Making Up For Lost Fights

It was early morning. The sun was just beginning to climb up over the horizon. A beam of sunlight fell on Tails’ face, and he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the morning light. He barely even remembered where he was or what he was doing there. Then he finally became aware of the soft weight resting on his body. He looked down and everything came back clearly to him. Fiona was still asleep, her arms wrapped around Tails’ torso and a slight smile on her beautiful face. Her head was resting on his chest fur, and her tail was curled lovingly around his twin tails. Tails smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead, as he slowly ran his hand through her hair. He couldn’t remember a time when he had ever felt so happy. Fiona actually loved him. He remembered when she had looked into his eyes the previous day. He had learned, over time, how to find the true motives of others just by looking at their eyes. And when he had gazed into those soft blue eyes—the same ones that had once burned with deception, cruelty, and hatred—he saw pure love and warmth resonating from them.

Fiona moaned softly as she began to wake up. Tails smiled and said quietly, “Good morning, Fiona.” Fiona rubbed her eyes a few times and yawned. She looked up at Tails and smiled at him. “Good morning, handsome.” Tails gave a small laugh and said, “I thought that was your old pet name for Sonic.” Fiona leaned up and kissed his cheek. She giggled and said, “So? I’m only calling you that because it’s true.” Tails replied jokingly, “Ohhh, stop. You’re gonna make me blush.” Fiona laughed quietly and nuzzled Tails' cheek. "I never would've believed it..." she murmured. "Yesterday, I had been falling over myself for a lame biker boy, and less than fifteen minutes later, I was finding myself in love with a teenage rebel who I still remembered as an eleven-year-old kid... ...all of this, it... ...it feels like it's just a dream..." Tails lightly stroked her cheek and smiled as he replied in a gentle voice, "Well, if this was a dream, do you think you would find yourself sitting in my arms when you woke up just now?" Fiona hugged Tails. She looked up at his smiling face and said, “Seriously, Tails, you gave me the shock of my life yesterday. When Sonic called for you, I was honestly expecting to see a resentful thirteen-year-old kid. Instead, I saw a handsome man who was seriously ripped and was dressed like a rebel. I thought I was gonna faint when I saw you. I never expected to see you so grown up, so TOUGH, and… you… you were just so confident…” Tails softly cupped his hands around her cheeks. “That was ‘cause I knew that Scourge was just using you. When we got in there to stop you guys, I knew that I was gonna bring you back or die trying. I tried to stop you that day from going with Scourge ‘cause I knew that he would only break your heart sooner or later. I love you, Fiona. You mean more to me than anything or anyone else.” Fiona pressed her nose against Tails’. “Awww, you’re so sweet. Give me a kiss, ya big stud,” she whispered playfully. She angled her head slightly and pressed her lips against his own. Just then, Mira (who had slept in the hammock with the couple during the night) yawned and opened her eyes to see Tails kissing Fiona. She blinked and said dryly, “Yeesh. What a heck of a way to wake up in the morning.” Tails parted from Fiona, saw that the kitten was staring at them, and burst out laughing. Fiona (who didn’t have an ear implant like Tails) was confused. “What are you laughing about, Tails?” Tails contained his laughter and said, “This might sound a bit crazy, Fiona, but all of the Freedom Fighters can talk to animals. And Mira here just woke up cracking wise.” Mira pawed at an ear implant she had clipped to her collar and said, “Here, put this on her ear.” “Thanks, Mira,” Tails replied, and he took the implant off her collar and gave it to Fiona. “Put this on your ear, Fiona.” Fiona took the implant and looked at it curiously for a moment, and then she clipped it to her ear. Mira placed her front paws on Tails’ arm and said to Fiona, “Can ya understand me now, Fiona?” Fiona yelped in surprise. “Y…Y-You… you can talk!” she stammered. Mira shook her head. “Relax. It’s the implant on your ear. It’s letting you understand what I’m saying.” Fiona blinked in surprise. “…Whoa…” she touched the implant gingerly. “This little thing lets me understand you…? Why was Tails laughing then?” Mira replied, “If you’d been wearing that thing earlier, you would’ve heard me say ‘What a heck of a way to wake up in the morning.’ You’d be exasperated too, if the first thing you saw when you woke up in the morning was a teen couple who were necking.” Fiona couldn’t help but giggle. “Sorry, Mira.” Mira yawned and stretched. “Ah, don’t worry about it. That’s the price I pay for bunking with a couple of young lovers, anyway.” Tails rolled his eyes and said with a chuckle, “Always got a good comeback, don’t you, Mira? I wish we’d brought you with us yesterday. It would’ve been interesting to see you get into an insult competition with Scourge.” Mira jerked herself upright and said indignantly, “What do you mean, an insult COMPETITION?! I’d beat that lizard-boy before he even had a chance to start!!” Both foxes cracked up. Fiona struggled to contain her laughter as she spoke. “Hahahaha, come on you two, heeheehee, let’s head down to the base, hahahahahaha!” Tails picked up Mira and set her on his shoulder. Then he got out of the hammock, picked up Fiona, and flew down to the base.

Tails, Fiona, and Mira all headed down the hallway to the dining room. Sonic, Sally, Manic, Breezie, Knuckles, Julie-Su, and Amy Rose were already awake and having breakfast. Sonic looked up from one of his breakfast burritos, gulped down what was in his mouth, and grinned at the two foxes. “‘Morning, lovebirds. How’re you two doing this morning?” Tails took Mira off his shoulder and handed her to Sally. “We’re doin’ great, Blue. What’s on the schedule today?” Manic spoke around a mouthful of the burrito he’d swiped off his brother’s plate. “We’re gonna go down to Megaopolis and do some major robot butt-kicking.” Sonic knuckled his brother’s forehead playfully and said in mock frustration, “Quit stealin’ my grub, bro!! You’re gonna make me starve to death before I’m much older!!” Everyone laughed as Sonic wrestled the burrito away from his younger brother. Fiona hid a smile and whispered to Breezie, “Are those two always like that?” Breezie chuckled as she whispered back, “Oh, no—usually they’re a lot worse. This is what they’re like on a CALM day.” Manic kissed Breezie on the cheek and said with a grin, “Yup. Me and my bro, we’re even more dangerous at chow-time than we are in the field.”
Just then, Mina, Ash, Bunnie, and Antoine came in from the hallway. “Mornin’, y’all,” Bunnie said with a yawn. Ash laughed a little and said, “So, has there been another battle over breakfast between the guys?” Mira pointed at Sonic and Manic with a tiny paw and said with a straight face, “Actually, Manic had a bad case of sticky fingers just now, and he made Sonic’s burrito his first victim.” Tails, Fiona, Mina, Ash, Bunnie, and Antoine all got their breakfast and sat down. As Fiona ate, she asked some questions about the new Freedom Fighters. “Breezie, how did you join the Freedom Fighters?” “I was an orphan on the refugee carrier that brought a colony of Mobians to Freedom during the Great War. An elderly couple on the planet took me in and raised me. When I was about fifteen, Metal Robotnik was resurrected, and my neighborhood was one of the many places he attacked. My home was destroyed in an explosion, and my foster parents were almost killed. I joined the military on Freedom as a lone soldier to help put an end to Metal Robotnik. Then, Sonic and his team came down to the Land of Darkness and saved me when Metal Robotnik cornered me in a fight. I joined them on their mission to find the Ultimus Emerald and destroy Metal Robotnik. I made several new friends…” She hugged Manic. “…and I met the man of my dreams at the same time. In the end, I decided to come here to Mobius with Sonic and his group after we destroyed Metal Robotnik and found the Emerald.” Fiona raised an eyebrow, nonplussed. "Okay... so you were on the same ship as he was, but... how did you actually know You talk about Sonic as if you've known him all your life." Sonic grinned. "Probably cuz' she has known me all her life, Fi. The transport ship Breezie was on happened to be the same ship that brought me, Tails, and Knux to the planet Freedom. We've been buddies since childhood." "Then why didn't she come with you to Mobius?" Fiona asked. Sonic replied, "Remember what I told you yesterday about how Tails and Knux and me came to Mobius? The goddess Aurora brought us back here. Breezie wasn't brought along for the ride, though." Breezie added on, "I would've been brought back to Mobius much sooner, but for some reason, the ship that was sent to retrieve me and all the other refugees on Freedom never arrived." "It was destroyed," Sally replied suddenly. "Among all the documents I've pored over in my spare time, one of them was the black box transcript from the transport ship sent to recover the refugees from Freedom at the end of the Great War. Based on what was said by the pilots of the ship, it was concluded that they were ambushed by a Black Arms raiding party." There was a moment of awkward silence after that, until Sonic finally broke the silence. "C'mon Sal-- let's try not to fall down in the dumps before the day's even started." Sally looked over at him and smiled slightly. "You're right-- I'm sorry about that."

Breakfast continued with relatively little chatter, until-- "Hey Fiona?" Mina asked. "There's something I've been wondering about. What happened with you and Tails before?" "Mina!" Bunnie chided. "That's hardly somethin' ah think Tails or Fiona wanna talk about right now." "Well, I just don't understand it," Mina replied. "Why didn't you give Tails a chance the first time around?" Fiona looked down at her hands, trying to find the right words to express herself. "I... well... it's just, well... Tails was so young back then... I mean, he was five years younger than me..." Mina shrugged. "So? Age never stopped me and Ash from being together, and he's four years older than me." She looked over and returned the smile Ash gave her. "We never cared about that-- we just knew that we cared for each other." Fiona was at a loss for how to reply. "I... I just... um... well..." Tails cut her off. "It's okay, Fi. I get it." Fiona looked at him hesitantly. "Y...You do?" Tails cracked a smile as he replied, "Yup-- you didn't want to be seen walking around the park holding hands with a guy who was two feet shorter than you." Everyone at the table burst out laughing, and even Fiona couldn't help giggling a bit. Tails laid his hand over hers. "Seriously, though, Fiona, it's fine-- I understand." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "But that's all behind us now." The knot in Fiona's chest loosened as she saw the understanding in Tails' eyes. "Yeah... it's behind us now."

As Fiona and Tails left the dining room after breakfast, Tails took his new girlfriend by the hand and said, “Fiona, come with me for a moment—I’ve got something for you.” Mystified, she walked with him down the hall.
Tails guided her down to his workshop and walked over to a locked door. He looked into a scanning panel, and a scanner checked his retina. The door opened with a hiss, and Tails and Fiona walked through. As they headed down a corridor, Fiona smiled and said quietly, “Somehow, I always had a feeling you would have a secret room in your workshop.” Tails chuckled a little. They finally came into a room with a glass-paned assembly area and a table. On the table was a pyramid-shaped package wrapped in gift-wrap. Tails picked up the package and took Fiona out of the workshop and up to her old room. Tails handed Fiona the package and said, “Open this in your room. If the stuff inside looks too big, don’t be fooled.” Fiona blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Tails smiled and said, “You’ll understand when you open the package.”

Fiona took the package into her room, and she gave a small gasp when she looked up. The entire room was spotless, and it looked exactly the way it had been before she had left the Freedom Fighters. She smiled and sniffed a little as memories came flooding back. She walked over to her bed and set the package on it. She slowly pulled away the gift-wrap. Inside were three boxes, arranged from largest to smallest in a pyramid. They were labeled (from bottom to top): First, Second, and Third. She slowly took the uppermost two boxes and set them aside. Then she opened the largest box. Inside was a two-piece combat suit. The shirt and the pants were matte black. The shirt was a sleeveless midriff top, with a V-shaped neck that ended in a stylish curved collar, and it had inky, midnight purple ridge guards curving over the shoulders. Fiona smiled in surprise. So this was what he got for me, she thought. She pulled out the shirt and pants, and she saw that they were at least three times too large for her. She was a bit startled, and she was starting to feel somewhat insulted that Tails seemingly saw her that way. Then she remembered that Tails had told her not to be fooled if the contents looked too big. She slowly took off her old black field outfit. Then, hesitantly, she put on the shirt. Only a second after she had put it on, it suddenly tightened and shrunk, contouring itself to her body shape. “Whoa!” she exclaimed under her breath. She tried on the pants, and just like the shirt, they tightened and shrunk until they were contoured around her body. Both the shirt and the pants were ultimately a perfect fit. She checked the box again and found a chain-link utility belt inside. She clipped it around her waist. Then she opened the second box. Inside was a pair of knee-length, high-heeled, midnight purple combat boots with steel-tipped toes and heels, and a pair of fingerless, arm-length combat gloves with Kevlar knuckle guards. She put on the boots and the gloves, and they responded the same as the shirt and the pants. Fiona was having mixed emotions. She was stunned by the abilities of the suit, pleased by the way it looked and felt, touched by her boyfriend’s kind gesture, and overwhelmed in general. She then noticed the third box. It was small enough to fit in her hand. She picked it up and opened it. Inside… was her old hair bow. There was a note on the underside of the lid: “Welcome back to the team, beautiful.” Fiona placed a hand over her cheek and smiled as a tear rolled down her face. Tails had given her the most touching gift she could ever ask for. She dried her eyes and went into her bathroom. Reaching under her neck, she unpinned a hidden pair of barrettes. As she removed the barrettes, the long hair she'd had pinned up underneath fell down around her shoulders in rich, beautiful curls. She took a brush and combed out all the extra curls, until her hair was back to its natural, slightly curled look. She then took the bow and fixed it in her hair. Fiona went over to her vanity mirror and gasped in surprise. Tails had certainly known what he was doing with the suit—Fiona looked stunning in the new outfit. She smiled at her reflection. She finally realized she was home.

This was where she belonged.

And she was here to stay.

Tails was leaning against the wall outside Fiona’s room when he heard the door slowly open. He turned his head, and he drew in a sharp breath when he saw Fiona. She had never looked more beautiful than she did right now. She walked up to him with a smile on her face and hugged him. He kissed her cheek and said, “So, what do you think?” Fiona nuzzled him and said, “I LOVE it. Where did you manage to get this outfit?” Tails laughed and said, “Fiona, I didn’t buy it. I made</i> it.” Fiona stared at him in disbelief. “You’re kidding!” she exclaimed. Tails shook his head and said, “Nope. I’m dead serious. I worked on this outfit right from the day that you joined the Freedom Fighters. I finished it just after… after you left. I knew your birthday was the following week, and this was supposed to be my birthday gift for you. So, here it is. I know that it’s two years late, but, well, you know…” Fiona placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him. “Thank you, Tails. This… this has to be the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” Tails smiled. “I’ll bet you had a heart attack when you saw how big it was at first, didn’t you?” Fiona laughed and said, “Several thoughts did flash through my head. How did it just tighten around my body like that?” Tails explained it simply. “There are micro-circuits in the fabric. Whenever they’re exposed to your body heat, they’ll make the fabric tighten to fit around your body. You’ll never have to worry about outgrowing it. Also, that suit is heatproof, bullet-proof, shockproof, and it’s anti-friction— any mud, or water, or anything else that gets stuck on it will just slide right off. Loosely translated, you’re pretty much indestructible in that outfit. I spent a whole year of experimenting just to make it work that way. But it was more than worth it.” Smiling, Fiona pressed her finger against his nose as she giggled jokingly, “You’re such a nerd, sweetie.” Tails raised an eyebrow and replied, “And that’s news to you?” The vixen laughed, gave him a kiss and hugged him again. “I love you, Tails,” she said. Tails held her close and smiled as he replied, “I love you too, Fiona.”


Tails guided Fiona along the twisted path until they came into a small glade. Tails looked at her and said, “Do you remember this place, Fiona?” The vixen remembered it all too well. “This is… where you walked in on me kissing Sonic… this is where I betrayed him for Scourge. This…” She breathed heavily as she struggled to not cry. “…this is where I slapped you…” she said with a weak sob. Tails nodded slowly and murmured, “Yeah… there’s… there’s a lot of… a lot of painful memories in this clearing…” He lightly stroked Fiona’s cheek and smiled. “But I didn’t bring us here to dwell on bad memories, Fiona.” He placed his hands around her waist and pulled her body close to his in a loving embrace. “I brought us here to make new memories… the kind that we’ll remember forever.” He leaned forward until he was nose-to-nose with Fiona. “For once, we’re not going to worry about the war, or saving people, or anything else. Today is just going to be about me and you. We’re in this little clearing for the same reasons you and Sonic came here before.” He gave a small grin. “We’ve got plenty of privacy out here, if you know what I’m talking about.” Fiona smiled and put her arms around his neck. “You’re such a naughty little boy,” she whispered jokingly. She closed her eyes and kissed him, allowing herself to fall into a state of intimate bliss.
The couple spent a long while in the glade, locked in a loving embrace. No one bothered them, and nothing disturbed them. They just stayed there, the bond between them growing with every passing minute.

Sonic had exhausted every location he could think of where Tails might be. He finally headed down to the glade and saw the silhouette of a two-tailed fox in the shade of a nearby tree. "There you are, Big Guy!" he said with a grin. "I've been lookin' everywhere for ya!" As he got closer, he realized it wasn't just Tails, but Fiona as well-- the two foxes were locked in an embrace. "Whoops!" Sonic said, raising a hand to shield his eyes as he grinned sheepishly. "My bad! Sorry to disturb you guys!" Tails turned his head and smiled wryly at the hedgehog. "So much for 'plenty of privacy'..." he said, as Fiona tried to suppress a giggle. Sonic, still smiling, mumbled back, "Sorry... ...havin' the weirdest feeling of deja vu here..." Tails turned around completely at this statement and grinned. "Yeah, I'll bet you are, Blue. Two short years ago, it was me standing where you are now, watching you get 'friendly' with... well, you know the rest..." Sonic smote his forehead with one hand. "Riiight... sorry about that." Tails shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Why were you looking for me?" Sonic replied, "Just wanted to let you know that we're gonna be heading down to Megaopolis pretty soon for the mission today, that's all." Tails nodded. "Alright. Thanks for the heads-up." Sonic nodded and said with a teasing grin, "No problem. I'll let you two get back to your kissy-kissy time now." And with that, he shot out of the clearing, heading back to the base. Tails watched him go with a deadpan expression. "Well, that parting note certainly killed the mood in here." Fiona laughed and slipped her hands around his chest from behind. "Don't worry handsome-- we can get the mood going again..." Tails smiled in spite of himself. "...Sounds good to me."

After Tails and Fiona left the glade, Tails gave Fiona’s hand a gentle squeeze and smiled. “Before I forget to tell you, there’s gonna be one more surprise waiting for you—tonight.” Smiling, Fiona entwined her tail around his own tails. “What kind of surprise would that be, handsome?” Tails grinned and replied, “I’ll tell you this much: You’ll be seeing a side of me you’ve never even known about: My wild side.”


That evening, Fiona headed down to her bedroom. She was combing her hair when she heard a knock on the door. “It’s me.” Tails called from outside. Fiona called over her shoulder, “Come on in!” Tails stepped into the room. “You remember the surprise I mentioned earlier, Fiona?” Still facing the mirror, Fiona replied, “Yeah, I remember.” “Well, here it is.” Fiona turned around, and she slightly jumped with shock at the sight before her.
Leaning against the doorjamb was Tails. He had his hair dyed black again. Also, his cheeks had black blade markings painted on them. His left wrist sported a wristband with three rings of spikes, and he had a steel chain hanging across his left hip. A thorn pattern was painted on his right arm, and an electric guitar was strapped across his back. He grinned at his girlfriend and said, “We’ve got a concert tonight, and since you’re a Freedom Fighter, you’ve got a front-row seat.” Fiona blinked in surprise. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding about showing your wild side, were you?” Tails chuckled. “Precious, if you think this is wild, you oughtta see Manic’s stage outfit. C’mon, our ride’s waiting for us.” Fiona replied in confusion, “What ride?” Tails answered, “Well, you don’t think we’re going to walk to the stadium, do you?” He took her by the hand and said, “Come on, let’s go!”
As Fiona left the housing complex of the base, she was greeted by the sight of a large, sleek, jet-black hovercraft cruiser. The side doors automatically slid open, and Mina leaned out and said, “Hop on, you two, or we’re gonna be late!” Tails and Fiona got in, and the doors closed. Then, the cruiser took off with amazing smoothness.

Fiona was startled by the interior. The walls were lined with luxurious velvet sofa-chairs. There was a widescreen television at one end with an Omni-Media theatre center, and the ceiling had several skylights. Sonic grinned at Fiona when he saw her expression and said, “Welcome aboard, kid. What do you think?” Fiona was even more startled when she noticed Sonic. He had black chevrons painted on the tips of his spines, and a black lightning bolt was painted on both his cheeks. There was a black satin cord entwined across his left arm, and he wore a pair of fingerless gloves over his regular white ones. The gloves had metal spikes jutting out of each knuckle. All of the other bus members were similarly dressed. When Fiona saw Manic, she knew Tails hadn’t been joking when he mentioned Manic’s outfit. The hedgehog had black dye on the tips of his spines, as well as on the tips of his wild locks of hair. Black face paint surrounded his eyes, forming stalactite-shaped spikes below his eyes. He wore two wristbands with triple spike circles, and he had switched off his red-brown vest for a black one. Black streaks were painted across his chest in the outline of a chevron, and black scar marks were daubed on either cheek. He also had black thorn patterns on both arms, similar to Tails’. Fiona looked around at the band members and exclaimed, “Geez, guys, for a rock band, you sure are wearing a lot of black!” Knuckles shook his head. “Rock isn’t all we do, Fiona. We also do hard rock, metal, and heavy metal.”
Fiona’s jaw dropped. “You guys play METAL?! You gotta be kidding!!” Sally smiled and said, “Believe it or not, it’s the truth, Fiona. These guys have been doing both rock and metal since they started performing. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that they’re really, REALLY good.” Fiona looked up at Tails. He was grinning at her. Fiona shook her head in amazement and said, “I’m sorry, it’s just that… I can’t really picture Tails playing metal.” Ash laughed out loud and said, “Fiona, take it from me, until you’ve heard Tails rip on his guitar, you haven’t heard real metal. You’ll see what I mean when you see him onstage tonight.”

As soon as the cruiser arrived at the stadium, the band members all headed backstage, while Fiona went with the other Freedom Fighters. They were guided along a corded-off walkway to the front-row seating area. Behind them, an indescribably huge crowd of Mobians that filled the stadium was screaming and cheering in anticipation. Minutes later, the lights in the stadium dimmed, and a spotlight came on backstage, illuminating the silhouettes of the band members. As Sonic, Sonia, and Manic activated their amulets, three haloes of light flared momentarily as their instruments materialized. Then, a light came on underneath each band member, illuminating them from below. Sonic grinned and shouted into the microphone, “WHAT’S UP, PEOPLE?! LEMME HEAR YOU MAKE SOME NOISE!!</i>” The cheering of the crowd rose to a feverish pitch. “THEN HANG ON TIGHT, ‘CAUSE WE’RE TAKING YOU INTO THE EYE OF THE STORM!!” Fiona stared incredulously as Tails suddenly began a vicious riff on his guitar. Soon, all the guitars were pounding, and Tails roared into the mike.

CAN YOU HEAR THE THUNDER?!
CAN YOU FEEL THE RAIN, IT POURS!!
NAIL DOWN ALL YOUR WINDOWS,
AND BARRICADE THE DOORS!!

MOTHER NATURE’S FURY
TAKES YOU BY THE HAND,
SHOWING ALL BUT MERCY,
WREAKING DEATH UPON THE LAND!! GO!!

Fiona realized that Ash had been right. Tails was ripping out a wild tune on his guitar, his head thrashing forward in time with the rapid beat.

CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
DID THE HEAVENS JUST OPEN AND FALL?
WE ARE CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
ALL THAT’S LEFT ARE JUST BODIES TO MOURN!

CAN YOU SEE THE LIGHTNING?!
CAN YOU FEEL THE WIND IN FULL?!
PACK UP YOUR BELONGINGS!
LET CHAOS TAKE CONTROL!!

Knuckles’ voice ripped through the speakers:

TAKE CONTROL!!</i>

Then Tails was roaring back in again:

MOTHER NATURE’S FURYYYYY
TAKES YOU BY THE HAND,
RIP THIS WORLD TO PIECES
BID FAREWELL TO ALL YOU KNOW!! GO!!

CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
DID THE HEAVENS JUST OPEN AND FALL?
WE ARE CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
ALL THAT’S LEFT ARE JUST BODIES TO MOURN!

YEAH!!

CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
...CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM!!!!

Tails broke out in a wild solo on the guitar. Fiona stood slack-jawed as her boyfriend ripped out the fast-paced tune. While he was at it, he smiled right at Fiona and winked at her. Then he was back at the mike:

</i>CAN YOU HEAR THE THUNDER?!
CAN YOU FEEL THE RAIN, IT POURS!!
NAIL DOWN ALL YOUR WINDOWS,
AND BARRICADE THE DOORS!!

MOTHER NATURE’S FURY
TAKES YOU BY THE HAND,
SHOWING ALL BUT MERCY,
WREAKING DEATH UPON THE LAND! GO!!

CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
DID THE HEAVENS JUST OPEN AND FALL?
WE ARE CAUGHT IN THE EYE OF THE STORM,
ALL THAT’S LEFT ARE JUST BODIES TO MOURN!
TO MOURN!!</i>

The audience exploded into wild cheering. Fiona cheered along with the other Freedom Fighters, but her gaze was fixed on Tails, her eyes shining with admiration. Tails smiled back at her.

Several other songs followed: “Choke”, “New Disease”, “Echo”, "Disappear",  and “Walk Away”. Near the end of the evening, Sonic spoke into the microphone. “You’ve been an awesome audience tonight, all of you, but we can’t leave until we Say Goodnight, first. Hit it, guys.”

Ash began a soft tune on his guitar. Soon, the tranquil melody was flowing through the stadium, strong but gentle. Once again, Tails came up to the microphone. Before he began, he spoke softly into the mike to Fiona, “This one’s for you, precious.”

Haven’t waited for you,
Just close your eyes and say goodbye,
Hearing your pulse go on and on now
I live my life in misery,
I’d sacrifice this world to hold you,
No breath left inside of me,
Shattered glass keeps falling

Say… Say goodnight,
Just sleep tight,
Say goodnight...

(Another guitar solo by Tails followed.)

Flowers laid out for you,
So many colors leave me blind,
Seein’ your face
Reflect from our baby’s eyes

I live my life in misery,
I’d sacrifice this world to hold you
No breath left inside of me
Shattered glass keeps falling

Say… Say goodnight,
Just sleep tight,
Say goodnight...

Knuckles’ distinctive roar cut through the tranquility:

So here I am, you’re inside of me!
So here I am, our world is over,
So here I am, you’re inside of me!
So here I am, our world is over!

Tails took up the mike again:

Here I am with you,
I’m there ‘til the end,
Memories are callin’,
So farewell my friend!


Here I am with you,
I’m there ‘til the end,
Memories are callin’,
So farewell my friend!
My friend!
My friend!
My friend!
MY FRIEND!!!!

Over the applause of the crowd, Sonic said into the mike, “Thank you, and goodnight, folks.”

The band members went backstage and washed off the paint and dye on their bodies. No sooner had Tails come out and hopped down from the stage than he was met by a hug from Fiona. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she was smiling. "That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me," she said through her tears. Tails hugged her close and gave her a kiss. “Probably because it was for the sweetest girl I ever met.” Blushing, Fiona smiled and returned the kiss. When she parted from him, she gave a small giggle and said, “I had no idea you were such a punk, handsome.” Tails swept her off her feet and carried her back to the cruiser as the rest of the Freedom Fighters headed for the craft. “Well…” he said with a smile, “There’s a lot of stuff about me that you don’t know.”

END OF CHAPTER