A few hours later, after being forced to leave his own home, Sonic arrives at Amy's doorstep. Knowing how Amy always acts whenever Sonic visits, even if it was for less than a minute, Sonic clearly isn't enthusiastic about what he's about to do. But, out of necessity, Sonic ringed her doorbell. Not long after, the door opens, revealing a very overzealous Amy.
"Omigosh, Sonic! Hiya, good to see-" Amy gleefully greets Sonic, but stopped mid-sentence as she was shocked to see his condition, with a red-stained tissue plugging one of his nostrils and a backpack slumped over one of his shoulders. "Oh my! What happened to you? Are you hurt? And why are you carrying that backpack?"
"Long story. Can I come in?" Sonic asked, the slight discomfort ever present in his tone.
"Sure, sure! Come in! Do you need any help?" Amy said as she offered Sonic to come inside and have a seat on her living room couch.
"Yeah, I do. A big one, too. So, here's the thing: Tails just kicked me out of the house."
"Whaaat!? Really? What happened between you two?"
"We got into this massive argument. I don't wanna talk about it. Look, for now, I was wondering, can I... stay in your place for a while? At least until Tails changes his mind. Please?" Sonic practically begged to the pink hedgehog. Although it is true that Sonic is quite accustomed to living a nomad lifestyle, that is merely a fact of the past. Ever since he settled in with Tails, he started to become comfortable with the concept of permanent residency, and even that is a fact of the past as well.
Amy falls silent for a few seconds. Her face goes blank and her mind begins to wander somewhere else.
"Uhh... Amy?" Sonic asked as he waved his palm in front of her face before snapping his fingers as if trying to put her out of a state of hypnosis. Amy then comes back to her senses after a brief trip via the inner workings of her own imagination.
"OH! Umm, sure! Just... give me a moment, please."
Amy gets up from her seat and walks into her bedroom and closes the door. A few seconds later, some... fangirling noises can be faintly heard from the room. Sonic then starts to ponder about his choices in life.
"Yup, I knew this would happen. So, why did I do it? I had lots of other options than Amy's place, so... wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE! What the- did I seriously just make that mistake!? Ugh! Why am I such an idiot!? Literally any other place would've been better than this! Silver's, the Chaotix's base, hell, even Shadow's tiny apartment! So, why didn't I- ARRRGH I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!" Sonic's mind monologued to himself. Strangely enough, Amy was the first person to come to Sonic's mind when he figured he needed help.
Not long after, Amy came bursting out of her room and hugged Sonic like she never had before, slightly suffocating him.
"Omigosh I can't believe this is actually happening! You and me living together under the same roof! How romantic is that!?"
"That's enough," said Sonic grumpily as he struggled to get Amy to release her bear-like hug.
"We're gonna be like... a married couple! Like husband and wife, AAAAA JUST THE THOUGHT OF IT!"
"That's enough, Amy," said Sonic again, the irritation in his voice starting to become more apparent.
"We're gonna have so much fun together! We're gonna watch some K-dramas, have three meals together every day, and-"
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
Having been pushed to his limit, Sonic shoved Amy away with enough force for her to fall and land on her back. Amy's demeanors immediately changed from overzealous to fearful.
"I just had a big fight with my best friend and got kicked out at the same time! You think I'm in the mood for all of this!? Huh!?" Sonic yelled at Amy who is cowering behind her raised palms.
Amy stayed silent for a while. Then, tears began to form in the corner of her eyes as she started to softly sob. Seeing this, Sonic's anger is slowly replaced with guilt. He clearly doesn't want to strain another relationship after already straining an existing one. He lets out a regretful sigh before offering Amy his hand to help her get back on her feet.
"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? I didn't mean it. I just had a rough day. Come on, let me help you up."
Amy takes a hold of Sonic's hand as he pulls her off the floor. He then embraces her into his arms; albeit with less force than the previous hug. Amy starts to bury her eyes deep into Sonic's shoulder, still sobbing, while Sonic gently strokes Amy's head.
"There, there. I'm sorry. We'll do all those things you said later, but now I just need a rest. Okay?" Sonic said as he released Amy from his embrace, still slightly sobbing and sniffing while wiping off her tears.
"Okay... say, is there anything I can do to help your, uhh... problems with Tails?"
"Nah, it's fine. You're already helping a lot by letting me stay here."
"Oh, come now. I'm sure there are other ways I can help. How about I invite him over tomorrow for tea and cookies?" Amy offered as redemption for her misbehavior earlier, an idea which Sonic rejected.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Settle down there. I'm not talking to that guy for at least one or two days."
"But Sonic, how else are you going to make up with him if you don't talk it out?"
"I tried, trust me. It didn't go smooth."
"Well this time I'll be the mediator. That way, things can go smoother than before," said Amy. Sonic puts his hand on his chin, doubtful at the thought.
"I dunno, I mean I'd rather not have you involved in this, really... this should just be between me and him."
"Oh, don't be silly! You're both my friends! I can't just watch you two fight and not do anything about it. I'll do my best to help in any way." Seeing Amy's determination, Sonic finally agrees.
"Well... if you think you're up for it, then... alright. Thanks, Ames."
-----
The next morning, Tails makes a visit to Amy's house, thinking that he's only there to have a small chat with Amy over tea and cookies.
"Hi, Amy! How are you doing?" Tails greeted cheerfully.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Say, why don't you come in?" Amy offered as she stepped aside to make way for Tails.
"Sure, thanks for inviting me-"
Tails stopped halfway through, his jovial attitude suddenly took a 180 degree turn when he saw Sonic sitting in Amy's living room, arms crossed and slumped back against the armchair.
"Umm... what's he doing in here? Is he being a freeloader?" Tails asked Amy, prompting a stare of disapproval from Sonic.
"Nooo... what are you talking about?" Amy said as she tried to dismiss Sonic's obvious presence. Tails then knew immediately what this was about and planned to bail out.
"You know, on second thought, I just remembered I have something else to do right now, so... bye."
Tails immediately reached for the door handle and twisted it, only to find that it wouldn't budge. He then turned around to see Amy, smiling politely while holding the door keys, much to his disappointment.
"...really? You're gonna make me do this?"
"Come on, you just got here! Relax, have a seat! I've got tea and cookies!"
"...right. Thanks," said Tails unenthusiastically.
Tails reluctantly takes a seat across Sonic without touching his teacup nor the assorted jars of various cookies on the coffee table between them; neither does Sonic. They both stare at each other with contempt, emanating an intimidating aura around the living room. For a moment, a long, awkward silence. In contrast, Amy doesn't seem bothered at all and continues to display her polite smile. It's as if she's either trying her best to be the calm middle person (despite the unnerving atmosphere) or she's completely oblivious to the situation. Either way, she was first to break the silence.
"So, how are we all doing today?"
"Fine. At least that was before this jerk shows up in my sight," said Tails as he gestured towards Sonic.
"Hey, who are you calling a jerk, huh!?" Sonic retaliated. Amy stepped in before the tension rises even more.
"Guys, guys! Calm down! Let's be civilized, okay? Look, before we go on, how about we-"
"I wanna know what he's doing here," said Tails as he cut off Amy.
"Oh, don't act like you don't know. You made me do this!" Sonic said.
Tails went quiet for a while since he'd never expect Sonic to voluntarily wish to stay at Amy's place, even in times of emergency such as this. After all, why would he choose to reside with the girl from whom he's always avoiding and running away? Nevertheless, he pressed on.
"Well, good for you. You deserved it."
"Me!? I was just trying to do what's right for you!" Sonic argued.
"Oh, please! Who are you, my mom? I don't need you to shelter me in your bubble just because I had an accident once!"
"Do you seriously want the same thing to happen to you again!? What is wrong with you!?"
"Umm... guys? You, uhh... haven't touched your tea... or the cookies..." Amidst Sonic and Tails' heated exchange, Amy nervously spoke out, but was ignored due to her speech volume being too low, drowned out amongst the two former friends' arguments.
"Look, you can't just bench me and not expect things to get harder for you! I'm the brains of this team! Do you seriously think you can just find someone else to do it!? Or even fill in that role by yourself!? Pfft... please. If anything, you're the biggest idiot I've ever known!" Tails condescendingly remarked, causing Sonic to become agitated while Amy looked briefly surprised.
"Tails, that's not very nice-" Amy said before being cut off again, this time by Sonic who responded to Tails' insult by shouting at him.
"Huh!? What's that!? You wanna say that to me again!?"
"Yeah, that's right! You! A reckless, all-brawns kind of idiot who never stops to think and acts without any care in the world!" Tails yelled, prompting Sonic to get off his seat and start taking a more aggressive stance and tone.
"Well even if that's true, look where that's gotten me! I'm the hero of the team, the leader! What about you, huh!? Mr. Smartass and his fancy little toys! You're nothing but a sidekick and that's what you'll always be!" Sonic provoked, causing Tails' fuse to become lit.
"What did you just say about me and my machines!?" Tails yelled as he gets off his seat and raises his voice as well.
"That's right, they're just toys! You couldn't take on anybody without them!" Blinded by their anger, both parties now walk up to each other in an open confrontation.
Sonic and Tails, seemingly the last two people on the planet who would turn against each other, are now doing exactly just that: hurling insults and exchanging shouts towards one another at such an intensity to the point where even Amy, who is normally the dominant one when taking the role of a mediator, became terrified.
"Ugh, come on, you two! Just cut it out already!" Amy practically begged as the situation starts to spiral out of her control.
"SHUT UP, AMY!" Both Sonic and Tails yelled at Amy in unison whilst pointing their fingers at her.
"You think you're tough, huh? You and that big mouth of yours!" Tails said as he jabbed his index finger at Sonic's chest up close, locking his fiery gaze with Sonic's emerald eyes.
"Hah! I don't think I'm tough, I am tough! And I know I'm way tougher than you," said Sonic, staring down at his soon-to-be rival, their noses almost touching, while yanking Tails' fur with one hand as if it was a shirt collar.
Tails then immediately threw a right hook across Sonic's cheek, causing him to step back slightly and release his grip on Tails, prompting a gasp of shock from Amy. With that, the entire mediation plan has turned to ruins. Amy is now dragged in the overall tense atmosphere and decides to take a stricter tone.
"Oh yeah!? How do you like that, tough guy!? Huh!?" Tails taunted.
"TAILS! What are you doing!? Stop!" Amy yelled in the background as she stood up from her seat as well, only to be ignored by the two as if she was never there.
Sonic stood still, seemingly unaffected by the punch. Just like before, he forms one of his hands into a fist, trembling in rage.
"I didn't wanna do this. But you asked for it."
Sonic then throws a straight punch to Tails' left eye, knocking him onto the floor. Only now does Amy step in between the two to stop the fight.
"Yeah, come on, shrimp! You wanna fight!? Let's go! Get up!" Sonic taunted to Tails who is writhing in pain.
"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU! I will NOT have you two fighting in MY house!" Amy commanded as she positioned herself between Sonic and Tails to prevent any further assaults.
"Well fine, then! We'll just take this somewhere else! 3 PM today, Green Hill Zone. I'll send you the coordinates," said Tails as he slowly gets back on his feet while covering his swollen left eye.
"Wait, no! That's not what I meant-" Amy said before she was cut off by Sonic.
"Why 3, huh? I'd take you on right now, no problem. What are you, scared?"
"Shut up! Just be there."
"Haha, I knew it, you're scared! You're going down, Tails! You hear me!? I'll wipe the floor with you!" Sonic vowed as Tails angrily storms out the front door.
...only to find it still locked.
"Umm, Amy... door?" Tails awkwardly asked.
"Oh, right. Sorry," said Amy as she heads over to the door and inserts the key in the slot to unlock it, allowing Tails to leave. She then closes the door and turns around to warn Sonic. "Sonic the Hedgehog, you will not show up for that fight."
"Well you can't make me. Besides, I told you not to get involved," Sonic argued.
"That is your best friend you're about to beat up! Think about it!"
"Well what am I supposed to do, then? Call it off? Are you crazy!?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I want!"
"That's not gonna happen! I've got my pride at stake here! If I call it off, he'll think I'm scared or something!"
"Oh, so it's your pride you're worried about, huh? And not your best friend?"
"What!? No, I... I-" Amy made a good point which Sonic found hard to refute. He then sighed before elaborating with even more excuses. "Look, he brought it on himself, alright? In fact, that wasn't the first time he hit me. Remember that nosebleed yesterday? That was him. And when he socked my jaw just now, he crossed the line. No way I'm just gonna stand there and take it, he's asking for it! So, I don't care what you think of it. I'm going, and you can't stop me."
"Ugh, fine... since you're so stubborn. On one condition, though: just... promise me you won't hurt him too bad. He's just a kid, after all."
Having heard that, Sonic shows a concerned expression, and starts to contemplate. Everything Amy has said is indeed true; he is about to engage in battle with who used to be his beloved younger brother, a mere child who won't stand a chance against him in a physical fistfight. But still, Sonic felt that he needed to teach Tails a lesson, believing that it's better for him to be hurt by Sonic instead of having Eggman hurt him once more. So, after a moment of thought, and having made a commitment to hold himself back, he answered affirmatively.
"Alright, fine."