The Friendship Trials of Tails and Amy

by Silver Arctic Wolf

When Tails meets fellow Sonic fan Amy Rose, he thinks she's pretty cool. But his hero Sonic has a different opinion, and discourages Tails from talking to her. But is Sonic right about Amy being annoying? She's so nice, Tails can't help but be drawn to her, in spite of what Sonic says.

1. Chapter 1

The Friendship Trials of Tails and Amy

"Well, this is Station Square, Tails. What do you think about the big city?"

As he and Sonic exited the doors of the train station, Tails's eyes were like two saucers as he took in all the sights. To their right was a luxury hotel and to their left down the street was a tower that led up to Twinkle Park. Cars were driving by and people were walking in the streets.

"Wow!" Tails said breathlessly, before looking to Sonic with a big grin. "It's really different from the island. All these buildings."

"Take it all in, little buddy," Sonic said, an amused smile on his lips as he watched Tails.

There was just one thing that gave Tails pause. Nobody around was like him and Sonic. All the people walking around were more like Doctor Eggman. He knew it shouldn't have made him nervous, but he couldn't help it. Maybe it was because he'd grown up rather isolated from the rest of the world. Folding his fingers together, and with his gaze falling, he looked to Sonic for reassurance, and gave voice to his fears. "Sonic, are we going to be alright here? You know… Since these are Eggman's people?"

"Nah, the doctor is the rotten egg in the bunch. Can't go judging people that way, Tails. Most of the people you'll meet here are cool." As he spoke, Sonic gave Tails a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "And I bet you'll be able to find lots of people interested in those doohickeys and gadgets you're always messing around with."

"You think so?" Feeling both relieved and excited again, Tails exhaled his held breath. "You're right, Sonic."

Sonic gave Tails a wink and a thumbs-up. "Ha ha! I'm always right, right? Anyway, why don't you look around here for a bit, buddy? I've got a chilidog stand to hit."

In less than half a second, Sonic disappeared as he zipped away, nothing more than a blue blur in the wind. Tails was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of it. But then again, this was Sonic. He was definitely used to this kind of thing.

"Jeez," Tails said. "Leaving me alone like this. It's my first time here, ya know… Now I'm getting nervous again."

Now that he was here, Tails wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He'd thought Sonic would show him around, but apparently not. With anxiety and indecision twisting his face, he looked left and then right down the road. All the while he stood there, people were walking by, and some were giving him odd stares. They must've been wondering if he was a lost child. With that thought, he felt more self-conscious than ever.

"Just got to get moving…" Tails managed to shake off his jitters. As long as he didn't stand here like an idiot, he wouldn't have to worry. He wasn't sure where to go, but since Twinkle Park was the only thing around, he gravitated towards it and walked in that direction. He melded into a crowd of people and crossed the intersection, and once there he saw a sign for the park. It said they were running a promotion where couples got in free. At first Tails didn't really know what they meant by "couples", but when he saw teens and grown-ups around him acting all lovey-dovey, he got the idea.

"Bleh…" He stuck out his tongue reflexively at all the public displays of affection. He decided to focus on the sign instead. "Hmm… Couples get in for free… What a strange promotion. I wonder what the plan is? Couldn't people fake being a couple to get in? And that'd make it really crowded inside for the day. I wonder… If they do stuff like this, is their business really going to be alright? But the wording makes it seem like they've done this before, so maybe they know what they're doing."

As Tails was pondering this situation, his attention was stolen by someone humming a tune behind him.

"Living in the city! Makes me want to survive! Living in the city! Got to keep that dreaaaam alive!"

The singing was so loud and carefree, it gave Tails a jolt and he almost jumped into the air and flew off. But Tails got another surprise when he looked and caught a glimpse of the girl singing. With one arm, she cradled a grocery bag filled with bread and fresh veggies against her body, and with the other she held a hand to the headphones over her ears, her eyes closed and an enraptured smile on her lips as she sang along to the tune she listened to. She was garbed in a green shirt and yellow skirt. And peeking out from under that skirt was a pink tale—she was a person like Tails! And based off of her pink fur and spines, a hedgehog no less!

Well, Tails knew hedgehogs! Seeing someone like him, he felt his anxiety lessen, and he felt a desire to talk to her, and maybe make friends with her. He took a step towards her and even though he was still quite far from her, reached out his hand as though to tap her shoulder. "H-Hey!" But his words drowned before he'd spoken them, as he realized she wouldn't hear him since she had headphones on. She hadn't noticed him at all, and was lost in her own world.

Swallowing his bitter feelings of defeat, Tails was about to give up, when the girl stopped in front of the Twinkle Park's promotional sign. With a forlorn look and a sigh, she said, "Aw, man. I'd really love to go here with Sonic."

"Sonic?!" Hearing the name, Tails couldn't help but cry out. Was this girl also a friend of Sonic's? Hearing his outburst, the girl gave Tails a curious look. That made Tails feel hot in the face.

"You like Sonic too?" the girl asked.

"Of course!" Tails said, letting his admiration for Sonic gush forth. "He's always really cool, saving everyone and stopping Doctor Eggman! And he's fast! I want to be just like him."

The girl nodded. "Yeah, he really is the coolest guy around!"

There was quiet between them for a moment, and then Tails's curiosity got the better of him. "So you know Sonic?"

"Do I know Sonic?" the girl said, almost theatrically, as though gearing up for a speech. "I'm Amy Rose, and I love Sonic more than anyone else! That's why I'm his number one fan! He's my hero!"

"Really? I'm a pretty big fan of Sonic too. He's even let me tag—"

"You have good taste… Um…"

"Miles Prower," Tails said, before quickly adding, "But my friends call me Tails."

Amy paused a moment, seeming to notice Tails's twin tails for the first time and staring. But she didn't miss a beat, swiftly resuming her upbeat mannerisms. "Yes, Tails, you have good taste if you're a fan of Sonic's. He's the speediest, bravest, dreamiest hero around!"

Before he knew it, Tails found himself conversing with Amy a lot, mainly about Sonic. Tails was glad to have found her, since talking to her was so fun. He'd never met anyone who shared his admiration for Sonic. Well, there was Sonic himself, who could get a bit egotistical at times, but that wasn't really the same.

"Have you ever wondered how Sonic got to be so he can run so fast?" Tails asked.

"Hmm! Good question, Tails," Amy said, pondering the matter.

"Sometimes I wonder if his shoes have special powers," Tails said.

"His shoes?" Amy looked skeptical. "I don't know. I think he must have had lots of special training!"

"Really? You don't think so?" Looking thoughtful, Tails scratched his chin. He'd asked, but Sonic had never revealed the secret to his speed, always evading the question with a cocky attitude and sassy one-liners. "Hmm… I've been trying out some tech in my own shoes, but I haven't got anything to work yet. By spinning my tails, I can get up to pretty high speed, but I still can't match Sonic."

Amy's face drew a blank. "Tech? What do you mean by that? So you're designing some kind of special shoes?"

"Well, I'm working on a few things…" Tails pulled out a few devices from a satchel and began explaining them to her. "I tried rocket boosters on the back, based on an old design from over fifty years ago, but they just throw me so off balance it's impossible. I don't know how anyone would manage like that. And I was looking into stuff like bounce pads and conveyer belt boosters for inspiration for these ones, but I haven't gotten anything to work yet."

"You design stuff like this? Wow, you're pretty smart, huh Tails?" Amy pumped her free hand in a fist, cheering Tails on. "Well, keep trying, alright, Tails?! Maybe someday you really will be able to go as fast as Sonic!"

Hearing the praise, Tails felt warm feeling bubbling up inside of him, and he felt a blush creeping into his cheeks. Scratching the back of his head and smiling awkwardly, he said, "N-Nah. I'm nothing special."

All of a sudden, a blue blur zipped by, heralding the appearance of a blue hedgehog. Taking a bite out of the chilidog in his left hand, Sonic spoke while chewing: "Yo, Tails, what are you doing still here at the station? Thought you wanted to look around?"

"S-Sonic! You're here!" Amy cried out. The grocery bag dropped from Amy's hand, hitting the ground with a thud, a few tomatoes rolling out onto the ground. Amy's eyes widened as she stared at Sonic in awe.

"Ack! You?!" Sonic cried out in a panic when he saw the pink hedgehog.

Tails stood by with a perplexed expression, not understanding Sonic or Amy's strange reactions.

Excited, Amy looked to Tails. "Wait, Tails! You didn't tell me you actually were friends with Sonic!"

Tails scratched his head. "I didn't? Wait, I thought you knew him too…?"

A giant grin spread across Amy's face as she turned back to Sonic. Batting her eyelids, she folded her hands together as though in prayer. "Today's the day I'll make you mine, Sonic! Please marry me!"

"No way! Tails, let's get out of here!" Cramming the remainders of his chilidog in his mouth, Sonic grabbed Tails's hand and zipped away. Amy chased after them for a while, yelling at Sonic to come back, but she couldn't keep up with Sonic, and they lost her.

"I don't get it. Why'd we run away? Amy was really nice…" Tails said.

"Well, maybe she is nice, but still…" Sonic said, sounding exasperated. "I've met fans of mine, but that one's a little crazy. Asking me to marry her? Seriously?"

Tails was still confused by what had happened. Hadn't it seemed like Sonic had met Amy before? "Have you met her, Sonic?"

"Yeah, I've met her. A while back, the Doctor had Metal Sonic kidnap her, and I saved her. She's really annoying, always chasing after me and asking me to marry her. It'd probably be best if you stayed away from her, Tails."

Tails was quiet for a while. He thought he'd made a friend, but Sonic was saying she was no good. And she had started acting really weird as soon as she saw Sonic, so Tails couldn't say Sonic was wrong. Besides, when was Sonic ever wrong? He was the hero Tails looked up to. And the hero Amy looked up to as well. So… end of story.

"I see…" Tails felt something inside of him twisting up in knots, but he didn't know what it was. All he knew was he felt sad. "I guess… If you say so, Sonic."

Sonic cut their trip to the city short that day. It was a while before Tails saw Amy again. He had to help Sonic foil one of Doctor Eggman's invasions when the good Doctor and his army of robots resurfaced. Not that Tails was much help. In trying to keep up, he just kept taking hits and getting knocked aside. He wished he could say it hurt his ego more than his body, but… everything hurt. And he hadn't even managed to find a single Chaos Emerald. How useless could he get?

Tails spent a week recuperating from all the bruises. In the meantime, Tails tuned up Sonic's plane, the Tornado. He got a little depressed over the whole thing, but Sonic was surprisingly supportive through it all, telling Tails to rest up, and not to worry about it. "Think of it as training, Tails! There's always next time! I'm sure you'll really show your stuff when that Egghead shows his ugly mug again!"

Sonic wasn't all sass. He cared deeply for his friends. That was part of the reason Tails looked up to him so much. He was a hero. But when Sonic gave his kind words of encouragement, Tails couldn't help but contrast that with how Sonic had treated Amy Rose. What made the two of them any different? Maybe someday Sonic would think he was annoying too. Tails certainly couldn't think of any reason Sonic would keep him around.

It was while Tails was wandering the forest, scavenging parts from broken down Badniks, that a familiar pink hedgehog showed up. But what would Amy be doing here, in the middle of nowhere? Tails thought he was seeing things, but rubbing his eyes didn't dispel the vision.

"Hiya, Tails!" Amy said, waving and beaming brightly at him from a little ways away.

"Hello…" Tails said. After what Sonic had said, he appraised Amy with caution. If she was here, then in all likelihood she'd come uninvited, in order to chase after Sonic just as he'd said. Was she some kind of creepy stalker?

"Wow, that was a real surprise last time we met. I didn't know you actually hung out with Sonic!" Still smiling and bubbling with positivity, she moved closer to Tails.

"Yeah…" Tails said. There was still a good distance between them, but Tails made no move to close it.

"By the way, is Sonic around now?" Speaking sweetly, Amy donned a wheedling grin.

"…" There it was. She was here chasing after Sonic. Tails thought he'd made a friend, but Sonic was right about her. And now she didn't even view him as anything except a stepping board to get to Sonic.

The disgust must've shown on Tails's face, because Amy quickly backed down. The dismay on her face made Tails feel remorseful. Amy looked like a child caught doing something naughty.

"Er… Um…" She poked her fingers together and stared at her shoes for a while, before bouncing back with another big smile. "Soooo… I see you're carrying some weird shiny stuff. Are you making stuff for your shoes again? How's that going?"

As Amy moved on to the topic of the tech, Tails felt an urge to speak up. He didn't get much chances to talk about his tinkering since Sonic wasn't interested. But was it safe to answer? In the end, it didn't matter: the urge was irresistible. "These aren't for that. I needed some replacements parts for a plane."

"A plane! You have a plane, Tails?!"

"…" With a sheepish look aside, Tails said, "It's Sonic's plane." He'd wanted to avoid mentioning that, since he was certain mentioning Sonic would divert Amy's attention, given she was such a fanatical fan that she'd even stalk Sonic out here.

Amy was silent, with a worried crease in her brow as she read Tails's mopey expression. After a moment of reflection, she gave a wan smile. "But you know how to fly it?"

Tails was taken aback by Amy's question. He'd expected her to go on a wild tangent about Sonic. Surely she didn't care to hear about him. Was it some kind of ploy to wheedle her way closer to Sonic? But somehow, Tails didn't feel like Amy had any ulterior motives. Just like when they'd first met, to Tails she seemed sincere and compassionate.

"Yeah. I can pilot a lot of stuff. Boats, mechs, planes. All the stuff I engineer."

"Wow, Tails, that's really impressive. All I can drive is a regular old car."

"You think so? I don't think I'm all that special."

"You are! You are!" Amy cheered.

At Amy's continued prompting, Tails was goaded into speaking more at length about himself and his accomplishments. Amy didn't understand any of his techno babble, but she listened patiently without stopping him.

"Wow, Tails!" Amy folded her hands together and pressed them against her cheek. "With all you can do, I bet you're a big help to Sonic when he's out stopping Doctor Eggman!"

"Urk…" Tails felt like he'd gotten hit in the stomach. "N-Not really. To be honest, I'm always messing up and getting in his way."

Amy frowned. "Aww, don't be like that… You shouldn't be so hard on yourself! I bet Sonic says the same thing, right?"

"You're right," Tails said, nodding.

"See? Sometimes you just need other people to tell you how great you are."

Amy's words were so uplifting, Tails felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him. He wanted to tell Amy what a great person she was too.

"Say, Tails, you really like Sonic too, right? It was really fun talking to you about him. We should talk again sometimes! If it's alright with you… Do you want to be friends?"

Tails smiled. "Yeah, that was fun. Let's be friends." Sonic really had misjudged Amy. Maybe she was a little fanatical sometimes, but deep down she was a wonderful person.

After they'd chatted some more, Sonic finally showed up again. He was surprised to see Amy, and he even went a little pale. Tails too felt dread creeping up on him. He'd wanted to keep talking to Amy, but what was going to happen now? Sonic would probably try to push her away. Anyway, with Sonic here, Amy wouldn't pay any attention to him anyway.

"What are you doing here?!" Sonic demanded to know.

Balling her fists in front of her chest, Amy looked back and forth between Sonic and Tails a few times. With an uncertain expression, she hesitated in answering. Under her breath, she said, "…I'll make Sonic marry me some other time." After a forlorn sigh, Amy perked up with a grin and waved goodbye to Tails. "See you later, Tails!"

With a doubtful look plastered to his face as he watched Amy run off, Sonic stuck out his tongue. "Did she follow us out here? Man, hope she didn't find out where we live. No privacy, I tell ya. Is this what I have to look forward to if I become a really famous hero?"

Tails frowned. "Listen, Sonic, Amy really isn't all that bad."

"Yeah, right," Sonic said. He crossed his arms. "She should stick to the city! Maybe then she wouldn't get kidnapped by Doctor Eggman so much!"

Tails sighed and then fell silent. It was frustrating, but Sonic wasn't listening, so what was the point in trying to convince him?

From then on, Tails made a point of hanging out with Amy whenever he could. They talked about Sonic or Tails's gadgets, and Amy showed him a hammer she got in the hopes she could help fight Eggman too, or at least defend herself so she didn't get kidnapped. The two of them became close friends. Tails even found that with all the encouragement Amy gave, his efficacy in battle went up, and he wasn't getting taken down by Badniks as often. Maybe he wasn't totally useless now. Amy did occasionally go chasing Sonic, but Tails no longer felt like it had anything to do with him. Of course, Sonic noticed how Tails was always going to talk to Amy, and that led to some tension between them. Sometimes when Tails told Sonic he was going to visit Amy, Sonic would raise an eyebrow and ask in a harsh tone, "Why?" Though it wasn't overt, Sonic's disapproval was obvious. It hurt to have someone he respected say that. During those times, Tails never knew know how to reply, so he just left without a word.

"Hello, Tails!" Amy greeted Tails at the door to her apartment. Some time had passed, so she was a bit taller, but there were a few more noticeable changes. She'd swapped out her usual garments for a red dress. She'd done something to make her quills stop sticking out too. It took a change for him to see it, but for the first time Tails noticed just how pretty Amy was. As the thought came to him, he felt bashful and was a bit tongue-tied.

"Th-That's a new dress?" Tails asked, unable to look away.

"Yeah! I'm trying out a new look. You like it?"

Tails felt his cheeks growing hot. He couldn't meet Amy's eye. "I-It's cute…"

"Aw, you're so sweet, Tails" Amy said, grinning and holding her hand to her cheek. "Well, what are you standing around for? I've made a strawberry shortcake and we've got some really good tea! So come on in!"

"Bwahh?!'

Without any hesitation, Amy grabbed Tails's hand and dragged him inside. Tails was already feeling discomforted, but now, with Amy so close and holding his hand, his heart was beating a mile a minute. To distract himself, Tails tried taking in the apartment. The coffee table and the couch and… Wait, someone was sitting on the couch. It was a rabbit with cream-colored fur and some orange highlights around her eyes, garbed in a red dress and blue necktie. She stared back at him with curious eyes.

"Tails, there's someone I really want you to meet!" Amy said. She gestured to the rabbit sitting on the couch, who stood in response, carrying herself like a proper young lady even though she looked younger than Tails. "This is my good friend Cream. Cream, this is Tails."

Tails felt some dark scruples come over him. He couldn't help but wonder who this interloper was, and how her presence would affect the time he got to spend with Amy. But those evil thoughts only lasted for a moment, and he cursed himself for ever thinking them.

With a polite smile, Cream bowed her head. "Pleased to meet you, Mister Tails."

"O-Oh! Yeah! Pleased to meet you too, Cream!" Tails copied Cream's bow.

"Chao chao chao!" A strange high-pitched voice emanated. At first Tails thought it had been Cream saying that gibberish, but then he noticed a Chao in a bowtie floating above her.

"That's Cream's Chao Cheese," Amy explained.

"Hello…" Tails said to Cheese.

Amy grinned at Tails. "You and Cream are around the same age, so I'm sure you'll be good friends."

"S-Sure…" Tails said uncertainly. What was Amy getting at, saying they were close in age? When he looked at Cream, she tilted her head and smiled at him.

While Amy was playing hostess and getting the tea and cake prepared, Cream took her seat once more, and Tails sat across from her. Though they'd only just got acquainted, he didn't have much choice but to talk to her to keep things from getting awkward. He couldn't find much in common with her. She didn't seem to be a huge Sonic fan like he and Amy were. Instead, she talked about her mother a lot, with obvious adoration and respect. On top of that, Cream was shockingly polite as well as soft-spoken. Tails didn't really know how to deal with her… What was taking Amy so long to brew the tea?

After listening to Cream for a while, eventually Cream asked to play checkers with him. Tails agreed, thinking it would be a passable way to kill time. But Cream wasn't very good at the game, and Tails ended up destroying her. At first he was worried he'd made a mistake and should've gone easier on her. After all, the last thing he wanted was to make her cry. But Cream just smiled at him and said, "Wow, Mister Tails, you're really good at this!"

"I guess I am! Ha ha ha…" Tails almost denied it, but he swallowed his modesty for once. If he tried saying he wasn't all that great at checkers, with how thoroughly he'd defeated her, that would be like saying Cream was a terrible player.

"Tea's done!" Soon after the end of the match, Amy returned holding a platter in her hand. It held a teapot, some plates and cups, and in the middle, a lovely strawberry shortcake decorated with cream and fresh strawberries.

The cake and tea were good. And the gathering was definitely livelier once Amy took her seat next to Cream and took command of the conversation. Tails had fun listening to her and giving his reply when she asked how he was doing and other matters. And Cream wasn't so bad either. She was so courteous, it was hard to dislike her.

"Hey, Cream!" Amy said, after taking a bite of cake. "Did Tails tell you he can fly by spinning his two tails like a propeller!"

"Wow!" Cream said as she looked to Tails. As she pumped her fists, her eyes were filled with stars. "That's so amazing, Mister Tails! Do you think you could show us?"

"Uh… Hehe…" With a self-deprecating smile, Tails scratched the back of his head. "Sure, I guess."

When Tails did a little demonstration and hovered in the corner of the room, Cream's excitement only increased. "That's incredible! Mister Tails, how do you spin your tails like that without dislocating a bone or getting them all twisted up together?!"

"I'd like to know that too," Amy said.

Lighting down, Tails sighed, and geared up for an explanation. "Well, you see…"

It was a fun party, and yet, once it came to an end, Tails felt a bit remorseful. He hadn't gotten to talk with Amy as much as he wanted to.

But once it started getting late, he had to say his good-byes and head home. After taking the train, he flew the rest of the way to his workshop. When he got inside, Sonic was lying on one of the workbenches, waiting for him.

"Yo." Sonic said, looking bored. "Where have you been? Thought you might want to go out on patrol with me."

Feeling no need to hide it, Tails answered, "I was having tea and cake with Amy and one of her friends."

After blinking, Sonic sat up and raised an eyebrow. "What? So now you're having tea parties with her? Isn't that kinda… girly?"

Tails felt his face flush red. "Wh-What? No it's not! They're very sophisticated and… and we eat lots of tasty treats and…" Wait, was all that stuff girly? Mounting frustration at being unable to explain himself properly welled up inside of him until it all burst forth and he snapped, "Not everyone can be as strong and heroic as you, you know!"

"Whoa, where's this coming from?!" Sonic asked, now looking plenty irritated himself.

Tails turned his head to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. "It's nothing. Sorry."

"Look, you're right," Sonic said. "You can go to tea parties if you want. With Amy." He shuddered when the name passed his lips. "But you know, I still think she's bad news. Since you two became friends, she's been heckling me even more than she did before."

Tails felt a wave of anger wash over him, and the fur on his hackles stood on end. "What are you trying to say?"

Sonic sighed. "Just that she might have gotten it in her warped little mind that getting closer to you will help her get closer to me. I'm just worried she's using you."

Something inside of Tails snapped. "Amy's not like that, Sonic! She's a good friend and she's really nice! And she's cool! I get that she only shows her annoying side to you, but if you just gave her a chance, you'd like her too! You… You don't know a thing about her, so stop acting like you do!"

As Tails stood over Sonic, huffing angrily, a change overtook Sonic's face. His expression changed to an apologetic one, almost afraid, like that of one who realized they've pushed someone too far. And before Tails could even blink, Sonic was gone, and a blue blur was zipping out the door.

"Hey!" Still furious, Tails ran to the door and yelled after him, "Yeah, run away! That's all you're good at!"

Tails stormed back into his workshop. He had a mind to tinker with some gadgets to get his mind off of things, but the rage consumed every last bit of his thoughts, so he couldn't concentrate at all. But after about an hour, all that anger dissipated and the only thing that remained was overwhelming anxiety and panic. Why had he yelled at Sonic like that? Had he just said something he couldn't take back? It was true Sonic was being a jerk, but he was still the hero Tails looked up to, and the friend who had looked after him for so long. What if Sonic never wanted to see him again?

"What am I going to do?!" Tails whined. Hugging his tails, he curled up in a corner of his workshop and started crying. "S-Sonic! Nooo!"

It was the middle of the night now. Tails crept under the covers, but he couldn't sleep at all. Regrets and frustrated thoughts bounced around in his head all night. The next week was little better, mainly spent half-heartedly deconstructing some Badnik parts; though Tails did pass out a few times from lack of sleep, and thus got some rest that way. But Tails remained in agony over his fight with Sonic, and each day that went by without the blue hedgehog making an appearance only further increased Tails's paranoia that he wasn't ever coming back.

"Sonic… He was my only friend… Am I going to be all alone now?" As soon as Tails said it, he remembered something, and clung onto that one glimmer of hope. "Th-That's right… He's not my only friend anymore. I could talk to Amy… She always gives good advice… I bet she'd know what I should do…"

So on the eighth day since his fight with Sonic, Tails set out to Amy's apartment near Station Square. He hurried through the woods at top speed, and made it to the nearest train station. He only stopped for a moment to check his reflection in a stream. He didn't look well. His eyes looked haunted by some trauma, and there were dark circles under them. He tried to fix up everything else to make himself presentable, giving his fur a quick rinse, but there was no helping the eyes.

At around noon he arrived in the city, and he made his way to Amy's apartment. Feeling apprehensive, he stood in front of the door for a long while. He wanted Amy's advice, but he wasn't even sure he'd be able to recount what had happened. It was a bit embarrassing. He couldn't give her all the details, and he definitely couldn't tell Amy they'd gotten into an argument over her.

Tails shook his head in a futile attempt to rid himself of his misgivings. But thinking how foolish it was to just stand here for so long, he balled his fist and raised it to the door. He hesitated, but then screwed his face into grimace, closed his eyes, and knocked. He braced himself.

The door opened, but to Tails's shock, it wasn't Amy there. Instead, it was Cream. She smiled when she saw him.

"Mister Tails! Did you come to see Amy?"

"I, um… I did, but…" Panicking, Tails got all tongue-tied. If Cream was here, he had to find a way to get out of this whole thing. He couldn't ask Amy for advice with her around. But his thoughts were so muddled he couldn't figure out a way to extricate himself.

"Amy isn't here right now. Mister Sonic came and I saw her talking to him. I don't know where she went, but she'll probably come back soon."

Tails's heart skipped a beat and his eyes went wide. Sonic was talking to Amy? What could that mean? It wouldn't be unusual if Amy were chasing after him, but Cream had said he'd come here. Why would Sonic be talking to her? Sonic didn't like her. She was Tails's friend, not his! An assortment of muddled feelings swirled around in Tails's chest, threatening to crush him.

"Do you want to wait inside for her? We can play games and talk." Cream seemed to notice the change in Tails's demeanor, because she stopped smiling. "Mister Tails? Are you alright?"

"Uhm… N-No. I have to get going." Turning down her offer, Tails turned and ran. And as soon as his tails were spinning at full speed, he flew out of there, heading back to his workshop. He didn't even take the train this time. Once he was there, he hid in a corner and curled up with his hands over his head.

"There you are, Tails! You weren't here earlier, so I've been looking all over for you!"

Amy's voice rang out in his workshop, making Tails's heart jump into his chest. He hadn't heard a sound, not even the door opening. How had she gotten in so quietly? But when he looked at her, he got another shock, for she was standing over him with a big red hammer in her right hand. Against such an intimidating weapon, Tails couldn't do anything but tremble.

Amy grinned at Tails and tapped the handle of the hammer against the palm of her hand. "Come on, Tails! I want to go hunt some Badniks! If you're with me, I feel like I can do it!"

Amy grabbed Tails's hand, yanked him to his feet, then dragged him outside. Tails didn't have any idea what was going on. "You want to hunt… Badniks?" It was true there were still a bunch of stragglers from their last battle with Doctor Eggman lurking around, but why did Amy want to fight them all of a sudden?

"Yep! We're both going to be more like Sonic! Little by little, we'll get there!" Amy paused. "Is that alright?"

"I guess…" So long as things didn't get dangerous, it did seem like it could be fun to fight Badniks with Amy. Wouldn't he be the more experienced one then? He'd be the one giving Amy tips. Could he impress her if he shared his battle wisdom? That would be cool. And yet… What was Amy doing here in the first place? Tails hesitated, then asked what was troubling him, "Are you here because Cream told you I came to your apartment?"

"Huh? I didn't know about that. I do know about the thing with Sonic though. Bet you wanted me to give you advice, huh? I left to find you because I figured you might be feeling upset."

Feeling his cheeks redden from embarrassment, Tails cursed himself for asking. He should've known Amy hadn't been back to her apartment. If she'd been looking for him, the timing didn't match at all. And if she knew about the fight, that meant Sonic had told her everything. Why would he do that? Tails felt a tinge of jealousy, but more than anything he was engulfed by confusion.

"Don't worry about a thing, Tails! Everything's going to be fine!"

After giving her cheerful speech, Amy gave Tails a reassuring pat on the back. Surprisingly, Tails did feel like a weight had been lifted from him. Exhaling a relieved sigh, he said, "Alright. I guess I'll go along with you. We can go on patrol and look out for any of Eggman's robots."

"Lead the way!" Amy said, tightening her grip on her hammer.

"Hey, Amy, are you really going to use that hammer? You're a hedgehog too, so couldn't you roll up and use your quills like Sonic?"

Amy's cheeks flushed. "I know Sonic makes it look easy, but it's easier said than done. I'm not really there yet. So yeah, I'm going to use this hammer."

Tails took the lead and headed at a brisk pace towards one of Eggman's wrecked hideouts. They patrolled the woods for about an hour before coming across some Badniks. It was a trio of Moto Bugs (beetle-like robots that rolled around on a single wheel) idling in a clearing, not doing much more than scaring away the birds. Tails and Amy watched them from behind some bushes.

"What do we do?" Amy whispered. She looked a bit scared and her shoulders were even trembling. Though having been kidnapped a couple of times by Eggman's robots, perhaps it was understandable, thus making her all the more commendable for undertaking this task.

Tails took command. "On my signal, we charge and take out the two closest to us. I'll get the right one, you get the left. Just hit it as hard as you can."

"Got it." Amy readied her hammer.

"Go!"

At Tails's command, both of them dashed into the clearing towards the Moto Bugs. Tails swiped his target with his tails, completely smashing it to bits, and Amy hit her mark in the side with her strongest swing, denting it and knocking it over. The third robot turned towards them a moment, but upon seeing its fallen comrades, spun around and fled.

Tails and Amy were stunned for a moment. But then Amy let out a jubilant laugh. "It's running, Tails! It's running away! It's afraid of us!"

"Yeah!" Infected by Amy's good spirits, Tails chuckled, but when a Flickie came out of the wreckage of the destroyed Badnik and flew by Tails's face, he was brought back to his senses. "We really shouldn't let it get away! Little creatures are trapped inside of them!"

After Tails chased down the Badnik and wrecked it, he returned to the clearing, where he found Amy prying open the wreckage of the robot she'd defeated, so the squirrel inside could go free. It chattered something, then scurried off into the woods. Amy smiled and waved at it as it left. But as soon as it was gone, Amy plopped down on the grass.

"Whew! I'm exhausted! We've been running around for so long now! How do you two do it?"

"I don't know. I guess you get used to it." Smiling, Tails sat down near Amy.

As the two rested, the sounds of the meadow trickled in. Birds hummed, grasshoppers chirped, and the wind rustled the leaves of the trees.

"Hey Tails, you still like Sonic, right?"

Tails thought on the question. Sonic may have been a jerk the other day, but he'd still done so much for Tails. And he was still the hero he looked up to. "Yeah."

"Then let's talk about him some more! It's really fun talking about Sonic with you. I don't have anyone else I can do that with. Maybe someday, when he's really famous, we can form a fan club or something."

"Um, okay. That sounds interesting…" Tails scratched his nose. "But Amy, don't you talk about Sonic with Cream?"

"Tails…" A dangerous look flashed in Amy's eyes, causing Tails to balk. "I don't need competition."

Face screwed in a frightened grimace, Tails raised his hands defensively in front of himself. "I don't get it?"

"Gee, Tails…" Amy sighed forlornly, but then she grinned and donned a sly look. "I mean, Cream is pretty cute, don't you think?"

"I… I guess so?" Tails wanted to tell Amy she was pretty cute too, but he really didn't like how she was watching him like a hawk, searching his visage for any sort of reaction. She was acting weird, so maybe now wasn't the best time to tell her that.

After a while, Amy let out a disappointed sigh. "So… Sonic…"

Feeling apprehensive, Tails poked his fingers together. "I guess… I guess I'm just kind of scared he's never going to want to talk to me again…"

"Nah, don't worry about that," Amy said, closing her eyes and waving her hand dismissively. "I don't know what you two were fighting about, but I have a feeling things are going to work out soon!" Amy leaned in with a big grin and winked. But in the next moment, Amy's expression changed to one of surprise, as she stared at something behind Tails. "Hey! There's Sonic now!"

Tails hopped to his feet at once and looked to where Amy pointed. There at the edge of the clearing he saw the blue hedgehog standing. Feeling bashful and guilty, Tails didn't know if he'd be able to face Sonic. But when he looked up at his face, there was no anger or disappointment there—just a bright and cheerful Sonic.

Sonic grinned at Tails and raised his hand in greeting. "Yo, Tails! Amy! Were you two fighting Badniks? You shouldn't leave me out of the fun!"

After standing and dusting off her dress, Amy donned a self-deprecating smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Ha ha ha… Yeah, it was the first time I tried it out. But it's tough."

Sonic wagged his finger. "I'm all for taking the initiative and throwing yourself into the adventure, but if you're going to be doing this kind of stuff, we'll have to get you up to speed, Amy. There are lots of different Badniks, and some are way more dangerous than others. There are ones that'll explode on you."

"Yeah, sure thing! I hope we can fight them together sometime…" Towards the end of her speech, Amy lapsed into a flirty tone, but she caught herself. "Uh… It's getting late, so I have to get back home. Have a good evening, you two!" Before running off, Amy gave Tails a thumbs-up and mouthed the words, "Everything will be fine!"

Shoulders slumped over, Tails headed over to Sonic. He'd just have to apologize, and then things could go back to the way they were before. Tails couldn't meet Sonic's gaze. He fiddled his thumbs as his tails quivered, searching for the right words.

"Sorry about the other day, little buddy."

Sonic surprised Tails by apologizing first. Tails looked up at Sonic's face and saw Sonic's usual cool grin, though now there was an edge of softness to it. He sighed, gave a big shrug, and shook his head. "You were right all along about Amy. I gave her a chance and she proved she can be pretty cool. I sure messed up, huh? Guess it just goes to show even the fastest thing alive can learn a thing or two if he just listens to his little buddy."

Hearing Sonic say those words, tears welled up in Tails's eyes. He was so relieved and overjoyed, he couldn't hold back. "Sonic!" At the same time the tears sprung forth and poured down his cheeks, Tails ran forth with both arms outstretched and jumped at Sonic.

"Easy there, Tails!" Sonic said after withstanding the tackle and the hug. He affectionately rubbed the top of Tails's head.

"Thanks, Sonic…"

After a while, the two separated. Sonic looked a bit embarrassed about the whole thing, and he rubbed under his nose to hide his flushed cheeks. "Yeah, so… Live your life the way you want to, Tails. Tinker with your doohickeys and go to all the tea parties you want. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you want to hang with Amy, you should."

"Alright, Sonic. And I know she does get kind of annoying when she's around you, so…"

"Yeah." Sonic agreed. "Not sure if we can get past that, but you feel free to be her friend." Sonic smirked. "Anyway, it's not like she'll ever catch me. She's way too slow. So whatever happens, it's not a problem."

"And I can still hang out with you too?" Tails asked.

"Of course, little buddy! I'll need your help giving the Egghead a thrashing whenever he shows his ugly mug! And hey, maybe sometime we could hang with Knuckles too, and then you'd get to see what a friendship between guys is like."

Tails raised an eyebrow. "Uh… Are you sure you two are friends? Half the time we see him, he tries to pick a fight. And when you two are together, all you ever do is snipe at each other."

With a mischievous grin, Sonic snickered. "That's what a friendship between guys looks like, Tails! Just a little friendly rivalry now and then, ya know?"

"But we're not like that."

"True enough, Tails. The two of us are like two peas in a pod—most of the time. I guess there are a lot of different kinds of friendship."

And thus, things were settled between the two of them. Tails was so relieved to have things go back to normal, and for everything to be stress free. Well, mostly stress free. He and Sonic went on lots of adventures filled with countless perils, usually to stop Doctor Eggman. Though occasionally, Amy joined in on the fun, and gave them a hand in smacking around Badniks. Things weren't always rough (only about ten percent of the time), and in the downtime between adventures, Tails did as Sonic said and spent his time however he pleased, whether that be tinkering with the Tornado or going to see Amy and Cream. It was actually really nice to have friends besides Sonic, especially since Sonic tended to spend a lot of his downtime grinding through old haunts over and over and trying to get a perfect run, leaving Tails on his own. And all just for a few emblems. That kind of dedication seemed a bit tiring to Tails. And after so many adventures, he was quite tired. He was due for a vacation, or at least a day in the sun. Amy agreed with him on that.

"Yo, Tails!" As Tails wielded a welding torch to repair the Tornado, Sonic appeared out of nowhere in his workshop. "Been a while since the good doctor has tried anything. Kind of boring, huh? How're you holding up?"

"Heya, Sonic." Tails said. "Good, since you're here, I have to tell you something. Amy and me are getting together to go to Emerald Coast for a day tomorrow. You want to come?"

Sonic didn't need much time to think about it. "The beach? Like, water? No thanks."

"Aw, come on, Sonic." Tails whined. "You don't have to go into the water, ya know. There's plenty of fun to be had playing in the sand, or just relaxing. I bet you'd love taking a nap under an umbrella."

"Well, I do love taking naps. But I think I'm going to pass on this one. Well, nice catching up. Gotta run!"

Sonic vanished just as quickly as he'd appeared.

"Hmm…" Tails grumbled his disappointment, but he wasn't surprised. Sonic was so spur-of-the-moment, it was hard to get him to commit to anything, especially if it involved going near water. Apparently, Sonic had had a lot of bad experiences with water while on his adventures. As Sonic put it, he'd gotten stuck under the water countless times, always moments away from drowning, swallowing air bubbles just to get by; and getting out was always a mad, panic-inducing scramble as platforms moved, retracted, and conspired to keep him from oxygen. Given that, Tails supposed he couldn't blame Sonic for not wanting to go to the beach.

The sun came down on another eventful day of tinkering, calibrating, and innovating in Tails's workshop near the Mystic Ruins. When morning came, Tails woke bright and early to get ready for the planned outing. He packed a towel, cool sunglasses, and other essentials, then headed for the train. He thought of flying there in the Tornado since he'd just fixed it up, but somehow it felt like it would be bad luck—he'd crashed on Emerald Coast one too many times.

Once the train reached Station Square and Tails disembarked, he found Amy, Cream, and Cheese waiting for him in the plaza, all with eager expressions and cheery grins. And just like Tails, Cheese had thought to bring a cool pair of shades, and was even posing with his arms crossed while hovering over Cream's head.

"Tails! You're here!" Amy greeted Tails warmly with a smile and a big wave, but quickly changed demeanor. With her hand over her brow, shielding her eyes, she leaned left to peer behind Tails, whilst clamoring, "So, where's Sonic? Did he say he'd come?"

Tails shrugged. "He said he didn't want to."

"Ooooh!" Amy slumped over and moaned dejectedly.

"By the way, what about Knuckles?" Tails asked.

"Knuckles?" Amy seemed confused, and also unwilling to be dragged out of her depression.

"You said you were going to invite him," Tails said.

"Wait, did I say that?" Amy asked.

"Well, Angel Island moved again, so I guess it's hard to stay in touch with him," Tails said, making up an excuse for Amy. She didn't take it though.

"Graaah! Who cares about him? What about Sonic?!"

"Cheer up, Amy," Cream said. "I think we'll have lots of fun even if Mister Sonic doesn't come." Beaming, Cream looked up at Tails. "Right?"

"That's right," Tails said, nodding in agreement.

"Chao chao chao!" Cheese chirped in agreement as well.

"Fine, fine, I guess you're right," Amy said, finally cheering up. "Let's go and have some fun under the sun!"

After a short trek down the road, they reached Emerald Coast. Once they were there, Amy and Cream headed to a changing booth, while Tails picked a spot to set down their towels. When Amy and Cream returned, they were wearing their swimsuits. For Cream, it was a yellow top with a pink blouse, and for Amy a two-piece red swimsuit with white polka dots.

"Good work picking out this spot, Tails," Amy said after appraising Tails's setup. The beach was pretty crowded, with lots of people here and there, but they'd managed to find a spot with good sun and plenty of space.

"Let's go play, Cheese!" Cream cried out, running toward the waters.

"Chao chao chao!" Cheese flew after her, just as excited.

"Well, what do you think?" Amy asked Tails.

"About what?" Tails asked, still watching Cream run.

"Our swimsuits, Tails! Don't you think they're cute?"

"Yeah," Tails looked at Amy, but got a bit self-conscious of staring. Feeling a blush in his cheeks, he had to look away. "Yours reminds me of your red dress."

"Hmmm-hmm! Come on, you can do better than that. When a girl asks you that, she wants to hear you to tell her how cute she is! You know, I was going to charm Sonic with this swimsuit. With how cute I am, he would've been head over heels in love with me! Oooh!"

Tails felt uncomfortable hearing Amy gush over Sonic. He took Amy's advice, and offered a complement. "You and Cream are very cute."

"Hmm…" Amy glanced at Cream playing in the shallows and then back to Tails. She donned a sly grin. "You like Cream's swimsuit? I helped her pick it out. When I told her the yellow color would complement her fur, she said she liked it because it reminded her of you."

"Wh-What? She said that?" Tails felt his cheeks redden.

"Hehehe…" Amy held her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Amy was teasing him. Now Tails felt a bit irritated. Why was she always acting like there was something between him and Cream? Evidently if she couldn't pursue her romance with Sonic, she wanted to meddle in everyone else's. But it hurt Tails, especially since… it meant Amy wasn't interested in him that way.

"Of course, I told Cream your fur is more orange-yellow." With her teasing finished, Amy shrugged. "She was kind of pouty then. You know how she gets. Oh well."

Tails felt embarrassed at how well Amy apparently knew the color of his fur, but also a tinge of happiness—just enough to wash away his irritation and melancholy.

"Mister Tails!" All of a sudden, Cream called out from the shallows. She was waving and beaming. "Come build a sand castle with us!"

"Aww, see? She does like you," Amy cooed.

"Hmm…" Tails grumbled under his breath on account of Amy, but put on a smile and waved back to Cream. He was about to head over too, except something unexpected happened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blue blur.

"Sonic!" Tails cried out at once when he saw Sonic standing there.

"Hey hey, Tails!" Sonic said, grinning and giving his trademark thumbs-up and wink. "I decided to come after all, so the naps here better be as good as you said."

"S-Sure!" Tails said, still recovering from the shock of seeing Sonic show up. "I'll set up an umbrella for—"

"Ohhh! Sonic!" Amy cried out excitedly. She clamped her hands together and held them to her cheeks, and her eyes were all sparkly and love stricken. She turned to Tails, then quickly said, "Don't you worry about that, Tails! I'll get Sonic whatever he needs."

"I can do it myself…" Sonic said, his face drooping into a look of exasperation.

"It's no problem at all!" Amy insisted.

The two of them went back and forth a bit, but either way, it was obvious Tails wasn't needed. After a backwards glance, he slipped away to go join Cream. She and Cheese were already at work making a castle using a bucket and trowel they'd brought. The bucket was one of those castle mold ones, so the castle actually looked pretty good already.

"How can I help?" Tails asked.

"Cheese wants to make a big, fancy castle like the ones you always see on TV!" Cream explained, grinning up at Tails as she continued shoveling sand onto a mound.

"Alright," Tails said, nodding and donning a determined look. "Let's get to work then."

When he kneeled down on the sand, Tails set out to help Cream and Cheese build the castle. With his building skills and the mold, the three of them were actually able to make a really nice sand castle that actually looked like a castle, and they even surrounded it with a rectangular wall with towers on each of the corners. Though as they worked, Tails cast frequent glances over to where Sonic and Amy were reclining under two umbrellas. Sonic was taking a nap on top of a towel, with his hands behind his head. Amy was doing something similar under her own umbrella very close to Sonic's, except she was lying on her side with her head propped up against her elbow and her fist pressed against her cheek. She was ogling Sonic rather brazenly.

"Wow! It's so beautiful! Tails, you're really good at making sand castles!" Cream said just as the finishing touches were put on the castle.

"I guess so," Tails said. He'd been distracted watching Sonic and Amy, but Cream's praise brought him back out of his reverie. "I mostly tinker with machines, but I know a thing or two about architecture. Though sand isn't exactly my building material of choice."

"Hee hee! This is fun, isn't it, Tails?"

"Yeah…" Tails's voice trailed off as his gaze was drawn back to where Sonic and Amy were. Things were the same as before, except Sonic had now shifted onto his side to face the other way from Amy, perhaps because he'd noticed her staring.

"Tails? Mister Tails?" Cream followed Tails's gaze, and when she saw Amy and Sonic, puffed up her cheeks and pouted a bit. "Amy should come play with us over here. Mister Sonic too. I wonder if they're having any fun over there. It seems kind of boring just lying around. It'd be much more fun if we all played together in the water."

It was then Tails realized how perceptive Cream was. She must've said all that stuff because she was worried about him. He felt a bit guilty, so to put her at ease, he smiled and donned a cheery demeanor. "Yeah, they're really missing out. I know, now that our castle is done, want to go for a swim?"

"Yeah!" As they walked towards the waters, the tide came out to greet them and washed over their feet. Cream went on talking, saying, "You know, my mother is like that too. When we come to the beach, she never comes swimming with us, she just reads books. I don't get it. That's no fun at all."

"Ha ha… Well, maybe there's just stuff we can't understand since we're still kids."

"Hmm…" Cream puffed out her cheeks again.

After building the sand castle, Tails and Cream played in the water for around an hour. Tails kept up his furtive glances to keep tabs on Sonic and Amy, but Cream kept him busy with her splashing, so he did it less frequently than before. Tails was actually impressed by how Sonic and Amy could waste a whole beach day sitting so still. Though towards the end of the hour, Sonic did finally disappear to run off somewhere. Amy looked despondent at his disappearance, but judging by how she suddenly she cheered up, she must have had some kind of epiphany, and it must've had to do with seashells, because she started looking for them on the tideline. When she'd collected enough, she returned to her spot and began fiddling with them—Tails couldn't really see what she was doing from so far away. Not long after that, Sonic returned with a half-eaten chilidog. Amy bashfully hid whatever it was she was doing, though she needn't have bothered with how little attention Sonic was paying to her.

"Heeeey, Taaaails! Pay attention to me! Cheese, get him!" Cream said as she and Cheese splashed water at Tails. He turned around at exactly the wrong time, and salty sea water stung his eyes. He didn't complain though, because he didn't want Cream to worry or feel guilty, especially since he felt guilty for ignoring her so much already. He just rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Sorry, Cream," Tails said, giving an apologetic smile.

"Hee hee! That's what you get for looking away." Cream looked back towards where Sonic and Amy were once more. "Oh, Mister Sonic's got some food. I'm getting hungry too." Still smiling, she looked back to Tails. "Amy packed a picnic for us. Want to eat something now?"

"I'm starving, so that sounds great."

"Hey guys, what's up? You three having lots of fun in the water?" Amy said when Cream and Tails returned. Now that they were closer, Tails saw Amy was threading some string through the seashells she had gathered and working them into some sort of necklace or something. Given how fragile the shells were, it must've taken significant skill to do so, or perhaps some kind of trick. Tails wanted to ask about it, but didn't get a chance.

"We were thinking now would be a good time for lunch," Cream said. "Everybody can eat together. Won't that be lovely, Amy?"

"Oh, that's right!" After retrieving a basket, Amy looked to Sonic. "See, you didn't have to go off on your own and get a chilidog. I packed lots of yummy sandwiches and some lemonade. Don't you want to try food I prepared, Sonic?"

"It's fine," Sonic said. "I can try a little."

"Yay!" Amy cheered. She set to work right away setting out their picnic blanket and getting everything ready.

"You two are all wet," Sonic noted of Tails and Cream. "Here ya go." He retrieved two towels and threw them their way.

"Thanks, Mister Sonic," Cream said, after she rubbed the towel against her face.

"Yeah, thanks," Tails said.

Once the picnic was set up, they all sat around the basket with their plates and dug in. They were positioned such that Amy was across from Sonic and Cream from Tails. Sonic was to Tails's left and Amy to his right. Tails supposed Amy had taken that spot across from Sonic deliberately. Though in truth, she was chatting a lot more with Cream. Though perhaps it could be said that Cream was forcibly monopolizing her attention by talking to her so much. Meanwhile, Tails and Sonic were having their own conversation.

"So, Tails…" Sonic said after taking a bite of a sandwich. "Is it really all that fun, moving around in that wet, salty, icky water?"

Hearing the skepticism and hidden mockery in Sonic's words, Tails gave an exasperated sigh. It was also quite odd that Sonic referred to it as moving around rather than swimming, but there was probably a reason for that. "You know, Sonic, you should really learn how to swim. If you get in trouble in the water again, it could really save your life."

"No thanks. Don't wanna."

"I could teach you how!" Amy interjected, butting into their conversation suddenly.

"I said no," Sonic said.

While the two bickered, Cream smiled at Tails. "Here, Tails. I helped Amy make these ones." She passed him another sandwich.

"Thanks," Tails said as he accepted it.

After a fun lunch filled with good conversation and delicious food, it was back to playing in the water for Tails and Cream. As for the other two, Sonic went to lie down under his umbrella again, though he seemed to be done with napping, and Amy resumed her work on the seashells, this time with some urgency.

After only a short time had passed, Sonic came down near the water where Tails and Cream were playing.

"Yo, buddy!" Sonic called out, waving to get Tails's attention.

Tails swam over. "What's up?"

"It's been fun, but I'm going to head back now."

"Alright," Tails said. It hadn't really been all that fun having Sonic here since he'd just napped the whole time, but Tails still felt disappointed in spite of that.

"Have a fun day!" With one last wave, Sonic zipped away. Just as he disappeared, Amy came running over in a huff, holding the now complete seashell bracelet in front of her.

"Soniiic! Oh no! Where'd he go this time?!"

Tails wasn't eager to break the bad news to Amy, but someone had to do it. "He said he was heading home…"

"What?! Oh no… Not yet…"

Amy seemed pretty upset for some reason. Much more upset than Tails had thought she'd be. In fact, she looked downright miserable. Tears were even forming in the corner of her eyes. Tails was at a total loss as to what to do.

"Amy, you should come play with us in the water!" Cream said. "We promise you'll have lots of fun!"

The corner of Amy's lips turned up slightly. "Oh, alright. Just for a little bit."

Cream's timing couldn't have been better. And she seemed to have succeeded at cheering up Amy. Tails exhaled a sigh of relief.

Now that Amy was playing in the water with them, Tails was finally able to stop stressing out so much and actually enjoy himself. All of them playing together didn't last long, but it sure was blissful while it lasted.

And then the sun began to set, and a cool breeze swept across the beach. All of them still laughing, they returned from the waters to their spot and grabbed some dry towels. For a moment, Cream and Cheese were off by themselves, tidying up and gathering up everything they'd brought. Amy fell silent and stared wistfully at her seashells. Then she seemed to decide something. She looked to Tails with a cheery grin.

"Um… Here, Tails." Amy proffered the seashell bracelet. "It's a lucky charm, so it'll protect you in the waters."

Breathlessly, Tails accepted the charm. A lucky charm? It wasn't very scientific, but it was from Amy, so he felt all warm inside to receive it. He put it on his wrist right away. He didn't know why she was giving it to him or what it meant, but he was very happy. It was probably showing on his face too.

"Well… there you go." Amy said, filling the awkward silence Tails was making by not saying anything. She scratched her nose, looking apprehensive. "You don't have to keep it or wear it or anything if it's too much trouble."

"I'll keep it!" Tails insisted.

"Alright! Thanks a lot!" Amy said, beaming.

Tails thought it was weird she was thanking him for accepting a gift. Well, girls could be weird sometimes, he supposed.

While Amy ran on ahead, Tails went to help Cream carry everything. When he went to pick up the picnic basket, Cream noticed the bracelet on his wrist right away.

"Wow, Tails! Is that the bracelet Amy was making for Sonic?" Cream beamed at Tails. Even though he felt his heart sinking, there was no malice whatsoever in her gaze. "Did she give it to you instead? You're so lucky. She must really like you."

"Y-Yeah, I guess so…" Tails said, his voice weakening.

Still looking happy, Cream clapped her hands together and pressed them against her cheek. "Today was so much fun! It's a good thing you were here though, otherwise it might've been really lonely for Cheese and me."

"Well, if I weren't here, Sonic wouldn't have been here either, so I bet you would've had Amy all to yourself all day," Tails said, forcing a smile and once again pretending to be cheerful. "That probably would have been even more fun, right?"

"I guess…" Cream said.

Strangely, Cream looked a little hurt by the comment, but Tails was too wrapped up in his own hurt to worry about her. As all of them made their way off the beach, Tails walked a little apart from the others. He stared miserably at the bracelet around his hand. Amy had only given him the bracelet because she couldn't give it to Sonic. Tails came to a realization then: Amy was never going to look at him the way she looked at Sonic. It wasn't fair. The whole day, Amy had only paid attention to Sonic. And Sonic had just come to nap.

Tails liked hanging out with Sonic and he liked hanging out with Amy, but… when the two of them were together, they sucked the fun out of everything.

When Tails got home, he took the shell bracelet off his wrist and set it on a table. What should have been a fun day had been spoiled so quickly by many little things. As confused and anguished feelings swirled around inside of Tails, he stared at the shells for a while. He felt conflicted about the gift. But in the end, he thought he'd wear it after all. Maybe it really would bring good luck. Besides, Amy was his friend and he cared about her. So of course he'd treasure any gift she gave him.

Tails's hurt feelings cooled off after a while. He didn't see Amy for a while, but he kept her bracelet close, and because of that, it felt like she was never far away. He went back to adventuring with Sonic, stomping a Badnik here and there. By the increasing prevalence of the robots, it was obvious Doctor Eggman was up to one of his schemes again. After stomping on a half-dozen of Eggman's capsules and freeing all the woodland creatures inside, they finally tracked the good doctor down at one of his bases. His big scheme was simply a new incarnation of his "latest and greatest" giant robot modeled in his form and with his face plastered on it.

"Is that all you got, Egghead?" Sonic chided. "Haven't we already beaten this thing? Doctor, have I ever told you the definition of insanity?"

But when Sonic rushed forth into the next room to have his big showdown, the doors suddenly shut behind him, separating him from Tails. Worse yet, another door ahead shut, blocking him from Eggman's giant robot. Eggman's raucous laughter reverberated through the halls, filling Tails with dread. The whole thing had been a setup to trap Sonic in a small room that now had several capsules rising up and down, threatening to crush the hedgehog if he didn't keep his wits about him.

"Sonic!" Tails cried out in horror, both at the prospect of being on his own in one of Doctor Eggman's death trap bases and at being unable to help Sonic with the trials he faced. Tails had to do something, and he had to do it fast! He rushed towards a panel on the wall next to the door, intending to find a way to get it open, but before he could try anything, a side passageway opened up, and the giant robot from earlier stomped into the room, right towards Tails.

Unfortunately, that's when Amy came bumbling in to the adventure. She appeared in another side passage, the one Tails and Sonic had used to get here, with her hammer at the ready.

"Tails, what's wrong?!" Amy yelled out, running towards Tails. Seeing how distressed Tails looked, she wore a worried expression. "I heard Doctor Eggman was up to no good again, so I came to see if you guys were okay! And when I got here, I just followed all the broken robots to try and find you, but then I heard you cry out and—Wait, where's Sonic? Is he okay?"

Tails was so shocked to see Amy appear so suddenly, he was at a loss for words. And only too late did he realize that if she kept running down that corridor towards him, she'd run right into the Doctor's robot, which was now positioned in a blind spot to the left of that entryway. "Amy, stay back!" Tails yelled out.

Too late. Just as Amy entered the passageway, the robot deftly extended its hand and picked Amy off the ground by the collar of her dress. Doctor Eggman laughed maniacally the whole time at having caught another intruder.

"Waaaah!" Amy cried out in horror. As she dangled in midair like that, she had to drop her hammer to hold down her dress with both hands. Tears formed in her eyes. "Sonic, help me!"

"Amy! Oh no!" Tails looked around for Sonic, but quickly remembered he was trapped inside that chamber, fighting for his life. That meant the only one around who could possibly save Amy was… Tails had to step in. No time to think—If it were Sonic, he wouldn't get scared or hesitate.

Tails steeled himself. And with a ferocious battle cry, he charged the robot, aiming for the cockpit where Eggman was. He put in his best effort, but he got smacked down by the other hand. As Tails lay there sprawled on his stomach, hearing nothing but Eggman's laughter, he knew only pain.

"Oh no, Tails! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Amy said, fraught with worry. "Just get away!" But for all her posturing and the brave face she put on, when the robot shook her around in the next second, she let out a terrified shriek.

Grimacing, Tails pushed his hand against the ground and lifted himself a bit. With his other hand, he scooped up some of the golden rings he had dropped when he got hit. If there was one thing he could do, it was take a hit. Or twenty. And he always got back up.

"Tails, nooo!"

Tails tried again and again to do some damage to the robot, but he just kept getting swatted back down. But it didn't matter. There was no way he was giving up here. Amy was in trouble, and he was going to be the one to save her. And maybe then she'd acknowledge him a little. As he prepared to charge again after his latest failed assault, he gently touched the shell bracelet around his wrist. Somehow, it was still intact. He was determined to save Amy no matter what.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!"

Before Tails could charge again, the sound of Sonic's voice stopped him. Having smashed through all the traps the doctor had thrown at him, Sonic was here now, with a cocky grin. The blue hedgehog zipped into action, and spin-dashed right at the joint of the arm holding Amy, sawing it clean off, and in another deft move, he circled back and caught Amy in his arms before she hit the ground.

"Sonic! My hero!" Amy took the opportunity to throw her arms around Sonic's neck and hold him tightly. Sonic, for his part, made an exasperated face, and dropped Amy off as soon as he got away from the giant robot. Once she was safe, he dashed back into battle to finish the robot off.

Seeing Sonic was here to end things and that Amy was safe, Tails felt such immense relief he collapsed to his knees. He was glad, and yet, there was a bitterness mixed in. He'd been determined to save Amy himself, but he hadn't been able to do a thing. And then Sonic had swooped in and saved her it like it was nothing.

"Tails, are you okay?!" Amy immediately ran to Tails and began looking over his injuries. Her face contorted with worry the more she looked at him. Scowling, Tails looked away from her. Though he knew it wasn't her fault, he felt nothing but anger at her right now, for having been saved by Sonic.

"You're really hurt all over, Tails! Let me help you!" Amy said.

Amy reached out a hand to touch Tails's arm, but when she did, Tails slapped her hand away.

"W-What's wrong?" Amy asked. "Tails?"

Hearing the anguish in Amy's voice, and knowing how he had hurt her, tears formed in the corners of Tails's eyes. And yet, he still could not move the bitterness in his heart, and so he couldn't bring himself to even look at her, much less apologize. What did it matter anyway? Sonic was always going to be her hero.

"Tails…" Amy said in a quiet voice. "Are you mad at me? Because I got captured again? I'm really sorry. I'm always messing up and making trouble for you two. That was probably my most pathetic display yet…"

Amy's words didn't even reach Tails. He was too lost in his own thoughts, of how pathetic he was. He wanted to be like Sonic, to be a hero, but in the end he'd always have to be saved by Sonic. That meant no one could ever really rely on him. As his grimace spread, Tails clenched his teeth harder, and hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Whew! Alright, I'll admit it was somewhat of a workout this time." Sonic, having finished trouncing Eggman, came over. He gave Tails a thumbs-up. "Hey, Tails, good job holding him off for so long! But are you feeling alright, buddy? You're not looking so good."

"I think he might be mad at me…" Amy said.

"Huh? You can't really blame Amy, Tails. She's trying her best, you know." When Tails only shook his head, Sonic fell to pondering. "That's not it, huh? Is it because you couldn't beat Eggman on your own? Well, you're one tough little dude, Tails, so I don't' think you should be worrying so much. Though you're pretty banged up, and this place isn't safe, so I think we'd better get out of here."

"He's right, Tails. You're hurt pretty bad, so let me help you walk," Amy suggested.

Neither of them really understood it. Though Tails supposed he couldn't blame them. He hadn't said a word, and he'd just kept his feelings for Amy all bottled up, so how could they understand how he was feeling?

Tails bit down on his lip. It was so stupid to get jealous like this, and it wasn't like him at all. At this point, he was just making a nuisance of himself to Sonic and Amy. There was nothing to be done about it. He just had to give up on Amy and push away all these feelings he had. In the first place, it was weird he would think a hedgehog was cute. It was probably because he'd been hanging out with Sonic for so many years. Only hanging out with hedgehogs must've messed with his sense of aesthetics. Yeah, that was it. When he thought about it rationally like that, it seemed like repressing his feelings was the right thing to do. He'd just act normal.

Tails stood, then informed them in a dispassionate tone. "It's not any of that… It's nothing… I'm alright…"

The three of them made their way towards the exit corridor. Tails refused Amy's offer to lean on her. His pace may have been laggard because of his injuries, but he didn't need that kind of physical contact with her right now. As they came to the end of the corridor, Sonic told them he was going to scout ahead to make sure the coast was clear, then he zipped away on his own. Tails continued staggering down the path on his own, with Amy matching his pace and walking beside him.

"Hey, Tails… You are mad at me for something, aren't you?" Amy asked, breaking the silence.

"…" Tails wished she'd just let it go.

Looking nervous, Amy folded her hands over her dress and fidgeted. "Um, well… I know I kind of lose sight of everything else when Sonic's around. I'm sorry about that. But you know, Tails, you were very brave when you were fighting Doctor Eggman, and I appreciate you trying so hard to save me. So I wish you'd let me help you."

Tails felt a bit happy to hear Amy say he was brave, and his gaze softened, but only for a moment. It was false praise since he hadn't actually done anything. He furrowed his brow again. He didn't want Amy's help right now, but he didn't want to say anything or he might blow up on her for no good reason. There was no sense hurting her feelings over his petty jealousy. With his nose to the ground, Tails kept trudging forward in silence.

"Oh my god! Tails, look out!"

Upon hearing Amy's shrill cry, Tails looked up to see a Badnik right in front of him. It was a small, round, red and gray thing, basically just a ball with legs and an antenna. This one was called a Bomb, and for good reason. They exploded. Where had this thing come from? Hadn't Sonic been scouting out the path? The only way he could've missed it is if it'd come out of a hidden compartment in the walls. Tails felt his heartbeat slow down, as if time was coming to a standstill. The way he felt right now, with all his injuries, there was no way he was getting away in time. Was this the end for him?

"Tails, get down!"

Tails was violently thrown backwards, and he hit the ground with a thud. The impact bruised his shoulder further, but he didn't have time to worry about that, because standing in front of him, between him and the Bomb that was getting ready to explode, was…

"Amy!"

"Blaah…"

The Bomb exploded, scattering shrapnel over a wide radius. With Amy in such close proximity, a heavy portion of it struck her in the chest. Blood poured forth, staining her dress. As if the wound wasn't bad enough, the impact made Amy cough up even more blood, before she toppled over onto her back.

Tails got on his hands and knees and hopped over to Amy at once. His heart stopped when he saw the state she was in. It was bad. It was really bad. Her eyes were closed too, so she probably wasn't even conscious. Actually, forget being unconscious, she might be… No, Tails shook his head. That couldn't be the case! He wouldn't even think it! But she was bleeding badly and she had bits of metal stuck in her. She needed medical treatment right away. And if she didn't get it, she really would…

Tears were already streaming down Tails's face in droves. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't do a thing to save Amy here. He was completely useless.

"Tails…" A weak voice dragged Tails out of his piteous self-loathing and back to reality. Amy looked up at him, stretching her hand towards his face. Her gaze was trained on him, but her eyes were unfocused. "You're not hurt? That's good."

"Worry about yourself, Amy!" Tails said. Furious, he grimaced and rubbed at his tears. "Why'd you do that?! I would've been fine if I'd taken that hit! But you, now you're going to…"

Amy shook her head. "You didn't look like you could get hit again… Not right now…"

"Don't talk so much, Amy. You're hurt really bad, so you need to keep up your strength."

"As long as… I protected you, everything's fine… But Tails… I'm kinda… scared…" Amy's strength ebbed away as she spoke, and then her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side.

Tails's eyes widened, and his voice cracked with panic. "No, listen to me, Amy! You can't die, alright?! Amy?!" He got no response from her. What was he going to do? This couldn't be the end. Why had she sacrificed herself like that? Hadn't she put any thought at all into how it would make him feel if she were gone?

But… Tails would've done the same thing if he'd been in her shoes. She must've felt the same way about him.

That was it. Tails wasn't going to let Amy die. Though his face was twisted in pain and grief, he set his expression to a determined scowl. While there was still a chance, he had to try.

"Tails! What the heck happened?!" Sonic finally returned from his patrol, and was greeted by the morbid scene. It only took him a moment to assess the scene and see how bad off Amy was. "This doesn't look good. We have to get her to a hospital. I could carry her there, but…"

Tails raised his hand to stop Sonic. "No." His voice was surprisingly calm now. "You're way too fast, and she shouldn't be moved like that anyway. Sonic, I need you to bring me a big piece of cloth to put her on."

Sonic scratched his head, thinking for a moment. He nodded. "Alright… You sound like you know what you're doing, little buddy, so I'll trust you."

Sonic came back in a flash with a big tarp. Then the two of them carefully moved Amy onto it. After that, Tails took the corners of the cloth and then, flying as carefully as he could, gently lifted Amy into the air. It wasn't ideal, but getting Amy to a hospital by air was the best shot they had. Once Sonic cleared the way to the base's airport, Tails took off into the sky, heading into the direction of the city. He had to concentrate on his flying to keep Amy from moving too much, so he didn't have much time to worry. Still, he prayed he wasn't too late.

Tails made it to the hospital with Amy, and she was carted off to an ER for surgery immediately. After a few stressful hours, during which Sonic arrived, the worst of it was over and Amy pulled through. The doctors were able to get all the shrapnel out of her, and fortunately nothing vital had been hit. But her injuries were still severe and there was still a chance she might die, so she had to be monitored at the hospital. She was so banged up, Sonic and Tails weren't even allowed to see her. Thus, as midnight rolled around with them just waiting in the lobby, Sonic finally forced Tails to go home and get some sleep.

The next week was tense. Tails went to the hospital every day to see if Amy was alright and to hear whether she had regained consciousness, but the answer was always the same: "We need to wait and see." It was heart wrenching, and even when Tails returned home, he couldn't get any tinkering done. All he did all day was run his hand over the smooth shells of his bracelet.

Even Sonic was on edge. It must've been crystal clear to him just how much Tails was worrying. When he came to Tails's workshop, all Sonic did was pace back and forth through the place, lost in thought, until he finally went so stir-crazy he had to go for a run. He did his best to be a supportive friend though. He told Tails Amy would be okay, and encouraged him to go visit her when she woke up. And whenever Tails was staying too long at the hospital, he went to pick him up, and made sure he got some rest.

Then the day finally came when they got some news. A nurse told Tails Amy was doing well, and would likely make a full recovery. She would likely wake up soon too. Tails was overjoyed at the news, and at once he told Sonic and Cream, and everyone else.

With so much nervous energy left over, Tails recruited Cream and went to pick flowers for a bouquet, to give to Amy when she woke up. Sonic even showed up for a little bit. With a smug grin, he picked a little white flower and stuck it in the big bouquet Tails and Cream had picked, and said, "Tell her that one's from me."

"You're not coming, Mister Sonic?" Cream asked. "I'm sure Amy would love to see you."

"Yeah, knowing her, I'm sure she'd just love for my face to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up." Sonic joked. "But, nah. You two go."

"Come on, Cream," Tails said, smiling widely since he was unable to contain his happiness. "If Sonic really was the first thing Amy saw when she woke up, she'd probably get too excited and end up relapsing."

In a thoughtful pose, Cream pressed her finger against her lip. "That might be true."

With the beautiful bouquet carried between them, Tails and Cream hurried to the train that would take them to Station Square. And once they got to the city, they hurried to the hospital where Amy was staying. Their excitement only grew when a nurse told them Amy was already awake.

"Amy is awake, Tails! She's alright and we can talk to her right now!" Cream yelled out jubilantly. She was so giddy, as she hopped up and down, she threw her arms around Tails and hugged him tightly.

Feeling Cream's warmth against him, Tails felt like he'd needed a hug for a long while. But this was no time to be dallying. "That's right, Cream. Amy's alright and we can talk to her right now! So let's hurry and get to her!"

"Right!"

They nearly dashed through the halls of the hospital to get to Amy's room.

When they opened the door, Amy was staring out of a window, but the bored-to-tears expression she wore quickly changed to one of mirth when she saw Tails and Cream.

"Amy! We picked a bunch of pretty flowers for you!" Cream said, hurrying forth to hand over the bouquet.

"These are beautiful!" Amy said as she inhaled the sweet aroma of the flowers.

"It was Cream's idea," Tails said, trying to be aloof. He rubbed his nose to hide the smile he had on his face. "She was pretty worried about you."

Fixing Tails with a cold stare, Cream put her hands on her hips and puffed up her cheeks. "That's not true. You're the one who came to me and said it would be a good idea to pick flowers for her. You said you needed my help because you didn't know much about flowers. And you've been worrying more than anyone else!"

"That was really sweet of you, Tails," Amy said, giggling.

Being outed like that by Cream, Tails blushed a little. Still, he felt really happy in that moment. If all of this made Amy like him more, who was he to complain? And maybe it was a little selfish of him, but Tails decided not to tell Amy about the flower Sonic had picked.

While Tails sat in a corner of the room, Cream prattled on for around half an hour at Amy's bedside, telling her all of the things she'd missed since she'd been asleep. Tails was so tired, he almost fell asleep, but he forced himself to stay awake. But when Cream stood up suddenly and gasped, it made Tails jolt and sit up straight in his chair. She'd gasped, but nothing seemed to be wrong with Amy, so Tails relaxed again.

"My mother wanted to come visit you too, so I've got to go get her! We'll be back really soon, though, alright, Amy?"

"I'm looking forward to it!" Amy said, smiling and waving as Cream dashed off.

That just left Amy and Tails alone in the room. All of a sudden, all those weird feelings he'd had came back to him, making Tails feel gloomy. He felt Amy's gaze on him, but he couldn't meet her eye. As she stared silently at Tails, Amy frowned. It felt like some kind of serious conversation was about to happen, but neither one of them wanted to make the first move.

After twining his fingers together and tapping his fingers against his knuckles for ages, Tails finally swallowed and summoned up the courage to ask what was on his mind. He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. "Why'd you jump in to save me like that, Amy?"

"To keep you safe, duh." Amy said it matter-of-factly, rebuking Tails's harsh tone with some fire of her own.

"But why?! It's not like you… care about me…" Tails bit down on his lip and nearly choked on his words, but he got them out.

"What?" Amy seemed so shocked now, she couldn't even stay angry. "Of course I care about you, Tails."

Tails winced. And once more he screwed up his courage, so he could get the words out, so that hopefully she would understand. "Yeah, but… not like you do about Sonic…"

Tails felt terribly embarrassed but also relieved as though a great burden had been lifted from him, but Amy only stared blankly as the words sunk in. When they did, her gaze fell and she donned a troubled look. She noticed the seashell bracelet on Tails's wrist.

"You kept the bracelet I gave you?" Amy asked.

"…You said it would bring good luck." Tails muttered.

"That was… kinda just something I made up."

"Oh…"

Silence fell and a melancholy air hung between them. Yet, like always, Amy bounced back with a cheerful smile.

"Sonic is always going to be my number one, Tails. He's just so cool and dreamy… But, I mean, you know how cool Sonic is, because you're the guy I go to talk about Sonic! Isn't that right?"

"Ha ha…" Tails gave an awkward laugh as he scratched his cheek. "Yeah… Sonic really is cool. And dreamy."

"Hmph! That's right!" Sitting up in her bed as she was, Amy put her hands on her hips and nodded with a smug look on her face. But her gaze softened when she looked at Tails again. "But listen, Tails. You're a hero too, and you saved my life when you got me to this hospital." When she saw Tails begin to protest, Amy grinned and wagged her finger. "Don't even try to deny it! Sonic left me a letter explaining everything, so I know the whole story! You know, you're way too modest sometimes, Tails."

"Alright, I won't deny it…" Tails said. He was feeling imposter syndrome at being called a hero, but Amy had a way of making him believe in her and in himself.

"And you're my friend, of course, so I'm not going to stand by when you're in danger either. That's why I jumped in to save you. I know you'd do the same for me too, because that's the kind of guy you are, Tails. You're the second coolest guy I know. You're way past cool."

A small smile crossed Tails's lips. "…Cooler than Knuckles?"

"Waaaay cooler than Knuckles!"

The both of them laughed and laughed then, until Amy's sides started hurting, and Tails realized Amy still needed time to recover and he'd overstayed his welcome. As he said his goodbye, he also thanked Amy. "I feel way better now… about stuff. Thanks for talking to me."

"No problem, Tails. And I'm sorry if I haven't been very considerate of your feelings all this time. Still, I want to keep being friends. Come visit anytime. I'm dying of boredom in here. And I don't even want to think about what the bill is going to be like…"

"Alright. I'll come by when I can."

"Oh, and you and Cream were really cute together!"

With his back to her, Tails tilted his head and sighed.

"Wait!" Amy suddenly cried out to Tails, making him turn around with a puzzled expression. She was smiling at him. "Before you go, come here."

"What?" Tails asked.

Amy patted her bed, then stretched out both of her arms. "Come here, so I can hug you, Tails! I can't move because I'm stuck in this bed, so you're going to have to come here!"

"N-No, that's okay…"

"Let me hug you, Tails!"

Face flushed, Tails shuffled over to Amy and bent down over her bed so she could reach him. When she put her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace, he felt such warmth and happiness, he didn't know what to do with himself. He was so close to Amy, he could smell the Sweet Passion: Fire perfume she often wore. His tails swished happily behind him.

"All better, Tails?" Amy asked, beaming up at him.

"…Yeah." Tails gave a weak reply. He felt a thousand times better.

"Alright, you can go now." Amy shooed him away her hand.

Face still flushed deep red, probably enough to show through his fur, Tails nodded, then departed.

A couple of weeks passed, until Amy was finally scheduled to be released from the hospital. Tails and Cream both were supposed to meet her for a big send-off, but Cream was running late, so Tails was on his own when Amy walked through those hospital doors.

"Is it just you, Tails?" Amy asked. "I thought I'd get a bigger party than this." She sighed. "Jeez, that hospital should've released me ages ago. Those doctors are all such worrywarts."

"You did take a bomb to the chest, so maybe they were just being cautious and making sure you made a full recovery," Tails suggested.

"Hmm… Wait, wasn't Cream supposed to be here?"

Tails shrugged. "She's coming, but I don't know…"

"Amy! Tails! Look what I can do!"

All of a sudden, Cream's voice emanated from… above?

Tails glanced up, and his jaw dropped when he saw Cream flapping her ears and floating in the air as she flew down to them. She had a big smile on her face and was waving. Cheese was floating along with her.

"Wow, Cream, you can fly, just like Tails can! That's really incredible!" Amy said.

"Y-Yeah, that's really something…" Whispering to Amy, Tails asked, "How is she getting enough lift just flapping her ears like that?!"

With a sly grin, Amy elbowed Tails in the side. "Like you're one to talk. By the way, I didn't understand a word of your explanation for how you fly."

As Cream landed on the ground, she clasped one of Tails's hands in both of her own and shook it. "I figured out how to do it from watching you, Tails!"

"That… doesn't make sense…" Tails quickly added, "But it's very cool how you can fly now!"

"Yeah! I can't do it for very long though." Cream let go of Tails's hand and hopped over to Amy to give her a hug. "Amy, you're all better! Mother has prepared a big party for you! It'll be so much fun, it'll make up for all those days you were cooped up in the hospital!"

"That sounds amazing, Cream!" Amy said.

Cream hurriedly looked back to Tails with pleading eyes. "You have to come too, Tails, or it won't be any fun! Don't worry, my mother said you could!"

Tails didn't like the knowing grin Amy was giving him behind Cream's back, nor her silent laughter. Still, a party didn't sound too bad right now, especially if he got to hang out with these two. There was still plenty Tails needed to ask Cream about her new flying ability. So he smiled at Cream and said, "Don't worry, I'll come."