x
(Start of Act 2)
The next day, everyone was hard at work, doing extensive repairs to the Blue Typhoon after the last battle. Cosmo was on the bridge when Sonic showed up with a few boxes. "Oh, this isn't the cargo hold," he said, looking around.
Cosmo hadn't noticed him until she heard him. "Oh… Hi, Sonic," she greeted him.
"How's it goin', Cosmo?" Sonic replied as he spun off the bridge.
………………………………………………………………………
Outside on the runway, Chris, Grace, and Tails were finishing up with erecting palm trees on the ship. "That's the last one," said Tails.
"We've been meaning to ask you," said Chris, "what's the point of having these artificial palm trees? It's not exactly tropical out here in space."
"Yeah," Grace agreed. "I mean, it's not like we're on a beach or anything."
"Yeah, I know," said Tails, "but it's all because of your grandfather, Chris. Chuck once told me that it's important to make a ship like home to keep up the crew's morale."
Chris was impressed. "Really?" he said. "His ideas sure are original.
Grace nodded in agreement. "Impressive," she said. "Most impressive."
………………………………………………………………………
In the cargo hold, Twilight was busy with a toolbox while Amy was hammering a dent until it was repaired. Sonic soon arrived with his box stack. "Hiya, Amy," he said, setting them down. "Watch this stuff for me, will ya?"
With that, he started to leave. "Wait, Sonic!" Amy called, getting his attention. "Uh, do you think Shadow is okay?"
Sonic thought for a moment, the image of Shadow diving after the Crimson Egg flashng through his mind. "Don't worry," he said. "He's always makin' a comeback."
With that, he left. "Hey!" Amy called. "What should I do with this stuff?"
But Sonic was already out of earshot, much to Amy's frustration.
………………………………………………………………………
In the engine room, Cream, Cheese, and Sunset were helping Knuckles with repairs. Knuckles was tightening a nut with a wrench. "It's lucky for us that you can control the Master Emerald," said Cream. "It saved the ship!"
"Chao!" Cheese agreed.
"No kidding," Sunset said, wiping her forehead. "I'd say it's a close call."
"So… do you guys think Rouge is going to be okay?" asked Cream.
They clearly remembered the Crimson Egg descending into the gravitational field. "Who cares about that bat?" said Knuckles. "It serves her right for fluttering around where she doesn't belong!"
"Knuckles!" exclaimed Sunset, glaring at him.
"What?" said Knuckles. "It's true."
………………………………………………………………………
At the bridge, Chris was using a pair of tongs to place a chip into a circuit board. Grace was helping Sticks with something on another part of the ship. "I'm almost done…" he said.
However, he stopped when he felt a pain blossoming in his leg. "What's wrong?" asked Tails.
"Just a little sore," Chris replied.
Tails stood up. "That was a tough fight," he admitted.
"No kidding," said Creecha, who was also on the bridge. "It's been a while since we've been in a battle that intense. I can't remember the last time we've been in that kind of a situation."
"Yeah," said Chris. "The Metarex are totally relentless. They keep collecting Planet Eggs. I know they're transforming them somehow, but I can't figure out why."
"Planet Eggs and Chaos Emeralds all have huge amounts of power," said Tails. "I bet the Metarex wants to use that energy to take over the galaxy."
Creecha thought about it for a moment. "You do have a point there, Tails," she said. "Bad guys like the Metarex are willing to do whatever it takes to get the power they want. They're just that relentless."
"How are we ever gonna defeat them?" asked Chris. "Red Pine said there were 3 other commanders out there with armies of Metarex ready to fight!"
"I don't know if we can win," said Tails, "but if we give up, the galaxy is doomed."
………………………………………………………………………
Chris was right to worry about Red Pine's warning about the other three commanders. Said commanders were currently in the middle of a meeting. "How could Red Pine have been defeated?" asked Metarex General Yellow Zelkova. "He was almost as strong as me."
"What you and Red Pine never understood," said Metarex General Pale Bayleaf, "is that strength must be balanced with intelligence and skill. You're far too proud of your power. Your strength is your weakness."
Yellow Zelkova was highly offended. "You calling me weak?!" he challenged.
"This bickering is pointless," said Metarex General Black Narcissus. "We should be fighting our enemies, not each other. We will not win this conflict unless we're unified."
"We're not fighting," said Pale Bayleaf, "just having a difference of opinion over tactics."
"Argue if you want," said Black Narcissus, "but my focus must stay on our foes, especially Sonic. He's far more dangerous than you realize. The fact that he defeated Red Pine is extremely disturbing. I must learn the secret of his speed and discover his weaknesses. I will not feel at ease until that hedgehog has been eliminated."
"I'm tired of all this talking," yelled Yellow Zelkova. "Why don't we go and find him right now?!"
"I will not be intimidated by that hedgehog," said Pale Bayleaf. "He and his fighters are weakened by their recent battle. The powers at our command are more than adequate to finish off Sonic forever!"
………………………………………………………………………
At the Blue Typhoon's bridge, Chris spotted something. "There's an unidentified spacecraft directly in front of us," he said.
"Have you picked up their ID code?" asked Tails.
"They aren't sending any," answered Chris.
That got Tails curious. "Put a visual on the main monitor," he said. "Maximum zoom!"
"Roger," Chris replied, doing so.
"Is it a Metarex?" asked Cream.
"Chao chao!" Cheese replied.
An image of the detected spaceship appeared on the holo-monitor. The crew recognized it as the Chaotix's spaceship. "It's Vector!" said Sonic with gritting teeth.
"Don't worry, Sonic," Creecha chuckled. "I'm pretty sure that they're not gonna kidnap someone like last time."
"Well," said Grace, giggling, "at least we know what it is now so we don't plan a surprise attack."
Outside, Charmy was waving a white flag. "Hey Sunset," said Creecha, "think you might help them get in for a landing?"
Sunset smiled. "Sure thing," she said, running off to do so.
………………………………………………………………………
At the hangar, Chris, Sonic, and Tails were meeting with the Chaotix. "We're not sure how it happened exactly," said Espio, "but we got lost in space."
"And there was no place to stop and ask for directions," Vector laughed.
Chris was surprised. "You mean you've been lost since you delivered those packages to me?" he asked. "But that was weeks ago!"
"Well…" said Vector, "outer space is a big place. Plus, our warp engine gave out, and we didn't have any jumper cables to restart it."
"You should've sent out an SOS," said Sonic, "and we would have picked you up sooner."
"Our transmitter got broke thanks to a certain bumblin' bee," said Vector, glaring at said bee.
"It wasn't my fault," Charmy said.
"I can probably repair your ship," said Tails, "but it will take some time, and until I'm done, you will have to wait here on the Blue Typhoon. While you're stayin' here, I don't want any trouble, okay? Captain's orders."
"No problem," said Espio.
"Eh?" said Charmy. "Forget it! I'm not gonna let you boss me around!" The little bumblebee could be a bit of a brat sometimes.
"Fine!" said Tails. "Then I won't fix your ship!"
Luckily, Vector found a way to put a stop to it. "Don't listen to him," he said, putting a hand on Tails' shoulder. "I give you my word, we'll be on our bestest behavior. And since you're makin' repairs anyway, why don't you install a multi-functional auto navigational system? That way we can get home!"
Everyone sweat-dropped. Well, everyone except Tails. "... No problem," he said.
Later, Tails was at work on the Chaotix's ship when Cosmo arrived, wheeling a food cart to him. "Lunch is ready," she said.
She looked around. "Hey, where did Chris go?" she asked.
"He's finishing the repairs on the Blue Typhoon for me," answered Tails. "I've got my hands pretty full fixing Vector's ship."
"We sure keep you busy, don't we?" said Cosmo.
"Ah… It's nothing I can't handle," Tails replied. "And besides, I like making repairs."
Having been watching them from around the doorway, Vector chuckled just as Espio arrived. "What do you know!" said the crocodile.
"What's going on, Vector?" asked Espio.
"Now I see why Tails didn't want us around while he fixed our ship," answered Vector. "That little fox sure is foxy."
"Huh?" asked a confused Charmy, who had just arrived.
"Tails has a crush on that green girl," Vector explained. "He got rid of us so that he could be alone with her, and I'll bet that he'll ask her for a date or invite her to take a spacewalk so they can gaze at the stars!"
"I think you and the others have been pushing yourselves too hard lately," Cosmo was saying.
"At least we have time to take it easy now," said Tails, sipping his tea.
Cosmo smiled. "This would probably be a good time to spring my surprise on everybody," she said.
Tails was curious. "What kind of surprise do you have in mind, Cosmo?" he asked.
Cosmo just gave him a cheeky grin. "I'm not going to tell you," she said, giggling.
"It seems that they're chatting about normal things, Vector," said Espio.
"That's why you're an amechur, Espio," said Vector. "You should know that I'm not just a professional detective during war, but I'm also an expert on love and have a keen eye for this sort of business. Just look at how hard Tails is trying to talk to Cosmo. He could win her heart for sure."
"You think?" asked Espio.
Vector nodded, feeling 100% positive about it. "My own judgments never failed me," he said.
But then, Vector panicked. "Quick! Hide!" he said, quickly moving away from the entrance.
Espio and Charmmy did as told. But Cosmo wasn't heading in their direction; she was just going out the other way, pushing the food cart. Tails watched her go before continuing to work on repairs. Counting to watch from the doorway, Vector was teary-eyed with emotion. "Look at 'em," he said. "Tails is too shy and insecure to tell that girl how much he cares about her! I know exactly what that feels like!" He began sobbing.
"I think you drank too much swamp water when you were a baby," said a confused Charmy.
………………………………………………………………………
In another part of the ship, Wallflower, Sunset, and Grace were sitting around and trying to come up with something to do. "I got nothing," Sunset was saying. "I've already got my ship taken care of, and I've helped out with a bunch of repairs."
"Wish we could have a day off," said Grace, wiping her forehead. "Who knew that making repairs could be so exhausting?"
Wallflower nodded before glancing over to another part of the room they were in at the time. "Hey Junior," she said, "I suppose you, Bob, and Larry don't have anything to do, right?"
"Nope," said Junior. "We got nothin'. We don't have anything to do either."
"Boring!" Larry called.
Bob just shrugged. "I'm just gonna go with what these two said," he said. "But I'm sure that there's gotta be something we can do."
At that moment, Cosmo passed by and happened to overhear the conversation. An idea went up in her head. "I know of something you can do," she said as she entered the room. "I'm planning a surprise for everyone, and I overheard that you wanted to help with something. So maybe you can help me."
"Better than nothing," said Sunset. "Not like we have anything better to do."
"Whatcha plannin', Cosmo?" asked Grace curiously.
Cosmo motioned them to gather around so she could whisper it to them. Whatever it was she said, a big smile spread across Grace's face. "That's a great surprise idea, little sis!" she said, giving her a hug. "I love that! Count us in!"
"Totally," agreed Wallflower. "We really appreciate your efforts to help us. We'll be glad to help you with this."
Everyone else nodded, causing Cosmo to smile happily.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, the Chaotix were walking down the hall. "Tails says he doesn't need our help," said Vector, "but wanderin' around doin' nothin' while he sweats away makes me feel like a freeloader. I've been thinkin' that since Tails is scratchin' our back, maybe we oughta scratch his back!"
Charmy was confused, thinking that he meant it literally. "It's itchy?" he asked.
"That's just an expression!" shouted Vector.
"Sor-ry…" said Charmy, a little snark in his voice.
Vector then revealed his plan: "We'll repay Tails for what he's doin' by helpin' him win the heart of that green gal! Girls love strong men, and that'll be our plan. Our first step will involve Cosmo being attacked by bad guys, even though it's just an act. When the girl is trapped and had nothing to do, in comes her hero Tails:
" 'Hey you two, let her go!'
" 'What did you say, fox?'
" 'POW! POW!'
" 'Oh Tails, you're so manly!'
" 'It's no problem, my lady.
"And then they fall in love and live happily ever after. The first thing I'll need to do is get Cosmo's attention while Charmy brings Tails into the action to save her."
Espio wasn't sure about the plan. "We're detectives, Vector, not matchmakers," he said.
"I've come up with a scheme called 'Dame in Distress'," said Vector. "Here, let me tell you how it'll work."
They huddled as Vector whispered the plan.
………………………………………………………………………
In the engine room, Knuckles was polishing the Master Emerald when he looked up, hearing a buzzing noise. "Hey, who's there?" he asked.
Charmy appeared from behind the Emerald. "It's me," he said. "I'm getting bored waiting for my ship to get fixed. Do you wanna play tag with me?"
Knuckles looked weary. "I've got more important things to do," he said, getting back to work.
"Um… Knuckles can't catch me! Knuckles can't catch me! Nyah-nyah! Nyah-nyah! Nyah-nyah!" Charmy taunted, making a face.
Knuckles chuckled. "You're gonna be sorry you said that, buzz boy!" he threatened.
Knuckles ran towards Charmy, but the bee sprayed him with a floral-scented spray. Knuckles fainted, and Charmy lowered him to the ground. "He weighs a ton!" he said as Vector and Espio emerged from behind a wall.
"Good work, Charmy!" said Vector. "Now I'll take over."
Pulling out a case of markers, he got out a black one and began doodling on Knuckles' face. "When I'm through, his own mama won't recognize him!" he said.
Espio cringed while Charmy laughed as they both saw the results of Vector's handiwork. "You take it from here, Espio," said Vector.
"Right," Espio nodded.
He became invisible and picked up Knuckles, Vector and Charmy smiling.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, Cosmo, Wallflower, Sunset, Grace, Bob, Larry, and Junior were walking down the hall. "Thank you so much for helping me, you guys," said Cosmo. "I hope everybody enjoys my surprise."
"Oh, I guarantee they will," said Grace. "It's pure genius."
Suddenly, a heavily-modified Knuckles, hefted by Espio, appeared in front of them. "Cosmo!" said Espio, intimidating Knuckles' voice.
Cosmo screamed in surprise. Immediately taking action, Sunset and Wallflower stepped in front of Cosmo and the group, activating their lightsabers. "What's the meaning of this?" demanded Sunset.
"I switched sides!" said Espio. "I'm fighting for the Metarex now! I've come to take you prisoner!"
At that point, Espio accidentally dropped Knuckles, much to Grace's amusement; she had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "By falling over accidentally?" asked Wallflower, causing Grace to snort behind her hands.
But Espio picked Knuckles back up. "Resistance is useless!" he said. "Th-th-the Metarex rule!"
Cosmo looked less scared and more… confused. Grace couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing. Wallflower and Sunset just glanced at each other confused, with the boys trying not to lose it themselves. Well, Larry and Junior were at least. Bob was just wondering what the heck was going on. Vector and Charmy were watching from upstairs. "Growl or something!" said Vector, he and Charmy motioning for Espio to scare Cosmo.
"This is ridiculous," Espio muttered.
As he moved Knuckles' arms, Tails emerged from another room. "All right!" cheered Vector quietly. "Tails to the rescue!"
Tails was confused at what he saw. "What are you doing, Knuckles?" he asked. " … Cosmo?"
Vector and Charmy were surprised that their plan was failing. "Don't ask me," said Cosmo. "He jumped out, said some crazy things, and started dancing."
Sunset and Wallflower just shrugged. Then, Tails was even more confused with what he saw on his big brother's face. "Uh, Knuckles? Why do you have makeup all over your face?" he asked.
Espio was then shaking Knuckles violently. "Is that ballet?" asked Cosmo.
"I don't know," said Tails, approaching Knuckles.
Grace was still laughing. "That's not ballet," she said. "I know ballet when I see it."
"Forget it, Espio!" Vector called quietly. "Run for it!"
Espio did so. "This isn't over yet, Cosmo!" he said in his Knuckles voice.
Cosmo smiled in amusement. "I thought Knuckles was always serious. I didn't realize he was secretly a practical joker," she giggled.
Everyone burst out laughing, even Bob and Sunset. "What the heck did we just witness?" said Sunset in-between her laughs.
From upstairs, Vector and Charmy sweat-dropped. "Unfortunately, I think Knuckles came out ahead in this round," said Charmy.
"Yeah, at this rate, he's gonna give Tails some competition!" Vector agreed.
The two laughed.
………………………………………………………………………
Meanwhile, in the Crimson Egg, Orbot and Cubot were repairing each other's bodies with hammers. "That gravity field we fell into really bent me out of shape!" said Cubot.
"Well, what about me?" asked Orbot. "Are my dents almost done?"
"You never had any damage," answered Cubot. "I just enjoy striking you with this."
Just then, Cubot felt someone tap on his shoulder. "Hey, look at me!" said a voice.
It was Bokkun. But now, he was somehow much taller than he used to be. "You really better stand out of my way!" Bokkun warned.
"How did you turn into a big shot?" asked Orbot.
"The gravity field must have stretched him out," answered Cubot.
"We can fix that," said Orbot.
With that, both he and Cubot raised their hammers. "We'll pound you down to size!" they both threatened in usion.
Soon, they were chasing him around the cockpit with their hammers. "But I like being tall!" yelled poor Bokkun frantically. "You shrimps are just jealous 'cause you [unintelligible] from now on! Can't we settle this on a basketball court?!"
………………………………………………………………………
In the Project Shadow room, Eggman and Rouge were looking at Shadow's stasis chamber. "Well, Rouge," said Eggman, "you got more than you bargained for when you stowed away on my ship."
"That's an understatement," Rouge agreed. "All I wanted was the Chaos Emerald."
"I suspected it all along," replied Eggman.
"What happened to us, anyway?" asked Rouge.
"It would appear we were swallowed up by some kind of gravity field," answered Eggman, "and spit back out into an unknown part of the galaxy."
Rouge was surprised. "You're kidding, right?" she asked.
"It may take us a little while to get our bearings," said Eggman. "With luck, we'll be able to return to our own region of space without too much difficulty."
"I hope so," said Rouge.
She and Eggman looked at Shadow, who was in the stasis chamber. "But what'll we do with sleepyhead here?" asked Rouge.
"Shadow needs some time to recover," Eggman answered. "He's still knocked out because he released all his energy before he transformed into Super Shadow, and now he's completely run down. I just hope it hasn't had any other interesting effects on him."
"Could he get his memory back?" asked Rouge, coming into a realization.
"Maybe," answered Eggman.
At that point, Shadow finally woke up, slowly opening his eyes. "What happened to me, Doctor?" he asked.
"You passed out," answered Eggman, "but you're fine."
"Did everybody else make it out safely?" asked Shadow.
Eggman grinned. "You saved us all!" he replied. "Thanks to that ring on your wrist, you overpowered our enemies."
Shadow glanced down at it. "... Really?" he asked.
………………………………………………………………………
Back at the Blue Typhoon, Tails and Cosmo were both carrying a stack of boxes. Upon rounding a corner, they accidentally bumped into each other, causing them to drop the boxes. "Sorry…" said Tails.
"It was my fault!" replied Cosmo, starting to restack her boxes. "I should've looked where I was going."
"Are you okay?" asked Tails, helping her.
"I'm fine," Cosmo answered, "but I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
With that, she hurried down the hall. Then, Tails noticed a pink box on the ground. Confused, he picked it up and opened it. Inside was a beautiful purple flower. Cosmo must have dropped this when I bumped into her, he thought.
Elsewhere, the Chaotix were walking together. "My new plan's sure to do the trick, guys!" said Vector.
"I'm afraid to ask what your plan entails," said Espio.
"Well," Vector admitted, "it's still a work in progress."
He was pressing a button to open the door when Tails ran past them, not even seeing him. "Where's he goin'?" asked Vector.
Tails passed another room before backing up for a double take. And there was Cosmo, Sunset, Wallflower, Grace, and the Veggie boys decorating it. A sign that said "THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!" was hanging over a stage, with stage lights hanging behind it. Currently, Cosmo was standing on a ladder trying to reach something while Grace was holding the ladder. "Hey, guys!" said Tails, entering the room.
"ACK!" yelped Grace, jumping with fright.
That got everyone's attention. "Oh. Hi, Tails," Wallflower waved.
"Now it won't be a surprise," said Cosmo when she saw who it was.
Tails came closer. "Why did you decide to throw a party for everybody?" he asked.
"I know fighting the Metarex can be exhausting," said Cosmo, "so I thought you all deserved to have a little bit of fun."
"It's not easy to put a party together all by yourself," said Tails.
Grace smiled. "That's where we came in," she said. "Cosmo knew that she needed some help with it, so she got the six of us in on it and we decided to help her out."
"Still," said Tails, "why don't you let me give you a hand?"
"But you have to repair Vector's ship," said Cosmo.
"It wasn't in bad shape," said Tails. "I'm already done. I'm all yours now."
Bob smiled. "Honestly, we could use another set of hands here," he said.
Cosmo smiled. "Then I'll take you up on your offer," she said.
"Great!" said Tails. "So… what would you like me to do?"
"Hmmm… let me see…" said Cosmo, looking around.
Outside the room, the Chaotix were watching them. "Tails is doin' pretty good on his own," said Vector.
"Then there's no need for us to get involved," said Espio. "Let's go."
But Vector wasn't done yet. "We can't leave yet!" he said. "You're completely clueless when it comes to this stuff, Espio. This romance still needs a little push, and since I'm naturally pushy, I'm just the one to make sure Tails wins that girl game, set, and match!"
He walked into the room with his workmates following behind him. " *Ahem!* Why, hello!" he greeted them.
Grace jumped in surprise, slipping on a bunch of streamers. "Oh, come on!" she grumbled to herself from the floor. "This is ridiculous! Why am I always the one getting startled easily?"
"Oh, hi Vector!" said Cosmo.
"We were passin' by when we overheard ya talkin' about the surprise party," said Vector. "If you don't mind, we'd like to help out too!"
Cosmo smiled. "Oh, thanks a lot," she said.
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," said Tails, a little uneasy.
"We're repayin' you for fixin' up our ship, foxy-woxy," Vector reassured him, wrapping an arm around him. "All we ask is that you and the missus remember to invite us to the wedding."
Junior (who was taking a drink break) spat out his water, not expecting to hear that. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed.
Grace quickly spun around from where she was sweeping the floor. "What was that about a wedding?" she asked.
Wallflower snorted behind her hands, trying not to laugh while Sunset just face-palmed. "They're way too young for that, Vector," she said.
Vector immediately double-took. "D'oh! Never mind," he said.
In his head was another plan that he'd come up with. Seein' how Tails is so shy, he thought to himself, I have a hunch he won't be anywhere near Cosmo while he's helpin' her. So we're gonna stage a blackout. That's when me and Espio make our move and give 'em a helping hand. After Tails and that girl stand close to each other for a few seconds, I guarantee that sparks will really start flyin'! We'll call it "Project Date in the Dark"! He laughed quietly.
Tails finally relented. "Okay," he said, "you can help us if you promise to back off."
In a moment, Cosmo was busy setting up some garland (with Grace holding the ladder) while Sunset was helping Tails with tinkering with the sound system; it was decided that Sunset and the rest of the EGs would deal with the music. Espio and Vector were standing by the respective people (Espio by Cosmo and Vector by Tails). "It's just as I suspected," said the crocodile.
At his signal, Charmy turned off the lights. "Ah! Lights!" exclaimed Larry.
"Hmm… maybe there might be a blackout happening," said Bob.
Vector took that as his and Espio's cue. "Let's move!" said the crocodile.
"Okay!" replied the chameleon.
But Vector's plan B sounded better on paper; every wise person knows that unless you have some sort of light source on hand, it's never wise to run around in the dark because you can't see anything. Unfortunately, it was too late to tell Vector that fact; he and Espio made their move, but they ended up grabbing the wrong objects and running right smack into each other in the dark. Junior got the lights turned back on as Tails and Cosmo made their way over to an unconscious Vector and Espio. "Are you all right?" asked Cosmo.
"Don't you guys know it's dangerous to run in the dark?" added Tails.
"Says the fox who has night vision," said Grace.
Tails glanced up at her. "Regardless of whether I have night vision or not, even I know better than to do that," he said.
"Even the best plan can blow up on ya…" groaned Vector, fireworks in his eyes.
Later, Vector and Espio were sitting at a table while Charmy was helping everyone else with decorating. "Are you ready to give up now?" asked Espio.
"I'm just startin' to get warmed up, old buddy," replied Vector. "No matter what it takes, I'm gonna make sure that true love triumphs!"
"You should let their relationship develop naturally," said Espio.
But Vector wasn't one to give up easily. "My next scheme's so perfectly planned, it can't fail!" he said. "All I need's for you to disappear!"
He had just come up with another idea: "There's still another way to do this: As Tails and Cosmo pass by one another, that'll be your cue to drop a handkerchief, Espio.
" 'Oh miss, I think you dropped something.'
" 'Oh, that's very kind of you. Thank you.'
" 'You are such a beautiful and lovely woman. Would you like to go on a date and have tea with me?'
" 'Oh yes, mister.'
"And then they go out and finally fall in love with each other. It's so much better than what we did before, that there won't be any problems at all."
"But Vector…" Espio was about to object, but Vector wasn't budging, forcing him to concede. "... I'll do it."
Later, the plan was ready to begin. Espio was invisible, ready to drop a handkerchief. "Hey, Cosmo!" said Tails. "Do you have any more streamers for me to put up?"
As Cosmo turned to him, Vector gave Espio the signal, and the chameleon dropped the handkerchief, making it look like Cosmo had dropped it. Tails picked it up. "You dropped your hankie, Cosmo," he said.
Cosmo was confused. "But that's not mine," she said.
"Well," said Tails, "whoever this belongs to really needs to drop it in the washing machine."
"Yeah," agreed Sunset. "If Rarity saw that, she wouldn't approve of it."
Then, Cosmo spotted something. "Hey, look," she said, "something is embroidered there."
And there was. "V-e-c-t-o-r," Tails spelled out.
Espio fainted, knowing that Vector's plan was busted. Everyone else reacted in disgust at Vector's handkerchief. Gross! thought Junior. Not even my underwear's like that!
"Hey Vector!" called Tails. "I think you'd better have this thing disinfected."
"Yeah, I'll do that," replied an embarrassed Vector, his face red at the cheeks.
Later, the Chaotix were back at the table. "I'm not gonna get involved in any more of your hankie-pankie!" said Espio sternly.
"I can't believe how Tails keeps blowin' the opportunities I've given him!" Vector grumbled.
"For a detective, you certainly are clueless," said Espio.
Meanwhile, the decorating was nearly finished. "It looks great, Cosmo!" said Tails.
Everyone else agreed. "I never would have finished without your help, guys," replied a thankful Cosmo. "I really owe you. Especially you, Tails."
"Anything for our friend, sis," Grace said, hugging her from behind.
"Yeah, but you don't have to thank me, Cosmo," said Tails. "I like being with you."
"Ah, really?" asked Cosmo happily. "... Me too, Tails. It's been fun working together. We make a pretty good team. Don't you think so?"
Tails nodded. "I agree!" he said.
"Well, Vector," said Espio, "I'd say there's no need for you to turn up the heat, unless you want to get burned again."
"I guess it's true bein' a love detective ain't exactly my specialty," Vector had to agree.
"So your matchmaking mission is finally over, Vector?" asked Charmy.
"Not yet, Charmy," said Vector, standing up. "Those two squares still need to learn to have a ball!"
With that, he kicked a disco ball, causing it to bounce around the room. Everyone managed to dodge it until it then headed straight for Cosmo. "Cosmo!" Tails exclaimed before tackling her out of the way.
While Sunset went after the disco ball, Tails looked down at Cosmo, concerned. "You weren't hurt, were you, Cosmo?" he asked anxiously.
Cosmo opened her eyes. "I'm fine, Tails," she said, blushing slightly, "thanks to you."
Tails found himself blushing too. "Sorry," he said, sitting up.
"Oh… that's okay," replied Cosmo.
Then, they saw the Chaotix standing there. "Don't you have something better to do?" asked Tails as he tried to ignore what's going on.
"No, not really!" they all said in usion.
Soon, it was time to hang up the disco ball. Cosmo held it and looked up at the spot where it was supposed to go. Just then, she felt a pair of hands on her waist and found herself in the air. "You look like you could use a lift," said Tails.
With his help, Cosmo hung up the disco ball. "It's lucky for me you know how to fly," she said.
"I've been thinking…" said Tails.
"What is it?" asked Cosmo.
Tails averted his eyes, hesitant to admit his feelings for her. "Uh… Maybe… we could do this more often," he said.
The Chaotix looked on. "Their relationship's takin' off!" said Vector.
"Time to party!" said Tails.
Grace switched the disco ball on, causing it to cast light around the room. "Whoa!" said Tails. "Wait 'til the others see this!"
"It's amazing!" Cosmo agreed. "Now we have to figure out how to get everybody in here."
Tails thought it was a good idea. "But what'll we do?" he asked.
"We'll bring all your guests for the surprise party courtesy of the Chaotix Detective Agency!" Vector offered.
"Great," said Sunset. "In the meantime, the rest of us are gonna go get ready."
As they headed out of the room, the Chaotix walked down the hall, trying to figure out how to invite everyone. "Lemme see…" mused Vector. "How can we get the crew to the party?"
"For starters, we could promise you won't be there," snarked Espio, not wanting to get involved with any more of Vector's ridiculous matchmaking plans.
However, there was one thing they left out: in helping out Tails and Cosmo with the surprise, they completely forgot to watch out for Knuckles. So they were shocked to see a certain Echidna awake and walking, scowling with marker doodles on his face. "If I ever run into those clowns again…" he growled with gritted teeth.
That was when he saw the Chaotix. "You messed up my face, and now I'm gonna return the favor!" he threatened.
Vector tried to calm him down, to no avail. "Come on! I can explain!" he said. "Let's go!"
"Get back here!" yelled Knuckles, chasing the Chaotix down the hall. "It's payback time!"
Meanwhile, Tails, Cosmo, Sonic, Creecha, and Pinkie were walking down the hall towards the party room when suddenly, they heard crashing sounds coming from down the hall. "What was that?" asked Tails.
Shrugging, they arrived at their destination. When Sonic opened the door, they found the results of what looked like a tornado gone through. Not only were the Chaotix dazed from Knuckles' revenge beat-up, but now, the whole room was a complete mess; party decorations were scattered everywhere. "What have you guys been doin' here?" asked Sonic curiously.
………………………………………………………………………
Tails knew that there was no turning back now. "Cosmo wanted to do something special for us," he explained, "so she was gonna throw us a party."
"Really?" asked Creecha.
Cosmo nodded, near tears now that everything was ruined. But to her surprise, Creecha picked her up and gave her a big hug. "Thank you so much, Cosmo," she said. "That was so sweet of you."
"Really?" asked Cosmo, surprised at the reaction. "You're not mad or anything? Everything's ruined."
"Of course I'm not mad," Creecha assured her. "Even I knew that we needed a break after everything we've gone through. This was a perfect idea. So again: Thank you."
Cosmo smiled and returned the embrace. "Well," said a disappointed Tails just as Grace returned, "I guess it's off now."
One look had her shocked. "Wha– WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE?!" she exclaimed. "ALL OUR HARD WORK'S BEEN RUINED!!"
"Nothing a little cleanup can't fix," said Creecha. "And if you ask me, my guess as to why it's like this is because a certain Echidna decided to get revenge on the Chaotix for drawing on his face with a marker earlier."
"Whoops," said Knuckles as he realized what his actions in his anger caused.
"Do you hafta cancel the party?" asked Vector.
"Of course you don't!" said Sonic. "We don't need any fancy decorations to have a good time. All that matters is we're together."
"Really?" asked Cosmo.
"Really," Creecha answered. "Parties aren't about decorations or any of that stuff. They're about hanging out and spending time with your friends and having fun. Why do you think Pinkie here throws parties at home from time to time?"
"Because I just love seeing everyone's happy expressions!" Pinkie replied. "It's about the fun, fun, fun, let me tell you!"
Cosmo's mood was lifted when she heard those words. "Right!" she said. "Thank you, Sonic."
"And thank you for the party!" Sonic replied as the two hugged.
Upon seeing this, Vector now thought Cosmo was in love with Sonic and vice versa. Great, he thought. She likes Sonic now. It's back to square one!
After cleaning up the destruction, Cosmo was now wondering how to get everything decorated in time. Luckily, Pinkie had a perfect solution to the problem. "This is the #1 reason why I never go anywhere without my party cannon!" she said.
Saying this, she pulled said cannon and, with a pull on the string, got the place decorated in seconds. Creecha even got some new party poppers. Meanwhile, Knuckles wanted to return the favor of what was done to him earlier: by painting Espio's face. Charmy, whose face was also painted, was amused by this. As for Amy, she had on a new floor-length dress and was now twirling around in it. "Well, Sonic, what do you think?" she asked. "Do you like my party dress?"
"You look gorgeous, Amy!" answered Cream.
"Chao chao!" Cheese agreed.
Amy approached Sonic. "I wore this dress just for you," she said. "Now you can tell me how pretty I look."
Sonic just sweated profusely, not saying anything. "... I know," said Amy. "You're too stunned for words."
………………………………………………………………………
Soon, everyone had arrived and the party was at full swing. The EGs, whose band name was the Rainbooms, were doing a splendid job on the music, with Wallflower being an extra backup singer. Their sparkling dresses and different hairstyles, while still in their half-pony forms, were stunning. Vector was telling one of his tails of his defective days: "So there I was, flushed down the sewer with no hope of escaping, except for my superior brainpower."
With both their faces painted, Espio and Charmy jumped up and struck poses, causing everyone else to laugh. Seeing Cosmo standing by herself near the window, Tails got up and approached her. "Cosmo?" he asked.
Cosmo looked over at him. "Hi, Tails," she said.
"It wasn't quite what we expected," admitted Tails, "but the party turned out great."
"I'm glad everybody's having a good time," Cosmo agreed.
Then, Tails remembered something. "Oh yeah… Here," he said, handing an object to Cosmo.
It was a purple flower– the same one she had accidentally dropped earlier! "You dropped this before," Tails explained. "So I polished it up for ya. I hope you don't mind."
Cosmo was overly delighted. "I think it's just wonderful!" she exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much!"
"I was hoping it would make you happy," Tails replied.
As Cosmo stared out the window, Tails blushed after a moment of looking at her. Cosmo certainly is special, he thought. I only wish I could tell her how I feel.
"You're so beautiful– Whaah!" However, like any boy in love, Tails realized what he was saying and panicked.
Luckily, Cosmo didn't seem to notice. "It's true," she said, referring to the vastness of space outside, "the stars are beautiful. I'm so happy right now. I feel like I could stand here staring at them forever."
Tails chucked embarrassingly. "So do I," he said.
ns 15.158.61.7da2
