a/n: What once was, will be again. Another journey.


01. Tokens


"Well, this isn't good. This really isn't good at all, is it..."

The human girl whimpering in her arms added to the tension of the situation. She was staring down the sight of an automatic rifle, held by a burly masked man at range. In the background, drugs and women were hurriedly moving around the warehouse, and eventually towards some mysterious destination on the edge of Station Square.

If he were closer it would be a lot easier, she thought. But the pink hedgehog had more than a few things to worry about, not limited to the health of the child she was protecting.

"Human trafficking, too. How low do you have to go?" she muttered. "Bunch of losers."

"Shut up," the masked man barked at her. Amy Rose narrowed her eyes and drew the child closer, but said nothing else. She had been out on the town with a few friends and made sure not to stay out too late. But this was an unpleasant surprise, to say the least.

What is he going to do with us? I don't really want to know, but...

"What's going on over there?" a voice called out. "Hey!"

From that dark corner of the warehouse, Amy could feel a familiar pulse in the air. Couldn't be...no, it had to be.

"Is that...Sonic?"

"I told you to-"

"Yo. You wanna drop the gun and step back a bit? I'd appreciate that." Sonic wasn't wearing his trademark grin, but otherwise looked at ease as he saw Amy crouched with the small girl in her arms. "Today would be nice."

"What did you do?" the masked man asked.

"Your buddies are taking a nap. Now you can just give up like a smart man and we'll wrap this up. Might even put in a good word for you with the chief."

"Take another step and they both die."

"Come on."

"I'll kill them both!"

Sonic raised his hands with a bored expression and stepped backwards. "Now what?"

"I'll take them with me and you'll stay right there, hero."

"Really? You can do better than that, can't you?"

"You're right...I can." The masked man sprayed bullets at Sonic, who moved easily past them and towards his target. Amy picked up the little girl in her arms and started to run before slowing to a sudden stop.

"Ah...?"

"You're bleeding! No, you're bleeding!"

"Is that...so?" Amy looked down at the growing bloodstain on her blouse. Her head slowly swivelled towards Sonic, eyes filled with confusion. "I...eh?"

The girl fell from Amy's limp arms, and she dropped to her knees before falling to the ground face-first.


A moment later, there was the sound of a sonic boom as a corpse tore through the side of the warehouse.


I was in that warehouse, wasn't I? Did I die? I don't think so. I just know that I hurt a lot and then I passed out. I hadn't been shot like that before.

I want to try opening my eyes...

"You're awake, finally."

"Mm?" Amy raised her arm and saw a small tube coming from it. She could feel some of the cool air moving through her hospital gown, and she sighed before wincing in pain. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours. The bullet went in and out of you, but it was a near-miss as far as your vitals were concerned."

"I see. Thanks, Tails."

"No problem," he said from the side of her bed. "Sonic wanted to be here...he said it was a ricochet that got you, and he looked really upset."

"Ah. So that's what it was." Amy looked up at the white ceiling in thought. "What happened next?"

"The little girl you helped went back to her parents. Her name was Caroline, I think. And Sonic...he..."

"He what?" Amy tried to sit up but felt dizzy. She gave up and laid her head on the thick pillow. "What happened?"

"They found a guy dead at the scene. Well, not at the scene per se. He uh, got punched out of the building," Tails said while scratching his head. "Sonic had to talk to some suits so that's why he's not here at all. He was really worried."

"I figured. Sheesh, what a night."

"The nurse said that you'd probably be able to leave in a day or two. They just want to observe. Sonic might be able to come by if he's not busy. Eggman, you know?"

"I know. No hard feelings either way on my end. Thanks for the update, Tails. You should get some rest, I'll be fine on my own."

"Alright, if you say so. Get better soon, Amy."

"I will. Be good," she said with a wink.

Tails waved back before making his way out. Left to her own thoughts, Amy sighed and looked over at the monitor beside her bed.

"Always looking out for me. Even when I get into trouble like this...but somehow, I feel like you'll always be with me no matter what. Make sure to take care of yourself too, Sonic. I love you."

Amy closed her eyes and smiled.


Life is fickle, unfortunately. Many times what we want never comes to pass. And many times, good deeds don't go unpunished.

So ask yourself. What good are you going to do today, and how much are you willing to pay for that chance?


"Do they really need to take that long?"

Amy wiggled her toes nervously while sitting on the wooden bench. Today was a strange session inside of a courthouse. How it had come to this point, she didn't know. But for some reason, Sonic didn't run. He didn't shirk the responsibility thrown onto him, despite the fact that he had no obligation that she knew of to these people, or these laws.

"I can't believe it myself," Tails replied. "Do you know anything, Rouge?"

"Nothing, kiddo." The white bat placed a hand under her chin and flipped through her mental inventory. She really didn't know anything, but...there was something unwholesome and suspicious lurking beneath this whole incident.

"That guy didn't even identify himself. I testified to that," Amy said nervously. "And they got Caroline to do it, too. It was hard for her. And all the evidence...they can't think Sonic is a murderer."

"It's not that he didn't kill the guy, he did," Rouge said confidently. "But the guy he flattened was some kind of federal agent posing as a gangster, and apparently he had to maintain his cover until the last moment."

"I got shot because of him," Amy countered.

"I know. But it's not up to us. And the footage...I..." Rouge pursed her lips.

"What? What, Rouge?"

"There wasn't a single one of...us...on the jury," the bat said quietly. "Those humans saw Sonic punch someone through a building and out the other side. I wouldn't be surprised if they were scared after that."

"But Sonic-"

"It doesn't matter. What he's done in the past doesn't matter right now. Fear...eclipses rationality." Her mind went to Shadow for a moment.

"Sonic's the hero of Earth, you know? Even if...even then," she said, raising her head to meet Rouge's gaze, "they wouldn't turn their backs on a hero like that. They wouldn't."

Rouge said nothing, instead reaching across to place her hand on Amy's cheek. Her hand slipped away gently as the jury returned.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

Amy found herself shaking. She clasped her hands together, wondering for a small moment if they could really do something so absurd to Sonic. She wondered-

"We find the defendant guilty."

Her mind froze.

"We find the defendant guilty."

"On the charge of-"

Oh. So this was...

"We find the defendant guilty."

This was...despair. Wasn't it?

"What...happened?" She spoke long after the room had emptied, leaving her with Tails and Rouge.

"I don't know either," Tails said calmly. "I just know that this isn't right at all."

"Let's get out of here," Rouge said. The three stood up and walked outside quietly. Amy stopped once she was on the front steps and sat down, staring blankly into the distance.

"I'm gonna stay here. You guys go."

"Amy-"

"It's okay, Tails. I want to be alone for a while. Please."

He opened his mouth to protest again and Rouge shook her head to stop him. Relenting, he decided to stay quiet and twirled his tails to take off into the sky. Rouge gave Amy one last look before walking off down the steps.

Amy sat quietly, her hands on her knees as the crowds thinned and people left for the day. Afternoon turned into evening, and evening into night. Still she sat in the cold, alone.

"You're still here. Rouge sent me to check on you."

Shadow stood beside Amy as she looked into the night sky.

"I didn't bring anything to eat. If you won't go home, I can bring you somewhere."

"..."

"Rose."

"What does despair feel like, Shadow?"

"It is different for everyone."

"...there's a blanket wrapped around me. It feels like my mind gets so hazy and that I will be swallowed by it. I feel hollow but warm. I was wondering if that was despair also."

"..."

"Will you leave me, Shadow?"

"No."

"I thought you hated seeing weakness in people. Especially this kind, and what I might show you."

"You are not weak. Emotion is not weakness."

"Is...that what you believe? Shadow?"

"Yes."

The cry made its way slowly and painfully to her throat. She let the tears fall freely, screaming and wailing at the top of her lungs as her body shook. He closed his eyes and hid his pain for her.

Amy Rose fell apart at the seams, as she had always wanted to.

The familiar catharsis was not there. No, it would never come. That...that, she knew full well.


The Junkyard Dog: Prologue

Galactic Shackles