Yes, I know most of you want to ring my neck for not updating stories, but I have my reasons. School, family life, distractions, the list goes on and on and on and on-

Melody: OKAY! They get the idea! Just get on with the story already!

Relax, we need to do the disclamier first.

Melody: Oh for the love- SAfan4life dosen't own any character mentioned in this story except for me, Melody the Cat. There, now can we start the story?

Yes.

Melody: Yay!

It was a hot afternoon in the beautiful city of Shamar. The locals were either shopping at merchant stands, dancing to music being played by street musicians, or just enjoying the nice weather.

Away from all the busy crowds was a large, tan building. This was home to the newest resident of Shamar. His name was Professor James Q. Pickle.

He was one of the top professors at his old job at Spagonian University, but he took a temporary leave and moved all his lab equipment and his personal items to his new home in order to help save the planet from a dark entity that had been released from deep within the Earth.

The professor was currently hunched over his desk, surrounded by stacks of books almost as tall as he was. He had gray hair and big, bushy eyebrows. He wore his favorite brown suit with matching loafers and a red bow tie to complete his look. He was currently examining an ancient scroll, trying to decipher the text when he heard the front door open. He looked up from his work and saw his guests.

The first was a blue hedgehog with a peach muzzle, chest, and peach arms. He had emerald green eyes and he had large spikes on the back of his head and two smaller spikes on his back. He wore snow white gloves and red and white sneakers with a golden buckle on each shoe.

The second creature was quite small and was hovering in the air using its little wings. It was a maroon chinchilla with golden eyes. He had a white muzzle, stomach, hands, feet and a bit of white fluff for hair and a tail. He wore nothing except a strange necklace with a green orb around his small neck.

The professor brightened up and stood from his desk. "Ahh, Sonic, Chip, good to see you two." The professor greeted. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble in Adabat." Sonic scoffed and leaned against a wall.

"Nothing we couldn't handle." He replied, whilst rubbing his nose.

"Yeah you should have seen Sonic," Chip said in excitement. "He was all like 'Pow!' 'Bam!' and they were like 'Ugh!' 'Ah!' And then Sonic was running on the side of a mountain. It was amazing!" He said, almost trying to reenact what had happened. Professor Pickle couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the small creature's enthusiasm.

"My, sounds like quite a spectacle," The professor said, but he then became serious, "however you'll have to wait to fill me in on all the details. With the help of Tails' invention, I've pinpointed the location of Eggman's headquarters. It's at the last Gaia Temple. You should go meet up with Tails and head over there. The sooner the better."

"Well, we would but there's a slight problem." The professor looked at Sonic with a questioning look, silently asking Sonic to elaborate, he did. "On the way back here we ran into a little trouble with some rough weather. So the Tornado I is gonna be out of commission 'til Tails makes the necessary repairs." Professor Pickle nodded in understanding.

"All right then. But as soon as those repairs are made you should go. The more time you spend dillydallying here, the more time Eggman has to complete his plot." Sonic nodded at the professor with a smirk on his face. Then, the door leading to the kitchen swung open and two creatures came out, each carrying a platter of food.

The first was a female, purple cat with long, dark brown, wavy hair and light brown eyes. She had a white muzzle, stomach, and a little bit of white on the end of her long tail. She wore a dark green tank top, black jeans, and purple shoes with a white stripe down the middle. She was carrying a tray of cucumber sandwiches.

The second was a pink, female hedgehog with jade green eyes. She had a peach muzzle, stomach, and peach arms. She wore a small red dress with a white stripe lining the skirt and matching boots, and a red hair ribbon, which kept her quills tidy. She was carrying a tray of chilidogs. The young hedgehogs face brightened up when she saw Sonic looking at her.

"Hi Sonic," She greeted, "I figured you'd be back soon so I made you a snack." She then placed the tray on the table in front of him. She couldn't help but giggle as she saw his mouth water as he stared at the tray in delight.

"Thanks Ames." He said, then, he sat at the table and began stuffing chilidog after chilidog into his mouth. The cat looked at him in disgust.

"You know Sonic," She said, "One of these days you're gonna choke on a chilidog, and if you're lucky enough to survive, I'll point at you and laugh hysterically." Sonic chuckled and tried to speak, but his mouth was too full of chilidogs for anyone to understand what he was saying. "Err… whatever." She said. She turned to Professor Pickle and presented the tray to him.

"Here you go professor, a tray of cucumber sandwiches, just how you like 'em." The professor then walked over to the cat and looked at the tray.

"Ahh, yes." He said. He picked up one of the sandwiches and examined it closely. He smiled the looked at her with a broad smile. "Now this is how a cucumber sandwich should be. The bread is ¾ of an inch thick, upon it one tablespoon of mayonnaise and a pinch of black pepper. The contents, fresh cucumber, sliced thinly I can see. This is the example of a perfect sandwich. Much better than that rubbish that Eggman gave me." He took a bite and smiled as he chewed, savouring the flavour. "Delicious. I say, Melody, your sandwiches are the best I've ever tasted. If I didn't know any better I'd say you whipped those up with magic." He started chuckling while Mel started laughing nervously.

"M-m-magic," she stuttered "that's crazy." Amy, sensing her friend's distress, quickly changed the subject.

"So, how was Adabat? I hear it's a beautiful island." She said. Sonic swallowed his last mouthful of chilidog and responded.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice, not a lot of people there too. I'll definitely have to go back there sometime."

"Yeah," Chip said. "The jungle is really pretty at night too. Except for all those Dark Gaia creatures showing up at every turn, trying to kill us. But Sonic was able to beat 'em all. No matter how powerful they were, no matter how scary they looked, no matter how dark it was, Sonic always won! Rain or shine, day or night, Sonic always won." Amy face grew concerned as she turned and looked at Sonic, whom was currently enjoying the praise he was currently receiving from his small friend.

"Sonic? If you've been fighting day and night, I can't help but wonder, how do you find the time to sleep?" She asked. Sonic's eyes shot wide open and he looked at from the corners of his eyes, small beads of sweat forming on the back of his head as he tried to come up with an answer that would make her happy and without lying.

"Umm."

"You have slept, haven't you?" She asked him, with a bit of anger mixed into her tone. Sonic put his hands up in defence and replied, trying to calm the pink hedgehog,

"Relax, Ames. I've been fine so far without sleep, I'll be fine, no need to worry."

"Sonic, you need your sleep. And now since the Tornado I isn't working, now would be as good a time as any." Amy said, concerned. Sonic moved towards her and put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look.

"Calm down Ames, I know what I'm doing." He was taken back when she looked at him with a glare and her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Yeah," She said angrily, "You're gonna offer yourself up to Eggman for target practice before he plunges the world into eternal darkness. Now, either you fall asleep," She snapped her fingers and her infamous Piko-Piko Hammer appeared in her hand. "Or I'll make you fall asleep." She threatened.

Sonic swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he stared at her weapon, which he was all too familiar with, and he had the scars to prove it. Seeing no way out of the situation, he gave into her demand.

"Okay, okay. I'll take a quick nap-"

"An hour at the least." She interrupted. Sonic eyes widened.

"An hour!?!" Amy hardened her glare and gripped the hammer with both hands threateningly. Sonic backed off.

"Okay, an hour." He said. Amy smiled, satisfied with her small victory.

"Good, there are beds upstairs. The one farthest from the door is free; the ones with the pink and purple sheets belong to Mel and me." She informed him.

"Actually, I think I'm just gonna sleep on the couch in here." Sonic said. Amy shrugged.

"Fair enough." She said she then turned to the professor, her hammer gone and a sweet smile on her face. "Professor Pickle, I have some tea heating up on the stove and it should be ready, would you like some?"

"Why, I'd love some." He said with a smile. "I could really go for a spot of tea. You know you and Miss. Cat have been great help. It was so wonderful having you two as guests, Amelia."

Amy smiled at the old man's kind words. "Oh, we were happy to help. Now let's go before the tea gets cold." With that said Amy, Professor Pickle, and Chip, went into the kitchen. Sonic flopped down onto the couch and tried to relax.

"I think she needs to lay off the tea," Sonic said to himself, "All that caffeine's making her cranky."

"It's not the tea's fault." Sonic jumped and turned to see Mel, sitting on the professor's desk, looking at him.

"Wha-? I thought you left with the others." Sonic said, while gesturing towards the kitchen door. Mel just shrugged.

"I don't like tea. I, personally, prefer a nice, cold glass of milk." She said plainly. She then leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "But that's not the point. The reason she acted like that, is because she cares about you. And you and I both know you care about her too." A sly smile formed on her face as she said the last sentence. Sonic's cheeks became slightly pink, but he tried to hide it by looking at the ceiling.

"What gave you that idea?" He asked sarcastically, but Mel answered anyway.

"Well, after you saved Amy from those Dark Gaia things in Spagonia, you told me to make sure she's safe, you said it in such a sweet and gentle tone. I've never heard you use it before. That gave me the idea." She said with a smirk. Sonic shifted uncomfortably, then said,

"Whatever." Melody rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and got off the desk and headed towards the kitchen.

"I better get going so you can take your nap." She said. Sonic scoffed and said,

"Heh, I'm not even tired. I don't think I'm gonna fall asleep any time soon." Mel smirked and turned, seeing him still looking at the ceiling. She quietly snapped her fingers and almost immediately afterward, Sonic's eyes closed and he sunk into the couch, snoring lightly.

Mel giggled to herself and whispered, "Good night Sonic." She then slipped into the kitchen and closed the door behind her.

*2 hours later*

Amy silently crept into the living room with a blanket in her arms. She had seen Sonic shiver earlier when she checked up on him to see if he was sleeping, so she left to get a blanket. She tip-toed over to the sleeping hedgehog and covered him with the soft, blue blanket. He shifted and grasped the blanket in his sleep and pulled the blanket tighter around himself and a small smile spread across his muzzle as he settled back into his peaceful slumber. She smiled as well and began running her fingers through his quills. 'He's so cute when he's sleeping.' She thought to herself. Unknown to her, Chip and Mel had just entered the room.

"Hey, is So-" Chip started to say, but Mel quickly covered his mouth and she pulled him back into the kitchen. He pushed her hand off his mouth and looked at her.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked her. She looked back at him sternly.

"You were about to ruin their moment." Chip raised his eye ridge.

"Their what?" He asked. She sighed heavily.

"Never mind." She said. Then they heard the door open and turned to see Amy quietly closing the door behind her. Mel immediately put on a smile and greeted her. "Hi Ames." Amy looked at her friend and smiled.

"Hey Mel."

"How's Sonic."

"Sleeping like a hedge baby." Mel giggled.

"Sounds like he really needed that nap. Good thing you told him to take one."

"Yeah well, he's gonna need his rest to fight Eggman. I just hope everything turns out alright." She said with a hint of worry in her tone. Chip flew over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Amy, Sonic's gonna be fine. From what he's told me he's been saving the world for a long time." He said, trying to comfort her. She looked at the small creature with a smile.

"Thanks Chip." She said and gave him a small hug. She let him go and left the kitchen to do some laundry. When she left, Mel let out a sigh.

"Sonic's an idiot." Chip then looked at the cat with a questioning look on his face.

"Why'd you say that?" He asked with genuine confusion.

"Because he acts like he only likes Amy as a friend when it's obvious that he likes her a lot more. It's so annoying." She said with an annoyed sigh.

"Oh." Chip said. "Well, maybe he's afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Well, Sonic doesn't really like his new form. He says it makes him feel like a horrible, ugly beast. Maybe his afraid that he'll scare her." Mel sighed heavily.

"This was going on long before he became the werehog, Chip." She said, "I mean the least he can do is spend some time with her."

"Well, maybe he can. Since the plane is broken, Sonic can't go anywhere today. Maybe we could come up with something." Mel started thinking deeply, and then she smirked and looked at Chip. He was less than comfortable with the look she was giving him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked. Mel grabbed his small arm and gave him a determined look.

"Come on Chip, we've got work to do." She then bolted out of the room and out the backdoor, pulling Chip along with her.

*Several hours later*

Sonic was sleeping peacefully on the couch, enjoying his much needed rest. But his sleep was interrupted when he heard a voice calling out to him.

"Sonic... Sonic. Wake up." It said. He groaned then turned over, facing whoever was waking him, and his eyes slowly opened. As his vision slowly cleared he saw Chip floating in front of his face. With a yawn, he sat up and stretched his tired limbs.

"Amy was right," He said, "I needed a quick nap." It was then that he noticed his arm was covered in dark blue fur. He examined the rest of his body and came to the conclusion that he had transformed into his werehog form while he was sleeping. "Huh, guess it wasn't that quick."

"Sonic, we have to go! Now!" Chip said, nearly panicking. Sonic quickly turned and noticed the worried look on his friend's face. His weariness instantly dissipated and he leapt to his feet.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Come on!" Chip yelled, "On the roof!" Chip then flew away and out the front door, followed closely by Sonic. He burst through the doors and quickly scanned the streets, looking for his friend.

"Up here!" Sonic looked up into the sky above him and saw Chip, motioning towards the roof and then flying in that direction.

Using his stretchy arms, Sonic grabbed the edge of the roof and shot himself up into the air and he landed on the roof smoothly with both fists up, ready for a fight. But what he saw made him gasp quietly.

The roof had been turned into a beautiful garden, with many different types of flowers. Roses, lilies, violets, carnations, and other flowers Sonic didn't even recognize. But his attention wasn't on the flowers. It was on something that, in his opinion, was much more breathtaking.

There, not ten feet away, stood Amy Rose. Still wearing her same old dress and boots but, she looked especially beautiful. Her pink fur seemed to glow in the pale moon light and her eyes sparkled. He saw her covering her mouth with her hands and her eyes were wide in surprise, looking straight at him. He quickly snapped out of his trance with a slight blush on his face.

"S-sorry Ames. I didn't know anyone else was up here." He apologised. Amy calmed down and looked at him with a sincere smile.

"It's alright."

"Why are you up here so late at night?" He asked.

"Mel told me to meet her here. Why are you here?" she asked him in return.

"Chip woke me up and told me to come up to the roof. He made it sound like an emergency." Suddenly, walls shot up around the edges of the roof, trapping them. Sonic moved Amy behind him and prepared for a fight. But he noticed something strange about these walls.

Instead of an ominous, dark purple, the walls were a warm green color and there weren't any creatures forming out of puddles of dark energy on the ground.

Then Sonic heard, what seemed like, a piano being played. He scanned the roof, looking for the source of the music. Then he heard a female voice singing.

"Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly,"

He spotted Mel a few feet away from him, playing an electronic piano and wearing a microphone headset. He was about to ask her what was going on, until he heard a deep male voice start singing. He quickly turned and saw Chip, whom was also wearing a microphone headset.

"Just a little change
Small, to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared,"

Mel and Chip then sang together. "Beauty and the Beast."

"Hey!" Sonic shouted angrily. Mel and Chip ignored Sonic's outburst and continued singing, but Chip flew towards the two hedgehogs.

He wrapped Sonic's arm around Amy's waist and made them hold hands. Then a strange green light surrounded their hands, forcing them to stay together.

"Dance." Chip whispered.

"Ever just the same
Ever a surprise,"

Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise,"

Sonic let out a grunt and said, "This is stupid."

"Oh come on, Sonic. They're just trying to have some fun." Amy said.

"Still," Sonic said, stubbornly, "why do we have to dance to a slow song?" Amy's eyes sparkled mischievously as she smirked.

"Can you slow dance?" She asked. Sonic looked at her and scoffed.

"Of course I can slow dance."

"Really? Then why don't you?"

"'Cause I don't want to."

"Sure, whatever."

"You don't believe I can slow dance." Amy looked straight at him, a smirk still on her face.

"I'll believe you can slow dance, when I see you slow dance." This time it was Sonic who smirked and then he started to dance.

Meanwhile, Mel and Chip smiled as they saw the two dancing with each other and they continued singing.

"Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise,"

Amy was surprised, to say the least, by Sonic's dancing. She'd always known her blue hero as a fast-footed, speed-freak. Always on the go and never standing still for longer than a minute. Yet here he was, in his strange, new form, slow dancing with her.

"Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange

Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong,"

"Wow, I had no idea you could dance so well, Sonic." Amy whispered. Sonic chuckled lightly.

"Told ya' I could slow dance." He said, with a hint of cockiness in his tone. Amy giggled lightly and smiled up at him.

"You know, this is kinda nice. I think this is the first time we've danced together."

"Really?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, but I can see why," She said, her happiness slowly fading from her voice, "You're always running around and saving people, and even the entire planet when it's in trouble. Me, I'm always chasing after you, giving you death hugs, asking you either out on dates or to marry me and then I try to pound you into the ground when you say no." She let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head. "I guess I really am just some hot-headed, fan girl."

Sonic looked at the gloomy hedgehog in his arms sadly. He lifted her chin 'til she was facing him again, overlooking the fact that the strange light that was keeping them together had disappeared when they began dancing.

"You're not that bad Amy. I mean, you haven't asked me to marry you in like, what, a year? That's got to be a world record." He joked, making Amy release a giggle and she smiled up at him.

"Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the beast,"

He smiled at her and picked a lily from a nearby flower bed and handed it to her. She smiled even wider, showing her pearly white teeth. She took the lily and placed it in her quills as he continued speaking while dancing.

"Besides, a lot of those things I really like about you." Amy looked surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like when you chase after me, I think it's nice that I'm worth running after. And when you get mad, well, I think you look cute when you're angry." Amy blushed at his compliment but smiled warmly up at him.

"Well, there's a lot I like about you too."

"Really? Like what?" He asked.

"Well," She said, "I like how you're always so confident, especially when you're in a battle. No matter how bad things seem, you can always face it with a smirk. And your fur, it's always so soft and smooth and it's a lovely shade of blue. Overall, I think you're really handsome, even in this form." Sonic scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm a real prince charming." He said sarcastically. Amy held his cheek and smiled at him warmly.

"Don't put yourself down, past the claws, fangs, and thick, heavy fur your still the same old Sonic that I know and love." Sonic looked down at her with a sincere smile.

"Thanks Ames." He said. She smiled with a hint of a blush on her cheeks, and then she leapt towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a sweet hug and nuzzled into his chest.

"You're welcome Sonic." Sonic was surprised by the hug but he still returned it. He rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes, just enjoying the moment.

Meanwhile, the sun had risen over the horizon, beginning a new day, and also rising the temperature a few degrees.

A black fog seemed to seep out of Sonics chest and completely enveloped his body, but neither he nor Amy broke from their hug. Soon the fog had disappeared, revealing Sonic in his normal, hedgehog form. But the two still held each other in their warm embrace.

Mel and Chip couldn't help but look and smile as the two hedgehogs held each other lovingly. They quietly sang the last line to the song and allowed the music fade away.

"Beauty and the beast."

Melody: Awwwww, that is so cute.

Thank you. Don't forget to leave a review. And no flaming.