C O N T R A S T

by R0wan_Jacobs

Summary:

Life is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it's overwhelming. All we can do is learn how to swim.

Chapter 1: Shoreline

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 1: Shoreline

---

Along the country road there came a lone figure walking, a worn out rucksack was thrown over his shoulder while he casually whistled a cheerful tune.

It was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog that was on his way home from one of his many adventures around the world. He had just arrived back with his best friend, and also little brother, Tails - who he had helped get back in order over at his workshop. Although, Tails had insisted that he actually was a teenager now and could handle himself, only making Sonic smirk and ruffle the fur on his brother's head.

"Go home to your fiancée already!" Tails had told him playfully before giving Sonic a quick hug and bidding him goodbye.

Sonic hadn't needed to be told twice as he gladly set off to finally get to see his dearest.

So as he made his way down the road it wasn't without a certain haste in his step while also having a smile playing on his lips. After almost an entire month away from Amy he couldn't wait to just simply being in her presence. Her sweet singing on early mornings, the smell of baked goods wafting through the house, taking her out on dates, laughing together over silly little things and finally holding her in his arms as they fall asleep each night.

Oh, how he longed for her...

And the next thing he knew the little house came within his sight with a thin stream of smoke coming out of the chimney, he was reached by a whiff of a smell which instanly made his stomach yearn for dinner. Despite having eaten all kinds of different food from all around Mobius nothing could truly beat Amy's cooking but whenever he pointed out the fact she simply rolled her eyes at him while trying to hide a blush.

Now Sonic could see the house with the wooden picket fence surrounding it as well as the large garden. He diverted from the road and took the shortcut that led up to the side of the house via the garden, effortlessly jumping over the low fence gate leading into it.

The garden was truly something to behold as Amy had arranged and filled it to the brink with flowers of all kinds. Azaleas, hyacinths, lilacs, orchids, tulips, daffodils, and countless others Sonic couldn't name by heart, created a vast sea of colors one easily could get lost in. But what was most near and dear to both his and her heart were the roses blooming both high and low - on bushes, in garden pots and on vines that climbed along the facade of the house.

He admired the way Amy treated the garden with the uttermost care and devotion, she had a certain talent for making them grow even more beautiful than before.

And speaking of beautiful...

Sonic's ears was reached by the sound of Amy's melodic singing coming from around the corner of the house. He stopped in his tracks and for a brief moment only listened attentively. She would never allow him to actually watch her as she sang, merely letting him listen from afar or at least when she thought he couldn't hear her.

Silently, he proceeded to walk around the corner and was met by the sight of Amy planting a fresh set of flowers into the earth.

"--Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing." she sang in an almost absentmindedly manner "Yes, true love's a-many splendored thing..."

Amy's voice faded and just as if she had sensed his presence turned her head in Sonic's direction, her eyes widening and her mouth hanging slightly agape. But within a mere second her whole face changed into one of sheer happiness, the brightest of smiles stretching across her muzzle.

Those jade eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

"Sonic!" the girl cried as she quickly arose and with a leap flung herself into his waiting arms while tears of pure joy began to stream down her cheeks.

Sonic responded by lifting her upwards and spinning her around in a circle, an ecstatic laughter erupting from the both of them.

"Amy..!" he breathed as he tried to settle his giddy laughter.

In between the crying and laughing Amy started to plant dozens of kisses all over Sonic's face. The joy she felt whenever he would return to her was hard to contain and especially when he'd be gone for so long.

"Oh, Sonic! My dear, dear Sonic! I've missed you so much!"

Putting Amy back down onto her feet, Sonic then cupped her face in his hands and tilted her chin slightly upwards in order for their eyes to meet. His thoughts really couldn't justify the true beauty of her in real life. And simply looking into those shimmering jade eyes of hers made him feel weak in the knees.

The unconscious effect she had on him, and especially his heart, had in the past overwhelmed him but over the years he'd grown accustomed to it. The way his heart beat faster, how his usual smart mouth spoke to her with such tenderness, how he could get so caught up in her eyes that he'd sometimes forget what he was just talking about and how his entire body language adapted after her. Never would he handle her with any sort of accidental roughness, treading around her fragile body like it was made of glass.

"I've missed you too, Ames... You got my letters, right?"

"Yes I did, they were real sweet." Amy said, uttering a small giggle before getting a more wistful expression "It feels like you were gone an eternity this time, I thought it might get easier each time you leave but it felt like my heart was going to long itself to death."

Sonic gently stroked some stray tears away from her cheeks with his thumb. His eyelids lowered to a tender gaze while bringing her body closer to him.

"Aw, don't give me that gloom face. I know it's hard - I thought of you everyday... but I'm here now. So, where's that pretty smile of yours, huh?"

As if on cue, Amy's smile returned while she also gave him an apologetic, almost shameful, look. "You're right, Sonic. I'm sorry. I know how much it means for you to—"

"Hey now, don't apologize, there's nothing to be sorry about. And don't sell yourself short, okay?" His eyes lingered on the golden band that graced her left ring finger. "Nothing means more to me than you. Nothing."

For a moment all they could see was each other as their eyes locked in a loving gaze. The sweet smell of flowers swept between them by warm breeze while their lips drew closer. Sonic, being the tallest of the two and still having his hands upon her cheeks - slowly guided her face closer to his. So close that their breaths mixed with one another.

A light headed feeling spread through Amy's mind as she instinctively closed her eyes.

The sensation of her lips was nearly addictive, the sweet taste of cherries mixed with her natural scent of roses was truly heavenly. A feeling that beat anything Sonic had ever felt. Far more powerful than the sense of positive chaos energy flowing through his body.

As soon as their lips parted, to draw in a quick breath, he brushed his lips against hers for a tender moment before once again closing the gap.

Sonic could hear how Amy's fragile little heart fluttered inside her chest and a mild concern that it was going to collapse if they kept going made him reluctantly pull away.

"Sonic… please, don't stop…" Amy whined slightly as she fruitlessly tried to reach for his lips again. A small pout having formed upon her face, as well.

But Sonic had already loosened his grip around her, now giving her an amused smirk. "I fear your heart may implode on itself if I don't."

"No, it won't..! I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

Unfortunately though, her beloved only uttered a chuckle at her response. Having just remembered the smell of food coming from inside the house he quickly used it as an excuse to avert her attention. He even added a mock tone despair in his voice as he said— "So you're gonna let your poor fiancé starve to death just so you may merely aquire his precious kisses, huh Amy?"

Amy blinked hastily as a mad blushed blossomed on her cheeks. With fumbling hands she pulled away from Sonic's embrace, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Of-of course not! I'm sure the vegetable soup is just about done now."

She hurried into the house through the kitchen door, leaving it open for him. Snatching up the rucksack from the ground Sonic then proceeded to follow her inside - pleased that his plan had worked.

Immediately upon entering the kitchen the enticing aroma from what he'd felt from the road hit him but with double the force causing his stomach to rumble. He'd only eaten some fruit for breakfast and Tails hadn't had any food left on the plane ride back home.

The kitchen was quite modest in size but Amy still loved it. From the ceiling hung a low hanging pot and pan rack which due to his tall height Sonic now and again would hit his head on, but for Amy it was necessary in order to reach without having to ask him for help.

He saw how she had already resumed a position by the cooking pot of what he assumed was the soup, a ruffled apron was tied around her waist. An apron Cream had given her last christmas, if he remembered correctly.

A merry tune coming from the radio over by the counter mixed with the pleasant sound of Amy stirring in the soup and making some final touches on it.

Noticing Sonic's lingering glance she merely smiled shyly back at him before resuming her focus.

Over on the wooden dining table, that had a set of unmatching chairs around it, Amy had decorated with a white lace tablecloth and neatly set the table with a big vase of flowers standing in the middle of the table. He figured she really wanted him to feel welcomed back home and her efforts truly did warm his heart.

Not wanting to disturb Amy in the midst of cooking though, Sonic continued into the living room where he dropped off the rucksack on the sofa.

He'd have to get to unpacking it later as it was full of keepsakes from his travel as well as a little something for Amy, she always loved it when he brought her souvenirs from around the world. Now and again he'd be given gifts from various villages or towns he'd rescued which could be everything from jewelry, small trinkets, good luck charms and even handmade masks.

Amy had particularly liked a really sweet smelling potpourri Sonic had been given by an elderly lady who owned a boutique in Apotos - she had, to his slight embarrassment, insisted that he'd give it to a girl he fancied. Tails naturally hadn't been able to contain his teasing snicker for the rest of that day...

The memory brought a fond smile to his lips.

Reckoning that he probably looked a bit ragged after a whole day of traveling Sonic went into the bathroom to get cleaned up before dinner. He turned on the bathroom sink and let some water fill his cupped hands before closing his eyes and splashing it on his face, feeling the droplets slowly running down his fur. It wasn't a pleasant feeling but still made him feel slightly refreshed.

Despite the fact that Sonic had turned twenty-two years old and had been forced to endure being both in and under water, particularly the ocean, many times his great dislike for it hadn't decreased in the slightest. He shot a glance at the bathtub behind him. Once in awhile Amy would try to convince him to take a bath, claiming how relaxing it was - but he always dismissed the idea and stuck to strictly showering. At least then he could pretend that it was merely rain rippling down his body.

Sonic reached for a towel and thoroughly dried off his face before hanging the towel back in place and then turning his head back towards the bathroom mirror above the sink - he took a moment to study his own reflection. In many aspects, Sonic still held the same resemblance as he did when he was a teenager - the same smooth cobalt blue fur, the same spiky quills, with his head spikes only having grown a few inches, and the same emerald eyes staring back at him.

However, if one looked closely they would be able to notice the subtle maturing features Sonic had developed over the past years. His lean figure hadn't just grown in height but there had also been a change of his physique, the built up strength due to extreme running and fighting showed itself on his body if only in the most subtlest of ways. To his partial embarrassment - partial secret pride, he had even grown a small tuft of chest fur. A fact which Amy had taken delight in as well, as she said it made his chest even more 'snugglier' - adding further to his embarrassment.

With a slight shook of his head Sonic proceeded to change into a new pair of pristine, white gloves. He flexed his hands briefly, feeling the soft fabric stretch with the curve of his hand. Then he suddenly heard Amy calling him.

"Sonic, dinner's ready!"

Without having to be told twice, Sonic immediately returned to the kitchen where the heavenly scent of newly cooked food hit his senses anew.

Amy had poured the soup into a rather large ceramic soup bowl and was now, with slightly wobbly legs, making her way towards the table. Thinking fast, Sonic quickly came to her aid.

"Let me take that for you, Amy." he offered with a warm smile, placing his hands over hers.

She gave him a grateful nod, letting him take the soup bowl out of her grasp before untying the apron around her waist and then joining him at the table. Sonic served them both a bowl each, filled to the brink with the steaming goodness, and then eagerly began to shove in a mouth full of soup. When he was hungry Sonic tended to forget all about table manners.

The flavory taste of the soup with its sliced vegetables spread a comfortable warmth through Sonic's entire body and made him savor each gulp of it.

"It's. Absolutely. Delicious..!" he said in between gulps causing Amy to giggle while she tried to give him a stern look.

"Sooonic..! Don't speak with your mouth full."

"I. Can't. Help. It. Ames! You. Make. Such. Good. Food. It's. Not. My. Fault!"

She simply rolled her eyes at him and got an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Well, if you're gonna speak then I wanna hear all about your travel! A whole month's worth of adventure can't possibly be covered in just a few letters."

"Yeah. Sure. Thing!"

Sonic halted his slurping, wiped his mouth with the napkin Amy reached him and began to, quite vividly, tell her about his and Tails' adventure - making wild gestures accompanied by self made sound effects.

Over the years, Dr. Eggman had grown tired of causing havoc mainly around Station Square and had tended to resort to using his bases all across Mobius. Though his schemes had not been as frequent as they used to be they had almost each time grown in scale, becoming more and more diabolical. All the more villages and cities were being targeted and even his once silly robotic creations seemed to have gotten a rougher edge to them.

Somewhere deep within his mind Sonic had a nagging feeling that the countless failed plots along with that his age had began to catch up with him caused the Doctor to become desperate. In the midst of showdowns Sonic could sometimes witness how brief glimpses of his declining sanity shone through his otherwise, well mostly, composed madness. He had at least promised himself that whenever the day came that the Doctor's mind went over the edge he'd do whatever it took to keep Amy as far away as possible.

Sonic didn't know for certain if Eggman was unaware of the fact that Amy was his fianceé but he strictly kept his engagement ring hidden from view under his glove, just in case. Only when he was at home did he put it on above his glove in the same way Amy wore hers. She had insisted that he'd also get a ring to wear so that they 'matched' - although he had settled for a much more simpler golden band.

To Sonic's initial surprise he actually liked the ring and whenever his eyes lingered on it his thought always strayed to Amy.

As Sonic just finished telling her about the adventure and he'd just about emptied the entire soup bowl, Amy got a thoughtful expression.

"Oh Sonic, you really did leave out a lot in your letters. I just wish I could've sent any back to you..! Tails should get the Tornado it's own address or something."

Sonic gave her an understanding glance while smiling at the idea.

"I'll have to tell him that, heh! He sends his regards by the way."

"Aw, we should invite him over tomorrow, maybe have a picnic - I've sure been missing him as well."

"Dunno, Ames. Maybe Tails' is too cool, he's apparently a 'big grown teenager that can take care of himself' now." Sonic said with a fond smirk at the thought of his little brother's words.

"You're not one to talk, Sonic. You thought the same when you were fifteen... actually you probably already thought so when you were nine!"

Sonic faked an offended look, playfully wagging his index finger in front of her.

"Hey, I took care of the both of you, didn't I? Besides, I was very mature for my age, truly a prime example of a responsible teenager!"

The two hedgehogs joined in a lighthearted laugh, both happy to be in each others company again after so long time. When their laughter died down Sonic turned his focus on Amy, reaching a hand across the table to gently grasp hers.

"Well enough about me already, now I want to hear about what you have been up to this past month."

"Oh, you know... the usual. Keeping the house tidy and taking care of the garden - I harvested all the edibles from the garden and made everything from jam to pickled vegetables. Vanilla even taught me how to make my own soap by using flowers from the garden, so now even you can smell like roses - tee hee!"

Sonic couldn't help but give her a toothy grin "I can hardly wait..!"

"Other than that I spent a lot of time with Cream, she's really growing into a sweet little lady! Well sweeter than usual at least. We have taken the train to Station Square a couple of times and went shopping in that fancy new shopping mall they've built. It's really nice actually and I bought the cutest dre- Sonic! You're bleeding!"

Amy's eyes had widened in alarm as she pointed at the side of his left temple where there trickled down a thin stream of blood out of a small cut, Sonic had absentmindedly scratched off the scab by accident.

"Oh? Well, would you look at that.." he said with a light chuckle.

However, Amy had jumped out of her seat and rushed to his side in order to inspect the cut, tilting in his head backwards as she did so. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized it wasn't that deep of a cut, but she still insisted that she'd clean it for him. Sonic let her drag him to the living room and place him down in the sofa while she went to fetch the first aid kit she stored in the upstairs bathroom.

When Amy hurriedly returned to him she wasted no time in starting to treat the cut, with caring delicacy she cleaned up the surrounding blood before putting a band-aid over it.

"Thanks Ames." Sonic said as she sank to her knees in front of him.

She didn't answer him and to his mild surprise instead reached her hands up to touch upon his frame as if she searched for something. Letting her fingers slowly slid across the subtle muscles on his torso up to his arms where she slid them down to the cuff of his glove that covered his hand.

"Can't keep your hands off of me, huh?" Sonic teased with a lopsided smile.

Amy's cheeks flushed in a rosy color while a bashful look settled on her face but still keeping her eyes fixed on his hand.

He couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked when she blushed. Her pure innocence making his heart surge with a strong sense of protectiveness.

Carefully Amy slid of the glove, revealing the peach hand underneath. His hand were much larger compared to hers which became more apparent as she held it. Her eyes observed how his knuckles had gotten slightly roughened as a result of all the years of fighting as well as tearing up robots. She also felt tiny scars upon the back of the hand and a larger one stretching across his palm, she delicately stroked a finger alongside it before ever so softly planting a kiss there.

With a twinge of guilt he realized that she'd been searching his body for any new set of scars.

"Amy..." Sonic breathed quietly as he noticed a sudden sadness reveal itself on her features.

"I hate seeing you hurt like this.." she whispered.

"It's just skin, Ames." He replied timidly, giving her a most reassuring smile. "Just scars on skin - nothing more."

But Amy merely shock her head and stared up into his eyes, almost defiantly.

"No, don't say that. I-.. I wish it didn't have to be like this... I wish I could protect you."

Sonic wasn't sure what she meant by the second statement, whether she was referring to their way of life or that his body had taken a few scars because of it, he couldn't tell. Perhaps she was hinting at something completly different. But hearing Amy's desire of wanting to protect him made him feel both perplexed and a bit amused - hadn't she realized by now?

Was she truly so blinded by her love for him that she failed to see that his own devotion ran just as deep for her? The ring he'd put on her finger wasn't just for show after all, he wholeheartedly intended to live by her side until the day he'd draw his very last breath.

"But you do protect me. Every second of every day you protect me, whether you're awake or asleep - wanna know how?"

She nodded, a curious glint visible in her eyes.

"My heart, Amy Rose." Sonic said simply "You carry it inside of you. Keeping it out of trouble for me. It doesn't matter how many injuries nor how many scars that may be inflicted upon me. Cover my whole body with them for all I care!"

His smile spread to a wide grin as he loudly exclaimed the last sentence, making Amy utter a brief chuckle. He lovingly entwined his hands with hers before continuing.

"All that matters is that you get to live a happy, peaceful life. Protecting that, and knowing that when I get home you'll be waiting for me is all I need. No one can ever truly hurt me as long as you're safe."

"But that in turn means that I'm the one carrying your heart, and no matter where or how far I may go - you're always with me."

Small tears trickled down Amy's cheeks as Sonic took her into his arms, her face pressed hard against his chest as she wept quietly.

"Therefore, you don't need to worry if I will be returing home safely.. because I'd never do anything to intentionally mistreat your heart. And for as long as you let me have it, I'll do whatever it takes to keep it secure and protected."

He had meant every word but was still shocked by his own sincerity, speaking openly about his feelings hadn't always come naturally to him in the past but Amy seemed to be one of very few people who managed to bring that side out of him. The tender sense of love they shared solely with each other could sometimes overwhelm him, and to some degree it scared him when how perfectly obvious it appeared in his mind that he'd unconditionally do anything for this girl.

But calming was the fact that Sonic knew that she'd never abuse it.

For a few minutes he simply kept his hold on Amy's small frame, waiting patiently until her crying subsided and she loosened her grip around him to look into his awaiting gaze.

"I'm sorry.." she said as she gave him a teary smile "You haven't been home for more than two hours and I've already buried you in tears like a big crybaby. I guess I'm not such a good fianceé after all."

"And I'm a pretty lousy fiance, aren't I?" Sonic sighed in a melancholy tone, giving her a matching smile.

They laughed briefly before their lips joined in a rather clumsy kiss, their foreheads butting against one another as a further bashful laugh escaped them.

In an attempt to rise the mood again Sonic gestured towards the rucksack that lay beside him on the sofa.

"Hey - I almost forgot, I have a gift for you."

He reached over to the rucksack and opened the top pocket lid, carefully taking out a slim object. When presented to her, Amy recognized it as a foldable hand fan.

Awaiting her reaction Sonic, with slight modesty, scratched the back of his head "Sorry, I hadn't anything to wrap it in."

Amy's face however lit up in admiration, carefully taking the fan and unfolding it - revealing the silk fabric adorned with a floral pattern which had been skillfully painted on both sides. To her delight the pattern resembled sakura flowers growing on its tree, she had always dreamed of having a real one planted in the garden. Imagining how she and Sonic one day, perhaps when they'd both grown old, would sit underneath a tree much like the one painted as gentle petals sailed down upon them.

She broke out of the mental image in order to give Sonic a affectionate look and embracing him in a tender hug.

"Oh Sonic, it's so lovely! Thank you."

"The merchant in Chun-nan told me that it's just as good for fanning as it is swatting flies away." he said with a smirk once they parted.

In the fashion to that of women in old black-and-white movies, Amy brought the fan to her mouth so that it hid her giggling from Sonic's view. In response he promptly faked a pout and playfully tried to snatch the fan out of her hands.

"Hey! No concealing of pretty smiles from me - that's my privileged right as your fiance. It's what I live for, for chaos sake!"

"Sonikku, you big drama queen!" Amy chortled as she teasingly stuck her tounge out at him before quickly hiding behind the fan again, trying to lean out of his reach.

The use of her pet name for him from so many years ago still made his cheeks flush lightly in embarrasment. But two could play at that game.

"Come on - don't be such a rascal, Rosy..!"

Amy shot the fan out to the side as she struck a dramatic pose which allowed Sonic to easily snag the fan and bring her close to him again.

"No fair..." she said as she now sat placed in his lap, their bodies opposite from one another. The position made her suddenly very aware of how much she'd missed being in physical contact with the male hedgehog - his body seemed to radiate a sort of natural warmth that made her feel utterly safe and at peace.

Regarding the more physical part of their relationship Sonic was quite the old-fashioned gentleman. His genuine desire of waiting to be able to call her his wife before they engaged in one of the very deepest expressions of love, made Amy feel deeply touched. She, on her part, felt no need to rush into anything of that sort either.

To Sonic, love was so much more than just that. He didn't lust for her body any more than his desire of simply being able to hold her close, hear the sound of her heart or experience the sensation of her gentle touch.

Amy was his to protect and his to love, just as he was hers.

The suddenly intense atmosphere and the almost tingling feeling between the places where their skin met caused a sense of seriousness to settle in the living room. They fell silent as their gazes locked onto one another, an unspoken fondness evident in both their eyes.

Amy was first to speak though it wasn't without a certain hint of shyness in her voice and entire demenour. She didn't wish to make him uncomfortable with what she was about to do.

"Erm.. Sonic?"

"Yeah?" he inquired softly.

"Can I-.. Can I try something?"

Sonic simply nodded.

"Do you mind...- closing your eyes?"

Slowly his emerald eyes disappeared behind his closing eyelids.

Without a seconds thought he had followed suit on her request, having not the slightest of clues of what might follow as he did so.

But not long after Sonic had closed his eyes could he feel how Amy's lips pressed against his cheek. The kiss was planted with such utter delicacy that he might as well have only imagined it, had it not been for the sweet scent of roses that drew closer to his nose as she bent forward to deliver it. Several more kisses were planted on his other cheek, forehead, temples, eyelids and even on the very tip of his nose.

Soon it felt like she'd covered every inch of his face with her lips and now softly brushed them against his.

And in a lightly dazed set of mind, Sonic concluded that this must be what it was like to be in total and uttermost bliss.

All of his senses were filled with Amy Rose.

He could feel how her skin shivered as he ran a hand up her back, bringing her closer. His lips could savor the taste of her cherry like ones. Heard how her heart beat hard against her chest. Her addictive scent...

And lastly he opened his eyes to witness this otherworldly angel that sat before his very eyes.

Lowering themselves on the sofa, Sonic's body draped behind hers and Amy's body curled up to his chest, they settled into a comfortable silence.

---

Outside, the sun had lowered on the sky which now had been painted in a faint color of pink mixed with yellow and orange. To Sonic, the best thing about living out on the coutry side was to never have to hear the sound of traffic or people shouting as one did back in Station Square and the closest neighbor lived about a half hour walk away. Most mobians on this part of Mobius tended to be drawn more towards the big cities so there were few houses built outside of them even if small towns had started to grow forth for the past years.

Sonic was glad that at least the area around the Mystic Ruins where Tails lived had been untouched and that it wasn't on trend to build mansions there - he had a feeling Knuckles wouldn't take to kindly if it ever were to happen. Thinking of his hotheaded old friend brought a smirk to his face and he made a mental note that he'd have to visit him soon.

His eyes swept across the living room until it landed on the bookcase on the other side of the room, it was pretty broad and was lit up by the floor lamp that stood beside it. Often times he'd bring back books from one of his travels - bought either from old antique stores, which to his surprise could hold the most epic of adventure novels, or given as one of many frequent gifts. If a book ever were to be about for example science, astronomy or mechanics - Sonic would gladly pass it on to Tails who much rather read factual books than fictional novels.

Sometimes during late evenings Amy would, on his request, read aloud for him out of one of the many books. Sonic found that he loved to listen to her telling him the stories just as much as he liked reading them. Years of reading countless bedtime stories to Cream had made her a very good storyteller and her voice was never rushed or dull, even making voices whenever a character spoke. Though it sounded pretty funny when she'd try and imitate the more gruff characters voices due to her otherwise high and singsong tone.

"Ames?" he said quietly.

To get her attention, Sonic gently nudged a now almost sleeping Amy who blinked a few times before bending her neck backwards in order to meet his gaze.

He continued "Do you feel like reading me something, my little storyteller? I'm in a dire need of hearing your voice."

And after all the time he'd been away from her, he truly was.

Amy seemed happily surprised by his request and her previous drowsiness was suddenly completely gone. She arose from the sofa, walked over to the towering bookcase and hesitantly turned her head towards Sonic.

"Which one do you wanna hear?" she asked.

"You pick one." he answered encouragingly.

Amy turned her head back towards the bookcase and contemplated which book she should pick. There were quite a lot them stored up on the shelves, mostly classic adventure novels since it was Sonic who stood for most of the reading in the household. While Amy did enjoy reading she wasn't much of bookworm, her scarce contribution of romance novels barely covered one shelf. Admittedly, she preferred watching the romantic scenarios unfold on screen instead rather than having to imagine them on her own - the couple in question would often end up looking a lot more like herself and a certain blue hedgehog, causing somewhat of a distraction.

Her eyes search the bookcase for a book fit for the occasion and eventually finds it - the "Idylls of the King", one of many books that tells of the Arthurian Legends. One of Sonic's absolute favorites.

Right next to the sofa stands an armchair which Amy sits down in before then proceeding to lean back and open up the book, placing it comfortably against her raised knees.

A particular story comes to her mind and she decides to go for that one.

She flips through the pages, halts as the title of the desired poem appears, and with a soothing tone begins to read the story of "Geraint and Enid". Sonic's ears perk up slightly as he recongizes it and for a brief moment Amy wonders if he got dissapointed that she picked one about romance. But Sonic merely gets a thoughtful look on his face along with warm smile - leans back on the sofa and closes his eyes to listen.

The poem depicts the story of the brave prince of Devon, who's also one of Arthur's knights, named Geraint. How he falls deeply in love with the beautiful Enid and later marries and settles down with her. Throughout the story their love is tested by both misunderstandings and jealousy which leads them to a dangerous journey where Geraint proves his chivalry and capability as a ruler while Enid repeatedly saves her husband from danger, thus proving her undying devotion to him.

"--and in their halls arose the cry of children, Enids and Geraints, of times to be, nor did he doubt her more, but rested in her fealty til he crowned a happy life with a fair death. And fell against the heathen of the Northern Sea in battle, fighting for the blameless King."

It was already dark outside when Amy uttered the last few lines of the story before closing the book with a soft thud. Just as she did so, Sonic's eyes opened and he said with an almost critical voice, as if he'd been waiting to voice his thoughts.

"I forgot how much of a jerk Geraint was. I mean - ordering his wife to not speak to him and pretending to be dead just so he could be reassured of her feelings towards him is not really chivalrous, is it?"

It was meant as a rhetorical question but Amy was quick to answer him, in an attempt to defend the fictional prince.

"Well, he did it so he wouldn't risk hurting her while he figured out if she'd been unfaithful to him or not, he did it out of love. Personally, I believe he always knew she hadn't but was merely afraid to get hurt..." she got a dreamy expression "Besides his judgement was clouded, also he defended her against that horrible earl and apologized to Enid after he realized he'd done wrong, which to me is very honorable of him."

Sonic merely snorted at this.

"He should've believed her regardless, and not cared so much about his status. A true knight-"

"Sonic, just because you've read about knights doesn't mean you know how to be one." she interrupted playfully.

"Well actually, I once-"

But he couldn't finish the sentence as she shot him a skeptical look while trying to stifle a laugh.

"Oh don't start with me."

The memory of how Sonic had once missed a date with her because he'd supposedly been dragged into the world of King Arthur was still a sore subject.

They gabbed a bit with each other back and forth until Amy, mid-sentence, let out an abrupt yawn. It made Sonic cast a glance at the clock on the wall which showed that it was nearly nine o'clock.

He arose from the sofa and walked over to her seat, gently pulling her upright "Time for bed, Amy."

But Amy stood her ground when he tried to pull her with him. She took his hands in hers and gave him a pleading look.

"W-wait..! Can't we dance first? I've been longing so much for it when you were gone."

Sonic pretended to consider it for a brief moment before giving her a wide smirk and wink.

"Sure, whatever the lady wants."

Amy picked an old time song from their shelf of records and put it on the slightly old fashioned record player that stood on a table in the corner. It had, multiple times, been repaired by Tails who'd always point out they should just buy a modern stereo instead - to which Amy refused to listen.

"It has charm!" she'd say firmly.

With an authentic spark the record player kicked into action and soon a slow tune started playing accompanied by a pleasant male voice singing the first line of verse.

They went to stand in the middle of the living room before Sonic snaked his left arm around Amy's waist and with ease lifted her, so that she instead stood steadily placed with either foot on top of his shoes. That way the height difference between them decreased which made it easier to dance and she could just about reach up to rest her head against the upper half of his chest.

Sonic liked dancing in theory, or at least when you could dance however you wanted to, but dancing together - with someone else, added a whole new level of difficulty. At first he had often felt awkward and unsure of how to adapt his body after Amy's, she was so fragile that he worried that one wrong turn or too eager movements would end up hurting her. Even if she'd insist that she was perfectly fine, he would still be cautiously mindful of it.

Fortunately, Amy had picked a calm song which only required him to gently sway them slowly in the center of the living room.

He tried to keep somewhat of a pace with the rhythm of the song and Amy smiled brightly up at him as he every so often would dip her gently or lift her up to spin her around. The joyous giggles that erupted from her as he did so were much more like music to his ears than what came out of the record player.

Somehow it felt oddly strange. Mere days ago Sonic had been on the other side of Mobius, in the midst of battle while people's lives had been at stake. And now he was at home, dancing with Amy tightly wrapped in his arms - safe, and with an unfaltering sense of easiness in his chest.

The contrast was almost bizarre.

And then, for a brief yet dreadful moment, he envisioned how Amy stood among the rubble of destroyed buildings, screams of terrified mobians echocing around her while a maniacal laugh erupted overhead. How her ever so white gloves had been tainted by blood and dirt. Her sweet, innocent face streaked by tears...

The thought made Sonic stop his swaying abruptly and stare out into the dark night through the window - as if he could see the mad doctor's tainted glasses observing them while he grinned wickedly.

Instinctively, his grip tightened protectively around Amy as he pressed her towards his chest so that he shielded her from the imaginary stare of his arch enemy.

"Sonic..?" Amy looked up at him with concerned eyes, the sudden change in his posture had slightly startled her. "Is something wrong?"

The same instant her soft voice reached his ears and registered within his mind - did the imagined face dissolve into nothing.

Sonic tried to avoid her gaze without looking bothered, he simply couldn't bring himself to lie while looking her straight in the eyes.

"No, nothing. Everything's perfect."

He hastily flashed her his trademark smile which only seemed to confuse Amy even futher, but she decided to let it slide for now. If it were important Sonic would tell her, she figured.

"Okay.."

Taking notice of that the pleasant man's voice had died down, Sonic loosened his grip around her waist and let her back down on the floor.

"I guess I'm a bit tired, traveling must've taken its toil on me. I'm sorry - we'll continue tomorrow, I promise."

Amy walked over to the corner and turned off the record player before she returned to Sonic's side and wrapped her arms around his waistline.

Nodding reassuringly she said "It's alright, I'm sleepy too."

As if on cue yet another yawn escaped her lips.

Then, with a swift movement, Sonic lifted Amy into his arms and effortlessly carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

While Amy went to change out of her clothes and wash up in the bathroom, Sonic wandered into the familiar bedroom. A bedroom that had been solely Amy's in the past but which now, since they became engaged, was to be considered as theirs. Throughout recent years the room itself had changed quite a bit and gone from being a teenage girl's room to being more alligned with that of a young woman's. Stuffed animals, gossip magazines and posters of various movies and bands had gradually dissappeared as the once pink walls had been replaced with a softly painted pastel blue color instead, with barely noticeable flower details in each corner. The wooden furniture was in turn white and stood where they always had and so did the double sized bed with its fluffy duvet cover neatly tucked in with a patchwork quilt. On each of the two nightstands stood a lit lamp, spreading a warm glow around the room. Overall, he found the room to be pretty cozy, as were the rest of the cottage, even if it was still unusual for him to have a place to call his own. The concept of home had been constantly shifting throughout his life - far back when he'd been little he'd considered Green Hill Zone to be his home, then Station Square and then perhaps just all of Mobius. Only for him to now finally come to the realization that home isn't really a certain place or a house, but with his friends.

Wherever Tails or Amy is - that's home.

As his eyes strayed, Sonic took notice of how the right side of the bed where he usually slept looked a bit too sleek, and for a moment he thought of how utterly lonely it must feel to sleep all alone in the big bed without anyone beside you. Guilt surged through his body like venom when he imagined Amy's petite form, which barely took up a third of the bed's size, laying in the empty bed. Alone. For days upon days...

"Where is her hero then, huh? Her dear fiancé?" a certain malicious part of Sonic's mind spat at him mockingly.

While trying to block out the voice, he went over to sit at Amy's side of the bed where his eyes had discovered the letters he'd sent to her - stacked neatly on the nightstand beside the alarm clock. With slight hesitation, Sonic picked up the letter that laid at the top of the stack which turned out to be the last one he'd sent only four days ago, and silently read his own sloppy handwriting—

"Dear Amy,

I hope you're feeling well. Things are starting to clear up here as Dr. R hasn't caused any more havoc for a whole day now, but just to be safe we've decided to hang back for awhile. We're helping with clearing out stray robots in the area and Tails has even began to assist with the repairs of the damages that was caused the best he can.

But don't worry, cause I know you will - the villagers are all safe and so is Tails and I. This is nothing we haven't handled before, after all.

Anyway, I just realized it's almost been a whole month since we left home. Strange, isn't it? I'm missing you like crazy, Amy Rose... and I can't wait to see you, or to just simply hear your voice again. Every night as I've been about to fall asleep, I've imagined how you're sitting among all the flowers in our garden - waiting for me.

I really hope I'll be able to return to you near the end of this week, If not - I will write again.

Tails sends his regards, by the way. I can tell he's starting to get a little homesick by now and I know he misses you, as well.

But until we get back I want you to smile for me and to make sure to take care of yourself, too.

I love you.

Yours, Sonic."

When he was done reading, he got the strangest notion that he had sent an eternity ago. As though it had been in another life. Written by someone entirely different. Someone who couldn't possilby be him.

"I re-read them a few times while you were away. It made me feel a little bit closer to you…"

On cue, Sonic turned around and found that Amy had appeared in the doorway between the bathroom and the bedroom. Now dressed in a simple cotton nightgown that reached her just below the knees, showing off her small, bare feet. She'd also taken off her headband, which left he quills free to fall a bit more casually around her features. And the hot water she'd probably splashed upon her face had given her cheeks an even rosier hue. He felt his heart skip a beat as he took in just how adorable she looked just then and so, almost absentmindedly, Sonic put the letter back down on the nightstand before giving her a smile. "You know I'm not really good with words and all that…" He said, with a hint of tentaiveness in his voice. "Though I would have loved to be able to get any back from you. I think we should seriously consider getting the Tornado its own address."

Amy returned the smile and replied—"Next time-" And Sonic saw that it hurt her to even think about the next time when he'd be forced to leave her again. "—I can write you a bunch of letters beforehand. Then you could just open one whenever you'd start to miss me."

At the mere thought of it Sonic chuckled, a warm, boyish chuckle that never failed to melt Amy's heart within a second. "You'd have to write a lot of letters then, Ames."

Then, all of a sudden, Amy rushed into his embrace and swung her arms around his torso, and finally buried her face into his chest. Sonic's words had stung her more than he'd thought, as she now fought back any potential tears from forming at the corners of her tightly shut eyes. For despite both accepting and respecting her fiancé's freedom, she couldn't deny the feelings deep inside her own heart. Because if it were only for her to decide then her and him wouldn never part ever again. But she wasn't allowed to think such thoughts, for she knew they were childish and merely old fantasies of the past. One simply couldn't tame the wind.

"You're not crying, are you?" Sonic asked in concern, his brow having furrowed at her sudden move.

"No, I'm just... tired."

And even though the bed was merely a few steps away, Sonic instinctively lifted Amy into his arms and carried her to it as he then, with utmost delicacy, laid her down. Tucking her in underneath the duvet cover and as a final touch kneeled down to plant a tender kiss upon her lips, which she returned. As soon as they parted, he lovingly nuzzled his nose against her muzzle, up along her jaw to her cheek where he planted yet another kiss. While he did, soft giggles escaped Amy who could barely keep still due to the tickling feeling as well as the giddy flutterings of her heart.

"Sooonic..! Cut it out, that tickles…"

"Oh, does it now?" Sonic inquired, an almost mischevious smirk spreading upon his muzzle. But to Amy's fortune, he chose not to take advantage of this fact and instead let up and rose to his feet. She watched as Sonic proceeded to take off his shoes and socks, placing them down by the side of the closet. Then, as to relax his muscles and wind down before bed, he did his usual routine of stretching his limbs for a bit.

While he did so, Amy tried not to see how some of his bodily scars got highlighted in the faint glow from the lamps. The pain it caused her to merely catch a glimpse of them was too much. Too real. But pretty soon her mind wandered elsewhere as she watched her fiancé. For now, save for his gloves, he stood completely naked before her and she couldn't keep her cheeks from heating up at the sight of him. Sonic was obviously always naked in a sense, but somehow it became more apparent when they were alone - at night, and in the privacy of their own bedroom. To her - Sonic was more dazzling, and far more handsome than any fairy tale prince ever depicted as his sharp, athletic body also had a smooth softness to it. His skin may have turned rougher and more scared over the years, and his fur turned a bit coarse, but the gentleness of his touch was unaffected.

In so many ways he was already a young man while she still felt painfully underdeveloped, and not to mention as thin as a stick.

But Sonic… Oh, he was the very embodiment of perfection, in every single way. And the physical attraction she felt for him right then was on the verge of consuming all of her senses.

"Something on your mind?" Sonic suddenly asked in concern, having just noticed her staring and mistaken the shy peering for a look of worrying.

For a brief second Amy hesitated before uttering a sigh, clutching the duvet closer to her while feeling how the blush upon her face deepened significantly. "You're just… beautiful..." She whispered, trying her best to suppress an all too dreamy tone of voice.

Upon hearing this, Sonic's concerned look instantly melted into one of ease as a lopsided smile stretched across his muzzle. He also ceased his stretching, being clearly amused by the casual compliment. "No need to sweet talk me, Ames. We're already engaged, remember?" He raised his left hand where the golden band was unmistakably visible, as if to further emphasis the fact.

"How would I ever be able to forget…"

While choking back a yawn, Sonic ultimately sank down to sit upon the edge of the bed, turning off the lamp. Having a bed of his own was yet another thing that had taken some time getting used to. After a lifetime of almost exclusively sleeping outdoors upon various rooftops or tree branches - and occasionally upon his little brother's worn out couch that he kept in his workshop - it felt awfully strange and even unnatural to settle in for the night in a warm, soft bed. With Amy by his side, nonetheless. Usually he slept upon the cover since he easily got heated while sleeping underneath it. Though the pillow was indeed a plus. As was Amy, of course. It gave his protective instincts great satisfaction in being able to hold her so close while they slept. To know that she was safe and sound in his arms as he held her through the night, and listen as her heart fell into its comfortable rhythm.

During this last year that they had been engaged, he'd subconciously grown the habit of making sure to be the last one of them to fall asleep. Because that way he was granted a brief couple of minutes to simply marvel at just how peaceful - and, admittedly, cute - Amy looked in her slumber. He, himself, also slept lighter when in her presence which he guessed was due to some deep-rooted, male instinct. An instinct that caused him to always be prepared to protect her, even in his sleep.

And true enough, as soon as Sonic settled himself upon the bed, his arms immediately sought her ought by wrapping around her body as she also drew closer to him. Like two magnets their bodies connected and as they did - everything in Sonic's world felt complete.

And just like that, his sole being was at peace once more.

He was home.

Home with the girl who carried all of his life, his hopes, dreams - yes, practically his entire world inside of her. Every fiber of her was like its own vibrant piece that just as much made up him, as well. As if she were the sun that he orbited around, and if eclipsed for too long he would cease to function, leave him lost in utter darkness. He could indeed survive without her physical presence for certain extended periods of time, but not forever. He would always need to come back and bask himself in her light, and in an unconditional love that went far beyond anything he'd ever recieved from anyone else, except from his little brother.

With a gentle hand, Sonic stroked her cheek, their eyes getting locked in silent understanding that there was no force in the universe that could break them apart as of right then.

"Hey you." Sonic whispered playfully after awhile, flashing her a toothy smile.

"Hey you..." Amy parroted, giggling softly as his breath tickled her, all while his closeness made her heart pound harder by the minute.

"Sooo… I'm beautiful, am I?"

"Yes, very much so."

He just couldn't help it. Sonic broke into a hearty laughther which earned him a pouting face from his fiancée.

"Don't laugh, it's the truth..!"

"Yeah… so, exactly how tired are you, again?"

"Sooonic..!"

"Hah! Relax, Ames, I'm just teasin' ya'!"

Sonic made an advance to peck her forhead, but last second Amy turned her chin upwards and thus caught him in a kiss on the lips instead. And then… he was a lost cause. Heart triumphed over mind. The sweetness was too hard to resist. Tenderly, he cupped her face in his hands while simutaniously drawing his body as close as possible to hers. For what felt like an eternity, Sonic then continously carassed Amy's lips with his own, only ever breaking for allowing the both of them short inhales of air. He kissed her with such delicacy that one might have thought she was made out of glass - that, at any given moment, could break beneath his hold. A deep and yet distant yearning stirred somewhere within his chest, causing his heart to throb so violently that he briefly thought it would get caught in his throat.

Neither of them wished for it to ever end.

A whole month's worth of longing for the other one running its course.

Each kiss more sacred than the last.

Yet sooner rather than later, the young couple felt that the heat of their passion was close to crossing the line of decency.. Which was partially why, with great effort, Sonic reluctantly decided to pull away and instead fall back with his head on his pillow. Having to actually catch his breath for a second. "Well, that was… something…" He breathed, a lightheaded chuckle escaping him at the same time. "Seriously Ames, you have no idea of the effect you have on me - I swear, sooner or later you'll be giving me a heart attack..!"

They both took a minute to calm their racing hearts until Amy uttered a yawn once more, shuffling into a more comfortable position to sleep in. Namely with her head tucked in the crook of Sonic's neck as his arms encircled her petite form into his warm embrace in which no ills could reach her. "I'm so glad you're home, Sonic..." She whispered softly, almost too tired to keep her eyes up any longer as she grasped his hand tightly - wishing to fall asleep while holding it.

"Me too, this last month sure felt like it was dragging itself forward at times." Sonic said, before it suddenly sparked up a twinkle in his eyes. "I can't believe it's summer already... I promise I'll try to be around as much as possible for it, we could even go traveling if you want. I'll take us anywhere you wanna go - just name any place on Mobius and it'll be our destination..!"

Despite her tiredness, the suggestion seemed to excite Amy. Her thoughts quickly leaping as she daydreamed about a number of various exotic lands. "Hm, well, I've always wanted to visit Holoska! To see the whales there, and try the food, go sled riding - oh, and the northen lights are said to be very romantic..." A longing sigh came across her lips. "I remember that I was so jealous when you got to go there without me during the whole Gaia incident." She purposefully refrained from calling it anything else as not to bring forth any unpleasant memories accosiated with Sonic's then werehog-state. Because despite the many years that had passed, it was still a sore subject for the blue hero. And even though Sonic had never openly admitted it, she knew that he'd been deeply ashamed and self-concious about how he'd looked during his nightly transformations, and especially in front her.

However, as of now no such memories were making themselves reminded as Sonic merely grinned at her proposal, staring at her with mild surprise but also visible enthusiasm. "Holoska, huh? It's been awhile since my last visit so I'm definitely game..! I'm tellin' you though, it's harder than it looks to steer those sleds, alright. And the people there live in little houses made entirely out of ice, but yeah - the northen lights are indeed a pretty amazing sight, I'm sure you'd love it."

"Did Chip like it there?" Amy asked gently. Fortunately, Sonic looked at ease with the question, a thoughtful expression settling upon his face as he recalled his old friend.

"Yeah, he was a bit skeptic of the food though. I remember there were these things, uh… like small cans of fermented fish that smelled absolutely awful, which Chip quickly came to call 'Canned Horror'. Luckily none of the local villagers ever caught him saying that..!"

They shared a laugh, before Amy finally continued—

"I'll have to remember that then. What about you, any corners of Mobius you haven't already been to?"

"Lots, I'm sure. But even if we went someplace I've already been it would probably feel as though I'm seeing it for the the very first time anyhow - since I'd be seeing it with you, and not just by myself. There's a difference, you see."

"H-how so?"

"Well… being with you make stuff seem all the more mesmerizing, I guess. Like, you, eh, brighten up a place even more just by just… being there. Heh, sorry… that sounds pretty corny, don't it?"

That rare look of modesty found its way onto Sonic's features as he lowered his eyelids slightly and produced an awkward, toothy smile. Speaking openly from his heart did still make him instinctively anxious at times, as he never could tell if he was admitting to too much of his most tender of feelings and whether it was appropiate to the situation or not. Amy was always so open about hers, but she'd had many years of experience on handling matters such as these wheras he'd pretty much fumbled in the dark about love for more than half his life. As of today, and since a few years back, he'd learned to somewhat navigate in these territories, but at the core Sonic knew he wasn't the romantic type. All of his acts of affection either came purely spontaneously or out of the own inherent goodness of his heart. He's discoverd more than once that his directness has been percieved as bold or romantic by Amy, which could be further enhanced if they happened to be in certain life-or-death situations. Or more commonly in situations as this - where she was wrapped in his arms.

"Oh, no, not at all." Amy assured with a sweet giggle escaping her at the same time, all while she also felt a sudden leap inside her chest at his words. "You're cute when you're corny."

Sonic, however, lightly poked her in the side in response as he tried to keep a straight face. "Alright, alright - that's enough of that for one night." He said, before finally making himself more comfortable by snuggling deeper into the bed and his pillow. "We should try and get some sleep while we're still young. Wouldn't wanna spoil my beauty sleep." But before Sonic had so much as even gotten to lowering his eyelids, Amy suddenly grasped his hand a little tighter, prompting him to give her a soft yet quizzical look.

"Uhm, Sonic..? Would you mind… singing something for me before we fall asleep? You really don't have to if you don't want..! It's just that I've really missed hearing you sing these past nights that you've been away and—"

The expression upon Sonic's face couldn't have softened any more than what it did right then, nor could his heart have melted any further at the adorale innocence in Amy's voice as she asked something so seemingly simple and small of a request from him. Because much similar to how he enjoyed listening to her reading to him, did Amy love falling asleep to the sound of his voice. And even though Sonic had never really considered himself possesing an exceptionally good singing voice, he still genuinely enjoyed singing from time to time as It usually filled him with a joyous sense of liberty that could actually help to brighten his mood on any gloomy day. However, he would only ever break into a tune if he was absolutely sure that he was either completely alone, or if - and that was a big if - Amy ever asked him to. Sure he could chant along to a few lines of some rowdy rock song in the company of others, but then he wasn't really using his actual voice.

That shrill yelling could hardly be compared to the smooth softness his voice carried when singing the soothing words of a lullaby or a delicately worded love song.

No, that was reserved for simply one person in this world, and that person only.

And that person was currently so deeply snuggled up against him that even just the faintest of humming would reach her ears.

Feeling secretly touched by her request, Sonic gently hushed Amy's continued nervous rambling with a kiss pressed to her temple. Not long after they both joined in their embrace once more as Sonic's voice began to sing the first gentle words with such deliberate care that one might think he was uttering his deepest of inner thoughts.

"Goodnight, goodnight, it's time now to sleep. The moon's watching over you and your dreams…"

It didn't take long before Amy drifted away into her first peaceful slumber for over a month.

"Goodnight, goodnight, my sweet little one. Tomorrow your eyes they will light up the sun…"

It was an old lullaby, one that Sonic had used to sing for Tails when he was little, during nights plauged by thunderstorms or at times when the nightmares appeared a bit too real in his mind. The appeasing melody along with its lyrics promising of a brighter tomorrow had at some point etched themselves in Sonic's memory and then remained there, for as long as he could remember at least. Perhaps it originated from a parent he was unable to remember, or maybe he'd simply made it up by himself during one of those many lonely nights he'd experienced as a young child. Long before he met Tails, Knuckles and Amy. Long before anything in his life had truly began to matter, and long before all the colors and contrasts of the world had tread forth before his eyes.

Merely thinking of it caused an unpleasant shudder to run along Sonic's spine as he hastily averted from delving into such thoughts any further and instead glanced down at Amy, who was resting her head so peacefully upon his chest.

His sweet, innocent Amy… who had no parents to speak of either.

Yet for some reason her abandonment from her parents bothered him more than that of his own, as it tore at his heart in a certain way. For there really couldn't have been much of them if they left someone like her all alone in this world. Although, if he was being truly honest with himself, Sonic couldn't help but feel eternally grateful for whomever they might've been - as they were indeed the reason Amy existed after all. And as fate would have it he'd found her instead, or rather she'd found him, and without her his own life would have been terribly empty...

By pure instinct, Sonic brought Amy even closer to him and his protective embrace. "Dream sweet dreams, Amy." Being the last words he whispered to her that night. For just as his voice had lulled her to sleep, he in turn were granted to fall asleep to the heavenly sound of her beating heart. And once Sonic was assured that she'd fallen asleep, his voice gradually faded until it almost fell completely silent. Uttering the last few lines of the song under his breath—

"Goodnight, goodnight, my sweet little friend. Tomorrow's adventures they will soon begin… Tomorrow's adventures… will soon begin."

---

 

Notes:

Credits:

"Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" - Sammy Fain / Paul Webster.

"Idylls Of The King" - Alfred Tennyson.

"Lullaby" - Ryan O'neal.

Chapter 2: Together

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 2: Together

---

Sonic looked different in his sleep. While sleeping he wasn't a big hero or the great saviour that people saw him as. He was just a young man. A mere boy, one might argue.

His eyes only lightly shut as if he, at any given moment, would be ready to open them and take in whatever would appear before him.

"Always prepared for the worst.." Amy mused as she carefully observed Sonic's sleeping form.

At first it had been difficult for Sonic to adapt to sleep in a regular bed, years of sleeping upon various rooftops, trees and on the plain ground had affected him quite a bit. He was a light sleeper and tended to move around a lot which might be caused by his legs itching to run. And due to his unusal high body temperature he rarely even needed to be under the covers, though he would often do so anyway in order to keep Amy warm during the night.

Amy studied how the early morning sun's light gave his face a soft shimmer, which higlighted his handsome features. His charming dimples that became even more apparent everytime he flashed that familiar smile of his. A smile that never failed to make her beam as well.

She wondered what he dreamed about, it must be something nice since no frown was visible and he lay almost completely still - if one didn't count the consistent rising and falling of his chest.

With a sudden yearning of hearing his heart, Amy ever so carefully moved in closer and laid her head gently on Sonic's chest which resulted in a clear hearing of the steady beating beneath.

It was at times like this that Amy wished she could sing just as beautifully as Sonic. If she had had any natural talent and not such a high voice she could've awoken him by singing soft tunes to him. Just like a nightingale. Though, she assumed she reminded more of a crow than a songbird.

A brief wistful sigh escaped her lips as she resumed her focus on his heartbeats, trying to keep count of how many that passed during one minute, then two minutes and then three... four...

Amy's mind wandered to yesterday. How Sonic had looked when he'd appeared, how their eyes had finally met again after so long time. That bright, tender gleam that so deeply had laced his stunning emerald eyes. His exciting stories during the dinner, the lovely gift he'd bought her, he wanting her to read for him, their playful yet gentle swaying in the living room...

Then she remembered.

The sudden expression of dread on Sonic's face. It had been there, if only for a second - she'd seen it.

What could possibly have triggered such a reaction from her otherwise always so fearless fiance?

A stray memory, perhaps, of something he'd seen on his recent adventure?

Amy didn't recall him telling her anything explicitly intimidating that could've resulted in a look like that. But, she argued, then Sonic surely would've told her about it, he'd let her know if anything was bothering him, right?

Sonic had gotten better at sharing his feelings with her, even when it came to the matters of the heart, but he rarely touched upon the things that worried him or made him anxious. A little bit of convincing on her part could sometimes make him ease his mind but most of the times he'd simply brush it off and soon enough the subject would be forgotten. Amy shamefully realized that she was easily persuaded by his distractions and charming smiles, maybe she should be more persistent in the future.

She took a firmer grip on Sonic's torso and buried her face deeper into his chest but still mindful of not awaking him quite yet. His natural scent was both familiar and comforting - fresh grass, wind and sunshine, the embodiment of freedom and a force of the very nature itself. To her, nothing could ever smell so appealing as him, and she wondred if her scent had the same effect on him. No, it wasn't possible.

Amy breathed him in while also taking the oppertunity to snuggle on a certain spot of tuft fur which she knew Sonic could get particularly embarrassed about.

The month they'd been apart suddenly felt even longer than before.

When the alarm clock on the left nightstand informed her that it was high time to start the day, Amy both reluctantly and with a sense of eagerness to spend the whole day with Sonic, lifted her head from his chest and reached her head up to his head.

"Hey sleepyhead, it's time to wake up." she cooed softly in his ear and then proceeded to carefully blow at his face.

Just as calmly as if he'd never gone to sleep, Sonic opened his eyes which immediately sought out Amy's, and simply stared at her for a brief moment. He looked slightly dazed but soon enough a warm smile spread across his muzzle.

"I must still be dreaming..." he said as he reached a hand up to stroke Amy's cheek "I dream that I've fallen asleep out in the meadows with the sky above me, and then I see her... - the beautifulest, most loving and gentle girl in the whole world, and she blows on me with her sweet breath and wake me from my sleep. And then I dream that I'm thinking: This is what it must feel like to awake in paradise."

Amy grasp Sonic's stroking hand in hers and holds it still against her cheek before reaching her head up and blow lightly in his ear. It sends a ticklish feeling through his body and he chuckles softly at her antics.

"You're not dreaming, silly." Amy giggled and laid her head down back on his chest.

"I don't know, Amy, I have pretty vivid dreams."

"Will a kiss convince you?"

Sonic gave her a playful smirk and raised a brow "Maybe."

Without a seconds thought, their lips found one another and Sonic has to fight every ounce of his being to hold back his strength and not kiss Amy too passionately. He knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't be able to stop and end up spending the rest of the day just laying here and caress her lips with his own.

They parted all too soon.

"Alright, I'm convinced." Sonic tried to sound dissapointed but it was really difficult after having just kissed his fianceé. Admittedly, his dreams could never truly beat reality.

As the sun gradually rose outside the window, they laid and listened to the flickies chirping lively from their tress, felt how the gentle summer breeze swept in and ever so slightly made the curtain flutter.

Suddenly the familiar itching sensation in his legs made itself known in Sonic's consciousness, naturally they yearned to run after a long night's sleep. Adrenaline shot thorugh his body like an automatic respone to this feeling and he could do nothing but oblige to the urge of running.

With an eager look on his face, Sonic arose from bed and walked over to the window. Gazing outwards, he saw the farstretching hills and meadows and at the horizon he could even detect the ocean with the sun reflecting a bright shimmer on its surface. The sight made his yearning grow stronger and he hastily turned around, only to be met with a pair of slender arms wrapping around his waist.

Somehow Amy appeared even more radiant in the morning light.

She gazed up at him, her face shining of sheer joy at getting to wake up by his side.

"Go running. I'll make breakfast in the meantime." she said, almost as if she'd read his mind.

As much as Sonic needed to run, he also wanted to please Amy and he figured that the every-day fiance didn't require running a few miles each morning - leaving his fianceé to tend to breakfast alone.

"It's okay. I can help you, if you want." he offered.

But Amy merely shook her head and got a slight frown between her eyes "Sonic, you know you can't cook. You'd only be in my way, besides I don't want a hyperactive hedgehog at my breakfast table."

"Heh, thanks Ames."

A grin, followed by a hasty hug and then Sonic disappeared out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door within mere seconds.

When he stepped out on the front porch he was immediately met with the smell of dewed grass and a whole mix of flowery aromas creating a most pleasent feeling. The sky promised a beautiful morning and an even beautifuler day, not a cloud as far as his eyes could see. It was at mornings such as these that Sonic felt he could easily run to the ends of Mobius and then back again, just for the thrill of it. But the thought of enjoying one of Amy's delicious breakfasts halted all further thoughts of actually doing so.

After having breathed in the sweet morning air, Sonic settled with taking a run that only stretched a few miles, but choosing a terrain that was slightly challanging. Got to keep his physique up, after all.

The rush of running at breakneck speed all the while dodging, sliding and jumping over occasional obstacles was something he'd never grow tired of. All that was missing was the potential threat chasing him, and it would've been complete. However, when he did a sharp turnaround at the very edge of a cliffside he at least had a goal to run back to - Amy surely was enough of a motivation to make him push himself even harder.

Back at house said hedgehog was busy preparing a lovely breakfast for her fiance. She'd changed into a pearly white sundress, put on a simple pair of slippers and curled the tips of her quills just a little bit. Her usual white gloves had been neatly put on and her golden bangles shimmered in the sunlight streaming in through the window, with the engagement ring twinkling especially much. The sight of it never failed to put a dreamy expression on her face and a smile to match it.

As Amy flipped pancakes she slowly started to daydream about how her day with Sonic would turn out like. Would they spend it just the two of them or should she suggest they take that picnic with Tails? As much as she wanted to have Sonic all to herself for just one day, she really had missed the little fox as well. He was just as much of a brother to her as he was to Sonic, and a family picnic was just as good as a romantic one. Besides, her and Sonic could spend the rest of the day alone afterwards.

Maybe an evening similar to the one yesterday?

The possible romance that could flourish a day as this made Amy swoon inwardly, and unconciously start to sing the first few lines of a sweet tune she thought of at the top of her head.

"I'll be with you in apple blossom time

I'll be with you and change your name to mine..."

Then, without first registering it, Amy heard how Sonic's melodious voice answered her from just outside the window. Though his singing was much more in tune and caused her entire being to halt for a brief moment.

"One day in May, I'll come and say:

Happy the bride the sun shine on today."

Almost as if on instinct, Amy closed her eyes, losing herself in the sound of his voice. Her heart beat increased significantly, to such degree that she thought it was gonna jump out of her chest and leave her falling to the floor.

"What a wonderful wedding there will be. What a wonderful day for you and me..."

Sonic's voice faded. But Amy could hear how light footsteps approached her from the kitchen door, which stood ajar to let the fresh morning air in. She pretended not to hear him and casually continued the last few lines of the song - despite how the blush immediately rose on her cheeks.

"Church bells will chime, you will be mine..."

Just as Amy was about to turn around and expose the blue hedgehog, Sonic had already snuck up behind her and embraced her. Softly, he whispered the last line in her ear;

"-In apple blossom time."

A short bell like laughter managed to escape her lips before they were captured by Sonic's gentle yet strong pair. Gladly she succumbed to his hold, kissing him back with an almost feverish longing, even though they couldn't have been apart for longer than half an hour.

The smell of slightly burnt pancakes interrupted their moment, causing Amy to quickly pull herself from Sonic in order to avoid further disaster.

"Aw Sonic, you distracted me. I can't focus when you're around." she pouted while trying to scrape the pan clean of burnt bits of batter.

Sonic, however, merely shrugged his shoulders, trying to surpress a smirk and giving her an innocent look - putting his hands up.

"Can't a guy serenade his girlfriend anymore? Besides - you started it, my little songbird."

"I didn't know anyone was listening, oh Sonic, you make me so flustered! Eek! My cheeks are burning, ooh!"

The bashful feeling made her cover her face with her hands and sway from side to side while muttering to herself. Luckily, this time there wasn't any pancakes to be left scorching. Though Sonic stared rather amused at her antics, shaking his head before he leaned over to deliver yet another kiss but this time on the top of her head.

"Come on, Ames, I'm just teasing ya. Let's eat those delicious pancakes of yours before they turn cold, eh?"

Gradually, Amy uncovered her eyes again, nodded in agreement and prepared the last of the breakfast on a big tray. Sonic tried hard not to snag himself a piece of the neatly stacked pancakes or muffins, it hadn't occured to him how hungry he actually was after his morning run until now.

They made their way out into the garden where Amy had already set up the little round garden table with plates tableware. It stood right beneath a rather large and lavish apple tree.

A pleasent conversation followed as they enjoyed their breakfast in peace. Soft rays of sun shone through the hanging branches above them, which also gave them slight shade. Now and again the summer breeze caused small white flowers to loosen from the tree and come sailing down, some getting stuck in Amy's quills and Sonic's spikes.

By his fourth muffin, Sonic had already gulped down double the number of pancakes, three tall glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of handpicked berries mixed with nuts and a bunch of marmalade sandwiches. He had longed to eat a proper breakfast for weeks now and Amy rarely disappointed Sonic nor his stomach - it was truly delicious.

Absentmindedly, he reached an arm upwards with the intention of grabbing an apple from a low hanging branch when he remembered that it wouldn't bear any fruit until the end of summer. Instead he got a handfull of white flowers, which he stared mildly surprised at when he lowered his arm again. Amy giggled at the sight and even more so when Sonic lifted said hand to his mouth and softly blew the petals in her direction, causing them to whirl around for a bit before finally settling on her dress.

"Te-he! Look at us, Sonikku - we look like flowers!"

Sonic grinned while also running a hand through his spikes, brushing off some of the petals "You, definitely. I don't know about me, though."

Taking a sip of her coffee, Amy then brought up her idea about the afternoon.

"So I was thinking we could get that picnic with Tails today, and maybe invite Cream to come along as well. I don't think Knuckles would come down from Angel Island just for a picnic though..." Amy put a finger to her cheek and pondered the probability of that scenario, coming to the conclusion that he most likely wouldn't.

"Well no matter, Tails and Cream will do just fine! Plus it's a great way to catch up with each other and enjoy the sunny weather."

Sonic raised a brow, slightly surprised by her suggestion. He'd been sure that Amy would want to spend some time alone with him, maybe suggesting they go to a fancy resturant or watch some new flick at the cinema.

"A picnic? are you sure, Ames? You don't wanna do something more, eh, special, you know - just the two of us?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure, Sonic! What's more fun than spending some time with our friends, besides I still get to be with you and that's special enough."

"Well then, sure thing! A picnic would be cool, I even know the perfect spot, you'll love it."

"Great! I'll call them right away." Amy said before she quickly arose from her seat, a bright smile on her face as she left to skip inside the house. Giddy as ever.

The sky promised them a beautiful day.

---

Later at noon, the four friends all sat in Tails' plane - the brightly yellow colored Tornado, with its broad wings soaring through the skies. Sonic, of course, didn't techincally sit in the plane but rather stood on top of the left wing, just as effortlessly as if he'd been standing on the plain ground. Years of training and his impeccable ability to keep his balance made such bold maneuvers possible, although to this day Tails still couldn't help but to occasionally glance backwards to see if his older brother still remained upon the wing.

Behind Tails' spot in the pilot seat, there were two passenger seats who were occupied by Amy and Cream. The cream colored rabbit girl had her cinnamon-brown eyes fixated on the view below her. Even if the plane ride wasn't a long one and she had had her fair share of rides, she still couldn't help but always get astonished of how beautiful the landscape looked from up above. The rolling green hills, wide meadows, shimmering oceans and lakes simply took her breath away.

Cream, now at the blossoming age of thriteen, was very much the same sweet, kindhearted girl as she had always been. Still keeping up her well-mannered personality as well as her well-spokeness, though through the years her calm nature has somewhat been affected by Amy's more outspoken personality. Perfectly capable of holding her own and sticking up for others, especially those who can't do it for themselves.

Traits that all came in handy as she was currently enrolled in a private school in Station Square, which she went to a couple of days each week. Her mother, Vanilla, had wanted her daugther to get a good education - not out of any elitist intentions but rather as way of giving her something she had never been able to get herself. School was a loose concept in most places across Mobius and nothing children were entitled to at a certain age. Therefore private schools was an option for those who had high ambitions within specific areas, so mobian children tended to enroll at the beginning of their teenage years when they at least had somewhat of an idea of where they wanted to take their lives.

Cream had been dubious at first when Vanilla had suggested it but had pretty quickly grown fond of going to school, meeting children her own age and even doing homework.

Amy, however, had been inquiring her if there were any boys she found cute, to which Cream would only blush and change the subject. Her pink friend still strongly doubted that it could've escaped anyone's attention that Cream was a very pretty girl, already resembling the beauty to that of her mother.

"Come on, Cream, you can't tell me there hasn't been a single boy who's caught your eye." Amy tried to inquire once again, turning around in her seat to look at the rabbit behind her.

"I'm telling you the truth Miss Amy." Cream patiently answered as she softly patted her chao friend Cheese who laid curled up in her lap "Besides, I don't think mama would approve of anything like that."

"She wouldn't have to know anything, it could be like a secret love, oh - a forbbiden love! Wouldn't that be romantic!"

Tails, who unfortunately had been forced to listen in on the, to him, awkward conversation suddenly glanced back at the two girls in the rearview mirror and with a teasing voice said- "Amy, just because you found your future husband when you were eight doesn't mean the rest of us will."

Instead of a scarlet blush blazing up on her cheeks, Amy put on a proud smile and stuck her tongue out in Tails' direction.

"It wasn't by any serendipitous chance that I met Sonic, you know. It was fate, and if it weren't for the fact that he's such an old fashioned gentleman I would have married him on the spot!"

Cream and Tails burst out in a wholehearted laughing fit to which even Amy caved in on. Soon they heard how someone loudly cleared their throat and found that playfully Sonic shook his head at them.

"Since I'm the gentleman in question, I can confirm that she proposed to me at least fifty times the first year we knew each other."

"I did not!" Amy defended before muttering under her breath "Maybe a dozen.."

As Tails announced that they would soon be reaching their destination Sonic took a quick sweep of the ground below.

He turned his head towards Tails and asked "Hey little buddy, you know where to land, right?"

"Yeah, I know the place."

"Good. See you guys on the ground!"

Then, before any of them could even blink, Sonic stretched out his arms and let himself fall backwards off the wing.

"Son-" Amy began but he was already out of sight, she sighed and shook her head at her fiance's antics.

Free falling from planes was nothing new to the blue hero, he'd done it more times than he cared to count but that still didn't take away the excitment of each time he did it. It was similar to the rush he got while running except that he couldn't do much to affect the speed he fell at, it usually ended all too soon. So the bigger the heights, the better.

"Woohoo!" Sonic hollered as he came crashing through the air.

All too soon did the ground come closer so Sonic curled up his body in a ball like state and braced himself for the impact. Just as he was about to crash into the earth he flipped himself backwards and landed on his two feet in a crouched position, striking a pose. His head shot up, revealing a cocky grin before he shot forward like a bullet and started running towards the Tornado, which was just about to land a couple of hundred meters up ahead.

With the smooth precision of someone who's done countless of landings, Tails managed to just about grace the ground gently with the plane wheels until it came to complete halt and the enigine died down. Cream and Amy applauded cheerfully while Tails offered them a modest smile, taking off his googles and jumping out of the pilot's seat.

"Took you guys long enough, I was just about to start growing a beard down here." Sonic said as he went up to his little brother and playfully patted him on the back with one hand while ruffling his bangs with the other.

Tails shot an elbow in Sonic's ribcage as hard as he could, but the older hedgehog barely felt it and merely chuckled at his attempts to get him off of him.

During the years Tails had done a lot of growing but he was still a head shorter than Sonic, to his big annoyance since he'd always dreamed of being taller than his big brother. Though as an attempt to cheer Tails up Sonic would remind him that he was only fifteen yet and that he could still be growing.

Sonic's behavior had naturally rubbed off on him but mostly in a good way, Tails had still kept his rational side though he'd grown to accept that not everything had a logical explanation. However, that still didn't mean he wouldn't try and find one. His childlike optimism had always made him very inventive and to some degree he was much more grounded than his older brother.

"Hey, cut it out..!" Tails laughed and his usual silvery voice still had a scratchy tone to it, which he'd had ever since he was little.

"Not a chance little buddy!"

The two boys continued to horse around until Amy loudly cleared her throat, getting their attention.

"Ahem! A little help here?" she said and held out the big picnic basket she'd packed from the side of the plane.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese added while folding his tiny arms.

They both smiled sheepishly and hurried over to help the two girls out of the plane.

After having walked for awhile, with Sonic leading the way, the four friends reached one of the many meadows. It laid just at the outskirt of a grove of trees and on the side of a steep hill - leading down to the beach. The waves rolled peacefully against the golden sand, creating a pleasant backdrop to the vast meadow which, to Cream and Amy's equal delight, was to the brink filled with wildflowers of all the colors of the rainbow.

Cream, who could barely contain her excitement, hastily hugged Sonic around the waist - exclaiming "Oh, thank you for taking us here Mister Sonic!"

"Do I know how to pick the best spots or what?"

"You sure do, it's great! Come on Cheese, let's play!"

Amy laid out the plaid picnic blanket on the more grassy part of the meaow in order to not disrupt the flowers too much. She then placed the basket in the middle of the blanket before taking a moment to simply appreciate the beautiful scenery. Carefully, she closed her eyes and breathed in the summer air, the brisk ocean breeze mixed with the sweet smell of inumerous flowers. To top it off the light laughter of Cream ans Cheese had already started to spread across the field. It was impossible not to smile at a time like this.

Suddenly she felt how Sonic grasped her hand, gently squeezing it and planting a kiss on top of her head.

"Do you like it, Ames?"

Amy leaned her head against his arm and squeezed back "It's perfect, how come you haven't showed me this place before?"

"There's a lot of places I haven't shown you yet, but all in due time and all that." he said with a slightly teasing voice though still trying to suppress his excitment at the thought of one day showing said places "Some spots are reserved for certain occasions."

Slightly baffled at Sonic's uncharacteristic crypticness, Amy eagerly tugged at his arm.

"Occasions such as..?"

But Sonic just chuckled warmly at her impatience, a mysterious glint sparkling at the corner of his eyes.

"Patience is a virtue, petal."

"Said the most impatient guy on the entire planet."

When Sonic merely grinned at her she huffed "Aw.. you're no fun."

The hedgehog couple then watched as Cream and Cheese played among the flowers, until the young rabbit abruptly stopped and put a hand over her stomach. A low rumbling noise could be heard.

"Miss Amy, I think Cheese is hungry." she said as she proceeded to run up to Amy with Cheese hot on her heels "Can we eat the picnic now?"

Amy affectionately patted Cream's head, stroking back her long ears before bending down to her level "Of course, sweetie." then she poked her nose with her index finger causing Cream to giggle.

Tails, who had already placed himself comfortably on the blanket, looked up with hopeful eyes. His own culinary skills was quite limited, mostly consuming can food or managing basic recipies Amy'd taught him. Therefore she would invite Tails to dinner as often as she could, and even sending Sonic to deliver him lunch packages whenever the blur blur goes on his daily runs.

On the initiative of Vanilla they'd even began to have traditional Sunday dinners at the Rabbit's household. No matter how busy any of them were, they'd always try their best to take the time and gather for these occasions. Amy was very pleased about the arrangement and would think of it as a sort of family dinner - always warming her heart when they all sat together and laughed, ate and talked about the past week.

With deliberate delicacy Amy unpacked one delicious dish after the other out of the picnic basket while three pair of eyes eagerly watched her every move.

Soon the blanket was covered with - enormous club sanwiches, a bowl of pasta salad, two bottles of lemonade, freshly baked brownies, and a various mix of wrapped candies and cookies.

"This was the best meal I've had in weeks." Tails finally said as he reached over for his umpth piece of mint candy. He'd stretched out on the grass and stared up at the blue sky, bearing a very satisfied expression and a full stomach.

"Yeah, you truly outdid yourself this time Ames." Sonic agreed, letting out a content sigh. Despite having eaten a hefty breakfast, he'd still been the one to eat the most out of the four of them - having just finished his fifth brownie.

Cream was in the midst of feeding Cheese grapes, carefully plucking one at a time and handing it over to the blue chao's awaiting arms. Each time he chewed down on a grape, a joyous chortle erupted from him, immediately prompting for another one. The rabbit stopped briefly in order to turn towards Amy and bow her head in gratitude. "Thank you very much for the picnic, Miss Amy. I'm sure mama would've loved it too!"

"You really think so? I was gonna make a blueberry pie as well but I figured it wouldn't fit in the basket. Perhaps I can make one for our Sunday dinner instead."

"Oh, please do! Cheese and I could come over and help you tomorrow morning if you want."

"Chao!"

Amy clasped her hands together, smiling brightly at the pair "Absolutely!"

"I already can't wait for dinner tomorrow..." Tails murmured dreamily with half lidded eyes.

As if on cue, laughter instantly broke out around the blanket.

Much like a painting, painted in the softest shades of a palette was the view before Sonic, where he lay with his head propped up against the picnic basket. The pastel blue sky above held not even the smallest of clouds, it was completely under the sun's regin that shone down upon the four friends.

Among all of the countless colorful wildflowers walked Cream and Amy in a calm daze, occasionaly picking up only the most loveliest of them. Soon enough they both had a bouquet each full of flowers in every shape and size.

Sonic heard how they agreed to make flower crowns out of their bouquets, so they settled down amidst the meadow and quickly got to work. When he listened to their gleefull chatter and felt how the sun warmed his entire being while also hearing Tails' faint humming - Sonic realized that there truly was nowhere else on Mobius where he'd rather be than right here. With his best friends. Together on a lazy summer day...

And in that moment, he allowed himself to drop the burden of being a hero off his shoulders. Today he was Sonic, just a normal guy like anybody else.

Elevated from the darkest, most destructive worries of his mind.

At least for today.

"That's a pretty one, Miss Amy!" Cream said, admiring the flower crown Amy'd just finished making.

"Thanks, I made it for you."

The young rabbit gasped slightly before smiling in absolute delight as Amy neatly placed the crown upon her head.

As far back as Cream could remember she'd made flower crowns with the pink hedgehog, who she held so dear that she might as well could've been her real sister.

"There." Amy concluded, proudly "Now you look just like a real flower queen."

Cream giggled and handed her the crown she'd made, it was decorated mostly with white flowers such as poppies, chamomilles and primroses. Skillfully had they been woven together with small forget-me-nots, which's blue color stuck out nicely against the white.

Amy accepted the crown and adjusted it properly on her head. Then she arose and twirled for Cream to see "How does it look?" she asked.

"Ooh..! You look like a bride now..." the young girl breathed in awe.

And with the white sun dress shimmering faintly in the sunlight and curled quills to accompany the flower crown, Amy did indeed look very much like she was ready to walk down the aisle.

"Let's make crowns for the boys as well!"

"Yeah!"

"Chao, chao!"

The two girls, along with the help of Cheese, eagerly made two new, and slightly bigger, flower crowns. When they were satisfied with each one crown, they went over to Sonic and Tails while giggling gleefully - both bearing rosy cheeks.

As he saw the trio approach Sonic hastily pretended to be watching the sky, even adding a casual whistling while he was at it. Only when they stood before him did he acknowledge their presence.

"Oh, hey you two." he said, smirking "How did the flower picking go? I think I just found a wild rose myself.." his eyes were purposely directed at Amy, who immediately blushed at the remark.

"Sooonic..!" she gushed, covering her cheeks and swaying sweetly on the spot.

"We have made flower crowns for you two." Cream said brightly, showing off the two crowns she held in her hands.

"Flower crowns?" Tails asked slightly dazed from having laid down on the ground for so long.

Sonic on the other hand, promptly sprang to his feet and grinned excitedly "Sweet!"

Cream then gave one of the crowns to Amy before making her way over to Tails who smiled modestly as she offered an especially colorful crown to him. He took a moment to study all the different types of flowers.

"Ah, a cosmos bipinnatus..!" Tails exclaimed with a smile at the sight of a particular cerise colored flower.

"Is it that pretty pink one?" Cream inquired as she and Cheese settled down next to him.

Tails nodded eagerly before poiting to another one "Yeah, and this one is a campanula rotundifolia. It's funny cause it's actually-.."

And then Tails proceeded to tell Cream about all the various types of names of the flowers that adorned his crown - delighted to be able to share his knowledge with someone else.

Sonic and Amy exchanged a knowing look before the blue hero discretely led her a bit futher out on the meadow. Then he turned towards her and smiled warmly at how beautiful she looked with the white flowers adorning her head. Like a flowery halo it highlighted her green orbs in a breathtaking way, causing him to go weak in the knees when she also smiled back at him.

Cream had reffered to her as resembling a bride, but Sonic thought she looked more like a princess that could've been taken straight out of any worthy storybook.

"So.. I assume that one's for me, eh?" he said with a lopsided smirk, gesturing at the flower crown Amy held in her grasp.

Amy nodded, suddenly feeling a bit shy at being under Sonic's full attention and affectionate gaze "Kneel, please." she requested timidly.

Without question Sonic sunk down to one knee, theatrically putting a hand over his heart as he did so. He bowed his head slightly before Amy neatly put the crown on him - giggling at his antics. No matter how old he got or how many battles he endured, he still had a boy's heart...

She straightened up and decided to humor him.

"Arise, my brave knight."

The smirk on his face widened.

But before he stood up, his hand gently grasped her left one and planted a kiss directly on top of her engagment ring. The gesture almost made Amy tear up as she in return let said hand graciously stroke his cheek. Swiftly he arose, bringing her hand along in the motion. With delicacy he pressed her hand closer against his cheek, closing his eyes as he let the sensation savor in his mind.

Sonic marveled at how something as small and fragile as Amy's hand stroking against his cheek could put his entire being at such complete and utter ease. The sliky fabric of her glove felt comforting against his bare skin. Nothing on Mobius could possibly ever feel as soft as her touch or give him as much strength.

Right before letting her hand slip out of his grasp he gently squeezed it three times. Opening his eyes he was yet again met with the sun bathed meadow, gazing tenderly at Amy.

"Thank you, milady." the playfulness was back on his face as well as in his voice.

"May I kiss thee, my knight?" Amy asked softly as she drew closer to Sonic, her eyes gazing up at him with such pure innocence that it tugged at his heart.

"You most certainly may."

Amy had to stand tip toed in order to reach his face but even then Sonic had to bow down slightly, tilting his head for the best angle but then politely waiting for her to deliver the kiss.

She traced her lips on the outlines of his, barely brushing against them until she delicately closed the gap between the pair. The taste of his lips was spicy and felt strangely forbbiden yet so tempting and inviting at the same time. To her it was like kissing the rash, untamed wind itself - having captured it only for a brief moment.

And how the wind fell in love with the rose...

As a natural respone Sonic's arms encircled her, gently drawing her closer as he fought the urge to lift her up in order to bring her even closer and deepen the kiss. A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that his little brother and Cream was still present and that it might not be very appropriate.

For a hedgehog such as Sonic it was still an accomplishment to hold that conviction for more than two seconds until he thought-

"Ah, to heck with it!"

Then without further ado he promptly lifted Amy up in his arms, both of his arms holding her around the waist as her feet dangled freely above the ground.

"Sonic-" the surprised girl managed to utter before her lips were captured by his once again.

Sonic smiled through the kiss and even more so when Amy broke into a fit of giggles, interrupting the act but still being just as enjoyable to listen to. With an excited laugh erupting from himself, he started to playfully swing her around in circles around the meadow - causing flower petals to go haywire in every direction.

"Ahaha! Sonic, careful..! The- flowers..- hahaah!"

Their laughter drew the attention of Tails and Cream, who glanced over at the pair with sparked interest. Even Cheese had started to chortle happily at the sight, possibly wanting to join in on the cheery mood.

"They truly do look lovely together, don't you think so too, Tails?" Cream inquired kindly, letting out a soft, absentminded sigh.

Tails eyed the pair and recongized the look in his older brother's eyes. it was a certain expression he held solely for Amy. An utter warmth, fondness and with an undescribable adoration - like a blind man who sees the sun for the first time. Despite the times he'd occasionally tease Sonic of his infatuation with her Tails knew that his brother wouldn't be able to live without her. She was the air in his lungs, the beat in his heart, the light in his eyes and the spring in his step.

And the young fox couldn't be happier for him.

"Yeah, they do..."

Over at the other side of the meadow, near the lavish grove of trees - Sonic had finally halted their spinning and now carefully put Amy back down on her feet. She wobbled slightly, bringing a hand to the side of her head while trying to stabilize herself. Taking notice of it, Sonic instanly snuck an arm around her waist in order to prevent her from falling over.

"It's alright - I gotcha, Ames." he assured, offering her a somewhat apologetic smile.

As the world came to a stand still, the first thing Amy's eyes caught sight of was something gleaming within the grove. It was sudden and maybe not even real but it had looked like metal claws gripping around a tree and then... rubies.

Not beliving her eyes, she blinked rapidly to get the dizziness out but when she looked again - nothing. The grove stood just as silent and empty as it had before.

It had happened so fast that not even Sonic seemed to have taken notice of her staring. He casually adjusted her flower crown which had gotten slightly ruffled up after their twirling, his own only hung loosely from his right ear.

"...Sonic, did- did you see something just now?"

"Hm.. What? Where?"

"Over there, just now."

Amy pointed toward the grove.

"Nope, sorry. I was busy looking at you. What was it, a critter or something?"

She shook her head "I don't know.."

Sonic gently took her hand which instantly made Amy turn her head towards him and almost forget what she was talking about.

"Hey, you're probably just dizzy." he chuckled while stroking her bangs from her face "Let's head back to the others and get ya something to drink."

"Okay."

But before Amy could take a step Sonic had scooped her up in his arms, giving her a playful wink.

"Allow me to carry you, milady. And don't worry, I promise I'll take it slow."

They made their way across the vast meadow, and Amy couldn't help but steal glances at him now and again as he carried her. The dizziness had settled and she could now fully focus on every detail of his handsome face. In the beaming sunshine his facial features appeared even more dreamily, even the little scab from yesterday couldn't diminsh him. If anything it added to his heroic apperance. When he cast her a glance, catching her staring he cracked a silly smile while she hastily averted her eyes to her lap.

After having rejoined with their three friends again and drinking some much needed lemonade, Tails suggested they'd head down to the beach. Granted, Sonic was intially hesitant against the idea but gave in when Cream and Amy pointed out that the ocean was calm and no waves could get to him on shore.

Cheese had decided to stay behind and instead take a nap in the basket.. and maybe eat up the rest of the candy.

They reached the slope of the hillside that lead down to the beach and halted at its edge to stare down. It seemed like it was a clear way down with only a few rocks sticking up from the ground.

Sonic got an idea and turned towards his friends with a smug grin "What do you guys say, anyone up for a little competition?"

"Sure!"

"Absolutely!"

"What kind of a competition?" Amy quipped in, curious.

"Simple, we all roll down the slope and the first one to reach the bottom wins." he gestured down the hillside before striking a pose "I know it might be unfair to compete against the fastest, most awesomest thing alive-"

Tails coughed.

"-so to make it a bit more fair, I'll give you guys a head start."

"How gracious of you, Sonikku." Amy said, faking a sweet voice before quickly laying down on the ground and with a kick of her foot - start rolling down the slope "Come on guys!"

Tails and Cream wasted no time in following her, both laughing giddily as they set off the with a surprising amount of speed.

They more or less tumbled rather than rolling all the way down, but it went fast and sometimes they barely managed to steer out of the way for rocks. Still it tickled nicely in the stomach and their laughter echoed all the way up to Sonic who still hadn't started yet.

But as soon as the others had gotten halfway down the slope he got into a crouching position, his soles balancing on the edge of the hill as he grinned widely. Soon enough, a ball like figure came dashing through, shooting past the other three like a bullet.

"Hey, No fair!" Amy managed to shout over the wind, getting herself a mouth full of grass and dirt in the process.

When Sonic was merely a few meters away from the bottom he untaveled himself and with the built up momentum from the spin - kicked himself off the ground and somersaulted in the air. Landing perfectly on his feet at the very spot where the grassy slope meet with the sand dune, marking the end of the hill.

Before him the beach stretched out on both sides, reaching all along the coast line and he had to admit that even the ocean looked quite peaceful at a day like this. The warm summer breeze caused only a few lazy waves to roll up on the golden sand, otherwise it lay completely still like a mirror. Reflecting the sky above with the sun creating an almost sparkling glimmer on top of the water's surface. As if little drops of sunlight had fallen upon it, adorning the ocean.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh ocean breeze, Sonic failed to notice that his friends all came tumbling down on the sand dune behind him.

Tails was the first one to arise, he put both hands on either side of his head "Ahh.. my head's spinning..!" he said, dazed but still with a delighted look upon his face. Amy helped Cream up on her feet before dusting off her dress and then proceeding to do the same on Cream's. She hoped Vanilla wouldn't mind about the grass stains all too much.

Sonic approached them, a smug grin gracing his lips "Well, it looks like I won. Where's my price?"

"We didn't agree on a price." Cream pointed out.

"Besides-" Amy cut in and gave her fiance a disapproving glance "You cheated, we were suppose to roll down the slope - not spin dash."

"Spin dashing is still technically rolling, just more like a ball." he argued, trying to stifle a snicker.

Tails, who always tried to be diplomatic, took off his flower crown and stared at it briefly before voicing his thoughts "The price could be all of our flower crowns." he suggested, glancing over at the two girls and they nodded in agreement. Even if Amy still pouted when she reached over hers.

Granted, the crowns had gotten quite roughened up by their rolling down the slope, with some of the flowers having fallen off, but they still looked decent enough to be worthy as price.

When Sonic held the four crowns in his hands, he winked and gave his friends an encouraging smile "Now, let's build a sandcastle, whatcha say guys?"

He was met with an enthusiastic cheer from the tree of them, and they all eagerly began to get to work right away.

Despite them not having any buckets or spades - the gang still managed to build a rather neat little sandcastle. They sculpted critter like figures and drew different shapes in the sand with their fingers. It turned into a very pleasent time, sitting together in the warm sun and hearing the waves roll peacefully up on the shore. Once in awhile, sea birds would shriek above their heads, some even landing close by to examine what they were doing.

When they felt content with their work they went to collect seashells, interestingly shaped rocks, feathers and other pretty things to use as decorations. During his hunt for seashells, Sonic had stumbled upon a piece of drift wood which gave him an idea of what he wanted to do with his price. On many of his travels around the world he'd seen mobians sending out objects into the ocean on special occasions, it could be everything from flowers to lit up candles. He guessed it had some sort of symbolic meaning but he'd thought it to look very beautiful nonetheless.

Deciding to save it for later, Sonic put the piece of drift wood with the flower crowns and returned to the others, who had already started to decorate the sandcastle with their own findings.

Amy had found a bunch of white seashells along the shore and also a bigger pink shell, which looked very much like a heart. Those she had put on the castle walls and finally the heart shaped one as a bridge leading into it. Tails had found a broken glass bottle amongst the rocks and carefully picked the biggest shards and put them on the sandcastle so that they remsembled windows. And Cream, along with sticks and small stones, had brought back a long, elegant looking feather which she put at the top of one of the towers. To her delight it actually fluttered like a flag in the light breeze.

Sonic whistled impressed at the sight and declared that such a grand sandcastle as this deserved to have a name. So they sat quiet for a moment, trying to come up with one.

"What about Sandopolis?"

"Sand Blast City!"

"Ocean Palace..!"

"Castle de la Sonic!"

The other three stared at the blue hedgehog.

"Just kidding!"

Amy rolled her eyes playfully at him before turning towards Cream "I think Ocean Palace is a great name."

"Yeah, way better than mine." Tails admitted and gave the rabbit an encouraging smile.

Sonic nodded in agreement.

In front of the sandcastle, among all the little sculpted critters, Amy wrote in the sand with her finger, "Ocean Palace" it soon stood in squiggly letters. When it was done she clasped her hands together, tilted her head slightly to the side and admired how it all had come together. It wasn't rather pretty, quite the opposite - it looked crooked and nothing was symmetrical, but at the same time maybe that's what made it so perfect.

A wistful feeling overwhelmed Amy however when she realized that the sandcastle wouldn't remain forever. All too soon the waves would reach it and wash away all evidence of that it had ever even existed in the first place.

It might've been a silly notion to cry about, but for some reason the fragility of reality shook her deeply and made her instinctively reach for Sonic's hand. His grasp was always strong and stable, casuing Amy to feel completely secure again. She carefully squeezed it three times and almost as a natural response he gently squeezed hers back.

The rest of the afternoon they spent playing on the beach - they played ball with a large cooconut, had races up to the slope to then roll back down, made sand angels and splashed around in the shallow water which ended in everyone trying to get Sonic the wettest. It ended with all of them falling face first into the sandbank when trying to catch him.

Ultimately the four friends decided to end their day together by sitting at the shore, where the waves barely reached their feet, and watch as it slowly drew closer to dusk. The heat of the sun didn't hold the same intensity anymore, but had settled to a comofrtable warmth. A softer shade of blue had been painted across the sky that soon would blend together with the ocean that still appeared mirror like. The stillness was complete.

"This is one of my new favorite days." Amy suddenly said earnestly, her jade eyes staring out towards the horizon "I almost wish I could stay and re live it forever."

"It's not over yet." Sonic reminded her, before arising from the ground "Hold on, I'll be right back."

The others stared after him, curious as to what he was up to.

When he returned with the piece of drift wood and the four flower crowns, Tails was the only one to understand what he'd use them for.

To Cream and Amy's confused expressions Sonic began explaining "You see, in some places on Mobius people put little boat like thingies out on the ocean or rivers as a symbol of some kind. It can be for celebrations or memorial, a sort of remembrance I guess." the trio watched him put the driftwood on the shallow shore, placing the flower crowns on top it and how it easily managed to stay afloat "I figured we could send this one off as a way to remember this day."

"That's a nice thought." Cream said in a sincere tone. She smiled at the idea of an entire ocean filled to the brink with small flowers in every color drifting across its surface. And how beautiful it must be to see such sight in person.

"I can do it." Amy volunteered.

She kneeled down and took off her sandals before wading out into the water - bringing the driftwood along. The fold of her dress floated around her much like the petals of a flower. She enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the cool water against her bare skin and how nice it was to have the ocean floor beneath her feet.

When the water reached her to the waist, Amy finally stopped and let go off the piece of wood. With a gentle push she sent it out towards the openess, towards the horizon and towards the unknown...

The four flower crowns sailed further and further away until neither of them could see it anymore.

---

Later that night, Sonic and Amy laid in bed and talked about their day together with their friends. He agreed that it was one of the better days he'd had in a long time, though he argued that the day before was even better due to their reunion.

Soon enough, they had huddled close together and simply enjoyed the silence that had settled in between their little talks. But Amy's mind couldn't help but wander.

For awhile now, actually during most of the time that Sonic had been away, Amy had started to have thoughts about the future. She was nineteen after all and when the fall came she'd be twenty, and Sonic would turn twenty-three in only a couple of weeks.

Despite the age gap, she felt a childish sense of satisfaction over the fact that she had never lived in a world without Sonic. It was hard to imagine that there had been a time before him, that he hadn't always been a natural part of the planet like the wind or the very earth itself. He had been a hoglet and after that grown into a kid, a kid that all too soon had developed into a teenager and from a teenager he'd matured to the young man that now laid beside her.

Ever since they had become a couple, Amy had pondred over the future less and less. Somehow it hadn't seemed all that important anymore - though lately she had found herself thinking of it a lot. Maybe Sonic had thought of it as well?

Amy turned her head to the side, and gazed at Sonic's resting face, he looked peaceful enough to fall asleep.

With a gentle tone she uttered- "Sonic?" he hummed to let her know he was listening "Do you ever think about the future..?"

It took a while before he replied "Sometimes, I guess. And as it looks right now - my future couldn't be any brighter." almost subconsciously he reached for her left hand and grasped it - gently stroking his thumb across the golden band she wore "I have the most amazing friends, I get to travel around the world and help people in need, poke fun at Egghead now and again... and oh! - There's that guy in Station Square that gives me free chili dogs every Tuesday!"

Amy rolled her eyes playfully and Sonic gave her a goofy smile that soon changed into a more sincere one "But most importantly, I know you'll be in my future." he glanced at her, curious as to what this all was coming from "What about you, Ames, what do you see in our future? What do you dream about?"

For as long as Amy had known Sonic, she'd dreamed about him. And even though it was embarrassing to remember how she, back in her early teenage days, used to proudly proclaim Sonic as her future husband it was what she'd wanted most of all. To this day, that dream still remained. Even if her younger self hadn't understood the more complex and mature aspects of marriage or what happened afterwards, and she suddenly realized neither had she really thought about that part either.

Sonic had promised her marriage - some day. The golden ring on her finger was proof of that. But then what?

In all honesty, Amy knew that simply living by his side for the rest of her life was enough - ring or no ring. And, to some degree, she didn't necessarily even need him to love her. Simply being his friend would've been fine or merely acquittances bearable. As long as she had been certain of her love for him and that he, with or without it, would've been happy.

But luckily, Amy lived in a world where Sonic did love her and they were engaged. Truly anything beyond this point was mere bonus in her life - an additional piece of heaven she was allowed to experience.

So if her mind was to dream freely of what might happen in their future she could only really think of one thing-

Children.

And for a wonderful moment she imagined a smiling baby boy that was an exact copy of Sonic, how she'd cradle the little hoglet in her arms while Sonic in turn would have his arms around her, and how his voice lulled their child to sleep as she rocked it gently. Then it was hard not to envision a whole bundle of little hoglets running around their feet, all little copies of themselves.

For someone who'd never had a family, Amy genuinely held hopes to create one of her own. Though she wasn't sure if her fiance shared the same eager... They had just about become adults after all. It would be brought up eventually, right?

Amy concluded that she didn't want to freak Sonic out by mentioning children right now, so instead she offered him the closest thing to an honest answer she could give.

"I dream of us." she said earnestly "You and me, living together and all the adventures that might follow."

While Sonic looked deeply touched by the thought of it, he didn't look quite convinced "And what adventures would that be?" he inquired softly.

"I-I don't know.."

"Come on, Ames, you're a terrible liar." Sonic said with a smirk, and crooked a brow.

Amy pouted and tried to hide her blushing face in the crook of his neck "You'll only laugh at me..!"

His playful expression subsided and was instead replcaed by a warm look that shone brightly of tenderness. Then he gently cupped her face between his hands, stroked her cheek with his thumb and stared deeply into her eyes.

"You can tell me anything, I promise I won't laugh."

And when he looked at her with such sincerity and heard the genuine concern in his voice it was impossible not to reveal her thoughts.

Hastily, Amy averted her eyes the best she could.

"Sonic, have you-..." her voice faded, she sighed deeply before forcing herself to meet his gaze again "Have you ever thought about having kids?"

Sonic was quiet for awhile, choosing his word with great care until a wistful smile spread on his lips.

"No, I can't really say that I have."

Amy tried not to look hurt but guessed she didn't succeed very well because Sonic's hand softly pressed hers in a comforting way.

"You... you don't want any?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that." his eyes got distant and his brow furrowed slightly - as if he was remembering something unpleasent "When I was alone... before I met you and Tails. I used to think- I guess I was angry at... my parents. I couldn't understand how someone could abandon their kid like that. How could anything be more important than taking care of your own kid..? And when I met Tails, orphaned before he'd even turned five..."

He halted himself and cleared his throat before continuing.

"I saw myself, Ames. I saw myself in him. Alone and scared with no one to count on but yourself. The only difference was that I still saw hope in his eyes, hope that someone, even a hopeless hero like myself, would be his friend. But he became more than my friend - he was still a kid but I cared for him more than that. I despised the word parent so instead I chose the word brother. Although, looking back, I was probably more like a parent than a big brother, at least at the beginning."

A more content expression took form on his features as he talked about Tails. Then suddenly his gaze shifted back towards Amy and that tender look that was solely evident when he looked at her appeared.

"And not long after that, I met you. That was something different than with Tails, I felt more like... a protector. I simply knew, the moment I laid eyes on you, that I would stop at nothing to keep you safe. And well.. the rest you know. My point being that, we never really needed our parents and what's worse is that if we had had them... then we never would've met."

Sonic's frown deepened "I know it's an awful thing to say, but I can't help but feel glad, even thankful, for the way things turned out. And if I'd have a kid... I guess I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to be there for it.."

His eyes became distant and an ice cold feeling grasped his heart in an iron like grip.

"What if something were to happen to you or our kid because of me, if you got hurt or someone would come after you simply because I am who I am. And what if I then left you out of guilt and became just like my own parents..? What if I turn out just the same."

It was Amy's turn to stare deeply into his eyes and embrace him harder.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, don't you dare speak or even think like that! You would never be able to do that, never. You'd be a great father, please don't ever believe otherwise..."

She hadn't realized that silent tears had begun to stream down her cheeks, and she firmly wiped them away before continuing.

"I don't care how many children we ever end up having as long as you stay by my side." Amy sniffled and buried her face deep into his shoulder "And even if we got in danger, I know that you'd never let anything happen to us. You'll always protect me."

Sonic lovingly stroked her quills while he obeserved his fianceé in silent wonderment. The cold feeling in his chest melted and instead got replaced by an inexplicable warmth.

If Amy had such strong faith in him, how could he ever afford to doubt himself?

"Our own little rose buds..." he finally said with a mindful expression.

Then his face morphed into a bright, carefree smile and a heartfelt laugh escaped his lips that caused his whole body to shudder with laughter. He swiftly rolled his entire body to the side so that he, without putting any weight on her, hovered over Amy's small frame.

"Can you imagine that?" he asked playfully "Little versions of you and me running around and they sure would be running, alright - for, well, obvious reasons."

His laughter affected Amy too and their previous somberness was like blown away.

"How would we ever catch them?" Amy giggled.

He pretended to ponder the question, goofily twisting his face into concentration "We could put trackers on them and perhaps put lead in their shoes."

"Would that have stopped you?"

"Probably not, but it'd be worth a shot."

Sonic chuckled and rolled off of her to lie back on the bed before his expression changed into a more serious one. He looked her straight in the eyes and said with a gentle yet dismissing tone -

"But that's in the future, Ames. Years ahead in the future... We are still very young, and right now my plan is to first and foremost make a world that's safe enough for you to be my wife in."

The moment the last sentence left his lips he knew that he had said too much.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked with a mild surprised look.

"Nothing. I'm just not really the safest guy to be around." He tried to look convincing when he rolled his eyes.

A heartfelt giggle erupted from her. "I think I have some experience with that."

"You should have better judgement with who you intend to marry, Miss Rose. I'm just a penniless hero, after all." Sonic said but his words wasn't without some sort of seriousness in them.

Being a world-renowned hero didn't exactly come with riches or high status advantages. Not that he'd ever seeked out any fourtune or fame when he "took the job" so to speak. If anything, Sonic despised the idea of getting any privileges whatsoever by doing something that, to him, felt so naturally. Saving people in need and defending planet Mobius was so deeply rooted within him that it might aswell have been etched in to his soul. And to preserve freedom and justice for everyone was what he lived for.

But that also meant that he couldn't buy Amy any fancy dresses, not buy her a big house or an expensive wedding ring adorned by diamonds. Despite the fact that he knew that she wasn't anywhere close to being shallow or concerned by material things, it still sometimes hurt knowing that he couldn't give her everything that she deserved.

Reluctantly, Sonic envisioned how Amy, instead of him, got married to a wealthy businessman. How she'd live in a luxurious penthouse in Station Square with a husband that didn't have the fate of the world on his shoulders - a husband that could always be there for her. Hold her close without having to worry about his enemies coming after her, wear his ring without having to hide it. Kiss her passionately as the sound of happily playing children echoed around them...

A sudden rush of resentment shot through his body. An irrational feeling of hatred and jealousy towards the faceless man who had his arms around the imaginary Amy Rose who had a diamond ring as big as a fist gracing her finger.

"Sonic..." the voice of the real Amy Rose interrupted his thoughts as she had inched closer to his face, trying to catch his gaze, and when she did she smiled tenderly and continued softly "You are the only man for me, the only man who I have- and ever will love. I could live anywhere as long as I'd have you."

The kiss that followed was filled with so much love and affection that Sonic immediately felt guilty for having thought of her being with someone else. She was just as bond to him as he was to her, and that bond was forever unbreakable. It was simply impossible for it to have ended up any other way. No matter how much he felt skeptical regarding the concept of fate he knew that this was the one exception - he and Amy were connected far beyond what his own imagination could fathom.

Soul mates was the only definition Sonic could think of being close enough.

He eagerly returned the kiss, brought a hand up the back of her back while the other one reached up to gently grasp her quills and press her head further down which also caused their kiss to deepen. When they parted their eyes locked and

She slowly started to undo the lacing of her nightgown.

"Amy..." Sonic whispered and looked at her with a hint of hesitance evident in his eyes.

"Don't worry.." Amy reassured.

And when he came with no objections, she easily undid the last lace before becoming notably still. Her eyes held a silent anticipation but also a hint of shyness as she didn't quite dare to meet her fiance's gaze. A rosy blush had appeared on her cheeks and she lightly bit her under lip in an almost childlike way.

Sonic didn't know what to think as he stared at the most adorable sight he'd ever seen in his young life. What had he ever done to deserve this virtuous rose that asked nothing more of him than to simply love her just as dearly as she loved him. His heart welled with mixed feelings of protectiveness and longing to feel every inch of her body.

Delicately he put his thumb and index finger below her chin and directed her face forward in an attempt to lock eyes with her beautiful jade ones.

"My sweet Amy Rose..." Sonic whispered tenderly as he pecked each of her rosy cheeks.

With a trail of kisses he made his way down to the top of Amy's nightgown, where the lacing had been fully undone but didn't yet reveal of what was concealed underneath. Carefully, he let his hands brush aside the cotton fabric and then continued to plant kisses down the middle of her chest. Amy's natural smell of roses mixed with her soft moans of satisfaction caused a lightheaded feeling in Sonic's head, and it was an absolute fulfilling sensation.

Amy's hands pulled at the puffed sleeves of the nightgown in a mindless attempt to get the rest of it off, but didn't succeed. Sonic, however, took notice and halted his actions and then proceeded to sit on his knees and pulled Amy along with him.

They now sat before each other on the bed with Sonic's body slightly towering over hers. His hands traveled up her spine and stopped at her shoulders to then swiftly slip off the rest of the upper half of the nightgown. Then, with half lidded eyes, he observed how she slowly but surely slid out of the bottom of the nightgown.

Sonic rested his eyes on Amy's now fully naked body - so petite and delicate that he barely dared touch upon it. But in the end his curiosity took over, and he guided her so that her body got placed astride on his waist. Due to her sitting on his thighs, she got slightly elevated and could almost look at him in the same level, his neck just slightly crooked.

They embraced each others bare forms and could for the first time experience how they felt purely skin to skin.

To Sonic it was close to being addictive the way her entire being shaped after his own.. How Amy's breasts softly pressed against the subtle muscles on his torso, the way her breathing seemed to adapt to the own risings and fallings of his chest, how their hearts synced up to one another in an unison beat and her lips instinctively began plant kisses upon his body while he let his hands explore every curve of hers.

"This must be heaven..." Sonic thought as a wide smile spread on his muzzle.

Amy seemed to be thinking in a similar way and didn't know whether she should laugh or cry tears of sheer joy. Never, even in her wildest imagination, could she have foreseen how it would feel to be this close to Sonic and be caressed with such gentle, caring and loving strokes. And deep within her still innocent mind, she knew that this was only the beginning of something deeper.

A spark of desire bloosomed up deep within Sonic's chest and he carefully lowered Amy down on the bed with his own body following suit, hovering above hers. His lips kept caressing her and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself unless she asked him to. For a split second he wanted to go back on everything that he knew and simply dedicate his entire life to this very moment. Nothing seemed important anymore except the very girl before him.

It was such an otherworldly sensation that Sonic got startled by his own desire "Please..." he breathed before kissing her again "Please, ask me to stop."

"I don't want you to stop.." Amy whispered.

And as predicted he didn't, Sonic continued to caress her body and spent even more time planting kisses upon it.

With flaming red cheeks they uttered moans that erupted as a natural response to what they were experiencing. Their bodies acted as though they had always known exactly what to do at this very moment, as if they had been made for each other and now reunited in a sweet composition of love.

At long last however, the exhaustion overwhelmed the both of them and forced Sonic to break out of the trance. They caught their breaths and stared at each other, bashfully yet vividly aroused. They joined in a heartfelt laughter which caused them to playfully fool around until they ultimately fell into a rather tangled mess.

When their laughing finally faded, Sonic covered them with the blanket that lay at the end of the bed and brought Amy's body close so that he could warm her. Amy happily accepted the gesture, she snuggled up against him and sighed once her head found its place in the crook of his neck. His arms wrapped around her securely before giving her a gentle squeeze.

"One day, Amy... one day I will show you just how much I love you." Sonic whispered softly "But that day you'll be wearing two rings instead of one and I'll have to adress you as Mrs Rose."

"I prefer Mrs Sonic the Hedgehog, if you please." she giggled.

"No way am I going to force you to take my name." he chuckled. Not that it even was a proper last name.

"It's tradition."

"A stupid tradition."

"Fine... Mr Rose."

The last rays of the sun had just disappeared behind the horizon when the two hedgehogs finally fell asleep.

---

Amy was safe.

Sonic's emerald eyes told her so.

Despite her inability to know exactly how she'd gotten off the Little Planet, she had covered her eyes and shut them so hard that it'd almost hurt, she knew that wherever he'd taken her it was somewhere safe.

The dangerous part was over - Never again would anything ever separate them.

As soon as Sonic placed her down on the ground she threw herself in his arms and the young hero responded by giving her a light pat on the back.

"Oh, thank you so much for saving me!" Amy said in a sing-song voice and twirled around in a circle, the orange skirt flowing smoothly.

A confident smirk. Sonic flicked his nose and winked at her, striking a pose.

"Heh, it was no biggie! I'm just glad you're okay, Rosy."

"That's not actually my real name..." she said and suddenly looked a bit shy, scarping her foot in the dirt slightly "It's Amy. Amy Rose"

Sonic blinked.

"Amy Rose." he echoed and Amy already liked the way he said it, as if he was uttering a beautiful word in a foreign language. "It suits you."

Blushing cheeks and bashful giggling erupted from the pair.

Then it happened.

The ground beneath them suddenly quaked so violently that it knocked them off their feet. A deep crack formed, placing Amy on one side and Sonic on the other. At a rapid pace the crack deepened and sent them further apart.

"No..." Amy whispered with a terrified look on her face "No, no! Sonikku!"

She crawled to the edge of the crack and stretched a hand out to her hero.

Desperate to not be left alone. Not again...

"Don't worry Amy! I'll be right there!" Sonic shouted heroically and prepared to leap across the ever growing abyss.

Amy firmly closed her eyes. She didn't dare to watch.

But with surprising ease, the blue hedgehog managed to fling himself forward with such force that he landed completely safely on the other side.

However, when he landed he was no longer eleven but instead fully grown up and scars that shouldn't yet be there for another couple of years, was etched onto his entire body.

Not that she had any way of knowing, but Amy still felt that somehow those scars were her fault.

It had started to rain. The sunny weather had transformed into a full-on storm. Behind the hedgehogs, Little Planet crashed into Never Lake which sent an enormous tidal wave towards them.

Panic shot through Amy's body.

Sonic couldn't swim.

She just knew that without having any proof of the matter.

But it didn't matter because something else grabbed her attention. Out of the abyss there suddenly arose a metalic form with razor sharp claws and eyes so red that it looked like blood.

Metal Sonic.

"No! No, no, no! Sonic run!" Amy screamed while trying to push away the much taller hedgehog.

Sonic merely smiled. That bright and tender smile he held solely for her.

"No one can ever truly hurt me as long as you're safe."

The phrase sparked a memory that wouldn't even be able to be a memory for another decade.

With fearless eyes her hero threw himself at his robotic copy, ready to die for her.

Metal Sonic's claws pierced through Sonic's chest. Blood splattered his still smiling face.

Amy could only watch in complete horror and scream until she no longer had any air left in her lungs "Sonikku!"

She sank to her knees with a sudden intense pain erupting in her chest.

Then she realized.

The blood on Sonic's face wasn't his own, it was hers.

It was her chest that Metal Sonic's claws had bore through.

It was her heart that had been pierced.

Amy was the one who hit the ground - dead.

---

A shrill, bloodcurdling scream was the first thing Sonic became aware of as he awoke from his sleep with an abrupt jolt forward. Within mere seconds, his mind was as sharp as in the midst of battle and adrenaline shot through his veins while he stared around wildly in the dark bedroom.

It was pitch black but his hands somehow managed to turn on the lamp that stood on the nightstand which in turn spread a faint light through the room. When his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, they instinctively drew towards Amy's quivering form.

She had curled up into a ball and feverishly pressed her hands over her eyes as if she desperately wanted to claw them out of their sockets. Out of her throat, came yet another gut wrenching scream and her entire body twisted in an uncomfortable angle.

Sonic hastily tried to embrace in order to calm her, but then she flung her arms outwards and feebly tried to keep him away. That caused him to get a glance of Amy's face, which was twisted in a pained expression while her eyes were tightly shut. She was still asleep...

Being careful not to hurt her, Sonic managed to get his arms around her body thus forcing her to stop quivering and fight against his grip. However, it only caused her screams to grow more intense.

"Amy! Come on, wake up!"

When his voice reached Amy's subconscious her body immediately went limp and her eyelids shot open to reveal her terrified jade eyes.

For a brief moment everything went dead quiet until Amy managed to stutter out a weak; "S-Sonic..."

Uttermost relief washed over her face once she recognized Sonic, and he smiled when he noticed that some color returned to her fair peach skin.

"It's alright, Amy.." he cooed in her ear while stroking her back "You're safe.. It was just a bad dream, nothing more."

Light quivers went through Amy's body as the horrible images of the dream, or rather nightmare, still lingered in her mind. She desperately tried to distract her thoughts so that it didn't become a memory.

Sonic's comforting strokes.. their naked bodies so tightly wrapped in one another..

Him dying before her eyes...

A pained whine erupted from her while she firmly clutched on to Sonic as if her life depended on it.

"I'm right here." he reminded her, tightly squeezing her to emphasis his presence.

For awhile they laid completely still, listening to the sound of each others pulses - Amy's was gradually decreasing wheras Sonic held the same steady rhythm as always.

After what felt like an eternity he quietly asked "What was it about?"

Amy rarely had nightmares while he on the other hand had become increasingly more plauged by bad dream as he'd gotten older. Maybe because he no longer possesed the same carefree attitude as he did when he was a mere teenager. Perhaps all the madness he'd been forced to endure was starting to somehow add up. But then again, he'd never been quite this happy in his entire life either. Was he simply so afraid of losing that happiness that it had started to affect his dreams? He guessed it made sense, but it didn't explain why Amy suddenly had them too.

Sonic never shared any specific details of his adventures that regarded any type of gruesomeness, and when it came to Eggman's plots he strictly kept to leaving certain things out or made up an alternate story instead.

Tails wasn't too pleased about Sonic's decision as he'd sometimes be forced to lie to Amy whenever she brought any of it up. His little brother pointed out that he couldn't keep her living in the illusion that none of the things Eggman threatened with ever happened. The longer periods of time they were forced to be gone from home, and the fact that Sonic's body always held a new set of scars each time he returned would soon be too much to simply blame on them helping out with reconstructions of damaged villages.

Though, Sonic refused to listen. Not because he disregarded Tails' reasoning or thought he could keep Amy in the dark forever, sooner or later Eggman would make reality of his threats and then it'd be hard to pretend he'd been oblivious about it all.

But...

He still wanted to shelter her for as long as he could. This was, after all, his choice of lifestyle - not hers. It would be unfair of him to demand that she gave up a life in peacefulness just so that they could be together.

He knew Amy loved him more than she valued her own safety, therfore Sonic had to make sure she didn't end up getting hurt because of what he did. That's why he'd gotten her this house, it was sort of a safe haven, a sanctuary away from all the dangers of the world. For her, but also for himself. Here Amy could live a normal life, here he could be the fiance, and eventually -husband, she deserved.

Sonic's train of thoughts was interrupted when Amy abruptly shifted in his arms, so that she instead had her back against his torso.

"Sonic, I-I have to tell you something..." she whispered "But don't think I'm crazy, okay?"

"Okay."

Amy swallowed hard and hastily entwined her fingers with his.

"Earlier today, during the picnic, when I thought I saw something in the woods."

Sonic frowned slightly "Yeah?"

There was a brief pause. Even uttering the name brought her chills "I think it was Metal Sonic."

"Metal Sonic..?" he echoed questiongly and couldn't help but already feel doubtful. Robotnik hadn't rebuilt any of those since forever and Sonic vaguely even remembered what his metallic copy had looked like.

"I know it sounds strange, because if it were him..- I mean he would've attacked us, right?"

"I'd think so, yeah."

If Robotnik had created new copys of Metal Sonic it was hardly to help flickies that'd fallen out of their nests or something.

"Then why didn't he?"

"Maybe your mind was playing tricks on you." Sonic began to reason while he calmingly caressed Amy's hands "The sun was pretty intense today, perhaps you got sunstroked."

"Maybe... You're probably right, it's just unpleasent to think that Metal might've returned."

She shrugged her shoulders and Sonic took notice of her tone - anxious, with a hint of fright. Suddenly her desperate screaming from before echoed in the back of his head. It was an unusual type of high-pitched scream that he'd only heard a few times in his life. One had been the first time he'd saved her from- Oh...

Slowly he put two and two together.

"Was that what you dreamed about? Metal-.." he swallowed hard and had to suppress the anger that threatened to surface at the mere thought of that metalic demon even close to Amy "-hurting you?"

A few seconds of hesitation passed before Amy reluctantly spoke with a broken voice that revealed she was close to tears "Not me - you, or rather you got hurt because of me. Because I was too weak, too helpless to stop him."

"You're not weak, Ames. You're the strongest, most bravest person I know." Sonic whispered lovingly as he kissed her cheek from behind "It was just a dumb dream that doesn't mean a thing. Metal is not coming back, and even if he was I'd never let him hurt either of us. So, please, don't cry."

Amy giggled softly under her breath as Sonic started to plant multiple short kisses on her muzzle which caused a tickling feeling to spread through her body. She tried to move out of his arms and further back in the bed, but he easily caught her and proceeded to attack her with butterfly kisses.

"Sonic.." she whined half heartedly in between fits of giggles "Stop, It tickles..!"

He halted himself as he enjoyed the sound of her sweet, melodious giggling that warmed his heart stronger than any summer sun could.

"Now there, that's better." Sonic said and smiled "There's the sound I love."

Truly, the contrast between her terrified screaming and her laughter was like night and day, and Sonic knew which one he'd preferred to never hear again and which one he simply couldn't live without.

The dawn of a new day came and Sonic left the house early to take his usual morning run. He felt notably energetic when he came out on the front yard, the adrenaline already pumped through his system at a rapid pace and his legs itched for a really long run. The air was clear and like the previous day it looked as if it were to be yet another sunny day.

Memories of yesterday's evening still lingered in Sonic's mind, causing a sligt pink hue to rest on his cheeks. While at the same time had Amy's nightmare put him a bit on edge - he'd written her a short note just in case.

And even if he tried his best to clear his mind as he sprinted off at neck break speed, his thoughts still reached out to her.

A while later Amy awoke from her slumber where she lay neatly tucked in the blanket Sonic had covered her with. She noticed his absence but quickly found the note he'd left her. His sloppy handwriting read- "Out for a run, back before you know it. - Mr. Rose." and in the corner he'd drawn something that she guessed were supposed to resemble himself wearing a large top hat. She giggled fondly and put the note on her nightstand before then proceeding to arise from bed and stand infront of the wide bay window.

Amy let the blanket fall to the ground, exposing her naked body and letting it bathe in the morning light. The sun immediately warmed every fiber of her being and gave her pink fur a glowing shimmer. She let out a content sigh.

With graceful movements she slid her hands along her body and with blushing cheeks remembered how Sonic had caressed it with such gentle affection merely hours ago. His touch still lingered upon her skin and she could almost feel certain spots tingle where his lips had been. A sweet smile spread on her muzzle at the mere thought of it.

Truly no morning had ever begun better than this one.

Amy had let the kitchen door stand ajar in case Sonic decided to take that way in. The wind blew in, ruffling the tulle curtain and causing it to sway gently in front of the door opening - slightly concealing the garden outside.

In ordinary fashion the pink hedgehog began preparing breakfast, whistling a happy tune as she almost danced across the kitchen floor. Her body felt light as a feather and once in a while she twirled so swiftly that her cream colored dress fluttered around her frame.

Soon Sonic would come home and they'd eat in the garden, then she'd call Cream who'd come over the two of them would bake the most delicious pie to bring to their Sunday dinner with Vanilla. Perhaps she'd learn a new recipe, and she might even ask Tails if he could take for a spin in the Tornado. It had been such a long time ago since last time. Afterwards her and Sonic would have the entire day to themselves, just the two of them.. Oh, she couldn't wait!

Just as she was about to reach for the flour for the pancakes a loud creaking noise came from outside the garden. It sounded as if someone had walked right through the pickett fence.

"Maybe Sonic accidently hit it when he came running..." Amy thought.

She caustiously walked towards the kitchen door but stopped dead in her tracks when something or someone appeared just outside the door. The figure was hidden behind the curtain and only its silhouette was visible.

Amy was just about to push the curtain aside when she suddenly hesitated "Sonic..?" she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper "Is that you?"

But it wasn't Sonic.

The tulle curtain fluttered aside and revealed the tall figure before her. Its metalic body was in a dark shade of blue and easily towered over her in a menacing way. Instead of anything that might've resembled fingers there were long, razor sharp claws that looked like it could cut through a body within the blink of an eye. Along the sides of his arms there were similar sharp blades that stuck out. But what scared her the most, what made her breath get caught in her throat and her body to shrink, was the dead, piercing blood red eyes.

The same eyes that had haunted her dreams ever since that fateful day on Little Planet. A living nightmare.

Metal Sonic...

And despite its intended purpose of resembling Sonic, the robotic copy couldn't possibly look any more unlike him.

Suddenly Amy Rose felt like she was nine years old again.

With a swift jerk of his hand, he ripped the entire curtain down with the curtain rod crashing down onto the floor as well. It rattled loudly and rolled away out of reach.

Then without another second passing by, Metal began advancing forward.

In a instinctively attempt to eacape Amy stumbled over her own feet and fell backwards, hitting the floor hard on her back. A sharp rush of adrenaline mixed with a deafening sense of fear took control of every muscle in her body and she was left with crawling backwards. Trying to get as far away as possible from Metal's reach.

But deep within her mind she knew it was impossible. Metal was both superiourly stronger and faster than her. There was no way of escaping and nowhere to hide.

He continued to calmly approach her, the static eyes observing her until something seemed to spark in them. Then all of a sudden he stopped and uttered something Amy knew she would never be able to forget.

"Little Amy Rose... We meet again."

The monotone yet eerie voice sent shivers down her spine. Never had a voice alone made her so absolutely terrified. It didn't sound quite mobian nor completely robotic, but an uncanny mix of both.

Amy was too stunned to even utter a single word, she merely stared at him with widened eyes.

"Do something, you'll die if you don't!" Amy's brain seemed to scream at her, instantly snapping her out the trance.

Her eyes drew towards the curtain rod and she divde for it with outstretched arms, her hands clawing for it desperately. She managed to get a grasp of it and hastily aimed a swing towards Metal, hoping to knock him off his feet. But to no avail as he easily caught it and with a flick of his wrist snapped the rod in half.

The half he still held in his hand he directed towards Amy, who at the last second dodged it's merciless jab at her torso. However Metal was soon at her again, pressing the rod against her throat in an attempt to suffocate her to death. With all her might she tried to keep the rod away with her hands pressing against it so hard that it hurt.

Then there was that shift in Metal's eyes again and he dropped the curtain rod, and for a brief moment he seemed to have forgotten what he was just doing.

Amy immediately took action and rolled to the side, scurrying to her feet and fleeing into the living room where her first instinct was to reach the bathroom and lock herself in. But the wooden door would probably not even be able to sustain more than two hits until it would come crashing down. The next option was either hide upstairs or to somehow muster up enough strength to sprint towards the sliding glass door and then run as far away as her legs could carry her.

Though she never got to find out as without warning her arm got clutched in an iron grip and before she could even register the pain got flung across the room. Amy's body flew through the air like a lifeless rag doll, crashing against the table that the record player stood upon. Like a house of cards it all collapsed beneath her body, the record player hitting the floor and breaking the fragile record that had laid on it into a dozens of pieces.

An intense pain blossomed up in Amy's back and her head ached so fiercely that she felt like throwing up. Through dazed eyes she saw how Metal came towards her and then brutally heaving her upwards with only one hand gripping her quills. Her feet dangled helplessly above the ground and all she could do was screech in pure terror and agony.

Metal seemed to enjoy hearing her scream. He brought a single deadly claw up to her face and viciously let it slide down her cheek, it pierced her skin just as easily as if she'd been made out of paper. Hot tears blended with the blood while Amy uttered something that sounded like a mix between a sob and a shriek.

One thing was repeating in her mind and that was that she wouldn't beg. Metal could play with her as much as he wanted. He could beat and cut her until there was nothing left of her - but she refused to beg for mercy.

Because she knew there was none.

The robotic copy dragged her by the quills across the floor until they were in the center of the living room. He studied her briefly. Then, much like a kid who had tired of a broken toy, Metal dropped her onto the floor where she remained completely motionless but continued to cry.

A horrible thought flashed through her mind; she would never see Sonic again. Never again would she see him smile.. never again see his eyes... his beautiful emerald eyes. Never hear his voice...

"Please Chaos, let Sonic live." she prayed silently "Don't let Metal harm him. Let him live.."

Amy felt how something heavy pressed against her abdomen and realized that Metal had placed himself astride over her body. Before the worst of thoughts could take form she witnessed how he merely aimed at the left side of her chest with his claw like hand.

Was he planning to rip her heart out..?

"Sonic..- I love you..." Amy whimpered and closed her eyes, awaiting the final second of her young life.

It was then it happened.

Like a bullet shot out of a gun, a blue blur crashed through the sliding doors, glass shattered and spread all across the living room floor in a sea of shards. In the following next second everything happened so fast that Amy was barely able to register all of it.

The blur had unraveled and revealed the familiar figure of Sonic who, within the blink of an eye, had rushed towards Metal's body and tackled him away from Amy.

"Sonic..!" she breathed with a mix of relief and concern. Tears welling up in her eyes and making everything rather blurry.

Sonic and Metal tumbled around on the floor, both trying to get the upper hand while the robotic copy also tried to get back to Amy. Apparently to finish the job.

But through big effort, Sonic managed to get his feet against Metal's chest and then used all his strength to push the robot off of him with such force that Metal's body flew half way across the room and crashed into the bookcase. As soon as his body made contact with it, the otherwise sturdy bookcase wobbled so violently that it fell forward against the floor with a slightly dazed Metal getting trapped underneath. Books welled out from their shelves and like a tidal wave spread amongst the already countless shards of glass.

Sonic knew that he only had mere seconds until Metal would arise and attack him anew, but he still couldn't help to cast a glance over at Amy. However, when his eyes couldn't detect any signs of severe bleeding his focus shifted back towards Metal who already shot up from below the bookcase, sending it to the side.

Once again did the red eyes target themselves at Amy where she lay curled up on the floor. He flung himself at her mercilessly, with his claws aiming to kill. Sonic foresaw the attempt and put himself in the way, having clenched his fist which he directed at Metal's head.

"Don't you dare touch her, you creep!" he shouted furiously.

They collided, and Metal's claws slashed Sonic's raised arm so fiercely that the hero let out a sudden cry of pain, losing focus for a moment.

Metal took advantage of this and directed another jab at his enemy, but this time towards his abdomen. Sonic reacted a second too late and got slashed right across the stomach.

But the slash only seemed to ignite an even fiercer fury within Sonic as he with new found energy and sent a sharp kick towards Metal, that hit him square in the gut. The blow casued Metal's entire frame to bend in an odd angle that ultimately led to him falling over - laying face first on the floor. Acting quickly Sonic got on top of him, taking a firm grip on each of his arms and not even caring that the blades cut into his palms. With a raw surge of strength and an almost fearl cry Sonic tore off Metal Sonic's arms with his bare hands in one swift move.

With horror Amy witnessed how Metal's head still fought to keep itself upright and what was even more frightening was how his eyes still targeted themselves at her. Though it didn't last for long as almost immediately Sonic's hands also ripped off the head. He threw it to the side, disgusted.

Metal Sonic's entire body, or at least what was left of it, fell limp and didn't budge an inch.

When Sonic was sure his robotic copy was completely down, he staggered as far away from it as he could before finally falling to his knees in exhaustion.

"S-Sonic!" Amy cried as she mustered up enough strength to pull herself upwards and desperately crawl towards Sonic. She ignored the pain from the slintered glass that embedded themselves deep into her hands and knees.

To see the state he was in made her heart drop. Fresh blood streamed from the wounds on his arm and abdomen while the cuts on his palms had completely runied his gloves. Small pieces of glass had gotten stuck in his fur and one particularly big shard had found its way into his right leg. But none of it seemed to bother him as his eyes only sought out her.

When Amy reached him he hastily took her into his arms and pressed her towards his chest so hard that it almost hurt.

"Amy..." he whispered softly, clearly relieved to find that she was relatively unharmed "Are you alright? Did..- did he hurt you?"

Amy tried to utter a word but she only managed to splutter a wordless squeaking. She felt how something wet ran down her cheeks and realized that she was crying. A light weeping that turned into a hysterical crying once Sonic shifted her into his arms so that he was instead cradling her. The sobbing caused her body to shake so violently that he had to take a firm grasp on her petite form and gently rub her back.

"S-S-So-... on-i-ic..."

"Shh.. it's okay. I'm here now. Nothing can hurt you." Sonic reassured but found that he also had began to tremble "I'm here.."

For how long they sat there in the midst of the chaos - simply embracing each other, he didn't know nor did he care.

All he was aware of was that fragile little heartbeat next to his.

---

 

Notes:

Credits:

In Apple Blossom Time - Albert Von Tilzer, Neville Fleeson

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Thank You For Reading.

Chapter 3: Vacancy

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 3: Vacancy

---

Amy's eyelids fluttered open. Slowly she blinked the haziness out of her eyes, and soon enough she recognized the familiar look of her own bedroom. She had no memory of how she'd got there. The last thing she could remember was Sonic's arms embracing her...

And speaking of which - there he was.

By the side of the bed was Sonic. He sat with his head in his hands, facing downwards and with his eyes tightly closed, apparently deeply absorbed in his own thoughts. His quills stood slightly on edge, and Amy could see that his wounds had been carelessly tended to. The slash on his abdomen had a bandage sloppyily wrapped around it while the cut on his arm only had some kind of cloth tied to it. But the gashes on his palms, where Metal's claws had cut in, had no protection except his gloves, that he hadn't even bothered to change despite them being covered in dried blood and barely holding together.

Amy looked down at her own hands and noticed that every single little cut caused by the splintered glass had been picked clean. There was even a band aid covering one of the deeper cuts. She figured the same treatment had been done to her knees. When she reached a hand up to touch her cheek, she noticed that there was yet another band aid. The bandaging on her arm was also fixed much more neatly than Sonic's, and she began to wonder if it had even been done by the same person.

Nothing hurt and neither Amy's back nor head ached in the slightest.

She glanced back at Sonic and carefully reached a hand over to touch his shoulder. "Sonic..?" She whispered softly.

The reaction was instant, the sound of her voice made him flinch and both his head and ears shot up. He met her gaze, his whole body relaxing once he realized that she'd awoken. How long had she been asleep?

Sonic's hand grasped hers and gently showered it with kisses as his entire face shone of relief, the brightest of smiles stretching across his muzzle.

"Amy..!" He croaked before clearing his throat. "I'm so glad you're finally awake."

"H-how long have I been asleep?" Amy asked, casting a glance towards the window. It looked bright enough outside but with these clear summer nights it was hard to tell.

"Eight hours."

"I guess we missed Vanilla's dinner then..."

Sonic uttered a dry laugh, as if that was the least of his problems. Then he instinctively drew a hand towards his abdomen and for a second his face flashed in pain, though he was quick to mask it. However, Amy picked up on it and stared at him with concerned eyes. "Sonic, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. What's important is you, Amy."

At that, suddenly memories of this morning came flooding back to Amy. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes while Sonic's face shifted in instant worry. "What's wrong, are you in pain? Does your arm hurt?"

Amy merely shook her head and gave him a teary look. "No, it's just.. I- I thought I'd never get to see you again. I was so scared that-.. that- Oh, Sonic..!" She broke down and sobbed so hard that she almost choked on her own tears.

Sonic crawled up in bed next to her and carefully brought her to his chest, mindful not to cause her any more pain. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and cooed loving words to her - the loveliest, most hopeful words he could possibly think of. "In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing. Where the honey bees are a-maying..." He began to sing softly while stroking her tears away with his thumb. "There all the roses are swaying, dancing while the meadow brook flows.."

Amy buried her face in his chest, her crying hardening as she was forced to relive the horror.

"The moon when shining is more than ever designing. For 'tis ever then am I pining, pining to be sweetly recling..."

Between each line, Sonic planted tender kisses upon the top of her head.

"Somewhere in Roseland - beside a beautiful rose..."

He continued to hum quietly until Amy's tears had finally subsided. After a while, silence settled in the room but the sound of Sonic's voice still seemed to linger in the air, like a spell that protected her from any ill thoughts. She could've easily fallen back asleep right at that moment but once she could think clear something gnawed in the back of her mind.

"Sonic..?"

"Yes, Ames?"

"H-how did you know I was in d-danger?"

The look on his face changed into a doboius one and his eyes got distant. He tried hard to find the words for what he'd experienced at that dreadful moment.

"I don't know how to explain it, suddenly I got this weird, cold feeling as an intense pain blossomed up in my chest. My feet instantly stopped running, making me almost crash into the ground. I thought I was going to black out right or something, but then I just got this notion that you were in danger..." He held a hesitant look for a brief second before continuing. "I know it might sound crazy, but It was almost as if I could hear your voice calling out to me."

"I did.." Amy said, locking eyes with him. "I prayed that you'd be safe, that Metal would just be satisfied with me and let you live. Even when I thought I was going to die - all I could think of was how glad I felt that it was me and not you lying there."

"Oh, Ames.." Sonic whispered, touched by her sentiment but also concerned. She should never even have to contemplate a thing like that. "When I proposed to you I promised that I'd take care of you and protect you until my last breath. I swore it on this-" He held up her left hand slightly, stroking his thumb across the golden ring. "-so, please, don't ever think like that - cause I'd give my life for you, alright?"

"I know you would.." Amy whispered back, he could see the fatigue creep up on her.

Thus, Sonic planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You should try to get some rest, I'll be here until you've fallen asleep, alright?"

"Okay.."

Carefully, he then shifted into a more comfortable position and rested his eyes on her.

"S-Sonic?" Amy suddenly whispered faintly, her eyes barely managing to stay open. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too."

---

The downstairs was still in quite a mess, with glass shards still spread out on the floor like little pieces of diamonds. They glittered in the late sunlight that shone through the gaping hole in the sliding doors. Torn pages of various books gently drifted across the room as a wind swept in, and the sound of their rustling spread a melancholy feeling.

Amongst the rubble stood Tails who stacked books back up on the shelves of the restored bookcase. Luckily, it hadn't taken much of a toll of Metal Sonic's body collide with it.

The memory of the completely demolished robot brought a shiver down Tails' spine. Sonic had thankfully gotten rid of the parts while he had tended to Amy's wounds. But he hadn't dared to ask where cause the distraught on his brother's face when he'd gotten back and looked at his fianceé had been too overwhelming. Even if his injuries were more severe than hers, Sonic had outright refused to let Tails bandage him before Amy had been taken care of first.

Tails had agreed but still insisted that he at least could patch himself up then, which Sonic complied to.

Afterwards he'd silently taken Amy into his arms and carried her upstairs, and hadn't come back down since.

Hours had already passed, and Tails had just woken up from having fallen asleep on the couch when he'd waited for his brother to return. And just as he put the last book in place on its shelf he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Sonic?" Tails called with a gentle tone.

A second later his older brother appeared in the room, looking mildly surprised. "Oh, Tails.. I thought you'd be asleep by now."

Ironically, Sonic looked like he hadn't slept for weeks or would ever dare to close his eyes again. As if the last couple of hours had changed him beyond recognition. His eyes were somber but held a sort of silent conviction in them, as a result of hard thinking for a long time. Tails barely dared to let his eyes wander over his carelessly bandaged wounds, the likeness of infection in at least one of them was probably already a fact.

Tails, however, decided to let it be for now and instead gave his brother a weak smile. "I woke up a while ago and decided to make myself useful." He gestured towards the bookcase. "How about you, did you get any sleep?"

The answer was pretty much already given but Sonic shook his head regardless.

"No, I.." He seemed to suppress something, but before Tails could inquire any further his brother's face suddenly lit up. "Amy's awake."

"Really? That's great! How's she feeling, can I go see her?"

Sonic chuckled briefly and patted him on the back. "She fell back asleep, little buddy, but she said she wasn't in any pain at least."

Tails looked just as relieved as Sonic felt over hearing that and gave him a hug, lightly to not cause his abdomen any discomfort, and said— "That's good. I'll repair the window as well as fix the record player for her!"

"I'm sure she'll love that." Sonic replied, hugging his brother back and for a moment forgetting all of his thoughts over the past hours.

Together they cleaned up all the broken pieces of glass, gathered the remaining pages of different books, and salvaged the broken parts of the record player. The daintily table it had stood on was beyond repair. As were the tulle curtains in the kitchen, and Sonic felt sickened by just looking at the claw marks and imagining the utter fear Amy must've experienced. Anger and shame shot through his veins like venom and he cursed the fact that he hadn't been there to protect her.

When somewhat of an order had been restored to the house, Tails insisted in finally getting to tend to his wounds, to which Sonic only gave a small nod. The complete lack of care on his face made Tails slightly irritated and he probably tied the bandages a bit harder than necessary.

"Thanks, it actually feels a bit better now." Sonic said sincerly as they both slumped down on the couch. "And thank you for coming as fast as you did before. I don't know what I'd do without ya, little bro. I owe you, big time."

"You don't owe me anything, Sonic, I care about Amy just as much as you do. We should both be grateful that you managed to save her from Metal in time, who knows what it could've done to her.."

"Yeah, I-.. it's all I've been able to think about these last couple of hours."

"Do you think it was Robotnik? That sent it, I mean."

A heavy sigh escaped Sonic's lips as he gave his brother an empty look. "It was a Metal Sonic so..." He shrugged his shoulders. "But it doesn't have to mean he knows anything. For all we know it could've been a stray one. Maybe it had gone rogue or something..."

Tails' expression turned dobious. "I don't know.. A stray Metal that just happens to stumble upon your house, right when Amy's being home alone, and then deciding to attack her without slightest provocation... the odds seem very slim." His features deepend in concentration as he tried to make out a possible explantaion. "Did you notice anything strange about how it behaved? Rogue robots have a tendency to act quite erratically and unfocused, especially if they had a specific target programmed prior to their revolt."

Something suddenly clicked within the depths of Sonic's mind, color draining from his muzzle as his pupils grew small.

"It was as if it was obsessed with her, it only really focused on me when I kept it from reaching her."

Tails' expression turned anxious at this information. "So you think Amy was the target? I mean, maybe it just followed you all the way from Chun-nan..?"

"Yeah, that's probably it. It can't be her.." And now Sonic seemed to mutter more to himself than his brother. "It just can't..."

"I think we have to consider it a possibilty, just for now at least. After all, there wasn't anything indicating that Robotnik was aware of, well, your situation when we faced him a few days ago. Maybe we should just be extra cautious for a couple of days, until we know for sure that nothing's after either of you."

"You're right, little buddy. We lay low for a while, figure things out.."

The two friends settled back once more, neither truly relaxed but slightly more at ease than before. Tails even managed to fall back asleep, his ruffled bangs pressing into the couch as he lightly began snoring. The stress having surely taken it's toll on him as well. Sonic on the other hand was in a state of doubting whether he'd be able to sleep ever again, though judging by his weary thoughts he'd more than likely need to.

He got up from his seat and walked off into the kitchen, leaving his brother to sleep in peace, and over to the wall-attached telephone. A yellow post-it note beside the phone, most likely put there by Tails, told him that Vanilla had called multiple times over the course of his absence and that it was probably a good idea to call her back. Tails' lack of information regarding Amy's health in detail had surely worried the poor woman, and not to mention her daughter for that matter. Vanilla was very much like a somewhat informal mother to the entire group. Always caring and supportive, yet, if the situation called for it, could be rightfully stern and parental. And above all else she was blessed with the mild temper and patience of an angel. Despite his lack of personal experience, Sonic knew that she was certainly the ideal mother - a stark contrast to how his own parents must've been like.

That, and her abilty to raise Cream all by herself had caused him to harbor great respect for the older rabbit.

With swift fingers, Sonic dialed the number to the Rabbit's house and then waited for someone to pick up on the other end. It didn't take more than a mere second until he was met with Vanilla's soft spoken voice, that for once sounded a bit more pressing.

"Mister Sonic?"

"Hey, Miss Vanilla." Sonic said in confirmation, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to call you, you must've been worried. But I just couldn't bring myself to leave Amy's side."

"It's alright, my dear, I understand. How's she feeling? Young mister Tails was very brief when we last spoke."

"She's.. okay. A bit shaken up, but Tails patched her up nicely. And I'll make sure she gets all the rest she needs."

"I trust you will. You're a fine, upstanding young man, Sonic." Her voice broke a little and he could hear that she tried to keep herself from turning sentimental. "She means a lot to me, as if she was my own daugther... In my heart I know you'll keep her safe."

"I'd do anything for her." Sonic reassured lowly. Almost being able to picture the tender smile that spread on Vanilla's face.

"And how are you, my boy?"

"How am I?" He echoed.

And for a moment Sonic truly wanted to tell her the truth. About his worries. His fear that the life he loved might be coming to an end.

That it would soon be all taken away from him.

And the feeling that it was somehow his own fault.

He wanted to be comforted. Told that it was all nonsense...

But above all he dreaded being told that it actually was.

So instead he said—

"I'm okay, I just-" He paused and answered as truthfully as he could. "I don't wanna lose it all."

"A fiancé has to be courteous, and be able to put his fianceé above everything and most importantly - himself. Can you do that, Sonic?"

Without a doubt he answered. "Yes."

"Then you have nothing to fear. Cause even when you doubt yourself, when you think that you might not be enough, your heart will know the truth. And it will guide you right."

"Thank you, Miss Vanilla."

"It's quite alright, my dear. I'll come by tomorrow with some warm meals for you both. Take care of yourself in the meantime, and promise me you'll try and get some sleep, you sound absolute exhausted."

"I promise. And tell Cream I said hi, would you, please."

"I will. Bye now."

"Bye."

The call ended and Sonic was left with the droning sound of the telephone still held in his hand. With a sudden remembrance of what he was doing he hung the phone back in place, let out a deep breath, and turned his back against it.

Staring out through the wide kitchen windows, he could see how the sky was slowly turning to a darker shade of blue but that the sun was not going down just yet. He made his way out through the kitchen door and began to wander around aimlessly in the garden. His legs practically itched for a run after having being still for almost nine hours, but no amount of willpower in the world could get him to leave the house. The very thought of it made him want to instantly move closer to it. He felt too restless to try and sleep now, he wasn't in the least bit willing to give in to the exhaustion that had slowly began to eat away at his mind.

At the table where he and Amy had ate their breakfast laid a newspaper that he skimmed through. A headline on the second page caught his eye, it read; "The continuous disappearance of overlanders - a coincidence or a conscious provocation?"

The text below continued to read; "The sudden dissapperance of Overlanders all across Mobius continues to grow in numbers, with the last report from various local police stations amounting to a total of eighty four victims that has been reported missing since the beginning of this year. These reported missings and failings to recover the victims have upset not only the concerned families and friends, but has lately also stirred attention from organisations in large Overlander populated cities such as Spagonia and Empire City. Several parties have suggested that it might be a question of a provocation from the Anthro population. A spokesperson from TPOR (The Preservation of Overlander's Rights) Charles Scott said the following in an interview: "It's not a secret that Overlanders are a minority that for decades have been silently oppressed in many ways by the Anthro population. Our heritage to our ancestors know as Humans has for far too long muddled our reputation and we've therefore been succumbed to being viewed as lower standing beings. So when a large number of our kind are being abducted in the dark are we just to assume that this is not an open threat? A provocation by radical Anthro's that G.U.N seems to have turned a blind eye on? How can we be sure that G.U.N has not become corrupted by the influence of the Anthros? Is any Overlander still safe to walk the streets without-..."

At that, Sonic discared the paper to the side while letting out an exasperated sigh. He'd heard about the dissapperances while he'd been away, but had been too busy with Robotnik's mayhem to really delve any deeper into it. However, from what he could make of the article it was apparently starting to create a wedge between Overlanders and Anthros. Which couldn't lead to anything else than that riled up conspirators like Charles Scott got to shout in various papers, radio programmes and TV broadcastings as a way of attracting audience and buyers. It certainly wouldn't help the poor police officers across Mobius who were probably working hard on finding the victims in question.

But at least it might get G.U.N to finally engage in anything other than their own beneficial interests.

When it came to politics Sonic tried to keep as far away from it as possible. At most listen on one ear if he ever came across anything on the news but would often just leave it at that. And as of now he had far bigger problems to worry about.

For almost two full hours he managed to occupy himself with various tasks like watering the entire garden, picking ripe berries and succesfully replacing the broken boards in the picket fence, as well as painting them white. The less damage that was visible the better for Amy, he figured.

This was her sanctuary after all. A garden of roses that no matter how stunningly elusive they got could never be as beautiful as their caretaker.

Sonic let his finger tips brush against the petals of one particular type of rose that grew in it's very own pot. The pot had been placed underneath the kitchen window, so that Amy could admire their beauty the first thing in the morning. She claimed that these roses stemed from a very special one. A rose with a scent sweeter than any other, and with petals more perfect than if someone had hand drawn it. She claimed it was the very first rose he'd ever given her.

Even if it must have been for almost seven years ago, Sonic could clearly recall the day in question.

He smiled thoughtfully at the memory of his sixteen year old self, profusely sweating and nervously fumbling with the single rose he'd obtained from the recent adventure that he'd just gotten back from. It was with played nonchalance and his famous smirk plastered on his face that he'd offered the flower to the then thirteen year old Amy Rose. In reality, his heart had been close to jumping out of his chest due to the sheer pressure. And although a boy presenting a flower to the girl he secretly adored might be a traditional and utterly normal occurrence in the world, to Sonic it had signified a whole lot more. It had been a sign of the love they'd share in the then coming future. A silent vow of his dedication and protection of her as long as he should live.

He knew then, as sure as he did now, that she would be the girl he'd give all his roses to.

Sonic rarely got nostalgic, his entire being was about moving forward - both literary and in life. But sometimes it was hard not to be overcome by the simpler times of days now long gone. Not that he wished to have anything undone or redone for that matter. Well, except for perhaps the time he ate his first chili dog, or the first time he'd broken the sound barrier, or turned into his super form and feeling the pure chaos energy coursing through his system.

Life back then he'd known. Growing older had presented new forms of challenges that no longer involved the most effective way of defeating a horde robots, or coming up with new and clever puns to throw at Robotnik.

Sonic glanced down at his engagement ring that gleamed vaguely in the setting sun.

How to propose had been one of them.

His eyes then drifted up towards the bedroom window which was slightly ajar and felt immediately drawn to it. And having nothing left to distract himself with out here, he decided to head on back inside the house - wanting to put an end to this dreadful day.

When Sonic quietly stepped into the living room Tails was pretty much in the same state as he'd left him in - deep into dreamland and snoring gently. The sight of his little brother sound asleep made Sonic relax as well as bring a smile to his face. He covered him in one of Amy's patched quilts, softly as not to wake him, before making his way upstairs. Mindful to not creak any of the steps.

Even softer were his footsteps as he entered the bedroom.

Much like Tails, Amy had remained in the almost exact position as she'd been when he'd left her for about three hours ago. All but her face, which held a frown and her usually rosy cheeks that had been stained by dried tears.

Had she cried in her sleep?

The thought froze Sonic to his very core. A new wave of guilt washing over him. He so desperately wished he could take all her pain, worry and suffering and carry it for her. Smooth out the small frown between her eyes. Remove every last tiny scratch from her delicate skin and etch them onto himself instead.

"Oh, Ames.." He whispered under his breath.

For a brief moment he debated whether he should wake her up, but at the same time he didn't wish to disturb her slumber.

If only he could relieve her dreams, make them sweet and hopeful.

After careful though Sonic's eyes landed on the wooden dressing table where, among colorful ribbons, and other various girly adornments that he didn't know half the names for, a music box stood. Modest in size but elegantly crafted with equally elegant carvings on the sides, resembling flowers of every possible kind.

When opening the lid it revealed a larger image in faded pastel colors. From what he could tell it illustrated a lake, filled with lilypads and two swans circling around the edge while the background depicted a classic fairy-tale type castle. In the midst of it all stood a uniform clad soldier holding out his hand towards a beautiful ballerina that held her hand out as well - but neither of them managing to reach far enough for their hands to meet.

A symbol of two lovers who would never get each other.

The music that played when reeling back the little lever attatched to the side of the box had a wistful yet lulling melody. Sonic had only ever heard it a few times. Sometimes when Amy got upset with him she could turn to the music box for comfort as it, besides the music, held various items that affirmed her of Sonic's love for her. Letters as well as birthday cards he'd sent, small keepsakes like old tickets from all the times they'd visited Twinkle Park, shells from beaches he'd taken her to, and their most precious pictures together.

Ever so gently Sonic reeled the lever backwards a few turns, letting the soft melody fill the room in hopes of that it would reach Amy in her sleep, and perhaps bring her the serenity she needed.

Soon enough, and whether it was merely a trick of his mind or not, a more peaceful expression settled upon her face.

With a slightly eased heart, Sonic wandered over to the cushioned window seat, and sat down with his head turned towards Amy's sleeping form. Determined to guard her the whole night through. Like always his eyes softened when he looked at her.

Despite the bandages she was still so utterly beautiful - like a princess.

The sight made his heart ache.

He had to restrain himself from taking her into his arms and hold her petite form against his chest. But from his seat in the window he could watch over her while also keeping an eye on the outside.

And despite what he'd promised Vanilla earlier - he knew he wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

---

The following days after the incident passed in silent tranquility.

No other Metal Sonic showed up, and if it really had been sent by Robotnik, the doctor made no claim of it at least. So Sonic decided to settle for Tails' theory of it having simply been targeted at him and not Amy. The fact that it had found her alone had probably only been an unfortunate coincidence. She was at no risk. However, that hadn't stopped the nightmares from plauging poor Amy's dreams every night since then. She'd wake up screaming in bloodcurdling agony with tears running down her cheeks. Not even Sonic's presence could keep the nightmares away anymore - no matter how tight he held her as she fell asleep or how much he comforted her once she woke up crying out for him. For in the depths of her nightmares she witnessed her worst of fears come true - Sonic constantly died in almost every possible way imaginable, all while Metal's uncanny laughter cut through her like shattered glass.

Only on the fourth night did Amy have enough sensibility as to understand that what she saw wasn't real. Instead she woke up with a silent scream frozen upon her face as silent tears brimmed her eyes, each which got kissed away by her love.

That same morning she sat out in the garden, digging her nails into the soft, wam soil, when she told herself to not let the nightmares ruin her days with Sonic. Sooner or later he'd be forced to leave again, the world wouldn't stay still for long, she knew that. And who knew how long he'd be gone for next time? No, she was wasting precious time on feeling sorry for herself. Those dreams weren't real. And they never would be. Sonic always came through for her - always.

Once he came through the garden gate, having just returned from his morning run, Amy seized the moment—

"S-Sonic?"

Sonic immediately stopped in his tracks and walked over to her where she sat by the flowers, and sank down to his knees next to her. He smiled warmly as he stroked her cheek and gave her his full attention, cocking his brow sligthly. "You okay, Ames?"

Amy nodded and produced a smile of her own. "I'm okay, I was just thinking... could we go to Seaside Hill today? I'd like to get some new shells to decorate the flowersbeds with, and Seaside is the only beach that has those pretty pink ones.." It was such an innocent and silly request that she almost felt embarrassed to ask him of it. But the look she received was neither reluctant nor dismissive, in fact, his face shone and his smile widened even further.

"Of course, that's a great idea! Yeah, let's go pick some shells." It felt like a ton of bricks had just been dropped from Sonic's shoulders. Pure relief washed over him as he took her into his arms and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Anything you want, my rose!"

A few minutes later they had fetched a large rucksack, which Sonic carried on his shoulders while his arms naturally carried Amy. With swift steps he then took off into the wide stretched meadows and rolling hills.

The wind blew past their ears and rushed beneath his feet so that it almost felt as if he was flying by, each step placed with utter preciseness. It were in these moments that he became one with the wind - with the very world itself. All of his senses blended together in sweet harmony until all his attention were focused strictly ahead. And due to his extraordinary speed he always had to be at least a couple of miles ahead of himself, constantly prepared for the next turn or the next hilltop or whatever it might be that came in his way.

When alone, he would often amuse himself by pulling off risky and breakneck stunts in order to futher challange his own senses. Running thorugh giant loop-de-loops was an absolute favorite of his, and had been ever since he was a young child growing up in Green Hill. There they made up most of the landscape, in fact. But with Amy in his arms he solely focused on not hitting anything, despite the chances being very low of him even gracing as much as a pebble in the wrong way. She clung to him, not in a freigthened way but in a way that she'd done countless of times before - arms around his neck and head pressed to his chest, her face half buried into it. Sometimes she'd close her eyes, causing her to appear sleeping while other times, when she thought he wasn't aware, she'd simply gaze at him.

And during these runs her only request was to be held in such a way that her head rested against his left side.

In his early teens Sonic had once inquired as to why she always insisted on it, thinking of it as insiginficant. The answer, however, showed to be far more embarrassing than he'd thought. "So that I can listen to your heart." - Amy had responded honestly and completely unabashed.

So now, years later, it had become a natural habit that went without saying.

Seaside Hill were located along the north west coast, almost an hour long run in Sonic's restricted tempo. Which was neccessary as Amy's body couldn't handle the extreme amount of velocity for longer periods of time. And as soon as Sonic halted near one of the many steep cliffsides, she sighed in relief over having finally arrived.

Below them the wide ocean laid shimmering and crystal blue with countless isles, high and low, spread across as far as the eye could reach. A tropical paradise of swaying palmtrees, grassy fields and white beaches that one could easily get lost in. Integrated with the landscape were also ruins made out of white and red stone, some still standing proudly while others were completely submerged in water. It was hard to tell what the architecture had once resembled simce most of it was long gone but most roads and loop-de-loops, acting as bridges between the isles, still were intact.

Sonic, having explored every corner of the place multiple times, naturally knew his way around and trekked the surroundings with ease. He took Amy to an especially gorgeous beach where he was sure there'd be plenty of pink shells for her to pick. There he set her down and watched her reaction with great satisfaction.

Amy's face shone brighter than the sun as she playfully twirled in little circles along the shore, kicking her feet so that water splashed around her ankles. The refreshing sensation made her giggle and soon her skirt were fully sprinkled by water. "Oh Sonic, this is wonderful!" She exclaimed.

"Just watch out for orcas!" Sonic called back jokingly.

But just as those words left his lips did an orca shot up from the depths mere meters away, flipping in the air before disappearing back into the ocean and thus causing a rather big wave to crash against their beach. Sonic then watched with shocked eyes as Amy, who had stood before him a second ago, now got washed away by the wave and pulled off into the deeper end.

"A-Amy!" He shouted in panic and without thinking rushed forth and dove head first into the water, clawing desperately for her.

Alas, no matter how much he flung his arms around or kicked his feet - Sonic the Hedgehog sunk like a rock. Sinking straight down to the ocean floor within mere seconds.

Luckily, he'd instinctively taken a deep breath before plunging himself into the depths and therefore didn't swallow any water. But none of that concerned him as his eyes feverishly shot in every direction, trying to catch sight of Amy.

"No, no, no... this can't be happening..!" Sonic thought helplessly as he once again tried to claw his way forward but to no avail. "I have to save her.. I have to-"

Suddenly he felt a pair of arms pull him upwards, back towards the surface. His first reaction was to resist but once he recognized Amy's slender arms around his torso he immediately tried to make himself lighter, which of course was rather futile.

Despite her small size Amy managed, with all her strength and help from the water, to pull Sonic onto shore where she then latched on to him for dear life. "Sonic, my darling, are you okay? Can you breathe?" She cried, shaking his shoulders.

Sonic uttered something between a cough and a high pitched wheeze, gesturing for her to let go of him which she instantly did, before managing to stutter forth—

"Y-yes, I think so..!"

"Why, oh why did you do that, Sonikku? You know you can't swim!"

"The wave-.. I thought you were in trouble."

There was a pause as Sonic sat himself up, only to get enveloped in a bear hug from Amy. She shook her head and planted multiple kisses on his cheek. "If you'd just waited a second you would have seen that I was fine, the wave just surprised me that's all." Then a sigh escaped her lips as she hugged him even closer. "You crazy hedgehog...!"

Sonic chuckled, returning the hug. "Love makes you do crazy things, remember? Not that I was much help anyway.."

"That's because you have a heart of gold." Amy whispered softly. "All people born with a heart of purest gold inside their chest sink like rocks in water."

"Then I'm lucky to have a guardian angel by my side."

Wrapped in each other's arms, and completely soaked to the bone, their eyes got fixed in a sudden modest gaze. Sonic was the first one to break the silence as he gently helped Amy back on her feet and offered her his hand.

"Come on, let's go pick those shells of yours."

And just as Sonic had predicted it didn't take long before they had filled the rugsack almost to the brim with pink shells. It would have taken even less time had it not been for that Amy insisted that only the finest and perfectly shaped shells would do. As a result, Sonic had to continuously ask of her approval to the ones he found. However, once he was done he amused himself by taking a run through the entirety of Seaside Hill.

Meanwhile Amy had remained back at the mainland, picking berries and mushrooms that grew at the edge of a nearby forest.

Spending the day away from home for the first time in days was somewhat of a relief to the girl. The sun seemed to shine even brighter out here and the fresh ocean breeze had a calming effect on her. And even though she absolutely adored her snug little cottage house among the meadows, she'd always dreamed of living closer to the sea. But due to Sonic's great reluctance, and preferance to rather view anything related to the ocean from afar, it was surely a hopeless dream. She wouldn't want to try and pursuade him anyhow.

Amy's hand reached out to pick a strawberry from the bush she was currently occupied with, when a flicky suddenly came flying down from a tree. It was sky blue in color, and landed on her shoulder without any hesitation. For a brief moment she thought she recognized the flicky, letting out a surprised breath.

"Birdie?"

The flicky only stared back at her while tilting it's head and chirping.

Realizing her mistake, Amy shook her head and said— "Sorry, I thought you were someone else. I have an old friend who looks almost just like you, though he carries a pendant." She picked up one of the berries, which she carried in her skirt, and offered it to the newcomer. "I bet you want a strawberry. Here you go, take one."

The flicky nodded its little head in delight before accepting the berry and quickly beginning to peck on it.

"You're really cute." Amy said, gently stroking its soft feathers with the very tip of her pinky, to which the flicky responds by briefly nuzzling its head against her cheek. This made her break into a fit of giggles, thus attracting even more flickies to flock around her. Soon she was busy feeding a whole dozen of them with strawberries, while those flickies who she'd already fed had begun fetching flowers for her as a way to show their appreciation.

It was truly a sight to behold.

Speaking of which, when Sonic arrived a couple minutes later, roused from his just finished thrill kick, he had to stop dead in his tracks in order to perceive the scene before him.

Settled among the forest's lush surroundings and several colorful flickies sat his fianceé. Barefoot and covered in flowers - petals adorning her head. On her blue skirt laid a handful of berries which she eagerly offered her company. The light that seemed to emit from her eyes when she saw him could easily have made even the sun blush - and inside his chest, Sonic could feel his heart pound heavily against his rib cage.

As he slowly made his way towards Amy, he could make out some of the words the flickies chirped to each other.

"That's Sonic the Hedgehog." One of them pointed out matter of factly. "The girl is his beloved."

"She is very kind, I think her name is Rose!" Another one chirped.

"These berries are super yummy!"

"Is she actually a real rose, momma?"

"Make way everyone, he's coming towards us."

Several of the flickies followed this notion and drew back into the trees, yet some remained on the ground and watched in curiosity as Sonic bent down to his knees in front of Amy. They then watched even more intently as he gently cuped her face in his hands, and without uttering a single word, pressed his lips against hers.

"Strawberries.." He muttered to himself under his breath as he slowly drew his head back. There was a flirtatious tone in his voice and he flashed an almost boyish smirk. Amy, on the other hand, blushed madly and lightly slapped his shoulder before drawing back. Still, there had appeared a certain playfulness in her jade eyes and Sonic wasn't slow to catch on to it.

"Tut-tut, Sonikku! Don't go steal a girl's kiss like that."

"Your lips told me otherwise."

"Brute!"

"Temptress!"

"Slowpoke!"

"Okay, that's it - you're toast, Miss Rose!"

Both hedgehogs sprung to their feet, Amy being a mere second quicker which allowed her to run past Sonic and take off running towards the meadow behind him.

Being the gentleman that he was, Sonic waited until she got a good head start before ultimately beginning to set off after her.

It was a most playful chase and Amy frequently turned her head to stick her tongue out at her pursuer in between fits of giggles. Sonic, who wasn't even using a fraction of his usual speed, had settled for something akin to a jog, but still ran close enough to keep Amy at her toes. He didn't mind the slow pace and even pretended to stumble now and again or make excessively sharp drifts across the grass whenever she changed direction. Amy's chortling laugther echoed around the meadow, filling Sonic's heart with the simplest yet greatest of joys. The blue skirt and the straps of the bow fluttered behind her as she ran, and if Sonic merely stretched out his hand he could easily have caught a hold of the hem of the skirt.

Even if Amy was indeed a fast runner, probably above the average mobian due to her years of chasing after him, her running style was quite peculiar. Instead of keeping her arms and legs close to the body, she had them flailing around herself as if she was wading through water while her legs, being naturally pointed slightly inwards, kicked her feet high up in the air behind her. It also caused her to get fatiguated a lot faster. Sonic had many times thought about teaching her how to run properly and thus more effectively, though a part of him found it oddly endearing to watch her flail around like a little flicky. Yet, he made a mental note to suggest the idea at some point soon. Perhaps they could practice now and then during the summer.

He just hoped he'd have more time to spend with her than the previous one...

Robotnik had made sure to keep him busy through most of July and August. Not that the weather affected any of his plans, the climate on this part of Mobius was practically in the middle of an eternal summer and spring all year long. With winter and fall passing within the lapse of two months. However, Sonic had always held a soft spot for June especially.

Maybe it was pure coincidence but June had always been a good month for him.

His first meeting with Tails, suddenly giving him a little brother.

His birthday was the twenty third.

And two years earlier he'd proposed to Amy just a week after his birthday, on the very last day of June.

The thought took him aback slightly - it had almost gone exactly two years...

Instinctively, he decided to close the distance between them.

"Gotcha Amy!"

Sonic chuckled as he caught her in his arms and lifted her petite form slightly above the ground. It was very similar to the way she had used to catch him when they were younger. But now the roles were reversed.

"It's no fair!" Amy exclaimed but didn't sound the least bit displeased over having been caught. In fact, she giggled heartily while her cheeks flushed due to the rush.

Soon their lips found one another and they sealed in a tender kiss while Sonic stroked her cheek softly. He tilted her head upwards, thus deepening the kiss even further.

When they parted he held his usual goofy smile. "I could kiss you forever and still not feel like I've had enough." He whispered, rubbing his long nose against her buttom like one. Amy returned the gesture and leaned in closer.

Sonic then procedeed to rub his cheek against hers while also planting small butterfly kisses along her jawline. This caused Amy to utter half choked fits of giggles as she tried to squirm out of his embrace, but to no avail.

"Sonikku, stop it! It tickles, tee-hee!"

"Sorry, I just can't help myself. You're so soft..!"

"And you're prickly!"

They continued to play around until Sonic ultimately feigned to fall backwards into a large patch of forget-me-nots. Amy, who he'd pressed against his chest in order to protect her from the impact, landed on top of him while he in turn got covered in multiple little blue petals. One settling perfectly on the tip of his nose.

Underneath the clear sky and warm rays of sunshine they then cuddled together, watching as clouds passed by while eating the fruit and mushrooms Amy had kept in the rucksack as dinner, and decided that this part of meadow was a good spot to spend the night. Then while in the midst of talking of how they should visit the Rabbit's one of the coming days, Sonic suddenly straightened up. "I just remembered..!" He exclaimed, snapping his fingers, smiling ear to ear. "-We never finished that dance I promised ya'."

Amy's heart swelled with warmth as Sonic then proceeded to jump to his feet and extend his hand towards her, inviting her to his embrace. Without a second's notice she accepted his hand and soon they were so close two people could be. And with the beaming sunset performing as background, the young couple began to gently sway amongst the vast sea of flowers. Neither of them said a word, but no words were really needed. All they had to do was look into each other's eyes to understand what the other one was feeling.

The purest, most innocent form of love.

Amy was so overwhelmingly beautiful in the light of the setting sun that Sonic constantly had to remind himself to breathe. All his mind seemed to want to do was memorize every second of this image as well as every inch of Amy's face. Every possible shift of her features were to be detailed so that he at any given point in time would be able to go back and remember how she'd looked at this exact moment.

The kisses that were exchanged between them were soft and tender, as were the words that Sonic now and again whispered in Amy's ear which painted her cheeks rosy red.

These kinds of moments were especially dear to her heart.

She'd never admit it to him, but a lot of her nightmares where usually about losing him. That her life for the past two years had merely been a wonderful yet completely fabricated dream. If they got really bad she could even be left thinking her entire life together with Sonic had just been made up. That she'd wake up and find herself being nine years old again, alone - with no one in the entire world to count on. But at the same time it was just as easy to forget all such thoughts when she was in the midst of a scene that easily could've been taken out of one of her romance novels back home.

"Amy.."

Sonic's voice brought her back to a reality that's indeed very real. He gazed down at her while softly stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"What were you daydreaming of?" He had recongized the dreamy expression on her face. Past experiences with this girl had taugth him that her daydreams usually seemed to involve him in one way or another. Much probably due to old habits, he figured.

"Nothing special.." Amy said, her cheeks naturally taking on a rosy color. "Just thinking about how happy I am."

Sonic flashed a toothy smile. "Is that so?"

"And also what to get you for your birthday. It's less than three weeks away, you know! I've been meaning to ask what you wish for."

"Oh, right, my birthday." He chuckled lightheartedly before playfully twisting his face as if in deep thought. "Hmm, well I could always use a new pair of socks..."

"Sooonic..!"

"One mustn't underestimate the importance of a good pair of socks."

"Fine, I'll buy you socks. Anything else?"

Truth be told, Sonic hadn't given much thought about his approaching birthday, even less what he could possibly wish for.

When looking into Amy's eyes it was hard to imagine how he could ever wish for anything else than her.

Freedom? He had the entire world within the grasp of his hand. He could run and go wherever he wanted to - no sweat! He could probably explore every last inch of the planet, scour mountains, plains and jungles. Cross oceans. Rake the skies. And even if years went by he'd still have time to do it all over again. For the longest time he'd thought that commiting himself to another person was a one way ticket to take away that freedom. That, like iron shackles, it would tie him down to the ground, a way of slowly but surely breaking him apart until nothing would be left of himself. But the honest truth Sonic had been forced to ultimately face was that commitment didn't bind him - it liberated him.

Opening his heart to people had gained him invaluable experiences and bonds of friendship that went beyond time and space, and even death.

Blaze, Silver, Marine, Shahra, Caliburn, Vanilla, Cream... Chip, and many more.

In Tails he'd found a friend, a best friend - a brother.

In Knuckles a friendly rival that, despite their differences, he considered one of his closest allies.

And in Amy he'd found love. a truer love than he'd ever thought possible.

They all resided within his heart without making him feel the least bit burdened.

Their strong bonds elevated him above the ground and gave his life a greater meaning - a purpose.

"Just socks will be fine."

Amy responded by letting out a sigh and shaking her head in disapproval.

"Hey now, I can still ask for that delicious red velvet cake of yours!" Sonic suggested, giving her a wink.

"But I do that every year!"

"Yeah, but I never ask for em', so this year I'm putting it on the top of my wishlist. That way you already have your gift to me all set, clever right?"

Amy's head slumped down against his chest in defeat, though a smile still rested upon her lips. "Sonic.."

After having watched the last rays of the sun disappear behind the hills, they laid down in the softest spot in the meadow they could find.

Amy had taken off the skirt and blouse, only leaving on her petticoat and the sheer linen she'd worn underneath. Meanwhile Sonic had gotten into a comfortable position among the grass and wild flowers, gently drawing Amy down to rest on top of him. And as she lowered her frail body onto his he got enveloped by her delicate softness - their chests lightly pressed together with her head safely tucked below his chin.

"I'll keep you warm." He whispered in her ear.

The starry sky laid broad and clear above them, a deep, dark blue infinity that covered the two hedgehogs like a blanket. Warm winds occasionally swept by, but for the most part the meadow was completely still and silent. Sonic let out a content sigh, cause truth be told - it felt good to sleep outside again. Not that he minded the bed at home but he'd always felt a greater satisfaction sleeping outside. One could hear how nature too would come to rest and how all the critters scurried back into their burrows and nests, preparing for the night. The silent rippling of a brook. The distant sea. The wind through the trees. Even the nocturnal woodland creatures' hushed activities.

By old habit, Amy's hands began aimlessly trailing slightly downwards until they found what they'd been searching for. Her fingers danced lightly upon his abdomen as she traced over the latest scar that had been inflicted on his body, the jab from Metal's claw. A jab he had taken for her. That fact alone made her almost burst into tears - he sacrificed a lot to be with her.

Amy glanced up at him with soft eyes. "Does it hurt?" She asked, her voice barely above the sound of the gentle breeze.

"Not at all." Sonic answered truthfully. His body seemed to heal much faster than the average person, and even in the moment fresh wounds never pained him too much. He could take great falls, blows and punches without feeling much at all. Tails' had once suggested it might have something to do with the chaos energy he naturally harbored inside himself, and that it somehow protected him and strengthened his endurance. A likely theory, Sonic figured, since positive chaos energy did indeed have the ability to heal ones wounds if foucused correctly. The positive energy in turn came from happy thoughts, memories and emotions such as joy, hope, serenity, and above all - love.

Scars, however, would always be left behind as a testimony of the pain that he'd endured for the sake of it.

As of now, the soft touch of Amy's delicate hands upon Sonic's scarred torso threatened to awaken the curious desire that slumbered inside the heart of a young man. The memory of their second night spent together since he's come back had nearly given both of them a heart attack. He knew he'd been careless that night, still, the pleasure he'd felt had been worth the all possible ambivalent feelings a hundred times over.

Only by reminding himself of his promise did he seem to return back to reality.

Amy was fragile... and his desire to protect her overweighed all others.

Sonic gazed down at his beloved. Her faint, flutter-like heartbeats and soft breathing left him yet again realizing that there was truly nothing more to possibly desire from this moment. Her mere presence was enough. And as she nestled closer in his arms, he responded by kissing her forehead. "You should sleep, Ames." He endorsed. "I'll stay awake."

"I don't know if I can."

"Are you scared?"

She smiled. "I'm never scared when I'm with you."

"Of the nightmares." He urged gently.

"It's-.. It's okay, they're only bad dreams. Besides I've had the same one for such a long time now that I really should be used to it."

"For how long?"

"Ever since we first met and Metal kidnapped me, I remember I was so scared that I'd never get to see you again or that you'd get hurt trying to rescue me. And I guess that fear has always stuck with me."

Sonic contemplated her words for a second, not particularly surprised, albeit somewhat troubled. The day they first met had truly been the best yet worst day of their lives.

"I remember thinking that you were the cutest thing I'd ever seen." He admitted in an attempt to steer her thoughts to more brighter memories.

"Don't be silly, you were terrified of me!"

"Only because I'd never met anyone like you. Heck, I'd never even seen a girl before! I was used to woodland creatures and Tails - Robotnik even made more sense to me than you! I mean, ponder that for a sec."

Amy giggled as Sonic made wide theatrical gestures with his arms causing her to almost fall off his body, but once he finished he wrapped an arm back around her waist. He then gazed fondly at her as her giggling settled and instead a yawn escaped her.

"I might not have known you'd be the girl I'd turn out to one day propose to. But I never doubted that you were somehow meant for me...-" His lips softly pressed against hers right before they both gave into the sleep, Sonic's last words being—

"-and that I was made to protect you..."

That night, no red eyes haunted Amy Rose's dreams for the first time in days.

---

The first thing Tails awoke to in the morning was the sound of the morning news' merry jingle. He'd forgotten to turn the radio off last night and now he jolted awake, having fallen asleep head down on the desk while sitting in a most uncomfortable position. Papers went sliding down to the floor as he sloppily heaved himself into an upright position and fumbled after the volume buttom on the radio. Once he found it he turned it to the left, lowering the announcer's chipper voice into a mumble instead.

Tails rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned his head toward the digital clock that stood at the edge of his desk. The neon green numbers informed him that it was just past six in the morning. He groaned inwardly at the sight. Surely the last time he'd looked at the clock before blacking out it had been about two o'clock. Four hours of sleep was hardly something to brag about, and he could practically already hear his friend Amy's voice scold him about it. His older brother Sonic would probably be more understanding on the matter, not that he could say anything. When Sonic had been his age he'd prioritized sleeping about as much as he'd done cleaning.

With sluggish movements, Tails brewed himself a cup of coffe, plopped two sugar cubes into it before making his way back to the work desk. With the press of a buttom on a remote he opened the wide garage door in order to let the early morning in. Immediately the entire workshop bathed in the warm sunlight coming from outside. He leaned back in his chair with a content sigh escaping his lips, basking in the sun while sipping on his coffee.

Soon Tails felt how his brain began ta come around, which probably was much thanks to the caffeine kicking in, and he could recall what he'd been doing before succumbing to his sleep.

It was, in fact, the same thing he'd been doing for a while now - namely playing around with different types of blueprints for a new plane.

Tails loved his biplane the "Tornado" above all else, except for his brother and sister-in-law of course, and would rather cut off his own arm than having to part with it. But with recent happenings, and what he feared would happen in a not so distant future, the times called for an upgraded and more techincally advanced plane. And after all - two are better than one.

"-And now for today's weather forecast.."

Instinctively, Tails spun around in his chair and turned the volume up a bit.

"-Windy Valley, seventy-seven degrees, wind estimation - thirty-two to fourty-six mph. Mystic Ruins, eighty-nine degrees, wind estimation - four to seven mph. Clear skies. Station Square—"

The announer's voice once again faded away into the background, as Tails had sprung to his feet, exclaiming exitedly to himself and the Tornado- "You hear that? It's the perfect weather for a morning flight! Imma just grab my goggles and-.." He gulped down a big clunk of coffee, wiped his mouth with his arm before then hurrying over to the coat hanger next to the front door. There hung multiple pairs of goggles, knitted scarves, worn out shirts, and the best of all; his pilot jacket. The jacket was made out of brown leather that had become soft and comfortable of age. It had been a birthday gift from Sonic when he'd turned ten, originally a few sizes too big, but with the promise from his older brother that he'd eventually grow into it.

And that he did.

Tails ran up a wooden spiral staircase, leading up to a loft that he'd made into a cozy sleeping quarter. There were countless books in tall piles reaching almost all the way up to the roof, a small tv with a paused video game evident on the static screen, an old toy chest that was now used as a place to dump various objects on. Above the unmade bed was a window, and upon the sill stood a single flower pot among a bunch of photo frames, all containing pictures of his friends.

Walking over to the mirror above his nightstand, Tails smiled at his own reflection, goggles in place and with the jacket on. It fit perfectly!

Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of his telescope, leaning against the wall next to the books. He'd always liked to go nightscaping, but now it had been a while since he'd last done it. Maybe he should invite Sonic and Amy to come with him some night. They could probably all need it. At least It would surely cheer Amy up - she liked to watch for any shooting stars, whereas Sonic, who had found himself in outer space well more than once, rarely got impressed and instead recounted all the times he'd fallen face first towards Mobius' stratosphere. Yet, he always insisted that he somehow managed to land on his feet and without as much as a scratch.

Tails did indeed love his older brother, but at times he could be a bit theatrical, which on the other hand could be quite funny at times. He chuckled lowly to himself, but just as he was about to return down the stairs, his ears suddenly flicked.

A raw, icing cold laughter echoed through the workshop which caused Tails to freeze in his step.

It took his brain a second to realize that the person laughing was not actually in the room itself. Instead it came from the radio and as soon as the laugther died down, the same voice began to speak—

"Citizens of Station Square, lend me your ears.."

That voice.

A voice Tails, and surely countless others, would recognize even in their sleep.

Doctor Ivo Robotnik...

"I do believe you are all well aware of who I am at this point - the greatest scientific mind of all time - the rightful ruler of the entirety of Mobius... I am addressing all of you now as I require something..-"

There was a static pause, and without really being able to pin point it, Tails knew that something was wrong. Robotnik didn't sound like his usual self. There was now goofy tone or exaggerated expositions. Just cold, dominating and factual.

For the first time he really sounded like a very, very tired and old man.

"-Sonic the Hedgehog." He uttered the name as if it had been a foul and highly vulgar swear word. "You know what I want. And I expect you to deliever it to me nice and willingly. Should you refuse, I would be forced to harm the good people of Station Square in a most gruesome way.. And neither of us want that, do we?"

Yet another pause followed, longer this time.

Meanwhile, Tails had managed to walk down the stairs and now slowly approached the radio, as if he was afraid that it would explode if he got too close too fast.

Robotnik continued, his voice barely holding together—

"I will arrive in Station Square, three days from now. Make sure to meet me, Sonic the Hedgehog - I can assure you don't want to miss it. I know I will look forward to it with great anticipation..."

A last static sound was heard before the last whispered words rang out.

"Expect me."

Then the radio turned dead silent.

---

"This is not the place for high heels."

That was the first thought that had entered Rouge the Bat's mind as she'd stepped out onto the station floor and with slight horror in her eyes obseved the surroundings. It was the end of the line of a very, very long train ride.

Not that where she stood could even qualify as a proper station, more like a bench with a small sign next to it that announced that you'd just arrived to "Floral Forest Village". But just as the station, one could hardly call it a village. The nearest houses was so far off that one had to squint their eyes in order to see them, and there were only two dirt roads leading from the station. The smaller one of the two lead east, in the direction of the supposed village, while the bigger one stretched south and seemed to have no end to it.

The only sign of life was a wrinkled old dog who sat under the shade of a tree, reading a newspaper. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and wore a pair of yellow shorts with red dots on. On top of his head he wore a straw hat, which he lifted upwards slightly when he noticed the stranger that just arrived with the afternoon train.

In lack of any direction, the station provided no map of the area and since her boss hadn't given her anything else than the name of the village, Rouge approached the dog.

"Hello there, my good gent. Splendid afternoon we're having, eh?"

The dog eyed her uniform, especially the G.U.N emblem on her jacket, and while he did straigthen up his back a bit he didn't look intimidated. He lowered the newspaper and said— "We sure are, ma'am."

"Allow me to introduce myself; I'm agent Rouge-" She dug up a card from within her inner jacket pocket and showed it to him. Various identification details were printed on it as well as a picture of herself. "I'm here on the authority of G.U.N, and I'm in need to locate Sonic the Hedgehog who is said to reside somewhere in this area. Do you by any chance know where he might be at?"

A look of recongnition flashed in the dog's eyes for a brief moment until he quickly masked it, shrugging his broad shoulders. He seemed unsure of how much he should reveal to this, to him, unknown woman. "That boy is famous for being hard to get a hold of.."

"Oh, trust me - I know." Rouge said, flashing a charming smile that caused the old man's face to shift slightly. "Hero boy is an old associate of mine. We've collaborated on a number of occasions, though unfortunately it was long since now that our paths crossed."

She watched the dog simply nod before continuing in a more serious tone.

"But considering recent events it's important that I find him as soon as possible."

Once again, the man's face changed. It looked somber. "I heard it on the news this morning... You people will put a stop to that mad man right?"

"G.U.N does everything to keep all the citizens of Mobius safe."

The words came out of her mouth before she even knew it. She was obligated to say stuff like that and had been trained to memorize the lie. Well, a lie with modifications at least.

Rouge made sure to lean forward deep enough so that her chest became prominent as she then spoke with a sugary sweet voice, that still couldn't completely hide her usual edge. "So, my good sir, could you kindly point me in the direction of his house?"

"H-he lives with Miss Rose, over at old Sunset Meadow. Just head straigth on the road the whole time until you reach a small cottage with a white picket fence." He raised a hand and pointed off towards the broad dirt road. "It's roughly an hour walk from here by foot."

As if on cue, Rouge spread her wings and rose to the sky where she gave him a pleased smirk along with a wink.

"Thank you, dearie. G.U.N appreciates your cooperation."

She saluted him and immediately took to the sky.

"Y-you did say you were acquainted, didn't you?" The old dog called out after her, slowly starting to feel guilty over having been swayed by the beautiful bat. He thought of Amy Rose. A sweet and kind girl that would always greet him when they passed each other in the village market or when she'd take the train. And among the few local villagers it was no secret that the world renowned Sonic the Hedgehog had settled down in the area about two years prior. Engaged to the girl in question.

Now he was concerned for what that woman might actually want with her and her fiancé.

However, Rouge had already left the man behind her, shifting her focus back to the blue blur. By using her wings she'd probably reach him two times faster than if she went by foot.

Small cottage with white picket fence..

That description was close to nothing but judging by the lack of people who seemed to live here it couldn't be too hard. Besides, the guy had said to just follow the road and eventually she'd get there.

She still didn't understand why those dimwits back at the headquarters hadn't just given her the exact location of the place. Surely Sonic the Hedgehog's home address wasn't a national secret. If time had been given she would have even looked it up herself but her boss had insisted she got going right away with nothing but the name of the closest train station to go by. Not even a helicopter could they afford to transport her with.

"Taking the local train.." Rouge thought sourly. "Like some lowly laborer."

Once she got back she would march straight up to that idiotic General's office and give him a piece of her mind.

For almost fifteen minutes she didn't encounter even so much as another mobian. Only flower filled meadows, babbling brooks and wide, grassy fields as far as the eye could see, not to mention the constant sound of chirping flickies. How someone could chose to live out here by their own free will was beyond her. Sure, the landscape could be considered serene and peaceful but after a while one must found it most tideous and all too quiet. She figured that after just a couple of days she'd go mad living in a place like this.

But just as began debating whether or not the old dog had lied to her, Rouge saw how a cottage emerged further up the road. It was so picturesque and modest in size that it almost completely blended together with the surroundings. Like an oil painting that depicted the idyll of living out on the country side. There actually even was a white picket fence going around the cottage to fully complete the cliché. Getting closer she also saw the rose garden, fruit trees and a small greenhouse. She landed a short distance from it and began to walk the last few steps up to the front gate.

A mailbox that stood right outside the fence simply read "Rose" in hand-painted, cursive letters.

Well, at least she was at the right place.

Rouge walked through the gate and up to the green painted wooden door, pausing briefly before knocking. After a few seconds the door slowly creaked open, revealing none other than Amy Rose herself. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the young girl. It must've been at least two years ago, if not more. However, she looked just as innocently childlike and fragile as ever, clad in a petticoat dress that even further emphasized the effect.

"Rouge?" Her voice, though a bit more mature than she recalled, still held a slight high pitched tone to it. Meanwhile, Amy's surprised features told Rouge that she was probably the last person she'd expected to appear at her porch.

"Amy Rose. Long time no see."

The fact that Amy was more than a head shorter than herself made Rouge feel as if she was addressing a child.

"It sure was, eh, what brings you here?"

"I have some business with your-"

It was then that she saw it. Amy had lifted her left arm to brush away at her quills and it was there, on her left hand, she saw something golden twinkle in the afternoon sun. Rouge's eyes got drawn to it by pure instinct, a subconscious reflex.

She immediately recongized it as nothing less than a ring. Most likely an engagement ring considering the placement.

Had Sonic actually proposed to this girl? Gone down on one knee and proclaimed some sort of everlasting love?

Engaged to his childhood sweetheart...

The thought was both highly incredulous and somewhat comical, but yet here she was.

Why hadn't Rouge been told beforehand? Surely those bastards knew.

What were those people back at G.U.N playing at exactly? Shock value?

All these thoughts ran through her mind within less than a minute all while she figured that she had to reevaluate the situation, and that was quick.

Speaking of which, like a wind he swept forth, suddenly standing in the door opening like he'd just popped into existence - Sonic the Hedgehog.

Rouge couldn't help but eye him with slight peaked interest.

He was no doubt good-looking, more so than the average guy, with his agile figure and subtle abs. Attractive in that rebellious kind of way - scars which could be seen if one looked close enough and windswept quills that likely never let themselves be tamed. Compared to his fianceé he looked fully matured and still very much capable of jumping into danger at any given moment. Unfortunately, a golden band was also evident on his left hand, but which at least confirmed her suspicions.

"Well, if it isn't the great hero himself." Rouge said while Sonic almost instinctively seemed to place himself in front of Amy - like a guard dog. "Good to see you again, Big Blue."

Once he recongized her, he blinked in equal surprise to that of his fianceé. "Rouge? I almost couldn't tell it was you in that get-up." He gestured at her uniform.

She wasn't wearing the regular G.U.N uniform that most people of her rank did. It looked custom-made and was probably tailored just for her - with a skirt that reached just above her knees and with a slits going up the middle. She also wore a low cut jacket with seemingly only a bra underneath. Her gloves looked far too silky to be of any real use and on the top of her head she wore a small side cap. Everything in the G.U.N's typical navy blue color.

"Hm, well I see you still prefer going commando." Rouge replied, grinning. "But I will admit that it is indeed refreshing."

For a moment it looked as if Sonic was about to burst into laughther, but then his eyes fell on the G.U.N emblem and he tensed up again although he still kept his smile. "I hope you're not here to accuse me of another bank robbery, cause you should know I don't do too well with helicopters." He jokingly stuck his head out and observed the skies in search for one. "You don't got one parked out there, do ya?"

"Unfortunately, no. The lovely gentlemen back at the office thought I should explore the joys of public transport."

"What, not even a car? Are things really that tight over there that they can't even get their top agents traveling in style."

"We all need to make sacrifices sometimes."

Amy, who had remained quiet behind Sonic's right arm this whole time, suddenly piped up. Smiling kindly at Rouge. "Why don't we sit down and talk out in the garden?" She suggested. "I'll go make us some tea."

"I'd be delighted to, hun." Rouge agreed.

With a nod the pink girl then hurried off into the cottage.

Sonic gestured for Rouge to enter, but just as they were about half way through the living room he abruptly came to a halt. He quickly turned around and gave her a cautious yet surprisingly stern look.

"You don't carry any guns or whatever, right?"

"I'm not obligated to reveal any concealed weapons according to G.U.N protocol, but you're of course more than welcome to search me." As if on cue, Rouge efficiently stretched her arms out to the sides while giving Sonic a sultry look.

To her ego's surprised letdown, he didn't even look the slightest bit tempted by the offer. "I'll take your word for it." He said in a terse tone before following Amy into kitchen.

After having settled down outside at a wooden table with Sonic opposite of herself and waiting for Amy with the tea, Rouge occupied herself by sneaking glances around garden. A well kept lawn. Flowers as far as the eye could see. Roses. Wind chimes and birdhouses. A willow tree with a swing hanging from one of it's branches. Bushes filled with berries. Even more roses...

The whole place was something more akin to a fairy-tale utopia than an actual garden.

Rouge shot a glance at Sonic, as if expecting him to also look around in bewilderment of his surroundings, but he merely raised an eye ridge back at her.

However, she decided to remain silent.

From inside the kitchen she heard how Amy was busy with something probably more than just tea.

And right she was—

The young girl came back with a tray consisting of three tea cups, platters and spoons along with a sugar bowl, creamer and teapot. All made of white porcelain with a floral pattern printed on it. On a glass plate stood a small yet generously decorated blackberry cake. When Amy offered her a cup of tea she accepted it, thinking of how much she'd rather have a big mug of coffee right about now.

"Focus, Rouge." She mentally told herself.

Out loud she then said—

"I must say I'm deeply hurt by not getting invited to the wedding. What happened to the good old 'friendship is forever'- thing?"

"Oh, we're only engaged, not married." Amy hastily explained, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue.

"Yet." Rouge added with a grin, directing a wink at Sonic, who remained unaffected.

Before things could escalate any further Amy quickly changed the subject. "How's Shadow doing?" She asked.

At that, Rouge gave the pink girl a thoughtful look. She knew that those two had had some weird connection, or understanding rather, ever since that one time on the ARK where she'd supposedly reminded him of a long forgotten promise to his dead friend. She'd convinced him to help save Mobius. Given him a reason to care again.

But whatever that might've been about she never fully understood. Shadow never spoke of Amy Rose, and Rouge never had a reason to bring her up. Whenever they did get a chance to talk nowadays it was rarely anything other than business. And those times they got together outside work they engaged in less talkative activities.

"Oh that old brute.." Rouge began, making a small flick of her hand dismissively. "When G.U.N's not keeping him busy, I am - if you catch my drift, hun."

To her great amusement Amy only stared back, clearly puzzled.

"So Sonic hasn't even got it on with her yet?" The thought made her almost laugh out loud.

She stole a glance at the male and noted how he shot her a disliking glare, but she ignored him and turned her focus back to Amy, who had averted her eyes down at the table.

"Just... Please, If you see him, tell him that we hope he's doing all right. And that he's more than welcome to come visit us whenever he likes."

Her request sounded so genuine that Rouge didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. That Shadow would probably rather blow his head to bits than to voluntarily set his foot over the threshold of Sonic the Hedgehog's home. So instead she settled on the most neutral thing she could think of— "Will do."

They began eating a slice each of the cake in silence. Rouge took small sips of tea while stealing glances of the couple over the rim of her cup. She took particular notice of how Sonic's eyes had a habit of drifting over to Amy and how he wordlessly doted on her from time to time - like brush a stray quill from her face or draw himself closer to her, as if she was a magnet. Rouge was used to being the attraction of every male, to have their eyes sneak glances at her or shamelessly gawk at every curve of her body. Whether they admitted to it or not, she knew they desired her in some way or another. It could indeed be tiresome and annoying at times, especially if the onlooker weren't up to her standards. But mostly it was entertaining to watch men fawn over her, to make even the most respectable of guys to stumble over their words in her presence.

Sonic wasn't like that. Not even when he'd been an impressionable teenager, filled with surely raging hormones, had he not so much as even stolen a cheeky glance at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

But the way he looked at Amy now..

Rouge knew women who would be green of envy just by the mere way he gazed at that girl. Not even the most cynical of minds could doubt that the look on his face was nothing but sheer, genuine love. The foreign feeling of jealousy found its way into her heart. An icy twinge of resentment also settled there while she tried to maintain an unaffected posture.

"So, to the business at hand." Rouge began in a more formal tone which revealed nothing of her previous thoughts. "I trust you're aware of Robotnik's little spectacle over at Station Square this morning?"

Amy, who had been in the midst of a sip, got an anxious expression on her face. "Yeah, Tails told us all about it, and we watched a reprise of it on the news just a few hours ago." Her hand sought out Sonic's and he grasped it, their fingers immediately intertwining.

"As you surely understand, G.U.N can't just remain idle and let these sort of threats go by without major actions being taken as a response..-"

Sonic's head abruptly shot up.

"Unless their directed at some unsignificant place half way across Mobius, am I right?" He almost spat forth. "I just got back from a village outside of Chun-nan being targeted by Robotnik's latest set of murder machines, and I don't remember seeing anyone from G.U.N stepping in to help."

At the word "murder machines", Amy notably flinched and Sonic instantly regretted the slip up. Rouge, however, seemed unaffected and continued as if he hadn't just interrupted her.

"-.. And we figured you would feel the same way. Station Square is after all a bit too close to home, don't you think?" She purposely rested her eyes on Amy. The pink girl returned the stare, as if in defiance, and said—

"I'm not scared of Robotnik."

Rouge resisted the urge to laugh.

"Bold words coming from you, hun."

"I've helped take him down since I was eight. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and I have faced him more times than you, and none of us are afraid to do it again."

"Yes, I imagine skipping barefoot around your little garden of roses, picking flowers every day really must be tiresome." Rouge's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she made a sweeping gesture at the garden around them.

"Rouge.." Now it was Sonic, he muttered low and warningly.

"I don't-.." Amy began but quieted down when Rouge suddenly leaned slightly across the table and stared her dead in the eye. A sly smirk gracing her lips.

"You have no idea what's going on, do you?" She shot Sonic such a hasty glance that it was barely visable but Amy still flinched when she saw and instinctively drew back. "I-I..-"

"That's enough." Sonic interrupted firmly, as he glared at Rouge with a frown on his face. "Leave Amy alone. You came to speak with me, remember, so say what you came to say before I lose my patience."

"Are you sure you want doll face around, it's an adult conversation after all."

"She stays."

"Fine. Have it your way." Rouge said, tired of beating around the bush. "Our new Commander wants to see you."

Sonic blinked. "What happened to the old one?"

"Retirement, Sonic - it's a thing people usually do once they're in their seventies. He's currently residing over in Central City, taking care of his many grandchildren, I'm sure."

"What for then?"

"Well he didn't exactly give me a copy of the list, but an educated guess would be that he probably wants to know if you're planning to do anything idiotic that will put Station Square at any further risk."

Sonic snorted in response. "Then tell your boss I got everything under control. I can handle old Robotnik with or without their help, thanks."

"Well isn't that big of you.." Rouge shot back. Eyeing him with a skeptical look. "But pissing on an outstretched hand from G.U.N will hardly benefit the people of Station Square, or yourself for that matter. They don't take too kindly to being rejected."

"I bet they don't, I'm sure that's why they sent you."

"Don't flatter yourself too much, hedgehog, your ego might explode."

Sonic and Rouge got locked in a heated glare, neither budging an inch.

"Sonic..."

It was yet again Amy's soft voice breaking through the frosty mood. She had clutched Sonic's arm with her own slender pair, giving him a pleading look which he forced himself to meet. "Maybe you should listen to her. If Robotnik is truly serious about his threats then maybe it wouldn't be so bad to accept help from G.U.N. What harm could it do to just meet this new Commander, for Station Square's sake at least."

Reluctantly, Sonic drew back in his seat while contemplating her words. He didn't look angry, just torn. Was he really going to simply bow to the will of G.U.N? Hadn't he taken down Robotnik all by himself countless times without their involvment before? Why were they suddenly so keen on meeting him?

Ultimately, he decided that Amy was probably right. Surely just meeting the guy couldn't hurt...

However, he refused to turn his head back and face Rouge when he finally said—

"Fine, I'll do it. When does he wanna meet me?"

The smirk on Rouge's face couldn't possibly have been any more broad.

"Oh, he's already expecting you."

---

Credits:

"Rose Room" - Harry Williams

Chapter 4: Devil Take The Hindmost

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 4: Devil Take The Hindmost

---

Central City was located approximately two hours away from Station Square, and despite the latter being quite a large city it paled in comparison to the overwhelming magnitude of this place.

Sonic sat in the backseat of an extensive car with black leather interior and toned windows, which he attempted to peer out through the best he could. Opposite him was Rouge seated, positioned in a way that made her able to observe his every movement. She gazed at him with her inquisitive, opal blue eyes squinted slightly while he ignored her completely. In her hand she held a glass filled with, judging by the stinging almost sickeningly sweet smell, what he suspected was some sort of alcohol.

"You sure you don't want a little pick-me-up, hun?" Rouge offered in a sultry tone, making a sweeping gesture at a glass carafe which stood upon the broad armrest next to her. "Make you loosen up a bit. Your shoulders look really tense.."

Instinctively, Sonic relaxed his shoulders. He hadn't even noticed that he'd been sitting so stiffly. However, he didn't appreciate her underlying insinuation but managed to remain calm and unaffected when he answered— "No, thanks. I don't drink."

"Come on now, your little fianceé ain't here to see you do anything naughty. I promise I won't tell."

In response, he merely turned his head to her and gave her a contemplating look.

Sonic had never outright disliked Rouge, nor harboured any real resentment towards her. She'd been his ally almost as much as she had not been, but since she'd began working full time for G.U.N. their paths rarely crossed anymore. Admittedly, he rather enjoyed her blunt and mischievous personality at times - particularly when it was directed at Knuckles, and he was sure that she deep down had a good heart. But on the other hand she could also quite vulgar, callous and deceiving - one never knew fully where her loyalty was at or if she was trying to use you for her own benefit. And despite their past cooperations, he didn't trust her in the slightest.

"No, thanks." Sonic ultimately repeated.

Rouge merely crossed one of her legs over the other and leaned back in her seat, still keeping her eyes on him, as if he was an especially entertaining TV program. "So, tell me now - how did pinky do it?"

"Do what?"

"Catch the wind." She did a dramatic sweeping gesture with the hand that was holding onto the glass, and nearly spilling some of the liquid in the process. "Don't tell me she forced you to it. Blink twice if you are in danger!"

Sonic snorted. He had no interest in discussing his love life with Rouge out of all people, even less so of how his proposal to Amy had went down. Still, he guessed there was no harm in humoring her just a bit.

"I proposed, she said yes, end of story."

"Wow. Don't drown me in details, Blue."

"It's none of your business anyway.

"Well, you're certainly no fun." Rouge concluded with a mock sneer. For some reason she only seemed even more amused by Sonic's refusal to engage in the subject.

Without thinking, Sonic quickly fired back with— "And what about Knuckles?" And for the first time during the entire drive did Rouge's grin suddenly pale. He could clearly tell that the mention of the echidna wasn't something she'd expected.

"What about him?" Her voice had turned cold and her eyes were narrowed.

"Aren't one of your hobbies to pester him every now and again? You know, stealing the Master Emerald and all that. Or maybe you lost interest, or did he-"

"For your information, I happen to have bigger and better things to occupy myself with nowadays than waste my time hanging around that stubborn old meat head."

This time it was Sonic who grinned. "Ouch. Stubborn old meat head, huh? Sounds like there's trouble in paradise."

"It's none of your business." Rouge echoed his own words.

"Heh, you're right - it's really not."

They exchanged a knowing look, and Rouge seemed to soften up again as she emptied the rest of her glass in one big swig. She set it down on the armrest beside her with heavy sigh, and in that moment Sonic suddenly noticed just how worn she looked. It occured to him that Rouge was actually three years older than him, and while she was very much mature he could still feel that there was an obscure sense of vulnerability to her. A softness underneath the hardened exterior.

Had he accidentally hit a sore spot by bringing up Knuckles?

Sonic knew close to nothing about whether there was or if there ever had been something between the two of them. Flirty banter perhaps, but he doubted Knuckles had ever taken it beyond that. At least he thought so... Knuckles was about as easy to read as a closed book with steel chains wrapped around it, along with a lock and a key that someone had thrown into the ocean.

With an apologetic glance, Sonic said in a softer tone— "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you or anything..-"

Instantly, Rouge regained her previous nonchalant posture. Waving away Sonic's concerns with her hand with a broad smile plastering itself onto her face. "Ha! Upset me? Please, I'm not some silly little school girl, hun. As I said, I have bigger things on my mind." Then she poured herself a new glass of the alcohol and emptied it just as swiftly as the one before. But something had happened. Something that clearly occupied her thoughts because the rest of the drive passed in silence, she didn't ask him anything further.

Once the car finally and quite abruptly came to a halt, Sonic could see that they'd parked just outside a massive building in the very heart of the city. The car door was opened by someone outside, and he immediately got up from his seat and stepped out on the sidewalk with Rouge following close behind. It was a great relief to leave the alcohol-stenched car and breathe in some much needed fresh air.

Sonic had been in Central City before, and he could honestly say that it wasn't one of his favorite places on Mobius. The buildings were so tall that one had to crane their neck to see the very top of them, and the roads were so packed with cars that sounds of fuming engines and honking horns had become a constant part of the background noise. Everywhere you looked there were flashing neon signs to different stores or fast-food restaurants which a regular horde of people either entered or exited in a never ending stream. And the heavy atmosphere that covered the whole city was polluted and murky to the point where even the sky appeared bleak. It was very different from Station Square where you had the closeness of the ocean to contrast with the hectic city pulse. Around here, however, there existed only a handful of parks and greeneries.

Despite the sheer magnitude of the city, Sonic got the sense of being trapped inside an endless maze of skyscrapers.

"Come on now, Blue." Rouge called over the heads of people that passed them by. The sidewalk they had stepped onto had less pedestrians than the one across the road, probably because there weren't as many shops along this particular street. Instead, a much taller and grander building than the ones surrounding it towered over the area like a dark shadow - namely G.U.N.'s headquarter.

Without having to be told twice, Sonic swiftly made his way through the people passing by and joined Rouge outside a set of glass doors that led into the building. Two guards stood on either side of the door while a half dozen others patrolled up and down the street, all heavily armed and wearing black uniforms with protecting helmets on. Sonic figured that their presence was one of the reasons people hurried past the headquarter a bit quicker than usual or simply chose to cross the street in order to evade crossing their path all together. He certainly couldn't blame them. The mere sight of the guns, being so effortlessly carried in the guards' hands, made his blood boil as he averted his eyes in great distaste.

Rouge appeared totally unbothered by it though as she simply strutted up to one of the guards posted at the side of the door and flashed him a card, which she'd pulled out of the inner jacket pocket. The guard only threw a single glance at the card and nodded his head once before wordlessly motioning for them to pass on inside.

"Thank you, stud." Rouge commented with a voice that dripped of mock sweetness. The guard didn't respond in the slightest.

They entered into what appeared to be a regular lobby, except that it was particularly well lit, had a consistent grey interior on most of the scarce amount of furniture and that G.U.N.'s logo filled an entire wall behind a wide receptionist desk to the left of them. Everywhere there were doors that had the same color as the walls and thus blended into the them, the only way to detect them was that each door had a digital combination lock beside them on the wall. There were also another pair of guards standing at either side of the entrance with guns clearly sticking out of their belts. The only pleasent object in the room was what looked to be a sheer, see-through waterfall stuck between two thick walls of glass. It emitted a low, rippling sound that subconciously evoked a feeling of calm in Sonic. He strongly suspected that it had been installed there for just that exact purpose - to lull people into a false sense of security.

In which case they'd only partially succeeded, cause the rest of the large room was not in the least bit welcoming.

Rouge paid no mind to the two guards by the door but instead walked straigth up to the receptionist desk, where a female lynx sat and absentmindely sharpened her long painted claws while observing the two newcomers with peaked interest. Between them and her there was solid, and surely bullet proof, glass that enclosed her in a protected space. Once Rouge approached with Sonic trailing slightly behind, however, the lynx pressed a button which opened up a small hatch in the glass, perfectly in height to that of her mouth.

"Welcome back, agent Rouge." She greeted polietly with a voice that was blantantly sugarcoated and likely not her usual manner of speaking. "How was your trip to the country side? It must have been just absolutely lovely - what with all the little critters and other pleasantries." The way she'd finished that last sentence made it obvious that this girl had probably never been as far as outside Central City, even less on anything that could be considered 'the country side'.

"Oh, it was simply marvelous, Celeste dear!" Rouge replied with faked enthustiasm and clearly mimicking the girl's voice. "Can you believe that people actually live in these sort of tiny little houses in the middle of nowhere over there, cottages I think they're called - so adorable! And instead of subways they use something called, uh, what was it again..?" She pretended to think for a moment before clasping her hands together, smiling widely. "Ah! Right - trains!"

The girl named Celeste managed to keep her polite facade, yet it had noticeably strained a bit. "How quaint..!" Was all she said before turning her head towards Sonic. Her eyes suddenly sparked with an eager hunger as she shamelessly let them drift across his body, from his head down to his shoes.

"And this must be the famous hero of Mobius." She said with an even sugary voice. "It's an honor to have you at G.U.N., Mister Sonic, a big honor indeed."

Sonic, who disliked all sorts of formalities or exaggerated allusions to his heroic persona, automatically replied with- "Just call me Sonic."

However, Celeste misinterpeted his words and batted her eyelashes at him while also making sure to lean herself forward and deliberately purse her painted lips. Her eyes fell sightly though when it didn't have the desired effect on him as she'd hoped - Sonic had instantly taken a step back, notably irked by the girl. Fortunately for him, Rouge cut back in with a loud clear of her throat. "I believe we are expected up at floor forty seven, and I don't think we should keep our Commander waiting, now should we?"

At that, the smile on the girl's face suddenly returned.

"Actually, the Commander has requested for only Mister Sonic to be present at the meeting."

"What now?"

"I'm sorry if there's been some form of misunderstanding but the Commander has explicitly expressed to meet with him alone. No agents allowed, unless authorized, and unfortunately your name is not on any of-"

"So I travel all the way to Station Square and then to some rural village out in Chaos-knows-where, collect golden boy here, ride a second-grade vehicle back, with horrible refreshments by the way, and then you're tellin' me Mister Big Shot up there-" She jabbed her thumb upwards. "-is suddenly requiring some formal invitation by the gal who got him here in the first place?"

During Rouge's rant had Sonic noticed that Celeste had discreetly pressed yet another button behind her desk, probably alerting someone or something. Most likely the former. Celeste completely ignored Rouge's question and instead turned to Sonic when she opened her mouth again— "An escort will be here shortly, Mister Sonic. He'll accompany you further. Good afternoon." And with that the the hatch which she'd spoken through closed, leaving a fuming Rouge to glare daggers at her.

"That snotty little vamp." Rouge muttered under her breath, and Sonic figured the glass must've also been sound proof because the lynx girl didn't seem to react in the slightest. Or maybe she just pretended not to, for she'd turned her attention to the computer screen next to her with sudden interest.

In an attempt to distance himself from the receptionist and since all he could do at the minute was wait, Sonic wandred over to the glazed waterfall and carefully leaned against its cool surface. He closed his eyes, and with the help of the rippling water he could almost forget that he was in the very heart of a vast city made out of nothing but steele and concrete. For a moment he tried to think of what the Commander could possibly be inclined to ask him or, more likely, ask of him. Rouge had mentioned something about them wanting to be assured that he wasn't planning to do something stupid. But in all honesty, Sonic never actually fully planned to do anything. He hadn't thought about Robotnik more so than that he knew he would put a stop to him before his threat against Station Square became reality. It wouldn't become reality...

Sure, Robotnik had not sounded quite like himself on that radio message, Tails had pointed it out to him as well, but had the people at G.U.N. really taken notice of that too?

Did they fear the same thing he did? That Robotnik had finally become insane and was so unstable to the point where they thought he might blow up the entireity of Station Square without even batting an eye. That wasn't like him after all. The Doctor was usually out to get something, something he, Sonic, apparently had in his possession.

A Chaos Emerald?

Robotnik hadn't specifically spelled it out, but perhaps it was simply due for dramatic effect.

Either way, if so actually was the case, Sonic couldn't give him one. He'd used them a couple of months earlier, in a particularly critical showdown against none other than Robotnik himself. And since then he'd hadn't had much time to locate any of them - again, due to Robotnik's more frequent attacks all over Mobius.

Gathering all seven emeralds wasn't exactly something one did in an afternoon.

"Sonic.."

Rouge had come up to him, thus interrupting his speculations. She had a hesitant look on her face, as if she was internally debating with herself. Sonic blinked in surprise and cast a quick look around the room, but it was just as still and empty as before, excluding the receptionist and the two guards by the door.

"What's wrong?" He asked lowly.

"Nothing, I just thought... I really thought I was gonna accompany you on the meeting, you know like an accomplice of some sort. But if I'm not even allowed to be in the room..." Her voice trailed off and Sonic raised his brow in suspicion.

"An accomplice? Why would I need-"

Just then, the sound of an elevator door opening echoed through the lobby along with a heavy pair of boots stomping against the floor. Sonic and Rouge turned to see that it was an agent approaching them, an anthro with no helmet on but still with a gun securely in his belt. He was a cheetah and appeared to be middle aged as far as Sonic could tell. When he opened his mouth to address them, he spoke with a deep and grave voice—

"Mister Hedgehog, sir. I'm agent Javid, and I'm here to escort you to the meeting."

Agent Javid reached his hand out, and Sonic naturally did the same. The handshake was firm and ended just as quickly as it had begun. Still, there was something about the steady look in his eyes that made Sonic relax a bit. He didn't look like the type to shoot someone in the back, but rather someone who just held very hard onto the principles of his work.

Rouge, however, didn't seem to hold him in any high regard as she merely eyed him with apparent disdain - yet, surprisingly, she remained silent.

"Alright, let's get to it." Sonic said without any real enthusiasm. "Lead the way."

"Certainly. Right this way, sir."

But just as he was about to leave with the agent, he got pulled back by Rouge, who'd grabbed his arm and then leaned her head so close to his ear that she almost buried herself into it. She then whispered so low that it was barely audible- "Don't let the Raven twist your head." Then, as to cover up her action and before Sonic could stop her, she'd planted a kiss on his cheek, carelessly shoved him away and said with a loud and unusually brisk voice- "Knock em' dead, Hero boy!"

Sonic was too stunned to reply, he merely straigthened himself back up and followed agent Javid, who glanced back at him with a look of silent bewilderment. Behind them, Rouge playfully waved goodbye while the receptionist had thrown a bitter glare her way.

Rather than taking the same elevator as his escort had used, they continued to walk down a long corridor to the left. Just like the lobby, the corridors they passed through were well-lit and wide and the floor was so polished that Sonic could see his own reflection while walking. He noticed that his face had turned slightly tense again and forced himself to relax. Nothing was going to happen. He was only there to talk. He hadn't done anything wrong. Yet somehow it felt just exactly like he was wandering right into the dragon's den - to either be scolded or get eaten alive...

They rounded yet another corner, but this time there was an elevator on the other side of on an otherwise dead end corridor. As they approached, agent Javid brought forth a card, similar to the one Rouge had carried, and held it against a panel to the side. He pressed a few buttoms, and the buttoms which pointed upwards and downwards on the elevator suddenly lit up, sliding the doors open. Agent Javid motioned for him to step in first, but Sonic stood his ground. "Do you mind if I take the stairs?" He asked, though there was obviously no door leading to a staircase yet it might as well have been hidden. "I guarantee that I'll reach the floor faster than you taking the elevator." As if to make his point he sprinted back through the corridor and then back within the blink of an eye, grinning widely at the agent as he came to a halt.

"I don't doubt it, Mister Hedgehog, sir. But I'm afraid that to the floor where we're going you'll need special access to reach - no staircase leads to there."

That statement sounded both impractical and hazardous in a case of emergency. Surely, there must be a fire exist located in the building.

But instead of arguing against the obvious lie, Sonic merely bit back his tongue and stepped inside the elevator, watching as agent Javid followed suit and the doors closed. It wasn't as cramped as he'd feared, the mirrors that covered the walls, and even the ceiling, helped make it feel less enclosed. Sonic had never done well in tight spaces, he despised being locked up or having his freedom restricted in any way. It tormented him both physically and mentally so bad that he got anxious just thinking about it - borderline claustrophobic, as Tails might've put it.

But this was only a short trip he reminded himself.

"No elevator music?" Sonic remarked.

A vauge murmur could be heard from the agent, apparently he wasn't too keen on small talk. Making the elevator ride dead quiet all the way up until a static voice finally announced—

"Floor fourty seven, Raven."

"Raven?" Sonic blinked in surprise and turned to his company for clarification. Once again, he received no answer as agent Javid pretended not to have heard him.

Stepping out on the new floor was much like stepping into a completely different time period. The interior was extravagant and old-fashioned - like from a time that he was either too young to remember or belonged in another type of culture all together. It was a wide, oval shaped room, decorated with furniture made out of dark sandalwood, large woven rugs and paintings hanging on every wall. Looking up at the ceiling, it had been painted to appear like a cloud-filled heaven with something akin to little angels in various poses - playing trumpet, resting on clouds or simply staring down on the people below. Their kind, yet ghastly empty eyes sent an unpleasant shiver down Sonic's spine and he quickly made note of not to raise his gaze too high.

There were no windows, which only added to the murky atmosphere and for a moment Sonic wondered if he was actually underground rather than several hundred feet above the street.

Agent Javid hadn't followed him into the room but instead remained by the elevator. "The Commander has already arrived, he's waiting for you through that door." He nodded towards the only visible door in the entire room, one which it didn't look one could simply just waltz right in through. The door had yet another panel to the side of it and something which looked like a regular key hole below the handle. Feeling slightly relieved to not have to wait any further in the eerie room, Sonic approached said door, hesitating only a second - was he supposed to knock?

It felt silly, especially with the agent's eyes boring holes into his back, but ultimately he knocked quickly three times before taking a step back.

A voice, disembodied and seemingly emitting from somewhere within the room itself, beckoned for him to enter.

The new room was similar to the previous one in matter of furniture and decor, except for the walls - they were made out of steel, giving the impression that one was walking into a bunker. As Sonic stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was that there were guards positioned along the walls on each side, he quickly counted to twelve in total. All of them were dressed in uniform, helmet and they all carried guns in their belts. The only person who wasn't dressed like that was the human man who'd been staring down at some documents before Sonic had entered.

It was the new Commander.

He was tall and robust, dressed in a deep marine-blue outfit with silver lining and several badges adorning the jacket. As far as Sonic could tell, he appeared to be somewhere in his mid-thirties, and despite giving the impression of being haggard, there still burned an intesity in his hazel eyes. Once they landed on Sonic, they surprisingly lit up even more as a sly smile found its way upon his face.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, so we meet at last."

Sonic blinked, not sure what to respond to a greeting like that. "New Commander guy.."

"Let me first say that I really appreciate you meeting with me. And, please, you may call me Commander Rhys." On the far end of the room stood a desk, he gestured for for Sonic to sit down in an armchair infront of it while he walked over to a small cabinet and opened it gently. From his new seat, Sonic could see that it was filled with tiny glasses as well as various expensive looking bottles of what he assumed to be different types of alcohol.

"May I offer you a drink, Mister Sonic?" Commander Rhys asked, glancing at him with a curious expression, as if he was conducting an experiment.

Sonic's brow furrowed slightly - Why did people keep insisting on getting him to drink?

He repeated the same phrase as before when Rouge had offered him a glass in the car— "No, thanks. I don't drink."

The Commander uttered an agreeable hum and immediately closed the cabinet again before walking over to the desk and sitting down in the big leather chair opposite Sonic. A pair of folders was stocked on the desk, next to a fragile looking lamp and a rather large bronze statue of a raven, a non anthro owl anyway. It put Sonic slightly on edge and he tried not to look at it for too long, averting his eyes from its sharp claws especially.

"So, Mister Sonic, I thank you once again for meeting with me in such a short notice. I trust agent Rouge did her best to accommodate you?"

"Absolutely. She should defenitely get a raise." Sonic replied, grinning slightly.

A dry laugh escaped the Commander's lips, though his eyes were completely humorless. He proceeded to take the top folder out of the stack as he then laid it out before him, slowly opening it. Sonic's grin immediately faded once he saw its content. A photo of himself was taped in the upper left corner of a document that appeared to have various details regarding his life printed on it. To be honest, he wasn't too shocked over the fact, after all he had been involved with G.U.N in the past - having been arrested by them nonetheless.

Still, it made him feel weary and a bit awkward as his fists tightened almost subconsciously.

However, Commander Rhys seemed perfectly comfortable flauting the file in Sonic's face and even began to read aloud from it just as calmly as if he'd merely been reading today's newspaper. "Let's see... Sonic the Hedgehog, born on the twenty-third of June in 3991 on Christmas Island, though there's no record of any parental guardians?" He cast a glance at Sonic, probably excepting some form of explanation.

Well he wasn't getting one...

Sonic simply shrugged his shoulders in response. "I never knew my parents. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember."

"I'm truly sorry to hear that." And he did actually sound sincere when he said it.

"Don't be."

After a moments silence, Commander Rhys continued— "If I've undestood it coreectly, you have an adopted brother - a Miles Prower, born 3998 who's recorded to have at the age of four ran away from the South Island Orphanage. To then, at the age of eight, save Station Square from a missile attack from Doctor Robotnik.. Yes, I remember that, impressive no doubt." Sonic tried to stifle a smirk, but the Commander paid no mind to it. "I suppose he takes after his older brother, eh?" Once again, Sonic just shrugged his shoulders. To him, Tails was a hero in his own right, and while some of his behaviour had certainly rubbed off on his little brother there were also a remarkable differences between them. Tails was a natural born genius with a much more logical and foresighted view of the world than him, to only name a few. With or without his influence, he surely would've grown up to become just the same brilliant and kind-hearted kid he was now.

When Sonic didn't engage in the conversation, Commander Rhys shifted focus and brought forth another folder. "Say, Mister Sonic, you live out on the country side, yes? A few miles off of The Mystic Ruins? With a-" He threw an eye down at the newly opened folder, probably only for effect "-Miss Amy Rose, who's your..-"

He waited for Sonic to fill in the sentence, but when he didn't instead just stared back, the Commander did it anyway.

"..fiancée, correct?"

Sonic tried to look indifferent, and with a terse tone answered— "Yes."

Where was the Commander going with all these questions anyway?

However, the man looked pleased, glancing back down the folder regarding Amy on the desk. "I must say she has quite a record - breaking into Prison Island at the mere age of twelve, aiding in the prison break of none other than her current fiancé."

Sonic had half a mind of saying something mockingly over the fact but decided against it, he opened his mouth to immediately shut it again. However, the Commander picked up on it, misinterperting the reaction. He smiled somewhat graciously and said in a voice that Sonic guessed was meant to sound reassuring, but instead came off as condescending. "Don't worry yourself, Mister Sonic. it has since long been discharged, especially since you were found innocent in the end. It's nothing that will be held against her, not now nor in the future."

"Yet you still feel the need to keep it recorded in a file."

Commander Rhys kept his smile, probably pretending not to have heard him and glanced down at the folder once again.

"No records of any family, nor place of birth. Multiple instances of aiding in the preservation of Station Square against Doctor Robotnik's acts of assault... Yes, many recorded cases, right up until roughly one year ago." He paused for a moment, studying Sonic with a curious glint in his eyes "How come - if I may ask?"

The fact that this unknown man spoke to him about Amy in such a way made Sonic's nerves tighten and his fists to bawl. While, at the same time, the memory of a distant summer's day flashing by inside his mind...

The nervous feeling in his gut.

The feeling of his heart pounding so hard against his chest.

The way her dress had fluttered in the gentle breeze, and how he'd finally mustered up the courage to go down on one knee and—

"We... got engaged." Sonic mumbled and averted his eyes down to his knees, not wishing to spoil the image by meeting the piercing eyes of the Commander. It felt almost too private to say out loud, and being under the watch of all the guards and the human opposite him didn't exactly make him feel less uncomfortable. If he hadn't wished to discuss the matter with Rouge before, he most definitely didn't want to talk about it in front all of these complete strangers.

Suddenly, Sonic felt how the frustartion had bubbled up inside of him during their talk, and he already longed to get out of this room, this building and this entire city all together. Why was he even showing him these files in the first place? To intimidate him? Or did he actually think it was a way of earning his trust somehow?

Long car rides, guns, cryptic questions and cramped rooms had began to take a toil of him.

"What's it to you anyway?" He ultimately snapped back, instinctively drawing his left hand, where his engagement ring was positioned, out of everyone's view. "I thought Rouge said you wanted to discuss something important with me, not play twenty questions about my life." Immediately realizing that he'd lost his cool, Sonic tried to regain his nonchalant tone once more, runnning a hand through his quills before giving the Commander an impatient look. "It was important, now wasn't it?"

The guards around the room exchanged a glance with each other while Commander Rhys still maintained his patronizing expression, very much like as if he was having a conversation with a child. "Of course, please, do excuse me. I had no intention of offending you or your fiancée in any way." He said, calmly. "I am of a very curious nature, you see, and insteresting characters such as yourself have a way of bringing that side out of me. But you are absolutely right - let us proceed to the more important business at hand."

With a brisk movement, he closed the folders in front of him and dicarded them to the side. Then the Commander changed into a most formal tone—

"As I'm sure you're aware, Doctor. Ivo Robotnik has been causing quite the havock all over Mobius for many years now - acts of terrorism, destruction of gouverment property, tyranny directed at both this planet and others, even going so far as to blowi up half of our moon - just to name a few offenses and deeds of downright evil on his part." A subtle frown then appeared between his eyebrows. "My predecessor, as well as our former President, might have turned a blind eye at certain things, but I am glad to inform you that G.U.N will have a much stronger involvement in preventing the activities of Doctor Robotnik from now on."

Sonic must admit that he was surprised to hear this new Commander so openly condemn the actions of not only the previous Commander, but the previous President too. As a carefree teenager who'd preferred dealing with everything himself, Sonic hadn't been too bothered by either of those two's lack of real action against Robotnik in the past. The previous President had been sympathetic enough, he guessed. And while the old Commander had bettered himself, he'd still had some apparent issues with his mental stability and was most likely ridden with paranoia due to his many years in G.U.N.'s service.

Now they were both gone.

One retired while the other one hadn't ended up getting re-elected.

As much as Sonic lacked interest in politics, he'd naturally been forced to realize that some changes in Station Square were hard to just go by him completely unnoticed. He reluctantly listened back in on the last part of Commander Rhys' monologue—

"We intend, to once and for all, bring Doctor Robotnik to justice for his crimes against Mobius, and with any means necessary shut down his illegal construction of robots and other large scale damaging weaponry." He waited in silent anticipation for Sonic to say something and perhaps praise him for coming to that conclusion, but got no such response.

Instead the blue hero in front of him merely shifted in his seat and said—

"Well, that sounds good and all, but he's not as easy to 'imprision' as one might think."

An almost amused tone appeared in the Commander's voice. "Are you doubting our competence, Mister Sonic?"

"Not at all, but as far as I know I haven't seen G.U.N trying to help all the villages across Mobius that he's been targeting recently. I doubt locking him up will bring back the loved the ones of the families he's wrecked there..."

Sonic witnessed how something seemed to flare up in Commander Rhys' eyes for a brief second, but on the surface he remained perfectly calm when he answered.

"Well, as the self-proclaimed hero of Mobius you must've had plenty of chances to hand him over to us. And as you seem so upset over his supposed recent atrocities - why haven't you put an end to his nefarious deeds, hm? Everyone knows you certainly have the power to do so."

Sonic blinked.

Had the Commander just insinuated what he think he had?

"I'm no killer." Sonic spat out with a new found defiance evident in his voice, his blood was boiling as he resisted the urge to jump to his feet. "Whatever's snapped within Robotnik's psyche as of late, I have no idea. Maybe he's sick or something... and if he is - I certainly can't help him. It's when he starts attacking innocent people that he becomes my problem, not otherwise."

Something about that answer seemed to please the Commander as he replied with an almost sickeningly velvety tone—

"Mister Sonic, I understand if the excitment and thrill of continously bringing down the villian and being presented as a hero is very much a tempting and rewarding lifestyle - and such attitude might be eligible to a teenager - I may remind you that you are a young man now. Robotnik's crimes are no longer of the nature to that of capturing mere woodland creatures..-"

"You think I let Robotnik get away on purpose for all these years and continue to hurt people just to make myself look good? To gain the status of being a hero over and over again?"

"You misunderstood me. Your actions are very much worth of praise and I do not doubt your intentions nor your courage. But we stand before a new era, Mister Sonic, an era that can't rest on the shoulders of a twenty-two year old with the mindset still of that to a juvenile. After all and as you yourself have already said; innocent lives are at stake and-"

This time around, Sonic couldn't contain himself.

He leaped out of his seat, ignoring the instant cocking of guns from the guards, and slammed both of his hands down at the desk. Hard.

"You wanna speak to me about lives?" He practically spat forth, locking eyes with the man before him. "I've protected this planet and all its people for more than half of my life. I've done more than you or anyone else in this darn organisation put together! It has cost me friends, and loved ones of countless others, as well. I've seen it first hand and there are things I will never be able to forget - so don't talk to me about being ignorant because G.U.N. haven't batted an eye to help those innocent lives you suddenly claim to care so much for!"

Every gun in the room was now pointed directly at him, whether they were loaded with bullets or some sort of tranquailizer he didn't know, nor did he care at the moment. He only focused on the still calm expression on the Commander's face, the human hadn't even flinched in the slightest and his voice was as patronizing as ever.

"As stated before, I can't answer for what my predecessor did or didn't do. Though I'm inclined to say that the G.U.N. has always had the best interest of people in mind, and I could point out quite a few examples where we've acted on many different places across Mobius... But if you have found our efforts to be otherwise I can once again only assure you that our working force will be more apparent in the future." When he was done, he gestured with his hand for the guards to lower their weapons before nodding towards the armchair again. "Please, do sit. I shall bring forth my proposal, as I know realize I probably should've done from the very start."

Sonic reluctantly regained his seat, removing his hands from the desk at the same time. A part of him felt ashamed over having lashed out like that while another still felt like he'd just been slapped and wanted to continue to throw insults at G.U.N and the Commander.

"You need to calm down." His mind told him. "Think about Tails and Amy. Do you really want to risk getting a bullet shot through your head?"

Meanwhile, having opened one of the desk drawers, Commander Rhys had brought forth a single paper. The white arc had tiny black letters printed on it and Sonic's intial thought was that it looked just like—

"A contract..?" He asked, suddenly dumbfounded over the hasty turn of events.

"Precisely. Mister Sonic, this contract invites you to join with the Guardian Units of Nations, serving as an agent of ours in the reestablished mission to take down Doctor Robotnik and bring him to justice. Liberating millions of Mobians from his spreading tyranny."

Granted, this wasn't what Sonic had been expecting when he'd stepped into the room and he instantly regretted to not having pressed Rouge even more for details. She'd claimed it was about Robotnik alone, not joining G.U.N. .

Sonic thought about it for a second.

Him joining G.U.N? It was so utterly ridiculous that he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However the commander looked dead serious and waited patiently for his laughther to subside. Not seeming to be bothered in the least by the reaction.

After awhile, Sonic managed to regain his posture again. "You're joking, right?"

"Not at all."

"I'm practically an ex-prisoner!"

The commander produced a half hearted smile, continuing on as if Sonic hadn't said anything. "Consider how much your cooperation with G.U.N. would mean to the people of Mobius. It'd give them reassurance, and hope above all else, an inspiration to keep on fighting in this dark time. Especially the people of Station Square, who all have Robotnik's recent threat hanging over their heads this very moment."

"I'd be an agent on a leash. And I don't take orders from no one."

"It's a temporary contract, just until we've successfully overthrown Doctor Robotnik."

Sonic still didn't quite follow the Commander's logic. "Why sign me up for a contract when you could already be having the oppertunity to take Robotnik into custody in merely three days? If he's serious about the threat, and I do believe he is, G.U.N. could make sure that he'll be playing right into your hands. Use that force of yours to round him up - I'll gladly help smashing every last robot that stands in your way for free!"

"The keyword being 'if'..."

"Huh?"

"We don't know for certain that the threat has any validation to it or not." The Commander pointed out.

"Well yeah, maybe, but it's not like he hasen't attacked Station Square before. Just for the heck of it." Sonic shot back.

"But in that case, this time it wouldn't just be 'for the heck of it', as you put it. He claims you have something that he desires. Do you have any idea of what he might be referring to, hm?"

In all honesty, he hadn't had any time to ponder over that yet. "I don't know. A Chaos Emerald I recently took from him is all I can think of. And since he might be desperate enough, I wouldn't take any chances."

For some reason, Commander Rhys appeared to be please with that vaugue answer. He gave Sonic a calculating look, seemingly pondering with himself to then ultimately asking—

"So you think we should evacuate the city then, Mister Sonic?"

Sonic nodded.

Better to be safe than sorry when it came to other people's lives.

"Yes, I do. Me and my friends can help with that - you know, help everyone keep calm and lift their spirits. We've done it once before."

The Commander nodded as well, his eyes suddenly lightning up again. "Very well. We shall issue an emergency evacuation of Station Square, beginning tomorrow." He sharply turned his head around. "Agent Willa." One of the surrounding agents stepped forth, raising her hand to her helmet-covered forehead in a swift motion. "Report of the evacuation order to Hawk right away, tell them I'll be there shortly to go over the plan."

"Yes, Commander!" The addressed agent called loudly, before exiting the room.

Sonic also made a movement to get up as he guessed the meeting was thus over with that order being issued. But Commander Rhys turned his attention back at him, holding up a hand in a halting gesture as if he was about to ask for one more thing. Again, he slid the contract closer to Sonic.

What now?

"Mister Sonic, please, I have yet to dismiss you. I once again ask you to listen to my offer of joining the ranks of G.U.N. if it should turn out that Robotnik's words are mere empty threats. In that case, we'd need to both locate and come up with a different strategy as to how to arrrest him in the least damaging way possible. It might take longer time than you think, and you're expertise could benefit the cause. We'd be more than happy to welcome you."

"What happened to me being just a mere juveline?" Sonic thought about saying but held it back. He bit his tongue and instead muttered— "I bet."

"You'd undergo the proper training, of course, a maturing experience both physically and mentaly. And for a agile young man such as you, I have no doubt it'd be anything but rewarding as well as challanging. As for your fiancée she'd be free to visit you at any time she'd like during that period, and in case you have any children...-?"

It felt like a rethorical question because surely everyone and their mother would've known if Sonic the Hedgehog had gone and had a child. But he decided to clarify anyway— "We don't."

"Ah, you see I have four of my own." Commander Rhys explained. And for some reason Sonic felt a little bit more at ease at hearing that. Surely a father couldn't have any bad intentions. Maybe he really just wanted to make the world a better place for his children. "I'm sure you understand my desire to rid the world of its evils, so that they won't have to worry about the likeness of Doctor Robotnik conquering our world ever again. You must feel the same way about your beloved fiancée - you'd want her to feel safe, right?"

For a moment Sonic imagined a world where Robotnik no longer roamed free. A world where no one would have to fear him anymore. A world where he could wear his engagement ring without having to hide it. A world where Amy could be his wife... Maybe that life was closer than he realized. Maybe it wasn't so bad to join forces with G.U.N if it meant that all of his friends and loved ones would be safer quicker.

Maybe...

"I do, but... But I can't. I appreciate the offer, and if you plan on bringing Robotnik to justice and lock him up in prison then I can't say that I don't support it. His actions as of late has gotten too serious to let him roam free anymore." Sonic said, sincerely this time as the truth of his own words sink in. "But we are not the same - I do things a certain way, my own way, and I can't compromise with that. I'm sorry."

"Please, Mister Sonic. I did not expect you to give me your answer right away. On the contrary, I humbly implore you to consider the offer in the peace of your own home and leave your answer after we know if Robotnik will strike against Station Square." The Commander said. He then arose from his chair and walked "All I ask of you now is to consider the direness of our situation if he does not, and in that case meet with me again to decide whether your future lies within G.U.N.'s service."

The idea was still laughable and beyond all reason. Sonic disliked the way the Commander had expressed his offer, as if he was a foolish teenager with no real grasp of how the world worked and he should therefore be reformed by G.U.N. somehow. But he also seemed genuine in his desire to cooporate in taking down a mutual threat, and after all there was no harm in pretending to consider the offer - if only just to show good character. And if G.U.N. wanted to put an end to Robotnik and make him serve in prison for his crimes then Sonic at least wanted to be on good terms with them.

But becoming one of their many mindless agents? No thanks.

"I'll think about it." He lied, before getting up from his seat and shaking Commander Rhys outstretched hand.

"Excellent, I'm glad we've managed to come to a mutual understanding."

A very pleased smile stretched across the man's face, patting Sonic almost fatherly on the back as they together walked out the door.

---

Running the entire way from Central City and back home turned out to be very much needed for Sonic. It gave him some time to process all that had been said and agreed upon during the meeting with the Commander. But halfway he had to give up on trying to make sense of it all and instead just let his mind become one with his feet. The darkness around him was comforting, while the stilness of the night felt protective and secure. Away from the chaotic madness that was the city and back into the countryside.

Plains, hills, meadows and forests...

Sonic felt it as if he could finally start breathing again.

He had half a mind of simply settling down to sleep in one of the many meadows, with their soft grass looking very inviting right about now. Only the thought of Amy, waking up in the morning to find he hadn't returned, prevented him from actually doing so.

Subconsciously, his feet sped up.

Pretty soon, Sonic finally arrived outside their cottage. Deciding to go through the kitchen door he jumped over garden fence and found that the lamps in the kitchen were still on.

Amy must still be up. Not that he knew exactly how much the clock was, but he guessed it was well past over twelve at least. To announce his arrival, Sonic whistled the cheerful tones of an old love song he knew she was especially fond of.

The effect was almost immediate.

The kitchen door flung open, flooding the garden with soft light that didn't quite reach him. Out stepped Amy, clad in nightgown and slippers - though it didn't look as if she'd been sleeping one bit. When her eyes detected Sonic in the dark they immediately lit up, and soon she was dashing towards him with her hands clutching the hem of the gown. "So-nic..!" Her voice cracked, and she almost stumbled over her own feet in her eager to reach her beloved.

Sonic began to sprint forward as well, opening up his arms in order to catch her in his embrace. "Amy..!" Once his arms was securely around her waist he lifted her above the ground and spun her around until their lips finally found one other. The usual warmth spread within his chest as the heavenly mix of cherries and strawberries captivated his lips, making him feel slightly lightheaded.

As they drew apart, a yearning gasp escaped Amy's lips as she sucked in a hasty breath of a air before getting her lips captured by Sonic's again.

And again.

And again...

When Sonic remembered that his rose needed to breathe, he forced himself to withstand the desire to keep kissing her. Gently, he placed her feet back down on the ground, but kept his arms around her for support for a brief moment. Once he'd fully come back to his senses, he instead cupped her face in his hands, lovingly stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Amy, I told you not to wait up for me. You should be sleeping sound in bed by now.." He chided but only halfheartedly - Sonic was actually happy to find her awake after everything that had happened tonight. Her presence naturally made all other worries subside.

"I know, but I just couldn't fall asleep." Amy admitted, lowering her head slightly with a timid smile settling upon her lips. "After getting used to sleeping by your side again, it's hard to so suddenly not have you beside me."

"It's okay, I'm here now."

Sonic softly pulled Amy closer to his chest, drawing in her scent which is so much like an actual rose's, but ten times more appealing.

"You must be hungry..." Amy said after awhile, pulling Sonic along as they make their way inside the house.

The thought of food hadn't crossed Sonic's mind during the entire time he'd been away. Sure enough, he hadn't eaten anything since the cake with Rouge yesterday, his stomach growled just then to make him aware of the fact. More so had his run home probably burned the few extra calories he'd had left. "Starving!" He confirmed in mock agony.

It was warm inside the kitchen and smelled pleasently of baked goods that Amy had probably spent the night making. Sonic knew she often used baking and cooking to relieve stress, much like he used running to take his mind off of things.

"I made mushroom pie." She told him while putting the pie in question into the oven for heating before then placing a plate in front of him where he'd settled down at the table. A couple of candles were lit while two emptied tea cups stood across his plate, right next to something he recognized as Amy's pocket calendar.

Without thinking too much of the it, Sonic instead raised a curious brow at the set of tea cups. "Did Cream come over for tea?" He asked.

"Oh, no, Vanilla actually. She said she wanted to keep me company when you were away - so we chatted and did some knitting together. She just left a few hours ago."

"No Cream and Cheese?" Sonic inquired, and when Amy only shook her head he added— "What did you guys talk about?"

To his further surprise, he witnessed how a rosy blush blossomed upon Amy's cheeks as she averted her gaze and turned her attention to the oven. "Oh, you know.. Just women's stuff." She must've heard her own evasive tone for she hastily looked up only to see Sonic smirking slyly at her.

"Uh-huh..."

"Sonic the Hedgehog, don't you look at me like that! Some things are actually private between friends."

Sonic swiftly rose from his seat, approaching his fiancée and encircling his arms around her waist. He chuckled as he saw her flabbergasted expression before whispering playfully into her ear—

"And here I thought that there weren't supposed to be any secrets between husband and wife."

With a light swat of a kitchen towel, Amy broke free from his embrace, backing out of his reach and sticking her tongue out at him. "Well, we're not married yet, mister!"

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that - what if I told ya' I'll marry you on the spot, Miss Rose? Since you're already wearing white and all..."

For a moment it almost looked like as if Amy was actually considering the offer. She rocked gently back and forth on her heels with a thoughtful expression upon her face. But soon enough she seemed to come back to her senses as she merely shook her head and proclaimed with a dramatic sigh— "I'm sorry, I can't - I have a hungry fiancé to feed."

Sonic grinned and went back to his seat by the table. "Aw, shoot..! Well, better luck next time, I guess." Even if it'd only been for fun, he was slightly taken aback by how casually they could joke about the prospect of marriage. A few years back he would've most likely bolted out of the room at the mere mention of it, while Amy would've went into complete "fluffy dream-mode". Albeit not the most romantic guy on the planet now either, Sonic still tried his best to show her that he wasn't too worried about the future he'd promised her.

He had to constantly remind himself to actually dare think beyond the present, beyond the here-and-now, and allow his thoughts to try and grasp the many fleeting possibilities of days that laid ahead of him. But considering everything about Robotnik and G.U.N, his future as of now looked quite uncertain. In an attempt to change perspective, he instead focused on the parts of his future that included Amy.

As if on cue, a shimmering image of Amy clad in a fluffy white dress with her face concealed behind a sheer veil popped up in his mind. Immediately he felt heat rise upon his cheeks.

Okay, maybe now wasn't the best time to be thinking about that sort of things...

Luckily, Sonic was just then served a generous plate of pie. With an appreciative nod to Amy, he then shifted focus onto solely eating.

The savory taste of mushroom and various herbs spread in his mouth when he took the first bite while the pie crust made a pleasent crunching noise. He ate the first few slices so rapidly that Amy pulled a face at his poor table manners, but as he came down to the last two slices he forced himself to truly cherish each and every bite. She had kindly waited to speak about the subject that had kept her mind busy ever since Sonic had left. "So...-" She began, trying not to sound as anxious as she felt. "-How did the meeting go?"

And thus, without going too much into detail, Sonic told her about the whole trip to Central City and the peculiar meeting with the new Commander. He intentionally left out the more sensetive parts of the conversation - for example the fact that there at one point had been about a dozen weapons targeted directly at him. Amy was indeed a strong girl and had certainly been through worse situations than most people were during an entire lifetime. Yet Sonic didn't want to worry her more than necessary, maybe just because he knew how much he'd put her through already.

"-And can you believe it, heh - he actually offered me a place as an agent at G.U.N.! Isn't that something, eh? I was half expecting it to be a joke but the guy was dead serious 'bout it..!"

"Actually, yes, I can..." Amy answered softly, she'd shrunk a bit in her seat while her eyes were fixed on the candles in front of her. "I've feared something like this would happen for awhile..."

Sonic blinked in surprise. "What, why?"

"Oh Sonic, isn't it obvious? People put more trust in you than they do in G.U.N. these days. You're on the news almost daily, you're all of Mobius' hero and every tablooid magazine wants to know what type of sneakers you're wearing."

"That must be pretty boring to read, it's always red and white..."

"-G.U.N. is probably not too slow to pick up on the fact that by recruiting you they'd get a much stronger influence and gain an advantage to any possible adversary if they had control over you."

"I'd never let them control-"

"I know, I know." Amy assured hastily. "And I honestly think that they know it too, that's what makes me worried. Cause, if you're desperate enough, what do you do with a person you can't control?"

Despite his better judgement Sonic answered— "I dunno. You force them, I guess."

Amy nodded solemly, putting a hand to her mouth as she closed her eyes and probably fought back any tears from breaking forth. When she finally spoke again her voice was low and shaky. "What if they frame you for some crime you didn't commit, and- and they arrest you, just like that time they sent you to Prison Island. What if they one day show up at the house and we can't stop them from..-"

Before she could go on, Sonic's hands grasped hers from across the table - gently, he began stroking his thumbs over the back of them. "Ames,-" He began soothingly. "-no one is taking me anywhere, alright? Those G.U.N. goons are all bark and no real bite, trust me. Besides, even if they somehow managed to put me in prison, you'd just bust me out again, remember? Have no fear, Amy Rose is here..!" At that last part he mimicked a familiar high pitched voice, his smile broadning as Amy couldn't help but smile back. "Listen, I offered to help with the evacuation of the city tomorrow, or today rather, to make sure everyone gets to the safe zones alright. And I'd really wanna have you and Tails by my side for that. What do you say?"

"Of course I'll help." Amy answered before suddenly remembering something. It was something Robotnik had said during his threat against Station Square. Something he wanted - from Sonic. She had just assumed it to be "all of chaos emeralds" like usual, but, as far as she knew, Sonic only had one emerald in his possession at the moment.

Sonic had mentioned that G.U.N. most likely, in this very moment, constructed a plan to capture the Doctor as soon as he approached Station Square, but what if they failed?

Would then a single emerald be enough to save the entire city?

And what if it wasn't..?

She drew a quick breath. "Sonic... what is it that Robotnik wants from you? Is it really just the emerald?"

Sonic felt his throat tighten and a heavy stone drop inside his stomach.

When the Commander had asked him the same question he'd been telling the truth. In that moment he hadn't known, or at least he'd thought he didn't know. The emerald was after all only a guess on his part. An educatd guess, but still only a guess. And now. as he met Amy's beautiful, and currently anxious jade eyes, he for some reason couldn't bring himself to give the same answer.

Did he actually know?

"Her." A tiny voice whispered in the back of his mind. "He wants her."

No. That's impossible.

"First Metal Sonic, then the threat against Station Square, and that gnawing worry that's been growing ever since you came back home - it's all connected... He knows. You've known it too."

No!

"Sonic..?"

"The emerald." He said firmly. "He wants back the emerald I took from him. Remember, I wrote about it in one of the letters I sent ya.'"

It was true that Sonic had taken an emerald from Robotnik not too long ago, the red colored one. He had used it to power a particularly big, and deadly robot during his raid against one of the unfortunate villages in Chun-Nan. But luckily Sonic had managed to fend of the robot and then ripped the emerald straight from it's core. That had naturally left the Doctor fuming with rage over his wrecked creation and loss of an emerald. Now Robotnik only wanted it back to most likely just power yet another robot with, that's all.

That's all.

"But don't worry, Amy-" Sonic continued, softening his tone and squeezing her hands gently. "-I'm not planning on letting him have any of the emeralds any time soon. And I'll make sure to kick his huge butt all across Mobius before he even gets the slightest of chance at damaging Station Square. I promise you - everything will be all right."

Amy let out a sigh, although a vaugue smile returned to her lips while her cheeks regained their rosy hue. "I know I shouldn't worry so much, I'm sorry. It's just that I love you so much..."

"And I love you."

They shared a tender kiss, Sonic's arms embracing her around the waist while Amy's hands rested against his chest. He knew that he would need to hold her close tonight. His entire being needed to feel her soft skin against his, to hear her heart's every tiniest and fragilests of beats. "We should probably get some sleep if we're gonna be of any use during the evacuation." He murmured against her quills. In response, Amy uttered a low humming noise in agreement, he figured that, much like him, she was probably out of things to say for tonight. Too tired to formulate words or uphold another conversation. He glanced around the kitchen - it was quite messy from all the cooking and baking.

As if one cue, Amy said— "I'll be right up, I'm just gonna clean up a bit around here."

"I'll help ya-"

"No, no, it's okay. I'm fine. You're more exhausted than I am."

Despite his trip, Sonic still seriously doubted that. But she seemed keen on it and he guessed she might just need a minute to herself, in which case he wouldn't argue about it. He had been able to process all of the night's information as he'd ran home, and now Amy probably needed to do the same.

"Okay, I'll wait for you upstairs." He kissed her again, lingering a bit longer this time. "Don't take too long."

Only once he'd opened the door to their bedroom had he realized how flirty that must've sounded. Sonic shook his head in spite of himself, continuing into the little bathroom to splash some water on his face. The cool water made him a bit more alert, and would help him withstand the looming drowsiness a while longer - since he still needed to remain awake until Amy fell asleep before him. He wanted to be sure that her dreams were sweet, or at least not of the nightmare kind.

For a brief moment he debated whether he should take a hot shower to relieve some of the tension in his muscles, but decided that it could wait until morning.

The bedroom laid quiet in the dim lights from the lamps on the two nightstands, but also from a kerosene lamp that stood on Amy's dressing table. Spread out on the surface were multiple cards that had been drawn from a big deck. All of the cards had beautiful drawings both back and forth with the former all in a matching print and colors of purple and maroon. They had certainly seen better days with their tattered edges, and slightly faded colors and motives. Sonic recognized them as Amy's tarot cards - her oldest and most precious of keepsakes from her childhood. She couldn't remember a time where she hadn't had them in her possession so she secretly clung to the possibility that they might've belonged to either of her parents.

Even if the probability of that was highly unlikely, he knew the cards also held a certain soft spot in her heart because they had once led her to her destined meeting with him.

Sonic's own personal belonging was so scarce that he could've easily carried it in a rugsack. The things he kept on him at all times were of course his beloved sneakers, and a photo of him, Tails and Amy taken a sunny spring day a few years back. They had visited Knuckles up at Angel Island for a picnic, though the stubborn echidna had firmly declined to be in the photo. Still, in the last second Sonic had managed to jank one of his arms into frame as the flash had went off. Knuckles had taken a hard jab at him for the deed, but it had totally been so worth it.

Another thing of his, that was resting upon a shelf above the dressing table, was a tiny metallic necklace with a green bauble attatched to it. Sonic could barely wear it around the cuff of his glove as a sort of bracelet, but it was significantly more than a mere accessory.

It had once belonged to Light Gaia, or as Sonic had called him - Chip.

As he carefully traced a finger across the bauble's surface, a wave of memories washed over him.

The whole Gaia incident had been one of the most challenging and difficult times in Sonic's life, both physically and mentally. The threat of the end of the world. His.. forced transformation, Robotnik's scheming in the background, a confrontation against an enormous, ancient god that had almost cost his life. And ultimately - the loss of a very dear friend. Chip, who in many ways had reminded of a child in his way of being - whimsical, goodhearted, with a naive curiosity of life and the biggest sweet tooth. Despite their dangerous journey to save the world, he had remained faithfully by Sonic's side, albeit occasionally scared and a bit annoying. Yet, when the time had come for Chip to meet his destiny, he had done so with his back straight and head held high.

It was a most overwhelming thought to ponder that his old friend now slumbered somewhere within the very depths of Mobius, and would do so for thousands of years, only to someday arise and uphold the order of the universe.

Never to meet Sonic again.

A melancholy feeling settled inside his chest as he sighed and gently put the trinket back in its place - leaning against a photo album filled with photos from their adventure together.

Running a swift hand through his quills, trying to shake off the feeling, Sonic then turned his attention back to the tarot cards on the table.

Had Amy tried to get a prediction of the future?

He glanced down at the four cards that were facing upward, laying in a neat row beside one another. The card furthest to the left depicted a tower on a rock in the middle of the sea, the second showed a feminine silhouette standing between two trees. The third, resembling a sun, was turned upside down, and the last one made the least sense as it merely showed a solitary figure surrounded by what looked to be four golden goblets.

Having no experience within the field of fortune-telling, and seriously doubting the authenticity of it all, the images made no impression on Sonic. At least neither of the cards seemed to depict anything too ominous - the last thing he wanted was for Amy to walk around feeling anxious due to what some silly cards had supposedly 'foretold'. But since Amy strictly refused to listen whenever he criticized the cards in the slightest, he knew better than to mention anything of it. Her argument was that considering everything they had all been through and all that existed in their world - magic stones, spirits, ancient gods and storybooks that could summon people, just to name a few - then reading tarot cards was the least odd of them. Truly there was no room to be skeptical about anything anymore, she'd claim.

And sure, strange stuff tended to happened around their gang, especially himself.

But even more the reason to hold onto the belief that there still existed some form of logic in the world, and that certain things, like tarot cards, were only just a regular deck of cards. Maybe a little bit of Tails had rubbed off on him in that regard. Or maybe it was because the thought of the future already being set in stone secretly terrified him.

No, people make their own futures. Period.

Sonic walked over to sit at the edge of the bed and began taking off his shoes and socks, removing his gloves as well. Then he laid on his back for a while, staring up at the ceiling and focusing on simply staying awake. Minutes passed... This bed had always been so soft... Amy's lovely scent seemed to wrap itself around him like a blanket, the warmth being so comforting... He nearly nodded off right then. But by pure instinct he just couldn't fully slip away. Before he even knew it, his feet was leading him out the bedroom.

There was not a single sound coming from the kitchen.

"Amy?" Sonic called as he made his way down the stairs.

No answer.

Within the quarter of a second had a rush a adrenaline shot through his body.

"Amy!"

Just as a flash of horrible scenarios went through his head, he sprinted into the kitchen - his eyes quickly scanning the room for any danger. And then—

Instant relief washed over Sonic as he found Amy sitting just where he'd left her. Sound asleep - with her head on the table.

---

Small circles of smoke rose to the dark sky as Rouge took another puff of her cigarette. Silent tears trickled down her cheeks, but her sapphire eyes showed no emotion, only... cold weariness.

She leaned against the railing of her balcony - of her penthouse apartment, located on the finer streets of Central City. Perhaps she was leaning a bit too far out and perhaps the wine she'd drunk before had lost it's appealing taste a little quicker than usual, but Rouge couldn't remember if she cared about any of it anymore. Down below, the street was just as busy as always. Traffic never stopped in this city nor did the people ever seem to sleep, and she found the constant activity to be soothing rather than unnerving. In the noise she found herself being able to somehow shut her own inner thoughts out. To drown all feelings and thoughts in the haze of smoke, and watch them dissolve into nothing over the rooftops.

The loud sound of a couple of screeching tires followed by yet another couple of angry voices reached her ears.

Rouge blew out a new stream of smoke.

A few droplets of tears dropped down at her feet.

Shit. She forgot to buy a new pack of cigarettes this morning.

A cool breeze swept by, making her pull the silky bathrobe closer to her otherwise naked body.

She leaned out another bit further.

Suddenly the sliding doors behind her opened, and soon a pair of heavy boots stepped out on the balcony.

"It's not safe to lean over the railing like that. Especially since you've been drinking."

Shadow's deep, stoic voice was barely raised, yet carried the same weight as if he'd just shouted at her.

The sarcasm in Rouge's tone was hard not to miss. "Since when did you become my dad? It's pretty disturbing considering what we've just done, but if that's what you're into, I guess...- Want me to start calling you daddy as well?"

"Are you done?"

"Just quit saying shit like that."

"Okay."

Rouge glanced back and saw Shadow taking a seat by the glass table, lighting a cigarette of his own and fixating his gaze on her back. Neither of them said a word for almost a full five minutes until—

"Perhaps we should end this, if it causes you too much distress."

"What?" Rouge blinked, stepping back from the railing in order to whirl around and glare into Shadow's ruby eyes. She even put her hands on her hips. "Didn't I just say-"

"I can sense how it makes you feel." He cut her off, furrowing his brow ever so slightly. "And since we are comrades I wouldn't want it to start affecting our professional relationship. It could cause unnecessary suspicion and tension to arise."

"Oh come on, don't be ridiculous! This has nothing to do about us."

"I know." Shadow assured bluntly. "I know very well who it's about."

"Don't." It was a warning. Low, and icy cold. Rouge was too tired and too drunk to get a lecture from the guy who had the emotional range to that of a rock. Partners or not, Shadow had no right to throw those types of insinuations right in her face while in her current state. With a swift movement, she heaved herself up on the railing, sitting cross-legged on the edge and leaning herself back quite a bit. Trying to provoke Shadow as much as possible she even let the bathrobe drown down along her shoulders, exposing her chest to the warm night air.

A lame attempt maybe, considering her wings would save her from a potential fall, and that Shadow had many a times seen her completely naked - most recently being less than an hour ago.

True enough, Shadow didn't even move a muscle. Seeing her naked never aroused him nor did it interest him seeing naked women, or men for that matter, in general. His generics didn't work the same way as a normal Mobian's did, which in many regards was a blessing but just as much a curse in others. "You've been acting out quite a lot lately." He stated, just as tersely as if he'd announced how today's weather was going to be.

However, the fuse inside Rouge instantly lit up.

"I have been acting out? You're gone so much that the only time I get to see you nowadays is when you're literary pounding me!" She shot back sharply, her cigarette slipping slightly. "What's that about, huh honey? Has our new Commander taken a shine to you? Are you suddenly too important now to meddle with us low class agents?"

"Your deflecting is as pointless as it is pathetic, Rouge. Please, don't lower yourself to make this about something as pitiful as envy, for I know it is not."

"Maybe you don't know as much as you think you do."

This time, Shadow didn't answer.

Instead he closed his eyes, exhaled some smoke only to then crush the cigarette against the table's glass surface.

"I met Blue boy today, I was assigned to bring him in. Chaos, It already feels like forever ago..."

"I'm sorry for your misfortune."

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"Him and her. Pinky was practically bubbling with joy... She sends her regards, by the way." She uttered a dry laugh. "Wanted me to tell you that you're more than welcome to come and visit..!"

A pause.

Shadow abruptly arose from his chair. his hands gripping the railing in something akin to a sudden convulsion. He looked ready to either leap off of the balcony or freeze to the spot and never move again. Every muscle in his body was visibly tense, his eyes remaining tightly shut as he let out a heavy breath. If Rouge hadn't known better, she'd guessed he was upset. But Shadow never showed raw emotion in this kind of way - except fury perhaps, yet, his expression now was more disturbed than mad.

Could it be that she'd been mistaken about Shadow's relation to the girl?

No, that was far too unlikely to the point of absurdity.

Was he simply putting on an act as to throw her off?

Rouge snorted. "Am I supposed to take that as a 'no', then? And am I supposed to believe that it upsets you in some way - shocking news, is it? Please don't tell me this some infamous 'hedgehog's pride' thing or whatever...-"

"Would you stop spouting idotic insinuations." Shadow snarled, though his voice died down to it's usual stoic tone at the end. He'd already regained his composure. Staring into empty space as Rouge blew out a long stream of smoke through her nostrils.

It was funny, she never took as much pleasure in mocking her partner as she did others. Perhaps because they, despite whatever mask they chose to put on among others, were too much alike on the inside. Deep down where it really mattered. In some way - his pain was just as much hers. Their bond and history together was embedded within her mind and very skin, reminding her that of everyone in the whole wide world, they only had themselves. They saw through each other's bullshit.

Truly, Shadow was the only other living person on this earth that she trusted with her life.

Damm.

Why did he always have to make it so hard to hate him?

Rouge was just about to reach a hand out to touch his shoulder when he pulled away from the railing.

His voice was back to stiff and cold when he said— "I'm going to be away for a while. I'll see you when I see you." He'd already made it to the sliding doors when he turned back to give his partner one last look. "Just don't forget we are still an unit - you and me. Don't do anything stupid."

And for some reason Rouge knew he wasn't alluding to her currently risky position upon the rail.

"Stupid? Oh, honey... Don't you know who you're dealing with?"

"Remember it well, then. We are not dead yet, Rouge."

"We are not dead." She repeated, looking him straight in the eye, a weak smile forming upon her lips as she said it. "But I don't think we're alive, either. Not really."

And so the cigarette finally slipped from between Rouge's slender fingers, falling down into the dark abyss - as if she'd just dropped a bomb.

---

The Tornado soared through the clouds, gliding on the fresh morning breeze with ease as it's pilot set course towards Station Square.

Tails had naturally agreed to help with the evacuation the best he could along with his two friends. Sonic, in ordinary fashion, stood effortlessly upon one of the wings of the plane as he as many times before relished in the rushing wind grazing his cheek. Amy, on the other hand, sat securely seat belted behind the pilot's seat, occupying herself with reading a book. There wasn't much to do in the small passenger's space except stare out at the charming views and landscapes that passed beneath them. But right now she felt she needed to distract her mind and not let it wander. Although, the book wasn't doing much to help her in that regard either, as she'd mindlessly began doodling along the edges of the page instead of really focusing on the words.

Nothing seemed to be able to ease her worry today.

So, while letting out a gentle sigh, Amy closed the book and put it aside.

With his ears easily picking up her sigh, even over the sound of the wind, Sonic shifted his posture slightly in order to glance down upon her. He crouched down into a sitting position and then reached his hand out towards her, his palm flat upwards - encouraging her to lay hers on top of his. A warm smile spread across his lips as Amy's delicate hand laid to rest on his, to which he then tenderly enclosed with his fingers. Wordlessly, he renewed her spirits with hope, the hope that everything would turn out alright. As well as lending her some of his strength with a confident wink and quick squeeze of her hand.

Sonic then turned his head to his little brother. "Hey, Tails! Put some music on, would ya?"

"Okay!"

With one hand Tails leisurely reached over to open up a glovebox-like compartment located to the side of the cockpit. It was stuffed to the brink with various necessities one might need, but there was also a small selection of cassette tapes of which he picked one at random and then inserted it into the right player. After a few sparking noises, and Tails giving the dashboard a light smack of his palm, there soon came the sound of instrumental rock blaring out.

"All right! A good ol' classic!" Sonic called appreciatively, instantly pretending to be rocking out on an imaginary elecrtric guitar. Making both Tails and Amy to snicker at his playful antics, or, to Sonic himself - a most serious passion.

"It looks to be a beautiful day!" Tails commented to Amy under his brother's now wailing singing.

"Te-he! Yes, it really feels like summer in the air!"

"Hey rockstar - tone it down, would you? You're scaring off the seagulls!" A wide grin stretched across Sonic's muzzle as he only sang even higher and purposely off-key.

"I think he has a lovely singing voice..." Amy sighed dreamily, giving her fiancé an affectionate look. To which Tails playfully rolled his eyes before turning his attention back ahead. In the distance, the city of Station Square had already appeared. Pretty soon the white beaches stretched out underneath them. But this morning no one was there to enjoy a morning dip.

"Coming in for a landing now, guys!" Tails suddenly hollered, smirking. "Hold on tight!"

They had decided to land a bit off of Emerald Coast so they had to walk a bit to the meeting point, where they'd be receiving their instructions from a G.U.N. agent.

When they arrived there were already large groups of people being escorted inside the train station while others waited to board the oncoming trains. Some wore anxious, nervous expressions upon their faces, some looked totally unaffected, even bored over having to wait for so long. Everywhere stood soldiers from G.U.N. , whether they kept the citizen in line, handed out water bottles, guarded the entrance to the train station or simply patrolled around the area. Each and every one of them carried guns in their belts. Making Sonic instinctively grab Tails and Amy's hands in his and quickly steering them toward the closed off entrance of the Emerald Coast Hotel lobby.

To Sonic's surprise, it was agent Javid that was awaiting their arrival. Looking just as stale and serious as he'd done the last time the young hero had seen him.

"Mister Sonic the Hedgehog, sir - we meet again." Agent Javid greeted, saluting them as they approached.

"Yeah, what's up!" Sonic responded with a smirk, shaking his hand. Perhaps a bit too vigorously this time around. "This is my little brother Tails-"

Naturally, Tails and Agent Javid shook hands. The young fox smiling nervously as they did, but tried to mask it with a simple "Hello.".

"And Amy Rose, my—"

For a fraction of a second, Sonic hesitated.

This morning, like most mornings, he'd hidden his engagment ring under his glove. But Amy's ring sparkled proudly over her gloved finger in the brilliant morning sun as usual. He'd already been made clear that G.U.N. knew of his engagment to her - he'd been pressed to openly admit as much. Still, he inwardly tensed up as he finished the introduction—

"-my fiancée."

Agent Javid bowed his upper body slightly, and, with surprisingly gentleness, shook her hand. He could apparently tell, by simply giving her a single glance, that she was just as dainty as she looked. His hard stare softening ever so slightly. "Miss Rose.. A pleasure to meet the family of Mister Hedgehog."

Tails and Amy exchanged an uncertain glance between themselves. They were both slightly intimidated by the tall and serious agent, who also carried a gun in a holster around his waist as well as a longer rifle-looking gun upon his back.

"We're only happy to help." Amy answered shyly, curtsying.

"And G.U.N. appreciates your generous assistance, young lady. Now, to the business at hand...-"

The people of Station Square had been issued to evacuate by train to a safe zone located near Central City in the early morning hours. The city had also been divided into different sections of evacuation order, and all citizen had been informed which section they applied to. Although most already knew what was expected of them since the section system had been used before in various cases of emergencies. Previous Robotnik attacks, and most notably the Black Arms Invasion had been one of those instances, and that incident was still pretty fresh in people's memory.

This time, however, the threat level was uncertain.

Some even planned to be well and back within a mere couple of days - which was just what G.U.N. had promised - while others packed up and left their homes with a slight sense of anxiousness. There were also a few people who had already left the city on their own accord, simply viewing it as a opportunity to take a spontaneous vacation.

Despite it all happening so fast, Agent Javid informed them that the Commander was confident people would handle the evacuation most excellently.

"—If everything goes according to plan, we'll have most of the city evacuated by tomorrow morning. Nearby towns and villages has been informed of the situation as well, and been advised to either evacuate their homes or adapt other saftey precautions. We've also sent out people to monitor these areas, just in case."

Sonic resisted the urge to raise a brow at hearing all of this.

Commander Rhys was apparently keen on making sure he knew he'd been serious about his promise...

It was probably something he should've seen coming, but now when he was expected to express himself Sonic grasped for the right words. He didn't wanna buy into the whole charade, yet he guessed the agent standing before him had most likely no part such a thing, so acting disrespectful or unthankful was merely pointless. And despite hidden intentions people were at least being protected. For now.

"Well, that sounds good. I don't want innocent people to get hurt because of the bad blood between me and Robotnik." Sonic commented, realizing that 'bad blood' was to put his relation with the Doctor awfully mildly, especially nowadays. And even more so considering they were in the middle of a literal evacuation because of it. But not wishing to dig deeper into it in Amy's presence, he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, where do you reckon we can help out the most right now?"

"The Commander figured that due to the heroic status you posses among the citizens of Station Square, your task is mainly to boost morale and give the crowd calm in knowing they can trust in G.U.N.'s handeling of the situation." Agent Javid answered in a stiff, matter of factly-type of tone.

"You mean I'm to just walk around like some sort of mascot?" Sonic questioned flatly.

"Think of it more as being a symbol of hope to the people."

"Right.."

Sonic had thought something more along the lines of saving people out of collapsing buildings, like when the gigantic Perfect Chaos monster had flooded the entire city all those years ago. Of course, the situation now wasn't as dire as back then, so he had no other option than to bite his tongue and settle for the task. No matter how mundane it sounded, he should probably still be thankful for it.

Next, agent Javid turned to Tails and Amy.

"You two may help handing out provisions. The weather is forecasted to reach high temperatures so all the people being evacuated will need plenty of water. There have been put up specific provision stands as well." He paused briefly, turning his gaze to Amy, and then said— "Perhaps Miss Rose is more suitable to assist at the stands. She shall be better shielded against the heat there."

Sonic, who appreciated the suggestion, turned to his fianceé and gently stroked her cheek - her fair peach complexion blossoming in a lovely rosy color as he did. He could tell she was hesitant at being seperated from him and Tails, and to tell the truth, he wasn't too thrilled about it either. Not when basically every G.U.N. soldier was armed and not too friendly.

But now was not the time to argue...

Thus he gave her his most reassuring of smiles. "It's okay, Amy. We'll see each other soon, all right?" In return, Amy mustered up her confidence, giving him a smile of her own. She nodded.

"Yeah, we can meet up at lunch later!" Tails chimed in, cheerfully.

Agent Javid then witnessed how the three friends joined in one big hug.

It would take until late noon that they could all meet up again, settling down outside one of the many locked up cafés that, despite the evacuation, had left their outdoor seatings still accessible. Tails had luckily managed to find an empty table, though only two chairs, which Sonic insisted his little brother and Amy to take. They ate the lunch Amy had prepared this morning - consisting of neatly cut sandwiches and a few pears from their garden, as well as three bottles of water she'd been allowed to bring with her from the provision stand.

Looking around at the crowding people, who all sweated profusely in the imense heat, Amy felt a terrible guilt well up inside her chest. Especially the children who either clung to their parents or simply tried to fan themselves with their tiny hands. Those poor families. Forced to abandon their homes without knowing if they'll even have a home to come back to again. It must be just awful. And in that moment she wished she could've had enough food to give away to all of them... Suddenly she lost all the appetite she'd worked up. With a heavy sigh she discarded her water bottle and slumped back in her seat.

Sonic, who leaned against the café building's window, had just finished munching on a pear. Misinterpreting Amy's sigh for fatigue, he attempted to cheer her up by saying— "Hey Ames, check this out!" He then proceeded to throw an olive from one of the sandwiches high up in the air and trying to catch it in his mouth. Unfortunately, the olive just barely missed his open gap and instead splattered down on the ground.

"Wow, impressive. Hey, Amy, we should try and sell him to the circus!" Tails said in mock wonder, trying to hide his snicker behind his sandwich. Earning himself a playful shove in the back head by his older brother soon after.

"Oh zip it, pixel-brain."

"Hey now, I actually use my brain at least!"

Their lighthearted banter caused the corners of Amy's mouth to stretch into a small smile. She soon interrupted their bickering by clearing her throat and gesturing with her hands, catching the boys' attention again. "I'm sorry, guys. I guess the whole situation is getting to me a bit... I just...- wish we could do more for these people."

Sonic's expression softened remarkably as he looked down upon her where she sat with her head hung low. Her caring nature making his heart to surge with warmth and love, igniting his own spirits anew. Croaching down beside her, he took her hands into his. His voice lovingly tender as he proclaimed— "You have done everything you-"

Then it happened.

A deafening, world shattering burst.

An explosion that tore open the atmosphere and ripped every sense of safety apart.

The pavement beneath them shook violently, causing multiple tables to fall over as well as people. All while bits of concreet loosened from the surrounding buildings, and several windows crack or simply shattering all together. The convulsion also caused Amy to fall off her chair with a cry of surprise, but Sonic just managed to dive underneath her body and catch her before she hit the ground.

Unfortunately, Tails landed square on his rear. "Ow.." He winced as he gradually and shakily got to his knees, looking around their surroundings in great shock and confusion "W-what's going on?" But no one had the capacity to register anything before a wave of distant, muffled, yet bloodcurdling screams of hundreds of people rose up to the skies, somewhere beyond their square.

"Tails, you okay?" Sonic shouted urgently as he was in the midst of lifting a quickly paling Amy onto her feet.

"Yeah, I think so.. But that sounded like-"

"I know, Tails, I know." He watched his brother then turn to his fiancée. "Amy.. Amy, pull yourself together." Sonic whispered her ear with a voice dripping of concern. She shivered greatly and had to grasp ahold of his arm to steady herself, her knees pointing slightly inwards as her gaze swept all around the square. In vain, he tried to make her to look at him, but she had her eyes fixed at all the people surrounding them.

"Sonic..." She finally managed to breath out. "S-Sonic, all-... a-all those p-people.."

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine." He reassured, before handing her over to Tails who in turn proceeded to hold her around the shoulders in an attempt to keep her, as well as himself, from sailing down on the ground again.

Around the trio rose the worried voices of the people who had now managed to come back to their senses filled the air—

"What's happening?!"

"Oh Chaos, have mercy on us!"

"Mommy, I'm scared!"

"Does anyone know what the heck is going on?!"

Taking a leap and swinging himself up a lamp post, Sonic got a better view of the square and could more easily be seen. Naturally his voice took on a vigorous, yet calming tone and loudly called out— "Hey, Is everyone all right?"

Almost all of them, including some of the G.U.N. soldiers, turned their attention to him, the fear in their eyes being put to rest by the mere precence of the hero of Mobius. "Look! It's Sonic!"- many of them called out in relief while others uttered enthustiatic cheers, they crowded around the lamp post as if by simply being close to him would somehow keep them safe. But their momentary consolation was short-lived, for suddenly came a massive fleeing horde of people running from every street leading onto their square. Some bearing fresh burn marks as well as bleeding wounds. The utter panic in their eyes spread like wildfire, railing up everyone anew. In the same instant, Sonic knew he needed to take charge of the situation again and raised his voice even higher to be heard above the raging chaos. "Everyone! Everyone, please, listen to me! Try to keep calm - you need to get yourselves straight to the train station! We will all be fine if just stick together and-"

"Sonic the Hedgehog..!" A familiar voice boomed out over the entire city, completely drowning out all other sounds. Dropping everyone's hearts. Freezing them in fear just as an enormous shadow fell upon the street and the deafening engine of an equally enormous airship hovered into view above them - the infamous Egg Carrier.

It was the unmistakeable voice of Doctor Ivo Robotnik that spoke—

"My deepest apologies for robbing you of such a pleasent afternoon as this, but it's crucial that we may speak. I also apologize for arriving sooner than I first intended. I know it is most rude of me. And regarding the bomb - I was simply forced to make you understand the direness of your and everyone else's current situation. In exact ten minutes I'll drop another bomb. Although, if you cooperate I'll naturally refrain from doing such a thing. Let's say - join me on my fleet for a little meeting or else every last building of your precious Station Square will be obliterated into tiny little bits."

A laughter.

Twisted and wicked beyond any form of sanity.

"I look forward to your arrival with tremensous eager, O' great hero of Mobius. Tick-tock..!"

Robotnik's voice voice off.

The following moment was nothing but an intense silence, so pressing that no one dared to utter a mere breath or move a single muscle.

And then...

—All hell broke loose.

The previous turmoil riled up once again as people now fled for their lives, screaming on top of their lungs. Children's cries echoing. Families trying to hold onto their loved ones. Pushing. Yelling. G.U.N. soldiers having been completely forgotten along with their once organized groups. Now no one even paid them as much as a second glance.

Meanwhile, Sonic still clung to the lamp post as if it was all that left, his eyes sternly locked onto the airship above. Robotnik's words echoing inside his head, reapeating themselves in ultra-rapid.

It's all my fault...

A bomb would drop within mere minutes unless he willingly surrendered himself...

And he had less than ten minutes to do so.

Suddenly, a powerful rush of adrenaline shot through his veins and within a mere second his feet were moving on their own. He pushed through the horde of fleeing people, his eyes dead set on Tails and Amy who had pressed themselves up against the window of the café as not to get trampled. Their hands intertwined in a steel like grip.

"Tails! Amy!"

"Sonic!" They both responded in unison - relief washing over their faces. But Sonic didn't have any time to waste, so he hastily grabbed a hold of each of their hands and told them to hold on as hard as they could. Then he set off towards Emerald Coast where he prayed the Tornado would still be left unscathed. And fortunately enough, once they reached the beach - there it was, perfectly intact.

Tails and Amy both felt a bit winded from the intense and sudden rush, but neither of them got the chance to catch their breaths, none the less utter a single word before Sonic had practically shoved them inside the plane.

"Get her out of here, Tails - now!" He ordered. Any trace left of composure or warmth completely gone from his voice.

It was this voice that made Tails immediately comply, without any protests or questions asked, as he got into the pilot's seat and started up the engine. Amy, however, stood her ground. "Wait, we can't just leave you!" She shouted at Sonic, clinging to his arm as if her very life depended on it. "And what about everyone else?! All those people! We can't abandon them, not like this! I won't! Please, we can help you - right, Tails—"

Without listening to a single word of what his fiancée spouted, Sonic heedlessly interrupted her by grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Listen to me, Amy, I've only got a few minutes to stop Robotnik before he drops another bomb over the city and I don't want you or Tails anywhere near this place if that happens! Do you understand me?" But he didn't wait for an answer as he abruptly scooped Amy off her feet and lifted her into the Tornado, putting her in the passanger's seat. With swift hands he tightened the seat belt securely around her shaking frame, but then he did the mistake of letting his eyes linger on her a second too long.

"Please, I beg you, let us help you." Her sweet, sweet jade orbs gazed at him with such sheer anguish that Sonic's heart began to ache painfully in his chest. Gently, Amy placed her hands above his, causing them to turn stiff around the belt. For what seemed like forever, but what's in reality is merely a couple of seconds, they stared at each other. The sound of the Tornado's engine blending with the distant, chaotic noises coming from within the city.

A tiny shred of doubt then entered Sonic's mind - was he truly doing the right thing?

They'll be safe... A tiny voice reminded him, and that's all he need to snap out of it.

"I'm sorry, Amy. Please forgive me..."

"Sonic..-" Amy whispered, but he'd already left before she could finish the sentence.

Chapter 5: Crossroads

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 5: Crossroads

---

A stream of rugged breaths escaped Sonic's lips. His eyes fixed on the wicked grin that had grown wider and wider upon the face of non other than Doctor Robotnik himself.

Behind him, along all the halls and narrow corridors, he'd left a steadily growing trail of scrapmetal. He'd torn through the aircraft like a tornado, nothing having been able to stop, or even hinder him from reaching the room where Robotnik had ultimately awaited him.

Now nothing stood between them.

Hero and villain.

Like so many times before.

But this time it was different. Sonic could feel it in every fiber of his being.

Robotnik was not the same man Sonic had faught as a child. Not the same man from merely a year ago. Perhaps not even the same man from a week ago.

As always he was seated inside his trusty Egg mobile that hovered a great deal above the floor, a safe enough distance from where Sonic stood glaring up at him. Bald with a large, bushy mustache that was signifcantly more gray than brown these days, and eyes hidden behind a dark pair of darkly tinted glasses. It was strange, given all the years they'd battled each other, but Sonic had never seen his eyes. What color were they? When he'd tried to imagine it he could for some reason only see them as blue - icy blue to be exact. Cold, hard and unforgiving.

When he spoke his voice was raspy with an unmistakeable detestation, yet also with a sense of calm. As if Sonic had merely been late for an appointed tea party. "Sonic, how nice of you to drop in." Then his eyes darted to the door which Sonic had blasted in through, seemingly expecting someone else to come running in as well. Alas no one did, and he muttered something incoherent under his breath. "I see you come alone. Where are the rest of your little annoying friends, hmm? Don't tell me my little surprise accidentally struck them, that would be a most terrible misfortune.." And for a second the Doctor actually appeared bothered by the prospect of it, like it was something he hadn't considered up until now.

But the approaching storm within his mind was immediately settled by Sonic's spiteful reply— "They're already far away from here, far away from you. And if you have any shred of humanity left and don't wish to get kicked into next week, you'll leave the rest of Station Square alone! I'm here now, you've got me where you wanted - so there's no reason to unleash another bomb!"

"Certainly. Although, considering what you've just told me, you have failed at delivering me what I desired and instead sent it away. Thus putting the situation under different circumstances…" Robotnik's grin faded as a sudden twitch went through his body. His tone darkened and he seemed to be talking more to himself than Sonic when he continued. "Yes, very different circumstances indeed… You can't trust anyone to do anything right. No, you gotta do it yourself or else..-"

While Robotnik was busy mumbling to himself, Sonic took the moment to edge closer. Moving sideways and gradually forward while keeping his eyes firmly locked at Robotnik, ready to strike if the Doctor decided to pull something.

In order to distract him further, Sonic loudly proclaimed— "Well, it's your fault for arriving early, I don't have the Chaos Emerald with me."

"Chaos Emerald?" Robotnik abruptly shot his head up.

"Yeah, the one I ripped out from your lil' robot buddy in Chun-nan! I don't have it with me!"

The entire room fell quiet.

Robotnik's face shifted from pale to red in a matter of seconds and for a moment it looked like he was about to start screaming, but he didn't. Instead a harsh, bellowing cackle rose up from his throat and spread around the room, echoing against the steel walls and bouncing back ten times stronger. His hands grasped his big belly as his body shook in heavy convulsions and if Sonic didn't know better he would've thought he was close to having a mental break down.

But the truth was that Robotnik's sanity was probably already long gone.

Sonic stopped in his movements and was just about to demand to know what exactly was so amusing when he got beaten to the punch. Between the fits of mocking howling, he could make out the words that the Doctor spouted forth—

"The rodent actually believes that my masterful mind is in need of some mere emeralds! No, no, - my brilliance exceedes far beyond their so-called-magic. Technology and intellect is the true superiors of this world and is what shall bring me to conquer Mobius and every being upon its earth - living and robotic!"

Sonic grew confused, not about the usual talk of world domination but about him being wrong when he'd assumed what it was that Robotnik wanted from him.

His blood ran cold.

Robotnik didn't care about the emeralds anymore.

Had his worst of fears been correct all along?

No, Sonic refused to believe that.

"What are you talking about?" He asked slowly, trying not to reveal any of the inner turmoil that threatened to surface at a moment's given.

However, his question was left unanswered as Robotnik had just managed to compose himself again and turned his attention to the control panel on his Egg mobile. With a buttom's press a large entryway opened behind him, revealing an enormous robot with legs and arms the size of several logs tied together. A classical big but surely slow robot that could pack a massive punch but hardly catch the fastest creature alive.

Sonic was not impressed nor intimidated as it slowly made its way into the room, taking steps that caused the floor beneath his feet to tremble but his stance to strengthen.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Robotnik's mouth broadened in a joyless smile.

"Allow me to introduce you to an unit of the newly improved E-200 series - E-201 Kappa! His predecessor E-200 was unfortunately mercilessly slayed in Chun-nan recently, which now that I think about it I'm sure you already know."

Just then something clicked within Sonic's mind. It dawned on him that he did indeed recognize this robot - or at least the model. The soulless "eyes", the brightly colored parts of its body - this being painted in orange - and the slightly crooked stance. Throughout the years Robotnik had developed several versions of the E-series, even going as far up as to ten thousand. But now he was apparently reverting back to the old classification. Sonic only knew one robot of the earliest series to still be in use; namely E-123 Omega, but compared to the robot before him Omega was significantly smaller in size. And its "brother" was apparently the same robot who had been powered by the emerald which Sonic had taken.

All of a sudden, the memory of Amy standing between him and the fallen E-102 Gamma flashed before his eyes. He could almost hear her pleading cries in his head like it was only yesterday and not seven years ago.

Begging him to spare her supposedly newfound friend…

"-He helped me before by letting me escape. This robot is different! You don't need to hurt him, okay?"

Different…

Somehow, perhaps in his very own subconcious, Sonic could tell that this robot was also different. But not in the same way Amy had claimed Gamma to be. No, he could feel it just by looking at it - this was set to murder first and foremost. Still it left the question of what, if not an emerald, it was powered by. Could a mere, single critter be kept inside? However, in that exact moment a load of bullets was fired at him, naturally interrupting his train of thought. But Sonic's reflexes easily led him to swiftly evade the bullets by curling himself up into a ball and blasting up the wall and hide among the many pipes that covered the ceiling. A bullet that just barely missed his ankle pierced through a pipe, sending a small stream of some sort of liquid to leak down onto the floor.

Silently, Sonic drew a quick breath.

From up here he had a better advantage point down at both Robotnik and E-201 Kappa, and the many pipes provided good cover. The only problem was that he could just as easily fall and get shot if he wasn't mindful enough of where he placed his steps.

"So this is what you wanted then?" Sonic called down, trying to buy himself some time and also get confirmation of his previous question. "To get it all over with - to finally kill me?" A new wave of bullets got sent his way, narrowly missing yet forcing him to quickly change position and make his way further upwards.

"Oh, my dear Sonic, I've never had the intention to kill you." Came the ridiculous response from Robotnik down below. He hadn't even moved an inch in his Egg mobile and watched idly how Kappa fired away another dozen of bullets before he seemed to get another twitch and abruptly ordered— "E-201 Kappa, initiate standby-mode!" The effect was immediate and the killer robot practically froze in place, with its gunned arm still raised towards the roof where Sonic had pressed himself against a particularly large pipe.

"So, now that I've kindly given you this little demonstration of why the Chaos Emeralds powers are inferior to my machines..-" Robotnik continued as effortlessly as if he had merely shown off an overly ambitious school project. "Let me answer the question as to why it was most crucial that we speak." And then, Sonic didn't know whether he only imagined it or not, Robotnik's voice seemed to duplicate, echoing through the pipes and making him wonder if the Doctor had changed position. He cast a glance behind him and sure enough - he was gone. There ran a unpleasant shudder down his spine which he quickly shook off, listening to the words that were spoken.

"Throughout the years, and through multiple careful observations I've come to realize something. There are many ways to destory a hero, but to have the hero destroy himself there are three specific ways that are proven most efficient - namely; jealousy, betrayal and grief. And I have decided that in your case the last one will serve my plans most sufficient. You can't imagine how long I've waited for the proper moment… You see, when you were a mere juvenile boy with no ties or responsibilities to anyone but yourself, with no grasp of the concept of loss… You were less vulnerable, yes, but also far less of a reward to break…"

There passed a moment of eerie silence. Sonic could only hear the sound of his own breathing. Readying himself to leave his hiding place and strike as soon as Robotnik began monologuing again.

That is if what the Doctor said next hadn't startled him—

"But you're not a boy anymore, are you?" Robotnik pondered aloud in mock wonder, as if he'd just realized that his nemesis wasn't eleven years old anymore. "You're a man... And from what I've gathered..-" Now a wicked, almost insane grin spread across his face while his hands itched, alternating between twisting around themselves and grasping the edge of the control panel in sudden convulsions. "-you've even gone and gotten yourself a little fiancée."

As soon as the word "fiancée" left the Doctor's lips, Sonic's breath hitched as his entire face paled. He could no longer feel his heart. It had stopped dead in his chest. The only functioning part left of his body was his mind which immediately went into default mode. On pure reflex he heard himself snorting loudly and even uttering a brief, mocking chuckle that under the circumstances still managed to sound quite convincing.

"Heh! Now you've really gone off the deep end, Egghead! Has spending so much time with robots finally turned you into a bolt brain as well?"

Robotnik, however, completely ignored the snarky remarks, seeing right through his lie and possibly through his entire being too. Apparently he must've anticipated the reaction, for his grin widened even more. "Denial, how typical. So I'm to assume the golden ring you wear on your finger is simply a fashion choice, hm?"

Without thinking, Sonic's right hand instantly shot to his left one in order to feel if he'd accidently left his engagment ring visible. But instead found that it was safely covered, just like always. Alas, he realized his mistake too late, and hastily pretended to having merely scratched his hand. His eyes darted around the pipes, searching for Robotnik's gaze yet found nothing. All he could do was to somehow keep denying…

"I don't know what you're talking about, Doc. Maybe you've gone off your meds or something-"

But Robotnik interrupted him, his voice now dripping with venomous hatred and satisfaction in knowing he was torturing the blue hero. "What was her name again? Rosy? Rosemary? No, Rose..? Ah! Now I remember...-" He paused for dramatic effect, and then slowly uttered a name. Her name. "Amy Rose. Don't think that I haven't noticed that you've kept her from me. It must be at least over a year since I last saw her sweet little face-"

"Stop." Sonic growled quietly while he clenched his fists tightly.

Yet again, the Doctor ignored him.

"She must be overjoyed. Oh, It feels like yesterday I kidnapped her for the first time and you heroically came to her rescue... It was practically me who put you two love birds together. I'd be thrilled to congratulate her myself - personally."

At that moment, Sonic understood that the game was over - Robotnik knew. He didn't know how he'd figured it out or how he knew that he wore a ring, but the bottom lime was that he did. And now Amy was in danger, a notion which instantly sparking a fire within his chest. An intense, dangerous fire that threatened to spread through him and consume his very mind.

"You will never get close to her, not as long as I'm still breathing…"

"That could be arranged, I suppose." Robotnik said with an all too friendly tone that just as quickly turned deadly. "Though don't flatter yourself, hedgehog. You should know by now that whenever I want something - I simply. Take. It. And I can imagine she has blossomed into quite the young lady by now. Ah yes… must have been something the moment you realized she was no longer just a snotty kid with a silly girl's crush anymore."

"Shut up!" Sonic snarled furiously through clenched teeth. And, like a strike of lightning, he dropped to the floor, right infront of Robotnik who'd crept along the utter line of his vision. With his fists bawled and his blood practically boiling beneath his skin, he stalked towards the Doctor.

"What's wrong, Sonic, did I accidentely strike a nerve? Perhaps a soft spot..? You should think about watching your tone though… If you're not careful I might just make you watch as I tear each and every last petal off your precious little rose—"

That was the last stroke.

It was a threat.

An open threat towards Amy and thus Robotnik might as well have threatened his entire world.

A mighty blow was sent Robotnik's way, sending both the Eggmobile and its owner to the side as Sonic soon after was standing over him upon the control panel of his craft, grabbing ahold of the collar of his jacket and slamming his upper body against the wall.

"Don't you dare speak of her! If you so much as think about ever laying your darn hands on her I swear I'll-"

"E-201 Kappa, engage!"

Robotnik's cry immediately set off the giant robot to act. It's eyes lit up, targeting themselves at Sonic who in the midst of his furious anger failed to evade the powerful swing that was aimed at him. Like a ragdoll he flew across the room, hitting his head and also putting a deep dent into the wall from the impact. But it would take more than that to put down the hero of Mobius, and soon the room was turned into an arena of life and death.

Bullets blazed, hitting everywhere and everything that wasn't blue.

Steam and spots of the slimy, dark liquid slowly filled the room as metal clashed against flesh and bone. Neither backing down for even a second.

After awhile, emerald eyes could barely see through the thick smoke and had to rely purely on instincts.

In the confusion and fighting, Robotnik had slipped out of Sonic's concious as well as his sight. But via intercom he'd heard the ever so familiar maniacal laughter while he dodged, punched, jumped off the walls and curled into ball form - everything it took to ultimately defeat his opponent.

"Just you laugh, Eggface." Sonic thought to himself as he deflected a jab from E-201 Kappa's enormous arm with a spindash, and using the momentum to send himself soaring up towards the ceiling. There he got his hands on a pipe that was barely holding together, ripped it loose and braced himself to pierce it into the robot's eye. "When I'm done with your toy - I'm coming for you…"

But Sonic would never get the chance as suddenly the entire ship violently tipped itself upwards, making him loose his footing and send him plumenting onto the vertically rising floor. Hence, once his bottom hit the ground he inevitably slid down along the floor towards a corner of the room, the ripped pipe still clutched in his hands. Alas the sudden shift had also caused E-201 Kappa to topple over and as the blue hero had previously stated… - the bigger they are, the harder the fall. And so it was sent rapidly crashing towards the same corner wall Sonic had.

Quite literary cornered, sweating bullets and partially blinded by all the smoke, Sonic only had seconds to act before he'd get crushed by a proximately seven ton robot.

"Oh shoot…"

Thinking fast, he began running in place, building up enough speed to send himself up the now fourty five degree floor, managing to just skirt past E-201 Kappa on the side, before ultimately the momentum wore off and he fell backwards. Back to the corner where his opponent laid in a distressed heap, probably not knowing up from down anymore. Sonic, however, in the midst of falling spun himself around in mid-air and aimed the pipe directly at one of its eyes with narrowed determination.

And the pipe did indeed go through the eye.

But so did the bullet that E-202 Kappa fired at the last second before its circuits got severely damaged and began freaking out. Electricity sparking up from within the gaping hole that the pipe had caused.

It was Sonic's right shoulder that received the shot and the cry of pain that left his lips in that same second echoed around the room in a most agonizing way. Luckily, he had enough wits about him that he at least made sure to land on his feet instead of his back. With a trembling hand he reached up to inspect the wounded area while muttering profusely under his breath. "Aargh… Darn it, s-son of a gun..! Huff, dang, that hu-hurt like a..- arrgh!" A good amount of blood stained his glove, but as far as he could tell the bullet seemed to have gone clean through the shoulder. Which was always something, he gussed. And in the absence of anything to temporarily wrap around his shoulder, he had no choice but to resort to taking off his not so stained glove and press it against the wound in order to soak up some of the blood and somewhat stop the worst of the bleeding.

Even though he figured the risk of him slowly bleeding to death was small, Tails had once told him that one could pass out if enough blood was lost.

However he didn't have time to think about that as the entire aircraft took a sudden dive back into upright position, causing Sonic to get hurled backwards off the robot and hit his back ol the floor. A fall that normally wouldn't have faced him made him then screw up his face in discomfort. Meanwhile E-201 Kappa merely sunk motionless down against the ground.

"Hey, are you getting up or what?" Sonic called to it through gritted teeth as he'd just gotten back up on his feet and readjusted the preassure on his shoulder. Naturally, he recieved no answer. "Guess not…"

Reminding himself that he still had to stop Robotnik from dropping any more bombs over the city, and possibly knock the mad Doctor out of the sky he also wondered where the heck G.U.N. was at. Were they too busy leading people to safety? He'd expected at least some form of air force to have arrived by now despite having lost the element of surprise. The thought of somehow taking in Robotnik on his own was not too likely in his current state. Stalling was his best bet, until Commander Rhys would be able to put two and two together and hopefully send his agents to deal with the arrest.

So, on unstable legs, Sonic began running at a tolerable speed out of the steamy room and further out into the large aircraft's corridors in search of the Doctor. If he would only give him a clue as to where he'd snuck off to - an open taunting via the ship's PA system, an announcment of his next move or even just a boasting of his own brilliancy would be better than the eerie silence. No matter which room or outside deck he came across, Robotnik was nowhere to be found. He didn't recognize the layout of the ship either so using any past knowledge as to clue in where he could have his main operating room was out of the question.

At long last, Sonic was forced to take a moment to lean himself up against a wall in a seemingly dead end corridor.

He had to stop and think.

Why would Robotnik hide from him when he'd specifically went out of his way to seek him up and undoubtedly given him a reason to give chase?

Was he even still on the ship?

What was it that he'd failed to deliver?

Was he not seeing something that he should be?

If G.U.N. hadn't shown up this far along, were they even coming at all?

All of these questions spun around Sonic's head on an endless and tireless loop.

"If only Tails were here…"

Glancing down at his shoulder the glove was now completely drenched so he allowed himself a minute to take off the other one and replace it, discarding the other one to the floor. He reapplied the preassure with his the hand of his healthy arm, but then he also noticed just how nauseous his head was feeling and how rapid his breathing had turned. And had the temperature suddenly dropped?

Was there a draft somewhere?

Bending down to his knees, Sonic held his hand out to examine it closer. And sure enough, there was cool air coming from the dead end wall ahead of him as small particles of dust circled around his shoes. Quickly he got up again, sliding himself along the wall with new found strength over the possibility of having finally discovered something. As he approached and got a closer look on the wall he found that it wasn't a wall at all but a hidden door, only revealed by a small gap the reached from the floor and almost all the way up to the ceiling.

Instinctively, Sonic took a stance and delivered a quick, powerful kick to the door. Alas nothing happened. At a second and even a third attempt he was met with the same result. "C'mon! Give me a break!" Sonic groaned aloud as he proceeded delivered three quick blows in a row to no avail.

"Open Sesame!"

He then tried clapping his hands.

"…Pretty please?"

All that was left for the blue hero to do was trying to blast through with a spindash, despite realizing that by doing so he would most likely inflinct even more damage to his shoulder. But seeing as he was at his wits end, and that he just knew in every bone in his body that there was something important behind that door, he decided to take the risk.

Sonic backed up, curled himself up into a ball and mustering up all power that was left he shot forward like a cannon ball and..-

Bang!

Where Sonic's head had hit there was a deep dent. A dent that had forced the two sides of the door to slightly draw apart and creating a wide enough gap for him to stick his hand through.

Not exactly a hole but…

"that'll do…" Sonic breathed out.

His right arm and shoulder now pulsated heavily - the pain was almost numbing. Certainly not a good sign.

With his bare hands he forced the door open and as he pushed his way inside he was left stunned at what he saw. An enormous missile was resting heavily on an even bigger metal ramp that was angled downwards at the supposedly once closed floor but which now gaped open. The majority of the space was actually wide open, leaving the only place to move about being along the walls and behind the ramp itself which in turned led upwards to a dark storage area. If walking closer to the hatchet opening and looking down one could see Station Square far, far below.

A cold sense of absolute dread washed over Sonic as the reality of the situation hit him with renewed force that rendered him unable to think properly for a brief moment.

"A close buttom..!" The logical part of his brain concluded. "There's gotta be a way to close that hatchet and make sure the missile at least doesn't leave the ship." He suspected that the controls that determinated whether the missile was launched or not was located somewhere else, possibly where sitting Robotnik were at. And since Sonic had an inkling that he was being watched right then, he figured it was too late to leave the room to try and find him again. In that case the Doctor would surely fire. He was caught in a deadlock. Finding a way to quickly close up the hatchet without making it too obvious what he was trying to do was his last resort.

Again, Sonic really could've needed his little brother's genius right now.

Letting his eyes carefully scan the surroundings, he desperately searched for anything resembling a control panel, an emergency button of some sort, a lever…-

In Sonic's growing distress and fatigue he failed to notice the pair of red eyes that emerged from within the dark of the storage area above. Silently stalking closer, the light soon revealed Metal Sonic's full metallic body. Tall and deadly. Unforgiving.

The clanking sound resgistered within Sonic's mind and on pure instinct his body turned itself toward his approaching enemy. "Huh..? Metal!?" And within the quarter of a second he'd managed to meet the blow that Metal Sonic then delivered, catching him in a locked parry. Both pushing with all of their might, trying to get the upper hand over the other one. But seeing as Sonic's body was running on borrowed energy and his shoulder was violently protesting against the great effort, his grip soon began slipping mercilessly. Before he knew it, he was being slowly but surely pushed towards the edge - dangerously sliding closer by the second.

If he was thrown off from up here Chaos only knew what would happen… to him, to the city…

Clogged up blood stained his arm, torso and hands. He could feel his concious slipping as he noticed that dark spots flickered in his vision. Cold shivers ran up his spine all while he sweated worse than ever.

Still, a part of Sonic simply refused to give in. Reminded him what was at stake, who he was fighting for… his friends' faces flashed before his inner eye and with one unsion voice they all called out to him, loud and clear—

"SONIC!"

A roaring outcry of the rawest willpower rose up from within Sonic's throat as he threw Metal's arms upwards, dashed forward and safely away from the edge. In the same breath he shoved the robot's body up against the wall with full force. His eyes glaring daggers up at him. "Where's Robotnik? Where's he hiding at? Answer me!" He demanded. "Speak! I know that you can!"

And maybe Metal Sonic would have answered if not in that exact moment a deafening blast erupted.

The G.U.N. air force had arrived and opened fire.

As a result, Robotnik's entire aircraft shook violently due tot the blasts, which in turn made Sonic lose his focus as well as his hold on Metal. A slip up which would have most disastrous consequences… For in those brief seconds of confusion Metal seized his oppertunity - first sending a dire strike against Sonic's wounded shoulder, then slashing his torso and ultimately locking his claw-like hand around his throat in an iron grip. And watching as his adversaty's entire breathing cut off.

Sonic would later not remember exactly what happened next, only that he suddenly felt like he was floating in mid-air and thinking that this was a good enough way to go.

He was flying…

Falling…

Crashing…

Time was moving in slow motion.

He witnessed the missile launching from within the Egg Carrier.

How it seemed like it was falling along side him instead of following him from above.

He saw G.U.N.'s ship, its silver emblem sparkling in the sun.

He even caught a glimpse of Metal's piercing blood red eyes.

They watched him disappear beneath the clouds.

After what felt like an eternity, Sonic felt how his body collided with the hard concrete of the street only to then feel nothing at all. His body had created a crater that soon afterwards got buried by concrete, shattered glass, fragments of people's lives, people's dreams and hopes. Their homes collapsed all around him. There was nothing he could do. Just watch as the city of Station Square became a ruin. Went up in flames. Ceased to exist…

The world was burning.

Sonic figured he must've been too.

Right before his mind finally caved in, he thought he saw the wings of a single flicky in the sky above.

---

"-The tin soldier stood there dressed in flames. He felt a terrible heat, but whether it came from the flames or from his love he didn't know."

Sonic realized he'd listened to her voice long before he'd even awoken.

Amy's soft, sweet voice spoke words that he couldn't yet register the meaning of. He felt detatched from his body, like he was floating somewhere far, far away from this place. He couldn't open his mouth to speak, not open his eyes nor move a single muscle in his fingers. It was like his body wouldn't, or perhaps couldn't, carry out any of the commands his brain sent it.

His sense of perception was gone as well.

Was he laying down?

Sitting?

Standing?

Was he still curled up in that crater back in Station Square?

No, he couldn't be, because Amy was here. His hearing being the only part left of him still in function, and he'd know her voice anywhere. Wherever she was it was safe, which meant he was safe too.

"He'd lost his splendid colors, maybe from his hard journey-"

Slowly memories seeped into his mind, leaving him in silent horror of what he saw.

Somehow he knew he didn't want to remember.

He instead wanted to continue floating between the fine line of being awake and asleep.

Life and death.

Pain and utter painlessness.

"-maybe from grief..."

Within his mind's eye he saw the bomb fall upon him on repeat in an endless, torturous loop.

The dropping, exploding, bursting of flames, fire… intense heat. His body mercilessly hitting the ground, the feeling like all of his bones breaking at the same time.

Despair… Were the people of Station Square safe? His friends… were they safe?

The bomb dropping… exploding….

Sonic tried shut his mind off to the images but failed. It would forever be etched into his mind.

The bursting of flames… the fire… swallowing him…

"-nobody can say."

Then somehow Tails' figure emerged from the flames. His body merging with the rest of the world's yellow, orange and red colors. But his eyes… his blue eyes stood out like a warm beacon of light, like two bright stars upon an otherwise dark and endless sky.

They saw him…

His little brother's voice now spoke to him too.

He needn't worry anymore.

Everything would be fine.

Whether it was in the past or present time Sonic couldn't tell, but it didn't matter, his voice was comforting. Calmed him. Dispersed the flames and soothed the heat upon his skin. Took away the images from his head and replaced them with a vision of the sky, cooling winds and big white clouds.

Tails… Tails had lifted him to the heavens.

And she… warmth, roses…—

"He looked at the little lady, and she looked at him, and he felt himself melting. But still he stood steadfast. With his mu-"

Amy's voice suddenly went silent. In the middle of the sentence she'd felt like an electric pulse had gone through her body, not in an unpleasant way just astounding her to awareness. Sonic… He'd touched her. Not physically, but mentally. Just as strongly as if he had actually reached out his hand to touch her. Some time within the last minute his presence had returned - she could feel it.

The book that had laid in her lap fell to the floor as she instinctively stood up and fixed her eyes upon her beloved's face, searching for any sign of that he might be coming around.

"Sonic..?"

But as it were he hadn't opened his eyes nor moved in the slightest. He laid perfectly still, breathing regulary and seemingly dead to the outside world. Still, Amy rested the palm of her hand against his forehead and spoke in hopes that he heard her. "Sonic… Sonic, you're safe. You don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried." Sonic in turn wanted to tell her. "I'm never worried when I'm with you."

Then he slipped into the painless and oblivious state of unconciousness once more.

If years, weeks, days or merely hours passed Sonic didn't know. When he finally opened his eyes he found that he was relatively aware of his surroundings but still unable to speak. He tried to think of an easy sentence to say aloud — My name is Sonic the Hedgehog and I'm twenty one years old — yet found nothing coming out when he formed the words with his lips. His throat had dried up, clogged with unuttered screams and thus incapable to create any type of sounds. It felt as if a burning piece of ember had been shoved down his throat, and never before had he been so desperate for a glass of water.

His eyes were stuck staring up at the ceiling, for none of his limbs would obey him. Thinking closer about it, he still couldn't feel any part of his body.

Then a sudden fear gripped his heart.

What if he had no body left to feel?

What if there had been nothing left to salvage of him from that crater?

Perhaps it was his mere soul that still lingered in the world of the living - unable to move on properly due to the circumstances of which he had died. No. No, no. That could not be true. "I can still see and hear which means that I must still have my eyes and ears intact." Sonic thought to himself, somewhat relieving his own panic.

He recognized the sound of a door opening,

"Sonic, you're awake..! Oh, I've been so worried!" Amy exclaimed, her face brightning with instant happiness. She hurried to his side, kneeled by the bed and grasped his lifeless hand in hers. Without being able to control it, tears had broken forth from her eyes and now silently rolled down her cheeks as she then pressed his hand against her chest as if hugging it. But after awhile, when Sonic didn't respond or return her affectionate gesture, and simply stared right up at the ceiling - the expression upon her face paled. "Sonic… can you hear me? Please, look at me..! Sonic?" Her hands were suddenly upon his face as she tried to turn his head towards her but found that even though his eyes were half open they were oddly glazed and unfocused. His emerald eyes showing no emotion or sign of recognition at all.

A terrible fear dawned upon poor Amy as she almost instinctively pulled away.

"Sonic, what's happened to you…?"

Forcing herself to stay calm and think logically, Amy got up on shaky legs and ran downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing the phone on the wall and calling Tails' number. It was early noon so the young fox should be up and about in his workshop by now. Hopefully he wasn't doing anything too noisey to hear the phone ring.

Luckily it didn't take more than a few signals until Amy heard the light raspy voice of her brother-in-law answer with an alert— "Hello? Amy?"

"Tails, thank Chaos you answered! It's Sonic, I think there's something wrong with him! I- I don't know what to do! He won't talk to me! Oh, what if he's dying!? Please Tails, you have to come! I don't know what to do… I don't… I don't know what to-"

"Wait, calm down Amy! Take a deep breath."

Without thinking, Amy did as she was told and took a moment to inhale a great amount of air only to then exhale slowly through her nose. She repeated the notion an extra time just to be sure before she finally turned her attention back to the phone. This was about Sonic's well being, and Tails needed her to be precise in order to properly help her.

"Okay, I'm calm." She reported, keeping her voice steady.

"Good. Now tell me, what's happened - is Sonic hurting in any way?"

"I don't think so. He didn't look to be in any pain at least, it's rather that he looked completely emotionless. Glazed eyes, stiff all over the body, and didn't respond when I tried talking to him."

"No reaction at all?"

"No, oh Tails - do you think the explosion made him deaf? That could happen if you're standing too close, right? And what if he's turned mute as well? You know from shock or something…?"

"That could have happened, I suppose." Tails mused, but hurried to continue before Amy could get a chance to start panicing again. "But not too likely considering who were talking about. And if the explosion somehow damaged his hearing it should be healed by now."

"What, how?"

"Due to the abnormal high levels of Chaos Energy that Sonic naturally coarses through his system, of course. Come on, Amy, you know Sonic heals approximately tripple as fast as any normal Mobian being do. Merely surviving a fall from that high of an attitude is in itself impossible, but even so I'm guessing the pavement took more damage than Sonic's body did once he landed. My take is that he's probably in a state of recovery - both physically and mentally, which would explain why he's not talking nor giving much of a reaction."

"So what do I do then, is there no way I can help speed up the process?"

"I'm afraid the only thing we both can do is really just wait for the Chaos Energy to balance itself within him again. But his bodily needs should soon need tending to. Try getting him something to eat and drink if you can, but keep it moderately so his body gets a chance to adjust accordingly. And let him sleep, that way he can heal up the rest of his body faster."

"Okay, got it - eat, drink and sleep. I'll do my best." Amy promised, feeling a lot more at ease over hearing Tails' calm and collected voice explain the situation. "Can he understand if I speak to him?"

"I believe so. But keep it brief, maybe try reassuring him that what happened in Station Square wasn't his fault and that G.U.N. managed to get the situation under control. You know, to put his mind at ease."

"Yeah…" Although Amy couldn't help but let her anxiety shine through when she then asked— "Do- Do you think, when he finally does come back to his senses, that-… that he'll ever get over that day?"

For the first time during their talk did Tails pause for a moment to think.

The young fox had witnessed his older brother in almost every possible every state of emotional being. From the deepest of unhinged anger as Dark Sonic to the most ethereal of splendor as Super Sonic. And even when he'd seen him suffer through immense physical pain, Tails hadn't doubted for a single second that his brother would pull through.

The power of Chaos was just that strong in him.

And Tails' faith in Sonic even stronger.

His spirit simply couldn't be broken. Not now, not ever.

So with shining confidence Tails' answered her— "Yes. Yes, I do."

After Amy had expressed her deepest gratitude and Tails had promised that he'd stop by the following morning, they'd both hung up. Leaving her nothing else to do than to follow his advise and prepare a meal.

It had to be something light and easy on the stomach she figured, but still enough to satisfy her surely hungry fiancé. He'd always had a great appetite, and due to his extreme way of burning calories he ate more than probably most people do. And Sonic loved her cooking, he was regularly keen on telling her so and showing her his appreciation. Perhaps because he lacked the capacity to ever actually cook himself and sometimes felt guilty about it, or maybe it was just simply out of his own kindness. Even though Amy was just as keen on telling him that being able to feed the ones she loved filled her with an own sense of satisfaction.

She flipped through her own hand written reciepe book, which was filled with reciepes she'd learned from Vanilla but also some she'd come up with by herself. Through many, many trial and errors, mind you. At last she stopped at a particular spread that read; "If your loved one is pained by stomach ache or nausea." . Eyeing through the following pages, she finally settled for a simple broth that were filled with nutrition and, of course, good for the digestion. Then she grabbed a basket and her gardening gloves and stepped out into the garden to pick the correct amount of vegetables that had been instructed.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sonic had a difficult time determining whether he was truly awake or still dreaming.

After a foggy inner debate with himself he decided to settle for the latter. That way he wouldn't be dissapointed if it turned out that it had all been his own currently delusional mind merely playing tricks on him. Just a moment ago he could've sworn he was a kid again, witnissing bombs raining over Green Hill Zone only to a second later find that he was instead fifteen years old and trapped inside a capsule that got blown off towards Mobius and then feel his body explode into a million little pieces. No, he was sure that part was made up. He'd survived that time. It had looked dark, but alas he'd survived despite the odds. The fake Chaos Emerald had worked…

Buildings collapsed as Perfect Chaos tore through the city.

The moon got blown up several times only to be put back together and eventually turn him into a monster.

He sent Tails to safety back down onto the ground while he stayed behind, his little brother's screams getting further and further away.

He saw all the life and color get sucked out of his home. Out of his friends…

Knuckles… Amy… they- they were gone.

He never got to say…

Suddenly the room flooded with light, spreading an inexplicable warmth that felt familiar and comforting. The smell of roses that came along with it was too distinguished for him to have pieced it together in his mind. Its tenderness filled him with a strong sense of certainty—

He was home.

The real, present-time Amy Rose came towards him, sitting gently down by his side upon the bed. A smile graced her lips as she looked at his sudden clear vision. Sonic tried to speak, and even if his lips now had the ability to form the words still nothing came out.

"Don't worry." Amy whispered to him. "It'll be okay, Tails told me that your voice will return soon. Anyway, I've made some food for you, if you're feeling up to it of course."

With great effort, Sonic actually managed to make a small nod with his head.

After putting the steaming bowl of broth down upon the nightstand, Amy then managed to sit him up a little more by piling up pillows behind his back. She procedeed to delicately feed him small spoons of the broth which Sonic willingly accepted. By the taste, he recognized that it had been cooked on vegetables from their garden. Celery, carrot, parsnip and various others that he couldn't remember the name of at the moment, they all spread a heavenly taste in his mouth and seemed to sooth his dried up throat. If it hadn't been that Amy was feeding him he would've easily gobbled the entire bowl down in under a minute, even though he'd probably end up burning himself in the process.

In between gulps of broth, Sonic trained his gaze on his fiancée. He noted, despite her tender smile and soft expression, just how tired she looked - a wistful glint unmistakably visible in her jade eyes.

Just then, Robotnik's words echoed through his mind—

"Don't think that I haven't noticed that you've kept her from me—"

"-It was practically me who put you two love birds together. I'd be thrilled to congratulate her myself - personally."

"-I might just make you watch as I tear each and every last petal off your precious little rose—"

Amy's hand gently stroked across his forehead as a pain stricken frown had flashed across his face. Her touch was like a cooling breeze that for the time being comforted him, reassured him that nothing bad could happen as long as she sat there by his side.

Sweet, innocent Amy who he adored above all else. Who cried whenever he turned up home with so much as a scratch. Who insisted on burying Flickies they'd come across dead in the forest. And who saw the best in people and believed that everyone, no matter how deep inside of their core it may lie, existed some form of good.

The thought of her within Robotnik's wicked grasp... To even get close to her. For her to live in a world where a madman like him had the absolute control, where nature would be extinguished and replaced by steel and iron, where no one was free of mind or will. A world ruled by tyranny and where the goodness of one's heart wouldn't be anything worth - a mere sign of weakness.

No.

Sonic would never let that happen. He'd do whatever it takes to keep that from happening. He'd defeat Robotnik once and for all. Bring him to justice...

G.U.N had offered to do just that, and he had rejected the idea at first, maybe because he'd feared that by doing so he'd give up some sort of dignity, that he'd might lose a part of himself - that part of him that had always relied on him and his own abilities before anything or anyone else. He'd never needed to think twice about it in the past, but now… Now things were different from a couple of years ago, heck even just one year ago. Something had changed within Robotnik. He wasn't the same clownish scientis anymore that had put woodland creatures into crabmeats or built amusement parks in outer space.

He'd turned cold.

The once maniacal laughther had turned into a raw, malicious convulsion of hatred.

And perhaps only now, in the light of that Amy or any of his other friends might come in his way, did Sonic realize just how mentally unstable Robotnik actually had turned. Yet, for some reason he'd chosen to ignore the signs. For how long he didn't know, but surely this wasn't something that had just happened from one day to another. Was he in fact sick? A sick man with an artillery of heavily dangerous weapons and robots at his disposal.

An unpleasant shudder went down Sonic's spine as he contemplated this.

He still couldn't think straight, or perhaps he'd never seen things quite as clearly before.

"Sonic..-" Amy's voice pulled him back into reality. The empty bowl had been put aside on the nightstand and she'd pulled the covers up to his chin. Misinterpeting his troubled expression she told him as comfortingly as she could— "Station Square is safe. The G.U.N. soliders managed to get most of the remaining people to safety in their trucks, they're at the safe zone as of now, and I heard on the news that they are all doing fine considering everything." She cast a glance down at her lap, seemingly hesitating. After awhile she continued with a lot more sorrow evident in her voice. "But I suppose they are obliged to say that… aren't they? I can't even begin to fathom what all those people must be going through right now - their homes destroyed, the trauma, the poor children…"

Despite what Tails had said about keeping it brief, she just couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye and delude him into believing that everything was fine. Besides, Sonic had witnessed the chaos first hand and had probably already put two and two together.

"But you saved them, Sonic. Without you, who knows what more damage Robotnik would've done to the city? Whatever you did made Robotnik flee the scene, and apparently G.U.N. is already hot on his tail so that's good. And who knows, maybe they'll catch him and we won't ever have to see him again? Either way, I think-… I think everything will turn out all right for us, I really do."

Whether she believed her own words or not Sonic couldn't tell. A brief, shaky laugh escaped her lips before she quieted down completely. They sat in silence - Amy lost within herself and Sonic unable to convey any form of support. Judging by the sky he saw through the window it was somewhere around early afternoon, the sun appearing bleak and occasionally hidden behind passing clouds. The wind still blew and the flickies still chirped in the trees. This could easily have been just another normal day, but so much had changed since the last time he'd enjoyed a day outside in the garden. Everything was happening so fast. Or rather everything was changing faster than he was comfortable with.

All he could do was try to keep up.

It was time to either sink or swim.

---

The next time Sonic woke up it was early evening. His eyes had shot open, but found that he was alone in the bedroom this time around.

It was peaceful, quiet, and Amy had only lit a single keresone lamp that stood on her side of the bed. On Sonic's nightstand there stood a tall glass of water, which he instantly gulped down to relieve his dried up throat, despite it being luke warm and tasting kinda funky. Next to it there also laid a box of tissues as well as several pads which smelled strongly of peroxide. He guessed Amy had regularly made sure to clean his cuts and change his bandages, even as he'd been dead asleep.

Then, slowly, he began to feel his body again and wasn't surprised to find that practically every part of him ached in a dull, yet very prominent way. As far as he could tell, he hadn't moved as much as an inch in probably over two - going on three - days. But worst of all were his legs. They felt terribly stiff and when he tried to move them it was like someone had filled his veins with liquid lead.

A hot bath. That was the only solution in easing up his stale muscles again.

And in all honesty - he could probably use a bath after all the days of being bedridden.

As he slowly but surely managed to sit himself up, placing his feet on the wooden floor, he found that he was completely naked. Not even his gloves had been left on. Although, they had most likely been too tattered to salvage anyway. When the rush of having his head upright after so long settled, he dragged his feet over to the bathroom and managed to set himself down on the edge of the bathtub while the water was filling up. He'd turned it to the hottest temperature in order to be able to really relax his muscles as long as possible. This time he'd have to look past his great dislike of being longer periods of time in water, and instead focus on how it would help his body come back to life.

"It's just a little water, it's not like you'll drown in the tub."

And as Sonic didn't know whether he should remove the bandadges or not before getting completely soaked and thus disturbing any healing cuts, he let them be just in case. When the water had reached a well enough level for it to just barely not spill over the edge, he took a deep, calming breath - stepped in and lowered himself down. Or perhaps sank down would be a better word, for even in a tub the water seemed to drag him downwards like a rock. Because he had a heart of gold apparently, as Amy had put it. He cracked a smile. But then the sensation of the scorching, numbing warmth of the bath water hit his body with full intensity. And Sonic could practically feel all of his muscles and nerves loosening up in one harmonious unity.

A shudder even went down his spine.

"Chaos…" He muttered under his breath, flexing his hands a couple of times as well as bending and stretching out his legs. Cupping his hands, Sonic scooped up some water and gently splashed it on his face. Admittedly, a not as pleasant feeling… But he kept at it and ran his hand several times through his spikes as well until he finally resigned to simply closing his eyes and letting the water work its magic.

In the still of the moment, his mind began wandering.

First he began sorting out all the events that had occured since that evacuation day in the city. The fight, the fall, the dreams… what had been real and what had been utter imagination on his part. What had merely been memories from his past and what had been present. He was pretty sure that no bombs had rained upon the cottage or that Mobius was split apart. The moon was still in half but that was common knowledge at this point. Tails had once told him to use the techquiche of listing of the most basic things about one self when waking up from a long period of unconciousness. That way it helped the brain get back on track, as well as calm any anxieties.

My name is Sonic the Hedgehog…

I'm twenty one years old, soon to turn twenty two…

I live in Sunset Meadow…

I have a little brother named Tails and a fiancée named Amy Rose.

I survived the bombing of Station Square…

Tails and Amy escaped…

They are safe…

Tails and Amy…

Amy…

There the excerise ended abruptly as he couldn't manage to think beyond anything else from that point.

Sonic silently wondered where Amy were at this moment. Surprised she hadn't showed up yet, as he'd made quite a lot of noise after all. Although, he mused, she could very well be out - perhaps gone to the village market or stopped by the Rabbit's for dinner. In which case she could take a while.

Just then, his left ear flicked.

The distant sound of very light steps. A fluttering heart, and soft breaths. Soon after the front door opened and closed downstairs. The vaugue humming of a melody he immediately recognized.

A melody only Amy Rose knew.

Sonic leisurely listened as she walked around down there for a good period of time. And as far as he could tell she put grocerises in the fridge, confirming his suspicion of a trip to the market. But then he could hear the sound of her coming up the stairs, clearly trying to step as gently as possible as not to disturb her, at least to her knowledge, sleeping fiancé.

Amy entered the bedroom and naturally her eyes first and foremost discovered the bed being empty for the first time in almost three whole days. In the brief second it took for her mind to register it, her heart instantly panicked.

"Sonic..?!" She half shouted, half whispered into the seemingly empty room.

Fortunately, Sonic's voice answered her from within the bathroom. "I'm in here, Ames!" And a second later she rushed inside, but just as quickly turned her back at him by pure instinct.

"Oh, Sonic, don't scare me like that! For a moment there I thought you'd..-" But due to her suddenly flustered face, her voice abruptly died down.

Sonic, however, wasn't late at picking up the thread. "That I'd what - suddenly gone up in smoke? Become a ghost?" He grinned but Amy wasn't amused.

"Don't joke like that, you jerk..! Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Every night as I tried to go to sleep I held onto your hand, afraid that you might somehow disappear o-or get taken..."

"Taken? Why would I get taken?"

"I-I don't know! I just-… I've been worried… thinking about everything and nothing at the same time..-"

Sonic noticed the sudden evasive tone in her voice, and the fact that she had her face turned away from him didn't help either. "Amy, look at me." He requested, interrupting her continued rambling. She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Erm, I-" Amy hesitated, her voice changing yet again, to a more low, modest tone. "We can talk about it later, I didn't mean to disturb your bath."

It took Sonic a moment to realize she was being shy about having walked in on him bathing and maybe more so being, well, naked. As rare of an occureence as it was, he still found her reaction a bit excessive considering this was hardly differing much to that of his normal apperance. And it wasn't like they hadn't seen each other's bodies before. Maybe it was more prone to females or something, he guessed.

Still, he couldn't help but find her behavior oddly endearing.

Through the bathroom mirror he caught her stealing a sideways glance at him. Hastily she looked away and stammered forth—

"T-the bandages, did you take them off before getting in?"

"Eh, no, should I have done that?"

"No, it's okay. I'll just have to redress them later."

"Okay."

Sonic's hand reached out to grasp Amy's, causing her to finally turn around and meet his gaze. He gave her a reassuring look as well as a smile and then softly prodded her to come closer. Graciously she followed suit and sank down onto her knees upon the bathroom floor, close enough for him to inspect her more properly. Besides the obvious fluster, she looked much better than the last time he'd seen her. And he probably did the same because her eyes suddenly softened into a more tender expression. Her eyelids even lowered while the blush on her cheeks deepened, tilting her head slightly to the side. If he hadn't known better he might've thought she was making eyes at him, but he figured she was merely glad to be able to look into a pair of responsive eyes again. Soon he felt her tentative fingers upon his right shoulder, tracing along the outlines of the damp bandages.

All of a sudden Amy's eyes got downcast and she opened her mouth as if she'd been about to say something, but then quickly changed her mind.

Gently, Sonic lifted her chin up with his thumb and index finger. "You wanna…-" He swallowed a sudden hard lump that had appeared in his throat, but still he kept his nerve. "-join me?"

The tub wasn't particularly big by any means, but if it could fit him it most definitaley could fit in her as well. Bathing together wasn't anything they normally did, or had ever done for that matter, because - again - Sonic strictly stuck to showering. And when they went to the beach, it was Amy who did the swimming while he stayed on dry land. In any case, this was different than being at the beach with their friends, more private and certainly more intimate with it just being the two of them.

Thus the gentleman in Sonic felt the need to add—

"I can close my eyes while you get in if you want."

"N-no, it's okay." Amy reassured hastily with a smile - just as touched by the proposal as she was surprised. "We are husband- and wife-to-be, after all. It's only natural that we are bare before each other, r-right?"

"Ye-yeah, right."

And so, without further ado, Amy rose to her feet, slipped out of her sundress and let it fall to the bathroom floor with a soft thud. She then procedeed in taking off her underwear as well as her gloves before finally standing just as naked as the day she was born, and with cheeks the same hue as her namesake. Under his otherwise calm facade, Sonic's heart began throbbing so wildly against his ribcage that it almost hurt. Surely one could hear how loud it beat? He couldn't take his eyes off of her lovely apperance. Her fluttering eyelashes. Dainty knees. Pale peach skin. Soft curves. Delicately shaped to the utmost degree that he was sure she must've been sent his way from a diviner power up above.

Chaos...

She was absolutely beautiful.

Lending a hand to help her get into the tub more smoothly, Sonic then found himself sitting opposite Amy in the warm water. But soon after, as it felt like a terrible waste being needlessly apart from one another, he stretched his arm out between them - inviting her to rest her body against his.

"But - you're hurt." Amy protested.

"It's worth it."

And so, with uttermost carefulness, she lowered her body onto Sonic's, resting her head against his damp chest while he encircled his arms around her. Despite the limited space, Amy found herself perfectly comfortable where she was. The warm water, the steady beating of Sonic's heart, their bodies being so close together with the night slowly approaching outside.

Safe...

Alive.

Delicately Amy's hand moved along Sonic's body. From his abdomen up to his chin, then up along his jaw to his forehead. And from there she slid down back to his shoulder, passing his arm until her hand finally found his and soon felt it being gently grasped. With their hands dripping of water he placed hers against his cheek, pressing it ever so slightly as he closed his eyes and bent his head down to press his lips against the top of her head. With a subtle heave of his chest he breathed in through his nose - his body falling into a deeper state of relaxation. The heavenly scent of Amy spread into his system like a drug that seemed to heal more than just his physical needs, but the entirety of his soul as well.

He needed to live in this very moment as much as he could. Every heartbeat was sacred. Every breath, every word she spoke a sweet melody that was vital for him to memorize. For he knew now that their days together were truly numbered - he could count them on one hand. And after that… Chaos only knew when he'd get to see her again.

To hold her like he did right now.

To kiss her soft lips.

To hear her laugh at some stupid joke he'd just told.

But Sonic promised himself that he would return. Whatever it may take. Even if he'd be forced to drag himself across all of Mobius - he'd do it.

"This feels nice.." Amy whispered moment's silence.

"Yeah, I might have to consider taking baths a bit more often if it's always like this."

"Don't make me blush..."

But, naturally - her cheeks flushed once again.

"Sorry, but making you blush is my life's one true purpose, Amy. I live for it. And it's also partially pay back for all those times you made my teenage self blush like a madman due to all your flirting."

"I couldn't help it, you were just too cute."

"Aw, cut it out." Sonic playfully rolled his eyes, while suppressing a smirk before turning serious. "Anyway, now that I'm not stuck on a snooze cruise anymore, I wanna apologize for doing what I did back at the beach. I'm really sorry for how I acted… I should've handled it better than I did."

Amy could tell he was being sincere, and as much as she had been wanting to shout at him for it these past days - she ultimately couldn't bring herself to muster up the anger again. Somewhere between her watching over his disconnected body laying beside her in bed and this moment, she'd lost her fire. Instead her voice turned quiet, answering him with a will to understand rather than to place blame on him. "I begged you, Sonic. I begged you to let us help you... I know you paniced, but Tails and I..- we are not kids anymore, we're your comrades and you need to trust that we can handle ourselves. You do know that, right?"

"I know, Ames, of course I know that. But you're also my family, and I'm responsible-"

"No, you're not."

"You could've died."

Sonic felt her body shift slightly, her head pressing itself against his chest while her hands clung to him desperately or perhaps passionately.

"Well, in that case, rather it be me than you."

"Don't… Don't say that. Please, I can't stand it."

"You may be able to protect me from evil doctors, monsters and giant killer robots, Sonic - but you can't protect me from the entire world. It's simply impossible. No one is safe forever. And if I'd die fighting by your side, knowing that I did the right thing, I'd say that's a pretty good way to go."

Sonic voice was filled with warmth and a conviction beyond all else when he merely shook his head and proclaimed— "No, you're gonna live, Ames. A long, happy life and have lots of kids, and grandkids and great-grandkids…"

"Any chance you can see how many kids there will be?"

"Oh, at least a dozen or two."

Amy giggled softly under her breath, closing her eyes as though she were trying to picture it. Meanwhile, Sonic felt oddly drowsy all of a sudden, perhaps the warm water did that to you. His legs though had slowly began to regain their strength and already longed for the moment when they'd get out into the open fields and hills. All this sleeping hadn't been good for him nor his body. There was so much that needed to be done. Things that couldn't even wait for more than a couple of days.

How was everything outside?

What was the Commander and all the people at G.U.N. doing right this moment?

And most importantly - what was Robotnik doing right now? What is he planning to do next and where is he hiding?

Sonic realized that he desperately needed to talk Tails. As of now, his little brother was the only person who could clear up all of the oncoming thoughts, who could set both his mind and priorities straight. He knew what needed to be done, but the execution of it would require of him a certain strength that he didn't know if he even had. Tails would remind him, for he knew too - knew what was most important.

Would Tails still be up at this hour?

Yeah, if Sonic knew his brother right then he'd be sure to find the genius fox still up and about. Being a borderline workaholic and, maybe more so, a young teenager, sleep tended to be a secondary need.

With a heavy glance down at Amy, Sonic stroked a hand down the back of her head, her quills a little damp yet still soft and with the heavenly scent of fresh roses. He could feel her fragile heart rush when he ever so gently touched her and brought her face closer to his, kissing her delicate lips with a desparing sense of hunger. But not a hunger of lust - no, only a pure need for her to feel his love.

For her to on some subconscious level understand that everything he'd do would be for her sake.

Sonic thought to himself the things he wished he would've confessed to her out loud if only he could have. "You say you'd be content with dying in my place, but don't you understand that I could never let that happen? There would be nothing left for me in this world without you, for the single reason that it's you who are my world. That's why I'd die for you… and why I'm forced to let you go..."

That notion made his lips all the more desperate. With every kiss he poured yet another little piece of his heart and soul into Amy's loving response. Despite not being as strong as him she tried to keep even steps with him, bringing her hands up to his spikes while her lips returned each kiss he delivered. At the same time their bodies reacted and thus also acted on their own, instincts blending together with tender passion. With a single, swift motion Sonic sat himself up with his back straight, his hands still safely emracing Amy's body as her legs wrapped around his waist. Water spilled over the edge of the tub and down on the floor as he then procedeed to lean himself forward and planted a trail of kisses down her chin, throat and chest.

"S-Sonic…" Amy breathed, a little surprised by his sudden action, but not as much as one would think. Like the very wind itself, she knew her fiancé could be just as untamed and unpredictable to engage with. His free spirited nature and reliance on instincts were what made up the core of his being. It was sometimes easy to forget, but this was after all the young man that was not in any way ordinary or like other men. Ancient energies and supernatural powers coarsed through his veins at all times. Connected to unreachable possibilities and abilities within the mere will of his own mind.

A divine force of nature that Amy was allowed to be under the complete attention of. Even if it were only in fleeting fractions of the cosmos, she didn't understand what she possibly could've done to deserve his love and devotion. She reminded herself to breathe as Sonic lovingly caressed and kissed her delicate frame, alternating between her lips and her body - which every now and again made her let out soft gasps of pleasure. He made love to her without jeopardizing their promise to wait for the day when they'd finally be wed, and also respecting her virtue.

However, sooner rather than later, the familiar sense of dire fatigue grabbed ahold of Amy's heart, making it very hard to breathe all of a sudden. It almost felt like she was close to fainting. Feebly, she tried to withdraw herself from her fiancé's warm embrace and his touch. "Sonic-" She began reluctantly. "-as much as I wish we could go on - I can barely feel my heart…"

In an instant, Sonic ceased his actions and pulled himself back to relieve some of the preassure. His hands took a firm yet gentle hold of her back in order to support her weight for her. "Sorry, guess I got a bit carried away there, huh?" He chuckled sheepishly before taking a proper look at her face. The rosiness in her cheeks, her shallow breaths and weakened expression… She looked like she was running a fever. He brushed the quills from her face, furrowing his brow in concern for her well being. "Are you all right? Do you need anything? I know that I shouldn't lose it like that… shouldn't have rushed you… Man, I'm so stupid - I'm sorry, Amy, rea-"

But Amy put her index finger to his lips, silencing his rambling. She smiled. "Don't be silly, it was very… delightful. My heart is just overreacting, that's all." Then she booped her nose with his, making a playful boop-sound as she did, which managed to bring out a smile from Sonic as well. The bath water had turned just barely lukewarm by now, prompting her to suggest that it was probably time to get on out of the tub.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, time for bed."

That proved to be more difficult than they'd thought however, as Amy's legs could just about keep her upright, forcing her to sit and wait on the edge of the tub while Sonic fetched them a towl each from the linen cabinet. When they'd dried themselves up, he carefully lifted her up into his arms and carried her to instead sit upon the bed.

"I'll get you your nightgown.."

"Thanks."

Sonic zipped over to the wooden closet, opened one the middle drawers and found Amy's nightgowns neatly folded on the right side. On the left side however… Well, he guessed she needed a pair of underwear too… So, with cheeks threatening to turn red, he picked up the closest piece of fabric he could grab as well as a nightgown before hastily closing the drawer again. Luckily, Amy didn't seem to notice his abashed expression as he wordlessly handed her the bundle. She merely gave him an appreciative nod while Sonic let out a mental sigh of relief. During the time she took to change, he went over to put on a fresh pair of gloves and socks. Just as he did, he remembered that he still needed to change his bandages and headed back into the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

"Oh, right, I'd almost forgot!" Amy told him as he returned with the red kit in his hands. "Come sit down and I'll get those changed."

"You sure? I could just do it on my own, you don't have to strain yourself."

"Sonic, I'm fine. Now stop dawdling and let me help you."

Seeing no point in arguing about it, Sonic settled down beside his fiancée and observed as she happily got to work on unwrapping the damp bandadges on his upper torso and shoulder. When they were fully removed, she cleaned and applied an antibiotic cream of some sort onto the almost fully healed wounds. It was actually quite calming to sit there and get doted on for a few minutes. Amy was always so light and tender on her hand when she touched him, it felt like small strokes of feathers that brushed against his weathered skin and fur. She wrapped the new set of bandadges with utmost care, and as she was done, planted a soft kiss upon the covered wound on his shoulder. "There you go…" She managed to say before letting out a big yawn. "H-how does that feel?"

"Much better, thanks." Sonic answered, bending and flexing his arm a couple of times in order to stretch out the bandadge a bit. Overall his entire body felt considerably better after the bath. Now to do something about his restless legs and feet, they were practically itching for a long, looong run. Preferably five lapses around Mobius. But then another realization hit him, just abruptly as if he'd been roughly smacked in the face while in the midst of a lulling, yet oblivious slumber.

Station Square…

And in an instant, Sonic knew that whatever was left of Station Square had to be his first stop.

Unaware of her his sudden inner turmoil, Amy was ready to give in to the sleep as soon as her head would hit the pillow. Closing the first aid kit and putting it down on the floor, she then crept over to her side of the bed and slipped underneath the covers. She had expected Sonic to follow suit but found that he didn't, instead he got up from the bed and began to put his shoes on. Confusion settled upon her features as she sought out his eyes but his back was turned against her.

"You're not coming to bed?"

For a fraction of a second her whole body froze.

Had- Had she done something wrong?

Fortunately, her worries were quickly put to rest as Sonic, having finished putting on his famous red and white sneakers, turned around again to face her. Within the blink of an eye he was kneeling by her bedside. The initial smile he gave her was kind, but then his expression changed drastically. His voice laced with seriousness as he said—

"I need to go. I need to see the damage of Station Square with my own eyes or else I'll go crazy. If what I've imagined in my head… is worse or not. What happened that day was my fault and I owe it to the people who… didn't make it-" He was silent for a moment before continuing. "-to see the consequences of my actions. And to remember that I've always gotta fight to ensure that something like that never happens again."

Sonic closed his eyes, speaking more to himself than Amy at this point.

"Their sacrafise will mean something. I'll make sure of it."

"Sonic…"

It tore at Amy's heart to see the sheer pain upon her beloved's face, and knowing that there was nothing she could say that would ever be able to take that pain away from him. All she could do was to somehow try and ease it. Tenderly, her arms encircled his neck, bringing him in to lay his head down to rest upon her chest as she hugged him close.

Surrendering all of her strength to him.

---

Morning came, cloudy but still warm and humid as yet another day of summer were about to begin.

Due to last night's endeavors Amy slept much longer than usual, but was still surprised to find that Sonic had not yet returned. Although, as his sleep schedule had been greatly disrupted these past days, he'd probably stayed up the whole night or perhaps dozed off out in the meadows or up a tree. Either way she hoped his wounds hadn't hurt too much and that he'd regained some of his strength by being out in the open again.

And she also hoped the sight of Station Square's current state hadn't plagued him too much.

None of it was his fault, but knowing Sonic, he would without a doubt put all the blame on himself and not were it rightfully belonged - namely Robotnik.

As Amy let out a heavy sigh for her beloved's possible plight, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and was suddenly flooded with memories from last night.

"Sonic was really sweet and gentle with me yesterday… If only my heart could stop trying to jump out of my chest each time he holds me."

Sitting herself up in bed, she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face into the covers while furiously blushing. Then, figuring she'd wasted away enough time of the day, Amy jumped out of bed to get herself dressed. Opening up the wooden closet she picked out a dress at random, put on a pair of stockings and shoes before settling down at her dressing table. She noted that the blush hadn't left her cheeks and wondered if it would remain there for the rest of the day.

Hopefully not.

Several minutes passed as Amy further brushed her quills, applied the usual what's-it-called to her face and skin, slipped on her pristine white gloves, and lastly adorned herself with a ribbon in order to keep her quills in check. It took it's sweet time and once she was done she got up to twirl a couple of times in front of the mirror to examine the result. But just as she turned around she found that a figure had appeared in the window.

"Morning, Ames!"

"Ah! Sonic!"

Hunched over and with his feet upon the windowsill was Sonic, grinning like a fool and ridiculously handsome in the morning light that shined in from behind him.

"We have a front door which you can enter through, you know like normal people do..!"

"True, but where's the fun in that?"

With noteable swiftness and ease, he came in through the window and landed down onto the floor with a soft thud. Then he wasted no time in approaching her and taking her into his arms as he kissed her with such softness, yet intensity that Amy almost felt her breath get taken away. "Did you sleep well?" He asked once their lips parted. His arms, however, remained around her waist.

"Yes.." Amy breathed out in response, feeling a bit woozy from the kiss. "How was your run? Did you sleep at all?"

At that, Sonic chuckled.

"Nope, no more snooze cruises for me! I ran for as long as my feet carried me until I had to stop somewhere around Apotos and turn back home, hehe!"

Not being able to decide whether he was joking or not, Amy merely smiled up at him. Happy as well as relieved that he seemed to have come back to normal and not too torn up anymore. Still, they should probably talk about what he'd possibly seen and more importantly felt when he'd gone to Station Square. She didn't want him to keep it all to himself, and perhaps he was trying to play if off right now. To seem unfaced and be strong for her sake, although, after what he'd said last night… Amy was glad he'd opened up, but it had also subconciously struck a cord in her. But just as she was about to bring it up, Sonic surprised her once again by giving her a quick kiss before taking her hand into his and leading her over to the dressing table. He motioned for her to sit down on the stool while being barely able to suppress a smirk from stretching across his muzzle.

"Speaking of which… I have something for you - a morning gift, if you will."

"I don't think that's an appropriate term to use…" Amy giggled as she fixed herself more comfortably upon the stool. "-or did we get married last night and I somehow forgot about it?"

"Har de har, Ames. Just close your eyes for a sec, would ya'?"

"Fine, fine, closing them now!"

She hastily threw her hands over her eyes, still giggling underneath her breath.

"No peeking, okay?"

"Okay..!"

From within the safety of his spikes, Sonic brought forth something which he proudly displayed in his hands, letting out a playful— "Ta-daa..!"

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"Yes, hence the beautifully melodious 'Ta-daa'!"

"Tee-hee, oh, right!"

What laid before Amy was a rectangular box clad in red velvet.

The last time Sonic had presented her with a velvet box it had contained the engangement ring she now wore on her finger.

She opened the lid and discovered a golden locket that was vaugley in the shape of a heart with curly engravings adorneimg the edges. Looking closer, Amy found that they were actually resembling flowers. Her fingers found the clasp which, as she opened it, revealed that a photo had already been put inside.

"Tails helped me pick out a good one." Sonic remarked, smiling brightly as he saw the awe that spread on her face.

Amy recognized the photo, it was one of her favorites from one of their albums. She, Tails and Sonic stood together on a bright summer's day, all of them smiling at the camera. Sonic had both of his arms around the other two's shoulders while flashing his trademark grin, looking as charming as ever. Tails' blue eyes were lit up in excitment - proudly sporting his pilot's jacket and googles. Amy herself was clad in one of her favorite dresses and had her arms wrapped around Sonic's torso in a tight embrace.

They… looked happy.

After carefully studying her reaction, Sonic ultimately asked— "Do you like it?" As always when he gave her any type of gifts, he got a bashful, almost insecure expression that very much resembled to that of a young boy. Alas, he didn't need to worry for long as Amy soon threw her arms around his neck with a cheerful cry, and quite literary bombarded his muzzle with kisses. "Whoa! Okay! I guess I'll take that as a 'yes' then."

"Of course I like it! Oh Sonic, it's the loveliest gift anyone's ever given me..!"

When the initial joy settled, Sonic helped her to put the necklace on, his hands trembling slightly as he fumbled with the tiny clasp for a moment. However, once the necklace was in place, Sonic took a step back while Amy sat back down by the dressing table to view her reflection in the mirror. The effect was quite striking, if in a somewhat subtle way. The gold seemed to bring out the jade in her eyes, as well as creating a cohesion with the golden bangles around her wrists. It felt as a nice complement rather than standing out and attracting too much attention. And the heart-shaped locket…

On pure impulse she commented on her new appearance with a surprised— "I am... pretty."

"Yes, you are." Sonic responded with a warm smile playing upon his lips, embracing Amy's petite form from behind and gazing at their unified reflection. Immediately, a blush spread on his fiancée's cheeks as she lowered her eyes in modesty.

"I meant to say the locket is pretty..."

"Heh, I'm glad you like it."

Tenderly, Sonic kissed her cheek before lifting her chin back up, trying to show her what he saw when he looked in the mirror. But all Amy saw was how the contrast between them was painfully obvious. He, as handsome as a prince with the most beautiful emerald eyes that no one else possesed. And while his royal blue fur and healthy tanned skin made him appear strong and capable, her own rosy paleness and frail physique were not as impressive looking. She was just about to point out her own inadequacy when she noticed a sudden sad glint flash by in his eyes.

However, in the next moment it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.

Had she only imagined it?

"Sonic, about last night… I could tell you were upset. I know there's been a lot going on since you came back from Chun-nan - what with that Metal Sonic showing up,and G.U.N. suddenly beginning to stir things up, and now Robotnik's assault on Station Square…" Sonic's expression was unreadable as Amy spoke, but she kept at it, turning around in her seat and taking his hands into hers. "And I know you're not one to let anyone see how stressed you are. You're strong and you've handled worse situations before. But I can't help but worry about you just the same, and I just want you to remember that I'm here for you. Not just because I'm your fiancée…-"

Amy paused, overwhelmed by flooding emotions which made it hard to keep herself on track. But Sonic needed to hear this. He needed to know that he wasn't alone in all of this, that she, although she might not understand the entirety of his burden, still wanted to share it with him. Support him through thick and thin.

"-… I mean, you are my best friend - my true love. And you are not alone, cause together with our friends we'll get through this. Robotnik won't win because goodness always conquer evil in the end. The true power of friendship is one our side, as a wise hedgehog once said!"

A seemingly genuine, broad smile found its way onto Sonic's lips and Amy took it as a good enough sign. She let out a giggle and once again flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close.

"Thanks, Ames, I appreciate it. Really."

It wasn't much of a response but that's all he could bring himself to say at the moment.

They stayed in each other's embrace for a while until Sonic gently pulled away, clearing his throat as he'd managed to regain his senses.

"Amy I…- I've been thinning too. During the night I was trying to figure out what we should do next, and I think we should go to Angel Island and pay Knuckles a visit. After all, he needs to know what's been going on down here, and together with Tails we can come up with a plan. Maybe the Master Emerald can even give us a clue as to where any of the Chaos Emeralds might be, we'll need them if we're going to track down Robotnik and possibly bring him to justice once and for all." He flashed her a confident smile and winked. "A little Super Sonic action wouldn't hurt our chances at that, now would they? Either way - it's a good place to start."

Instantly, Amy's eyes lit up with a new spark. "Absolutely! Oh, I haven't seen Knuckles for so long, and with Tails coming along we'll finally be back together again! It'll be like a family reunion!"

"Family reunion?" Sonic inquired, cocking his brow in amusement. "Well, I guess Knuckles is very much like the grumpy old uncle I never had."

"Sooonic…" Amy chided, giving him a light swat on the shoulder before asking—"When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you're ready. I've already talked to Tails about it and he's preparing the Tornado for us at his workshop - we'll meet him there."

"That's great! But are you sure you're up for this? I mean you just recovered and-"

"Of course I'm sure, I feel as fit as a fiddle!Besides, Robotnik's already had plenty enough time to come up with yet another scheme, and I'm not going to waste another day just snoring away in bed!" Sonic's excitment was enough to comfort as well as convince Amy that he was truly serious about this and was prepared to get back into action. He'd even jumped to his feet and sprinted over to the closet to get to packing all the things they'd need, leaving Amy with a slightly surprised expression. But she quickly shook it off - Sonic was naturally eager to get going and as always he was moving two steps ahead of everyone else.

But…

"We should at least get some food in you before we leave, you must be pretty hungry. What would you like for breakfast - I bought a bunch of eggs at the market yesterday so I can make omelettes if you want."

Sonic turned around and halted his movements for a moment, his stomach literary growling at the mere thought of it. Besides the broth Amy had fed him while he'd been semi-unconcious, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd eaten a proper meal. Almost a week perhaps. At least it felt like that long a time ago. "That sounds awesome, thanks. I'll just finish up here and then I'll join ya'."

"Alright."

Just as Amy turned to leave for the kitchen, she all of a sudden felt Sonic's arms around her again, giving her a brief hug and a kiss on the forehead. Immediately her stomach filled with the familiar flutter of countless butterflies. Sonic had certainly been oddly affectionate today. Kisses, hugs and a locket of pure gold. Something in the back of her mind told her that she should maybe be concerned as to why that might be. But for the time being she was too elated on her own happiness that she didn't pay this notion any mind.

After all, even though Sonic might still keep some of his general emotions slightly restrained or masked he was in regards to love opening up little by little for every day that passed. It was sometimes hard to remember, due to him being away so often, just how loving he could actually be with her. Physical connection had been a difficult aspect for him at the beginning of their relationship - to share a kiss or a hug hadn't come as natural to him as it had always done for Amy. However, through patience and respect for each other's boundaries, Sonic had grown considerably more comfortable with showing her his maturing fondness.

Last night was a good example of that.

While absentmindedly fumbling with the locket around her neck and having a smile play upon her lips, Amy walked down the stairs to the bottom floor and later into the kitchen. She tied her favorite apron around her waist and got to poking around in the fridge as well as the cupboards.

Soon she'd whipped up two omelettes stuffed generously with tomatoes, cheese and various complementing herbs from the garden to really bring out the taste. While waiting for them to be done in the pan, she set the table and filled two tall glasses full of orange juice. And just to be sure, she even put forth a plate of blueberry muffins on the table. The muffins weren't freshly baked since she'd pretty much been alone for a couple of days and the biggest mouth to feed had been dead asleep during that time.

Amy let out a content sigh, It felt comforting to have someone to cook for again.

When she heard Sonic zipping up and down the stairs two times in a row, she put the pan aside on the stove to cool off a bit, and stuck her head into the livining room. There upon the floor by the front door stood her own backpack and Sonic's rucksack, which clearly had seen better days with the leather straps having began to wither. The sight of it caused Amy to consider buying him a new one, perhaps for his birthday - she made a mental note to remember it.

As Sonic seemed to have disappeared upstairs again, Amy took the time to pack a simple bag filled with various provision they'd need if they were going to camp up at Angel Island. Even if there grew plenty of edibles on the island, the jungle being filled with fruit for example, she knew by experience that the three boys' had a quite big appetites. And one could never bring too much food, she figured. Once the bag was filled to the brim, she put it with the rest of the packing and returned to the kitchen to plate the omelettes and had just began to wonder what Sonic could be doing when he suddenly came rushing in.

"Sooonic, no breaking the sound barrier inside the house, please..!" Amy whined while frantically trying to flatten out her ruffled up quills as well as her apron and dress.

"Puh-lease - that was barely even a light gust!" Sonic rebutted, not even trying to hide his smirk at seeing her pouting face. Admittedly, it was quite adorable. "Ooh! Breakfast!" Within the blink of an eye, he'd taken a seat by the table and was soon busy devouring his plate of food. Sonic held very loosely to the concept of using a knife and fork unless necessary, something Amy secretly couldn't help but finding oddly endearing at times, but mostly just repulsing.

Somewhere right then, as he stuffed another piece of omelette into his mouth with his fingers, Vanilla surely felt a shiver run down her spine.

Resigning to her fate of having a fiancé that rejected everything regarding table manners, Amy simply shook her head and allowed herself a smile, joining Sonic at the table and beginning to neatly cut up her own omelette. Taking exemplary small bites at a time. "Why do I even bother?" She wondered aloud.

That earned her a toothy grin from Sonic.

"Just remember that you love me."

"Believe me, I try."

While they ate, Amy simultaneously read the newspaper which reported on the current plans of reconstruction of the heavily damaged areas in the south as well as the east parts of Station Square, but also on the continued dissapperances of Mobians and Overlanders across Mobius. Lately a larger number of missing people had been reported in various cities, yet, as far as the police knew there was no connection between the mobians in question. Neither in age, gender or social status. And supposedly the risk of unrecorded cases were at a high probability. It stung in Amy's heart reading about it, and prayed that whatever had befallen those people they'd soon be found or return on their own accord, if so was the case that they'd left voluntarily.

Some people did do that, didn't they?

Left and never returned. Became hermits, explorers or simply wanted to begin anew somewhere else.

Parents leaving their children at orphanages or simply out in the wilderness to be found wasn't unheard of, even though it was more common when Amy was little and further back in the past. Previous large scaled wars and conflicts had naturally also contributed to parentless children and broken families.

Amy could barely remember a life prior to her meeting with Sonic. It was veiled in bleak colors, wilting flowers and utterly long and lonely nights where she'd laid staring up at the sky, fantasizing that somewhere out there in the big scary world was someone waiting for her. Someone destined to find her and take her into his arms and promise to never ever abandon her. Not like her parents had done.

That someone had turned out to be Sonic.

Her soul mate.

Her knight in shining armor.

And now, ten years later, her soon-to-be husband.

It was then that she felt his lingering gaze. His emerald eyes beholding her in such tender warmth that she all of a sudden grew uncharacteristically self-concious. What was he staring at? Did she have something on her face? A piece of tomato peel stuck between her teeth? Just when she was about to inquire to his staring, Sonic knowingly directed his eyes towards the window instead. Behind his hand, which he held up to rest his chin against, she caught the glimpse of a subtle smile. If he'd been merely teasing her or genuinely admiring her she didn't know, and guessed the former was more likely. She idly began fumbling with the locket, which made her ponder on whether she was developing a new habit.

It felt reassuring in some way.

Returing her attention back to the newspaper in front of her, Amy skimmed through the rest of the reportage on the missing Mobians, and then flipped to the last page which listed this week's weather forecasted for the western areas of the United Federation. Sun was promised practically all over, except along the coast north of Station Square and up to the Mystic Ruins which showed dark clouds though fortunately no rain.

"I wonder what the weather's like on Angel Island…" Amy reflected aloud. "If it'll be rain I want to make sure Tails brings his raincoat along, and his southwest too. Perhaps a warm sweater for the night as well, if it gets chilly. Oh, Sonic - do you think he remembers to pack an extra pair of socks?"

Sonic, however, kept looking out the window while pulling a face at the question.

"Ames, he's fourteen. I wouldn't count on it."

Amy giggled, raised from her seat and took off her apron and hanging it back on it's place. "I'll just go water all the plants before we leave. It looks like it might rain, but who knows? I wouldn't want the roses to dry up…"

"Yeah… maybe Vanilla can water them while we're away, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. You want me to give her a call?"

"Oh, would you? That'd be kind of you, Sonic - I'll get to watering right away."

And so with a twirl she hurried out the kitchen door, leaving Sonic to his thoughts.

A while later, after every little flower had gotten it's share of water and all the roses been doted on. All the windows had been shut and every door locked in the cottage, and finally the key to the front door was left under a flower pot on the porch. They were in the midst of putting on their backpacks when Amy suddenly took notice of the big duffel bag that Sonic had packed while she'd made breakfast, and found that it was practically stuffed. She turned to him with her brow slightly raised and asked—

"Are you planning on moving in with Knuckles or something? What's in the huge bag?"

"Oh, you know, just the usual stuff." Sonic answered casually, shrugging his shoulders which had just been burdened by his rucksack. "Sleeping bag, pillow, an extra blanket…"

"Aw, Sonic that's nice of you, but I'm fine sleeping on the ground. Really, I am. You don't need to bring the entire bed along."

"Who says it's for you?" Sonic grinned but quickly got shoved in the arm by Amy. In response he let out a mock cry of hurt when in reality it had barely felt more than a light swat. He drew closer and cupped her face in his hands, giving her a tender smile. "Hey now, I want my fiancée to be as comfortable as possible, is that so wrong?"

Amy just about managed to suppress a blush from forming. "I guess not. B-but how are we going to carry all of this to Tails?" Aside from the two backpacks, there where still the bag containing the food, one with various necessaries that hadn't fit in the backpacks and now the big duffel bag.

But at that Sonic merely winked, and in the blink of an eye he'd swung the two duffelbags over each shoulder, swept Amy up into his arms and placed the food bag to rest in her lap. One might've thought the weight would've been too great, but Sonic stood just as sturdy as ever before. Although he felt his right shoulder strain ever so slightly from being burdened but he shook it off. "Welcome aboard the Sonic Express, madame!" He announced loudly while stepping down the porch and via the front yard made his way onto the dirt road. "Please keep all your luggage safely stored, and all arms and legs close to your body. Today's destination is the Mustic Ruins, and along the way we're going to be enjoying the finest of nature's scenery. Sadly we're all out of peanuts on board, but we do got plenty of canned food!"

Sonic took a stance, readying himself and taking a firmer hold of Amy, who buried her giggles into his chest. Like so many times before she felt absolutely safe where she laid, protected by her beloved's arms while sharing the greatest of joys in his life.

Soon the familiar thrill in her stomach bubbled up as wind graced her cheek and the world morphed into a world of perfect harmony and chaos. Glimpses of reality flickered by her eye. Colors blended, faded, mixed. Time stood still and raced at the same time. They were more a part of the world than usual, yet completely in their own reality.

Within and without…

It was a world that Amy knew weren't truly hers. She was merely allowed to briefly visit when in Sonic's arms. Otherwise this was his - and his alone.

No one else could ever possibly feel this way. For if they did, how would they ever find the will to stop?

How did Sonic find the will?

Amy could only speculate the reasons. Beacuse he wasn't like other men, he could continue to run until the end of time and still feel like he hadn't had enough. He never grew tired of the feeling. And it secretly stung in her heart to know that no matter what feelings she herself could possibly evoke in him… they would never beat this one. Running was his second nature - love was not. And there was no sense in crying or dwelling about it, that was just the way it was.

Mindlessly her fingers found the locket again.

---

Tails had awaited their arrival outside the workshop, with his own single backpack already stored inside the Tornado which stood ready for take off on the start of the runway. At the sight of the extra baggage, he'd merely shrugged his shoulders and said that it didn't matter since Sonic always rode on the outside of the plane anyway, so there'd be no problem fitting it all inside. True enough, the seat behind Amy's easily stored the big duffel bag as well as the rest of the others.

Since Angel Island was in constant motion, orbiting in a wide circle that only once a month lined up perfectly above the Mystic Ruins, Tails had to locate it via radar. Naturally, the Tornado had a built in radar system that was displayed on the plane's dashboard, and he actively checked it now and again in order to make sure he kept them on track. Apparently the island was currently floating just a couple of miles off West Side Island, from which's furtherest coast one could catch a sight of it in passing.

It had taken little more than an hour to get within range, flying over nothing but deep blue ocean as well as under a murky sky that gradually got replaced by big white clouds instead.

Once they rose above the clouds to where the sky was clear and the sun's rays weren't being blocked, they came into view of the floating island. Too massive to comprehend at first unless flying around the entire island, as it's sheer magnitude was just far too great. Mountains that reached it's peaks towards the heavens, some even covered with snow while others had waterfalls going down the side of them. The remarkable thing about Angel Island was that it was divided into different zones which all had their own climates and enviroments. Jungles, frozen plains and deserts all existed on the same place as lush hills, ancients cities and pools of the clearest azure waters.

"I had almost forgot just how beautiful this place is…" Amy murmured in awe, just as they passed by Sky Sanctuary.

"Yeah.." Tails replied, who was now steering along the coast to get to the west side of the island where a tropical jungle grew around the edges of wide plains of grass - and most importantly the shrine of the Master Emerald. There they'd with utmost certainty also find its guardian, namely Knuckles himself.

The young fox cast a hasty glance up at his older brother who's expression had been distant, almost detatched, during the entire flight. But now he seemed to have come back to reality as he suddenly straightened his stance and masked any eventual emotions with a smile, as if already preparing himself for what was to come. As if he knew that the next twenty four hours would require all of his strength, after which a whole new different challange would begin. One that wouldn't be much easier.

A thought Tails forced himself to suppress for the moment. And once the coast was in view, he picked out a good spot to land, making sure it wasn't too close to the shrine. "Coming in for a landing, guys..!" He called and in response Sonic sent him an encouraging wink and a thumbs up while Amy grabbed the edges of her seat more firmly.

Landing the Tornado on an open plain was as challenging to Tails as it was breathing air, the wheels hitting the ground with a soft thud as he then decided to park near a cluster of swaying palm trees a few yards ahead.

"That was a sweet landing you did there, buddy!" Sonic praised, ruffling the bangs of his little brother who'd just removed his goggles that he wore during long flights.

Tails, who normally got modest over any form of praise, chuckled slightly and averted his gaze a bit to the side. "Oh, it was nothing. Even you could've landed on a spot like this."

Sonic raised a brow.

"Uhh..! That's not to say you're not a good pilot or anything! I-I mean I'm sure you were great back in the day considering you had no one to teach you, b-but - uhh…-"

However, Sonic only laughed in good nature. "I'm just messing ya', Tails..! You're a way better pilot than I ever was - you just make your big bro proud, that's all."

"Hehe, thanks."

They exchanged a smile between themselves before Sonic then turned his attnetion to the passenger's seats to see to Amy while Tails got started on unloading all the luggage. His ability to fly with his tailses certainly getting to good use in doing so. He then watched as his big brother aided Amy in getting herself out of the plane before they finally began heading off in the direction of the shrine.

"I'm surprised Knuckles hasn't come storming at us yet." Sonic commented after a while of walking.

"Maybe he's off in the jungle somewhere gathering fruit." Tails speculated before furrowing his brow slightly. "Eheh, just hope he won't be too upset that we show up unannounced."

"Dude, don't sweat it! I bet he'll be thrilled to see us again."

"But remember last time when-…"

While the two boys talked, Amy was lost in her own thoughts.

For some reason there had been a gnawing feeling of unease growing in her stomach ever since the morning. And no matter how much she tried to shake it off the uneasiness still lingered. It was stupid, Tails and Sonic was with her, just a few steps ahead, and yet it felt as if she was slowly being pulled under by a wave of water. Her feet walked forward but still she got nowhere.

All of a sudden Amy became very aware of the elements around her. The heat of the sun and the passing winds, the different colors and shades, the humidity from the jungle - even the ground seemed to vibrate from all that was growing and bursting with life around the island. It was all so vibrant, like the whole Island was pulsating with energy.

Everything just felt so much stronger…

Like the entire island was breathing - whispering… - screaming…

Within the blink of an eye, Amy's legs had given way from underneath her and she collapsed like a house of cards that someone had just blown on, Sonic and Tails turning their heads just in time to see her body hit the ground. "Amy..!" Both boys called out in unison, Sonic dropping everything in his hands while Tails' face was struck with worry. Within the blink of an eye, they'd both rushed to her side and got onto their knees.

"Amy, are you okay!? What happened?"

"Have you hurt yourself, Ames?"

Amy felt Sonic's hand brush against her forehead as Tails grabbed a hold of her hand and gently pressed two fingers against her left wrist in order to check her pulse. She blinked a couple of times, her vision slowly going from blurry to clear as her friends' faces registered next to her. "I-… I'm fine. Just got a bit overwhelmed by… the heat, I guess." She soon answered, suddenly feeling greatly embarrassed over having collapsed without seemingly any reason at all.

Tails, who'd just confirmed Amy's pulse to be fairly weak but still at a tolerable level, gave his sister-in-law a relieved hug which she returned the best she could. He smiled meekly, sighed and gave the following suggestion— "Maybe it's the island's strong presence of Chaos energy that's affecting you. I've noted before that I too can get a bit light-headed when up here in the midst of it all, and especially since we haven't visited in such a long time too it might feel even stronger. I assume it's because our bodies aren't as used to the exposure of raw Chaos energy as Sonic and Knuckles are."

Sonic blinked in surprise as he lifted Amy off the ground and onto her feet again. "What? How do you figure?"

"Well, Knuckles has lived among it his whole life, and you are practically a real life embodiment of different Chaos energies. Hence the effects are less prominent to you, or none at all, than it is to a regular person. Of course, being too exposed has its very own side effects - but… I haven't done enough research to fully determine all of them. Seeing as it is, you're my only living study object, hehe..!"

"Hm, glad I can be of use to ya', little buddy. But anyway… it's not dangerous or anything, right - for Amy?"

"Sonic, I'm fine." Said hedgehog automatically quipped.

"No, the body should just need some time to adjust, that's all."

Discreetly, Sonic checked Amy for any scratches before beginning to pick up his bearings again, while also spotting the bag she'd dropped. "Let me get that for you." He offered, despite already being covered in bags himself.

"No, no, It's okay - I feel much better now." Amy insisted, quickly picking the bag up from the ground and swinging it over her shoulder without trying to reveal any sort of distress upon her face. Even if she knew Sonic only meant well, she still hated it whenever he thought of her as helpless. "I'm not some damsel that can't even carry her own bag. Come on, let's go..!" She set off with resolute steps, marching ahead of both Tails and Sonic the rest of the way. Failing to notice the subtle glance that the two of them exchanged.

Arriving at the shrine, the trio found that the whole place was empty and oddly quiet as there was no Knuckles in sight.

"Yoo-hoo!" Sonic called playfully, running a few lapses around the place. "Knuckie, I'm home!"

"Looks like he's out, or, well.. err, out somewhere else rather." Tails remarked, since their echidna friend did indeed have no actual house but instead lived in and around the shrine - considering all of Angel Island as 'home', more or less. His birthplace and where he one day intends to die, after having lived a life of fullfilling his one true purpose. For in the center of the shrine, up a flight of stone steps leading up to the altar stood the legendary Master Emerald in all its majestic radiance. Emitting a soft light that gave the one beholding it a sense of tranquility, yet you still couldn't help but be rendered astonished by it as well. The seven pillars that encircled the altar were in turn intended to uphold a Chaos Emerald each, however, at the moment, they all stood empty.

Amy carefully walked closer to the nearest pillar, gazing up at it in thought. "Do you think he could be away hunting for an emerald, Tails?"

"Hmm, I don't think so..." Tails answered, who'd climbed the altar steps and was now eyeing a very old and worn looking woven blanket that laid spread out on a few steps below the Master Emerald's altar. Around the blanket there stood a basket of what looked to be freshly picked fruit, but surprisingly also a crumbled up piece of paper. A jumble of letters could barely be made out when taking a closer look, but the young fox thought it best not to possibly intrude on Knuckles' privacy and left it be. He hastily drew back and walked back down the stairs.

Sonic had just then ceased his shouting and had began unloading all of the bags from his person at the foot of the altar steps. He was just about to open his mouth to speak as Tails joined him, when he spotted something moving off in the distance.

At the treeline of the jungle an unmistakable red figure had emerged from within the shelter of the palmtrees and came walking slowly but surely towards the shrine. And after nearly five months since they'd last seen each other, Amy met with the distinct violet eyes of Knuckles, who appeared just as mature and steadfast as ever. His mere presence made her feel almost like a child again, as she suddenly became aware of how terribly dainty she was in comparison. He was tall, though still shorter than Sonic but definitely more burly and stout with strong limbs that, with one wrong move, could most certaintly dislocate Amy's entire arm. And despite his mere twenty four years of age, he gave the impression of being at least the double at times, and possessed a respectful and intense aura that probably came naturally due to his heritage.

Sonic, however, greeted him just as carefree and playfully as if they were two kids who hadn't seen each other for some time and finally got together for a playdate. Something Knuckles didn't respond to in the slightest, and instead maintained his personal space and gave them all a simple nod in recognition each.

"It's good to see you, Tails, Amy, Sonic… I sensed you were coming. The Master Emerald has been foretelling me of-"

Just then, Sonic interrupted, swinging his arm around Knuckles' shoulders and saying—"Aw, come off it, Knux! Don't start with that whole "The Master Emerald has been fortelling me"-stuff, not when we haven't seen each other for what? Four months? Give us a hug or at least a mildly tolerable handshake first."

Knuckles muttered something inaudible before shaking Sonic's arm off of him. "I'll try to contain myself from bursting with joy…"

Sensing the tension, Tails hurried to his brother's aid, turning to Knuckles with an apologetic expression upon his face. "Sorry to show up like this without any notice, Knuckles, but things have been quite..- chaotic as of late. And since I didn't seem to be able to contact you on the communicator I gave you…-" Tails didn't know said communicator had long ago been thrown away somewhere in the jungle, never to be seen again. "-we had no choice but to come up here either way."

Loudly Sonic cleared his throat. Seemingly having regained somewhat of a serious composure again.

"Yeah, ol' Robotnik's at it again - world domination, enslavement of the free world, you know, the usual drill."

Knuckles simply snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't try and play this off as you always do. Nothing's ever the usual drill when it comes to that mad human."

"Well, I'd say tricking you into doing his bidding was sort of a running theme there for a couple of years…"

"Soonic, what did I just say?"

"What? Can't even take a joke anymore, Knux?"

"Don't call me-"

"Ehm! Why don't I make us some coffee." Amy cut in, clearing her throat and smiling kindly at Knuckles in an attempt to distract him from Sonic. "We can talk about everything that's happened these past weeks and try and plan out what to do next. And one usually thinks better when you've had a good cup of coffee."

As much as Knuckles liked his herbal teas, Amy knew he'd grown a strong liking to coffee over the years. Of course he only ever drank it whenever he was offered, as there grew no coffee beans around the jungle - and he refused to admit that there were certain things he wanted that his island couldn't provide.

To be dependent on outside resources just didn't sit well with him.

Still, it had been quite a while since the last time he'd had some…

"Fine. I'll get a fire going."

Said and done, the four friends soon sat around the sturdy fire pit Knuckles had built out of rocks and which stood a short distance from the altar. It was round and broad, and was were Knuckles cooked the most of his food. Though his diet consisted mostly of fruit, edible plants and roots that grew around the island he would occasionally hunt wild, non-anthropomorphic birds and cook for dinner. With quick and methodical hands Amy prepared their coffee on the open fire. She'd brought a whole bag of beans as well as her favorite coffee pan - a blue one with yellow flowers on - and made sure to make it extra strong in an effort to soften Knuckles' up a bit. Naturally, she'd also brought a thermos of hot lemonade for Sonic since caffeine made it outright impossible to be within even fifteen feet from him. Hyperactivity multiplied by a thousand as Tails had once put it when he'd accidentely given his older brother a steaming cup of coffee for warmth when they'd been up in Holoska. Leading to several igloos and infrastructures of a local village to never be the same again after that. Long story short - they had all agreed and solemnly sworn upon their lives to never ever let Sonic taste coffee again.

On the plus side though was that Tails got to learn how an igloo was built, as Sonic in turn would point out if the story was ever brought up.

"That smells real good…" The blue hero now noted with a sigh as he leisurely sipped his lemonade while gazing at the broiling pan with a somber expression. That comment immediately earned him warning glances from the others, making him put his hands up in defense. "Chill, I'm just sayin'..!"

"Yeah, well you make sure to stick to your kiddy drink - I will not have you run amok on my island." Knuckles told him.

"And risk accidentely knocking over your precious glowing rock? Why, I'd never!"

"Shut your trap, hedgehog, before I stuff it with rocks and throw you head-first into the pond!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try, Knucklehead!"

But before their banter could escelate, Amy once again cut in and loudly proclaimed that the coffee was done brewing. "Here you go…" She served Knuckles and Tails one steaming enamel mug each before filling one up for herself and settling down beside Sonic on the ground. She then listened as him and Tails collectively recounted in broad strokes of what had happened - starting when Tails heard Robotnik's message on the radio and ending with Sonic's waking up just yesterday. Knuckles being a good listener as he for once remained perfectly quiet and attentive, his deepening frown being the only emotional reaction he revealed.

Except when Sonic in passing mentioned Rouge's name. Then, Amy noted, how his gaze hardened and his fists tightening ever so slightly.

Was it hurt she caught in his eyes?

Anger?

Regret?

Heartache..?

But what it truly was would be for another day, in fact another night entirely, yet in the moment Amy couldn't help but wish she had dared ask.

As late afternoon drew close the four friends had ultimately agreed upon that the best course of action to take at the time being was that Sonic, Tails and Amy would begin a search for the emeralds while Knuckles remained on the island for a few days in case Robotnik would show up in the coming days. Eventually, he would set off on a hunt of his own after Tails had made contact with The Chaotix - Vector, Espio and Charmy had acted temporary guardians of the Master Emerald a few times before, for payment of course. However as Knuckles possessed no type of money, Amy had promised to scrape together whatever she had in order to account for their service. And even though none of them really wanted to get involved with G.U.N. more than absolute neccessary, Sonic surprisingly was the one who pointed out that getting more information on the Robotnik situation couldn't hurt. They'd try and get in contact with Agent Javid, who's number Sonic had been given the last time they'd met, mainly because Knuckles had out right refused any possible cooperation with Rouge.

Hopefully G.U.N. would keep Robotnik occupied for the time being.

At the bottom line, it was not the ideal plan, but any further steps would have to be a later matter. For now they'd simply have to take things as they came…

The remainder of the day was spent in cheerful placidity - going for a hike around the nearby jungle, collecting freshwater, playing cards and then eating dinner together at the firepit. Amy, with the assistance of Tails, actually managed to put together quite the grand feast by some of the ingridients she'd brought from home and the fruit and herbs Knuckles had stored at the shrine. A creamy carrot coconut soup, canned cornbread and a dish made out of wild rice, dried fruits and roasted nuts, and as for desert they shared a single pack of cookies which they all gingerly dipped in their hot chocolate. Savoring each bite.

It felt cozy and secure to sit there around the sparking fire. Together, far from the rest of the world as the sun set behind the mountains and treetops. Joking and talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

For a brief moment they were allowed to simply be just like any regular group of friends, hanging out and seemingly not having a care in the world.

They weren't guardians or heroes… not freaks or orphans.

They belonged.

They were a team.

A family.

Connected in ways that went beyond simple understanding.

And as the talking slowly ebedd out into a comfortable silence, Knuckles had began to leisurely poke into the firepit with a stick. Tails, who's eyelids had gradually grown heavier, soon sat with his emptied cup of chocolate in his lap, staring into the fire with partially closed eyes. All while, opposite them, Sonic and Amy had seamlessly huddled closer to one another.

Soon, maybe out of curiosity or perhaps on mistake, Knuckles found himself observing the pair discreetly.

It was strange, to say the least, seeing Sonic dote on Amy from time to time with such utter unconcealed tenderness. Of course Knuckles had noticed before that his friend was more than a little smitten by her, but not quite like this. She was practically the center of his universe. Handling her as though she were made out of the finest of porcelain. Every action she made had a reaction in him. Every gesture, even the smallest of shifts in her body language translated to his. When she strayed from his side, his eyes naturally followed. As if he was, on some subconcious level, constantly prepared to throw himself between her and any potential threat or impending danger at a second's notice.

And Knuckles didn't know whether to smirk or not as he witnessed the gentlest, most vulnerable side of Sonic showing through his otherwise obnoxiously 'cool' facade.

The Sonic the Hedgehog who had always depended on himself first and foremost. And who, much like Knuckles himself, was a born loner, but whereas he had remained one Sonic had gotten others to prioritize. Tails who was practically his brother in everything but blood, and Amy, while very much a close friend in the past, was now his future wife. It was indeed almost comical to see his old rival so devoted to the same girl he'd once considered a nuisance, a mere damsel in distress, and at times even a burden. Knuckles could still recall those days as clear as day, but now…-

Now not a single trace of it could be spotted on the hero's features as he currently gazed into the eyes of his pink sweetheart. By the subtle movements of Sonic's lips, Knuckles realized that he was speaking softly to her, but he neither possesed the ability to read lips or hear clearly what were being uttered at this distance. Though he figured it was merely sweet nothings, judging by the rosy hue on Amy's cheeks and the loving look upon his face. Their affection towards each other appeared so utterly private and foregein to him, as if he was witnissing something so pure and innocent that he naturally felt guilty having pryed. Fortunately, he just about managed to cast his eyes downwards before Sonic planted a kiss on her forehead.

As far as Knuckles cared it was never a good idea to get yourself too attatched to someone else, and in Sonic's case it was downright stupid, irresponsible and not to say dangerous. And to make matters even worse, Amy were now even his bride-to-be. And for a reckless idiot who had more enemies than friends, getting himself engaged was like begging for someone to put a needle in their oblivious happiness. But whereas Amy had surely been tempted by the promise of marrying her life long love, so tempted that she took no regard for her own safety - Sonic really ought to have known better.

Just as Knuckles mulled these thoughts over in his head, the couple suddenly rose up from their seats, their hands intertwining.

"Hey, Knux..-" Sonic said in a hushed tone, probably out of respect for his little brother. "-Amy and I are just going for a run round the Island - you mind keeping an eye on Tails?"

"You're asking me to babysit a fourteen year old?"

"Heh, Tails can be a handful sometimes…-"

"Besides, he's sleeping…"

"Well, you never know, he might get up and start sleep walking, getting too close to the fire and unknowingly catch his tails on fire, then perhaps wander into the jungle and accidentally start a wildfire, leading to the entire Island burning down and then-"

A deadpanned expression quickly formed on Knuckles' face, quickly interrupting Sonic's rambling. "Okay, I'll watch him. Just go." To his further annoyance, Sonic then merely grinned in response, giving him a thumbs up before proceeding to sweep Amy into his arms and taking off into evening.

At least now he could get a moment's peace-

"Knuckles..?"

As if on cue, Tails' voice had abruptly stopped Knuckles' train of thought dead in its tracks.

"I could've sworn that kid was asleep just a minute ago…"

Slowly, he turned his head towards the young fox, not needing say anything as his eye contact was enough to prompt Tails to speak— "Uh, I…- I can talk to you about stuff, right?"

Knuckles cocked a brow. "'Stuff'? Kid, of all the traits that could be worth taking after from Sonic, I'd say his vocabulary is not one of them." Yet, he also noted that there was an anxious tone in Tails' voice as he spoke, as if he was internally debating with himself whether he should utter any of the worries he was apparently carrying. And even though Tails was coniderably more perceptive than his older brother, he was also a very optimistic indvidual. So if he indeed was worried it was probably with good reason. "But yes, of course you can talk to me, Tails. There's almost nothing you could say that would surprise me anymore, trust me."

To that, Tails nodded, sitting himself up a bit straighter. Fumbling with his gloves for a few seconds, he then seemed to have come to a decision.

"It's just that… Promise me you won't judge Sonic too harshly, a-and please, don't get mad at him either..! He's under a lot of preassure and doing the best he can, lately I think he's just been really confused and afraid about everything that's happened..! And at the same time he's been hurt very badly recently, more so than usual and perhaps it's all starting to add up or something…-"

"Tails, slow down. What do you mean with 'everything that's happened'? Is there anything more I should know about besides what happened at Station Square?"

Reluctantly Tails nodded again before bowing his head down in defeat.

"It's actually been going on for a few months now…-"

---

Night had now fallen completely.

All of Angel Island was covered under the warm comfort of dark. The stilness, the complete darkness, the ocean waves far underneath - it all created a sort of peacefulness that could only possibly exist on a place like this. And at their small corner of the island, the four friends could easily feel as if they were the only ones left in the entire world.

The stars looked so much closer up here.

One could almost touch them.

All they had to do was reach a hand out to grab one…

But the calm of the night was not last.

Once Sonic and Amy returned, Knuckles had wasted no time in approaching Sonic, strongly suggesting that a meditation session on the altar would do him good. The blue hero, while at first a little surprised, had just as surprisingly and willingly accepted the offer. Patiently, Knuckles then only waited as his rival first bid his fiancée good night. Their hands cluthing one another in an almost feverish grip as he kissed her cheek, before he ultimately turned to hug his little brother. And so, while Tails returned to sleep in the Tornado - as he claimed he slept better there than on the ground anyway - and Amy more than welcomed getting to creep into her sleeping bag, Sonic followed him up the altar steps.

Having soon reached the top, Knuckles gestured for Sonic to sit down, watching as he wordlessly assumed a cross-legged position in front of the Master Emerald. For good measure he even shut his eyes hard and took a big breath of air, probably trying to look as concentrated as possible.

Knuckles sharply turned his back against him, walking over to the edge of the altar and rooting his feet to the spot. Staring out into the dark with a furrowed brow.

Half an hour. That's what the echidna had decided to give him.

That's as far as his patience with him would stretch.

Until then, he'd give him the benefit of the doubt. If Sonic really wanted to tell him this would be the time to do it. They were alone and had the entire night to speak if so was necessary.

Now it was up to Sonic to cease the moment.

Time dragged on. Ill winds blew through the shrine, all while Knuckles patience slowly but surely drained by each passing minute. Not a single word passed over his rival's lips, he barely even heard a songlr movement. Suddenly a thought passed through his mind - he couldn't have fallen asleep, could he? Just to make sure, Knuckles treaded as silently as he could around to the other side again. Finding him sitting in the exact same position as he'd left him. And judging by his chest, his breathing was irregular so he wasn't asleep, and hardly focused anymore. His expression being perfectly unreadable…

Right then and there, Knuckles just couldn't contain himself any longer.

He needed answers.

And he needed them now.

"You've kept things hidden from me."

Knuckles watched how Sonic's shoulders suddenly stiffened only to a second later relax as he turned around to face him. The expression upon his face having quickly changed to that of clearly feigined calmness. He even raised an eye bridge as his voice had a hint of amusement in it when he answered—

"Have I?"

"Don't try and play dumb with me, Sonic, cause you're plenty enough already."

At that Sonic merely rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. "Gee, thanks.."

"Why didn't you tell me about all that's been really going on down there? And I don't mean just what happened in Station Square."

"Oh..."

"Hundreds of people all over Mobius have been injured and have had their villages destroyed, Robotnik has supposedly gone mad and is on the verge of an uprising all while G.U.N.'s has started poking their noses in our business and all you can say is 'Oh'?"

"Look Knuckles..-" Sonic began, letting out a heavy sigh as his expression changed from calm to serious drastically quick. "And you don't need to press Tails for information behind my back."

"I didn't have to, he told me all on his own."

"Well… fine, whatever. You already know everything then, so why are you throwing a fit? I was planning on talking to you about it tomorrow anyway."

"For how long has this been going on?"

"What? Robotnik trying to overthrow the entire world? How about twenty four years or so - give or take…"

"I mean when did he start showing signs of being… unstable? And could you please not joke about this."

"I don't know, Knux… six maybe seven months ago? I mean him attacking innocent villages is not exactly anything new, but… there's something different about him now. You can see it in the way he acts and how he talks, it's less like a madman acting like clown and more just a madman acting… - like a madman…" Sonic's voice died down as his eyes got downcast. "I think I've known for awhile, I just didn't wanna realize it until he threatened to..- to kill her…"

Knuckles didn't need to ask who, for he already knew. Knew who's life he vauled above all else and if threatened could make him face the seriousness of a situation - or so he hoped, at least. Praying that he was wrong in his suspicions, he couldn't help but ask— "Does she know?"

"No, and I intend to keep it that way too. It's bad enough that she was there that day in Station Square, and that that rogue Metal Sonic almost cut out her..-" Again Sonic couldn't finish the sentence. He gave Knuckles a deeply pained look before he continued with renewed determination. "The less she knows the better. The situation with Robotnik is my fault, my burden to bear - not hers. She never asked for any of this."

"And how long do think you will be able to keep that up?"

"For as long as it takes, she's too innocent for all this madness and if I can protect her from it I will! And you would too if you were in my place. Ever since the incident with Metal she's been terrified of falling asleep alone when it's dark, she still has nightmares every other night and despite what she tells me - that she isn't afraid and that we can handle anything as long as we're together - I know it's not that simple. Not anymore."

"I hear you, Sonic, I do… But keeping things from her won't resolve anything..!"

"Neither does telling her things that would only make her feel even more scared than she already is!"

"You can't keep coddling her! She's not a little kid!"

"She's no soldier either!"

"Besides Robotnik blew up half of Station Square. He directly threatened to kill her right in front of you, so whatever false sense of security you thought you had is long gone! You put a target on that girl's back the same moment you decided to put a ring on her finger and indulge in your own selfish desires! And then what? Do you think it'll have been worth it the day when Robotnik's finally gone up and killed her off?"

"I'm warning you, Knuckles, say that again and I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? Cause if I have to beat some sense into you in order for you to understand the severeness of the situation I can assure you that I won't hesitate to pummel your damn head right into the ground!"

But what shocked him was that there was not the usual fire in his rival's eyes. No actual fury. Somewhere as they'd talked the light in them had faltered, only to reveal that there was something else embedded within those pair of emeralds. Something that he kept hidden. His anger… it wasn't real. Sonic's hands was shaking, but not because they wanted to tear Knuckles apart - but because he wanted to tear himself apart.

He didn't realize it til' just then.

Suddenly the entire day played up differently inside Knuckles head…

Tails' worry for him…

How tightly he'd clutched Amy's hand…

The contrasts were subtle at first, and he hadn't even made out half of it as the words slipped out of Knuckles before he even knew it— "What are you trying hide, Sonic?"

But whatever it was, Knuckles never got to know as Sonic had barely registered the sentence before—

"Sonic..?"

Immediately, Sonic's head turned in the direction of where his name had been called. A moment later, coming out of the dark and up the stairs and into the faint light of the Master Emerald was Amy, with knees that were slightly shaking in the cool night air and with a drowsy expression upon her face. He wasted no time going to her side and circling his arms around her petite frame to shield her from the cold. "It's alright, Ames. We were just talking is all." He reassured, clearing his throat hastily which had gotten kinda dry after all the shouting. In the same breath he sent Knuckles a sharp glance.

However, Knuckles didn't take any notice of it, as his eyes were fixated on Amy in an unyielding glare.

"...Right, Knux, old buddy?" Sonic's voice switched to a more lighthearted tone in an attempt to calm things down. But when no answer came and Sonic felt Amy flinch under the echidna's stare he abruptly scooped her up into his arms and turned his back to Knuckles. "Come on, Amy, let's go get some rest. Knuckles is just tired after today, and needs some time to himself."

"Good night..!" Amy managed to call out softly before Sonic had carried her down the steps of the altar and she could no longer see him.

Once back at the firepit, of which Amy had decided to camp out next to, Sonic gently laid her down on the sleeping bag. Tucking her in with the extra blanket he'd brought before proceeding to settle himself down on the bare ground beside her. He then propped his head up with his elbow and focused his gaze on her while absentmindedly pulling at the grass. She was barely able to keep her eyes open, yet he noticed that there were concern emedded within them. It appeared as if she wanted to ask him something but wasn't really sure how to approach it.

They laid in silence for a few minutes before Amy finally mustered up enough strength to ask— "Sonic, what were you two talking about just now? Knuckles seemed quite upset and I heared you arguing... Was-… was it about me? Have I done something wrong?"

"No, no, of course not, Ames, you haven't done anything wrong." Sonic reassured as he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Knuckles just likes to mouth off about stuff he doesn't have a clue about. But you don't need to worry, It probably sounded worse than it actually was. Heh, you know how hotheaded us guys can get sometimes." He then offered her a warm, playful smirk which she returned with a faint smile of her own. Not looking fully convinced by that explanation.

"Yeah…"

"I'm sorry that we woke you up."

"It's okay, now I got to spend more time with you."

"Hmm, you've got a point there..." He instictively pulled her closer to him with his free arm, draping it around her before nuzzling the side of her head. Her soft quills brushing against his muzzle. The smell of roses ever so inoxicating. This moment was after all an unexpected gift that had to be treasured for as long as it'd last. Which, judging by the yawn Amy just then let out, wouldn't be too long.

However, soon enough she spoke up, saying—

"You know what Knuckles told me when walked through the jungle today?"

Sonic shook his head.

"He said he's been trying to reestablish chao on the Island. Apparently there's this lush open clearing deeper into the jungle where he's raised a bunch of them! Like the garden in Mystic Ruins. There's plenty of fruit and shelter and even a big pond where they can go swimming! Doesn't that sound just absolutely lovely?"

"Are you kidding me, wild chao? That sounds awesome..! Imagine having those little guys running around here - it'll be like a chao paradise! And they might even cheer the ol' grump up a bit."

A soft giggle escaped Amy's lips as Sonic silently observed how her entire face seemed to light up at the very thought of it. Her eyes twinkling in the flickering glow of the fire. "Yeah, I'd love to see it for myself. Maybe we could come back and visit again soon. After our adventure is over, I mean."

"Defenitely, Amy. That's a promise."

Their lips brushed against one another, and the instant Sonic felt the sweet, cherry taste his mind delighted in the sensation of pure bliss. Amy's eyes immediately closed upon contact, but he kept his eyes half lidded - wanting to savour every emotion, every shift in her expression as he softly delivered each kiss. Delicately he paused every now and then to either nuzzle his nose against hers or stroke her cheek with his thumb.

If Sonic only could've, he would've stopped the hands of time right at that moment.

It ended far too soon.

But his gaze never wavered.

Amy on the hand had turned her attention up at the night sky, where the little stars were looking down upon on them. She'd curled up so close to Sonic that she could hear his heart beat, but it surprised her that it wasn't the usual steady beating. The beat was disrupted - one moment it was racing and the next it was as if it had stopped completely. And this sudden change in her most sacred source of comfort unnerved her in more ways than she was yet fully aware of.

The inner notions she'd tried to suppress for the entire day resurfaced within her consciousness with renewed force. Filling her with the feeling of slowly losing her mind - of having everything slip through her fingers without having any power to stop it. But why?

Sonic was here.

Right next to her.

Her heart was singing, and yet, at the same time it was breaking.

Was she nervous for heading out into the world? To finally set off on an adventure again? It had indeed been a while since last time, over a year even. So maybe feeling a bit anxious was nothing to work herself up about, it was only natural. But traveling around Mobius with her friends was something she'd done for more than half her life. Her childhood and teenage years was filled to the brim with grand, exciting and dangerous adventures! She and her Piko Piko Hammer had smashed anything that had come in their path! Admittedly she was a bit rusty with it nowadays… as there was no real reason to use it in her life back at the village and the cottage. The thought of bringing it along with her to Angel Island hadn't even crossed her mind… It probably stood in the corner of her closet back home, covered in dust.

Suddenly, a new fear took form inside her head.

What if she'd lost touch with her fighting spirit…

What if she turned out to be a mere burden on the team.

A liability.

No, she refused to think like that.

She was not the same defenseless nine year old Sonic had once saved from Metal Sonic. She'd prove herself worthy once more! Become a valuable asset. Someone Sonic could depend on, who could fight alongside him and not have to cower in fear.

They'll see!

They'll… see…

"Sonic..?" Amy inquired, her voice barely reaching above a whisper as she was already slipping into the warm embrace of sleep. Having on pure instinct grasped Sonic's hand in hers so she could hold it even in her dreams. "Have you ever…- ever been so happy that you got scared..?"

But as fate would have it Sonic never got to answer the question.

Instead he carefully bent his head down and kissed his slumbering beloved's cheek one last time.

"Dream lovely dreams, Ames…"

And just as he thought the worst was yet to come Knuckles' figure soon came forth from the depths of the night, his face vaugley lit up by the flickering light. His voice so utterly somber to the point of being almost unrecognizable, as he stated the cold, inevitable truth—

"You know you can't protect her forever."

"I've got to try."

"You will fail…"

Then he drew back into the darkness without another word, leaving Sonic to watch the last few sparks of the fire burn out.

Awaiting the inevitable break of dawn.

---

When Amy Rose woke up that morning she sensed something was wrong before even opening her eyes.

Sonic was gone.

She knew it.

In many ways his absence had always felt stronger than his presence as the stark contrast between the two were almost too much to endure.

The silence that his heart left behind too deafening…

The emptiness when his arms were no longer wrapped around her too great…

A single letter were placed where he had laid the night before. Sonic's trademark crooked scribbles covering the white and slightly tattered sheet of paper. It was evident that the letter had been folded and unfolded several times.

With tear brimmed eyes and shaky hands, Amy read the following—

-.-

"Amy,

I don't even know how to begin this letter

When you read this I'm already miles away and I'm so sorry for leaving you like this but it was the only way I knew.

I've left to deal with the situation and don't know how long it will take but I won't return before Robotnik has been put behind bars once and for all, far away from us. I'm sure G.U.N. will prove useful there. I'm sorry I lied to you, and know that I'll never forgive myself for it… But I could also never live with myself if I knowingly put your life on the line, if you'd end up hurt or worse because of the stupid decisions I've made.

I'm not expecting you to forgive

I had no choice

I know the probably the last thing you wanna do right now is do anything I ask of you, but please - stay on Angel Island. I know you'll be safe with Knuckles. And in case what I do doesn't work, you cannot return to the mainland, you have to stay.

I tried to avoid this from happening, I thought I could keep you out of it, but I can't. I've put you in danger...

But maybe I know I can still fix things.

I need you to know that I love you more than life itself, and that I'll do whatever it takes to see you again. When all of this is over I will come for you. I'll build us a big new house, with room for as many kids as you want - and if you'll still have me as your husband, I will marry you in time for when the apple blossoms bloom in our garden. But until then

Take care of yourself

I'm sorry, I love you

Yours, Sonic."

-.-

The pain that flared up like a fire in her chest was unbearable.

She felt as if she'd been pulled from the ground.

The world was suddenly so big - too big.

And she so very, very small.

Part of her mind was screaming at her, denying that any of this was real. She was dreaming. She had to be. This was merely another nightmare of hers, and soon she'd wake up and find that Sonic's hand was still in hers. He'd lay there beside her, still true to his word that whatever came their way they'd face it together. He couldn't have left her, not like this.

But even though she pinched her arm until she'd surely bruise, the nightmare kept going.

Somewhere within the last few minutes she had reverted back to her eight year old self. A girl with no past or future. No present. Merely existing in a world where she was completely insignificant and undesired.

Lost but never found.

The prince had never come and whisked her away.

She was utterly alone.

Alone…

Without realizing she'd sunk to the ground on her bare knees in the dirt, Amy was abruptly pulled up by an unknown force.

"Knuckles… Knuckles is still here…"

Surely he hadn't abandoned her.

"Knuckles..!" She spluttered forth, a mix between a tear choked croak and a high pitched cry. Instinctively her feet moved, lurching her forward as she ran towards the shrine in hopes to find her friend. And there he was, at the top of the altar with his back turned against the Master Emerald and eyes fixated on a letter of his own clutched in his hands. She stumbled up the altar steps, falling and scraping her knee a couple of times, but she didn't care.

While up, Amy stumbled towards Knuckles, desperately fumbling for something to hold on to, to get a grip of reality again, but quickly halted as he shot his head up to face her. The look he gave her was filled with such unmasked intensity that he might as well have slapped her. His violet eyes pierced her, a range of emotions evident within them - accusation, anger, resentment… but surprisingly also pity.

And even though it was needless to point out, Amy still heard herself saying— "They..- they've left us…"

"Yes, It looks that way."

"B-but... do you think he's coming back?"

Knuckles cast a glance down at his letter, letting his eyes drift across the written words one more time.

After a while he responded with a simple and honest—

"No."

---

 

Notes:

Credits:

"The steadfast tin soldier" in translation of Hans Christian Andersen's "Den standhaftige Tinsoldat".

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Thank you for reading.

Chapter 6: Fever Dream

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 6: Fever Dream

---

A long time after, Amy Rose would find it hard to remember what her days after Sonic had left her upon Angel Island had been like. What she'd done, what she'd been thinking about, and how she'd even managed to motivate herself to get up in the mornings.

Everything she knew had been ripped apart, and now she saw it all differently.

The lies Sonic had told her…

Tails' guilty expressions as he'd turn his head away to avoid meeting her gaze as she'd inquire about their latest adventure…

Her oblivious way of life for the past year...

For when she had been singing happily in her little garden back home, the rest of the world had began to catch fire.

And now…

Everything was like a dark haze that stretched from the moment when she'd read that letter, to yesterday when she'd found it strange that no tears came as she'd gone to sleep in the evening. There were simply no tears left to be shed, and her subconcious had known it was time - time to resurface from the deep depths she'd laid at the bottom of. For how many days she couldn't say, and she failed to see how it even mattered.

Like a ghost Amy had wandered around the Island. Slowly. Aimlessly. Indifferently.

The nightmares that had plauged her for weeks before had suddenly disappeared, but no dreams had come in their place - only empty, dreamless slumber.

And as a new morning rose upon the horizon, Amy awoke with cheeks that weren't stained by dried tears but instead just cold. For once she noticed where she'd fallen asleep and it turned out to be under a rather tall, crooked-looking tree that she didn't know the name of. Around her were the regular thick vegetation of the jungle, even more trees and a rocky slope that lead down into a far reaching valley. As far as she could remember, Amy didn't recall ever being in this area. But much around this part of the island did indeed look similar…

After stretching her limbs for a bit, them being quite stale after having slept on the ground, she searched her surroundings for breakfast. Fortunately, fruit grew in plenty around the jungle and one didn't need to go far to find ripe goods, just waiting to get picked. Although, since a lot of the trees grew to high for her to reach, she collected some that had already fallen to the ground. Settling down underneath the shade of a banana tree, Amy then ate her breakfast in the tranquility of the morning. Quiet thoughts floating around inside her head, like a still pond that someone had just stirred with their finger. As usual, Sonic was the first that came to her mind - how much she missed him and how desperately she wished he'd could've been sitting beside her right now.

"I promise I'll never leave you, Amy" — That was one of the things Sonic had vowed when he'd proposed to her…

"Then why am I alone?"

Of course, Amy wasn't truly alone. Knuckles' presence was very much always near, like a natural part of the Island's aura and very soul. She had never really given much thought about what Knuckles' everyday life looked like, outside of guarding the Master Emerald, and found that he was almost away from the altar as much as he was there. When not occupying the shrine, he dutifully roamed around the Island's various zones, gathered food or aided the creatures that lived among him. Ever since they'd first met, she'd found Knuckles difficult to read, even more so than Sonic. Though in somewhat different ways. For whilst Sonic usually masked his emotions with witty words or deflecting charm. Knuckles, who had lived alone for so many years and still prefered a life of solitude, usually suppressed his emotions to such degree that he only ever showed what he wanted others to see. And when inquired what he truly felt, he usually either ignored or dissmissed you.

In fact, Amy hadn't spoken much during her time on the Island, mainly because there weren't anyone else besides Knuckles to talk to. And as it were, her echidna friend wasn't exactly thrilled over his current situation of having her around. After the revelation that Tails and Sonic had left, he had barely looked or said a word to her, and since Amy hadn't been in a very talkative mood herself, they'd quickly began to evade each other as much as possible. Her external sadness and his internal anger didn't go well together, so perhaps it was for the best. For now, she couldn't bring herself to ponder on for how long the tension between them would would go on for, but decided that she'd soon have to do something about it.

For who knew how long she'd be forced to stay up here?

Amy slowly chewed down on her last bit of papaya, swallowing hard while admiring her beautiful surroundings.

True enough, there were far worse places to be stuck at.

After cleaning up after her little meal, Amy took a moment to clean herself up a bit as well. Brushing through her quills with her fingers, wiping her face with some moist leaves, re-lacing her boots and lastly brushing the worst of the dirt off of her clothes. To her initial surprise and eventual blessing, Sonic had made sure to pack down quite a lot of spare clothes for her to wear in their packing, and even made sure to include a pair of more practical hiking boots. However, looking through the big duffel bag he had insisted on bringing, Amy was shocked to find her Piko Piko Hammer cleverly wrapped in a thin blanket. As she'd first seen it, she'd been close to bursting into tears and had refused to re-open said bag ever since - the implication as to why he'd brought it along being too painful to think about…

Lingering a moment longer under the tree, Amy soon figured it was time to move forward and got to her feet with a somewhat less heavier heart. She jogged on the spot briefly in order to get her blood system going, threw her backpack over her shoulder and walked over to the rocky slope which had peaked her curiosity before. Looking down, she found it to not be quite as vertical but rather long, and the valley that it lead down to looked welcoming and lush of all its tall grass. The trick was really just getting down safely… But being somewhat crafty, Amy had soon cut down a long liana which she then procedeed to tie around nearest tree to the slope and then tie the other end around her waist. Tight. Then, with just a slight shakiness in her knees, she began to descend down the slope. Carefully placing each foot lower and lower down, and being mindful of any loose rocks as well as letting up liana little by little.

Halfway down the slope, just as Amy thought things were going smoothly, she misplaced her foot while trying to yank the liana free after it got caught between two rocks. Thus causing the rock beneath her foot to abruptly loosen and roll downwards as she lost her footing.

"Ngh! No..!" Amy instinctively whimpered under her breath, heplessly sliding down several meters - scraping her knees, legs and arms in the process. The liana slipped her grip and hung freely, but soon enough she managed to find a steady rock to stand upon while her hands desperately clambered onto another rock above her head. Despite the stingy sensation of the scrapes, she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank, Chaos - please, watch over me…" And fortunately enough, the last bit of the climb went without any more trouble. While down, Amy quickly untied herself and inspected the scratches she'd gotten. It wasn't too bad, she concluded, although some of them did bleed a little.

After collecting herself again, Amy began trekking into the deep valley where the vegetation grew much thicker and the grass and plants reached well above her waist. Even the temperature seemed to rise as the over all atmosphere became more humid making her have to wipe her forehead several times with the sleeve of her shirt. Luckily the cotton fabric it was made of were light, and she wore a skirt which she could easily pull higher up above her knees.

Pretty soon she realized she must've entered the more rainforest-like part of the jungle. And true enough, around an hour later a light drizzle began to fall, causing Amy to seek momentary shelter underneath a low growing tree. Of what she could recall, the rains around these parts usually didn't last very long and either way her clothes could probably use a light wash about now. Not to mention her quills… Ah, how she missed her floral shampoos back home… her bathtub filled to the brim with hot water and a couple of scented bath bombs chucked in…

If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the smell…

Just as Amy sat there daydreaming, there suddenly landed a very large, very heavy fruit upon her head. A bump practically forming within seconds. "Ow..! Ohh… Ah—! What?" Looking down at the fruit she noticed it wasn't a regular fruit, but rather a so called Chao fruit, similar to that of a somewhat larger, and harder, peach. And just as she reached a hand out to grasp it, a small creature dashed forward from out of the bushes behind her. It was nothing less than an actual Chao, light blue in color and with the characteristically tiny wings on its back. It tried lifting the fruit, but was too eager and instead fell on its face, and with the fruit simply rolling further away instead.

Amy briefly stared with a look of surprise upon her face at the newcomer, before immediately being smitten by its adorableness. She uttered a noise somewhere between a giggle and a squeal, and quickly helped the slightly dizzy Chao back on its feet. "Oh, you poor thing! Did you hurt yourself?"

In response, the Chao merely shook its head a couple of times, sitting itself up with a stubborn expression. "Chao! Chao!"

"Uh, you're welcome..?" Amy answered slowly. Unsure of what it had just said. Admittedly, she wasn't nearly as good at interperting the Chao language as her friend Cream. Having had her own Chao friend, Cheese, for as long as she'd been able to speak, Cream now understood it fluently. Even Sonic had a knack for understanding the various noises and nuanced variations of 'chao' the little creatures emitted. Amy guessed that Knuckles also must have an inherently good ability to understand their language as well.

Fortunately, one could also read body language - and this particular Chao didn't seem to want to sit around for too long.

With a small leap, it hopped onto the fruit, sinking its teeth into it while clambering on for dear life, beginning to flap its wings furiously. Figuring it was trying to lift the fruit by flying, but not having much success, Amy put a hand to her mouth, giggling softly. Earning herself an irritated "Chao!" from the struggling Chao.

"I'm sorry." Amy apologized. "But I don't think you'll have much luck carrying that big fruit on your own. Why don't I help you?"

"Chaooo… Chao! Chaaoo!"

Amy recognized that one of those noises meant 'No'.

"Oh, you're a tough one, are ya'? What are you doing this far from the Chao garden anyway, and all by yourself, too?" She assumed they were far away from the Chao garden anyway. When Knuckles had told her about it he hadn't really specified its exact location, just that it laid somewhere deep in the jungle. Which… she just realized she must be by now. At least somewhat deep, right? During her seemingly endless days of wandering in circles, Amy had lost all sense of direction and would probably not even be able to find her way back to the Master Emerald shrine from here without using a compass.

"Chaooo, chao, chaao! Chao!"

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand you... But I get a feeling your the adventurous type, huh?" Amy said with a wistful smile, and at that the Chao suddenly let go of the fruit and flew up to her eye level, putting on a brave face while pounding its little hand to its chest. Nodding vigorously. "Yeah, I thought so. Going off on an adventure on your own takes a lot of courage..." And all of a sudden, Amy lost her composure, staring blankly as she forgot where she was and what she was just doing. A sad look forming upon her face, as the looming despair in her heart threatened to consume her again. The Chao took quick notice of it and silently wondered what had caused the drastic change in the Mobian's demeanor. Thinking quickly, however, it decided to let the girl help them, even though it went against their principles. Carefully, he pushed the heavy fruit against her hand, waking her up from her trance.

And luckily it worked as Amy abruptly came back to her senses, putting a hand to her head as she blinked her eyes a couple of time. She looked at the Chao with a bewildred look before staring down at the fruit and asking— "Huh? You want me to have it?"

The creature shook its head again. "Chao, Chaoo!"

"I'm allowed to carry it now?"

And as confirmation to her question, Amy soon found herself being pulled by her hand and quills. The Chao seemingly beckoning her to follow it while uttering encouraging noises. "Okay, okay, I'm going." She giggled softly, grabbing the fruit and then getting up to her feet with the Chao flying around her head in excitment before yet again pulling on her free hand.

Together the new formed duo walked deeper and deeper into the jungle, for so long that Amy figured they soon must've entered a new part of the Island's many zones. However, as she was practically crawling on her knees unerneath a thick log of a fallen tree, with the Chao fruit safely tucked in her backpack, she failed to notice a new steep grassy slope meeting her on the other side. And as she was just about to tumble forward and roll down the slope, her Chao companion managed to get a hold of her arm and with all its might keep her back.

"Wheew! Thanks, that was close..! I wouldn't be surprised if you turn into a real Hero Chao someday!" Amy said, letting out a sigh of relief while she patted her rescuer on the head. And to her surprise he actually displayed something that appeared to be modesty on his small features, waving away at her praise only a little.

But turning to look ahead, Amy caught the new sight before her. Her jaw almost hitting the ground in astonishment…

A pond, wide and with crystal blue water stood in the center of an even wider clearing where Chao of every different kind and color either played or basked in the sun. The trees around the clearings edges provided a sort of protective sense to the place, while plenty of fruit palmtrees grew here and there around the area - it felt secluded, yet open at the same time. Amy thought that this must be the place Knuckles had told her about that first day, and she marveled at how much work he must've put in to create this place. And not to mention raising all these Chao on his own. Sure, wild Chao mostly fended for themselves but Knuckles still had to have made sure that the very first ones had learned to handle their own. For a brief moment she wondred where Knuckles possibly could've gotten the first Chao eggs from. One can't simply just buy one at the local pet store, though their were both a garden and a Chao Kindergarten in Station Square. And from the former you could be allowed to adopt an egg if you fullfilled the right qualifications, which were quite picky. Unfortunately, there also existed Black Markets for Chao Eggs, but Amy seriously doubted Knuckles meddled with any of those as it would go completely against his morals.

Either way, Amy soon found herself entranced once again by the the mere sight before her and gushed at how cute all the Chao looked.

Her companion gave her an encouraging nudge in the back, and thus she carefully began to walk forward, towards the center of the garden. As she did, several Chao approached her, some flying with their tiny wings while others crowded around her feet, all uttering excited noises. Aside from Knuckles, they had never seen another person before in their lives, so naturally most of them were curious at who had just unexpectadly entered their little sanctuary. Sitting herself down at some flat rocks by the edge of the pond, Amy, equally delighted, smiled brightly at them as she put a hand to her chest.

"My name is Amy Rose, I'm a friend of Knuckles'." She introduced herself, a couple of Chao already climbing their way up to sit upon her lap. "It's very nice to meet you all. I hope you don't mind me coming here - you truly have a lovely home!" Several responded by uttering compliments at her regarding everyhing from her quills to her golden bangles. Picking up on words such as 'pretty' and 'elegant', as well as something about flowers.

While they chattered along, the Chao who had accompanied Amy, grew a slight frown upon his round face. He'd kept to the side at first, merely ovserving the lively interaction, but then suddenly placed himself between Amy and the other Chao. With rare bluntness for being such a small creature, he grabbed Amy's hand and poked at her attention with a rather loud— "Chao!".

"Oh! I'm sorry, did you want to say something, sweetie?"

"Chao..! Chaoo, chao, chaaaoo… chaao!"

"Erm, a roundabout? You want to show me a rowboat? Oh, wait, wait..! You want to show me around - give me a tour of the garden?"

"Chao!"

"Why, how kind of you!." Amy smiled, gathering up as many giddily squealing Chao as she could into her arms before nodding at her friend. "Let's all go together!"

Not being exactly what the heroic Chao had hoped for, he nevertheless resigned to taking them all along, his expression quickly changing into a look of charitable tolerance to his fellow kin's behavior. And so he lead them around the garden's corners and hidden nooks, passing by more and more Chao who gladly joined their steadily growing tour group. Pretty soon there were more Chao trailing along than there were Chao enjoying themselves around the various areas. At long last the company came to an abrupt stop by a thick palm tree which stood by itself a bit further from the pond and which had a deep, rounded hole carved into the stem.

Apparently this was the place where the adventurous little Chao had his nest-like burrow, and he gestured idly for the pretty hedgehog to take a look - and possibly admire it.

Catching on to his wishes, Amy carefully put the Chao in her arms down on the ground in order to get a proper good look. Then she peeked inside the snug little burrow and was met with the sight of various gizmos and trinkets piled up in there. There were seashells, large bird feathers, a volcanic rock, an almost defalted bright red balloon, and many more items that proved that her new Chao friend had indeed been to various zones around the Island. However, what surprised her even more was discovering a particular gadget leaning against a shiny pearl which she immediately recognized as one of Tails' wrist communicators. Sticking her hand inside, Amy carefully grasped the device and pulled it out into the light to have a closer look at it. And sure enough, Tails' trademark — two tails' in spin — was engraved at the back of the communicator's small display.

"Where did you get ahold of this?" Amy asked, turning toward the little creature who now wore a proud smile over showing off his most priced treasures. And as she got her reply, she made out that he had simply found it laying around the jungle underneath some leaves for quite some time ago. Thus Amy slowly realized that the device had most certainly been either accidentely dropped, or purposely thrown away by Knuckles.

Just then, however, she felt how a rush of longing for her sweet brother-in-law overwhelmed her, and ripped at the already aching hole in her heart. Merely holding the communicator that he once must've put so much careful effort into made her feel closer to him, if only just a little bit. And so Amy got the notion that she suddenly needed this tiny thing more than anything else in the world. With slightly pleading eyes, she looked at her chao friend and said— "I'm sorry to ask, but… could I… maybe have it, please?" She felt ashamed over possibly taking a clearly beloved possesion from someone, but still kept her nerve. Yet it was no shock, when she found the chao shake his head and proclaim something along the lines of that the communicator was far too valuable to be merely given away so easily - to someone he just met nonetheless.

But Amy was clever enough to quickly propose the following—

"Then how about if I trade you for it?"

That made the Chao reconsider, and after a moment of careful contemplation he finally agreed. But then a new problem arose - what was Amy supposed to trade with? Hastily, she took off her backpack, and rumaged through it in search of anything that could possibly be of interest to Chao. A Chao that collected what could be considered as mostly junk, but indeed rare and fine junk. Pretty soon though, Amy's hand grazed something that she silently hoped would be a good enough of a bargaining chip - namely a small, but elegantly crafted, pocket-compass. A seemingly perfect trinket for such an adventerous chao, Amy thought, and, to spruce it up a bit, wiped the glass lid clean and tied one of her hair ribbons to the loop of the compass. Thus turning it into sort of a necklace, while also making it easier to carry for her friend.

When she was done, Amy held it up for her friend to see, causing him, as well as the other surrounding chao, to gasp in wonder.

"This thing is called a 'compass'…" Amy began explaining, opening up the lid and showing off the compass rose inside before going on about how to use it. For example how to find out which way is north and how to tell time. Not that she knew if chao even needed to keep track of time, but still - it was something Tails had taught her when teaching her about the compass, and who knew if it might come in handy someday.

After her little lesson, Amy procedeed to neatly tie the ribbon around the correct chao's neck, who uttered elevated noises of gratitude. As soon as it was on him, he seemed to grow several inches taller and his already proud smile turned even wider. All while his chao friends gathered closer, giving him admiring glances and appreciative nods. With a bright red ribbon and a shining compass around his neck, he certainly stood out from the rest of them.

"Chao, chao! Chaooo!" They all practically sang in choir.

Just as the chao of everyone's attention was done basking in the sunshine, he more than willingly pressed the communicator into Amy's hands. "Chaooo! Chaao!" He said, translating roughly to—'Thank you, I look very handsome now.'.

"You sure do..!" Amy giggled, just as glad to have made her new friend so happy. "I'd love to do business with you again some time." She then put the communicator in her backpack for safekeeping until she could get a moment to take a closer look at it later. As of right now, she wanted to return back to the big pond and possibly cool herself after wandering through the jungle heat for so long. The temperature around the garden even seemed to be more intense than out in the thick vegetation. And so, with many of the chao following along, Amy made her way back to the center of the garden and towards the flat rocks that surrounded most of the pond. There she took a sitting kneel with her face staring down at the water which was perfectly still besides light ripples that disturbed the mirror like surface every now and then. The reflection that met Amy's eyes was of a girl that looked slightly harrowed, with dark circles under her eyes, worn clothes and an absentminded look upon her face. She looked lost - in more ways than one.

"Where's that pretty smile of yours?"

Amy could hear Sonic's voice as clear as day, despite it being a mere echo of a memory. He'd want her to be happy. He'd want her to try and be brave and smile even if he couldn't physically be there to naturally bring the smile out of her. But today she had indeed smiled all on her own for the first time in what felt like forever. She had her newfound Chao friends to thank for bringing some joy into her heart again, and the thought of leaving the garden then suddenly appeared unthinkable. The alternatives were either returning to wander aimlessly all by herself or go back to the Master Emerald shrine and Knuckles who couldn't so much as look at her without revealing the resentment he harbored towards her, Sonic and possibly the enitre world.

"No, that's not fair." Amy silently chided herself. "Knuckles has a right to be mad… But I don't feel strong enough to counter his anger right now. Besides, he's probably relieved that I left since all I did was remind him of that anger. So perhaps it's better this way… for both of us."

Amy lifted her eyes for a moment to yet again look at her surroundings. She could see herself staying here - living peacefully among the Chao until the day when Sonic would return and bring her back home with him. When the world was supposedly safe enough… which according to the letter he'd left her would only be once Robtnik was forever put behind bars, locked away at some remote place where he'd never get to hurt anyone ever again.

It did sound wonderful, but maybe too wonderful to ever become reality.

Maybe—

No, Amy had faith in Sonic.

If he believed there was a way then she had no reason not to believe so too.

She just needed to be patient, and then, before she knew it, Sonic and her would stand underneath the apple blossoms, exchanging vows with a newly built house waiting for him to carry her over the threshold of…

Just like he'd promised.

While putting that aside for now, Amy also noted how, after days of wandering, unkempt her fur and skin looked. Small bruises and scratches were all over her legs and arms, and the scrapes she got before when sliding down the rocks were still fairly fresh. Looking across the pond again she figured a quick dip into it couldn't hurt, could it? Either way, she was finally persuaded when she carefully sniffed her quills and realized they could certainly do with being refreshed.

It was definately bathing time.

Due to it being seen as highly disrespectful and unethnical to enter a Chao pond with clothing, Amy removed both her skirt and shirt, leaving them to dry out in the sun. She then carefully stepped down into the water, shivering slightly at the cool temperature. The pond was naturally too shallow to actually swim in, the water barely reaching Amy's chest, but if she sat down it at least covered most of her body. Not that there were a risk of anyone coming across her here anyway - she was so far beyond civalization up here that she might as well have been bathing on another planet. The bottom underneath her was made up of smooth sand and occasional coral colored pebbles. Absentmindedly, she dug her hands into the sand, lifted them and let the fine grains slip through her fingers before repeating the motion several times.

For the briefest of moments, the image of herself and Sonic, holding onto each other in their bathtub that last night back home came to mind. How his strong arms had wrapped themselves around her as delicately as if she'd made out of glass, and how his lips had pressed against her forehead… His warmth, his scent, his heart's beats… which hadn't beaten as they usually did… Because maybe he'd already known then what he would do… And maybe Amy had known too. No, no… She tried to refocus on the image. Sonic's eyes beholding her as if she were the most beautiful, most important person in all of the world. As if nothing else mattered to him except for her. Sonic's lips caressing hers, so tenderly, yet so desperately at the same time… Because he knew that maybe he'd never get to kiss her again… A kiss farewell…

He's never coming back…

He knows he's better off without you…

You're useless to him…!

Better off..!

You were nothing but a burden he's finally rid himself off..!

Better off without..—

Amy pressed her hands hard to her ears, trying to block out her own menacing thoughts. Her eyes were shut tight, without her remembering ever closing them in the first place. Her heart aching in a way that took her attention from everything around her. The pain was all that was real. All that was left of her. Then suddenly, the distressing pain that had flared up in her chest disappeared. Soothed by the very water she sat in. It was as if it drained all of the sadness from her heart and repoaced it with comforting, lulling feelings of apathy. And so finally, after a few more minutes had passed, all of Amy emotions returned with renewed force. Making her feel like crying and laughing all at once, but alas - not a single tear or sound escaped her.

"No." Am tiny sliver of a voice in her mind suddenly told her. "—you need to suppress such memories from your mind. Blur the edges of the images that were of his face and everyone else I know. This is a sanctuary where no ill thoughts are allowed to exist. You need to suppress, discard and forget…"

Suppress…

Discard…

And for-… forget.

When Amy ultimately opened her eyes again, she found that several Chao had encircled her, looking up to her with curious expressions. One even repeatedly poked her head to get her attention, and as she turned to it with a smile upon her lips, it, too, smiled. Afterwards, Amy was a bit wary of the pond, but nothing like what she'd just experienced ever happened again. The water remained as it were.

As of right then, however, she spent quite a while in the pond's refreshing water - bathing herself, dipping her head in multiple times and simply just savoring the moment. More Chao soon joined her and together they splashed and dove around the pond in lighthearted bliss. Their idle chatter and her giggles filling the garden to the brim. Once she'd decided it was time to get up, she put her sun-warmed clothes back on and spent the remainder of the day getting to know and playing with all the rest of the Chao. While also helping them gather fruit and console a few of them as they quite frequently hurt themselves in minor ways, but just as quickly shook it off. Chao did indeed have a tendency to have quick changes of emotion - and expressing them much more prominent as well. The smallest ones were only really capable of feeling one emotion at a time while the older ones developed somewhat more of a nuanced emotional range over time.

As evening drew close they all finally sat down together for a meal consisting of fruit and various odd berries that Amy didn't recognize, but which the Chao eagerly ate of so at least there wasn't any risk of them being poisonous. For drinks Amy had managed to make a hole in several cocconuts which they shared, even though the sweetness soon got a bit overwhelming mixed together with the fruits. She would indeed have given a lot for a cold glass of water at that point. A long while passed where they simply sat in comfortable silence just munching down on their dinner, listening and even feeling how the jungle around them came to a pleasant rest. The temperature lowered several degrees and soon the air actually felt lighter to breathe.

Once Amy had finished her modest portion of food, she let herself fall backwards on the soft grass with her knees bent and her hands behind her head. A low, long sigh escaped her lips, allowing her eyelids to fall shut. And just as she was close to nodding off, she felt someone tug at the necklace chain around her neck - or more specifically the locket that hung from it.

It was the adventurous little Chao that had caught ahold of it. He was sitting on top of her stomach and inspecting the locket's golden surface with apparent interest.

Her first impulse were to yank it out of his hands, but quickly changed her mind. Figuring that her friend surely wasn't intent on taking it from her, but rather just curious at the, to him, foreign and shiny object. "That's called a 'locket', it's sorta a type of jewelry. A very dear loved one of mine gave it to me just recently… Look, you can open it up, as well—" Carefully she opened up the lid, being greeted by her own and her friends' smiling faces, she then showed it off to her Chao friend - pointing at the photo and telling him— "That's me, my friend and brother-in-law Tails, and then that there is my fiancé Son-…"

Amy's voice died down - Sonic's name caught in her throat.

The little Chao looked at her, witnissing how she once again seemed to disappear to someplace within her own mind, only to soon emerge anew with a lighthearted smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She'd already closed the locket again.

"… Hey, I just r-remembered… I haven't even asked your name."

"Chao? Chaoo, chao, chao…"

"You don't have one?"

He shook his head.

"Heh, I guess none of you really do, do you..?"

"Chaaao."

"Well, what would you say about me giving you one then, you'd like that?"

The excitment was almost instant. "Chao, chao!"

"Okay, let me think…" Amy mused while propping herself up on her elbows in the grass. "You obviously like exploring, and as far as I can tell you're a real leader type… Uh, maybe, err, Coconut!"

"Chao!" An obvious no.

"Mango? Bear? Thor? How about Buttercup?"

"Chao! Chao! Chao! Chaooo!"

"Ah! Now I got it..! Since you enjoy scouting around the island so much - what do you think of the name 'Scout'?"

It took a moment for the name to sink in, being considered and evaluated with great care.

But pretty soon…

"Chaoo, Chaaaoooo!" The once nameless Chao, now named Scout, approved with a joyous shout as he spun around in quick circles in the air. Which caused the rest of the Chao to halt in their eating and instead celebrate with him. Even though some probably didn't understand exactly what they were to be so happy about.

Meanwhile, Amy once again found herself genuinely smiling.

Later, when night had fallen completely, and all the Chao had gone to sleep in their respective little nests, or burrows or simply huddled together in groups in snug patches of grass, with Amy laying among them. One Chao had even occupied one of her empty boots and was snoring soundly. Using her backpack as pillow and having pulled on an extra sweater, she managed to snuggle herself in quite comfortably as well.

It was then that she also finally had time to pull out Tails' communicator and examine it more closely without any curious glances looking on.

Amy studied the device in careful detail, pressed all the tiny little buttoms along the sides in different combinations and at different times, yet all she managed to achive was making a static, blue screen appear on the display. She even tried giving it commands aloud, like 'Call Tails' or 'Turn On', but to no avail. At long last she was forced to give up and resorted to simply laying there with her eyes weary with dissapointment. Finally she strapped it safely around her wrist and, as she was slowly falling asleep, murmured incoherent words into the communicator as if it, or anyone else in the entire world, could somehow hear her.

But of course - there weren't a single soul around to answer.

---

Time seemed to behave differently at the Chao garden, the hours passed by swift and painless, compared to outside where time had felt like it'd been dragging on for endless of hours.

Instead of merely existing in a vaccum, she lived in a warm, shimmering bubble where only herself and the Chao resided.

An air castle that at any moment could catch fire and explode into reality once more.

It wasn't real… but a dream - a half-life.

And one night, Amy Rose had a rude awakening.

It had been several days since she'd arrived at the garden, and falling asleep came natural and almost imediate as soon as she huddled together with her Chao friends all close by. Scout had even developed the habit of slumbering in the crook of her neck each night, having abandoned his own little burrow. But this particular night he'd been forced to return to his tree and keep an eye on a Chao egg that had been due to hatch for couple of days. Since he saw himself as an informal he felt responsible that the egg was secure while the rest of his friends slept. And he'd firmly denied Amy's proposal of taking a shift every other night - this was his job.

Though Amy really could've needed the distraction as of right then when she found herself unable to drift into sleep. She tossed and turned, feeling herself tense up in irritation every time she rolled over to change position into what she hoped would be a more comfortable one. Her mind was heavy and her eyelids even heavier, yet for some reason her mind blatantly refused to relieve her desperation for sleep. After turning to lie flat on her back for the umpteenth time, she ultimately gave up, pulled forth the backpack from underneath her head and brought out her flashlight. Turning it on she then procedeed to look through the contents of the backpack in search of a particular piece of paper - namely Sonic's farewell letter. A letter which she'd read every day, sometimes several times a day, since he'd left. By this point it was so tattered around the edges, and had been folded as well as unfolded so many times - both by Sonic when he first written it and then as Amy'd been unraveling it - that it was barely holding itself together anymore.

Nevertheless, in the flickering light of the flashlight that due to extensive use were close to running out of batteries, Amy once again read Sonic's scraggly writing, scanning it just as carefully as she had the first time. Deliberately taking in every word and twisting and turning them around in her head until she was sure that no other meaning was left to find. The words were plain and simple, and yet it still felt as if a world of all the unwritten ones were hidden deep within them.

That if she could just read between the lines she'd get another, more satisfying explanation as to why he'd left her to slowly wilt away. Like a rose no longer protected by the wind's soothing breeze - the sun's relentless heat would soon have her burned out…

Amy tried to focus on her breathing…

The humidity felt like it was back ten times stronger, and the Island's never-ending pulsating energies sneaked up on her and soon caused her to feel trapped, ensnared… choked… the voices, they were screaming..!

"A walk…" Amy desperately whispered to herself as she abruptly got onto her feet, having her backpack soon thrown over her shoulders - with the letter in a cramped grasp of her left hand and the flashlight in her right. "…I just need a quick walk, yes, that's right… That will clear my head…" But not a walk around the graden. No, she needed to step out of the bubble for a moment and feel actual wind on her face and perhaps some light, refreshing jungle rain to roll down the back of her neck.

With sudden conciction that that was just what she needed, Amy eagerly jumped into her boots before heading for the outer edges of the garden and then beyond the surrounding forest and at last straight into the wilderness. Once outside the shelter of the garden, she could feel how the familiar feeling of reality slowly but surely began to creep back into her conciousness. But right then she ignored all of it for she also felt oddly free with lightness in her step that urged her to run…—

So she did.

Further and further, and deeper and deeper into the jungle she ran.

Away from the comfort.

Away from the sanctuary.

Away from the cloudiness of her mind that made it so hard to envision Sonic's face.

Now she saw it - in crystal clear perfectlon and sharpness. His wonderful emerald eyes that would wink at her, his soft smile that never failed to calm her, his ruggedly windswept quills standing on edge after he'd come running up to her, his nose that always booped into hers whenever he leaned in to kiss her. Oh, how could she ever have wanted to suppress her thoughts of him? The only thing that kept her alive.

To make matters even better she felt the wind howling in her ears and it felt like rain in the air.

"Perfect." Amy mused, jumping over a fallen tree that laid in her path. Not that she knew where to or for how long she'd continue to run, she just knew she needed to keep moving.

Alas it would soon turn out that she'd get more than she bargined for…

All of a sudden the wind had picked up in double the strength all while a skyfall had opened up far above the treetops and the tallest rocks' peaks. The worst of weathers soon had the jungle in a firm grasp, wrecking nasty turmoil where it strode forth like an unstoppable force of nature. Trees bent, critters crowded together in their burrows and nooks for safety, rivers began rushing and in the midst of it all stood Amy. Who'd stopped running and had instead pressed herself against the trunk of a tree in a fruitless attempt to get some leeward from the wind.

She couldn't recall ever having experienced such a drastic change in weather before in her life, and felt helpless against it now. Her only option being to either wait it out or turn back the same way and try and find the Chao gardne again. And after initially waiting for a mere five minutes, with her arms tightly etched to the tree, she was forced to realize that if she didn't move and find better shelter she'd surely get so soaked that she'd get swept down into the nearest river. Thus she loosened her grip, tried to aim the flashlight somewhat straight at the direction she thought she'd gotten from and began trudging her way ahead.

Unfortunately, after less than only a few yards, the flashlight gave it's last flickering attempt at shedding some light before eventually dying out completely.

Leaving Amy in utter darkness.

Panic, terror and imense regret over having left the Chao garden then washed over her as she desperately tried to turn the flashlight on again, but to no avail. With her fingers suddenly trembling so much it wasn't long before she dropped it onto the ground, and due to her fear of ending up on the ground and then not being able to get back up again because of her shaking limps, she left it be. Forcing herself to keep walking, even if it would now be near impossible to tell which way was which. Vague contours flickered before Amy's eyes all while rain whipped her across the face and the wind tried bringing her to her knees.

Still she couldn't just give in.

If she did then…—

An abrupt gush of wind came rushing the opposite direction, ripping Sonic's letter straight out of her hands and casting it several feet up ahead.

Amy just about had her wits about her to more or less throw herself after it, but instead of catching it she got her left foot snagged on something in the dark and came tumbling to the ground. Hard. And as a piercing pain shot through her now odd angled foot, all she could focus on was how the letter landed in a deep puddle of water just a little out of her reach. "No..! No…" She yelped, watching helplessly as the the thin paper got soaked and how the words dissappeared one by one until they had ultimately dissolved into nothing. A soggy paper mass being all that was left of her only remaining link to Sonic. Hot tears had already broken forth from the corners of her eyes, blending together with the rain as her body sunk down onto the jungle floor. Letting all of the despair she'd suppressed these past days wash over her, and feeling it pull her under and bury her head underneath the waterline.

And this time she did not get up.

There was no point.

Sonic would never return. He was never coming back to get her. He'd left her here because he'd grown tired of her - because he didn't love her anymore - Amy was suddenly certain of that, and only that. And if Sonic didn't care about what happened to her anymore then why should she? She might as well remain here, cold and broken in the depths of the jungle where no one would ever come across her.

Alone and forgotten.

New tears welled forth, and soon Amy couldn't feel her body anymore. The cold, harsh rain relentlessly continuing to beat down upon her. As time dragged on, the darkness grew thicker around her until she could no longer see anything at all, so she closed her eyes and buried her face into the dirt. After a while the cold suddenly faded and she instead felt terribly hot, like her blood had started to boil underneath her skin.

Pretty soon time lost all relevance…

At one point she thought she heard a voice calling out from somewhere far away, but she didn't think to answer before the voice had dissappeared again, and she told herself she'd only imagined it.

After all, one does start imagining things when one's about to die…

Wait…

Was she dying..?

If she were, Amy figured this wasn't such a bad place to go. The smell of wet earth, palm trees and tropical flowers was pleasant enough. It felt soft… secure, almost peaceful. She'd always liked Angel Island despite its draining presence, that, even as of right then, seemed hell bent on taking every last bit of strength she had left. She didn't need it anyway. Maybe Tikal would soon appear among the trees, relieve her pain and then take her by the hand to lead her to the Master Emerald where Chaos itself would be waiting with open arms. Telling her that her tourterous waiting was finally over - that she wouldn't have to feel sorrow again…

For a great deal of the night, Amy waited for exactly that to happen. Wishing Tikal would hurry up and come already - for why did she have to take so long?

This was the end of her right here.

Never again would she be able to see her loved ones.

Never hear Tails eagerly talk about some mechanical gadget he'd just invented that she didn't understand, but happily listened to anyway. Because he was always just so thrilled about it that his eyes sparkled.

Never sit at a meadow on a Sunday afternoon with Cream and Cheese, making flower crowns and talking about how her recent week at school had been like - of her new friends there and what classes she'd had.

Never go home to Vanilla afterwards and have the delicious dinner that she'd have prepared for them, and secretly enjoying every-time the older rabbit would treat Amy as if she were her own daughter.

Never be held by Sonic as they danced to some old, sentimental song playing on the record player. That slow, mushy kind of song that he otherwise wouldn't ever be caught listening to, but which he willingly endured for the sole reason that he knew it made Amy happy. That it made her smile…

Amy waited, wishing to have those thoughts of her friends as her last ones.

But Tikal never came.

The heavy rain soon ceased and changed into a light drizzle instead. Droplets falling slowly from the trees' leaves and hitting the ground in faint, dripping noises.

Despite her mind having already caved in, Amy still remained awake, as the eternal sleep simply refused to take her into its arms. She was stuck in a seemingly endless limbo of conciousness and the very edge of unconciousness. More distant, whispering voices rang in her ears, and this time around she actually deliberated on whether she should answer. Her mouth opened, slowly and without knowing what to utter, except one single name—

"S-S-Sooo-nic…"

"You need to speak louder." Her mind told her. "Speak louder or else he won't hear you."

And Amy tried to obey, but her throat was so dry and her voice too weak to reach any real volume that her next words came out as mere cracked whispers. "S-Sonic..— S-Sonic, I'm he-here..."

"Amy..!"

The voice was closer by now, and she heard the footsteps more clearly which gave Amy renewed strength to clear her throat the best she could, and managed to utter something closer to an actual call—

"Sooo-nic..! Soo—" She coughed. "—onic..! So-nic..! Sooonic..!"

With great effort, Amy rolled herself over onto her back, shut her eyes tightly and forced her poor, straining vocal chords to keep repeating the same name over and over again. Her voice growing a little more in volume each time.

"Sonic..! Sonic..! Sonic..! Sonic! …"

"Amy?! Amy!"

The distant voice had heard her, and soon enough the footsteps were coming her way, drawing closer by the second. She noted how something hurriedly trampled through the vegetation, roughly pushing leaves and bushes out of its way while breathing heavily.

"It's Sonic!" A small voice exclaimed within Amy's subconcious. "He's come back to get us! I knew he wouldn't abandon us, I just knew it!"

"Sonic! Sonic! Sonic! Soni—!"

"Amy!"

A voice, which was nothing like the smooth, kind, warm voice she'd hoped for, but instead much more gruff and deep interrupted her senseless rambling and shocked her eyes wide open. Speaking to her in a way that she'd never heard it before. There was clear anxious concern embedded in the considerably more harsh words that were uttered— "You foolish girl! Do you have any idea how long I've been searching for you in this goddamn rain?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Amy didn't know what to say, she just stared up at her rescuer with her mouth hanging agape. The last "Sonic" still stuck in her throat.

Over her towered none other than Knuckles, with his eyes piercingly alit despite the dark. They carefully, yet quickly swept over her body in search of any injuries but apparently found nothing he deemed noteworthy. Instead he pressed a heavy hand against her forehead, which actually spawned a reaction from him - a deep furrow appeared between his brows and he muttered something that sounded akin to a swear under his breath.

"Knu-Knuckles..? Is that y-you..?" Amy asked with a voice now so utterly broken that her question came out as a croak.

But Knuckles didn't respond, he'd grabbed both hands around her arms in an attempt to pull her up from the ground causing a pained whine to instinctively escape from Amy's lips. It wasn't enough to make Knuckles cease his pulling, however, and once he'd gotten her into a somehwat upright position, his grip on her shoulders were practically the only thing keeping her from falling back down. Right about then he also noticed that she didn't put any weight on her left foot and that she could barely keep her head up.

"What's the matter with you?" He demanded to know, trying to get Amy to look him in the eyes. "Is your foot injured?"

And Amy just about managed to utter a weak— "Yes…"

"Can you walk on it at all?"

"I don't know…"

Although it became a clear "No" as soon as Knuckles tried pulling her along with him and she feebly fell to her knees in the mud instead of beginning to walk. Amy cried out, louder this time, and was almost about to tell him to just simply leave her be as she heard him curse aloud again. His hands took a new grip around her shoulders, forced her to stand up again but instead of pulling on her anew he snuck an arm from beneath the bend in her knees while placing the other one behind her back. And just like that, Amy found herself lifted above the ground.

Amy's first instinct was to panic and demand to immediately be put back down.

But then the reasonable part of her brain reminded her that Knuckles was her friend and that he was in fact just trying to help her.

Still it felt uncommonly strange being carried by someone that wasn't Sonic to the point of it almost feeling outright unpleasant. Because compared to her beloved's arms, Knuckles didn't hold her close to his body but rather a bit further out, like one would carry a mere burden. His muscles were hard and his fur coarse and Amy was sure she'd end up bruised by how tightly his hands grasped her. Though she reckoned it wasn't his intention. And not that it mattered anyway if she did… After having calmed down, Amy even recalled that she had indeed been carried by Knuckles before. Mostly at times of immediate danger, and when Sonic had literally had his hands full to do it himself.

But to be fair, it had gone by several years since last time…

Ultimately, Amy resigned to the notion and instead tried focusing on her surroundings. Granted she did not possess the same level of nightvision as Knuckles did, who trudged through the jungle as effortlessly as if it had been broad daylight.

Neither of them said a word.

After nearly an hour did they finally arrive at the edge of the treeline surrounding the wide plains around the shrine.

Once they came out of the jungle, Knuckles steered his steps towards the fire pit which was already lit. And as Amy felt the warmth and heard the crackling of the fire, she let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't even noticed that she'd clattered teeth the whole way there. Then, with a gentleness she didn't know he had, Knuckles placed her down next to one of the logs. And after making sure she could sit somewhat upright on her own, he went to fetch a blanket which he then procedeed to wrap around her shoulders. For some reason, the rain hadn't reached out to the plains surrounding the shrine, Amy noted as her hand brushed against the soft grass underneath her. It was completely dry, and there were no traces of it having rained on any of the stones, not to mention the very lively fire.

"Let me take a look at your foot." Knuckles said, kneeling down beside her. And even though Amy knew he would do so whether she agreed or not, she still gave him a confirming nod. So by lifting her left foot up and placing it upon his knee, Knuckles began undoing the shoelaces of the boot until he could more easily wriggle it off and place it aside. Hopefully, it would dry up somewhat next to the fire.

Since Amy had no socks on, removing her boot immediately revealed the state of the foot to Knuckles, who's expression merely hardened at the sight. The foot was greatly swollen, emitted unusual warmth and as he lightly pressured the area with his hand, Amy grimaced terribly, biting down on her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out loud. Still, out of the corner of his eyes he noted how a couple of tears trickled down her cheek, but she didn't say anything.

Knuckles couldn't help but give her a critical look - he knew she was frail, but for Chaos' sake, he'd just barely touched the girl. Still… one never knew, she might just be crying about something else entirely. "The ankle is most likely sprained." He stated flatly, lowering the foot back down onto the ground. "I don't have any bandadges or painkillers, but I'll see what I can do. Stay put." Amy wondered if that last part was an attempt at a joke, seeing as she certainly couldn't move so much as a foot on her own, but found no traces of humor upon his face.

Nevertheless, she gave him an appreciative smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it."

Amy watched as he walked off to the altar to possibly rumage through his belongings in search of something that could be of use. Fortunately he seemed to have found it, as he soon came back with a few materials in hand. And thus, with the swift hands of someone who had done the same thing before, Knuckles first of all made a splinter out of two strong twigs for Amy's foot and ankle, binding them together with fiber twine taken from a palm tree. Then he wrapped the foot with torn pieces of a palm leaf, tied it all together neatly with even more twine before lastly propping the foot up on her backpack.

Knuckles had also boiled some hot water on a specific, supposedly healing root that grew in one of the many zones of the island. If anything, he claimed it at least tasted good enough to drink. He handed Amy a steaming mug, before eyeing his makeshift work with a dubious look. "It's not much, but…-"

"It's great, I feel much better already..!"

"—It's something."

"Thank you, Knuckles, really."

"Quit thanking me, it's only a couple of leaves and some palm fiber."

"No, I… I mean—" Amy hesitated, staring down at her tea mug before finally looking Knuckles straight in the eyes. "Thank you for saving my life back there. If you hadn't went out of your way to come and find me… I probably wouldn't have made it…"

Knuckles snorted, but only half-heartedly. "I hardly saved your life. At most I saved you from catching pneumonia. Though I doubt you'll be spared from running a fever." He recalled how her skin had practically felt like it was burning when he'd carried her through the jungle.

"Even so… you came for me. You cared enough to go look for me… for hours… I heared your voice twice, how you called out for me - first when the rain was pouring down and then again just before you found me. I knew time passed because… the rain, it changed…"

"You're just delirious."

"No…" Amy muttered, shaking her head. "No, I heard you…"

"Speaking of which…-" Knuckles suddenly began, having just remembered. "Why were you calling out for Sonic? If you knew it was me then why did you call out his name?"

Amy fell silent, at the mere mention of Sonic's name she felt how fresh tears threatened to break forth. It felt like a very slow, tortuerous stab to the heart… Her hands grasped the mug tightly, ignoring the numb, burning sensation that scorched her palms. "I-.. I don't know…" She mumbled after awhile, not meeting Knuckles' gaze.

"Then can you tell me what you were doing out there in the first place?"

"I was at the Chao garden, but I was having trouble sleeping so I figured I'd go for a walk. You know to… to clear my mind. But then it started to rain and I got lost in the dark, and I - well, I fell…"

"Why didn't you try to find your way back?" Knuckles questioned, not fully buying her story.

"Because my foot hurt too much, I couldn't get back up on my own."

"You could have crawled."

"I thought I could just wait the night out, and find my way back in the morning. I reckoned it wasn't that bad… but clearly I was wrong about that." Amy let out a sigh, closing her eyes all together for a brief moment before reopening them and fixing her gaze on the fire. All her tiredness and sorrow evident in her voice as she spoke again— "I guess I've been wrong about a lot of things, haven't I?"

Knuckles sat himself a bit up straighter, trying to deciede whether that was meant as a rethorical question or not. Either way, he'd built up more than a little ill will against the blue hedgehog for the past days and didn't mind letting some of his frustrations out. Well aware of who he was talking to, he just couldn't bring himself to sugarcoat the situation they'd both been forcefully put in by said hedgehog. And why should he? As far as Knuckles was concerned, Sonic had acted purely on his own selfishness, and greatly damaged the trust that had once been slowly built up between them.

All that was left of that trust was a fine, fine line that at any given point threatened to break…

"If you're referring to Sonic then I suppose we've both had our worst suspicions about him confirmed." Knuckles said through gritted teeth, watching Amy wince once again at the mention of her fiancé's name, and for some reason that only fed his growing anger even more. "But you know what the worst part is - I'm not even surprised. I knew it was only a question of time before his damn hero complex one day would come back around and hit us right in the face. But for him to sink that low as to look me in the eye and lie about it, I can't even..-" He shook his head, clutching his fists and was just about to continue when Amy abruptly interjected—

"He's not here to defend himself…"

Knuckles stared at her as if she'd just went up and slapped him, before furrowing his brow and glaring daggers at her. "No, he's not, but I hear you are still willing to defend him. Even though he's abandoned you..!"

"That's not what he did—"

"No, that's exactly what he did! He used me, and he deserted you - your darling Sonic!"

Under different circumstances Amy's own anger might've flared up at that moment, but as it were she possessed no such strength. There was simply no fire left in her being that could've mustered up something equally hurting to throw back in Knuckles' face right then. And hadn't she too, when laying alone in the rain and in a moment of absolute weakness concluded that she had indeed been abandoned by her true love? Shamefully she admitted as much to herself, even though she refused to do so to Knuckles.

At least for tonight, she wouldn't buy into his pointless temper tantrum.

Instead Amy discreetly wiped away a couple of tears that had escaped down her cheeks. She'd just resigned to possibly being forced to listen as Knuckles would berate Sonic further, but was surprised to find that he instead directed a question at her - having somewhat regained his composure again.

"I don't—… Are you not in the least bit angry at the situation he's put you in?"

"It might be hard to understand, but no.. - no, I'm not."

"How?" Knuckles demanded, suddenly desperate to understand - if only a little - of her reasoning.

"The simple answer is that I trust Sonic, and no matter how upset I am over what he's done, I know he only did what he thought was best for me. He loves me… and love can make you do things that aren't always neccesarily the right thing to do." Amy paused, looking up at Knuckles for the first time in a while. "Haven't you ever trusted someone solely because you love them, regardless of how upset it made you?"

"Rouge…" Knuckles' subconcious quietly whispered to him with a mixture of mock and sorrow. "He'd trusted Rouge… And what a mistake that had turned out to be…"

The echidna guardian furiously shook his head clear off those thought, repressing them down into the darkest corners of his mind. Locking his heart to even go near such thoughts again - feeling how his fury sparked anew.

"No." Knuckles ultimately muttered in response as Amy's utterly blind faith in Sonic only made his resentment grow even more. "And just because he loves you it doesn't excuse what he's done! Sonic chose to go at it alone! He chose to lie! Just as he chose to leave us behind like some useless trash..!" He almost spat forth the last part, looking Amy square in the face. It was harsh, he knew that, but someone had to tell this girl the truth.

The truth of those manipulative, careless, deceiving, egotistical…—

Sonic… Rouge… they were just the same…

Meanwhile, more silent tears had began trickling down Amy's pale cheek, but this time she made no attempt to wipe them away.

"And do you wanna know why?" Knuckles continued, having risen from his seat and started pacing back and forth across the firepit with his hands shaking so violently that he had to hold them together behind his back. "Because the consequences of his reckless decisions has finally caught up to him, and he's been too self-absorbed to turn around and face them! For months he's known that Robotnik has been a bomb just waiting to go off - a sick man with no regard for anything or anyone anymore!"

"Sick..? What do you mean he's sick?"

"The night before they left, Tails told me all about how Robotnik's supposed steadily declining mental state. About how he's targeted more and more villages in the most ruthless of ways - torturing people, completely destroying their homes, and Chaos forbid I tell yo the rest. And how Sonic's been blatantly refusing to see the truth for what it is." Knuckles paused, having to suppress the sudden urge of throwing something. He looked at Amy and wasn't surprised to find that her entire face had paled within seconds. "But I bet your dear fiancé hasn't told you a thing about it either, has he?" And despite already knowing the answer, Knuckles simply couldn't contain himself from at least verbally get his frustration out. Wanting to have his emotions validated.

Amy soon shook her head slowly, her eyes growing even more tired to the point where she looked to be close to passing out. There were no telling what this new information did to her as it sank in, except that she apparently still refused to even utter Sonic's name. A long moment of complete silence followed where they simply stared into blank space, both consumed by their own miserable thoughts. The atmosphere around the shrine having grown so dense, and yet so cold, that it was hard to breathe.

After what felt like an eternity, Amy's voice rose - delicate and filled with remorse—

"I'm sorry, Knuckles, I'm so sorry. Sorry it had to be this way… I didn't mean for this to happen. If only I'd been more persistent with him then none of this would've happened. But I ignored the signs, and I pretended— pretended that everything was fine when it clearly wasn't… This is all my fault. I've been acting like a dumb, naive girl with her eyes closed for so long… I understand why you must hate me."

"Hate you?" Knuckles echoed and a mild look of surprise and confusion appeared on his face. But pretty soon his brow furrowed again, asking—"How can you even say such a thing?" Amy in turn gave him a smile which appeared utterly strained, but if it were due to the pain or something else he didn't know.

"Don't worry, it's okay - you'll always be family, whether you like it or not."

Knuckles stiffened at the word 'family', his expression turning unreadable. Without knowing how to respond to a statement like that he instead sighed, walking over to sit down beside Amy upon the log she had her back resting up against. Placing his hands on his knees, and keeping his head lowered he then stared into the depths of the fire's flames. He knew he should feel touched by Amy's words but… he wasn't. To him, no matter how much you wished you could pick and choose your own family, the ties could never truly be as strong. Blood is, whether you liked it or not, still thicker than water.

His ancestory is a part of him.

It's what ties him to Angel Island, the Master Emerald - his guardian duty, his reason of being alive, his very purpose in life is linked to those who came before him. Without it… he'd be nothing. Relationships are fickle, but one's true origin and heritage is forever set in stone. Himself, Amy, Sonic and Tails…. they weren't destined to have met. They were just orphaned children who, through a series of events and odd chances, had been forced to at some point cooperate for the sake of the greater good. Bound together out of duty, nothing else… Call it whatever they want, but they could never be a true family. The situation they were in now alone proved that.

If the world had been a fair and perfect place, they'd all been living happily with their parents right now - never having to have met each other in the first place.

But alas, the world didn't work like that.

Not for them.

"My family is long since dead." Knuckles finally said, ignoring the imediate hurt that appeared in Amy's eyes. "They all died here - on this land, and so will I."

"Knuckles…"

"That's the truth. Anything else is a mere fabrication of our own will."

"Knuckles, I know…- I know that we had our biological families once, but the love we hold for them doesn't dissappear just because we form new ones - a family of our own. We, together… formed a family." She said with clear conviction. "I love you and Tails as if you were my brothers-… and Sonic... I just know, with every fiber of my being, that I belong with him."

"You don't. See, you only think you do because you tell yourself, with all your fortune telling and what-not, that it was meant to be. That you don't have a choice - but you do, and you're choosing wrong."

Having turned visibly more upset, Amy asked— "How could it ever be wrong to choose love?"

"Well look around you, Amy - has he chosen you?" Knuckles shot back.

"Stop… Just stop, alright? When Sonic and Tails returns everything will be fine… we will work this out. Because that's what families do - they trust each other and forgive one another when they've acted—"

"Don't you get it yet? They're not—"

"Yes, they are..! They have to… they just—"

But whatever it was, Knuckles never got to know as Amy's voice died down, drowning in tears that mercilessly fell onto her shirt. A choked sob forcing it's way out of her throat. But she didn't completely break down… no, the poor girl faught against it with all her might. Knuckles realized he wouldn't get anywhere with her this way, so instead he once again tried to change his approach - reaching over to place a hand upon her shivering shoulders.

Speaking in the gentlest of tones he could muster, he then said—

"Listen, I know Sonic's a strong guy, Amy, and I'm not talking just about raw strength but in his heart too. Despite all the idiotic things he's done, he's a good person with a rightous soul - I would never have him use the Chaos Emeralds if I believed otherwise. But-" Knuckles took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. "-he's not invinsible. I understand if It might be hard to remember sometimes, when you see him do all those heroic deeds and using the power of Chaos to turn himself Super. Still, at the end of the day he's an ordinary guy that could just as easily end up hurt as you or me, and given the stakes he's up against… This time he might not see it through. This time there may not be a fake Choas Emerald to save him. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"S-Sonic will come back, I-I know he will."

"All I'm saying is that sooner or later we have to start thinking about what happens if you're wrong."

"I-, I-…"

"Because if Robotnik is succesful and Sonic… is not, this will be one of the first places where he'll come." Knuckles stated with a grim look upon his face. "We can't count on G.U.N. to make any precautions regarding the Master Emerald's safety. Not that I'd ever allow those fools to set as much as a foot upon the Island. No matter the circumstances, the Master Emerald is my duty - and mine alone. And so I want you to know that I will prioritize it and the Island first and foremost, regardless of what happens."

Amy figured she understood the hidden implication in those words. When the time eventually came… she'd be on her own. Not because Knuckles didn't care about her, if anything tonight had proved the opposite, but because the fate of the Master Emerald and thus the rest of Mobius was of far greater importance than just one life. Or two for that matter… Still, she couldn't deny the fright that entered her mind, like an icy wave had just washed over her and got her caught at the bottom of the ocean floor. The thought of having to come face to face with a supposedly deranged and unstable Robotnik all alone with no means to protect herself made Amy's skin crawl. She realized she wouldn't have a chance at surviving such a confrontation, especially if Sonic had…— No, she couldn't even think of that possibility.

Sonic had explicitly told her in his letter to stay on Angel Island no matter what happened, but why? If he had considered that there would be a slim risk of him never returning here, then he surely would've wanted Amy off the very Island that Robotnik without question would charge at next. Unless… Unless Sonic knew something that she didn't. And seeing as it were, Amy was now forced to make the assumption that there could be even more things that Sonic hadn't told her about…

But whatever it was she couldn't figure it out at the moment.

Her thoughts were already going around in circles in her head, and she felt herself growning nauceous just contemplating the subject further.

She was tired…

So very tired…

With a last glance casted up at the sky, Amy found momentarily solace in the stars… before ultimately asking—"Don't you wish that we were just dreaming?" Her voice was soft, a mere whisper, yet she couldn't fully mask the hope laying within it - as if she truly believed, deep inside, that her words could somehow become reality. "That we'd wake up tomorrow and find out that all of this had been nothing more than a dream."

Seeing the tears roll down her cheeks in the light of the last few faint flickers of the fire, and how she made no attempt to wipe them away or hinder them from falling —Knuckles witnessed the most tragic thing he'd seen in his life, and he realized she wasn't truly talking about simply waking up to a morning where Sonic had never left. She wanted to wake up in a better world than their current one. A safe world. Because she was scared… But Knuckles also realized that there was nothing he could say or do that would ease her pain. No comforting words he could give. No false sense of hope or security to offer. For if Robotnik really was coming for her, like Sonic had feared, there was nothing he, nor anyone else, could do about it - the Doctor would get to her sooner or later. And if not Robotnik, it'd be someone else at some other time, someone with ill intentions or grudges against the blue hero.

For no one was safe forever.

Just as no one could be protected forever.

But Sonic would try. Of course he would. He'd try to protect Amy with every inch of his life until he'd ultimately die for her.

It was a lost cause already to begin with.

Knuckles had known all along, ever since he'd seen the way Sonic had looked at her for a good deal of years ago - she would be the end of him. His downfall.

Though none of this he told the crying girl, perhaps out of mercy. But not in favor of feeding into the same dellusions that Sonic had lulled her with; No, the last thing Amy Rose needed was another person lying to her. So, after careful thought, he instead answered with a simple and barely audible— "Yeah, I do." And despite the bottomless melancholy that overcame him at that moment… he felt oddly liberated.

At least now they both knew for certain that things could only get better before they got worse.

But Knuckles promised himself that they at least wouldn't go down without a fight.

---

Waking up in a cold sweat and with a foot that felt like it had swollen to the size of a football, wasn't the most pleasant of ways Amy could imagine a morning to begin. She had a throbbing headache and was freezing to her core despite the humid air that surrounded the shrine.

However, there was no use in dawdling around in her soaked provisional bed made of quilts, as the sleeping bag had been left at the Chao garden, for any longer than neccesary. So she hurried to unravel herself from the bedding, which wasn't without some difficulty. Once free, she fumbled around her packings for several minutes without being fully aware of what she was actually searching for, and then just as quickly forgetting it once she remembered. Thereafter it took several more minutes before she could heave herself up from the ground, notice that there was a fire going in the fire pit and thus instinctively directed her steps there.

Knuckles was of course already up, sitting in front of the fire and sipping what appeared to be some kind of herbal tea. When Amy, on wobbly legs, reached him he handed her a steaming mug of her own which she gratefully accepted. Maybe the tea could help warm her body up again. She half crashed, half sat herself down beside her guardian friend, spilling some tea on herself in the process. Though she didn't seem to have taken any notice of it. Pretty soon she'd emptied the entire mug, immediately asking Knuckles for more.

"No nightmares." He stated rather than asked, as he concentrated on pouring her a new mug of the hot brew.

Amy looked up with a confused look. "Huh?"

"You had no nightmares tonight."

"Oh, I—" She interrupted herself as her brow soon got furrowed. It was true that she had had no nightmares for however many days had passed since she got here. But how Knuckles knew anything about the nightmares that had plauged her back home for weeks she had no idea, because as far as she knew she hadn't uttered a single word about that. Not to anyone, except for Sonic that naturally had witnessed the aftermath of them first hand when he'd been forced to comfort her as she'd often woken up crying. Beyond herself with fear and despair. But now, when she thought about it, she couldn't recall one single unpleasant dream as of late. In fact, she couldn't recall having dreamt of anything at all…

Her dreams were like blank canvases.

Empty and harmless.

Devoid of meaning and image.

Nothing.

And even though it might be preferred to having to wake up kicking and screaming each night - the drastic contrast suddenly appeared alarming to Amy.

Was there something wrong with her?

Amy was one of those people who strongly believed that dreams all had different meanings and could be your subconcious' way of telling you something. Varying in importance like for example whether she needed to rearrange the flowers in her garden due to too much sun exposure or if she needed to improve on any of her relations to her friends. A commonly recurring person in her dreams were naturally Sonic - portrayed in countless bright and peaceful scenarios and always with a smile upon his face. So now when her dreams conveyed nothing about anything, least of all about anything that regarded Sonic, she couldn't help but feel even lonelier than before. At least in her nightmares she'd been able to catch a glimpse of him every now and then, and sometimes even been so lucky as to imagine his voice.

But now her mind seemed to have decided to deny her even that smallest of relief.

"—How'd you know about my nightmares?" Amy finally asked after a few seconds of silence, and was further confused when Knuckles' eyes shifted towards his mug with sudden interest. He seemed to be trying to figure out a way around the question without revealing whatever it was he wanted to keep hidden.

After a while he made a dissmissive gesture with his big hand, saying in a flat tone— "Just an observation. Making small talk during breakfast - isn't that what you people do?"

Amy had no idea whom "You people" was in reference to, and instead took it as a mere off hand comment as to dodge her question. Though she was confunded as to why he'd even brought up the subject if he clearly didn't want to delve into it. Yet feeling no interest in discussing it either right at that moment, she pretended to get fooled by his obvious diversion. "We do." She confirmed, nodding her head slowly. "Although we usually have a newspaper to pick topics from. I don't suppose you happen to have today's copy of the Station Square Post on you right now, do you?"

"Nah, the delivery service up here is terrible."

At that they both cracked a vauge smile, although Knuckles tried to cover his behind his mug, taking a large clunk of tea.

"Figures." Amy replied with a feigned wistful sigh, before picking up a cluster of grapes from the fruit basket Knuckles had put forth between them. Despite her loss of appetite, she gingerly plucked a single purple grape from the cluster and plopped it into her mouth and soon felt how its sweet taste spread in her mouth. It truly was something else compared to the grapes she'd buy at the village market back home, as she could practically feel each bite bursting with taste. Elevated and highlighted, much like everything else on Angel Island appeared to be.

Just then Amy remembered her Chao friends back at the garden, who must have woken up by then and discovered she was no longer among them. She realized she'd left without ever even saying goodbye or thanked them for their hospitality, but to be fair she hadn't exactly planned on leaving them. And now, with her foot in quite bad shape, she doubted she'd be able to make her way back and visit. Her thoughts especially went to Scout, hoping he didn't feel like she'd just abandoned him…

Considering what Knuckles had told her yesterday, or rather today, Amy wasn't fully sure what to do with herself anymore. Sonic, Tails— yes, possibly everyone on Mobius, was clearly in a lot more danger than Sonic had let her know of, and thus it suddenly seemed extremely selfish to simply sit around and wait for everything to blow over. No matter how much Sonic wanted her to stay safe and keep out of it all, it no longer felt morally right to do so. The world could be burning right this very moment for all she knew - Robotnik slaughtering innocent people in cities and villages all over Mobius - and all while she sat there eating grapes in the sunshine, worrying over a mere sprained ankle.

Not to mention all the rest of their friends.

Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Big, Rouge, Shadow…

Where were they- and what were they doing right this minute?

The smile on Amy's face got wiped clean off of her face as her eyelids lowered in shame. A wave of helplessness washing over her. "Knuckles…—" She whispered after what felt like an eternity. "Knuckles, I think… I think I need to leave."

Knuckles, who was not prepared for the conversation to take such a sudden turn, looked over at Amy with suprise and raised brows. "What? What do you mean leave?"

"I mean I don't think I can staty up here on the island anymore. I need to get back down and find out what's going on, find Cream and Cheese and Vanilla - make sure they're okay. And then maybe find So..— Sonic and Tails and somehow convince them that I can be of help - any help at all! That I'm not helpless…"

"Amy… you just told me mere hours ago that you intended to stay and do what Sonic had asked you to. And now you suddenly want to leave, just like that?"

The little restraint Amy had tried to maintain then burst and she looked at Knuckles with obvious anguish in her jade eyes. "I know what I said, but I realize I wasn't thinking clear!" She shook her head as if to empaphise while also throwing her hands out in front of her. "I can't just sit around and wait for either Robotnik or Sonic to eventually come for me. I just can't… Please, Knuckles, If you could just help me get back to the mainland…—"

Knuckles opened his mouth, on the verge of speaking, but Amy immediately interrupted him. If he were about to disapprove of her plan she didn't wish to hear it - for it was the only plan she had.

"— Listen — I could really help them. You know, as a distraction or bait or something. Cause if Robotnik wants to use me against Sonic we could turn it all around and use it against him instead. Maybe a trap or something…" She trailed off, noticing how Knuckles expression abruptly shifted again, looking at her in a strange way with his brow deeply furrowed. "I know it might sound crazy, but—"

"But nothing."

Knuckles' voice finally cut her rambling off and before Amy knew it, his hand were pressed against her forehead.

"What are you—"

"The fever has set in. I reckon you'll have to postpone your big, well thought out strategy plan of fooling Robotnik, at least for a couple of days or so."

The sarcasm in his voice was enough motivation for Amy to throw a heated response back at him. However, just as she were about to do so, she felt how the mug slipped out of her grip, and then lifted above the ground, thrown over Knuckles' shoulder as he carried her back to the mess of quilts. Once she realized what had happend she protested loudly, demanding Knuckles to put her down and then imediately deliver her back to the mainland. But as she were dropped onto the ground, and as Amy furiously pushed back her tuft of quills away from her face, she too discovered just how hot her forehead actually felt.

As if unaware of just how worn her body were, Amy still fought to remain upright while her limbs, on the other hand, gratefully surrendered to the inviting comfort of the quilts.

She didn't want to go back to sleep.

She didn't want to slip into the paralyzing nothingness that were her dreams.

But most of all she didn't want to continue to live in safety while everyone else around her risked their lives.

Her eyes must have welled with tears for she soon found Knuckles roughly stroking the corners of her eyes with his clenched fist. Although it might have also merely been sweat for it soon broke forth on the sides of her temples in bullets. Soon therafter a thicker blanket was cast over her as well as a wet rag placed upon her burning forehead. Soon the world fell out of focus and all she could hear was Knuckles' steady breathing that told her that he was still there.

Some time later after having shifted between sleep and wake, Amy suddenly parted her lips, having planned on insisting to her friend that she was perfectly fine. But what ultimately came out was something entirely different—

"Knuckles, don't you ever wish you could just stay at the bottom of the ocean forever..?"

Realizing it was merely the fever talking, Knuckles simply grunted under his breath in response.

"I mean… it's so cool down there… You wouldn't have to worry about air because you would just lay there… floating around in the cool, cool water... free and light like a birdy… Doesn't that sound just absolutely lovely, Knuckles..? Doesn't it…?"

"It does." Knuckles finally agreed, if only just to make her be quiet. "Now go back to sleep and you'll be swimming in the ocean before you know it." In turn Amy uttered a dazed giggle, smiling from ear to ear just as she dissolved back into the haze of her own mind.

"I'll never get why Sonikku hates the ocean…"

---

It took one whole day for Amy's intial fever delusions to settle, and then another day before the fever settled completely. The sprained ankle however, Knuckles told her, probably wouldn't heal within a week, maybe two. Even though the spraining was of the minor kind and the pain at a tolerable level, Amy still couldn't walk properly and had to resort to carefully limping her way forward. It was true what Knuckles had said that any plans of possibly leaving the island would have to be post poned. Not that Amy brought it up again, she'd understood quite well that he wouldn't listen to any of it, which was strange because Amy had thought he wanted nothing more than to get his hands clean from her.

For the first time a silent wonder of what exactly had been written in the letter Knuckles had received from Sonic rose in Amy's mind. The letter she'd seen so tightly grasped in his hands that terrible morning. From what she remembered he had looked as if he'd been close to ripping it apart right then and there. She knew better than to ask him of reading it herself, and somehow sneaking a look at it whenever Knuckles were away felt immoral and disrespectful. Whatever the letter contained it wasn't meant for her eyes to see - Sonic had left her her own letter… which now were gone, but still.

And besides… it was very likely that Knuckles had just burnt the letter anyway. Material things and sentimental mementos meant less than nothing to him, and surely a farewell/betrayal letter from Sonic wasn't even worth to blow his nose with.

Be that as it may, Amy soon forgot about any potential letter as Knuckles idly kept her busy with other things the following days. Aside from picking fruit and rehabilitate her ankle, Knuckles also taught her how to braid baskets, the ways of spearfishing, and even showed her which herbs and roots that were edible and which ones were excellent to cook tea on. They swam in calm jungle rivers, gathered useful materials like liana and palm fiber, sharp rocks and various other supplies nature had to offer that Amy had never even considered could be used in so many different ways.

Days seamlessly passed, more so than at the Chao garden and definitely much more than during her first few days with Knuckles back at the start.

Despite there not being much conversation between them, besides whenever he was giving her instructions on something or when they small talked about the weather or how wonderful it felt to swim through a river when having wandered in the jungle heat all day… Amy could still catch herself with wearing a smile or laughing every now and then. Knuckles' dry sense of humour along with Amy's inherently bubbly personality clashed in ways that at times could actually be quite amusing for both of them. She guessed it was mainly due to that they strictly avoided bringing up any touchy subjects - like Sonic, possible attacks or how things were down on Mobius.

Not that they didn't care, but rather because neither of them had anything wise left to say in those matters, or if they did they decided to keep it to themselves.

Whether they liked it or not, Knuckles simply couldn't leave Angel Island and especially not the Master Emerald unguarded, as the situation were right then. And Amy physically couldn't leave the island, at least not until the island passed by the Mystic Ruins, which according to Knuckles probably wouldn't be for another couple of days. One could never really tell, despite keeping track of the days of the rotation cycle. Many different energies and forces were at play to move the island and keep it floating at all.

For now, Amy had nothing to do but bide her time and hope to heal as quickly as possible. Still, she did indeed enjoy herself a lot more now.

Every day she learned new things about Knuckles that both surprised her and amazed her.

Like for example that his favorite color was bright teal.

That he could climb to the highest of branches of practically any tree, without breaking so much as a sweat or a twig.

Could mimic the sounds of all the island's birds perfectly, and that they always answered to his whistles.

And it occured to her that she'd never spent so much time with Knuckles alone before. Mostly Sonic and Tails were always around as well, and naturally the dynamic between the four of them worked differently. Sonic would tease Knuckles, Tails would act diplomatic, while Amy usually defended whatever antics Sonic pulled. Maybe that was why her and Knuckles tended to end up on opposite sides of arguments, because Sonic and and him were on opposite sides. Sonic who was prone to reckless and impulsive decisions, yet still kept a level head in dire situations naturally clashed with Knuckles. Who was composed and thought things through before acting, and when cornered could let his temper and pride more easily get the better of him.

Still the proud and noble echidna and the bold and happy-go-lucky hedgehog had managed to form a friendship.

Because neither of them lacked the courage or the heart that was vital to every hero.

And even if Knuckles held to the belief that it was duty rather than loyalty that bound them together at the very core, Amy knew that Sonic had a different view of it… He loved Knuckles and Tails as his brothers and would risk his life for either of them within a heart beat if so were neccesary. However, his way of showing this loyalty perhaps wasn't in such strong evidence as his actions had possibly contradicted that notion. Confirming Knuckles initial belief somewhat further.

However, whatever rensemtment Knuckles had felt towards Amy had apparently subsided as his bitterness of having her around lessened more and more for each day that passed. He took care of her in a way that wasn't just purely due to his own moral values of protecting the frail and small, but because he actually cared for her well being. Because she was his… friend - and not just Sonic's bothersome girlfriend that got herself kidnapped and that he'd been dragged along to help save every now and then in the past.

In fact, when Amy, after finally mustering the strength to actually take out her Piko Piko hammer from the duffel bag to practise, Knuckles' eyes had suddenly lit up.

"You've had that thing with you the whole time?" He asked, immediately taking it into his hands and studying it with a critical, but not entirely dissmissive, look.

"No, I mean - yes, but I didn't know I had it." Amy began explaining. "Sonic must've hid it inside this duffel bag before we left home, without me knowing about it. I guess he figured it might come in handy in case I needed to defend myself while he was away. But I haven't actually used it in what feels like forever, I think it's been in my closet for over a year."

Knuckles blinked, surprised to hear this. He'd always thought that the colorful, oversized hammer was one of Amy's most priced possesions and that she carried it around with her wherever she went. At least, as far back as he could remember, it had been her first and only weapon of choice when fighting robots or any bad guys. So how come she'd resorted to abandoning it in a dark closet all of a sudden?

"Why's that?"

Amy's eyes suddenly became evasive as did her tone as she, after a brief silence, said— "Well, I haven't had any reason to use it."

And just then, something clicked within Knuckles' mind.

During the last year as he'd heard Sonic or Tails tell him about their latest adventurous or confrontations with Robotnik, he couldn't remember ever once hearing Amy's name being mentioned, or if she were it was mostly in reference of how she'd prepared a hot meal for them as they returned nack home or how Sonic wished she could've sent responses to the letters he wrote her whenever he were away for longer periods of time. It then occured to Knuckles that the reason that he hadn't realized that she was left out of the retelling of their travels wasn't because he hadn't paid attention to her inclusion, but because she weren't even in them to begin with.

To be fair, it shouldn't have come as a surprise when he thought about what Sonic had revealed to him before he left.

His resolute determination to keep her as sheltered from anything bad as he could…

Robotnik's slowly deteriorating sanity as well as his recently made threat against her life…

Was the entire reason he proposed to her in the first place so that he could put her in a state of oblivious bliss for awhile? A mere distraction from the real dangers of the world? No, not even Sonic could be that calculating. But then again… people were indeed capable to go to great lengths to keep the ones they loved safe. And as far as Knuckles were concerned the blue hedgehog had proven just that the night he'd left.

An unpleasant lurch twisted Knuckles' stomach at that point and he struggled to not look upon Amy with too much pity in his eyes. "For this whole past year… you've been all alone, haven't you?" He witnessed how the truth of his words revealed a new form of loneliness in Amy's eyes, as she once again came to the defense of her beloved.

"It- it wasn't like that..! When Sonic and I got engaged he vowed upon his life to always make sure that I was protected and happy. And I have been. Yes, it felt lonely at times when he was away but I always had Vanilla and Cream, I was always welcome to stay for as long as I wanted. A-and sometimes I went to visit Big or went shopping in Station Square… And once Sonic returned home to me, and now as my fiancé - which I'd dreamt of for years… I don't think I've ever been as happy as I've been for this past year." Amy paused meeting Knuckles gaze in defiance, but she wasn't angry, just unwavering in her faitfulness. "So please, don't assume the worst of Sonic, or of me, because things aren't always as they seem. If anything I've certainly learned that by being with you these past days."

Knuckles bit his tongue, but found himself to be surprisingly calm as well. "What do you mean?"

"You aren't as tough as you want everyone to believe." Amy stated, and now she smiled. A warm, kind smile that brought forth the rosiness in her cheeks. "You help injured critters you come across around the island. You whistle songs for birds while you wander through the forests. You created a beautiful safe haven for a whole bunch of little Chao. And you care for me, no matter how annoying I know I am to you sometimes."

A heat to which extent he'd only experienced whenever Rouge were involved, rose upon Knuckles' cheeks as he mumbled something incoherent unde his breath, pretending to be focused on the hammer that he still held onto instead. And as he weighed the surprisingly heavy weight of it in his hands and new idea slowly emerged within his mind.

This hammer could pack on hell of a blow… and as the situation were right then, with Robotnik looming over the world and certainly Amy, it could be put to better use than laying tucked away in a duffel bag. And Amy… now she could actually defend herself if they ever would be attacked were Sonic to fail his mission.

For the first time since he'd come to the conclusion that Amy stood no chance against a potential assault on the island, a slight sliver of hope rose inside Knuckles' chest. "Hey, Amy—!" He deliberately threw the hammer quickly in Amy's direction to test her reflexes and were pleased to find that she at least managed to catch it before it hit the ground. "What do you say about refreshening your fighting skills a little bit?" He took a broad stance with his fists raised, smirking with a challenging brow raised.

"I-…" Amy hesitated, looking down at her hammer briefly before her expression changed to one of playful determination. A nervous giggle left her lips as she then grasped the handle in a firm grip and raised it into swinging position. "Okay, Knucklehead - let's see how tough you are then!"

"With pleasure!"

The following second, hammer and fist collided.

And so the following days, Knuckles also commited himself to practising with Amy a couple of hours, two times a day. At first they had to be mindful as not to strain Amy's foot too much and focused on more defensive training, yet pretty soon as the foot got better and Amy grew more eager, they advanced to offensive tactics.

At first it was clear that Amy was quite rusty. Handling the large hammer with some difficulty and often getting upset whenever she managed to land a hit on Knuckles, drowning him in apologizes. All of which he merely waved away and instead urged her to do the paticular technique again but with even more force. In turn, he didn't hold back more than absolute neccessary with any of his punches - because he knew that no opponent would and he wanted their fighting to be as authentic as possible. As a result, Amy steadily began growing more and more bruises on various places of her body. Bruises which she'd gained from either direct impact from a blow she'd failed to deflect or from falling to the ground whenever she faild dto keep her balance. But she never complained about any of the bruises and instead regarded each single one of them as a testify that she was done being put on the side lines. That she was done running and would do whatever it took to grow stronger. That she at least tried her very hardest to be valuable again.

For it wasn't without blood, sweat and admittedly a few tears.

Sore feet, calluses on her hands and a body that ached each night her head hit the pillow.

But always with a smile on her lips.

And well enough once she'd gotten back into the groove, she could actually offer some resistance to Knuckles' punches.

Then, before either of them knew it, one afternoon when they'd been sparring around the shrine, Amy's Piko Piko hammer sent Knuckles flying several feet up in the air before he crashed onto the bottom of the altar steps. Making him actually see stars dance before his eyes as he shook his head from the impact.

Naturally, within the blink of an eye, Amy was at his side - a mix of triumph and anxiousness upon her face.

"Are you all right? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

"No, no... No, that was a perfect swing..!" Her winded echidna friend assured, sitting himself up on the stone steps while rubbing the back of his head. There even escaped a short snicker from his lips as he realized his torso did indeed hurt quite a lot, a wide grin soon stretching across his muzzle. "Ha! You really knocked the damn wind out of me, Ames..!"

Aw, shoot…

Immediately, Knuckles realized his mistake as soon as the last word slipped his tongue.

Uttering Sonic's affectionate nickname for Amy was almost as bad as Knuckles directly bringing him up. And he anticipated that either tears or an angry preaching was coming his way in only a matter of seconds, when Amy instead merely looked back at him in surprise.

"Did you just call me 'Ames'?"

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out. I don't know why I just said that—"

"Knuckles… it's okay." Amy reassured gently, and, to his confusion, cracked a lopsided smile. "After all, it's only normal for family members to call each other by nicknames."

They then simply stared at one another for a brief moment, until Knuckles loudly cleared his throat and got back onto his feet, dusting himself off. Afterwards he gestured towards the firepit, saying— "Come on now, we've practised enough for today. Let's get ya' some water."

Nodding her head in agreement, Amy trailed behind him to the firepit after which she and Knuckles drank several mugs of water each. It had been the usual type of long, warm day on Angel Island and they'd both worked up quite the thirst. So much so that all the freshwater urns had been emptied, something which Knuckles were quick to pick up on.

"I'll go refill these while you stay here and rest." He instructed, lifting two heavy-looking clay urns into each of his arms with ease. The closest freshwater source, which was a small stream running along close by the foot of a waterfall, were roughly a twenty minute walk away from the shrine. It was a walk Knuckles usually did in the early mornings while he was out checking up around the jungle area anyway, and he planned to make a small detour now as well. A detour he needed to make alone, and Amy knew better than to object or offer to come along.

She knew he needed his space after a full day of being in her, or anyone else's for that matter, company. Even just conversing for longer periods of time wasn't something he was comfortable or used to in his otherwise so solitaire life.

Being the sole guardian of the most powerful artifact in the entire world did come with it's very own set of side effects, Amy mused to herself as she watched Knuckles making his way towards the jungle in the distance and ultimately disappearing among the trees.

As if on cue, Amy's eyes got drawn towards the ever so looming presence of the Master Emerald. Standing tall and pride upon it's altar with the seven, empty pillars surrounding it in a perfect circle. Looking at the pillars Amy suddenly pondered to herself whether Sonic, Tails, or possibly G.U.N. or, heaven forbid, Robotnik had gotten their hands on any of the Chaos Emeralds as of yet. If they were even searching for them at all or if they were all busy planning the demise of their adversary. At least whatever they did hadn't effected the Master Emerald as it had behaved just as normal - or as normal as far as Amy were concerned anyhow.

It was then that she remembered that it was either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow that the island would be passing the coast of the Mystic Ruins. An occurence that only happened for a total of twenty four hours - one time - every month. In the far off distance she could already see the vague outlines of something akin to land, contrasting to the otherwise constant free horizon. It was the closest Angel Island ever got to land, aside from West Side Island that is which wasn't an option if she wanted to be reunited with any of her friends. No, Amy knew that somehow leaving the island as it passed by the coast of the Mystic Ruins would be her only chance of reaching the mainland on her own accord. Since asking Knuckles for any kind of help that involved him leaving the island for more than possibly an hour was surely out of the question, Amy had tried coming up with other solutions in her spare time.

Solutions that had involved everything from gliding herself ashore on a selfmade hang glider to simply taking the risk of leaping off the edge of the island onboard a raft. Ultimately, she'd been forced to realize that the best method would be to have Knuckles carry her upon his back as he glided towards the coast and then somehow dropped her off into the sea where she'd then swim ashore while he turned back to the Island. Now that she weren't severly injured or ran a fever anymore he had no reason to object to her leaving. Or if he did, she'd just have to somehow convince him, beg on her bare knees if necessary.

The idea itself wasn't impossible, at least not as it appeared inside Amy's mind, yet she couldn't deny that she feared the thought of actually leaving the island.

Of defying Sonic's plead for her to not leave the island under any circumstances…

But at the bottom line the fear for her friend's safety was far greater than any fear Amy held in regards to herself, and that notion alone gave her the courage and determination to tell herself that it needed to happen. One way or another, she'd be off Angel Island by one the following two days.

Swallowing her last mouth of water, Amy decided to make her way up the stairs to the Master Emerald. Perhaps in a vain attempt to feel less lonely while Knuckles was away, or simply because she felt instinctively comforted by it's warmth and the beauty. The glow that emitted from it appeared as stunning as always in the afternoon sun that reflected upon it's surface.

Once up, Amy bowed her head in respect, kneeling down on the stone floor.

And she realized… maybe seeking some strength was just what she needed right about then.

Praying upon the powers and the entity of Chaos was common among Mobians, either in times of need or as a daily routine. And while the level of belief in Chaos' many mystical elements varied, some even discarding it altogether, most people still held some sort faith to Chaos. Presumably because there existed clear evidence of Chaos' existence throughout the modern history, the Station Square flooding incident from all those years ago being just one example. Although, many of the Overlander population still held onto their own human ancestors' old religions, which fortunately managed to co-exist in mutual acceptance among one other.

Angel Island was in fact still considered to merely be something akin to a fairytale legend in a lot of parts around Mobius. Which, after all, probably were a good thing, and of which Knuckles was no doubt glad for.

With wistful eyes, Amy looked up at the Master Emerald as if seeking its non-existant gaze. She rested her hand against its surface, and after a moment's hesitation finally spoke in a soft tone— "Hey, Tikal..? I- I don't know if you can hear me, or if you'd even actually care to listen to someone like me… I mean, why would you? I'm no guardian, or great big hero, or anyone of any real importance to the world… I'm just some silly girl who shouldn't even really be here." Her hand slipped for a moment, sliding down until she regained her nerve and kept her touch. "But… please, if you do - my one and only prayer would be that you watch over Sonic and Tails. Guide- and protect them, if you can. A-and I would also like to apologize for wishing upon those awful things back at that night in the jungle… I promise I'll try to be stronger and braver from now on, and that I'll keep faith in that whatever Sonic's doing - cause I know he's doing it for all our sakes. Because he's a true hero… with a heart of purest gold… and I know you know so, as well - for you have already seen it, haven't you?"

Amy let the question hang in the air for a couple of seconds, knowing fully well that she wouldn't receive an answer. The Master Emerald remaining perfectly still in all its radiance and mystery. "Well…—" She ultimately uttered, letting out a shaky breath while getting up on her feet again. "Thank you."

It wasn't much, still she felt significantly easier at heart when returning back down the stairs of the altar.

Amy thought of her training with Knuckles, of how by fighting with her hammer she'd managed to build up some confidence again, and that she wasn't afraid of waking up in the mornings anymore. Four weeks ago, she couldn't even have imagined going through what she'd done ever since Sonic had returned home that first week of June. Things had changed so quickly, and went downhill so fast that she still wasn't sure if she'd processed all of it. And maybe, she figured, everything hadn't only been negative. Robotnik's bombing of half of Station Square and learning that Sonic has been keeping things from her were without a doubt the worst that had transpired during that time. And had subsequently caused a great deal of despair for her.

But coming out on the other side of it all… Amy couldn't help but feel optimistic that everything, somehow, someday would be all right again.

The world would heal, and so would hopefully everyone else, as well.

A future where she stood under the falling of apple blossoms in her garden with a white dress, surrounded by all of her friends and with Sonic by her side still lived inside her mind. And she promised herself to carry that image with her as a remainder to not let herself give in to the darkness again. She would fight for that future - even if it took the rest of her life.

The sun had jus began to set as Knuckles returned from the jungle and was met with the surprising sight of a small feast having been set up around the firepit.

Fruit had been cut neatly into a salad and then mixed together with lemon juice and mint leaves. A fish which had been stuffed with various herbs and vegetables, was grilling over the open fire - spreading a most pleasant smell around the shrine. There were also a creamy soup made of nuts that had been just poured into two bowls by Amy, who smiled brightly as Knuckles approached.

"What's all this about?" He asked, gesturing towards all the food with a raised brow.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a little something to show my appreciation. Aaand I figured we also deserved to treat ourselves a little extra after all the training we've done these past days!"

She did a quick twirl, making her guardian friend aware of that she'd changed her regular shorts and shirt for an actual dress in honor of the supposed occassion. The dress in question was scarlet red and flowed out from around her waist similar to that of the petals of a rose, with the color taking on a darker shade around the bottom trim. It wasn't fancy looking by any means, but rather homely and probably one of the few of her clothes that were the cleanest. Because even if she made sure to wash her scarce stock of clothing as often as possible, one still ended up quite dirty and sweaty when trekking around the island, and certainly when sparring. Not that Knuckles had to deal with the dilemma of washing clothes, for apparent reasons, and whenever he felt messy enough he simply took a dip in the nearest lake or river.

Either way, Amy appeared the healthiest that he'd seen her since she first got here.

The ever so pink roses in her cheeks were back, as well as the light in her jade eyes.

And just for a moment, and if ever just as slightly… - the weight upon Knuckles' shoulders lifted.

Pretty soon Amy smacked her hands together, rubbing them together before beginning to show off each dish. "So! We'll have soup for starter, then the fish as our main course - I think you'll really love that one - and then for desert I made us some refreshing fruit salad!" She picked up the small bag of coffee beans she'd brought and playfully waved it infront of Knuckles' nose, mock whispering— "And for last I say we brew ourselves the biggest pan of coffee ever made!"

After sole minute of only staring at what stood before him, Knuckles' stoic face cracked as the corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards.

The following hour the two of them did nothing except eat and drink until they were sure that neither of them would be able to stomach so much as a single grape more. The grilled fish had been consumed to the bone and all that was left of the coffee was half a mug which Knuckles sipped with great care, savoring every last drop. For who knew how long it would take before he'd have a taste of it again. Despite both of them being well aware of the effects of having too much coffee, they took the risk of having trouble sleeping later in favor of the taste and the comforting warmth that spread through their bodies.

Running a hand through her quills, Knuckles sank down with his back against the log he'd just sat upon - patting his stomach with a sigh. The fire that crackled in the fire pit emitted a nice, cozy warmth around the shrine, and he gradually allowed his shoulders to drop.

The sky above was deep, dark blue in color, while a few twinkling stars had just about emerged across its heavenly bound canvas. Every now and then a lingering cloud sailed by, covering them briefly, but they always re-appeared each time. Their never ending strife of brightening up the otherwise so dark infinity particularly needed as of this night. For once, there was a bit of a chill in the air surrounding the grassy plains of the shrine. Knuckles, who was well acclimated to harsh weather changes after a life upon the island, barely took any notice of the shift but instead noticed how Amy huddled closer to the fire. She sat across from him, staring into the fire while her fingers absentmindedly massaged her bare ankle - the sprained one, which had healed better than he'd dared hope for.

And speaking of which…

"Hey, err… Amy?"

She looked up, meeting his eye.

Okay, here goes nothing…

"I just wanted to say thank you for the dinner, it was… nice of you, I could really taste the care and effort you put into making it." Knuckles began, struggling to not sound awkward but probably failing miserably. Still, he kept to it. For he realized that she, of all the people he knew, truly appreciated good manners and wouldn't just shrug it off or wave away at his gratitude. She wasn't like Sonic, who had to make a joke out of almost everything, or like Tails, who could barely accept any praise without having his muzzle turn red and would then begin to diminish his own deed.

Though as expected, Amy's face lit up as soon as the words left his lips.

"You're welcome… Knux."

"Don't. Just don't."

"What? You called me 'Ames' before." Amy defended, doing a poor job of suppressing the smirk that poked at the corners of her mouth. "Or perhaps you would rather have me call you 'bro' instead? Because I'm totally fine with you calling me 'Sis' - but I guess I could be a bro as well, if you'd like. As long as you swear to never call me Rosy… ugh, now that's just embarrassing..!"

"And here I thought Sonic was the annoying one…"

"—I still think bro sounds the coolest though. Yep, I think I'll go with that..!"

Knuckles resisted the urge to facepalm and simply settled with rolling his eyes at her ramblings. Shaking his head, he then got to his feet and sat himself down closer to Amy who'd just hid a soft giggle behind her hand. When she'd regained her composure, Knuckles requested for her to stretch her hand out which at first surprised her, but then she complied without question.

"Anyway…!" Knuckles announced, his voice a little louder, before he cleared his throat and continued— "—I've got, uh, something I want you to have. It's not much, just a little something that, err… Just - here, take it." Swiftly, he reached inside his spikes and pulled out a small object that he then procedeed to carefully place in the palm of Amy's hand. Once it finally laid there, he withdrew slightly, awaiting her reaction. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure what she'd think and mainly just hoped she wouldn't reject the gift completely.

But Amy didn't do any of that sort.

She merely gazed down at the object, and was for a moment too stunned for words.

What laid in her palm was a wicker anklet, skillfully woven and pieced together with tiny gemstones of multiple colors. It wasn't like the ones she'd seen in the jewelry store at the mall in Station Square, those that were made of either gold or silver and had artificial, candy-colored stones decorating them instead of real ones. No, these were authentic gems, each possessing a murkier shade that shifted ever so slightly depending on how the light fell upon them.

She'd never seen anything quite like it…

And as she thought of the precarious work that must've went into making this beautiful piece of jewelry…

How Knuckles, with his bulky hands, had managed to create something so delicate…

"Knuckles, I— I don't know what to say." Amy said after awhile, a small collection of tears having already broken forth at the corners of her eyes. "You made it for me? Why?"

Truth be told, Knuckles didn't fully know the answer to that question, but settled for something as close to an explanation as he could think of—

"To protect you."

"Protect me? Like a good luck charm?"

"Well, something like that, I suppose. From what I understand my ancestors wore these types of bracelets around their ankles as a form of talisman, and they were mostly used as protection, like from bad fortune or diseases. Though some believed that they were also able to fend of evil spirits and bad dreams from the bearer." Knuckles explained with great conviction, as it was clear that he both regarded and respected his ancestors and their beliefs with utmost seriousness. "So I figured… if there's anyone I know that could use a little help in that department, it's you."

A short chuckle leet Knuckles at that last part, until he abruptly stopped and hastily looked to see if Amy had taken offense to his words. He hadn't meant for it to come across as an insult, and now worried that he might've upset her feelings in some way. But to his relief, Amy only smiled, wiping away a few tears that had escaped down her cheeks. Pretty soon she had put the anklet around her previously injured left foot and had eagerly began admiring how it looked in the light of the fire.

However, just as Knuckles reached for his mug to gulp down the last of his coffee, he felt how a quick peck was planted against his cheek. He turned his head and met Amy's once again grinning expression.

"Thank you for the wonderful gift, big bro. I promise to always wear it."

Instinctively, Knuckles frown returned as he merely muttered under his breath - something about girlish antics and what not.

Then, in a quick swig, he emptied his mug.

"I'm sure Rouge will be so jealous if ever she sees it." Amy suddenly remarked after having admired the anklet for several minutes, recalling her bat friend's insatiable captivation with all kinds of jewlery or anything shiny. "You should totally make one for her as well - I bet she'd love it!"

As soon as the words left Amy's lips, she realized she'd just made a serious blunder, for Knuckles' mild expression almost immediately paled to an unreadable grimace. And just as she thought he were about to either give a snarky comment or maybe just stomp off, he instead bowed his head, directing his gaze down at his clutched hands. Within mere seconds he seemed to have aged roughly a hundred years as his eyes got a distant glint, his voice sounding endlessly hollow when he after awhile uttered—

"I wouldn't know anything of what she loves."

"Knuckles, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to bring—"

"It's fine." Knuckles interrupted. "You couldn't possibly know, now could you?"

"No… I mean, I hadn't even spoken to Rouge for over a year before she out of nowhere appeared at my doorstep a few weeks ago. She escorted Sonic to G.U.N. headquarters for that meeting he had with their new Commander… We didn't exactly have a chance to talk a lot, but… she seemed to be pretty much like her regular self as far as I could tell." Amy explained before pausing briefly before daring to continue with the gentlest of tones. "Whenever I heard Sonic talk about you guys this last year I guess I got the impression that you two were… well, maybe more than whatever you were before."

"Oh, yeah?" Knuckles grumbled, not too thrilled at hearing that Sonic's been running his mouth about him and Rouge's relationship to others, but honestly not too surprised by it either. That darn hedgehog never could keep his big trap shut in the first place. "Well now we're nothing - so there ain't nothing to talk about."

"Sure there is - you liked her, didn't you? In fact, I think you still do… cause despite whatever might've happened between the two of you - and I don't need to know what - I know that feelings just doesn't just go away because we want them to. It's never that easy… You have no idea how often I wished for it to happen whenever Sonic would reject me when we were younger… I could lay awake in bed crying an entire night, wishing that the love I held for him would just… disappear. That I could shut my heart to the pain and never have to think of him again. Of course, I would always change my mind the next day and continue to try and chase after him."

Hearing Amy Rose talk about her undying affection for Sonic the Hedghog was on top of the list of things he least of all wanted to listen to, yet Knuckles couldn't help but admit that this wasn't quite what he was used to. This however sounded… earnest. And thus he didn't immediately wave away at her words but instead felt himself empathizing with them. For hadn't he too wished that he could erase all emotions he might've ever held for Rouge? That the image of her wasn't the last thing that he saw before falling asleep each night, no matter how much he'd suppress any thoughts of her during the day.

For while Knuckles could block her out of his mind, he simply couldn't block her out of his heart.

But, no… what Rouge had done to him was unforgivable. No matter what, things between could never be the same even if he'd wanted them to be.

After a moment's silenece, Knuckles finally responded. "That's different. We— I mean her and I weren't like you and Sonic. We had nothing that bound us together and therefore there never could've been anything more either. Any possible relationship were doomed to fail and love would only have destroyed us. So I guess that's why she…—" He trailed off, clearing his throat and shaking his head before continuing. "It was inevitable, we were both just waiting for it to happen. For it all to end. And so, one day, it did. End of the story…"

Amy's hand reached out, gently resting on Knuckles forearm. The hurt in him echoed inside her as well, and for a moment she sat quiet, contemplating what he'd just told her and probably even more so what he hadn't told. What was mere vague nuances between the lines.

Soon, before she even registered it at first, Knuckles' hand laid upon hers.

For a long while they remained like that.

Staring out ahead at the surrounding plains. Watching as the sun set on yet another day seperated from everyone and everything that laid beyond it. Together in their own loneliness.

It was as if all the sound in the world had been muted and only left the pulsating vibrations of the ocean waves behind.

The gemstones in Amy's new anklet shimmered in the flames that danced upon her pale skin.

A subconcious shiver ran down her spine, and after what felt like forever she turned her head to the side to look at one of the floral ornaments that Knuckles used to decorate the shrine with. She studied the closest ornament, which stood collected in a primitive looking pot made out of clay, and recognized that the flowers she'd merely taken as a mix between various wildflowers, actually contained a few roses as well. Roses that weren't of the traditional kind that grew in a garden, but rather the kind that could be found growing freely on vines. If she'd have to guess, she'd say these particular ones probably came from somewhere around the Marble Zone.

Instinctively, Amy picked one of the roses up and began brushing her fingertips against its smooth petals. The rose had a light pink, almost white, color and its smell reminded of a mix between honey and lemon. She drew in the scent, immediately thinking of home…

Oh, how much she adored roses…

Sonic… he adored roses too.

And for someone who appreciated flowers more than most people, and had probably seen about every kind during all of his countless adventures across Mobius - he often claimed roses were his absolute favorite. Sunflowers came at a reasonable strong second place, but when put next to a rose they simply paled without question. He'd say that one of the reasons he loved them so much was that everything about them reminded him of Amy.

He compared the softness of the petals to that of her cheeks and skin.

The sweet scent to that of her quills.

And the shimmering color that certain garden roses possessed to the color of her fur.

"My Rose…" Sonic could call her at times when he was sure that the two of them were alone. It was the deepest, most private sign of verbal affection that Amy knew him to be capable of, and each time he uttered those two simple words her heart instantly melted. Of course, hearing "I love you" coming out of his lips was just as wonderful, still something about him comparing her to the beauty of a rose moved her in a way above all explanation.

The day he'd proposed to her, he had presented her with at least a dozen freshly picked wild roses, probably as a mere distraction in advance to what he'd actually planned to present her with… That very last day of June…

Suddenly it were as if something clicked inside Amy's mind and she immediately froze up.

Almost the entire day had gone by where she'd eaten delicacies, talked, even laughed a couple of times, without it ever once crossing her mind that today wasn't just any ordinary day. To be absolutely sure, she carefully counted the days that had passed since she left home... and, yes - the days added up...

A pain worse than anything Amy had ever felt ripped her chest wide open at that moment. Tore her heart out. Threw it on the ground, and violently stomped on it without any regard for how it affected its keeper. Before she knew it, the light grasp she'd held on Knuckles' arm tightenend while her other hand gripped around the golden locket hanging around her neck. In the midst of it, she caught sight of her engagment ring, gleaming faintly in the light of the fire, and was close to bursting into tears. Her entire body and soul seemed to want to either cry, scream, or pound her fist into the ground - or perhaps do them all at once. But instead she remained perfectly still, with only her pained heart wrecking painful chaos inside her chest. No tears came and not so much as a whimper left her lips.

Meanwhile Knuckles had naturally noticed Amy's suddenly cramped position and that she instead of merely resting her hand upon his arm now gripped it as if he were the last grasp that she had on the world. All happening seemingly out of nowhere, he turned his head towards her and warily put his free hand upon her shoulder as he with raised brows watched how her face twisted up in obvious pain.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Knuckles asked. "Is your foot hurting again?"

Amy's voice was on the verge of breaking when she finally answered—

"No, I-… I just remembered - today's one year since Sonic and I got engaged."

---

Amy…

Amy…

AMY…!

Pitch black darkness was all that met her eyes as Amy was forced awake, her hands desperately cluthing her ears as she'd tried blocking the screams in her head. She found that her heart was racing, beating heavely against her ribcage to the point where she felt as if it was close to jumping straight out of her chest. The pain being close to unbearable. She was practically bathing in sweat and shivered so bad that she could barely control her limbs.

This time, no nightmare nor fever had been the cause for her abrupt awakening.

Rolling herself out of her quilt, Amy looked to see that the firepit had long since burnt itself out.

Instinctively, she thought she was having a panic attack and so she curled herself up on the bare ground. Shut her eyes, and focused all her attention on breathing - silently counting each inhale and exhale with deliberate care. Yet, as she counted, the images of her last tarot card reading back home came flooding over her like a tidal wave, presenting themselves in a new light.

And suddenly it all made sense.

One…

The Tower

Sonic's sudden change. Him gifting her the heart-shaped locket. Him insiting that they as soon as possible left for Angel Island. She finding out about his lies, realizing the danger she's been in, Robotnik's threat… Her whole world being turned upside down as she'd found out Sonic and Tails had left her behind… the betrayal and despair she'd felt…

Two…

Four of cups

Knuckles turning her away, leading to her aimless wandering around the Island, the Chao garden where she'd finally found some solace, but also forgotten about the real world around her… And then Knuckles had saved her. They'd exposed their most vulnerable sides to each other, been angry, sad, and shouted things that they might not have meant - but by doing so had also resulted in them growing closer…

Three…

The Reversed Sun

Admist all the sadness she'd still managed to find joy. Befriending Scout and all the rest of the Chao in the garden. Smiled and laughed with Knuckles. Their training together and getting to use the hammer had actually been fun, making her regain a part of herself that she'd thought she'd lost. She had somewhat learned to trust her own abilities again…

Four…

Two of Wands

At last she'd realized that she couldn't remain on the Island. Despite having come to terms with her situation and strengthened both her mind and soul again, and most importantly - strengthened her bond to Knuckles. She'd made a plan, and intended to follow through with it as well. Because she knew that her friends needed her, and that wherever they went she would follow. Because they belonged together.

Five…

The cards had foretold it all.

Warned her about what had been laying before her when she'd sat there in the comfort of her own home, wrapped up in her blissful and oblivious existence. For she hadn't understood what the cards had been trying to tell her at that point, or perhaps chosen not to.

She'd been too blind… but now she saw it all too clearly.

Six…

And it was just then, as Amy slowly raised her head back up from the ground, that she discovered the static pair of red eyes that stared at her from within the dark.

Seve—

Too stunned to scream or even make the tiniest of sounds, Amy was left sitting frozen stiff, watching in horror as the two glowing orbs gradually came closer. An impulse to pinch herself in order to see if she were merely dreaming came over her, so she hastily reached for whatever part of her body her fingers could grasp. And as soon as she came in contact with skin - she pinched the area hard and long.

But alas, this was no dream.

"The hammer, grab the hammer." The sensible part of Amy's brain then commanded, prompting her to slowly but surely crawl backwards towards where she knew the Piko Piko hammer laid, among the rest of her packing. As she crawled, she still maintained eye contact with whomever this unknown intruder were.

Soon enough, her hand brushed against the handle of her hammer and her fingers proceeded to grasp around it in an iron-like grip.

Feeling a bit safer with a weapon in hand, Amy then mustered up the courage to address her onlooker. Surprising herself by how calm and collected her voice sounded. "Don't come any closer, I'm warning you." There came no response, the red eyes simply continuing to approach. Now she could vaugley make out the shape of a body, except it was no regular body made of flesh, but a body made out of metal… Instantly, her voice rose an octave higher. "W-who are you? How did you get here? What do you want from me?"

But deep inside Amy already knew the answers to those questions.

Metal Sonic had finally found her.

Due to the Island being so close to the mainland it had most likely been able to track her position and flewn its way across the water.

And it - he - had come to finish her off.

Robotnik would of course not bother himself by coming all the way out to kill her personally, and instead sent this demonic robot to do the job. Since it had been unsuccessful the first time around, the Doctor somehow must've made sure it wouldn't fail a again. Perhaps her death would be even more painful because she had managed to escape that first time. And if, by any chance, its goal wasn't to directly kill, it would probably be either kidnapping or torture that awaited her. Maybe both.

Either way, Amy's odds were against her.

For this time there was no Sonic to protect her.

No, the only one that could save her now was herself.

And—

"Knuckles…! I have to warn him!"

That notion alone was enough to push Amy up onto her feet and for a rush of adrenaline to awaken every last muscle in her body. The Master Emerald altar was only a few feet away from the firepit, though it appeared as if Knuckles hadn't yet noticed their newly arrived guest and she guessed he must've fallen asleep. If so, he needed to wake up - and that was quick. Filling her lungs with as much air as possible, Amy then wasted not a second longer before howling out as loudly as her vocal cords permitted—"Knuuuckles!"

Metal Sonic's clawed hand was around her throat in an instant. Halting any further warnings from slipping out, as well as cutting off all of her breathing.

Fortunately, Amy had predicted the move and had enough wits about her to keep a firm grasp on the hammer's handle. With a powerful swing directed at Metal's head, she sent him tumbling to the ground, actually inflicting a small dent in the metal. She allowed herself to draw in a quick breath, before raising her hammer again for another blow. Missing with mere inches as Metal evaded to the side, who hastily responded by catching the hammerhead in his hands. Tauntingly twisting it, along with Amy's arms, and then holding it still in between his claws.

"Let go, you hunk of junk! You hear me?! Let go, let go, let go!" Amy demanded as she struggled to break her hammer free. The anger in her voice masking the actual panic she felt welling up inside her chest.

A panic which increased as the eeriest of sound suddenly emitted from within Metal's voice box.

"Little Amy Rose…—" He began, making a horrible impression to that of what she guessed were supposed to be a sing-song-like voice. "—all alone."

Amy had completely forgotten about his ability to talk, and now his words struck a nasty chord on her heart strings… But she simply refused to let even a hint of that pain show upon her face. "I'm not alone." She growled forth through clenched teeth, jerking the Piko Piko hammer out Metal's hands furiously. Aiming a swing across its non existant mouth, thus forcing him to swiftly zip out of the way.

The following minutes, blow upon blow was sent his way, but not one of them found its target.

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic made no attempt at any counter attacks and instead kept ducking and parrying her hammer to the side. As if he was merely waiting for Amy to wear herself out. Toying with her like a doll…

It wasn't until a lucky swing ultimately made impact with his torso and sent him flying several feet into the darkness that something got triggered within his programming. As he collided with the ground he went perfectly limp for a brief moment. Staring blankly up at the starry sky while he sensed his adversary rushing towards him, with her patheic hammer raised in hopes of probably bashing his head in. But Metal Sonic suddenly knew that playtime was over - and within the blink of an eye he had processed his core mission once more.

A moment later, Amy's hammer collided with nothing, wheras Metal's foot collided perfectly with her torso. Forcing the air straight out of her lungs as she naturally bent over in acute loss of her bearings. Like a fish having been forced upon dry land, she gulped for air, trying desperately to regain her senses. But once she did, it was already far too late. Metal's next strike went for the hand she held her hammer in, and soon it got torn out of her grasp without her being able to much resistance. With a flick of his wrist he flung it out of reach while simultaneously catching Amy's face with his free hand.

She had yet to recover and would have probably been close to sinking to her knees had he not forced her to remain upright.

Metal's dead, red eyes observed her futile struggle for breath, and he figured that if he'd had a heart he might've taken pity to such a feeble creature. But instead he raised one of his sharp claws to her face and slowly began pressing it along the delicate skin of her cheek. As expected, blood immediately emerged from the spots where his blade had pierced through.

"RinG ArOUnd ThE ROSy…—"

Metal Sonic chanted whilst carving, entirely off key and without any form of feeling as he naturally lacked perception of neither rhyme nor rhythm.

Icy chills ran down Amy's spine as she heard the familiar song being sung to her by the very embodiment of her worst nightmare. She wanted to cry and run as far away from this senseless murder machine as was ever possible. But at this moment, without hammer in hand and with a pair of lungs that felt as if they'd just been punctured, she was rendered helpless. The pain in her cheeks not even registering within her mind due to the overwhelming fear that threatened to overtake her entire being.

"A pocKET fuLL oF POSieS…-"

A hard smack was delivered across her cheek, busting her lip open so that a new stream of blood began trickling down her chin and further down onto her clothes, while also finding its way into her gaping mouth. Violent shaking followed as Metal lifted her up by throat and proceeded thrash her from side to side like he was playing with a toy.

Collecting a mouth full of saliva and blood, Amy spat him right in the face, and then watching with some satisfaction as her spit covered Metal's vision.

Still, she quickly regret doing so as the robotic doppelganger's grip suddenly tightened drastically, before he rose even higher and then—

"AsHEs! ASHeS! We ALl FalL DOWN!"

Like a rag doll, Amy was thrown onto the ground with such force that she was certain that she had got a concussion.

Blurs of colors danced before her eyes and blended together with the tears until she could no longer see anything else and her eyelids fell shut.

Still the rest of her body refused to give in as she blindly began dragging her body in the opposite direction of where she believed Metal Sonic to be. If only she could get ahold of her hammer again… In a vain attempt at locating it she stretched her left hand outwards to stroke along the grass while her right one kept pulling her along the ground. Inevitably, all that Amy's hand found was the cold metal of Metal Sonic's foot, which soon after pressed said hand mercilessly into the dirt. However, what was worst was what he did with his other foot which stomped down on her left ankle. Hard. Immediately, a shrill cry erupted from within Amy's throat. Straining her vocal cords to their peak and leaving her with such indescribable pain that she could do nothing but curl herself up into a ball and cry her heart out.

It was in that exact moment that three things seemingly happened all at once;

First,

An earsplitting shatter filled the atmosphere. Drowning out all sound around the island, and possibly every other sound in the entire world, as well.

Secondly,

The bone in Amy's left ankle broke as Metal's foot stomped down on it once more.

And thirdly,

The ground shook so violently that Amy was sure that the very mountains were crumbling down somewhere in the distance.

In the following moment reality suddenly halted. Freezing everything in a everlasting second where all that once was crumbled into nothing, only, to in the next second, be restored. Although, Amy somehow knew that it wasn't so. Something had from that point forward forever changed within her, within the world, within the very heart of Angel Island.

But what it was she wouldn't get to know.

For as she regained her senses the first thing she recognized was a thunderous growl that echoed across the shrine. Before her brain had realized who had uttered the sound, Amy felt how the weight from her foot was lifted - and as she turned her head, she witnessed Knuckles' form soaring through the air. His mighty fist colliding with Metal Sonic's turned back, who in turn got shot forward. Flying over Amy's body and ultimately landing several yards away. Then, just as soon as his body hit the earth, Knuckles was instantly on top of the robotic demon, pounding upon him with every inch of his life.

"Run!" Knuckles' booming voice commanded, and Amy knew he wasn't addressing Metal Sonic. "Get out of here - now!"

But for a solid minute, Amy was completely entranced by watching Knuckles' fists colliding with Metal Sonic's body, his chest, his head…

She simply couldn't stop looking.

Not until half of a metallic arm came flying in her direction, landing perfectly at her feet - and abruptly jolting her awake.

Despite knowing that Knuckles was indeed only protecting her, the sheer fury upon his face as well as his exposed teeth that were bared in a wide snarl - Amy couldn't help but flinch away from the dismantled arm in horror. Instinctively, she scrambled backwards until the situation with her ankle made itself known again, as pain triumphed over the pure fright that she felt right then.

It only took a single glance down at her ankle for her to realize that she wouldn't be running anywhere.

And besides…

"I-… I-I w-won't lea-leave y-y-you..!" Amy's crackled voice declared. A mixture of blood, tears and saliva coming spluttering out as soon as she opened her mouth. She wasn't even sure if Knuckles had heard, before his response came like a harsh slap to the face.

"For once in your life - do as your told, you wretched girl! I don't need you! I never have! So just get the hell out of here! Nooow!"

This time, Amy didn't need to be told twice.

Mustering up all that was left of her willpower she procedeed to turn her back, and thereafter escape the scene before her eyes. Soon leaving Knuckles and Metal Sonic only further and further behind her. Heading deeper into the dark and thus deeper into the nightmare that never seemed to want to end.

Amy part crawled- part dragged- part threw her body forward. Stumbling and falling over countless of times but always forcing herself to get back up again. For how long she went on, she couldn't possibly tell, nor did she care, for all she cared about was following through with Knuckles' last order. To do as she were told…

All while Metal Sonic's eerie song ran on a loop inside her head. Replaying itself over and over again in a most torturous way to the point where Amy gladly would've bashed her own head in, if only it meant to put a stop to it.

"RiNg aRounD thE RoSY… A pOcKet FuLL oF pOsiEs…"

Tears poured down her cheeks.

Disturbing images of what Metal Sonic could be doing to Knuckles right that very moment flashed before her eyes.

Her heart, lungs and feet all begged her to stop.

Begged her to give in.

But that's just what Amy had promised Tikal that she wouldn't do.

Not again.

She would continue to force herself to keep going until something or someone either stopped her or told her that whatever she was fleeing from couldn't get to her anymore.

"AsHeS! AsHEs! We ALL faLl dO—"

It was then that the unbelievable happened.

Angel Island fell.

The delayed reaction of the deafening shatter having taken its effect.

Though the fall wasn't direct, but more so like the island were sinking itself down onto the ocean.

Amy, however, felt it as if she were floating freely for several seconds. Detatched from everything and everyone as she defied the laws of physics in a moment of surprising serenity. The quiet and the dark of the night becoming all that was left in the world. And suddenly, she had the strangest impulse to smile just as the Island made impact with the ocean far, far below… An enormous splash - nearly the size of a skyscraper - rose high up into the air. Creating a wall of water around Angel Island until it inevitably came crashing down onto the Islands' surrounding coast lines. Wiping them clean off every last palm tree and then finally washing them along with the water, as all of it came flooding back into the ocean once more.

Although, it wasn't only palm trees that got swept up in the wave, but a lone pink hedgehog, as well.

Without having any time or any strength left to so much as grab onto a rock for support, Amy was quickly pulled away by the wave's overwhelming force. She cried with what little voice she had left, her fingers clawing fruitlessly for blades of grass before eventually realizing that there was no one to hear her - and no one to help her.

Soon enough she could no longer feel the air around her.

Not hear a single sound, nor see anything else besides the the dark ocean depths that had swallowed her whole - dragging her deeper and deeper into its icy, bottomless infinity.

But even then, all Amy could think of all the promises she be breaking if she let the infinity win—

Her promise to Tikal about being braver and stronger…

Her promise to Knuckles about becoming more independent…

And lastly, and most importantly - her promise to Sonic about making sure to take care of herself.

So she swam - ordering her legs to kick while her arms sought the surface with wide strokes. Not long after, and possibly through some miracle, her body actually began ascending upwards. Slowly but surely the world above came back into focus just before her head broke the surface and Amy finally could breathe in air once again. On pure instict she drew in the biggest breath of her life while also coughing up any water that had found its way down her throat. However, Amy's joy was shortlived as a merciless ocean wave quickly came washing over her head and thus sending her right back below the surface. Completely blinded by the darkness again, she failed to notice as well as evade the trunk of a palm tree that at the same time came slamming into her.

The force of the hit made Amy instinctively draw for breath, and thus she swallowed a whole mouth's worth full of water. Her limps fruitlessly flailed around her body while immediate panic arose within her mind, her lungs soon feeling as if they were on the verge of exploding. Slowly, the lack of oxygen caused her mind to drain… Black spots appearing in her vision, before everything turned completely black. Her body making one last attempt at reaching the surface - before it eventually stopped fighting altogether.

For there was simply nobody left to save.

Amy Rose's violated and battered body floated freely in the ocean current that pulled her every which as if she'd been a mere rag doll. Her very last thoughts being of her love, and how she'd never get to see him again, and then…-

—nothing.

Many miles away, Sonic the Hedgehog awoke from his slumber with a jolt.

Notes:

To be continued...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thank you for reading.

Chapter 7: Nevermore

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 7: Nevermore

---

Sonic didn't have to wander too far out into the meadow before catching sight of the familiar pink figure laying amongst the lush sea of grass and wildflowers.

Amy Rose was deep asleep with her face, as well as the rest of her body, basking in sunlight, making her appear like an angel that had accidentally fallen from the sky. The pearly white petticoat dress she wore enhanced her rosy fur in a most flattering way while her feet had been left bare, and as usual her golden bangles decorated her wrists. Beside her, barely still grasped in her outstretched hand, laid a book with its cover facing upwards - "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" - a title which Sonic doesn't fully recognize, but has a vague remembrance of seeing somewhere before.

Either way, he's too anxious at the moment to be bothered with it.

For pressed in Sonic's own hands was a small velvet box…

Velvet which he'd stroked countless of times, awaiting the right moment when he'd finally present the box to her.

Now he fidgeted with it, his palms beginning to sweat underneath his gloves as he stood on the verge of taking the big leap into probably the biggest adventure of his young life.

It had been roughly two months since Sonic had bought one of the most expensive rings that the tiny jewelry store in Spagonia had had to offer. He'd scouted it out when he'd been returning home from one of his travels and made a quick stop in town. Fortunately, he was well acquainted with the shop owner Aida due to the Gaia incident several years prior. To his embarrassment though she wasn't the least bit surprised upon hearing that Sonic was in need of an engagement ring and had with a sly smile inquired whether it was for the young lady who'd Sonic once brought along with him to the store and bought a very beautiful gem adorned bangle for. Sonic had in that moment swallowed his pride and admitted that it was indeed the same girl he now were to propose to.

At that Aida had been absouletly elated and happily showed off the shop's rarest and finest engagement rings, and had even insisted on giving him a generous discount. The rings she'd showcased were all very extravagant and almost all had diamonds or other gemstones encrusted within their gold or silver bands. Sonic had surely had a hard time choosing one that he thought would suit Amy the best, but at long last he'd decided upon a clean, golden ring. The only altercation being that he asked if the word "Forever" could be engraved on the ring's inside, which had made Aida shed a few tears as a result before ensuring that it would be done for when he returned to collect it. At last, to his further fortune, she had given him her sincerest word that she would keep Sonic's purchase to herself and not tell a soul about it, which he'd been very thankful for.

Despite the impossibility of keep something like this a secret for too long, Sonic still hadn't wanted anyone outside his closest group of friends to catch wind of his plans to pop the question to Amy at that point.

In fact, most of Sonic's relationship with Amy were kept as much under the general public's radar as possible.

Not because he were embarrassed of his love for her, but because he absolutely dreaded the thought of having this most private, most precious of feelings exploited by every tablooid magazine all over Mobius. To have it flaunted and scrutinized for people to see and to goosip about, and turn into whatever they felt like. Twisted it into something it wasn't. It was bad enough that Dr. Robotnik, Sonic's sworn arch nemesis, one day would inevitably find out about the whole ordeal and surely use it to his advantage - like someone suddenly giving him an unexpected but very welcomed surprise gift.

Sonic shuddered at the thought as that fact alone had been one of the many reasons he'd suppressed his emotions for Amy for such a long time. Or rather one of his many excuses…

Kneeling down by her side, Sonic allowed himself a brief couple of minutes to simply gaze softly at his soon-to-be-fiancée. For his eyes did indeed soften as he observed the peaceful expression upon her face, the healthy rosiness of her cheeks, the subtle stirrings behind her eyelids, and how his own heart seemed to sing due to the nearness of hers. Like it recognized her heart beats and immediately adjusted itself after them, so that they may beat in harmony with one another. Many a times in the past had Sonic thought that there was something seriously wrong with his heart because of just how irregular it behaved whenever Amy was around. To how it sometimes could beat so wildly against his ribcage that he was sure it were gonna burst through his chest to how it at other times had gone completely still, as if it had just stopped working all of a sudden. But now, several years wiser, he had grown accustomed to his heart's sudden outbursts and was well aware of the cause for this infliction.

"I think my heart knew long before I did."

And so had she…

With utmost gentleness Sonic planted a kiss against her forehead and then, as if she'd been a slumbering fairy-tale princess, Amy's eyelids instantly fluttered open. Revealing to him her bright pools of jade that at first furrowed in subtle confusion until her features softened as she indeed recognized her knight in shining armor. The sheer and unmasked love that shone upon her face initially took Sonic aback, just like it always did, but pretty soon he'd adjusted himself to the complete adoration he received and managed to smile in response. Even now, after all the years of being the object of her immense affection, he still struggled to grasp the full width of it and, even more so, not let himself get overwhelmed by it.

It was a most peculiar sensation to be beheld with such softness yet intensity - a love which flooded his body with warmth, spreading straight out to the very tips of his fingers.

Amy's lips curled up into a smile before she opened her mouth and almost cooed out his name as if it were the sweetest sound in all of the world— "Oh, Sonic..! I must've dozed off for a bit…" A short giggle escaped her. "I know you're not supposed to fall asleep with a book in hand, but it was so cozy out here that I couldn't resist closing my eyes for a just a moment." She sat herself up on her knees, a trail of flower petals following along as she did while a bunch of them had already gotten stuck in her quills. On reflex, she ruffled a hand through her little tuft of bangs as well as stretched her arms a bit, before turning her attention back at Sonic.

In a sudden sense of playfulness, he in turn gave her a look of feigned disapproval.

"Falling asleep out in the meadows all alone is dangerous, you know. And while the sun's out too - tsk, tsk, you're lucky if you haven't gotten sunstroked for days." His hand reached out to grace one of her rosy cheeks, stroking his thumb across her soft skin, which caused a pleasant shiver to go along his spine as a result. That simple contact with her body alone was more than enough to painfully remind him of her delicate nature - her fragility was obvious to anyone who laid their eyes upon her for more than a few seconds. At least when compared to him…

As if on cue, Amy puffed up her cheek and confidently proclaimed—

"Don't worry, I'm tougher than I look." And so, without further ado, she leaned herself forward and surprised Sonic with a quite so passionate kiss square on the lips.

Immediately, Sonic's heart skyrocketed up to somewhere of the middle of his throat while he simultaneously fought the urge to launch himself backwards several feel out of pure astonishment.

Taking notice of his delighted, yet slightly distressed facial expression, Amy quickly drew back - going from bold to a blushing shy mess within mere seconds. "S-sorry…" She stuttered forth with a voice laced with sincerity. "Too much?"

Rather too sudden.

Getting ahold of himself again, Sonic rigidly shook his head as he knew he had to try and smooth over his absurd overreaction as quickly as possible as not to hurt Amy's feelings. "Nah, you just caught me of guard, that's all..!" He reassured with a chuckle, pleased with the warmth that naturally emitted from his voice as he said it. To further emphasis his comfort with the situation, he gently invited her to rest in his embrace. Holding her close to his chest having always felt oddly organic, as if she was meant to reside with her head tucked beneath his chin, and have her heart beat right next to his.

It just felt… right.

As right as anything could ever be.

They remained in blissful silenece for a couple of minutes, merely enjoying the closeness of the other one until Sonic's voice finally rose above the stillness.

"Hey… Amy?"

"Mhm..?"

"There's something, uh, I wanna talk to you about… Actually it's been on my mind for a long time now, but I guess I've tried to find the perfect moment to tell you… Still, I guess those moments truly never come, do they?" Sonic chuckled softly to himself and thus feeling how dry his mouth had gone in the last couple of seconds. "So now could be just as good time as any to tell you that I…- that I… I mean, I'd like to say that— I, ergh! Sorry, I just—"

"Sonic…-" Amy placed a gentle hand against his cheek, giving him a calm, reassuring look that made Sonic's heart calm down as well. The warm kindness her voice emitted was enough to set his mind straight once more. "—it's okay. There's no rush, take your time." She paused giving him a minute to collect his thoughts again before continuing. "Now, what is it that you want to say?"

"Well, you see, I, uh—" But at the very last second, his nerves failed him and in sheer panic he immediately jumped to plan B. With a swift motion and as if they'd just been materialized out of thin air, Sonic pulled forth a bouquet of at least a dozen freshly picked roses and presented Amy with them. "—Wanted to give you these..!"

"Oh..!"

What followed next was Amy naturally throwing herself back into his embrace, nearly knocking the bouquet away, and thanking him three times in a row while also kissing his cheek. Once the initial joy mellowed down a bit, she pulled back and took the bouquet into her own hands in order to admire them further. And although Sonic admittedly wasn't always too fond of Amy's more extreme expressions, he couldn't help but find her quite adorable just then. Quietly observing her dote upon the roses while wearing a tender look upon his face.

"They're so beautiful, just look at that color - and how soft the petals are!" Amy commented, stroking the outer petals with gentle care. "I'll make sure to put them in my finest crystal vase as soon as I get home. Well… actually I only got one crystal vase, but you know what I mean!"

"You're speaking with a guy who has a total of zero crystal vases, so…"

"Right, right, I guess they don't exactly fit in with the whole 'vagabond lifestyle' you lead."

"Sadly not."

"Hm… anyway, may I inquire to the occasion?"

Sonic blinked, trying hard not to lose his cool. "Whaddya' mean - you're the girl I give all my roses to." And as if one cue he pulled off a lopsided smirk while sending her a wink.

"Well, I was afraid you might feel guilty about something…"

"No, not that I—"

"Because, I mean, you have absolutely no reason to..!" Amy hastily clarified, averting her gaze to her lap as she did a poor job of trying to hide as much of herself as possible behind the bouquet. "I'm just glad that you're back, of course. And that you take the time to come out here to see me means the world to me!

"But of course I do, you're my—" Sonic hesitated, he'd always felt that 'girlfriend' had been a too weak of a word to describe their relationship. It was a too shallow and fickle title that didn't come close enough to the actual extent of the bond they shared. She was so much more than just his girlfriend - she was the air in his lungs, the light in his eyes, the beat in his heart… Sure, she could sometimes be clingy, stubborn, have a short fuse, and be a bit too sensitive or over-emotional in general. But the thorns, so to say, didn't spoil the rose or take away from her deeply rooted kindness, her thoughtfulness or her unusual ability to always see the good in people. For in her eyes no one was truly unredeemable, not even someone to the likes of Shadow, who believed otherwise.

For Amy believed in you in a way that made you want to believe in yourself too.

She was the rose that, despite everyone believing her too be too weak and fragile, withstood the ills of the world.

"—my rose."

. . .

---

"Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog, sir!"

Sonic's eyes shot open. But instead of finding himself on a bright, summer meadow he discovered that he was in fact in one of the many grey and dull meeting rooms of the G.U.N. Headquarters. And apparently he'd fallen asleep in his chair. Again.

The voice that addressed him belonged to Staff Sergeant Conn, a well-built man looking to be somewhere between his late twenties and early thirties, with big, impenterable amber eyes that when looked into always gave you the sense of being evaluated. He also wore a pair of thick, round glasses that only seemed to enlargen his eyes even further. Right now they peered down at Sonic, who idly rubbed his own eyes while sitting himself up straight in his seat. Throughout his slumbering he'd sunken lower and lower down until he'd been practically lying with his chin resting against his chest.

"Wh-what? Is the meeting over already?" Sonic asked, as he looked around and indeed realized that the room was quickly emptying of people who left their seats and went for the door in the back corner. Besides himself and Conn, no one seemed to linger behind. Commander Rhys, which he was pretty sure had been the head of the meeting at the start of it, was nowhere to be seen.

"Indeed it is, and I suggest you get a move on if you wanna make it in time to this afternoon's training." Conn told him, firmly pushing his chair in. "I expect you to be there not a second later than four o'clock - sharp. Preferably alert and awake, as well."

As if on cue, Sonic just let out a big yawn. "I'm always alert, and I'm never late - or if I am I'm fashionably late. On purpose, you know?"

The Staff Sergeant merely sent him a incredulous look, saying— "Just make sure to be there, Mr. Hedgehog." And so he swept out of the room, catching up with his colleagues, leaving Sonic the only one left behind.

Quietly and with his mind still half wishing he could've gone back to reminicing about more joyful days, Sonic began trudging his way through the room and then into the corridor outside. Since it was, at least according to him, plenty of time left before he would have to follow through on his promise to show up for training, he now had roughly an hour to kill before then. Therefore he decided to set off in the direction of the cafeteria to see if he could maybe snatch up a soda can from one of the vending machines there. After that he might just find a comfortable spot to wait out time in.

With a light jog, he set off.

Twelve days.

That's how long Sonic and Tails had been at the G.U.N. Headquarter in Central City now.

Twelve days since they left Angel Island.

Since they left Knuckles.

Since they left Amy…

From the very first second he and Tails had taken off that early morning twelve days ago had Sonic wished he could've gone back and done it all differently. He didn't regret the decision of leaving Amy in in the safety of Angel Island and under Knuckles' protection, but he did regret the circumstances of which under he'd done it. Like a coward he'd left one of his best friends and not to mention his own fiancée, with nothing more than a pathetic letter each - trying to excuse his actions - knowing full well he'd be long gone once they read them. To make it worse, he'd also convinced his little brother to lie for him, and then brought him along to this dreary place.

And for what?

So that Sonic could uphold his end of a temporary contract he'd struck with Commander Rhys which obligated him to spend at least four weeks within the G.U.N. facility to undergo proper military training before he were allowed to partake in the field search for Doctor Robotnik.

Tails had indeed assured him beforehand that he agreed that it this would all likely turn out to be the best possible option for having a shot at capturing Robotnik as partnering up with G.U.N. provided them with regularly updating information about the Doctor's whereabouts and a strong ally. An ally that had several searching teams, agents and trained millitary forces at their disposal. He also encouraged Sonic with the fact that this way they risked less of their friends' lives and that if they were just patient enough and played their cards right Robotnik would be behind bars before they knew it. And as hard as Sonic tried to see it from Tails' point of view, there was nothing that could relent the self-hatred he harboured towards himself as of late. A hatred which he assumed partly took its form in the recent nightmares he'd suffered ever since leaving Angel Island as well as in a looming, melancholic feeling that he couldn't seem to fully be able to shake.

Entering the Headquarter's main cafeteria, Sonic found it mostly empty of people, probably since it was invetween meal times. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was served on a consistent schedule and each person had their own appointed slot which they shared with usually people within their own unit or work team. The slotted times were at most around twenty minutes long and the food was regulated depending on your status and line of work. With the millitary recruits getting the most generous portions while the lab researchers got significantly more modest portions - and much less carbs. The distributions didn't really bother Sonic since he normally ate a lot, even though it felt weird having someone else decided how much food he was allowed to have and more so what kind of food he was allowed to have. There were no chili dogs on the menu, so to speak.

"Once I'm out of here, I'll never take chili dogs for granted ever again…" Sonic mused to himself as he cracked open the Chaos Cola he'd just received out of the soft drinks vending machine.

He took a deep clunk out of the cold beverage, ignoring the curious glances that was stolen of him from the handful of people around the large room. Despite being long since used to people's more or less rude staring due to being Mobius' most famous hero, Sonic wasn't as forgiving of these military goons and goverment agents as he were of regular civilians. These people were, after all, meant to act somewhat more professional and respectable than the rest of them. Not being able to resist the temptation of giving them something to gawk about, Sonic quickly gulped down the entirety of the cola before then letting out a rather loud burp and then smacking the can flat against his forehead. Leaving the can to get flatly tossed into the garbage bin and leaving the onlookers baffled at his crude behavior, none of which he paid any mind as he left the cafeteria in an abrupt burst of speed.

Running in the Headquearter corridors at neckbreak speed wasn't without some difficulty though as most of them were quite narrow and thus the risk of bumping into some unknowing recruit or corporal was high. Sonic had already gotten several notices about this during his stay, but surprisingly enough the Commander himself had let a few instances slide if ever it was brought up during on of the many meetings.

However, Sonic's need to exercise his running had been arranged by giving him an access card to the indoor running track, which was on the same floor as where most training practises were held at. So far he only ever went there a couple of times a day, though mainly during the late hours of the night when he'd wake up from yet another nightmare or simply couldn't sleep at all. Then he could spend hours just doing lapses around the track in an attempt to either tire himself out or clear his mind. Once Tails caught wind of his nightly activities, he'd began fearing his older brother was developing insomnia. Either way, it had many a times saved Sonic from going nuts, always keeping the card with him if he suddenly felt the walls growing closer around him.

As he passed by a group of agents, who were just about to enter an elevator when they felt their clothes rustle due to the passing gust of wind, Sonic resolved to settling himself down in an unlocked, empty janitor closet. While inside, cramped among various cleaning supplies and floor polish, he found a moment of peace to collect his thoughts.

Why was he having dreams about his proposal to Amy all of a sudden?

Instinctively, Sonic slipped his left-hand glove off.

A bottomless longing pulled him into its depth as his eyes focused on the golden ring he found visible underneath. It was a longing that had only dragged him deeper and deeper down as the days had gone by and the more he allowed his mind to wander to places where he knew it wasn't safe to tread. Any thoughts of Amy outside of what was beyond his control had been banished to somewhere far away from his head and heart. Like a mantra he repeated the words - You did the right thing, she's safe - in order to resurface again. And as he once more realized the truth of those words, he could easily shut his aching heartbeats out. A couple of times he'd pondered on the idea of writing letters to her, like he always did whenever he was away on adventures for any longer periods of time. Then he could have told her about how sorry he was and how he so dearly wished she was doing all right.

But Sonic knew he'd never write any of those letters. Amy was safe and sound. That was all he needed to know in order to still function. He could bury all other feelings he'd ever held for her.

He had already come to the conclusion that if it came to a question about Amy's safety - then he loved her enough to let her go…

Carefully Sonic slid the ring off his finger, laying it to rest in the palm of his hand as he stared down at it with a sigh escaping his lips. Just as "Forever" was engraved on the inside of Amy's ring, was the word "Always" engraved on his. It had been her idea as it reflected a part of the vows he'd given her the day he proposed.

That he would always protect her.

And that he would love her forever.

Til' the very end of time itself, and then beyond.

"But, what if Amy don't love me anymore?—" Sonic thought to himself, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. "—What if I've screwed up too big this time that she'll never be able to forgive me? What if I've hurt her too deeply?" If so were the case Sonic couldn't blame her, he'd told her as much in his letter that leaving her in such a way after witholding the truth from her was something he'd never truly forgive himself for. Despite how long he may live, and despite if she ever chose to forgive him or not. He swallowed a big lump in his throat as a sudden strange, cold feeling filled his entire being. Had he perhaps already lost Amy? She who was one of the small handful of people in this world that he knew for absolute certain that he loved with all of his heart. Surely she wouldn't write him out of her life entirely - they would still have contact after all of this, wouldn't they? Even if she found the love relationship between them had been too severely damaged to ever be repaired, the foundation of their over a decade long friendship would still be there.

He might handle losing her as a fiancée and possible future wife, even though he would grieve over it for the rest of his life, but losing her all together would without a doubt slowly but surely kill him from the inside.

There was no coming back from that.

Sonic tried hard not to even consider the possible futures that would follow from such an alternative. But without being able to stop it, painful images flashed before his inner eye in rapid speed. Amy who returned the engagemnet ring to him. Amy who walked down the street happily smiling, hand-in-hand with a faceless man. Amy who, dressed beautifully in a big white wedding gown, walked down the aisle towards said man while Sonic was forced to watch from the back row. Amy who held a baby hoglet in her embrace while half a dozen of her other children scurrying around her in blissful laughter. Amy who still sent him Christmas- and birthday cards every year, but never came to visit him anymore… In that reality Amy was happy without him and had a bright future ahead of her while Sonic's own future was blank like an unpainted canvas.

In that reality, Sonic's life would still hinge on the uncertainty that was his life prior to realizing his true feeling for Amy. A life where neverending adventures and his duties of protecting the freedom of Mobius would be all that ever was. Just like he'd imagined his life would be back when he was fifteen years old. The only difference was that Sonic was no longer fifteen… he was a young man of twenty two that had matured enough to realize that a life without love - was no life at all.

"No. No matter what, I will fight to keep Amy in my life in any small or big way that I can." Sonic concluded to himself, putting the engagement ring back on with a sense of definite determination.

Either way, he would continue on along the path he'd chosen that hopefully soon lead to bringing down Robotnik for good. And the next step on that journey was getting himself to this afternoon's training several floors down the Headquarter. Somehow he'd managed to kill almost forty minutes within the scrub due to his mulling, so now he could easily come right on time, avoiding giving Staff Sergeant Conn an excuse to lecture him.

On slightly stale legs, Sonic rose up from the floor and exited the janitor scrub, carefully peeking outside before stepping out as he didn't wish for anyone to see him coming out of there. He was already getting enough odd looks from people as it were. Reaching this floor's elevators, Sonic stepped inside the first empty one he found, pressed the buttom for the correct floor number and soon went decending downwards. Despite having had no choice but to use elevators daily ever since he arrived, he was sure he'd never overcome his strong dislike for taking them - just as he'd never overcome his distaste for water just because he'd be forced to endure it more than plenty. The claustrophobic feeling that settled in each time the automatic doors closed shut hadn't failed to arrive even once thus far.

The second the doors opened up to the correct floor, Sonic was out into the corridor, letting out a mental sigh of relief.

This particular floor was reserved for training of recruits and consisted primarily of a couple of big gymnasium-looking halls and accompying changing rooms where one could switch into and out of their assigned activewear as well as shower. Yet since Sonic didn't require to wear any funky jumpsuit or usually broke so much as a sweat during practise, he rarely went in there. Most trainees and overall staff at G.U.N. were Overlanders, but in Sonic's unit there actually were a few Anthros, and he knew there existed some Anthros with higher positions as well. Although they were indeed more exceptions than not.

Figuring there was no point in stalling anymore, Sonic passed by the changing rooms and instead went directly through the double doors leading into the correct training hall. Despite there being ten minutes left before the class was supposed to begin, he wasn't surpised to find that he was one of the last people to arrive. He'd gotten used to the fact that no matter how early he arrived there were always one or two people being there before him.

Luckily Sergeant Conn didn't seem to be present yet.

With a sigh of relief, Sonic hurried over to his spot in the lineup that the recruits dutifully formed each time while waiting for their teacher, or in this case Sergeant, to arrive.

Having never so much as stepped foot inside an actual school building in his life, Sonic still got the sense of participating in a stricter type of P.E class. With the exceptions that the attendees weren't a blabbering group of minors but instead a unit of young adults standing awfully still and quiet in a long line, with no one moving so much as a muscle. All of them wearing identical, navy blue jumpsuits, black boots as well as sporting somewhat similar buzzcut-hairstyles. The four Anthros in the group naturally couldn't shave their fur off, but had all still tried to make either their spikes and/or fur to lay as slick as possible. One of them, a tall hedgehog girl, had even went as far as to tie her spikes together with several hairbands so that it looked like one long spike instead. It did not look the least bit comfortable, Sonic noted as he instinctively ran a hand through his own spikes and suppressed the urge to shudder.

Like normally, none of them took any notice of him as he wordlessly joined their lineup, as if he'd been nothing more than any other ordinary guy merely being a little late. Something that Sonic counted as one of the very rare positive things and blessings as of late - in contrast to most other people around the HQ, the people in his unit didn't seem to care that they had a world famous hero among them. Or if they did they sure were good at hiding it or pretending otherwise. As a matter of fact, they rather seemed to prefer to not engage with him much at all unless required, which suited Sonic just perfectly. He seriously doubted he had anything in common with anyone who had willingly sought themselves to this place, and who's highest hopes probably were to become real soldiers and one day perhaps even Corporals or Sergeants themselves.

Either way for once in his twenty-second year old life, Sonic could get a taste of what it was like being simply one of the bunch. Here no one stared, begged for autographs or pictures, made unwanted advances or openly goosiped about him. And honestly it was gratifyingly refreshing.

Once more, Sonic couldn't help but make the school parallel…

—If he'd been just an ordinary person with no supernatural powers or abilities what so ever…

If he'd grown up with a mother and a father who loved him and had had a normal childhood, free from danger and responsibilities way over his age. If he'd gone to a normal school, had normal friends who had the same normal worries like homework, house chores and perhaps wondered if the girl he liked also liked him. If he'd slowly matured over the years, gotten a part time job so he could save up enough money to eventually buy a car and finally ask that girl out, all to lastly graduated from high school and then… then what?

In that world, there would've been no Tails, no Amy, no Knuckles, no… anyone from his current life. He would've never have met any of them, or even known they existed in the first place. Well, except for Robotnik that is. The mad doctor still would have been around to plauge the civilians of the world with his evil schemes and diabloical plans of conquering all of Mobius. And with no faster-than-the-speed-of-sound hero there to stop him… what would have happened then? Would people, including himself, have lived in constant fear of Robotnik - just waiting for him to strike time after next time? Even without the advantage of his powers, would Sonic simply have tolerated such tyranny and simply adjusted his life accordingly? Would he have sit back and done nothing to try and preserve their freedom - to protect his friends and family and fought back with everything he had, no matter how small or big of an impact it made in the end?

"Of course I would've wanted to fight back." Sonic thought to himself with clear conviction. "Super-speed or not, I would've done everything I could to keep Robotnik from taking over."

Maybe even voluntarily joined G.U.N. …

Because when it all boiled down to it…weren't they just that - just ordinary people with no superpowers trying to protect the world against evil - just like he tried to do? Okay, maybe not everyone in the higher ups had the best interest of others constantly at the forefront, but those who stood below… all the soliders and recruits… surely they believed that they really did make a difference for the better. Their personal sacrafises in form of setting aside loved ones and instead serve a higher purpose had indeed great meaning. And no one could deny the fact that their lives were indeed at risk each time they went into the danger zone.

With a slight twinge of a bad conscious, Sonic stole a hasty sideways glance at his fellow recruits.

Perhaps he'd judged them all a bit too harshly after all…—

"Good afternoon, privates!"

Immediately, as if in one collective motion, hands were raised to temples in salute before a high, and clear unison— "Good afternoon, Sir!" echoed through the large hall.

Staff Sergeant Conn had just entered without Sonic noticing, causing his hand to reach his temple a couple of seconds after everyone else's as a result. In any other case that might've not bothered him the slightest, but Sonic knew that Conn was keeping a notoriously close eye on him and probably made several mental notes by the minute regarding his every move. Then whether these notes only ever stayed in the Sergeant's head or ultimately got scribbled down in a report that was later passed onto Commander Rhys himself or some other hotshot within G.U.N. he couldn't possibly figure. And neither if he should care about it or not.

So far during the nearly two weeks that Sonic had been here, had he ever purposefully acted out of line or shown any serious signs of disobedience. For the most part during their various trainings he'd done what was required and listened to both the instructions and the orders that Conn had given them all. In fact he'd been somewhat of a star recruit as he'd for example completed all the different obstecale courses in record time and had by far the best knowledge when it came to one-on-one combat training. Sonic had by no means actively tried to outshine any of others, and was honestly just glad they hadn't been forced to perform any swimming excerises yet… He knew there was a giant pool in one of the halls and did not look forward to eventually having to take a dive into it. Something told him that he wouldn't be allowed to wear a life preserver by any circumstance, even if he told Conn that he sink like a rock in water.

However, it turned out that this afternoon's training wouldn't consist of any unerwater activities - but instead Conn announced that they would begin the field of handeling weaponary arsenal. In other words… - they would start practicing how to use guns.

As soon as the realization sunk in and actual guns were being brought into the hall by Conn's team of assistances, Sonic could practically feel his heart hit the bottom of his stomach with a heavy thud. An icy, almost paralyzing feeling spread through his body as he reluctantly stared at the guns that were laid out on a long table someone had placed beside Conn where he stood waiting patiently for his team to set it all up. At the far end of the room, targets were qucikly being lined up with even spaces as protective, likely bullet proof, vests hanging off of three sets of clothing rackets soon came rolling into place nearby.

After giving a lengthy instruction as well as demonstrating the awaiting practise with nearly frightening precision, Conn ordered them all to first put on a vest, take a gun each and then form a line of thirteen per each of the four targets. And as soon as the order had left Conn's lips had everyone gone off in orderly groups towards the rackets. Everyone except Sonic, who remained rooted to the spot with his eyes stubbornly directed straight ahead. He had just began to ponder over how to best express the dilemma when, as if on cue, the Staff Sergeant came down on him with a sharp— "Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog!" For despite everyone else of the recruits being adressed as 'Private', he had insisted on calling Sonic 'Mister' instead, for some unknown reason. "Did you not just hear me, or is there anything you find unclear regarding the practice?"

"Yeah I did and no, not at all. I heard ya' - loud and clear." Sonic answered, as if anyone could've possibly failed to hear Conn's shrill voice echoing through the room. "It's just that I wouldn't be caught dead carrying one of those things, you see."

"What ever do you mean? What things?"

"A gun." He clarified, jabbing a thumb at the table several people now stood crowded around. Some visibly more eager than others who appeared a slightly bit nervous. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can participate in today's training so maybe I can just—" He'd made a motion for the double doors, but was hindered by the sudden approach of Conn who'd looked as if he'd just about had the urge to grab ahold of Sonic's non-existant jumpsuit collar. The expression upon his face showed no sign of understanding, and his eyes behind the glasses appeared bigger and more stern than ever before.

"Mr. Hedgehog…-" He spoke with a brimming sense of authority to him. "—May I remind you that you are under contract with G.U.N. that binds you to participate in all obligatory training during your stay here. If you are incapable or unwilling to fulfill those demands I'm afraid I'll have to report it to the Commander, who'll have you removed from the program as well as the Headquarter, surely before the very end of this day."

"I know all that. But maybe we could make an exception this time, I promise you that I wouldn't be any good with a thing like that anyway. I'm more of a head first, spin dash 'em to pieces kind of guy, you know?"

Sonic offered Conn a charming grin, while chuckling under his breath.

Conn, however, did not seem to share the same sentiment and gave him a critical look. "Don't be ridiculous. Handling weapons is part of the very basic foundation of which soliders are trained for, it is of absolute necessary knowledge for anyone who operates under G.U.N. . Without the proper means to protect yourself, as well as others, in a situation of crisis a solider is doomed to fail, which in turn jeopardizes our operations and the very Nation itself."

"Yeah, and we all know what good of a job G.U.N. has done with protecting the Nation." Sonic thought sarcastically, biting his tongue. For a second, he felt as if heat threatened to spark up within his chest but fortunately he managed to keep himself calm.

"Now, I won't order you again, Mr. Hedgehog… - Get in line with the rest of your unit!"

The tone in Conn's voice was probably meant to be intimidating, yet Sonic couldn't help but compare the Staff Sergeant with an angry - unusually big-eyed - insect that barked orders at him. He had noticed during his stay that many of the other recruits found Conn to be quite so frightening at times, but when you like Sonic had stood eye to eye with various enormous monsters, slimy, squid-like ancient gods, killer robots ten times his own size and supernatural beings of all kind… Well, let's just say that a mere man with glasses, poor hairline and who was just a mere inches taller than himself, didn't manage to intimidate Sonic no more than a worm. No matter how much muscles the worm had.

Without batting an eye, he stood his ground.

He didn't care about whatever authority this guy thought he held over him - no one was going to force him to so much as hold a gun. And if they wanted to kick him out because of it, then so be it.

"Am I to take this as an official refusal to follow orders, Mr. Hedgehog?" Conn asked through gritted teeth, after realizing that Sonic wouldn't budge.

"Sure, take it however you like. By all means, write a report about it and give me detention - or whatever it is you military dolts do when someone dares think for themselves."

Seething distaste mixed with anger suddenly sparked up in the Staff Sergeants' eyes as he practically spat forth his next sentence— "Mind your tongue, Hedgehog..! I won't tolerate anyone of your kind to speak to me in that—"

But just as Sonic was about to interrupt and demand to know what he meant by 'your kind', one of the assisting instructors had come up to them and beaten him to the punch. The woman in question hastily saluted Conn before rather loudly interjecting— "Excuse me, Staff Sergeant sir, but Private Shaw has just threw up today's lunch on target course three and is complaining about an aching stomach - shall I accompany him to the infirmary?"

"No, that won't be neccessary." Conn sneered, not too thrilled about being interrupted, while he reluctantly cast a glance over at the target course in question before directing his eyes back at the female instructor. "However, you may deliver a message to the Raven, and report that Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog is unable to fulfill his duties and that they should send a group to escort him and his brother out off the building at the shortest notice."

"I'm sorry, Staff Sergeant, but Commander Rhys is not in office this afternoon. He's off visiting the Safe Zone shelters of which the citizens of Station Square are stationed at, and I believe he won't be back until tomorrow." The assistant informed as she dared shoot a look at Sonic before continuing— "And if I may voice my concern, sir , I don't think the Commander would be pleased to find that Mr. Sonic has been removed from the premises this soon before completing his proper training. Staff Sergeant surely knows - just as much as the rest of us - how important he regards his presence here, don't you, sir?"

Sonic had to give it to this gal, she did have some guts in her.

And just as Staff Sergeant Conn opened his mouth to answer, he abruptly seemed to halt himself, as if something the assistant had said had made him reconsider the situation all of a sudden. Whatever it might've been, it didn't please him one bit as his already bitter expression turned even more sour, like he'd just taken a big bite out of a lemon. "Very well." He muttered after an awkward moment of silent, inner pondering. A second later he'd shot his entire arm out in the direction of the target course and ordered— "Specialist Clair, I want you to go and clean up course three, and then make a call to the infirmary and make sure they send someone to come and collect Private Shaw. Tell him to sit back on the side and cover his mouth while he's waiting so he doesn't clutter up the entire floor." There was a sharp turn towards Sonic as he then said— "And you, Mr. Hedgehog - as punishment for your disobediance you shall perform penalty exercise number five through ten. If you by any chance are done before training ends, I shall gladly assign you further practises. Now, get a move on!"

"Yes, sir." Sonic said, forcing himself to salute Conn until he'd turned his back and walked off to join the awaiting privates at the shooting courses.

Pretty soon the hall was filled with the constant piercing sound of firing guns all while Sonic was busy completing one penalty exercise after the other. Compared to the regular excerises they performed during training, these ones were deliberately more brutal and took far longer time to complete as to truly exhaust the person in question. Following off the instructions of an appointed instructor which Conn soon had sent his way to oversee the whole thing, Sonic did as he was told. Without potest nor without so much as a syllable coming across his lips. He strictly focused on the task at hand, while slowly feeling his mind draining of any thoughts or emotions.

It must be by doing this sort of monotone physical work that the soliders and agents of G.U.N. turned out to be such mindless puppets. Gun-carrying puppets that as soon as someone so much as gave them a hint of an order followed through without any questions asked.

All of a sudden, Sonic felt a rush of resentment towards this place.

He hated it, and all those high and mighty oppressors who ran it. Oppressors who used and abused inherently good people that believed they only did the right thing and helped fight against the injustices of the world.

The day of which he would finally be allowed to leave this place couldn't come soon enough…

Four hours had passed once Conn signaled the end of afternoon's training. The privates had advanced quite a lot in that time and practised various techinques as well as how to improve their handling skills and precision. And they all left the hall for the changing rooms in a significantly more talkative manner than when they had previously entered. Meanwhile, Sonic had not yet finished all of his exercises, having half of penalty exercise ten left.

As all of Conn's assitants were done putting away all of the equipment, they all, including the instructor who had surveyed Sonic, were dismissed and eagerly left to probably go eat their dinners in the cafeteria. Conn patiently waited until the very last one of them had closed the doors behind her before he turned towards Sonic, who was in the midst of doing his umpteenth burpee for that evening. He didn't look up as the Staff Sergeant calmly came walking up to him, but could feel his eyes burn a hole in the back of his head.

"Having regrets over our insubordination, are we - Mr. Hedgehog?" Conn inquired, doing a poor job of suppressing the pleasure he seemed to take in the situation before him.

"Nope." Sonic replied in the most casual way he could muster. His voice was slightly hoarse after not speaking for a while and despite how much he hated to admit it to himself - he was starting to get pretty worn out with his muscles and limbs practically pleading for a rest. "I was actually just thinking about what I should have for dinner later… what do you say - should I pick kale or brussels sprout for dessert today? I always have such a hard time deciding what makes my stomach turn itself inside out the most…"

The shadow of what appeared to be a demeaning smile flashed upon Conn's face. "Still making jokes, I see. How typical. Though I reckon that someone as undisciplined and immature as you have hardly ever taken a thing serious in all of his life, hm?"

For a moment, Sonic were about to answer but quickly decided against it. He knew by experience that the man was only trying to provoke him and possibly give him more penalty excerises to perform, which would only lead to him having to endure his presence even longer. So he did his best to simply ignore the snide remarks Conn every now and again threw at him while time seemed to drag itself forward. Fifteen minutes… Half an hour… fifty minutes… An hour…

"Done!" Sonic announced at last, finishing the last round around the track course that leapt around the edges of the room in a wide, oval circle. He'd just run a marathon worth of miles, yet for the first time it hadn't filled him with relief to stretch his legs but rather as him having completed just another, mere meaningless task. Now, he could finally be allowed to leave and hopefully not have to see Conn for at least twelve hours. Though tomorrow's afternoon training would surely continue upon today's class, and Sonic immediately envisioned yet another three hours of nothing but the same mundane exercises once again. Thus his mood took a hasty deep dive…

The urge to kick something suddenly came over him and without thinking he had directed a sharp punt at a left behind waterbottle that had come rolling across the floor. Not realizing how much force he'd put into the punt, it went flying straight across the room until it ultimately hit the wall on the other side where the bottle broke upon impact, causing the water within to explode and run down along the wall.

Surprised, yet keen on not wasting one more second in the hall, Sonic pretended to not have noticed and sped up to Conn, half asking/half demanding—"All right, I've done them all, can I go now?"

However, Conn was busy watching as the water droplets slid down the wall behind him and how a small pool soon formed below. The look upon his face was oddly fascinated and - as always - calculating.

"My, my, my… such temper…" He murmured to himself, clearly unaware that Sonic was listening.

"Sir?"

"Huh, what? Oh, yes, Mr. Hedgehog - do get out of my sight for today, I have seen far too much of you." But a fraction of a second later, as Sonic made a motion to rush out, something seemed to remind itself within Conn's mind as he hastily raised a finger and said— "On second thought, I do have one last request." He cleared his throat and studied Sonic's reaction closely as he then continued on— "May I inquire the reason behind your disobedience today, Mr. Hedgehog?"

"You mean why I refuse to be taught the proper ways of shooting someone in the head or the back?"

"More or less, yes."

To be honest, Sonic had less than no patience left for this man, and he seriously doubted that he'd understand much of his reasoning. And still, he spoke his next words with a tone of genuine sincerity— "I guess that…- When you've seen so much of the destruction and death that weapons have brought in hands of people like Robotnik and such as I have… Well, I would say it's only natural that you grow to loathe them after some time. And I don't believe that anyone ever has the right to choose whether another person deserves to die or not, and certainly not with a bullet to the head."

To his surprise, a most condescending smirk spread upon Conn's face as he merely waved his hand in a dismissive motion towards the doors. Apparently, he wasn't keen to hear any further. Yet before Sonic was fully out, the Staff Sergeant's voice called out to him— "You may want to consider growing thicker skin and overcome your juvenile superiority complex sooner rather than later, Mr. Hedgehog. I highly doubt Doctor Ivo Robotnik will spare you or any of your other little friends any sympathy just because you refuse to take the necessary means against him."

Sonic didn't turn back nor answer, he just continued walking, simply letting the doors close behind him with a deafening bang.

---

Her eyelashes fluttered in a way that sent his heart into an unstoppable whirl and made him lose his nerve.

"Come—" Sonic said, in a tone he desperately hoped didn't sound all too urgent, and offered Amy his hand. "—let's walk for a bit..!"

The look she gave him was beaming, but a hint of amusement was also visible in her eyes as she teased— "Did I just hear Sonic the Hedgehog say 'Let's walk'?"

"Well, I guess I've gotten used to it after hanging around you mere mortal slowpokes for so long."

"Hey, I thought you liked our walks along the beach!"

"Uh, yeah, about that… you know I'm not really a fan of the ocean either, right?"

"Oooh, how is it possible that I love you so?"

"Aw, come on now, Ames - we are 'fated lovers', remember?"

At that, Amy playfully stuck her tonugue out at him while pulling her lower eyelid downwards, creating a similar grimace to that of which Sonic himself had used to do when he was younger. They both then broke out into hearty laugther with her lightly poking him in the side several times, and him ruffling her quills. Soon enough, he snuck a peck on her cheek which allowed him to break free and spring to his feet, letting the last laugh leave his lips. Once more he reached his hand out for her to accept, which she gladly did - a new sparkle having appeared in her jade orbs. And so Sonic took her hand in his. A lopsided smirk spreading across his muzzle as he felt how Amy instantly intertwined their fingers in a secure lock and how she instinctively pulled herself closer, with her other hand grasping his arm as she leaned against him. With Sonic steering their steps in an aimless direction, they then began to walk deeper into the flowery depths of the meadow. Slowly, and seemingly without so much as a care in the world.

Comfortable silence followed their footsteps, giving Sonic the opportunity to try and muster up his courage again.

It was ridiculous.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

No all-powerful god, mythical creature or killer machine that stood before him, prepared to crush him.

It was just Amy.

Amy with her heavenly sweet rose scent, breath-stealing eyes, strawberry lips, petal soft skin and fluttering heart beats…

The protective feelings she always invoke in him was ever present, therefore making him, even now, second guess his decision of possibly binding them closer together. Because one part of him, the more rational and pessimistic part, which he'd almost solely listened to when it came to matters of the heart. That part had persistently told him to let Amy Rose go, that the life he lead was nothing for her and that it would only cause her harm and dissapointment. He was already barely proper boyfriend material, and would be even less of fiancé material. Having a domestic lifestyle, setteling down, slowing down could only end in disaster for the both of them. And the last thing Sonic wanted was to hurt Amy's feelings and eventually break her heart due to his inherent inability to adapt to normalcy. She would without a doubt be better off with someone else, someone more stable that would bring her flowers everyday and hold her tightly in bed every night. Like a loving spouse should do.

But— the optimistic and admittedly more selfish part of him would argue — Amy had told him countless times that she would never want anyone else besides him and that she loves him just the way he is. That it didn't matter to her how long he was away for, as long as he would always make sure to come back to her in the end. She only wanted him to be happy, and if letting him keep his freedom was what it took for him to be happy and still love her, then she'd gladly compromise with her own wishes. Her own happiness… Then again, Sonic still had the protection of the world and all it's people to think about, it was his responsability and his purpose in life, after all. And by keeping the world safe he also kept Amy safe. That was an important factor to wager in, and something which helped ease his bad conscious at times.

Marriage is filled with compromises…

Both good and bad ones.

And when it really came down to it - wasn't the single most important part that they both loved each other?

Sonic's gaze drifted down to Amy, who'd somehow managed to snuggle even closer to his torso. Softly nuzzling her cheek against his arm as they wandered, her eyelids only half open while she wore a most blissful expression upon her face. On instinct, he gently squeezed her hand three times in a row - I. Love. You. - earning him the desired effect of her letting out a brief giggle under her breath before stealing a glance up at him. Though as soon as she discovered he was silently admiring her, she hastily averted her eyes back ahead. A modest blush forming upon cheeks shortly after.

This seemingly innocent gesture was more than enough to restore Sonic's confidence, his heart welling with boundless adoration.

How would he ever be able to live without her?

The girl of his dreams.

The princess of his fairy tale.

The light of his horizon.

It was simply impossible to fathom a future of which she played no part in - for there was none worth to be had without her.

A faint, warm breeze rippled across the meadow, bending the tips of the grass and swaying the flowers in one harminous shudder. Like they'd just gasped for a breath of air. The soft babbling of a distant brook made Sonic's right ear flick while a pale cloud lazily drifted across the pastel blue sky, momentarily shimmering in the glow of the sun. Causing subtle contrasts to tread forth upon its fluffy exterior. Pretty soon the sun would begin its inevitable descend and ultimately put an end to this very last day of June.

Everything was just… perfect.

Like walking in a dream.

A neverending summer's dream…

"Sonic..?" Amy's voice suddenly rose in mild concern.

For without noticing it, Sonic's feet had abruptly decided to stop walking. Seemingly with no reason at all - other than the fact that Sonic felt that his entire being was going to burst at the seams if he took another step. He couldn't stall it any futher. There were no more bouquet of roses to give, all that remained was his heart. Delivered upon a silver plater for Amy to either accept or deny.

Feeling as if it was the most natural thing in the world at that moment, Sonic sunk down to one knee before Amy, lowering his head in courtsey as he did so. He was very much aware that it was an old fashioned antic, one which he'd seen depicted in many of his storybooks and probably mainly in the medieval legends. It was a symbol of a knight's devotion and admiration as well as everlasting servitude when he knelt down to his lady. And that, Sonic realized, was just how he felt for Amy - in fact, he surely would have laid himself on his bare knees on the ground if it had been considered proper. All just to show how far he was willing to go for her to understand the tender adoration he held for her.

With surprisingly steadiness, Sonic proceeded to once again grasp Amy's left hand, holding it flat upon his own - like he was balancing the most delicate of vases. The differences between their two hands suddenly became more apparent than ever before. His being large, with long slender fingers that tore through metal, slid against aspahalt, and faught to protect. They were hands that weren't meant to handle such fragile beings as she, his touch was too coarse, too intense, too careless… and yet— when they stroked against her cheek, carried her body or did such a small act as just hold her hand - it was as if all of that roughness simply melted away until nothing but absolute gentleness was left.

After a shared moment of brief, silent awe over what Sonic had just done, he dared raise his head again to lock eyes with Amy.

She stood with her free hand clutched and pressed firmly to her chest like she was trying to keep from either having her heart burst out, or faint right then and there. A shocked, yet blissful expression had settled upon her features, her eyes having widened and the rosiness of her cheeks deepened. A light tremble went through her body and soon after Sonic could feel his own body do the same. With him kneeling, they were at the unusual vantage point of him having to look up at Amy instead of down, as he had always been at least a head taller than her ever since childhood. But even so, she still appeared just as short, which for some reason amused him, a warm smile finding its way onto his muzzle.

However, as soon as Sonic realized he hadn't uttered so much as a single word yet, his smile strained a bit. The nervousness from before suddenly coming back with renewed force causing his palms to heat up, his stomach to twist and his heart to start thumbing seemingly harder and harder for each second that passed.

How was he supposed to begin?

How do one even begin to express in words what you feel so strongly in your heart?

How do one reveal all that you'd carried inside of you for the many years that he had known her for?

Eleven years…

That was half of his life and somehow those first eleven held no real meaning to him anymore. Memories, thoughts and feelings from that time seemed bleak and empty, and except for his meeting with Tails at ten years old, where color and warmth had first entered his life, and his first encounter with Robotnik, which had inevitably kicked off his heroic path at the mere age of seven. He had indeed been alive and experienced both great sorrows and great joys during that time. An orphan child with not so much as a single memory of either of his parents… A defender of the small and innocent critters of Green Hill Zone… An older brother to a brilliant fox cub who'd been bullied solely because of said brilliance and the uniquness of having two tailses… And then he became a proper hero as he saved his first damsel in distress, but also found that the girl in question was no ordinary damsel. For she had touched his heart in a way that he'd never experienced before.

Amy Rose was created to be protected, and he was the one created to protect her.

She and Tails made up the world he, after eleven years of sleeping, finally woke up to find be his own. A world full of colors, friendship, love, adventures, laughter, comfort, loyalty and trust. A world where he was no longer all alone and without a true purpose. A world which made his life worth living. A world he would die to preserve. All of a sudden it felt as if every happy memory with them, every positive emotion he'd ever had coarsed through his veins like a warm, soothing sensation that at last wrapped around his wildly beating heart.

"Open your heart…" A gentle voice inside of Sonic's subconcious told him. "It's gonna be alright…"

Within the next heartbeat, he opened his mouth, speaking in the most tender of way he'd probably ever done—

"Amy… You know I'm not too good with words, so I hope you'll cut me some slack if I mess this up, heh. But I guess there's no easy way to say what I'm about to tell you… because my love for you isn't something that can easily be put into words, in the first place.

Before I met you, I didn't believe in fate and I suppose my stance on it hasn't changed much throughout the years… Except for one thing. And it's that I know, with all of my heart, that I was destined to meet you. That you were somehow created for me, just as I were created for you - and that without each other we'd be merely half of ourselves.

And years after that day on the Little Planet I always took for granted that it was I who'd saved you… but as of late I've come to realize that that's not true at all…—"

A short, heartfelt chuckle escaped him just then.

"—It was you who saved me.

For you gave me all of those things that I didn't even know I'd needed.

You gave me love…

A reason to keep fighting…

A reason to live.

And now, the little rascal I knew back then has blossomed into the most sweetest, most beautful Rose I could have ever imagined her to become… And she's stolen my heart…

You've stolen my heart, Ames.

And for as long as you want it, It'll be yours to keep.

I know I don't have much to offer, and that I'm not exactly a knight in shining in armor… But if you'll have me as your fiancé, then I promise that I'll do whatever it takes to be the kind of man you deserve. That putting a smile upon your face will be my most important responsibility in life. That no matter how far I might wander in the world, I'll always return home to you. Because my home is wherever you are…

And I promise to always protect you, for as long as my heart shall beat… To love you forever, til' the very end of time - and then beyond."

Pearl-like tears silently began rolling down Amy's rosy cheeks, instinctively causing Sonic to want to wipe them away but he managed to hold himself back. His heart told him they weren't tears of sadness, and for a brief moment he felt the smallest twinge of sorrow that he himself couldn't share the same sentiment. He had never cried once in all of his life… Quickly shaking the notion from his mind, Sonic instead reached into the safety of his spikes, feeling the soft velvet box and clutching it in his hand as he then presented it for Amy to see. While focusing hard on not tremble too much on his hands, he popped the box's lid open and thus finally revealing the golden ring that instantly began to shimmer in the light of the bright summer sun. In that moment, Sonic could vaugley remember how he'd once thought the ring to be beautiful, but as of right then it appeared utterly pale and insignificant. Had it always been like that? Instantly, an irrational fear that Amy would find the ring unworthy and thus turn him down because of it entered his mind. What if she outright hated it?

To Sonic's surprise, however, Amy's gaze didn't leave his in favor for so much as a single glance down at the engagement ring in his hand.

And so he realized… - she didn't care about the ring at all. She didn't care for anything or anyone else in the entire world except Sonic and the words he spoke to her.

It might as well have only been him and her left in all of existence.

"—So I'm asking you, Amy Rose… will you marry me?"

"Oh, Sonic, yes… Yes, of course I will..!"

Never before had such simple words ever sounded as wondrous or carried such weight.

The sensation was instant.

Like Sonic had just been pulled from the planet's gravitation.

Every bond, evey pull, every string that had ever attached him to the world shattered in a million little insignificant pieces. And just like that… everything that he had ever known skewed out of focus until nothing but a single realization tread forth into the light of his mind—

Without her, there was no him - because she was his, and he was hers.

In the next moment, Sonic tread the golden ring upon the correct finger of Amy's left hand, just to find himself gloomped to the ground as soon as it was in place.

"Woah..!"

Amy, in a rush of happiness had thrown herself straight into his arms and sent them both tumbling down amongst the the tall grass and the flowers. What followed next was a bombard of kisses being planted upon practically every last inch of Sonic's face, all while in between breaths Amy alternated between giggling and squealing her heart out. Not to mention the tears that now streamed down her cheeks in floods. "Oh, S-Sonic..!" She managed to utter after a while. "You have-" She planted a kiss upon his forehead. "—made me-" One upon his left cheek. "—the happiest-" Another one upon his right cheek. "—girl in the world..!" At last she pressed one square on his lips, capturing him in a long, much more gentle kiss that Sonic could actually reciprocate.

The blue hero hadn't really pondered over how Amy's reaction to his proposal would be, but figured that this was close to what he could've expected.

At least she hadn't fainted… yet, anyway.

Sonic chuckled softly to himself, smiling as the taste of strawberry lingered upon his lips - and probably the rest of his face, too. He waited patiently for Amy's tearful emotional rush to settle until he soon noticed that the rosy hue upon her cheeks deepened into an odd shade of scarlet… Carefully he lifted a hand to stroke his thumb across her cheek and almost flinched at the heat he felt. Instantly his brow furrowed in concern as he realized that Amy wasn't blushing anymore. Her cheeks were flushed, like she was all of a sudden running a very high fever. And as soon as it dawned upon him, did Amy make a hasty motion to press both of her clutched fists to the middle of her chest while she gasps for breath.

Within a mere couple of seconds, Sonic watched as his recently blossoming rose withered and collapsed helplessly into his embrace. Instinctively, he cradled her shivering body in his arms which now looked even more small fragile than ever before. With worry written across his face, Sonic asked—

"Are you all right?"

"S-Sonic, I—…" Amy drew for breath as another shiver went through her. Her voice was apologetic and barely reached above the gentle breeze. "—Please, I'm so s-sorry… I don't know what happened… I'm just s-so happy - my heart is pounding…"

"Hey, hey, shh… It's okay, I've got ya'." Sonic reassured softly, caressing her cheek with utmost tenderness while also brushing a few stray quills from her face. And through his own heart's steady beating he hoped to soothe hers, trying his best to lend her all of his collective strength. "Your heart just ran a lil' amok there for a sec."

"Yeah, s-sorry… I just ruined the whole moment, didn't I?"

"Don't be silly, there ain't nothing to be sorry about. In sickness and in health, remember? I'm just fulfilling my first duty as fiancé, 'tis all."

They stayed like that for a long while, with Amy resting in Sonic's secure embrace. Enveloping herself in his comforting scent, she buried her face into his chest, drawing in calming breaths and sighing happily as she almost immediately felt her pain relieved. In these arms she always felt safe… here no evil or any harm could ever get to her. In the arms of her love, her husband-to-be… Then her eyes strayed down to her left hand where the shimmering gold band now adorned her finger. The thought hadn't yet sunken in and probably wouldn't for a long time - but she was engaged… to the man of her dreams. Her darling Sonic.

A new wave of tears was close to spilling from her eyes while Amy studied the ring properly for the first time, and soon said in tender awe— "… The ring, it's so lovely, Sonic."

At that, Sonic felt a weight drop from his shoulders. "You really like it?"

"Very much so..! It's absolutely beautiful." Amy complimented but then paused for a brief moment, a hint of concern finding its way into her tone as she continued— "I hope it wasn't too expensive, though. I wouldn't want you to waste too much on me…—" She knew that Sonic had never had much, living his vagabond life and spending any rings he ever got on either chillidogs or on his friends. Had his morals only allowed it, he surely could've collected a small fortune by now through his countless services to various towns and cities. He had indeed more than once been offered rings or other valuable possessions as a show gratitude over the years, but never accepted so much as a single ring.

No, Sonic was a true penniless hero.

A trait which only made Amy's love and admiration for him even greater.

Sonic simply shrugged his shoulders, smiling down at her. "I've been saving up for a while. Besides, you deserve to have a proper ring." He scratched the back of his head in thought, feeling a bit modest. "… Still I know it's not the most fancy of rings, and I'm sorry there's no diamond on it." But that only earned him a light shove in his chest from Amy, who instantly brought the ring closer to her as if she were afraid that he would suddenly decide to take it from her.

"Oh, hush you! Don't you dare insult my ring, it's perfect - just the way it is..!"

"Heh, all right, all right..! Sorry!" Sonic hurriedly apologized with obvious playfulness in his voice.

The young couple then both laughed, elated over all the swarming feelings they felt just then. Their happiness of being together and of being newly engaged catching up to them as it all went beyond simple words. Well, all words except—

"I love you..!"

"I know."

A new burst of tears came forth as Amy broke into sweet giggles. "Just say you love me too, you dork..!"

But being of the belief that actions speak louder than words, and as he also felt that he'd ran out of words for today, Sonic instead gently cupped Amy's tear stained cheeks in his hands. Her usual, healthy blush having just returned and being more adorable than ever, and with his thumb he gently stroked the tears away. They then leaned their foreheads against one another while closing their eyes. A warm smile spreading across Sonic's muzzle as Amy nuzzled in as close as she could, accidentally making their noses boop. The act immediately caused her to giggle even more while Sonic's smile naturally widened at the lovely sound of it.

Soon enough however, he pulled back slightly while just barely re-opening his eyes before brushing his lips against hers. Those delicate, rose lips that held the sweetest of taste and felt so soft to his touch. There was no resistance to be had as he slowly closed the gap once more…

And so they shared their first kiss as fiancé and fiancée.

A warm, golden glow seemed to radiate from Sonic's very skin and fur just in that moment, as his heart surged with probably the greatest of joy that he had ever felt. If Amy's arms hadn't held onto him, he easily could've shot straight into the sky above them and let out such a loud, vibrant call of euphoria that surely would've echoed all across the planet and then further off into the galaxy.

And If Sonic didn't known any better, he could've sworn he'd just turned Super.

---

"Good night, Miles!"

"Bye, Tails!"

"Seeya, ya' little genius!"

"Hehe, yeah, see you tomorrow— err, later today rather..!" Tails called, a sleepy smile upon his face as he waved goodbye to his group of colleagues as they all went their seperate ways after yet another day of sitting cooped up in the research team's various facilities.

He had, as was beginning to become a habit, completely lost himself in his current research on more efficient and disguised earpiece like walkie-talkies, and discussing different hypothetical theories and scenarios under which it could be used in, with his peers. Peers who, very much like himself, cared very little about sleep when new inventions and break-throughs could be made instead. However, continously drinking big mugs of coffee could only really get you that far, and at long last Tails had been forced to realize that it was probably for the best to go get some rest. Calling it a day along with some of the others and yet leaving plenty of people still at work, as the research labs were one of the rare departments in the G.U.N. Headquarters which were in constant use twenty-four seven.

In favor of a yawn, Tails whistled a simple little melody as he walked along the corridors on his way to his apartment. He only had to take the elevator two stories up in the building to reach the floor in question and as he stepped out he further took a left, a right and then a left again before soon arriving outside his apartment door - labeled according to the Headquarter's odd system as; 0428-95B.

While rooting around his backpack for the keycard, a silent wonder whether his big brother would be awake drifted through his mind.

Upon their arrival they had been assigned seperate apartments, yet Sonic only ever slept in Tails', upon one of the couches in the living area. In fact, Tails doubted that Sonic had so much as even stepped over the threshold of his own apartment. Despite it being located on a higher level whereas Tails' was on the lower levels closer to the research lab, where the fox spent all his waking time anyway. Only ever returning to the apartment for either showering or sleeping, which was barely. Because unlike Sonic, Tails had actually managed to find joy in living in the G.U.N. Headquarters. For once in his life, he was surrounded by people who shared his interest for everything machinery and science, and he was absolutely thriving in having so much equpiment and gadgets at his disposal. If it weren't for the circumstances of which they were under, one might've said he was living his best life.

And if there were any upsides to their stay, Sonic had assured his little brother that Tails' newfound delight was one of them.

Tails just wished Sonic could've had something similar to distract himself with.

For whenever Sonic wasn't partaking in his obligatory training or visiting Tails in the research facilities, he was mostly left wandering the seemingly endless halls and levels of the Headquarter. Sometimes he was sought out by an agent who told him his presence was requested at some meeting or what not, to which he forced himself to attend. Even though he only really cared about updates about Robotnik, and indeed also how the citizens of Station Square were faring away in the safe zone. The former of which there were rarely any updates except vaugue reports about how they might have gotten sightings of various aircrafts, and the latter merely that they were alive and relatively well.

Once those topics had been discussed, Sonic had a tendecy to take the oppertunity of nodding off during the rest of the meeting. All of this being things that Tails had overheard being gossiped about more than once in the cafeteria, and which Sonic had only shrugged his shoulders at.

"There you are…" Tails mumbled in triumph as his hand grasped around the card, carefully holding it against the keycard reader which instantly accepted it and unlocked the door with a soft 'click'. The first thing that met his eyes as he entered was the pitch black darkness that was the inside of the apartment. All was perfectly quiet and still… until a sound that appeared to be a mix between a gasp and a grunt suddenly came from somewhere within the dark, followed by a bunch of shuffling noises as if someone was just waking up.

"Sonic..?" Tails called, switching on the lights in the hall before squinting his eyes and peering into the living room area. Eventually he detected the familiar sillhouette of his older brother at his usual spot upon the couch. As Tails advanced into thd room, he found that Sonic was practically hidden were he laid under a blanket, which he hastily threw off before sitting himself upright and half-trained his eyes upon Tails. For almost a solid minute, he looked to be completely disoriented at the sight of him, as if greatly surprised at finding his little brother standing there.

"He-hey there, lil' buddy." Came Sonic's reply after a while with a voice that sounded slightly agitated, immediately making a worried frown appear between Tails' eyes. Soon after he'd turned on the nearest lamp in the living room and witnessed the worn expression that Sonic wore. The dark circles underneath his eyes giving away that he had not had a pleasant rest - again. Because despite both of their hectic schedules, it hadn't escaped Tails' notice that Sonic neither slept nor ate as he normally did. And despite Sonic's usually cheerful mood whenever he hung around in the research lab, he could see that the joy never fully reached his older brother's eyes and that every now and then a laugh of his came out sounding oddly hollow.

As if merely one half of Sonic was present while the other half was somewhere far, far away from this place.

As of now, he sat with sweat visibly having broken forth on his forehead and with his hands tightly grasping the lower edge of the couch cushion in a most cramped way. "What's up?" He greeted once Tails had fully uncovered the living room area in a soft, dimmed light, trying to sound as casual as possible without much success.

"Just got back from the lab, I, uh, were so caught up in my latest work so I stayed a little longer. Guess I lost track of time, hehe."

"That's cool, that's cool… no prob. We'll just have dinner now instead, lemme just grab a shower before we leave and then—" Sonic fumbled around with his hands on the coffee table for a bit, hastily standing up only to sit back down on the couch a couple of times in the process while his eyes darted from Tails, to the table, and lastly to the bathroom door. However, he didn't get to continue his rambling as Tails gently interrupted—

"I doubt the cafeteria will be open at this hour."

Abruptly, Sonic ceased whatever it was that he was doing and instead looked up to meet Tails' eyes. He blinked a couple of times, looking greatly confused. "What do you mean? I only nodded off for like an hour or two—"

"Sonic, it's half past two in the morning."

"That can't be right…" But true enough, as he turned his attention to how it actually looked outside the window, Sonic discovered that it indeed appeared to be in the middle of the night. The weather outside was terrible, with whiny winds and heavy rain drumming against the glass of the windows. The air around the apartment was warm however… almost choking… Instinctively, Sonic felt like opening up all of the windows in the entire apartment to let some fresh air in, but decided against it just as quickly.

Letting out a sigh, Tails settled himself down upon the couch opposite Sonic, giving him a sympathetic smile before asking—

"You had a nightmare again, didn't you? It's okay, you can tell me - what was it about?"

Sonic, who's eyes now had gotten glued to a certain spot on the coffee table's glass surface, couldn't think of what to say, so after a moment's silenece, Tails tried a different angle. "They're about Amy, aren't they..? He spoke lowly while feeling a twinge of guilt burying itself in his heart by having to bring her up, since he knew just how much it hurt Sonic. However, his inqury wasn't actually a question, but rather a statement. "I hear you talk about her in your sleep… Sometimes I even think you're awake and are simply talking to yourself, but every time I get up to check - your eyes are always closed."

The fact that he talked in his sleep was something new to Sonic, yet hardly surprising. As of late his dreams had been so vivid that when he woke up afterwards it didn't feel as if he'd been sleeping but rather been awake in a different world. A different life. A life where Amy, although out of reach for him to touch, still lingered around him - her soft giggles above a breeze, her resting figure amongst a lush meadow, her bubbly voice speaking words he could hear clear as day but not make sense of. And those were the bright and peaceful scenarios he got to dream of when he was lucky enough. Most times his dreams were borderline nightmares that forced him to witness Amy either flee for her life from various impending dangers or how he - Sonic - abandoned her in multiple mean and nasty ways. Telling her the most hurtful of things and merely ignoring her cries and pleas that begged him to stay.

Even if none of it was real, the two variations of dreams either left him distressed or loathing himself.

Within this gloomy Headquarter, within this city, it was somehow easier to keep his mind off of Amy. Perhaps because he found little to no beauty around himself here that could possibly remind him of her. It was different to when he was off traveling the many corners of Mobius, out there every flower, every sunset - why indeed every wonderous thing he came across, could evoke a sense of longing for her. For her to stand beside him and witness what he was witnessing or feel what he was feeling. To share all the beauty that this world had to offer and still be reminded that none of it ever compared to her, and then find that he was content with that notion.

Maybe his dreams were the only place left for her to exist freely in, since he'd so furiously tried to banish her from his mind, as well as his heart at this point.

At long last, Sonic let out a heavy sigh, feeling his chest tighten remarkably before answering his little brother the best he could— "It's been harder than I thought it would be - to keep her outta my head, I mean. I thought knowing she would be safe and sound far away would make me forget— or rather, forgive myself for what I did. But I… I know I've hurt her and that she's suffering because of it, I can feel it - in ever fiber of my body. And it's slowly killing me, buddy."

"More so than if she'd been here, at a higher risk of being endangered?" Tails' voice wasn't condemning, just curious to understand the storm of conflicting emotions that raged inside his brother as of right then.

"Probably not…" Sonic admitted after a while. "I mean, I think I would've hated myself either way. The only difference is that this way she's safe. Still, for some reason that doesn't make me feel any less like the world's biggest douchebag…" He buried his head in his hands, shaking it ever so slowly as he continued— "Maybe it would be for the best if I just… let her go. I always knew that I didn't deserve her - that I wouldn't be man enough to take care of her the way she needs…"

"What are you talking about?" Tails firmly objected, having just about heard enough of Sonic's self-loathing. He leaned himself forward in his seat, giving his brother an encouraging look. "Have you forgotten the whole reason why we're even doing this? We need to cooperate with G.U.N. because we need to stand united if we are to have a chance at bringing Robotnik to justice once and for all. Which we need to do if we want to protect all of our friends and everyone else on Mobius - Amy included! And you'll be risking your life to do it! In my book that's anything but being a douchebag. Your just letting this place get you down which causes you to doubt yourself for no—"

"That's not what I'm saying." Sonic cut in. "I know all that, okay, and I still stick by the plan. But there will come a day when, despite if we've manage to take down Robotnik or not, that I'm gonna have to face Amy again - and how can I do that after what I did to her, and after doing all the things that I possibly will be forced to do if I let G.U.N. effect me?"

Tails paused for a moment, a bit taken aback by this sudden outburst.

"We won't let them effect us. We are only obligated to stay here for a few more days, remember? After that we'll be free to go out and join the search for Robotnik. I'm positive the two of us will have a better shot at locating him anyway since we're not so easily detected as the big air fleets that they're using. You could easily be about to hand over the Doctor personally in just a matter of weeks for all we know."

"But what if I can't?"

"What?"

"What if I can't do what everyone expects me to do? You haven't heard all the things that I have around this place, Tails, or seen what the recruits are trained to do down in those halls. They are meant to shoot first and ask questions second, which makes me wonder if they are really so intent on giving Robotnik a fair trail as they first let on." Sonic lifted his head from his hands and stared Tails straight in the eye as he then said in a low, serious tone— "I know it sounds crazy after everything that he's done throughout the years, but I could never, not in a million years, bring myself to kill someone. Not even someone as vile and evil as Robotnik is justified of such an end."

Tails blinked, shocked over the fact that Sonic had ever felt it neccessary to ponder such thoughts in the first place. "Sonic…-" He began weakly, slumping down in his seat again. "-… where is all of this coming from?"

"Everywhere and nowhere, I guess. I mean, I have no actual proof that Commander Rhys will somehow break his end of the agreement and not bring Robotnik in alive… But I also feel like it doesn't matter, because the fact that I'm even doubting it in the first place and the fact that practically everyone in this place rubs me the wrong way is enough to makes me just wanna…-"

Slowly Sonic's voice faded, leaving the unspoken words to float in air between him and his little brother, who realized exactly what he'd been about to say. And this time around he wasn't too surprised, just… torn. What naturally turned out to be in vain, Tails waited for Sonic himself to finish his sentence so that he wouldn't have to. Yet as a couple of minutes passed in complete silence, the young fox finally stated rather than asked for the second time that night—

"You're planning on leaving, aren't you?"

"What else is there for me to do? I can't stay here much longer, I know that now. I don't eat, I don't sleep… heck, I barely feel anything anymore. I'm not meant to be cooped up like this, I'm just not cut out for it." Sonic paused for a brief moment, furrowing his brow into an expression that suddenly seemed to age him ten years, before continuing. "Finding Robotnik and putting an end to all of this is the only thing that's gonna make it go away. If I don't get out soon, I might just stir crazy. You understand that, don't ya'?"

Tails nodded. "I do… So long as you also understand that it means that I'll come along with you then, right?"

"Yeah, I do." A smile appeared upon Sonic's muzzle until it suddenly paled again. "But, buddy, I don't want you to leave if you don't want to, if this place makes you happy - I mean, they'd be lucky to have someone as brilliant as you working with them. I don't wish to ruin anything for you."

Tails had indeed began to make some good friends around the many research facilities, and he couldn't deny that being allowed just a taste of what it was like to work professionally with machinery and sience was a dream come true… and yes, his short time here had been pretty happy despite everything else. But when he really considered to actually work for G.U.N. ... no, there was no way he could leave Sonic now.

"You don't honestly believe that I would let you have all the fun and excitment to yourself right?" Though he figured it would hardly be the usual typ e of "fun", Tails could tell that Sonic understood the sentiment as he returned the smile with a short nod. "Besides, I am only fourteen and a half, after all. I'm not so sure I want to choose a definite career path just yet… I mean there's still lots of planes to build and degrees to be achieved, maybe even get myself an actual flight certificate some day."

For what felt like a very long time, Sonic broke into a genuine laughter, while he got up and caught Tails in a hug.

In that moment, it truly occured to Sonic how much his little brother had grown throughout the last few years. Aside from his height, which was still on the rather short side, Tails had shaped up to be a far better, and more responsible person than he had been at that age.

Tails was still following him through thick and thin like he'd first done as a cub, but now he ran along side him and not behind. And Sonic knew it was only a matter of time before he would watch as his once so small and defenseless little brother, flies past him and continues on to places Sonic could never even imagine to reach. The world laid before someone as brilliant and kind hearted as him… And even though Sonic also knew that he would slowly but surely fall behind and one day ultimately stop to simply watch with a smile as Tails left to achive those goals, he would feel nothing but pride.

That was a future which he was willing to die for to make possible.

To make sure that his brother could enter his young adult life in a world of peace, and have a bright future ahead of him. Where no evil rulers existed or lands were laid to waste. The world had already robbed Tails of his childhood and early teenage years, but there was still time to reclaim his further youth. Granted Sonic's own youth was alredy a lost cause, but he'd be damned if he let Tails throw away his genius on fighting Eggrobos for the rest of his life.

After simply holding onto Tails for minute, Sonic uttered the words— "Have I told you lately how proud I am of you, lil' bro?"

"N-nah, I don't..- eheh…-" Tails mumbled inchoherently, practically feeling a light pink tint appear upon his muzzle. The all so familiar teenage modesty before openly expressed feelings having already beallen him to some degree. Yet whereas his older brother's teenage shyness had only ever really shown itself whenever Amy had been involved, Tails shyness mostly manifested itself in his own achivements. And now also touchy feely stuff…

"—Because I really should..!"

Just then, a rather loud rumble was heard.

Recognizing the sound, Tails slowly pulled back as he gave Sonic a broad grin. "Was that what I think it was?"

"Err, yeah. I sorta forgot to eat dinner after I finished training to- yesterday." Sonic replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on, let's make ourselves a sandwhich of whatever we can find in the fridge…" Tails said, walking off towards the tiny kitchen area that the apartment had integrated with the living room. It mostly consisted of a fridge with a tiny freezer on top, a stainless steele sink and a stove along with a kitchen island with three bar stools standing on one side. Ever since they moved in there hadn't been a lot of cooking done, as they were expected to eat in the cafeteria three times a day, but Tails had still made sure to at least have some basic food items stored there. Just in case either of them ever felt like having a late night snack.

Very much like now.

Opening up the door of the fridge, Tails was momentarily blinded by the bright white light that emitted from inside, causing him to look away and blink several times before refocusing his eyes and turning his head back again. The sight that met him was quite depressing - a pack of cheese slices, a half eaten sausage, a bottle of mustard, and couple of eggs were all that was inside. As well as - Tails discovered with a slight feeling of repulsion - a quarter worth of slices of a certain birtday cake…

Sonic's twenty second birthday had been an all but cheerful occasion, where the two brothers had felt so utterly miserable over the fact that they were spending it without the rest of their friends and also within the grey walls of the Headquarter. To his credit though, Tails had genuinely tried his best at brightening the mood by for example going out and buying Sonic a small cake from the bakery section of the closest supermarket. Which unfortunately turned out to taste horribly, but which neither of them had pretended to notice as they forced down each bite while exchanging strained smiles. Due to the present that Tails had initially planned on giving Sonic laid unfinished back home in his workshop, the young fox had instead been forced to, at the last minute, bought him several new pairs of white socks. However, that had almost made the corners of Sonic's mouth to turn upwards for a brief moment. Then ultimately, as a further sad ending to an even sadder day, they had finished the day by eating dinner in the cafeteria, which that particular day had served stewed cabbage.

As it looked now, almost a week after it had been purchased, the birthday cake looked about ready to crawl out of the fridge on its own. With two fingers pinched over his nose, Tails removed the cake and dumped it into the garbage bin with an almost sickening, smacking noise.

Sonic, who had been on his way over, abruptly halted, sending Tails a hesitatant look. "Was that…?"

"Yup."

"Sorry, I've meant to throw that away, I swear."

"Mhm…"

A shared chuckle erupted.

"Well, let's see…" Tails muttered, rolling his eyes before proceeding to grab the cheese, the half sasuage and the mustard out the fridge and placing them all on top the kitchen island's black marble surface. He then took what was left of a relatively fresh loaf of bread, cut a few slices and soon started making him and Sonic a large sandwich each of what he'd brought out.

Once they sat upon the stools munching slowly in comfortable silence, Tails slowly got to thinking about something.

"Hey, Sonic? About before… You didn't really mean that, right? You know, about whether it was best that you let Amy go..?"

Sonic deliberately chewed his last bite with care, casting a distant glance out the window, where the rain still kept falling. To be honest, he wasn't too sure how or what to answer to that question. On reflex his left hand tightened into a hard fist while his otherwise sleeping heart stirred in silent hope at the mention of Amy's name. Once he could no longer stall, he swallowed hard before saying— "Tails… maybe it's hard for someone your age to understand—"

"I'm fifteen, Sonic, not stupid."

"I thought we had already established that you're only fourteen and a half." Sonic quipped, ruffling Tails' bangs. "But anyways… Sometimes, when you love someone in a, eh - like-like, more than friends, kissy-icky sort of way like some old people do—"

Tails raised a brow in disbelief. "Seriously? Like-like? I repeat - I'm fifteen, not stupid. I understand the basics of a mature, romantic relationship."

However, Tails apparently spoke in Sonic's deaf ear as he simply continued speaking as if he hadn't been interrupted—

"—well, you come to realize that perhaps what you want isn't always what you need. And I'm no longer so sure that what Amy truly needs in her life is… me. Aside from the obvious of us being together puts her at a daily risk of being targeted by whatever madman with a vendetta towards me… I don't think I can live up to all the promises I made when I proposed to her." The stabbing his heart recieved as those words left his mouth was enough to make him crash to the floor, but he took a cramped hold of the seat of his stool to keep himself upright. He practically forced his next words out through his teeth—"And if I'm no longer sure about that, well - then I love her enough to let her go."

" 'I love her enough to let her go' " Tails repeated, as if he could hardly believe his ears. "Sonic, I understand why you did what you did back on Angel Island, but you can't be serious about leaving Amy for real-for real. You two love each other, you're engaged to be married for Chaos' sake! She would be absolutely devastated if she could hear you talk like this, I mean, haven't you realized yet?"

"Realized what?"

"That Amy doesn't care about whether being with you is dangerous or not, she never has and never will! And there's nothing Robotnik nor anyone else can do about it. Because I know she trusts you, just like I trust you, to always be there for her if she needs it, for we would do the same for you." Tails said as if he were explaining why one plus one is two, before taking the very last bite of his sandwhich. "Trust me, once Robotnik has been dealt with and we're all back together, you'll be walking down the aisle with her before you know it. You and Amy belong together, simple as that." He offered his older brother his most reassuring smile.

Inevitably, the usual image of Amy - clad in a pearly white wedding gown with a sheer veil concealing her smile and sparkling eyes, appeared before Sonic's mind's inner eye. How she gracefully, almost floated, down an aisle while rose petals practically snowed down upon her… how she finally grasped his outstretched hand, promising to never let go and that she'll love him forever - until her heart's very last beat…

And, if so only for this moment, Sonic let the image remain intact.

---

The following noon, Sonic and Tails had decided to meet for lunch in the cafeteria and now sat by themselves at the far end of one of the long tables, convinently placing them in a corner of the large room. They sat with their head close together, speaking quietly to each other in case anyone would get the idea to possibly eavesdrop on their conversation. They had just discussed whether they should make their leave today or tomorrow and finally decided that leaving tomorrow evening would give them the opportunity to gather some information of Robotnik's possible current whereabouts, Sonic via the scheduled meeting he'd been informed to attend later and Tails via poking around among the people of the various research labs. He even said he might be able to sneak some useful equipment with him without anyone noticing if he was lucky.

"—Just make sure to stay awake during today's meeting, okay?" Tails said as he just finished his portion of broccoli and tofu sausage. "And try to ask as many questions about Robotnik and if they have any possible locations were they assume he could be."

Sonic, who merely poked in his food with his fork as usual, nodded and replied with his brow slightly furrowed—"Yeah, though I figure they might get a little suspicious of me suddenly taking an interest and actually paying attention during a meeting." He stabbed a broccoli and studied it carefully before forcing himself to take a bite. It's bland taste and overcooked consistency did little to raise his mood, but as he realized that he'd soon be out of the G.U.N. Headquarter he could feel his spirits lifting.

The first thing he'd do once they were out of here would be to take a nice, long run and then buy himself the biggest chili dog of his life.

After that, he and Tails would finally set off to find—

A blaring, siren-like sound went off around the room and interrupted Sonic's train of thought.

As if on reflex, several people around them got to their feet within the blink of an eye and took a rigid stance with their hands raised in salute. The cafeteria employees soon did the same, leaving only Tails and Sonic to glance around the room in utter confusion at what was going on. However, they didn't have to wonder for too long as a disembodied voice suddenly boomed out from the speakers—

"Attention! On the orders of Commander Rhys is all of unit one-two-nine-eight are to report to assembly hall three of the Sparrow immediately. No exceptions. Further instructions will be provided upon arrival. I repeat: On the orders of Commander—"

"Unit one-two-nine-eight…" Tails mumbled to himself, lost in his own mind for a brief moment.

They waited until the booming voice finally died down and the cafeteria settled back into normal before continuing. Tails was the first to speak, his voice laced with sudden concern— "I wonder what's happened. I mean they wouldn't announce an immediate assemble via the speakers if it weren't something really important, right?" He cast a worried glance around the room as if he was expecting someone or something to burst in any second.

"Maybe it's an emergency marching training or something…" Sonic muttered sarcastically.

"I doubt they would order the whole unit to gather just for that… and in the Sparrow no less."

"Why, what department is the Sparrow?" Sonic asked. During his stay at the Headquarters he'd discovered that different departments were all named after different types of birds. Though not knowing the reason behind this rather bizzare system, he had via traveling up and down the elevator which announced each floor's name gradually learnt the names of more and more departments. For example, the research floor that Tails worked in were called the Magpie, the Commander's floor the Raven, while the training floor was called the Crow.

With his brow furrowing slightly, Tails answered— "From what I've heard it's mostly a department used for advanced strategic planning… Either way it's certainly a part of the military department. Maybe they've gotten any new reports regarding Robotnik?"

"I dunno…" Sonic mused, and had no time to ponder the question further either as, seemingly out of nowhere, two agents had appeared behind him. Causing Tails' eyes to widened even more while he took a hasty grip on the edge of the table. Sonic however remained perfectly calm as he slowly turned his head, and to his surprise found that one of the agents was none other than Rouge.

A Rouge that didn't look like her usual glamorous self…

She wore the same uniform as she had on the day she'd came to collect Sonic for the meeting with the Commander, and sported a shiny pair of high heels. But even though her make up did a good job of covering up a lot of her inner distress, Sonic saw it reflected in her bright teal eyes that flickered in an unusual way. And despite the ever so charming smile she had plastered across her muzzle, she looked as if she, much like Sonic himself, hadn't slept properly for weeks. Now that he thought about, he couldn't recall having seen so much as a glimpse of Rouge around the Headquarter during all this time. Neither she, nor Shadow for that matter, had ever been present during one of the many meetings he'd been forced to attend or ever eaten in the cafeteria with the rest of them. And he didn't quite know why, but their seemingly total absence suddenly bothered him…

"Hi there, Big Blue." Rouge greeted while doing a mock salute, sending him a cheeky wink in the process before turning her attention to Tails next. "And my, my, my… who might this handsome young gentleman be? Why it's the little fox genius himself, of course!" Right after she'd spoken, her index finger poked Tails' nose, causing a mad blush to instantly appear upon his cheeks as he lowered his head and muttered something akin to a greeting.

Out of respect for his little brother, Sonic stiffled the chuckle that had threatened to burst out at the sight, and instead hurried to come to Tails' aid— "Yeah well, he's still waaay too young for you, sorry Rouge. Besides Tails is the brainy type - and as far as I remember you're more into the brawny type of guys, amirite'?"

Sonic closely observed her reaction but found that Rouge's unfeeling mask still remained unaffected by the comment.

"A woman can change." She merely stated in a mild tone, slowly turning her gaze back at Sonic. "And speaking of change… how's training going for you? Have the brutes down at the Crow managed to turn you into a proper little solider boy, yet? I bet you just love obeying orders, marching in sync and learning how to stand in a straight line. Yeah, a real exemplary student…"

"Sure am - just ask Staff Sergeant Conn and he'll tell you all about what a good boy I've been!"

"Conn? Oh, you mean the four-eyes who always looks like he's got a really large stick shoved up his—"

The agent who accompanied Rouge, and which had remained perfectly still and silent until just then, loudly cleared his throat and motioned at Sonic. "Mr. Hedgehog, sir - your presnece is required immediately at the Raven... Commander Rhys has personally requested that you be escorted to his office where he's awaiting your arrival, so if you'd please come this way…-"

"The Raven?" Sonic interrupted, his brows furrowing. "Does what the announcer-voice-guy just yell out have anything to do with me? What does Rhys want to meet me for? Don't tell me its another meeting, it's still a bit too early for my afternoon nap, so…"

"We were only requested to escort you, Mr. Sonic. We are not permitted to reveal anything beyond that."

"Figures, well why would he send two agents just to escort me up an elevator? Did he think I'd make resistance, or what?"

But before the agent could respond, Rouge swiftly cut back in— "You're a VIP guest of G.U.N.'s and are to be treated accordingly."

Sonic had half a mind to remark that aside from being invited to endless of meetings, nothing about his stay at the Headquarter had indicated that he'd gotten any sort of star treatment. Which, by all means, had suited him well, but to claim he was some privileged guest rather than a contracted prisoner was almost insulting. Though one could never truly know when it came to Rouge, she could've just been purposefully trying to provoke him or perhaps hidden her irony very well behind her chipper tone of voice.

However, before arising from their seats, Sonic and Tails excahnged a look, silently telling each other to be careful and be on their guard the following hours.

"Seeya later, okay lil' buddy?"

"Right, let's meet back for dinner later this evening, okay?"

"Sure thing."

That was all they dared to utter in Rouge's and the agent's presence. But once Tails turned to head in the opposite direction of the trio once outside the cafeteria, Sonic got the sudden impulse to capture him in a hug. Perhaps it was simply the paranoia that had flared up inside of his mind or the fact that they now had their secret plan, but Sonic was suddenly anxious to seperate from his little brother. He didn't want to let him out of sight… not now at this critical moment. Though he knew it would only raise suspicion if he out of nowhere demanded that Tails be allowed to accompany him. And besides… his little brother had some snooping around to do in the research lab, and they couldn't risk missing out on any piece of information that they could get.

So, with a heavy heart, he let Tails go on his way. The young fox waving goodbye with a brave smile upon his face, a smile which Sonic only half heartedly returned before he turned to instead follow Rouge and the agent down a long corridor.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes until they reached the main central elevator which would lead up to the Commander's office floor, at which Sonic finally asked—

"Sooo… any idea what the guy wants this time?"

He had directed the question at Rouge, but it was the other agent that answered him.

"Like I said earlier, we don't have the correct authorization to disclose that information, Mr. Hedgehog. But I assure you everything will be explained once you arrive." And since Rouge didn't seem to interject to this statement, Sonic figured there was no point in arguing. He'd find out in mere minutes anyway, though it would've been nice to get a few extra minutes to prepare himself for what was to come. And to be honest, he didn't quite like the feeling of the Commander having the upper hand on him.

Letting out a mental sigh, Sonic then turned to Rouge again in hopes of filling some of the awkward silenece. Speaking what first came to mind, he rather bluntly asked— "Eh, how's Shadow doing? Where's he at?"

For some reason, Rouge flinched as soon as the words left his lips, as if she'd just been slapped across the face or been abruptly awoken from a deep sleep. She gave Sonic a short look before turning back to stare at the awaiting elevator doors to open. "Shadow?" She echoed, clearly stalling for time in order to think of what she should answer to that. At long last however, she finally said— "Shadow is… unavailable, at the moment. Though I'm certain he's perfectly pleased wherever he is - he's a real bon viviant that one, as I'm sure you're already aware."

Sonic couldn't really claim that his dark counterpart crossed his mind too often, and perhaps even less during these past couple of years. Despite having formed various temporary alliances in the past and the fact that all of Mobius was still intact and not blown to bits or overtaken by aliens was undoubtably thanks to Shadow… Sonic still had quite ambiguous feelings regarding him. Mainly because Shadow himself was such an ambivalent guy that it was hard to tell where he truly stood. For years now he's been working for G.U.N. and therefore most likely done some questionable things, things Sonic rather not think about. Plus his unnerving talent for handling guns and overall grim nature rubbed him in the wrong way, no matter how much he tried to look past it.

They were, simply put, each other's polar opposites.

Would he call Shadow his friend?

Probably, yes.

Would he entrust Shadow with his life?

… Probably not.

And then there was also the fact that Amy seemed to have an unexplicable soft spot for Shadow, which Sonic firmly denied had anything to do with jealousy or anything of that sort. But rather a question of him feeling protective. After all - with his own ego and Shadow's pending allegiances aside - the guy did drive motorcycles, had the mouth of a sailor and surely carried a gun with him at all times. Not exactly the best company to keep for someone as kind and gentle as Amy… at least if you asked for Sonic's honest opinion on the matter.

Not that he himself had much room to talk - since Sonic was just as dangerous, if not more so, to hang around as of late…

With a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach, Sonic hastily cleared his throat and answered— "I guess I just expected to see more of you guys around here, I mean - you two are still, like, partners, right?"

He noticed how Rouge bit down on her bottom lip.

"We are."

Sonic gave her questioning look. Again, he didn't know why it suddenly bothered him so, but something about Rouge's odd disposition and Shadow's absence from everything that should be of his concern due to his high rank within G.U.N. bothered him. As if there was something vital that he was missing or not simply not seeing. "Then shouldn't you know where he's at?"

"I never said I didn't." Rouge countered, her tone quickly turning sharp.

"But you don't know, do you?"

"Look, we fuck each other sometimes, but that doesn't make me his damn babysitter, okay?" A long, painfully awkward moment followed as soon as those words left Rouge's lips, and for a second the accompanying agent looked as if he would've prefered to throw himself down the elevator shaft rather than to remain inside of it. Sonic however, ignored Rouge's crude language and the, well abrupt revelation, and merely shifted his weight from one foot to the other. While the furrow between his eyes only deepened. "What's it to you anyway, Hero Boy? Ever heard of a lil' thing called 'confidential information'? Or have you gotten so used to everyone crawling at your feet all the time that the idea of their actually being things that are none of your concern is now completely foreign to you?"

"Hey listen, I don't know what you've heard, but there hasn't been a single person here that's treated me like anything above a mere pain in their rear." Sonic said with forced composure, as he did not wish to upset Rouge any futher. "Sorry I asked, I didn't know it was such a touchy subject…"

For a moment he thought she were about to slap him until, within the blink of an eye, all the anger seemed to melt away from her features. As if she'd just deflated.

Her weariness having seemingly doubled from before.

"You don't know anything…" She ultimately whispered, so low that it was barely audible. Yet before Sonic had any chance to inquire the familiar disembodied voice called out—

"Floor fourty seven, Raven"

The elevator doors opened, putting an end to any further conversation, and the trio walked out into the room Sonic had already once visited. As far as he could tell, it looked the same as last time with its extravagant interior and murky atmosphere. It felt weird. So much had happened since he'd last been up here - had it really only been a few weeks ago?

It felt more like half a life time ago.

The one thing that was different this time around though was that the door to the Commander's office wasn't fully closed but instead a little cracked open. As if someone had missed to shut it properly. Hushed voices could be heard coming from inside and Sonic got the sudden impulse to try and eavasedrop, flicking his left ear slightly.

"—about any personal agenda you got..! If you fail to do this, you should know there will be consequences. Nothing. Can. Go. Wrong. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir. All I'm saying is that that boy is not all what you think, he's got a fire in him that's hard to tame - and we don't know anything of the effects it could have on him..! The result could be most damaging for us. We should wait for a better time..! I really do advise you to reconsider sending off that—"

"Staff Sergeant Conn! Don't make me repeat myself, I have made my decision and that's final."

"Sir, I implore you—"

But before Sonic could hear any futher, the agent behind him had abruptly hurried past him and knocked loudly on the door frame, since the door was already cracked. The agent then pushed the door wide open before taking the usual saluting stance. Instantly the people inside ceased their argument, and most likely looked to the door to see who had interrupted them.

"Commander, sir! As you requested, Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog has been brought up, and is waiting outside right this moment."

"Oh, Agent Alcea, I didn't realize you'd be back so soon." Sonic heard Commander Rhys say, much louder this time and with his usual patronizing tone present. "I reckon everything went well with retrieving Mister Sonic, then?"

There passed a fraction of a second's silence.

"… Yes, sir."

"I see. Well done, Agent Alcea, you may return to your duties for now - and do please take Staff Sergeant Conn along with you, hm?"

The next moment, the two of them came out the office, with the Staff Sergeant practically storming out while pressing his glasses firmly back upon his nose. When he spotted Rouge and Sonic standing by the elevators, partially blocking his way, he gave them a most hateful glare. "Move aside, you vermin..!" He barked, shoving his way past them and banging on the down buttom beside the elevator. Since it had just been used, the doors immediately opened, letting him inside. And Agent Alcea had barely followed suit before the doors ultimately closed, sending them off to… wherever it was that they were going, Sonic mused. He'd been too late to reply to Conn's comment, and honestly wasn't too surprised by it. Rouge however, gritted her teeth slightly as a deeply offended expression was evident upon her face.

"How dare that sleazy bootlicker talk to me like that..!" She said, practically fuming with irritation. "Next time I see him, I'll give him such a hard kick between the legs that he'll never be able to father any children, that's for sure!"

Sonic couldn't help but laugh.

Rouge's drastic mood swings could certainly be amusing at times.

The cheerful moment didn't last long though, as Commander Rhys' voice soon called for him to enter the office. "Only you, Mister Sonic." He added, with a certain sharpness.

"Wait, so you're not coming with me this time either?" Sonic asked Rouge, confused as to why they even bothered sending her to feth him then. Did they simply think he wouldn't make a fuss about it if there was a familiar face that gave him the order? Not that he had anything particularly against Rouge, but they could hardly be considered as more than occasional comrades, and okay, maybe friends whenever Rouge thought it to be beneficial for her… But if they thought she held some sort of power over him or could easily persuade him to do their bidding somehow, then they were sorely mistaken. "What are you people really playing at?" He whispered to her, mindful as not to let the Commander overhear him.

However, Rouge merely shook her head, lightly pushing him towards the office door.

"Rouge—"

"Just… go on inside, Sonic."

The fact that she used his real name was enough to make him silently enter the office without any more protests. For If Rouge didn't want to give him any answers, then Sonic had no other option but to get them himself…

As Commander Rhys sat down in his armchair the leather squealed slightly while Sonic's own wooden chair creaked instead. They sat across from one another with the big desk being the only thing standing between them. The bronze statue with the resemblance of a raven were ever as present on top the desk's top, its unyielding eyes facing towards Sonic who tried hard not to look in its direction. Its unnerving effect being highly unpleasant. The air surrounding the crowded office was just as thick and pressing as he remembered, but at least this time there weren't a dozen agents with loaded guns present. Although, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the Commander had a gun hidden somewhere - surely ready to be directed at him should the human feel the need arise.

And to tell the truth, Sonic wasn't too sure he wouldn't have preferred taking the bullet instead right about then instead of sitting there in the awkward silence with Commander Rhys.

Fortunately enough, the Commander seemed inclined to cut to the chase as he after a while bluntly stated the following—

"For nearly half an hour ago there came urgent reports to the Sparrow of an ongoing assault in a small but highly populated suburban town a few miles off of Empire City. We have confirmation that there are robotic creations causing the havoc and can therefore be fairly sure to assume that its Robotnik's doing. We don't yet know if he is present, but we have already sent a troop of our vanguard and an air troop to get a be—"

Sonic just about jumped out of his seat.

"Robotnik? He's there?" He exclaimed, already feeling how the adrenaline pumped into his veins. On reflex he also started tapping his right foot quickly against the floor. "Which town? Tell me quick and I might be able to get there before he dissappears again or- or can cause too much destruction! We gotta hurry up and get all the people out of there - right this minute! Just tell me where, I'll be there in a flash—!"

But to Sonic's shock and frustration, the Commander simply shook his head, making a motion for him to sit back down again.

"Mister Sonic, please try and remain calm. I can assure you that we'll soon have the situation under perfect control, there is absolute no reason for you to panic."

Sonic couldn't believe his ears.

No reason to panic..?

He slammed his hands down on the desk and shouted straight into the human's infuriatingly calm face— "Innocent people could be slaughtered as we speak - I can't just sit here and drink tea or whatever while Robotnik is out there right this very moment! We could put an end to this - to him - today..!"

Something sparked in the corner of the Commander's eye as he studied Sonic's entire being for a brief couple of seconds.

"Your unit is leaving the Headquarter in a transport headed for the town in five minutes - if you hurry, you can tell them I gave you special permission to come along." He finally said in a just as calm tone as before, but with a peculiar lopsided smile stretching across his face. "Here—" He pulled out a drawer, brought forth a small note and hastily scribbled something down on it before folding it and lastly reaching it over to Sonic. But just as Sonic was about to grasp it, the Commander withdrew his hand. "I must remind you however, Mister Sonic, that you are still bound to our agreement. Meaning that you must follow the orders given to you by your surperior out on the field. This might just turn out to be a mere trick on Doctor Robotnik's part, in which case I still want you in one piece after the mission. So follow protocol at all times, stick with your unit and most importantly - don't take any unneccessary risks. You're far too valueable to lose. Understood?"

Sonic blinked, not really too sure if Commander Rhys was either warning him or speaking out of concern for his safety.

Be that as it may, he didn't have the time to ponder over any of it now, so he simply nodded his head and said—

"Understood."

At that, the Commander smacked his hands together. Apparently just as eager for Sonic to get going as the blue hero himself was now. "Well, off you go then. You've got a transport to catch."

Sonic didn't need to be told twice.

He more or less came flying back out the office door and into the other room, too wired up to even notice that Rouge, who he'd left just mere minutes ago, was no longer there. The time it took for him to reach the correct floor, then the correct hall, and then almost shoved the note up into the face of the correct Lieutenant was less than two minutes. Which left him three minutes to get geared up in the obligatory uniform that all soldiers were required to wear - topped off with a bulletproof vest, as well - until he ultimately took a seat inside the transport.

The transport turned out to be one of G.U.N.'s more modest sized aircrafts that naturally possessed better speed than any of the really large ones.

Sonic along with the appointed unit, or squad rather in this case, sat buckled up along opposite sides of the craft with guns already in hand and their helmets on. Aside from the soliders' varying sizes, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart from one another, and no one uttered so much as a word. Sonic, who had turned down the weapon they'd tried shoving into his hands, stuck out worse than ever before - not that it mattered… They weren't exactly going out for a pleasure cruise, but out into the midst of certain chaos. And instead of a helmet, they'd given him a headset in order to be able to keep communication with him if so were necessary.

While enduring the painful wait for them to reach their destination, Sonic occupied himself by trying to decipher all the thoughts and emotions that were going through his head like rapid fire. This past hour had no doubt been one hell of a rollercoaster with things being thrown at him from all sides. He thought of Tails - of how their plan to leave the Headquarter might turn out to not be neccessary if this all turned out well and they actually managed to catch Robotnik. Of how he could be taken into custody and be put under high surveillance. Maybe at the end of this day it could all be over. He also thought of Amy, and how he might just be hours away from being able to fly straight to Angel Island and get her, much sooner than either of them could've even dreamt of. Maybe she'd be back into his arms the very next morning… and oh - how he promised himself that he'd never ever let go of her again after that. It didn't matter if she'd be mad at him - if she screamed or cursed at him, hit him with her hammer or threw things at him. He would gladly take it all if it only meant that she forgave him, if she gave him a second chance and let him repent for all the mistakes he'd made.

Because Tails was right.

He simply couldn't live without her.

The possible approaching confrontation with Robotnik didn't scare him, Sonic wouldn't flinch, wouldn't hesitate on the decision of letting G.U.N. deal with him. As long as it all went down clean and fair, he wouldn't object. Robotnik was, after all, too unstable for his own good. This would be for the better… for everyone on Mobius.

"Just let him be there… Just let him be there…" Sonic silently prayed over and over again inside his head. "Please, let this be it…"

As the aircraft had been close to landing they'd all heard how the shrilling sounds of screams and destruction had also raised in volume and turned clearer. And had it not been for his promise to stay with the squad and follow the orders of the Lieutenant, Sonic would have jumped out the craft the very first second he'd heard it. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd skydived out of a flying military transport, so to speak… But he'd decided to try and follow Commander Rhys' plead for as long as possible, still the moment he found it necessary - he wouldn't hesitate to take matters into his own hands. Once they were probably only seconds from landing, Lieutenant Frost began spouting orders over all the noise, telling them all to stick to protocol and what not - Sonic only half listened as he was too busy feeling all the adrenaline wash over him. It had been awhile since he'd last smashed a proper robot to pieces and his body was itching to destroy as many bucket of bolts as he could.

And so… the aircraft took ground.

Within seconds, the entire squad had undone their buckles and marched out with their weapons raised high and soon after scattered into evenly numbered groups. It wasn't long before bullets had could be heard being fired as relieved cries of civilians also began to rise. Sonic was quick to follow, jumping out onto solid ground and allowing himself a brief moment to take in his surroundings. Strangely enough, the first thing that grabbed his attention was how dark the sky appeared to be as well as how much destruction had already been inflicted upon the town's buildings and general infrastructure. They had landed in what appeared to be in the very middle of a rather big shopping square. To the left and right of him stood tall buildings with large portions of their facade blown off or close to crumbling, while straight ahead off him were a wide bridge leading into a much more narrow street that lead upwards and further into town. Behind him the main street leading into the square was entirely blocked off by a the debris of a what had once been a tall bell tower, which's tower was now half, and a blown out store which's roof had caved in. Apart from the main roads there were small alleyways that lead in and out from the square, and it seemed as if most of them were still unblocked.

Most people had alreday abandoned the various buildings and a lot of them seemed to have been lead to safety by the vanguard. But many of them were also already engaged in combat with the swarm of robots that filled up a good portion of this one area alone. The others were probably scattered throughout the rest of the town.

There was really only one thing missing from this picture of total chaos…

"Robotnik!" Sonic blurted straight out, turning to Lieutenant Frost with his eyes lit up in wild urgency. "Has there been any sighting of him?" He scanned the sky in search of the Doctor's infamous Egg Carrier but was dissapointed when he found no trace of it. Besides a G.U.N. fleet, there was nothing hovering over them within the closest radius.

Lieutenant Frost, who'd just finished shouting as string of orders into a small advice on her wrist, bent her head to look down at Sonic. She shook her head so vigorously that her blonde bob cut got flung around across her face for a moment, and then proclaimed loudly— "I'm afraid not. We're starting to believe this assault may just be a diversion on Doctor Robotnik's part, considering he's not present and the seemingly aimless nature of it all."

"A diversion? You mean he might be somewhere else entirely doing Chaos knows what while we are occupied here?" Sonic questioned, but had to quickly back flip several feet just as a blown off robot head nearly grazed his shoulder. He stomped the still buzzing head firmly before returning back to Frost who in turn had just barked a new order into her device and fired several shots into one of the alleys where a group of soldiers were having some difficulties fending of a horde of robots. While letting out a brief huff, she put a stray lock of her hair back in place behind her ear before turning back to Sonic.

"That may very well be the case, Private. It's a common strategy as I'm sure you're aware of."

"Yeah, I sure am." Sonic said, being quite familiar with all the countless dirty tricks and distractions that Robotnik had pulled throughout the years. Though at the same time he felt deeply disappointed that this would turn out to just be another trick, as well. And in that case - a trick for what? What did the Doctor accomplish by attacking this particular town? To keep G.U.N. busy while he acted somewhere else? That didn't make sense since G.U.N. had a lot more troops and arsenal at their disposal than what was here right now. They could more than well handle several attacks at once with both guns and soldiers to spare. But then again - Sonic reminded himself - there was hardly any point in trying to figure out how Robotnik's mind worked anymore since his descend into madness. However, he was apparently still sane enough to plan his assaults without being found… G.U.N has been searching far and wide for him for roughly two weeks and hasn't found so much as a trace, at least from what Sonic have been told.

Have they underestimated the Doctor's actual sanity?

Or was G.U.N. somehow keeping vital information from him?

There was no clear answer to be had as of right then, so Sonic decided to put it aside for now.

There were people currently in dire need of his help and he wasn't gonna waste any more time conspiring with Frost.

Though before he could leave, the Lieutenant put a hand to his shoulder, holding him back. "Wait, Private. Are you certain you don't want to be equipped with an automatic firearm? I've gathered from what Staff Sergeant Conn has reported that you are reluctant to using weapons and hasn't hasn't even partaken in the training yet, but..-" She hesitated, giving Sonic an analytical look from head to toe. Apparently she saw something in him that made her doubt Conn's claims. "Given your almost life-long… experience - for a lack of a better word - surely you must have knowledge of how to handle one of these." A cock of her own weapon could be heard.

Sonic, who's eyes already wandered around the square now, barely got upset over her insinuations and instead shrugged his shoulders while his facial features only hardened slightly. "What you've heard from Comm is true. I have never wanted or ever had the need to use weapons, and if Lieutenant would allow me to go I'll gladly show you the reason why." Lieutenant Frost blinked, still looking a bit dubious but ultimately nodding her head, making a sweeping gesture with her hand to show that he was free to go.

"Of course, you may proceed, Private."

At last Sonic's expression softened again, sending Frost a confident wink as well as a quick salute just before he raced off to aid the rest of the squad.

It would turn out that the clearing of the town was more teoublesome than Sonic had intially thought. Because despite the numbers beings way more in his favor than he was used to, with all the soldiers fighting along side him and actually holding their own pretty well - it seemed as if Robotnik had upped his robots' AI significantly from last time when he'd fought a whole bunch of them in that village in Chun-nan. Not only were they more heavily equipped within both defence and offence in form of weaponary and resilient metal, but they acted more strategically among their groups and had improved aim. After awhile it had dawned upon Sonic that these weren't just your ordinary bumbling badniks…

Which was yet another concern to his already growing pile of troubles.

"T-thanks, So-nic..!"

A young solider stuttered in relief after Sonic had just spin dashed a particularly vicious robot through a bakery window, and thus finally knocking it down completely.

How much time had passed, no one really could tell but it actually seemed as if the soliders had succeded in thinning out the robots to the the point where it was mostly strays or one or two groups that were left in all of town. Some soldiers had even drawn back and began aiding more and more injured civilians to get to safety in the big aircraft that had landed outside the main town on a wide grass plain. Aboard were medical staff in full force of treating people, with a few having also spread out around the many streets and squares to help those who couldn't move by themselves.

"Don't sweat it, dude!" Sonic responded as he offered his hand to the the young solider, who rubbed his throat and gasped for air, and helped him onto his feet.

"F-for a moment the-there… I thought he wa-was about to s-snap my-.. my he-head off..!"

"Well, I'm glad you're o—"

A bloodcurdling scream drowned out his next words while also swallowing all other sound in what seemed to be the entire world. For a fleeting couple of seconds a woman's shrill, terrified screaming was all that filled their ears, stunning everyone to halt in whatever they were doing.

A shiver went down Sonic's spine.

His eyes immediately darted to the opposite end of the square to a corner of two buildings and a dark alleyway that lead out in between them. There a woman sat sunken down on her knees, with her hands stretched out towards a fallen robot that laid half hidden within the shadow of the alley. Without realizing that he had even moved his feet, Sonic was suddenly at the woman's side, standing protectively in front of her while casting a confused look down at the robot that laid a few feet away from them.

"What's wrong?" He urged to know from the still hysterical woman, whipping his head around to her, as he at first glance couldn't detect any reason for her screaming.

No actual words left the woman's lips, but her screams seemed to grow slightly more coherent as she merely raised a violently shaking finger to point back at the robot. "THHEEERREE. AAAAHHHH. SOOMEEEEONNEEE. DEEEEAAAHHH. BLOOOOOODDDD. THEEEEREEEE. AHHHH!"

And as Sonic slowly turned his head back he finally saw it too…

Unlike all the other robots, who had been either shot at until the bullets had hit their weak spot or crushed to the ground, this one had been just about torn in half. It laid on its side with its center part split open so that one could look inside where one would usually find electrical wiring. Except that the wires weren't connected to one another but rather to something. For the center was hollow. And upon the cobblestone underneath the broken metal there were traces of fresh, ruby red blood…

Robots didn't bleed…

All the color drained from Sonic's muzzle as he took the last couple of steps in order to be able to more closely inspect the inside of the broken, still buzzing robot. He didn't know which force drove him forward, but he didn't stop himself, nor did any of the soldiers that had silently drawn closer to the corner.

A small child, possibly no older than ten years old, laid inside the bottom of the robot. His entire body dismantled and with wires attatched to his neck, limbs and even stuck down inside his gaping mouth. Blood covered the metal inside, pooling underneath the remains of the child's half naked body. Their brown doe eyes was widened in stale fright as they stared into the irreversible nothingness that was left. The child was certainly no Flicky, yet the nature of innocence and defenselessness was the one and the same.

The difference was that this child would never again see the light of day.

Never again feel anything at all.

There was no question that the child's death had been most painful, but hopefully short lived.

Right then Sonic understood why the woman had uttered that chilling scream and why she couldn't seem to stop screaming, even now.

He wanted to scream too.

But above all else, he desperately wanted to rip the child free from all those wires, take them into his arms and say that everything would be alright again - and he wanted the child to say that they believed him.

He wanted the child to have all that had so cruelly been taken away from them—

A smile upon their face.

A future.

A life.

And then a sickening thought entered Sonic's consciousness—

"How many more of all these robots held actual people - children - inside of them?"

The possibility of there being hundreds of accidentally murdered people around town this very second was finally too much, and Sonic felt how his knees weakened beneath him.

Incoherent voices filled Sonic's ears and for a moment he wondered if he'd gone insane, until a small part of his mind reminded him that he was still wearing the communication headset. Yet he failed to remember why any of those voices carried any value, why anything they said could make any of this less horrible or painful. They couldn't. Nothing could ever make up for this crime, this atrocity. Not bearing to look another second longer, Sonic closed his eyes and backed away from the scene, with the woman's cries and the unknown voices words ringing in his ears. Frantically, his hands shot up to remove the headset as he then procedeed to discard it to the ground, still backing away. He saw how a few soldiers approached the robot to investigate what all the fuss was about, one of the them even began to try and order the kneeling woman to quiet down without any success.

Soon enough the soliders in question uttered shocked noises, ranging from outbursts to mutters. And as more and more soldiers ran forth to look or aid their comrades, there was a few that instinctively threw up at the horrific sight that met their eyes.

Temporarily paralyzed by shock, Sonic and many of the soliders failed to notice the distant rumbling, clanking noise that drew closer from somewhere in the direction of the stone bridge that lead into the shopping square. The noise was indeed slightly distant, but for some reason his ears picked up on it.

Something in the very depths of his foggy mind, a fire instantly lit up, a fire that spread through his body within the quarter of a second as one pure reflex Sonic shot forth like a cannon. Running across the square, through several crowded streets until he was back yet again at the larger square with the G.U.N. transport still in place. A provisional medical station had formed inside with several people, soldiers and civilians, getting their most acute injuries treated to the best of the medics abilities. But to Sonic's dread had Lieuteant Frost apparently already become aware of the approaching swarm of robots that were now only a few feet from stepping onto the bridge. She had also already set up a protective, human barrier in front of the transport with soldiers perfectly in line with their weapons aiming in the exact direction where the robots would soon come into range.

Throwing absolute caution to the wind, Sonic ran straight into the soon-to-be-crossfire with arms waving, motioning for them to hold their fire. "Wait! Don't shoot!" He shouted as loud as his vocal chords permitted. "There are people inside! There are people inside of the robots! Lieutenant Frost, tell them to lower their weapons!"

But Lieutenant did no such thing and none of the soliders so much as flinched at Sonic's words. Instead Frost locked eyes with him, her expression hard and unyielding. "What are you yelling on about?" She snapped, her voice loud enough to echo across the entire square. "Have you gone insane, Private? These robots aren't people - they are killer machines! Stand down immediately!"

"You will all become killers if you fire those guns!" Sonic resorted, growing just as furious as he was desperate. "You've gotta listen to me - there are living people inside of the robots, I just witnessed it myself! You have to believe me! There. Are. People. Inside! Tell them to lower their guns, now!"

"What you're saying is absurd! Now I'm warning you, Private, stand aside or face the consequences!" But as Sonic stood his ground and kept trying to make the Lieutenant- the soldiers- anyone, to listen to him, Frost turned to the closest pair of soldiers and said— "You two, go get him and escort him inside! He's clearly suffered a severe head injury."

"Yes, Lieutenant..!" They both said in unison.

However, just as the two soliders were about to approach and Sonic realized that it was a lost cause to try an argue, he instead turned around to face in the direction of the bridge. He figured that there must be away for him to render the robots powerless and thus no longer dangerous - to shut them off without hurting the person inside. Tails would know how to do it, and he just prayed that he could recall something that his little brother had told him about shutting off machines.

There simply must be a way to—

And so, out of the corner of his eye, a familiar shade of pink flashed making Sonic stop dead in his tracks. There, amongst the ruins of a barely still standing building next to the bridge, stood a figure with their back turned against him. A person seeming to be completely oblivious to the surrounding destruction and the approaching robots on the other side of bridge. He squinted his eyes and discovered that it was in fact a girl. An Anthro girl with rosy fur and quills that just about reached her shoulders. Clad in a white dress, golden bangles and around her neck—

"It can't be..." Sonic thought to himself as he took a hesitant step forward. Having suddenly forgotten all about Lieutenant Frost and the soldiers behind him - none of them having so much as registered the girl's sudden presence it seemed. Despite himself, and despite the fact that he was well aware that he was still in the range of crossfire, he took yet another step forward, calling out loud and clear—

"Miss? You have to move, now!"

The girl reacted almost instantly, turning around and staring him dead in the eye. And just as she did, Sonic's heart dropped dead in his chest, all while his blood ran cold. Because facing back at him was the ever so sweet and innocent face of none other than Amy Rose.

"A-Amy..?" His voice was barely above a whisper, too shocked to form an actual sentence. He was frozen stiff…

The horde of robots had now reached the bridge and came closer by the second, almost as if they all of a sudden had collectively decided to quicken their pace. The half destroyed building that Amy stood in positioned her in such a way that she stood between the G.U.N. soldiers and the army of robots that mercilessly shot forward. But it didn't seem to face her as she simply kept staring at Sonic with a blank, utterly unreadable expression upon her face. Her dress fluttering leisurely in the light breeze…

"Squad, get ready to shoot!" The voice of Lieutenant Frost called from behind Sonic, quickly resulting in the air filling with the sound of multiple charging weapons. Still, no one had shown even the slightest of sign of being aware of the Amy's situation or that she even existed at all.

What was wrong with them?

"No, stop!" Sonic's voice rang out, more desperate than it had ever sounded before. "There's a civilian! Don't shoot!"

"Private, this is your last warning - stand down this instant!"

But Sonic had stopped listening and the exact same second he were about to rush forth to pull Amy out of the way, he felt how two pair of strong arms threw themselves around his body and captured him in an iron like grip. It were the two soldiers Frost had snet forward who was now trying to contain the blue hero with all their might. Unfortunately for them however, one couldn't simply hold back Sonic the Hedgehog. For in the next moment he fought back against the arms, and with the strength of a feral animal tore himself free - finally sprinting forward with no regard of anyone or anything else in the entire world but the rosy girl ahead of him.

One single thought repeating itself within his mind— "Not her. Not her. Not her."

And then all of his senses exploded.

It was as if he was running within one of his dreams.

A dream where he was merely having a playful chase with Amy as she ran just a little out of his reach… the fold of her dress fluttering… her sweet giggling… her voice telling him to hurry up and catch her already… to take her into his arms and hold her so close… so close… so safe from all of the ills of the real world…

"You can't catch me, Sonikku!"

"Amy, wait - hold on!"

He ran across the open field… his hand stretched out… but no matter how fast he ran, she was always further ahead… always out of reach… she giggled again… her figure almost blending together with the wild flowers and the tall grass… all of a sudden she was gone… and soon he heard her terrified crying… she was in danger… the dream transformed into a nightmare…

"Amy!"

"Sonic! Help me!"

He cut through the grass… his hands desperately searching for Amy as her cries only grew louder… she was dying… she needed him… if only he could find her in the darn grass… his feet refused to move any faster… he was slowing down… no, no, no…

"Just stay where you are, Amy, I'm coming! I'll be right there! Just stay where you—!"

Bullets blazed past Sonic as he ran, grazing his body with mere inches to spare. Alas, luck just about ran out as he was a mere couple of feet away from reaching his fiancée when dozens of bullets hit him all across the body - some piercing themselves into his flesh while some got embedded into the vest he was wearing. All while this was happening a grenade went off upon the bridge, engulfing it and all the robots that stood upon it in a blazing blast of utter destruction. The entire bridge along with everything on it got blown to bits, sending a cascade of debris out of stone and metal flying in all directions, and smoke to rise into to the sky.

It all happened in a matter of seconds and yet it felt like an eternity.

Sonic had just about realized what he'd witnessed when a second grenade went off somewhere inside the building to the left of him, which instantly caused him to get knocked off his feet and a eerie ringing to erupt in both of his ears.

Someone was screaming again.

Whether it was himself, Amy, Lieutenant Frost or any of the G.U.N. soldiers, he did not know.

All he knew was that one bullet had just managed to pierce straight through his heart.

---

Sinking…

He was sinking.

Everything's dark, cold, empty…

There was nothing left.

The ocean had swallowed him, taken him and now finally intended to bury him at its never-ending bottom.

The feeling of being utterly abandoned by the world and everyone he had ever loved was the single notion that filled his mind, body and soul.

A part of him didn't want to fade away yet, while another part had lost the will to care. He'd been through enough. Seen enough. Lost too much. Now he just wanted to be laid to rest, for all of it to end.

And the ocean was as good of a place as any to let go…

"I'll never leave you—"

"Then why am I alone?"

All of a sudden a hand grasped his own.

A pair of the loveliest jade eyes he knew looked back at him.

It was her - with all her radiant brightness and warmth she casted a light around them that was close to blinding. As if one of night sky's stars had dropped and fallen into the ocean, and now sunk alongside him. She was smiling. That ever so lovely smile that told him that everything was as it should be. Dying wasn't anything to be afraid of, it wouldn't hurt and soon all their sorrows would get washed away, never to torment either of them ever again.

Suddenly the weight of the world shifted as he was slowly raising while she kept sinking.

The hold of their hands strained as her body turned as heavy as stone.

Desperately he tried to hold on, clinging to his warm light that were being threatened to disappear into the everlasting darkness below. Never for him to find again. He didn't want her to die alone. If she was gonna be buried at this desolate place, then so would he. He'd sworn to always protect her - no matter what - through thick and thin, through sickness and health, through life and death…

"Til' the very end of time itself, and then beyond."

So he held on, kicked his legs and fought with all his might to reach the surface.

They wouldn't go down like this - they would live - she would live!

She would get all those things that life had promised her, that he had promised her!

But life cared little for its- or anyone else's promises, and soon her hand slipped out of his grasp. She was gone before he'd even realized it, her fading light being all that was left and then…-

—nothing.

"I'll never get to see him again… my darling Sonic… I love you."

Amy…

Amy…

AMY…!

Sonic awoke from his slumber with a jolt.

He was screaming his lungs out and thrashing his limbs around, as if he were still sinking into the ocean and were frantically trying to reach the surface. Soon his eyes shot open and he saw a bunch of blurry faces muddling together as he watched them through the water.

Why weren't they helping him?

He was drowning right before them and still they did nothing!

He forced out yet another incoherent scream - a call for help, for anyone to please pull him up from underneath the water.

Why didn't they want to help him?!

No, wait… several hands suddenly grabbed ahold him - by the shoulders, by the legs, his arms, even his head. However they don't pull him up as he'd hoped, but instead they forced him further down into the ocean. They're purposely drowning him… The panic is instant, and Sonic desperately tries to throw all of the hands off of his body while his thrashing becomes even wilder. He can feel the life slipping out of him as he swallows loads of water that threantens to overwhelm and explode his entire system. The hands feels like claws that digs deeper and deeper into his skin, causing blood to mix with the water thats forced down his throat.

As a last attempt to call for help, Sonic furiously throws his hand from side to side, kicks his feet up while screaming as loud as his vocal cords allowed— "AMY! TAILS! KNUCKLES!"

But there's no help to be given. No one can hear him.

The vicious grins upon the blurry figures' faces becomes larger and larger as they press him down with all of their might. They're laughing at him…

"No, stop! Let him go!" A familiar voice called out all of a sudden.

Then, as if someone had just pulled a plug, all of the water before Sonic's vision disappeared. Draining away in an instant as the once blurry figures as well as his surroundings tread forth in sharp clearness.

The first thing he noticed was that instead of being in the ocean he was in fact in a brightly lit hospital-looking room, with white tile walls, fluorescent lamps hanging from the ceiling and with various beeping equipment standing beside the bed he was laying in. The people who he had taken for blurry demonic creatures were merely half a dozen Overlanders clad in blue medical scrubs alternatively nursing uniforms. And as far as Sonic could tell none of them were laughing or so much as even smiling, they were, however, indeed holding iron like grips around several of his limbs. Which, even though he had ceased his thrashing, they all kept firmly. Lastly, he found Tails standing in the doorway of the room, appearing to have been worried sick by all the commotion and had come bursting through said door.

Sonic didn't know what to feel or even think as all his previous panicked emotions and impulses melted away, leaving him oddly numb and disoriented.

What had just happened?

Why was he in the G.U.N. Headquarter's infirmary?

And had the dream he'd just had not been a dream at all, but a vision of reality?

"Amy…" Sonic whispered, his voice nearly completely destroyed from all of the screaming. Ignoring all the others in the room, he locked eyes with Tails, who stared back at him with obvious confusion and concern. "Amy… Tails, she's in danger… I know it, I saw it..! I-… she was drowning… We have to go, we have to save her… she can't— I can't— We have to—!" He made an attempt to sit himself up, but was immediately pushed back down by the doctors or nurses - or whatever they were. "Let go of me..!" Sonic croaked irritably, brushing their hands off of him dismissively without breaking eye contact with his little brother who for some reason only remained silent and passive.

Instead another, far more deeper, voice answered him—"Mr. Sonic, sir, you've recently been through a serious trauma. I highly suggest you lay back down for now while we inject you with the sedatives…" It was the guy closest to him, who had been the one holding down his head, that spoke, probably in a tone he considered calming but which only put Sonic even more on edge.

"I don't have any traumas." He objected, making another fruitless attempt at sitting up. "I'm perfectly fine, now let me up from this darn bed..!"

"Mr. Sonic—!"

"Sonic, please, you've just been shot…" Tails finally piped up.

"You dOn't sa-A-ay..!" Sonic shot back sarcastically, though it lost some of it's impact as his voice broke mid-sentence. "Where is the dimwitted schmuck that did it, anyway? I'd like to have a word with them." A pressing silence followed as those words left his lips, with several nurses exchanging hasty glances. But before any one of them could give him an answer, the door into the room burst open once more. This time there was no question about whether it was a doctor or not. The person who entered was dressed entirely in white, sported a long coat and wore half-moon shaped glasses that was on the verge of falling off of his nose in his hurry to reach Sonic's bedside. He looked to be well over his eighties and looked a lot like a walking - remarkably curly-haired - skeleton.

But what was even more remarkable was the size of the needle that poked out of a syringe, which he held raised in his hand like a sword. Sonic had yet to open his mouth in protest before the needle had been swiftly stuck into the peripheral venous catheter that he hadn't yet discovered had been inserted into his left arm. Most likely while he'd still been unconscious.

"There you go, son." The newly arrived man said breathlessly, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as the content of the syringe had been emptied. He then patted Sonic on the head and said— "That oughta calm your nerves a bit. It's normal to get nutty as fruitcake when you've experienced something like that. You must be quite traumatized, my dear boy…"

"I'm not traumatized..!"

"Nonsense, of course you are."

And Sonic didn't know if it were due to the effects of the sedative or the sudden weight of the world that came crashing down upon him again, but the next moment he felt how his body sank down upon the mattress. His arms and legs turning numb while images he'd hope to suppress swept through his mind like a raging storm that demanded to make itself known. Demanded that he re-lived the horrors in order to never forget them and forever burn themselves into his memory.

The dismantled body of the dead child.

The shots that had been fired without any regard for him.

The blown up bridge with all those robots - those people - trapped on it.

He let his eyelids fall…

Letting things run their course inside his head.

Instinctively, he reached a heavy hand up to rest above his chest, above his heart. And to his dazed shock there was no shot wound to be found, but what shocked him even more was that there was no beat to be felt either… not a sound of thumping to be heard… his chest was empty. His heart had silenced - died.

"My heart has stopped beating…" Sonic muttered to no one in particular. "… Is that normal?" He felt as if he was slowly but surely losing his mind. Or perhaps he'd already lost it and no one simply had the heart to tell him.

More glances were exchanged, but none of which he saw.

Someone laid a hand upon his forehead while someone else pressed two fingers against the wrist of his left hand.

"Your heart is beating well and strong, my boy. Don't you worry yourself."

Strange.

Sonic couldn't feel it.

"Now I think, Mr. Sonic could use some peace and quiet. Everyone - out of the room, if you please."

The sound of several footsteps walking out through the door could then be heard as the infirmary staff obeyed the man's order and silently left the room. And soon after a last pair of feet walked out, closing the door behind them. However, it turned out he wasn't completely alone when Sonic heard someone pulling up a chair close to his bed and then sitting themselves down. He didn't need to look to already know that it was indeed Tails who had remained inside the room.

His little brother's breathing and scent was far too familiar to him that he would recognize it anywhere. Even in his current drugged-out state.

Just then, an inexplicable smile stretched across Sonic's awfully pale muzzle.

"We never escaped, did we?"

Tails merely shook his head at his brother's words. Speaking with a calm, yet clearly shaken voice—"You're alive, Sonic, that's all that matters right now, okay?"

"Who was it that shot me?"

"I think it would be easier to say who didn't manage scrape you with a bullet." Tails snorted. "We're lucky the vest protected your most vital inner organs, excluding the brain of course. I'm not too certain that the Chaos Energy inside your body could've done much to heal a punctured cardiac muscle."

"But I was shot in the heart. I felt it."

There was a brief pause.

"Sonic, I've seen your x-ray plates - there were several bullets that hit you, yes, but none had broken through the vest. It was absolutely bulletproof, you know that, and they told me there was no hole in it when they brought you in. Perhaps you only ima—"

"What I know is that these people say a lot of things…" Sonic interrupted, the exhaustion upon his face worsening as he finally opened his eyes again to meet his little brother's eyes. He sighed deeply as he witnessed the concern within his ever so innocent blue eyes and naturally he softened his features and his voice even more so as he continued—"I'm just telling you what I felt, alright? But hey, it doesn't even matter - like you said, I'm aaalive..!" Barely. He gave Tails a reassuring smile, ruffling his quills sloppily before he turned to cast a glance around the room. He began to wonder how long he'd been unconcious for. There weren't any windows or even so much as a clock to be seen. Nothing that could indicate what time of the day it was or if there had possibly even passed days since he was taken here.

He vaguely recalled mere weeks back when he'd fallen out of the Egg Carrier and then spent a couple of days laying completely unreachable in bed at home while Amy had been worried sick about him.

As far as he could tell, it at least didn't feel like that time. No stale muscles or limbs that refused to moved, no sore throat or throbbing headache. Just… numbness.

But what if weeks had in fact passed?

On cue, Sonic hastily turned his head back towards Tails and asked—"What day is it? How long was I out for?"

"Don't worry, you've been unconcious for less than twelve hours, though I think you might've been getting close now that I think about it…" Tails answered while trying to flaten down his bangs again. However, he quickly abandoned the fruitless struggle and instead turned to press an index finger down upon the display of the multi-device around his wrist. Invented by himself, of course. Sonic had honestly never given it much thought but apparently it could also tell time as Tails soon added—"Yep, it's almost three a.m."

Upon hearing this, Sonic almost on reflex commented—"You should be sleeping by now."

Meanwhile Tails simply rolled his eyes and shook his head in a very Sonic-like way. "Since when did you become such a dad? Besides I probably would have been asleep if you hadn't gone and got shot and almost blown to bits."

Choosing to ignore his little brother's teenage sass, Sonic pushed himself up against a few of the pillows and tried his best to think through the fogginess of his mind. "They told you all of what happened?"

"Not exactly. I mean, I figured they weren't telling me the whole truth - or rather they told me their truth… They said you must've suffered some sort damage to your head since you suddenly came running out of nowhere into the middle of a crossfire while spouting a bunch of nonsense. Eh, their words, not mine. Anyway, then they told me that because of this you accidentally got shot right as a supposedly planted, timed grenade went off just within a few feet from you."

Speaking of which, Sonic stole a glance down at his fur… but it looked relatively intact.

Further Tails told him what had happened afterwards - how they had retrieved his body from the destruction and then rushed his body to the medical station to have all of the bullets removed, how they had made sure to transported him back to the Headquarter to get proper care at the infirmary and gotten his vital signs back in check, and lastly how they had made sure to keep him securely supervised ever since. Afterwards it was Sonic's turn to tell Tails all about what had happened since the two of them had parted outside the cafeteria. About his short talk with Rouge, his even shorter talk with the Commander and then everything about the mission. As anticipated, his fear of there possibly having been even more people kept inside the robots also appeared in Tails' eyes. No one had uttered a single thing about what had happened to the robots afterwards or mentioned anything about there being a child found inside one of them, which Sonic couldn't say he was too surprised to hear. G.U.N. would undoubtably be very keen on keeping it under wraps at all cost.

Still, there had been more witnesses than just him…

"—If there was one then it's surely possible that there were more that was powered by sentient life - if not all of them…" Tails mused aloud, his expression having turned paler and paler as Sonic's story had went on. He was even on the verge of trembling. "A-although we can't be one hundred precent certain of it… I mean, not even Robotnik could be that cruel, cou-could he?"

"One murdered child is enough." Sonic whispered, his tone hollow as the drugs prevented him to express any of the actual rage or sadness he felt just thinking about it. "I think it's safe to say that the old Robotnik's we once knew is officially gone. There's no doubt about it. If we- if I keep pretending otherwise… well, then this will only keep escalating further… I gotta put an end to this, Tails. Now more than ever. I promise you, first thing in the morning - we're out of here."

They sat in contemplating silence for a bit until Tails remembered something he'd been meaning to say—

"By the way, The Commander was here before, almost right after you'd been checked in."

"Uh-oh, lemme' guess - he was super disappointed over the fact that Robotnik and I didn't get the chance to strangle each other?"

"Actually… he was pretty angry. His eyes kinda looked like they were gonna pop out and he had a long, quite loud, discussion with the doctors who had examined you. I think I was the only one he wasn't barking at."

Sonic's brow furrowed. "What'd he say?"

"Oh, you know, the usual - that he was beyond shocked over the news of what had happened to you and then assured me that the people responsible would be held accountable for your injuries, and what not. I think he even said that he was aware that some of the blame rested upon himself, as well, and that he would not rest until he'd made it up to you."

"Riiight, I bet he's really beat up about it…"

"Perhaps he'll award you a medal of honor for your bravery or raise a statue of you made entirely out of gold in the middle of Station Square."

"For your sake, I seriously hope you didn't give him any ideas."

"Me? Why I'd never…"

Sonic carefully eyed his little brother's expression, which was a little too innocent. Bit before he could inquire any further, Tails had jumped to his feet. Half way to the door he turned to say—"Hey, you must be starving by now, I'll go have a look if they have anything for you to eat." He left but not long after he came back with a silvery metal tray in his hands, which carried a bowl of something visibly hot and a tall glass of water. There were also two tablets laid upon a napkin next to a spoon.

It wasn't exactly an appetizing smell that spread through the room, and as Tails placed the tray down in his lap and Sonic looked down at the content of the bowl, he found that it was oatmeal. A steaming, grayish clump that probably tasted worse than it looked. Honestly he wasn't feeling very hungry, most likely due to the IV nutrition drip he'd been hooked up to, and this didn't make him any more so.

"The nurse told me to make sure you swallow the painkillers."

"I'm already on sedatives, aren't I? What good will taking painkillers do?"

Tails shrugged his shoulders, he'd began to fiddle with the device on his wrist again. "I don't know, I thought it was strange too. Maybe they're for more long lasting pain or something. I've tried telling them about your abnormally high healing rate, though I don't think they quite understood. Not that I blame them… I barely understand it myself sometimes… — Aha! There we go.." A low, sparking sound suddenly erupted from the little device as mumbling voices soon broke forth. "Not too long ago I added a built-in radio frequency reciever, so that I can listen in on the news wherever I am. Thought it might come in handy, especially at times like this." He explained to Sonic, who were just about to force down his first spoon of oatmeal.

Time dragged itself forward while they listened to a particularly boring radio program where the host called up random people's phone numbers. People who were all half asleep as they answered and got asked questions about which type of coffee brand they preferred and if they could guess right on tonight's burning question about which type of bird call the host played for them. At which the person who answered correctly would win fifty rings and a discount coupon for previously mentioned coffee. Sonic ate slowly, swallowing quick and hard after each spoonful - he'd thrown the two pills underneath the pillows - and consistency drank some water afterwards to make the food go down a bit easier.

After merely twenty minutes, the waiting was on the verge of becoming painful.

"If only the drugs would wear off quicker." Sonic thought to himself. Yet he could actually feel how his body fought against the numbness, and how the worst of the fog inside his mind cleared up. Pretty soon his legs were bound to start fidgeting.

Meanwhile Tails was close to nodding off in his seat when suddenly the radio show host's voice got cut off by a much more urgent and authoritative voice, who announced the following—

"We interrupt this program to bring you the latest breaking news; Nearly record tall waves has tonight flooded the whole western coast outside of Station Square, to the Mystic Ruins and further up north to Seaside Hill and Westopolis. The reported floodings has by experts been classified as mild in comparison to the infamous Station Square flood incident seven years ago, but local authorities are currently at work to oversee the total damage. People living in the affected coast areas are advised to leave their homes and seek momentary shelter further away from the coast. There is as of now no identified cause for the floodings. For further information about proper authority contacts and services, please either call the Guardian Units of Nations emergency line at—"

Glass shattered against the floor as the metal tray came plunging down from Sonic's lap.

The world was all of a sudden hanging on by a mere thread.

Emerald green met sky blue.

"You don't think… I mean, it couldn't possibly be…" Tails whispered. "… We would've known… You would've felt if something was wrong. Sonic, please… please say that it can't be… Sonic?"

But Sonic could not hear anything anymore.

He was back in the ocean, fighting for his life while Amy's body weighed him down into the icy darkness.

Amy…

Knuckles…

Somehow he just knew, just as Tails did…

Angel Island had fallen.

---

The sun had yet to rise.

Only a speck of warm, shimmering orange lay hidden behind a few big white clouds at the horizon.

The early morning dew being still fresh underneath their shoes as they ran across the grassy plain that surrounded the Master Emerald shrine. They hadn't even bothered turning off the Tornado's engine as they had thrown themselves out the very second that the landing gear touched upon solid ground.

One might as well have thought this to have been any ordinary morning upon Angel Island, but nothing could've been further from the truth.

For Angel Island wasn't floating securely far above the clouds as usual. It was floating in the open ocean, with waves crashing against it's high ledges which didn't quite reach over onto land. The sight of the massive island with all its tall mountains and various zones being exposed right outside the coast of the Mystic Ruins was most bizarre. It was as if some otherworldly continent had simply risen from underneath the depths of the ocean and now basked in the still early light of day.

Sonic and Tails had been too stunned for words as they'd seen it.

In fact, they hadn't uttered any words at all since leaving the G.U.N. Headquarter for less than half an hour ago. Tails had pressed the engine to max speed, resulting in him probably flying the fastest that he'd ever done before in his little bi-plane. Fortunately, he'd made sure to leave the fuel tank full while it had stood parked in one the Headqueater's hangars. A pit stop would not have been a welcomed idea…

Just then, Tails watched helplessly as his older brother disappeared in a blue streak that shot off towards the shrine ahead of them. Leaving the young fox behind, who quickly took to the aid of his two tails to instead propel himself forward. Increasing his speed significantly. He thought to call after Sonic, but figured nothing in the universe could've made him turn back now. The blue streak tore through the atmosphere, tore through sound and light until finally stopping at the foot of the Master Emerald altar.

Sonic eyes were wild, his quills on edge and his breathing non-existant. Gone was the happy-go-lucky hedgehog, gone was his smile, and gone was also the emerald glow in his eyes that had turned dangerously dark.

He was no longer a being of this world.

He was a supernatural force.

A whirlwind of Chaos Energies that raged inside his body while an even stronger range of emotions coursed through his system like venom.

Tails just about managed to catch up as Sonic found a figure sitting sunken down on the ground a couple of feet away from the altar steps. A figure who had his head bowed down so low into his lap that his face was hidden from view. Terrible trembles shook his whole body while he held his arms around his knees in an iron like grip - as if trying to keep himself from falling to pieces. Barely audible, weak mutterings escaped his mouth, but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason whatsoever to his words.

"Knuckles..?" Tails carefully uttered the echidna's name. But Knuckles neither reacted nor spared either of them so much as a glance, and he remained perfectly stale.

"Knuckles, where is she? Where is Amy?" Sonic breathed, his voice dripping with unmasked anxiousness. His panic rising by each passing second. But again, the echidna stayed silent, quickly irritating the blue hero who wasted no time in completely unceremoniously grabbing a hold of his shoulders and then shaking him firmly. "What's wrong with you? Answer me, Knuckles - dammit!"

"Sonic, please—" Tails began, but was cut off by Knuckles finally acknowledging their presence by letting out a low whisper—

"I knew this would happen… I knew it… I tried to tell you, I really did…"

"What? What are you talking about? Wha-… Knuckles, where is she?! Tell me, please just tell me where she is! Where is Amy?!"

Knuckles' head slowly rose up to stare straight into Sonic's eyes. His voice rising an octave higher as he let out a single, definite word— "Gone."

Sonic's entire face paled. "G-gone? What do you mean gone..?"

"The Island… we were attacked… that metallic demon came out of nowehere, just appeared out of the dark. I told her to run, that I didn't need her… I had to protect the Master emerald - I couldn't protect them both…" And just as he'd said it, a pained noise between a grunt and a whimper slipped out of Knuckles's throat. "I almost had him, but then he— he jabbed that damn claw into me. There was no other choice… I had to scatter the Master Emerald into pieces and send them away from here, I couldn't let him get his hands on it. I just couldn't! The Island fell… and then I don't remember what happened next, everything just went black..." He screwed his eyes shut for a moment, as if recalling the events was causing him physical pain. "When I woke up it was too late - they were all gone."

Sonic's fists had clenched up so tight that his nails now dug into the palms of his hands, and he drew blood. It was like a thunderstorm had taken his mind into its wrath just as the little self-control he'd held onto burst. Unleashing such a violate sense of absolute grief, regret, misery… hatred.

—He saw red.

"You… you…" Sonic forced out through gritted teeth before the last of his sanity slipped through his fingers like sand. With a raw surge of feral strength he tackled Knuckles to the ground, punching him square in the jaw before letting out all of his collective despair during these past two weeks in one single strike—"You bastard! You damn coward, how could you?! How could you abandon her?! I trusted you to keep her safe - I entrusted you with my life, my entire world! And all you cared about was that cursed rock?!" Another punch collided with Knuckles' temple. "You should have been there to protect her! You should have given your life for her! Bastard! You worthless piece of—"

But Knuckles had just about had enough.

As soon as the initial shock had settled, he didn't so much as hesitate before directing a mighty blow to Sonic's stomach. Sending the poor hedgehog flying backwards through the air until he fell hard on the ground - thus knocking the wind out of him. Pinning him down, Knuckles being far too heavy and the stronger out of the two for Sonic to offer any real resistance, the roles were suddenly reversed.

And soon the echidna was beating on him with every inch of his life.

"Knuckles, no!" Tails cried in protest, watching in sheer horror as Sonic received punch upon punch, causing gruesome noises to emit from his body as well as his throat. "Don't hurt him, he doesn't know what he's doing! Please, don't you see - we're all that's left! Amy wouldn't want this!" But his cries were in utter vain, being completely ignored by the both of them, and he alone had no chance to pull Knuckles away from Sonic's body. Thus he was rendered helpless as the situation unfolded before him.

"How dare you try to blame this on me!? How. Fucking. Dare. You!? This is your fault, and you damn well know it! I'm not the one who abandoned her - YOU DID!" Knuckles snarled, absolutely beside himself with pent up frustration and anger that he now let loose with all its might. "Do you hear me!? It's your fault for being such a selfish, reckless, arrogant, sad excuse of a person! You left Amy to get hunted down by that freak, without saying a word about it to either me or her! You knew this would happen! You knew and still you chose to leave to play hero, without thinking for even a second of the consequences!"

Blood began tricking out of Sonic's mouth as he made a last attempt to throw Knuckles off of him. Again, to no avail. The echidna's words were now hurting more than his punches did, they cut into him like a repeated stabbing to the back and to his heart… All Sonic could do was to resign to laying there and taking all of it. And he desperately wished he could've covered his ears to what he heard next as Knuckles kept berating him—

"Every night after you left she cried herself to sleep! Every night! Where were you then - huh, Sonic? Where were you when the girl you claim to care so much for needed you the most!? Where were you when that psycho robot showed up here to kill her!? Huh!? Where. Were. You?! We both could've laid here dead, do you hear me - dead! Shredded to mere pieces without you knowing it for however long you intended to fool around with G.U.N. and play soldier! Maybe it would've been for the best… Maybe then you would've actually given a damn, and Amy wouldn't have to suffer through whatever that madman has in store for her all because of you..!"

"Knuckles, please..!" Tails pleaded.

"But you know what? I'm done cleaning up your messes! If Amy's dead it's on your conscious, not mine! I did all I could..! I did all I..-" Just then, all of a sudden, Knuckles' punches seized while his voice died down. His arms dropped to his sides as he closed his eyes and turned his face up towards the sky. The mask he faught so hard to maintain slipped for a second, revealing the agony he'd felt all through the night and early morning. It was like all of the anger washed away from him, like fragile shells upon the shore being pulled away by the waves. "You call us a team, but that's a damn lie. Because you decided this on your own. You decided to abandon us… There never was a us - there was only a you… only you."

It felt like an eternity passed.

Soft rays of sunlight now peeked up from over the horizon, but there was no warmth to be felt.

The seal of the bond was broken.

The fragile thread that had kept the remainder of the world apart had burst.

Slowly, Knuckles got up onto his feet, relieving the pressure upon Sonic's chest, who remained completely motionless on the ground.

"… I hope she's dead." Knuckles finally muttered, his voice now sounding terribly hollow and devoid of any emotion. "I hope she got swept up into that big wave and that she's laying down there right now at the bottom of the ocean floor. That her death was quick and painless. I wish it to be true - It would be for the best…" Then he turned his back on the two brothers and staggered off toward the altar and lastly up the stairs.

Immediately as Knuckles had left, Tails rushed to Sonic's side, kneeling beside the shattered piece of a being that was once his big brother. One look at his body was enough to determine that he most likely suffered internal injuries aside from the obvious damage that had been done to nearly every inch of his flesh. Deep cuts, specks of blood and swelling bruises deformed his usual so handsome face and the pattern followed suit lower down his body, as well. The previous bullet wounds he'd suffered couldn't even be traced anymore due to the demolition. The only comfort was that Tails knew the damage wouldn't remain for long, as the Chaos energies inside his body was probably already hard at work to heal the worst of it. In a mere couple of hours he would be nearly fully restored - physically at least.

But mentally…

Tails had witnessed his older brother in almost every type of emotional state - from the brightest of joy to the deepest of sadness.

But this was something different.

Sonic's eyes were blank.

The skin of his muzzle, that wasn't covered in blood, was pale and the expression upon his face appeared deeply ravaged. As if he saw things within his own mind that was so revolting and disturbing that it was pushing him closer to the edge of what little sanity he had left. The thought of Amy laying dead somewhere this very moment was slowly killing him. For Sonic knew Knuckles' words were true, he'd known it himself back at the infirmary - that something was awfully wrong. And the nightmare he'd had only confirmed it even further…

Amy Rose was… gone.

"Sonic..?" Tails' voice barely reached above a whisper, let alone did it reach into the depths of Sonic's concious state of mind. Wherever he was at that moment, it surely wasn't with him and Knuckles upon Angel Island. No, he was already far, far away from here… "Sonic, please, you have to pull yourself together, I need you to listen to me. We don't know for certain that..- We don't have to assume the worst has happened…- Amy could be fine..! W-we just have to keep our wits about us and think logically about this, Robotnik wouldn't want to let Metal just finish Amy off like nothing, she's too important. Too valueable of a leverage. She's most likely been taken hostage a-and will be used as bait to lure you into some trap. That must be it, trust me - I'm positive she's still alive!"

Tears almost broke forth from the young kit's eyes as he tried to convince Sonic as well as himself of this. After a brief moment of fruitlessly trying to regain his calm, he continued with even more forced confidence evident in his voice.

"We just gotta find out whe-where Robotnik's keeping her a-and then we'll go rescue her, like we always do! We'll get her back..! I-I promise you, e-everything will be all right again, o-okay?"

Whatever answer Tails expected he didn't receive.

Not a single word or sound came across Sonic's lips as he kept staring into thin air with features that shifted between indescribable horror and pain. However, it wasn't from the physical pain - but the actual pain that mercilessly tore through the shell of nothingness that was still him. A pain went beyond anything he'd ever felt before in all of his life.

He couldn't hear the words of comfort and hope that Tails offered him.

They didn't matter.

Nothing mattered anymore.

"Fated lovers are always drawn together, silly!"

He shut his eyes as his mind provided him with distant echoing memories of Amy's voice to haunt him, to mock him, to torture him.

Her tender smiling as he'd discovered she'd kept his letters by her nightstand.

"I re-read them a few times while you were away. It made me feel a little bit closer to you…"

For a whole year after their engagment he'd done continuously left her all alone at home with nothing more than letters to keep her compnay. All while he'd been off into the world - adventuring like usual. Like everything had been just as before.

He saw her adorably blushing face, as she had shyly lowered her gaze and asked him—

"Sonic, have you— … Have you ever thought about having kids?"

He'd known she had wanted him to answer that he had, but that would've been a lie. Right now however, he couldn't even imagine himself answering anything else but yes. The mere thought of getting to be the father of Amy's child thrilled him. His own little family that he would've loved taking care of, of building a home for and which he gladly would've protected with his life.

But now, such a future had been ripped away from him…

"Please, I beg you… let us help you."

No one could help him now…

"—No one is safe forever. And if I'd die fighting by your side, knowing that I did the right thing… then I'd say that's a pretty good way to go."

He should've been there to protect her…

"—I mean your my best friend - my true love. And you are not alone, cause together with our friends we'll get through this!"

Please… stop…

"—I wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish I could protect you…"

Enough!

Sonic curled up into a ball upon the bare ground, his body shaking from the violent convulsions that shot through his body. Air forced itself down his throat but all that came were choked screams that would never be heard. His eyes burned as he instinctively had began to alternate between clawing at them and his ears. The only thing that didn't hurt was his heart, simply because there was no heart to be felt. It was gone. Taken away from him by the cruelity of fate. Dead, just as she— …

There came no tears…

For even now, at the height of his despair, at the worst of anguish Sonic had ever experienced in all of his life, did a single tear leave his emerald eyes. And for the first time that fact disturbed him, and he realized that there must be something deeply wrong about him.

Oh, how he wished he could cry.

How he wished he could howl his agony into the emptiness of the world.

But above all else - he so desperately wished he could feel.

---

 

Notes:

To Be Continued. . .

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thank You For Reading.

Chapter 8: Ripples

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 8: Ripples

---

Big had left his hut earlier than usual that day, heading towards the coast for some early morning fishing. The odds of actually catching something did by nature actually increase around and during the golden hours of the day, namely at dawn or dusk, and he had always enjoyed having fresh caught flounder for breakfast. And judging by the clear weather during the night, he figured his odds were even better. With big, heavy steps he trudged along the usual path he'd take to reach shore, humming absentmindedly to himself as his eyes wandered in search of nothing in particular. He knew every tree, every leaf and every moss covered stone he passed on his way through the jungle, and everything looked as it should. Same as it had done yesterday. And despite wanting to arrive in due time to watch the first rays of sun stretch over the horizon, there was no hurry in his step, just the usual slow waddle.

Once he arrived he would sit down at his usual spot, upon a rather large rock that stood a few feet out into the water. Perhaps he would nod off for a little while with rod in hand and his chin comfortably resting against his chest. Then he'd get jolted awake some time later as the rod began to move in steadily increasing thrusting motions, indicating that something had indeed nibbled on the bait. The fish would get caught, reeled in and then he'd let out a yawn and return home with the risen sun warming his back.

Yes, everything would no doubt go down like usual.

And it probably would have, had it not been for that faint, sizzling noise that suddenly made one of Big's long ears to flick ever so slightly.

More so on their own accord did his sandal clad feet halt and turn in the direction of the foreign noise. Being of the curious nature as he were Big followed it, listening carefully as it grew in volume the closer he appeared to get. Pushing aside large dew covered leafs and lianas that hung loosely inbetween the surrounding trees in interwoven tangles. For someone as tall as him, it could sometimes be quite tricky getting around smoothly in the more overgrown parts of the jungle where the vegetation also could be hiding obstacles in his path. But soon he heard the noise so clearly that he could recognize it as electrical buzzing, that kind of buzzing that emitted from busted up robots. And robots equalled trouble, even for someone as peacefully minded as Big. He just hoped that no poor little critter had been injured…

But as Big pulled aside two tightly growing bushes he was almost close to stepping directly onto the the very thing that had caught his attention.

In the shallow water of a puddle laid a messy bundle of torn grass and liana as well as plenty of dirt tangled in with two bodies that upon first glance instantly made him gasp under his breath. The first one, which emitted the noise was a body made of sheer meal, dark blue to the color with deadly sharpness in its form. A vaguely familiar robot which by the looks of it were in such a bad shape that it had caused it to shut down indefinitely. The most noteable damages being half a missing arm and two legs that practically only hung together by their internal cords. Thus there was no way it had transported itself by walking but rather flown by using its built in jet engine that was the main source of the sizzling. By the looks of it, water exposure had caused it to short circuit and eventually broken down the flight ability altogether - dumping it right here where Big now stood staring down at it.

Although the heavily dismantled robot's presence wasn't what was the most shocking to the purple cat, but rather the sight of who his steel hands held pressed against his frame in a long since loosened grip.

Someone small and frail with rosy fur.

Big's heart sank inside his massive chest which welled with such intense feelings of worry, confusion and fright that he became paralyzed for a brief moment. Unsure of what he saw was in fact real or if his mind was playing tricks on him. Had he merely fallen asleep while fishing again?

"Amy?" He called out in doubt. But as he edged closer, bent down on his knees and got a proper look at the tangled mess, he found that it indeed was his old and dear friend Amy Rose that laid before him. Battered and bruised to such an extent that one could hardly tell that it was the same girl who always were so proper and prim, who wore colorful dresses and ribbons in her quills. Now however, her quills and fur were drenched, soaked to the bone while the only thing that covered her was a tattered dress that clung to her body like a wet blanket. Her feet were fully bare with recent, still bleeding cuts embedded in them, but worse was the fact that her left foot was laying in an odd angle, and prominently swollen, too.

Finding out what had exactly happened would have to be a later issue, as Big quickly realized that Amy was in dire need of care. Prompting him to, as gently as possible, first make sure to cut her loose from all the ensaring grass and liana by using a small pocket knife from his belt. Once it were properly removed he proceeded to wiggle her out of the grasp of the robot's arms before finally being able to lift her up into his big arms. Holding her with utmost gentleness as she appeared very much like a Flicky who'd got their wing broken and needed someone to carry it back to safety.

Hot tears trickled silently down Big's cheeks as he walked back in the direction of his hut. His eyes not leaving Amy's pale face even once during the whole time.

Who could've been so cruel as to hurt her like this?

He figured the broken robot must've had something to do with it, but still - he knew Amy to be a strong girl who could handle herself in a fight quite well. Especially when she had her hammer in hand. So whatever had transpired between the two it couldn't have been a fair fight, though the robot had been pretty busted up as well, so maybe… Nevermind. He would just have to wait for an explanation. The important thing now was putting all of his knowledge to the test by fixing his friend back up again.

And Big never let his friends down.

Once he arrived back at the hut, he wasted no time in placing Amy down gently upon his bed and then covered her with the only blanket he owned which was enormous for someone her size. Thus he folded it in half three times to make it more adequate, while still leaving spare fabric to neatly tuck her in with. She'd been icy cold to his touch so he figured heating her up again was the first step, and that once she'd regained somewhat of her own body heat again he'd take a closer look at her injuries. And seeing they were in the humid warmth of the jungle it probably wouldn't take too long, so in the meantime Big went out to fill one of his tin buckets full with fresh water and also grabbed a bunch of nice big leafs to use as towels.

Sitting himself down at Amy's bedside, Big then soaked rolled up pieces of leaf in the bucket before then beginning to dap them carefully against her forehead and every other part of her body that was either covered in dried blood or dirt. Since there wasn't much he could do about the now damp dress without disrespecting his friend's integrity, he decided to leave it be and just hope that it didn't conceal any serious injuries. Though he doubted it did anyway seeing as no fresh blood seeped through from anywhere on her torso. The rest of her body was a whole different story however… Big had a hard time training his eyes upon her without feeling that a new set of tears were about to form at the corners of his eyes.

Five long scars accompanied by dark blue bruises wrapped around her throat and neck, as if something very sharp had been holding her in a strangle-like grip. Something similar could also be seen upon her muzzle where a jagged cut stretched from the left corner of her bloated busted lip to her bruised cheek. Someone had definitely slapped her across said cheek and it too were swollen just as bad as the lip. It were also the most tricky area to clean as Big constantly feared his hand might fidget and cause further harm to the cut, which had just barely begun its healing process. And then there was the ankle situation… To the naked eye it was obviously injured judging by the bruising, swelling and abnormal appearance - meaning it was angled in such a way which wouldn't normally be possible without affecting the position of the leg as well. Big stroked two fingers across the ankle, poked it ever so slightly and moved it from side to side without really knowing what he was searching for. Perhaps he expected to feel some sort of bone piece sticking out underneath the skin, but if it did, it was buried too deeply for him to detect by simply stroking the area. Yet he feared that if he pressed too hard it would cause Amy to wake up from the pain of it.

Speaking of which…

When would she wake up?

Having little to none experience in the field of medically correct caretaking or treating severe injuries, Big had a fleeting thought about wether he should've perhaps brought his friend straight to a hospital instead. However, they were deep within the jungle of the Mystic Ruins area and Big owned neither phone or any other device to contact people with. Mostly because that was the way he prefered to live his life - without any of the hustle and bustle of the outside world or any form of modernities. All such things ever did were confuse him, and besides, he'd lived his entire life on the simple values of life and managed just fine. In perfect tranquility and contentment.

In any case, he reckoned she was far too bad shape to travel anywhere as of right now.

Maybe he could go fetch someone to come here instead?

Big knew that the little genius fox known as Tails lived in a workshop located on the outskirts of the Mystic Ruins, near the train station. He was also Amy's brother-in-law and would surely be willing to help, but going all the way there would mean he'd be forced to leave her unattended for at least an hour. And what if she woke up during that time? What if whoever hurt her came looking for her and she were alone? Besides, Tails might not even be at home once he got there, and then how long would Big dare to risk waiting for him before having to return to the hut again? In that case it would have have been all for nothing…

Dabbing a cloth upon her left hand, Big's eyes were drawn to the pretty, golden ring Amy wore on her finger.

Sonic…

Her fiancé.

The world famous hero.

And also a friend of his.

Big had been happy to learn that the two hedgehogs had gotten engaged last year, Amy had even went all the way out to his hut to tell him the news herself. Sonic had been with her as well, and they'd drank a cup of tea together to celebrate. Their shared love shining upon the both of their faces, with her being unable to stop smiling during the entire visit and him barely taking his eyes off of her for more than a few seconds. Nor did he once ever let go off her hand, holding it lovingly in his grasp with their fingers intertwined in a secure lock. Both factors resulting in Sonic spilling tea upon himself as well as the floor several times, and apologizing to Big for it just as many.

It had warmed Big's heart to see one of his closest friend's dream finally come true. That Amy had finally caught her knight in shing armor - as she'd many a times referred to the blue hero as in the past - and that the knight in question seemed to genuinely reciprocate her feelings.

But where on Mobius was he at now?

How come he hadn't been there to protect his princess as always?

Had something similar happened to him?

Big could once again only guess the answers to these questions as he just about finished up cleaing all of the wounds and cuts that covered Amy's body. He covered her with the blanket once more, pulled it all the way up to right below her chin and lastly tucked the edges in. Then he fell back onto his rump, making the wooden plank floor creak underneath his weight as he did.

"Aww, poor Amy…" The big cat commented aloud to himself, something he often did as it had grown to be a habit fater having lived in partial solitude for so many years. His eyelids lowered in sadness with a frown forming in between his eyes which beheld his friend in mild anticipation. "You take your time. I will watch over you until you feel like waking up again."

Silence was all that answered his promise.

Amy remained perfectly still, breathing faintly in and out. Completely unaware of everything that happened around her. Swallowed by an endless darkness that never seemed to want to loosen its grip on her. Despite looking as if she'd just been through hell and back, Big thought there was something awfully peaceful about her expression. Tending to her had almost felt as if he'd been doting upon a particularly fragile porcelain doll, who's usual sweet face had become deformed due to a careless child's mistreatment.

He did a sloppy wipe at a couple of stray tears with his forearm, let out a wistful noise that sounded like a mix between a sigh and a hum, and resigned to patiently waiting for Amy's jade eyes to finally reveal themselves.

Somewhere during the hour that passed, did Big seamlessly nod off, just straight up where he sat. Before awakening again with a small grunt and to the sound of his own stomach rumbling, quite loudly. The fact that he'd skipped breakfast ultimately making itself known, as he realized just how hungry he was. "Not now, little tummy—" Big said, clapping a hand upon his not-so-little stomach. "—Amy is not up yet. You have to be patient."

Although…

Amy would surely be hungry when she awoke, and Big currently didn't have any spare food around the hut. Usually he kept some fruit and dried fish in stock, but since he had a preferance for eating everything fresh, and lived in a way that made so such a preferance could be satisfied, he wasn't too keen on keeping the stock full. And Froggy didn't require any either since he caught all of his food by himself, in form of flies and other bugs that lived around the jungle.

Froggy was, as the name suggested, a frog, which pretty much came and went as he pleased - living a life completely free of feeling any ties to anything or anyone. However, Big on the other hand felt a very strong tie to the little frog and considered him to be his bestest as well as closest friend in the entire world - and valued him accordingly. Despite Froggy's unwavering tendency to slip away on his own - more often than not - Big never ceased to want to be close to his friend and could still after all these years not help but feel slightly worried about him whenever he felt Froggy had been gone for too long. But just like clockwork, his friend did indeed come back every now and again - one way or another.

At present though, Froggy wasn't hopping around the hut, uttering his pleasant little croaks and keeping the place free of flies.

Which was a pity, seeing as Big really could've used his help keeping an eye on Amy for him while he went out to catch them some fish. Because ultimately the big cat just couldn't seem to bring himself to leave her unattened, even if it would've been for just a short period of time. Hungry or not - his rumbling stomach would simply have to hold on a while longer. Though in an attempt to ease the worst of it, Big went over to the nearest tree trunk and carefully carved some pieces of bark off with his pocket knife and put one in his mouth to chew on. It was an old trick he'd done ever since childhood, at the times when there hadn't been too much around to eat for him and his family. He'd had lots of siblings…—

"Sonic…"

Big's train of thought stopped dead in its tracks as the tiniest, most hoarse of whispers reached his ears. He put the knife back in his belt before walking back towards the bed where Amy had began to move around ever so slightly. Her right hand finding its way out from underneath the blanket and grasping at something around her bruised neck - a golden locket. Big hadn't recognized it as he'd been cleaning her cuts before, but now as he took a closer look at it he found it to resemble a heart and that there was a small clasp on the side. Again, he couldn't recall to have ever seen her wearing it last time they'd met a mere month ago, and thus figured she'd probably gotten it fairly recently.

Pretty soon, Amy's vague grasping turned more desperate as she began clutching on to it like her very life depended on it.

In order to calm her down and possibly keep her from strangling herself with the golden chain, Big gently took a hold of her hand, which practically got enveloped into his huge one, and began patting it over and over again. Speaking in the softest of voice he was cabable of— "There, there. Don't worry, everything is all right."

"… Please, don't go…" Came the unconscious reply from Amy, who was still in too deep within herself to fathom that the hand holding hers was perhaps a bit too big than what she was used to.

"I won't." Big promised in complete earnesty, not realizing that the request wasn't neccesarily directed at him, and that his friend had no awareness of him even being there at all.

Yet, after that brief exchange no more word came across Amy's lips as she drifted back into motionless dormancy.

Several uneventful hours passed one after the other all while the sun rose higher and higher upon the sky and Big chewed the next bark piece upon the next. The humidity in the air grew steadily during the entire time and soon after followed all the noise from critters and insects who'd awoken and began to move about up among the trees and within the thick vegetation. Nearby, a flock of frogs began croaking in their usual choir as they hopped and swam around in their little pond of blooming lily pads. A typical early summer morning.

When Big figured it was time to change the soaked leaf upon Amy's forehead again, he suddenly discovered that a terrible heat had broken forth there. It was strange because a mere half an hour ago she'd felt just fine. A little sweaty maybe, but that was to be expected in this jungle climate. Now she was burning up as light shivers went through her body like electric pulsations while her breathing became noticeably heavy. Hoarse, ragged breaths that escaped her mouth as incoherent words got jumbled in between each of them.

"Gone… hurts… please… no… stop..!"

For a good deal of minutes, Big actuvely tried to keep Amy from thrashing around too much and thus keep her from hurting herself, and it seemed to work up until an abrupt jolt shot through her spine and sent her almost rolling out the bed. It was as if some invisible force had slapped her right across the face, forcing her eyes wide open and her senseless thrasing to immediately cease in one swift motion. The following quarter of a second Amy laid perfectly still before her head slowly turned in the direction of Big, who'd managed to hold onto her hand through the ordeal. He gazed with equally wide eyes back at her, greatly surprised at his friend's rather abrupt awakening. The wet leaf having dropped onto the floor amidst it all.

After what felt like forever, Amy finally opened her mouth to utter— "Big…? Is-… is that you..?" Her voice was hoarse and barely reached above the faintest of whisper. Even so, one could clearly hear the obvious confusion and disbelief it carried, as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. That seeing him out of all people simply couldn't be real, for some reason.

"Yes." Big answered casually, having regained his sense of calm just as quickly. There even played a timid smile upon his lips out of the sheer happiness that he was no longer left alone by his worrisome self.

"Am I—" A brief pause passed between them as Amy seemed hesitant to finish her initial question, and instead seemed to decide to change to a different one - or rather several ones to be exact. "Where am I? How am I here? What happened..?"

"I found you in the jungle this morning. You were hurt, but I brought you to my hut to take care of you."

And as she took a hasty look at her surroundings, Amy did indeed recognize Big's modest hut, with its fishing racket and large stump which was used as a table. At the familiar sight, a momentarily sense of peace settled inside her heart. However, it did little to dampen her confusion. "In the jungle..?" She asked slowly, a furrow appearing between her brow as she tried to recall her last concious memory. Distorted mental images of bloodied fists that collided with metal, palm trees that bent against the sheer force of water, a disappearing sky that got swallowed by the darkness of the ocean, a last look at the nothingness before everything seemed to cease to exist. But then there was something else as well… a vague feeling of being pulled up, of floating in the free air, of water being forced out of her system right before an immense pain once more pulled her under.

The aching in her head made it difficult to put any real meaning to these images, and she didn't know how they all connected to one another.

But what Amy knew was that it shouldn't be possible for her to be here, in Big's hut, right now.

She should in fact be dead.

Buried at the bottom of the ocean floor.

Then seemingly out of nowhere for Big, Amy's eyes widened in sudden realization and panic as a strangled, whining noise tore its way up through her throat. She made a poor attempt at sitting up straight, her hands frantically trying to get the blanket off of her. It was as if she'd just been cornered by an enormous beast and she were its prey. "Big..! I-I- I have to go, he's coming.. He's coming to get me… I have to leave… I—.. I can't— It's all my fault..! I have to lea-ve..—!" Beads of sweat broke forth upon her forehead while her body began to tremble so violently that she lost all sense of control over what she was doing or saying. On instinct she pulled up her knees while laying on her side, with the blanket having slid off half way down her body due to the commotion.

Right in that moment, Amy heeded no concern for her heavily bruised and injured body. The pain didn't even register since nothing could compare to the extreme level of fear she felt. The fear that Metal Sonic would show up at any given moment and finish what he'd started back on Angel Island. Although, this time around it wouldn't be the mighty fists of Knuckles that stood in its path, but rather the kindest, most gentle of giants that didn't even so much as swat at flies.

The giant in question, didn't seem too bothered by her outbursts however as he merely treated the situation as if she'd just woken up from having a bad dream. And that said dream carried no consequence into the actual real world.

"Don't worry, no one is gonna get you…" Big began as a means to comfort his friend - to no avail whatsoever. "You're safe now…"

"You don't understand..!" Amy cried with her head buried into her knees, tears pouring out of her eyes. The trembling worsening considerably. "If I don't leave now, he's going to find me and then he'll hurt the both of us. That's what happened to S-So-nic and now Knu-Knuckles.. They got hurt b-because of me… because they tried t-to protect me… and I ca-can't let it happen a-again..! Not again. Not to you…"

"Who will find you?"

Amy could barely force herself to utter the name in her current state, but through gritted teeth and cramped inhales of air the name of one of her worst nightmares faught its way out in the middle of a choked sob— "M-Me-Meta-al S-Sonic…"

At that, Big blinked in surprise as it was not the name he'd expected to hear.

Last time he'd even heard about Metal Sonic had been several years prior when he, Cream and Amy had acted in the name of Team Rose to not only find Cheese the Chao's missing twin brother but also Froggy. Which after a long series of hazardous and accidental events had lead to a big showdown, involving almost all of their other friends, to take down a multiple transformed, heavily upgraded base version of a Metal Sonic.

However, just then a vital piece of information clicked inside Big's mind as he remembered the nearly dismantled robot that had been tangled up alongside Amy back when he'd found her.

So that's why he'd thought it had looked familiar…

"He won't come after you." Big then claimed confidently.

"Big, please, you don't—"

"I know because he was broken when I found you."

Amy's sniffling ceased immediately as soon after her head rose up slowly to meet Big's eyes. She was visibly stunned and her voice came out in whispering breaths once she'd regained herself enough to ask— "Wha- what? There was a Metal Sonic where you found me? But, how? How is that possible, I last saw him when—" A flash of two figures beating upon each other in the dark resurfaced inside her mind, making Amy halt in her own words as the memory seemed to cause her actual physical pain. In that same moment she was also reminded of her broken ankle and the real pain that soared from the fractured area and up along her leg as well as her knee to some degree.

The gruesome noise that belonged to said memory almost made Amy feel nauseous, as she dreaded the moment when she'd be forced to look at the swollen foot as well as the rest of the damage her body had attained from Metal Sonic's abuse on it. She could only imagine how terrible she must look, because she definitaley felt it.

What must Big have thought when he first saw her?

Despite the exact details still being a bit hazy, and despite the painfulness of having to reiterate for the events that had happened during these last couple of weeks and specifically those that had taken place just hours ago. Amy decided it was worth telling Big at least the most essential, in hopes that he too would realize the danger she posed to him and not object to her eventual plans. Because if there were a list of people that didn't have anything to do with this and thus didn't deserve to be dragged in, Big would certainly be near the top of that list. He wasn't a natural born fighter nor was he engaged in the politics or warfare of Mobius, and neither was it to be expected.

He was just the average peace-loving guy who's biggest enjoyment in life was fishing.

Sure, he could enjoy venturing out into the big world on his own some times, but at heart he loved his home and all of its beautiful surroundings the best.

Just as Amy did…

A pang of sorrow hit Amy's heart as she thought of her snug little cottage - her blooming rose garden, her warm cozy bed, her kitchen filling with music from the radio, and the short blissful life she'd been allowed to live there with Sonic for a year. Before everything had fallen apart. Something which had been inevitable already from the start… she just hadn't wanted to see it.

Discarding such thoughts for later, Amy drew a big breath before exhaling slowly through her nose. Preparing herself, as well as her damaged vocal cords, for the task of speaking for a longer period of time than what was neccesary for just a few sentences. But surprisingly enough - once she'd began the words seemed to flow right out of her like a pouring river. She talked and Big listened, waiting patiently whenever she had to pause because she needed to cough or simply steady her breathing. Once she neared the end of her story, namely this night's/early morning's events, she had a hard time holding back her tears and as she finished she was left sitting crying again.

"—So that's— wh-why it's dangerous f-for m-me to— stay he-here." Amy concluded between sobbing hiccups, as she fruitlessly tried to remain calm. Her heart had started racing several times during the story while the reliving of her worst nightmare had taken a great toil on her. Truth be told, she felt as if she were on the brink of losing her mind. So much hurt, so much worry and fear for the ones she loved, and wondering where they were at this very minute and if they were all right still haunted her subconsciousness. And now she had the added mystery of Metal Sonic's presence in the jungle, as well as her inexplicable escapement of her own death to ponder upon.

Big hadn't offered much else information on either of those matters as he knew just as little as she did about how they had came to happen.

They spent a few minutes in contemplating silence, both mulling over their own thoughts until Amy finally broke it. Stating the following with such a broken and hoarse voice that it was hard to take her seriously— "I'll leave for Central City and the G.U.N. headquarter within two hours. I don't know if Sonic or Tails will be there but going off Sonic's letter it's the only lead I've got. And even if they're not there I can at least tell the Commander or anybody else that'll listen what happened upon Angel Island. That it'll need extra protection until Robotnik's caught now that he's sent a Metal Sonic there. It's about the Master Emerald, after all, they'll simply have to." She paused for a second before seeming to be struck with a sudden realization. "Of course, Shadow..! Shadow will want to listen to me. He understands how important it is to not let Robotnik get his hands on the Emerald, and make sure it, Angel Island and Knuckles is gets the protection that's needed. Maybe he could even ensure the Rabbit's safety, too. If I can just get ahold of him when I get there I will have at least done one thing right, and given my friends a chance…"

Amy had spoken more to herself than to Big, still he spoke up once her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go anywhere right now, Amy."

"Big, don't you see? I have to. The others - Cream, Cheese and Vanilla..— The Chaotix, maybe - they need whatever protection they can get. I can't just sit here and do nothing while they could get hunted down by one of those Metal Sonics any given day. Robotnik won't hesitate to hurt anyone anymore, and if he thinks getting to them will somehow give him me and then ultimately Sonic - he'll do so..!"

"You are very hurt."

"It doesn't matter, I can still help..! Sonic would want me to—" But then Amy's voice faltered as she was suddenly reminded of the letter he'd left her, where he'd begged her to under no circumstances leave Angel Island. Although… did any of that even matter anymore? Hadn't everything changed the exact same moment Metal Sonic had attacked and indirectly forced the hand of destiny? The illusion she'd lived under that she'd been totaly safe while being there had obvioulsy only turned out to just that - an illusion. A false sense of security she'd been lulled into.

What had ultimately been proven was that Knuckles had been right in his suspicions that Robotnik most likely wanted her dead as a means to get to Sonic.

And if that were true then no one would be able to protect her… least of all herself.

"I think Sonic wants you to be safe - and right here you are safe." Big reasoned, putting it as simply as if he were explaining why one plus one equals two. "You don't have to do anything. Just stay."

"Big…" Amy whispered, feeling how her courage slowly left her as the realization of her situation finally sank in. She couldn't help anyone, if anything she put everyone around her at risk by simply being within a close enough radius from them. She was the danger. A diseased person who's only symptom was death. And even if what Big told her was correct, that the robotic doppelganger was laying somewhere within the outskirts of the jungle right this very moment, broken beyond all repair - It still made no difference. Nothing had changed. The Metal Sonic that had attacked Angel Island last night hadn't been the first - the original so to say - and certainly not the last. And how long before Robotnik realized his attempts at kidnapping her via them were fruitless and instead sent heavier artillery to get her, or Chaos forbid, one of her other friends.

Knuckles… He'd already ended up in harm's way, and perhaps he was only the first on a long list of all the ones she loved to do so. A numbing pain spread through her body when she thought about her echidna friend and the memories from their last look at one another flashed before her inner eye. He'd said he didn't need her, ordered her to run and then turned all his attention to pummeling Metal.

But if said robot laid somewhere in the jungle right now, then what had happened to Knuckles?

Had his fight with Metal turned out for the worst?

Had the tidal wave that swept her up, also taken Metal while Knuckles had managed to clamber onto something solid enough to withstand the wave's enormous force?

Or were he too dragged into the ocean and now rested at the bottom of it?

No… That was too much to think about, too horrible to even be considered as an actual possibility. Somehow, Knuckles just had to be alive and well, because the alternative would simply make Amy cease to function, leaving her with nothing but immense guilt, self-hatred and despair. And then she wouldn't be able to go on, and thus do what she had to do in order to keep the remaining people in her life from facing the same fate.

Suddenly she didn't even wish to see Sonic again. For wherever he was right now it was sure to be safer than here with her. Perhaps she should feel grateful that he'd taken the neccessary means to leave her in time, before he or Tails had fallen victim for one of Robotnik's arrows that were dead targeted at her. Sonic had already been close once during the first few days of their reunion, but being the indestructable creature that he was he'd pulled through that time. However, what was it that Knuckles had said that night when he'd found her in the jungle?

"—he's not invinsible. I understand if It might be hard to remember sometimes, when you see him do all those heroic deeds and using the power of Chaos to turn himself Super. Still, at the end of the day he's an ordinary guy that could just as easily end up hurt as you or me, and given the stakes he's up against… This time he might not see it through. This time there may not be a fake Choas Emerald to save him. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

And perhaps Amy hadn't understood the full width of that statement at the time.

But she thought she did now.

Sooner or later - whether it was mere days from now or many several years into the future - … Sonic's luck would run out. And seeing as she was currently, and perhaps always had been, his biggest of liabilities - it suddenly appeared painfully obvious that she would be the cause of his ultimate demise. For hadn't he himself proclaimed as much when he'd proposed to her? "—And I promise to always protect you, for as long as my heart shall beat… To love you forever, til' the very end of time - and then beyond." Though it hadn't been her death that he'd been alluding to, but his own. Til' the very end of time was simply a metaphor. A metaphor that masked the recognition he knew to be true in regards to how he knew their relationship worked - he would protect her for as long as his heart shall beat…

Because it wasn't Sonic that needed protection. He had the power to take down literal gods, defeat enormous monsters and take on every adversary that came in his path… except for her.

Therefore she would be the end of him.

Never before had anything ever been as crystal clear as that very sentiment.

And it was a pain worse than anything Amy had ever experienced in her entire life. Worse than the first realization of her parents' abandonment of her as a child. Worse than watching half of Station Square get destroyed. Worse than feeling all the life get sucked out of her as well as the world around her. And even worse than Sonic leaving her upon Angel Island, becuase of that she felt nothing but relief for now. In all honesty, he should've left her much sooner…

Big, who knew nothing of what transpired within Amy's mind right then and who took her silence as a sign of her resignating to stay, gave her a warm smile and a light pat on the top of her head. "Don't you worry, Amy. Everything will turn out fine." He reassured with undoubtable confidence in his voice. "Sonic will put it all right again - he always does, you know." However, he recieved no answer as Amy merley continued to cry silently, having hidden her face in her hands and then buried her head into her knees once more. "There, there… shed as many tears for as long as you need to. I won't leave you."

And just as before, Big kept to his promise.

Wrapping Amy's shivering form in the blanket, Big and her then sat huddled together in silence while the minutes dragged themselves forward.

What ultimately interrupted the drawn-out stillness was maybe not so unexpectably a rumbling growl. The loudest of growls that rose from within Big's stomach, making the two friends almost jump at the abrupt sound of it. But for two completely different reasons.

"Oops, uh, sorry…" Big said with an apologetic smile. "My tummy is missing breakfast."

Amy wiped the frozen tears off of her cheeks and gave him a concerned look. "You haven't eaten yet?"

"Well, I ate some bark before."

"Bark? Why? Didn't the fish bite today?"

"I don't know, I didn't find out because I had to watch over you."

The realization that Big had went without any proper food because he felt obligated to keep an eye on her didn't exactly ease Amy's bad concious. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a warm wave of affection towards her friend, moved almost back to tears by his inherent kindness. "Oh, Big… I'm so sorry. That was very kind of you, but you shouldn't go hungry just because of me. I can manage on my own while you go fishing. Please do, I'm already a big enough of a burden as it is."

At that, Big took a moment to think, possibly about her proposition. But once he opened his mouth to speak again it wasn't in regard to going fishing. "You are no burden, Amy."

The smile that stretched across Amy's face was weak and didn't reach her eyes, yet she tried to keep her voice as steady and casual as possible as she replied— "Thank you. But go on now - catch us some real big ones for breakfast, alright? And don't feel like you need to hurry back, I'll probably just fall back asleep while you're gone."

Normally, Big wouldn't think anything of such a comment, mainly because he wasn't of the suspicious kind. Still as of right now, something deep within his subconcious told him that leaving Amy alone was a bad idea. That's why, in the next second, he instead heard himself suggesting— "Why don't you come with me then. After all, it's double the fun when you're two."

Obvious reluctance shone upon Amy's face as she lowered her eyes and sat quiet for a brief moment. "Big, I—… I don't think I can make it to the ocean, what with my ankle and all…" Though as soon as those words left her lips she found herself lifted up from the bed, the blanket still clad around her, and into the arms of her tall friend. She'd been carried by Big multiple times before, even sat upon his shoulder alongside Cream as he'd walked, but she'd been a lot younger back then and most likely a lot lighter too. And so, for a fraction of a second she felt a giddy sense of nostalgia go through her mind while a short giggle escaped her as she were placed securely on the top of Big's left shoulder. "Big..!" She breathed out, clambering onto the side of his head with one arm while one of her hands clasped onto his long left-ear in an attempt to steady herself. Though it quickly turned out to be pointless as after having picked up his favorite fishing rod from his rack and throwing it across his other shoulder, Big then proceeded to raise his hand up to hold behind Amy's back, thus giving her extra support and also preventing her from potentially falling. Which was probably necessary considering her current condition.

"Come on, let's go, Amy!" Big proclaimed as loud and happy as ever.

"O-okay..!"

While alternating between whistling and humming, Big walked them both through the jungle, but this time via a path that on one hand took longer time - almost a full fifteen minutes - but which was easier to navigate when having someone sitting on top of your shoulder. Making sure to avoid any overgrown passages and shielding Amy from vines and scraping branches and such, the best he could. Once the vegetation thinned out and one could catch glimpse of the beach and ocean through the trees, Big's heart took its usual instinctive leap inside his chest.

However, the sight that met them wasn't that of the the always so neat and tidy shore.

The water level had risen a significant amount while the golden sand had been covered in various seashells of odd shapes and colors as seaweed laid scattered in small heaps. The wide, flat rock Big usually sat upon while fishing and which stood a bit ways out into the water was entirely underneath the sea level. And if one looked more closely one would find that all the palm trees along the shoreline looked a bit crooked, as if a big force of wind or something had recently bent them. The gentle waves that rolled halfway up the beach was the only thing that could be seen as the ordinary. Big heard Amy let out a soft gasp under her breath, as a shudder traveled up her spine. Her reaction seeming quite odd to the large cat since this really wasn't too strange of an occurance. The beach looked similar to how it could look the morning after a really nasty storm had swept through the area.

Even if he couldn't recall there actually being a storm last night…

"Maybe a whale did a huge splash with its fin..!" Being Big's response to Amy's unspoken question.

She in turn nodded her head slowly as her evasive tone went unnoticed by Big. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right."

"Well, anyway, let's catch that fish now, hm?" He lowered her carefully onto the sand, where she ended up sitting with her blanket tightly wrapped around her frame and her legs stretched out in front of her. The waves just about reaching up to her feet, washing the golden grains from between her toes. It tickled her ever so slightly, and Big smiled as he witnessed a peaceful expression settle upon Amy's face little by little as each wave came rolling in.

Figuring his friend needed some space, Big decided to walk a few feet away before placing his rump comfortably upon the ground and began prepping and fixing with his fishing rod. He turned the lever of the reel a couple of times and it seemed to work perfectly, and the line was clean and sturdy. Since he preferred fishing without any bait on, he left the hook as it was when he soon after made his first cast with the rod.

And so began the tranquil act of fishing, with Big leaning back slightly as his eyelids lowered while he basked in the early morning light. The golden rays gradually warming up his deep purple fur, resulting in a sigh of content to escape him. "Any time you're ready, fishies…" Big mused to himself, feeling the usual drowsiness fall upon him. Considering that he from now on would have a an extra mouth to feed, he figured he needed to catch double the amount of fish - both for breakfast and dinner. For lunch they could surely make do with fruit from the jungle, and he also made a mental note of restocking his supply of cocconuts. Because as long as Amy needed him, he would make sure to provide her with anything and everything that her heart may desire.

"Yes, anything she wants…" Big muttered under his breath, right before a light snore replaced any further talk and he slumped where he sat.

Meanwhile, Amy was in the midst of unwrapping the heavy blanket from around her body, since the warm weather made it unnecessary for her to keep wearing it. And underneath her dress had just about dried up enough, though it wasn't a pretty sight that met her eyes as she glanced down to inspect its condition. The scarlet dress that Sonic had secretly packed for her and which she'd decided to wear for her little feast with Knuckles yesterday was barely recognizable anymore. Its darker shaded trim was barely visiable due to the tattered state of the bottom, and had gone from reaching below her knees to now ending up at the middle of her thighs. The rest of the dress fabric still held together pretty well around her figure, even if it was greatly sullied by dirt for the most part. She then reached a hand up to inspect the state of her quills and discovered that it felt slightly thinner in certain places, possibly due to Metal pulling her along the ground by it, and there was a small bump near her forehead. Her swollen lip and cheek both held a certain numb, buzzing pain and her left hand, where Metal's foot had stomped down, hurt when she even so much as bent her fingers.

At the moment, Amy cared very little - if anything - about her current apperance, as it was the aching and bruised state of her body that tormented her more. Especially her broken left ankle, seeing as it would soon be utmost necessary for her to put weight on it.

All other pain would simply have to be endured or ignored.

Through the shimmering translucent water, Amy observed just how swollen her ankle and foot was, but she also caught sight of the anklet Knuckles had gifted her the previous evening. And despite it not even being more than twelve hours ago, it felt like an eternity had passed since then. Since the two of them had shared a rare moment of joy - a distraction from being constantly aware of that everything around them was slowly falling apart. And now yet another piece had fallen and shattered into a thousand pieces. Pieces which Amy, with bleeding hands, would try her hardest to somehow put back together again.

In an attempt to distract herself from her brooding, Amy refocused her attention back on the anklet, watching as the sun's rays brought forth the muted colors of the stones and made them glimmer ever so faintly. It truly was beautiful… and had it not been for the fact that she was already fresh out of tears, as well as very dehydrated, she would've probably started crying just from the sight of it.

No, no more tears…

Glancing farther out at the wide bay that surrounded them, Amy noticed the heavy mist that laid like a thick fog upon the water and covered her line of sight. One couldn't even see the horizon.

For a fleeting second, Amy wondered if this was a normal occurrence, but since Big hadn't commented on it she guessed it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Tails would've surely had a scientific explanation for it.

Despite knowing it was fruitless, her fingers then began fidgeting with the wrist communicator which had miraculously managed to stay on during all this time since she'd first strapped it on. However, this time around not even the static blue screen appeared, meaning that it was now probably totaly busted. Still, Amy just couldn't bring herself to remove the thing from her wrist and throw it into the water. Because if she did, it would be like cutting off one of the few comforts she had left at the moment. And being reminded of her sweet brother-in-law, despite having no idea where he was at or if he was at all safe, actually brought her some courage.

… But what if he really was in worse shape than her right now?

No, I can't think about that right now.

Amy quickly discarded the thought, forcing herself to refocus back on the present and her surroundings…

The coral water nearest shore looked very inviting, laying almost as still as a mirror with only the gentle rippling waves breaking the stillness now and again. And Amy almost had half a mind of dragging herself deeper into it when she suddenly felt her stomach twist at the thought of doing so. Having nearly drowned just hours ago, she didn't feel any rush to get back into the water any time soon. However, she hoped she hadn't permanently lost her joy for swimming, and that it would come back in due time. If not, she and Sonic would have one more thing in common…

Then, in a single unguarded second, her unscathed hand clasped the golden locket. It, too, seemed to have withstood the absue she'd endured during the night, and as she carefully stroked her thumb across its surface it felt just as smooth as it had when Sonic had first put it around her neck. A smile sneaking its way onto her muzzle as she remembered how his gentle fingers had fidgeted with the clasp… How nervous he'd been when he'd presented it for her… And then how happy he'd been as she'd accepted it…

Sonic… my darling Sonic…

So instead of forcing herself to venture into the sea's deep end, Amy remained at her shallow part, splashing her body with water in an effort to clean some of the worst sweat, blood and dirt off. It took a good while, since she was being rather thorough, and during that time Big jolted awake several times - pulling up one fish after another, all of which he put in his water-filled bucket. Once Amy was done and Big decided that they had enough fish to manage for a while, they set off back to the hut. With Big's shoulders carrying Amy on one side and the rod on the other while he merrily swung the brimming full bucket in his hand.

Once they'd come roughly halfway home, Amy asked all of a sudden— "Hey, Big..? Do you think you could show me the place where you found me? If it's no bother, of course." She didn't quite know why she wanted to see it, or why it even mattered to her at all. But for some reason she felt the need to witness Metal Sonic's supposed dismantled body with her own eyes - maybe for the sake of her own inner peace…

"Okay." Big naturally didn't come with any objections as he simply began steering his steps in another direction, leading them into the much more overgrown parts of the jungle.

At seemingly no time at all, they reached a small clearance within the vegetation, where the grass and bushes had been flattened by a heavy metal body tangled up in vines. Amy quietly requested for Big to lower her down onto the ground and so she once more stood before the single most frequent object of her nightmares. Then, as careful as if she'd been afraid that the blood red eyes would appear upon its cracked eye vision, she limped closer, fell onto her knees and stared at it with emotionless eyes. Behind her eyes though, and far inside her wildly beating heart, an impulse to turn around and flee gripped her senses. Adrenaline shot through her veins and her breathing turned quick and shallow as she reached out a trembling hand to lay upon the deep dent in Metal's head. One could almost precisely trace the outline of Knuckles' fist in the dent, see where his sharp knuckles had pierced through and hear the crackling noise of bending metal.

As if one cue, her subconscious called forth the horrid memory of Metal's eerie voice as he'd sang—

Ring around the rosie…

A pocket full of posies…

Ashes… Ashes… We all fall…—

Down.

Just then, as if the metal underneath her fingers had suddenly turned burning hot, Amy quickly drew her hand back before practically throwing herself backwards. Away from Metal Sonic. And away from the gruesome memories he evoked.

Within the blink of an eye, the world around her warped out of focus and became dark and threatening. Red eyes glared at her from every corner as heavy rain drenched her from top to bottom. Except that it wasn't water that fell upon her, but hot thick blood. The dumb nursery rhyme soon began blasting in her ears while she fruitlessly tried to block it out, covering her ears and rolling up into fetal position upon the crumbling ground. Then suddenly Knuckles' voice cut through everything and pierced straight into her heart - his screams of agony raising higher and higher with each passing second.

In rapid order several other screams followed suit - all belonging to people she loved.

Cream's…

Tails'…

Vanilla's…

Sonic's…

They were dying, their blood hailed from the skies above and pulled Amy under, burying her at a seabed of despair. Of utter loneliness and fright.

We all fall down.

Claws gripped around her wrists, forcing her to remain still at the bottom with no chance of breaking free and ever reaching the surface again. There was no escape. No one to help her. And no one who would miss her once she finally let the blood consume her entire being. It was like drowning all over again, only this time Metal Sonic had followed her underneath the surface, and was tearing and pulling at her arms…

"No, no, please..! Leave me alone..!" Amy whimpered with her eyes screwed shut, as she faught with every ounce of her strength to break free from her captor's hold. "No, no, no..! Please! Let go off me..! Let me go! Let me die..!"

"Amy, it's me." Big's calm voice called - cutting through the screams, through the agony and through the eerie singing.

And like a hard smack to the face, Amy was rudely brought back into reality. But this time she found no relief in waking up from her delusions… just an empty feeling settling itself inside her gut… she'd also become very, very nauseous. "B-B-Big…" She stammered, locking eyes with her friend as if he were the sole thing that kept her alive.

As if he were all she had left in the world.

"Are you okay?"

She was back upon Big's shoulder before she'd even realized he had taken her into his arms. A shaky breath escaped her lips as she swallowed hard and tightened a secure grip around his neck. "Y-yes… Yes, I'm fine, but we sh-should go n-now. Please, take us back to the hut, I think I need to lay down for a bit."

Without another word, she felt the ground beneath them being set in motion.

Once back, Big prepared a meal for them, consisting of a grilled fish each and some fruit that grew near by, and which he'd collected why waiting for the fish to get ready.

Big, who's belly was only filled with bark, gobbled down portion upon portion, while Amy, who's latest meal had been with Knuckles last night, merely poked in hers. When her friend had shot forth a plate filled with grilled fish, she had only discreetly scrunched up her nose at the smell and sensed how the nausea from before slowly began creeping up on her again. They were seated around the wide stump, sitting on the bare wooden planks since Big lead a very spartan philosophy when it came to furniture, and just owning things in general. Apart from the large bed, fishing racket and stump there were nothing else to indicate that someone actually lived in the small bungalow-type hut.

Not that Amy minded, she was since long used to it and there actually was a certain charm to the sparse interior and overall openess. Although, as of right now, she wished she could've stepped into a different room. If only to just be allowed to silently fall apart in private.

But she knew there was no time for any of that.

Fueled by her nightmarish vision, Amy was more determined than ever to do what she ought've done the minute she woke up. What had been brewing in the back of her mind ever since she'd been back upon Angel Island and realized just what a danger she posed to everyone. The next step however wouldn't be easy, nor would it be painless…

Figuring she needed to play her part well and without raising suspicion, she plastered her face with what she hoped was a passable smile and then forced down the portion of food Big had served her. Ignoring the wild protests that her stomach screamed at her as each oily bite of fish came down her throat after the next. For good meassure she also gulped down the water of a coconut Big had split in two, but offered the meat to her friend. "As compensation for making you to eat bark before." Amy said, with a light-hearted tone as she reached him her coconut half which he accepted, wearing a grin of his own.

"Thanks, I was hungrier than I thought..!"

"Again - sorry about that."

"It's all right. That's what friends are for."

At that, Amy faught hard not to recognize the nasty sting in her heart.

"Speaking of which… I really want to say how grateful I am for all that you've done for me, Big. If it hadn't been for you, I would've probably caught pneumonia or something while laying out there tangled up in all that mess." She paused briefly as she envisioned the scenario where she, instead of waking up to the kind eyes of Big, had been face to face with the demolished head of Metal Sonic. An instinctive shiver actually ran down her spine at the thought of it. Thus she quickly cleared her throat and continued with an earnest voice— "You saved me, you really did… And i'm lucky to have someone as you as my friend. I mean you're really something else - something absolutely extraordinary - you know that, right?"

The wide smile upon Big's face then got accompanied by a hint of pink appearing on each of his cheeks as his eyes lit up.

"Aw, shucks… I— eh, ehehe…!" He chuckled softly, well softly for being Big that is, before raising up a fist to wipe away a sudden tear at the corner of his right eye. "That's nice of you… But you don't need to thank me, you're more than welcome."

A moment of silence then passed between them, as Big recovered from his own swelling emotions and Amy gently patted his large hand from across the table.

"And you know what? You were right about me not leaving. Still… do you think you could do me one last favor?"

"A favor? What, do you need me to get you anything?"

"No, nothing like that, it's just… about what I said before - about warning the people at G.U.N. and asking Shadow to make sure the others are protected… I do realize now that it was silly of me to think I could make my way there right now, but…—" Amy bit her lip, thinking to herself before continuing— "I figured I could still send a letter to them - to Shadow - and explain the situation. That way you could then just go and post the letter at the post box on the train station near Tails's workshop. Would you do that for me, please, Big?"

A barely noticeable shadow of a doubt clouded Big's expression for a couple of seconds, making Amy's heart skip a beat, until an understanding look replaced his hesitation. In the next moment he nodded eagerly and almost knocked the stomp over in his haste to pull something out from underneath his bed. It turned out be a rather large tin box, which when he opened the lid revealed to be filled to the brim with various little knick knacks Big had probably deemed worthy to keep throuhout his life. However, what he pulled out from inside was none of the beautifully shaped seashells or polaroid photos, but—

"Remember these?" Big asked, placing a stack of paper sheets as well as some empty envelopes in front of Amy upon the stump. And Amy sure did remember. It was a set of fine stationary she'd gifted him on his birthday maybe two years ago, scented with lavender which - as she lifted an envelope to her nose - still lingered upon the smooth surface. Though it seemed as if Big hadn't had much use of his gift as there were still a fair amount of envelopes left.

But now that she thought about it… perhaps it made sense. Seeing as Amy and he never communicated via letter nor did he and Cream, as far as she knew. So then who was left?

Their other friends?

Family…?

Maybe she'd just assumed that it would be put to use when in reality Big had maybe never even sent a single letter in all of his life.

"Yeah, I do." Amy said, her smile wavering only ever so slightly. "Mind if I borrow a piece of paper and an envelope?"

"Nope, go ahead…" Big encouraged, his attention already shifting to something else his eye had caught sight of inside the box.

"Thanks."

It took a good while for Amy to put her racing thoughts into words and then in turn put said words onto paper in a way that would be somewhat comprehendible for the reader. Which in this case would hopefully turn out to be Shadow, if it ever actually reached him at all, that is. Perhaps it would merely be read by whichever G.U.N. employe's hands it ended up in first. If so… how much information would be wise of her to disclose? But then she remembered that it hardly mattered anymore. Because if Sonic was currently working with them, as he'd hinted at in his letter, they surely knew most of what had been going on this last month. Or was Sonic making sure to keep certain things hidden from their knowledge, as well?

Probably, yes.

Sonic wasn't one to flaunt sensitive pieces of information to just about anyone - least of all to G.U.N. .

But Amy wasn't trying to decieve anyone. She just wanted help in keeping her loved ones safe while Robotnik seemed to be grasping at every last straw that could potentionally lead to her demise. For who knew how long it would take to get the Doctor locked up and secured behind bars? It could be anything from mere days away to months. And if everything else failed and she somehow ended up unlucky, the letter would at least reach its destination.

So she wrote like her very life depended on it.

Wrote as if it actually were Shadow she was communicating with. Ending the letter with "Love, Amy Rose" and then folding it up and putting it in the envelope which she adressed to "Agent. Shadow the Hedgehog" before lastly sealing the envelope all together. It wasn't much, but it was something. She still planned on arriving at the Headquarter before the letter, either way, so hopefully no one would ever even have to see it.

Now to only make sure Big left with it as soon as possible…

Although, as Amy finally looked up again, she noticed that Big sat idle, glancing down at a photo which he held cupped in his hand. The expression upon his face stirred by distant memories that seemed to have swallowed him whole. "… Big? You all right?" She asked before taking a peek inside the tin box, and as she saw the small stack of photos that laid at the bottom, her expression softened. They were mostly depicting herself, Cream and Cheese, and Big on various outings together - riding their extreme gear, enjoying a day at the beach, celebrating birthdays, or simply them fishing around a range of different locations. However, she couldn't figure why any of photos would bring forth such a reaction from Big - who was known to always keep his mood up even at the worst of times.

The large cat in question, looked up as soon as he heard her voice, wordlessly reached her the photo in his hand and then drew his gaze down to the contents of the tin box once more.

What Amy came to face with was a photo which was signigicantly older and more tattered than any of the other ones. But what really made her let out a barely audible gasp of surprise was what was depicted on it. For in black and white, and slightly out of focus there stood a group of people - crowded together to all fit within the camera's focus - who couldn't be any less than Big's family. One taller cat sat in an armchair surrounded by a bunch of smaller ones - varying in a wide range of different sizes and colors, but all with the same yellow eyes and big smiles. Still, if Amy looked closely she could make out that what appeared to be the eldest of the children held a undeniable resemblances to that of the grown version sitting opposite her.

The Big in the photo couldn't be any older than eight, possibly nine, and yet somehow he still towered over the rest of the bunch. Another thing was that he, along with what she assumed to be Big's mother, didn't wear the same big smiles, or at least could their smiles have been mistaken for plastered on grimaces. Like they were wearing ill fitting masks that poorly concealed what they probably were feeling on the inside at that very moment. And maybe on some subconcious level did Amy recognize that exact expression they both wore, because she'd carried it herself a long, long time ago. In a life she could barely remember anymore. A life before Sonic - where she'd simply existed but not quite lived, because he'd been the one who'd awoken the princess from her eternal slumber. Finally brought her life meaning.

The expression had something to do with the polar opposite of that notion.

It bore witness of loss and sorrow.

Of being without guidence.

A feeling of being utterly and totally lost.

Where are your parents?

Orphanaged at such a young age. How sad.

Go home to your mother and father, why dontcha'?

"I can't."

"Huh? Did ya say something, Amy?" Big looked up from the box and gazed at her, perfectly calm.

Amy blinked. Had she just said that aloud?

Hastily, she cleared her throat and pointed at the boy in the photo. "Sorry, I said; is this you? And your siblings, and your m-mother?" Despite it being pretty obvious, it felt weird not to at least ask first, since Amy had never really pondered over Big's family situation before. She guessed she'd just assumed he'd always been an orphan which, now that she thought about it, was a most foolish thing to assume. For neither she, Knuckles, Tails or Sonic were naturally born alone by themselves or out of thin air. There had undoubtably at one point been two people who - at best - had loved each other and - again, at best - wanted to have a child together. With them turning out as the results…

"Yup, that's them." Big answered, catching Amy's attention again.

"I didn't—… I mean, I didn't know you had so many brothers and sisters growing up. How many are there?" But before Amy could even begin to count, she recieved the answer within the blink of an eye.

"I had seven sisters and five brothers."

Had.

A past tense…

Amy's stomach twisted up again while she felt as if she'd just aged several years, feeling very, very tired and hollow all at once. She couldn't bare ask the question that hung between herself and Big like a fluttering red curtain, and instead heard herself respond with a seemingly bizarre reflection—

"It must've been hard getting them all food."

Big merely shrugged his shoulders. "Well, fishing wasn't always just a hobby."

And then, Amy just couldn't hold herself together anymore. The dam inside her broke, unleashing a flood of pent up emotions that rushed forth underneath her skin. Destroyed her defenses and colored her cheeks deep scarlet as her eyes glazed over. "Oh, Big… I'm so sorry, I had no idea. It couldn't have been easy for you."

"I reckon it's not easy for anyone, but we all have to go through life the best we can and not turn around too often and be sad about what we may have lost." There was no sadness or bitterness in Big's voice, but rather a simple, matter-of-factly tone lacing his every word. A fleeting silence of mutual understanding then passed between them, until Big's hand gently landed upon the top of Amy's head, patting it lightly as he smiled that famous broad smile of his. "Because I was lucky enough to get a second family, and I'm happy for that."

And so they joined in a hearty breeze of a laughter, that carried both the light and the dark.

The heavy and the easy.

The sorrows and the joys.

And when Big soon after took the envelope in his hand and promised to hurry back as quickly as he could, Amy first caught him in a long hug. A hug she wished would never have had to end and simply went on forever. That she'd never have to let go and abandon its comfort - to not leave behind his kindness and warmth. She wanted to be one of those children in the faded photograph - small and carefree, and have a claim to Big and thus rightfully be under his protection.

But alas… Amy held no such claim.

She wasn't a child anymore, and the longer she stayed with Big the bigger was the risk of putting him in harm's way.

And he couldn't protect her.

No one could.

That was the most important fact she would have to come to terms with.

Once Big had disappeared amongst the trees and set off towards the Mystic Ruins train station, Amy allowed herself ten minutes to get ahold of herself. Plus, if Big for some reason decided to turn back or felt like he'd forgotten something, she wouldn't have left too early and risen his suspicion. So she used the time efficiently - took another lavender scented paper from the tin box and scribbled down a short message for Big, leaving it on the bed for him to find. Scoured up the sturdiest stick she could find to use as a walking stick in order to reduce the amount of preassure she would have to put on her foot. Since there was nothing that could be done to either cover up herself with in regards to clothes or shoes, she figured she'd just have to stick it out and try not to cause anymore tears in her dress. And as for her feet they would simply have to endure, as well.

Then, while only slightly wobbling on her feet and with the walking stick in a firm grip, Amy took one last look at the hut.

"It's not too late to change your mind…" A tiny voice seemed to whisper in her ear as a barely fathomable gust of wind trickled through the thick jungle grove. But she didn't waste a single second on even thinking about reconsidering her decision.

Instead, Amy turned around and took the first step towards her own impending demise.

---

"What's that Sweetheart - one hundred thousand rings for digging up just one guy?!"

Vector had been sitting in his usual leaned back position, but now he sat with his back hunched forward over the desk with the phone reciever practically inside his large yap. He was wearing a most jittery expression upon his face as one could almost see the thousands of imaginary golden rings dance across his vision.

There followed a pause as the person on the other end of the line answered something. To which Vector replied even louder back—

"Dead or alive, uh huh… Yes, of course Swee—err, I mean Ma'am..! Wherever that lil' sneak is hiding we'll be sure to find him, haha! That's the Chaotix Detective Agency's very motto, in fact - 'Dead or alive, we'll deliver'!"

However, Vector quickly fell back in his arm chair as soon as another reply came, apparently more stern than previously.

"What was that—? Oh… Well, yes of course, Ma'am, we all hope that your, uh, dear husband is still alive and kicking. … Yes certainly…"

Just then, the door to the office opened and in came a lean figure, carrying a poster under his arm while having both of his hands shoved deeply inside the pockets of his leather racer-styled jacket. The person in question was none other than Espio, Vector's companion, who entered the room with his usual smooth dignity, sliding up to the desk and tossing the poster upon it within one and the same breath. Vector, who was too busy listening in on what the person in his ear were saying, merely gave him a hasty sideways glance before finally seeming to be able to end the call. Shouting his last words with renewed enthusiasm that bordered on sounding hysterical—

"Well, don't you worry, our very best - top! - detectives are starting to investigate the case this very minute! … Yes — Buh bye now, Ma'am, and keep those rings ready cause you'll have your lesser half back faster than you can say— Crackers!"

And just like that the call ended. With a loud laugh erupting from his mouth, Vector smacked the receiver back down in its place before throwing his hands behind his head and taking a spin around in his chair.

"Good news, I presume?" Espio inquired, already having an inkling of the answer based on Vector's more than pleased expression.

"Good? Ha! With the sum I just got offered we could be on our way to early retirement by tomorrow..! Well, almost anyway…" Vector added that last part once he remembered that the kinda life he envisioned he'd lead after retirement would probably require a bit more than a mere couple of hundred thousands. Either way, that notion did little to damped his mood as he still looked as if he'd just won the highest of jackpots. He nearly stumbled over his own words in his haste to tell Espio all of the information about their latest case. "You see, this lady— ehh—" He threw a quick glance down at the notepad he'd taken notes on during the call before continuing. "— a Mrs. Lowe, wants us to track down her husband that dissappeared without any heads up about four days ago. And we ain't talking about just any regular guy either but—"

"Let me guess - Jae Lowe, managing director at one of the largest banks in all of the United Federation. Correct?"

"Man, how'd you—"

"One must have at least base knowledge of all of the current hot shots of society in our profession."

"Right… So, anyway - the missus has naturally reported him as missing to the police, but according to their investigations no one at his work nor relatives has had any contact with Lowe since the day before his dissapperance. And he apparently didn't have any plans on traveling somewhere. No witnesses. No answering on his phone which was later tracked to a alleyway, where it'd supposedly been ditched into a nearby dumpster. Aaand the last person to have seen him is possibly the wife when he left for the bank on the morning of his disappearance."

"He never reached work?"

"Nope." Vector answered, smacking his lips while bending even further back in his seat. "So… watcha thinking? The wife seems to be hell bent on that it is a case of a kidnapping, but says that the police is dubious and 'prioritizes all the wrong things'."

"I see. Well, what makes her so sure Mr. Lowe's been kidnapped then, and if so why not let the police handle it?"

"Well, apparently the guy has been dealing with some dirty business on the side for a good couple of years now, if ya' catch my drift… So, eh, the wife don't wanna involve the police more than absolute necessary."

"Which lead her to us." Espio concluded tersely. "Of course."

"Ey'! Save it, all right! Money's money, it don't matter who's it coming from - and those bills here ain't gonna start paying themselves any time soon." Vector grasped at a chunk of unopened envelopes that laid scattered across the desk before discarding them into a drawer and then closing it with a rough shove.

"Trust me, I know..." Espio muttered under his breath, before resigning to leaning against the large desk, running a absentminded hand across its once polished, but now heavily worn down, surface. "Still, what's to say the husband has even been kidnapped at all? Perhaps he's just taking an extensive holiday at some drug dealer's paradise. Or maybe the wife's a nut-job and has him chopped up in the freezer over at their luxurious mansion and is after a hefty life-insurance. It's more common than you realize… Besides, if the wife's correct and he truly is wrapped up in some shady business we wouldn't want to get ourselves involved…—"

"Tough times requires one to loosen one's morals a bit… And we've got to have money, simple as that!"

"Money's not all there is in this world."

At that, Vector almost fell backwards but caught himself at the last second as he then scrunched up his face and gave Espio a incredulous look, as if he was starting to question his sanity. "Blargh! Do ya' kiss your mother with that mouth?"

A deep sigh was let out of Espio just then, as he slowly shook his head, eyes closed in defeat. For taking Vector's mind off of money when he was on the verge of a promise of a large amount of it, was just about as hard as getting Charmy to concentrate once he'd been shown a large chocolate bar. Thus he decided to change approach, and said— "Okay, then what about all the other cases we've gotten this past half year? Mr. Lowe could just be another one in a long line of people going missing. This could very well be a part of something bigger… something far beyond our scope and what we have the necessary resources for."

"That— … I actually hadn't considered that… Hey, gimmie a moment, wouldja…"

Finally the optimism seemed to falter upon Vector's face as he left his chair and instead began pacing back and forth around the cramped office. Having his hands clutched behind his back as he had his gaze locked downwards at the wooden floor. This was one of the many ways Vector had when thinking really hard and long about something, especially when it came to cases. And once he'd begun, Espio knew it was better to leave his companion be for a while and not disturb any brewing conclusions or speculations.

Therefore, Espio decided to head into the kitchen and make himself a cup of tea.

It was close to noon and the sun already stood high on the sky outside, bathing the entire kitchen in warm summer, still Espio hadn't had his first cup of herbal tea yet. This morning he'd merely left his tiny one bedroom apartment early and headed out on his moped to put up the regular assortment of posters advertaising their agency all around the city. Posters identical to the one taped onto the door that lead into the office from the kitchen, with text written in bold letters saying—

"Are you sure you want to know? - Chaotix Detective Agency!

Call now: 2104-555-1995"

While waiting for the water to boil, he flipped a page on the wall calendar that hung above the counter and absentmindedly mused the date of the day aloud to himself.

"July the first…"

The midst of summer usually meant that business was on the low, since a lot of people went on vacation, however this year their agency had a bunch of cases that were unsolved. All of which were various types of dissapperances. Some dating several months back and each leading nowhere. And when they'd be forced to deliver the news that their investigations were unsuccsseful to the missing person's family or friends, it always made Espio's heart sink a little farther down his chest. Usually the ones who sought their services had already tried contacting the police who much like them only ended up with dead ends. Never a credible witness. No lasting suspects. No clues. Nothing.

And none of the missing people ever turned up on their own, either.

Most times it seemed as if the person in question had simply went up in smoke.

And eventually their relatives could do nothing but be forced to give up, leaving yet another folder to get archived in the filing cabinet of the agency's office.

In the beginning their lack of success had been near crushing, but as time went on Vector and Espio had both learned how to deal with the losses in their own seprate ways. Nowadays, whenever he wasn't working with the detective agency, Espio would spend all of his time on advancing his ninjutsu training or meditating among the peace and quiet of nature. These last four years he'd also occupied himself by teaching ninjutsu and hosting self defense classes four times a week during early evenings when he'd be done at the agency. That way he earned some extra money and had a steady income during periods when the detective business turned in less of a profit. And honestly, Espio found teaching to be rather stimulating and fun, and had at times entertained the thought of developing the concept and making it his full time job. However… each time he truly gave it a long and hard enough pondering… he usually found himself filled with a sense of doubt as well as guilt towards Vector.

Because for Vector the detective business was still a most eager passion, and as far as Espio knew he had no plans whatsoever of changing career path any time soon.

Although, as of recent years the burly crocodile's attention had gradually gotten more and more drawn in regards to a certain female friend of theirs.

Other than Vector himself, Espio was the only one to know that Miss. Vanilla the Rabbit's picture was kept upon the nightstand of Vector's bedroom one floor above. But the feelings his companion harboured towards her was of course no secret to anyone, least of all Vanilla, who's previously polite yet adamant impassiveness to said feelings had now slowly blossomed. Of course there had always been a somewhat mutual affection between the two ever since they first met, even if Vector had been more eager to act on his supposed love at first sight than Vanilla. But as of today the two of them could be seen going on the occasional date, and Vector spent as much of his free time as possible over at the Rabbit's whenever he could afford the collective cost of the bus and train ride over. And since the Rabbit's lived out on the country side and the agency was in town, it was difficult to visit after office hours.

But what is it that they say?

Longing makes the heart grow fonder…

And Vector's heart was very much fonder these days.

He heeded Vanilla's every call, every emotional shift and every advice. To tell the truth, Espio was surprised at the fact that his crocodile friend hadn't went as far as proposed to her yet… But on the other hand, he might as well have already done so with the result being less fortunate. He couldn't recall ever seeing an engagement ring at least - though where on Mobius would Vector get necessary money for even buying one in the first place…—

Although… now that Espio thought about it - maybe the reward from this new case of theirs could potentially finance such a purchase.

Perhaps that would explain Vector's overly enthusiastic reaction from before.

In any case, Espio could probably look forward to being appointed best man sooner rather than later if the two lovebirds' relationship kept developing at the same pace as it did now. Just then the whistling of the boiling tea pot rung out around the room, breaking Espio out any thoughts of his future prospects within possible wedding ceremonies. Instead he swiftly took the pot of the stove, poured himself a cup of the pleasant smelling tea and then settled down at the kitchen table with a distant smile resting upon his lips. Because just before he'd gotten interrupted he'd had a fleeting vision of himself and Charmy, dressed up to the nines in two ill-fitting tuxedos, welcoming guests to a rowdy wedding reception where Vector would be bulging out the lines of a over-the-top love song. Most likely while also accompanying himself on piano.

But in the next moment, a slight twinge of guilt buried itself inside Espio's heart as he thought of his little bee friend.

It would soon be a whole week since Charmy left for a summer camp he'd been shipped off to after just completing an entire school year - which was the first in his life.

Something which was a direct consequence of one of those advices Vector had heeded from Miss Vanilla, since she, too, had decided to put Cream in school the previous year. Albeit while Vanilla had chosen a well acclaimed private school, Vector's economy could just about spare enough money a year to put Charmy through one of the rare communal schools that existed, and which were fairly close to the Agency, as well. And as far as Espio knew, the school had competent enough teachers and the classes were kept low numbered in order to maintain a well balanced work environment.

The only downside was that Charmy absolutely loathed having to go there…

Because for someone as socially active and outspoken as him, school had unfortunately turned out to be more than a bother than anything else. Mediocre grades, detentions and regular visits to the principal's office along with Vector were only the top of the iceberg of an even steeper mountain of issues that had arisen during this first year of Charmy's education. At first Vector had blamed his behavior on his ineptness regarding going to school in the first place. Seeing as Charmy, very much like most kids across Mobius, had grown up without a traditional education, and therefore was merely a bit unfamiliar with the whole ordeal but would soon get accustomed to it. Vector had even argued that puberty had something to do with it—"You know, dem hormones and all that makes those teens horse around..! It's only natural to rebel against authorities at that age! But if one only keep em' on a firm leash they oughta calm down soon enough."— As he'd once put it when talking to Espio about his and Charmy's latest meeting with the principal.

But now, as of the last couple of months of school, had even Vector's initial good humor and charitable outlook turned rather strained…

And Espio suspected that the heart of the issue was something completely different than raging hormones and a bad attitude towards the schooling system.

Because for as long as Charmy could remember he had been one thing, and one thing only - namely a detective. And now that he'd been forced to give that up in favor of going to school during the days instead of cracking cases with them, the boy's whole world had been skewed off course.

For if he wasn't allowed to be a detective anymore…

Then who was he?

Waking up from his ponderings, Espio could sense a presence approaching roughly about the same time as a hunched over figure appeared outside the window, reached a hand underneath the crack and lifted up the window very carefully. It almost didn't make a sound until the person in question rose his head above the sill and caught sight of Espio sitting there, observing silently, and thus they let out a surprised gasp. The hand immediately stopped pushing the window upwards.

Speak of the devil…

"Espio..!"

"Hello, Charmy. Lovely morning we're having, don't you think?"

True enough, it was indeed the third member of the Chaotix Detective Agency that stood with a dumbfounded look upon his face and with his head half way inside the kitchen. The once so stubby boy was now past the age of thirteen and had thus fairly recently entered a fast growth spurt, having already grown a head taller in just a few months. Not quite used to his length yet, Charmy fell head first through the window and landed on the tiled floor with a loud thud as he also knocked over a flower pot that had stood upon the sill. "Oops, hehe!" He hastily swept up the spilled dirt, brushing it back down into the pot and then placed it back up on it's spot besides Vector's chair.

Once everything was in order, Charmy wasted no time before eagerly starting to rumage through the kitchen cabinets. "Hey, so, uh, d'you guys got something to eat around here? I'm starved!" And just as he'd said it, there actually could be heard a low rumble coming from his stomach.

"I believe Vector's got some cheese crackers in the top left cabinet hidden behind the cereal box, and there's half a carton of orange juice in the fridge." Espio answered. "Do help yourself." The dimples in Charmy's face grew deeper as a wide smirk found its way onto his muzzle. And in no time at all, he sat propped up on the chair opposite Espio, stuffing crackers in his mouth and drinking straight out of the juice carton.

Espio decided to let the boy satisfy the worst of his hunger in peace for a while, before he ultimately begged the question they both know would eventually come—

"So, care to tell me why you're not having breakfast in a barrack on Cocoa Island right now?"

"Oh, well… uh, you see…" Charmy began slowly, in an attempt to give himself some more time to think of the best way to approach the subject. And possibly make up a good enough excuse, too. "It's really a funny story…"

"Please, do tell."

"Alright, but… promise that you'll hear me out first, okay? Before you start chewing me out, I mean. Cause I already know Vector's gonna do that, and—"

And right on cue Vector's head just then peeked inside the kitchen to see what the sudden commotion had been all about. At first he merely swept with his gaze around the room, noting Espio in passing, but soon as he discovered Charmy sitting upon the stool opposite him his eyes widened in shock. The empty box of crackers sliding down onto the floor at the same time. For a quarter of a second it looked as if he was about to have a stroke, but then seemed to muster enough strength to smack the door open. Causing it to nearly unhinge, but still managing to leave a dent in the kitchen wall once the handle collided with it.

"Charmy?!" He bellowed while almost sprinting inside the kitchen in order to grab a hold of the boy's neck and lifting him up by it.

"Hey..! Cut it out, Vec!" Charmy cried, squirming in the hold as he fruitlessly tried to break free by quickly flapping his wings. But not because it hurt, but because it was rather embarrassing to dangle above the ground like a mere kid that'd just been caught by an angry parent.

And Vector was indeed angry.

He secured his hold on Charmy's neck, before beginning his scolding— "What in Chaos' name are you doing here, boy?"

"I'm just taking a bit of a vacation, that's all!"

"A vacation from summer camp?" Vector barked, frowning. "Do you have any idea how much money we saved up so you could go there in the first place?"

Finally, Charmy managed to wiggle his way free, and as he were he wasted no time in running up behind Espio's chair for cover and then threw a well earned come back right into Vector's face—"You're just upset because you think this will make you look bad in front of Miss Vanilla..!" And naturally it resulted in the desired effect as Vector lost his train of thought for as second, causing him to stand there with his mouth hung agape and with a furious blush rising upon his cheeks.

Meanwhile, Espio was busy taking another sip of his tea before turning a page in the newspaper.

Soon enough though, Vector seemed to regain himself as he locked eyes with Charmy who didn't budge an inch. Despite his obvious embarrasment of Charmy's words, he still refused to let such childish insnuations get the better of him. "You oughta be grateful Miss Vanilla has taken a concern to you, at all. It is thanks to her that you have a school to go to, kids you're own age to hand out with and a summer camp that even allows you in. All that purely out of the goodness of her heart. And what do you do to repay that? Run away during the first week? I think it's time you realized that you're still just a kid, and regular kids go to camp when it's summer! And they like it!"

"You don't honestly believe any of that, and you know it! And I'm not a regular kid - I'm a detective!"

"I believe you're thirteen and you're a brat who thinks he's a real smart ass."

"Language." Espio calmly cut in, just as he squinted his eyes to read a particular article that'd caught his interest.

That seemed to yet again throw off Vector for a second as he was reminded that Vanilla had advised him to not use foul language in front of Charmy, as not to encourage him to repeat it. Accoring to her, kids these days already got enough bad influences around them, so one shouldn't add to that list. "Right, right…" He muttered, racking his brain a word that most efficiently replaced 'smart ass'. "— I meant to say: 'a brat who thinks he's a real smart aleck' - And nothing else!"

Charmy merely snorted in response, sticking his tongue out at him and as he thought Vector didn't see he even made a most dramatic eye roll. However, almost immediately afterwards, he found out he'd been caught in the act.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me!"

"I didn't!"

"Did, too!"

"Did not!"

"Did, too!"

"Did not!"

"Did—"

"If you two are done squabbling—" Espio interrupted with a high and authoritative tone as he folded the newspaper and threw it onto the table, turning his gaze up at Vector who'd been in the midst of another sentence. "—perhaps we could focus our attention on the new case."

In an instant, Charmy forgot all about that he was in the middle of a scolding as his eyes eagerly lit up at this new information. "A case? We've got a case? Like an actual case and not just someone asking us to find their missing hamster?"

"Well, no case is more important than the other… But this one could potentionally earn us some financial stability for a good while. It concerns a disappearance, or possibly a kidnapping, of a very high profile individual with connections to the criminal underworld."

"Wow, awesome! Where do we start?"

"We ain't starting nothin' - Espio and I however, needs to start getting this case investigated." Vector stated, folding his arms across his chest as he once again fixated his eyes on Charmy. "You on the other hand are going on the train straight back to take the first boat that leaves for Cocoa Island, and tell the camp counselor's just how sorry you are for running away and that you'll gladly do any chore they see is fitting as punishment." He flickered with his eyes back to Espio before continuing to ask— "Where's that note with the number they gave us on? I better call and tell em' where he's at, and that they'll need to send someone to pick him up once he's off the darn boat…"

"I'm not going back." Charmy stated as he finally stepped out from behind Espio's chair and walked right up to Vector, staring up at him with a unmistakeably stubborn expression. However, before he had a chance to get yelled at again, he quickly added— "For now, at least. Considering this new case, and how much money we might earn from it… Don't you think the smartest thing is to have the entire team on the job? I mean, three heads are better than two and all that, amirite? And I'll tell ya' what - as soon as the case is cracked, I swear I'll go straight back to camp and stay there for the rest of the summer!"

"This case might last beyond summer." Espio pointed out half-heartedly as he simultaneously stole a sideways glance at his companion, who's face shifted between annoyance and contemplation.

"Then give me a week, at least..!"

"It might very well become perilous."

That seemed to light a spark in Vector, as he was eager to agree to that sentiment with a rather blunt- "Yeah, this kinda stuff is too dangerous for a kid."

"Well, in all fairness, Vector, he is a teenager now and technically we can't—"

"That's right! Which means I can do whatever I want now, and make my own decisions!" Charmy interrupted triumphantly, as if that fact alone concluded the whole argument. "Glad we had this talk, guys!" He smacked his hands together and swiftly bounced past Vector into the office, shutting the door behind him loudly for added effect.

"Hey! We're not done talking here, you little—" Vector began calling after him until Espio halted any further indiscretions by getting up out his seat and putting a hand on his companion's arms which's fist he was shaking furiously at the door. It took a while to fully calm him down afterwards, but Espio actually managed to ease his temper by getting him to sit down and drink a cup of the herbal tea he'd made.

As diplomatic and collected as ever, Espio made an attempt to reassure his poor companion's old nerves. "Let it be for now. I'll call the head counselor and explain the situation once their breakfast period is over."

"You're gonna let him get his way? I paid in advance for him to be at that darn camp - do you have any idea how much they take for giving dem kids three meals a day?"

"I'll work it out."

"Next year I oughta send him off to military school instead…" Vector grumbled before taking a big clunk of tea and then turning his head to glare out the window. Begrudgingly content at leaving the conversation rest, at least for the time being. Soon one could only hear the occasional vaugue mutters slip out of Vector's mouth, much of which was merely incoherent ramblings with a few audible words along the lines of "ungrateful" and "kids of today". Meanwhile Espio took the oppertunity to meditate until the clock would reach past nine. That way he could clear his mind of every insignificant matter, and instead fully focus all his energy on their new case.

At first, it was quite relaxing…

He heard the tiny drips of the leaking faucet. Heard the squeaking leather of Vector's armchair in the other room which Charmy most likely were leaned back in, as he secretly read through what was written on the notepad. He could feel the humidity from outside seep in through the still cracked window, telling him that yet another day of cloduless sunshine awaited them. Felt the smell of herbs blend together with the sweet scent of the begonia Vanilla had gifted them not too long ago, and which Vector naturally had given utmost delicate care to ever since. The floor underneath him vibrated slightly as Vector's foot tapped in an unhinged rhythm… Somewhere a Flicky just landed on top of a branch outside their window… A car honked furiously as tires screeched against the asphalt…

But then, seemingly out of nowhere and in the middle of a fleeting thought…

Despair.

Broken..

Shattered…

A bottomless sense of being lost.

Someone needed help.

It was like he was all of a sudden standing in the middle of a large, crowded room with multiple faceless yet somehow familar figures that were screaming in one single dreadul shriek. Quite similar to how one's head feels during a serious case of migraine, did Espio's head began throbbing just the same right then. However, it was a chaos that raged only inside his own mind as on the outside his posture was fixated and his expression unfaced. A lone pearl of sweat running alongside his temple being the sole give away that something was awry. With the disciplined focus only possessed by someone who'd trained for many years did Espio manage to sort through the deafening shrieks - in search of the red thread that would lead him to the root, the cause of all this disarray.

There was recognition in the voices, and they all tried to steal his attention.

Force him off the path that lead to nothing except an even wider space of emptiness.

No… wait, there was something…

A tangent of rainbow colors that cut through his center, painting his vision emerald green for a split second.

Then it broke.

Leaving him in the darkness of his own mind.

Espio's eyes snapped open, a soft breath eacaping his lips.

The notion hit him before anything else did, because he was up on his feet reaching a hand out towards the phone on the wall the exact same second as it began ringing.

"Yes?"

"Espio? Oh, thank goodness it's you."

---

The stillness of the jungle was not to last.

Every second that ticked away brought the chaos closer and closer. It'd always felt quite peculiar to hold such power in one's hand. To be the definitive factor of most situations one could find themselves in. To posess the ultimate decision. Because no matter how dead set one might think they oughta be on doing something. He still always had the option to do the exact opposite. To abandon his original notion and choose differently. Take another path. And under different circumstance he might've reconsidered, made an exception.

But Shadow knew that this wouldn't turn out to be one of those exceptions.

He sat with his feet resting sturdy upon a branch of a tall tree amidst a dozen similar trees on the outskirts of the Mystic Ruins' jungle. An area so vast one could easily find themselves lost within its murky depth. Still, he didn't doubt for even a second that he'd placed himself in a more than sufficient spot that gave his senses a good vantage point to feel when his target come within range. It was as if every twig, every root, every blade of grass and every last patricle floating in the air was connected to him - served as his eyes and ears. The Chaos Energies surrounding this area were particularly high and vibrant, which would lessen his burden even further. Not to mention that aside from the occasional explorer or hiker that one could sometimes find around these parts there weren't any risk of getting interupted by anyone that might happen to stumbled across his path. It would almost be… too easy.

However as of now, there was yet to be any indication that any living soul was headed this way.

So Shadow continued his waiting.

Watching idly as the sun slowly rose upon the clear blue sky, and feel the humidity crept closer and closer in on his fur.

How much time had passed once the stillness was inevitably broken by the muted flashing on his wrist communicator's screen he didn't know, nor did he give it any thought as he directed his eyes at the small display. He then simply noted the caller ID, and after careful thought, decided to answer—"What do you want?" Not recognizing his tone as being particularly leaning one way or another, he still wasn't surprised by the irritable response he got from the familiar voice on the other end.

"'What do you want?'? Is that how you're gonna start off, after not bothering to answer even a single one of my calls for over two fucking weeks?" By the sound of it, Rouge was beyond riled up and seemed to seethe every syllable through her teeth as she spoke. And it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out this would be the kind of greeting he'd get after ignoring her calls for so long, and yet Shadow already found her reaction excessive and tiresome. No doubt was she just seconds away from barking his ear off. Oh, joy… "Are you actually for fucking real, right now?"

"Calm yourself, Rouge…"

"Don't you dare tell me what to do, you hear me? You don't even know half of the shit I've gone through lately!"

"Is that why you're calling? Are you in need of me?" Shadow inquired, a sliver of concern finding its way into his voice just then, before turning cold and stale again. "Just don't tell me you've stirred up trouble at the HQ, again, because you're aware that I can't keep bailing you out of every situation you carelessly get yourself into."

"Trust me, I'm more than capable of getting myself outta my own shit." Rouge bit back, yet her voice came across as a little more composed. And Shadow took advantage of it by trying to steer the conversation onto the essentials, at least he hoped she had something to inform him of and not just called on a whim.

And while he decided not to indulge Rouge's anger more than necessary, he couldn't keep a terse scoff from coming across his lips nonetheless. "So why are you calling me then?"

"Why? Because hell is near empty, and all the devils are raging over at the HQ this very minute..! Though I wouldn't be surprised if you already knew that - I bet you have daily little talks with your dear buddy up at the Raven, and that you don't ever block any of his calls."

"Get to the point, woman."

"Hold on a sec… why should I even tell you?"

"Rouge…"

"I'm serious. If you suddenly wanna talk so bad, let's do it face to face. Tell me where you are and we'll meet up, as soon as I'm done with this thing…"

"This thing? Rouge, what the hell are you on about?" Shadow pressed, feeling his patience draining quicker than usual.

There was a long pause as one could merely hear Rouge's breathing on the other end.

"Look, I don't have time for your games. Good bye, Rou—"

"No, wait! Okay, okay! Fine! They sent me to go after Sonic and Tails, who left the HQ this morning in a mad rush after hearing something they probably shouldn't have… It was right after we'd gotten the reports of massive floodings along the west coast. Then all at once full-scale chaos breaks loose over at the Sparrow, the guys are off, and I get brought in in the middle of the fricking night to keep an eye on them and assert the situation..! And with Rhys already on the war path because of yesterday's supposed fiasco, he'll for sure have me demoted to janitor unless I handle this whole ordeal smoothly!"

Evidently, there was both a mix of suppressed desperation and burning fury in Rouge's voice as she spoke, and after she was done Shadow had to take a minute to process just what'd been said. As well as decipher her words for any hidden information. The floodings he'd been aware of, and he'd also felt the reason behind it - though he wondered if Rouge and, more interestingly, if G.U.N. had figured it out yet. In case they hadn't, Rhys might just get a nasty shock not too long from now. The fact that Faker and the fox boy had unexplicably left wasn't too surprising though. Surely, Faker must've felt the disturbance, as well, put two and two together and then raced off head first in order to throw himself into the situation as soon as possible.

But the most pressing question then was undoubtably…

Did the blue moron know about her?

Shadow didn't have any margin whatsoever to deal with Sonic on top of everything, nor could he allow for him to find her first. For if he'd left the HQ some hours ago… who knew how much time had been wasted already by merely sitting here waiting for things to come his way? No, Shadow needed to take action, and that was quick.

"—Shadow? Hey, Shadow, are you still there? Hellooo? Don't you dare ignore me, or else I swear I'll—"

"Where are you?" Shadow asked sharply, cutting her sentence off with such abruptness that Rouge was briefly taken aback by the intensity in his voice. And when he used that tone, she knew by experience that it wasn't the right time for any fooling around. "Tell me where you are exactly."

"I…— I'm outside Pinky's house. They dropped me off by helicopter just like fifteen minutes ago, but no one's here so instead I figured I'd head straight for Angel Island and—"

"Sunset Meadow, right - good, you're not too far away. I need you to meet me at the south east outskirts of the jungle in the Mystic Ruins, I'm sending you my coordinates right now." Shadow swiftly maneuvered the display of the device around his wrist, before continuing in rapid pace— "Did you receive them?" It took a moment fo rhim to get any reply from Rouge, who's turn it was to have her patience tested.

"Yeah…! Yeah, I got 'em, but could you just stop for a sec and explain what the hell this is all about?!"

"No time. Get moving now, Rouge. Over."

During the brief interruption, the sun had been blocked by an unforseen cluster of large clouds which dampened the direct sunlight which shined upon the mighty tree tops of the jungle. Casting the ground below in shadows that stretched from each massive tree trunk to the next. As well as turning the already murky atmophere even murkier and oddly cold despite the pressing humidity. Speaking of which, Shadow could just then feel how pearls of sweat had broken forth along the sides of his temples.

His heart was behaving peculiar, too.

Before the call it'd been beating as steady as ever, but now it appeared as if it didn't even want to function anymore.

"It must be because of the shattered balance of Chaos. I can tell my senses are starting to act off course already…" Shadow mused to himself, running a swift hand through his quills while he drew a deep breath, closed his eyes and tried to re-focus his internal energies once more. Slowly, one limb at a time he focused on flexing and relaxing his muscles, recouped his strength in ever last nerve and fiber, scattered the clouds of his internal eye and felt the chaos energies respond at his command. It was very much like checking one's body for any sign of illness or injury, only that an overwhelming part of the natural flowing chaos energy were controlled mentally. Not physically.

Still, he couldn't shake the piercing sense inside his chest.

A scorching, yet numbing piercing that he'd only ever felt a handful of times before in all of his existence.

Although, just as Shadow were to draw in another breath it got hitched in the back of his throat. For now, he could suddenly sense her - clear as day. And she wasn't far. She was a mere minute and a half away, to be precise.

In an instant, Shadow was alert and with his eyes wide open, rising to his full length upon the branch.

Then he let his body fall, dropping thirty feet straight down but landed with the same grace of someone who'd just taken a small leap over a fallen tree trunk. Once his feet touched ground, he adjusted his position a few feet further ahead to his left, turning his body to face in the correct direction and then began to silently count down the remaining seconds…

Seventy five…

He heard the distant rustling of leaves.

Fifty three…

Twigs that snapped.

Thrity eight…

Her heart's fragile and fearful beats.

Twenty two…

The disrupted rhytm of hasting feet, as one dragged the other in tow.

She was hurt.

Fifteen…

The sweet fragrance of roses hit his senses like a smack to the face, and he nearly lost himself there for a brief moment.

Focus.

Ten…

Amy Rose ran straight into him, collided with his sturdy figure somewhere below the middle of his chest and fell to the ground onto her back with the same force of as if someone had deliberately pushed her. She hadn't so much as even detected the obstacle in her path, and instead blindly hurried in a fixated direction without a thought of that something might disrupt her. Probably due to the high levels of stress and the adrenaline that pumped through her system like venom. Obviously winded, a single, softspoken word escaped her lips in that same moment her mind registered she'd fallen, seemingly out of pure instinct— "S-Sonic..?"

Shadow's entire being immediately tensed up at the innocent inquiry as he frowned deeply.

And despite his best effort at blocking the thoughts from coming, he suddenly found himself thinking of what that blue moron would do if he could see him now, or how he'd react if he knew what Shadow planned to do to his helpless sweetheart.

Helpless and defenseless…

Yes, she truly was both of those things.

And Shadow was about to be the one who would prove just how much so.

With a steady grip around her waist, he lifted Amy onto her feet, not bothering to pick up the walking stick that had been flung to the side during her fall.

Shadow could see the shock on Amy's face where he stood towering in front of her like a hunter over its prey. "Shadow..?" She whispered quietly, more to herself than to him as she merely stared up at him for a couple of seconds right until her entire face washed with an utmost joyous relief. A reaction which took him aback to such a degree that he was left dumbfounded in the following moment. As Amy then in an instant practically threw herself against him, with her arms and fists curled up and resting against his chest while her face buried itself in the fur there. Her body was trembling from head to toe and her voice was seriously hoarse. "Oh, Shadow..! Shadow! You have no idea how glad I am to see you..!"

"I-… I…" Shadow was at a loss for words. In his mind he'd imagined fright and panic to have befallen her the same moment she set eyes on him. That she would crawl as far away from him as possible, scream for help and try to defend herself with any means neccessary. Was it their brief intertwinings in the past that gave her this false sense of security?

That could very well be the case, but still…

It had been years since they last saw each other.

But then as his subconscious delved deeper into the matter… A distant memory surfaced at the front of his mind as he could pretty much hear Rouge's voice strike him from way back when the two of them had stood on her balcony that night…—

"Did you know?" She'd asked, with a hint of amusement in her voice as she'd been on the verge of a laugh.

"Know what?" He'd replied, not quite as amused.

"Him and her. Pinky was practically bubbling with joy... She sends her regards, by the way. Wanted me to tell you that you're more than welcome to come and visit..!"

Rouge had alluded to Amy's and Sonic's engagement, and at the same time disclosed that Amy had supposedly wanted for him to come and visit them at their home. Back then, he hadn't been able to tell if she was merely poking fun at the fact that Sonic would probably never allow him over the threshold of his house or that Shadow himself never in a million years would've accepted such an invitation.

Soon enough, Amy's arms loosened around Shadow's waist, yet as soon as they did, her legs almost gave way but Shadow instinctively caught her by the arm before she could fall. "Oh, sorry..!" She apologized, too flustered and in too much pain to care whether or not she made a fool of herself in front of the brooding male. "It's my ankle, you see - it's broken… and I can't really stand on it properly..! But nevermind about that now, I'm so relieved to have found you! What are you doing here? Did you run into Big, did he tell you?"

Choosing to remain neutral for now, Shadow then inquired with a tone he considered gentle enough— "No, unfortunately I didn't. But if I had, what would he have told me?" Admittedly his interest in what that bumbling buffon would've had to say was relatively mild, it seemed as if Amy thought it urgent. Thus he listened carefully and with growing intensity the longer she babbled on for.

"Oh, Shadow, It's all such a long story and I don't think I can make sense of it all right now, but… Okay, it all started after Robotnik dropped that bomb over Station Square - well, actually it was a few days before that when a copy of Metal Sonic came and attacked me and Sonic at our house… Our maybe it started long before that when Sonic some months ago had supposedly began noticing that something was up with Robotnik, that he wasn't acting like his usual self and had started to act weird, like he was sick or something. I don't really know all about it because Sonic thought that he could protect me from it by not telling me, that's what Knuckles thinks anyway… A-and oh! Speaking of Knuckles, something horrible happened to us when I was up on Angel Island with him last night, and I would really need your help to make sure he's safe! You see, Metal Sonic showed up in the middle of the night, catching us off guard and I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong! And once Knuckles came to my rescue he told me run, a-and I'm so ashamed to say it - I was just so afraid, my body froze, but I did! I ran away and I left him all alone with that— that monster..!" Amy lowered he head in shame as she paused for a moment to choke back a sob as well as catch her breath. She looked absolutely beside herself with pent up anxious guilt and fear, and if so only for a quarter of a second Shadow got the impulse to comfort her. However, just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared again, causing him to instead clench his free hand into a tight fist.

"— I'm sorry… I just… I can't believe I did that." Amy whispered, her eyes seemingly appearing out of focus for a second as she stared into nothingness, until they abruptly refocused up on Shadow with renewed urgency. Her hands suddenly cluthing onto him as though her very life depended on it. "B-but that's why I thought I'd get myself to G.U.N. and ask for their help - for your help, Shadow! Cause you're the only one I'd trust to make sure my friends and are safe right now. I mean you could do that, right? Get all of our friends protection while Sonic deals with Robotnik?"

"Robotnik…" Shadow repeated slowly, as if hearing the name for the first time.

However, Amy seemed to not have heard him as there was a sudden glint appearing in her jade eyes, uttering her next words in the same way one would say a prayer— "I mean, you've met him over there, haven't you..? Sonic is safe, isn't he? A-and Tails, too? They're both all right…?"

A momentary silence passed between them, as they both looked at one another.

One with hope, the other with apathy.

"…Shadow?"

"Yes, the boy and the blue moron is safe at the G.U.N. Headquarters, as far as I know."

"Oh, thank Chaos for that..!" Amy exclaimed, suddenly so vibrant with anticipation that she nearly fell over again. But Shadow's grip had turned firmer… "Please, could you take me there? I know it's a lot to ask but it'd be much quicker for me to get to Central City with your help! But first - could we stop by Angel Island and see Knuckles? I know he's a fighter and can handle himself, but I just need to know he isn't hurt."

It was then that Shadow knew it was time.

Rouge would soon get here, and it was necessary to not have the two of them interact.

His partner was far too… unpredictable.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He answered ultimtaley, bracing every muscle, every fiber, every last bone in his body for what he was forced to do next. Because before his words had even registered with Amy, he'd pulled her closer to his chest and snuck a steele like grip around her waist. Making it impossible for her to pull away. The shift in the atmosphere was close to instant as the air around them changed from warm to dangerously cold. And the once so relieving feeling Amy'd felt inside her chest a mere minute ago was gone just as quickly. Being replaced by quiet confusion. However, her mind didn't want to recognize the tonal shift as she instead found herself inexplicably blushing rather than getting scared.

"S-Shadow…—" She muttered, forgetting for a moment what he'd just said and instead thought he was merely making sure she was safe before he used Chaos Control to transport them away to Angel Island. "—could you please do it quick, I can barely breathe when you hold on like that…"

But rather than answer, Shadow made a swift motion with his free arm and brought forth an object that made Amy's blood run cold.

Because it wasn't a Chaos Emerald, which she'd first expected.

Instead it was a small syringe, filled with a white liquid, and with a needle that looked awfully sharp.

Amy was stunned beyond words as she in body-numbing shock merely watched with widening eyes as the needle got closer and closer to her, while also feeling Shadow tilt her neck to the side. Although, once it was so close that she thought she could see her own terrified face reflected upon the syringe's glass surface, a sound akin to a strangled scream tore its way up Amy's throat. "N-n-no..! S-Shadow! W-wha-what a-are you do-doing!? P-please! S-s-stop!" She tried squirming out of his grip while vigorously shaking her head from side to side in order to make things more difficult for Shadow, who in turn hardly seemed to notice her fruitless attempts at escaping his grasp.

Her headshakes, however, he found quite annoying, yet he kept his calm disposition. "Keep still, it'll be over before you know it." He said, in a borderline matter-of-factly tone. "I assure you it'll only sting for a couple of seconds… then you'll feel nothing."

"No, no..! Why are you doing this?! Shadow, why?! Why, why, why?!"

"It's the only correct way, I'm afraid. Now, keep your head still or I'll have to—"

"B-but we're friends..!"

A half a second's hesitation within Shadow's eyes, was the only signal needed for Amy's body to instinctively start acting on its own as she in the next moment kneed Shadow square in the groin, tore the syringe out of his hand and then, with all her collective strength, jabbed it straight into whatever part of his body she could. Which turned out to be his lower abdomen, and as the sharp discomfort made him loose his grip on Amy, she practically used his body for momentum to throw herself backwards with her hands pushing themselves as hard as possible against his chest. Naturally she fell backwards, hitting the ground and then rolled herself away further with the help of her arms.

Making a split second decision and with fresh adrenaline pumping through her system, Amy then proceeded to grab a hold of the fallen walking stick she'd used before. And with it secure in hand, she took a powerful swing at Shadow's head, who could just about evade the heavy stick coming his way but not close his eyes in time as his left eye got deeply scratched by the sharp end of it. Having endured far worse pains in his days, Shadow hardly recognized it at first but as half his vision slowly but surely turned blurry, he instinctively rubbed his eye for a second before concluding that Amy'd managed to cause a tear upon his vitreous.

A stray curse slipped from his mouth just before he also realized that Amy had already put several feet between herself and him in the meantime.

But not that it mattered… for she wasn't running but rather dragging herself backwards in the dirt.

And as Shadow began stalking his way towards her once more, he silently wondered what she thought she'd accomplish by doing so. Surely she must know, as well as him, that there was no escape - even if she poked both of his eyes out, crippled him, or stabbed him, he was still the superior being. He was the ultimate lifeform and she was just a silly girl that believed she stood even the slightest of chance against him. With more force than necessary, he then ripped the syringe from within his flesh and crushed it in his hand as easy as nothing, letting the glass splinter trickle down from in between his fingers onto the ground. He was done playing games, now it was just business.

But at the same time he hated that this was his business now.

Hated what he'd been reduced to.

All because of him… of her… of everyone on this godforsaken planet…

And so the face of Amy Rose… a face so much like hers…—

—Disappeared.

After that he only heard her pleading, her begging…

"No… No, please, no..! Shadow, don't..! Please! No, no, no! S-Sonic..! SONIC!"

And then nothing.

Shadow's arms lifted her above the ground, noting with fleeting indifference that the jab he'd delivered to her neck would leave a mark, perhaps a bruise…

"Hey, Shadow, next time you want to talk, do you think you could you be a dear and make sure it's at some five-star restaurant or perhaps a luxary hotel suite? Because, this swamp or whatever, ain't exactly my—" Rouge's voice who'd suddenly appeared behind him died down just as Shadow turned around to face her. Revealing to her the unconcious figure of Amy Rose, who's legs and head hung freely above the ground in a most

uncomfortable looking position. However, the rest of Amy's body was held so close and so tightly against him that one could've mistaken it for being loving. Once Rouge had recovered from the initial surprise, her tone went from snarky to agitated within the blink of an eye. "The hell is this? Shadow, what the actual fuck do you think you're doing? How is she even here? What's going on?!"

In the next moment, her hand grasped Amy's. If she was checking for a pulse or had simply acted on instinct, Shadow didn't know. Either way he decided to remain silent for now, until the worse of his partner's shock had settled.

"Oh, Dollface…" Rouge muttered under her breath, stroking the little tuft of quills on Amy's forehead out of her closed eyes before sharply turning her head up at Shadow, asking— "Was it you that did this to her?" She gestured at the glaring bruises and wounds that covered every visible part of the girl's body.

Don't indulge her…

"Answer me, dammit..!"

Ugh…

"For your information, I haven't curled a single quill on her head, she was already like this when I found her. As to answer your previous question - what I am doing is making sure she doesn't further injure herself." He nodded his head at her swollen ankle, which looked worse than ever before. A sight which made the color drain from his partner's cheeks.

"She shouldn't be here…" Rouge then whispered, with her mind clearly someplace else.

"Comme ci, comme ça."

Shadow glanced down at the unconcious girl in his arms.

With his hate fueled anger from before having ebbed out once more, he could see her for what she really was again.

Namely a very frail and small being.

With just one swift move of him arm he could snap her neck right now without her even feeling a thing. End her young life - silence the beat in her heart and steal the last breath from her rose red lips. It would be as easy as blinking, and would be over just as quick and yet… the thought seemed to tighten ever muscle in his body. Not that she could offer any resistance, whether she were awake or not. From the depths of his mind he tried to conjure up the memory of the last time he'd crossed paths with her. Two, maybe three years ago perhaps. At least her apperance cohered somewhat with the last memory he had of her. Although, it was impossible not to take notice of just how bruised and absolutely exhausted she looked, whatever more she'd been forced to endure before running into him, it most certainly had taken a great toil on her.

And her rosy cheeks were pale… and now that he really took a moment, she probably weighed just about as much as a feather - like holding a porcelain doll.

When Shadow ultimately looked up again, he discovered Rouge observing him cautiously, with a hint of hesitation in her brightly shining teal eyes.

"…What are you going to do with her?" She asked once their eyes made direct contact.

He cocked a brow.

"I mean... You are taking her back to HQ, aren't ya'? You could do me that favor, right? I mean you really owe me one after all the shit you've pulled these last couple of weeks, and Rhys did say that if I found her I should—"

"I know our orders." Shadow cut off coldly. "I'm very much aware of the fact that we're inclined to listen to what that human commands."

"So..!" Rouge urged impatiently, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you waiting for then? Let's get out of here before one of those creepy robot copies gets here…"

"It won't come."

"How…— How do you know that?"

"It doesn't matter right now."

"Fine! Be a cryptic bastard all you want, but could you hurry up and teleport away or whatever it is you do - cause I still need to get to Angel Island, if you so happen to remember?"

"No."

"No? No, what?"

"I won't be taking her to the G.U.N. Headquarter."

"Did you hit your head on a tree branch before I got here? I mean, have you completely lost your mind today, or is there something else to this that I'm just not getting? Please, don't tell me that you've suddenly gotten some weird hedgehog instincts for her or whatever...—"

Shadow's cold glare only intensified. "Would you stop spouting idotic insinuations and think for a change." He said, and for once his prtner did as she were told. "Now… what do you think would happen if we returned with Amy Rose to the Headquarter?"

"I don't know..!" Rouge shot back, but something in her tone told him otherwise. It was too quick and eager and did in no way conceal the truth he saw in her eyes. "Probably get a raise or something, a pat on the back maybe? …For Chaos' sake, what difference does it make, Shadow?!"

She still doesn't know…

"It does because where I'm taking her will benefit G.U.N. in due time." Shadow said, throwing caution to the wind. "You see, Miss Rose is currently in a situation where she's caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. And I'm merely choosing the lesser of two evils in this case, since, Rhys is not to be counted on given the things that have transpired as of late. Therefore it would be most foolish to bring her to the Headquarter at present. Though, I'm sure Robotnik will be quite pleased to accommodate her for the time being."

"Robotnik..? You're actually bringing her to him?"

"It is all according to the original plan, I assure you. And had our Commander only not gotten too… greedy, it all would've— …No matter. The point is I'm sticking by my initial orders, despite the consequences."

"So we're taking matters into our own hands now, are we?" Rouge inquired, and despite her slight reluctance, there formed a small smirk upon her face as she lowered her eyelids. "And I guess I'm just suppose to pretened to not have seen any of this?" She made a sweeping gesture at Amy's unconscious figure, who laid just as motionless and pitiful within Shadow's embrace as before.

"Preferably, yes. Though I'm aware it's only a matter of time before the information reaches him - one way or another."

"Does all of this… anarchy, have anything to do with why you've been acting like an asshole for these last few months?"

Shadow didn't even bother himself with answering that one. "… I'll see you when I see you, Rouge." He turned his back on her, mostly to make a graceful exist, since it made no difference whether he teleported right where he stood or a few yards away. Still he walked a short distance away, until he stood underneath the protective shade of the tree he'd previously occupied. But just as he'd secured his hold on the girl in his arms and rested her head against his chest instead of hanging freely, and then prepared himself to use Chaos Control, he heard his partner call out to him—

"Hey, darling, I almost forgot to tell ya'… don't do anything stupid. We're not dead yet, remember?" Rouge said, echoing his own distant words back at him.

And whilst Shadow knew she'd answered something back when he'd said it, he couldn't for the life of him remember what it had been.

---

Heavy steps echoed through the long corridor, and as the sound grew louder a lone shadow crept closer upon the walls that enclosed the narrow path that lead to the deepest most secure area of the entire craft. There were no windows here. No ventilation system or efficient lighting as the light bulbs where so far apart that one could walk several feet covered in darkness before getting basked in a new spot of light.

The sounds coming from the massive engines was much more dominant in these parts, as well.

You could hardly hear yourself think…

He'd told Shadow to only use the line if there was a matter of utmost importance. Still he immediately found himself amswering despite being already deep into a drugged up state of mind. His hands were shaking while every muscle in his body either twitched or shook in involuntarily convulsions. The medication had yet to fully kick in…

"Yeees..?" Came the low, hoarse whisper that all of a sudden found it's way between his seething teeth.

The voice on the other end was much more potent and alert, and composed in such a way that must've taken many years to perfect. For it revealed no emotion whatsoever - not even the slightest hint of one. But then perhaps, that was of the intention of his grandfather's design. That brilliant bastard… "Doctor, I can report that your latest subject has been retrieved. I secured it about two hours ago and it has been locked up down in Cell Block Zero. It should be ready to talk now, as the sedatives have worn off."

He could feel his own breathing increase as he hastily wetted his lips with his tongue before asking— "Is it… her?"

A near maniacal sounding laugh soon accompanied the noise of the steps and the engine.

Coming up ahead, the corridor made a sudden turn, leading down a few set of steps that ultimately took you to a wider, circular crossroad between three continuing corridors. However, instead of taking a moment to consider which way was the correct one, the steps hurried off into the middle one without a second's thought. The disarray of multiple echoes following close suit.

"Is. It. Her?"

"It is, Doctor - yes."

Robotnik abruptly stopped once he'd reached a certain marking. A marking that, to an unknowing eye, appeared to be just another part of the wall but with the exception that a digital lock pad was attatched to the side of what was actually a door. Many a years of keeping the occasional captive had taught him that disguising the doors to the cells was quiet an efficient way of keeping potential rescuers searching endlessly for a door that didn't exist. However, this did in fact lead to a real cell that kept his most precious, as well as one of his most frequent of recurring prisoners throughout the years.

Pressing a long order of numbers and thus unlocking the heavy metal door in front of him, Robotnik was then revealed to a room hidden in absolute darkness. But as some of the light from behind his massive figure leaked inside, one could see the very bottom bars of a solid, steel cage. With the flick of a switch, an almost blinding white light disclosed the entierty of the enclosed space - its sterile tile walls and floor which spotless surface and color was further enhanced by the light. In addition there were four surveliance cameras set up in every upper corner, all targeted directly at the small figure currently inhabitating the cage. And since the cage itself was all there really was and took up most of the room, it only took Robotnik a couple of steps to reach it.

For a good long while, he simply stood gazing at the figure on the other side of the thick bars.

Thinking.

Observing.

Analyzing every breath that came across its strawberry red lips.

It fascinated him how a creature so weak and easily breakable could even endure all of the injuries that had been inflicted upon its body. Although, it was indeed a good sign, and gave some leeway for all the things he had in mind.

Robotnik's foot tapped once against the floor as his hands began their compulsive twitching, making him instinctively start twisting them around one another at a steadily increasing pace. At the same time there grew a lust for grabbing a hold of something and then twist it… strangle it… break it in half… Be fulfilled with the wondrous sound of screams echoing within four walls, within his very mind and savour every tonal shift and every strained vocal chord's relentless struggle to not burst. But at last they always did anyway. Every voice eventually cracked and break. Yet, he knew that this creature's particular screams would be beyond satisfying - it would suffice his needs for many years to come and he would make sure to memorize it well. Perhaps he should have it recorded… so that he may always have something to satisfy himself with, and to torture certain others with for the rest of their life.

Oh, the mere thought made him almost feel giddy like a little boy again!

In his own eager to finally be a steo closer at realizing his life-long dream, Robotnik polietly cleared his throat in an attempt to get his unconcious subject's attention. But once he realized that it did no good, he shifted approach quicker than one could bat an eye. For in the very next second, his hands brought forth a small device out of the pocket of his jacket, and pressed a series of buttons that soon enough unleashed a terrible heat to emit from the bars. Being completely surrounded by the heat from all sides, and having her sprawled out naked feet touching the steel itself, the creature naturally jolted awake. And in the waking moment curled itself up into a huddled position on pure reflex, to evade the supposed danger.

Still, it didn't take long before the head of messy pink quills carefully withdrew itself from its hunched over position, and then slowly rose to look around at the surroundings.

A couple of bright jade gemstones peered up at him with a look that told him they were currently trying to decipher whether what they were seeing was reality or dream.

Or perhaps more correctly put - whether it was reality or nightmare.

Having been fed with that exact same look but reflected in various faces for months on end now, Robotnik found her dazed confusion quite tiresome. So instead of kindly offering her his compassion, he met her with biting coldness— "I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately I have to inform you of that this is no dream. It's not even a drug infused illusion that you hope will wear off in time. You are in fact in the very presence of the one and only - future world ruler - Doctor. Ivo Robotnik." He paused, studying her reaction carefully, yet found neither admiration nor fear creep up on her features. There was nothing to find except… defiance. And how he hated seeing it written across her face in bold, burning letters with a force so surprising that his eyes began twitching.

She's mocking me…

The same way he looks at me…

I want to BrEak…

THAT NASTY LITTLE BRAT!

Forcing himself to remain composed, Robotnik bore his eyes into hers, and ignored his hands' erratic spasms.

In a further diplay of his fortitude, he took a step closer until his nose were mere inches away from pressing itself against the steel bars. This was, after all, a glorious triumph he should revel himself in…

So starting over as if he hadn't already spoken, he began speaking in an undoubtably smooth and prideful manner. Adressing her as though she were a a very dear friend that he hadn't seen in some time. "Amy Rose… One year really is a long time, and yet, here we are, as if it was merely yesterday we first met. Ah… yes, I remember it so clearly - a noble hero about to save his precious girl from the 'big, bad Doctor Robotnik'. But I suppose time has that effect on all of us… It changes us. I mean, just look at you - all grown up into a beautiful flower, and me - at the very peak of my intelectual brilliance. We've both come a long way, I'd say." He began to slowly pace around the cage, his eyes still glued to her face, waiting for even a hint of emotion he could exploit but she simply continued watching his every step in silence.

"Was your trip here pleasant? I suppose it was more enjoyable than having to arrive in the arms of some poorly constructed copy, wouldn't you agree?"

There came no reply.

"Perhaps you're wondering why I have requested for your presence here today?"

Again, not even a sound.

"You see, Miss Rose, I intend to have you killed. For we have unfortunately reached the point where you are far more valuable dead than alive…"

This time there was a reaction.

Having mustered enough strength and courage, Amy slowly, and with painful difficulty, first got up on her knees before proceeding to one leg at a time place each foot underneath herself and then rise to her full length. Admittedly it made little to no difference as a way to make herself appear more intimidating, since Robotnik towered over her regrardless if she was standing or laying down. No, all it did was grant Amy a shred of dignity, as she refused to let this total madman circle her like a hawk circles its prey before going in for the kill. And if she truly had reached the final destination… - if she was going to die in this cell, she sure as hell wouldn't go out cowering on the floor like a bug ready to get squashed.

So in spite of every last part of Amy's battered body screaming at her to sit back down again, she remained upright with her head held high.

And as a last defiance she wouldn't let herself get triggered into uttering so much as a single word - for she already knew there was no reasoning to be had with this monster. A monster who'd done countless vile and undescribable things to innocent people for so many, many years. Neither would she close her eyes to her demise, but look it square in the face.

Look him straight in his eyes…

"Now you may further be wondering why I have let you live this far? I'm sure you might've even thought that it was your dearest Sonic that merely kept me at bay and therefore I had no chance at reaching you?" A joyless laughter erupted from Robotnik once those words left his lips, as if the mere idea was utterly riddiculous. And Amy actually felt a shiver go down her spine as she heard it's horrible echo get dublicated around the tiled room. The sound almost cutting in her poor ears. Though she would've much rather prefered hearing it ten times over instead of finding his face suddenly pressed so closely at the bars that she could feel his breath actually hitting her face. Like turning on a switch, his mood had gone from beside himself with amusment to seething with rage as he practically spat his next words out— "What lies has he fed you, hm? What illusions of safety has he lulled you into in order for you to think you were ever out of reach for me? That I, the greatest genius in all of the universe, couldn't have strangled you in your sweet slumber at night, had I merely desired to? Huh?!" For added effect he shook the bars so violently that trembles shot up Amy's body, and for the quarter of a second experienced a mind-numbing fear of what would happen next.

Whether Robotnik noticed or not, she couldn't possibly tell, but his face twisted in ecstasy soon after while he grinned wickedly, seemingly thriving in his own power.

"That reminds me - Miss Rose, I require your engagement ring."

Like a deadly snake coming towards her, Amy watched as Robotnik's large hand snuck its way in between the bars and then rested his palm flat upwards, as if he expected her to just nicely give the ring to him. Her beloved engagement ring… that Sonic had presented to her on the single most happiest day of her entire life. A token that symbolized their unbreakable bond - an embodiment of Sonic's promise to her that he would love her even beyond death. Only that instead of his, it would be her death that would realize that promise. Instinctively, Amy curled her hand into a hard fist as merely stared at Robotnik in defiance, still determinate to not take part in this sick game. If he wanted the ring, he would have to pry it off of her cold, dead body. And so, fueled by that notion alone and without thinking of any potential consequences, she proceeded to collect a mouth's worth full of saliva and then spat the Doctor right in his face.

The reaction was instant.

Robotnik's hand came smacking across her cheek, causing a sharp cry of pain to slip out of Amy as she was sent tumbling against one side of the cage. Collapsing against the bars while she saw stars dance across her vision. The hit had been so hard against her little head that she almost lost conciousness right then and there. All while fresh tears broke forth from her eyes due to the burning sensation that blossomed up along the entire left side of her face like a wildfire. She couldn't even feel if anything was broken. But the nausea she suddenly experienced on the other hand was quite so prominent…

The little she now saw of the blindingly lit room was spinning, and it felt as it she were balancing on her bare knees on the edge of a cliff she at any given moment could fall off from.

Robotnik didn't seem to pay any mind to what he'd just done as all he did was wipe his hand on his jacket and speak his next words as casually as if Amy had merely declined a cup of tea— "I promised myself I wouldn't take the delight of inflicting any harm on you just yet… You see, it's essential that you should remain perfectly intact for all that is to come. Do call me theatrical, but it'll simply be more fullfilling that way." He paused for a brief couple of seconds once he noticed Amy spluttering forth a hefty load of blood upon the floor. Although, as he approached her hunched over figure, she desperately scrambled to her feet with the help of the bars as she simultaneously tried to move herself out of reach. And just as her left hand clambered around a bar, he seized the moment. "However, if you fail to cooperate…"

Within the blink of an eye he'd shot his hand forward and taken a vice like grip around Amy's still clutched fist. Her scream blood curdling as she fought for dear life to keep her hand tightened, but Robotnik was far stronger and when he began to bend her ring finger backwards, the pain was too unbearable. Leaving her no other choice but to let go. But once he'd begun, the Doctor found himself getting so consumed by her crying that he didn't stop bending until he heard a very satisfying —crack!

With the ring in his grasp and pleased with himself he finally let the poor girl's hand go and drew back from the cage.

Bearing a smile so wide that his eyelids from starting to twitch again.

It'd been a very long time since he'd last felt this level of enjoyment he realized as his ears filled with the crying and screaming of Amy where she lay writhing in pain at his feet - at his mercy…

Oh, how he would've loved if that blUe RODENT could've witnessed this…

How he would've loved hearing his pathetic pleas for him to show compassion…

To see her pain ToRtUre his psyche…

He could almost taste the swEEtneSS..!

With a mixed expression of pleasure and feigned sorrow, he eyed the ring before saying with a genuine, wistful tone— "Oh, how dearly I wish you two would've produced some nasty little brats for me to torture… It's a real shame, actually." No sooner had those words left his lips before Amy made a violent attempt to kick or claw at any part of Robotnik she could reach through the bars, but alas got stopped by him pressing his boot upon her hand. Hard. Making pain blossom up yet again, and a new set of tears to stream down Amy's cheeks as her cries echoed louder and louder. "Unfortunately time is not a luxary I can afford anymore. But perhaps it is more rewarding this way… - he will always wallow in his own sorrow of the future he could've had with his precious little Rose." Robotnik continued once her crying finally died back down and the weight of his foot had lifted. "—For you see, in contrast to you, I've planned out a long and wonderful life for your fiancé. As after I've become the rightful ruler of this world, I'll make sure he's kept alive and well by my side to witness all of my grandiose schemes for Mobius' future! Now, isn't that a comforting thought, my dear?"

Lone whimpers was all that met this statement.

"But now you mustn’t think you'll be the only one to get sacrifised for the greater good of the Robotnik Empire. In due time, the fox boy and that dimwitted brute of a guardian will share your fate, as will all the rest of your little friends. Well, either that or they'll serve their purpose as well behaved and improved citizens of mine. Either way, you have my sincerest word on that no one will have as spectacular of a death scene as you! I have it all planned out - down to the tiniest of detail - envisioned it for so many years now… it's all in here." Robotnik now spoke as someone who explains their greatest masterpiece - their most magnificent work of arts. He even closed his eyes as though imagining it all before his inner eye. "… First, we'll have a hero. A young man on a daring quest to rescue his precious damsel in distress from the clutches of evil - that's where you and I come in. And for the role of the hero I'm thinking a certain blue hedgehog will have to do…—"

A new splutter of blood could be heard.

Uncontrollable sobs…

A body ultimately giving in to its own exhaustion and falling flat against the floor.

"Ah-ah-ah-aaah!" Robotnik said turning around on his heel, wagging his finger at Amy's fallen figure as if he was correcting a child's naughty behavior. Despite her still not having uttered a single word. "I know, I know… I wouldn't want to spoil your own ending to you, now would I? How thoughtless of me… No, I think you're right in keeping it a surprise for now. Besides, I've got to make sure our leading star makes it in time for the premiere..! But don't fret, I'll keep you occupied in the meantime - you see, I have a whole new set of robot toys that are just absolutely dying to play with you! I'll send them to fetch you as soon as I can."

Laughter exploded around the room yet again.

More unhinged and loud than last time.

This was where Amy's mind couldn't endure the pain any longer and in an attempt to shelter itself began to slowly bring her into the sweet relief of unconciousness. And if Robotnik uttered anything more, it at least didn't register as comprehenidble speech to her but merely white noise… white as the room that swallowed her… white as the light that bore itself into her eyes. She saw his mouth move, but his voice was muted. At long last his figure even faded into a mash of indistinct colors and shapes which seemed to draw further and further away…

"—Ta-ta..!"

And as the door closed behind him, Robtonik took his cackling laughter with him, as well as the last shred of light that Amy had carried and fought so hard to keep alive.

Leaving her in utter darkness once more.

---

 

Notes:

To Be Continued...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thank you for reading.

Chapter 9: Castle In The Sky

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 9: Castle In The Sky

---

Could a person die of sheer grief?

Tails had never pondered the question before, but now he thought he knew the answer to it.

At Tails' feet laid someone who had once been his older brother, curled up into himself with his eyes closed shut. Having seemingly withdrawn so deep inside of his own being that he'd stopped reacting to anything Tails said or did. Yes, Sonic was indeed as good as dead to the outside world. Completely swallowed by some sort of an inner nightmare land that had taken his mind, body and soul capture, and which refused to let him go.

As the early morning hours had passed, had the injuries of Sonic's body slowly healed themselves with cuts fading and flesh mending, leaving only scars and bruises left upon his skin as testament that they'd ever even existed in the first place. Gently, Tails rested a hand upon his shoulder and shook it for what felt like the umpteenth time and got the same response - namely none at all. With a heavy sigh leaving his lips, Tails then decided to give up his fruitless attempts and figured he might have a better chance at getting through to Knuckles instead.

Their echidna friend hadn't shown himself after his and Sonic's… argument. And as far as Tails could tell, he hadn't even so much as left the altar, an altar which now stood empty and colorless without the Master Emerald's presence. A most peculiar sight, to say the least. Once Tails had made his way up the many steps, he also found Knuckles sitting cross-legged, eyes shut and deep in concentration. One could still witness strokes of both sorrow and anger upon his tightly knit features, and unlike Sonic - his injuries were still very much visible. He hadn't even bothered wiping off the specks of blood that covered his knuckles'.

Talking things over seemed to be the last thing he'd have on his mind.

Thus Tails had half a mind of turning on his heel again, but then he envisioned Sonic's distraught, unresponsive figure and swallowed his own uneasiness. He took a brave step forward and forced himself to clear his throat, beckoning Knuckles' attention.

Knuckles' response wasn't immediate, but when it finally came it struck down like a clap of thunder.

"Leave me be!" He bellowed.

"Please, Knuckles… I know you're upset - we all are - but—"

"You're lucky I haven't yet thrown you and your sorry excuse of a brother head first into the ocean, and had you swim all the way back to the mainland..!" Knuckles interrupted with such force that the very stone itself seemed to rumble underneath Tails' feet. Yet, the young fox stood his ground, he didn't even allow himself to flinch. Too much was at stake for him to back down now.

Now wasn't the time to let their emotions take over.

Mustering up his most forceful tone of voice Tails then tried again, fixing his heavenly blue eyes on Knuckles' burning violet ones—

"Just listen, okay? You have every right to be mad at Sonic and me for leaving the way we did. It wasn't fair on you and I realize we have a part in the blame for what happened to the Master Emerald, and I take full responsability for it. And if you want to punish us for it, I promise you that neither Sonic and I will ever set foot on Angel Island again after the Master Emerald is put back together. I'm truly sorry for how this all turned out and that you got hurt… But right now—" Tails paused in order to set his mind straight and also inhale a deep breath of air. Tears already lured somewhere behind his eyes, but he refused to acknowledge them. "—Right now Amy and everyone else needs us. And if we're gonna have a chance at putting everything right again, we have to stop shifting blame onto each other as well as ourselves. Because what matters now is how we together can cooperate in order to put a stop to whatever it is Robotnik's got planned, restore the Master Emerald and rescue Amy! That has to be our first and only priority, and if it's not you might as well throw us into the ocean cause Robotnik will have already won!"

A vibrant silence fell as soon as those last words left Tails' lips.

Knuckles only stared at him.

This kid who was half his age spoke to him as if he were at least the double. There was no deflecting his words, no way to shrug them off or deny the truth they possessed.

It didn't matter how much hatred, betrayal and hurt he felt towards Sonic and to some degree also Tails. Holding onto the notion that they neither deserved nor held the moral high ground to demand his help didn't matter. None of it would bring back the Master Emerald or were to the benefit of Amy. They couldn't turn back the clock - what's done is done. And the only way forward was… well, moving forward. Accepting that fact didn't erase all he and Amy had suffered through these past few weeks - both together and indvidually. It didn't automatically make it all insignificant… But, just as Tails said, that wasn't what mattered the most right this very moment.

Pride had to be swallowed in favor of saving not just themselves but possibly the rest of Mobius as well.

Robotnik just simply couldn't be allowed to come out of this whole ordeal as the victor.

Still…

A heavy knot formed inside Knuckles' chest as he thought about Amy. Mere hours ago he'd proclaimed that it would be for the best if she was already dead… He'd thought he'd truly meant it, but mostly because then Sonic would have gotten the punishment he deserved, then he wouldn't be able to keep hurting her and put her life at any more risk. However, deep inside Knuckles regretted having said so. Not for Sonic's sake, but for Amy's. He didn't wish death upon the girl who was so kind, sweet and thoughtful. A girl who'd slowly but surely grown on him throughout the years and perhaps even more so during their brief but intense period of time together. A girl who he realized had nearly lost the will to live after her one true love had abandoned her, a similar feeling to how he'd felt when Rouge had deceived him that one night some time ago…

Abruptly he discarded the thought out of his head.

Instead Knuckles forced all of the anger he felt leave his body in one single sigh, before turning his attention back to the young fox in front of him. "Tails…" He began, wearily. "We don't even know if Amy is alive. You weren't here when that giant wave came crashing down upon us and swept up everything in its path. She might as well already be gone…" It hurt to say, but for all he knew it could easily be the truth. He'd failed to protect her, just as Sonic had before him.

Meanwhile, Tails immediately threw that sentiment aside as he furiously shook his head, stating with more confidence than he probably knew he could afford— "No, I'm one hundred percent positive Amy's still alive."

"And how on Mobius can you be so sure of that?"

"Well, from what you told us before, about Metal Sonic's attack and how his goal seemed to be targeted at her, and then how he seemed to disappear after the wave had already hit…—"

"Yeah, but I lost concious soon after so I can't say for sure whether he even made it off the Island. He too could've been swept away for all I know."

"I don't think so, you see after Metal had disposed of you which he did only because you stood in his way of her - his initial programming of capturing Amy would've reset. Then, thanks to the hover function installed inside his chest, he would've been able to evade the wave's pull and then with the help of a possible tracking system, track down her position which explains how he found her all the way out here to begin with. Like you said, it would be safe to assume Amy had been swept up by the wave - but, instead of ending up in the ocean I believe Metal got to her first and thus saved / managed to kidnap her and then brought her back to Robotnik as would be his original protocol."

Once Tails had finished his theory, his words spun around inside Knuckles' head for a while.

Was what Tails suggested plausible, or even possible at all?

Had Metal via his programming of capturing Amy ended up accidentally saving her from certain death in the ocean?

"How do you know he didn't finish her off once he'd gotten his hands on her again?" Knuckles argued, but couldn't help but feel a small seed of hope plant itself within him. "When I stepped in, he was practically in the midst of strangling her." The memory of Metal Sonic's claws clambered tightly around Amy's throat as he'd come soaring through the dark flashed before his eyes, and he felt his teeth instinctively grit.

But even this, Tails seemed to have thought about as he answered his question as simply as ever. "Because Amy is worth much more alive than dead. By all that is logic regarding Robotnik, he wouldn't let someone as valueable of a leverage as her get taken out of the equation if he's planning on defeating Sonic. It would be too simple, too wasteful to let it happen in such a "painless" and "quiet" way, if you get what I mean. It just wouldn't have the same effect."

Knuckles had half a mind of arguing that getting severely beaten and then strangled to death in an ambush assault, could hardly be considered "painless". But then he remembered that there indeed were far worse ways to go out, especially if your death were orchestrated by a madman such as Robotnik. And hadn't Knuckles too thought the same thing? No, Amy wouldn't be allowed to perish in the dark of the night with no one around to witness it. Most likely Robotnik had a grandiose plan in mind to squeeze as much suffering and agony out of her demise as possible - with Sonic at the front row of the entire spectacle.

The mere thought made Knuckles nauseous and the blood in his vein boil with fresh hatred towards the Doctor.

"As much as I hate to admit it… I guess it makes sense. You're right, Tails, Robotnik wouldn't waste the oppertunity to use Amy to torture Sonic to the bitter end, and especially not now when he knows she's his fiancée…"

"I figured as much, too." Tails muttered softly, lowering his eyes down at the ground. And despite how glad he was over the fact that Sonic had opened his heart to Amy and proposed, he couldn't help but ponder if all of this still would've happened had Sonic not done so. If he'd kept up his efforts of keeping her at an arm's length, and ran off as soon as she came within a close enough radius.

Either way, there weren't any use mulling over such thoughts.

For now they needed to act, and preferably as soon as possible.

There was no telling how Sonic would handle his theory nor how he would deal with Knuckles, but as things were Tails didn't exactly have much of a choice in the matter. They couldn't do this without him, somehow they just had to overcome what had occurred this morning and put aside the admittedly very harsh words that had been thrown from both sides. It wasn't like this was Knuckles' and Sonic's first ever argument either… and Sonic's wounds should be fine by now. When it came to re-lifting his brother's spirit, he would simply have to toughen up and force him back to reality by any means necessary.

That's what Tails thought, at least…

For when he and Knuckles came walking down the steps of the altar, and turned their heads in expectance to see Sonic laying at his place by the fire pit - their eyes were met with nothing but the bare ground.

Tails nearly fell down the last couple of steps, taken aback by sheer shock and confusion. "W-what? Where'd he go? He was right there just a moment ago!" He turned back to look at Knuckles, who merely shrugged his shoulders, then cupped his hands around his mouth before beginning to call out across the plain— "Sonic? Sooonic! Sonic, where are you?! Sonic?! Come on, this isn't funny!" Meanwhile, Knuckles squinted his eyes, scanning their surroundings in all directions but not so much as a single speck of the blue hedgehog could be seen. They then ran around the area surrouding the shrine in search of any clue as to where he might've taken off, but there was nothing to be found.

It was as if Sonic had gone up in smoke.

And upon further inspection, so had the Tornado.

With a distressed yelp tearing itself up Tails' throat, he sunk down onto the heels off his shoes, rocking back and forth gently as he shook his head in his hands. How could they not have heard Sonic getting up and leaving, or, even more so, heard the Tornado' engine revving? Perhaps he'd been too distracted by yelling at Knuckles to notice, but still…

"No, no, no… this is not good… This is not good at all…"

"Hey, kid, pull yourself together. We'll catch up to him." Knuckles said, placing a hasty pat on his back while internally cursing Sonic to the ends of Mobius and back. "Not even Sonic would be so stupid as to take on Robotnik all by himself right now." Heh, yeah right… "—Besides, he doesn't even know where the guy's at, does he?"

"No, G.U.N. hasn't been able to track down his location and where his current active base is…"

"Which means Sonic will probably just end up tearing across Mobius aimlessly until he finally realizes that won't get him nowhere and then turn back to find us again." Knuckles concluded in a dismissive tone, before folding his arms across his chest as a frown appeared between his brows.

"I hope so, I don't want anyone else of us to get hurt. I just—…" Tails' voice got laced with a stroke of sorrow as he continued— "… I-I just wished we'd stayed together… right from the very start."

It was one of those rare moments where Tails actually did sound his age, and it pained Knuckles to witness it. For at his inner core, he knew none of this was truly Tails' fault. He'd just done what he'd surely been convinced by his older brother to do, and also what he'd thought was what would keep Amy safe. Unwavering loyalty had always been one of the young fox's biggest strengths but also sometimes his biggest weakness. He believed in the moral character of Sonic so much that it at times also blinded him for his brother's less flattering sides. And so with a heavy sigh, Knuckles went over and as gently as he could pulled Tails back onto his feet before giving him a reassuring look of confidence.

"Hey, what's done is done, remember?"

Tails drew in a deep breath, before slowly exhaling and raising his head up to meet Knuckles' gaze. A small, brave smile forming upon his lips.

"Thank you, Knuckles… But what will we do without the Tornado? It'll take triple the time to get around and track down the emeralds as well as the Master Emerald shards, not to mention how much more difficult it'll be to potentially locate Robotnik's base. It will be practically impossible..!"

At that, Knuckles snorted, briefly shaking his head. "You forget who you're talking to, kid. I've tracked down both the emeralds and the shards all on my own sveral times before, without any fancy tech stuff, mind you." He drew a hand up to the side of his temple, giving Tails a mystified look. "All we need is up here. I can sense Chaos Energy from miles away and neither mountain nor ocean will stand in my wa—eyyy… Hey! What the—"

Just then, a small Chao had come rushing up, slightly hidden among the tall grass, and ultimately collided with the side of Knuckles' leg. Immediately it fell backwards onto it's back, causing a loud squeal to emit from the creature who got furious tears in its beady eyes.

"Chaooo, chaooo..!"

"Oh, Knuckles look, it's a Chao." Tails pointed out unnecessarily, as he instantly bent down to get a better look at the newcomer. "What are you doing all the way out… here?" As he spoke he noted that despite looking like a regular Chao, there was something unusual hanging around its neck that quickly caught one's attention. An object that sparked a sense of familiarity and recognition within Tails's mind. Knuckles, however, merely looked down at the creature in disapproval, snatching it up from the ground just as Tails were about to reach out for the object in question.

"Listen here, you—" Knuckles began in a most authorative tone, giving the Chao a stern - almost parental - look. "Haven't I told you not to go running around the Island all by yourself? If you ever wish to become a responsible leader you gotta stop leaving the others unsupervised at the garden every time you get the urge to wander away."

"Wait, you know who this is? Or rather, I mean - you can tell them apart from one another?" Tails questioned, surprised as well as impressed over this fact.

"Of course I can." Knuckles answered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And this one right here has a bad habit of venturing places he ought to keep clear off. A real little dare dev—"

"Chao, chao!" Said Chao interrupted loudly, twisting itself free from its captor's grasp.

And not long after, did a whole long string of noises and sounds flow out the Chao's mouth as he flew up to Knuckles' face with what appeared to be urgent concern.

Tails, who unfortunately wasn't the best at deciphering the complex nature of the Chao's language, was left staring blankly at the both of them. But as soon as the Chao seemed to be done he eagerly asked— "What'd it say? Is something wrong?"

During the Chao's chatter Knuckles' face had slowly taken on quite the stale expression. "Well… in short - It asks where Amy is."

"Oh… - Oh! That explains it then!"

"Explains what?"

But Tails didn't answer as he hastily went over to kneel by the little Chao who turned to him with equal urgency, stretching his tiny arms towards Tails as if in dire need of support. Tears still adorning the edges of his currently enlarged eyes. However that quickly changed the moment he found the beloved compass around his neck being under close inspection. "Chao!" He objected as soon as Tails reached his hand out to touch upon the golden surface, withdrawing himself slightly.

"Oh, uh, sorry…" Tails apologized, scratching the back of his head. "But would you mind letting me see that compass you're wearing? I promise I'll give it back, and be very careful with it."

A moment's hesitation passed…

Meanwhile Knuckles was left merely staring from one to the other in silent confusion.

"Chao… Chao, Chao…"

"He asks why he should trust you." Knuckles then translated almost absentmindedly.

"I'm friends with Amy, and—"

But more needn't be said as suddenly a look of recognition flashed across the Chao's features as something seemed to have clicked within it's mind just then. The lid of heart-shaped locket opening… A small photograph being presented to him… Three smiling faces… Her voice speaking softly, pointing at each of the people in the photo… "—That's me, my friend and brother-in-law Tails—…"

"Chao…"

"Uh… wait do you two know each other?" Knuckles asked, blinking in surprise.

"Not that I know of." Tails replied, equally surprised upon hearing this. "Why? What'd he say?"

"He knew your name. Ughh… Hey, what's going on here exactly?"

"Beats me…" Tails mused just right before he watched as the little creature in front of him proceeded to remove the red ribbon from around his neck and holding it out for him to take. Now close to forcing it into Tails' hands. The abrupt change in attitude being almost comical, yet Tails nevertheless accepted it graciously. And then after brifely looking it over and turning it around in the palm of his hand he knew his initial suspicion had been correct. "It's Amy's pocket compass." He affirmed aloud, while simultaneously feeling a painful tug at his heart strings. "I recognize it by the star print on the back. Sonic bought this for her on a market in Apotos a while back, and I taught her how to use it. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is one of Amy's hair ribbons." He nodded at the colorful ribbon the compass hung from, holding it up by his thumb and index finger while letting out a deep sigh.

In a instant, Knuckles narrowed his eyes at the Chao before them. His voice sharp as he asked— "How did you get ahold of it? And you better tell us the truth now, you hear me."

At that, the Chao in question looked deeply offended for a brief couple of seconds before beginning to tell the long tale of, what Tails assumed to be, how he aquired the compass from Amy.

Despite just recently having met, Tails somehow doubted that he'd stolen it.

And sure enough, once Knuckles turned his attention back to Tails, he recounted the Chao's story to him in a probably less detailed version. All from how Amy had first stumbled upon him out in midst of the jungle, how the two of them had become quick friends and how she'd given him the compass in exchanged for one of his trinkets, and then ultimately how he'd woken up one morning not too long ago and found that she'd left the Chao garden. Apparently he hadn't been able to go out and look after her until now because of a Chao egg that had needed guarding, and also due to the fact that he felt responsible for the other Chao's safety. Perhaps he'd even hoped she would return on her own after a few days, but since she didn't he'd grown more and more worried about her.

Which lead them to where they were now.

"—He also said his name is Scout." Knuckles added, more as an after thought as he too was busy contemplating the story he'd just been told. Even though he knew Amy had spent some time at the Chao garden located at the heart of the jungle, she hadn't told him the events surrounding it. Nor the fact that she'd befriended this particular Chao that he'd had some trouble keeping in check ever since he'd hatched. Having always had the peculiar trait of wanderlust - peculiar because he was a Chao, and Chao weren't known for being adventurous creatures, but rather preferring to live in groups and comfort.

However that wasn't what occupied Tails' mind, as he was more interested in the compass and what Amy had exchanged in favor of it.

When he voiced this wonder, Scout answered something unexpectedly - that would also turn out to be a possible answer to their prayers.

"He says it was some sort of bracelet." Knuckles said, his brow raised in puzzlement. "A black bracelet with a flat rock attatched that sometimes shone blue if you pressed on it. Apparently Amy was real keen on getting it, and even though he was reluctant to part from it at first he was convinced once she offered him the 'pretty, shiny compass' in return."

By chance, or maybe subconciously, Tails' eyes wandered down to his left wrist where his handy communicator were strapped securely. He then did a double take on Knuckles' wrist and all at once it was clear as day. Of course… Hadn't he figured that Knuckles must've gotten rid of the wrist communicator they'd given him since he never answered whenever they'd tried to contact him. Perhaps even guessed that it either rested at the bottom of the ocean or somewhere within the jungle where Knuckles would have thrown it away… only to be found by a certain adventurous Chao… who'd then exchanged it to Amy, who in turn must've recognized what it was… Oh, mighty Chaos, if so were the case then…—

Tails nearly shot straight up from his spot on the ground, jumping three feet into the air while shouting in a sudden rush of excitement and anxious revelation— "Knuckles! A-Amy! Sh-she— Can you recall if she had a communicator around her wrist last night?!"

A most anxious silence followed while Knuckles, who was slightly stunned by Tails' sudden outburst, tried his very hardest to rack his brain for any recollection of seeing a communicator around Amy's wrist the previous night. When he thought hard about it, he was pretty sure he had fleeting memory flashes of there being something strapped around her right wrist during their days together after Amy's return from the Chao garden. Knuckles wasn't really prone to taking notice about people's fashion accessories or anything of that sort in general, but if he truly thought back on their conversation last night… Surely that darn communicator had been adorning Amy's wrist… right at that moment when she'd suddenly grasped his arm so tightly while the other one, the right one, had taken ahold of the golden locket around her neck… Hadn't it's glass surface gleamed in the light of the fire just then? Yes, he was most certain of it.

"Yeah, I think so." Knuckles answered ultimately. "But I don't see how—"

But Tails interrupted him by letting out a relieved laughter, that albeit sounded a bit shaky yet the sudden hope that had ignited in the young fox's eyes was hard not to get smitten by.

Could something actually be going their way for once?

"Wait, are you getting at that we might be able to contact Amy via that thing?"

"No, unfortunately I suspect that the communication function has long since busted. If it hadn't already by laying in the high humidity of the jungle floor for so long then it most definitely got damaged by the water exposure when that big wave hit and pulled Amy along with it." Tails theorized in rapid pace as he at the same time fidgeted wildly with the communicator around his own wrist, his eyes glued to the screen as he didn't even allow himself to blink. "But! The device itself is designed to be waterproof, and I always make sure to install a fail-safe tracking chip within all my inventions, in case they'd ever end up stolen or… misplaced… I don't like littering non-recyclable metals or minerals out in nature… - Aha! There we go. I got a built-in tracking list of all of my active chips, and wait— gimmie a sec…"

Tails furrowed his brow in deep concentration as he continued his fidgeting.

Leaving Knuckles and Scout with nothing else to do but wait.

"Chaooo, chaao, chao?"

"No idea, bud. He's the genius around here."

"Chao!"

"Sorry - Scout. Heh, leave it to Amy to name a feral Chao…"

"There, I found it! Look!" Tails exclaimed, waving the communicator's display in front of Knuckles', who flinched ever so slightly before squinting his eyes at something that appeared to be a small blinking dot. Surrounding the edges were several numbers, which he assumed had something to do with coordinates.

"You're telling me that little dot is where Amy's at?"

"If we are to assume she's wearing the same wrist communicator that I gave to you… then yes! That there should be her current position."

Despite being somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to all things regarding technology, electronic devices and whatnot, Knuckles couldn't deny that he felt a sense of hope return to him upon hearing Tails' enthusiasm. Granted all of Tails' inventions hadn't always worked ideal in the past, still he seemed sure enough about this which meant that they might be able to actually find Amy a lot quicker. And most importantly, it meant that she must still be alive.

All at once, Knuckles felt how some of the heavy load he carried dropped off of his shoulders. The revelation could've made him let out a few tears, but he held back and clenched his fists instead, meeting Tails' gaze with renewed fire within his deep purple orbs. For the moment he allowed himself to forget that they still needed to track down all of the Master Emerald shards as well as the Chaos Emeralds if they could - and simply greeted the joy in his heart with gentle optimism. Perhaps they would pull through this time, after all. He heard the steadiness of his own voice as he clapped his old friend upon the shoulder and said—"Great thinking, Tails. This means we're one step closer to getting Amy back. Who knew that ridiculous thing would ever come in handy, huh?"

Too elated by this new progress, Tails didn't even register the jab at his device, and instead turned towards Scout with a brilliant smile playing upon his lips. "Hey, I can't take all the credit. We're lucky that Scout here came across the communicator to begin with, and even more fortunate that Amy happened upon it! Thank you, Scout, we owe you a great deal."

Scout returned the smile, exclaiming brightly while flying in loops around Tails' head until finally settling down on top of it, pulling playfully on his bangs.

Knuckles wasted no time however, and was already up on his feet, beginning to rumage through his belongings and occasionally gather something up that he figured might be of use. Sturdy rope he'd woven himself out of liana, folded palm leaves, water and fruit being some of it, Tails noted in passing. Yet since the scarce belongings that Tails had carried along from the G.U.N. Headquarter were all still in the Tornado, he was equipped only with his own wrist communicator.

Oh, if only Sonic had kept his senses…

But deep down, Tails truly couldn't fault his older brother. For he knew all too well that once Sonic got something into his head he tended to act first and think second. And since this also concerned Amy to a large extent, there would've been nothing either him or Knuckles could've said or done to stop him. He was probably tearing his way through Mobius this very second - in pursuit of either the Chaos Emeralds or perhaps on his way to storm every single, to them known, base Robotnik had ever occupied. Without rest. Without stop. And without thinking of anything or anyone else besides Amy, and how to get her safely back into his arms again.

Tails pitied whatever came in his path… still at the same time feared for Sonic's own safety, just the same.

"Sonic… please, don't do anything we'll all live to regret…" He mused silently to himself as he threw a glance at the long since burned out ashes of the fire pit.

Then before he knew it, Knuckles threw two large bags at his feet.

"They're Amy's." His echidna friend said in response to Tails' mild look of surprise. "I figured we could empty one of 'em and take with us. I don't recon how long this will all take, but… maybe you'd like to have the sleeping bag." He jerked his thumb towards said sleeping bag, the one Amy must've slept in less than twelve hours ago. Without wishing to think too much of it, Tails hastily gave an appreciative nod and then proceeded to roll it up and tuck it into the duffel bag, which were the one with the most room and seemed to be fully empty. He discarded the blankets since he neither of them really need them, and once Knuckles had put the rest of the stuff inside the bag was almost filled to the brim.

Thinking the other bag might have something of use inside, Tails pulled its zipper open and cast a curious glance at it's content.

To his initial dissapointment, it didn't seem to hold anything else than a bunch of Amy's clothes, and since he certainly didn't wish to pry into her privates he quickly made an attempt to pull the zipper shut once more - but then… There, to the left side he noticed a piece of clothing that looked significantly smaller in size and was the only freshly clean item. Gently he pulled it out and discovered that it was a knitted sweater, along with a pair of rolled up socks hidden in one of its sleeves. By merely looking at it he knew the sweater was hand-made by none other than Amy herself - and without a doubt packed down soley for his sake…

With utmost care Tails stroked his hand across the soft, deep purple-colored fabric, taking it in between his fingers and feeling the skillfully woven texture that must've taken a great deal of time as well as effort to produce.

Amy…

Throughout the years she'd grown the habit of doting more and more upon him - just like one could imagine a mother would do. Not that Tails would know, but surely it should be the opposite, namely that the older he got the less she would fuss over him and think he should take care of himself. That was the normal evolution for parents to do, wasn't it? But not Amy. No, she still made sure his fridge at the workshop was full, baked him goods and reminded him that, whenever he wasn't gone off with Sonic somewhere, he was always welcome to stay with her and Sonic at their cottage. So that she may cook him a nice homemade meal, tap up a hot bath for him and then finally tuck him in upon their old, yet cozy couch in the living room. Sonic would occasionally tease Amy about her over generosity and doting manners, and remind her that Tails actually wasn't a little cub anymore. But Tails on his part never objected more than half-heartedly, since he couldn't help but secretly enjoy being pampered every once in a while.

While ignoring a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks, Tails pulled the sweater over his head - Scout just about escaping beforehand - and then kicked off his shoes in order to change his own socks for the new pair. Once in place, he let out a hasty sneeze and wiped away any remaining tear stains, before grabbing ahold of the duffel bag and raising to his feet.

He was just about to look for where Knuckles had gone in the meantime, when he spotted him on top of the Master Emerald altar.

Like frozen to the spot, Knuckles stood there with his eyes squinted and glued out towards the mainland off in the distance. Following his gaze, Tails spotted what his friend had already caught sight of - namely a vaguely familiar figure coming soaring across the ocean towards the Island. From the sun engulfed mist, they emerged like an angel, drawing closer and closer to them by the minute. Soon after there was no doubt who it was, which only confounded Tails further.

"Knuckles… isn't that—"

But before Tails could even finish the sentence, Knuckles leapt from the altar, soaring forward with his fists clenched and bearing an expression as hard as rock. And if looks could kill, Rouge the Bat would've dropped dead the very second her heel clad feet grazed the first blade of grass of the ground, as she landed a slight distance away from them. The quarter of a second it took for Tails to register her appearance had Knuckles already stormed up to her with raised fists and eyes that sparked of sheer lightning.

"How dare you set foot on my Island?" He growled with such force that even Tails found himself wincing. "What are you even doing here? Can't you see that there ain't nothing left for you to steal here anymore?"

If one might've thought that Rouge would flinch back at such a greeting they would've been sorely mistaken. For rather than express even the slightest bit of hurt upon her angelic features she met Knuckles' indiscretion with equal icy coldness evident in her voice— "Oh, honey, don't act like taking your virginity were some extraordinary feat."

A silence, worse than possibly any other Tails had ever experienced, fell as soon as those words left Rouge's lips.

But if the young fox felt the heat of awkwardsness rise upon his cheeks, it was nothing compared to the blood red hue that painted Knuckles' muzzle as he stood there more still and speechless than if Rouge had just gone up and slapped him across the face. One could practically see with the naked eye how his very insides seemed to boil underneath his skin. Contempt and mortification shone upon every inch of the usually so robust and prideful echidna's being.

The temperature in the bright summer air might as well have dropped below zero.

Struggling to recover from such a sudden… revelation, and the implications that followed - Tails hastily shook his head and forced himself to utter the first words that came to mind— "I— u-uh, I—… ma-maybe… Uhh. S-so what brings you here, Rouge?"

Without giving the now seemingly frozen stiff Knuckles so much as a single glance more, Rouge turned to Tails with a fortunately less hostile expression. "I'm here because somebody - a.k.a. you and your convalescent big brother as of less than twelve hours - left the Headquarter in such a rush that we didn't get the chance to discuss this new… well, development." Her eyes drifted across the vast plains surrounding the shrine, further out across the mighty background and then to the ocean level that just about met the shores.

"I'm sorry, Rouge, but as soon as we heard about the floodings being reported on the news Sonic, well uh, he sorta knew exactly what must've happened. And I think I did too." Tails began explaining before taking a pause to clear his dry throat. And as far as he realized there was no reason to withold information from Rouge as it were right now anyway. She and the surely the people at G.U.N. as well must have put two and two together and realized that something serious was amiss once the reports of floodings along the west coast came in. Also there was his and Sonic's heedless flight in the middle of the night to account for. Sonic who'd still been recovering from various injuries, among them straight up bullet wounds, had stormed through the corridors of the HQ with Tails hot on his tail, and barged into the correct hangar where the Tornado had been parked.

All in all their 'desertion' from the army so to speak, couldn't have taken any longer than ten minutes.

No one had even had so much as a shot at hindering them or urged them to discuss the whole thing with the Commander first.

Thus Tails proceeded to tell Rouge all about how they'd left Amy under Knuckles protection, about his and Sonic's plan at already taking their leave from the HQ at yesterday's morning breakfast - which had been put on a drastic halt due to Robotnik's assault - and finally what they'd learned from Knuckles upon arriving here a mere couple of hours ago. Once he quieted down again, Rouge was left with an almost entirely blank expression, her arms folded across her chest and eyes focused on the distant horizon.

A small eternity might as well have passed once she finally spoke again - her tone unusually soft, yet concise.

"So you reckon that Dollface has been kidnapped by Robotnik as a means to lure Hero Boy into some sort of confrontation that he's been building up to over the last several months?"

"Yeah…"

"Not too original of a plan, don't you think?"

"Well, there's also the fact that that Metal that attacked last night sort of forced Knuckles' hand at shattering the Master Emerald and as a result scatter the shards across the planet."

"But he still did it on his own accord."

"Knuckles was too badly injured to withstand him, and once the wave hit the Island he had no other choice. It was either scatter the shards or risk Metal getting his claws on them." Tails hastily said, defending his friend's actions. "Plus there was no way of knowing if there were any more robots coming or if even Robotnik himself had planned a blown out assault. Which doesn't seem to have been the case, but still - the last thing any of us would want to risk right now is giving Robotnik any more leverage over the situation."

At that Rouge merely scoffed, narrowing her eyes slightly, but argued no further.

Meanwhile Knuckles had just about recovered from his temporary muteness in order to glare a new set of daggers at Rouge and practically spitting forth— "Come on, Tails, don't waste any more breath on this…— this wretched thief. We're already burning daylight. Let us leave before she gets it in her head to take us in for those darn bastards she's aligned with."

"Trust me, darling, had G.U.N. wanted to get at your ass, they would've burned this whole place to the ground a long time ago. Which reminds me…" Rouge finally met Tails' gaze again. Ignoring the foul curses that Knuckles muttered under his breath. "—Where's Big Blue at, anyway?"

Out of courtesy to the both of them, Tails had left out Sonic's and Knuckles' argument/beating each other to pulps. But then also not gotten to the point of telling her that his older brother might as well have disappeared off the face of Mobius as far as they knew, or being currently AWOL, for a lack of better term.

"He went ahead, you know the fastest thing alive don't have time to wait for nobody, and all… that." Tails chuckled half-heartedly while rubbing his arm which soon after got grabbed by Knuckles who more or less dragged him away from Rouge and off to head towards the edge of the Island facing the mainland.

Fortunately, Scout thought fast and picked up the duffel bag which he proceeded to, not without some difficulty, drag after them in tow. All while leaving Rouge behind at the firepit.

In the midst of being dragged along several yards of grass, Tails' brain had gone into hyperdrive - a sudden inqury having popped into his mind which he voice to his still fuming friend— "Hey, uh, Knuckles? Don't you think we could use some help in all of this?"

"If you think there is even the tiniest chance in the darkest pits of hell itself that I would ask for help from that deceit—"

"No, no, no..! I meant that we could ask the Chaotix to help with tracking down the Master Emerald shards… or the Chaos Emeralds if you'd rather prefer locating the shards by ourselves… Maybe we could even contact Shadow and—"

"No, we're not taking help from G.U.N. , or from Shadow, or anyone else associated with her. Understood? We're doing this the way we should've done from the very beginning - together, with people we can actually count on and who cares about the lives that are at stake."

Not allowing himself to get beat down, Tails jumped at the distinction. "So the Chaotix is a 'yes' then?"

They had reached the closest point to the mainland as they could, and as Knuckles ultimately let go of Tails, he decided to finally answer the question with a short nod. "If you think they'll be of any help…"

"Don't be like that. Vector, Espio and Charmy has helped us out a lot in the past - remember the Metal Overlord? They know how to handle situations like these and I'm positive they'll be eager to come along once we tell them about Amy." Tails said, already in the process of fidgeting with his wrist communicator again. "… I haven't gotten around to giving them a communicator of their own yet, but I should be able to contact them via their landline phone, as well…"

"If Vector has bothered paying the phone bill for this month, that is." Knuckles muttered under his breath as he'd started tapping his foot hard on the ground.

And as it turned out they were in luck for there hadn't even gone two signals before a familiar voice answered on the other end—

"Yes?"

Relief washed over Tails as he recognized it as their ever so dependable and level-headed, ninja-trained friend. "Espio? Oh, thank goodness it's you."

"Tails? Is everything all right? I just experienced a very foreboding notion while meditating… and then seconds later you are calling. I take it something has happened, yes?"

"You could say that, quite a lot actually…" Tails began when he met Knuckles' impatient look. "Ah, e-heh! But not to be rude or anything, Espio, I don't really have time to explain it all right now. Though I promise I'll fill you in as soon as I can. Bottom line is that we could really use you guys' help - it's about Robotnik…"

"Yes, we've kept ourselves updated about the news of his recent activities these past months. Unfortunately, the detective agency's been almost swamped with cases of all these people going missing, at the same time. Still, I deeply apologize that we haven't been able to contact you and Sonic sooner to offer our assistance with the whole ordeal."

"Don't be - we haven't really been reachable ourselves as of late. But never mind that now, do you think you three could help us by tracking down as many Chaos Emeralds as you can? Amy's being held captive by Robotnik, and we suspect that he's plotting something more sinister and grand of scale than usual this time around. Any Emerald you could find would be of real big help."

A pause followed whereupon two other familiar voices began chattering lively in the background causing Espio to try and make them pipe down.

"We gotta save Pinky!"

"Tell him we're on it! Whatever he needs!"

"I assume you heard that." Espio's voice soon declared after abruptly clearing his throat. "We'll head out as soon as possible."

"Thank you, I very much appreciate it. Though as we'll need to stay in touch, it would be best if you first of all make your way to my Workshop - you know where it is, right? The Mystic Ruins - there's a spare key underneath the window sill of the window to the right of the front door. Once you're in there should be a wrist communicator in one the drawers of my workbench. I made it for Sonic once, but you know how he is with that sort of stuff - Anyway, if you then look up on the loft I think I left my Miles Electric up there, too. It's a square shaped hand-held computer that kinda looks like a game device…" Tails descirbed as quickly yet clearly as possible. "With it you'll be able to access my Chaos Energy-detective system which should help you quite a lot on the way. I'll instruct you further how to use it when you call me on the communicator… Uhm, do you think you got all of that?"

"Affirmative, Tails, I'll contact you soon. Be wary of yourselves out there, my friends. Until then."

"Right, you guys too. Bye..!"

The call ended and Tails let out a deep sigh, dragging a hand through his bangs at the same time.

He dearly hoped he'd instructed them well enough and that nothing unpleasant happened to Chaotix on their way there… who knew if any more Metal Sonics were lurking around out there this very moment.

Knuckles gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and nodded out towards the water. "You ready to head out?"

Tails took the duffel from Scout, swung it over his shoulder and gazed out upon the shimmering surface of the ocean where waves lazily rolled towards the distant shore of the Mystic Ruins. After taking a moment to collect himself, he then heard himself saying with surprising steadiness— "Yeah, let's go."

Though right before Tails were kick his tailses into gear and grab ahold of Knuckles' hands in order to fly them to land, Rouge's voice came from right behind them. Causing Tails to halt in his action.

From what he could recall from their latest meeting in the HQ's cafeteria a mere day ago, he'd noted how she hadn't quite looked like her regular self. A bit worn with bags underneath her eyes and a uniform that seemed to not sit all that well. Now, however, Tails realized that she was on the brink of dishevelment, something he didn't thought were possible for someone so constantly concious of her beautiful looks and stylish clothing as Rouge. If she normally sparkled just as brightly as a newly polished diamond, her current appearance could more be likened to that of a barely glittering lump of coal.

But what else caught Tails' notice was the object she held in her hands.

Amy's hammer.

Broken in half by the handle and lightly specked with something that looked an awful lot like darkly colored, dried blood…

Immediately, the young fox's stomach twisted up itself painfully while he fought the urge not to imagine how those specks had gotten there or how - or rather who had snapped the hammer's handle and what possibly would have followed afterwards.

"I could help you guys get her back, you know."

A brief silence.

"We'd rather jump into the ocean right now and spare ourselves the knife to our backs." Knuckles snarled, without so much as sparing a glance at Rouge.

"I'm serious, I want to help. Dollface and I might not have always been the closest of girlfriends, I don't want to see her or Sonic end up dead at the end of all of this. And trust me, I know first hand just how deranged Robotnik's become."

"You… you really think you could help us? How?" Tails asked gently as he tried via his eyes alone communicate - or rather beg - Knuckles to at least hear her out.

"Tails, don't fall for it! She doesn't give a damn about anyone else but herself..!"

"Believe me or don't believe me, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. All I'm asking for is a chance to prove myself useful to you guys and earn myself the ability to cooperate again." Rouge said, mustering her most light of tones. "Team Sonic and Team Dark fighting side by side like old times, remember? Goody-two-shoes and ambivalent anti-heroes coming together to work for the greater good. No need to delve into the other one's personal motives too much, just pure teamwork..!"

Knuckles let out a short laugh, completely devoid of any trace of humor. "Hah! So you admit that your having ulterior motives already! Chaos… Come on, Tails, this is just pitiful to listen to!"

However, for some inexplicable reason Tails just couldn't bring himself to turn the bat away. He didn't budge to Knuckles demand and instead tried picturing what Sonic would have done in this situation. Ultimately, he decided to take a leap of faith. Prompting him to hold out his hand towards Rouge, who in turn didn't show any sign of hesitation as she joined him in a firm handshake.

"Alright, Rouge, you got yourself a deal."

---

Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the tulle curtains that neatly framed the large bow-window. A slight creak let the muffled voices of laughing children into a bedroom that bathed in a shimmer of gold and rainbow light. Upon a bed of candy floss and fluffy, pinkish clouds there slept a single figure - resting flat on their back as they let out tiny snores as well as occasional, nonsensical murmurs. Above, seemingly floating in midair, there hung a sheer canopy that enclosed the bed in ruffled waves of silk and stardust. Underneath the bed however - yes in fact across the entirety of the wooden, sand beach-colored floor - every inch was covered in white rose petals. Petals that didn't seem to get affected by the gentle summer sweet breeze that filled the room.

Somewhere beyond it, a bell chimed merrily.

Amy Rose awoke with a violent startle that didn't seem to match with the atmosphere to which of she had supposedly fallen asleep in.

Dazed jade eyes blinked against all of the hazy brightness that surrounded her.

Where was she?

Why had the pain suddenly faded?

Very slowly, and with some unusual difficulty, she managed to sit herself up upon the bed and slide her feet down onto the petal arrayed floor where she found a pair of ballet slippers awaited. Adorned with a ribbon each. Already were she clad in a summer dress and upon her shoulders there rested a thin night robe that flowed along her back like a waterfall. But it was when she glanced down to look upon her usual glove and gold bangle-adorned hands that she nearly jumped out of her own skin out of shock.

For instead of finding the soft curve of her otherwise flat stomach, Amy's hands grasped around a very, very pregnant belly hidden underneath the cotton fabric of her dress.

A choked cry of sheer and utter bewilderment escaped her lips while her eyes widened to the size of two saucers.

This can't be real…

I must still be dreaming…

This just can't be real…

In a sudden rush of adrenaline Amy shot up from the bedside, and dashed to a wide mirror that stood upon the floor on the opposite side of the bedroom. But once the reflection of herself came into full view before her another revelation was quick to be discovered. Because instead of a young lady nearing the end of her nineteenth year of walking the planet did a woman, probably not a day older than twenty seven, gaze back at her. Wearing a just as shocked expression upon a rosy pale face, matured by age and framed by slightly curled quills that was kept in order with the help of a sash bow. Furthermore did the large bump she carried seem to give her entire being an almost radiant glow.

To describe the reflection as beautiful would be a crude understatement—

—… she was breathtaking.

Delicately shaped with a body that bore not even the smallest traces of bruises or scars. Only peach skin that appeared to be made out of milk and honey.

Utmost carefully, as if afraid of scaring the woman away, Amy reached a hand out to touch upon the glass surface of the mirror. Thinking that maybe it wasn't a mirror at all but perhaps a portal to a different universe where the woman in question was merely looking back at her from. But alas it was indeed her own hand she met…Which lead to a third discovery - namely something that sparkled like a falling star upon her finger. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, Amy found two golden bands adornig her left hand's ring finger instead of only one. And in stark contrast to her modest engagement ring, her wedding ring - yes, because surely it couldn't be anything else - was beyond extravagant. A rainbow band of emeralds, sapphires, topazes and rubies all basked in the company of a diamond the size of a chestnut. Perhaps even the size of a baby hoglet's fist…

Too stunned for both thoughts and words, Amy hastily backed away from the mirror and was just about to sink to her knees and then possibly faint - she heard a noise.

The noise of children…— hollering… laughing… playing…?

With a sharp turn she hurried towards the window, pulled the tulle curtains aside and then by looking down onto the view below found that there were indeed a bunch of children playing in what appeared to be quite a lush backyard. Due to the blinding light of the sun that engulfed the entitreity of the outside, Amy could just about make out their vaugue shapes scurrying about in the abundance of greenery that surrounded them. Still, something deep inside her chest told her that she already knew what they looked like. In fact she knew them by name. Each and every single one of them.

For now suddenly she remembers…—

This is her cottage.

These are her children.

This is her life.

And what a life it is!

Much like as if a spell had just been broken, did the brightest of smiles stretch across Amy's lips and before she knew it she was skipping across the room and out the door. A polished handrail grazed her hand smoothly when she further decended down the staircase that lead into the downstairs floor of the cottage. There rooms upon more rooms followed as she seamlessly swept forth on her daily routine of - collecting dirty laundry, dusting off some family heirloom, polishing the piano or simply putting away toys that scattered the floors. Light, pleasant thoughts dirfted across her mind while she danced her way through it all. Like for example what new recipe she might try for dinner today, the best way to get grass stains off of the childrens' clothes or if she should run an errand to the village market later that afternoon.

However, not only did stray thoughts keep her mind occupied, but so did melodies…

Songs upon songs poured out of her mouth like a never ending stream in form of every last love ballad known to heart and memory. And even though her singing voice wasn't close to the beauty of a nightingale - her tunes rang true enough to not break any of their crystal vases.

Little by little did the chores get checked off until the shimmering surfaces around her cozy home seemed to be all done for now.

"Perhaps I should see how the kids are doing…" Amy mused softly to herself, floating towards the broad kitchen doors leading out to the backyard.

And as soon as she stepped over the threshold did the outside world finally tread forth in all its splendor. A cascade of colors, smells and sights washed over her, filling her senses to the brim as her eyes slowly swept across ever last blade of grass. Cream roses growing aplenty in seashell-adorned flower beds… Apple trees and strawberry bushes who's shiny red fruits were just begging to get picked… Tire swings that easily could reach the heavenly blue sky above… And in short truly everything a garden could possess… All of which were snuggly encircled by a pearly white picket fence that was all that really distinguished the yard from the flowery meadow that stretched around them from every direction. As if the cottage had merely been placed by hand in the midst of an endless summer plain.

Yet the sight that made Amy's heart overflow with love and joy was seeing her children play among it all—

Five in total, one of which still were kept securely tucked in a baby basket. Faces fresh as dewdrops, who all wore the same rosy cheeks and dimples. Excitment twinkling in pairs of eyes of either the most brilliant emerald or deepest jade. Rays of sun playing in fur that ranged from softest pink to stark royal blue. Loud daredevils with hearts of purest gold - her children…

"Mama!" The eldest shouted upon seeing Amy just having joined them. A boy, who was the splitting image of his father in every way possible, except for a small tuft of bangs upon his forehead, came running up to her with remarkable speed. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, all well and rested again. Thank you for watching the little one for me. One might've thought I'd get used to it, but if this little kicker in here keeps me up all night one more time I think I'll just march off to the hospital and demand they deliver him on the spot..!"

"I don't think that would solve the sleeping issue."

A carefree giggle escaped Amy, she stroked a hand through her son's messy bangs before taking a seat on the picnick table besides the baby basket. "Hmm, you have a point there, my dashing hero."

"Mooom…" He groaned as a result, quickly running his own hand through his bangs in an attempt to restore the supposed styling, all while his cheeks took on a scarlet hue. "You know I'm too old for that nickname now - I'm almost seven!"

"Sorry, Dash, but I'm afraid you'll always be my dashing little hero, whether you like it or not. You simply look too much like your dad when he was—"

All of a sudden, the middle child of the triplets - a girl bearing the exact same eyes as her mother and with quills more messy than a bird's nest - sped over to them. Clearly distraught she clung to Amy's arm, bouncing up and down with a deep frown upon her face. "Mommy, mommy! Linden and Willow teases me and says that I'm not as fast as them! Just because I came two teeny tiny seconds after they did when we raced on the meadow!"

Knowing that speed was something taken very seriously within this family, Amy took on her most sympathetic expression while also giving her child a reassuring smile. "Oh, sweetheart, don't you know that it's the flowers that blossoms the latest that turns out the most beautiful of all."

"Huh, what does that mean?"

"It means that… - one beautiful day you'll outrun your brother and sister, I'm sure of it. You just need to give yourself some more time." Amy whispered the second part behind her hand, sending her daughter a knowing wink in the process.

Instantly, the girl's eyes lit up in excitment as she too whispered back— "For real? Do you think daddy will show me how to break the sound barrier-thingy, too? Because if I could do that Linden and Willow would be totally, super jealous and never beat me in a race again..!"

At that, her mother uttered a warm laugh as they withdrew from each other again.

"I'm sure he will, when you're older."

"Aww, phooey… Well, I guess I'll keep practising until then!" She kicked at the dirt for a brief moment before her face quickly turned eager once more, and she turned to run back to her siblings who sat over by the tire swing while shouting— "Hey guys, wanna do a re-match before dinner?"

But just then a vaugue yet prominent booming noise could be heard coming from somewhere in the distace. Causing Amy, as well as all of her children, to halt in their activities and almost simultaneously turn their heads towards the garden gate in silent anticipation. Some even held their breaths due to the ragining joy they knew they soon would burst into upon seeing—

Well, who else but the fastest thing alive?

—Their father.

Like a roaring, blue hurricane he came in through the gates, skidding to swift stop as dust and wildflowers whirled around him before slowly settling at his feet. The wind still seemed to be blowing through his untamed spikes. The sunlight played in his eyes that shone like the deepest, most crystal clear of emerald oceans. Scars, both age old ones and those who looked to be from mere hours ago, adorned his tall and athletic body like badges of honor. But most importantly and most ravishing about his apperance was the broad smile that easily could've lighten up the entire world with the warmth it possessed upon seeing his family. Without a second's hesitation, he practically threw himself down onto his knees in the dirt with his arms wide open in order to receive the massive hug his four of five children came rushing forth to give him.

"Daddy!" "Dad!" "Papa!" "Father..!"

Sonic the Hedgehog's children's excited calls rang out like music to his ears as he threw his arms around them, holding them as tightly as possible without hurting. Pretty soon he had one triplet hanging from his right arm, another from his left arm, with the third having climbed to sit upon his shoulders while Dash simply clung to the side of his torso like a plaster. The loveliest sound in all of the world - at least in Amy's world - then rang out, namely Sonic's voice as he spoke— "Heeey, guys! Didja miss me?"

Various greetings and yelps were uttered as they continued to clamber onto him. At long last, Sonic simply let himself get tackled onto the grass whereupon his children playfully began gloomping/hopping upon both his back and head.

And just like that the hero of Mobius had been reduced to a bounce toy.

… And he loved it!

Laughter filled the backyard as a smiling Amy observed them from her seat, delighted beyond words over her beloved husband's return.

Patiently, she waited until Sonic finally rose up again at which his focus shifted from his still laughing kids upon the ground, and onto her…

From the very first second he caught sight of her, it was as if nothing else existed in the entire world besides the two of them. His eyes solely locked onto hers in a passionate look of nothing else but the purest adoration and love. Like a blind man that sees the sun for the first time. Or how someone might behold the center of their very existence - their core's deepest reason for being alive. Not wishing to waste a second longer, he approached his wife, took a knee in front of her before proceeding to cup her face in his hands. Then he leaned forward and united with Amy's lips in an utmost precious kiss. A kiss burning with an intensity and a longing that went beyond all outer forces that had kept them apart right up until this very moment. But also a kiss that was so sweet and tender that it might as well have been their first.

Only after a short infinity passed, did they part.

A deep blush colored Amy's cheeks as Sonic almost whispered his next words in the most softest of tone he was capable of. "How's my Rose doing on such a beautiful day as this?" Instinctively, he also slid his right hand from Amy's cheek to rest upon her stomach. But still his gaze was kept soley on her. "Are you feeling all right, Ames? Any pain? Nausea? You sleeping OK?"

"Yes, yes, I've never been better." Amy assured with a nod.

"You sure? I mean like one-hundred-and -one percent sure?"

"Sonic, I promise I'm fine. You don't need to fuss over me so much - I've done this all before, remember? Five times to be exact."

A warm chuckle escaped Sonic just then, yet his smile grew somewhat modest as he briefly rolled his eyes up towards the sky. "Yeah… I guess I'm responsible for most of those…"

"Uh-huh, but not more so than me."

"I'm willing to admit it was a mutual agreement between the both of us." He said, winking, before turning serious again. "Anyway, I still can't stop worrying about you like crazy whenever I'm away for too long."

Amy raised a teasing brow. "Since when did you become such a worrywart?"

"I'm not..! I just…— You know…—"

However, Amy put an end to any potential rambling from her husband by pressing her lips to his yet again. Thus ending the conversation altogether.

When Sonic had regained his senses, the next thing that grabbed his focus was the object sitting beside Amy.

"And how's my little cherry blossom?" He asked aloud, turning his attention to the woven basket where his currently youngest child laid snugly wrapped - with a tiny, knitted bonnet framimg her rosy face. A string of giggles came across her lips as she succesfully manged to capture her father's index finger, which he'd tickled underneath her chin, with her own significantly smaller hands. "Oh, already stronger than your old pops, are ya'? We better watch out, Ames, at this rate she might even be able to take on you some day!" A hearty laughter rose from within him, just before he abruptly feigned a horror-struck expression at the rest of his children who'd all just joined their parents by the table. "Oh no - run guys! Save yourselves! Your little sister's got me in her wrath! Ooooh noooo…! It's too late for me…! She's tooo strong…! Ahhhh!"

"Daaad…!"

"Daddy, don't be silly!"

"Blossom's just a baby hoglet!"

—The triplets chortled in chorus.

Dash however, playfully shook his head in spite of his siblings and was already backing away from the picnic table with his hands waving wildly. "No, no, he's right. She's all outta control - quick, the first one to the old oak tree over by the northern brook doesn't get captured! One, two, three… Go!"

And thus in the blink of an eye, the four children had kicked into action, jumping over the picket fence in the same breath as they then began to set off through the meadow and further over the many rolling hills.

"Well, there they go…" Amy remarked, suppressing a laugh. "—We ain't seeing them ever again." Together with Sonic in one hand and the other one grasping the handle of the baby basket, she made her way into the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.

Once more did the shimmering rosy haze seem to grow before Amy's eyes when her movements turned as light and graceful as a ballerina's. With ease she lifted the bundled hoglet up into her arms, gazing down upon her daughter just as Sonic snuck up from behind her and encircled them both in a gentle embrace. He, too, joining her gaze. Very much like an actual cherry blossom, her fur was in the softest shade of pink imaginable - in fact her petite form looked like a petal that had just fallen from its flowery branch.

"I can already tell this little lady right here is gonna grow up to be an exact copy of her mom…" Sonic commented thoughtfully.

"Just like how Dash is a copy of you, you mean?"

"Heh, I guess so."

A peaceful moment of contemplating bliss passed between them during which their daughter quickly drifted into sleep.

Prompting Sonic to lower his voice somewhat once he spoke again— "Hmm, I wonder if our little kicker's gonna inherit your eyes or mine."

"Oh, I almost hope emerald will be victorious once more. Not that I don't adore Poppy's and Blossom's sweet pair of jades, I truly do." Amy said while giving the child in her arms a most affectionate stroke across the cheek with her thumb. "But there's just something… something especially wondrous about seeing a new pair of shining emerald eyes open up upon you. Sorta magical, if you will."

"Magical, huh?" Sonic said with a hint of amusement in his voice as he leaned in a bit closer to his wife, sending her that famous lopsided grin along with wiggling his brow in a playful attempts at dazzling her.

And believe it or not, Amy's cheeks almost immediately took on a rosy hue.

"No wonder they had a cottage full of kids…" She briefly pondered to herself internally. "Sonic could very much still make her feel weak in the knees, even by simply being in his mere presence. —Aaand also by his cheesy efforts of flirting."

Trying her best to appear unaffected, Amy excused herself from her husband's embrace, gently put Blossom back into the basket for her to sleep undisturbed before hurrying to start dinner. No sooner did the kitchen fill with the sweet aroma of delicious dish upon the next as they cooked and sizzled in pans, pots and inside the oven. Very much like in her younger years, did cooking have a calming effect upon her, making her quickly lose herself completely within it.

Had Sonic not still been in the room, she might have began singing again.

It wasn't until roughly an hour later that a stray wonder where the children had gone drifted across her conscious…

Somewhere far away the gentle sound of a chiming bell could be heard.

At that exact moment she brought out several dinner plates, thinking she'd set the table while the stew just finished up cooking. Though, when she finally turned around to do so she found that Sonic was staring at her intently from his seat by the table. The baby basket being nowhere to be seen… She were just about to inquire whether he'd moved it, when he opened his mouth to speak first—

"Hey, Ames?"

"Mhm…"

"Are you happy?"

"Why, of course." Amy answered, confunded by the sudden question. "Of course, I am happy… I've been happy all my life."

"Have you really?" Sonic questioned, his tone turning terse, almost… grim. And now he was suddenly standing himself up.

With a short giggle escaping her lips, Amy walked up to Sonic, stared up into his eyes with her own loving ones and cupped his face in her hands. "Yes, yes..! I've got to spend my entire life with you, haven't I? What more could have possibly made me happier?"

It was meant as a rhetorical question, but he answered the question with biting sarcasm.

"Oh, I don't know, a normal life maybe? A life where you'd had grown up with a pair of loving parents so you wouldn't have had to end up with someone like me?"

Amy frowned, shaking her head as she found no rhyme or reason within her husband's words or sudden mood swing. What was the matter with him? Was he running a fever? "Sonic… what are you talking about? I did grow up with my parents - they visit us every other weekend, remember?"

But Sonic merely shook his head at her in return, forcibly taking her hands off of him before withdrawing a step backwards. "No, you didn't. They're dead, Amy, they've been dead for years, you know that."

The plates Amy'd held in her hands abruptly slipped between her fingers, hitting the floor with a ear-spliting shatter as porcelain scattered across the floor in a million little pieces.

His response had hit her like a slap across the face, knocking all sense and happiness out of her and leaving her with a soft splutter of tears to break forth as she drew for breath. She took a few wobbly steps back, until she found the hard edge of the kitchen counter cutting into her back and fumbling hands. It was absurd. Sonic was lying - of course he was. Or he was confused. Greatly confused, and needed to rest. Needed her help..! Though at the moment she could do nothing but raise a shaky hand to her mouth as she swallowed hard and fought to blink back the tears from her eyes.

She didn't know why she reacted like this.

She knew the truth.

She did.

Or… did she?

"No, they're not. They're not…" Amy denied, over and over again, her voice a mere hushed whisper. "Why would you say that to me?"

The expression upon Sonic's face showed no traces of remorse or even so much as a sliver of sympathy. His eyes were distant. Cold. As if some unknown force had taken over his entire being and were speaking through him. For gone was the kind and carefree man from a mere moment ago. Gone were his warmth. His smile. His love - for her.

Now the eyes that usually beheld her with such absolute adoration glared back at her with utmost contempt.

He no longer saw the rose, only the thorns.

"Where— where are the kids?" Amy whispered, the desperation in her voice rising for each syllable. Instinctively her hands sought out the pregnant curve underneath her dress but found nothing but the flatness of her bare stomach. A horrified cry tore its way up her her throat as new tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"You don't have any. We don't have any. And we never will."

A violent quake shook through the cottage, causing everything to crumble and shatter around the recently so cozy kitchen.

Outside, the roses in their garden wilted…

Rosy pink turned ash gray…

"This…—" Sonic said at long last, making a wide, sweeping motion around the kitchen, the house, the garden - around the entiriety of Amy's life. "—this was nothing but a dream." He paused for a moment before finally looking her dead in the eye, saying— " And now it's time to wake up. "

— -.- —

Pain.

That was the last feeling Amy had before falling asleep, and it was the first she became aware of when she woke up upon the hard floor of her cell each time. Whether it was early morning, late afternoon or in the middle of the night she never knew. There were no windows, only the constant piercing light that reflected brightly upon the white tiled walls and floor surrounding her. Thus it hadn't taken long before she'd lost her perception of time altogether. Events taking place in between the daily torment she suffered through and the moments where she simply laid motionless staring up at the ceiling, she hadn't much recollection of.

There were huge gaps in her memory - hours and an entire half-a-day could simply flicker off into obscure corners of her mind, only to return as nightmares later.

But she figured she at some points had to be eating, drinking and everything else that were required for her body to still function.

For her to still be alive.

At times, Amy thought she could hear the sound of people screaming.

Other times she was sure that an unknown, faceless, dark figure were silently observing her from the other end of the room.

Some times she could vaguely recall a very funny smell of something strongly chemical-like and bitter having spread around her.

But none of it might as well be real - and could just be delirious fragments of her imagination.

All in all, the only times Amy were fully present was when new pain were inflicted, either physically or mentally.

However this particular dream… it had made aware of the fact that there actually were something else besides the pain. A world beyond these four walls. A world she'd been a part of not too long ago. She must have friends, loved ones… perhaps even a mother and father? Parents who'd loved her, surely? Where were they now? Why weren't they here with her? Where was here? She pondered these questions as she slowly found herself opening her eyes. Blinding white, steel electric bars, some sort of red dots, a door that as far as she knew no one ever entered in or out through. She was pretty sure she were the one being moved occasionally… to where couldn't say, only that pain followed soon after.

A mere clutch of her hand brought immediate discomfort, not to mention when she, after a great deal of effort, managed to sit herself somewhat upright.

Once up, her eyes instinctively darted in all directions of the room. Scanning every corner in search of a potential threat… buzzing wires, sharp needles, electric straps, robotic claws or anything else associated with the pain. Fortunately, she seemed to be alone as of now. Thus she dared drop her shoulders and lower her gaze onto herself - her arms, legs and any other inch of her body that wasn't covered by the tattered remains of a dress that clung to her figure like a rag. Black, blue and greenish bruises decorated the parts of her skin along with a few set of wounds that were in various stages of healing.

Whenever she caught glimpses of dried blood, she hastily averted her eyes, instead focusing on the large package that were her left ankle. That seemed to be the only part of her that had been left untouched as someone - she couldn't for life of her remember who - must've wrapped it up tightly in order to heal. True enough, most of her phsical injuries could be argued were strictly surface level. As far as she could tell she had no other broken bones, except for a numbing pain in her left hand. No dislocated joints. No deep cuts. No shattered teeth. Just enough harm to keep the pain consecutive.

Although, the sounds Amy could utter through a voice that had long since been broken came out as strained, high-pitched noises.

A fact which scared her, not that it had any real consequences - there was no one around to talk to anyway. Still… whenever her mind was at present she always had the strangest longing to sing. And that was out of the question if she ever wished to be able to talk properly ever again. Thus she remained silent most of the time, hoping, or rather praying that her voice would heal on its own. But so far it hadn't made any progress, since every-time she thought to test it out, it was just as broken as before. As if the damage had gotten re-newed each time she woke up.

Amy drew a breath, preparing herself to utter any word that came to mind but found that absolutely nothing came forth.

Her mind drew blank on finding even a single word or name that bore any significance.

For she was alone - and always had been.

There never had been any friends or even parents that had loved her. No fairytale prince once upon a time.

She shut her eyes on the world…

Suddenly, it felt like metal claws were tearing away at her skin, her fur, her very soul. Clawing and dragging her across the floor while she screamed at the top of her lungs, she tried to fight back- she wanted to! But no sense of strength came to her as she was flung around each corner of the room like a rag-doll.

RiNG arOuNd tHe roSY…

No… no, no, no..! Please, leave me alone.

A harsh hand forced her down onto a table were straps were tightened around each of her ankles and wrists.

A sharp needle, jabbed unceremoniously into her flesh.

A pOckEtt fuLL Of pOSieS…

Don't! I beg of you..! Just leave me be!

Beat upon beat.

Stab upon stab.

Scratching nails digging into her tender skin.

AsHeS, AsHES!

Please, let it be over… Let it all be over with. Put an end to me here and now…

A cascade of water crashed down onto her from above whereupon the awful snapping of electricity began ringing in her ears.

It wasn't long before she started screaming again.

WE aLL fAll dOwN!

SONIC!

Once her eyes opened anew, it all came flooding back to Amy in overwhelming magnitude. All of her memories. Every face of every person she held dear. All of their names, voices and scents in one fell swoop. Reminding her of why she still faught, why she even bothered feeling for anything anymore. Oh, how could she ever have forgotten them? She wasn't alone, not truly - not as long as she still believed there would be an end to this torturous existence. That she would see them all again and that they would smile and laugh among each other once more.

It was indeed a vague spark of hope that then ignited itself inside her chest, but a hope nonetheless.

However it couldn't fully erase all of countless questions and worries that went through Amy's mind in that moment. The most pressing one being— Where were her friends now, and were they all right?

The absence of everyone she loved was a pain that overshadowed all other, she found.

Without realizing it, she sank back down onto the floor, staring dead ahead at the tiled wall opposite her behind the bars of her cell. Subconciously awaiting the moment when the next torment session would begin. During however long time that passed, she occupied herself by trying to keep her thoughts continuous and not allow them to erupt or detour. She would force herself to remember it all clearly this time around. No more gaps or flashes, just pure uninterrupted streams of conscious images and impressions.

But several hours went by…

No one came to fetch her.

It must have passed half a day, at which Amy was just about to nod off, when seemingly out of nowhere the heavy door to the room finally swung wide open. In came none other but her captor himself - Doctor. Robotnik, who strode forth the short distance to her cage with a most eager grin upon his lips. The vibrations of his boots stomping across the ground was enough to shake Amy to her very core, as she in turn hastily dragged herself to the very center of the cage. That way he wouldn't be able to touch her, at least not without turning off the electricity of the bars that separated them.

"Wakey, wakey, little pest!" Robotnik called merrily, as if he was merely waking up a child to get ready for school. "I come bearing splendid news! News of which I'm certain will delight you, as well. You see, I've been keeping track of the surveliances footage taken from some of my other bases around Mobius, and guess who's well on his way to come and rescue you." He paused for dramatic effect, yet it couldn't have been more obvious that he didn't anticipate any answer as he rapidly continued. Answering his own question by revealing the following—"Why it's none other than your bold and daring hero, of course. From what I can gather by his actions of nearly demolishing anything and everything within my bases that comes in his way… I'd bet it's safe to say that your fiancé is more than a little eager to find you. He's even tried threatening me via one of the surveillance cameras in hopes that I'd see it - hah! - can you imagine?"

Amy could very well imagine it, yet she didn't know whether to feel joy or fear over the supposed fact that Sonic seemed to be close to finding them.

The last thing she wanted was for him or anyone else to get hurt or come within Robotnik's grasp by attempting to rescue her. Even though she very well realized that that was her only way of ever getting out of this place alive. Leaving here on her own accord somehow, in the current shape that she was in, was simply laughable. She could barely stand on her own for more than a couple of seconds. And not that Amy didn't have faith in either Sonic or the rest of her friends, for that matter, but still the thought of them coming before this new, deranged version of Robotnik frightened her to the bone.

Once the Doctor began talking again, his tone of voice had shifted remarkably.

Gone were the feigined joyousness to that of a young boy in favor of much more maniacal callousness. Every word spat forth more crackling than the previous one.

"This development has, as I'm sure you understand, unfortunately resulted in me making the decision of ceasing your daily activities from here on out. We wouldn't want to spoil your pretty little face any more than we already have before the big show, now would we? No, of course not." He let out a joyless laughter, boring his eyes into hers. "I'm going to be as gracious as to give my heroic nemesis this one and only chance at seeing his blushing bride in all her glory before I deliver her into the sweet release of death. But don't worry yourself now, I'm a man of my word - your groom will continue to live on far beyond y-youu…— ack! … Aargh—!" Robotnik found himself interrupted by a sudden, violent caugh that prompted him to press an already blood specked cloth, which he'd withdrawn from one of his pockets, to his mouth. Still, he couldn't hinder a few strings of mixed saliva and blood to drip onto his coat as well as the floor.

Amy could do nothing but draw herself even further back, wrap her arms around her pulled up knees and watch on in silent horror as the man before her spew in frantic convulsions.

He'd also begun trembling violently, which nearly caused him to drop the bundled up object he soon after successfully regaining himself brought forth for Amy to witness. By momentarily switching off the deadly dangerous electrified bars with a mere press of a buttom, he then proceeded to throw the bundle into the cell. But whatever it was, Amy was too transfixed to inspect, her eyes locked in fear staring dead ahead.

"… The last of the preparations need to be made." Robotnik ultimately muttered, just as he straggled backwards towards the door. Before he closed it, the last words he left her with were—"Consider it an early wedding gift."

And just like that, he was gone again.

Despite figuring that neither Robotnik or anyone else would return any time soon, it still took several minutes before Amy dared to unravel herself from her own tight embrace. Then, just as carefully as if she were approaching a ticking bomb, did she edge closer and closer to the bundle upon the floor. At first glance it appeared to merely be some sort of white cloth, perhaps a blanket. But once her fingers made contact with it and proceeded to fully unfold the many neatly folded layers, she nearly jumped backwards in realization of what it must be.

Before her there now laid something that caused her breath to hitch, her face face to pale, and her blood run cold. An extravagant piece of the purest white silk and tulle… A halterneck top accompanied by puffed sleeves that continued down all along the empty arm-sleeve… A bottom so wide and so layered that it was hard to tell where it began and where it ended…

—A wedding dress.

"No... no, no, no…! No, no…—"

Amy's soft whispers quickly turned into miserable sobs as she threw her hands over her mouth while she crawled backwards away from the gown with widened, absolute horrified eyes. Backed into the corner of her cell, as far away from the dress as were physically possible within the limited space, she ended up crumbling onto the floor. pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face into her scraped knees.

"Sonic...—" She sobbed over and over again, as her entire body shook from the uncontrollable trembles that went through her system like electrical waves. "Oh, Sonic... please save me from this nightmare..!"

But no one could hear poor Amy's desperate cries.

And no one would come.

Far above, outside the small cell, the rain fell whilst a most foreboding thunderstorm had begun drawing closer upon the horizon…

---

A barely visible blue streak shot across the frozen plains of the northernmost point of Holoska.

Massive glaciers, icy seas, and desolate tundras stretched ahead for miles upon miles, both far and wide. Winds swept with a force that felt like it could move mountains while waves crashed against the large icebergs that deared peak up from within the dark waters below. Out here, no life had even the slightest chance of surviving, with the exception of the enormous whales that rarely reared their heads above the surface. Not a living soul, nor Overlander or anthropomorphic mobian, had probably ever set foot upon these lands. Not even the inuit people of Holoska lived this far up north, or ever traveled here either. Simply because there was nothing to be found or seen that one couldn't further south of the continent.

Nothing at all.

And yet, this was where Sonic the Hedgehog passed through at approximately seven-hundred miles per hour.

Run…

You just gotta keep running…

Little to no other thought went through Sonic's head besides that.

Occasionally, thoughts - and also actions - of how to best thrash a base full of technological and mechanical equipment presented itself. But that only ever bothered his basic, surface level of concious. Aside from those brief moments, Sonic was driven by nothing else than his deepest, most feral of instincts as he tore through each land, jungle, city, ruin, prairie, et cetera… - like a raging hurricane…

A savage beast…

An out of control force of nature that on one hand left no devastating destruction in its wake, but rather a barely visible streak of speed. A single fraction of a second to that of a blink of an eye and one would've missed him passing by. However, Sonic rarely ever crossed directly through any larger cities or towns due to the simple fact that none of Doctor Robotnik's bases were ever located near them. They were instead strategically built far away from civilization or at least highly populated areas - like for example out in wastelands or upon mountains, or hidden within ruins or jungles. Larger bases that were easier to find included those built in either extravagant ways like large, factory-like cities or run-down amusement parks. Some even hidden in plain sight. Those trickier to find tended to be those which had been built almost completely underground, high among some distant mountains or even underwater.

Sonic had a hard time imagining a base laying hidden somewhere beneath these waters or on top a glacier… But who knew?

He was running out of both continents to search through as well as known bases to raid for any type of information or clue as to where Robotnik could be. So far, all bases known to memory had ended up being dissapointments. Now he was simply running aimlessly across each inch of land while steadily growing more desperate for each passing hour it felt like. He just couldn't give up. Refused to give up. Had no other choice but to not give up. There were no other alternatives, and damn sure enough Robotnik couldn't just have magically gone up in smoke. Sonic was well aware that G.U.N. had already begun their search weeks ago, which at least had resulted in that they'd informed him of that no active signals or races of the Doctor could be discovered from space.

Otherwise that might have been Sonic's next step.

—To search the vast ends of space for the rest of his life.

And Sonic would've gladly done so without complaint if it only meant that he'd gotten to see Amy again…

A stab, more painful than those that already continuously pierced his heart and had done so for every moment of every day since leaving Angel Island, buried itself into his chest at the mere thought of her name. Even though that this was all for the ultimate purpose of rescuing Amy, his current feral state of mind seemed to concern itself with tracking down Robotnik first and foremost. But since they were most likely at the same location - finding Robotnik also meant finding Amy.

As of the present, the part of Sonic that was more driven by rational emotion rather than instinct had taken a backseat to give way to his far more darker desires. Thoughts and feelings that were deeply rooted and connected to the negative Chaos Energies that he possessed by his own unique nature. Channeling those deepest, darkest energies via his subconcious could give him vague, bubbling notions of wishing to tear more than metal apart… To cause the same hurt and damage that had been done to him… To unleash a maelstrom - a living inferno upon the world that would never be allowed to burn itself out. He wanted to uproot and demolish the very planet itself, and afterwards scream and howl his ferocious fury out into the corners of infinity.

For every living soul to experience every last bit of anguish he felt right now.

Sonic's vision nearly slipped as he felt himself on the very verge of surrendering himself fully into this other being.

All but one thing kept these negative Chaos Energies from taking over.

—And that was his love for Amy.

That love alone fueled enough of the positive Chaos Energy inside of him to keep the other half at bay.

Love wins over heart, and over mind.

And the purest part of both Sonic's heart and mind was the immeasurable love he held for his friends— his family— his Rose.

Fortunately, he'd realized quickly enough that Tails' assumptions and reassurances of Amy's fate must be true. That she was in fact still alive, and would be kept alive as long as Robotnik considered her valuable enough to keep around for the sake of leverage against Sonic himself. The Doctor knew enough about the nature of their relationship to gamble upon the fact that he would willingly and without question give up his own life in exchange for hers. It hadn't been much of an uncertainty in the past either - and that extended to any of his friends, as well - but this recent version of Robotnik didn't seem to be above directly killing innocent life these days. At least before his madness had known some sort of constraint and rationality, but apparently not anymore.

Sure, enslaving all of Mobian-kind and turn the whole planet into his own personal empire had been a long-life goal of the Doctor's…

—Still somehow Sonic had never truly taken this outspoken desire for anything else than the fantasy of a power-hungry, pitiful old man. That never in a million years would ever actually come true. Mainly because he - Sonic - always would be around to thwart any diabolical plan of his, but also because he hadn't believed Robotnik to even be capable of it. Perhaps he wasn't still, much due to being obviously declining in both health as well as mental capability, yet with Amy well in his grasp along with an arsenal of robots and weapons at his disposal…— Not to mention that he seemed to be impossible to find—

For the first time in his life, Sonic couldn't with undoubtable confidence say how this all would end.

It was far into the middle of the night when Sonic's eyes suddenly bothered to register that the landscape around him had changed from a few hours ago. He must've run farther south than he'd realized because as he in quick passing took in his surroundings, he noted that the glaciers had become snow peaked mountains and that the oceans had turned to wide and far-stretching fjords. On either side of him, mountain ranges could be seen far off in the distance whereas a scarcely growing woods of tall pine trees were coming up further ahead.

During the four - going on five - days that he'd been tearing across Mobius, he had rarely stopped for anything else besides for when he searched through bases or when he was forced to tend to his most basic needs like eating and drinking. In terms of food, he ate whatever edibles that nature happened to provide at the place he found himself in, while he tracked water sources easily by instinct. Being more used to living off of nature than not due to his many years of adventuring as well as having grown up doing so for roughly the entitreity of his childhood, Sonic barely gave it any thought. His body and soul thrived being constantly on the move, pushing his muscles and reflexes to their absolute peak as each step that grazed the earth beneath his feet brought him to the next challenging terrain upon the next.

This was exactly what his body was built for, after all.

At his very core, Sonic was meant to live life as free as the wind - never slowing down underneath at least five hundred miles per hour. No ties to anyone or anything else except the gravity that pulled his feet onto the ground. A loner that drifted wherever it pleased him, with no heed to nothing less but his own desires and wills. In an alternate universe, perhaps his life could've been just like that… and in his weakest of moments, he pondered if maybe it would've been for the better.

Almost on cue, Knuckles' voice echoed somewhere deep within his mind…—

"Every night after you left she cried herself to sleep! Every night! Where were you then - huh, Sonic? Where were you when the girl you claim to care so much for needed you the most!?"

"—Maybe it would've been for the best… Maybe then you would've actually given a damn, and Amy wouldn't have to suffer through whatever that madman has in store for her all because of you..!"

"… I hope she's dead. —I wish it to be true - It would be for the best…"

It would be for the best…

Perhaps he should've remained a loner in this universe, too.

If he'd never gotten himself involved with people, attached himself to them… grown bonds that would turn out to be unbreakable beyond life and death…

Tails… Knuckles… Amy…

Would their lives have been better off without him in them?

He had hurt them all, and now abandoned them as well. Tails' disappointment in him as an best friend and older brother… Knuckles' fury and contempt towards him as a teammate and once trusted friend… And Amy… he'd let her down the most of all. He'd failed her in every way possible - both as a friend and a protector, not to mention as a fiancé and supposed future husband. But there were no future to be had with him. He knew that now. Beyond all reasonable doubt, he was not suitable to care for Amy the way a husband were meant to care for his wife.

The very thing Sonic had sought out to shelter her from with every last piece of his own life during this past year had happened. Robotnik was using his love for Amy against him, was hurting her in order to hurt him - and there was no redemption to that.

Which had prompted him to finally make his decision.

If only Amy made it out unscatched once this was all over… he swore to Gaia and almighty Chaos itself that he would give her up, for good.

A single, unguarded quarter of a second was all it took for Sonic to accidentally slip upon rocky shore of the fjord. Resulting in him skidding several yards before his exceptionally high momentum sent him soaring head first into the bark of at least three pine tree which was instantly cut clean through. Thereafter a trio of near defeaning - BANG! BANG! BANG! - could be heared echoing throughout the area whereupon the mighty trees in question fell like dominos to the ground. Bringing branches, cones and needles from the surrounding trees to hail upon the terrain below as they dropped. Meanwhile Sonic had ended up upside down, gradually sliding down a pine that had been standing on the other far end of the now fallen trees he'd crashed through.

"Ow…"

Well, that'll be one hell of a headache tomorrow…

A grunt slipped out of Sonic's mouth as he briefly straggled on his knees among the pines and needles scattered all around him. Trying to get his bearings back. Which was somewhat more difficult considering it was pitch black and his night vision only did so much after his head just had taken a quite serious blow. Therefore, he had no other choice but to allow himself a minute's rest, leaning himself up against the tree behind him. A heavy sigh coming across his lips as he did.

Surprisingly enough, there was no pain to be felt.

Just… emptiness.

However, just to provide his body with some remedy, Sonic brought forth one out of the two Chaos Emeralds he carried on him. The one he now held in his hand - the red one - he'd taken from within a safe Tails had constructed at his workshop. He'd stopped by there after he'd left Angel Island, and also parked the Tornado there for Tails to hopefully re-claim. The other Emerald - the yellow one - he'd accidentally stumbled across a couple of days ago. Safely buried in an eagle's nest located within a deep ledge along a tall cliff side. Like many a times before, the Chaos Energies within Sonic had subconsciously recognized and reacted to its presence and almost automtically lead his feet towards its hiding spot.

Since all of his senses were on such high alert, any Emerald he came across now would only have to be in an approximate range for him to pick up on it.

Truly, he'd been most lucky.

Within his hand the red Chaos Emerald burned brightly, vaguely illuminating his facial features in an almost ghastly way. Deep, dark circles underneath his eyes vouched for a complete lack of sleep in several days, whilst his otherwise tan muzzle had paled. In contrast had his fur seemed to have taken an a murky shade of blue, with unkempt quills sticking out in odd places upon his head-spikes. In fact, the entireity of Sonic's outer appearance reflected the chaos that raged inside of him - all from his sullied fur down to his run down sneakers. Normally, his sneakers were the only thing out of his possessions that he bothered to keep spotless, as he made sure to polish them regularly. Now, however, there were holes burned underneath their soles and one could hardly make out their red and white colors anymore.

Any sane person could tell from a mile away that he was in dire need of at least a good twenty-four hour long sleep right about now.

And even so, there was no way on Mobius that Sonic could've ever managed to force himself to gone to sleep even if he'd wanted to. Since every last nerve and muscle in his entire body were all as taut as a bowstring. His heart raced just as wildly as when he'd run. His lugns pumped oxygen in the same beat as the blood that rushed through his veins like burning venom. He had already suffered weeks of bad sleep while back at the G.U.N. Headquarter, yet now he strongly suspected he'd turned into a full-fledged insomniac.

Fortunately enough, the Emerald's power granted him re-newed strength, as he could practically feel it spread throughout his worn body.

Warmth… soothing warmth.

A pureness unlike any other.

—All of it came flooding inside of him as Sonic focused the positive Chaos energy through each part of himself, before it ultimately wrapped itself around his wildly beating heart…

Then he heard it…—

"Oh, Sonic... please save me from this nightmare…—"

"Amy..!"

Out of pure instinct, Sonic had abruptly called out her name into the darkness.

He'd heard her.

Clear as day inside his head.

B-but how? How was it possible?

It had only happened a few times before in all of his life - lastly mere days ago in the G.U.N. infirmary when he'd listened to what he'd thought had been Amy's last cry for help. And then also roughly a month ago, during his first few days back home. When he'd been out on his morning run and all of a sudden heard Amy call out to him just as she'd been about to get—

No…

No.

Sonic began running again.

---

 

Notes:

To Be Continued...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thank you for reading.

Chapter 10: More Than Life Itself

C O N T R A S T

Chapter 10: More Than Life Itself

---

Cream found herself hesitating at the very threshold of the gate.

Old Sunset Meadow wasn't too far off from where she, Cheese and her mother lived. And if one took the trampled shortcut across the meadows and hills instead of the old dirt road, it was barely a half an hour long walk. Maybe fifteen minutes if you ran, and even less if you traveled at Sonic levels of speed, which were just what he and Amy did each time they'd come over for Sunday dinner at the Rabbit's residence. As far back as she could remember, Cream had known this shortcut by heart and sprinted back and forth upon it from chubby child's legs to her current, more lanky pair. Amy had always lived there - at the other end, in her homely little cottage. At least, during the entireity of Cream's thirteen-year old life. Where her best friend had lived before then, she had no clue, as she'd never thought about asking, maybe just because she knew Amy wasn't too keen on talking about her childhood. Or to be more specific - her life prior to meeting Sonic.

Now, however, as Cream stood there shifting weight from one fooot to the other, she wasn't filled with the usual excitement. Glancing sideways at the wooden sign that read—

"The house of Amy Rose and Sonic."

— The addition of Sonic's name having been added roughly a year ago.

The cottage appeared just the same as it always did, with its white picket fence and its narrow cobblestoned paths which one lead towards the flower garden, one to the greenhouse and another one to a small shed where all of the gardening tools were kept. Which were exactly what Cream needed right about now. Finally, and with a heavy sigh, she pushed through the front gate and marched towards the shed with determination in each step. She fetched the watering can from inside and then went to the old-fashioned well pump, filling the can to the brim with water. It required some effort from the young rabbit but it was far easier and quicker when compared to the well they had at home. Namely the wishing well kind, where you had to throw down a bucket each time and then hoist it back up again.

Once done, Cream proceeded to begin the process of watering every last flower and plant in Amy's entire garden. From the vegetables growing in their neat rows to the extravagant roses decorating bushes as well as growing up along the entire southern wall of the cottage. The various fruit trees already showed promising signs of carrying plenty of fruit coming the following month.

Yet, despite the bountiful flora surrounding her, the garden didn't emit the usual warmth and serene atmosphere as it did when Amy wandered among it all. When her smiling face didn't greet Cream at the gate or her laughter stirred the rose petals - and especially when no music from the radio streamed out of the open kitchen window.

Everything was too quiet.

Too… hollow.

Weeks had gone by without so much as a single word from either Amy, Sonic or Tails.

Sonic's and Tails' lack of correspondent wasn't, by all means, anything out of the ordinary. At least whenever they were out on their various adventures across Mobius, which was more the regular than not. But Amy's and her relationship ran deeper - they were each other's bestest of friends, just as close as sisters. Even though their lives looked somewhat different now in comparison to when they were younger. Amy had both a household to keep in order and a fiancé and brother-in-law to care for. Meanwhile, Cream had her chores at home as well as schoolwork to maintain. Which, all things considered, wasn't anything strange since there actually was a six year age gap between them. An age gap that hadn't been all too prominent a few years back, but now…

Still, on the other hand, Amy had been more present during this last year than maybe ever before.

Before, Amy's participation in Sonic's and Tails' many travels and adventures had steadily increased. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for the three of them to be away for several weeks at a time. Only for it all to come to an abrupt halt ever since the day Amy had come rushing home to the Rabbit's and announced her engagement to her life-long love. Then the real shift had taken place, with Amy seemingly perfectly content with settling into more of a housewife-like lifestyle, akin to that of Cream's own mother. Their Sunday dinners together became consistent each week, and Amy dropped by for more than tea as both her and Vanilla shared their daily activities. They went shopping together at the village market, did gardening, knitted, baked and cooked and plenty more in each other's company. But the best of all were those holidays when Cream was off school and Sonic was away, because then her mother could insist on Amy staying for an entire week at their home.

Partially due to Vanilla not wishing for Amy to grow lonely without Sonic around, and also due to the fact that they then could take longer outings of their own, as well. Either to the seaside or the mountain plains. Those times were truly precious memories…

Therefore it had come as a surprise when Cream one day woke up to hear the news from her mother that Amy had left on a longer "trip" with Sonic and Tails. And that Sonic had called and asked for them to look after the house and garden while they were gone. At first, Cream had felt a twinge of sadness upon hearing this, since Amy hadn't come and taken farewell herself or even forewarned her that she would leave at all. Still, Cream had merely drawn the conclusion that Amy would most likely send her a letter explaining everything as soon as possible, but alas… For some reason her best friend hadn't bothered to send even the tiniest, shortest of letters nor left any inside the house either. Cream had made sure to look the very first time she came around to water the flowers.

It wasn't like Amy to just simply cut her off like this.

And in the back of her mind a looming sense of worry had begun to grow…

Another sigh escaped Cream's lips as she a while later emptied the last watering can over an especially delicate rose growing in a pot underneath the kitchen window. She wiped some sweat off her brow, craning her neck upwards in order to squint at the blazing sun. An hour had surely passed since she left home, and unless she didn't want to run late for tea time, she'd better get a move on.

With a quick pep in her step, Cream returned the can and all of the other tools she'd used to the shed before beginning her search for her friend Cheese, who tended to venture off on his own while she was occupied with the gardening.

"Cheese..!" The young rabbit called, walking around the corner of the cottage towards the backyard, scanning the bushes carefully for any sign of him along the way. "Cheese, come on, it's time to go home!" Pretty soon a familiar squeal came from the frontyard, where she found Cheese sitting upon the porch swing, rubbing his eyes as if just waking up from a pleasant slumber. "Ah, there you are…"

Cream hopped onto the porch, joing her friend on the swing for a bit as she gently pushed them back and forth with the heels and toes of her shoes. She looked outwards to the far reaching meadows, the rolling hills and the distant glimpse of the ocean, feeling a vague sense of melancholy come upon her. She didn't know why, suddenly she just… felt it.

Far longer than she realized, they sat there in silence, gazing, thinking…

"Chaaoo..!"

"I'm sorry, Cheese, I got lost in thought." Cream said, shaking her head. "Being here just reminds me of how much I miss Miss Amy. I'm afraid that something awful might have happened to her, and to Mister Sonic and Mister Tails, as well."

"Chao, chao..?"

"Though I'm positive it's merely my worried mind speaking. Our friends know how to handle themselves - they're heroes, after all! And Mister Tails' brilliancy always knows just what to do if ever there's a pinch..!"

A fond smile came across her lips as she proclaimed so, her right hand tracing along the wooden plank underneath her. For some reason, she was then reminded of the tiny initials carved upon the swing's backrest and turned her head to look at them - a jagged S next to a cursive A. This seemingly insignificant and small display of love was enough to fill Cream's heart with reassurance but also hope. She recalled how Amy - over the moon with happiness - had showed her the initials and told her all about the moment at which none other than Sonic himself had engraved the two letters. This had been before their engagement, before everything had become so… difficult, yet wonderful.

Wonderful because this past year it felt like Cream had sorta gotten her big sister and best friend back, in some way.

And difficult because she knew deep down that Amy wasn't wholeheartedly hers anymore - or rather hers alone, that is.

Amy was also Sonic's now and vice versa. Cream figured it was like splitting oneself in half - one half of yourself you kept, while the other half was given to the other person, who in turn gave you their other half. One were always whole and fully themselves, except not quite like before… because now you carried two hearts inside your chest instead of only one. And hearts did beat better when in sync with their other half… Ugh. Cream shook her head. Not even in her own mind did it make any sense. The kind of love Sonic and Amy shared was still too foreign for her to get a real grasp on, mainly because she had so little experience with such emotions herself.

Both Amy and her mother had told her that she'd grow to learn all about it one beautiful day…

"One day…"

Cream cast one last lingering look at the initials, and then left the cottage with Cheese flying in tow.

They made their way back through the meadows and home to their own cottage where Vanilla would most likely already be awaiting them inside with tea and scones. The Rabbit's cottage were somewhat similar to Amy's, except that it was almost double the size both house- and garden-wise. It stood closer to the edge of a forest consisting of tall silver birch trees and they even had a small pond located just outside their garden gate. A pond adorned with rosy lily pads accompanied by the soft humming of dragonflies and the occasional croaking frog. Vanilla's vegetable garden didn't seem to know no end at fist glance nor did the various orchids or berry bushes that decorated the rest of the wide space either. The cottage itself appeared like a genuine old-styled country home with its large casement windows and wooden porch. It was two stories high, and flowers of every possible kind grew outside both along the facade and around it in flower beds.

Simply put, their home was a harmonious blend of both chaotic disarray and precise perfection.

A barely noticeable stream of smoke rose from within one of the two chimneys, telling Cream that her mother must be boiling water this very moment. Thus, she hurried up the pathway, up the porch steps and then to the double front doors which she just about threw wide open.

"Mother, I'm home..!" She called as she kicked off her shoes in the hallway, before quickly remembering her manners and neatly set them aside on the floor. She also lowered her voice to a softer tone once she began venturing into the living room, brushing some dirt off of her dress in the process— "I'm sorry if I have kept you waiting. The watering dragged out the time - since it has been so warm the soil was almost completely dry, so I had to water extra much. And then I—" Cream quieted down as soon as she rounded the corner leading into the wide living room area and found that her mother wasn't sitting alone inside the room.

Upon the couch, closely yet at a respectable distance from her mother, sat Mister Vector with a tea cup in hand. It almost looked comical how tiny the cup appeared contra his large hands, and how he held it by the handle with his pinky. Judging by his firm grasp he was very keen on not mistakingly dropping the cup onto the floor, and he only tremble slightly each time he raised it upwards to drink. Meanwhile, in one armchair each, two other familiar figured were sipping tea in identical cups - namely Mister Espio and Charmy. Yes, even in her thoughts she didn't title the teenage bee as "Mister". For some reason, it just felt silly to do so.

And Charmy himself had no objections to it, either.

It had been a while since Cream had seen the latter two, whereas she met Mister Vector almost regularly at least once every other week nowadays. He would show up on odd weekdays, mostly during the late afternoons, and spend a pleasant evening with them. The three of them would eat dinner together, then play some board game or simply enjoy a peaceful hour in the living room as Cream did homework, and her mother knitted while exchanging small talk with Mister Vector. Afterwards, it would be time for Cream to get ready for bed whereupon the older pair would usually take an evening walk. The idea was for her to have fallen asleep during the time of their walk, but some nights she'd stay up later than allowed - reading books in the glow of a flashlight underneath her covers - and then she could hear them return home. Most times she simply heard how they shared one last cup of tea before bidding each other goodnight and farewell.

But on a few odd nights, the gentle sound of the age old piano being played could fill the entire downstairs and carefully make its way up to Cream's room, as well.

At those times, she'd lay wide awake in the dark and listen. Listen to the occasional melancholy tunes and the occasional significantly more merry tunes.

The whole ordeal was quite strange, because these were the only moments in all of her life that Cream had gotten to hear the piano being used at all. Vanilla had never pressed so much as a single key upon the shimmering ivories, and Cream herself had never been taught or ever heard her mother express a desire for her daughter to learn. Neither Sonic, Tails or Amy seemed to possess the knowledge to play properly either, as each time they'd even thought to touch the piano it was mostly to just screw around on the multiple keys for fun. Still, as far back as Cream could remember, the piano had always stood there in one of the corners of the living room.

Was it simply an old heirloom inherited by her mother from some long since deceased relative?

Cream had never known any potential realtive that might've wished for them to inherit so much as a single candlestick. Her grandparents, Vanilla's mother and father that is, had completely disowned their daughter the very same moment she'd told them that she were pregnant with none other than Cream herself, at the mere age of eighteen. It hadn't mattered how much she'd pleaded or begged for their understanding - her bags had been packed for her the next morning, and she would come to leave her childhood home - indeed her entire village - never to return… Although, Vanilla hadn't been alone, at least not at the beginning of her new life.

He, Cream's father, had been a genuine and righteous young man who'd cared and provided for his pregnant beloved every last day up until his premature death. From the moment they'd ran away together, found a new place to live out on the country side of Station Square, built a cottage to form their family in to how her father had proposed to Vanilla not soon after, planned out the vegetable garden, anf how he'd built Cream's very first crib with his own two hands… only to die a mere month before her birth. What had happened the following month leading up to her birth or even what had caused her father's death, Cream had no clue about as her mother refused to speak of it.

Perhaps some memories are darkened by too much sorrow to ever see the light of day.

Or perhaps that was yet another thing she'd grow to learn about come this infamous "one day".

After all, it wasn't too many years ago that her mother's past had been first disclosed to Cream. Before then, she had never really pondered too much about who her father might've been or why she never had any relatives visiting every once in a while. All she'd been told was that he father had been a good man, but that unfortunately he'd passed away before ever getting to meet her. And as strange as it may seem, that had been enough for Cream. Truly, she'd just been happy to have a mother, considering none of her other friends had even as much as that. But even that fact hadn't fazed her as she always viewed all of her friends as much older and more mature than herself. Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles - they'd simply been heroes in her eyes! And being a hero outweighed being an…— an orphan… right?

However, Cream's inner pondering were abruptly cut short as Vanilla cleared her voice to speak—"It's all right, dear. We just about started having ourselves some tea, I set a cup for you, too. Won't you join us?" Her mother motioned at a cup upon a saucer across from the couch where a stool had been placed for Cream to sit on, as well.

But Cream didn't sit, instead her heart took a leap. "Why are you three here? Is it about Amy, Tails and Sonic? Have you heard from them? Where are they? Are they hurt?"

"Cream…" Vanilla chided gently, but luckily Vector cared little for manners and answered in a tone he hoped sounded reassuring enough for the young rabbit.

"Easy there, kiddo. No one's dead… or at least I think so…"

There came a strained noise from Espio who'd just been in the midst of swallowing a clunk of tea, while Charmy gave the crocodile an incredulous look that even so bore a hint of amusement at his complete lack of tactfulness. Vanilla, however, quickly regained the word again, gesturing once again for Cream to sit down. "Please, have a seat, honey."

And once her daughter finally sat herself down and had gotten a few sips of tea in her, Vanilla began to recount all of that of which Vector had just told her. They hadn't gotten far into their tale and once Vanilla finished, Espio picked up the thread. He told them all of what had occurred these past few days - how they'd been contacted by Tails and all of that he'd told them, how they'd been out searching for Chaos Emeralds and how they ultimately had decided to stop by here to check up on them to see if they were alright.

"—We've had regular communication with Tails and Knuckles these last five days when we've been on seperate locations. But now the both of us have come to the decision that it's time to meet up in person at Tails' workshop and discuss our next course of action."

"Our next course of action…" Cream repeated with a furrowed brow. Her heart had continuously sunk deeper and deeper down inside her chest the more she'd been told of what had been going on for several weeks bow without her knowing any of it. Robotnik on an impending uprise… Her best friend right in his clutches with utmost certainty… All while Sonic had disappeared to who-knows-where, and Tails and Knuckles had searched day and night for shards to put the very Master Emerald itself back together again. Cream had a hard time processing all of it, and was perhaps still in the midst of doing so, but for her one question seemed more important than any other right this minute. "Our next course of action is to rescue Amy from Doctor Robotnik, isn't it?! Why aren't we doing that right now?! And why haven't anyone bothered to tell me and Mama about all of this before just now?!"

It wasn't like Cream to raise her voice, but as of now she couldn't care less about it. She'd put her tea cup down with a loud— clang!— before jumping to her feet, tears in her eyes and staring at everyone in the room one after the other.

Both Vector and Charmy seemed too stumped for words, but Espio met Cream's gaze with calmness, and even calmer were his voice as he said—"Neither of us knew either, up until five days ago when Tails called the Agency, a point where he barely gave us much information to begin with. From there on, as we've continued to talk via our communciation devices we've successively learned more and more for each day. However, our primary focus has been on what will aid us in both taking on Robotnik as well as giving us a fair chance at freeing Miss Rose." He paused for a brief moment, studying Cream's face before giving her an empathetic look. "I am most apologetic that we haven't contacted you until today, but perhaps the ignorance will have spared you at least five days of fruitless worrying, as it wouldn't have done you or your mother any good."

"I'm sorry, too, Kiddo." Vector added in a modest tone. "I wish we could've come sooner, but these Emeralds have been damn hard to find. Ehh— ooops, sorry Miss Vanilla, I didn't mean to…—"

"It's okay, Mister Vector..." Vanilla assured softly, her eyes having lowered to her lap as she also seemed taken by everything. For the sake of her daughter though, she tried suppressing her own tears the best she could.

Cream swallowed hard, wiping some stray tears from her cheeks.

She didn't know what to respond, and was beginning to feel ashamed for having bursted out at them.

Surprisngly enough, it was Charmy's next words that offered her the most comfort out of all of them. The teenage boy sat on the very edge of his armchair's seat, with his lanky legs shifting lightly back and forth, as did his feet on his heels. His amber eyes on the other hand were sturdy and met Cream's own deep brown eyes directly and without either forced reassurance or sheepish contrite within them. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were both the same age or that she saw some of her own inadequacy reflected back at her, but she truly listened as he said—"I know this whole thing sucks, I wanted to go beat Robotnik's butt and help Amy as soon as we found out, too… But Tails wouldn't have told us to wait and gain leverage instead if he didn't truly believe it would give us and everyone else an advantage in the end, would he?"

And Cream didn't even need to contemplate it.

She knew Tails would never, not in a million years, jeopardize anybody's life. Least of all his own friend and sister-in-law, that he'd known for more than half of his life and loved dearly. No, if Tails believed this was their best chance at getting Amy back safely then who was Cream to question his plan? Or his intentions, for that matter.

"You're right, he wouldn't. I trust Mister Tails…"

Then, without realizing she'd decided to, Cream went straight into her mother's waiting embrace, kneeling in front her and resting her head in Vanilla's skirt-clad lap. The few tears she forced out simply because it felt slightly better getting them all out, Vanilla stroked away gently while her other hand petted her daughter's head and ears in such a comforting way that only a mother could.

"There, there, my little darling… There, there. Everything will be all right, soon once more…"

Seeming to feel compelled to say something uplifting, Vector excitedly piped up again, declaring with confidence—"That's right, Cream, like Espio said - we're just heading out to meet up at Tails' Workshop as soon as we finish up here. And who knows, we could just as well have Pinky back with us by this time tomorrow..!"

"If so, can I come along? Please?" Cream requested, her eyes now gleaming with both tears and hopefulness.

"I don't think your mother would approve of… ehh, uhm..—" Vector mumbled incoherently while stealing a sideways glance at Vanilla and twiddling his thumbs.

"Only to Tails' Workshop, I meant - so that mother and I will know what the plan is, too. Oh, please Mama, could I?"

Fortunately, Vanilla did nod her head in approval. "Perhaps that would be a good idea. But afterwards you'll come straight home, alright dear? I won't have you try and persuade them for you to come along on any dangerous rescue operations. It's not safe for a girl your age. Not while the circumstances seems to be as they are as of current, anyway."

It would've been natural for a teenager her age to object to this statement, and certainly for Cream seeing as Charmy was obviously allowed to partake in all that were to come. And also since she knew her closest friends had endured far more dangerous scenarios by the time they were her age and managed. Still, Cream didn't object. Because deep down, she realized that her situation had been and still was different to that of Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Amy. Like mentioned before, they had grown up without any parental figures around to tell them what they could or couldn't do. There had never been anyone to ask for permission. Never anyone to worry about them. Whether something had been dangerous or not hadn't mattered, since they'd simply done what had to be done. With the only ones caring about either of them were each other.

But Cream had indeed her mother and also Cheese to take into consideration for every choice she made.

Even so, it was hard to deny that small voice inside her head that told her that she was old enough to make her own decisions… That Amy needed her, and her risked her safety many a times before to help Cream out of perils… That maybe Tails and Sonic expected her to do so… And that maybe, just maybe, the time had come for her to prove herself once and for all, to not only her friends and her mother - but to herself, as well…

Perhaps now was the time to push back.

To declare herself independent enough.

To trust her ability to be a hero in her own right.

"I promise, Mama."

—.—

Late noon had turned to a humid afternoon once Cream finally left the cottage with the Chaotix for Tails' Workshop. Vanilla had insisted on that they ate a steady meal before sending them on their way, and had even prepared a hot meal each for Tails and Knuckles in tin boxes. Cream carried them, along with a big bottle of homemade lemonade, in a basket which she held firmly as they made their way towards the Mystic Ruins. It wasn't too far of a way to walk by foot, less than an hour in fact, and Cream knew the correct paths to take by heart. She'd decided to not bring Cheese along since it was time for his afternoon nap, and therefore not woken him up as she'd left and simply let him rest instead.

There was no point distrupting his routines simply because she had a quick errand to make. For even though they were near inseperable most of the time, Cheese had been able to form a new sort of independece ever since Cream had begun going to school on a weekly basis. At first, she been quite devastated when learning that Cheese wouldn't be allowed to follow her around like usual when in school. They didn't allow pets of any kind, and despite her claims that he wasn't a pet but in fact her friend, the two of them had been forced to learn how to be apart from each other more often. A lesson not so easily learned as both of them had tried to get around the rule initially - either by Cream hiding Cheese inside her locker during classes or when Cheese would sneak inside her backpack when she'd leave in the mornings. Once found out however, there had been very stern talkings with both teachers and her mother. But alas, at long last their various schemes had ceased, and Cheese developed new daily habits as a result.

Meanwhile Vector faced a similar dilemma, as he once more had to part with the woman he always felt he never got to spend enough time with. Each time they met their moments together were too brief, too fleeting, too… little. Even under the most perfect of circumstances, he had a hard time conveying all of those tender feelings he harboured towards her. It happened too often that he'd fumble over his own words or his own two feet - quite literally - or otherwise their moments would get interrupted, end up being too formal or he'd become too nervous to say anything of real substance at all.

Nowadays, Vanilla and his relationship had at least come a long way from where it had first started and they both had a pretty good understanding of where the other person stood in regards to its further development.

Usually Vector was the one who wanted things to develop fast and preferably all at once, while Vanilla waited patiently for things to run its course and savor each phase until it felt most natural to progress onto the next one. Perhaps it was mostly because of their drastically different pasts…

For wheras Vanilla had been forced to become a grown up fast - both found and lost the love of her life within the span of only two years and then having skipped out on the entireity of her youth in order to raise her child as a single mother. —Vector has been able to live most of his life as he's pleased, aside from having begrudgingly taken on Charmy and making sure the rent got paid, of course. But that kid had practically grown up feral and no matter how tight they'd been on money they'd always managed to scrape together enough by the end of the day. He was well versed with hard work, yet still lacked a proper sense of responsibility. And despite being a natural born romantic and charmer, his heart had only truly been set on one woman, and her alone.

Ever since he'd first seen her, he'd known she was the one.

Since then it had felt as if he'd only really had two options to choose between regarding his love life - either live forever as a bachelor or marry Vanilla the Rabbit. Even at the mere age of twenty, the choice had been near ridiculously easy to make, and it had then quickly grown to become the worst kept secret in all of the history of secrets.

Vector heaved a sigh, discarding his thoughts of the object of his affection in order to keep a clear and focused mind of what was to come.

When they'd finally arrived at the Mystic Ruins and ascended up the stairs leading to the workshop, it turned out that its owner were already there, along with the notorious guardian of the Master Emerald.

"Mister Tails! Mister Knuckles!" Cream exclaimed as soon as the four of them came thorugh the door. With no regards for any type of manners she threw her arms firstly around Knuckles' throat and then Tails, who she might've lingered an extra couple of seconds on. "Oh, it's so good to see you both!"

The two boys in question looked equally as happy to see her, despite the rest of their apperance screaming of serious neglect and dishevelment. Neither of them were particularly… well, squeaky clean, so to speak. Dirt, sweat and other debris from the wilderness adorned their fur and spikes, while the dark circles underneath their eyes bore clear witness of their lack of sleep, or at least any good kind. However, Tails instinctively tried to dust himself off a bit just as Cream let go off him - a bashful smile plastered across his unkempt muzzle. He cleared his throat, but was foiled by one of the infernal side effects of puberty hitting him right at that moment - as his voice decided to crack just as he said—

"GoOd to see yOU toO, CrEAm..!"

Fortunately, Espio came in for a swift rescue as he immediately cut to the chase and reached Tails the Miles Electric they'd been borrowing. "Let us not waste a minute more than we have to. Tails, you should pin-point Miss Rose's exact location first of all, before we make up our plans for the rescue operation."

"Yes, yes, of course..! Let me see that…"

The young fox accepted the device and instantly got to working on transferring the coordinates of the wrist communicator to the more advanced tracking system of the Miles Electric. He sat down at his work bench, lit the desk lamp and began tinkering while Cream waited anxiously by his side, and occasionally looking over his shoulder. That left Knuckles with telling the story of what they'd gone through these last few days to Vector, Espio and Charmy, who all listened intently as he spoke.

Scaling mountains… Trekking through jungles, forests and deserts… Digging through seemingly endless soil and dirt pits… All of it came off as sounding like second nature to Knuckles, yet one could still tell there was a small hint of exhaustion his voice. "The hardest part was keeping my mind and body clear of any negative thoughts or energies and stay as neutral as possible to be more accessible to the shards own energies. It's a bit hard to describe… but it's sorta like standing in the middle of a crowded room with people talking and then trying to single out only one voice, and focus on it." He pushed himself upright as he'd been leaning his back up against the Tornado as he'd been talking, and began to scratch off some dirt from his glove covered fists. The look in his eyes turning oddly distant for a brief moment. "At times, it's like you can feel… - even hear -the tiniest of shift in the planet's atmosphere. In the ground underneath your feet, in the bedrock of a mountain, in the wind…"

The room fell quiet, aside from Tails' tinkering, as the echidna's voice died off at the last sentence.

The members of the Chaotix exchanged a hasty glance.

"So you managed to gather all of the shards then. That's quite impressive considering the short time and under the current circumstances, as well." Espio said, after a while. Seeing as Knuckles seemed to have come to the conclusion of his story.

"Yeah, and wait until you see the Emeralds!" Charmy chimed in, sneaking the backpack from Vector's grip to reveal its content for Knuckles.

—"Hey..! Arghh…"

"Look, look! Ain't it great? It was me who got the purple one - it was stuck way up on top a windmill in Apotos, I had to fight off nearly two dozen seagulls just to get to it! But the miller guy seemed to be happy to get rid of it."

Meanwhile, Vector picked up the white Chaos Emerald, eyeing it with a frown. "This little bugger was some ways off on a tiny little island that turned out to be inhabited by nothing but hermit crabs. I had to swim to get there, and then they nearly pinched my tail off as I went to take it from them..! Blasted creatures…" He grumbled the last part under his breath as not to let Cream overhear him, while also casting a sideways glance down at his long, scaly tail that currently rested upon the floor.

Espio shook his head in spite of his comrades' tales, before picking up the last one from the bottom of the backpack and holding it out in the palm of his hand. He noted that it and the other two seemed to be glowing a lot more now than what they'd previously done. He directed his attention to Knuckles for confirmation, asking—"Their glow… it's more intense now that they're together - indicating that they're feeding off on each other's individual power, correct?"

Knuckles nodded, beholding the three Emeralds with notable reverence.

Charmy, struck by a sudden wondering, asked—"Heeey… I just thought of something. The Emeralds, they're all different colors, right? Does that mean anything? Like do they each have their own special abilities or give you some sort of power - like can one give you laser eyes, o-or maybe like make you telepathic or something? Perhaps the white one gives you ice-breath! That'd be sooo cool..!"

"Well, according to some of the texts I've studied throughout the years, some even made by my own ancestors, there's been multiple theories and hypothesis about the significance of each Emeralds' color and that they might possess individual proprieties…" Knuckles answered thoughtfully, before hastily waving a hand as if to discard the notion - despite how intriguing he found the possibility of any such theories actually being true. "Though to my knowledge - based on what I've observed in my lifetime anyway - none of the Emerlads has showed any signs of acting or reacting differently when handled. But who knows? I recon we don't even know half of what the Emeralds are truly capable of… I suppose Sonic would be the person to know if so were the case - still, I doubt it."

A certain hardness had snuck into Knuckles' voice as he'd neared the end.

So, in order to distract himself from delving into it any further, he took the three Emeralds and put them all back inside the backpack. Slinging it over his own shoulder instead of Vector carrying it in his hands. Somehow it felt safer carrying the load of them himself. And perhaps he merely imagined it, but the nearness of their energy seemed to help keep his mind clear.

However, any such clarity turned out to be short-lived once Vector inquired the following with dubious optimism—

"Speaking of which… do you or Tails have any idea of where he might be at? Sonic, I mean."

"If I did, I would've gone to knock some sense into him, already. Not that it has ever worked before, but—… it would have made me feel a tiny bit better."

"But you guys reckon he's gotta show up some time soon, right? I mean, we gathered all of the Emeralds for him, didn't we? To give ourselves the best shot at taking on Robotnik and rescuing Amy? It will have been all for nothing if he doesn't show up - letting that poor girl suffer inside a cell somewhere, waiting for us… We will only have wasted precious time."

Knuckles pulled a grimace that was a mix between looking pained and irritated. He didn't exactly appreciate Vector's tone or the truth within his words, but suppressed the urge to say so.

As if any of this were his fault.

As if any of this were any of their fault.

No, the main culprit was running amok somewhere.

And no, Knuckles didn't have the slightest clue of when or even if he would lower himself to grace them all with his presence.

Still, admitting to that fact aloud would only add fuel to the fire that already was a clusterfuck of a situation. And he'd promised Tails to let those feelings of hurt and anger go, for they wouldn't benefit anyone now, least of all himself. Thus, Knuckles took on the role of calm and collected leader once more, letting out a deep sigh through his nose. "Whatever Sonic's doing, I'm sure it's in the best interest for—"

"Knuckles, I got it!" Tails called out all of a sudden. Prompting everyone to perk up and approach the work bench where Tails sat waving the Miles Electric above his head, while pointing to a blinking, red dot on its screen. "I know where Robotnik's base is!"

Looking at the screen, one could see a much more detailed map than the one that was on Tails' communicator. Actual coordinates, lines of both longitude and latitude, and small text labeling certain areas were presented on a map depicting what looked to be most of Mobius. Exactly how the entire planet could be detailed on such a small, mere self-made device went beyond Knuckles' understanding, nor did he care about it at the moment. At least he recognized the general area the dot appeared to be indicating Amy - and thus also Robotnik's base - to be at. If it even was a base that is…

"That's… half way across Mobius." Knuckles said slowly, trying to wreck his brain for any recollection of being in that specific area. However, he needn't ponder for long as Tails quickly pushed a few buttons, causing the entire screen to suddenly change as he zoomed in closer, and closer… and closer, until… "Wait, isn't that..?"

To everyone's surprise, Charmy was the first one to point it out—"That's Never Lake!"

The young bee felt five pair of eyes directing themselves at him for a split second.

"What? I know stuff!"

Vector and Espio looked mildly puzzled at the significance of the place whereas the rest of the group felt their hearts slowly but surely sink inside their chests. They very well knew the place. Of course they did… For hadn't they heard it being mentioned countless of times in the past - brought up by none other than Amy Rose herself. Listened, often with half-an-ear and more or less entusiastically, on her re-telling the story of how that was the place where she'd first locked eyes with the love of her life. How it all had been a destined meeting long before either of them were even born. Throughout the years they, too, had come to learn it by heart, and nowadays it felt like a tale as old as time itself.

Now, the only question they were all internally asking themselves was; why?

—Why Never Lake out of all the places on Mobius?

Finally, Knuckles was the first one to regain himself enough to ask it aloud—"Wha-… Why would Robotnik be hiding at Never Lake? It doesn't make any sense. Tails, are you absolutely sure that communicator's tracker system even works properly…—"

"Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure." Tails interrupted before he could go on any further.

Then Cream piped up, her voice barely more than a meek whisper. "But that's horrible… Poor, Amy… I wonder if she even knows."

"I don't know, Cream, but if Amy's wearing the communicator, and this points to there then—"

But now it was Vector's turn to interrupt as he abruptly threw his arms out, shouting impatiently—"Aw, who cares why that madman decides to do anything anymore, or where he builds his cursed bases! What difference does it make? Now we know exactly where he's at and we've got the clear advantage with 'em Emeralds, so let's go already!"

"I does make a difference." Espio pointed out, sounding as if he'd just come out of a deep thought. "The enemy will always look for ways to set their adversary out of balance. And considering this apparently has some obvious connection to both Amy and Sonic, he most likely has a bigger motive for choosing the area. Do we have any idea what it might be?" He turned especially to Knuckles and Tails with one brow raised, waiting patiently in contrast to Vector for either of them to give an explanation.

Tails drew a hand through his bangs, huffing out some air he'd felt building up inside his chest for a while now. In all honesty, he was pretty much nearing the edge of exhaustion and his brain was already working over time. And adding his lack of proper sleep into the equation, he was surprised he even managed to remember what he said next—"Well, Never Lake is famous for being the spot where the planetoid Little Planet appears above for roughly one month every year. I've never actually been there myself, but I think I've read most of what's been written about it, at least in relatively modern texts." He paused, squinting his eyes down at the still blinking red dot on the screen while a frown appeared between his brows. "Though I have a hard time imagining Robotnik using it's presence to his advantage somehow, unless… I mean there's always the Time Stones, but one might've thought he learned his lesson about abusing their power ten years ago when Sonic thwarted his plans. And again, it's only present for barely a month."

Knuckles shook his head, crossing his arms across his chest as he gave Tails an incredulous look. "Who's to say he hasn't chained down the entire planet to Mobius like last time? Like Espio said, I seriously doubt it's a coincidence that he's there. He must have some form of trick up his sleeve."

"I suppose we'll have to consider it a possibilty until we actually get there…" Tails agreed with a curt nod, somehow feeling even more worn than he did a moment ago. A choked yawn escaped him just as he swung his chair around towards the work bench to begin fidgeting with the Miles Electric again. "Just to make sure we're not walking ourselves into a bigger situation than we're prepared for… - Imma check if I can chart Little Planet's movement and figure out if it's already passed through Mobius' orbit for the year or not."

Then all of a sudden he felt a gentle hand rest upon his shoulder.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cream's big hazel eyes gaze at him with such warmth that he actually felt the heat spread from her hand up to his cheeks.

For it couldn't possibly be a blush… right?

Oh, where was Sonic when you needed him?

"I'll make you some coffee, Mister Tails." She said in the most softest of tones, a softness that were only outmatched by the smile she gave him.

For some reason, Tails could feel his heart skip a beat.

Aw geez, was he really that tired that he'd began having arrhythmia?

"Uh, thanks, Cream. Tha-that'd be very kind of you, hehe. I have some in the small cabinet over there." He pointed towards the sparse cooking area of the Workshop, that pretty much only consisted of a water tap sticking out from the wall with a bucket underneath, along with a portable cooking stove standing on top a counter with a few cabinets overhead. Although, he did have a rather large fridge, but it was mostly filled with various equipment and colorful liquids in plastic containers that needed to be kept cool. Leaving only a single shelf at the bottom for any actual food items, of which there currently were none at all.

It was indeed a sad sight, and Cream silently wondered how anyone could live with such a limited space for cooking while she filled the coffee brewer with water. A brewer which naturally were self-made by the owner of the Workshop himself and probably more advanced than she realized. Still, after some figuring she actually did manage to get a decent cup of coffee out of the machine which she then handed to a most appreciative Tails.

In the background, they heard Knuckles and the Chaotix beginning to form a plan of attack, talk strategy and whether or not they should split into different teams. As one might've expected, it quickly turned into a rather loud discussion…

However, none of it concerned Cream at the moment. Her attention was solely on Tails, for there were something in his strained expression that caught her eye before. It was evident he was in dire need of some support right about now. She thought for a moment of what to say, and how to best approach the troubled genius. For some reason, she figured general words of encouragement wouldn't do much good, so instead she spoke what came natural from the heart. Confidently yet still low enough so that only the two of them heard, which wasn't hard due to the other's shouting.

"You know, it's okay to rest for a little while if you need to. No one will judge you for it."

Having just about emptied the entireity of the cup in one single big gulp, Tails wasn't prepared for what he heard. Yet, he met Cream's gaze with an almost defiant gleam in his eyes, trying hard to keep the weariness from peeking through his brave facade. "That's… nice of you to say, Cream. But I'm fine - really, I am. I just got a little dip there for a minute, that's all. And now, once the caffeine reaches my blood stream, I'll be as alert as a Flicky and fit for fight again."

"Mister Tails, please - don't treat me like everyone else does."

"Treat you how?"

"Like I'm still six years old."

Tails blinked, Cream appeared just as calm and collected as she always did and her voice was still soft… still, he thought he recognized a certain sharpness in her tone now.

A sharpness he vaguely remembered…

Because it was the exact same he'd used when he was younger. Whenever anyone insinuated he wasn't mature enough to hear or do certain things, especially if it were something in relation to Sonic. If his older brother had ever accidentally dismissed or underestimated his level of understanding or abilities. And despite knowing it wasn't with any ill intention but rather the opposite - namely out of purest affection and protectiveness - it had still stung at times. Now, Tails certainly didn't wish to treat Cream the same way, for he very well knew she was tougher than she appeared to be.

But…—

Yes, the famous "but"…

—at the same time, he would never voluntarily wish to upset Cream more than necessary.

And right now, his own mind was filled to the brim with more than just a couple of upsetting thoughts.

"Oh, Cream… I— I apologize that I made you feel like that…" Tails replied at long last, his hand fumbling absentmindedly with the cup in his hands. "I guess I just meant that, in comparison to everything that's going on - not to mention the state Amy's probably in right now - I have no right to complain. Or even think about resting for so much a mere minute, as harsh as it may sound. And quite honestly, I don't want to rest either. All I wanna do is get an end to this as soon as possible, and then hopefully we can all put it behind us."

"What if isn't that easy?"

"I'm sure it won't be, but hey - we can't lose hope now. Not when we're this close. And I promise you, Cream, once we have Amy back we'll all go on another picnic together. Like the one we went on a month ago, remember? It'll be great, and I'll make sure to take a nice long nap in the grass, too!" The bravest of smiles stretched across Tails' muzzle, and without thinking too much about he reach a hand out to grasp hers.

Cream couldn't help but return the smile. A brief giggle escaping her just as she said—"You sound just like Mister Sonic."

"Heh, yeah, maybe I—"

Call it a sixth sense, but later Tails could've sworn he felt the sonic boom tear through the atmosphere in the distance a second earlier before he actually heard it. It all seemed to happen within the blink of an eye - because one second the door to the Workshop were shut close and in the next it hung by its hinges, while a familiar figure had appeared in the doorway.

His big brother…

Except he wasn't the big brother Tails knew within and without,

He was the otherworldly being.

The raging hurricane with the force of a million men.

A force of nature itself.

Chaos in the flesh.

But right then and there, Tails didn't care about any of it. He sprung up from his seat, ran head first into his brother's chest, capturing him in the tightest embrace he was capable of. Sonic was back - everything would be all right. All of a sudden, it no longer mattered what he had or hadn't done. He didn't care that he should probably feel angry or possibly betrayed by his decision of leaving him behind with not so much as a word back on Angel Island. None of those emotions weighed up to the sheer relief and joy he felt at seeing him safe and sound again. Or… as it would turn out, relatively safe and sound. And in the same breath as his arms were around Sonic, he let out a near deafening cry that echoed throughout the Workshop, drowning all other sound inside and possibly the entirety of the world's sounds, as well. "Sonic!"

To his relief, Sonic returned the embrace.

Although, Tails' happiness was cut short once they pulled apart and he witnessed the overall state of his brother.

He'd thought it to be impossible, but Sonic actually looked worse than the last time he'd seen him - when he'd just recieved a serious beating by Knuckles, and had been covered in quite a lot of blood. There weren't any blood on him now, fortunately, and as far as Tails could tell he wasn't suffering from any serious wounds. But aside from those two glimmers of hope upon their sky of fortune, the rest was pitch black. The first word that came to mind when looking at him was… broken. It was as if all the life and color had been drained out of him, leaving him a person with nothing but chaos and sorrow to feed off of to keep the remains of him still alive. And Tails bitterly mused to himself that if this had been Robotnik's plan all along then he'd most certainly succeeded.

Even so, Tails still refused to give in.

He'd keep picking up the pieces of his older brother. Force them to stay together if he had to.

Because despite how helpless it may seem to be at the moment, there was still time to put everything back to the way it was supposed to be again. As soon as Sonic had Amy back - the light in his eyes would return. They'd forget this whole past month had ever even happened. They'd all be happy again. For surely there weren't any wounds that couldn't be healed with time. No words too severe that they could't be taken back and apologized for. It was just like an engine, Tails figured, when it breaks down, you don't throw the entire thing away - you repair it. Nothing is ever so broken that it can't be fixed.

Tails could still fix all of it.

At least, that's what he thought…

There were so many things to talk about, that nothing ended up being said.

During the two brothers' little reunion, the rest of the gang observed in stunned silence. Neither of them knew what to think of the person who by all means reminded of Sonic the Hedgehog, but acted nothing like him and appeared more like his Dark form. They exchanged a worried glance amongst one other, with Knuckles folding his arms across his chest as his eyes had turned as hard as marbles. Before any of them had really figured out what to say or do next, Cream broke the tension further, by approaching Sonic just as casually as if they'd all met up for Sunday tea and he'd merely run a bit late. The smile she beamed up at him was genuine, and she even curtsied right before giving him a hug of her own. Just as polite as ever.

"Mister Sonic, we're so glad you decided to came back to us!" She said once she'd withdrawn herself from him, her chipper tone clashing quite prominently with his appearance. "And you're just in time, too. We're all heading off to rescue Amy!"

Well, if anything - that statement alone for sure broke the remainder of the ice…

But before any of them could witness Sonic's reaction, of his brain could fully register the words at all, Tails instantly jumped to the words. Turning to his brother as he began explaining—"Sonic, I—! Uh, there's been a big development in us locating Amy as well as a potential base Robotnik's after you left Angel Island. You see, there was this Chao that—" And so, Tails proceeded to tell the story of everything that had went down during the past five days that they'd been seperated. From how Scout had given them the key to locating Amy via the communicator Knuckles had initially thrown away, to at last come up to just this morning when they'd contacted the Chaotix for their meet up. Since they'd located all of the Master Emerald shards and even managed collect three Chaos Emeralds.

And even though Tails skimmed through most of the unimportant details, it still took its sweet time until he finally concluded the story. Drawing in some much needed breath just as he finished—

"—We never lost faith in that you'd return, but we since we just didn't know exactly when… we figured we'd give ourselves the best odds at defeating Robotnik. Once and for all." That last part had come off sounding a tad bit more wishful than Tails had wanted to. But still… considering they didn't know the full extent of which state they'd come to face the old Doctor in - perhaps a slight bit of apprehension was healthy.

Meanwhile, Sonic was left in a state of silent comprehension.

In fact he hadn't spoken a word or uttered so much as a single sound since entering the Workshop.

For a tense couple of minutes, Tails began to fear that his older brother might've become mute during his absence. That perhaps sorrow and/or shock had stolen away his voice forever, and he'd never again get to hear Sonic call him "Little bro"…

But after what felt like an eternity, Sonic walked forth deeper into the room with a few hobbling steps before stopping quite abruptly in front of Vector, Espio, Charmy and a withdrawn Knuckles. The echidna hadn't stepped a little ways forward like the others had upon his arrival, but rather remained in the back at the Tornado. And even though he didn't meet the gaze Sonic now directed at them, he still listened, with his eyes set dead down on the floor.

The voice that came out of Sonic's mouth was hoarse and lacked that familiar spirit and warmth it usually carried. Yet there was indeed a shadow of it still present as he, after a painful clear of his throat, began to address them all slowly but surely—"I…— I know I'll never be able to thank either of you enough for all that you've done. And I know none of it was for my sake but for…— A-Amy's… and everyone else's, of course. But I still— still wanna say it… Thank you." A brief silence followed, and for a second it looked as if he were about to collapse onto the floor. Shatter into a million little pieces. Or maybe simply fade out of existence like a mere phantom. They were alert to anything but hear the force that overcame his voice - his entire being - as he soon continued on. "The next thing I wanna say is 'I'm sorry'. Sorry for being an idiot. Sorry for letting you all down at a time when you needed me the most…" His eyes lingered back at Tails, who gave him the kind of understanding nod that only he could offer him at a time like this. He thought to meet Knuckles' eyes next, but decided not to, at the last second.

—"At first, I thought I could handle this whole thing without anyone. Then when I realized I probably couldn't… I accepted help, only it was the wrong kind of help. I know now, I should've called upon all of you from the very beginning. Because your help is the one I actually need - my team's my friends', my family's. And there's nobody else I'd rather have with me than you... We'll save Amy and the rest of Mobius, too. For we've done it before, haven't we? And we will do it again. And yes, Tails - this time we will put a definite stop to Robotnik, once and for all."

"Or die trying..!" Charmy bluntly shouted as he raised a fist into the air. An unexpected smirk stretching across his face.

"Die?!" Vector blurted out in disbelief, though no one paid him any mind.

"It'll be an honor to fight alongside you on this noble cause of diminishing such evil as Doctor Robotnik's from the world." Espio valiantly proclaimed, saluting Sonic with his hands as he did a curt bow.

"Die..?" Vector repeated.

"Don't worry, Vecs! We'll make sure you get back in one - relatively whole - piece to pop the question to Miss Vanilla..!"

Everyone laughed. A shaky yet heartfelt laughter, that allowed them to release some of the built-up tension inside of them. Only Sonic and Knuckles didn't, with the former not being able to produce any more than a vague smile due to his current state, and the latter had turned on his heel and walked out through the large garage doors to wait outside.

While the others went over the last of their planning and the logistics of getting to Never Lake - The Chaotix would ride inside the plane while Knuckles and Sonic were decided to be best suited to ride outside upon the wings, with Tails steering, of course - Knuckles' stood with his back against one of the palm trees that adorned the plane runway. He gazed out towards the ocean, which shimmered faintly in the few rays of sunlight that managed to peek through the increasingly murky clouds. The sky had taken on a mixed color of steel grey and light blue. There were no doubt about it - Knuckles could feel it by simply smelling the air and feeling the atmosphere - there was undoubtably a storm looming in the distance.

Out of his left glove, Knuckles had brought forth a most tattered piece of paper that just barely kept itself together anymore.

He'd read it many times now. At times with great sorrow, but most times with an even greater anger. For what felt like the umpteenth time, his eyes drifted across the sloppily scribbled words which read—

---

Knuckles,

I don't know whether you'll even bother to read this or if you've already thrown it into the fire, or maybe just torn it to shreds… But if you are reading, please, continue to read it all the way through. I know you don't want to, but it's important that you do. Not for my sake, but for Amy's.

Okay, maybe it's also a little bit for my sake. Or rather a whole lot. Because if anything happens to her, then…

As you can probably already tell, I've taken Tails with me and left for the G.U.N. Headquarter. As I told you about yesterday, their new Commander made me an offer last week to help deal with the whole Robotnik situation. If I agreed to play by their rules, that is… I know I said there were no way in hell I'd ever accept it, but… I now plan to do so.

Now I guess you're asking yourself; why?

But maybe not. You already know why.

The contract the Commander gave me reads that the bare minimum of time I have to spend in their little privatee program is a month. During that time they will have built up a thorough and extensive search for Robotnik, and if they end up finding him they've guaranteed me that they'll put him on a fair trial which will end up in a lifetime of prison, and that he won't be… well, you know. I know it might sound crazy, I know it is, but I just can't stand behind an execution. Not even of him. Not even after he threatened Amy's life like that…

If you're once again asking yourself; why? I'm sorry, I can't give you an explanation. Because I can't even begin to explain it to myself. It's just something I feel is the only right thing to do, with every bone in my body. And I believe if you were in my shoes - you'd feel it, too.

An eye for a tooth? an eye and the world goes blind, right? Or however that saying goes…

Anyway, I realize you probably aren't too eager to do me any favors right about now… I beg you But I swear on everything I hold dear, if you look after and protect Amy for me until I return - I'll never ask anything of you ever again, for as long as I shall live. I'll even be your personal slave for a whole year.

Okay, that last part was a joke.

By the way, just in case I don't make it back, I've attatched another letter for Amy to this one. But it's sorta depressing, so maybe just burn it the first chance you get - I don't know…

I have no clue on how to end this. I believe you would like to punch me right about now anyway, and believe me, I wanna punch myself even harder for putting you and Amy through this. For lying to two of the handful of people in this world I consider my one and only true family. I pray one day in the future you'll be able to find it in your heart to forgive me, or at least understand even a fraction of why I had to do this.

I have entrusted you with my life, take good care of her and take care of yourself, too.

Thank you for being my friend - I hope some day I can become half as good of one as you.

/ Sonic

---

The letter became a ball in his clenched fist.

And then Knuckles heard the steps he knew would come sooner or later, walking up to him with cautious determination. Once they stopped, Knuckles didn't even bother to turn around to double check his notion, before seemingly addressing the thin air—

" 'I'll never ask anything of you ever again, for as long as I shall live…' "

There needn't be any explanation as to what he was referring to - the person behind him remembered the words as clearly as if he'd written them yesterday.

"To be fair, one could question how alive I really am right now. I sure as hell don't feel like I am, at least. My heart even stopped beating some days ago."

"Nonesense. I can hear it, loud and clear."

"Yeah, it's funny… people keep telling me it does. But I can't feel it."

"Perhaps all of the senseless running about the planet like a headless chicken at the speed of sound for days, wasn't such a bright idea after all." Knuckles replied sarcastically, scoffing. "Your heart might have become just as damaged as your brain."

To the echidna's surprise, he heard a faint, yet indeed very much lifeless, chuckle breaking forth in response.

It died quickly, though.

A foreboding silence…

"… You were right, you know - back on Angel Island; this is all my fault. I knew it was then, too. And I knew something like this would happen, sooner or later. I just— didn't wanna see it. Didn't want to believe that the thing I wanted most in this world… was never meant for me."

Knuckles' eyes narrowed slightly.

This was something he'd wanted to hear for a long time now, and yet… now that he seemed to be getting the apology he knew he was rightfully deserving of - he no longer wished to recieve it. Quite honestly, he would've preffered asking Sonic to stop, if it weren't for the fact that he knew that whatever that blue moron had carried inside of him needed to be spoken. There were no one else who could handle these words. No one to understand how deep it cut to admit to such a failure. Such loss of naivete. He swallowed the heavy lump in his throat and continued to listen as Sonic picked up the thread almost seamlessly—

"Now I understand what you were trying to tell me that day before Tails and I left… I should never have proposed to Amy. I should've never even let my feelings for her get the better of me, to begin with. I mean, look at where its lead us..! Look at what it has lead me to do - towards her, towards Tails, towards you… This past year I fooled myself - again and again - into believing that I could be the man she deserves, the man she needs. I thought I could fight my own nature, fight the entire world and keep all of its and my dangers away from her. That I could keep her safe, when in reality it was me who were the biggest threat to her of all." Sonic paused, and Knuckles believed he could actually feel not just the psychological pain, but also the physical pain that affected him in that moment. If Sonic was saying what he thought he was saying, then he knew he should feel relieved. Happy even, that the blue boy had finally come to that conclusion. Still, deep inside, there was no joy to be found over such an inevitable ending to what at its core had been nothing but an innocent love between two people who just couldn't have each other.

It was like tearing sharp shards of glass into one's own skin while every last fiber in your body twisted itself in burning agony.

A self-inflicted kind of pain that you couldn't escape.

No matter how much you wished you could get up and run, it needed to be seen through to the end.

Knuckles remained silent, seething through the end of Sonic's admission to a guilt that had been eating away at him from the inside out.

"It was me who ended up abandoning her, not you. You protected her with your life when it should've been me to do so. You were there for her, and to that I owe you everything. I owe you my life for saving hers… You really have been a true friend, and I regret that I haven't been yours… I'm so sorry, Knuckles."

It felt as if time had stopped altogether.

Words sunk in as the air between them jad grown so thick that one could've cut through it with a knife.

Finally, Knuckles took the first step, turning himself around to look the young hero square in the face for the first time in what felt like many, many moons ago. Their eyes instantly locking in a thousand-yard stare - emerald meeting amethyst.

"I was wrong about one thing." Knuckles said. "Amy's death wouldn't be for the better. She's just what this world needs more of…— kindness, people who believe there is still good to be found within this planet's poor excuse of sentient life. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect her. And for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry about the decision you'll make once this is all over…"

Sonic couldn't think of anything else to say but a simple—"Let's bring her home."

Meanwhile inside the Workshop, a whole other conversation had taken place between Sonic's little brother and Cream.

For as the Chaotix, or rather Vector and Charmy - had begun to argue loudly about who should take what seat in the Tornado and whatnot… - Cream found herself growing distressed over the fact that she would get left behind. Not to mention anxious and worried to such a degree that she thought she might just begin to hyperventilate at any given moment. During the entire time that she watched as Tails first tanked up the Tornado, then checked its propeller, and lastly packed down a few things that he thought might come in handy in a worn-out rucksack… —Cream could barely keep herself composed.

She bombarded Tails with questions to which he answered each and every last one of with soothing reassurance and optimism.

Again and again claiming that everything would turn out all right, and that she needn't worry herself.

"But I do worry, Mister Tails..!" She said, her voice an octave higher than usual. A fact which caused Tails to halt in his packing and look up at her, somewhat taken aback. "And the worst part is that I ain't even allowed to come along and help you all."

"Cream, I know how you feel, and if it were only up to me I would've let you come, but… it's not. We promised your mom. Think of it, she'd be worried sick if you didn't come home. It's not like old times anymore… it hasn't been for a long time now."

"I know, and I know it is selfish to think of myself at a time like this, but I— I just wish there were something I could do to help, too."

Neatly, Tails tied the lid of the rucksack shut, before he raised to his full length again. Glancing down at Cream, who was a mere half a head shorter than him. "It's not selfish to want to help, quite the opposite. And maybe… I actually do know the perfect way for you to do so…" He went over to the workbench, rummaged through a couple of stuffed drawers until he found what he was looking for. "This—" He began, handing her a wrist communicator, which we're close to identical to the one he was wearing. "—is a communicator. Look, I got one, as well. And I was thinking, while we'll surely be in the midst of fighting, it'll be pretty difficult to keep track if anything should happen anywhere else or to you, Miss Vanilla or Cheese. But if you could keep an eye on the TV, check for any news, have one ear on the radio… maybe a crisis statement from G.U.N. - anything you deem important for us to know. You just use that to contact me, okay? And who knows, if anything goes sideways and we end up getting captured - you might be our only hope."

Despite the shudder that went down his spine at the thought getting thrown into dark cell somewhere, Tails managed to smile at that last part.

Cream, too, found herself unable to keep a small smile from peeking through as she strapped the device onto her wrist. It looked out of place beside her prestine gloves and the sailor collar dress she wore, but it didn't appear to even face her the slightest. And why would it? Now she at least had some way of aiding her friends, should the need for it arise. After Tails had showed her the communciator's basic functions, he all of a sudden found himself enveloped in a hug that made his heart show just as sudden signs of arrhythrmia again. He would need to get that checked once they returned…

In the midst of it all, Cream couldn't help but almost plead—"Please, come back safe, Tails."

They withdrew, and before he could reassure her that he would, Tails just about realized something else, namely—"You… you called me Tails. You didn't add the 'Mister' before it. Just Tails."

Evidently, Cream seemed just as surprised over the slip-up, for she immediately began to blush because of it. "O-oh, I'm sorry… That was rude of me—"

"N-no, no..! That's not what I meant! Not at all! I-I rather much prefer you calling me just 'Tails', anyway." He stammered forth in a hurry. A small blush having crept up on his muzzle, as well. "Not that I mind the 'Mister'-part… I mean, you can address me however you want to..! It's just, 'Mister' is kinda formal, you know? A-and we've known each other for years now - we're good friends, I mean, and friends can be less formal with one another… eh, don't you think?"

But before Cream had a chance to respond, they heard a voice suddenly call behind them—

"Hey, little bro..! We all set?"

The two blushing teenagers turned to see that Sonic and Knuckles had re-joined them inside the Workshop, and was in the midst of getting themselves up on each of the Tornado's wings.

"O-oh, yes! The tanks all filled up and everything's ready for take-off, hehe..!"

Tails exchanged one last quick hug with Cream before hurrying off to get himself into the pilot's seat. Within thrity seconds tops, he'd then buckled up, revved-up the engine and put his aviator goggles on. All while fighting hard not to let anyone catch the scarlet hue that played upon his muzzle. Now wasn't the time to ponder about what had just transpired between him and Cream.

No, playtime's over.

They were gonna fly straight into the fire.

Into the very eye of the storm…

---

Crimson orbs reflected back at their owner upon the tempered glass surface of the cylinder shaped confinement.

The top and the bottom of the cylinder, which made the ceiling and floor of the tube, were incased in a machine like structure that had several wires and thick cables sticking out in various places. These were in turn connected to a much larger apparatus that made up an entire wall of machinery, panels, buttons, along with monitors and screens that each seemed to serve different purposes. The most prominent one was a monitor showing a detailed chart of vital signs - where currently all the numbers were at zero, and the heart rate had flatlined. The overall room, in which this machine had been built, was quite wide and circular, with a completely white interior and brightly lit.

A sense of dread rested within the atmosphere.

An untold number of unheard screams echoed silently throughout the space.

And one knew just by looking in from the see-through glass wall, that this was a room where many atrocities had taken place.

If Shadow the Hedgehog had cared for any of those, he might've shuddered just then.

The body before him laid sunken down on its knees inside the glass cylinder, his eyes staring dead ahead of him - widened and empty. Upon close inspection, one could see odd mutilated parts of his torso and legs, that looked between a mix of melted and hardened. Almost like molten lava. Meanwhile, the left side of his face seemed to have somehow been turned to steel as it looked as if he was wearing half a mask. One eye being icy blue and the other red as blood as well as gravely disfigured.

The Head of the United Federation's largest bank Jae Lowe had met his end while experiencing a most inscrutable pain.

Still, he was lucky.

—For he had escaped a fate far worse than death…

A heavy sigh, which had nothing to about the sight directly in front of him, came across Shadow's lips as he continued to observe his own reflection in the glass.

By now he'd witnessed several similar deaths that it didn't even face him anymore. And why would it? The people who ended up inside of that cylinder wasn't worth sparing even a shred of sympathy for, as far as he were concerned. None of them were good people. Not pure, honest or even just about decent. From the very start, Shadow's eye had been set on a very exclusive selection of humans. If one could even call them that. They did indeed fall under different categories of scum, but at the heart they were all the same. Much like how some claim there are several circles of hell, too. Different faces of evil - yet evil all the same. Murderers, rapists, terrorists, arsonists, underground criminal gang members that assault for sheer pleasure, both Human and Mobian traffickers, white collar hot shots screwing with both the system and underage prostitutes, drunkards who domestically abuse both their partners and children in the private of their homes…— The list could be made long.

Very, very, very long if the Ultimate life form pondered about it for more than a minute.

He knew all too well that he wasn't the one best qualified to act as a moral judge, but perhaps in some twisted way this was a form of repentance for his own crimes. Although, he wasn't too sure if he was looking for any… The only forgiveness he truly felt compelled to seek, could never be given to him. At least not during this so-called immortal existence.

… Then there was Amy Rose.

Shadow's internal organs felt like turning themselves inside out at the thought of her. He wanted to punch through the glass in front of him. Smash it into a million little pieces. Put his gun up to his temple and pull the trigger without even so much as a moment's hesitation. And then find that he had died because of it. But the truth was that every fiber of his being was just as bulletproof as the cylinder's glass. He could shoot bullet upon bullet, empty magazine upon magazine, and still find himself fully recovered without any lasting bodily trauma.

The dark irony of it all was that he had more in common with this glass cylinder and its machine, than he had with any living creature upon this planet.

Indestructable. Cold. Destructive. Egocentric. Callous. And above all; created by a man that possessed nearly all of those traits, as well.

"I see our dear banker didn't pass the test…"

Speak of the devil…

Doctor Robotnik's crackling voice had all of a sudden filled the room, even though his physical form was nowhere to be seen. He was in fact communicating via the underwater base's intricate speaker system, and were most likely currently seated above land over at his large aircraft base. Which had been placed in such a way that it was cleverly hidden among the many tall rock formations that surrounded the area around Never Lake.

"Obviously." Shadow answered out into thin air, not at all startled or surprised by suddenly being watched.

"The supply is running thin, just as time is running out." Robotnik noted, and Shadow could hear simply through his tone of voice, that the Doctor was currently suffering through one of his many convulsion episodes. "Perhaps you've lost interest in gathering subjects for me…"

"No. However, it seems pointless to continue at the machine's current functioning status. None of the last five subjects even managed to survive beyond the second phase."

"So I've noticed. Perhaps children were the ideal subjects, after all. More resilient. They made excellent robots, either way." Robotnik mused aloud, chuckling under his breath.

Shadow's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Shouldn't we maintain the target age group of at least above forty to get the most desirable and useful data? You're no sprout."

Another, more icy cackle echoed around the room.

"Indeed, I am not…"

"Besides, several months have passed and it's still too unstable to test upon yourself." Shadow continued to steer the conversation back on track. "And there have been too much waste as of late, so I'd advise you to work out these kinks before attempting to make further steps with the roboticizing process" His eyes lingered on the half of Jae Lowe's face that had as good as melted altogether, shifting his weight from on foot to the other.

"Don't you worry yourself, my dear Shadow. Sooner than you know, we'll have enough supply to last for weeks - all Mobian flesh, unfortunately, but still. Data is always data. And those who might survive will just be an added bonus."

Shadow's left ear flicked.

Could the Doctor be insinuating what he thought he were?

Were the blue moron and the rest of his friends finally on their way here, right this very moment?

Rose…

Rouge… Shadow wished he could've picked up his communication device and called her immediately.

Robotnik took notice of his silence and answered the unspoken question for him—

"Yes, it won't be long now. That darn rat threw every threat you may imagine at me a mere couple of days ago, and at that point he'd been through nearly all of my vacant bases. I reckon he could be here at any hour by now - at any minute, if we're fortunatee—ergh..!." A violent coughing fit erupted from his throat, specks of blood surely spilling forth in the process. The thick, deep red liquid splashing across the speaker… the desk… the very monitor he observed Shadow on. "He-e-he—… sureee has ta-ta—taken his tim-m-eeergh…" Shadow heard frantic scramble, until something on the other end clicked and the coughing slowly ebbed out. A good couple of minutes passed in silence before Robotnik regained himself, and had picked up the thread once more, his voice slightly wheezing now—"I had expected better of him. Perhaps I overestimated the significance of their commitment, or rather the strength of his feelings towards her… There are certainly no doubts about hers—" Once again, he laughed ruthlessly. "—that wretched poor thing calls out for him every night in her slumber, and each time Metal brings her to the 'playroom'. It's pathetic, yet still ironically poetic in some way. Wouldn't you agree?"

Shadow didn't bother to answer.

"Oh, right, how inconsidrate of me. My dear old grandfather never graced you with any sense or ability to grasp on such trivial sentiments… Love, desire and yearning means as much to you as nothing at all. It's not ingrained in your DNA to even recognize it, now is it?"

"No."

"Hm. Well, enough chit-chatting… I require you're presence above, but first — be a good boy and dump the waste before it begins to decay. The smell is such a drag to get rid off."

---

The entire area surrounding Never Lake was enveloped in a ferocious thunderstorm. Rain fell in a seemingly never-ending cascade, dark rumbling clouds blocked every last speck of the sky as the very ground itself trembled before the weather's forces. The lakeshores had long since been flooded, and every critter that normally lived and thrived in the area had fled to each of their burrows and hiding spots. Some of the famously peculiar shaped rock formations that towered across the grassy landscape were dropping loose cracks that crumbled upon impact with the ground. While other, larger and taller ones, managed to withstand the overwhelming storm's rage and remained sturdy.

Overall, it was as if Chaos itself had unleashed its wrath.

A place known for its dreamlike mystique had turned into a nightmarish hellscape.

It was a sight that for a brief moment caused a stunned silence inside the Tornado, as it came flying over the far-stretching plains leading up to Never Lake. Below them ran several meandering rivers like giant snakes that twisted themselves among the many rocks, that still appeared somewhat big, even from their perspective.

Sonic, who stood with his feet firmly upon the right wing, only spared the surroundings a single, sweeping glance.

He could envision his eleven year old self running head-first across the plain in the rush of a sonic boom with the sparkling colors of a rainbow trailing behind him. His heart had been filled with determination to face whatever laid ahead of him, even though he'd had no chance of knowing what it would turn out to be.

Now, at age twenty-two, saving an entire planet from certain disaster seemed like child's play compared to one measly confrontation with Robotnik. He was still trying to prevent disaster, still had the looming threat of a metallic doppelganger hanging over him, and above all else - was still fighting for the love of his life. Of course, back then he hadn't known Amy Rose would come to define that epithet and as of current he knew he wasn't worthy of applying it to her either. But realizing so didn't remove the fact that it was true. She was the love of his life, whether he wanted to or not. It was forever irrevocable…—

Beyond all rhyme and reason.

Beyond time and space.

Beyond life and death.

There could never be anyone else.

Before his inner eye, he remembered in crystal clear detail just how the then eight year old Amy Rose had looked like. Knee-high to a grasshopper, possessing captivating jade orbs that could melt even the coldest of hearts. Rosy as a freshly sprouted cherry blossom, with round apple cheeks to match. Clad in clothes that at first glance appeared to be too big for her frame. Petite even for her age… So utterly defenseless in a world as callous and big as theirs. Perhaps, that was why Sonic had immediately felt such strong instinctive feelings of protectiveness towards her. Somehow, he'd just known she was made to be protected, and that he was made to protect her. His whole life up to that point had merely been building up to it - to the day he would lay his eyes upon her and know by heart that she were the one. That he were hers, and she were his.

None of it he'd been able to comprehend even so much as a fraction of, before she'd been ripped away from him. Her arms around his neck had been forcefully loosened. A pair of piercing blood red eyes glaring at him only for a couple of seconds before disappearing. Whisking his princess away and unjustly reducing her to a mere damsel in distress. Thereupon followed a long and mighty troublesome double rescue - of then both Little Planet and Amy. Time travel, hazardous traps and obstacles, a race on life and death…—

Those memories were forever ingrained in Sonic's mind.

But at the moment, he wasn't too eager to indulge in nostalgia or re-live one of the worst days of his life. And yet, it was exactly what he would be forced to do. But just like then, he'd pull through.

Through the dark to the light…

"Hey, what do you guys think about landing over by that grove there?!" Tails abruptly yelled above the noise of both the engine and the rumbling thunder. Rain whipped them all in their faces, but despite that Sonic still managed to make out the spot his little brother was referring to. In his opinion, it barely qualified as a grove - more like a dozen gangly trees embedded in between the foot of a tall rock side and a riverbank.

They could see Never Lake from here, and it was hardly worth trying to stealth one's way inside Robotnik's aircraft base - which Tails' plane radar had picked up on some time ago…— Although, admittedly it was the smarter option to at least not come flying straight into possible line of fire, risk crashing, and thus lose the tiny bit of element of surprise they might have left. Under different circumstances, where Sonic had been on his own, he wouldn't have hesitated in risking it all on one card and come barging in. But since he had his team of friends along, and the pros of their presence overweighed the cons, he didn't bother pondering over potential 'what ifs' and what not.

He'd learned his lesson one too many times already.

He needed his friends, just as they needed him.

They were stronger together.

"Looks good, go for it!" Sonic called back, while Knuckles also made a thumbs up in response, to which Tails nodded as to confirm.

"All right! Hold on tight, you guys! Going in for a landing in…— 3… 2… 1..!"

Due to the weather condition, the Tornado ended up with a bit of a rough landing. However, they were fortunate enough that they didn't hit any of the trees, as Tails just about managed to scrape one in passing as the landing-wheels of the plane took ground. The trees in question offered a bare minimum amount of shelter for the Tornado, and as soon as everyone had exited Tails was quick to arrange a very large tarpaulin upon it. "I always keep one in the Belly for emergencies." He explained, while swiftly securing the tarp's ties.

"You think of everything, don't you?" Charmy said, impressed, but also glad that he wouldn't be forced to sit with water up to his ears on the way home.

"Erm, you really reckon that's gonna hold?" Vector asked, eyeing Tails' handy-work with mild skepticism. Not because he doubted his ability, but because the storm didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. And it was already dragging its blustering claws up on the larp's shiny, yellow exterior.

"Positive! Now, I estimate that we have less than a twenty minute distance from here to the lake. And the Tornado's radar clearly indicated that Robotnik's aircraft were located practically a few yards from the lake itself. Most likely embedded high upon a sturdy enough ledge, among the rocks and cliffs to grant himself good cover and vantage point."

Knuckles frowned, pumping his fists against one another. "A fitting hideout for such a slimy snake like him."

"If only the weather hadn't decided to let loose hell upon us…—Ack!" Vector lamented, in the same breath as a tree branch came flying through the air and hit him square in the face.

"We should act swiftly, but still practise caution as I indeed think that the thunderstorm may present some difficulties for our mission." Espio said, craning his neck up at the sky. And whether he accidentally jinxed it or not, a lightning just struck down at the very top of a tall rock a few yards up ahead of them.

Instinctively, Tails nearly jumped out of his skin. Yelping loudly while nervously spinning his tails'.

In an instant, Sonic was at his little brother's side, wrapping a comforting hand around his shoulders and giving them a squeeze. "It's all right, buddy. The lightning won't get to ya'… But just to be sure, maybe try and keep your feet on the ground as much as possible, okay?" Tails nodded stiffly, before Sonic then proceeded to turn to face his little team. "Alright, you guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"Let's move out!"

"There is no time to lose!"

"I'll break the whole place down!"

It was time.

Sonic opened the the rucksack Tails handed him and picked up the three Emeralds they'd been storing there. Then he brought forth the two he'd carried along with him…— Red. Yellow. Cyan. White. Purple. One by one, they floated around him in an incomplete circle, their respective energies suddenly starting to react off of one another as they soon began to glow with a near blinding light. In the middle of them, Sonic stood with his eyes shut in deep concentration. His face twisted slightly as he felt a unison stream of power begin to slowly seep into his very being as the Emeralds responded to the natural Chaos energy he harbored.

All while it happened, he tried to clear his mind, body and very soul of any negative emotions that burdened him and thus risked skewing the effect of the Emeralds' powers. The need to direct the energy correctly was most dire.

Positive emotions…

I'm proud of having such brave friends. Happy that they are with me right now. I'm grateful for their forgiveness. I feel confident that we'll pull this off. I trust them to handle themselves and that they feel the same way about me. I'm determined to stop Robotnik, once and for all. There is nothing but hope for our success in my mind!

Happy thoughts…

I'm going to see Amy again. We're gonna rescue her. Everything's gonna be all right. We'll go home together. Return to our little cottage in the meadows. I'll take care of her the way I should've of from the beginning… We'll be married… Then maybe, just maybe… No. No, I'll let her go… I promised myself I'd let her go. I don't deserve her… I don't… deserve… I can't be her husband… not the father of her children… Amy…— she'll find someone else, someone better. She'll marry someone else… have a family with someone else… It's not me. I can't..! Better off, better off, better off… without… me. No! No, it's not true! I love her! I love her more than life itself. I— left her. Left her to die! She might already be dead… Left her! Left her! Left her! DEAD! Your precious rose is gone. Nevermore! You killed her yourself, with your own, bare hands..! LiEs..! Remember… Amy… She called out for me… She's waiting for me right this very second. She knows I'm coming to rescue her. We all are! Soon I'll get to touch her soft cheek with my hand. Feel her scent…Warmth… Roses. She'll forgive me… She loves me. Fated lovers are always drawn together, silly… Forever. Always… Always… Al—

Sonic felt it like an electric shookwave had just gone through the entirety of his body. Purifying his system and re-newing it with nothing but absolute strength and courage. For a force far stronger than his innermost fears filled up his heart to the brim - love. Trust. Loyalty. Friendship. Joy… The positive energies were surging forth underneath his very skin, in every corner of his soul. And even though he hadn't gone Super - the sensation was almost as close as he could get from the combined power of five Chaos Emeralds he'd now absorbed into his very being.

A smile - genuine and brimming with warmth - spread upon his muzzle.

And as he opened his eyes wide upon his friends, the planet, indeed upon the whole world - one could witness how the bright emerald color of them had intensified. Remarkably so.

"Woah, Sonic... I don't think I've noticed it before, but your eyes… they're very green..!" Charmy pointed out, gasping and gesturing wildly at the blue hero's face.

Almost in harmonious unison, everyone let out a groan.

"Sonic, you feeling okay?" Tails asked in concern once they all settled back down. "You looked kinda… out of it, there for a while."

"Never been better, little bro..! Now, let's kick some Ro-butt-nik butt!"

They all had to collectively restrain themselves from groaning aloud once more.

—.—

Once they reached Never Lake, Robotnik's base was hard to miss.

And just as Tails had interpreted by the Tornado's radar system, the enormous aircraft had been placed on an even larger rock plateau. From below, it kinda looked like a self-made crater of some sort, as if someone had once blown up half of the upper half of the rock and thus created the space. Like any Robotnik fortress, its presence gave off a most ominous impression. Not only due to its size, but also because of the relentless rain and roaring thunder that echoed in between the rock-sides - enhancing the sound to the double.

Fueled by the Emeralds powers, Sonic could've reached the plateau within seconds. But he held the impulse back - they were gonna stick together.

At the foot of the rock, it was clear that the only way to reach the top was by either climbing or flying. Fortunate as they were, both Tails and Charmy could provide much useful aid in that department. Thus - without delving into the general laws of physics or weight distribution - Charmy promptly grabbed ahold of Espio's hands, who in turn had Vector holding on to his ankles. The teenage bee slowly but surely lifting them above ground with surprising ease. Meanwhile, Knuckles and Sonic were getting carried upwards in a similar fashion by Tails, who spun his two tails' in rapid motion while also throwing a cautious eye towards the sky now and then. If they were to get struck by lightning mid-flight, the three of them would undoubtably tumble straight down onto the ground. And possibly break a rib or two in the process.

Luckily, the scaling of the rock went smoothly.

However, their luck fountain were just about to run dry…

Drenched to the bone, the six heroes landed onto the aircraft's southern deck, all mentally prepared to jump straight into action if so were necessary. But alas, no welcoming party were there to greet them. Instead, an eerie silence inhabited the wide deck's atmosphere. Due to the late hour and the dark clouds that hung above them, and not to mention the rain, their line of sight were somewhat obstructed. Having a natural good sight in darker enviorments; Sonic, Knuckles and Vector could still make out their surroundings well enough. Although, Espio and Charmy had some difficulty navigating their way forward.

It didn't help matters further that the deck's surface was on it's way of becoming a shallow swimming pool. With water pouring in streams down along the fortress' sides.

"Gaa-ack..!" Charmy yelped in distress as he suddenly tripped head over heels on his own feet, sliding a good amount forwards.

"Charmy, quit playing around! This ain't no water park..!" Vector barked in a hushed voice.

"Both of you shut it…!" Knuckles chimed in. "We don't wanna arouse any alarms."

Sonic, who'd scanned for any indications of lurking threats or traps in the dark, turned to Tails who'd just pulled up the Miles Electric from his rucksack and begun to do… whatever it is he does, Sonic figured. "Eh, you get any readings on that or something?" He asked, in a poor attempt at trying to sound like he knew even the first thing about technology. This eerie lack of recognition disturbed him a bit, thus hoping his little brother could give an answer to it. "I mean, this is the right place? Robotnik's here?"

It took a moment until Tails replied—"Definitely. I'm detecting several active electronic assets and machinery. Plus, the signal from Amy's wrist communicator is giving strong indications - in fact, it seems as if she's currently on the opposite end of the entire craft..! I'd assume it'll be a highly guarded captive hold."

Sonic felt his heart take a giant leap.

"Great. Now, any chance to figure out which corner of this flying steel monster Robotnik is cowering in?"

"Uhm… wait, gimmie a sec… By all logic, he should be—"

—"Right in front of you, fox boy!"

Within the blink of an eye, it was as if someone had switched on the very sun itself.

Headlights all along the sides of the southern part of the aircraft burned brightly down upon them, with the brightest one of all coming from straight up ahead - from what appeared to be one of many bridge command centers. The six heroes initially froze for a second, like deers caught in the headlight of a car, except these headlights possessed at least triple the power and intensity. It was near blinding to merely squint their eyes against it. But that factor was not the end of the sudden surprises— Multiple laser turrets had revealed themselves in the light, every last one being pointed towards them, naturally. And out of a built-in compartment of the towering bridge, a steady stream of robots, badniks, both large and small, came pouring forth. Advancing forward in deadly hordes.

However, once they'd reached a certain distance - being just a couple of yards from fully reaching the heroes, who'd all instinctively taken their fighting stances. —The robots and badniks abruptly came to a concurrent halt.

Sonic shielded his eyes the best he could in an attempt to see if his nemesis were indeed sitting inside that bridge right this very second, or if his voice had merely been projected for them to believe so. But to no avail, he couldn't see squat. On pure reflex, he then took several steps forward, calling out—"Heeey! Hey, Eggface! Why don't you drop the light show, call back your little toys and skip to the main attraction, instead? I know you knew we were coming, so why not spare ourselves the suspense of what fantastic new mech you've built yourself into, and get this show on the road!"

As were honestly expected, Robotnik did no such things, as he merely let out a cold, raw string of laughters instead.

"Okaay, I'll take that as a very rude way of you saying 'no'. But, tell you what, since I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you a second proposal you may prefer— How about you simply surrender right away, and save yourself the strain. I know you're not doing too well these days, and I don't—"

But here, Robotnik finally cut him off.

"I'll tell you what, hedgehog… You come see me, alone, and while we have our pleasant little chat, your friends stay here in good company with my brilliant badniks. I give you my word that as long as they don't try anything nasty, not a single quill will be curled upon any of their heads."

"Sorry, Doc, but I ain't here to negotiate. You've went too far, for far too long. This is the end of your scheming days, right here."

"Oh… is it, now?" Robotnik inquired, with a dark glint poorly hidden behind the polite tone. "I'm afraid I'll have to point out that I'm the only one who has any form of leverage in this situation… But just out of pure curiosity, how exactly would you hinder me from, oh, I don't know… let's say…— slit the throat off your pretty little fiancée right this very second, from where you're standing? Because the way I see it, you wouldn't even make it to another step before it'd already be too late."

As soon as the words were out, Sonic froze mid-step.

It's just an empty threat…

Just an empty threat…

Nothing more…

The Chaos Emerlads shook him from the inside, weary of the emotional shift that threatened to burst forth. Like the rattle of a caged beast… just waiting to get unleashed. But no, Sonic wouldn't let Robotnik's words get to him. He wouldn't become the raging storm of a man, not again. The hatred and fear he felt just then, didn't justify bringing on the darkest of versions of himself.

The light was stronger than the dark.

Without realizing it, Sonic's eyes had fallen shut.

Happy thoughts… Happy thoughts…

"You're bluffing." He said at long last, forcing himself to sound as casual and matter-of-factly about it, as possible. "You wouldn't dare. You haven't dared lay so much as a single finger upon her. You've just kept her locked up somewhere while waiting for me to come and find ya'."

"Funny you should mention fingers, because I've got a little something here that I had to break hers for in order to obtain…—"

All of a sudden, one of the many robot's at the frontline hurled a small object through the air. Straight for Sonic to instinctively catch in the very palm of his hand.

"—Recognize this?"

Dread. Sheer and utter dread drenched Sonic to the bone, more so than the rain did, as he looked down upon a little golden ring… Had it not been for the familiar words of 'Forever' engraved on the band's inside, he wouldn't have believed it.

For a fraction of a second, Sonic allowed the feeling to hit him full force. Felt how he wanted to fall to his knees on the water filled deck. How he wanted to scream. Cry. Howl. Smash. Rip the entire aircraft apart piece by piece until there'd be nothing left. Tear himself and the whole world asunder. Leave his body, never to return.

Then he let the feeling slip… slip into nothingness.

He wants this. He wants it to get to me…

I'lL kiLl HiM.

I won't let it.

Somewhere within the wake of reality and insanity, Robotnik's voice came floating back into focus—

"So, hero… Do you wish to reconsider my offer?"

In silent compliance to some unknown force that seemed to have temporarily inhabited his limbs, Sonic turned back towards his friends, who all watched his unreadable facial expression with various levels of concern.

Unsurprisingly, Knuckles were the one to speak first—"Go, Sonic. we'll be all right." Which, if Sonic knew and inerpreted his old friend's expression as well as his tone correctly, translated to—"Don't worry, we'll handle these guys."

Tails, who looked as if he were holding himself back from something, then added—"We believe in you, Sonic. Now, believe in us."

"I do…" Was what he would've liked to respond, but couldn't bring himself to do.

All Sonic found himself able to do was turn back around, leave his friends behind upon the deck, and run towards his own impending doom.

—.—

"So, the fool thinks he's outsmarted me?" Robotnik mused to himself as he watched Sonic tearing through corridors that did not lead to the Doctor himself. But rather deep down in the Cell Blocks, where up to a few hours ago, Amy Rose had been kept. She, along with the last remaining half a dozen prisoners had in fact been re-located, but not to the same location, of course. No, the girl had ended up elsewhere, which his admirable adversary were just about to find out.

The hidden steel door leading to the white tiled cell got demolished within no time at all, however then came the best part.

With sheer satisfaction, Robotnik observed how the hope upon Sonic's face got crushed to dust as he discovered the cell to be empty. Empty on anything at all, except one tiny object laying on the middle of the cage floor. Gingerly, he bent down to pick it up, studied it for a seemingly never-ending second, and then— Sonic's head whipped directly towards one of the many surveliance camera's Robotnik had followed him on. And somehow, the little blue pin cushion had managed to pick the very camera of which's feed he currently had his focus on. Thus, for a brief moment their eyes indirectly met… Sodalite blue and Emerald green. Locked in an unknowing stare of purest contempt.

A mere couple of button presses, allowed Robotnik to transfer his voice via the speaker system, but now only to the cell in question.

"Surprised, eh?" He taunted, taking his time to drag on each syllable and enjoy the moment to its fullest. "Expecting to find something else, were you? Or rather… someone?"

One of the surveillance screens suddenly turned static as the cell door got ripped off its hinges and then proceeded to get thrown at the camera it'd been connected to.

"Temper, temper… Don't blame me because you thought that little fox boy was more clever than me…"

A second screen went out.

"Only I can tell you where your poor, dying princess is."

The third camera was crushed within Sonic's bare hands.

"Remember, I've been nothing but truthful to you, Sonic the Hedgehog. And you're still more than welcome to accept my offer… There is still time to save her."

The fourth and final camera received a mighty blow in the same moment that Robotnik cut the electricity in the room. In fact, all lights in the corridors of the aircraft had been shut off in a very specific pattern - a pattern that formed a path…

"—All you have to do… is follow the light."

Then, within the blink of an eye, Sonic was gone.

Robotnik thought he could hear every step. Every breath. Every wReTcHeD heart beat.

RuN LiTTle HeDgEhOg, RuN…

CoMe To ME…

cOmE tO hEr DeAtH…

He was starving for the agony. The sweet, sweet taste of the ultimate, irrevocable victory. Carve his name upon the dead flesh of his enemies, and then the rest of the world. All while still having the grandest trophy of all in his possession. For all eternity. For there wouldn't be allowed to be any endings anymore. Only glorious beginnings. Death would lose all its power on the world, cease to exist.

No more weak, fragile organic beings. No more decay or laws of nature to oblige.

He would create an everlasting world.

Perfected in his own image.

And his rule would be eTeRnAl…

"Where is she?"

Sonic had appeared before him.

Approaching the center of the massive bridge, where Robotnik had awaited him upon a round plattform, surrounded by all of his surveliance, buttons and various panels. His body sitting sunken together in a giant, metal armchair that more or less held the whole of his weight up for him. There were in fact many signs of decline in his appearance, all glaringly obvious in one way or another.

But none of which Sonic paid any closer mind, besides oddly noting that the Doctor's infamous blue glasses had cracks in them. "Where is Amy?" He repeated, with a voice carrying a surprising amount of composure. Even so, Robotnik noted with triumphant pleasure, did the blue hedgehog's calm and power reflect upon his exterior. As it were clear as day for anyone to see - he was on the verge of crumbling.

"So, you have finally arrived, I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost."

"Where. Is. Amy? I won't ask again."

"All in due time… We are gonna play this game my way - by my rules. Mine. And I want to savor each part of my spectacular masterpiece of a play… Understood?"

Sonic frowned as he shook his head. "This ain't no Sunday school play, Doc. But I can spoil the ending for you if you'd like— You see, at the end of today you'll be behind bars inside one of G.U.N.'s high top security prison facilities, where you'll be spending your permanent retirement."

"Is that so? And where does that leave you, if I may be so bold as to inquire?"

"Me? Oh, you know me, Doc… I'll continue to live life as free as the wind.

"Even if your fantasy were to come true, you would never be free from me. Lock me up, kill me - whichever you prefer would be of no consequence to the world at large. Another evil would simply take my place. And then another, and another and another… Until the very end of your mortal existence. And then what would it have earned either of us? Nothing…" Robotnik said, his voice almost turning to a mere whisper near the end. A stream of blood escaped out of the corner of his mouth, as he cleared his throat in order to suppress a cough. "Right now, you may believe that without me you could finally get the chance to become something you're not - be it a fiancé, a husband…— a father… And I admit that there have been several times where I've plotted to kill you in the past, or at least times where I believed it bore no consequence to me if you lived or not… But, deep down, you and I both know that a life without the other would ultimately be meaningless."

Too stunned for words, Sonic instead stopped dead in his tracks.

However, Robotnik finished speaking as unbothered as though they'd merely been having a casual discussion over tea—

"Fortunately, it is indeed my game we'll be playing. I'll decide how this shall end. And I can assure you that at the end of the day - you'll find that you prefer my ending over yours."

A silence followed upon his words.

Wheezing breaths, trembling hands, eyes that twitched…

Once he remembered how to function again, Sonic opened his mouth to respond with a short and simple—"You're wrong."

"Well, then don't you prove it? Save your friends and your dearest. Put an end to me right now - I have no means to defend myself. I'm right here…"

"Because it's not worth it. You are not worth it. You won't force me to take your life, no matter what you do, and no matter how much you try and provoke me." Sonic stated. "Besides… It wouldn't be like defeating the old Egghead I once knew, because it no longer is you. I don't know who this new, deranged version of yourself is. I've known something's been up for a while, but I just didn't wanna see it until recently. All these desperate attempts at getting my attention - assaulting towns and villages, putting defenseless children inside your robots to power them, bombing Station Square… You threatening to murder Amy is just another cry for—… for what exactly? For me to end your suffering? To succeed in crushing me at last, and drag me down with you?" He paused, drawing in a breath which came out as a very worn, very heavy sigh. Within a mere second, it felt as if he'd aged ten years. Slowly, he began walking again, nearing the very center of the room. "You are sick. In fact…— I think you're dying. And you need help. Just tell me where Amy is, and I swear I'll help you. Please, Ivo—"

C-H-I-I-I-NG!

S-P-L-A-S-H!

The floor underneath Sonic's feet had disappeared.

Opening up upon a water tank which immediately rose up from within its hidden compartment towards the floor level above. There'd been no time to react, or even fathom what were about to happen before it was already too late.

Sonic sunk like a stone.

Straight down onto the very bottom of the tank and its suspicously colored water - slimy green as if though it'd been chemical waste. In pure, unginged shock and desperation for air, and way before being able to stop himself, Sonic had swallowed an entire mouth's worth of it. After realizing his mistake a split second later, the actual panic set in. He thrashed his limbs around like a person possessed by absolute madness. Clawing, kicking and even screaming at the water surrounding him. Which only ended up causing more liquid to force itself down his throat as a furious stream of bubbles rose to the surface he could not reach.

No matter what he did or how hard he tried…—

It just wasn't enough.

While the awful scene occurred before his very eyes, Robotnik's entire demeanour had flipped on a dime. His eyes shot lightning while his entire body had begun to shake in the usual violent convulsions. His voice as deadly and cold as poison once he seethed out his next words, beside himself with fury—

"Don't. You. Dare. Call. Me That."

It was in that same moment that the power of the Chaos Emeralds inside Sonic's body responded to the threat of their host's slow and painful drowning. A mighty burst of blinding light emitted like a shockwave from the very skin of him. Cracking the glass tank little by little, at first, before ultimately collapsing the entire thing in one fell swoop. In a split second, water and glass seemed to have merged together as it came crashing onto the floor like a tidal wave. Sweeping forth across the room. Left at the bottom of the demolished tank's bottom rested now only Sonic's quivering body. Pure reflex drove forth a cascade of water out of his throat, as he spewed right where he laid on his side.

In the midst of the chaos, a part of Sonic's subconscious recognized an immediate change that had begun to develop inside his entire system.

As if a venom had started to spread through his veins…

Dire fatigue and pain attacked his limbs, his muscles, his nerves, his mind and very soul.

Suddenly, he found Robotnik towering over him like a fanthom of death itself. "Beg for her life..." He commanded through clenched teeth. "Beg me to spare your precious Rose..!"

A face twisted into absolute insanity.

"BEG ME!"

"I'll do anything… please, d-don't hu-hurt her… Take me, hurt me, kill me… Do whatever you want, just please… no-not h-her…"

"Why?" Robotnik inquired with a silky voice, enjoying every word the broken hero managed to utter forth.

Despite his quickly declining lucidity, Sonic knew there was no point in disobeying. But he wouldn't give Robotnik the satisfaction of staring him down as he confessed to his deepest, most purest of truths. So instead he bowed his head down, almost completely burying it into the floor of the tank, hovering above it by only a few inches. Then he closed his eyes. Forcing away every ill thought that was consuming his mind, clearing it of all that was surrounding him, and instead imagined that he was many miles away from here. —Upon the sunny meadow outside his home, where the wildflowers grew and no evil could reach him. Then he imagined that Amy appeared beside him, unscathed and beautiful like an unplucked rose. Simply standing there, with a smile upon her face and with sunlight playing in her eyes, and those rosy cheeks... Oh, how could he ever forget...

As if addressing the image of her, Sonic opened his mouth with a single sentence leaving his lips, his voice barely above a whisper but strong enough for Robotnik to hear him—

"Because I love her."

Then, the entire world slipped away.

---

A sharp slap came smacking across his face, awaking Sonic back to the brutality of life.

As his eyelids shot open, all he knew was the darkness that surrounded him.

He'd forgotten where he was, and most importantly who he was.

He might as well have been the eleven year old boy from all those years ago. The boy who knew nothing of the world, simply because he understood nothing of it. Not why parents abandoned their children. Why woodland critters ended up dead in the forest. Why nights especially were so long and lonely. Why one had to grow up some day. Why one had to learn how to love if it at any given moment could be taken away from you.

Please… I don't wanna wake up.

I don't wanna face another lonely day.

Mom, Dad… Where are you?

…

"Sonic!"

A pair of arms wrapped around his body. Warmth… Roses… His heart awoke. He knew there was a meaning to all the suffering he'd been through. It had lead him here. It had lead him… to her. Then she was ripped away. He saw the metallic hands clasped around her shivering body. He saw—

Metal Sonic's blood red eyes was staring back at him.

The next slap nearly dislocated his entire jaw.

"Now, now, Metal… Let the boy come to. The poison will just about have spread to the brain, right about now."

Hot, acid-burning vomit rose up from within Sonic's throat all of a sudden, as he found himself heaving his whole body forward upon the ground where he'd laid. Once there was nothing left in his stomach, he felt how his arms began to drag backwards in what felt like a mixture between mud and grass. They were outside. The rain hadn't let up, nor had the thunderstorm gone to rest. It was pitch black aside from the occasional lightning strikes, as well as dim lights coming from what Sonic assumed to be the aircraft in the distance.

Before being able to properly catch his breath or even comprehend how he'd gotten here, Sonic was abruptly forced onto his feet. Razor sharp claws digging into his arms and pulling him upwards, commanding him to stand upright by his own accord.

"Ughh… Aargh..!" Sonic groaned, as every part of his body protested wildly to having to move in the slightest. If the Emeralds powers were still active, he sure as hell couldn't feel it.

"Now, great big Hero…— You're waiting is finally over. It's time to go and rescue your damsel in distress." Robotnik's voice announced from somewhere Sonic couldn't see, or… Wait. It was coming from… inside Metal? He whipped his head around just to be sure that there were no trace of the Doctor to be found. And sure enough, as the voice emerged once more, it did indeed seem to be spoken through Metal Sonic's non-existent mouth. "However, I should mention that there is a slight catch… You see, Metal Sonic has grown very fond of her, as well. Mhm, yes, they've had lots of time to get to know one other during her stay. By now, I'd say he knows just what makes her tick, and he wouldn't pass up on one last playdate, now would you, Metal?"

A disrupted, clacking noise, which made Sonic's skin crawl, erupted from Metal's voice box in what he assumed to be a response. But within the gibberish there were no actual words to be heard…

"Thus the rules are simple - the first one to reach the lovely Amy Rose at the tallest rock's highest peak; gets to do whatever he pleases with her. The loser on the other hand will face certain doom. Which in your case, Hedgehog, will occur either way, but at least you might get to die in the arms of your beloved, and kiss her farewell… one last time."

An uncanny sense of déjà vu mixed with boundless dread overcame Sonic just then. It was as if history was repeating itself. And inside his mind, the most horrid of images played on an endless loop. Again and again. Even with the situation laid out in front of him, in all its clearness, he could barely focus on anything else than eleven years worth of the worst moments of his life parading across his memory in rapid speed—

Tails' horrified expression as he thought it would be the last time they ever saw each other right before the space capsule got ejected…

Cream crying in utter despair after her mother had been kidnapped by Robotnik, and his mech transported them into outer space…—

Everything felt like it was spinning. His vision had become spotted, and he could barely stand on his legs. And now he were to perform a race of the past.

A race against not only the clock, but against his nefarious doppelganger, too.

A robot who didn't have any qualms about murdering the only light left in the world.

"You better hurry up, Hero - your blushing bride is waiting..."

Metal bursted forward like a rocket into the darkness, leaving Sonic half a second behind him. But as the blue hero's legs kicked into gear they seemed to be running on their own. Like a force drove them forward, and sideways, and backwards around the area of Never Lake, with its maze of tall rocks that all looked the same. If he hadn't been totally alone, on the verge of delirium running at top speed head-first in the dead of night - there might've been a hundred solutions coming to him right then.

But now, all Sonic could think of to do was run. It was either he ran or else Amy would end up dead, with him following close behind. He knew he wouldn't make it for long no matter what, but if this indeed were his last chance at seeing Amy and somehow making sure she made it out of this - it would be more than worth it not to have given up prematurely. This could all still work out. Amy could still be allowed to live. All he needed to do was take out Metal Sonic, set Amy free from whatever held her capture, and then either she would go on to find Tails and the others or they would find her.

Amy would live. He'd promised her that during one of their last nights together before they were seperated. She would find love with someone new. A better love. Marry them, and receive all of those things he'd never get to give her. What he never could've given her. She would live a long, happy life and have lots of kids, and grandkids, and great-grandkids…

—Blaze's hand slipping out of his grip as they were being pulled apart by their seperate dimensions…

Merlina, consumed by fear and hatred, betraying him right before beating him half to death...—

S-m-ack!

Like a train knocked off of its rails, Sonic went flying sideways into the hard wall of a rock as Metal had shoved him aside with full force. Fortunately, he managed to push off the wall quick enough to evade Metal's claw that came slashing forward, which ended up scarping the stone surface instead. The robot found himself with a kick to the head a second later, staggering him to the side. A near lethal jab was directed at Sonic's back as retribition, which he parried swiflty enough with his arm. Though, a streak-like cut sliced up his upper sleeve in the process.

With his vision in slow decline, Sonic misdirected his next move by, instead of slamming Metal's abdomen, his fist went swinging to close to his head which allowed the robot to easily catch his wrist in a steel grip.

"Get out of my way, you scrapheap!" Sonic growled, tearing himself free with a painful yank right as he successfully kicked Metal square in the left kneecap so that it got bent backwards and out of shape. "I don't have time for this!" He then ran ahead like a ball shot out of a cannon, while blood already had begun to find its way out of his wounds. Though it didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore.

As he continued running, he tried to remember which parts of the enormous plain he'd already searched through. He continously kept his eyes upwards, towards the peaks of the rocks in order to maybe catch a glimpse of Amy, or even just a smidge of pink. But alas, it seemed as if she were nowhere to be seen.

In pure desperation, Sonic began calling out her name. In hopes of that she via some miracle would be able to hear him through the pouring rain and roaring thunder.

"Amy! Amy, can you hear me!? Amy! Please, answer me! Where are you, Amy!? AMY!"

—Shahra asking for his forgiveness as she lay dying in his arms…

Knuckles' life being drained out of him by the Extractor, while he were helpless to stop it…—

Minutes turned to hours that turned to months that finally turned to years… then milleniums… eons upon eons. Oceans of time that passed within the span of a second. Sonic had lost all concept of time and space. There no longer existed any past or future. No then or later. No before or after. Only the present. Only the now.

Now he screamed for all that his lungs were worth.

Now he ran his shoes to mere shreds.

Now he felt how every last fiber of his being imploded in a burning chaotic havoc.

He fell.

He didn't get back up.

Metal Sonic were upon him before he even realized it. Clawed hands ripped and slashed, beat and punched. Sonic coughed up some sort of hot, red liquid in a cascade that stained Metal's vision, causing it to become even more terrifying. It wasn't until Sonic witnessed Metal's hands coming closer and closer - almost like they were suddenly moving in slow motion - towards his throat that he thought to actually fight back.

In a split decision he grasped his hands around Metal's wrists, locking them in place while trying to muster up all of his remaining strength to push them away.

A loud string of deranged noises akin to laughter burst forth from within the metallic doppelganger - but it was no longer possible to tell if they were human or robotic.

—Shadow's body falling into the cold vastness of space.

Chip sealing himself away forever within the deepest depths of the planet's burning core.—

Then Sonic felt it.

Chaos energy.

Without knowing, his silent heart had reached for it, and found the familiar power hidden deep within its current source - which was none other than Metal Sonic. And thus, like turning on a switch, the Chaos Emeralds within his body responded to their forcibly confined brethren's presence. And as one knows, the positive Chaos energy always triumphs over the negative one.

The weakest of smiles graced Sonic's lips for a brief, cosmic moment…

Gotcha…

Metal Sonic's entire body exploded in an inferno of blazing steel, that spread far and wide into a million little pieces. The Green and Blue Chaos Emerald appeared before Sonic's eyes for less than a couple of seconds before they, too, got absorbed into him. Reuniting with the rest, at long last. Together, they joined in a most conclusive composition of perfect balance and harmony. Pure, golden power flowed through Sonic's body, slowly spreading everywhere all at once - inwards and outwards, through his body and mind.

Only to leave his heart for last…

Then the reaction was instantaneous.

Like a brightly shimmering star, Sonic the Hedgehog shot into the sky above.

Lightning bolts illuminated his way as he soared through the landscape surrounding Never Lake, his eyes scanning every last inch in pursuit of his beloved. From this vantage point, it was indeed a much easier task, though he still had to be mindful as not to get hit by lightning. Yet again, due to the way he felt right this very moment - a lightning strike would probably merely feel like a gentle tickle going through his body.

Meanwhile, the dark night had begun to ever so slightly subside. And one could feel it in the air that a new break of dawn was just about to rise over the horizon.

And the rain that fell, fell a little less intense now.

Sonic's eyes got absentmindedly drawn to a particularly tall and oddly shaped rock standing right at the edge of the giant plain, accompanied by two rivers on each side, and there— There she was.

"Amy!"

Within a heart beat, the rest of the world - the very universe itself - dissolved into nothing.

Sonic dove, with only one single thing left in his sight.

Amy Rose was dressed like a bride in purest white. Even now, even here, in the midst of this seemingly never-ending hellscape of a place - she was the utmost beautiful being that he'd ever seen in all of his life.

A wondrous daydream to behold.

Soaked to the bone, and clad in an extravagant wedding dress of silk and tulle, had she been bound around the rock's very peak. She hung like a porcelain doll, with her chin resting against her chest and with the enormous meringue-like dress bottom flowing around her as her feet dangled freely in the air. For now, Sonic was too blinded by utter bliss, to notice just how wilted his Rose actually was. None of it were as important than the single fact that she was still alive. Alive, and not taken away from him forever.

Nothing else besides that mattered.

Nothing at all.

"S-S-Sonic..? Y-you're alive." Amy whimpered with a voice that was beyond broken at this point. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she quivered from both the cold and the immeasurable joy that overwhelmed her upon seeing her beloved in one piece. "You came for me…"

"Of course I did, I would die for you."

Breathless, and beside himself with storming emotions, Sonic freed Amy from her bindings, catching her gently in his arms as she fell straight into his warm embrace.

For what feels like an everlasting infinity, the two hedgehog's held onto each other as if their very lives depended on it.

At last, Amy managed to sniffle back some of the tears in order to bury her head into Sonic's neck. And as she drew in his scent, a scent she thought she'd never feel again in this life, a mix between a sob and a very weak, short giggle escaped her lips."I-I… I tho-ught-t… I thought..—" But she couldn't finish the sentence. It was too much to even put into words all of the horrible thoughts and images that had gone through her mind during just these last few days alone.

"Shh, It's okay… It's okay, I'm right here… Everything's gonna be alright. You'll be alright." Sonic whispered reassuringly, planting the softest of kisses upon Amy's cheek. "You're safe now. You're safe with m— Eeergh! Arghh…! ACK!"

"Sonic..!"

The Chaos Emeralds' powers had encountered the poison…—

Robotnik's poison. And it was no short of lethal.

Then two things happened all at once, in ultra rapid—

The Chaos Emeralds extracted themselves out of Sonic's body, leaving him to revert back to his normal form in the same breath as they all scattered in a blinding burst of light.

A mighty strike of lightning hit the rock's peak, blowing the entire foundation away from underneath the two hedgehog's feet.

They fell…

Like two broken halves of each other.

The last thing Sonic did was to fling himself towards Amy and envelop her safely within his arms - shielding her with his own body, as they descended and then ultimately made impact with the ground.

—.—

I was in ruins but she was just as unscatched and pristine as always.

An angel in the midst of a nightmarish smoldering hell.

Despite everything that's happened, I can't help but feel glad - content, even.

I'd fullfilled my duty - my life's purpose... I'd kept Amy Rose safe.

And now, at last, I would die for her.

The girl of my dreams.

The princess of my fairy tale.

The light of my horizon.

Her eyes would be the last thing I saw before I forever got swallowed by the dark.

Her soft touch a mere promise of what awaited me in the life beyond this one.

It would be a good death.

Notes:

To be continued...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thank you for reading.