Hi.

Princess Amy's ball was tonight and everyone in Dr. Robotnik's household was busy, eagerly getting ready for the occasion.

"Where the hell did you put my tie?"

"I don't have your tie!"

"Yes you do, you stole it, didn't you!"

"I did not!"

"Now, now, boys, I'm sure dear Shadow simply misplaced it. Why don't you make Cinderello look for it?"

"Cin-der-ell-oooo!"

Well, almost everyone.

Sonic huffed, dropping the pile of freshly laundered towels onto the floor and glaring at the black-and-red striped tie hanging on the banister. He snatched the offending cloth and moved to the living room, where Shadow, Silver, and Dr. Robotnik were putting the finishing touches on their outfits.

Shadow scowled and yanked it from Sonic's grasp. "Don't touch that with your filthy hands, freak."

"See, Cinderello had it all along," Robotnik grinned.

Sonic rolled his eyes at Shadow's intensifying glare. They always suspected him of stealing their things.

"Don't worry too much Shadow," Silver said, "At least he can't come with us to the ball." The two of them snickered. Dr. Robotnik's eyes twinkled in amusement as well.

"Ah, that reminds me," he said, turning to Sonic. "I trust you have finished today's chores?"

"Actually, I have!" Sonic replied with a defiant smirk.

Robotnik smirked right back at him. "Splendid! Then I'm sure you'll have time for one more chore." He gestured to a large bowl sitting on the stones in front of the fireplace "I expect all the contents of that bowl over there to be sorted and disposed of accordingly by the time we return or there will be dire consequences." His glasses glinted in the light.

Sonic gulped. "Yes, sir."

"Father!" Shadow called from the door. "We need to go before we're too late!"

"Fine. It would be rather disappointing to miss our chance for a grand entrance," the doctor hummed, stepping out the door after his sons.

As the clopping of hooves faded into the distance, Sonic peered into the bowl. Hundreds of buttons and beads and grains of rice and tiny trinkets and baubles filled it to the brim. He had a lot of work to do, he realized, sighing. Before he began, though, he ran and got his emerald pin from his room. He was going to need its comforting glow tonight.

An hour or two later, Sonic's progress included dumping the contents of the bowl onto the wooden floor, the creation of small piles of each type of object on said floor, and starting a fire because he got cold. The blue hedgehog stood and stretched, sighing as his back gave a satisfying pop. He still had a long way to go, but he thought he deserved a break after all his hard work. He wandered to the window, opening it and breathing in the cool night air. Looking up at the stars, Sonic couldn't help but wonder how the ball was going. Not that he was jealous, but Dr. Eggman and the rest of his dear family piled so many jobs onto him that he barely had any time to let loose and have any fun. The only time he ever came close to that was when Dr. Eggman sent him at shopping in the main part of town and he could find his buddy Tails. Ever since he defended the kid from some neighborhood bullies a while back, the fox became attached at his hip every time Sonic set foot in the market. Sonic never minded; Tails was a good kid. Sometimes he was actually a bit jealous –Tails could go out and see the world if he really wanted to but Sonic was confined to this stupid house in this stupid town with his stupid brothers and stupid stepfather and –

Sonic was so caught up in his rambling thoughts that he managed to trip over something and fall, hitting the ground with a grunt of pain. What had he tripped on? He craned his neck back and saw the overturned bowl by his feet. He smiled ruefully. "I'm losing my touch," he muttered, pulling himself into a kneeling position. With a jolt, he realized he wasn't holding onto anything anymore. He frantically looked around for where his emerald pin fell, until he caught a glimpse of something in the fire. Of course, it was the pin burning merrily in the flames. All Sonic could do was stare in mute horror as his most prized possession turned into a pile of ash.

Because of his emotional turmoil, Sonic almost didn't register the knocking on the windows.

"Who's there?" he called out, through the worsening lump in his throat.

Suddenly the door slammed open. Hundreds of birds flooded the room. Sonic yelped and scrambled away from the fireplace just as all the birds converged onto where he just was. Peering into the ruckus, Sonic caught a glimpse of blond hair and a blue dress before everything vanished as quickly as it appeared, plunging the room back into silence.

Walking closer, Sonic noticed that all the stuff he was supposed to sort was already separated into small glass jars. There were also some clothes folded into a pile, and resting on those clothes was Sonic's beloved pin, looking brand new. Sonic picked it up, disbelieving.

A knock on the door interrupted Sonic's trance. He opened the door to find…

"Hi Sonic!"

"Tails? What are you doing here?"

"I was sleeping in my alleyway when this girl came and gave me these clothes," he gestured to the expensive-looking suit he was wearing, "and that carriage," And Sonic abruptly noticed the fancy carriage sitting on the side of the road, horses and all, "and said that I needed to take you to the ball!"

"Ok …" Sonic blinked. Go to the ball? Well, his job here at home was finished, so it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. "Let me get changed." He came back wearing a black tux, black shoes, pristine white gloves, and his blue pin resting comfortably on his left breast.

"Do I really have to ride in this slow moving thing?" Sonic complained as he climbed into the carriage.

"Sonic," Tails giggled, "Not everything can go as fast as you."

"Hmm…touché."

With a snap of the reins they were off (at a considerably fast speed, Sonic noted). Making himself comfortable, the hedgehog found a crumpled up note in his back pocket. Reading it, Sonic nodded before putting it away again.

Sonic,

You've been working very hard lately, and as a sound, capable fairy godmother, I can't possibly go without giving you a reward!

However, my powers have their limits, so be sure to be back home by midnight okay?

Have fun~!

-M.