Sonic stood at the edge of the crowd, hand fiddling with the black tie around his neck.
He wished he could just run away, but resisted the impulse. As many times as he had run away from his problems, from difficult situations and awkward questions, he knew that this wasn't the time or place. So he forced his feet to stay still, tried hard to ignore the itch at the back of his neck, knowing that it was just his mind playing tricks on him and let his mind wander.
Everything in his life had been constant - even Eggman's mad plans - and Sonic missed it.
Until Amy Rose was gone.
Sonic forgot exactly when she had begun to chase him, but he would never forget the expression on her face whenever she caught him unawares, or how it had fallen when he ran away. That would stay with him forever.
Especially now it had ended.
Sonic blinked back a tear.
How many times had he wished of the day that Amy Rose would stop chasing him?
He had wished, so many times, for the day when Amy Rose would stop chasing him, but had never thought it would end like this. Now, he found himself looking at those days with a bittersweet smile, instead of irritation.
Looking at the crowd of people just a short distance away, he realised that Amy had touched so many lives in ways that he had been unaware of. Now he wished he had listened, taken the time to listen, and not have to listen to the hushed voices that drifted over, of stories about Amy as a child and how she had helped people after Eggman's attacks. When he had been thinking of his next adventure, Amy Rose had been dealing with the aftermath, with the people who were hurt or scared, because it was the way she had been.
Like Sonic, Amy Rose had been an orphan, so she had no family here.
It made Sonic angry, because all the people celebrating her life were friends and it didn't feel right that her family tree should be brought to such an abrupt halt.
On the other side of the room, he could see Tails, Cream, Rouge and Knuckles, each dressed as formally as he was and dealing with the events in their own way. Cream was still crying, had done all through the ceremony, and Tails was comforting her. Sonic could still see the faint traces of tears on his own face. Rouge was batting her eyes at Knuckles, but she was dressed appropriately and this just reminded Sonic that so much had changed.
The itch at the back of his mind pulled at him again.
Then a song started to play. It was quiet and soft, matching the mood, and the words struck a chord in his heart.
'I don't want to leave without you
I don't want to go if you won't follow'
Amy must have chosen it, she had always had a sense of humour.
How true was the saying - you didn't know what you had until it was gone, Sonic thought, with a sense of loss that threatened to spill tears. He felt them at the edges of his vision, and that need to get away pulled at him stronger than ever. He couldn't let everybody see him break down, not after how he had stood in front of them earlier, trying desperately to remember the speech he had written as tribute to Amy, and found himself unable to speak.
He hadn't thought about today at all, not to the emotions and memories that it might evoke. Now he was paying the price and it was more than he could bear.
Forcing himself to walk slowly, Sonic managed to slip outside.
He let out a sigh of relief, breathing in the fresh air and felt the wind go through his spines. It seemed to call to him, whispering assurances that it could sense his mood, and wanted to ease it.
Sonic wasn't sure that it could.
For a few moments, he just stood there.
When a hand fell on his shoulder, it startled him, but he felt more relieved than anything else.
"Sonic, are you okay?"
Was he? Despite the image he strove so hard to protect, Sonic found himself talking, "I don't know. Maybe... Probably not..." He finally admitted "It's just, I never thought that this would happen to any of us."
He sighed, rubbing at his eyes, begging them not to shed tears.
"I miss her already," His voice shook "I mean, I know I always said I hated her chasing me, always asked her to just go away and stop bugging me, but now... now I wish it was like that again."
"Because it's familiar" The hand squeezed his shoulder and the voice behind it was sympathetic "I've known you for years, Sonic, and I know you find change difficult and this is a big change, but it will get easier, I promise."
Sonic knew this, but it didn't make him feel any better. They couldn't tell him how long it would take before this became familiar enough to stop hurting to much, or promise him that it would ever stop completely. He wished they could, but knew the truth.
"Why don't you go for a run? It always makes you feel better"
Even with it on his mind, the suggestion made Sonic pause "All those people in there, I can't just walk out on them. Besides," He sighed "It just isn't the same without her chasing me."
"Sonic." The voice was tender, and he felt the hand move from his shoulder to cup his chin "Sonic, look at me."
He looked up, and found himself drawn to a pair of shining green eyes, soft and tender as their owner, but still with a fire within.
Amy smiled at him.
She was so beautiful, Sonic thought, his breath taken away just as it had been seeing her that morning. She had looked like an angel, dressed in a white gown, her veil studded with light pink flowers, her arm linked with Knuckles', who had the slightest smile on his face.
It was etched into his mind, how she had walked up to him, stood right beside him and lifted her veil, smiling that same smile at him.
Sonic could only vaguely remember speaking his vows, when Tails had given him the ring, but he remembered the kiss with perfect clarity, and thinking of it again, he felt his mood lighten.
"Now, Sonic." Amy was fixing him with a solid gaze, but her tone and her eyes were soft. "I know this is a big change, but I know you wouldn't have made a decision like this lightly. I've had similar thoughts, wondering what I was going to feel when my dreams came true. I was scared that I would suddenly realise it was just the chase and not the prize that was what I wanted. But you know what?"
Amy cupped his face in her hands, leant forward and kissed him. It was just as amazing as every kiss before had been, and Sonic hoped that feeling would never end.
"I realised it was still you, even with all your faults, and not the hero that I loved." Amy smiled "I know myself, and I know you. It's been a chase for so long, and you're scared of that ending."
Sonic gave her a slightly subdued version of his trademark grin "It went on so long, I remember thinking that maybe if I stopped running, took you out once, that you might stop chasing me."
That was a day he would never forget. How her smile hadn't faded at all from the moment he had stopped and spoken, right through to the date itself. How she hadn't been fazed at all by going to a tiny out of the way restaurant to avoid the attention he tended to get. How she hadn't needed other people to see them together, because she didn't want the fame that all his other fans wanted, but was interested in him. She hadn't bombarded him with questions, but had listened patiently and talked about things that they both enjoyed.
It had been a revelation.
Sonic was amazed at how much he had enjoyed the evening and by how quickly it had gone. A date with Amy Rose, in his imagination, had been one that dragged on and on, but he found it too short. They had shared more interests than he could have imagined, and knew she was genuinely and not like his fans, who just pretended to so they could get close to him, thinking this would prove they were destined to be together.
Amy had chased him and proclaimed her undying love, which had driven him away and kept him running, but it wasn't until he stopped that Sonic realised it wasn't as intense as he had made it out to be. Amy had asked him for a chance, just one date, which he had continuously denied. Never once had he considered that there might be more to Amy than what he caught in brief glimpses, and he was so glad that it had worked out like this.
It could have been so different.
Amy was still smiling, watching the expressions on his face "It's not the end, just a beginning."
"It's still a change" Sonic reminded her.
Amy laughed, shaking her head "At least stop talking about me like I've died. I took your name, but I'm still the same person I always was. Nothing has changed. Besides," She added with a sly smirk "The chase doesn't have to end."
Sonic felt himself smile "What about the guests when they find the bride and the groom have both gone?"
"Oh, I think this kind of thing has happened before." Amy winked.
Sonic looked at his wife - his wife - and suddenly realised what had been in front of his eyes all along. Literally. Amy was still the same. Amy Hedgehog was the same person as Amy Rose, and the chase would be different, but somehow, he was sure it would be better.
"I'll give you a head start" Amy added.
Sonic grinned, leant forward and kissed Amy, then took off at a slow jog.
He looked behind him.
Amy was running awkwardly in her dress, but she was laughing and her eyes seemed to glitter in a way that made his heart skip a beat.
There was another saying he remembered - as much as things change, they stay the same, which struck him with a sudden clarity.
Sonic laughed as well and kept running.