I'm so very sorry for the delay everyone! I came down with mild writer's block for a couple of days and when I came back, my computer broke. It's been in the shop but now it's back and I gushed out a chapter like never before! (Except for On Mobius, but that was an accident.)

Blaze the lolcat: Yeah I figured she'd stick to the little ground attractions like mini trains and such. And the can part was my favorite of that chapter :)

adar13: Well, it's not that there won't be tidbits of pairings or love, it's just not a romance as in that's not the focus. I mainly just want to write a good friendship story. Hope you enjoy!

Lost and Forgotten Memories: I'm so happy to hear you were laughing! I jumped up and squeed haha I hope I didn't offend by the "calm and collected" comment D: Sorry if I did; you're my best reviewer and I'd hate to be bothersome.

Re-Harakhty: Yay I'm glad you like! This is so hard to write since I don't do "school" fics, so it's wonderful to hear it's pleasing!

DahserMan1025: You never cease to make me smile :) Thank you for your reviews!

5: Twinkle Park Takeover and the Talkative Table

"This is so totally fun!" Amy shrieked with glee. The speed of the roller-coaster ripped the words from her mouth and she gave up, simply beaming at Sonic next to her. The blue hedgehog had dragged her to the coaster first thing, getting their passes stamped and seats secured before she could even blink. Blaze had prowled away into the shadows of the bumper car arena, followed by her red-striped, ebony companion. The rest had piled onto the coaster cars with excitement, Silver resisting the urge to pull the starting lever with telekinesis before it was fully loaded.

Just as Amy was starting to second-guess her brewing attraction to the older boy beside her, they were off into another curve! "Roaring Spiral" was less rickety than some of the rides at the fair that had passed through Green Hill when she was younger, and Amy hadn't been expecting to be launched into the fastest ride immediately. Now, her quills flipped around haphazardly. Sonic whooped with joy once more and when they reached the highest loop, Amy spread her arms as if she could fly. The sun warmed her face.

She almost forgot Sigma Lambda Kappa was footing her bill.

They had insisted on it at the gate. They were older, more experienced. It only made sense. Amy had felt incredibly guilty and begged to pay for at least some of her ticket, but Sonic had brushed her off as he helped her into the first car on the ride.

"It's a welcome party! Just enjoy it!"

So she did. As the cart sped down the shiny rails at rocketing speeds, Amy let every care in the world blow away on the breeze. Knuckles' noisy-but-endearing laughter joined the cries of exhilaration emitted by the passengers and when they reached the end, the group of young adults could only giggle as they crawled away from the towering coaster. Amy attempted to brush out her quills as she scanned the crowds for Blaze and Shadow.

"Don't you think we should find the others?"

Sonic laced his fingers behind his head, smiling lazily, "Maybe. What do you think, Espio?" The chameleon held onto the metal divider that spaced out the lines. His eyes seemed to go in and out of focus as his dizzy spell faded. When he had collected himself, he shrugged.

"If you want to endure Blaze's wrath... I can sense her from here."

Knuckles lifted the purple computer-geek under his arm like a football and gestured towards the bumper cars before marching away. The three hedgehogs followed.

Amy picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, "Um... Why would Blaze be angry that we're going to find her?" Sonic only smiled. Silver rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well... Blaze has a bit of secret... and she's really shy about it. When she lets loose though, it comes out like Mr. Hyde."

The roar of a cheering crowd suddenly echoed through the park and the group quickened their steps. Blaze's voice could be heard, much more distinct than she normally spoke.

"FEAR ME! FEAR ME!"

The boys chuckled quietly while Amy began to bite her nails. They arrived at the shady bumper car enclosure, where a flaming something smashed into the other cars indiscriminately. Children ran from their vehicles, terror on their tiny faces. Amy noticed Shadow standing limply at the sidelines, his normally aloof expression replaced with one of helplessness. As Knuckles walked up with Espio underarm, the black hedgehog turned stiffly.

"I tried to tell her..." He said in a fractured voice, as if he had been wandering through an ancient battlefield for far too long. Sonic appraised the situation, rubbing his chin. Amy tugged on Silver's sleeve.

"What's going on?" She whispered. The albino made a strange sort of face, somewhere between embarrassment and amusement. He bit his lip.

"Blaze is... a very... competitive person."

Amy looked back at the arena, wondering what a burning kart had to do with the aloof feline. Then, as she looked closer, the pink hedgehog began to make out the silhouette of a familiar upperclassman, cackling maniacally and shooting flames from her limbs. Amy's knees trembled, threatening to give out.

"How... how..." her small voice trailed off. After Knuckles set the chameleon on his feet, Espio pressed a hand to his forehead, sighing.

"Perhaps this was a bad idea." He looked at Amy sidelong, "Blaze is a pyrokinetic."

Amy nearly fainted before Knuckles placed a massive hand across her mid back. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and looked between Sonic and Silver blankly. She pressed her hands to either side of her head.

"How is it possible? Telekinesis and pyrokinesis? This isn't real!"

Silver shrugged, a sheepish smile pulling up one corner of his mouth, "Blaze and I aren't from around here, so to speak."

Amy frowned, "I'm from Green Hill. You don't see me having superpowers, do you?"Silver made a funny face—like he knew something but wouldn't say it. Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well... I dunno... You seem to be pretty compassionate for hanging out with the Linehardt losers." Something in his green eyes made Amy feel small and unsure of herself for a moment. The moment passed and the blue hedgehog's cocky grin was back as he turned to cheer for Blaze. Amy crossed her fingers and stared at her shoes.

"I don't think you guys are losers..."

No one responded and for a moment Amy wondered if she had said something amiss. Then, Silver patted her on the shoulder with a kind, no-strings-attached sort of smile and she realized that they probably already knew how she felt. If she really thought they were losers, she wouldn't be standing with them in the middle of a theme park while their dorm mate crushed the dreams of children. The five boys and their new pink friend sighed quietly as Blaze took out another bumper car, cackling wildly. A soft feeling seemed to wrap around Amy's heart, making her feel at ease. It was going to be a long day—she could feel it—and every minute would be worthwhile.

When the sun began to slip below the city buildings and the sky was washed with russet and cantaloupe, the passes finally ran out of stamp slots. It was a blessing in disguise; park security was hot on the trail of Amy and SLK, prepared to arrest them... or ban them from the park, at least. They had been on the run through Twinkle Park since Blaze's little show at the bumper cars. They moved so fast, Amy wondered if they had done it a hundred times before. Jumping from the bumper cars to another roller coaster, to a 3D adventure ride and again to a magical fairy ride where Knuckles fell asleep. The day was raucous with laughter and one awkward moment where Sonic insisted on feeding Amy a deep fried Oreo. The freshman had nearly exploded at that particular moment.

At last, they were trudging on weary feet to the front gates, the last remnants of glee still warm on their faces and the cries of joy from the theme park fading into the background. The group began to plot their next course of action, albeit in an exhausted sort of way.

"Food," Silver said plainly. The rest nodded their heads, slumping against Chaos Control when they were near enough. The white hedgehog sat on the pavement, his letter jacket falling off his shoulders to hang on his elbows. "Where?"

Sonic raised a hand, "Lenny's." He grinned as if it was the greatest plan in the world. Knuckles began to unlock the car while Espio and Shadow made weakly argumentative faces at Sonic.

Blaze pressed a hand against her forehead, "We ate there the day before yesterday."

The blue hedgehog's drowsy face turned devious, "Then we're about due for the third visit this week. Whaddya say, Blazy?"

The lavender feline leaned back on her hips, brushing Sonic's hand from her shoulder, "Don't call me that." Sonic placed his hand back on its perch and gave her a challenging smirk, eliciting a small hiss from the cat and a irritated growl from Shadow.

Amy rubbed the side of her neck, glancing from one upperclassman to the next. Truth be told, she was a little embarrassed to go back to the diner, considering the one and only time she had been there ended in her making a fool of herself. She chewed her lower lip. Noticing her discomfort, Silver levitated himself into standing and smiled at her.

"You're worried about people remembering you."

The younger hedgehog sighed, "Is it that obvious?"

Silver chuckled warmly, "Nah, I'm just a lucky guesser. Don't worry—the people there forgot you already."

"Are you sure?"
Sonic ducked Shadow's swing with expertise, popping back up again to wink at Amy, "Course we're sure! We practically live at Lenny's." Blaze grabbed Shadow's sleeve before he could swing again. She rolled her gold eyes as she patted his coal-black hand.

"If we eat there any more often, we will."

Sonic laughed boisterously and Knuckles popped up from the driver's side. He held up his hands.

"Are we going or what?"

"Easy there, big guy!" Sonic sped around the car in the blink of an eye, "We can only go if I get to sit by Amy this time!" Glancing over his shoulder, he waggled his eyebrows at her. Amy raised a hand to her mouth to nervously chew her nails. Knuckles growled before picking Sonic up and tossing him into the car. Red sneakers smacked against the passenger window and Shadow chuckled darkly before opening the door.

"Get up. Same seating arrangement as last time." Sonic moaned sadly before crawling out. Blaze crawled in behind the seats and Amy followed tentatively. Espio completed the back seat trio and the rest of SLK bundled in. Knuckles started the car and began to pull away when Silver suddenly jolted.

"STOP! You're forgetting it's night time!"

Espio looked out the window the faintest hint of a frown on his brow, "The sun just set."

Silver balled his fists and shook them, "It's night time, okay? And night time is...?"

"TECHNO TIME!" Sonic shouted. He bumped the stereo's power button, instantly drowning the car in blaring EDM music. Amy thought her ears might have fallen off. She pressed her hands over the tender apertures, turning to Blaze.

"Is it always this loud?" Her voice was muffled by the music. Blaze shrugged and the car tore away from the parking slot before speeding into the street. The darkened scenery shot past the windows as neon signs flickered to life. Amy's ears became used to the excess volume and instead a strange energetic feeling began to fill her veins, causing her emotions to crackle with electricity. The laughter of her companions mixed into the stirring beat and the invigorating synth and Amy Rose felt more alive than she had on the roller-coaster. Now this was what college was supposed to be like!

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the idea of Rouge waking up and not being able to contact her worried Amy. How could she explain that she had only meant to apologize... then was dragged into a full day of way too much fun? Rouge's scolding was carefully maneuvered, subtle, and biting—Amy didn't look forward to it. The car slowed and Sonic lowered the volume as they pulled into the Lenny's parking lot. Silver licked his lips.

"Pancakes... all you can eat pancakes," he grinned dreamily.

"Are they really that good here?" Amy asked. The albino turned around, his yellow eyes intense.

"They are legendary..."

Amy's stomach rumbled quietly, "I'll have to try them..."

Chaos Control idled briefly before going silent and the group crawled out and walked into the little restaurant. They were assaulted with the heavenly scent of fresh comfort food. Sonic raised his black nose into the air, breathing deeply.

"I'd almost forgotten what food smelled like," he groaned dramatically. Espio buried his face into a hand.

"We ate at Twinkle Park, Sonic... it was only a few hours ago, lest you forget."

"Might as well be forever," the speedy hedgehog chuckled. Espio rolled his eyes.

"So melodramatic."

Amy giggled behind a hand at the boys' gentle bickering and followed as the skinny coyote waitress from before led them to a round booth in a secluded corner. Amy pulled open her menu and remembered the grating mental suffering of having to choose between different meals. Silver pushed his unopened menu aside, already intent on unlimited pancakes. He reached across the table for the drink menu instead. Blaze, sitting to Amy's left, pursed her lips.

"I want a milkshake..."

Amy looked up at the inappropriately weighted statement, raising an eyebrow. On the other side of Blaze, Shadow's ear twitched over his menu. His soft voice slipped past the plastic.

"So get a milkshake."

Blaze bit her lower lip and sagged into a full frown, turning the page to glare at a fancy-looking sundae, "But I want ice cream too..." Shadow's menu slapped down onto the enameled table and he blinked slowly.

"So get ice cream."

"But I'm..." Blaze's eyes flickered down to her legs and back up. Shadow closed his menu and scooted closer to the feline. With unwavering merlot gaze, he leaned into her face. Amy watched as Blaze didn't even flinch, which seemed like a mighty feat. Shadow spoke.

"You're not fat. Eat both."

"Milkshake it is!" Blaze shoved her menu into the hedgehog's face and he leaned away, rolling his eyes. Amy caught him smirking nigh imperceptibly. Meanwhile, on her other side, Silver was tapping his waiting fork on the table.

"I'm so hungry... Knuckles, hurry up!"

The echidna pressed a fist against his own forehead, eyes widening at the array of choices. He spluttered frantically, "There's too much! I don't know!"

Espio sank deeper into the booth beside Knuckles, groaning in lament, "You've been eating here for two years... how can you not know what you like by now?"

"I'm indecisive," Knuckles stated simply. Sonic snorted the water he'd been drinking and choked before twisting his face into a teasing expression.

"I'm surprised you know a word that big, Knux. You been practicing?"

"Jog on, track-nerd," Knuckles shoved the blue hedgehog away irritably, returning to his perusal. Sonic shrugged with a dark snicker and dropped his menu on top of Silver's, leaning in front of the hungry albino to gaze at Amy.

"So. Whatcha getting, Ames?"

Feeling butterflies in her stomach, Amy focused on his forehead instead of his eyes, "I-I don't know yet... Possibly this breakfast sandwich... thing?"

Pulling out of his ravenous stupor, Silver turned to look at her menu, "Oh, that's a good one. You won't be sorry..." He paused, tacking on as an afterthought, "Until you see my pancakes, that is."

Sonic swiveled his head to glower at the telekinetic, "Why does that sound like an innuendo, coming from you?"

Silver looked down his nose at his blue friend, "Because everything sounds like innuendo in your ears. What, are they clogged with all the fat from the chilidogs you eat?" The faintest pink flush spread over the bridge of Sonic's nose and he leaned back in the booth, grumbling softly. The waitress returned and took their order, leaving them to light conversation.

Amy learned that Sonic was attending Linehardt on a track-and-field scholarship—and that he was nicknamed "The Fastest Thing Alive" and the "Blue Blur". He made a terrible pun about how winning races made everything seem "racy", and that's why he always heard innuendos. Amy had laughed at first until Espio sank even lower in the booth and the rest of the group exhaled loudly. Silver explained that he hadn't lettered in any sport—he wasn't much of a runner—but instead was part of the Chess Team. When asked if he was in any sports, Shadow had scoffed and explained that he wasn't much of a "team player". He was focused on weapons science and chemistry in the hopes of securing a high-end government job after graduation. Amy was slightly intimidated and had asked Blaze about her classes to change the subject. The lavender cat shrugged, saying she just wanted to absorb as much about literature and writing as she could before she had to go back.

"Go back?" Amy asked.

"Home," Blaze murmured. Before Amy could further pursue her curiosity, the waitress returned with her arms full of plates and she doled them out with expertise. Silver immediately cut a wedge out of his oozing pancake stack and stuffed it into his mouth, moaning with pleasure.

"They're so good," he mumbled through the mouthful. Amy smiled and picked up one half of her sandwich, biting into it hungrily. The conversation fell aside as the students dug into their meals. It took less time for them to demolish the food than it had been to cook it. Finally, they all sat back and patted their stomachs. Amy rested her cheek on a hand.

"This day has been... amazing..."

Blaze pulled the straw from her mouth and gave the younger girl a small smile, "That's good... It's rare we make such a fine impression on new students." The boys nodded in agreement.

Amy sat up a little straighter, "Why does everyone say the things they do? About you guys, I mean."

Sonic leaned forward on the table with an uncharacteristic sober expression, "It's just a string of bad luck and gossiping city kids, mainly... We all went through high school together so it was a bit odd from the outside that we'd be placed into the same dorm," a smile tugged at his mouth. "I had a connection in an older student though, so it's not so much of a miracle. I guess a lot of people have a problem with Blaze living in a frat too, but she has social anxiety and we couldn't abandon her to the cattiness—pardon the pun... or not—of the sororities." Blaze stiffened at the mention of her personal problem, but rolled her eyes and pulled a knee to her chest, resting her face on it. Sonic continued, "There's also the frat rivalry with Scourge..."

"Who's Scourge?"

Sonic glared at his empty plate, "A very bad guy... Green hedgehog, stupid orange sunglasses he wears everywhere..."

Amy lurched forward, rattling the water glasses, "I saw him! He tried to get me to come to his dorm!" The table went silent and Sonic's eyebrows seemed to disappear into his forehead. His frown returned.

"Don't go near him. Don't listen to anything he says. That whole dorm is bad news and not in the same way we are."

Amy nodded and the silence seemed to swallow them up for a few awkward minutes. Then, she turned to Silver.

"So you said earlier that you and Blaze aren't from around here... Care to elaborate?"

Silver jumped and leaned as far back in his seat as he could—Blaze had smoke coming up from her hands.

"You told her?"

Silver shook his head, "I only said we weren't from around here!"

"You naive idiot..." Blaze quickly pulled her hood up, disappearing into the dark purple sweatshirt. She looked around the restaurant almost fearfully. Amy scratched her head.

"Am I missing something?"

"Well, since it's already out..." Blaze rested her arms on the table and whispered. "Silver and I are from another dimension. Don't make that face! You already accepted our... abilities, so just accept this as well. We're from the Sol Dimension and if you so much as tell a single person about me you won't be going back home for break."

Amy gulped. Shadow snickered. Blaze sat back and pulled her milkshake to herself, biting down on the straw hard. After a moment, she spoke quietly.

"I don't like to tell people, because it sounds like a tragic back story and far too Mary Sue... but you seem trustworthy, if your ridiculously innocent antics in Advanced Lit are anything to go by."

Amy sputtered.

Blaze set her glass down and fixed the pink hedgehog in her firm gaze, "I'm a princess in the Sol Dimension. I came to Mobius when I was fifteen to learn about the life of the average person, as well as escape my overbearing parents. Silver, my close friend" she gestured at the albino, "came with for safety measures. I spent a good four years in high school with this riotous bunch of idiots and the first year of college seemed successful. Then, Marine followed from Sol and... ugh!" Blaze dug her claws into a napkin, "That silly little girl keeps trying to get me to go home. I love her to death, but... I don't plan on returning until I'm good and ready."

The bizarre tale ended as abruptly as it began and Blaze went back to licking whipped cream from her fingertips. Amy breathed shakily.

"This amazing day just got weird again," she said. Sonic laughed, shattering the tense atmosphere.

"You'll get used to it, Ames."

Amy lifted her eyes to meet his green ones and bit her lip. Was he... inviting her to hang out with them again? She mentally chided herself—since when was he the "leader", anyway? Suddenly, a snore was heard from the purple chameleon half-lying down in his seat and Knuckles stated it was time to head home. They paid and returned to the noisy blue car and drove off into the night. Amy fell into a warm stupor, thinking about all the information she'd learned and the overall strangeness of the day. Before she realized they were back at Linehardt and pulling into the SLK driveway. As the others climbed from the car, stretching and chatting idly, she moved to bid them goodnight. Before she could, however, Sonic tapped her shoulder. He smiled.

"You much for video games, Amy?"

"I've never really played any," she shrugged.

"Well, we have this lovely little nightly event with a game called Street Fighter Two... You in?" He waggled his eyebrows and Amy couldn't say no.

She replied breathlessly, "Couldn't hurt to try." Sonic made a triumphant gesture and dorm members—with their new acquaintance—filed into their too-big house. Late into the night, when the moon rose into the smoggy sky and shined down on the manicured campus like white gold, the cheers and cries of a Street Fighter tournament rang out the open windows into the cool air.

Morning arrived.

Amy shot up from her position on Sigma Lambda Kappa's couch and looked around at the sleeping members in a panic. The memory of a seemingly endless game from the night before flooded her mind, forcing her to recall that she had never gone back to her dorm. Amy Rose did not often think things through, and the thought of Rouge's fury she would surely face overwhelmed her frayed nerves.

So Amy Rose screamed.

Ugh, I'm not happy with the portrayal of the ending... But I'm charging through this writer's block and I'll only do better in the future! Thank you all for your time again!