Chapter 10

First Date, First Target

It had been two weeks since Cosmo's return, and things had never been better for the heroes of Mobius, especially Tails. As the days continued however, Tails began to have the sense that he needed to do something extra special for Cosmo. After all, the two had confessed their love for each other and officially become a couple the night she returned, so it seemed only right.

"I should take Cosmo on a date somewhere, but where? Then again, I did mention Never Lake to her and she seemed interested" the young fox thought as he tinkered more on his latest plane. Now that Cosmo had returned, so too had his drive, and now the once barely started plane had already been nearly completed, a sign of the extra energy that came with the girl he loved being returned to him. He hadn't yet decided on a name, he wasn't sure if he wanted to classify this one under the Tornado series, as it had a few modifications to it that made it stand out significantly from them such as the ability to travel into orbit, though no further. He wasn't sure if he wanted to call this one a cyclone either, mostly because he didn't think it fit. All he had decided on for sure was that it wouldn't bear the name Typhoon. He had yet to fully dismantle the Blue Typhoon, though he had begun to do so shortly after Cosmo returned, but even though she was back, he still needed more time before the scars were fully healed.

As he pondered this, he began to realize that he'd been to focused on the naming scheme. There would be time enough for that later, right now he needed to focus on where best to take Cosmo for their first date.

First date.

"Oh no, first dates are often the hardest to get right. What if I mess up? What if I pick the wrong place? How would-" he stopped himself. Even Tails, who had a tendency to over think things realized he was letting his thoughts get out of hand. Cosmo loves him, and she'd be happy just being with him. That said, Never Lake seemed perfect, it was kind of like the lake of love they'd fallen into on planet Marmolim.

"I still remember that day, the way she looked in to moonlight, how her eyes sparkled in such a magnificent way, the way she held me close"

By this point, Tails had sat his tools down and was sitting at his desk. Anyone who entered his workshop would find the fox sitting there resting his head on his hands with a dreamy look in his eyes as he swooned over his girlfriend.

"I wanted to tell her right there and then how I felt, how much I love her, how just being with her makes any day perfect. I can't believe I didn't, but now she's here and I won't waste any opportunity" He sat up with a fiery determination in his eyes.

"Never lake it is then" he said to himself as he began to walk towards the entrance to his workshop.

"What about Never lake?"

Freezing, Tails began to look around rapidly, had someone been watching him? Just as he was starting to think he'd imagined it, he heard footsteps a few feet behind him.

"Tails? Is everything alright?"

Turning, Tails saw that Cosmo had entered the workshop, his eyes taking note of the door that lead to a newly constructed hallway that linked it and the house. He chuckled internally for forgetting it.

"Hey Cosmo, um, yeah I was just thinking…um"

Cosmo gave her usual sweet smile, the very same that melted his heart every time he saw it.

"Yes? You know you can tell me anything" she said in her usual innocent and welcoming tone.

God how he loved the sound of her voice.

"Well, I was thinking, how-how would you like to go to Never lake? I remember you seemed interested in seeing it and..um"

She smiled knowingly, though still sweetly.

"Tails, are you asking me out on a date?"

As silly as it may have seemed given they were already a couple, Tails couldn't help but feel himself growing more nervous.

"Y-yes" he answered simply

"I'd love to, my sweet fox"

"Great! Um I mean, that's great, how does six sound?"

"Sounds great, I'm looking forward to it"

Cosmo then leaned in and kissed him.

"you're such a wonderful boyfriend Tails and I love you, never forget that"

The logical part of his brain told him that she'd made a point to mention that to reassure him given how nervous he'd been, returning the same confidence he'd given her. However the love-struck part of him (that being most of him at the moment) was simply too focused on the kiss she'd given him and the adoration in her voice, as such all he could respond with was a dreamy expression and: "I love you too Cosmo"

Giggling softly, Cosmo turned to exit the workshop, stopping at the door and turning to him.

"I'm going to get ready, try not to stay working on your plane too long my silly fox"

Tails simply nodded, still looking dreamy eyed.

He continued to stand there for a minute after Cosmo left, before finally snapping himself out of his state.

"Wow, never thought I'd get like that. But then again, I never thought I'd meet someone like Cosmo"

Walking over to put his tools and loose parts away, he continued his musings.

"I also never thought I'd see Cosmo so..what would be the right word? Bold? Confident? Either way, I guess I just mean that much to her"

As he continued he noted that it went both ways, he'd given her confidence in herself, as she'd said before. But she gave him confidence in himself as well, she made him feel like he could do anything.

"She's so wonderful, I can't wait to see how much she likes Never Lake, I love seeing her smile"

Stepping over to his desk drawer to put away the last tool, his eyes caught sight of the clock he had sitting there.

5:17

"Crap! That only gives me a little time to get ready!" he nearly shouted as he kicked into overdrive, closing the desk drawer and rushing out of the workshop, nearly falling over a spare engine in the process.

Meanwhile, on Angel Island.

The Master Emerald had been guarded continuously for four thousand years, he just wished his friends understood how important that made his job.

"Then again, I also wish they'd visit once in a while, as in: when the world isn't in danger" Knuckles said aloud to himself, sitting in front the giant green gem. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't that Knuckles was opposed to socializing, quite the contrary, it was just that he had to guard the master emerald, it was his job. Who gave it to him he did not know, but all that mattered was he had to do it.

"Sometimes I actually wish I didn't have to guard this emerald, but its not like just anyone can do it"

"Perhaps I can"

Were Knuckles not somewhat used to it by now, the sudden intrusion on his private musings would have caused him to jump in surprise, but now he was used to it, and instead of jumping in surprise he jumped up in defense of the emerald.

"Who's there!? Show yourself!" The guardian demanded in a tone that denoted he wasn't asking and was ready for a fight.

"You cannot fool me Knuckles, I can sense the fear in your voice, did I catch you off guard?" The intruder asked mockingly as it stepped out into the open.

"Listen pal, I don't know how you managed to hide this close to me with the sun not even halfway set, but if its a fight you want then-"

Knuckles' first mistake was not unlike Amy's or some of the humans back on Earth, but as the figure stepped forward and came clearer into view, he knew this was not Sonic. Now that he could make out details he realized it was a robot, and not just any robot.

"Metal Sonic!?"

"NEO Metal Sonic" Neo responded, having already grown tired of correcting and continuing to walk at a moderate pace towards the shocked echidna and the emerald he guarded.

"Stay back! I won't let you touch the master emerald"

Stopping just a a few feet away, Neo simply chuckled.

"I find it almost adorable that you think you can stand against me, like a fly attempting to fight a spider after being caught in its web"

"Yeah but see, you haven't caught me"

Before Knuckles could blink, Neo had crossed the distance between them and wrapped his clawed right hand around his throat, lifting him up off the ground.

"Oh but I have, so go ahead little fly, try to fight me, it should be a half decent test of my new power"

Knuckles was then tossed aside, rolling down the steps of the shrine. Neo had intentionally thrown him with a specific degree of force. Enough to cause him moderate pain, but not enough to keep him from getting up and fighting.

It was to mock him.

Standing, Knuckles finally noticed the "changes" that Neo had hinted at.

His spikes were more jagged with multiple points protruding from a single spine, his shoulder pads eerily resembled Dark Oak's, his arms appeared to have multiple slots for all manner of weaponry, and his build was a bit more bulky.

His color scheme seemed to be a mixture of his former and the metarex kings, his eyes were the same, but his usual blue was more between his old one and a slight shade of purple, he had extra armor on his sides and knees which, along with his shoulder blades, were black. His hands and feet as well as his belt were yellow, and his formerly white arrows were red.

"What happened? Eggman upgrade you?"

"No fool, I upgrade myself, I don't need the doctor anymore, and I think you'll find me much harder to fight than last time. I am partially made of metarex technology after all"

Knuckles' eyes grew wide. That's impossible! There isn't any metarex technology left!

"You're lying! We destroyed the metarex! There wasn't anything left!"

"The doctor saw fit to procure some, leftovers from the metarex kings for later use. It was, admittedly, a rare instance of forethought on his part"

Knuckles had had enough. Becoming angry, he entered his fighting stance.

"Tails went through hell because of what he had to do to stop the metarex, Cosmo had to sacrifice herself and only recently came back. You're not putting them through any more!"

"Ah yes, the fox and the seedrian. How quaint that you are so quick to defend them, alas, I still had need of Cosmo, I can't fully unlock the power of this technology without seedrian bio data after all"

"THOSE TWO HAVE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

"Oh but this is only the start! They'll be going through so much more! As will you all!"

Enough. Enraged beyond reason, Knuckles dashed up the steps and made a lunge for Neo, attempting to punch him right in his smug metal face. Only to hit the steps.

A split second later he was hit in the gut with a speedy low kick, barely managing to balance himself, he gave a sharp backswing that connected with Neo's torso. Budging only slightly, Neo grabbed the echidna's arm and slammed him face first into the master emerald before throwing him down the steps again.

Once again rolling down the steps, this time more painfully due the force with which he'd been thrown, Knuckles was starting to have trouble standing.

After finally managing to do so, Knuckles looked upwards with hateful glare at the slowly descending Neo Metal Sonic, who had jumped off of the shrine and was slowly descending with his jets.

And slow clapping mockingly.

"Bravo guardian bravo, it seems you can take more of a beating than I predicted. But you're still much too out of your league"

Spitting a bit of blood from his mouth defiantly, Knuckles, despite his bruised body and swollen cheek, took his fighting stance once more.

"I'm not done yet, come on! I'll show you what I'm made of!"

"Let's hope it doesn't break as easily as your bones!" Neo called back.

The two combatants then charged each other, Knuckles gving an angry battle cry while Neo remained eerily silent.

The evening sky cast a shadow on the island as the sun neared the horizon in preparation for its descent. For miles beneath Angel Island the sounds of heavy blows could be heard.

Meanwhile, far far away from the region of the battle, a blue and yellow plane was making its descent near a particular lake. Never lake.

Tails had made sure to fly at a moderate speed to account for his girlfriends inexperience in flying. Though Cosmo had started to adapt to flying, she wasn't quite ready to handle high speed flights.

Landing just a ways away from the lake, Tails opened the cockpit and climbed out before offering his hand to Cosmo in a polite manner.

"Thank you Tails" Cosmo said as she stepped out of the plane.

As the two made their way to the edge of the lake hand in hand, the sun set completely, giving way to the star filled sky. Above them, the moon shined its light on Never lake, creating a beautiful luminescence that gave off a slight blue tone.

Sitting down by the lake, the lovers sat hand in hand for several minutes, leaning close together and saying nothing, simply taking peaceful joy in the others presence.

After a little bit though, Tails broke the peaceful silence.

"Just like on Planet Marmolim huh?"

"Yes. I remember how wonderful it felt to be so close to you then. Now it feels even better, knowing you feel the same"

"Yeah..you know, at the time I wanted to tell you how beautiful you are, and now, here in the moonlight, holding you in my arms, I can. You're so beautiful Cosmo, you're the most beautiful sight I've ever seen"

Cosmo looked up into his eyes, seeing the adoration in them and returning it in her own.

"Tails…you wonderful, amazing fox. I don't know how I got so lucky to meet someone as kind, selfless, brave, and smart as you. You make me feel like I mean something, like I can do something for someone"

"You do mean something Cosmo, you mean everything to me. And you saved the entire universe, never forget that. You gave your life to save not just my own, but everyone's. You're a hero"

Cosmo looked back at him, her eyes tearing up. Hearing Tails say these words with such passion and sincerity made her feel such happiness, it meant everything coming from him.

"Tails. I love you"

"I love you too Cosmo. I always will"

With those words Tails and Cosmo leaned close, their lips meeting in a tender kiss that, while a simple one, carried such love in it. The poetic scene was even capped off with a shooting star passing overhead. After parting from their kiss, they sat and gazed at the moon and stars, both reflecting on their said space as they had traveled it together and their hopes for future experiences. They kept holding each other in their arms and would occasionally make momentary glances at the other, admiration clear in their eyes. For them it was perfect.

Meanwhile.

Back at Amy's home, the pink hedgehog was currently attempting to once again, gain affection from a certain cobalt hedgehog.

"Come on Sonic! I know I can be a bit…enthusiastic, but I promise I won't try anything. Just please come sit down and watch the movie with me. Please?"

Sonic, for his part, sighed and conceded, walking over to the couch and sitting down a moderate distance from Amy. The truth is, he was here primarily because he didn't really have many other places to go now. Sure he had a place of his own, but as per his nature he rarely spent much time there, choosing instead to either run aimlessly or visit friends. Most often and notably Tails. However, since Cosmo's return Sonic hadn't visited as much, mostly to give the two their space and privacy so they could grow closer and develop their relationship. Sonic didn't begrudge Tails this, nor was he jealous. On the contrary, he was just happy that Tails was himself again, and of course as his big brother he was happy Tails had found love. Right now however, love was part of his sense of discomfort. Amy, while also happy for the new couple, was admittedly slightly jealous of the fact that they'd grown so close in just a few months of knowing each other where as she'd been trying for years to win Sonic's heart.

Whether or not Sonic did have any actual feelings towards Amy, none could tell, but he did seem somewhat more tolerant of her since Tails and Cosmo had become a couple.

Amy was just about to turn on the movie, when she noticed Sonic fidgeting slightly, concerned, she looked at him and asked.

"Sonic? Are you okay? I promise I won't try anything, I swear"

"It's…not that Amy, I just…"

"Do you feel sick? Are you worried about Tails?"

"No no, it's not that…I just have a sudden bad feeling"

Turning more to give him her full attention Amy pressed.

"How so? Like somethings wrong?"

"More like something really bad is going to happen…or already has"

Okay, that was ominous. Sonic rarely had such feelings, even when the world was being threatened he always remained calm and laid back. If something had him on edge, then it was really bad. And what bodes ill for Sonic the hedgehog bodes ill for everyone.

Just as Amy was about to inquire further, there was a sudden crash, the source being painfully clear as someone came crashing through Amy's living room window. The pink hedgehog let out a shriek and Sonic instinctively jumped to his feet in response.

Seconds later both took notice of who it was that had just crashed through the window.

A very bloody and bruised Knuckles.

"KNUCKLES! OH MY GOD!" Amy screamed, kneeling down to examine him, while Sonic ran over to the window in hopes of seeing whoever through the echidna, to no avail.

"H-he's back. He..ungh…has the Master Emerald!" Knuckles choked out as he gripped Amy's arm.

Coming up beside Knuckles, Sonic knelt down beside him and spoke urgently.

"Who? Who has it?"

"Neo Metal Sonic"

Meanwhile, in an unknown location, Neo stood before the gemstone.

The controller, master of the seven servers, the most powerful energy source on Mobius. Now it was his. Reaching out to it, he dug the claws of his right hand into it and began to glow with powerful energy coursing through him. Eventually, the energy ran out, the gem going from a magnificent green, to a dead black. Turning, Neo then directed the energy into a large glowing storage tank. Within it were what appeared to be spheres of light and small gems similar to the chaos emeralds but with a different shape. The energy flowed from his hand into the tank and moments later it began to glow brighter as the contents were merged by and with the energy, producing a much larger, multicoloured sphere. His task done, Neo turned to a nearby monitor and read the energy readouts.

"Good. Phase one is complete. The energy of the master emerald combined with the life energy I've siphoned from the four critical points on Mobius and my artificial emeralds has produced one of the components needed. Soon, no living being will be able to stand against me, I shall rule the universe, and then perhaps, the "other half" of this reality where that petulant brat Chris Thorndyke came from"

Turning from the monitor, Neo gazed upon the black master emerald, although now it would be more appropriate to just call it a rock. He'd not only drained it, he'd stripped it of everything it had, including it's base properties and energies. It could no longer be used or hold a charge of energy. Thus it was no threat to him or any use to him.

"Time to begin phase two"

Raising his metal fist above his head, Neo swiftly brought it down on the gem, shattering it to pieces.

The once great Master Emerald, had been permanently destroyed.

"Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

And the situation only gets more dire, with our loving couple being completely unaware. So for this chapter I wanted to not only show more of Neo's plan and of course focus on the star couple, but also give some development to the others as well. Tell me what you think! I hope I did well in any case. Until next chapter.

See ya!