ROUND 2: all songs are property of their respective owners. ONTO THE DRAMA!

Sonic:

For being a king of acceleration, Sonic moved incredibly slowly. Too much weighing on his mind for his feet to move.

Why did Sally bring us all here? Who's she trying to impress? He just could not shake those thoughts of what and why, even when a familiar voice called from behind "You're too slow, hedgehog!" The red blur darted past, bouncing from tree to tree.

"Oh no you don't, Knuckles!" Sonic set off in pursuit of his dreadlocked rival.

He glanced over his shoulder to let Sonic catch up a bit "Whats a matter blue? Troubled by a lack of chili dogs again?"

"Its none of your business, pointy!" The amount of venom that shaded his voice surprised him a bit.

Knuckles knew he struck a nerve "Oh, I get it. You're just pissed that Sally paid more attention to the floor plates than you. Oh well"

That did it right there. Sonic lanced out for a punch, but Knuckles caught it. Both of them stopped.

"That's it isn't it. You're still all torn up about her seeing the truth."

Sonic said nothing, but his arm slackened. That was all the proof the echidna needed. "Well, now that I have your attention, I think its time we talked."

Sonic could not help but blink "…talk? What the hell do you want to talk to me about?"

"About what you plan to do about it. Dammit, Sonic! I won't let her, or you, be torn up anymore!"

Sonic threw up hands, more frustrated than angry. "Knux, I'm not sure if there is anything left to do. Thanks to what happened, the way it happened, there just isn't a future there anymore."

"Well, that's your own dammed fault, hedgehog. The best thing you had and you threw it away!"

Sonic lowered his arms and sunk to the ground. A tear started to crawl its way down his cheek. "You know, I really hate when you do that"

He smiled at that "Whats that, outrun you, mess up those hands, or prove myself right?"

"Firstly, you've never outrun me! Secondly, the last one. I just…right now I really wish she didn't have to invite all of you moochers on this shindig."

"So what?!" Knuckles yelled "You think you're the only one with issues today? Cause I've got news for you, spikey! You aint the only one hurtin from this idea."

Sonic turned to face him "Well, what do you have to worry about? If everyone has a problem, tell me yours!"

The echidna briefly flashed a brighter crimson "I… I don't…Look, this isn't about me!"

He felt his spines start to twitch "Oh, so I'M the one with the problem?!! You lying little dreadlocked…"

"YOU NEVER DESERVERD HER, SONIC! YOU WERE NEVER WORTHY OF HER AND YOU KNOW IT!!"

The silence that followed was bone chilling, not even the air daring to stir. Sonic's eyes were wide with amazement, and sheer dismay. Knuckles stared back at him, uttering a low growl. Come on, hedgehog. Lets see if you will grow a pair.

Suddenly, Sonic leapt right at the echidna, catching him in a full tackle. Knuckles tried to spin free to no avail, as both of them smashed into and through a tree. With a spiked one-two combo to the hedgehog's skull, he broke free. They landed on their feet, a few feet apart. Both were ready to settle a longstanding score, when a voice cried out from the woods "SONIC, DON'T!!"

And Amy Rose burst from the woods to wrap her arms around Sonic. The pair fell to the ground.

Knuckles threw his arms up in frustration and bounced into the trees.

"Oh, darling!" she cried into his ear "I finally caught up to you! Knux didn't hurt you did he?"

He sighed "What are you doing here, Amy? We were just… talking"

She wrapped around tighter, turning him a nice red color. "There will be time to talk later. For now, let's enjoy this moment…alone" Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

They stood so he could face her. It was painful enough to look into her sparkling blue eyes knowing what he was about to do. Her arms began to draw him down as she spoke with a voice so soft it threatened to make him snap.

"Sonic, I love you."

His own voice was just as low "Amy, I… I…I only want the best for you. Forgive me."

With that, he leapt out of her grasp and kicked into a full blast run deeper into the woods.

His only hope now was to make it far enough away so he didn't hear her cry.

No such luck. Her scream resonated throughout the woods.

He ran for seemed like an eternity, until faint echoes caught his ears. It wasn't even so much the instruments that caught his mind, but the words;

Because days! Come and go!
But my feelings for you are forever
Because days come and go
But my feelings for you are forever

One last kiss(One last kiss)
Before I go(Before I go)
Dry your tears(Dry your tears)
It is time to let you go...

One Last Kiss.

Before he knew it, Sonic was at the edge of the crowd. He went into a changing station to pick something suitable. Emerging in a loose white t-shirt, jeans tattered at the cuffs and checkered shoes, Sonic moved slowly into the center of the crowd. Before the next group took stage, a scantily dressed feline came past selling drinks in vials. He took one called "Goodnight Kiss" hoping it would help. The fruity taste could not quite cover the alcohol.

He didn't care right now.

The next band seemed to start without a lead singer, until a voice called out from somewhere in the fans "Alright everyone, this one is dedicated to someone you all know. They may not be here right now, maybe because you didn't take the chance, or maybe you took the wrong one, but now we are alone."

So clever, whatever, I'm done with these endeavors
Alone I'll walk the winding way (here I stay)
It's over, no longer, I feel it growing stronger
I live to die another day, until I fade away

Why give up? Why give in?
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become, desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end

Surround me, it's easy, to fall apart completely
I feel you creeping up again (In my Head)
It's over, no longer, I feel it growing colder
I knew this day would come to end, so let this life begin

Why give up? Why give in?
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become, desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end

I've lost my way
I've lost my way
But I will go on until the end

Living is, hard enough, without you fucking up

Why give up? Why give in?
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become, desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end

I've lost my way
I've lost my way
But I will go on until the end

The final fight, I win
The final fight, I win
The final fight, I win

But I will go on until the end

The crowd yelled and howled as the song ended, and he joined them. Slamming down a pair of strong concoctions, everything seemed to melt away. For once, he wasn't the fastest thing alive. He wasn't the hero he didn't deserve to be.

He was alone.

Will I ever win her back? What do I do now?

He went to find the nearest drink girl when the next song began. But as soon as Sonic heard the sad notes of the guitar, he knew it was only going to get worse

Take a photograph,
It'll be the last,
Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here,

I don't have a past
I just have a chance,
Not a family or honest plea remains to say,

Rain rain go away,
Come again another day,
All the world is waiting for the sun.

As the song continued, the couples broke off into a slow dance, leaving only a few drifters on the edge. Refusing to be left out, Sonic took the hand of an all too eager minx and began to dance with her. She had had far too much herself and fused right into his shoulder. Not that the hedgehog could feel much right now. The depressing notes struck home inside him and deep down, Sonic could only focus on the fact that maybe, just maybe, that dreadlocked sonofabitch was right.