Kommander Kandrent - Thank you very much for the kind words. I'm glad you and my followers are enjoying the story.


By the time everyone noticed Silver's disappearance, he was already at the entrance of Twinkle Park. He left the premises, rushing home as quickly as his legs would carry him. Compared to his friends, he was the slowest when it came to speed, but his passion for the arts sparked a rush that pushed him over the edge.

Silver had no idea he possessed such acceleration.

leaving. The itchiness in his fingers returned more fervently. He was a hedgehog with a fantasy addiction, and only the intense splatter of paint and brush strokes could satiate his craving.

He sped through the streets of Station Square's commercial district, chest heaving, rapid breaths filling his lungs, and then leaving

'Need to get home. Need to get home. I need to get home!' he repeated this mantra.

Silver weaved through the crowds, pushing his way through the congested streets, golden eyes focused on the maze he knew the way around. Making a sharp left, the white-furred hedgehog cut through an alleyway and shot out from the other side, startling a man and woman, and offering his apologies without losing his stride. He checked both sides of the road before crossing.

'Almost there. Come on, Silver, don't slow down now.'

His desires reached the threshold. He needed to paint. The itchiness in his fingers wouldn't go away until he did. His sanity hung in the balance, but his mental museum kept him going strong albeit in a small daze. He could feel his soul trying to split in twain.

Finally arriving at the residential district, Silver spotted his and Sonic's abode closing in. He got the key ready, hopped their fence with excellent athleticism, and slid the key inside the lock. The door burst open, a loud shot echoing through the halls. Silver quickly shut the door behind him and raced to his room. He practically knocked the door off its hinges. Luckily, the sturdy mahogany door survived the onslaught and shut itself, locking the artist inside his chamber.

Silver pressed his back against the door, chest heaving. He was close to bursting.

At last, alone with his easel, Silver wasted no time and set up the equipment. A focused glint flashed in his orbs. Before he began making art, there was a ritual he needed to complete. There was a secret that Silver only let people in his inner circle know. He possessed an extraordinary gift.

Sitting atop his desk was a pair of special white gloves. Silver snatched them up and replaced his plain white gloves, making sure they were snug. The gloves had cyan colored circles and lines sticking out of the bottom, leading to his golden bracelets accentuated in cyan as well.

"Finally," he breathed heavily.

Silver placed a canvas coated in black paint on the easel and immersed himself in the silence filling his room. He closed his eyes and let his arms fall to his sides.

'Find your center.' Silver weaved his fingers through a series of hand signs to help him focus. This focus came in clutch when his gift became too much to bear. His first discovery came with the unwanted burden of fear and insecurity continuously creeping back when Silver's confidence reached a certain level. Dark thoughts filled his head. He sometimes grew scared.

'Focus your spirit. Fear will only distract you.'

A phenomenon started to occur within Silver's room. Light shimmering with a teal glow spread across the chamber, enshrouding the white-furred hedgehog from head to toe, his accessories shining with the same intensity. The pallet of colors and assorted paintbrushes began to glow and rise without any strings attached. As if becoming sentient, the art materials followed Silver's arm movements. He shifted them upward, and the brushes moved in tandem.

His gift was the power of psychokinesis.

'I'm ready.'

Complete silence filled the room as Silver, with his mind clear, let his imagination act as his guide through his inner world. He recalled how he painted the pictures and let his arms replicate the motions. The mind and body worked as one, his psychokinesis moving the brushes towards the pallet.

Silver pushed his left hand forward. The brushes with red on their bristles acted upon his will and attacked the black paint coated canvas with a flurry of strokes.

'A bed of rose petals lay scattered on the ground, glistening under the beams of a blood-red moon.' Silver's arms followed his narration. 'Two people, lovers, stand back to back. Hands together, both carry with them a single orb that breaks the dark background. Although the light from their spheres offered a source of comfort, the darkness was deep. However, only the man knew of its true contents, and because his love for the woman is so strong, he doesn't ruin her happiness. This knowledge haunts him while his partner remains blissfully ignorant.'

Everything was coming together. Silver's concentration never wavered in his mission to soothe the savage critic.

'Despite the man's conflicting thoughts, he managed to find happiness with the partner who made him complete, even if it meant bearing all the burdens.'

Silver exhaled a breath he didn't know he was keeping and let things come to a rest. Placement memory allowed the psychokinetic hedgehog to move his materials to their appropriate stations for cleaning. The dirty brushes dunked their bristles in a large bowl of clean water, and the pallet landed on the table next to him, where fresh paint refilled the grooves, and a cleaning cloth wiped off the dried splotches.

'Now, for the moment of truth.'

Silver timidly opened his eyes. He wanted to believe his luck was finally going his way, but the plant of fear rooted in his spirit made him hesitant.

'Come on, keep on running.'

Upon gazing at the finished work, Silver's eyes enlarged, breath caught in his throat as his arms trembled. He reached forward and traced a finger lightly down the edges of the canvas.

"Yes!" he jumped back and cheered, "I did it! Sweet Mobius, I finally did it!"

The complete piece came out better than he expected. It resembled the image stored in his head with a few minor tweaks. Both Vector and Vanilla were smiling, but Vector's smile was smaller, and it was his eyes that portrayed the dark secret haunting him. Seeing it in person added a certain flair to it that Silver couldn't describe.

"I did it," Silver breathed a sigh of relief. "I actually painted something."

He lingered on Vector's side.

'Vector, what are you hiding? I wonder, does your affection for Miss Vanilla run deeper than what you lead us to believe?'

With his psychic powers, Silver moved the painting to the side to dry. The itchiness in his hands hadn't gone away. Its intensity has diminished, but its effects still lingered.

"I have to draw the next one," the hedgehog set up another canvas that was longer than taller. With a clean brush, Silver coated the surface in white paint.

"Like Sonic says, 'Let's do it to it.' Come on, Silver!"

Going through his exercises, Silver re-entered a deep-thinking state and called forth his powers over the mind. The illumination of deep blue encompassed the room once more.

"Time to make art."

His inner world presented the second reference and gave the aspiring artist the floor.

'A forbidden love story is told through the hearts of star-crossed lovers.'

The brushes moved in perfect harmony, flapping back and forth on the canvas, leaving streaks of green, yellow, and orange in their symphony. Neither brush intervened with the other's path, levitating cautiously to avoid misplaced strokes.

'Tired of the status quo, a young woman furiously wonders if her life is doomed to fairy tale stories. Will her heart ever know the kind of love she desires, or will she be destined to her family's will for eternity? Is she fated to play the role of the damsel?'

Unlike the simplicity of the first painting, this one had Silver's body and mind working harder to stay in sync. More minute details went into this drawing. Silver had to remain in control of himself and his powers.

'Sick of being the butt of everyone's jokes, a man strives to better himself in a world where the universe seems to hate him. Is there any hope for him? He always wore a smile, but only those close to him knew it was an imitation. Little did either know, a chance encounter would set in motion the very dreams they hope to achieve. The woman, charmed by the man's generosity and strong soul, promised to make him hers, and the man, enraptured by the princess-like qualities of the woman, vowed to earn her heart.'

Something happened in the heat of the moment that nearly made Silver lose all concentration. A foreign idea entered the artist's train of thoughts, but before he could cast the notion aside, his powers were already at work, and his arms didn't want to ruin the synchronization. A single downward stroke altered the initial picture entirely.

Silver went with the flow, his imagination evolving instead of conflicting with his inner world. He mixed elements from the previous work and expanded on them.

'However, the universe did not like this idea. It seemed to hate the idea of them being together. At every turn, a new obstacle stood in the couple's way. The woman's family, especially, were dead set against their relationship, seeing the man as a lowly commoner unfit to even breathe the same air as their high-class daughter. Try as they might, nothing could break the couple apart, but with each battle, the cracks grew more jagged. Although the couple was strong, it did not make the wounds less painful, but they had a dream, and it was this dream that drove them to the brink. The scars will never fade, and neither will their love.'

Silver stopped and moved everything to their stations before breathing again. The glow faded, his arms burned, his breath heavy as beads of sweat rolled down his muzzle. His heart hammered at his chest.

No words escaped the painter's lips. His eyes shot open, wide orbs studying the fruits of his labor. Again, he had no words.

The final product revealed two sides a story, contrasting day and night cycles setting the tone. On the left, it was bright and sunny. A man in green danced in the background, with a woman in yellow drawn as the center point. Her smile was blinding as she carried half a heart in her palm. On the right side, however, things were not so cheerful. The man in green took the center this time, and the brightness of the sun was replaced with the dim spotlight of the moon. Where there once stood a beautiful meadow brimming with life, a raging fire turned it into a barren wasteland. Unlike his partner, the man did not smile, and his half of the heart displayed multiple cracks and impurities. A single breath could destroy it, and the man held it as gently as possible, ignoring the marks on his now bruised face and the cries of pleas from the woman standing in the background. The flowers she once danced around were reduced to ashes. The big stroke split the couple in two, one smiling and the other in pain, one embracing the happiness, and the other struggling to keep things together.

Silver nodded his approval.

"Wow," he found his voice, "This turned out better than I expected."

"Yeah, it looks great."

A shrill shriek reverberated off the walls as Silver rounded on the speaker and activated his psychokinesis. He forced the intruder into the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's me, bro!" said the levitating Sonic with a great big grin.

Silver calmed down and dropped his brother roughly.

"Ow! You didn't need to do that," he stated.

"Stop doing that!" Silver shouted back. "You know I hate that!"

"Which is why I continue to do it," the blue blur ignored him, taking more interest in the paintings. "Wow, I am at a loss right now. These are beautiful, Silver."

"I really like this one of Vector and Vanilla."

Suddenly, Amy was in the room. She, followed by Tails, toured the museum.

"I love how you're able to tell two stories with Luigi and Daisy," the yellow twin-tailed fox commented. "You went with the morganatic setting, and it came out great."

"Awww, it's sweet but heartbreaking, and yet he's still keeping the heart intact," the pinkette almost shed a tear.

"I'm pretty sure Silver just drew their whole love story without meeting them," Sonic commented.

Amy perked up. "Ooh! Draw a portrait of Sonic and me," she requested. "I want to know what love story you give us."

"Not this again, Amy," Sonic groaned. "Can't you give it a rest?"

"After that dance, I don't want to hear any backtalk from you," she countered.

"We did not dance," Sonic refuted, "I kept you away, and it looked like we were dancing."

"CAN'T A HEDGEHOG GET SOME PRIVACY IN HIS OWN ROOM!?" Silver's voice bellowed, taking the trio, and possibly any bystanders, by surprise.

"You ran away pretty fast earlier," Tails pointed out, "We got worried."

"Couldn't hold back anymore," Sonic stated.

Silver breathed until he was calm. He hated having his privacy breached.

"I had to create. I still need to," he replaced the second finished product with a new blank canvas.

"You're going for a third one? You don't want to take a break?" Tails advised.

"I should, but I can't shake the itchiness," Silver replied while coating the canvas with a layer of white paint. "Plus, it wouldn't be fair to do one of the others and not Blaze."

The way her name rolled off Silver's tongue made shivers run down his spine. Her performance had Silver more than mesmerized. Her story spoke volumes, conversing in a language too refined for Silver's mind. The way she danced was hypnotic. Every step had been well thought out and executed perfectly.

"She was beautiful," he said softly. Oblivious to his friends picking up on his words, Silver didn't catch the various looks from his brother, the pink hedgehog, and genius fox.

"Where did Knuckles and Rouge go?"

"They stayed behind to see Vector," Tails answered. He did not like the looks on Sonic and Amy's faces. The blue blur had one of his mischievous smirks that had Tails nervous, but it was Amy's face splitting grin that certainly made his heart pound against his chest. It was a known fact that Amy cherished anything related to romance and love. Her ardent subconscious went into overdrive.

"Is it a good idea to leave them alone?" asked the still oblivious hedgehog.

"They'll be alright," Amy spoke up.

"Maybe they'll do more than flirt," Sonic commented with a cheeky grin. "I can't be the only one sensing the sexual tension between them, right? You'd think they'd be the ones dating considering how perfectly their jobs match up."

"Knuckles is too stubborn, and Rouge is too much of a tease," Amy folded her arms and nodded in agreement with the blue hedgehog. "Ooh, seeing those two gets me so mad sometimes. I'll be screaming, "Just date already!" in my head until I get headaches."

"You don't think Knuckles is still…" Tails' words hung in the air. At this, the group fell silent, happy smiles turning downcast. Even Silver paused in his preparations to honor the moment.

"He asked me to paint a memento one day," the silver hedgehog pointed out. "He didn't want anyone else to see it, so I went to his house to work on it. Said it was the most beautiful painting he ever laid eyes on."

Silver lowered his brush. He couldn't bring himself to paint anymore after the shift in mood.

"I'll work on a picture for Blaze tonight."

Amy shook the melancholy thoughts from her head and focused on the mission.

'No time for sadness, Amy. You have a job to do.'

"I'm still waiting for your answer, Silver," she reminded him, "You've had plenty of time to think about it."

"Before that, let me say something first," Sonic intervened. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. Don't feel pressured into something you're not comfortable with. Regardless of your decision, I'll back you up every step of the way."

"Sonic's right," Tails said. "You have our support."

It wasn't like Silver ignored them. He truly listened, but it was his blasted indecisiveness that held him back.

"I'm glad you guys are so supportive, but what if I can't meet expectations? I mean, you saw the show. The performers put their hearts into their performance. What if I can't measure up?"

"You won't know if you don't try," Amy countered. The seed of doubt embedded its roots deeper than she and the boys thought. "We can't get you out of your rut, and waiting isn't going to help you either, but when you saw those people on stage, something opened up for you. Dancing is the way to reignite your passion."

Amy gestured to Silver's recent creations. Beautiful pieces of art transcended the average imagination. An entire novel was told in beautiful detail. They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." In Amy's eyes, she can read a million.

"You can do it if you put your mind to it."

"Hmm, how about you look at it differently?" Tails suggested. "Instead of professionally, you look at it therapeutically. You don't have to become the greatest, just do it to help you relax."

"Nah, that's not going to work," Sonic stated. "He'll turn into a competitive demon as soon as he hits the stage."

"Speak for yourself," the pale hedgehog countered. "You're the most competitive one around."

"It runs in the family, bro. We like the thrill of a challenge. It's impossible to say no. You should know considering your shelf of first place trophies."

"Hey, I worked hard for those awards."

Silver wouldn't admit it because he didn't want to enlarge his brother's massive ego even more, but his words did ring true. All his friends' words were true. However, something held him back.

His true enemy didn't like Sonic and friends' attempt to uproot its stems. It filled the pale hedgehog's head with more negative thoughts, using his insecurities against him. Things were going well for the adversary until a new variable entered the equation.

A familiar yet mysterious feline invaded Silver's mind. Her alluring dance did away with his distracting doubts. Where Silver found himself drowning, Blaze was alit with a dazzling flame that evaporated the ocean.

There was a story yet to be told.

'I want to see her perform again.'

"Alright," Silver spoke up. "I'll do it."

Immediately, the aspiring artist was enveloped in a spine breaking hug by the sole female in the room.

"Yes!" Amy cheered. "Yes, I'm so glad you agree."

"Amy, my back! My back!" Silver wheezed.

Amy promptly released him and jumped in glee.

"We have to get you signed up and pick out a type of dance for you to study. Ooh, I should call Rouge and tell her the good news."

As if on cue, Amy's phone blared from her pocket.

"Perfect, that's her ringtone."

Everything was going swimmingly. Amy's heart was a flutter, racing with excitement as her head maintained the shift to overdrive. Fretting over her future brother-in-law was the only way to keep her mind focused. She wanted to help Silver overcome his blockage, but every often, the pink hedgehog found herself lost in a world of pure imagination. That special dance she shared with Sonic just a couple hours ago was fresh on her soul. It was the most wonderful thing to ever happen. Now, she yearned to share another.

"Rouge, he's all for."

"GET BACK HERE, BAT GIRL!"

Amy shoved the phone away from her ear, taken aback, and deafened by the sudden outburst of a familiar echidna. She and the boys jumped.

"I told you they shouldn't have been left alone," Silver stated.

"Oh don't be like that, Knuckie," Rouge's flirtatious coo responded. "You're such a great friend for Silver."

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

Rouge laughed despite the situation. The quartet could only imagine what she did to their favorite knucklehead.

"If you haven't already noticed, I got a handsome brute on my tail, so if you wouldn't mind helping a beautiful bat out, that'd be great. We're headed your way."

"I WILL RIP," the call ended, leaving the three hedgehogs and yellow twin-tailed fox speechless. They shared a look before breaking out in a heavy exhalation. This was a normal phenomenon, but the group often reflected if their antics would come back to bite them.

There's only so much a person can take before the threshold broke.


Everything his eyes observed was a part of his vision. Amidst his vision, he saw a world dominated by his brilliant soldiers. His empire of performers continued to make ground, gradually planting themselves as the best the world has to offer. While the country knew of his status, Robotnik yearned for the world to know his brilliance.

"Yes, everything is coming together," he assured himself. "They just couldn't resist our talent."

The head instructor suddenly broke out his happy dance. No one knew how a robust man in his fifties could perform such advanced movements so smoothly, but it was a pleasant experience.

"My empire will rise above the rest and dominate this world. Our dance moves will sway the hearts of the masses and bring about a new age. No one will oppose us! HO! HO! HO!"

"He's proclaiming world domination again," Vector chatted amongst his fellow performers.

"You know how he is. Just leave him be," replied his lovely partner, Vanilla.

"Excellent work, everyone," The man himself stated. "Thanks to you, our army is expecting more recruits. They couldn't resist your wonderful show."

"Or they were creeped out by your talk of world domination," retorted Vector.

Robotnik lightly tugged at his glorious mustache.

"That's the pitch. Who doesn't want the world to envy their very being? Why, I even had someone sign up a few of her friends for the open house."

Vector felt a bead of sweat roll down his scales. He knew the lividity of a certain male echidna is nothing to scoff at and prayed he didn't destroy the city in his inevitable rampage.

"Uhh, yeah, boss, about those friends of hers; I know them, and I'm gonna be straight with ya. A couple of them aren't the performing type," he pointed out. "One's too hyperactive, and the other is too hot-tempered."

"You're also hot-tempered, but I manage somehow."

The crocodile growled. "I am NOT hot-tempered!"

"The redness of your scales says otherwise," Robotnik chuckled.

Vector's tail swished about agitatedly. "Why you!"

Miss Vanilla seized the croc's arm and linked hers with it.

"Don't worry, sir," she spoke up. "We'll make sure the recruits feel right at home."

"That's what I like to hear," the eccentric instructor nodded. "You're a fine general, Vanilla. This army is grateful to have you."

"You're too kind," the gentle rabbit stated back. "I'm just glad to be a part of the family."

Robotnik thanked the gods and his genius for his goggle-styled glasses. Not only were they comfortably designed, but they blocked out the radiance of Vanilla's blinding smile.

"See, Vector? Nothing to worry your reptilian head over. We can handle anything. Now!" Robotnik clapped his hands, "I have some business to attend. Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone. See you tomorrow!"

Julian gathered his things and bid farewell. He carried an average-sized binder with applications.

"Yes, it won't be long now."


Everyone who knew Knuckles knows he's a soul with integrity. Although quick to rile up, he will lend a hand to those who need it. However, a strong soul needs a firm hand to support them, and Knuckles is no slouch in hand to hand combat. His fists are strong enough to break boulders in one strike. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of his punches.

Thankfully, Silver's reflexes with his psychokinesis were fast enough to stop the fuming echidna from landing one of his lethal punches. The fist was inches away from the pale hedgehog's innocent face.

"Silver," Knuckles said calmly but ominously, "you have something on your back. Let me get that for you."

"That won't work, Knucklehead," Rouge stuck her tongue out, hiding behind the kinetic hedgehog. "Silver's too sweet to let you beat up a beautiful bat."

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Silver used his gift to trap the duo in separate spheres of psychic energy. He raised his hands and forced the trapped echidna and bat to levitate.

"Hey! Not cool," Rouge pouted. "I thought we were friends."

"That's it, Silver, just a little closer," Knuckles cracked his namesakes. "Let me get a good swing."

"Hold on, Knux," Sonic spoke up. "What did Rouge do this time?"

The livid echidna jabbed his thumb in the marauder's direction.

"I was hanging with Vector and the Chaotix when she decided to take matters into her hands and put our names on the registration forms."

The group turned to the bat, who simply shrugged.

"I thought we were going to sign up anyway. I just saved you guys the time. You're welcome."

"I will pound you!" Knuckles roared.

The sultry bat placed a hand to her lips, a certain glint in her eyes.

"Ooh, why Knuckie, you're so bold. I had no idea you were so interested."

Knuckles flailed his arm in an attempt to attack his tormentor but to no avail. Silver's psychokinesis was durable enough to withstand his uproar.

"Silver, bring us closer," he demanded.

"You don't need to ask someone, you big lummox. We can bond over a date," Rouge chuckled, relishing in her favorite echidna's increasing ire.

"What are we going to do, guys?" Silver asked.

"We're marching over to that school and telling that mustachioed instructor to take our names off the list," replied the livid Knuckles.

"I'm with Knux," Sonic concurred. "I can't believe you forged our names, Rouge."

"There was no forgery," she retorted. "I didn't sign us up for classes. I put our names down to take a tour. Espio explained it to me. He didn't make a big fuss about it either. Newcomers have a three-day trial period to see what courses interests them. After the trial period, you can either stay or leave with no consequences. Per person, the fee is about sixty rings a month, seven-hundred and twenty a year, but Espio said that with a bundle, we pay according to the number of courses chosen and have the price of each class reduced."

The more she explained, the calmer the group became. One of Rouge's best charms is her mastery of words.

"Amy is right about it being better to group up. I'm interested in their tango course," the bat continued, shifting her gaze to Knuckles. "But I'm going to need a partner."

He huffed in response and turned his back.

Seeing things have calmed, Silver lowered his arms and released his friends from their prison.

"The open house is on Friday," the bat stated. "That gives us a couple of days to make a final decision. I'm all for it."

"Same here," Amy raised her hands.

"I already said I'd try," Silver sighed, joining the girls. That left Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic.

"What say you, boys?" Rouge inquired.

Tails, bless his heart, turned redder than Knuckles, and started scratching his arm.

"Um, do… do they teach guitar?" he asked back, much to the surprise of the quintet.

"You want to play guitar?" Sonic questioned.

"Y-Yeah," replied the genius fox, the redness on his cheeks starting to fade. "But, I'm not sure. I don't think I'd be that good. I've always wanted to play an instrument. Although, I could never muster the confidence."

"If you wanted to learn, you could've asked me. I know it's been a minute, but I bet my guitar skills are still on point," Sonic rubbed underneath his nose. "Man, I wonder where I put that old thing."

"Does that mean you're on board, Tails?" Amy asked.

He was hesitant, but Tails raised his hand. "I'm in."

Sonic scratched his head. "Geez, I was going to sit back and watch, but if everyone's getting on board, I might as well join the party. Sign me up for guitar," he gave the group a thumbs-up.

Left on his own, Knuckles braved the mixed looks from his friends. Amy and Rouge expected him to immediately join the party. Sonic waited eagerly to see what his decision would be, but only Silver and Tails gave him a look that told him not to be pressured.

"How about it, Knux?" Sonic spoke up again. "Want to help conquer the world of dance?"

"No," the red echidna grumbled but then sighed. "But Bat Girl and Amy won't stop pestering me, so I'll wait after the stupid tour. I'll think about it, maybe. Don't count on it."

"Good enough for me," Amy clapped her hands giddily.

"You sure, Knuckles?" Tails asked.

He nodded. "We'll know after the tour," was all he said. Tails didn't press the topic further.

"Then it's settled. We'll meet at the institution at noon," Rouge relayed. "This is going to be fun."

"Right, fun," Knuckles muttered under his breath.

"Yes, you can do us a favor and learn to have some," Rouge retorted, hands planted firmly on her hips. She quickly closed in and linked her arm with Knuckles. Her grip was like a vice, and Knuckles was gathering his strength to break free, his face contorting to an uncomfortable frown.

"Live a little, why don't you? You're not going to die or anything. Stop being so stubborn," Rouge pouted, fluttering her eyelids to get the red echidna calm. She pressed herself more on Knuckles, her beautiful face practically inches away from the tougher than leather archeologist.

"I'll let you take me out on a date to compensate," she promised him. "How does that sound?"

"Get. Off. Me." Knuckles growled. His muscles tightened, but it only made the sultry bat want more.

"Awww, but I like what I feel, Knuckie. It's criminal to let these rippling pectorals to go unpraised."

Amy defused the bomb by pulling the flirtatious bat from Knuckles.

"Okay, you can stop now, you little minx," she stated. "I'm not going to be responsible for Knuckles' rampage. See you boys, later. Bye, Sonic!"

"Bye boys. See you later, Knuckie," Rouge winked.

Once the girls were out of sight, Knuckles turned on his heels and stomped away, muttering an angry goodbye.

"Ooh boy," Sonic sighed. "There he goes."

"You think he'll be okay?" Silver inquired.

"It's not the first time Rouge got under his skin," Tails answered back, shaking his head. "It definitely won't be the last time."

Tails' namesakes started to rotate. "I'm going to make sure he gets home alright. See you later, guys," he flew after the fuming Knuckles.

"See ya, Tails," Sonic waved goodbye.

"What did I let you guys drag me into?" Silver questioned, a deadpanned look on his face.

Sonic placed his hands behind his head, a big dumb grin evident on his countenance.

"A world waiting for your expertise," he replied. "Time to start working out, bro. Gotta improve those dance muscles."

"Great," Silver groaned. He and physical labor didn't get along. That was more Sonic's territory. Nevertheless, Silver stayed firm. Little did he know, his archenemy remained in the background, sneakily concocting another plan to ruin his beautiful world. Its progress was halted for a while during the show. With the adrenaline long gone, it got back to work.

This time, it won't fail.