We have over 200 reviews… I don't know what to do to celebrate. You guy's are amazing! And don't forget it!

Ugh… This is all of the Feels. You have been warned.

Comments! (and there are a lot. HOLY CHAOS.)

Zosonils: There you are! (; Just kidding, I get that you are busy. Glad you're still reading. *blushes* Halo and I are so happy that you like this. We enjoy it too. Hope you continue to read and enjoy!

KyubiMaster9: Sonia's wrath is unleashed! And here is some more! Um… *begins to hum and laugh nervously*

MeowthKitty: Glad you enjoyed it. Here is some more fun and yelling.

SonicBoomFan4000: I can see how that may be confusing… and I can't see how I can help you. The show is probably my second favorite out of the Sonic shows (Sonic X being my favorite. Judge me not) so I would recommend it...if you can handle the voices. And make sure you skip the songs. DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE. Chaos, the one thing that makes me want to punch the TV. Ops! Sorry for not answering.! Okay, so this is sort of a combination of the TV show, comics, and games. Very confusing. But we decided to make Tails a little older so he and Soni are only about five years apart in age. Hope you like this and get a little less confused. But knowing me, I'll probably get you more confused. Whops.

Quantum27: Can you blame her? Sonia is ticked.

Autumn: Hope this update made your day.

ultamiteCCC: Yep! Only one to go!

Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT: (; I think it is one of my favorites as well. Cannot tell you how long Halo and I have been planning it. One of the first conversations we ever came up with for this story was, "This is pathetic…". It was great.

StarlightSparks: 1. A lot of chapters… A lot. Less than 100. It's a long story. 2. Halo and I are debating. She wants to do a 2nd Generation Story about their kids (it would only be an introduction to the crew and be about five chapters. Not super in depth and more of a- 'Here's what we set up. Let your imagination run wild'- then a- 'Continuing the story'. I personally want to do a short story about Rouge's past (sort of like Shattered Thorns) and of course both Halo and I want to do some family stories between everyone (collection of one-shots). But no, we are not going to go this big again.

Shapeshifter 14: I am horrid at Shadow's dialogue so… we try and minimize his talking parts and have him be more of an action person. I can't wait for it either. Sonic! Run into them already!

HDDNeptuneFTW: Hi! Yep. Now we just have to wait… But how long? I did? Whops. Sorry about that. (; LOL.

Suggested Listening: "Freaking Me Out" by Simple Plan [Why Halo put this on, makes sense, but I'm sort of annoyed that it curses… You've been warned.]

And before you freak out, yep it's Sonia. Then we have Manic. Then Sonic is back. Promise. Alright, let's go watch these two try and kill each other (just kidding).

Sonia's POV:

"Since when do you ride a motorcycle?"

"Since I started looking for you."

Manic tilted his head and stared my bike, as if looking at it at a different angle would change it somehow. I rolled my eyes and finished deactivating the locks, sliding into the seat and slipping on my helmet. I tossed Manic the spare motorcycle helmet I had bought the day before.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked, revving up the engine. He didn't do anything at first- probably processing what exactly was going on. But he shrugged, snapped on the helmet, and got on the back of the bike.

"Lead the way, Princess." he said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. I smiled to myself- if Manic was anything like Knuckles, he was in for the ride of his life. A thank-you gift for being so difficult to find.

I slammed my foot on the gas, jumpstarting the bike forward and rocketing down the street, my tires squealing in protest. Manic's clench around my waist became steadily tighter as we continued to gain speed, but I heard no complaints or requests to slow down.

Suddenly, I had an evil idea. I pulled the bike back into first gear and slowed down just a little bit, letting off the gas while still maintaining a good speed.

"Hold on!" I shouted to Manic.

I cranked the gas to accelerate and brought the front wheel up, gasping for breath as Manic's vise-like grip squeezed the air from my chest. I brought us down from the wheelie, but his crushing embrace never let up.

We made it out of the slums and headed towards my place in the uptown area. I slowed down a bit here since I actually cared whether I got a ticket in this part of town, but we still made it back to my apartment building in good time. I parked the bike and hopped off, removing my helmet and beginning the process of locking up my motorcycle.

"Uh… Manic?" I said. "You gonna get off anytime soon?"

His expression was completely unreadable; he just sat there in silence, staring at nothing.

"That…" he said slowly, his voice shaking. "Was…"

Oh, joy. Here it comes.

"... AWESOME!"

Wait, what?

Manic leapt off the bike, grinning. "I mean… the wheelie! We were going so fast! We could've died! It was amazing!" He was pacing back and forth, jumping from one subject to another. I found it quite amusing.

"And I thought you were gonna be all boring and stuff!" he said. "Can we do it again? Please?"

"Um…" My eyes narrowed slightly, "For the boring comment, no. It's nice to know you have such faith in me, little brother." I walked inside the apartment building and up the stairs, Manic following close behind.

We reached my apartment and I unlocked my door and walked inside, Manic trailing behind me. He looked around for a moment, glancing at the furniture. "Huh."

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing…" said Manic, shaking his head. "It's just that… I dunno, I was expecting frilly pink curtains and mints on the pillows or something… not white walls and a ten dollar couch. I mean, come on, you're the girliest person I've ever known. That's totally up your alley."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you," I said coldly.

"Geez, you don't need to get snippy about it…" he muttered. I chose to ignore that little comment.

"Make yourself at home. I think there might be a game show on TV or something," I headed over to my room, making a mental note of what errands I needed to run before we officially left town. Something had to be done about Manic's clothes and hygiene; that sewer smell was starting to get to me.

Manic… what was I going to do with him? I knew when I set out to find him that he'd be something different than what I remembered from when we were kids, but this… while I knew this was my brother, I could barely recognize him. The Manic I used to know was, to be honest, totally innocent- someone who'd never even think about doing drugs or getting involved in a gang. It hurt to see just how deep into crime he was- sure, he always had that unfortunate habit of swiping things that weren't his, but that had escalated so much it was ridiculous.

But that didn't matter anymore. The sooner we left the city, the sooner he'd ditch the whole criminal thing. Hopefully.

The problem was that I didn't think he even wanted to give up that life. I get that he has friends here, but these "friends" were a pack of shady lowlifes who were responsible for him holding the largest arrest record I'd ever seen. This was for his own good.

I exited my bedroom and headed back into the living room.

"Hey Manic, I-" I was cut off by the sight of Manic quietly sifting through my purse that I had left on the kitchen table.

"Yeah, sis?" he asked, not batting an eye. He just kept going through my stuff like it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

This was bad.

"What are you doing?" I shrieked. He glanced up, pausing his raid of my purse. He thought in silence for a moment.

"Oh!" Manic smacked his forehead with his palm. "You're one of those kinds of people. Sorry, I didn't think you really cared about the whole 'invasion of privacy' thing."

It just got worse.

"What?" I stared in shock for several moments, trying to keep my anger in check. He lived on the streets… He doesn't know better… Just think about- Nope. Manic needed my opinion on this. Now.

"Manic. Charles. Hedgehog. Drop my purse and sit down."

He looked a bit confused, but did as he was told. I went to retrieve my notebook and a pencil from my bedroom and slammed both down in front of him.

"Confess."

"I'm sorry- what?"

"You will write down every little crime you can remember on this piece of paper. When you're done, we are going to have a nice… talk."

Manic rolled his eyes, "When did you turn into Uncle Chuck?"

"I did nothing of the kind."

"Are you kidding me? This is exactly what he used to do! Geez, next you're gonna send me to my room without dinner!"

My blood boiled. "Okay, number one: these are actual crimes, Manic, not a bunch of dumb stunts you pulled in grade school because you were being you." Manic opened his mouth to protest, but I didn't give him time to say a word.

"Number two," I continued. "I am nothing like Uncle Chuck. And if I am, then maybe that's the only way to get through to you. News flash- breaking the law is wrong! But you don't seem to have grasped that just yet! I don't know what else to do!"

Manic stood up so quickly he knocked over the chair. The look of seething revulsion on his face was enough to make me back away.

"Are…" he started slowly. "You… frikkin'… serious."

I couldn't answer, but nodded slowly.

He clenched his fists. "I- You- He- You're just like him!" Manic was almost too angry to form a full sentence. "I don't know what the heck happened to you, Sonia, but-"

I cut him off and snapped my fingers, and pointed at the chair, "Sit. Down. Now."

"You bossing me around now? Huh? Just 'cuz I'm different, Sonia, that doesn't make you any better than me- so quit acting like it does!"

"Do you have any idea what I've been through in the last six years? What kind of junk has filled my life?" I exclaimed, standing up to meet his eye level. "When you were there, I stood a chance! When you were there, I could actually smile! Then you up and leave, and my life becomes a living nightmare!"

"Cry me a river, sis."

"I should've known you'd end up like this!" I began pacing the floor, pulling at my hair. "Forget about that confession, I don't need it! I've seen enough from hanging around that stupid gang of yours to know exactly what you've been up to!"

Manic looked ready to explode. "You think it's been easy?" he shouted. "You really think I could've made it on my own? Don't act like you know what you're talking about, Sonia! Being a kid on the streets is death sentence! It's not a fun thing, never knowing where your next meal is coming from or even if you'll eat at all. And freezing on the sidewalk because you have nowhere to sleep is no walk in the park, either. That 'stupid gang' saved my life. If it weren't for them, you would've never even found my body. Work on that for a while, huh?"

"You don't know that! You could've been better off without them! You could've been honest, Manic!"

Pretty sure Manic forgot about my abilities, because he tried to make a break for it. Of course I already knew what he was up to a few seconds before it happened. Imagined his surprise when he tried to run right after my hand snatched around his wrist. I then proceeded to yank him back and throw him on the couch.

Manic didn't process what happened until after he was face-first on the old cushions. "Uh…"

"If you think you are going to just run away from me, again," I hissed, "then you have another thing coming. Last time, I woke up to an empty bunk bed. Did you even think what would happen to me? How I would feel about you being gone? I had already lost Maurice! Do you think I wanted to lose you too?"

Think that was when I broke down, unable to take the swirling emotions that had been left alone for the past six years. I tried to fight back the tears, but they rushed to the surface, a hiccupy sob escaping my throat.

Manic sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please don't cry," he said softly. "I'm really sorry, okay?"

I wanted to stop, but my head wouldn't listen. Hot, sharp tears rolled down my cheeks, each stinging my skin more than the last.

"I get it," said Manic, his voice gentle and slow. "I messed up. Running away was a stupid idea, and it might be the worst thing I ever did. I don't know much about what you've… been through, but from what I can see… it was really bad, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it," I said between hiccoughs. "Uncle Chuck barely noticed that I existed. All those kids that called me names decided that wasn't enough." I wiped away the tears that were still on my cheeks. "They started a game that I liked to call, 'Throw dangerous objects at the Freak.' How do you think I got good enough to dodge bullets? It wasn't without practice." My eyes remained glued to the floor and I took a deep breath, "On top of that, Bobby never stopped flirting with me as soon as we hit junior high. That alone gave me the motivation to graduate two years early."

"Woah, woah, woah, back up a minute- did you say flirting?" Manic's expression suddenly became murderous.

"Yes, I did." I said stiffly.

"That's it. When I find that-"

"No, Manic." I said, cutting him off before anything regrettable was said. "We're not even going back to Southtown… or anywhere near it, for that matter." Manic's expression relaxed somewhat. I knew he had been dreading the prospect of going back.

"Well… if we're not heading back to Uncle Chuck's," he said. "Where are we going?"

I took a deep breath. This seemed as good a time as any to break the news to him.

"Maurice is alive."

Manic stared at me for a few moments, blinking. Then he cracked a small smile, "Sis, if you're trying to make a joke, it's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

"Um…" he made some motion with his hands and continued, "Sonia, Uncle Chuck looked. And we both saw that blast. Maurice…" he trailed off for a moment, "Well, you can't bring him back. He's been gone for ten years-"

"Manic! Listen to me!" I threw my hands in the air, "I saw him!"

"Woah, time out! You did?"

"In a vision."

"Oh… never mind."

"Manic! He was older! And Chaos told me himself."

"Okay, hold on one minute." Manic held up a hand, "You want me to believe that our brother- the one that was shot by bees with lasers- is still alive because you saw him in one of your visions? The ones that are like, impossible to decipher in any sense? All because Chaos- a giant water creature- told you?"

It was my turn to back him up, "Chaos is a what?"

"Oh, that's right. South doesn't get a lot of news. Long story short: Years ago, this giant water creature flooded Station Square and tried to destroy the world. It was later told that it was a form of the god Chaos. Crazy, right?"

Okay then… why not? I vaguely recalled Tikal mentioning something similar, then shook that thought aside. "Anyway, Manic, he really did talk to me."

"How?"

"Well…" I hesitated for a moment. "You know the echidnas?"

I could have sworn I saw Manic physically flinch at the word, but it passed so quickly that I couldn't be sure. "Yeah… I know a little about them."

"Do you know about the emeralds they protect?"

This time, he definitely stiffened. "Yes."

"I met a guardian who came out of one and spoke to me on Chaos's behalf."

"You… what?"

Maybe I should start the explanation over… Unfortunately, Manic didn't seem to want to hear any of it.

"Just simplify it down as much as possible." He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, clearly stressed out. What's his problem?

I thought for a moment. A lightbulb went off. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"MANIC."

"Okay, okay, sheesh!"

I tried to recall exactly what Tikal told me, "We are triplets. We have a connection- which was how I knew you were alive. And I know you have…" I hesitated for a moment, "gifts, like my visions. Keep your eyes closed!"

Manic obliged.

"It's hard to explain but… remember what Maurice was like. His personality, his looks, his emotions, anything." I paused. "Now in your mind I want you to pretend he's alive."

"I thought you said he was alive."

"He is, but since you don't believe me, pretend." I waited for a few minutes before Manic nodded. "Okay… now lock onto him."

"What?"

"I told you, it's hard to explain. Let your instincts take over."

It took ten minutes. Ten long minutes, of staring at a concentrating hedgehog. Eventually, I wandered into the kitchen and started to make dinner. I hadn't noticed how late it was until then. I was just pulling out a glass measuring cup when Manic's sudden cry of shock startled me. The cup fell on the ground and shattered into a million pieces, but Manic suddenly appeared in the doorway, the shock written on his face as clear as day and any hint anger melted.

"He- I felt… How?" he demanded.

"That," I threw a broom at him, "is what we are going to find out."

Before we did that, we had to plan. And pack. Manic looked a little repulsed at the idea of having more stuff than you could fit in that ratty backpack of his, but I like to be prepared. Even if it may be a little overboard.

I pulled out a large suitcase and began to fold up clothes. "I'm going to buy you some new clothes."

Manic crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Um… How about I just go down the street to the Goodwill and pull out some shirts from the drop-off bin?"

My eyes narrowed, "No. We'll go to the mall."

"I think I like my plan better. Besides, I'm not allowed in the mall."

"... Why?"

"Funny story, really…" He looked uncomfortable and refused to meet my eye.

"I have time."

"You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do."

"Long story short: I cleaned the floors."

I didn't like the way he said that.

"What do you mean, 'you cleaned the floors'?" I asked.

"I mean I cleaned them. Thoroughly."

"With what?"

"A fountain."

"MANIC!"

Before I could start my lecture, the doorbell rang. A little too eagerly, Manic charged out of my room to the door. "I'll get it!"

"Manic! Get back here!" I threw the shirt I had been folding into the suitcase and followed him to the doorway. When I reached the door, I managed to catch part of his conversation with someone I couldn't see,

"We don't like charities, we don't need car insurance, and you look a little old to be selling cookies. Good day."

Silence. I face-palmed and made a mental note to give Manic a lesson in manners.

A very confused voice that was way too familiar answered back, "I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong apartment. Did Sofia move?"

Knuckles. OH CHAOS.

And to my great horror, Manic glanced back at me, "Sofia! The door's for you! I think it's your landlord!"

I didn't answer but yanked Manic back in the room, shoved him towards the living area, stepped outside and shut the door. I took a deep breath and turned around, facing Knuckles blank expression. We stood in silence for several minutes, my heart pounding.

I finally couldn't take it, "It's not what it looks like, I swear."

Knuckles crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised. "Who in Chaos was that?"

My mind went blank. I tried to answer, but came up empty. Finally, I forced out, "Matt- Matt- Matthews."

"Matt?" His expression hardened into something I couldn't read.

I debated for a moment on telling him the truth on my family, but before I could make up my mind, Knuckles held out something in his hand. My breath caught at the sapphire in his hand, now strung on a gold chain.

"You left this on the island. I took the liberty of taking it to a jeweler. May I...?" He cocked his head in the question and I nodded slowly before turning around.

Gently, he brought the chain around and fastened it, letting it rest on my neck. I fingered the gift, too overwhelmed to speak for a moment. I turned around and smiled, "Knuckles… I..." Words couldn't describe the feeling of joy I felt. No one had ever given me something so meaningful in my entire life.

He smiled, and I was about to thank him when-

"Hey, um, Son- Sofia?" Manic poked his head back out and glanced at Knuckles before turning back to me. "Where's the TV remote?"

I bit my lip to refrain from yelling at him, "Next to the radio on the side table."

"Oh… Thanks. Also, your boss called. She wanted to know when you'd be back from our trip."

"I'll call her later, Matt. Thanks." I could barely keep from punching him as Manic ducked back inside. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down when Knuckles snapped me back into reality.

"Trip? What trip?" he asked, confused.

My eyes flew open and I felt the urge to kick myself. I had completely forgotten to tell Knuckles that I was leaving town. "Uh… I'm leaving Station Square."

He looked very alarmed at the idea, "What? When?"

"Probably tomorrow night," I winced at the words. "I was going to tell you- I just-"

"And you're going with… Matt?"

"... Yes." Mentally, I punched and kicked myself. This was not going well.

"Where are you going?" Knuckles's voice was completely devoid of emotion.

Give a town. A city. A state. A country! Anything! "... Roadtrip. There's really no destination at the moment."

Knuckles was silent for a moment, before answering, his voice shaking slightly, "And you didn't think to tell me this?"

"It was all very sudden! I didn't even know when we'd be leaving until about an hour ago."

"But still, you could have called me! Or-or texted, or something!" I could now tell that Knuckles was angry. Very angry.

He is actually very scary when he is angry. Then again, so am I.

"Knuckles, I know you're not happy-"

"Happy is not the word!" he snapped.

I took a deep breath, and tried to clear my thoughts. "Knuckles… I am really sorry I didn't tell you. I was going to call, but so much has happened in the past day that it slipped my mind."

The echidna seemed to calm down slightly and his expression relaxed slightly.

Now I knew he wasn't going to like this next part, "Knuckles… you're a great guy. The best I have ever met."

He scratched the back of his neck, "Thanks. You're amazing too."

"Don't." I held up a hand. "Knuckles, I'm leaving town and… I don't know when, or even if, I'll be coming back. So… maybe you should start looking…" my voice died in my throat.

Knuckles looked very confused, "Um… What are you-?"

"I- I- Iambreakingupwithyou!" I shut my eyes and put my hand over my mouth.

This conversation… was AWFUL. I had never broken up with a guy before! I mean, I never actually dated a guy before and besides, I didn't want to break up with Knuckles! I just… well, if his girlfriend is leaving town to most likely never return, then I have to let him go. Long distance relationships never work out, and I can't be selfish.

Knuckles looked very confused before he stepped back as if he'd been slapped. "Wait- what?"

"I-" slowly, I exhaled and bit back the tears. "I'm sorry, Knuckles. Goodbye." Before I could get a response, I retreated back into my apartment and shut the door. After a few minutes, I got the courage to poke my head out and look.

The echidna was gone.

Manic was watching some reality TV show about pie, but didn't seem too interested in it. When I walked in, his expression immediately lit up. "Hey! Did your landlord leave yet?"

"He was not my landlord." I bit my lip, trying to keep in the tears.

"Then who was he? A plumber?"

"No…" My legs finally gave out and I collapsed on the couch, "He is… was, my boyfriend."

Manic had chosen that moment to take a sip of soda and promptly spat it out and began to cough. "What?" he managed to demand.

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep the tears in any longer. At this point, Manic must have thought I was weak, a total crybaby. He had seen me break down twice in the past two hours that he had known me. Just when everything was going right with Manic, the rest of my world was collapsing.

My stomach felt full of knots, like I was going to throw up. I bit my lip to try and stop the sobs, but that only made it worse.

"You really cared about that guy, didn't you?"

I looked over to Manic; for once, that gleam of mischief was gone, replaced by a small smile of understanding.

I nodded weakly; I wanted to speak but my throat felt too tight.

"He was like… the best part of your day. Everything you love, rolled up into one person. He meant the world to you." Manic spoke quietly, clasping his hands together and staring at the floor. Where he getting all this?

"You wanted to stay with him, but… you didn't want to be selfish. Aw, sis, you ain't selfish!" he said, cracking a grin. "You've gotta be one of the nicest people out there. Well, once you get that temper of yours under control… But he understood that about you, didn't he? The temper thing?"

I nodded shakily, both relieved that I didn't have to explain myself and a little scared that he could tell all that. Was I really that easy to see through?

"... How do you know all this?" I asked almost inaudibly, barely able to force the out the words.

Manic stopped talking and looked away. "I… I've just had a lot of girlfriends over the years. I get the whole relationship thing, y'know?"

I had a nagging feeling that he wasn't being entirely truthful. But this wasn't going to be giant leaps forward in mending a torn sibling relationship. Baby steps, Sonia. Baby steps.

I wiped away the few drops of tears left on my cheeks and took a deep breath. It was okay; what's done is done. Knuckles and I were done, and I needed to move on- the sooner the better.

I stood up and made a beeline for my room to grab my purse. "I'm leaving to go shopping. You get us a van."

"Um… A van?"

I grabbed my purse and glared at him, "Yes, a van. We can't just take my bike!"

"Why not?"

"Does it look like I can afford to sleep in a hotel everyday?" I grabbed the doorknob and looked back at him, "And buy it, please. There's an envelope on the counter that has about three hundred dollars. That should be enough for something roadworthy."

"How in the world am I supposed to get a van for three hundred bucks?"

"I thought you said you can pull favors from your 'friends'." I rolled my eyes, "No stealing or embezzling. And it doesn't need to be a new van. Go to a junkyard or something and see if you can buy something cheap."

"Yes, ma'am." He gave a playful salute. "What are you doing?"

"Going to buy you some clothes and supplies. No 'buts'. I am not changing my mind." And with that I shut the door and headed out.

If Manic stole anything, I was going to kill him.

HOLY CHAOS SONIA JUST BROKE UP WITH KNUCKLES WITH LITTLE TO NO EXPLANATION.

Yes, the break up was planned in our outline. No, we did not throw it in there to get anyone annoyed. In fact, some of y'all may be cheering.

Um… So confession time: I have never actually 'dated' someone which means I have never 'broken up' with anyone. Same for Halo. So if you thought the 'break-up' scene was weird: that's because Halo and I have no personal experience! You're welcome!

UGH KNUCKLES AND SONIA WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH YOU?

And I've had a lot questions on how long this story is going to be. I will tell you in... 4 chapters. Promise. Have patience, young younglings, Padawans, and Jedi. (I'm in a Star Wars mood... still haven't seen Rouge One. Karabast.)

Review please!