He ran through the empty streets of Emerald Coast. It was quite early for him, as he would be normally sleeping in for at least a few more hours. However, restlessness had woken him up and forced him to run through the city. He couldn't think of what could possibly be wrong.
Sonic the Hedgehog slowed to a stop and decided to rest on the bench that was a few feet away. Usually, he wouldn't have cared to stop and rest; this, he thought, must definitely mean that something was up. He gazed up at the sky. Dawn had not fully come yet; the sky was a blur of orange, red, purple, and blue. Blue. The flower that she had given him was blue.
"It's a forget-me-not," she blushed and giggled about something for a moment. "If you give it to someone, that person will always remember you… and a number of other things…" She added the last part under her breath. He almost didn't catch it.
"So, what do you think of it? Do you like it?" she questioned quickly. He thought he heard a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and… fear. What did she fear?
"I… I guess it's okay. But isn't it kind of weird for girls to give guys flowers or something?" She flinched and her expression appeared to darken. Was that what she was afraid of? Someone called his name, and before he knew it, he was on his feet and running. It took him a moment to realize that it was Amy's voice. He turned back in the direction from which he came.
She didn't follow him.
He stretched his arms and yawned. He didn't see her back at the summerhouse after that. He stood up quickly and continued his run. Where was she? Did she come home late, or… did she even come home at all? His pace quickened. What if she was in danger? What if she got hurt?
… Why did he care?
She's my friend, he reasoned. Everyone back at the house would be worried if she went missing, too. If she really was his friend, why did he always seem afraid of her? Why did he run? Unless…
A pale sliver of pink passed in the corner of his eye. Or perhaps he moved past the sliver of pink. It didn't matter though. He quickly turned back and stopped in front of the narrow alleyway. It was dark and only a small amount of light filtered in. The passage wasn't extremely dirty, but a great amount of trash was piled at the end of the path. That's when he saw her.
Amy Rose.
Amongst the bags of filth lied Amy Rose as though she were a doll that had been discarded without the utmost care. Her dress and boots were torn and worn and her face was covered in dry blood.
Without wasting time any time, Sonic rushed to her aid, carefully scooping her up in his arms as though she would break if handled incorrectly. Not even thinking rationally, he carried her to the city's medical center. Informing the others was his second priority.
Sonic, Tails, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Knuckles, and Rouge all stood by Amy's bed. The doctors had informed them a few minutes before that she would be well soon, but that still didn't stop the uneasiness that crept into the atmosphere. Who could've done this?
Sonic paced impatiently through the room in deep thought. He felt a great sense of guilt. If he hadn't run away from her before, then she would probably still be okay.
Rouge felt uncomfortable standing there. She hardly knew Amy. In fact, they mostly fought when they encountered each other. That didn't change the fact that she felt sorry for the girl, though. She left the room with Knuckles tagging along behind her.
"Why?"
"Huh?" Knuckles was confused by her inquiry. "Why what?"
"Why did it have to be her? She did nothing to deserve this even though she was always a big pain in the butt." Knuckles remained silent. "This isn't Eggman's doing though. I don't think he would just leave her wounded in an alley."
"Yeah, he usually uses her as bait to get to Sonic. I don't even think she ever got hurt when he held her captive…"
"Let's go back to the summerhouse. This environment is way too serious for a vacation."
"Okay, let's go," he visibly shivered and clutched his arm as if remembering a not-too-pleasant experience. "I don't really like needles that much anyway…"
After the two of them exited the building, Rouge looked at Knuckles curiously.
"So," she started slyly, "are you getting me a valentine for Valentine's Day?"
Knuckles blushed and looked away indignantly. "What's it to you, Bat-girl?"
Rouge giggled and batted her eyelashes seductively. "Maybe I won't give you yours if you don't give me mine…"
Knuckles blushed an even deeper shade of red. Talking to Rouge at times was like a never-ending headache. He yelled at her in exasperation and stomped off with Rouge trailing him with an innocent smile plastered on her face.
Back inside the hospital, Vanilla and Tails tried to calm Sonic down. Cream sniffled in the corner with Cheese. Despite the doctor's encouraging words of her wellness, they were all still worried. Tails settled himself in the corner with Cream after tiring of trying to console his friend. Vanilla gave up soon after and settled herself in a chair as well.
"Don't worry, Cream. The doctor said that she would be fine with a couple days of rest." Tails said with a reassuring smile. "Besides, a few stitches isn't all that bad."
Cream cringed and pulled her ears over her face at the thought. Tails gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. She peeked through her ears and softly thanked him for his support.
Amy muttered something unintelligibly in her state of unconsciousness. Sonic dashed to her side in a flash only to be disappointed. He was anxious to be by her side when she woke up Tails supposed. Why Sonic was so eager was beyond him. Tails shook his head. Time seemed to inch by slower than a caterpillar.
Meanwhile, in Sonic's room, beside the blue forget-me-not that was given by Amy lied a pink one: the one that Sonic had meant to give to her that very day. Its petals curled in the sunlight as if to close itself off from the rest of the world. If anyone were to see the symbolism, he or she would be greatly surprised by the irony of it. A most unpleasant surprise would be in store for the group in the days to come.
This incident was only the beginning of the series of events that would soon unfold.
End Prologue Completed 1/4