Sonic tapped his foot like a jackhammer and looked at his watch as he waited outside Sally's house. She had told him that she wanted to freshen up before they went to see the concert, and while he didn't like to wait, he was willing to do it for her. However, it had now been half an hour after she had him bring her here and only twenty minutes before the concert started, and she still hadn't come out. He wasn't going to bail, but hell if it didn't piss him off. "Come on, Sal'! What's taking so long?"

Just as he reached for the doorknob, the door finally opened. Sally stood in the doorway. She was wearing a sparkling blue dress and a pair of high heels. She wasn't wearing any makeup if only because that would've stained her fur, but her hair was combed and permed to perfection. In short, she was gorgeous.

Sonic's jaw dropped. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't this. And yet he didn't really mind. In fact, he actually sort of liked her like this. "Uh, well. This is new."

Sally was actually surprised. And the slightest bit nervous. "You like it? I wasn't sure if you would."

"Like it? I love it! I mean, uh, it's not bad." He winced as he realized he had just shot himself in the foot. To be fair, it wasn't as though he had ever been in a relationship. Though to be honest, he had always been too in love with himself to even think of being in one. Sally was the first and so far only person he had ever considered being with. Which meant that when it came to the matters of the heart, it was like being adrift at sea. In other words, he didn't have a damn clue.

"Thanks." Sally didn't seem too put off by Sonic's self-sabotage, though perhaps it was because this was her first time too. "You can thank Cream's mom for the dress. She just happened to have some old clothes lying around. Since she wasn't using them, she didn't mind if I took them off her hands. And Bunnie gave me some pointers on hair styling. She would've done it herself, but she was getting herself ready too."

"Neat. Still kinda surprised she and Antoine are a thing."

"Same here. Before all this started, I wasn't sure Antoine would ever get together with anyone, much less Bunnie. In fact, I knew both of them for years and never once considered it. And just look at them now."

"Yeah. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"It does at that." The two slowly started to move closer, their eyelids lowering as they began to feel an irresistible attraction. But it wasn't irresistible enough. Not yet. Before they could go any further, the two of them pulled themselves out of their stupor, awkwardly looking aside as though they'd nearly gotten away with themselves. "Uh, anyway, shouldn't we get going? The concert should be starting any minute."

"Yeah. Uh, that said…"

"Something up?"

Sonic scratched his head. Usually he wouldn't have had a problem with this, but as he was starting to learn, being in a relationship tended to make you that much more considerate. "Well, it's Tails."

"What about him?"

"Well, lately he's been kind of down, ya know? Problem is, he won't really open up about it. Every time I try and ask him, he either starts working on some gadget or doohickey or flies off to only Gaea knows where. I tried everything, but I just didn't know what to do. So…"

Sonic didn't have to bother explaining the rest. Sally pinched her brow, mildly sighing in frustration. "You invited Tails to the concert, didn't you?"

"Hey, don't worry about it! He isn't gonna get in the way, promise! 'Sides, he mostly keeps to himself. But I figured maybe taking him to something like this and spending some time together might get him to loosen up a bit."

Sally shook her head and sighed, but at the very least, she seemed to understand. "Don't worry, Sonic. It's fine. I would've just appreciated it if you told me first."

"Sorry, Sal. But it was kinda short notice. Anyway, let's get goin'!"

"Right." She held out her hand, giving Sonic the invitation to sweep her off her feet. He grabbed her by the palm and took off like a speeding bullet. And off they went.


A small crowd was sitting atop stumps and logs in the middle of a field. Before them was a large stage, adorned with a simple if elegant purple curtain. It covered the entire stage, obscuring it from view until the performers were ready. Of course, it wasn't as though it was that large a crowd. The only attendees were those already in Knothole, which wasn't a lot. Still, it wasn't like they had much else to do until the concert started proper.

As the crowd continued waiting for the concert to start, they could hear something in the distance. Namely a rapid pattering of feet that almost sounded like a motorcycle, coming straight their way. Before they could get a good look, it was already there. Sonic sped into the field with Sally and Tails in tow, slowing down before he released his grip. "Made it! Woot!"

Sally forced down her dress, still floating in the breeze caused by Sonic's tailwind. "Right. I guess for now we just take a seat and wait for it to start."

"Cool. That okay with you, Tails? Tails?" Sonic looked toward Tails, but he wasn't answering. Instead he was looking at the stage, almost as though in another world. "Tails?" It was only saying his name a third time that Tails finally noticed Sonic was even there. Even still, his eyes were distant and unfocused, his mind on something else altogether. "Uh, yeah, sure. Sorry, Sonic."

"Hey, you sure you're okay, lil' bro?"

"Don't worry, Sonic, I'm fine. Really."

Sonic wasn't the most sensitive guy, but even he could see that Tails was anything but fine. He wasn't sure what was eating Tails, but whatever it was, he had to know. And apparently, he wasn't the only one. Sally walked forward, leaning down as she tried to dig a bit deeper. "Tails, if something is bothering you, you know you can tell us. Whatever it is, we'll understand."

Tails' eyes widened, his mind no doubt whirring as it considered Sally's offer. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Tails stood there for a moment as if paralyzed, his mouth shut. And then, hugging Sally, tears streaming from his eyes, it all came out. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it. I didn't want it to happen! And now, now—"

"Whoa, hey!" said Sonic. "Time out, lil' bro! What's wrong?"

Tails tried to calm him down as best he could, but judging by the tears trickling down his face, it wasn't working. "I-I'm sorry, Sonic. I just can't!" With one flick of his tails, he flew off, soaring into the distance as a stream of tears trailed behind in his wake.

"Damn!" Sonic started getting into gear, ready to follow after his lil' bro and try to figure out what was going on. "Sorry, Sal. I gotta go after him! He's my lil' bro!"

Sally sighed, but she wasn't going to stop him. "I know. If you want any help—"

"Sorry, Sal, but this is between bros. Don't worry, shouldn't be gone long. If I know Tails, this isn't bothering him as much as he's letting on. He's not really the type to go flying off for no good reason."

"I don't know about that. Sonic, I know you mean well, but how much do you really know Tails?"

The hell was that supposed to mean? "He's my lil' bro. That's all I need to know."

"From what you told me, he's only your 'lil bro' because you decided to call him that on a whim. How much do the two of you really know about one another? How often have you done anything together? How well do you truly know each other? Sonic, I know you mean well, but maybe you're not the best person to deal with Tails despite what you may think."

Sonic was starting to get livid. Tails was his lil' bro. He was Tails' big bro. That was enough. Wasn't it? "We'll talk about this later. Right now, I gotta find him. We'll talk later, kay'?" And he was off.


Tails had managed to get a head start, but it wasn't long before Sonic tracked him down to the workshop. The door was open, almost as if Tails wanted someone to come after him despite himself. He was standing in front of the workbench, a series of blueprints for a crystal of some sort laid out upon it.

In any case, none of that mattered, not now. Or at least that's what he told himself. And yet, he couldn't get Sally's words out of his mind. He thought he knew all there was to know about Tails. And vice-versa. And that was all that mattered. But was it really?

"Found ya, lil' bro," said Sonic. "Took a bit, but nothin' gets past the fastest thing alive. Anyway, somethin' bothering you?"

Tails' hands were laid flat on the blueprint, his back facing the doorway. "Go away."

"Hey, lil' bro—"

"Stop it! Stop it." Tails turned to face Sonic. The tears had stopped flowing, but his eyes were still misty, as though he couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. "How can you still call me that? After what I did?"

Sonic was starting to get confused. "Did? Did what?"

Tails seized the blueprint and held it out. "These are the blueprints for the crystal. The one I gave to Sonia. The one that turned her into some sort of energy thing! That's what I did. I turned your cousin into some sort of freak! All because I couldn't figure out a way to test it."

Oh. Truth be told, with everything going on, it had completely slipped Sonic's mind. He knew Sonia had been turned into some sort of energy being, but he figured it wasn't that big a deal. "Well, hey, I mean, I know you messed up, but things happen. Sides, it's not like it's permanent or anything. I figured once she got a handle on it, she could turn herself back easy-peasy. No harm done."

The mist in Tails' eyes started to clear, replaced with a slow rising anger. "'No harm done'? 'Turn herself back'? Sonic, I've been trying to figure out a way to change her back ever since it happened. And do you know what I found? Nothing. I've tried everything I can think of. And nothing's worked! She's stuck like this. And you're still gonna forgive me?"

For a moment, Sonic was in shock. Truth be told, maybe he hadn't given Sonia's predicament as much thought as he should have. Perhaps he wasn't attentive as could have been. But he still thought that as long as there was a way to get her back to normal, there was no harm done. But for the briefest of moments, it suddenly seemed that there wasn't a way. And in that moment, Sonic was speechless.

And then it hit him.

"Wait wait wait a minute. You're sure you tried everything?"

"Yes! I've tried creating a new crystal, altering the energy flow, reversing the polarity, everything! But nothing's worked."

"Did you try magic?"

Tails blinked, almost as if he hadn't heard it. "What?"

"You know, magic. I mean, we've got a magician in the next house over. If you couldn't figure out a way to get Sonia back to normal, maybe she could. And from what I've seen, she's the real deal. So did you even think about asking her?"

"Uh, no. Not really. I mean, I didn't even think magic was real until we met her."

"Same. But hey, we learn something new every day."

Tails seemed a bit more relieved, though his voice was still quivering. "Still though. I did that to her. To your cousin. And you're still gonna forgive me?"

"Hey, I'm not gonna say what you did was okay. Then again, if it were me, I probably would've done the same thing. So I'm not really one to judge. And as for Sonia, I know it's gotta be hell for her. But I also know you didn't mean for it to happen. Long as you know you messed up and as long as you're trying to fix it, it's all good."

Tails wiped away the last of the tears in his eyes, his voice regaining some of its' confidence. "Thanks, Sonic. That said, what if it happens again? What if I try making an experimental laser or some sort of forcefield or something and something happens that I can't undo? What if I make a mistake? Because if something like what happened to Sonia happens again, I'm not sure what I'll do."

"Hey, whatever happens, happens. Long as you learn from it, that's what matters. Take it from someone who knows."

"Thanks." Tails jumped and gave Sonic a hug. Sonic froze, unsure if he'd ever let go. After a moment, he finally released his arms and used his tails to float back to the ground. "You know, you're starting to really sound like a big bro."

"Well, let's just say someone told me I wasn't doing the best job. But as long as I'm your big bro, I'm gonna act like it. We cool?"

"Yeah. We're cool. Thanks, big bro."

"No problem. Anyway, still wanna see the concert?"

"Uh, sorry, but I think I'll have to pass. There's something I've got to do."

Sonic nearly tried to drag him over to the concert, but his brain put two and two together. "You're gonna ask Ebony if she can change Sonia back."

"Yeah. It's worth a try."

"Okay then. You do what you want. Besides, if you were there, Sonia would probably strangle ya. Pretty sure she still ain't over that."

"Yeah. Well, thanks, Sonic. See you soon." Tails darted out of the lab and flew over to Ebony's house. Hopefully she'd be able to help. In the meantime, Sonic still had a concert to attend.


Sonic dashed back over to the concert and Sally as quick as he could. Lucky for him, it still had yet to start. He really was the fastest thing alive. Sally had been tapping her foot as she waited for Sonic to get back but got up off her log once she noticed his arrival. "How it'd go?"

"Great! I think. He's still a bit bummed over what happened to Sonia, but I think we worked it out."

"Is that so? I guess I should've had a bit more confidence."

"Well, you kinda had a point. Maybe I wasn't the best big bro. And maybe I should've noticed somethin' was going on sooner. But I think he's gonna be okay now."

"Good to hear. Though I wish I could say the same for Sonia. I'm pretty sure she still wants to strangle him."

"Yeah. Maybe I should try and talk to her after the concert."

"Actually, about that." Sally pinched her brow, her eyelids starting to droop. "It's actually ten minutes after the concert was supposed to start."

"Come again?"

"You heard me. Everyone's been waiting for it to start, but it hasn't yet. And Chris still isn't here either."

"Crap. Tell ya what. You check on Chris. I'll see how Sonia and the others are doing. See ya soon!" And before Sally could so much as argue, he was off. Again. Sally had to wonder if this would prove to be a sustainable relationship.


"Hey, Sonia, everything goin' the hell?!"

Sonic zipped out of the way just in time as Sonia lodged a guitar straight at his head. Or rather in his general direction. "Fucking damn it!" Apparently she was having a tantrum. She seized another guitar and started trying to trash the entire set like a raving lunatic. The set itself wasn't much. It was a keyboard, a guitar and a set of drums and cymbals on a wooden stage, which was about all they could do when stuck in the middle of the woods with virtually no income. Which made it all the more important that it was kept intact as much as possible.

"Whoa, hey!" Mina had been practicing on her guitar but zipped in front of Sonia in an attempt to get her to calm herself. "Just take it easy, Sonia, 'kay? I mean, whatever's bugging you, you know you can talk to us, right?"

"Yeah, cuz." Manic took a moment to place a protective barrier around the set just in case. "Whatever's happening, you know we've got your back."

Much to their relief, whatever they did seemed to have worked. Sonia's grip started to weaken, her fierce stare losing its' intensity as she slowly regained her cool. "Mina? Manic? The hell happened?" She looked around the set, no doubt wondering what she had done or tried to do. And then she saw Sonic. Took her long enough. Not that Sonic should have been so flippant, but as soon as she laid eyes on him, her eyes were filled with absolute horror.

"Oh Gaea, Sonic, I'm so sorry! You okay? You're not missing a quill, are you?"

Sonic stepped forward, letting Sonia know there was nothing to worry about. Mostly. He had worried about losing his neck, but that was all in the past. "Hey, don't worry about it! We're cool. 'Sides, I'm more worried about you just now than anything. The hell were you doin' back there?"

Sonia briefly drew a blank before surveying the attempted destruction. "Oh. That. Yeah, I guess I went a bit crazy. We were all set to play, but right before we did, I guess something snapped."

She looked down at her hands. They were still made out of pink and purple energy, much like the rest of her. "It's already been a few weeks, you know? And I'm still some sort of freak. And it's not just cause I look like one because at least that would be bearable. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't breathe, I can't feel, I can't do anything! Well, okay, that's not true. I can still pick up things. I can still do things. And thank Gaea for that. But it's like I'm stuck in a really bad dream that I can't wake up from. And I just don't know what to do."

She briefly looked toward Sonic before looking back down at her hands, squeezing them as if crushing a diamond. "Well, okay. There is one thing I know I've gotta do. And that's crushing that damn fox! What the hell was he even thinking?! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be a fucking freak!"

Sonic sympathized with Sonia, he truly did. Though maybe it was more because she was his cousin. But that didn't mean she could go crapping on Tails willy-nilly. Especially before she even heard his side of things. "Hey, I get where you're coming from, Sonia. I really do. But—"

Bad move. "How the hell are you supposed to get where I'm coming from?! At least you're still a fucking hedgehog! Me?! Not so much."

"Like I said, Sonia, I get where you're coming from. Things didn't work out. You're hurt, you're lost, you're confused, so you're taking it out on others. I've been there. But this isn't the way to do it. Sides, you think Tails is doing any better? It's not like he wanted anything to happen to you. Yeah, sure, he could've tried testing it a bit more or maybe come up with other some way to do it. Probably should've. But it ain't like he woke up out of bed one morning and thought, 'I need to make Sonia's life a living hell!" Crap just happened. Like it always does. Which is something I've had to learn the hard way."

Hearing how Sonic's own life was fairly shite finally got Sonia to start calming down. She tried to breathe deep before starkly remembering she couldn't, and it was only an immense amount of self-control that prevented her from trying to once again smash apart the set. "Maybe you're right. You've been through a lot too, huh?"

"Well, it ain't the same as getting turned into some energy being or whatever, that's for sure. All the same though, yeah, I guess. That said, I've tried my best to just keep on doing what I've always done. And that's moving forward. Sometimes it takes me a bit longer to start revvin' up, and every now and then I need someone talkin' some sense into me. But when push comes to shove, I always move forward. And I've stopped blaming others for things they didn't do. Or for making a mistake. Cause that's all I can do."

Sonic hoped his words were able to get through to her. He never thought of himself as much of a motivator. Not before today. But he guessed it was true what they said: 'War changes people.' In any case, he still wasn't an expert on that sort of thing. But perhaps he could still talk some sense into her.

"Maybe you're right. It's just that, well, I wasn't counting on this to happen. Hell, I wasn't counting on any of this to happen! Stuck in the middle of nowhere, fighting for our lives, and now this! Sometimes I don't even know why we're here."

At that, Mina finally decided to step in. "Uh, well, ya know, I didn't really sign on for this either. I mean, I was just trying to do what I could, ya know? It just kinda happened. But until Eggman gets taken down, it's what we're stuck with."

"Yeah, I know. I think." Sonia looked down at her hands. After a moment, she gripped them firm as though she had finally made up her mind. "Maybe this is just something I'll have to learn to live with."

"Maybe. Then again…" Sonic felt this was finally the proper occasion to tell Sonia what he told Tails. Namely using magic to fix her condition or at least make it bearable. Soon as he did, she slapped herself square in the face, not that she could feel it.

"The hell didn't I think of that?!"

"Hey, I only thought of it five minutes ago. Either way, if there's a way to change you back, Ebony can probably do it. And if she can't, it ain't like you're any worse off."

"You know, this might actually work!"

"Hey, that's the spirit. Never know till you try, huh?"

Sonia then leaned forward and gave Sonic the hug of his life, squeezing him out of gratitude. Sonic nearly keeled over out of a lack of air, but she released him just before it was truly an issue. "Thanks, cuz. For a while there, I was sure I was gonna be stuck like this. But now, well, maybe there's a way out!"

"Hey, don't thank me yet. We still gotta see if this'll work first. Which comin' from me is pretty hilarious."

"Yeah, I know. That said, it's a step up from where I was ten minutes ago. Her eyes dimmed as if full of remorse. "That said, I don't know if I can forgive Tails that easily. Maybe he didn't mean it, maybe he's still a kid, but he still did this to me. Even if I get back to normal, that ain't gonna change."

"Hey," said Manic, "the guy's trying, you know? Plus he's still only, what, 12? I'd be lying if I said I didn't completely blame him, but still."

Sonia sighed as if she were finally accepting that she couldn't fully hold a twelve year old responsible for this sort of thing. Even if only reluctantly. "Maybe. Look, if Ebony can really get me back to normal, then maybe I can start easing up on him. And I guess he didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"So," said Sonic, "we good? Cause I'm pretty sure you've still got a concert to do."

Sonia blinked for a moment before she was filled with the crushing weight of dawning realization. "Oh crap!" She peeked out behind the curtain before hiding back behind it. "Thank Gaea, they're still there!" She briefly turned into a laser and zipped over to her keyboard, the very act becoming ever more natural to her. Even if she had yet to realize it.

"For now," said Manic. "Anyway, we'd better start ASAP."

"Right." Mina strapped on her guitar and looked over her mike, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. "Kay. I think we're ready to go! Thanks, Sonic."

"Hey, no problem! Just tryin' to help my cuz." And trying to get the show going for his kinda-sorta girlfriend, but they didn't need to know that. He zipped off stage and back toward Sally. She was still there, if a bit flustered. But if he knew Sally, then he also knew she'd understand. "I'm back! Think they've got it covered now."

"Good. It was about Tails, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, sorta. But I think we managed to work it out. Anyway, should be startin' any minute."

"Thank Gaea. Anyway, I checked the infirmary. They're just a short walk away from here. And from what I could tell, Chris was already fast asleep."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense. He's still a kid."

"Right. And if he really does have amnesia, he's probably had a tough time dealing with it. Even if he isn't aware of it. Either way, I don't think he's coming."

Well. That sucked. "Dangnabbit. Guess I'll have to show him around another time."

"Well, it's not like he's going anywhere. You'll have plenty of time to do just that. We've still got a week before the next operation. With the militia handling the day to day battle against Eggman, we can afford to really hurt Eggman where it hurts. But we need to make sure we're absolutely ready before we do."

"And just where are we goin' anyway?"

"Glad you asked. It's the biggest place Eggman's got next to Mobotropolis."

At that, Sonic instantly knew what it was. It couldn't be anything else. "Chemical Plant Zone?"

"Not so loud! But yes. If we're going to make any real headway, we need to hit him where it hurts. Starting with that. If we can take it out, it's going to slow down his production output considerably, and also give us more time to figure out how to take down the forcefield. We're getting closer, but we're still not there. We need more time. And this should give us plenty."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out."

Sally smiled. "I try. But hey, this isn't supposed to be about me. Or at least not just me. Besides, it can wait. Right now, we've got a concert to see."

"True that." Just as Sally and Sonic got ready to sit back and relax, the curtains finally opened. Manic was the same as ever, and Sonia was ready and raring to go. And Mina held the microphone and her guitar as if she were borne to them.

"Hey there, everyone! We ready to have some fun?" Compared to how she usually was, Mina was far more confident on stage than she was off. The crowd shouted back, making it clear they were here for the same purpose. "Good to know! Well, let's get ready to have some fun!" And as Mina belted out her first number, Sally and Sonic did just that, their hands touching one another on what would sure to be a night to remember.