Notes: Hey guys! I'm sorry this chapter is so late! Life decided to throttle me this month :') At least this chapter is extra long to make up for it! And don't worry, this won't disrupt the regular schedule. The next chapter should come out at the end of November, just like normal. Thanks so much for being patient with me guys!

This chapter is just pure cute fun, very chill. I had wanted to focus on everyone equally, but I think Zonic ended up stealing the spotlight here. Either way, this is a chapter I've been wanting to write since like, the middle of Time Warp, so I'm glad to finally get this out there. Enjoy!

"Hey Taaiiilllsss!" Sonic cried, opening the door to the workshop with a flourish. "Your favorite brother is home!"

"Which one, Zonic or Scourge?" rang the fox's voice from downstairs. He must've been in the basement, tinkering again. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Hah hah, very funny, kid." He walked inside and closed the door with his foot. It felt good to be back, even though he'd only been gone for about a week and a half. Healing up after the whole Time Eater thing took him longer than he expected, so by the time his legs were better again, he'd pent up enough energy to take him around the world, twice. After that initial burst, he'd kept darting around, hitting up his favorite major cities across the globe. Partly to stretch his legs and experience someplace that wasn't the workshop, and partly to make sure the planet was alright. He did kind of put the whole world back together by himself. It seemed that he'd done a good job, though. He hadn't found any evidence of the Time Eater's attack having a lasting impact.

Still, that being said, Tails had gotten used to having his big bro around again, so Sonic couldn't keep himself away for too long. Especially since, apparently, he now had two other hedgehogs to compete with to be Tails's favorite. He meant that sarcastically, of course. Tails had already assured him that he was irreplaceable.

Speaking of Tails, the fox had raced out of the basement, flying across the living room to give Sonic a high five near the front door. His fur was stained black in places, from ash or oil the hedgehog couldn't quite tell.

"Jeez, what've you been tinkering with, bud?" the speedster asked, eyeing the black smudges.

"Portal tech. Zonic's belt got me interested," the two-tail said proudly, clearly excited about what this new project could have in store. "How're you doing, though? Your legs hold up alright?"

"Held up perfect! They'd better, considering how long you kept me cooped up in here," he said, a hint of joking annoyance in his voice. He ruffled Tails's bangs with his hand, and stepped further into the house. "I'm doin' good, the planet's doin' good, everything looks good."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Goodie-goodie good," Tails laughed. "So come on, give me the scoop. I know you've got more to say than just 'good.'"

"Oh, naturally," Sonic said, and the two brothers walked into the kitchen. Sonic had completely burned through his lunch on his way home, and Tails was so preoccupied in the lab that he'd forgotten to eat entirely, so they wound up making food while they talked. Throughout the conversation, though, it seemed like the speedster was eagerly building up to one thing. He grinned excitedly as he closed the microwave door on a plate of nachos. "Tails, I found a place. And it was awesome."

"Yeah? What kinda place?" Tails asked, sitting on the kitchen counter and eating the small tortilla chips that didn't make the cut, and were left off the nacho team.

The hedgehog jabbed at the 'Add 30 Seconds' button and hit start. "A beach," he said, emerald eyes sparkling. "The best beach. It's down south in the tropics, so it's nice and hot, the sand is silky soft, and it's totally surrounded by cliffs. There's pretty much no way to get down there, unless you can run faster than gravity can pull you. And it's big, and it doesn't get very windy there, and I even stuck my hand in the water for Science and determined, Scientifically, that the ocean is pleasantly warm."

"Scientifically, you say?" the fox giggled, stroking his imaginary beard in thought. "Well then, I suppose I shall have to visit this beach myself, posthaste. For science."

"My thoughts exactly. I'm thinkin' we round up the crew, make a day out of it? You and me, Knuckles, Amy, Scourge and Z?"

"We can try," Tails shrugged. "I'll spread the word around, see when everyone's free. Not like Zonic or Knuckles are ever free, but… when would be the most convenient time for us to steal them for a day, I guess."

"Sounds like a plan!" Sonic said, opening the microwave door and pulling out the nachos, the snack having reached maximum meltiness. "But first, we eat."

It took a little bit of doing to find a day when everyone could go, with Zonic's and Knuckles' schedules being particularly stubborn. The only reason the echidna agreed to leave his post was that the beach was secluded and secret, and with Zonic's portals, transport would take no time at all. If no one knew he was gone in the first place, no one would try and steal away the Master Emerald. The guardian still took a couple days to booby trap his island, just in case. Likewise, Zonic had no time to spend the whole day at the beach, especially with a war taking place in his home world. He honestly didn't mind sticking around No Zone instead of taking a vacation, but Zector and Zespio had overheard Tails' call and insisted that Zonic go. "Just call in sick!" they'd urged him, pointing out that the single time he'd ever played hookie was when he went to Mobius Prime to fight the Time Eater. Zonic gave into their badgering, and the morning of the trip, called Chief Zlaze to inform her that he'd just come down with a nasty stomach virus.

Everyone assembled at the workshop early on the afternoon of the trip. Scourge and Amy had come in on the train together, bringing their beach stuff in backpacks and totes. Amy went to change shortly after they arrived, eager to wear her new red bikini. Zonic and Knuckles had arrived shortly after, coming through one of the Zone Cop's portals. Knuckles hadn't landed Angel Island, so he had to hitch a ride. "I can't believe you people talked me into this," Zonic said, glaring mainly at Sonic as he stepped out of his portal. "You're all a bad influence on me, I can feel it."

"Z, you've been working harder than ever. You've been doing Zone Cop stuff, like, 24/7, and when you're not doing that, you're training with Knuckles. This break is for your own good," Sonic said, smirking as he loaded up a cooler with sodas and water bottles he'd taken from the fridge in the kitchen. It didn't take them long to assemble all their gear, and for Amy and Zonic to change. Tails had found the beach via satellite the night before, and he gave Z the coordinates they'd need to program his belt. He dialed it in without any trouble, and then they were off.

The six stepped onto a beautiful sandy beach, all pausing to take in the sight. It was a perfect scene, the beach totally spotless and undisturbed by the outside world. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the clear blue water lapped up gently on the sand. The breeze was gentle, as the beach was enclosed by high, shady cliffs on three sides.

"Wow…" Amy whispered, the first one to break the silence. "Sonic, this is amazing."

Knuckles smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Gotta say, Sonic, you really outdid yourself this time. Nice find."

"Thank you," the hedgehog in question replied, puffing out his chest and beaming proudly. "Anyone else want to congratulate me on finding the best beach ever? Hm? Any takers?"

Zonic closed the portal off behind him and stared in awe at the shore, his mouth twitching into a smile. "I... I forget how beautiful your world is. Just... damn. Totally worth skipping work."

"Meh. I've seen better," Scourge rolled his eyes under his sunglasses. "Where's the snack bar? The hot babes? The bathrooms?" Tails elbowed him under the ribs, shushing him.

"If you gotta go," the fox said, eyeing him skeptically, "you can just take Zonic's belt and 'port back to the house." His face softened as he turned to face Sonic again. "I think this place is amazing! I can't wait to hit the water. What do you think the waves'll be like?" He grinned from ear to ear, clutching his body board tight. It was bright blue, and seemed to have jet nozzles sticking out the back of it.

Sonic jammed a beach umbrella into the soft sand with a grunt. "Don't know. Don't care. I'm gonna chill right here where it's nice and dry."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Tails sighed as his brother opened the umbrella with a satisfying foomp! "Is anyone else going to come in with me?" the fox addressed the rest of them, kicking off his flip flops.

Knuckles shrugged. "Maybe once we've got everything here set up."

"Fuck no," Scourge shook his head. "I'm with Blue on this one. Me an' water don't mix."

Amy slipped off her sandals, setting them in the sand next to Tails's. "I'll go in with you," the girl said. She removed her cover-up, revealing the red and white bikini she was wearing underneath. "We can leave the party poopers here!" She laughed, sending a wink Sonic's way so he got the message that she was just kidding.

"Sounds like a plan," Zonic smirked, cracking his neck to the side. He unclicked his belt and set it aside with the rest of everyone's things. "The water looks amazing!"

Everyone except for Sonic stared at him incredulously. "You swim?"

The Zone Cop blinked, not expecting the surprise. "Um… Yeah. Water's never really bothered me, I guess?" he said sheepishly.

Scourge shook his head and began unloading his bag. "Of course, you wouldn't inherit the whole water thing from Sonic. Lucky bastard…" he grumbled, unfolding a beach chair and wedging it firmly in the ground.

Sonic laughed as half of their group headed for the ocean. "Seriously, you blame me for that? So cheap, dude."

"Who else am I supposed to blame?"

"What, you think I wanted to hate water?"

Knuckles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Will you two shut up?" he complained, setting up a second umbrella. "I thought we came here to relax and have a good time."

Scourge glared at him. "Sorry for disturbing you, Mr. I-still-don't-trust-Scourge-for-trying-to-hijack-the-Master-Emerald-that-one-time." Sonic groaned and shook his head as Knuckles balled his fists.

"You got that right, I don't trust you. You want a black eye to match those scars I gave you?"

Scourge grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "You wanna go? Bring it on, enchilada."

"I'm an echidna, Lawnhead."

"Lawnhead?!"

"Really, guys?" Sonic said, standing between the two. "Knuckles is right, we came here to have some fun and relax. Can't you two at least try and get along?" Scourge and Knuckles continued to stare daggers at each other for a moment or two before breaking eye contact, the echidna turning to dig something out of the cooler and the green hedgehog leaning back in his seat. Satisfied at breaking up the fight before it escalated into something physical, Sonic turned his attention to the sea, where everyone else was wading into the water.

"Hey, Tails! How's the water?" Amy called out from the shore, Zonic standing next to her. Tails had already run into the ocean, more than excited to try out his jet-propelled body board.

"Not too cold, actually!" the fox yelled back, submerged up to his chest. "Come on in!"

"Don't mind if I do," Zonic said, pulling off his t-shirt and tossing it in a ball back to the dryer sand. Amy blinked. Even though Zonic was still wearing trunks, just taking his shirt off made him look so much more like Sonic. They truly looked practically identical, the only differences being the scars on Zonic's leg and the thin tattoo on his wrist. On his opposite wrist was a silver bracelet, which looked suspiciously electronic.

"Um, can that go in water?" Amy asked, pointing to the bracelet. "It's sort of blinking, it won't get shorted out?"

"Oh, this? It's my stabilizer, it keeps me grounded in other Zones. My world is sideways, so I'm stuck sideways, y'know? This is a newer model, so it's waterproof. Unlike last time… Yeah, I kinda sent word down to R&D that a waterproof version was badly needed." The cop laughed, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. Water hit his bare feet as the waves rolled in. It sent a small shiver up his spine, more from the surprise than from the temperature. "Huh, Tails was right. Not as cold as I thought it would be," he smiled, happily wading further into the water. Once he was in up to his knees, he realized Amy was taking her time in following him in. "Something wrong?" he asked the pink hedgehog, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

"Hm? Oh, no! No, everything's totally fine," Amy said, quickly looking down at the water, embarrassed that she was caught staring. "It's just kind of surreal. Since you look so much like Sonic, and Sonic hates water. He would have been out of here as soon as his feet even got wet."

Zonic's eyeridges shot up in surprise. "It's that bad? Really?" Tails paddled over to them, using his namesakes as a propeller as he hugged his body board. "Tails, is Sonic really that nervous around water?"

"Are you kidding?" the young fox answered. "He doesn't like people knowing, but Sonic's a huge hydrophobe. If it's not coming out of a faucet, he's scared of the stuff like you wouldn't believe."

"Wow, seriously? I mean, I knew he couldn't swim, but... Huh. Guess I don't know as much about Prime as I thought I did."

"Let's be honest, Sonic keeps a lot of things secret," Tails shrugged. "Pretty sure he doesn't have a secret crush on anyone, though," he said just as Amy's face started to light up with hope. "Sorry, Amy."

"Oh! Tails, don't get my hopes up for nothing!" the girl whined, half-joking, and splashed Tails to get back at him. The kit laughed, his bangs drooping down into his eyes.

"Oh, trust me, you don't want any of this!" he said, sitting up on his board and preparing to splash her back. Before he even got the chance, Zonic rushed him from the side and got underneath his board, flipping him over and into the water. Amy stifled laughter as Tails resurfaced, completely soaked. "That's it! This means war!" Tails cried, going at the two hedgehogs with everything he had.

This soon evolved into a full-scale water war, with all three parties splashing and tackling the others with reckless abandon. Tails started using his jet-propelled body board for drive-by splashings, so Zonic and Amy only felt that it was fair that they retreat back to the shore to arm themselves with the water guns that someone had the foresight to bring. Agreeing on a temporary truce to bring down the two-tailed powerhouse, the two hedgehogs raced back into the ocean, guns ablazing.

The screeching and howling laughter from their water fight could be heard by the other three on shore, eliciting curious glances towards the water. "The hell is goin' on out there? They dyin' or somethin'?" Scourge asked, pushing his shades to the top of his head. He was relaxing in the shade of the umbrellas, an open can of soda in his hand. Sonic was a few feet away, lying out in the sun.

"Looks like a splash fight to me. One that Tails is losing pretty badly," the blue blur chuckled. He knew from experience that Tails was a vicious splasher- getting the kid to take a bath when he was younger ended up with everything in the room getting completely soaked through- at it was satisfying to see him be on the receiving end of it for once.

"Oh, that's just unfair," Knuckles said, watching Tails get nailed on both sides by two simultaneous attacks. "I think maybe he could use a hand."

"Hey, be my guest," Sonic said, motioning towards the bag full of water guns several feet away. "Go show Ames and Z who's boss. We'll hold the fort."

"Sure you don't want to come, too?" the echidna asked, walking towards the guns and rifling through them to find one that suited him. "You can just stay where it's dryer and shoot from there."

Sonic shook his head without hesitation. "Nah, I'm good! The water guns probably won't reach them from that far, anyway," he said quickly. He gave Knuckles a thumbs up. "Go kick butt for me!"

Knuckles shrugged. "Sure, if you say so." He took off running through the sand, unscrewing the cap on the gun's tank as he went. "Hey, Tails! Backup is on the way!"

"Finally, Red's gone," Scourge sighed, taking a sip of his soda. "Now I can actually relax."

"Aw, Knux is a good dude. He's usually pretty trusting, but I guess he's been backstabbed one too many times. The number of times Eggman managed to fool him just by using those puppy dog eyes of his... " Sonic chuckled. "He'll warm up to you, don't sweat it."

"I don't care too much either way," the green one muttered, slipping his sunglasses back over his eyes. He dug his toes into the sand and turned his eyes to the ocean, where Knuckles was now joining the fray. "So. What, uh..." He sniffed and scratched behind his ear. "What made you hate water?"

Sonic's ears perked up at the question. "Um... I don't really think it was one singular event, y'know? I mean, if it was, I was too young to remember it. I just was always afraid of it, especially because I sink like a rock. I just- I dunno, I always feel like-"

"Like you won't be able to get out again?"

"... Yeah, actually. How did you- oh, yeah, right. You're me. I forget sometimes. Because a lot of the time, it really does feel like we're twins or something, but… Nah, we are literally the same person."

"Right? It's fuckin' weird. An' you know, I never talked to anyone about this junk. You've told Tails, I assume, but I've just been keepin' shit like this bottled up my whole life. Never thought I'd have anyone to talk to who understands this kinda stuff, but hey, here we are."

"I getcha. For years, Tails would try to get me to go in the water, insisting he would teach me to swim. He just never really got that I didn't want to. That I know that the water won't bite, that it's… somewhat safe... but I still just don't wanna go in. I'm still not sure he gets it, really. But he tries."

"How the hell Z didn't end up like we did, that's what I'd like to know," Scourge chuckled. "I mean, look at 'im out there. Guy's completely at ease. It's unnatural."

"At least you and Z don't look identical. It's like I'm looking into a mirror. A really, really weird mirror." Sonic had to admit, it was almost a little off-putting to see Zonic enjoying himself in the ocean so much. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles seemed to have gotten used to it quickly enough, but no matter how many times he saw his No Zone-self swim, it always freaked Sonic out. "So... was there one time that made you afraid to go in the water?"

"That's none of yer business, Blue," Scourge hmphed.

"Aw, come on, I told you why I don't like the stuff. It's only fair."

"S'not my fault you're an open book."

"What, you think I'll spill about just anything?" Sonic smirked. "Tell."

"Ugh, fine. Pushy McNosypants," the green hog rolled his eyes. "It was nothin' special, just my old man bein' a shitty parent again. When I was real little, when Mom was still alive, we all went on a family yacht trip. Fun times, right? Except for the fact that my dad wasn't payin' attention when he was puttin' on my life vest, and neither of my parents were payin' attention when I stumbled and fell under one of the guard rails. Luckily it wasn't that high of a drop, but the jacket came off when I hit the water. It was a good thing someone had the sense to dive in and grab me 'fore I drowned."

"Yikes… Yeah, that'll do it," Sonic said quietly, a cold bead of sweat dripping down the back of his neck. That must've been terrifying, especially to a little kid. No wonder Scourge wanted to know if something similar had happened to him. "I'm sorry that happened to you, that's awful."

"To be fair, pretty much everything in my life was awful for a long time. It is what it is," the Moebian shrugged.

"Mm. What's passed is past, right?" The blue hedgehog offered up a smile.

"Readin' my mind, Blue," Scourge nodded. He drank from his soda quietly as the conversation between them fell into a lull. The sounds of laughter and battle cries could be heard coming from the ocean as the water fight waged on. Sonic flipped himself over on his towel so that he was laying on his stomach, resting comfortably as the afternoon sun warmed him. He was about to drift off, listening to the easy in and out of the ocean, when Scourge quietly spoke. "Thanks, Sonic."

"Hmm? What for?" Sonic asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"For… for takin' me seriously. For listenin', not makin' fun of me and whatever." He spoke quickly, like he was trying to get the words out before he changed his mind.

"Wha… Why would I make fun of you? For opening up about this stuff?" the blue one frowned. "Look man, I bottle stuff up all the time, stuff that I know I should talk to someone about. I'm not very good at being anything other than happy. I think you're the same way, that anything other than anger or apathy is out of your comfort zone. For me, it takes a lot to talk about serious stuff, like being afraid. I'm not gonna insult you, I'll give you props. Telling me about the time you almost drowned has to take serious guts. And besides, everyone's scared of something, everyone gets sad about some things. I got your back, man. I don't judge."

"Hmph. Good to know." Scourge leaned back in his chair, his head tilted up towards the sky. He was still not used to having friends, and part of him still expected some sort of backlash whenever he opened up about anything. But with Sonic, that was never the case. Maybe it was because the two were extremely similar at their core, and it was easy for them to understand what was going on in the other's head. Talking to Sonic about his fear of water was easy, since they both experienced the same fear. It just felt strange to have someone easy to talk to about almost anything. 'Well, being friends with a bunch'a heroes does have its perks, I guess,' Scourge thought. 'Including, but not limited to: not being fuckin' persecuted for your faults.' The corner of his lip twitched, a small smile forming. That wasn't the only positive thing to come out of turning his life around, of course. For example, he was lounging on a private beach instead of nursing bruises in a jail cell. He was hanging out with people he felt he could trust, instead of a group of opportunists who could turn on him at any second. 'Yeah,' he smirked, finishing off his can of soda, 'this whole career change was a good idea on my part. Good job, past Scourge.'

It was almost five o'clock by the time Zonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles came out of the ocean, all soaked to the bone and exhausted from their prolonged water battle. Sonic and Scourge had both fallen asleep in the passing hours, the warmth from the sun acting as a toasty warm blanket. As the four tired warriors approached them, Knuckles whispered something in Tails' ear and motioned for everyone else to stay back. The fox crept ahead, coming to stand directly between the two sleeping hedgehogs. He nodded to Knuckles before he shook violently from head to toe, sending water flying off of him and onto his two friends. They both sputtered back to life, wiping the water off of themselves.

"Agh, Tails!" Sonic shouted, having rolled off of his towel in surprise and landing in the hot sand. Everyone who was already soaked laughed at the light shower the two received. "Ugh," Sonic said, covering his nose. "You smell like a wet dog, dude."

"Meh. Canine problems," the fox laughed. "Did you two enjoy your nap?"

"Until the rain started, yeah," Scourge said grumpily.

"I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep," Sonic admitted. "I probably have crazy sunburn on my back. Not looking forward to dealing with that once it starts to hurt…"

Knuckles smirked, wringing the water out of his dreadlocks. "Well, that's what you get for gettin' comfy in the warm sun. Meanwhile, the rest of us were all fighting for our lives."

Amy wrapped a towel around herself and nodded. "It got really intense, huh? Especially because we were so evenly matched."

"Evenly matched, are you kidding?" Tails interjected. "Zonic's crazy good with guns! He managed to shoot water up Knuckles' nose!"

"He did not!" the echidna said defensively. Zonic chuckled.

"Yeah, I did. And the fight was absolutely even; if it wasn't, we wouldn't have been out there for hours, and we wouldn't have had to call it a draw."

"You are the least grateful student I've ever had," Knuckles grumbled under his breath.

Scourge wiped the water off of his sunglasses. "Wow, sure am sorry I missed out on that party," he said sarcastically. "So is anyone else starving, or is it just me?"

As it turned out, everyone was feeling hungry, and not just for the snacks they'd packed in their bags. They wanted a full meal, especially those who had been fighting in the water. Not totally ready to call it a day for the beach, Zonic opened a portal to a boardwalk (one highly recommended by Sonic). The boardwalk wasn't too far from their small private beach, so the weather was just as clear and warm. There were a number of people walking about, but not enough for the place to feel very crowded. There was a nice view of a long beach, and they were just close enough to the water that the air still had a tinge of saltiness to it. There was pop music playing through speakers along the boardwalk and the whole place smelled of hot, fried food and sweet desserts.

The gang walked along the boardwalk, looking for some place that looked good to stop for food. They turned quite a few heads, but luckily, they didn't get swarmed by curious fans. Sonic and Tails got asked for a few selfies, but that was about it. They stopped once they found a pizza place, and from there, it wasn't long before they were chowing down.

"So, Zonic," Amy said between bites. "What do you think is the best pizza place in the multiverse?"

"The whole multiverse?" the Zone Cop nearly choked. Scourge laughed.

"Haha, yeah man, c'mon, where's the best pizza? Which dimensions got the good grub?"

"You guys know I usually just go to different Zones when I'm on missions, right?" he asked, smiling awkwardly. "I don't exactly have a lot of time to sample the food-"

"Z, you've been a Zone Cop since you were fourteen years old," Sonic said, gesturing towards Zonic with the slice of pizza in his hand. "Don't tell me you haven't tried food from other Zones. Because you're me, and when I travel, I always love trying the food."

"Oh my gods," Zonic snorted quietly. "Uh, I guess for best pizza? Um… I liked Moebius's a lot," he said, causing Scourge to let out a whoop. "The Light Zone's got some killer burritos, though, and Mobius Delta's got some of the best noodles I've ever had."

"Hah! I don't sample the food, he says," Sonic chuckled, punching his counterpart in the arm. This sparked a food conversation that lasted even after they left the restaurant, with everyone telling stories about weird foods they'd tried over the years. Zonic and Sonic dominated the conversation, each being extremely well-traveled, though Knuckles was also able to chime in and talk about old echidnan recipes he had attempted to make.

The six friends, full of warm food and feeling energetic, took to walking around the boardwalk and looking at all the shops and games. Everything looked pretty interesting, though they didn't see anything worth spending their money on- until Tails pointed out a sign advertising a 25 Ring Crane Machine Warehouse. Deciding it was worth a look, they all stepped inside.

The term 'warehouse' was perhaps a bit generous, but they still entered into a large room that was filled with rows upon rows of crane machines. The place was well-lit and colorful, but had surprisingly few people inside. "Ooooh," Sonic said, a grin spreading across his face. He quickly sped up and down the aisles, scoping the place out.

"Anything good?" Knuckles asked as Sonic skidded to a stop in front of them a few seconds later.

"...I dunno, I went too fast," the hedgehog admitted before taking off again, going a bit more slowly this time. When he returned for the second time, he nodded. "Yeah, okay, there's some pretty good stuff. Lotsa stuffed toys, some plastic Chaos Emeralds, there were some in the back with Chao in Space toys-"

"Outta my way," Zonic said, eyes wide with excitement. He made a beeline towards the machines in the back, as the others shrugged and decided to follow.

Tails flew above the machines, trying to keep a look out for the ones the Zone Cop might want to visit first. "You like Chao in Space?" he asked, a bit surprised. Zonic had never mentioned it before, and from his expression, it seemed like something he was passionate about.

"Chao in Space is my favorite movie," the cop said, eyes scanning the machines' contents. "Movies from other Zones used to get released in No Zone a lot, but since the war started up… There hasn't been much. Aha!" He rushed over to a machine that had caught his eye, this one being filled with various chao in different sorts of robo-walkers. The toys were small, only about the size of his fist, and fairly rounded. "Man, getting one of these out is gonna be a pain," he groaned, leaning in towards the glass.

Scourge snorted, looking around at the other machines disinterestedly. "Well, I guess we know where you'll be for the next hour or so."

"If my rings will even last me that long," the No Zoner rolled his eyes in reply. He pulled his wallet out of his shorts pocket and reached inside for some rings. "Eh… yeah, this'll last me a while, actually." He inserted them into the ring slot, and he started to play.

Amy smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, best of luck to you! I'm gonna look around more, see what else is here. Maybe I can win something for Cream!"

"Aw, nice! I wanna find something too," Sonic said, stretching his arms out.

"Sonic," Knuckles deadpanned, "you own like, three things. What do you need to start collecting cheaply-made toys for?"

"I dunno, man! I just wanna win something. Whatever I get, I'll probably give to some kid on the boardwalk anyway," he shrugged, turning away from the rest of the group. "Good luck, Z!" He waved and started to wander off, Amy following him. Tails decided to tag along too, so that the two hedgehogs wouldn't be alone together.

Knuckles lazily began to slunk the other way, leaving Zonic and Scourge alone. By now, Zonic was on his third try with no success.

"Don't you wanna try and win something?" the No Zoner asked. Scourge did a half-shrug.

"I'll save my rings. Nothin' really grabbin' me, anyway. Which one of those are you goin' for?"

"Commander Chaoko, the red one on the right."

Scourge narrowed his eyes as he identified the toy in question. He scooted around to the side, trying to get a view of it through the machine to its left. "You need to move back a little more," he said, guiding Zonic's claw. "Little more… 'kay, good."

The claw dropped, wrapped around the round form of the chao walker, and… it didn't grab tight enough. The cop cursed softly under his breath, putting more rings in the machine. "These things are so rigged."

"So why do you keep playing?"

"Because they're rigged to make you lose most of the time, but they have to let you win sometime. Or else no one would ever play them, you know? If I keep getting direct hits, it'll work at some point. It's science."

"Yeah… probability or some shit. A little bit more to the left, dude."

"Thanks. Yeah, probability, that's it."

The two hedgehogs made simple conversation as they tried to get the one toy out of the game, both becoming laser focused. After a while, they switched places, with Scourge manning the controls and Zonic looking from the side to judge depth. They nailed the aim almost every time, but the crane refused to get a tight enough grip to lift it. The best they did was knock it over onto its side.

After a bit, Amy returned to them, stuffed animal in hand. Since her attempts at winning had been fruitful, the boys got her to try and win the toy for Zonic, too. It wasn't long after that that Sonic returned empty-handed and out of rings, and Tails and Knuckles wandered back. The whole gang was watching intensely and taking turns, at this point determined not to leave until they'd won the Chao in Space toy for Z.

"I'm gonna go cash in some mobiums for rings," Tails said, holding up a few bills. "I'll be right back!"

"What? No, you don't have to!" Zonic said, his hands on the controls again. "I-It's just a cheap toy, I've probably spent too much money on this as it is."

"Exactly! You can't give up now! Besides, you need a souvenir," the fox said, trotting off to find the closest change machine.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. "Seriously," Scourge said, "we've been here too damn long to walk away empty-handed. Like you said, we'll win it at some point. And when we do win this thing for you, it had better get an honorary and loving spot on your shelf at home."

"You kidding? If we win this thing, I'll put it on my desk at work," the Zone Cop said. "And I'm the only guy in the station without any sort of decoration at my desk. We are talking about a clean, never-been-adorned desk."

Knuckles snorted. "How am I not surprised?"

"This just got way more intense," Sonic smiled. "We gotta do it now. This is going to be Z's first desk toy. Guys, this is history in the making."

"Good thing I brought my camera," Amy fished around inside her bag.

"Guys!" Zonic laughed, his cheeks growing hot. "I-It's not that big a deal, really!"

"Yeah, but it's fun!" Sonic smiled. "Sometimes it's just the little things in life, y'know? I think some of the most fun days I've had were chill days that Tails and I decided to make a little bit special by just treating ourselves to something."

Scourge gagged. "Gods, you're sappy. I'm disgusted to share DNA with you."

"Both of you shush!" Amy said, pulling out her phone and holding it up sideways. "Everyone stand a little closer together- oh Tails, you get in this, too!" she said, ushering the returning fox into the frame. Sonic and Tails smiled as she started taking pictures, with Scourge and Knuckles only glancing at the camera apathetically. Zonic, his cheeks flushed, had turned his attention back to the crane game, hunching over it awkwardly.

"OH," the Zone Cop suddenly gasped, freezing where he stood. "OH, GUYS, I THINK- OH!"

Everyone instantly turned back to look at the crane machine, staring fiercely through the glass. The toy was in the crane's grip, and was slowly being lifted in place. They all went dead silent. When the crane went as far up as it could go, it started moving to the side, towards where it would drop off the prize. Little Commander Chaoko slipped a little bit when the crane shifted direction, causing them all to gasp, but the crane managed to hang on. It just had to move a little bit more, a little closer… After what felt like an eternity, the crane was positioned over the hole. It opened its jaws, dropping the toy directly into the hole, sending it down the chute and releasing it from its glass prison.

Everyone immediately started screaming ecstatically, like it was the happiest moment of their lives. Tails was jumping up and down, Scourge was shaking Zonic by the shoulders, and Amy was giggling with her phone still out, recording their reactions. Sonic and Knuckles high fived, locking eyes and suddenly trying to out-scream each other. Meanwhile, Zonic held his new prize in one hand, and his face in the other. His cheeks turned a bright red as his friends continued cheering, drawing the attention of everyone else in the arcade and a number of people outside on the boardwalk.

"You guys are so embarrassing," he whined, to which everyone else laughed, except Sonic and Knuckles. They stopped screaming, out of breath, and Sonic doubled over wheezing and laughing. Knuckles was taking deep breaths, leaning up against the crane machine next to him. Zonic couldn't help but chuckle. "...Why?" he asked, looking at them both as if they had grown second heads.

Tails shook his head. "Don't question it. This is why we don't let them go out in public," he snorted. Sonic raised a finger and looked like he was about to retort, but he just kept laughing instead.

"I can't believe I recorded that whole thing," Amy smiled, saving the video. "Z, lemme see what you won! One last pic!" Zonic obliged, holding up the small figure and smiling sheepishly. Scourge stuck his tongue out at the camera, and Tails pointed comically to the doubled-over Sonic and Knuckles in the background. "Oh yeah, this is a keeper," the girl laughed, taking the picture and then stowing her phone away.

"Cool, can we go now?" the cop said with a laugh. "I'm all out of money, and I'm pretty sure they'll kick us out anyway if we keep being so loud."

"Yeah," Sonic gasped in agreement, "I... I think I'm done with the boardwalk. I'm flat broke, too!"

"Same," Amy chimed in, holding up her prize as proof.

By the time they all made their way back to their private beach, the sun had set, and the clear sky glittered with stars. The ocean seemed to have slowed down, the crashes of the waves on the shore becoming quieter as the night set in. It was still pleasantly warm outside, but the beach had grown very dark, isolated from the lights and sounds of the boardwalk. It was quiet except for the sounds of Zonic's portal closing, their footsteps through the loose sand, and the gentle rolling of the waves.

Everyone started walking back to where they'd left their things a couple hours earlier, except Zonic. He was staring up at the stars, struggling to take them all in. He'd seen stars before, of course, but not terribly often. Most nights, he was in Zone City, where the light pollution hid all the stars from view. He was always captivated by a good view, and this many stars in the clear sky, with the ocean as a backdrop… it was something.

He felt someone grab him by the arm, and he turned to see Knuckles, slyly grinning and dragging him back over towards the others. "C'mon, city boy. We're starting a campfire."

While he had been distracted, Sonic had dashed up the cliffside and fetched a few armfuls of firewood. He set it not far from their other supplies, so bringing over the beach chairs was easy. After Zonic and Knuckles rejoined the group, the fire didn't take long to get going. Before they knew it, they were all sitting around a roaring fire, just relaxing.

It was a peaceful ending to the day, all of them starting to feel tired after spending so much time out and about. Even Sonic and Scourge, who had napped, were starting to get sleepy again. The green hedgehog was leaning far back in his beach chair, eyes unfocused and pointed towards the fire. Tails sat next to him, roasting some marshmallows he had packed just for this specific purpose. He passed a stick with a fresh marshmallow to Knuckles, though the echidna was more interested in watching the treats slowly burn and drip off the stick than actually eating them. Zonic went back to staring up at the sky, and Amy, now bent on keeping a record of the remainder of their beach day, was back to taking pictures. Sonic, once he was done building up and tending to the fire, walked over to their pile of beach bags and pulled out something that no one had even seen him pack up: an acoustic guitar.

"Oh Chaos, you would be that douche," Scourge laughed when he brought it back over to them. "You're the acoustic guitar douche!"

"Every friend group needs one," Sonic smirked as he sat down, crossing his legs and resting the guitar on his knees.

"Aw, cute!" Amy cheered with a smile. "Campfire singalong!"

"Eh, if you want," Sonic shrugged. "I kinda just wanted to noodle around a lil' bit." He turned his attention to tuning the guitar, gently turning the knobs at the head and testing out the strings.

"Good," Scourge said with a hmph. "'Cause I sure as shit ain't about to sing anything."

Tails grinned, shooting him an incredulous look. "Aw, what? Why?"

"I don't sing, pipsqueak. 'Sides, I sound like Sonic chewed and swallowed a whole cigarette. My voice ain't good for it."

"Like that stops Sonic," Knuckles said, still not taking his eyes off the melting marshmallow he held in the fire.

"Hey!"

"He's just kidding, Sonic," Amy said, shooting Knuckles a subtle glare that went unnoticed.

"No I wasn't," Knuckles said back.

Sonic stuck his tongue out at him as he finished tuning, gently strumming the guitar to make sure it sounded right. The sound snapped Zonic out of his reverie, and brought him back to the group. Sonic started playing a simple tune, one that didn't have too much structure or any words. He simply hummed along, letting the song go wherever it wanted. It was a nice, bright sound, one that was calming and friendly. Tails started to drum along, picking up some sticks that hadn't been consumed by the fire and using them to bang on whatever was nearby. Amy filmed with her phone, holding the device with one hand and using the other to clap on her thigh. Scourge tried to hide his smile, kind of enjoying how sappy and cliche the moment- no, the whole day- was. Sonic eventually started playing recognizable songs, still humming along at first, but slowly starting to mix some words into it.

Heads were bobbing and feet were tapping along, though no one else sang along until Sonic started playing a long rock ballad that he and Tails both knew all the words to. The two brothers started singing loudly, Sonic strumming hard and Tails drumming passionately on his knees.

They played until their arms were tired, their hands and fingers beginning to get sore and their voices threatened to crack. Polite applause ensued, and Sonic bowed dramatically.

"You done?" Scourge joked with a yawn, tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. "Aah, jeez. What time is it?"

Amy checked the time on her phone, suppressing a yawn herself. "Uh, it's a bit past 9."

"Dang, really?" Sonic chuckled, stretching out his fingers. "Well, time flies when you're having fun, I guess."

"Ugh… guys, I have work tomorrow," Zonic groaned, slouching over and burrowing his toes into the sand. His face scrunched up in mild annoyance. He usually liked going to work, he loved his job. But he didn't want to leave, he just wanted to stay and be with his friends and camp out under the stars.

"Can't you just call in sick again?" Tails asked, holding one of his makeshift drumsticks in the fire, watching it intensely as it started to turn black.

"No way. The chief'll have my ass, and I can't ask Zector and Zespio to cover for me two days in a row. Even if they were the ones who wanted me to come here in the first place," he sighed. "I'll probably have to leave soon. I'm totally wiped, and I gotta shower when I get back."

"And you're our ride," Scourge grumbled. "Lame. Draggin' us home early…"

Knuckles shrugged. "We've been on the beach all day. This was fun, but I think I've had my fill." He climbed to his feet, stretching as he did so. "We might as well start packing up."

They all tiredly agreed, and they started packing up their supplies. Towels, chairs, umbrellas, snacks, water guns, all got sorted between their owners and packed into bags. With all six of them, it didn't take long to assemble everything. Last but not least, they put out what remained of their bonfire, scattering the rest of the wood. Once that was all done, Zonic started opening portals, sending everyone home. Sonic and Tails waved cheerfully as they went back to the workshop. Scourge gave the Zone Cop a high five before jumping through the portal to his apartment building, Amy following after him and telling Zonic that she would send him photos the next day. Knuckles confirmed the date of their next training session before he walked through the portal to Angel Island, finding the Master Emerald in the same place he'd left it.

With each of the three portals closed, Zonic yawned before opening up his own, leading him back to his own apartment in Zone City. He climbed through the portal, adjusting himself to the shift in gravity and Zector and Zespio immediately bombarded him with questions about his day.

The next day, everyone in the station was astounded to see a small, red, Chao in Space toy proudly sitting on Zonic's desk.

Notes: I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm worried it's a little stale without much conflict in it, but gosh dangit these kids need a break every once in a while, so I gave them a fun day out. They deserve it.

In other news, the Sonic chat I'm a part of recently migrated from Skype to Discord! If anyone is interested in joining us to talk about headcanons, theories, and just discuss Sonic and other things in general, PM me!

Please leave a review if you liked this chapter! They seriously brighten my day, and they're what inspires me to keep writing these stories. Thanks so much!