Chapter 7: Memory Lane

Tails walked up to the Typhoon, and opened the door.

"Well, here we are." He said, stepping on.

Cosmo was about to follow behind, but hesitated a bit, looking up at the space craft.

Tails noticed her hesitation, and turned to her.

"… You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah just… I don't know why, but I'm feeling… nostalgic." She admitted.

Tails smiled.

"Well, when we knew each other five years ago, we spent most of that time on the Typhoon." He explained. "A lot of memories were made on this ship… both good and bad."

Cosmo nodded, before boarding.

"I've heard so much about the Metarex… I never imagined that I was a part of the battle against them…" She admitted.

"Not only a part of it, you were the one who saved us all in the end." Tails explained. "Not only that, we never would have even gotten involved if you hadn't come find us."

Cosmo wanted to ask more about that detail in particular, but it could wait.

First things first, they needed to see what Sage wanted to speak with Tails about.

"Right this way please." Sage said, floating down the hall.

After a bit of walking, the group of three arrived in the medical bay, where the robot Sage had Metal Sonic transport was laying.

"So after looking into this machine, I made a discovery." Sage said, before using her powers to control some mechanical arms.

The arms latched onto the head, and removed the top of it, revealing a mechanical brain.

"Oh… that is unsettling…" Cosmo admitted.

"I agree. Don't think I've ever seen something like this in a robot before…" Tails admitted.

"That's because I don't believe that this is a robot." Sage explained. "I believe this is… a corpse."

Tails and Cosmo's eyes went wide.

"A… corpse?"

Sage nodded.

"Red X… he seems to have taken the bodies of his victims and transformed them into these… cyborgs." Sage explained. "He modified their brains, and now they are all a part of some kind of hive mind. The biggest evidence of this is traces of organic tissue spread across them."

Cosmo listened to this, and she felt sick.

If Tails and the others failed, would this be what became of her people?

No… they wouldn't let that happen. Tails and his friends were all strong. Surely they'll find a way to win in the end… right?

Tails noticed Cosmo's worried gaze, and knew just what he was thinking.

"Hey, look at me."

Cosmo complied.

"We've faced impossible odds over and over again, yet we've always come out on top." He said. "We'll win, I just know it!"

Cosmo smiled and nodded.

"Right. You're right. Thank you Tails." She said.

Sage then continued.

"Unfortunately, this means that I won't be capable of taking control of our enemies. If they were entirely mechanical it'd be fine, but…" Sage said sadly.

"It's fine, you'll be doing plenty already." Tails said.

Sage nodded.

"I'll continue looking into these cyborgs, hopefully I'll be able to find some kind of weakness." Sage said. "In the meantime, why don't you two look around the Typhoon? Maybe it'll trigger some of Cosmo's memories."

Tails nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"

"Yes please!" Cosmo said.

Tails then quickly took her hand and began leading her out of the room.

"… Again with the hand holding… as Sonic would say, he is not slick." Sage said to herself.

Back with Tails and Cosmo, they were first going to the hangar.

"So this is where we kept all the smaller aircrafts." Tails explained.

"Ooh… how many did you have?" Cosmo asked.

Tails got thinking for a bit.

"Well, there was the Tornado, my plane which I modified for space travel, and I had a ship for Amy and Cream, so three total." Tails said.

Cosmo tilted her head.

"Cream?"

"Oh yeah! Another of our friends that went into space with us!" He said. "The two of you were really close… she'll be so happy when she finds out you're still alive."

Cosmo nodded.

"Anyone else?"

Tails thought for a bit again.

"Just Knuckles and Chris." Tails said. "Knuckles is the last of the Echidnas. Guarding of the Master Emerald, which we used to power the Typhoon at the time, and Chris is a brilliant human that we are friends with."

"… Human?"

"Right, see, there are smaller continents and bigger ones in our world…"

Tails then started rambling on about how the various civilizations in their world worked, completely unaware that they were being watched.

Tangle peeked in from around the corner with a smug look on her face.

She had been watching these two dancing around the issue of liking each other this entire time, and she was finally going to do something about it.

She just needed the perfect opportunity…

"Oh! Come up here!" Tails suddenly said, walking up a set of stairs, which Cosmo followed. "Does this remind you of anything?"

Cosmo looked around… but nothing.

"Sorry…"

"No it's fine, this was something so minor anyways." Tails said. "You just brought me lunch while I was doing some repairs on a friend's ship is all… it's what happened after that I think would stick out."

He then started going back down, and urged Cosmo to follow.

When Cosmo turned around though, she got a view of the exit to the hangar.

Suddenly, something flashed into her mind.

An explosion rang out in front of them, and through the smoke a shadowy creature began walking forward.

"Hand her over, I have no intention of killing you."

"Why are you trying to kill Cosmo?"

"Knowing why won't change a thing, now get out of my way."

"Not happening!"

"Very well…"

Cosmo shook her head, and began to sweat.

"Cosmo?" Tails asked. "Did you remember something?"

Cosmo nodded.

"Someone… was trying to kill me… in this very room." She said. "Someone was trying to protect me and… I don't know…"

Tails' eyes went wide at that.

"Right… of course." He said. "That was when Shadow was after you…"

Cosmo's eyes went wide.

"Shadow?! You mean your friend who went after our Sacred Gem?!"

Tails nodded.

"He had his reasons… he found out that the Metarex were using you to spy on us, and thought the best way to put a stop to it was… well…" Tails said. "I… fought as hard as I could to protect you… we all did… but we very nearly failed."

Cosmo just looked shocked at this.

"In the end though, he understood why we couldn't just give you up." Tails continued. "And fought with us to defeat the Metarex."

Cosmo nodded.

"He… won't try and do that again… right?"

Tails laughed a bit at that.

"He can be very scary at times, but he's a good guy." Tails explained. "Between that and the Metarex being gone, I don't think we have anything to worry about!"

Cosmo nodded…

"How did they use me to spy on you though…?" She asked.

"… They basically made it so they could see and hear everything you did." Tails explained. "I was furious when I found out to be honest…"

Cosmo took a deep breath.

"Ok… thank you for telling me." She said. "That's… a lot to take in, but I'm glad I know."

"No problem… it's not like we have to worry about it any more anyways." Tails said.

Cosmo smiled.

"Yeah, you're right!" She said before descending the stairs.

Tails then took her hand… and she began to realize something Tails said.

"Wait… you said you fought to protect me… right?"

Tails nodded.

"Yeah, that's right."

Then, she thought back to that first memory she saw.

Then the second…

There was a voice she heard in all of them… they were the same voice…

Were they all Tails?

"Of course… that's why you are so important to unlocking these memories… cause you are in all of them!"

Tails' eyes went wide.

Then, she suddenly got super close to his face.

"You are the key to my memories cause you were the most important person in my life back then!" She said… well not without thinking, since she was really thinking these things, but she really didn't think before saying it.

Tails turned completely red at that.

A moment later, when she realized what she just did, Cosmo mirrored Tails' actions.

"Uh… forget I said that!" She said frantically. "Come on! I'm sure there's more to see LET'S GO!"

She then began power walking away as Tails just stood there, stunned.

'I… was the most important person in her life?'

He tried shaking this off, but he just couldn't.

Regardless, he needed to follow her… he could sort out his own feelings on that later.

Meanwhile, Cosmo was having a crisis of her own.

'Why did I say that why did I say that WHY DID I SAY THAT?! He probably thinks I am so weird now!'

She then turned around to see just how much Tails was lagging behind.

'Oh no he ABSOLUTELY THINKS I AM WEIRD NOW!'

"Sorry about that! Just uh… lost in thought for a bit…" Tails said shyly, before walking ahead.

'Should I… take her hand? Should I not? Would that be too awkward right now?! What do I even DO?!'

'Oh gosh he's not taking my hand like he did before… I knew I made him upset! I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!'

The two of them continued to walk on in awkward silence, with Tangle following just out of sight.

In truth, she thought it was really cute what the two of them were going through at the moment.

She also knew that they just needed one last push to be able to get the right words out.

And when they arrived at a certain room, she knew exactly what that push should be.

"So uh… this room is where we hosted a party…" Tails explained. "You uh… wanted to thank everyone for all their hard work so uh… yeah."

Cosmo nodded, and got a good look around.

She recognized this room… it was where Tails had given her that broach in that one memory.

"This is the first time I'm actually in the place where one of those memories took place." She said.

"Oh, that's right." Tails said. "You mentioned a broach…"

He then walked over to the window.

"If I'm correct… it was right over here."

Cosmo began walking over… but then the two of them heard something…

The sound of something snapping.

Looking over, Tails saw the disco ball hanging from the ceiling falling right towards Cosmo.

"LOOK OUT!" He shouted.

As if his body began moving on it's own, Tails leapt at Cosmo, pushing her out of the way and landing on top of her, the disco ball missing them and rolling out of the way.

Neither of them noticed the elongated tail retracting back towards the entrance of the room.

"Haha, that oughta do it!" Tangle whispered to herself, before watching intently.

Tails began lifting himself off the ground, but stopped when he looked into Cosmo's eyes.

They were… incredibly close.

Cosmo however… was silent for another reason.

"Cosmo, are you alright?"

She just stared up, looking at who was clearly Tails.

"Y-Yeah…"

The two stayed there in silence, staring into each other's eyes

When the vision faded, Cosmo didn't even realize, as she was still staring into Tails' eyes just like she was back then.

When she did realize though…

"AH! Sorry!" Tails shouted as he got off of her.

Cosmo just laid there… unsure of what to say or even do.

Tails looked around, and saw the disco ball, which had rolled into the corner of the room.

"Geez, how durable is this thing…?" He asked.

Then, he got an idea.

He walked over and grabbed it, before walking back to Cosmo.

"Wanna… uh… help put this back up?" He asked.

Cosmo snapped out of her trance and finally picked herself up off the floor.

"Yes… yes I would." She said.

Tails handed her the ball, and she turned to where it was before.

"… How am I going to…?"

She then was surprised when she felt Tails' hands around her waist, as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

She turned around and saw Tails' smiling face.

Her face turning red, she turned back to where she was going, and quickly hung the ball from it's rightful place.

Tails then laughed a bit.

"You… haven't changed too much." He said suddenly.

"… How so?"

Tails smiled.

"You tell me."

"Tails, you are really kind!"

"… Cosmo…"

"Yes?"

"… You're… really light…"

Cosmo turned red at the memory.

Did Tails… just reenact that memory so she'd remember?

"… Thank you Tails." She said, leaning back into his hold.

Tails smiled, before lowering the two of them down to the floor, but now more in a hugging position.

"Awwwww…"

The two looked over and saw Tangle standing there… looking more like a deer in headlights than a lemur right about now.

"Shoot!" She shouted, before running away.

"… Adding her to my list of friends I need to get payback on…" Tails said, face red with embarrassment and a bit of anger.

He knew EXACTLY what she had just done.

Meanwhile… Cosmo had calmed down a bit.

'I think… that cements it… I love him…'

She then looked at Tails.

'I love him… and I really think he loves me back…'

The problem was… she had no idea what to do from here…


That Night

"There you are Shadow!" Sonic said, waving to the Ultimate Life Form and his robotic copy, who had just returned from their mission.

"It was easy." Shadow said, holding up the Planet Egg. "Between Chaos Control and his barrier, getting it was a simple feat."

Metal Sonic just nodded.

"Glad to hear it!" Sonic said. "Tomorrow's the big day… you ready?"

"If the Lemur does her job, it should be easy." Shadow said. "Think she'll pull it off?"

Sonic smirked at that.

"Duh. She's like me in that regard! Always getting the job done in the end!"

Shadow then smirked back.

"It's because she's like you that I'm worried." He said bluntly.

"Rude." Sonic said, playfully punching the other hedgehog in the shoulder.

Cosmo watched this in silence… that was the guy that tried to kill her in the past, and now he was… kind.

He really did change… but she needed to get this off her chest.

"Um… Shadow right?" Cosmo asked.

Shadow turned to her and nodded.

"That's right."

"… I… remembered some things while you were gone… mainly about… well…"

She didn't need to finish.

Shadow nodded.

"I don't regret my decision to do something about it… my methods were extreme, but it was the only way I could think of at the time." He said. "I apologize for that."

Cosmo nodded, and shakily reached out her hand.

Shadow looked at it for a moment, before taking it and shaking it.

Tails and Sonic watched this with smiles on their faces.

"I'm glad they made amends." Sonic said.

"Yeah…" Tails said wistfully.

Sonic then turned to Tails.

"So what's your plan with her? I mean… the mission's tomorrow, and we'll probably be leaving not long after that..."

"I'm gonna tell her… tell her that I love her." Tails said. "I just… today made me realize just how much I care for her… how much I STILL care for her and… I need to get it out there."

Sonic smiled before patting him on the back.

"Proud of ya little bro." He said. "When you gonna do it?"

"After the mission… more motivation to win." Tails said with a smile.

Sonic laughed at that.

"We better win then!" He said. "Alright, I'm gonna go get some shuteye, big day tomorrow so don't stay up too late."

Tails nodded, and waved as Sonic left, with Shadow and Metal Sonic following close behind.

Cosmo then walked over, and smiled.

It must have been nice to get that off her chest.

So, Tails took her hand, and the two of them started making their way back to their room.


The Next Day, Sunrise

Tails woke up, feeling well rested.

He rose from his spot on the couch in the room and looked around.

Sure enough, Amy and the other girls had come over for yet another sleepover, and were all sprawled around on the pile of pillows and sleeping bags on the floor…

However, Cosmo was missing.

Looking around, he saw that she was outside on the balcony.

He walked over, and stood next to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

Cosmo nodded, and pulled the pendant out of her pocket.

"I… like to stand here and watch the sunrise when I am stressed or sad…" She admitted.

"… Wanna talk about it?" He asked.

Cosmo nodded again.

"It's just… today's the day… the day you face Red X." She said. "I… It's going to be so dangerous… and I'm worried… and not only that, you'll be leaving soon after and… I'm going to miss you."

Tails frowned, and turned her head to look at him.

"It'll be fine… like I said, we've faced impossible odds and won every time." He said. "We'll win, and come back and celebrate… and as for me leaving…"

He then took a deep breath.

"I'm not."

Cosmo looked surprised by this.

"I… haven't told anyone this yet… but I have no plans of leaving this planet. Not until you have all your memories back at the very least." He explained. "We made good progress yesterday but… I can't leave knowing you are here, still not remembering everything."

He then took his hands into hers.

"So please… don't worry."

Cosmo looked like she was about to cry.

"You're really going to stay?" She asked.

"… As long as you need me to." Tails said.

Cosmo didn't respond, and just hugged him.

"Thank you…"

Tails hugged back, and turned and looked out into the horizon.

The sun had just become visible.

The two then stood there, arms wrapped around each other, Tails' namesakes around Cosmo, watching the sun rise.

Then, a memory flashed into Cosmo's mind… one of a scene very similar to what they were seeing right now.

Her and Tails, in each others arms, looking up at a moonlit sky.

Somehow, some way, they had found each other, and now, they have done it again…

There was only one word that could describe how this could happen: Destiny.

Meanwhile, Amy just watched this from the room, a smile on her face.

These past couple of days were incredible to her… it was like she got to watch her friends fall in love all over again.

'This time… it'll be different.' Amy and Tails thought.

This time… there will be no regrets.

End of Chapter 7


A nice, cute chapter before we get into the big battle!

... Preceded by something VERY unsettling. Yeah, needed a reasoning behind Sage not being able to control the enemy robots, them turning out to be cyborg corpses made the most sense.

Anyways, like I said, the big battle begins next time! See you then!