Author's notes.

(sigh)…Even during this short absence, I was beginning to miss you all already.

Well… just to chat a bit, Sonic Generation: Friendship is Timeless has just posted its last chapter. I'm checking it right now and I say it's a pretty good read, being on the top for a good reason. Of course I, as well as most readers, were a little disappointed that the story ended. My deepest respect and honor towards GreenSonic21 for more than a year of hard work and dedication…If you're reading this right now, we hope to see you again.

Anyway... other than drawing, writing, and helping my dear friend with his/her work for fiction press, I've been pretty busy. But I will never be busy enough to EVER put down this story. I'm reading your comments and I could just feel that some of you fear that I'll simply abandon this story, just like many others before me…Don't ever fear that, as long as this is incomplete, I'll keep writing. And will do it within the two week time period when possible, if not just a couple of days after that.

And one more announcement before I do my shout outs…SEGA has announced a new Sonic game exclusively for Nintendo called Sonic Lost Worlds. I've seen the trailer, and while it does remind me WAY too much of Super Mario Galaxy, my hopes are up. For the past years, SEGA has been trying to win their audience back, and just recently they did release a good Sonic game: Sonic Generations…I'm a little disappointed that it won't be released for PS3 and Xbox 360, but it will be released on the 3DS and Wii U… and I have a 3DS.

But SEGA, I have a bonus waiting just for ya'll if you do make it to another money grubbing monstrosity! Don't you dare disappoint Luna; she's anciently waiting just like the rest of us for the game to release!

No, I'm serious! I'll keep this story incomplete until the game released! You screw this up, I'll have those anime dolls tear down your building again! I have the two bodies from last time buried in my back yard, and I'm not scared to bury your two new CEOs! If you fail us, if you don't put your best effort on this, if you suck, if you didn't meet our expectations, if it's 'bleh', or the game just remotely suck…Luna will personally seek and find every single Sonic Lost Worlds CD on this planet and take every individual CD and shove then down your throats! EVERY…SINGLE…SEGA…DEVELOPER!

…no pressure.

Shout outs:

Guactar:…Typo struck again! I believe 'cave' was the word I meant to use.

I had a guess laughing at my number of followers…What's so funny about it? I'm nearing the top, baby!

And I have another guest pointing out that the guy or girl I'm assisting is a 'he' because of my typo. Listen, I usually use 'he' when I'm referring to a girl sometimes by accident. I could be working with a hot chick for all you know.

Silver1234: Luckily for me, the story takes place just right after the Royal Wedding (season 2). So I don't have to worry about it.

Erik morris 73350: …Let me be honest, I blindly went into this fiction without doing research. I didn't know ANYTHING about Shadow's history when writing this (which I'm now regretting). But I do appreciate these kinds of reviews, though. I know about it now.

And the thing about Tails and Twilight...I'll answer that later, it's kind of fun seeing everyone trying to reason with it when there is a perfectly logical explanation.

Shadic: Don't worry… I'm sticking to this thing through thick and thin.

Statche38: I didn't mean to do a double shout out, since I forgot to merge those two statements into one line, but sure; you're welcome.

Enjoy.

---

Sonic was flying through the air with his six emeralds still in possession, has boomed towards the city of Ponyville to await his friends. Of course, a sonic boom rupturing above was followed by a glowing, overpowered hedgehog floating slap dab in the middle of town square, was bound to frighten a couple of wandering ponies trying to carry on their daily lives.

And of course, like every hero coming out of a climactic battle that stood between saving and destroying their land, he was greeted by a wave of cheering, screaming ponies; crowding around him and trying to carry him atop like a rock star. He knew, and contemplated, that they'll give him this attention when he arrived back… but a thought hit him.

How did they know he was battling a gigantic five story mechanical bird that was invincible to almost everything?

And second: why are they suddenly putting him down and forming a series of circles and dancing around him?

What he would soon to learn on this world will forever haunt him.

"When a hero returns from a glorious victory,"

"When a hero saves our ponies with a heart of gold and silver."

"When a hero conquers the clutches of darkness."

"When a hero escapes a certain monstrosity,"

"…uh…what are ya'll doing?" Sonic asked, his question being completely ignored as they burst in sudden energy while singing and dancing around him faster and louder.

"We sing!"

"We dance!"

"We congratulate our hero!"

"We sing!"

"We dance!"

"We rejoice our savior!

"We sing!"

"We dance!"

"We pointlessly perform tricks and kicks and let our hero feel what we feel insiiiiiiide."

Before he had a chance to take off, a tall handsome stallion with a short mustache wrapped a hoof around him and began to lead; well, drag really, the poor and trapped hedgehog through the streets of Ponyville.

"Wait! What are you guys doing? Let me go!"

Even with the powers of his emeralds, he was somehow hopeless to escape from the musical imprisonment as the stallion began to hold him around his waist and lifting him up like a ballerina, then spinning him around on his tip toes. The singing and dancing continued until the stallion stopped cold, letting go of Sonic, daze and confused. When he somewhat gathered his senses, he was suddenly surrounded by pitch black darkness; the music dying down and the ponies around him slowly fading away into nothing. Suddenly, a spot light flicked several meters in front of him, shinning on a loan, cloaked and hooded figure that stood on its four hooves and facing him with its face completely concealed. It began to sing, a heavenly opera voice vibrated through her lips as she sung on cue with dramatic violins playing in the background.

"…DISPAIR!"

*DUN! DUN!*

Sonic shriveled a bit when deep drums banged while a sudden bolt of lightning flashed in the darkness.

"…ANGUISH!"

*DUN! DUN!*

"OPPRESSION!"

*DUN! DUN! DUN!*

"ALL SENSE OF HOPE FOREVER VANQUISH IN THE WICKNESS OF PONANITY!"

*DUN! DA-DA-DUN! DUN!*

The hooded figure slowly stepped down from the mysterious set of steps, slowly trotting towards the frightened hedgehog while singing to the top of her lungs. Her voice was so high pitched and long that Sonic could barely understand her… or even tolerate.

This reminded him WAY too much of an opera that Amy drags him into sometimes.

"Negaaaaaattiiiiive feeeeelllinnnngs that cuuurrrrrsed our innnnner soooouuuls."

"Feeeeeelllinnnngs that…moooooost of us diiiiiissspoooooose."

Sonic covered his ears while the figure crept towards him.

"Noooooooooo pony wants to feeeeeeeeeel negatiiiiiiiiive."

"But thiiiiiiiis daaaaaaaay, all I could saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaIIIIIIIEEEEE!"

The sound of glass shattering to a billion pieces screeched across the streets as the dramatic darkness around the two began to fade. Sonic could see the other mares and the few stallions circling them again, this time a bigger crowd than usual. For several intense seconds, everything paused in eerie silence. The crowd stopped singing, everypony stopped dancing, and the large orchestra that mysteriously appeared in the background cut off their music. The hooded figure approached until it was just a foot away from the terrified Sonic.

Suddenly, the mare in the cloak shot up on her two back legs and in one swift motion, took off her cloak and everything else that concealed her. When Sonic looked at her for just a second, he felt vomit rising against his throat.

This mare was fat…FAT...jell-O roles of flubber piling on her body like a slug. Cheeks puffed to unholy proportions with drips of sweat tinkling down her face. Legs and hooves flattening on the ground with each step she took. Her cutie mark flashing off a wine glass shattering.

And the worst part, she was wearing some type of skimpy armor that had its titties twisted to the extreme.

"OUR HERO HAS BROUGHT HOOOOOOOPE TO US AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

Violins, deep drums, and trumpets began to blare across the small town as the opera pony began to skip and spin 'gracefully' around him. Before the hedgehog had a chance to move, he found himself being cradled by this mare and carried to the edge of town. When the opera pony to the very edge of the city, she held the hedgehog up as high as she could in front of her. She resumed her high pitched singing with the other ponies chording behind her.

"AND NOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, WE HAVE A HEDGEHOG!

"We have a hedgehog!"

"A VERY FAST HEDGHOG!"

"A very fast hedgehog!"

"THAT WILL LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK AFTER US AAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!"

"AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!"

---

"Mother of God..." Knuckles gasped while staring at the fat mare holding the poor hedgehog high in the air.

He was the first to witness the musical spectacle as his friends trailed just behind him. Shadow walked right by him and crossed his arms, unfazed but amused to see his rival being brought to his knees by a pack of singing ponies.

"If only I have brought my camera." He gruffed.

Before they could blink, a pink blur flashed by them, and the next thing they knew they saw Pinkie dancing and singing along with the crowd. Tails walked beside them and was struck with confusion when he saw what was taking place ahead.

"…why am I seeing Sonic being carried by an obese mare with the whole town singing behind them?"

"WHAT!?"

The fox jumped when Amy's voice shrilled behind him. She didn't notice the crowd, the dancing, the music, not even the orchestra members that were dropping down by parachute to assist the team for the dramatic climax.

Sonic was being carried by someone other than her!

---

"WE ARE SAAAAAAAVED!"

"We are saaaaaved"

"BY THIS HEDGEHOOOOOOOOOG!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"THIS WONDEROUS HEDGEHOOOOOOOG!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"AND NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! WEEEEEEEEE WIILLLLLLLLLL"

"FOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEVER"

"LIIIIIIVE IN HARMONNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

*WHAM!*

The opera pony was sent flying like a cannonball when a Piko Piko hammer slammed against her side. In a blink of an eye, everyone heard a loud crash against a nearby stand. The singing stopped, the dancing stopped, Amy's advancing friends froze, and the all-important music silenced in that moment. Sonic was thwarted on the ground on impact; unhurt but completely taken off guard by the sudden change of events. When he looked up, he saw Amy circling around him.

"Get back!" She shouted frantically at the nearby mares with her hammer drawn like a sword, "Get back!"

The silence became fearful shouts as the crowd began to wisely back away from them. The circle encageing Sonic and his protector slowly expanded wider and wider. Pinkie could be spotted addressing the orchestra in the back ground, paying them a handful of bits and frantically pushing them out the way.

Strangely, as soon as the music stopped, everypony seemed to have forgotten why they were there in the first place. They were looking at each other, completely confused and out of touch.

"Where am I?" One stallion asked.

"I don't remember walking in this part of town." A mare groaned, feeling as if she did a back flip.

Slowly, and dizzily, they began to part; everypony were asking themselves what has happened and what they were doing. Sonic watched in confusion as the crowd began to disperse one by one.

The opera pony was just recovering from a potentially fatal hammer slam and was asking herself how she was here when she was in Canterlot just seconds ago, and how she suddenly found a knot on her forehead.

"I don't know what kind of rituals ya'll do around here," he started, seeing Twilight and the rest of her friends approaching him. Strangely, Rainbow was nowhere to be seen, "but… can somepony tell me what that was about!?"

Sonic scampered a bit when he saw Pinkie approaching him, rolling her eyes and huffing, "Come on, Sonic. Everyone in the audience knows that a musical trio plays when something significant happens. I don't know a single movie or show that doesn't have a musical trio. The only thing different we have is singing ponies."

"A reasonable explanation!" Sonic shouted.

He'll have to thank Amy later for pulling him out of that.

Suddenly, he heard a particular mare giggling from the side lines. When he turned his head towards the side of a building, he found Rainbow Dash falling over laughing while holding her stomach in.

Boy, did he feel crossed.

"You were there the entire time!?"

She held her giggles in just long enough to nod. The pegasus burst out into another fit of laughter.

"You could have helped me, you know!"

Rainbow finally calmed down and stood on her four hooves, trotting until she was beside the other five mares, "As if I was going to ruin something as gold as that! There you were with the power of six powerful emeralds and you acted like a damsel!"

"I-I-I was completely helpless!" Sonic roared.

Rarity approached, managing to settle Amy down enough to lower her arms and calm down. She still kept her distance though, "This is just a phenomenon that ponies can't explain."

"Can't explai- I never felt so violated in my life!" Sonic shouted at the white mare, "You're telling me that ponies dance and sing on impulse!?"

"…pretty much, dear." Rarity answered with a sigh.

Wishing to change the subject, Tails walked to his childhood friend and offered a hand. After a second, Sonic took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Glad to see you alive, partner!"

"Heh, yea!" Sonic grabbed Tails hands and hoist himself up, "It wasn't easy getting rid of that thing. That pit was beginning to melt me as soon as I approached it."

Twilight gave him a very stern stare, "You had to be crazy to fly in the heart of Tartarus like that. Nothing goes into The Pit and come out alive!"

"Hey!" Sonic chuckled while defensively throwing his hands in the air, "It was the only thing I could think of to finally get rid of that thing!"

Amy instantly wrapped an arm around him, "Oh, Sonic! They may have been sure you were going to die, but I never doubted you for a second!"

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yea, sur-"

"If only I have been there to see you!" She squealed, now hugging him, "I bet you were awesome!"

Sonic simply played alone. He saw Rainbow staring at him with pitiful eyes, but completely understood, "Yea," He sighed, "I was awesome-"

"And I bet you want to take me out on a dinner date after what you went through." She ultimately concluded.

He knew Rainbow didn't like her request, but she knew the hedgehog really didn't have a choice. Sonic has told her way too many stories of how she would murderously chase after him if he was to ever decline a date for no good reason.

…good reason.

This gave Sonic an idea.

"Amy, As much as I want to take you out," He began, "I'm afraid I have something else planned for tonight."

His spines stood on end when Amy growled at him with slit eyes, "And what would that be?"

Sonic thought fast, "Well, I was planning on having Pinkie throw a welcome back party after my battle. You know, celebrate my victory over-"

He was instantly knocked to his side by a flash of pink. His heart skipped two beats when he saw Pinkie's unnatural smile stretched from cheek to cheek.

"A party!? Youwantmetothrowaparty!?"

He slowly nodded, feeling a lump sliding down his throat.

"OOOOOH!" She mercilessly bear hugged him, "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! "

She shot up and began pacing in place, leaving the hedgehog paralyzed on the ground, "I have so much to prepare! So much to bake! So many to invit-Oh! I don't even have time to explain myself! TO THE BAKERY!"

In a flash, she instantly galloped down the street and making a sharp turn to the left. Amy stared at Sonic for a couple of seconds before helping him up.

"Well! You sure did pick a fine time to be throwing a party!" She snorted.

"Common, this is sudden," Sonic explained, "We'll have our date tomorrow, promise."

She stared at him for a couple of seconds, letting him feel the seriousness of that promise before turning around and following Pinkie. Soon, the rest of the party began to follow her.

While Sonic was walking, he began to slow down his pace until he was beside Rainbow. She only sighed.

"Guess we'll be postponing our go out after all."

"Not necessarily." He whispered, "If Pinkie can keep Amy distracted, I could sneak out and we could go out together without anyone knowing."

Rainbow gave him a very sly grin, "I didn't know you to be a liar."

"Either that or we'll have a very unstable Amy on our hands," Sonic countered, "If you could exclude yourself from the party, it'll make things that less suspicious."

The cyan pegasus only needed a second to nod her head in agreement, but she followed with a worried sigh.

"You do know we'll have to tell her eventually."

"And she'll be a very unhappy hedgehog when we do," Sonic finished, "We'll tell her eventually, but I want us to enjoy this night together. Just the two of us."

She gave him a warm smile, "Sounds good. I already have a place in mind we could go," Rainbow then unexpectedly nudged him on the cheek "I'll be looking forward to it, fuzz ball."

As much as he hated to admit it, he felt a little touch of red glowing on his cheeks.

When she sped up to her friends, Sonic slowed his pace even further until he was beside the last creature in the group… Tails. When he was sure he was out of hearing range, he leaned over and began to lowly whisper.

"Where's Shadow? Was he with ya'll?"

Tails gave him a disappointed look, "He disappeared as soon as we entered the town. I'm sure he didn't go too far, but-"

"How's the rest of the group handling him?" Sonic asked, making sure to keep his whispers quiet.

Tails winced, "Just he being in their presence was enough to start an argument."

The fox then explained what exactly happened, then quoting exactly what Shadow said before they saw Sonic's trail. The hedgehog rubbed his temples a bit, well aware that anyone who speaks against Celestia is considered a public enemy.

"It's going to take some kind of miracle to even get him to come in Ponyville. Everypony wants his head on a platter for what he did to Celestia and her guards."

"Well, they don't know him Sonic," Tails said, "but even if they knew of his past, I can bet my two tails they'll never accept him in society."

Sonic looked up and saw the Library in view, already seeing Twilight and Spike heading inside.

"I'm going to try to call him later before the party and see if I can talk to him." Sonic said, about to part off and meet up with Knuckles at Sweet Apple Acres, "By the way, how's Celestia doing with her injuries?"

Tails was very hesitant to answer, "…to look at this from a technical standpoint; her stab wound was fatal. She's going under intense surgery right now, and there's a chance she won't make it."

The hedgehog nodded, but smiled as he began to walk away, "She'll make it. I believe she'll make it."

Tails looked on as Sonic began to disappear over the horizon, and soon; he began to smile. With hope glistering in his heart, he opened the door to the library.

"Wait!" Sonic called.

Tails turned around right before he closed the door.

"Did Shadow see me during the musical… whatever it was?"

The fox nodded and closed the door.

Crap, now Sonic will NEVER hear the end of it!

---

Couple of hours later

Man… everypony couldn't help but hold pity for Knuckles.

Sonic had just agreed to help him pick out a patch of roses at the local market. It was during a break that gave him the opportunity to perform this daunting task. The echidna didn't know if it was bravery, the will to challenge himself, or just an act of stupidity that pushed him to commit himself to this task. Whatever it was, as soon as his fists grabbed the beautiful batch of scarlet roses, he knew there was no going back.

Well to be honest, Sonic dared him and harassed him with pity insults before Knuckles finally gave in.

The echidna was in no rush to arrive at his destination, oh no; he tip toped some have said. Huffing, Sonic grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him. If there's one thing the hedgehog hates more than anything else, that would be the philosophy of 'slow'.

"Sonic," Knuckles croaked, "Listen, I was just playing when I said-."

"You're not backing out of this, buddy!" He shouted at him.

"B-b-b-b-but I don't know what to say to her!" Knuckles continued, "She could take this as an insult and kick me in the nuts!"

"Well grow a pair before making statements like that… wait."

The hedgehog just shook his head at his own conflicting comment and continued to drag his poor buddy through the street.

On lookers stared in amusement as the echidna was finally hurled to the front door, shaking in his shoes with dribbles of sweat dripping from his deadlocks. Hesitantly, he pushed the door bell and waited for several intense seconds before the door creaked open to be answered by-

An old crippling mare that has been home alone for two weeks. The echidna kindly gave her a rose and happily provided her a little company. They were in the middle of a Yahtzee game before Sonic dragged out the front door and hurling him in front of the boutique.

He stood like a statue, the door appearing taller by each second he stood before it. During this moment, Sonic has heard something from him that he hasn't heard from him before.

A quiet, low, trembling, and pathetic whimper.

"Sonic," he choked, his knuckle just inches from the doorway, "I'm not ready for this."

The hedgehog only sneered at him. The echidna suddenly stomped his foot, "No! I'm not going through with this! I'm not going to face her when she decides to turn me down!" He began to back away, "As they once said, 'It's better not to love at all than love and-'"

*ding dong*

"Comiiiiiing!" A cheerful voice rang.

Knuckles completely froze as he stared at his retreating friend with betrayed eyes.

"It's better to love and lose than to never love at all, loverboy!" Sonic shouted before booming out of sight.

"SONIC!"

*creeeeaaaak*

Chills ran down the mammal's spine as he slowly turned to face her. The lovely white unicorn was wearing some type of fluffy wardrobe with a ball of yarn in her mouth with several needles and patches of cloths floating behind her. When she laid eyes on him, her eyes slowly narrowed with the needles floating behind her pointing at him.

"This better be good." She snarled through her teeth, not in any mood to put up with any of his bull crap.

Knuckles' only response to her was slowly lifting his patch of roses to her view. If that wasn't enough, he also pulled out a little bitty piece of paper with a self-written poem. He was shaking profusely; his voice trembling with every word he spoke.

"R-roses… are r-r-r-red

V-v-v-v-v-violets are b-b-blue

Knuckles h-h-h-h-has the hots

…for you."

The objects floating behind her dropped to the floor with an ominous thud as Rarity stared at him with very wide eyes, her pupils shrunk to the size of peas. The poor echidna's only other offer as a very hopeful and nervous smile.

Rarity just stared at him for several seconds until the door began to slowly shut by her magic. With a loud click, she concealed herself within the boutique.

Was Knuckles heart broken by her rejection? Sure, to some extent. He knew it was a long shot, but it was fun messing with her before he told her. With a head hanging low, he began to slowly walk away; walking away with eyes closed and his roses drooping and dragging itself on the ground.

Suddenly, he heard the door click behind him.

When Knuckles turned around, he found Rarity standing at the door way with two cups of hot tea floating by her. With a nod of her head, she signaled him to come inside.

His once broken heart began to flutter with life. He has never been in a relationship before, and it became exciting rather quickly when he knew he'll be taking someone out… even if that someone turns out to be a unicorn.

When she turned around to head back inside, and he was sure he was within ear shot; he pumped his fist backwards like a winner and shot it in the air.

"Nailed it!"

---

Tails has experienced a lot of things in life even during his short time alive. Even if he is just a kid, he has seen and gone through a lot with Sonic what a lot of adults would. He has made financial decisions regarding his work shop back home, he sometimes consoled his friends, and most of all, has practiced self-defense to protect himself and everyone around him. He has, and regrettably, killed in self-defense.

He's always been prolife, never believed that anyone deserves to die, but in cases like that, he never had a choice. It was either take a life, or lose his life. If he could save a life of an enemy, he'll do it in a heartbeat, because he believed that individual deserves a second chance.

It's a hard thing losing his childhood when Dr. Eggman invaded his home, but the day he chose to follow Sonic to the very ends of Earth and beyond, he'd never looked back.

Turning to the situation at hand, he has to endure something no child needs to endure. He was adding modifications to his energy tracker with much strain.

This would be easier if his assistant wasn't standing directly behind him staring at him.

No, not Spike… Twilight.

It's bad enough for him to work with a machine that takes vigilant eyes to modify without damaging it. It's another thing trying to do that task with somepony staring at your figure, which is a whole another ballpark. He could just feel her eyes glazing over him.

"Twilight," He called as pleasantly as he could, "Can you levitate a wrench to me, please?"

"Why certainly," She answered with a hint of seduction in her voice, levitating the tool right by his side.

After tightening a loose screw, he decided to call it a break.

As soon as he sat up on his two feet, Twilight instantly teleported to the kitchen to order Spike to fix a cup of tea. He just figured out the last time he was working, Twilight began to pick up on some of his movements… meaning that if he does a certain action like take a break from tinkering or something just as simple as walking out of a bathroom, she would be ready to tend to his immediate need.

Walk inside her library: ready his equipment for work.

Taking a break from his machine: order spike to prepare tea.

About to cut deal with seller: Immediately teleport behind him and threaten him with a bowl movement spell if he didn't lower his prices.

About to go to bed: Use magic to adjust the room to exactly sixty-nine degrees.

Of course, he knew she was keeping tabs on his preferences and routine, but… a part of him didn't mind it at all.

Yet again it is creepy, but he doesn't mind.

GAH! Why is this so complicated!

Tails just shook his head and went straight up stairs, giving Spike a friendly wave as he sat down, resting his arms on the table. Twilight was just adjacent to him, enjoying her cup of tea as well… Tails was just about finished with his drink and to his surprise, Twilight hasn't said a peep since he sat down and furthermore, she's not even looking up at him.

Why has her behavior suddenly changed?

"Twilight," Tails softly called to him, immediately grabbing Spike's attention, "You okay? You seem quiet."

She's thinking of something, no doubt; just the complexity in her eyes was enough to signal to him that something was on her mind. And something daunting.

"Tails," Twilight spoke, taking a small sip of her hot tea, "I-I need to tell you something."

Spike took this time to leave them in private. He already had a pretty good idea of what she'll say. The question is what his answer would be, "What is it?"

She blushed and turned her gaze away from him, very unusual of her forward nature. She was quiet for several seconds, collecting her thoughts, "W…What if I were to tell you that I had a crush on someone?"

It was during this sentence that he began to decide for her oncoming statement… he was completely oblivious of her intentions until the night she kissed him in his sleep. Did he panic when he figured it out? Of course; she was the last expected female to fall for him.

"I would be surprised," Tails answered.

"Well…"

But the question is if he has the desire to pursue this potential relationship. That time in Fillydelphia... he's always been hesitant to think back at the time they snuggled, because every time he thinks about it, he is reminded of his other intentions. Does he really want this to happen?

"What if… that crush was you?"

Does he want to spend the rest of his life with her?

"(sigh), I'm just going to say it, I'm in love with you."

If he wants her, why is he trying to ignore it?

"As soon as I laid eyes on you I knew we were meant to be together."

Is it just confusion?

"I'd admit it, I have become fresh with you at times… well, most of the times, but I can't help but feel that we were meant for each other."

Or is he just denying that he likes her?

"Tails?"

With a deep sigh, he stared at the table with his hands cupping each other.

"…I knew."

Twilight's ears perked up.

"When you kissed me in my sleep after Pinkie's party," he explained, not even looking at her, "I knew then you had a crush on me."

The unicorn just stared at him.

"So that time we dated in Fillydelphia," She spoke, "The time we snuggled in bed. You knew?"

Tails nodded, "I'm well aware that you like me, Twilight."

The fox took in a deep breath… he knew what he had to say.

"I knew you've been watching me as well." He continued, "you were keeping track of my hobbies, my routine, my likes, my dislikes, and anything you can use to make my life easier."

"…Tails." She softly spoke, guilt clearly present in her voice, "I-I don't know what to say."

He couldn't even look up at her, "Now, I can clearly see what you want… you want a relationship, you want me to become your lover."

She just nodded.

"Listen… I don't want to hurt your feelings, but-"

Her heart dropped.

"…I'm not ready. I know you have gone out of your way to please me any way you could, but I'm uncomfortable about having a relationship with anyone. We could still be good friends, though. Other than Sonic, you're the closest friend I have."

He decided to take this moment to look up at her. Her eyes where glistering, ready to shed tears at any moment. From looking at her, he could see that she wasn't completely devastated, but her lips were just slightly curled downward; ears flopped in devastation.

She stood from her seat, slowly trotting to him and gently wrapping her hooves around his shoulders. She held him gently.

"…I understand." She lowly spoke, letting go of him and trotting to the library without another word.

To explain his own feelings to a female like that was somewhat of a pleasant, but bitter experience for him. He felt better to know that Twilight understands what he feels… but is this what he really wanted?

When he thought about it, he concluded that this is for the best. He concluded that his feelings for her is still unsure. Is she a close friend? He surely thought so. He could trust her with his life. To be closer than friends, though. To experience feelings for another that is more than feelings from friendship. He admitted that fear played a part in his decision, but he ultimately made this decision based on analogy. He's unsure and confused, so he plays it safe and turns it down.

But something inside of them though deeply grieved.

---

"He should be around here somewhere." Sonic mumbled to himself as he hopped on top of Fluttershy's cottage, resting his feet on the thick branches. It was getting close to dark; the sun began to settle over the horizon as the beautiful full moon began to take its place. Twinkling stars began to appear above, and not a single cloud to be spotted from miles around. Just moments ago, he has decided to make contact with him before the party started, see if he could persuade him to at least explain himself to the ponies. Although in most likelihood he'll just turn him down, and he could at least try to get him to explain his actions when they were returning.

When Sonic didn't find him, he tried calling him with his headset… no response.

"He told me to meet him on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest," He recited, "Where is he?"

As soon as he spoke, he heard a faint 'ting' over his shoulder.

"Told you I would meet you here." He said in his deep low voice.

Sonic spun around and saw his counterpart standing right behind him, arms crossed.

"I already know why you're up here," Shadow spat before Sonic could open his mouth, "I'm not going into Ponyville."

Sonic just rolled his eyes, "I already knew you wouldn't."

"Then why did you call me?" Shadow asked with a hint of aggravation in his voice.

Sonic began to take foot steps towards him, "I wanted to talk to you."

The blue hedgehog always knew Shadow to be a loner, only to flick his tongue when necessary. Even with his counterpart he wouldn't talk much. The Ultimate Life Form didn't say anything, but was listening.

"I know that you're well aware that Equestia is set against you for putting Princess Celestia in the hospital and killing her guards."

Shadow huffed.

"And I already know that you don't care what others think of you, or what we might think about you… but what you said to Twilight and the rest of my friends when coming here… did you really mean it?"

"As I said," Shadow quoted, "I could care less of what happens to Celestia, to her guards, or to anyone."

Sonic took a couple of steps towards him, coming just a few feet from him, "But… does that contradict you're belief in doing good?"

Shadow made no motion to step away from him, but stood his ground, "I believe my purpose being alive is benefiting society, no matter what the cost or consequences. If it takes death to save a kingdom, I'll kill. If it takes bloodshed to save a life, I'll use any measure necessary to rescue."

"But when you tried to reach Celestia with the power of three Chaos Emeralds," Sonic said, "even in your confusion, you needlessly killed a whole squad of guards when you could have just flew right in and fight her."

"I wanted to let Celestia know of whom she was dealing with." He plainly answered, "They chose to lay their lives down; I proudly took them."

Sonic shook his head, "You knew you went against Maria's wishes."

That struck a nerve. A flash of anger flared in his eyes, his voice becoming venomous, "Like I said, I could have cared less of what happened to them. She would have wanted me to save the Kingdom, and that's what I thought I was doing."

"You knew it was wrong," Sonic sternly addressed him, "When you killed those guards, you went against your very belief just to try to strike fear into her."

"And I felt nothing for it," Shadow answered, a bit louder than necessary, "Anything that stands in my way is destroyed without hesitation."

"Did you think Dr. Robotnik thought the same way when he tried countless of times to take over our world?" Sonic asked.

"He fought for world domination!" Shadow began to shout, "I fought for peace!"

"Shadow!" Sonic was beginning to yell, "You can't stand there and tell me that you stand alongside the innocent when you kill the innocent!"

Shadow opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. With a loud huff, he stepped away from him; turning away and facing the darkness of the Everfree Forest.

"What's done is done," Shadow said, "I feel nothing for those guards or Celestia's life. There's nothing I could do to retake my actions… tell those ponies that if they dare take any measure to harm me, I'll end them."

With that, Shadow teleported out of sight. Sonic stood there staring at the now empty space, thinking of their conversation.

If you truly stand for good, Shadow. Sonic thought, You will be regretful of what you did.

At that, he hopped from the cottage and sprinted for the town. Little did he know that a certain pale pegasus was feeding her animal at the cottage's balcony, and overheard every little thing they said.

No doubt, when she heard their conversation; conflicting feelings began to stir within her about the black hedgehog.

---

Guilt.

When Shadow reappeared within the depths of the forest, which was all he could feel. He knew he lied when he said that felt nothing. He didn't want Sonic to know that he was being haunted by his feeling. Of course Shadow knew he went against his own beliefs; he knew that he killed those guards just to prove his strengths.

But most of all, he knew he went against Maria's wishes to save lives.

With a loud moan and a snort, he again pushed those feelings to the back of his mind; beginning to walk to the darkness of the Everfree Forest alone.

---

Author's notes

I hope you fans enjoyed this chapter as much as I have. This may have been an average length, but I probably put more thought into this chapter than usual.

Deadline: again, one or two weeks.

Normally, I would have published this sooner but…Did any of you noticed the lack of typos that you would usually see. Well, you all would be glad to know that I got myself a beta reader checking over my spelling.

Beta reader, would you be so kind to introduce yourself.

Beta Reader: I'm not gonna show my face just yet… I like to remain mysterious… at least for now*wink with a devious smirk*I may be able to spot and correct typos, including the ones that spell check is too lazy to spot; but lemme tell you… typo demons are evil cunning, and sneaky… so sneaky, that I have come across fanfics written by authors that have college majored in English and writing that ended up having typo demons sneak into their stories… including the ones that Beta Readers have double-checked and made corrections for. It is possible that I may have missed a few typos, so I can't promise that I have fixed EVERY typo (especially due to my exhaustion from the crazy work schedule this week), but like I said… typo demons are EVIL!

*laughs* don't mind my crazy message. I just got back from work, and I'm exhausted. I could have fixed the typos sooner but for some reason, my stupid Word Document decided to derp on me and I had to redo the corrections all over again.

One more thing… if you haven't seen the movie Equestria Girls, go see it! The movie was a lot better than I expected, and I will love to see it again. You won't regret it!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Harry, I shall hand the mic back to you! *throws Harry the mic*

*smiles and winks, peace sign*

Anyways, God bless. My prayers are with you all, and I will be looking forward to see you again.

Harry

---

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

Matthew 7: 15-20