Cataclysm of the Heart
Chapter 1
She'd waited so long to hear those words fall from his perfect lips, she'd never even stopped to consider that they might not be sincere.
They were going to die. He'd been sure of it. It had only been meant as a comfort. Something to keep a smile on her face as their end loomed.
Neither of them had counted on being rescued.
Panic surged through him, electric and unforgiving as the water crashed in around him. Higher and higher it rose, sloshing around his legs as it filled up the tank. The feeling of it sent unpleasant shivers down his spine as he attacked the glass with full force.
Sonic had made a rookie mistake when he'd unwittingly walked into a trap set by Eggman. The glass tank that had risen up from the ground and locked into the ceiling had seemingly come from nowhere - an invisible trap.
That had been his first mistake.
The second had been not noticing the dark faucets that circled the top of the tank. At least not until the water began to fill it up and it was too late to disable them.
Still he fought. The spin dashes turned to kicks turned to pounding against the glass with his fists. All to no avail.
Sonic's knuckles were bruised and burning, yet he continued to hit the clear barrier with the little strength he could muster. He cursed when it refused to so much as scratch under his assault. What the hell was this stuff reinforced with?
The cold water crept up the base of his throat and his breath quickened. He gulped involuntarily as the water clung to his scarf, pulling at his neck. He tugged the wet fabric away from him and threw it to the side. Even he knew that the extra weight would only drown him faster.
The discarded scarf floated across the surface of the water in a spill of brown and for a split second, the blue hedgehog found himself wondering if perhaps he would do the same. Float effortlessly atop the rising water ... or sink like a stone.
His rings were on the latter, though he'd no doubt find out soon enough.
Within seconds he would be completely submerged, and with no sense of how to swim, it was getting harder and harder to push away the rising terror inside. Harder to stem the fear that was so deeply rooted in him. To stop that voice yelling inside his head.
Get out. Get out. Get out.
His heart thundered in his chest as the liquid rose to his chin. He pushed up onto his tip toes and threw his head back, gaining himself a few precious seconds. His hands uncurled from their fists and instead of attacking the glass, he splayed his fingers against it. Bracing himself.
There was no more time.
He managed to take a deep lungful of air before the water claimed him.
Her world was devastation incarnate.
Her heart - cleaved into two desolate halves. Each piece aching and wounded.
It had been ten days since the world had almost come to an end. Ten long hard days of rebuilding and reforging the world around them, trying to find some semblance of normality.
Her world, her life; everything had been broken and torn to shreds by Eggman's latest scheme. One that almost destroyed the very ground she stood on.
Luck.
Pure damn luck that right at the time Eggman was preparing to fire his realm destroying cannon, so high above them that even Sonic had no chance of reaching it in time, something had gone wrong. Some crossed wire or unruly robot had corrupted the initiation sequence and prevented it from going off at all.
Of course, that hadn't happened until after the smaller cannons had laid waste to half of Station Square. Her home had survived the initial blast, but the earthquakes that had followed in the aftermath had made it too unstable.
They hadn't been able to save everyone.
When it mattered, when Mobius had needed its heroes most, they had not been able to do a single damn thing to protect them.
Still.
The people endured. They picked up their lives from the rubble, dusted themselves off and moved forward. Eggman had of course vanished without a trace. He had abandoned his cannon and Tail's had gathered together a team to dismantle it for good.
The world was recovering.
Slowly but surely people were moving on from the horrific attack, fixing the tears Eggman had ripped into their lives. All except the ones that couldn't be fixed. That could never be fixed.
Amy stood in amongst a mass of citizens that had gathered atop what remained of the square, now nothing more than rubble, clutching Cream's hand. Knuckles cut a stoic figure beside her as they waited patiently for the mayor to officially begin the vigil for their fallen family and friends.
Amy tried to keep her thoughts blank through the long minutes, but her mind kept drifting back to one thought. How for a brief moment in time, despite the looming threat above them, everything had seemed so perfect.
How for an infinite moment, she had felt so incredibly happy. Like she could do anything and everything she wished, and the world could do nothing to stop her. She hadn't cared that they were likely to die at any second. And then, once the dust had settled, reality had come crashing down in a monsoon of regret and hurt.
The boy who hated tears had been the inspiration behind so many that it was almost ironic when she thought about it that way.
Eggman might have destroyed her world, but Sonic the Hedgehog had destroyed her heart.
The mayor arrived on stage and the chattering halted. The silence became a solid presence around them as the man stood far ahead, solemn but not broken as he delivered a powerful and heart wrenching speech about hope and solidarity.
The speech ended.
Candles were lit.
Held up for those who should have been standing there beside them.
Amy held her candle up high despite the wind, shining a bright light on the darkness of a tragedy that never should have come to pass. Words weren't enough to heal what had broken inside her, but she would be there for everyone who needed her.
Her throat was tight as she tried to hold back the tears. Tried so hard to be strong for those around her - but it was no use. At the slightest look from the young rabbit beside her, hot tears streamed down her face and blurred her vision.
"It's okay Miss Amy," Cream said from beside her. "Everything will get better." The girl circled her arms around Amy and they were the comfort she needed right then. She felt someone pat her shoulder - Knuckles no doubt.
With a final sniff, Amy pulled away from the rabbit only to see that the crowds were dispersing. It was a lot later than she had thought and the skies had darkened to a deep purple.
"Let's go home," Cream said tugging on her arm and Amy nodded in agreement.
She had only taken a few steps when she crashed into something warm and solid - no, not something. Someone.
Dazed from the impact, all she could make out was a deep cerulean and her heart soared. It did somersaults at the thought of the boy she'd just walked into and she hated it. Hated that she still felt so much for him.
A simple memory from their last meeting however was enough to tame it into submission.
"Amy ... hey."
She blinked the tears from her eyes enough to see Sonic watching her cautiously, those emerald eyes locked on hers with concern. Beautifully endless.
Damn.
Slipping back into loving him would be so easy she realised. So, so easy. As comfortable as slipping her favourite golden bracelets on every morning.
But she was stronger than that. She deserved better than to be treated the way she had, and Sonic the Hedgehog would learn that one way or another.
So, with all the courage she could muster, she looked him dead in the eye and spoke the words she thought she'd never have to say.
"Good bye, Sonic."
So, hi. I'm finally doing this and its kinda new and different for me but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Thank you so much for reading!
The story might be a little hard to follow right now, but the first section is a flashback - even in the following chapters - that will eventually catch up to the main story underneath (if that makes sense?) It's kinda short but that's just how this story seems to be flowing for me, short sharp bursts.
Thanks again, and I'll see you lovelies next time. Chao :)