Note: Thanks again to Tethys for this beta read.

(Spiral Hill forest, after school.)

After school, the two fast friends and one less fast friend went on an adventure in the forest. Tangle had to ask Sonic, "How many places have you seen, Sonic?"

He smiled, "A lot. I'm too much for any Orphanage to handle."

Jewel gave a half smile, "You and Tangle will get along just fine."

Tangle nodded, "Probably."

Sonic reminisced, "Once, I snuck off with extra cookies before they realized what had even happened, then gave them to the disabled kids. It was great!"

Jewel was a bit surprised, "That's…surprisingly wholesome of you."

Sonic disappeared and came back with a cookie, eating and nodding, "mmhmm."

They then came to a gap, "Let's see who clears this gap first, shall we?"

Sonic went with a spindash and jump. He barely missed the edge, causing Jewel to grab him from falling down into it. Jewel scolded Sonic, "You didn't even think to look before you leaped?"

Tangle had jumped then grabbed the edge to shoot back to the other side on her own.

After the three made it across, Sonic shouted, "That was so cool!" She complied using her tail. Sonic laughed, "Your tail is amazing!"

Tangle blushed in humility, "Thanks. It was nothing."

Then Jewel got a message on her phone from her parents, "Sorry, but we need to get back. My parents need me home."

The duo complied. As they walked back, Sonic said, "See you at school tomorrow."

Tangle gleefully replied, "You too Sonic." She slingshotted back across, but accidentally shot herself down the same gap, "AAAAAHHHHH!"

Jewel panicked, "TANGLE!" She flew down to grab her friend's tail just in time, saving her from otherwise certain doom.

Tangle noticed her tail get grabbed, slingshotting back up to the other side, "Whew, thanks for the save, Jewel!"

Jewel clearly looked hyper stressed, speaking as calmly as she can, "Don't mention it…" These two are going to get each other killed, aren't they?! She thought to herself.

Sonic grinned, "Suit yourself!"

Tangle mused, "Jewel could totally rock a suit, huh?"

Sonic giggled, "Not what I meant. Later!"

While they left, Jewel pondered that thought for a bit, Suit?

Next up was Spring Yard Zone. Jewel smiled, "With that monster gone, it ought to be smooth sailing now!"

Sonic and Tangle however, were getting themselves getting into pinball shenanigans, Jewel facepalming, "Guess I spoke too soon."

Sonic and Tangle both exclaimed "WEEE!"

Jewel panicked, watching them hit different bumpers, hitting some enemies in her shell form to protect them. Once they got through, Sonic and Tangle bumped fists, "Nice Job Tangle!"

Tangle winked back, "You too, Sonic!"

They continued on to a place…Or at least Jewel thought they had, before realizing her friends weren't with her. She sighed, flying back through, and would you know it, she found the duo on the springs. She asked, "Come on guys, we need to get through here!"

Tangle responded, "Oh, hi Jewel!" She was holding onto a spring with her tail, bouncing up and down on it over and over again, "Check it out! I'm a living paddle ball!"

Sonic smiled, "Keep it up Tangle! You're gonna set a world record!"

Jewel asked, "Do they even track 'living paddle ball'? Can we stop wasting time please?"

Tangle responded in offense, "Wasted?!" She stopped her stunt, revealing she'd somehow claimed another Chaos Emerald, "How's this for a 'waste of time'!"

Jewel's eyes went wide, "...I stand corrected. At least we're done here…"

On their way out, they made it to the end of the zone. For a moment, Sonic wondered, "I feel like we should be seeing that guy here again…"
Tangle agreed, "Yeah, this place has 'battlefield' written all over it."

Jewel reminded them "We took his ride out, remember?"

Both embarassedly admitted, "Sorry, forgot."

So they went on.

Upon reaching Labyrinth Zone, Tangle pondered, "Huh…Rather on the nose…"

Sonic looked mortified, "Oh…Please don't tell me we're going to get wet!"

Jewel looked down, "Nope, I'm not doing this in my nice dress!" She ran behind a pillar to change into her swimsuit, storing her normal clothes in a waterproof container. She also put on some goggles, getting some out for her friends too.

Tangle looked at her, teasing, "You worry about that too much, Jewel!"

Jewel suggested, "I might be with you two, but I have a reputation to hold!"

Sonic shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Tangle giggled, "Hehe, literally!"

Sonic grinned, "I'm glad I'm a boy, no clothes for me!"

Tangle then teased Sonic, "You could totally rock an outfit like mine!"

Sonic shook his head, "Maybe, if that doctor turns me into a girl."

Tangle responded along the same lines, "Maybe I could become a boy instead!"

Jewel facepalmed, "Less gender debates, can we enter the water already?"

Sonic groaned, "Do we have to?" Jewel nodded. Sonic reluctantly jumped in.

Tangle grinned, "Me next!" And went in too.

There wasn't a lot of talking to be had in the water, what with the whole fact about them being in the water and all, difficult to make conversation in it. After a bit, Jewel wondered, Hope we find somewhere to resurface soon.

Then Sonic breathed an air bubble rising from the floor. Jewel was dumbfounded as Tangle took the next breath, walking behind Sonic, then Jewel. They made their way through, dodging the many dangerous obstacles and finally resurfacing again. Sonic breathed heavily, "Thank goodness that's done! Tangle!"

She resurfaced next! "Yes Sonic!"

Sonic smiled, "Glad you made it. Where's Jewel?"

She resurfaced a few seconds later, "Sorry, I got distracted by this:" She revealed the next Chaos Emerald.

Sonic smiled, "Nicely done…Can we get out of here?...Please."

Tangle smiled, "Yep, looks like our exit is very shortly."

As they walked out, Jewel whispered to Tangle, "You remember how to swim…Right?"

Tangle whispered back, "Yeah, but walking and stretching in the water is more fun."

Jewel chuckled, "I understand."

Starlight Zone went by without much trouble…Except for Sonic and Tangle getting distracted by the bouncing spike balls. Tangle at one point launched one very far away using her tail slingshot to send one flying. Sonic commented, "Where do you think that one will go?"

Tangle shrugged, "I hope it hits something the Doctor's working on."

Sonic nodded with a content frown, "Me too Tangle."

As he revealed another emerald he'd found as he traversed the zone, "I got another emerald by the way."

Tangle smiled, "Nice!" She looked at their next destination, "Now…How about we head into that suspicious tower!"

Jewel grimaced, "That doesn't seem safe…"

Sonic grinned, "Sounds like a challenge! I like it!" And he ran in, Tangle following closely behind. Jewel, the third wheel of the trio, flew behind.

A few miles away, he was working on another prototype of his Egg Mobile, only for it to fall apart after getting hit by the spike ball Tangle sent flying, destroying all the work he made on it, "HOW?!...Oh, that pesky hedgehog and his friends must be getting here soon. Better be ready!"

The mad doctor ran up to his final machine, eagerly awaiting them to finally put them in their place.

The trio made their way through Scrap Brain without much difficulty. They even found another emerald, Jewel finding it this time, "Yes! That's 6! Now where is that 7th emerald?"

Sonic shrugged, "We'll see it if we see it, I guess."

Tangle cracked her knuckles, "Can we get out of this place already? It gives me the creeps!"

Sonic winked, "I'll race you out!"

Tangle winked back, "Challenge Accepted!"

Jewel begged, "Wait!" But…They were already gone. She flew around and above the water, trying to avoid changing her clothes again. Eventually she managed it, finding the entry to the next zone.

She waited for her friends there, Tangle showing up first, "Woohoo! I win this time!"

Jewel clapped, "I knew you had it in you, Tangle!"

Sonic shortly thereafter, seeing his friends already had made it. Jewel waved a bit sarcastically, Sonic grimacing, "Dang it! Dumb water slowing me down!"

Tangle smiled, "Guess you were too slow!"

Sonic sighed in slight embarrassment, then congratulating them, "Not many girls can keep up with me! So glad I met you two."

Tangle blushed in humility, "Awwwww…shucks Sonic."

Jewel introspectively looked down, before sighing, "I'm glad we met too, despite the stress." Then she started flying again, "Now let's get out of here!"
The trio went up into the next area, finally coming face to face with Dr. Eggman again. He was furious, "You thought you were done with me! That Egg Mobile wasn't cheap you know!"

Jewel countered his attack, "Neither is your bottomless crimes of Animal Cruelty!"

Tangle tensed up, "Yeah! You're going down!"

Sonic agreed, "You can say that again!"

Tangle complied, "You're going down!"

Jewel facepalmed, "Tangle…You didn't have to actually do that…"

Tangle smiled gleefully, "It sounded cool though!"

Sonic giggled, "That it did. "

Eggman groaned, "Ugh! Your friendship is obnoxious. The lady bug, however…Would you like to join me? Doesn't it get tirin-OW!"

Jewel kicked him in the face, "I refuse to work for an animal abuser!"

Eggman sighed in disappoint, "It's your funeral!" He ran back to his Egg Crusher, with the trio following closely behind.

Tangle pondered as the door closed behind them, "What's this doohicky about?"

One started to drop, almost crushing her. Sonic noticed, "TANGLE!" And dashed to get her out of the way.

Jewel looked around, noticing Eggman was in one and flew over to attack it. He responded, "OW! But it'll take more than that!"

Tangle grew angry, waiting for another to drop. Sonic attacked the one Eggman came out of, at the same time as Tangle lassoed the other one and broke it, keeping it from going up again.

Eggman looked at it and was horrified, "Oh crap! No matter, eat this!" And sent down the electric balls.

Sonic and Jewel avoided it with ease, while Tangle tried but was easily caught, "AAAIIIIIEEE! Crap, my tail makes me an easy target…"

Eggman cackled, "HAHAHAHA! That's what you get for breaking part of my machine! Now to crush you!" He tried to crush the lemur, but in her quick thinking, she wrapped her tail around the one about to crush her, and she crushed instead.

Eggman was panicking, "NOOOOOOO! You're supposed to lay down and die!"

Tangle chuckled, "Hehe, I may be down, but I'm not out…"

Sonic grinned, "Give up yet, Eggman?!"

Still with two left, he cackled, "Never! The world will bow to-" But after a rapid fire attack from Sonic and Jewel from both sides, his machine broke down. And with nowhere left to run and his machine down, he jumped off the edge.

Jewel wondered, "Is he really-?"

Then he pulled out two Buzz Bombers before hitting the ground, "I'll get you next time, you pests! The Eggman Empire will rule the world!"

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Eggman!"

Tangle agreed, "We'll be ready!"

Eggman flew off into the sunset, holding his two robots. They could barely carry him, but he was surprisingly strong, holding them for the long flight to…Wherever he went next.

The trio of friends went out to Green Hill again, Sonic smiling wide, "We did it!"

Tangle smirked, "Honestly, that guy was barely a pushover!"

Jewel did not agree, "He almost killed you both…multiple times!"

Sonic was still self-assured, "That's hero work for you!"

Tangle agreed, "And we got some cool gems!" As she pulled out her emeralds."

Sonic winked and pulled out his, "Yeah!"

Jewel then finished with hers, "I guess…"

The 6 then glowed together, flying up into the air. After a few seconds, they flew off together, and they noticed what appeared to be a 7th light join as they flew off to a new island.

Tangle wondered, "Was that the seventh Chaos Emerald?"

Sonic shrugged, "Probably, guess they're magical after all."

Jewel was dumbfounded, embarrassed to be wrong for once, "Can't argue after that…"

Sonic smiled, "Should we go chase them and find out?!"

Jewel shook her head, "Nah, we need to get back home, remember? My parents will flip if we do that."

The other two looked deflated, but smiled, "Okay Jewel…"

And there ended the first adventure of the trio and their exploits against Eggman…