even see his own reflection in them at times. This was why the Glitter Palace was one of his favorite discos of all time, because the lights made the club live up to its name. Overall, this was one of the best times he'd ever had in his life.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.