Tails blinked. He was scared. A cold chill swept across his body, he could not remember anything about where he was or how he came to be at his present location. Tails' body was trembling when just then he felt something gently squeeze his hand. Tails looked to his right and saw Sonic who was standing next to him, holding his hand tightly. He looked to his left to see Amy doing the same on his left.

"My buddy and I are ready to check out of here." Sonic said to a receptionist.

"We'll be sure to take good care of him!" Amy cheerfully added.

Tails squeezed Sonic's hand harder as his mind raced to make sense of what had transpired to leave his memory of events an empty void. "Where… where am I? What happened to me, Sonic? I can't remember... I can't remember anything. Why can't I remember anything!" Tails' was beginning to panic and was on the verge of tears.

"You'll be okay buddy. It's just a short term memory loss. Everything will be a-okay. Trust me."

Tails' mind calmed. He could always trust Sonic and Amy. His mind raced once more as he tried to recall the last date he had memory of or what he last did. Nothing came to mind.

Tails' disposition changed suddenly, realizing he did not have time to pity himself or be fearful. He needed to gain control of his circumstances if at all possible. "How long does it last?"

Amy put her finger to her chin in thought, "The nurse said the condition usually lasts no more than a couple days depending on the severity of the case, then you'll be back to normal. As for now, your short term memories will only last between two through five minutes before they are lost."

"I need paper and a pencil." Tails said. Amy was handed a piece of paper and a spare pencil from the receptionist, who then handed it to Tails.

"Tails," Sonic began, "I want you to know that we were in a plane crash together. It's not your fault and you're going to be just fine. We're taking Amy's car back to your workshop so you can rest and relax."

Tails' mind raced. He had a pit in his stomach that something was not right. That there was something incredibly important he was forgetting. He just had to remember what it was… what could it be? "What day is today? I need the full date!"

When Tails heard what day it was, memories from months ago flooded back. Or rather, the images and smile of someone who was very important to him. Tails began writing details and instructions to himself on his paper furiously.

The receptionist pulled out some documents and put them on the counter in front of Sonic. She then gave him a pen and pointed at several locations where his signature was required.

"Sign here, by doing so you state that you two are leaving of your own free will despite our request that you stay and our professional opinion that you need more time to rest and heal. Once signed you two will be free to go."

Tails blinked. "Sonic… where… where am I? What's happening? I can't remember anything!"

"Don't worry buddy. It's just a short term memory loss. Everything will be a-okay. It should last no more than a couple days then you'll be back to your normal self. You have three to five minutes before your mind is blank again but Amy and I will be with you the whole time until you're back to normal. You should check that note you wrote to yourself there in your hands."

Tails looked at his hands and noticed he was holding a piece of paper and a pencil. He read the message he wrote himself… "Thanks Sonic, I feel a lot better now." Sonic had finished signing the documents so they could leave. Abruptly, the door to the lobby swung open and two individuals walked through the doorway. A Bat and an Echidna were having a heated argument. Knuckles was making his way to exit the building, his face was fuming and he walked angrily as his loud and heavy steps reverberated across the reception area.

A livid Rouge was struggling to keep up with Knuckles as her injuries were still healing, "You're an idiot. A fool. A Knucklehead. A slave to tradition! All you care about is that dumb Emerald. What good is it anymore? If it were thrown in the bottom of the ocean what would change? Nothing! You'd just be on the same island and left to face the fact you have no real purpose in your life with nothing worth living for. Why can't you see that I'm only trying to help you?"

Knuckles stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and pointed a massive finger at a startled Rouge who began to step backwards in retreat with each advancing step the raging red Echidna took forward, "You listen to me and you listen well, my people are dead. All of them! I am the last of my race, facing extinction because of the greed and power lust of my ancestors. The only legacy I have to remember and honor them by, to make amends for their wrongdoings, my entire life's purpose is on that island. It is to protect the Master Emerald and ensure no other race or civilization falls to the greed and power of the Master and Chaos Emeralds. To ensure they don't fall into the hands of power hungry tyrants like Eggman, or into the hands of petty thieves like you, and if you think that purpose is pointless... then you truly are petty."

"That wasn't what I meant, Knuckie." Rouge said solemnly.

"Don't you dare call me that and you meant what you said. Words matter."

"I meant… what I meant was... why not give it to the military, or put it in a high security bank? Why spend your life guarding it when you have so much more to live for? There's a whole world of places to see and people to meet-"

"-I'm content."

"You… you don't want more out of your life?"

"More? What more is there?"

Rouge was silent, her face deadly serious as she stared deep into Knuckle's violet eyes. As Knuckles stared back his anger dissipated and he found himself momentarily helpless as he lost himself in Rouge's teal-green eyes.

"Love." Rouge said.

"...I'm leaving." Knuckles had turned around, his back toward Rouge, and was about to walk away when Rouge grabbed his right arm with both her hands as she spoke pleadingly.

"Why can't you just accept that we have feelings for one another? Why be so stubborn?"

Knuckles looked down at the ground. His voice was heavy with disappointment and pessimism. "... it wouldn't work out. Our way of living is too different."

"You don't know that."

Knuckles turned his head to look at Rouge over his shoulder with a dumbfounded expression, not believing what he just heard. "Seriously? Could you eat bugs for breakfast? Could you live without Air Conditioning? Could you kill an animal for food?"

"Yes. I could." Rouge said confidently but with poorly hidden revulsion.

Knuckles turned his gaze, looking forward and away from Rouge. "I doubt it..."

"...Listen, Knuckie, my work has just given me time off to relax and heal before returning. I've got a week of regrets to make. Come with me to Grand Metropolis. We can dress up and visit the opera, taste fine dining, go to a high rollers party or just be lazy and cuddle in our suite. We can play the slots and enjoy drinks in Casino Park then spend a day on the beaches of Emerald Coast, by then I'll have healed enough to fly to Angel Island and I'll eat as many bugs as you want me to." Rouge leaned forward, pressing her chest upon the Echidna's back as she wrapped her arms around Knuckles waist, she blew heavily into the red Echidna's ear then whispered in a sultry voice, "One week together. Just you and me. All alone with our mischief."

Knuckles tore himself away from Rouge's hold as he blushed furiously, his face was as red as his fur when he spoke. "You just don't get it. Never mind the issue of money."

"Naturally I'd pay for you. I'd be happy to."

Knuckles had regained his stoic composure, "That's not the issue, the issue is that I don't take days off and I don't take vacations. The safety of the World depends on me being vigilant and ensuring no other people repeat the mistake my ancestors made. To protect the world and ensure a great power is not abused. To me, there is no greater purpose than that. If you think I can be convinced to abandon my responsibilities just because you're good looking and have a nice rack then you're the idiot."

A look of disappointment and resentment flashed across Rouge's face before transforming into a most serious expression, "There is more to me than a big chest and a pretty face. All I want is a chance to prove that to you. I'm sorry if I was unbecoming for a lady, I'm used to thinking on my feet to get what I want and I may have crossed a line just now, for that I apologize, but what you said was entirely unfair!"

"Life is unfair. Get used to it."

"So, you're just going to miss out on life, for your entire life, as you waste away alone on that Island? Is that your big life plan? What happens when you're dead? What happens to the Master Emerald then? Who will get their hands on it? Eggman? The Federation? Shadow? Why waste your life only to prolong the inevitable?"

"I told you! It's not a waste of my life. If you say that again I will end our conversation and walk away."

"Fine then, just tell me why! Why do you keep me away? Why do you insist on suffering alone?"

Knuckles turned around meeting Rouge's gaze, "Because no one else should have to suffer."

A dismayed Rouge stared at Knuckles silently for a moment, "...You're an idiot."

Knuckles scoffed, "You're a materialistic broad."

"This conversation is over." Rouge turned her back to the Echidna and looked anywhere else but toward him.

"Fine by me," Knuckles walked off to exit the hospital. As he was leaving he walked by the receptionist's counter, as he passed he turned to Sonic, Tails, and Amy, "Let me know if the World needs saving. Later."

After Knuckles left, Rouge excused herself and left the lobby.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Wow!" Tails exclaimed. "Sonic, remind me later of that conversation. I can't believe I am going to forget..."

Tails blinked.

"I think it happened again." Sonic said.

Amy struggled to contain her giddy smile and laughter as she glanced at Sonic, "Are we horrible people for doing this over and over again and enjoying it so much?"

"No Amy, we're his friends, and we are helping our little bro out!" Sonic pumped his fist in the air, I'm such a great wingman!"

Tails felt the wind flowing through his fur as the pink convertible Amy was driving buzzed along on the ground. Tails found himself strapped in the back seat. "Sonic, where-"

"First things first! Read that paper taped to your arm. Then tell Amy and I your favorite thing about Zooey."

Tails immediately began to blush. "Wha- what?"

"He is soooo cute! This never gets old!" Amy squealed.

"You have a date today pal! Well, it's more of a concert where you sit and listen to music but you got a personal invitation Tails. Front row seats to boot for you and two friends. She must really like you. I can only imagine someone liking me that much!"

"Me too." Amy deadpanned.

Sonic chuckled nervously, "It was a joke Ames. Relax. You know how important a friend you are to me."

Amy smiled genuinely then continued, "I know, and I agree with Sonic, how could she not like you Tails? You're adorable, brave, and intelligent. That vixen has good taste."

Tails was going into both shock and panic. He felt as if he was going to throw up then die of embarrassment.

"I'm never going to forget this!" Tails covered his face hoping he would wake up from the nightmare called life.

"Oh, about that… It's your lucky day. Read your paper you have there!" Sonic said.

Tails did as Sonic said. "I see. Everything is clear now. Thank you. Both of you."

"For what?" Sonic asked, genuinely confused.

Tails blushed as he looked out at the world as it passed by, avoiding eye contact with his friends, "Thanks for being there for me… and making sure I attend this concert. Zooey is… Zooey is an important friend to me."

Amy looked at the flustered fox in the rearview mirror, as she did the Car started to swerve to the right, "Oh my gosh! You're too cute, Tails! I could just die!"

Sonic's life flashed before his eyes, "The road Amy! Keep your eyes on the road!"

"I got it, Sonic. I was just looking at Tails being adorable for a second."

Tails blushed. "Amy, please stop calling me cute and adorable."

Sonic backed up his best friend, "Yeah Amy, You can't call a Man cute. That's insulting! Tails is a fierce fighter. We kick butt. Try to show him the proper respect."

Amy stifled a laugh, "I'm sorry Tails it's just… When you get serious you're just too cute!"

"Sonic! Make her stop." Tails whined.

Sonic and Amy laughed together.

Tails Blinked. As his eyes opened he realized he was in the Front Row of a Concert Hall. He did not remember how he had gotten there. He sat between Sonic and Amy and for some reason they were each holding his hand. Sonic glanced over and gave Tails a cheeky grin and motioned to the stage. Tails looked at what Sonic had motioned toward.

Then his world slowed down and nearly froze.

He saw the most beautiful Vixen in his life. She had yellow hair and fur, wore a Crimson dress with the same colored bracelets, and was playing the piano. The song felt melancholy, yet hopeful, it was hard for Tails to describe as he was not well versed in music theory. He did know it was the most moving piece of music he had ever listened to. He hoped this moment would never end. He stared at Zooey smiling. Zooey looked over to Tails and gave him a playful wink before turning back and seamlessly continuing her piano solo. Tails sighed as he looked at Zooey. Sonic and Amy were whispering something to one another but Tails did not hear them. He didn't care. He did not have a care in the world. As he looked at Zooey he lost himself and his sense of time.

Tails blinked.

Amy was in front of him talking and giggling with Zooey. The pair kept looking at Tails as they whispered to one another, laughed, and giggled. Tails was so confused. Even more so when he noticed that Sonic was holding his hand for some reason. He could not remember anything but he worried if he looked nice and if he had combed his fur and brushed his teeth.

"Sonic, do you have a breath mint?"

"Later pal. Zooey invited you backstage. So play it cool. We'll explain everything later."

Amy and Zooey walked over to Sonic and Tails. Tails ripped his hand free from Sonic as he coughed awkwardly then lightly punched Sonic as he spoke in a purposefully deeper tone than he naturally did. "Wow Sonic. You did well in our hand crushing contest but I'm sure to have you beat later with my impressive and manly Strength."

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Right."

Zooey stopped in front of Tails, smiling warmly, "Your friends told me you were in a little bit of an accident."

"Uh… I, um. Well… maybe?" Tails said with great confusion.

Zooey's smile disappeared for a moment before returning having lost some of its luster. "So... you really won't remember this evening?"

"I… guess not. I don't remember much of anything right now." Tails said dejectedly.

"Well, we'll just have to have a proper date some other time when we are both free, won't we?" Zooey gave Tails a wink.

Tails could not believe his luck. His head was spinning. "I uh, us, date? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, uh, if you really want to. That's cool I guess."

Sonic interjected, "He would love to."

Zooey smiled, blushed, and stepped closer to Tails. Their faces were mere inches away, "I feel so bad that our date had to be canceled after we've planned it for months. I was excited to spend time with you."

Tails blinked.

"Zoo- Zooey!?"

"Yes, Tails?"

"Wh-What are you doing here? What am I doing here? Why- why are we so close? I-"

Zooey frowned and stepped back as Tails began to hyperventilate, partly from anxiety about being in Zooey's presence, and partly from his fear and confusion about being in his new surroundings with recent memories to go off of.

Amy recommended they go to the roof so Tails could get some fresh air and the two could finish their conversation.

Sonic gently pulled Zooey aside to give her some advice, "You're too slow! You're going to need to be faster than that Zooey. He has at best a few minutes of memory."

"Sonic!" Amy chided.

"No, he's right Amy." The smitten vixen took a deep breath and stepped very close to. "Tails…"

"Y-Yes, Zooey?"

Zooey blushed, then leaned forward and gave Tails a kiss on the cheek. "You don't remember this but you said I could kiss you so…"

Tails' vision was spinning, "Wow, I'm never going to forget that!"

"No, you will. You have short term memory loss that lasts only three minutes, at least for today. You won't remember anything that has happened tonight. So… I guess I'll owe you a first kiss seeing as you took mine tonight." Zooey blushed.

"My memory is getting kind of foggy. Could… could you kiss me again in a minute or two? I want to test this memory loss… for science."

"Of course."

"We'll need to k-kiss several times to get reliable data."

Zooey's face turned bright red. "N-naturally."

Meanwhile, Amy was trying to console and help compose a flustered Sonic. "Should… should we go Amy? I feel like this is SERIOUSLY personal stuff. What if they start making out in front of us?"

"Sonic…" Amy began.

"I mean I'm a great wingman and all but that doesn't mean I want to watch my little bro… are… aren't they a little young for this?"

"I mean, it's just a kiss on the cheek, Sonic."

"Yeah I get that. It's just… Heh, I-I mean we don't even-"

"Sonic!" Amy shouted.

"Huh?" Sonic stopped stuttering and turned to Amy quizzically.

Amy leaned into Sonic, "I'm cold. Hold me? Platonically?"

Sonic blushed and groaned, hiding his flustered expression. "Fine, but only because it's a cold night and I don't have a shirt or jacket to give you!"

Sonic platonically held Amy as they looked up at the night sky together as Zooey and Tails flirted with one another, giving each other the occasional smooch on the cheek.

Hundreds of stars shone above the four of them like diamonds.

"It's so beautiful, Sonic." Amy said.

"Yeah, it is."

"Look Sonic! Is that a shooting star!"

A giant flaming orb shot across the horizon… then dozens more appeared. They began their descent toward the City at great speeds.

Then the city's air raid sirens activated, shrieking and wailing, waking the entire city to the sound of terror and possible doom, warning them to run to their shelters.

Suddenly dozens of orange lights flew from the earth to meet the other lights in the heavens. The lights collided in rapid sequence and the sky was filled with dozens of bright explosions before dissipating.

Some opened their windows and cheered a great cry of victory as dozens of missiles were intercepted and destroyed high above in the sky. Some laughed at the pathetic attempt, ordering another drink. Yet others, adult and child alike, cried and ran in terror. While some stood in silence, watching in awe, wondering what the future held for their finite life.

"Oh my gosh… Sonic!"

"We're safe Amy. We're all okay. It's just Eggman at it again. We'll stop him once and for all… someday."

The pair looked over to Tails and Zooey, the former of which was confused and panicking. Zooey hugged him and held him tightly. "It's okay Tails, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

They all watched the sky light up for ten minutes. Ten long minutes. Each comforting the other.

Then…

Tails Blinked. He heard the sound of flickies chirping happily outside. He was in his bed. He had a headache and could not remember anything from the previous few days. He remembered Sonic and Amy having a picnic, then going after Eggman, flying in a plane, then… nothing.

It was no use. Tails' memory was fuzzy. Just then, Tails heard music and Sonic and Amy laughing. Tails walked out of his room and into the living room.

Sonic and Amy were doing a waltz.

"Morning Tails, you must be confused." Amy asked.

"A little bit, I can wait though if you want to explain later."

Amy sighed dreamily. "That would be wonderful Tails. Sonic and I are having a moment."

Sonic spun Amy around then held her tightly. "Amy, I could almost fall in love with you."

"Oh, Sonic. You know how to make my heart swoon." Amy laughed as she and Sonic continued their Dance."

"Wow Sonic. I have never seen you act so lovey dovey with Amy like this. I guess you REALLY like her after all huh?"

"You know what Tails? I do. I really do. I'm not afraid to say it, you know why?"

"Why's that?"

"You have short term memory loss. At least for one more day. You're not going to remember any of this so I can say and do anything with Amy without worry. Isn't that right Amy?" Sonic grinned mischievously and stared lewdly at Amy.

Amy blushed and slapped Sonic playfully. "Oh stop it Sonic, you're such a beast!"

Tails coughed awkwardly, his face bright red with embarrassment, "So… when am I going to lose my memory? I'd really like to have this purged from my mind."

Sonic and Amy froze in place. Sonic's face turned pale and he quickly darted across the room, turning off the music player, then sat down on a nearby couch.

"Tails."

"Yes Sonic?"

"You didn't see anything."

Tails grinned and took a seat on the couch next to him.

"Tails! You saw and heard NOTHING!"

Tails grin grew even larger. It was so large his face was in physical pain.

Amy walked over and took a seat on the couch next to Sonic. "Okay Romeo, get over it. Tails saw us. We'll just have to accept that and bribe him with mint candy."

Tails' ears twitched. "Make it mint chocolate chip ice cream, with hot fudge, and a brownie. I think that will have a positive correlation with memory loss of hedgehogs being lovey dovey and dancing in the moonlight.

Sonic spoke angrily through clenched teeth, his face red with embarrassment. "Dancing in the moonlight? It was and still is morning Tails!"

"What he means is you have yourself a deal." Amy and Tails shook hands.

"Since your memory seems to be back to normal, let's get you up to speed over the last few days." Amy began, "But first, you two need to take it easy! No running, no adventures, no testing dangerous inventions, not until you're both fully healed. Is that clear?".

Sonic was the first to protest, "Amy, Eggman is still trying to blow up the city, and he's after the Chaos Emeralds… again. We can't let him get away with it!"

"Yeah! We have to stop him before he blows up the planet or summons some end of times doomsday being." Tails added.

Amy was adamant, "No. Neither of you two are pursuing Eggman until you are both fully healed, and when you do I will be joining you. We're not going to have a repeat of the last couple days where you two almost died. Am I clear?" Amy asked sternly.

"Yes Ma'am." the two boys said in unison.

Then there was a loud knock on the door followed by silence. A moment passed.

Then the door was pounded on to the point the walls reverberated. From the other side of the door, someone shouted, "Stop it you idiot you'll break down the door."

Then an irritable and light knocking began… and continued.

Sonic, Amy, and Tails, looked at the door.

"Who could that be?" Amy asked.

Sonic and Tails looked at each other, then to Amy and shrugged.

The insistent knocking got louder.

Sonic, Tails, and Amy all looked at one another then to the door. The trio whistled, coughed, and swung their feet, respectively. Then Amy and Tails stared at Sonic.

"Fine." Sonic sighed. "I'll get it."

Sonic got up to answer the door. Just as he turned the doorknob the door swung open nearly crushing Sonic.

An emerald green hawk, with red boots, and a golden beak, stepped inside, then yelled with a shrill voice."What's up losers! Long time no see. You ready to race?"

"Jet? What are you doing here?" Sonic said with a hint of irritation.

"It's not just me gracing your presence slow poke, but the whole of the Babylon Rogues." At the name of their team, Wave the Swallow, a purple Swallow, and Storm the Albatross… a white furred Albatross entered the house. "So break out the chips and dip." Jet added.

"Jet, now's not a good time."

"You're right about that, Sonic. Yeah, it's never a good time to race me." Jet walked over to the couch and jumped into an open spot, then put his feet on the table. "We're hungry. Get us something to eat like a good host Sonic."

"This isn't my house and take your disgusting shoes off the table!"

"Oh please! You never take off your shoes. That's disgusting Sonic."

"Let's not talk about this. Also, it's not my house."

Jet blinked in surprise, "It's not? Whose is it then-"

"-I told you Jet, this is the orange furball's house. If you were listening you would have known this is where we were headed, and where we might find Shorty and Big Blue. Naturally, my hypothesis was correct. No need to thank me." Wave said as she entered the living room, Extreme gear in hand.

Tails glared at Jet and Wave, "I'm average height for my age!"

Storm's heavy footsteps echoed through the house as he stepped forward to stand next to his seated leader, Jet. "Yeah, yeah, and I'm big boned, so where's the red mutt? I'd like to sparre with him. We have a score to settle over who the better fighter is."

Wave scoffed at Storm's remark, "That doesn't need to be proven, it's already a fact. Shorty is no match for my genius. Blue is no match for Jet's speed, and the Echidna is no match for your strength."

"I suppose that's true if you ignore all the evidence to the contrary." Tails replied.

Wave walked over to Tails and ruffled the fur on his head. "So shorty, how about that food?"

"Yeah Shorty, you're being a terrible host right now. I feel so unwelcomed I might just cry of sadness." Jet said dramatically.

Tails pushed away Wave's hand.

Wave laughed and grinned as she had a proposition for the Amber fox, "I'll make you a deal. You get us something to eat like a good little host and I'll consider giving you some pointers on engineering. Aren't I nice? It's not every day your work gets peer reviewed by a mind as brilliant as mine!"

Tails sighed then grumbled, "Make yourselves at home. I'll go grab some chips and dip."

"Now that's more like it!" Storm bellowed.

After the chips and dip had been brought, and the Babalyone Rogues had their fill, Jet was the first to speak. "Sonic, you ready to race or what?"

"I actually can't, Amy's and Doctor's orders." Sonic pointed out the not yet fully healed laceration across his body.

"Ewww. What happened?"

"It's a long story, I'll spare you the details-" Sonic said.

"-Nevermind. Don't care. Hey furball. Can you race?"

Tails glared at Jet, "I shouldn't do anything overly physical for a few days. I was in a coma not long ago, so… it wouldn't be smart for me to race you."

"You're kidding me! Pinky, can you race?"

"I can." Amy said teasingly.

"Finally!"

"But I'm not going to since you're mean to my friends!" Amy stuck out her tongue towards Jet.

"Hey, come on, we're only joking. Kind of."

Amy crossed her arms, "My answer is no, Jet. Try your luck with Shadow if you're that desperate for a silly race."

"Shadow huh," Jet scratched his beak in thought, "He was not a bad Extreme Gear Rider, I think he even won a race or two. Naturally he was beaten out by me but he could prove an entertaining opponent." Jet grinned. "Wave. Storm. I'm leaving for a bit. Don't get arrested."

"Aye aye captain." Wave said with a two finger salute.

Storm punched his open palm with a fist, "You can count on us Boss."

Jet left the house. He grabbed his Extreme Gear he had left outside the doorway, hopped onto the floating board, then sped off to find Shadow.

Wave turned to Tails with a grin, "Okay Shorty, since you're homebound why don't you show me your workshop. I can give you a few pointers and if you're lucky you might just learn something."

"Sure. Why don't touch anything." Tails said.

As Storm, Sonic, and Amy talked, Tails led Wave to his Workshop.

"Here it is." Tails said as he opened the door.

The two stepped inside.

The workshop had several tools neatly organized along the wall. In the far right was various lab equipment for testing chemicals and chemical reactions. On the opposite side of the room was an industrial laser, another area for quarantining pathogens or radioactive objects, and last but not least, along one of the walls was a massive quantum computer with a slot for a Chaos Emerald. Wave was surprised Tails used such serious equipment considering his age. It was this fact that left Wave feeling at first humbled… then as she realized the extent of Tails' genius, she could not help but feel vastly inferior.

She hated feeling inferior. Her late father taught her everything she knew about the sciences. She wasn't about to be upstaged by some runt. She'd show that fox boy. She'd build a legacy her father would be proud of-

-Tails grabbed Waves hand and pulled her along with him, "This over here is a storage device for a Chaos Emerald so I can channel it's energy into any project I'm working on. No Emerald at the moment but I bet Sonic and I will find one sooner or later. They're super helpful, I want to see what will happen if I combine it with my quantum computer. There's a few bugs to work out as my specialty is Mechanical Engineering, not Computer Science, but it's been really fun learning!"

"Where did you learn that, Shorty?" Wave asked. One half of her heart was breaking, while the other half was being filled with a suppressed rage.

"Oh, uh, I just read some books and watched some videos. Then it was just trial and error till I figured it out." Tails said with an awkward smile.

"Can't that be a little dangerous for a kid as young as you? You sure you should be messing with this high tech stuff. Some of it seems pretty dangerous." Wave chided.

"It can be at times but usually it's not a problem for me. I take safety very seriously. The only major issue I've had is when I finished making a plane one time and forgot to install landing gear. He he." Tails awkwardly put a hand behind his head as he laughed.

"This kid," Wave thought. "Who does he think he is? He's mocking me, I just know it. Well, screw him!"

"And this," Tails began, "Is a court summons I was just served in the mail. I kind of crash landed my plane onto a city block a couple days ago. Now I need to rebuild the Super Tornado from the ground up. That really stinks…"

Wave laughed aloud, "That sounds just like you Shorty!" Wave then roughly ruffled the hair on his head to annoy him.

Wave walked around, noticing the Extreme Gear he had made by simply looking at one of the boards once, seeing how it worked, then reverse engineering it. If nothing else, at least her Extreme Gear was the best in the Universe. No one could compete there… at least, for now, Wave thought. Tails hasn't even hit puberty and already he's achieved more than Wave had, maybe more than she ever would.

Wave walked, glaring at each invention, blueprint, and explanation Tails gave her on their tour of his Workshop when suddenly the twin tailed fox stopped walking and turned to face Wave, a bashful look on his face.

"W-Wave?"

"What is it Squirt?" Wave said, not caring to mind her sharp tone.

"I don't really have anyone to talk science with, and the Professors at all the universities are all nice, but are all really old. I was wondering if… you'd be my friend?"

"You want me to be your friend? Ha! Your brain must be scrambled. Who'd want to be friends with a squirt like you? I see through your lies, you think you're better than everyone else, don't you? You want to be pen pals so you can mock me further, isn't that right? We'll, I'm a Genius too and I could learn quantum computing and anything else you know and do it all better!"

Tails' lip trembled as he did his best to hold back tears. "B-but I just wanted to be friends-"

"Ha! Who would ever want to be friends with a know-it-all like you? Now out of my way!"

Wave pushed Tails aside as she stormed out of the Workshop, back into the living room. "Storm, it's time to go. Let's bail on these losers."

"It was nice to see you too." Amy said sarcastically.

Less than a minute later, the pair had left. And Tails came out of his workshop to rejoin Amy and Sonic in the living room.

"Hey Tails. What's the matter pal?" Sonic asked. Concern rising in his voice as he saw his buddy was not all right.

Tails sniffled, "N-nothing." Tails wiped his eyes and his runny nose.

"Oh, Tails. Here." Amy pulled the fox boy into a warm hug and patted his back gently, after a few seconds he broke away from her kind gesture and took a seat on the couch.

"Come on buddy, tell us what's bothering you so we can help."

Tails let out a single sob. "Wave is so mean to me. I just wanted to be her friend. I don't know what I did wrong."

Sonic sat down next to Tails and put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, hey, listen to me Tails. You are an amazing person. You have so many friends who care about you. Two are in this room right now. If Wave can't see how awesome you are then she's an idiot and not worth your time."

"Yeah!" Amy chimed in.

Amy clasped her hands together. "I know, how about I go and get us some mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge!"

"And… and a brownie?" Tails said, his voice quivering.

"The biggest brownie ever. Why don't you two play some video games and I'll be back in a little bit, then we can eat together. Does that sound like a plan?"

Sonic gave a thumbs up, "Sounds good to me Amy. What do you think, Tails?"

Tails sniffled and blew his nose into one of his twin tails, "That sounds nice. Thank you Amy. Thank you Sonic."

"No problem. Only the best for our favorite fox." Sonic said.

After Amy got herself ready to go and grabbed her purse, she called out to her friends, "I'll be back soon, you two have fun!"

Sonic and Tails were playing a video game together, they were seated on the couch as they pushed on each other and playfully trash talked one another, "Thanks Amy we will!" Sonic shouted.

As Amy opened the door, she stopped and looked at a cheerful and smiling Tails as he played with Sonic. Amy's heart melted as she watched Sonic work hard to cheer Tails up. He'd make such a good father, she thought. Amy sighed. "Someday Amy. Someday."

Then she closed the door behind her, eager to return to her friends as quickly as possible.