A/N my first ever songfic! Dedicated to Jessiebell, one of the best friends a girl could ever ask for! Afraid to say I still don't own Sonic, and probably never will, nor do I own this song. See if you can figure it out ;P Good luck, and enjoy!:D
Pacing. It certainly helps take my mind off things. And considering I just got captured by Eggman for the first time in the history of, well, ever, I'd say I have a lot to think about. I'm not even sure how it happened. It's like one minute I'm facing his newest 'bot, the Egg Revelator, and the next I'm locked up here, stuck inside this crummy "Hedgehog-resistant" cell.
So much for saving Mobius like I'd originally planned. Not even my strongest Spin Attack'll bust me out of here! I let my eyes wander aimlessly up the damp prison walls for about the billionth time in the past ten minutes, studying every nook and cranny for any possible ways of escape. So far, I've got nothing. The walls are covered in some type of gooey substance that I'm sure Eggman put there on purpose, and the bars are so thick that I can barely poke one eye out.
Eggman's got sentry bots everywhere, so even if I could get out of this cell it'd be near impossible to make it out of his newest base unscathed. Two of his best E-100 models stand side by side at the stainless steel metal door just behind these bars. I grip them tightly, shaking my arms in a desperate attempt to break them, but all that seems to do is annoy the E-100s even further. They glare at me with their red laser eyes, looking ready to strike me dead on the spot and not think another thing about it. Too bad Eggman gave them specific orders to keep his prisoner alive.
Who knows why I'm not dead yet? It's like he's so intent on killing me, but when he finally has the chance to, he chickens out. Not like you'll hear me complaining though. I've lost my voice from all the screaming I've been doing. And as much as I hate to admit it, I really could've used it a bit earlier.
If only to further taunt the evil doctor for not getting rid of me sooner. Beeeeeep! I jump when I hear an alarm going off, followed by the bloodcurdling noise of the crushing and crunching of a bunch of Eggman's bots. Someone's out there busting all those bots up, making me want to scream out in annoyance because I can't see who could be causing such an uproar. One by one I hear the sentries being smashed into billions of pieces, letting me know that whoever's out there sure is angry.
I hear a light knock on the door, confusing me even more about the whole situation. Wham! The door is dismantled to reveal the silhouette of Amy Rose and her Piko Piko Hammer, the girl who's been chasing after me for years now. She walks over to my cell, glaring straight at me with her imposing emerald eyes, and swipes the security card I know she's stolen right out from under Eggman's nose. Amy! She's not supposed to be here!
She's supposed to be at home sick! She can't be here! What if Eggman spotted her, vulnerable and helpless as she's been the past few days? I can't even consider the thought. Though I'll give her credit, no matter how sick she is she always manages to find me, even in the toughest spots.
Hmph, maybe Tails was right. She's got some kind of "Sonic Radar," that's for sure. Regardless, she should be at home in the bed with a virus. I start to voice my thoughts, but stop once I realize that I can't anyways. I watch her closely, all at once noticing her shaky stride as her muscles ache in violent objection to their abuse, and the heavy gasps for air that seem to swallow up most of the oxygen in the room.
She's even worse off than before! I rush to catch her in time before she lands on the ground, nearly fainting from the toll she's taken on her body. Scratches and bruises scatter themselves across her pale arms. Her bright red dress is so dirty and tattered that you can barely make out its true color, and she's scarcely grasping her hammer in her left hand. I cradle her close, taking in her rosy scent as I dart for the door.
"I…told you…not to leave me, Sonic, or I'd, I'd come after you," she breathes, looking at me with such pure affection that I almost find myself wondering where the real Amy went. But she's here, right here. Maybe not all in one piece, but this is definitely the lovestruck girl that used to chase me around for hours, flashing her Piko Piko Hammer at me to threaten me into going on a date with her. And I think I've finally figured out why I got captured this time. And it's not because Eggman's bots have gotten any stronger, nor is it because 'Botnik's gotten any smarter.
I think I got captured because—I don't even have time to finish my next thought, because I'm caught standing face-to-face with the Revelator, the stupid bot that got me into this whole mess in the first place! It stands roughly thirty feet high, and is strikingly similar to the E-100 series, although with more of the evil doctor's little "toys" attached for me to have some fun with. I launch into my signature Spin Attack, trying my best to avoid having to put Amy down long enough for one of Eggman's other baddies to nab her, and aim straight for the center.
I go straight through, malfunctioning the whole entire bot until its body parts start spinning wildly beyond control. It finally self-destructs, leaving me to wonder if that may have been Eggman's plan all along. Not giving myself any more time to think, I make a final run for it, leaping out of the exit seconds before the whole base goes up in flames. Guess the hideout also had some kind of self-destruct switch.
Racing across the field full speed, I head straight for Amy's house, a yellow brick home with a small garden of roses around back. I walk inside, just to find a worried Vanilla sitting on her pink couch silently stroking the snoozing Cream and Cheese, and a frantic Tails pacing the living room cursing himself for not keeping a closer eye on her. As soon as he notices us, he dashes over, jumping up and down like a little kid again. "Sonic! You made it home!"
Vanilla also sees me, and Tails's screaming quickly awakes her sleepy-eyed daughter. "It really is you, Mr. Sonic! We thought you weren't going to come back! Right, Cheese?"
"Choo-choo!" the little Chao exclaims, nodding his head excitedly.
"How is she?" Vanilla asks restlessly, unable to keep her eyes off of the frail bundle I'm holding so close, so tightly to my chest.
"She's still alive, if that's what you're asking," I answer, walking into her room to lay her back down between the frilly pink sheets she slept in last night. Hm, my voice is back. I wonder how that happened. She stirs slightly, barely squinting her eyes as she takes in her surroundings, and closing them once again when she realizes she's made it home. I walk away, shutting the door behind me so she can't hear us.
Well, here come the questions. "Now does anyone mind telling me how in the world she managed to get out of here without anyone noticing? I don't know about you, but she seems just a bit too sick to be disappearing like that with no trace."
"She told us she'd do it. I tried to talk her out of it, Sonic. Honest! Then she threatened me with the Piko Piko Hammer if I didn't put a sock in it," Tails answers, pleading for forgiveness with those big blue eyes of his.
"Still, do you really think she could've hurt you with that thing when now she can barely lift a finger without every muscle in her body crying out in pain? Gah, I leave you to take care of her, just this one time, and, and…" I trail off, realizing how callous I've been about the whole situation, and glance over at Cream, who looks ready to bawl her eyes out because of me. Because of my screaming.
"No, Cream, I, I didn't mean to…I guess I just…I don't know anymore." I turn to walk away, but Tails grabs me by the arm before I can.
"Sonic, don't. It was my job to watch after her, and I didn't. I'm sorry, and I know that can't fix things, but I hope it at least means something to you." He just makes it so hard to stay mad, doesn't he? I finally face him, looking directly at him as I search for the deeper meaning behind those simple words. And that's when it clicks.
"Tails, you and I both know I can't stay mad at you, little buddy. And as long as she's okay, I think it's fine. She did rescue me after all. That's a miracle in itself. And miracles aren't meant to be fought over or complained about. They're meant to make us feel joy, Tails. You know what I mean?"
Tails nods, hugging me tight. "Welcome home, Sonic."
"Thanks, Tails." I hear Amy back in her room, rustling restlessly, and decide to go check on her, patting Cream on the head lightly as I go. I tiptoe inside, not wanting to wake the sick girl, and pull up her vanity's chair to sit on as I watch her sleep. Her face seems paler than before, if that's even possible, and her breathing becomes harsher with every rise and fall of her chest. I stroke her forehead, hoping to comfort her just a bit if I can.
She's burning up! "Vanilla!" I scream, frozen in place for some odd reason. "Amy's getting worse!" Vanilla and the others scramble inside, looking almost as distraught as I feel.
Cream shoves the thermometer in Amy's mouth, wide-eyed and near tears at the thought of losing one of her best friends. Vanilla covers her forehead with one wet cloth after the next, and Tails just stands beside me, ready to do anything and everything to save her. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe she's perfectly fine, and when I open my eyes she'll be chasing me around the park again, like she used to all the time. Maybe this isn't the end.
I shudder when I think about it, and when I finally open my eyes again, I realize I'm grasping her tightly by the hand. Vanilla nods to let me know that she's stable, and gestures for Tails and Cream to follow her out. Cream listens, looking back one last time to make sure her friend's going to be okay, and Tails does the same, staring straight at me as he walks away. Now it's just Amy and me. The psychopathic Sonic stalker that never gave up when it came to asking my hand in marriage or confessing how much she loved me.
I never deserved all that affection, especially when I never gave any of it back, but still she kept on, and she's always left me to wonder why? Why would she go to so much trouble, knowing it was all in vain? I gaze down at her, memorizing nearly everything I can about this sweet, innocent side of Amy. The side who's more crazy about the real me than the hero I've become. The side that refuses to give up, that hangs in and toughs it out, no matter how hard things get.
Well, maybe it wasn't all in vain. I remember back to what I was thinking moments before the Egg Revelator appeared to try and capture me again. I think I got captured because Amy couldn't come to the rescue this time, like she always does. Whether it's swooping in at the last minute or watching and encouraging me from a distance, she's always been a part of every battle I've ever faced. No matter how tough, no matter how agonizing, she's always been there.
Believing in me. I stroke her forehead with my free hand, caressing her warm fur as delicately as I knew how. "It didn't matter how many times I got knocked on the floor, but you knew one day I would be standing tall. Just look at me now," I whisper, recalling my past battles, from Chaos, to Shadow and Eggman, to Dark Oak and the Metarex. Flashbacks flood my mind, and I realize once again how Amy always seemed to show up, whether I felt like I needed her help or not.
"'Cause everything starts from something, but something would be nothing, nothing if your heart didn't dream with me," I say, noticing her stir under my cool touch. "Where would I be if you didn't Believe? I really just don't know, Ames. I'd probably be dead long ago; I'd at least still be stuck in that prison cell." Her eyelids flutter open to reveal her glowing emerald eyes that, despite how sick she's been, seem to have a life of their own.
"I always knew you'd say that," she murmurs, jumping up to hug me tight.
"Well, it's true. Where would I be if you, Amy Rose, didn't Believe?" The words seem to hang in the air like a blanket of clouds, and they seem to mean more to the little pink hedgehog than I thought they could.
"I love you, Sonic Hedgehog, more than anything," she breathes into my fur. "And nothing could ever change that."
"Sure about that?" I ask teasingly.
"Why, yes, but—" I don't give her any time to finish. I put a finger to her lips, stopping her mid-sentence, and before I even realize what I'm doing, my lips make their way to hers. I pull away softly, noticing the worry in her clear green eyes.
"Love you too, Ames. Love you too." I hear some clapping followed by a loud whistle, and turn to face Tails and Cream, who look completely overjoyed at the sight. "You guys! Ever heard of knocking?" I roll my eyes when I see Tails stick his tongue out, faking being grossed out.
"It sure took you long enough, Sonic," he answers, making his way out the door. "Come on Cream. Let's give them some privacy." I sigh. I definitely won't be hearing the end of that, now will I?
"Now, where were we?"
"Hm, I believe we were right about here," she answers, falling into my embrace as our lips meet once again. Not even Eggman could ruin this moment. Not in a million years.
Where would I be if you didn't Believe?